#African-American Olympians

[yourdailyqueer]

Rashida Ellis

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

DOB: 4 June 1995

Ethnicity: African American

Occupation: Olympic boxer

[holly-natnicole]

To all New Orleanian African American 'Percy Jackson' (2005) franchise fans, I have a serious question:

Please vote!! I've felt very confused for the past half a year coz of this issue.

[mimi-0007]

Black U.S. Olympians Won In Nazi Germany Only To Be Overlooked At Home.

Eighty-five years ago the United States competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games in Nazi Germany, with 18 African-American athletes part of the U.S. squad.

At the 1936 Olympics, 18 black athletes went to Berlin as part of the U.S. team. Pictured here are (left to right, rear) high jumpers Dave Albritton and Cornelius Johnson; hurdler Tidye Pickett; sprinter Ralph Metcalfe; boxer Jim Clark; sprinter Mack Robinson. In front: weightlifter John Terry (left); long jumper John Brooks.

[100-years-of-archive]

Jesse is most notably recognized for his Olympic attire.

[lowpolybread]

“Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to me like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city.” The Lightning Thief page 202

PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS 1x04 + 1x05: A Typical Day in St. Louis

“The highway also cut off many residents—mainly poor and black—from the development around the arch, aggravating racial tensions still fresh from when construction unions barred African-Americans from working on the site. The displacement came to epitomize 20th-century ‘urban renewal’—a euphemism, James Baldwin quipped, for Negro removal.’” Fred Kaplan for The Smithsonian Magazine, The Twisted History of the Gateway Arch

[shewhoworshipscarlin]

Earlene Dennis Brown

Earlene Dennis Brown, a three-time Olympian, was the first African American woman to win a medal in the shot put. Throughout her life Brown excelled in a variety of sports, gaining attention, recognition, and honors. She is the only shot-putter to compete in three consecutive Olympics (1956, 1960, 1964). Brown won Olympic bronze for Women’s shot put in 1960; was Amateur Athletic Union Champion in shot put (1956-62, 1964); won Amateur Athletic Union Championship, discus (1958-59, 1961); won gold medal in shot put, silver medal in discus, USA-USSR dual meet (1958); was shot put and discus champion, Pan-American Games (1959); and placed 12th in shot put, Tokyo Olympics (1964).

Earlene Dennis, born July 11, 1935, in Latexo, Texas to Espenola Tillis Dennis, a domestic servant, and Willie Dennis, a semipro baseball player with the Negro League in Texas. When her parents separated in 1938, Dennis remained with her mother and they moved to Los Angeles in 1945. Dennis’s mother married Julius Walker in 1946. Dennis attended Jordan High School in South Central Los Angeles, where she excelled in track and field. Her athletic ability was noticed by many, including Adeline Valdez, Dennis’s high school gym teacher, Josephine Spearman, and Coach Clarence Mackey, who tried to get her to compete in the Helsinki Olympics (in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland). Valdez is credited with putting the first discus in Dennis’ hands while her history teacher taught her to shot put. Before competing in shot put and discus, Dennis anchored the relay team.

In 1956, Brown finished in the top ten in the shot put and the discus. In 1958 Brown received the #1 world ranking and became the first American to break the 50-foot barrier. Brown won gold medals in the shot put as well as discus events at the Pan American Games in 1959. At the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 Brown placed 12th in the shot put.

Brown retired from the shot put competition in 1965. The same year she took up another sport, roller derby. Brown’s career in skating began as a blocker for the New York Bombers.

In 1975, Brown retired from all athletic ventures and worked as a beautician to provide for herself and family. On May 1, 1983, Earlene Dennis Brown passed away in Compton, California at the age of 47. On December 1, 2005, Earlene Brown was posthumously inducted in the National Track and Field Hall of Fame by the USA Track and Field (USATF) Association during the Jesse Owens Awards and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Jacksonville, Florida.

[girlmagazineedits]

A gold for the U.S. and a gold for Girl Power!

