#But I’ve read all of the Olympian book

[foolishaetherguardian]

Mr. D from the porch: “Technically it was domestic terrorism and you are number four on the list.”

Chiron, rolling past while swapping the wine for DC: “And all of that is resolved. You are not wanted for any outstanding crimes.”

Percy would try and explain it and would be just hazy enough on the details due to manticore poisoning at the time that no one really fully believes it wasn’t his fault except for Grover and Annabeth. And neither of them are going to explain it because Percy realizing that people might be scared of him is a good thing.

Percy: so let me just get this clear, Leo speaks three languages, he's super tech savvy, and he's in AP math classes.

Leo: pretty much, yeah.

Percy: and Solace over here is like number one professional doctor with years of training and actual practice.

Will: I'm kinda cheating with the magic, but I read the books to make sure.

Percy: meanwhile Reyna, Jason, Hazel and Frank were/are a teenage war general. That must had required something.

Reyna, jason, Hazel and Frank: way too much leadership skills.

Percy: Calipso can make clothes from scratch, and how to grow her own food.

Calipso: I do.

Percy: Nico knows like six languages. And had years of playing video games.

Nico: I know Italian, Latin, Greek, English, and a little bit of French, so like, four and a half.

Percy: Annabeth gained architectural experience when she designed the fucking Olympus.

Annabeth: that was awesome.

Percy: Piper have a famous father, and she speaks French.

Piper: I don't like to talk about it.

Percy: all of you people are actually useful in the mortal world. I am wanted for arson.

[adaedellta]

Epic the musical soulmate au

Where nothing changes but all the words make you a lot sadder

I’ve been on a soulmates AU kick recently and thinking about the Ithaca Saga so imagine a first words tattooed on your body trope with young Odysseus and Penelope and he’s a little intuitive having heard of Penelope and thinking she’s so cool then he sees her and gets this feeling she’s the one

Maybe it’s an Athena’s pupil thing maybe they’re such a perfect match for each other that he can feel it in his bones but he has this almost tangible cord pulling him towards her

But he’s there tryna wingman for Menelaus, talks to Tyndareus abt the oath idea and when the king responds well he maybe quietly implies he’s set his sights on Penelope, and maybe Helen and Penelope are somewhere nearby just close enough to hear Odysseus’ pitch but not so close they hear his goals(I can’t find a solid source online for their first meeting so I’m making stuff up) and after, penelope is intrigued by him and he’s somewhere close and she comments something like “he chooses his words well” to Helen. and he’s like stupid smart, trying to impress her, even his subconscious is focused on her and he hears and says something like “it’d take a fool to be insolent in your presence” to her

and it clicks in her head immediately that those are her words and without any shock or question she just says “you’re mine”

And they’re so sickeningly in love, they call back to their words often, he’ll say “I’d be a fool to___” and she’ll repeat “you’re mine” and almost never call him his name favoring lovey nicknames like “my love” and “my dear”

And when he goes off to war she says “you’ll come home to me, you’re mine” and he says “It’d take a fool not to return to your presence”

Then things go south, but through his journey it’s all he thinks, that he has a promise to keep. When he loses his crew, when he faces and befriends Circe, hears his fallen brethren and family in the underworld, the sirens song having an almost “I’m yours” tone as opposed to “you’re mine”, he evades Scylla, he makes Zeus’ choice, all thinking “it would take a fool not to return to your presence”

And calypso, she doesn’t have the words of a soulmate. it’s a fate confined to humanity, from when Zeus split mortals in two and forced their souls to be forever reaching to connect the puzzle til they finally unite. But she knows what they are. And just like her using his sleep-spoken trauma against him, calling back to his dead friends and family, she repeats “you’re mine” in love in paradise even dipping into “my dear” and “my love” despite his unending denial of her affections. It puts even more emphasis on his already rightful aggression and pain at what should only be said by Penelope

Then “I plan to put an end to all the foolishness” in dangerous he already wasn’t going to let anything stop him but now he’s willing to do straight up anything (and he does) to get home. He has a firm belief. he would rather be savage and merciless than be foolish because in his eyes there is nothing worse.

And when he becomes monstrous, how will he sleep at night??? “NEXT TO HIS WIFE” we all say in unison.

That’s not even mentioning Penelope, she spent 10 years pushing back the suitors, because Odysseus is coming home, she knows her husband, he is no fool. He will come back to her. She will not let anything go, and she will keep what is hers. The suitors all having an approach of having her turning their already flat chances into the negatives, especially Antinous’ threats in hold them down all having a message of taking from her where to be with Penelope is to give her all of yourself so she can do the same in turn.

And he absolutely fucks shit up, the suitors and their threats, the harm they’ve dealt to his family, the way they continue to try nothing but take what’s Penelope’s, what’s his. Their foolishness will not be tolerated. The actions they’ve taken to his wife, to his son, the greatest creation their love has ever made, they didn’t stand a chance against the guy who just fought god and won.

And then what everyone has been waiting on for the entire musical the absolute masterpiece that is would you fall in love with me again will never not be heart wrenching. He’s not just asking her if she could look past all he did, fall in love with the man he’s become. He doesn’t know if he still deserves her, if he’s too far gone to be worthy, He’s asking “am I still yours”

And she’s as cunning as ever, even after every year they spent apart she will always know exactly how to push his buttons, how to set him off, how to force him to convey his desperation for her, and hell she’s from Sparta of course she’s gonna be into him after all that. The second he turns his back in shame she’s probably twirling her hair and fanning her face knowing what he did all to keep his promise and return to her. And she gives him the reassurance that he needs, tricks him into proving that no measure of distance and time could ever take away or change what they have, and for the first time in 20 years he hears her say “you’re mine” and it shatters any apprehensions and self doubt because he’s still Penelopes.

And overall it changes literally nothing about the plot or the storyline and only serves to make things a hundred percent more sad and angsty

and I’ve had this eating away at my brain all through a piercing appointment and shopping with my mom and sibling all day I can finally rest now that it’s escaped my head

[valewritessss]

The amount of criticism and hate the wottg book is getting makes me scared to like it bc it feels like if I do then I’m doing something wrong😅

[scazem]

hi pjo fandom, please accept my application, thanks

[thecounterfeit-redhead]

How does one go back in time and reread books again to experience the euphoria and joy and pure glee for the first time?

[kamaluhkhan]

TIME TO PRETEND

pairing: luke castellan x gn!poseidon!reader word count: 5k chapter summary: you're the eldest child of poseidon and the hero of the last great prophecy. you left your demigod life behind after defeating kronos. now, years later, you find yourself back at camp half blood for the summer.....which means dealing with luke castellan, and all that history (tension?) left unresolved between you. warnings: some nicknames for reader are based on female characters (mermista, sailor neptune) but they're still written as gender neutral. reader has tattoos. mention of alcohol + death (post-titan war). spoilers for the entire pjo (book) series, mostly references to the last olympian. timeline is all over the place but set in the early 2000s for vibes. no betrayal (au where chris was the one who sided w kronos and led the titan army) so slightly ooc luke <3 author's note: welcome to another product of my pjo hyperfixation !!! i wanted to finish the nemesis!reader series first but it's summer and i felt like reworking my tsitp series in a camp half-blood setting with bb luke. so prepare for childhood friends to lovers drama! summertime vibes! nostalgia! angst! would love to know what y'all think about this and if you want a part 2 so feel free to scream at me in the comments. otherwise, enjoy and thanks 4 reading 💙

♪: time to pretend by mgmt

YOU’VE GOT MAIL!

1 new message 

from: LukeNotSkywalker

to: Mermista86

subject: you are GETTING that record deal

Hey,

Your demo CD just came in the mail — and, Connor as my witness, I’ve already listened to it five times!!! 

It’s amazing. You’re amazing. The label would totally lose out if they didn’t sign you. 

Things have been pretty chaotic around here, with the summer term happening soon. Speaking of which: are you coming back? Chiron gave me the list of returning campers and counsellors this morning and said he hadn’t heard from you, so I thought I’d ask. I know you’ll be busy with the band, but if you get the chance, it’d be really great to see you.

Anyways, I’m leading the next Shield & Sword session, so I’d better go. Talk soon ;)

- L

FOUR YEARS LATER

TURBULENT WATERS? ALT-ROCK BAND MIDNIGHT SIRENS HIT ROUGH PATCH AFTER LEAD GUITARIST GETS INTO VIOLENT ALTERCATION 

the cover is the nail in the coffin: a blurry picture of you, an electric blue guitar forgotten at your feet, lunging forward into a crowd, with your bandmates on stage behind you in shock. 

you’d gone all this time without any major incidents, and one stupid chimera managed to burn down everything you worked for in one fell swoop.

“that’d be $8.50,” the cashier informs. 

you tear your attention away from the magazine, instead fishing through your pocket for some change. meanwhile, the cashier furrows their brow, leans down slightly to get a better look at you underneath your sunglasses and baseball cap. 

“hey, do i know you?”

“nope,” you say instantly, slapping a $10 bill onto the counter. “keep the change.” you gather your pile of necessary roadtrip supplies (slushies, m&m’s, and goldfish) before rushing out the door, your half-brother trailing behind you.

you slide into the driver’s seat, set each slushie in a cup holder, and hand the rest to percy once he’s slipped into the passenger side. 

