#and i still dislike achilles so much

[unhinged-waterlilly]

Percy Jackson RP Blog

Ooc Intro

Lilly Darhk here! Child of Poseidon. Legacy of Styx(dont ask). My pronouns are she/her, i dont get sexuality. Oh, and currently possessed by Nyx, Syclla, Styx, and Hera. No, I also don't know how I'm alive. Now a Champion of Athena(are you proud, dad?). And Champion of Achilles now-

I live in Itacha now but come to Camp in the morning

Currently on a self appointed quest of getting as many bows from as many gods as I can so if you're a god or if you know a god who can give me a bow tell me please- I need them

Likes: my friends, reading, writing, chocolate, family, My boyfriend :3, ma lake

Dislikes: hellhounds, Zeus, people who hurt my family, jellyfish(I didn't even do anything to them!), hellhounds, Apollo(he's too fucking bright)

Fatal Flaw: Pride

Weapons: A bow and arrows usually but has a bracelet where the charms turn into daggers

Kill count: 127 (counting all the times I've killed those stupid goddam HELLHOUNDS)

Death count: 0

Almost death count: 999++

Key:

Nyx(purple, bold) Scylla(blue,bold) Styx(red,italic) Hera(orange,italic)

Lilly(normal)

The peeps I knoww:

Ma boyfriend, who's very awesome, and if anyone hurts him, I will make sure you die a very slow death. :D @madson-of-hermes-notluke

They, like, possess me: @primordialgoddessofnight , @werelonelydemonsfromhell , @heraaaaaaaa

Champions of: @achilles-the-greatest

My bio dad: @that-little-fucking-shit

Dad, who adopted me: @odysseus-of-ithaca-is-lost

Another version of the dad that adopted me that I don't like as much: @odysseus-reigning-king-of-ithaca

Other dad who looked at me and was like 'That one' (he regrets it every day): @paris-you-idiot

My mom, who was completely okay with ody adopting me and didn't question it at all(which i still find kinda weird): @penelope-is-waiting

My sister from Poseidon: @daonedaonlyskh

My other sister: @reigningprincesstofithaca

My psychotic adoptive brother: @reigningprinceofithaca

Other version of my brother, less insane more sad: @telemachus-of-ithaca

Other other version of my brother, but he's 12 and adorable! (And if anyone hurts him... you better hope you die before I get to you) @telemachus-is-lost

Other other other versions of my brother are 10 noww @young-telemachus

Other other other other version of my brother and he has horrid taste in men @the-prince-telemachus

Other other other other other version of my brother who thinks he's Shakespeare or that arrow Apollo dealt with @ithacas-prince

Other other other other other other version of my brother except Poseidon toke him or something. @taken-by-the-seas

Other other other other other other other version of my brother who..wait that isn't right... Not traumatised???? I don't know how this is possible, @youre-fatherless-im-not-hehe

Other other other other other other other other version of my brother who's 15 and just...i don't know how to feel about him if I had to kill a Tele I'd probably kill him @another-telemachus-wont-hurt

My brother from Poseidon he's an idiot @forbiddensonoftheseagod

Lil Percy he threatened me it took everything in me not to laugh @the-s0n-of-poseidon

My cyclops brother, very tall, very blind and does not know what small talk is: @my-baseballs-are-humans

My boyfriend's half sister(who's also my friend ig): @hispanic-child-of-hermes

Scares me: @that-girl-cupid

Richbitches4lifeee: @if-chaos-was-a-boy

If i were to date a gal-(also kinda scares me): @silena-daughterofaphrodite

Nyx possesses this dude, too. Oh, and there's also his boyfriend: @idontloveanybodythatsmypower

Almost more unhinged than me(almost): @nicoswill2live

Child of Eros who has decided that she would kill for me after 5 minutesof meeting me(I would do the same): @i-would-want-myself

Some dude who sent me a meme to be my friend and then wrote me a song: @clown-energy-skyrocketing

Fellow Luke defender😌 @childofthewargod

There's more people I know- sorry for the tagss

Face claim: Cool art of meh :3

Made this cause everyone's confused about meh.

