#i don't know if i can share more without ruining the fun of the story so i will leave it here

[greeenchrysanthemums]

Can we please have more about Gem and Pearl's relationship in your GG rivals au?

Oh, yes! I love talking about them.

Gem is just glad to have someone her age to talk to who doesn't treat her differently in some way. Impulse is much older than her and has the tendency to treat her akin to the way a father would treat their kid, or with the respect of a fellow solider. There is rarely an in between in this dynamic, leaving no chance for the equal comradery she craves.

Scott is her age, and they are undoubtedly good friends, but there is the work dynamic between them as well. He often treats her as though she is above him no matter how much Gem tries to get him to stop. He will always value her more than himself (in part due to his self-sacrificial nature along with his respect for her position), so their friendship is not very equal and this is something Gem is hyper aware of.

This can be very isolating for Gem, who is miles away from the small, tight knit community she grew up with. She wants someone to be fully herself with, which she doesn't feel as though she can do with Impulse or Scott.

It is nice to have a friend who just treats her like any other person, who shares their day and lets her share hers, and they don't have to talk about work or status a single time. They're just two people, two equals, two friends. She loves Pearl a lot and values her friendship probably more than anything she's acquired since living in the Capital.

If you've read any of my Pearl posts, you would know how important their relationship is to her as well, albeit a little differently.

She grew up without any one to look after her or be there for her. She had not a single person to talk to or share her time. No parents she has any conscious memory of, no siblings, no other family, not even any friends or people her age.

All she had for a very long time was her dog Tilly, and as much as she loved Tilly, it is a little lonely when your companion has no real way of communicating back to you when all you want is to be heard and acknowledged. It becomes very easy to get lost in your own thoughts, something Pearl often fell victim to.

Nearly every relationship she had throughout her lifetime has been transactional and temporary. The only real relationship she had before Gem was Grian, who loved and looked after her like she was his own little sister. But even he didn't stay very long, and she wouldn't know why he left her until several years later after the hurt was already there, so even that had felt temporary for the longest time and the relationship is still strained.

With Gem she's finally found someone who has shown that she will always return to her, someone who will always be there for her and won't disappear. Even when Gem was on the battlefield, she still made attempts to stay in contact with Pearl by sending letters whenever she could. Gem is a constant in her life that Pearl never thought she would find, and now that she has it, she is very unwilling to let it go or let anything ruin it.

The problem with their relationship, however, is that Pearl never meant to get so close to her, she never meant to get close at all. She's dug herself a hole so deep that there is no way out of it without hurting herself and Gem in the process.

The very foundation of their friendship is built on top of a mountain of lies that she has to constantly keep up, lest it all comes toppling down on top of her. It heavily relies of some level of deceit to maintain, and there is no way to change that without unraveling the whole thing at the seams.

[clowns0cks]

so, I got asked what's the spymaster timeline argument and why do I argue about it so much and keep defending spymaster lol so I wrote a long ass thing that I want to share with you.

SO. there are different arguments for people I argue with

1. having the master back as evil ruins Missy's arc and they hate him

2. having the master back as evil doesn't make sense after missy but would make sense before missy

3. They just fucking hate him god knows why.

4. A mix of these

Now. I have strong opinions, and those strong opinions are that I don't have a problem with dhawan master at all. I think he simply fits in after missy in the most normal way possible. I never saw a problem with it and I find it confusing that people do. Cause?? Imagine dying, then regenerating and realising the doctor has left you alone, but fair, cause he didn't know. So you go on gallifrey, hoping he shows up. While you're there you start hacking into the matrix for fun, cause you're the master and you like having a bit of fun. You discover horrible things. The doctor is not who they think they are, the time lords are not what you thought they were and all of your species including yourself is a product of the doctor's DNA.

This places the doctor as some kind of god. The origin of the time lords. They weren't time lords before the doctor, just gallifreyans, with no real power or anything to make them important. He's simultaneously angry at the time lords for lying about their identity, and at the doctor for being the most important time lord of them all, for being THE time lord, the original. Ultimately, for being more than him.

Now. The master has a certainty during the entirety of the show. The doctor is his equal, they have opposite moralities, but they're equals. Now, the security in this statement he believed in all his life shatters. They're not equals. He is who he is only because of the doctor. Thinking back to missy, she was the regeneration that absolutely wanted the doctor to see her as equal as well. She wanted to be like the doctor cause she missed him, and felt like he was the only one like her. So she tried to be like him, she accepted to be imprisoned in a vault and basically be changed to have the same beliefs of the doctor. But she did it willingly. Cause she wanted them to be the same. Now this entire arc feels wrong to the master (dhawan) , cause now he knows he could never be like the doctor, how could he? The doctor is much more. He thinks missy was his biggest mistake, he humiliated himself to be something he could never be. He gets out of the matrix and throws a tantrum, killing everyone on the planet for having lied to him (and to the doctor). When he sees the doctor again he hates her. He hates her cause she's just there, being her usual self, while in reality she has a bigger role in everything than she could ever think. He hates her cause a part of her is in him, and that means he's less. He's lesser than her. I also remember one scene where he was like "did I ever apologise for that?" (I don't remember what) And she was like "no" and him "good". I think about it often in relation to missy, cause he was definitely saying it because of her. Why any other master should have apologised for something? Only missy was apologising for stuff she did. It might be a big reach but I like to think it's about her. And he's like "good" cause he regrets being missy and trying to redeem himself, like I said before. Anyway the follow up from here is simple, he hates her and stuff, but he also feels bad not letting her know why. So then he decides to show her her story, all he can. No one should live without knowing their origins. so he shows her, and then he says he would like to show her more, but there's nothing else to show. It's the only moment in which he's doing something kind for her. Cause I believe in some way, he's also mad at the time lords for lying to the doctor. And here's part of why he decides to use their dead bodies in such an unworthy way. They have to pay not only with their life but also with their dignity, so he turns them into cybermasters.

This is also a way to cope and create his own race, to feel a little more on the doctor's level. She created the time lords, he destroyed them and created another species with their bodies. Then it's not enough and he decides that the only way to be equals is to become her. At this point he's gone completely insane, like, we see that. But it's totally understandable for him to act that way. His whole worldview changes. Everything he believed in is not true anymore. He doesn't know who he is anymore (I also just thought about this identity crisis he was having and how he stole Rasputin's identity, but this is an analysis for another day).

Anyway this got off topic cause I had to explain only the missy/dhawan thing but then started talking about dhawan in general so forgive me lol.

Other than this, if we take big finish in consideration there's the lumiat, that comes between missy and dhawan and her story really helps some people accepting the change (for some people it's still not enough though) and in the 2021 annual is confirmed that dhawan comes after missy, as we have the doctor and the master talking about the master's story from delegado to dhawan and thirteen says "I quite liked you as missy" and he replies that she spent too much time with him and it's something that should never happen again.

anyway. I've made my point on why the missy -> spymaster regeneration simply makes sense. It's just a normal timeline, I don't know why people think it doesn't work

[frozen-snowflakesandsunflowers]

D23: Frozen content breakdown | Breakdown/ Analysis

What a day it was yesterday! So much content we were flooded with and especially for us with the Frozen 3 and 4 update! I'm sure you all know the latest deets but I would like it to break it all down and guess what it could all mean. So be prepared to read a lot! ❄️

[long post alert]

Frozen III logo

A couple of hours before the Frozen panel had begun, we were given a first look of the logo for Frozen 3:

It features the four elements symbols and two snowflakes too for Elsa and Anna as the fifth spirit. The III had a purple - pink gradient to it and the background had a spring scenery south blossom/ sakura trees and mountains far behind. Some of us predicted before that Frozen 3 would be set in Spring given Frozen being in winter/ summer and Frozen 3 in Autumn.

However, some people didn't believe this logo was real. But after the panel, Josh Gad put it on his stories and as a post on Instagram, the announcements and reveals made at the panel.

This must mean that it's real. But a more accurate, rendered logo was also revealed at the Panel and that Gad had also shared in his post.

So my conclusion is that the first one is a working title, a concept of what it would be like when it's promoted. The second one is a mix of the first Frozen logo and the second movie's logo combined being more 3D but still with a frozen effect. This logo is the official used rendered one whilst the first one is just a concept based on the implied spring theme of the movie. Both are real.

Frozen questions left unanswered

When the Panel began we were given a flood of questions on the board that were the questions the fans had after Frozen 2, aka the questions that were left unanswered. Here they are:

Who gave Elsa her powers?

Why doesn't Anna have powers?

Was there a fifth spirit before?

What kind of Queen will Anna be?

Will Kristoff be a King?

Do they [Anna & Kristoff] want kids?

Where are Kristoff's parents?

How did Kristoff meet Sven?

How can Sven be so old and still so virile?

Why is Olaf alive?

What about Marshmallow and the snowgies?

Is it “Hoo Hoo” or “You Hoo”?

What are Elsa's powers still growing?

Why are their castle ruins throughout Ahotohallan?

Where do the nature spirits come from?

Do we still need to beware of the Frozen Heart?

Who is the Frozen Heart?

What happened to Hans?

These questions will most likely be answered in Frozen 3 and 4, as they are confirmed to be a two part film. These are actually really good and interesting questions we have that we do need to have answered. I actually want to try and analyse (and answer them for fun!) them because some people might feel some have already answered so why the need to answer them again?

Who gave Elsa her powers?

We already know that Ahotohallan is where her powers come from. That's the source along with the other four spirits. But they probably felt like they didn't make it clear enough. Some people before Frozen 2 had theorized that there was a Snow Queen who gave Iduna something that caused Elsa to have powers. Maybe there's more to Ahotohallan than we know.

Why doesn't Anna have powers?

This isn't addressed in the movie other than the fact that Elsa and Anna are both the fifth spirit and the bridge which has two sides. But why doesn't Anna, I believe that's because the fifth spirit's role is to create balance between the powerful and the powerless (in a literal magical form). The fifth spirit was never just one being I don't think. It was always two to have one with powers and one without and have the two form a deep unbreakable bond so that humans and magical entities would look at them and see that though different, they can get along and have peace amongst each other, and live in harmony. If both were magical it would defeat the objective of creating peace between the two different types of beings

Was there a fifth spirit before?

I think yes because in the Myth VR on Disney plus, it was revealed that there was a fifth spirit before Elsa and Anna but after it created harmony with the other spirits and humans, it disappeared creating disharmony in the forest and caused the spirits to rage. Then the other four spirits managed to calm down until they were raged again by King Runeard's war between Arendelle and Northuldra. Even if this isn't canon I still believe there was one. I think it's important to know because it could be important with the journey Elsa and Anna next go on.

What kind of Queen will Anna be?

Her own kind of Queen. She will continue to bring peace and joy to Arendelle while also supporting the Northuldra tribe as her statues unveiling had suggested. She won't try to be Elsa. She's not Elsa. She's Anna. She may be the fifth spirit But whether or not she realises that she'll help maintain peace between magic and humans will Elsa's support too.

Will Kristoff be a King?

If Anna does abdicate from the throne then yes. To be exact he would be a king Consort. At the end of Frozen 2 we saw Anna greet the public as Queen and unveil the statue of her parents and kids. That wasn't the coronation which is confirmed and this confirms it too as it asks will he be king? and not is he king? I loved Elsa as Queen but she probably felt that she couldn't take care of Arendelle as she had to restore and look after Northuldra/ the enchanted forest and felt Anna deserved it after she had scared her and Arendelle twice without a doubt.

Do they [Anna & Kristoff] want kids?

That's a question that none of us thought of? Do they want kids? I think they do but will find it hard to do if there's threats and danger around. Anna definitely would be a lovely mother and Kristoff and lovable dad. But I don't think we'll see them have kids so soon, at least not in the beginning of the movie, like we won't immediately be introduced to them I don't think.

Where are Kristoff's parents?

A question we've been asking since the first movie. All we know is that he grew up as an ice harvester. He seems to have grown up independently with Sven. I can't even guess the answer because I'll probably be wrong anyway.

How did Kristoff meet Sven?

Another question regarding Kristoff's backstory we've been longing to see. It's nice to see they're including Kristoff's backstory now. The first two movies were about the sisters backstory and development arcs (and 3 and 4 continue that) but now we can finally learn about Kristoff!

How can Sven be so old and still so virile?

No clue! I never noticed that actually. I never thought of why. I don't know much about reindeer so I didn't know that Sven was so old yet so virile. Perhaps when he was young he was injured and the trolls may have healed him giving him a longer youthful life. I'm certain the trolls have a role in this if it's magic related.

Why is Olaf alive?

Why not how!! Another really interesting question that I can answer. We all know how he is alive because we saw Elsa bring him back to life but why was he brought back? He's still an important part of the sister bond and individually he has much more in him than we have seen. Plus he's Olaf and we love Olaf!

What about Marshmallow and the snowgies?

I believe they all too, along with the ice castle and all other permanent creations of Elsa, got restored either automatically after Elsa's return or by hand when Elsa got the chance. They too are as iconic as Olaf is. I hope they return in Frozen 3. They're so lovable and cute - it would be a fun addition to the movie.

Is it “Hoo Hoo” or “You Hoo”?

I always thought it was... “Yoo Hoo” because that's what people say. Hoo Hoo is an owl's line lol and one says that.

What are Elsa's powers still growing?

Just as we grow individually sometimes in height, in character, in what we feel, powers are no different. They grow as we grow inside. And Jen Lee has previously said that her powers will reach a new height in Frozen 3.

Why are their castle ruins throughout Ahotohallan?

I think they are referring to Ahotohallan as a castle and inside and out it looks ruined. During Show Yourself Elsa has to lift things up and add things to get across to the place where the memories are held. I theorize that the previous fifth spirit may have done something to Ahotohallan or to its power and caused chaos that caused Ahotohallan to have ruins in it. Ahotohallan probably was the previous fifth spirit's castle and when it went rouge Ahotohallan may have been left abandoned and ruined.

Where do the nature spirits come from?

Ahotohallan is where their powers are from. But perhaps it's more complicated than that and it needs to be addressed for lore reasons. There's more to Ahotohallan than we know.

Do we still need to beware of the Frozen Heart?

Oooooh!! My favourite question along with the next two. Do we? We must be if it's even a question at this point?

Who is the Frozen Heart?

Who? Frozen Heart is a person?! It was literally Anna in Frozen but metaphorically it was Elsa. Maybe someone else will be the Frozen Heart. Hans? Kristoff? A new character/ being?

What happened to Hans?

A question we've needed answering since Frozen and one that Hans fans have been trying to answer. His backstory based on official and unofficial media is that he has 12 brothers but they all or at least most of them treat him poorly along with his dad because he's the last child and last in line to the throne. That means, they think Hans as unworthy and unless of anything. So why did the Queen and King have another child? Probably as an accident child or just because. I'm sure the Queen is loving. He was sent back at the end of Frozen to his home, the Southern Isles so they can deal with him themselves and they did. As punishment they made him do chores like sweep up horse poop as seen towards the end of Frozen Fever before Elsa's giant snowball accidentally yet subconsciously hit him causing his major injuries. The southern Isles didn't immediately know where the snowball came from. But what happened to him after that? In a poster in the new Frozen Park in Hong Kong, it is revealed that Elsa and Anna invited the Southern Isles among other kingdoms to celebrate a year since Anna sacrificed herself to the Elsa and the Kingdom.