“seatbelt,” you remind him. you shake your hair out after removing your baseball cap disguise. “i promised your mom i’d be responsible.” 

percy does as he’s told, though not without mumbling about how he’s practically an adult and a demigod who’s been in much more dangerous situations than a car ride up to long island. you just tell him to put on some music, even though he has a point. he’ll be 18 in august and you’re only five years older, but the fact is that you gave sally jackson your word. 

plus — you’re his older sibling, so gods forbid you let him get hurt. a seatbelt seems like a band-aid solution for one of the most powerful demigods out there, but still.

percy flips through a few radio stations while he sips his blue raspberry slushie. when he doesn’t find anything good, he opens the glove compartment and surveys your music collection before sliding a cd into the stereo. 

instantly, the familiar sound of david bowie’s voice eases the tension in your shoulders.

“good choice?” 

you nod and percy smiles triumphantly. you reach over to steal a few goldfish from the bag he just opened and ruffle his hair playfully, for good measure. 

you’re perfectly happy, driving along a long island highway while getting lost in the glam rock world of ziggy stardust, but it isn’t long until percy interrupts: 

“are you finally gonna tell me what happened, or do i have to read it from some trashy gossip magazine like everyone else?”

“well, your dyslexic ass can barely read so….”

you look over at him briefly, and laugh when you see him stick his slightly-blue tongue out to you. 

“at least my dyslexic ass is actually decent at ancient greek. luke told me you failed the reading test, like, a million times.”

your heart twinges at the mention of your old friend. 

friend.

if you could still call him that. 

thankfully, percy doesn’t give you much room to dwell on the past, too focused on your drama-filled present.

“so, what is it? you got kicked out of the band? lost everything? have nowhere else to go?”

you roll your eyes at his dramatics. “i did not get kicked out.” 

“then, what happened?”

“just the usual.” you shrug. “monster attack, mortals who can’t see through the mist. i tried to explain it away after — something about how i saw someone in the crowd attack another person and i stepped in to help. most people bought it, but the media loves drama and the label’s worried i’m a flight risk now. apparently, everything will blow over if i just keep a low profile for the next few months. so….no. i didn’t lose everything.” you take a deep, like when anyone other than children of poseidon are about to go underwater and they’re not quite sure when they can come up for air. 

“i just don’t really have anywhere else to go,” you finish.

“damn.” percy offers you a blue shark gummy (or whale - you and percy had already debated the shape of the candy that sally packed for the trip, and the jury’s still out). you gratefully accept. “well, i know it’s not the best reason, but i’m excited to spend the summer together.”

despite everything, you find yourself smiling. 

“me too, kid.” 

“it’d give me a chance to kick your ass in sword-fighting.”

“you wish!” you nudge his shoulder, both of you giggling. once the laughter’s died down, you glance at percy once more. “hey – did you tell anyone i was coming?”

percy shakes his head. “why?”

you take a long swig of your drink until you’re on the brink of brain freeze. 

“no reason.”

it’s just after lunch when you arrive at camp half-blood. 

you weren’t sure what you were expecting — maybe not some futuristic technological developments that had been discovered within the years you were gone, but definitely not for camp to look pretty much exactly the same as when you left. 

instantly, you find comfort in the familiar scenes: a dragon, peleus, guarding the magical borders; dryads and satyrs picking strawberries in the fields next to the forest; chiron standing near the central guidepost, greeting and guiding every camper in the right direction.

chiron smiles down at percy and practically does a double take when his eyes land on you.

“mx. l/n! it has been a while. are you here to drop off your brother, or do you plan on staying for the summer?”

before you can answer, someone appears behind him. 

“perce! hey!” 

“hey, luke.”

luke gives him a side hug, and percy shoves him away with a laugh when he ruffles his hair. it’s then that luke acknowledges you, though he looks like that’s the last thing he wants to do.

“i thought i’d never see you again. what are you doing here? ”

chiron turns to you expectedly. “i believe you have yet to answer that question of mine as well.”

“staying for the summer…” you adjust the shoulder strap of your backpack, uneased by luke’s cold demeanor. “i hope that’s okay.”

“of course!” chiron’s smile grows wide, eyes crinkling. “you’ll resume your position as head counsellor of cabin 3.”

“so i’m dethroned? just like that?” percy guffaws.

you nudge percy’s shoulder. “fulfill the next great prophecy, and then we’ll talk.” 

percy rolls his eyes playfully. luke, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to appreciate your tongue-in-cheek remark. his jaw tightens, and he suddenly finds a deep interest in the clipboard he’s holding.

chiron clears his throat, likely sensing the tension. “yes, well, i’m sure you remember how things work around here. if not, mr. castellan has been keeping this ship afloat. he's always here to help.”

“always.” luke smiles, but it’s elastic, threatening to snap at any moment. someone calls his name, and he walks away to deal with whatever chaos is waiting for him.

summer — age 15

you weren’t exactly conscious when you first arrived at camp half-blood. 

apparently, coach hedge, a satyr and protector, found you just in time and had to practically drag you up half-blood hill after a particularly gruesome fury attack. 

when you woke up and saw luke sleeping next to you in a chair, his curls overgrown and falling onto his eyes, you thought you had died and gone to elysium. 

you took in your unfamiliar surroundings. some sort of infirmary, with only your best friend next to you, the one you hadn’t seen in almost a year since you’d parted ways. 

then, you remembered what was happening before you passed out; it was more likely that you were being tricked into a false sense of security by that fury, who definitely planned on devouring you later.

with a newfound sense of urgency, you decided it was time to get out of there before it was too late. you were reaching for your knife when you felt a hand grab your shoulder. without losing a second, you twisted your body around, weapon at the ready.

whoever it was watching over you sure looked like luke. he was wearing a bright orange shirt and leather cord necklace with one clay bead. another point of difference was the jagged scar that cut across his left cheek.

“it’s just me,” he said, gently. “you’re fine here. you’re safe.”

you weren’t convinced, kept your knife in front of you to keep distance. “prove it.” you narrowed your eyes. “tell me something only luke would know.”

“you’re left-handed.”

“that’s a great observation,” you scoff.

“storm is your favourite x-men character.”

“that’s a very popular opinion.”

“your aunt would make us mango lassi after swim camp when she got home from work,” luke tries for the third time. “and, my mom - she used to call you ‘starfish.’”

your heart skipped a beat.

that was the confirmation you needed. 

the knife dropped from your hand, clattered on the wooden floor, as you pulled luke in for a hug. you were greeted by a familiar scent, that pear shampoo luke loved because it made his hair so soft, mixed with the smell of fresh pine trees. 

“it’s really you,” you mumbled into his shoulder.

despite sleeping for gods know how long, you were exhausted. you rested your weight into luke, but he didn’t seem to care.

“it’s really you. i thought i’d never see you again.”

“where are we?” you asked, breaking away to face luke. you ignored the wooziness you felt throughout your body; luke seemed to sense it, his grip around you tightening. “are annabeth and thalia here, too? how’d you get here?” your thumb traced the unfamiliar scar on his face. “what happened? are you okay —”

“i-i’ll answer all your questions, but you lost a lot of blood.” luke guided you to lay back down in bed. “we’ll explain everything. just get some rest.”

a third scenario entered your mind: this was all a dream. you’d close your eyes and when you opened them again, luke would be gone. you’d be alone again.

you couldn’t let go of luke’s hand, even as he tucked you back into bed. you tugged his wrist, silently urging him to join you.

“will you stay with me?” you finally croaked when he continued standing. 

luke looked at you, and you nodded once as final confirmation. then, he removed his shoes and slipped into the bed next to you. it was luke, all sweet pear and soft curls and strong heartbeat, and you held on to him in fear that he might slip away.

“always,” he whispered.

during the orientation video you were later shown, you learned that camp half-blood’s motto is keeping young heroes safe (mostly) for over three millennia!  

luke had used that word, too. safe.

chiron told you this was to be your new home as he walked you to the poseidon cabin. he told you that you were safe now, though you noticed how the word almost got caught in his throat. he gave you a sad smile you didn’t quite understand.

you did wonder, at first, if those words were true: this place, a home for you and other children of gods. somewhere safe.

and, well.

you came to understand chiron’s general melancholy a few weeks later, and every week after that. he was used to training and sending heroes off to their potential death, and you would be no different. stolen lightning bolts, deadly quests, cryptic prophecies. a pending war between divine forces you had been entangled with long before you knew. heartache and betrayal and loss beyond measure. 

but, there were other things, too. 

annabeth, fitting in perfectly at the athena cabin, continued being her genius self, leading her team to victory every capture the flag game. she was extra patient in helping you with ancient greek, especially after chiron had given up.

chris rodriguez, luke’s half-brother, would tell you jokes from across the dining pavilion, knowing that you hated sitting alone at the poseidon table. michael yew, son of apollo, taught you how to play guitar at the bonfire one week; you’d ask for more and more lessons until you could start playing on your own. charles beckendorf made you a celestial bronze sword that shone like that burst of light when the sun hits the ocean at sunset. it transformed into a ring that you would never take off, unless in battle. you might not have gotten along with mr. d, but you spent free time picking fresh strawberries with his son, castor. you made matching friendship bracelets with silena beauregard, who was really the only person you confided in, about how you maybe possibly felt something other than friendship when it came to luke. she told you about her crush on clarisse larue, the daughter of ares whom you would always partner with during sparring practice. you taught ethan nakamura, who didn’t have his own cabin as the child of nemesis, how to properly hold a sword. thalia’s tree stood tall at the top of the hill where you almost bled to death, protecting you and everyone inside the magical borders. you, annabeth, and luke would share a picnic there every thursday.

