#percy's a cool and charismatic guy

[femmefangirl]

jason grace is a loser nerd whose charisma is literally from having no anxiety

[lightningant]

Why do people who dont like Ron and Ginny automatically get accused of classicism and anti poor bigotry? I am not saying there are no people who hate Weasleys for being poor, the fandom is huge and all stripes of folks can be found here even the most despicable.

Most people I know who don't like Ron and Gin Gin also have Weasleys they do like such as : Fred, George, Percy, Bill, Arthur and Molly. (Yeah I don't get Molly bashing. She gave Harry his 1st motherly hug, loves her family and defeated Bellatrix. What's not to love? )

I personally don't like Ron, not coz he's poor and red head and all that shite. But coz he's very unremarkable, insecure, not too bright and not charismatic.

He's a good egg but have a distinct sidekick energy and not main character vibe like Harry, Hermione, Tom, Severus, Albus, Sirius, James, does.

And he's not brilliant like Percy, enterprising like the twins or cool like Bill.

He's like the characters Jonah Hill played once upon a time: Good hearted but ordinary, goofy guys.

These characters are good in comic scenes or slice of life dramas but not as the Main Male character or love interest in epic, larger than life romantic fics.

He's good. But he's not love interest material for most straight/bi women and gay/bi men.

I am sure in real life many of us would be happy to date a guy like Ron. But when it comes to reading fics, he's just not that guy you feel interested in.

He's that good, stable, nice guy your parents hope you end up with and they are right too.

But not the type of guy you fantasize about or want to read as MC or love interest.

He's too much of an every man, he reminds many of us too much of ordinary blokes we know to read him as MC or love interest.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Do you have any queer historical romance recs? Are there any upcoming 2024 queer historical romances that you’re excited for?

Absolutely, I have recs! As for 2024 books, I'm currently most looking forward to You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian, which is an m/m romance set, I believe in the 50s, set around the world of baseball.

I also just read A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland (out 4/9) which I SUPER recommend if you want a f/f romance set in the 1800s, with a touch of fantasy. It's about a prickly midwife who finds this mysterious woman in the middle of the night, literally about to give birth. She helps her, and her husband turns out to be a local fisherman. But... something isn't right... both with the husband, and with his wife's origins. And when the husband realizes the women are falling in love, he only becomes more possessive. I promise it's romantic and has an HEA and doesn't feature overwhelming sadness (there is domestic and sexual violence alluded to, but it's brief and off the page).

As for historicals otherwise...

M/M

We Could be So Good by Cat Sebastian--set in the same general era and space as the 2024 release, I think, about a pair of reporters slowly and sweetly falling in love, especially after they become roommates (and they were ROOMMATES).

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles--about a guy who moves to the marshland after he becomes a baronet, and has to take care of his estranged father's family left behind. He finds out there is a crime family of smugglers controlling the area, and he rats on them after seeing something sus... But when he goes to testify, who's there to stop him but the guy who he used to anonymously hook up with! JOSS DOOMSDAY. Joss Doomsday is amazing I love him. Super sexy, funny, and definitely focused on a side of England you like, never see in historicals.

The Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ--the standalone followup to the last book. In this case, another title is inherited, and this time the lord's this gruff former soldier. His cousins or something contest his inheritance, and he hires this young, charismatic secretary (especially important because our lord has a hard time reading, which I felt was done in a really touching way). Anyway, the sexual tension boils over and they start hooking up on the low, but there's a SECRET. (Also, the lord is very like "I'M ABUSING MY BOSSLY POWER" while the secretary is like "I mean... abuse it some more.....")

Band Sinister by KJ Charles--kind of a queer sendup of gothics, this is about a young guy whose sister is like, always spying on their scandalous neighbors who hold orgies and shit for the sake of writing her novels. Then she breaks her leg and ends up laid up in the orgy house, and he rushes over like NO ORGIES FOR HER, but he realizes the group of friends is actually super cool, especially the verrrry siiiiiilky smoooooth one who's just soooooo suave. So good, and especially interesting in that, while I would definitely not call this a poly romance, it does explore the complexities of open relationships and polyamory.

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian--Kit is a retired highwayman running a cafe, and suddenly this vERRRY pretty nobleman comes in flashing his very nice ankles and asking Kit to steal this mysterious book from his dad. Kit refuses, but agrees to teach Percy how to steal. Both are great, but omg PERCY is AMAZING. He's kind introduced as somewhat like... conventionally more on the femme side, but he's like a secret swordmaster, and also takes the lead with Kit sexually a lot. One of my favorite moments in this book is when he's blowing Kit and Kit thinks he's gone too deep and is like "SORRY" and Percy rolls his eyes and makes Kit grab his hair and start facefucking him lmao. Also has nice demi rep in Kit.

Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall--A frosty duke proposes to a woman he was always supposed to marry, and she subsequently goes on the run. He then has to pair up with her dramatic, fanciful twin brother. It's a really funny romcom, with a ridiculous duel that had me wheezing. Plus a semi-cultlike group of lesbians? Also, enthusiastic ass eating.

F/F

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera--A cold vamp widow wants this business deal with a fun and flirty heiress, and the heiress agrees to make the deal... If the vamp agrees to show her LESBIAN PARIS. Hot, and both of the leads are Latina.

Mortal Follies by Alexis Hall--Adding this even though it definitely has a good dose of fantasy, because it's like... Jane Austen meets a Midsummer Night's Dream, with an emphasis on the fairies. This young deb ends up hexed so her dress is unraveling at a ball, and as she hurries into the pushes, she meets the mysterious Lady Duke, who's rumored to have murdered her brother and father. They begin this push and pull of seduction. It's both funny and kind of dramatic.

Trans/Nonbinary

Something Spectacular by Alexis Hall--the standalone followup to Something Fabulous. The runaway fiancee's ex, the genderfluid Peggy, is roped by said ex into attending an opera. The ex wants to seduce Orfeo, this gorgeous castrato soprano, and when they open their mouth to sing Peggy, who's very gruff and in control typically, faints. Orfeo is naturally like "WHO'S THAT" and begins pursuing Peggy rather than the ex. One of my favorite books, so funny (at one point they accidentally incite a gay orgy) with a hint of melancholy and great sex. Also, it has one of the most unique sex scenes I've ever read.

Unmasked by the Marquess by Cat Sebastian--a bisexual marquess makes a new friend in this young dandy in town. They kiss, and he thinks his friend is going to blackmail him... But the friend, Robin, turns out to be chamber maid in disguise! Except they're actually not a man or a woman, and don't want to live as a woman. It becomes as an FWB thing, but naturally our romantic hero falls in love and things become Fraught. Has one of my favorite "resentfully horny" moments, when Alistair is watching Robin from across the ballroom, and they pull a glove off with their teeth, and he's like "THAT IS IMPROPER" and wants to fuck them so bad.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall--Viola faked her death at Waterloo in order to live as her true self. Years later, she's pulled into helping her old best friend, the Duke of Gracewood, who's suffering from a chronic injury and severe depression following the battle. At first he doesn't recognize her... at first. Has an absolutely INCREDIBLE moment of recognition, and I really like that it's this romping old school type romance with a trans heroine.

Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa--this one is actually a YA Pride and Prejudice retelling, highly recommend if you're open to it. In this case, the Lizzie character is actually Oliver, a trans boy, and he and Darcy fall in love--molly houses are included in this, which I really like. It's not super about historical accuracy, which I personally dgaf about, and it's very sweet and funny and warm. Also, the author is a trans man.

Queer Polyamory

Scandalous Passions by Nicola Davidson--FFM. A king's former mistress is sent away because the queen hates her, and is also asked to care for the king's ward. She and the ward begin to give in to their attraction, and at the same time their escort is this much-feared knight (who's really quite subby) who's been in love with the older heroine for years. And then he begins falling for the ward as well.... Super sexy medieval, with Dom/sub overtones.

Their Marchioness by Jess Michaels--A playwright is asked to a marquess and marchioness's home... Turns out he and the marchioness were in love before she was forced to marry the marquess. Fortunately, she and her husband are now very much in love, and he's basically gifting her a tryst with her old love for her birthday. Then he joins in... and it begins being more than sex. Has some bi awakening stuff.

M/F with Bi leads

The Perfect Crimes of Marian Hayes by Cat Sebastian--a standalone followup to Kit Webb. Percy's stepmother Marian is having a correspondence with a blackmailer, who unbeknownst to her is her odious husband's secret son. He ends up falling in love with her as they go back and forth with letters, so when she ends up in trouble and on the run, he comes to "save" her, only to find that Marian ain't that girl. Both leads are bi, and the sex is really cool and interesting because Marian doesn't like penetration due to trauma surrounding her pregnancy and labor. So she penetrates him (among other things) instead.

Hugo and The Maiden by S.M. LaViolette--a successful sex worker ends up being transported and washing ashore after a shipwreck. He's very snarky, but finds himself up against the vicar's uptight and uncompromising daughter--but he still has enemies lurking. Hugo is openly (for the day) bi and services both men and women. I really liked that even as he fell in love, his bisexuality wasn't like this background thing--he sees a guy he likes at one point and is basically like "if I wasn't taken......."

Any Duke in a Storm by Amalie Howard--a spy (who's also kind of a lady pirate) ends up being attracted to her super rakish and slutty first mate. She's bisexual, and one of the women on her ship is her former hookup (still her friend), which I like.

Melissa and The Vicar by S.M. LaViolette--a madame goes to a small village to recuperate and de-stress, and ends up falling in love with a virginal vicar she's so sure she can't have. Melissa is bisexual, and I thiiink a woman she used to be involved with is on the page? Her hero, Magnus, kind of has a "oh shit am I bi?" moment when Melissa tries to fake him out by pretending she's hooking up with Hugo. To be fair, everyone wants to fuck Hugo.

In Which Margo Halifax Earns Her Shocking Reputation--a scandalous woman begins chasing her sister (who ran off with a Bad Man) along with her brother's best friend, who's secretly in love with her. Margo is bi, and her relationships with women are one reason why she's considered scandalous~.

[raes-secret-pjo-account]

You Are In Love

Chapter 2; I was enchanted to meet you

Annabeth meets up with her old friends when she meets a cute waiter.