Hans couldn't come because he was injured. But his return is almost certain in Frozen 3 with his rise in unofficial/ canon media. Will he return as a villain or a redeemed hero is to be determined. I don't think he should return as a villain. If he did he would have taken his revenge out during Frozen 2, as he would have been recovered by then. Seeing the concept art of Frozen 3, which I'm about to go onto, it looks like we'll see mythical beings and a world bigger than Ahotohallan. Hans wouldn't fit as a villain in the expanded world of magic because he doesn't seem to be interested in magic in that greed sense. I think he'll be redeemed and help them in their new quest. Perhaps he does have tied with magic in his ancestry as we know nothing about his family.

All these questions are ones that the team feel like they need to answer in the next two movies and I think that's good. Along with showing something new, we get answers from questions we've long waited for too. And I think it's a good strategy for them to tell us the questions we've been asking so that they can answer it in the movies. They're letting us know that they can hear us and want to fulfil our wishes while telling a new story. It's good communication in my opinion.

Frozen 3 concept art and new release date

Jennifer Lee also revealed the concept art of Frozen 3. I'm sure there must've been dozens of art but this one may have been the direction they're headed in.

We have a beautiful calm colour palette that reminds me of dawn/ dusk of spring. Trees are on either side, golden light beams from behind a mystical palace in the left centre. Flowers and leaves present hinting at a Spring setting. Anna's on a horse with Olaf and Elsa on the Nokk on the river both heading to the palace-like place. The scene is set at night as the aurora borealis/ northern lights can be seen arising from the castle. Perhaps this castle has some connection to the northern lights. In the Lego Northern lights series, the trolls crystals are the ones to cause the northern lights or have a connection to them. I don't think the Lego series is canon but I do wonder if the trolls will have a role in this too.

Elsa and Anna are in their Frozen 2 attires, Anna in her travel one and Elsa in her fifth spirit one but with boots (for practical reasons). That doesn't mean that's their final look. Frozen 2's early concept art had Elsa and Anna in their Frozen looks. Olaf looks worried as he points to something off scene.

Just below the direction in which he points, in the river, lies a shadowy creature. It could be that that's the shadow of the creature Olaf points to. The creature appears to have horns and hold a staff/ spear with a sharp end.

Just below the palace-like place is a land. I was going to say Ahtohallan but the silhouettes are different.

So it seems like this place is unknown. If they went North in Frozen 2, perhaps Thai time they're going south, which is why Hans could appear. But that's just a guess.

During the panel it is also revealed that the release date is November 2027 having it moved back by a year from its original 2026 release date. 2027 seems quite far away just when we felt we were getting closer to Frozen 3 but we'll just have to be patient and hope we get some other Frozen content released meanwhile.

Frozen: Winter Festival short form series?

That's everything that was revealed regarding Frozen 3, but no word on the series that was revealed by dolls and their descriptions. I believe since the movie got delayed by a year, probably to spend more time developing the two part movies (which is a good thing so we avoid the mistakes caused by rush in production for Frozen 2), the short form series will be delayed by a year. That would mean the announcement could be closer to time in next year's D23. That or they wanted to announce the series later. The dolls are to be released in September and the series is said to be released this fall. That is of course unless they have delayed it by a year but we'll have to wait and see if anything gets said before September otherwise consider it delayed by a year (😭).

And that's all the information given to us for now. Frozen 3 looks so good and promising - the vibe of spring with a deeper fantasy element is making me extremely excited! New places, new seasons, new characters, expanded lore, possible character returns, new looks and more!! Can't wait!! And yeah though my patience is sad that Frozen 3 had been delayed by a year, I'm glad because it means they can spend more time on the movie, to develop it properly and not repeat the same mistake they made with Frozen 2 with no good planning and a rushed development to the run up of the movie.

And the Frozen: Winter Festival I'm also excited for. I think Frozen needs a canon series in its franchise.

The future looks big and bright for the franchise! ❄️

Any new info or details I have not mentioned please let me know! Any questions for me please feel free to drop them in the "Ask" box

[hford0311]

In my silence I adored you

*Avenger's Tower Fanfic*

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!reader

Hey girl, what-cha doing down there? Dancing alone while I live right above you; I can hear your music playing; I can feel your body swaying

It didn't take a super soldier to hear the music that came out of your apartment. However, the one above you did understand the lyrics, not like most of the others that lived in the tower. He didn't mind it, sometimes, it became a soothing thing when the nightmares woke him up. The vibrations of the music and lyrics gave him was a micro-confirmation that he was no longer in the Soviet Union. No longer trapped under any ice.

"Okay, but how come you can't go one day without it?" Sam asked about your music during breakfast. You shrugged, "I have my space. It mostly stays in my space. Just like Redwing." Bucky snickered. Sam slightly aggressively turned towards his best friend-enemy man. "You live above her! What are your thoughts?" Bucky was slightly started by the question. "I-I don't mind it." You stuck your tongue out at Sam, putting your dishes in sink, and walked away. "You said you only like forties music." Sam accused as soon as you were out of ear shot. Bucky avoided eye contact before he cleared his throat, "I have to train with Steve."

One floor below me, you don't even know me, I love you

When that and a combination of other things didn't work, keep falling back into night terrors, Bucky would sit in front of his glass windows, curtains pulled back. At first, his eyes would wander the city lights. Eventually, his eyes would shift down below and see your shadow swaying and dancing to the music that was nearly never ending. It was a constant, consistency made reality easier to believe in. You were starting to become that in Bucky's word, even though you never would've known. He never mentioned it.

If you look out your window tonight, pulling the string with the note that's attached to my heart; Read how many times I saw you, how in my silence I adored you.

Sure, Bucky and you met occasionally during missions and Avengers' (aka Tony Stark's) parties. However, neither of you ever got beyond glances, brief introductions, and the incredibly rare argument-- sorry polite conversation-- that Steve, Sam, or Nat would drag the pair of you into. Both of you would roll your eyes at the dragger and their "opponent." Plus, the pair of you would almost always be against whatever Sam was arguing. Bucky appreciated the team effort from you. You were also a bit of a history buff which sometimes led to his ears pricking up to some type of familiarity that he could confidently nod along with or it would help him connect the dots with events that didn't include the Winter Soldier.

It took one of these little rantings of knowledge you had, Steve and Sam saw the captivated look that Bucky distantly gave you. They both also knew it wasn't just the words coming out of your mouth that Bucky was interested in, either. The pair of men shared an look. They knew their mission.

"Alright boys, it's been fun." You said getting up, heading towards your apartment. "Don't have too much fun without me." You waved as you hit the stairs.

The duo of men encircled Bucky. "You have a problem." Same stated as if it was obvious and something much worse than actuality. "Sam-" Steve tried to soften the blow. "No, he is in love with that girl and he hasn't said more than five words to her." Sam insisted. Bucky gave them both a confused stare. "Y/n, Buck, we can tell." Steve cleared up. Bucky's face went to complete denial. "No, I don't."

"Those eyes you gave her earlier tell a different story, Buck." Steve softly argued. Bucky groaned and put his hands in his face. "So what if I do? She's living a happy life...why.....why should I enter it more just to ruin it?" Sam and Steve gave each other soft looks. However, both of them were not going to give up that easily. "You're different now. You've said it yourself, you're not the Winter Soldier anymore." Sam stated. "Even if that's true...who said that she's going to....want me back." Doubt filled Bucky's entire body and mind. The pair of men were not going to change his mind in one night.

Only in my dreams did that wall between us come apart

Another night, Bucky added to looking down at your shadow. He wanted to go down and dance with you. Over seventy years ago, Bucky wouldn't waste another second to do. He would've swept you off your feet, literally. He would hold you close during the slower songs, inhaling your scent. Softly kissing your forehead, cheeks, lips... Bucky heavily sighed out loud, walking away from the window.

Oh my darlin', knock three times on the ceiling if you want me; twice on the pipe if the answer is no.

Sam and Steve showed up at your door. You gave them both a confused. "Come in...stop lurking at my door." You responded, letting them in. "So, how long have you liked Bucky?" Sam got straight to the point. You scoffed and slouched in one of your chairs. "Who said-" "Y/n, you never mentioned your knowledge about your so-called fascination with the 1930s before your first mission with him." Steve confronted you. You shrugged, "A girl can learn new things." Sam rolled his eyes. "They're both impossible, Steve." You sat up a little. "What do you mean by both of us?" For the third time that night, Sam and Steve shared a smirk and an idea.

Oh my sweetness *knock, knock, knock* means you'll meet me in the hallway; twice on the pipe *clang, clang* means you ain't gonna show*

You hummed the song you left playing in your room as you approached Bucky's door. You took a deep breath before knocked with the beat that Bucky could perfectly hear from your apartment below. He hesitantly answered. Then saw you, a small smile etched across his face. "It means that I want you, and that I want to meet you in the hallway-- granted next time it'll be on the ceiling but-" Your breath of words was stopped short by Bucky pulling you into his apartment.

~~ Sam looked at Steve, stifling a laugh, "There isn't really a pipe for her to say no to."

[genericpuff]

Oi, just a heads up for future asks, because I get questions like this several times a week, I'm not gonna be responding to any more asks along the lines of "will [insert character here] be in Rekindled" or "how will you handle [xyz]".

I know, I know, that sounds really personal! But I promise it's not with any ill intent, I can totally understand why many of you are asking them because y'all just want that reassurance in knowing I'm not gonna do whatever Rachel did - and the best way to hear it is often from the horse's mouth - but when it comes right down to it these are often questions I've either already answered or simply CAN'T answer because that would involve me outright spoiling stuff. Like, most of the time I really can't tell you anything beyond "wait and see", and that's not me trying to be a dick holding out on y'all, I just don't want to spoil stuff! What DOES make me feel like a dick is answering with vague half-answers that don't satisfy your questions LOL But telling you outright what my plans are doesn't just run the risk of ruining the experience for readers, it can also ruin it for me because if I told you everything that was gonna happen, then I wouldn't have anything to surprise you with and it would suck all the fun out of it LOL

As a general rule of thumb, if you're asking about something in LO that I've adamantly criticized (especially stuff that's become popular opinion like the problems with the age gap, the SA plotline, the inclusion of Eris, the Eros x Psyche plot, etc.) then the odds are like 99% that I'm either not doing it or changing it LOL

I know it's a big BIG ask to "trust the process" after so much of that trust was burned with LO, but believe me when I say, I was one of y'all who got burned and I don't intend on making the same mistakes Rachel did, for my sake and yours. I'd like to think I've been doing a pretty okay job up until this point, but also much of that job is fairly easy to do when the bar is on the floor LMAO but I've got so much stuff planned that I'm super hyped for and while it may not feasibly satisfy every single person who's reading along - especially when it comes to the things I choose to remove or drastically change - I do hope at the very least it'll be a story worth following along with until the end. It's been an amazing year working on this project and sharing it with you all, so please just hang in there, whatever burning questions you have about the plot and its characters will be answered in due time as we get to them together <3 (and don't worry if I don't respond to any of your "what will you do with xyz" asks, it's not personal I promise, it's just that I've either already answered them or can't answer them fully without spoiling LOL)

[seangelfish]

Omgggg congratulations on reaching 300 followers !!! You totally deserve it !!! I hope I'm not late to the event. Can i req fluff with tsumugi and s/o who adores the mojakko mascot of him in Switch's SSVRS game ? (It's the blue mascot in Sora's climax card) s/o loves the mascot so much she immediately bought a plush toy of him the moment it releases, and takes it everywhere, which makes him happy but a bitttt jealous that she paid attention to it more than him 😭 thanksss

Here's the first request for the Ensemble Stars portion of the event! Thank you so much for your request! ('▽^人) Your request is ranked 6th. Thank you for participating in my 300 followers event and I hope you enjoy reading~ 💙

"YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU THE BEST, RIGHT?"

Tsumugi Aoba x reader

♡ Tags: Fluff, casual romance, established relationships, fem reader, not proofread!

♡ Word count: 561

♡ A/N: I've only read the prologue to this story, so I hope that's enough! Sorry if I butchered anything in this fic because I can't find any proper translations to the actual story at all... but I hope you like it anyway! (≧◡≦)

"What are you two doing?" you asked the two boys curiously. You placed your hands on your boyfriend's shoulders as you leaned in closer to their computer screens.

"Oh, (Y/N)!" cheered Sora. "We're playing our game! We're working with someone from a game company that worked on SSVRS to make one for Switch!"

"That sounds fun, but... what are you supposed to be?" you asked your boyfriend, Tsumugi, who looked almost as confused as you were at the avatar that was chosen for him.

Sora laughed. "It's Mo-jakko!"

"Mhm, it's Mo-jakko," sighed Tsumugi with a smile. "Scary, huh?"

"Nope, it's cute!" you squealed. "Haha, it looks just like you!"

You started ruffling his hair and he let you without a single complaint or any means to stop you.

"(Y/N), you should join us!" Sora suggested. "It'll be fun!"

"Okay, why not?" you said as you sat down on the chair Tsumugi was already occupying. Now that the two of you were sharing it, it became harder for him to control his character.

But he didn't mind it. He liked how close you were sitting next to him, he didn't care that the two of you could slip out of the chair at any moment. Even when there were plenty of spare chairs in the room, he wanted to be a little selfish and have you right there next to him.

After the session, Sora mentioned that if the game receives enough praise, then Mo-jakko could have his own line of merch to which Tsumugi sighed, but agreed on how cute that may be for their fans.

But Tsumugi didn't expect you to also be interested in something so silly like that.

So when he saw you one day at work with a Mo-jakko plush attached to your side, he was rather confused. Sure, he thought it was cute and it did make him happy that you were showing love to his mascot, but he had noticed how you took it everywhere you went.

Even on dates with him.

At some point, it seemed to him that you were paying more attention to the mascot that resembled him than him himself. He didn't want to ruin your fun though, so he kept it to himself for a while, but there came a time he had to let it all out.

And because Tsumugi was one that didn't understand why his words came out like that, you were particularly dumfounded.

"Tsumugi, are you perhaps... jealous?" you asked, suppressing a laugh.

"M-Maybe?" he answered honestly. "Well, you don't talk to me the way you talk to Mo-jakko..."

You appreciated how honest he could be, so you couldn't be too mad when he finally communicated his feelings to you. You ruffled his hair, fingertips making contact with his fluffy blue locks.

"You know I love you the best, right?" you chuckled.

"Yeah, I know..." He smiled. "But... please don't forget about me, (Y/N)..."

"Who do you think I am?"

You laughed and he followed suit. He admitted it was rather silly of him to be jealous of a plushie, but he did want all of your attention on him than an inanimate object.

You pulled him in, hugging him close.

"I'll always love you more," you continued as his arms wrapped around your body. "After all, Mo-jakko can't hug me like this!"

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist | #Sil300Special!

[neerons]

hii! would you be able to tell me a little bit about kazuomi's season 5? I don't have the Japanese app but I've been looking forward to it for years and I just saw that it was released <33

Hi nonny!!

I went and translated some moments from the first 7 chapters (a bit) to give you some general details! The translation might be off at times so I didn't include it but rather gave you some key moments and what you can expect to see.

