#and 1 being percy jackson 2010

[trentcrimminallybeautiful]

AO3 Tag Game!

Tagged by @mvshortcut :) I'm gonna stick with just this fandom/this account for this one to make it less confusing

How many works do you have on AO3?

44. (Including snippet collections.) For this fandom/account. Far more if you count bi-demon-ium or my old account or my older account or

What’s your total AO3 word count?

Okay this one it won't let me separate by pseud or fandom so you're just gonna have to live with being lumped in with all my MBS and a few other misc fics at "653,461". Didn't get the other accounts though. Man, I'm a mess

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

Okay, well, this one by nature is also not solely for this fandom,

(number in parentheses is number of ao3 works posted)

Ted Lasso (obviously) (44) (including snippet collections)

The Mysterious Benedict Society (116) (also including snippet collections)

Instinct (2) (one is a small snippet collection--)

House MD (1)

Death by Dying (1)

Gravity Falls, technically, but it was one crossover (1)

ditto with The Legend of Zelda (1)

King Falls AM (1)

The House in the Cerulean Sea (6)

Shadowhunters (??? at least 36) (some now hidden/lost)

Professor Layton (1)

The Librarians (2)

The Sandman (1)

The Mentalist (2)

Star Trek (AOS) (1)

Sanders Sides (at least 1)

Miraculous Ladybug (1)

Rosewell: New Mexico (2)

The Dresden Files (1)

That's stuff posted to ao3/finished. There's also, technically,

for stuff I published when I was twelve and I now refuse to acknowledge (not all bc of the fandom but bc the fic was Bad):

Doctor Who

Supernatural

Sherlock

Psych

Castle

Welcome to Night Vale

Avengers

A Series of Unfortunate Events

And then stuff I've written for but never finished:

Warehouse 13

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)

Dirk Gently (2010)

SurrealEstate

Zoo (podcast)

Once Upon a Time

Scooby Doo

Person of Interest

The Goes Wrong Show

Spy Kids (???)

Ace Attorney

The Adventure Zone

Criminal Minds

Star Trek (TOS, TNG, and DS9)

Haven

MacGyver

Trollhunters

exactly one (1) joke The Magnus Archives fic

Percy Jackson and the Olympians + The Kane Chronicles + Tales of Apollo

Leverage

Pushing Daisies

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Megamind

Bones

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Lucifer

Some of these are deeply questionable and/or only have like two (2) wips or even posted works at most, but I'm thorough. Also, I will write about almost anything bc my brain loves to process things like this. I may have even missed something

Top five fics by kudos:

Ted Lasso Kisses Trent Crimm On The Mouth (1125)

semaphore (977)

off the handle (719)

linger (699) (nice)

a preacher, a bikini, and a kiss or two (641)

Do you respond to comments?

I really try to, but then I get all in my head about it and/or am really really tired and put it off so long it then feels like it would be weird to respond because it's been forever. However, if there's a direct question or something I want to address/respond to, as in, I have something particularly unique to say or a question to answer, then I'll usually respond really fast

What’s the fic with the angstiest ending you’ve ever written?

Honestly, I'm not a huge unhappy ending person, a lot of the time I'll have a first chapter I was initially going to end really angsty (see ink sunset and make a mess of you) and then added more to fix it at least somewhat. As is... maybe the somewhat unresolved emotional tension (for Ted and Trent, at least, Roy's doing great) in something to get off my chest, the +1 for betrayal's sting / absolution's balm? I have some worse ones in an old fandom on an old account but. meh.

Do you write crossovers?

Not often, but I rotate them in my brain. Honestly, though, I'm more inclined to write a fusion than a crossover proper. And even so, I tend to just be thinking about it rather than actually writing it. I've only written one crossover in recent memory (recently, that is) and it was mostly a joke about a shared actress made into actual angst.

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

Yeah lmao

Do you write smut?

😏 sure do

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

👁️👁️ not in this fandom

Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!! also not in this fandom

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

In this fandom? Trent/Ted. overall? no idea, because recency bias, my all-time favorite is whatever I'm into right now, which isn't really objective but hyperfixationitis.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

:( so many. AND there are a lot of posted fics I want to write a sequel/companion piece for and idk if I'll ever get the energy...

I guess off the top of my head, for this fandom, I'd go with lost sight of (who you are) (motivation died because it's old enough no one knows it exists anymore lkfgjh) and ink sunset (I WANNA FINISH IT I DO I DO I DO)

What are your writing strengths?

I think I can write a really funny string of dialogue, and I'm also fond of fun metaphors, both in the elegant poetic way and in the more Douglas Adams/Terry Pratchett way (which is to say, still potentially elegant but also comedic as hell)

What are your writing weaknesses?

Motivating myself to write anything; being overly self-indulgent

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I'm extremely bad at linguistics in general, so if I must include someone talking in another language in my fic, I think I'd tend to cheat and do italics or some other indication that this is 'in another language' (ie "Where are you going?" she asked in Russian), but that's admittedly a lazy approach. But I also think it's probably better than butchering it with an auto-translator? Also, when people just include the translation in the end notes, even with a link (although that makes it marginally better) it breaks the flow of the story and makes it hard to read. Making an effort to at least match grammar is good (which I would do if it was for longer than a single scene, probably) but I think the best solution is when people know what they're doing and like, have an actual translation with a little html code so you can click on it and it reveals what it means? Or if you're clever, revealing what it means using context around it, but that has its own limitations. So that both like, uses the actual language and doesn't break up the flow. It balances accessibility, flow, and respect for the other language in question well. But you've got to both know what you're doing with the language (either asking someone/hiring someone/knowing the language yourself) and the html (although there are guides for that you'd have to spend time figuring it out + know it exists in the first place to look). And this is fanfiction, something we ultimately do for free in our spare time, so the lazy approach, I think, can be understandable. Maybe not in every context, but it's not worth stressing a lot over in a few random lines or anything, you know? It is really cool when people do know a language well enough to include it properly in a fic, though, it can say a lot about a character or dynamic; and their background(s) and like. it's neat :)

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Ever? Doctor Who. In a shitty little notebook in middle school. Then there was some Star Trek (both TNG and TOS) and Avatar: the Last Airbender and Marvel and such, and then Supernatural (my first smut? extremely terrible Destiel smut. rip) and I think the first thing I ever posted was Welcome to Night Vale? Not sure.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

Oh, man. I have no idea. Here's a few favorites from this fandom:

matters of the heart

trick & treat

vita nova

melt like this

"second impressions"

"reveal"

probably those time travel snippets, just in general

tagging:

PLEASE, if you want to do this, I'm begging you, tag me in it and do it. i'm too tired to come up with names im so sorry

[choicesficwriterscreations]

CFWC Writer of the Month - July 2023: AlwaysMyChoices

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @alwaysmychoices. We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: AlwaysMyChoices Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? May

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played? 

I started playing The Royal Romance in December 2017. I have no idea how I found the app, but I was obsessed with that story. My memories from this time are super vague -- I know there was a connection between Cordonia being based on Montenegro and Croatia (two countries I studied abroad in the next summer), a well-placed advertisement, and a Christmas vacation where I was snowed in with too much time on my hands.

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the fandom in January 2018 because I desperately needed to talk about the Royal Romance. I didn’t have any friends who played (and was embarrassed to share), so I started off liking posts from my “real” account (which was a Sims account) and then made this as a “side blog.” Later, that Sims account got abandoned, which is why all of my likes come from a different Tumblr.

3- How did you pick your blog name? 

I had three criteria -- it needed to be (1) somewhat punny, (2) dramatic and angsty, and (3) tangentially related to the game. Though I was a Royal Romance stan, I wanted to give myself room for growth, so I didn’t name my account anything to do with the book. The name I really wanted was taken, so I settled for AlwaysMyChoices. But honestly, I love it now.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!  

My first post is expressing my disappointment that the Royal Romance’s Book 2 wasn’t angsty enough -- and that perfectly sums up my account. Four days later, I posted my first Choices fanfic.

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

13 years. I started writing in 2010 on Fanfiction.net for Percy Jackson. I was very, very young, and it shows in those initial works -- which is pretty ironic because this was the phase in my fanfiction career where I had the most success. I got millions of views on some of those stories, and they’re objectively terrible. After about six or seven years on that website, I went to college and ended up taking a hiatus. I wasn’t inspired to write anymore, which was pretty devastating at the time. Finding Choices brought back my passion for writing fanfiction.

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

Here’s the thing -- I love Open Heart, but The Royal Romance has to be the best. Are there flaws? Definitely. Did the series go off the rails? Eventually, yes. But TRR understood pining. It knew that the readers wanted tender moments with LIs, but they also wanted pain. We wanted tropes, but we didn’t want it to feel tired. We wanted incredible supporting cast members where even the tiniest background player was well-crafted and interesting (and the villain was iconic). We wanted growth and well-structured arcs, and surprising twists. Plus, the LIs checked all the boxes -- the prince bound by duty, the lover’s best friend, the supportive friend turned lover and the woman who had been through pain but always saw the best in people. I wish I could go back and relive that magic.

At the time, I loved writing about TRR, too, but I’ll admit that Ethan Ramsey was made for angsty fanfiction.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

My first fanfic for Choices was “Come to Bed.” This was when I still wrote in the first person, which feels like a lifetime ago. As for my thoughts, it’s fine. I wouldn’t do anything differently, but I also probably wouldn’t publish it. When it comes to my Choices fics, my biggest complaint is that they’re often too tied to a moment. I wrote them because I read a chapter in whatever book, felt overcome with emotion and inspiration, and put that into my word processor. They’re my reactions more than a story, and aside from a few angsty quotes or steamy scenes, I generally forget about them when the moment passes.

To be honest, I totally forgot about “Come to Bed.” I thought my first story was “Prove it,” a much steamier TRR story. 

