#luke was the person who promised to never abandoned her

[demigods-posts]

my heart hurts for annabeth knowing that even after everything luke did to her, she still fought to defend him. call it delusion, and you'd be correct. call it naivety, and you'd be correct. but it's also annabeth believing that luke was one of first people who actively chose her (and thalia, whom we love btw, but this ain't about her). luke promised they'd be a family. luke was the one who helped her grieve after thalia's death. luke was the one who comforted her when athena refused to claim her for the first five years of her being a demigod. luke was someone annabeth wanted to keep in her life, and she was heavily grappling with the fact that doing so would actually get her killed.

[starlightshadowsworld]

The image of Jason Grace, barely 11 years old and serving his 9th year at Camp Jupiter.

He already knows never to cry if someone's around. But he can't help but wish and dream in secret.

This kid being found by Luke.

Who tells him that everything he's ever wanted will be given to him, if he joins him.

Jason tells him he wants a family and Luke smiles.

He tells Jason that he has a family, that the Gods stole him from his mother. "She never wanted to abandon you, she promised didn't she? But they didn't let her come back."

Jason asks how he knows this and Luke says your sister told me.

And Jason is excited, because he didn't know he had a sister. He's got faint memories but he doesn't remember her.

He wants to know everything and Luke happily tells him all about her.

"So... she's a tree?"

"Yes, but don't worry you'll see her again soon."

Jason who's been raised to blindly follow the Olympians seeing that this isn't right. He's always been one to seek out and fight injustice.

Luke has simply opened his eyes to what was right infront of him.

Jason grows resentful, he stops speaking so highly about his father who he's never met. Every quest he returns from its with anger in his eyes.

He grows more and more jaded and Luke becomes the only person who understand how he feels.

The day Luke asks Jason to join him, Jason does so without any hesitation.

Thalia still doesn't join him but that sting hurts less when she sees the hurt in Jason's eyes as he stands against her.

Oh well, guess he didn't need her after all.

[antianakin]

Is there a specific pro Jedi tag on AO3 that can be used to filter out anti and criticals? Cause I keep searching for Luke and Leia time travel fics where they save the galaxy and give Palpatine a headache (saving Anakin is potentially a bonus to those other two), but the vast majority are Jedi critical at LEAST.

... Speaking of, do you know any good time travel Luke and Leia fics where they save the galaxy, give Palps a headache (and maybe save Anakin cause Luke kept asking and Leia just decided to help on behalf of her own sanity)?

The main tag I was able to find seems to be "Jedi Appreciation" which includes things like "Jedi Order Respected", "Jedi Culture Respected," "Jedi Culture Appreciated", "Jedi Positive", "Jedi Order Positive", "Pro Jedi", and "Pro Jedi Order". I also found tags more specifically related to the Council, like "Jedi Council Appreciation" and "Good Jedi Council." I'm a TAD suspicious of the second one since the wording of it seems to lean more towards having adjusted the Jedi Council in order to BE "good" as opposed to recognizing they're ALREADY good, but it's potentially worth a look through to see (I found one that claimed to have some Yoda bashing and another saying "they are not the assholes in this story", as just two examples of why this particular tag might be suspect).

There's also the more basic "Jedi Culture & Customs" tag which is likely more of a mixed bag and doesn't necessarily promise POSITIVITY about the Jedi, just that it's EXPLORING Jedi culture and customs, so, you know, take it with a grain of salt.

Some other tags I found just in a basic search: "Jedi as Found Family", "Love Doesn't Equal Attachment", "Clone Troopers and Jedi as Found Family", and "Protective Jedi."

I will also say that it is critical for you as a reader NOT to blindly trust any of these tags. People can and do tag their fics with "Jedi Positive" or "Jedi Appreciation" and then it ends up with plotlines where the Jedi change their culture so that members can marry or they go the grey Jedi route where they realize they should be using both light and dark to find balance or whatever. As I mentioned above, too, it can sometimes mean they just rewrite the Jedi to be closer to what the WRITER thinks the Jedi should be and is now "positive" or it's being positive about the Order at the expense of specific Jedi like Yoda or Mace who are still bashed and vilified. Keep an eye out for other tags on the fic that might reveal more anti or critical elements and just be aware when reading the fic that there is no tag that is guaranteed to filter out EVERYTHING you don't want to read and be ready to hit that back button.

I don't tend to read a lot of time travel fics just in general and the ONLY fic I have read that involves Luke/Leia time traveling is there was a spring of storms by blackkat where Leia's grief in the moment of Alderaan's destruction causes her to reach out in the Force instinctively and propel her, Bail, and Luke back to shortly after the start of the Clone War. It's only 2 chapters in, however, so the story has barely started and I cannot guarantee anything about saving Anakin. With these two chapters, though, I can say that it is absolutely pro Jedi and probably not very Anakin positive. I personally really love this set-up and while it's remained unfinished for quite a while, the author has said in the past that if the fic is still up on AO3 then it's not abandoned, so I am still hoping for the day they come back to this one because it looks INCREDIBLE.

If anyone else has some pro Jedi recommendations for Luke/Leia time travel fics, feel free to let us know!

EDIT: The reason I had to search for tags is because I have never personally used them for myself to LOOK for fics. I usually have a ship or a dynamic that I get invested in and start looking for, find some authors I really like, and then go through all of their fics and bookmarks because if an author WRITES fic that's Pro Jedi, chances are they READ fic that's Pro Jedi too. And then you just rinse and repeat from there. Sometimes there'll be a tag like "X character needs a hug" or something I go through if I notice it pops up enough. I primarily use tags like the ones above as more of a screener when I'm looking through someone's bookmarks or a general ship tag search. I start by looking at the summary to try to figure out the actual premise of the fic and then once I decide I might be interested, I give the tags a scan to see if anything comes up that gives a better idea of what is in the fic that'll make me more interested or immediately back out. Like I said, many a fic has had "pro Jedi" or "Jedi positive" tags and still ended up in what I would consider to be closer to "Jedi critical" these days. A better guarantee for me is knowing that someone bookmarked this fic that has written fic I personally find to be pro Jedi, so that's the method I use.

[jedidryad]

Six Sentence Sunday: Conversations that should have happened.

I don't do this particular tradition much. I have enough trouble managing WIP Wednesdays, and I'm pretty sure this segment is more than six sentences so I'm messing with the tradition as I attempt it which might be poor form.

While working on this Mara memoir, I have sometimes found my brain wants the story to go in a different direction than canon allows. Some of these imagined sequences can turn into other "Luke and Mara get together stories" and some of them don't really merit that but still demand to be typed into a doc in black and white so I can stare at them and think of how different canon would have gone if the conversation had happened. This one is a brief snippet from a far more rambling discussion that might have happened if, instead of scolding and abandoning Mara after Kyp stole her ship on her first night at the academy, Luke had the insight to pull back after his outburst and ask Corran to escort Mara to his office and get her a cup of tea. If he had promised to meet her there after he calms the students and does post-Kyp damage control.

Maybe something like this could have happened...

Mara glanced up from the cup of elba she’d been holding in a death grip.

Luke stood in the doorway, robe hanging off his shoulders. His white sleep clothes made him look less imposing but also reminded Mara of just how good he had looked in an undertunic on Myrkr

He hesitated at her baleful expression but didn’t let her continued silence deter him. He entered his office, and sat down in the chair next to hers rather than circling around to his desk.

“I thought when I sensed your emotions that it was a…” he paused, clearly choosing his words carefully, “more the sort of danger that meant everyone needed to evacuate,  instead of something more personal.”

“So you sounded the alarm.”

“Yeah. and then I had to come up with some sort of explanation…”

“I embarrassed you.”

“I embarrassed me, Mara.” He sighed, “I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I’m not really feeling much like a confident Jedi these days.”

“Great,” she muttered, “Karrde sent me here because he thought a confident Jedi could help  me with my mess. Now what’ll I do?”

Luke’s gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders drooping. He seemed  to fold in on himself.

Mara grimaced and set her mug on the small table between them: “Okay, not funny then.”

He glanced up at her, clearly trying to read her gaze from under the hair that was now falling into his eyes.

“You were trying to be funny?”

“I’m not my best self right now, Skywalker.”

“Neither am I.”

“Great."

“The whole galaxy knows what’s wrong with me. What’s up with you?”

“They don’t." She picked up her mug again and tried to let the warmth soak into her, "they really don’t. No one who didn’t sense you had any idea.”

“You sensed it?”

She nodded: “You and Kyle took a dip at the same time. I was with him. I sensed you.”

“I wish you hadn’t.”

“Why is that? You want to be some all-powerful master?”

He snorted ruefully.

“No, but I didn't particularly want to lose your respect.”

“Skywalker, I served a Sith Master for my entire childhood. Do you think slipping for a little while would be enough to lose my respect?”

“I wasn’t sure. Master Yoda said ‘if once you start down that dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny’.”

"And he never did anything wrong?"

He smiled. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

“You are?”

“I meant it when I said it earlier.”

Mara took a deep breath, “I don’t think I’m in any state to train to become a Jedi.”

He looked at her for a moment.

“Let’s go for a walk.”

