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mariana-oconnor · 2 years ago

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The Naval Treaty pt 3

Yes, we apparently have got to the point where I'm memeing myself.

Right, last time, after Percy, Watson's old 'pal' from school failed magnificently at understanding how to protect confidential data, he followed an old woman into the night and the stress gave him a brain fever. Meanwhile, I'm still certain that Joseph Harrison, who has not been implicated in any way, is involved because I am a well-balanced and entirely reasonable person.

Mr. Joseph Harrison drove us down to the station

See! He's trying to get rid of you! 🤣🤣😂

“It's a very cheery thing to come into London by any of these lines which run high, and allow you to look down upon the houses like this.”

Last time we had Holmes looking out a train window: Ugh, look how terrible the countryside is! I can't bear it.

The contrast is palpable.

“The board-schools.” “Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future! Capsules with hundreds of bright little seeds in each, out of which will spring the wise, better England of the future. I suppose that man Phelps does not drink?”

Board schools are not the same as boarding schools, the internet tells me, but the first state run schools with no religious affiliation. I was about to be cynical about Holmes' view of children and Victorian educational standards, but I can't. He's right, those schools were important and really did pave the way for a brighter future.

And then a bit of mental whiplash as he snaps back to the case at hand, because he's Holmes.

In answer to the question, I can't say whether Percy drinks alcohol, but he definitely has a caffeine addiction that he should work on. If not for that, he wouldn't be in this mess.

Also, it was unreasonable of his uncle to expect him to copy so much text in a foreign language in one night. But even so, Percy needs to work harder on curbing his need for coffee.

"Then came the smash, and she stayed on to nurse her lover, while brother Joseph, finding himself pretty snug, stayed on too."

Oh, so he's just hanging around leeching off people, huh? Exactly as I suspected! This is just the beginning. Clearly, he's been a wrong'un all along and I will be vindicated.

"But to-day must be a day of inquiries.” “My practice—” I began. “Oh, if you find your own cases more interesting than mine—” said Holmes, with some asperity.

First of all, Watson does have a job, Holmes. I get that you want to play with him, but he does have responsibilities. You really shouldn't be bitchy about that.

Second, if Watson actually cares enough about his patients to ditch you, that would be the first time ever.

“I was going to say that my practice could get along very well for a day or two, since it is the slackest time in the year.”

See. No problem at all. Why would Watson ever do his actual job when he could be running around with Holmes? What a preposterous idea!

"...there is Lord Holdhurst.” “Lord Holdhurst!” “Well, it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself in a position where he was not sorry to have such a document accidentally destroyed.” “Not a statesman with the honorable record of Lord Holdhurst?”

Oh Watson, my sweet summer child. Out there believing in unicorns and fairies and honourable politicians.

I discounted him because honestly, a political plot involving the politician uncle and corruption seemed too spy thriller. Also, the time frame of everything being nine weeks ago, I think discounts a political motive because if there were spy games going on, it would be far too late to do anything about it. Of course, it might be the case. These stories have surprised me a few times so far.

“£10 reward. The number of the cab which dropped a fare at or about the door of the Foreign Office in Charles Street at quarter to ten in the evening of May 23d. Apply 221b, Baker Street.”

The Bank of England inflation calculator tells me that's equivalent to approximately £1000 today, which is a pretty impressive reward for a little bit of information. Honestly, I'd expect people to be climbing out of the woodwork to say they saw Queen Victoria herself driving the cab and dropping off Jack the Ripper.

"Why yes, Mr Holmes, I saw a man with a long white beard and carrying a large sack. No, it was right odd, y'see: he didn't go in through the door. He climbed up on' roof and went down the chimney, that he did."

"And then, of course, there is the bell—which is the most distinctive feature of the case. Why should the bell ring?"

This is what I'm most interested in. What is up with that bell?

He sank back into the state of intense and silent thought from which he had emerged; but it seemed to me, accustomed as I was to his every mood, that some new possibility had dawned suddenly upon him.

Tell me! Tell me! I need to know. The bell is plaguing me.

a small, foxy man with a sharp but by no means amiable expression.

So Lestrade is a ferret and Forbes is a fox. Must all police officers be described as animals? This appears to be a pattern.

“You are ready enough to use all the information that the police can lay at your disposal, and then you try to finish the case yourself and bring discredit on them.” “On the contrary,” said Holmes, “out of my last fifty-three cases my name has only appeared in four, and the police have had all the credit in forty-nine. I don't blame you for not knowing this, for you are young and inexperienced, but if you wish to get on in your new duties you will work with me and not against me.” “I'd be very glad of a hint or two,” said the detective, changing his manner.

Forbes changes his tune pretty quickly here, so he seems open minded enough. Although it does seem a bit like he doesn't understand the purpose of Holmes. Yes, he's supposed to take all the evidence the police give him and try to solve the case. That's kind of how being a detective works. I get the emphasis here is on 'yourself', but still.

I like this exchange, because we've already seen in the stories that Holmes really doesn't care about the notoriety or the accolades - though he's more than willing to display gifts he's given in his own home - it's entirely the case and helping the people involved that he cares about.

Not sure he really needed to say that 'you are young and inexperienced' bit, though. Seems a tad direct.

“We have set one of our women on to her. Mrs. Tangey drinks, and our woman has been with her twice when she was well on, but she could get nothing out of her.”

OK, I thought it sounded unlikely that there were female police officers in the late 1800s, and it seems like the first female police officer in London was in 1919. But it definitely appears from this that they have women working for them - unless one of them has set his wife on a suspect, which... fair. Fascinating either way.

Also, Mrs Tangey has an alcohol problem, that could be an angle.

“What explanation did she give of having answered the bell when Mr. Phelps rang for the coffee?” “She said that he husband was very tired and she wished to relieve him.”

Alright, so it either was her, or she's involved in some way. Which I think we already suspected, but this clarifies that no one impersonated her without her knowledge, at least.

“Did you point out to her that you and Mr. Phelps, who started at least twenty minutes after he, got home before her?” “She explains that by the difference between a 'bus and a hansom.”

That's fair. Not everyone can afford their own taxi. Check your privilege, Holmes.

Standing on the rug between us, with his slight, tall figure, his sharp features, thoughtful face, and curling hair prematurely tinged with gray, he seemed to represent that not too common type, a nobleman who is in truth noble.

I may have rolled my eyes at this bit. Watson sometimes needs to back off on his earnest belief in the glory of England and its political and social systems. He's so classist it's actually painful at some points. Even if he's saying the type is 'not too common' it just makes me wrinkle my nose.

I also don't like Lord Holdhurst, but that's mainly because I believe hereditary nobility is immoral and also because he is a tory politician. There was never any hope of me liking him. I don't think he murders puppies, but I bet he'd pass legislation saying that murdering puppies is okay in certain circumstances if his old chum wanted to start a puppy murdering business and was a generous donor.

"I fear that the incident must have a very prejudicial effect upon his career.”

Yeah, that I do agree with.

“But if the document is found?” “Ah, that, of course, would be different.”

This, I do not agree with. Not after nine weeks, anyway. If it had been a couple of hours and the document was found to have fallen down the gap between the desk and the wall then he could probably just be given extra training and not allowed to touch confidential documentation without supervision for a few years. But it's been nine weeks. That treaty is lost. Even if it's returned, he still lost it for nine weeks.

“Did you ever mention to any one that it was your intention to give any one the treaty to be copied?” “Never.” “You are certain of that?” “Absolutely.”

OK. That cuts off that line of thinking, as Watson's insistence on him looking 'noble' clearly means we're supposed to believe him. But we already knew it wasn't him.

Because it's Joseph Harrison.

“If the treaty had reached, let us say, the French or Russian Foreign Office, you would expect to hear of it?” “I should,” said Lord Holdhurst, with a wry face.

Like I say, any political motivations would have been thoroughly completed by now, before Holmes was even called upon, so that's not likely.

“Of course, it is a possible supposition that the thief has had a sudden illness—” “An attack of brain-fever, for example?”

Given he called Holmes in, I sincerely doubt Percy's involved. Again, if this weren't a Sherlock Holmes story, there's a slim possibility it could be that his brain fever cause amnesia meaning that he doesn't remember taking the treaty and causing the whole problem, but that doesn't seem like a likely plot here.

“But he has a struggle to keep up his position. He is far from rich and has many calls. You noticed, of course, that his boots had been re-soled?"

OK so now we give him a motive, when you've all just gone on about how he's a 'fine fellow'? Are Lord Holdsworth's money problems going to be relevant to the plot? Maybe. We've heard nothing of Percy having any cousins, so as it stands he might be his uncle's heir. Not sure how that would lead to the treaty being stolen, but we'll bear it in mind.

Ah, and then Watson is racist again. Native Americans this time. These stories are really trying to spread the racism around, aren't they. This whole section is strange though, because it's about how Watson can't read Holmes' face, when multiple times (in this very story) he's said how he knows Holmes so well that he can instantly tell from his face what Holmes is thinking.

“God bless you for saying that!” cried Miss Harrison. “If we keep our courage and our patience the truth must come out.”

She and Watson should get together and have optimist meetings.

Although, it's definitely your brother, Miss Harrison. I don't know how, but it is. It's got to be. We're running out of suspects. Mrs Tangey seems like she might be involved, but I doubt she's the mastermind behind events.

Maybe Joseph just bribed her into trying to discredit Percy, she saw the paper and thought 'well this looks important' and took it not really knowing what it was.

But that doesn't explain the bell. Unless it's because she was drunk and she stumbled and grabbed it. Or she didn't really want to be doing it, so she pulled it in a weird attempt to get caught. Or she let Harrison in and then saw him stealing something and pulled the bell, only to be threatened if she said anything.

“Yes, we have had an adventure during the night, and one which might have proved to be a serious one.” His expression grew very grave as he spoke, and a look of something akin to fear sprang up in his eyes. “Do you know,” said he, “that I begin to believe that I am the unconscious centre of some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at as well as my honor?”

He's probably right to be worried - maybe not for his life, but I'm pretty sure this entirely thing is aimed at him, not the treaty. But at the same time, this does not sound like the thinking of a mentally healthy person.

"A man was crouching at the window."

No. No, you see it could be him. Of course you're going to want to make it seem like it was someone from outside forcing their way in. To keep the suspicion off the people who live in the house. It has to be him. Has to be.

Did he have a knife, or was it just something that looked like a knife... like...

uh...

The thing he used to unlock the window?

"As it was, I rang the bell and roused the house. It took me some little time, for the bell rings in the kitchen and the servants all sleep upstairs. I shouted, however, and that brought Joseph down, and he roused the others."

Oh oh... convenient, being the first person on the scene, huh? Was that because you weren't in bed asleep at all? Mr Joseph Harrison?

(If I am by some miracle right about this, it will be entirely undeserved as literally the only reason I decided it was him is because he seemed too happy and his sister is getting married)

"There's a place, however, on the wooden fence which skirts the road which shows signs, they tell me, as if some one had got over, and had snapped the top of the rail in doing so."

Okay... well... well... that doesn't really fit with my theory at all, but maybe it's a coincidence. People climb over fences all the time. Maybe it happened ages ago. I bet they don't check the fences every day. Totally not a sign I'm wrong.

“Oh, yes, I should like a little sunshine. Joseph will come, too.”

Why?

No, seriously. Why? Percy says Joseph will come, but not his fiancee? That's weird. Is it because Joseph is stronger if Percy needs to be carried back?

"I should have thought those larger windows of the drawing-room and dining-room would have had more attractions for him.” “They are more visible from the road,” suggested Mr. Joseph Harrison.

And right here we have the classic Columbo moment. I know Sherlock Holmes came first, no need to send me angry messages. But this is something that happens in Every. Single. Columbo. It's part of his method, it's kind of his whole method. He makes a comment about 'I wonder why the murderer didn't do x' to the person he (and the audience) knows is the murderer and the villain, in an attempt to cover their own tracks, immediately presents an explanation.

“Do you think that was done last night? It looks rather old, does it not?” “Well, possibly so.”

Aw shucks, is Holmes not falling for your clever ruse? What a pity!

“Miss Harrison,” said Holmes, speaking with the utmost intensity of manner, “you must stay where you are all day. Let nothing prevent you from staying where you are all day. It is of the utmost importance.” “Certainly, if you wish it, Mr. Holmes,” said the girl in astonishment.

Not the weirdest thing Holmes has ever asked a person to do - still remember Watson pretzeling himself behind the headboard that one time - but still kinda weird. I hope she has some sort of enrichment in her enclosure. Tell me she has a bookcase at least.

“Why do you sit moping there, Annie?” cried her brother. “Come out into the sunshine!”

Look! LOOK! He's trying to get her out of the room. He hid the treaty in the room and now he's trying to get it back but he can't! All aboard the Joseph Harrison train, next stop: Vindication.

Got to assume that even though Joseph wasn't present when Holmes was speaking to Anne, or when he was speaking to Percy, he will be aware that Percy is not in the house. But he'll only be able to break into the room by the window again, so I guess that is the plan. To catch him red-handed.

#Letters from Watson #The Naval Treaty #Sherlock Holmes #long post #It's beginning to look like I'm right #But that's absolutely nothing to do with my problem solving ability and everything to do with my natural paranoia and distrust #Also ACD has a type #We saw it in The Copper Beeches and in The Greek Interpreter #Men who laugh too much and smile too easily

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auroraescritora · 2 years ago

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THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME - PERCY/NICO AU HIGH SCHOOL - CHAPTER VI

Hi, how's everyone? I've had limited time to write, that's why the delay in the chapter. Things will get slower, but I'll do my best to deliver a chapter per week, even if it's on the weekend. So in this chapter things start to get more interesting. Just keep in mind that my characters are never perfect, okay? But I do try to make them likable.

Have a nice read!

Previous chapters: CHAPTER I / CHAPTER II / CHAPTER III / CHAPTER IV / CHAPTER V

Nico had a feeling he was doing something very wrong, like he was staining the picture Percy had of him. But they'd already touched like that, slept in the same bed naked, and now they walked down the halls, hand in hand, like the boyfriends he said they weren't, so what if... if he showed Percy how much he meant to him? Especially given the way Percy took care of him last night? Nico just wanted to return the gesture. Then, as one who wants nothing, he said::

"Per, I need to go to the bathroom."

Without waiting, Nico ignored the bell for the second period and took Percy by the hand, leading him towards the bathroom in the sports court area that would be empty at that time of day. Percy just tilted his head, all confused and followed him without question, while Nico tried to act normal so as not to spoil the surprise, thinking it was too innocent even for him, but honestly? He wanted Percy to see how nice it was to be cornered and without any warning.

Nico didn't give Percy much time to think at all. As soon as they entered the bathroom, he guided Percy to one of the cubicles, closed the door and put his hands on Percy's shoulders, pushing him back until Percy hit the wall with his back. Nico couldn't believe how much fun it was to see Percy's eyes widen and his breathing become faster when he hadn't even started yet.

And why waste more time? Looking into Percy's eyes, he let his hands slide down as he knelt between Percy's legs, Nico put his face over Percy's crotch and toched the place over the jeans, letting his mouth come closer, kissing the fabric that already it had a good noticeable bulge.

He looked up and smiled, but Percy didn't smile back. No, he was all tense, shoulders straight, jaw set, breathing fast and hands fisted at his sides. This used to happen in the past too when Nico pretended not to see and not to know what was going on; this was Percy horny and trying to hide it, trying so hard to be the nice, honorable boy everyone thought he was. I mean, Percy was the best, it was the high libido that Nico wasn't willing to deal with back then.

Well, now things had changed, or rather, evolved. What could he say? Nico admitted he was slow to do things that people his age were already experienced. By the time he'd found himself alone and regretting every decision that involved sex, particularly for not dealing well with Percy and…and kissing, it was too late. On the other side of the world and after the shock had worn off, he'd missed Percy so much that he'd wanted to go right back and tell him he was wrong, begging for forgiveness. In the end, his family thought it best for them to stay there for a while.

It didn't matter anymore, he rather focus on the moment, on the way Percy tried to control himself, all tense and anxious, trying not to touch him, but as Percy had promised, his friend wouldn't force him. Deep down, Percy was right; he would say one thing and do the opposite. Maybe he was just kneeling between Percy's legs because Percy said he wouldn't do it again, and Nico wanted to test how committed Percy was. Nico finally took his hands to the button on Percy's pants and unfastened it, about to unzip it down when Percy grabbed his hands.

"What are you doing?�� Percy was practically accusing him and he was practically laughing in Percy's face, feeling vindicated for that morning on the stairs and with his sister.

"You don’t want to?”

“You said you wanted to take it slow.”

"Isn't this slow for you?"

“Nico!” Percy ground out through his teeth, keeping his voice low. “I'm trying and you're not helping.”

“I just wanted to make it up to you, you treated me so well last night…”

As he batted his eyelashes as innocently as he could manage, speaking all sweet and nice, Nico saw the moment Percy collapsed against the wall, his expression a mixture of frustration and anguish so intense that Nico couldn't take it, he rested his chin on Percy’s leg and laughed, giggling, letting his chuckles echo through the empty bathroom.

"I knew you would get back at me."

"Just a little.” Nico said between laughs. "But the offer is still on."

"It is?" Percy mumbled, now calmer and more in control, taking one of his hands to Nico's hair, stroking it gently. And Nico liked that a lot, the firm, confident voice and steady touch, how Percy made sure what was going on with him before letting his libido take over. That’s why Percy deserved a reward.

He finally lowered the zipper and slid his fingers inside Percy's underwear, searching until he found warm skin and the erect member, pulling it out, admiring the size and width, the warmth of him. Nico knew this was going to sound cliché, but…but it was big and long and heavy, and full of bulging veins and wet at the tip in a way that made him want to lick it until it was wet again.

"You don’t need to.” Nico heard in a whisper at the same time that Percy's hands came to the back of his neck, touching him slow and nice. Percy's voice was too close, making him see that Percy had leaned over him, and that he was now tugging by the roots os his hair, forcing Nico to face him before kissing his lips all sweet and soft, as if trying to seduce him: " You don't have to. Never. If you don’t want to.”

"I want.” If there’s one thing Nico learned in all this time away from Percy is exactly that, he liked it a lot, was the only thing he'd realy enjoyed before last night. But he wouldn't say that to Percy, too afraid to see Percy’s reaction. It was easier to act and let things happen.

Then, taking courage and still watching Percy's reaction, he held on the base and brought his lips to the head. He licked like an ice cream before sealing his lips around it, sucking, slow and tight, making sure his teeth were out of the way. Then, to test the walters, he made a slight pressure with his lips and slid down a little, bobbing his head even more slowly and finally hearing the first moan come from Percy, shuddering when Percy pulled his hair hard, forcing him to move away from his cock.

"Who taught you that?"

“I had a boyfriend, you know?

“You said you didn't have sex. And this is sex.”

"Yeah?”

“If someone is having pleasure and enjoying it, it's sex.”

“Hmm.” He murmured, licking his lips. Percy was even more attractive when he got all... intense.

Nico shouldn't think about those things, he knew he shouldn't. It wasn't his fault if Percy kept holding him by the hair like he belonged to Percy or if Percy kept staring at him with that fire in his eyes, like a caged animal wanting revenge. He felt like he needed psychological help, but in the meantime Nico could have fun, couldn't he?

"Are you going to fuck my mouth?"

“Wha-what?”

"Maybe you want--"

"Say no more!" Percy roared in frustration, moving closer to Nico’s face. " You want to kill me? What did I do to deserve this?”