Also I tried not to spoil myself or you too much until the English release for now, so I didn't dig into the lore too deeply since I don't want to ruin the fun of discovering it all once it's available for us, and I hope that's alright ❤

_______

Kazuomi's Season 5 Synopsis:

Your old company, the EAC, has fallen into the hands of Kazuomi?!

You team up with Zack to take on a new mission. However, something strange seems to be going on at the EAC... Kazuomi has taken over the agent organization, EAC?!

"Who do you think I am? I'm Kazuomi Shido."

_______

More info under the cut...

Some moments and information (I didn't spoil important info, in case you don't want me to):

You'll see Zack a lot! The story begins with him getting a Cruise in the USA and celebrating that with Kazuomi and MC

Zack will ask MC to go on a mission for him at some point!

On the other hand, Kazuomi will be secretly teaming up with Yuzu to obtain confidential information the government has (I think?), knowing this would make MC his enemy

At some point, as MC looks at Zack and Kazuomi and thinks to herself how they really look like a father and his son, she remembers a man she met who looked just like Kazuomi (probably happened before S5 in the story called "Scandal Darling")

She had learned about that man's name (didn't put it here to not spoil), and how no one can find anything about him, not even the EAC or herself

MC is convinced that this man, who has a striking resemblance to Kazuomi, is his long-lost father!

➡ She ends up talking with Zack at some point and asks him questions about Kazuomi's father. She wanted to know if Zack knew Kazuomi's parents, knew where his father was, if he's still alive or not. However, Zack tells her that he looked into all of his children's past and parents before, but as for Kazuomi, he sadly never found anything. MC doesn't want to tell what she learned to Zack without telling Kazuomi before, but she shares that she met a man she thinks might be his father. Zack is surprised to learn that

He then tells MC it's better to keep this to themselves, since if Kazuomi knew, he would try to uncover the man's identity completely.

MC is surprised to learn that he'd maybe do that, but she then thinks about how Kazuomi was never really fond of talking about his father in the first place.

That's it for the first 7 chapters!! I will personally skip the rest of the story to see what his father looks like if he does have a sprite, but I don't want to spoil myself on the content of the story any more since it could ruin my experience.

I hope you're satisfied with what I managed to gather, and I wish you the best nonny! ❤

[damianbugs]

You need to tell us what you think of your favorite Bruce ships. Pls

i should preface by saying i usually prefer bruce (in my own works and others, including comics) to not be in a relationship at all because i can't think of a time he's like ever emotionally stable enough for that. like ever. THAT BEING SAID isn't that all the more reason to throw him into a ship? doomed tragic romance you will always be famous to me

and because i am insane, here are some comic recs to go with my fav bruce ships!!

>batcat

a classic favourite, batcat!!! i will admit i am not the biggest fan of their rebirth stories, and the whole wedding fiasco and most of what tom king wrote about them (and in general) was. not enjoyable. but pre crisis/golden age batcat? MY PARENTS. just. silver and bronze age batcat too. what a refreshing and entertaining couple. the thing that really makes them compelling is at the end of the day they have the same goal; protect the people of gotham. the ways they go about it can be different, and selina especially faces some serious mischaracterisation in order to make bruce look like the "hero" in the relationship, but at their core and simplest expression of love, they share the same dream, and they both know that. it's this selflessness that connects them deeply.

> "The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne" (Batman the Brave and the Bold #197) is, in my opinion, essential batcat reading. a very bittersweet story!

> for a more modern read, "Only Takes a Night" (Catwoman #32) is a delightful read about how hopelessly in love they are. bruce is such a devoted loser.

> ghostbat

every character needs that one irreparably damaging young adult tragic romance that changed their life forever and that is what ghostbat is. khoa is the perfect foil to bruce, in that ultimately, they are two ends of the same spectrum. fiercely stubborn and confident in their own moral code but in the opposite way. this ship is particularly fascinating because even now, the respect and love they have for each other years later is so deeply consuming that it is prevalent in how they interact now. i don't think bruce would have been the person he is without his relationship with khoa pre-batman, in both a good and bad ways. i also really love the hc that khoa is bruce's first heartbreak (refer to: the Snow and Gun incident).

> "Batman The Knight" is like ghostbat religious text. this is all you need. let it destroy you.

> batlantern

no long paragraph about this one because its my silly guilty pleasure. sometimes u need a ship in which they just don't get along except for the times they do. hal brings out such an irritating (said fondly) side to bruce and its even funnier because it works mutually. i think another really wonderful thing about this pairing is that they are really not so different from each other (nothing says romance than being consumed by your guilt and stubbornness), but they both think otherwise, so they knock heads while also begrudgingly respecting about one another in a colleague-friend-crush way. they want to make out so bad it makes them look stupid.

> "Batman: Universe" is a great and short silly story that shows their dynamic really well. amused me greatly. not ship focused though hal is there for like. a single issue unfortunately. but fun!!

> i usually never recommend any new 52 books to get INTO a character, but if you're interested in this pairing and its most 'popular' fanon interation, then "Jutice League (2011)" is the best place to start. you can get to their better stuff afterwards! (there's also an animated movie about it!)

> brutalia

AND BEST TILL LAST. THE BRUCE SHIP OF ALL TIME. ruined my life. CHANGED my life. i wish i could explain how insanely important this relationship is in words. i love my pairings tragic and there is quite literally no other ship quiet as dramatic or poetic than brutalia. talia is often seen as bruce's "one true love" with great reason, and him hers, and despite that they will probably never actually get back together. in a wider lense, the al ghuls and bruce have an insanely complicated dynamic, and this inherent conflict about missions bigger than themselves makes brutalia's forbidden love drama all the more compelling. talia brings out the best in bruce, and bruce respects and loves talia in a way i don't think he does anyone else in his life.

to complain for a moment, it's no wonder that because their relationship (since it's very first introduction) was so irrevocably pure and consensual (they were both so ridiculously obsessed with each other), that Certain Writers had to pull out the most out of character and disgusting stories to make it clear the tone of batman was changing. talia is always a victim to racism, misogyny and just unbelievable ooc writing — most evidently in her stories with bruce, unfortunately.

AND YET. recent comics have realised how truly ridiculous it is to write her as anything but kind and strong, and bruce being anything but hopelessly infatuated. i think my favourite thing about brutalia is that bruce and talia is a relationship that has been separated for actual Decades and so both their characters have been developed to have their own tragic stories and growth. then when we get small moments that bring them back together and letting that past show through the cracks in their carefully constructed walls, it's all the more romantic.

beautiful heartbreaking ship. the kind of relationship historians would cry over. would have the romantic period publishing fifteen books over.

> "Batman: Son of the Demon" is ESSENTIAL brutalia reading. also, if you are insane and delusional enough, it can be the true origin of damian.

> the comic moment that inspired all romance the moment of forever the blueprint even is in the famous "Batman (1940) #244"

> for a more modern take, very recently in fact, is her appearances in Ram V's run of detective comics, starting from #1062. its not brutalia focused, but a great take on how natural and yearning their relationship is now.

[writingquestionsanswered]

I plan to write a story about heists, often from the point of view of the investigators' side, but I don't know where to start (or at least, my brain cannot make anything as interesting as I see in the media). Is there any advice on how I can plan it? Thank you very much!

Writing a Heist Story

A Worthwhile Score - The most important thing you need for a good heist story is a worthwhile score. What is the object/thing they're after and why is it important/valuable? How can everyone in the crew get a cut of this object/thing? What makes this thing valuable enough that it's so protected/hard to get in the first place?

Stakes - The second most important thing you have to establish is why the heist is taking place and why it matters. What does the heist crew stand to gain if they're successful, and/or what do they stand to lose if they're not? In Ocean's Eleven, Danny stood to win back his wife's affection while ruining the man who stole her from him. If he failed, not only did he not achieve either of those things, he also risked losing everything by going back to prison.

Sympathetic Motivation - If you want the reader to root for the heist crew, you need to make sure they have a sympathetic motivation--or at least one the reader wouldn't disapprove of. For example, in Ocean's Eleven, the heist motive is revenge against the guy who stole Danny's wife, so not the most sympathetic cause, but not a despicable one. And when we see that Benedict is a jerk who doesn't even treat Tess well, and that there's still something between Danny and Tess, we're able to root for him.

A Solid Crew - Another important element of good heist stories is a solid crew, meaning each member of the crew has to have a solid reason for being there. That means they need to play a vital role in the heist by providing a vital skill no one else can provide. They also need to have a believable motive for wanting to be part of the heist, especially if they're not being hired or rewarded with a large sum of money. And finally, it's nice to give each crew member a compelling personality, interesting characteristics, and unique relationships with other crew members.

A Complex Scheme - If your characters are trying to steal a piece of art from a museum, they can't roll up on the museum, break a window, knock out a guard, disable the alarm, obscure a camera, take the piece of art and off they go. That's too easy. Anyone could do that. There needs to be big, seemingly insurmountable obstacles that only the skills of the unique crew can overcome. Like, instead of breaking a window, one crew member's unique knowledge of the tunnels beneath the museum could get them in--but only if they can avoid detection from the night crews who work in the tunnels. And instead of knocking out a guard, there are several guards, and only the super stealthy wraith-like martial arts expert can do it without being caught.

A Backup Scheme - The one thing that's true about complex schemes is they almost always go awry. That said, you need to figure out what goes wrong, why, how it affects the original scheme, and how they re-route in the moment to get things back on track. Really good heist masterminds will have a Plan B and Plan C, but even these won't be without their kinks. All of these unforeseen pitfalls, unexpected obstacles, and potential failures keep the tension high and make things interesting. Watching the crew deal with things when they go off track is part of the fun of heist stories.

I hope that helps! ♥ •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[yuikomorii]

OMG HEAVY ONE THE "...continuing to say such stuff will only irritate them even more. >_<" There are several points in each of the diaboys routes were Yui could've left them alone and be good for that day but noooo ( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡) for example in Kanatos HDB Dark prologue this man literally wanted to be left alone in peace to look at the rain but then Yui comes in trying to make conversation he keeps the conversation curt then she offers to make him a drink then he proceeds to pour the hot drink on her hands 😮‍💨. Also for clarification I understand it's for the plot and that those scenes are just to demonstrate that Yui is kind person who's always concerned for others but at the same time YUII THEY'RE VAMPIRES (also I dont condone victim blaming sorry if it came off like that!)

// I suppose they wrote her in HDB like that only for the sake of DO-S interactions, even if Yui ended up getting the short end of the stick. While it’s true that you have to leave people alone when they tell you to, most otome heroines have plot armor so no matter how bad their choices are, the players know that they can’t be killed outside of the bad endings.

I admire her strength and compassion in HDB and MB but I feel that her character has progressively devolved? Don't get me wrong, I still adore her, but the narrative continues forcing her to make really alarming statements or take concerning actions. It’s not necessarily Yui’s fault, she’s just a fictional character after all, but the writers are to blame.

LE Yui was… something else for sure. Ruki’s LE route could have been the perfect chance for the Mukamis to let go of the Karlheinz fanaticism and continue loving one another as a family but nooo, after finding out that Karl committed a Romanian genocide, Yui had to make him look like their savior instead.

Credit to: dialovers-translations on Tumblr

No girl, you’re not doing any good to the Mukami brothers like that, you’re just feeding into their delusions…. Karlheinz never felt bad for any of his actions (otherwise he would have rewinded time) and he merely used everyone for his plan. They deserved to know the truth about him.

Another scene is from Ayato’s LE route in which Yui goes to Ruki and Reiji, who are their ENEMIES there, and is like: “Ayato-kun is feeling lonely 🥺” but ends up getting made fun of and bitten by Reiji. I get that she was trying to help but not only did she put herself in danger but I also can’t believe she genuinely thought Reiji and Ruki would care about Ayato feeling down when she was supposed to know their personalities already. On top of that, the fact she went there all alone without telling Ayato, made him get mad at her, given that he felt abandoned and wasn’t expecting her to suddenly return bitten by someone else. Honestly, he absolutely ate when he told her this:

This one isn’t from LE and I defended her here at some point but this official short story takes place after the DF good ending and… why would you remind him that he got the cursed powers of the person who ruined his and everyone else’s life—?

Credit to: Koiiro on WP

Look, Yui is a wonderful person who never means any harm and she doesn’t deserve the hate, since she’s a victim too, but she (and everyone else) definitely deserves criticism or being scolded in certain situations. You can be kind but still be cautious with whom you share your kindness and when it is appropriate to do so.

[queer-ragnelle]

Hi! I hope I do not bother you, but I'd like to ask a thing (if you already answered this in another ask I'm sorry) because you seem to be the most qualified person to answer. In a retelling, when how much is too much changing? I am writing two whole Arthurian fics and while I mostly mix and match from different versions there are some things I fully changed (one of the most egregious, for example, being Palamedes dying early in Post-Vulgate fashion and Safir as the one who slays the Questing Beast and the killing being an expression of vengeance instead of newly-found peace despite this definetely not being the case in the original text). I think what I changed works better for plot reasons but I am a bit uncomfortable with it, especially when it comes to characterization. But on the other hand there are so many different versions that I find it hard to say if I am ruining it or not because even in the canon plots and characters' personalities change a lot but I don't want to do something that ends up being "in name only". When is too much too much?

Hello! I don't know about being the most qualified person to answer, but I can certainly give you my answer! I've explained this a little bit before here and here, but can elaborate again for you, especially because I think those characters and that text in particular should be handled with care.

Before you determine what amount of reinterpretation constitutes the right balance, pause everything, and pinpoint your audience. Are you writing fanfiction for your own self-fulfillment and enjoyment? Maybe also for a handful of friends who share your ideas? In that case, there are no rules, do whatever you want. That's your space, your story, and you bear no responsibility to uphold some unquantifiable standard of characterization "accuracy." Fandom is your sandbox and you can build whatever castle you want! Be free!

The next thing to determine is what characters you're changing and why. Not all changes are created equal! For example, if you wanted to absolve Arthur of the May Day Massacre to write a more honorable King, it's not all that drastic a change. There are many texts, old and new, in which that narrative beat never occurs. If noble Arthur serves your story better than morally gray or evil Arthur, and it can be done without compromising the Arthurian fabric from which you sample, go for it. Alternatively, if you decided to incorporate additional violence into the story, especially if attributed to a character who had not previously done those things (such as rapist Gawain, ie, inverting his Maiden's Knight role he's known for), you're going to have a harder time selling the reader on it. Generally speaking, a positive or neutral change will always be easier to sell than a negative one.

This is especially important if you intend to publish something you write for a broader audience. That's a different matter, in my opinion. In that regard, the thing you create is contributing to an Arthurian body of work that's meant to stand on its own. Fanfiction exists in a writing niche which assumes a base knowledge from the reader, you may not necessarily explain what Camelot is, or what chivalry means, or who Palomides is. That's fine and dandy. It's for fun!

But with a published book standing alone on the shelf, the author is expected to establish the framework of the world their story takes place in. That may or may not align with "canon" and therefore maintain or depart from the expected. This is where your decisions as an author matter. While Arthuriana is anachronistic by design as a literary tradition that's evolved alongside its authors, the moment you decide on an era to write in (if you put a year to it or imply one based on what historical aspects emerge), you now bear responsibility to depict that as accurately as you can. Even if it's a mishmash of "Medieval" spanning a few centuries, it should still bare resemblance to the era. Particularly in our current political climate with constant misinformation and even disinformation spreading, it's important to do the research necessary to create something genuine so as to avoid misrepresenting the past and the people in it. For example I think it would do a disservice to an Arthurian story to ignore religion, particularly one about Palomides or his brother Safir. To write them as areligious is to ignore the role in the Arthurian narrative they were created for. They're Saracen, (even if Palomides converts in some versions), and to ignore the way religion and race interconnect in Medieval society would be disingenuous.

