#TTC Land

[garvalhaminho]

ok i'm bored so here's some pjo characters as "the land is inhospitable and so are we" lyrics :)

luke: "you believe me like a god/i betray you like i am"

percy: "i don't like my mind, i don't like being left alone in a room/with all its opinions about the things that i've done"

nico: "you're my best friend/now i've now one to tell/how i lost my best friend/the frost, it looks like we've been left in the attic/but you're not here to see/it's just witnessless me"

annabeth: "when memories snow/and cover up the driveway/i shovel all those memories/clear the path to drive to the store"

part 2, part 3

[lilislegacy]

did anyone else ever find it odd how easily zeus offered percy godhood? and how it almost seemed like he secretly wanted percy to accept? well i did, and after thinking long and hard about it…

i don’t think percy understood what turning down godhood really meant

demigods do tasks for the gods because they don’t have to follow any rules. they aren’t controlled by anyone or anything. demigods are a strange hybrid - not god, not human. they are in between the laws of immortal and mortal. they are not supposed to exist. yet they do, which is what makes them so extraordinary.

percy is crazy powerful. of course, there’s the aspect of raw power. he has domain over air (storms/hurricanes), land (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions), and sea (monster waves, tsunamis, floods, basically anything that involves water.) he can control bodily fluids. he has super strength (with one hand, he held up an unconscious annabeth who was being pulled down by both arachne AND the forces of tartarus). he has super speed (he moves faster than bullets in TTC). no matter how badly you hurt him, he automatically heals and regenerates the second he touches water (an ability no other demigod has). he’s an extraordinary swordsman. very skilled in combat and warfare. he’s smart, and thinks of plans quickly. but he also has a great deal of social/poltcial power… i mean, he’s a leader and hero to both the greek and roman camps. if he says “attack,” all demigods, greek or roman, attack. no question. do you have any idea how threatening that is to the olympians? he’s also best friends and has an empathy link with the lord of the wild, which basically means all of nature is by his side too, including all land creatures. he’s also prince of horses, which means pegasi too (both of which are extremely useful in battle). and of course all sea creatures, including the mythical ones like krakens and leviathans. not to mention many of the gods really like him. hermes, hephaestus, athena, aphrodite, and dionysis have all gone out of their way to help him. artemis holds him in high regard, especially since he saved her. apollo literally considers him his friend! and poseidon - his dad, the god who is the biggest threat to zeus - is fiercely protective of him and cares about him a great deal. many minor gods also like him because he demanded them to be given more respect and for their kids to be welcomed at the camps.

percy unknowingly has more power, both physical and social/political, than anyone should ever have. he may have absolutely no idea, but it must scare the living daylights out of zeus. by accepting zeus’s offer to become a god, percy would have submitted himself to the control of zeus. zeus would be his king and ruler. zeus would then have complete control over him.

but percy said no. therefore, percy remains out of zeus’s control.

percy had no idea what he was doing. but thank the gods he made that choice. thank the gods he’s an incredible person. thank the gods percy jackson has no desire for power, because he has more of it than anyone should ever be able to have.

[bikananjarrus]

i have a few thoughts about how the lost hero actually sets up the darker tone for HoO really well and then. well. there was never any follow through.

now some of my hindsight about TLH is probably fueled by nostalgia (i actually am really fond of tlh and also i was 14 when i read. impressionable on my teen brain). i’ve reread it several times, but i have really strong memories of the first time i read the book too, and i just remember it having a very gloomy, dark vibe to it. (the way that TTC is set in winter and definitely feels like a winter book, this is the HoO equivalent for me.)

looking at the actual contents of the book, the book starting off with jason's pov, who has no idea who he is, so immediately the feeling is 'oh shit. something happened to this guy. and it's not good.' and then almost immediately after that, getting sucker punched with the “she's been looking for one of our campers, who’s been missing three days…her boyfriend. A guy named percy jackson.” percy??? thee percy jackson. MISSING???? (look, that put 14 year old me flat on the floor. it still hits. but in 2010 when we had no idea percy was going to even be in these books….you kinda just had to be there okay.)

alongside jason, we have piper, whose dad got kidnapped by a giant and she'd being blackmailed! all before she finds out she's a demigod!! like she's already having a ROUGH time. we find out leo was manipulated by gaea to use his flame powers, which resulted in the fire that killed his mom (genuinely wtf).

their quest starting the lead up to the second great prophecy, which is happening so soon after percy's great prophecy (like they JUST finished fighting a war. give them a chance to breathe dammit. but also implying that some major things stirred with the defeat of kronos. But how could there be something more horrifying than kronos?).

their quest taking them to all these abandoned and/or cold places (the run down wolf house, they're hiding in the sewers at one point, the cyclops lair in that abandoned warehouse, the cave where they shelter from the cold and where the hunters of artemis find them, boreas’s house being in canada, even the mall where they meet medea being empty iirc). jason being abandoned by his mother. piper feeling abandoned by a father who doesn't have enough time for her. leo being alone too (not his mom's fault she died; not his fault for the fire; but he's alone nonetheless). even their primary mode of transportation being flying on festus feels strange and out of the place, bc for so long, we were seeing through percy's eyes and he had to stay on the ground.

and then to end the book with jason dying, however briefly. literally a dead man walking from the very beginning.

the tone was something different and darker, and combined with percy, hazel, and frank going to alaska, the land beyond the gods, in SoN, we were really venturing into unknown territory. it felt like our heroes would be tested. that gaea truly was something to be feared, even more so than kronos, and that it would take the generation's seven greatest demigods to defeat her.

and then it never followed through with that set up.

