@summerhome10 - Thank you for the rarepair headcanon prompt for Tristan McLean and Naomi Solace. It kinda grew legs and morphed into something trying to become a fic. I switch tenses halfway through too.
Still, I hope youโll enjoy.
*takes place sometime between TLO and TLH*
Wanna Ride a Cowgirl? (link to Ao3)
Tristan McLean was a man of contradictions. He was an extremely private person who kept his thoughts and feelings under lock and key and a Hollywood star with a schedule so packed with public appearances he could scarcely breathe.ย
His was a story of rags to riches โ growing up in poverty in a two room house, a single father left high and dry with a baby when the love of his life took off without a word. If she had left on her own terms or if she'd been abducted or even murdered he had no clue and the cops wouldn't lift a finger to help. According to them, there wasn't a trace that his lover ever existed โ no birth certificate, social security number, health records. They'd laughed at his attempts to report her disappearance, telling him they didn't get paid to look for illegals.ย
Life in Oklahoma, specifically Tahlequah, Cherokee country, was packed with pain on its own and Tristan had more than his fair share of trauma. He hit rock bottom when his father was diagnosed with cancer and Tristan, unable to afford the treatment, had to watch him waste away before his eyes.ย
He was well versed at wearing a mask, at keeping all the hurt, the inner turmoil under wraps and performing <i>functional adult</i>ย as best he could.ย
The day he got scouted by a Hollywood agent, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, he signed his life away and put his performance skills to work. Financial stability was all he'd ever wanted, the ability to provide for his family.ย
He reasoned that handing over control of his decision making, his diet, his physical fitness and schedule was worth it if it meant Piper would have the opportunities in life he'd never had.ย
Listening to music was his coping mechanism. His tastes were old fashioned, curated mostly from the records his father had collected over the years. There was comfort in the familiar.ย
One day, being put through his paces by his personal trainer, a song he'd never heard before came up on the playlist and it hit him straight through the heart; it touched something he'd thought had died.ย
"Who is this?" He'd asked. "The one singing the song."
"Oh? Naomi Solace? Have you been living under a rock? She's huge in the alt-country scene."
He hadn't said another word, returning his focus to the work out, carefully tucking the name away. He later purchased her entire catalogue of music, every iteration of her songs he could find. Listening to her playlist was as close to a religious experience as he could get, being an avowed atheist. Her voice, her lyrics, touched on a brilliant hope that came closer to his grasp every time he heard them.ย
~*~
"Jane, I'm serious. I haven't had a weekend to myself in months. I do not want to attend a concert. Please!"
Jane was his, well officially his assistant, but in actuality, more like his keeper, his taskmaster. She'd apparently scored him tickets to see Beyoncรฉ with backstage passes and he DID NOT WANT to go. If he was a believer in magic, he would swear the woman was using some sort of mind controlling spell on him.ย
She looked at him over the top of her cat-eye glasses, somehow managing to look down at him despite being half a foot shorter. "Naomi Solace is the opening act."
That was all it took. He perked right up and allowed himself to be swept away, primped, preened, dressed, and escorted to the concert hall.ย
~*~
Naomi Solace was a bubbly ray of sunshine, a real social butterfly and one of the rare mortals gifted with clear sight.ย
She recognized Apollo for who he was straight off the bat. The attraction was instantaneous. She was seventeen years old when she ran away with him on a whirlwind of following her musical dreams and with the god of music at her side, was wildly successful. She gave birth to Will at nineteen and Apollo stayed as long as he could, finally leaving when Will turned one.ย
"I want him to have as normal a childhood as possible with his mother. Growing up in my shadow would only stunt him."
She never did let go of her love for Apollo, never thought she'd have to. She considered it a form of honoring him to spread joy and kindness with her music wherever she went. She decided to never settle down, to never have another child. She would carry on singing until the day she died.ย
Will reminded her of his father more and more as the years went by. She took him with her when she was on tour, and when she wasn't, she'd take him to see obscure sights. Naomi was interested inย everything, a real collector of stories and finding inspiration in oddities and the fascinating people she'd meet along the way.
Texas was their official residence, though they spent more time on the road than they did at home. Will was ten years old when his godly heritage caught up with him and he embraced his new demigod life at Camp Half-Blood.