[Idols in the East: The Saracen Body by Suzanne Conklin Akbari]

And, more to your point, that aspect informs character. The stories define Palomides by his religion, by his race, and how that impacts him in the face of a rivalry with Tristan, a white Christian, for the love of Isolde, another white Christian. This isn't to say that you're obligated to depict racism, or to put the characters into situations that oppress and hurt them, but to write something "race blind" is to erase the character's identity, and that would be too great a change, for me personally, to get by.

That being said, if you're writing in 6th century Britain, your research might lead you to think, "Hey wait a minute, Islam doesn't exist yet! But Palomides and Safir are written as Muslims, so how can I stay true to both the era I'm writing in and the characters if that anachronism is built right in?" Well, that's where you have wiggle room to be creative! Perhaps they're Zoroastrians or follow one of the many Berber religions that existed at the time. Even Tristan could reasonably be written Pagan in this era, as he has in many retellings before you sent this ask. Maybe Tristan's Mithraic or Druid or Jewish and that in and of itself helps mitigate some of the tension between the characters as neither are Christian. All of this should be handled with great care, of course, but the point is that there aren't really straight answers about what changes are worth making.

Your discomfort in this isn't unjustified. I've been there. But it doesn't mean you're doing anything "wrong." It's not a crime to conceptualize changes. I had a lot of anxiety writing Ragnelle and her brother Gromer as Zoroastrians. But I went on to find an editor who studied the religion, and asked my Zoroastrian mutual for help, who put me in touch with a practitioner that agreed to beta read my books and inform me on my handling of it. There's no perfect story, but all you can do is give it your best effort.

I don't think it'll benefit you to worry about "ruining" the story with changes such as Safir pursuing the Questing Beast. That sounds awesome! And your plan about vengeance is baked right into the source material, as the Post Vulgate indicates that QB had killed all of Palomides's brothers before he finally defeated her, so your story has some textual basis in a medieval source. (Not that you need it to be "allowed" to write that, but it may help your anxiety to know!)

[Post Vulgate Quest for the Holy Grail: 87. Galahad and Bors Chase the Questing Beast and Meet Palamedes and His Father, Esclabor the Unknown.]

One other thing I'll point out is choosing the language you use matters a lot. You can have some characters behave a certain way toward Palomides or Safir or this "futile" quest that resembles historical prejudice while utilizing word-choice throughout that signals to the reader you, the author, know what you're doing and understand the nuances at play. Reading broadly will help you with this so much. Not just non-fiction for your research, but other Arthurian retellings as well. I personally didn't love Persia Woolley's handling of Palomides in her Guinevere Trilogy. He was referred to as "the Arab" throughout which seemed like a "lesser evil" placeholder for "the Saracen." It's usage acted as a generalized umbrella term to other Palomides and didn't indicate his area of origin beyond constantly reminding the reader that he wasn't white. (Whereas Gawain was "the Orcadian" and Lancelot "the Breton," which differentiated their white cultures from one another while homogenizing Palomides with every other Eastern person in the story as a monoculture.) Furthermore, many characters were afraid of him (I mean literally making the sign of the cross and hiding when he walked in the room), which isn't consistent with a Post-Roman Britain, in which the population would have been mixed. I prefer the handling of Numidian Sagramore in Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles. Sagramore, as a Black man, is a part of Arthur and co's community, even if the Saxons themselves are unnerved by him. He's respected by the narrative. It's usually better to be specific (Numidian Sagramore versus Arab Palomides) particularly if that character is a minority and the word is leaving the mouth of a white character. This article discusses this aspect at length and really eased my own concerns depicting these characters and doing them justice.

[Saracens and Black Knights by Maghan Keita]

Here's another example of generalized versus specific language.

[Sword of Lancelot 1963: Merlin refers to "the Orient."]

[The Adventures of Sir Lancelot 1956: Merlin refers to "the Iberian Peninsula."]

So in my opinion, as long as you don't white wash Palomides or Safir and avoid writing them as "exotic" or "mysterious" or in some way barbaric in the pursuit of the Questing Beast, you're fine. Even in La Tavola Ritonda, Percival pursues QB for a time before Palomides picks up the quest, which is the opposite order in which that occurs in Post Vulgate where Percival and the other grail knights assist Palomides to defeat her at the very end. Many versions don't maintain the incest-monster aspect of QB from Post Vulgate either, like in Perlesvaus or Moriaen, she's just a monstrous creature and that's sufficient to tell the story the author has in mind. Even from a characterization standpoint, Malory wrote Palomides as volatile and melodramatic, having fits in the woods over his grief from which only Tristan could coax him out of, where in La Tavola Ritonda, Palomides is mostly chill and sweet, to the point Dinadan teases him for being a push-over haha! In regards to Safir, there's far less textual source material to base him off of than Palomides, so you have even more creative freedom! Literally the spectrum is so vast you can pretty much characterize however you desire if you keep in mind what the core of the character is and why that's important to their identity and the historical significance of that identity. (Even if it's something you have to bulk up, such as you will for Safir.) If you're ever unsure, it's never a bad idea to ask! Plenty of historians, or medievalists, Arthurian enthusiasts, or people of different cultures would love to discuss this subject. You might have to dig a little, but I can't imagine it'll be harder than my search for a queer Zoroastrian beta reader willing to read a trilogy-length Wedding retelling haha! It'll benefit your writing to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known so others can give you feedback. Share some passages with a trusted few and gauge their reactions. Read what other people have done and take notes about the way they chose to characterize Palomides or Safir—did [aspect] resonate with you? Or did [aspect] ring false? Exploitative? Hollow? Why? Then step back, take another look, and go from there. It's about vibes and can't be defined, but you'll know when you know.

Hope this helps. Good luck and have a nice day!

[birdkeeperklink]

So since you watched Hammer HOTB for the first time…

THOUGHTS? 😆

(It’s one of my comfort films hehe so I’m very curious! :D)

Yeeess, I will gladly share my thoughts!! (Honestly it's probably one of my comfort movies now, too, I loved it, so that's the conclusion to all my rambling to follow 😂❤️)

So, the atmosphere was just fantastic, I was really impressed with how spooky it actually was. The setting really helped with that, of course, with the ruins and the mire and the "feel" of the house easily switching between comfortable and hiding things.

I loved the costuming (why didn't they always put Christopher Lee in riding boots?? And omg Peter Cushing's various outfits and his cloaks and just 👏👌 Andre Morell I thought I'd have a hard time buying as Watson after watching Cash on Demand first, but the costume helped with that, too - he immediately looked like Watson.) So definitely props to the wardrobe people and whoever did Peter Cushing's hair in this one. (Not for any particular character reason, I just really liked this hair.)

I don't think there was a single bad performance in this? I feel like literally everyone was good in their roles. I know people disliked changing Frankland to a bishop, but he cracked me up, so I didn't care. Making him an absent-minded insect-collecting guy just made him delightful. Mortimer made me bristle every time he was onscreen, so props to de Wolff.

And of course, it goes without saying that Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing were phenomenal. Andre Morell (to return to him) is also very underrated, I think - I hated him so much in Cash on Demand, and then in this movie, he convinced me as Watson and I just felt so warm towards him in a very short time.

In fact, the dynamic between Cushing and Morell was so wildly different that it's a testament to both of them and how well they worked together. I can see why they were cast to play off each other more than once, and I love seeing it.

On the subject of Watson, I was really, really pleased with how this version didn't make Watson a slack-jawed idiot - he gets things to do, he has knowledge to contribute, we can see why Sherlock trusts him and values his input. And their dynamic was one of my favorites in all of the adaptations I've seen - the true, relaxed warmth in each other's company is even present when Sherlock's in a mood and being snappish - this Watson gives as good as he gets, but they're not ever malicious, so it comes off more as old married couple or bickering sibling vibes, and I'm here for it.

Christopher Lee's Henry Baskerville is an absolute puppy and he deserves a hug and a free horse. Even when he's going after Cecile - on paper it could've been uncomfortable, but the way he plays it, it feels more like someone leaping at the first sign of romantic attention they've possibly ever had, and so even if he's still quite forward, it doesn't feel icky, which it very well could have in another actor's hands, so full kudos to him for making this character just feel like an occasionally grumpy but overall marshmallow sweetheart.

Peter Cushing left all other Sherlocks in the dust for me. I fully expected to be underwhelmed, having hyped myself up because I love him as an actor already, but I was not, not at all. His is the best Sherlock, to me. He feels so complete, despite being in about half of one short movie - like we saw all of the shades of this very complex character. Beautiful ❤️

I didn't mind the changes to the story. I thought the mine scene was fun, actually, and led to one of many lines that made me laugh (this was an unexpectedly funny movie in some parts, mostly because of Sherlock being such a sass queen and Peter Cushing making use of his rarely-displayed comedic chops!), so even though I know other people criticise that scene, I enjoyed it.

I also liked how obviously fake the dead dog was - being able to easily see that it's not a real dead animal is hokey to some people, but comforting to me. 🤷

I've rambled enough, so, negatives? I didn't like that Mortimer was involved in some way but left a loose end. Cecile was poorly handled as a character from start to finish, but I do give them credit for trying something different. The tarantula 😂 That just won't stop being unintentionally funny because it's definitely not deadly, but - that's okay. 🤷😂

Overall, I loved it, it's definitely a new favorite! ❤️❤️❤️

Since it's one of your comfort movies, any thoughts or headcanons you'd like to share about it? I'd love to hear them if you do! ❤️😍

[halothenthehorns]

Chapter 6: I GET A SNEAK PEEK AT MY DEATH

Alex gasped dramatically when Nico read the new title. "Spoilers!"

"Spoiler alert," Percy waved at himself, "I'm not dead?" He couldn't help but phrase it as a question though, he still wasn't convinced now more than ever with Annabeth finally beside him feeling more real and more dreamlike than any of his adventures on the surface.

"Shh," Alex waved his hand about at Percy impatiently, "I'm talking about details man, the important stuff!"

If you want to be popular, don't come back from a mission with bad news.

"Finally, the secret to your success," Nico smirked.

"Don't go spreading that around," Percy said with a forced smile. "I might have to use that trick next time I want to sneak away."

"Some of us don't even need to lie about it," Annabeth muttered. She'd escape all the time to find a nice place in the forest to nest and be alone when she needed to collect her thoughts. She'd mapped out the place to perfection these past days with Percy gone and probably slain more monsters on record, though she doubted Clarisse would ever admit to it.

... demigods or gods or really, really lost pizza delivery guys. (It's happened, long story.)

Alex spluttered in distress he might have this story passed over.

"Okay, okay," Percy chuckled, more than happy to pass this camp wisdom along. "You know, looking back, she might have stumbled out of the Labyrinth."

"She just, appeared from the forest with three boxes," Annabeth nodded. "We probably owe Tyson an apology for that, I was convinced you had put him up to this getting her inside."

"I don't think Tysons's ever even used a phone, though I bet he'd love to try," Percy chuckled.

"But it happened, like, three times in a month," Will reminded, "that's a pattern, no way they all fell into the Labyrinth and managed to get out in one piece. Connor's convinced it's Hermes trying to prank his kids."

"And I'm still convinced the Aphrodite kids are carb-cheating and trying to hide it with their own secret backdoor they haven't shared," Percy shrugged.

"So you guys don't actually know how pizza carrying mortals get in?" Alex insisted.

"Nope," all three campers nodded.

"I'm convinced it's Mr. D.," Thalia reminded, "just because he can snap his fingers and make a pizza appear doesn't mean it has that same taste."

"I bet I can find out," Nico's voice sounded hesitant, but happy. "I can send out skeletons to patrol and find out, if it's a security risk."

"Um," Annabeth looked at him in surprise, but smiled without hesitation. "Yeah, that'd be cool."

"So does Nico get some kind of trophy for solving one of Camp's greatest mysteries, or," Jason trailed off with a smirk.

"He gets a pat on the back and one free pizza," Percy rolled his eyes. "For all we know he's going to bust Chiron."

Hey, it was more recognition than Nico had ever gotten in the past, so he wasn't going to complain.

...lookout was Connor Stoll from the Hermes cabin.

Nico glanced swiftly at Will and away. He'd said his crush on Connor had 'faded,' but he didn't know what the hell that meant. He wasn't even sure he could call his own crush on Percy as faded as he'd like.

Will didn't start gushing about him or even seem that interested in sharing some Connor Fun Fact at all, actually, his face was rather somber. It might have been Connor that told Will about the news Percy was there to deliver, which wasn't exactly a happy time.

When he spotted me, he got so excited he fell out of his tree.

"Real stealthy, ninja kid there," Thalia chuckled.

"And we're all so grateful for it," Annabeth sighed. They caused enough trouble by being as sneaky as Percy in a candy store.

...so unlike my old enemy Luke it's hard to believe they're all sons of Hermes.

Luke's scar, that he got on the quest that ruined his relationship with his father, ruining the 'family resemblance' he had with the rest of his siblings, struck Annabeth so hard her breath blasted out. When he'd come back, covered in blood-stained rags, that same look in his eye she'd seen in Percy. The way he'd given up, changed.

... "Oh, no. Poor Silena, when she finds out-" Together we climbed the sand dunes.

That was, it?! Magnus was stunned at the way Connor immediately jumped from sorrow to worrying about Silena and just walking along with Percy. There hadn't even been a full second to process that.

He glanced at Will, who similarly had barely blinked at what had happened to Beckendorf. It had been brutal to the extreme, and he was just, used to it. This kind of news that happened so much around camp.

Magnus shivered; and he'd begun to worry about himself becoming numb to the misery of others on the streets.

... Percy's back, they were probably thinking... saved the day! Maybe brought souvenirs!

"You really should get a collection going of something Perce," Thalia nodded he was slacking. "Wall of monster trophies, you've already got one started."

"Think your head would look better next to the Nemean Lion or the dragon?" Percy smirked.

"Pfft, I deserve that Princess Andromeda head or nothing," she said with her head held high.

Percy couldn't do more than force out a chuckle, that ship should never have exploded with who all was aboard, but Thalia had finally managed to wipe away that miserable look from his face. Annabeth smiled with pride their friendship had only seemed to grow stronger during this mess while she was already falling into the trick of getting lost in the past.

...No sense rushing down there to tell them what a loser I was.

"You are not a loser!" Annabeth said at once.

Percy frowned at her sharp tone, like she was calling him an idiot for thinking himself a loser.

Her fingers flexed in frustration, the urge to grab him and kiss him and love him with all her heart again until he believed it as much as she did.

"You, are, my best friend," she forced herself to choose her words carefully so as not to scare him to run behind his new friends. "And, brave, and the most impulsive idiot I will ever meet, and so stubborn it's infuriating, but none of that makes you a loser."

"The getting Beckendrof killed part didn't help," he said, still watching her intently. He still seemed so unsure of himself, so unlike her confident boyfriend who had strolled through camp these last months laughing without a care in the world, sending her constant IM's about a monster following him home and what his mom had made for dinner.