“Per.”

“Where did my shy, innocent litlle boy go, hm?”

“He got lonely and decided to get company. But his company wasn’t very kind.”

Percy whimpered in frustration, seeming to grab onto the last threads of control he still had in, and kissed Nico again, this time tongue and all, holding him by the neck tight and strong. But that wasn't enough anymore, he wanted... Nico wanted to suck Percy until he felt cum go down his throat, and that's what he would have. When Percy finally let him breathe, he opened his mouth wide open, wetted his lips and slid them along the length of the Percy's cock, hearing a long groan and a thud somewhere near them; Nico opened his eyes to see what had happened, it was Percy who had punched the wall behind him and had his eyes squeezed shut and lips bitten, holding back his moans. Yes, he could feel Percy throbbing on his tongue, seeming to grow bigger even further. It was at that moment that Nico sighed and relaxed his face, allowing those last inches to reach the back of his throat.

He was willing to confess, he had choked, rushing things a litlle bit. It was all worth it when Percy threw back his head and grabbed hold of his hair again, guiding and moving his head. It was beautiful, was magical, to see the instant Percy grabbed him hard and when he least expected it, his mouth was being moved on that fat cock, over and over again, feeling Percy's balls hit his chin while he just he stood there, hands in his lap, watching the scene unfold and… ah… letting Percy control his body, pinned against the wall beside the toilet. Nico didn't even realize when Percy had come, founding himself swallowing around Percy, slow and leisurely, sniffling and floating, hearing Percy grunt only to be lifted suddenly by his hair and then by his waist; Percy was cleaning his face and holding him in the safety of his arms, touching him everywhere Percy could reach.

“Nico, baby?” Then, he was groaning himself when Percy opened his pants and found wetness there. Everywhere. "Did you come?"

He…he thought he had. It was something that had maybe happened once or twice before… but it didn't matter. Nico was floating and Percy held him back so he wouldn't go too far, as his lips came down against his once more, and again and again, until… Nico didn't know… well, until his feet touched the ground once again.

***

"All good?”

Now they were out of the bathroom, walking towards the cafeteria after splashing water on their faces and getting a peppermint candy. He wasn't proud, but they had lost a lot of time between waking up, talking to Bianca, driving to school and... going to the bathroom. His throat was still dry and heis lips swollen, his knees ached, and a phantom sensation lingered in Nico’s scalp where Percy had pulled. However, he couldn't control that nice feeling at the bottom of his stomach, content and satisfied, by what he saw. Percy, instead of holding his hand, clutched his waist, all possessive, staring down at anyone who looked at him for longer than three seconds. Nico had missed that too. And that made him a terrible person.

“Nico.”

“Hm?” He replied when Percy stopped in the middle of the hall, touching his face and making him look at him.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't want that to happen. It doesn't have to change anything between us.”

So that was it. Percy was really afraid he was going to run off to Italy like he had before.

“Per, I wanted to.”

To prove that everything was fine, he stood on hid tiptoe, wrapped his arms around Percy's neck and brought their lips together, letting his eyes close for a moment. Percy immediately wrapped his arms around his waist and kissed him back, all intense, nibbling his lips and tangling their tongues together, stealing his breath.

He heard a clearing of a throat and a hiss, but he didn't care, it was too late to worry about what people would say. Right now he needed to calm Percy down and let him know that everything was fine. Then, he released his lips and remained in Percy's arms, taking his hands to his friend's hair, trying to comfort him.

"Relax, all right? I was enjoying the moment.”

"Enjoying?” Percy repeated, frowning, perhaps squeezing him tighter still.

"I liked.” He shrugged, trying not to laugh or blush, as the crease in Percy's face deepened. "What's wrong with that?"

“If you like it that much, you didn't have to go that far.”

Nico almost rolled his eyes, he knew how jealous Percy could be and he knew how jealous he himself could be back. It’d always been like this, the reason that really scared him and forced him to run away, showing him feelings he couldn't handle. He knew exactly what would happen if he came back, and here was the proof, the possessiveness personified. He knew he shouldn't, but he'd missed that too.

“Per.” Was all he’d said for a few moments and Percy ducked his head slightly, seeming to realize what he was doing. "I'm here now, aren't I? I promise it's everything I learned in Italy.”

It was a lie, of course. Even though he was technically still a virgin.

"Really? If that were true, you wouldn't have to promise me anything.” But that was enough for Percy to lose his murderous expression and his face softened into a sweet, if slightly suspicious look.

A little nice kiss followed, a brush of lips soft and wet, hands sliding around the back of his neck in an affectionate caress.

"I promise it won't happen again."

“Don't promise what you can't deliver." Nico said when finally the butterflies in his stomach calmed down and he added: "I don't care if it happens again.”

"Sorry.” Percy said in his usual tone, seeming back to normal.

Percy shrugged and finally took a step back, looking at Nico with a bright smile, only to lift one of his hands and smooth Nico's hair back, Percy's hands sliding to Nico's neck, and only then did Nico realize that Percy was massaging the side of his neck, because the area throbbed slightly.

"Hickey?"

Another thing that didn't surprise him. I mean, how could he not see? It wasn't the first time this had happened.

"Are you a dog?” Nico grumbled not really caring, the rest of his body wasn't much better. And how could he have the right to complain when he could see a hickey high up on Percy's chest where the shirt didn't hide the skin?

" Sorry.” Percy said once more, his smile widening.

Yeah, looks like nothing has changed.

"Do you want to eat something?”

Why not? He let Percy take his waist again and they both walked towards the canteen. Percy ordered for them, a juice, a milkshake and a piece of pie without asking for permission. Bianca would’ve been outraged if she saw how Percy hadn't even let him speak, as if he didn't have the ability to. The truth is, he would hardly have noticed this behavior if his ex hadn't done the same to him months ago. He had been offended at the time, finally starting to understand the problem, seeing what his former friends said. And now, watching Percy take the order and bring it to the table they were at... it was still hard to care when it came to Percy.

Apparently, a blindness came over him when he saw those green eyes and puppy smile.

"Aren't you hungry? Want something else?”

"No, thanks.”

He took the first bite and felt so happy to taste the same flavor, even if his happiness had another reason. Was this happiness so intense just because Percy did this for him?

“Eat slowly.”

"Yes, Dad. I’ll eat properly.”

Percy didn't look the least bit impressed by the joke. He grimaced and took the napkin, wiping the corner of Nico's mouth, saying, “Please.”

And Nico? He just smiled and continued eating contentedly, happy to know that nothing had changed; the care and concern still evident, only now sex had become part of their relationship, finally filling in what was missing.

"Thanks.” Nico said without thinking, watching Percy throw away his napkin. “I never said how grateful I am.”

“I don't want your gratitude.” Percy then glared at him, trying hard not to get all serious and spoil the happy mood. But he couldn't fool Nico.

"I know. I wanted you to know.”

"Then, what?”

“This between us has nothing to do with gratitude. But I’m grateful.”

Nico wanted to say more, wanted to say that he never wanted to hurt Percy and that he would never leave him again. Instead, Nico took Percy's hand and smiled at him. Immediately, the surrounding environment became light again and the world around them stopped spinning, in the midst of all that chaos creating a little place just for the two of them.

***

"Exactly who I was looking for!"

Nico blinked rapidly, looking away from Percy’s gaze, looking surprised by the interruption.

Percy sighed. Who else could it be? Grover and Luke, of course. It made no difference to Percy who got in their way, all he knew was that he regretted having friends like his. But he refused to let Nico walk away; keeping Nico's hand over his, he turned to his friends:

"What do you want?”

Hearing Nico laughing at him, he held Nico’s hand even more firmly, and he just didn't complain more because Nico moments later rested his head on Percy’s shoulder, all sweet, soft and innocent, his black eyes radiating happiness.

"Where were you? You missed a test.” Luke said.

"Are you going to the practice?" Grover added. Both had strange smiles on their faces.

" What?”

"Looks like mosquitoes bit you. Hard night?”

Percy just sighed, he was too tired for their little jokes.

"Percy, man! You disappeared! You don't answer your cell anymore?”

"Whatever.”

“Ohhhh it's one of those days.” Luke said, nodding, pretending to be thinking about something serious.

“No, it's one of those 'baby day'. Don't you remember?”

“No! Danger, danger! We better not get close.”

Luke took Grover's arm, and together they took three steps back, still facing them, as if they didn't want to turn their backs on a wild animal.

“You guys are unbelievable.” Percy muttered, trying not to let the memories remind him why these moments were called "baby days".

"We just wanted to know how you were going!" Grover yelled, already pulling away. “It's good to see you again, Nico.”

Luke nodded, smiling, still dragging Grover away.

"Baby days? What does that mean?” Nico said when they finally disappeared across the cafeteria, staring at him with a curious expression.

"It’s nothing.”

"Nothing?” Nico insisted. “Does this have to do with the days we used to stay at home without seeing anyone?”

"Maybe.”

Part of the time it had to do with the depression Nico was trying to hide, but other times, calm and happy, it had to do with him wanting Nico's attention all to himself. It was something they didn’t know at the time, Percy found out he had it too, a milder version, but regardeless, it still was depression.

"How cute. You even have a name for it.” Nico's voice was playful, so Percy thought it’s safe to put a hand on Nico's shoulder and pull him closer.

“It wasn't my idea.”

"I know. It’s funny.”

"What is funny?”

“Everyone but me saw what was going on.”

"When you say it like that, it sounds like I've played you." Percy said, taking off his chest what he'd been hiding for years.

“It wasn't exactly like that. Deep down, I knew.”

“You weren't ready.”

" I wasn’t.” Nico said in a final tone with his head still resting on Percy’s shoulder, meaning he didn't want to talk about it. Not that they needed to, as it was obvious. He knew Nico only said those things to reassure him. The truth was that Nico had shown himself to be much stronger and more independent than he was, and that if Nico said all those things it was to make him feel better, Percy could even imagine what else Nico had noticed and if those things had been why he needed to cross the ocean to feel safe.

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Thank you for reading! Your presence and your feedback make all the difference. Like, I'm thinking of turning this story into an original as soon as I finish it, so any constructive comments are very welcome.

See you next!

#my writing #nico di angelo #percy/nico #percy jackson #percico #pernico #there's no place like home

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cervidame · 8 months ago

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Hi I’m the person you released the sneak peek for thank you so much!!!! It absolutely did NOT lower my excitement LMAO I’m still super hyped for next chapter!! I just wanted to say thank you, I really wasn’t expecting you to release a snippet, I really appreciate it!!!! I can’t wait for the entire story to be finished so I can reread it over and over again!! Have a great day, I hope you’re having as much fun writing as I am reading your writing!! (Ps one of my fav things is how detailed your research is, you’ve opened my eyes to so many interesting facts abt the regency era & really made me want to do my own research!! Do you have any websites/books you’d recommend?)

I'm having a lot of fun yeah like I'm kind of unhinged about it levels of fun... as you can see.. really putting that English degree to work gotta get as much value out of it as I can right?? Anyways for the reading list!! Where possible I've put links :D

Essays - A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)* - Political Register (weekly newspaper, started in 1802) available on the newspaper archive - An Address to the Public Particularly to the Members of the Legislature of New-York Proposing a Plan for Improving Female Education (1819 - you can find it here) - The Necessity of Atheism, Shelley (essay, 1811) *This is highly likely to be something women like Eloise would have read. Mary Wollstonecraft is also the mother of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein and was married to Percy Shelley who is also on this list for his interesting essay on Atheism, but he was also a writer, poet (of the Romantic poets) and essayist. Nonfiction - Georgette Heyer's Regency World (2005) - Jane Austen's Town & Country Style (1990) - The Georgians (2022) - The Making of the English Working Class (1963) - The Reading Nation in The Romantic Period (2004) Novels - North and South (1854) - basically like Pride and Prejudice romance with more social commentary. Also adapted to TV by the BBC. A bit later to the time but I think you'll see why I like it lol - The Wanderer: or, Female Difficulties (1814) - The Romance of the Forest (1791) - Northanger Abbey, Austen (1817) or anything by Austen really! Poetry - She Walks in Beauty (1814) - Lord Byron was a very important poet of this era. - The Rights of Women (1792) - Examples of poetry on the Napoleonic war (here) Videos & blogs - BBC doc series Elegance and Decadence: The Age of the Regency (episodes available on Youtube, here's episode 1) - Workhouses in the 19th Century (blog post) - Wedgwood: An Introduction (V&A Museum post) - How 5 English Poets Became Revered Across Europe (youtube) - The Society Lady Who Brought Ancient Greek Fashion to 18th Century Europe (atlas obscura post on Lady Hamilton) Genesis bits & bobs None of this is essential to the reading of the fic as when it comes up I'll mention it in the author's notes. But for reference this is some of the world building behind it. The imaginary Stafford Hall in Genesis is greatly inspired by Biddulph Grange and the Trentham Estate. The Baron occupies Stafford Hall but he still has Stafford Castle within his possession as Daron mentioned. I've previously brought up some Greek myths like the Baron implies he is Anchises. The Georgian era loved Greek stuff - so Genesis also brings in that Neoclassicism plus the Romantic style of love of nature with the Baron in particular fashioned as a Romantic hero. Finally, the Red Haired Stokie blog is good if you want extra context on Stoke-on-Trent where the fic is set.

#regency #historical #oop i made a reading list #i apologise #once again #for me rambling on #but really ya'll know what you're signing up for when you hit submit in my inbox right?#bridgerton #dont mind me crying in student debt

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isagrimorie · 2 years ago

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[initial reactions] Critical Role: Bells Hells episode 49

That was such a good episode, I know that the characters were stressed being on board the sky ship, eating up time as the Apogee Solstice creeps ever forward but it was such a great moment for the characters to unwind a bit and talk. I always love their planning stuff despite how many people gripe about it on the chat and reddit, I love their thought process and the way they try to mitigate the damage they do.

I already love Laudna but IMO she was in fine form this episode, finally cracking Ashton open and getting that long awaited talk out of the way. I can see why the dynamic of Keyleth and Percy work so well in C1 and I wish its something they can show more in the animated series. *crossing fingers for season 3 of TLOVM!

It does feel like its a dynamic Taliesin and Marisha want to recreate in a different flavor with Ashton and Laudna, and they're doing so successfully. I love how Ashton and Laudna talk, and call each other's bullshit out but this episode especially, Laudna is showing off the wisdom she learned in 30 hard earned years she's lived.

Orym's also successfully reaching out to people with Dorian and I love how we're getting hints of things in EXU Prime that in their end, things are also very dicey. Opal getting dark???

I am so into that and Fearne's immediate concern is apparent. But also, Marisha knowing the details of the EXU Prime plot is so juicy!

The gang accomplished so much recruiting Ira, finally telling some more people in authority or approximate authority about how dire the situations are. Telling Pike, even though she can't do things, maybe? Possibly? Apparently, things on Tal'dorei are also very dicey, so Whitestone might have its own problems with the Ziggurat.

I'm going to heap more praise towards Laudna because of the interrogative sort of femme fatale honey pot play she did with Ira, getting Ira to talk more about it, tagged teamed with Fearne at the end.

Speaking of, Fearne is very much still ambivalent towards her parents, sure she's nice to them but as she told Nana Morri, her parents feel more like strangers than people related to her.

Also, Thank Goodness, the team's finally equipped but I need Dani to remind the cast that they still have residuum and the bracers of defense!

I feel like there's gonna be some Mad Max shenanigans that's going to happen on the Apogee Solstice, and its going to be heart pounding and epic and so great.

FCG also learned some things about himself, about how he is not alone and Devaxian also stressed how from this point on he is gifted with a chance to own his own future. A future of his own making. (A theme that will be repeated a lot!).

And then there's that moment when Imogen meets with Liliana again and, and, and I am VINDICATED!!! LILIANA IS A TRUE BELIEVER. She might even be Ludinus's real right hand and not Otohan which would be DELICIOUS.

I love that Liliana tried to get Imogen on her side and Imogen genuinely considered it because the vision she painted was tempting, for someone like Imogen who was tormented by her powers that's a siren call.

But of course, Fearne and Orym was around in the dream and they played it as silent observers instead of actively interacting with the dream space like how the others did it. It does feel like Fearne and Orym are still at heart, a unit. In a similar but different way to Laudna and Imogen. I love the talk they had about Imogen, about the possibility of Imogen turning because of her mother. Orym and Fearne will do what's necessary to stop things from happening and it's really fascinating how that will go.

Laura's face was interesting the whole time too.

And then, and then just when the group thinks its hopeless they get a possible help and distraction of the big army with Keyleth coming in, sounding exhausted and heart sick but still willing to help to put Ashari volunteers to help. I hope the group remembers to warn Keyleth about the antimagic that's going to happen.

I feel like Keyleth and the Air Ashari can act as distraction while the Bells Hells, as a strike team can go and take down the Malleus Key. Everyone in the cast looked happy at this development, except for Marisha who looked worried and had her Thinking Face on.

Near the end, Imogen talks to Orym and asked how he can go on after everyone he lost and they have a heartfelt talk. Orym tells Imogen that he believes in her but Imogen is not convinced but doesn't try to read his mind to know if this is true. Instead, at long last, after many episodes.

Imogen goes back to the room she shares with Laudna and finally talks to her. Whatever impetus it was: her fear, uncertainty, or the realization that she shares some similarities with her father and that's the reluctance to talk.

Laudna asks if Imogen is okay, and automatically, Imogen answers she is. Laudna gently tells Imogen she didn't need to lie to Laudna about 'being fine'. And so Imogen opens the conversation with admitting that she's been afraid of really talking to Laudna after she was resurrected, that she had something to tell Laudna.

Laudna asks Imogen what it is she wanted to say but Imogen hesitates and then says something about her fear and god I love how Laudna approached her talk with Imogen. I love that Laudna went about it with understanding because, of course, who more than Laudna hasn't thought what would have happened if life had been different.

Laudna had thirty years to think similar thoughts, to wish a different life than the one she had. She candidly told Ashton she made Patê so she won't lose her mind wandering alone.

But through everything Laudna lived through she is very cognizant too the reason she met Imogen and the other Bells Hells was because of who she is and became. And I think Marisha has her answer to Aabria's question from the 4 Sided Dive a long time ago -- there is a part of her that is a little grateful for Delilah or whatever patron that made her a Hollow One, that she has this powers now and ability to be spooky. Things she enjoys.

It's a little messed up and complicated.

I also love that while Laudna didn't hear Imogen's promise about how Laudna will always have a choice, Laudna unknowingly echoed back Imogen's words. Imogen has a choice. She will always have a choice and having the ability to choose is a power all its own. Its not something gods can take away.

Honestly, I love how Laudna is talking to Imogen from a place of understanding and I think more than anything, this helped Imogen solidify her grasp of why they're fighting. It's not just because its wrong and kill other people. All morally right reasons why they need to stop Ludinus and his group.

It's because every individual deserves a right to choose. And that love also means loving every part of a person, especially the weird parts of them.

Imogen might have lost her nerve to tell Laudna she loved her, loved her, romantic stylez and Laudna might slowly be waking into the part of herself that can access it. But its plain as day they love each other and I'm okay to wait on how long and slow this will cook, but also saying things like:

"I feel so comfortable and bonded with you. We transcend words in our relationship.

"You'll always have me."

"I'll always be there to support you whatever choice you make.

"You're my tether."

"That tether goes beyond this realm and this life."

C'MON. Those words are my ship Kryptonite! If I hadn't already shipped them, this would have definitely tip the scales! And I feel very well fed tonight!

