#but you don’t really get taught any other mythology
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College bets
Fandom: Indiana Jones
Ship: Indiana Jones x reader
Warnings: swearing, slight mention of smut
Requested by: @groovy-lady
Summary: Indy asks your hand in marriage and the students of the collage you work with couldn’t be happier.
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It was no secret that Doctor Jones and Doctor (Y/L/N) were MADLY in love with each other. They both shared a passion for discovery and history. Dr. Jones taught Archeology and Dr. (Y/L/N) taught world mythology. They had went on archeological missions together and had dug together in many archeological sites. They were always attached by the hip, they always had lunch together either in one of their classrooms or at the cafe, every time a student wanted to talk to Dr. Jones in his classroom, Dr. (Y/L/N) was there and vice versa. It was rarer to see the couple alone than together.
If you asked the university’s students, they would tell you that these two were the “it” couple. Since the students watched Dr. (Y/L/N) and Dr. Jones interact with each other one time she came into his classroom to ask him something regarding work, they all shipped them nonstop. There were rumors regarding both of them, they ranged from seeing the kissing, to having sex on a classroom and seeing them go on dates. Of course these were rumors and rumors only.
It wasn’t until Dr. Jones mentioned his partner in one of his classes, asking the students what he should buy her in his next date. He was always so professional but yet so casual with his students, that’s why they all loved him. Immediately all of the students (mostly nosy people who had a crush on him) started asking questions about who his partner was and of course, after a lot of insisting, he gave in and revealed that these two were actually dating. You swore you heard cheers from across the hall in the other classroom, but you had no idea what had happened until Indy told you he had revealed your relationship. It was fine, it wasn’t like you cared if the students knew you two were dating. You both were in a committed relationship and had nothing to hide.
Everyone in the college was very happy for you and, surprisingly, you weren’t in trouble for being in a relationship with your co-worker. The students shipped you so much before that they were always excited and asked both you and Indy questions in class. Questions such as “Where is Dr. Jones taking you on your date?” “Have you guys watched the stars at night as a date?” “Do you guys live together?” “Have you been to his house?” almost everyday came up before your class started. They were all surprisingly respectful towards you and Indy and never really asked any improper questions.
As time passed, the two of you always went to work together, so the students assumed you both were, in fact, living together. And when more than a year passed, a new question came up amongst the rest in Indy’s classroom “When are you going to propose to Dr. (Y/L/N)?”. Every time he heard that question he just looked with confidence towards the student that asked him and he just didn’t answer it, starting or continuing the class as if no question had been asked. It wasn’t as if he didn’t want to ask your hand in marriage, he just didn’t know if either of you were prepared for that commitment. And, although he would and always will deny it, he was VERY scared of rejection and he didn’t want you to say no. The more time passed, the more frequently that question came up. He usually just shrugged it off and thought nothing of it until one day he overheard a conversation between some students that really made him question wether or not to ask you.
“Hey! 20 bucks. I’m betting 20 bucks that Dr. Jones is going to ask Dr. (Y/N/L) to marry him in less than two months!”
“Bullshit, he is never going to ask her. I don’t think their relationship will last. 50 bucks that they are breaking up before the end of the year.”
“No way dude! The are madly in love and are TOTALLY getting married, but I think he is going to ask her this month. I’m betting 35$ that he is asking her this month”
The students all shut up when they saw Indiana walking down the hall but immediately looked at him when he saw their other professor walk up to him and start making small talk. When you held his hand unconsciously while walking, you could hear the students say small “aw’s” and “I’m totally winning that bet”. When you asked Indy about that bet they were talking about, he said it was just some joke the students were talking about before she arrived and shrugged it off.
After that encounter, he really started to question how, when and where to ask you to marry him. The first thing he did was buy a ring, he bought you a beautiful white gold ring with the biggest diamond he could afford (which ended up being a huge gem). He thought it was best to ask you as soon as possible to get it over with, by that he meant his anxiety, he wanted it to be special for both of you but wanted to do it as soon as possible to get an answer from you. He really believed that you were going to say yes, but there was never really knowing until he asked you. He also planned on asking you in the college’s library, since that’s where you two met.
One day, he asked you to go with him to the library, it wasn’t a really weird request for him to do, since you two spent the most time there, together, and reading. You really didn’t know what he was doing but when the two of you reached the center of the library and just stopped there, while Indy was hugging your waist softly looking down at you with his greenish eyes sweetly, you knew something was going on.
“Darling, I love you. I thought I would live my whole live doing just two things: going from place to place digging up buried treasure and teaching in the four walls of my classroom. I don’t think I would be the man I am today if it weren’t for you, doll.” he said sweetly, with a soft voice as two not disturb the students that were studying and working in the library.
“Aw Indy, thank you! I love you too, so much.” You said, hugging his waist and pressing your head into his chest. After a few moments, he pulled away from the hug and grabbing your hand, he knelt down on one knee, that is when you realized what was going on. Happy tears filled you eyes as you looked at the man before you, the same man that has made you feel so special for almost two years. Some people may think it was too soon for him to ask your hand in marriage, but from the moment you two met, you both knew you would be spending the rest of your like together.
“Y/N, will you marry me?” you nodded you head furiously while crying.
“YES!” Everyone in the library, professors and students alike started clapping, whistling and congratulating you both as you kissed.
“I TOLD YOU THEY WERE GETTING MARRIED IN LESS THAN A MONTH!” was heard as two other students sighed and gave money to the student that shouted that. You could help but laugh hugging Indy again.
#Indiana Jones#indiana jones x reader#Indiana#fanfic#xreader#xreaderfanfic#x reader#fanfiction#self insert fanfic#self insert#harrison ford#harrison fords characters
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So, I am back in the States!! HUZZAH, I am so happy to be home. But now I can talk a little about where I was, I’ve been living in Greece for the past three and a half months—so much happened that I don’t know how exactly to talk about it, so here’s a few of my favorite things:
THE RUINS. OH MY WORD, THE RUINS. I wanted to be an archeologist as a kid and I was living her DREAM. There are kind of just ruins everywhere, I was seeing them all the time, but of all of them I think I’d have to say that my favorite was either the ruins at Delphi or Ancient Corinth. (Y’all, I probably saw Paul’s tent shop.)
The coffee is absolutely fantastic there, you can get a good latte or cappuccino at any restaurant almost guaranteed. They also have amazing chocolate croissants, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat one in the States again. There is also the gift from heaven that is Lemon Coke, it comes in a solid yellow can and you can find it just about everywhere, restaurants stock them along with their regular Coke half the time. It is SO good and I don’t know what I’m going to do without it, and putting lemon in regular Coke is NOT the same.
Among other things, I got to take Greek Mythology, which was by far my favorite class of the semester. (Also, coincidentally, I took my final the same day that Percy Jackson premiered. Weird.) I also took Greek, which I did alright in. One of the most interesting problems I ran into with it was that my pronunciation was far better than my vocabulary, so anytime I’d greet someone in Greek (because I didn’t want to sound like a dumb American), they would usually assume I was fluent and start speaking to me in rapid-fire Greek. And then I’d have to shamefacedly ask if they spoke English 😂
The cats! There is an absolutely ridiculous amount of stray cats in Greece—I’d usually pass no less than three just on my way to the coffee shop. I wasn’t a cat person previously, but this semester might have turned me into one.
I found an absolutely wonderful church, as well as a Bible study with a ton of girls my age, the latter of which was something I was lacking growing up.
In general, I feel like I gained a lot of confidence on this trip, both in a broad sense and spiritually. For our Christmas Eve service today, my dad asked me to talk about a Christmas poem since I’m so passionate about poetry (I got to blab about Gloria in Profundis guys!!!), and it occurred to me afterwards that there was no way I would have been comfortable doing that before I left. There was a lot this trip taught me, but one of the greatest things I think I learned was how to be an independent member of a church without my parents. They’ve always told me that they wanted me to make my faith my own, which of course I’ve always understood, but that’s a little difficult when your dad is the minister. Being halfway across the world really forces you to be independent and weigh your own priorities, and having to make the active choice every morning to get up and take the hour-long trip via often uncomfortable public transport to church, to talk to people and make friends and not be antisocial and hide in a corner, was really good for me. I found myself becoming way more comfortable with both talking openly about my faith (something that used to terrify me) and just talking to people in general.
There was honestly so much on this trip that could have gone wrong, but it didn’t, and I’m so grateful for that. It of course wasn’t all sunshine and roses (the living was, shall we say, challenging), but there were so many moments where I felt God blessing me with something and going “Hey! This is for you! I’m giving this to you on purpose!” and I got so much comfort out of that.
All of that said, I am VERY happy to be home.
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hey, I was wondering if you have any tips or good resources on writing eco-fiction?
This is a GREAT question that I don’t feel qualified to answer. I have read a lot more environmental nonfiction than fiction, and I'm not really cued in to what other eco-fiction writers are doing. I’m also playing in the margins because creative writing feels like my second language (vs. visual arts, worldbuilding, etc.) So… I can only share what's worked for me. Take the best and leave the rest, chief o7
I think everything circles back to becoming freakishly obsessed with your home environment. This is just the way I was built LOL, if I want to make anything I have to be a little bit obsessed with it. I also just like to read fiction from people who aren’t career artists, who have some kind of niche interest or lived experience that colors their work (whether they want it to or not.)
studying ecology, the natural world, working with your hands in the dirt, whatever-- you can also appreciate how inseparable everything is from place. pick any moment in history and you can make a rich environmental reading of it. We construct stories that obfuscate this, but almost everything we do as humans is motivated by land and water and access to land and water. This really informs how I write. Everything is connected to The Desert even when it isn’t immediately obvious to me.
Which brings me to another thought. Most of my writing is playful daydreaming that asks “Wouldn’t it be fucked up if ______?” AND YET! The natural world is always doing it weirder and cooler. You just get to set up the dominoes in ways that highlight this, I think.
Like, 90% of what happens in Asthaom is motivated by water and access to water, the big limiting resource in a desert. So a false god marches on Scaiuq looking for mythical water. An ex-cactus rustler makes counterfeit versions of a rare cactus dye in order to flood the market and drive down demand for the real thing. your ancestors manufactured a climate crisis and now, 1000s of years later, the desert is fundamentally changed but still worth loving and fighting for. These are hyperbolic lies about real things that, I think, are very poetic and worth mythologizing. Fiction is daydreaming but it’s also about tricking you guys into caring about the boring stuff that I care about, hahaha
In that vein, being part of an eco-art community has also catalyzed a lot of things for me. In 2018 I joined Those Who Went Missing, an art therapy game about nature spirits who are created from lost and missing individuals. you tell stories about your characters and have them interact with others in a setting that's based on the real world. Suddenly I was spending a lot of time reading what others think of their home environment… (And now I’m realizing “I haven’t read a lot of eco-fiction” is a lie)… and suddenly I had this shared space to spew desert propaganda create stories in.
Something I like about TWWM is it doesn’t exclusively attract earth science people, so there are a lot of people who are using this game to learn and write about the natural world for the first time. Through them, I get to put names and faces to places that were once distant and abstract to me, and I also get to relive the thrill of learning what sky islands are, how to identify a mockingbird, etc. I also encounter a lot of dominant narratives about deserts, deserts as wastelands / empty spaces / inhospitable crucibles, the relationship between humans and land, that we’re separate from nature, that we only harm and extract, etc. This is not knocking those stories, they're valuable, it just motivates me to write my personal blasphemies so that I can gently push back.
It makes me think of something I was taught in my oral storytelling class, that storytelling is made by place, time, and audience. You will never tell the same story twice because you’re never going to be the same person in the same space at the same time with the same people, you have to be sensitive to yourself and the needs of those around you. Maybe this is just typical “knowing your audience” LOL but it really is a different process writing for TWWM as a group. leaving the jargon behind, being loud about deserts, insisting on depicting reciprocal human-land relationships even more than I otherwise would, while also grappling with the hurt and frustration of being thrust into an extractive relationship with the natural world. maybe 2 people will actually read/see it, but if it leaves an impression then it’s all worth it baybeeeeee
I don't really have a denouement here, but I hope you found something useful, thank you for giving me something to chew on. Anyone reading this, please share resources that come to mind. I feel poorly-read, haha
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Hello dear, let's start ╰(＾ᴗ＾)╯
🦇 + the moon boys please? Thank you ✨🌺!
Hello 😌 okokokokok—
Steven:
This boi 110% plays Pokémon. Don’t ask me how I know this. I just do. His Pokédex is almost full and he’s like at level 546 if that’s a thing idk. If he’s not at work/reading up on mythology, he’s playing Pokémon.
Speaking of mythology. Based on books on his desk, he’s most definitely teaching himself Wakandan and Asgardian, just like he taught himself Ancient Egyptian. But have you also considered: Ancient Hebrew? Indian? Welsh? This guy can speak like twelve hundred languages. Steven, my friends, is a polyglot.
He doesn’t just read non-fiction; sometimes he enjoys fiction, too. His go-to comfort series is Percy Jackson (he got started on Kane Chronicles when he was just renting books on Egypt from the local library, and then realized it was a fiction novel and he had to go back and read the whole series).
