#nico keeps telling the kid ‘i’m not your father’ to which the kid: ‘father!! dad!! my beloved daddy!!!’ so he juts gives up

[yonemurishiroku]

Nico di Angelo who has transcended to godhood and this time helped a demigod child and that child ‘adopts’ him as their father no matter what Nico has to say.

And after many years, they become this odd father-child couple in which the father looks barely 20 (bc he’s short, if nothing else) and his child looks older than him at least 10 years.

[onboardsorasora]

ahh i love your deaged daniel series!

do max and daniel ever have a get together or play date with sebastian and/or jenson's families? just to give daniel a chance to play with kids his own age and get some energy out

but maybe he's also shy at first and scared to talk to all the new people!

been kinda offline all day, but i had this in the drafts

De-Aged Daniel | De-Aged Daniel Part 11

Max didn’t realize how many drivers had kids. It wasn’t something he went around asking honestly and it also wasn’t any of his business. But after the twitch fiasco, he’d been added to no less than three driver dad group chats.

He’d tried to explain in each one that he wasn’t a father, but Daniel had exchanged bodies. And that, itself caused a whole different level of chaos.

This is how he found himself and Little Daniel walking into a park looking dubiously at the group of men chatting in a circle while their children ran around them.

“Max! You made it!” Seb’s grin was wide as Max settled near to them.

“Well, it's within walking distance of my flat so…” Max shrugged. Little Daniel looked at everyone with wide eyes before shyly tucking his face into Max’s neck.

“Daniel, these are some friends of ours. Do you want to say hi?” Max asked softly.

“Hi…” Daniel whispered into Max’s neck, clutching at his tshirt strongly so Max didn’t get the idea to put him down. He hadn’t been allowed to carry the Max pillow and Daniel had made his objections known with big, watery honey eyes and a wobbly bottom lip. Max had bargained that he could wear his race suit instead and that had soothed the savage badger.

“I forgot how shy he used to be. You’d never know now.” Seb mused, Jenson nodded along, clearly remembering how awkward the knobby kneed young Aussie used to be in the paddock.

“Kid was fast though.” Nico pointed out which caused the older drivers to nod again, clearly remembering.

“You hear that Daniel, you were the fastest.” Max said, gaining Little Daniel’s attention. The boy looked at him curiously, tilting his head when Max nodded to the men. “This is Seb, Nico and Jenson. You raced against them and won.”

“Yenshen.” Daniel repeated, looking curiously at the men and biting his fingers. His mouth dropped open when he looked at Seb, as if in recognition.

“Hello old friend. Remember how we stopped biting our fingers?” Seb said softly, reaching to pluck Little Daniel’s fingers from his mouth. Daniel let him, staring into Seb’s bright blue eyes in wonder.

“Do we think he’ll spring back up to normal or will it be another exchange?” Nico asked while Seb kept Little Daniel busy.

“I’m not sure. Grace thinks he’ll exchange his way up.” Max offered with a slight shrug, being careful not to jostle. 

“She must remember then.” Seb murmured, fluffing Little Daniel’s hair.

“Seb!” Little Daniel cried out, grabbing at the older man’s palm to keep it from his hair.

“You said he did this before, right?” Jenson asked, grabbing his own son and swinging him on his hip. Little Daniel’s attention latched onto the other boy.

“Yeah, he got overwhelmed after Canada in ‘14. It never lasted this long though.”

Jenson put his son down after his wiggling got too wild and Little Daniel started tapping Max’s shoulder with his ring finger until the older man got the hint. The three drivers watched as Little Daniel clutched at Max’s shirt hem for a second before walking off to the playground with the other kids. 

Later that afternoon, it took all of their efforts to corral all the children who had started a game of tag just as the decision to go home had been made. Little Daniel kept running towards Max then away when Max reached down to grab him, laughing his honking giggle and screaming that he was faster. Jenson was able to distract him enough for Max to scoop him up, tickling his belly. They laughed as he squirmed breathlessly.

Little Daniel kept up a running commentary on the walk home, chattering away and telling Max about what he did and how much fun he had. He started flagging once they got to their building and Max was barely able to get him showered, and fed before he was snoozing on the couch. Max smiled at his soft face, slack in sleep. He laid on his stomach, clutching his Max pillow in one hand and hanging the other off the side of the comfortable cushion.

[casspurrjoybell-17]

HEART'S FATE - CHAPTER 22

*Warning: Adult Content*   

In the week after receiving Elena's letter... ‘technically it was from her new husband's lawyer but Martin Hunter is not such a fool that he doesn't think she's the one behind it...’ his insomnia has returned and his appetite has vanished. 

If not for Skylar West, Martin doesn't know how he would have coped.

The beautiful art teacher steps up in more ways than Martin thinks he has any right to expect, helping with the kids and the house and keeping the single dad grounded and sane. 

After the first night, when Skylar had thought Martin had left the light on and instead found him seated at the dining table at 2 AM, staring into space with the letter in his hands, Skylar had taken Martin out to his bed and kept him there.

Martin has been sleeping with Skylar ever since... 

Once he'd convinced Martin that the kids were fine and that sleeping ten yards from the house did not amount to abandonment.

Though sleeping isn't all they do.

So far, they haven't progressed past hand jobs and frottage and Martin is grateful Skylar hasn't pushed for more. 

He doesn't want the young man to think he doesn't want him but he’s not in the headspace for anything more intense.

Meanwhile, besides the letter and all it entails, there are several more get-togethers with the family before everyone returns to their own lives. 

Every time Martin sees his parents and siblings, it feels like he’s entering a minefield, treading a careful line between not wanting to worry them and not wanting to keep secrets again, especially about Elena.

At the same time, he knows it will cause them distress and his older brother, Alpha Dane Hunter would probably go ballistic at the mere mention of Elena's name and so, for the moment, he keeps his troubles to himself.

Or, at least, he tries to.

"Is everything alright, Marty?" his mother, Astrid Hunter asks, resting a hand on his back. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Martin keeps his eyes on the red-headed woman until she's out of sight. 

She's not Elena but as his mother has unknowingly observed, he’s been seeing her metaphorical ghost everywhere.

Turning, Martin casts his mother a reassuring smile. 

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little tired."

She nods knowingly but her expression turns grim. 

"You were on your own for much longer than any of us realized, Marty, before that woman ever showed her true form. You don't know how happy it makes me to see you relying on someone else for a change, even if it isn't us."

They're sitting side-by-side on a stone bench, taking a little break while the kids, Skylar and his father continue to roam the aquarium and science center, which had been Flora and Miguel's choice of birthday outing. 

Martin’s eyes track Skylar as he points things out to Nico and Rio, holding their hands as they move from one tank of marine curiosities to the next. 

Flora and Miguel are with Martin’s father, Joseph Hunter and Martin frowns as he sees Miguel offer the older man his arm for support as they ascend to the second level of the aquarium, where, apparently, a dolphin feeding is about to begin.

"You're not the only one who feels guilty, you know," his mother says, seeming to read his mind. "You think your father and I would have been content to do nothing if we'd known how things really were for you?"

Martin shrugs. 

"Elena put on a good show."

"So did you," she says pointedly. "It's hard to trust a smile once you discover how long it's been hiding pain. So, no more secrets, alright?"

"I won't lie," Martin says and decides that he won't. 

If she asks about Elena, he'll tell her. 

Instead, she surprises him and asks about someone else.

"So, is it serious?" she nods at Skylar, who thankfully has his back turned at the moment.

"I'm not sure," Martin says honestly. "It's only been a little more than a month."

"He's a good one, though, right?"

Martin winces. 

His track record for such judgements isn't great.

"I think so," he says and smiles. "He's a prince."

 Astrid Hunter lifts her brows at him. 

"Of the Machiavellian or the Disney variety?"

"A literal prince," Martin says, laughing. "He's from somewhere called Thassos."

"Hmn. Never heard of it."

"Neither had I," Martin says. "He says it's a pretty small place."

Astrid Hunter chews her bottom lip. 

"You know, Martin, when someone claims to be a prince, suspicion is not unwarranted. He hasn't asked you to wire some money to a foreign bank account, or anything, has he?"

Martin rolls his eyes. 

“No, Mom. He didn't even want to tell me about his title or his family. He was worried it would change how I look at him."

Rather than be reassured by this, Martin sees his mother's misgivings intensify. 

She casts him a fond but pitying look, as if he’s a sweet but hopelessly untrainable pet.

"I admit he seems wonderful but you know what they say. When something seems too good to be true..." 

She pats his arm and sighs. 

"Just be careful, darling. Now, how about dinner? I'm hungry enough to eat a child. Not that I would," she adds, winking at the small boy ironically plastering sticky hand prints all over the glass right beside a 'Do Not Touch' sign.

Wide eyed, he runs to catch up to his family.

"You worry me, mom," Martin says, teasingly. "Sometimes I think you like to play the big bad wolf."

She stands and brushes off the seat of her pants. 

"I only play that game with your father."

“Ew.”

Laughing, they rejoin the others but Martin’s mother's words of warning stay with him, having settled down to nest at the back of his mind.

                                                       ***

In keeping with the marine theme, Flora and Miguel choose sushi for their birthday dinner, much to Nico and Rio's dismay. 

Thankfully, the restaurant has a robust kid's menu and at Skylar's encouragement, they make a few braver choices as well.

Martin is ready to foot the bill, as his parents and Skylar are guests, after all.

He watches with growing trepidation as the number of dishes and drinks pile up. 

By the time everyone has had their fill, Martin is sweating a little and not from the spicy shrimp. 

When the waiter brings the check, however, Skylar snatches it smoothly before Martin has the chance to extend his hand.

"Allow me," he says and deftly pulls out his wallet, slips three bills into the slim black book and hands it back. 

He does this so quickly Martin doesn't have time to protest but he’s pretty sure he glimpses more than two $100 dollar bills.

Seeing Martin’s frown, Skylar winks at him and lifts his glass of sake in a toast. 

"To Flora and Miguel," he says. "May your futures be bright and your wishes come true. Happy birthday."

Everyone joins in with a chorus of ‘Happy birthday’ as they down the last of their drinks and as they rise from the table, Martin feels his heartstrings twinge. 

In a few more hours, it will be time to say goodbye.

Martin’s parents had extended their stay, not wanting to miss Flora and Miguel's big day but they'll be catching a flight home in the morning.

If there's one thing the Hunter children miss from their old life, it's seeing their grandparents. 

Joseph and Astrid Hunter have hinted that they might move out here and join their son, Dane Hunter's pack, dissolving the last ties to their land and home, having gifted its sovereignty to the Fae. 

On the one hand, Martin hopes they do, as he knows they'd be happy here, on the other, he feels partly responsible for the loss of their ancestral territory and he knows it will pain his parents to give up its stewardship. 

When you run the same trails and walk the same tracts of earth, when you know every rock and tree and the songs of the wind in the grass and all the colors of a certain patch of sky, when you've become part of the land, leaving it is like losing a part of yourself.

Outside the restaurant, everyone stretches and groans but no birthday dinner would be complete without dessert. 

As they walk down the street towards a specialty ice-cream shop, Martin’s cell-phone buzzes with an incoming call. 

He recognizes Dr. Meyer's number and waves the others on as he hangs back to answer it.

Doctor Emmeline Meyer had been their family doctor since before Martin was born and the first thing he'd done after Skylar suggested a paternity test was to contact her. 

She had a vast network of associates and acquaintances whom she trusted to treat unusual patients, like people whose DNA might not appear entirely human.

"A paternity test, eh?" she asks, her gravelly, no-nonsense voice having grown a little wispy with age. "What kind of trouble you gone and got yourself in now, Marty?"

"Just the same old trouble I've always had," he says, smiling at her rustic but effective bedside manner. "Nothing new."

"That bitch again? What's she up to this time?"

Martin glances up to where Skylar is holding the door of the ice-cream shop for his parents, the children having already bolted inside. 

He waves and Martin waves back, pointing apologetically at his phone. 

Skylar salutes him playfully and follows everyone else into the store, while Martin offers a silent prayer to the goddess of good sense that his parents don't let the kids go too wild with their choices of dessert.

Keeping his voice low and conscious of other people on the street, Martin gives Dr. Meyer the relevant details.

"Hmm, I see," she says and Martin imagines her nodding her wizened head and scratching out a note on an old prescription pad. 

Fortunately, she's kept up with the times. 

"Paternity tests involve comparing genetic markers between a potential father and child or children, in this case. Takes a specialized lab and given what you are, you'll need someone who'll know what they're looking at. Lucky for you, I know a few people. I'll send you a list."

"Thanks, Dr. Em."

"Meanwhile, I like to think I'm not just a family doctor but a family friend. You're not tryna deal with this all on your own, are ya? I know things were tough after all the shit went down last year but you got people who love you, Marty. You know that, right?"

"I do," he says and lets her hear the smile in his voice. "Don't worry, I'm not alone at all."

Martin: ‘A few weeks ago, if you had asked me if I could see myself being in a relationship again, I'd have said not in a million years. And yet, day by day, the more it seems like a relationship is exactly what I'm in. It took me by surprise, not because it was sudden but because it happened so naturally and gradually that I barely noticed it but I can no longer deny my feelings for Sky. I get butterflies in my stomach and a funny feeling in my chest, a good feeling for once, every time our eyes meet. It's cliche but he's become my anchor and my haven in the storm and I'm beginning to have trouble imagining a future without him in it.’

"All right," Dr. Meyer says, jolting me from my reverie. "I'll send you the list. And don't worry, I take doctor-patient confidentiality seriously, even when I've known the patient's parents longer than the patient's been alive."

With a last parting exchange, Martin hangs up and starts walking towards the ice cream shop, when another thought occurs to him. 

Pausing, he pulls out his cell-phone again and opens the browser.

He might not be as proficient at research as their honorary pack librarian, Grace but he knows how Google works. 

After 'Thassos' turns up nothing but sites related to the a Greek island Skylar had mentioned and 'The Kingdom of Thassos,' brings up the same, Martin feels sweat break out across his brow.

Surely, an independent country with a monarchy would merit a top result?

He delves into the wilds of pages 2, 3 and 4 nonetheless, going deeper into a results list than he ever has before and yet turning up nothing of relevance.

Maybe 'Thassos' is his country's name for itself and internationally it's called something else. 

Still, a search for 'Nihon' or 'Nippon' will still bring up Japan.

Pocketing his phone again and taking a few deep breaths, Martin wipes a hand over his damp brow. 

There has to be an explanation. 

Martin: ‘As soon as we are alone, I'll ask Sky and he will give it to me. That, at least, is what I have to believe.’

[6rookie-writer0110]

The Magician & The Lovers

Chase Stein x Male Reader Stark

Request - I want to know if you can do a Chase Stein from Marvel runaway x Stark male reader while Chase and his friends are running away from their parents and while that they bump into the male reader who is the son of Tony Stark the reader knowing who they are he decides to help down and bring them back to the Avengers Tower.

Chase is in his bedroom, he rapidly packs the items he will need. He runs out of his house and his parents start to chase him. He is running fast and he meets up with his friends. Alex is driving the van and he stopped and Nico opened the door, Chase jumped in the van and Alex starts to drive fast. Chase is breathing hard

“We need to lay low for a while,” Karolina said.

“They would be tracking us. We need to ditch the van” Nico said.

“Where I do keep driving to?” Alex asked.

“Just keep driving,” Chase said.

Their parents use their gadgets to track down their kids. Chase and his friends ditched the van in a different city. They are lost and they start to walk.

“How are we going to lay low if we don't know where we are,” Gertrude said.

“We would think of something,” Chase said.

They keep walking, they are completely lost. They are just walking anywhere then Nico bumped into you hard, you and Nico fell. They help you and Nico stand up

“Y/N!” Chase said very loud.

They hugged you and you do hug them, kinda.

“What are you guys doing around here?” You asked.

“What are you doing around here?” Chase asked.

“I was helping friends of my dad,” You said.

“Y/N, we need your help right now. We need to lay low but we would tell you everything” Gertrude said.

“Can you help us?” Alex asked.

“Y/N are you ready to go?” Happy asked.

You introduced your friends to Happy.

“Yeah, come with me,” You said.

Everyone gets in the limo and Happy drives you and your friends home. They tell you that their parents are villains, they need to lay low.

“All of you can stay with me,” You said.

“Y/N, thank you for helping us,” Alex said.

“That’s what friends are for,” You said.

---

At the Avengers Tower...

“Your dad won't mind?” Alex asked.

“He will be okay with it. Right now, he is with the team on another earth which is Earth 218” You said.

Everyone looked at you confused.

“Wait, there is only one earth,” Karolina said.

“Nope. Actually, there are different earths and some people call it the multiverse. Come I will show you” You said.

They follow to your lab, you used the hologram to explain the multiverse. Everyone is in shock and they had no idea about it.

“Wow that is so cool,” Chase said.

“Follow me, I will show you to your bedrooms,” You said.

“Y/N, do you really live with The Avengers?” Gertrude asked.

“They sometimes stay with me and my dad and Pepper,” You said.

You showed them to the guest bedrooms. Next, you gave them a tour of the tower and they are impressed.

✯ ✬ ✯ ✫

It's been a couple of days that Chase and his friends are staying with you. They are still trying to figure out what to do about their parents. They know they don't want to be like them.

Chase has been spending more time with you. He would spend time with you in the lab or in your bedroom. His friends can see Chase has a crush on you.

“Y/n what are you doing?” Chase asked.

You take off your goggles.

“I am upgrading Black Widow’s gadgets and weapons,” You said.

“You met the Black Widow? She lives here?” Chase asked.

“Sometimes she stays here but she has her place. I mostly help others fixing their weapons and gadgets or improve their suits” You said.

“Do you need any help?” Chase asked.

He is hoping that you will say yes, he just wants to be around you.

“Yeah sure. The electric bracelet worked then it stopped, it only lasted about six seconds” You said.

“Let me see what I can do,” Chase said.

You and Chase stay in the lab all day working on gadgets. You would have pizza with him for dinner. The conversation changes to different topics, but Chase is enjoying it. He hasn't stopped smiling and he starts to like your smile.

----

The next day...

You have been working all morning to improve Bucky’s new metal arm. You still haven't worked on the design or decided on the color. Chase walks into the lab with lunch and you smiled at him.

“I noticed you didn't come upstairs for lunch” Chase said.

“Thanks. I am starving” You said.

“I made you a sandwich and toasted the bread but not too much. Oh, and I got your favorite drink” Chase said.

