strangeweirdgirl

[strangeweirdgirl]

Begging everybody to consider Ethan Nakamura having a relationship with Travis Stoll before he sided with the Titans PLEASE IT MAKES SENSE THEY WERE IN THE SAME AGE GROUP, THEY STAYED IN THE SAME CABIN, THEY WERE CLOSE YOUR HONOR, THEY WERE IN LOVE

[strangeweirdgirl]

sometimes i think about how badly rr fumbled pjo not just on the literary level but on the business level

[strangeweirdgirl]

Day 8: Free Day

Trethan (Travis x Ethan)

Word count - 1622

@them-awesome-rarepairs

-

Travis had been hiding on the threshold of the infirmary door for about five minutes. That, he knew for certain. He wasn't so sure of how long the new kid had been having a staring contest with the wall across from his bed. He was curled up in a ball with his knees hugged close to his chest and he hadn't budged an inch from that position since Travis saw his silhouette through the window on his way to see Chiron. He wasn't even sure the kid was breathing. All of his energy was entirely focused on the grains of wood across the room.

"There's no monsters in there," Travis assured him and felt a smile tug on his lips when the boy finally looked over. "I've checked."

He blinked once; the only shift of his statuesque features. "That's not what I was looking for."

Travis leaned into the room. "So you were looking for something?"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Is there something I can help you with?" he snapped. It was almost uncanny; hearing that sharp tone shoot out from the demure kid's almost immobile face.

Travis gave him his best attempt at a welcoming smile and strode through the room to his bed, holding his hand out. "My name's Travis," he said. "What's yours?"

Pursing his lips, the boy glanced between Travis' face and his outstretched hand. "That's not an answer."

"I'm the welcoming committee then. And you can help by being welcomed by me. So what's your name?"

With one last suspicious assessment, the boy unfurled his arm from where it was wrapped around him and pinched Travis' fingertip between his forefinger and thumb, giving it a slight nudge before letting go. "Ethan Nakamura," he said.

"Pleased to meet you!" Travis beamed. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood!"

"Do you get paid for this?"

"Nope!"

"Good." He went back to staring at the wall and Travis plopped himself down on the bed next to him to see if he could find what was so interesting about the splintering woodworks. Ethan bristled next to him and he could feel his sharp eyes holding him under their scrutiny, but he ignored it and kept staring. Hopeful his friendly smile would slowly diffuse over to Ethan and warm him up to the idea of company soon.

“So,” Travis said after a long stretch of uncomfortable silence, “You like walls?”

“No.”

“Then why did you spend forever staring at one?”

Ethan frowned and out of the corner of his eyes, Travis saw him give the tiniest shrug he’d ever seen. “Nothing else to look at.”

“There’s plenty to look at! For example–” Travis pivoted around in the bed so he was fully facing Ethan and affronted him with a winning grin. “–Me!”

Ethan did not look impressed. “Wow.” He didn’t turn away from the wall.

Since he seemed so enamoured with staring at a blank, immobile surface for ages, Travis decided to try it for himself to see if there was anything to it. By, obviously, staring at Ethan’s face until he moved. It wasn’t too difficult; Ethan had a nice face, so it wasn’t unpleasant, and there were lots of interesting things to look at, so Travis didn’t grow bored as quickly as he would have thought.

His eyes were the first thing Travis was drawn to. Technically just his eye, since he was looking at him side-on. But still, this kid had really dark eyes. They were an ink-spill black, so deep they practically absorbed the light landing on them like black holes. His irises were practically indistinguishable from his pupils, which gave him a kind of ‘sad baby seal’ look to him. A look that was exacerbated by his long lashes, which wouldn’t have been very visible from the front but from where Travis was observing them, they fanned out elegantly over his eyes.

The colour matched the loose curls of glossy black hair that fell like a curtain over his eyes and brushed his round cheeks. It was a lovely look on him but it hid even more of his already barely visible eyes. They were narrow and heavy-lidded, as if it was an effort to keep them open. Travis didn’t doubt it, considering the dark bluey-purple smudges surrounding them. His taught skin was a soft light brown colour but instead of a warm pink glow of rushing blood lighting up his face, an ashen undertone washed him out. The brightest spot of colour on his whole face was the ruby-red split on his thin and chapped lips.

