#this was basically confirmation....right?

[originalleftist]

Re-blogging to reply because this cowardly dipshit turned off comments.

You can find extensive evidence with less than 5 minutes' Googling. Just for a start, here's an article from Reuters (the link won't embed, but it works if you enter it in a search bar):

https://www.reuters.com/world/israels-pm-aware-very-violent-incident-against-israelis-amsterdam-his-office-2024-11-08/

Don't worry, it includes footage, since you've taken it upon yourself to declare that that is the only valid form of evidence.

It also confirms that:

-62 people were detained.

-10 remain in custody (so much for your "one random angry guy", who you imply doesn't exist but also try to paint as justified in hunting Jews "Israeli thugs" if he did).

-It describes "what the mayor called "antisemitic hit-and-run squads"'

-"Mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabii Tel Aviv fans had been "attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks around the city, and that riot police intervened to protect them and escort them to hotels. At least five people were treated in hospital."

-It notes the context of increased antisemitic incidents in the Netherlands since last October, including threats against "many Jewish organisations and schools".

-It also notes reports of "Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans before Thursday evening's match." Nobody denies this. There is no Conspiracy To Hide The Truth.

It is, however, a pretty big leap from that to your "entire population of Amsterdam telling the same story consistently about Israeli terrorists causing mayhem for days", a ridiculously hyperbolic claim that I have seen literally nowhere else, and for which you naturally feel obliged to provide ZERO evidence, even while demanding extensive footage to prove an orchestrated attack on Jews. Never mind the eyewitness testimony to that (but they're Lying Jews, so they don't count, right?)

More fundamentally, however, where we disagree is that any bigotry or violence by certain individual Israelis would justify a pogrom hunting down Israelis/Jews.

But that's what it always comes down to. Violence against Jews is downplayed, and attributed (if acknowledged at all) to lone individuals, while anything bad - real or imagined - that an Israeli or Jew does is used as justification for any and all retaliation, up to and including mass r*pe and total extermination (this is basically the entire pro-Hamas argument in a nutshell).

Here's some more footage, since we've already established that that's The Only Legitimate Form Of Evidence:

You might like this source, it engages in a bit of "both sides" attempt to justify the mob, but I link it because it includes extensive video.

-Groups of people wearing Palestinian flags.

-A seemingly unconscious man on the ground being kicked.

-A man forced under threat of violence to stay "free Palestine".

-Another person forced to do so while swimming in a river.

-A man pleading "I'm not Jewish" and still being beaten.

-An eyewitness describing how people "were ready in exactly the places, strategic places, with bat, with knife."

That last one is not something that happens spontaneously- it has to be planned. So is showing up to a riot wearing Palestinian flags, for that matter (I find nothing inherently offensive in a Palestinian flag, but bringing one to a riot requires premeditation, and it also underscores the larger political motivations, that this was not just over some football hooliganism).

I know none of this will convince you, because bigotry is by definition not based on facts and reason. I know that you are not engaging in good faith, since you started out by preemptively dismissing any evidence outside of a very narrow standard, including all eyewitness testimony by the actual victims. I know that you will probably dismiss any evidence provided as Jewish Media "Zionist propaganda". Hell, it's quite possible that you're a paid troll, and know full-well that you're lying through your teeth. Like Holocaust deniers, you likely are denying it not because you really believe it didn't happen, but because you know it did, you support it, and you want it to happen more.

I'm just putting the facts out there for the benefit of anyone who stumbles on this post.

PS: reported for violating Tumblr's policies re hate speech and advocating terrorism.

Don't worry guys! We overreacted! They were just looking for any of the football hooligans who stayed and not because they want to harm jews! (Sarcasm)

[pitchsidestories]

never judge a book by it's cover II Beth Mead x Vivianne Miedema x Reader

masterlist I word count: 1321

a/n: dear readers, this pairing was quite a requested one, so we hope we've met your expectations.

warning: mentions of injuries, but despite that topic a whole lot of wholesomeness and fluff. <3

“Beth, Viv tried to call us.”, you noticed concerned after you looked at your phone. A few minutes ago, Renee ended the training, and the Arsenal team felt more optimistic than it had in recent times.

“She did? Weird, she knows we had training. And she hates calls.”, Beth frowned.

“Yes, it must be important.”, you replied before playing the voice mail your other girlfriend had left. Viviannes frustrated and sad voice filled the changing room. It was in stark contrast to the current joyful and happy atmosphere.

“Hi girls. I know you’re busy. Just wanted to let you know that the team doctor checked on my knee again and it doesn’t seem to get better. I’m off to do some more scans now but he said another surgery might be inevitable. They want to operate as soon as possible. No big deal, just wanted to let you know. Enjoy your training.”

“Oh no, poor Vivi. Love, you know what that means, right?”, the blonde sighed heavily.  

“Yes, of course.”, you told her. Clearing your throat, you turned around to face one of your Australian teammates. “Uhm Steph, sorry, we can’t go on our usual coffee walk with the dogs later. Beth and I need to drive to Manchester because Viv needs us right now.”

“Sure. Everything, okay?”, Steph asked alarmed.

“No, Viv puts her brave face on, but she likely has to go through a surgery again.”, you explained with a heavy heart.

“Tell her we’re all thinking of her.”, she responded empathetically.

“Okay, we’ll.”, you promised her.

“See you soon, Steph.”, Beth waved at one of her best friends.

“Bye girls, take care.”, Steph replied.

Your girlfriend and you didn’t waste time, you quickly got everything you needed for your lover and when drove all the way up to the North in a bit over four hours.

Both your hearts pounded hard against your chests, once you rang at Vivianne’s appartement door in Manchester and waited for her to open it. You couldn’t know in which state you’d find her.

“What are you two doing here?!”, the Dutch woman exclaimed surprised while kneeing down despite the pain to hug the dog who wiggled her tail excitedly, clearly thrilled to see her again.

“Looking after you!”, you answered patiently.

“I can handle that I did it before.”, Vivianne clarified as the brunette slowly stood up again.

“Yes, but you don’t have to handle it alone.”, Beth reminded her softly, wrapping her arms around the taller forward.

“Exactly, we’ll be there for you if you like it or not.”, you added, joining their hug, turning the Dutch’s footballer’s cheeks into a soft pink.

“You didn’t have to come.”, Vivianne stated seriously.

“But we wanted to, you stubborn woman.“, Beth huffed with annoyance but her eyes softened at the sight of her girlfriend.

Vivs eyebrows knotted together: “Who are you calling stubborn? You didn’t even call back to ask how the scans went. You just packed your stuff and drove here!“

You shrugged, trying to calm the situation with an innocent smile: “We just knew that we had to be here.“

With that, you marched past her into her living room that you had helped decorate a few months ago.

Vivianne shook her head: “You’re two idiots.“

“Yeah but we’re your idiots.“, Beth smiled and gently bumped shoulders with her as they followed you.

“Yeah, you are.“, Vivianne confirmed with the hint of a laugh in her voice.

You stopped in front of the sofa and started to unpack the bags you and Beth had packed earlier.

“Plus, we got Myle, your favourite snacks and the new book from that author you love. So basically everything you need to start your recovery.“, you told her.

A bit overwhelmed, Vivianne took in the pile of sweets you created on the coffee table. It took a few seconds until she spoke again: “That’s sweet of you.“

“You’re welcome, Viv. So, what’s next for you?“, you asked, sitting down on her sofa.

“For one, it’s surgery and then rehab again.“, she sighed as she sat down next to you.

Beth calmingly laid a hand on Vivs thigh: “When is the date for the surgery?“

“In a few days so you can’t stay here for that.“

As soon as she had finished, Beth and you looked at each other with silent understanding.

You frowned: “You don’t want us to be here for the surgery?“

“You have training.“, the dutch player replied like the answer should have been obvious. And maybe it should have been. But not when Beth and you were determined to be there for your girlfriend.

“Yes but Renee would understand if we would skip one.“, Beth argued which was met with a determined shake of Vivs head. “But I don’t want you to pause your lives for me.“

You barely stopped yourself from rolling your eyes at her typical stubbornness: “It’s not on pause because you are an important part of our lives.“

She considered you for a moment, silently.

“Yes, everyone would understand.“, Beth nodded to emphasize your point.

Another short break until Vivianne finally admitted: “To be honest, girls, I’m a little scared…“

Taken aback, you bit your lip. It wasn’t often that your girlfriend was open about her emotions.

Beths hand slipped into Vivs, her gaze softening: “You don’t have to be. We’ll be here for you and support you every step of the way.“

“What if I’m not coming back from this?“

“You’ll. You’re a fighter.”, the blonde said in a tone which left no room for doubt and was full of certainty.

“And you two will be there? I know I can get.”, the Dutch woman started.

Before she could add anything, you interrupted her gently. “Of course we’ll be.”

“Promise.”, Beth continued solemnly.

“Okay, thanks.”, Viv let out a relived sigh.

“Cuddles.”, you offered.

“Okay.”, she agreed with a half-crooked smile and opened her arms for you both to cuddle into one of her sides each.

“Do you feel better?”, the English player wanted to know.

“A lot. But still you shouldn’t have come.”, the Manchester city football player mumbled.

“We’re not starting with that again.”, you groaned.

“Yes, shut up and be happy!”, Beth demanded laughing.

“Let’s read out to each other with Viv’s new book. Beth could you..?”, you suggested.

“Make some special Meado hot chocolate? Absolutely.”, your girlfriend exclaimed thrilled.

“You guys know I hate the attention.”, the Dutch forward pouted.

“We do that’s why we’ll focus on fictional characters now. Can you already smell the hot drink?”, you tried your best to distract her.

“I hope Beth doesn’t burn the milk again.”, Viv looked worried into the direction where the scent of hot chocolate came from.

“Have a little faith in me!”, Beth yelled.

“I do. Usually.”, the forward assured the other striker quickly who returned with three cups of warm beverages.

“Okay, fine. I won’t argue with you.”, Viv laughed.

“The cover is really awful though.”, you commented while flipping through the pages of the newly acquired novel.

“You’re not supposed to read the cover.”, the dark-haired woman clicked her tongue.

“And not judge it by it’s looks?”, you raised an eyebrow at your lover, you knew exactly to what she was alluding to.

From the outside you looked very tough with your tattoos and muscular built. Because of your outward appearance people were quite intimidated by you until they got to know the human behind the looks. There was a soft and gentle side to you other persons were surprised to find.

“Of all people you must know that looks can be misleading.”, Beth reminded you with a wink.

“Can we read now?”, Viv threw in impatiently.

“Sure.”, you chuckled and began to read the first lines of the new book.  While you were aware that the best love story lay right next to you, listening to every word you said.

[leliwardens]

(Article I want to bitch about on my own blog and not put it in the tags.)

I suspected that the devs were super chronically online for various reasons and choices but this basically confirms it. Like oh my fucking god I'm being so genuine and real but they really, REALLY need to log off. You cannot approach any piece of media trying to appease all of the fans, it will never, ever work. Fandom is not a monolith, fans are not a monolith, people will bad faith read your story for fun, or good faith read it, and still come away with an entirely different take than you intention. "Death of an author" is a real and true concept.

"Wipe out a Dalish clan in all three games" is a CHOICE. In Origins it is considered the evil option of the three endings for the quest, you have to encourage the werewolves to want to kill them. In DA2 you're defending the person that the clan has been told is a pariah among the clan AND is now blamed for getting their keeper killed. In Inquisition it is a rather convoluted war table mission, but there are ways to resolve it with no death. But these are choices! The game doesn't give you a gun and leave you no room to avoid it. Taking the choice out isn't a win! It's bad game design for a roleplaying game!

"None of the Dalish would take the side of the evil gods" is not the "win" you think it is (also I guess city elves get shafted again but that's expected) because it flattens any sort of nuance, motivations, messy interactions, or just flaws? In general flaws? Going from one extreme to another in terms of "good" and "bad" is not the "win" you think it is!!! All you've done is removed character agency!!!!

I can't suspend my disbelief enough to accept the entire build up of Inquisition to Trespasser with elves leaving their homes to join Solas only for the reason they're not running around being "oh he'll end the world". Like, how could their lives get worse in that case? Sure, the extremely powerful being claiming to be right out of the mythos said his plan will cause thousands of deaths and the world as you might know it but I'll just head back to my home in the alienage where humans can do whatever they want to me like burn down my home or kill my family with no repercussions. Or I guess since the city elves are practically nonexistent, that was never considered lmfao. Or hell just, elves wanting a grab at power? For selfish reasons? Or well-intentioned reasons? You know, nuance??? Like, fuck dude.

[pomefioredove]

wait wait wait, your requests are open for noble bell for this weekend only? (if i got that right?!) sound perfect gimme 14 of em. anywhos if i did not getting the date wrong i have one! and if i i did please just let me shrivel up and die, thank you.

post college rollo and reader who live together as “roommates.” they’re 100% more than roommates and everyone can see it but them. rollo is probably some senator or something and insisted reader moves in with him cause he insists that since he’s making laws more just for magicless people there’s literally no where safer for them to be. just basically some domestic fluff with two people who act like they’re married and don’t even realize it. i personally think it would be way cuter to read from the perspective of a third party but if you’re willing to write this you can do it anyway anyhow and i’ll still be happy. thank you! <3

(if i got the weekend wrong i will absolutely die so please let me down gently, i am accoustic so i no no understand very basic things such as “this weekend” or “next saturday” if the day of the week is before a saturday)

oooh a bit of a future au... this is cute

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ and they were roommates

type of post: fic characters: rollo additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is yuu, kinda written from a 3rd perspective

Rollo Flamme's favoritism had never been a secret.

He might have been quiet, reserved, repressed beyond all reason, but there were some things even he couldn't hide behind his star-spotted handkerchief.

The very moment you arrived at Noble Bell College, you were his.

Rollo Flamme beheld you with a sort of reverence that could be called sacrilegious. That is to say, one had never seen idolatry until one had seen the way he looked at you, the way he touched you as if you were made out of porcelain, as if he could break you with an unclean hand and a breath.

His coldness and cordiality towards the others never changed.

For all your kindness, your smiles, your gentle touches upon his cheek that he would never have let anyone else give, you could not change him. And you did not try.

It was a tragedy in two parts.

Not that it mattered, of course. Not to you.

As far as you were concerned, the world began and end with each other. In a room full of people, mages and scholars and royalty, Rollo Flamme would still only look at you.

Nothing was confirmed. Your affection for one another was kept to lingering touches and burning glances across the long, morose hallways of Noble Bell.

If anyone had asked, and they certainly did, Rollo's handkerchief would come to sit over his mouth and he would remind them that gossip is unbecoming.

And to be decent, thank you.

Yet the rumors could never be smothered, and they lingered after Rollo's first graduation, and another, and to his seat on the Fleur City Council.

You lived with him.

You lived with him, in his family home.

And he would continue to deny anything romantic, giving the same excuse that he had since Noble Bell, that you simply had no one else to look after you, and it was his duty as a civil servant to see to your care.

Which was utter bullshit.

But, perhaps, bullshit that you both believed.

Outside of the council, it was rare to see him alone. When he went out, he went out with you. When he attended public events, you walked by his side. When he worked at home, you sat in his study, by the fireplace, as if you had always belonged there. With him.

Rollo would excuse himself from small talk and after-hour business like so:

"It's been lovely talking to you, Senator, but I'll be late for dinner,"

"Please, come by my office first thing tomorrow morning. I'm expected at home,"

"I'll have to be going, now. I have an excursion on the town tonight. With whom? Well, whom else?"

It became widely accepted, amongst his colleagues and the public, that Rollo Flamme was married. One might not have guessed, of course, from his cold demeanor, but rumors of the magicless alumni from Noble Bell that he so adored smoldered.

Rollo did not concern himself with the whispers or the knowing looks his colleagues gave each other, until a warm day in late March where a well-meaning secretary from another branch asked if he had any children.

"Children?" he had scoffed. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

The poor secretary looked like he had seen a ghost. "Well... you're married, aren't you?"

"Absolutely not. What gave you such an idea?"

And he seemed reluctant to answer.

Rollo had gone home that night with much on his mind. When you asked him if anything had happened at the council, he said "Nothing eventful".

To Rollo, who had lived in Fleur City, lonely yet not alone, for so many years without a kindling of friendship and not a thought on romance, he had never once questioned your relationship. You were his companion. His first, and last. That's all that matters.

Isn't it?

He could ask for nothing more than you. Your voice, your smile, your hands and warmth mingling with his. He was happy with you. Your friendship is enough for him.

Isn't it?

Despite what he tells himself, that night, when you sit close to him in front of the fire, reading a book he recommended simply because he recommended it, Rollo finds himself looking at you twice as much as usual.

He puts an arm around your shoulders and pulls you into his side, and you stay there, as if you had always belonged there. With him.

