I Firmly Believe That Some Stories Can Never Be Translated Into A Different Medium And That's Okay

One of the coziest second hand bookshops I’ve visited

Fanfiction writers be like:

"here's the immensely time consuming 100K word novel-length passion project I'm working on between my real life job and family! It eats up hundreds of hours of my one and only life, causes me emotional harm, and I gain basically nothing from it! Also I put it on the internet for free so anyone can read if they want. Hope you love it!" :)

Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing: 30 Questions for Authors

What was the first fandom and/or pairing that you wrote fic for?

Do you participate in any writing events or challenges throughout the year? If so, what do you like about them?

Do you write fics from start or finish, or jump around?

Do you outline before you start writing? If so, how far do you stray from that outline?

What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

If you’re really concentrating, how many words can you write in a day?

Which part of writing do you struggle with most?

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, share a song that’s been inspiring you lately.

Do you prefer to write AUs, canon divergence, or canon-compliant fic?

Do you enjoy writing dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

If you could only write angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Is there a trope you haven’t written yet but really want to?

Is there a trope you wouldn’t write if it was the last trope on earth?

If you were stuck on a desert island with only two characters, which would you pick?

A Hollywood producer tells you that they want to film just one of your fics. Which fic would you want it to be?

What is your most underrated fic?

What fic are you most proud of?

What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

What is the one fic that got away?

Have you cried while writing a fic?

If you had to remix one of your own fics, which would it be and how would you remix it?

How did you come up with title for [x fic]?

Which idea came to you first in [x fic]?

Which part of [x fic] was the hardest to write?

If you were ever to do a sequel to [x fic], what do you think might happen in it?

In [x fic], what is a happy, post-fic headcanon you have about [pairing]?

Send me a word. If it’s in your WIPs, include the sentence and a short summary of the fic.

Tell us an idea for a longfic you want to write in the future.

For all you worldbuilders out there, I don't know if you know, but r/worldbuilding on Reddit made this Google Doc with a ton of resources they gathered. Thought that might help some of you.

“You can’t think about saving the whole world. You have to think about saving one person, Miles. Just think of someone you love.”

“My mom, and…my uncle and my dad.”

“In that order? Wanna talk about that?”

“No.”

Another redraw, this time from that great deleted scene.

This is soo nice! I agree with everything in here. Like, I always liked Percy but I love Nico, because i was a emo kid in my teenager years , so is great to see myself in a character like that. It's just perfect.

How did I fall in love with Percico? I must admit that the battle was intense.

When I first joined the world of Percy Jackson in 2015, I had no idea what I was getting into.

Actually, I had no idea of anything ... anything at all.

Only one thing was clear.

Nico di Angelo.

This character was introduced to me in a fanfic about a niece of mine who is older than me. She asked me to read her fanfic, and I just did.

It was a [Percy Jackson x Reader], but contrary to what the fanfic says and the feelings of the protagonist, I ended up getting interested on Nico di Angelo.

He was like a crush. At that point he was introduced to me as the typical bad emo boy (which I really didn't like very much), but that character had something, and when I'm curious, I look for information.

Obviously I read every word of the Nico di Angelo Wikia, and since at that moment the Blood of Olympus had barely come out, the Solangelo didn´t exist, practically.

Was I disappointed? Yes. I must admit that I was disappointed to read this character that had struck me was “gay” and, apart, he was in love with the protagonist.

So I gave myself the task of buying the first book (The Lightning Thief), only by Nico di Angelo.

I was 12 years old at the time, and being the first book I read for my own interest, I began to idolize Rick Riordan for being so hooked on his books. I was so hooked on the narrative, the world, and the characters that he made me hopelessly a reader.

By idolizing Rick Riordan for opening up so many possibilities that reading books gave me, I also began to idolize his beliefs, and consequently, in the first book I fell in love with Percabeth.

Percabeth was my life back then.

Annabeth, the strong, determined girl, who ran away from her family when she was 7 years old, fighting for her freedom (or at least in my 12-year-old mind). And Percy Jackson, that kid hurt by his stepfather, sarcastic and kind of mature boy.

They were THE COUPLE.

I continued to ship them in later books.

The Titan's Curse have arrived. I already knew that Bianca was going to die, I already knew the whole story of Nico. But still, reading every paragraph where he came out was a delight. It was more intense, it penetrated you deeper, you could see things that you could not appreciate by reading the wikia.

I didn't give too much importance to Nico. Yes, he was still my favorite character, but I wanted to see Percabeth develop.

The Titan's Curse happened, The Battle of the Labyrinth too, and I didn't really take into account the scenes where Nico and Percy were together, I just liked to appreciate the scenes where Nico used his powers, became strong or showed that personality that I loved, since I was expecting more than anything the Percy and Annabeth scenes.

I didn't like Rachel very much, I didn't like Luke, I didn't like Calypso ... Simply because they got in the way of my ship (I was wrong, and now I know it). With Nico, I just didn't love that he had a crush on Percy, but I still liked the character. I knew from reading the wikia, that they weren't going to end up together anyway. I knew that in the end the one who would triumph was going to be Percabeth. And I was waiting for it.