He smiled and he sat next to you. You start to eat your sandwich and you smiled at him.

“So... Umm, I saw Peter come in earlier... Is he your boyfriend?” Chase asked.

“No, he isn't my boyfriend. He just came to pick up the new suit I had to make for him. I broke up with my boyfriend Percy about four months ago” You said.

“I’m single too and looking,” Chase said.

“You would find someone,” You said.

“You too, Y/N,” Chase said.

✯ ✬ ✯ ✫

Chase wakes up and walks to the kitchen to get something to drink. He starts to yawn and he looks at the time and it's 3:45 AM and he heard a noise from the lab. He goes to the lab and you are still working.

“Y/N it's 3 in the morning. Come to bed, you need to sleep” Chase said.

You stopped for a moment.

“Wow I didn't even notice it's 3 in the morning,” You said.

“Let's go to bed. You need to rest” Chase said.

“Fine,” You said.

You stand up and he grabbed your hand. Chase take you to your bedroom, he helped you pick out your pajamas. He didn't look and he let you change in private. You start to yawn and flopped on the bed.

“Aren’t you happy that I pulled you out of the lab?” Chase said.

“Okay, I would admit I am tired. You can stay here with me if you want” You said.

“Yeah,” Chase said.

You and Chase get comfortable in bed.

“Y/N, I really like you a lot. I want to be more than friends and sometimes I think of kissing you. I like spending time with you and you don't see him as a dumb jock” Chase said.

You are feeling speechless and your eyes opened wide. Chase can feel his heart beating faster and he is waiting for your answer.

You and Chase are lying next to each other and your hand is against his hand. You gently put your hand on top of his hand.

“Chase, I feel the same way. I do want to be more than friends and yeah sometimes I think of kissing you” You said.

He smiled and you smiled too. Now Chase and you are facing each other, he leans in and you feel his lips against yours.

----

The Next Morning...

Tony comes home and he is very tired. He does know about Chase and his friend staying because you sent him an email. He goes towards your bedroom, he sees you and Chase sleeping. You have your head on Chase’s chest and his arm is around you.

Much later during the day...

“Hey dad,” You said.

He does hug you and you smiled at him.

“Son, we need to talk,” Tony said.

“Talk about what?” You asked.

“We need to have the talk” Tony said.

“Oh, dad. Do we have to? I know about safe sex. Why are we having this talk?” You said.

“I want you to be happy. But also I want you to think smart” Tony said.

“Dad, I know about condoms and other stuff. I had sex health class in high school” You said.

“Good, because I didn't know what tips to give you except for don't forget to wear a condom,” Tony said.

“Dad, please stop,” You said.

“Okay, I will stop,” Tony said and he smiled.

Later, you told your father about dating Chase.

[the-ghost-king]

love seeing ur tags on my posts it means i get to think 🥰🥰 anyway mostly agree but at least to me nico’s constant need to prove himself is a sign of feeling like he’s not worth other people’s time and effort and he has to MAKE himself worth it. he does all he can in the hopes that people will notice him and tell him that he’s good enough because he relies on the approval of people he loves. he thinks love is something conditional for him and that he always has to be earning it because he doesn’t have enough worth to have it just granted to him. again this is more my own interpretation of his character and possibly a bit of projection

(Post)

I will not fail to acknowledge that I might also be projecting somewhat onto Nico, what is media but self reflection? I think there's a couple ways you can see Nico that are canonically "correct"

What I personally think happened with Nico is that he was aware he was worth more than the treatment he was receiving, but because so much rejection occurred he eventually just assumed he was the problem. There's things on this I would rewrite now but it holds up okay in what I'm about to try and explain.

The thing about being rejected is that the first time you argue it's the other person. And the second time you'll argue it's still them. If you're still arguing it's other people the third time, maybe but it's thin ice... But eventually you just have to accept that you're at fault.

I think this is something that really describes Nico. He is never able to nestle himself in the comfort of sameness after a certain point. He is not given authority in his own story in the beginning, he is thrust into solitude, he is told he is a monster already and if not then he has no choice but to become one.

And he takes this blame upon himself, believing that it's him who has to prove himself. He doesn't acknowledge that maybe other people have their own biases against him, he says "I have to prove them wrong," and then does his best.

It's important to note that Nico is definitely grappling with Childhood Emotional Neglect, he's in a broken situation- and he recognizes that nobody wants him around, and that he's just more stress for an already stressed group of people, so he just backs down and starts to figure stuff out for himself. We see him accept some help and friendship from The Stolls in TTC but eventually he stops doing this at some point.

His leave from camp and time with Minos is when he is used:

you unknowingly wear your heart on your sleeve and people will see this and take advantage of your trusting nature and unconditional love and they’ll never really love you they’ll just see you as an easy tool to be manipulated and used how they see fit and you won’t recognize that this is a bad thing because you don’t believe you’re worth anything more than this

This is something I would say is very true about this time period of Nico's life. Minos emotionally exploits Nico, emotional neglect and abuse (possibly physical abuse, who knows) are defining characteristics of their interactions. Nico talks about how Minos will just randomly leave him for extremely long periods with no assistance, and about how when he's around he's always telling Nico to try harder, to do better, do more. Note the time he tells Nico "you have no power over me", he's definitely holding things over Nico's head. I don't think it's wrong to assume comfort is a part of that, Nico is alone all the time at this point, and I'm sure he's starved for touch, and support, and connection- and he will take whatever he can get whether or not it is good or right.

At first he doesn't do anything against this, and it might be because he was so starved for attention that he was willing to endure abuse to receive somewhat a consistent form of it. I also think there's some evidence that points to the idea Nico was getting something from Minos, training and similar stuff, it's possible he was willing to form and upkeep a toxic relationship with him in order to gain experience.

However, I do disagree with "and you won’t recognize that this is a bad thing because you don’t believe you’re worth anything more than this" because Nico does realize eventually that his situation isn't sustainable and that he has to do something- so he takes his narrative back into his own hands:

“Minos laughed. "You have no power over me. I am the god of spirits! The ghost king!" "No." Nico drew his sword. "I am.” (X)

So Nico, if he ever thought he was worth the treatment of being used for someone elses personal gain, he definitely overcomes some of it here, if not all of it. Nico is manipulated and used for Minos's personal gain, but he recognizes that it's not sustainable and makes a stand for himself. And this is the first time in the series where Nico truly is able to take control of his own narrative, everything before this moment is Nico being forced, or Nico with something looming over him, Nico crowning himself is him claiming his story.

So let's consider Hades in all of this, I don't think Hades manipulated Nico to the extent Minos did- but nonetheless, he did manipulate and abuse him, and this hurt Nico more than when Minos did it. Again, in the situation with Hades this is also true, "you unknowingly wear your heart on your sleeve and people will see this and take advantage of your trusting nature and unconditional love and they’ll never really love you they’ll just see you as an easy tool to be manipulated and used how they see fit and you won’t recognize that this is a bad thing". By the time Nico and Hades truly start interacting, we see that Nico's heart hasn't been fully removed from his sleeve, but it may have been lightened.

Here's the thing about the way Nico approached Hades, it's not naïve to trust family. The text in multiple places implies that Hades was around for at least a handful of years when Nico was a kid, it's not unlikely that Nico may have taken naps on his shoulder, held his hand to cross the street, maybe called him "Papa", "Dad", or "Tata" (Italian, English, old Greek). It makes sense that Nico goes to him, what doesn't make sense to Nico at first is that Hades would manipulate him. Unlike many of the other demigods, Nico knows he was a choice, and that at some point he was something wanted, so he expects some level of okay treatment from Hades. Hades loved his mother, and Hades if not wanting of Nico would have wanted Maria's wishes fulfilled, and Nico probably remembers Hades treating him warmly- or at least not harshly. The way Nico went to Hades makes sense, he wasn't expecting open arms surely, but he also wasn't expecting abuse.

Hades emotionally exploits Nico by using information about Maria, what would a little boy want more than the safety of his mother? He's so starved for human contact, who ever held him more than his mother? Who ever loved him more than her? Once Nico delivers Percy to Hades, his father crushes him, not only by harming Percy but by exploiting Nico's trust through Nico's mother- one of the things he's most desperate for.

We see Nico's heart come off his sleeve at this point, maybe not fully, but enough to where a stranger couldn't recognize it at first glance, and in a way where he has the means to hide it from most.

Except we don't see much of this, because the series is narrated by Percy- and Nico can't hide his heart from Percy.

Almost everything Nico does, everything he tries to do, is for Percy. Nico is so desperate for contact that he is pliant, but in Percy's hands Nico actually wants that contact, he's not interested in imitations of love or substitutes- he's looking for the real thing.

And Mr. Oblivious does-Annabeth-like-me Jackson isn't in any headspace to realize that a boy might like him, let alone Nico. This concern that Nico will join Luke, isn't entirely because Percy is misreading signals, but it's definitely part of it. Nico likes Percy so much that at one point he is willing to go to Tartarus if not entirely for him, then partially for him.

If Percy had realized, and rejected Nico- maybe he would have joined Luke, or at least he definitely would have been more likely to. The perception of Nico we get in PJO from Percy is unreliable, because Percy looks at Nico through the lenses of a concerned older brother, and Percy feels guilty in some way for the situation Nico is in. This gives not only a skewed, but slightly falsified narrative of who Nico is.

The original post of mine I linked, although yes, I would like to rewrite aspects of it now it holds up in the sense that Nico is always trying to prove himself, and this is a bit different than being a puppet. Nico is so starved that it is present in everything, @/arabnico gets it right:

nico’s longing is just so raw it consumes him whole and he cannot hide it at all because it reflects in absolutely everything he does and is nico’s just the means of the way for them and he settles for being it because he doesn’t think he can be much better or even deserves to it is sometting so twisted because nico has this innate utalitarian desire to be useful and to do something and to do the right thing but in the game of things he’s reduced to that puppet in the hands of fate and deities millennia older than him that see a wounded wandering soul doomed to be forever alone by a destiny so cruel it keeps him on his knees

Nico, in PJO especially, has little control over his own narrative. His mother is killed in punishment for his father's "wrongs", Nico is forced to endure this. Bianca grows tired of caring for Nico and leaves him behind, this is not Nico's fault but Nico is forced to endure the consequences of her actions. Bianca's fate is decided on a quest Nico isn't even able to go on, he is forced to endure the results. Nico then breaks the cycle, declaring himself The Ghost King, and dethroning Minos. Nico is forced to endure Hades's manipulation only because he did not see it coming, this wasn't an aspect in which Nico didn't have his narrative (he had already taken ownership of his narrative) but a blind spot in his rational.

The place where we vary is why Nico behaves this way, we can agree that it's because he's starving for human connection- but you believe it's because he has no confidence he is willing to submit himself, while I see his submission as an act of desperation.

Personally, I think to argue that Nico is like this as a result of lack of confidence does a disservice to his narrative (obviously it's fine to view him however you wish, and I wish you all the fun in doing so!). To boil this down to starvation and lack of confidence removes some level of Nico's autonomy in his own life, but also strips him of one of his strongest characteristics- those qualities of him which are like Orpheus.

Nico willing to go to the ends of the earth for love is not a weakness but a strength, his ability to carry on beyond the point in which he needs a rest is not a weakness but a sign of strength. His ability to go to the ends of the earth to right wrongs, and to show his love:

"... Cupid struck, slapping Nico sideways into a granite pedestal. Love is no game! It is no flowery softness! It is hard work- a quest that never ends. It demands everything from you- especially the truth. Only then does it yield rewards."

Cupid is explaining Nico's idea of love in this scene, we see Jason say he prefers Piper's idea of love- but Nico only knows love in the way cupid describes, working desperately for a few moments with Bianca, working just to hear any scrap of information about his mother, always trying to prove himself to Percy- to overcome the way he feels about Percy (and boys in general).

Nico has only known love as something you walk to the ends of the Earth for, but he never stops fighting to be loved and acknowledged. Lesser men would give up and lay down, accept they are unworthy, but Nico keeps pushing to be acknowledged and accepted- to be recognized and loved without having to walk to the end of the Earth, but Nico knows he has to walk to that edge and face it before unconditional love will come to him.

To imply that Nico seeks love the way he does because he's unconfident in his ability to receive love ignores the idea that he's had his life forced into this position because of the fates. It loses acknowledgment to the strength it takes to pick yourself up and walk to the end of the Earth time and time again, because if he was unconfident then he would eventually lay down and accept he shouldn't be loved ever again.

I don't think confidence doesn't play into this at all though, it definitely has some impact on Nico, he does view himself as inherently less (he is overly self sacrificial- think Tartarus :/), and he does try to remove himself from others:

You yourself said: you blame yourself for the way people have hurt you, taken advantage of you, and abandoned you. they exploit your love and your naïveté time and time again. you tell yourself, surely, there must be something wrong with you. because—you are convinced—that people are good. “if they hurt me, it is because i am flawed. it is because i am weak. people will always hurt me—even people i love. it’s an inevitable truth for me.” (X)

And this connects to what I said: "The thing about being rejected is that the first time you argue it's the other person. And the second time you'll argue it's still them. If you're still arguing it's other people the third time, maybe but it's thin ice... But eventually you just have to accept that you're at fault."

I do think there's a reason Nico makes himself so "utilitarian", because he hasn't been handed unconditional love since Bianca. But again we disagree on the why, I see Nico's behavior in his utilitarian example of love as caring, the way more people should be in love. Too many people see love as something given without restraint, and yeah, love should be unconditional but in order for love to be unconditional you have to do the work to lay good foundation. To be utilitarian in loving is not an act of weakness, or a symbol of lack of confidence, it is a showcase of more care in love than most have to offer. We care for things, and place value on them determined by how much love and care goes into those things.

I also don't see Nico's self blaming for what happened as flawed, it's logical in his situation, and a common result of CEN. This self blame shows care and kindness, and this coincides with Nico's arcs, "If I am bad, how do I improve? If I have no choice but to be evil, how do I still be good?". Nico is always fighting not to be recognized for good or bad, but to be recognized for what he is.

Trust is not naivety either, the only reason Nico is regarded as naïve is because of the extreme circumstances of his life. People shouldn't have to expect abuse from people who are supposed to love them, people should have to accept abuse in order to receive love. If Nico's life had turned out different, his naivety wouldn't be viewed as a weakness but a strength- a kindness.

We're not actually viewing Nico all that different, there's this space where his character blurs together, and it becomes an individual duty to determine at what point a flaw becomes a strength, and a strength a flaw. Nico's stubbornness is a flaw if we're thinking about grudges, but it's a strength in his work ethic. Nico's ability to stand on his own is a strength in terms of questing, but it's a flaw when it prevents him from experiencing love in fullness.

[seattlesea]

bad representation in the riordanverse

Racism:

-Gave Hazel and Piper gold and ‘kaleidoscope’/brown-blue-green changing eyes and pretty much went ‘Let’s add some characters of color but they cANT HAVE BROWN EYES THAT’S NOT PRETTY ENOUGH’ as if whitewashing isn’t more than just the skin.

-East Asian characters: Riordan pretty much went 'Here are my East Asian characters- one of them looks like a fat baby on steroids and is super undeveloped, his mother is strict and cold, and all the others are just described as 'Asian' because different countries in Asia don't exist and there's obviously no difference between Japanese, Chinese, and Korean'. His portrayal of East Asian characters went like this: Frank: Chinese, chubby, hates himself, underdeveloped, described to look like a 'Chinese Canadian baby man' and a 'panda' as if that's not stereotyping, and only learned to love himself when he looked hotter.  Drew: Asian, villainized, rude, shallow, vain, and selfish. Ethan: Asian, rude, evil, a traitor, and deceased. Grandma Zhang- rude, strict, cold, traditional, and deceased.

-Hazel: Has gold eyes. Has 'cinnamon brown' hair even though dark brown or black hair would be way more inclusive and realistic. Had a mother portrayed as a rude and selfish witch who sacrificed, used, and trafficked her own child. Was the only character called or described as a witch while African-Americans were usually accused of witchcraft just for their skin color. Was the only character who was cursed. Had a mother who literally practiced voodoo. The only African-American character in the series before ToA who isn't dead (but she also died). Was paired with a sixteen year old guy even though African women are constantly forced with older men and that's blatantly racist stereotyping. 

-Piper: Had 'chocolate brown' and then 'mahogany' hair? Has kaleidoscope eyes. Put a feather in her hair (which is stereotyping)- and it was an eagle feather, which is also wrong because eagles are extremely sacred to First Nation tribes and only spiritual leaders or warriors can wear it or it has to be gifted by an Elder of the tribe, and Riordan basically went 'Feathers are very important and it's racist to make a character wear one at inappropriate times but I'm going to make my character wear one as a cute accessory to make her look cool, pretty, and headstrong and to add to her 'Aesthetic'’ even though Cherokees didn’t wear feathers (which proves he did the bare minimum of research). Constantly oversexualized (56% of First Nation women are sexually harassed and Riordan had the audacity to put Piper in an 'embarrassingly low v-neck' and to have her constantly drooled over by a WHITE MALE and have her sexualized by her 1000+ mother without her knowledge or consent).  It's said that her father was from a reservation in Oklahoma...but there are no reservations in Oklahoma, only cultural centers (which also proves that he did the bare minimum of research).  She's the only First Nations character and she's the only character (besides Nancy Bobofit) depicted as a kleptomaniac (First Nations people are constantly called thieves by racist assholes). “The week before, he’d turned down several million dollars to play Tonto in a remake of The Lone Ranger. Piper was still trying to figure out why. He’d played all kinds of roles—a Latino teacher in a tough L.A. school, a dashing Israeli spy in an action-adventure blockbuster, even a Syrian terrorist in a James Bond movie. And, of course, he would always be known as the King of Sparta. But if the part was Native American—it didn’t matter what kind of role it was—Dad turned it down.” (The Lost Hero, page 165). So her father is fine with playing an extremely racist and stereotypical Middle Eastern role but not a First Nations role. Uses a cornucopia as a weapon (how she got it- cutting it off a half-bull- is disrespectful to her culture as hurting an animal is banned and she used a cornucopia- a symbol of Thanksgiving- as a weapon). Cut her hair, which is basically taboo in First Nations culture.

-Samirah: Had an arranged marriage (at age twelve, and she believed that she was groomed to be married to a rich and respectable family and nothing else). Ripped off her hijab in front of tons of male characters. The only Muslim character. The only Muslim character and she's the only character who married her cousin (you're supposed to break stereotypes, not enforce them).