[27moremoons]

Handala Center for Prisoners and Liberated Prisoners:

Activist Khalida Jarrar faces a life-threatening campaign of systematic repression and abuse in solitary confinement.

[previous update]

For more than 93 days, the Palestinian fighter and prominent leader in the Popular Front, Khalida Jarrar, Umm Yafa, has been subjected to a systematic campaign of repression and abuse that threatens her life in the cells of the zionist occupation. She is facing harsh conditions in solitary confinement, and despite all this, she remains steadfast in confronting the policy of slow death.

Umm Yafa, who is considered one of the most prominent symbols of Palestinian resistance, lives in a small, poorly ventilated room lacking the most basic necessities of life, such as water and light, to the point that her detention room has become like a tomb.

According to her lawyer, the fighter Jarrar has no choice but to lie next to the door to breathe the smallest amount of oxygen, in a tragic scene that reflects the brutality that Palestinian prisoners face.

The fighter Khalida Jarrar, who is 61 years old, is not an ordinary prisoner. She has endured a painful arrest experience that began in 2015, during which she was arrested four times before her most recent arrest in December 2023, her fifth. Throughout these years, the fighter has spent more than six years in the occupation prisons. During this time, she has carried a never-ending suffering, losing her mother in 2015, her father in 2018, and her daughter in 2021. The occupation did not even allow her to bid them farewell, in a clear war crime that represents a gross violation of human rights and international law.

Today, after 11 months since her most recent arrest, Umm Yafa is still being subjected to ongoing and failed attempts by the zionist prison administration to break her will. However, she remains steadfast, holding on to her national principles and her heroic resistance.

These desperate attempts by the occupation to target the morale of the prisoners will not succeed in breaking her resolve. Instead, they confirm her adherence to her people’s cause.

What fighter Khalida Jarrar is experiencing is part of a comprehensive campaign of abuse targeting Palestinian prisoners, particularly female prisoners, who face similar conditions in the occupation prisons. These repressive policies, led by the war criminal Ben Gvir, are failed attempts to subjugate the Palestinian people. However, the will of the Palestinian resistance and its living leadership will remain stronger than these brutal practices.

The Handala Center for Prisoners and Liberated Prisoners calls on the international community and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene to save the life of fighter Khalida Jarrar and all prisoners in the occupation’s prisons, and to work to stop the repeated violations against them.

The Center also calls on the masses of our people to escalate solidarity efforts with the prisoners on all levels and urges the free people of the world to organize global solidarity campaigns with Palestinian prisoners, especially with fighter Khalida Jarrar, and to continue the ongoing pressure on the occupation to stop these continuous violations and protect the rights of the prisoners.

Handala Center for Prisoners and Liberated Prisoners

13-Nov-2024

[connecting-the-stars]

Ekko will help Jinx

My theory for Act 2 (spoilers for Act 1)

Trigger warnings:

Discussion of suicidal thoughts/ideation

Okay, bear with me. I’ve seen no act 2 or 3 leaks or screen shots. But I’m fully bought on the idea that Ekko is going to help Jinx in her healing journey. (Might be my bias talking).

spoilers below:

Merch:

The merch released shows Jinx’s new design and it is such a light/less defeated look on her. Like her face doesn’t carry this misery and exhaustion upon her, from all her grief. The morbidly relieved/expectant expression on her face when she was ready for Vi to kill her, that is gone. Most noticeable is the fact that both of her iconic braids are gone, hair cropped short that is so reminiscent of Vi’s in season one. Her clothes are brighter, Fishbones gets a modification and fixed, like the air around her is just less heavy. (Albeit this is from one picture and it could be wildly out of context.) Her design change is just miles away from her current form. I’m half convinced this is her final look in Act 3 and she gets the chance to heal.

There’s a time-skip basically confirmed for this season, whether it occurs in act 2 or 3, things will change for Jinx.

Time-skip:

The time-skip is most likely around a year or at least several months. If act 2 has the Brainy Boys on vacation in another realm for a few episodes, Jinx will be facing the start of Zaun’s revolution and the undercity turning to her, Vi will most likely be shunned by the undercity and lean more on her alcoholic tendencies (her fighting pit era), Ambessa will be manipulating Cait, the firelights without a leader. But if they open an episode with the Boys returning and them being confronted by this time skip and whatever had occurred in the hex gate — like fish out of water they will have to learn about everything thats changed, for better or worse. Jayce with Mel missing and Cait’s corruption, Hemidinger with the fact that the hex gate is unsafe, and Ekko and the impact of Jinx’s revolution upon the undercity and the firelights.

Seems like the teaser for Act 2 is setting up the firelights to join Jinx’s efforts and movement, believing Ekko is dead as they place him on the mural. We see him fighting with Vi on the firelight hoverboards and his hair is longer, this could be an act 3 event. But I doubt that either of them would be supporting Piltover’s current stance, so they are most likely fighting with Jinx’s forces against Piltover and Ambessa’s army. (The team up is real guys.) Ekko will see her movement for Zuan and positive impacts on the undercity not being run on shimmer, and he will find Jinx

However, before this war fully breaks out, Act 2 confirms that Jinx is gonna face Warwick / Vander’s reanimated body… and you know who else is fighting him? Vi. I think something is going to happen with Singe sending Warwick out upon Jinx or upon her revolutionary group, and Jinx gets involved to stop him. Jinx with her shimmer enhancements are awesome and has accelerated speed, but Warwick is gonna outmatch her, especially if she realizes who he used to be. We’ve only seen Jinx’s scratchy distortion once or twice so far, mainly when Vi was revealed to her as an enforcer. But seeing Vander back from the dead and worse off than ever, her guilt and horror is going to be off the charts. I think she loses ground, and gets hurt - badly. The teaser shows someone (most likely Sevika ) carrying Isha to safety, the scene is soaked in this blood red fog, the same as the Warwick fight. Several accounts over on Twitter are pointing out that Isha is reaching out to someone off screen, that she seems to be scared for Jinx’s safety. There’s a shot of Vi standing alone against Warwick, and I think she is going to save Jinx.

Oh Okay… now on to

Time - Bomb:

The famous Bridge Scene. Wow. Am I right? So of course, this scene has been analyzed up and down and inside out, but to reiterate; Jinx’s nickname of “The Boy Savior” just hits different now. (It’s important enough that it’s the Name of an episode). In the Blu-ray behind the scenes/making of Arcane the writers discuss: the cut scene of younger Ekko searching for a way to rescue powder because he believes she is a prisoner. When he finds Powder recently turned Jinx and tries to save her from Silco to then have her violently refuse (the detail of her slapping him the same way Vi did to her at the end of Act 1: S1.). She does not want to be rescued and does not accept help. In addition to the venom of her voice, the condescension, like she does not see him as the capable resistance leader. They are similar ages, the only kids of the first act of the Undercity to remain in the lanes, Jinx the prodigy of Silco, and Ekko completely alone in the Lanes. Silco keeps reminding Jinx, especially when Vi returns, that no one from her old life will care for her. He compares his and Vander’s fallout to Powder’s and Vi’s, pushing this narrative that it’s them against the world. Telling her to bury Powder, and that Vi has not returned for her but for the hextech crystal.

Character Mirrors/Foils:

Metal / Nature

Silco’s / Vander’s Image

Raven / Firelight

Past / Future

Isolation / Community

Jinx stuck in the past with her ghosts and her mistakes and Ekko forced to grow up faster and choosing to become a caretaker of those who can’t defend themselves. (Becomes a protector like Vander had once been, that Vi had been.) He puts all his efforts into making a safe haven for those impacted by Silco’s gangs and shimmer products, and he wants to build a community that supports a better tomorrow.

“It’s not enough to give people what they need to survive; you have to give them what they need to live.”

Ekko is still quite young and yet he chose a role of helping those around him and created a positive community, while Jinx became more and more of Slico’s tool, of learning his beliefs and violence. (S1E6: Silco’s outburst after Vi and Cait escape in season 1, wonder how many times he did the same thing in front of her. Also him referring to Jinx as the prize of Vander’s kids, like he is fully aware of Jinx’s genius mind and engineering skills.) Jinx often being depicted alone in her hanger, talking to her ghosts. Jinx feeding into her own insecurities and feeling that she has to prove herself to Silco and be useful in a way she had not been seen as powder in their family group. Her disregard for the damage Slico brings to the lanes with shimmer and her blowing up the building during progress day in Piltover not concerned with who gets hurt. Ekko and his firelights becoming antagonists to shimmer verses Jinx and Slico’s forces as they protect the products.

Further the visual imagery and visual parallels between them are so interesting.

[pictures above from twitter account: @Chi11in_Like_a]

So I believe that Ekko and Jinx have this strong connection to one another, even more so with learning about the cut scene from season 1, and Ekko is going to pull on that more so than ever. The writers confirm: They “saw” each other during that still moment on the bridge, the children they used to be. They were not enemies, they were not on opposing sides, they did not want to kill the other. Their expressions in this scene when time slows, it kills me. Of course, the scene plays out, Jinx uses a sneak attack and everything blows up in their faces. Ekko gets this look of shock on his face as he looks between the bomb and Jinx, and my heart breaks. Jinx nearly dies from this (this is one of many times that she is entirely careless with her own life), Ekko is hurt for the remainder of the season. But the moment of recognition, of their childhood games, of them laughing, of the sullen ash atmosphere of the bridge being met with both of them falling into old patterns. The mood shifted entirely, elevated by the music. The music in this show never stops amazing me.

I do not remember if I looked deeper into Jinx’s reckless tendencies in season 1, but this year on my several rewatches, I have definitely noticed. She is not afraid of dying, she’s not afraid of getting hurt. As powder, she was so scared of fighting and of getting injures, throwing the haul from the over city into the river to get away from an attacker. Jinx does not care if she dies. I think she assumes that she is too far gone, that no one can help her. I think she believes no one is willing to try. After watching Vi race back to Cait on the bridge when Marcus betrays them and shoots Ekko, Jinx sees her only remaining blood leaving her again. (S1:E7) Season 2 episode 3 fight between Vi and Jinx, crushes me. Her encouraging Vi to go through with killing her, her guilt over what happened to their family.

Back to season 2, Jinx gets away from Warwick, from Vi, and hides out alone and emotionally distraught. (Ella Purnell’s performance blows me away, the guttural screams and cries make me want to sob.) Jinx is at a breaking point, I think she has made it back to her lair, and the ghosts are back in full force. The neon paint and the dolls of her family, the dark empty hanger around her. Jinx will hear Silco again. “Have you had enough?” Her belief that she can only break things and makes everything worse being heightened by Warwick/Vander returning, after starting to build connection and bond with Isha and Sevika. Having Isha’s protection and admiration uplifting Jinx in a way she never expected, and then to have this relapse and massive reminder of her past mistake. Her being responsible for both Vander’s and Silco’s deaths, that Isha and everyone close to her will meet that same fate. Despite Sevika and Jinx finding common ground, I do not believe Sevika would be the person to help her in this situation. She’s bleeding out and heavily wounded, she is alone, she’s at rock bottom in the way she was when everything happened that night. Jinx looks over the edge of the turbine blade. Jinx looks at her pistol.

Cold metal brushes her temple.

Ekko finds her.

I think Ekko will bring her back from the edge. He will be a voice of reason and comfort despite everything they’ve gone through, because of it. Because despite the deaths and Silco and shimmer, he still sees her. The child who only ever wanted to help her family. Despite what he told Vi, the implication that his denial pushed him forward, that Jinx isn’t Powder anymore. But Ekko still sees his childhood friend, and grieves her. He misses his friend.

Tell me this shot from the trailer does not scream that he wants to help Jinx? Really gonna live up to the nickname.

(The strand of blue hair on the left side of the scene.) I fully believe Ekko is talking to Jinx. The last episode of Act 2 is going to be their conversation, and it will end right before we see what is Jinx’s final decision.

He will help her, if she allows herself to accept help. To understand that there are people from her old life that do still care for her. To have no one in the lanes that understood her, that knew her and what she’s done, and for him to reach out a hand first. Isha and Sevika are closer to Jinx than anyone currently, but neither of them know everything or share history in the same way. Ekko will be the one to try to mend this rift. Multiple times the show has demonstrated how kind and generous Ekko is. (Refusing to turn away refugees in the undercity, of giving Hemidinger a chance). If she accepts his help, he can heal her physical wounds and they can start healing her emotional wounds.

Dark thoughts of the end, of ending one’s self, is such a heavy thing to cope with. I want Jinx to have someone on her side, for them to support her through it. She is such a well written character and the way they have showed her mental health struggles. I hope her arc becomes more hopeful.

Act 3:

Ekko will help Jinx fix Fishbones, she’ll dawn hourglass symbols, and work together eventually with Vi again. Maybe, finding common enemies and allies, fighting alongside each other. Zuan’s revolution vs Piltover. Jinx will see Isha again, being the guardian she herself needed when she was growing up. Learning forgiveness for herself and others. Talking things out, and not being interrupted.

Jinx’s healing journey!

I’m very excited for the rest of this season. These two are my favs. (I could be very wrong and none of this is on track, but this is apart of the intrigue of getting invested where characters stories go. Theorizing about what is going on, where the characters will end up.)

- If Timebomb talks to one another I will be over the moon. Years of crumbs lol.

- The fact there is a song named “My Dearest/Best Enemy” [I’m like 67% it is a Timebomb song]

[loveesiren]

Doing It All For Us (Pt. 12)

Masterlist

Rafe Cameron x Reader

Summary: Rafe and Y/n leave the Bahamas and have a chance to enjoy themselves.

Warnings: Language, fluff, smut

Word Count: 2.8k+

You wake up to Rafe peppering kisses to your swollen belly. "Goodmorning, angel," He whispers against your skin. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Mmmm, don't wanna get up." You whine. Rafe's bed was so comfy. The warm air that drifted in through the patio doors added to your comfort and you were suddenly sad this wasn't a real vacation to the Bahamas.

"I know baby, I'm sorry. I promise we'll come back here soon."

"Honeymoon?" You ask.

Rafe looks up at you, smile wide on his face. "Honeymoon." He confirms. "But first," He says as he climbs back up your body, letting his lips hover over yours. "I owe you a ring, my dear fiancee."

You smile, taking his face between your hands as your guide his lips to yours, savoring every second of the kiss with your fiance. You'd never get tired of saying that. Atleast until you got to call him your husband.

You lazily got ready, putting on some basic make up, some shorts, and one of Rafe's t-shirts. He carried your stuff to the truck and you made your way downstairs. You ate cereal while you watched Rafe, Ward, and the escorts load up the gold on to the truck.

You sat in between Ward and Rafe as you drove to the airport. Rafe had his arm lazily slung around your shoulder as he leaned his head against yours.

Suddenly, a bunch of kids were running out in front of the trucks causing you all to stop.

"What the hell is this?" Ward asked.

"Oh, God, it's just some kids," Rafe said. "Move! Get out of the way!" He began yelling out the window.

Something didn't feel right. This was a trap.

"It's a trap!" One of the escorts yelled. You turned around to see men approaching your vehicle.

"We gotta go!" You yell.

Ward pulls out around the other trucks and takes off through an alley. "Where are we going?! Find where we are!" He yells at Rafe.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Rafe responds, looking at his phone. "This road goes to the same place just keep going."

"What the fuck was that?!" You ask as you tried to steady your breathing. You didn't realize you were clinging to Rafe's shirt until he pulled you into him. He wrapped protective arms around you as he looked out the window for a sign of anyone following you.

"Stay on this road, it will take us directly to the airport." Rafe says.

"Oh, what the fuck..." You mutter as you see the barrels and workers blocking the road ahead.

"Are you kidding me?" Ward says. "Get the gun, Rafe."

Rafe reaches for the glove box, pulling the gun out and tucking it in the back of his waist band. You swallow. You still hated guns but you'd been around them much more recently. Rafe gives you an apologetic look and you just nod, letting him know you trust him.

The people that approach the truck pull a gun on Ward and a knife on Rafe. Noticing you're pregnant, the man pulls you out of the car too, pushing you forward with Ward so he can keep the gun on both of you.

"Please don't hurt her!" Rafe begs, keeping his eyes on you.

"Shut up!" The woman spits at Rafe. "Move these to the side of the road."

Ward and Rafe begin moving the barrels and are forced on the ground. "You too, Princess!" He yells at you.

"I-I can't lay on my stomach," You say, keeping your hands up.

"On your knees then!"

You glance over at Rafe. You could see him trying to swallow his anger. You pleaded with your eyes for him not to try anything stupid.

"Go, go!" You hear the man yell.

You turn around and your jaw drops as you see Sarah and John B running to the truck.

"Sarah?" Ward yells. "Sarah, baby, you're alive!" He was standing up now. "You're alive, baby, I can't believe it! I love you!"