you had been on the run for so long, always looking over your shoulder for monsters, sleeping with one eye open to be one step ahead of death, jumping from one place to the next so quickly to avoid danger.

so, yes. 

it was nice to stay in one place, where you knew you were as safe as demigods could be. it was nice to spend your time learning and training and laughing instead of just surviving. 

it was nice to have a place to call home. and people to call it home with.

now 

the first week passes in the blink of an eye, and it’s like you never left.

tie-dye, volleyball, strawberry picking, kitchen duty, and cabin inspection. 

luke has everyone on a tight schedule — one, you notice, conveniently places the two of you at opposite ends of camp at all times.

still, you catch up with clarisse and the stoll brothers, spend time with annabeth and percy, say hi to pollux and katie gardner and others you vaguely recognize as five years older than what you remember. there are also a lot of faces you don’t recognize at all.

of course, you try not to think about the faces you wished you could see: friends you grew up with and would never have a laugh with again, younger campers you had trained who would never grow up. all lost because of the gods and the titans and a prophecy you never asked to be a part of. 

it’s a side effect of being back here; their ghosts are harder to ignore.

again — trying not to think about it.

anyways.

climbing wall, armory, sword-fighting practice, archery field, and free time on the beach.

to conclude: capture-the-flag, a friday night camp-half blood tradition.

you’re praising annabeth for her latest strategy that led to blue team victory when you notice luke. he was also on the blue team, but instead of celebrating with the rest of you, he’s speaking to someone who’s wearing a red helmet. they seem to be in a heated discussion, one that luke is not wanting to continue. his tells are the same, after all these years: the impatient tapping of his foot, his eyes searching for an out.

you give it to him.

“sorry, i need to borrow this guy.” you say, grabbing luke’s wrist. “camp emergency.” 

if the person said anything, you didn’t hear it, because you were already dragging luke away from the crowd, towards the armory shed. 

“what’s the emergency?” luke wonders, brows furrowed in concern. he has deep shadows under his eyes, too. keeping the ship that is camp half-blood afloat has clearly taken a toll on him. 

“you wanting to get out of that conversation. you’re welcome.” you wink at him; luke flushes, and you’re not sure if it’s because he’s annoyed, or if he's just flustered. “so, are you gonna keep ignoring me the whole summer?”

you put your helmet on one of the shelves and turn back to luke. you expected him to start removing his armor as well, but he doesn’t. he just glares at you, arms crossed over his chest.

so, he’s annoyed, then. 

“what do you expect?” luke hisses. “you can’t come back here and pretend that everything can be like it was when we were kids. things are different now, especially between us.”

you decide to take him up on his challenge. 

“oh? tell me, luke, what exactly is different between us?”

luke shakes his head in disbelief. you remove your chest plate, and that’s when the tattoo on your waist becomes visible. it’s a magnolia, like one of the flowers that bloomed on the tree outside may castellan’s house. 

something in luke softens, then. he sighs. 

“you could have at least given me a warning.”

he storms off, and you’re left half-armored, wondering what he meant by that.

you figure it out once a few of you settle down for a late-night, underground poker game, and you’re trying not to stare at luke’s hands.

it starts with you telling yourself that you’re just trying to predict what cards he’s holding, figure out if he’s bluffing, and if he’s about to lose everything he’d so confidently bet on. 

but then you notice the silver thumb ring that thalia got him for his 17th birthday. you notice an array of hair ties and elastic bands he keeps just in case a camper needs them, and woven bracelets given to him by his admirers. you notice how the tattoo on his wrist is covered. (it’s hidden well, but you know it’s there — you’d gotten one of a wing, the kind that might be found on a pair of magical red converse, at the same time)

you also notice the forest green painted on luke’s nails, the same shade worn by the person beside him.

van, the new head counsellor of the hephaestus cabin. you’d seen them at staff meetings, but you somehow did not notice that they were dating luke. 

he moved on — is that why luke needed a warning? is that what's changed between you?

it’s fine. whatever. so what if luke has a new partner? it’s not like the two of you were anything, officially. 

luke has a new partner. they’re wearing matching nail polish. they’re one of those couples.

well, van is also wearing a nickleback shirt and luke hates nickleback, unless that fundamental part of his personality changed, too. 

“yo, sailor neptune. you in or not?” travis brings you out of your daze, by using a nickname luke once called you.

back before becoming heroes, when you and luke were just kids, you’d watch cartoons in his living room on saturday mornings — x-men, she-ra: princess of power, teenage mutant ninja turtles, sailor moon. a lifetime ago.

you look around the table and see that everyone has been waiting for you to take your turn. even luke raises an eyebrow at you.

“yeah.” you clear your throat and throw some chips into the centre. “i’m in.”

you have decent enough cards to keep you in the game, and you’re comfortable that you can play the odds in your favor. the stoll brothers are good liars, you know that, and so is luke. malcolm pace is good at strategy, but thankfully not as good as his half-sister annabeth. pollux, who had invited you to the game, already folded along with butch, the son of iris who has a rainbow tattoo on his bicep to prove it. beside you, lou ellen, daughter of the hecate, contemplates her next move. clovis has fallen asleep, true to their title as head counsellor of the hypnos cabin. you can’t get a read on van, but they keep raising the stakes so confidently, and you’ve always liked a good challenge.

soon enough, it’s only you and van in the bet. when it comes time to reveal your cards, you curse yourself for overplaying your hand.

“good game,” van says to you as they collect their winnings. “you really had me going there.” 

“yeah.” your smile is strained, but it’s there nonetheless. “tried my best.”

“guess the curse of achilles doesn’t help as much in poker as it does in capture the flag.” 

“excuse me?” you raise an eyebrow.

luke, who had one arm casually draped around van’s chair the entire game, pulls away. “van, maybe don’t —”

“it’s not like it’s a secret, luke. they’re the prophecy kid, everyone knows they bathed in the river styx to be able to fight kronos. it’s camp legend.”

other than you, luke, and van, everyone else is occupied with something else. connor busies himself shuffling the cards, while lou ellen, malcolm, and pollux get up for more drinks. it seems like butch and travis have their own bet going to see who can balance the most chips on clovis’ forehead without waking him up. 

van waits for an answer. you’re a little queasy, and it’s not from the wine pollux managed to snag from his dad’s office. you’re suddenly faced with the reality that your life is reduced to a legend. you try your best to swallow that feeling, of being made into a greek tragic hero while your heart is still beating, and your life is still a mess.

“that’s relevant, why?”

“just that some people might consider the invulnerability thing an unfair advantage in physical competitions like capture the flag,” van explains. “increased strength and all that.” 

“that would mean nothing without a good strategy,” you counter.

“that’s what i said,” luke grumbles. 

you recognize van now as the person luke was arguing with earlier. it must have been about this. 

about you. 

“okay, y’all were best friends, so luke is obviously going to take your side.”

you’re not sure what stings more: friends or were. 

“although, he never really talks about you, which is weird because you’re, like, famous in and outside camp.”

ouch. that definitely stings the most. luke winces slightly, almost like he feels it, too.

“alright, alright,” connor interjects, shuffling the cards in his hands. “another round?” 

you’re the only one who decides to call it a night. everyone says goodbye; even van, who’s blissfully unaware of the effect their words had on you. luke avoids your gaze. the game continues without you.

percy’s snoring provides enough cover as you sneak into your shared cabin. you try to sleep, but it doesn’t come easy. 

you feel the spot underneath your rib, the one spot you’re truly vulnerable, ache.

summer — age 17

for the first time in your life, you couldn’t breathe underwater. you were swimming in acid, and your skin was melting away.

at least, that’s what it felt like to bathe in the river styx. achilles could have mentioned that, but all he gave was a cryptic warning about anchoring yourself to what makes you mortal.

you really tried at first. you thought about your friends at camp. you thought about percy, about your aunt back when she was still around. you even thought about may castellan, burnt cookies and saturday mornings.

the pain was too much, though. 

you were forgetting where you were, who you were. with every passing second, you were dissolving into nothing.

“if you wanted to go for a swim, you should have told me. i would have worn my swimsuit.”

luke’s voice echoed across the waves. you tilted your head up to see him sitting on the dock above you, his feet dangling into the water. he had rolled up his jeans to just above his ankles so they didn’t get wet, but his shoes were still on, which was a bit strange. the sun made his eyes look like burnt amber, his teeth sparkling as he smiled at you. 

okay. cool.

you were at camp. it was mid-afternoon, free period. the two of you had been at the edge of the lake, until you became impatient and jumped in, fully clothed. behind him, you could see that annabeth, thalia, and percy were waiting for you on the shore. they were each wearing orange camp shirts, which was also strange; you couldn’t remember a time when you were all there together, as campers.

“we better go, sailor,” luke said, amusement laced throughout his words. “come on. those cabins aren’t gonna inspect themselves.”

luke extended his hand to you. when you hesitated, he added:

“i can’t do this without you. will you stay with me?”

you reached up and grabbed luke’s hand.

always.

you emerged from the water, catching your breath as you collapsed on the sand. 

