#Rick flag deserved better

[and-then-she-said]

Help

I just watched The Suicide Squad (yes, THAT one) and need Fix-it fic recommendations where Flag doesn’t die.

It can be smut, fluff, close calls, whatever. I just need him to live! Please, for the love of fandom.

[sadiecoocoo]

@bradleyenthusiast

Okay, so the relationship between Brad and Jessica, to me, doesn’t seem like the best relationship. (I’m probably gonna end up making a lot of point u already made in some of ur analysis posts lol… I’m also kinda biased when it comes to stuff abt Jessica cuz I don’t rlly like her that much for a few different reasons)

First of all, it doesn’t even seem like Jessica wants to be dating Brad. She seems sarcastic whenever she’s talking to him (I believe this can be seen in S1 Ep6), she’s basically cheated on him several times, and she gets mad at him for trying to fight a weird hitler clone??? Like girl you don’t wanna be on that side of the pitch forks

Another thing, in S1 Ep6 when Jessica is affected with the weird love potion shit (not Morty’s best moment :/) Brad doesn’t get mad at her, but rather at Morty. This stands out because Jessica was clearly making moves on him, and Morty honestly seemed a little uncomfortable at how the potion was working (that might’ve been a later scene I can’t remember). This means that either Brad got tunnel vision and saw Morty as the threat, or that Jessica does this often.

Also, when Jessica broke up with Brad (shown off screen) she decided a couple of days later to go out to lunch with him. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I think that if you just broke up with someone you need to have a decent no contact time period. If you don’t and you see each other again when emotions are high only bad things could happen (ei. You fall back into a possibly toxic relationship, or you get into an argument that has no purpose other than to make the other person feel bad). I would also like to note that this can happen with any kind of relationship, so if you are having trouble after getting away from a toxic friend, do not try to talk to them so soon after, it’ll just make things worse trust me I know 😭

To focus on Brad more and why Jessica gets mad at him, he is a little hot-headed. He rushes into fights that can generally be solved with talking it out. He also tends to bring ppl down while asserting himself and Jessica (while also giving her a backhanded compliment that she responds sarcastically to… if ur in a relationship and something like that bothers u, say something abt it please, don’t take that shit) like when he was telling Morty to back off of Jessica he really went for the jugular in insulting Morty as much as possible, which was really uncalled for.

Of course, if Brad felt genuinely threatened by Morty crushing on Jessica, I can understand why he’d try to make Morty feel like shit. However, he should not feel actually worried that Jessica would leave him for Morty (who everyone in the school thinks is a loser so he rlly doesn’t stand a chance with anyone in HHH… sry Morty I still love you) this leads me to believe that Jessica has a track record of cheating, be it on Brad or someone else.

TL;DR basically, their entire relationship is a subtle red flag in my opinion. Both show signs that they don’t really love each other, and they probably get into fights often… I doubt there relationship would go much further than high school. Also I’d say this is a bunch of subtle red flags because to anyone else it’d look like a normal relationship. I mean it’s never really be questioned in the show if it was healthy, it was just pointed out that Jessica gets annoyed with Brad a lot

[cigamfossertsim]

bimbocore

[wowifinallymadeanaccount]

When I tell you I would absolutely do anything and everything for Abner Krill aka Polka Dot Man and would also let him do anything he wanted to me

Anyway so I finally watched The Suicide Squad and I can't stop thinking about it

Listen I have two sides to this- I absolutely adore Flag and Harley's relationship but I would also beg them to double team me SO BAD

Fuck you Weller MY BOYS DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER

MY BABY BOY WAS FINALLY A MOTHERFUCKING SUPERHERO - BUT YOU COULDN'T LET HIM HAVE THAT COULD YOU

"Peacemaker..what a fucking joke" I would like the world to know I think about this hourly

[somewhereincairparavel]

Literally where do people get the idea that Jason was full of himself and that he thought he was better than Percy? This is legit brought up in so many 'why-i-hate-jason-grace" arguments it just screams lack of reading comprehension and obvious Percy bias saltiness. Like just say you are bitter that Jason is written as percy's equal and that you want Percy to have nobody rival him 💀

Never once in his povs did he ever think about how much better he was, on the contrary it's just him not feeling good enough about himself. He and Percy NEVER said anything bad about eachother.

His and Percy's rival is just a joke between two powerful demigods who have rival dads, that's literally it. Even if Jason did indeed think he's better, so what about it? What's the big deal?

he has worked hard and accomplished great things, so he has like, every right to be confident in his power, stop acting like hes all weak and inferior when he canonically killed a titan with like his bare fucking hands till the point Krios swore vengeance on him. No he's not "weak" or morally inferior to Percy as a person. You are merely trying to cope. Not to mention the way people judge a character's worth SOLEY based on their abilities is a huge red flag in itself, but that's a discussion for another time.

he shouldve canonically had more achievments and power than he originally got in the books as a son of jupiter. but rick made Percy too OP and fumbled jason for the sake of keeping percy's spotlight intact. Has it ever dawned on people that Percy is shown to have cool abilities like bending tears but Jason is never shown to have abilities like controlling lungs? Yeah, that's authors privilege for ya.