God I love them. I love the Bells Hells.

#critical role spoilers #cr spoilers #critical role #critical role c3 spoilers #bells hells #imogen temult #laudna #fearne calloway #orym of the air ashari #ashton greymoore #chetney pock o’pea #ship: laudna x imogen #ship: imogen x laudna #ship: southern gothic #imodna #southern gothic #cr 3x49 #long post

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luckthebard · 4 years ago

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Do you think that the casts more religious characters (Cad, Jester, Fjord, Yasha) sort of lead to them agreeing with the sentiment of “well if they were foolish enough to fight the gods they got what they deserved” because knowing (Vax, Vex, Percy, Keyleth) I think C1 would be like “ wow the gods are a bunch of dicks”

It just seems like it’s a genocide level event that’s more or less the fault of the people in power, but everyone had to pay for. But because the characters are more divinely connected they see the god as more righteous and don’t question their acts as much.

Just something I noticed, I wondered if you had any thoughts on this because I keep getting the vibes that “these people were bad news”

I haven’t really sensed an attitude of “they deserved it” from the Mighty Nein toward Aeor, although admittedly you might have picked up on some dialogue that I didn’t clock. But I don’t think “this was a horrible tragedy that shouldn’t have happened” and “these people were bad news” are mutually exclusive thoughts. Especially when the “bad news” is less “the citizens of the city” and more “the leaders who screwed over their own people through hubris and a lust for power.”

There’s horror and tragedy in the party’s reactions to the legions of the dead, but wariness toward, say, Brashaar - who one of those same dead citizens pointed out to the Mighty Nein through Speak With Dead as at least a somewhat responsible party in what happened. So if the citizens of Aeor themselves are pointing a finger at their leaders, it makes sense the Mighty Nein would foreground that too.

The Mighty Nein’s attitude toward the gods here has been more to not really think about their involvement in what happened at all, which might be what you mean? It’s almost like they’re treating it more like a natural disaster, than something that powerful beings actively chose to do. (Which is kind of interesting, when you think about the party’s connection to the Wildmother, a True Neutral deity who in some ways personifies natural disaster.)

I do think you’re on to something with thinking the two parties would react differently - Keyleth especially would probably feel incredibly vindicated in her dislike and distrust of the gods’ power over mortals if she knew this whole story. But I don’t think that means the Mighty Nein are walking through Aeor going “well, they had it coming.”

The Mighty Nein’s whole narrative has been sown through with powerful mages who hurt others without care through their pursuit of power, from Trent to Halas to Ludinus, to, frankly, Essek, who they brought to Aeor as their ally. Between that and fixating on the Somnovum in the Cognouza Ward who “doomed their own people” and “betrayed Aeor to ensure their survival” and have now created a screaming horror city in the Astral Sea, it makes sense to me that the actions of the gods in destroying Aeor are currently taking a backseat in the Mighty Nein’s understanding of what they’re walking into.

#no idea if this is what you were looking for haha but here!#*thoughts spill out of pockets in a jumbled mess*#critical role #meta #aeor #long post #princeofassassins

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viperwrites · 4 years ago

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more of Gen’s idea bc I can’t get over it 🥺 this time is Sterek “first” meeting!

“Why would you go on your own looking for a body in the middle of the night?” Percy sulks.

“Because you were otherwise incapacitated and I really wanted to see who was the poor soul some bastard left behind in the middle of the woods,” Stiles says firmly, eyes never straying from the path in front of him.

Percy huffs but doesn’t look up from where he’s examining his own portion of the ground. It’s one of his resigned huffs, the ones he uses whenever he knows Stiles is right.

And Stiles is always right.

“If it makes you feel better, I got busted by my dad before I could even go too far into the woods,” Stiles offers.

“That’s karma,” Percy sounds vindicated as he points at him.

“Whatever, dude.” Stiles rolls his eyes, slightly amused. “Just help me look for my bracelet.” Jokingly, he says, “If my dad doesn’t kill me for losing it, I will do it myself.”

He’s grinning, but Percy can clearly see how upset it’s really making him because he walks up to him and squeezes his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s alright.” Percy smiles. “We’ll find it.”

Stiles gives him a small smile in return and they keep looking around, until a third voice speaks out and startles the shit out of them.

“What are you doing here?”

A dark haired young man wearing a black leather jacket and a scowl appears in front of them.

When neither of them answers, both too busy panicking, his frown deepens. There’s something vaguely familiar about it.

“This is private property.” He puts some command behind his tone.

Stiles, ever the Sheriff’s kid, finally snaps out of it in alarm. “Uh, sorry, man, we didn't know.”

But he did know.

Gods, does he know.

What’s he doing here? Is he alone? He looks a little pale and there’s circles under his eyes. Oh, gods. Did something happen to…? A thousand different things come to his mind, but he can’t bring himself to finish that thought.

Derek Hale is staring intently at him, and Stiles can’t look away.

Percy, bless his soul, tries to pick up on where Stiles left off. “Yeah, we were just looking for something, but…” he trails off with a frown when Derek glares at him.

Suddenly, Derek tosses something at Stiles before turning and heading back the way he came without a word, giving him one last look and seemingly paying Percy no attention whatsoever.

Stiles stares at his back, heart pounding, a familiar shape clutched in his hand to keep the warmth of the metal from escaping.

“All right…” Percy says with a frown, still looking at where Derek disappeared into the trees. “Come on. Mom said she was making supper, and there’s blue cookies for dessert.”

Stiles clutches at Percy’s arm with his free hand. He hisses, “Dude. That was Derek Hale!”

Percy gives him a questioning look, before horror takes over when it dawns on him.

“Oh, gods,” his head snaps back towards the treeline. “That fire?”

“Yes!” Stiles says feelingly. His expression falters. “I wonder what he’s doing back…”

Percy hums. When Stiles turns to look at him, the frown is back. “Come on,” it’s all he says.

Percy starts to walk away, and Stiles, throwing one last look toward where Derek headed out, slowly follows behind him.

#stiles stilinski #percy jackson #derek hale #sterek #teen wolf #crossover #be around me #things I write

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theboiinyellow · 4 years ago

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So, who else went into today's episode thinking that the lessons the temple's had to teach where going to be, you know, acctually good?

First comes the green temple, and It rewards you for your wisdom, but also your humility and capacity to be mindfull of those around you

Then comes the blue temple (that is to say valeriana's trial, possibly based on what she knows of the temple), and It rewards you for both worrying about other's well being, and for taking responsability for your actions,

Now, i'm not saying that those are universally good mesages that can't be put in a bad light, they have their flaws and could be unhelpfull to certain people, but the pink temple?

Fight these worms, do the bench press, fight a mega lava toad with 5g force pulling you down, what does that teach you? And most important, what does this place reward you for?

Strength, courage, self endangering behaviour to an extreme degree, the pink temple's lesson is simple, never give up, but It doesn't say It like a positive helpfull mesage, it's less "persistance is necessary to achieve your goals" and more of a "fall when you die, rest when you're dead" thing, and all of this shows something pretty obvious about the last temple: It teaches Sasha Absolutelly nothing

Marcy received a leson that she probably won't learn from right away, she's done so much in amphibia by being who she is, and just like S1 Anne, It will take her some time to really understand how her actions can really impact people

What Anne had to learn on her last trial was more in line with her character arc up to now (after all, her arc on screen is much longer than Marcy's), It was practically just stating something aloud that she'd already learned before, more of admitting than trully learning

Sasha learns that brute force is the answer, She's right about them being Lucky to have her there, she did all the hard work by herself, with sheer determination and arm strength, and what are the consequences she faces? None! In comparison, When Marcy tried to solve her trials with pure smarts she almost killed the planters...

And the same thing happened before in Barrel's warhammer, she bruteforce's her way trough and wins the toads over, shure, Percy and Bradock left her because of that, but guess who's back now?! Anne! the person she pushed the furtest in her life, it's like everything's falling into place, she can acctually fight the world and win, wich is good, because that's pretty much what she's doing.

and one last thought, the only significant thing that i can see as not having gonne Sasha's way untill now: Anne doesn't let her boss people around like she used to, something that was a big shock during "Reunion". but you know, if Anne, by whatever reason (being betrayed by Marcy, perhaps), loses the will to reprimand Sasha for stuff like that? oh, then it's a best case scenario for her, i know this is pretty farfetched, but the possibility is still there that Sasha could be vindicated in her every action (at least in her own eyes), the only reminder that anything ever went wrong for her would be a small, insignificant scar in her right cheek, and honestly, i don't think Sasha would even care about getting hurt in her quest for power If she has Anne to kiss her booboos away

#amphibia #sasha waybright #the third temple #this took about three hours #i hope you hate it #for i don't want to be right #that last line reminded me of the flash back from today's ep #amphibia spoilers #tw mean blonde girls #i would write a serious tw but i literally can't think of one #i do realize some of this is quite obvious #i literally didn't know where i was going with this

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arrthurpendragon · 5 years ago

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ocfairygodmother’s Taglists

This way people can see what they are tagged in:

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demigodsanswer · 5 years ago

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Hiya, if it ain't too much trouble, can I beg for misc 1 "all I do is drink coffee and say bad words" for platonic Percico. (I don't see nearly enough of them just being friends, and they work so nicely off eachother)

((I also love Percico. There was one year, between HoH and BoO, where all the Percico shippers were totally vindicated, but the Solangelo and Discourse (TM) just wiped it out. Plantonic and romantic Percico are great.)) ((Also my fridge will be replaced tomorrow, but thankfully there’s an empty unit in my building where I can keep my food))

~*~*~*~

Percy was use to seeing Nico asleep at random places at random times (his powers had that effect on him), so finding Nico wide awake at one of the pavilion tables during the campfire was a surprising sight.

Nico was clutching onto a coffee mug like he needed it to survive, desperately scanning the pages of a textbook.

“You alright, dude?” Percy asked.

Nico shook his head. “I’m cramming.” He said.

“For what? It’s the summer.” Percy asked.

Nico looked like he could kill Percy. “Yeah, summer for you. You’re done with high school. You finished on time. I’m sixteen and I’m so behind I’m barely ready to start Freshman year.”

Percy sat next to him. “What?”

Nico sighed, relaxing a bit. “I missed three years of school between all the quests and the wars and the running away, and before that I didn’t really have a solid education either.” He explained.

Percy nodded. “So you’ve been playing catch-up?”

Nico nodded. “I know I’m never going to finish at the same time as my friends,” he put the mug down and rested his head in his hands, “but I’d like to graduate the fucking eight grade at least.” He shoved the textbook away from him in frustration.

Percy pulled the textbook towards him. It was algebra - not his best subject by a long shot. “I know that it’s hard.” Percy sympathized.

“I sit here or in my cabin all morning and all night just trying to get a grip on these things,” he said, looking at Percy. “But all I end up doing is drinking coffee and saying bad words.” He took a sip of coffee for emphasis. “I only take days off for the high holy days. And some years, only the really important ones. I brought my history textbook to Hanukkah last year.”

Percy rested a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should take a break. Come to the campfire. Eat a s’more. You’re never going to figure this out by staring at in frustration.”

Nico nodded. “How’d you get through all of this?”

Percy shrugged. “I don’t have the best advice. I suffered through it, got tutors when I could, and had accommodations for my learning disabilities.”

Nico nodded again.

“Trust me,” Percy added, “you will learn enough spelling and enough math to make it through, and,” he added, “you will graduate the eighth grade by the time you’re seventeen.”

Nico smiled and shoved him off the bench.

#nico di angelo #percy jackson #jewish nico is my fave #rrmademegay

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perlukafarinn · 5 years ago

Text

Movies (I saw) of the 2010s, ranked

Because I had lots of better things to do but no inclination to do them.

As I went through all the new releases I watched this decade, a few things came to mind:

I missed so much! Most recently, I still haven’t seen Parasite, The Lighthouse or The Irishman. I’ve also seen only one of Disney’s live action remakes, two out of four Star Wars films of the decade, and I’ve missed quite a few of Marvel and DC’s outings. My tendency to mostly watch older films came to bite me in the ass here. But c’est la vie, there’s only so many hours in the day!

A huge part of my viewing history took place during film festivals, so festival movies are way over-represented here. I’m not mad about it.

There’s not too many outright bad movies on my list, because I tend to avoid movies that look bad or like I might not like them (shocker, I know). Even the ones in my bottom ten aren’t as dreadful as I was expecting.

There’s no way I can rank all these films numerically! What about movies that I can tell are good but just aren’t for me? What about movies that are bad but enjoyable? How can you compare tired Oscar-bait with soulless blockbusters? It’s impossible!

Hence these categories. I’m doing a top 10 worst and best, and the categories go roughly from worse to better movies, but otherwise this isn’t based on quality so much as what clever category names I could come up with (or couldn’t, as the case may be). I’m also listing the movies within each category alphabetically because that’s even less ranking I need to do.

Buckle up, this is over 6000 words...

Oh, and if you don’t feel like reading the whole thing I still encourage you to reply with your own favorite movies of the decade!

The Worst Exactly what it says on the tin. These movies aren’t just unenjoyable or disposable, they are actively unpleasant to watch.

American Hustle (2013) Wait, this got how many Oscar nominations again??

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) This movie is so bloated and yet they couldn’t find any time to actually develop most of the main characters? I had such a bad time watching this one, I ended up skipping out on the last part of the trilogy.

Hurricane Bianca (2016) This looked like it might be enjoyably bad but it wasn’t. I still love Bianca Del Rio, don’t get me wrong, but her humor is not the kind you build a whole movie around, yet alone two. And yet…

Hurricane Bianca: From Russia With Hate (2018) Yeah, I watched them both. I’m a simple woman: I see Katya in a trailer, I watch. I really shouldn’t have bothered, this one is even worse.

Iron Man 2 (2010) Superhero fatigue got me bad in the past few years but even before then I hated this movie. Literally nothing enjoyable here, I was aggressively bored while watching. The Lack (2014) This is a movie about women, written and directed by a man, called “The Lack”. You might think I’m being uncharitable to say this movie is entirely about penis envy but the writer/director himself confirmed this at the Q&A I was at. This is why Q&As are always a bad idea, people!

Left Behind (2014) This one tips into “enjoyably bad” at times but in the end, it’s still two hours of your life wasted on a movie meant to make its Evangelical viewers feel vindicated in their horrible beliefs. Morgenrøde (2014) I have a fairly high tolerance for slow movies but this movie is sloooowwww and literally nothing happens in it. This is the movie that taught me not to trust it when festival brochures use the word “contemplative”.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) Just dreadful. This is the worst kind of film in my books: the kind made to follow a trend, not to tell a story.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) It’s been eight years since the fourth PotC movie came out?? God, it’s been a long decade.

The Utterly Disposable I didn’t exactly have a bad time watching these but they left no impression on me.

Alex Strangelove (2018) Netflix has released so many unremarkable-looking teen movies this decade. This is one of the few I bothered to watch and it’s cute enough, I guess.

Fyrir framan annað fólk (2016) I am Icelandic but I don’t watch a whole lot of Icelandic movies and I feel kind of guilty about that. Not guilty enough to give a boring movie a pass, though.

Ghostbusters (2016) This super did not need to exist and not even my love for Kate McKinnon makes it any less disposable.

The Great Gatsby (2013) At least it’s pretty.

Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) I remember this getting a few laughs out of me but that’s about it.

The Imitation Game (2014) I think I just… don’t like Beneditch Cumberbatch? Sorry. This movie is the perfect expression of the bland, middle-of-the-road biopic, with the added mishandling of the subject’s sexuality.

Isn’t It Romantic (2019) I love a good satire but this ain’t it, chief. This movie isn’t doing anything that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend hasn’t done 100x better.

John Carter (2012) If you’re gonna throw this much money into something, you could at least hire a charismatic lead actor. Then again, it seemed to work for Avatar. Magic Mike (2012) I did like that this sexy stripper movie kept showing how unhappy the main character is doing what he does as if that wouldn’t totally ruin the fantasy.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016) Watched this on an airplane, which is fitting. This feels like a quintessential airplane movie; it’s mildly entertaining but ultimately disposable enough that it has completely slipped your mind by the time you reach baggage claim.

Paul (2011) Occasionally funny, I think? Barely remember it tbh.

Planetary (2015) There’s some interesting points buried in here but the movie’s too busy trying to look important to actually get them across effectively. Also feels surprisingly padded for just 80 minutes. Valentine’s Day (2010) Taylor Swift was actually kind of funny in this, which was a pleasant surprise. Zero impact otherwise.

“I Have No Memory of This Place” Movies I literally could not remember watching until I had read the entire synopsis, but for one reason or another was not comfortable calling “disposable”.

Bobby Sands: 66 Days (2015), The Departure (2017), Hell Is Empty: All the Devils Are Here (2016), Innsæi (2016), Last of the Elephant Men (2015), Late Summer (2016), Speed Sisters (2015), Una (2016), The War Show (2016) Lumping all of these together because they’re all festival movies I have hardly any memory of and that I may have in fact fallen asleep over.

Incendies (2010) Chalk this up to me seeing it almost a decade ago. When I finally remembered it, I could vaguely recall finding it affective. Probably due for a rewatch.

Prisoners (2013), Rush (2013), Warrior (2011) Around 2012-2014 I was working my way through IMdB’s top 250 list and I saw so many forgettable movies about men committing various violent acts. Literally can’t remember a single thing about these movies.

I’m So Sick of Superheroes Dear God Make It Stop I’d probably like some of these more if not for superhero fatigue but that is the trade-off for total global dominance. A couple of superhero movies did escape this category and you’ll see them later on my list.

Thor (2011), Iron Man Three (2013), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Ant-Man (2015), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Lumping all of Marvel’s movies in this category together because I don’t really have a lot to say about Marvel anymore. Special mention to Winter Soldier for being the movie that soured on me the most and to Age of Ultron for in hindsight being the beginning of my superhero fatigue.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Boy, this trilogy ended on a sour note. Man of Steel (2013) Confused story structure aside, this movie is utterly grey and joyless. It’s also army propaganda!

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) The only reason I watched this was because it was on IMdB’s top 250 list. Peter Dinklage was good in it, if I recall correctly.

Don’t Like This Nope.

12 Years a Slave (2013) Very uncomfortable to sit through, which I get was the point, but I’m not sure it was the right choice. It honestly feels like misery porn.

Black Swan (2010) I’ve long made peace with the fact that Darren Aronofsky will just never click with me.

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) This movie is exhausting to watch because of the near constant country music playing. Loudly.

Kate Plays Christine (2016) This is a movie about a really interesting topic but instead of the real tragedy that actually happened it chooses to focus on an actress’s fictional struggle to connect with her role. I think the movie wanted us to think the struggle was real (heh) but for that they would’ve needed a better actress. La La Land (2016) I love classic musicals and I really wanted to like this movie but in the end I just couldn’t. As a movie it’s okay but it’s not a good musical and the whole white savior of jazz thing was……….. an odd choice.

Last Days in the Desert (2015) I’m a sucker for good, thoughtful religious films. The idea of Jesus and the devil being played by the same actor was intriguing to me and I liked that the devil wasn’t evil so much as just tired. But ultimately, this movie felt a little too cold for me.

Magic Mike: XXL (2015) I have no idea why every critic on the planet seems to love this movie. Strippers aggressively thrusting their crotch in your face is not sexy, it’s uncomfortable!

A Silent Voice (2016) Melodramatic and not in the fun, over-the-top way.

Vonarstræti (2014) It’s good but it’s just not for me.