“oh gods. are you okay?”

your cousin, nico diangelo, son of hades, knelt down next to you. he tried to check your pulse, but you waved him away. your eyes searched for luke, but he wasn’t there, despite feeling the ghost of his hand in your own. 

oh.

you weren’t at camp; you were in the underworld. it was nico’s idea for you to take on the curse of achilles so that you’d be strong enough to face kronos. 

“did it work?”

you got up, a bit uneasy on your feet at first. nico helped steady you, his hands cold on your skin.

you felt….stronger wasn’t the right word. you felt adrenaline coursing through your veins, like you could swim across the biggest ocean without pausing once. like you could defeat an entire army and not break a sweat. maybe even take down a titan or two while you're at it.

you needed to see luke again, to meet him and the others in manhattan before it was too late.

“let’s hope so.”

now

you always loved mornings at camp half-blood. the beach was particularly beautiful at sunrise, the water peaceful.

the morning after that impromptu poker game, you need that peacefulness to wash over you. you’re awake after a rather sleepless night, deciding to go for a quick run before breakfast. you get dressed and grab your mp3 player, as quietly as you can to avoid waking up percy (who, truthfully, could probably sleep through a hurricane anyways). 

you jog from one end of the beach to the other. you set a steady rhythm, somewhere between the beat of your music and the sound of waves gently washing over the shore. when you make your way back down to where you started, you notice someone sitting nearby.

luke doesn’t say anything when you first sit next to him. he’s wearing a dark blue hoodie over his usual orange shirt, a cigarette tucked behind his ear. you imagine that he confiscated it from a camper on the way here. 

“morning,” he finally whispers, eyes fixed towards the ocean. 

you shiver, and not just from the cool morning air. you’re reminded of the last time luke spoke to you so softly, the last time you’d caught an early morning sunrise together. such a contrast to where you are now.

“morning,” you finally reply. 

as the sound of waves fills the silence between you, luke surprises you by taking a lighter out of his pocket. he lights the cigarette and takes a puff. then, he hands it to you. 

it’s such an odd, though not unwelcomed, gesture. a peace offering, you figure, but it’s just so not luke that you can’t help yourself.

“is golden boy luke castellan, offering me contraband? what planet am i on?”

the hint of a smile creeps onto his face. “like i said: things are different now,” he echoes his words from the night before, but this time you don’t sense any hostility.

you take a drag of the cigarette. your fingers brush against his when you return it to him.

you decide to offer a peace offering as well, and present to him one of your earbuds — he accepts. you have to slide across the sand to move closer to him, but he doesn’t seem to mind. 

i’m feelin�� rough, i’m feeling raw / i’m in the prime of my life….

as the song plays, you glance to see luke nodding along, tapping a finger on his knee to the beat. he lets the cigarette smoulder in his other hand.

we’re fated to pretend / to pretend / yeah, yeah, yeah….

when the song is over, luke turns to you. 

“new group?” he brings the cigarette to his lips, then gives it back to you.

“kinda.” you inhale, letting the smoke warm your lungs before explaining. “this is considered they’re breakthrough album. they’re from connecticut, actually.”

“oh, yeah? guess that’s where all the talent is from.”

luke bumps his shoulder against yours knowingly. you feel your cheeks heat up at his praise, his witty sincerity.

this is familiar — you and luke, at the beach, sharing music. it’s familiar, and for a few moments, you can act like there isn’t a wall between you, of unresolved feelings and harsh words. you can pretend that nothing has changed.

“you know, nickleback are from connecticut, too. which means you just called them talented.”

luke coughs on some smoke as he exhales with a laugh. “what? no i didn’t!”

“in a roundabout way. i always knew you were an undercover fan,” you tease.

“i have better taste than that.”

“do you?”

“you’re fucking with me,” luke deadpans.

you crack a smile. “yeah, i’m fucking with you.”

“gods, you scared me for a second,” he laughs, and you can’t help but follow. luke glances at you and the sunshine highlights his smile, his dark brown curls, the ever-changing color of his eyes. golden, radiant. 

you shiver again, looking away. before you know it, you feel something draped across your shoulders.

“i’m not sure van would like it if i was wearing your hoodie.” you joke, but your words are laced with a bitterness you hope luke doesn’t catch. unlucky for you, luke still knows you too well, whether he likes it or not.

“you don’t get to do that.”

“do what?”

luke scoffs. “be jealous.” 

“well, you don’t get to tell me how to feel.”

“so, you are jealous?”

you exhale sharply; you can practically feel the wall between you two reappear.

“it’s too early, lu. and i’m too hungover to deal with this.”

there’s nothing more left to say. you get up, throw his hoodie on the sand, and walk back towards your cabin, the beach and luke further away with every step you take.

it makes sense that way: you were always the one to leave first.

[wayneskluv]

Wonder Woman's daughter x Bat-fam - Chapter one

summary: Your mom—Wonder Woman—just dropped you off at Wayne Manor like a kid because she apparently couldn’t find a “suitable babysitter.” Never mind that you’re a fully grown adult and more than capable of taking care of yourself. Now you’re stuck in a mansion full of brooding vigilantes, chaotic adopted siblings, and a butler who’s already silently judging your life choices.

You survived battles, monsters, and Olympian family drama—but can you survive living with the Batfamily?

word count: around 1.6k before i made final touches on tumblr editor

pairing/s: platonic!alfred x reader, platonic!damian x reader (he's a child in this fic!) and then maybe romantically dick x reader or jason x reader perhaps even tim. probably not bruce x reader. if anyone has any preferences, do let me know!

warnings: basically none at the moment. haven't pre-read. no beta, we die like jason todd. damian being a bit of a demon brat. demigod!user.

a/n: all images edited by me! if there’s an artist i haven’t credited, please let me know! i usually get my images from pinterest, and the credit is.. not great. if i’ve written something twice or misspelled something please PLEASE don’t hesitate to tell me. i very much appreciate it. but please be kind! i promise the next parts will be longer, this is sort of an intro into it. even if they aren’t longer, i’ll write a few.

# ── chapter one's POLAROID design - DAMIAN’S:

WAYNE MANOR is.. a lot.

It’s not just the size—though the sheer magnitude of the place is ridiculous—it’s the atmosphere. There’s a certain weight to the air, something woven between the old wood and polished marble, between the paintings of long-dead Waynes and the ever-present shadows stretching down the halls. It’s a house of ghosts, of past lives and quiet grief, but also of something more. Something alive.

You follow Alfred through the halls, the weight of multiple sets of eyes trailing behind you.

“So,” Dick says, effortlessly slipping into step beside you, “how long are you crashing with us?”

“Not sure,” you admit. “Mom was vague. Something about a ‘diplomatic mission’ and ‘needing someone to keep an eye on me.’”

Jason makes a noise that’s somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. “You’re a grown adult. You need a babysitter?”

“Right?!” You throw up a hand. “I told her that. But apparently, my ‘tendency to attract trouble’ means I need supervision.”

Tim, still lounging on the couch with his coffee, raises an eyebrow. “You’re in good company, then.”

“I fail to see why we should be responsible for you,” Damian mutters, arms still crossed. “You’re more than capable of defending yourself. Do you require assistance dressing yourself as well?”

You smirk. “No, but thanks for the concern.” How old was this kid?

Damian bristles. Jason outright laughs.

Bruce, who had been silent up until now, finally speaks. “You’re here. You’ll train, patrol, and follow house rules. No exceptions.”

Ah. There it is. The Batman speech.

You tilt your head. “Define ‘rules.’”

Jason grins.

Bruce ignores him. “No reckless fights, no engaging Gotham’s rogues without backup, and no breaking my city.”

You cross your arms. “Define ‘breaking.’”

Tim groans into his coffee.

Dick pats your shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

You look around at your newly acquired dysfunctional family and resist the urge to sigh.

Mom really did just dump you here like a stray dog, huh?

—

You’re led to your new room—temporary room, you remind yourself—as Alfred sweeps open the door with his usual poised efficiency.

The space is huge. Bigger than necessary. A four-poster bed, heavy oak furniture, a massive window overlooking the eternal Gotham gloom. Everything is dark wood, old money, and class. The whole place smells faintly of leather-bound books and expensive cologne. It’s… nice. In a cold, excessively rich, mildly haunted sort of way.

Alfred clears his throat. “I took the liberty of preparing the room to your specifications. If anything is unsuitable, do let me know.”

Your specifications. Right. You’d told your mom you didn’t need anything, but she must have sent a list anyway, because there’s ambrosia nectar in a crystal decanter on the desk, a thick training mat rolled up in the corner, and a wardrobe that probably contains battle-appropriate outfits tailored to your measurements.

She really did just drop you off and send instructions like you’re a dog.

“Thanks, Alfred,” you say, running a hand over the desk. Solid mahogany. You could probably suplex a god onto it, and it would hold.

He nods approvingly. “Dinner is at seven. I trust you will have no issue finding the dining hall?”

You smirk. “I don’t know. This place is a maze. You sure I won’t end up lost and starving in the east wing?”

He doesn’t blink. “Then I shall inform Master Wayne that a search party may be required.”

Alfred departs, leaving you to take in the ridiculousness of your situation. You sit on the bed—comfortably firm, definitely high-thread-count sheets—and drop onto your back, staring at the ceiling.

Your mother owes you so much for this.

—

You spend the next couple of hours getting familiar with your prison.

It’s quiet for a while. Peaceful.

Then the knocking starts.

“Hey, Newbie.”

The door opens before you can answer. Dick. Of course it’s Dick.