[punkeropercyjackson]

Percy Jackson has tgirl swag

Potrayed as the best hero ever in-universe because she defies traditional manhood and it's just who she is and can't help being which doubles as autistic/audhd with no masking ability coding and irl transfeminism and autism largely overlap

Nonstop abused by men her whole life and a mama's girl who's friends were all girls growing up except an effeminate boy she stood up for against bullies and has a magic mental link with from how close they are in completely platonic friendship and a canon gay boy who had a crush on her until he realized she's not the ideal man he thought she was and she compared her treatment of him to acting like a/her mom and they have the middle brother/eldest daughter dynamic

Wears hoodies all the time

Dad is Poseidon-the sea has a lot of femininity to it and he told her 'the sea does not like to be restrained'

Punk but subculturally instead of an aesthetic poser

Gender envy towards Thalia and Annabeth,who is punk in lifestyle AND aesthetic and who is described as 'like a princess'(Poseidon is the king of Atlantis so Percy is an actual princess)

Thalia has tgirl swag too and Annabeth is played by Leah Jeffries in the show while Book!Percy is black-coded

Dated Rachel,a girlypop neurotic activist artist,but they broke up on good terms and became even closer friends afterwards

Horse girl with a transmasc Horse(Blackjack was a mare in Som but a stallion in TTC)

Her foil,Luke,is a physically abled allistic conventionally attractive blonde blue eyed cishet white man that constantly talked down to her about how he's more of a radicalist than her and had a harder life even though he was sheltered in a literal fantasy land for years where everybody worshipped him while Percy grew up friendless,poor,abused by her stepdad and bullied at her schools to the point she got kicked of 6 at 12 for how much of a bully beater she was and is an anarchist and intersectionalist with an overt sense of community and 11+ books worth of street cred and he was also a serial pedophile and had a lot of subtext of being into her and parallels to his relathionships with his other victims

Her other side of the same coin is Jason,an ex-wolfkid turned dorky team dad who's a paragon of positive and healthy masculininity and his arc is about creating a new self after loosing his old one everybody in his original life knows but he dosen't and they instantly became best friends with romantic chemistry out of being opposites yet the same and their friends poke fun at them for how obvious and quickly they got attached and they're black cat gf x golden retriver bf,Team Parents,hothead gf x chill bf and most popular guy x outcast girl where the girl is actually way cooler and Jason's butch ex-girlfriend said Percy is unimpressive in terms of masculinity compared to him

And Percy's other pseudo-kid(and Jason's)alongside Nico is Hazel,who's got the classic 'ressurection as a metaphor for transition' storyline and her femininity including how she acts alongside the gender presentation part is baby black transfem supreme and her life was basically a 40s version of Percy's earlier life

Loves burgers,skateboarding and cartoons

Obsessed with blue,considered a 'boy' color but it comes from her mom

Would totes have a blahaj and a strong video games interest.You see it too,right?

Men describe her as intimidating and off-putting,women describe her as enchanting and comforting(/ref to that fish meme)

Implied to want to present femininely at multiple points but dosen't reach out of fear of being ridiculed because she's 'supposed' to be male

Is the 'cool hot alt girl with a snarky bitter outside and a soft gooey inside who's the Team Mom and super capable and experienced' trope

But everybody in the fandom turns her into the 'Just Some Boy dumbass boyloser manchild' trope so they can deny she's unconventional and expectional

Named Percy.Percy isn't a greek name or a geek name,it's a girl name

[berrybore]

I’m sorry but Percy would win in a battle to the death against Nico so easily. He is the most powerful demigod, as established by canon—multiple times. Like don’t get me wrong Nico is crazy powerful but we already got Percy defeating two ridiculously powerful underworld gods in their own realm why would you think he’d struggle against Nico?

Percy defeated hades in tlo and Akhlys in hoh. And no, before anyone says the curse of Achilles is the reason, it wasn’t. The curse helped him solo hades’ entire army in minutes yes, but the confrontation between them wasn’t a fight whatsoever. Percy deflected hades’ attack with his sword right back at him and it knocked him out of his chariot and onto the ground. And in hoh, Percy was literally two steps from dying when he overpowered a primordial so like that speaks for itself.

Like I’m not saying Nico would never win, only that his powers drain him a ton and he can’t sustain a long fight the way Percy can. He’s also not a remarkable swordsman, so his best bet is to land a single fatal blow immediately. Like I don’t know maybe shadow travel right up to his face and slash his throat or something, except we know form ttc that Percy’s reaction time is fast enough to deflect bullets so who knows how well that will work. Probably how he reacted fast enough to deflect hades’ attack.

And yes I’m aware Nico can turn demigods into ghosts but the demigod in question didn’t really have a power to attack Nico with. Like I’m struggling to see Nico turn Percy into a ghost while he’s chocking on his bodily fluids.

Like it would be extremely unlikely and he’d need the power of anime and god and surprise on his side to do it.

(Also, small side note. Demigods aren’t meant to be stronger than gods or be able to beat them. The fact that Percy beat ares in tlt was meant to be earth shattering. It literally sets him apart from the get go. He’s compared to Hercules more than once. And yes, big three kids are different and stronger than everyone else but even among them he’s operating in a different league. In the entire series of pjo, I can’t recall another instance of any other demigod stepping up to a god and winning. Hoo screws up the entire power scale by letting other demigods do that on the fly, it makes the gods look small in comparison to their children. Mind you, Percy doesn’t always win in his series, and sometimes he only does on a technicality— like forfeiting the fight against atlas, or injuring ares. )

[aroaceleovaldez]

Speaking of their depiction of Will's anxiety- the Stymphalian birds were specifically chosen for him, because in the myths they can only be taken down by archery. But they're saying here that Will had a traumatic experience at the hands of monsters who have historically been defeated by archers. And then he didn't dedicate himself to archery at all? For the 5+ years he's been at camp? Reverse superhero origin story where instead of vowing to fight crime as the result of a loved one's death they just never leave the house ever again

Yeah! Or music/sound (which his satyr is specifically noted to be skilled at - Woodrow teaches the music class at CHB in The Hidden Oracle), which Will also doesn't do anything with besides his sonic whistle or healing hymns (which apparently are actually just his mom's songs and not hymns) at all until that gets retconned in TSATS. Like, we know he has a sonic whistle and healing hymns, but it's kind of a specific thing that he's not as musically or archery inclined as his siblings. So why half-retcon half of that, make these birds that can specifically only be defeated by sound and archery a major part of his backstory, and then... we never get any payoff for it? He faces them again, but it doesn't go any better than it did the first time? There's no building of his character there.

