#someone make nico magically healthy again

[lvrhughes]

IF NO ONE GETS HURT ILL SEE ALL THREE HUGHES BROTHERS IN UNDER A MONTH

NO ONE HURT THEM 🔫

[homestylehughes]

3 times nico wanted to kiss you and the 1 time he did.

pairing(s): nico hischier x fem!reader

summary: 3 times nico wanted to kiss you and the 1 time he did.

warning(s): absolutely none. pure sweet fluff :)

wc: 2.3k

an: hi loves! I'm so sorry for my lack of posting and staying on top of everything, life has been kinda kicking my ass recently BUT the show must go on! sooooo.. new nico fic! this is one of my favorite prompts of writing, so I hope you enjoy Nico's version! lmk if you'd like me to write anyone else to this! I loved writing this, and i hope you enjoy reading it! like and reblog if you do! I hope you all are healthy and well. much love as always<3

1.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Nico swore as he kicked the front door of his apartment. Today wasn't his day, first the devils lost their game in a shootout, a game that they should have won. Having to sit through mindless, annoying media after, putting nico in an even more shitty mood. Then he got stuck in traffic on his way back home, his phone died halfway home, and just as he got out of his car it started pouring causing him to get completely soaked. Just to top it all off, if his day couldn't get any worse, he somehow left his keys inside his apartment. Which led to the three kicks Nico gave to his door before dropping his head against the cold wood. 

Nico, too busy trying to wrack his brain on how to get into his apartment, didn't hear the elevator door open, as someone began to walk down the hallway. 

“Nico, are you alright?” a sweet voice says from behind him.

turning his head slowly to see yn, his attractive, sweet as honey neighbor standing next to him in the hallway. 

“Uh hi” he rasps put

“Hi” she replies sweetly, “are you okay?” she asks again

“Um, not really. I haven't had the best day, and I happen to lock my keys in my apartment.” 

“Oh no, im sorry” she says, a genuine look of empathy running along her face 

“Its okay, i'm just going to stand here until it magically opens” nico chuckles out sadly to her 

“If you'd like you could come post up in my place until you can get back to yours? I don't want you to sit out here by yourself all night.” she says softly

“Oh no, i don't want to be a bother”

“Nico you won't be a bother, and i'm offering so please” she says to him with pleading eyes

“Okay, thank you so much. I'll be out of hair as soon as i can” he smiles to her

“Don't even worry about it, you're more than welcome over at any time.” She smiles at him, turning on her heel to the other side of the hall to open her door, Nico following behind her, shutting the door after him. 

“I see you've changed some things, since the last time i've been here” nico says as he looks around her apartment

“I have! Changing it up a bit for the different seasons. Do you like it” yn asks shyly

“I do, its very..you” he smiles to her

“Thank you Nico, that's very kind.” 

“Oh! You're soaking wet, let me see if I have anything you can wear. Follow me” she says, turning away to make her way to what nico thinks to be her bedroom as he follows her.

“Yn you don't have too” he says, feeling bad that she's doing all of this for him 

“Nico please stop apologizing it's okay, i promise” her hands rummaging through her dresser as she speaks 

“Here! I have there huge sweatpants and shirt from my college days hopefully this works for you” she smiles, holding out the clothes in front of her

“This is great thank you” he smiles back, taking them from her hands. His gaze lingering a little longer than it should over her face, taking in the soft color of her eyes, as well as her smile, drinking each bit of her features as he could. 

“The bathrooms right down the hall, feel free to shower if you'd like. I'm about to get started on dinner” 

“Okay great, thank you so much again” nico says for the 15th time he thinks tonight

“Of course nico, whatever you need im always here” sending him another sweet smile, that almost makes him drop to his knees

“Well i'm going to get changed, i'll be down in a little” 

“Of course! I'll be in the kitchen, let me know if you need anything’’

Nico nods in response before finding the door to the bathroom, entering before closing the door behind him. Looking at himself in the mirror at his wet dog appearance. Sighing before turning around, opening the shower, turning on the water to the highest setting. Peeling off his wet clothing before getting in, the hot water is doing wonders for his sore body. 

The loss of the game, or being locked out of his apartment weren't on his mind anymore. The only thing he could think about was you, and how kind and sweet you were to him and how much he wanted to kiss you. 

2. 

Nico stands outside your door after delivering 3 heavy knocks in hopes that you're home. Since the night he spent in your place, you and Nico have gotten closer, meeting each other for coffee at least once a week, talking to each other in the hallway whenever you see each other, along with constantly keeping incontact over text. 

Nico who had been gone on a week and a half roadie is finally home, after learning one day when he was gone that you've never been to a devils game he decided that he wanted to change that, which leads him to where he is now. Holding a jersey with his number on it, in hopes that you'll wear it and 3 tickets for you and any two friends you'd wish to invite. 

Your door opens signaling that your home, nico perking up instantly once he sees your face.

“Nico! You're home hi!” you say, quickly pulling him a hug, pulling back quickly sending him a smile.

“I am, and i have a gift for you” he says with a smile

“Nico..what did i tell you about gifts” yn says sending him a slight pout 

“Oh shush, you're going to like this, here” he says holding the jersey and envelope in front of her to grab

Opening the envelope and looking at the jersey silently, pausing before looking up at him. 

“Nico this is so sweet” she says before pulling him another hug

“I hope to see you there, if you aren't busy” 

“Luck for you, im off that day” 

“Good, i can't wait to see you in my jersey” he says with a slight smirk on his face 

“Me neither..captain” she says sending him a wink 

Nico can feel his chest and his pants tighten at the nickname that rolls so smoothly off your tongue. 

“Well i'll let you get back to your night” 

“Right, thank you for this again, can't wait to see you in action in person.” yn says with a giggle

“I'll play my best just for you” 

“You better..captain. Goodnight nico” yn says, sending him another hollywood famous smile

“goodnight, yn” sending her one last smile, before turning towards his door, hearing her door softly shut just as he opens his. 

Entering his apartment, shutting it behind him, dropping his head against it. The only thoughts running through his mind is how would your lips taste against his. 

3. 

It's the night of the game you're attending and Nico couldn't be more scared as he steps on the ice for warmups. The whole team was already picking on him before the game in the locker room, when they found out a girl Nico was interested in was coming to watch the game tonight, thanks to jack. 

Making his normal rounds on the ice, practicing a few goals, passing a few pucks to jack and luke as he tries to settle his nerves. He spent the last two minutes of the warm ups looking all over for you in the stands, unable to remember where your seats are at, he hopes that you're somewhere in the stands. 

The warmups end as the team now gets ready for the start of the national anthem, lining against the blueline as the song starts. dropping his head, closing his eyes letting the song relax his nerves before the game. Once the song ends. He begins to skate off the ice, but not before he sees your face. 

There you are standing, in the stands with the brightest smile he's ever seen on your face. Your hair falls perfectly as you laugh at something one of your friends said, before turning back towards the ice where you lock eyes with him. Sending him a wave and smile, Nico flashing the same in return. His eyes taking over your jersey covered body, his jersey, his number, he can't help but feel a sense of pride as he looks at you one last time before making his way to the bench. 

“I know that look” jack says beside him, sending him a light shoulder push, “she's here isn't she?” he asks, already knowing the answer 

“She is, and she looks beautiful”

“You gave her your jersey didnt you?” jack asks a teasing smile on his face 

“ i did” nico replies meeting jacks eyes, his face now holding a shit eating grin

“Awwww little Nico's in love!” jack laughs 

“Shut up.” 

“When are you going to ask her out?” he asks 

“Soon, i hope” he replies 

“You really like her huh?” 

“I really like her” 

Really liking her as nico called it would be an understatement. He would give her the moon, and anything in between, if it would make her happy. He wants to know what it's like to take her on dates, wake up next to her everyday, and most importantly what it's like to kiss her. 

+1 

“Dinner at my place at 7?” reads the text from yn as nico checks his phone after practice, a smile spreading across his face as he responds sending, “i'll be there at 7:)” before setting his phone down, to finish getting dressed. 

“What's the smile on your face cap?” Jack asks from beside him, as he picks up his gear. 

“What, can a guy not smile anymore?” he replies 

“We know who put a smile on your face cap” Jack snickers to him. “So when are you gonna grow a pair and ask her out?” he asks, as he and Nico make their way out of the locker room.

“I don't know, maybe tonight? She invited me over for dinner. Sometimes i can't tell if she likes me or not” nico sighs out

“Dude.” jack says as he turns to look at nico

“You actually can't be serious. She's definitely into you. She literally came to her first NHL game and wore your jersey, AND she invited you over for dinner randomly. She definitely likes you.” 

“I hope so, i'll ask her tonight '' Nico says confidently, Jack's words finally knocking some sense into him. 

“You better, or I'll do it myself” Jack says with a smirk, Nico sending him a glare at his words causing Jack to let out a deep laugh as they make their way to their cars. 

“YOU BETTER DO IT!” jack says out his car window, as he pulls out 

“I WILL” Nico shouts back, sending him a thumbs up. 

As nick drives home the only thing on his mind is you, and how tonight he wouldn't back down, that tonight he'd ask you out, and maybe just maybe even kiss you. 

– 

Nicos hand slightly shakes as he goes to knock on your door, giving it a firm knock. His grasp on the bouquet of flowers tightens as he hears your footsteps on the other side of the door. 

“Hi” yn smiles at him as she opens her front door, stepping back quickly allowing nico to come in, closing the door behind them. 

“Hi, it smells wonderful in here. What's on the menu tonight chef?” nico asks as he follows yn into her kitchen 

“It's a surprise” she says, finally turning around to meet his eyes. Nico finally got a good look at her for the first time tonight. He can't help but stare at her, taking in all of her beautiful features, mesmerized by how effortlessly beautiful she is. 

“Nico?” yns sweet voice breaking him out his daydream

“Yeah?” 

“Are you okay? You kinda just stared at me for a sec” 

“Yeah yeah, I'm okay. Just got lost in thought. Oh! These are for you” he says trying to change the subject, holding the flowers out for her to take.

“Aw these are so cute! how'd you know these are my favorites?” yn asks, a bright smile on her face as she takes the flowers from him. 

“You told me” 

“Wasn't that like months ago?” 

“I try to remember everything about you. I know your favorite flower are tulips, and that you hate peas, how you only sleep on the left side of any bed." Nico cuts himself before he embarrasses himself anymore than he has. His face heats up with a deep shade of red as yn stands there staring at him wide eyed over his words.

“I'm sorry that was too much, and uncalled for.” he quickly says, in a miserable attempt to cover his tracks 

“No ones ever taken the time to ever know me like that before” yn says quietly  

“ I don't know why anyone would. Everything about you is perfect and beautiful” he says, finding her gaze. 

“Do you really mean that?” 

“I meant every word.” Nico says as  he continues to look at her. He can almost see the gears moving her head as she tries to find her words. Instead of speaking, Nico suddenly feels her soft lips against his. 

His body moving before his brain does, wrapping his hands around her face pulling her into his body, their lips moving in sync. 

“Wow” nico whispers, pulling away from her lips

“Why didn't we do that sooner?” yn says almost against nico lips, bringing her head up to look at nico whose hands are still around her face. 

“I don't know, but I think I want to do it again, '' Nico says before softly kissing her. 

[thorntopieces]

assorted pjo/hoo headcanons

autistic!will. i mean. i was one of the first people to write it (and post it on ao3, but i had stuff about it on my long gone old blog before then). this is true. to me. it's not incredibly obvious unless you know what you're looking for because 99% of the time he's eloquent and very passionate and maybe it's just the hyper healer in him and he'd like to think he passes well. but for people who know they can just tell. it's the voice, man /gn. gives you away every time /lh

pots!hazel. she ends up (mostly!) recovering from the fainting episodes associated with her flashbacks but still faints and feels unwell a lot of the time. she spends a lot of her energy and magic on staying conscious and aware, leaving her foggy and with flare-ups. will ends up diagnosing her half-way on accident during the three days nico stays in the infirmary. she doesn't faint a lot, but she will frequently have her vision black out when she stands and feel nauseous if she has to stand still for more than ten minutes (more or less depending on the day). together with jason and nico the three of them make up the fainting trio

reyna speaks excessively formally and politely when she's uncomfortable and the moment she feels safe around you she will just loosen up completely. it becomes very clear very quickly how much of her time is spent being uncomfortable

genderfluid!lou ellen. most of the time she's happy to be referred to as a girl, but some days it just feels wrong and she prefers to be referred to either gender-neutrally or masculinely. it's not something she's out about to anyone but her closest friends, partially because there's kind of enough stigma around being the child of hecate and also, it's not all that obvious, even to her.

nico is a bit like a social interaction vampire. he's not as shut off as others seem to think, he just needs to be given explicit permission to talk about his interests because he's worried about annoying other people, especially after bianca essentially abandoned him. he could talk for hours and hours about his special interests (because yes, he's probably autistic too) like mythomagic (he picks it up again with percy's encouragement), ancient languages and literature

will and katie (gardner) friendship. they bond over liking star wars and when lou ellen join their circle she manipulates the mist to recreate scenes from the movies. as she gets better at it she manages to make the light sabers glow, much to will and katie's delight

after the battle of manhattan and will/kayla/austin almost dying from being overworked, the camp gets together with mr d and chiron without the apollo kids' knowledge and figure out how to run the infirmary in a more sustainable way than just forcing apollo and athena kids to be there. eventually they settle on apollo kids doing 8-hour shifts but none at night unless someone is severely wounded. for the night shift, other campers work in rotating pairs where one sleeps for the first four hours and the other for the last four hours. a lot more campers gain appreciation for the amount of work the apollo (and athena) cabin put in to keep them alive and healthy and the apollo cabin doesn't die of burnout

t1 diabetic!kayla. she's been sick with it since she was six, but thanks to having a very supportive dad and a team of professionals around him considering his status as an olympic archer, her condition is well-managed (most of the time, war time is unpredictable) and she knows how to treat and manage it considering her demigod lifestyle. accompanying headcanon to this: while ambrosia and nectar is mostly to heal injuries and wounds of a divine and/or serious nature, it can short-term manage blood sugar. mortal intervention is always needed to fix the problem though. a bit like how narcan delays but can't entirely fix an opioid overdose

cecil wasn't properly accepted as a child of hermes at first considering he didn't express exceptional skills at the more obvious and everyday traits associated with the cabin (multilingualism, athleticism, thievery). first when he was found to accidentally being an exceptional saboteur was he properly accepted by the rest of his siblings. due to this he tended to hang out with the unclaimed children in the hermes cabin rather than his own siblings, especially lou ellen

hjs!cecil (hypermobile joint syndrome; double-jointedness). he's not good with most physical activities because of this and easily discouraged to even attempt most sports due to how his cabin alienated him for not being exceptionally agile, a trait associated with their cabin. it's not uncommon for his wrists and ankles to not work well (such as the twisted ankle in boo). however, he feels like he "compensates" for this by working in the shadows. when properly encouraged and supported, he prefers fighting with knives (close combat or throwing), relying on being obnoxious to throw the enemy off

[seattlesea]

Why Solangelo Isn’t A Good Ship (Sorry)

The amount of love I see for Solangelo is honestly kind of surprising???