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

A Weekend with Dr. Ramsey is my legacy in this fandom, and I’m happy with that. I’m proud of that series. But if it had to be a single fic, it’s either “Him” or “Never Had a Chance.” Both are pairings I don’t often write (Ethan x Tobias and MC x Drake, respectively), and both stories focus on these grand, explosive loves that burn up too quickly but eventually settle into comfortable, platonic admiration. It’s the kind of love that lingers long after the romance has died. 

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

I never expected my Ethan & F!MC "Calling to Say I’m Marrying Someone Else” headcanon to blow up. That was such a pleasant surprise, and I love it to this day. As this fandom has dwindled, engagement naturally decreased, but I have to admit I hoped for a bit more love on “You’re a Devil.” Sexy pining at a Halloween party? The color red symbolizes danger and decadence they can’t accept? I still think it’s great.

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

Angst. I love reading fluff and smut, but I’m really in the zone when I’m writing angst. For me, that’s when characters become something bigger than an idea -- they’re growth and change and cathartic and tragic and triumphant. If I never wrote angst again, I don’t know how I’d ever find that feeling anywhere else.

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Oh yeah. My MCs are generally versions of me with some exaggerated character flaws -- pride for Collins, indecision, and stubbornness for Charlie. I’m not as messy as my MCs, but at my core, I think I want to be.

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Consistency. My issue has always been finding that inspiration and holding on to it. I’m very dependent on the “flow” of writing. When I’m in it, everything is easy -- the dialogue is effortless, the descriptions are perfect, and the pacing is impeccable. When I’m not in it, I’ll write the same thing over and over until I give up. I have a bad habit of letting inspiration come in all-consuming waves without any safety net of pacing or discipline. If I burn out or get distracted, it’s all over.

Oh, and length. Those stories are always way too long.

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

Omg, yes, all of it. I need to finish With and Without, but I know I’ll be devastated when I do. Then, there are the dozens of notes on my phone, reminding me of all these new stories I’ve abandoned.

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first? 

I am super weird about keeping my fanfic life separate from my real life. It is a barrier I very rarely break, but when I have broken it, I’ve run into the same problems -- because it’s fanfiction, I give no exposition. So, if you’re reading it without any fandom knowledge, you’re lost. With that in mind, I think I would give them a quick recap and then give them “A Weekend with Dr. Ramsey.” It would kill me to be that vulnerable, but I think it’s the best reflection of this account. 

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing? 

So many! Particularly in the fandom, I’ve learned from so many creators. Early on, I remember @boneandfur and @heauxplesslydevoted were such big TRR influences for me. So many amazing creators have deactivated -- even someone who taught me my entire bullet point format for HCs. Now, I’d say I’m pretty inspired by @jerzwriter, @terrm9, @utterlyinevitable, @the-pale-goddess, @mvalentine, and @queenbirbs. I’m definitely forgetting so many amazing people!

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series? 

I would love to see A Weekend With Dr. Ramsey adapted into a mini-series with a devastating ending. 

17- Do you write original fiction? 

Yes, but not as often as I wish. Fanfiction has always been easier for me because I have somewhere to share it. Without that, I find I end up losing steam and forgetting about it. I do, however, have a phone full of story ideas, and one day, I’m determined to do them justice.

18 -  What other hobbies do you have?

I am a big reader, an occasional bullet journaler, a dog lover, a movie buff, and a fan of British mystery shows. 

19 - What’s your favorite emoji? 

The eyes emoji 👀It’s one of those amazing emojis that adds nuance to a text, and I use it way too often.

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

____ I am truly so grateful to be part of this fandom. I know I’m not good at being in the fandom -- I disappear, I suck at answering, etc. But I truly love this group and am so happy to be part of it.

[puterboy1]

My thoughts on episode 1 of Percy Jackson (spoilers below)

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians television series is finally here. In spite of nearly 25% of the characters bearing a strong resemblance to their book counterparts, everyone can agree that this is definitely a better adaptation than the 2010 film. However, I do have a couple of complaints and changes that I could have done for my own personal benefit or for the benefit of others:

All are labeled as spoilers, so take great caution.

Three Alternate Openings

Instead of Percy narrating the story in the cold open, I have three alternate openings that I think could have enhanced (or degraded) the story if they had taken place before he utters the iconic opening line: One romantic, one dramatic and the other a framing set up.

The romantic version shows how Sally and Poseidon first met instead of it being a flashback for the Montauk scene. It is a slow montage with no dialogue or sound effects, just music. The cinematography and mis-en-scene are high reminiscent to the opening of The Notebook, in which Sally and Poseidon are dark figures silhouetted against the red light of dawn, almost completely obscured. We see Sally walking up to the beach and Poseidon stepping out of the water, going on a boat ride and everything else we saw in the show. As the montage draws to a close, we finally get a good look at Sally seeing the Poseidon is gone and she is pregnant. We cut to her giving birth to Percy and her first line is her christening him. The music ends as the scene dissolves to 12 years later with Sally staring out the window of her apartment when Gabe calls her for his seven-bean dip. She responds, leaves the window and we pan all the way out towards Manhattan in the direction of the museum and then we hear Percy's opening monologue.

The dramatic version is a bit similar to the opening of the 20th Century Fox adaptation in which we get to see the Winter Solstice meeting with the gods. Everything is copasetic until Hermes tells everyone that the master bolt has been stolen. Zeus and Poseidon get into an argument and then Zeus tells everyone that there will be a war.

The framing set up would be Percy, as an adult telling the story of his life to his kids or even the younger campers of Camp Half Blood. First, he starts with "I didn't want to be a half-blood", there is a flash of lightning and we cut to Percy's 12-year-old self like in the real show.

2. Seeing more of Percy's life before Camp Half Blood

Percy did mention other incidents that happened before Yancy and it would have been both a hilarious and a very sad way of seeing how he got expelled from several different schools. But of course, they do have a budget and it's not very big.

3. Principal Riordan

When I saw that principal and how desperate and worried he looked in his efforts to find Percy and get him off the roof, I knew in a moment that Rick pretty much wasted a good opportunity to play the guy because Percy is his baby and seeing him act more like concerned father than a typical school principal would definitely be in his DNA. But if there is one good side, it is seeing a pegasi and one of those animatronic bulls. I also like the flashback where Percy and his mom go to the museum, but I kinda miss Mr. Brunner's lecture, it would felt more like you were in school again listening to an awesome speech on mythology. But then again, to most kids of the 2000s, school was boring.

4. Nancy calling Percy a dumb blonde

If Nancy was that cruel, she'd probably have another reason to call Percy dumb...because he's blonde. Even if such a stereotype has faded into obscurity, it would probably still make you want to give you another reason for hating her. It also could have given Percy some development as he learns for himself, and proves Nancy wrong, that not all blondes are dumb.

5. Percy calls Nancy out

Even if the scene we got was close to the book, one change I would make, that I would find to be cathartic, would be Percy telling Nancy what kind of a person she is before he pushes her into the fountain, and it would go something like this:

Percy: (grabs Nancy by the arm) Don't you have anything better to do in your spare time? One that doesn't involve being a *technical term for a female dog*?

Nancy: Well maybe I like being a *technical term for a female dog*, it makes me feel like a goddess.

Percy: Well guess what, Nancy, you're not a goddess, you're just as human as you and I and if you had any decency like a real human should, you would treat me and my friend with some respect! *slaps Nancy and force pushes her into the fountain*

6. Percy vs. Mrs. Dodds: Dawn of the Unnecessary Relocation

One of the things the Fox adaptation of The Lighting Thief ironically got right was Percy's fight with Alecto/Mrs. Dodds taking place in an empty part of the museum and Mr. Brunner giving Percy the Riptide pen in the middle of the fight. Here the fight takes place outside and Mr. Brunner gives Percy Riptide before the fight. I find this change to be very odd and the fight itself to be very underwhelming. Rick has a lot of explaining to do.

One minor note: I think Percy should have said the now (in)famous line "But this is a pen!"

7. My Riptide Sense is Tingling

I'm not sure what led Rick to make Riptide be Percy's personal alarm, and while I kinda like it, I feel mixed because what if it gets too loud and the enemy hears it?

8. Intertitles for Each Chapter

One creative way of telling the audience when a chapter begins is a title card, maybe one slightly animated and drawn on a piece of school textbook paper, think Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I know it's cheesy, but then again, drama is better.

9. Et Tu, Grover?

One change that does seem to sit well with me is Grover telling the heads of Yancy that he encouraged Percy to push Nancy into the fountain. It makes Percy's defection from Grover pretty dramatic, but at the same time, Grover not being able to tell his secret can also be concerning.

10. Has It Now Become a Sin to Feature Gaslighting in Kid's Show?

Aside from one mention, Mr. Brunner and Grover are never seen gaslighting Percy over the denial of Mrs. Dodd's existence. Instead, we get a "you are special" speech from Mr. Brunner. And I ask why? Featuring the gaslighting would have made the show feel more like a suspense thriller a la Hitchcock and adds to the mystery.

11. A Different Wardrobe for the Fates

This should have been in the episode itself.I'm glad that at least *one* of the Fates looks like her book counterpart, but I'm not too crazy over their clothes. When I read The Lightning Thief, I imagined them wearing white beekeeper/gardener uniforms or cloaks, either white like in the graphic novel, black like in the myths or red, green and blue like the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus (red for Atropos, green for Clotho and blue for Lachesis, (which is also similar to the Fates from Disney's Hercules)). In my opinion, the cloaks make the Fates look more ominous and mysterious. But I guess if you want to be more inconspicuous, giving them normal clothes is the best route. Also, why did they get rid of their scene during Percy's drive home?