Y'all put Percy in an obnoxiously high pedestal and that's not a good thing. It diminishes his flaws and makes him appear so saint like and Gary Stu even though he's not. the fact that ppl get so sensitive over their rivalry and try to belittle jason by making up scenarios (like claiming jason thinks he's superior and shit) and go around saying that to ppl to reduce his value DESPITE being well aware that he has like enough hate already, is so insanely petty. BOTH Jason and Percy deserve equal amounts of respect.

God forbid a teenage boy say he's better than the other as a joke, he's such a terrible, stuck up, and shitty person who deserved death for that, isn't he?

[cynthiav06]

Do you ever feel like Percy just can't Say No To Annabeth? Like has he ever realized that she isn't good for him? I mean I believe that Annabeth is definitely a Toxic partner and not a good Gf for percy and people say "Oh Percy would no what abuse is because he lived with Gabe" but that is what abuse looks like from an Adult. but Percy has never had a Gf so he would have nothing to compare Annabeth too, so he wouldn't know what a abusive/toxic relationship is, Cause an abusive relationship isn't all about how many bruises the victim has, it's about the control and Power the abuser has on the victim and tbh some of the parts in the book make it seem like Percy is in abusive and toxic relationship and the stuff Annabeth does or how she acts towards Percy and as a Character regardless just doesn't sit right with me and made me not like Percabeth at all

Your question speaks to my soul. Thank you for asking.

Personally, I believe Annabeth as a character devolves as the series progresses, and her worst character flaws are somehow never addressed. The worst is this sense of codependency she projects on Percy.

The Fandom, for some reason, has her put on a pedestal even though it's Percy who gets himself out of most trouble, who makes the most strategies, and takes the most efforts. Even Rick's demigod life updates say Percy scores higher in studies than Annabeth.

Yet for someone reason everyone degrades Percy while they worship Annabeth. Nothing ticks me off more. The only thing Annabeth has on Percy is her extensive knowledge and nothing else, yet every character behaves as if Percy would be nothing without Annabeth. Nothing nothing could be more wrong.

The Fandom is so eager to call out every character's flaws, yet Annabeth's are never addressed. The toxic and possessive way she acted throughout the Battle of Labyrinth towards Percy, treating him as if she owned him and her repulsive behavior towards Rachel, should have been Percy's greatest Red flag.

Not to mention Percy gets taken to Romans, his memories taken and altered by Hera left to fend off for himself and Annabeth shows no lick of understanding or supportiveness to Percy's troubles not just then but ever.

Not only that, she had the blatant audacity to criticize Percy for leaving her as if it were a choice on his part.

Annabeth literally spends the start of The Last Olympian in which Percy is dealing with the immense pressure of his looming death and the fate of the world being oh his shoulders and she is neither supportive nor understanding when he is reasonably panicking but also instead gets mad at him.

All in all, Annabeth spends the entirety of their relationship complaining, projecting unreal expectations on Percy, being controlling and toxically possessive.

I could rant all day about it, but essentially, Percy's first intimate connection with any woman other than his mother was with Annabeth.

Everyone knows Percy's deep deep seated self esteem issues, so in his mind Annabeth is too good for him, and he doesn't deserve her. Annabeth should be proving to Percy how awesome and great he is, how they both are equally deserving of each other instead of further worsening his self-esteem.

But Percy is so afraid of losing her that he goes by whatever she says. Rick himself literally writes how relaxed and better Percy feels with Rachel yet never mentions it ever again.

I agree that Annabeth was understandably terrified in Tartarus but by what right does she make Percy promise to not use a power he would obviously need for self defense, a power that just got them out alive from a Primordials clutches?

There's not one thing Annabeth has done that is truly selflessly for Percy. Yes she took a knife for him which is very good of her but honestly are you telling me anyone who has traveled with Percy for so long for whose sake Percy has frequently risked his own life wouldn't do the same?

Aside from that one action, Annabeth has never never done anything purely out of consideration of Percy's comfort , his trauma, and his insecurities.

She plays by fear as Percy says he has a healthy fear of her. There's no such thing as healthy fear. No healthy relationships should contain a hint of fear.

So yes Percy can't say no to her because he fears no one would love him if Annabeth doesn't, he never wants to lose her believing her to be the only person that would accept him despite all his flaws. And these delusions make him agree to everything Annabeth says. This is both wildly untrue and extremely toxic and unhealthy in a relationship.

[snowflakesincalifornia]

I couldn’t reblog the og post bc ig Tumblr’s ruined the code, so this is a copy of it. Please give credit to the og posters.

milf-percy

It dosen't really matter that Percy isn't hurt by Annabeth insulting him all the time and sometimes even being physically violent to him(he should be because that's a realistic response from an abuse and bullying survivor but i digress),not just because he's a fictional character and not a real person with free will,but also because that's Annabeth's way of showing she fucking hates him.Her treatment of him has literally not changed since they were 12 yet nobody in this dumbass fandom can shut up about how ~developed~ their relathionship is cause they make out now and are planning on having a dysfunctional cishet marriage while trashing the characters of color for being 'annoying'.