ANNABETH

Hi my name is Annabeth Chase. I go to college for architectural engineering. My friend Grover goes to the same school as me in a different corse. My friend Thalia is a high school drop out but she is still one of my best friends. Luke was one of my best friends before he and his friend Ethan got into a car crash and died. Luke had been hanging out with a different crowd lately but this was un expected. Me Thalia and Grover were meeting up to discuss things. We were his closest friends, after his mom went crazy and his dad left we were all he had.

We walk into Friendly's and walk up to the podium. I saw the waiter. He had dark messy hair and he had sea green eyes that I couldn't help but get lost in. I looked at him until Grover cleared his throat.

"Oh um welcome to Friendly's how many?" He stuttered, I couldn't help but smile at how nice he seemed.

"Three," Thalia chimed in and he lead us to our table. I got a glimpse of his name tag. Percy.

"So can I get you any drinks to start with?" He asked us with a charming smile. It felt like he was looking right at me. I felt like I wanted to explode. His smile had a was of melting my heart like a warm chocolate chip cookie.

"Can we have a second?" Thalia responded. The boy, Percy nodded and walked away. I was kind of sad to see him go. That means I would have to confront the issue at hand.

"So. . . Thalia how have you been. Still with Reyna?" Grover asked breaking the silence.

"No not anymore. We broke up like a year ago," Thalia responded.

They kept talking like this for a bit. I spaced out until Grover said my name. "Hmm?"

"I said are you okay? You've been really quiet this whole time?" Grover asked making sure I was okay. I always appreciated Grover for that.

"Yeah I'm fine just a lot on my mind," I respond with a shrug.

"When have you ever not had a lot on your mind?" Thalia chuckles.

Percy returns and asks for our drinks again. This time Thalia responds first asking for Coca-Cola, Grover as per usual orders water. I glance at the menu before ordering a strawberry milkshake. Strawberry was always my favorite flavor.

All of a sudden he chimes in, "Yankee's fan?" I look over at my hat. A gift from my mother the last thing she gave me before she left.

I look up at him and smile "it was my mom's I'm from Virginia," I reply.

"Oh cool I'm from Manhattan so go yankees!" He chuckled awkwardly. It was cute. He was cute. I chuckled awkwardly too. Then he left to go get the drinks.

"What was that about?" Thalia asked me, tilting her head slightly.

"What?" I asked in response.

"The whole thing with the waiter, what was that Annie?" Thalia teased once more. I just stared back at her for a hot second.

"What? I mean he's kinda cute. . ." I say as I glance over at him. He's at another table laughing a chating away. He seems so charismatic.

Soon he returned with the drinks, "Alrighty Coca-Cola for the punk," he handed Thalia her glass, "water for the guy in my class," he hands Grover a tall glass of water, "and a strawberry milkshake for the princess," he handed me my milkshake. I prayed to God he didn't realize my face was red. I looked at him and smiled. How was he so smooth and charming and charismatic?

"What did you just call her?" Thalia asked going into defensive mode. Normally I would be creeper out if a random guy called me princess but he didn't seem that way. He was comfortable.

"Oh its like my thing I call people like names or whatever," he explains his gimik and I can't help but be embarrassed about the princess comment. I turn away from him and sip my milkshake. He is such a dork. I already know it. And yet he is still such a charming person.

Suddenly Grover chimed in and broke the silence, "you are in my class aren't you? Environmental science right?" Grover had a kind of friendly feel to him. He's one of the most comforting people I know, no doubt that Percy can tell aswell.

"Yep it was a required course for marine biology!" Percy smiled. God his smile was gonna kill me.

"Oh cool! I want to go into the environmental science field, I want to research clean energy, we got to save the planet you know!" As Grover spoke he was so enthusiastic about it. He always loved nature. And was so sad that no one was doing anything about climate change. I truly believe he will make a difference.

Percy and Grover introduced themselves to each other and shook hands. If you didn't know either of them from a far it almost looked like they had been friends all there lives. Then we heard someone shout "PERCEUS JACKSON!"

I looked over and it was an older woman probably in her 40's walking over towards Percy. Once she got close enough I read that her name tag said 'Sally'. "You have other tables to wait young man, you can't just stay at this one!" I put two and two together and figured out that Sally was most likely Percy's mom. I thought it was cute that he worked with his mom so I snickered a bit.

"Okay," Percy sighed, "I'll be back~" he said as he winked straight at me and walked away. He was so smooth about it too. I watched him walk away my face red from blush.

It must have been noticeable cause Grover commented on it. "Are you blushing annabeth?" I gave Grover the most angry face I could but in reality I would be kicking my feet and jumping about if I were in public so instead I just finished my strawberry milkshake.

While we waited for a bit me Thalia and Grover talked about issues regarding Luke. I won't recount the conversation here cause I don't want to keep reliving that. But eventually we were ready to order food so Thalia grabbed Percy over so he could take our order.

After we ordered Percy offered to get me a free refill. Of course I didn't say no. Not to long later Percy returned with our food as we are eating. After we leave I make sure to give a generous tip. Once I get back to my dorm I lay in my bed and quickly fall asleep.

I dream about him. Percy. I see him standing in a lake with a trident above his head. I see him kneeling and holding something heavy that I can't quite make out on his back. I see him surrounded by water. I see him with a scary grin on his face covered in dirt and blood surrounded by green smoke. I see him and me kissing underwater. All of this feels like both a distant memory and like a reel of someone else's life. I wake up and decide 2 things. 1 Percy is important. 2 I need to see him again.

☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ☆ミ

Chapter 1

[rocinantexandria]

So I just started watching The Legend of Vox Machina and finished season 1 in 3 days and my current thoughts.

Keyleth is my baby, I want only good things to happen to her she is the nature-loving, anxiety ridden, full of endless potential and only needing to believe in herself personification of me that I didn’t know I needed. Also she has the exact same colour scheme (Red hair and green clothing) as Sam from Totally Spies so my childhood crush is awakening and I see Sam in her too often.

Her and Vax are also cute with their will they, won’t they. Moving to Vax he is a charismatic and sneaky half elf who I also love (was not expecting him to drop the in love line so soon but OKAY here for it). Adore his dynamic with Vex and the obvious we could always leave this team but nooo they are family too.

Speaking of Mommy- I mean Wife- I mean Vex. Nothing better than a gorgeous half elf archer who takes care of everyone and toes that hilarious line of I hate you all AND I love you all.

The other side of the parental dynamic is Percy who having a demon attached was very cool and evil and of course ‘murder of all family’ closure is important so glad he got that and hey now that the gun is gone I guess every team does need the guy who just shoots and leads and its him.

Onto the gnomes we have Pike who is awesome a literal ray of burping sunshine who I would ask to bless me if she was real.

Also Scanlan who is hilarious, needs to use his power more and is about 10% of the way on his mission to fuck every being in the realm.

Plus we have Grog and who doesn’t adore a lovable oaf whose only goal in life is to murder everything.

lastly but not least is the bear Trinket who clearly we do not get enough of.

good luck fighting dragons murder crew

[alenkorra]

Thoughts on World Beyond finale

The last 2 episodes of World Beyond broke my heart but the ending was also super satisfying. I feel like they did every character justice. I feel like Silas’ ending was bittersweet though. He has friends to fight for and a purpose now but he’s stuck in the CRM with Jadis. I really hope this isn’t the last we see of these characters.

As for the characters who died, I was immediately drawn to Percy because I love the con-artist type of characters who have a good heart deep down. I loved his chemistry with Iris and they really grew on me in season 2. I feel like Iris grounded him and he brought out the more badass side of her. I’m sad that they’ll never get to visit the Getty museum like they wanted to.

Huck and Dennis completely broke me. I was not expecting to love them so much, both individually and as a couple. Huck was my least favorite character at the beginning of season 1 (she actually annoyed me quite a bit) but in the last 4 episodes she became so interesting and complex. Season 2 made me absolutely love and root for her to the point where I think she was the best character in the show and easily one of the best TWDU characters. She’s just so layered, well-written and I’m so sad we’ll never get to see her interact with other characters from this universe. 

And Dennis was another pleasant surprise. I absolutely loved his bond with Silas and his dynamic with Huck. He was just a great guy and Maximilian Osinski is so charismatic. I was already crying because of Huck and his last scene with Silas made me cry even more. At least they were able to stop the CRM and go warn Portland so none of these characters died in vain.

On a more positive note, the endings they gave the Bennett sisters, Elton and Willix (is that the ship name?) were so perfect for them. Just seeing where they were at the beginning of the show and where they are now is so cool. Hope found a purpose and she now has hope (lol) in the future and humanity. She’s also at peace with herself after sparing Mason, I say that’s my baby and I’m proud. Iris’ evolution was so great to see too. She’s such a good fighter and leader now (she honestly gave me a bit of a Michonne vibe in these last couple of episodes). And what she said to Hope confused me at first but it’s so true. They’re still who they were at their core, just in a different way now. Hope is now putting her genius skills to good use and Iris still fights for humanity, but she lives for herself and her principles too. I thought Elton was gonna stay with Hope and the scientists but after thinking about it, he was always such an explorer so it makes sense that he went with Iris to Portland. 

Lastly, Felix marrying Will and getting a dog with him was the cutest thing ever and I am once again saying they are in fact the best LGBT representation in the TWD universe. They were both main characters, badass fighters and they both lived (also both played by queer actors which is always a plus). But Felix is more than just that and him marrying Will and letting Iris go shows that he accepts he doesn’t have to be the one to protect everyone all the time and he can settle down if he wants to.

Anyway, if anyone read all this let me know your thoughts on the ending. I was pleasantly surprised. Lately I’ve watched so many shows with disappointing or nonsensical endings and there’s maybe a couple of little things I’m not sure about but overall I’m very happy with how everything ended. 

[k-shitposts]

So I have been enjoying 4KOTA and wanna put my predications down below:

Lancelot is sin. I mean, come on guys, Fox motif and saw a vision of a bride that was mentioned by Arthur?

Tristan is gonna look different from his dad as an adult. Mainly cause Percival is the short one of the group and there can’t be two lmao.

I think Lancelot and Tristan aren’t gonna get along as much as Ban and Meliodas did - think actually rivalry.

Klaines kid is gonna be Morgana. Mainly cause we haven’t seen her yet so I don’t think she’ll be Arthur’s sister. Also Morgana was known as Morgana le fey which translates to Morgana the Fairy so….

Would be cool design wise to have a grown ass looking 15 year old who looks like Diane but super lazy as well so that’s why I want Klaines kid to be a girl.