12. Percy's apartment should have been a lot more messier

When I read the book I imagined the apartment to look a lot more grimier, with stuff scattered all over. What I saw was mostly restricted to Gabe's area. Also, Gabe himself doesn't appear to be too much of a douchebag and he's hardly the fat walrus Percy described him to be. When I think of a father who is a real douchebag, I think of Neil Hargrove from Stranger Things. I suppose it's become a real taboo to depict child abuse in kid's shows, so they watered Gabe down.

13. Gabe's big flat screen TV and Sally's song

One of the things I wanted for the show was it to be a homage to the 2000s, similar to how Stranger Things paid homage to the 80s, so when I saw Gabe's 4K TV and Sally listening to what I think is an Olivia Roderigo song, I was a bit livid. If I did this show, I would have replaced the TV with an old set from the 90s and have Sally listening to It Must Have Been Love by Roxette because the song would have been around in 1992 when Sally met Poseidon and I felt that the lyrics resonated with Sally missing Poseidon.

Oh and by the way, where's her Sweet on America shirt? At least they got the blue candy.

14. Gabe and Sally fighting like an old married couple

Even though they are married, Sally and Gabe don't sound like they hate each other, they sound like they're a normal couple with marriage issues. Also, I really wish Percy called Gabe a "bald headed freak" when he told him to take his shoes off before entering the car.

15. Even pacing

One thing I wanted was for the show to have a slow amount of pacing like Percy and Sally driving to Montauk while listening to Jesse McCartney on the radio to gives us a moment of mother-and-son bonding time. Cutting from the apartment to the last bit of drive to Montauk was a bit fast for me.

Also, I don't think it rained when they arrived.

16. A Romantic Flashback

To make up for the alternate opening, a flashback between Sally and Poseidon would have been nice, but I guess they didn't do it because they didn't want to give Poseidon's face and identify away. Also, whose ideas was it to tell Sally that Percy is a half-blood.

Also, missed opportunity to have Percy say "What kind of version of 'The Talk' is this?!"

17. "Oh look, a goat, and he seems to be stuck in a trash can."

One way that could have made Grover's reveal as a satyr to be both hilarious and shocking would be Percy and Sally finding him in a trash can. For those who don't know, the line is a reference to the musical where Percy says it. Also, I feel that Percy should have been a lot more freaked out to see that his best friend, whom he had known for who knows how long, should be a satyr (Imagine him saying "HOLY F*KING SH*T, GROVER, WHY DO YOU HAVE A FKING DONKNEY UP YOUR-?!" Grover: "ASK ME NOT!"). Not to mention, if I had it my way and not Disney's or Rick's, I would have him throwing profane words left and right. But I guess that after the fight with Mrs. Dodds, he's bound to be less fazed.

18. The Death of Sally Jackson: The Not-So-Drowing Artax of our Generation

When I saw Sally's "death", I didn't feel too much emotion. I felt like this should have been our equivalent of the death of Littlefoot's mother or Sirius Black falling into the veil....but I felt nothing, if not just a little. Not to mention, Sally was the one who distracted the Minotaur with Percy's red jacket instead of Percy himself. Also, I think the Minotaur scene could have been a lot more scarier.

19. The Denouement

So Percy defeats the minotaur and it justs cuts to black? I kinda expected him to scream his mother's name one last time in agony for an extra pull at the heartstrings. But at least the last few lines of dialogue made up for that.

20. A better title sequence

What makes Stranger Things and Breaking Bad the most awesome shows around? Their title sequences. Percy's was pretty short and nothing of special, it should have been more lengthy and a slow reveal like the arraigning letters of Stranger Things. Simply put, title sequences should be more amazing and able to drive the audience in.

So what do you think? Did the changes enhance the story or did they make them worse?

[bi-demon-ium]

AO3 Tag Game!

Tagged by @mvshortcut :) I did it here as well but now I'm doing it for this fandom/account bc I CAN (a lot of this will be directly copy/pasted if applicable im sowwy)

How many works do you have on AO3?

116. (Including snippet collections.) For this fandom/account. Far more if you count others,

What’s your total AO3 word count?

Okay this one it won't let me separate by pseud or fandom so you're just gonna have to live with being lumped in with all my MBS and a few other misc fics at "653,461". Didn't get the other accounts though. Man, I'm a mess

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

Okay, well, this one by nature is also not solely for this fandom,

(number in parentheses is number of ao3 works posted)

The Mysterious Benedict Society (116) (including snippet collections)

Ted Lasso (44) (also including snippet collections)

Instinct (2) (one is a small snippet collection--)

House MD (1)

Death by Dying (1)

Gravity Falls, technically, but it was one crossover (1)

ditto with The Legend of Zelda (1)

King Falls AM (1)

The House in the Cerulean Sea (6)

Shadowhunters (??? at least 36) (some now hidden/lost)

Professor Layton (1)

The Librarians (2)

The Sandman (1)

The Mentalist (2)

Star Trek (AOS) (1)

Sanders Sides (at least 1)

Miraculous Ladybug (1)

Rosewell: New Mexico (2)

The Dresden Files (1)

That's stuff posted to ao3/finished. There's also, technically,

for stuff I published when I was twelve and I now refuse to acknowledge (not all bc of the fandom but bc the fic was Bad):

Doctor Who

Supernatural

Sherlock

Psych

Castle

Welcome to Night Vale

Avengers

A Series of Unfortunate Events

And then stuff I've written for but never finished:

Warehouse 13

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016)

Dirk Gently (2010)

SurrealEstate

Zoo (podcast)

Once Upon a Time

Scooby Doo

Person of Interest

The Goes Wrong Show

Spy Kids (???)

Ace Attorney

The Adventure Zone

Criminal Minds

Star Trek (TOS, TNG, and DS9)

Haven

MacGyver

Trollhunters

exactly one (1) joke The Magnus Archives fic

Percy Jackson and the Olympians + The Kane Chronicles + Tales of Apollo

Leverage

Pushing Daisies

The Sarah Jane Adventures

Megamind

Bones

Avatar: the Last Airbender

Lucifer

Some of these are deeply questionable and/or only have like two (2) wips or even posted works at most, but I'm thorough. Also, I will write about almost anything bc my brain loves to process things like this. I may have even missed something

Top five fics by kudos:

I was gonna have the snippets collections not count but I've got so many exact ties it doesn't matter.

gemini schmemini (136)

kate and her bucket sitting in a tree, S-P-Y-I-N-G (98)

caught (81)

[insert poetic title here] (81)

affectionate gestures<3 (81)

of rube goldbergs and weather machines (74)

tumblr snippets: mbs edition (74)

keeping out the cold (70)

birdsong (70)

Number Two Regrets Her Life Choices™ (68)

timeline? i don't know her (68)

That's actually 6 bc I made a mistake but I've already color coded them so whatever

Do you respond to comments?

I really try to, but then I get all in my head about it and/or am really really tired and put it off so long it then feels like it would be weird to respond because it's been forever. However, if there's a direct question or something I want to address/respond to, as in, I have something particularly unique to say or a question to answer, then I'll usually respond really fast.

And this fandom's smaller so if I'm slightly more likely to respond 😭

Also when I know who's commenting personally which is al ot more likely

What’s the fic with the angstiest ending you’ve ever written?

Honestly, I'm not a huge unhappy ending person, but. uhhh

solo

bring me home (in a blinding dream)

hollowed

seasalt

checkmate

dark side of the moon

wretched clarity

cruel kindness

green-eyed monster

the naming of cats

curled & crushed

oops

I didn't even look at the snippet collections lkgfhjh

Do you write crossovers?

Not often, but I rotate them in my brain. Honestly, though, I'm more inclined to write a fusion than a crossover proper. And even so, I tend to just be thinking about it rather than actually writing it. I've only written one crossover in recent memory (recently, that is) and it was mostly a joke about a shared actress made into actual angst. :)

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

Yeah lmao

Do you write smut?

😏 ......not for this fandom. That I'd post anyway

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

👁️👁️ not. Directly in this fandom

Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!! also not in this fandom

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

In this fandom? Nicholas/Milligan. Overall, ever? Recency bias/hyperfixationitis says whatever I'm into the most at the moment. But generally for MBS I prefer gen (although I've written a lot of Nicholas/Milligan, that's partially because it's blissfully easier to find gen already)

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

:(

SO many

Particularly minotaur, the dearly departed, and the "paralyzed" series. Oh and the hanahaki AU

What are your writing strengths?

I think I can write a really funny string of dialogue, and I'm also fond of fun metaphors, both in the elegant poetic way and in the more Douglas Adams/Terry Pratchett way (which is to say, still potentially elegant but also comedic as hell)

What are your writing weaknesses?

Motivating myself to write anything; being overly self-indulgent

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I'm extremely bad at linguistics in general, so if I must include someone talking in another language in my fic, I think I'd tend to cheat and do italics or some other indication that this is 'in another language' (ie "Where are you going?" she asked in Russian), but that's admittedly a lazy approach. But I also think it's probably better than butchering it with an auto-translator? Also, when people just include the translation in the end notes, even with a link (although that makes it marginally better) it breaks the flow of the story and makes it hard to read. Making an effort to at least match grammar is good (which I would do if it was for longer than a single scene, probably) but I think the best solution is when people know what they're doing and like, have an actual translation with a little html code so you can click on it and it reveals what it means? Or if you're clever, revealing what it means using context around it, but that has its own limitations. So that both like, uses the actual language and doesn't break up the flow. It balances accessibility, flow, and respect for the other language in question well. But you've got to both know what you're doing with the language (either asking someone/hiring someone/knowing the language yourself) and the html (although there are guides for that you'd have to spend time figuring it out + know it exists in the first place to look). And this is fanfiction, something we ultimately do for free in our spare time, so the lazy approach, I think, can be understandable. Maybe not in every context, but it's not worth stressing a lot over in a few random lines or anything, you know? It is really cool when people do know a language well enough to include it properly in a fic, though, it can say a lot about a character or dynamic; and their background(s) and like. it's neat :)

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Ever? Doctor Who. In a shitty little notebook in middle school. Then there was some Star Trek (both TNG and TOS) and Avatar: the Last Airbender and Marvel and such, and then Supernatural (my first smut? extremely terrible Destiel smut. rip) and I think the first thing I ever posted was Welcome to Night Vale? Not sure.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

Oh, man. I have no idea. Here's a few favorites from this fandom:

cain's lament

minotaur

shades of green

a hope in hell

Number Two Regrets Her Life Choices™

tagging:

PLEASE, if you want to do this, I'm begging you, tag me in it and do it. i'm too tired to come up with names im so sorry

[roseunspindle]

More fanfics

Percy Jackson

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36710833 - Instead, he gets Percy Jackson as a roommate, and his boyfriend who is… omnipresent? A mortal? Another legacy?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4318452/chapters/9792267 - Poseidon is not jealous that Percy thinks a horse makes a better father figure than himself. At all.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7248883 - Being a stepfather was hard enough even when your new stepson wasn't the greatest demigod of his time.