Thomas Jefferson Jr: Said that he was thankful to the British for not siding with the South during the American Civil War even though they needed the South's cotton (but they didn't side with the North either). AKA a black man and son of a freed slave was thankful to Britain for not openly oppressing him? And at the same time he was named after a racist slave-owner.

Reyna: She's brown and her entire story revolves around her being independent, strong, alone, and self-sufficient but also desperately needing love and support but then Riordan says that she can't get her heart healed AKA she went through an abusive home, killed her father, left her sister, felt alone her whole life, worked a two-person job alone for months, and had to put on a brave face for others throughout all this then was literally told 'Shut up no one wants to hear about your struggles, just suck it up and deal with it’ and have you seen all the shit brown girls have to go through and keep silent about it? 

Extra: -Latino, Puerto Rican, African-American, Chinese-Canadian, East Asian, First Nations, etc. characters and the two most powerful, best, and most skilled characters and who the stories mostly revolve around are two white guys AKA white supremacy.

-"Harriet Tubman, daughter of Hermes, used many mortals on her Underground Railroad for just this reason" and that World War II was caused by a child of Zeus and a child of Hades fighting very blatantly erases the shit those people went through and Riordan just went 'Let's use these racist movements as little easter eggs in my story'.

-Thanatos, who was chained and enslaved, is described with dark skin.

-Riordan writing the characters went a little something like this: Drew: You get common Eastern Asian features like dark hair and eyes because you're arrogant, selfish, conceited, and rude, and because you're an antagonist and you're going to be used to make one of my protagonists- who has unique traits- look good so you're going to have the basic, 'boring' physical traits so the readers know who's the more superior of the two of you. Leo: You get common Latino features like curly dark hair, dark eyes, and light brown skin cause you're the weird, hyperactive unattractive one who's very flirty but constantly gets rejected and you're the only main character without a love interest and the only way you can get a girlfriend is when she's forced to fall in love with you through a curse. Frank: You get common Chinese features like dark hair and eyes cause you're the fat unattractive loser who catches the eye of the African character who already has unique and 'special' traits so you don't have to be super attractive. Reyna: You get common Puerto Rican traits like dark skin, hair, and eyes cause you're the stoic, lonely, intimidating, and cold one who wants all the guys (two white guys for that matter) but none of them want you and they both have girlfriends with traits like blonde hair and gray and kaleidoscope eyes so the readers know who are the more interesting couples.  Piper and Hazel: You two get eurocentric features because you're the main characters I have to set apart from everyone else- including other females whom I'm going to make one of you rivals with- so the readers know who's more superior so I'm giving you unique eye colors that literally cannot be found in humans so I'm going to try to validate it by saying that it's from something mildly associated with your godly parent even though neither of them have those traits. Riordan basically said that the common features are bad and boring and that unique and special features- aka features not found in those ethnicities- are good and cool. Also- if gods don’t have DNA how can their traits be passed down to their demigod children checkmate Riordan.

-Cecil Markowitz is the only Jewish character in PJO and the first thing used to describe him is "That kid, always thinking about the potential payout".

-Lavinia said that she was going to bring her date to her bat mitzvah even though you don't bring dates to bat mitzvahs or bar mitzvahs and she said that it was 'awkward' to tell her rabbi that someone was going to be her date even though you don't explain your guestlist to your rabbi, and they're most likely not even going to be at the party.

-Only three Latino and Puerto Rican characters (Leo, Reyna, and Hylla) and all three came from abusive households.

-Leo said 'Mamacita' as if that's not stereotyping.

-Made Nico ‘pale’ even though he had olive skin and gave him black hair and dark eyes despite Italians usually having light hair and eyes just to add to his ‘Goth Boy Aesthetic’.

-Hazel described Pluto to look like Adolf Hitler.

-Carter Kane said that Elvis took African-American music and made it sound like rock 'n roll and described it as cool- like no it’s cultural appropriation. 

-Leo was abused and Riordan thought that it'd be funny to make all the other characters line up to punch him and then try to make it look funny. 

-Gave almost every single POC character a white name and sometimes gave them white first names and POC surnames, and Reyna and Bianca are the only POC characters with names from their culture/native language and one of them is dead and reborn as someone else and the other’s full name wasn’t revealed until the fourth book in her series and she hates using it.

-Made two POC characters with names from their culture- Samirah and Olujime- go by white nicknames (Sam and Jamie) to make it ‘easier to read’ despite having white characters with the same amount of syllables in their names (like Annabeth) that didn’t go by nicknames.

-Never actually described the characters of color with physical traits from their ethnicities (Reyna, Hylla, and Leo with big eyes, thick eyebrows, brown hair, wide noses, full lips, etc., Piper with almost-oriental eyes, shovel teeth, high cheekbones, black hair, etc., Nico with light or brown hair and eyes, olive skin, a narrow nose, etc., Hazel with a wide nose and lips, dark brown eyes, black or dark brown hair, big eyes, thick eyebrows, etc.).

Anti-LGBTQ+:

-Nico was forcibly outed by Cupid and Riordan and the fandom didn't care and the only thing they thought was 'Aww, he has a crush on Percy! So cute!' AKA romanticizing a forced outing. 

-Riordan said that he didn't want to make Reyna lesbian or bisexual because he thought it'd be stereotypical making her LGBTQ+ because she didn't want men anymore even though she could've been bisexual all along but Riordan casually dismissed the idea of that saying "Having a girl end up with a woman after dating men is a bad stereotype" and basically said that real bi girls don’t exist.

-The Hunters of Artemis were made so Artemis/Diana could protect those girls from men and their behavior towards women but Riordan dismissed lesbian relationships- even though nothing about that was said in real Greek mythology- meaning that he thinks that women need protection from other women just as much as they need protection from men.

-Alex Fierro is the only gender-fluid or transgender character and she/he’s seen as rude, snarky, and sharp and Magnus could magically tell when Alex changed gender.

-Riordan said that he wouldn’t make Reyna a lesbian because of stereotypes despite the reader asking if Reyna was going to get a girlfriend, not come out as lesbian AKA Riordan thinks ‘Girls liking girls’ is automatically ‘lesbian’ and completely dismissed bi, pan, poly, omni, etc. girls.

-Used a self-insert to make fun of wlw readers who saw themself in Reyna and thought she could be a cool character to relate to.

-Enforced LGBTQ+ stereotypes like the cold-hearted Asexual, the flamboyant bi/pan, the snarky gender-fluid, the emo gay, the laid-back and rebellious lesbian who dyed her hair pink and chews a lot of bubblegum, etc.

-Has one-hundred fifty-five characters total minus gods/goddesses, Titans, giants, nymphs, dryads, satyrs, monsters, etc. and only has fifteen confirmed LGBTQ+ characters (do the math, that’s exactly one out of ten regarding OCs).

-Only one character that isn’t cishet.

-Saves most the LGBTQ+ for the side characters or only confirms characters LGBTQ+ once they’ve become a minor character despite being a main character before.

-Only stated that Reyna was Asexual outside of his books and on Twitter as if that’s not exactly what J.K Rowling is doing.

-Used the LGBTQ+ community to make Piper seem like the ‘special snowflake’ and to set her apart from her siblings to make it seem like she’s better than all of them and used Hera/Juno and Aphrodite/Venus as excuses for his homophobic mindset that believes that straight is the default cause “Suddenly, much of what she and I had talked about started to make sense. Not being defined by Aphrodite’s expectations. Or Hera’s ideas of what a perfect couple looked like. Piper finding her own way, not the one people expected of her” in synonymous words is 'The expectations for love and the idea of a perfect couple are a heterosexual relationship, and anyone who 'finds their own way instead of the ones people expect' are different'. ‘Different’ and ‘default’ are antonyms AKA if he thinks that LGBTQ+ people are ‘different’, he thinks that straight is the ‘default’. Remember- an author writes their own personal beliefs.

-Josephine is the only black LGBTQ+ character.

-Reyna is said to be Asexual despite feeling sexual attraction towards Percy cause no one likes someone five minutes after knowing them and it’s anything but sexual attraction.

-Magnus and Alex are the only LGBTQ+ relationship whose growth and development is actually shown in the story (while there was also Apollo and Commodus, Piper and Shel, Will and Nico, Apollo and Hyacinthus, Emmie and Jo, Lavinia and Poison Oak, etc.).

-Riordan never canonically said the name of any sexuality and is clearly uncomfortable with the LGBTQ+ community shown by his little to no writing regarding physical affection and deep emotions in his LGBTQ+ relationships.

-Only added in LGBTQ+ relationships for publicity- Percy Jackson and the Olympians release dates: 2005-2009. 2005-2009: LGBTQ+ support was nearly at an all-time low. No LGBTQ+ characters, relationships, or references in the books. The Lost Hero-The Mark of Athena release dates: 2010-2012. 2010-2012: LGBTQ+ support was still very low. Still no LGBTQ+ characters, relationships, or references in the books. The House of Hades release date: late 2013. Mid-2013: the giant spike for LGBTQ+ support and allies. One confirmed LGBTQ+ character. The Sword of Summer release date: late 2015. 2015: LGBTQ+ support was good and gay marriage was legalized. A few LGBTQ+ references but no confirmed characters. The Hammer of Thor and The Ship of the Dead release dates: 2016-2017. 2016-2017: LGBTQ+ support was quite high. Two confirmed LGBTQ+ characters and the first canon LGBTQ+ relationship and kiss. The Trials of Apollo release dates: 2016-2020. 2016-2020: LGBTQ+ support was very high. More LGBTQ+ characters confirmed in one book than all the other series combined. Kind of obvious he was just following the public opinion.

-Legit said ‘Reyna can’t like girls cause she has had crushes on guys before’.

Ableism:

-It was heavily implied in The Battle of the Labyrinth that Rachel Dare had schizophrenia/psychosis but it's never brought up again.

-Grover's fake feet made it look like he was disabled from the Mist and it was said that he was bullied because of it but it was never brought up again.

-It was said that Tyson looked like he had down syndrome from the Mist covering his one eye but it was never brought up again. 

-It was stated that every character but Frank has ADHD and dyslexia but never actually showed any symptoms after Percy Jackson and the Olympians and characters like Piper and Leo were even able to read English writing throughout The Lost Hero and the only symptom of ADHD Riordan showed through his characters was ‘a lot of fidgeting’ as if that’s not a blatant stereotype. 

Pedophilia:

-Luke, a twenty-two/twenty-three year old had a crush on Annabeth, a sixteen year old. That's a six-seven year age gap. 

-The only two girls put into relationships with much older men are black (Hazel and Sadie).

-Hazel, a thirteen year old, got together with a sixteen year old guy. Hazel's crush on Frank is normal- a girl having a crush on an older guy, but Frank's crush on Hazel is disgusting- an older guy looking down at a child and thinking about making out with her.

Misogyny:

-Aphrodite's kids are seen as useless, weak, snobby, shallow, vain, and selfish just because they’re feminine. 

-Riordan portrayed Aphrodite’s kids as feminine despite Aphrodite being the goddess of love and beauty, not femininity, as if romance and beauty are reserved for women only. 

-Piper is the only 'tomboy' child of Aphrodite and she's portrayed as tougher, stronger, and better than her feminine siblings (and it's portrayed that way multiple times throughout the story like other characters telling Piper she’s "-tough for a child of Aphrodite").

-Piper immediately stereotyped and disliked every single feminine character like Drew and the rest of the Aphrodite cabin just because they liked makeup and skirts as if that’s not shallow criticism. 

-Feminine characters like Drew, Isabel, Khione, and Medea are used or even created solely as antagonists to make Piper- the tomboy- look better.

-Calypso is the only feminine character and she sucks at everything. 

-Riordan’s take on female characters: Drew: a vain, rude, selfish, snobby, and bitchy mean girl. Silena: a shallow traitor. Reyna: a cold-hearted robot. Piper: internalized misogyny that was never brought up again. Calypso: an island whore. Athena: a rude, aggressive bitch with no emotions. Aphrodite: shallow, vain, conceited, and self-centered. Hera: completely evil with no backstory added into it. Marie: an evil witch who selfishly used and sacrificed her daughter.

-The Hunters of Artemis were blessed by Artemis to protect them from men but Riordan made it only about the men in their lives (again) and portrayed the whole 'losing men' thing like it was a burden and that they're 'giving men up' even though they join the Hunters to leave men. He distorted the original meaning of the Hunters- protecting women- by making it about the Hunters hating and being forced to leave men even though they're asking to have no men in their lives, cause that's the point of it. 

-The Amazons and Hunters of Artemis despise men and literally attack them if they so much as speak as if sexism is reserved for women only.

-Portrayed femininity as weakness (and masculinity as strength, it’s even in the word- tomBOY).

-Constantly pit women against women for the sake of romance and love triangles instead of normalizing women getting along despite liking the same people and let the female’s relationships get controlled and influenced by the men in their lives.

-The men always outpower the women in powers and skills. Riordan’s portrayal of powers and characters- Percy: You’re going to have epic water powers and can even create your own personal hurricanes and even though you’ve only been canonically training for eight months total you’re going to be the best swordfighter despite multiple characters having years more training than you. Jason: You’re going to be able to fly, control lightning, create storms, and electric shock people into another dimension. Leo: You’re going to be able to create and control fire and blow shit up with just a screwdriver. Frank: You’re going to be able to shape-shift into any animal you want, even a whole dragon. Nico: You’re going to be able to control darkness and shadows, literally teleport, and raise a whole army of undead soldiers. Reyna: Powers? Nah, your only ability is to lend strength to others as if that benefits you at all. Annabeth: Powers? Nah. Piper: You’re going to be able to manipulate and seduce people and are literally going to use your body and attractiveness as a weapon and your power is literally called charmspeak. Hazel: You have more powers than all the other characters combined that can literally destroy anyone in less than a second but you’re never going to use them or even remember that you have them cause screw the female character being more powerful than the males. 

-The men always accomplish the most incredible feats and if the females ever do accomplish something great (Reyna healing the riff and defeating Orion while the Hunters and Amazons couldn’t combined, Annabeth going through Tartarus, Hazel learning to control the Mist, etc.) they are never praised or rewarded or all the credit goes to the men. 

-Ares/Mars in real Greek/Roman mythology was the feminist patron of the Amazons who loved his daughter very much and killed a rapist but was portrayed as the dumb, cruel asshole who loved nothing but bloodshed and tried to kill a twelve year-old kid who was trying to help him while Poseidon/Neptune in real Greek/Roman mythology was a greedy, short-tempered, and arrogant asshole who raped almost as much women than Zeus/Jupiter but was portrayed as the kind, caring, and gentle father figure. 

Fatophobia:

-Frank is the only chubby character and he hates himself because of it, was constantly fat-shamed, and only learned to love himself after he got rippling abs, muscles, and looked hotter (because fat = ugly in Riordan’s mind, even though it's not). 

-Clovis was depicted with a pot-belly and Drew described him as 'repulsive'.

-Dionysus/Bacchus is also depicted with a pot-belly and he's portrayed as a useless, rude, lazy, and drunken asshole. 

Lookism:

Basically how Riordan wrote his characters- Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Reyna, Hazel, Piper, and most minor protagonists: You’re all going to be super attractive, have at least one character or more pining for you, have your looks constantly commented on, and some of you will even use your looks as a weapon cause that’s not obvious sexualization cause you’re all the main characters and protagonists that readers need to know are the protagonists. Nico, Leo, and Frank: You three are originally portrayed as unattractive but at some points are described as cute and two of you are insecure about your looks cause you’re scrawny and chubby and one of you hates yourself cause of your body and only learn to love yourself once you magically gain abs cause more muscle obviously equals more attractiveness.  Luke, Silena, Chris, and Ethan: You four are going to be super attractive because you’re traitors but all of you make up for your actions and decide to help the demigods and become protagonists again. Octavian, Bryce, Michael, Titans, giants, etc.: You all are the antagonists so you have to be super ugly with multiple physical imperfections cause you’re not allowed to be attractive since you are against the protagonists and I have to set you guys apart and show the readers who’s the better and more superior character. 

-Frank hated himself cause he was chubby and only loved himself once he got skinnier and gained muscle through magic but even then was called ‘cute like a panda’.

-Leo was described as scrawny and unattractive and was insecure about being short but even then was called ‘cute in a scrawny way’.

-Piper had facial imperfections and even a pimple on her nose but once she got claimed all of those disappeared and they stayed gone even after the blessing washed off despite all the magic being gone and only then was Piper’s looks commented on multiple times. 

-Lester/Apollo hated his appearance cause he had a little flab and acne and his physical imperfections were used as comedy by making fun of it as if insecure readers don’t exist.

-Percy and Annabeth had one canon physical imperfection- a gray streak in their hair- and that magically washed away.

-None of the other characters were described with any physical imperfections like pimples/zits/acne, body hair (despite none of the characters having the care or time to wax or shave), bushy/frizzy or messy hair or eyebrows, big or small hands or noses, blackheads, super thick or thin eyebrows, blemishes, birthmarks, scars, stretch marks, braces, lazy eyes, yellow or chipped teeth, eye bags, glasses, moles, dimples, love handles, flab/fat, visible veins, freckles, etc. unless it added to their ‘aesthetic’ despite none of those being bad and saves it only for the antagonists as if ‘physical imperfections’ = ‘evil’. 

Bias:

-Riordan portrayed the Romans as cold, cruel, ruthless, strict, and overall horrible despite them being the more inclusive camp regarding family and godly parents, have multiple families and rules that ensure their camper’s safety, and hold the nicest characters in the series while the Greeks are portrayed as fun, wild, reckless, silly, and cool despite holding the most prejudiced and rude characters, outcasting and ostracizing characters of certain godly parents just for their parentage, stereotype almost every single cabin, and make some campers without siblings live, sleep, and eat alone. 

-Every Greek traitor (Luke, Silena, Ethan, and Chris) were portrayed as powerful, kind, attractive, and awesome and each made up for their actions but each Roman ‘traitor’ (Octavian, Bryce, and Michael, and only one of them are actually a traitor) were portrayed as unattractive, cruel, ambitious, ruthless, and extremely weak and never actually did anything useful.

-The Greeks were part of the Union and the Romans were part of the Confederacy (adding on to Riordan adding racist movements as fun little easter eggs in his stories).

-Four out of seven of the main Seven are Greek.

-There are at least 70+ Greek characters and less than thirty named Romans.

-The Battle of San Francisco Bay was used for the sole purpose to weaken the Romans and make the Greeks seem stronger than them and while the Greeks went through two whole wars, their camp laid almost completely untouched but the moment the Romans are introduced, half their population is wiped?