Simone Biles, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, and Hezly Rivera have dominated the 2024 U.S. Olympics for women's gymnastics and won over our hearts. This year's Olympics was amazing it seems as though the world united as one all tuned in to watch. These girls were everywhere during this Olympic season from making videos on TikTok to their quirky Instagram posts giving all of us FOMO. One thing that stuck out this year was how much fun they were all having, they were dancing on the sidelines, writing witty captions on Instagram towards haters, and smiling when they would make mistakes, and it all seemed like we were watching one big girl power event. With Hezly Rivera being just 16 years old and Simone Biles being the oldest competing Olympian in women's U.S. gymnastics at 27 years old, this team has a role model for all young women. The diversity this year was outstanding as everyone had someone to look up to for representation. Hispanic, African American, and Asian descent were present on the tumbling mats and it was a sight to see the multicultural representation of the United States and women in general. These women are Barbies with their neverending brains and talent, and Bratz with their girl unity and the sas they brought to the 2024 Olympics! We love to see it!

[thekitsunesiren]

1k Followers Post + Insider

1,000 followers! 1,000!? I can't thank all of my followers enough and all those who continue to follow me! I promise to do my best to continue to write more prompts. I might even start branching out to other fandoms as well. I'm still thinking of what to do for this milestone. Possibly a poll for you guys to decide?

And since I have 1,000 followers, I think I should do an about me for those who are knew around here lol.

Anyway! About me!

Hello, everyone! I am the Kitsune Siren! You're free to call me Kitsune, Kit, Siren or Jay. I am a 23 year old African American female (she/her) who is also aroace! My favorite hobbies include listening to music, writing (of course), and cooking! My favorite color is the many shades of blue! I listen to all types of music, but the song currently in my head is Spicy Margarita by Jason Derulo and Michael Bublé. But when it comes to artists, I'll say that my favorites are JVKE, Jake Daniels, CG5, The Stupendium, OR3O, and Melanie Martinez!

Currently I'm obsessing over several webcomics and manhwa's. I'll read those forever XD

I've been on tumblr forever! And I've seen it change a lot.

I've taken up to doing writing commissions that you could learn about here. They're for fandoms that I am in. And there might be a few that I'll learn about to write about.

I write all of these prompts on tumblr, but the majority of them (dc x dp specifically) have their own little booklet on ao3 which you could see here. I'll work more on trying to post there as well.

I'm also a descriptive roleplayer. I rp on Discord and on a site called RpNation under the name: The Kitsune Siren.

As for fandoms I'm in, I'll give you a gist of a wide majority.

I am in these fandoms:

Anime:

Sailor Moon

Saiki K.

Overlord

That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime

Naruto

One Piece

Demon Slayer

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid

Books:

Harry Potter

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Cartoons:

Steven Universe

Danny Phantom

Xiaolin Showdown

Lego Monkie Kid

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Tv & Movies:

Marvel Cinematic Universe

DC Extended Universe

Kingsman

The Walking Dead

Rise of the Guardians

Into/Across the Spider-verse

Sherlock

Helluva Boss

Hazbin Hotel

Riddick

Video Games:

Genshin Impact

Honkai: Star Rail

Detroit: Become Human

Cuphead: Don't Deal with the Devil

Undertale

Pokémon

Dragon Raja

I have many more, but I hope this would be a good example to show of what my knowledge is about.

Anyway! I'm always open to asks and prompt ideas for any fandoms, so don't hesitate to ask me anything you'd like. Within reason of course lol.

I hope you all have a good day, and thank you once again for 1,000 followers! I'll work not to disappoint you.

[soovermyself]

Human Rights Campaign Announces Eight New Members to its Boards of Directors

The Human Rights Campaign announced the 2024 members of the HRC and HRC Foundation Boards of Directors, which is comprised of diverse and innovative leaders across industries and in the LGBTQ+ community.

…

Sophia Bush, She/Her/Hers, Los Angeles

Sophia Bush is an actress, activist, producer, and entrepreneur. She has starred in television and film projects such as One Tree Hill, John Tucker Must Die, Chicago PD, Incredibles 2 and Good Sam.

Most recently, Bush wrapped production on Bryan Greenberg’s directorial debut, Junction and in London’s West End ‘2:22 – A Ghost Story’ play. She currently hosts her podcast, “Work in Progress with Sophia Bush” and co-hosts the iHeartRadio podcast “Drama Queens” alongside Hilarie Burton Morgan and Bethany Joy Lenz. Beyond entertainment, she's a dedicated activist and philanthropist who passionately supports projects empowering girls and women. Alongside her business partner Nia Linder Batts, Bush is a General Partner and investor in Union Heritage Ventures, a majority African American and women-owned capital firm. She also co-founded and sits on the board of I am a voter® and serves as a Strategic Advisor for First Women’s Bank with Billie Jean King.