Wir Monster (2015) I saw this at a Q&A screening and decided I didn’t wanna stick around after the credits rolled. On my way out, I tripped and almost fell onto the actors as they were walking past me. That experience had a way bigger impact on me than the movie itself. Make of that what you will.

Guilty Pleasures/So Bad They’re Good An enjoyably bad movie is a better watch than a middlingly competent one.

#REALITYHIGH (2017) Incredibly clichéd and tries way too hard to be “hip” or “lit” or whatever it is the kids were saying back in 2017. Don’t care, I’ve seen it four times.

Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016) The first Bridget Jones is a highlight of the genre. The second one is just bad but the third tips over into enjoyably bad. I also loved having Renée Zellweger back on my screen!

A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish (2019) Recently watched this with my sister while baking and wrapping Christmas presents. It’s a terrible movie but we had fun (mostly by making fun of it).

Descendants (2015), Descendants 2 (2017), Descendants 3 (2019) I’m not apologizing for this even though I feel like I kind of should.

The Kissing Booth (2018) This movie is like a 13-year-old’s first fanfic come to life so of course I’m gonna love it. Even if the love interest is incredibly unappealing.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) Who would’ve thought at the start of the decade that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson would turn into indie darlings starring in one critically acclaimed film after the next? I love that for them.

Oscar Bait but I’m Not Biting Not sure the Oscars weren’t a mistake tbh.

The Artist (2011) I kind of enjoyed this but ultimately it’s watered-down Hollywood history made appealing to modern audiences and its aim is far higher than its reach.

Birdman (2014) It was a fun watch but it left no impression.

Darkest Hour (2017) Technically a good movie but such obvious Oscar bait I just couldn’t fully enjoy it.

The Help (2011) Let’s leave the white savior narrative behind in the 2010s, shall we?

The King’s Speech (2010) I love Colin Firth. I barely remember this movie.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) Don’t love that the racist cop is the most fully fleshed-out character in this movie while the black characters are all unnamed extras.

Whiplash (2014) It’s just drumming, J.K. Simmons, it’s not that serious.

I Feel Like I Should Like This More This category is mostly three camps, as you’ll see.

120 battements par minute (2017), 69 Minutes of 86 Days (2017), Fire at Sea (2016), I, Daniel Blake (2016) All important movies with a worthy message that I just couldn’t connect with on a personal level.

Adieu au langage (2014), Before We Vanish (2017), Bridesmaids (2011), Jagten (2012), A Separation (2011), Timbuktu (2014), Transit (2018), Winter’s Bone (2010) Critically acclaimed, maybe it’s just me?

Her (2013) The rest is all movies I expected to like more than I did. I’m not sure what didn’t click with this one. It’s been a while since I saw it.

Get Out (2017) I wasn’t gonna watch it because I don’t really watch horror so when I finally caved, I knew pretty much everything about it. Watching a movie the first time knowing everything that happens in it and after seeing it dissected for months on end by every critic on the planet does take a lot of the enjoyment away, as it turns out.

Gone Girl (2014) Really thought I’d love it. It’s good just didn’t click with me.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) It’s pretty. Liam Neeson is always fun.

Pacific Rim (2013) Mako is great and I enjoy the chemistry between her and Raleigh but ultimately this one just kind of slipped out of my mind as soon as I’d seen it.

Toni Erdmann (2016) It’s too damn long!

The Tree of Life (2011) I just watched this the other day so it’s very possible my opinion will change. I was expecting to love it but I… didn’t. It felt like this movie was trying too hard to be profound and important, at the cost of actually saying something, well, profound and important.

No Strong Feelings One Way or the Other I actually have nothing to say about any of these movies and most of them are good but they had to go somewhere.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Boyhood (2014), Brave (2012), Creed (2015), Django Unchained (2012), Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010), Flavours of Youth (2018), Frozen (2013), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), Interstellar (2014), Intouchable (2011), The Jungle Book (2016), Monsters University (2013), Rogue One (2016), Schaste moe (2010), Shutter Island (2010), Three Identical Strangers (2018), To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), Undir trénu (2017), Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Middling Festival Fare I have nothing to say about these either but I couldn’t lump them in with the others. I mostly liked them more than the movies in the previous category and they took bigger risks. Some of them might even be great, just very much not my cup of tea.

3 Tage in Quiberon (2018), Acid Forest (2018), Amateurs in Space (2016), Barakah Meets Barakah (2015), Der Andständige (2014), Disappearance (2017), Dreams by the Sea (2017), En fremmed flytter ind (2017), Føniks (2018), The Girl Down Loch Aenzi (2016), God Exists, Her Name is Petrunija (2019), Gods of Molenbeek (2019), Jag är Ingrid (2015), Já, Olga Hepnarová (2016), Looking for Oum Kulthum (2017), Mister Universo (2016), Neruda (2016), The Raven and the Seagull (2018), Rester vertical (2016), Slow West (2015), Sugar Coated (2015), Summer Survivors (2018), Tickled (2016), Worldly Girl (2016)

Maybe Not the Best But a Lot of Fun Better than those guilty pleasures but generally pretty flawed. Austenland (2013) A very cute little romcom. Extra points for Jennifer Coolidge, the most underrated character actress of this century.

Baby Driver (2017) I feel like revisiting this one might not be as enjoyable for reasons that have nothing to do with the film’s quality but I had fun watching it in the theater.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) I was a fan of this franchise from the start so even though this movie is kind of dour and dark, it was still a blast to watch. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Do I love every choice this movie made? No. But I saw this at a midnight screening, in full cosplay with my friends, in a theater packed with fans. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I, Tonya (2017) For a movie that contains so much abuse and such a bummer ending, it’s surprisingly entertaining!

The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) Lego Batman is my favorite Batman.

Nothing Like a Dame (2018) I just really love Maggie Smith.

On - drakon (2015) This movie feels like it was pitched as “Twilight but with dragons!”. It’s fun, though, and it’s got an interesting aesthetic and a proactive heroine who gets herself out of trouble with ingenuity and bravery.

Sing Street (2016) I love the soundtrack to this movie and the characters are incredibly endearing. The story is very simple in not a great way but it doesn’t need to be deep to be enjoyable.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) I like that they skip the origin story for once and keep the scope of it fairly limited. A very nice little slice-of-life teen movie combined with a superhero flick. Tom Holland is a good Spider-Man. Would’ve been better without Iron Man tbh. Star Trek Beyond (2016) I feel like they got the characters right here, which was a problem for the first Star Trek of the rebooted trilogy. It’s a fairly inconsequential movie but it’s a blast.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan so I don’t have a lot of opinions here. It’s fun! Not a lot more I want from Star Wars. Ultimately didn’t intrigue me enough to wanna see the rest of the trilogy.

Ten no Chasuke (2015) This movie is a little weird, a little goofy and a lot of fun. I like the guy who just constantly lives through different movie plots because the angel writing his life can’t think of anything original, that tickled me.

Good Movies I Don’t Have a Clever Title Here They’re good movies, Brent.

Barbara Rubin and the Exploding NY Underground (2018) An enjoyable, well-made documentary but considering its subject matter disappointingly conventional.

Black Panther (2018) This movie could have been much better had it not been under the constraints of the MCU. Still one of the best offerings of the genre this decade.

Boy Meets Girl (2014) We need more movies like this. Not just for representation (although that is important) but also because cinema needs a greater variety of stories than are currently being told.

Brooklyn (2015) The scope of this movie is very small but the characterization is nuanced and every aspect of the film goes towards furthering that.

Bugs (2016) The focus of this movie is split between its very interesting subject matter (the use of bugs as food around the world) and the chefs we’re following around who kind of seem like dicks and honestly drag the movie down a lot.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Steve Rogers is one of my favorite MCU characters, purely on the strength of this movie. In a world where no one seems to know how to adapt Superman to film, it’s nice they got this one right.

Cloud Atlas (2012) This movie has such lofty ambitions and I admire it for that, even if the execution is off at times. But the use of yellowface is..... bad. It’s very bad and the directors should have known better.

Cold War (2018) I love the music in this, which is good because it is near constant.

Damsel (2018) I love a deconstructed western and I love Robert Pattinson. It’s a shame that the female character at the center of the story wasn’t better developed, considering how much screen time she got.

Damsels in Distress (2011) This movie is quirky and cutesie, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (and usually isn’t mine) but I love it. Some solid acting goes a long way.

Der kommer en dag (2016) This movie is two hours of children suffering yet it comes across as so optimistic? I think it’s the space race stuff. Who doesn’t love the space race?

Frantz (2016) I am always down for stories that reckon with the effects of WWI.

Future Baby (2016) There’s a scene in this movie where a surrogate mother gives birth and it is both very graphic and heart-wrenching. If the rest of the movie were more like that one scene, it’d be on my shortlist for the best of the decade.

Fyre (2019) How was Fyre Festival a real thing that happened?

Girls Don’t Fly (2016) Girls don’t fly because the man training them to be pilots is a dick and treats them horribly. It’s a bummer but important to uncover.

Hidden Figures (2016) Kevin Costner’s character needed to be written out - black stories that don’t involve “good” white people are both possible and necessary. But I adore all three main actresses and they do some amazing work.

Hjartasteinn (2016) The subject matter is cliché but it’s handled beautifully.

The Lego Movie (2014) Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you’re part of a team!

Journey to the Shore (2015) I honestly wasn’t sure how to feel for most of the run time of this movie but by the end it got me.

On Body and Soul (2017) This movie feels like a dream and I mean that in a good way.

The Salvation (2014) Have I mentioned that I love deconstructed westerns? Mads Mikkelsen is always on point, even with garbage material, but he’s got some good stuff to work with here.

Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018) This movie made me more interested in its director, Margarethe von Trotta, than Bergman himself. Everyone should check out The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum!

The Shape of Water (2017) This movie is very much like a fairy-tale, which means it’s not particularly nuanced or complicated, but it is beautiful.

Still the Water (2014) This movie starts with a cow being graphically slaughtered and yet the only word I can think of to describe it is “gentle”. But maybe skip the first five minutes if you’re sensitive to blood or animal death.

Studio 54 (2018) How were the 70s even real?

Sumarbörn (2017) It’s a rare feat to get such good acting out of child actors.

Thor: Ragnarök (2017) The best MCU movie. It’s a lot of fun without once losing its heart, which is a rare thing for Marvel (just google the words “bathos” and “mcu”, other people have covered this already).

Warm Bodies (2013) The cutest rom-com of the decade features a zombie as its main lead. I’m not mad about it.

Wild Tales (2014) The dissonance between the realist shooting style and the cartoonish violence often results in some excellent dark humor. The rest of the time, it just feels kind of off.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) Jordan Belfast is both a lot of fun and utterly despicable and the movie is not afraid to go as balls to the walls as it needs to.

The Young Karl Marx (2017) So like... Marx and Engel were into each other? At least a little, right?

Great Movies Also No Clever Title

Andið eðlilega (2018) Okay so I don’t watch a lot of Icelandic cinema but from what I have seen, I am incredibly encouraged by the direction it is heading. Call this exhibit A.

Ága (2018) This movie is very slow and not a lot happens but that’s kind of why it works so well. It hooked me in and had me genuinely interested in every uneventful scene.

Brecht’s Threepenny Film (2018) I walked away feeling like I’d understood maybe one third of this film but it left me with a feeling of exhilaration that’s hard to define and that few films manage.

Les aventures extraordinaires d'Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) Adèle Blanc-Sec is like Tintin and Indiana Jones combined except way better. In a just world, she would be a much more popular character and the reported film trilogy would have actually happened.

En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron (2014) This movie is delightfully weird and messed up. Nothing more to say here.

The Favourite (2018) I was honestly expecting to be let down by this movie after all the overwhelming praise but as it turns out, it deserved all of the accolades and possibly more.

Gravity (2013) This movie was kind of marketed as “realistic sci-fi” and while I can’t say it felt particularly real, the emotional arc sure as hell did.

Inception (2010) The complexity of this film was vastly over-hyped but it’s still the best work I’ve seen by Nolan (though to be fair, I still haven’t seen Dunkirk). Kreuzweg (2014) The film is composed of just fourteen still shots, representing the Stations of the Cross. That could have come across as really gimmicky but it works because the shots are well staged and the material is just that good. Loveless (2017) This is the bleakest, most depressing movie I think I’ve ever seen. The Martian (2015) The best thing about this movie is the way it shows the world coming together just to save this one guy. International cooperation is the future!

Paradies: Liebe (2012) This is a movie about sex tourism and it is as unpleasant to watch as that sounds. But it’s also incredible.

Paradies: Hoffnung (2013) The third in Seidl’s paradise trilogy (I missed the middle part, don’t remember why). Just as messed up as Liebe but mildly more palatable.

Une nouvelle amie (2014) I saw this movie with my dad, which was kind of awkward, but that doesn’t take away from its beauty. We really do need more stories like this.

Tale of Tales (2015) I am always here for a fairytale adaptation, particularly ones that stick close to the dark, gruesome, humorous tone of most traditional fairytales.

Welcome to Norway (2016) This movie is just really, really funny.

White God (2014) If you’re sensitive to animal abuse then this is not the film for you. The dogs in this movie actually won the Palm Dog Award and it was well deserved. They’re very good dogs! Tom of Finland (2017) How refreshing to see a movie about a historical gay person that isn’t all death and tragedy! It does have some of that, unavoidably, but it’s also a lot of fun and ultimately is a celebration of a very important sub-cultural figure.

Vinterbrødre (2017) I wasn’t expecting a movie set in a mining community to look this beautiful.

Wonder Woman (2017) The best superhero movie of the decade, despite the slightly messy third act. It’s such an earnest, hopeful movie and unlike most films of the genre, it’s not afraid to take itself seriously or to come across as cheesy. Superheroes are cheesy! That’s one of the best things about them!

Amazing Animation I don’t like animation being singled out from live action as if it’s somehow less, but I wanted to highlight how many excellent animated films were made this decade.

The Breadwinner (2017) I’ve seen this film’s production company, Cartoon Saloon, been called the Irish version of Disney but Disney has never made anything half this daring. Coco (2017) The ending made me sob like a little kid. This movie doesn’t get enough credit for being one of only two Pixar films this decade to live up to their early work.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) The flight scenes in this movie gave me actual vertigo and I loved it.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) The rare sequel that’s actually better than the original! For all the franchises that exist out there just to continue milking that cash cow, it’s nice to see something get continued because the filmmakers had more stories to tell.

Loving Vincent (2017) This movie has been criticized for a weak plot, to which I say: it’s an animated movie made up of oil paintings! Do you really care about the plot? Sometimes the spectacle is all you need, especially when it’s something that touches you as deeply as Vincent van Gogh’s art does.

Moana (2016) Moana’s scenes with her grandmother and Te Fiti are up there with some of the most emotionally evocative stuff to come out of Disney studios. It’s a pity the rest of the movie couldn’t quite live up to that.

Rise of the Guardians (2012) Mostly, this movie just looks incredible. I am also an eternal sucker for Chris Pine, even if his voice sounds weird coming out of a teenager’s mouth.

Song of the Sea (2014) This is the most beautiful animated film I’ve ever seen outside of Studio Ghibli’s best, both the look and the feel of it.

Tangled (2010) I know I sound like an old fogy but this movie would’ve been much better if it had been traditionally animated. Still pretty good!

Toy Story 3 (2010) It’s been nine years since the third Toy Story came out?? Christ, this decade.

Your Name (2016) I really should be watching more anime.

Zootopia (2016) Disney’s best work since Treasure Planet, which is an underrated masterpiece. It’s almost worth the resurgence in furries (jk furries, you’re okay).

This Is Why You Guys Should Be Watching Documentaries Because documentaries are a seriously underrated art form.

Ama-San (2016) This is the kind of cinema vérité filmmaking I live for.

Behind the Curve (2018) The existence of flat earthers remains baffling (well, maybe not that baffling when you look at the rest of our society) but this documentary is excellent.

Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016) This is a documentary about a cache of lost silent films that were found in the 70s and most of the movie is silent, with information being conveyed through text and images. It’s these kinds of choices that elevate a good documentary beyond just educational programming.

Exodus: Where I Come From Is Disappearing (2016) Absolutely heart-wrenching. It’s difficult to watch but the issues it discusses shouldn’t be looked away from.

Foodies (2014) There’s a foodie in this movie who rates his food on looks before he even tastes it and a chef whose signature dish is a dessert called “sex on the beach” which includes a very realistic-looking used condom. I wanted those two to meet but they never did and that is my one criticism of this film.

Free Solo (2018) I developed a fear of heights after watching this movie.

The Great Green Wall (2019) I had never heard of the great green wall before seeing this movie. It’s so surreal to get a window into a society where no one is arguing about climate change because they are already undeniably feeling the effects of it. And by strange, I mean incredibly sad and upsetting.

How to Let Go of the World: and Love All the Things Climate Can’t Change (2016) Speaking of climate change. This movie takes on climate grief and shows why you can’t stop at that, why you need to push past it and keep fighting. I’d argue The Great Green Wall actually does that same thing and better but it’s still a very necessary message.

Into the Inferno (2016) Werner Herzog is just. The best. Especially his documentaries.

Kismet (2014) This movie examines how art affects people by way of one of the least respected art forms out there (soap operas). I just really love that premise and the execution is even better.

Merchants of Doubt (2014) Honestly fuck every single person making money by hastening our descent towards climate catastrophe. Good movie, though.

My Scientology Movie (2015) This was the first Louis Theroux movie I saw and it’s a great one to start with. For all they’ve been treated like a joke, Scientologists are actually pretty scary.

The Other Side of Everything (2017) The personal is the political in this film. What an incredible look at the ways our past shapes our present and future.

Pervert Park (2014) This movie fucked me up.

The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (2016) The conceit of this film is looking at the US prison system indirectly by keeping the camera outside the actual prisons and off actual prisoners. It works incredibly well, just astounding documentary film making.

Push (2019) Just when you thought you couldn’t hate the rental market any more!

Safari (2016) Fuck trophy hunters.

The Silence of Others (2018) I didn’t even know about the Spanish 1977 Amnesty Law until I saw this movie. Maybe that’s just my own ignorance but I feel it shows how necessary documentaries like these are.

Tower (2016) I cried like a baby watching this movie. Using rotoscope animation to tell the story of the 1966 shootings a the University of Texas was I think an excellent choice and made for a unique documentary.

Visages villages (2017) Agnès Varda is possibly my favorite director and it hurts to leave this one off the “best” list (call it an unofficial #11). Still not sure I shouldn’t have swapped out one of the actual top ten for it.

Welcome to Sodom (2018) The world is so fucked up.

It Stayed With Me Movies that left me reeling and that I couldn’t get out of my head for days after watching (call all of them an unofficial joint #12).

The Act of Killing (2012) Speaking of fucked up! It is absolutely surreal seeing these mass murderers try to justify their actions to the interviewers. “I was just doing my job” is no excuse and trying to use it as one is actually reprehensible.

Arrival (2016) I didn’t actually see it until this year and I felt it couldn’t possibly live up to the hype but it did! It’s reminiscent of Interstellar in that in this ‘hard’ science fiction story the ultimate solution is based on an emotional revelation but Arrival pulled it off much better. The Congress (2013) This is basically two movies in one; one is fairly grounded sci-fi and the other is just a straight up acid trip in film form. In any case, Robin Wright is absolutely flawless.

Carol (2015) Cate Blanchett please date me. Grüße aus Fukushima (2016) I’m always gonna be a sucker for a movie about women connecting and helping each other through trauma.