1. It was only for publicity. The House of Hades- which is when Nico came out as gay- came out late 2013, and the spike for LGBTQ+ supporters and allies was mid-2013, and there was absolutely no foreshadowing or even hints to Nico being gay beforehand. Riordan only confirmed Nico gay to avoid backlash. And in The Blood of Olympus, Nico is openly gay to the readers, Reyna, and Jason, then comes out to Percy and Annabeth afterwards. Then he’s introduced to Will and- in the very next book they’re seen in- they’re in a loving relationship. It’s as if Riordan didn’t believe that having Nico come out as gay was good enough but had to give him a boyfriend to ‘validate’ or ‘confirm’ his sexuality like so many assholes ask LGBTQ+ people to do. 

2. It happened way too fast. Will and Nico meet for the very first time and start dating within only five months. What? Not only is that too fast for normal people to actually get into a legit, real relationship that isn’t something out of a cliche high school movie, but Nico came out as gay after being scared to for years, just started slipping out of his isolated and depressive state, literally had to learn how to socialize after being alone for 3+ years, just came out of a war and even Tartarus with truck loads of PTSD that would take years to fully recover from, and just started gaining a family and friends and had to learn how to accept help and comfort from others. Tell me- how many soldiers who just came back from war are concerned about getting a boyfriend/girlfriend/datefriend? Nico’s story in BoO should’ve been about his recovery, not getting a boyfriend. I mean, he met Will for the first time and immediately started liking him, and they didn’t have any meaningful conversations whatsoever. All they did was bicker. Even in The Tower of Nero, they didn’t show any actual mutual understanding of or true affection towards each other. They didn’t talk about anything deeper than the shallow end of a pool, about each other, or even how they got to be in a relationship. They were just kind of there, reminding the readers that ‘Hey, I’m Rick Riordan and I added a gay couple to the main cast! I’m great!’

3. It was too fast for the readers. People often forget that the speed of relationships in books aren’t only about canon, but what the readers see as well, cause what good is a relationship if the fans didn’t see any of it? That’s not going to help us like it, it’s just going to confuse and annoy us. We want to see how the relationship formed, grew, and developed from a platonic friendship, acquaintance, or ally into a mutual romantic liking. If we don’t see that, the relationship is just boring and dull. Seeing the development of the relationship is what helps the readers gain a true connection and emotional bond to it. If we don’t get that, the relationship is as good as a blank page. And it’s not only that, but it’s also flat-out bad and lazy writing. Will and Nico met for the first time in BoO, talked like twice and only bickered and argued (as if that’s the start of a super healthy relationship), then in The Hidden Oracle, they’re suddenly a loving couple? What?

4. The mental illness problem. I’m sure most of you know of the disgusting and ableist stereotype that the struggle and trauma of people with mental illnesses (especially depression, anxiety, and PTSD) magically wash away after they meet their romantic partner, right? Like the teenage girl who’s having a panic attack in school, gets noticed by her crush, and is all of a sudden fine cause he touches her hand and they make eye contact? Or the girl who’s super insecure about herself but gains confidence after her boyfriend compliments her? Or the person with depression magically gets happy again after getting a partner? The same thing happened with Solangelo. At the end of The Blood of Olympus, Nico isn’t yet fully happy, but has gained the things that can make him so- a family, friends, acceptance, support, love, etc. But, after talking to Will (who’s a doctor, may I add) for the first time, all of Nico’s negative thoughts, anxiety, sadness, depression, etc. vanished and all his thoughts were replaced with ‘Will this’ and ‘Will that’. And in ToA- only five months after the war with Gaea- Nico is perfectly fine? As if all that pain and trauma could wash away in only five months? And this isn’t the first time this has happened in HoO. The same thing happened with Leo- he struggled with anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc. but after he met Calypso all those internal struggles magically washed away and he was happy only after getting a girlfriend, so it’s obvious Riordan isn’t exactly avoiding this hurtful stereotype. 

5. It ruined their characters. Before meeting Will, Nico had a lot going for his character, a development that didn’t need to be completed with a love interest. He was realistic, relatable, and overall one of the best written characters in HoO, and his trauma and struggles were actually really well-written. But, after he met Will, the entirety of his character was ‘Will Solace’s boyfriend’. That’s all Riordan wrote about after he and Will communicated for the first time. Nico didn’t even talk to Reyna, Hazel, Percy (besides telling him he had a crush on him, which- again- is just another part of his love life), etc., and the only time he did talk to someone else (Jason), all he thought about was Will and how he was ‘disappointed’ that it wasn’t him. All of Nico’s character arc, struggles, relatability, and everything else Riordan worked up to his character was destroyed to make room for his love life. As for Will, he was actually quite a cool character- driving around Manhattan on a motorcycle, fighting in the Battle of Manhattan, protecting Camp Half-Blood, sewing Paolo’s severed leg back together, healing Annabeth’s poison knife wound, etc., plus all the cool powers he must’ve had as a son of Apollo. Even his personality was interesting- extremely caring, too dedicated, intelligent, calm, patient, etc., and I was really hoping to see him at his full potential in HoO. But Riordan ditched all the potential Will had for ‘Nico di Angelo’s boyfriend’. Even their personalities were washed away for cute pet names and teasing.

6. The fandom ruined their characters. This was really annoying. At first I mildly disliked Solangelo, but after the fandom’s take on it, I couldn’t stand it. The fans completely destroyed Will and Nico. I mean- is there any post about Will that doesn’t involve Nico in it at one point or another? And there are barely any posts about Nico that doesn’t involve Will or some other male character like Jason or Percy or that doesn’t mention his sexuality. I get that they’re dating, but that doesn’t mean they’re completely dependent on each other now. Another problem is their personalities. The fandom portrays them extremely inaccurately. Will isn’t a super upbeat, cheerful, bright, outgoing, happy-go-lucky guy. He’s actually a serious and determined hard-worker who just cares a lot about people. Just because he’s the son of the sun god and has blond hair and blue eyes doesn’t mean he’s the definition of ‘happiness’. As for Nico, the fandom just gave him a whole new personality as well. I mean- Nico swooning or blushing cause Will called him ‘Sweetheart’ or some other cliche pet name? What? Since when? Solangelo was bad on its own, but the fandom just ruined it completely. 

7. Y’all only like it cause it’s gay. Sorry to be the one to say this, but if the majority of you hate Jiper after reading a whole series on them where they actually talked to each other besides about their physical health because it happened ‘too fast’ (which, I agree, it did) but love Solangelo after barely two paragraphs? Why aren’t any of you guys complaining that that went too fast? The reason is pretty obvious. This is a problem most fandoms have- they only like ships (especially canon ships) no matter how unrealistic, unhealthy, or toxic it is because it’s gay. If Nico was straight and Will was a girl but everything else went exactly the same, y’all would’ve hated on it in a heartbeat, but because it’s two guys... yay Solangelo???

I’m gonna get cancelled- 

[mystical-flute]

Uncharted Waters (ch. 11)

AO3 || Ko-fi

“My Pharaoh, there was something you needed of me?” Azila asked, breezing into the throne room, her brow knitted in worry. “Are you ill? In pain?” It wasn’t like him to summon her to him outside of any sort of official priest meeting. Or perhaps he had decided that he hadn’t actually liked her standing up to him in the weeks following his predecessor’s death. Maybe this was to be a delayed execution.

Seto was standing at the window, as he always seemed to be. “Did we have any unusual deaths last night?”

Oh.

Azila swallowed thickly. “We have received word of three, my Pharaoh.”

“And you went to check yourself as I have instructed?”

“Of course. There was magic there, but it was not the shadow magic we use. Mana is trying to identify it now. I tried my healing powers, but they had no effect. Whatever is causing these deaths… it is not from Egypt.”

“What about Eturn?”

“I have a message out to an associate in Eturn. I am waiting to hear back.”

Seto cursed under his breath, resting his fist against the wall beside him. “I don’t understand why this keeps happening. What more must we do to appease the gods?”

“I wish I had an answer for you, Pharaoh.”

“So we’re back to 'Pharaoh' now? You seemed so comfortable calling me Seto the other week.”

Azila stuttered. “You were in need of a shock to your system. It is my job to make sure you are healthy and together, is it not? Unless you chose me as your Chief Physician simply because we are friends.”

“Nonsense. Your talent speaks for itself. I just fear that Egypt will crumble under whatever is causing these deaths… it will fall back on me.”

“Whatever is happening is not your fault. The people know this.”

“But how long until they stop believing it isn’t my fault?”

Azila didn’t have an answer to that.

“Pharaoh! I’ve found something!”

Mana rushed into the room, something glowing in her hand.

“What is that?” Seto asked with a frown.

“I don’t know, but it contains the same magical properties that Azila felt last night,” Mana explained, opening her hand.

A stone, glowing a greenish color, laid in her palm.

“I’ve never seen such a thing, nor have I heard of it,” Azila said softly.

“You two, work together to figure out what it is and how to stop it,” Seto said. “We cannot let our people suffer anymore.”

“We won’t let you down, Pharaoh.”

She hated working overnights.

I.D.R.A headquarters was quiet, the only sound was the new-age music coming from Aiko’s speaker to give the impression of the women being in a spa.

Which Reika was desperately beginning to wish she was in, given how chaotic the day had already been, and the phone call she was currently in with Yugi was not helping matters at all.

“No, I’m sorry, you what?”

“Joey got kidnapped and possessed by Marik and we had to duel. There was a timer and we had to beat it in order to win. But we both ended up in the water.”

Reika slammed her hand against the table harder than she’d meant to. “Yugi, what the hell? Are you okay?! Where are you now?”

“We’re fine, we’re fine. Mai’s driving us to the finals now. I’m sorry you won’t be able to make it.”

“It’s fine. I mean, who would turn down a chance to go to a spa for their birthday with their best friend?” she asked, swiveling her eyes to stare down Aiko. “At least I’m away from the Rare Hunters. That’s gotta count for something, right?”

Aiko grimaced, sipping at the water in front of her.

“Right. You should be safe there since you’re not in Domino.”

“And you could be walking right into their trap. I’m worried, Yugi. If Marik could possess your friends so easily once before, what’s stopping him from doing it while you guys are at the finals? What if he’s in the finals?”

“The knowledge that we’ve stopped him once before? And I believe in the Heart of the Cards and my friends.”

“From what I’ve seen, belief usually doesn’t stop bad guys. That’s why they keep going until someone physically crushes them.”

“Why have you seen that?”

She blanched, scrambling for an answer. “I watched a lot of TV when I was in E - school,” she replied, twirling a strand of hair around one of her fingers. “Anyway, I’ll let you go. I’m sure you guys are almost at the stadium, right?”

“Yeah, see you when we get back.”

“Hey, is that Jean-Claud -”

Whatever Joey had started to say, she didn’t get to finish hearing as she ended the call and tossed the phone down on the desk in front of her with a long groan.

“I think you need to get some air,” Aiko said as she looked over a map of the North Blue. “We’ve been stuck in here all day and you hardly paid attention to the latest intel that came in.”

“Garrison managed to topple -”

Aiko raised a brow. “Garrison? His name is Karasu, Reika. You know that.”

Reika paused. “Karasu managed to gain control of the Vroven Kingdom and deposed their corrupt queen. The residents are quite relieved, according to the report, and it’s a major North Blue trading port.”

“You also almost said you were in Eturn to Yugi on the phone.” Aiko continued to squint at her until Reika put her hands up in defeat.

“Okay, okay, I’ll grab my cloaking device out of my locker and go for a walk. Do you want me to get you anything? Burger World’s down the street.”

Aiko was already sliding money across the table. “Get me the number three with no onions and a soda. Please.”

“Yeah yeah, no problem.”

“Reika, are you alright?” Azila asked as she made her way toward the elevator to the downstairs locker room.

“It’s just been a long day, Azila. There was a rebellion that didn’t end well in the South Blue, and when I checked on the Straw Hats, I was having trouble getting a read on where they were. And then Yugi called and said his friends were kidnapped which led to him almost dying and I couldn’t do anything about any of it!”

Azila stared at her with concern. “I think your friend is right. A walk will be good for you.”

Reika exhaled slowly through her nose, stepping inside the elevator. “I know. I’m just starting to feel trapped here, that’s all.”

“Trapped? In the building?”

“No, in Domino. It’s been almost two months since I’ve been in Eturn. Who knows how many islands I’ve missed that might have information on where my parents are?” she questioned. “And as much as I love my family here, it’s just not the same without the crew.” When the elevator reached the first floor, she stepped out of it with a sigh. “Did you remember anything about that energy we read the other day?”

Azila looked down. “I remember doing research on it after a strange series of deaths in Egypt. There were several in Eturn as well.”

“Well, what is it?” Reika asked, tossing a hoodie over her shirt and tying her hair back before sliding the cloaking device in her hair and hearing it switch itself on.

“We - we failed to conclude. The deaths stopped after two weeks when we got rain. It was like Egypt was purified,” Azila paused, looking at her. “You look strange with the brown hair again.”

“Heh. I’m sure I - ”

The alarm began to chime overhead, and she rushed from the locker room to the nearest computer to track it.

“Oh, god.”

“What is wrong?”

“It ripped here. Someone from Eturn is in our building,” Reika gasped, activating the lockdown protocols for the I.D.R.A’s area of the building. The staircases would be a pain to check, but at least the elevator would be clear.

Reika grabbed her gun from the holster still strapped to her hip and began the process of checking rooms.

“Aiko, check in. Where are you?” she asked.

Something thudded from the conference room and she tensed, slowly approaching. “Hello?”

“Where am I? Who are you?”

Reika almost froze at the voice.

Aiko’s voice was muffled.

“Miss All-Sunday, I strongly suggest you let Aiko go,” she said. “And put all your hands up.”

“Who are you?”

“Aw, c’mon, don’t tell me you forgot about me already. We had such fun together at the casino…” Reika hummed, stepping into the room, her gun still drawn. “Especially the part where you threw me out a window and said all my friends were going to die.”

Miss All-Sunday stared at her, horrified as she let Aiko go. “You’re - from the Straw Hats…”

“Indeed I am.”

“Why weren’t you on the ship when it left Alabasta?”

“Why do you know I wasn’t on the ship when it left Alabasta?”

“I joined the crew. Luffy saved my life, so I joined his crew. I snuck on-board the ship after Crocodile was defeated.”

Reika stared at her, but slowly put her gun away. She wanted to say the woman was lying, but this was Luffy they were talking about. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to do such a thing.

“Hold on, I recognize you now. You’re Nico Robin, the last survivor of Ohara!” Aiko suddenly said.

She couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped her as Robin nodded confirmation.

“I am. Please, where am I?”

Reika ran her tongue over her teeth and looked at Aiko. She was from Ohara. She likely knew what the Veil was, so…

“You’re in Japan. Earth.”

“Earth…” Robin’s voice was barely a whisper. “So - so the scholars… they weren’t just spinning wild folktales when they talked about a sister world? All of those books about it were real?”

