#'he's not very loyal for someone whose fatal flaw is loyalty'

[purpleshadow-star]

Tbh, I really don't understand why Percy was so quick to turn on Nico in The Last Olympian. Like, Nico said multiple times that Hades just wanted to talk to Percy. He said that Hades wanted to see him before they tried the river, which means obviously Nico had no intentions of them staying with Hades for long. And he explicitly said that Hades just wanted to talk. I get being annoyed or even upset at being tricked into a surprise visit to Hades, but going as far as trying to attack Nico and calling him a traitor? As if Nico completely lied to him? As if Nico wasn't still (obviously) planning on helping him? Especially since Nico already seemed reluctant and guilty about his actions? I don't get that at all.

Seriously, so unnecessary.

And he was told, straight up, that Nico made Hades promise not to hurt him and that Nico genuinely wanted to help him.

Percy isn't dumb! At this point, it should have been clear that Nico was tricked. Nico obviously didn't want Percy captured or hurt, yet Percy is still acting and thinking awfuly towards Nico, even when he literally shows up to help him escape.

Honestly, I think Nico handled this much better than I would have. If I were Nico and Percy attacked me like that after it was clear that I was tricked, I would just threaten to leave Percy there. There is literally no other way to make it more clear that Nico didn't want to see Percy hurt. From the beginning, there was no doubt that Nico thought Percy would be safe, yet Percy still was acting like an irrational idiot and ignoring what everyone around him was telling him, for what? Just so he could feel justified in his anger towards Nico?

And then, after all that, he had the nerve to say that Nico owed him! After Nico broke him out and helped him become invincible!

I get that Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty. It only takes one instance, one breech of that loyalty, for him to turn on people, but there was literally no instance where anyone could doubt that Nico wanted Percy safe. Literally, from the first moment it was revealed that Nico brought Percy to Hades in exchange for information about his past, it was clear that Nico thought Hades only wanted to talk to him. It was clear that Nico thought Percy wasn't in any danger. It was clear that Nico never wanted Percy to be hurt, imprisoned, or killed.

Sure, I'd get it if Percy was annoyed that Nico used him as a bargaining chip for information without warning him in advance, but Nico's loyalty to Percy was never in question, and Percy was literally told that several times by multiple people.

Percy just annoys me so much in this part. It annoyed me before, just based on memory, but I thought he was kind of justified in his mistrust of Nico since Nico did trick him. Now, after rereading it? No. Percy is definitely in the wrong here.

I don't ever want to hear another person say that Percy never treated Nico unfairly ever again. He totally overreacted to this situation. If Percy should have been mad at anyone, it should have been Hades (although Percy already had unjustifiable biases against Hades even before this, but that'll be another post). Hades is the one who tricked Nico into bringing him there, and he's the one who broke his promise. Hades is the one who locked him up. Nico went out of his way and defied his father in order to help Percy escape.

Is Nico right for tricking Percy to get more information about his past? No, of course not. Nico should have at least told Percy about what he planned to do. He might have been able to convince Percy to go along with it. But was Percy justified in his actions and thoughts towards Nico during and after this? Absolutely not.

[hello-nichya-here]

Lmao someone said Percy's not a well written character bc he's written to be perfect and lacks character flaws 🤣 and their only argument was "even his fatal flaw was being too good of a friend"

Bruh, what. Do these people not know the difference between "Fatal flaw" and "ONLY flaw"?

Did they not see Percy constantly falling for the old-ass tricks the monsters of greek myths pulled because he is too much of a 12-year-old with ADHD to go "hum, maybe I should study the easily accessible information on these creatures that are constantly trying to kill me and my friends?"

Did they not see how he felt VERY uncomfortable with and downright ashamed of Tyson, his disabled friend that he had previously defended from bullies, when he was revealed to actually be his half brother? How he kept trying to downplay their connection when Tyson was not around, because he didn't like being the kid with the "retarded" sibling? Sure, he realizes he was wrong in the end and goes back to being Tyson's number one defender, but it still happened and made him look like anything EXCEPT an ideal friend.