…

Ashlyn Harris, She/Her/Hers, New York City

Ashlyn Harris, a former goalkeeper for the USWNT, Orlando Pride, and Gotham City FC in the NWSL, is a celebrated 2x World Cup Champion and Olympian. After retiring from the game, she served as the Global Creative Director of Gotham City FC. Beyond her athletic and creative achievements, Harris has established herself as a pioneer in advocating for social justice, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community, and in challenging stigmas around mental health. Her leadership and instrumental role as one of the plaintiffs in the groundbreaking case suing US Soccer for equal pay for women demonstrates her courage and unwavering dedication to fostering fairness and driving meaningful societal change. She now serves on the board of the Women's Sports Foundation, led by Billie Jean King, and passionately advocates for Title IX and closing the gender gap in women's sports.

In addition to growing Gotham FC to a 5x valuation as their creative director, she now works as a creative consultant and producer, collaborating with brands like Hello Sunshine and ALLY Bank. Her business acumen and passion for advocacy continue to guide her, positioning her as both a leader and a catalyst for progress. In her personal life, Harris finds joy and fulfillment in her family. She welcomed her daughter Sloane, in February 2021 and her son Ocean, in July 2022.

[yellobb]

Y’all I just found out about the 1904 Olympics marathon and I am losing my mind over how batshit insane it was. Buckle up y’all because this is one hell of a story

For some historical context, the 1904 Olympics were held in St. Louis and it was the first Olympics hosted in the U.S. It was paired up with the 1904 World’s Fair, so there was a hell of a lot going on in the city at the time

First, let’s meet some of our contestants:

American Thomas Hicks and four other Americans were all experienced marathoners

American Fred Lorz, who was able to compete after placing in a “special five mile race” sponsored by the Amateur Athletic Association. He did all his training at night

Ten Greeks who had never run a marathon before

Two South African men from the Tsuana tribe who were in St. Louis as part of the World’s Fair. They were apparently the first black Africans to compete in the Olympics, which is super cool. Less cool was the fact that they weren’t wearing any shoes

Cuban Félix Carbajal, a 5ft (1.5m) tall man who had fundraised his journey to the Olympics. This man got to New Orleans, lost all his money on a dice game, then had to walk and hitchhike his way to St. Louis. Mind you, that is almost 700 miles. He shows up to the race, having not eaten in 40 hours, dressed like THIS:

This man gets another bullet point because apparently his trousers were all the way down to his boots when he got there. Another Olympian took pity on him and cut them with scissors

Now for the race itself. It is in the 90s (32 degrees Celsius) and humid. For some god awful reason, they decided to start the race at 3pm, so it’s the hottest part of the day. The course is only 24.85 miles (40km) long instead of a standard 26.2, but that doesn’t mean this was an easier race. On the fucking contrary, it was hellish. I’ll let the Smithsonian article about this explain it because they do it much better than I ever could:

Now, I’ve never ran a marathon before, but I looked it up and the current recommendation is that water stations are placed every two miles.

The race is a go and things are off to a nasty start. American William Garcia almost becomes the first fatality of an Olympic event because he inhaled so much dust that his stomach was hemorrhaging. He was found unconscious by the side of the road by a local couple and had to be hospitalized. Apparently he would have bled to death if he’d been left for an hour longer.

But the dust isn’t the only issue. Apparently, Len Taunyane, one of our South African participants, gets chased a mile off course by wild dogs. He still placed 9th.

Probably my favorite participant is our boy Félix. Félix was stopping to chat with spectators in the middle of an Olympic race. At one point he stopped a car because he saw that the riders were eating peaches and asked if he could have some. They refused, but he snatched two anyway and ate them while he ran. He later came across an orchard and stopped to eat some apples, but apparently the apples were rotten, so he got stomach cramps and took a nap. HE STILL GOT FOURTH PLACE. That’s how much of a shitshow this race was, and we’re not even done.

Fred Lorz starts getting cramps around the 9-mile mark and decides to hitch a ride with one of the cars that is guiding them. He’d been leading the charge for a while and was a crowd favorite to win.

The other leader of the pack and favorite to win, Thomas Hicks, started having to use a support crew at the 10-mile mark. He was begging them for water, but they refused. He somehow managed to keep trucking along, though.