Percy and Annabeth are not 'made for eachother' because Rick wrote everyone in-universe as telling them that and i'd like to remind y'all that this is the same guy who wrote Luke,an adult serial abuser and ped0phile,as a 'hero' because of the Great Prophecy.Destiny means jack shit and Annabeth and Percy-ESPECIALLY Percy,who's been doomed to trauma over and over again despite his best efforts to escape it-should've been allowed to choose who to love instead of having it shoved down their throats by both everyone in their franchise and the creepy weirdos in the fandom too

@southasianpercy

chaoticcerise

Hi! As someone with ADHD who's been in several abusive relationships before, I figured I'd add something about why it IS actually realistic that he doesn't appear hurt, but that's actually even more alarming. So it starts with meeting them (obviously) and especially if they don't really have any healthy romantic IRL relationships to compare it to (which the books go out of their way to emphasize that this is the case) then it can be really hard to notice when red flags like that start to come up. "Oh it'll get better!" "They're still adjusting to it!" All of which are valid! There's healthy relationships that start rough and there's relationships that start really well and then something happens that doesn't go super well and it turns bad real quick. I've been in a few of both. The problem comes when it still happens after they're asked to stop, which is what happens in Percy Jackson. This can lead to things like "Oh they're just kidding, surely they don't mean it!" "Oh that's just how they flirt/show they love me!" Which, again, is fine IF IT'S WELCOME. However if it's not then eventually it's "Oh they're just like that." "Oh it's fine I guess, it's not like I can stop it." Just because someone doesn't complain doesn't mean that they're consenting. It means they're resigned to the abuse. And that means that he's internalizing and normalizing it. "We don't hear any real negativity towards Annabeth in Percy's thoughts though!!!" Well no but we don't hear any love either. We don't ever hear any thoughts about her really ever. Nothing about how pretty she is or how cool she is or anything. Percy Jackson has thoughts about EVERYONE. As someone with ADHD, this level of no thoughts is concerning and no basis for a relationship. He deserves someone who will treat him well. She deserves someone who thinks about her fondly. Both of them deserve better but they both need to undergo some character development and serious therapy first.

[hamletshoeratio]

Pride was Theseus' fatal flaw.

He abandons Ariadne, the literal only reason he survived the labyrinth, because he feels he can do better or because he doesn't want to acknowledge that he couldn't defeat the minotaur and survive the labyrinth alone. He gets so caught up in his victory that he forgets to raise white flags so his (mortal) father knows he survived, and said father throws himself into the sea in despair and dies thinking his son is dead. Becoming King of Athens as a result of that, he becomes a tyrannical king because of his pride and because a toxic friend uses his pride to manipulate him. Where once he was brave and cared for other people, only attacking after first being attacked, after meeting Pirithous, he began doing dangerous and cruel things without thinking about the consequences of his actions. He becomes cruel and self-serving. He kidnaps a thirteen year old Helen of Sparta, intent on making her his wife (never mind the wife he already has) because she is a beautiful daughter of Zeus, the most beautiful girl on the Earth, who else would be worthy of her?, he thinks. He tries to help his friend kidnap Persephone, a goddess in her own right, so that they both can be married to daughters of Zeus, who could stand in their way? Hercules saves his ass from Hades' punishment, but even despite all of the above bullshit, the Gods still don't abandon him. Not until he murders his own son do they abandon him. He kills his son out of jealousy and out of pride. Now he's old, and his own people despise him, even the gods have abandoned him, so he decides to try and be a hero again. He fails. He's lost everything because of pride. Eventually, he is either pushed or he himself jumps (depends on the retelling) into the sea and drowns. If he was pushed, he was too proud and thought that he couldn't be tricked. If he jumped, maybe he was too proud to believe that his father had abandoned him, or maybe he realised his fatal flaw, realised the devastion that he left in his wake as a result and couldn't live with it.

Theseus represents the worst aspects of Poseidon. He's possessive, temperamental, violent, selfish, impulsive, and all-consuming. He doesn't take no for an answer. He's too proud. If Poseidon is anything, it's a prideful god. See the Odyssey, where he has a long vendetta against Odysseus for killing his son. See the Illiad where he sides the Greeks because Laomedon, the mortal King of Troy generations before Priam, Hector and Paris, promised a temporarily mortal Poseidon great reward for building the walls that would later protect Troy from the Greeks for over a decade, then when the task was done told him that setting him free is the best reward that Poseidon could hope for. Posedion took every opportunity to attack Trojan ships and even sent a blood thirsty sea serpent to terrorise the city. There's countless stories where Posedion's pride is the driving force behind them.

Pride is not all that Posedion is, but it's one of his faults.

Do you understand how significant his surrender is? Because I do and it's driving me insane. He sets it aside and he surrenders to his brother, a brother who once took his powers and made him mortal, the brother who is the very last person in the universe he would ever want to submit to. He does it to save Percy because Percy matters far more to him than his pride.

Posedion is one of the Gods who have grown the most since ancient times. He's no Saint and he will never be one, but he's calmed, he grown, he can now set his pride aside.

It's probably why Kymopoleia was banished (she deserves better from Rick because she is full of untapped potential and ngl hoo did her dirty and I can and probably will rant about it someday just not in this post), because she reminded Posedion too much of his dark side, a side he isn't indulging in as much because he's not conspiring to steal Zeus' throne, because as far as we know he doesn't have any vendetta currently ongoing (other than doing significant damage to Florida when Hera kidnaps Percy in tlh).