“What happened to your face?” Travis asked, and only realised when Ethan’s eyes narrowed even further as he cast him a sidewards glare that his question may have come across as a tad insensitive. He bolted upright. “I wasn’t meaning your face in general. Your face looks fine. Great, even.” Oh hey! Now there some colour to it! “I was just wondering about the cut on your lip. Did something happen?”

Ethan went rigid and fixed the wall back under his gaze with a vengeance. “That’s none of your business,” he spat.

Travis slid along the bed to put some space between them. Ethan was clearly already worked up and Travis didn’t want to make him feel like a caged animal. “Did someone beat you up?”

“What part of–”

“Was it an Ares kid?”

Ethan stuttered to a stop and looked at Travis with a furrowed brow and wide eyes. “You’re very persistent.”

“Good observation. Was it Clarisse?” Ethan’s shoulders sagged with a half-sigh, half-groan. Travis waved him off. “She’s always like that with the newbies. Don’t take it personally. But also don’t take any more of her shit.”

Before him, Ethan sat up with a pinched frown. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“So it was her?” Ethan glanced back at him with a startled expression. When he saw the wide smirk on Travis’ face, he tipped his head back with a snarling groan. “Hey, don’t feel bad about it,” Travis told him. “Like I said, she’s always like that. Getting your ass kicked by an Ares kid is like a Camp Half-Blood newbie rite of passage. It happens to the best of us.”

Ethan peeked out from behind his curtain of curls and Travis could have sworn he moved a millimetre closer. “Even you?” he asked quietly.

“Yep. Although I’ve been here longer than Clarisse, so I got some of her older siblings.” Travis grinned, processing Ethan’s actual question. “You think I’m one of the best?”

“Obviously not.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He clicked his tongue while Ethan rolled his eyes.

“Of course you will,” he muttered, but it wasn’t as pointed as Travis had expected. Maybe he was warming up to him.

“Seriously though,” Travis said with an attempt at sincerity. “Don’t worry about Clarisse and those Ares meatheads. They’ll get theirs, and you just focus on keeping your head on your shoulders.”

Ethan frowned. His brows furrowed slightly as a dark edge cut into his face, clashing a little with his bright puppy dog eyes. “I’ll get her back for it,” he said under his breath, slowly and evenly. “I’ll give all of them a taste of their own medicine.” His lip curled back from his teeth in a look of disgust, as if the words left a bad taste in his mouth.

It was a little unsettling to Travis, but he noticed something else, something more familiar, in Ethan’s eyes that made him lean in. It was the spark of mischievous spite that powered Travis and all of his antics. “I can help you with that,” he offered.

Ethan leaned back from him. “Why is your face doing that?”

Travis ignored him. “I’m something of an expert when it comes to systematically taking down my enemies while staying technically in the rules.” He beamed. “I would be more than happy to offer my services to such a noble cause.”

“I don’t need your help,” Ethan grumbled as if by some reflex. After a second to consider his offer though, his rougher edges smoothed down. “What . . . kind of expertise do you have?”

“I’m a funny man,” Travis told him with well-earned confidence and professionalism. “I’m a jokester. A prankster. A practical joker. It’s my speciality; runs in the family, you could say.”

Ethan huffed a silent laugh. “Okay.”

“I’m the best in the biz, trust me. The whole camp trembles when they see me smirk!” He flung his arms out wide for effect and though Ethan pressed his lips into a thin line, he couldn’t hide the upturned corners that betrayed his smile. Maybe Travis should have been on the welcoming committee after all. He was great at this! “So if you wanna get back at someone, I’m your man.”

“Alright then,” Ethan said as he swivelled on the bed to face him fully, finally abandoning his pursuit of the wall. “We’ll see if you can keep up with me. I’m no amateur when it comes to payback, you know.”

“Don’t underestimate me. I might just impress you.” Travis flashed him a rather dazzling grin (he would know, he’d been practising) and offered out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”

Ethan rolled his eyes with a sigh but his smile became that bit harder to hide. “We have a deal.”

He took Travis’ hand in an actual clasp this time and they shook on it. “I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful, destructive partnership,” Travis told him with adoring glee.

“It better be,” Ethan answered back. He was no oracle, but a spark deep in Travis’ chest told him that yes, it would be. It would be that and so much more.