Seven miles from the finish line, Hicks’ handlers started feeding him egg whites mixed with strychnine, which is literally rat poison. There were literally no rules against performance-enhancing drugs yet, so this was apparently above-board.

Lorz gets out of the car he was riding in after 11 miles and just,,,, kept running????? He finished the race and was declared the winner. He was about to be given a gold medal when “someone called an indignant halt to the proceedings with the charge that Lorz was an imposter.” Lorz claimed it was all a joke and that he wouldn’t have actually accepted the award, but was still banned from competing in future marathons. That is, of course, until this decision was overturned in time for him to run in and win the Boston Marathon the next year.

Now Hicks had seen Lorz pass by. He was not doing too hot at all, but finding out that Lorz had been disqualified and he was still in the lead helped his motivation. He was given another dose of egg whites and strychnine with some brandy to wash it down, which, sure. Why the fuck not at this point?

At this point, he began to hallucinate. He started to believe that he had 20 more miles left to go instead of just two. He kept begging for food and rest, but his handlers just gave him more brandy and two more egg whites because of course he was. By the time he made it to the finish line, he was literally being carried by his handlers while his feet shuffled, but that was apparently good enough and he was declared the winner.

It took four doctors and a full hour for Hicks to recover enough to even leave the area after the race. He apparently lost eight fucking pounds during the course of the race. Hicks pretty much retired from racing after that (I wonder why) and became a professional clown, which really is just the cherry on top

Of the 32 people who competed in the race, only 14 finished. After everything, they literally almost removed the marathon as an Olympic event because it was deemed “indefensible on any ground but historic,” and honestly? After reading all that fuckery, I can’t even blame them.

Another note about Félix, because this man baffles me: apparently he was sponsored by the Greek government to compete in a 1906 marathon in Athens, but he never turned up. Newspapers in Cuba claimed he died, but he just??? Showed up a year later in Havana perfectly fine. Turns out he managed to get the date of the marathon wrong.

Sources:

[manygeese]

new essay just dropped and it’s about

BECKENDORF AND SILENA

Beware, weary travelers, for there be spoilers ahead

Charles Beckendorf is great, guys, and anybody who says otherwise will catch these hands. He’s introduced in the Sea of Monsters, and is the first person to accept Tyson. He shows Tyson how to work the forges, showing his compassion and empathy. As far as I know, he’s the first canonically African-American character in the series. Also, he’s the best.

Silena Beauregard is also introduced in the second book, I think, and although this may not be her (might be one of her siblings), I think she asked Percy is he needed eyeliner for his “eye- sorry, eyes”. This was meant to make fun of Percy and Tyson, showing a stark contrast from the get go between her and Beckendorf.

Silena is shown to be feisty (“[they said that] Love is worthless. I’ll pulverize them” from the Titan’s curse) and an expert at Pegasus riding. Beckendorf is head counselor of Hephaestus and expert at the forges. While not polar opposites, you’d expect Silena to stick to her group and Beckendorf to stick to his, right?

Then comes The Last Olympian, where we are told that Silena and Beckendorf are dating. Beckendorf carries a picture of Silena onto the ship- onto a ship where he has to complete a dangerous mission- onto a ship where he will meet his death. And when Silena dies after the fight with the dragon, her last words are “Charlie… see Charlie…” (BTW she’s the only one who calls him Charlie, it’s established that literally everyone calls him Beckendorf).

Hephaestus and Aphrodite’s marriage was arranged. It’s unhealthy and neither of them actually care about their relationship. Aphrodite cheats with Ares and Hephaestus gives up, just spends all his time in his forge.

But Hephaestus’ son, Beckendorf and Aphrodite’s daughter, Silena- they chose each other. They choose each other again and again. Beckendorf chooses Silena’s photo to bring with him to his death. Silena chooses her last words to tell her love that she’s going to see him again. Their choices are what make their relationship so tragic, and the fact that Silena makes such horrible choices (being a spy for Luke) outside her relationship with Beckendorf makes it all the more special. They seem like they wouldn’t get along, but they cross all boundaries to be together. They are Romeo and Juliet and they died just as tragically- with each other on their minds.

[yourdailyqueer]

Angela James

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

DOB: 22 December 1964 

Ethnicity: African American, white

Nationality: Canadian

Occupation: Former Olympic ice hockey player, ice hockey coach, ice hockey referee, entrepreneur

Note: Considered the first superstar of modern women's ice hockey, James has been honoured by numerous halls of fame.