You see John B raise his gun as Ward moves closer to him and Sarah. Before he could pull the trigger, Rafe fires his gun. You watch as the bullet hits Sarah in the stomach.

The man hits Ward in the head with his gun, causing him to fall to the ground before he turns the gun on you. The woman had a gun pointed at Rafe now and you couldn't help the tears of fear that fell from your eyes.

John B and Sarah drove off with the gold and the two people holding you captive got in their own truck and drove off as your escorts made their way down the road.

Rafe ran to you, wrapping you tightly in his arms. "Are you okay?" He whispered against your hair. You nod in response, trying to muffle your sobs against his chest. "It's okay, baby girl, I got you."

"Fuck, I'm sorry Y/N-" Ward began. He was quickly cut off by Rafe shaking his head. Now wasn't the time.

-

You were taken back to the police station while they tried to locate the gold. You clung tightly to Rafe as Ward gushed about seeing Sarah. "It was her, right? It was her?"

"It was her, yeah..." Rafe responded.

"She's alive," Ward smiles. "I don't know what the hell you were doing though, shooting a gun right at her. You're just lucky you didn't hit her."

"I did. I did hit her."

"You shot Sarah?!"

"I was trying to shoot John B, okay? It was an accident. She stepped in the way. I did not mean to shoot her."

"Okay, okay, okay. I'm sorry." Ward says.

"But I don't care that I did."

You look up at Rafe as the words leave his lips. "Rafe, that is your sister!" Ward scolds him.

"Sister? The one who stole from us? The one who had her boyfriend pointing a gun at us, dad!" Rafe shot back.

An officer came in and handed Ward his phone, showing him a picture of Sarah and John B. You tune them out as you keep your gaze on Rafe. He turns to look at you and you can see a darkness in his eyes. Something was wrong and it made you nervous.

-

Ward had gotten two hotel rooms while the police looked for the gold. You sat on the bed and flipped on the tv while Rafe paced around the room.

"Rafe, what's going on?" You ask. You could tell shit was starting to get to him.

"I'm not okay..." He finally said. Sitting down on the edge of the bed and running his fingers through his hair. "I don't know how much more of this shit I can take...I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"Rafey..." You say softly, crawling over to him and climbing in his lap. He accepts you needily, pulling you close as he sniffles into your shoulder. He keeps one arm wrapped around you and brings his other palm to your swelling belly. You can feel his shoulders relax as he he breathes in your scent and feels his child growing inside of you.

"I want to be okay...for you and Wolf..."

"You will be, my love. Once we get the gold back...We'll get a place of our own..." You speak softly, raking your fingers through his shaggy hair as he leans into you. "We can paint Wolfie's room together...what color do you think he'll like?" You ask, trying to soothe your fiance.

"Purple..." He mumbles into your neck. "With dinosaurs."

You chuckle. "Of course he'll have dinosaurs."

You bit back tears as you held your sweet boy in your arms. You knew he was struggling and you wished so badly you could take that pain from him. You just wanted to marry Rafe, have your son, and live a normal life. But now you were tangled in this huge mess. Rafe was falling apart, you were almost six months pregnant. Ward was no help to his son. Sarah and her Pogue boyfriend were just toxic. You needed to step up and save your family.

You laid down with Rafe, running your long nails through his hair as you listened to the hotel TV play in the background. The sun began to set and Rafe drifted off to sleep.

You carefully took his arms off of you and crawled out of bed. You tried your best to be quiet as you made your way out of the room and headed towards Ward's room. You were surprised to find Ward already on his way to your room.

"Where's Rafe?" He questioned.

"He's asleep. He's not doing well..."

"What do you mean?"

"This shit is getting to him. What he's done...to Peterkin...to Sarah...All this...chaos." You say, gesturing at nothing. "He's not okay, Ward. And I really need him to be okay. Wolf needs him to be okay."

Ward sighed and looked down, offering a small nod. "You're right," He says, placing his hands on his hips. "You're right. Listen...I just got the call. We got the gold back. When we get home and I sort out all the little details, I'm going to set you and Rafe up with a fourth of it-"

"A third." You demanded.

"Y/n, I-"

"You wouldn't have it if it wasn't for Rafe. All the trauma falls on him. He's going to need therapy. We're going to need a house for our baby."

"But your dad-"

"I'll talk to my dad. What's important is that Rafe is okay and ready to be a father to his son. Your grandson."

Ward thinks for a second before nodding. You were calling the shots. You always did.

"By the way..." You added. "Rafe proposed."

Ward's eyes went wide as he turned to look at you. "You guys are-"

"Inlove. Pregnant. Killers. The least we can do is tie the knot and be a real family. I love your son. He's perfect. You've always been too focused on Sarah to realize that Rafe always has your back. But now he's going to be my husband and Wolf's father you'll have to fend for yourself. We need him now. We're his family. Wolfie comes first."

You could see Ward's eyes begin to water as he registered your words. You were right. You were completely right. Rafe always had his father's back. But now Rafe was going to be a father himself and he was going to put you and Wolf over everything. Including his own dad.

Ward nodded, biting back tears. "I'm going to make sure everything is set for our flight tomorrow. I'll see you two in the morning, okay?"

You nod your head as Ward walks past you. You move to go back to your room.

"And Y/n," Ward turns back to look at you.

You look over to meet his gaze.

"Wolf always comes first." He offers a small smile. "Rafe is going to be a great father."

You smile, placing a hand on your swollen belly. "Yeah, he really is." You agree before pushing the door open and heading back into your room to join Rafe in bed.

-

The flight home was a blessing. No nausea, no vomiting. You rested peacefully in Rafe's lap. When you arrived back in the OBX you and Rafe opted to go to your house. You wanted to be holed up in your room with your fiance for a few days.

"I'm gonna shower. Join me?" You asked, cheeky smile plastered on your face as you stripped out of your clothes.

Rafe bit his lip as he admired your naked body, perfectly tan and swelling with his child. "Go start it, I'll be in in just a minute, yeah?"

You giggle and run off to the bathroom.

Rafe leans over and grabs his phone, opening up the group text that lacked your number.

I proposed to Y/n

He pressed send and chewed on his thumb as he waited for a reply from your friends. He listened as the shower turned on and you stepped inside, overly excited to join you.

Courtney: WHAT?!

Kelce: When????

Topper: Holy shit

Rafe read the messages and began typing.

A lot to explain. A lot I need help with. Didn't even give her a ring yet. Court, help me pick one out?

C: Duh!! Meet me on the mainland tomorrow at 3. Top, Kelce, distract Y/n?

T & K: On it.

Rafe smiled, excited that your friends were so ready to help. He tossed his phone to the side before hopping up and running to the bathroom to join you.

"Aphrodite..." He cooed as he stepped into the shower and wrapped his arms around you, cupping your belly and leaning his face into your neck. "So perfect..."

You smiled, reaching back to lace your fingers through his hair. You felt so close to him as you placed your other hand over his on your belly. You needed him closer though.

"How are you feeling, my love?" You ask him. He hums happily into your hair as he rocks you back and forth. You smile, finding peace in knowing that, for right now, he's okay.

"Wanna make love to you..." He mumbles.

You bite your lip at his words, knowing you're about to get the gentle side of Rafe. As much as you loved him fucking you into oblivion, you also loved how slow and gentle he was when he really wanted to show you how much you meant to him.

He helped to clean you, getting all the spots you couldn't reach with your growing belly. You took your time washing him too, just enjoying the feeling of his naked body against yours.

When you finished your shower, Rafe stepped out and grabbed you your towel, wrapping you up in it and helping you dry off.

He picked you up bridal style and carried you back to your bed. He laid you down gently and hovered over you. He was hard, precum already dripping from his tip as he scanned your clean body. "So fucking beautiful..." He mumbled, placing soft kisses across your chest. "Never seen such a beautiful creature in my life..."

You hummed at his words, silently begging for him to touch you.

"How can I make you feel good, mama?" He asked, the vibration of his voice against your skin was intoxicating.

"Touch me, Rafe..."

Rafe smiled, bringing a soft thumb to your clit and circling slowly. You felt his index finger run up your entrance, collecting the juices that flowed so effortlessly out of your body.

He leaned his forehead against yours as he continued to thumb your clit. "So wet, my pretty girl..."

You could feel the twist in your stomach begin to form as he brushed over your throbbing clit.

"Ra-"

Rafe pulled his hand away, watching you almost come undone underneath him.

You whimpered at the sudden loss of connection. "Rafe, please..."

"Don't worry, baby girl. I'm going to make you cum. Just want you to cum on my dick, yeah?"

You nod your head, squeezing your eyes shut. "Need you, Rafe...please...please..." You beg.

"Awh, baby..." He whispers, running a thumb over the soft skin of your cheek bone. "You need me to make you feel good, huh?"

You knew this was feeding his ego but you didn't care. It was true. Your core was aching. You needed him inside you. "Hurts Rafey...please...need you...daddy..."

He groans at that. He was weak when you called him that.

"Anything you want, my angel..." He whispers, wrapping his arms around you, pulling you close to him and slowly pushing his cock inside you.

Your jaw falls open at the sensation of him stretching you out. You would never get used to his size.

"Feel okay, baby?" He asks.

"Mhmm," You moan.

Rafe begins to move slowly, pulling out of you and pushing back in. He moved so slow that you could feel everything, every inch of his skin filling you and your walls were already fluttering around him.

"You are ecstasy..." He whispers, thrusting into you slowly again. "Never felt so amazing...so in love...handcrafted by God herself...I'm so lucky....so in love....so...so...in love...."

You could feel tears escaping from your eyes at his words. He made love to you with so much emotion, so much love. He made you feel like you were the only two that existed, floating through time and space as one.

You didn't realize you were crying now, letting out a whimper into his shoulder.

He wrapped a hand around your thigh and brought your leg up, thrusting a little harder to hit you just right. "That's it baby...cum for me, my beautiful girl..."

You cried loudly as you released around his cock, the sensation was almost overwhelming. Rafe stayed buried inside you as you squirted on his stomach. His absolute favorite thing. Sending him into his own orgasm, you could feel his warmth filling you up and the sensation calmed you.

You finally met Rafe's eyes and you noticed the slight tears forming there.

"Why are you crying baby?" He asked you, forehead pressed to yours as he smiled at you.

"I-I just love-love you so fucking m-much..." You whimpered. The feelings you had for this man were so overwhelming you couldn't help but cry.

He reached a hand up and cupped your face as a tear fell from his eye too. "My pretty girl..." He whispered, pressing a kiss to your nose. "The moon, the stars, the planets, the heavens...you outshine all of them. You are the most divine creation. I'm not worthy to even be in your presence."

"Rafe-"

"Shhh...Aphrodite. Sleep my love."

Let me know if you'd like to be tagged! :)

@outerbankspov @torturedtypewritersdept

[mint-and-authoress]

Slime HRT - Progress Report II

<<| ⏯️ |>>

[The video opens with a familiar bedroom setup from previous recordings. In the top right corner a timestamp of ‘10 Weeks’ is shown.]

“Okay, ten weeks. We’re ten freaking weeks into this. I’m honestly really excited for this update actually because…”

[Elise stands back a few feet and rolls up her sleeves to reveal her arms. The skin has shifted from translucent to transparent, and the musculature is present underneath, a mix of bluish-gray and red.]

“Skin’s gone! …Well, not gone gone, but it’s totally cleared up! It’s all see-through now, and that means the muscle’s gonna go next. Which I’m a little nervous about.

“Yeah… that last bit at the end of the first video was my dad kinda outing me on his own because I didn’t have a chance to cover up. And that’s kinda led to this Transspecies Cold War that I’ve been forced to take part in for like… 3 weeks now? Luckily my mother is oblivious to all this so I’ve managed to skirt around that volcanic eruption. Dad hasn’t said a word to me, though, which is a bit weird, but I’m honestly fine with not talking to him. Freeing, in a sense.

“Anyway, important things first! In terms of my transition timeline, I’m actually a little ahead of schedule! Which, don’t get me wrong, it’s really exciting to experience this stuff and confirm it’s all really happening, but also kinda puts a bit of a wrench into my plans. Some gunk in the cogs, I don’t know. I’ve been trying to use more slime puns, but I’m not sure if it’s for me.”

[Elise stares off for a second before snapping back to reality.]

“...Right, the wrench. Problem. Whatever it was. Right, my job! I’m a bit worried about how long I’ll be able to keep working, seeing as though I’m gonna basically have muscular dystrophy advancing throughout my body at a rapid rate. I don’t do a ton of heavy lifting, at most I’d struggle with lifting mannequins but we barely do that. Mostly just hanging clothes and gettin stuff hung up.

“My skin, or my surface now, I guess, is a bit stickier now? From what I can tell, the surface is just a slime’s version of skin; all the goop you’d imagine just comes from underneath to gather sensory input. I guess that hasn’t happened yet because 1) I don’t have that goop yet–the goop that’ll come from all my muscles, I mean–and 2) I still have a human’s nervous system so I can still touch and understand that feeling.

“So far so good, though. No more skin, no more breakouts. Hopefully the muscles are just as cooperative.”

[The segment ends. The next segment fades in and Elise looks notably different. Her hair is gone and has been replaced with a shorter ‘haircut’ made entirely from slime. She wears a t-shirt and long pants. Elise’s surface is still clear but most of the muscle underneath is also gone, the little remaining still in small patches dotted across her body. Her face is also completely eroded away, all that remains is the skull, eyes, and the inner workings of her ears. The slime that makes up Elise’s body is now tinted green. The timestamp reads ‘5 Months.’]

“This is my entry at 5 months during transition. Holy Hell it has been a rough one. As you can see…”

[Elise slowly stands and orients the camera to face multiple parts of the bedroom, most of which has been compartmentalised and/or boxed up. She finally turns the camera to face her once more in the usual shot.]

“I am ready to get out. In fact, I’m actually headed out tomorrow morning to go live with my partner out west. Out in the wilderness, surrounded by nature. First things first, though. I gotta unpack these last months for y’all.”

[Elise starts to roll up her sleeves before seemingly forgetting that she is wearing a t-shirt, which she begins to fidget with.]

“Transition stuff first. Also sorry if I’m a bit spaced out, I’ve been a bit…well I guess I’ll just call myself out on it, I’ve been a bit airheaded recently. Doctors say it’s a side effect of the drugs, which of course it is. All in the name of science or something.

“I don’t want it to come across like I’m not happy; I’m fucking ecstatic and euphoric all the time. Life’s just been a lot lately.

“In terms of the muscular decomposition it actually kinda freaking hurts. Like when it started I just felt sore but over the course of a week somewhere around 14 weeks in I got barely any sleep. Turns out, acid dissolving you hurts pretty bad, actually. It got better when a majority of the muscle was gone but every now and again the body decides to get rid of more and unfortunately I can’t use any ibuprofen or painkillers because they inhibit some yeast growth and I just so happen to be made of the stuff nowadays.

“Also, on that note, no more caffeine, ever, apparently. Yeasts actually really don’t react well to caffeine so I’m really really glad I don’t drink coffee. No more Dr. Pepper hurts the soul, though. F in the chat for no more dr pepper.

“Also, hair. As in, no more hair, anywhere. I think they try to skirt around the fact that you will drop your hair as soon as the scalp becomes goop when they tell the trans girls about their transition. I think I would have screamed if I had the house to myself when I took that shower and my whole head felt very light. Luckily your body becomes very malleable when you take these drugs and after like four days of trying I figured out how to style my goop-hair. I’m usually covered from top to bottom in clothes to stay hidden, though, so I barely ever get the chance. And of course, since the hair is gone, my nails went around the same time. Been having to wear touchscreen gloves just to use my phone, and rubber gloves under those so I don’t seep through.

“Other changes… well, showering is pretty euphoric, honestly. Putting more water in the body kinda expands it in a way. Makes all the mass a bit sloshy but still workable if I don’t overdo it. Makes me all euphoric to have big ol tiddies whenever I want.

“I’m still able to eat normally, but I’ve started to actually digest with my slime. Lately my goal has been to taste without my tongue – which is also gone, mind you, just got lucky that I kept my tastebuds at least a little bit.”

[Elise stares off into the distance once again, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment she recollects herself and sits a bit taller.]

“Most of you have guessed by now that I’d get fired because of my transition, and yeah, that was last week. I warned my boss way in advance that I may slowly lose some physical function during transition but either she didn’t care to research my procedures or hated my guts anyway, either way I got canned for being unable to lift and perform my duties. It’s not so bad, lets me decompress and get ready to move.

“Yeah, I know, the move. Funny, you think I should have mentioned that first, or maybe a few months ago. Thing is, I had no idea I’d be moving out this early either. My transition is happening at an advanced rate for some reason and the doctors won’t be able to say before 6 months anyway so we’re all a bit in the dark about it.