"But you didn't," her hand did take his back, holding it tight. "You did everything you could for him. Kronos did this, Percy, you were just forced into being there."

"Nobody forced me there," he said at once, head snapping up to hold her eyes steady now.

She smiled, and he sighed. "Or Beckendorf," he grumpily concluded.

"I understand you feel bad, and guilty, and responsible for him, but don't hold on to it Percy. You can let it go." She promised, words that she needed to tell herself more than once before walking the same steps Luke had over every inch of that Camp.

Percy seemed to believe her though, slowly nodding and taking a long time to look away.

It should have been awkward and embarrassing as hell for the two to look away and realize they had a whole audience watching this, but frankly, after Percy's life had been on display for them for days now it didn't even phase him. Annabeth blushed, but not by that much, she was used to being the center of gossip for Camp as Nico kept reading like nothing had happened.

... tried to remember how Camp Half-Blood looked the first time I ever saw it.

It was a weirdly similar feeling, Percy agreed with his past self. How much had changed, how much had stayed the same. The melancholy detachment of how everything was one shade off of normal from a 'regular' camp, how everything should be raining, dreary, covered in black for another death he'd been involved in.

Where had Beckendorf been standing, his last moments here? Had he waved goodbye to his siblings and called Blackjack from his cabin door without looking back? Had he been holding Silena close and promising her he'd come home? Had he stood by Thalia's tree, looking out rather than in, excited for his future?

That seemed like a bajillion years ago.

Annabeth chuckled in agreement. She still remembered the first time she'd laid eyes on him, only seeing a prize to get out of camp. Convinced he was another child of Zeus to rescue her again, the scrawny kid who drooled. She never knew he was the someone for her she'd always needed.

...curled around the tree trunk, lending up smoke signals as he snored.

"Who is he contacting?" Alex asked seriously.

"Laydon, I'm still convinced they're best buds," Jason snorted.

In some ways, the camp hadn't changed... see it in the faces of all coming up hill.

Jason tried to relax back into his seat and focus on this a little better. Grover should be about to pop up again, that was always distracting...though he gave a traitorous glance to Thalia as he wondered for the millionth time why that could be. Did she know about his camp too and never let on like Nico had come out and said he did? There had to be satyrs wandering his camp as well, maybe he had a best friend there like Percy did and that's why he always wanted to hear more about him.

The idea didn't track with how his first instinct to hear of satyrs and naiads being so, useful. It always surprised him to hear they were doing anything around camp other than just being the decorative plants they manifested from.

... It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.

Annabeth and Will exchanged a look heavier than Atlas could bear. Percy had no clue just how hard that hit. The place was so different from when they'd first come it was almost a different world. These past months after the Titan war, with kids stumbling over the line every few days now and the thrill of being alive had almost felt like a dream rather than how the place always should have been.

... MY OTHER CAR IS A CENTAUR and a bow slung over his back.

They got a pretty good laugh out of that shirt at least, Alex of course having to ask, "please tell me he also has one saying horses are wheelchair accessible?"

"I'm sure you can make him one Alex," Annabeth chuckled, then she turned to Percy and said, "I saw one in the store the other day that reminded me of you." No need for him to know she'd broken down sobbing in a changing room because of it. "It said, dyslexics are teople poo."

"That's completely hurtful and not at all accurate," Percy sniffed, "obviously to a real dyslexic those words would be just gibberish."

She laughed, trying to hide a slight hiccup at how fuzzy her head felt to be sitting next to him still, to just be having fun again.

... I'll admit my heart did a little relay race in my chest when I saw her.

Annabeth couldn't help a smile, it was almost a smirk. It was certainly a confidence boost she'd sorely needed at that time to hear. As blunt as Percy could be with his words, he rarely paid her a compliment, and it was nice to hear. She hadn't gotten to the point where he met Rachel or Calypso yet, so she tried to store this in her head now for comparison's sake later, especially after she'd just read how impressive he'd found Circe.

. . . well, that we might get past the strangle-each-other phase.

Annabeth watched those around the room laugh, outright, not even trying to hide it. She blushed, just a bit, at how unsubtle she'd been in here about how they clearly had moved past that, even if Percy couldn't remember, but it was a very uncomfortable feeling too, to know they'd all heard witness to the first time she'd kissed him. Like looking back on the memory and now seeing six people laughing at one of her most confusing memories. She really didn't know how Percy had been doing this for so long.

"What happened?" She grabbed my arm. "Is Luke—"

Percy felt like he'd been stabbed. He flinched away from her and quickly went to studying his shoelaces intently and wondering why he'd never bothered to buy blue ones.

Annabeth watched with a heavy wince of her own. She scrambled in her mind to say something, anything to make that sound better but came up blank. "I'm sorry," was all that came out, eyes miles above his head, absolutely useless after the way he'd just made her feel.

Percy glanced back at her wearily. She'd never apologized before for anything about Luke. "It's, um, it's okay," he promised. "It was, the point of the mission, you've always been, um, very focused." One of the many things he admired about her, she had a way better attention span than he ever would.

She wished she could say more, but she'd never really been able to talk to Percy about Luke...she'd never been able to talk to anyone about Luke really except for Chiron, and he wasn't here right now to nod or shake his head on how to approach this.

Not that she needed Chiron's advice on how to talk to Percy...it just would have been nice right now with her stomach churning up a storm.

...Silena Beauregard pushed through the crowd.

Oh, and the one person to make this all ten times worse, Percy ducked his head and took a painful breath, like his lungs were filled with ice. He'd rather Kronos or Luke or Grover show up right about now to try and kill him than this!

..."Where's Charlie?" she demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.

They didn't even know if he liked surprises. They'd only heard about him in passing as often as Clarisse, but the pain rippling through every line of Percy's face, the way Nico read with such soft respect made them all feel as if they'd lost a good friend, made the tragedy they were apart from still somehow hit home.

... felt like someone had stolen the anchor for the entire camp.

A rough smile flickered across Alex's face, he opened his mouth with a clear callous comment before closing it again just as fast. Magnus understood that, the defiance against your feelings and your first thought being something nobody else was going to relate to. He nudged Alex gently, just with the back of his fingers on his arm so he could ignore it easily, but he glanced over with his two toned eyes to see Magnus sign 'same.'

Finally Clarisse from the Ares cabin came forward.

Jason braced himself, for what even he wasn't sure. A declaration of war to come out of her mouth, like they weren't already in the thick of that? Some well-meaning advice that would fall on deaf ears until Chris showed up to tow her away? He hoped that Silena at least heard that she was trying, that Clarisse did care about all of the campers.

She put her arm around Silena. They had one of the strangest friendships ever,

"Uh," Nico stuttered in surprise.

"When did that happen?" Jason agreed blankly.

"Started hanging out last summer," Percy shrugged, "I only heard bits and pieces as to why."

"I'm just proud you noticed at all," Annabeth chuckled.

"Annabeth, I'd be surprised if Zeus didn't notice this," Percy told her.

... Clarisse had decided she was Silena's personal bodyguard.

"Aw," Magnus said with the biggest smile.

Annabeth smiled with him, still completely confused as to why he was here. Even a Titan couldn't be so out of touch he'd pull in a mortal, no matter how similar they looked. He still had that same big ol' grin from when he was a kid and could weasel extra cookies out of anybody, but there was something in his eyes, the gray they shared...maybe something a little too similar in their dark depths that shouldn't be there in him.

..."Come on, let's get to the Big House. I'll make you some hot chocolate."

Hot chocolate was not going to fix that hurt, Nico winced. Still, he kept playing in his mind how these kids would have reacted if Percy had just announced the news to camp about Bianca's death, if Nico had his world ripped apart and taken it out in front of everyone. Would he have been offered hot chocolate and a friend?

He had a feeling he'd get something closer to what was coming for Percy, an interrogation of events and a war council meeting.

... Nobody was excited to see me now. Nobody wanted to hear about the blown-up ship.

Will had been in the infirmary at the time with Jason Campbell, who had a bad burn from the lava wall. He'd heard the news fast enough that night. It had been surreal, to hear another year around camper gone like that. There were so few of them left...

Only Annabeth and Chiron stayed behind.

"Where's Grover?" Jason asked in surprise.

"He," Percy halted like his best friend had just headbutted him. "He's been, missing," he whispered in horror, rubbing the side of his head as the memory swept back into him. Not being able to contact him, Grover just falling off the grid. It wasn't like him, not at all. Even with all his recent travlings to spread the word of Pan, he'd still always made contact with Camp and Percy. There had just been silence, for two months.

Jason couldn't help his mind immediately twisting off into the worst case scenario. Of Luke kidnapping him and holding him captive better than Polyphemus had managed. Grover was dead and the empathy link had worn off enough Percy never got wind of it.

He didn't say any of it, not out loud, not with Beckendorf's death still so heavily inlaid in those who knew him, but it was a horrifying feeling to start the day the task of winning already seemed hopeless when all of Percy's most trusted allies were already falling left and right.

Annabeth wiped a tear from her cheek. "I'm glad you're not dead, Seaweed Brain."

"The highest compliment I've ever been given," Percy grinned at her.

"Stick around, I might even say glad you're still alive at some point," she rolled her eyes.

He leaned close, to whisper just to her, "I'm not going anywhere again."

"Good," she whispered back, eyes still straight ahead on the book, but their hands easily finding each other again.

...the plan was so scary I didn't mind keeping it a secret.

"I can't believe you actually managed to keep something like that from me," Annabeth sounded grudgingly impressed. "The details of your first prophecy I understood, we hadn't known each other that well yet, but this?" She smacked his arm with a knowing smirk. He looked blankly at his arm and back at her, his skin and stomach at battle who would cause him the most distress while his brain rebelled in his head like an earthquake. The answer felt like it was sitting right in front of him, but it was really distracting to have Annabeth between his eyes instead while smiling at him.

...they exchanged looks, like they knew something I didn't. I hated when they did that.

"By the way," Alex began in a level voice that still sounded a little ominous. "We owe you a hell of a headache for all the times you've done that!" It was no guess who he was addressing even if his two-toned eyes hadn't been piercing Annabeth. "I recall Jason mentioning chair straps to put you through what we did!"

"I, um, said it nicer," Jason said with a very pale face as he shrank into his seat.

"He did not," Percy sniffed, "and I'd help. You have no clue how often you drove all of us nuts with that!"

Annabeth didn't even look guilty, just exasperated, while Thalia waved on Nico to keep going before that escalated further. Nico was tempted not to though, it would have felt like great retribution...but then Will tightened his arm around him just slightly. Enough he could feel the intent, Will was not aching for a real squabble to break out right now. Frankly, he'd like to be able to exit the continent at his leisure too if they did more than joke about it.

... Annabeth, we will show Percy the truth, all of it. Let's go to the attic."

Percy ground his teeth in frustration that's all it had taken to convince them, but it eased out with his next breath anyways. There was a part of him that never wanted to hear the whole thing, it's not like it had ever done him a lick of good in the past to hear a full prophecy before a quest. If he never knew, he'd never have to face the reality that his choice, the thing the whole world hinged on, might not have anything to do with him at all and maybe, for once, Annabeth and Chiron had the whole thing way out of proportion.

Yeah, and Zeus was going to send him a birthday gift.

...been to the attic three times, which was three times more than I wanted to.

"Ah, come on, you know you wanted to go at least once," Alex insisted. "Curiosity and all that, you would have snuck up there the first day someone told you it was off-limits."

Percy sighed and muttered a bit because he knew he wasn't wrong.

... wondered how Chiron was going to get up there, but he didn't try.

"The house wouldn't just, expand for him?" Jason asked in surprise. His wheelchair did, he figured Mr. D had lost enough pinochle games that he'd been bribed into modifying everything around there for him.

Thalia didn't really think he'd put the Oracle up there as a place of honor though. While she usually dwelled in caves, they were supposed to be her home. This felt shameful, something Chiron didn't want to sit around looking at for any length of time, nor have the other kids question it to much.

...STOLEN FROM CHRYSAOR'S HONDA CIVIC, BY GUS, SON OF HERMES, 1988.

Alex still leered at the book, a sense of longing to get his hands on every bit of that. It sounded like the kind of junkyard he spent his regular hours in, pouring through mounds of objects every day and always managing to find something worth taking back to his nest.

I picked up a curved bronze sword so badly bent it looked like the letter M.

"Cool," Magnus chuckled.

"It's a good thing we don't all get weapons that are just our name," Percy snorted. "I can't imagine swinging a P around would intimidate as many monsters."

..."You remember Briares throwing those boulders?" I asked.

"Vividly," Jason savored. "Though I'm offended on Briares' part his name isn't on that tag."

"It's possible whoever recovered it didn't know," Will shrugged. "Plenty of kids went back to that field after the fact."

"Or didn't know how to spell it," Nico chuckled.

...when she thought I was going to die and she kissed me. She cleared her throat and looked away.

Annabeth swallowed and poorly hid her blush by brushing her hair into her face. To ashamed to admit that, though that memory came to mind too, it rivaled with Luke shouting in a voice not his own, trying to topple a mountain on her. The two were so tangled together in her mind. Even now, months later, she still couldn't seem to find a way to separate the two without Luke and Kronos looming in every page of Percy's life with her.

"Prophecy." "Right." I put down the scimitar. "Prophecy."

"Prophecy!" Jason yipped like he had the hiccups, clearly to gloss over that awkward silence.

"He's had this weird habit of freaking out over the number three," Percy explained to Annabeth in a tired voice.

"Seems reasonable," she smiled as if nothing had happened.

... Glassy eyes stared out of her leathery face. Just looking at her made my skin crawl.

Annabeth hadn't been surprised, upon Percy first meeting her, that he'd felt her presence, knew it for what it was. She used to sneak up there, her first few weeks at Camp, asking her questions and so fascinated by the feeling of being watched. She'd grown frustrated her quest was never given and once chucked a Collectors Hercules Waterbottle at her though, so, it was probably a good thing she wasn't as sentient as Rachel.

...used to be, you had to come up here to get a quest. This summer that rule had been tossed... had no choice if we wanted to stop Kronos.

Magnus swallowed the question of how many had come back. He didn't need to see the heartbreak in their eyes to know the number wasn't zero.

... for the "Great Prophecy" I half expected her to start tap dancing or something.

"I want fireworks!" Alex grinned, "no, wait, you guys do that every summer. Um, collective mass telling, the whole camp gets to see the illusion! Or, or," he was waving his hand frantically for something to top that at himself.

"She's already told the property once Alex," Annabeth reminded with a smile for him. "I'm sorry, but there was no grand retelling."

"Buzzkill!" He groaned.

Annabeth hoped he meant the Oracle and not her, she'd been called that plenty and it didn't feel great.

But she just sat there like she was dead, which she was.

"Thank you for reminding that's a literal animated corpse," Magnus shivered. "I know where I'm going to avoid when the zombie apocalypse happens."

"Good instincts," Nico nodded fairly, "considering that place would likely be ground zero with all the other cursed items up there."

"Our home isn't cursed," Will pouted.

"It's not feeling very blessed lately," Percy muttered. Thalia's tree had felt like the only thing holding it all together some days.

"I never understood this," I whispered...

Annabeth started to say something, then changed her mind. "Let's just get out of here."