This user is... (1) (2) (3)

Stuff about Lilly... (1)

Moodboard...

Something about @/demigod-jack-hearth...

Something about me...

~~~

No NSFW. DNI if you're zionist, transphobic, homophobic, racist, sexist, a nazi, xenophobic, or otherwise

[lilislegacy]

One of the reasons I hate that Percy lost the curse of Achilles is that some of the tragedy that is lost is so subtle, like yeah he’ll never have a normal life, but people don’t talk about how he basically willingly took on narcolepsy? Depending how bad it is it could really effects his life. Sally and Annabeth would be super helpful, but imagine Percy needing 16 hours or more a day?

That being said, I do like the head canons. Percy sleeping in the same bed as Annabeth way earlier just so they don’t miss time, Percy getting a slacker reputation but is still the most dangerous in any room. Big spoon Annabeth.

i’ve never really thought about it much, but now that i do, i agree 100%. it was all way too glossed over.

like i know there was a lot going on when percy lost it, but rick could have dived a little bit more into percy adjusting to not being invulnerable. it all happened so fast, and he was so confused, that he could have completely forgotten about it. imagine if he was fighting monsters/campers in SoN as if he couldn’t get hurt, and then got sliced up and was all shocked and confused until he remembered why? premium angst right there.

and also yeah, it would have been super interesting to read more about him struggling with being super sleepy like achilles. i really dislike how it was this super big and impressive deal when he got the mark of achilles but then barely mentioned when he lost it and never really touched on again. i get that he didn’t want percy to be too overpowered, but i still would have liked to see more of him with it, and for it to be a bigger deal when he lost it.

i’m totally with you.

[skylarsblue]

✦Call of Duty Bio Headcanons✦

(I know they have canon ages and heights and stuff, but listen. It's fiction, and I think I know better(/j). You can disagree, but these are my opinions. Also, obviously, not all of the info has changed.)

✧John Price✧

Age: 42 y.o Height: 6'2" Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: "Sexy-Is-Sexy" (Or Pansexual) Middle Name: Samuel Likes: Whiskey, vintage radios, old westerns, horses, & mint ice cream. Dislikes: Streaming services, cigarettes(ironic), spicy food, dust, & cottage cheese. Birthday: January 1st Zodiac: Capricorn -Trivia- -Allergic to cats and didn't know until he moved out because his mother had like, four. Grew up around them his entire childhood and was honestly devastated when he realized they make him sick cause he loves'em. -He was definitely a fuck boy in high school/college. Not an asshole one, he made his intentions up front and he was overall sweet, but he didn't wanna be tied down. Ironic given how he ended up wanting the exact opposite later on. -Wishes he took better care of his teeth as a kid. They look great now but he has five fillings in his molars and one (now replaced), silver tooth all the way in the back. Phobia: Amenisphobia; The fear of amnesia Neuro...: Neurotypical

✧Kyle "Gaz" Garrick✧

Age: 26 y.o Height: 6'0" Pronouns: He/Him (I heavily support the trans!Gaz HC) Sexuality: Bisexual w/ a male preference Middle Name: Dylin Likes: Hot chocolate, the smell of lavender, coconut, licorice toffee, & nostalgic music. Dislikes: Milk, politics(irony again), Winter, grocery shopping, & spiders. Birthday: September 5th Zodiac: Virgo -Trivia- -Second oldest of four children, the only boy. He's a family man when it comes to his siblings, but not so much when it comes to his parents. Barely present father and a stressed out mother create for a shaky relationship with them. -Cannot cook to save his life. Man lives off of delivery, MREs, and cup noodles. He knows like...four dishes, and most of them are really simple. -Struggles decorating and making outfits cause he likes tons of different aesthetics. Everything from Scene Kid(for his inner teen) to streetwear. His version of housed decor are a bunch of plants. (Fake so they don't die when he's on deployment) Phobia: Arachnophobia; fear of arachnids/spiders. Neuro...: Neurodivergent (Dyslexia)

