Lmao they were emus and I didn’t know what the fuck they were at first bc I so never paid attention when they talked about weird looking birds in school.
So uneducated. To be fair though, they are pretty funny looking.
Knocking on Roxy's apartment door, Percy took a deep breath and remembered the past few sessions that he had with his therapist, Doctor Sanders. He had given him some great tips, but now he was going to have to put them into practice. But that wasn't going to be for a few weeks. Today instead he was going to start something with more simple and a lot less dangerous. Though he believed that it would lead onto something much more dangerous. That however was not the point. Before he could get to any of that he had to convince Roxy to help him. So here he was, knocking on her door and hoping that she was actually in and if she was that she was willing to help him with one of the weirdest requests he had.
Ever since the Underworld burned down Roxy was almost always in her apartment. She'd done new designs, tried to make her house more like a home, and tried to get over what happened with Naria. She was trying to get over her father's death on her own. There was no great way to tell if it was working, though. The Underworld couldn't be rebuilt soon enough. She was more than a little bored these days. If she wasn't going to get a job as a tattoo artist, she'd have to find something else. Her mind was going over possible jobs when she heard the knock on her door. "Hey, Percy," she said with a smile. "What brings you over here?"
That smile. Children of Aphrodite -- no it was Venus for Roxy -- always had the best smiles. It was like a godly blessing. Maybe that was what they got. Percy could become Aquaman, Jason could become Superman, Roxy had a pretty smile. How cool was that really. "Hey Roxy," he said wearily, he didn't remember the last time that he had a really good night sleep and it was really starting to bother him. He was exhausted 24 / 7 and he wasn't very good at getting any sleep. He was less good at functioning without sleep. Which was weird considering the fact that he had been doing it for a lot of his life. "I uh, I have a kinda weird favour to ask of you..." he said sheepishly, shuffling his feet and staring at them nervously. He could kill Hydras and gut daughters of Mars, but when it came to asking for beauty tips he sucked.
Call her superficial, but what Roxy noticed about Percy first as he was standing in her doorway was his slightly slumped shoulders and his tired eyes. It made her want to force him into a bed with sleeping pills or something. Maybe just give him some bag savers. A little concealer in the night place would do the trick, probably. Usually Rox wouldn't care if someone looked tired it wouldn't matter, thing was a lot of people look up to Jackson. Rightfully so, too. Son of Poseidon who's been through a whole lot. He was a leader in a way. If he looked like things were getting to him it might make moral take a hit. At least it wasn't during the Dominus reign. That would probably make the city pull apart at the seams. Roxy raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Ask away. Here, here, come in," Roxy said as she opened the door more to invite him in.
Tiredly stepping forward, Percy began to plod his way into the apartment. His feet felt like they were surrounded by lead and he found himself longing for sleep. He had -- until now -- continually dismissed the idea of using sleeping pills. But now as exhaustion threatened to overtake his life, he found himself really thinking that it might be the only way that he would be able to continue with it. "So I've got a weird request obviously, and I think before I ask you it you could probably do with some context..." he trailed off, trying to get his head in order so that he could appropriately explain it all. "There are some people who I need to infiltrate. Sorta. If that makes sense. Anyway it is really important for me to get in, and the problem is that they can't know who I am, however I am a pretty recognizable guy, so I need someone who can change my appearance...." he trailed off once more. "That is where you -- hopefully -- come in."
The best room in the apartment, in Roxy's humble opinion, was the kitchen. The best things came from there, like nutella sandwiches or pancakes or waffles or vegemite toast. That's where she led Percy, pulling out a chair for him at the counter and encouraging him to sit. She grabbed herself a glass of water and got one for him too even though he didn’t ask. She’d been in school long enough to know that when you’re dead tired sipping water can keep you awake. She listened to him carefully, raising an eyebrow at him saying he needed to 'inflitrate’ some group of people. That was a little bit of a red flag, but she’d seen the tail end of the Dominus. She understood that there could be a need for something like that. She nodded. “You want me to make you unrecognisable,” she said. It wasn’t a question. She smiled. “I can do that no problem. You trying to look like anyone in particular or just an average joe?” She didn’t know who he was trying to infiltrate, but depending on the group he might need certain things to fit in. Tattoos, muscles, or maybe even golden locks if it was something like the Hunters. Whoever it was, though, Rox was the right person to come to. She’d changed her own appearance enough with the gift from her mother to know the nuances to looking like someone new. She silently wondered if it’d be an invasion of space to get a closer look at his bone structure. That jaw could be problematic, after all.
