#I think this is how most greek heroes met their ends

[antixabound]

homestuck meteor is just amongus amogus sussy sus venture sus towers

purple was the impasta lmao

[sorcave]

Hating Calypso does not mean you don't understand morally grey characters and defending her does not mean you understand them.

I've seen many takes from those defending Calypso in one way or another dismissing those who hate her as "not understanding morally gray characters" which is simply isn't true. Defending her as a poor victim who didn't know any better does not mean you understand the concept of morally gray characters either.

The main divide is whether intent, her actions, or both matters in defining her morality and by how much. Either side of that spectrum is missing the nuance of the situation- she's not a supervillain intent on making Odysseus' life horrible nor is she an innocent, naive girl who shouldn't be held accountable for her actions. To me, while I don't think she is evil, she is at the darker end of the "morally gray" spectrum as her actions are so egregious that her intent nearly doesn't matter.

Most defenders use the story that Calypso tells in "I'm Not Sorry For Loving You" as their evidence. She didn't INTEND to hurt Odysseus- she hasn't known anyone before so she didn't know! She was just lonely! She just loved him! If you were stuck on an island all alone for 100 years and finally someone came, wouldn't YOU want to make sure they didn't leave? Besides, she apologizes for her actions!

This is a trap that the song actively brings listeners into. It is meant (or at least easily interpreted as) as a plea for sympathy, to make the audience feel empathy for poor Calypso. It is not a simple explanation for her actions and it is definitely not an apology for them. The reason it feels like a "Youtuber Apology" is that they share many similar characteristics. She is intentionally vague about what she is apologizing about, to the point they are nearly irrelevant. "Coming on too strong" wasn't the issue- it was "Coming on too strong" AFTER Odysseus told her no ( "From here you're mine, all mine"/ "Hell No") was. It doesn't address her main crime, specifically keeping a man AGAINST HIS WILL for seven YEARS, even AFTER he became so desperate to leave that he was moments from committing suicide. Lastly, she doesn't take accountability but (intentionally or not) blames Odysseus . "I'm sorry if my love was too much for you" is a VERY common phrased used by abusers to shift the blame from themselves onto their victims.

The crux of the issue for me is while her rough experience up until she met Odysseus may explain her actions, too many people seem to use it to EXCUSE her actions (including, seemingly, the narrative itself). Why this rubs so many the wrong is because of how many real life victims have been told they have to "forgive" their abusers because their life was hard or "they didn't know better." Many who were bullied as a kid had at least one guidance counselor say they needed to "forgive/even befriend x because they are struggling/ \[Insert Bad Thing Here} happened to them." Many others see Calypso using the same tactics their own abusers used to hurt them, and justifiably hate her for it.

I am not saying someone is wrong or stupid for having a more forgiving perspective on Calypso. If you are one to put more weight into intent than actions, I could see why Calypso could be a much lighter gray ( I am not seeing many defenders saying she is an entirely innocent, "morally good" character"). It can be argued that her actions were not of an intentional abuser but of a goddess who haven't had much experience with relationships before, especially with mortals. If her idea of romance came from whatever the Ancient Greek version of romance novels were, it makes sense that her idea of romance may not be the healthiest. Heck, even reading the myths would explain or even excuse why she didn't see "She's my wife" as a sign to back off- for probably at least 90 percent of Greek Heroes, that would not matter.

In summary, Calypso is a morally gray character- but that doesn't mean there aren't valid reason to dislike or even hate her. Seeing her as dark gray bordering on black doesn't mean you don't see the nuance- many who are against her understand her intent may not have been evil- but that her actions make her intent almost irrelevant. So please stop dismissing those who dislike/hate her as simply misunderstanding/being naive with morally gray characters. Many are not (especially since the entire show is full of them) and simply put weight in her actions more than her intent.

[lisaiese]

lyrics in EPIC: the musical that changed my life trajectory

I don't know if it is the fact that I spent five years of high school studying Latin and Greek classics that makes me do this, but here I am writing a long ass tumblr post about some lyrics from the songs of a musical based on The Odyssey, the Homeric epic poem.

Enough chit chat, let's start from the lyrics in the first very song of the musical, 'The Horse and The Infant' from The Troy Saga:

The blood on your hands is something you won't lose All you can choose is whose

UGH so good already! Here we have Zeus speaking at the end of the song, basically telling Odysseus that killing in war is his duty as a man and a hero. This obviously kind of sounds like bullshit for us, but we have to understand the ancient culture behind it: in ancient Greece going to war was a symbol of honor. Think of the scene where Hector and Andromache met again, Hector really embodied the "I know that I probably won't come back to you and to our son (opsie), but I have to go"

Andromache said: “Dearest, your own great strength will be your death, and you have no pity on your little son, nor on me, ill-starred, who soon must be your widow…Please take pity upon me then, stay here on the rampart, that you may not leave your child an orphan, your wife a widow.” Hector responded: “All these things are in my mind also, lady; yet I would feel deep shame before the Trojans, and the Trojan women with trailing garments, if like a coward I were to shrink aside from the fighting.”

A key word is shame: many times my professor told us students about the 'shame culture' in ancient Greece, which Hector clearly refers to here. Therefore, it's either honor or shame: for the Greek dying in war was better than living like a coward. Through these lyrics - and also the next song of the album ('Just a Man') - we can notice how the characterization of Odysseus is different from that of heroes like Hector and Achilles: he seems more human. After all, it is no coincidence that he is characterized not only by physical strength but above all by intelligence: he is a 'Warrior of the Mind' (quoting one of the most iconic songs of the musical). In the first verse of The Odyssey, Homer calls Odysseus πολύτροπος, a term that literally means "of many turns" and can be translated as multifaceted, versatile, cunning.

Next lyrics are from 'Remember Them' from The Cyclops Saga:

What good would killing do? When mercy is a skill More of this world could learn to use

I chose these lyrics for two reason:

they are so well connected with the first ones and show how Odysseus still has his morality here (you have a long way my friend)

it is such a good phrase honestly, let's appreciate it

Actually, something to reflect on could be the theme of mercy, but I don't really remember a lot of information about it and I don't want to write about things I'm not so sure about. In fact, what I rememeber pretty well is mercy related to the Roman/Latin culture, in particular to the figure of Ceasar: Cicero attributes to Caesar the virtue of clementia, which is the term used in Latin to represent mercy. Apparently he is the only one who, among all the military leaders, stood out for his goodness of soul, so noble that it is not enough to simply compare him to great men, but he must be judged similar to a god («haec qui faciat, non ego eum cum summis viris comparo, sed simillimum deo iudico»). That's basically everything I can give you about the topic. I would dive into it more by talking about the musical itself, analysing how this is connected to Odysseus' relationship with his morality, but then I would really be writing an essay here and now, which would ruin the order and logic of this very long text.

Let's move on to the next lyrics from 'Ruthlessness', from The Ocean Saga, which made me gasp so hard the first I heard them:

You are the worst kind of good 'cause you're not even great A Greek who reeks of false righteousness, that's what I have 'Cause you fight to save lives, but won't kill and don't get the job done

Speechless. Mind-blowing. The earth shook. You are the worst kind of good 'cause you're not even great Hello??? Sorry Ulysses, but Poseidon ate. 'Cause you fight to save lives, but won't kill and don't get the job done Like, where do I even start to talk about this. Poseidon is actually throwing the naked truth in Odysseus' face! Everything so far has a logic:

Zeus tells Odysseus that he has to kill Hector's son Astynax (which he does in the end, for the sake of going home)

Odysseus spares Polyphemus (maybe because of guilt? He is just a man, afterall...)

That mercy results in a literal god (Poseidon) wanting to have vengeance: if Odysseus had been ruthless, he would have put mercy upon himself (yeah that's a direct reference to the lyrics Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves)

Now we finally arrive at my favorite saga (aaaaa): The Circe saga. Starting from some very simple lyrics, but so impactful, from the 'Puppeteer':

But this was a hell of a twist, cause we are weak to a power like this What was it? A woman

Hell yeah, a woman! Clearly, you are just a man (another reference, got you!). Ok, return to serious talk. I think most of us know that women were often portrayed as bewitchers, source of evil and misfortune, in ancient times, especially in the Greek culture. Let's think about the story of Pandora's box: it is a myth narrated by Hesiod in the poem Works and Days. According to it, the first woman on earth, named Pandora, was gifted a jar by the gods. However, led by curiosity, she opened it and, by doing so, she released sickness, death and many other unspecified evils. She then closed the jar and only one thing was left behind: Hope. This story (one of many and one of the most famous) perfeclty exemplifies how women were considered dangerous and, at the same time, powerful, as bringers of evil.

Next, from the same saga, let me present to you the best lyrics from the song 'There Are Other Ways':

There are many ways of persuasion There are many modes of control Maybe showing one act of kindness Leads to kinder sould down the road

AAAAAAA. Circe you are such *incomprehensible adjectives of praise* woman. Here Circe basically gives Odysseus' morality hope, let me explain: until now we saw how Odysseus' kind soul and his mercy led him to antagonize a god, on the other hand (in theory) killing a child opened the doors for him to return home. From these observations the only "lesson" that can be deduced is that behaving like a "monster" is better than just "being a man" (yeah I love referencing). BUT Circe kind of destroys this reasoning, proving that a good soul can take him so far... aaaand of course it's a woman who does this

Moving on: The Underworld Saga, lyrics sung by our favorite prophet Tiresias:

I see you wife with a man who is haunting A man with a trail of bodies (who?)

This song? Chills. Literal Chills. The song in itself is a forshadowing, an oracle. I chose these lyrics specifically because they forshadow Odysseus' darkest moments in the journey, by specifically pointing out what he becomes: [...] a man who is haunting A man with a trail of bodies Who? Odysseus you ask. It's you. It's you in the future, and you know why it's "no longer you" (yeah, another quoting)? Because you will have lost your morality by then. Honestly? We kind of all expected that, sorry not sorry Odysseus.

And directly connected to that we have the lyrics from 'Scylla', from The Tunder Saga (it's orange because there is no yellow):

We are the same, you and I, I

Just this one final verse, so powerful. Odysseus encountered mermaids and was merciless with them, after that he went to the lair of Scylla. They are actually the same: monsters. Or at least, Odysseus has become like her.

And now, in The Wisdom Saga, we welcome back the badass of the arena: Athena! Let's hear what she wisely says in 'Little Wolf':

One young wolf has a larger heart than all these men combined

It's always the women guys. Athena's appearance to help Telemachus fighting the suitors is so crucial: her words and herself gift us that ray of hope and goodness that was lacking ever since The Underworld Saga. Here she refers to Telemachus, Odysseus' son, who is called a young wolf. While at the beginning of the song the suitors were using the term "little wolf" to basically mock him, Athena changes the connotation: he is not a little wolf, he is a just a young wolf, with a good soul and heart. Even a wolf (an animal) is more good-hearted than a man, but here who actually is the animal and who is the man? Athena, a godess, knows best.