“Sure, it’s not like we can fly anywhere.”

[kamiko1234]

*YAPPIN AHEAD; EVERYTHING STATED HERE IS MY SUBJECTIVE OPINION*

Alright I have officially finished TLO and... oh man where do I start. So I'm gonna be real blunt and say, I'm underwhelmed. I genuinely did not like the way this ended mostly because it all felt like so.... little to me? Like, okay yeah- Luke got his redemption. I'm glad for that, I mean he is my all time favorite but like- it felt just sort of rushed? Idk, I wanted to see more of, well, Luke. I wanted to see more of his good side, his caring side. I wanted to see him really struggle against Kronos. See him fight against it, not just sort of suddenly breaking through. More build up would have been nice. Now it just feels like Rick not having known how Percy and Annabeth could have won against Kronos so he shoved Luke in to finish the job for them. I also disliked how Thalia just straight up wasn't there. Like- let me see her reaction to Luke killing himself for them. ESPECIALLY after these just borderline heartless lines she had about him previously. AND THEN THAT LINE AT THE END WHERE HE ASKED ANNABETH IF SHE LOVED HIM OMFG.

Like good god WHAT WAS THAT!? The heck?????? So THAT'S the mother of the groomer allegations? I'm gonna be so for real and say that this line was just HORRIBLE. Not only did it sound REALLY bad, but also???? didn't make any sense?????? First Annabeth says that she never loved Luke and then adds that he was like a brother to her and I'm like???? So you DID love him, like a BROTHER. Rick does know that love doesn't equal romantic feelings for someone, right????? But also how are people calling Luke a groomer because of THAT!? Like yeah that line is,,,, bad, and ngl I hate this line as much as the next person but also????? THAT'S ONE LINE NEVER has Luke shown ANY romantic interest in Annabeth. The one romantic relationship we know he had was off page with an ADULT monster.

Him loving her romantically is just straight up stupid, it had no build up and makes no sense. Not only would it make no sense but it would also royally screw up the ENTIER REST of their theme? Like their whole thing was FAMILY.

"FAMILY Luke, you promised" Like let's all be honest with ourselves , Luke having romantic feelings for her is just... stupid. An objectively stupid take.

Also someone please teach this fandom what the world groomer means, thank you very much. Yeah otherwise I... really don't feel much for Luke's death beyond anger and annoyance and disappointment. I resigned myself to him probably dying at the end as soon as Kronos possessed him at the end of BOTL so I had my time to prepare myself. Again to me Luke's self-sacrifice just felt like the author not knowing how to defeat the bad guy and thus shoving smth in. Well either way at least my fav can get reborn now and have a shot at a good life. BUT ALSO???? AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS PERCY DIDN'T DO SHIT TO PREVENT SOMETHING LIKE LUKE HAPPENING AGAIN??????? Like let's be realistic, what did Percy achieve? -Everyone get's claimed and brought to camp now -Everyone has a cabin now And don't get me wrong those are great things but..... what else? Genuinly what else did Percy achieve? The thing that drove Luke off the deep end wasn't just that kids went unclaimed and minor gods not respected. Sure it was PART of the issue, but by far not all of it! The demigods are still used as cannon fodder for quests. Their mortal parents are still abandoned with them. Camp is still training up child soldiers. NOT TO MENTION THAT HERMES HIMSELF SAID THAT GODS AREN'T GOOD AT KEEPING PROMISES FOR THAT LONG AND WILLS ONNER OR LATER GROW JUST AS NEGELECTFUL AGAIN

Like let's all be real here Percy didn't really SOLVE anything! All he did was set back the times of a ticking time bomb and calling it again.

And that time bomb WILL be going of sooner or later! Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not in a year, maybe not in Percy's lifetime. But it WILL blow again. That's just inevitable at this point. (And part of he hopes that it's a reincarnated Luke starting a revolution attempt nr.2 purley for the irony & to drive the point home)

I also still don't buy Hermes' bullcrap excuse of not being able to interfere with Luke's fate. I mean bffr that guy SEND LUKE ON A QUEST, and HE COULDN'T HAVE HAD JUST REMOVED HIM FROM HIS MENTALLY UNSTABLE MOM!? Yeah no, I still hate the gods. And now I sort of hate the ending of the books too because in the end they didn't really mean anything, and were sort of underweling imo.

[achillesep]

i think that jason would’ve joined the titan army if given the chance. i mean there’s the obvious parallels between him and luke: they’re both blonde men with facial scars, both of them had their mothers die as a result of their father’s neglect/abandonment, both of them were used as pawns for the gods with no reward, both of them harbored resentment towards the gods, and so on. 

plus jason’s siding with the gods in hoo despite his resentment towards them isn’t because he agrees with them ideologically: he says in boo that he only decides to honor the gods because of his family, which consists of both the roman and greek demigods. 

however, when he was younger i doubt that he had the same sense of family that he did in hoo. i mean both his parents abandoned him, he didn’t have thalia, and he was raised mostly by wolves before getting thrown into a brutal war camp which didn’t treat him like a person and treated him just as a son of jupiter. i mean when he reflects on his experiences at camp jupiter he explicitly says that he feels bitter. he describes how trapped he felt there, like it was impossible for him to “alter his destiny” even when he joined the worst cohort and tried to change camp traditions. he says, “as a son of Jupiter, his future had been assured” despite his best efforts to try and change it. and when you add in what hercules said in moa: It’s not easy being a son of Zeus. Too much pressure. Eventually, it can make a guy snap. this alongside the fact that when Jason reflects on this quote, he describes himself as “drawn as taut as a bowstring” you can see how close he comes to ‘snapping’ even in boo when he does have a sense of family. 

in pjo, the difference between percy and luke is their connection to the home and the hearth. although percy, like many other demigods, begins to harbor some resentment for the gods and understands luke’s ideology, he doesn’t follow luke’s path because he has a family in sally and annabeth. he has connections to the hearth. luke, on the other hand, fails to remember his connections to home and the hearth and instead prioritizes heroics and ideology over it which is what leads to his downfall. 

that’s why i think jason had so much potential to have joined the titan army: where luke fails to remember his connections to others and his family, jason really didn’t have a family in the first place. i mean we know that he was friends with reyna but he didn’t appear to have any close connections outside of that. maybe lupa, but she isn’t exactly great as a familial figure. i mean she considered eating him before she tested him, threatened to tear him to shreds if he showed weakness, and told him that he should die on the battlefield to have honor. so in a way jason was even more likely to turn to the Titan army than luke was because both his parents abandoned him and he had little connections with others outside of reyna and a wolf that molded him into a pawn of the gods.

in addition, luke’s rhetoric closely aligned with jason’s own beliefs: at camp jupiter, jason repeatedly tried to go against the old rules and traditions as a way to bring about positive change but was always shot down. he resents the way that the camp is seemingly stuck in the past, and luke speaks directly to that, oftentimes criticizing the way that the gods prevent change and are more fond of repeating their stories over and over. 

and jason says in boo that "his mother’s unkept promise was at the core of who he was. he’d built his whole life around the irritation of her words...People lie. Promises are broken.” jason then goes onto say that this is why he follows the rules and keeps his promises, because he “never wanted to abandon anyone the way he’d been abandoned and lied to.” the entire crux of why luke sides with kronos and wants to overthrow the gods is because all they do is abandon their children. both luke and jason watch as demigods get injured or killed for the gods without any pity or regard from their parents. the demigods (before the titan war at least) just get sent on pointless quests and are most of the time hurt as a result. since beryl’s unkept promise forms the core of who jason is, and since jason was exposed to the same cruelties and neglect that luke was (possibly even more awfulness than luke was because the roman ideology was significantly more. dog-eats-dog than the greeks), it would have been fairly easy for him to be swayed to the titan side. if jason vocalized his resentment instead of internalized it he would have sounded exactly like luke

[steveezekiel]

WHY THE BLESSING OR LIFTING?

"I HAVE SEEN that FOOLS may be SUCCESSFUL for the MOMENT, BUT THEN COMES SUDDEN DISASTER." Job 5:3 (NLT)

Someone who was once a follower of Jesus Christ, devoted to God, who forsook Him, might not experience a sudden change or crash in his or her finances; but the consequences of the decision to quit serving God would later be seen.

Whoever turns from God exposes himself or herself to the attacks of the devil. If what you had condemned to be bad in the past is what you are now doing, the devil is being given the opportunity in your life.

You cannot deceive God. If after you had been blessed by God, suddenly turned your back against Him, the flow of the blessings would not continue—you had broken from the Source.

Dryness is inevitable in whatever you are doing, when you think you can do or stand without God. You cannot use God and abandon Him! Nothing works without God!

Fallen is a must or inevitable for whoever once be with God in a relationship, but turned away, his or her back, against God.

The rising of a believer, both spiritually and materially, is by God's help. Thus, If you allowed your little success to become another god, you are heading towards a destruction.

Note: Some talk about rising and falling in blessings. The truth is, when God blesses you, He does not withdraw or take back whatever He has given or promised to give to you.

Many believers, and even ministers, failed or disappointed God in the area of commitments. God tests the commitment of whoever He blesses, even with that same blessing He has blessed the person with.