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday To The Hottest And Most Bodacious Geeky Nerdy Bad@$$ Actress of Many Favoritable Movies and Shows of the 21st Century. The Awesome Latina Wonder Woman👩🏾🇵🇷🇨🇺🤎🧡 herself.

She is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama Kids. Her subsequent film roles include He Got Game (1998), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), Men in Black II (2002), The Rundown (2003), Rent (2005), Sin City (2005), Clerks II (2006), Death Proof (2007), Seven Pounds (2008), Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), Unstoppable (2010), Zookeeper (2011), Trance (2013), Top Five (2014), Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), and Clerks 3 (2022). Dawson has provided voice-over work for Disney/Marvel, Warner Bros./DC Comics, and ViacomCBS's Nickelodeon unit.

Rosario Dawson was born on May 9, 1979, in New York City. Her mother, Isabel Celeste, is of Puerto Rican, Taíno, Cuban and African ancestry. Isabel was 17 years old when Rosario was born; she never married Rosario's biological father, Patrick C. Harris. When Dawson was a year old, Isabel married Greg Dawson, a construction worker. Isabel and Greg moved into a reclaimed building on East 13th Street after being approved as members of an affordable housing plan. The family later moved to Garland, Texas.

As a child, Dawson made a brief appearance on Sesame Street. At the age of 15, she was discovered on her front-porch step by photographer Larry Clark and Harmony Korine, with Korine deciding that she was perfect for a part he had written in his screenplay for the controversial 1995 film Kids. 

Dawson had several roles in film and television adaptations of comic books. These include Gail in Sin City (2005) and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), Claire Temple in five of the Marvel Netflix series (2015–2018), and providing the voices of Diana Prince / Wonder Woman in the DC Animated Movie Universe and Space Jam: A New Legacy and Barbara Gordon / Batgirl in The Lego Batman Movie. In 2020, she portrayed Ahsoka Tano in the second season of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, and stars in Disney+ original series Ahsoka. In 2021, she had a recurring role in the Dwayne Johnson autobiographical comedy series Young Rock and a main role in the Hulu miniseries Dopesick.

I always thought she was Afro Latina. Oh well

PLEASE WISH THIS MOST AWESOME & BAD@$$ LATINA AMERICAN ACTRESS OF MANY FORMS OF ENTERTAINMENT & HOT NERD 🤓 🔥

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

YOU KNOW HER

YOU SEEN HER MOVIES 🎥 , TV APPEARANCES 📺 & GEEK OUT ON SUPERHERO FILMS 🎥

& SHE IS STILL RADIANT TO THIS VERY DAY

THE 1 & THE ONLY

MS ROSARIO ISABEL DAWSON👩🏾 🇵🇷🇨🇺🤎🧡

HAPPY 45TH BIRTHDAY 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 TO YOU MS. DAWNSON👩🏾🇵🇷🇨🇺🤎🧡 & HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS TO COME

#RosarioDawson

[renyen808]

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The TV Show We (and Disney) Needed

Back when I was a child, I had a difficult time reading. In fact, I loathed it. I never understood why we had to read in the first place, it seemed extremely tedious to me. It had gotten so bad to the point where it became obvious that I just did not want to read. It wasn’t until my parents signed me up for this reading thing at my elementary school, where after hours, like dinner time, they would give us a book to read. I wasn’t a fan of this because why the hell would I want to be reading at 7 pm on a Wednesday night? Yes, you read that correctly, a Wednesday! The first session, they made us read a book from an author in Hawai’i. They wrote a children’s book and they made us read it, which I didn’t because it never interested me. So, the next Wednesday comes around and I just expect it to be the same. Just give me my copy of the book that I am never going to read again and I’ll call it a day. But that didn’t happen. For the first time, I actually found a book I was interested in: The Lightning Thief. 

(Credit: Goodreads)

Everything about Percy entrapped me in this mystical world of Greek Gods, monsters, and half-bloods. I was never like this before, reading page after page just to know what happens next. Along with that, since I started reading them when I was twelve, it was a great way to see myself in these different characters, feeling the triumph and betrayal throughout every twist and turn of their adventure.