“Very real,” Aiko said, putting a hand on Robin’s shoulder. “We were in contact with the scholars of Ohara up until the Buster Call. “We tried to find you but… you were good at keeping yourself hidden from the Marines.”

“I thought I was, but today proved otherwise…” Robin shivered, and it was then Reika realized just how pale the woman looked.

“What happened? Is the crew okay?” Reika asked sharply.

Robin sighed. “We encountered a Marine Admiral.”

“An admiral?!”

“Aokiji. I’m not… completely sure what happened after the initial encounter. He froze me solid and I woke up on the Merry. That’s when I saw the light that led me here,” Robin explained.

God, could the crew even deal with an admiral right now? Luffy was strong, but Devil Fruit wielded by an admiral strong? She didn’t know. “Okay. We’ll get you back to the ship and the crew. Aiko, can you get the teleporter ready?”

Aiko nodded, rushing from the room.

“Robin, do you want to take a look at Earth?”

“I never even dared to dream about Earth,” Robin whispered.

Reika grinned, raising the blinds. “Welcome to Domino.”

“What is that?” Robin asked, pointing at the KaibaCorp blimp that was hovering over the city, and Reika was suddenly very glad she had her disguise on.

“A blimp. There’s a tournament going on right now, and that’s where the finals are taking place,” she explained. “It’s being broadcast all over the world.”

“How?”

Reika shrugged. “Our technology seems to be more advanced than in Eturn.”

Robin looked a little overwhelmed as she continued to look out the window, her eyes darting every which way. “I’ve never seen anything like this. To think that another world was hiding from us this whole time. Why were the worlds separated?”

“That’s what our organization is trying to figure out,” Reika said. “All we know for sure is that it happened around the same time as the Void Century. Before that, the Veil between worlds was open. Trade, travel, anything you can think of, was common in ancient times.”

“And then nothing.”

“Essentially. Sixty years ago, strange tablets were found in boxes around the world. They’d been buried for centuries, or passed down from holy man to holy man. Aiko’s grandfather was the one to crack the code, the International Dimensional Research Agency was founded, and here we are,” Reika said. “C’mon, let’s get you back to the Merry before Luffy loses his mind over you being gone.”

Robin frowned at her as they made their way upstairs. “Why would you join something like this? I mean, going between this place and Eturn? It must not be easy.”

“It’s not,” Reika agreed. “But my parents went missing in Eturn when I was eight. Somewhere in the Grand Line. I want to find out what happened to them. If for nothing else, for my grandfather. He deserves to know what happened to his elder son.”

“Your grandfather? The one who fell into a coma?”

She laughed softly. “They told you about that, huh?”

“Nami did. How is he doing?”

Reika hesitated for a moment. “Getting stronger every day,” she decided on, pushing the door open to the teleportation room.

“Whoa…” Robin gasped. “What is that?”

“This is one of the official Veil-points between Earth and Eturn. I just put in the coordinates to the Going Merry,” Aiko said, glancing at Reika and handing her one of the emergency transporters. “You’ll have an hour in Eturn before it drags you back.”

Reika frowned. “What do you mean an hour?”

“I told you to go for a walk, didn’t I? Go have fun with the crew. You’ll be back before the first duel starts.”

“Thank you, AIko. I owe you.”

“You can still go to Burger World when you come back here.”

“Deal.”

Aiko opened the portal and Reika stepped forward. “After you, Robin.”

Reika practically felt herself vibrating with excitement as she followed Robin through the portal, blinking as they arrived back on the Merry, in the midst of some sort of argument between Chopper and Nami, neither of whom seemed to notice the portal that had opened behind them.

“Luffy’s frozen and Robin’s gone! What are we gonna do?!” Chopper wailed.

“A-hem.”

The duo froze, slowly turning around.

“Did you guys lose someone?” Reika said, jabbing a thumb in Robin’s direction.

“REIKA!”

“ROBIN!”

Reika was almost knocked off her feet by the force of Nami’s hug. “Nami, Chopper - hi! I missed you too. What happened to Luffy?”

“He got frozen by Aokiji!” Chopper cried. “Usopp’s with him now trying to thaw him.”

“I hope I’ll get the chance to see him before I have to go,” Reika said softly.

Nami frowned. “Go? Go where? You just got back!”

“I know, I know. But things aren’t completely settled in Oxram. Aiko was kind enough to send me along with Robin when we realized she was part of the crew, but I’ve only got an hour before I have to go back.”

“But when are you gonna be back for good?” Chopper asked, his eyes wet with tears.

“Aw, Chopper, it’s okay!” she soothed with a smile. “Nami, you have a map, right? I’ll - ”

“I’M GONNA KICK THAT ICE GUY’S ASS!” Luffy suddenly shouted.

Reika chuckled. “Bring the map to the galley, Nami. I’ll figure something out. Oi! Luffy!” she called, stepping into the hallway. “Luffy? Usopp?”

“Reika’s back!” Usopp shouted.

“Reika!”

There was a terrible grunting noise, and then Luffy made his grand appearance, almost knocking the bathroom door off its hinges. Chunks of ice were still stuck to his body and hat, but he was grinning all the same.

“Luffy, you should be careful!” she gasped, not even flinching as Luffy’s rubber limbs wrapped around her torso and he flung himself at her. She found herself thudding to the ground, laughing all the same. “Hey, Usopp, get Zoro, Vivi, and Sanji and meet me in the galley, yeah?”

“Vivi stayed in Alabasta, but I’ll get the others,” Usopp replied.

She wasn’t surprised.

“Only an hour?” Luffy whined when the entire crew was gathered. “Why can’t you stay for good?”

“My grandfather’s recovery is slow. He woke up but he’s still re-learning stuff and can’t be left alone yet,” she explained, looking at the map in front of her. “In three weeks, you’ll reach an island called Water 7. It’s a major trade port with Oxram. I’ll meet you there. I promise.”

“Aiko can get you there?” Zoro asked with a frown.

Reika nodded. “With her fruit, as long as she remembers what a place looks like, she can get there. She was here, so she can get me back here.”

Luffy had that unusually serious look on his face again, glancing between the map and her. “Okay. Three weeks.”

He held out his hand, and they shook on it.

She wasn’t sure why she had said it. She’d had a return date of August, not July, but something in her soul told her she would be needed in Eturn earlier.

“I’ll have time to prepare for three beautiful ladies on the ship. Excellent!” Sanji sighed.

“I still have a boyfriend,” she laughed. “But I’d love a quick snack before I go? I’ve missed your cooking.”

Sanji zipped over to the fridge. “Of course, Reika dear!”

“Have you been keeping up with your training?” Zoro asked.

“Obviously. I’ll be training even harder now that I know we’re on an admiral’s radar.”

“Well, with my tech from Skypiea, I’ll be able to protect the crew!” Usopp declared with a grin.

“Skypiea?”

“We went to an island in the sky, Reika!” Luffy said, slamming his hands against the table as Sanji set down some sort of fruit and yogurt dip. “And I fought against God!”

Reika nearly choked on a berry. “I’m sorry, God?”

That was how Reika spent her hour in Eturn listening to the tale of Skypiea - of Sky People and Sky Fish and Octopus Balloons, and of the golden bell at the top of a beanstalk (her life was a soap opera and now there were fairy tales mixed in?). It was all making her head spin, but she knew this would be important information for the agency to learn.

Reika rose to her feet after glancing at her watch. Less than a minute left. “I’ll meet you at Water 7.”

“Three weeks.”

“Three weeks,” she echoed, feeling the yank as the portal opened, dropping her back in Domino.

Aiko was grinning at her from a nearby computer. “How was it?”

“Surprisingly informative. Get a pen and a map of Eturn. We have some geography to add.”

Burger World went forgotten that night as the duo imported the information into their database before settling down to watch the finals on the conference room screen.

“This game is insane!” Aiko shouted as the last duel of the evening concluded. “I mean, three people landed in the hospital because of cards?”

“Well, don’t come to a tournament when you’re already injured, don’t piss off a lightning god, and well, well, yeah, the third one’s bullshit,” Reika said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Mai had him on the ropes. She would have won if it wasn’t for her not being able to read the text on Ra’s card.”

“You do see how that’s worse, right? That evil shadow magic bullshit shouldn’t even be a thing,” Aiko groaned, running her fingers through her hair. “You’re sure you’re okay taking the first shift?”

“Yeah, I just want to make sure Yugi’s not going to call me. Get some sleep, Aiko. I’ll wake you up at three.”

The downside to these shifts was being alone in the early morning hours, providing there wasn’t an emergency with an undercover operative. To give herself some distraction, Reika switched on some music, and soon, soft jazz filled the surveillance room.

It was a quiet night - no frantic calls from other field agents, or important updates from Dragon. The jazz music had started to lull her to sleep, until it suddenly stopped as a call came in.

One-thirty in the morning only meant one person.

“You should be sleeping,” she greeted, rubbing at her tired eyes.

“So should you.”

“I was, until you called. What’s up?”

“If I stare at this computer anymore, my eyes are going to fall out of my head. These damned god cards…”

“Let me guess- Ra, right? The one that killed Mai?”

“Valentine is unconscious, not dead.”

“You do understand that’s only marginally better, right?”

“Tch. Whatever.”

A strange silence settled over the call.

“I get the feeling you didn’t just call me because your eyes are burning.”

(She wasn’t sure that happened to him anymore)

“We’ll be landing at Alcatraz in a few hours.”

“Alca - shit,” she slid her hand down her face. Of course she knew what Alcatraz was - the old testing grounds for KaibaCorp. She had never been there herself, but she’d heard enough rants out of Seto to know there was a high chance Alcatraz wouldn’t be standing in the next fourteen hours. “Seto, I’m so sorry I had to ditch the finals.”

“It’s fine.”

It wasn’t - she could hear it in his voice.

“Listen… when you get home, I’m yours the rest of the week. Anything you want to do.”

“You play a dangerous game, Reika.”

“But with you, it’s always so much fun.”

“Hmph. I’ll let you know later, then.”

“Get some rest, Seto. You’ve got a tournament to win, right?”

The call ended, and she ran her fingers through her hair.

Alcatraz.

She was the worst girlfriend on the planet.

[lifeofroos]

Part 23. That I got this far already might be crazy,,,,,,

In short: Nico gets therapy from Dionysus. In recent chapters, Nico has been trying to make amendments with his father. Now, he and Hades decide to go somewhere together, somewhere were Nico has an interesting revelation. The rest of the story is on AO3 and FanFiction.net! (Also in tags like Nico di angelo, fanfiction, trails of apollo etc. and here).  This might be crazy: Chapter 23: Black Coffee

‘Hey!’ I screamed as soon as I set foot into my fathers’ palace. 

‘Don’t go into the throne room!’ was my the warm welcome I got from my father. Today, I decided to listen to his wisdom. I went to the living room instead. Lo and behold, my father was there. 

‘Hey, dad.’

‘Because the last hey was just a general hey, not specifically meant for anyone in this palace where I am alone right now.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Dad, there are also spirits and skeletons in here. Thanatos might be hanging around as well.’

‘Hm.’ He was sitting on the couch, with some paper. I wondered what he was doing with it. He could be something harmless like making a sudoku, but he could also be writing Persephone a love letter (or at least trying to do so) or counting out how many souls there needed to go to The Fields of Asphodel to hit ten billion residents this year. Alright, some of those things might have been hyperbolic, but he really was doing strange, unforseen stuff sometimes. 

‘What is it that you want?’ he threw the papers to the other side of the couch 

‘I just wanted to see how my father was doing. Like regular teens do.’

He arched his brow. ‘Regular teens don’t randomly go to see what they’re parents are doing.’ Yes, well dad, good job figuring out that we are not a regular family. 

‘Well, I do.’ 

‘Hm.’

‘So, what were you doing?’

‘Nothing.’ He reached towards the papers and stuffed them under the pillows. ‘What were you doing before you came here?’

Hm. ‘I was training before, until I got some free time. Will was working in the infirmary, so I decided to go see you instead.’

‘Oh.’ He looked at his hands. ‘Ah-ha. Uhm, well, this time I actually have an idea about what you can do.’

I raised my eyebrows. ‘Really?’

‘Yes. We, uh… need special new chairs.’ I did not want to find out what he meant by special. ‘And someone needs to get them from Hephaestus’ workshop. Persephone still has to be on the surface for two months and I need them statt…’

‘We could go get them together,’ I quickly piped in. I was not going to be send out alone.

Hades stared at me. ‘...Yes,’ he answered. I could not make out if it was a ‘yes, I meant that the entire time’ or a ‘well, that is possible too.’ 

‘Well, then.’ It was silent for a few seconds. ‘When are we leaving?’

‘Right now.’ 

Less then a second later, before I had even noticed that my dad had teleported us, we were standing in front of Hephaestus’ workshop. Something about the place made me nervous. The doors were humongous, much bigger than any other gate I had ever seen. The doors of death would look like they belonged to a dollhouse compared to this. I heard my dad take a deep breath.

‘You’re not nervous, right?’ I asked. It came out before I knew, but my dad was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even heard it. 

The gate opened with a creaking sound. The place was even more gigantic from the inside. It was hot and it was cold, it was blinding and it was dark, it was gorgeous and it was horrible. Slowly, and both more than a little nervous, we walked inside. 

When we were about ten metres in,  my fathers’ voice suddenly boomed through the workshop: ‘Hephaestus! Where are you?’ The sound bounced off from the walls, which amplified it even more. I pressed my hands against my ears. My dad shot a look at me. ‘Oh, sorry.’ 

‘It’s okay.’ 

We heard a clicking sound coming from the right. A few seconds later, Hephaestus appeared. I held my breath when I saw him. I’d be used to it in no-time, I tried to tell myself. But he was hideous.

‘Hades.’ He turned his attention to us. I looked at the ground. ‘Who’s the youngling?’

‘My son.’ It felt good when dad said that. He did not say it with a lot of affection, more as a matter of fact, but it felt good. 

Hephaestus nodded, with a boording expression. ‘Your chairs are in the back. You can take a look at them.’

‘Nico…’

‘He’s staying here.’

‘What? No.’

‘Hades, this is my workshop. I don’t want your son barging around.’

My father said an ancient curse that I did not understand. He went in the back without giving us another look. 

Hephaestus turned to me. ‘I’ll follow him soon.’ His voice was suddenly a lot softer. I looked up at him and forced myself to keep looking. ‘But I need to ask you if you are doing alright. You are the Nico di Angelo, right?’ 

‘Yes, I am.’ He reached for a thermoscan and a stack of metal cups that were seemingly just lying around and poured out two black coffees. I put my hand against my metal cup (which was just the right temperature, as if it was a metal cup made by a magical blacksmith), but did not dare to take a sip. 

‘I heard from my children that Dionysus is helping you with a few problems you have.’ 

‘Yes, he is… your children?’

Hephaestus snickered softly. ‘After… after the Titan war, and after my son Leo finished his first quest I… I decided it wasn’t enough to help my children from a distance. I…’ he shrugged and gestured at one of the walls, which was covered from top to bottom with crummy and slightly less crummy projects. ‘I have been collecting stuff my kids made forever, but I realised I needed to be there for them in the flesh as well, no matter how difficult it might be. Last time I was at the camp to visit them, I wanted to have a chat with Dionysus, because he is my best friend and I haden’t seen him for some time. That is when my children said he was busy helping you.’ He scratched the back of his neck.