Whatever you received from God as a blessing would be used as a test or yardstick to measure your commitment to Him. God would want to know your faithfulness after you had been lifted or blessed by Him.

Do not leave God when you are lifted materially. Neither should you Allow your blessings or success to douse your zeal for Him and His Kingdom.

A place for God's Word in your heart, and communion with Him, are the secrets for continuous success—perpetuity of your blessings.

A believer's blessing is sustained and perpetuated through his or her Services in Jesus' church—God's Kingdom on the earth. Services in God's Kingdom on Earth is all about serving His interest.

Acknowledge God always in all you do. Attribute the glory of your success to Him. Give all the glory to God!

If this is done, the Acknowledging, you would keep rising. If you think you are wise and refused to Acknowledge God, and wanted to prove that what you have is by your making; your wisdom might be made or turned foolishness: "HE TRAPS THE WISE IN THEIR OWN CLEVERNESS SO THEIR CUNNING SCHEMES ARE THWARTED" (Job 5:13 NLT).

"DO NOT THINK THAT YOU ARE ALREADY WISE ENOUGH. OBEY THE LORD AND REFUSE TO DO EVIL THINGS." Proverbs 3:7 (EasyEnglish Bible)

"LIVE IN HARMONY WITH ONE ANOTHER; DO NOT BE HAUGHTY (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), BUT READILY ADJUST YOURSELF TO [people, things] AND GIVE YOURSELVES TO HUMBLE TASKS. NEVER OVERESTIMATE YOURSELF OR BE WISE IN YOUR OWN CONCEITS." Romans 12:16 (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

"WORK HAPPILY TOGETHER. DON'T TRY TO ACT BIG. DON'T TRY TO GET INTO THE GOOD GRACES OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE, but enjoy the company of ordinary folks. AND DON'T THINK YOU KNOW IT ALL!" Romans 12:16 (the Living Bible)

Why are you craving for abundance?

Any Blessing that would make you lose your focus on God should be avoided. Nothing matters to God like the salvation of your soul (Matthew 16:26).

The person of you, your soul, not perishing is much more important to God than whatever you can acquire in life. Thus, a person's soul is said in the Bible to be more than having or gaining the whole world (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25). a. Do not be carried away with your success or blessing (1 Timothy 6:17). b. Do not focus on your rising but how you can please God.

Your blessing or success or greatness should not be your priority but the pleasing of God: 17 TEACH THOSE WHO ARE RICH IN THIS WORLD NOT TO BE PROUD AND NOT TO TRUST IN THEIR MONEY, WHICH IS SO UNRELIABLE. THEIR TRUST SHOULD BE IN GOD, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 TELL THEM TO USE THEIR MONEY TO DO GOOD. THEY SHOULD BE RICH IN GOOD WORKS AND GENEROUS TO THOSE IN NEED, ALWAYS BEING READY TO SHARE WITH OTHERS. 19 BY DOING THIS THEY WILL BE STORING UP THEIR TREASURE AS A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE SO THAT THEY MAY EXPERIENCE TRUE LIFE" (1 Timothy 6:17-19 NLT).

Whoever is born-again should live to please God and not the self: "HE [Jesus] DIED FOR EVERYONE SO THAT THOSE WHO RECEIVE HIS NEW LIFE WILL NO LONGER LIVE FOR THEMSELVES. INSTEAD, THEY WILL LIVE FOR CHRIST, WHO DIED AND WAS RAISED FOR THEM" (2 Corinthians 5:15 NLT). READ: 1 Peter 4:1,2

Believers in Christ Jesus live to please God. But If a professed believer's life is no longer pleasing God, giving satisfaction and pleasure to Him, such a person is on his or her way down—about to go down or fall.

Thus, you should strive that the life you live is pleasing to God; give Joy and satisfaction to Him. God should not a cause to regret over your life, after He has lifted you to higher Honour: "AND SAMUEL went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, AND THE LORD REGRETTED THAT HE HAD MADE SAUL KING OVER ISRAEL" (1 Samuel 15:35 NKJV).

Your lifting should not be a sorrow to God. If your life is making God sorrowful, you had become a Curse instead of blessing.

If God started regretting over a believer's life, It means the person has finished. He or she supposed to run to the cross and repent, ask for mercy, that he or she might not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:31,32).

If you noticed that the Blessing of God in your life is becoming a curse, take a step on how to get back into the communion or fellowship with God—that which you had lost.

Do these to avoid falling away from the Grace; or to keep your communion or fellowship with God: a. Keep abreast or alongside with all the good things, the spiritual principles, you started with that led to your lifting in God. b. Be careful or circumspect of the people you cultivated their friendship—the relationship you keep, the people you allowed or permitted in your life, when the lifting came. c. Do not allow pride because It goes before a Fall: "PRIDE GOES BEFORE DESTRUCTION, AND A HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE A FALL" (Proverbs 16:18 NKJV). BEING prideful or haughty of what you have could lead to destruction: "BUT HE [God] gives us more and more strength to stand against all such evil longings. As the Scripture says, GOD GIVES STRENGTH TO THE HUMBLE BUT SETS HIMSELF AGAINST THE PROUD AND HAUGHTY" (James 4:6 the Living Bible). d. Avoid greed and be generous with whatever God has blessed you with: "BUT DO NOT FORGET TO DO GOOD AND TO SHARE, FOR WITH SUCH SACRIFICES GOD IS WELL PLEASED" (Hebrews 13:16 NKJV)

You will not fail in Jesus' name.

Whatever is contrary to your health is rebuked and uprooted completely in Jesus' name.

I declare your healing, deliverance from the oppression of sicknesses, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Peace.

STEPS TO SALVATION

Take notice of this: IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15). a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20). b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10). c. Ask that He will write your name in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

If you took the steps As highlighted above, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!

[stardust-in-my-mind-blog]

father's day lamentation

my brothers still know you and love you

and you deserve every ounce of it

I hate the fact that I still hate you

I was born desperate to love you

but like Leia staring down that needle

giving away everything I had to save a homeland

the Tarkin you married would eventually destroy anyways

Luke can redeem you but I never will

you failed me and I can't let you fail

my sons and daughter like you did me

at the funeral I won't attend they will sing praises of you

and you'll deserve it because you were the best

I wish I was born your son and not your daughter

then learning how to protect myself would have been

biologically more natural and I wouldn't have to work

so hard to unlearn everything you taught me

when it comes to love and safety

you gave my hand away to a man

who broke my finger before he put a ring on it

just like you gave me to the woman you married

bruised and battered daily and by ignoring it

told me that the hurts I felt on my own body

weren't real so maybe my body wasn't real

it wasn't worth protecting so I gave it away

no matter how much it hurt because

no one was going to care anyway

I just had to survive with my household gods

in those hands I kept in fists at my side

while pretending to be what the midwest calls

a good daughter and acceptable lady

I was neither and never will be

when I told you the truth you looked me in the eyes

so many times and just shook your head and said no

and walked away still shaking it

don't worry, I know full well the temptation

of peace that denial tends to offer

my last promise to you was that when I rose I'd be magnificent

maybe it hasn't happened yet but it sure as hell will

I've gotten most places fueled by spite

because I knew the love I was given wasn't right

I cried in the shower and lashed out this morning

I'm so embarrassed because I'm working so hard

to hold together a sorrow that has become a rage

I've tried to bleed you out of me

literally; there was a ritual and a ceremony

and then I walk next to my son at the fairgrounds

his gentle spirit and the way he moves is so like you

and I feel you next to me like my favorite memories

the love and hate so blended it's a new element

you are the only person I loved in the brothel

that was the childhood you all denied

but you were never real when I needed you to be

which meant I was never real as a child

so it didn't matter what happened to me

and that's really caught up with me

I don't know if I'm going to feel better or worse

when death actually comes to reap whatever

is left of you because your soul was gone long ago

now I need to celebrate a day for my son

because he was born to a good father

and luckily performing is a second nature to a

changeling who wants to climb back into her tree

where her true parents abandoned her

the elements would have been more merciful

and luckily for me the future promises better days

it's now time to hang up my still grieving spirit for awhile

and give the day what it needs from me

when I commit to a role I play it well

[elvisabutler]

santa honey, one little thing i really need

summary: it is a christmas tradition that a different member of the memphis mafia must dress up as santa every year. elvis takes advantage of you not being there when the costume is being handed out to shirk his duty. enter your boyfriend being bullied into it for the second year in a row. fandom: luke bracey | elvis ( 2022 ) rating: t pairing: jerry schilling x gn reader word count: 1319 warning: santa jokes. assumption that the reader is okay with the christian holiday of christmas and playing mx. claus. reader dressing up as mx. claus. brief sexual innuendos and mentions of "being naughty" being punished. use of the nickname kitten. author's note: so consider this a christmas sequel to my kinktober pieces 1 and 2 with jerry. @blurredcolour wanted me to not forget about these two and while i have a fic involving austin and christmas things and a big daddy santa fic in my drafts i also wanted to get this out because i promised her this. i know the gif isn't jerry but it's still luke bracey and i like his dumb face. i used mx. in place of mr. or mrs. and i think that's still the correct term for a gender neutral situation, correct me if i'm wrong though, please. oh! and you don't have to read the kinktober pieces because this stands alone on its own to be honest.