Also, Stymphalian birds are actually sacred to Artemis. Yknow. Apollo's twin.

I get that TSATS was trying to cameo a lot of monsters we've seen before, but making Stymphalian birds specifically part of Will's backstory feels kind of weird and doesn't make a ton of sense? Because when we see them in SoM it's implied they were specifically sent to CHB, so why would they try to maim the random kid? Especially a son of the sibling of the goddess they're sacred to?

The only explanation I would accept is that the Stymphalian birds that attacked Will in New York were actually the ones from CHB in Sea of Monsters after they flew away, and Will just got really unlucky. But timeline-wise that actually doesn't work, cause SoM and TTC are the same year, and Nico and Will are the same age, so Will should be 10 or 11 in SoM/TTC (depending on if you accept Nico is 13 or 14 in HoO). And TSATS tells us Will arrived to CHB at age eight, which would mean he's been at CHB longer than Percy has and so the birds couldn't be the same ones from SoM. (Yes I'm still mad about the absolutely broken timeline there.) Also if they're dissuaded by noise, there's no way they're going to land in the middle of New York City of all places.

There's just other monsters they could have picked that would have made more sense. Or even mortal animals! We know from previous books that there's a thing about mortal animals sometimes having vendettas against the children of gods associated with their species for curse reasons or etc! Apollo actually has a lot of those! And it can become enough of a problem even to young demigods that it can require them to come to camp early before monsters can begin tracking them (ex.: Annabeth with spiders - monsters seemed to only become a problem after she tried coming back home the first time). Why not have it be Will being attacked consistently by normal mortal crows, because he's a son of Apollo? Or snakes - in the first book Percy even mentions fighting off two snakes when he was a baby because they were sent to kill him. I mean, Will's from Texas! We can absolutely scrounge up some snakes for him to fight. And it would fit more with acknowledging how he's from Texas specifically, just like how much the book tries to emphasize that Nico is from Venice.

It feels like one of many dropped plot points that make me say I wish TSATS had been worked on longer so that these types of things could have been ironed out and maybe turned into something consistent.

[houseofbrat]

Day 87737892901 of W’s fans making him the biggest victim of all the royals. And don’t get me start with the press.

Rebecca’s English last article about W, is about portraying him as the biggest victim in his father’s and wife’s illness. W’s fans aren’t different from H’s fans, all of them making those two men the biggest victims in everything, even when they f*cked it up, the press and their fans find a way to twist their mistakes and stupidity and start saying that they are ‘masterminds’, or are ‘victims’, or the ‘husbands of the year’, when they don’t do a damn.

What is wrong with those people? As I’ve said many time, sure, he isn’t having it easy, but some people need to touch some grass in their way they talk and defend those men. And don’t get me start with W&H’s fans only believing their PR bullshit their sell to the tabloids and believing they can’t do wrong because they are ‘handsome’. Tabloids needs to make some money, but they also need to touch some grass in they way they write about the royals, specially about Diana’s boys.

[this ask is about a month old, post-TTC, from 19 June 2024. sorry, I am behind.]

Becky English is a total fangirl, who gets paid to write for the Daily Mail.

For their father, approaching his 42nd birthday next week, the last year has seen him step up to the plate as the Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, as well as having to deal with first his father's devastating cancer diagnosis and then that of his wife. Throughout, William has dropped off his children at school each day, as well as cheered them on from the sidelines, in an attempt to keep their young lives as normal as possible amid such deep personal turmoil. As anyone who has nursed a loved one through cancer knows, the tumble of emotions it brings can be hard to bear. William will no doubt have found inner reserves of strength and resilience that even he did not know he had.  The Father's Day photograph was taken by Kate, 42, last month on the beach near Anmer Hall, their Norfolk home, during the half-term holidays. Casually dressed in shorts, hoodies and polo shirts – with a cap for William – its sweet simplicity makes it the kind of family picture many of us have in our albums.

Becky never bothers to mention the household staff William has that help out with all the basic functions of living--housekeeper, nanny, cook, etc. William deserves a medal for taking the kids to school "amid such deep personal turmoil"!

BUT a few months ago, Becky was telling us that William couldn't do "full-time duties" because things were so hectic at home:

And William has found himself facing a new battle: one that has struck at the very foundation of everything he holds dear. One can only imagine the weight on his shoulders at seeing both his adored wife and his father facing serious simultaneous health crises, while also trying to protect his three young children from this devastating blow to their little world. And while, fortunately, the King appears to be responding well to treatment and is hopeful of taking up more forward-facing public duties in the near future, recent events will have been a stark reminder of what awaits the Wales’ in the not so distant future. It is why, although his appearances today were both welcome and heartfelt, we should not expect to see a wholesale return to royal duties for the prince. Instead, I understand, he is likely to undertake one or two public engagements each week - often on the same day in order to minimise time away from Kate and the children - as well as continuing with his usual behind-the-scenes work. He will, I am told, almost certainly take some sort of role around the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June, as well as attending Trooping the Colour and the annual Order of the Garter service and, perhaps, one of the annual summer garden parties for worthy community heroes.

William couldn't manage basic normalcy a few months ago, which is why he barely worked after coming back from the kids end-of-term spring break, but now he has "inner reserves of strength and resilience that even he did not know he had."

But, hey, this is why Becky needed to make an article about William helping his mother-in-law when she got her shoe stuck at Ascot.

Becky must have been low on her monthly quota for articles to publish that hard hitter.

And now William will be on vacation until early September.

What a tough life.

[msbrightsides]

Percabeth thought

I love all the art of percabeth w the underwater kiss and all that post-TTC, but I forget that canonically, Percy and Annabeth still both have the gray streak. A lot of the art doesn’t show them but now I’m trying to retrain my brain in scenes in the labyrinth, fighting Geryon, getting the curse of Achilles, hanging out with Rachel, stabbing the Williamsburg Bridge, Annabeth getting stabbed, her landing the helicopter, Annabeth trying to attack Kronos, and both of them saving Olympus. Even when Percy is talking to Nico when they get back to camp.