Romanticization:

-Romanticized Annabeth judo-flipping Percy AKA romanticized physical abuse/harassment (emotions, angriness, feelings of love and affection, ‘they went through a lot together’, etc. do not excuse hitting someone) despite Annabeth knowing where Percy’s Achilles Heel was and not knowing he lost it and flipping him on his back anyways (if Percy didn’t lose the Achilles Heel, Annabeth would’ve killed him).

-Romanticized Leo killing himself to see Calypso again and to take her off her island AKA a romanticized suicide.

-Romanticized Calypso yelling at and insulting Leo and Annabeth insulting and canonically lowering Percy’s self-esteem AKA romanticized verbal abuse/bullying.

-Romanticized Will trying to help Nico through his loneliness and depression as if that can’t be portrayed as someone just wanting to help another person AKA  romanticized mental illness.

-Romanticized every character kissing another character without asking first and without their consent AKA romanticized sexual harassment.

-Romanticized Piper taking advantage over Jason’s amnesia and mental state and jumping onto him despite knowing there might be a girl he couldn’t remember AKA romanticized manipulation.

-Romanticized Piper and Annabeth’s possessive, overly-jealous, and controlling behavior over Jason and Percy (even before they were canonically dating).

-Romanticized Nico being forced to confess his crush on Percy AKA romanticized a forced outing.

Rick Riordan:

-Refused to apologize for his actions even after being called out by people from the groups he was writing inaccurately and stereotyping (Muslim, Jewish, African, First Nation, lesbian, gay, Puerto Rican, etc.) and tried to make himself look like the victim.

-Claimed he was being ‘bullied’ by readers half his age who were just pointing out his books’ racist flaws.

-Showed time and time again that he is not willing to listen to the voices of minorities.

-Clearly didn’t do his research on ethnicities, sexualities, religions, etc. shown by how he got the simplest things wrong.

-Tried to say that he- a straight white man- was right when people of the actual groups he was writing about (gay, First Nation tribes, etc.) were wrong.

-Used excuses like having a ‘headstrong’ and ‘stubborn’ character who wants to ‘show their culture in their own way’ for his stereotypes. No, Riordan, you want to show the culture that way, not Piper. She’s a fictional character, you’re real. Dumbass.

-Literally said ‘Sorry I put feathers in Piper’s hair, I can’t change what I wrote in the past and I didn’t know that sensitive readers existed’ then continued to write feathers in Piper’s hair in the future books. 

The Fandom:

Note: Not to all of the fandom, obviously

-Draws Piper with light skin, light hair, and kaleidoscope eyes with feathers, hippie bands, and beads (yes, it's canon, but you're allowed to change it if it's blatantly racist, and the bead and hippie band thing was created by the fandom and that's also stereotyping).

-Almost always draw Reyna, Hylla, and Leo with light skin and Caucasian traits (props to the few artists who drew them with the right skin tones).

-Draws Hazel with gold eyes, ‘cinnamon’/light brown hair, and an adult body.

-Sexualizes female characters by drawing them in sexy and revealing clothes and giving them all the same exact sexy, slim, and perfect hour-glass shaped bodies.

-Almost never include physical imperfections, muscle, scars, stretch marks, etc. in drawings.

-Fancasts white actors for characters of color and puts actors/faceclaims of white people or people of different ethnicities in the moodboards or aesthetics for characters of color.

-Participates in cultural appropriation by wearing feathers when cosplaying Piper and wearing a hijab when cosplaying Samirah.

-Supports Riordan, tries to defend him, and condones his clearly racist and bigoted actions just cause they ‘like the books’ (if you are straight, white, and/or cishet, I definitely don’t want to see you trying to defend a fifty-five year-old multi-millionaire who is clearly racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic).

-Romanticize physical abuse, verbal abuse, mental illnesses and panic/anxiety attacks, etc.

-Ship pedophilic, manipulative, abusive, and wrong relationships.

-Barely allow others to have their own opinions (looking at you Perachel haters) without yelling at, insulting, cursing out, and/or even threatening them for liking or disliking different things than them including ships, characters, books, plots/faults, and Riordan himself.

-Straightwashes characters like shipping Nico with female characters or setting him up with a female character in fanfics.

-Whitewashes characters like drawing Hazel and Piper with eurocentric features, Reyna, Hylla, and Leo with white skin and Caucasian traits, Nico with white/pale skin, etc.

-Try to excuse and explain abusive, manipulative, possessive, and overall very wrong and toxic behavior.

-Fail to recognize and/or admit the toxic, racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, wrong, abusive, etc. faults in the books, ships, and characters just cause they like them.

The Percy Jackson franchise does not add good representation. You can still like the series as long as you don’t condone Riordan’s racist and toxic writing and actions and don’t try to ignore the horrible and stereotypical faults just cause you don’t want to admit that your favorite or childhood story is horrible. 

[bebepac]

Six Sentence Sunday 03.21.21

I need a vacation. I mean I really need a vacation.  Work life has been a straight up dumpster fire, honestly everything is a dumpster fire.  The only reprieve I’ve been getting is I am binge watching the series Lucifer on Netflix which has one of my favorite people in it.

Which now that I see he’s classified as Lawful Evil here which makes me wonder what kind of roller coaster am I in for with his character, now that I’ve been giggling like a school girl every time he is on camera now that i’ve hit season three of this series.   

Here’s what I’ve posted in the last week in case you haven’t gotten tags.  I’m about to start running with a new tag list, as of tomorrow.  

Original Post Date: 03/21/21 at 11:58AM EST

TAG LIST UPDATE MARCH 2021

Meet My MC:  Mia Jones

Mia’s 🌎 World:  What We Missed🍋🍋🍋

Just The Way You Are: The Indescribable Moments🍋🍋

Yes I’m still working on two chapters of just the way you are at the same time.  I am really loving this story line.  I hope that you all like what i’m doing with it too.

And here we go!!!!

Testimony

Chapter 11: Just The Way You Are

The Book:  Perfect Match x TRR

Pairing:  Hayden!M x Kai!F x Liam x Riley

Status:  Still in the Writing Process.  

She glanced down at her phone, it read 7:10pm, Nico was late. He was never late.

She called him and his phone went directly to voicemail which was extremely odd for him. If anything, Nico would keep his phone on vibrate, but he never turned it off, and he always answered Riley’s calls no matter where he was.

Riley glanced at the door seeing blue lights. She saw her father storm through the door quickly, showing his badge to the hostess then scanning the room. Riley couldn't move. Jason's face turned stoic. Something bad had happened. He didn't want to tell Riley what he was about to. But he knew she would be the most calm with the news coming from him.

"Jelly, I need you to come with me right now."

"I can't leave. Nico is on the way, we're going to  have dinner together."

"Honey, he's not coming."

"What do you mean?"

"There was an accident,  you need to come with me."

"Is he okay?"

Riley glanced around the room seeing people watching their display.

"Jelly we need to go."

"Dad… is Nico okay?"

Her father's face softened.

"He's not… Jelly that's why we need to leave now, it's bad."

I Am The Earthquake

Chapter 12: Just The Way You Are

The Book:  Perfect Match x TRR

Pairing:  Hayden!M x Kai!F x Liam x Riley

Status:  Still in the Writing Process.  

“Could you always draw?”

“Can’t say I really tried to be honest.”  

“Nico could, he used to draw these cute little caricatures of me.”

“Like this?”  Leo asked.

He turned into a page in the sketch book.  Riley glanced down at the picture and immediately at Liam.

“Exactly like that.”   The little Riley caricature had her wearing tight pants and a cut off NYPD tee shirt.

“The first couple months after surgery, you drew a lot.”  

“I don’t really remember honestly.”

“You were like a madman with that sketchbook for the longest time Liam.  You wouldn’t put it down.”  

Riley started in the beginning of the book.

It was like looking at snap shots of her  during her relationship with Nico.  She stopped on a page, her eyes welling with tears.

“You drew how I met him, how we re-met.”  

Riley was in tears.  Liam stepped closer to her to glance at the drawing.  Riley was sitting under a tree with a tire swing, with a little puppy in her lap.  It was Chance.

“Do you know what these words means you wrote here?” 

Liam shook his head.  “I don’t know what it means.”

“It’s Greek. Liam. It says, “My Heart, my soulmate. I will find you again.”

Substitute Queen

The Book:  TRH and Beyond

Fast Forward Special:  A Birthday Fic

Pairing: Liam x Riley / Maxwell x Taylor

Status: Still in the writing process.

Riley and Taylor giggled.  

“You two should go away.  It’s been one thing after another, and you guys deserve a vacation. Let me and Max take care of the kids.”

“Tay… you do realize that would be your two barely crawling plus my four.  You two would be taking care of six children.”  

“And your kids are pretty self sufficient.  They can feed themselves.”  

“You’ll need some reinforcements, Tay. For real.  I’ll call Drake and Hana to help.”  

“I really think me and Max can handle it.”

“Tay…”  

“Me and Max can handle it.”

A week later,  Riley and Liam were preparing to leave for their first vacation alone, since they had children.  

Riley kissed and hugged each child.

“Now you kids behave for Auntie Taylor and Uncle Maxwell.  I’m counting on you Miss Crown Princess for a report when I return. You know you’re first in command Ellie.”

Ellie stood up straight and squared her shoulders.  “I promise Daddy, we’ll all be good.”

Ellie gave a little salute.

Liam gave one back.

“As you were, my princess.”  

[mooshs-crack-headcanons]

Hello if the request is still open. Could I get headcanons that if dante has a daughter how would she get along with dante, vergil and nero (post dmc5)? Thanks!

Hello! Just a heads up for the future! This was a very different type of request for me to write and next time I get a request like this in the future I'm not going to accept it! But I really hope you liked this one anyway!

Well, it's kind of a given that either way that she's going to be one; be a devil hybrid and going with the tread I'd say that she would hold the family trait silver hair, and two; have Sparda's blood through her veins which in turn makes her a dignified badass. 

I would say that most likely that her mother would be a human making her a quarter demon just like Nero, and for the sake of this request I'm going to have her age be around Nero's. 

His daughter would most likely work at the office, since you know 'family business' and all and would work on phone duty while her father's out on jobs and take in small jobs on her own just to try and keep the electric and water from getting shit off (dad just has a talent for not paying bills after all) 

I'd say despite being the overgrown man child Dante is, he'd be a good dad. He's fun and super easy to hang around, but he can get awkward as hell when certain topics come up; ex dating/love advice, and if his s/o, Lady, or Trish is around he'll most likely push it off on them to deal with. 

He does go on quite a few jobs that last him over a few days quite often, so I can see him taking her to Fredi's out to eat and have some quality father-daughter time. He also likes to take her on jobs (that he knows for a fact aren't world saving) with him and hunting together is another bonding exercise. 

All of the awkward bad dad jokes. All of them. 

He likes telling her stories about her grandmother and all of her teachings she taught him and Vergil, because he knows she would've been proud of the fine woman his daughters become like he knows he is. 

Dante has told his daughter quite a few stories about Vergil over the years, nothing too specific in his death or ever mentioning his corruption at Mallet Island, but enough for her to know that her uncle was a stubborn asshole who lost himself in lust for power. So when it came time to meet him after he and her father returned from hell was...weird. She knew that her father and him were twins but seeing it in person was off putting, even if a normal person couldn't tell by just glancing at them, she can tell that even if one has clearly aged more than the other that they're still if fact identical deep down. 

Vergil deep down feels really guilty after every he'd down up to the ending of 5 and he's made an attempt (keyword: attempt) to get a connection going with his family again, he made amends with his brother (though still sharing the rivalry) and is trying to get into his son's life, so of course he's going to try his best to at least get to know his niece but given this is Vergil and communication isn't exactly his strongest suit so it's going to take quite some time. 

Vergil himself originally thought as V that Nero was Dante's son, so seeing his daughter for the first time isn't that shocking to him. What is shocking to him is how...nice she treats him. With her being Dante's spawn he would've expected her to be more - how would he put it? More like Dante's spawn? (Vergil please stop calling children spawn) But no, she's more calm and collective and even brings up a conversation about Blake's work with him from time to time and it completely baffles him to no end but deep down he really appreciates it.

Like most things, Vergil finds hunting to be where he feels his best so it's no surprise that in his 'connection attempts' that he goes on jobs with his niece. Going on jobs with Vergil is very different then going on jobs with Dante, she quickly comes to realize. On jobs with her father, they'd tend to stick together as a team and he'd show off all of his stylish skills just to show her that: "Her old man still got it." Vergil on the other hand tends to like going on jobs alone, and even the first few times when he has 'agreed' to let his niece tag along at first he always keeps his distance to do his own thing but he doesn't travel far enough so that he can still see what she's doing, she has the blood of Sparda after all so she should be able to impress him. But after they've bonding for a bit Vergil doesn't travel off as far, far enough so that both of them have their own proper battle space but close to where if need be he can quickly trick over if the chance if she is about to have a fatal call with a demon and he can come to her rescue. But from what he's learned about his niece is that she's learned what Dante has taught her by heart and is very skillful at what she does so instead they can have friendly banter with one another during these missions. Vergil is very proud of his niece. 

Even though the thought confused the ever loving hell out of him that the old man somehow, Nero and Dante's daughter were friends before they found out they were cousins, they knew they were somehow related with Sanctus' confirmation to Nero during 4 but they never knew how far it went. At that time no one but Dante knew, and Lady would joke about Nero just being a kid that Dante forgot about or something but of course with Dante being Dante he chilled it out saying if he had another kid he would know about it and saying nothing about it further. 

Nero would hang around the shop for a good while after the events of 4, still feeling lost and confused about how his whole life was a lie with the Order and wanting to get stronger with his inner demon to protect the most important person left in his life at that point; Kyrie. Speaking of which, Kyrie would also tag along to the shop feeling confused and lost as the brainwashing of the Order slowly would fade away as she grieved for her brother's life. I'd say this is where Dante's daughter would pitch in and try to help out the both of them the best that she can whether it be by training for hours with Nero or being a big emotional support and a shoulder to cry on first Kyrie, which all earns Nero's respect. 

Because of that respect, during 5 she actually spent the whole game in Fortuna with Kyrie and the kids. Deep down she was so upset and angry at herself that her father's somewhere lost in that fucking tree Redgrave after seeing his defeat first hand when she went with Nero (who at the time she was visiting after Kyrie called her about Nero's lost arm) and that 'mysterious bastard' V. For the whole month she spent beating herself up over it, she knew her father wasn't dead; he defeated three demon overlords in his lifetime! Three! But seeing him actually fall to an enemy...terrified her. She'd wished to go back to Redgrave the agreed time but Nero asked her to watch Kyrie and the kids in his place and she just...couldn't refuse. 

Nero's easy to make flustered and embarrassed and it's hilarious if you just make simple jokes about how dorky he gets around Kyrie like how he does that scratch/rubbing at his nose thing with a big dumbass grin on his face. Both Dante's daughter and Nico both enjoy flustering the shit out of him, and because of that Nico and her are good friends (and once she leaves Nico makes it very clear to Nero that his cousin is hot, which again gets Nero's goat) 

Nero and Vergil of course still have a very rocky relationship even after 5 (which again understandable when your parent yanks off your arm and all) so since him and his cousin have a good relationship, he tends to go to her for advice, after all she's had her entire life with her dad and he's only had a dad for the last few months tops. 

Either way this family might be hella dysfunctional, but I'd say she'd wouldn't rather have it any other way. 

If you like what you read please consider reblogging! It means the world for writers and artists!

[starbuckie]

For your spooky requests, how about Bucky dating witch!reader, you could have them do whatever. Or Bucky and reader dressing their kids up for Halloween? I think that’d be adorable! Much love 😘🥰💕

ooh yes yes yes oh my goodness i love this! i decided to make the best of both worlds and have a (kind)witch!reader and bucky dressing their kids up for halloween. okay so for this she isn’t so much of a witch, but she has the same powers as wanda and a similar backstory. also after rereading this i realize that this could be a part two that takes place five years from “keeping me warm”, so if you want you can read it like that. i went a little itty bit far with this but i felt the mood for fluffiness so i hope you enjoy<3

-

“Mama, mama, can you help me zip up the back of my dress?” You turned, a three month-old baby on your hip, holding a pair of scissors between your teeth as you looked at your oldest daughter who was impatiently tapping her foot on the ground. The back of her space-princess dress was half-zipped up, both arms reaching behind her head though she couldn’t reach the zipper. 

“Yeah, baby, let mama do it.” With one hand you expertly zipped up the back and smoothed down her hair which was in it’s usual Rebecca Barnes mess. Curly locks of chestnut hair fell short above the five year-old’s shoulders, topped with a headband with small planets decorating it. “You’ll be the prettiest space-princess all of New York has ever seen.”

“Not all of New York, mama, the whole wide galaxy!” Nico chimed in. He’d always admired his older sister, despite only being a year younger, and had decided to match with his sister and became one of Rebecca’s royal Martian subjects for the special night.

Halloween was never a stressful holiday before this one, with all of your kids being too young to go out trick-or-treating. You were scared of letting them go out, even if they were with their dad, and you wanted nothing more than to coddle them all in blankets know they were safely tucked in the house with you. However, it was Rebecca’s first year of school, and with relentless begging and pleading you had backed down and allowed them to go. 

The school day seemed to have gone by so quickly, with two of your kids at their respective schools, and baby Emma staying home with you. You picked Nico up from preschool, Rebecca up from kindergarten, and by the time they had gotten home, eaten their dinner, played for a bit, and gotten into their costumes it was already six o’clock. Bucky had been at the compound all day; after you gave birth to Rebecca he decided to step down from missions and just trained the recruits, and you were on maternity leave for another good two months before you got back out in the field. Every inch of you was dying to go back on missions, no respect to stay-at-home moms, but you had too much energy and were tired of sitting on your ass all day. 

“The great father of this household politely asks her Royal Highness and her subject to please help put the groceries away.” As soon as they heard their father’s voice the two older Barnes children sprinted as fast as they could to embrace him. Bucky stumbled backwards with their arms around his torso, but chuckled at his kid’s silliness and love. “Hey, guys, I missed you a ton.” He kneeled down to their height, cerulean eyes you loved so much filed with nothing but pure happiness. “Can you help me put away the groceries? I got you some broccoli because you need to eat more veggies, Nico, I know you haven’t been eating them.”

The young boy frowned, clearly upset that his dad caught him trying to sneakily avoid his greens, but nonetheless took the small bag of groceries to the kitchen counter. “Hey, baby, how was work?”