Did they not see him and Thalia, his friend/first cousin, lose their temper at each other so bad they started fighting for real? Did they not see how he had to use all of his strength not to give in when Ares was fucking with his emotions to provoque him into a fight he obviously could not fucking win?

And even the "your fatal flaw is being too loyal" thing - they did not see him literally holding up the whole sky for Annabeth or jumping into Tartarus to protect her, both things that could have killed him? Did they not see him questioning his own side in the war when Calypso asks him "Percy, are supporting the gods instead of the titans because you think they're good rulers, or because they're your family?"

For fuck's sake, what about the parallels with Luke, the character whose deal is being THE traitor? Both of them had a mom that had the ability to see the monsters and godly stuff most people can't see, both had a divine dad that loved them but was not present for most of their lives - including while they dealing with an abusive parent/step-parent - because the gods are like that, and both were VERY mad at said gods for this kind of thing?

It makes sense that Percy was the "loyal one" as a contrast, and the fact that he comes to see that Luke was not fully in the wrong because while bringing Kronos back WAS a terrible idea, the gods DID need someone to look them in the face and say "YOU SUCK", shows that he does need to be more careful with this loyalty thing because being loyal to the wrong person can have serious consequnces for him and others.

Honestly, this "take" strikes me as coming either from people who never read the books and want to trash it for stuff they got no context for, from those kinds of fans that want to out-smart the story by going "THE MAIN CHARACTER SUCKS, ACTUALLY, AND I AM OBJECTIVELY GREAT FOR NOTICING IT"

[strandsofgold]

2, 19 and 22

2. Are there any popular fandom OTPs you only BroTP?*

jovier probably? and sean/lenny too, i guess, but i don't see that ship as often. probably just a case of me preferring either canon or kinda, implied, maybe if you read the subtext ships. i've got nothing against either ship, i usually enjoy any fan art that comes across my dash, but i just don't personally ship either.

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

i'm not gonna say the blatant racism and sexism as that is unfortunately a staple of most fandoms surrounding media that is enjoyed by a lot of white people where there are characters of colour. so like, it's not really anything particularly unique to rdr2, if only because it's more overt in the fandom, but i don't really expect much else from a fandom surrounding a r* game.

i am instead going to say the obsession with painting everything in black and white.

i've touched on this in a previous ask, but it just baffles me that the fandom surrounding a game with such a grey world and such nuanced characters, a game that goes to such great lengths to portray the struggles of each character, the good and the ugly in each of them, a game whose entire thesis seems to be that being good is not a matter of simply being a good person naturally, but rather trying to do good (let your actions speak for you essentially), is so determined to paint everything in black and white. divide the characters into bad and good, right and wrong, rather than enjoy the nuanced story telling and the twisted, confusing, well rounded characters in the game.

by trying to paint everything in black and white, the characters are destroyed, any interesting part of them stripped completely from them. and i just really really really dislike that.

22. Popular character you hate?

there aren't really any popular characters in the fandom that i hate. there are definitely characters that are very popular who i don't care about, like, i think they're incredibly boring, barely two-dimensional characters, but i don't hate them.

i do, however, really hate a lot of popular fandom portrayals of characters. and javier especially stands out to me.

like, as i mentioned in the previous answer, in the black and white world that is the fandom version of rdr2, javier is labeled "one of the good ones". and so, any parts of his personality, his relationships, or his actions, that aren't "good" are just... ignored. or people straight up act as if his character is actually the complete opposite of that.

like, people seem to forget that javier is very much a villain in every sense of the word in rdr. rdr2 made him redeemable and sympathetic, and since people in this fandom really can't seem to understand this thing called CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT or, alternatively, PEOPLE CHANGING FOR THE WORSE, they seem to think that javier's character was butchered because he sides with dutch at the end. like, some of the "meta" about him i've read on here can basically be boiled down to dutch is a bad guy and therefore javier, who is a good guy, would never ever side with him, because good guys don't side with bad guys. i am very smart.