Sure, it wasn't easy letting go of her child, seeing him move on and grow up in a world she couldn't access, but she made the best of it. She tried to schedule shows in New England every few months to squeeze in a short visit with Will when he was able to get away.ย
After the performance
"That was amazing! I'm on fire tonight!" Naomi exclaims as she hands her guitar to her agent and accepts the towel and bottle of water they hand her. Her eyes are immediately drawn to the tall, dark, and handsome piece of eye-candy blocking the door to her dressing room as he argues with a young woman in cat-eye glasses and a power suit. She's got him by the elbow and Naomi can tell he'd rather be anywhere but there.ย
"The main show hasn't started. If the press sees you leaving before Beyoncรฉ performs, she may see it as an insult."
"For crying out loud, Jane. Like Beyoncรฉ gives a flying fuck about a B-list actor. I've seen what I came for and that is enough."
He shakes his arm free, radiating irritation, like he's been holding himself in check and is close to snapping.ย
Ahhhhโฆ Tristan McLean. That's why he looks so familiar.
Never a fan of those who bully others, Naomi feels no shame whatsoever butting in.ย
"Well, upon my word!" she says, pushing right past the woman, and greeting him with a bright smile. "If it isn't Tristan McLean, star of the silver screen and, if I may confess, I am a huge fan of yours." She clasps his hand in hers, his dark eyes fixing her with a grateful smolder.ย
"I โฆ uh," he stammers, then clears his throat. "The pleasure is mine." His jaw muscles twitch, relaxing as he shifts his stance, suddenly looking more like a doe-eyed young boy than an action hero. It's about the most adorable thing Naomi has seen all day. "I'm actually a big fan of yours, too. You were wonderful tonight."
The woman, Jane, stands against the wall, her arms tightly folded across her chest, but Naomi can tell she's wise enough to know not to raise a fuss, and makes a point to deliberately 'not notice' Jane.
"Aren't you just the sweetest. I'm all done for the night. Just gotta grab my purse," she said, pointing at the dressing room door behind him. "You wanna get a drink with me and we can take turns fawning over how much we stan each other? I think that's how the young people say it."
Tristan stifles a laugh, brushing his hand over his lips. "I'd love nothing more. Jane, I'll find my own way home," he says, not taking his eyes off Naomi for a second. He takes the arm Naomi offers and she whisks him away to the car waiting out back.
In the car, his phone rings. He tells Jane he'll see her on Monday and is turning off his phone until then.ย
He scrubs his forehead, mussing his carefully styled black spikes so they relax, framing his face.ย
Naomi claps him on the knee.ย
"You looked like you needed rescuing back there."
He closes his hand over the top of hers, his chuckle only half-disguising a relieved groan.ย
"I really did." He gives her hand a gentle squeeze. "I couldn't have asked for a more perfect hero to come and save me."
They chat on the drive to Naomi's hotel. She talks about her beautiful son, Will, and how much she loves him. "I wish he could have been here tonight, but he does have a life of his own. It's rough to see him growing up and not being able to be there for him as much as I want to be."
"I hear that. My daughter too. It's complicated. She's had some issues with โฆ behavioral difficulties here and there. Jane got her enrolled in a special camp that is supposed to help. I โฆ It is hard. She's growing up so fast. How old is your son?"
"Fourteen. He attends a special camp too. Your daughter?"
"Fifteen."
At the Hotel
When they get to Naomi's room, she invites him to take a seat on the couch.
"What are you drinking? My agent hooked me up with the good suite, mini bar and everything."
They mix some drinks and get cozy, Naomi's head on Tristan's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her back, their empty drink glassses sweating on the coffee table.ย
"It's been a long time since I've met a woman like you, Naomi. I don't, uh โฆ well, you know. I kind of hate how packed my schedule gets."
"Why don't you scale back then? I'd recommend giving that assistant of yours the boot. She gives me the heebie jeebies."
He chuckles. "I can't deny the thought hasn't crossed my mind. I guess I just want to make sure I've done all that I can to secure my daughter's future. Staying relevant and taking the jobs that come while they do. I'm always afraid something's going to come along and derail my career. I get so wrapped up in my own head โ not exactly relationship goals for most women."