We do see Posedion set his pride aside for Percy in the books, in the last olympian when joins Zeus and Co in the battle, letting his own domain face destruction. Kronos doesn't expect Posedion to join Zeus & co because of his pride and he's both shocked and pissed that Posedion has done so. It wasn't part of his plan, he never considered that happening (which makes Hades showing up too so much sweeter). Percy had to ask him to do that. Seeing Posedion set his pride aside without a single word from Percy, who has closed his eyes and accepted his fate? I'M A FUCKING WRECK

[kamiko1234]

*Yapping Ahead*

(Listen I know I'm putting too much thought and getting way too invested in a book series for kids. Just bare with me for a second)

Okay I am done with BOTL and WOW, the gods and camp are really begging Luke/Kronos on their knees to just- obliterate them all. Because like were they REALLY just doing NOTHING !? Okay to be fair with them, I AM a big agitated because I'm still sort of reeling from Luke but STILL.

Those people JUST had their camp invaded. They KNOW that stuff's getting serious. I mean people DIED there just now. AND IN RESPONSE TO THAT THEY DO BLOODY NOTHING. Like did I miss something? Are they for real? I understand the concept of licking your wounds after a battle like that- BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN JUST GOING ON LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED. Maybe, oh idk- START TO FORM A COUNTER ARMY!? ATTEMPT TO DO COUNTERSTRIKES!? TRY TO STRENGHTEN YOUR POSITION WHO HAS ALREADY BEEN INVADED ONCE!? Let me remind you that Luke/Kronos is out there with a fully formed army including a viable command structure, good training and allies in form of actual minor GODS. ALL THE WHILE ALSO HAVING ALREADY STARTED LAUNCHING ATTACKS. All this and the camp does NOTHING of value! Sure I mean they are sort of training demigods, and even if we say they can't launch attacks themselves for some reason- them doing nothing is just stupid. Atleast start to get these kids used to army strategy and genuinely monster fighting OUTSIDE off capture-the-flag or whatever else they are playing. Maybe also, ikd- INTERROGATE CHRIS!? Like maybe they did and is just wasn't mentioned but- that man was in the army. He should know valuable info and you don't even so much as CHECK of he knows anything!

LAND ALSO WHY IS HE FREELY MOVING AROUND THE CAMP ANYWAY!?

Listen I do NOT care if he had a "change of heart" or "deserves a second chance". This is a purley objective statement here but that guy was an ENEMY. He already switched sides ONCE. THERE IS NO REASON FOR YOU GUYS TO TRUST HIM AT THIS POINT OF TIME, AND EVERY REASON TO HAVE HIM LOCKED UP AND INTERROGATED SOMEWHERE.

I know this is a kid's series but please, Rick. Atleast mention Chris getting question. Don't make your main good guys look like morons compared to the baddies.

Or someone please tell me I missed something of the books because so far it looks like any semblance of battle smarts left CHB with Luke 💀 Also am I the only one a bit irked between the few months timeskip at the end between the Battle and Percy talking with Annabeth? 'cause like, I feel this is a conversation they (logically speaking) should have had a few weeks at MOST after the whole thing going down in the story, NOT a few months after. This too is just a personal ick but, I do not like what they did with Chris. With him joining up with camp just like that? Yeah, no. He betrayed them before. That means he must have had atleast SOME grievances with how things were run. And now he's just back again a "redemtion arc" (that isn't even really an arc if we are honest, it's just there) and no further focus!? It's not like anything got BETTER. I mean sure it was cool to see Dionysus acctualy grieve his kids and be a bit nicer to Percy.

DOESN'T MEAN HE WASN'T ANY LESS OF A DICK BEFOREHAND.

DOESN'T MEAN THAT LUKE DIDN'T HAVE A FUCKING POINT EITHER. Like, idk. I'm just disappointed, as of now I'm just hoping we'll see more of Chris and see the demigods and Luke delved more into with the last book.

The only thing I genuinely pray doesn't happen is that they'll start to demonize the demigods who joined Luke and Luke himself. I'm really nervous since Chris seems to be treated like a "redeemed" villain, ignoring the fact that they all had valid point and valid reasons to go against Olympus. The gods and Camp Halfblood are both objectively horrible as a whole. The system in itself is flawed and I'm pretty sure even stacked against the demigods. I'm gonna be real I see no real reason to expect any real loyalty from Demigods nor do I see any reason why they should keep dying for what's basically a blood mill that couldn't care less. The Demigods who joined Luke are not evil. Luke is not evil. The gods are not good people. If these books start to pretend that Luke and his allies are wholly evil I WILL flip a table. Ngl I have little mind for much else of the bunch of things that happened in the story. Maybe I'll make a second post where I'm talking about other stuff, maybe I won't. I'll see, if I don't feel free to ask. As always I ask to mark spoilers in any replies or reblogs you may make so I can avoid them, thank you ^^

[pinkblahaj]

rick riordan's female characters pt 2: aphrodite's children

during my reread of pjo, rick riordan's portrayals of aphrodite's children was what made me first realize that his writing of teen girls might be problematic. it does make sense considering the demonization of femininity that used to be so popular, but it is valid to still be bothered by it. i have thoughts on how cabin 10 is described overall, as well as the specific characters.