Following her into the kitchen, Percy took the seat that she had offered him, plonking himself down wearily he grabbed the glass of water that she set in front of him and sipped at it for a little while as she talked. "I don't just want you to make me unrecognisable, if it is possible of course, I'd like you to teach me how to make myself like that." He paused for a minute. He had done a lot of thinking into how he would change, who he would become, what his backstory would be and he quickly decided that the more outlandish it was the better. "I was thinking that you could give me a ratty turqoise mohawk, some tattoos would be good too if we can manage them, but then I want to be as different from my usual self as I possibly can," he looked up to her and gave her his most genuine smile. "Thank you Rox, I really appreciate what you're doing for me, and I appreciate that you're not asking. To be honest it is better for you, the less that you know, the better that it is going to be for all of us." He smiled gently once more. "You could even say that you Rox." It was a tired attempt at humor. The exhaustion really must be getting to him for him to stoop to such a low level but he wasn't about to admit that now. "I'm just joking, but really, thank you very much."
Roxy bit her lip, squinting a little as she looked at him. “That jaw’s gonna have to go,” she said simply before she took a sip of her water. There was only one other person she’d changed the appearance of like this, and she wasn’t counting the time she’d been forced to help with makeup for the school musical to have enough out of class activities to graduate. It was when she was younger. She’d changed her own appearance a good number of times, before she got the surgery it was the best way to be herself, and her dad was curious. She’d changed his grey hair to a bright pink, made him pump and round, and made his eyes brown instead of blue. The memory, one she never would have gone into before the ordeal with Naria, made her smile a little bit. It made her a little more motivated to help, too. Her dad would have been proud of her for using her mother’s gift to help somebody. In her mind’s eye, Percy didn’t actually look too bad with all that he described. Of course, she'd also got rid of the adorable crooked smile and the impressive chin, both things far too recognisable. She smiled, and chuckled at his little joke. “It’s my pleasure, Percy.” She walked around the counter and held his jaw in her hand, turning his head to get a closer look at his face. “Oh yeah, this’ll be fun. It might make you tired, though. More tired. You can sleep while I try to figure out how to give you a way to change your appearance without me.” She pulled him to his feet, walking around him to see his body type.
This was one of the weirdest things that Percy had ever been involved in. In fact it was the weirdest thing over all. The truth was that Percy had been involved in some pretty weird things and now he was involved in one more. But this was probably weirder. The idea had been all his. Infiltrate the cult that had bred and trained the woman who had gone after his baby sister. Destroy the thing that had apparently hurt so many people. Adriana had all but begged him for his help and he was more than happy to oblige. Not that he had broken the news to anyone, Brennan would tell him that it was dangerous but if it was what he wanted to do then he should do it, Reyna wouldn't approve, of that he was certain and Jason. Jason would down right tell him that he wasn't allowed to go. It was what he had done to him on the quest and he was sure that he would do it again. Percy wasn't even going to think about what Annabeth might do to him if she found out about this as she would call it "hair brained scheme". But in Percy's mind he had no choice. Standing up as Roxy had instructed him to he smiled gently. "I can deal with tired, hopefully it will send me over the edge and I will get a few hours of sleep before this whole thing really starts in earnest." He watched her carefully and sighed. This was going to be strange, looking in the mirror and seeing someone else staring back at you. He just hoped that it wouldn't be anyone who he didn't care for. But he supposed it didn't matter. Once he was changed he could really take on the appearance of Chad Duke, legacy of Ceres. All around bad ass and cool kid. Something like that. Percy -- or was it Chad -- was going to be going through a weird change. "So, tell me what I need to do."