‘Oh.’ Wow. Someone had really been trying to make amends. 

‘Eh, but what I actually wanted to say… you can trust Dionysus. He will help you. He won’t tell your secrets to anybody else. He helped me too, when I was wrapped up in feelings of guilt and revenge.’ He patted my shoulder. It felt like I was being crushed under a boulder. 

‘Ergh. Yes, I know. Thanks, lord. He is helping me feel better actually.’ 

‘That is... that is good.’ The blacksmith studied his cup, before downing it all at once. ‘You know...’ 

‘Hephaestus!’ My dad called from the other side of the workshop. ‘They are good, I guess, but how do I deactivate them?’ Hephaesus stopped talking and stared at an unknown point for some time. Then, he shook his head. ‘Let’s go see how your dad is doing.’

While we were walking to the back, I absentmindedly took a sip of coffee. I just managed to keep it inside. It tasted like motor oil. I much prefered Dionysus’ drinks. 

‘So. That has been fixed,’ Hades said, when we were back in his palace. I nodded. 

‘Uh-huh.’ 

He turned around, but did not make eye contact. ‘Uh…  I did not plan to take you to Hephaestus’ workshop. I just had to be there, and…’ he shrugged.

I shrugged back. ‘And you did not want to go alone.’

‘I would have gone alone otherwise. Of course.’ He turned back to the chairs. ‘Eh…’ another shrug. So I shrugged again as well. ‘I… you have been coming over more often recently. Is that… because you like it here? With me?’

I stared ahead of me. Suddenly, I noticed that I had never let go of the metal coffee cup. I took another sip and it tasted just as horrible. ‘Well, I have noticed that you want to put in the time and effort to spend time with me as well. And I like some of the time spend together.’ 

Hades stared at the weird furniture. What did he even need these torturous looking chairs for? They obviously weren’t for visitors or for himself, but he did place them in the living room. ‘So… not all the time.’

‘Some moments have been rough. But… that is only to be expected. The more time we spend together, the better it has become. Today was nice. Weirdly enough, I… I liked going to Hephaestus' workshop.’ Which wasn’t completely because of you, but then again, without you I wouldn’t have been there at all.

‘Eh… me too. I mean I liked spending time with you too.’ He shrugged again. ‘I hope… I hope we will have a relationship that can be called healthy when Persephone comes back. Then we can… adjust to that together.’ I did not fully comprehend the implication. ‘Will you work towards that, with me?’ As if I had not been the person clearly working the hardest. However, the spirit was there. 

‘Yes. Of course.’ I got a smirk on my face. Next time we have a father-son appointment we’ll go to home depot.’ 

‘To what?’

‘Let’s call it Hephaestus’ workshop, but way less cool and for mortal dads.’

‘Yes, well, we’ll think about it.’ So that’s a no. Drab. Oh well, it had been more of  a joke anyway. ‘Cool.’ Almost instinctively, I took another sip of coffee. This time, I spat it out. ‘Oh god, this is gross.’

‘Did you get that at Hephaestus’ place?’

‘Yes, but I did not plan to bring it here, or drink even a drop of it for that matter.’

‘I hope so.’ He shifted. ‘Dionysus helped Hephaestus, too, I heard. Eh… perhaps he should also have taught his friend how to properly make drinks.’ 

I snickered. ‘He should’ve. But then he might have put Dionysus out of business. Hephaestus is clearly much more efficient.’ 

‘Hm.’ Hades looked like he would not be incredibly sad about that. 

‘Eh… but I have to go back to training now.’ 

‘Okay. You’ll come again, right?’ I looked at him. He wanted me to come back, he really did. 

‘Yes, of course, dad.’  I put too much effort into mending this relationship to stop now.

He smiled and patted me on the arm. ‘Bye.’

‘Bye,’ I said, while slowly turning around. 

I was smiling when I came into camp. I felt like it was going better. But slowly, I began having doubts. I’d have to talk about those with Dionysus next time.

A/N: When I began this chapter, I did not plan on writing about Hephaestus, it just came to me while writing. Now it seems like the best part of the chapter. 

I toyed with the idea of having them go to IKEA, but that seemed out of style. Perhaps in a future chapter, if I get crazy enough (And honestly, this chapter already seemed out of my usual writing style).

I am not sure whether I should have shown some of the harder father-son sessions. Perhaps I’ll do that later. I wanted to do this, I thought it was more fun for both myself and for the people reading this (Who I appreciate very very much). 

I am thinking of a chapter where Nico talks to Apollo and where he talks to Hephaestus. But first Apollo needs to become an actual god again  I guess. That part will be out in a week or so.

[zombiesama]

ok so I have been wondering and trying to look it myself has been dissatisfying, what is nanbaka about?? for some reason this question sounds mean to me but idk how else to word it, so why do u like it so much as well? I'm always curious about my mutuals interests so!! enjoy rereading it too btw!! (also just so u know I'm glad I proofread this bc my phone changed question to quesadilla 🤣)

Nanbaka is a prison anime!! It starts as entirely comedy but takes a really sharp turn into action adventure with some gore and stuff and then swings back to comedy again!

Idk how to explain the comedy parts bc they're mostly slice of life-y but the action stuff is interesting but like all of it is spoilers umu. Basically Jyugo (main character)' s limbs can turn into knives? And he is Very Upset by this and so is everyone round him. And turns out he's been like????? Transformed into the knife hands transformer by some guy named Elf who has done similar stuff to others (there's a guy who bursts into flames that Elf controls and utilizes those powers). Theres a whole bunch of drama where someone from the maximum security part of the already maximum security prison breaks out while most of the main 4 are in that area (the only one left out was injured at that time) and they're separated by the guard that was escorting them there so chaos ensues.

I find the characters really interesting! Theres the chronically ill Nico who has food allergies and a mental illness and has to take Many Many meds every day to stay healthy! Hes terrified of needles and hates hospitals but has to spend a lot of time with the doctor at the prison bc he's so unhealthy. The doctor made good tasting medicine just to make Nico take his meds! He also is obsessed with anime and manga, but has never played video games (but later ends up loving them). Hes the most cool and interesting to me!

And Uno who is a pretty boy but hates being called that. Hes a play boy who has dated many girls and hes really good at gambling (but got caught for underaged gambling and was arrested).

And Rock who is a fighter type guy who's really beefy but has a huge love of food (to the point he broke out of prison many times because the food wasnt good)! He's really lovable and sweet and is Nico's best friend and they sleep right next to eachother at night and their futons touch and it's cute ok

And the main character who I actually find the least interesting of the main four is Jyugo!! His eyes are really pretty they change color depending on the angle you look at them! Hes a master escape artist with no other skills and his whole story arc is learning to be greedy for himself bc he starts off with no desires or wants! He ends up wanting to be with his friends and begs to get back with them after being separated from them for spoilery reasons! He also at one point jokes and says he's also attracted to men so he's bi in my heart

Some other really cool characters are Kiji (a gnc guy who is obsessed with beauty, I prefer to headcanon him as a transwoman though), Hitoshi (another gnc guy who looks up to his big brother), and musashi (who is random human combustion in person form. Hes also terrified of frogs, blind, and really really smart)!

Theres also Honey and Trois, two pretty boys under the care of Kiji. Honey has anger issues and Trois can make anything if given some materials! He makes a bazooka at one point. It's pretty neat.

And Liang, Qi, and Upa all share a cell! Liang is Rock's rival and he's a martial arts guy. Qi is a doctor who hates fighting. Upa is??? Magic??? Hes got this ability called Qigong and hes super strong. At one point he does the kamehameha thing and Nico goes batshit over it.

The character designs are all so good and the colors are so vibrant! The story is very interesting once you get past the comedy parts.

And just hhhh everyone is a little gnc bc everyone has painted nails. All the main four have interesting backstories (from gangs to accidentally smuggling drugs) and their designs are just So Good like loom at these boys!!

I just really love the characters a lot I guess. The story isnt like. The best but the characters are top notch.

[revengeisalwaysanoption]

Can you write something about Niccoli being depressed/ having an episode and boys trying to make him feel better?

He doesn't even know how it started.

Well, he has been feeling low for a couple of days could barely get out of bed to eat something and shower but... It has happened before, and it has always helped to have Martino with him. Not lately.

Usually he blames the weather - it's worse when outside it's all dark and rainy - but he can't even have that, now. There isn't a cloud in the sky, as he looks out the window. It adds insult to injury, as if there was some kind of higher power telling him 'How can you feel so unhappy, when the sun is shining and everything is fine out there?'

Rationally, he knows that it must have something to do with the exams fast approaching in June but it has never been so bad.

He is fucking tired of being told "Stop worrying about the future."

It’s not something he does on purpose, and it’s always too late when he realizes that his mind drifted where it wasn't allowed to.

Does Martino know how exhausting it is to persuade himself that his fears have no reason to exist?

How dumb his inability to take things as they come, minute by minute, makes him feel?

Sooner or later, he will have to choose what to do with this life. Postponing the decision doesn’t make it disappear. It’s always there, at the back of his mind. With all its potential downfalls.

He hasn’t even brought up the topic of moving to Milan, because he dreads both a positive (‘so you can’t wait for me to leave, uh?) and a negative reaction (it’s my future we’re talking about, stop making it about you!’) from Marti.

He can’t see himself living in Rome for another year, but he can't be without Martino.

That's absurd. It's not healthy to be so co-dependent on someone. He needs to learn how to survive without him. Besides, Martino deserves better than dating a nutjob that keeps on dragging him down, with his weird moods and paranoid fears of being abandoned. And it doesn't matter how many times he will tell Nico that he isn't going anywhere. Eventually, he will walk away. Niccolò will do something to fuck this up, like he always does.

Martino will get tired of having to talk sense into him, of his love being doubted and put to test all the fucking time. Of fighting about money, of telling him that he can pay for himself and doesn’t need Niccolò to cover all his expenses.

He will soon understand that they don’t have much in common, that they rarely listen to the same music or appreciate the same movies, books or tv shows. That they don’t even work that well as friends.

He can’t have Marti here, when he’s clearly not taking proper care of himself. Studying when he should be sleeping, eating too little, because babysitting Niccolò is a full time job.

It makes everything worse.

He hates that Martino turn down invitations from the boys just to spend time with him. Hates himself for letting that happen.

"Why don't you just go? Get lost. Stop wasting your time with a depressed fuck like me, Marti! There’s nothing you can do…”

It's a low blow, and he knows it. He regret those words as soon as they are out of his mouth, but it’s too late to take them back. Those are the very same words Martino in that bathroom, all those months ago, when he talked about his own mother. They are like a slap to his face, but Marti still refuses to back down.

“I was wrong, and you know it. Nico, please. Don’t shut me out.”

And he wants to open the door and surrender to his soft touch, to break down in his arms. Put his mind to rest for a while. But he can’t be that selfish.

“Go. I’m begging you, Marti. Leave.” He bites back his tears, holding tighter onto his pillow.

"As you wish." Martino chokes out, defeated, walking away.

*********************

Martino is persistent, and stubborn.

It's both a blessing and a curse.

He's glad to know that he cares, that he won't give up on him when things get tough. That he can sense when Niccolò is self-sabotaging himself and he won't have any of that.

It's a painful reminder of how little Nico is giving back, how he should be the better man and let Marti find someone who can hand him the world.

He keeps trying to reach out to him, with a few 'hey, call me when you feel better' and a 'thinking about you

'I know you’re trying, but... you're not helping.' He texts back, resorting to half-truths.

It works, but it doesn’t take too long before he starts to regret it.

It has been barely more than 24 hours since he last got a text from Martino, but it feels like a week.'Well done, Niccolò. You drove him away. Mission accomplished.'He mutters to himself, throwing the phone against the wall so violently that its pieces go flying all over the room.

***********************

Giovanni is the first to show up. He doesn’t ask about their fight, doesn’t even mention Martino.

He sits in front of the door and starts making small talk, telling him about the last movie he has seen and the book he’s reading at the moment.

“I never thought I would like Nick Hornby, you know, but then Eva got Slam for me, because you know, she figured it was about skateboarding… it isn’t, but that’s okay, it’s good… and I actually liked it so much I went looking for more. I bet you’d love Juliet, naked. It’s about music, but it’s nowhere as pretentious as High Fidelity is. It’s a book against pretentiousness when it comes to art, really. I have it here, with me, if you want to give it a try.”

Niccolò doesn’t contribute much to the conversation, but Giovanni doesn’t seem to mind.

He moves on to the latest news from school, about Luchino and how disappointed he was to find out there are plenty of girls crushing on Gio and Elia but none interested in him.

“Can you believe he handed out an anonymous survey?”

“Well. It’s Luca we’re talking about…” They both laugh at that, and Niccolò finally feels comfortable enough to ask if Martino asked him to come and check on him.

“No, zi’… He didn’t have to. I am here for you, is that so hard to believe?” Yes. Yes, it is. “And I’m not leaving until you read this and tell me what you think about this.” He waves his latest essay in front of the yellow tinted glass. He’s just about to try sliding it under the door, when Niccolò finally gives up and lets him in.

“Wow, you look like you haven't slept in a week.”

“Thanks.” He looks up, only to feel crushed by the weight of Giovanni’s concerned glare. How can he be calm, so composed, when Niccolò just broke his best friend’s heart again? “Would you like some coffee, while I read this?”

It’s good. Nico doesn’t agree with half of the things he wrote, but Gio knows how to make a compelling argument and make him go ‘Okay, you have a point there.” His essay is informative, never patronizing or sounding like the same old propaganda. It’s hard to believe he didn’t get a 10 for it. ‘8 for overuse of semi-colons, inconsistencies in style and voice.’

Bullshit. Galante couldn’t give mark that essay with a 10 because he couldn’t stand to read opinions different from his own, couldn’t have students thinking they should pursue writing as a career only to end up like him, teaching Italian literature to a bunch of idiots who couldn’t tell the difference between a metaphor and a metonymy.

“Ha! They keep telling me I’m projecting, that I’m the teacher’s pet but I knew you’d understand! He is lenient with those who can barely write down a coherent and grammatically correct thought, but God forbid if he actually acknowledges excellence! Not that I’m that good, but…”

Hey, hey, hey. No self-deprecation allowed in this room, unless it’s coming from Niccolò himself.

“You are. I mean, I’m no literary critic but I think you’re great. This is great.”

“Says Mr. 9/10.”

“I’m no better than you, I just mastered the art of telling people what they want to hear.”

“Ever thought about getting into politics?”

*******************************

It’s Elia, next.

He doesn’t even knock, just walks in to tell him that he’s gonna cook him something because he looks like death warmed over.

It doesn’t matter if he’s not hungry, at the moment. He can save the food for later, and learn an invaluable life skill in the process.

“I can’t believe you’re losing your shit over moving to Milan, in a couple of months. I mean, if you are afraid you’re not gonna survive due to your non-existent culinary abilities, which is understandable, I am here to help.”