people say that javier hates bill, and dutch, and micah, but, like, i'm sorry, i wish that was the case but it isn't.

dutch is the most obvious one. javier's fatal flaw in rdr2, much like arthur, is loyalty. he is loyal to a tee. and he is loyal to dutch. he trusts dutch with his life. he is willing to die for dutch. to try and dispute that or straight up ignore it, is to remove a huge chunk of his character and what specifically made him really sympathetic in the eyes of someone who didn't think r* would be able to make them like him after having played rdr and despising him in that (hint: it's me, i'm someone).

and guess what, while javier does show visible disdain for both micah and bill earlier in the game, there are multiple camp interactions between them that show he does like both of them somewhat, even if it's only small parts of their characters he likes or can agree with or simply just tolerates. maybe, instead of just ignoring that part of his character, it would be nice to consider why he may feel that way about them, or even why he may feel forced to feel that way about them.

in rdr2, we are told rather explicitly that javier fought in a revolution against the mexican government, and in rdr he's fighting against a revolution on the side of the mexican government. he is shown to be able to put aside his ideals in order to protect himself.

but i guess it's easier to just say that he's mexican and therefore does not want to be anywhere near dutch, bill, and micah, instead of, i don't know, maybe consider that people of colour, especially in the 19th and 20th century but still to this day, have to make friends with racists in order to survive, have to keep any comments, any distaste kept behind our teeth if we don't want to get shunned or called hysterical or called racist towards white people or even killed.

people call him feminist and shit, but like... the way he talks about abigail in rdr and him working for a man who literally has women dragged away to be raped in cut-scenes doesn't really roll with that, does it? but yeah, sure, whatever. feminist king. whoo.

also, a particular part of the fandom seems to have labeled javier as very flirty and a ladies man (racist stereotype, good job), even though javier is explicitly stated to have had his heart broken and flirts with literally no one except that one sex worker in that one cut scene. charles is i that scene too – when is the fandom going to talk about how much of a flirt he is? oh wait, people only care about charles when they're shipping him with arthur.

[springatito-moved]

hello this isn't exactly a lore opinion but my most toxic opinion is that characters whose fatal flaw is smth like loyalty or kindness or whatever are boring as fuck. i think, they can be done well if the author ends up writing whatever it is as an actual flaw, like for example, x character is way too loyal to somebody they shouldn't be, and it accidentally got someone hurt. x character stubbornly refuses to admit this, and causes problems. also included in character that do this well is whatever percy jackson has going on idk. as soon as a character's only "flaw" is "good" trait "gone too far" (thus it doesn't ever end up challenged, and said good trait even comes back and saves the day at the end of the story!), they ends up being boring and a lot of their character development falls flat!! characters that dont do real bad things sometimes are boring !! ithink it also makes their good traits seem much less special, bc they're not overcoming internal conflict or whatever hs english teachers go bonkers over. anyways ppl do this to cfiances all the time and it makes me want to bite. (when i say this i mostly mean fanon ckarlnap bc everyone i follow is based about cq but cquackity's left out of enough things between them already) but esp ckarl. let ckarl be a little bitch who cant stay in one place and steals things bc they're shiny!! he's my little bitch who cant stay in one place and steals things bc they're shiny!! it makes him more fun!! if he's disloyal and easily swayed, it makes it mean more when he joins el rapids! aaaa sry for the Very Bitchy ramble this is my one pet peeve i promise im usually very normal

(appologies if this sends twice my internet is so very bad rn)

I GET U yess certain attributes as flaws have to be DEBILITATING for it to work.

like c!sapnap! his fault is loyalty because it affects his life, his personal feelings, and the world and wars around him! its a major factor in his life! it works!

but like. otherwise its just sooooo lame. if ur character's personality can be described in a paragraph or less you failed and need to try again.