DBZ

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1099902/chapters/2212865 - Being a hero is highly overrated according to Vegeta, but once upon a time Vegeta was meant to be his people's hero.

Doctor Who

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12840618/chapters/29319246 - The Doctor is out of his depth. The Doctor is wondering what he could possibly be thinking. The companions are having the time of their lives. Two threats at once lead to a complicated situation.

Labyrinth

https://archiveofourown.org/works/402721/chapters/663822 - "How much do you know about legends?" the man asked abruptly. Brian shrugged. "There's lots. They involve magic." "No, they involve fear."

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5805552/1/All-Grown-Up -  Yes, Alice chose to leave. But what if someone chose to follow?

Avatar the Last Airbender

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3474407/1/A-Girl-s-Drink -  After he has thrown himself upon the Avatar's mercy, Zuko and Katara have a conversation about musical instruments.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6229374/1/No-One-Cares-About-This-story -  Xin Fu and Master Yu do many pointless and idiotic things while the world moves on.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4088139/1/Stormbenders -  S3 AU from FBM. Deep in the Fire Nation jungle, the Gaang meets a group of rogue water ninja who send Zuko and Katara on a mission to retrieve Ozai's secret battle plans.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Misplaced Flame

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/fDclK5x by b00k_fanatic Leo might have made a mistake. Like a really big mistake. When he died to get to Calypso, he accidentally ended up in Gotham. So yeah, a big mistake. I mean come on Festus you didn't even leave the country! Join Leo in his random adventures in Gotham, him falling into Gotham’s hero world by total accident! Totally not Hera…plus almost got killed a few times but that’s not important.   HAVE TO READ!! Sorry if the DC information isn't the best, I haven’t watched many of the series/films recently other than Young Justice and the Lego ones (as of the start of the fic). Also, Leo will occasionally speak some Spanish but it might not be the best because I speak very limited Spanish and the bit I do know isn’t Mexican/South American Spanish (idk terms). More tags to be added. Words: 772, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Leo Valdez, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Alfred Pennyworth Relationships: Jason Todd & Leo Valdez, Piper McLean & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace & Piper McLean & Leo Valdez Additional Tags: Crossover, Leo Valdez-centric, Angst, alternative universe, Multiverse, Leo Valdez Being Leo Valdez, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Leo Valdez Is Not Dead, Leo Valdez is a Little Shit, Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse, Chaos, Bruce Wayne Has Too Many Kids, Too Many Goddam Problems, Not Beta Read, no beta we die like jason todd read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/fDclK5x

[millylouedward]

November Reading Wrap Up 2023

Well folks, my favorite month of the year has come and gone. There's something about the quietness of November that fills me with peace. The leaves are well into turning orange and red and yellow. People start to stay indoors and avoid the cold. The sun leaves more quickly. This was my first November in Seattle, and overall it was a good one. I wrapped all of my Christmas presents early, had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with my girlfriend, finally watched Love, Actually, and spent a lot of time with my cats. I also went a little overboard and read seven books. That's right, SEVEN books. In one month. Cue Miley Cyrus Can't Be Tamed. 

There comes a time when an adult woman must regress to her childhood for reasons unbeknownst to scientists. Last month, I finally hit that point. It all started in September when I saw Rick Riordan speak at Benaroya Hall about his new Percy Jackson book, The Chalice of the Gods. Being around all these PJO fans got me thinking that I should reread the series before getting to the new book. So a few days later, I crept on over to eBay and found myself the OG copies of the PJO series. And to make it even better, it was four paperbacks and one hardcover, just like I used to own. At some point I guess I donated my original copies. But when the movie came out for The Lightning Thief in 2010, I ran (not walked) to the bookstore and bought the entire series. The Last Olympian was still only in hardcover at the time, so I bought it along with paperbacks for 1-4. No offense to the artist of the newer covers, but I just had to have the originals or else it wasn't the same. 

At this point, you might be thinking that I binged the series as soon as I got them, but you would be wrong. I fell into a short reading slump in October and couldn't bring myself to read anything. That was until I received the notification from my library that my ebook of The Woman in Me was available.

Warning: spoilers ahead for some books!

The Woman in Me - Britney Spears ★★★★★

Did I think this memoir was very well written? No. Did I describe it as a "fantastically written memoir" in my Goodreads review? Yes. I cannot stomach it when a celebrity (or anyone) writes a memoir that isn't somewhat chronological. It doesn't even have to be chronological if it follows a clear path along the timeline. Maybe we have two timelines that are divided as childhood ages 6-12 and adulthood ages 20-30 because similar events happened that led to the present. That is fine. What I don't like it when an author jumps from 26 to 7 to 13 to before they were born to 30 to 19 and back to 7. Britney does not do this. She writes chronologically, and for how chaotic her life story is, it paid off. She both reflects on her pain and gives narrative accounts. Frankly, it was a vibe, and I'm a sucker for memoirs so this was always going to be a highly rated read from me. #FreeBritney.  

PJO: The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan ★★★★☆

This is where my PJO reign of terror commences. At first, it was sweet and innocent. I started reading this in October, but then put it down after 40 pages to read library books. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get into the story again. I mean, I read this series when I was 12 and I'm 26 now, and very much not the target audience. Nonetheless, after binging the Britney memoir, I was back in the game and I gobbled this book up like a turkey. Can I just say I had no memory of reading more than half the stuff in this book. Like I couldn't even remember how it ended. I only recalled the main plot (stolen lightning bolt) and there being a mattress store. Crusty's Water Bed Palace turned out to be way more horrifying than I remember. And the Underworld waiting room made me feel constrained and anxious in the best way. Ugh, I loved this book.

PJO: The Sea of Monsters - Rick Riordan ★★★★☆

Full disclosure, TSOM was always my least favorite book in this series. I didn't remember why. I still don't. But I think it's because it's orange and the eye freaks me out. I'm a blue girlie. But this book was amazing. I read Atalanta by Jennifer Saint a while back and it made this book come to life in a new way for me. Sooo many of the characters and monsters of Atalanta made appearances in the Sea of Monsters. The part where Annabeth wants to hear the songs of the sirens and Percy has to literally jump overboard to stop her, then protect her in an underwater bubble of air had me screaming crying throwing up. I am a Percabeth shipper for LIFE.

PJO: The Titan's Curse - Rick Riordan ★★★★★

I always said The Titan's Curse was my fave in this series. It's probably because there's a horse on the cover (sort of). At this point, I am well into Project Reignite Milly's PJO Obsession. When I tell you I sprinted all the way to the Link after finishing TSOM at work, I was seriously running. I barreled through the door of my apartment, ran to my bookshelf, and grabbed TTC. I made a drinky drink (an apple cider chai) and began my descent into this book. I did not stop reading for basically an entire day. And as I reached the halfway point of November, I was actually gripping my seat because of the wild ride I was on. I was reading this while googling flights to Nevada so I could see the Hoover Dam. I want to go to the dam snack bar. And get some dam fries. And fight off a dam monster. 

PJO: The Battle of the Labyrinth - Rick Riordan ★★★★☆

I'll admit that I never much cared for TBOTL either. It's because the cover is red. Again, warm tones are not my vibe, and apparently neither is being trapped. I was actually afraid to fall asleep at night when I started this book. I have literally had panic attacks from being trapped before. The whole getting lost inside an endless labyrinth is soooo not my jam nor toast. Not even my eggs or bacon. But I still had a good time rereading this. Also, the Percabeth kiss LITERALLY had me weeping and throwing my book across the room with joy. 

Girlfriend on Mars - Deborah Willis ★★☆☆☆

Let me get one thing straight, I thought this book wouldn't be. Straight, that is. I don't know why, but I had it in my head that this was going to be about lesbians on Mars as part of a reality show. I thought it would be silly and gay. Who lied to me??? WHO?? This book sucked. I'm so serious, it was trash to me. If you like My Year of Rest and Relaxation, or The Bell Jar, Girlfriend on Mars is up your alley because all this book is is two annoyingly mentally unwell people making everyone else's lives suck because they won't go to therapy. And to make it worse, they're both cishet. There were things to like about this book, like the realness of it. It was so horribly true to what I imagine would happen if some douche mcgee billionaire sent innocent stupid reality stars to outer space without the guidance of a real astronaut. Aside from that, I hated the plot holes, the characters, the inconsistent grammar, the pop culture references. I went on a walk with my girlfriend a couple days after finishing this book and I kept hearing myself say, "And another thing I hated about Girlfriend on Mars was..." I just cannot contain my distain for this book. Deborah Willis please keep your literature far away from me. 