You'd like the record to show that Elvis should be playing Santa this year. That was the deal everyone made when it came to coming to Graceland every Christmas. Arrangements were always made with everyone's extended family to make it so that Christmas celebrations were always pushed to the day after Christmas so that Elvis could have his entire Mafia around him. His entire family around him. You were never supposed to plan other things for the holidays because every day before Christmas in December were Elvis's days from the second the lights went up in Graceland. Everyone acquiesced to the plan- to his demands but made him agree that every year a different person would play Santa. This year it's supposed to be Elvis and you are vividly aware of this because you're the one who has to keep track of it, since according to Elvis, "you'll keep everyone from lyin' won't ya?" He's not wrong because up until this year, you've done phenomenally at it, made sure that it had cycled between Red, Sonny, Lamar and even Jerry had done it last year. This year was supposed to be Elvis's year and you had made sure he knew that.

And yet somehow, somehow, you find yourself in front of your boyfriend as he is pulling on red pants that he donned last year.

""What are you doing?" You ask, your head tilting as he buttons up the pants, completely ignoring your presence. Something that's rare enough as it is, because he likes to say you're his insatiable kitten, though it's really him who can never keep his hands or his eyes off of you. "Jerry?" Still no answer. "Mr. Schilling?"

Somehow that's what manages to get a response out of him, that's what makes him look up at you his face morphing from one of honest aggravation to one of love and perhaps hope. You had been running late, one final mess before the Christmas season of everyone being closed or too busy with family to deal with the problems that Elvis Presley causes on accident. Jerry figures that's why Elvis took advantage and claimed that it wasn't his turn to dress up though everyone knew the truth. Now that you were here you could rescue him from the get up. You could get him undressed and shove this in Elvis's face so he could enjoy snuggling up with you on the couch, a drink or two in hand as you both watched all the kids in delight.

"Kitten." His hands abandon his task of buttoning up the pants in favor of making a grabbing motion to you, trying to pull you closer. "E bullied me into this, said last year didn't happen. Tried to remind him that you had told him Thanksgiving that he was doing it this year but he just forgot. You can fix this, right? For me? For us?"

You could, technically. You should, technically. However, there is something to be said about how your boyfriend is looking so uncomfortable with just a hint of distress and how it's kind of funny to you. Still, you have to try and act like a good partner, act like someone who is going to rescue their boyfriend from such a horrible predicament. Your face for at least the moment does not betray your amusement.

"I can!" You say, smiling the sweet sort of smile you only give him when he's praising you or when you're trying to charm someone. It's disarming in the worst ways and you know it far too well. "He knows that I can make him do it. He wanted me to enforce that list and we both know I take my job very seriously."

His lips curl into a smirk as he finally manages to pull you closer, placing a soft kiss to your lips. "Very seriously. It's why you're so good at it. Why you're so good to me."

It's then that you lose it, that you finally can't help the giggles that escape as your hands slide down the front of his pants and just casually finish buttoning up the pants. "I could help you. Or I could enjoy another year of you playing Santa."

After all, truth be told, he made a fantastic one, delighting the older and younger kids alike, a feat that you're pretty sure no one else but Elvis could accomplish. Besides, if he was Santa Claus, you could try being Mx. Claus, since you had actually chosen a pretty red get up for the party tonight. You look up at his wide eyes before leaning a little closer and whispering. "Ho ho ho."

Jerry pulls back just a bit, letting his hands drop from your backside, his eyes narrowing at you in annoyance before he appears to have what you think is an epiphany. "Someone might find themselves on the naughty list if they keep laughing and mocking Santa." He pauses, licking his lips and leaning by your ear. "And we know bad kittens don't get all the fun things good kittens do, don't we? Know that they don't get to have any fun."

There is a moment where you truly contemplate if you want to risk the consequences, if you think that it's worth it to just continue on the path you've set out for yourself before you realize that you might as well. After all, being on this Santa's naughty list didn't seem like the worst idea. So you just let out another laugh before saying those infamous words again. "Ho ho ho."

You see Jerry shut his eyes and just take a deep breath before looking at you and realizing he truly has lost this battle hasn't he. "You're not going to help, are you? I'm going to be playing Santa again this year, aren't I?"

"You are, because I'm not in the mood to argue with Elvis tonight. But. You do get to show your favorite Kitten what happens to them when they get put on the naughty list." You pause and point to the outfit that Jerry had yet to notice you put on the bed. "And, you get a Mx. Claus to be your partner tonight. And I know after a few drinks they get a little handsy."

"A little handsy." He laughs a full belly laugh, shaking his head as he does before looking at you and sighing. "Fine. But my partner should know I might have planned on giving them a present-specifically some jewelry- early tonight. Are they okay with waiting for it?"

Your answer of yes is stopped by the realization of what exactly sort of jewelry he might mean considering he looks like he was truly excited to give it to you. It almost makes you want to march down to Elvis and shove the outfit at him before you remember how the tail end of the song Santa Baby goes and figure you'd take a page out of Elvis's book and sing when something is a little too hard for you to say.

"Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing. A ring, I don't mean on the phone. Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight." Your gaze is a little questioning, just to see if you guessed right before you see him smile.

"Hurry up and get dressed then, Kitten. So I can hurry down that chimney tonight." A pause. "You're helping me carry the sack of presents though, EP went a little overboard."

You frown for a moment before nodding. "Only if next year we stuff it even more for when I actually do make him play Santa."

The answering laugh you get makes the kids downstairs think Santa already came and you have to wait a good ten minutes before both of you stop, only managing it once Elvis comes up to see you two clutching at your stomachs.

[chickwiththepurpleguitar]

Hello, I’ve finally thought of a prompt!

Baby Carrie and baby Julie meeting for the first time ☺️

thanks for the prompt friend! i took... some liberties with this one lol. It's just barely about Carrie and Julie since my go-to pre-canon headcanons (aka Parenting Verse) have Carrie and Julie literally being raised together, so this is more about Rose and Bobby dealing with both having kids with Julie and Carrie meeting at the very end lol. But I still hope you like it!

Bobby’s still in the rocking chair when Rose returns to the bedroom, his head ducked low but the soft lilt of his singing voice proving he’s still awake.

“Hey, rockstar,” Rose whispers, rapping her knuckles on the doorframe to get his attention. “Time for bed?”

Bobby looks down at the baby in his arms— he hasn’t put her down since he got home from the hospital, having paid off her mother not to give her up for adoption (after having paid her off six months ago to have her at all). “In a minute,” he promises, despite the exhaustion clear in his voice. “I want her to fall asleep first so she doesn’t think I abandoned her.”

Rose bites back a smile, sad though she is at the idea. “What was that song you were singing?”

Bobby goes red around the cheeks. “Oh, it’s just… one of L— my songs. I haven’t… recorded it yet.”

“Well, you should, it’s pretty.”

“Thanks.” Bobby holds his daughter— as of yet unnamed— a little closer, presses the gentlest of kisses to her forehead. “I guess I should put her down, huh?”

“I can do it,” Rose offers, stepping forward, but freezes when Bobby goes tense and territorial, hunching over the baby in his arms like he’s afraid she’s going to kidnap her. “Bobby, baby.”

He looks hunted, haunted, and so very tired. But when she says his name like that, he lets his defenses go down and carefully hands over his baby girl. “Sorry. I’m just…”

“I know,” Rose assures him, and kisses his cheek. “You need some good sleep.”

Bobby chuckles dryly. “Yeah, I’ll try.”

“Good boy,” Rose murmurs, and tucks the baby closer in the crook of her arm as she turns to go. “Come on, sweet girl, let’s get you to bed. Good night, Bobby.”

“Rose,” Bobby stops her just as she’s reaching the doorway. She turns. He’s got his head ducked low, like he’s embarrassed, his hands curled into loose fists at his sides. “You should call me Trevor.”

She can’t help it; she makes a face. She’s never understood Bobby’s insistence on using a stage name, but at least he’s never brought it home from the record label. “What?”

At least he has the decency to look bashful. “My name is Trevor,” he repeats. “That’s how the media knows me, that’s what my money’s under. Now that I have a daughter, I… I need to be just one person, for her. I need to be the successful celebrity, not… the boy who lost everything.”

Rose’s heart breaks. Her instinct is to protest, to tell him he can be both, that he shouldn't be ashamed of the pain he grew out of, that he should want to share each and every part of himself with his beautiful baby girl.

But as Rose looks down at her, tiny and pink-faced and starting to fuss, she understands why Trevor Wilson needs to bury Bobby Shaw once and for all. It’s been hard enough between the three of them keeping Bobby’s history with Sunset Curve out of the press. A little girl growing up hearing stories of her uncles Luke, Alex, and Reggie will only make that harder.

But Rose mourns Bobby’s chance to bring that part of himself back to life.

“Good night, Trevor,” she amends, watches him relax at her deference to his wishes, and takes his daughter upstairs to the nursery where Ray set up a second cradle this morning.