Saw a couple of people talking about Nascien being a girl, glad I am not the only one on that train.

Considering how Nascien has some hints of a mysterious origin story in addition to a secret (if your a girl why hide it??) I think Nascien might be linked to Camelot or Arthur somehow.

Weird that Arthur waited 16 years for a bride. Makes me think that it was either prophesied or some reincarnation stuff was involved.

If so it’d be a cool parallel to Meliodas who didn’t resent anyone or become too self destructive when Elizabeth kept dying. Then Arthur experienced it once and was like “fuck this imma commit a genocide”.

Look all I am saying is that I don’t think it’d would’ve taken Arthur 16 years to kill off everyone who isn’t humankind. Unless Nakaba explains that plot hole.

Klaines kid is besties with Lancelot and is helping him - hence why he refered to them as his forest friends.

Galahad probs gonna be the last knight but like I said I don’t think he’ll be a SD7 kid. Think he could be a Druid or something else.

Unlike Anne, Lancelot doesn’t like reading hearts cause he knows the stress it causes people to feel like someone is seeing your true intentions.

The knights of the round table were all good people but due to the horrors of the Holy war and watching all their comrades die they have hatred towards demons and the SD7.

Story will go on and reveal that a majority of humans hatred towards demons has worsen since the holy war. Humans will as to some extent hate other species due to believing that giants/fairies/other were in their own realms and not helping vulnerable humans evacuate during the war.’

Reminder that in the story not all humans will know the true extent of the holy war from 1000 years ago and the recent. So some humans will believe that it’s the SD7 fault for opening the seal.

Even if they knew some of the story of how the seal broke (possessed Hendrickson), they will still blame the fact that they let a demon open the seal/ 7DS failed to notice.

Point is that not everyone sees the sins as heroes of the war due to the insane loss of life.

Anne’s mum, Ironsides and Percy gramps rebelled against Arthur but all three face consequences for doing so.

Ironsides lost his emotions as consequence? Or his capability to love.

When Arthur meets Percy it’s going to be in a busy setting and Percy won’t know it’s Arthur. They get along extremely well.

I think it’d be interesting to make Arthur really likeable and charismatic towards 4KOTA so they feel weird wanting to defeat him.

Nascien is going to face his feeling for Percy and promptly get his heart broken when he sees Percy and Anne fall for each other. (Personally don’t want this to be true but…)

Donny is gonna end up with someone in contrast to Howzier lmao.

Tristan character arc is realising he’s not the main character.

Donny, Tristian and Percy share one brain cell.

Despite being able to hold his drink well, Lancelot always loses to Nascien.

That’s it! If you want a part 2 or more (probs headcanons at that point), let me know. Really gonna be making some wild theories on some points I’ve made…

[phantaloon-books]

(some) Riordanverse characters (bc I never read TKC) and which Hogwarts House I think they would be in

Warning: this is a long one

Nico: the dude is definitely Gryffindor without a doubt. Like Sorting isn't about some traits and some characteristics, it's about core personality. He may have gone through some of the roughest stuff when he was 10-12, and he was resentful and bitter, but he was brave and bold af throughout everything he did. From learning about his powers, to using them relentlessly despite knowing how exhausted he is afterwards, to his willingness to do whatever is necessary to do what has to be done, because it has to be done. You can't change my mind that he's Gryffindor lol.

Grover: Do I even need to explain why he's Gryffindor? He's a satyr, and even if we're shown strong satyrs, they're not really supposed to be brave fighters. Yet he is one of the strongest, bravest nature spirits we've ever encountered in the Riordanverse, and one of the bravest in general. Like he's so passionate about doing what is good, he's a hero, and the only thing he doesn't match with common Gryffindors is that he's humble and as far from arrogant as could be possible, but it doesn't take his courage away.

Hazel: She's Gryffindor, and core personality-wise, she and Nico are very much alike. They don't ever think about themselves, like Hazel really always does what has to be done, no matter the cost, I mean she literally died preventing Gaea to rise the first time, and she freed Thanatos while believing he would take her back to the Underworld. She's brave af, and she has one of the most strong willpower we've seen in the Riordanverse. She's a passionate hero, and she's the closest thing to a real knight in shining armor.

Lester: I'm gonna place him in Gryffindor because I don't think he fits in in the other houses lmao. That said, as Apollo he's very shitty, but as Lester, he's one of the most courageous people. He's grown so much, he's so willing to actually do stuff now, and sacrifice everything to do what's right, including his life, even if he doesn't know he's gonna survive. Hell, he really went most of TTT with an incredibly painful wound that nearly turned him undead, and he cared more for the future of Camp Jupiter than his own life. Additionally, he's a bit arrogant and cocky, but he truly means well, I love Lester so much.

Clarisse: Look look, all I have to say is that no one could have pulled off less than half the stuff Clarisse has done, she's so Gryffindor it hurts. She's reckless and impulsive, but she's driven by her passion to do good, even if she's the daughter of war, and was bullied by her own father. She's daring, she's bold and she is the hero. She's also arrogant and thinks she can solve everything by herself, something characteristic more of the canon Gryffindors in the books, rather than what the fans have shaped. In fact, she's very much like Gryffindors in the books, who are actually very rude to other houses and think they're the best. Still, at heart, she's in this house.

Alex: I'm in a huge dilemma about where to put them, but I reckon they'd fit pretty fine in Gryffindor. Not only are they daring and courageous, they're proud of who they are, but not in a too full of themselves kind of way, rather in a 'I am who I am, and if you can't accept me, fuck off' kind of way. They can get carried away rather easily though, and very arrogant, thinking they don't need anyone else, when they do in fact need some company. They are one of the kindest and at the same time most ambitious characters we've met, but they are brave beyond understanding in a very personal way, thus, Gryffindor.

Percy: I think it's fair to say he'd be Hufflepuff, because loyalty is literally his fucking fatal flaw, and he is the kindest sweetheart to all those who deserve it, he goes out of his way to help those who need help, whether that be mortals, halfbloods, gods, magical creatures or even his own enemies. He's too good for this world, and even if he's grown a bit bitter, he always looks to fight justly for what is right, and never loses faith in others. That, and the fact that he turned down immortality so that the olympians were more inclusive of minor gods, and their children were treated better. He's just a lovely soul, he's like 80% Hufflepuff so that's enough for me. All that and he's stubborn as hell.

Jason: Hufflepuff. Just, undoubtedly Hufflepuff. Like he seems to be this cold and self centered hero with a superiority complex (bc of all the son of Jupiter stuff) but he's the softest guy there is. Not only is he hardworking, open minded and kind, he appreciates justice but he doesn't seek for revenge or anything, he makes sure people are treated fairly and wants everyone to be accepted. Proof of that is how he continued Percy's job of including more gods, and made sure Nico felt comfortable with who he was. He truly has a heart of gold. (He deserved better btw)

Meg: God I can't decide between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, but I think I'll go with the former. She's so strong, my baby, she's faced so much wrong, but she's still so kind and understanding of others, especially those who deserve kindness. She puts up such a hard facade, but she's so patient and warm and inclusive. She's brave and strong (as strong as the big three kids, if not stronger), but she's also so loyal to her beliefs despite how she was forced someone else's beliefs for years, so I'll keep her in Hufflepuff. Also, she's stubborn af, and she can be lazy, so that settles it.

Will: I KNOW some people will say Will could be in other houses that are not Hufflepuff, BUT I won't have it any other way. Will is literally the warmest person ever. He is kind and sympathetic and enthusiastic and patient and inclusive. Like Helga Hufflepuff would take one look at him and lose her shit screaming "mine". He's the guy who saw the son of Hades so many people were scared of and immediately grabbed his hand and transfered him some warmth and didn't let him go ahead and get himself killed. He's also the one who everyone loves and likes, so much that Clarisse gets along with him and he can calm her down. He's the ideal Hufflepuff, you can't change my mind.

Magnus: I mean, what else can you expect from the son of the god of summer? He's literally a guy who heals others with warmth. He's also the guy who spent years on the street with the most difficult situations, and accepts every single person the way they are. He's inclusive af, and tolerant of everything. He's the guy who's closest include a deaf elf, a Muslim valkyrie, and a black dwarf, and he's dating a genderfluid person. Yes he's brave, and he's kinda smart, and he's ambitious, BUT none of those qualities overpower his Hufflepuff nature.

Piper: Kinda debated whether Gryffindor or Ravenclaw fits more, but in the end I went with Ravenclaw. Even though she isn't a fighter, she's very very brave, yet her bravery isn't compared to her wits. Like others in the PJOverse, she wins her fights by outsmarting her opponents, but unlike others that's one of her strongest traits. She's witty and creative and a little on the negative side, she really struggled to work in a group rather than by herself. On another note, she's able to keep calm in crazy situations and come up with the craziest most unthinkable solutions (I'm talking borderline ridiculous) that always somehow work. She's not booksmart, but she knows so much about everything, and she's lifesmart you know?

Reyna: Why are some of these so hard? Deeply debating whether she'd be Ravenclaw or Slytherin. In the end I'd go more for Ravenclaw though. Reyna's smart as hell, she's strong and sharp, and she always sees the best way out of a situation. She's witty and observant, being able to keep her cool in battle and lead others in the best direction. She's always looking to grow, and she prefers to do things on her own, but she's a great leader. She has some Slytherin qualities, and she's not learning as learning oriented as others, but she's definitely Ravenclaw.

Sam: Let's face it, Sam has the only active neurons in all of MCGA, she's definitely Ravenclaw. I'm gonna be honest though, I've only read MCGA once, so I can't remember much of their personalities, but Sam is witty and clever, pretty much the only one who can come up with competent plans, while the others rely mostly on luck and whatever plan they can cook up in 5 seconds. She's loyal and true to who she is, and she's extremely courageous and proud of who she is, but her sharpness is what she stands out for me, which is why I put her in Ravenclaw.

Annabeth: I know the obvious option is Ravenclaw, but I genuinely think she's also Slytherin. Yes she is booksmart and wise like Ravenclaw, but her personality matches Slytherins' ambitious, cunning and resourceful nature. She's smart as fuck, but she's calculative, she always finds a way to end up winning, and while she does so by outsmarting her opponents, she wouldn't need to outsmart them if she weren't so competitive. I feel like there's this 40/60 odds on Slytherin rather than Ravenclaw, but it's that small difference that counts. Plus her leadership skills are so powerful that people don't ask, they just know she's the boss.