High Life (2018) I saw this one knowing nothing about it and ngl it shocked me a bit. The way it incrementally got more and more fucked up made me feel a bit like a frog being slowly boiled alive. November (2017) The atmosphere this movie creates is unreal. Maybe not the strongest characterization but it balances a feeling of magic and wonder with just utter bleakness and it left me reeling. Paterson (2016) I can’t even fully explain why I loved this movie so much or why it stuck me. Mostly, it’s just so damn cozy. The Square (2017) I mean, that scene with the ape man was fucked up right? Tangerine (2015) I don’t think filming on your iPhone is the future of cinema or anything but it does show how accessible filmmaking is slowly becoming. Also, that scene of Alexandra performing Toyland is one of the best musical moments in cinema this decade and that is not up for debate. Team Hurricane (2017) I’ve never seen a movie with an aesthetic like this before (it’s very vaporwave) but this film is about and was mostly shot by a group of actual teenage girls. It’s a little melodramatic in places but at the same time that feels very sincere and the girls all clearly have a lot of talent and a lot to say. Varda par Agnes (2019) This movie probably wouldn’t have stuck with me so much if Agnès Varda hadn’t died earlier this year. She is a truly unparalleled figure in film history.

The Best According to me, anyway. But I’m right.

Cameraperson (2016) This is a different kind of documentary filmmaking. What it most reminds me of is Beaches of Agnès (no, I’m never done talking about Agnès Varda) but even that is not a perfect comparison. It’s deeply personal while also covering an insane variety of topics. Embrace of the Serpent (2015) This movie feels like a dream and I mean that in the best way possible. At turns beautiful, brutal, and absolutely baffling. The Florida Project (2017) I’ve seen this movie criticized for glorifying poverty and I can’t discount that opinion. For my part, I thought this movie did an incredible job balancing the world as seen through the eyes of a carefree child enjoying her summer and the dangerous, precarious reality of living in poverty. Inside Out (2015) When Pixar gets it right, they get it really right. The Love Witch (2016) I just really, really love witches. The best looking live action movie of the decade. The fact that writer/director/editor/producer Anna Biller hasn’t made another film since is an actual crime. Melancholia (2011) No movie has ever hit me this hard in such a visceral way; I was miserable for days after seeing it. Lars von Trier is an asshole but he knows how to film depression. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Believe the hype, it is actually perfect. And I don’t even like action movies! Moonlight (2016) It’s rare to see a movie this deeply, devastatingly human. The final two shots of the film, paired together, are literally the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in a theater. Kona fer í stríð (2018) The best Icelandic movie that’s been made yet. Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir is a national treasure. Shoplifters (2018) I mean, who’s expecting a movie called ‘Shoplifters’ to be so devastating? It’s such a painful film but it is also heartwarming and intimate. Un couteau dans le coeur (2018) This movie is strange and funny and violent and gorgeous. I’ve never had such a good experience at a film festival as I did the two times I went to see this movie.

#well it's done #this was mostly written for an audience of one aka me #but hey this took a while so do check it out if you want

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likehandlingroses · 6 years ago

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Timetable (Viktor/Percy)

Summary: Already facing the worst birthday of his life, Percy is confronted by a disgruntled Viktor Krum. The unexpected visit holds the key to helping them both find a new path forward. (General Audiences)

Read below or on Ao3

Percy had never expected that all his aspirations would be dead by his twentieth birthday. But here it was, and Percy couldn’t think of a single thing that was going right.

The Minister--his mentor, the man he’d trusted over his own family--had been wrong. Hopelessly, devastatingly wrong, and for no good reason.

Percy had gone over the past year dozens of times, trying to see it from every angle. Some vantage points still vindicated his choices: he’d been right, after all. Fudge hadn’t minded that Percy wasn’t speaking to his family. He hadn’t hired Percy as a human wiretap, and it had been insulting for Father to suggest it…no, Percy certainly hadn’t started the argument. No matter how you sliced it, he’d had every intention of making everyone happy. Was it his fault for not appreciating why his parents had changed attitudes so radically?

But from other angles, Percy could only see his choices in a rather pathetic light. He’d shouted like a child, and an ungrateful one, at that. How would he have seen it, if Fred or George or Ron had treated their parents’ concerns with such arrogant, violent dismissal? And, if he was being truthful with himself, the holes in Fudge’s logic had been apparent from the start.

It might have been easier if he could choose an angle, if he could pinpoint what the truth was. But details were beginning to blur, and Percy wasn’t sure he could trust his own perceptions. Clearly, they’d been wrong before.

He was stuck, and he didn’t have the first idea how to get himself unstuck. He’d hoped, for the first few weeks, that someone would come by and tell him “I told you so.” That would have helped get things moving. But Father still ignored him during their chance encounters at work, and so far he hadn’t received any nasty mail from the twins.

Mum sent a birthday card, but that only had the effect of making Percy wish he’d never been born. He put it on his desk, fueled by a morbid sense of duty, as well as a desperate, fanciful hope that it might provoke him into action.

He’d hardly finished tossing the envelope when he looked up to see a scowling figure standing a few feet inside of the doorway. Percy had been told by many during the Triwizard Tournament that Viktor Krum was “particular;” he’d never been able to ascertain what they meant.

He certainly wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of finding out on what was already shaping up to be the worst birthday of his life.

“Can I help you?” he said, barely containing the sigh in his voice. Viktor nodded, sulking over to Percy’s desk.

Perhaps it was because he knew he presented an imposing enough figure on his own, but Viktor’s voice never rose beyond a grumble as he explained to Percy that he was being asked to reapply for residency privileges.

“This letter they sent me is not explaining anything,” he said, pushing the letter onto his desk.

When Percy coolly suggested he speak to International Affairs about the mix-up, Viktor’s lips turned up at the corners.

“I went there first,” he said. “But they are telling me to speak with you. So now we are going in circles.”

Percy had been about to protest that he had no idea why they’d have sent such a case over to administration, when he remembered Scrimgeour’s recent initiative to examine all residents who had attended Durmstrang. Potential radicals, he called them. As if Hogwarts hadn’t bred more than its fair share of dark witches and wizards...

All reapplications were to go through the Minister and the Auror’s office. Only then could the international office move to update their paperwork.

They’d covered all of it in their last inter-departmental meeting. How had he forgotten?

Percy’s eyes caught his mother’s card, and he turned red.

“You’re correct, of course, ” he managed, his voice shaking. “I’m so sorry, I’d forgotten...we’ve had quite a few changes in the past few months.”

Viktor sat forward in his chair.

“It isn’t your fault,” he said. “The people who are making these changes...they pass them down without caring for anyone else’s time.”

Percy’s chest puffed out, more out of habit than real indignance. He never should have made such a comment to a customer...if word got out that he was that sort of employee, he’d really be on the outs.

“Minister Scrimgeour works longer hours than anyone else in the Ministry,” he insisted. “I’m sure of that.”

Viktor, who looked quite content now that he knew he wouldn’t be shunted off to another department, cocked his head to the side.

“You are sure of this because he is boasting about it, or you are sure because you are here with him all these hours?” Viktor raised one of his eyebrows and shrugged. “In either case, I am thinking he does not work more than you.”

Percy stared at Viktor, knowing he had precisely three seconds before he’d be expected to reply. Three seconds was an eternity, if you knew what you were doing. Percy could speak on the fly to foreign dignitaries, to distraught department heads, to the Minister of Magic himself…

He hadn’t bothered to learn a three second strategy for a man he’d just realized was disarmingly attractive.

“Well...let me get you the proper paperwork,” he stammered, clocking in at a wretched five and half seconds. “It’s a simple process, really...just a formality…”

He shuffled through file cabinets with more gusto than he needed to, as if the extra hand gestures would keep him from shouting out something that was most definitely not permitted under current human resource guidelines.

“I appreciate your help with this,” Viktor said as Percy handed him a pile of forms. “Mr…?”

“Percy,” he replied, too loudly. “I mean...my name is Percy Weasley.”

“And I call you?”

Whatever you like.

“Percy is perfectly fine.”

Viktor nodded and held out his hand.

“Viktor.”

Percy was going to have to calendar in the next Magical Games and Sports event.

When Viktor saw Percy enter the hall, his first instinct was to find a corner where he could forget that they were in the same room. These sort of events were difficult enough without having to worry about running into the man he’d caught feelings for.

As he quickly realized, Percy wasn’t the sort of person you could pretend didn’t exist. His voice carried, and it seemed like he was determined to talk to everyone in attendance. His confidence was dizzying; he flitted about, speaking to perfect strangers, like it was nothing.

It was the sort of behavior Viktor had always associated with charlatans and leeches. But each time Viktor had met with Percy regarding his residency papers, he’d received nothing but sincere, thorough help, from beginning to end.

Still, Viktor thought. That was Percy’s job. It didn’t mean anything, and it wasn’t fair to Percy for Viktor to nurse feelings for him.

“Viktor!” Percy called out, hastening to greet him at the corner table Viktor had been hiding at for the past half hour. “Wonderful to see you. I hope you’re well?”

Viktor mumbled the expected “yes; and you?” If Percy was put off by his stiffness, he didn’t show it. He said something about being quite well, thank you...and Viktor prepared himself for Percy to move on to the next attendee.

Instead, Percy indicated the chair next to the one Viktor had just been sitting in.

“Is anyone sitting here?”

“No.”

“Would you mind if I joined you?” Percy asked. Viktor shook his head, and that was all the invitation Percy needed to plop down into the chair.

“To tell you the truth, I really don’t spend much time at Magical Games and Sports,” he explained to Viktor once they were both seated. “I hardly know anyone here.”

“You were talking to everyone like you knew them well,” Viktor said, before realizing he’d just revealed entirely too much about what he’d been paying attention to that evening.

“Yes, well...that’s sometimes the job, isn’t it?” Percy said, grinning at Viktor. “Make the rounds, then find who you really want to talk to.”

Viktor blinked. He didn’t have much experience in romantic matters, but he was fairly sure he heard an insinuation in Percy’s voice.

“And that is me?” he asked, hoping his tone carried the same insinuation. To his dismay, Percy sat back in his seat.

“If you have someone else you’re wanting to meet with--”

“--no, no!” Viktor interrupted. “This kind of party...I go because they ask. I give myself one hour, then I am leaving through the back door.”

“Oh.” Percy’s brow was furrowed. “And how far into your hour are you, exactly?”

Viktor almost looked up at the clock before realizing that was entirely beside the point.

“Well, if you are staying...that makes a difference.”

#percy weasley #viktor krum #percy/viktor #percy weasley/viktor krum #viktor/percy

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komatsunana · 6 years ago

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Chronicles of Exandria: The Legend of Vox Machina II

I did this for the first volume, so I bought this artbook right away just to do it again. <3 My Winter’s Crest gift to all the critters.

The art. Once again I cannot overstate the stunning artwork of the critter community. I know some fans balk at the price, but all the artists are paid to have their art in the book - and I think the big price tag is well worth artist getting some compensation for their work (do correct me if I’m wrong). I won’t be sharing any photos of of the art, but most of it is available online already.

However, I will share this photo of the print on the box the book came in:

Excerpt of the Foreward:

“The memories in this book are real. They were created with love and laughter around a table with friends, and let loose on the wind to find what ears would listen. The joys and pains of every winding turn still occupy our minds daily and if you are reading this, I suspect they live on in yours as well. We were there. We witnessed it unfold.”

Vox Machina was only able to scry on Scanlan once, as seen in the episode Jugs and Rods, but some time after Scanlan warded himself against arcane sight.

The Mantle of the Tempest is described as “eternal autumn leaves.”

Keyleth goes on to rule with wisdom and grace.

Usually the Cobalt Soul has problems researching historical figures for whom there is little written word about...... With Taryon they had the opposite problem: there was too much! lmao. And 90% of it is believed to be embellished or flat out lies.

Nicknames that Taryon gave himself and were never used by anyone ever: “The Winsome Winner of Wildemount,” “Talented Tary,” “Golden-Maned Guardian of Good,” and “The Vindicator.”

Uvenda, the gnome in Vesrah, is still alive!! She’s stepped down as leader now and is the tale-teller of Vesrah.

The Ashari call the kraken that VM fought for Keyleth’s Aremente “Ulugrah the Requisite.”

Uvenda claims that Ulugrah, upon learning that the creatures it had trounced were legendary heroes (I’m assuming they mean Vox Machina), it boasts about it’s victory against them to anyone who will listen any who come to its lair in the Plane of Water.

Tova went by different epithets including: “The Bear,” “Little Half-Ear,” “The Bloody-Handed,” and “The Skin Changer.” After surviving the Hells thanks to Vax’s ring of invisibility, she gained the name “The Unseen Death.” Little else can be verified about Tova, but none of her friends she went to with Dis survived.

Grey Hunt Lore

Lord Wolf de Rolo and Lady Melanie van Musel de Rolo were the leaders of the 4th reign of Whitestone. It was a political marriage and Melanie was particularly unhappy. She had a garden filled with flora and fauna from her home in Wildemont. The garden is now known as the Widow’s Garden and many of the plants were poisons that she used to slowly assassinate Lord Wolf with.

After being injured in the Great Whitestone Fire, he couldn’t recover because of the poison and he died leaving Melanie the ruler. She decided to redraw the lines of the city walls, pushing into the Parchwood Timberlands which didn’t go well. Construction was plagued by accidents, animal attacks, and phantoms were reported (such as of Lord Wolf) - though the construction of a Temple of the Dawnfather went unhindered.

Lady Melanie’s cousin was Ivan van Musel, a cleric, and he declared that Melanie had pissed off the Dawnfather by expanding without showing reverence. Ivan went into the forest after much mediation and was later found battered but alive atop a felled Direwolf. Ivan had a vision in which the Lawbearer agreed to the expansion no further than where Ivan had felled the Direwolf and that from here on, a citizen of Whitestone must venture into the Parchwood when called to do so and be tested.

Melanie created the title Grand Master of the Grey Hunt, the third ruling house of Whitestone, for Ivan. The third house has since forth been in change of the Grey Hunt and managing the city’s relationship with the world beyond the city walls.

Hundreds of gold in property damage during Vox Machina’s stay at Dalen’s Closet while VM “relentlessly pranked” each other.

Whitestone became a thriving metropolis during VM’s year off - in part because of Allura keeping it safe during Thordak’s reign while everywhere else was ravaged.

K’yrrn - the dark elf that kidnapped Taryon - is from Xhorhas!

Though Tary could be called a fool, a braggart, a coward... in the moment he stood against his father’s selfishness and bigotry and forgave and reconciled with him is described as being more valiant than slaying.

Lionel Gayheart had “an unusual case of amnesia.”

JB Trickfoot continued to work in Whitestone’s library and it’s thanks to many of her notes that the Cobalt Soul has as much as they do on Vox Machina.

“Uh, yes, the very first thing I remember about meeting Vox Machina was when the red-haired lady jumped off a mountain. It was grisly. But what I’ll remember forever is what happened afterward. The coin that Lady Vex’ahlia used, the glow of light, the power. It brought her back to life. They really were like gods.”

Taryon’s autobiography’s dedication: “This book is dedicated to Lawrence. But it is for my family.”

Taryon thinks his father was actually proud of Tary’s Darrington Brigade.

Tary never liked his father, but after returning home Tary began to love him.

Mariya, Tary’s mom, was part of the Brigade and took care of the injured warriors.

Maryanne, Tary’s sister, became the driving force behind the Darrington Fund charity and even gave up her home for those less fortunate than herself. When she called Tary “brother” it was no longer an insult.

Tary is most proud that his mother finally has a united family, one to be proud of.

Kaylie Shorthalt talks a bit about Lionel - says he was a goofy son of a bitch. He kept talking to her about ducks though. He once tried to show her his house, but he just took her to an oasis in the middle of desert that was full of ducks.

The Cobalt Soul doesn’t like to spread rumors but they do have theories of Lionel’s Marquesian mallard heritage.

Aes Adan, aka the Meat Man, rise to power coincided with the disappearance of several low to mid level criminals.

A scholar once went to visit Scanlan to interview him to see if the rumors were true that Scanlan had been the Meat Man. The Scribe returned, unable to remember anything from his visit. In his notebook were only crude drawings of ducks. Scanlan still using that Modify Memory...

The fucking Cobalt Soul knows that Scanlan sacrificed the 9th level spell he was saving for Vax to stop Vecna from leaving. It’s history folks.

For the folks out there who love the Briarwoods’ love for each other, some of an excerpt of Delilah’s journal: “No matter the cost, my love, I will do it. I care not how many must die, or how grave the sins must be that I commit. I broke the world once for you, Sylas. I shall do it again, and again, and again, for you. For us. Forever.”

Vecna envied the Raven Queen, as her followers did so not just because they feared her, but because they loved and respected her too.

Vecna threatened the assembled protectors of Vasselheim, saying that it would be the perfect place for ambush, but that’s no fun when there are many less-protected loved ones. People he threatened include Earthbreaker Groon’s daughter (Desir), Vord’s family, J’mon’s concubines, all of Whitestone and particularly Cassandra. And Young Velora Vessar, “playing alone in her room.”

The Everlight: Redeemer of All

“Comprehension is the only true measure of dominion.”

Pelor, The Dawnfather: The Primordial Light

“Faith is defined by the darkness we have not conquered.”

Ethrid Brokenbranch AKA Sprigg the Obnoxious gets his own book of history by the Cobalt Soul. Autobiographical writings were found in the wreckage of his house

The Goddess Ioun: Our Knowing Mistress

“Comprehension is the only true measure of dominion.” (This is the same quote as for the Everlight - idk which one is the error.)

The Raven Queen: The Matron of Ravens

“By my grace, all are rendered equal.”

It is forbidden to study Arkhan the Cruel.

Vox Machina lived out the rest of their days in relative happiness and peace.

Percy’s magnum opus is the Clock Tower of Whitestone - a national treasure of Tal’Dorei.

Vex continued to rule as Baroness for a time after Percy’s passing. Vex saw her bother’s spirit after the birth of her first child. She reconciled somewhat with her father and showered Velora with love and blessings.

Kaylie went to school at the Alabaster Lyceum in Emon on Scanlan’s dime.

Pike and Scanlan had a lengthy courtship.

Tary’s book The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Ser Taryon Darrington contained an accurate account of his time with Vox Machina, even if nothing else is accurate.

Grog helped Earthbreaker Groon restore the Temple to the Stormlord while staying Vasselheim, defending his title in the Crucible.

The final, actual words of the book that aren’t a dedication or part of an image: “And as the story is told: ‘Everyday that raven comes to visit.’” ;’(

There is a stunning four page fold-out page of Percy’s clock tower. I cannot emphasize enough how lovely it is. The end of it dedicates it to Vex and is quoted with, “I couldn’t have asked for a better dream.”

On the other side of the fold-out are some... sketches of Percy’s notes? It seems that Diplomacy is now powered up by Cabal’s Ruin.

As part of “Cobalt Souls” thank you page: “Within a book, a story can only sleep. It requires a reader to give it life.”

#critical role #cr art book #vox machina #the legend of vox machina #the legend of vox machina ii #the chronicles of exandria #cr #critical role: vox machina campaign #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #i scream #my crit role feels

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hahahafangirl · 7 years ago

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To My Muse - Ch.4

Ch.1 - Ch.2 - Ch.3

To my AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078014/chapters/34958786

Summary: At this point, all Nico di Angelo wants to do is to finish the draft of his final book. Also at this point, all Will Solace wants to do is works through the summer to stay alive. Perhaps there are many things else that they also need, but they aren’t aware of them, yet. Okay, maybe they just need to do it step-by-step, and thus that first step is at The Flying Ship.