Nico tried to suppress a relieved sigh she hadn't just said, 'oh, Hades cursed her,' and moved on, because that's all his dad was ever known for or cared about around there, what he'd done wrong. The story in detail wasn't any more pleasant, but a part of him still expected everyone else to just focus on that.

...Annabeth took out a roll of parchment no bigger than her pinky.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Percy blurted with capital offense at Annabeth. "All these years I could have gone up there and grabbed it!"

"You didn't give the secret passcode," Thalia mildly patted his shoulder while Annabeth just smiled at him. "She might have chucked you out the window."

"Annabeth, or the Oracle?" Jason frowned.

"Probably both," Magnus said with a raised brow as he studied her. The look on her face was strange, almost like she was having fun with this trip down memory lane. It took him a moment to realize why he found it so odd.

She'd so rarely smiled like that in their youth.

... I read this when I was ten years old, and I still have nightmares about it."

"Hey!" Percy spluttered, again. "When we were in the sea of monsters you said you didn't know the whole thing!"

"The time wasn't right," Annabeth repeated stubbornly while Percy kept scowling at her.

"Great," I said. "Can I read it now?"

"All those nightmares to catch up on," Magnus frowned.

"They need some variety," Percy answered with a scowl still on her.

...I didn't know it then, but it would be the last time I ever visited the attic.

"Ominous!" Jason tried to splutter around a deprecating laugh.

"Oooeeoo," Alex tried to make strange alien noises, because this wasn't the first 'feeling' of Percy's that had come true.

Annabeth had a pretty good poker face to give nothing away, along with the others who knew as usual, so they couldn't even get any better of a guess out of that.

The senior counselors had gathered around the Ping-Pong table. Don't ask me why,

"First rule of the war council," Thalia smirked, "nobody ever asks Percy why anything's going on."

"He's usually the cause of it," Annabeth nodded.

"I feel the need to move," Percy groaned in betrayal of the girl on either side.

"You're exactly where you always sit in a war council so it's nothing new," Thalia sniffed.

...When we came in, it looked more like a shouting match.

"Isn't that what war rooms are supposed to be used for?" Alex shrugged.

"No," Jason frowned. He always hated when these meetings were shown, it caused an itch in his brain he'd probably gouge his skull out before getting to.

...She called the spear "Maimer." Behind her back, everybody else called it "Lamer.")

"We do not," Will tried to say with dignity.

"Travis told me someone from the Apollo cabin came up with that," Annabeth looked around at him suspiciously.

"And you believed him?" Will gave her a wounded look.

Annabeth chuckled and turned back away, but Nico smiled to himself as Will's studious expression started to get cracks in it.

...in the midst of yelling at Michael Yew,

Will tried hard to suppress his flinch. He had no reason for that to hit him so hard, he'd known this was coming, and he hadn't been guiltless in this coming squabble.

...Michael had taken over the Apollo cabin after Lee Fletcher died in battle last summer.

Annabeth still wasn't sure who this narration was for. She'd toyed with ideas in her head last night, everywhere from an alternate reality, to Percy writing these and Apollo pulling this entire stunt to get all this on record and then wiping Percy's memory of it, but her ultimate conclusion was just being kind of sad at how distant some of it felt. Like Percy needed to remind himself coming back every summer from when he was out in the real world. She'd been having to do that staying with her dad a few times, run down the list of all the people at camp to make sure she wouldn't forget them.

Michael stood four feet six, with another two feet of attitude. He reminded me of a ferret, with a pointy nose and scrunched-up features, either because he scowled so much or because he spent too much time looking down the shaft of an arrow.

Will giggled. It was a rough, uncomfortable feeling in the back of his throat, but a bubbling up from his heart he didn't try to fight. It really had been to long since he'd heard anyone make such jokes about his brother, and Percy just doing it out of the blue now caused a warmth at what he knew Micheal would have responded with. Thalia had nothing on what he could do with those arrows.

..."It's our loot! If you don't like it, you can kiss my quiver!"

"What did Clarisse do now?" Magnus asked in fond exasperation.

"Hey, don't assume all those Apollo kids are innocent rays of sunshine," Jason said with a smirk at Will.

"Muah?" Will pressed his hand to his heart with a look that really would have fooled anyone he had no clue what Jason could be talking about. Percy was a bit jealous how he'd perfected such an act.

...arguing about something as stupid as loot, when she'd just lost Beckendorf.

Will could only imagine it starting as some innocent throwaway line Clarisse had made to try and distract her. Silena had always been a good mediator, Clarisse might have been fishing for a solution before it all went to hell, and the distraught girl hadn't even noticed a thing.

"STOP IT!" I yelled. "What are you guys doing?"

Annabeth tried to cover her mouth to hide the smile on her face, the exact same reaction she'd had back then. Magnus watched in mild amusement not knowing that but guessing it all the same for how her eyes darted around guiltily, passing over everyone before landing back on Percy as she tried to straighten her face out.

He wasn't sure if she was laughing at the oh so usual, 'Percy has no clue what's going on,' like Nico blatantly was, or if she found his usual inability to stay out of a problem charming. He'd guess the second.

... She hasn't spoken for three days." "It's been wonderful," Travis Stoll said wistfully.

"That boy is achin' for a breakin'," Will groaned.

"The real question is where Clarisse would start. I'd bet with his jaw," Alex nodded.

...Clarisse turned to Chiron. "You're in charge, right?

"Exactly how long has she been there again?" Jason shook his head. "I honestly want to know how long before she's decided to ask that question."

"She showed up a few months after we-" Annabeth paused before moving on as if nothing had happened, "I did. I'm pretty sure she dumped whoever was head of Ares into the toilet the next day and thought she was running the place until this moment."

"That would not surprise me," Jason nodded his head in thanks.

... We're just supposed to show up and fight when you need us, and not complain!"

This had quickly gone from mildly entertaining to deeply uncomfortable. Clarisse had let it be known plenty in the past she thought she deserved more respect for her father's name, but it hadn't come up again since Percy let her take credit for the Fleece.

It did not feel great this was bursting out now, of all times, when the camp should be banding together. What could be so important Clarisse was risking that?

...Are any of you going to side with me?" None of them met Clarisse's eyes.

Nico was stunned at the words out of his mouth. He'd always seen the Camp as a Him vs Them, all of the cabins having at least one unified goal in disliking his dad. Here Clarisse was, having the same feelings of isolation, that they were only good for a fight on a very tight leash.

Percy winced with particular guilt for his past self. He knew that feeling intimately when not one of the head counselors had told Zoe he was the one who needed to go on that quest.

...Clarisse turned to Silena. "...I apologize. To you. Nobody else."

It was the way she'd felt the need to clarify that, that had forced Annabeth to swallow another laugh. For as long as she'd known Clriasse, she'd never known her to apologize to anyone. She had to make very sure people knew who it was meant for.

Silena didn't seem to register her words.

Which had made the entire room go from awkward embarrassment to depressing, Percy sighed. Whoever thought he'd miss the meetings with cheez-whiz and Dionysus looking at wine magazines.

... Until I get satisfaction, no one in my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying."

That Clarisse cared about her home hadn't been in question since the Bad Cow incident, but the slowly trickling idea that she cared about people hadn't really been shown much except for the few, spotty moments with Percy, and occasionally Will's observation. This moment should have felt selfish, but there was a part of Jason that completely understood why she was doing this. Everyone had their breaking point, and she was sick of being everyone's tool, just used over and over again without a single care for how she might need a change.

The counselors were all too stunned to say anything as Clarisse stormed out of the room.

"Nobody went after her?" Jason demanded.

Annabeth held her head high. "We had more important matters to discuss."

"Then half your war force stalking out?" He scowled.

"You-" Annabeth began hotly, but stopped with such a wince, Percy looked around to make sure nobody had thrown something at her. His heart began to race, his breath blasted out with the force of a dragon stepping on his chest. Annabeth regretted this, she wasn't even going to fight back, and he needed to remember why-

"Sorry Percy," she whispered, pulling his hand into her lap, rubbing the back of it gently until Riptide fell from his clenched hand onto the floor.

He shook his head slowly from side to side, not as if ignoring her, just concentrating on something very hard.

When she squeezed again and Percy's eyes fluttered open, Nico decided to keep reading before they started making out, or Jason's distasteful look got a full recharge, neither of which would evolve well.

Finally Michael Yew said, "Good riddance."

Magnus winced like he expected Clarisse to come smashing through the wall to gut him. Will winced with him because he wouldn't have been surprised.

... "Her pride has been wounded. She'll calm down." But he didn't sound convinced.

Nobody in here was either, not even Annabeth. If Silena hadn't pulled what she did, the Ares cabin might have been the only half-bloods left alive after that day, and not for long.

... I looked at Annabeth and she mouthed the words I'll tell you later.

"You could probably read her lips as well as Hearth from how often that happens," Magnus rolled his eyes.

"Who's Hearth?" Annabeth asked cautiously, he'd seemed very upset about that person earlier.

"My friend," Magnus said at once, his smile sad, and longing. "He's deaf," he paused, considered for a moment, then shrugged, and said, "and an elf."

"There are, elves?" Annabeth sounded more mildly surprised than anything, of course, like confirmation Grover had eaten a gold watch than really concerned at the results.

"Apparently," Magnus seemed a tad disappointed, like he'd wanted to shock his cousin with something for a change and it clearly hadn't gone to plan.

... Percy has brought something I think you should hear. The Great Prophecy."

Jason still looked like he'd been the one slighted, just leaving Clarisse out of this, not giving her problem some priority so that everyone could be involved in this. He'd never sit aside and let someone in the Senate be so ignored-

The thought burst apart like someone had popped his balloon, leaving the tatters to flutter around, useless to grasp at.

Nico felt his shiver of distress and glanced over, but by the time he did Jason's face was stoic and calm like nothing had happened.

... my fingers fumbled with the string. I uncurled the paper, trying not to rip it,

"That would be just my luck," Percy grumbled. "Would the Oracle come down and burn the message into my forehead?"

"She might be tempted," Annabeth said with twitching lips, imagining Rachel chasing him around with a tiki-torch if he ever ripped one of her paintings, "but I think you'd get a pass."

Percy grunted like he didn't believe her and the others didn't blame him.

and began to read:

"A half-blood of the eldest dogs-"

"Er, Percy?" Annabeth interrupted. "That's gods. Not dogs."

"It would have been so much cooler to figure out what that one meant though," Alex grinned. "Cerberus? Did Zeus have a dog he abandoned?"

"Zeus is the youngest," Thalia corrected mildly.

"Did Aphrodite have a dog who was once her boyfriend?" Alex continued with somehow even more energy.

"Well I'm personally glad it was about, who, it turned out to be about," Annabeth said. She sounded almost stern, like she was afraid Alex's joking around would change the course of the universe. Thalia had a feeling she was just having a few flashbacks to that day and didn't know how else to make Alex stop. Regardless, it worked.

....

"And see the world in endless sleep,

The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap."

... how could the world fall into endless sleep, unless that meant death?

Percy hated every word of that. The way his gut swirled like cotton candy ready to disintegrate on him. To much, this was to much, it was making him nauseous wanting to understand but knowing he shouldn't but the answer was burning something in him.

Annabeth shifted beside him, her blond hair tickling the side of his neck. He swatted it away, the flash image of a bronze color flickering in and out of his mind easily as he turned to grumble at her again about withholding all this from him and that she was right and he'd never admit it because he might have freaked out this whole time ever drawing his own blade. None of it made it to his lips as he just stared at her for a few moments watching Nico attentively read.

.."A single choice shall- shall end his days.

'End his days?' Alex noted with interest that Thalia couldn't have even been a contender then...but the language of most did tend to compress he/ his/ him into the human itself rather than a specific gender. It was an interesting note all the same to him how this would play out, how specific Percy's role in this would be in all this.

..."I know what it means," I grumbled. "Olympus to preserve or raze."

"Well that all sounds, not great," Magnus was now very convinced Percy must not actually be sixteen yet, because that all sounded like doomsday. Annabeth had made it sound like it came to pass moments ago though? He'd always been on the fence just how much these guys knew of the future context of this.

The room was silent. Finally Connor Stoll said, "Raise is good, isn't it?"

"Depends on which kind," Annabeth muttered, vividly remembering all the kinds that had gone on during her quest.

"Not raise," Silena said. Her voice was hollow, I was startled to hear her speak at all. "R-a-z-e means destroy."

"Did she, get a sneak peek at that to see this?" Jason asked why she'd know to clarify that any better than he would without seeing it.

"Pretty sure it was just that gloom and doom attitude she's in," Thalia said not unkindly, but considering her mindset, Silena would be assuming the worst about everything right now. Jason nodded without really looking at her.

...Everybody was looking at me—with concern, or pity, or maybe a little fear.

Percy was still amazed by how rarely that happened in here. Maybe it was because Thalia had always been in here to reign in the worst sides of him, maybe it was because all of them had a partial death wish that he could tell, but it felt nice not to have those kinds of looks so familiar to him it took a second to recognize them.

..."Without realizing I was going to die in the end anyway?" I said. "Yeah, I get it."

"Spoilery enough Alex?" Percy sighed.

"What part of details did you not get?" Alex scoffed. "Unless you spontaneously burst into dust, you're disqualified from this category Percy!"

Percy blinked for a few moments before deciding that was the first time he'd ever been happy about being disqualified for something before.

Chiron gazed at me sadly.... He probably knew better than to try to reassure me.

"Guess I've always appreciated his candor more than his platitudes," Annabeth said.

Percy just looked at her blankly, but he got the idea. She'd never gone around getting warm hugs from him either, just a good ear.

... "A single choice shall end his days. That has tons of meanings, right?"

"Maybe end your days as a hero?" Magnus offered. "You get forced into retirement by the gods after all the shit you've pulled."

"I'd be okay with that?" Percy said with an awkward smile if this was his dad's idea of helping him. It sounded like the best option by far anyway.

... As a general rule, I preferred not to have my soul reaped.

"What about reaped with rewards?" Jason offered, but his smile was lackluster. "Reaped can be a bountiful harvest."

"More than one soul, got it," Percy groaned, he was probably taking everyone he cared about down with him.

Thalia smacked his shoulder. "Stop being so depressing, you're not dead!"

"Thanks for the reminder," Percy said honestly, though it still bothered him more every time it happened how little he felt it when she did that.

... I felt defiant and angry, though I wasn't sure who at.

Annabeth had always admired that about him, even when she wanted to call him an idiot for it. How he could focus that anger and achieve anything.

"The universe itself at this point," Magnus assured that was perfectly normal.

"It seems to get the job done with you," Alex agreed brightly.

"I don't need time. If I die, I die. I can't worry about that, right?"

"Sure," Thalia drew that out in painful sarcasm, before closing her eyes and rubbing her temple. Clearly wondering how he was alive, like the rest of them usually felt.

Annabeth's hands were shaking a little. She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Let's move on," I said.

Her hands weren't shaking now, but there was still a chip of fear in her stormy eyes he was starting to worry would never vanish. He couldn't just blame that on delayed adrenaline from hearing about Beckendorf.

She'd known he was probably going to die from the moment she met him, and still gotten close to him, chose to get to know him.

He knew what she was really afraid of. That he'd leave her, for real this time, just like everybody else had to her. He'd already done it at least twice against his will. And there was nothing he could do to stop that.