cabin 10

in the earlier books, rick made the aphrodite cabin way too one-dimensional. yes, the goddess aphrodite is known for her vain and shallow personality, and yes, the other campers tend to possess well-known traits of their godly parents (ares' children are aggressive, hermes' children are tricksters, nike's children are competitive, etc.). but the way that aphrodite's children were portrayed as especially weak, preferring to look at their reflections and gossip rather than play capture the flag, did feel blatantly sexist to me. like of course because their mom is the most stereotypically feminine of the gods, they have the least battle skills.

at the beginning of HoO i thought rick might be atoning for some of these flaws. it was interesting that piper, a character who explicitly rejects traditional standards for femininity and beauty, turned out to be a child of aphrodite. but then her siblings were still very stereotypical and their cabin literally made her "gag". i found it unnecessary that rick specified in the lost hero that most of the cabin were girls. sure, it makes sense that aphrodite would want to have more daughters than sons, but that combined with the fact that they lack the skills of other demigods just doesn't look good. i liked that rick mentioned that despite her reputation, aphrodite was a war goddess and the oldest of the olympians, but i was disappointed that he continued to stereotype her children so harshly.

silena

i don't have many criticisms of this character, other than her being described as one of the few nice campers from cabin 10. i really liked that she valued love and kindness, which more of the aphrodite campers should have been like imo. although aphrodite and her children have a generally shallow reputation in the original pjo series, i appreciate the impact that silena had on the series and the way that she showed that aphrodite's children can still have bravery and strength.

i do wish that more attention is paid to how luke manipulated/groomed her and others (which i've been seeing the pjo fandom do more now, fortunately), as this is a big reason why i can't see him as a redeemable character.

drew

call me delusional but i am a proud drew tanaka defender. yes, silena was manipulated by luke and she sacrificed herself heroically. but she still betrayed camp half-blood and is part of the reason why several of them, including charles, died. drew likely looked up to silena and felt this betrayal extremely severely, and her bitterness is justified. i just don't believe that she became mean for no reason.

because rick is clearly capable of writing his characters with more depth, it's so disappointing that he put so little thought into drew. clarisse was a bully, but she is revealed to be under severe pressure from her dad and later becomes friends with percy. luke is a main antagonist but evokes sympathy from many readers. even octavian, who was unlikable from beginning to end, was suffering mentally and enabled by apollo, and thus didn't deserve all the blame. yes, some people are truly horrible for no good reason, but with all the trauma that the pjo characters go through, there was likely a much better explanation for why drew is the way she is. i hate that he just made her the most archetypal mean girl who immediately hates the female lead because they are interested in the same guy. (side note: it's funny that the only other living female asian character in pjo/hoo i can think of is annabeth's stepmom, who i do NOT claim)

piper

this character seems to be quite controversial, but i honestly was not as bothered by piper as i thought i would be upon rereading. her "not like other girls" phase lasts pretty much only one book... and it's realistic for teenagers to have cringey phase. since i do have a problem with the larger context of how rick wrote aphrodite's children, i do see why some are more bothered by it, bc rick portrays piper as better than her more feminine siblings. in this aspect, i do think piper had some lost potential. i think it's great that we have characters like piper and frank who aren't pure stereotypes based on their godly parents and who have to learn to embrace that side of them. but i wish we would have seen piper realize that being feminine does not mean you are stuck up and that she possibly had internalized misogyny. i really like the interpretation that her identities of being indigenous and queer affected her relationship with femininity and gender expression, but i doubt rick himself actually thought that deep into it. however, i've only read the first two books of toa, so there may be parts of her character i am missing.

i remember finding piper and jason to be boring characters during my first read of hoo, but after rereading, i think they are good characters who were placed in an extremely bland relationship. i personally am a subscriber to the lesbian piper + gay jason headcanon, as hera manipulating them into a relationship feels a lot like comphet. but i don't find their relationship unrealistic either. i feel like our standards were raised pretty high by percabeth, a relationship based on an actual friendship between two people who knew and loved each other deeply. but it's also normal for teenagers to get together quickly without knowing whether they are compatible. also, considering how short the expected lifespan of demigods are, it makes sense that we see couples like jiper and frazel who start dating less than a year after meeting. i also was never that bothered by piper being "obsessed" with jason... the other hoo couples tended to do that too, and her mother is the goddess of love.

piper's charmspeak was an interesting power, but i don't think it was super well thought out. obviously, there are some ethical questions about her using it on people, including her own friends, that are never answered-- especially because sometimes piper doesn't even realize she's using it. also, i found it hard to believe that in the lost hero she was already able to use it on gaea. i enjoyed the moments where we saw her other skills and would have liked to see more of them. her emotional intelligence (as seen in the way she helps annabeth defeat mimas) was underutilized and could have been a great staple for all of aphrodite's children.

[3gremlins]

obviously it's early yet and there have only been 2 episodes but so far i am underwhelmed by the percy jackson tv show. thoughts behind cut (i guess very mild spoilers but nothing big)

mostly b/c every time it uses cgi fx the lighting gets DULL AF and terrible and i am begging disney etc to just pay for lighting people and practical effects/mixture of cgi and practical so it can be lit properly and not rely on making everything dark to hide shitty looking composition with weird flattening color grading (the actual models don't look that bad, they're just badly composited. like let a dramatic rim light enter your life, fam, i am begging you).