Bucky locked the door and sauntered over to you with a smile on his lips. “Boring, I miss having you there.” He pecked a quick kiss on your lips, moving on to the baby girl with the same eyes as him. “Hi, Em, did you miss your dada?” There was a hopeful tilt at the end of his question, waiting for the baby to say something in return

He got nothing but a wide-eyed stare.

With a huff he wrapped an arm around your waist and buried his head into your neck, sweet vanilla and cinnamon invading his senses. “Give it a while, Buck, she’s only three months old.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Nico and Rebecca’s chatter about candy faded in the background as soon as the lock on the knob of the door started rattling again. “Doll, I should probably tell you that I-”

“Guess who’s favorite uncle is here?” Sam yelled through the house, adorning a Mad Hatter costume and large bags that seemed like they were full of-

“Candy!” Both Rebecca and Nico swarmed their “cool” uncle and started to peek in the bags.

“Wilson! I told you you could come over, not feed my kids junk.” Bucky grumbled. He walked to his friend, snatching the bags of candy out of his hands and putting them away, effectively ignoring the cries of his children. “You munchkins are about to go out trick-or-treating, you don’t need any more sugar.”

Sam walked over to you with a kiss on the cheek for cooing at the baby in your arms. “Aw, come on, Barnes, I’m just trying to have some fun. A man’s gotta do something to ensure their place as the favorite.”

An eye roll from Bucky and a wink from Sam, the two men slumped onto the couch where you sat. “Mama, are you gonna come with us? Can you do the magic for us, please?”

The kids were never supposed to know about your past, a past full of darkness and pain until Bucky walked in. It was only a year ago when they had seen footage of you with their Aunt Wanda controlling objects with wisps of glowing red energy. You had cried into Bucky’s arms the whole night after that as he comforted you, knowing how terrifying it was to have your kids know that other side of you. Your kids, the innocent ones they were, thought you were still the most amazing and badass mom who could bake the best cookies and was like a witch. Yeah, they had lots of bragging rights at school.

Bucky pulled Nico into his arms and nuzzled the boys face, letting the little boy squeal at the feeling of stubble on his soft skin. “Not tonight, Nico, your mama needs her rest. I’m gonna take you kiddos tonight.”

The soft “aww” of the kids was silenced by Sam’s proposition. “I can take the kids if you want, Bucky, that’s actually why I came over. You’ve had a long week and I’ve been on bed rest from the leg. You stay home with your wife and start working on my next nephew,” you punched him in the arm, eliciting a wince from the large man, “or niece.”

“I just gave birth three months ago, Sammy, I’m not doing that anytime soon.” A quick look at you husband for confirmation and you turned back to Sam. “Are you really okay with taking Nico and Rebecca?”

“Of course! We’re gonna go tear up the state.” A peck on the cheek from the Falcon, and he took your kids in his arms and slammed the door open. “We’ll be back in two hours! See you later!”

Another thud let you know that Sam had left, little Emma jerking in response to the loud sound. Bucky took this as an opportunity to sprawl out, head coming to rest in your lap as he took a deep sigh. “Just the three of us for Halloween this year, huh, doll?”

“Yeah, Buck, just the three of us.” 

It wasn’t anything fun. It was you, Bucky, and Emma passed out on the couch at only six in the evening, exhausted from the days activities. But in the moment, you couldn’t find anything more special to than to share October 31st with two of your loves wrapped around you.

[way-too-short-formysoul-corazon]

Here’s section 2, all wrapped up for you guys to enjoy!

1:      "What is she doing?" Keons asked from the control room. 

     "I'm not sure, but it seems she's up to something, she's not taking the drone with her. We should go check this out for ourselves," Nico replied. 

     "But what if she's doing it in order to not look suspicious to the rebels? She's a really smart girl -" 

     "And I'm not saying she's not, all I'm saying is that it's unusual. If she didn't want them to be suspicious, she could have told the drone to fly in stealth mode, could she not?" 

     "Well, I guess that's right... But can't we just wait a few more minutes for her to give us some indication if there are rebels in those woods?" Keons replied, starting to feel like he's been betrayed by the one whom he loves the most. 

     "Alright, we'll have it your way, Keons. I'll give her two minutes. If she doesn't turn up in that time, you will be the one to find her and execute her." 

     "Yes, sir." Keons replies, deflated, a knot welling up inside his stomach. 

2:      As I was walking through the thick woods, I began to think of what the people back home were saying about me. Were they proud that I went off in search of these "rebels"? What was my father thinking about behind those palace walls? 

     Does he even miss me?

     A few minutes into my walking around, I heard footsteps. Careful, soft footsteps, and I got excited. 

     They're here, they're here!!! Real Banditos, I get to finally see them, finally talk to them!!! 

     "Hello?! I know you're out there, I can hear your footsteps! Come out, please! I promise I won't -" 

     "Won't what, Savanna? Won't turn them in like you said that you would?" My father said, hurt encompassing his voice.  

     "Th- that's not what I-! Bu- But Dad! I- I wasn't- !" 

     "I'm sorry, Savanna, my daughter. I never meant for this to be this way. Just don't fight, and there won't be any pain." My dad said, a tear running down his face. 

     He's gonna kill me, feed me to the vultures, I thought, adrenaline pumping through my veins, I need to run. 

     And so I did. I ran at the fastest speed I could go, running through shrubs and prickly bushes, running for my life. 

3:      When I finally got to where I thought was a safe place, I collapsed. 

     I'm done running, I can't run anymore. I'm done. 

     I just sat there, thinking about my life, if I would make it out of this forest alive, and what they would do if they caught me. 

     Shall I be made to suffer the same fate as that man back in the city? Or will a worse fate await me? 

     I fell into a reluctant and fear-ridden sleep. A sleep in which I never wanted, yet needed immensely. 

4: Suddenly, I awaken from my nightmare sleep to find two people, Banditos, hovering over me. One of them has short, shaven hair while the other has somewhat curly hair and a pair of yellow drumsticks. I attempt to utter out the words "Who are you guys?", but nothing comes out of my mouth, and I'm stuck trying to speak and making no sound. 

     "It's alright, don't strain yourself. You're safe now," promised the one whose yellow duct tape was around him in an 'X' shape. 

      I nodded, and they helped me up. We started walking into the camp. 

     When we got into the camp, the Bandito beside the one with the mask suggested that I should have a tour of the camp, and his friend agreed. 

     "I'm sorry, we really haven't introduced ourselves, have we. My name is Tyler Joseph, this is my friend and head of the Banditos, Josh Dun," Josh waves and smiles, and Tyler motions towards the camp, "And this is our camp. Make yourself at home, please," 

     I nod my head. 

     "Do you have a name? I mean, if you're able to talk, that is. If not, we can get you something for that," Josh inquired. 

     Before I was able to try to speak, a flood of Banditos, young and old, came flocking towards me, Tyler, and Josh. All I remember of what happened next is that everything went black and I collapsed. 

5:      A young Bandito is patrolling the perimeter of the Bandito camp. As he walks, he scans the tops of trees and the edges of the beaten path below. Something catches his eye from the ground, beckoning him to take a closer look. As he stoops down, he finds a stranger's belongings. What lies there is a red robe and an identification card. The red robe smells of death and hurt. The name on the identification card reads Savanna Keons. The face seems familiar to the young Bandito. He knows this woman, but from where? He decides to put the red robe and identification card in his carrying sack and continue patrolling the outskirts of their small camp. He goes home and realizes who the young lady is and how he recognizes her. There will be a time to show this information, but now is not it, the Bandito thinks. 

6:      When I awaken, I seemed to be in an infirmary of some sort, and all I see in front of me is Tyler and something else. The "something else" was small and round, with a circular head, horns, and long ears. Its eyes were like deep chasms, vast and expansive. Its color was a silvery grey. At first sight, I was frightened. I'd never seen something like this before. 

     "What is that? What does it do?" I asked Tyler, frightened by the newness of the being. 

     "Oh, him? This is our little buddy, Ned!", Ned waved at me shyly, "He's a nice companion to have, not really used to new people though. I'm sure he'll grow to like you, though!" 

     "Oh, ok! Well, hi, Ned!" I said while sticking my hand out towards him. 

     Ned just takes a couple of steps back, like he’s frightened of me. 

     Tyler looks confused towards Ned, asking, “What’s wrong, little buddy? What is it?” 

     He turns to me, saying, “He’s not usually like this, I’m sorry, I just don’t understand why he’d be like this.” 

     I start to get nervous, “Is there any other times when he’s like this?” 

     “Yea, actually, he’s usually like this when there are Bishops around, but I don’t see any, and he’s doing it only towards you, oddly”, he says, scratching his head. 

     I had to make an excuse, and quick, “Uh, well, I got tackled by a Bishop, and I fought him and ran away,” 

     Tyler looked quite unimpressed, but just said alright and left it at that, “So, how was your day so far?” 

     “Boring, seeing as I have to stay in this hospital bed til you guys decide what to do with me.” 

     “Oh, don’t worry about that, we’re going to have a meeting tonight, that’s one of the topics we’ll discuss,” 

     “Alright. Well, stay safe!” 

     Tyler kind of chuckles and says, “Alright, I will, Logan. You stay alive now, ok?” 

     “Ok,” 

     “Promise?” 

     “Promise” 

7: “So, have we all came to a consensus?” leader Josh Dun inquires. 

     “Wait!” a young bandito exclaims, “I forgot about something important”. 

     “What is it, Jake?” 

     “I found this while I was walking the perimeter of our camp. It’s a Bishop’s cloak and a Dema identification card for a Savannah Keons,” 

     The entire crowd gasps, 

     “If you look closely at the picture, you’ll see it’s the newcomer”. Jake hands the cloak and card to Ned, who then hands it to Tyler. 

     Tyler and Josh take a while looking at it and debating what to do with the newcomer at this point, with all the new information that was presented just seconds ago. 

     “But Josh, she’s one of them! What if she came to spy on us? What if?” 

     “And, what if she was captured or found out the truth and is coming to start anew?” 

     “But, But what if-” 

     Josh puts his hands on Tyler’s shoulders, “Ok, ok, calm down, it’s all alright. Remember, my friend, everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what they’ve done,” 

     “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Tyler sighs. 

     “Now, go tell Logan to meet us at the bonfire tonight,” 

     “Alright,” 

8:      I was sitting on a stump fidgeting when Tyler and Josh came out. When I heard the flap of the makeshift tent door, I jumped up, terrified of what would come next. They already know, they already know, I’m gonna get fed to the vultures, or worse!!! 

     Tyler comes up to me while Josh hangs back, observing. 

     “Hey, Logan?” Tyler says when he gets closer to me. I start to get nervous and tremble 

     “Y-yes?” 

     “Uh, do you know what these are?” he shows me my past belongings: my cloak, badly damaged and worn, and my (former) id card, which insists on keeping me prisoner in my own skin. 

     I say, trying to keep the twang of fear in my voice at bay, to no avail, “Why are these here?” 

     “One of our Banditos picked these up patrolling the perimeter of camp. Are these really yours?” he inquired softly. 

     Terror runs through me as everyone’s eyes lock onto my frail being. I can’t keep it out as I yell, “It was never meant to be this way!!!” I fall onto the ground, my head forcing itself into my hands, curled up like a child. 

     I hear gasps, then silence. 

     After a while of this silence, I feel something touching my arm, like a kitten wanting affection. At first, I flinch at this new contact and yank myself up to a cradled sitting position, face wet from the salty tears that have striped patches of oil from my face, leaving them feeling like bandages. 

     When I look at what or who was touching me, it was Josh. He whispers to me, “It’s alright, we’ve accepted you into our crew. You’re safe from those who wish to do you harm here.” 

     Baffled by his actions, I say, “But I was one of them. I was sent to harm you guys,” I give a tear-filled inhale and exhale, “Why are you letting me in?” 

     He just smiles and says, nodding at Tyler at the end, “Because everyone deserves a second chance.” Everyone starts cheering and clapping, and Josh sticks his hand out to me. I grab his hand and he helps me up, “C’mon, we need to get you cleaned up, or else Ned’ll never warm up to you!” Josh says with a laugh. I laugh along, hearing everyone clapping and cheering me on. Me, not that dema kid who supported the murder of all those innocent people. That person was long gone, and I am what remains.  

9: After everything goes quiet and all the applause stops, I inquire, “Hey, Josh, where are we going, exactly?” 

     “East, to where your past wrongs will be righted, to where you can be free to start anew.” 

     “Alright,” I say, and continue following. 

     When we finally get to where Josh was taking me, all I can say is wow. The place looked magnificent, like the angels themselves carved this place from the earth and put their hearts and souls into creating it. 

     There was a shallow, burbling waterfall trickling softly into a pond lined with several light-colored rocks, some sparkling and some not. This wondrous sight was lit by the vivid green lampshade of the trees, the leaves deflecting the sun’s rays here and there. There was greenery and assorted berry bushes and shrubs around the pond, and the entire place looked like it came from the garden of Eden. 

     After I was done taking in the awe of this mystical and magical place, Josh turned around while I bathed in the healing waters of this pond. 

     When I was done, there was a towel and a pair of Bandito attire in the tree next to me. I say thanks and josh replies with, “Don’t worry, I didn’t look,” 

     When we got back to camp, Tyler and Ned were waiting on us. Josh went up to Tyler, did a secret handshake, and introduced me as the new member of the crew. 

     He started the bonfire, and for the first time in a long time, I was with family, with people who wouldn’t hesitate to die for my sake, and for who I would die for in an instant. I was with people of my own kind. At that very moment, I could care less about what they were saying about me in the city, cause they’re talking about someone who never was. 

10:      My first week at camp, and I already feel at home. I’ve gotten better acquainted with our leaders, Ned too, and found a couple of friends among the crowd. A couple of notable ones I met early on; one of them happened to be the first Bandito I ever seen, remember him? Well, it turns out his name is Rodney Garron, and he’s an aroace enby who’s in a platonic relationship with his straight adhd counterpart George Evergreen. When I first saw them both in camp, Rodney almost had a heart attack, shouting, “You’re that Bishop kid! Don’t take me back! You can’t take me!!!!” Now that I’m thinking about it, their friend had to calm him down. 

     Oh! I’m sorry about the confusion, Rodney likes to be referred to as he or they. Anyways, back to it then. 

     After their friend calmed him down, he explained everything about himself, how he grew up watching Good Day Dema, how they came to the camp in the middle of a snowstorm, and how seeing a Bishop take off their hood and offer their hand took several hours of heavy meditation to get over. I laughed and said sorry to that last one. 

     On another note, I got to see someone I haven’t seen since I was in training up in the city. he used to be my teacher, he was  my teacher for all of my training, and I was wondering what happened to him… 

     “I thought you were dead, teach?” 

     “Miracles happen, my young one,” 

     “But, they said you were exterminated! They said tha-” 

     “They say, they say, they say. They say one thing, but what does your heart say?” 

     I hesitate, give him a big hug, and demand him tell me how he escaped. 

     This is Logan Slife, and this is my story. 

[subarublue]

Sparda Family Bonding Time Series - Part 2

Series Description: It’s family bonding time! Sparda family style! A series of short stories revolving around platonic familial relationships between the members of the DMC crew. Warning: Lots of fluff and bonding ahead.

One Shot

Title: The Apple Never Falls Far From the Tree

Fandom: Devil May Cry

Timeline: Post DMC5

Rating: G

Word Count: 3450

Read on Ao3

Summary: Dante gave his brother a pointed stare that clearly stated: Isn’t there something you should be doing right now? Which Vergil pointedly ignored as he turned his eyes elsewhere. Dante sighed.

They hadn’t been back from the underworld for long and this was the first chance Vergil really had to try and connect with his son...and of course he was getting cold feet.

Notes: Not too sure I’m any good at writing Vergil, but hopefully this turned out okay. Sorry if he’s a bit ooc.

Dante watched his brother closely. To anyone else at the table, Vergil probably looked calm, stoic, detached even. But Dante knew better. They were brothers, after all; twins in fact. Yeah, sure there was about a twenty year span of no contact between them (no, Dante did NOT count Mallet Island), but they did grow up together as children. Nobody knew Vergil better than him.

And Dante could tell that Vergil was nervous.

It was in the way he gripped the fork in his hand so tightly, his rigid posture, the way his eyes kept darting around the room, taking in his surroundings as if keeping all escape routes open even though it was unnecessary...until they landed on Dante himself.

Dante gave his brother a pointed stare that clearly stated: Isn’t there something you should be doing right now? Which Vergil pointedly ignored as he turned his eyes elsewhere. Dante huffed.

They hadn’t been back from the underworld for long and this was the first chance Vergil really had to try and connect with his son...and of course he was getting cold feet.

Dante supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, considering it was more than just the two of them and Nero sitting down to dinner. Neither of the brothers were the best at communicating, but Vergil was definitely worse considering his lack of experience. Especially since there were others present that he didn’t know very well.

Not that he knew Nero very well, either. Which is probably why he’d grilled Dante for information about his own son while they were stuck in Hell.

“What is Nero like?” Vergil’s question drew Dante’s attention to him. They were currently resting; no devils had found it necessary to try and kill them over the last few hours and sparring, as much as they enjoyed it, did get a bit old after a while. Honestly, Dante figured Vergil would ask eventually, since he couldn’t really discern that for himself now that they were stuck until they found a way home.

“Thought you got a pretty good taste of that already when he beat you.” Dante chuckled when Vergil shot him a glare.

“I meant under normal circumstances.” Vergil already sounded annoyed. Dante figured if he kept this up, it wouldn’t be long before they were fighting again.

“You mean when he’s not pissed at you?” Dante chuckled again when another glare came his way.

“As I recall, he was angry with you as well.”

Dante grimaced as he rubbed his chin, recalling the punch Nero had decked him with. He swore he could still feel it. “Yeah? Well, can you blame him? Kid grew up without any family and once he has one, seems like they’re just trying to kill each other. Course he’s gonna be pissed.”

“So…he grew up alone?” There was the slightest bit of regret laced in Vergil’s question.

Dante sighed. “Sort of.” Vergil turned to regard him as he spoke. “He grew up in an orphanage. Guess he got left there as a baby with no idea who his parents were. Not completely sure about the whole situation ‘cause I didn’t run into him until he was almost twenty. When we did meet, he had a girlfriend and she and her brother treated Nero like family, so I don’t think he was completely alone.”