“So last night I was invited to dinner with my parents. Not like an actual ‘going out to a restaurant’ dinner, no this was more like ‘Elise gets to cook and make her parents a nice meal and be forced to sit and talk about uncomfortable shit with them for at least an hour’ dinner. Lucky for them, I’m a bit of a pushover and I actually do like to cook so I made something nice.

“So, an hour and one stir fried chicken dish later, I’m sitting in the living room with my parents watching TV and absolutely trying to not shrink in on myself. That’s been an experience, let me tell you. I can just kinda ball up now if I want. Which I did not want to do considering I was still stealth from my mom.

“Of course, she has to ask how work is going and of course I had to unmask for just one insignificant second and reply that I was let go. There was a bit of a screaming match, and a ride to the hospital for my mother who legitimately had a heart attack from seeing her daughter’s skull and eyes suspended in a slightly green goop. Food colouring, by the way. Way cheaper than hair dye.

“Mom’s alright, she’s an addict so that’s what the doctors are focussed on now. Which unfortunately means that they have to deal with a whole bunch of bills and other lovely little things. Dad took me aside and made it abundantly clear that I was no longer welcome in their home. Hence, the boxes and suitcase that all hold the entirety of what I own.

“In better news, I’m gonna get an apartment with my love and we’ll be all okay by the end of the week. At some point I’m gonna also have to head into Hyper City again, check in with my doctors who all seem to have no idea why my transition is going so fucking fast all of a sudden. I mean, I was on schedule up until like that 7 weeks update and then everything went into like, I dunno, super puberty, and just shot way ahead.

“So, yeah…transition’s going great, just have to bear with all the other stuff that comes with it. I transitioned once, I can do it again. Stay strong, we’ll make it through together.”

[The scene fades to black as Elise reaches for the camera.]

}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~{

We are so back. With the Biggest. Update. Ever.

Well, not Elise. She's actually going through it af

More slime time! This post's inspiration (imma keep doing this btw, I like giving shout outs to my humble base of 40 followers) comes from both @draconic-lesbian for constant and continuous love and species affirmation, and @reliablegal who somehow derived her own slime biology and affirmed most of what I found to be true :D

catch y'all later when Elise moves into a new place and totally nothing crazy happens~

[goldencherriess]

We visit the Garden Gnome Emporium.

Pairing: Percy Jackson x Fem! Reader

Summary: New dangers show in the horizons as Y/N navigates the beginnings of the her first ever quest.

Word count: 10k (oops!)

Warnings: angst (because apparently I can't stop writing it), a lot of eye contact. Glaring as a love language basically

Previous part II Series masterlist

Night came and went, bleeding into the morning, letting the sun shine down on Camp Half-Blood. Y/N woke up early, well aware of what this morning brought. She put her hair up, tied her shoelaces into perfect bows, made her bed (no wrinkles showed on the marble white sheets) and stepped into the crisp morning air. She looked up towards the clear blue sky, a smile stretching on her lips. A horn announced the beginning of the day and she marched towards the pavilion, her head held high. 

The Greek columns touched the sky, the campfire swaying slightly in the breeze. She entered the pavilion, her eyes meeting Annabeth’s. Other demigods stood in a circle and Y/N recognized Percy’s golden hair. He was speaking quietly to Chiron, mr. D standing proudly beside them, arms crossed. 

She stopped near Annabeth, not taking her gaze off the pair. “Good morning,” she saluted. 

“Good morning, Y/N. Today’s the day,” Annabeth’s sure voice said. 

Y/N nodded, shifting her gaze towards her friend. A small smile bloomed on her lips. “Yes, it is.”

Annabeth smiled back, before Chiron’s voice boomed, his hands settling on his hips. “The Oracle has confirmed what we expected, that this quest will proceed toward the Underworld, where you will confront the god who has rebelled against his brothers. Hades.” Y/N turned to look at the centaur, straightening her back, her face devoid of any emotion. “The entrance to Hades’s domain lies under the city of Los Angeles.” Chiron looked down at Percy. “This is where you will journey to. Time is short.” He moved his gaze to the demigods. “I have selected our most compelling candidates, from which you will choose three to join you on this quest and ensure that we succeed.”

Percy’s gaze settled on Athena’s daughter. “Annabeth.” His ocean blue eyes latched onto Y/N’s and she raised her chin. “And Y/N.” 

“Customarily, one waits to at least hear a name or two before choosing. Are you sure you don’t wanna hear more?” asked Chiron, looking at Percy, the grey in his hair and eyebrows only enhancing the warm wisdom in his eyes.

Y/N could feel Annabeth shift her weight. She looked at her from the corner of her eyes. Someone who didn’t know Annabeth would have been fooled by her determined stance and stone-like eyes. But Y/N wasn’t fooled, she knew her friend too well. She reached over and took hold of her hand, staring straight ahead at Percy and Chiron. Annabeth squeezed her hand, a way of saying “thanks”. She squeezed back. 

“This thing, Zeus’s master bolt, we need to get it back, right?” asked Percy as he looked up at the centaur. 

“Yes,” nodded Chiron. 

Percy raised an eyebrow. “And it’s gonna be hard to get, yes?” 

“Extraordinarily.”

“And if the mission required someone to push me down a flight of stairs for it to succeed… you’d want someone who won’t hesitate when they do it. And someone who would protect from the shadows, someone whose aim you’d trust to reach its target.” Percy’s gaze panned on Y/N. 

Chiron’s eyebrow raised, before he turned back to the demigods before him. “The first quest-mates shall be Annabeth Chase and Y/N L/N!”

 A smirk appeared on Y/N’s face and she squeezed Annabeth’s hand. The morning had brought the promise of a quest she wouldn’t dare fail. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Y/N didn’t have much to pack for the journey. She looked at the objects strewn across her bed and at the backpack Annabeth lent her, as she didn’t have one of her own. Her arrows were glistening in the sunshine rays and her bow was proudly bending on the sheets. She took hold of an arrow and touched the tip. It was sharp as a needle. 

Footsteps came up behind her and Luke’s voice cut the silence. “You got the quest you’ve wanted for so long.”

She turned around. The boy was kneeling down beside his bed, grunting as he took out a box from under it. “I know.”

Luke laughed. “Aren’t you proud? It seems you’ve made quite the impression on Percy.”

Y/N shrugged. “I don’t care.” She turned back around, stuffing the arrows in the backpack, hiding them from mortal eyes. The bow, though, didn’t fit. She would need to carry it around in plain sight. 

“Either way, you’ve got what you wanted. Somehow you always do.” A warm hand settled on her shoulder. 

She turned to look at Luke, her first friend at camp. He was bearing a soft smile. “You’ll do great,” he added, nodding. 

Her lips curled in a small smile. “Reckon I won’t get into trouble?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, you definitely will. But try to keep it at minimum. Come back in a piece, alright? You’re like a sister to me.”

A warmth spread in her chest at his last words and her smile turned into a full blown grin. “I’ve always wanted an older brother.” She did. More often than not, during the school days and after her mother’s death, loneliness creeped in her life and she longed for someone to share her pain, to understand her sentiments and to soothe her worries. Her aunt tried her best and Y/N would remain forever grateful to her, but she could feel how her aunt was keeping things away from her, how she held secrets of her own, how she was keeping her in the dark. Maybe this was why she grew to fear it.

Y/N’s gaze slipped towards the box held in Luke’s hands. She nodded towards it. “What’s that?” 

“For Percy.”

“Am I not getting anything?” she replied, a note of envy seeping into her tone. 

“You can take care of yourself, I’d say. You don’t need some old Converse from me to kick ass.” Luke’s eyes twinkled and he ruffled Y/N’s hair. 

“Stop that!” she yelled, as she pushed his hands away and tried smoothing down her hair. 

A laugh escaped Luke’s lips. “Still bossy as ever, I see.”

Her eyebrows furrowed and she threw him a furious look, before turning back to packing. She had half a mind to take with her the yellow coat she arrived in at Camp Half-Blood, but she had outgrown it quite a few years ago. Still, she regarded the flashing, neon yellow of it, as it stayed hung on the back of her bed. 

“You alright?” asked Luke worriedly.

She sighed. “Yes.” She slinged the backpack on her shoulder, the sound of arrows clinking together reaching her ears. She took hold of her bow, her fingers clawing around the smooth wood, fitting like puzzle pieces. She squared her shoulders and she turned to meet Luke’s eyes. “I’m ready.” 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The pine tree stood tall in the wind, its leaves swaying gently. Y/N watched from afar how Annabeth said her goodbyes to Thalia, her hand on the tree’s bark. When Y/N first met Annabeth, she was green with envy at every mention of Thalia’s name. Thalia this, Thalia that. But after Annabeth slowly warmed up to her, Y/N saw the tree as what it really was. A sacrifice. An attempt to shelter those who were just like herself. She saw the tree’s beauty and she was thankful for it. It brought Annabeth to her (whose eyes seemed to follow her everywhere her first few days at camp. At some point, Y/N was fed up with it and confronted her about it. They slowly became friends). 

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, basking in the sunlight, feeling the wind’s caress on her cheek. 

“She’s really gonna miss that tree, huh?” Y/N heard Percy say from beside her. A scowl darkened her features, but she didn’t open her eyes, instead choosing to strain her ears for any bird sounds. She didn’t hear the eagle sing today. 

“When Annabeth first arrived here with Thalia and Luke, they were being chased by monsters,” replied Grover, a satyr with a friendly face. 

Y/N met him a few years back when she tried figuring out her place at camp and her talent. The Demeter children were trying to teach her how to tend to plants. She didn’t have the patience (and it seemed that she didn’t have the talent for it either), but Grover did. He often mingled with the Demeter children and he taught her to make a flower crown, before he put it on the mane of her hair with a warm smile, eyes wrinkling. 

“Agents of Hades. Sisters,” he continued. 

“Furies,” added Percy, nodding. “Mrs. Dodds?”

“Yes!”

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who’s mrs. Dodds?”

“Our algebra teacher. Alecto,” explained Grover. 

She hummed in reply. 

“Thalia turned back to fight to buy her friends some time. Her satyr Protector tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen. So, at the last moment… Zeus intervened to save her life and… changed her form.” Grover’s voice shook. 

“The most powerful being in the universe's best idea to save his daughter’s life… was to turn her into a tree?” asked Percy, a note of doubt in his voice.

Y/N opened her eyes and turned to look at him. For some odd reason, the question irked her, flaring her up. “He did save her, in the end. And trees are a symbol of life. Not that you would understand.”

Percy’s eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to retaliate, but Annabeth cut him off. “She was the bravest demigod I ever knew. She fought valiantly and she met a hero’s fate.”

“She met a pinecone’s fate,” replied Percy, pointing at the tree in the horizon. 

Y/N scoffed, turning her back on him, taking a few steps and coming beside Annabeth. She turned around. “You have no respect,” she stated, crossing her arms, bearing a wild look in her eyes. 

Percy met her gaze, confusion simmering in his ocean eyes. 

“Forbidden children are always in danger, even the strongest one, even Thalia. And you are not Thalia,” said Annabeth, her voice firm. 

“Forbidden children are a magnet for danger. Monsters,” added Y/N. “I’m guessing you don’t have a death wish.”

Percy shifted his weight. “No,” he mumbled, clearly annoyed. 

“Then, you’d better listen to us.”

“Do exactly as we say, and maybe you survive this,” said Annabeth. “Are we clear?” But she didn’t wait for a reply, as she turned on her heels, leaving for the border. 

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “Are we clear?” she stressed, leaning forward.

Percy clenched his jaw. “Yes, ma'am.” 

She nodded, before turning around and catching up to Annabeth, bumping their shoulders. 

“Does she think she’s in charge?” she heard Percy ask Grover. She rolled her eyes.

“Who’d you think would be in charge?”

“I guess I assumed we’d do a show of hands or something.”

She scoffed lightly, before she passed the pine tree, her fingers softly caressing the bark. She threw a glance behind her shoulder, the sight of Camp Half-Blood reminding her of a home away from home. She smiled, before she jumped down, the unknown stretching before her eyes. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Y/N hadn’t missed the city. It looked the same as the day she left it: wild and untamed. She glanced outside the window, as she sat in the bus, towering skyscrapers passing by. She recognized many places. Like that one corner where she was almost bullied by kids twice her size just because she was different. And there’s that candy shop her aunt brought her to once after her first day at a different school than the one she was attending a week before. Her eyes narrowed. That one block seemed familiar. With a pang of heart, she realised it was the block her aunt lived in. If she still lived in it, and didn’t move away. 

She sighed, falling back into her seat. Annabeth was soundly asleep next to her, the chest rising and falling with every breath. Y/N took in her fluttering eyelashes, sweetly kissing her cheek, and Y/N figured Annabeth didn’t sleep the night before. She knew her friend too well. She knew that Annabeth always worried, always strategized, was always one step ahead. 

She tucked a stray strand of  hair  behind Annabeth’s ear, lightly putting her head on her shoulder, shifting more comfortably in the seat. 

The skyscrapers rolled by, until they were nothing but passing, flashing hills.

Her gaze caught Percy looking at them. He was trying to be discreet, Y/N could tell. “What?” she whispered, careful to not wake Annabeth up.

He only shook his head, before turning to look straight ahead. “Nothing,” he simply answered. A second later, he turned in his seat, towards Y/N. “You’re great friends,” he stated, nodding his head toward the sleeping form of Annabeth.

Y/N’s gaze slipped toward the girl. “Yeah, so?”

“Nothing. Just asking.”

Y/N’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you always this curious?”

“I’m not,” mumbled Percy, his ears turning slightly red.

“Yeah, you are. Not only do you always ask stupid things, but you also stare an awful lot. Did your mommy never taught you it’s not polite to stare?”

“I’m not staring!”

“Right, and I’m Zeus’ child,” she replied, sarcasm dripping down her tongue. “Just stop staring. It’s pissing me off. If you’ve got something to say, just come out and say it.”

Percy looked her in the eyes, his jaw clenching. “I don’t”

Y/N only nodded. “Great. I don’t either.” She turned her head to gaze out the window. The city was long gone and she let herself be whisked away by the green scenery.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

“There is no way this is what sacred smells like,” said Percy, turning to look at Annabeth and Y/N, as a rocker in his fifties came out of the smelling WC of the bus. Y/N scrunched up her nose, a waft of what she could nicely only describe as garbage passing by. 

“We’re soldiers on a mission. It’s not a vacation,” retorted Annabeth.

“Thank you for clearing that up. But if this is so important, why didn’t Chiron spring for plane tickets? This seems kind of low priority, doesn’t it?” Percy asked, shifting the gaze between his three companions. 

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed. “What? No one told you?” She moved her gaze onto Grover, who withdrew into himself. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Sorry, I assumed someone had told you,” replied Grover, eyes full of remorse.

“Tell me what?”

“Percy, it isn’t just the monsters who are gonna be trying to stop us. You’re a forbidden child,” explained Grover, tilting his head. “Zeus might decide to take a shot at you himself. The sky is his domain. We’d be serving you on a silver platter to try to travel through it.”

“And flying would be like an act of war, it would mean you’re defying him,” added Y/N. “And you do not want to defy the god of the skies and the king of Olympus.”

Percy searched her face, eyebrows furrowed and lips parted. “Yeah, no one mentioned that,” he eventually replied, his voice full of annoyance. 

The bus slowly pulled to a stop in a gas station, Y/N catching sight of far away trees and she was strongly reminded of the fresh air back when she was living with her mother in a cosy cabin. But that was years ago. 

“Okay, I’m gonna get us some snacks,” announced Annabeth, getting up from her seat and straightening her purple jacket. 

“I wanna come too,” said Y/N, getting up and dusting her pants. 

“I’ll come with you,” voiced Percy, trying to get up on his feet but being pushed back by Annabeth’s firm hands.

“No, you’ll stay right there.”

Percy’s face morphed into a look of disbelief. “What? And how come you’re letting her go, but not me?” he looked towards Y/N, before quickly moving his eyes back on Annabeth. 

“She has a name. And because I asked her,” piped in Y/N, eyebrows furrowing. She crossed her arms, the blood in her veins starting to boil. 

“Yeah, well, I asked her too. Didn’t seem to help,” furrowed Percy. 

“You’re staying here and that’s final.”

“Monsters can’t smell you through that, so that’s where we want you,” added Annabeth, nodding her head. 

Percy’s eyebrows twitched. “I wanna vote.” He briefly looked at Grover, who was worryingly watching the interaction, his gaze shifting back and forth as if he was at a game of tennis. “Who thinks that we should all go get to breathe fresh air and buy our own snacks?” he asked, gazing at Y/N, one eyebrow slightly arched. He deftly raised his hand. 

“There’s no voting,” Y/N and Annabeth said in unison. 

“Chips and sodas okay for you guys?” questioned Annabeth. 

“I don’t think you should just get to decide we don’t vote.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Annabeth voiced, sarcasm lacing her words.