Finally, The Vengeance Saga, from which the best song (almost cried listening to it) is, of course, 'Six Hundred Strike':

After everything you've done... ...how will you sleep at night? Next to my wife...

OMG. Literally OMG. Here, at the final showdown between Odysseus and Poseidon, our hero prevails. Poseidon asks: "After everyhting you've done... how will you sleep at night?". I don't know if my interpretation is right, but this is what I think Poseidon meant with his words:

after everything you've done (and been through) to get here... how will you sleep at night? -> will the trauma spare you?

after everything you've done as you became a monster... how will you sleep at night? -> will the guilt spare you?

And Odysseus just answers with a "Next to my wife", because that's what he wanted from the very beginning, to come home, and he will achieve his goal. His story is the story of a journey: obviously, a journey back home, but most importantly, a journey of someone who is 'Just a Man' (got you again with the reference). Odysseus is just a man, a human being who has encountered countless obstacles, who has had his ups and downs, who has thrown his morality into the sea to return home. And what is this, if not life?

[blenselche]

Why do you ship finn/fern? I want to know what you see in it. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I think rare ships and why people like them are interesting.

how can i not when the show literally

ok but forreal, this is long so I'm throwing it under a cut, my fern brainworm really got away from me here...

Finn and Fern's story at its most bare bones is: someone incredibly damaged by abandonment is torn in half and those halves abandon each other. Fern does it literally, Finn more so emotionally. Only when it's too late does one half try to rectify the situation, showing unending patience and unconditional love and being met with vitriol and avoidance. And then... acceptance, and with that acceptance is the ultimate abandonment: death. Tragic, hurts just right. Add onto that-- their relationship references The Green Knight and the Narcissus Myth. The Narcissus myth comes through loudly in CAWM especially. My fav of Ovid's Metamorphoses and all Greek mythology, so that's def a factor. My dad said I cried when he read it to me for the first time lmao.

I don't ship them during/in canon. In canon all I can see is something nebulous and one sided, and we don't need to read into subtext for that, we can just appreciate the show as it's written: Finn helps create this person that 100% gets him after being the odd one out his whole life, Fern's existence even soothes his abandonment issues with a curse that binds them together forever, but he clings too close and doesn't give Fern space, reminding him of how he falls short. Ultimately this want to be "even closer" (very smooth, Finn) is what drives them apart. It's good where it is, it's a great starting point for shipping.

Where I ship them is past canon, blowing subtext up into large print font to pull Fern out of plot device hell into his own character, piggy backing off what we know about the grass demon.

The grass demon/blade was not made to serve the powers of good, but it actively changes/curbs its behavior for the approval of its hero wielder. It helps Finn with anything that deeply emotionally moves him (holding on to Martin, building the tower) keeps him out of unneeded conflict (refusing to attack the vamp king) helps impress his romantic interest (flute spell) it even reverses his arm nullification twice. The grass demon keeps him safe but it goes above and beyond its purpose for Finn's happiness. It reluctantly joins the fight against Bandit Princess because that sword is still Finn, and when its blade pierces/breaks the quillion it even cocoons the Finn Sword's essence safely away. Though, no matter how much good it might do it is still a demon. It has no morals, and doesn't understand them, all it cares about is Finn's safety and well being. When one of Finn's loved ones hurts him it doesn't hesitate to protect him, but (of course) Finn retaliates-- and so it creates a Finn of its own, one that won't hurt it for trying to keep him safe and happy. (OOPS! that backfired.) I love the grass demon, I love what we can glean about it because of its actions through the show and what that could mean for Fern and Fern's feelings surrounding Finn. This is the foundations of the ship to me.

I like to ship them when Fern remembers all of this/what he is (a demon that basically consumed half of Finn's soul), has accepted himself and has integrated his two ego states. We don't need to do any legwork on Finn's end. Dude's already weird enough about Fern canonically, but I do like to build his guilt up until he's a mess on the floor, crying over his past mistake of assuming Fern needed saving in the first place (the thing that leads Finn to ignorantly prompting/assisting in his suicide), haunted by the words of Fern's time echo from the The Beginning of The End comic, never truly being able to trust if he's actually helping someone again.

I like to play in that space of au/hc: a demon and the man he's bound to/he shares a soul with who loves him unconditionally, reunited somehow (a wish, diverging from canon, Penelope and Fern's next incarnation finding one another, etc) and coming to terms with the baggage of all the shit they inflicted on one another. Then maybe Fern can finally hear Finn out without the cloud of festering insecurity when he tells him again how he'd still like to be "even closer".

At its simplest I like finn/fern because I love Fern, and finally accepting and seeing Finn as a completely different person (enough to engage in a relationship, whether sexual/romantic/queer platonic/something that no label fits because of what they are, whatever) speaks to an ultimate form of self actualization, and Fern really deserves to feel that level of "himself" imo.

Hope that was adequately interesting.

[softshuji]

12:18AM | HAITANI RINDOU

Title: My Knight In Shining Armour

Summary: It's Rindou's last night with you before your marriage, perhaps it's time to for you and your bodyguard to get some truths off your chests. (This is part of @orchid3a royal au collab, the link to which is here) link to my masterlist here!

cw: afab!reader, references to Greek myth, petnames (princess, my lady), some suggestive content, angst with little comfort, mentions of an arranged marriage, reader and Rindou are simps. Likes and reblogs appreciated!

You think destiny is a fickle and funny thing and perhaps it always has been. Perhaps the heroes of the stories said the same thing, raged insults at the same moon and the same sun as they flew towards it. At the same problems that persisted no matter how far in the future they were. Perhaps those stories should serve as a comfort to you now, their lessons immortalised as legends.

Every human believes they’re above it all, believes the laws of nature apply to everyone that isn’t them. You’re no different. You think of Medusa crying to Athena in the temple, a life’s worth of rage at the Fates that had cackled as they wove the fabric of her story, golden threads held between crooked fingers. You think of Achilles holding Patroclus’s dead body, his sights set on Hector with a vitriol that was almost godly, almost divine, enough anger to rival the sun. 

Should it bother you this much? That you’ll be wed to a man you’ve never met in under a week, Queen to a people who will find fault in every action. Should it bother you that you’re denied the happy ending that the Princesses in the stories always get? You know you’ve no right to complain like this, that you’ll be waited on, servants and maids who would rather die than disobey and it makes an ugly shame pool in your stomach. 

‘The moon is beautiful tonight, is it not?’ You say, and your hand holds up your chin on the white windowsill, your gown falling over the lip of the bench and catching the eaves of moonlight that spill through the glass. 

‘Princess?’ Rindou says. He steps closer into the slice of light that illuminated the marble floor, the clink of his armour brushing the soft wool of your shawl, before following the line of your sight. ‘Yes. Yes it is.’ 

He looks beautiful like this, with the moonlight slicing through the stained glass, falling through the thin wisps of his silken hair, blue and lilac, lavender and stars and the burnished honey of his skin swallowing the light like it belongs to him. It does, it feels like it does. His armour is unblemished, it always has been. He takes great care to appear his best to you, strong and worthy and capable and willing to take your hand when you stand and he thinks, no he knows, this is just his duty. He is your Knight, your bodyguard in all things. 

‘I don’t think we’ll ever have nights like this when I leave will we?’ Your lips part and a sigh drips past your lips, despairing and achingly full of the years that sit between you. It’s true, you know that, you’ve a lifetime of learning etiquette and social grace and you’d be remiss to assume that things can stay the same. In your new life, Rindou will not be welcome like he is now, the moon to your sun, the light of your eyes, the comfort of your heart.

There will never be nights overlooking the veranda, sitting in some nook or corner with his legs brushing yours. The library has always been your favourite place to stay, the two of you overlooking the gardens conspiratorially, like lovers tittering in the corner at a ball. He talks often and much when he is alone, the silences permeated by the creak and whine of wind leaking through the gaps in the windows, draughts that make the hairs on your arms rise. And Rindou will always pull the shawl a little closer around you, always click his tongue affectionately and you find that those moments are the ones you enjoy the most, when he is closer than normal, his calloused knuckles achingly close.

It’s wrong.

It always has been. You’ve never spoken about it, and you have no plans to confess that what you feel for him is anything other than a royal sense of duty, that the longing looks and smiles reserved just for him are anything but the same grace you would extend to anyone else, anyone who wasn’t him.

‘No, I don’t expect we will.’ He shifts his legs, knees brushing yours as he sits on the bench, his broad chest hunkered by the clink and clamour of armour that he feels is too loud in the otherwise silent library. ‘You’ll be very preoccupied when you leave, you’ll have a husband to spend your time with instead.’ 

It aches somewhere he thinks his heart should be, the knowledge that another man will get to touch you, hold you, hear you, in every way he can only dream of, that the locked doors of his fantasies will be lived by someone who isn’t him. A man whose face he’ll only ever see from a distance but will share your bed and slide his hands over your skin and it burns him with a jealousy that’s red and hot and pulses with pain in his chest.  In his daydreams, you are his, he belongs to you and he finds that he settles into that life easier than expected. Loving you, and being loved by you, is not as hard as he assumes it would be and the domestic bliss comes easily to him. He lets down his walls on occasion and you welcome him, as you always have done, with open arms and he rests his head on your chest and listens for the soft and reassuring pattern of your heart. 

But it’s a dream, it will always be a dream. 

It’s almost thrilling in some sinful way, to have you to himself like this, your attention that he so often shares with others, reserved for him when you are bare of your jewels and gowns, the thin slip and slide of your sleeping gown that kisses at your skin in a way that makes the heat burst along his neck. He imagines he is not the first, and he certainly doesn’t expect to be the last to long for you in such a way, to want to feel the push and pull of you against his chest, to rest you there with your hair tickling at his throat, to want to keep you for himself. Knowing this doesn’t make it any easier for him though, to watch the suitors line up in brocade suits, lecherous grins concealed by masquerade masks and blithe smiles, their lips lingering for a second too long on your hand and your amicable smile twitching with a flicker of annoyance only he can see.

But it’s wrong.

It always has been, and no amount of self-denial can convince him that what he daydreams about in the locked corner of his mind is anything but sinful, anything but wrong. You are his Princess, and he is just your Knight and if his destiny is to trail after you forever, like night and her train of stars, just to bathe a little longer in your warmth, be the recipient of your reserved smiles, then he is content just to do that. 

‘What if I didn’t want to go, Rindou? What if I don’t want this?’ You say, and your whisper fogs up the glass from where your lips purse as you hold your chin in your hands. You know that is wrong too, that this is your duty just like all things are, that love is fickle and duty is forever and love is to duty what poison is to fruit.

Rindou softens and his hand almost touches your knee on instinct before clenching his fist with anxiety and a longing that makes him sick. ‘I’m sorry Princess. I can’t pretend to know how that feels, only that I think you should do what you feel is best for you.’

‘I’ll have to leave you behind, do you know that?’

‘I do.’

‘You’re not bothered by that? By the fact that we’ll never see each other again?’