The Percico Fire escape scene happened in the last chapter of The Battle of the Labyrinth, I treasured that scene in my heart more than anything for being a scene where you see a Nico who lost his inocence too quickly, but still wants to savor the world around him. But the Percico in that book was totally overshadowed by Percabeth's first kiss. I was totally eclipsed.

And in the end I came to The Last Olympian.

It hurt me that Nico cheated on Percy. At that moment I couldn´t see anything of the background of his intentions.

I was really blind.

Luke died, and what I had been waiting for for five books happened.

The kiss Percabeth under the water. I liked? Yes, at the time I fangirled quite a bit, I was happy and it made my day.

At this point I was 13 years old.

The second saga arrived. The Son of Neptune arrived. Nico di Angelo came out not telling Percy his true identity. I was confused. Percy remembered Annabeth and I calmed down awaiting their reunion.

The reunion came and I felt happy, but not excited. The new characters had overshadowed it a bit.

I was more confused not seeing Nico in most of the chapters. I found out that he passed Tartarus alone, yes, I found out that he was locked in a jar in a half-dead state, yes. But I didn´t take the importance that it deserved.

I was angered to see Percy's indifference towards Nico. And at the time I thought I was angry because Nico was my favorite character.

I was wrong.

Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus, and while I liked that the golden couple survived that hell together, with their love, it really didn't feel as good as I thought. I started to lose interest a little. The way they related was no different than when they were friends, just a few cheesy moments here and there. Still, I followed the ship on its journey through Tartarus.

Even Bob.

Bob, the titan Iapetus who told Percy that Nico had sent it to save him. That part where Percy realizes that he must have been a best friend to Nico, in that moment where Percy realizes, dying, that Nico was stronger than he thought.

I was moved by such thought, but still, I continued with Percabeth, simply with the new thought that Percy should take more importance on Nico, because, by the gods, he was NICO DI ANGELO, the son of Hades, the Ghost King. He was my dream character.

The scene that changed everything arrived.

The Cupid scene.

I already knew that that was the moment where Nico confessed that he was in love with Percy. I knew it from the first book, even before.

But it was very different to know it than to read it in great detail.

“I had a crush on Percy. That´s the truth. That´s the big secret.”

In that scene, I felt a lump in my stomach. It was a strange emotion and in a way unpleasant and pleasant at the same time. I was excited to know that I had reached the peak of the character, but really outside of that I didn´t take much importance, since ... Please ... WHAT ABOUT THE PERCABETH?

Still, inside of me I felt a curiosity to know more about Nico's feelings. I felt like something had fallen into place, but I didn't know what.

At that time I was 14 years old.

The end of the second saga came and Will Solace arrived.

I felt even more confused and upset. I, who had already accepted the knowledge that Nico loved Percy, felt betrayed to see how in a couple of pages Nico had a crush for Will.

How was it possible? What was the reason?

It was sudden, it was rude. I felt a knot in my stomach. I didn't have time to process it when the Solangelo was slapped across my face and across a couple of pages.

I kept reading and the most controversial scene arrived.

"I see that you´re cute, but you´re not my type"

I honestly felt like something didn't add up. I felt more confused. And I felt worse when I found out that Annabeth and Percy had a vision to move to New Rome for college after finishing their last year of high school.

I felt as if the characters were slipping through my hands. Growing up too fast and letting things slide when I wasn't ready to face it yet.

The second saga felt confused, and had unpleasant feelings hanging around. Loose ends that my brain couldn´t spin.

Something was wrong, and I was felt, but I didn't know it.

At this point I was nowhere near my 15th birthday.

I tried to hold on a little to the Nico di Angelo that I knew, not that strange boy who fell in love with Will Solace.

So I read some old Nico di Angelo fanfictions, and why deny it, some Percico fanfics too.

I liked? Yes, I must admit that it had something, although I didn´t understand why yet. Still, I continued to ship Percabeth.

The curiosity for the Percico was very big, and little by little I began to like it more. The dynamics seemed interesting to me. Still, I didn't understand many things.

I had my small Percico phase in 2017. And after that, I left the fandom after reading The Hidden Oracle. I found it funny, yes, but it didn't feel the same anymore. That emotion that put Rick in the first saga and part of the second had been extinguished.

Everything was different. It felt drier, strained, broken. I didn´t like it. It was disappointing.

2020 came, and the pandemic arrived.

At this point I was 17 and less than three months away from leaving high school.

In those almost 3 years of taking a break from Rick Riordan, I had become interested in other things. Shingeki no Kyojin, Supernatural, The Maze Runner, Death Note, etc. I had many stages in those three years.

I grew older, I saw more things and I better understand some circumstances.

In my last days of high school, before the online classes, I met a boy very much like Nico. Very similar. I looked at him and I smiled. I remembered my time when Nico di Angelo was my favorite character.

Remembering what Rick Riordan had done for me by publishing the Percy Jackson books.