[percabeth4life]

Do you ever think about the other Hunters in TTC once Artemis is back? They just gained a new sister in arms, and had to watch that sister and their Lieutenant go to save their patron Goddess, so they’re already terrified because a war is coming and they’ve just kidnapped Artemis and nobody can find her, and then they get word Artemis is safe and they’re so relieved, but they know at least one person was lost on the quest (since they interpreted Phoebe as the “lost in the land without rain”) and Zoe and Bianca have not gotten back in touch. Eventually Artemis summons them back, but Zoe and Bianca aren’t there and Thalia is now wearing the Lieutenant’s circlet. The Hunt lost their Lieutenant of millennia in that fight in TTC and didn’t even know when she died. Unless they noticed the new constellation and realized what it meant, it’s entirely possibly they only learned Zoe (and Bianca) were dead from a grieving Artemis.

Yeah, it definitely had to be a rough period for them. It wouldn't surprise me if Thalia had to prove herself, a lot.

[selkiefinalist]

❄️

For the wip thing? :3

❄️Share a snippet from a WIP of your choosing

here's a snippet from the cale/willy thing i'm working on right now:

“I usually take the TTC,” Nylander says, once they’re both sitting in the back of the taxi. “But, you know. I don’t know how out you are -“

“Wait. Where are you taking me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Cale tries to make out his expression in the dark backseat. “Well. Yes?”

“I figure we’ve got two choices.” The car has pulled away from the curb, so one of those choices has probably been made already. “We could go to the Village, or we could, um. Go back to mine. Either way, the TTC is usually full of people, and this is Toronto so, like, everyone will know who we are, and I didn’t know if you’d want that, so…”

Cale looks out the window, at the smear of city lights. “So which one did you pick?”

Nylander doesn’t pretend to misunderstand. “The Village,” he says. “But my place is in that area, in case you wanted a different option. Or, like…”

“Let’s do it,” Cale says, and winces. “Uh. Thanks, William.”

“It’s just Will. Or Willy.”

“Cool.” He doesn’t have a first name other than Cale. No variations to select from. His phone vibrates with an incoming text: Nate, wondering where he went. A little wonder never hurt anyone. Still. He shoots back a text: went out, I’m fine. He tacks on a quick have fun tonight, and then he puts his phone on Do Not Disturb. “I usually go by Cale,” he says, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

Will laughs, like Cale hoped he would. There’s something satisfying about his laugh, like getting a bird to land on an offered hand. That happened to Cale, once, when he was a kid - a chickadee swooped into his palm, snatched a sunflower seed from the pile there, swooped away to crack it against a tree branch. He’d been standing by the bird-feeder, hand outstretched for what felt like an hour, June sun pelting his shoulders.

[glcarissa]

Today [December 1, 2023] Toronto Transit [TTC] in partnership with Tangled Art & Disability, launched Transit as a Canvas.

The Transit as a Canvas project is an opportunity to use the poster spaces throughout the stations at the TTC to create an artistic intervention. They’re partnering with a number of artists throughout the year.

This is my 'final project for 2023' and I am proud to say that my artwork, [un]SEEN, is part of this amazing and city-wide project. I am hoping that 2024 will have more art opportunities for folks with disabilities and that my cancer journey will allow me to continue making art for years to come.

Thank you all very much.

[un]SEEN - About the Art

This square abstract painting prominently features the silhouette of a Black woman with a big afro hairstyle set to a colourful geometric pattern. The artist used black acrylic paint to craft the striking side-profile, accentuating her eyelashes, nose, and lips. The hair is textured, composed of a blend of black acrylic paint and natural soil, providing a tangible quality. The silhouette of the woman is adorned in a multi-colored top embellished with geometric cross stitching.

The woman stands out against a vibrant background of vertical streaks of yellow, green, teal, blue, red, and black spray paint to situate the silhouette in a dynamic backdrop. To make the clothing and background, the artist employed a technique using spray paint and painters tape to create hard-edge abstract geometric cross-patterns. Tape is first placed on the surface of the canvas before painting and then removed once the paint has dried to create striking geometric shapes, forms, and lines.

Titled [un]SEEN, this artwork is part of the artist’s 'Black Hair' series, centred around its tactile quality. The series delves into the connection between Black hair and untold stories, particularly those of Black women throughout history. The artist's use of soil in the textured hair symbolizes the link between stolen Black women from ancestral land, the forced reproduction of Black bodies, and the enduring struggle against racism and inequality today.

This piece encapsulates the artist's personal journey of self-expression and empowerment, inspired by their experiences with trauma related to race, sex, age, and invisible disabilities.

[perceabeth]

I posted 2,507 times in 2022

That's 2,237 more posts than 2021!

1,270 posts created (51%)

1,237 posts reblogged (49%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mattyhelvars

@lizzibennet

@spyderverse

@abc2411

@whitesunlars

I tagged 1,988 of my posts in 2022

Only 21% of my posts had no tags

#q&a - 658 posts

#stevie - 425 posts

#fic recs - 56 posts

#potc - 54 posts

#alex - 29 posts

#siminie doodles - 24 posts

#lys - 23 posts

#melissa - 22 posts

#godly-mistake - 17 posts

#dizzy miss lizzie - 16 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#mostly my writing is to keep my attention actually bc i can’t deal w long paragraphs i’ve stopped so many good fics bc i can’t do it girl….

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

TTC is literally ELITE like. girls who get it Get it. annabeth falling off a cliff and percy wanting to go after her. percy and thalia’s tension actually threatening to destroy camp. bianca di angelo. love leads heroes astray. aphrodite looked a little like annabeth when she smiled. grover finally feels pans presence. percy going mental thinking annabeth was joining the hunters. the grey streaks. apollo  aphrodite and athena all helping them along. zoe and the dragon. zoe and her father. percy giving up the fight to take the sky. a little sad but a little hopeful too. and all of this-- ALL OF THIS-- is set in WINTER in the harsh cold and the unforgiving snow?? the ONLY book set in december??? absolute TOP class

902 notes - Posted January 28, 2022

#4

ur telling me,, Elizabeth Swann manages to have the jack sparrow fall in love with her, becomes captain of a crew, loses everybody she has ever cared about, gets voted in as pirate king, escapes the confines of her life as the governor’s daughter which literally choked her in the first film, rescues and then marries the love of her life, delivers the single greatest speech on piracy and freedom and is then subjected to a LIFE ON LAND????