Tell Me Everything - Minka Kelly ★★★★★

And here we are at the conclusion of November and my manic reading frenzy. Minka Kelly's memoir was the breath of fresh air I needed. It literally cured every annoyed bone in my body after the hate crime that was Girlfriend on Mars. This memoir was so good that if it was a bowl of soup I was plunging myself into it like I was shredded chicken. The prose! The dialogue! The scene setting! I swear, this narrative is so whimsical I wanted to do a little dancey dance every time I read a perfectly written paragraph. Now, I was totally expecting Minka to tell us a lot about her acting career. I am a huge Detroit: Become Human fan and hoped to hear about her time on that set. Instead, this was all about her childhood, and I ate it up anyway. Her story is devastating, heartbreaking, and yet so gripping. Memoir fans, y'all got to go get this one right now I tell you! 

I'm writing to you from my office right now, and it's about time for me to go home. I'm reading Iris Kelly Doesn't Date right now and all I can say is I'm anticipating a very high rating from this one. Definitely going to write an entire post about the Bright Falls series because my gay self is literally swooning over Ashley Herring Blake's characters. Ugh. 

Also, this a new blog and my first post! I've been active on Goodreads for a couple years and I wanted to expand my reading into blog format where I can say a bit more about my love of books. I'll be posting here on the reg, but still staying active on Goodreads!

[taumoeba]

why the percy jackson movies are good, actually:

1) they just are lol

okay but seriously before i get into this let me address the valid criticisms the movies get.

grover is a racist caricature. it was unnecessary and they destroyed his character to make him comic relief. also NO ONE asked for the weird persephone x grover thing in the first film 🤢

very weird unresolved tension between percy and annabeth... “i definitely have feelings for you, i just cant tell if theyre negative or positive” is top 5 worst lines in cinema. they had no business aging up the characters just to “sex-ify” the film. like we didnt need a gritty/dark version of what is supposed to be a children’s story

they made clarisse skinny 😐

as an adaptation, if you were looking for faithfulness, you didnt find it in the movies. (the musical is a much better adaptation!) like not even the notion of artistic license can excuse chris columbus for changing all that he did. thor freudenthal tried to fix it but by then it was too late. i understand the hatred for the movies based on this. (but at the same time, the sheer level of hate is unwarranted. ill explain later)

????

genuinely cant think of any other reasons they’re bad. i think those cover the main concerns. anyways, HERE IS WHY THE PERCY JACKSON MOVIES ARE GOOD, ACTUALLY:

logan lerman acting king!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! when i tell you that man EMBODIED the character of percy jackson. i know his legacy has been forever tarnished by the bad reputation of these movies but i also know that everyone praises his work in it bc it is truly one of the best things about the films. like he is genuinely talented! THAT BEING SAID. i dont want to see him as poseidon in the percy jackson disney show. i just know that man is tired of being associated to greek mythology fanfiction. support him by watching his other movies instead please

jake abel, acting king number 2. ive said this before but he was ACTUALLY the perfect luke. the expressions. the delivery of his corny lines. this video. literally iconic behavior!

honestly the cast in general. alexandra daddario, nathan fillion hermes, stanley tucci dionysus, UMA THURMAN MEDUSA???!!!

the soundtrack... need i say more? (i don’t, but i will anyways. first movie featured highway to hell, pokerface, tiktok - not the app. the ke$ha song- among others. second movie featured fall out boy. like they didn’t have to go that hard with the songs but they DID). also they made luke listen to classical music while playing chess in his giant cruise ship’s captain’s quarters... perfect characterization!

rick riordan hates the movies and im sick and tired of that man so by default i love the movies. okay but seriously. i understand feeling insulted by a poorly done adaptation of your life’s greatest work, and i understand not wanting to watch something that is based on your writing. but he has made this grudge so excessive that out of spite im about to start unironically endorsing the films over his books. hes written whole essays griping about his hatred for the movies. which at the same time, is just FURTHER ASSOCIATING YOURSELF TO THE MOVIES! a part of me is convinced that as soon as the disney x fox merger happened, he ran to disney headquarters and started begging them for a tv show just so he could direct his anger towards the movies into something productive. like man WE GET IT! YOU DONT LIKE THE MOVIES!!!

they are.... SO funny???????? im pretty sure even if you havent seen the movies youve heard someone quote it? here are some notable ones:

“this is like high school without the musical”

“this is a pen. THIS IS A PEN!!”

“you can’t kill the janitors! those are working class citizens!”

“you’re burning money? we’re in a recession! that’s treason!!”

“tell me those aren’t sharks.” “....those aren’t sharks.”

that scene where tyson is like... olympus!!!! and percy is like... no...we’re in washington dc.....

“hey! what are you doing? don’t walk on my roof.”

“[starts singing It’s A Small World]”

the visual effects are objectively, pretty good

despite it not being a faithful adaptation, the movies have a decent plot. or at least i was still enthralled while watching them? like disconnect them from the books and its still a (mostly) solid story.

or if you dont want to think about the plot at all, just admit that they’re FUN and ICONIC and DEFINED THE 2010s.

you guys are just haters. the percy jackson movies are good and we deserved the titans curse adaptation. end of discussion

[takaraphoenix]

@awesome-queen-of-perfection​ replied to your post: Maybe I’m not calculating right but wasn’t Percy 14 in Titans curse and Nico about 10? Then Nico was 11 in BotL with Percy turning 15 at the end of the book. I still love the ship, but there is no way that they are only 2 years apart 

Okay, one more time, this time the most proper and detailed way, so I have a post to link to as referential on this topic, because something tells me it’ll keep coming up!

There are three parts that go into this answer; 1. Nico’s age in PJO, 2. Nico’s age in HoO, 3. Nico’s age in ToA. And, always, in referrence, Percy’s age.

Let’s start off with Percy, just to include all of the facts. Percy Jackson was born on August 18th 1993. By The Titan’s Curse in December 2007, he was thus 14 years old. That far, we all agree on.

The Titans Curse is part of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, a series narrated in first person by Percy Jackson, a teenage boy. Not an omniscient narrator.

An omniscient narrator can give you the exact age of a character we only just met; an unreliable first person narrator, who is also a teenager, can only... guess. And honestly, being two years off when guessing a person’s age isn’t too bad.

But don’t take this from me! Take it from Rick Riordan himself!

Which also immediately brings us to our second point. Nico’s age in Heroes of Olympus. If I may direct your attention to the date of the tweet; it was after House of Hades that people started being bugged by the “but Nico is 10 and Percy is 14!!!”. Which means Riordan here confirms that, as of Heroes of Olympus, Nico di Angelo is 14 years old.

Heroes of Olympus spans the time between December 15th 2009 and August 1st 2010 - which, with Percy’s birthday being August 18th, puts Percy at age 16 for the entire duration of Heroes of Olympus, turning 17 only seventeen days after the series ends.

Which means we now have canon confirmation that during the time Percy is 16, Nico is 14. And that the previously stated age was, in fact, a guess made by a kid.

But don’t just take this for granted, because I can continue with Trials of Apollo!

We’ve now moved on to eary 2011, which puts Percy at age 17, and Nico...

...at age 15. As time works. If both of them are 14 and 16 respectively, a year later, they will then be 15 and 17 respectively. (Can’t believe this needs pointing out, but I had an anti be really confused by the fact that yes, indeed, both age as time passes...)

So, that rounds up our “but the AgE gAp!” discussion. The first ever age we got was guesswork made by a teenager and afterward, we got two clear confirmations, that do not contradict each other, on what Nico’s age actually is.

[godsofhumanity]

in your genuine opinion, what is the best and the worst depictions of greek mythology as a whole in media? like what thing gets either the most things right or the fewest?

AH!! thank you SO much for being so patient!!! you sent this in like 4 weeks ago, but i am finally ready to answer this!!

okay first of all- i’m including two different types of depictions in media in this list; adaptions, and appropriations. Adaptions are the films/shows/books where they just kinda copy from the source material, make a few changes here and there, and then publish it (e.g. Troy (2004)). Appropriations are ones where they take elements of a pre-existing universe, and do an entirely new take on the subject (e.g. Percy Jackson).

now, i’m ranking these based on: portrayal of the gods (how they interact with mortals, what they look like, how they interact with other gods, personality), accuracy to Ancient Greek culture, and accuracy to the source material (e.g. Homer’s Iliad).

also, quick disclaimer for legal reasons- this is ENTIRELY my own opinion. feel free to disagree with me!! it’s just what i personally thought based on what i’ve watched so far. 

BEST DEPICTION

1. Netflix’s Troy: Fall of a City (2018)

2. Jason & the Argonauts (1963)

3. Clash of the Titans (1981)

4. Blood of Zeus (2020)

5. Olympus Guardian (2002 - 2003)

6. Troy (2004)

7. Wrath of the Titans (2012)

8. Percy Jackson film series (2010 - 2013) 

9. Disney’s Hercules (1997)

10. honourable mention goes to Horrible Histories’ skits on the Trojan Horse, Helen of Troy, and Zeus’ origin story feat. Kronos, Rhea, and siblings, all of which sit at the very bottom of this list.

WORST DEPICTION

i also just want to say, that even if i’ve ranked a film as “worst depiction”, some of them are still really fun and entertaining. and they’re still good films- they’re just not accurate.

[shadowfae]

1- Not much tbh, just what you've posted, and 2- To be honest I quite like your long answers. It can definitely wait though, you should get some sleep.

Is your warpriest link a constant thing? Does it ever fade into the background? I'm contemplating forming a second link, something happier than my copinglink, and I'm not sure how to tell when to tell when the line of a link vs a persona is crossed when not worn out of necessity.

And the original ask so I have it on hand. I did take a look at your original context, and if you're cool with it, I'll edit this post with a link for those who may find this is a useful answer and need that on hand. Otherwise, it'll stay a mystery.