I read all of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus throughout my time in school, and also watched the movies, but, while watching the movies, I was disappointed to find that it wasn’t like how I imagined it. They changed aspects of the story that didn’t need changing and in doing so, kinda destroyed the magic that made it so great. Grover was a kind hearted boy and while I like Brandon T. Jackson, I didn’t buy him as Grover. Sure he was a great friend to Percy, but he wasn’t Grover to me. Logan Lerman was the perfect Percy, just the wrong time for him. And do not get me started on Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth, she was the worst offender of the three in my opinion. Them changing every aspect of the story just made me super upset, and do not get me started on that second movie (Love you Blackjack). The point is, as a Percy Jackson fan, we needed better, we deserved it!

(Credit: Wikipedia)

During 2020, I finally got my wish when they announced that the show was greenlit. Everyone around the world rejoiced as we finally got our chance. Once that happened, everyone started to wonder about who would be casted as the titular character. Then, April 2022, Walker Scobell was announced. At this point, I haven’t watched the Adam Project or anything that he has done, but after watching it, I was stunned, I was like, ‘That’s Percy…’ Then, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri were casted as Annabeth and Grover and the world lit on fire in the community.

(Credit: Polygon)

As a woman of color myself, not African American, but Asian, I was ecstatic to see Jeffries take on Annabeth. I’m the type of person that cares more about if they embody the soul of the character than the appearance. Daddario may have looked like Annabeth, but Jeffries IS Annabeth. There are still portions of the community that cannot wrap their head around that the beloved daughter of Athena is a different race, but I don’t care. It is especially prominent in this Facebook group (yes, I still use Facebook) I am a part of to share my love for Percy Jackson. I try to surround myself with like minded people, and sometimes, a few of the racist ones just come through.

As you can see, I loved the series. From the moment I heard Scobell’s voice, I knew the series was built with so much love. I always felt drawn to Percy, being from Hawai’i, the ocean is special to me. I always found his snark and humor relatable, since I am similar with my friends and family. I also was drawn to Annabeth with her no nonsense attitude, along with being a strong female character. Also, cannot forget Grover, the literal glue of the group. The quest would have gone completely wrong if not for him. Scobell, Jeffries, and Simhadri all played their roles to perfection. They are truly the Golden Trio come to life. 

(Credit: Town and Country Magazine)

I need to also call attention to all the different actors and actresses who played supporting roles throughout the series. Virginia Kull’s masterful performance as Sally, showing just how difficult it can be on the mortal parents of a demigod child. Glynn Turman as the perfect Chiron, showing a sense of care and concern as Percy’s mentor. Jason Mantzoukas’ performance as Mr. D is a standout, with him completely capturing what it means to be the punished director of Camp Half-Blood. Megan Mullally was an amazing Alecto, bringing a sense of fear immediately into Percy’s life. Timm Sharp played an amazing Gabe Ugliano, showcasing a different way that Gabe could be portrayed for an audience today. Adam Copeland, also known as Edge in the WWE, plays Ares, a terrifying force in the book that Copeland captures perfectly. Also want to shout out Nick Boraine, the voice of Kronos, who brings a sinister feel to the series, showing he is the big bad of this story.

(Credit: PopBuzz)

I wanted to make a separate paragraph for the last supporting character: Luke Castellan. Luke is played by Charlie Bushnell, who really sold me as a demigod feeling betrayed by the gods. Just from his acting in Episodes 2 and 8 solidified to me that this is how Luke is. Granted, the confrontation scene is not as sinister as it is in the book, I believe that the TV series did it better, where Annabeth is there in person to see the betrayal happen. I mean, that is literally her brother betraying her, I cannot imagine what she is going through. Bushnell really sold it as Luke honestly, showing he’s an upset demigod who believes the gods have turned their backs on them. He made use of his time on screen, and I cannot wait to see him in future installments as our big bad.

(Credit: IGN)

Overall, this series is what we all deserved! I understand that people are upset that it was not completely faithful to the books, and that is a valid argument, but I will say this: if you want a faithful adaptation, read the books and recreate it in your head. Nothing will ever be a perfect copy of another, not with humans around. I think instead of nitpicking the differences and inconsistencies between the two, we should embrace the changes. Embrace the fact that this was even created in the first place and be grateful for it. Embrace the fact that we have a great TV show, but god forbid they forget about the scorpion that Luke poisons Percy with. The books, movies, the TV show, they’re all interpretations of the same idea, and we all have different thoughts about the idea, that at the end of the day, at least one person will be a hater. Anyway, with millions of views each episode, I’m sure season two is coming, and with that my boy Blackjack!