He swallows and breaks your stare, lets the violet hue of his eyes fall onto the rosebush that’s cloaked in darkness, petals viridescent in the light. A muscle feathers in his jaw and a frown creases the perfect smoothness of his forehead and you have the sudden urge to soothe it with your thumbs, curl your fingers along his cheek and swipe his lips to watch them part for you. He resists the urge to look back at you, at your eyes that catch the light, the stained glass that makes your skin glow with warmth.

It’ll eat him at first, the absence of you that’ll gnaw at his stomach will force him to push himself further. He knows how it’ll be, pushing himself further in training, in work, in anything and his Brother will hope that he can push a few girls his way in the hopes of helping him forget and Rindou will wait eagerly for the letters which will never come. And the girl that will never come with it. 

‘I am Princess.’ He curls his fingers around his sword hilt, licks his drying lips and all the while, his eyes rake over the rosebush in bloom, budding petals drifting to the ground, where they kiss the specks of sand and leaves that litter the veranda. ‘But it’s your duty, just like looking after you is mine.’

And maybe, if it could have been some other way, in some other world where he is not him and you are not you and there are no such obstacles. Maybe in that world he is just a boy in love with a girl and you are his only, the truest example of lovers under the sun. He would find you if it existed, if there was such a thing as a world where you could meet as anyone but who you are. Perhaps he could kiss you freely there, with a hand around your back like the suitors do, better than they do in fact, because he knows he loves you enough, loves you more, to the point of pain in fact.

You turn to him, brush your knees against his and Rindou’s heart smashes against his ribs. ‘Do you ever wish it wasn’t? That we could just…run away?’ you say, indulging the daydream in a way that you know is impossible, that it’s dangerous to even suggest, improbable and bordering on treasonous, wrong in every sense of the word. 

‘Princess?’ he says and his chest aches, burns and tightens with that familiar longing for you all over again and the pain is both delicious and agonising as your knees press against his, the moonlight falling on the exposed sweep of your collarbones peeking from beneath your gown.

It’s your last night with him, you know this, you have known for weeks. Does the knowledge make it any easier? Does knowing that he’ll eventually find another girl make it easier or harder for you? Does knowing that another man will touch you in the way you have both knowingly and unknowingly reserved for him make it any less painful?

‘We could,’ you say eventually, although your heart isn’t in it, and maybe you say it because it’s soothes the pain to indulge in it, the fantasy of the two of you in a house somewhere, where everything is safe and your heart lies in his palm, secure and loved and cradled. 

‘You know we couldn’t.’

‘Why not?’

‘We’d be found, you’re a Princess and I’m just-’

‘Don’t. Don’t ever say that.’ You grab his wrist and your thumb finds the sharp incline of his palm and you press a painted finger into the space there, stroke it achingly slow, feeling the calloused skin underneath. You wonder at all it has seen, all the blood that’s splashed over onto his fine and polished armour, the horrors that he has witnessed, both at your behest and not and it burns that you can’t take it from him and cradle his head to your chest and give all the love you both feel and think he deserves. 

‘It’s true though,’ he says and his hand comes to rest on top of yours, brushing your knuckles free of scars, tiny clefts and indentations he wishes he could explore given the time, to marvel at the ridges and veins that swim underneath. ‘It would never work, you know that Princess. You needn’t suffer over something that was never going to happen.’ 

He says it for the both of you, knowing it won’t help either way to assuage the thunderous ache that builds in his stomach when he thinks of someone else having you undeserved. 

‘Do you think… it worked somewhere else?’ 

He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head, the soft wisps of fine hair slipping over the silver of his armour, curling at the hollow of his throat.

‘What do you mean?’

‘If we met again, somewhere else, you’d find me right? You’ll always find me.’ You hope it’s true, that maybe he reaches across time and fate to find you there, whether he believes in it or not, one outstretched hand towards your name on the wind, towards the golden thread that pulls him unknowingly to you. 

He smiles, bashfully even and dips his head to the ridge of your knuckles, presses his lips to the soft plane of your hand, his hair falling against your wrist, your exposed arm swallowing the moonlight and it sends the heat to your cheeks, your neck, the part of your chest that’s slipped between the folds of your gown, dizzying and wondrous and it aches that you can’t live in this feeling right here, in this library and let the the world rot and die around the two of you.

‘I will always find you Princess. You only have to call and I’ll come and catch you.’

‘Every time?’ Your voice wavers, the tears pricking at your throat, at the bang of your heart in your chest.

‘Every time.’

‘Oh.’ And it’s your turn to flush a deep crimson now, and hide it in the shadow of darkness that falls over the window seat from the bookcase that hides you strategically from view. He knows you need to hear it, even if he doesn’t care for fate or destiny or the things heroes tell themselves to sleep easier at night, even if he’s willing to make an exception to the rule that’s saved him so many times, for you. 

He touches your cheek, one single finger brushing at the stray eyelash on your cheekbone and the bump in his throat slips and slides under the silver of his armour, disappearing beneath the links of chainmail that hide the ink of his chest from view. You’re ashamed to admit you’ve thought so long and hard about running your tongue along every ridge and muscle of his, the flex of his stomach under your waiting mouth, the groan that spills past his parted lips when you suck harshly on the inviting swell of his chest, fine hairs like pencil shadings disappearing beneath the cord of his slacks to where you want to taste him most. 

You bite down hard on your lip, your eyes flitting between the viridescent flash of violet in his and his pink lips, parted and wet and you know they’d be supple and soft, would slot perfectly on yours and he’d moan against your mouth and you’d forget for the moment that you could be found in your clandestine and sinful state of him moving against you.

‘I-’

‘It’s alright, I understand,’ you say, with more fervour than you feel, more confident than you could ever be around him, because you know he needs to hear it, that you understand and you want to, and it would be so easy to bridge the gap and have him ruin you in the way you know he wants to, hungry and insatiable and loud, your eager whines of his name muffled beneath his leather glove clamped over your mouth. 

‘I want to, I really do.’ He could, if he was anything less than what he is, if it didn’t matter to him that another man would see the marks he’d painted on your skin and hurt you for it, for his own greed that would come at the price of your tears. It’s a risk that even he, the most reckless, unpredictable, aggressive of the Knights can’t take, would never take at your expense. For all his faults, he is redeemed by you, the sun that spills into and out of his life.

‘I know, me too.’ 

‘I’m sorry, for hurting you like this’ he says, the whisper of his breath fanning against your nose. He breaks your gaze, and presses his forehead to your knuckles, his lips, as if he can carve it into you, as it it makes it any less painful to feel him kneeling for you, ever loyal, knowing your heart is in every kink of his armour, wound tightly between his fingers. 

‘I’m sorry too.’ You sniffle, and the tears are lost in the soft cashmere of your shawl, in the white and ivory lace of your sleeping gown. You take his face in your hands and it aches that when he looks up at you, his eyes are wide and the moon spills the opalescent veneer of its light onto his lashes, the violet hue lightened to lilac. 

There is a terse silence, broken only by the flutter of the wind leaking between the stacks of books and wooden shelves, the crackle of fire that casts a faint orange glow over the honeyed bronze of his skin. 

‘Rindou,’ you say. 

‘Princess,’ he says, weighted with all the years of your friendship, even after it had blossomed into something more.

‘Rindou, My Rindou.’

‘Your Rindou, and you’re My Princess.’ 

It has a foreign flutter beating against your chest.

‘That’s right.’ You skim your thumb along his cheek, the high and sharp slope of his perfect cheekbones, the nose that’s a little crooked from all the fighting, the cut in his lip that he never takes care of after sparring. ‘You will write often won’t you?’

‘Of course, you will write back?’

‘I will, always. You will be tired of me soon, filling your days with useless chatter.’

‘I could never tire of you, My Lady,’ he says and it’s true, because for all your belief, that you are just simply too much for others, that the burden of you is greater than the reward, you are just right for him. If only he had more time to prove it. 

‘I’ll be bored without you, you know. I’ll be so lonely.’ You wonder briefly, at the man who you will wake up to every morning, the weight of him, the fact that you will no longer reach across the space of your bed to find Rindou dozing in the chair, his gloved hand holding his chin as he fights the sleep to watch over you.

‘You’ll find friends, you won’t be alone,’ he says, placatingly, even though he knows the space the two of you have made, a closeted corner of each other’s hearts, can never be filled and will always remain locked and isolated.

He doesn’t expect it’ll continue for long, the correspondence you’ve promised. He knows how it is. That one day turns to two, and a week turns to a month and you’ll be having children and maybe his letters to you, written with all the heart he knows he can give, with the words he often finds so hard to say, will collect dust beneath the paperweight. If they ever get to you at all.

You bend to press your lips to his forehead, and Rindou thinks, the little heart he does have, the one you own, safely tucked beneath the sleeve of your shawl, breaks here when he feels your lips on his skin, soft and imperceptible, the scent of your perfume caught in his nose, the cotton of your sleeves dancing on his cheeks.

He wonders what his Brother would say if he saw him now, the harsh lump in his throat threatening tears, the thunderous roar of his heart.

‘Thank you Rindou,’ you say, your lips to his hair, knowing you won’t touch like this again, hoping that this gives him all the love you know he needs and will always pretend not to, because he’s like that, because he’s tough and capable and yours, beyond time, beyond this.

‘You too Princess. It’s been fun,’ he whispers and it feels like an end, like he is being crushed. Did it always hurt so much? When the heroes lived and died for love? Did Achilles burn with the same pain when Patroclus was taken? 

A door closes somewhere, the click of it banging against the wall and snapping the both of you into the present. A voice, and a shadow looming against the furthest wall and it means that’s the end. Come morning, you’ll be gone and Rindou will be here and maybe he’ll watch you leave, see you off like he should. Or maybe not.

He hopes that somewhere, in some lifetime it hurts less, that the two of you are happy and safe and there are no tears to shed, no painful endings to cry over for the both of you.

Somewhere, maybe.

a/n: hiii this is so late omg I am so sorry, I was meant to post this like two months ago, but big thanks to Aria for holding this collab it was very fun to write, I hope you enjoy it (pls don't burn me at the stake lol) I've never written a royal au before so this was fun! Thank you to everyone for supporting me!

taglist: @reiners-milkbiddies @mxnjiros @islascafe @swqllen @prettyiolanthe @sugusshi @wotakuhime @snakegentleman @severellamahottub @haitaniapologist @lonnie19 @nafarsiti @bejeweled-night-33 @ranscutedoll @the-travelling-witch @orchid3a @rottingreveries @qiiuusoup-xo @hoetani @sinfulseashell @welcome-to-the-internet-it-sucks @obitohno @tetsutits @burnishedcrown @sweet-seishu @saintokkotsu @nikokopuffs @sin-and-punishment

let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist!

[khaire-traveler]

Not sure if you've been asked this before, but how does Hellenism view the afterlife these days? Are we still mere mortal souls doomed to eternity in Hades or, as in spiritualism and Buddhism, do souls still roam the world, seeking redemption and evolution, otherwise they are reborn again?