He isn’t bothered at all by Niccolò’s apparent lethargy and lack of focus, he shows him the ropes and then lets him take his time. He slaps his nape when he gets something wrong, but then he smiles at him and helps him fix his mistake. Encourages him to start all over from scratch, if needed.

So what if it takes them hours to bake a quiche, to make an omelette or a tiramisu? It’s not like they’ve got better things to do.

Elia talks much less than one would expect, content to spend an entire afternoon just giving out orders and tips to Nico. Fishing for some advice on how to improve his chances to get laid, by the time they are putting the tiramisu in the fridge.

“Take them somewhere romantic. Cook them a fancy meal. Show them that you never take them for granted and think about the two of you together whenever you are apart.” He has never been one for meaningless one-night stands, and it shows.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure that worked like magic with Martino.” Elia sighs, ruffling Nico’s hair. “But I’m interested in making them fall in love with me… I’m trying to get into their pants, here, man.”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you, then.” He shrugs, grinning when Elia flops dramatically into the sofa and demands a FIFA match. If he assumes him to be worse than Luchino, at this game… Well, he’s in for quite the surprise.

“Well, of course. I don’t know what I expected from someone who can take their shirt off and have people falling over him.”

“Maybe you could come to the gym with me, next time?”

 ***************************************

Luca storms into his room, with a bag full of junk food and a USB in his hand.

“I don’t know what you’re into, so I’m just sharing my favourite ones…” Of course, he would come bringing porn as a gift.

He’s got no filter, so he doesn’t shy away from a topic just because it would be inappropriate to ask Niccolò if he’s got a food kink – no, because there’s a lady on Twitter that could fit an apple in her ass and that got him wondering how does it feel… - and looks a bit disappointed when Nico moves on to another topic without giving him a proper answer.

It’s probably the first time he found someone willing to hear him out, because he can’t shut up for a second. Mooning over Slivia, moaning about his 4 in Physics - “I know you’re gonna tell me that being held back a year isn’t the end of the world, but… My mom is going to kill me, if I fail” – complaining about his little brother and the lack of a girlfriend.

Niccolò finds it invigorating, to finally have a friend who’s like ‘I’m telling you how pathetic my life is and if you wanna share your woes you’re more than welcome to. If you don’t, I can talk for both of us. We’re not here to compare who’s got it worse.’

When Niccolò think he’s done, that he’s run out of things to say… Luca recalls the last time his mother almost caught him and Martino smoking weed and he had to hand him the joint and hide him under his bed. Only for his mother to say ‘Say hi to Martino for me’ before she left.

“Now she thinks I’m dating him, but that I feel too uncomfortable to come out and she’s dropping hints about how she wouldn’t love me or my brother any less if we were into boys… And I can’t bring myself to tell her the truth… But yeah, I’m glad you find this entertaining.” He huffs, but the smile on his lips tell a different story: he’s quite proud of himself, for making him laugh.

He’s the first not to tiptoe around Marti, to say be brave enough to say “You’re miserable. He’s miserable, so why don’t you both apologize to each other and get it over with?”

“It’s not that simple, Luchì.”

“Yes it is. Now give me your phone.”

[calzona-ga]

Timely stories, inspiring legions of medical students and empowering women (and its cast): showrunner Krista Vernoff and star Ellen Pompeo and the rest of the cast talk with The Hollywood Reporter about breaking 'ER's' record as TV's longest-running medical drama.

Two weeks before Grey's Anatomy's March 2005 series debut, series star Ellen Pompeo thought her ABC medical drama was, in her words, "dead in the water."

"The day the network changed our title to Complications it was like someone died in here," leading lady Pompeo tells The Hollywood Reporter from the show's L.A. set during an early January visit.

The title change would not stick. Two days later, ABC would revert back to Grey's Anatomy and, now, 14 years and 332 episodes later, Grey's Anatomy, with Thursday's installment, will break ER's status as TV's longest-running primetime medical drama.

It's a feat that creator Shonda Rhimes and showrunner Krista Vernoff, who spent the first seven seasons working under the former, never expected during the show's early days.

"After we produced 10 of our 12 episodes that first year, I went away to make a pilot and my assistant stayed behind in L.A. and she called me and said, 'They're making us pack up our offices.' They made us move out. They didn't think we were getting a season two," says Vernoff, who worked with former ER showrunner John Wells on Showtime's Shameless before being hand-picked by Rhimes to take over Grey's in season 14. "We owe a huge debt of gratitude to ER — without it, Grey's wouldn't exist. … We have surprised everybody — and ourselves. The staying power is amazing."

And the Seattle-set drama really does have some staying power. Seriously. It ranks as ABC's No. 1 series for the 2018-19 broadcast season with an impressive average of a 3.1 rating among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic. Grey's is also, sources say, one of Netflix's top performing acquired series. The streamer has helped bring in a new legion of viewers that further propels first-run originals on ABC. What's more, Grey's has global reach: It is the key asset among all the Shondaland shows that have been licensed in more than 235 territories worldwide and dubbed in more than 67 languages. Grey's remains a top performer for foreign broadcasters and has been adapted into localized versions in Mexico, Colombia and Turkey. The series remains a top-performing U.S. drama abroad.

"It's a $4 billion business and it's everywhere in the world," says Pompeo, who ranks as TV's highest-paid leading lady on a primetime drama series with $20 million per season (plus points of the show's lucrative back end and producing fees). Adds Vernoff: "Shonda says I'm leading a multibillion-dollar worldwide corporation but if I think about that for too long, I won't be able to get out of bed!"

Global Reach Every single one of the current 11 Grey's series regulars has a story about the impact of their show. Most of them include anecdotes from viewers — and their children — about entering the medical field and becoming surgeons and nurses because of Grey's. "Graduating female surgeons have gone through the roof since Grey's Anatomy started," says Caterina Scorsone, who is the only (primetime, live-action) actor to start on a spinoff as series regular and wind up holding the same status on the original series.

Kevin McKidd — who was originally cast as a love interest for Sandra Oh's Cristina Yang and has now appeared in more Grey's episodes than the Killing Eve star did during her tenure — was recognized a few years ago on a dirt road in the "middle of nowhere in Mozambique," where he was helping a doctor friend improve conditions at a local hospital. "To see that in the farthest reaches of a very poor and struggling country there was this show that inspires people was pretty emotional," he says.

TV legend Debbie Allen, who exec produces, directs and has a recurring role, says she's now approached more about her time on Grey's than her iconic part on Fame. "I was in Cuba and accosted by these young girls who were screaming, 'Katherine Avery!'" she says with a laugh.

Giacomo Gianniotti, who has been a regular since season 12, is now repeatedly spotted in his home of Italy. "Because I'm Italian, there's this pride — like one of us made it to America and made it on our show that we watch," he says. "I traveled to Kenya doing some volunteer work this summer and a lot of people approached me to say they love Grey's. The reach is just huge."

Sums up Pompeo, who had an impact off-screen when she fought for her record-breaking salary: "Everywhere I go I get, 'My daughter is a surgeon because of you.'"

Empowering From the Start Grey's was the first TV series creator Rhimes got on the air. (ABC previously passed on a Rhimes drama about female war correspondents). Grey's broke out in season two and became a cultural phenomenon, contributing terms like "vajayjay" and "McDreamy" to pop culture. Grey's has also birthed two spinoffs — Private Practice, which ran for six seasons and 111 episodes — and Station 19, which is currently in its second season on ABC. The success of Grey's has led to other opportunities for Rhimes, who really broke out with ABC's political soap Scandal. That series built on Rhimes' penchant for color blind casting on Grey's. (Former star Isaiah Washington nearly played the McDreamy part that went to Patrick Dempsey, while network execs expected Oh's role of Cristina to be played by a white actress.)

"When they had me come in to read for the role of chief of surgery, I hadn't seen an African-American in that kind of role before," says James Pickens Jr., who remembers sitting next to Rhimes at the 2005 upfronts when she hoped to get five or seven episodes on the air. "Grey's is more than just entertainment. Shonda always wanted to make sure that the show impacted the landscape in a way that we hadn't seen before on TV. I like to think that Grey's had a big part in how the industry casts shows."

In addition to Rhimes' breakout success — she left her longtime home at ABC Studios last year for a $300 million Netflix overall deal — the cast has also been able to add to their skillsets. Grey's has launched directing careers for stars including showrunner Vernoff, Pompeo (who made her debut in season 14), Jesse Williams, McKidd and Wilson, the latter of whom helmed Thursday's record-breaking hour. (Former star Sarah Drew also earned an Emmy nomination last year for directing a Grey's digital short.)

"The atmosphere here is if you want to try something, you're encouraged," says Wilson, who along with Pompeo, Justin Chambers and Pickens is one of the four remaining original stars.

For Williams, that outlook has also afforded him the opportunity to build up his own businesses. "Grey's has made a home for me so that I can launch three tech companies and can go on speaking tours and live a life. A lot of that has to do with being on a show that's run by women and people who can actually multitask," says Williams, who will direct again this season.

Grey's has also created a safe space for its (many!) pregnant stars, who have always been afforded job security. Wilson, for her part, thought she'd be written out of the series when she told Rhimes of her pregnancy early on in the show's run. Instead, it was written into Bailey's season two storyline (and the character's son is now old enough to have been featured in a season 14 episode exploring unconscious bias).

"Instead of shunning it and hoping you don't get pregnant, I watch producers actively encourage all of our actors to have a family," Williams says. "That is the formula and secret for longevity: feeding into a healthy life and happiness instead of running from it or trying to press you out of it."

Opening Hearts, Changing Minds Beyond creating a new legion of directors and producers (Pompeo has an overall deal with ABC Studios and produces both Grey's and Station 19), the long-running medical drama has made an impact on-screen with empowering storylines. More recently, Grey's has explored domestic violence with Camilla Luddington's Jo, unconscious bias and new stories for transgender characters. Grey's this season features a same-sex relationship with its first openly gay male surgeon (Alex Landi, whose Nico is romancing Jake Borelli's intern, Schmitt) as part of its "Season of Love." The latter is especially true for Pompeo's Meredith, who is now exploring serious relationships after losing her "person" when Dempsey's Derek was shockingly killed off back in season 11.

"The most empowering storyline for me has been to portray a woman who has lost the love of their life and what does life look like having to continue on after losing the right side of your body? Did his departure mean I no longer mattered or my magic and chemistry was somehow gone? We saw that I could stand on my own and that women who do lose their partners or children, there is a way for people to go on. To be able to portray someone who could go through the hardest thing you could go through — the death of a loved one — and to be able to portray the survival of that is the most meaningful," a tearful Pompeo says, comparing Meredith's loss to the passing of her own mother at a young age. "After that, you think you can't go on. … So it's all come full circle."

Other cast members point to medical storylines that have helped viewers diagnose loved ones. Wilson is especially proud of the cyclic vomiting syndrome episode, while Chambers singles out exploring mental illness with Alex's mother in a storyline first planted in the show's early days. But all involved can point to several subjects the series has explored that have helped open minds and let viewers see versions of themselves on TV.

"Callie and Arizona's wedding was a really big deal and you think of the different countries that the episode was broadcast in and they may not have thought they were ready for big things like that," Williams says. "Whether it was the transgender young woman I just met who felt like she was included because she saw a trans patient whose storyline wasn't focused on her trans-ness, or the police violence episode — which is close to the work that I do — the running theme is allowing people to feel seen and considered."

And sometimes the impact Grey's is making is subtler than a storyline or patient.

"I've had black women say that I'm the reason they decided to go natural with their hair," says Kelly McCreary, who has played Meredith's half-sister, Maggie, since the end of season 10. "If seeing me on screen representing our hair in its natural state freed viewers from any ideas they had about that being bad, unattractive or unprofessional or whatever else they're trying to feed us about it, that's remarkable."

Doing Something New (That Still Feels Familiar) Everyone on the Grey's call sheet will give credit for the show's creative and ratings resurgence to Vernoff, who as Chambers says, "hit a refresh button and reinvigorated the show." Kim Raver, who reprises her role as Teddy after previously serving as a series regular for seasons six through eight, feels the same old-school energy now that she did a decade ago and credits Vernoff for "infusing the quintessential Shonda Rhimes vibe of it." And while Vernoff smiles when told of the cast's kind words for her work, she is aware of the power that comes with writing for a beloved character like Pompeo's Meredith Grey.

"When Meredith Grey speaks, people listen," says Vernoff, who recently signed a big overall deal with ABC Studios. "There is so much darkness and so much to be frightened of and this show has so much impact. People have grown up with Meredith. So, my goal is to have a voice on the planet and to have an impact: to change hearts and minds."  

Vernoff is aware that she is already achieving that impact. The showrunner — who has been outspoken about timely issues surrounding Hollywood including the #MeToo movement, salary parity and more — recalled a recent conversation with Rhimes in which the Grey's creator shared a story from a makeup artist who noted that his brother is a Korean gay man and was moved to see himself represented on screen. Other highlights include hearing from a current Grey's writers PA who wrote a letter sharing a story about experiencing his father's death at the age of 16 and finding solace in a storyline with George (T.R. Knight) and Cristina talking about the "Dead Dad's Club."

"To put my painful loss on TV and help other people through that is deeply meaningful to me," Vernoff says of the origin of that storyline.

As for what comes next, Vernoff did not want to write in a wink and nod to ER — fitting given her relationship with Wells on Shameless and the fact that the former NBC medical drama was one of the series that made her want to be a TV writer in the first place. Instead, Vernoff opted to do something that Grey's had never done before.

"In the 300th episode we did a huge number of winks at the show's history and beginnings. I don't know if ERdid it or not but what I came up with was a no-medicine episode," Vernoff says of the Grey's first. Adds McCreary: "We're in this party scene and I keep waiting for somebody to need a tracheotomy! But instead it's great because it feels like a real celebration of these characters."

Meaningful Milestone As the episode doubles as a celebration of sorts of the record-breaking milestone, the stars all share the same refrain when asked about the significance of doing a whopping 332 hours of television. All involved recall their initial shock that the series few thought would work has become the powerhouse franchise it is today.

"My goal was to do the pilot, take the check and pay some bills!" Wilson recalls with a laugh. Adds Chambers: "When we were in season two, I'd say to everybody, 'Do you think we've got two more years? I just wanted to get my kids to college.' And now some of them are done with it!" Pompeo also points to the record's value in the current TV landscape where viewers have an option to pick from nearly 500 scripted series and 700-plus unscripted offerings on an array of platforms as competition for eyeballs expands to other forms of entertainment like video games and podcasts.

"The fact that we're still the network's No. 1 drama and can stay afloat in this landscape after 15 years is incredible," Pompeo says. "It's also incredible in a larger sense because it's something that I resisted [and] that I said I would never do."

For his part, Williams has now appeared in more than two-thirds of Grey's Anatomy's total episodes after first joining the cast as recurring player Jackson Avery in season six. It's a jarring fact for the actor who initially thought the show would only be around for only a few more seasons when he first signed on. He now scoffs at those who use Grey's Anatomy as a punchline.