(Also just picture the sweet and loyal Hufflepuff boy with the strong and cunning Slytherin girl, like it should be as opposite as it is with Poseidon and Athena, but they're so cute)

Leo: Idk what you can expect that's not Slytherin. This boy is the embodiment of ambition and determination. Reminder that not all Slytherins are bad btw (I'm slytherin myself), but like he's life smart and cunning, and he can analyze situations faster than anyone else. He's charismatic and talented, and there's no one to stop him from triumphing. I don't have much to say, I just know he'd be in Slytherin.

Rachel: She's kinda a difficult one, and I struggle between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and tbh I'm still not sure. But I think I'd place her in Slytherin, because even if she's brave af (especially since she was a mortal fighting in a war out of her power), her main trait is her determination. When she's set on something, she gets it done. You can't tell her she can't do something, because she will find a way to do it. She's kind, and she's only a mortal, but she still has incredible power unlike any other. I don't think I can really name it, but I think she'd be put on Slytherin with much difficulty from the Sorting Hat.

Luke: Where else could Luke possibly go? On the meaner side Slytherins have created themselves, Luke would be part of those misled by who preceded them, by those who want to take advantage of their mistreatment (bc let's face it, Slytherins are mistreated by both students and Hogwarts staff), and turn them cold and bitter. Luke is ambitious and manipulative, being manipulated himself, and it comes easily because of his natural charisma and talent. He's very freaking determined and cunning too. He'd fit right into Slytherin, but he'd be viewed as one of the rotten lot.

Thalia: I don't have much to say about this, but Thalia is the girl whose fatal flaw is their desire for power (or smth along those lines), just like most Slytherins. She's ambitious, she's smart, she's truly talented, she stands out between the rest, and she knows it, and she actually kinda likes it.

(Also I put Annabeth, Thalia and Luke in the same house because they're all kinda similar, even if their beliefs and postures are different.

Frank: Ngl I'm having more difficulty with Frank than anyone else. I'm kinda torn between Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. I literally can't choose. He'd fit perfectly in any of them lmao, I just can't decide where he'd go. You decide this one yourself.

Please keep in mind, this is my personal opinion and my take on the characters, and not all of you will agree, and that's fine! You can let me know what you think (kindly please, don't come at me), and if you want to, send me an ask on a character you want me to do the same as these (as long as it's not TKC, I'M SORRY I haven't read those) go ahead, don't be shy!

[laughingpinecone]

ToT letter 2021

I am laughingpineapple on AO3

Hello dear author! I hope you’ll have fun with our match. Feel free to draw from general or fandom-specific likes, past letters, and/or follow your heart.

Art likes: characters doing something, even something very simple, illustrating a moment rather than abstractly posing. I also enjoy seeing them wear different clothes, getting a feel of what their fashion sense is like beyond their canon outfit(s). Or dressing them up for some outlandish AU!

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played straight, sensory details, sickfic, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships), emphasis on inhuman traits of characters who were human once and have sort of shed it all behind

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay!), canon retellings

All requests are for both fic and art!

Death Crown: Death, trick

(I haven't played the DLC yet so, alas, no demons, or no spoilers for the demons, at least) I am absolutely charmed by the overall mood of this game and would like to see something more in that vein! Anything! Got more sacred (or unholy?) geometrical architecture for Death to interact with, maybe in greater detail than just wrecking it? What else feels like a contemporary take on a Bosch painting? Can Death get lost?

Ghost Trick: Jowd, Cabanela, trick, treat

Anything focused on Cabanela being an unstoppable force (confident, untiring, sparkling, stubborn, dexterous, loyal to the bitter end, legs) and/or Jowd being an immovable object (sarcastic, strong, depressed, self-deprecating but knowing he's hot stuff, also stubborn, clever but an emotional dumbass, round). Figuring out stuff? Something in the new timeline is linked to the old timeline? Coat? Dancing? Scarves? Halloween costumes?

I like Cabanela/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma in scenarios where Jowd isn't around and Alma/Jowd in general (REALLY like all these, okay. like this is the one request where I'd love the most self-indulgent shippy takes as well), and dig Lynne/Memry. Yomiel/fianSissel and Emma/JM also cool!

Hylics: any, trick, treat

(I have only played the first game so far so please no overt spoilers for Hylics 2. Feel free to include stuff from it but... stealthily, I guess?) This is an "anything that feels somewhat like canon, please" sort of request! Love the mood, love the cast, love the little added details in their menu screen. Those can be prompts? Or the oddball stats? How do ToT's trick and treat freeforms apply to Hylics' overall... hylicsness, what would those guys think constitutes a "creepy" moment or a "fluffy" one?

Not into ships for this one, however I WILL say that Dedusmuln has all the proverbial curves in the right places. mostly their face.

Kentucky Route Zero: Weaver

Math, debt, the liminal state of almost being a ghost, seeing the world with a strange clarity... just anything Weaver, please! How'd she make her way to the town? What was it like for her to be working on Xanadu for a time? What about the community broadcast! Does she have an opinion on Carrington's oeuvre? You know... things... stuff. Weaver things. and stuff.

I love the whole cast and Weaver... wove... her story through most of them so feel free to bring in whomever. Not interested in ships here though.

Paradise Killer: Lady Love Dies, trick

A post-canon glimpse of life on '''''perfect''''' 25? That's not QUITE enough class consciousness to make the whole thing work, you guys. What does 'normal' life feel like to LD now? After following Henry's case and talking to Shinji so much, can she see that it's doomed to fail again, and then what? What IS Island 25 like, anyway? (what comes after Island 25, even?)

I liked the choice of canon romances - if it has to be just one I'd prefer it to be Crimson, but I'd also be interested in seeing what a V or triad with Doom Jazz would look like. They're all so chill about stuff

Pyre: Volfred, trick, treat

Pragmatic idealist, charismatic and bad at people, pacifist, activist, physiologically incapable of shutting up for a hot second, what's there not to love... I am very into either of the following: C. Volfred Sandalwood has a fantastic day; C. Volfred Sandalwood has a terrible no good day. Everything is great! Pre-exile antiestablishmentarian antics, maybe with Bertrude? Political gambits? The very physical dangers of the Downside which may or may not catch a scholar by surprise (who saves him?)? Tree problems? Meeting Oralech for the first time and Volfred thinks he himself is hot stuff but out of the two, Oralech is clearly the VIP? Feeling like he should live up to Lu Sclorian's legacy but he feels much closer to other Scribes (and what does Lu have to say about it, one way or another?)? The thrilling intimacy of Reading? The thrilling intimacy of lowercase reading also, maybe reading old manuscripts found in the Downside?

I very much ship him with Tariq and/or Oralech. The only canon ship I like is Hedwyn/Fikani. I also like Soliam/Gol, Bertrude/Pamitha and Celeste/Jodariel. Love all the Nightwings + Dalbert (+Deluge...?); love to dunk on Manley, Brighton and Lendel (I don't enjoy flat-out bashing, more like... I enjoy the way they are portrayed as horrible gremlins in canon and if they turn up in fic I'm not interested in more positive portrayals)

Signs of the Sojourner: Rhea, Elias, trick, treat

Once again pretty much an "anything in the style of canon" request. I love this setting, its themes and all the little lives that fill it. I am interested in a wide range of postcanon scenarios and love the whole cast - does Rhea come back to $town any number of years down the line and find $character? How'd their storyline end up in the medium-long term? What the hell is up with the Stranger (seriously, three runs and I never managed to speak with them, I have no idea)? What's life like for Elias back home, or in a new home if they can't keep the store, or if Rhea landed the Oscar ending or whatever (just, please, not dead Rhea. I love that ending but can't stand to consider what it'd do to Elias)? Or does he join the caravan just once? Who did Rhea grow to really like and can't wait to see every time? Any ghost stories or creepy encounters on the caravan's route? Does Thunder help?

I'm neutral on ships here - good with Rhea&Elias, good with background Rhea/Elias but I wouldn't like a romantic focus.

Totally Normal Wizard Apprentice: apprentice, wizard, master, trick, treat

(conflict of interest disclaimer, I illustrated this but didn't write nor nominate it) What awaits the apprentice outside the wizard's tower? It sounds like a pretty wild moon out there, I loved all the worldbuilding hints of the bigger setting. Does the wizard keep track of the apprentice, with her telescope or otherwise, and how does she take care of her ruined parlor? Was this all some sort of 5d chess on the master's part, and if so to what end? And what kind of otherworldly patience does this man possess, anyway, to handle the apprentice on a daily basis?

Twin Peaks: Margaret, Diane, Lucy, Tammy, trick, treat

(bass-boosted ethereal whooshing) For tricks, I would like to see any of these characters face the woods, the mystery of the woods, and/or a new symbol of your liking. Or: Margaret in the city, Diane and the moon, Lucy and the color blue, Tammy incognito.

For treats, a happy meeting. I love the whole cast and I'm always thrilled by gonzo "&" pairings, bring in whomever! Coffee and pie? The Bookhouse Boys? A kinder aspect of the woods?

Fandom-specific notes: love s3, love the books too. I like Lucy/Andy, Margaret/Sam fwiw, and rarepairs Tammy/Cynthia and Diane/Constance. Please no Fireman's-house-is-the-white-lodge, no Twin Perfect, no Judy-was-destroyed (nor is destroyable).

Arcade Spirits: Percy, Teo, treat

More than anything, I love the sense of group and camaraderie among the arcade's staff and regulars, and I'd love to see some more of it. I picked Percy and Teo 'cause they're my faves but anyone you may want to add, up to and including Sue, is very very welcome. Is there any aspect of gaming that feels like it could be adapted to this strange world of contemporary arcades? Cosplay shenanigans for everyone courtesy of Ashley? Any other activity that could show how Percy and/or Teo get along with the others, like they were all forming little groups during the beach chapter? It's such a feel-good canon, any feel-good situation would be great!

My Ari is with Percy but I'm not really interested in shipping here. All sorts of friendships though!

[solange-lol]

not so typical love song - ch. 7/13

Chapter Title: Love Me

Words: 3,332

Art by @lizzybizzyo! <3

[ one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight (coming soon)]

read on ao3

—

Thanksgiving came and went, and soon Bianca was on her train back to college, leaving a quiet house in her absence. 