Hey, Nonny!

In my experience, it varies vastly from person to person. I've met worshippers who believe that nothing at all happens when we die and worshippers who believe we get to choose our own afterlives. I think it's up to us to decide what we believe. No one knows for certain what happens when we die, and as scary as that can be, it gives us the opportunity to find the answer on our own.

In general, however, the belief of The Underworld in Greek polytheism does exist. There are three levels to The Greek Underworld - Tartarus, where the shitheads go; The Asphodelian Fields, where your average person goes; Elysium, where heroes (whatever that entails) go. There is no rulebook on how to get into which afterlife, but many ancient Greek cults formed around the idea that there was some kind of secret guaranteed ticket into Elysium.

In the Orphic belief system, souls get a chance at reincarnation, despite going to The Underworld. I've met many worshippers who agree with this idea. From my understanding, in Orphism, reincarnation is a choice, but I'm genuinely not sure because I'm not too educated on this belief system.

I would like to say, though, that going to The Underworld is no damnation. Your soul isn't "doomed" if it goes there. Most people (hence, "your average person") go to The Asphodelian Fields - a beautiful field of flowers where you can spend your afterlife resting, relaxing, and being at peace. Tartarus, which can be compared to the Christian Hell, is where the truly heinous people go - the murderers, the genocidal maniacs, those who go out of their way to bring misery to others. Most people don't go to Tartarus; you have to be a special kind of evil to end up there. I would say an afterlife spent roaming beautiful fields of flowers and reconnecting with loved ones is one that is worth the wait after spending a lifetime in the chaotic world we live in.

I hope this answered your question, although I didn't share my personal beliefs regarding the afterlife. If you're curious about those, you're welcome to ask! If not, I hope this answer provided you with the information you were looking for. Take care, Nonny, and have a good day/night! 🧡

[tsukii0002]

I absolutely enjoyed the pagen mc, but that got me thinking..

If you ever gotten to read a percy jackson book, or one of the hero's of Olympis books then you know of the wide array of demi gods

Now I kinda wanna know what if mc was a demi god/goddess. Luke, not only will it unlesh a whole nother truck load of chaos but it would be kinda sorta absolutely hilarious to see the brothers and dateables react to a mc who is sometimes hunter down by greek and or roman monsters.

Mc  turned out to be a demi-god

I haven't read the books, although I've had them on my to-do list for a long time. But a demi-good Mc... I like it 👀. So here we go.

.

.

Levi was furious, how was it possible that any normie had that ace up his sleeve about TSL? His blood boiled, his demonic form had appeared and without hesitation he pounced on Mc with murderous intentions.

Everything happened very fast, he had heard the voices of Mammon and Lucifer yelling at him to stop. But now... He was on his back against the ground immobilized by his hands and feet with the human on him, their eyes shone like molten iron, full of fire and that's when he knew something was wrong. Mc smiled, the wide eyes of all the demons were looking at them.

"Think better before taking up arms against a child of Ares, god of war"

.

.

Everyone sitting quietly, watching MC, Levi still surprised.

Diavolo: so... You are a demi-god...

Mc: yep

Diavolo: ... Did you know Lucifer?

Lucifer: I don't, that information was not anywhere.

Mc: Well, I love my father, but let's be honest, I'm not very proud of what he's done throughout his life... And I don't think he looks good in society neither... He is a little bitch.

Diavolo: ha ha, same.

Everybody: ...

.

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Satan: *about to explode with anger*

Mc approaches and carries him while hugging him tightly.

Mc: shhh, calm down, count to 100 buddy.

Satan: *slowly calming down as he revels in the embrace*

Mammon: what has just happened?

Asmo: Well, since Satan got angry because MC didn't want to make a pact with him and discovered that physically he can't hurt them... MC has become his personal security line.

Mammon: wow, unexpected.

.

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Lucifer: why are you so happy Beel?

Beel: *smiling* mc has promised me that they will join the team

Lucifer:  but that is dangerous for a human.

Beel:  Well, didn't they sweep the floor with you in the incident with the grimoire?

Lucifer: *getting red* right... I have forgotten the demi-God topic....

Beel: it's nice to have a work out partner, I mean if they could defeat you it's impossible for them to tire easily.

Lucifer: stop with that Beel...

.

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Solomon: If you are the child of Ares, you should know Hercules, right?

Mc: Well, about that, he prefers to be called Heracles, and yes, technically he is my uncle.

Solomon: oh, that’s nice, I met him a long time ago.

Mc: I know, he talks about you sometimes.

Solomon: oh, and what did he say about me?

Mc: that you are a nuisance and a pest of sorcerer

Solomon:...

Mc: You don't have a good reputation among the Olympians, to be honest... or among anyone in general.

Solomon: I can't refute that.

.

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Belphie: *pinned to the attic floor* humans destroyed my life !!!

Mc: well, welcome to the club, humans destroy everything including our own lives!!!

Belphie: let me go, you human!!!

Mc: you just tried to kill me bitch!!!

With a quick movement Mc carried the demon on their shoulders.

Mc: it's over, you and your brothers are going to fucking therapy.

Belphie: what??!!!

Mc: Trust me, I'm part of the most dramatic family ever, and I know you can figure this out.!!!!

Belphie: the what the fuck human??!!!

.

.

Mc locks the brothers in the catacombs so they can talk, without a therapist, Mc was afraid for his life, so another time. They are in the living room when a familiar voice takes him out of his thoughts.

Ares: So I don't see you for a couple of months and you end up in hell? And not in your great-uncle's domain but in another hell?

Mc: dad... What are you doing here?

Ares: I've been looking for you child, you had me worried.

The god sits next to his child.

Ares: How have you been? are you still fighting?

Mc: yeah I suposse, but no one dares to stand up to me after knowing who my father is .

Ares: well that's good... you've had fun, you've explored... i think it's time you come home

Mc: no, I'm going to stay here and I'm going to finish the exchange year.

Ares: Mc...

Mc: I thought it was strange that nobody knew about gods here, but the truth is that I'm glad, here I'm Mc, not Ares' child... So please I want to stay

Ares: Okey, chicks have to leave the nest sometime... So it's okay, but I have one condition...

Mc: what is it?

Ares: *screaming dramatically* I will not accept that none of those demons put a finger on you!!!

Mc: dad!!!!

Ares: No, I know what you are capable of but they have tried to hurt you!!! *summoning his spear* there won't be one left standing

Mc: dad stop!!!

At that moment Diavolo enters randomly

Diavolo: Don't worry Mr. Ares, here we are not interested in harming MC, actually... Have you thought about a possible union between Devildom and Olympus? You know through marriage.

Ares: ...

Mc: ...

Ares: MUCH LESS AM I GOING TO ALLOW MY BABY TO MARRY ANY OF YOU *summoning his biggest spear* I will not tolerate any biblical creature as a couple for my Mc!!!!!

.

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Mc: And that's how my father almost declared war to the Devildom

Mammon: well... Lord Diavolo had a point...

Mc: what?

Mammon: nothing!  but what matters is that we have fixed our sibling problems and ya have fixed the problems with your father, everything has been solved !!

Belphie: except now all the demons look at MC with much more respect than any of us .

Asmo: it's normal, it was impressive how you stopped your father.

Beel: Your father loves you so much Mc.

Satan: Well, considering that we found out that in addition to being a Demi God, you have angel blood... I'm not surprised.

Levi: you are like the protagonist of an anime lol.

Lucifer: *sighs* and I thought that this was going to be a quiet year.

.

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What did I just write??? 😂 😂 I wanted it to be similar to the format of the pagan Mc post, but it has gone more to the AU branch in my opinion... I have chosen Ares because of a myth in which this god defends his daughter after being abused , so I think he would be a good father (for what the Greek gods are)

I hope you liked it even a little, because it is a very good suggestion and it has been fun, thanks @shota-catziwa for your patience, for your suggestion and for reading this far.

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[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: I love starting fights I love ruining the MC's happiness -Danny Words: 2,354 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'an ego thing' -by Lizzie McAlpine

XX: Turns Out My Brother Percy Would, a Little

"How was your talk with the god of jocks?" Leo grins.

Ara stares at the group in shock. "What was that?!"

Piper shrugs in a bad mood. "Heracles sent us to fight someone who didn't deserve it."

"Achelous?" Ara asks with annoyance. "Wasn't he convinced he was a nice guy, which is another way to say he's a weirdo?"

"He was just sad," Jason argues. "I felt bad about fighting him. He loved Deianira."

"Immortals fall for people all the time and pretend it matters," Ara says, bitter about her conversation with Heracles while also upset to end it on such a terrible note.

Piper stares at her aghast. "Hercules forced us to hurt an innocent guy!"

Ara understands where their frustration is coming from, but she relates to Heracles way more. No one is going to back her up, not even Percy—especially not Percy. A deep-rooted resentment appears out of nowhere and she can't bear to stay there surrounded by all of them.

"Whatever..." she rubs her eyes. "Sorry... talking to another child of Olympus was... I'll take a nap. Wake me if you need to."

"WAKE UP, STRATEGUS!"

Ara falls off her bed face-first. The pain disorients her, but then she hears heavy footsteps hurrying down the hall, so she jumps to her feet and grabs Lily's dagger along with her compass.

When the door opens, Ara has Almighty in shield mode and slams it against the first stranger who storms in. The second guy tries to attack her and she slashes across his chest with Lily's dagger and the guy drops to his knees. Ara pushes him out of the way and runs.

She hears chaos around her but doesn't know where to go first. Hoping to be the only member of her crew on that level, she goes to the deck. A man with a deep voice and a slight accent is talking to her friends.

"...Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want... Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

As if monsters and giants weren't enough! Ara isn't in the mood to deal with pirates, so she storms into the scene hitting people's heads—dolphin's heads, sure, of course they're dolphins—and wounding them with Lily's dagger so they can't get back up.

"Stop! Or I'll kill them!" Chrysaor orders. Percy and Annabeth are surrounded. The man's eyes shine with irritation. "Who are you?"

"You'll regret coming into this ship," she glares at him. "I don't know who you think you are, but if I were you, I'd leave before I lose my patience."

The man laughs, walking up to her until they're face to face—or face to chest since Ara is smaller. He seizes her shield and pulls her close roughly. "I'll gut you like a fish."

"Don't touch her!" Percy shouts.

"No, not yet," Chrysaor snorts, "she isn't worth the haste."

"Careful with that!" Annabeth screams at a dolphin guy who's carrying boxes. "It'll blow up both our ships!"

"Ha! We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."

"Your accent sounds familiar," Percy says. "Have we met?"

"I haven't had the pleasure. But I've heard all about you, Percy Jackson. Oh, yes, the young man who saved Olympus. And his faithful sidekick, Annabeth Chase."

"I'm nobody's sidekick. And, Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey."

"I'm pretty sure that accent isn't New Jersey. Who's his—? Oh," he makes a face. "Medusa is your mom? Dude, that sucks for you."