[theonyxpath]

Matthew Dawkins here, with Meghan Fitzgerald’s Maa-Kep draft for Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition! Enjoy!

Maa-Kep

Shadow of Pillars

Spies, Junta, Dapifers

We would never say we know better, of course. It’s just that not taking our advice would be a mistake.

I listened closely while he spoke. The people would love him, he said. They would offer their loyalty gladly, and in exchange they would gain power over their own fates. All it would take was a revolution, guns and fists raised high in silhouette against the orange blaze that would light up the night and banish tyranny. I could see his passion, his dedication. His logic was sound. His preparations were prudent. Even now, I laud his efforts.

He looked up from his maps and schedules to beam a smile my way. He cut a handsome figure, there in the candlelight, and I admit his plan had merit. It was a temptation, as surely as any convincing bait ever is. I smiled, too.

“So,” he said, “what do you think? Will it work?”

“It would have,” I assured him. “It would have worked very well, were it not for one fatal flaw.”

“What’s that?” he asked, concern writ plain in his bright eyes.

“You told it to me.”

Tradition of the Amulet

The relics of the Maa-Kep are protective talismans, badges of office, engraved emblems that declare something to be true, and unobtrusive seals that can hold back power, carry it, or transfer it from place to place. Worn or mounted, they passively soak in magic and secrets. Like their amulets, the Maa-Kep are subtle protectors and preservers of ideas and ideals, those who quietly move power from hand to hand or rein it in when it needs limiting for the greater good. They serve quietly but never let anyone forget how important they are. They absorb information, only doling it out when and to whom they believe it’s warranted. They’re the secret police of the Arisen, and the beat they walk is all of civilization. They shepherd ideological purity; sometimes those ideas come from the Judges, sometimes from the mortals the mummies guide, and sometimes from their own meret’s priorities.

Magnanimous in Victory, Blameless in Defeat

Maa-Kep rarely take the spotlight themselves, instead gathering information and then reporting it to someone else who will do the forward-facing work for them. This is partially because they believe to take credit is to disrespect their place as tools and useful right hands, passed down to them from the Judges and the Shan’iatu. It’s also for plausible deniability in case something goes wrong. It’s not that they throw their friends under the bus, it’s just that it’s easier to smooth things over later when they’re not the ones catching the heat. They’re loyal to their leaders but unafraid to speak truth to power — if only behind closed doors. They shape civilization around them by forever making corrections and adjustments to everything and everyone, whether with one quiet word or with a brute force tool — like a fellow mummy or a well-armed cult.

Foundations

In Irem, the Dapifers were originally a collection of middle managers — slave drivers, overseers, and convoy masters. They gradually made themselves indispensable, demonstrating their dedication to making sure Irem’s caravans ran on time and their understanding of the inner workings of empire. The Shan’iatu eventually recognized the guild’s potential to be so much more, and elevated the Maa-Kep to act as secret police whose true purpose was hidden from the other guilds. They preserved the ideological purity of Irem, making sure no one strayed from the path to glory and conquest in the gods’ names.

The Wheel Turns

The guild’s secret duty didn’t stay hidden forever; by the time of the Rite of Return, the others knew why the Spies had been chosen. Their fellow mummies don’t always remember it, though. Having a Maa-Kep in the meret is a slow pendulum swinging between trust and suspicion, as her comrades rediscover her covert goals over and over again; but by the time they remember, she’s always made herself too damn useful to ignore. To this day, it’s gauche to talk about it in polite company, and usually the meret’s cults other than the Maa-Kep’s itself aren’t in the know even once the Arisen remember. To those who don’t, the Junta are valued advisors and scouts, playing the roles of coordinator, majordomo, surveillant, appraiser, and yes, spy — it’s just that few realize this spy is always a double agent, even if it’s for their own good. (Usually.)