Marc:
You know how I said Steven plays Pokémon? Marc is fucking OP in Animal Crossing. Hey— hey— easy— don’t be hasty. I mean he hates violence, so Call of Duty/Mortal Kombat isn’t really an option. He’d prefer relaxing games like Animal Crossing and Sims. He loves being just a Little Guy doing Little Guy things like gardening and decorating a house and stuff.
Feeding ducks. Marc is söft, okay? He likes to pretend he’s not but he’s so soft. And huggable. And cuddly. So when he goes to the park he always brings food for the ducks because he’s worried they might not have enough.
He has a collection of Star Wars comic books from when he was a kid, and baseball cards. They brought him comfort and were probably one of the only things he kept. He still looks at them.
Jake:
Jake isn’t like the other boys. He doesn’t care much for video games. No, Jake enjoys board games. Stuff like DND, to be specific. This guy has like 20 different characters and campaigns going at any given time, and he runs them out of the local pub with his buddies. He might disappear for a week or two without notice, but good fucking luck getting through Menkalavert the Red’s dungeon without his Lvl. 98 half-elf ranger with maxed-out stats. Nobody dares to play without Jake. He’s OP (he’ll also kick your ass at Monopoly btw, and he’s always hanging out in pubs so ofc he knows every card game ever invented).
Documentaries. Look. It might seem like he doesn’t care for/nor have the patience to sit through one. But think of it this way: he never got to go to school. Everything he knows he knows from Marc and Steven. How to read, write, spell, and such. So in his free time he’ll sit and watch something on the history channel or National Geographic just to learn something new. It makes him feel good, especially when Marc or Steven quiz him on it later and he gets all the questions correct.
Jake makes it a point to always visit the local homeless shelter with all the food and clothes he can fit in his car. His cab business brings in good money, so once Steven and Marc get their share (before they get jobs again), and once he spends only what he needs to, he spends the rest on food and clothes. He helps get them interview clothes for jobs, helps them get bank accounts and assists them until they’re able to find a home. There’s always someone new in the shelter for every group he helps, but he’s always ready to do it all over again.
Spookable September
#moon knight#steven grant#marc spector#jake lockley#steven grant x reader#marc spector x reader#jake lockley x reader#stormkobra 5 answers#spookable september#oscar isaac#oscar isaac hernandez estrada
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The Dragon Republic
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐; rin making bad decisions like they’re going on sale at the market, arms full of regrets, guilt, mistakes, and self-destructive coping mechanisms: i can fit in one more
Oh?? 👌😉😏
rf kuang gave us an unflinching exploration on the cycles of violence and oppression, dissected the ever-escalating chain of vengeance, and the good good of eastern-inspired mythology?? like ma’am.....the good food im eating at your feast.....ive been so hungry
the lore deserves its own point. it was so effortlessly woven into the story, especially the way it tied into certain characters’ backstories. i can’t say much more because spoilers but if you like integrated worldbuilding and you like chinese-inspired magic systems get over here!!
the friendships. namely rin 🤝 kitay. miss kuang you know what really matters, and its not 10398 handsome men, its one ride-or-die bff holding you back or yeeting you into the midst of battle as needed
grimdark, but not oppressively depressing? im not sure how to describe it..the story gives you enough adrenaline to power through with the sheer speed of reading to find out what happens next, but doesn’t pull its punches. i think its partly that rin herself ploughs through the narrative like she’s trying to outrun the events, giving the reader the momentum to move with her
No.. ❌🤢🤮
i took a screenshot when my friend and i were planning to do a buddy read together. the trigger warnings took up an entire page. do not screw around with this. there’s no shame in tapping out for any book, but especially this one
some characters die, and i specifically blame rin for it. i mean there were a lot of other factors, but in the spirit of the phoenix herself i am choosing to close my eyes to the rationality of working through my feelings of grief in a healthy way and plunge straight into being pissed off about it, forever. *wipes tear* just like rin taught me
did suffer from a bit of middle book syndrome, at least to me. i mean, i finished an 800~ page book in 8 hours of reading time, so maybe don’t believe me, but the first half of the book dragged more than i remember the poppy war did. i will admit a lot of that was because rin was in no position to be a rational, active protagonist. the narrative needed her to flounder, and she did.
Summary:
Rin goes unhinged 2: water dragon boogaloo (ive tried and tried to write an actual summary for this book but i don’t think i can top this throwaway line i wrote as a placeholder)
Concept: 💭💭💭💭💭
Where to start? There are historical influences, commentary on social issues and the impact of violence on communities both physical and otherwise, the slow and terrible descent of a beaten-down protagonist. Basically a checklist of stuff I like exploring in high fantasy settings!
This is the second book in a trilogy - spoilers ahead!
Execution: 💥💥💥💥
Rin doesn’t like politics, and I think that made the narrative drag a lot initially as the moving parts tried to be interesting but through Rin’s jaded lens were stripped of their veneer. Kuang was more than ambitious with her sophomore book, and I know that she was open about struggling with the pacing of TDR while she was writing it - still, I think there’s more than something to be said about shooting for the stars! I didn’t think any part of the book dropped the ball, but the nature of all the heavy topics it was trying to handle became a hefty meal to swallow
Personal Enjoyment: ❤❤❤❤
Like I said, I read this book over 3-ish days in 8 hours. The library copy I had said it was 800 pages. I felt as powerful as Rin when I finished. The first half was a little dead in the water (which is a pun, yes, how many damn times did someone fall into the water and nearly drown in this book?? smh) but nothing I couldn’t handle with a little exasperation at Rin’s...*gestures* mental landscape. But when we reached the lore about Su Daji, and the Trifecta, and their chosen gods....i broke into a flat-out sprint. I was naruto-running through the plot.
Favourite Moment: it’s a battle to the death between the scenes with the trifecta backstories and the rin 🤝 kitay scenes
Favourite Character: chaghan, because i loved his backstory so, so, so much....also I didn’t know that handholding scene in the mountains was like. canon. and not fanon. rin really looked homosexuality in the eye and said ‘huh?’ with her whole chest.
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toa anniversary munday!
Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.
Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!
Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.
Name: Nic
Pronouns: they/them
Birthday (no year): 14th July
Where are you from? What is your time zone? The UK (BST)
Roleplay experience: I started around like '06 via msn or stuff doing Harry Potter or Naruto rp with my friends.
Got any pets?: Catcat!
Favorite time of year: Summer - I hate the heat but like, I need the sunlight to keep myself together
Some interests and things you like: Reading, writing, languages and linguistics, astrophysics, mythology, history, animals uh... I find almost everything interesting and it definitely keeps me awake a lot.
Some funfacts & trivia about you: I fell asleep at a scout camp once in the toilets and didn't hear the tannoy that was sent out for me. My grandfather taught me how to stroke bees. I love water/the oceans/seas/rivers but never learned how to swim. Peas scare me. I'm pretty good at -- and rather competitive about trivia games and quizzes.
What non-Fire Emblem games do you play?: The Sims! Dragon Age, Persona, Story of Seasons, Rune Factory, Stardew Valley, Wildermyth
Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: Fire or Fairy and I just think Dreepy is very endearing.
How did you get into Fire Emblem?: I saw a review of it on a news channel and decided to try it out. Then I became obsessed and haven't looked back since.
What Fire Emblem games have you played? I've watched playthroughs and read scripts for all but I played about half of fe5, fe7 (lyn and eliwood modes only though), fe8, 3/4 of fe9 before my emulator crashed, fe10 and everything post Awakening.
First Fire Emblem game: Fates
Favorite Fire Emblem game: Either Genealogy, Radiant Dawn or Three Houses
Any Fire Emblem crushes?: Ayra, Mercedes, Camilla, Lucia, Diamant, Jeorge, Sonya and oh my god I hate myself for this but Sylvain.
If you’ve played the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?
- Awakening: Chrom but now I'd probably opt for Libra or Henry?
- Fates: Takumi before I knew what an S support was. Kaze as a neutral pick, Subaki for Hoshido and Niles for Nohr
- Three Houses: Dimitri or Mercedes ?
- Engage: Yunaka was my first!
Favorite Fire Emblem class: DARK FLIER. but also any pegasus class is so chefs kiss for me
If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class? I'd want to be a pegasus knight or a mage but I could see myself being an armoured unit tbh
If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? LION PRIDE LETSSSSSGOOOOOO
If you were an Engage character, which Emblem would you Engage with? Micaiah :D
How did you find TOA? I just searched the fire emblem rp tags on a whim one day and found the group. Had a nosy around and was really impressed and excited to join :)
Current TOA muses: Elincia, Goldmary and Julia
Who was your first TOA muse? If you don’t have them anymore, could you see yourself picking them up again? Lincie! :D
Have you had any other TOA muses? I've had quite a lot um... Eirika, Ares, Orochi, Mercedes, Mae, Manuela, f!Shez, Macuil, Lana, Forrest, Constance, Tana & Celine
Do you think you have a type of character you gravitate towards? I do feel a big pull to healers usually? Or pegasus knights.
What do you believe you enjoy writing the most? Character's bonding and forming relationships.
Favorite TOA-related memory: Unlocked 2021 Cha Cha Slide
How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔 Usually like noah but with a t but sometimes i call it twaaah just to be silly.
Got any delusions that didn’t see the light of day that you’d like to share? 😉 Tatiana, Safy, Rodrigue, Altena and Yunaka all have either blogs or partial apps. Of them Tatiana and Rodrigue whilst still outliers could potentially hit me with a steel chair at some point in the future.
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Comfort piece of media (movie, show, book, etc) and why?
Oooooh interesting ask!
All of my comfort medias have helped me get through different school levels.
I technically don’t have a comfort movie but my top 2 are
1.) The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - the story of a little boy befriending the Loch Ness Monster, it’s super adorable
2.) Up - As sad as the opening of this movie is, I just love the story. Doug and Kevin are my favorite characters but special shout out to Russel and Carl.
My comfort tv shows:
1.) Once Upon A Time - I often call this show my “soulmate show” and I know a lot of people even the fans, criticize the writing, this show means so much to me. I was a huge Disney fan as a kid, so to see these characters in a more modern story got me intrigued. LITERALLY when I first saw the trailer in a MOVIE THEATER, I got chills. I was instantly drawn to the show and started it back in middle school. It got me through high school. It’s the show I turn to the most when I’m anxious or stressed.I know a lot of the episodes by heart and I’m not sorry about it. My biggest comfort character and OTP come from this series: Emma Swan, and Captain Swan. I felt like I related to Emma on a very personal level, even if I didn’t share every experience she had. This show taught me about hope and optimism even in the most difficult circumstances. It taught me that True Love isn’t just “love at first sight.” In fact, it gave me the standards I have for how a Significant Other should treat me (so I have a pretty high standard). I can listen to the OST of this show and remember the scenes some of the songs played over, I also end up tearing up because of it. I don’t think there will be another show (I’m sorry PJO tv show, I still love you) that will hold my heart (HA) and soul as much as OUAT will, even the cast themselves were special to me. I remember seeing their interactions and interviews in the San Diego Comic Cons as well as the bloopers on the dvd versions of the series and I felt like they were a little family. I will rewatch it a billion times and never get tired of it. The finale still makes me break down in tears. Other fave OTPs: Outlaw Queen, Snowing, Belle with literally any other character besides Rumple
2.) NBCs Grimm - Started this show the same time as OUAT, in middle school and it got me through high school. I don’t have a comfort character here but the characters DO mean a lot to me, especially Monroe, Nick, Rosalee, Juliette and Trouble. This show is the reason I became interested in the Gabriel Knight series (it has an overall similar story). I learned about folktale creatures I had never heard about before,like Krampus. It has a lot of references to other stories (Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Bears, Frankenstein are just a few I can think of) with their own twist on it, but was different than OUAT. They also included their own lore for the creatures in the world as well as the titled “Grimm”, which made me even more invested in the story. I remember crying when I first saw the finale. This show also has writing issues but, honestly tell me a series that DOESNT have imperfections. Favorite OTPs: Monrosalee, Silverhardt
3.) Lucifer - The idea that the Devil can be redeemed? *Chefs Kiss* I don’t watch this show on repeat as often because of.. personal family reasons. This show got me through high school into early college. But I felt myself relating to Lucifer (ironically), and one of the episodes where he forgives himself? THAT made me cry. Chloe, Ella, Trixie and Rory are some honorable mentions, plus the parallels between Deckerstar and Captain Swan? *another Chefs Kiss* Favorite OTPs: Deckerstar, MazikEve (is that their ship name?)