Inking someone’s skin to perfection was a challenge. Making her apartment enough like home that she could call it that but not so much that she puked from idiotic sentimentality was a challenge. Growing up how she did was a challenge. Moving to a Demigod city in America was a challenge. This task Percy had given her was a challenge. Roxy didn’t turn down challenges, though. Especially not this one. Not only was it going to help someone, but it was probably going to be fun, too. “You need to clear your head. Every image in your head needs to leave, or you might open your eyes and see yourself with giraffe spots. Close your eyes, take deep breaths, and clear your head, got it?” she said. She gripped his hands in hers and did the same for a second before she let the picture of Percy Jackson pop in her head. She had his stature memorised, his height, how much hair he had on his arms, all of it. In her head, she moulded him like clay. She stretched him this way and that, making him three quarters of and inch taller and his shoulders further apart. She made his muscles more impressive, more like that of someone who lifted weights than someone who just used muscle as a necessity of fighting. The base of his skin she made a little lighter, too, and she gave him light, blonde hair on his arms. She made his head more square, pulling in his chin and straightening the entire bottom of his face. His jaw was sprinkled now with a blonde five o’clock, eyebrows and eyelashes the same. His hair, now shaped in a mohawk with close shaves on the side of his head, was the same colour for now. She gave his base body a few more touches before colouring his hair and adding tattoos. In her opinion, the fun part was that. Those finishing touches to make him completely different. The last touch was changing his eye colour. She opened her eyes, a good long while after she’d started, and smiled when she saw him. This was in no way Percy Jackson. “Go have a look."
Following Roxy's instructions was easier said than done. Especially with Percy’s ADHD. "Keep my mind clear, don't think of anything, keep it blank. Like a slate." Damnit I'm thinking of slates now. It was a struggle but somehow he managed to do it. It took him a couple of attempts but eventually he began to get a hang of the process. The trick was to basically not think about not thinking. Sounds complex? That is because it was. But what came next was far more complicated. In the space of an hour he felt his whole body change. It drained his energy as his body was shaped into different ways by Roxy, he felt himself develop more height, weight and muscle. That was the most draining part of the ordeal. But suddenly he was changing. Hair sprouting different colours. His jaw shrinking into his face. To be honest a lot of it was painful, but Percy focused, his mind must remain utterly blank. When it was all over he sighed deeply and opened his eyes. He found that he had screwed his eyes up and opening them was slightly painful. Stepping into the foot to ceiling mirror he took in everything that he had seen. He had grown almost four inches, his body was more muscular than it had been before but he could tell that it was less toned. His jawline was surprising, but the thing that really caught his eye was the mohawk. That. Well there was literally only one word to describe that. Impressive. Taking a deep breath he turned and smiled at Roxy. "You are amazing, I don't know how you did that, but it was amazing." He clumsily stepped forward, noticing that his jeans dangled above his ankles and his shirt felt too tight. "I'm going to need some new clothes, but this is the perfect look that I was going for."
Amazing. Not to be proud, but Roxy had to agree. The man in front of her would never ever be assumed to be Percy Jackson. Looking at him, she saw that some things were slightly different than how she pictured, but Percy didn’t have to know that. For all he knew that was exactly how she wanted it, and really it was pretty close. He was a little taller than what she was going for, the skin tone was just a little off, and his arms were just a little hairier. It still worked quite well, though, and Roxy was proud. She just made a note to practice more. Roxy reached up and straightened out one of his eyebrows, which were bushier than they had been before. “Go for dark colours. They’ll match your new complexion better. And, well, sleeveless things too. No harm in showing off your ink, right?” She looked at him for a moment, smiling and inspecting her work before she remembered the other part of her instructions. “Oh!” She reached up and pulled out a few strands of his turquoise hair before rushing back in her kitchen and putting them in a jar. “I’ve been doing a lot of reading about my mom since the Underworld burned down, and I read something about a potion that can change your appearance if you’ve found one you’ve settled on. I’ll just make you a few to start you out… Seven? When you only have one left come back and I’ll make you more.” She went to a cabinet in her kitchen, one filled with breakfast cookbooks (it is the most important meal of the day after all), and pulled down the one book that looked very, very old and devoid of bright pictures of perfect stacks of pancakes. She hummed a little as she red it and looked up at him, her finger pointed halfway down a list. “Would you mind giving me a blood and skin sample? Hair should work, but this sounds important and that’ll make it more accurate.”