Julie’s not crying, but she’s clearly awake, waving a chubby fist at the butterfly mobile spinning above her crib and making soft babbling noises. Rose leans over her to kiss her forehead and tilts Trevor’s baby over the side of the crib into Julie’s view.

“Mi mariposa,” she says, smiling, “Meet your new sister.”

--

Taglist:  @whenweremarried @sunsethimb0s @pink-flame @penguin0613 @fighttoshine @sunsetcurvecuddles  @teenagedirtbag-dot-jpeg @brightattheorpheum @queenmolina @jandthephantoms @lexilucacia @sapphossidechick @acnhaddict @shrimp-colours @sunset-bobby @lenacarstairspotterstewart @conversationaltreestump @burntchromas @julieandthequeers @joyandthephantoms @it-tastes-like-lizard @jatpfs

[sparkedblaze]

Luke as a villain. Or JD. Writer’s choice

I'm so sorry this kind of sucks. This is attempt *checks watch* four at posting this.

T/W uh… violence, mentions of unaliving self, mention of bombs and trying to unalive others,

Ohohohoho both sides of my ‘could I become them?’ coin

How am I supposed to pick-

JD is a villain that I could never be.

And ik that’s probably not what you’re asking about, but that’s how I start my deep dives, so bear with me.

He was traumatized, literally watched his mom end her own life and then was forced to pay rent. He’s constantly on the move and has little to no social skills.

I mean my man finds solace in a 7/11 which should tell you how bad his situation is.

JD is just a dynamic character.

I love him (not as a person).

He’s manipulative. And he’s good at it. Homie had Veronica eating out the palm of his hand. He’s the ultimate narcissist. HE TALKED HER INTO STAYING WITH HIM AFTER HE UNALIVED THREE PEOPLE ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

He let his trauma overtake him and drive him to planting bombs at a pep rally.

As someone who listens to Heathers on the reg, it’s quite the accomplishment to form that pit in my stomach every time I hear

“Sorry for coming in through the window. Dreadful etiquette, I know.”

IT NEVER GOES AWAY AND IT JUST MAKES ME SCREAM. JD IS SUCH A TERI LE PERSON BUT HES SO WELL WRITTEN I JUST- AHHHHHHHH

Also bc my blog is 99% newsies (and therefore is followed by many fansies) I have to include this clip of the Heathers workshop 😌You’re welcome.

NOW TIME FOR LUKE CASTELLAN BC IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS GONNA PICK BETWEEN THEM YOU WERE VERY WRONG

LUKE IS A VILLAIN THAT I VERY MUCH COULD HAVE BECOME. LIKELY WOULD HAVE BECOME IN THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES.

I held a lot of bitterness and anger toward my parents for a long time

But that’s neither here nor there

Luke is one of very few villains that I love a redemption arc for.

Holding a grudge is one thing. Feeling abandoned by his dad and terrified of his mom? Can you see why he may be a little upset?? But using said feelings to endanger all of the people he cares about just for revenge?

And then a deity starts whispering to him about taking revenge and at first he’s like ‘eehhhhhhh…..’ but the temptation is too great and he’s eventually POSSESSED BY SAID DEITY.

But in the end he sacrifices himself?!?! UGH SO GOOD

Like this is a villain that I can follow the train of thought. The tracks are clear. One stop after another. Abandoned, forgotten, LOSING HIS BEST FRIEND SISTER AND THEN BEING TOLD TO POISON WHAT’S LEFT OF HER.

AND HIM BEING TOLD ABOUT ANNABETH DENYING WHAT HE SEES AS THE ONLY THING TO DO AFTER ALL OF THIS.

KRONOS WHISPERING THINGS LIKE: AFTER EVERYTHING THEY WENT THROUGH. AFTER THEY PROMISED TO NEVER ABANDONED EACH OTHER. HOW COULD SHE?!?

AND LUKE BEING CONFUSED AND POSSESSED BY THE SPIRIT OF KRONOS AND JUST HOW COULD SHE?!

THIS BOY IS SEVEN KINDS OF FUCKED UP.

PLEASE GET HIM THERAPY.

ALSO FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW THERE'S A MUSICAL AND THIS IS LUKE'S BIG REVEAL AND IT'S SO GOOD

[shallyne]

8,14,16 for fic asks

Dude that was fast lmaooo

Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

That literally depends on what scene sparked the inspiration for the fic. But it's mostly the beginning and rarely the end because I never know how to wrap up a fic, it's always the same

How do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

I don't like to write emotional scenes bc I feel like it comes out flat but I am an empath and did cry once or twice while writing a scene. I don't really have a specific way HOW I write them, I just do and no, I wouldn't say I draw from personal experience

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Literally, there's always some half baked shit in my mind but y'all mostly get that as my Feysand AU's lmaoooo

I think I mentioned that I have an idea, for quite some time now, where Mor finds Feyre as an abandoned baby and raises her

I have a Feysand idea that plays jn a gilmore girls AU. Rhys is Luke and Feyre Lorelai and Tamlin is Christopher but I'd rather kill Tamlin off then make him hop in and out of his child's and Feyre's life like Christopher did in gilmore girls

I do want to write a fic about Feyre postpartum with real struggles because in media it often gets presented as "Wow you birthed a baby and 5 minutes after you're back to how you were before the pregnancy" and even as a cis woman who never went through pregnancy or was close to someone in that situation, I know that's bullshit and I'd love to see it more.

I'd also love to write a Feysandnyx piece of a pregnant Feyre x Rhys piece because we deserve the fluff but I don't know how kids are, I don't have a single glue

I want to keep writing for my Sunshine and Promises fic. I just finished the Feyre x Helion fic for crackshipmonth and let Rhys fully out of that chapter bht the overall story is that Helion and Feyre did a little fuckeroo, Feyre fkt pregnant, Helion and Feyre become besties and the best Co parents the World has seen and she falls in love with Rhys along the way. It's my little crackship universe, I'm allowed to write whatever shit I want there

[sunsburns]

kiss of life (i.)

pairing: luke castellan x aphrodite!daughter reader

summary: in a universe where soulmates are interlinked by shared pain (senses) and emotions, luke castellan refuses to have anything to do with his soulmate because of what it did to his mother, but he can't ignore fate.

—or: luke castellan and the soulmate he never wanted.

word count: 4.03k

part two!!

warnings: suppperrr angsty, luke castellan pov, long reading time, descriptive injuries, blood, pre-tlt, luke is a dick, annabeth carries her 5 seconds of screen time, there's no happy thoughts in this whatsoever, slight reader pov during capture the flag, i lowkey messed up but whatever!!

a/n: i wanted to make a cute lil fic for valentines day but uh... that didn't happen. this will definitely be a two (maybe 3) part fic so pls bear with me guys. this is based on this request! (sorry i babe this probably isn't what you expected). i'm working on a tag list! lmk if you wanna be added! make sure your tags are on

Luke Castellan had always known of soulmates, a covenant bestowed by the goddess Aphrodite after Zeus' condemnation. In this tapestry of fate, each person had a counterpart, a soulmate crossing the expanse of the world in search of their other half. Aphrodite offered the assurance as an unspoken promise that no soul would tread the journey of life alone.

It was undeniably a blessing, an ethereal gift from the divine. 

However, within the enchanting threads of destiny lay the knots of a curse, a double-edged sword cutting through the hearts of those entangled in its mystic web.

If caught in a love affair with the gods themselves, to have a soulmate is to be cursed. 

It is a curse.

To be bound by an unseen force to another being carried the weight of uncertainty. The love meant to be shared might be misplaced, bestowed upon one undeserving of such devotion. The anticipation of finding one's missing half, the yearning for completion, came with the haunting possibility of realizing your soulmate is a terrible person (or a god).

Luke Castellan, haunted by the thought of his own mother's despair, struggled with the contradictory idea of soulmates.

He had witnessed the agony of misplaced trust, the shattered promises of an everlasting bond that crumbled into abandonment. The bitter taste of reality lingered in his memories, and he found solace in mistrust. The once-a-believer had been wounded by the fickleness of fate, and the shards of shattered hopes had left him jaded.

For Luke, the concept of soulmates had become a distant echo, a melody drowned in the clamour of broken vows. The elaborate dance of destiny, with its promises of eternal love, had left him disillusioned and wary.

The mere thought sends shivers down his spine. There was a time when the uncertainty of meeting his soulmate fueled his excitement, the prospect of finding the one who could empathize with his scars and decipher the intricate labyrinth of his thoughts. But it all crumbled under the weight of bitter revelations. It was all from a time before he understood the depths of his father's betrayal of his once hopeful mother. 

May Castellan, who, like her son, had yearned for the embrace of a soulmate, had fallen victim to the callous actions of the gods, of Hermes. The invisible bond that tethered her to a true soulmate, forever elusive, disintegrated into ash as Hermes, with deceitful promises, claimed her love, gave her a child, and then abandoned her. 

Hermes, in the eyes of Luke, was never deserving of the love May once held for him. The curse woven by him and Aphrodite condemned not only May but every parent of Half-Bloods, forcing them to lose their soulmates the moment they fell for a god unbeknownst to them. A life of loneliness, unless deemed worthy of a second chance.