Ara's blood is boiling, but something tells her to wait. That voice that woke her was someone they know, it's a god.

"...I should have been the most famous hero of all time! Since the legend-tellers decided to ignore me, I became a villain instead. I resolved to put my heritage to use. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"

"You became a pirate."

"The best pirate. I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."

"Wow," Ara tilts her head. "Male demigods really just grow into losers, huh? That's sad."

Even though she can't see his face through the gorgon mask, she can hear the irritation in his voice. "Didn't you hear everything I just said?"

She shrugs. "I'm not scared. You're just a whiny old dude."

The guy raises his sword menacingly but Annabeth screams. "You can't do this!"

"I can do anything I want! My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat—"

"Dolphins," Percy interrupts.

"Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned completely into dolphins. Others went mad. But these... these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!"

Ara knows who woke her now. Her crew has been brought up to deck, everyone except Frank, must've escaped in time. If he can fight, that'll be of great help, she needs a lot of backup.

"They should be afraid!" Ara turns her shield into a sword. "We work for the guy that kidnapped them!"

Piper causes a distraction, and Percy uses it to draw out Riptide. Knowing what he'll do, Ara attacks the pirate at the same time. The man's good at fighting both of them and remarkably strong too. Ara focuses on distracting while Percy tries to cause the real damage. This is how they've always worked: Percy attacks, Ara distracts. 

This time, however, it's not the right call. Percy gets tired and his sword gets taken with such force that it flies overboard, Chrysaor arches his sword to cut Percy in half but Ara stops him, she pushes back and he barely moves.

"Lord Dionysus wants you dead," she announces. "If it were up to me, I'd let you go with a warning, but as a daughter of Olympus, I can't go against a god's wishes. Isn't that right, Percy?"

Percy knows what her plan is so he joins in swiftly. "Our General is Dionysus's most loyal servant! And she's insane! Right, Annabeth?"

"Yes—Mr. D! The great Dionysus!" Annabeth adds quickly. "Ara is his favorite because she is so cruel!"

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor's crew starts to freak out. "There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you."

"We don't need him on board when we have Ara!" Percy continues. "Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine god's madness?"

Hazel and Piper start with the fits again, increasing the hysteria.

"Fakes! Shut up!" The pirate snaps at them. "Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."

"So you admit Dionysus is our director!"

"He was—Everyone knows that." 

"Everyone knows that the gods talk to me," Ara replies using charmspeak. "And Mr D wants you dead."

"If you don't believe us, let's check the ice chest!" Percy hurries over to the cooler a dolphin guy carries in and kicks it open. He pulls out a can. "Behold! The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"

Ara feels a little insane adding up to the narrative, but life's been sad lately, and this is pretty fun. Besides, Hercules said she had to learn to be scary on her own, so fake-it-til-you-make-it it is.

"The god will take your ship," Percy continues. "He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"

"Ridiculous!"

"Save yourselves!" Percy screams. "It is too late for us!" He gasps. "Oh, no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!" Ara spots Frank hiding behind a barrel. "I said," her brother repeats louder, "Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

"Oh, no," the boy stumbles out holding his throat, but his voice is empty of emotion. "I am turning into a crazy dolphin."

Chrysaor's crew jumps out of the ship. Ara attacks the guy, and she puts all of her power into each strike, remembering the moves Clarisse taught her. The pirate's sword falls out of his hand, Ara kicks it out of reach, corners Chrysaor against the ship's railing, and points the edge of her sword against his throat.

"I'm not worth the haste?" Her gaze turns dark. "Maybe I should take my time too."

"This isn't over," Chrysaor growls. "I will have my revenge—"

Ara kicks his crotch and the man doubles in pain. "I've heard enough from immortal men."

She picks up his sword and tosses it into the sea, then places Almighty under Chrysaor's chin, and gestures wordlessly, telling him to follow his sword right out the Argo II. 

"Your ship's ours now, by the way. Bye-bye!" She blows him a kiss.

The guy shrieks ready to strangle her, but Frank—as a grizzly bear—tackles him and tosses the man overboard. Annabeth, Percy, Frank, and Ara get closer to see where he sank, but he's nowhere to be found.

"Probably breathes underwater just like you," Ara nudges Percy. "I don't think he'll bother us now."

"That was brilliant!" Annabeth beams.

"Ara was," Percy admits impressed. "Nice one, Birdy." 

"You were a great actor too," she shrugs.

"I was desperate," he points at the vessel in front of them. "We need to get rid of this pirate trireme."

"Burn it?" Annabeth suggests.

"No," Percy glances at the cooler. "I've got another idea."

While Ara is brushing her hair, someone knocks on her door.

"Yeah?"

Percy's head pops in. "You busy?"

"Nah, just getting ready for bed," she sighs. "What do you need?"

He walks into the room and lies on her bed. Ara finds it heartwarming, the two of them in their PJs talking before bed, feels just like their nights in New York. 

"I'm listening," she turns to her reflection and fixes the loose hairs framing her face.

Percy sits up and takes a moment to gather his thoughts. He never ponders unless it's something he knows she'll hate. "You're not... pretending not to care about Nico for Leo's sake, right?"

The statement causes her to turn around. "What?"

"I've been trying to ask since I got on the ship..."

"What?" She repeats.

"You know," he says like it's obvious. "Your crush on Nico."

Ara feels her soul leave her body. "My crush... on Nico?"

At some point, her brother started to believe that she was hostile towards Nico because she was in love with him, that she didn't know how to process the feelings, like a toddler. She guesses he believes that because Ara always kept people out of Nico's way and got mad whenever someone else insulted him. Nico was the first kid she'd ever looked after, an old habit that was hard to kill.

She'd completely forgotten it until now. Ara never corrected Percy because it hid her crush on Mike, and having Percy focus on her feelings kept him from noticing Nico's feelings towards him.

"I never liked him."

Percy makes a face. "Don't pretend it didn't happen, Ara. I heard you and Lily talking about it years ago."

Ara gets confused. "That's insane, we never talked about that."

"I ran into you two whispering about your crush on a grumpy little jerk, who else would've fit that description?" He raises a brow. "Lily didn't understand why you liked him when he was always yelling at you."

Suddenly, everything makes sense. "It was Mike, you sea slug!"

Percy reacts like that's even worse. "You had a crush on Michael Yew?"

"Oh gods, he was an older version of Nico," Ara's eyes widen in realization. "I'm gonna puke..."

Percy snorts. "I always thought the way you felt about Mike was the same you felt about me!"

Ara blushes. "When I told him my plans, he swore on the Styx that I'd be the daughter of Olympus and I guess... his faith swept off my feet."

Percy stares at her strangely. "You told him?"

"He and Lily were the first to know," she confesses. "That's why they trained me. I know you always thought I was obsessive, it was better that way, so you wouldn't worry."

"He supported your idea just like that?" Percy continues as if not understanding. "When was this?"

Ara hesitates, feeling like she's standing on a dangerous ledge of the wall between them. "Right after the battle in Zeus's fist."

Percy stares at her in shock. "That was a year before the fight with Kronos!"

"So? You decided the big prophecy would be about you years before turning sixteen."

"I had no choice!"

Ara stands up. "Mike put his life on the line to make my wish come true, was I supposed to let him die?"

Percy's gaze hardens. "You lied."

Ara steps closer and glares at him. "You never asked. Don't speak like you were paying attention."

Percy stands up, towering over her. 

"Had I known what you were planning, I would've beat some reason into you both," Ara wants to slap her brother. Hurt would be better than what he's giving her. "You try to act grown-up, but you're still the little girl that used to hide behind me."

"I assure you I'm way more dangerous than that little girl ever was, so don't push me," Ara replies tensely.

Percy takes a step forward. "If you're willing to hurt me to protect your ego, then you changed for the worst, and that's disappointing."

Ara sees red. "I'm your General, I don't care what you think."

He looks down at her with fiery sea-green eyes. "You used to be better than the gods, and now you're just their heir." He walks past her crashing his shoulder roughly against hers.

Gods! She was telling him all he wanted to know, she was being honest for the first time in almost two years—And he was disappointed? Fine. Not like she's unfamiliar with the feeling anyway.

"You're a burden to him." Nico's voice echoes in the silence.

"You use us," Lily joins right after, "and you barely make it out anyway." 

The voices are coming from around her. Something is in the room with her.

"Nemesis," she growls at her reflection in the mirror. "Get out."

A chuckle responds to her, her reflection flickers a moment, and then the presence vanishes entirely.

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[rwby-encrusted-blog]

Jaune Arc is not going to Die.

Or Stay in the Ever After.

As the title state, I don't think Jaune's story ends here. Maybe it's because I (rather obviously) Like him, But I have prepared some reasons for Jaune sticking around for longer, Starting with ...

1. The Red Flags

Adam Taurus, a minor antagonist, and representative of both the Enchanted Rose, and Gaston from Beauty and The Beast, Died. The Rose Wilted, Gaston Died.

Pyrrha Nikos, Based on Achilles of Greek Myth, Died. Pyrrha was a Hero. Achilles Died.

Roman Torchwick , a Minor antagonist, was based at least partially on Romeo Candlewick From Pinocchio, And Died. Candlewick also canonically dies at some point in most Pinocchio iterations.

James Ironwood, whose song is literally titled Hero, Died.

Given the Samples provided, and many more not provided, We can extrapolate that those that are either Minor Characters, Deuteragonists, Heroes, "Heroes," or those based on a character that dies, tend to Die.

There's also this thing called a "Noble Sacrifice." Usually it's reserved for when a Character is seeking redemption for something (Such as Killing a Friend), and, in an act of repentance, Gives their life for their Friend(s). They Stay on an Asteroid to detonate the bomb, they throw themselves in front of a bullet to save another, They Stay behind to keep a Monster from coming through the door.

Jaune fits this perfectly.

And That's why Jaune is going to live.

RWBY Loves to Usurp Expectations and undermine tropes, and at this point Jaune has been struck with so many Red Flags, he's safe. It's expected that he'll Die, or Stay behind, so therefore he won't.

2. His Importance to the World

Jaune has too many connections to die. His Family is back on Remnant. His Friends are trying to get home. Nora, Ren, and Oscar are back there. He'd be abandoning them, which Jaune isn't wont to do.

I'm certain there is an argument to be made about how Pyrrha was important to the World, but she still died, So I'm Refuting that.

Pyrrha was Important to the Story. Jaune is important to the World.

Here's what We know about Pyrrha's life:

Four Time Champion in Mistral Tournaments.

Pumpkin Pete's Brand Endorser

important enough to get a statue in Argus.

we can assume she has at least one Parent

She's friends with RWBY?

What We know about Jaune's Life:

Is a brother to Seven people

One of whom we've met

is an uncle

Definitive Friend of team RWBY

(Man Pyrrha didn't get many interactions with people outside of Jaune huh)

Friends with Oscar

We Honestly Don't have much information on PYrrha's home life, other than Jaune was the first person in a long time to treat like everybody else. Pyrrha Didn't have the Friends and Family Necessary to decide that Maiden Powers were to big a risk, that Shoving Jaune in a locker instead of Running with him was the better option.