[dweemeister]

July 27, 2024

By Kevin Baxter

(Los Angeles Times) — When Maritza Correia McClendon started swimming in Puerto Rico, she stood out because of her talent, not the color of her skin.

“There’s a lot of diversity in Puerto Rico,” said McClendon, who is Black and Latino, as are one in five people on the island.

Then her Guyanese-born parents moved to Florida when she was 8. Though she had become even faster in the pool, that was no longer the first thing people noticed about her.

“I remember a parent telling me, ‘What are you doing here? You should go do track or you should go on a basketball court,’” she said. “They were almost shaming me for being that outcast on that pool deck.

“That is definitely traumatizing. It’s still hard for me. I do definitely still struggle with that confidence factor.”

McClendon overcame that to become the first Puerto Rican of African descent to make the U.S. Olympic swimming team, the first Black female to win an Olympic medal for the U.S. and the first Black American swimmer to hold a world record.

In an effort to get others to follow her lead, McClendon is now among a growing number of former swimmers, coaches, officials and administrators working to make the sport more accessible and welcoming for people of color, from the grassroots level, where she was once shunned, to the Olympic team, where she shined.

The Paris Games has the opportunity to provide a big boost in those efforts when the swimming competition begins Saturday. Although only two of the 46 pool swimmers who will compete for the U.S. in Paris are Black — and none are Latino — those two, Shaine Casas, a three-time world champion, and Simone Manuel, a two-time Olympic champion and five-time Olympic medalist, have a chance to inspire a generation.

[percabeth4life]

Would you mind talking about the changes you'd like to make to HoO now?

Okay! Sorry for the delay lol, I was so busy this weekend.

Some things stayed the same from my previous notes on it. For example, the Gods are still out of the game for the most part (though there will be some of the ocean Gods). This is because of a major plot point that is part of the main conflict. A few Gods will appear, but it will be to their detriment.

Book one's main plot is completely different from canon, rescuing Hera has nothing to do with it! Though Hera does have a hand in some of the actions that are taken. The stories shorthand is TLN rather than TLH ;). Titans and Primordials are involved as I mentioned prior, I'm very excited for how that plot will be going <3.

You will be getting hints about the primordials as the story goes on, so if you're someone that likes to predict things, pay attention! The book I'm working on right now will especially have some hints!

Book 2 will have some strong similarities to canon's book 2, but has some varying conflicts and struggles beyond canon's, also the Amazon's aren't.... that.

Book three is the one I've plotted out the least so far, I'm still debating what exactly I'm going to do with it. While the Athena Parthenos isn't involved, there is a different quest for Annabeth with some similarities.

Book four is complicated. There's still gonna be a Tartarus plot but the players in that are changed a bit. There's also multiple Titans that will likely get involved, still plotting out the actual path of that. The rest of the questers have their own plot going on but things will definitely be different from canon. They're not only having to find a way to get the tartarus crew out of tartarus, but also deal with another plot of the opposing force.

Book five is based at Mount Olympus rather than Athens, and has a fun plot that does get called somewhat from mythology, but with a touch of a twist. Also, the final battle is an actual battle.

As for the characters involved- the prophecy has more than 7 people :) In fact I'm going for a very different number than the canon number overall. I'm also including one OC, which I've gone back and forth on so many times but really they're needed to balance the situation.

Additionally! Several of the canon characters have changed backgrounds and parentage! I don't like how they were all from the Olympians when there was a whole big deal made of minor Gods in the previous series, it completely ignored that! So as you can imagine, I've changed several of them to have new parentage.

I've been carefully considering the parentage of each of the characters to keep what make them themselves, while also allowing me to explore new themes and possibilities! I won't say who the parents are, though you're free to guess ;) but I like to think they'll add to the story.

I'm also considering adding a touch of different culture and maybe exploring some other pantheons a bit. This will be easiest with Frank and his whole long family history, but a little with Piper and her Native heritage and maybe Hazel as her mother had a whole witchcraft thing going on plus being African American and canonically descended from slaves.

Overall, a lot to work with and adjust from canon! I'm very excited to work on everything and have a lot of research ahead of me haha.