4.) The Percy Jackson series (Including the tv series as well as the books + the Heroes of Olympus) - Got me through middle school and into early high school. I was a huge Greek Mythology fan so having this modern take on the gods and goddesses was really cool. When I found out that the Heroes of Olympus was a CONTINUATION. I HAD to read it, (if only for my boy, Percy). I actually had a birthday where my cake had the Camp Half Blood logo on it and I got the “Blood of Olympus” as a birthday gift. With the release of the new tv show, my love for the series has rekindled, I’ll even try to read the new books. Comfort character: Percy Jackson. Favorite OTPs: Percabeth, Jason x Piper, Leo x Calypso, Grover x that one forest Nymph whose name I forgot
My comfort video games
1.) The Gabriel Knight series (specifically, The Beast Within) - My most current hyperfixation; yes, I know it’s a 30+ year old point and click adventure game. I was introduced to it by.. let’s say an old friend..because I really liked Grimm and he told me it was very similar. Low and Behold, it WAS. It got my through the pandemic as well as the rest of college. The stories of the first two games are, personally, my favorite. Although the series is very tragic and not at all the “happy endings” I was used to, I was still invested, particularly after my comfort character became Baron Friedrich von Glower (even AFTER I learned he dies 🥲yes, I cried here too) became SO salty invested that I started writing fan fic, drawing and even buying the games for myself to fill the void and continue my denial. I also related to him on a very personal level. I call this series, “The One I Used Necromancy On” because I (personally) feel like I rose it from the dead (ironically considering my comfort character) and I continue to find people who like the series or are just getting into it. Favorite OTPs: Angelwolf/Klower, Gknight and now Knightamura.
2.) Alices Warped Wonderland - I was introduced to this by the same.. old friend.. that introduced me to the Gabriel Knight series. As you can guess by the name, it is a retelling of Alice In Wonderland, except with a bit of horror and trauma added to the story and this version of Alice is Japanese! The story is VERY emotional, especially the sixth chapter and the endings, I even cried in one of the endings. Although I kinda related to Alice more, my comfort character became Cheshire Cat. Favorite OTP: None, I ship Cheshire and Alice platonically though.
3.) Night in The Woods - Got me though high school, but didn’t become a comfort media until early collage. As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, this game hit close to home. The Existential Horror/ Cosmic Horror beautiful ties into the struggles of mental illness, and the acceptance of change. Comfort Character: Mae Borowski, who I related to personally mainly because of her struggles with mental illness (although not the same). This game (along with the Gabriel Knight series) has some of my favorite dialogue, ever. A few other interactions between the characters, as well as the ending made me cry (see a pattern?). Favorite OTPs: Greg x Angus (idk their ship name).
4.) The Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask (SPECIFICALLY) - Even though I’m not the biggest LoZ fan, and I’ve only ever seen other people play this game, it still left an impact on me. How the whole story revolves around putting others happiness over yourself, even if it means doing it repeatedly to (seemingly) no avail. The fact that even after Skull Kid destroys Termania over and over again because he felt like his friends abandoned him and they forgive him and STILL consider him their friend? The true victory not just beating Majora, but saving and healing Termina and it’s people, including the Skull Kid? Chills. Goosebumps and tears EVERY TIME. Favorite Character: Skull Kid, this version of him SPECIFICALLY
Honorable Mentions:
- Criminal Case (mobile game)
- Undertale
- Super Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Origami King specifically
Thanks for the ask!
#personal#asks#nerdy-girl3791#the poptart answers#and now you know why my comfort characters are my comfort characters!
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If I Were A Blackbird, part 10 [co-written with @darkmagyk] [read on ao3]
“Percy!” Across the cafeteria, he was not at all unhappy to spot one of his teammates, Rich Jenkins, sitting down to breakfast, and was more than happy to join him. Jason had declined to join him this morning, choosing instead to sleep in after his gold medal-winning sprint, but swearing up and down that he would be at the marina in time. He deserved it, though, so Percy didn’t begrudge him his rest. “How are you feeling about today?”
Kind of sick to his stomach. But he was sure that was nerves as much as anything else. It would be fine. He knew, more than anything else, that him, a boat, and the ocean would always work out. “Like I can’t wait to get on the water,” Percy said as he sat down, “How about you?”
“I would feel better if I had your times,” he said with a laugh, “but I’m good. Your family get in okay?”
“Oh yeah.” They’d flown in two days before, and Percy had been able to spend most of yesterday with them. They’d explored the city a little bit, and with a Mets hat pulled low, and a pair of giant sunglasses, no one had noticed him.
It had been a lot of fun. Estelle had been delighted by every color, sound, and smell, and was eager to practice her third grade Spanish. Which, honestly, wasn’t even half-bad, and clearly endeared her to many a shopkeeper about town, though nearly all of them also spoke English when it came time for an adult to pay. Hazel, having medaled and finished, was happy to relax the entire day, and Nico had even shown up with the new Mythomagic Switch game as a present for his youngest cousin.
No one asked him about Annabeth, though Percy was pretty sure Paul was dying to. He could see his stepdad physically swallowing down a cavalcade of questions every time he so much as looked his way, which was appreciated. The other day, he’d had a very short conversation with Nico and Hazel at dinner the night after the phone call, and an even shorter phone call with his mom, and between the three of them a general feeling of ‘don’t ask’ had been gently enforced over the last few days.
Instead they had talked a lot about his race. Which was much, much better.
Paul said he’d been praying to every god he could think of for Percy’s success, and his stepdad taught a world mythology unit to freshmen, so it was a lot of gods. Luke, who didn’t always have time for Paul’s supreme earnestness for reasons Percy liked to not think about, promised he was bypassing the bullshit, and sent all his requests straight to Nike.
All six of them planned to get front row seats for his race today, though front row on an open ocean sailing event was a bit of a misnomer.
And even with his nerves, he felt confident. Scared witless by his first Olympics, but confident that there was not one else on the water who had his skill with a boat.
How could they?
Still, he hoped Rich did well. He was a great guy, and they got on well. The other American was racing in the Men’s Finn medal event later today, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he knew what he was on about. “What about your family? They coming?”
“My brother, Ed, he’s taking a red eye from Chicago. Any luck, he should be here in an hour or so.”
They chatted aimlessly for a while after, about their families and the weather and even the food. They didn’t directly touch on the race, or anything else of substance. And then, with an unspoken agreement and a mutual nod of well-wishes and good luck, it was time for them to go out to the water.
And if on his way to the marina, Percy said his own little prayer to Nike and Poseidon, and maybe even Zeus, who the Olympics were supposed to be dedicated to, well, that was his own business.
***
Annabeth seriously considered pulling a Roman Holiday. Well, not a real Roman Holiday, but a fake one. She could tell everyone she was sick, so she couldn’t attend her events. She wouldn’t even go out and smash anyone’s head in with a guitar, even though she really, really kind of wanted to.
She could lay in bed, and do her best not to think about today's events. But then, that was why she had to go, wasn’t it.
Today was Percy’s medal race. But Sweden had their own people in it, so she had to be there anyway. She was expected, and if she didn’t put in an appearance, what might people say? What would they think of her? Probably that there was some problem with the two of them. Which there wasn’t. They’d made up.
They were going to be friends. More than that, they were going to date. Percy had promised her. After the Olympics was over, they would see each other again.
She very carefully did not think about the promise she’d made herself, about what else she’d do when the Olympics was over. And how well a new boyfriend might fit into such a plan.
How perfect Percy Jackson would look next to her at a state dinner.
She swallowed, and considered the outfit Helen had selected for her: a pale, almost colorless blue dress, long-sleeved (in this heat? How?) with a pair of delicate gold earrings, and Annabeth’s favorite charm bracelet, which luckily just so happened to match. Short, blocky, nude heels and a wide, chic, straw hat. Enough to evoke the idea of a flag, but not enough to confirm it outright.
Her blow out from the previous day would probably not withstand the seaside conditions, but it should be fine for at least the first few hours, which was more than enough time for the photographers to do their business. And her make-up needed only a little refreshing.
And then she was ready to go and see the sailing event.
Technically, there was more than one, a fact that she kept mentally repeating to herself as Hans drove them over to the harbor. Percy Jackson was just one man among the throng. She needed to remember that. There were other athletes at play, other people to consider.
She’d promised him until the end of the games, and she meant to fulfill that promise.
Mind racing a mile a minute, she only half-listened to Helen explain the day’s races and the relevant persons she had to greet as Hans drove them to the harbor. There were three medal events for sailing today, two men’s and one women’s, but she was only truly obligated to stay through the first two, Men’s Laser and Women’s 470, as Men’s Finn didn’t have a Swedish athlete participating this year. “You’ll have some time to speak to Mr. Holmgren, Ms. Cederström, and Ms. Söderlund before the start of Men’s Laser, as well as their coach. You are only obligated to wish them luck, on behalf of the royal family.”
Annabeth nodded, flexing her foot in her shoes. Was she getting a blister on her heel?
“Unless there is a massive upset, unfortunately, Ms. Cederström and Ms. Söderlund are unlikely to place in the Women’s 470. Mr. Holmgren, however, can earn at least bronze today, provided he finishes in the top five.”
“So can–” Percy, she nearly said, and then nearly smacked herself for it.
“The protocol is very simple,” Helen went on. “Should Mr. Holmgren medal, you are only obligated to shake his hand, and congratulate him on his victory. We will handle any and all details regarding the athletic reception later this week.” Then, she flicked her eyes to the front of the car, at the back of Hans’ head. “And… if you wished to congratulate any of the other winners as well…” she trailed off, meaningfully.
Annabeth frowned.
“For example… the American…” Helen shrugged, tapping away at her iPad. “Well, I suppose that wouldn’t be inappropriate.”
She could only stare, mouth open and speechless, as they pulled up to the marina. Helen never went back on her words. She never admitted she was wrong, or even partially incorrect. “I… thank you,” she said, stunned.
Her PA said nothing in reply, only slipping on her sunglasses and opening the car door into the bright sunshine.
***
The marina was a bustle of activity this morning, as a whole small city’s worth of athletes, spectators, and press descended on the little, curved harbor north of Mérida. Percy counted at least twenty different languages being shouted around him, all thirty-six participants in the Men’s Laser going through their good luck rituals or getting some last minute advice from their coaches, and it was only Percy’s quick reflexes that let him both hear, spot, and catch Estelle before she bowled him over. “Hey, squirt!” he laughed. “Good to see you!”
He picked her up and swung her around, Estelle squirming and giggling in his grip. “Percy!” she shrieked. “You’re racing today!”
“Sure am!” He set her down, holding onto her hands. “What do you think? Is it looking good for me out there?”
Twisting around to look over her shoulder, Estelle studied the calm, gentle waves, then squinted up at the clear, cornflower blue sky. “I dunno,” she said. “It looks like there’s a sea monster out there.”
He glanced back, scanning over the water, and then shot a look at Luke and Nico. Both of them shrugged.
So Percy turned back to his sister. “Monsters, huh? Are they gonna gobble up all the boats?” And then he poked her in the belly, watching as she fell into a pale of giggles. “And I suppose you’ll be there to save the day?”
“Yep!” she chirped. “With THIS!” And she waved her Switch case about.
“Hey, careful with that thing,” said Luke, ruffling her hair. “It cost good money, and you don’t want to break it.”
“You’d buy me a new one,” she said, and the look on Luke’s face made it clear he would.
“No he won’t.” Percy said. “We all know Luke would do it. But Mom already thinks he spoils you enough as it is. She’d tell you no, if you broke that one.” Though in truth, she wouldn’t if Estelle broke it doing something stupidly brave. Not that Estelle had much need for that kind of thing. And hopefully never would.
“Besides,” Nico said, “You only just unlocked Hestia in Mythomagic. And she’s one of the most important characters, if you can figure out how to play her right.” He shifted, lowering Estelle’s hand, and Percy noticed that there was some gauze wrapped around his left bicep that had not been there the night before. Percy caught his cousin’s eye, and nodded towards it. Asking a silent question.
He got an affirmative nod.
His follow up questions, just being formed in a way as to not freak out Estelle, were interrupted by his mother’s arrival.
She’d been pointing something out to Hazel, but now she wrapped him in a big hug of her own, squeezing him to her chest. “Hey, ma,” he murmured into her shoulder.
“Hi, baby,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. I’m feeling really good today.” He pulled back. “Where’s Paul?”
“Securing our seats,” said Hazel. “He’ll be over in a minute.”
“Big day, cuz!” Luke lightly punched him in the arm. Was he favoring his right side? “Feeling good?”
“Definitely.”
“You should,” Luke said. “You’re just a few hours away from your gold medal!”
He kicked at a stray pebble on the concrete. “You know, I might not even win gold.”
Luke raised a skeptical eyebrow, and Percy saw it reflected in Nico and even Hazel.
“I’m serious!” he said. “My head’s in the game today. I’m going to put my full body into it. And so I might not win gold.”
A beat, and then Hazel chuckled. “That’s the spirit,” she said, slapping him on the back.
“It's silly,” Nico grumbled. “You could win gold and set records without breaking a sweat.”
“Yeah,” Percy agreed. “But if I wanted to do that, I might as well have stuck with swimming.”
“Hey, swimming’s loss is sailing’s gain,” said Paul, appearing from his side. “Good to see you, kiddo!” he said, drawing Percy into another hug.
“You, too.” It had been so long since he’d been surrounded by whole family. Hazel’s presence had kept him grounded, daily texts with Luke and calls with his mom had just barely managed to stave off the worst of the loneliness, but to have them all here with him, a mere hour and a half before his first Olympic race… Well, he was just glad that he was good at stopping himself from crying.