1,173 notes - Posted January 9, 2022

#3

stop it im begging u to stop oversimplifying characters so they fit a trope u are comfortable with sometimes writing IS better than that

1,259 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

#2

u guys i just remembered that percy looked at annabeth and said she looked like a princess and annabeth looked at him and decided he'd make good BAIT to win capture the flag so she can avoid doing her chores for a week i'm screaming

1,337 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Elizabeth Swann was the protagonist of the Pirates films Will was her love interest and Jack was a supporting character and I think it’s time everyone starts admitting it

1,790 notes - Posted April 7, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thecharacterchronicler]

Snow Lands On Top (Pt. 2) || Coriolanus Snow X Reader || Smut

Outline: It’s the first round of the presidential elections and Coriolanus Snow’s results aren’t as good as he hoped. Fortunately, you’re there to give him an outlet for his frustration.

Word count: 3’081

Warnings: pregnancy (TTC), marriage of convenience, very explicit ROUGH smut.

Author’s note: I wrote this as a second part to There Will Come A Ruler, since a few people asked for it. I also wanted to thank you all for all the love I received since I started posting on this page a few days ago, it means the world to me! Still blows my mind that so many people bothered reading what I wrote! ♡

(( Part 1 - There Will Come A Ruler )) - (( Part 3 - Insatiable )) - (( Part 4 - The Bitter Taste Of My Fury )) - (( Part 5 - Craving ))

It only was your second time stepping inside the tall skyscraper that hosted your husband’s office - and headquarters. When the elevator doors opened in front of you, you instantly felt trapped, probably because the lobby was more crowded than what you expected. Even if something inside you was screaming for you to turn around and run the other way instead of losing yourself in this den of vipers, you had no choice but to do what duty required of you. You plastered a smile on your face, the one too bright and too joyful to let how miserable you really felt show, and entered the crowd, recognizing some familiar faces and greeting strangers pretending you also knew who they were. If they had been invited today to Coriolanus’s office, it meant they were important to him so you had to consider them as important to you as well.

“Hippity hoppity, there you are, little dove.” A voice sounded behind you. You heard it as clear as day despite the ambiant noise all around you, and a cold shiver ran down your spine. You turned to face who it belonged too, smiling even brighter to conceal the uneasiness you always felt around such an eccentric character.

“Volumnia Gaul, it’s good to see you again.”

“It’s been too long. But I suppose you’ve been quite busy trying to fulfill your duties.” She said, throwing a knowing glance down to your stomach.

“Of course, there’s never a dull moment since I became Coriolanus’ wife.” You smiled, in yet another attempt to conceal your lies. You had been miserable and bored during most of the year you’ve been married, and although you were good at acting by now, the way Dr Gaul stared at you made you feel like she was seeing right through you.

“You should bring her to the front, people need to see you together.” She said, looking up to someone behind you.

You felt him before seeing him, his hand finding the small of your back and his tall frame appearing next to you, your shoulder brushing against his side. You lifted your gaze up to look at your husband, but he didn’t look down at you, focusing his attention on his mentor instead, the only thing letting you know that he had noticed you was his hand pressed against your lower back.

“Of course.” He agreed, with a nod. Dr Gaul’s eyes landed on you once more, something unsettling in the way she suddenly stared at you.

“My offer to examine her still stands, if you want me to run a few tests on her and figure out why you haven’t conceived yet.”

Your blood went cold. Everybody knew how deranged Volumnia Gaul could sometimes be, she was as cruel as she was extravagant and it only seemed to get worse the older she got. She had left her place as the head gamemaker of the Hunger Games to Coriolanus and had retired from her scientific career, but she still ran bizarre experiments in her lab, for her own enjoyment… And you definitely didn’t want to be one of them.

“It won’t be necessary.” Your husband assured her, allowing you to breathe again with relief. “It’s not her fault but mine, I’ve been too busy with the games and my campaign to properly invest time into expanding our family.”

Dr Gaul was about to reply something but was cut off by the sound of the television increasing in the speakers. Coriolanus guided you in front of the large window in his office’s lobby, as everyone seemed to step out of your path.

He was smiling, handsome as ever in his dark red suit and you smiled too, pressing yourself closer to him when you noticed the cameras filming you from across the room. It must have been a perfect picture to showcase to the entire nation, a seemingly loving couple standing in front of the nicest view of the Capitol, surrounded by all their supporters as the reporters on TV were about to announce the winner of this round of the elections.

All eyes were on the television as the results appeared on the screen. You held your breath, waiting for Coriolanus’ percentage to go up but it only did a brief jump and then stopped, largely losing to his opponents. You turned to look at him, waiting for a reaction, and so did everyone else present in the room.

True to himself, he held his head high, standing even straighter as he remained stoic, not a single change of the expression on his face to betray his disappointment. But, even if you couldn’t say that you knew your husband that well, you still knew that he must have been crushed by such a bad result. He had worked so hard for this, put up such a show for the people and so did you, his defeat felt like your own.

It startled you when you felt his fingers digging into the tender flesh of your hip. He was tense, you could feel it , but he was still smiling at the crowd, gracious in defeat. He even spoke a few words, only disturbed for a brief second when he noticed the cameras packing up instead of transmitting his speech, the viewers probably more interested in hearing what the victors of this round had to say rather than listen to your husband.

Coriolanus kept his tight grip on you, as if holding you was the only thing that could keep him from snapping. Some of his supporters came to him to offer him some words of encouragement in replacement of congratulations and he handled each conversation with polite manners.

“At least if you don’t win, we get to keep you as head gamermaker.” One lady said, trying to highlight the good in the situation but Coriolanus only gave her a tight smile in return.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out but maybe it just shows you’re better at working on the Games, they’ve been delightful to watch ever since you took over.”