But yes, it seems like my Sabe experiences would be a useful thing to talk about here. And in order to do that, I need to go over four things: who and what Sabe is, why he exists the way that he does, what that does for me, and lastly what I think he is in terms of terminology and why.

To start, here is his toyhou.se profile, if you want to read more about his actual story and thoughts and whatnot. But I doubt you'll have the necessary context for that, so let me go into it. RuneScape (RS) is one of the oldest MMORPGs in existence. WoW might be older but I doubt it. Basically it's a medieval magic fantasy that's very long running and you the player end up the World Guardian, aka the guy that stops the gods (who are very powerful folks who just don't die of natural causes and typically stand for some philosophy) from blowing the world up because Guthix, the dead god of balance, asked you to. Well, he voluntold you. And that makes you a major chess piece, Elder Gods get involved, it's a big mess.

But before all that happened, back in 2006 when I was introduced to the game and very shitty at it, well. I liked the lore insofar that I've always liked the lore, it was interesting and I liked thinking about it. I didn't have membership and I sucked at playing so I just read the wiki and the God Letters over and over and sometimes the Postbag from the Hedge. Alongside my two friends, we played at being children of the then-triad of main gods: Saradomin, Guthix, and Zamorak.

I liked Zamorak best, but I didn't think his ideas would be the best for society as a whole, so I ended up playing child of Guthix. Eventually we grew up and grew apart but every couple of years I'd go back to RuneScape, read the lore, settle on what choices I'd make if I could play, and think about being the player character. In 2010 I discovered a fic - dawn by khayr, it's on Ao3 and dA - about Iban, son of Zamorak, right around when I was reading Percy Jackson. Cue him showing up as a soulbond and an older brother figure and guiding me right up until the end of sixth grade. Iban got me through the ruthless bullying that would later set the stage for all my major suicidal-ideation and self-hatred for the entirety of high school: even then, I was more stable than I might've been otherwise, because he interfered.

Saradomin stands for strength through order. Procedures and law and diplomacy and war strategy. He was originally kind of a ripoff of the Christian god, but he's grown to be more of an order-over-peace character and is quite well-written. Guthix stands for strength through balance, and has been all over the board in terms of what he's done and will do. He's kind of a dick, actually, but his heart's in the right place.

Zamorak, as you've heard, is strength through chaos and personal strife. It's no "the strong over the weak" or "the strong take care of the weak", it's flat-out "everyone is strong, and just need the right circumstances to tap into it to be the best they can possibly be". Now, his philosophy is kind of more for warriors and scholars, but if you tilt your head, it applies to everyone. Chronically ill folks will find their chaos in fighting to get up every day and maintain a life. Folks in traumatizing, abusive situations find that chaos in their very survival. Scholars challenge themselves and their fellows and their predecessors trying to find the answers they so need. Nobody in lockstep, no such thing as "we've always done it this way."

A lot of human Zamorakians and Saradominist propaganda says that Zamorak is simply absolute evil: and to be fair, when most of that was written, he kinda was because he was based loosely on the Christian devil. Later writing says that they're typically mistaken on that. Zamorak isn't evil. The very first thing he did upon becoming a god was fulfill a promise and lead a slave rebeliion. (The Avernic uprising, if anyone's curious.) He stands for the downtrodden and says "You are never going to get your dignity by going through the motions and trying to peacefully show you're worth respect. Burn some shit down and prove that you won't stand for this bullshit."

Zamorak in a Saradominist's eyes is someone whose banner you wear when you want to be a crazy murderer. Zamorak in a Zamorakian's eyes is the singing voice who murmurs "Get up, this isn't enough to kill you, you can still do this," when transphobic laws get passed or you hear a slur thrown your way on the street.

And as someone who grew up queer and nonhuman, yeah, that resonates, and the older I get the more I think "Guthixian philosophy is best for a society at large, but Zamorakianism for individuals is good." Because Zamorakianism can't really apply on a theocratic level. It really doesn't. It turns into American bootstrap culture and no social services and all that shitty stuff.

The funny thing is that Zamorak himself has no issues helping out if he thinks you need it. (If he didn't, he wouldn't be cool with asking for help, or giving it when he's asked. Which he does do repeatedly so. The man has more kindness in him than people want to admit.) What I do find fascinating is what he thinks of the actions of some of his longtime subordinates, who clearly support him, but I don't think support his actual philosophy. Because if you ask me, he'd side with the downtrodden humans of Meiyerditch, not the vampire lords that treat them like cattle. He's proven that he likes humans, and doesn't see them as unworthy. I do wonder if Jagex will show us what he might do about that.

Either way. Ahem. Over the course of a decade and a half, I keep going back to RuneScape, refining my philosophy and side, thinking again what I would do playing the game proper. About... I want to say five years ago, Jagex opened up the Sixth Age and I finally noticed, and they rewrote every god's philosophy because they wanted every single one to be actually playable. Not just "hurr durr evil" but actually have a logical line of thought. They probably didn't have pop culture paganism in mind, but the gods of RS are incredibly well-suited to it.

Well, I found that out, and immediately went through every god's philosophy, and reasoned my way through it. What does a worshipper of this god look like? What sort of life would they lead? If i apply this to me, what does that look like from that perspective? Do I understand this? Is it comfortable to exist in?

And as it turns out, I understand Zamorak the most, followed a close second by Armadyl, which was quite surprising. Zaros remains incomprehensible and I don't trust like that. (That's another story.) So I thought about it more, and it stuck even when I wandered off to different fandoms and interests. But what happened was that I ended up internalizing it, unknowingly and without meaning to.

It meant that when, two years later, I ended up in a horrific and traumatizing situation, the anchor I hit that held me together was a mixture of being a Devil - I am a fucking God you will obey me and recognize my power - and Zamorak's core philosophy: this cannot kill me, this cannot stop me, this is pure fucking hell and I am going to laugh in the face of death because people are forged in hellfire and I will walk away knowing what I'm made of.

And I was right. Honestly, out of everyone who was there with me, I think I'm the only one that was that deeply entrenched and walked out without trauma. I do not believe I could have done that had I not internalized Zamorak's philosophy. (That isn't to say if the others had that philosophy they wouldn't be traumatized, because there were absolutely other factors I wouldn't know about and some that I do and didn't do them any favours; but I am saying that it saved my ass and without it, I might not have been okay.)

I walked out of that with zero regrets. Zero. Even now, I don't regret a thing. Because it doesn't matter what happened or how much I was lied to or if he deserved my kindness. I know what I perceived to be happening, and I know how I reacted, and when the pieces were down I was stronger than steel, gave kindness without considering the cost, and I walked away unscathed.

How many people can say they've looked death in the eye and laughed? More than there should be, not too many that knowing what I'm capable of when put into pure chaos isn't somehow impressive. Because it is. And Zamorak's words proved themselves, or rather, I proved him entirely correct.

And when I last went back to RuneScape, and thought about it with enough time to put it all into hindsight, well. Aw, shit, he was right. Then vaguely around that time I went back and read Dawn, which was unfinished, tracked down the author and demanded to know how it fucking ended. (She told me and we're still friends like three years later. xD) Then I went back and found my old OCs, and decided fuck it, I'm making my own World Guardian.

So first thing I did was log in and jump over to the Makeover Mage and make myself into a boy. Kept the plateskirt though, I wanted to have the RS equivalent of a limp wrist to prove I'm Very Queer. Then I went about remaking my character. I wanted to make a self-insert, I was old enough to know it wasn't cringey, it was just fun, but I didn't want to use my default avatar with the black hair over one eye and the Chaorruption. I wanted to make a new self-insert based in nothing I was already using.

So I made the most beautiful man I could! Long, dark brown hair, pretty semi-dark skin, looked Kharidian, and then I said fuck it and made him Zamorak's youngest son. Originally, he was adopted when he was young by Iban and Clivet, and suffered serious imposter syndrome when being WG meant he'd never get demigod powers. But as I grew more confident in myself, he ended up getting powers? And then eventually I rewrote his backstory, and then wrote about his mother, and her relationship with Zamorak, and then he had friends like Blaire and Icthlarin (who was also my furry awakening, rip me).

Then with the most recently questline I've been getting a bit more into RS magical theory, and I've been mulling it over lots, and Seanan McGuire's Middlegame definitely helped; and I figured out how I wanted him to handle being World Guardian: it didn't make sense for him to be openly Zamorak's son, the other gods would just target his family to manipulate him. So I had him play neutral openly and Zamorakian to his friends, effectively living a double life.

Then he just looked up one day and said "Oh, by the way, my father won't acknowledge me to keep me safe but I don't know that so we have a very unsteady relationship because I don't know if he loves me", and then Children of Mah came out, and he was all "Oh and I think I just got disowned (I didn't, Zamorak was protecting me, but I don't know that) so my relationship with Zamorak is Fucking Shitty" and he was stuck that way until I figured out how to save their relationship.

It culminated in Sabe not knowing how his Mahjarrat powers worked and guessing, and hating himself for being half-and-half, and missing everything about being a Mahjarrat, and literally you couldn't have gotten more obvious in order to tell me I was having Fucking Issues coming to terms with the fact I didn't have any understanding or knowledge of my own heritage, but whatever, eventually I noticed that.

And as I've been working to understand myself and my heritage, so too has Sabe been doing that with his Mahjarrat heritage. But for the longest time, no matter how I put him and Zamorak in the same room in a scene to try and get them to talk it out, it wasn't working. Something wasn't right. Sabe resented being World Guardian, hated having to betray his family, didn't know if he was wanted, and hated himself for having to kill Mah, the mother of his species.