Maa-Kep are kingmakers and internal affairs agents, watchdogs and stewards. They are project managers who support their merets and cults, rooting out incompetence, corruption, and untrustworthy sorts. They watch over their allies but also constantly evaluate them. To those who do remember their purpose, a Dapifer is all those things as well as the conductor who guides the meret’s train along the rails and keeps everybody else in line. Some appreciate it; some resent it; and many feel differently depending on the Descent.

The Maa-Kep’s cults are extensions of themselves by way of surveillance, information gathering, and spreading out like a web of eyes and ears with the mummy at its center. The Junta are men in black and spymasters, but also keen investigators with cults full of detectives and journalists, and mysterious strangers who waltz into someone’s life, help him out for no apparent reason, then vanish into the ether — arranging people and events on a grand scale humans can’t see. They’re not the ones who give a man a fish; they’re the ones who teach him to fish by writing the manual and having minions leave it conspicuously on his desk without ever talking to him, watching him from across the street with binoculars while he reads it, and then expecting him to do it right.

Once, the Dapifers weren’t the ones with the big picture vision, instead enforcing that of the Shan’iatu. They were content with that… but the Shan’iatu aren’t around anymore. The Maa-Kep view themselves as the Shan’iatu’s true successors because they enshrine Irem’s highest ideals. They know how things are really supposed to be done, and how to make sure they’re done that way. The less they remember or care about their original mandates, the more they build their own versions of the grand vision in their minds and enforce those. They insist it’s what the Judges want — who better to keep the seats warm for the great sorcerers than the ones who stood by their right hands so long ago?

As Sothis Ascends

A Maa-Kep deals with immortality by resting assured she can rely on her powers of observation and knowledge-gathering to catch her up on anything she forgets or misses, and by staying focused on the minutiae. She can’t contemplate the existential dread of knowing she’ll probably outlive the human race if she’s busy micromanaging everyone else and poking her nose into their business 24/7. She might miss old friends, but at least she got to know them better than anyone else did — probably better than they knew themselves. Thus, they live on in her.

The patterns the Spies see and perpetuate in the world are those of behavior, relationships, and philosophies. They track the principles every society values and how it maintains its high road, or falls from it into a subversion or even perversion of its purported ideals. They understand how civilizations rise and fall by the integrity of their beliefs, their dedication compared to their hypocrisy, and how well their people work together.

Starfall

A Junta turns her back on the Judges because she sees what she believes is a flaw in the gods’ plans or comes to believe that something has corrupted even those lords of Duat. Those who grow to resent their servitude don’t do so because they hate the concept of serving, but because they feel they’re not being utilized to their full potential, they’re being ordered to uphold an impure idea, or their elegant work is stymied by frustrating obstacles beyond their control. Others fall to corruption themselves, losing faith in their purpose after standing vigil for so long or craving the spotlight after lifetimes of hiding in the shadows.

Vessels: Amulets

Who We Are

Internal affairs officer in a metropolitan police department, monitoring society’s dedication to its ideals through its law enforcement

Deep-cover espionage agent, collecting intelligence about cultures and nations around the world and only reporting back what will push her employers to act the way she wants them to

Project manager at a large company, raking in money so the cult can donate large sums to ideologically desirable groups

Butler and house manager for a rich and bustling estate belonging to another Arisen and consisting of generations of a dynasty cult

Trusted advisor to an influential politician or crime lord, whispering and nudging to influence governments, underworlds, or both

Beyond the Shadow of Pillars

Mesen-Nebu: You make an excellent vanguard, even if your materialistic streak makes you a bit of an embarrassment. We’d never say so to your face, though.

Sesha-Hebsu: Without you, many valuable secrets would be lost. Without us, your judgments would ring hollow.

Su-Menent: Curb your worst impulses, my friend. Your work is important, but not as important as you think it is.

Tef-Aabhi: It’s an intricate dance we weave, isn’t it? We both have long memories, but yours are so much more reliable. Pity, that.

Wadjet-Itja: One day, we’ll dig up the secret of how you managed your chicanery, and on that day, you’ll wish you never pretended at immortality.