The props also look a little cheap? Esp in the capture the flag war scene, they all look/sound like plastic with little to make it seem like they're not (also the fit on the helmets was kinda meh, but i realize this is nitpicky).

it just added to making the show look cheap in a way it def shouldn't be b/c the mouse has so much freaking money. idk, it feels like they got a meager budget for a thing that deserves a GoT or at least a Mandalorian/SW budget tbh (orrrrrr i wish they'd just done a cool animated show in the style of the opening/closing credits but obviously that would be more expensive and the house of mouse are cowards T.T)

also the writing has been a lot of "tell instead of show" exposition so far which makes for not so great tv (it would have been much cooler to see the luke/thalia/anabeth bg stuff as a flashback instead of just having luke explain it on screen- stuff like that. Which is probably a budget/direction issue and less of a writing issue tbf). More characterization in general- like it just feels a little rushed like they were trying to hit major plot points faster (esp with the inter god house relations).

It also feels like someone told Jason Mantzoukas to dial it back and so he feels weirdly restrained as mr.d (a very strange choice imho). Like you hire him to be loud and a little obnoxious and i'm not sure about this directing choice for this character (this is sort of minor but it contributed to the first 2 eps feeling overall kinda muted?)

Book 1 is the weakest book by far tho so probably season 1 will be the weakest since it's an adaptation of that but I thought maybe they'd be able to fix some of the issues since Riordan has more direct control over that with this adaptation. Like move some plot points around/character narratives to make it a little more dynamic and make us care about more of the main characters sooner.

it also feels like it's missing a little bit of that rick riordan is a huge classics/mythology nerd DEEP CUT references that are in the books (we got a little with that one kid talking about the goddess of failure but not really enough)

the casting is great tho and maybe it will get rolling as the season goes on, i will keep watching for sure. I'm just sad it wasn't better b/c now I'm not going to be able to convince my partner to read the books lol. He already read the Magnus Chase books which he liked, but he's afraid of the PJ books b/c the first few aren't as good/were written earlier

[advnterccs-archive]

Plotted Starter || @countlessrealities

It'd been months now that Rick and his boyfriend, along with their grandsons, decided to hole up in the subterranean labs in order to continue with a thirty year old long obsession. This time not just by himself, but with the help of those he found himself close to. His new family.

Between then and during the time spent watching a radar decorated with tiny dots, he and his counterpart discovered something. A resort planet that seemed to be abandoned. That wasn't completely odd. Usually advanced civilizations either went instinct due to dumb decisions or they abandoned planets for something new and better. So it didn't raise any flags for him. In fact, it enticed him more.

Which lead to that night-time discussion of a vacation, they all knew they deserved one. Searching for the guy that murdered their family all those years ago was such a daunting task. They deserved a break. Especially one where it could be romantic in all of the right ways.

Oh, he had so many plans for his counterpart, he could practically see it all now.

It seemed like such a quick decision. One hour they were tediously experimenting on location trackers. Then the next, the four of them hopped into the ship, suitcases packed, and they were headed towards the planet.

As soon as the ship landed on the wooden dock, Rick got out. His usual attire replaced with just his lab coat and a pair of blue summer shorts. Sunglasses covering his face. Perfect for the bright and pleasantly warm weather.

"Holy shit, ch-check this place out, even better than the fucking description of the place,"

Morty was the last person to get out of the ship. His clothes also a bit different. His usual yellow shirt, but now paired with a paler yellow shorts. He walked over to stand next to his grandfather, looking around nervously.

Something didn't feel right and he could instantly pin point what it was.

"A-Are you, y-you know, sure that we're even allowed to be here," His nerves got the better of him. His hand slipped over to reach for his counterpart's hand, fingers intertwining for comfort. "I-I mean, it's been abandoned for a reason, right? O-Or, uh, wh-what if, you know, the people who own the place have cameras o-or something like that. Wh-What if we get in trouble?"

[montyterrible]

Witches, Gangbangers, and Crocodiles

What are we? Some kind of Suicide Squad: Extended Edition (2016)?

In some ways, David Ayer’s much-maligned Suicide Squad movie is kind of a fascinating specimen in amber preserving the flaws of Warner Bros. and DC’s approach to emulating the success of the Marvel superhero films.

I’m not a Marvel guy—or really a DC guy at this stage in my life—but I can agree with what feels like the pretty logical, commonsense argument that Marvel’s titanic success with The Avengers team-up in 2012 was facilitated by the handful of films focused on individual characters they did first. Meanwhile, DC’s equivalent Justice League movie wasn’t preceded by an appropriate amount of scaffolding, so you end up with two of the three major pillars of the team (Batman and Wonder Woman) being introduced in the same film, along with teasers working in still other faces like Cyborg and The Flash. Suicide Squad attempts the same sort of thing in miniature, with some perhaps less well-known and beloved figures who would, admittedly, probably not deserve their own entire films but who still feel kind of under-served by their treatment here.