"So? How do you blow off steam, then?" She asks, dragging her fingers across his chest.
"I've got to stay in top form for the action roles. There's a trainer I work with I have an arrangementย with. A 'situationship'. We've both been burned by love in the past. It's easier to just keep things physical and infrequent. Not risk "catching feelings", as she puts it."
"That is about the saddest thing I've heard all night."
"Yeah? What's your secret? How do you blow off steam, Naomi?"
She leans in, her lips inches from his. "I'm doing it right now. Are you game?"
"Just physical?" he breathes, his lips trembling.
"No. I want to make love. I'm in town tonight and then it's up to Seattle for the next leg of my tour. Let's make it a whirlwind romance โ one night only. Something we can look back on and fondly remember for the rest of our lives."
"That sounds amazing."
Their lips meet and sparks fly. She straddles his lap, her hands in his hair, his hands on her ass. And then she trails her lips along the line of his jaw, her voice low and sweet beneath his ear. "Better hold on tight, baby. This cowgirl likes to buck."
I think the funniest part abt the show is it weirdly makes me more fond of the movie? Like yeah it was not consistent with the books whatsoever, but I feel like they at least kinda had the tone down? Like not book accurate but (some of) the things that were changed or added feel at least mostly consistent with percy's character, whereas the show just keeps taking these like. Very specific directions that just. Don't feel like percy jackson. Idk it kinda feels like how post thg we got a lot of dystopian society/teen hero books that were trying to capture that magic, but without understanding what actually made thg so special.
Iโm going back in the ARCHIVES of my asks (February) and this show hater ask is cracking me up because. Yeah. I have been complaining about the show for a hot minute.
I hope this reaches every author on this site. If they havenโt written a word in years, only are writing in their head and havenโt put it down yet, are hip deep in their own War and Peace wordcount fic.ย
User cotton-seed-oil posted to the FanFiction sub-reddit:
I studied for my exam with fanfiction, and I think it worked.
This is so fucking funny. It is the best thing I have every done.
I am a physics and astronomy student in college. I am taking cosmology this semester, and it is much harder than expected (we glossed over all of special and general relativity in two lectures, and our previous classes were not expected to teach us this). I spent days trying to study for this exam, and nothing worked-everything was going in one ear and out the other. Finally, two days before my exam, I decided to get creative.
I wrote a fanfiction about four characters discussing the concepts, explaining them to one another. One issue I had faced when studying was getting very anxious while reviewing the material, making it hard to even think clearly. Writing this fanfic eliminated that-after all, it's fanfic. Therefore, no danger. It removed all the pressure.
48 hours later, I wrote over nine thousand words in Overleaf, at 30 pages long. It was fun, and it was complete.
This afternoon, I took the exam-and while was difficult, I felt like I knew what I was doing. More than that, I actually think I understand the material now. When I reviewed my old homework questions, they were understandable, whereas I had been completely lost the first time around.
I have a Quantum exam next week, and I am using the exact same technique, because holy shit, it works like magic (and is so much fun).
Research has shown over and over again that studying with the expectation of teaching the material to someone else is WAY more effective than just studying to remember for a test. This is brilliant - if you don't have anyone to teach it to, have your blorbos teach it to each other!
99 days to go until rough drafts are due for the Perseia Big Bang!
To get everyone in the writing mood, weโll be interviewing a few of our authors about their fanfic writing process, posting one a week. To kick things off, we're asking one of our organizers, @sunsets12, author of the Hunger Gamesย andย Percy Jackson crossoverย The Shark in Your Water, various Perpollo fics, and about 10% of the fanfics in the no-mist AU tag, some questions about her writing process!
Whatโs your typical writing process look like?
Daydream, daydream, daydream! I like to have a beginning and an end plotted in my head at the very least before I start to write anything down. I donโt always have a fully written outline for my fics, but I feel like my fics suffer when I donโt so Iโm trying to change this.ย
When Iโm sitting down to write a chapter, I first think about what I want to accomplish in this chapter, and then I just write until I get to that point! If I feel up to it, Iโll go back and start editing right away, but if not Iโll save that for another day.
What is your favorite and least favorite parts of the writing process?
