#lovely thief

[vellatra]

For the writing challenge how about Slow Dancing by V and Radiant Dawn? :)

You know what? I like you, and you've also been very patient (thanks! sorry!). Why don't you have TWO snippets? ;)

First, Radiant Dawn: 🐦‍🔥

"What's that?" asked Elincia, trying to peek over her shoulder.

A gentleman am I, and so should not

Blame you for ev'ry fleeting wish and thought.

But prithee, why must you confuse me so?

Your eyes tell me to stay, your lips say "go".

I trust I have made my intentions clear,

And that you know I love you very dear.

I only wish that you would do the same

And not play, with my heart, your little game.

Perhaps it would be better to depart,

And thus, protect my poor, love-stricken heart.

Alas! It is too late, I'll ne'er be swayed.

All my affections remain yours, good maid.

"Nothing!" Lucia stammered, stuffing the love letter into her pocket. Count Bastian would be the death of her yet.

When Nen came out of the mess tent, Neta was setting and the sky was rapidly fading to the burnt orange of twilight. The tents and shanties' shadows were lengthening across the charred earth, leaving New Silcard looking a bit gloomy.

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

And now, the Silen Fah one! ☀️

"Matches our moods," Nen thought sullenly, shuffling down a "street" toward the lean-to he'd been sharing with Fabian and four jelturen. He had to give everyone credit; they'd all really tried to bring each other's hope back. But their town was burnt down, and poor little Trajeda... he hated to even think about it, but she'd probably burnt down with it. Tannufia, especially, had been inconsolable, no matter what anybody did. There was nothing to be done now... but that didn't make things any easier to bear.

Then Nen saw something that did make him perk up a little. His eyes were sweeping the hastily-planted gardens on the outskirts of camp... and he noticed Vixie. He abruptly rotated in his walk and strolled in her direction. She had her back to him and was pulling out weeds - a bit more fiercely than was entirely necessary. Nen stepped over one row and settled down to help.

"Oh!" said Vixie, glancing nervously up at him.

"Didn't scare ya, did I?" said Nen.

"...No, no it's fine," said Vixie, her face softening. Then she frowned a little and looked back down at her work.

Nen grunted, and worked side by side with her in silence for awhile. But it didn't take long for him to get uncomfortable. Eventually he cleared his throat. "So... what's been eating you?"

"Eating?"

"You know. Bothering you. Upsetting you. Keeping you up at night."

"You don't know that," said Vixie.

"Everybody with eyes knows that," he said, gesturing up and down at her disheveled face. "You're sleeping less than your sister and that's saying something."

"Why should I tell you?" Vixie growled, struggling against something with a particularly deep root. "We don't even know who we can trust anymore."

"Hey now, that's hurtful," he said, trying - unsuccessfully - to catch her eye. "You know you can trust me. What reason could I have to sell out to the Mervaturen? All my friends are right here. You're right here. I'd have nothing at all to gain, and everything to lose. I'm not the spy and you know it."

Vixie suddenly met his gaze. She was hard to read - her brows were furrowed, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were full of tears. "Why can't you leave me alone?" she groaned.

"Wha-" Nen started, but stopped when Vixie started to cry. He climbed over the little plants and pulled her into a hug - which, surprisingly, she did not resist. Somehow, this silence wasn't so tense, and Nen was able to restrain himself for awhile. So there he sat, in the lengthening shadows, with Vixie weeping softly into his shoulder, for quite some time. But all the while, his mind was racing. She wants me to leave her alone? But why did she let me hug her? She's hugging me back? Is she mad? Just dealing with grief? Why accuse me of being the spy? I kind of understand the other humans, but why her? ...Maybe if I confide in her, she'll confide in me?

"Hey," he finally mumbled in her ear, when the crying jag seemed to be winding down. "Can you keep a secret?"

Vixie pushed away immediately and sat back on her heels, frowning at him again. "Don't tell me anything," she huffed, wiping her eyes.

"Eh? I thought we just had a moment-"

"No moments!" said Vixie, standing up quickly. The tears were coming hard and fast again. "This isn't the time or the place for a moment!" She turned and ran down the garden path.

"I don't get it," Nen called, hurrying after her. "You've got a thing for me, I can tell that. But you're always pushing me away as hard as you can. Help it make sense!"

"I can't do this right now," said Vixie, spinning around to confront him, and starting when she found her nose practically poking him in the chest.

"Listen," said Nen, "we're all pretty rattled right now, I get that. But pushing your friends away and always assuming the worst isn't doing you any favors. Romance or not, I want to help you. So I've got this thing I haven't told anybody yet, and I want you to let me trust you with it. Can you do that?"

Vixie started to say something, but whatever it was caught in her throat. Nen found himself holding her again, and this time, she'd initiated the embrace.

"Right," said Nen, swaying slightly between the rows of carrots. "So..." he took a deep breath. Now that he came to it, he didn't really want to give away his secret. But it was something to help distract Vixie from... whatever it was. So he forged ahead. "I figured out my power."

"W... what?" she said, puling her head away to look into his eyes.

"I haven't told anybody because I can't control it," said Nen. "It's not a blessing so much as a curse, really. Sometimes, when I get too excited or upset... I turn into a dragon."

"What??"