“There’s no point in voting. I just said you’re not coming. Annie agrees,” replied Y/N, leaning forward, looking Percy in the eyes. Her blood was still boiling in her veins and her skin was hot and she knew she would soon reach her limit, before she’d start to erupt, much like a volcano would, but she kept her voice even and her face devoid of any emotion. 

Percy’s lips curled in disdain. “Of course she does! She agrees to whatever you say!” 

Y/N’s lips twitched. “She knows it’s for the better. You, on the other hand, don’t.”

“Okay. I wanna vote on whether you get to decide we don’t vote.”

Y/N’s frown only deepened and bolts thundered in her gaze, flashing. Percy met her eyes, a storm brewing in his ocean gaze. 

Annabeth sighed. “Grover, please, can you help your…” Her voice faltered as Grover started clapping slowly, smiling awkwardly  “...friend?”

Y/N swiftly moved her gaze onto him, confusion lacing her features. She blinked. 

“I really don’t wanna be a tiebreaker,” Grover said, taking all of them in, shaking his head. “I have a better idea.” His clapping increased in a quick rhythm. He opened his mouth and his voice rounded in swift sounds to sing. “Oh, golly, the road’s gettin’ bumpy ‘cause I got me some friends who just can’t get along.”

Y/N’s eyebrows raised, her lips parting. 

“Oh, dear! When the team’s gettin’ bumpy the trick to gettin’ through it is singin’ this song–”

“Dude, what are you doing?” asked Percy, his voice flat. 

Grover blinked, and he moved his gaze from Percy to Annabeth to Y/N, smiling slightly as if the answer was clear as day. “It’s the consensus song,” he simply answered. “Verse two encourages us to say nice things about each other.” 

Percy looked at Y/N, who was still bearing a confused look on her face. Her eyebrows did lower, though. 

“You get a few rounds in and you’d be amazed at how disagreements just kind of… fade away,” continued Grover, his voice faltering at Annabeth’s bored look on her face. 

Silence settled for a few seconds and Y/N briefly glanced at Percy, who was blinking and looking ahead at nothing in particular.

“Chips and sodas okay for you guys?” repeated Annabeth, her hand in her jacket’s pockets. 

“Whatever.”

“Yes, please.”

Y/N scoffed before she left Annabeth’s side, heading for the bus exit. The air was as fresh as remembered. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The sliding doors opened, making way for Y/N and Annabeth to enter the gas station. The cashier was a plump woman in her forties, her face empty of any emotion. She looked bored at best.

“Alright, let’s split up. I’ll get the chips, you get the sodas, okay?” said Y/N, looking around, body tensed. 

Annabeth nodded, before going in the direction of the candies. Y/N looked at her departing figure, before she passed the cashier and stopped in front of the snacks aisle. The refrigerators were humming behind her and she moved her gaze down the alley, trying to read the products. The letters were jumbling together, swirling in front of her eyes in a tangle of mess. She blinked and furrowed. She reached a hand out and took hold of a Lay’s chips bag. She whispered the letters. “La… le… lein?” She shook her head. “That didn’t sound right.” She sighed before she picked up three more identical bags and turned her head to search for Annabeth. She recognized her dark braided hair behind the candy aisle. A small smile blossomed on Y/N’s lips and she let her gaze slide away, taking in the shop around her. 

The smile fell off  her face when her eyes caught sight of a woman staring at her over the drinks aisle. She shifted her weight before she left for the cashier, turning to glance behind her shoulder. Annabeth was just coming beside her. “Don’t look now, but I think we’re being watched.”

Annabeth gave a subtle nod before she dumped all the candies and sodas on the cash register. The cashier raised her eyebrows before she started scanning the products. Athena’s daughter glanced behind her shoulder, as Y/N gave the chips bags to the blonde plump woman in front of her, who was suspiciously checking them both out. “Are you dears alone?” she asked. 

Y/N gritted her teeth. “No.”

“You were right,” Annabeth whispered to Y/N, from the corner of her mouth without looking at her. “Do you think it’s…?”

“Yes,” nodded Y/N, throwing the cashier a tight-lipped smile. 

“That would be 10 dollars,” announced the cashier. 

Y/N searched her pockets before she pulled out a green bill, the face of Alexander Hamilton greeting her. She slammed the money on the cash register, took the bag full of chips, candies and sodas and pulled Annabeth out the gas station. The sliding doors closed behind her with a whoosh sound.

They quickened their steps, Annabeth glancing behind her shoulder, a frown on her face. 

“Don’t panic,” Y/N voiced, looking at her, as they entered the bus. 

“I’m not panicking.” Annabeth stopped in the middle of the aisle. “You go ahead,” she said before she put on the Yankees cap, disappearing.

Y/N sighed, as she approached the boys. 

“Look, I’m not against the idea of consensus, I’m just not sure the song is doing what you think it is, is all,” she heard Percy say. She threw the bag onto his lap and he whipped his head around, his eyebrows furrowed. “Hey!”

She shushed him, waving her hand, and looking at the place where she knew Annabeth would be. She strained her ears, hoping to catch bits and pieces of anything that would alert her of the presence of monsters. 

“What are you doing?” asked Percy, closely watching her. 

Her eyes widened when she saw Annabeth reappear, a frantic look on her face. “Open the window,” she urged Percy, pushing him. 

“What?” 

“Just do as I say!”

Percy opened his mouth to retort, his ocean blue eyes darkening, but he was interrupted by Annabeth. “Guys, you need to open that window! Now!” 

“I don’t think these windows are supposed to–” replied Grover, panic overtaking his features once he saw a Fury getting up from her seat. “Oh, no.”

Y/N swore under her breath and she backed, taking hold of her bow. 

“Go, go, go, go, go!” Grover yelled, getting up and pushing Percy. 

Y/N took out an arrow, and she raised it, not taking her eyes off Alecto, as she slowly advanced towards them, her wings stretching menacingly. She heard the boys forcing the window open, the bus alarm filling the air. 

“Everyone, leave your belongings and exit the front of the bus,” the driver spoke up. 

Y/N inhaled, taking a step back as she made eye contact with the Fury. People got up from their seats, swarming the aisle and slowing down Alecto.  

“Y/N, Annabeth, let’s go!,” yelled Percy, touching Y/N’s arm. She shook his hold off, hearing shrieking. 

Another Fury flew in, breaking a window and turning her attention to Percy. 

“Hey!” Annabeth yelled, taking out her dagger. 

“For gods’ sake!” Y/N mumbled as she raised her bow and launched her arrow. It cut the air, before it targeted the Fury’s forehead at the same time the dagger stabbed her heart. The Fury gave out another shriek, her eyes turning glossy. She turned into an ashy dust and Y/N huffed. 

“We’re done here, let’s go!” said Annabeth, picking her dagger up and jumping down the open window. 

Y/N took hold of her fallen arrow. “Come on, Percy!” she yelled over shoulder, looking at the boy as he picked up the box she recognized as being Luke’s. He nodded, and she took it as a sign he would follow her out the window.

He did. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Birds were chirping and Y/N was happy to be immersed in nature once again. The wind was dancing through the tall pine trees and light was filtering through the deep green leaves. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine she was back home, at the cabin with her mother. But she was on a mission. And she couldn’t let herself be distracted. Not even by the slightest breeze or bird song. 

“Somewhere up ahead this turns into a satyr path,” voiced Grover from behind her. 

“What’s a satyr path?”

“It’s a road through the wilderness. Satyr explorers use them. Harder to track us.”

Y/N’s Converse scuffled, hitting a strayed, small rock. She watched as it rolled down the dusty path. 

“That’s great but if we stay in the wilderness, how are we gonna find a phone?”

She frowned at hearing Percy’s question. She turned to look at him. The blond was holding the box as it was the most sacred thing he’d ever get to hold, and envy’s claw squeezed her neck. 

“What do we need a phone for?” Annabeth voiced the question that was swimming in Y/N’s thoughts and mind. 

“So we can call camp,” stated Percy as if the answer was obvious and plain. 

“For what?” asked Y/N, stopping in her tracks. 

“To get help.”

“We’re not getting help,” she replied, resuming her walk. 

“We don’t need help. We’re fine,” added Annabeth. 

Percy scoffed. “We’re fine? We haven’t even gotten to Trenton, and we’re wandering through a forest. I didn’t even know they had forests in New Jersey, but we’ve found one. I would say we’re the opposite of fine.”

“It’s a very pretty forest, though,” mumbled Y/N, looking up at the towering, sheltering trees. 

On hearing this, Grover threw her a small smile.

“We were sent on a quest by the Oracle, by the gods,” Annabeth said, turning to look at Percy over her shoulder. “What’d you think, it would be easy? It’s supposed to be hard. That’s why only certain people are chosen. If we call camp, we’re basically saying it was a mistake to choose us.”

“I’m completely comfortable with that,” replied Percy, shrugging. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

Y/N scoffed. “We can’t afford to make mistakes. This is a one time only chance.”

Percy blinked, looking at her. He opened his mouth to reply, but Annabeth spoke up, stopping in the middle of the path and turning to look at him. “Why are you so afraid of who you are?”

“What?” frowned Percy.

Grover looked between them, inhaling. “You know, what’s interesting about this particular satyr path is it’s actually the one my Uncle Ferdinand took when he set out on his own quest.”

Percy ignored him, looking at Annabeth. “What was that supposed to mean, afraid of who I am? I’m not afraid.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. She was getting tired of his attitude. 

“Yes, you are,” emphasised Annabeth. “You aren’t just a kid. Just a kid doesn’t do what you did to Clarisse back at camp. Just a kid doesn’t have Hades sending top lieutenants to retrieve them. You know, you are a part of something so much bigger than we can understand right now. We have to move forward whether you like it or not, whether you want to or not.”

Percy shrugged. “You don’t want to call camp, fine. Then, at least let’s call your mom.”

Y/N uncrossed her arms, lips parting. She shifted her gaze onto Annabeth. She knew her friend well. All too well. She knew that right at this moment Percy had unleashed a storm upon Athena’s daughter. She knew that million thoughts were currently racing through her mind, swirling around and clouding her vision. She knew that she was holding herself back. She knew her friend very well, because they were mirror images of each other. Y/N worryingly searched her face and took a step closer to her.

Annabeth blinked several times in disbelief. “Excuse me?”

“Athena? Your mother?” continued Percy, as if he was talking about the weather. “I’d call my father, but we aren’t exactly on speaking terms. You know, because of the lifelong neglect and all, but you and your mother seem close, So, why don’t we ask her for help?”

“Grover, will you explain to your friend that he needs to pull himself together?” fired off Annabeth, looking fixedly at Grover who shook his head, looking between them, lips parted. 

Percy’s face morphed into one of understanding. “You can’t ask her, can you?” There was an edge to his voice, one that cut deep. “When was the last time she talked to you?”

Y/N took a step forward. “Alright, cut it out. We’re losing precious time here.”

Percy’s gaze snapped to hers. “What about you?”

Her eyebrows arched, hiding behind her hairline. “What about me?”

“Miss Bossing-everyone-around, left and right. What about that?”

Her face fell and she scoffed. “I’m just trying to help, but if it bothers you that much, seaweed brain, maybe I should stop. Leave you to do the honours, but as far as I can see, you don’t even know where to start.”

“You did not just make this about me, we were talking about you,” furrowed Percy,

taking a step towards her. 

Y/N threw him a tight-lipped smile. She stepped towards him, meeting his gaze with furious eyes. “Really? I thought we were saying what was bothering us.”

“Grover,” sighed Annabeth, a plea for help.

Percy whipped his head to her. “I don’t know why you keep pulling him into this. He’s on my side.”

“What makes you think that?”

“He’s my Protector, it’s his job,” stated Percy, raising his eyebrows. 

“He was my Protector first!”

Y/N heard Grover sigh and she took a step back from Percy, turning around and settling on a log. 

“First?” flared up Percy. Her mouth twisted in disdain. “What do you mean first?”

Everyone turned to look at Grover, who shifted his weight and cowered beneath their furrowed gaze. “Very exciting, getting to walk in Uncle Ferdinand’s footsteps. Next best thing to getting to talk to him again”

Y/N swore under her breath, her gaze sliding away from the trio. Her blood was rushing through her veins like hot mercury. She had an itch in her heels, her leg jumping up and down. She raised her gaze upwards, catching the sight of the azure sky between the deep green leaves of the forest. 

“Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth had a satyr protector,” Percy slowly voiced. “That was you.” Then, his voice tensed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Grover furrowed, sniffing the air curiously. “Do you guys smell that?”

Y/N glanced at him, slowly getting up. “Are you smelling something, Grov?”

“Grover, I’m not kidding–” 

“Neither am I. Just shush.”

Silence settled between them, heavily, induced with tension. Y/N glanced from the corner of her eyes at Percy, who was already looking at her, confusion lacing his features. 

“Hamburgers,” announced Grover, taking off. 

Leaves crunched under Y/N’s Converse as she rushed off after Grover. 

“Grover! What are you doing?” voiced Annabeth from behind her. 

“Somebody’s making hamburgers in the middle of nowhere, on a satyr path,” explained Grover, still confidently leading the way. Soon they came out onto a road, a clearing in the depth of the emerald forest. “Whoever it is… They’re from our world.” 

Y/N’s hand clenched around her bow, knuckles turning white. Her stomach churned. “I have a bad feeling about this,” she mumbled. 

Percy threw her a curious look before he continued on his way. 

Grey, gruesome statues stretched menacingly towards the skies, their mouths twisting in pain. Y/N’s lips parted at the sight. 

“Oh, come on,” exclaimed Annabeth from beside her. 

“What?” asked Percy from the other side, turning to look at Annabeth over Y/N’s head. 

The feeling in her stomach intensified and Y/N gripped her bow as if it were a lifeline. The carved wood was familiar at her touch. 

“Aunty Em has a garden full of petrified stone folks. Yeah, this is someone from our world, all right,” scoffed Annabeth. 

Y/N dodged an outstretched finger as she passed the petrified form of a bearded man. His eyes were bulging out of their sockets in fear and remorse and his mouth was open in a silent, neverending scream. She tore her eyes away, a shudder running down her spine. 

“Anyone wanna guess what Em is short for?”

“Medusa,” echoed Y/N as all of them stopped in front of towering petrified monsters. Her answer came as a breath. Short. Rapid. 

“Oh,” replied Grover in defeat and realisation. His face had fallen, regret painting his features.

Y/N took a step back, goosebumps chilling down her arms. 

“Let’s get out of here, please, while we still can,” voiced Annabeth, an urgency in her tone. 

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

They all turned around but stopped in their tracks at the sight of a furious Alecto. Her wings were outstretched and she rolled her shoulders, raising her chin. Y/N took out an arrow and she raised her bow, targeting her heart. She felt Percy shuffle beside her, handing Grover his box and taking out Riptide. 

“You should have accepted my offer when you had the chance,” said the Fury, looking at Annabeth and taking a step forward, her claws glinting in the sunlight. 

Y/N’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She straightened her back, not taking her eyes off of the target, even if her mind was screaming at her to turn to look at Annie. To search her face for unsaid answers. 

“Offer? What offer is she talking about?” asked Percy. 

Tension filled silence laid heavy between them and Y/N counted her breaths, preparing herself to let the arrow fly through the air. Heels clicking on concrete cut the silence, a sure voice echoing soon after. “Not today, friends. Not on my doorstep.” 

Alecto hid her face in a raised wing, scarlet scales catching the sunlight, and Y/N didn’t need to turn around to know who was fast approaching. 

Annabeth exclaimed an “Oh, shoot,” before she turned around, hiding her gaze away, Grover doing the same. 

Y/N swore under her breath. Her hand gripped Percy’s elbow, forcing him to turn away. “Don’t you dare look at her, kelp head,” she whispered harshly, meeting his lowered gaze with furrowed eyebrows. He only nodded his head indistinctly.

“If you have something to resolve, why not come inside and I’ll help? Alecto? Will you be joining us?”

The Fury only turned her body away. 

“No, well I wouldn’t think you would.” A beat of silence. “She won’t bother you as long as you’re with me,” a honey dripped note seeped into her voice. 

Y/N slowly let her hand fall from Percy’s elbow. Her other hand was still clutching her bow and arrow. 

“But it isn’t as though she’ll leave either.” The voice raised in a venomous octave. “Not if it means reporting that she failed to retrieve the son of Poseidon.”

Y/N stiffened and she glanced at Percy. His eyebrows pinched together in confusion and he slightly turned on the spot, his gaze pinned to the ground.

“How did you–”

“A forbidden child has been claimed. How long did you think that secret would keep? It’s a pleasure to meet you, son of Poseidon. I’m Medusa.”

Percy swallowed thickly and risked a glance from the corner of his eye. Upon noticing this, Y/N took hold of his elbow once again. She was shaking her head in warning.