The wicked curse that hangs like a shadow. Luke harbours a desire to curse each deity responsible, yearning to reverse the relentless march of time and rescue his mother from the clutches of an ill-fated love. His gut turns to spare himself from the knowledge that his soulmate is burdened with every ache in his bones, every cut against his skin, every burn etched into his soul, and all the hatred festering within his heart. 

A bound linkage to someone unseen, someone he wishes never to encounter, so he can evade the piercing gaze that would reflect the damage he unwittingly wrought upon their shared destiny. The very thought of this entwined fate, tinged with regret and resentment, casts a dark pall over Luke's existence.

He had never desired to cross paths with you, and he dreaded the thought of it, actually. And now, in the cruel twist of fate, he is intimately acquainted with every nuance of your existence. The touch of your hands lingers on his skin, your smile etches itself into his mind, and he has meticulously memorized every curl and detail of your hair. 

Luke hates himself because of it. 

Even before he met you, he sensed the gentleness that resonated within your heart during the quiet hours of the night. In the shadows of darkness, he felt the healing energy from you, mending his wounds with an invisible touch. The cuts on Luke's skin were yours as much as they were his. The unspoken link between your souls allowed him to witness the subtle acts of kindness, and Luke grapples with the conflict between the soft purity he perceives in your heart and the darkness he knows resides within his own.

Luke reluctantly admits that meeting you has broken down the barriers he built against the concept of soulmates. He sought refuge in the hectic pace of camp life, immersing himself in caring for the needs of others and teaching classes nonstop. The hope was to drown out the impending meeting, to avoid the inevitable collision with the person he believes is destined for a lifetime of torment, told to love a fractured soul like his own.

He battles against the current of fate, fearing that he, like his father, will ruin someone deserving of far more than what he is willing to give. Luke Castellan, with his decaying and rotten heart, grapples with the impossibility of being loved the way a soulmate should be. 

Luke used to avoid the infirmary as if it were a contagious plague. He observed other campers entering with the innocent thoughts of treating their injuries, only for some (most) to depart, hands entwined with another camper bearing matching scars. 

At Camp Half-Blood, discovering your soulmate was a rare alignment of stars and celestial threads. However, if one dared to tread the delicate line of hope the best place to look in was the sanctuary where most children of Apollo thrived—the infirmary, a haven where wounds were healed, and the whispers of shared pain lingered in the air.

Knowing himself, Luke carried the confidence that his soulmate must be among the group who spent hours of the day in the infirmary. The persistent pain in his body, a result of late-night training sessions when the cloak of darkness allowed him to unleash a more violent, heartless side with his sword, left an indelible mark on his consciousness. 

If he aches, you ache with him.

And as you used to pass your days with the intent of healing, he embarked on a self-destructive journey. Rest remained elusive, sleep a forgotten companion, all of it was a relentless chase of distraction from you before even meeting you. It was excessive, and he knew it.

The awareness that he shared hurting wounds and silent pain with a soulmate haunted him long before he set foot in camp. But the realization of you being so close scared him, and it came swiftly when the first breath of the air in the camp seemed to carry a lighter touch than anywhere else, his bruises throbbed less, and the sting of cuts transformed into a light buzz, resonating with the rhythmic pound of his heart. He was fourteen years old when he realized his soulmate wasn't as far away as he thought. 

Yet, despite this, Luke avoided any acknowledgment of you. He dismissed the whispers from those who bore similar bloody knuckles or heard rumours of others awakening with jabs on their arms, reminiscent of his own accidental self-inflicted cuts while sharpening his sword. The passage of time at camp became a delicate dance of evasion, each day spent in a fervent hope to remain blissfully unaware of the person who mirrored his wounds and pain.

Driven by guilt and fear, Luke deliberately sidestepped any potential encounters with his soulmate. His days were crafted meticulously to maintain this distance.

And it worked.

At least for a while.

Until the fatal return to camp after a failed quest, a burden placed on him by his father. Hopes and ambitions lay crushed and battered, and Luke's spirit shrunk from the pitiful gazes of other campers and the wallowing anger toward his father grew.

Annabeth ushered him to the infirmary the moment she laid eyes on him. 

And for once, Luke never fought her against it.

There, in the quiet confines of the healing haven, Luke sat in a vulnerable silence. His head hung low as an older Apollo child skillfully stitched up the wound on the side of his face, wrapping it to keep it from infections as it healed. By then, tears had become a rarity for Luke, but that night was an exception. When the son of Apollo left the cabin, he could feel them stream down his cheeks, the ache in his chest returning as he sobbed into his hands. 

At that moment, he felt like a child again, hiding in his bedroom, hiding anywhere he could; under his bed, in his closet, locked in the bathroom. He only ever wanted his mom. He was scared, fear gripped him, in his heart, and he wanted his mom to hold him and reassure him that everything was okay and that the monsters were only from the stories. That they'd never hurt him. But May Castellan was the one who-

"You're Luke, right?"

He was snapped back to the present as he heard the soft voice, a gentle interruption to the echoes of his past. A pair of old shoes appeared at the foot of his bed, their white socks and lace trim capturing his attention. 

Initially, he assumed it might be a random camper stuck on bed rest offering words of encouragement or recognition for his efforts on the quest. Maybe even a pat on the back. However, the soothing tone and genuine concern prompted his clenched fists to uncoil.

Luke looked up with rosy cheeks and glossy eyes, unable to hide the traces of his tears. There you stood, the toe of your right shoe tracing patterns on the floor. 

Despite the weariness, a glimmer of hope shone in your eyes as you tilted your head and softly spoke his name again.

The world seemed to... stop. Luke felt himself sinking into the soft mattress, softer than the one on his bed in Hermes' cabin. Tunnel vision enveloped him, rendering him oblivious to the lingering ache on the side of his face, the lingering humiliation, and even his festering hatred toward his father. For that fleeting second, he was acutely aware of nothing but you and the rhythm of his heart, pounding against his ribcage.

He tried to stop staring, but it was difficult. Your eyes, filled with curiosity, roamed across his face, and his figure, before finally settling on his gaze. Luke felt the pull, a silent exchange. You raised your chin ever so slightly, an uncertain smile etched on your lips as if grappling with the urge to ease his pain without knowing how.

Luke couldn't help but think that you were the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

"Hi." You say, voice quiet. It felt familiar, and Luke found himself sitting up, his body finally coaxed back to life. A soft wave accompanied your introduction, and you shared your name.

He repeated it, savouring the sound of it. Luke nodded, clearing his throat before finally acknowledging, "Yeah, I'm Luke." As you looked at him, a sense of familiarity lingered in your gaze, prompting him to question, "Have we met before?"

Considering the number of Half-Bloods at camp, he might have seen you in passing and might have heard your name in others' conversations. He wasn't surprised when you shook your head. "No, I don't think so. Not officially at least."

Gratitude flooded him as you refrained from prying into his well-being or questioning the details of his quest. It was as if you inherently knew not to press him. Yet, there was an undeniable shift in your demeanour.

It only took a few more seconds for it to click. 

Alarms started to ring in Luke's head as you tucked strands of hair behind your ears, revealing your full face. A jolt of realization struck him like a punch to the stomach. His gaze fixated not on you but on the healing stitches adorning the right side of your face — eerily similar to the ones he had recently received, wrapped and hidden to ward off infections.

His stare shifted from you to the delicate ridges of your skin, where the cut appeared in far better condition than his own. A pang of bitterness surfaced as he realized you had tended to your injury promptly, unlike him, a failure who had journeyed back to camp shrouded in defeat, covered in grime, sweat, blood, and tears.

Your cut would heal nicely, leaving behind a faint scar visible only under the summer sun's ray in the camp. Meanwhile, Luke knew his own would bear the mark of an ugly scar, a haunting reminder of his losses, of his anger, of how he hated pieces of himself and every piece of the gods. But in between, Luke liked to think of how in the summer months, your matching scars would serve as a silent testament to your contrasting yet interlinked connection as...

Oh.

Oh, no.

You seemed on the verge of saying something, brows creased, a nervous laugh bubbling within you, but Luke avoided meeting your eyes. The unspoken sentiment hung in the air, clear as day, and he didn't need you to say it.

He could almost picture you then, collapsing, your skin tearing as Ladon dug his claws into Luke's face. The echoes of your screams intertwined with his own, and the lingering pain painted a vivid tapestry of shared suffering. It struck him — you never deserved the consequences of his failed quest.

The weight of having Luke as a soulmate felt like an inescapable curse, a burden you never asked for. It was a curse he never wanted to bestow upon anyone, especially you. In the sheer minutes of meeting you, he already felt that you deserved better. 

The day had already unravelled into a series of unfortunate events — a failed quest, pitiful glances, and now, an encounter with a soulmate. While others might interpret this moment of fate as the gods offering forgiveness for his quest's failure, Luke perceived it as a cruel mockery. The gods, it seemed, were determined to make him hate them.

When his eyes finally met yours, he was taken aback by the kindness reflected in them. There was no trace of hatred, despite the bodily harm he had indirectly inflicted upon you. A part of him hoped that, in time, you would come to despise him enough for Aphrodite to redirect the course of your fate, steering you toward a soulmate other than Luke.