They talked, of course, more than they had talked over the phone. But they never went in deep about anything. Nico never brought up his secret, and Bianca dropped asking about homecoming all together.

It felt like she already knew. Nico came so close to telling her just to get that weight off his chest, but every time he was about to bring it up, he didn’t. 

It felt so dangerous with the circumstance he was already under. Technically, he had already come out to two people, but something about telling someone face to face out of his own will terrified him. 

Deep down, he knew Bianca wouldn’t care. So why was he so scared?

The same reason he was scared to tell any of his friends, probably. He didn’t want anything to change, didn’t want their view on him to change. And if word got out, the best thing to ever happen to him would slip away. He couldn’t lose Blue, not now. 

Not ever.

Drew’s voice cut through his thoughts, as she finished her long list of plans for Christmas break, before asking “Anybody else going somewhere for Christmas?” they had been folding programs for the show at this rehearsal as people were getting fitted for costumes.

Nico shrugged as if he had been listening to what she had been saying the entire time. “Staying here. We have a classic di Angelo gingerbread decorating contest.” He said as he folded the program in his hand that he realized he had been clutching, unfolded for a few minutes now.

Piper grinned next to him. “I was the judge last year with Jason. You should have seen Nico’s house! Covered it with red frosting to look like blood with dead gingerbread men and ghosts! Called it his gingerdead house”

Nico tried to ignore the sound of Will laughing across from him, blue eyes squinting as his smile grew. He was there helping out backstage, mainly just to bother Lou Ellen and Cecil. (And to not let Nico get over his crush, apparently.) His gaze moved quickly from Octavian (ew) to Drew, who was rolling her eyes.

“What about you, Piper?” she asked, switching focus.

Piper shifted uncomfortably. “My dad will probably be away on a shoot, so either I’ll fly out to be with him, or I’ll be home alone,” she said, trying to shrug it off, but Nco could see the sadness in her eyes.

He patted her knee. “Come over to my house if you need to. I’m sure my parents would love to have you as a judge again.”

When he looked up, Will was smiling at him again, making Nico’s chest clench. 

“I’m going to a cabin with my mom,” Percy grinned from where he was sitting, not helping them at all. “No WiFi, just me and my mom and the lake.”

“In the middle of the winter?” Piper asked. “Won’t it be frozen?”

“Yup. Prime ice skating conditions.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I hope you fall in,” her muttered, earning another laugh from Will, making his chest even tighter. 

“We don’t usually go anywhere, but I think my mom is planning a trip for me and my siblings this year. Bonding, or something,” Will says after a moment.

“You have siblings?” Nico asked, surprised. He never recalled Will ever mentioning them. “Do they go here?”

Now it was Will’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Oh, um, yeah. I have a sister and a brother. Kayla and Austin.” His smile was still there, but there was an emotion in his eyes that Nico couldn’t quite read.

“Cool,” he said, softly, not wanting to push Will any further, although it left him with more questions than answers. 

Next to Will, Octavian suddenly sucked in air through his teeth, dramatically dropping the program he had been folding. If that weren’t enough to convince Nico that he wasn’t actually hurt, he grabbed his finger with a dramatic “Owww.”

Nico sighed. Wherever Octavian was going with this, he didn’t like it. “You good?”

“Yeah, paper cut,” he responded, giving Nico a look saying come with me. Nico could see that perfectly clear, but he chose to ignore it. When he did, Octavian continued. “Nico, do you know where the bandages are?”

“Yeah, they’re right back there in the supply closet,” Nico said, still not giving in.

“You mind showing me?”

Nico had to stop himself from groaning. He wanted to scream at Octavian to just leave him alone for once, but there was no way out of this situation he was stuck in. Octavian, always concerned about himself, didn’t know how to take a hint either. He nodded his head towards the closet, and Nico just sighed as he stood up. Worried glances from both Piper and Will followed him, but he shook it off.

“Be right back,” he assured them, which only seemed to settle Piper as he followed Octavian to the back.

When they walked into the closet, Octavian spun on his heel. “I don’t actually have a paper cut.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Nico muttered.

 “I don’t want to have to leak your emails, di Angelo, but-”

“Look, you can’t bring Blue into this,” Nico cut him off angrily. “If he found out my emails got leaked, he would disappear. He’d never talk to me again.” Just the idea of it made tears prick at his eyes. 

One of these days, Octavian is going to push too far, and Nico is going to break. 

Octavian just shrugged. “Yeah, he probably would. Internet’s a freaky place to meet people.”

Just as Nico was about to argue back at him, Piper walked through the door, causing them both to panic.

“..Freaky Friday!” Nico said suddenly, trying to recover from anything she might have overheard.

Octavian nodded along. “Fun movie.” It wasn’t great acting (better than his fake paper cut bit) but Nico appreciated the coverup. Octavian was still far from a decent human being, but at least he didn’t out Nico. Yet.

Piper looked between the two of them, a confused smile growing on her face. “You guys are weird,” he states, before moving to look around the closet. “I just came to get a band-aid. You were right, those programs are a bitch.”

 Octavian elbowed him, signaling Nico to say something. He quickly thought of an idea, bracing himself as he began to talk. Please don’t hate me, Piper. 

“So, um, Octavian was having some trouble with his lines, so we were thinking of going to the Waffle House tonight and go over them, run a few scenes, if you wanna come,” he said quickly, trying his best to seem natural about it. Please don’t hate me, Piper. Please don’t hate me.

For a moment, Piper’s face dropped, as did Nico’s stomach. Please don’t hate him. He messed up. Please don’t hate him.

Then, the smile was back. “Really?” she asked earnestly. “That would be great, actually!” Both relief and guilt flooded Nico.

Octavian patted him on the back the moment Piper was out of sight again. “Good work di Angelo.”

“Go to hell, Octavian.”

—

Nico slipped out of the Waffle House the moment he noticed Leo standing outside, most likely on his break. 

Actually, he was escaping the hell that was his booth with Piper and Octavian, as well as Octavian’s multiple attempts of flirting. He was hurting Piper, not that she realized, and it was hurting him in the process. Leo just happened to be the perfect excuse to get him away from all that.

Leo Valdez is a junior, though Nico’s never really talked to him that much before. They’ve had a few classes together over the years, and Nico knows he’s good friends with Piper and Jason, but for some reason, he’s never really seen him around. He’s also a waiter at Waffle House, apparently, and something about him is setting off bells in Nico’s head.

Nico doesn’t think he’s Blue. Leo is like a ball of fire, while Blue is a calming wave. And yet, there’s more than one side to a person, so he hasn’t ruled him out yet. And besides, maybe he’ll at least be interesting to get to know. 

He shivered, pulling his jacket tighter as he walked over to Leo, who was typing something on his phone. “Were you in my Bio class last year?” Nico asked, and Leo looked up from his phone, surprised.

 “I think so, yeah.”

“Were you there last year when some kid ate the flower we were experimenting on while we had a sub, and she emailed our teacher who had to email the class because it turned out the flower was poisonous?” 

Leo grinned. “Yep. That was me, actually, who ate the flower.”

Not the response Nico was expecting, but he’ll take it. “Wait, really? What happened?”

“Called poison control, got it all sorted out.” Leo was still grinning, sort of mischievously like he was planning it all over again. “Somehow I lived through.”

Nico smiled. “Somehow.”

Leo glanced back at the restaurant. “Nancy’s glaring, that’s my cue to go. See ya, di Angelo,” he said, tapping one last thing on his phone before he walked back inside while Nico just stood there and watched.

He wasn’t completely sure if Leo was Blue or not. Sure, he wouldn’t mind if Leo was Blue. He was funny and charismatic, which was helpful to have in social situations. And he was pretty good looking. (Or maybe Nico just had a thing for curly hair.) At the same time, though, it felt like maybe their personalities were completely different. So was Nico just making it up because he liked the idea of it, or did he actually believe it? He wasn’t really sure.

Until his phone buzzed in his pocket.

Only a second ago had Leo been typing something on his phone. That last tap before he went inside could have been him hitting the send button. If it was that perfectly lined up, could it really be a coincidence?

Leo’s voice echoed in his head as he read the email.

From: blue0919@gmail.com

To: bettertoburn@gmail.com

Date: Nov 30 at 5:57 PM

Subject: Holiday Horrors

My mom is currently planning a trip for Hanukkah, which I don’t think we’ve ever done before, but I think she just wants my siblings (still weird to say) to feel okay coming into this family. Obviously, I still don’t really know that much about them, but I really hope they like me and feel as safe here as I do.

It’s also sort of scary because I imagine when I tell my mom, I’ll probably have to tell them too. I just hope that doesn’t change anything/

My dad wanted me to see him, spend a day with him over the holidays, but I passed up. He’s already shown me all that he can give me, I don’t need anything more. On the other hand, though, my mom told me he’s bisexual, so maybe I could get my first real coming out over with him. Or not, I don’t know. Do I trade up my first experience just for it to be easy? I feel like I need to get used to it not being easy.

Maybe I’m just going crazy.

Love, Blue

From: bettertoburn@gmail.com

To: blue0919@gmail.com

Date: Nov 30 at 6:01

Subject: re: Holiday Horrors

I don’t think you’re going crazy Blue. Crazy brave, if that’s what you meant. And crazy caring and compassionate at that. I’m sure your siblings love you for all your efforts. If they haven’t yet, they will. Take it from experience.

Love, Angel. 

Nico grinned to himself all the way through Blue’s email, as well as his own. He might not know who Blue is, but he knows what kind of person he is. Maybe it’s better that way. And something about that email made him consider maybe, maybe coming out to Hazel. She’s the one person Nico knows would love him through anything. 

Oh, and Leo isn’t completely ruled out yet either.

Nico’s got a lot to think about now as he heads back inside to the table from hell.

When he slid back into the booth, Octavian was dramatically leaning over the table, pointing his finger at a smiling Piper. “You, Piper McLean, deserve a goddamn superhero.” Immediately, his good mood is gone as he rolls his eyes. 

Ugh, give him a break.

—

“Octavian used to annoy the crap outta me, but he’s actually kind of...” Piper shrugged, looking out the window. “I don’t know. Not as bad.”