Sally Jackson herself wouldn't have recognise Percy. There was no way that she could know this was her son. Although he was no longer Percy. He was now Chad Duke. Or just Duke for short. Bad ass, Legacy of Ceres with a chip on his shoulder about the Greeks. Those Graecus scum -- the word still left a sour taste in his mouth -- had to pay for all of the damage that they had done to New Rome and to the Twelfth Legion over the years that the two camps' exchange system had been in place. He pulled out his phone and wrote down everything that Roxy said. It was important that he didn't forget this. The potions, he had read about them too, they worked in a way where if you took 1 ml then you had one hundred minutes of time as that person. If you took 2 mls then you had two hundred minutes of time as that person. So for a little while Percy was going to be stuck as Chad Duke. "Right, dark colours, I can do dark colours, and sleeveless things." He smiled and looked down at the mass of skulls embedded in trees and rocks and mountains. The sleeves that Roxy had imprinted upon his skin with her Venus-given magic was amazing and Percy had to admit that he thought he looked like a bad ass. He wouldn't be caught out with this. In fact it had turned out better than he had thought that it would. "Uh if it would help, then I am more than happy to, just give me a syringe and a needle and I'll get your blood sample and I can get you as much skin as you need, or as I have ... whichever." He paused for a second, he didn't feel as tired as he thought he would. Physically he was exhausted, his bones ached and his muscles were sore from all of the growing that he had done. But he didn't notice it. It was like he was flooded with adrenaline and endorphins from his new body. Whilst he wasn't crazy about it, he knew that it would serve its purpose. Besides he was just impressed with all the amazing work that Roxy had done. This was beyond anything that he had imagined would be possible.
Something about this work was really quite rewarding. Roxy didn’t even know in what way she was helping, but it had to be kind of big. It had to help more people than just getting someone off one night or comforting one person after a hard time. She was helping on a bigger scale, in a way that would have made someone proud. Hell, even Percy who hardly knew her seemed pretty impressed. Helping made her happy. This was something she was good at, and it broke her heart a little to think that this might be one of the few times she’d be able to use this ability like this. Fighting wasn’t really her style, either, so helping that way didn’t really seem like an option. Maybe the Underworld burning down was a good opportunity to try to do something that’d help more people. She just didn’t know what yet. She shook her head. “It doesn’t need to be that official. Just use a kitchen knife to prick your finger.” She got one out of her drawer and handed him two leftover jars similar to the one with the hairs in it. “Just a little bit of skin in one and blood in another.” Roxy took another look at him and realised all of their work could be undone if he stepped out like that. His clothes could give him away. Wordlessly, just with a tisk, she disappeared into her room. She came back with a sweatshirt that looked like it would swallow her whole if she wore it. “Here,” she said as she threw the thing at him. It was black with big, red block letters that said ‘Australia Day 2007.’ “Now no one will recognise your clothes as Percy Jackson's now. You can keep that if you want to start your new wardrobe. It’s not even mine, I don’t know why I brought it.” She chuckled as she bent down and rolled up his jeans a little so it looked more for fashion than jeans that were short. She was a little particular about the details when it came to this sort of thing. Ideally he’d be wearing more leather. Or anything else that added to his tough stare.