Favorite: The ability to write fics that I want to read :)
Least favorite: Needing to write (and finish) the fics that I want to read :(
Whatโs an unusual hack you have to get over writer's block?ย
Unfortunately, starting a new fic. This has mixed results, and I wouldnโt recommend it.
Do you help set a tone for your fic through music?ย
I love making playlists for my fics! I also frequently use lyrics in my fics, so itโs great for that. But in terms of actually writing, I write in silence at my apartment or at a coffee shop, usually.
Who are your favorite characters to write?
Percy and Apollo of course! I like writing about the two of them because they have very different voices/motivations/personalities, so I can switch between the two POVs and itโs obvious theyโre different people, which makes the narrative more fun, in my opinion.
I think in general, I really like contrasting Percy with a god in the narrative, as it creates an interesting parallel, and you can highlight their similarities/differences as needed for the fic.
Do you do anything to tweak Apollo and Percyโs characterizations to fit each AU?
I'm not sure if Iโm the best person to ask this question because Apollo changes a lot based on what I need him to do in the fic (i.e., is he a pining love interest? Is he the antagonist? Does he hang over the other characters like a threat or is he someone they can reach out to for help?) so I donโt necessarily subscribe to the RR!characterization of him.ย
However, I try to keep Percy close to his canon characterization (specifically from the original series and somewhat from HoO), though I also think about how the AU is impacting him. I put him through a lot of tough situations, so I try to imagine how that might change his outlook vs. what his outlook is directly from the series. For example, Iโm currently in the process of writing a fic where Sally died when he was fairly young (Even Baby Teeth Will Hurt You), and this affects the way he views both his family and his friendsโand honestly, everyone around him!
And, finally, do you have any advice for other Big Bang fanfic authors at this stage in the writing process?
Weโre figuring this out together, lol. I would say itโs not too late to sign up if youโre interested. As far as actual advice, I guess I would recommend making sure everything is plotted out, and the 60% goal will be reached in no time!
Want to join in? You can sign up to write/make art/beta here!
Reminder that this was Rachel after attending Clarion Ladies Academy.
Ref: Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle, chapter 20, pg 191
Miss Dare looked thinner and older- less like a highschool girl and more like a young farmer's wife from ancient times, weathered from hard work and gaunt from shortage of food. Her red hair had lost its vibrancy. It framed her face in a curtain of dark copper. Her freckles had faded to watermarks. Her green eyes did not sparkle. And she was wearing a dress- a white cotton frock with a white shawl and a patina-green jacket. Rachel never wore dresses.
No one ever talks about Rachelโs mental breakdown during HOO and the amount of trauma she faced in TOA, so I would like to be the one who breaks the ice.
So previously in PJO Rachel successfully takes over the role of the Oracle of Delphi. Not because she necessarily has to, but because she has nothing to lose anyways. She finally becomes a member of Camp Half-Blood, though some campers avoid her out of fear. She learns to deal with them by pretending to be nonchalant about it, but the words and conspiracy affect her enough that when Piper faints in TLO, Rachel immediately begins to panic and thinks that she killed her. But despite the mishaps, she genuinely believed that Camp Half-Blood was her home.
Then the main events of HOO happened, and Rachel realised how dispensable she really is. People at camp start turning on her for losing her powers. On the outside, she pretends to be fine, but internally she freaks out, loses control, and throws a tantrum in her cave, destroying the paintings she drew of visions because they were a taunt of what she used to possess in the past. She destroys the painting of Apollo because at her most vulnerable moment, the god she trusted the most wasnโt there. She was truly alone, with no Percy or Annabeth, no Nico, and no gods to help her.
When she finally sees Apollo again he is banished into the mortal world and sheโs too tired to even be angry at him. She had just seen someone sacrifice themselves to save her, and she couldnโt bring herself to worry about Apollo. But then he mentions his oracles. Multiple of them. Once again she realises just how dispensable she is, and this is one of the rare occasions where we actually see Rachel being genuinely angry, though Rick passed it off as a comical scene.
Rachel opts to go with Apollo on his quest. She wants to take the risk despite knowing that sheโd likely be kidnapped and used as bait. Apollo rejects her volunteer, and once again she is shunned by both the greek and mortal world. She spends the next few months in a constant state of restlessness, worrying about her fate if Python wins, anxious that he has already taken over her mind.