“Percy, don’t,” voiced Annabeth. “She’s a monster.”

“We all choose who we make our monsters, but right now, that one wants to tear you limb from limb…” Medusa replied in disdain. “And I’m offering you lunch. The choice is yours.” 

Heels clicking announced her departure. Y/N let her hand fall away from Percy’s elbow and she straightened her back, staring at the blonde’s profile with furrowed eyes. “You didn’t listen to me! I told you to not–”

“I think we can trust her,” Percy interrupted her, glancing at her before looking at the emerald trees surrounding them. 

Y/N’s eyebrows shot up and she felt her blood boil. 

“Dude!”

“What?”

“I can’t explain it, I just–” shrugged Percy, stumbling over his own words. He turned to look at Y/N, his gaze sincere. “My mom used to tell me her story. And the point was always that she isn’t what people think.”

Y/N opened her mouth to retaliate that they can’t take that risk now, not on this quest, not when she was on her way to find out who her father was, but her glare softened at Percy’s next words. 

“And I definitely trust my mom.”

She could relate to that. Even though she hadn’t felt the warm embrace of a mother in a long time. She closed her mouth and just stared back at him. 

“So I’m going in,” he continued, turning his gaze onto Annabeth and Grover. “You guys do what you want.” He looked one more time at Y/N before he turned to walk away, the sword weighing heavy in his hand. 

Grover stared at both of them, eyes wide as saucers before he left after Percy. 

“What are you–” Annabeth started to ask before her voice slowly died. She turned to look at Y/N, conflict written on her face. 

“We can’t leave them alone, Annie,” replied Y/N softly. “We came as a team, we’re leaving as a team.” She squared her shoulders and threw the bow and the arrow on her back. “And I also can't leave you alone either. So, are you coming? Or are we keeping Mrs. Alecto here company?”

Annabeth took in a breath and nodded her head. “I’m coming.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The bell chimed as Y/N opened the door and stepped into Aunty Em’s home. Immediately, a wave of sweetness enveloped her and her stomach grumbled at the sight of a filled table. She swallowed away her hunger. 

“Thanks for coming,” said Percy as his gaze found hers. She simply shrugged,her eyes roaming around the room. It strangely reminded her of a grandmother’s house. The kind that knitted and held mint drops in crystal, intricate bowls. Also the kind that was wealthy. She could tell by the antique carpet and the centuries old chandeliers.

“This isn’t the same for me as it is for you,” she heard Annabeth say.

“Why?”

Swift heels and a steady voice interrupted the conversation. “You’re concerned I would hold a grudge against you simply because you’re a daughter of Athena?”

Y/N closed her eyes and turned her head away. The sound of a liquid being poured in glasses reached her ears and a frail waft of lemonade tickled her nostrils. She tried to ignore her scratchy and dry throat. 

“You shouldn’t be,” continued Medusa as if she were talking about the weather. “We’re not our parents after all.”

Y/N frowned. Was she even like her father? She faintly remembered her mother saying she had the same eyes as him, but other than that, was she even her father’s daughter?

“And you and I might have more in common than you think.” 

She felt Annabeth stiffen beside her. She took her hand gently. A touch of reassurance. 

“Please, sit and eat.”

Y/N slowly opened her eyes and took in the sight of a thousand, fresh sweets. A glass was filled to the brim with lemonade and she had to tear her gaze away from it to not give in. She wasn’t sure if she could trust Medusa. She trusted Percy enough to follow him but her gut was telling her otherwise. She felt Annabeth squeeze her hand. She squeezed back. 

“So you’re not a monster, what are you then?” asked Percy as he took a seat at the table, chair scratching the wooden floor. 

“A survivor,” Medusa simply answered. 

A shiver ran down Y/N’s spine. 

“You must be a little more than that. There’s a Fury out there that seems terrified of you,” added Percy, while filling his plate. Y/N watched miserably as he started eating. 

Medusa inclined her head, hands laced. “Because she knows what I think of her.” She straightened her dress before she took a seat on a wooden carved chair. And by the squeak it gave out, Y/ could tell it was also old. If she wasn’t aware of whose house she was in, Y/N would have thought she just stepped into a museum or an antique shop. “I don’t like bullies. When one shows up on my doorstep, they end up spending a lot more time there than they planned for. The gift that gods gave me is that I cannot be bullied anymore.” Y/N could detect a small smile in Medusa’s words. She felt Annabeth’s hold on her faltering.

“What my mother did to you wasn’t a gift, it was a curse.”

A pause. “You are loyal to your mother.”

“Yes.”

“You stand by her?”

“Always.”

“You love her?” 

Annabeth took out her hand from Y/N’s and crossed her arms. “Of course I do.”

Medusa slowly nodded her head. “And so did I. So did I.”

Y/N shifted her weight and looked towards Grover who was stuffing his face with muffins. 

“Do you know the story of how I came to be this way?” inquired Medusa. Y/N felt as though she was once again in those stuffy classrooms, where other kids glared at the back of her head and where she never knew the answers to the questions addressed by the teachers (they always did seem to pick her in her least finest moments. Like that one time she saw an eagle perching itself on a wire and tilting its head at her, as if it knew her.)

“I do,” replied Grover, mouth full of food.

“Do you?”

The satyr blinked. “Do I?”

A bell tolled in the distance and that grumbling feeling in her stomach returned.

“Athena was everything to me,” started Medusa. The red on her lips was popping and she was speaking slowly. “I worshipped her, I prayed to her. I made offerings… She never answered. Not even an omen to suggest she appreciated my love. I wasn’t like you, sweetheart. I was you.”

“I think you’re in the wrong,” Y/N spoke up. It hurt speaking, her throat was too dry and the words came out scratched. 

Medusa moved her gaze on the girl. “Am I? How many times did your father show you a token of his love? Did he ever answer your prayers and offerings? Did he ever recognise you as his kin?”

Y/N remained silent. Her lips drew in a thin line and she exhaled through her nose. She could feel Percy’s stare at the side of her face. 

“I would have worshipped her that way for a lifetime… in silence,” Medusa continued as if she wasn’t interrupted just a moment ago. “But then one day, another god came, and he broke that silence. Your father. The Sea God told me that he loved me. I felt as though he saw me in a way I had never felt seen before.” Her words turned acid. “But then Athena declared that I had embarrassed her and I needed to be punished. Not him. Me. She decided that I would never be seen again by anyone who would live to tell the tale.”

“That isn’t what happened,” raged Annabeth. “My mother is just, always.”

“The gods want you to believe that, that they are infallible. But they only want what all bullies want. They want us to blame ourselves, for their own shortcomings.”

Y/N hated herself for finding mirrored truth in Medusa’s words, in bits and pieces of anger and broken trust. 

“That is not what happened. And you are a liar,” screamed Annabeth.

For a moment silence reigned between them and Y/N counted the seconds until someone spoke up. Ten. 

“Something’s burning,” said Medusa. 

Y/N sniffed the air. Nothing was burning. 

“Would you give me a hand in the kitchen? I think lunch is ready.” Receding footsteps echoed in the room. 

Percy turned his head to look at the girls. Annabeth shook her head. Y/N only glared at him, a clear sign that she wasn’t on board with what he was about to do. He blinked and followed the older woman into the kitchen. 

“He never listens,” sighed Y/N, staring after him.

“Grover…,” said Annabeth. The satyr gazed at her, a pastry sticking out of his mouth and crumbs falling down his chin.  “Get ready to run.”

“Or fight,” added Y/N, getting out her bow, determination glinting in her eyes.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The dark always seemed to sharpen its claws everytime she was around, taunting her, as if it knew she was scared to find out what it was hiding. Doubt made a nest into her mind as she watched her Converse walking down the stone stairs and around the corner, following Percy. She blinked and furrowed against the thick blackness. The front of her sneakers caught onto a small rock and she tripped, her hand landing on Percy’s shoulder.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. He only nodded his head in response. 

Scorching fire travelled down the room, illuminating it whole. Percy turned around, coming face to face with a petrified victim, a woman who seemed to have begged for mercy in her last moments. Percy, startled, gasped and took a step back, bumping into Y/N.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. She didn’t answer. 

Thousands of statues stretched before them, losing themselves in the depth of the room. “Well, she definitely has a collection worth of envy in her basement,” said Y/N, sarcasm coating her words.

A door creaking and closing with a resounding slam alerted the group and Annabeth waved them over. “Come on.”

They ran through the labyrinth of statues, once in a while throwing a look over their shoulders. 

“There’s four of us and only one of her,” started Grover, his voice slightly wavering. “If we split up, she can’t be watching us all at once.”

Y/N shook her head. “She’s smarter than that.”

“I agree,” added Annabeth once they all came to a stop. “I don’t think it’d be that simple.”

“It could be,” replied Grover, sure of himself. “Here’s the plan. I’ll get in the air, I’ll draw her attention. As soon as you hear me say Maia, you guys–”  His voice got muffled by the sound of flipping wings and he was raised in the air. “Oh, boy! Okay! Um.. Off. Down.”

Y/N watched helplessly as Grover disappeared in the abyss of the basement, his whimpers and screams faltering. 

“So, we’re gonna need a new plan,” voiced Annabeth. 

“Yeah,” echoed Y/N.

“We are not our parents until we choose to be,” Medusa’s voice travelled to their ears, authoritative and powerful, a knife in the heavy silence. Y/N scrambled into a run, her Converse sliding against the stony floor. She settled behind the statue of a man with a back wide enough to hide her from petrifying eyes. Across from her, stood Percy, behind a crate, watching her with a fearful gaze. She raised a finger to her lips.  

“You three have chosen.”

She slowly took out her bow and arrow, her eyes catching sight of a stretching shadow. Hissing of snakes reached her ears and she raised her bow. 

“A daughter of a self-righteous mother, who chose self-righteousness for herself.”

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut..

“A daughter of a stand-by father, who chose to remain deaf to the cries of the innocent.”

A familiar fire travelled through her veins, bringing her to a boiling point. She scowled. 

“And you, you could have shown your father what it means to stand up for someone you love. You could choose to save your mother, instead of doing your father’s bidding. If neither of you will help teach these lessons, perhaps you should be the lessons.”

Heels clicking alerted Y/N that Medusa was getting closer. She could hear the snakes better now. 

“When I ship your statues to Olympus… maybe that will get my point across even better.”

“You won’t,” Y/N’s voice boomed.

“The unclaimed one. Pity. I understand you, child. You’re forgotten, just like me,” Medusa’s voice echoed. 

“You understand nothing. You claim to know me, but you don’t.”

“Come out. Let’s have a look at you.”

Y/N came out from behind the statue with her head held high, bow clenched in her hands and an arrow raised. Her feet were unsure, though. It felt as though she was walking on thin air. 

Heels clicked and Y/N took a step back. She had to maintain a distance in order to launch her arrow. Her ears strained. From her left, she could hear Percy taking out his sword. 

“Don’t I? We’re the same, you and I. I feel your envy and fury. And I know how much you long after your father, how much you miss your dear mother. But I can help you. I can soften your pain. Open your eyes, child. Let me see your eyes. Let me see your father’s eyes.” 

She almost complied, like a lost child on the first day of school. The hold on her bow slightly weakened and she felt the pain she always buried deep inside her, the one she had lived with since her mother took her last breath on a hospital bed. She wanted it gone. Erased. But then she remembered the promise she had made to her mother on her last day, she remembered her aunt’s kind smile and the bow was raised once again, the arrows glinting in the firelight.

“No,” Y/N growled. And then she launched her arrow. A pained hissing reassured her that it reached its target, slashing one of the snakes in half. 

Grover’s yelling brought a smile onto her face and she ducked once she heard him zigzagging through the air towards her. “I didn’t really think this through!” He crashed into a pile of craters, breaking them. Y/N heard Annabeth yell “Now!” and she dared open her eyes.

She saw Percy’s sword glint before it came down, cutting the air and slashing what Y/N assumed to be Medusa’s neck. She inhaled before she came beside him. Somewhere behind her she heard Grover complain about his back and Annabeth fretting over him. Percy gulped before his foot kicked the air. Squelching filled the air and Y/N’s nose scrunched up. “Nasty.”

Percy kneeled and took hold of Medusa’s invisible head, grunting and scowling in disgust. “Aw, man.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t wanna be in your place either,” replied Y/N, eyeing the air between Percy’s hands. 

“You found it?” asked Annabeth, nearing them. 

“Hope so,” replied Percy, getting up.

“There’s one more thing we need to do,”  affirmed Y/N with her hands on her hips. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Watching Percy bravely take off the Yankees cap and petrify Alecto, sent a shudder down Y/N’s spine. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought she was witnessing an already written Olympian legend, the kind written on time consumed, yellowed scrolls. 

She exhaled as Alecto’s petrified body fell to the ground, shattering in million pieces. Percy put the cap back on, turned on his heels and marched towards the door, where Y/N was patiently waiting. She opened it for him and they slowly descended the stairs towards the basement, the quiet settling between them.

She squinted against the darkness, but her feet tripped the second time that day. She huffed in annoyance, once she regained her balance and dusted off her pants.

“You okay?” inquired Percy, the ocean in his eyes shining in the dark.

“Just fine,” she simply answered, an edge to her tone. 

Torches lit their way and they came before a still Grover and a worried Annabeth, who was throwing them looks.

“Grov? What is it?” Y/N asked, as she stopped beside him. Her eyes caught sight of a marble white statue. A satyr. He had the ghost of a smile on his lips and a daring posture. Realisation dawned on her and she whipped her head towards her friend, watching him swallow tears away.

“Uncle Ferdinand,” replied Grover in a broken whisper. 

“Oh no,” voiced Percy. 

Y/N hesitated before she let her hand gently fall on Grover’s shoulder. She squeezed it for a second, trying to muster a soft smile. She failed. Y/N could never imagine losing her aunt. A pang pierced her heart at the thought of it.

“Grover, I’m so sorry,” said Annabeth, coming closer to him. 

“This is as far as he got on his quest. We aren’t even to Trenton. But look at him,” the satyr chuckled softly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “He’s not like the others, he… He doesn’t look afraid.”

“Sounds like someone I know. It must run in the family,” smiled Y/N.

Grover met her gaze and softly smiled back. “Thank you, Y/N.”  He then blinked his tears away and cleared his throat. “You used the, um, you used the head to get rid of Alecto?”

“Yeah,” answered Percy, watching his best friend with concern simmering in his eyes.

“Good. That was the right move.” He wiped a stray tear. “Uh, we probably should get going. It’ll be dark soon.” 

“But what are we gonna do with the head?” interjected Percy, pointing towards what remained of Medusa. “I just took down a Fury with it and I wasn’t even trying. We can’t just leave it for someone to find.” 

Y/N crossed her arms and opened her mouth to reply, an idea already forming into her head, but Percy beat her to it. “Leave the hat on and bury it in the basement, that oughta keep it safe.”

Her arms fell to her sides and her gaze swiftly moved onto her best friend, but Annabeth’s face was devoid of emotion. Stone.  “Sure. Now, can we talk about the bigger issue here?”

“What bigger issue?” frowned the son of Poseidon.

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. “You could have saved your mother? That’s what she said to you, like you discussed it already. Is your mother still alive?”

Y/N looked at Percy expectantly. 

“She’s with Hades. But I appreciate your concern.”

Her mouth fell open and her eyebrows pinched together. “Is this why you’re on the quest?”

“Guys, just please stop,” Grover’s meek voice came from behind them. 

“Oh, I’m concerned,” continued Annabeth, her voice sharp as a knife. “What are you actually doing on this quest and why did we have to hear it from Medusa?”

Percy shook his head, his face scrunching up and he rolled his eyes. “Okay, while we’re at it, “You should have accepted my offer?” What’s that about do you think? And why did we have to hear it from Alecto? And seriously, Y/N? What was that stunt that you pulled?”

Y/N scoffed, cocking an eyebrow. “What stunt?”

“I feel your envy and fury? Let me see your father’s eyes? You almost lowered your bow. I saw you!” he screamed into her face, taking a step closer.

“But I did not!”

“Enough,” yelled Grover, turning around. 

A beat of silence. Y/N glared at Percy’s profile, lightning flashing in her eyes. She crossed her arms and shifted her gaze from him. 

“The hat was a gift from her mother. It’s the only thing she’s ever possessed that connects them. That oughta matter to you,” continued the satyr with a steady voice. 

“Okay, but how are we gonna make sure this thing is safe?” asked the blond.

“I’m not up to that yet,” Grover replied sharply. “And you know Y/N’s trying to find who her father is. You were like her once, too, Percy, so I’m sure you understand where she’s coming from. But she didn’t let her guard down.”

Percy shifted his weight awkwardly, gazing at the girl beside him. She caught her eyes with a still thunderous glare.