------------------------------------------------------------

4. One Step Back and Eight Steps Forward

Yet, the first deed Nico did that afternoon after he had woken up, was to timidly march to The Flying Ship for an espresso macchiato. There would never exist such a tremendous embarrassment that would prevent him from scoring a delightful coffee treat.

"His shift is from 3 to 11 pm, Nico. Throughout the week except for Thursday and Friday." Jason's vehement yet casual tone echoed his mind. Seriously, why does everyone assume he was coming to the shop just to see Will?

Nonetheless, Jason's words reminded him flawlessly the details of last night's conversations. With the "s", thus, intrinsically meant every conversation that happened that night. All of them. And just as that, a particular event of last night enacted upon his mind yet again.

------

Percy, ever the airhead he was, decided to visit LA one day before their previously-set schedule without notifying their hotel. Thus, his brilliant solution was to crash at Nico's place for the night.

"Just one night, Nico." Percy grinned, his face seemed acutely invitingly punch-able.

Why?

- Hazel, Piper and Reyna's place: That would be awkward.

- Leo and Frank's place: That would be awkward. (plus, no one beside Leo himself should be subjected to the agonizing torment that is staying in Leo's room.)

It was hereby concluded by "The Lord of All-Water Bodies" Percy Jackson that "the boys" should have their own bro-night; an extremely, utterly straight portrayal of a "male-only" sleepover - as if they were five again, thus suddenly "cooties" once more became the most cogent argument to have a gender-secluded overnight. Still, so to speak, whatever Percy himself had conserved on the boat that paddles him through the merciless tide of mortality, his frivolous tendency duly reserved its place. "Be positive, because life won't do that for you", he used to say, the shit-eating grin adorned his somber orbs; that day, the sea-green gemstones misplaced their luster. Nevertheless, Percy seemed to got his life together now - much, much better than the troubled days of his forsaken past.

Fortunately for the sea-eyed man, Annabeth seemed to understand his childish elation over a more tight-knit reconnection with his boys. Fairly speaking, she loved having this occasion for a private night for her little girls, too. Percy and Annabeth had always duly assumed the role as the group's solicitous older siblings; that it is their Holy Duty to protect everyone else in their rowdy little group, to give out advice, support and patronage their little siblings. Truth to be told, the immediate roles fell into their hold simply because they were the oldest; though Nico suspects that it doesn't even matter, for not long after, as Reyna joined the group being the only person that is as old as Percy and Annabeth, she's still only... the "second-in-command" (albeit she does a fine job of keeping everyone in check, still, and is mightily reliable). In addition, Percy is the mellow, nonchalant jokester, particularly loved to overindulge everyone else in the group, while Annabeth unhesitatingly assumed the mantle of the stern, disciplined yet sympathetic leader. Still, that does not make Percy an immature, annoying sibling nor Annabeth the austere, mundane mom - they are both capable of pliability, thank you very much - and from time to time, Percy is more capable of implementing certain orders, while there are personal secrets could only be heard by Annabeth. They make a nonpareil, ideal pair of protective parent that none of them ever had. In turn, "the children" make sure their "lovely parents" overexert themselves as little as possible, while often reminding them of how dependable these "little kids" had grown up to be - that after all, they are peers and should be enjoying each other's company and not a burdensome responsibility. After all those time that had passed, wasn't it nice to have a night together for unrestrained nostalgia and catching up?

Or maybe they (all of them) were just agog about Nico's love lives.

See, when he previously stated that Percy decided "to crash at Nico's place for the night", all just assumed that only Percy, and perhaps Annabeth, were staying over. No. Everyone was going to stay over. The only gender-exclusive detail was the bedroom separation. All of them. All seven of them, plus the homeowner, Jason and Nico, were staying in his apartment. (The sole vindication was that his apartment is apparently the largest and that they could all cram in easily. For extra warmth. It did not matter that this was summer.)

Thus, as the other five residents of LA rushed back to their house for their personal items, Annabeth and Percy followed Jason's car back to their apartment in Percy's beaten up, blue minivan. The guy was so in love with his "Bessie" that even though he was no longer an impecunious college student, he refused to purchase a new car. Annabeth, in the same boat with Percy, couldn't care less if Bessie looked as if she could break down any seconds - Annabeth knew how stable the car engine was, despite its rusted hood and peeled, discolored patches of paint (thanks to that one video call with Leo). Besides, countless of their joyous memories had featured Bessie, so much that she had become such a remarkable presence.

As much as Nico would like to mull over Bessie the Blue minivan for the sake of avoiding a conversation, Percy's voice - followed a thump of him casually dropped on the couch, resonated in his ears

"So, about Will Solace."

"Who?"

"'Blond Barista'" - Percy said, his voice light, his point- and middle finger curved repeatedly from both his hand, making two virtual quotation marks.

"Oh." Nico's eyes slightly widened for several seconds, then return to its initial state. He was not really used to Will's last name, yet. "What is there to say about him?"

"Well..." Percy looked hesitated for a second; licked his lips in faint discomfiture, the oceans in his eyes glanced away from Nico, fleetingly traveled in a detour around the apartment "I'm... glad for you?" The man's genuine tone rose slightly as if he was uncertain if the words had lifted out of his throat correctly; if the messages they were supposed to deliver was innocuously couriered. "For both of you, really. Even if you guys are just going to be friends."

"What do you mean?" Nico habitually cocked his head to the side in perplexity, his eyes straitened

"I mean whatever I just said. Genuinely." Percy leaned backward, his bronze-laved, muscular arms supported his athletic silhouette. A sigh sneaked out of his lips, just to melded away with the atmosphere "From when we've met, Nico... you've grown, a lot."

Percy's words certainly mustered the memories to slither up from their graves; memories that Nico tried so desperately to inhume, to enshroud, to better yet slaughtered and burned into ashes, to be blusted away as dandelion's wings. They were grotesque recollections that engulfed the light of much, much more jubilant ones; like an insatiate beast of gloom that fathomlessly craves for raptures, just for the sake of emptying one's sentiments. As wretchedly he hoped for them to wither away and succumbed away into his wills and deteriorate into embers, they didn't. Most of the time, those ghosts were lost into their slumber, lured into abandoning their existence, yet, they are there. Their existences are always subconsciously registered. They always are, their claws clenched fiendishly into his minds in their rest, refused to be forgotten. Even if they leave, Nico mused, the deformity they left and the scars they bruised upon him will always be there, carved in remembrance of his most ruinous memories. Never forget, they would say. Never forget the pain. He was so far away from those days now - farthest ever, every second that he was living, yet, eternally, he was afraid that one misstep would fail him; even one mistake would demolish the mountain he built so meticulously, let him fall into the grasp of despair once more. An angel, fallen into perdition, only to have risen in exultation, yet forevermore encumbered with the burden of the devil's graze on his tattered, bleeding feathers.

Nico must have zoned-out for a while, since Percy's arm was now draped across his shoulder, his eyes closed. He knew Nico doesn't want anyone to stare in moments like this. Jason was in his own room, tidied up the space, while Annabeth was in the shower. The road upon which they bonded was definitely not the most pleasant one - hellfire and bone scattered perhaps, but certainly not peebles for struggles and rainbow chimed with roses for decoration. If anyone, Percy and Annabeth's experiences are the closest it would ever get to Nico's - there is a reason why they are his closest friend, rivaled only by the mother-hens Jason and Reyna.

"A lot certainly had happened..." Nico's voice was light, given up to the strength of the air, his sentenced trailed away, dissolved.

"I'm glad you got to where you are now. Very, very, extremely glad." The sound that writhered out of Percy's lips was faint and gentle, lest it scares a kitten, "You, out of every soul on this Earth, deserve a chance of pursuing your happiness. So don't dare let anyone," them, the monsters, "tell you otherwise.

"I know this kind of courage is different from whatever kind of bravery it took you to survive before this. It's gonna be strange," Percy paused, momentarily lost in his nostalgic wander "but... all you need to do is take one step back. Then sprint forward. It's that kind of problem that you can solve that way. Prepare yourself, say "fuck it", then run."

"Is that the same way with swimming? Is that how you got the experience?" The raven boy smiled, his glint in his eyes soften.

"Yeah." Percy grinned, too, full-force. "And dating. That's where most of it came from, seeing that now you got someone you want to court."

"I don't know, Percy." Nico tipped back and sighed "I barely knew him, and... this stuff with 'love at the first sight', I don't really believe it."

"At one point, there will an epiphanic moment when your views on life shatter." A pause, "Maybe, that's now."

Nico's voice didn't stir. Perhaps that was because his mind refused to speak, his brain has yet to decipher what's next to say. Was he afraid? Of daring to love, soaring into another battle in the justice of affection; daring to welcome the injuries in the hope of rejoicing exultantly in the arms of a lover, to risk finding out his voyage was pointless?

"It's not a battle, Nico." Annabeth's voice ringed. She stepped out of the shower in a short, navy pajamas "Love does not have to be."

"Like I said, maybe start as friends, first." Percy gently uttered, "That would work better... for both of you." His eyes were hinted with some glassiness, the pause in the middle of his sentence showed recollection in his mind.

Nico was afraid. Yes. He was afraid. Of falling in love again, of hurting himself again. Afraid that his love life was forever cursed. Wasn't the first step toward bravery is to admit your fear? There, a bud of courage sparked its first light, coruscate against the pit of his stomach. Perhaps, perhaps he has the grit to step ahead, after all.

The fire in his mind must have glistered its gleam onto his esoteric eyes, for Percy and Annabeth squeezed his hand, a gentle, satisfying smile blossomed on the corner of their mouth.

"Hey! I brought video games! And the game controller!" Leo's energetic voice beamed, every consonant heavily indented the air despite the spatial separation, and also, the oak door.

"I'm going to destroy you at Mario Kart." Nico stood up, glared mischievously with a side of threatening at Percy before walked toward the door to welcome Leo and Frank in.

"I am surely up for a challenge," Percy smirked.

"Leo, be quieter, would you, it's almost 2 am." Frank sternly scold-whispered his fiery roommate, four game controllers in his arms.

Tonight was going to be a good one, Nico smiled.

-------------

The gaming, talking and playing stopped at around 6 am. All of the graduates were still familiar with the sensation of sleepless nights, although last night was filled with funs and chatters instead of essays and projects.

Most of them were still asleep, except for Jason, Frank and of course, Nico. He decided to enjoy his cup of coffee in peace before any of his friends would awake.

The bronze bell ringed as he pushed the door open, casually walking into the shop. It was Tuesday afternoon, voided of much presence.

"Welcome to The Flying Ship... Hey, it's you again!" Nico glanced toward the counter, just as yesterday, the same golden locks and boundless sky danced in his sight. "What would you like to order for today?"

"One expresso macchiato, no sugar, with extra cream." Nico smirked, even though he felt the need to sprint away, then glimpsed toward the glass refrigerator, looking for a new sweet "Plus, one raspberry cheesecake."

"All right, Nico." Will grinned, his cheery expression washed with even more merriment at the sound of Nico's name "That would be $13.40."

One step back. Nico tried to remind himself. Just one step back, then their entire dance would begin.

Their hands touched as they exchange bills for coins and treats.

Not yet - a voice in him coaxed his nervousness, not letting the rehearsed dancers of words in his mouth enter the stage. Not yet.

Followed its command, Nico let himself retreated back to his seat, the same one from yesterday, the area surrounded it empty. He pulled his phone out and opened the draft for his writing. Productivity is ever the most methodical excuse against human interaction, his cowardice reasoned. Just like that, Nico tried to distract himself, yet to no avail; as if his usually matured mind abruptly metamorphosed into that of a child, eager to escape the hold of its patron just to run toward the glass display of a toy store, its puppy eyes begging for a treat. His brain buzzed with a multitude of scenario, an infinite train filled with words and sentences he could have said to Will.

He decided to look around, once more, seeking for details that he might have had missed from yesterday. ADHD is not a pleasant child if one forced it to stare into a white, blank screen, forcing it to produce coherent, sincere meaning. His brain demanded to be free of the blinding light in front of its eyes; his onyx orbs again dancing across the space, twinkles of fluorescent bulbs embellished its fathomless background, like distant stars ornamented the sight of Earth's heaven.

The wall was yellow. A white cloud, painted on the wall was graffitied with tiny smiley faces in one of its lower corners. One yellow post-it note was placed mysteriously high on the wall. A table at the corner furthest to his eyesight cradled five books, all had yellow covers. Nico shifted his focus to the music. It was a pop song, but not in English. The language seemed quite familiar. Has he heard of this language before? Better yet, why was this song - the rhythm, the bass, the way the lyrics sounded - so recognizable?

"Is that... AKB48?" Nico realized, too late, that the thoughts edged out of the corner of his mouth

"What?" Will tilted his head back to him, the cup of coffee still was held in his palm

"The song. Is that AKB48?"

"You know AKB48?" Will's voice sounded incredulously astounded. The way he emphasized on the word "know" and the way his voice pitched at the name of the band was almost comical; and if not for Nico's remarkable skill of controlling his expression, a hilariously impertinent laugh would sprout from his lips.

"My friend used to blast this stuff every single day when we drive in his car. He used almost all of his salary that month to vote for his 'oshimen' in what... Ss...Sso..?" Nico squinted, his hand raised up, palm open, fingers curled dramatically. He never had the skill to pronounce the word.

"Sousenkyo. Yeah, I know about that." Will grinned, jokingly continue "Only from that and you recognize the rhythm everywhere?"

"Well, now that you would blast them every day in the shop, my brain would never be able to get rid of it." He was glad that this joyous, ordinary feat is what his brain would forever register. Perhaps, this moment would be, too, for eternity.

Out of the corner of his pondering, he saw Will's timid smile, a faint blush bloomed his cheek. He remembered what the aforementioned friend - Percy - used to say about liking such an unheard of group, ("To be fair, they were only not well-known in the West!" Percy protested) that the sensation when simply hearing someone complimenting the music was heavenly; meeting someone that recognizes the music was something... out of this world. The thought made Nico's stomach fluttered as well; a benign feeling bloomed in his chest - the petals of delight made the air inside his lungs hitched.

It was certainly pleasant to see Will's smile; it was as if the early morning light had rooted its aura from the boy's jollity - warm, congenial and delightful for the eyes. It was the natural lightning that compassionately shines its glow and spread the warmth to the beings of the Earth. It was the light that paints a pale gold glaze upon the grey, passionless concrete, the glitter that turn the water into liquified shatters of glass, the embellishments that adorn every sight, justly beautified life for every being's enjoyment. It was the background of an amused painter's masterpiece, the final key that graces an orchestral piece, and the soil upon which a writer described his muse-

"Nico, your order is done!" Will beamed, the last note lengthened into a melodious sound.

Nico snapped away from his daydream, disconcertingly realized that he had stared intensely at the boy again. He jerked up, tried to steadily clutch into his cups of coffee and the cheesecake dish. Nico could felt the amused gaze of Will projected onto his entire being, then, as if the boy's gape became itchy caress upon his back, Nico looked up, determined to stare intimidatingly into Will's eyes.

Which was a bad, horrible, foolish, idiotic idea, because Will's miniature sunshine grin defeated his capability to control his expression again. Somehow that smile was even cuter, more endearing and lovely - but Nico did not let himself plunged into the poetic pit again in favor of his coffee; though it hinted bits of intentionality and teases as if Will knew that Nico would make a fool of himself as long as Will smiles. Which is quite of correct, but the idea nonetheless is devilish and impish.

Yet, the idea of Will's puckish side just made him even more... attractive?

At this point, Nico was already halfway to his seat; thus, fortunately, kept his crimson cheeks hidden from Will. Still, he considered turning back. His whole purpose of being here was... to restart. One step back, then sprint ahead. Simple, right? But again, Nico pondered, there is no way such a scrawny, sedentary person like him could run, or doing remotely any athletic activity. Maybe ten, or better yet, eight steps would do?

Right. One step back, then eight step ahead. Seven is a magical number.

Nico placed his treat on the table. The plastic-mantled piece of wood was pristinely clean, strokes of dried fluid were revealed through the gleam of sunlight at a precise angle.

One step back. Nico stepped away from the table, his chin tilted up, stared directly into the street outside. There was an obnoxiously bright orange car behind his reflection in the glass.

One step forward. He turned, his gaze directed at Will, who was cleaning random utensils in the sink.

Two steps forward. He headed the counter. The lower corner of his eyes slightly squinted upward, as if the fluorescent lights were blinding.

Three steps forward. His pale, defined hands reached toward the other man. Nico's palm touched the minimal biceps on Will's arms. The blond man tilted himself over, surprise deluged his cerulean orbs.

Four steps forward. Nico began to speak:

"Hey, about yesterday..."

Five steps forward. Here come the replies:

"It's okay, you know, I'm not working that shift permanently. And if you want to talk about Percy and Annabeth, well-"

Six steps forward. Nico directed the conversation toward where he wanted it to be:

"They kind of told me what I needed to know. But... well, I don't come here just to talk about them." His voice was astonishingly steady

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if, you know, yesterday was awkward, with the crushing statement and such... I'm... well..." This is harder than he previously thought. The next words were extremely faint and airy "... I'm... sorry?"

"Dude," Will's breathy laugh escaped his lung "All I did yesterday was talking to some old friends. I don't mind the joking and such. Your friend must mean well." Maybe, just as his aura, this boy was extremely optimistic and carefree.

"I just," Will paused, scratching the back of his neck "I just wanted to, well, restart this. Do this the right way."

Will tilted his head sideways, like a puzzled puppy, which is cute, in addition to the way his eyes slightly narrowed, leaving the azure sky void of any reflected light.

"I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo." Nico extended his hand, his eyes closed for a second, just slightly longer than a blink. He breathed out in contentment; finally, he got the words out the right way.

"Oh" Will's pupil widened, the surprise quickly hidden beneath his sunlit dimple "I'm Will. Will Solace."

Seven steps forward. Will stretched his arm, still damped by the water in the sink; his palm was cool and drenched of a chemical smell when it touched Nico's. A timid smile, fondled with courage colored Nico's lips. The bravery was continued through Will's smile.

Eight steps forward. Will make a joke

"Hi, welcomes to Chili's."

"What? That's way out of context."

"What is humor with context? Lame."

"Yeah, but somehow your out-of-context joke was even lamer."

"Well, not as lame as you staring at me whenever I smiled."

"What-"

Will's laughter echoed the shop. Echoed the world. Echoed in Nico's memories, now and forever beyond the grasp of time. Like a bronze bell whose ring is heard all around a small, peaceful town; but more eternal and its sound more private - belonged alone to the boys whose color contrast yet harmoniously commingled into a masterpiece.

Should there be a ninth step forward? Perhaps not, because they already reached their destination: the start of an abstract pulchritude. Friendship. Love.

"Well, not as lame as you babbling your head off yesterday." Nico continued. "And plus, why listen to AKB48 when Perfume's music is superior."

Yes, of course, of course, they reached the aforementioned glamorous destination.

---------------------- Hello, I’m back with my first 3k+ words chapter. Btw, please don’t be mad at the Perfume - AKB48 comparison, it was suppose to signal the start of the boys’ bickering phase and as you see, I’m a freaking huge 48Group fan....