Vergil looked at him confused for a moment and Dante could tell there was a question on his mind, about to be asked. “Who taught him swordsmanship, then? I thought perhaps you had, but he’s far too good to have learned since only twenty.”

“Ah, that would be Credo.” When Dante didn’t elaborate, Vergil knew he would have to ask since the name was unfamiliar to him.

“Who?”

“His girlfriend’s brother. He was the head of the Knights of the Order of the Sword at the time or something like that. Like I said, those two treated the kid like family.”

“I see.” Vergil looked away, becoming pensive for a moment. “Well, this Credo has been a good teacher for him, then.”

“Was.” When Dante spoke, Vergil turned to look at him in surprise. “He was a good teacher.”

“He is...” Vergil paused going through the various reasons for Dante’s choice of words in his head before deciding on the most likely one. “...dead?”

“Yeah.” It was hard to miss the frown on Dante’s face. It was so different from his normal countenance. “Died trying to save his sister and Nero from some crazed old maniac trying to use the bloodline of our dad for some idiotic world domination plan. That’s how the kid and I first met. I was there trying to stop the old dude. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it in time to save Credo. Nero or Kyrie either, but at least they were needed alive, so I was able to save them later. Guess the old fart thought his own general was expendable, though. Pretty sure the kid still blames himself for that one.”

Vergil went quiet after that, not saying anymore. Apparently, Dante had given him a few things to ponder on for a while.

That had been the first of many conversations about Nero they’d had while trapped in the underworld. Dante of course, hadn’t told Vergil everything, figuring that it would be better for him to discover some things about his son for himself, but he’d given him a start to grasp onto.

Now if only he’d take it.

Perhaps dinner at Nero’s wasn’t the best time to try and get Vergil to talk to his own son. There were too many other people for it to be comfortable to talk about something so personal. Dante only hoped that once dinner was finished Vergil wouldn’t try to beat a hasty retreat to one of those escape routes he seemed to be constantly looking for.

It was when Kyrie stood up to start clearing the table that Dante saw an opportunity. Nero usually helped her with it, but if someone else did…

“Here let me give you a hand with that, Kyrie.” Dante jumped up and immediately started helping her clear away the dirty dishes. This wasn’t exactly his style, but if it gave his brother some time to talk to his son in private, then he’d make an exception. Just this once, though.

“No! That’s alright! You’re a guest here. There’s no need for you to do that! Nero always-” She stopped short when she noticed Dante was covertly gesturing for her to look over her shoulder. When she turned, she saw Vergil doing his best to avoid eye contact with Nero, who seemed to be studying his father intently, but trying to be discreet about it. Of course, he was failing miserably.

It only took a second for the light bulb to go off in Kyrie’s head and she immediately began to play along. “Oh! I mean, of course! I could sure use the help. Thank you so much!”

This drew Nero’s attention to them. Dante met his gaze, then looked at Vergil and rolled his eyes, attempting to convey to his nephew without words that his father wanted to talk, but was being a coward about it. Maybe this way, Nero would take charge instead. He knew the kid wanted to talk to his father, so maybe knowing Vergil wanted to talk to him as well would help break the ice. Luckily, it worked and Nero nodded in response.

Kyrie had just dismissed the boys from the table and Nico had already booked it back to the garage to work on her next project when Dante heard Nero address his father. “Hey, I was gonna head out back and gets some fresh air. You can join me, if you’d like?”

Vergil’s head whipped around to look at his son while Dante and Kyrie slipped away into the kitchen, but they were still listening intently from just the other side of the door.

“That is…acceptable,” was Vergil’s reply.

Dante cringed. He couldn’t see Nero and Vergil anymore, but he could see Kyrie, and she was cringing, too. The unspoken words between them were conveyed with just that look: certainly not the best choice of words, but at least he hadn’t said no.

Thankfully, Nero seemed to take it in stride. “Come on, then. It’s this way.” A few moments later, they heard the back door shut as the two men stepped out onto the porch.

Kyrie looked at him, then. “If you want to keep an eye on them, you’ll be able to see them from the window over the sink. I won’t be able to hear them from outside so there’s no worry about me being privy to anything Vergil doesn’t want others to know, but you might be able to since your hearing is better so if you’d rather give them some privacy…” she trailed off, not sure how he wanted to go about this. The dishes could wait, if need be. This was far more important.

“We can keep an eye on ‘em. If they’re quiet enough, I shouldn’t be able to pick up on what they’re saying. And if I do hear anything, it’s probably gonna be something I already know. I doubt Verg will tell Nero his whole life story the first go around, but thanks for respecting his privacy, anyway.” Dante smiled at her. Nero couldn’t have made a better choice in a girlfriend. Kyrie smiled back and they set to work on the dishes while keeping an eye on the two men now standing on the back porch.

“So...Why did you leave?”

Vergil was jarred out of his thoughts when Nero suddenly spoke. He’d been standing there, admittedly a bit nervous, trying to sort through what would be the best thing to say. But what can you say to a son you practically abandoned?

In a way it was a relief that Nero spoke up first. It gave him a foothold to start with, at least. He was a bit surprised, though. It wasn’t hard to tell that Nero was just as nervous as he was. He was almost certain they would have stood out there the whole time without saying a word.

“You already know this. Yamato was necessary to close the portal. I had no choice but to go.” He knew he probably should have said more, but the words just wouldn’t come. Why was this so difficult?

“Yeah, I know that.” Nero already sounded annoyed and Vergil realized that if he tried to keep his distance, he’d ruin this chance to connect with his son. “I meant before I was born. Why did you...leave?”

Vergil blinked in surprise. That had not been what he thought Nero was referring to, though he supposed he should not have made assumptions in the first place. Of course his son would want to know about why he was left alone as a baby. And Vergil could tell there was more left unspoken than what Nero had conveyed: Why did you leave us? Why did you leave my mother? Why did you leave me? He recalled what Dante had said about how Nero grew up. He deserved an explanation, at the very least.

“I was unaware of your existence. Not that that is an excuse, but I...I was searching for my father’s power. I couldn’t find the answers I needed in Fortuna so I left. I had to.”

The hard look on Nero’s face softened slightly and gave Vergil a bit of confidence that maybe this wouldn’t be a total disaster.

“Why did you need your father’s power so much?” Nero was genuinely curious Vergil noted, but the reasons hit a bit too close to home for him at the moment. Someday. Someday he would tell him everything, but not now. This conversation should focus on his son, not himself.

“Because without strength, you cannot protect anything, let alone yourself.” He knew his answer was vague. They were the same words he’d spoken to his brother all those years ago, except Dante understood what he meant. He only hoped Nero wouldn’t prod further.

Nero, for his part, just looked at his father for a moment. Vergil was half afraid he would ask him to elaborate, but surprisingly, Nero seemed to understand there was a reason for his vagueness and let it slide. His son was perceptive. The barest hint of pride welled up in him and he decided he rather liked the feeling.

They were silent for a few more moments, and while it still felt a bit uncomfortable, it wasn’t nearly as bad as when they’d first stepped out on the porch. That was progress, he supposed.

Apparently, he was silent too long though, because Nero spoke up again, with a different question this time. “Would you have done things differently had you...known about me?”

Now how was he supposed to answer that? It was over twenty years ago. He had been young and determined. He was no longer the same person he was back then, but he feared what the true answer to that question could have been. Would things have been different if he’d known?

“I...don’t know. I’d like to think that I would have, but...” Vergil faltered, unsure of what real answer he could give Nero.

“But?” Nero prodded when he didn’t finish. He was looking at his father expectantly. Nero deserved to know the truth at least, Vergil decided, after everything he’d grown up without.

“I was young. I had a goal and nothing was going to stop me from getting what I wanted, not even my brother; my own flesh and blood.” The reality of what Vergil was trying to convey seemed to hit Nero, but he remained silent, allowing his father to finish. “I can’t say for sure if there was anything that would have swayed my decisions, but I’d like to think you would have. Forgive me if that’s not enough.”

Nero stared at his father. Vergil refused to meet his eyes, worried about what he might find there. Instead he set his gaze on nothing, simply staring out into the night and braced himself for whatever his son may have had to say in response.

“Maybe it wouldn’t have been enough once, but I’m okay with it now. You had your reasons, you didn’t know, and there’s nothing either of us can do to change it now. All we can do is move forward from here, I guess.”

Vergil turned in surprise to look at Nero. That was certainly not what he expected. He seemed to be a far cry from the angry young man he’d fought at the Qliphoth, but then again, that had been a rather tense situation.

Dante had warned him that Nero could be a bit hot-headed at times; that he sometimes let his emotions get the better of him and reacted without thinking. But this side of Nero, Vergil hadn’t anticipated, though it probably shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. This was his son, after all. Right now, he seemed far more mature than his young age would lead one to believe. That small hint of pride was swelling up within him even more now.

But there was also a deep sense of regret coupled with it. He’d missed everything. From before his son was even born until the moment he’d met him on that fateful day, he hadn’t been there. He hadn’t seen his son grow up over the years into the young man before him today and he felt a sudden overwhelming need to apologize for that as well.

“I’m sorry you grew up alone.”

Nero simply shrugged as if it was nothing, which Vergil knew was not the case. “I wasn’t completely alone. May not have been the best situation, but I had Kyrie and Credo so it wasn’t all bad.”

Vergil recalled what he’d heard from Dante about the two siblings that had been the closest thing to family Nero had while growing up. “Dante mentioned that this Credo taught you swordsmanship. I thought at first that perhaps Dante had, but he said you two did not meet until you were almost twenty.”

“Yeah, that’s right.” Nero’s voice took on a hard edge, as did his expression. It was easy to see that thinking of his surrogate brother was still a painful memory for him. Vergil wasn’t sure he would be any good at comforting his son in this, but even he knew not trying would be a worse option.

“Dante told me what happened to him. I’m...sorry for the loss our father’s legacy has caused you.”

Nero didn’t respond and Vergil worried if maybe that had been the wrong thing to say, so he tried another approach. “He must have been a very good teacher. It shows in you.”

That got a response. Nero looked up in surprise at his father. “You...you mean that?”

“I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true. Giving you a false sense of accomplishment would only hinder, not help you. I may have been tired from my fight with Dante, but it was easy to see your level of skill during ours. You learned well.” Vergil smirked then. He was aware that Dante could likely hear their conversation and would never pass up an opportunity to make a jab at his brother. “Far better than you would have if Dante had taught you.”

That got a laugh out of his son. “Definitely,” Nero agreed. “Dante wasn’t very straightforward about a lot of things, anyway.”

“What do you mean?” Vergil was confused now. What could Nero mean by that?

“Well, I didn’t even know he and I were related until the Redgrave incident.”

Vergil’s confusion turned to surprise. Dante had never said anything to him before that? “He never told you?”

“Not until you disappeared through that portal after you put yourself back together. Dante kinda just dropped it on me so I wouldn’t keep trying to go after you.” Nero could tell by Vergil’s expression that he wasn’t too happy with his uncle. He certainly didn’t want them fighting again and decided to try and diffuse any possible problem before it could start. “But it’s alright, I guess. Can’t change it now, anyway. Makes me not feel so guilty about stabbing him the first time we met, though.”

That threw Vergil for a loop. “You...stabbed him?” Dante had somewhat glossed over his first meeting with Nero and Vergil was now realizing there may have been a reason for that.

“Yeah well, He kinda dropped in and assassinated the head of the Order in front of the whole congregation. I was a knight under Credo’s command, so we ended up in a fight. Pretty sure he was going easy on me. Still, I impaled him with his own sword because he went a little too easy on me.” The smugness in Nero’s voice was not lost on him.

But disbelief was on Vergil’s face at first. It didn’t last long though, before Nero’s story drew a wry chuckle out of him. He recalled a certain fight with his brother during the Temen-Ni-Gru incident which bore a similar ending for Dante.

“The apple never falls far from the tree, it seems.”

Father and son looked at each other in what might have been a nice moment for the two, but was interrupted by a very familiar voice yelling, “Aw! Come on!” from the direction of the kitchen window.

It was followed by the panicked sound of Kyrie’s voice asking, “Is everything okay?!” which had both men out on the back porch chuckling. Whatever conversation went on in the kitchen after that was blocked from their hearing, but it was unimportant in the moment anyway.

A silence fell over the two of them, but now it was no longer uncomfortable. That feeling of pride in his son, for what he had endured and what kind of life he’d made for himself, was back stronger than ever and Vergil felt the sudden urge to let Nero know how he felt.

“I’m proud of who you are.” Vergil looked his son in the eyes and watched as the reality of what he’d just said dawned on his son’s face.

Nero recovered quickly though, and what he said next Vergil knew he would never forget, for as long as he lived.

“Thanks...Dad.”

Vergil looked away out into the night, afraid of the amount of emotion he might be showing in his expression. But out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Nero was smiling. And now, he was too.

← Part 1 • Part 2 of this series • Part 3 →

[shaekingshitup]

MIRACLES HAPPEN

DAY ONE: TANGERINE

A/N: Y’ALL! I WAS DUPED! @teakturn puts out a 25 Days of Christmas every year and my dumbass said I would do it too. But I decided to add a little diversity to the culture and we’re doing a Chrismukkah adventure this year on this blog! This is picking up after this request that I got earlier this year. None of this shit is proofread because I am literally just writing by the seat of my pants so read at your own discretion. I will probably end up rewriting this entire mini series in the future. But enjoy it now. If you wanna be tagged, lmk! Also, I know that in In Sight I said there was a cure for COVID. Swap that out for a vaccine y’all. Viruses can’t be cured. 

Word Count: 2300 

DAY ONE: TANGERINE

December 18, 2022

“Baby you ready?!” Tre called into the house as reached into the basket on his way to the garage. He came up empty handed for the keys to his Lexus. Opening the door to the garage, he saw Sol sitting in the passenger seat of the running car. 

Tre walked over to his baby as Sol smirked at him. 

“You late again,” she said. 

“I’m never late,” Tre said opening the door and climbing in,  “You just early as always,” he shot back as he put the car in reverse. Sol playfully rolled her eyes. After two years of being together, this was always their running joke. The first time they’d met, she’d been pacing back and forth awaiting his arrival. Even after finding their own groove, she still found herself being the one waiting for him- but, he always made it worth it so it was hard for her to complain.

Tre pulled out of the driveway and clicked the remote to shut the door. Out of instinct, his hand went to Sol’s thigh when he put it in drive. “Did you grab my yarmulke?” Tre asked as he threw her a glance. 

“Please don’t insult me. This ain’t my first feast Nemo.” the indignant manner which she spoke had her and Tre struggling to keep in their bouts of laughter. “Yes, baby. They’re in the backseat.” 

“Good. Good. What’s the other name for them again?” Tre asked as he merged onto the nearly empty highway. A five a.m call time could be a blessing and a curse. 

“Kippah” is the Hebrew word for the male cap and “kippot” is the Hebrew word for the female cap.” Sol answered on autopilot as she mused on their situation. She was still taken aback that they’d been contacted by Black Juice to begin with. She’d been following them ever since they’d done that feature with Drake talking about how his own Jewish faith influenced his career path. Although she wasn’t as active in her Jewish faith as she’d wished she’d been in recent years it was still a huge victory to be acknowledged by the leading Black Jewish media network. Okay so maybe they were the only Black Jewish media network. But that definitely meant they were in the lead! She wasn’t stupid to think that this kind of opportunity would have come without Trevante in her life. But, she wasn’t gonna knock it either. 

This 8 Days of Miracles was the perfect task she needed as she figured out what the next step was for her career. Now that she’d finally finished her academic portion of her career she wasn’t sure how to proceed. So throwing herself into this project and hosting both her family and Tre’s for the holidays was the best distraction she could ask for. This time always gave her hope and made her realize that any kind of bullshit she’d put up with wasn’t in vain. It was her annual reset. New Year’s be damned. It also made her feel closer to her father and there wasn’t anyone in this world she’d loved more. At least that’s what she’d thought. She felt pressure on her thigh from the number one contender for her heart as Tre gave her a slight squeeze. 

“What’s on ya mind Sunshine?” Sol looked down at his hand and couldn’t help but cheese. She still beamed every time he called her by that nickname. 

“I was thinking about my dad and how proud he’d be to see me reppin his faith,” Sol said absentmindedly touching her necklace. Tre listened attentively as he grazed his thumb against her thigh in a gentle motion. “ I mean, I don’t know if he could have known that all of the years he instilled in us the value of miracles when we were children we’d still be celebrating Hanukkah after he was gone.” 

“I’m sure he didn’t know.” Tre started out slowly. He honestly wasn’t even sure if she’d finished her thoughts, “But, he probably hoped you would.” The phone rang as they turned off the street and into the lot. “STEPH 👷🏿‍♀️💪🏿” flashed across the Caller ID on his dashboard. Tre clicked the answer button on his steering wheel as Sol handed him his badge to show to Nico, the Security Attendant. 

“We’re at Security Steph,” Tre answered as he nodded at Nico. 

“Okay good. I just wanted to make sure we were starting the day off on time.” Tre and Sol shared a glance. 

“Woman don’t start with me. Call time is 5 and it’s 4:39. We don’t play that late shit over here and you know it.

“Well,  I also grabbed your favorite donuts from Craft Services so no one else would steal them and I wanted to know how long I had to hoard them for your ungrateful self. I can put them back if you’d like sir,” 

“Steph. You can ignore Tre.” Sol chimed in. “We appreciate you and will be walking in the door in exactly 2 minutes. Tre is parking as we speak. We’ll see you soon.”

“Tre, you lucky you have her. Keep her if you want to keep the best managent in town. Bye y’all!!” Steph sang as she hung up. Sol let out a cackle because Steph refused to be referred as anything other than a managent as Tre stood there dumbfounded at how he was being left out to dry. But he knew better than to go against two black women before he’d even finished his morning coffee. He just hopped out the whip and opened Sol’s door so she could do the same. 

Once they’d gotten their morsels of food, gone through hair and makeup and snapped a few photos for Black Juice and their own social media accounts, they were back on the road headed deeper into LA. They had a cameraman in the backseat filming their every move, one car guided them to their location and another followed them as they maneuvered through the cars that were poppin up for their morning commutes. Sol was on her IG live and answering any questions that popped up about where they were headed and her Hanukkah festivities. She watched as the number quickly jumped from 5,000 viewers to 13,000 and counting. She wasn’t sure what this many people were doing up at this hour but she wasn’t complaining. Tre’s mama was of course one of them. He was a mama’s boy through and through and she was always there to support him at any opportunity she could. Sol made sure to greet her specifically. Tre bopped his head to some Jill Scott- being careful not to let his yarmulke fall. Sol sipped some hot cocoa from her thermos and sang off key with him. As soon as they turned on a residential street, she felt awash in a new warmth that the hot chocolate couldn’t touch. She shook Tre’s arm enthusiastically. 