“At least if you don’t have to keep campaigning you can focus your efforts on the next Hunger Games and come up with a show even better than last year’s !”

The very reason of his bad ranking at the election kept being thrown to his face, people simply preferred him as a game maker, so that they could be sure to be entertained by Coriolanus’ genius ideas to make the show an annual event rather than see him becoming president and be bored in front of their television once a year. The other thing that didn’t work out for him, as you understood, was the fact that he didn’t seem as relatable to the people since he didn’t have a family to care for and protect while his opponent, Festus Creed, already had three kids with his wife Persephone. Maybe they loved each other…

Once people were done offering their sympathy, you felt Coriolanus’ warm hand leave you, your skin a bit sore from the intensity of his previous grip on you. He rushed through the crowd, even ignoring a man who tried to address him and went to his office, shutting the door behind him.

Nobody seemed to notice, nor care, that your husband had felt the need to isolate himself but you did for some reason. Maybe it was because you knew how hard it was to keep smiling and nodding at everyone when deep down you just wanted to scream and run away. In the crowd, you met Dr Gaul’s gaze who had also noticed, watching you with careful attention, as if she was waiting to judge the way you’d react.

So of course, you smiled. At her. At everyone.

You followed the same path as he did, stopping by the man who had attempted to speak to him so that he could speak to you instead and maybe ease off his vexation at being ignored by your husband. As hard as it may be to keep going once the facade of perfection crumpled, it was necessary - now even more than before - to make sure all his allies continued supporting him.

Once he seemed satisfied by the small talk you shared, you kept moving, trying to seem as relaxed and detached as you could, until you had the opportunity to slip inside the office, mostly unnoticed by the crowd still mingling in the lobby.

“Coriolanus, I…” You started but stopped yourself when you noticed all the files scattered on the ground. Your husband was leaning over his desk, his back turned to you and you could see him breathing deeply and rapidly, his shoulders moving up and down with tension.

Suddenly, he threw the remaining of what was on his desk down, with one long motion. More files flew up in the air before landing on the ground, a glass container of pens and pencils broke on the wooden floor and shattered to pieces, flying off in every direction like a tiny bomb explosion. His desk light also tumbled to the floor, making a noise you were sure others had heard too.

You had the instinct to take a step back, your hand finding the knob again in order to retreat far away from his wrath... But, when he buried his face in his hands, he suddenly felt a lot less threatening and a lot more vulnerable, making you decide to stay.

“You might have lost this time but maybe it’ll work out next time.” You told him, softly. You wanted to comfort him, as had everyone else already, but the way he dropped his hands and looked at you with a dark glare made you question your decision.

“Always so positive.”He stated, bitterly, as if he was disgusted by your hopefulness. It wasn’t often that you got to see him without a charming smile on his face and a confident posture, in fact, it was the very first time you had been able to read him so easily, his emotions on display exactly as he was feeling them.

“It’s just one set back, for now they think you are too young, too good at your job, but maybe you’ll be elected next time. Maybe it’ll be in ten years. Maybe in thirty. But you will be president.” He shook his head, a cynical smirk on his lips.

“What makes you so sure ?”

“… Because Snow lands on top.”

His eyes darkened and he launched himself at you, crossing the path between the two of you in rapid strides so that he could capture your lips in a ferocious kiss. It left you breathless for a moment, the way his mouth was covering yours with feverish kisses, his arms around your waist to pull your body against his.

It was your second real kiss. Only the second one since you considered that your marriage had been sealed not with a kiss but with a signature at the bottom of a contract.

You pressed your forehead to his, trying to create some distance between you so that you could catch your breath and attempt to have a coherent thought about what was happening but he didn’t let you, giving you one last consuming kiss before his fingers tangled with your ponytail and he pulled, hard enough to force you to your knees in front of him.

You kneeled, looking up with expectant eyes. It was his way of showing you what he needed. He wanted to be revered, to get rebels to bend the knee in front of him, to be worshiped and relived from the anger and frustration he always locked up inside himself, with no way of letting them out.

You reached for his pants, swiftly undoing them with your eyes never leaving his pale blue ones, staring at you with a silent wrath still setting his gaze ablaze. He tugged on your hair again, forcing your chin up so that he could touch your face with his other hand, forcing a thumb passed your lips. He attentively watched you as you opened up your mouth to take it in, gently sucking before releasing it with a soft bite.

You saw him smile at your compliance, even though it was ended by a bold gesture. You were the perfect mix of obedient and fiery to make him lose his mind, and you both knew it.

He reached down to the pants you had opened for him, pulling his already hard erection. You resisted the urge to look at it, remembering how big it had felt in your hand and inside you, worried that his size might change your mind about giving him what he wanted. Instead, you kept your eyes fixed to his as you opened your mouth wide, ready to welcoming him there.

His tip glided on your tongue, his length not even entirely filling your mouth when you felt it hit the back of your throat. He shuddered with pleasure, a soft curse leaving his lips, followed by the sound of your name.

You felt a jolt of electricity in your body, a strange pride warming you up at the thought of pleasing him. You ran your tongue over his tip, tasting the saltiness that was already dripping from him in anticipation of his release. He cursed again and his hand moved to the back of your head, holding you firmly in place as he began thrusting back and forth.

You tried to relax your jaw and breathe through your nose as his hard length slid on your tongue, but when his movements increased in speed and in strength, you felt him reaching deeper down your throat and you couldn’t help but gag, tears welling in your eyes in consequence. But, even though he was still very carefully looking at you, watching the way he was fucking your mouth without mercy, he didn’t stop or slow down, only attempting to have an even firmer grip on you.

Another curse word fell from his lips, betraying how close he was to finding relief but, instead of shooting his load on your tongue as you were expecting him to, he rapidly pulled himself out of your mouth, heavily panting in front of you.

You used this opportunity to catch your own breath and wipe the mascara stains under your eyes, feeling the soreness of your lips caused by the unforgiving friction he had created.