Rick Riordan, whether he wanted to or not, he changed my life. He made me be a different person, and I liked the direction.

The end of 2020 came and I was already 18. The online classes had already started and I had already started my first semester of college.

The December 2020 holidays arrived, and my favorite series called Supernatural ended in a painful way.

How is it possible that Dean and Castiel didn't end up together? Castiel loved Dean. He was the most important person to him. He sacrificed himself because he Love him. Why did Dean have to die like Castiel?

His background was beautiful, tragic, although it was not explicitly seen it was there, waiting to see who saw how beautiful the feelings they had for each other.

I felt bad and desolate. The pandemic was affecting me more than I had thought.

I was not a sociable person, but being indoors all the time was frustrating.

I remembered the time when I was happiest, the time when I could go out with friends, where I could appreciate my crush from afar knowing that he would never reciprocate, but I was fine with it.

Nico di Angelo.

Again the character appeared in my head. And, with the new vision that I had, after 6 years of having fallen in love with Nico the first time, I was now ready to analyze, to really know what was wrong three years ago. I read The Trials of Apollo. I didn't like it. It was unpleasant. The only character I was there for was Nico, but even so, the Nico they introduced me to was different, it was everything I didn't remember about Nico.

I didn't like where Rick had led things.

I was frustrated.

I was about to give up, but ...

Percico

I remembered the name of the ship and the nice feeling that had hit me years ago, so I started reading percico fics on Wattpad, and although I really liked them, something was missing.

An English fanfic appeared called What Happened in Venice? By MidnightinJapan.

The characters were so canon, they were how I remembered them, and the way Nico and Percy fit together was really beautiful. Their personalities complemented each other in a unique way.

I fell in love, honestly.

I started researching, analyzing, rereading the books. I began to realize many things that I had not noticed, both about the Percico and the Percabeth.

Scenes came to mind where Percy and Nico had been together, and that thing that had been bothering me for years had finally fallen into place.

The fluff and pretty feelings I had felt with the Percabeth had no chance against the strong overwhelming, passionate and tragic feeling of love in the Percico.

It felt so pure, so sincere, so deep, so developed without falling into the cliché.

It's perfect.

My perception had changed in those years, and I realized that I had done wrong to idolize Rick Riordan the way I did, because in my point of view he has made mistakes.

Percico became my OTP right away. And I remembered that three years ago I had liked it. My subconscious had tried to tell me, but I ignored it!

I started looking for fanarts on Pinterest, on Twitter, wherever I could be found. And that's where everything went wrong.

I rejoined the Percy Jackson fandom and realized that the fandom had changed. Everything had changed.

The shippers Solangelo and Percabeth had gone toxic. The Percico had almost disappeared. Hatred was sinking the ship. And I got mad. I got very angry. I tried to contain myself as much as I could, but after almost 6 months of enduring the hatred thrown at my ship, I had to do something about it. I created my Percico accounts. I tried to put a stop to it even though it was impossible. I'm really trying to get out.

In my head there was no room for them to send Percico so much hatred if he was the best ship for me.

I had my Percabeth phase, I understood how eclipsing they could be, but I, who had already been in the fandom for many years, understood things better and now I am determined not to give up.

I'm not going to let the Percico sink.

“omg you’re so creative. how do you get your ideas” i hallucinate a single scene in the taco bell drive thru and then spend 13 months trying to write it

It’s Just a Movie. It’s Just a Show.

Back to the Future helped me get through the hardest month of my life ten years ago.

Love, Simon made me feel more comfortable with aspects of my identity…

Which I now embrace through a love for chick flicks.

“Veronica Mars” helped me get through high school…

And “Doctor Who” helped get me through my first year of college.

I was able to bond with my dad over our mutual appreciation of Coen Brothers movies…

Deadpool gave us a way to properly express how much we hated his cancer…

And “Brooklyn Nine Nine” is helping me deal with his passing.

Zombieland taught me how to laugh again…

And The Imitation Game taught me how to cry.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” provided storytelling which challenged me as a child…

While shows like “Static Shock” opened my eyes to cultures & experiences other than my own.

Bandslam was a movie so close to my life as a 13 year old it felt like I’d written it…

While How to Train Your Dragon showed me that just because I was a weirdo didn’t mean I was alone.

The Book of Life helps me feel more comfortable about death…

And “The Good Place” encourages me to life a full life.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” makes me feel more comfortable about talking about my mental health issues.

Chicago got me through pneumonia.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles is a Thanksgiving tradition in our home.

I feel closer to my mom because of Harry Potter…

To my brother because of Lord of the Rings…

And to the rest of my family because of Disney films.

People say, “It’s just a movie,” or, “It’s just a show,” like that’s minimizes it, but it doesn’t.

“Just a movie,” means it is a storytelling device that resonates with people.

“Just a show,” means it is something people can come back to when they need it.

Entertainment, storytelling, and art have the power to inspire people…

To change them, to help them deal with their life…

To connect with others…

And to see themselves represented in ways they never thought they would.

So if something is just that, then I think that’s pretty great.

Who else gets this kind of surprises? 😅