-

[strangeweirdgirl]

pre-Titan Army trethan is so fucking funny to me because Ethan takes himself and everything around him soo seriously while Travis is physically incapable of that.

Ethan's character feels weighty in the sense that he's got a lot of baggage and he just feels like he's under some shit. His abuse is played pretty straight which gives a lot more impact than the harm in CHB that's brushed off as jokes. Ethan's broody, snappy and flighty, and it's clear he has spent years, if not his entire childhood, broiled in issues that resulted in this.

Travis, on the other hand, is the joke. He's a prankster, a jokester, the resident Funny Man. Your Honor he's just a Silly Guy. He's simple the way a sword is simple and just cuts through all of Ethan's bullshit because if Travis sees something friend shaped he's going to friend it. Ethan is an anxious Cheetah and Travis is the emotional support golden retriever provided for him by the zoo.

[strangeweirdgirl]

got a pretty face // pretty boyfriend, too

drawn for a twitter moot :> i do miss drawing the stolls acc theyre very precious to me

[strangeweirdgirl]

What would you trade the pain for? (I’m not sure.)

Trethan sketchbook spread commission from Rose Commisions (e.h_rose on ig, e_hrose on twt). Really love how this turned out, core of trethan innocent puppy love made alive on paper. Text also foreshadowing angsty future for Travis and Ethan god thank you so much artistnim!

PLEASE DO NOT REUPLOAD/REPOST (with or without credit). DO NOT STEAL OR CLAIM AS YOUR OWN.

[strangeweirdgirl]

Sir Luke Castellan takes one look at her before he says, “You’re a girl.”

Thalia stiffens—but only for a brief moment, then she’s widening her stance and deepening her voice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Inside her armor, Thalia’s breaking out into cold sweat. She’d evaded scrutiny this far in her search for her brother who’d been taken by enemy soldiers, only to be caught when her foot was already in the door.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Castellan says. “Winning the tourney makes you my rightful squire. I don’t care that you’re a girl, but other knights certainly will.”

“Then help me hide,” Thalia says. “You won’t find anyone as skilled anytime soon.”

He snorts, but Thalia’s hardly kidding. In the blink of an eye, she unsheathes her sword and swings.

To his credit, he doesn’t flinch even as the blade stops a hair’s breadth away from his neck.

“Duel me,” Thalia spits, “if you don’t believe me.”

“No one’s ever beaten me.”

“You saw how I fought in the tourney. I’ll be the first.”

Castellan smiles. “You’re arrogant.” He holds out his hand. “But you’ve got yourself a wager.”

[strangeweirdgirl]

What is this ship, where did it come from and why am I so obsessed with it from this one small prompt

Ethan sleeps with a dagger under his pillow. He’s never really used it, though, until one night, he’s shocked awake by a strange stripe of icy heat on his shoulder.

“Whoa!” Travis throws up his hands in defense. “It’s just me.”

Ethan yanks the knife away from Travis’ throat.

“The hell are you doing?” he grumbles. “I could’ve killed you!”

Travis shrugs, rubbing the patch of camphor and menthol into Ethan’s skin. “Mr. D’s letting it snow again this Christmas, starting from today,” he softly says. “I know the pain gets worse when it’s cold.”

At Travis’ side, there’s a small stockpile of Salonpas and warm compresses. No doubt his boyfriend went on a shoplifting spree from the camp store. All to soothe Ethan’s injuries from when Kronos pitched him off Olympus.

“You’re such a mother hen,” Ethan sighs, already pulling him down into bed with him. What better way to warm up, right?

“So scandalous, E. What if the harpies catch us?” Travis teases.

They fit like jigsaw pieces, Travis’ lanky limbs stretching over Ethan’s form.

Ethan can’t believe he gets a second chance.

“Fuck the harpies.”

[old threadfic from twitter]

[strangeweirdgirl]

I was rereading poa and got carried away

[strangeweirdgirl]

*Pokes head out from the void

Remember how Annabeth said that during the summer before tlt she went back to her dad's place and almost immediately went back to camp bc it didn't end well?