He leans in, all easy grins and big brother energy. “Figured I’d check in. You settled?”

“As settled as I’ll ever be,” you say, sitting up.

Dick saunters in like he owns the place (which, okay, technically he used to). He glances around, nodding at the Amazonian touches. “Mom went all out, huh?”

“She thinks Gotham is held together with duct tape. She’s probably right.”

“Oh, definitely right.”

Before you can ask what he actually wants, another figure appears in the doorway.

Jason.

He crosses his arms, giving you a slow once-over. “So. You’re an Amazon.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

Dick chokes on a laugh. Jason grins.

—

The next few hours are a crash course in Batfamily survival.

Tim appears just long enough to tell you that “if you touch my coffee, I will kill you” before vanishing into the night like a cryptid.

Damian tests your reflexes by casually throwing a knife at you in the hallway. You catch it without looking. He says nothing. Just nods and walks away.

Jason decides to test your strength. By handing you a gun. You crush it in your bare hand. “…Well, okay then.”

Dick drags you into the living room for an impromptu movie night. Apparently, it’s a tradition. Jason spends half the movie making snarky Amazon jokes. Damian complains about historical inaccuracies.

By the time dinner rolls around, you’re half-convinced you’ve walked into a madhouse.

Alfred serves a massive feast (courtesy of your inhuman dietary needs). You sit at the table, surrounded by Gotham’s weirdest vigilantes, eating like an Amazon in the middle of a completely normal family meal.

It’s bizarre. It’s horrifying.

It’s… weirdly nice.

Bruce, sitting at the head of the table, barely says anything. He’s watching you, but it’s not that usual piercing Batman stare—it’s more like a curiosity. Maybe he’s wondering what kind of trouble you’ll stir up. Maybe he just doesn’t know what to make of you. You’ve barely had a real conversation with him, just him dropping you here with all the grace of a father figuring out how to deal with his kids’ newest problem. But then again, Bruce Wayne isn’t exactly father of the year.

Dick’s usual charm is in full swing as he tries to make small talk. “So, you’re a demigod, huh? You’re gonna have to teach me some moves sometime. You know, to keep up with all the crazy stuff we have to do around here.” His smile is big, open—like he’s trying to make you feel at home, but you can tell there’s a nervous energy under it. He keeps glancing at you, like he’s trying to figure out how to approach someone who could probably snap him like a twig. You almost feel sorry for him. Almost.

Jason, sitting next to you, shovels food in with no care for finesse. “So, you’re Wonder Woman’s kid. That explains the whole glowing warrior princess thing you’ve got going on. What do you actually do with all that godly power? Sit on mountaintops and brood or do you, like, break people’s faces for a living?” His voice is laced with amusement, but there’s a sharpness in his eyes. He’s testing you.

“You’d be surprised,” you say coolly, setting your fork down. “I’ve had a bit of experience with face-breaking.”

Jason laughs. “Good, because Gotham needs a lot of that.”

Damian, who had been silently poking at his food, suddenly looks up from his plate. His eyes narrow with some strange mix of suspicion and mild interest. “You will be trained, I assume?” he asks, not bothering to hide the condescension in his voice. “Or do you believe that your divine abilities will suffice?”

You almost choke on your drink. “Oh, I’m definitely trained, kid. What, you think just because I’m half-god I don’t need to learn how to fight like a human?”

Damian’s lips curl up into something that might be a sneer, but it’s more like the equivalent of a raised eyebrow from someone who’s always trying to one-up everyone. “I suppose that’s a good attitude, for now.”

You raise an eyebrow back, feeling the tension between you two starting to spark. “Keep thinking that.”

Tim, who’s been glaring into his phone the whole time, suddenly looks up. His expression is the usual deadpan, but you catch a flicker of curiosity. “You know,” he says, tapping on his screen, “if you really want to get the most out of this place, you’ll have to figure out which of us is your mentor. Bruce is… well, Bruce, so don’t expect much from him. But if you’re looking for a solid training regiment, maybe ask Dick or Jason. Just—don’t get too attached to the idea of normal training. This is Gotham, and we all have our… quirks.” He’s about to say more when Bruce interrupts with a sharp look.

“That’s enough, Tim,” Bruce says softly, but with authority. The room falls silent for a moment. Tim’s eyes flicker up at Bruce, then down at his phone. No more words from him.

It’s… strange. You’re used to the chaos, but this feels like a whole other level of dysfunction. They bicker like siblings, but there’s this undercurrent of something deeper—loyalty maybe? You can tell that whatever happens between these people, they’re bound by something stronger than just the weight of their shared lives.

You take a breath and cut in, trying to ease the tension. “Look, I’m just here for the short-term. All I need is a place to crash and a bit of guidance while Mom does whatever it is she’s doing.”

“Short-term?” Damian asks, raising a brow. “How short is short-term?”

You glance over at him, the corners of your mouth tugging into a smirk. “Not long enough for you to start calling me ‘sis,’ if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He glares at you. “We shall see.”

The dinner continues, awkwardly at first but slowly finding its rhythm. There’s a comfortable noise in the air now—the kind that only happens when people are used to each other’s company. And while you’re still very much the outsider in this strange little family, for the first time since you arrived, the weight of the world outside feels just a little bit lighter.

@hjgdhghoe @linnygirl09

[flemingsfreckles]

Kind of a Big Deal

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Synopsis: Jessie is humble, sometimes way too humble, as her new girlfriend it starts a fight when she fails to tell you important details about her career.

WC: 1.7k

Warnings: language

A/N: 👋

“I’m not looking forward to moving out at the end of the year, it’s going to be just as crazy as moving in was. What day are you planning to leave? I was thinking two days after my last final.” Bored of studying you decide to strike up a conversation with Jessie.

“Oh, I actually will have to move out earlier, I won’t be here for the end of the year, I’ll be out of town.” She speaks, not looking up from the table where her work sat.

“Since when and to where? Back home?” You looked up from your assignment to look at the girl sitting across from you.

“I’ve known for a few days. And sort of? Canada for a bit and then Japan.” She keeps her eyes on her assignment as if her news of international travel weren’t a big deal.

“Japan?! Are you even allowed to travel? I thought things were still restricted.” It was still a weird time, various restrictions on travel, some places allowing it, others not, your girlfriend had been relatively cautious with all the restrictions so you were surprised to hear of her plans.

“Well it’s like an organized thing for soccer.” She finally looks up from what she’s doing, giving a shrug as if the trip isn’t a big deal, just a standard trip for training. So you don’t bother to question her anymore.

“Oh cool.” You say before returning your attention to the textbook in front of you.

You knew Jessie played soccer, she had invited you to a few games in the fall, early on in your friendship. But beyond seeing her play for UCLA, she was pretty tight lipped regarding her playing. You knew she traveled a lot to play but she didn’t talk much about it so you didn’t pry. It wasn’t really your place to pry before. You knew the girl was shy, you didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

The two of you had only just recently started dating, you had danced around your feelings for each other for months, finally you asked Jessie out formally just last week, making her your girlfriend that same night. So you didn’t feel like it was your place to demand to know the details of her trip just yet, maybe once you’d been together for a bit, you’d feel it appropriate to ask questions about her travel soccer adventures.

You shrugged off her news of traveling, you hadn’t expected her to leave school early but you’d be alright, already planning on doing long distance all summer. It wasn’t until late that night that you realized what Jessie meant when she had said she was going to Japan. You were scrolling through Instagram and noticed a post from UCLA soccer with your girlfriend’s face and the words Tokyo Bound and the Olympic rings.

Your jaw dropped. And it dropped further when you read the caption. “Now a Two-Time Olympian! Congratulations to Jessie Fleming for being named to the Canadian Tokyo Olympic Roster.”

You couldn’t help but feel enraged at the post and at your girlfriend. You knew she was humble, but this was ridiculous. She had the opportunity to tell you this morning and she didn’t. You thought about calling her to give her a piece of your mind. Instead, thanks to college housing, you were able to slide off your bed and walk down the hall, down the stairs, to the floor your girlfriend lived on.

You knock hard on her door, her roommate and teammate Teagan answers. “Hi.”

“Jessie here?” You push past her after getting your answer, seeing your girlfriend’s head over the shoulder of Teagan. She’s sitting reading from a textbook. Hunched over her desk she didn’t see you coming up behind her. You close the book causing her to jump, turning around and pulling her headphones off to look at you.

Her initial reaction of fright is replaced with a big smile when she sees your face. “Hi!”

She clearly doesn’t read your bothered expression, joyfully greeting you. “You’re a fucking two time Olympian?!” You gently shove her shoulders back when she stands to hug you.

“And on that note, I’m going to go.” You hear Teagan say behind you before the door closes. Jessie doesn’t attempt to speak, she just looks at you.

It was one thing for her not to tell you, but now not answering you was making you even more angry. “Answer me!”

“Technically only one time Olympian, I haven’t gone to them this year yet.” She says, a sheepish look on her face. Her eyes shifted uncomfortably across the room.

“Oh my god!” Of course your perfectionist girlfriend wanted to take this moment to correct your thought process. “Why didn’t I know this? We’re dating!”

“It’s not that big of a deal. Teagan is one too.” She looks over to her roommates half of the room.

“I fucking knew Teagan was, she’s got the damn rings tattooed on her arm, and yes it is a big deal!” You let out a puff of air, frustrated by her behavior. “You have got to stop being so fucking humble, clearly you’re fucking good at soccer, it’s okay to admit that, it’s okay to own that.”