Grover turned to the girls. “And you girls, really? His mom’s alive. Can you imagine how confusing that must be for him? Feeling like he may have to choose between the fate of the world and the fate of the only person who’s ever cared about him?”

She could imagine. If her mom was still alive, she for surely, without a doubt, would have done the same. Y/N’s arms weakened but they didn’t uncross. “What are you trying to say?” she softly asked.

“Why are you talking like this?” added Annabeth. 

“Because all day I’ve been trying to keep this quest on track without upsetting either of you.” He deeply inhaled and exhaled, calming himself down. “But maybe things need to get a little upsetting before they move forward.’ He turned towards Percy. “She asked you a question back in the woods, and you never really answered. What are you so afraid of?”

Percy blinked and shifted his feet. “What are you talking about?”

“You heard me.”

“I don’t know.”

“I think you do. You’ve been fighting with them, you’ve been fighting with me.”

“ Because the Oracle said one of you would betray me. Okay?” flared up Percy. He sighed and licked his lips. “You shall be betrayed by the one who calls you a friend, and you shall fail to save what matters most in the end. That’s the rest of what she said to me. I chose Annabeth because I couldn't imagine we’d ever be friends. I chose Y/N because I thought I could rely on her to protect me, to protect us. And I chose you because I thought if I can count on anyone to be on my side, no matter what, it was you.” He squared his shoulders and his voice broke. “And now, I’m feeling so alone. I don't know what to think or who to trust.”

A silence settled heavily over them. Y/N sighed, her gaze still pinned to one of the statues. It horrified her but she didn’t have the courage to look anyone else in the eye. “I guess I’m jealous,” she eventually voiced.

She could feel Percy’s steady stare on her. “Why?”

“You’re claimed.” Her tongue weighed heavily and she had to swallow some of her pride away in order to speak. “And I’m not.” 

“It’s not like I have the best relationship with my dad. It’s practically non-existent.” 

She heaved, turning to look at him, her eyebrows still furrowed. “Maybe, but he sees you. He knows you, he cares enough to claim you. Mine didn’t and continues to don’t.”

Percy shuffled his feet. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

“Yes, I know, it’s just–” he sighed. “This is why you’re on the quest, right? To get the attention of your godly parent?”

She hesitated, averting her gaze for a moment. She almost had the urge to tell Percy off, to turn her back on him and return to the camp to drown her invading thoughts in archery training and tree climbing. But she didn’t and she let her arms fall to the sides of her, her eyebrows and eyes softening in a sad gaze as she turned her head to catch his ocean eyes. “To find out who I really am,” she corrected him softly. 

Percy nodded, at a loss at words. He raised his hand as if he wanted to touch her shoulder in a reassuring manner but changed his mind at the last second. “We’ll find out together.” He turned towards Athena’s daughter. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Annabeth hesitated, looking at the ground. “Alecto offered to help our quest if I gave you up on her.”

“What did you say?”

“I killed her sister,” shrugged Annabeth. 

“Medusa offered to help me save my mom if I turned on the three of you.”

“And what’d you say?”

“I cut off her head,” he replied as if he was talking about a normal Tuesday.

Grover looked at all of them, wisdom swirling in his eyes. “You didn’t choose to be demigods. We didn’t choose this quest. But we can decide that as long as the four of us are together, none of us are gonna be alone.”

Y/N’s eyes caught Percy’s and she blinked. He pursed his lips. 

“And if we can’t do that, we might as well just head back to camp right now. ‘Cause we won’t make it,” continued Grover, a note of finality in his voice. 

Percy’s gaze shifted between them, a focused look in his eye. He slightly nodded his head, his curls catching the golden light of the torches. “I think I’ve got a better idea what to do with this.” 

He marched towards the desk settled between crates and forgotten statues. His green shirt fluttered and Y/N jogged to catch up to him. He got behind the desk and flipped through a notebook. From where she stood Y/N could see scribbles, black on white, some of them hastily written, others noted in cursive writing. “Hermes Express. She ships these things all over. Some of it goes to Olympus.”

Upon hearing this, Y/N frowned and she took a step closer to the desk, taking hold of the notebook and turning it towards her. Her eyebrows raised in slight surprise. Right there, in neat handwriting stood her father’s address. 

Mount Olympus, 600th Floor, Empire State Building New York, NY

“Percy, you can’t ship Medusa’s head to Olympus,” replied Annabeth in disbelief.

“Why not?”

“Because the gods won’t like it.”

“At all. At all at all,” added Grover, shaking his head. 

Percy frowned and leaned his hands on the desk. “Why? That’s what you do with dangerous stuff. Like batteries, you just send ‘em back where they came from.”

“Okay. Look, this is a bad idea,” voiced Annabeth, a clear worry seeping into her tone.

Y/N raised her eyes from the notebook. A slight smirk was pulling at the corner of her lips. “I think it’s a brilliant idea. Make them see us.”

The blond turned his gaze onto her and shared her smirk. There was mischief shining in his eyes.

Annabeth scoffed and threw her best friend a pointed look. “They will see this as impertinent.”

“I am impertinent,” shrugged Percy.

“Yes, but we’re not,” puffed the daughter of Athena.

The satyr shook his head. “Really, very not.”

“I am,” said Y/N as she crouched down and took hold of an empty box, passing it to Percy. He threw her a brief smile, putting in the invisible head. He slammed the box onto the desk.

“Look. Medusa tried to derail our quest. She’s got serious beef with your mom. When you look at it that way, this seems kinda like tribute or something, doesn’t it? And besides…” He reached into the box and took out the blue cap with a grimace painted on his face. He held it to Annabeth. “...this way, a part of your mom’s still with us.”

She hesitated before she let her fingers wrap around the familiar fabric of the cap. “Thank you.”

He smiled at her lightly, warmly, as only a friend would. Y/N found a tape, forgotten on the corner of the desk, and she passed it to him, still smirking. He raised his gaze to her and took it from her, their fingers touching only for a fleeting second. “Be sure to sign my name as well, seaweed brain.”

His smirk broadened. “Will do.”

“So this isn’t exactly what I meant. By choosing each other,” Grover shook his head. 

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Lighten up a little, Grov. We just took down Medusa together. There will be fewer statues in the world now.”

“That’s not what I meant and there are actual dangers involved here that cannot be–” 

Slow clapping filled the air and Y/N’s smirk turned into a full blown grin.

“You’re gonna sing the song, aren’t you?”

Percy met her gaze and he started clapping faster.

“Okay,” continued Grover evenly. 

“Oh golly, the road’s gettin’ bumpy.”

“Whatever.”

“Consensus.”

A giggle escaped Y/N’s lips. Yeah, she could trust Percy. 

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

A/N: Percy and Y/N being partners in crime is my Roman Empire. Also, I introduced Y/N's fatal flaw in this chapter. Can you guys guess which one it is?

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Lots of love xx

Main tag list: @bohemianrhapsody86 @andreead @asgards-princess-of-mischief @islayhawkin

Series tag list: @mynicknameisgasoline @constellation-archive @leptitlu @br3nt-12 @utterlyunawarewriter @spidermansfangirl

[elainsgirl]

HELP, because im literally dead laughing.

Why did an anti say in the bonus chapter that azriel is only upset because of his brothers having mates and not him. they also mentioned he wanted elain to be his mate because his brothers got two sisters... so thats why he gets the third sister?? then they kept saying over and over he just wants a mate? but, the part that really made me laugh was "if he and elain got together and he found his mate, hE wOuLd lEaVe eLaIn, nO hEsiTaTioN. elAin wOuLd giVe uP hEr mAtE, bUt aZriEl wOulDnT. " do they hear themselves right now? WHAT ARE THEY EVEN READING, for real? they lack reading comprehension so bad!!

Hey anon 🫶

GA stans will never beat the allegations they don’t actually understand Azriel’s character outside of whatever they can twist for their ship.

If Azriel’s whole sadness simply stemmed from the fact he solely wanted a mate - his whole character arc surrounding the fact he believes he deserves and should have a mate, there was no need for Sjm to bring Elain into it. Elain wouldn’t have needed to even be mentioned in the bonus. Rhys theorised that Azriel was waiting for the bond to snap between him and Mor - THAT would have been the focus.

According to GA logic you’d get the same result. Azriel could have gone to Rhys and whined about how it wasn’t fair his brothers had mates & he didn’t, him wondering why the bond hasn’t snapped between him & Mor -> You get the same “Az only wants a mate!” Rhetoric that GA stans love to push. Gwynriel’s clearly must then believe Az is stupid and dumb. Why else would he complain over not having Elain as his mate when he knows you can only have one mating bond? Its useless. He knows elain cannot be his mate so why is he being counterproductive and wanting her to be his mate? He should still be pining and obsessing over Mor being his fated mate. It potrays Az as being illogical and childish - which ig is how GA stans show him as.

There was no need to mention Elain, the cauldron or pointing out the oddity it is to have 2/3 brothers mated to 2/3 sisters. There was no need to make Elriel attracted to each other. These are not complex romances. There is no multiple Lis or relationships. If Gwynriel is endgame- Elriel will not happen in any capacity. Yet Mass chose to include Elain. Chose to confirm that Elriel are attracted to each other, brought up the cauldron being wrong once again in the context of elucien.

“"if he and elain got together and he found his mate, hE wOuLd lEaVe eLaIn, nO hEsiTaTioN. elAin wOuLd giVe uP hEr mAtE, bUt aZriEl wOulDnT. "

What kind of Li would he be? That destroys Azriels character completely to the point of no redemption. Elain and him finally being together only for him to leave her bcs “Oh look! I have my mate now!” - Basically using Elain, discarding her the first chance he gets when his mate shows up ? The fact gwynriels genuinely believe this tells me they don’t understand Sjm’s way of writing her male Lis nor do they understand Azriel’s character- it literally makes him look superficial and fickle. Why would you want Azriel to be potrayed like that!? Its not giving romance. Its not giving sjm. This is what I expect your sterotypical misogynistic man to come up with. Men who do not care about women’s feelings. Men who see women as objects that they can use to fill the void before discarding them as if they meant nothing. Its so sad to see women coming up with these takes, Why would you want Elain to go through such heart break? Do they think Gwyn will find it romantic? Their twisted fanon Gwyn might but I’ll tell you now, If canon Gwyn ever found out Azriel broke another womans’ heart to be with her, she’d clock him in the face twice. Do they think Nesta/Feyre will Support or understand Azriel dumping their darling sister bcs “oh well he’s found his mate now so its all good” basically according to gwynriels, If Gwyn wasn’t his mate - she’d too be thrown away. The only reason Az would go after Gwyn is because she’s his mate - is this what they find romantic? Bcs it just gives me the ick. Thank God Mass would never do such a thing. Say what you want about Sjm; she values Love & choice, female empowerment & friendship above all else even a mating bond.

Gwynriels do not understand these characters and a good romance story, if this take is anything to go by. Everyone deserves better from the way GA/EL stans treat them.

This just makes me glad im on the right side of this ship war because most elriels will never ruin these characters for our ship. It also reaffirms my belief in elriel.

[jikooklove9795]

With the news just of JKs series, which seems to be the film split from the trailer, just with extras, am I wrong to pray that we don’t get a documentary for Muse?

I just have this really bad feeling that Jimin would say something more unhinged than he did during the Bangtan bombs we got and the interviews with p dogg, when he said he couldn’t remember the last time he had a crush, that he was alone, and he couldn’t relate to the love songs. That telling the producers what he wanted for Who was like them reading his diary, basically that whole segment is sus, and technically debunked Jikook. I can imagine him saying he’s never been in love etc. I just know he would do that. We’ve got Jimin choosing Who, about not having love, and JK chooses all songs about being with the one you love, so I wasn’t worried about him saying anything, just Jimin.

I am wrong to feel this way? I pray every night for it not to happen

Hi Anon!

First I need to tell you this before I go further on explaining why MUSE, the album as a whole does nothing to debunk Jikook:

As much as I love celebrating Jikook's bond and relationship I'm not someone who has any kind of expectations from both Jimin and Jungkook. I won't demand them to behave a certain way so that I get the confirmation my ship needs. Having such kind of expectations is not ony wrong but also unfair to them.

Anon, I hope I don't sound condescending which is not my intention at all. I'm just saying this in your best interest. I hope you'll take it in the right spirit.

Now I'll share my views on why MUSE does not debunk Jikook.

MUSE is a conceptual album as opposed to FACE which was autobiographical. As stated by Jimin and the producers they were following a storyline for MUSE. Also, when it came to MUSE Jimin had so much to share, ideas to give and discuss while for FACE we didnt get that, did we? Since FACE was about his own life and the struggles he went through, he was hesitant and holding back not letting us know much about it. Which was not surprising knowing how serious he is about his personal life.

And something which I think you're forgetting is that Jimin is an artist. An artist who will experiment with his work and explore diverse genres in order to bring to the table different stories for the fans. Stories which fans also can relate to. Stories which aren't about his personal life and experiences. His work is not always going to be solely focused on his personal life. So, try to separate his work life from his personal life.

Also, taking into consideration his situation (his country, the industry he works in) its highly unlikely for him to say "Hey! Jungkook is my bf. We have been in love for a long time now". That's not gonna happen anytime in the near future. So, what we will be getting instead is "I'm single for as long as I can remember. I don't even know how having a crush feels like".

This is the exact reason why "Letter" gets passed off as a fan song in the general fandom. Cause Jimin is not in a position to say "Letter" is for Jungkook. That's a sad reality. But its for their own safety and well being. Which provides them a cover, a protection. The same cover cause of which they were able to enlist together. Which in my opinion is the most important for them, I mean being able to stay together rather than risk everything and expose themselves.

However Jimin did provide a few hints here and there for those who are willing to listen.

And an even BIGGER HINT with this one here:

The billboard falling at the same time Jimin goes "Who's my heart waiting for". Someone whose facial structure is not that of a woman but of a man. A man with doe eyes. A man who stole his heart all those years ago. A man with whom he's happy and very obviously in love.

Have a nice day Anon!

Credits to the owner of the video

[runawaymun]

Hey! Any advice on writing multi chaptered fics or just longer stories?

I feel like I'm okay for like snippets but have no idea how to write the middle of a story or move a character or story from point a to point b.

And asking you because you're writing is phenomenal and I'd love some advice.

(But if no brain space for advice I totally get that too and feel free to hide this ask or something)

(Anyway great updates on boundless and the one shot Brimbrond)

Sorry for taking so long to respond to this! I just wanted to take some good time to gather my thoughts because oh man oh boy I am a bit of a nerd about plot structure, even if I pants it a lot of the time -- because middles and structure absolutely plagued me when I was a beginner and so I spent a long, long time studying it and breaking it down.

I'm going to start with some very, very basic advice and then get into some more specific stuff. So let's talk first about how to structure a long-form plot first.

DISCLAIMER: this is how I personally structure plots. More often than not I veer off my own track. And this is a very western way of structuring a plot. It's well worth looking into how storytellers from around the world structure their work because it can vary wildly (Miyazaki is a great example of this). Take this with a grain of salt. It's a guideline which I find helpful. This is going to get very, very long. Bear with me:

When I'm first thinking about how to create a plot around a story I want to tell, this is the process I walk myself through, and it tends to work about 75% of the time for the stories I like to tell (I'm not much of a thriller or mystery writer and those tend to have different kinds of structure). Main recipe is as follows:

Status quo - establish the setting and the character. Do this by the middle-to-end of chapter one, preferably. You can get away with drawing it out a bit in sci-fi or fantasy works that require more worldbuilding, but try not to.

Inciting incident - I won't tell you to start in media res, as that varies from writer to writer and story to story. Generally you want to have this somewhere in chapters 1-3. Say we're talking about LOTR - I'd say the inciting incident is when Bilbo goes invisible at his birthday party and leaves for retirement. Everything sort of snowballs from there (Gandalf confirming this is The One Ring, the Ring being passed to Frodo, the adventure beginning, etc. etc). This is where your character can lose something, or be confronted with a huge problem, or gain some new information. This is the point where your story really picks up.

Point of no return - your character has been presented with a problem or is put in a situation and now they have to decide what to do about it. Sometimes characters choose to run away, or choose inaction. It's up to you and your character as to what they do next.

The annoying part - the most helpful way I've ever found to think about middles is in terms of a series of decisions and consequences. Your character must decide what to do (or try to get what they want), and this will then come with consequences to those decisions. I ignore a lot of writing advice because writers seem to be very cagey about how they compose middles and plots for some reason, but the one piece I heard that helped me was: "What does my character want, and what stops them from getting it?" -- and this can be anything, right? Frodo wants (has to) take the Ring to Mordor. Luke wants to learn to be a Jedi like his father. Inspector Poirot needs to catch the murderer. Odysseus wants to return home. Each of these characters are going to make a series of decisions toward their goal, and they may be working from incomplete information, or bad paradigms, or racing against the clock, or against impossible odds. They're going to make mistakes. Over and over and over again. The middle is a series of decisions, consequences for those decisions, and obstacles (more on that later).