Jaune, as we've seen, has people. A family. Good Friends. Things Pyrrha Didn't have (Screen) Time for.

Jaune has too much to lose.

3. Unfair

It would be unfair for Jaune to have to give up what connections he has to Remnant, but it'd be an even greater Transgression to make those on Remnant give up Jaune.

Nora and Ren have already Lost a teammate, Oscar Undoubtedly cares for Jaune, RWBY is getting out of the Ever After, and I doubt that they'd leave Jaune without an actual Life or Death Battle Where He Makes that decision for them.

And It would Be unfair to Pyrrha. Pyrrha Put so much Effort into making Jaune even remotely close to being a Huntsman, literally saving his Life during Initiation, then Training Him, Giving him Videos, so on and So forth.

It's be spit on Her name For Jaune to stop here.

But For all this I believe Jaune's fate all lies with One Thing ...

4. And You've taken it from Me

As you Can probably guess from this sections title, It's about Neo, and how She relates to Jaune, Because I believe that Their Fates are tied to one another. If Neo dies, Jaune Dies, If Neo Lives, Jaune Lives.

If you've seen any Silent Knight Shippers talk about them, you already know what I'm going to say about them Paralleling each other.

Their Partner Died in the fall because of Cinder, directly or not.

carries around a piece of their partner's outfit.

their partner mentored them into who they are today.

This, while it has more eloquently been said before, is the reason I believe Neo is the biggest determining Factor in Jaune's future.

Now, there in lies the rub, because Neo Will need to be convinced top Not kill Ruby, because Neo will die if she continues down this path. But I believe she Just needs to remember something.

She Needs to remember how to Lie, Cheat, Steal, and Survive.

When She was Falling into the Ever After, She was Focused on Causing Ruby pain. Hurting Her. Neo Didn't care about Falling. She didn't care about Surviving.

But I think She'll figure it out. I don't think She'll necessarily like it though.

5. The Cost of Living

I Have few doubts that anyone is sticking in the Ever After, but seeing as how a major theme of it is being yourself, and who you want to be, and who you have been

"You Never Were the Hero ..."

(Vol 1. Ruby) to Current Ruby: "What are you going to be?"

"What if you could take Ruby Rose off, Like an old Jacket?"

Which Makes me think that Jaune and Neo are going to have to give up what they have of Pyrrha and Roman.

Jaune will Have to give up his Dream of Being a Hero.

Neo will have to give up her quest for Revenge.

Neither will Stop, not completely, But Neo will Just. Leave. She'll work with the Team to get back home, then fuck off, never to be seen again.

Jaune won't stop being heroic, or stop being a huntsman, but he'll stop trying to be Hero. He'll have to let that dream die, so that he can have a chance at living it. Because if he follows that dream, He'll follow in every other Hero's footsteps. Follow them the full six feet down into the dirt.

Thank You for you're time!

[colorsunlikeanythingseen]

Five ways the Trials of Apollo improved Hero’s of Olympus

New Rome has ✨ cats✨ which makes literally everything better. Listen. This small detail establishes that the Roman’s value independence and that New Rome is far more traditional and closer to their roots than camp half blood. It also provides a small character detail because Apollo does not like cats as he considers them competition and far too similar to himself. With this small detail I now actually care about New Rome. I did not care at all about New Rome in the previous book saga with like four Roman viewpoints. Now if new Rome falls a cat might die. The stakes have never been higher.

Speaking of things I now care about Jason’s writing has improved so much. With that one scene with Apollo he feels like a fully fleshed out character with hopes, dreams and promises that he can’t fulfill. His death is so sad and unfair and incredibly written. I don’t think hoo knew what they were doing with Jason or new Rome at all. We aren’t even in his head when he met his long lost sister. There is no flashback that would establish both Jason’s character and camp Jupiter. The true tragedy of Jason Grace is that he was only interesting and well written the day he died.

Anyways Grover is here and it is great! We get to see him handling his new responsibilities and effectively lead everyone and help ease the wild fires. Also his dynamic with Apollo is fun.

You know how hero’s of Olympus rolled back on all Zeus’s concessions to the demigods ( breaking his promise that Calypso would be freed, banning god demigod communications, being a hindrance to the gods that are actually helping, ect.) and the erasing the vague hope at the end of pjo that the gods might begin to change and generally perpetuating the myth that these Greek gods can never ever change? Well ToA is all about a god changing, helping demigods, and going back to Olympus in the hopes of making even more change. Also the reason that the gods don’t change is because Olympus in an incredibly toxic and isolated family. The most helpful gods (Iris, Hestia, Artemis ect.) stay off Olympus for a reason.

Calypso and Leo basically broke up. Also Leo got adopted! And Calypso is going to high school! Good for them!

[ssasides205]

hi, we know why u like vd and dislike sa, but what about caleo?

lemme answer like this

did we need all main characters to be paired up anon?

did we need the calypso chapter at all? does it add to the overall story?

because to me, personally, it feels like the biggest wasted opportunity ever. because riordan already had given us the perfect "oath kept with a dying breath" ever.

I've mentioned this before, but let me take the opportunity to finally talk about it in full.

there's a somewhat known comic that does an excellent job of illustrating this, but I can't remember the name of the artist (listen, they are very into the sunshades and I am not). but the absolute insane mirror aesthetic of Percy begging Nico to give him his word, the way Nico begged Percy to keep his, the parallels?

like, there really didn't have to be any death at all, there didn't need to be a different oath. that could've been it!

not only would the fandom have gone insane abt it, let's be honest, it would have also given Nico a part of the prophecy, and, most importantly, it would've made a lot of sense.

one thing about prophecies in Greek mythos, is that they're not very direct. This is brought up several times in cannon during the PJO series, and is actually revealed to have been the entire premise in TLO

so why would this be any different? especially, when there's a perfect candidate for the oath readily available. One that plays well into the overarching plot, and could have been used to give closure to the whole thing between Percy and Nico, giving the scene between them at the end have that extra layer.

although, the whole making Leo parallel Percy in regards to Calypso does give room for discussion for us valdangelo fans, vis a vis Nico's taste in men. but there were other ways.

to me, the Calypso thing always felt off, even when Percy met her. Mainly bc of what little I remembered of her from the Odyssey back when I was reading the books.

the fact that, in both cases, the two people involved knew basically nothing of each other and still fell in love felt very much suss. I theorized it was part of the curse in both occasions, that the curse did more than just bring the heroes, but also, ensured Calypso would love them.

and, also, I totally forgot that they hadn't saved her in the first series, or more like, I assumed they had but in one of the related side-stories. and I wish her freedom didn't come tied to romance.

like, you see how that reads, right?

this got away from me, but my point is, it felt very much like a last thought kind of deal. like you made the prophecy thing, and needed a promise with a dying breath, and needed a reason and a receiver of said promise? when Nico's promise was?? right there????

I don't think I'll ever be over that.

[alicentsgf]

What do you think of Alys? You know among all those people saying she will be evil I just feel like whatever she is gonna be, I'd love her as much as I love Alicent. It's all about the vibe, Alicent comes from Greek tragedy and Alys from gothic romance and I can't wait to see 2 season

I love Alys. i think I just hope they do her justice and make her more than just The Witch or The Victim you know. I don't really know what that should look like and I don't know exactly what the story is going to need her to be because I'm not sure what direction they're going to go with everyone else, especially Aemond, as in, what way he's going to react to Luke's death/how everyone else is going to react to him being the cause of Lukes death? idk. idk what person he's going to be when he gets to harrenhal basically.

one thing i do know though is its just a pure fact imo that Alys in f&b was one of the most interesting characters in the dance era, hands down. like when I say the f&b characters were one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs I'm almost exclusively talking about the dance era tbh. The story of the dance was exciting, the people not so much so imo. and I feel like grrm fumbled the bag with Alys because when she's introduced she's this mysterious woman who manages to convince this boy prince to spare her and forms a questionable romantic/sexual bond with him that may or may not be rooted in magic. and that's so interesting! but what is actually done with it?? not much really. we don't even know where their kid ended up? and yeah people can say that their relationship was just included to make aemond a hypocrite or something and that regardless its all just so gross anyway (because yeah whatever its obviously fucked up. all these relationships are.) but one thing that is overlooked I feel is that this could very possibly have been about survival for Alys. at least to begin with. The impression we get is that this is how she's lived her life, like she has constantly used her body to make herself useful and needed - if the choice was between horrible violent death and seducing a 19-year-old... i kind of understand seducing the 19-year-old, you know?

i would love to see her be manipulative with aemond, at least to begin with, and then see him slowly wise up to what she's doing and for them to find some kind of accord? this love affair is not going to be 'cute', it's not going to be aspirational, it's literally a love story between an older woman who may or may not be a witch and her boy toy war-criminal, like... common sense says it's not going to be a healthy relationship. However, i do think there's the potential there for a really deep, slightly unexpected understanding of each other. Aemond may be a lot younger, but he holds power over Alys because of his position in society/the way the world of asoiaf operates. he was literally holding her life in his hands when they met. I don't think the power imbalance is as pronounced as it would be in a modern setting, so they do have the potential to sort of level the playing field for each other and become partners in their own special fucked up way. after all, there's some definite moments in f&b where we hear that they have a very real and obvious bond with one another.

i think saying alys is gothic romance vibes is so accurate like overall the story isn't very gothic romance, but in herself with the elements of the grotesque, mystery, and the supernatural surrounding her I feel that's incredibly true. and its perfect because aemond has that element too; he is the marred, brooding, outcast gothic romantic hero. so yeah they should totally capitalise on these archetypes and make their side of the story lean into that.

one thing i do have slight reservations about is the supernatural aspect aka alys' magic. like I love a witch, don't get me wrong, and the aesthetics of alys using magic I just want so so badly. however... i hate when men are right. and i hate when men point at a woman who's managed to manoeuvre her way against all odds into a position of influence and say 'you cheated'/'thats a witch'. like. idk i do think maybe it would be interesting to see alys just be insanely smart and manipulative, using magic to cover up the moves she's making that are very much not magic just to keep people afraid of her so they'll let her be? but also i DO want her to be a witch? its a hard one.

im just so excited to meet her tbh. there's some really great options for what to do with her character so I just have my fingers crossed they do her justice.

[tsvaling]

Okay, I’m taking a class on mythology this semester, and I have to share this excerpt of a conversation between Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell from The Power of Myth that just immediately made me think of Nil and Aloy’s conversations in HZD.

BILL MOYERS: As Zorba says, you know, “Trouble? Life is trouble. Only death is no trouble.”

JOSEPH CAMPBELL: That’s it. And when people say to me, you know, do you have optimism about the world, you know, how terrible it is, I said, yes, just say, “It’s great!” Just the way it is.

BILL MOYERS: But doesn’t that lead to a rather passive attitude in the face of evil, in the face of wrong?