Nico sighed, gripping the steering wheel. There was a pit in his stomach that was weighing him down with guilt. He so desperately wanted to do the right thing, but honestly, he didn’t even know what that would be anymore. Tricking Piper like this, though, he knew that wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure what would make it better by this point, so he brought up something that could distract him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about your parents,” he said quietly as if he might be waking a monster. He found out pretty quick what was happening inside the restaurant when he got back. Octavian had pushed her, maybe a little too far, about her past. While it sort of hurt that she easily told him over Nico, he assumed it was his fault for never asking. “I just never wanted to make you uncomfortable.”

Piper shrugs, turning away from the window but still not looking at him. “Yeah, I don’t mention them that much. Kind of messes with my image.”

“What image?”

She shrugs again. “The girl who's only been at this school for a year and doesn’t want to be known as the one with the famous dad, or the mom that left them. The girl who's angry and sad all the time and has a history of being a kleptomaniac. A girl who still believes in love.”

Oh. “I didn’t know that.”

“I didn’t know if you wanted to.”

Nico cleared his throat. “You still believe in love?” he attempted to scoff, but his heart was beating so fast he just sounded nervous.

“I don’t know, maybe.” Piper glanced over at him. “Have you ever been in love?”

Nico didn’t say anything for a moment. He didn’t know what to say. What could he say right now? Anything, really. He could tell her everything. But at what cost? 

“I think so,” he said, before he pulled the car over.

Nico could see Piper glancing around in confusion, maybe almost nervous as they slowed to a stop. God, what if she thinks he’s in love with her? There’s no way he’s getting out of this without telling her.

“Piper?” Nico asks, not really sure what he’s asking. He takes a breath.

Piper gave him a look he couldn't read. “Yeah?”

“I’m gay.”

It came out almost like a question like he’s asking for acceptance. The words hung in the air for just a moment, then-

“Oh,” she smiled, and the tension broke. “Okay.”

“You can’t tell anyone though. Nobody really knows, and I don’t really want people to find out yet-”

She shook her head. “I won’t, I promise.”

“Okay,” he whispered. His heart was still beating fast, but warmth filled his chest. 

He did it.

They sat in silence for a moment, not making eye contact, before Nico asked, “You surprised?”

“No.”

“So, you knew?” he asked, fearfully glancing over at her. How many other people knew?

“No,” she assured him. 

“But you’re not surprised?”

Piper smiled again, and any nerves he had left completely drained from his body. “Do you want me to be surprised?” she asked genuinely.

For the first time, Nico smiled softly too. “I don’t know,” he said almost laughing as he looked back out the window. 

“Okay,” she was still looking at him; he could see her smile out of the corner of his eye. “Well, I love you, so…”

He let himself glance over at her, trying to ignore the pegging thoughts in his brain reminding him how much he would be hurting her right now if she knew. The warmth in his chest was gone, and now it was just tight with all the love and the hurt. Maybe he didn’t believe in romantic love (he honestly didn’t know yet) but there was some kind of love in this world, and he was so lucky to have it.

But what if she knew? “I love you too.”

Her smile, softer than before, hurt more than anything else.

Nico let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, turning on his blinker as he began to drive again.

“There’s no one behind us you don’t need to-” Piper started and Nico almost laughed. The moment was over, maybe he could stop thinking about it.

“I know, just being safe.”

“Okay,” she whispered, and Nico could tell she was still smiling at him.

He tried to ignore the tightness that still remained in his chest as they drove away.

—

When Nico got home that night, he went straight to his room. He opened the window that led to a small balcony and climbed through. He sat down, leaning his head against the fence and looked up at the stars.

When he was younger, so much younger that the memories were faint, his mom would take him out here before she died every time he was scared or upset. He could hear her voice in his ear as he stared up at the sky.

“If things are changing-” she would tell him. “Just remember the stars are still there. Even if it's cloudy at night or if the sun is out, they’re still there. Find peace in that.”

What would she think of him now?

He pulled his phone out, wiping away a stray tear that tried to escape, and opened his email.

From: bettertoburn@gmail.com

To: blue0919@gmail.com

Date: Nov 30 at 9:05 PM

Subject: You inspired me

You inspired me tonight, Blue. I came out to one of my friends and it went really well, so thank you.

I hope everything goes okay with your mom and your siblings, but I’m pretty sure it will.

Maybe afterward we can ride this bravery train and come out to each other for real? I’m dying to know who you are.

Love, Angel

He sent the email before he could overthink it, and went back inside to do homework, giving the stars one last glance.

Right before he was about to fall asleep later that night, he got a response.

From: blue0919@gmail.com

To: bettertoburn@gmail.com

Date: Dec 1 at 12:11 AM

Subject: re: You inspired me

I actually came out to everyone tonight. I thought it would be easier to just air it out now and let them think before we were stuck together with no escape on whatever vacation we’re going on. 

Everything went surprisingly okay. My mom of course was supportive, saying she would make me flag cookies for pride month and everything which was very sweet (literally). And my siblings were also nice about it. I really don’t think they care as much as I thought they would. (I almost made a joke about how I got it from my dad, but I didn’t want to push things.)

And you’ve got it all wrong. It’s you who inspires me.

I’m really glad everything went well with your friend. I’m just not ready yet for you to tell me. The real me. I’m sorry.

Love, Blue

(P.S- if it helps, I can’t stop thinking about who you are either. Someday soon I’ll tell you. Just not yet).

(P.P.S- Happy December! Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits and all that)

Sure, Nico was disappointed, but it was okay. Blue had said someday soon, and all Nico had to do was hold onto that promise.

[valkyrierhapsody]

Thoughts on Vox Mochina

Thatse eet

Vax: LOVE HIM LOVE HIM. .,.,ABSOLUTE BABE, LEGEND, TOO MANY GOOD LINES/MOMENTS TO COUNT. Liam plays him rlly well and I lov him >>>:3

Vex: GoD, mercy on my pansexual soul,..,.,.what a babe, legend.,.,mama bear and also literal actual dragon I love her and I would bottom die for her

Tiberius: hes so goofy and charismatic and trying very hard and while I think he (/Orion) is stuck on a few spells, hes p cool and very useful. Orion can be a lil bit of an overbearing player sometimes but he and his character are super cool

Grog: GOD. WHAT A FUCKIN TANK OF A DOOFUS.,.,,hes.,.,the best, has the vibe of a stray saint bernard Pike found and adopted, I'm living for it. Travis obviously has SO much fun paying him and it makes me happi :3

Keyleth: baaaaaabbbbeee, shes trying so hard, I think shes very ADHD/Autistic coded and my ass appreciates that shes a very strong, very intelligent woman and not used as The Annoying Friend which is a super hurtful stereotype to ADHD/Autistic people. Shes very cool and does her absolute best to great affect 😤

Percy: Hes so cool!!! I love his character and how Talesin plays him. Hes so charming and has just.,.,.a smidge of himbo energy and I'm here for it. Hes very interesting and fun to watch I'm combat especially >:3

Pike: Babe!! I wish she were there more BUT when she is, it honestly feels like a lost group of kids at an amusement park found their group guide again lol. Very much mom friend and very powerful lil gnome, I love and support her

Scanlan: hahha.,.,.hes there for sure.,.,sexualizing and borderline harassing Pike who seems very uninterested,,..,I may get some heat for this but hes uh,.,,,,,not my fave sorry not sorry. I'll elaborate if someone wants me to but long story short he reminds me of too many guys I knew of and I'm not a fan. Love Sam as a player, Scanlan is not my favorite.

That's that on that, yeEhAw

[baguetteavocat]

Nico di Angelo Headcannons

I found this in my drafts and I know it’s definitely not finished but I have no motivation to do anything else with it so take this as you will and hopefully I get my motivation back soon. Enjoy!

- He was a super smart kid. Like, he loved learning new things! Especially history. He had near perfect scores on every history test at Westover.

- He got into Mythomagic (and mythology in general) a few weeks after he heard Bianca mention to one of her friends that pirates were something only “little kids” liked.

- Even though he was talkative and hyper and always super polite and sociable, he was shy and used to being called annoying by Bianca so he didn’t really make any friends at Westover because he thought he was too annoying.

- One time in the Lotus Hotel and Casino, Nico was bored and trying to convince Bianca to play with him when he saw a group of three kids only a few years older than him grouped up by the door.

     - “Bianca?”

     - “What?”

     - “Have you ever seen them here before?”

     - “No. Why?”

     - “They look like they’re leaving. Bianca, why can’t we leave?”

- At the dance, which Bianca forced him to go to, Nico saw three kids in his peripheral vision. Bianca tells him he’s probably seen them in the hall before, but Nico is sure it wasn’t that. And he just stared at them, because he knew he’d seen them somewhere. He wasn’t really thinking when he mumbled “The one has pretty eyes.” Nico immediately regretted it, Bianca chastising him and him frantically trying to cover it up.

     - “Nicolas di Angelo! You can’t say that!”

     - “I didn’t mean to!”

     - “Yeah, well, you still can’t say things like that. You’ll get in trouble.”

- Then Nico stared at them again (not to look at the pretty boy or anything). Of course, Bianca caught him.

     - “Nico stop looking at him.”

     - “I wasn’t!”

- At camp, after most of the initial excitement and awe wore off, he was actually pretty unhappy. He was in yet another new, unfamiliar place he was meant to live at, his sister was completely ignoring and abandoning him, and the cool boy who was just like a real Greek hero was very obviously super annoyed at him.

- He was sitting on the porch of the Big House, swinging his feet, trying not to think about all of the bad things that were happening, and fighting off tears when another boy about his age sat down next to him.

     - “Hi! You’re the new kid, right? I’m Will.”

     - “I’m Nico.”

     - “Did you guys really get to ride on the sun?”

     - “Yeah! Apollo is really fun.”

     - “Apollo’s my dad, y’know.”

     - “Really? That’s so cool! I bet you can do all sorts of cool stuff!”

- The next day, when Nico asked, Will told him that he’d been at camp for a little over a year, and that he’d only been claimed for the last two weeks.

     - “But you’re really awesome. I’m sure you’ll be claimed really soon! I mean,           why wouldn’t they want to claim you?”

- After that, the two are practically inseparable. Will dubbed himself Nico’s personal tour guide and showed him all of the good hang-out spots during their free time, including Will’s “secret spot”. It was a super small clearing in the forest, in an area that no one ever entered from. It had a tree stump tall enough that they had to climb up to get onto and three small boulders that they liked to either sit on or jump across.