Erratic or downright recursive is the pacing of the opening act(?) of this movie, as it feels like it’s either on fast forward or is plucking selected scenes from other standalone films from an alternate universe, particularly in the cases of Deadshot and Harley Quinn, who receive substantial backstory attention here, at the expense of the cohesion of this movie. It’s not so much that these are bad bits and pieces of characterization and narrative in isolation so much as they just feel… out of context, and worse off for it. Like, Joker’s seduction and betrayal of Harley would certainly function better emotionally in a complete film but here feels thrown out without much weight behind it. Even the extremely colorful title card kind of shows up without much aplomb, as “Task Force X” founder Amanda Waller is simply walking into a restaurant or hotel after a couple of scenes, before we go into still more introduction and exposition that stalls whatever forward momentum there was.

This first bit is messy in a way that I don’t think even a theoretical “Ayer Cut” with an even longer runtime could fix since, again, the problem is a foundational one—These are simply other entire stories that are being smudged to try to get where we need to go as fast as possible. Once the Squad is on the ground in a post-magical cataclysm Midway City, things settle down and start to cohere better and proceed more smoothly, though there is some further embarrassment to come.

A bit of context: I first watched this movie after critical and popular consensus on it had already been reached. I knew what it was like, and believed it, but I still went into it hopeful since I saw it shortly after watching Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), which I, surprisingly, liked enough to watch twice in two days—the extended cut, at that. As a result, I thought maybe I would find Suicide Squad equally surprisingly good (to me). That, however, was not the case, and my assessment of it at the time was that it was simply “boring,” probably the most damning of states for a film. One moment that actually stuck with me was the one pictured above—Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag eating a chicken leg at night in a hotel room for some reason. Which I found more absurd than anything else.

On re-watch, the chicken leg is still a delightfully odd choice for a late-night snack, but I wasn’t as bored as the first time around. I wouldn’t call this movie “good” (and also don’t call Dawn of Justice that either), but it kind of works for me in certain respects.

For one thing, I found a lot of it shockingly parsable—which is to say that I didn’t think it was obscenely dark and hard to read in ways that I’ve come to associate with modern visual-effects-heavy movies of this sort. I also thought there was a degree of plausible weight and screen presence to most things, with several rare exceptions, like a particularly rough looking VFX shot we see a couple of times of the character El Diablo using his fire powers in a prison yard and (unfortunately) the major antagonist Incubus. The final battle with Incubus and Enchantress is also awkwardly low energy, weightless, and kind of choppy-feeling. It stands out in contrast to the rest of the action.

The writing is similarly a mixed bag. On the one hand, there is an absolutely atrocious bit of exposition from Flag that tries to rapid-fire explain the character Katana and her powers, and which is again emblematic of the movie trying to do too much in too little time. But then, in that same scene, where the Squad is bound for Midway, Flag calls Deadshot “a serial killer who takes credit cards,” which I think is great. Later, Captain Boomerang demands to know “[w]hy is it always a knife fight every single time [Harley] open[s] [her] mouth.” I kind of like the way this is written. It has a personality which dovetails with the distinctive visual design of certain things and is aesthetically and tonally what I might describe as “poser shopping mall… food court gangsta” or some such word salad. It’s a vibe very much of a kind with the Twenty One Pilots song “Heathens” that plays over the credits while various 3D objects like bullets and syringes fly around in psychedelic patterns in a weird void. It’s cool with a capital “c,” edgy with a capital “e.”

See also the look of Captain Boomerang—You can positively smell him through the screen, and he has both a gold tooth and a shocking blue metallic jacket with “Captain” written on it in large letters. Harley’s design might be the example of Suicide Squad’s aesthetic that has stood the test of time best, if only because of how Margot Robbie’s performance was (rightfully) identified as one of the unequivocally good things here and was salvaged and preserved in further films. Her many little tattoos, bleached hair with the red and blue tips, tight “Daddy’s Lil Monster” top, and overall grody stripper vibe is pure Suicide Squad 2016 Chic. She is often reduced to a strutting ass by the camera here, though, and an unfortunate part of the “personality” that I mentioned is a certain sexist streak. Speaking of Flag’s lover-turned-world-destroyer (Enchantress) at the climax of the film, Deadshot identifies her as Flag’s “old lady” and tells him to “Get up there, smack on her ass, tell her, ‘Knock this shit off.’” That is also Suicide Squad 2016 Chic. It’s absolutely unpleasant and not “good,” but it is so nakedly off-putting that it kind of loops back around for me now.

These sorts of movies have come to be associated with sanitized, boardroom-approved slop, and the Edginess of Suicide Squad, which can be offensive (sexist, racist) or just cringe, now feels like… Not a breath of fresh air, but like a really distinctive foul smell coming out of someone’s mouth. It’s not good, but you have to mark its existence for just how singular it is.

Jared Leto’s Joker performance is another iconic element of this movie, for good or bad. He’s the “poser shopping mall gangsta” vibe personified as well, with his notorious “damaged” forehead tattoo and his grillz behind/below dark red lips. However cringe, it is still a Take and is perfectly harmonious with the rest of the film. I kind of loved the Joker this time around, in fact. My meta knowledge of Leto’s real-world behavior combined with the already grimy writing and visuals and the at times too strained or wacky performance to make something off-putting in, I will argue, a positive way. Harley and Joker’s relationship is meant to be a negative thing for her, and you really feel that viscerally here thanks to all of the above. Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) might read as more Authentically deranged to some, but I think this Joker is just as repulsive (complimentary). Whether this version of the character could have credibly functioned in a Batman story outside of this specific movie, without the complementary stylistic elements, I’m not sure.