JOSEPH CAMPBELL: You participate in it. Whatever you do is evil for somebody.

Aloy’s remark to Nil at the last bandit camp when he brushes off her request for help sounds a lot like Moyers’s remark of having a “passive attitude in the face of evil.” While Nil’s comment at the second camp about “Aren’t all wars a crime to someone?” really points to Campbell’s response that “Whatever you do is evil for somebody.”

And at the same time, Campbell’s remarks about how great the world is echoes Aloy’s resolve to protect the world they have now, even if there are terrible things in it, because its the world we have and she values it enough to protect it. Moyers’s quote from Zorba the Greek also sounds like something Nil would say, especially with his bit of empathy toward Aloy that he hoped her difficult path met many swift ends, or deaths, so she wouldn’t have so much trouble in her life anymore.

To me this really solidifies how important Nil is in Aloy’s personal, spiritual journey considering much of their dialogue really echoes this conversation with the man who has become a major source for understanding the Hero’s Journey in storytelling. Like, I know for most Niloy fans we’re all too aware that Nil represents Aloy’s animus in terms of the Jungian archetypes Campbell, as well as Maureen Murdock, use in describing the hero’s and heroine’s journeys. But to see how similar some of Nil’s comments are to Campbell make me really hopeful that the writers (who we know love Nil) have some plans for Nil in the finale.

I don’t know, maybe it’s also because I’ve been thinking and writing a lot of Niloy lately, so I have them on the brain as I’m reading this for class.

[astroonoo]

hihi i’m here bc i need to write abt my pokémon Oc who had so much lore i have a character document that has over 500 words and isn’t nearly at all done yet and it’s going to be at least 1.5k i think so yayay

frfr i’m so interested in Pokémon i will never grow out of it and i love it so much but none of my friends play it only my cousin and brother and i just need to talk abt it bc i’ve been having an intense brainrot, (i’d say hyperfixation because that’s kind of how intense this brainrot is but idk if that’s a term used for people on the autistic spectrum bc one of my friends mentioned it once and i don’t want to throw terms around carelessly and be disrespectful to anyone so yeahhh!!!)

OKOK SO ANYWAY

they’re name’s Nyx, which means dark or night in Greek (i think?? im pretty sure because i read Heroes of Olympus and Nyx has a role in greek mythology and has to do with the night as well as fears but don’t quote me on that bc it’s been a bit since i’ve read up on my greek and roman mythology or read anything in the Riordanverse series so,, ahhh)

any their pronouns are they/xe/she and i love them to death i have a lot of OCs but they have the most detailed lore out of anyone so like yay favorite child IG

They are gender fluid and biologically female. so essentially FtGf/Nb

they are originally from Unova but ended up in Alola bc their parents thought moving would help them get along (i’ll go into this more later bc hooray TRAUMA CREATES FLAVOR I TELL YOU,,)

their team consists of Leafeon, Golisopod, Salazzle, Primarina, Mimikyu and Lunala, but not Nebby. it’s the one from the other timeline at the Altar of the Sunne/Moone near the team skull base on Ula’Ula Island, Nebby in their timeline/universe evolves into Solgaleo to balance out the sun and moon in their world

their timeline is in Sun and Moon only not Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon because Sun and Moon’s story line was so much better imo and as much as i loved USUM i loved Lusamine going insane much more so yeahhh

frfr the anime sucked in that aspect and don’t say “it’s for kids!!!!?!?!!;&:” I PLAYED MOON WHEN I WAS 10 PLS💀💀

anyWAY

Nyx was raised by Guzma after their parents decided that their child was the cause of their problems, but that was 2 years after they were abandoned. abt a year after they were, they met Eevee who later evolved into Leafeon by choice.

Nyx and Guzma actually met because Guzma was going to catch Eevee and sell him for cash but little 10 year Nyx came running and cried at him to stop and Guzma was like “wtf is this kid doing and where are their parents” and since he also had shitty parents he was like, “okay i’ll take this kid in and raise them so they don’t turn out like me ig lol”

So Guzma raised them and team skull loves them and they are the second admin of Team Skull next to Plumeria who joined maybe 2 years after Guzma took nyx in. Nyx was 12 at the time and Guzma was around 20 bc i headcannon that he was 17 when he formed team skull and 18 when he took Nyx in. Plumeria is basically Nyx’s older sister and had to teach them abt everything because Guzma had no idea on how to help a teenage girl with their girl problems (probably. idk i think it’d be funny if he freaked out about them getting their period or something bc he doesn’t know what to do and Plumeria is just like “what the fuck is wrong with you dumbasses”)

BUT YEAH NO I HAVE SO MUCH LORE FOR THEM THAT I LITERALLY WANT TO WRITE THEM 4 BOOKS.

it’d be like a coming of age story kind of with a lot of angst, crack, fluff, and overall just them trying to heal from their trauma while they experience the world of pokémon so,,

yay fun. i feel like this post is so long but i could go on and on and on abt my Oc so please help is it healthy to be this interested in a character you’ve made or a fandom you like???????

idk i might make like a part 2 to this because i’m so excited about them and i could keep ranting and explain and lore dumping and world building to random people on the internet but i’ll spare you all for now lol

[camille-lachenille]

Grishaverse characters in the Riordanverse

When 1 am thoughts became a whole post about how I envision Grishaverse characters in the universe created by Rick Riordan.

Beware, spoilers from both the whole Grishaverse books by Leigh Bardugo, and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series.

Kaz Brekker:

Kaz is, obviously, a son of Hermes. He inherited all the thief and business skills of his father and he uses them shamelessly.

Kaz lived with his mom and mortal brother, Jordie. One day, some monsters attacked Kaz, and both Jordie and his mom died while trying to protect him. A satyr found a crying Kaz and brought him to the Camp Half-Blood. That’s where Kaz resentment against the gods began.

And, because he is so angry and bitter, I think Kaz would have been on Kronos' side during the Titans' war, more out of spite and opportunities than real belief it would be better under their rule. He changed side after Kronos' defeat and decided to help during the Half-Blood camp during the war against Gaea.

Inej Ghafa:

Inej’s ability to vanish in the shadows and move without a sound reminded me of Nico’s powers so, she is a daughter of Hades. She was born in the end of the 19th century in colonial India. She joined the Hunters of Artemis as soon she discovered she had abnormal capacities and to escape abuse she had endured in the hands of British soldiers. Inej stayed fifteen years old for more than a century and saw many sisters in arms fall at battle.

When she met Kaz, Nina and Jesper at Camp Half-Blood, she started to consider the idea od dropping immortality to stay with her new friends and family. She took the decision when Kaz decided to fight against Gaea and she admitted her feelings for him to herself. She fought valiantly along the demigods and embraced her shadow powers when regaining mortality.

Nina Zenik:

Another daughter of Hades with Nina. I hesitated a lot between Aphrodite, Apollo and Hades for her godly parent but her Grisha powers are too connected to death to ignore them, whenever she is a Heartrender or the “Corpsewitch”. So yeah, another child of Hades, even is he technically can’t have children with mortals, but who cares?

Nina grew up in foster care and became a yearlong resident at Camp Half-Blood once she discovered being a demigod. Surprisingly, she goes along very well with Aphrodite’s children and she also spend a lot of time with Jesper. Even if she tries not to be in too much trouble, Nina always ends up in some of Kaz convoluted plans. During the war against Gaea, she is captured by the Romans and she escapes thanks to Centurion Helvar.

Matthias Helvar:

For me, Matthias is a son of Mars. He joined Camp Jupiter at fourteen after losing his family in a car crash. He was a disciplined soldier and one of the most loyal followers of Octavian. He was made a Centurion at sixteen. During the war against Gaea, he captured a Greek girl and fell in love with her. Matthias helped Nina to escape and then tried to stop Octavian.  After the war he is one of the most enthusiastic demigods who works on the good relationships between the two camps.

Jesper Fahey:

I hesitated a lot between Hermes and Hephaestus for his godly parent but, in the end, I choose Hermes. Jesper was that Troublemaker kid at school who couldn’t help but always accept ridiculously stupid and increasingly dangerous challenges. He finally went to Camp Half-Blood where he went along very well with Kaz, Nina, and Inej when the Hunters came. So, Jesper is Kaz annoying and irresponsible brother yet they really care for each other. And that’s why he first followed Kaz during the Titan’s war before changing his mind after the Battle of the Labyrinth because he couldn’t stand being against Nina and Inej. After the war, he worked hard to reconstruct the Camp to repair his errors.

Jesper is also very friendly with all the unclaimed demigods in Hermes’ Cabin, especially Wylan.

Wylan van Eck:

Wylan arrived at Camp Half-Blood just before the Battle of Manhattan as an unclaimed demigod. He quickly became friend, and fell in love, with Jesper. After the war, he is claimed by Hephaestus and he is very happy to meet his sibling. He created a lot of very dangerous and explosive devices during the war against Gaea and, doing so, earned respect from a lot of more experimented campers, especially children of Ares who bullied him when he first arrived.

Wylan grew with his abusive stepfather because his mom was in a psychiatric hospital most of the time because of the abuse. For him, Camp Half-Blood is his real family and, once the wars are over Wylan sues his stepfather with the help of Kaz, Jesper, Inej, Nina and Matthias. He also manages to reunite with his mom and goes to live with her. Jesper also live with them and there is always Inej or Nina (sometimes with Matthias) stopping by for a meal or the night. Even Kaz sometimes shows up and begrudgingly accept to join the board games night.

Zoya Nazyalensky:

Again, I wondered a lot about which godly affiliations were the most suitable for Zoya because I wanted to keep the storm and lighting aspect of her powers but the dragon is very badass too, so I had to make a cool backstory for her.

Zoya is a ruthless and powerful daughter of Jupiter. Her mom was a distant descendent of the tian Helios trough Medea and that’s why Zoya can turn into a dragon at will (dragons are associated with Helios and Medea can control them). She grew in a quite poor household and joined Camp Jupiter after causing a storm to protect herself against some monsters. At Camp Jupiter, Zoya entered the First Cohort because of her father. She quickly escalated the hierarchy of the Camp and became a Praetor along Nikolai. She is a very good strategist and a strict leader.

Nikolai Lanstov:

Nikolai is a son of Mercure and he joined Camp Jupiter very young. He is born from an affair his already married mother had with Mercure and understood very early that nobody really loved him in his family.

At Camp Jupiter, Nikolai managed to be very popular beside almost everybody except for Octavian’s followers. His main talents are diplomacy, twisted plans and his creativity and curiosity in almost every subject. He is elected Praetor just after the war against the Titans even if he didn’t really want to. He still took his position very seriously during the war against Gaea but Octavian is a pain in the a** and he has to flight for some time. He acts secretly against Octavian and recover his position after the war. Zoya is then elected Praetor.

Genya Safin:

Genya is a daughter of Venus. At first, she is a follower of Octavian because he is the one who granted he a good position in the legion even if she didn’t have good connections at first. But Genya betrayed Octavian by befriending a Greek and so was tortured by monsters and banned from the camp. She still fought in the war against Gaea, along Nikolai in exile, and she was officially pardoned after the War.