“It’s time!!” she beamed, “Are you ready?!” Tre chuckled at her immediate change in attitude. The car in front was already parked and the camera crew was out on the sidewalk. 

“Yes Sol. I’m ready to spread some holiday cheer. Let’s go make somebody’s day he said. Before Tre could even put the car in park, she was reaching for the handle” 

“AHT AHT AHT” Tre barked out loud causing the cameraman man in the backseat to jump,“ Tre was already exiting the driver’s side and pointed his finger at her as he crossed in front of the car “Don’t even try it.” Sol rolled her eyes and pouted as she waited the few seconds for him to open her door. 

“Thanks Tre,” she stuck out her tongue. She was like a kid in a candy store and was ready to full out sprint to the front door. The IG live comments were flying. 

Okay Daddy Tre! I need a mans to talk to me like that. 🥵🥵

Did this man just bark at her? 🐶

Loook so long as he handles this backdoor he can open any other door that he pleases sis!

Y’all females is wylin as usual. 

Sol glanced at them. “Imma need y’all to stay out of grown folks’ business and just enjoy this holiday work we are puttin in okay” She handed her phone to another crew member and grabbed Tre’s hand to drag him to the front door. 

She pushed the button for the doorbell but no sound rang out. Tre gave three succinct raps on the door and heard someone rushing down the stairs. The door was flung open by a woman in black slacks and a blinding blue polo emblazoned with a nametag that ironically labeled this young woman as “Tangerine”. She couldn’t be more than 25 years old and the toddler saddled on her hip only added to her youthful appearance. 

“Hi Tangerine,” Tre began, “My name’s Trevante and this is Sol,” he gestured to Sol at his side. 

“Hi?” Tangerine answered confused at this couple and the cameras that followed them. 

“We’re here today with Black Juice, a local Black organization that highlights the experience of the Black Jewish community and we’re doing 8 Days of Miracles,” 

“Okay..” Tangerine said not sounding any less confused. “ I’m not Jewish.”  Sol took over as she could tell that Tre’s efforts weren’t getting them anywhere.

“We’re here because your friend Kira sent in a letter telling us about  how great of a mother you are. She said that you’ve been working two jobs here to support you and your daughter.” At this, Sol smiled at the baby, “She told us that the second job you have is for daycare expenses alone.  We wanted to come out here today and let you know that we see what you do and how hard you go to make sure you give your daughter the best. So, we wanted to help you out and give you this. “ Tre gave her the envelope he had in his hand. It read “Day 1: Tangerine”

Tangerine took the envelope as Tre explained. “We’ve paid for your daughter’s child care for the next two years so you can give yourself a break.” She opened the envelope to see the receipt from Tiny Tots Kindercare and didn’t even know what to do. 

“I don’t know what to say.” She paused for a moment as what this truly meant registered in her mind. “I can quit this job and actually spend more time with my baby and focus on my candles.” 

“Your candles?” Sol asked. 

“Yeah. I make candles by hand. I took a few classes and have played with a few scents. Some friends have asked me to make them some and I’ve been waitin to be a little more secure with my money before I start at it.” she answered exhaling deeply. 

“Do you have any candles right now?” Tre asked peeking a little further in her apartment. Sol slapped his arm. 

“Could you be any nosier?” she chastised with love. 

“Yeah I have some. Do you mind holding Layla?” she asked but she practically threw the child into Sol’s arms as she ran to grab her stash of candles. Sol put on her sweetest voice and spoke to Layla about how old she was and if she liked her friends at daycare. When her mom came back Sol could see the sheer joy that she had when showing off her handiwork. 

Tangerine went through all six of her candles and their various scents with them and by the end Tre had bought each one. She was floored and couldn’t do anything but cry at the way her morning was turning around. It wasn’t even 7:30 and she’d already gotten 2 years of childcare, a reason to quit her grocery store job and someone who actually wanted to buy her candles. 

Before they left, Tre made her promise to hit him up when her site and IG were live so he could get more candles and share it with all of his friends. Sol returned Layla to her mother saying her goodbyes and grabbed Tre’s hand to head back to car. She leaned on his shoulder and he could see the contentment in her eyes. Sol almost forgot her phone before a crewmember handed it back. 

She came back to the IG Live trying not to get too emotional. “Look at that y’all! Day one of Hanukkah is off to a start and we’ve already proved that miracles happen! Y’all better stay tuned in over the next week so you can see who we pop in on next. You never know if it could be you! Thanks to Black Juice for giving us this opportunity to turn someone’s ordinary day into something smile about. Y’all betta check them out so you can see the full footage of what we’ve got goin on! Bye y’all!

“Bye y’all!” Tre called out. They answered a few more questions with Black Juice, said their goodbyes and climbed back into their car. 

“Can we go back to bed now?” Tre asked as he pulled back onto the main road and his hand founds Sol’s thigh again. Sol laughed. 

“I mean if that’s what you prefer we can. I had some other things in mind.” she suggested. 

Tre raised his eyebrow. “I swear you see one baby and you always go 0 to 100”

“Look, I just believe in practicing all aspects of having a child! Even the making part.” 

Tre threw his head back laughing. “I’m wit it babygirl”

DING! 

“That’s me” Sol said. She looked at her phone screen. A text from “Mama Rhodes” popped up.  She’d sent some Pinterest looking bible verse again. 

This was the third one this week. It dampened her mood immediately and caused her to groan. The text read: 

Seeing you with that little girl made me so happy for the good Christian grandbabies that you and Tre will be blessing me with in the future. I thank Jesus for the miracle of you and my baby everyday XO. 

“Tre, I got another one from your mom. When are you gonna talk to her?” 

Tre sighed. “I promise. I’ll talk to her soon and it will definitely be before your Chrismukkah Extravaganza. Don’t sweat it baby.” 

Sol did her best not to think about how pushy his mother was being about this raising Christan grandbabies nonsense ever since they announced they’d be partnering with Black Juice. All she could do is trust Tre and do what she was best at: wait. 

---------------

@ghostfacekill-monger @thadelightfulone

[fatedbutblinking]

when hades!reader dates percy jackson

relationship headcanons are actually pretty fun to write so expect more of these soon. i might do like some brother-sister kinda ones from pjo (like siblings in a cabin, for ex) but ofc can’t wait to tackle the nico-will dynamic <3

Percy was too scared to admit he liked you so he instead was extremely overprotective.

One time, at a party a Dionysus camper threw, an Aphrodite guy was getting touchy-feely with you.

Percy splashed the guy’s beer in his face using his powers, angering him, but he only winked at you and walked away.

Eventually you caught on that he liked you and kissed him by the Canoe Lake.

Initially you tried to keep your relationship a secret.

There was always sexual tension during Capture the Flag.

It was even worse at the nightly campfires, where you stole lustful looks from each other.

You snuck into his cabin most nights as you couldn’t do it with Nico around.

That’s when you found out he was a big cuddler. All night he would warm you up, as children of Hades are unnaturally cold. And because he likes smelling your hair.

Nico was the first to know. He told you that he was dating Will and you would have felt guilty if you didn’t tell him about Percy, so you did it right after. You made disgusted looks at each other jokingly—but not before Percy bust into the room with chocolate-covered strawberries. He always seemed to be in the right places at the wrong time.

Despite being popular on campus for your powers and ethereal looks, you never had many friends. People were intimidated by your dad being the god of death.

Until Percy introduced you to those from the Prophecy of Seven and you all became really close.

He made it seriously obvious that you were dating, even though the whole point of keeping it a secret was to protect it from them.

Whenever Leo tried to flirt with you, Percy held Riptide in the pen form against his back and glared.

When Jason stared at your bikini bod at the beach, Percy sent a wave of water over him before he could finish stuttering.

When girls flirted with Percy—which was and is all the time, especially the mortal ones—you kissed his cheek in front of them and got the message across that he was yours.

“I’m the disciple of death, so,” usually did the trick.

Percy got sick of keeping the secret. He didn’t want guys flirting with you anymore.

So, at your birthday party, he pulled you onto him in the Canoe Lake and kissed you passionately. Everyone stopped swimming to cheer you on.

An Apollo kid took a picture of the moment. It turned out like one of those aesthetic Pinterest couple photos with the sun setting in the background and the silhouette of your chests against each other.

Percy often asks you to replicate the silhouette in the picture as a shadow on the wall.

From that moment on, PDA became a big thing between you two.

Everyone knows you’re dating and if they’re new, they learn quickly.

You’re like the mother and father of Camp Half-Blood.

The first time you told Percy you loved him, he hugged you tightly and pulled you into his chest to stop you from seeing him so happy.

“I love you too,” he’d said quietly. “More than anything—everything.”

After a few moments of you being buried in his chest, he kissed your forehead, and then all over your face, and repeatedly said, “I love you,” until you laughed.

Nobody makes you happy the way he does.

“I’ve never seen you smile so much,” Leo said one time, not really joking.

“That’s because I’ve never been so happy.”

Nico threw a pillow at you. “Out.”

Your dates are at the beach, where Percy steals kisses from you in the water and you laugh at how dorky he is explaining the anatomy of a hippocampus.

You’re accustomed to riding dolphins, watching the sun set and swimming with sharks.

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Of what?”

“Of the sharks biting you or killing you. Girls are always scared of that.”

“I’m not scared of death, Jackson.”

You and Percy binge-watch Netflix and binge-eat all the time.

You and Percy are very powerful and competitive, being children of The Big Three, resulting in long and rough fights.

There is a literal rule that you’re not allowed to be on the same team. You’re both too powerful.

Because of the paleness you inherited from your father, you blush easily. Percy thinks this is adorable.

He always talks about how beautiful you are, saying Aphrodite can’t compare. He knows that you secretly like the compliments, in spite of smacking him and calling them moronically cheesy.

He is always in awe of you when you take people down in fights.

He genuinely admires what he calls the ‘badass bitch’ vibe.

You make him blue pancakes.

It isn’t very often that you’re open with people, but you’re very open with Percy. You wouldn’t admit it to him, but you’re sure he’s the only one you could love that much.

Percy appreciates your honesty, though others might find it startling. He appreciates most your ability to conceptualise what he’s feeling when he explains something that happened to him.

For example, he told you about how much he hated Gabe Ugliano. You recognized it as abuse and Percy denied it.

“Oh, come on. He was just a mean dude. I wasn’t abused,” he had chuckled.

“He hit you, Perce. He bullied you. Just because you’re a demigod doesn’t mean you’re a strong mortal incapable of feeling pain. Your problems as a human guy matter just as much.”

“You know, you’re nicer than you think.”

“Don’t insult me again, Jackson. No matter how cute you look doing it.”

Everyone at camp is envious of your relationship.

The Aphrodite girls go insane shipping you guys.

One time, Piper had to stop the Aphrodite girls from spying on you guys through the crack of the Poseidon cabin.

They like the contrast between you two; Percy is the warm one and you’re the cold one; he’s the tan one and you’re the pale one; he’s an idiot and you’re smart.

And yet you have a balance of similarities. You’re both illegitimate children of The Big Three, powerful, good-looking, brave and would do anything for each other.

One time, a mortal tried to capture a mythical seamonster on video in the middle of a Greek ocean. In the corner of the video were you and Percy heatedly making out; he had taken you there for a date.

Your accidental sex tape became worse when Poseidon used Mist to get rid of the hippocampus in the video so no mortal would find out about it.

The video was debunked, but also broadcasted on the news where the world got to see you two making out. And no seamonster.

Whenever you and your brother Nico play with Mythomagic cards, Percy always shows up.

He says he wants to learn to play, but rubs your love life in Nico’s face simultaneously.

You’ve always thought it was because of the ‘Nico saying Percy wasn’t his type’ thing, but it’s actually because Percy wants Nico to know that he really loves you and wants his approval.

Hades only accepts your relationship because you’re happy, but that doesn’t stop him from threatening Percy’s life.

“Break her heart and you’ll have wished you became immortal, Percy Jackson. Of course that wouldn’t stop me.”

Poseidon loves you like his own daughter.

But when you talk to him, you’re pretty awkward, as he knows about the things you and Percy do in his waters.

Sally thinks you’re good for Percy because you save his ass whenever he does something stupid.

With Paul Blofis being a smart, docile guy and Percy being a rowdy goof from a different world, they didn’t get along well initially.

So you’re the middleman. You educate Paul on the world of gods and you tutor Percy so he passes Paul’s English class—his worst class due to his dyslexia.

You’re pretty much the rulers of Camp Half-Blood and the high school you both attend.

Overall, you’re both strong and powerful in your own rights, but the two of you together are these soft cuties. Your relationship is passionate on all fronts and you’re sure you won’t find a connection as strong as this one.

[welcometotheocverse]

Marvel OCs ( wip )

Name: Nico Ikol

Story:

Faceclaim: Logan Lerman

Summary: Let’s get one thing straight, Nico was absolutely not some kinda norse god Okay? Nor the reborn version of one or whatever. They were just a normal kid. 

Okay so they sorta had a knack for getting people to agree with them and fine they’ve been having dreams about a blonde man with way too long hair and lightning and then there’s the whole...powers thing.

But I mean, aside from that.

And oh yeah the guy from their dreams is at the door claiming he’s their lost long brother. 

Name: Ruth Parker

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Rowan Blachard

Summary: Ruthie Paker has been dubbed her brother’s shadow from the first time they arrived at their aunt and uncle’s doorstep. The siblings have been together through everything; their parent’s deaths, their adoption by their aunt and uncle, their uncle’s death. It was the Parker kids against the world.

So when Peter starts acting weird Ruthie’s the first ( and it starts to dawn on her, the only one) who notices.

Name:  Astrid Odinsdotter

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Dove Cameron

Summary: Loki wasn’t the only child stolen from a battlefield. Nor was he the only one Odin and Freya raised as their own. Astrid was raised along side her brother as the princess of Asgard unware of her parentage; but her world gets thrown into utter chaos first when her brother is exiled to Migard and then when her true parentage is brought to light.  

Name: Grace Wilder.

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Kat Graham

Summary: tbd ( takes place in Runways) 

Name: Isabelle Nyx

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Holland Roden

Summary: Heir apparent to Nyx Incorporated, Isabelle like all of the PRIDE kids seems to have it made. Never mind the fact that her best friend killed herself or that her friend group fell apart soon after. 

On the anniversary of Amy’s death, Isa tries reaching out to her former friends but out of everyone, Alex Wilder seems to be the only one interested in mourning Amy with her. She’s surprised when the others join them, and even more surprised by what they find out.

“Fuck our parents. How about we actually run away.”

Name: Michelle -Miche- De Santos

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Siena Agudong.

Summary: Miche  knows the church of  the Gibberin is evil, knows that they paste on happy grins to prey on runaway kids. She knows because they killed her sister. The problem is no one believes her. It doesn’t matter though, she’s not gonna stop until she figures out how to make people see the rich assholes for the evil they are.

Except that she wasn’t planning to find the very children of the people she’s sworn vengeance against. 

And apparently, they ran away.

Name: Lucille Harkness.

Story: tbd.

Faceclaim: Amber Benson

Summary: Lucille knows about Agatha Harkness, how could she not. She grew up on stories of the witch that betrayed her coven ( Lucille’s coven) and committed the most atrocious of acts against their own during the time of the Salem trials. Agatha’s name was whispered in Lucille’s family, a warning of how reaching for forbidden knowledge could corrupt; a horror story of the witch who slaughtered her own kind without a care in the world. 

Still she never expected to find any trace of her in her lifetime, never expected Agatha to be more than whispers and campfire side stories, much less find out she’s in  a bubble of  Chaos Magic in a small town in New Jersey. 

Name: Nancy Keener

Story: The Mechanic

Faceclaim: Sadie Sink

Summary: tbd

Name: Tracey Stein.

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Sophie Lillis

Summary: Tracey has known her dad was evil since he beat her brother over a B-. She’s also known better than to think anyone would believe her. Except for of course her brother. They both knew it, they covered for each other, protected each other and that was enough. Even when their social group expanded to include the other PRIDE kids, it had always been her and Chase against the world. When Nico’s sister died and their little friend group falls apart it’s still the two of them against the world. 

And then on the anniversary of Amy’s death the siblings find themselves at Alex Wilder’s house of all places. Turns out her dad’s not the only evil asshole in their parent’s little social club. Turns out all their parents are.

Turns out they have to runaway. 

Name: Gwendolyn -Wendy- Maximoff

Story: tbd.

Faceclaim: Millie Bobby Brown

Summary: Finding out her brother was a mutant and that the men who came to look for him when she was five years old, finding out she herself was a mutant, finding out there was a special school for mutants. Gwendolyn Maximoff thought the weirdest parts of her life were behind her. She’s starting to settle in at the institute, starting to call it home, and she has her big brother with her which is the most important night.

Then overnight Peter disappears. Months go by with Hank and the professor poring over resources and Wendy wondering when her brother might come home. When they finally find him she demands to be the one to go find him.

As it turns out she might be the only who can; and that’s how she finds herself in Westview New Jersey...on an entire different dimension. 

Name:  Kamila Maximoff

Story: ( Love ) Persevering 

Faceclaim: Malina Weissman

Summary: Kamila lives in Westview, a little town in New Jersey where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. Kamila lives with her older sister Wanda and Wanda’s boyfriend Vision who might as well be her father for all intents and purposes. Life s simple in Westview, Kamila wakes up every day and goes to school. She helps babysit her little cousins and gets help for her advanced courses from Viz. She and Wanda are as close as ever...she thinks.

Kamila doesn’t always remember what she learned in school. Their neighbor Agnes gives her the creeps. She doesn’t remember the twins turning 1, or 2, or 3. She doesn’t know why Wanda’s the closest thing she’s had to a mother but she is. She wakes up screaming sometimes with nightmares of Vision’s body and her sister screaming and turning to dust. She feels like time isn’t passing and is passing too fast at the same time. She remembers things..things that never happened. ( why would she ever be in sci-fi YA novel looking lab? Why would Wanda?) 

Kamila lives in Westview New Jersey with her family; in a suburban little town where nothing ever seems to happen. But she’s starting to think their lives are anything but boring. 