His anger at this idea finally burned away the last of his guilt and fear, about Beckendorf and the unknown. He would find a way to fix this one thing, by getting all his memories back, by making sure at least that never happened to her again.

... silver scythe pendant he'd used to communicate with someone at camp. Silena started to cry again, and Annabeth put an arm around her shoulders.

Months later and Annabeth still wanted to kick herself for not guessing what had been right in front of her. How hard Silena had shook, the sobs she'd barely been suppressing. She and Beckendorf had only dated a year, if that...but she glanced at Percy and sighed at her cold, calculated train of thought. Her mother's pride just couldn't trump what she knew she really regretted, which was nearly every single choice about the day that ended all of this. The ones she hadn't been a part of, that couldn't make a difference.

... It must be somebody who knew him well."

... he glanced at Annabeth.... but Connor looked away quickly. "Um, I mean, it could be anybody."

Annabeth smiled, which was weird because she never laughed at their jokes.

She was smiling because Percy had noticed that, and Connor had probably pissed himself at the look on Percy's face now she hadn't noticed. She was smiling because she'd expected a comment like that, and hated herself for everything she couldn't tell Luke to make him be Their spy.

"Yes." Katie Gardner frowned at the Stoll brothers... "Like one of Luke's siblings."

"Apparently Katie's forgotten Luke doesn't care about them anymore than he does anyone else," Alex bitterly reminded of what had been done to Chris.

Annabeth winced, and then looked to Percy like she expected him to say something. He looked from her to Thalia in a panic what the heck was he supposed to do about that?!

Nothing, apparently, as Annabeth turned back to watching Nico like nothing had happened. All the same, the smallest part of her was angry that they'd all been saying stuff like that about Luke, and Percy had likely just been casually agreeing, or saying worse himself.

..."Stop!" Silena banged the table so hard her hot chocolate spilled.

"She didn't have to waste perfectly good chocolate to get her point across," Percy said with an awkward smile.

"You're lucky she didn't throw it in your face seaweed brain," Annabeth said at once.

...Hot chocolate trickled off the Ping-Pong table. Everybody looked ashamed.

"I hope everyone puts food on her plate tonight at dinner," Alex said with an oddly anxious smile. "You're supposed to give people food when they're grieving, right?"

"I, think she skipped dinner that night," Annabeth said awkwardly. "It, would have been a nice gesture though."

... He and Annabeth looked at each other again. Did I mention I hate it when they do that?

"Frequently," Jason promised with a stern look at Annabeth, finally in person.

"Not enough," Magnus assured as he frowned at her too.

Annabeth could only manage half a smile without an apology.

... You needed a break with your, mortal friends."

Percy felt that flash of guilt. That he got a reprieve from this, that Will suddenly seemed very busy investigating the door, that Thalia gave him a jealous look before glancing away. It still snagged in his mind how he had the closest to a normal life as Annabeth bit her lip.

... I was allowed to have friends outside camp, right? It wasn't like . . .

"Like she kissed you on the beach in her bathing suit or anything," Thalia helpfully supplied.

"Thalia!" Percy spluttered in betrayal.

"What, she already knew, I was just helping fill in the blanks," she said oh so innocently.

"For who?!" He demanded, a blush of his own still all to visible.

"For you, obviously," she insisted with a grin. "Got to make sure your poor memories aren't slipping up again!"

Annabeth was starting to snort loudly between her giggling, disrupting Percy's next groan, so he decided he wouldn't murder her...much.

... He tossed water onto the hot plate where we usually melted nacho cheese.

"Which I've noticed lacking in there!" Alex said, clearly scandalized.

"I don't think there is enough nacho cheese to fix this Alex," Magnus sighed.

"We were short on rations," Will tragically agreed, but his tone was much lighter, clearly edging for a joke. "We would have had to use cheese adjacent, it just wouldn't have set the right mood."

"Fair," he sighed.

..."O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us the threat."

"That is way to vague!" Jason protested. "For all he knows it'll just show him an image of a police chase, or Kronos still trying to swim out of the ocean!"

"Or someone running with scissors!" Percy added.

He got silence.

"What, that's a really dangerous thing to do," Percy shrugged.

"And this is why you wouldn't have survived spending all your time in the mortal world," Thalia rolled her eyes.

... geologists warn that the mountain may not be done."

"Is it going to rain men, or confetti, or puppies and kittens?" But Nico's sarcasm sounded exhausted. He just said it because that's what the others kept doing, making jokes.

He'd once felt the bombardment of souls constantly leaving this plane during his first days in the Labyrinth. Minos had helped him to control that, close himself off, and usually it was demigods he felt most easily and could still ignore those if he chose to.

He remembered those days, when it had felt fresh, when he'd had to concentrate so much he got headaches anyways from the constant death roaring across the US.

...The mountain shook with a horrible rumbling, as if the monster were laughing.

Percy still couldn't quite believe what he'd done- how he'd done this. He studied his hands in anger, he wanted to demand of Poseidon why he'd done this to him. Given him this, so much... to much...what did that say about him that he was capable of doing something of this magnitude?

Annabeth slipped her hand into his.

She knew that look on his face, the weight of all he carried. It was the same reason they had matching gray bangs.

...like No, that's our huge friend Leroy! He's going to help us!

"Every, single, miserable day you've had deserves that answer," Magnus nodded.

"Yet the cosmos would break if you ever got that lucky," Alex muttered.

...His angry roar rolled across the plains like a nuclear blast.

Will couldn't stand the way Nico read that, with such a familiar cadence of dread. This was something he was so familiar with, the horror Will could barely wrap his mind around this monster. How often had Nico spent staring at this image, studying it? Wasn't he supposed to be down in the Underworld with Bob and his dad trying to be an advisor!

Nico smiled without looking up as Will tucked himself a little closer into his side. He didn't know if it was for his comfort or his own, but he enjoyed the warm feeling either way.

..."Are those, the gods?" I said.

"You shouldn't be seeing that!" Jason yelped. "They're, in their godly form! Can you be vaporized from a distance?!"

"It's on TV, that makes it not real," Percy said with exhaustion in every syllable.

"Besides, if it's on a news station, then the narrative's skewed somehow, in this case I think Percy's favor not to see the worst," Alex added.

... Typhon is marching toward New York. Toward Olympus." I let that sink in.

"I bet the toilets are jealous," Alex smirked.

"Dammit Alex!" Nico threw his head back laughing and the others weren't faring much better.

"We're trying to be serious over here," Annabeth tried to say, but it was a pathetic scold at best as her hand stayed linked with Percy's, enjoying the thrilling zing of his laughter racing through where they connected.

"It was a very serious threat," Alex insisted. "We don't want the plumbing getting jealous, thinking he's taking sides.

"Well they're all out of luck then because the shower's my favorite anyways," Percy rolled his eyes.

"I'll break it to them gently," Alex promised.

..."Unless the gods can stop him? Perhaps five days.

"This is not what I thought you meant when you said you'd get a volcano at my next birthday Alex," Percy groaned.

"Go big or go home?" He shrugged, but he looked mildly guilty for the prophetic joke all the same. That kind of destruction, the amount of families this behemoth was displacing, the shelters would be overrun. The chaos was the kind her mother would be proud of. It disgusted him.

... "If Typhon gets to New York, it won't matter who's guarding Olympus."

Annabeth still idly wondered how much her mother had agreed with this full frontal assault, how dangerous that war room must have been as they all fought which was the best plan before Zeus's thunder shook Olympus and he declared what they'd be doing whether they liked it or not. How terrible a strategy that must have felt to Athena as she raced off with them, how it would have split her attention during the entire ordeal.

Her stomach sunk as she realized things weren't much better now. Closing off the gods from their kids couldn't be her mother's idea, it must still be the same pattern of Zeus ruling over some coming threat-

"You still with us Wise Girl?" Percy nudged his shoulder against hers at that familiar, far away look in her eyes.

"Mmm," she agreed, waving Nico on, her mind racing and yet not missing a word.

... love to see the terror in your eyes when you realize how I will destroy Olympus.

How HE would destroy Olympus, Jason nodded to himself as he shivered. Not Typhoon. This was a ploy, somehow. Kronos intended to lead this battle himself.

..."It's a trick," I said. "We have to warn the gods. Something else is going to happen."

"What would they even do about it?" Magnus didn't care his voice shook. "If all of them can't even defeat this guy, what the hell else could they manage against some trick?"

"A warning is still better than being blindsided." Annabeth only managed to say that with confidence because she'd survived it all. She knew to them it sounded about as reassuring as if she'd recited another Oracle prophecy.

... "But you sunk his ship."...They wanted to believe I'd given them a little bit of hope.

'And here I thought that had all been blown away with Beckendorf,' Thalia shook her head at herself. The Camper's resilience was always something she admired. She'd often felt so alienated from them, and could admit being with the Hunters had given her a slight sense of ego her hope was more concrete than theirs. Of course it would be Percy to rally them into having more.

...What if Kronos let us blow up that ship?... sacrificed himself for that mission.

It was a sickening thought, floating right along with them in the air they breathed. That Kronos would sacrifice all those kids on that ship, that he thought himself so clever he could pull a stunt like this...and it probably would have worked if Percy hadn't lived through to many others performing self-sacrifice for him in the past not to work through this feeling and see it for what it was.

"Maybe you're right," I said, though I didn't believe it.

And they knew that, Annabeth nodded to herself, but they'd wanted to believe it.

... going to die when I turned sixteen, the exact time Typhon hit New York. Almost forgot.

"A minor detail, all things considered," Alex agreed.

"What lie is that?" Will scoffed. "Percy is usually the number one problem around camp! Even if he does solve his own problems, it's still never minor!"

"Percy's survived four prophecies in a row, I like his odds," Alex shrugged.

Nico just hoped he liked the way Percy survived. He had a feeling Alex would call the pair of them cheaters when they got to that.

... Chiron said, "I think that's enough for one night." ...And the war council adjourned.

"I swear this guy should write kid's novels," Nico shook his head as he handed the book to Will, who had to sadly remove his arm to manage to hold the book without squishing Nico's face. He folded his knees up a little more, sat a little more proper in his seat. It didn't suit him, Nico noticed.

"Or survivor manuals," Will offered. "I think he'd manage both, a two for one."

"Like he doesn't have enough to do in that camp without throwing out a dozen rough drafts," Annabeth looked oddly at the pair.

PJOPJOPJOPJO

Hope you aren't sick of the percabething yet, because I've still got a ton to catch up on! There's a reason I left her for this book :)

Speaking of, I need some song recs for them. I have one for Fierrochase and Solangelo, but Percabeth isn't on my mind enough to connect to one and it's driving me nuts. Whenever I get in a dry patch I'll just turn on a song that makes me think of a character and it gets me in a mood. I have one for Percy, but not for him and Annabeth.

[theycallmebecca]

18+ Drabble: The Great Tease

A few days ago, I was inspired to write a thirst trap story, but with a twist and that's what this is. I made a moodboard and I used photos I found here on tumblr and shared with friends in a discord, but that means I don't remember which blogs the photos originally came from...

Title: The Great Tease

Pairing: Andy Barber x female reader

Rating: R

Warnings: suggestive, fade to black sex scene

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

18+ Disclaimer: This work contains sexual material that is for those over the age of 18. By clicking the keep reading link below, you are agreeing that you are over the age of 18 and are not offended by sexual content.

Usage Disclaimer: This work is for fans only. This author does not give permission for it to be shared, spoken of, referred to in any public manner (podcast, tv, online, etc.) that wants to either make a celebrity uncomfortable, mock fan fiction/fandom in any way, or the author themselves. Requests can be made, but it is unlikely the author will change their mind. If no response is given to a request then the answer is a solid no, not interested and the work cannot be shared, spoken of or even referred to, regardless of the manner or context. 

“Have fun this weekend,” you said to Andy before you kiss him goodbye.

“Ugh, come on, you two,” your best friend said, feigning disgust. “Save something for the honeymoon.”

“Go wait in the car,” you told her with a laugh. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Fine, but I’m setting a timer for five minutes,” she said before leaving with your bags.

“What are you doing this weekend?” you asked Andy.

“Just hanging with the guys,” he replied with a shrug. “Probably play some golf, maybe some video games. I’ll definitely be available for anyone who needs to escape…”

“She’d kill us both,” you said with a laugh. “And killing the bride and groom during the bachelorette party would probably ruin the wedding…”

“LET’S GO!” your friend yelled from outside.

“I’ll text you when we get in there,” you told him then gave him one more kiss before you left.

“About time,” your friend muttered.

You stuck your tongue out at her then got into the car.

It wasn't until the two of you arrived at the rental house and you grabbed your phone to let Andy know that you were there, that your friend said, "This is a no boys allowed weekend. That includes texting."

"Just let me tell him that we got here, I promised,"  you told her.

"Fine, but I'm warning you right now, if he texts you at all while we're here, you're showing it to all of us," she stated. "No matter what. And no warning him, either."

You shook your head and sent Andy a quick text:

Here. Have a good weekend! 😘

Then you showed it to your friend. She nodded her approval and then the two of you got out of the car.

—------

"I know this was meant to be a girls' weekend, but I'm surprised I haven't gotten a single text," Andy said, later that evening as he and his friends had dinner together.

"Maybe we should text them and make sure they're ok?" one of the guys he didn't know as well said.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," your best friend's husband said.

"Why not?" one of the others asked.

"What do you know?" Andy asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I overheard my wife on this phone this morning," the husband explained. "If anyone, but especially you, Andy, sends a text while they're at this thing, it's getting read aloud and shown to everyone."

"Even dick pics?" one guy asked, nervously glancing at his phone.

"Anything that is sent from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave," your best friend's husband stated. "So be careful what you send."

After dinner, Andy went back to the house with your best friend's husband and another of their mutual friends, who were crashing at the house since they lived out of town.

"Your wife doesn't know you know, right?" Andy said as they drank beers.

"No, I didn't say anything to her about it, why?" the husband asked.

"Because we could have some fun with this," Andy said with a smirk.

"I'm not showing my junk to all those crazies," the mutual friend stated.

"We're not showing junk to any of them," Andy agreed. "But it doesn't mean we can't take some staged photos and send them to them. Think thirst traps."

"But won't it be suspicious if we all do them?" the husband asked. "Maybe it should just be you."

"I agree, it should just be you," the mutual friend stated with a laugh. "It will get the best reaction."

"Fine, you chicken shits," Andy said. "But I'm going to need help taking the photos."

————

The first text came as you, your best friend and your three bridesmaids were getting ready to play a game.

At your best friend’s insistence, you’d all changed your text alerts to be something different so it was easier to tell them apart. You and the others had overruled her idea, however, that the person receiving the text couldn’t be the one to look at the phone.

“That’s you,” she said, smugly.

“I know,” you replied as you got up to get your phone from where they sat on the counter. Looking at your phone, you saw that Andy had sent a photo and found yourself grateful that the majority had overruled the dick pic sharing rule, too. Meaning no dicks would be exposed.

Going into your messages, you nearly choked when you saw the photo Andy had sent you. It was just his bare pecs and torso, but it was a close up, showing off all his muscles.

“She definitely got something good,” one of the others cackled.

“Come share it with the group,” your best friend said with a smirk.