“Get up.” He demanded, which made you realize he had let go of your hair. You obeyed without hesitation, even taking a step closer to be in his reach again. He immediately took advantage of the proximity, roughly pulling your dress up above your hips and bringing his hand to your center, pulling your panties aside so that he could run a finger across your soaked folds. A satisfied grin appeared on his face, as he removed his hand and brought his finger to his lips, tasting you with a hungry gaze.

You felt your whole body buzzing with excitement, your eyes following the path of his tongue as he licked his lips, seemingly enjoying what he had just tasted. You were so ready for him, you would have begged if he asked you but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t ask for anything, he just took whatever he wanted, the way he wanted… And at this very moment, you couldn’t have been more okay with it.

His hands came to your bare hips and flipped you over so that your back was turned to him. Then, he pushed on your lower back, silently instructing you to bend over for him, which you did.

“Hold on tight.” He advised, his voice low with lust. You looked for something to do so but only found a tall bookshelf in front of you. You still gripped the sides of it, knowing it wouldn’t help you that much but you could already feel him pulling your panties to the side again.

Without a warning, he shoved himself inside you and you welcomed him, your wetness allowing him to slide all the way in with his first thrust. You bite your lip to avoid letting out a moan, very aware of the noise and chatter still coming from right behind his office door.

He completely pulled out before slamming inside you again, burying himself as deep as he could and you loudly gasped. He adjusted your position with a hand on each of your hips, gripping you so hard it was almost painful but you understood why once he repeated his action, thrusting so hard you would have lost your balance if he wasn’t helping stabilize you.

“Come on, let me hear the lovely sounds you can make.” He requested, mercilessly repeating the same movement.

“I can’t… They’ll all hear us…” You panted, a strangled moan catching in your throat when he hit deep, exactly where you needed him to.

“Good, I want them to know I’m fucking my wife.” He breathed, clearly enjoying himself too. “Show them you are mine.”

You felt dizzy at his words. Or maybe it was from the intense pleasure building up at your core. A few more of his rough thrusts and you came undone, loudly expressing your bliss as he released himself deep inside you. You both stayed connected for a moment to catch your breath until he pulled out, adjusting your panties and pulling your dress back down before taking care of putting his spent erection away.

You turned around to face him, meeting his gaze and noticing how his eyes had softened, like they had been drained of all the emotions he kept hidden behind them at all times, a clean slate to endure the rest of the evening.

To your surprise, he leaned over to kiss you. Not with hunger this time but with a tenderness you didn’t expect, like he was grateful you had been there for him.

“Was I too rough with you ?” He asked you, in a whisper, almost as if he was ashamed to say it out loud.

“Yes.” You nodded, appreciating the concern that immediately appeared on his face but you reassured him with a smile. “And I absolutely loved it.”

He smiled back, looking at you like he was seeing you in a new light. You weren’t strangers anymore and, for the first time, you were both starting to think that your marriage wasn’t such a fatality after all.

♡ - (( Tip Jar )) - ♡

Previously in this series:

Next in this series:

[mtg-flashback]

This is an experimental cube/set concept where each eligable set in mtg history gets six cards added to this card list, five being a monocolor card of each color (if possible) and one card as a land/colorless/multicolor card (again, if possible).

The rules are as follows:

The card added must be a first printing.

No power nine or other extremely powerful cards (im aiming for a mid power set).

No cards with esoteric card types (ie: conspiracy, plane, scheme, etc) or ante/dex/racist cards. (If its banned in vintage its banned here).

Cost is NOT a factor, this cube will, without doubt, be very expensive and ill be using proxies once this project is completed for budget reasons.

The sets im including (may add more if i forgot any):

All expansion sets, up to and including march of the machines aftermath [582 cards]

Magic 2010 thru 2015, Origins, Core 19 thru 21 (these are the only non alpha core sets that have original printings assuming my search was correct) [60 cards]

Alpha/Beta (as one set, given beta doesnt have enough original printings) [6 cards]

Conspiracy (and TtC bundled with it), Battlebond, Jumpstart, Jumpstart 22, MH1, and MH2 [36 cards]

Commander 11, Commander 13 thru 21, and Baldur's Gate [66 cards]

This adds up to a grand total of 750 Cards (assuming i can fill every slot). I will post semi frequently about which cards i feel like are deserving for their respective slot, focusing on more unique and medium power level cards.

[destroyingangelneveragod]

All of the photos I got in Tkarón:to. I had to go up for medical treatments and met with a friend for dinner there. We got Korean food, he treated me to it and I had BBQ Eel. While waiting for him I used some of my previous TTC fare to go to Glad Day Bookshop, which is the oldest queer book store in the world. It has a little cafe too (had to get tea to get through a fatigue crash from my treatement. I complimented a girls Keffiyeh and it turned into a 4 hour hangout/convo about anti-colonial action, Indigenous medicines and her time out in the land, Indigenous cultural ceremonies that she's attended throughout her time in Tkarón:to, seeing culture be revitalized, our favourite books, linguistics, the anarchist scene in the area and more. We also laughed a lot that my treatmebt had partially paralyzed my arm for a few hours so I kept having to pick it up and flop it on the table. I also had a really good chat with a fellow lesbian on the bus back. Was battling an awful migraine in the evening and fatigue crashed really bad the day after but it was worth it. The barriers at the top and the pigeon photos I got to show the love of my life.

[isabellapfoser]

My Guide to Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India (2024)

The popularity yoga has gained has skyrocketed in the last decade with almost over a million of people coming to Rishikesh from all around the globe. After witnessing this number and the success people have gained post their yoga training, the inspiration has been injected in many more. However, success is only possible when you know what you are getting into and the only requirement here is that you find a worthy yoga school and training course of 200, 300, or even 500 hours. 

With this new found inspiration has come an overcrowding of yoga schools looking to scam the users and thus making it difficult for aspiring yogis to practice the craft with a school that is actually worthy. As you continue navigating through this post, I wish to highlight the important questions that might have crossed your mind. Without looking any further here is an ultimate guide to yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India. 

Why Opt Rishikesh For Yoga Teacher Training?