Name: Anne Rogers

Story: tbd

Faceclaim: Sarah Michelle Gellar

Summary: Steve Roger’s genetic clone. Shield’s pet project. Avenger’s Family Member. Darcy Lewis’ girlfriend. Anne’s gone through a lot of changes throughout her existence. And a lot of loss. 

She refuses to have Darcy be one of them.

“I’m not gonna ask again assholes. Where the hell is my girlfriend?”

Might end Tyler Hayward’s entire career and existence.

Name: Audra  Ward.

Story: tbd

Faceclaim:  Zoey Deutch

Summary: Audra doesn’t remember much before her brother gained custody of her as baby. That’s what happens when your grandparents and uncle are a load of abusive assholes ( that much Grant did tell her) She doesn’t know what led to their deaths, how Grant was able to find her and gain custody when he was a teenager himself. She doesn’t know anything other that the life they build together after.  Still she has her  brother, and school,  and her life is...well not normal. One does not simply have a normal life with a brother who works for S.H.I.E.L.D but all in all her life is good. It’s her and Grant against the world, and she has a plan to graduate early and find her own calling helping to keep the world safe from H.Y.D.R.A. like her big brother does. 

Then Grant’s team finds a break in  tracking down a hacker and her life gets decidedly  more messy.  

Other Plot bunnies:https://welcometotheocverse.tumblr.com/post/651928008282816512/marvel-plot-bunnies

[starshineandbooks]

Delia sanders and the case of having family

Chapter one, what's sixteen years between family? A disaster.

Word count - 1,613

Pairing - LAMPD

Warnings - implied/referenced child abuse, cursing, threats. Tell me if I missed any

Patton messes up in this one. A lot.

    Patton stands beside his partners and children, eyes wide and searching as he looks about the airport for his boyfriend’s brother- Patton’s pseudo brother and unofficial brother-in-law- and someone who’s supposed to be his daughter.

    He’s shaky, worried, and of course scared.

    What will their daughter think of them? What will she think of her siblings? What if she hates them? 

    What if-

    “Roman! Boys!” Thomas smiles kindly, “You’re here! I sent Remus and Delia to the hotel, I know you wanted to see them here but- They needed to get out of the airport.”

    “Same.” Virgil grunts, “Meet you there?”

    “Of course! See you soon, oh- I’m so glad you get to see her.”

    Time seems frozen and simultaneously fast as they drive to the hotel, Roman and Patton talk, to fill the silence, trying to guess what Remus has been up to, what their daughter likes, if she likes poems and such.

    Janus, Logan, and Virgil listen to a murder podcast or other using headphone splitter, Janus and Logan sharing a set of earbuds.

    The boys talk happily, excited to meet their sister, the girl in the pictures.

    Nico greets them when they arrive, going to Thomas and Nico’s room first, and as if fate does not want them to see Remus and Delia again, the duo have disappeared to get dinner.

    Patton wants to scream.

    Thomas sits leaning against his husband, Nico’s, side, he speaks of Remus and Cordelia, though he’s said he’ll let them hear most of everything from them, “Remus is okay, he’s protective, of course, he always was. But- this is different. And Delia, she’s charming, but she gets the same look Janus does when she meet people, watch her.”

    Logan snorts, “I doubt we wouldn’t.”

    Patton feels rather numb to the world, but then the hotel door is opened- Nico answered it- and all heads turn to look.

    Remus, tall, wild as ever, and mustached like old times, stands beside a teenage girl. His hair has streaks of grey, Patton suspects that they aren’t dye like they used to be, and his clothes are paint splattered, manic grin in place.

    The girl looks foreign, Patton wants so badly to feel some parental tug to her, but he just doesn't, this isn’t his baby. His baby was taken when she was three, here is this strange teenager.

    Her brows knit slightly, barely noticeable, then she tilts her head, “Thomas, Nico?”

    “Delia!” Thomas grins, “Come on, these are your parents, and brothers I told you about.”

    Delia turns her gaze to her parents and brothers, “Nice to meet you,” She looks at her siblings lips quirking upwards, “You three are adorable, you know that?”

    “YEs!” Harley and Brian declare together, Pryce giggles outright in lue of response.

    “Cordy?” Janus asks, eyes meeting hers.

    “I prefer Delia,” She says, “If you don’t mind?”

    “Of course, yes! Delia!” PAtton says, and even he winces internally at the jarring peppiness to his voice, “We’re so glad to meet you- I mean- See you again!”

    She chuckles, soft, polite- Patton can’t help but think it’s an act, a dirty dirty trick- and she smiles sweetly, eyes almost sparkling, “It’s been a long time, I hate to upset you but I don’t remember you, so it is like a first meeting.”

    A dirty trick indeed, Patton thinks to himself. She would make an excellent actor, too bad she has the same tell Janus does, the slight over blinking, though she seems to have learned how to hide even that fairly well.

    No one seems particularly inclined to speak, they all stare at her and Remus.

    Delia stands fairly tall for a woman, Patton would put money that she is about six foot tall, hair that’s not wavy but not quite curly either in a dark shade, and startlingly gold eyes. 

    Remus stands about a head taller than Delia, watching over his shoulder, he never used to do that. It’s starling to see him so jumpy after knowing him to be the reason other people are jumpy.

    “I’m Logan,” Logan says, finally shifting a little, “It’s very good to see you home again.”

    “Thank you, Logan,” Delia smiles.

    Patton just can’t say that this- woman is his daughter. It can’t be the same person. His Cordy had been a vibrant, wild, cheery little toddler with big blue eyes like Logan’s and blonde hair like Janus’. She had been a gleeful singing monster, she’d called her parents variations of dad, not by first name.

    This Delia- this teenager was not his daughter, surly the others knew it too. He wouldn’t kick her out, he would try to love her, but this woman is not the same person his daughter is, they can’t be the same.

    Remus growls lowly, and everyone stares at Patton in varying states of shock, Patton realizes weakly and too late he had said that out loud.

    How on god’s earth did he manage to say that outloud.

    “Kiddo I-”

    “It’s okay,” Delia says, though the way her tone is falsely happy really dosen’t assure Patton, she stares him down, charming on the outside but her gaze is as cold as he’s ever seen, “I didn’t recognize you as my father either.”

    Even if Patton doesn't feel a parental pull towards Delia, the words still hurt.

    “Patton,” Logan says sternly, “You owe Delia an apology.”

    “I’m so sorry kiddo! I didn’t mean to say that I just- It’s so much and- goodness, you must be overwhelmed too.”

    Delai looks at PAtton, then “It’s fine, Patton.”

    The others must have done interactions while he zoned out.

    “Patt,” Logan gentles, “I know it’s hard, and you’re entitled to being upset but this is a scared child, she needs adults.”

    Patton misses the way Delia bristles at the words, but Janus sees the way she does, the settles serenely.

    “Patt,” Virgil sighs, “I get that, okay? But you need to do better.”

    “Delia,” Remus says finally, “Let’s go shower, I know you’re tired.”

    “But,” Logan protests, “We just-

    “Good night, I’ll talk to you later.” Remus says firmly, placing food down for them before stalking out, Delia at his side.

    Nico and Thomas sigh, sharing a look.

    Delia and Remus shower in relative silence then Remus asks finally, “So, what do you think?”

    Delia shrugs, “The boys are cute, they seem like good kids.”

    “Yeah.”

    “Logan and Patton seem- pretentious and I don’t like them at all.” Delia says after a moment, knowing Remus will always be there, he’s proven it time and time again, “I can’t believe Patton was rude enough to say that. I mean- I know I’m not what they wanted.”

    “That’s not true, they just wanted you, you’re you!”

    “They wanted me when I was three, which fine, I don’t mind that. But then Logan backs Patton up?!”

    “Oh little trash baby,” Remus coles gently, “It’ll be okay.”

    “I know.”

    “Good. Now, little mistake, get some sleep.”

    “Go talk to them,” Delia says.

    “What?”

    She sighs then, “I know you missed them, go talk to them, they’re your family.”

    “But-”

    “You’ll be next door. I can protect myself for a few hours, even if I hate them, I want you to be happy. Go on.”

    “I’ll check on you every half hour.”

    “I know.”

    Remus sighs, moving to his niece and ruffling her hair, “We’ll be alright kid.”

    “Good night, cephy.”

    “Good night, kitty.”

    Remus slips out of the hotel room, and Delia is left alone to reflect. An awful decision, really.

    She stares ta the ceiling, and her mind wanders over her day, focusing on the set of boys that supposedly are her brothers.

Her uncle always told her that most people are useless and should be used for her own gain, to keep her ahead of the game. 

But he also said she should never ever use children, or those she cares for. 

Remus also told her that there are good people, and she should protect them, not use or harm them.

Her brothers, she thinks they're adorable, she'd like to try to be there for them at least, like only Remus was for her. Those three boys deserve better than Logan and God forbid Patton.

Delia hums letting her eyes slip closed, letting the silence soothe her troubled mind.

---

Remus sits himself by his parents, glare leveled on Patton, "How dare you, how fuxking- I'll rip your fucking tounge-"

"Remus!" Virgil hisses looking completely scandalized.

"Screw off," Remus snaps, "You heard what he said to my sweet little trash baby!"

Everyone pauses at the endearment, a weird and very Remus sentiment.

"We're not saying he's right," Roman sighs.

"You weren't saying he was wrong!" Remus snaps.

"Remus," Thomas soothes gently, "we are all very glad to see you and Delia safe and alive. But it was a shock for us, imagine being her parent-"

"I am!" Remus snaps, "I raised her as best I could! I am he dad, even if she calls me uncle or cephy, I bandaged her wounds, I tied her tourniquet, hell I preformed half of her abortions!"

He freezes, realizing the others are quiet.

"Abortions?" Janus asks.

Remus scoffs, "Nothing. If you ask her i will destroy you."

"Remus, I-" Patton winces then, "I didn't-"

"You're not her father, you were right, Delia isn't your daughter." Remus sneers, a growl rumbling from his chest. 

"Remus," Nico soothes, "Please."

Remus scoffs, "You don't know what this pike bag did to Delia. I ought to-"

"Remus," Roman says gently, "Patton was out of line, but please, can't we just have a calmer conversation? For the boys? They're next door with Logan, just please don't wake them."

Remus scoffs, but he resigns to crossing his arms and glaring at Patton.

Just like old times.

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@battlebunnyteardropsinthesun @fanficloverinthesun

[booksbookssomemoviesandbooks]

Book Recs

Hello! so for my first post, I'll recommend some books, so y'all can have a closer look at some fandoms I'll post about! enjoy!!

1.  

Harry Potter By J.K. Rowling is definitely an interesting, well-written series! there are 7 books however, and the books get bigger as the series progresses. It's sometimes difficult to know the exact order, so I'll list it below:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Although the movies are great, they don't include all the amazing details, as with all movies. A short summary:

Harry Potter, a young boy who’s being constantly abused by his uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia, gets a peculiar letter from the magical school of Hogwarts, where he spends most of his time, becoming his home.

Quotes:

“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." ― Albus Dumbledore

“You’re just as sane as I am" - Luna Lovegood

“Mischief managed" - Fred and George Weasley

It is Important to know that j*r is a huge transphobe, along with other things, and is currently being erased by the fandom itself.

2.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, along with the other series by Rick Riordan, is a definite must-read. With each book, you can really notice the character developments and a lot more! There is loads of representation in this one, with lgbtqia+ characters, black characters, Muslim characters and more. It's very action-packed and addicting, sucking you into the magnificent world of Half-Bloods and Demigods within the first page. The first series consists of 5 books, in the following order:

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

Percy Jackson and the Battle of The Labyrinth

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

THE MOVIES ARE TRASH SO I DEFINITELY DO NOT RECOMMEND WATCHING THEM BEFORE READING THE BOOKS!!! There were many changes and the movies aren't nearly as good as the books. A short summary:

Percy Jackson, a 12 year-old who lives with his mother, Sally, and step-father, Gabe, attends the private boarding school Yancy Academy. While on a school trip, his teacher, Mrs. Dodds, turns into a fury and attacks him. This, in turn, triggers a series of other problems and adventures.

Quotes:

“If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.” - Percy Jackson

“With great power, comes great need to nap. Wake me up later." - Nico Di Angelo

“Even strength has to bow down to wisdom sometimes." - Annabeth Chase

3.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of my most recommended series! With everything it deals with, from the Capitol to the districts to the champions, the books are amazing! 

Order:

The Hunger Games

Catching Fire

Mockingjay

Starring the movies is the amazing Jennifer Lawrence, but with all books, the movies have slight differences, although I definitely recommend watching them when you're done with the books.

A Short Summary:

In what was once North America, the Capitol of Panem maintains its hold on its 12 districts by forcing them each to select a boy and a girl, called Tributes, to compete in a nationally televised event called the Hunger Games. Every citizen must watch as the youths fight to the death until only one remains. District 12 Tribute Katniss Everdeen has little to rely on, other than her hunting skills and sharp instincts, in an arena where she must weigh survival against love.

(FILM SYNOPSIS)

Quotes:

"May the odds be ever in your favor." - Effie Trinket

"Fire is catching, and if we burn, you burn with us!" - Katniss Everdeen

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” - President Snow

4.

Divergent is another book with a huge fandom, and rightfully so. This book is amazing, and you honestly can't live without having read it!

Order:

Divergent

Insurgent

Allegiant 

Surprisingly, I haven't watched the movies yet, but I hear that they aren’t that bad, so you should give them a go!

Summary:

In a world run by fictional classes known as factions, children who reach the age of 16 begin to choose which factions they wish to call home for the rest of their lives. Each faction comes with its own ups and downs, so it's definitely a hard choice, especially for someone as unique as Beatrice.

Quotes:

“Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it“ - Four

“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” - Dauntless Motto

"We are not the same. But we are, somehow, one." - Tris

5. 

You might have heard of this series, and it's really addictive, trust me! The Mortal Instruments is one of the most astonishing books I've ever read, and it's most definitely my go-to when recommending a book series!

Order:

City of Bones

City of Ashes

City of Glass

City of Fallen Angels

City of Lost Souls

City of Heavenly Fire

Again, (I know this is rather disappointing) I haven't watched the movies, but do check them out!

Summary:

Clary Fray's search for her missing mother leads her into an alternate New York called Downworld, filled with mysterious faeries, hard-partying warlocks, not-what-they-seem vampires, an army of werewolves, and the demons who want to destroy it all.

via: https://shadowhunters.com/shadowhunters-novels/the-mortal-instruments/#:~:text=Clary%20Fray's%20search%20for%20her,want%20to%20destroy%20it%20all.

Quotes:

“Heroes aren't always the ones who win. They're the ones who lose, sometimes. But they keep fighting, they keep coming back. They don't give up. That's what makes them heroes.” - Clary Fairchild

“If I cannot move Heaven, I will raise Hell.” - Sebastion Morgenstern

“The descent into Hell is easy.” - Motto of the Nephilim

6.

Gay. What more needs to be said?

SADLY, there isn't a movie yet, but I think they're working on one, or sure though

Summary:

Set in a world in which a female Democrat from Texas wins the presidency in 2016, Red, White & Royal Blue chronicles the illicit romance between the president's son, Georgetown senior Alex Claremont-Diaz (Dad is a Mexican-American senator), and Prince Henry of Wales, his childhood nemesis.

Via: https://www.wsj.com/articles/red-white-royal-blue-book-summer-beach-read-11565285001#:~:text=Set%20in%20a%20world%20in,of%20Wales%2C%20his%20childhood%20nemesis.

Also, classic enemies-friends-lovers arc and honestly it's amazing

Quotes:

“As your mother, I can appreciate that maybe this isn’t your fault, but as the president, all I want is to have the CIA fake your death and ride the dead-kid sympathy into a second term.” - Ellen Claremont 

" 'that’s because you can’t hear all the menacing gobbling.' 'Yes, famously the most sinister of all animal sounds, the gobble.' " - Harry and Alex

"History, huh? Bet we could make some." - Alex

7.

I’m sure you've heard at least a little bit about this book. While not nearly as famous as ones mentioned above, it's still just as good, of not better. I'd say this book is one of my favorites, to be honest. It speaks about a lot of topics people usually find disturbing, and it makes me so happy that it's there, it's written, it's amazing. PTSD, coming out issues, abusive relationships and more, this book is truly awesome.

TRIGGER WARNING 

Summary:

A young boy named Charlie usually dissociates, and pushes other people away. He’s afraid of beginning high school, until he meets two other students who show him how bizarre and amazing the world is.

Quotes:

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite” - Charlie

“We accept the love we think we deserve” - Mr. Anderson

“You can't just sit there and put everybody's lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love" - Sam

8. 

This book is honestly pro-feminist and I think that's much more than enough

Summary:

Kaur explores the true impact of sexual abuse and harassment, as well as the difficulties of immigrating, being a female, and depression.

It's also a poem

TRIGGER WARNING

Quotes:

“what is stronger

than the human heart

which shatters over and over

and still lives”

“you do not just wake up and become the butterfly 

- growth is a process”

“on the last day of love

my heart cracked inside my body"

9.

This book isn't very well-known, which really sucks because I really love how it speaks about the consequences of WWII from the German point of view. And about the Germans who did not believe in Hitler's ways. It's also based on a real story, and it's so cool

Summary: 

A nurse working in a nursing home meets a peculiar old lady who decides to tell her her story when she meets the nurse's younger son, Karl, who reminded her of her brother. Lizzie (the old lady) speaks about life in Dresden before the war, and even after it. She also tells them the story about the strange, magnificent elephant in her garden.

Quotes:

“That was the only way of keeping our hopes alive, by looking beyond all we were seeing around us, and the shadow of disaster that hung over us.” - 

“I think I have always had a strong sense of justice, of fair play, of what is right and what is wrong.” - 

“Our home should be an oasis of peace and harmony for us in a troubled world.” - Lizzie (Quoting Papi)

10.

This book is pro-blm and it's ahead of its time (by like 2 years but still). 

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. via: https://socialjusticebooks.org/the-hate-u-give/#:~:text=Sixteen%2Dyear%2Dold%20Starr%20Carter,hands%20of%20a%20police%20officer.

Quotes:

“Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right.” - Lisa

“Daddy once told me there’s a rage passed down to every black man from his ancestors, born the moment they couldn’t stop the slave masters from hurting their families. Daddy also said there’s nothing more dangerous than when that rage is activated.” - Starr

“Everybody wants to talk about how Khalil died,” I say. “But this isn’t about how Khalil died. It’s about the fact that he lived. His life mattered. Khalil lived!” I look at the cops again. “You hear me? Khalil lived!” - Starr