"That response — 'Oh, Grey's is still on' — at first, I took offense to it but now I don't because it's not really about our show; it's about the business because shows don't last that long," says Williams, whose tech companies are all inspired by the message of visibility he sees every day on Grey's. "I'm really proud of what we do here — I wouldn't be here this long if I wasn't."

The Future While Grey's has not officially been renewed for its 16th season, it's considered a lock as Pompeo's deal covers the 2019-2020 broadcast season. ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke and ABC Studios topper Patrick Moran both bow before what Pompeo and Grey's have been able to accomplish. "We are awed by this rare and incredible achievement," Moran says. "To make 15 seasons of television that are creatively fresh and compelling — and now record breaking — is almost unheard of, but Shonda, Betsy Beers, Krista, Ellen and the incredible cast and crew have managed to do that. We're very proud of this show and this team." Adds Burke: "How fitting and well deserved it is for Grey's Anatomy — a show that never ceases to inspire, surprise and move us — to achieve something no other primetime medical drama can lay claim to. The creative bar set by Shonda, Betsy, Krista, Ellen and the entire cast and crew will keep this iconic show in rarefied air for generations, and as one of their millions of fans, I congratulate them on this historic milestone."

Pompeo, too, knows she has experienced something special in her decade and a half on Grey's, where she has been afforded a rare ability to evolve Meredith as a character while growing as an actor and producer. "I've come full circle on this show from being an actor with no voice, no say and terrified to speak up or advocate for myself in any way," Pompeo says. "I'm now someone who is heard here and who has a say here. I'm one of my bosses and that's an unusual situation for an actress in Hollywood — to get to say what I want and what I don't. If I left the show, I don't think I'd have that same situation anywhere."

That's not to say Pompeo hasn't toyed with the idea of leaving Grey's over the years. The actress has been candid many times about experiencing the nagging pull many stars on veteran series experience as they consider leaving and taking on new and different roles. But at the end of the day, the idea of stepping away from something as big as what Grey's Anatomy has become has proven impossible.

"You can't ignore the worldwide phenomenon that this show is. How do you walk away or ignore that?" Pompeo says. "Being the face and voice of something that can generate that much money, there's only a very small number of people who can say that they have achieved that. If you're lucky enough to be the face and voice of something that's generated billions of dollars for a network, that's something to be proud of."

Meanwhile, Pickens is in talks for a new deal that would see him continue on as Grey's Anatomy's elder statesman Richard Webber. ("Nothing is solid yet but more than likely, I'll be here," he says.) Pickens adds the thought of going after Gunsmoke or Law & Order: SVU — the latter of which will break the former's record as TV's longest-running primetime drama series when it is renewed for its 21st season — remains "intriguing." Wilson, for her part, has one goal in mind now that Grey's has snapped ER's streak. "I would love to be a starter and a finisher of a thing," says the original star, whose contract is also up this season. "When the show is ready for that last shot, I want to be in that."

Seeing Ghosts Of the many notable cast departures, Vernoff, Pompeo and the cast all have quick answers at the ready when asked about which former Grey's co-stars they'd like to bring back to Prospect Studios:

Pompeo (Meredith): "I would love for Sandra Oh to be on the show but not more than I love seeing Sandra Oh out there in the world doing her thing. Not more than I love seeing her shine on her own at the Golden Globes and on Killing Eve. So I would say no [to that]. I love everybody who has been on this show, regardless of their time here and whether it was tumultuous or not."

Chambers (Alex): "Richard Herrmann. He played my intern for a while and was such a joy to work with. He passed on but I felt very lucky to work with him."

Wilson (Bailey): "Bailey was crazy about George O'Malley. But the thing about our show is we always keep our past characters alive; there is nobody we don't ever not talk about because every one of those characters has been the foundation for why we're here."

Pickens (Richard): "I've been in this business almost 40 years and Sandra Oh brought something very special to every scene."

McKidd (Owen): "Sandra Oh's Cristina, especially the way things are right now with Amelia, Teddy and Owen. To throw her into the mix at the same time? Owen would literally keel over and never get up again."

Raver (Teddy): "Sandra Oh. I started off having crazy, intense scenes with her — like when Henry (Scott Foley) was dying and I love her as a friend and admire her as an actress."

Williams (Jackson): "Frances Conroy. She was here in season seven and I didn't get to work with her. She is tremendous and was on one of my favorite shows ever: Six Feet Under."

Luddington (Jo): "Kyle Chandler. I love Friday Night Lights."

Scorsone (Amelia): "Chyler Leigh (Lexie). She is so much fun and is great with drama and comedy. I'm sad that I didn't get to work with her more."

McCreary (Maggie): "Kate Burton. I'd love for Maggie and Ellis to interact. Kate and I did a play together in 2014. She's one of my favorite people."

Gianniotti (DeLuca): "Jessica Capshaw. We would laugh until snot was coming out of our noses. I miss having her around."

Allen (Katherine): "I had so much fun directing Patrick Dempsey when he was here. I nicknamed him Dash because he would come on the set, look at his watch and want to keep it moving. He never liked to do a lot of takes but was always great. I didn't get to act with him but I did some of his best scenes while I was here. We think of him fondly."

Vernoff (showrunner): "Sandra Oh. I miss writing for Sandra and Cristina."

[nicosmh]

╰ * ✧ ˖ SHE WAS LOVELY. THEN THINGS CHANGED. ‖ have you seen NICO HAMADA at the beach recently? i remember them being so PASSIONATE, but they seemed a little HESITANT today. it must be tough going through such hard times at only TWENTY-THREE. even then, they still remind me of PERMANENTLY EXHAUSTED FEATURES, MUSIC SHEETS SCATTERED ALL OVER THE ROOM, ODDLY SHAPED CLOUDS, and BALLS OF FLUFFY, PASTEL YARN.

i’m dee, and i never sleep. let’s get it started -- shall we ??

tl;dr and headcanons --- big family, big money and even bigger pressure. a whole ass cutie. true personification of an exclamation mark at times. memes, memes, memes. says and writes things that sometimes make one wish they were jared, nineteen. will steal your dog, cat or literally any animal, ever. a toss up between the mom friend and the wine aunt. most likely to befriend everyone’s parents ( probably because she can’t stand her own ). a terrible cook, -5/10 would not trust her in the kitchen. will refuse to get out of the car because her favourite song is playing on the radio. puns. yoda jumped out. many would say she’s a trust fund baby on the lowkey, and they would be two hundred percent right... unfortunately.

nico mei hamada was born to a pretty affluent and strict family that moved to the states when she was just five years old. she may have not experienced the so-called ‘culture shock’ too much, seeing as she was tiny, but she still kind of feels out of place to this day ( not that she would ever have the guts to admit it, though ).

with her mother being a composer, herself, nico’s parents decided to sign her up for piano classes. safe to say, she didn’t particularly enjoy being told what to do from day one, and she didn’t know what she disliked more -- the pressure to do something she didn’t want, or the classes themselves.

but... later, she grew to appreciate the fact that they’ve decided to put her through something like that. nico had found new hobby, her new passion -- something that she could possibly consider her one true love. she fell in love with the technique, the music and everything else that entailed the magical world of instruments. she could go ahead and admit that this was the only thing that was making her truly happy.

as the time went on, she had picked up guitar and violin, having been focused on piano nonetheless. she didn’t necessarily wanted to overwhelm herself with the amount of instruments she had to keep up with. but, was it really hard for her? not really. it was her hobby, something she genuinely enjoyed doing. she was convinced that if she ended up doing what she liked, she would never have to struggle with it.

juggling between attending private high school and music school didn’t exactly belong to the easiest of tasks, but she managed to find the perfect balance. she could admit that having one or two friends and that’s it was pretty helpful. if she wanted to be the best of the best in her craft, she had to make some sacrifices and nico was aware of it.

after years, upon years of hard work ( majoring in music production in college and so on ), nico joined the ranks of an orchestra and she finally felt like she’d accomplished something that could make her family proud. they weren’t necessarily as vocal about it as she’d wished them to be, so maybe this thing would change it? and it did. if one could only imagine her mother’s face when nico told her the good news...

unfortunately, having found it too stiff and boring ( her words, not mine ) for such a charismatic being she was, she decided to leave. no hard feelings. nothing. it was just that. even her parents expressed that they weren’t exactly that surprised about her decision. apparently, they knew her daughter all too well, and it showed. they were still, however, disappointed... which wasn’t a new thing to her. nico was grateful for their calm reaction, no matter what -- she wouldn’t know what to do if they reacted in a different way, really. 

her decision made her father think that she was thinking about taking over his business -- he couldn’t be any more wrong, though. it’s not that nico wouldn’t want to help her parents out with anything, it’s just that she clearly had no interest in anything business-related. and that made mr. hamada change from a supporting father to someone who was giving her an ultimatum. all or nothing, so to speak. she was supposed to either take up necessary classes and learn about everything that has to do with owning a tech company, or at least make sure to help them out when they needed it the most.

how could she do that when there was no prior motivation, nor reason for her to be there? why did they put her through music school and everything else if they wanted her to become a businesswoman? it made no sense to nico. when she explained her point of view to her father, he lashed out, deciding to end all the forms of contact with her -- not without telling the girl how disappointed in her he was, of course.

nico’s mom tries her best to keep in touch with her, but every single conversation they have just ends with an argument. that doesn’t necessarily stop her from allowing nico spend their money, though. she thinks this might be something that will persuade her to change her mind. little did she know... it won’t do anything. she wants nothing to do with it.

now, without that much to do, nico is considering having a little bit of a break to experience everything she didn’t have the chance to do when she was growing up -- whether it be parties, getting a first tattoo... chopping a huge chunk of her hair off, things like that. she figured, that having a social life will be so much easier now that she has the time to actually indulge in all of these things. she’s got a whole new world to explore, and she won’t stray from throwing her parents’ money around. 

once she decides that her time off moment is over, she wants to find a job that she will actually feel satisfied with. she sells the songs that she’s composed and written the lyrics for, but she also wants to start recording demos for herself, and maybe even do some odd jobs on the side. but... that is something she definitely needs to take her sweet time with -- nico had found herself enjoying the lavish lifestyle she secretly craved ever since she was a teenager.

it’s more than safe to say that her closet and most shelves are filled with notebooks containing unfinished songs and random thoughts that were too precious to her to throw away. lyrics about falling in love, heartbreak -- anything one could expect from someone who went through it in such a short amount of time.

during summer vacation, three years ago, nico met elise. the two quickly hit it off and became each other’s first everythings. the pair was inseparable for the time being -- with elise choosing to pursue her degree in politics, the girl had to move a couple of states away. they swore to each other that it would never let it affect their relationship. at first, everything was going swimmingly well, as it should, but then... things started to get messier and messier. obviously...

nico couldn’t possibly put the blame on the girl, at first. after all, she was busy, right? well... as the time went on, elise started to avoid any means of contact with her, chalking it up to being buried under the books and working on essays and whatnot. seemed believable enough. again, nico couldn’t really question it, because she knew that her major was one of the toughest ones out there. it wasn’t quite right, still.  

after a long month filled with nothing but waiting and sleepless nights, nico decided to officially end the relationship only to find out that her now ex had found someone new, someone who goes to the same university as her. safe to say, it drove nico mad. how could she even think she was good enough for someone like elise? it made her wonder whether she was just a temporary place in the other’s bed, and even if her feelings for her were real. at this point, it could literally be anything.

it’s already been a year since it all happened, and while she might not act like she’s been affected by her ex-girlfriend ghosting on her without giving her a reason and finding someone new, nico is definitely FEELING it all. she’s just... not vocal about it, because why should she be? apparently, that’s what happens when you trust someone so much, and let them lead you on for so long. nico was convinced that having a long distance relationship with someone would be a piece of cake, but boi, was she dead wrong...

nico decided not to look for any kind of consolation from people. she is just... there, aimlessly going through the day, making a complete fool out of herself, probably as a defense mechanism. despite not seeking help for herself, she’s always down to talk about everything with just about anyone, because she’s That kind of person, really. don’t let that fool you, though! she’s grown a backbone over the years of acting like a doormat, and she truly won’t hesitate to voice her opinion if something is bothering her. she is a nice person and that will truly never change, though. 

more headcanons:

she is, and i cannot stress this enough, baby

but you know, she’s a baby that can snap

( yes, that’s a thing, fight me )

a pretty good dancer ( duh ), doesn’t do anything about it, though

a gym rat -- eats healthy most of the time, works out four times a week

music-wise, nico’s songs are a mix of nina ne/sbitt, king pr/incess and to/ve lo

ghostwrote a couple of songs for famous and semi-famous artists

and with that come the royalties, obviously......

...royalties that can cover up the cost of everything she needs, but you know... she’s saving that up and still uses the family’s money -- very Smart™ of her, lbr

( still under an nda, so... she can’t talk about it... yet )

huuuuuuge paramore fan

doesn’t drink much, prefers to smoke a bowl... or five

has to wear glasses most of the time -- does not do that

fluent in three languages -- japanese, english and french

sarcasm is up in there, as well, but i am convinced that it doesn’t count

knits a LOT

connection ideas ( not limited to only that, of course !! ):

fellow musicians ;; you know these people that fire off the creativity fuse ?? jam sessions until the early hours of the morning ?? staying on the phone for hours on end ?? friendly banter on social media ?? things like that. and who knows ?? there might be a few collaborations on projects, too ?? ( open ;; 1/?? )

saltmates ;; honestly, their entire relationship is based around the two of them being bitter together. whenever one of them is pissed, they just let the other know and they get together, pour a glass of wine or juice or what-have-you, and hash it out. ( open ;; 1/?? )

bad timing ;; for some reason or another, something always gets in the way of whatever they have. maybe they’re just not ready to commit at the time when the other is, or one’s in a relationship with someone else when the other was finally available. ( open to f ;; 0/?? )

unrequited feelings ;; is it just friendly, or is there a lot of sexual tension? either way, this can be plotted whether nico is the one to have feelings, or vice versa. they’re not entirely deep where one person is madly in love with the other, but enough to the point where tension is sparked. ( open to f ;; 0/1 )

unlikely friend ;; someone nico thought she would never be friends with but finds herself being friends with regardless. she definitely admires them for being who they are and genuinely has a great time whenever she hangs out with them, despite all their differences. ( open ;; 0/?? )

acquaintance ;; if you asked nico about that person, she would probably say they just “know” each other. she doesn’t ask them any questions, they don’t talk or meet up as much, but they still somewhat do care about one another. they just trust each other like that. they seem to be passing each other by a lot. ( open ;; 0/?? )

[narniangirl1994]

The Runaways & Dysfunctional Families

I am impressed by the way in which Marvel's Runaways (on Hulu) portrays dysfunctional families. As someone who knows quite a bit about it, I think the show deftly handles the subject matter.

In the beginning of the show, when all of the teens suspect their parents of murder, it is Nico and Chase who readily believe their parents are capable of such an act while the others resist the idea. That’s because Nico’s mother is emotionally distant and strict with her, and Nico blames her mother for the sister’s suicide. Meanwhile, Chase’s father has been physically (and emotionally) abusive to both him and his mother for years. But the others have healthier relationships with their parents.