Not that long ago, a few months actually, he informed me (which is my shorthand for 'I suddenly figured out this happened, and it genuinely feels like remembering that one fucking word you have on the tip of your tongue, I always knew and just forgot for a while') that no, he'd been ripped in two by a hope devourer, brought to his father's stronghold, and Zamorak split his magic between mortal and divine in order to get around his godproofing and heal him. Zamorak's intense worry for his youngest son was what caused Sabe to break down and tell him honestly what was going on and how he was feeling, which caused Zamorak to do the same, and they finally, finally made up.

A week later, I noticed the connection between Sabe's Mahjarrat issues and my Irish issues, and started to wonder if he was a linktype.

I mean... he's a self-insert. He makes the choices I would, the me in the here and now, that I think are best. He's not a person I was and still know myself to be, he's not someone I grow into, he's not living his life beside me like a shadow. He's me, choosing the things I do, because I say so. But he's also me in the things he reflects, the things he struggles with, and things I had zero fucking conscious input on.

Sabe is the person I am when a crisis hits and I have to deal with the chaos. Sabe is the person I am when I need to lead. Sabe is the person I am when I am desperate to be known and loved by those I consider family. Sabe is the person I am when I want to be sure in where I came from, where I will return to, and the things that I will always be. Sabe is a man of darkness who knows the light as an acquaintance and nothing more, who is cruel and careless and kind.

Sabe is a warpriest of Zamorakian philosophy, because it took me twenty fucking years to put into words how I see the world, and now that I know, I will argue them to death and use them to help others. Drakath may have wanted a messiah to share the hivemind with others. Sabe is a warpriest, spreading the word and calling home the broken and the damned. He is the Last Rider, not the last of the Ilujanka but the one who keeps riding towards the chaos and never falls, no matter what.

Some of who Sabe is I have conscious input on. A whole lot of him was unintentional and perfectly reflects me.

So when it comes to terminology... I don't know what he is. A self-insert, yes. A linktype, maybe. A kintype, also maybe. Sabe doesn't feel like my past linktypes, because Sabe isn't always catharsis and comfort. Until he made up with his dad, Sabe was brutal and hurt a lot and constantly yearning for his foundation and slowly going mad. It wasn't fun. I just refused to do anything but see the story through. I was going to get it right. I wanted to see it to the end. I wanted to be the Last Rider, even though I didn't phrase it that way.

But to answer your actual question, of what he feels like when I'm not actively being him out of necessity, desire, and active thought. If it fades into the background.

And like... it can? Sabe as he is, recognized for what and who he is, is kind of a new thing. Sabe as a concept is very old, but Sabe as what he is right now is new, and confusing, and honestly I'm still trying to figure out what to make of it.

Like, seriously. Sabe is Zamorak's son. Am I Zamorak's son? Is he keeping an eye on me as I am? Would he be proud of me? Would he offer his approval of my progress? Does that make me, in some way, the World Guardian?

I have not a clue, buddy. Not a goddamn clue.

So what it means is that I've been paying attention, really. I don't just become strong in times of crisis. I've been trying to do better. Be better. Learn, and listen, and rethink myself. Break out of lockstep, of doing things the way I've always done them. Try to always do better than I did, build habits I like, stop waiting for things to change and just do it. Become the chaos, instead of waiting for it to hit me.

It means I need to live up to what Guthix told Sabe to do. It means being gentler, being kinder, not burning bridges when I'm not sure. It means keeping an eye out for any sign Zamorak's listening, in case I am his son, in case I really have to decide what I'm gonna do about being the son of chaos incarnate.

But other than the questioning, what it feels like is just... what I was already dealing with, just a little more at arm's length and easier to deal with. Once I recognize that his issues are reflective of mine, if I solve his, I have a pretty good idea of how to solve mine. Some of it won't work exactly right - Zamorak will always forgive him for not being the son he expected he might have had, my own parents may not, yay I'm queer and pagan - but it's a good rule of thumb.

It's also just comforting to know that when in doubt, nothing can kill me, because I simply refuse to die. I am World Guardian, I am a demigod of chaos incarnate, all the hellfire in the world can do nothing but strengthen me. And if I present those to myself as unshakeable beliefs, because for Sabe they are, then I'll be okay. It probably couldn't stop most disasters or tragedies, but I got hit by a car, broke five bones, and walked away with a record recovery time, so I mean... I can't prove that I can't die by some accident or tragedy, but you also can't prove that I can. (Trying to do so usually falls under what we call 'murder', and I personally believe I can't be murdered. Only assassinated.)

But really, I think the worst that could possibly happen with a new linktype is that you learn what not to do. It's new, it's scary, it's chaotic, and from where I'm standing, that's the best way to learn.

[weirwoodking]

Multiple Female Characters and ASOIAF

I might be wrong, but I feel like part of the reason that there are “Sansa st*ns”, “Dany st*ns”, and “Arya st*ns” who pick a favorite and then hate on the other two is because we’re not used to there being multiple main female characters in a fantasy series.

There’s a common trope in popular fantasy and sci-fi of “here’s all the characters... and here’s the girl character”. For example, Harry Potter (2 boys and 1 girl), Percy Jackson and the Olympians (the first 5 books) (2 boys and 1 girl), Star Wars original trilogy (2 men and 1 woman), Pirates of the Caribbean (2 men and 1 woman), The Avengers movie (5 men, 1 woman). I feel like I grew up seeing so much media that only had one female character in it. If you wanted your favorite character to be a woman, there was usually only one option to choose from: Hermione, Annabeth, Leia, Elizabeth Swan, Black Widow, etc.

Obviously there are exceptions to this, but in my personal experience, this seemed to be the norm. One female character per mainstream franchise.

But then A Song of Ice and Fire comes along (I’m talking about when it became mega-popular among internet fandom, in the 2010s), and it’s a series that has not one, but nine female POV characters in it. Nine girls and women who are all their own fleshed-out, developed people with their own influence in the story.

And of those nine characters, there are three that have been there since the beginning and seem to hold more importance in the story than the other six: Daenerys Stormborn, Sansa Stark, and Arya Stark. (Catelyn does have more chapters than Sansa, but she is no longer a POV character). They are also the youngest of the female POVs, with Dany, Sansa, and Arya being 13, 11, and 9, respectively, at the beginning of the series. Two of these characters, Dany and Arya, are listed as two of what GRRM said in his 1993 outline are the “key five players” (Tyrion, Dany, Bran, Arya, and Jon). However, I would argue that characters like Sansa and Jaime have worked their way up to main-character status (at least in the eyes of the audience).

So, we have three main female characters in our fantasy story. Three. But... wait, we’re used to having only one? Only one to choose from, to mark as the female character. My theory is that people are so used to only seeing one main female character, that that’s what they’re trying to do with A Song of Ice and Fire. People have picked the character that they want to be their main female character, and to justify that character’s “greater” importance in the story, they try and downplay the other two’s.

I don’t see people do this with the main male characters. I don’t see people arguing who’s the “best” or “most important” out of Jon, Tyrion, and Bran. And I don’t see anyone who has one of those characters as their favorite trying to put down people who like the other two. It seems like something that only happens with the female characters.

But... you don’t have to “pick” between Dany, Sansa, and Arya. You can like all three! And you can still have a favorite without hating on the other two. You can love Dany, and still like Sansa and Arya! You can love Sansa, and still like Dany and Arya! You can love Arya, and still like Dany and Sansa! They all matter in the story. Putting down two other young girls in order to build up another one just seems like moving in the exact opposite direction of where we should be going.

Anyway, these are just my loose-formed thoughts about this. I just hate seeing people argue over these three girls, when we should be appreciating all of them.

[redrattlers]

hi pals, @ashtcnirwin started a new tag game and was kind enough to tag me💖😌 It’s a long one so answers under the cut! 

here we go

1. what was your first encounter with fanfiction?

Very first encounter with fanfiction was back in my Supernatural days but I did not like it!! Like at all! And it made me shy away from fanfiction for years, until I stumbled on @calumsclifford’s fangirl au!! I was sucked right back in. We’re really lucky to have some very freaking talented writers in the fandom!!

2. your favourite creation of your own of all time if you create stuff (feel free to link it)?

Of mine, it’s probably the Lover of Mine lyrics edit. I worked so freaking long and hard to get the kaleidoscope effect and it actually made me fall back in love with editing and experimenting for real. I really love that one.

3. what vibe are you going for with your home decor (or what vibe do you wanna go for one day, if you don’t have your own place atm)?

Cozy!!! I have a dream of owning a small home in the mountains on the Canadian west coast and to make it very cozy. Earth tones and lots and lots of plants. A record player in the living room, no tv and a big library. Wooden furniture. Lots of natural light. And a lot of like quirky things that don’t particularly fit in the decor but that’s what makes it home!!

4. first fandom you ever joined? what was it like? on what platform did it happen?

On tumblr it’s Supernatural but if we wanna be technical my first ever fandom would’ve been Percy Jackson in like 2010 when I joined a Facebook group and was pretty invested in that 😅 my first obsession really (thank you anna for this questions it was a memory I had completely forgotten about hahahah)

5. what are your sun, moon and rising signs, and do you think they make sense in relation to how you know yourself?

Okay let me preface this by saying that I have no knowledge of astrology and I’m only just starting to understand some of it! But okay so sun in aquarius (hey cal) moon in aries and gemini rising. I don’t know all that much but I’m very passionate and driven in my projects and relationships and apparently that’s something in my chart! Also the creative/adventurous/curious side of sun in aquarius and gemini rising I relate hard!!

6. if you write and/or read fiction (original or fanfiction), do the tropes/plots/character types you typically seek out to read and/or write about reflect something about you as a being or how you see the world?

I read fiction predominantly to feel things. Yeah to escape and feel. So I guess the tropes I seek out are usually the ones at the extremes of the spectrum; very fluffy and romantic or absolutely heart wrecking angst are my favourite.

7. what is the hardest obstacle you’ve had to overcome so far in life?

yo anna this is a big question. uhhhhh I’d say moving to a brand new city in another province by myself at 18 was probably the most challenging time I went through!