To @fififerielb, you are my motivation for writing this fic :3

#pjo #hoo #toa #trials of apollo #au #solangelo #will x nico #will solace #nico di angelo #fanfiction #my writing #to my muse #writer au

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fireandgloryrpg · 7 years ago

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Hit Em’ With The Chair! || Callum, Fergus, Maia, Martina, Lucinda, Sebastian, Blossom, Percy, Annabeth, Kol, & Wally

As the Greek Pride march and fundraisers come to a close at the Open Hearth, the party is crashed by the Second and Third Cohorts— who discover a rather explosive secret within the establishment.

tw: child abuse mention

Percy stared out at the people in the Open Hearth. Most of them were his age, many of them greeks but there were a few romans here and there. Ones who appreciated everything that had happened. Those that were here to help. He couldn't help but smile at the good job that Blossom had done. Everything appeared pretty perfect and as he swigged at his beer and looked over to Annabeth with a bright smile, he couldn't help but enjoy himself. This was one of the better times that he had ever been a demigod.

Callum had dressed in his Centurion armor as fast as he could when he was given the notice. Just a few minutes ago, his Cohort was filled with the bustle of legionnaires running around and collecting their pieces of armor and shields; now, they were almost at the Open Hearth, joined by the members of the Second Cohort. He glanced over at his fellow Centurions and gave them a nod, signalling that he was ready when they were.

Wally sat with his back against the bar and looked out at the throngs of people who had come to attend. It was nice to have a reason to relax and enjoy himself while still supporting a good cause. He talked to whatever person was sitting next to him, waiting for Z to get to the event. Of course, with all the people here it would be easy to miss any one person you might be looking for.

Moving over to Wally's side, Percy smiled at Wally and slumped down next to him. "You know, in the build up to everything, I wondered whether this would ever work, but I'm starting to think that maybe we can actually work together." He watched as Romans and Greeks talked and drank together, seemingly enjoying themselves. "And it is fun too, so really we're the real winners?" he smiled goofily at his friend and scratched the back of his head before taking another long sip of his beer. "What could go wrong? Right?"

Wally smiled at Percy and raised his glass (of soda). "I think this pride event has gone great! The date auction was pretty successful. The wet t-shirt contest," he nudged Percy in the side, smirking. "Personally I think I should have won that, but ya know, it's cool." He leaned back more, taking it all in. "I'm pretty impressed, honestly. Blossom did amazing." Wally turned to the sea demigod. "How long are you staying?"

Shrugging, Percy put his head against the bar and smiled. "Everything was really rather successful, sure one or two things could've been better but on the whole, I guess everything was as perfect as it is going to get..." he trailed off and took another drink. "Of course you think that, you're a narcissist but you should know that not everything is about you." He laughed and shrugged his joke off before stroking his stubble. "For as long as I can, I've had a pretty good time."

Kol loved a good party. He especially loved a good party when he knew there would be free food and drinks. Sure he could pay for things perfectly fine now, but who turned up free food? Picking a sandwich up from the tray he turned to survey the room, it was nice to see everyone get along as well as a bunch of trained killers could. Finishing his sandwich he turned to grab something else, bumping shoulders with someone in the process. "Whoa sorry man, my bad."

Lucinda wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew how to follow orders and have armoured up with the rest of her cohort and followed them out to the Open Hearth. She could see the Second joining their ranks and the Centurions sharing looks but that wasn't much clue as to what they were about to do. This didn't seem like a regular training drill, it seemed real and a part of her was impatient to get started.

Maia hated everything about this situation. She couldn't believe what she'd heard when the order came down the line-- she didn't want to believe it. This was a time for strengthening the bonds between the Greek and the Romans, not engaging in raids. But, orders were orders and the law was the law. It was her duty as a Centurion to make sure that the peace was being held. She just wished that... that some of the others didn't take so much glee in their actions. She could see it in the faces of some of her Roman legionnaires, how pleased they were to be pushing back against the "Greek enemy." As they approached Open Hearth, Maia looked across the way to see her brother, nodding back at him. Glancing up at Fergus, she said, "It's your call, Fergus." She wasn't going to be the one to start this. She'd follow the orders, but she wasn't going to start this.

Fergus was satisfied to say the very least. The whole week he'd been a powder keg about to explode and at least now the Senate had sanctioned his anger, he felt vindicated in a way. It was unfair and the most intimate, smallest part of him knew it was unjust but the injured part of him that held the steering wheel of his mind, cared not for it. He roused up his Cohort as dutifully and quietly as possible and took the front, pointedly talking as little as possible with Maia. Somewhere along the past months they had parted ways, but Fergus wasn't about to let it tear his regiment apart. "Then stay on call." He warned her, making his way towards Callum just to make sure they were all aligned. "Have one of mine and one of yours cover the exit routes, I don't want any of them running away like roaches." He turned on his heels but looked over his shoulder to warn. "On my count of three."

Wally smiled at Percy and then noticed a few feet away that one of their neighbors had come along. "Kolby! Hey man," he motioned for the young brunette to come over to Percy and him. "Can you grab me one of those little sandwiches?" Wally raked his fingers through his hair and noticed that a few more people began to spill into the building. He squinted his eyes, seeing Fergus of all people. "Hey, look who's here."

Fergus didn't quite bust in but he almost wanted to just for dramatic effect. Once the exits were secure he nodded towards the two Cohorts following on him. Shoulders straight up, Fergus walked in followed by the other Centurions Centurions and Legionnaires. "NO ONE MOVES," He announced loud and clear so the crowd could hear properly. "But you are all under arrest for Conspiracy and Violence against New Rome, if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to fear." There was almost pleasure in the tip of his tongue as he announced it. Fergus stood by the door, hands folded behind his back as he nodded to his Legionnaires to search the place. "And if Blossom Yeamans will step forward."

Wally stood up off his chair the moment Fergus' voice filled the room. He looked right at the red-head as he spoke, getting more anxious and fearful as the seconds passed. He looked to Kolby then Percy, then back at Fergus as more people, Romans, filled the Open Hearth. Wally started to look around for Blossom while thoughts of escaping ran through his mind. It didn't take him long to make the decision that he didn't want to be caged again. But Wally wasn't about to leave behind his friends.

Percy stood as Fergus and the rest of the members of the Second and Third cohort filed into the already over crowded Open Hearth. As he got to his feet, he placed his drink down and calmly walked through the crowd of Greeks to the front. A rift had formed between the Legionnaires dressed head to toe in armour and everyone else. "What are you talking about Fergus?" he asked firmly, he knew this game or at least he hoped he knew it well enough to be playing it, "there is no violence or even a conspiracy for it here, we've got all the appropriate permits and we cleared this all officially, so why are you trying to shut us down?" sighing he frowned. "We're just trying to raise money to rebuild the senate house, isn't that in your interests as well?"

Blossom was having a great time, to say the least. The week of running around and making sure everything was going to work, was actually worth it. All the stress and worry was worth it when she saw people smiling, and actually working together in harmony. She had never pulled something like this together, and was honestly pretty proud of how well it was going. She had achieved her goal. She brought awareness, and everyone was getting along! Well....then she spoke too soon. Then, she saw what looked like an army approach them, and at the head of it were the Centurions. Fergus, Callum, and Martina weren't a surprise, but Maia was. Maia told her she had supported it, thought it was a great idea. What happened? She held her breath as they surrounded the event, bringing it to an abrupt halt. When she was summoned, she took a deep breath and thought about her options. She had to step forward, this was her event so she had to take responsibility. Despite the disappointment, the betrayal, and the sadness she was feeling, she stepped forward with a smile. Since Fergus was the one summoning her, she knew this couldn't end well. Luckily, she had a sword on her hip, which was just in case anything were to happen. Luckily, that precaution now was in her favor. "Percy, it's fine." She said as he stepped forward as well. "I agree, but we can talk it out. Maybe there's just a mix up. How can I help you, Fergus?"

Callum had made the order that not one, but two guards were to secure the exits. He wanted to make sure that nobody, nobody, got away. He then followed Fergus into the Open Hearth and felt the wave of anxiety and fear hit him straight in the face, like steam from a hot oven. "I understand what the funds are for, but we have orders. And we'll determine whether or not there's an issue." He nodded at Fergus and broke off from the group of Roman's with two or three legionnaires at his side. He made his way through the crowd, intending to inspect the back room of the Open Hearth

Sebastian walked through the Open Hearth, following Callum close behind. The young legionnaire was torn both ways about what they were doing. He felt no desire to participate in the pride events that'd been going on the past few days. He did in fact think that all of it was a little unnecessary, but when he saw how many people had shown up to the Open Hearth, Sebastian wondered if there was something more to this than he had first thought. But it was too late now to do anything. He couldn't disobey Callum in front of all these people. He'd probably lose a limb.

Tayla had been having a great time enjoying the conversations and mingling among the crowd. She was just heading toward the back to get another drink when she heard the ruckus near the front and a voice speaking loudly to the group. She turned and was trying to make her way through the crowd when she was greeted by the sight of Callum and a few other legionnaires from the Third following closely behind him. “Cal-” she started but remembered their more recent interaction when he had been sure to clarify that she was to address him by his last name. “Centurion Hayes,” she started again her brows furrowing in confusion. “What are you guys doing? You know none of us are doing anything wrong.”

Fergus had to make a conscientious effort to subdue the need for violence boiling in his blood. He wanted someone to fight back, he wanted it so bad so he'd have a justification for it. But the more experienced players such as Percy Jackson knew better than to give him the leeway he wanted. He might've been mad but he wasn't stupid by any means. The moment Jackson stalked forward he knew this mob of Graecus would listen to him and while Fergus himself would rather throw them all in jail, it would be better to avoid a fight. He looked down on Percy and pushed aside how much he had wanted to befriend the guy, instead remaining stone cold. "We received an anonymous accusation that the criminals responsible for the Senate Fire were here and that the Greek Fire was stored here, so it's on all of your best interest to step back, former Praetor Jackson." He pressed his lips into a fine line as Blossom stepped forward he looked down on her with disdain. "Blossom Yeamans you are under arrest for harbouring terrorists, storing illegal substances and littering Camp Jupiter, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, you have the right to a defense attorney and if you do not have the money for one the Senate will appoint you one. Your Centurions will be responsible for you in the absence of a relative and they will see you in jail." He moved one hand and fished the pair of handcuffs from his backpocket. "Turn around." The protests and complaints from Greeks on the other side sounded like absolute music to his ears.

Callum looked over to where he had heard his name. It was Tayla, who had obviously not been in the Cohort when he had given the orders to armor up. He was torn between feeling for her situation because she was in his Cohort, and disliking her because of her Greek heritage. "I can't disclose that to you Tayla. You're under arrest, but like Fergus said, if you've done nothing wrong, there isn't anything to fear." As he finished another wave of anxiety and fear hit him; he turned and witnessed Fergus arresting Blossom. He restrained himself for the sake of Maia, but in the event that the crowd became rowdy, Callum would rather use his powers to try and calm everyone than forcefully arrest people.

Wally started to move forward, pushing through the crowd a bit to get closer to the action, or lack of. He watched as Blossom moved forward. What Fergus said next stunned him and many of the Greeks. Though their breath wasn't held for long. He joined in on the shouting, moving closer again as he tried to keep an eye on what was happening. Wally couldn't imagine that Percy of all people would let Fergus take her away. When he saw the handcuffs, his gut reaction was to turn them into dust, but that would only cause more problems for them. He stopped for a second to think about what it was Fergus had said prior to Blossom's arrest. 'The Greek Fire is here?' he thought. Wally looked around, wondering if someone had really stored it here.

Blossom didn't know how to react to anything that was happening. It felt like a nightmare. This though, this was her project. She had to take the blame, even if the blame wasn't even an ounce true. She listened as Fergus read her rights, slowly nodding. She didn't want to get arrested, but would resisting really be a good idea? Fergus was two times her size, she didn't stand a chance. She hadn't done anything wrong, so there should be nothing to fear. "Okay." She said with a sigh, keeping her head held high. She had nothing to fear. She stared at the handcuffs, then looked around. Everyone looked as shocked as she felt. "Everything will be okay." She said with a small smile as she turned around, trying to reassure those that seemed worried, but she also said it as a reminder for herself.

Raising his eyebrow, Percy looked at the rest of the Legionnaires and considered a fight. This was something that he could do, there was more than enough water for him to hold them off for a little while, maybe enough to buy them time to escape but he knew that the majority of people here had done nothing wrong, and there was no point starting a fight that he knew that he wouldn't be able to win. "Stand down guys," he said, the knot in his jaw tightening, "we're not here for a fight, we've said that a hundred times and we're not about to hurt anyone. But you're welcome to follow your orders, and search everywhere, we've got nothing to do with this. I think that deep down you know that. I think that deep down you know it is wrong to arrest everyone for no reason..." he trailed off and held his hands up, "I hope you all have peace after this, because we're just trying to help, and everything that we do to try and help you throw back in our face."

Tayla was torn between being horrified and angry that her entire Cohort was involved in this situation. Did they really hate the Greeks that much? And if they hated Greeks then they must hate her. But she didn’t have long to let any emotions fester when Callum told her she was under arrest and her eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding me. For what?” She didn’t listen for his answer though as she heard the uproar of the crowd and turned her attention toward it. Everyone’s attention seemed to be on two figures and as she stretched up onto her toes she noticed Blossom and a set of handcuffs and a panic set in her chest. Turning her gaze back to Callum she shook her head fiercely. “Please, you have to do something. Blossom hasn’t done anything to deserve this.”

Callum felt his heart breaking. He had so much pride for his Cohort, every member. He looked Tayla straight into her eyes and muttered the words that meant everything between members of their Cohort, " hic sunt leones ". He then sighed and motioned his Cohort to spread out a bit. "If you believe that, then there is nothing to worry about. We are all following orders."

Sebastian came up behind Callum as he spoke with Tayla. He looked up at his Centurion and cleared his throat. "Sir . . ." his voice fell short though as he had nothing to offer. Sebastian looked to Tayla and shrugged his shoulders, nodding after Callum repeated their mantra. "You'll be okay, Tayla. These are just precautions."

Fergus wasn't entirely pleased with the fact there was only mild complaining, but then again he was a soldier and a law enforcer, despite how much he wanted to beat some of these people down and he had to remind himself of that. When Blossom dutifully accepted her accusations, he closed the handcuffs around her wrists as tightly as possible. "These are charmed, if you try to break away they will only tighten." He warned sternly and looked up at Martina, strongly shaking Blossom by her arm and pushing her forward. "Take her in." If he were left alone with this girl, he'd probably break her neck. Folding his arms behind his back again, lips pressed tightly he looked down on Percy Jackson. "Let me make one thing clear here, Mister Jackson, we're following orders here because unlike some, we know our place." The jab was firm and loud and it lead to more people complaining from the back, as he only sneered, he leaned in forward, lowering his voice tone to speak to the man in front of him. "You lot owe us, it's the least you could do so don't give me that, if you're unhappy go back to your Camp."

Tayla dropped silent when she heard the mantra from Callum. She knew what it was intended to mean, it was one of the first things she had learned when she’d arrived to the Third. But before she could respond she noticed Sebastian and her heart sunk. Seeing her own half brother there dressed in his armour while she was just in her Greek Pride t-shirt and a pair of shorts did nothing to help calm her. If anything it made her feel even more separated. How was she supposed to feel like part of the Third Cohort when they were there to arrest everyone? Pausing to listen to what Fergus said, Tayla chewed on her bottom lip feeling a sharp sting from his words. Looking back to Sebastian and Callum her expression hardened to not show the hurt she was feeling. “So are you going to put handcuffs on all of us then? I mean, it’s just precautions so it clearly doesn’t matter if it’s right or not.”

Gritting his teeth gently, Percy would've given nearly anything to show Fergus how to really use his powers, he could suddenly think of a thousand different ways to do it. He could wrap the water around his legs and take them out from underneath him. He could break one of the beer taps and enhance the pressure until it sprayed out and use the extra water to drive the Romans off. His vision tinted red with his anger and he had to take shaky breaths to calm himself down. He wouldn't act out, no matter what happened he wasn't going to grant the Roman's the satisfaction of showing them that he would stoop to their level. "You think we owe you? I've spent my entire life as a demigod fighting to keep everyone else safe. Whether you know it or not we've saved you before, but sure you don't owe us for that. We don't even ask for much, we just want to live in peace. Why do you want to take that away from us?"

Kol had not seen the party going in this direction. Maybe a little fight over some beer or the last cheese square, but not an army of legionnaires in full armour to arrest them. He watched as the cuffs snapped into place on Blossom from the back of the crowed, keeping quiet even as the rest were vocal in their outrage. Every instinct in him was shouting at Kolby to run, to find a way out of the place, but he could see the exits blocked by more people in armour and legionnaires already following orders and rounding people up. With a sigh he ate the last half of his sandwich and took a cautious step back wards, just to see if any eyes would follow him. Maybe he could just sneak out without feeling the sting of cuffs?

Martina was having a blast, her smirk not even remotely hidden. She was sure someone would have words with her later about how much she was enjoying this, but that was later Martina's problem. There was so much rage in the room, she could feel it and that just spurred her excitement on. She went over to Fergus and Blossom, the urge to taunt the other girl so tempting, but the daughter of Apollo only let a few words slip. "Those flyers were really fucking annoying. You should have seen this coming." Her head whipped around to look at Percy Jackson, her smirk dropping, glare taking over her face. "You had your own camp to live in peace at, but instead you decide to come here and bring your chaos to us. We were perfectly fine without you, you don't show up to a party basically uninvited and ask why your favorite drink isn't there. That's what you're doing to us. Forcing yourself into our lives when we never wanted you and then asking for more like you're a fucking blessing to us all."

Blossom would be lying if she said the handcuffs didn't hurt. She was sure they would leave a bruise. The tug and shove that Fergus gave her also didn't surprise her, and with his shove she stumbled to try and catch her balance. At Martina's comment, she looked over at her and flashed a smile her way. "I had to do something to get the word around to everyone, because everyone deserved an equal opportunity to participate in the event. I'm sorry it bothered you." She explained, watching Fergus and Percy argue. While Percy's point was right, she knew that the Roman's wouldn't see it that way. "Can't arresting me be enough? This was my event that I planned, the people here are just supporting it. I'll take the blame for whatever you think I did, you can interrogate me all you want, just leave everyone else out of this, yeah? Let them continue what they're doing, because they're not bothering anyone." She offered. She was willing to go down with her event, to do anything to protect all of those who were simply just supporting her and the idea. "The whole point was to show harmony, that we all can work together. Can't we just work together to figure this all out? I don't care about being arrested, but I don't want anyone else getting arrested. It would be a waste of time and energy."

Martina grabbed her roughly by her arm. She really didn't like this annoyingly positive idiot, no one was genuinely that upbeat when she was being arrested. Not that Martina would know, she has never been upbeat or arrested. "People were basically drowning in those ugly flyers, it was basically burned into the back of everyone's eyelids. I think everyone got that they could join in this dumb party, everyone and their grandparents fucking knew." Martina had ripped down quite a few flyers down and shredded them on spot. "Don't tell us what to do or what's a waste of energy. You have no idea what is what here, stop acting like you do."

Maia had had enough of Martina's outburst. Did Fergus have grounds for arrest? Yes. Did they need to put her in handcuffs? As required by law and procedure, yes. But did they have to shove Blossom, verbally berate her, and antagonize her? Not in the slightest. Maia put her foot down now. She wasn't going to tolerate this kind of behavior, even if it meant conflict with her co-centurion. "Stand down, Acosta. The situation has been handled." Maia growled, moving to place herself between Martina and the Graecus. "I'd advise against you saying anything further, Blossom, as it can be held against you in a court of law." Maia said and put a gently hand on Blossom's shoulder, doing her best to offer her support even though she was on the wrong side to be doing so.