Grudgingly, you handed her your phone and they all leaned in to take a look.

“Hot damn,” one of them said while another whistled.

“I knew he was hot, but lucky you,” another said, winking at you.

“Ok, enough ogling my future husband,” you said, grabbing the phone. “We have a game to play.”

“Fine, but you aren’t allowed to text him back,” your best friend reminded you.

“I know,” you replied though you were suddenly wishing you were at home with Andy and his muscles instead of with your friends.

Hours later, a second photo came as you all were getting ready for bed. This photo was of Andy in bed with a picture of his torso and half of his hip 'V' on display with the rest of his lower body hidden under the sheets.

“Are you sure we can’t call our partners?” one of your friends asked after passing the phone.

“No boys allowed!” your best friend stated.

“She’s just jealous 'cause her husband doesn’t look like that,” another muttered as she looked at the photo a little too long for your liking.

Once you had your phone back, you gave it a last, longing look then locked it for the night, thankful that each of you had your own room.

The third and fourth photos were waiting for you when you woke up the next morning. One was Andy standing at the kitchen island, coffee cup on the counter and his hoodie unzipped showing his entire torso. The other was Andy with his back to the camera and only wearing an apron with the top of his ass showing.

“I don’t know if I can look Andy in the eye anymore,” one of your friends said. “Not after these thirst traps.”

“Did you tell him?” your best friend asked, looking at you.

“When would I have told him? You only let me text him once and that was to let him know we were here,” you replied. “And you read that message.”

“You told me on the phone the other day,” another friend spoke up, looking at your best friend. “Did your husband overhear? He’s with Andy isn’t he?”

“I’m going to kill him,” she muttered and reached for her phone.

“Uh huh,” you said, grabbing it with a grin on your face. “No boys allowed. Your rule.”

“Your future husband is sharing all his goodies,” she replied.

“Not all of them,” you stated. “Besides, it’s kind of fun. They think they have one over on us.”

Your phone dinged at that moment and you opened it and your jaw dropped. Andy was wearing his wedding tux with the shirt completely open and he was stretched across the bed, showing off his torso.

“Fuck,” you muttered when you could finally think again. You looked up at your friends and blinked, once again wishing Andy was nearby to jump.

“Distance makes the bride to be hornier,” one of the girls teased.

You flipped her off and placed the phone on the table for them all to see.

Five additional thirst trap photos were sent to your phone during the remainder of your girls weekend, each of them highlighting Andy’s torso and/or arms and proving that Andy knew just which parts of his body you liked the most.

You were so turned on by the photos that you didn't invite your friends and their significant others to have dinner with you and Andy like you had originally planned to. Instead, you had practically rushed them all out of the house, upon getting home, then turned to your future husband.

"Strip," you ordered him.

Andy's eyebrows shot up and then he grinned. "You did get the photos then," he said, obviously pleased with himself.

"And we figured out that you knew about the no boys allowed rules," you replied, crossing your arms over your chest. "Now stop stalling, hot stuff, you showed off all weekend and now I want a taste."

"As you wish," Andy said, simply.

Then took his sweet time undressing, which you normally appreciated, but your desire had been building for nearly two days. Yes, you had masturbated last night in the shower, but that wasn't the same as being with Andy.

After what seemed like forever, he was naked before you, partially aroused.

You'd planned to play with him a little, but you needed him sooner rather than later. You quickly removed your clothes and then closed the gap between the two of you.

"Remind me to torture you a bit later," you said to him before you pressed your lips against his.

"Will do," he whispered against your lips.

Then he made love to you.

[cannoli-reader]

As a follow up, I hate that we never see her aknowledge that she was at fault for her relationship with Rand souring. Like, all the others EF5s managed to mantain a level of trust and cooperation with him, as well as Min, Aviendha and Elayne. And in book 11 she still acts as tho she's completely in the right. I mean, girl you were trying to invade his dreams everynight since you learned how to do it! On another note, the chekov's gun of her ruined relationship with Nynaeve after the dream assault is also not dealt with, thanks BranSan (ruined is a bit strong but you know what i mean). Sorry for the two long messages in a row, it's just that you're one of the only people I've seen actually discuss Egwene's more negative traits.

I don't think she is at fault for their relationship souring, I think they just grew apart. Romantically, they were never really each other's one true love, it was just a pairing of convenience within the confines of Emond's Field. For the rest of it, Rand's issues drew him away from all his friends and put distance between them. His love interests have their relationships with him, because they are compatible with those issues. Basically, he is who he is, and she is who she is, and never the twain shall meet. The thing is, Rand knows who she is, and accepts that about her. He doesn't really have expectations or standards of the people in his life and generally a good handle on who they are, and he accepts that about them. The problems generally come with his own underselling himself, and feeling unworthy to reach out to them.

With Egwene, he accepts her loyalties, and is still friendly to her, and does what he can to be supportive. He doesn't put unreasonable expectations on their relationship or get embittered by her failure to live up to them. So in that sense, their relationship never really sours. They're just working for different companies, members of different political parties, or playing on different teams. And I think in day-to-day stuff, that does not touch on the subject of the story (in other words, the interactions that never make it onto the page), Egwene is nice and can be fun to be around. It's the only explanation I can think why so many people become and stay friends with her, despite things like clearly tattling on Aviendha's deliberately annoying Rand when she is supposed to be getting him to open up to her.

Their relationship doesn't need her to make an effort to maintain or improve it, because they were never going to be anything more than friendly opponents, just by being who and what they were. With their lives limited to Two Rivers stuff, their differences would have been complimentary perspectives on their shared agenda of raising a family and running a farm. But once out in the world, with a lot more possibilities open to them, they are going in different directions. Or more precisely, Egwene is going as fast and far in a particular direction, and Rand is not going to be interested in following her down that road. Really, for Egwene & Rand to stay close and trusting each other, one or both would have to give up everything they are and what is important to them, and make their world all about the other one.

His girlfriends, by contrast, have interests or natures that are sufficiently open and general that going down Rand's path with him is as good a way as any to get what they want out of life. Basically, they are the sort of people who can be with Rand without compromising themselves, and Rand and Egwene can't.

And without excusing particular actions of hers, I think Egwene was drawn into the boys' ta'veren web as a kind of spur to get certain things done, and in the grand scheme of things, there was no place for her in a world that did not have Tarmon Gaidon on the horizon, to justify her relentless drive to self-aggrandizement. And let's not forget, Rand, from the first book to the last is always very good at reading Egwene. He laughs when she tells him she is apprenticing under Nynaeve, because he knows Egwene will never ever be content as the understudy or number two, much less waiting behind a 24 year old in a lifetime position. He keeps mum when Egwene asks about the black rider, and Mat & Perrin tell her, because he knows she won't believe him. And it goes on, all the way up to Merrilor, when he is counting on her opposition and need to flex to gather the leaders of the nations together for a common purpose, and saving him the work. So to a certain extent, they maintained a good relationship, because it was everything Rand needed it to be.

As for her arc and still thinking she's in the right as of the last book Jordan finished ... that's a plausible character arc, because nothing happened to make her think otherwise. It's the flip side & parallel of Rand's descent in the second half of the series. But where he is going dark and hardening himself, corrupting himself with negative attitudes and feelings to fight the Shadow, she is corrupting herself with institutional thinking, getting caught up in the White Tower and its issues as if that is all there is, and forgetting that it should be just a means to an end. Her equivalent of the Dragonmount revelations would have been a gradual realization, as she witnesses the division and strife within the Tower, that she is part of the problem and needs to change her approach. NOT a sudden epiphany, right when that understanding offers her an excuse to bend instead of breaking on the rock of Elaida's equal certainty in her own legitimacy. I also think that would have led to her keeping Siuan at arm's length, because she was the devil on Egwene's shoulder urging her down that path. This, combined with whatever Jordan had in mind with her confrontation of Rand at, or leading to, Merrilor, might have suddenly left her isolated and feeling kind of friendless, as she goes back to Nynaeve and Elayne, or the Wise Ones, and they are friendly, but only so far, and all too conscious of her Amyrlin status. That is where I think some reconsideration of how she has been working with her friends would come in, with her making some effort to be more accommodating to them, offering olive branches or concessions, not in spite of politics, but finding a way to merge the personal and political, like, doing things for them, as an indicator that she can and does trust and respect them, rather than the favoritism or utility her previous assistance (e.g. raising Nynaeve & Elayne to the shawl) was couched as. I think the arrangements worked out for the Last Battle, under Jordan, would have been the culmination of the relationships between the characters, with their personal connections overcoming the political problems, and Egwene would learn a lesson, and act on it, in the midst of this.

Regarding making amends for the dream assault on Nynaeve, again, I don't think that's coming without some sort of incident rubbing what she did in her face. And given Nynaeve's own growth since that moment, she's not really going to be sulking or put out over it. It would probably take something like a similar incident arising in the shared awareness of Nynaeve and Egwene, and Nynaeve making it clear that her response to this is rooted in her personal experience. I think it would have to be Egwene trying or doing something shady with her dream powers and Nynaeve to call her on it. Just empathizing with someone else's trauma isn't going to bring her to remind Egwene, because her experiences with Moghedian after that would have been a lot more prominent in her mind. I think Egwene's attack and Moghedian's rolled together in Nynaeve's mind, along with all the frustrations she had been experiencing in the real world at the time, so that when she breaks down to Elayne and Birgitte on the boat to Salidar, Egwene's actions are just a small part of the trauma she subsequently works through with their friendship. So that's really in Nynaeve's past, she got through it, and she's beyond letting it hurt her or drag her down. That's why I think it would probably only ever come up with Nynaeve needed to confront Egwene about doing that a second time.

In Wheel of Time, I think a useful approach is in the Rolling Stones song, that goes "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might just find you get what you need." We might want justice for Egwene's (and many other's) transgressions, but we can't get that. Instead, what we need is for Nynaeve to heal from it, for it not to harm her in the long run. And she does.

At the end of it all, Rand and Nynaeve are alive, relatively happy and with most of the people they love, most notably the people they love who are good for them. And Egwene got what she got. And I can live with that.

[cfr749]

I totally, totally agree with your view of their relationship. The Barnes episode is one I can’t watch and I just pretend it doesn’t exist. The whole situation with Chris and Ashley was just…unnecessary and written horribly. I feel like Tim treated Lucy better when he was her TO and respected her and didn’t treat her like a child which is mainly what he does now. He became more patronizing AFTER she was no longer his rookie. Additionally, he didn’t say anything after Lucy told him he would do great in Metro - just gave her a half smile and left. He acted like a teenager during the Valentine’s episode when he gave her the silent treatment when he found out she did the five-player trade. And it ended with LUCY apologizing and Tim never once apologizing for his immature behavior. He also treated her horribly in the episode when Isabel came back. He invited her to LUCY’S apartment without asking Lucy, gave her a half-hearted apology only when Isabel was AT THE DOOR and then proceeded to joke around with his ex-wife ABOUT Lucy and IN FRONT of Lucy and then regressed to his TO voice with his “Chen!” later at the station, right after making fun of Lucy trying to help him relax. Like, hello, that’s your girlfriend! Why are you snapping at her when she didn’t do anything??? Chris was absolutely a shitty partner but Tim is a becoming a very, very close second. He treated her better when she was his rookie and especially before they dated. And im so bummed about it because I had such high hopes but the way they write Tim’s character is just ruining it for me.

Hi anon!

First off, I'm glad you got to get all of that off of your chest 😂. I know how isolating and frustrating it can be to have all of the feelings about choices the show is making, but feel like you can't share those frustrations without pissing people off or experiencing backlash. So while I can't control anything other than my own response, I'll just say, you're always welcome to vent to me!

I'll be honest and say I didn't notice / react to all of the things you mentioned in the same way, but I can see your points and understand why those moments may have rubbed you the wrong way. Especially since, like I mentioned in my last post, the issue isn't any 1 isolated incident. The issue is a repeated pattern in the storytelling and messaging.

Something I want to be clear about before I go any further though:

This is not about my head canons or what I'd like to believe the writers were trying to convey.

Of course I think the idea of Lucy liking Tim more than Tim likes Lucy is ridiculous. That's why I can't figure out what on earth the writers were doing.

Of course I don't hate Tim (I literally could never!!) --- I love both of these characters deeply, and close to nothing excites me more than the idea of the two of them falling in love.

This is specifically about choices the writers made and what we actually saw unfold on our screens.

And if my takes seem to be more pro-Lucy, that's specifically because, IMO, the way the story unfolded was much more favorable to Tim that it was too Lucy.

Which isn't even surprising. Women often get the short end of the stick. Women of color almost always do. And that is literally the entire point of why this conversation is important. It's why shrugging off repeated instances of Lucy's character being eroded in service of the ship or maybe just as a result of the thoughtlessness of the writers really bothers me. It's why I'm not the only one who feels this way.

So, anon, for now, I'm just going to dig into the first item you mentioned as one of the first examples of this pattern -- the Katie Barnes of it all (sorry Katie - you were lovely - I promise it's nothing personal 😂). Setting aside the confession prank in 3x09 (which is it's own essay), this was the first time I started to really question the direction the show was going with making the ship canon. At the time, I hoped it was a blip, because we all remember that look in 3x14, and... yeah.

I believe this was the first appearance of jealous Lucy. And don't get me wrong, I have no problem with using jealousy to tell a story -- as long as it serves a purpose and as long as it's not completely 1-sided.

But instead of moving Chenford forward, this actually moved them several steps backward for me.

Like you mention anon, in seasons 1 and 2, despite Lucy being his rookie, I felt that they were very much portrayed as equals. They helped each other in different ways. I’d argue Lucy often showed she was more emotionally intelligent than Tim and used that to help him navigate through the end of his marriage, and Tim obviously poured everything he had into getting her as ready as she possibly could be to move on to the next step in her career.

But this scene in 3x11 managed to re-assert the Rookie - T.O. dynamic in a way that slapped me harder than any moment when he was actually her T.O. -- asserting Tim's view of Lucy as someone he needed to teach not how to be a capable police officer, but someone he needed to teach about the world.

He said this to Lucy. Lucy! LUCY!

If you don't understand why this is categorically absurd, please go re-watch season 1 right now.

The fact that it was couched in compliments and we got to see Lucy go squee over his praise doesn't make this any less patronizing.

Literally, I don't need to hear any man say this to any woman ever. I especially don't need to hear a white man saying it to a woman of color. And I sure as hell did not need to hear Tim say it to Lucy.

So where'd we end up?

Lucy took some major hits to her character, blurring the lines between personal and professional by accusing Tim of giving Katie special treatment because he found her attractive, and ultimately came off as jealous, immature, insecure, and unprofessional amongst probably some other less than flattering things. And note, I'm not saying I think she is these things. I'm saying she was portrayed to the general audience as being these things.

Tim, on the other hand, got a windfall -- not only did he get to be the wise, all knowing teacher (let's not forget his deep love of meditation), he got to have all his past sins erased under the guise of helping sweet Lucy understand the world is a scary place.

***

So obviously you mentioned a bunch of other examples, but this is already too long and probably not at all what you were looking for in a response, so I'm going to wrap up here. I got another ask about the Valentine's Day plot, so I'll tackle what I did and didn't like there eventually (yes, I am capable of liking things. it's rare, but possible).

Thanks for the ask! 🥰🥰🥰