Estelle grabbed her dad’s hand when he was done squeezing his stepson. “I’m gonna fight a sea monster!” she said, with all the same enthusiasm she had previously shown for her brother’s race.
“Uh huh?” But Paul wasn’t looking at her. He was looking past Percy, over his shoulder. “Sounds like fun.”
Luke scooped her up, then, easily transferring her into a piggy-back. He was just a little bit taller than Paul, and quite a bit stronger thanks to all those genetic advantages Paul lacked, and Estelle was maybe getting a little bit too big for her English-teacher father to carry without too much effort. “No monster-hunting without your favorite brother, though.”
“Nico?” she asked.
“Very funny,” he grumbled. “He’s only an in-law.”
Paul was no longer listening, staring slack-jawed at something behind Percy, who sighed. He was pretty sure he could guess what–or who–Paul was looking at. “Wow,” he managed. “She is so much more gorgeous in person… uh…” He glanced at Percy. “I mean… never mind.”
Her presence confirmed, he swore he could feel it, like he suddenly had a magic compass, pointing directly to the most beautiful girl in the world. “It’s okay,” he said. Because it wasn’t like she wasn’t.
Taking his shoulders, his mom filled his vision, drawing his attention back from somewhere behind him. “This is your moment,” she said, soft, serene, and spellbinding. “You don’t have to think about anything else but this moment. And no matter what, remember, we are all so proud of you.”
And then she drew him into one final hug, before being swiftly joined in by his siblings, cousins, and stepdad. Enveloped in the knot of his family, Percy let his shoulders relax, and for the first time in days, felt his thoughts slow down.
He was ready. He could do this. And do this the right way, not the easy way.
He was meant to be on the ocean, on a boat. He had known that since he was eight, and Luke had stolen that sail boat in the Westport Marina for them to take a joyride. And now he was meant to be an Olympian.
He gave a little snort to himself at the thought.
And then there was some organizer there, ushering people to the viewing area, and athletes to the staging area.
Percy got a round of back slaps and quick hugs, and then he and his family were separated. He looked out at the ocean, breathed in the scent, felt it in his veins.
And tried not to catch a glimpse of the princess of Sweden as he headed to his boat.
Paul was right. In her pale blue dress and with her golden hair, she was beautiful.
***
“It’s an honor to have you here, your highness,” Sweden’s sailing coach was saying, shaking her hand a touch too vigorously.
“The honor is all mine,” she responded, smoothly. “On behalf of my family, we wish you all the very best of luck today.”
The greetings went by quick enough, Annabeth shaking hands with the coach, the two assistants, the handful of support and admin staff whose jobs Annabeth was not quite sure she understood, or even knew, and then, finally, the athletes themselves: Adele, Marie-Sofie, and Loke. The women were perfectly gracious, and pretty obviously eager to get out of there and get organized, even though their race wasn’t until much later that day. She could appreciate the pre-event anxiety, though.
Loke’s grip was strong, yet gentle, and he dipped his head. “Your highness, it is very good to see you again.”
“And you,” she replied. “I understand you are likely to medal today?”
“Aiming to bring home at least a bronze,” he said, proudly.
“I look forward to it.” She shook his hand again. “Best of luck to you.”
But as she made to leave, he kept a hold of her. “My deepest pardons, princess,” he rushed out, “but… if you would like, I can pass on your well-wishes to Mr. Jackson.”
Sharply, she inhaled, momentarily speechless. And as he stared at her, and she continued to not graciously demure, his smirk only grew.
“Your highness?” He prompted.
She swallowed, turning off the part of her brain which told her what a colossal mistake she was making. “If… if you happen to see him,” she said, “please feel free to wish him luck. On my behalf.”
“Is that all?”
A million thoughts raced through her head, some highly inappropriate, and at least one about how she was always happy to see a Yalie loose, the context of which would probably go straight over Loke’s head.
She forced her most polite smile. “Of course,” she said. “I look forward to seeing you both race. But I am hopeful to see you on the podium.”
He stared at her just a little longer, clearly wanting her to say more. She didn’t. And then Helen and another facilitator were there, and she was being brushed away towards the viewing area where she could sit and sort of watch the race, even though sailing wasn’t exactly ideal for in-person spectators.
Aggressively, she kept her eyes forward, her field of vision narrow, her gaze straight ahead, as she martialed all of her faculties into not looking for anyone in particular. She was so distracted, she nearly jumped out of her skin when something bumped into her, and looked up at Hans in alarm. He was way too well trained for this. But then again, so was she.
Hans only winked at her, and then tilted his head at ten o'clock.
She turned, and there was Percy Jackson, in a sinfully skin tight wetsuit, speaking to the American coach, Larry Peterson, whose name she had looked up on wikipedia. Because she was not the only person who had a page. Though Percy’s was much shorter, and mostly just had his stats on it.
The two men wandered out of the staging area, and again Hans nodded, this time to a group of people walking about twenty meters in front of them. A little girl was sitting on a man’s shoulders.
“I can do that if you’d like, princess,” Hans offered. “Give you the best seat in the house.”
“I am armed, Hans, and I will not hesitate to use force if necessary.”
He chuckled as they kept walking to the dignitaries’ box. And she tried not to look back at Percy Jackson.
***
He was close to the water, now, close enough to really know what kind of day it was going to be. And the answer was a very good one for sailing.
It should have calmed him down. In some ways it did. But it also hyped him up, the anticipation of a coming race. Once weeks and months and days away, not mere minutes.
He kind of couldn’t believe it.
On the one hand, he knew without a doubt he was really, really good at sailing. He was meant to be in control of a boat. He was meant to sail across the ocean. And he’d been proving that since he was a kid.
But on the other hand, sailing, as a sort, still sometimes felt like an old boys’ club he couldn’t believe he’d been allowed to join. And the Olympics had felt so far off and distant. Like they might as well have been resigned to ancient Greece, not as accessible as modern Mexico.
He might have been shaking a little. He kind of wanted to jump in the ocean to chill himself out.
He figured Coach wouldn’t appreciate that much.
Percy was mostly listening to his last minute instructions and advice. Some of it, like the tactics of the other sailors, was helpful. But he knew the conditions of the ocean perfectly well.
“Just make sure you watch out for those accidental jibes,” Peterson reminded him, and then laughed at his own joke. That had never happened as long as Percy had been working with Peterson.
That had never happened to Percy, ever.
Even thinking that made him feel like the fates were laughing at him, suddenly. But he shook it off.
Nerves were normal, and once he got on his boat, in the water, it would be fine.
“Good luck,” Peterson said, clapping his shoulder.
“Thanks,” Percy replied, proud of how his voice didn’t shake.
And then it was time to really get ready.
He ran into Loke as they were towing their boats out to the water. “Good luck out there,” he told him.
“Thank you, my friend,” Loke responded. And then paused, and said, “You know, I just spoke to Princess Annabeth.”
“Oh? I mean,” he coughed, “cool. That makes sense.” For a brief, fleeting moment, he thought maybe she might… But, then he reminded himself that she likely would not mention him as part of her official duties as a representative of Sweden. Or would be allowed to see him. Besides, they had agreed to wait until after the Olympics.
Two weeks never seemed so long.
But then Loke turned his world upside down. “She asked me to give you a message.”
Percy nearly tripped over nothing. “She did?” He meant to keep the shocked awe out of his voice. And he failed.
“She did,” Loke said. He laid a hand on Percy’s shoulder, and leaned in. About three inches out, Percy realized he was puckering his lips.
“Dude,” he ducked, stepping back. “Come on. You don’t have to lie to me.”
“Hey, got to get my pranks in now before you end up as my Prince Consort!”
Percy rolled his eyes, and didn’t let the thought make its way fully from his brain to his heart.
Loke just laughed. “She said to tell you good luck. And though she said the same to me, I didn’t see her offering such wishes to Wilson, or anyone else. Interesting, no?”
It was interesting. But Percy could not let his thoughts go there right now. So instead he looked past Loke, towards Wilson, who had a pinched, constipated scowl on his face, and let that vague animosity clear his mind.
He wanted to win. He wanted to beat Wilson. He wanted to out-sail him, to control his boat with his body, to harness the winds and show he had all the skills needed.
And was going to do just that.
Percy Jackson was about to race in the Olympics. He was going for the gold.
And he was going to get it.
And then he’d worry about getting the girl, too.
***
She could spot Percy at a hundred paces. Or however far away they were. And however far a hundred paces were. In the box, Helen by her side but Hans waiting in the back, surrounded by people, she could see Percy Jackson.
Sadly, Annabeth wasn’t close enough to pick out details. She couldn’t make out the lines of his nose or the set of his brow or that jaw that could cut glass, and was delightful to suck on. But she could see his bronzed skin, and his black hair. And she could imagine his sea green eyes, not so dissimilar to the color of the water on which he was about to race.
The black wetsuit did not show off all the definition in his arms and chest and legs. It did not give a detailed look of all the ridges and veins that Annabeth had rubbed and scratched and licked and kissed up and down. But you could see the shape of him. Broad, strong shoulders. Trim waist. Powerful arms. And thighs she couldn’t wait to be between again.
Gods, those thighs. She’d watched some of his races online. And they were so, so strong in action. She’d seen them up close into a very different action, and could attest to their majesty.
But despite the muscle, and the strength, they were an absolutely wonderful place to sit. So soft and comfortable. So close and…
She swore under her breath, though not as quiet as she’d have liked. Helen didn’t know the word, but the minister from Greece, who was two empty seats away from her, did a double take when he realized it came from her.
She wondered what he’d look like if he knew what she was thinking about.
She wondered what Helen would think. She was pretty sure Helen was married. Though she spent so much time ruining Annabeth’s life, she couldn’t imagine she had time for her husband, as well, let alone vivid sex fantasies in broad daylight, brought on by the outline of a handsome man a very long ways away.
Oh, how she wished she could have pulled an Audrey Hepburn today.
She tried to look away, to watch Loke, or any of the roughly forty other sailors stepping out for this event. There were so many of them. A bunch of men of all roughly the same shape and size. She’d read an article about that once. Or maybe Piper had mentioned it? Swimmers didn’t get their body from swimming; they were good at swimming because of their body types. Sailors were cut from a similar cloth.
And yet even among them, Percy stood out. Annabeth couldn’t help but watch him as he climbed on his boat, pulling at ropes and settling in, before pulling out from the harbor.
It wasn’t even the race yet, but there was something gently enticing about watching him weave under his sail, pull and shift and sway. He was getting further and farther away from shore, but she could still imagine every inch of his body as he got out there.
There was a piercing horn blast from out on the water, which meant that there were five minutes left for the sailors to get in formation at the start line. Percy Jackson was shrinking from her sight. And yet, the heat in her cheeks, and beneath her skirt, was going nowhere.
It might have been getting worse.
From this far away, she could see that he was jockeying with the sailor from Australia. He was an old hat, apparently, and having almost as good an Olympics as Percy.
She glanced around for Loke, hoping for some national pride to distract her, thankful that the Swedish flag was so distinct from the Red, White, and Blue of both the Americans and the Australians, but alas, Loke was making his way to the starting line at a much lazier pace.
The anticipation was killing her.
Why couldn’t Percy have done something more mainstream, like swimming? She could be closer, then, and not have all this horrible anxiety building up in her chest. Waiting, waiting, waiting for it to start.
Maybe her mother was right, with the whole hating the ocean thing. This was so horribly stressful. A dozen folk songs about wives waiting on shore for sailors suddenly made a lot more sense.
And all the stress wasn’t doing a damn thing about her horniness.
Fuck.
***
His heart was thumping in his chest. His fingers would have been raw from the grip he had on the rope if he weren’t wearing gloves. He was sweating, not that you could see it beneath the sea spray.
It was here. It was time.
Oh gods.
Mentally, he ran down his list of people to watch out for, one final time. Xanthopoulos had a habit of stealing swells. Takeuchi had some of the tightest turns Percy had ever seen. Wilson was–well, he was Wilson. The guy already hated him.
If Percy placed second today, he would win gold. And he had every intention of placing first. He could feel it in his grasp, and he gripped his rope even tighter.
The boats floated together, bobbing gently in a line. Percy closed his eyes, and sent up a final prayer, breathing in the salty sea air.
He frowned. Something was off.
Beneath the smell of salt, of sunshine, of the remnants of his morning coffee and the damp wetsuit, there was… something very wrong. The stench of rotten fish, wet garbage, and old blood. A dull, but heavy scent, skimming just beneath the surface of normal. Nearly undetectable.
But still there.
His eyes snapped open, and he whipped his head around, attempting to locate the source of that awful smell. But the seas were just as calm as they had been all morning. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The fleet of boats bobbed calmly on the surface, each of Percy’s competitors completely, blissfully unaware that something was deeply, deeply wrong.
But then the start horn blasted, a short, sharp warning.
Cursing, Percy turned his sail. While he’d been distracted by that horrific smell, he had drifted out of position.
Whatever it was, it was probably nothing. Stress maybe. A random act of biology.