But she didn't.

And he refused to talk to you since.

When he woke up the next morning, you were there, sitting by the bed nearby, reading a book quietly. When you saw him awake, already looking your way, you seemed to brighten in a way that he could think the sun looked like until he met you. Before you could say anything, he turned the other way.

You got the hint and let Luke settle with the newfound information placed upon the two of you. You gave him time. Surely, he'd come around eventually. 

But hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks and you were sure he could feel the way your heart sank every time he'd leave the room the moment you entered. He never gave you a chance.

Luke was being an asshole and he knew it. But it was complicated and the root of it all made his head spin. You started to cloud his judgement and change his beliefs, and he'd only spoken three words to you at most. What kind of sick and twisted fate was this?

Before, glimpses of you were brief and fleeting, mere blurs in the edge of Luke's attention. He could have sworn he spotted you in the company of Silena Beauregard and Piper McLean, and that led him to assume that you were, ironically, a daughter of Aphrodite. 

But now, you seemed to be everywhere, appearing in every corner of camp.

You were there by the strawberry fields when he searched for solace. At the lake, you were teaching the youngest campers how to swim, a nurturing figure amidst the laughter and splashes. Even at the Dining Pavilion, he couldn't escape the proximity of you and your friends, sitting so close to his own table.

Luke pretended not to notice the soft smile you sent his way, a silent plea for acknowledgment. Instead, he rose abruptly. Luke retreated to the ritual of burning offerings without uttering a word and left, ignoring the way your eyes followed.

The ache in his chest intensified with each passing moment, and it made him wonder if he could die from the heartache of avoiding his soulmate. Surely, it wouldn't kill him, Luke told himself, his mother was still alive, wasn't she?

Throughout late spring and into the swelting days of summer, you saved time to break through Luke's walls, to get him to talk to you. You couldn't fathom the idea of having a soulmate so near, let alone hate for reasons unknown to you. 

One day, you cornered him admits the chaos of Capture the Flag, the end of your sword at his chest. Up close, he noticed the subtle differences in your demeanour - the determination hidden beneath your helmet, the armour wrapped tightly around you, the clinking of metal as you moved.

Instinctively, Luke reached for his sword. 

But to his surprise, you made no move to attack. You only wanted to talk. 

"There's nothing to say," Luke shrugged, his tone guarded. "Unless you want to surrender your flag."

"That's not what I want to talk about," you countered, your voice firm yet tinged with an edge of annoyance. It was a change from the shy and nervous tone you had shown in the infirmary months ago, or during your previous attempts to confront him.

He shifted uncomfortably, his grip tightening on the handle of his sword. You removed your helmet and placed it by your feet, the vibrant red feathers stark against the lush green grass, and you rose to your full height and met Luke's gaze.

"Luke," You started.

"No," he interjected, defensive as if the mere sound of your voice threatened to unravel him completely.

"I didn't even say anything."

"I know what you're going to say."

You tilted your head in a gesture of inquiry. "I thought you said there was nothing to talk about?"

Your words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Luke withdrew his sword, taking a step back to maintain distance between you. With a firm grip on his weapon, he pointed it in your direction, it clashed against the blade of your own, a warning to keep your distance.

Undeterred, you persisted, unwilling to let him slip away without a fight. "You're my soulmate, Luke."

He shook his head dismissively. "You don't know that."

In response, you scoffed, pointing to the thin line that mirrored the scar he hid beneath his helmet. "I don't?" you countered, your tone laced with incredulity.

Your scar had indeed healed beautifully over the summer, unaffected even by the harsh rays of the sun. It adorned your face like a badge of resilience, a mark of strength that Luke couldn't help but envy. To him, it only served as a reminder of his own perceived flaws - a source of insecurity and self-doubt.

"You can't keep ignoring me," you persisted, taking a step closer to him, your determination unwavering. "At least tell me why. I don't blame you for the pain you've caused, Luke. So, stop looking so guilty when you see me."

Luke remained stubborn, his resolve unyielding. Without warning, he lunged at you, his sword poised to strike. 

Startled, you stumbled back, your own sword drawn instinctively in defence. While your prowess with a sword may not have been the greatest, you held your own, maintaining a defensive stance against his relentless onslaught.

"Why are you so against it?" you pressed, your voice tinged with frustration. "Do you not believe in soulmates? What are you so afraid of?"

Luke grunted in response, pulling back when you pushed him away, his expression unreadable as he turned his back to you.

Left standing there, feeling utterly hopeless, you tightened your grip on your sword, its weight heavy in your hand. "Is it me?" you questioned softly, the weight of rejection bearing down on you.

To be rejected by a soulmate was a rare occurrence, one usually shrouded in untold reasons and unspoken pain. Yet, as Luke kicked your sword away and forced you to surrender for the remainder of the game, compelling you to raise a white flag in defeat, you couldn't shake the nagging doubt that perhaps Aphrodite had been mistaken. 

Luke had seen it reflected in your eyes – that deep-seated fear of being unwanted. It was a fear he knew all too well, one that had haunted him every time he caught his own reflection in the mirror. However, you never brought yourself to believe in a mistaken fate, clinging to the hope instilled in you by your mother's unwavering faith.

You signed up for counsellor activities you don't usually take on, hoping for a chance to engage with Luke, but time and again, it was Chris who appeared in his place, offering apologetic smiles and half-assed excuses for Luke's disappearances. As a last resort, you left a note attached to the sheath of his sword.

He had found it hours after sword practice, long after the clang of blades had ceased and the eager shouts of campers had faded into the twilight. The training grounds lay deserted, bathed in the soft hues of the setting sun as its golden rays cast long shadows across the empty expanse. He looked for you in his surroundings, but you were nowhere to be found.

In the note, you'd asked him to meet you by the lake the next full moon. You pleaded for an opportunity to talk, no snarky comments, no sarcastic jabs, no running away. You only wanted to understand why he had been avoiding you. You told him you'd wait for him by the dock. 

And you did.

The moon cast its light upon the waters, and you waited patiently, the soft ripples of the lake lapping gently at the shore. The night air was cool and crisp, carrying with it a hint of anticipation that mingled with the rustle of leaves in the nearby trees. You hugged yourself tightly, a futile attempt to ward off the chill that crept beneath your skin.

Hours passed in silence, the passage of time marked only by the soft murmur of the water and the distant call of nocturnal creatures. Yet, despite the solitude that enveloped you, you remained steadfast in your guard, your determination (or perhaps stubbornness) unwavering.

Luke stood by the shadows of the treeline, clutching the note you had left tightly between his fingers. From there, he watched you sitting alone by the docks, a lone silhouette against the moonlit expanse of the lake. He felt a pang of guilt tug at his heart as he watched you shiver in the night breeze, the weight of your unspoken words hanging heavy in the air.

For a fleeting moment, he contemplated approaching you, the urge to bridge the growing chasm between you almost overwhelming. Yet, as uncertainty clouded his thoughts, he hesitated, paralyzed by his own insecurities and fears.

In the end, Luke made his choice. With a heavy heart, he tossed the note, watching as it fluttered to the ground. With a sigh, he turned and retreated into the darkness, seeking solace in the shelter of Hermes's cabin, leaving you by the water's edge.

He knew then that he'd been right: to have a soulmate is to be cursed, and you eventually were to realize that you cannot love a fractured soul like his own, even if it was what the Fates had in store for you, it only led to despair. 

part two // masterlist

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[antianakin]

I don't think Ahsoka decides that Grogu was "safer with Din" due to his trauma, I think Ahsoka was too scared to make a rational decision. Din himself is saying it's not safe, the guardian that Ahsoka is attempting to force upon Grogu is actively saying he DOESN'T WANT TO DO IT and doesn't think he's a good choice for it. And the narrative supports this because ultimately Ahsoka chooses to give in and lets them go to the Seeing Stone to summon a Jedi to them and who do they end up summoning but Luke fucking Skywalker. Of all Jedi to end up answering that call, they got The Jedi Of Their Time. Not any random Force sensitive person, not a whole new Jedi survivor we've never even met before, but LUKE SKYWALKER. There is nothing they could've done to cement just how right Din was to insist upon this than for this choice to end in Luke Skywalker's appearance. Especially since the narrative makes it so they all would've died if Luke hadn't shown up.

And even in this season where Grogu is back with Din seemingly for good and he's being made a Mandalorian apprentice or whatever, TWICE they had Grogu do something impressive and Din actively has to say that Grogu didn't learn it from him because the audience is aware that he would've learned it from LUKE. That those are JEDI skills and Jedi traits that Grogu is exhibiting, not Mandalorian traits. So even within this season where Grogu has left the Jedi, the best parts of him are still the ones that come from BEING a Jedi and being trained by one for even a little while. So it still emphasizes that going back to the Jedi was the right thing to do and Ahsoka was WRONG for wanting to deny Grogu this entirely.