Point of no return 2, electric boogaloo (i.e. the actual midpoint to the story) - the part right before the climax -- the climax IS NOT the midpoint of your story, nor is it the end. This is your midpoint where Everything Fucking Sucks. Your character's back is against the wall. They have to change, or fail.

Paradigm shift: your character learns something new, or develops in some crucial way that leads to:

The climax/confrontation: 3/4 - 7/8th of the way through your plot. Frodo decides to keep the ring. Luke uses the force to blow up the death star. Anakin's fear and the manipulation from Palpatine overtakes him and he turns to the dark side. Inspector Poirot gets his last crucial piece of information and gathers everybody together for the Big Reveal. Odysseus gets home and chases the suitors out of his house. Etc. Etc. This is that Big Point in the story we all think as the most important or crucial point (but it's not. That's the key here. THE most important point is the whole middle of how we got here).

Consequences and paradigm shift 2 electric boogaloo: varies from story to story, but this is the fallout of the last decision or confrontation. Your character may reflect on what they've learned. The killer goes to jail. Frodo returns to the Shire and it's saved, but not for him. The journey your character has been on has irreparably altered them, or the world around them -- for better or for worse.

Resolution: the place where you land the story ;) what is the final impression you want your readers to have of your character, or this world?

Alright so that's all kind of nebulous. Let me give you a slightly more specific form of this plot structure that I use pretty often, because I almost exclusively write character and relationship-driven stories since that's what interests me most:

So most of this looks much the same (the inciting incident is some kind of meetcute. The characters then have to decide if they want to have some kind of relationship -- I like to name this part the callback). Then we have a whole weird squishy section of building interest and tension, before once again we have The Big Fight (darkest before the dawn or what have you), before one or both characters have some kind of paradigm shift, they confess their feelings (or resolve the fight or whatever), and the security of the relationship is established -- happy go lucky times, everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.

So the middle here is of course still squishy and nebulous, but the focus here is still on "What decisions are the characters making? What are the consequences of those decisions? What are they learning, and how do they respond to it?" Maybe the tension is in one character being more reticent, while the other is more open. Maybe the tension is a sexual tension (will they, won't they?). Maybe a character is working off of incomplete information, or a misunderstanding, and that needs to be cleared up before the relationship (or even their own personal growth) can progress (both Elrian and Thalionel in Stars and Boundless Sky follow this pattern). The middle is a push-pull between your character's desires and outside forces that are stopping them from getting what they want, or achieving what they want to achieve.

So okay, that's all well and good. That's basic plot structure. Let me get into my thought process about middles specifically:

Begin with your ending in mind. I do not mean that you need to have like the whole resolution to your story fleshed out. If you're that kind of writer, great! But if you're more of a pantser like me, then that can be a big ask. Instead, ask yourself: what do I want my character to have learned by the end of the story? How do I want them to have changed, or grown? Do I want it to be for better, or for worse? Is there a specific plot goal you have in mind? (saving the world, or catching the murderer, solving the mystery, exorcizing the ghost, the couple getting together at the end, the found family finally gelling with each other, or whatever).

Once you have that thought in mind, now start to think about what your character might need to get from their starting point to their ending point. If it's a murder mystery, this is your information gathering section. You can lead your character to wrong or right conclusions. Have them make mistakes. Etc. etc. If it's a romance, this is where you create a string of scenes where the characters have opportunities to interact and learn more about each other (works for platonic slowburns, too). If this is a traditional hero's journey, this is where you plop in your actual journey.

Not to repeat this ad nauseum, but your middle is all about getting your character to your end goal, but in the most difficult way possible lmao. Let them make mistakes. Let them make bad decisions -- and then follow through with the consequences of those bad decisions. Give them bad information. This is where understanding your character's fundamental flaws becomes extremely important. Your entire plot, imo, stems from your character's fundamental flaws -- because ultimately that is what is going to slow them down the most from reaching their goal. Sure, you may have the big bad evil guy (bbeg), but we're not worried about him. That's an external factor and that's easy to drop in when you need a quick problem to place in front of your protagonist -- but that problem needs to be in service to your character or your worldbuilding. Teach them something. Give them an opportunity for growth. Aragorn needs to lead at Helm's Deep so he can inhabit his leadership role. The mountain pass of Caradhras needs to force the Fellowship through the mines so that Gandalf falls fighting the Balrog and comes back leveled up and ready to fight, and other characters in the fellowship have a chance to grow into their roles without relying on Gandalf for leadership. Your middle is all about crafting little opportunities for character growth, always while moving toward your end goal -- whatever that may be.

The paradigm shifts are crucial, and they can shift for better or for worse. It's up to you and your characters and the story you want to tell as to which it'll be.

If you're bored, your reader is bored. Only write what excites you, skip all the rest, and make it make sense at the end -- I'm so serious. Yes you need to add in breaks for pacing (like the whole Rivendell section in LOTR), but in those breaks still make sure that you're either expanding your worldbuilding, or giving your characters and opportunity for growth.

If you want to tell a really long (novel length) type of story, sideplots and alternate POVs are your best friend. They are structured exactly the same as a regular plot, they're just simpler or smaller and generally work in service to the main plot. Maybe there are side characters or side relationships you'd like to develop. Maybe there's a smaller mystery or a part of your worldbuilding you'd like to explore. Action plots can be side plots to romantic or platonic slowburn plots, just as much as it can be the other way around. And this is not something you need to structure out the gate. Just be curious and playful. Find points in your story that interest you, and explore them a bit. You'll find that they expand the story.

Biggest and best tip I can give you, when all is said and done, is to decide what kind of story you want to tell and then examine how other people are doing it. If you want to write a superhero story, pick out your favorites and look at how they're structured. If you want to write a mystery, same thing. If you're writing a romance or a drama, again -- same thing. Look at the pieces of fiction that you like, figure out what you like about it, and then apply it to your own work.

That's all the general advice off the top of my head. IDK how helpful this was lol. If you want more tips on middles I can try to look at it a bit more in depth, but to be quite honest middles are really what defines a genre. Romances have different middles to thrillers. Thrillers have different middles to mysteries. Mysteries have different middles to dystopian sci-fis. Etc. Etc. So take the general advice with a grain of salt and look more specifically at the genre of story that you're looking to tell.

Thanks for coming to my tedtalk <3

[skeksismars]

So, real talk right now. Since it's basically confirmed now that Viktor's going to get a full redesign and gameplay update after Arcane, does that mean that in Arcane he's going to get the third mechanical arm...or are they going to make a new model without it? It wouldn't make sense to me because every art of him has it, it's part of his design and his model...are they just going to scrap everything that Viktor has been and start from scratch from the bottom? That doesn't seem respectful to me they would be basically replace him with a totally different character...idk what my thoughts on this are but I don't want for current League Viktor to be completely remade, scrapped and forgotten.

[halfwayhearted]

hi ! i just want to say that i love ur work you're so talented and always get me in my feels <3 so...i wanted to request a fermin lopez x fem!singer reader who releases a love song or an album that's about him (kinda like beabadobee or taylor swift songs core) and he reacts to and its just fluffy tysm <33

Dance With Me — Fermín López.

Pairing: Fermín López x Singer!Reader

Summary: Even though he couldn’t be there with you to witness your new single drop, he still managed to be the first listener. He was caught by surprise, to say the least.

Word Count: 495+

Disclaimer/s — Fluff… this is also, like idk… but whatever

A/N: Dance With Me by Beabadoobee, please don’t play.

Fermín really disliked not being able to be there with you while you were about to release a song you worked hard on. It bothered him a lot.

Though you reassured him that it was fine and that you’d even send him the song before its scheduled release, he admitted that it helped him feel better about everything. So, here he was, sitting in his hotel room, phone in hand, waiting.

That’s when he felt his phone vibrate. It was you.

You: Here it is! Let me know when you realize 🤍

Quickly clicking on the audio button to start, he’s immediately greeted by the sound of your voice.

If you wanna dance, then dance with me.

The song is soft, and your voice is what makes his stomach do a billion flips all at once. While it plays, he slowly nods his head. The smile already present on his face widens when the next lyrics come, and he finally realizes that it’s about him.

Not that he didn’t already know in the first place; you told him you’d be doing so. It was the fact that it was based on when you guys had barely started talking, mixed with when you were the first to confess your feelings about him to him.

It’s pretty fast but this is what you do at parties, right? And I know it’s hard to tell, but I think I really like you.

Now he’s figured out what you meant by ‘let me know when you realize’. As the song comes to an end, Fermín doesn’t waste another minute and suddenly he’s calling you, phone up to his ear.

“Hey,” you greet. “I’m assuming you’ve listened?”

He nods, despite knowing that you obviously can’t see him. “Hi. Yeah. Yeah, I did. I loved it.”

He loved it, just like you knew he would. He hears the way you giggle and shuffle, then you speak, “I’m glad. Really, I’m happy to hear it. Do you remember what moment I was talking about?”

“How could I not?” Fermín grins boyishly. “It was the same day I asked you to be my girlfriend.”

Your eyes instantly narrow. “Not true! It was the day I asked if you wanted to be my boyfriend.” A pause. “Okay, I’m lying… but what I said basically led to you asking me to be your girlfriend.”

“That, I can admit. When I’m back in Barcelona, we can celebrate, yeah? Whatever you want.”

This was beautiful. “Whatever I want?” You echo.

“Whatever you want,” the man confirmed. “I’ll text you first thing tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Mhm! Sounds perfect. I love you, goodnight.”

“Goodnight, I love you.” And then the call ends. Setting his phone down on the bedside table, he gets into bed and lets out a sigh. He should really go to bed… early morning flight and all that.

He really, really should.

However, he doesn’t. What’s the harm in listening to your song a second time? Maybe even a third?

Likes, reblogs, and comments are always appreciated ^_^.

DT(s) — @planetpedri + @spidybaby + @sakashq + @joaoflms ! ౨ৎ

[nachoaveragejoe234]

Yes! To add to some points:

The Lumity thing. I knew they wanted them to be a couple when they went to grom (prom) together, but when they specifically made their dance a TANGO, a dance that is supposed to be ROMANTIC and SEDUCTIVE, after they hated each other, I was lie "yeah you're trying to make a new ship without actually putting effort into it".

Lagoona was literally described as spicy in her song, like in 3 different ways. And it's sus that when she was Australian she was sweet and gentle, and while she could be more passionate she wasn't violent and she never described herself as spicy or having a temper

Lagoona was also heavily implied to be Aboriginal. Latinos, sorry, but they have representation overall. In most modern media there will be a Latino who isn't just the "Tequila drinking, sombrero wearing mafioso named Carlos or Juan or Diego" or the "sexy attractive bombshell named Maria Teresa Jimena de los Santos" or some dumb thing like that (except Brazilians they only get portrayed as samba girls that American men go to Brazil to gawk at and make kinky remarks towards but that's another story). Name more than two Aboriginal characters in any media if you even KNOW ANY. You can't. You would think that with indigenous issues being big things in both North America and Australia, you wouldn't STRIP AN INDIGENOUS CHARACTER OF THEIR IDENTITY. Right? It wasn't canon but they could have made it canon! Think of the Aboriginal Australians who probably are begging to get roles in movies and TV. I literally have seen Aboriginal fans talk about how she reminded them of their lives and meant a lot to them. They were completely neglected. And worse, one Latina I interacted with on Reddit literally all but admitted she was racist towards Aboriginal people. She basically said "but Latinos don't get a lot of rep and it's not canon! What about us?".

Clankie doesn't work. Cleo was firstly already taken, but ignoring that she and Deuce were paired togther because of the Egyptian-Greek thing.

Nefera being good now... it's not a big deal but I think the sisterly dilemma was a big part of both of their characters. Not all family members get along and showing that is completely ok.

Cleo's voice is the worst. I can see her as an influencer, but why is she a VALLEY GIRL?

Fans call Toralei a punk. She's not. She doesn't wear punk clothing she just has a studded jacket. Her music is pop-rock not PUNK. Listen to her song Cool Cat, it's amazing but not even close to punk. If she was really punk she would look and sing more like the likes of the Clash, the Ramones, Green Day, or even edgier rock bands like the Stones, Nirvana, the Who, or Led Zeppelin. G1 Tora and the twins looked ironically way more punk, and G1 and G2 already had actual punk inspired characters like Venus, Deuce, sometimes Clawdeen and Frankie, and in G2 Silvi and Moanica.

Ghoulia being Canadian for no reason. As a Canadian it hurts. They literally had a concept art with a Canadian flag, she wears a toque (beanie for Americans), and was explicitly stated to be influenced by Scott Pilgrim by one of the designers, and she definitely looks like Ramona Flowers. Despite that they don't even MENTION her being Canadian. Couldn't even get a Canadian VA for her which.... Marieve Herington and Erin Fitzgerald from G1 are Canadians. Get one of them to voice her. Similarly Mr. Foxford has an Icelandic VA but they never acknowledge the fact that he's Icelandic. Even Bunny Earickson, the newest character. Shea basically confirmed she was Welsh. She said that werebunnies had connections to Celtic/Welsh mythology but... did she get a Welsh VA? No, she got a Latina. Why did you explicitly say she was Welsh but couldn't find a Welsh VA? Do Welsh people not deserve representation? Do you know most people know nothing about Wales? That the effects pof British colonization still take a toll on Wales? That one of the earlist British invasions was of Wales where along with Ireland and Scotland they tried HARD to strip them of their culture and language and then made measly apologies in the modern day but still harm the Celtic countries through a lot of crap the Tories do and by keeping their monarchy? Welsh people always get called sheepshaggers and their language is mocked as "smashing a keyboard" (it does look like that but I understand why many Welsh people would be offended and they have the right to be)

Monster high G3 rant

Watching the TV series and I’m kind of disappointed.

This will be my second watch of season 1, I’m rewatching after the current season 2 episodes.

the show feels very flat in my opinion. They’ve given the characters a lot of cool traits, but they’re used for like one episode and then never brought up, or they only use one specific trait 24/7. Like Frankie in this generation, they have the ability to electrocute, extend their body parts, and they get visions from the people they’re made out of. Specifically they get visions from this one recurring doctor/ scientist. The idea is cool, but the vision literally is there to give exposition about something conveniently. Like when they are trying to solve the puzzle of clawdeens mom, Frankie’s vision just conveniently tells them what to do and how to do it.

In that same episode, we see manny taur. A Minotaur character. And right away we are just told that he’s good at puzzle solving, and so is draculaura! They’re rivals! But this is the first time I’ve ever seen or heard about draculaura being into puzzles, let alone her one sided rivalry with manny. And as the episode ends, she’s like “well you can be the rightful puzzle master” but it feels so flat. There has been no build up to this moment.

Another example is lagoona. In her designated episode, she is rooting for torelai to win the fear-leading captain over draculaura (another thing that has no build up as to why it’s important to her) lagoona explains that torelai is holding a secret over her head, and if it gets out she will lose her status as the fiercest monster in school. But this is the first time we have heard this!! In previous episodes there’s no mention of her being scary or fierce. Or even her super fast swimming skills. It’s just brought up and glosses over with a “be who you are, it’s okay to like what you want! We all have secrets 🥹” but there’s no real character development.

My last example will be the way draculaura is presented in this series. From what she tells us, she has high standards to live up to as a vampire. She needs to look good for her day so she studies endlessly and is striving for perfection. But she also has a love for witchcraft, which is banned in monster high due to its connections to humans. This can be a cute premise, but they NEVER show draculaura compared to any other vampire to show how she’s supposed to act. They never give us episodes where she blows off her friend’s shenanigans because it makes her look bad, and they never really show her dad being so overbearing. They don’t show us WHY humans are hated. And even though witchcraft is banned, whenever anyone finds out about it they’re just cool with it? No push back or anything. The only character to challenge draculaura was torelai.

This all may be very nitpicky, but MH is a character driven franchise. Character relationships with each other and their surroundings are very important to me. I want to feel the so called pressure these characters are being put under. It doesn’t have to be ultra serious 24/7, but issues get resolved within one episode and then rehashed a few episodes later with no further development. Especially with characters like Cleo and lagoona. They have been benched as side characters in this show, and side characters get much worse treatment.

‘The general episode progression is like this - introduce an issue, introduce a high stakes situation that involves the school, have all or one of the main 3 engage in a sequence of fights against this issue(or rapid solving of said issue through convince) - issue is resolved and lesson is told to viewers-characters reset for the next episode.

I know this is a children’s show, but that doesn’t mean it needs to have bad writing, not all kids are high off cocomelon. Kids deserve good writing in their media!

My next rant will be about clawdeen and her story this generation

[blueskittlesart]

Dear Big Brother

kind of a sequel to this comic