“Okay.”

“No, I’m serious Jessie because I don’t want to learn these things from Instagram! I want you to tell me. I want you to want to tell me, I’m your girlfriend for fucks sake! I already had to learn that you got All Team recognition for last season through Instagram because you didn’t tell me, and I know we weren’t dating then but we were friends! I had to learn through Instagram when you score at games I’m not able to attend because you’re too humble to gloat about yourself! It’s fucking ridiculous!

Jessie’s quiet, she blinks a few times at you, you stand there, waiting for her to say something, anything.

“Nothing? You don’t have anything to say?” Jessie’s habit of choosing silence during arguments and uncomfortable conversations getting on your nerves.

“I’m sorry?” She offers, but it sounds more like she’s guessing for what you want to hear.

“Don’t say that if you don’t mean it. It feels pretty shitty to know your girlfriend doesn’t want to talk about her achievements to you.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just I’ve always been told even as a kid there’s someone better than me, I was taught not to gloat, it’s arrogant, and I know I shouldn’t bring her up but my previous ex never wanted to hear about it, she didn’t get called up to her national team as often as I did with Canada, when I’d mention something I was proud of she’d make smart comments or tell me off for ‘being a show off’, she started a huge argument with me when I signed to come play in college. All my life I’ve been told to not share those things, honestly I don’t know how. I also kind of figured you knew I played internationally.”

“How would I just know that?!” You’re not sure how you’d know any of these things without the woman telling you.

“Half of my wardrobe is Canada shirts and pants. And I don’t know, someone who plays soccer casually doesn’t travel to other countries!” She points to the sweatpants she’s currently wearing, they’re light gray with the country name and a maple leaf on the left leg.

“I just thought you really liked your country and I don’t know I’m not a sports person, you know that, I didn’t know traveling is specific to being a professional athlete.” You shrug at her, you do realize how silly it was to assume she was just a big fan of the country, but how were you supposed to know?

“To be fair you’ve never asked, I assumed you didn��t care.” She looks everywhere in the room except at your face.

“I do care Jessie! You’re just so tight-lipped, anytime I ask about soccer, if you did well, how your games were, if training was good, I get a short answer and you move on, you never bring up if you score, if you win, nothing, I always have to ask and it makes me feel like you don’t want me asking so I don’t!” You’re trying to defend your own thought process, it wasn’t like you intentionally didn’t ask Jessie, you just thought she didn’t want to tell you, so you didn’t ask.

Jessie just sits down, slumping back into her chair. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

You squat down to look at her face, she’s visibly upset, eyes glossy, lower lip being bit hard by her teeth. “Hey.” You grab her chin softly between your thumb and index finger, encouraging her to look at you. “It’s okay. I’m sorry for yelling, I just, I want to know these things, I want you to brag to me, I want to be able to brag about you, but to do that I need to know these things. I’d much rather learn you’re going to the Olympics, for the second time, from you and not some Instagram post. Does that make sense?”

She nods into your hand.

“I will never, not want to hear about your achievements. If it helps, I’ll ask more questions, but you’ll have to give me full answers to those questions. We can meet in the middle, okay?”

“Okay.” She gives you a soft smile.

“Okay.” You bend down your hand still on her chin, giving her a quick peck to her lips.

“So… you’re like, kind of a big deal then, aren’t you? My girlfriend’s an Olympian.” A smirk comes across your face, teasing your girlfriend.

She pulls her chin from your grasp and turns away trying to hide the growing blush on her cheeks. “Shut up.”

[what-gs-watching]

“You’re getting the fuck of a lifetime, tonight.”

OKAY friends. As we all well know by now, I am, and have been, utterly devoted to David Tennant in all forms for a long time. The man is incredible. He’s everything. He can do no wrong. 

So I was obviously out of my mind excited about Rivals. Have I read the book? No. Should I probably have joined the GOAD subreddit book club to understand what I was getting into? Yeah, absolutely. But I did not.

Y’all. Does anyone else feel personally victimized by this show? Show of hands? No? Am I just a sensitive bitch right now? Fair.

I should have expected that David Tennant’s character was a true creep because I know he likes to mix it up, that’s on me, but I did not expect to feel so many WAYS about things. Wasn’t this supposed to be like a fun, sexy romp set in the 80’s wherein I could just shake my head at British people being british?

I really came into this show knowing basically nothing. I definitely need to stop doing that.

AKA, wherein a bunch of pompous Brits living in the Cotswolds fuck each other’s wives or husbands or neighbors or WHOEVER and fight over who should control the local television rights - David Tennant’s insanely charismatic and crazy manipulative Lord Tony Baddingham, or intrepid Irish interviewer Declan O’Hara and unlikely ally MP and former olympian Rupert Campbell-Black.

LISTEN, TV, don’t make comments on the difficulties of marriage and love and other things, directly into my face. I don’t like it. It makes me squirmy, and I hate you. 

In the beginning, I really did not like Rupert and was yelling about him being a fucking creep, and I was letting Lord B off the hook for some of his weirder behavior but wooooof, what a journey those eight episodes take you on. I do appreciate character growth, or also, I guess, character…descent? Because Tony absolutely fucking unravels. 

Something about absolute power corrupting absolutely?

Also, there are a ton of characters in this thing. And I’m obviously gonna fixate on Lord B but I have to be honest, Lizzie, neighbor to the O’Hara’s and wife of one of the tv personalities at Tony’s station, is my favorite part of this entire tapestry. She writes saucy novels and she’s underappreciated in her little life and she raises her kids and has an adorable best friend relationship with Rupert (which definitely helped me soften to him) and I connected with her way more than I should have.

She tries so hard to get her husband to pay her attention. She really wants to feel like he cares about her, that he thinks she’s worthy, and he never gives it to her. BUT then she meets Freddie, awkward tech magnate, and y’all. Their adorable, bumbling interactions are everything. He runs after a train when she leaves the chapters of her new book the train! He appreciates the hell out of her, and she does the same for him, because his wife is equally neglectful. 

I don’t think I’ve ever rooted so hard for someone to have an affair in my life. She deserved to get absolutely everything she wanted. We all do. And I don’t appreciate being EXPOSED like that. 

Anyway. We obviously can’t get into every single random storyline here, so we’re gonna hit the highlights, lightning round style.

I do really like Declan, and his relationship with his wife was interesting - she’s an actress so she’s always going to be dramatic but he seemed like he knew how to handle her, and I appreciated the passion they had together. I don’t love how they ended up, you can see he really does love her, but she doesn’t want to compete against his work for his affections. I get it. But like girl, you gotta give a little? But also, that shit is hard. Their relationship seemed like one of the realest, for sure. 

What I could not bring myself to be okay with, was Taggie’s (Declan’s 20 year old daughter) feelings for Rupert. I’m sorry y’all, no. Like, sure, Rupert becomes more of a person throughout the show and I appreciate that and I get that he maybe hasn’t ever really loved anyone but I’m not gonna sign up for the love story between the two of them. And usually I’ll sign up for anything. But I just can’t, I’m not sure why. It just still feels predatory to me. 

Will I eat those words if they make a season two? I suppose we shall see.

And now, Lord B. Tony-fucking-Baddingham. Foolishly at the start I was like, maybe he does care about his very typical, dowdy english wife. She looks very salt of the earth and sure it’s surprising she’s not young and hot but man, they seem to work well together, they get each other. What’s gonna go down here? 

And then just kidding, he’s fucking Cameron Cook, the American female producer he hired to create amazing television for Corinium. Because of course he is. He does seem to think she really is brilliant, but he wants to control that and own it and he somehow convinces himself he loves her? But the man is a sociopath. And I spent like, the final three episodes yelling “GIRL, he’s gonna try to murder you, like for real tho…”

But then he does shit like dancing with her at a restaurant while crooning along to a stripped down version of “Love is a Battlefield” and I’m like, maybe he contains multitudes? But he doesn’t! There’s no fucking hesitation in any of the terrible shit he gets up to. That sweetness is purposeful. It’s gross and it’s mesmerizing. 

Bless Georgia Tennant for convincing him to take this role. I hate it, and it’s wonderful.

Also, big fucking props to the way his proper wife lays down the law in the last episode. (Side rant: early on I was like ‘does he ever fuck his wife?’ and he does, and it’s so awkward, bless her. I get it babe, I really do). But she met her fucking limit and she didn’t shy away from it. We need more women standing up for themselves. Cameron does to a degree, but Monica is the true MVP in this mess. 

I think the worst part about this show is that it ends abruptly, honestly. You don’t get a lot of closure, everything is still up in the air and there’s a serious fucking cliffhanger and now I’m just mad and weirdly turned on and again, feeling a lot of ways about things. It’s very “thanks, I hate it.” 

Let’s be real, I showed up to this thing so I could ogle David Tennant in a new way. And I definitely got that - those fucking cigars! And the suits! That gorgeous, predatory smile! But I also got a lot more. I’m infuriated and confused and I need season two immediately. 

After all, Lord B did promise that he’d continue to make television we want. And even if he’s a horrible, terrible bastard, I’m gonna believe that.

Bonkbuster indeed.

[jeffrey-lionheart]

INTRODUCTION🦁💛

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

BYI (Before You Interact): I am a True Crime account. I don't condone it, I just like to make fun of these stupid bitches. I am a proshipper, comshipper, and darkshipper. If you're an anti, block and move on. Don't waste your energy on me. I am also pro-paraphilia but anti-contact.