If Ahsoka had said she didn't think SHE should train Grogu due to their respective traumas being super incompatible and then immediately offered the Seeing Stone as an alternative, then I would argue that Ahsoka was doing the right thing and still protecting him the way she promised she would during Rebels. Ideally she would've ensured he MADE IT to the Seeing Stone and that another Jedi showed up, this should be her duty as one of the only Jedi or even trained Force Sensitives still alive. And she abandons that completely. Not only does she not go with Grogu to the Seeing Stone and ensure he makes it to another Jedi, she nearly doesn't allow him access to the Jedi anymore at all simply because she thinks Grogu's anger is too dangerous. Which ignores the fact that Grogu already HAS training which MAKES him dangerous if he never gets help from someone more qualified than Din.

Ahsoka abandons her duty because she lets her fear control her. As much as she's right to recognize that she makes a poor match for Grogu and shouldn't be the one to train him, she's very wrong to decide that Grogu shouldn't get any training at all because he seems too similar to Anakin.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Charithra is foul for following JD after the verdict (and then unfollowing when called out) but the giddy reaction to finally having a valid reason to hate her from the Bridgerton fandom was sooo telling.

I mean, Luke Newton apparently liked a Depp-supporting post too but that's not making the rounds.

Here's how I feel about this shit.

I hesitate to say that it's disappointing when famous people do shitty things, because the reality is that we don't know any of these people and they work in an industry that actively encourages you to abandon all morals, so. Not surprising. We should never give people cookies for doing one good thing when for all we know they're doing five shitty things we don't know about.

Everyone who is liking posts supporting Depp, following Depp, whatever, is on my shit list. Does that mean I will never watch anything they ever are in ever again? No, because a) because even the people who don't support Depp? Likely support something else that I think is awful b) I will leave some room for nuance here. I know decent people who have been misled by the misinformation, and I am not unaware that some celebrities are likely genuinely misinformed. I have followed people, then realized they were shitty, and unfollowed.

However. If you are in an industry that functions on misinformation--if you have been the victim of misinformation campaigns, as many celebrities have been, if not on as wide a scale as Amber has been, you know how this works. These people weren't born yesterday. The younger ones grew up with social media and understand how easily it can be used to lie; and the older ones grew up with Johnny Depp and the stories of his hideous behavior well before Amber was on the scene.

Basically, I think that the vast majority of them just want to get brownie points for backing the new face of male DV survivors, while not actually caring about DV survivors, and that's gross as fuck. I anticipate their apologies after the inevitable Framing Amber documentary in a decade or so, but it's hollow and this really just proves how unintellectual and shallow many of these individuals tend to be. Which? Again, not surprising. These are entertainers. Some of them are super smart, and some of them are dumb as shit, but none of them are required to engage intellectually in order to do their jobs correctly.

That being said, fair is fair. A lot of people I liked have been liking those posts. I love The Great and Our Flag Means Death--Elle Fanning and Taika Waititi liked pro-Depp posts. I can't promise you that I'll suddenly drop those shows, because there are definitely ways around supporting them financially, and I think there was already a level of supporting the art without supporting the artist going on there. I don't know where I'm going to end up with all of that, and I don't judge anyone for doing what they will with it either way. But do I think Elle and Taika and Charithra and Luke are being moronic assholes? Yeah, I do. They all are. Charithra being an asshole over this doesn't mean that she hasn't been treated badly, however, and it doesn't mean that she hasn't made good points about other issues in the past.

This just in: people are, as a general rule, a mixed bag. I think Elizabeth Warren is one of the best politicians the U.S. has to offer... and I think her claim of Native American heritage was fucked up and stupid. Both things can be true. I can think that any of the above people may or may not have acting ability and make points about other things--and I can think they're absolutely fucked for supporting Depp. The reality is that everyone's line in the sand about where they withdraw support is individual. But if someone I disliked because I think they're a shitty actor supported Depp, I wouldn't suddenly act as if I had a moral righteousness in disliking that person. If I already disliked you, I don't win because you're supporting an abuser. Nobody wins when someone supports an abuser.

[percabeth4life]

Not a relationship, but how would you do Percy hosting Kronos and then the Titans winning?

Hmm, okay so to start with this I would actually have Kronos good at manipulation.

Like book one is the sweet spot here. Percy has just learned about the Gods, he doesn't have any real connections to the Godly world and they're screwing him over right then. His life is being threatened for a crime he didn't commit, the camp has basically abandoned him, Hades stole his mom, and Poseidon appears to have only claimed him so he can do his dirty work.

Frankly, if Rick had written Kronos even slightly competent in manipulation then Percy would've been on his side. Like canonically there was basically nothing keeping Percy on the Gods side right then.

So Kronos speaks sweet words and promises, shows Percy how good things to be under his rule, promises to save his mom, talks up how bad the Gods are. He reassures Percy that he doesn't want death, he just wants to replace the Gods with their faulty rule. He goes on and on about all the improvements he'd make (talking animals! Plenty of food for all! No painful deaths! Peaceful afterlives!) and coaxes Percy gently to his side.

Then when Percy returns to camp and is loved, he acts all comforting. He talks about how he's so sorry Percy now has to deal with the people that abandoned him prior. And now they pretend to have been his friends? Oh wow that shroud they made for you... I'm so sorry, you deserve better. You deserve people who care.

Luke is of course assigned to stick close to Percy and be kind and supportive and to subtle talk down the camp and the people.

Then at the end of book 1, he has Luke offer Percy a position by his side instead of the pit scorpion scene. And frankly, with all the manipulation going on prior, Percy is on board.

So then Percy is by their side, and that means things like... the fleece don't work. Percy was the reason that succeeded after all. So maybe the Titan's get the fleece and that speeds up Kronos' recovery. Also Clarisse and Grover may die there (could die there, we could kill them now because how would they escape without Annabeth and Percy? And how would Annabeth get there without Percy gaining the attention he did?), but we'll say that they manage to escape thanks to their own clever skills. It's a close thing though.

And the quest in book three... well honestly they probably wouldn't have caught Thorn taking the kids without Percy so jot that down as another fail. And now two more big three kids are on the Titan's side (we get Kronos scolding Thorn for taking them by force, he was supposed to be kind. Percy is a reassuring presence, just a bit older and more than happy to talk about how things are great here).

And well, maybe the quest still happens in book 3, maybe not. Maybe Artemis decides to go off looking for the cause of whatever monster is stirring (maybe she's noticed, maybe there are rumors, maybe the Ophiotaurus dies in the ocean without Percy to rescue it).

We'll say that Artemis does go, she's wanting proof for the council that they need to mobilize. The Titans ask a girl demigod on their team to hold up the sky just for a few minutes, three at most, then shove Artemis in there and Artemis saves her and takes the sky.

So a quest is sent out, only this time Percy and Bianca aren't there, so it's only three sent on the quest. Or maybe Annabeth goes too. And it goes alright... except it doesn't also. You could say they get defeated in the museum (but we'll say they figure it out). They have no warning for the skeletons but they can see them so they flee. No Bianca means no issue in Hephaestus' junkyard so no death there. They have to walk to the dam which could slow them down. There's no one to catch Mr. Ocean shape shifter so they just have to go to the garden (they never find out what happened to the Ophiotaurus, maybe he died, maybe he's in a lovely tank with the Titan's because they need Percy and Percy wants him to live so he'll live).

And without Percy to hold the sky, Artemis is still trapped.

At this point Kronos has had the fleece for 6 months, and that thing can work miracles. Combine that with the people still joining... well Perhaps he's all ready now.

Perhaps who steps out is not Percy, but Kronos in Percy's body.

So they're facing two Titans, not one. None of them escape.

The Titan's now hold all the possible prophecy children.

And that's the end of it for the Gods. They have a missing Goddess, all the prophecy children missing, the lieutenant of the hunt missing, and Camp's main strategist missing.

They don't realize until the camp is under siege that there's an opening. Camp falls quickly, because there was no Percy and Annabeth to find the Labyrinth. No quest to find out what was going on with their enemies. Daedalus has no second thoughts.

Camp falls with Kronos waltzing in and taking over. Atlas is by his side. It's quick and brutal (but maybe not fatal for the camp, Kronos wants followers after all, killing them is counterproductive). He puts Atlas in charge there, keep them alive Atlas, and then plans to go on Olympus.

There is no Typhoon this time, no Percy to awaken him. So things are a bit harder, but also easier. Kronos can cause his own distractions afterall, and Poseidon is still trapped in the ocean battling Okeanus.

Kronos is more than capable of mimicking that situation and splitting up the Gods. Hades won't interfere, not without Nico, and Demeter and Persephone are with him. Hestia isn't a warrior. Poseidon is in the ocean. That leaves Hera and Zeus on Olympus to fight as the big six, and then the other Olympians (minus Artemis).

Hermes may go to Luke if Luke calls, how easy would that trap be to set? So Hermes is caught by Luke when Luke lies to him about having second thoughts.

Kronos targets Apollo personally because Apollo is a dangerous God to have out and about. He's put next to his sister (and takes the burden for her but she's exhausted and weakened and they're both caught still).

Before they march on Olympus Kronos is healed enough to take his own form, he leaves Percy (leaves him alive too, Percy has been such a helpful minion after all, he gets rewarded) and takes shape. He marches on Olympus himself, his forces by his side.

Percy and Luke as his right hand men.

And Olympus falls.