David Kostyk:

Not a lot to say about David but I wanted to include him and I think he would be a perfect son of Vulcain. He was a great friend of Nikolai and he followed Genya after she was banned from the Legion to take care of her.

Tolya and Tamar:

Tolya and Tamar are both children of Apollo. They were inseparable but Tamar decided to join the Amazons while Tolya preferred to stay at Camp Half-Blood. They still communicate very frequently and Tolya is one of the very few men the Amazons accept as an equal because he is absolutely not interested in being superior to women (and Tamar would kill the first person who insult her brother).

Alina Starkov:

Alina is, obviously, a daughter of Apollo. She has the ability of glowing in the dark and conjuring the sunlight. She is also very good at manipulating the Mist. She is a powerful demigod but isn’t very good at obeying orders so she is mostly in trouble. After the war against Gaea, she decided to leave Camp Half-Blood and live in the mortal world.

Mal Orestev:

Mal is a mortal who can see through the Mist. He was Alina’s best friend since they were children and he followed her in most of her dangerous quests and the wars against the Titans and Gaea. He was the only mortal resident at Camp Half-Blood, staying in the Big House, because Alina refused to train and help in the war if he wasn’t here. Yet, he was quite unhappy there and was very happy when Alina decided to leave.

And, if you wondered, yes, Octavian totally replaced the Darkling in this post.

[rrxnjun]

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ONESHOTS :

acheron ; 4.7k  greek mythology au [a]

too much greed is never good for anyone. while mark lee, the spirit of hades, was too greedy to save you from the disasters and your own bad ending by keeping you safe in the underworld, your greed to die like a hero was what truly made you go down in flames. that’s the thing you should have known before stepping into the waters of acheron, though.

sugar and salt: the game of trust ; 12k dystopian, sci-fi, survival, action [a]

in a game of trust, you and mark lee compete for 1 million dollars- just the right amount of money that could solve all of your problems. the rules of the game are simple: after completing three challenges, all carefully crafted to test your trust with your partner, the team that trusts each other completely, wins. you think you've got it all under your control and there's no way you and mark aren't the best candidates, however, you find out you've been wrong. because you know what they say-- don't trust everything you see. even salt looks like sugar.

two people ; 16.8k wedding planner! mark, fiancé! jeno, strangers to lovers au, slice of life [a] 

two people under bedsheets: one suffocating lover, one fool in a wedding gown. in other words, where you find the courage to get over your guilt and break free from your own promise, all becasue, in true irony, your wedding planner.

where do broken hearts go? ; 12k exes to lovers [a, f]

you know what they say about past lovers that can remain just as friends - either they’re still in love with each other, or they never were in the first place.

DRABBLES :

your city gave me asthma 

❥ HUANG RENJUN !

ONESHOTS :

the borders ; 14.6k childhood best friends au, coming of age, slow-burn, slice of life [a]

you and renjun have known each other for your whole life– growing up together in the backyards of your houses in the small neighbourghood. the two of you had been joint at the hip for as long as you can remember, but eventually, life has other plans for you. both filled with rage and violence, trying hard to accept the fate life has for you in store, can the two of you trust each other again?

happier than ever ; 15.9k brother’s best friend au, childhood friends to lovers, slice of life, coming of age [a, f]

the girl with a dream, and the boy living inside his father’s. An unlikely friendship, and an even more unlikely couple. inspiration, the unfair give-and-take of life, driving to and from work, questioning your feelings—it’s a tale you’ve heard before, but for them, it’s special. If you could see the most precious year of someone’s life in perfect vividness… well, I suppose it’d look a little like this.

when nobody’s watching ; 11k high school au/university au, cheerleader! reader, coming of age [a, f]

where renjun can't seem to figure out who he is when nobody's watching and where you carefully examine and amire each version of himself he creates along the way.

blondes are done with fun ; 31k (m.) college au, acquaintances to lovers [a, f, s]

a rumor has it that the popular couple in town broke up after years of being together. having to share your favorite seat in class with the male part of said relationship, you try to find out how to make your heartbroken project partner warm up to you— or— huang renjun goes blonde when he's sad.

portrait of a blank slate ; 5.8k (m.) college au [f, s, a]

turns out all it takes to save a life is a bad, bad college party, a few shots and a weird, magical coincidence back in a girl’s dorm room.

DRABBLES :

9:48pm 

❥ LEE JENO ! 

ONESHOTS :

mission wingman: failed ; 4.5k  best friends to lovers au, mutual pining [f, c]

after hearing you whine about not having a boyfriend for what feels like eternity, your best friend, Lee Jeno, finds a new talent in him– the art of being a wingman. his mission of finding the right one for you doesn’t go as well as he planned, and 3 failed dates later, you finally have enough. in other words, this is a story about the 3 times Lee Jeno offered you a bad date and the fourth time he finally decides to fix it.

all is on my side ; 7k  exes to lovers, comfort [a, f]

your college years have passed and when you finally decide to move back into your hometown, you’re met with a certain someone you had cut off 4 years ago. moving into a new apartment with your ex-boyfriend helping you is surely not how you imagined your return to act out, but with more and more time passing, you realise you can’t keep doing the same mistakes in the same town– all is on your side when he’s on your side, after all.

i’m not bitter anymore (i’m syrupy sweet) ; 4.8k slight band au, college au [f]

when you first meet Lee Jeno, his exterior calls at you with hard chords that keep slowly burning out. now, rather than a piercing echo, he holds himself to you like a soft melody.

❥ LEE DONGHYUCK !

ONESHOTS :

and i love her just like that ; 16k childhood enemies to lovers [f, c]

you’ve known Lee Donghyuck your whole entire life. while he would call you a total maniac and you’d call him a menace to society, there’s a certain bond that brings you two together– and no, I’m not talking about the obnoxiously deep friendship your mothers share and try to force down both of your throats– it’s the obvious urge of competitiveness that both sticks you together and breaks you apart just the same. In other words, hate and love, so it seems, aren’t that far from each other in the first place.

will we talk? ; 7k college au, strangers to lovers [f]

on a frat party you don't wanna be at, you meet a guy. he talks to you with ease, pushing and pulling you through the party and making you feel comfortable. something inside of you is strangely captivated by him. you don't know lee donghyuck-- though, something inside of you is telling you that you probably should.

dancing in my backseat ; 24k college au, acquaintances to lovers [f]

there are only a few things in which men value their social status; one of them being the number of girls in their bed, the next one their rank in league of legends, and lastly, their cars— or— where you would never fuck a guy without a driver’s licence.

DRABBLES :

7:01pm 

knee deep at atp 

annoying (derogatory).

❥ NA JAEMIN !

ONESHOTS :

hypersonic missiles ; 11k sci-fi, dystopian, strangers to lovers, end of the world au [a]

the end of the world is near, and all of you know it. you meet jaemin in the worst circumstances– a few hours before both of your lives are going to end. in a moment where nothing seems to matter anymore, jaemin gives you everything he has.

since i saw vienna ; 8.7k strangers to friends to not-really-lovers, coming of age [a, f]

it's been a few weeks since na jaemin last saw vienna. escaping the city for a while didn't mean escaping you completely, though. you show up at his doorstep in the middle of the night, making him feel the worst he ever has, because nothing hurts him more than to only be wanted when you're drunk.

take the stairs ; 18k college au, strangers to lovers [f, c]

after having an unexpected guest witness the neverending quarrels with your roommate, na jaemin starts to practically live at your place— or— where yizhuo's flegmatic project partner starts to put a suspicious amout of effort into their assignment.

DRABBLES :

guilty conscience

❥ LIU YANGYANG !

ONESHOTS :

just saying ; 11.6k college au [f, c, a]

you got a new boyfriend. in yangyang’s eyes, he’s a total loser, and all your friends tell you that he’s got no future. they all like him, though... and so in a desperate plan, jealousy takes over and liu yangyang executes his masterplan: he has to make you two break up. all because he could treat you better than him. just saying though...

i’m not angry anymore (well, sometimes i am) ; 20k band au, guitar teacher au, strangers to friends to not-really-lovers, college au, coming of age, slice of life [a, f] 

living the rockstar life is not as easy and exciting as it seems-with a frontman that cares more about clubbing than the band, unrequited love for the girl that's, sadly, in love with the said frontman and a huge inferiority complex, liu yangyang finds himself tangled up in the mess of being the guitarist of the next rising local punk band.

❥ ZHONG CHENLE !

ONESHOTS :

seventeen going under ; 7k chenji best friends au, coming of age, slice of life [a]

family debts, anger and frustration– Zhong Chenle is only seventeen when he feels like the world is crushing down on him. even though the revenge is done and he cannot do anything else to turn the fate around, he can’t seem to let things go– that’s the thing with anger. It begs to stick around.

you’re not the only one ; 4.8k camp counselor! au, slice of life, coming of age [f]

4 weeks and 4 times of you watching the sky with zhong chenle at different times of the day. in the cycle of life, you finally find solace; hundreds of kilometres away from your home. your soul finally finds its peace as zhong chenle helps you heal, and now, you'll never be alone.

how to self-sabotage: a bulletproof guide by zhong chenle ; 10.8k rivals au, college au [f, c]

one would say it's ungraceful to turn a charity fundraiser into a competition, but you and zhong chenle have no boundaries when it comes to beating each other in a fight. crashing each other's plans, making irresponsible decisions, all just for the sake of winning a competiton you two made yourself; zhong chenle finds a turn of events when the whole thing turns into a self-sabotage.

potential ; [20k] rich kids au, childhood friends au, friends with benefits au [a, f]

You saw his potential without seeing credentials. And maybe that's the issue.

❥ PARK JISUNG !

ONESHOTS :

hold out ; 10.8k high school au, exchange student au [f, a]

you are an exchange student from a different country. the guest family is not exactly how you’d imagined, your new classmates not as friendly and cool as you’d expected, but suddenly, there’s him. and now, given the last chance he has, he can’t hold out.

liebestraum ; 11k summer break au. coming of age, slice of life [a, f] 

if anyone asked park jisung if he believed in ghosts, he would say yes– for he saw longing grow legs and follow him.

DRABBLES :

4:23pm 

❥ JOHNNY SUH !

ONESHOTS :

not a single dandelion ; 5k childhood best friends to lovers au [f, a]

johnny suh has always been your whole entire sun, moon and all of the stars above. wishing for his feelings to finally be reciprocated is no use as you repeat the same ritual every year - not a single dandelion is on your side when you ask the solemn question and blow on the seeds, watching them fly away with your passing youth. years go by, yet, the question is still the same- does johnny suh finally love you back?

❥ NAKAMOTO YUTA !

ONESHOTS:

I felt younger when we met ; 17k rockstar au, band au [a]

nakamoto yuta was your hero. as the lead singer of the rising punk band takes you along with him on his journey to stardom, you realize that you never knew heartbreak could taste so sweet.

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