- Will was the only one that Nico told about Percy’s promise. He was telling Will how cool he thought Percy was, with his pen-sword and water powers. He went on and on about how he hoped he had cool powers like that, too.

- Since Nico didn’t have any skills that really popped out, he would get really discouraged about never figuring out his godly parent.

     - “What if I’m so boring that my parent doesn’t want me?”

     - “I mean, you’re super smart. You could be a child of Athena.”

     - “I dunno. I don’t think I’m that smart.”

     - “You’re pretty charismatic, I would say. Aphrodite?”

- Even though Nico knew the answer was definitely no, he couldn’t stop thinking about it for the rest of the day. Him? A child of Aphrodite? The goddess of love, of all things? In the cabin dubbed the most attractive by every other camper? It was flattering, to say the least.

- The second day after Nico ran away, the first full day, he was so in shock that he didn’t cry at all. He didn’t feel upset, or frightened, or betrayed. He was just there. 

- The third day, he woke up and almost immediately began crying. His stomach was in knots. He was cold, and hungry, and he missed his sister. He cried mostly because he missed his sister. Why would Bianca leave him? Why hadn’t she so much as said goodbye to him before she left? Bianca was all he’d had, and now she was gone, too.

- Nico didn’t actually want to resurrect Bianca. Not at first, at least. Minos just kept nagging him about, until finally he agreed. In fact, Nico didn’t really believe it would work, but the constant nagging meant that Bianca was present in his thoughts a lot, and without the proper tools to allow him to grieve healthily, it seemed at that point like the only way he would get the pain to stop.

[kanene-yaaay]

First, my congrats on the new round figure so to speak!

Second, are you in pjo?! How did I miss this moment!! Now you have to tell me about this fandom with this fandom ask thing bro!

From this Ask Game

Thank you very much hehe and yesssh, I do! I read the books when I was around 12 and haven't been able to get out of this fandom even since x33. Def need to re-read them because... holy gosh it’s just so good

The first character I first fell in love with: 

GROVER! Mah dear!! He is so funny and cool and I loved how he and Percy were already friends in the beginning of the book and that friendship ony grew with their adventures.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: 

LEO VALDEZ. I had a *light* feeling that I would get attatched when Jason described him as someone with the levels of energy high af but ??? Sacarstic?? Funny?? Charismatic and ?? Full of trauma? Excuse me sir you're my new favorite character thank you thank you

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: 

Can't think of any tbh. Most of the characters that everyone love I love too

The character I love that everyone else hates: 

JASON JASON JASON WHY EVERYONE DISLIKE HIM HE IS JUST A LIL,,,, A LIL STRONK AND DORKY GUY,,

I think that beans stopped disliking him so much after Trialls of Apollo but I remember not meeting a single person that liked him before that series sdfghjhgtfvxcv which is fair. You like who you like

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

Hmmmm, I think Thalia? For no big reason. It's been a time since I read the books and she just slips from my mind sometimes. She f*cking rocks tho <3 queen <33

The character I would totally smooch: 

I am giving Leo Valdez a big kiss on his cheek and Reyna and Hazel and the Stoll brothers and the,,,, whole seven a,,and Nico,,,,,

The character I’d want to be like: 

I want to be kind and great as Hazel, perseve like Annabeth, strong like Nico and just.... Percy. Them <3

The character I’d slap: 

OCTAVIAN OCTAVIAN AND CALIGULA TOO BARK BARK GROWL BITE BITE I WILL BE SLAPPING THEM WITH A METAL GLOVE.

IF I SEE THEM BOTH WALKING DOWN THE STREET IT WILL BE ON S I G H T

A pairing that I love:

I love a lot of pairings (especially the canon ones because they’re so cute) but this one here I will be answering with Valdangelo (Leo Valdez x Nico di Angelo) because I am always weak for the ray of sunshine and the grumpy serious guy getting along wsdertyujcvbnjm can't lie tho Solangelo is still very good too

A pairing that I despise: 

Quiron x Percy just,,, nah,

[sharksfood]

so this thought just came into my head and i want to explore it.

in my life i’ve only seen 3 films so far that i read as books before they became movies. im not counting comic books/graphic novels that became movies bcs thats a little different, books that became tv shows, or plays that became movies. but its interesting to think about that.

i didnt read harry potter until well after the films (all of them lmao) were released, i’ve never read how to train your dragon, i’ve never read the hobbit/lotr, the animated alice in wonderland came out in the 50s, i have only recently read the last unicorn, i read World War Z after the movie came out (and ive never seen all of the movie), and i read the neverending story when i was cast in the play.

the books that i read before they came out in film are; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Warm Bodies, and Goosebumps.

Goosebumps kind of fits but it was made into a tv series first, and im not sure if i read the books or saw the shows first. i did both, i know that much.

I read Warm Bodies only bcs I wanted to see the movie but thought the book would be cool to read (its amazing and has a completely different feel from the movie), and Lion Witch Wardrobe was bcs my dad read it to me when I was younger. That and The Magician’s Nephew are the only Narnia books ive ever read.

I was going to try and read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children before the movie came out, but that work out for me.

if you want to count comics and graphic novels, then the list gets bigger. but comics already have the characters drawn out, so unlike books, you dont have an idea in your head on what the character looks like. that is so often changed in film, plus you loose so much detail and nuance when you go book to screenplay to film (this is also true with comics, but its still different)

However, and the biggest reason as to why I’m thinking about this, two movies will be coming out in the next few years, and both of them are based on my favorite books of all time (aside from the alice books of course). 

The first is Captain Underpants! I know that this is a book series with words and pictures, so technically its a graphic novel series, but they’re kids books! and those tend to have an awful lot of pictures. This series was my FAVORITE (other than the alice books) as a kid!! they were fun, hilarious, relatable, and just all around super great. So when i saw the trailer for the animated film that’s coming out this year based on the series i was ECSTATIC!! Were it live-action i would be bummed out since kids picture books usually fair better when animated (im not a fan of the diary of a wimpy kid movies....) but this animation is handled a lot like The Peanuts movie. The animation look like a color and 3D version of the exact art style!! its wonderful and im SO EXCITED

The other one, and this i am VERY VERY nervous about, is Ready Player One. that is my favorite sci-fi novel ever. i often say its my favorite book ever bc it deserves more love! and i do so much love it. ive reread it i dont even know how many times. and what do you know, they’re making it into a movie!! when i heard about this i had so many mixed feelings, and most of it has to do with the style of the book and the characters.

-Ready Player One Spoilers-

In Ready Player One the protagonist starts out as a dirt poor, fat, unattractive teen boy, and later he gets more physically fit/healthy and rich. he claims to still be unattractive at this point (mostly bcs he jues doesnt like how he looks and he looses all his body hair). this is very important to the character! i’m afraid that in this movie hollywood will do as they always do and make him a skinny conventionally attractive teen from the get-go. people will probably pull the Holes excuse of “the filmmakers didnt want to make the actor gain a bunch of weight and then loose it all” BULLSHIT they can cast a fat actor! and through his training and as they film the movie he can loose some weight or they can use movie magic (like when they made chris evans a scrawny little thing). its not that hard, people.

Another character, and this was super important to me and was a big subplot, is that Wade best friend, Aech, whom he only knows through the game (OASIS) plays as a white, straight, guy avatar, but they’re actually a black lesbian named Helen. And she plays this avatar to protect herself and to get a job and be taken seriously within OASIS. is super sad she has to do this, but its a big part of her character. she’s also fat as well, and im REALLY worried that in the movie she’s going to be a skinny straight white girl.

Two other characters who have important characteristics are Art3mis (Samantha) and the creator of OASIS James Halliday. Art3mis is Wade later love interest and GF. She is notable bcs her avatar is just like her, a chubby girl with black hair, but sans her port-wine birthmark. I know they’ll keep her birthmark, since its an intimate reveal, but they’ll probably make her skinny and i hate it. Now it’s only half canon in the books, but i’ve chosen to go with it, but at one point Wade talks about James Halliday’s childhood and his personality and all that, and mentions that he might have been autistic. Now, since it’s only he “might have been” in the books, the filmmakers will probably not make him autistic. That’s fucking sad to me, I mean, it would be amazing!! This character is one of the smartest, most famous, most prolific video game programmers/designers in history!! And he’s autistic! That is some wonderful representation and the filmmakers should jump on that opportunity. It’ll inspire so many autistic people who have a passion for video games to pursue their dreams. But, i have a hunch they wont go with it.

Two other characters, Daito and Shoto, are Japanese young guys who claim to be brothers (and their characters are) but are just friends in the real world. My initial hunch was that the filmmakers would keep them Japanese, but given the recent whitewashing of important Japanese characters, I have my doubts.

My few other concerns are that this movie won’t have 80s pop culture as the main style and focus of the era they book is set in, not to mention OASIS and most of people’s interests. It’s incredibly important to the novel, but so many dystopian movies choose to go with gritty, futuristic, edgy stuff. The other concern is how they will handle the real life vs OASIS look, since over half of the book takes place inside a VR video game. I’ve seen news that they are utilizing VR technology, but i havent read too much. I’m wondering if they’ll animate all of OASIS and the avatars and action and anything in the video game! That would be awesome.

So these are all my thoughts. I havent looks at who they’ve cast yet, so I’m going to do that right now. I do know that Steven Spielberg is directing it, which could be fantastic or terrible. Okay, cast time.

------

So the IMDB doesnt say who is cast as Daito and Shoto, but Wikipedia says that Win Morisaki of PrizmaX will play him, which is great! I hope that’s what happens.

Art3mis/Samantha will be played by Olivia Cooke, who in my opinion is way too old. She’s older than me! The character’s age (i think) isnt mentioned in the book, but she’s got to be 17-20, and Olivia Cooke looks older than that. She’s also not chubby, but hey, maybe they’ll fit that. She also doesnt have the birthmark, but that’s gonna be makeup. (wouldve been cool if they found an actress with a port-wine stain on her face...)

Parzival/Wade will be played by Ty Sheridan. He was Cyclops in X-Men Apocalypse. He’s the right age, but way too fit and attractive. DAMN IT Well, I guess there’s always makeup and special effects, but i’m 80% sure now they wont make Wade fat.....

Aech/Helen will be played by Lena Waithe who is almost PERFECT. She’s much older than Aech, who is around 18, but like Samantha i imagine they’ll have make up and acting to cover it. My biggest concern is that she’s not fat like Aech, which means they’ll use a body suit or effects or Lena will gain weight, or they wont do anything.....