However, as more evidence is uncovered, it is Nico and Chase who become more hesitant about bringing their parents to justice while the others come around to the idea. And it makes total sense why the roles reversed -

Nico’s mother begins to show more compassion and vulnerability around her, even discussing the sister’s suicide for once. And the two get to bond over their shared passion for a magic staff that works only for them. Meanwhile, Chase learns that his dad is dying of a brain tumor. During this time, his father shows interest in Chase’s life, bonds with him over a science experiment that they both work passionately together on, and stops abusing Chase for the things he’d normally hit him for.

To some extent, both Nico and Chase feel as if their abusive parent has changed. And as children who grew up without a healthy relationship with that parent, they are starved for any amount of affection and love from them. So sending them to jail would only ruin the bond that they are just now starting to form. (Until Chase’s father returns to his abusive ways and nearly kills him, of course.)

However, Karolina, Alex, Gert and Molly all had relatively happy and functional relationships with their parents. So they were therefore crushed to find out the people they’d looked up to were secretly murderers.

Karolina has to live with the fact that her mother is the person who procures the teenagers who will be killed, by using the religion (cult) that Karolina had put her entire life into. She realizes it’s all a lie. Alex finds out the father he always admired is actually a traitor whose back-stabbing put Alex’s life in danger. Then he witnesses his father essentially kidnap and murder the teen Alex had to shoot in order to save his father. Even Gert and Molly have to deal with their seemingly innocent, bumbling parents being murderers (all while Molly is trying to find out about her biological parents).

Plus, Chase’s relationship with his mother seems to oscillate depending on his relationship with his father at the time. He is frustrated with her for cheating on his father when Chase is just beginning to bond with him, yet earlier in the show he seemed exasperated by her unwillingness to address the abusive behavior his father exhibited. Similarly, Nico doesn’t know how to handle the fact that her father (the parent she actually has an emotional bond with) betrayed the family by cheating..

Essentially, the show clearly depicts the cycle of abuse. When you have an abusive parent, you’ll often take what love you can get and be quick to forgive/forget past wrongs whenever they show any kindness. Then when they start abusing you again, you feel all the more hurt for having been tricked into thinking things would finally be different.

Meanwhile, relationships with the non-abusive parent can involve either putting them on a pedestal (in comparison to the abusive parent) or feeling resentment towards them for never stopping the abusive parent. But if your relationship with your parents has always been a happy and healthy one, finding out they are not who you thought they were can cause feelings of anger, isolation and disillusionment.

This show addresses a lot of different subjects, but I definitely give the writers props for depicting the different kinds of dysfunctional families that many people can relate to.

[cheriemelody]

How Demons might be Satisfied

Grace was humming and wandering around in the deserted city when she heard a commotion in the distance. There wasn’t really anything else to do, and she was curious, so she used her magic to form feathery wings to fly there quickly. She couldn’t remember the last time that there was anything worth checking out.

ao3

Before long, she arrived. What was being surrounded by the other demons? Oh, a human! Quite a scared and confused human. In fact, they looked like they had just woken up from a nightmare and didn’t realize yet that, yes, their nightmare was still going to continue for a while. (Grace couldn’t tell from her location what their gender was. Grace flew closer. She looked at their facial features and body type and still couldn’t tell. Hmm, it would be nice to know their gender. Grace peered into and examined their mind.) He noticed Grace and stared back at her with even more confusion.

“Are you flying?!”

Oh. Right. Humans can’t fly naturally.

“Why’s he payin’ attention to you, Grace?”

One of the demons from below glared at Grace.

“I’m the demon who deserves the most attention, you know!” Grace giggled. “I’m the prettiest of you all.”

As annoyance grew on some demons’ faces, the young man’s face grew paler.

“Wait, demons?!”

He took a step back, and then another. Grace noticed, and giggled. Wouldn’t he make very nice prey? It had been a while since she had last hunted for a fresh soul. Wait, he’s actually trying to run away. Grace giggled again. She flew down, and before he even had time to turn his head around when he heard her approaching, she grabbed him underneath his arms and pulled him upwards into the air. She ignored both the demon’s indignant cries and the cries of the poor man she was carrying.

After a while, he quieted down. Grace hummed again, and not from boredom. Eventually, they arrived at the Tyler mansion. When they reached the front door, Gloria, Grace’s sister, called out from a window.

“Grace, did you actually bring something useful this time?”

“Gloria, I brought a human!”

“Wow, you did something useful for once.”

“Oh, come on!”

Gloria looked out of her window. She almost smiled at Grace’s exasperated expression.

“Well, you might as well get in through this window.”

It took some time for him to calm down. It required cookies and milk.

After some hesitation, he finally asked, “You’re demons, right? You still eat human food?”

“Yes, in a way,” Grace answered. “Most demons should actually eat some human food to be fully healthy. But.”

Oh, dear, he was back to not being calm. She did need to explain this, though.

“But all demons need to consume human souls to survive.”

He paled. “Was… Was that why you took me?”

Grace started to stare at him intensely. “Not necessarily for that reason.”

“Eh?”

“I saw through your mind, you know.”

“Eh??”

“Yuya. Sakaki Yuya, the entertainer. Planning to pursue professional Entertainment Dueling after graduating from high school. You’re currently finishing up the last year of high school, if I remember correctly.”

“Eh???”

Grace continued to stare at him. He’s actually pretty cute when this surprised. Adorable, even. Unfortunately, he was speechless after this revelation.

“Do you know what this city of demons needs? More than just one human soul?”

Yuya didn’t respond.

“Do you know how bored we are?”

Gloria interrupted, “Just you, Grace. I’m perfectly fine with just eating him right here and now.”

Poor Yuya. He paled again. Grace wasn’t sure if she could stand eating him if he actually did fail.

“Gloria! I’m not the only demon bored out of my mind. The entire city population would gather around him if they could because what human ends up in the middle of a demon city out of nowhere?” Grace whined.

“Anyways,” Grace continued, “even if I had the heart of an angel and tried to help you escape back into your own world, the entire city would be out to get you. But don’t fear just yet! There’s an alternative!”

Gloria rolled her eyes. Yuya, however, seemed to catch on very quickly.

“I just have to entertain them, and then I’ll be free?”

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!”

How is he sooo adorable when he says that?! Grace was practically squealing in her seat and didn’t even try to prevent herself from standing up from her seat. She didn’t even notice Gloria rolling her eyes up at her. Yuya had just pendulum summoned Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon along with an Entermate companion.

“Since an Entermate monster was pendulum summoned, Entermate Pendulum Sorcerer’s pendulum effect adds 1000 ATK to all of my Entermate monsters!”

The audience of demons stared in wonder as the sorcerer enhanced Entermate Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix on the field, increasing its attack to 3000 ATK. You can never go wrong with sparkles~ Grace giggled at her own thought.

“Grace, please,” Gloria grumbled. She didn’t bother asking Grace to sit back down, though. Once Grace was this excited, whether it be from having a crazed duel or sucking someone’s soul dry, nothing could be done to contain her excitement.

“Battle! Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix will attack Ojama Blue!”

Ojama Blue was in ATK position, but due to the Ojama country field spell, it had 1000 ATK.

“Aargh!”

The opponent’s life points went down to 2000.

“Hmph! Since Ojama Blue was destroyed by battle, I can add two Ojama cards from my deck to my hand.”

The opponent oh so happened to be the one demon to be the most annoyed at Grace’s antics (except for Gloria). That was one of the reasons why Grace didn’t offer to duel Yuya herself, as tempting as that sounded. She wanted Yuya to defeat this stupid demon.

As strange as it sounded, though, the main reason was so that she could be part of the audience itself. As much as she enjoyed dueling, she wanted to experience this Entertainment Duel from the audience’s perspective.

That won’t be enough to stop Yuya’s attack, and you know that. Even though Ojama King currently has 3000 ATK, and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon only has 2500 ATK, there must have been a reason why he didn’t choose to crash Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix with Ojama King. More importantly, it’s just that Yuya looks like he will win this turn. His confidence. He’s so...

“YUYAAA!!!”

Grace screamed again, and Gloria wondered why her sister had to have a crush on Sakaki Yuya out of everyone. Why did it have to be a human and not a proper demon? Stupid Grace...

“Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon will attack Ojama King! Spiral Strike Burst!”

Nico Smiley, the announcer, exclaimed, “Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon currently has less ATK than Ojama King! What is Yuya Sakaki planning to do?”

“The fun has just begun!”

Grace screamed yet again, and Gloria just wanted this duel to end.

Yuya jumped on top of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and then rode it towards Ojama King.

“I activate Entermate Odd-Eyes Unicorn’s pendulum effect! I target Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix and add its original attack to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!”

A rainbow road formed underneath the dragon and led to Ojama King. The audience gaped, amazed at the sheer brilliance of the color palette that the rainbow offered to the stage. With 4500 ATK, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon battled Ojama King.

Grace was looking at heaven itself.

Yuya continued, “Since Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon is battling a LV 5 or higher monster, the battle damage is doubled! Go, Reaction Force!”

With only 2000 life points left, the opponent took 3000 damage.

Nico Smiley proclaimed, “The winner of this duel is, the Entertainment Duelist, Sakaki Yuya!!!”

The audience resounded throughout the stadium like a thunderstorm.

“Congratulations, Yuya!”

Yuya turned around from his new demon fans who visited them at the Tyler mansion and faced Grace.

“Thanks, I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you. If it wasn’t for your idea-”

“No need! That duel was spectacular! I couldn’t believe my own eyes! It was incredible!”

Yuya laughed sheepishly. “Thanks! I’m so glad to hear that!”

He paused, however, when Grace approached his fans and told them that she wanted to talk to Yuya privately before he left for the human world. After they left, Yuya still had one question to ask.

“I’m honestly surprised that the demons would let me go after just one duel. Actually, I’m surprised that they would let me go at all.”

Grace giggled. “I told you, didn’t I? That this city is waaay too boring. Your entertainment was worth far more than one human soul.”

Yuya supposed that he could live with that compliment.

“But if you still feel indebted to me…”

Before Yuya knew it, Grace pushed him down on the sofa and straddled him. Yet again, Yuya’s mind wasn’t working, but for completely different reasons. Grace leaned down and whispered in his ear, “I don’t know if I told you this, but I’m a succubus.”

Yuya flinched, his face becoming even redder. “Oh, I guess I didn’t. Well, hehe, now you might have an idea how I suck human souls dry from their bodies…”

Yuya really wasn’t sure how to feel about this situation. Grace’s voice lowered. “Don’t worry. I’m still never going to harm you. I just want to offer… hmm… my company if you return to visit. Or what about right now?”

She nibbled on his ear. Yuya yelped and slid his way out of the couch, face red as a tomato. And stumbled.

“Grace, I- I really appreciate it, b- but I want some time to think about it.”

Grace chuckled, still lying down on her side on the couch. Shy, wasn’t he? He didn’t seem that opposed to it, fortunately.

“Take your time~”

Yuya looked down in embarrassment. Grace rose from her couch and stood in front of him. And tenderly held his face in her hands and looked into his crimson eyes.

And then kissed him.

For once, Yuya didn’t flinch away. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her.

“Grace, why is it that the first thing I see when I enter is you and that human kissing?”

[roxilalonde]

Vriska Serket and the Antihero’s Archetype

In other news, I am endlessly fascinated with the Spidertroll. So I wrote an essay about gender, social perspective, literary archetypes, stages of morality, and Vriska Serket. 

First off: I’m not here to argue that Vriska is perfect. She fucks up. In some cases, she fucks up to the point where she seriously hurts others, mentally and physically, and becomes seriously toxic company. I’m not here to excuse her behavior wrt Tavros, or to justify her treatment of others’ emotional needs, because neither is healthy or defensible. But what I am interested in is how she ended up being the Fandom Recognized “worst troll ever” in a group with (a) a murderous bigot, (b) an abusive murderclown, and (c) a racist with a penchant for bestiality and a characteristic lack of regard for consent. 

The answer: It’s a long story.

Let’s talk about Vriska.

Absolutely necessary in any constructive discussion of Vriska’s character is an examination of her upbringing. Her lusus, a.k.a “Spidermom,” is demonstrably the worst parent of any of the trolls. Keeping her alive requires Vriska to routinely kill or be killed, and it obviously strains her; the psychological effects of having such a huge burden placed on her at a young age are demonstrated here; she voices a strong dislike for her lusus here. Further, Spidermom fails to care for Vriska to any extent you would expect from a parent, and Vriska seems delighted to be rid of her once the game starts. When confronted with the task of killing her parent, she is neither frightened nor even unhappy about it - her only concern is whether she’ll be able to do the job.

Your surroundings as a child define how you view the world and relate to it. Changing that perspective is difficult, and takes years of work and support. People in fandom like to characterize Vriska as a suave manipulator, cruel and unfeeling to the plight of others unless it benefits her to be concerned. But reading her pesterlogs, you would only believe that if you took everything she said at face value, which is a thin reading. A face-value reading implies that Dave likes puppets, Rose hates her mother, and Caliborn is a tactical genius. The impression Vriska gives is that of a person with a fundamental inability to connect with other people, who struggles with empathy in particular. She experiences sympathy - feeling bad that others are suffering - just fine. (Terezi and Kanaya, for example, are both recipients of her sympathy, after she does them harm.) But empathy, or the emotional understanding of others’ emotions as they experience them, she lacks, which evidences that her emotional intelligence never developed as a child (or she can’t do empathy, generally; neither is a character deficit so much as a product of circumstances outside of her control). Passages I think are useful reading here: these pesterlogs with Aradia and John, and the famous pirate cave monologue.

Now, let’s throw in Mindfang. From the onset, Vriska has two clearly established models in her life: a neglectful (arguably abusive) lusus, and an inaccessible, deified ancestor who glorifies violence and unlawfulness. Her value of Mindfang seems to come from Mindfang’s “coolness,” i.e., the fact that Mindfang is never awkward or incompetent. Of course a socially inept child is going to deify someone who’s always in control of their self-presentation. Especially since the Mindfang narrative that Vriska reads is entirely written by Mindfang, so there’s probably some severe manipulation of the facts going down to make her seem cooler than she is. 

And then Doc Scratch. An omniscient deity meddling in the affairs of a prepubescent girl from a young age, informing her that she has no choice in most of her critical decisions, and pushing her towards the decisions that will make possible the Alpha Timeline. He humors her desire for attention and importance by predicating his attention to her on her obedience; when she rebels, tries to develop an independent conscience, he criticizes her. From a young age, Vriska is being told that morality is impossible because everything in the universe is predetermined. That her choice doesn’t matter. Her life is a series of desperate grasps at free will, which has been denied her since birth. So she exerts her control over others to mimic the ways of her role models, Mindfang and Scratch. This is where Tavros comes in. 