And if it was something, it could very well wait until after his race.
The horn blast sounded again, and they were off. Percy snapped his ropes, wind catching his sail instantly, drawing him quickly out of the crush of sailors, sending him into an early lead.
Yes. This was what he lived for. The wind in his face, salt spray in his hair, and the thrill of the competition: it was almost all he needed.
***
Annabeth had spent the last week reading up on the history of Olympic sailing. She had studied videos of games past, made glossaries of terminology, even tried her hand at calculating the statistics herself before giving up and letting the professionals run the numbers for her.
In the abstract, it had all been very exciting.
But now, she was fucking bored. Her binoculars could only tell her so much. The small flags got lost in the sea of white sails.
And somehow, she was still horny.
“I need to run to the bathroom,” Annabeth muttered to Helen after fifteen minutes.
“Now?” she hissed.
“Yes, now.” She glanced around. The race was lightly attended by both press and dignitaries. She wouldn’t be missed. She was sure of it.
And if she was, well… that was a risk she was willing to take.
If Percy was bothered later, she’d just tell him the truth: that the mere thought of him out on the water made her too horny to concentrate.
And if anyone else asked, well, she was just a lady who needed to relieve herself.
She stood up, picking up her large bag with her, and slipped past the glaring Helen. Hans met her at the back. “Are you alright?”
She nodded. “Just need to run to the bathroom.” He stared at her, and she got the distinct impression he was taking in her extremely flushed cheeks. And maybe the beads of sweat that were starting to form at her hairline. But he just motioned for her to lead the way.
The dignitaries had their own bathroom: a nice, expensive one, large, with gleaming white sinks and stalls with doors that reached the floor. And no one else was around. Which was great. She could hear race commentary being piped down the halls, as someone in rapid Spanish and then someone in rapid English detailed all the thrilling action of Olympic sailing. Jackson wasn’t technically in the lead at the moment, but he’d caught a good wind, and was looking to be speeding up.
She took a deep breath, and sighed when she found the ladies’ room silent. And empty. Just her, white tiles, and the sound of the air conditioner kicking on.
Walking to one of the sinks, she rested her hands on either side, looking in the mirror, and tried to regulate her breathing. To make the redness in her cheeks dissipate. She took a deep breath, in and out, and then another. Half a dozen fighting masters over the years, and with the exception of the Berserker, all of them had preached a little something about meditation–not that she was any good at it. A curse of ADHD, the world was a constant stream of stimuli around her.
Here, though–here she could be alone. And she could be calm. She turned on the water and splashed some on her face. And only tensed up a little when she heard the door open. Other people could use a semi-public bathroom at a crowded Olympic event, of course.
She bent her head, hoping that whoever it was would be so preoccupied with doing their business wouldn’t notice her.
But then the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. There was a smell like wet earth and old blood.
She grabbed her ax before she was fully conscious of it, a grounding presence in her hands, as she turned to face the intruder.
***
Nothing was wrong with the water. And the winds were easy as could be, and almost irrelevant.
But the antsy feeling hadn’t gone away. Which he did not like twenty minutes out and a couple laps into the race.
Selden from Australia was next to him, clearly trying to steal some wind. Joke was on him. No one could play dirtier than Percy, when he got down to it.
But he wasn’t going to do that. He was going to lean back, and get his boat under control.
Percy was leaning off the starboard side, his back an inch from the ocean’s water, pulling on his lines and spreading as fast as he could towards the first turn, the farthest part out into the sea. It smelled like salt, the wind blew through his hair. It was perfect.
It should have been perfect.
But something was still wrong.
He swung under the sail, adjusting his grip on his rope, and re-situated himself as he prepared for his turn.
And then he saw the tentacle.
***
For a split second, Annabeth was worried she made a mistake.
Then the blade of her ax hit the monster, and she had a whole new set of things to worry about.
She landed a hit on the monster's arm, and immediately realized her mistake from the way the woman hissed, her snake-hair wriggling in mild irritation, instead of crying out in pain. “What in Tartarus was that?” she growled, her ugly voice scratching against Annabeth’s eardrums.
Annabeth didn’t answer the question, eyeing the blood, and asking one of her own. “Who are you?”
The monster grinned, showing off her boar tusks. “Stheno, of course!” Her long, painted claws clicked together, ready to rip her to shreds, like the world’s most demonic administrative assistant. “And you must be the one who killed my sister!”
Annabeth swore in ancient Greek. Which was fitting for the moment. She just wished she’d figured it out a few moments earlier. Her ax was made of bone steel–great against trolls, huldra, and all the other monsters that ran up and down Yggdrasill.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” she said, knowing it would do nothing to deter her. “You’ve got the wrong woman.”
Stheno only laughed, her claws outstretched, and leapt.
***
Long, black, and graceful, the tentacle twisted out of the water, curling elegantly before it wrapped itself around the edge of his boat, and pulled, hard, toppling Percy’s perfect balance.
Letting out a curse, Percy and his boat went sideways, dropping him into the water. He let go of the boat as he splashed in, willing it not to move very far, and turned to face the monster.
He didn’t recognize it off hand, but the ocean was full of sea monsters, ever since his dad had sent those first few to eat Andromeda and Troy.
Stupid Poseidon. And stupid Greek mythology.
Right now? During his gold medal race? And how the hell did an ancient Greek monster even get this far south in the first place?
The tentacles numbered a dozen, and one of them whipped towards him, landing on his arm.
He hissed in pain, though luckily the ocean water began healing him as soon as the tentacle was gone, and vowed to worry about the issue later.
So it was a venomous monster. Which was probably the second worst thing. The worst was fire breathing. But luckily, there weren’t a lot of fire breathing sea monsters.
He took control of the currents, pushing himself back out of range while he felt against his clothes, aiming to grab Riptide. Damn these tight wetsuits.
From the dark water, a tentacle shot forth through an opposing current, just slow enough for Percy to dodge. He felt, rather than heard, it snarl, a low, menacing hum which vibrated around him.
He definitely saw it lunge towards him, though.
Percy ducked once more, finally managing to get the zipper on his wetsuit undone, and he had his sword out in a flash, the bronze blade gleaming in the gloomy water, turning to face the monster.
And… it was gone.
“The fuck…?” He muttered, letting out a spray of bubbles.
He swam up towards the sun, sword in hand, breaking the surface next to his boat. The waves were just as calm as they had been earlier, enough that Percy thought for a split second he had hallucinated the whole thing after getting smacked in the head by his sail–until he saw a dark shape, spines breaking through the foamy crests, headed straight for the far-off knot of Percy’s competitors.
Towards Wilson, languishing at the back of the pack.
Percy groaned, and pulled himself up onto his boat, banishing the water from the deck. Before he had even grabbed the ropes, he was already tearing off in the direction of the monster.
It wasn’t sixty seconds before something burst forth from the waves beside him: a hippocampus and rider. “BROTHER!” the rider called. “Hello, brother!”
Percy nearly toppled over. “Tyson?”
The cyclops beamed, the skin around his single eye crinkling. “It is good to see you!”
“You, too, big guy, but–” he ducked under the jibe, tacking back into the wind, “I’m a little busy right now!”
“Need your help!” he went right on. “Monster!”
Percy figured. On cue, the creature surfaced for a moment, its swell nearly knocking over Egypt’s sailor Fadel. Percy gritted his teeth, willing just a few more knots out of his Laser. “Yeah, I see it.”
“Father sent me,” said Tyson. “I am here to help!”
How kind of him. If he really wanted to help, Poseidon could have reined in the damn thing himself. “Okay, big guy–help me lead it away from the course!”
“I will!” The hippocampus descended, taking Tyson with him.
Percy was never any good at throwing knives or spears, but as he hurled Riptide at the monster, it sang through the air, hitting its target and sinking through the skin. The monster groaned, writhing, sending little waves out, hitting the boats and causing them to wobble, their sailors shouting in confusion. There was a perfect gap between Holmgren and Armenia’s Hovakimian; if Percy stayed the course, he could slip between them both, and retake his lead.
Instead, cursing a certain ocean related deity under his breath, he took a hard turn right, following the dark shape which headed further out to sea.
So much for his gold.
***
Somehow, Stheno had managed to clock the fact that Annabeth was currently without her better weapon, and was able to keep her attention forward so she wasn’t able to turn back and grab her purse. Which would be impressive, and a rare stroke of intelligence on a monster’s part, if it weren’t so fucking annoying right now.
Stheno was a Gorgon. Greek. Bone steel would hurt her, clearly, but it wouldn’t be able to manage a kill unless she got her in just the right spot. And maybe not even then.
Magic was weird, particularly across pantheons.
With celestial bronze, she’d have more leeway to kill. And she did have celestial bronze. She wasn’t stupid; she might spend half her time in Sweden, from where the vikings had set out to raid Europe, returning with spoils in Odin’s name, but she spent the other half in New York, where her mother and that side of the family dwelled these days. And even a drakon or god could make its way to Stockholm if it really tried hard enough.
Her ax made itself useful as a little charm that hung on her watch. Always in easy reach. Her bronze knife wasn’t that far behind, in general.
But it was in her purse. Which was sitting on the sink, a meter away.
“Stand still!” Stheno screeched, swiping at her.
Annabeth swiped back, hissing as a stray claw caught on her sleeve, tearing the fabric.
“Stop that!”
“Make me,” she shot back, running her mouth a little to give herself some time to think.
Stheno seemed to take that as a challenge, charging directly at Annabeth with a ragged roar. Dodging left, slashing out with her ax, Annabeth swallowed a frustrated growl as it bounced off again with barely a scratch. Without a bronze weapon, she was toast.
Okay. Time for a new strategy.
Gods, this would be so much easier if she had her hat. But Hans hated it when she disappeared on him. And she hadn’t thought she would be fighting a monster today.
She just needed a distraction.
Annabeth was just considering the merits of flinging her shoe at the monster, when there was a knock on the bathroom door. “Princess?” came Hans’ voice. “Are you alright?”
Stheno whipped her head around, a vicious snarl pouring from her lips.
Gods bless Hans Gunderson!
Quick as a flash, Annabeth turned behind her, snapping up her purse. “Hans!” she yelled, smacking Stheno upside the head with it, who fell to the floor in a heap. “Code kleos!”
Hans barreled through the bathroom door, cursing under his breath. Not in ancient Greek though, because he was a viking, and beyond that Byzantium thing, vikings weren’t really tied up with ancient Greece.
He drew his sword–bone steel, same as her ax. He couldn’t land a killing blow any better than Annabeth could. But he could engage the monster for her while she managed to dig the knife out of the bottomless pit of her purse.
Her uncle often lamented how small the inner circle had gotten, how few of the king’s court worshiped the old gods and respected the ancient ways. She, in many ways, was proof of that. Her father had a child out of wedlock. But it was with a goddess. And after many years of the nine worlds becoming seemingly further and further away, even a Hellenic demigod was enough to be celebrated.
Though, when Aunt Natalie had romanced Frey and then given him a son less than two years later, the whole family probably had some regrets. And she knew that there were those in the wider circle who hated her father for his re-marriage almost as much as she did.
Now three of Frederick’s little princelings stood in the way of Magnus. And another son of Frey on the throne.
She tried to concentrate on that when she brought out her bronze knife as Hans dodged. He really was wasted as a bodyguard. He should have been helping her pillage Palm Beach all along.
Anger and frustration were natural emotions for her. And so, she thought of it all. Of her place in succession, of her father’s marriage, of her mother making her and then abandoning her, of her overbearing boss’ snide comments about princesses, the racist minister from the Teams call from hell, Teams calls from hell in general, and of course, the fact that she was here, in this stupid bathroom, fighting a stupid Greek monster, and not lounging on a boat with Percy in the Florida sunshine, surrounded by their piles of loot.
And she drove the knife into Stheno’s back. Right here her heart was.
***
“Tyson!” Percy yelled across the waves, turning his Laser around. “You still with me, buddy?” They were a solid ways away from the course now, far enough that none of the mortals were in any real danger anymore. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what the Mist was doing to the spectators. For all he knew, the crowds were still watching some kind of Percy-Jackson-specter as he raced for the gold.
He resurfaced, waving his favorite club, dotted with sharp-looking barnacles. “Here!”
“How’s it looking down there?”
“We’re ready!”
A quick, panicked consultation with a local school of fish had led them to the waterlogged remains of one of those big, industrial fishing nets, caught on the rocks. The fish confirmed that it was glued on good, one end of it stuck there after years of algae growth growing over the plastic. Horrible for the local environment, yeah, but with any luck, the monster wouldn’t like it either. “Good. I’ll lead it to the rocks and then we’ll–”
A roar cut him off.
“Time to move!” Sticking his pen between his teeth, Percy dived off his boat, plunging deep into the Gulf of Mexico. Tyson whooped, following right on his heels.
The waters were dark here, a deep, inky blue, like the night sky without any stars, only briefly punctuated with muted wafts of murky light. He could sense, though not really see, the line of ocean floor as it sloped up and down, the tall, sharp rocks, whittled down by centuries of currents into knifelike points, the gentle swaying of the plants, disturbed only by the movement of the odd fish. It was peaceful down here.