I feel like we as a fandom neglect the fact that Luke would've gone protective big brother mode the second she got the letter from Frederick. Like this is the SEVEN YEAR OLD girl who literally ran away bc the neglect at home from BOTH parents was so bad that she'd rather run away than stay and be a burden to Them!

Luke would've been like, 'oh so now he decides to contact you? It's been 4 years and now he decides to ask for a second chance so he can try to feel better about himself?'

Say what you want about Luke but I think we can all agree that he would've been double if not triple checking if Annabeth really wanted to go back and try again, during the days leading up to her departure

he would've walked her up to Half-Blood Hill where Argus was going to drive her if not joining the drive and walking her up to the house and only leaving until after Frederick answered the door but not before telling her to IM him if she felt uncomfortable so he could tell Chiron

Idk maybe I just need someone big brother Luke content during those 5 years they had together

[strangeweirdgirl]

And honestly the faiths and judges and spirit of the greek world really take prophecy and things like that seriously and the prophecy about the hero was Luke, so that's why I feel even after everything they saw him as a hero and let him go to Elysium.

But yea gods definitely don't someone like him around lols and Luke himself implied that he will go for reborn.

I believe that Luke got to Elysium and was reborn before the events of HOO, not cause of this "hero" - "not hero" discussion of yours, but because it is just logical:

— he didn't appear in the plot with the open Gates of Death;

— he wasn't noticed in the wandering in Tartarus;

but immediately kick him back to earth without the memories makes a lot of sense for the gods — maybe Luke's life will be shit again, he will live like an ordinary person, his soul will just sink into the fields of Asphodel after the second death.

[strangeweirdgirl]

Bianca di angelo's death was sooo... anticlimatic, predictable, and dare I say... pointless?

Her character had SO. MUCH. potential, and Rick threw all of that away to give Nico some character development, which could've been given even if Bianca hadn't died!

And you can argue, "Oh but if Bianca never died Nico wouldn't have found Hazel" and that is true, but that can also be easily fixed like, 'Nico had to get the keys to the doors of death which is located in the fields of asphodel' or something. Anything! Anything but killing Bia :(

[strangeweirdgirl]

daydreaming isn’t enough i need it to happen to me in real life

[strangeweirdgirl]

Can we take a moment to talk about the recurring “it’s not problematic / offensive, it’s quirky” theme throughout all the three series? The entire discussion would get too long so I’ll just split it into parts and throw the spotlight on PJO here:

• ADHD and Dyslexia as superpowers: Just no. This has always rubbed me the wrong way. Want to include representation? Be real and sensitive about it. He barely even portrayed or talked about it in detail. A lot of the time, it just seemed plain derogatory and tokenist.

• Artemis and her “badass” hunt: In hindsight it seems straight up predatory and objectionable. What do you mean she mostly recruits young girls who don’t even have well-developed decision making skills. People have come out and talked about how it also seems to mirror unethical recruitment of young children in real life.

• World War II as a plot point: This has been talked about before, and I’ll throw in my two cents- the Second World War was one of the most tragic and impactful events in contemporary history, with a complicated background and multiple sides at fault. Watering it down to some conflict between demigods is unacceptable and disgusting.

• Camp halfblood in general : Camp halfblood is also just child soldier central, just like Camp Jupiter. Children were sent out to die on a routine basis in the name of heroism long before the conflicts with Kronos. The fact that this is never acknowledged or changed is just horrid. They could stay safely in the camp atleast for some time but what is the need to send them on quests? And please don't come to me babbling about how Percy challenged the gods about this, when he himself was a puppet for the next 5 books and counting (plus, even in trials of Apollo the child soldier system doesn't change). Or about how gods can't intervene, when they in fact, can.

[strangeweirdgirl]

i loveeeee xander hawthorne

[strangeweirdgirl]

how do i say this. luke would not have turned against the gods if thalia had been there. they would have kept each other in line. thalia is the rock. thalia is paternal and luke is maternal. what annabeth and percy are too camp right now is what thalia and luke would have been had they the chance. thalia did not switch sides on mt. othrys for a reason. they bonded over their dislike of the gods but they also kept each other in line. it was a balanced equation, losing one half is what tipped the scale.

[strangeweirdgirl]

No but imagine Thalia seeing Luke all grown up and hot and just has to do a double take before remembering what's she there for

But y’all don’t wanna talk about that…