T.J. Miller will be playing I-r0k, who is another OASIS player and a bigtime douchebag jerk. This is perfect. We don’t know his age, or really anything other than his personality and avatar, and T.J. Miller is hilarious so this/ll be great.

Mark Rylance will be playing James Halliday, witch is fine by me. He’s not quite what I imagined, but thats what makeup and wigs are for. He’s worked a lot with Steven Spielberg, so that makes sense as to why he’s cast here. I just hope he can portray an autistic character well and with respect.... (would be better if he IS autistic but ya know.....)

Simon Pegg will be playing Ogden Morrow, the co-creator of OASIS, and thats perfect. No complaints.

Nolan Sorrento (the antagonist of the book and head of operations at Innovative Online Industries) will be played by Ben Mendelsohn, who was Director Krennic in Rouge One. He is much older and not quite and slimy as I imagined him, but this can totally work. I pictured Nolan Sorrento as Andrew Scott in my head, since he seems like the perfect evil, charismatic, slimy, attractive but ugly inside business man.

----

So, after looking at the current casting choices im a little let down, but still excited! I’ll have to wait patienly for the trailer, since this thing is coming out in 2018. Dang, this turned into a Ready Player One post, but its been on my mind recently.

If you read through all of this, good job! let me know what you think! i probably dont talk about Ready Player One very often but thats bcs i dont know anyone in real life (other than my dad) who has read this book, and the online fandom seems nonexistent. Who knows?

But yeah, I guess I made this post bcs I wasn’t able to share the collective nervousness, complaints, and excitement of Harry Potter or LotR or Percy Jackson fans when their fav books became movies.

[windmilltothestars]

OK this is really stupid, but before I read the Raven Cycle, the only place I’d heard of Glendower was in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, pt. 1, so I had the thought - what if they put on the play?? So here are some silly headcanons:

-Henry Cheng’s the director.  He pretty much runs the Aglionby Theatre department.  He’s one those super-passionate theatre guys trying to run a department almost single-handedly, with occasional help from the rest of the Vancouver crowd.  He decides to put on the play a few weeks after the climax of The Raven King, after he does a cursory bit of Glendower research in honor of his new friendship.

-Gansey plays Glendower, of course.  He gets the part for a number of reasons: a) gross favoritism, b) he’s actually a good actor, charismatic, affable, and with lots of experience ‘playing’ the Richard Campbell Gansey III his family and the world at large expects him to be, c) it is abundantly clear that he wants it far more than anyone else who tries out, like seriously no one else really cares that much about this part, d) he actually knows a bit of Welsh (he convinced Gwenllian to help him brush up), and obviously knows the history and trivia of the character backward and forward, e) everyone likes him, and knows his interests, and would consider it inhumanly cruel to deny starry-eyed  Richard “What do you know about Welsh Kings?” Gansey the part of his dreams, f) one of the reasons Henry chose this play in the first place was because he wanted to help Gansey fill the void of time and purpose the unsettling conclusion of his Glendower search left in him, g) everyone seems to agree he has the right air for it - he seems wise, strong, slightly magical, and inherently kingly.

-Pretty much everyone but Gansey knew Gansey would get the part.  Gansey got so nervous on his way to look at the cast list that he practically had to cling on to Adam’s arm to stay upright.  Ronan was a little was a little punk about it, and muttered stuff about “I dunno, SickSteve did a pretty good audition too” or “I just think Koh might get it, so don’t get your hopes too far up” just to mess with him. Adam looks slightly pitying of Gansey but mostly exchanges a knowing smirk with Ronan the whole time.  They both laugh heartily at how genuinely, earnestly overjoyed and honored Gansey is to find out that he got the part.

-Speaking of Ronan - Ronan plays Hotspur.  He stays technically enrolled in school JUST long enough to participate in the play, because he also wants to help Gansey adjust to life post-Glendower search, and show a bit of solidarity, a final tribute for Gansey’s sacrifice and that part of his life.  He’s not really a great actor, but he has just the sort of angry energy, impatience, rigid code of honor, and touch of romantic ideals that the part requires.  Like, the guy is described with “a smile made for war.”  He really loves the stage combat, but can sometimes go overboard with it. He and Gansey thoroughly enjoy their scene together, arguing about the supernatural but trying to fight on the same side.  In actuality, the play version of Glendower kind of reminds him of his father, the braggart poet and musician king, and it’s not disagreeable for him to kind of blend that that with his feelings about Gansey himself.

-Since Aglionby is an all-boys school, the auditions are opened up to the community for female roles.  Gansey begs Blue to try out, which she does because she loves him, and because hey, it could be fun.  Never say Maura Sargent’s daughter doesn’t have an open mind.  She never thought she’d enjoy lots of things before she met the boys. Very few girls tried out, and she gets the role of Kate Percy, Hotspur’s strong-willed wife.  She and Ronan also thoroughly enjoy their scenes together, sniping and squabbling and snarking at each other while still being affectionate. Because he’s ridiculous, Gansey can’t help but be somewhat jealous of Ronan and Blue’s onstage marriage, no matter how often Adam amusedly reminds him that it’s just a play, that Blue loves him and that Ronan’s taken and dedicated and doesn’t actually like girls anyway.  Ronan himself finds it hilarious.  Adam once advised Ronan to ‘tone down’ his onstage passion for Blue, to spare Gansey’s feelings, but he only intensified it, which director Henry agreed improved the scene and their characters.  

-Adam wasn’t originally going to try out, he was too busy with college applications and the like, but it was eventually Ronan who talked him into it, basically just laying it down as “do it for Gansey.”  He gets a small part – Edmund Mortimer, Glendower’s son-in-law, Kate Percy’s brother, and Hotspur’s brother-in-law, and finds it amusingly ironic that it’s him trying to keep the peace between Ronan and Gansey’s characters.  Ronan finds it all-too-easy to imagine himself wanting to start a war on Adam’s (character’s) behalf.  Adam finds it amusing that he refers to Glendower as his ‘father’ (in-law) and he and Ronan (and Blue, let’s be real) have lots of jokes about Gansey being a Dad.

-The rest of the cast is mostly the Vancouver crowd, a few of Gansey’s old teammates from the crew team, and the few Aglionby students who genuinely love theatre.  Tad Caruthers ends up playing Falstaff.  It takes every bit of Ronan’s restraint not to wake up from his onstage death and destroy him for hauling him around and trying to lie about killing him.  He gets a consolation prize, though.  At the last minute, the guy (Cheng2) playing Hal got sick and had to drop out (Henry blamed the Macbeth curse, which he had invoked in mockery, demonstrating again the lack of the sense God gave him), so director Henry himself stepped in to play Hal. Ronan relishes their fight scene, even when he ultimately loses, as director Henry actually wants him to be winning until the last moment.  Ronan has warmed slightly to Henry, but not enough that he doesn’t thoroughly enjoy pretending to beat him up.

-Lady Catrin Mortimer, Mortimer’s wife and Glendower’s daughter, is played by a shy sophomore from Mountain View High School named Jill, who was mostly chosen for her lovely singing voice.  She doesn’t know any Welsh – but no one but Gansey did – but she promises to learn, so Gansey generously offers to help her – himself with Gwenllian’s help. Gwenllian remembered the real Catrin, and half the time remembers her with sisterly affection, and half the time with resentment of her being a legitimate daughter.  But Jill (after Gansey and Blue forwarn her to take Gwenllian with a grain of salt) ends up spending a lot of time at Fox Way, practicing with Gansey, Gwenllian, and Blue, and Gwenllian teaches her Welsh songs that the real Catrin knew, and it comes out that Jill had always really looked up to Blue when she saw her in school and thought she was cool, but was intimidated by her, and Blue is touched and becomes a big-sisterly friend to her, and Gansey is delighted.

-Gansey provides an array of very accurate costumes, armor and weapons artifacts that he uncovered over his years of searching.  Some of them are too fragile to be of use, but most that held up well he thinks really ought to be used and useful again, and has them shipped in from the various museums he donated them to before.  He has a long phone discussion with Professor Malory about the possibility of getting ahold of the flags that became Henry IV’s nightgown so the King Henry in the play can wear them, but they aren’t able to, and Malory thinks they would be too delicate to handle high schoolers anyway. Blue, who’s handy at sewing from years of experience making her clothes, makes a fairly good imitation of the design. Gansey basically becomes the dramaturg and historical design consultant for the whole production as well, and helps the costume, prop, and set designers make everything as historically accurate as possible.  

-Most all the parents and family members come to the performance. Maura, Calla, Jimi, and Orla; Mr. and Mrs. Gansey and Helen; Declan even shows up from DC with Matthew in tow to watch their brother.  Not Adam’s, but he’s mostly grateful for that.  Henry swears he catches a glance of his mother Seondeok; Blue thinks she might have seen Mr. Gray.  (Maura, blushing, later confirms this to her.)  On the final performance, Ronan rigs the speakers to play nothing but the murder squash song for pre-show music.  A lot of Henrietta locals come to the show as well, prepared to laugh at some Aglionby boys’ incompetence, but are actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the performance and production.  Everyone Gansey had ever passionately told about Glendower is just really happy for him, and impressed by his performance, and some kids actually corner him to ask questions about him and his mystical powers.  Ronan gains a lot of admirers who found his passionate performance extremely hot, and he just sort of smirks at them.  Blue is mobbed by little girls who loved her attitude and her pretty dress.  School officials are impressed by Henry’s quality production.  

-Right after the final performance, Ronan and Helen Gansey band together to get break into Headmaster Child’s office and dispose of the contract he signed with Gansey. Gansey, over the course of the production, slowly made peace with the idea of Ronan not finishing school – realizing that Ronan was doing this last thing for him – and also realized he might not want to part with Monmouth Manufacturing forever, if he’s going to be alive to enjoy it afterwards.  Helen does final negotiations, and uses legalize to make clear to Child that all is null and void.  Ronan leaves a wad of his speeding tickets with a picture of fingers flipping the bird in the place of the papers, and never returns to Aglionby again. They have a cast party and Nino’s, and afterwards Rona, Adam, Gansey, Blue, and Henry go to the Barns, raise a glass for Noah, and eventually pass out on the couch together, happy, together, fulfilled, and alive.

And that just basically became a fic in and of itself.  Hope you enjoyed! :)