Well, Percy thought as he uncapped his sword. Emphasis on was.
The creature shot towards him, as unerringly and unswervingly as a torpedo, mouth open wide. With his heightened senses, Percy could see every single gleaming, serrated tooth.
Oh good. He didn’t need to get its attention.
“Hey, ugly!” he shouted anyway. “Come and get it!”
The monster screeched, the shockwave chasing Percy as he swam for his life towards the gap in the rocks. Tyson would be there, with the free end of the net, ready to catch the creature, and hold it. He just had to be fast enough.
But Percy hadn’t been a six-time swim team champion for nothing.
He shot through the gap in the rocks, helped along by a rerouted current, and grabbed one corner of the net. Seconds later, the creature slammed into it, and Percy nearly lost his grip–but it held. The monster screeched, extending the tentacles snagged in the plastic, trying its damndest to grab him.
Percy pulled back his sword arm, ready to strike.
The monster thrashed, and the other end of the net was ripped clean off the rock. It swam right through the opening–pulling Percy and Tyson along with it. Percy lost his grip on his sword, Riptide floating away into the deep as the monster hurtled towards a large, spiky-looking outcropping.
With a groan, Percy managed to pull hard enough that they avoided the rock altogether. They had it for now, but he could tell, he wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer. “Tyson!” he growled through gritted teeth. “Can you call Rainbow?”
Tyson brought his hand to his mouth, whistling as best he could. Percy couldn’t hear it, but he could feel it as the vibrations carried through the water.
He could feel his grip weakening with every passing second. “Can you–woah!” Bringing his feet up, he just barely missed smacking them against the dunes. “Can you and Rainbow bring this thing to the surface and hold it there?”
Whatever answer Tyson may have given, Percy didn’t get a chance to hear it. The monster shook him off, sending him careening into the depths.
But when he finally managed to right himself, he saw Tyson and the hippocampus, wrangling the creature in an upwards direction. And he had to be ready to meet them.
Summoning a current, he shot towards the surface, aiming for his Laser, bobbing calmly on top of the waves. He could feel Riptide reappear in his pocket as he climbed onto the boat. Percy took off, speeding towards the dark shape of the creature as it rose higher and higher.
Percy was about a hundred meters away when Tyson and Rainbow surfaced, the monster pulled tight between them.
Gods bless his brother.
Sword in hand, Percy leaned over the side of his boat, his hips pumping as he sped towards them. Like some kind of weird, aquatic knight in a weird, aquatic joust, Percy struck, using the wind and the speed and his frustration over being interrupted during his gold medal race to plunge Riptide deep into the creature’s… well, he didn’t know if it was a chest area or not. But it seemed to do the trick; the monster screeched, a high-pitched, agonizing sound, like nails directly against his eardrum, then went limp, its limbs dissolving into sea foam.
Percy slowed, turning around, and pulled up alongside the cyclops. “You okay, big guy?”
Tyson nodded, flashing him a grin and a thumbs-up. “We are all good!”
Rainbow made a noise, disagreeing much to the contrary.
Still, Percy couldn’t help but chuckle. “Glad to hear it. Make sure dad gives Rainbow here a big treat, okay?”
That made him perk up, giving a watery whinny.
But Tyson frowned. “You are not coming with me? I know Father would like to see you.”
Percy gripped the edge of the hull. “I’m kinda in the middle of something here.”
His brother pouted, single eye drooping.
Playfully, he sent a water jet into Tyson’s face. “I’ll stop by soon, I promise! I just gotta finish this race–”
“Yes! Your race!” Tyson interrupted, his eye shining. “Father told me to tell you: he has blessed the winds today in your honor!”
That… He…
Swallowing, Percy twisted the rope around his hand. “I’m sorry, big guy, but I really gotta go.”
Mounting Rainbow, Tyson waved at him. “Of course! And good luck, brother!”
Then they disappeared beneath the water. All was calm.
Including the wind.
Percy took a second to breathe. In, out, in, out, in–and on the third out, the wind picked up once more, filling his sail almost to bursting, and sending him speeding back to the course.
***
The world between her and Hans erupted into golden dust. And she had to duck again, to avoid Hans’s own swing with a blade.
She stood back up as he apologized profusely. “It’s fine, Hans.” It wouldn’t do for a viking warrior to kill his princess anymore than a normal bodyguard.
She shook it off, and then frowned down at the dust. Using glamor to hide monster messes wasn’t really either of their strong points. And though Helen would never guess they were covered in monster dust, she’d probably rip Annabeth a new one for getting dirt on herself. Like Annabeth was a four year old at the park, and Helen was her put-upon mother.
Not that Annabeth had ever had a mother care if she had dirt or monster dust on her.
Then she noticed the cut on her arm. “Helen is going to kill me,” Annabeth groaned. It was a small thing, barely even bleeding, but the slice in her sleeve was unmistakable.
“Allow me, your highness.” Hans reached into one of his secret spy pockets and pulled out a little plastic pack, opening it and pulling out a single-use disinfecting sheet and a band aid. He was careful as he cleaned out her wound. She knew gorgon blood could be poisonous, but the wound seemed to be just the physical mark. Which was good. She had a small bit of Greek nectar and ambrosia at her hotel, but she didn’t travel with it. And Magnus and his Frey healing magic was way too far away.
It stung as he wiped at the tiny bit of blood, but not anymore than a normal, human wound might sting. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, her shoulders relaxing.
Hans chuckled. “A fair bit more exciting than the race, hm?”
“I’ll say.”
“Speaking of,” he said, “it looks like your Jackson had a bit of an accident out on the water.”
She gasped. “No!”
His face twitched. “Nothing so serious. The commentators said there was an… accidental jibe?”
“Is he okay?” An accidental jibe was serious. Last night, Annabeth had spent a good eighty minutes watching some of the most frightening videos she could imagine, of boats nearly capsizing and sails going haywire, but the scariest one might have been the boom swinging wildly and knocking its sailor clean off the boat.
“He’s fine,” he said. “He managed to right himself pretty quickly, but he lost a substantial lead.”
Something on her face must still be registering her concern, because he dug around in his secret pockets again, before pulling out a small, blue, plastic box, placing it in her hand. She opened it, automatically, not quite registering what she was seeing at first.
“For your sleeve, ma’am,” he murmured.
She blinked, then pulled out the little spool of white thread.
“There’s about fifteen or so minutes of race left,” said Hans as she sewed up her sleeve. “More than enough time for him to make up–”
“And Holmgren?” She cut him off, frowning at her stitches. Not some of her best work.
“Holding the line, last I heard.” Sleeve repaired, dust (mostly) brushed off, he went over to the bathroom door, and held it open for her. “Shall we?”
By some miracle–Greek or Norse or maybe some other hitherto unknown pantheon–Helen didn’t comment on how long Annabeth had been gone when she and Hans made it back to their seats. She was leaning forward, her hands folded in front of her face, focusing intently on the little figures on the water.
After a few minutes, Annabeth could see why.
It was exciting, far more than she had expected. Ironically, thanks to Percy’s misfortune, the race was much tighter than it would have been originally. But he was gaining ground, and quickly. Annabeth tracked him through her binoculars, quietly stunned at how quickly he was moving. Where other sailors struggled to change direction against the wind, he was fluid, practically soaring through the course. Even moving with the wind, it seemed to fill his sail more fully, seemed to push him along that much more efficiently.
But as the minutes ticked on, it was clear that the real race was somewhere else. Percy–and Loke, she reminded herself–only had to finish in the top five to medal. But the contest everyone was watching was between Australia’s Selden and Mexico’s Treviño.
If Selden finished first, he could take the silver. But if Treviño finished first, he could take the whole thing.
And Annabeth found herself on her feet for the final lap, swept up in the energy of the crowd as Treviño pulled ahead by mere meters, and Greece’s Xanthopoulos slipped in right behind him as they crossed the finish line.
Treviño, Xanthopoulos, then Selden, and then there was Percy, cruising through the end. She could see the broad grin on his face as he finished, winning the silver. She smiled when he let go of his ropes, pumping his fists in the air, and she allowed herself a little jump for joy. Though the excited squeal escaping her mouth without her permission was unintended.
Loke Holmgren finished fifth, winning the bronze. Annabeth applauded politely, but traded in her professional smile for a wide, happy one.
In short order, the podium was assembled, the medals were handed out, and the flags were raised. After a rousing rendition of the Mexican national anthem, the crowd singing along with Treviño, who had tears in his eyes, the winners descended, going off to mingle with their teams and families.
Annabeth managed to keep her footing as Hans led her down to where the Swedish team was congregating. She shook Loke’s hand, and his mother’s, who was weeping openly.
And then, as she stood back to let them celebrate properly, she saw him.
His hair was dripping wet, curling around his ears, and he had his arms full of a little girl, who was giving him a big, sloppy kiss on the cheek.
Annabeth could sympathize.
It was only when she watched him put the little girl down that she realized, somehow, she had walked the forty feet which separated them over to him without her even knowing it. He was matching her, stride for stride, until they met in the middle.
“Annabeth,” he breathed. “Hi.”
“Hey.” From the corner of her eyes, she could see his family watching them from afar. She was sure they weren’t the only ones.
“You’re here,” he said.
Annabeth tried not to frown. “Should I not be?”
He started, shaking his head. “No, of course–I mean–of course you should be here. For, uh, Loke, right?”
She resisted the urge to look behind her. “Yeah. He did good.”
“He did.”
“You did, too.”
His mouth twitched. “Oh, yeah?”
“You were amazing,” she said. “The way you managed to make up that lead, it was–that was incredible.”
Percy went pink, looking down at his shoes. “You… saw that, huh.”
Gods, he was so cute. Literally what the hell. “It happens. And you got the silver.” Without thinking, she reached out to the medal around his neck, taking it in her hand. It was surprisingly cool to the touch against her skin. “You should be proud.”
He shrugged. “Well, there’s always next time.”
“So, I’ll see you in Athens in four years, then?”
“Gods willing,” he smiled at her, shyly.
She swallowed. Then she realized she was still holding his medal, and she dropped it. “Um, anyway,” she cleared her throat. “I–I just wanted to congratulate you.”
Percy moved forward, and Annabeth, in an unacknowledged panic, stuck out her hand. For a handshake. From Percy Jackson. The guy who was more intimately familiar with her privates than anyone else in the last five years. The man who had occupied a not insignificant percentage of her waking and unconscious thoughts. The guy that she had named her vib–
Bemused, he took her hand, shaking it.
That was probably a mistake.
His touch electrified her, sending licks of fire through her skin, which was a bad sign for her future. She couldn’t even shake his hand without feeling like he was kissing her neck.
It was horrible.
It was amazing.
And from the way his pupils dilated, the way his flush deepened, and the way his eyes couldn’t help but drop to her mouth… it seemed like he might have been thinking the same thing.
“Listen, Percy…”
His eyes snapped up to hers.
“I…” Maybe unconsciously, she rubbed her thumb against his. “I know I said I’d give you until the end of the Olympics, but…” But he was so handsome. And so close.
An Olympian. A real one. Not related to the old Olympians by birth, but a modern hero, made through grit and hard work.
“Yeah?” He asked, and he was so so close.
“I want to kiss you. I really, really want to kiss you right now,” she said.
She watched him take a breath, watched the rise and fall of his chest, and he… he squeezed her hand. “I’d like that.”
“Are you sure? It’s not exactly private out here.” She didn’t have to look around to confirm what she already knew, that everyone’s eyes were glued to them right now, the hottest source of gossip in a long, long time. She didn’t have to tell him that he was standing at the threshold of a whole new world of harassment, scrutiny, and hate. “This world I live in, it can be scary, and hard, and sometimes even dangerous.” And that was before you got the two different pantheons of gods that sometimes tried to kill her.
But he smiled that beautiful smile of his, wide and crooked with just a dash of trouble laced through it. “You know, I really don’t think I mind. I think you’re more than worth some danger.”
Later, she would discover that there were, in fact, cameras everywhere. And her fears of their wonderful moment ending up on some royal watcher blog somewhere were entirely founded. But when he pulled her to him, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his, there wasn’t much else that she could think about–not the flash of cameras, not the reporters calling their names, not the fact that Helen had almost certainly fainted at this blatant, unapproved display of public affection. Nothing but Percy, his wet hair, his salty lips, and his arms around her.
Though she at least had the presence of mind to track down Treviño and congratulate him on his win before the start of the next race.
#princess sailor au#darkmagyk#perseannabeth#frenchswissborder#patatayo#my fic#pjo fic#percabeth#the rivalry ends here#this one's a long boi!
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cake decorators, we need your help! our bakers (writers) have been working hard in the kitchen preparing something delicious, but now we need your help to make it look as good as it tastes!
throughout the week, we will be posting snippets and summaries from our bakers with a fic ID attached to them in order to keep the writer anonymous. please write down the fic IDs of the fics that you would be willing to work with, as well as the fic IDs of the fics you would absolutely not under any circumstance want to collaborate with.
at the end of all of these posts, we will post the artist applications for you to submit your answers!