"I can't control when I change, or when I change back," Nen hurried on. "I can't even control my fire breath all that well. I do more damage by accident than anything else. And everyone else's powers have come so easily... I just don't think they'd understand why I can't control it. So I haven't said anything. But that's why I've been disappearing for days on end. I'm not a spy. I'm a dragon."

"Oh Nen..." Vixie leaned her head against him again. "Why would you tell me?"

"Well..." he thought for a minute. "Because I trust you."

[mo-mode]

“But what does Grover bring to the table? He’s just the comedy relief character.” Grover is juggling the role of babysitter, mediator, and emotional manipulator and he cracks jokes too? Give him a BREAK

[mydairpercabeth]

Everyone holding Annabeth to an impossible Standard

And then there’s Percy

[diamondsunbursts-and-marblehalls]

Honestly, I think from the moment that Percy found out that not every demigod has a loving mortal parent they can depend on, when they already can't depend on the gods, and that Annabeth specifically, hasn't had anyone take care of her like that since she was 7, he decided he would be the one to.

They take care of each other up to that point, but I think that's when he starts noticing how much she takes care of them. She already knew if she didn't no one else will. She protects them against humans, she stands with them against monsters, she always brings up the rear of the group when they're running, and she is always the first one to make a move when they're fighting. She does it because no one is going to protect her if she doesn't do it herself. No one is going to protect Grover and Percy if she isn't.

In the arch, he pretty much tells her he would fight the gods for her, and then he goes on to do just that.

Athena, the one person who was supposed to protect her willingly pushes monsters her way, she lets Echidna and the chimera into a place that was supposed to be safe. Her decision is that Annabeth should be punished, and say what you want, but I think she knew that Annabeth would think through every scenario and know that someone had to stay and hold them back. And I think she knew that Annabeth would be the one to stay. Because that's the way she raised her, knowing that no one cared whether she lived or died. And I think that's the cruellest part.

Which is why Percy's sacrifice means so much more. He not only made the decision to trade his life for hers and fight the monster so she and Grover could escape, but he also made the conscious choice to push back against Athena's wishes. He fought a goddess for her, Athena said "Annabeth will die for her impertinence" and Percy said "Not today, not ever"

[soapyakships]

a kamiyama mystery is afoot...

[afterthelambs]

Ann's confidant wins the most sapphic confidant award in the game. Obviously there's rank 9 with Shiho saying "I love you" but there's also whatever the hell Ann has going on with Mika? Mika spends the entire confidant being rude and mean and underhanded, and Ann just goes "ugh she's amazing"

and in the end when you find out Mika has been sabotaging other people to get jobs this is Ann's response:

GIRL GET UP??? Beautiful girls make her weak asf. This is why Ann being supportive over Joker dating his assassin is in-character, she knows what it's like to fawn over a mean hottie

[lizardkingeliot]

—Anne Rice, The Tale of the Body Thief

[fiasco95]

James: Ooh here’s a story I like to tell people before we started dating. Even Regulus doesn’t know it—

Regulus: I know it.

James: Wait what-

Regulus: Yeah, the time you stole my zippo and didn’t give it back until we officially started dating?

James, appalled:

Regulus: James. Did you really think I wouldn’t have noticed? I smoked a lot. It was a personalised zippo as well.

James: What, so you just let me have it?

Regulus: Yes, my love. I knew you’d give it back eventually.

James, muttering under his breath but holds Regulus’ hand tighter:

[bnmxfld]

I have to say that although it broke my heart, I was, and still am, glad I was there.

Markus Zusak / The Book Thief

[mo-mode]

I know it’s controversial but I think Annabeth geeking out over the Hephaestus contraptions was adorable

[mydairpercabeth]

just saw the most heartbreaking annabeth take from ep 3

[packitandgo]

season 3 eliot CONSISTENTLY trying to get his partners out of situations where they could get killed, but they insist on doing the right thing and putting themselves back into danger to save other people's lives!!! and he's so upset because they worked so hard to get them out (he got to the 47th floor!! they stole a train!!!) and they're too good for that

my beloved

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

Annabeth: *tries to sacrifice herself for Percy*

Percy:

Percy:

Percy: *jumps off the St. Louis Arch*

[bellyhasabellyache]

i love seeing people think about all the things percy did for annabeth but we forget a lot of the things she did for him. she trusted percy in SoM to keep her safe while she listened to the sirens song. she gave up immortality as a hunter for him in TTC, long before he did the same in TLO. she broke the rules to sit with percy at dinner in BotL. she entrusted her own quest to percy, even though she had been hoping for it all her life. she was the one speaking at his funeral, not grover, not chiron, she was the one declaring her feelings for him. for hells sake she took a knife for him because she ‘had a feeling’ it was important. she was the one counting down the hours he had been missing is TLH and was the first person off of the Argo II in MoA because she was so worried about percy. she is just as in love with percy as he is with her and the fandom just doesn’t show it.

[bookishable]

it's always better to have loved.

philip pullman, the amber spyglass / guillermo del toro's pinocchio (2022) / fleabag (2016-2019) / andrew garfield / art by @catadromously / anne carson, euripides / markus zusak, the book thief / shannon barry / little women (2019) / the good place (2016-2020) / fyodor dostoevsky, crime and punishment / his dark materials (2019-2022) / @starpeace

[just-null]

i love the more well known characters and all but im pushin them all aside to focus on those in the back. i love background characters so fucking much. ino..... ino come back..