Taking the jam jars gingerly, Percy pricked his finger and filled the bottom of the jar with blood. It was thick and crimson. That meant he was still a human. Score. Next was the skin sample and when that was done he was screwing the tops onto the Jam jars and handing them over to Roxy. It was weird really. This whole ... experience. He had never been through anything like it and he was suddenly surprised by the fact that he was actually doing this. Somehow he was going to attempt to infiltrate the cult. That meant making contact. He had a single name. Adriana -- he was hesitant to use her for various reasons, not withstanding the fact that she knew him well and had gone after his sister, so she was already out -- then there was no one else. That would soon change. He could think of a few ways that he could prove himself. The Colosseum was the most obvious. Then once he had everything under control he would launch the next stage of his plan and get ready to infiltrate them. Once he was sworn in, taken through whatever creepy and bizarre induction ceremony they undoubtedly had, then he would begin taking them apart from the inside. He had promised that he would. He wasn't going to break his word. His word was his honor. His honor was something that was hugely important to him. He wasn't going to break his word, even if it was to someone who didn't deserve to be urinated on when she was on fire. Perhaps that was a little strong. But Percy still hadn't forgiven her for what she had done and he wondered if he ever would. Smiling at Roxy as she handed him the sweatshirt, he quickly dressed more appropriately. Now that he looked like more of a thug and less of a hero, he was satisfied. Looking one last time in the mirror he couldn't help but fiddle with his ratty turqoise hair, it was beyond weird but honestly it was starting to grow on him. "Roxy," he said finally, turning to face her and smiling, "II cannot think of a single thing to say that will adequately express the thanks I have for you," he hugged her tightly, perhaps a little too tightly because he wasn't quite used to his new found strength. At least not quite yet. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to this body, but I should have it nailed soon... anyway you've been amazing and I am beyond grateful for your help."
Taking the jars with a smile, Roxy glanced at her ‘cookbook’ for a moment before popping the very strange things in the fridge. They didn’t really match the whip cream and strawberries. “I’ll drop these to you by tomorrow morning the latest,” she said, but she could already tell she’d probably burn the midnight oil on them. She liked staying up late, mostly because she liked sleeping in. The later she stayed up the better her chances were to wake up to the natural sunlight steaming through her thin white curtains, her sleeping playlist still playing and lulling her away just like it lulled her to sleep. That was the only thing, absolutely the only thing, she liked about not having a job; she could sleep in as late as she wanted. Other than that, she missed there Underworld more than anything. She didn’t want to pressure Brennan after everything he’d been through, but the Underworld had been her home. Her first home in years. Considering taking up a new job and a new home was intimidating and not too inviting. After helping Percy with this, though, she was seriously considering it. He looked so determined, so hopeful and serious about whatever she’d helped him do. She liked that look in his eye. People think that tattoos and sex and things like that are so incredibly important and they are, but in the end what will it matter? So you got something on your skin that will wither away as your skin does in your casket. Big whoop. It doesn’t really matter to anyone but yourself just like sex doesn’t to anyone outside of the action. People judge you for both, when shouldn’t they judge you for how you treated that person? How you didn’t help another? How you hurt that one? That’s what she cared about. But hat was she supposed to do with that? She smiled at him, a genuine smile. She laughed when he hugged her, not minding the tightness at all. It was sweet. “Just… Do some training or something. That’ll make you more believable as an actual person if you know someone, too.” She kept her arms on his shoulders and took one last look over her work, a proud gleam in her eye. “Hey, if you want to thank me help me find a job. I’ve got nothing since Brennan’s place burned down, and, well, this was fun. I like being good at something.” She gave him a smile through eyes that looked nothing like his. “Oh, and good luck with whatever you’re about to get up to. You can always come to me for help if you need it again. You know, just to settle my curiosity, what’s this guy’s name?"