Martina stared down Maia, Fergus had told her to take the Greek girl in, which is what she was doing. She didn't know that talking to them was against the law now. Knowing that this wasn't the time or place, and that her centurion could easily tell her to get out, Martina backed down. She wanted to be apart of this raid, she needed to be apart of this, her pride wasn't going to stop her from this. Her jaw clenched,"Yes, Centurion Cruz." She did still glare at Blossom, her distaste running even deeper now that her centurion was not happy with her. "What about the rest of them?"

Callum was distracted by what was happening in the front but finally answered, "No, I think we'll just keep you here for interrogation. I'm sorry Tayla, I don't think I should say anything else." He now fully paid attention to what was happening in the front. He witnessed Maia call Martina out for antagonizing Blossom and rolled his eyes. Maia didn't understand where most of the Romans came from, she hadn't experienced the loss of someone at the hands of the Greeks like most others had, well, not one that she had told him about anyway. Callum scanned the crowd from the back and noticed a few demigods slowly inching backwards. He quickly turned his head to ensure that the back exit was guarded and folded his arms across his chest. Nobody was going anywhere anytime soon.

Percy watched in horror as everything happened. Blossom being arrested, the Legionnaires spreading out around them and preparing to do a full sweep of the restaurant, all the staff were being herded into the room with the rest of the attendees of the Greek Pride event. He could feel the anger from both sides, the Romans were just waiting for an excuse to trample them down and the Greeks wanted something to fight for, they wanted a reason to be able to stand up for themselves and Percy knew that the Romans were just itching to give them one. Already people seemed to be readying for a fight as Blossom was manhandled. He tried to catch Maia's eye to thank her, he knew that not all Romans would go along with this, but orders were orders. Percy didn't think he'd ever felt more powerless.

Maia was going to need to have a chat with Martie after this matter was... settled. She could practically feel the anger radiating off the other girl. But, she had an unfortunate point. As much as she wanted to let them go, she couldn't. Her hands were tied on the matter and she had her entire Cohort there to witness any misstep. Mierda. "We do what we were sent here for." Glancing around, she noticed Percy watching her and froze. Gods, she hated to be on the opposite side of him. And yet, here she was, arresting his people, arresting a daughter of literal peace. This felt dirty. This felt wrong. But, there was nothing she could do about it.

Blossom wasn't expecting to be grabbed like that, and out of instinct she went to put her hands out for balance, but her handcuffs restricted her. The handcuffs took the movement as her trying to escape and she felt them get tighter, digging into her skin. She bit her lip to hold in the gasp that wanted to escape, and looked up to meet Martina's eyes. She was glaring daggers at her, as if all of this was her fault. Martina claimed she didn't know what was going on, but Blossom knew. She wasn't an idiot, although many people believed her to be so. She opened her mouth to argue, but then Maia was there. Her hand on her shoulder wasn't comforting, and she couldn't even look Maia in the eye. She had lied to her, something that Blossom didn't take lightly. But, she did appreciate her command for Martina to step down and reminding her about her words being used against her. She sighed and nodded, knowing Maia was right. She should stop talking, even though all she was trying to do was to let everyone else go free and for her to deal with this all on her own. She was powerless, whatever happened from here on out was out of her control. All she could do, was control how she presented herself. Her smile had faded, but she kept her head held high and as everyone looked at her she tried to speak through her eyes. Everything will be okay, as long as no one did anything foolish. They had nothing to fear, because they did nothing wrong.

Fergus couldn't care less for the discontent going on all around. He couldn't care less for Blossom's pleading or Jackson's angry remarks. He was being the dutiful son he was bred to be - no more, no less. He looked down at Blossom before she was taken by Martina. "I advise you remain silent." He didn't like her, as a matter of fact he hated her. He found it offensive that a daughter of peace would join the ranks of a warborne nation like them and on top of that, being a Greek. But if anything, Fergus would give her the fair doubt. Maybe she was just stupid, in the wrong place at the wrong time, that wasn't his decision to make. He did, however, stare right back at Percy Jackson, stepping forward only enough so no one else would hear the exchange of words. "Don’t get things mixed here, Perseus Jackson." If anyone who had known the Fitzgerald family were there, they would practically see Oleana's hands pupeteering her son right there and then, his voice projecting words she had burned behind his eyelids, emphasised by beatings he could recount in detail. "You are not one of us." He clicked his tongue. "You are not a Roman citizen, you don't belong here. You're here by the charity and pity of your friends, our Praetors, and only because of that." The words were parroted, vomited from things he had heard at home and the Senate and that he dared not challenge. "If this isn't good for you, go back to your camp then or join the mortal world," If Fergus stopped only for a second he'd let himself feel and that wasn't a good thing. Good soldiers didn't need feeling, they needed to follow orders. "Being part of a prophecy, saving the world, I commend you on that but that's your fate, not our debt." From the corner of his eye Fergus watched some Legionnaires rushing back to where he was posted so he looked down on Percy one last time. "Your friends might have given you a place here and for your case and Annabeth Chase, I'll give to it but every other Greek? They don't deserve it." He ended the sentence and stepped back, leaning in to his Legionnaire, frowning. "Callum." Fergus called loud and clear over the crowd for the other male, immediately what were loud protests subdued - ignoring it, he followed the two Legionnaires, bringing Callum along, disappearing into the cellar for a long moment before emerging again, livid, face shut down in a stern mask. "Arrest them all." He commanded to the Legionnaires that had been on his heels.

Of course it seemed that Annabeth had chosen the absolute worst time to use the restroom. She'd left the Greek Pride ending party when it was filled with happy and loud laughs, and many a bright and cheery smile. But as she returned to the festivities, the new feeling of a great tension— the same one she'd always felt directly before a fight or battle broke out pervaded the air, and she managed to catch the Fergus' rather revolting speech. "Stop!" she yelled out immediately after Fergus gave the order to arrest the entirety of the Greeks. The majority of the crowd parted wordlessly, not wanting to get in the way of Annabeth when she was wearing the face that had been the one that made Leo now regard blondes as 'much too smart and much too dangerous.' She, of course, didn't have any command over the Romans— though most of the Greeks knew to listen to her by now. In addition, her years in New Rome since arriving had earned her the respect of a good amount of the Romans. Hopefully the tone she'd used, one that was as forceful and confident as any Centurion, would be enough to have the Romans hesitate. Having missed the first part of the altercation had her at a disadvantage, but she didn't hesitate to march up to Fergus, arms crossed angrily over her chest. "Has anyone bothered to ask you for an arrest warrant yet? For all we know this could simply be your sick way of having fun. Show me the papers," she demanded. A large part of her wanted to make an impassioned speech about how the Greeks had a right to New Rome as much as the Romans did, but there was the more pressing matter of keeping everyone in the building from getting arrested.

Callum had followed Fergus out of sight. He partially hoped they wouldn't find anything, for Tayla's sake, but at the same time, he agreed whole-heatedly with everything Fergus had said. After he had returned to the cramped room, it was evident that his face with filled with anger and disbelief. Those around him could probably even feel it waft off of him. The strong voice of a women echoed through the room, silencing everyone. Of course no one had bothered to ask for a warrant, but the raiding party had one neither the less. Callum reached for the scroll that had been attached to his belt. "By order of the Senate, we are to inspect the Open Hearth for the presence of Greek Fire. We also have orders to arrest everyone present at the time if we find anything suspicious and interrogate everyone." He passed the papers to Annabeth, his courage wavering as he met her eyes.

Annabeth took the scroll wordlessly, her eyes flying over the words as fast as she could when one suffered from the dyslexia that plagued most all demigods. It would have been easier if it were Greek, but of course the Romans had seen fit to use the Latin language as they did for most things that mattered. To her dismay, it looked as if the papers were all in order— and the signatures of the senators that had agreed to the raid were plain to see at the foot of the warrant. But that didn't mean it was right. Once more she looked to Callum, her slate grey and angry gaze boring into his eyes. If his behavior at his booth during the Fides Festival hadn't confirmed her dislike for him...this certainly did. "Fine. If you find anything suspicious. But as of now you haven't, so uncuff Blossom this instant." She shot a particularly nasty glare towards those that she deemed responsible for Blossom being in cuffs. "And even if you do find something—" a skeptical look crossed over Annabeth, as if she seriously doubted they would, —there's no need for your silly handcuffs and oversized, egotistical power trip. We know how to comply with your interrogation without being treated like criminals."

Callum narrowed his eyes at the daughter of Athena. "Except we did find something suspicious. The basement was filled with barrels of Greek Fire." He ignored her words as if she wasn't even worthy of a reply, but he did comment on one thing, "The fact is, everyone in this room is a criminal as of now, until proved otherwise." He honestly did not expect to find anything. Were the culprits of the Senate fire really dumb enough to leave the barrels of Greek Fire in an open basement like that? Even Greeks weren't that dumb, but here they were, with an impossible situation on their hands.

Annabeth's arms were still crossed stubbornly, as Callum delivered the news. Surprise registered on Annabeth's features as the bomb was dropped that Greek Fire had been found in the basement. How could such a thing be possible? She couldn't possibly believe that anyone, let alone the Open Hearth would be responsible for the Senate Fire as the Romans seemed so desperate to prove. But here they were with evidence that didn't exactly paint the Greeks in a light of innocence. Just barely biting her tongue, Annabeth managed not to call Callum a pompous idiot before speaking once more. "You do realize the phrase is innocent until proven guilty, right?" But there was no getting around the matter now that she'd seen the papers, and the 'evidence' had been found. And it seemed that many of the Legionnaires that had been brought along for the arrest realized the same thing. A cry went up from the back of the crowd. "I'm not going to be arrested for something as bullshit as this!" A Legionnaire leapt to contain the displeased Greek. It wasn't clear who started it, but suddenly— there was a son of Ares and child of Vulcan broken out in what could only be described as a fight. It was the single push that the entire place needed to be thrust over the edge into what was a quickly developing brawl, as Greeks and Romans began turning against each other, already throwing punches at one another.

Blossom again, couldn't believe this was happening. It all had to be a dream. When Annabeth came in, she thought they all would be saved. She knew Annabeth was a smart person, someone wise way beyond her years. She knew Annabeth was a trustworthy person, and if anyone could fix this it would be her. But, much to Blossom's disappointment, she wasn't having much luck. Annabeth wasn't winning the point she was trying to make. Then, it started. A punch was thrown, and that was all it took. Blossom stared in horror as everyone started arguing, many punches being thrown. She thought stuff like this only happened in movies. Her facial expression mirrored the horror she was feeling. Everything was falling apart. all she wanted to do was bring people together, for there to be peace, and the complete opposite was happening. "Stop!" She cried, her disappointment clear in her voice as well. "Stop hurting each other! It's not worth it! It goes against the whole point of this event! The point was to bring us together, to realize that we all are just humans and not much different! Stop fighting!" She cried, but then remembered what had been told to her numerous times. Stop talking, it will be used against you. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Maybe if she couldn't see it happening, it wouldn't be as bad. "Sorry, I won't say anything else," she grumbled as well, knowing another Roman would yell at her to stop talking.

As the fighting erupted, Percy's only thought was to get to Annabeth and make sure that she was okay. They could work out the rest later, but as the world seemed to implode around them, Percy found himself ducking away from the fighting and moving towards her. "This is ridiculous!" he hissed urgently as he watched Blossom and Callum and Fergus. He couldn't believe everything that had gone on and as a pair of Greeks defended themselves with furniture, Percy was almost certain that he could hear someone shouting "HIT ‘EM WITH THE CHAIR!" in the background. "We need to stop fighting and let them take us in!" he shouted above the racket, "I can probably get their attention, if I do you need to convince them to stand down, they're ruining all the work we've put into proving we're here to help."

Fergus was thoroughly unimpressed when Annabeth Chase emerged from wherever she had been hiding before and laid down the most basic rulings. Did she think they were stupid or amateurs? Clearly so. He let Callum show the search & arrest warrant and looked down displeased at her. Most people feared women like this - and they were right to. But Fergus had had a crash course on some much worse than Annabeth Chase so her presence didn't make him doubt himself as others did. He did, however, have a certain amount of respect for the girl. She was smarter than most Graecus and he'd give her that. "You'll all be held for interrogation and we are within the law to do so, but if we don't find any evidence, you will be released with no further record." And in a split second all hell broke loose. Sure he had been itching to kick some Greek ass but this was far from ideal. He didn't WANT stupid people incriminating themselves even if he did want the Greeks to leave - and let alone someone get hurt. Until he was hit on the back by a folded chair. That strike had him seeing stars at first, his mother had done a number on him a week ago and he was pretty sure the chair split up some of the cuts again. Then he saw red. So much for self control, Fergus reached for the guy that had hit him and slammed him down, headfirst against the nearest column and then let go. Some of his own Legionnares watched it, and looked startled at one another, knowing very well what he was capable of. Like a bull he marched with purpose towards Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase. "I will give you two minutes to subdue this or you are all going to spend a lot more than just the interrogation hours in jail." Fergus warned between gritted teeth, fighting back the violence within himself.

Martina watched with glee as the room erupted into rage and chaos. There was nothing better for her but to feel everyone's rage... Except perhaps the rush and feeling that healing gave her. Even though she could do very little healing with magic, the act of it was so pure that it made her entire body tingle. She was having a good amount of fun until she saw the man go to hit Fergus with the chair, and her breath stopped for a second, that was her centurion, someone who actively helped Martina control her rage and they went after him. "Fergus! Watch o-" The words stopped as the chair hit and she was too late. She flinched back hard when she saw what he did to the man, her eyes wide, remembering very clearly who he was and what he could do if he wanted to. It felt as though her mind was at war with itself suddenly; hit them, hurt them, make them know they are worth nothing and heal him, heal them, they are in pain. She stood there shaking, not wanting to help the Greeks, but her mind screaming at her to not let them get hurt. She went to the man who Fergus dispatched against the column and began to check his vitals, healing him just a tiny bit, just to keep him okay until she could really check him out. She marched towards a table and climbed onto of it, her eyes blazing and her hands shaking, and with her loudest voice, she attempted to yell over the crowd. "Please stop fighting! We do not want to hurt anyone!" Not true, her mind whispered to her as the rage began to take control again. "We don't want anyone to get hurt, come with us peacefully. We don't want anyone hurt!" She knew she was going to lose grip of the rage in just a few seconds and looked around the crowd for anyone who knew her well enough to understand that she was trying and that she was going to fail very soon.

Wally groaned as the fighting began to break out. He was on the movie quickly though. Without wanting to get a scratch on him, seeing as he'd probably get a few good stories to tell from what would be his impending time in jail, Wally shuffled through the crowd of tangling limbs and nasty insults. Wally came back near the bar and saw two people ready to deck each other. Lifting both hands, he held their hands in place with his magic and pushed them away from each other. "How stupid are you all," he thought aloud. Looking around, he saw Percy and was able to move back towards him and Annabeth. "We need to put this put out, like, yesterday!" Some Roman legionnaire was coming up on them, about to take Annabeth from behind. Wally didn't even think. A wall of energy was raised between the blonde girl and the soldier, knocking him back as he ran right into it.

Tayla wasn’t sure when or how things had escalated so quickly. It was supposed to be a peaceful event but had now turned into an all out brawl. The tension in the room had built too high and all it took was one punch thrown to release a frenzy of fighting, Greeks and Romans alike throwing fists and using whatever furniture they could get their hands on as makeshift weapons. She could hear multiple voices calling out, people saying to stop. One of them was undeniably Blossom and the other she couldn’t identify, but it only took one glance to locate the Roman girl standing on a table shouting. But they were both at the front and if in the thick of the crowd Tayla could barely hear them, surely the others distracted by their fights wouldn’t be able. So she did the only thing she could think of to help, she jumped into the fights breaking people apart and shouting, “Stop! You need to stop! This isn’t going to solve anything!”

Kol hadn't expected things to escalate the way they had. He had been so engrossed in listening to the people at the front talk that he missed when the fighting broke out until he was being pushed forward and then back, someone’s fist flying past his head, and was that a chair leg that just hit him in the side? Kol turned around too fast, hands already in the air and pushing the person away from him an angry "I didn't do anything!" leaving his lips before he fully noted the person who pushed him was in full armour. Kol felt something in his stomach sink as he realised he was so getting arrested today.

Callum watched as the fights broke out. He stepped away in fear of what might happen, of what normally happened in group fights. The rage from everyone else would normally overwhelm him, causing him to become enraged and join the fights. He felt it, everyone's emotions grabbing hold of him like invisible tentacles. He resisted, concentrating on a memory that he kept dear to him: He stood, engulfed by darkness , his heart pounding from the fear of something evil that might just be out of sight. But then the darkness was shattered by the slow, burning light of a firefly. The firefly seemed to multiply as the air around him lit up with millions of tiny stars, turning the black coldness into a cool green bundle of trees and bushes. He felt calm and relaxed, he felt like he truly belonged at that spot. He then imagined that exact feeling spread through the atmosphere of the room, hoping that it would touch every enraged soul. He had no idea how many people it would affect but didn't break his concentration until he felt weak in his bones.

As Fergus gave his command, Percy knew that they were lucky to have two minutes. This sort of violence was enough to put all of the people here in prison, or at least the Senate would see to it that that was the case. Gulping gently to himself, he frowned and summoned his will power. Dodging away from the fighting he leaped onto the bar and looked around him. Focusing his will, he drew himself together and allowed the energy within him to erupt, the foundations of the Open Hearth began to tremble slightly and the taps of beer along the bar exploded as water began to pour out of them. With the tendrils of what was mostly now beer-water, Percy began to separate everyone who was fighting, shouting at them, his voice as loud as he could possibly make it. "Enough!" he shouted, "what the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked, emotion taking over his voice but right now he didn't care. "We could have such a good thing here, and they want to take it away from us, but fighting isn't going to make that better, you should all know much better than to allow this sort of thing to start a fight like this. You've all been trained, I expected better from all of you. Now stand down." As the trembling began to fade, Percy allowed the water to drop and puddle onto the floor. Stepping off the bar he marched towards the Romans. "Do what you've got to do," he snapped, holding out his wrists.

The fight was something of a horror for Annabeth to witness, as if she could see the the futures of every Greek present, including her's and Percy's, going up in flames as fists were thrown. Thankfully Percy had enough raw power to force the group apart, and everyone was now more preoccupied with how they were soaking wet after the beer tap and other assorted liquid dispensers had exploded. A sigh of relief left Annabeth when she saw that Percy was safe, though she was rather displeased to see his hands out in front of him. She would not be seeing her boyfriend getting arrested in handcuffs today. Still fuming, she stepped closer to Percy once more, grabbing one of his hands rather forcefully and going to pull him along behind her as she made her way towards the exit through which they would all be herded in for questioning. "I know the way to the Headquarters, thank you very much," she said to those in charge as she gave one last lingering and impressive glare towards the Centurions responsible for today's actions. "I'm more than comfortable to lead us all in." Annabeth didn't bother phrasing it as a question. "And just think of all the time and energy it will save you. After all Romans are all about efficiency." she said— unknowingly quoting Blossom's words from earlier. "Greeks!" she yelled out to her fellows. "Follow me!" She'd had enough of playing nice for the day. If they were going to be arrested, it would be on her terms. And just like that the Greek Pride party had come to its end.

#f&gwriting #chatzy #Hit Em With The Chair #tw child abuse #child abuse tw

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