Six months. Rachel Elizabeth Dare spent six months leaning on the edge of her sanity, maniacally painting drawings so she wouldnโt lose her mind. And when asked about her trauma, 80% of the fandom would only say โShe was hated by Annabeth because she liked Percyโ.
I read that post you reblogged that pointed out how Rachel Dare should have been seen more in the series/how much she gave up to become the Oracle, and now Iโm thinking of how ToA could have gone if it had been Rachel Elizabeth Dare who found Apollo after he was turned mortal. Iโm not sure if being bound to a demigod is a requirement for Apollo regaining his divinity, but if itโs notโฆ
Apollo being bound in servitude to Rachel Dare, his Oracle, a girl who pledged herself to his service, is so intrinsically tied to his powerโฆthat would be one crazy ride of an AU.
No but we were SO ROBBED i cannot believe we didn't get more of her in TOA like ahhhhhh
Was thinking about how in ToA we got a bit more of a domestic feeling with CHB,something that I personally never felt much after the first ever book,before the plot kickstarted and,no matter how traumatizing it is,having the older campers teaching the new ones classes would be something else.
Apollo commented in the Hidden Oracle how some demigods were new and got brought at camp after the war (6 months is a lot of time after allโ),while also pointing out that most of the old characters we know are away,trying to live their life,but come back periodically.
Now,image Clarisse teaching some fighting class in the arena to new demigods,and they are all a bit wary of her because they don't know her but some of her siblings do and they talked about her. And while the tension is high Clarisse isn't aware of it and start to shout,frustrated by their incapability of striking her down.
"Have you all gone soft?! At your ages I was battling a drakon with the blood of my enemies on my hands while trying to win a war! You need to do fucking better if you want to survive!" and everyone is just confused because they know a bit of the wars,but their acknowledge of them is only a surface type of level,so they have no idea of what the hell she is talking about and they are getting scared.
Some of them ask questions about them to the Stolls,only to find themselves more lost than never. "Ah,the war. Which one you talking about? The one where we tried to raid Manhattan's candy stores or the one where we put the mines on the wrong hill?" Wdym you guys tried to steal candies in the middle of a war to save the world? "Well,with all due respect,Percy was handling it quite well before the pig started flying".
Sometimes,when Will is in a good mood,he start talking about the one with the giants himselfโusually Nico is always nearby and either nod at his words or clarifies some things. "You guys weren't there for that but basically the whole conflict was based on racism. You see,there was this anemic roman soldier guy thatโ" and while you are immersed in his story,you sometimes hear a quite voice that "I literally had to chase you to save you from people that were chasing you" and "Will,pretty sure I killed the guy,you don't need to act as if he is still alive" or "It was crazyโI never knew that the coach was actually a good flighter,especially after Albania".
When Drew complains about something during breakfast she tries to guilt-trip Chiron with "Remember when you left us to defend ourselves alone,before coming back at the last moment and helped us with your 'my little pony family'? Yeah,not so over that yet. This is way having the pavilion built in pink would be a better option thanโ" and you just stare in the fucking air because what the fuck???
When Rachel visit,and isn't locked in her cave trying to understand what's going on with her "oracle's powers",she mutters things about the wars that seems disconnected to everyoneโexpect people that were there at time. "Should have said to Annabeth to crash that stupid helicopter into my father's building" ; "Fuck being an Oracle,let me go back to my Ariadne roots in the Labyrinth" ; "I should have hit Kronos harder" ; "Should have hit Octavian when I still could if I knew this would have happened". Most of the time it's just frustration building up but every time she whisper something they collectively ignore it.
Nyssa will look at you dead in the eyes andโ "My brother blew up" without fucking elaborating and walking away. And you are there horrified about it.
Percy and Annabeth don't really talk about the wars but they will gave you the details about the stupidest things ever. Wdym you jumped into the rivers,only to purify them from pollution,in the middle of a war? Wdym you spent half a day trying to wake up statues in all New York?? You went in Tartarus??
And it's just so funny because the new demigods will know some informations about the conflicts,but they weren't there to witness it all. The drop lore is insane here. I just know that Drew,Nico and Clarisse always talk about it,exaggerating it even,only to fuck with the new campers more.
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