DNI (Do Not Interact): I use the block button freely. I’ll usually use it for accounts that are anti-tcc, anti-shipping, ed focused, or politically focused. If you fall in that category, liking and reblogging is fine, but following is not. Because I won’t follow you back and I will block you instead.

Name: Lionheart

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 19

Gender: Cis female

Orientation: Heteroflexible

Tags I use:

#jeffrey lionheart's archive - where I keep all my true crime info

#jeffrey lionheart - original posts

#aporian au, #the aporians, #addaver - this is for my original writing

#lansen, #adam lanza x dennis nilsen - Lansen is their ship name

#cannibalstalker, #jeffrey dahmer x richard ramirez - CannibalStalker is their ship name, I also sometimes abbreviate it as CS for simplicity’s sake.

#dylric, #dylan klebold x eric harris - Dylric is their ship name

#pekkadam, #pekka eric auvinen x adam lanza - Pekkadam is their ship name

#niktyom, nikita lytkin x artyom anoufriev - Niktyom is their ship name, an alternative one I think is Nikyom, but I prefer the first one.

#rydam, #ryan lanza x adam lanza, #incest, #incest rocks - Rydam is their ship name

#solomon henderson x dylann roof

#solomon henderson x natalie rupnow

#dylannza, #dylann roof x adam lanza - Dylannza is their ship name

#dylann roof x elliot rodger

#chanza, #nancy champion x peter lanza, #nancy lanza x peter lanza - Chanza is their ship name. Champion was Nancy’s maiden name. Nancy & Peter were Adam Lanza’s parents.

Pets: Luna, my cat

Hobbies: Writing, playing video games, (sometimes) reading & drawing

Birthday: Jan 4

Other Platforms: jeffrey_lionheart on Instagram

Media I Like/Fandoms: 

American Horror Story (AHS)

- Coven

- 1984

- Murder House

- Hotel

Andi Mack

Aphmau-verse

- Minecraft Diaries

- MyStreet

- Phoenix Drop High

The A Song of Ice and Fire Franchise (ASOIAF)

- Fire & Blood (F&B)

- Game of Thrones (GOT) 

- House of the Dragon (HOTD)

Bridgerton

The Big Bang Theory

- Young Sheldon

Class of ‘09

Death Note

Demon Slayer

Dream Daddy: A Dating Simulator (DDADS)

Dune-verse

Euphoria

Eyes Wide Shut

Genshin Impact

God of War

Harry Potter (HP) 

Insatiable 

IT

Killing Stalking (KS)

Miyagi-verse 

- Cobra Kai 

- The Karate Kid Trilogy

My Babysitter’s a Vampire

Mystic Messenger

Ouran High School Host Club (OHSHC)

Riordanverse

- Percy Jackson and the Olympians

- Heroes of Olympus

Riverdale

Scream Queens

Shameless

Skyrim

Stranger Things

Superbad

The Assassin’s Creed Franchise

- Assassin's Creed Origins

- Assassin's Creed Valhalla

- The Ezio Trilogy

The Black Phone (TBP)

The Boys

- Gen V

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

The Monster High franchise

The Scott Pilgrim franchise

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives

The Umbrella Academy (TUA)

The Vampire Diaries Franchise (TVDU)

- The Vampire Diaries (TVD)

- The Originals (TO)

- Legacies (TL)

The White Lotus

True Crime Community

- Jeffrey Dahmer

- The Columbine Shooters (Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold)

- Adam Lanza

- Lyle & Erik Menendez

- Dennis Nilsen

- Richard Ramirez

- Elliot Rodger

- Dylann Roof

Under the Banner of Heaven

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Wednesday

You

Yuri on Ice!!!

White Chicks

21 Jump Street

Favorites: 

Animal: House cat

Book: ASOIAF series (still reading)

Color: Pink (this acc is yellow & orange themed)

Dessert: Cherry pie

Drink: Ginger ale

Food: Medium rare steak & pepperoni pizza with red pepper flakes

Movie: Superbad

Musical Artist: Michael Jackson

Show: Death Note

Video Game: Assassin’s Creed Origins

I’ve been in TCC since Nov 2024 but have been interested in true crime since 2022, after the Dahmer series came out.

You should also know I’m hornier than a mfer, so if u hate that, beat it. Because I will use this blog for my gooning.

TCC Ships:

CannibalStalker (Jeffrey Dahmer/Richard Ramirez)

Chanza (Nancy Champion | Lanza/Peter Lanza)

Dylric (Dylan Klebold/Eric Harris)

Lansen (Adam Lanza/Dennis Nilsen)

PekkAdam (Pekka-Eric Auvinen/Adam Lanza)

Elliot Rodger/Dylann Roof

Rydam (Ryan Lanza/Adam Lanza)

Boundaries: No nudes or random trauma dumping in dms; Don’t be overtly mean. If you're younger than 16, don't flirt with me. (Unless you’re joking)

Other Interests: Fanfic; Fantasy; Genealogy; Forensics; Psychology

[kitspindles]

I’m in no way bashing on people who have already finished TSatS and say they hate it, are disappointed, etc., because I myself have not gone past chapter seven. My friend let me read some today, but I won’t have my own copy until Thursday, so maybe my opinions will change. I will say, however, that if you read 400+ pages in less than a day, maybe give yourself some time to process the entire plot first?

In any case, I can’t help but wonder how many people went into this book expecting one version of Nico and Will, only to be hit with something else entirely. And I mean like... expecting the fandom’s versions of these two, rather than what canon has previously shown us up until this book.

It’s my personal opinion that the PJO fandom’s worse enemy is their own mischaracterization of the characters at times. And I don’t mean like little head canons and stuff. Everyone has done those at some point. There’s usually no harm in those. I’m talking about people who created their own versions of Nico and Will and have been running with these visions for years through different fan fictions and what-not online.

For years we’ve known basically nothing about Will aside from the fact that he’s sarcastic, likes Star Wars, his mom is a country singer, he can glow in the dark, and he’s better at healing than fighting. (And he has questionable fashion choice at times). Like, that’s all we’ve had since his initial introduction in The Last Olympian over a decade ago. Everything else? Online and fan speculation. And again, there is nothing wrong with that! I just feel like a lot of people went into this book holding onto their own pre-conceived visions of what Will Solace was and ended up disappointed the authors made him... different? But not really different, because he didn’t have a lot of in-depth personality or backstory before this.

Me personally? Yeah, I’m not that far into the book yet but I’m loving how Will is portrayed so far. He’s still sarcastic, but he’s shown his fair share of level-headedness as well as frustrations just within the first couple chapters. He is in no way the overly-optimistic sunshine-y boy who only exists to help Nico that the fandom has portrayed him to be all these years. His character arc is already headed in a way deeper direction (more on that when I finish the book). The whole bit where Will had coffee spilled on him and spent the next couple paragraphs in the scene trying to be unbothered while actually giving off “This is fine” fire dog energies? I loved that.

As for Nico, can I just say I adore how he’s written in this book? Aside from his PoV in Blood of Olympus, this is the first time he’s had his own narration. And it’s actually about him and more in-depth than previous times. I’ve heard people say that he’s “out of character,” and while I can see a little of what they’re all saying, I just want to know... what version of Nico have you all been reading? Did I miss something?

Up until this book, what exactly did we know about Nico? That he’s displaced in time, his sister and mother are both dead (and he feels alone), he harbored repressed gay feelings from his upbringing as a Catholic guy in 1940s Italy, and he’s been through the ringer more than once (so, trauma, basically). Oh, and he’s a bit of a nerd (Mythomagic and knowing all kinds of ancient creatures). That’s... about it. Everything has been speculation and projection from fans.

In previous books he’s always been portrayed from first- or third-person point of view (usually from people who don’t know him well and just think he’s “creepy”), leading to the idea that he’s distant and low-empathy based on some interactions he’s had with demigods who weren’t thrilled to be around him, during a time of great pressure. But he’s not exactly uncaring. He’s been shown to care a lot, actually (Bianca, Hestia, Bob, everything he’s done for Percy, his friendship with Reyna, Hazel, etc.)

But what about when he was ten? He was an excitable, curious kid who liked to have fun. And what did we see briefly in Trials of Apollo (before Jason died, at least)? We saw some of that energy return, particularly in The Hidden Oracle.

So, yeah, I’m personally thrilled to see him making cringe-y jokes and have some self-deprecating humor. It’s very “#OnBrand” for a traumatized teenager who’s just trying to cope and live life without any godly wars forcing him this way and that. Can we really say it’s “out of character” if we’ve never seen more than one side of Nico? (The under pressure side, from other character’s PoVs, in books not about him where he’s basically been a side character?) I’m just glad to see him cracking jokes, laughing, and acting more like a normal kid.

Now, is this book different from Rick’s other ones? Uh, yeah. I won’t say it’s not. But it’s not bad. It’s supposed to be different. It has slightly different intentions than the other books (re: explicitly working through trauma and relationship bumps). Also, it’s co-written. Co-written books always read slightly off from the original author’s work, but dam if it isn’t hard to meld writing styles and copy another author’s particular voice. But I think Mark did a very good job at imitating Rick’s style (again, from what I’ve read so far).