8. what is your all time favourite song(s)?

Full Circle – Half Moon Run (someone please tell me they’ve listened and they like it, the amount of times I’ve mentioned it on this blog ghsjksdf)

Outer Space / Carry on – 5sos

Clocks - Coldplay (it is my first memory of really liking a song and that stuck with me so I’m adding it here as well!)

9. what do you look for in a person you wanna keep in your life, be it a friend or a romantic partner or anything in between?

Warmth and kindness. I’m lucky to have some of the most supportive and loving people in my life, just some really freaking great people and that’s really what keeps me going, knowing i’m surrounded by such light:’)

10. this is a bit of a difficult one, but have you ever had a moment of clarity, a conversation with someone that made you go “oh!”, or anything along those lines?

I had a volleyball coach once say something along the lines of when you play, create a masterpiece. And boy did that speak to me. I was 16 when he told me this, and i’m 22 now and I’ve literally applied this to everything in my life. It’s really pushed me to go beyond in a lot of situations, to never just go through the motions, and to make the best of every situation. Sounds a little cheesy but it’s along the lines of life is a blank canvas and we get to wake up every day and create something beautiful, even if it’s just the little things.

Some deep introspection going on here! Again thanks @ashtcnirwin, I’m tagging you as well, after all it’s your idea! Also tagging @karajaynetoday @tirednotflirting @allsassnoclass @talkfastromance4 @calumsclifford

[rompstompchomp]

Rampage Origins: Rojo The Bull Part 1 (Updated)

Taurine Terrors: Myths and Media

Minotaur

(Minotaur as depicted in The Minotaur (1960) and Percy Jackson And The Olympians: The Lightening Thief (2010) film)

In Greek mythology, after ascending to the throne, King Minos competed with his brothers as ruler. He prayed to the god Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull as a sign of the god’s favor. Poseidon did so, with the expectation that the bull would be sacrificed to honor him. However, Minos found the bull so beautiful that he decided to keep it, hoping a substitute sacrifice would suffice. To punish Minos, Poseidon made Minos’ wife Pasiphaë lust after the white bull. She had the craftsman Daedalus fashion a hollow, wooden cow, which she climbed inside to mate with the bull. The Minotaur was the monstrous union of the mating and his unnatural nature lead him to hunger for human flesh. King Minos then asked Daedalus to create a massive labyrinth around the creature so that it could be kept from going on a rampage. He did so and the creature remained trapped. When Minos’ son Androgeus was killed by the Athenians, Minos demanded a penalty be payed: seven young men and seven young woman of Athens would be brought to Crete every seven years and lead into the labyrinth to serve as food for the Minotaur. As the third sacrifice approached the Athenian prince Theseus volunteered to slay the monster and joined the sacrificial group as they journeyed to Crete. Upon arriving, Minos daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and helped him navigate the labyrinth by giving him a ball of thread to help him retrace his steps. Theseus then slew the Minotaur with his father’s sword and lead the other Athenians back out of the maze.

Bull Demon King (Journey To The West, 16th Century Novel)

(Bull Demon King as depicted in The Monkey King (2014)

As monk Tang Sanzang, along with his companions Yulong (son of the Dragon King, who shapeshifted into Tang’s horse mount),  Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, the shapeshifting pig spirit Zhu Bajie and the river ogre Sha Wujing travelled to bring the Buddhist sutras of transcendence and persuasion for good will back to Tang China, they encountered many obstacles. One of these was crossing the Flaming Mountains. Sun Wukong asked Princess Iron Fan to borrow her magic banana leaf fan, which could create whirlwinds to cool the flames, but his request was rejected. He then tried to use force, but this only resulted in him receiving a fake fan that made the flames worse. He then decided to use guile, shapeshifting to disguise himself as her husband, the Bull Demon King. She gave the disguised Sun Wukong the fan, only to realize later when her real husband returned that she had been tricked. The King decided to use a bit of turnabout on Sun Wukong, using his own shapeshifting powers to disguise himself as Zhu Bajie, tricking Sun Wukong into giving back the fan. A battle soon broke out with the Bull Demon King turning into his true form, a giant white bull, to attack. The protection deity Nezha (who knew Sun Wukong and aided the group at times) arrived to defeat the Bull Demon King and brought him to supreme deity the Jade Emperor to decide his fate. The Bull Demon King is often depicted as being minotaur-like and his true form of the white bull seems to harken back to the Minotaur’s biological father. Whether this was intentional borrowing from Greek myth or mere coincidence is up for debate.

Bulgasari/Pulgasari

A creature from Chinese and Korean mythology, it was depicted as a hybrid animal (usually a mix of elephant, boar, cow, tiger and other animals). While it was capable of good acts (eating nightmares and the viruses that caused smallpox), it also became a nuisance to the Korean city of Songdo (later Kaesong) by eating all the iron it could find, taking away the tools people needed and growing big enough to become a major threat. A variety of methods were used to try to kill it, including fire, but to no avail, gaining its name which translates as “cannot be killed”. However, once a magic amulet was placed around its neck, it was either killed or fled, saving the city. The trunk and nightmare eating aspect of this creature is similar to the Baku, a tapir-like creature from Japanese mythology.

This legend formed the basis for a loose film adaptation Pulgasari (1985) 

In the film, the Pulgasari was depicted as looking like a hybrid between Godzilla and a minotaur, with the ability to absorb fire and spit it back as projectile attacks. The film’s story involved a wicked king who treated his subjects terribly. A dying blacksmith, imprisoned for standing up for the people, crafted a figure out of moulded rice, begging the gods of the earth and sky to make the figure into a living creature to protect the oppressed people. Before dying, he gave the figure to his daughter. Upon accidentally cutting herself and bleeding on the figure, it sprang to life and began eating metal farm tools, growing bigger until he became gigantic in size. As the people began to rebel against the king, Pulgasari joined the fight, incapacitating the king’s army by eating their metal weapons. While the creature was briefly incapacitated when the king’s army captured the blacksmith’s daughter, she used more of her blood to revive it. Pulgasari then went on to attack the King’s palace, killing him and ending his tyranny. However, the now freed people continued to feed the creature their farming tools and weapons, making it more difficult for them to survive. The blacksmith’s daughter, knowing she had to sacrifice herself to save her people, hid inside a giant bell that Pulgasari then ate, leading the creature to explode, killing both himself and the daughter and saving the people. The film’s story bears a resemblance to the figure of the golem in Jewish folklore, a being often created to protect, though equally capable of terrible destruction.

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

The Misplaced Flame

by b00k_fanatic Leo might have made a mistake. Like a really big mistake. When he died to get to Calypso, he accidentally ended up in Gotham. So yeah, a big mistake. I mean come on Festus you didn't even leave the country! Join Leo in his random adventures in Gotham, him falling into Gotham’s hero world by total accident! Totally not Hera…plus almost got killed a few times but that’s not important.   HAVE TO READ!! Sorry if the DC information isn't the best, I haven’t watched many of the series/films recently other than Young Justice and the Lego ones (as of the start of the fic). Also, Leo will occasionally speak some Spanish but it might not be the best because I speak very limited Spanish and the bit I do know isn’t Mexican/South American Spanish (idk terms). More tags to be added. Words: 772, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, Batman - All Media Types, Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Characters: Leo Valdez, Jason Todd, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Alfred Pennyworth Relationships: Jason Todd & Leo Valdez, Piper McLean & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace & Leo Valdez, Jason Grace & Piper McLean & Leo Valdez Additional Tags: Crossover, Leo Valdez-centric, Angst, alternative universe, Multiverse, Leo Valdez Being Leo Valdez, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Leo Valdez Is Not Dead, Leo Valdez is a Little Shit, Rick Riordan Demigod Universe | Riordanverse, Chaos, Bruce Wayne Has Too Many Kids, Too Many Goddam Problems, Not Beta Read, no beta we die like jason todd via https://ift.tt/fDclK5x

[flowersswayinginthewind]

FILMS I WATCHED IN 2019

1. Contact (1997) | dir. Robert Zemeckis

2. Roma (2018) | dir. Alfonso Cuarón

3. Madame Bovary (2014) | dir. Sophie Barthes

4. Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (doc.) (2015) | dir. Evgeny Afineevsky

5. Testament of Youth (2014) | dir. James Kent

6. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) | dir. Dean DeBlois

7. Brooklyn (2015) | dir. John Crowley

8. Dumbo (2019) | dir. Tim Burton

9. HOMECOMING: A Film by Beyoncé (2019) | dir. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

10. About Time (2013) | dir. Richard Curtis

11. I Am Easy to Find  (short film) (2019) | dir. Mike Mills

12. Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) | dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet

13. The Pianist (2002) | dir. Roman Polanski

14. Fury (2014) | dir. David Ayer

15. Lykke-Per (2018) | dir. Bille August

16. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) | dir. Stephen Chbosky

17. Carol (2015) | dir. Todd Haynes

18. Captain Fantastic (2016) | dir. Matt Ross

19. Mulan (1998) | dir. Barry Cook & Tony Bancroft

20. Nocturnal Animals (2016) | dir. Tom Ford

21. Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark. (2014) | dir. Burhan Qurbani

22. Roger Waters: Us + Them (2019) | dir. Roger Waters & Sean Evans

23.  Les Misérables (2012) | dir. Tom Hooper

24.  Я шагаю по Москве (1963) | dir. Георгий Данелия

25.  Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010) | dir. Chris Columbus

26.  The King (2019) | dir. David Michôd

27.  The mask you live in (doc.) (2015) | dir. Jennifer Siebel Newsom

28.  Requiem for a dream (2000) | dir. Darren Aronofsky

29.  Marriage Story (2019) | dir. Noah Baumbach

30.  Frances Ha (2012) | dir. Noah Baumbach