Trying to get used to his new body, Percy found himself smirking. No Chad Duke was smirking. Percy would be back soon. But it was good to know that he had a disguise that he could effectively use for when he joined the Cult, or attempted to join the Cult. To be honest this was the very first step in a plan that he had worked out on his own for a few weeks. But now he was actually stuck with the next step. The next step. What even was the next step? To him it would be to find another member of the Cult and start honey potting them. That would make the most sense. But finding one would be more difficult than the planning would be and Percy knew that he was going to have to spend a lot of time trying to infiltrate the Cult. First he would need to find someone to butter up. But for now he was with Roxy and he looked like a complete and total thug. The look wasn't one that he was enjoying but he would stick with it. He caught his reflection once more in the window before turning to Roxy once more. "I - uh, I'll do some training, it makes sense y'know." He smiled gently and shrugged once more. "I will keep my eyes out, I've heard about a couple of vacancies down by the lake front, maybe you might want to take a look down there? That might be more your speed?" he suggested with a shrug, he was hoping that Brennan got his life together soon and start rebuilding the Underworld, the insurance money that Percy assumed he had gotten from it had to be more than enough for it. So what was taking too long was a little baffling for him. "If I do need help from anyone then I promise you that this will be the first place that I look," he smiled once more. Her next question hit him slightly harder. He stopped for a moment and sighed. "How about this, I can't tell you anything now, and you really really have to keep this one to yourself. But once it is all over I will take you out for pizza and I will explain literally everything." He smiled once more before taking a final look at his turqoise hair and stepping out of her place. Pausing at the door he turned back to Roxy. "Thank you once more." and then he was off, walking around in a brand new body that he wasn’t used to yet. This wasn’t stupid at all.
Best: Okay this so is not fair, like at all. I have played against so many amazing Quinn’s (because really I haven’t ever played against a Dianna FC that wasn’t Quinn). Buut I suppose I’ll just go with the very first person I ever played against for her. We don’t speak anymore or anything, which makes me sad even though it’s been like, years... and I am the one that fucked it up, but yeah. She was just amazing and I have so many good memories. It wasn’t just one time, it was so so many that I really cherish.
Worst: There was a group I was in one time and the person playing Quinn was just really bad. I’ve never had an experience bad enough to like, grow a dislike or anything, but it made me super uncomfortable and I just didn’t have a good time, and the main reason I rp is for fun.
Vanessa Lengies
I haven’t ever really played against a Vanessa Lengies. So with both good and bad experiences I am kind of lacking in.
Lucy Hale
Best: By far Roxy’s, Lucy Hale. Literally the only person I’ve actually played against with a Lucy Hale FC, but she’s flawless. Savanah is flawless and our ship is flawless. Our Samvanah is the best.
Worst: Since I’ve only got one experience, which is amazing, there really isn’t a worst. I would kill for some more Lucy Hale in my life though.
SEND ME A FACE CLAIM AND I’LL TELL YOU MY BEST AND WORST EXPERIENCE WITH THEM.
7:15 and I am still awake. Because I need an excuse for being awake so damn late/early in the morning without having slept yet, I am blaming Roxy and the perfection that is Samvanah.
Even after talking with his brother countless times and trying his best to go through his own thoughts to make sense of what was going on with his life, Marco still couldn’t seem to feel the weight he was now holding lift. Chances were he never would, but he at least wanted to find some way to relieve himself without having to continuously drown himself in alcohol. It was when he was roaming the halls that one specific person came to mind that he knew he could talk to and wouldn’t judge him for whatever was going on. Picking up his phone, Marco typed out a quick text to Roxy, letting her know he was on his way to her apartment before making his way there and knocking on the door.
[MSG:] All I can say is that it was completely accidental, no one was too seriously injured, and I’m not allowed back to that bar without a designated pusher for my wheelchair.
[MSG:] You mean for the wheelchair you stole from my friend who was coming to visit for the weekend? I still cant believe Artie actually let you use it just so you didnt have to use the stairs to get in. Wait... what did you do that injured people?
[MSG:] I’m sensing a Yuletide blowjob in your future and by future I mean tomorrow.
[MSG:] I dunno what a yuletide is.. are we going to the beach tomorrow or something and i forgot about the plans? [MSG:] Is it really the right sorta weather to chill at the beach?