Is this Suicide Squad 2016 rehabilitation-ism, then? Maybe. There is part of me that looks at the titling of the 2021 film—“The Suicide Squad”—both as a blatant attempt to manipulate SEO to obscure the worse older title and as a snub: This is THE Suicide Squad, the definitive take! There’s part of me, absent any arguments I can credibly support, that wants to rally for the little guy. There’s plenty to justifiably hate about the 2016 movie, like the frequent and overly on-the-nose needle drops that aren’t exactly deep cuts, but there’s also something about Joker’s men breaching the prison to rescue Harley in the end right as we hear the words “just killed a man” in “Bohemian Rhapsody” that charmed me…

Or how the cylinder of Harley’s gun rotates to display the word “LOVE” as Deadshot fires it to destroy Enchantress’ doomsday device; or how the red and blue ink swirls around Harley and Joker quite evocatively in the chemical vat in the flashback to her transformation; or the surreally “off” dub job for Enchantress’ empowered voice where the words don’t seem to credibly come from her mouth.

“Personality” is definitely the word I would use now, in place of “boring,” even if I might still resist something as audacious as “good.”

[fearlessmuses]

🔨 ───── a huff escape her as she waved her arms about quickly, "oh come on, boss man, flag." she spoke as she glanced around and then looked towards him. "ain't ya tired? ain't you just plain ol' tired of the same old g.i. joe act?" she scoffed as she took him. after what waller had pulled on their last mission she really thought this was a key time to seek him out and maybe have an actual friend. although she'd made herself a little collection; the birds of prey. she wasn't always there, dinah had really taken that and run, she was better suited for leadin' anyway. "waller is usin' people like me and she's just gonna make another team, another group of suckers who she's willing to kill, they don't deserve it. yous and me could really help them!"

@denydefeat ♥ for a starter from harley quinn for rick flag jr.

[ctweddingdj]

Important Questions to Ask Your Wedding Makeup Artist for a Flawless Look on Your Big Day - #40

Wedding makeup artist selection for your special day can be crucial to your overall appearance and confidence. While the availability, cost, and experience are important factors to consider, there are some deal-breaking questions and red flags you should also keep in mind.

This podcast is for engaged couples who are stressed out with wedding planning and family expectations but want a fun wedding day.

Our guest is Lauren Simpson from LA Page Makeup and EMERGE Cosmetics

Firstly, Lauren explains that you should ask about the products that the makeup artist will be using. Furthermore, ensure that they are high-quality and suitable for your skin and hair type. If they cannot provide you with a clear answer or seem hesitant, it may be a red flag.

Secondly, it is important to ask for references or a portfolio of their previous work. If they are unwilling to share this information or do not have any examples of their work, it may be a sign that the makeup artist lacks experience or are not confident in their abilities.

Utmost, trust your gut! If you have any doubts or concerns about the makeup artist, it is better to err on the side of caution and choose someone else. Obviously, it’s your big day, and you deserve to feel confident and comfortable with your choices.

The Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast Edition #40 - Beauty Beyond Compare – Important Questions to Ask Your Wedding Makeup Artist for a Flawless Look on Your Big Day.

Hosts: Sal and Sam Music: “Sam’s Tune” by Rick Anthony

Guest: Lauren Simpson from LA Page Makeup and EMERGE Cosmetics

TIMESTAMPS 

0:00:00 "Beauty Beyond Compare – Important Questions to Ask Your Wedding Makeup Artist for a Flawless Look on Your Big Day: A Conversation with Lauren Simpson."

0:03:00 Question: What's the most important question you should ask your hair and makeup before you hire them?

0:04:17 Lauren Simpson - review of accomplishments.

0:06:15 Serving multiple clients.

0:9:00 Timelines and question about airbrush.

0:14:24 Conversation about hair and makeup trial

0:17:11 Conversation about traveling for wedding hair and makeup

0:18:00 Information on Emerge Cosmetics

Get your FREE no-obligation report TODAY:

"8 QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK A WEDDING PROFESSIONAL BEFORE BOOKING THEM" http://forms.aweber.com/form/55/756659955.htm

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*** Join us in the Stress-free Wedding Planning Facebook group https://urlgeni.us/facebook/stress-free-wedding-planning

Sponsored in part by Clear Vision Productions and the Wedding Styles of CT Wedding Shows - next show April 30th, 2023 - Norwich Inn & Spa https://clearvisionproductions.zohobackstage.com/BridalShowatNorwichInn

Wedding Tip Wednesday on the Stress-free Wedding Planning Podcast is sponsored by EMERGE Cosmetics – 10% OFF promo code: SF1 https://shopemergecosmetics.com/ Copyright © 2023 Atmosphere Productions LLC All Rights Reserved. Produced By Atmosphere Productions in association with After Hours Events of New England https://atmosphere-productions.com https://www.afterhourseventsofne.com #stressfreeweddingplanning #stressfreeweddingplanningpodcast #ctweddingdj #atmosphereproductions #afterhourseventsofne #cvpevents #bridalshowatnorwichinn #weddingshowatnorwichinn #clearvisionproductions #theclearvisionagency #NorwichInnBridalShow #dreamwedding

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[witchofthemidlands]

@bestavengerromanova