That said: Vriska’s treatment of Tavros is inexcusable. It’s degrading, physically harmful, and toxic. Again, I’m not trying to defend it. But I want to point out that it comes from her trying to “improve” him, to change what she perceives as a flaw - his cowardice and indecisiveness. Already, Vriska is an improvement on her predecessors in that when she exerts control over others, she does it out of a misguided belief that she’s improving society - not solely for selfish reasons. And she points what she perceives as flaws with Tavros’ character. (Her comments about his disability, notably, which are ableist and inexcusable, do not fall under this category.) In trying to play Mindfang, and make him into her Summoner, the inept Vriska ends up hurting him. It doesn’t stem from malignancy; it stems from instability, and a lack of emotional intelligence. That’s where virtually all of her problems come from.

Additionally, her egotism in thinking she can “fix” Tavros can be traced to Spidermom and Mindfang, too. Her need to step out of her idols’ shadow leads to a desperate search for recognition, first and foremost a positive one. She’s a neglected child who desperately wants attention. What she does to get that attention is coached in the norms of a brutally violent society, but is a cry for help nonetheless.

Let’s talk about antiheroes.

Contrary to popular belief, an antihero is not just “an imperfect hero” or “a hero who doesn’t always do the right thing.” The antihero, specifically, is a person with ethical principles designed to contrast the protagonist - whom you root for even if they make the wrong choices. The AH has the same goals as the Protag, but a different set of ethics from whence they derive those goals. From TV Tropes:

“An Archetypal Character who is almost as common in modern fiction as the Ideal Hero, an antihero is a protagonist who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero . . . often an antihero is just an amoral misfit. While heroes are typically conventional, anti-heroes, depending on the circumstances, may be preconventional (in a "good" society), postconventional (if the government is "evil") or even unconventional. Not to be confused with the Villain or the Big Bad, who is the opponent of Heroes (and Anti-Heroes, for that matter).”

Aranea is a villain. She directly opposes the goals of our protagonists (winning the session, and/or bodily autonomy). Gamzee is a villain: he directly opposes the goals of our protagonists (staying alive, not dying). The Condesce is a villain: she directly opposes the goals of our protagonists (staying alive, winning the session). Vriska is not a villain, archetypally: she does not oppose the goals of our protagonists, most of the time, and in fact helps in achieving them. Putting aside the question of whether she’s a bad person, she’s not a Bad Guy.

Her code of ethics most closely aligns with an Antihero - in this case, a preconventional one. There’s a neat article to be written about Vriska’s advancement along the Kohlberg stages of moral development, but for our purposes, “preconventional” just means “I do things for me, and to the extent that doing things for others will do things for me.” Her main goal: fame and glory. Subsidiary goals: help her teammates to win the game, and create a new universe. Unlike traditional preconventional actors, she doesn’t care about her own life and wellbeing, or if she does, only insofar as they can aid her ultimate goal, which is attention and acclaim.

AG: I only ever wanted to do the right thing no matter how it made people judge me, and I don't need a magic ring to do that.

Let’s talk about gender.

Take a moment and tally up all the male antiheroes in popular media you can remember. (Count them twice if they get a redemption arc.) Off the top of my head: Zuko, Lestat, Derek Hale, Nico di Angelo, Severus Snape, Jason Todd, Captain Jack Sparrow, Han Solo, Spike, Tyrion Lannister. That’s without a single glance at the TV Tropes page, either. Those are all from some of the most popular media of the past twenty years: ATLA, IWAV, Teen Wolf, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Batman, PoTC, Star Wars, Buffy, Game of Thrones. 

Now count the women. (Count them as half if their “alternative code of ethics” is “I sleep with and lie to men to get what I want, which is almost exclusively money, until I met Protagonist, who changed my evil ways.”) Personally, I’ve got a decently sized list, but at least half are from Homestuck, with others being characters I go out of my way to explore: Arya Stark, Princess Bubblegum, Marcelline, most women from House. I’d give it to Furiosa, too, although that’s arguable. Maybe you have a long list; if so, please tell me what you’ve been reading/watching lately, because these women are either sidelined in the popular media they appear in, or aren’t depicted in popular media to the same level that their male counterparts are at all. (Note: the one-off female antihero, on the other hand, is incredibly popular, perhaps because the writer doesn’t need to develop her character or give her a substantive arc: see Jyn from ATLA, Calypso from PoTC, Narcissa Malfoy from HP.) 

Here’s why: people are much more inclined to forgive a man for doing bad things than they are to forgive a woman. You can chalk this up to any number of stereotypes about women in media: that they have to be nurturers, or that their “purity” is an important aspect of their being. Regardless, if you look over the TV Tropes page for the antihero (even with the obvious miscategorizations), and you’ll find the vast majority are men. Writers have realized that audiences are far more interested in a morally grey, badass, complex, tragic-backstoried man of action than a woman of the same persuasion. 

Let’s go back to talking about Vriska.

Contrast the fandom’s reception of Vriska with its reception of Eridan. To clarify: Eridan, ultimately, isn’t an antihero. He’s a villain. He murders people. He wants to commit genocide. Furthermore, he has no discernible motivation for this except being a bigoted asshat. But you don’t see 2,000-word callouts for Eridan, despite there being a large portion of fandom that wholeheartedly stans him. This doesn’t mean you can’t be interested in Eridan as a character, or even that you can’t like him, although I don’t understand the appeal, personally. But it means that condemning Vriska, all of whose mistakes are clearly motivated and regretted, probably isn’t the hill you want to die on.

I envision a hypothetical world where Vriska is written a boy. And I guarantee you, in that world, there’s a dedicated group of fans who - unironically - call him “a perfect sinnamon roll” and “my innocent son.” His trauma is openly discussed and sympathized with in fandom. Vrisrezi is in the top 5 most popular Homestuck ships on AO3. The Scourge Bros are the most popular troll ship, period. 

We forgive Terezi for manipulating Dave. We forgive Terezi for manipulating and murdering John. Because hey, narratively speaking, they end up fine, right? (Just like Tavros does.) But Vriska is where we draw the line in the sand. Because she’s an antihero, whereas Terezi has always been a nice, comfortable female protagonist. She doesn’t conflict with John & Co. She is clearly motivated by the Greater Good. Vriska is not.

Conclusion

Vriska isn’t simple. Female characters who aren’t simple inevitably cause controversy, to a much lesser degree than male characters of the same nature. Furthermore, the fact that she isn’t a protagonist in the classical sense - whereas most of her group, in contrast, are clearly written as protagonists - makes her appear “worse” than the others, or even, at an extreme “the worst.” Disliking her is perfectly understandable. Thinking she’s a bad person is reasonable. But please don’t do either without considering why she does what she does, and evaluating for yourself whether she deserves the reputation she has. 

[confusedonearth]

09/17/2018

It’s been far too long. I’ve avoided talking about this for months, and haven’t been able to or better yet, haven’t wanted to come on here to explain what’s been going on. It’s been a wild Journey this year. I’ll try to keep everything in the order I remember them. These memories don’t have a typical beginning to end. But it should sum up, what’s been going on over the last couple of months. I’ll start with....August. All of august, I didn’t want to be bothered. I’ve slowly realized that I was becoming irritable, and angry. This stemmed from not feeling like I was accomplishing any goals. I had to deal with a couple of things that completely through me off of track even more that I had already realized. I unfortunately had to create an ultimatum to directly show the severity of how I’ve been feeling. I was feeling dead. Ready to give up hope. This caused me to spiral down to feeling worse as the days passed. I was so sick of everything and everyone that at this point, I was just ready to call everything quits. Relationship, Friendships, you name it. As days passed, and I tried my best to get better slowly. I had a picture shown to me of being smaller, and wanting to really get back into becoming a healthy person again. So instead of eating out everyday, I narrowed it to making healthier choices and slowly stop eating worse. This is because when you start something I believe you gotta ease into it. You can’t go cold turkey on things. It will most likely end in failure. Of course, this is my perspective on it. I’ve found that this works for ME. I thought of it deeply and I ended up thinking back on some of the things I enjoyed doing before getting this low. I had a skateboard. Steven and Carla got me a skateboard. I was riding it. One day I went to ride it through DC during my workday after eating lunch at Cava (I had a salad). On the way back, I was trying to be careful but water and skateboards don[t mix. As I was going downhill I got really hurt. Sucks because I just started to recover from hurting myself on the motorcycle. That sucked too. I got hurt on my motorcycle on the way home twice. Once was a burn on my right calf. That shit sucked so bad. Worst pain I've experienced i’n a long time. The other injury was when I fell off early morning on my way to work. My dad was telling me that him and his gf were having issues. This sort of through me off because he’s been doing so well. So it was just annoying to hear, on top of the fact that I was already annoyed with my own life. I fell. but I rushed home, and changed to come back to work. I made it 17 minutes late. But I got there. The reason I take my bike to work sometimes is because it’s way cheaper to ride versus driving. I feel because I put some stupid like.... tire shire shine. Nico warned me soon after that it was a bad idea and I read online to take it off, but said fuck it and didn’t do it. The next time I rode it, I fell. Another lesson learned. Don’t put tire shine on motorcycle tires. I would’ve never known.... Wholetime I should’ve known because Nico told me. I’m dumb.

Anyway. I start to feel better. I heal. I eventually started getting back into music by writing. I ended up making a song called Ordinary which is a song about Ego. Eh. It was okay. I liked it at first. Then came a song called Addiction which is a short story about a girl who tried coke. It was shit. once again. Liked it at first but was shit. I haven’t made music but I kept going. Then, I randomly met up with george and it was cool to see him again. George Mason from Hyattsville Middle School. We caught up. I was making a song, and he made a hook. It was magic man. I found inspiration working with someone else. As lonley as I’ve been feeling lately. Not only was I sent a friend, but I was sent a friend that was a musician. Super positive things coming my way this month. After hitting the lows of fucking up at work, and being sad about my Dad’s fuck ups. I found a light. Music, writing to myself and exercise. That’s whats always been most important. But I have to remember that setting reminders of what I want to accomplish is important. So This is a reflection of me trying. If I ate less I would be way skinnier right now. Like I just crushed some pancakes but they were bomb as fuck. Couldn’t help it. I’m about to go home and continue to work because I’m working from home everyday right now. I’m about to go meditate. Also, I got George coming over at 2 for a music session. I started watching this show called Ozark. It’s pretty sick. I’m stupid stoned. i haven’t tripped. I wanna go camping at the end of this week. So I’ll look into that. I’m going to LA in about 2 weeks. That should be cool. I thought that aderrall would be the solution to my problems, but deep down I knew it wasn’t. Maybe it can help but I don’t wanna become dependent on it. Instead I”ll welcome my ADHD and attention issues and try to focus on being present. That way, I don’t have anymore time to be sad. I just gotta do things that will help me and stop making excuses. I’m glad I have Danyeezy as a friend that can communicate things to me and small lessons that I can apply to my life. Like legit. I’ve learned alot from him man it’s crazy. I won’t name it all but it’s tight to have friends that are there for me through my mental breakdowns. I gotta do everything I mentioned on here to be present and successful.

I love my life again. I feel like I have potential to go somewhere. Where ever life takes me. I’ll try to remind myself to remind myself that I need to be reminded of where I’m at to feel better and be better. If I don’t try, I have essentially snoozed my reminder and will be even more late to work.

Work = Success.

[cempakaaa-blog]

P5

PT 5 Kafka, Neboo and Kafka had breakfast with Lady Syira and Lady Ryn the next morning. Their royal chef, Sanji, prepared healthy mix of peanut butter pancakes, yogurt and fruits, as well as power juices. Lady Syira explained that he was the kind of chef who takes nutrition very seriously, and often times Sanji and Lady Syira sat together to research healthy food options and designing diet for patients of different medical condition. "It's so convenient having someone to think of your nutrition intake for you," Neboo complimented. "Thank you for the kind compliment, My Lady!" Sanji said, Kafka swore he saw the blonde chef's eyes turning into heart eyes. Kafka heard the voice again and nearly choked on his milk. After they're done with their meals, Lady Syira and Lady Ryn excused themselves to their respective duties, medical monitoring and town planning. Lady Shaa and Lady Fleur, who were already dressed in more casual suits, escorted them to Eve Library, which was located only a little North towards District Earth. Eve Library was a gigantic circular building which stunned Kafka with its exterior design. It was as if entering a forest, as the walls of the library were actual trees and vines that covered a thin layer of stone wall, curving in circular. As they stepped inside, walls lined with bookshelves up to the ceiling. Visitors of various age filled the common area as they read and sat and studied. Some bowed to Lady Shaa and Lady Fleur as they walked by. They spotted General Zoro in the North Wing as they entered, where he only sat with a cup of tea. A black-haired woman sat beside him, and upon seeing Lady Shaa and Lady Fleur, she put down her book and stood up to bow. "Your Highness." "This is Nico Robin," Lady Fleur introduced the woman. "One of the smartest woman in this country, and the keeper of Eve Library." "I'm going back to Lady Dyan," Zoro said, standing up. "Your Highness," he greeted and then he left. "How's the search for the thing going?" Lady Shaa asked. "I've had my librarians check every single titles in the library. Of course, a visitor manages to find it and sneak it out of the library, there is nothing I could do in my power," Robin explained. "Shaa, remember your promise," Perewa said quietly, only enough for Lady Shaa to hear. Lasy Shaa nodded. "Alright. Robin, restricted section?" Robin led everyone to the a small room behind the thick curtain at the middle column of the library, where a wall was decorated oddly in vines of plants and flowers, and a thin stream of water appears to fall like freshwater from the mountains. Lady Shaa looked at Lady Fleur. "Be my guest." Lady Fleur swung her claw-gestured hand in a circular motion, and all the vines enveloping the wall pulled away like a living plant, revealing a door. The metal lined in between the door unlocked immediately, lock by lock, the water disappeared dry as if the wall was never wet. The door swung open slowly, revealing a spiral staircase to a basement floor. Tiny balls of lava appeared from Lady Shaa's fingers as she pointed to the hanging lamps, and they contained the bright burning lava to keep the place illuminated. The books lining the walls were a collection of very rare books. There were writing desks by a strange window that overlooks the sea, strange as they were in the basement and is nowhere near the sea. There were sitting chairs and leather couches in the middle of the room. Yet, Perewa finds himself quickly inspecting the bookshelves one by one as Lady Shaa and Lady Fleur watched closely. "Feel free to check if you want," Lady Shaa and Lady Fleur said, as they took a seat on the couch. "As you have noticed, the restricted section is heavily guarded, and nothing but magic could open it." "Magic you stole, perhaps?" Perewa remarked coldly. "Magic we were given," Lady Fleur corrected. Neboo nodded as she walked by the desks. "So not even your Generals could access to this part of the library?" "They could, so as long as they have magic, but up to current, only General Sabo had an elemental ability. See, he had been learning fire with Shaa..." "I was glad to teach him. Handsome lads needs superpowers," Lady Shaa said proudly. Neboo noticed a glinting hint of gold in one of the drawers and pulled it open. It was a gold plated stone, carved and embossed in silver writings of the ancient language... The Manuscript of The Strange Library. Not wanting to make any big fuss, Neboo quickly hid the gold plated stone in her little bag that hung from her pants, an enchanted bag that could carry even the biggest items. She continued pretending to search, wondering why on earth would the Queens lied if The Manuscript is truly with them...