FIC ID: N08
Pairing: Mylène/Mireille with cameo ships
Rating: Leaning towards Mature that may go up depending on what it wants
Warnings: Monster/Human romance Sci-Fi Lesbian ghost story.
Summary: Aliens (Known by the proper term of Suen) exist and are the real truth behind mythological sightings. Ever since a near fatal accident when she was younger Mylène has occasionally caught a glimpse of /something/ dressed in white out the corner of her eye that always seems to vanish before she gets a proper look. As these sightings increase she decides to try and figure out who or what seems to be following her around.
Snippet: Then it happened. On a humble Tuesday in May while she had been innocently watered little sprouts in yoghurt pots dotted around the sink, the background noise suddenly announced breaking news. Thanks to concentrating on putting the blue elephant watering can in the basin without it tipping over she missed most of the chatter. Papa used to say the shift in weight would make him dizzy and lose track of his feet so he needed a bit of extra help and she has always been the conscientious sort. Only after hopping down from the stool she’d moved to help her reach did she along with everybody else find out that the world as every child was taught and adult had known was about to change. Permanently. All it took was a single curious glance to the TV.
Through a shaking screen lay am ordinary dead-ended alleyway where a man who is almost as dark as the shadows he stood. Except it wasn’t just a person. There were strange flaps instead of ears and large horns of ivory that were steadily whittling down until they left leaving a perfectly smooth head. His shoulders are rolled once then twice, an extra moment taken to straighten out his jacket before turning on his heels where he stops dead with widened eyes. Whoever held the camera starts to breathe louder as if bordering on hysterical and the other let out a cry that sounded exactly like a rooster. There’s a clatter of something before the footage seems to tumble then turns black.
Near immediately she had been swept up into his arms, hugging her close and seemingly too stunned to speak. She didn’t really understand what was going on and why he seemed so scared. He’d always told her that any spooky things she saw were safely trapped behind the glass. Why would this have been any different? His arm was patted to get his attention before asking ever so innocently.
“Was that a trailer?”
“I don’t think that was a film, mon poussin,” he’d said with his hand betraying the tremor being kept from his voice. Somehow, he managed to tuck her even closer as if to keep the whole world out of their little bubble. “Maybe it will be a good idea if we stay inside for a few days, make a bit of an adventure out of it? You know, just until all of this blows over and things go back to normal again.”
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ℤ𝕖𝕥𝕒’𝕤 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤 - 𝕍𝕠𝕝 𝟙
ℂ𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕦𝕣 𝕄𝕒𝕟
Okay. So. I just want to start this by saying I have never really shared headcanons so publicly before and I am nervous 🧍🏽♂️
Also!! An important note is that all interpretations are valid, and you don’t have to agree with me! :]
These are just my thoughts!
•◌•◌•〚 ☻ 〛•◌•◌•
So, a bit of canon info that is relevant, for those who don’t know.
Centaur works at a museum, and entered the first annual robot tournament as a means to refurbish it with the prize money. He also likes gambling.
Headcanons under the cut cuz this is a long one
Also I added doodles to make this more fun ig, haha.
•◌•◌•〚 ☻ 〛•◌•◌•
- When first built, the museum Centaur Man is from was pretty well off! It was during this time they commissioned a robotics company to create him as their robotic tour guide. He specializes in Greek myth.
- Centaur is a huge nerd for Greek mythology, being both what he was built to resemble, and his job. When asked questions about it, particularly outside of work, he is likely to ramble for quite some time — though, he ends up embarrassed and apologetic when he realizes he’s been talking for too long.
His favorite character in Greek myth is Chiron, the wise centaur who taught many heroes, such as Heracles and Achilles.
- After some time, the museum became less popular. Centaur Man began looking for ways to get it back on the map, deciding, he’d need a good amount of money to do so. He took up the habit of gambling in hopes to earn this money.
- This hanging around casinos introduced Centaur to alcohol and smoking as well. Habits he quickly picked up on. He unfortunately is quick to get addicted to such things, another fun tidbit he found out about himself during this time.
He chooses to pretend he doesn’t have a problem when around others. Insists he only does these things casually and could stop whenever. This is definitely not true.
He is also pretty rowdy when drunk, which is something he finds himself particularly embarrassed about.
With a habit of jumping from bar to bar- he accidentally ran into Flash Man a few times. These two have since become drinking buddies, and will go out together for alcohol.
Unfortunately, they are both embarrassed of their drunk behavior, and pretend they don’t know each other outside of that.
- The only one who knows about Flash and Centaur’s friendship is Yamato Man
Yamato Man and Centaur are really close. And Yamato will come with centaur to bars and casinos. Not because he actually enjoys them, but more to stop centaur man from getting wasted or losing a bunch of money. Centaur causes problems and Yamato tries to get him out of them. As besties do.
- Working with tourists, Centaur is programmed with the ability to speak several languages. He was actually quite the translator for the MM6 bots before they could all understand each other.
Yamato however, still doesn’t like to speak English much, so he and Centaur communicate largely in Japanese.
- Translating ended up having him spend a lot of time with everyone from the tournament, so he became buds with them all, and tries to keep in contact. He is largely the glue that keeps them together.
- Hair hc! He has long brown hair that matches his tail in color. He keeps it in a braid. Goes down to about his mid back. (Was going to draw this for the post, but still can’t settle on a bang design 💔)
- I hc Centaur as Trans Man. He’s also Omniromantic. Doesn’t have a preference between men or women, but does feel like each is a different experience.
- After the tournament, Centaur found out he had a love for combat. He still gets together with Yamato and Knight for friendly duals.
- No one got any prize money because the tournament was a fake, and centaur is still salty about this.
- Does NOT like being treated like a horse. Do not ask to ride his back. It’s a no. If you’re really close, he might let you, but don’t expect it.
Doesn’t mind genuine questions about being a centaur most of the time tho. But can sometimes get annoyed with it as he does get asked most of them a lot.
Despite this he definitely does make jokes about him being a centaur. And will sometimes laugh if others do. Just depends on how he’s feeling.
•◌•◌•〚 ☻ 〛•◌•◌•
That’s all for now! Lemme know if you guys liked this post 👍
I have a lot of headcanons, so might submit more later if people are interested.
Thanks for reading 😎🤙
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Hi hi! I'd like to request a matchup, please :D
(Don't mind any grammar mistakes, my goofy brazillian ahh is self-taught 💀)
I go by the name Leo and I'm an ENFP! I have really short, curly brown hair and brown eyes, my skin is also in a light-brown shade! I'm also 5'10 and my body type is skinny and slightly athletic, I think? I'm a gay transboy too so yippee
I love talking to people and making friends! The more, the merrier, especially introverted or quieter people, they are literally so fun to be around what 😭
I draw (traditionally, digitally if I'm feeling silly) a lot, and I also write, program and read! I'm pretty interested in horror, cutesy-stuff, psychology, greek mythology and fashion too! Even tho my style is mosty "hawaiian shirts and a concerning ammount of jewlery" 💀
I think my biggest flaw is that I tend to be a little overwhelming and loud when I get excited-
That's it i think, have a nice day!!! ^^
Hello there! This was fun to do! Hawaiian shirts are amazing and I will die on that hill if anyone disagrees!
I wrote this on my phone so I apologize if it gets laid out strangely
I pair you with…
Billy Loomis!
Okay so I strongly believe you were the one to meet this dude. You saw quiet and mysterious and you were like FRIEND. NOW.
And then of course y’all became something more :)
You love horror? Oh boy, prepared to have this boy sit you down and watch all his favorite horror movies (even if you’ve most likely seen them already)
Billy loves to hear what you know about psychology. Especially if it’s about horror characters. Yes Leo please tell him about how dangerous it is for Hannibal to be a doctor due to his mental health! He will listen like an excited puppy (even if he looks completely neutral on the outside)
He totally would see something cute in a store and buy it for you. That stuffed animal? Leo just NEEDS it! A cute outfit? Guess what dude? It’s yours now! Please don’t try and dress him up though and put make up on him or anything like that- he will strangle you (not actually but he will not be amused. Dude likes his basic white shirt and jeans)
He would fiddle with your jewelry all the time. Got rings? He’s spinning them around your fingers. Necklaces? He’s fiddling with the chain.
Forget any jewelry and his house and he is playing with it until you find it again
A little overwhelming and loud? This man is best friends with Stu Macher. Loud and overwhelming is something he is a master with dealing with. Trust me you won’t annoy him.
Speaking of Stu, he’d probably introduce you to him. You are now also Stu’s best friend, and Stu is like you guys number one fan with you being a couple. Very supportive boy!
You two are the same height! You can look each other directly in the eyeballs if you want.
#slasher x reader#cannibals matchups#cannibals writing requests#slasher matchup#matchups#scream x reader#scream#billy loomis#billy loomis x reader#slasher#slashers x reader
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✨🎶💕💔🏳️🌈💢
AAAA THANKS HON!!!!
Disney’s Hercules/Hercules the Animated Series is my current obsession so yeah lol
✨ what draws you towards your hyperfixation? what is interesting about it?
Well honestly I got drawn in from the villain of the movie: Hades (that’s literally how I get drawn into basically all my fandoms lmao I have an f/o in it and now I’m obsessed lol). But I love the twist they did for the Greek lore of Disney’s Hercules! It’s really interesting and I think Greek mythology is really cool and interesting too! I’m not a huge Greek mythology buff, but the movie as well as the series (and some anons on my Disney blog lmao) have taught me a lot of neat Greek mythology stories and fun facts!
🎶 if your hyperfixation has songs/an ost, what is your favorite song from it?
Lol well I have 3 favorite songs from the movie: The Gospel Truth II (because it’s pretty much Hades’ villain song since he doesn’t sing in the movie lmao), Zero to Hero (a bop and the video that made me fall in love with Hades/made me obsessed with the movie and series lol), and I Won’t Say I’m in Love (a certified banger)
💕 tell us about one of your favorite characters and why you like them!
…HADES 💙❤️🔥 he’s just this weird mix of ugly and handsome and I love that lmao, that seems to be my type lol. Also I just love that he’s different from other classic Disney villains and from what you’d expect him to be like. He’s not some dark and menacing villain that’s all serious and out for revenge, he’s this super laid back, sleazy, fast talking, schmoozing used car salesman of a god lmao. I also love that he has a secret soft side! It’s very rare to see in the show and even the movie (if you squint lol), but it’s nice and it shows that he really isn’t as cruel and heartless as he seems. ❤️
💔 tell us about one of your LEAST favorite characters and why you dislike them.
Oh jeez, that’s a hard one lol. Honestly, I love all the characters in the movie and the series spin off, so there aren’t a lot that I don’t like. I’d say maybe Zeus? I wish he were more considerate of his brother’s feelings and weren’t so naive about the fact that he’s unhappy with his role as a god and that the other gods don’t like him and don’t treat him with the same respect he gets (probably because Hades has done shady stuff in the past but still lol).
🏳🌈 do you have any headcanons (lgbt, race, neuro, etc) that are important to you?
Heck yeah I do!!! I headcanon Hades as pansexual just because he seems like the type to be into anybody lol, I also headcanon both Hercules and Meg as bisexual because they both give me strong bi couple vibes lmaooo
💢 what do you NOT like about your hyperfixation? is there something you would want to change about it?
The movie? Well, I’d certainly give Hades his beautiful little flowery spring goddess wife. He deserves it, this dude has been through so much with his crazy father and his stuck up brothers lmao. But other than that the movie was flawless! As for the series….I’d change the entire plot. It’s supposed to take place before the movie like a prequel series (like the Little Mermaid animated series), but the thing is: THE ENTIRE SHOW ISN’T CANON TO THE MOVIE. Idk why but it bugs me so much lmao. Like don’t get me wrong I LOVE the show, but it’s pretty much an AU. Like Hades is the main villain of the series and Hercules is supposed to be in highschool training to be a hero (pretty much the series is supposed to take place during the whole One Last Hope montage), but Hades doesn’t even realize Hercules is still alive until Meg runs into him in the forest when he’s 18. Herc is like 16 in the show and constantly runs into Hades and the other gods. Tbh I don’t think Hercules even realized who his parents were until he was like 17 because I figured he had graduated by then and went to travel and find his “true self” and all that. But yeah, anyways lol sorry I always end up ranting about the canon divergence of the show 😂
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So my book club is reading Ir*n Wid*w for our meeting this weekend and I was.
so excited.
Nonbinary author, main character in a poly relationship, rooted in Chinese mythology and folklore, reportedly feminist and queer perspective, 4+ stars on Goodreads. It’s perfect on paper.