Are you planning a career in the thriving industry of Yoga? Are you interested in enrolling in a yoga teacher training program in Rishikesh? To clear up any confusion, here is a list of some of the most compelling reasons for yoga enthusiasts to visit Rishikesh for the Yoga TTC course.

Rishikesh is known as the World's Yoga Capital because of its peaceful and natural setting, as well as supernatural intervention. Many historical yogis come to this serene location to learn yoga and meditate. The spiritual and scenic land of Rishikesh provides the best yoga teacher training experience possible.  

Yoga in Rishikesh is always a pleasant experience because of the abundance of competent and certified Yoga instructors. Rishikesh is well-known for producing many of the best and most professionally skilled Yoga Gurus, who help illuminate many students' paths. The unique manner of teaching and the wealth of knowledge will always help to point you in the proper route.

Yoga TTC in Rishikesh is always more affordable than TTC courses in other locations. The fundamental reason for the low-cost yoga TTC is that Rishikesh's yogis do not see it as a business. Yoga teachers in Rishikesh thought it their responsibility to provide the greatest available information to everyone, regardless of economic status or caste. Yoga teaching programs, as well as spanking yoga training, hygienic meals, and neat and clean accommodations, will be accessible at reasonable prices.

Above all, to pursue a successful yoga teaching career, one needs to obtain certification from a licensed yoga institution. Rishikesh has a variety of reputable Yoga Teacher Training institutes that are Yoga Alliance USA-certified.

How To Travel To Rishikesh For Your YTT Course?

If you are travelling to Rishikesh from another country, you must first purchase an international plane ticket to New Delhi. Following that, you can select from the three options provided below based on your preferences and availability.

By Air: This is the fastest and most recommended alternative. You can search for a few flights from Delhi throughout the day. Airfare for the chosen route can range from 2000 INR to 10,000 INR, depending on availability and booking date.

By Road: Taking the bus from Delhi to Rishikesh is a cheaper option than flying. Although it is highly suggested that you should take air-conditioned buses for the most comfortable and safest ride. Bus tickets range in price from 400 to 700 INR, depending on the level of luxury and the duration, which is typically 6 to 8 hours. Pre-booking of the bus from Delhi to Rishikesh is permitted one month before the day of travel.  

By Train: You can travel from Delhi to Rishikesh on Indian Railways' AC coaches. Train reservations in India begin two months before departure. So, try to book as early as possible because you will not be able to purchase Indian Railways tickets at the last minute.

How To Select A Yoga Teacher Training To Avoid Scams

It's easy to see why so many people travel to Rishikesh for economical and authentic Indian yoga teacher training, but with so many possibilities, including ashrams, yoga retreats, and yoga schools, it can be difficult to decide which yoga teacher training in Rishikesh to do. Whether you wish to improve your yoga practice or change careers and become a yoga teacher, yoga teacher training is a rigorous and life-changing event.

It is also a significant financial and time commitment, so do your research and select a YTTC that is appropriate for you and the style of yoga you intend to teach, and always ensure that your YTT is with a recognized yoga school that is Yoga Alliance certified. There are many yoga schools in Rishikesh that provide yoga teacher training, and it has become a huge industry in recent years, but not all yoga schools are equal, and not all gurus are genuine.

Certain places are like yoga teacher training centres, with large class sizes; however, certain schools, such as Nirvana Yoga School India, provide smaller groups with more personalised care. Also, just because a school is ranked first on Google does not necessarily imply that it provides the finest yoga teaching; they may simply be adept at SEO or have paid for advertising. In India, accommodations can be basic. So it's a good idea to start by looking at images and reviews of the place you'll be staying, as well as the location. 

Which Course To Select For YTT?

Rishikesh yoga training programs come in a number of formats, but all should include twice-daily yoga and meditation lessons, as well as instruction in yoga philosophy and history, anatomy and physiology, and teaching methods.

The 200-hour yoga teacher training program in Rishikesh is by far the most popular, and it will provide you with the necessary certification to begin teaching yoga. Most 200-hour YTTs last 15-30 days, and I advocate spending as much time as possible for the optimal experience because it is a rigorous procedure. 

If you don't have much time and want to do short yoga courses, you can do a 100-hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh and then return to complete the rest of your training. If you're looking for a short-term yoga retreat, there are a few options.

For those who desire to go deeper, Rishikesh also offers a 300- or 500-hour yoga teacher training program. The 300-hour course is a more advanced course that follows the completion of the 200-hour course. If you choose a 500-hour YTT, you will complete the 200-hour and 300-hour yoga programs in succession over the course of around 60 days. If you are unable to travel to India, many Rishikesh yoga institutions now offer online yoga teacher training courses. 

The Best Time To Plan A Yoga Trip To Rishikesh 

In general, the best time to visit India is between November and March during the cold, dry winter season, when days are sunny and dry and temperatures are cool (by Indian standards). April and May can be uncomfortably hot, however, the monsoon rains provide relief from the heat from June/July to September/October, depending on location. However, India is a vast and diverse country, so the optimum time to do yoga teacher training in India truly depends on your destination.  

If you attend a YTT in Rishikesh in December or January, you will most certainly find it cold, particularly during early morning meditation or yoga classes. Rishikesh is located in the Himalayan foothills, so it may be quite cold in the winter. However, if the institution is as well insulated and the shalas (yoga studios) are as accommodating as those at Nirvana, this will not be a problem. However, the best time to visit Rishikesh is in September/October or March. 

While India, particularly Rishikesh, is one of the best destinations in the world to receive true yoga training and immerse yourself in the spirituality of this fascinating country, there are some hurdles to visiting India. However, if you thoroughly investigate the school before booking, prepare yourself for the obstacles and culture shock of visiting India, and arrive with an open mind and heart, yoga teacher training in Rishikesh can be a genuinely transformative experience.

I hope that this guide to yoga training in Rishikesh helps you make the right decision, and help you find your ideal YTTC. If you're still hesitant, I recommend Nirvana Yoga School because you won't have to worry after you've enrolled. The accommodation, course, travel, schedule, teachers, and fellow peers all exceeded expectations.