Will I change my mind on all this the farther I get into the book? Maybe. There’s a lot to read and take in. All I’m saying is don’t let the negative reviews warp your opinion of the book if you haven’t read it yet and are on the fence if you should or not. Wait for the PDF to drop, or for a library copy, and read and see for yourself.

[kingkai4ever]

Anyway Calypso has the mentality and maturity of a teenage girl because that's how the books framed her. By definition, she did not "mentally and emotionally grow up" as you say. Sorry, but that's how the books are written.

Funny how you say that “it’s how the books are written” but I bet you don’t like Apollo confessing to Reyna, right? But I could say Apollo isn’t a creep for that bc the books don’t depict him as a weirdo. So “that’s how the books are written”.

I could say that ares is an asshole who hates and abuses his daughters because “that’s how the books are written”.

I could say that Apollo is a sex-addict whore who neglects his children and allows them to suffer and die bc “that’s how the books are written.”

Don’t you know how stupid you sound? We’re talking about a literal predator that preys on young boys and vulnerable men. It’s clear that you have no idea what you are talking about because I had a seizure reading this.

So give me an example of how she is a victim in any way shape or form EXCEPT FOR THE FACT that calypso didn’t deserve being put on the island or being cursed. But it is SO clear that you don’t know how her fucking island works it hurts. I swear I got taken back to kindergarten by reading this. So since you can’t comprehend what a mythical island works, let me tell you!

Calypsos island is NOTHING LIKE the lotus casino. NOWHERE does it say that she is permanently a child. Nowhere does it say she is brainwashed into not knowing how much time has passed. And don’t tell me “Google told me!” And an AI comes up first or a CHB Reddit page comes up as well bc that doesn’t count because the AI probably took it from the Reddit post. It’s said that it COULD be possible. Not IS not CERTAINLY, COULD. MEANING THAT IT COULD NOT BE TRUE. If you’re reading through that Reddit and AI post.

So if your argument is “calypso didn’t age because she’s immortal!” Then Apollo hasn’t aged, Zeus hadn’t aged, Athena hasn’t aged and are all mentally INFANTS. So what about that? Since you say that calypso didn’t mentally age how would the olympians and other gods work bc they were born immortal. My argument is that she didn’t mentally or emotionally age because there was nothing to say that it didn’t let her, while in the lotus casino it literally TELLS YOU why nico didn’t emotionally or mentally grow.

This argument is so idiotic it hurts. Just because a book said so doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. Did the books say that she doesn’t mentally age? Bc all the books I’ve read so far it doesn’t! It only says that she only eternally looks like a 15 year old! Just bc she looks like it doesn’t mean she thinks that way!

But also that makes me wonder, if she doesn’t mentally age in the books, why does she act like the way she does? Why is she obsessive? You could say “it’s her curse!” But an innocent teenager wouldn’t try to use an underaged boy as a green card then abuse him! And yes, she abused him, no teenage girl in love would constantly degrade her boyfriend. Realistically by your argument should be she should be head over heels.

But also, didn’t she HATE Leo when he came onto her island? She didn’t want him? So your argument if it was written in the books; calypsos’s curse is only that she can’t leave the island and is immortal! Meaning that the books say (at least the ones I’ve read) say that she says or implies she doesn’t fall in love with them when they wash up on shore!

Doesn’t say that she didn’t mentally age, didn’t imply it, didn’t do anything. At least with Nico you could CLEARLY TELL Nico did NOT mentally age! So tell me this, if calypso didn’t age, she was under a curse in the books, she didn’t know what was happening, then why did she try to guilt trip Percy into staying? Why did she hurt and abuse (I’m using abuse because a lot of other ppl agree, but you could say mistreatment.) Leo? Why did she manipulate and use Leo as a green card?

And then my final question, if she truly was mentally a teenager, then she should learn from her actions. Not mentally or emotionally aging doesn’t mean she’s permanently like that. What I mean is that they don’t learn from their actions or mistakes or they aren’t given the items to learn and grow mentally. Where does it say she permanently doesnt mentally or emotionally age?

Because it seems PRETTY WELL she learned from what has happened! That she didn’t love Leo when he washed up and tried to gaslight Percy and explained to him her curse!

Your argument is basically “my eyes were closed while typing this”. Because if you’re talking about what’s written in the books, SO MANY THINGS SHOULDNT APPLY. ares is a daughter abuser, Athena is a selfish person who doesn’t care about Annabeth or any other of her kids and more!

Yall are pissing me off atp bc you come in here anonymously spouting things out your booty hole that you clearly don’t know what is written. So please, if you’re going to argue that calypso shouldn’t be hated on for these things, look at what the books say. And please think before you type and try to annoy me.

If I seem pissed off I am bc you’re typing none-sense, and I’m gonna tell you all the sense. You can think calypso is an UwU little innocent girl; but you cannot say Apollo is a weirdo, Zeus is a weirdo and etc. and you can tell by the lack of emojis im typing I’m so serious .

If you’re going to try to defend calypso, at least have a good argument.

[musical-dash-trash]

my really long intro post

🎃🕷️ PLEASE TRICK OR TREAT HERE 🕷️🎃 hi!! here’s a little bit about me!

but first, my 200 follower event! thank you all so much <33

okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

you can call me bug!!

my pronouns are she/he/they (though my preference does shift a lot!)

i am genderfluid :)

i have anxiety, ocd, and depression (this is only mentioned because it greatly impacts how i interact with and perceive the world)

i am a minor! please keep that in mind :D

i am absolutely open to making friends— feel free to dm me (please do not dm me if you are over the age of 18)!

along with that, my email is musicaldashtrash@gmail.com, please ask before emailing me and remember that i am a minor! that email also works on google chat :D

please don’t interact with me if you are racist, transphobic, queerphobic, ableist, antisemitic, or otherwise hateful/hostile to anyone. i will block you!

también, ¡estoy aprendiendo español! yo no sé mucho pero si te gustaría conversar conmigo en español me encantaría hacerlo :D

okay!! on to my interests!

i love…

•musicals!

 • newsies

  • ride the cyclone

  • tuck everlasting

  • dear evan hansen

  • falsettos

  • hadestown

  • waitress

  • les misérables

  • heathers

 • the book of mormon 

  • be more chill

  • beetlejuice

  • starkid (in general)

  • and so many more!!

•animals!

  •especially ducks and cats

•music!

  •noahfinnce

  •cavetown

  •dodie

• egg

  •more that i can’t remember right now

• books!

  • percy jackson and the olympians 

  • heroes of olympus 

  • tuck everlasting

  • the hunger games

  • the princess bride

• the maze runner series

  • honestly most books i’ve read (i am blanking on what to put)

• tv shows/movies!

  • gravity falls

  • over the garden wall

  •  anything with the muppets

  • enchanted (disney)

  • the princess bride

i also love to sing, write, read, and draw!!

i think that’s most everything! thank you for reading if you read this whole thing!!

[valewritessss]

I need more fanfics where Annabeth is tall but still lets Percy take care of her💔

[elysiathecutest]

Okay so like, I just read the entire Son of Sea Foam series in a week and am currently rereading it already (halfway through Descendants of Olympus) and can I just say holy shit this has genuinely got to be one of the best written fanfics I’ve ever read.

Just the unique and interesting twists it puts on canon and how well it’s all thought, I’m literally obsessed. I remember Castor from the books but the personality and development he’s given here is just mind blowing.

That’s another thing, the characters. Aphrodite and Demeter somehow becoming my favourite Olympians was not what I was expecting going in. Just the amount of times I’ve gone from hating a character to loving then and vice versa is crazy.

Best example would be the 1940s kids. They’re all so fleshed out and developed that they could totally pass for actual characters from the books. The way I went from hating Vera with a burning passion after part 1 of DoO to loving her with all my heart after part 2 and her chapter like, it’s just so good.

The wait for the next chapter is actually killing me but ig a lot of the people in the fandom have had to deal with this for like 2+ years lol. Can any of u please recommend me some more PJO fics like SoSF 🥺

[livinonlaketime]

So I’ve seen some posts recently from PJO fans who are really upset about the new books. And I completely understand, and to some extent agree with them. Rick should pay more attention to his own canon and keep his characters consistent.

However, I’ve also seen some people saying he’s turning into JKR, and as a trans PJO and HP fan (tho mostly PJO) that doesn’t feel great to me. Yes, he’s retroactively changing canon and that’s annoying. But he’s not a bigot. He’s not using the money he gets from the books and the show to promote bigoted beliefs and spread hate.

It’s okay to feel hurt and mad that he’s changing things that are important to you, but please don’t conflate him with someone who purposely uses the media they created to harm marginalized communities.

And if you’re having a really hard time with the changes, it’s okay to stop reading. It’s okay to say “no, actually, my version of canon ends after BoO” or whenever. Find a fanfic that follows Percy and Annabeth’s senior year of high school (im aware they shouldn’t be seniors right after BoO but I feel like most of us have gotten over that one by now) (I’ve linked my personal favorite senior year fic, Senior Year Cliches by No2Ticonderoga on AO3 at the bottom of the post) or even write your own! If you’ve never heard of it before, look up death of the author. It basically means that once an author puts something out into the world it is no longer just theirs and other people will have other opinions and thoughts about it

Seriously, if it’s really bothering you, just decide that in your version of the story that’s not what happened. Hell treat the new books like a fanfic if you want. Even if it’s just in your head, have your own version of what happens next and how they get their happy ending. I promise you’ll have a much better time engaging with PJO if you do