I’m now almost 2/3 of the way through and giving up, I’m just disappointed and angry. How do you pretend to be a feminist book when for 200 pages the MC is the only named character who’s not a dude? It’s this hugely misogynistic setting and yet the MC is the only girl who is Super Special enough to have an Opinion about what’s going on, all the other women are docile/obedient or treacherous. And even then, MC’s agency is pretty limited! She spends a lot of time thinking angry, rebellious thoughts or spitting badass one-liners, but for the most part the narrative is relying on her boyfriends and luck to actually move the plot forward. She has no friends, no interests except love interests, no complexity or personality besides being angry and reacting to the things men do. I also understand that there’s some big twist and government overthrow coming up too (and I can only hope that it’s the MCs idea), but again, I’m almost 2/3 of the way in!!! I can’t wait forever for this super special Strong Female Character to start having some agency again!!!!! It would help if the writing itself was better, but I mean... it’s serviceable. It’s fine. I’ve enjoyed books that have had worse technical writing, but that’s not a huge point in anyone’s favor.
Love that a nonbinary author of color is getting so much attention and popularity, but, like... this is not the revolutionary work I was sold on. This is barely beyond the H*nger Gam*s, and at least in the H*nger Gam*s the sister that MC wanted to protect/avenge had a personality!! I can’t get invested in a book that hasn’t really passed the Bechdel test halfway through despite having a female MC, especially when said MC barely has an inner life of her own. We don’t even know where the anger comes from! It’s this horrible misogynistic world and without any in-universe explanation for how she learned this stuff she is operating on our morality system. Do you think that maybe, maybe there could have been a series of smart women who figured this out over time and taught it to her? Nah, as said above, all other women in this world are meek and submissive and she's just smart and special enough to figure this all out on her own.
(Even worse, her boyfriends have figured this out before the other women, so they are the only people she has had any positive interactions with at this point. It just helps to drive home the message that you can’t trust or rely on other women, only the hot guys! Great stuff for “feminist” YA!!!)
Another quick aside, the fact that this was pitched to me as a queer book makes me wanna scream. I’m bi! I like dudes! I like that she has multiple men interested in her and each other!! But this is a fictional society that has been maiming and killing women for centuries and you can’t be assed to actually, I don’t know... include some women?? Plus it is so clearly not written for gay/bi men, so having the big queer relationship being a flimsy romantic interest between the MCs two boyfriends feels more like old school yaoi voyeurism than queer lit to me.
I can’t help but feel like this book’s popularity is just an influencer following at this point. I don’t think I’d be so viscerally angry if it wasn’t held up as this new YA standard for feminist, queer lit, and if the author themself wasn’t making such a huge deal about “breaking down barriers.” I’m frustrated and sad that this is what we’re holding up as the future, when in so many ways it’s taking a few steps backwards.
tl;dr read a book that was pitched over and over across various platforms as this big breakthrough in YA fiction and found it less compelling/progressive than a lot of 90s shoujo anime
#don't mind me just being a hater#because I can't actually tear this apart in book club without being a huge asshole to the friend who recommended it#really wanted to like this book but this is Not It for me#to the point where I feel angry and lied to#It doesn't help that the last book I read was Who Fears Death#which is like#actually revolutionary#(despite the gender essentalism)#(and despite being written more than a decade ago)#I don't mean to be insulting if you do like it and hope it doesn't make it to any tags#but I'm so mad and sad that this is what we're convinced is breaking barriers these days#and if you've read it and feel like I'm not understanding something please do let me know!
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I Think I'm Dating a Fae, Chapter 1
March 4
Dear Diary,
I think I’m dating a fae.
I’m sure of... Okay, I’m not totally sure he's a fae, per se. I’ve spent a few months researching magical creatures he resembles most and this afternoon, while Sol took the kids out for ice cream, I finally narrowed my list of creatures down to three: yōkai, werewolf, and fae. Of those, I think “fae” tics the most boxes.
Of course, there are so many magic creatures that I’ve definitely missed in my research. There’s probably millions all over the world. There’s no way a few hours of online searches could cover even a fraction of them all. Worse, I don’t know which mythology stories are real and which aren’t!
I’ve been basing it on popularity since, after all, if more people believe in it, then more people have seen it…probably. But popularity in the U.S. doesn’t cover much more than Western folklore. The only reason I even thought to look up yōkai is because I heard Sol telling the kids stories about them! There are too many legends I could have missed.
And yes, I checked with the Original Mythology Nut. When I asked him, Grandpapa said that all stories have a grain of truth to them. I’m not really sure if that helps or makes this worse.
You would think I could just ask, right? Not like we’ve been dating for almost four years or anything. But no, he never gives me a straight answer. It’s always “is this a prank?” or “you better not be projecting that fairy smut book nonsense onto me again.”
And yeah, I did do that last year, but it was for Halloween and it was a damn good costume idea and– ugh, is it so hard to believe I’m being serious now!? No matter how many times I say that I’m really asking, Sol just hits me with The Look. I hate that look. That’s the kind of look my mama gave me when I knew I was wrong and in trouble.
I don’t know if Mama taught Sol The Look or what, but every time I get the urge to put myself myself in timeout and think about what I’ve done. I didn’t back down yesterday, though. And you know what he said to me?
He really said, “Babe, why do you want to date a fae so bad?”
Yeah, he really tried to turn this around on me!
I’m not the one talking to trees or singing to rivers or wearing fairy ears as a part of my regular outfit (which makes it even more insulting that he snubbed my fairy costume idea, by the way)! Watching lit matches or fire in the fireplace like you’re in a trance isn’t normal, okay? Walking barefoot in the city park, making me literally drag you from away from the river because you want to watch it for three hours straight; all of that together is weird and I’m not crazy for saying so!
I wanted to say all that to him, but I didn’t. Sol already knows he's a weirdo and I love him for it. I’m just saying that maybe it’s not just that he's a weirdo, you know? Maybe it’s deeper than that.
Back to the point; he’s been deflecting all my attempts to have a serious conversation about this, and that might be a sign.
All the sources I found say that fae tell a semblance of the truth. The technical truth, if you will. Fae imply and infer things a lot, but never tell straight lies. I’m taking this as a potential sign because Sol has never actually said he isn't a fae or some other magical creature.
He told me, probably as a joke but I think it still counts, that he’s “magic in more ways than one.” I don’t care if was just an innuendo; fae don’t lie, even in jokes.
I was looking for that in a partner when we first met, and I’ve always been on the lookout for any lies since I broke up with Jordan. After all, if I learned anything from that son of a bitch, it’s that lies are a huge red flag. And Sol never lied to me about anything. Not even for a surprise or just to tease me. Aside from being a weirdo, Sol doesn’t show any red flags at all. What am I supposed to do with that?
He's a great partner. He gives emotional support, he loves taking care of the kids, and he helps with the bills if he sees I need help, even though we still don’t live together for more than three of four months a year. Whenever I need it, he lets me cry on his shoulder or vent about Stacie being a hard-ass at work. I mean, just yesterday, the kids and I took a nap, and Sol cleaned out the oven and microwave while we slept. Unprompted. And why, pray tell, did he do that?
“I figured it was time.”
That's what he said to me. I told Ma and she said, and I quote, "Put a Bible to his head; see if it burns him" like Sol's the Devil in disguise! Honestly, though, it feels so... so unreal. Like it’s too good to be true. He gives me and the kids enough as it is, you know? But he saw it needed to be done and just took initiative and did it!
He's open about his thoughts and concerns with me so I never have to worry how we’re doing as a couple, and he takes great care of the kids whenever I need a break and just because he genuinely want to spend time with them.
And he's so good at parenting, too! Yasmine and Ramon love him as their father. Why wouldn’t they? Sol is the only man they’ve had as a real father figure.
He’s the one who teaches them how to make spaghetti, who reads them bedtime stories with silly voices, who teaches them Spanish and ASL. He’s always helping Yasmine with her homework when she needs it and taking Ramon to the library.
He's offered so many opportunities for them, from private schooling to dance lessons to the best clothes. There’s a reason I let him sign those adoption papers even though we aren’t married yet. Sol is wonderful for the kids, for me, for this family.
He's such a lovely person overall. Whenever he comes over, he fills the entire house with stories and songs and the kids are so happy to see him. Even when he needs quiet time, it's the peaceful kind of quiet. When Jordan said he "needed space," but didn’t leave the house, it was like a volcano just waiting to explode and we were all scared to even walk around the house.
But not with Sol.
He doesn’t usually leave the house, but when he does, I don’t have to worry about whether he’s going to come back. And when he’s home, it’s still calm. He’ll shut himself in his room if he isn’t, or go outside, but even if the kids run up to him when he’s trying to decompress he won’t snap or pull away. He just gives them something to do while they wait.
He makes it look so simple. So…easy.
And even when we argue, which you already know is once in a blue moon, he's respectful. He doesn’t interrupt me. He gets frustrated, even angry, but he’s never once shouted me down. He's never cussed me out or thrown things or stormed out of the house, either.
He treats me right.
God, I'm just gushing. I can say so many good things about that man! My point is that I don’t want to break up over this, but if he’s truly not telling me something this important that’s a huge red flag!
He’s getting more annoyed each time I bring it up, but what am I supposed to do? Something just…doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel normal, and after four years, I think I’m owed at least some explanation for that. I can’t just ignore this feeling I have anymore.
We had hours-long debates and conversations about cultural and religious differences at the very start of our relationship, like any healthy couple. Sol’s species never came up because I thought it was a given that he was human, but if he isn’t, that definitely should been part of the conversation!
They’re back. I can hear them and the kids laughing in the living room, so I should go. Maybe…maybe I’m overreacting. I should do more research for now and watch for more clues.
I can do this.
#I Think I'm Dating a Fae#fae#faery#faery folk#writing#writing community#I think I'm dating a fae#bipoc writers#my writing#nikoadariwrites#fantasy writing#fantasy#urban fantasy
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Good old writers block... I started rewriting mine and now it has changed so much! Its now urban fantasy decopunk queer af with a 24/7 angry vampire that can turn into a lioness (inventing your own stuff is so awesome, I just put in any mythology into my vampires that I saw fit like Anubis and Sekhmet for egyptian bloodline vamps) and a former kelpie turned vampire that is still in denial about living in a dystopian state that shouldnt even exist! Would you mind sharing some info about yours?🐍
Ooo! I have one that’s basically have this kids that are randomly transported to this place like there’s different levels and stuff and each character has their own talents for example there’s this little girl in the first chapter and she’s like really skilled with knives since her father taught her how to defend herself.
She’s also accompanied with this boy who’s like a couple years older than her who’s like pretty smart (a little above average) which will be really helpful for the levels that have like riddles or puzzles.
As they go to different levels it slowly gets harder and harder and some have monsters while others don’t while some have timers.
And on a couple of levels they’ll meet new characters for example once they get to level 23 they’ll find this boy with a backpack that can hold a bunch of items so if they need them they can go into his back (his bag is kind of like a portal pocket).
This is him (it’s an old drawing from last year):
I can show you the first chapter if you want btw! Just know I haven’t updated it since 2021 May 😭
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The old Sailor Moon dub was definitely corny in a good way, but I will say the old Yugioh one was corny in the best way. Sometimes when I’m feeling down, I’ll go and rewatch some clips of the dub just because it never fails to make me crack a smile.
Honestly, though my memories are fuzzy, I don’t think I liked Theresa that much as a child either lol. I definitely like her now, but younger me definitely had a problem with her being so pretty, having all those powers, and also being a rich girl on top of all that. Even back then I was jealous of the rich, haha.
Speaking of the female characters though, I just wanna say I really like the characterization of Hera so far. I’m so used to her being villainized or just written as the overly mean jealous wife (which is kinda fair given her history I guess) but she’s just so… not that here and it’s so refreshing. I guess I’ll have to see how they write her if or when Zeus makes an appearance, but so far it’s getting two thumbs up from me.
But yea, I really like Neil’s luck power so far and the fact it’s actually been useful so I’m excited to see the other powers everyone gets!
- R
Oh my god, but I have so many feelings for old-school Yu-Gi-Oh! So many…I got really into that whole series, watched all the way up to the first season of Zexal before my interest got really taken by a lot of other things. I can completely get how clips of the dub would make you smile because it would me. It's just got that charm to it and makes me feel all warm and nostalgic and glowy.
And, given that, just by going by our discussions, it sounds like we were raised in the same kind of fandom environment, I could one hundred percent get little you not liking her as much back then either, because she was the sort of character we were taught was 'mary sue', 'overpowered', 'cringe' and to be hated. Also, I go between being insanely jealous of the rich because I am definitely used to living below the poverty line, and being very much in the attitude of 'metaphorically kill the rich and literally make them at least walk across a football field of Lego if they can't prove they did some philanthropic good with the amount of resources and money they hoarded'. So I feel you so hard there. What I wouldn't give to like gambling a little more, so I could at least dream of winning the lottery!
Yes! So much yes and so much agreement on Hera's characterization within that show and it's actually one of my favourite parts of the show. I feel like Hera gets unfairly shit upon when people talk about or adapt in any way the Greek mythology. That is a strong woman who got dealt a shit hand and did she over-react in some cases? Yes…but she also got zero respect, really, had to deal with an openly promiscuous husband and all the very public disrespect he showed her almost constantly if we're to be serious. And if we're not taking the Greek myths super realistically and seriously and making them kid friendly, like COTT did, then why ever villainize her when there are a crap ton of better options? And I will also say, COTT had a really great spin on Zeus that I did enjoy, playing into a trope that I absolutely love seeing used.
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