✧Johnny "Soap" MacTavish✧

Age: 29 y.o Height: 5'8" Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Omnisexual Middle Name: Neil (heh) Likes: Knickknacks, loud music, punk aesthetic, chickens, & football(aka Soccer for us pathetic Americans). Dislikes: Silence, sitting still, vague answers, being told what to do, & big dogs. Birthday: August 12th Zodiac: Leo -Trivia- -Constantly on & off with a caffeine addiction. He'll do really good about just drinking water, then he'll have one energy drink and he's fucked it all up again. -The scar on his chin is from a dog, the scar in his eyebrow is from a fight he got in as a teenager. He got in a lot of trouble as a teen. -Borderline pyromaniac, honestly. Hyperfixated on fire as a kid and now he's really happy to be a bombtech. Bro loves blowing shit up. Phobia: Cynophobia; fear of dogs. Neuro...: Neurodivergent (ADHD, hyperlexia)

✧Simon "Ghost" Riley✧

Age: 36 y.o Height: 6'4" Pronouns: He/It (Using "it" makes him seem more ominous, which he thinks is fun) Sexuality: Gay or Homoflexible, demisexual/demiromantic probably Middle Name: Achilles Likes: Birds, alternative indie music, dark chocolate, Victorian architecture, & murder mystery books. Dislikes: Snakes, graveyards, the dark(when it's completely pitch black), 99% of physical touch, & fluorescent lights. Birthday: December 30th Zodiac: Capricorn -Trivia- -He'll never admit it but he loves babies. They're super tiny and super cute, and Simon's heart always melts when one's around. Alas, he's also terrified of scaring them or getting attached, so he avoids babies as best he can. Can't have people thinking he's soft. -Makes the best steak in Manchester. Sometimes his seasoning is bland but the meat itself is perfection, you won't find any better. Melts in your mouth every time. It's a steak equivalent of 6 orgasms. It IS an orgasm. He makes great fucking steak. -Isn't fond of pure silence like Soap, but he doesn't often wanna fill it with loud sounds. He has a playlist of softer, more instrumental songs for this. Or he'll listen to nature sounds. He likes quiet, just not silent. Phobia: Taphephobia; the fear of being buried alive. Neuro...: Neurodivergent (Autistic, dyscalculia)

✧Alejandro Vargas✧

Age: 38 y.o Height: 5'11" Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Bisexual (Maybe Poly? He's not sure) Middle Name: N/A Likes: Hot drinks, the smell of roses, his nieces/nephews, physical affection, & cowboy hats. Dislikes: Sweaty palms, tourist-y Americans, caramel sauce, white-lies, & the feeling of glue. Birthday: March 25th Zodiac: Aries -Trivia- -Was with Valeria for awhile, but differences, stress, and Valeria discovering she was pretty gay broke them up. They had some tension, but he wasn't bitter towards her. Until she betrayed them, of course. -Was actually the last of his friend group to lose his virginity. He's a passionate, flirty man, but he's not throwing that kind of trust out willy-nilly. He had a few relationships but didn't reach that point until he was like, 19, about to turn 20. He asked a friend to share the moment with him. ...a close friend. -Cannot function in the cold at all. And his definition of cold is 21 degrees Celsius. (70 Fahrenheit for us Americans) He layers and complains all day, he's got a fuckin' heated blanket. A heated blanket owner in fucking MEXICO. Phobia: Coulrophobia; the fear of clowns Neuro...: Neurotypical

✧Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra✧

Age: 38 y.o Height: 5'9" Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Bisexual (Also maybe poly but he's very hesitant about it) Middle Name: N/A Likes: Ice baths, windchimes, baked sweets(mostly pie), clean handwriting, & naps on the couch. Dislikes: Cutting onions, heavy blankets, confrontation(with like, loved ones. Not on duty, obviously), slow walkers, & reptiles. Birthday: June 20th Zodiac: Gemini -Trivia- -Super good at singing, but he never does, because he's embarrassed. His mother would often encourage him to sing when he was younger at family gatherings, and now he cringes when someone hears him sing and comments on it. -His house is full of fans. Some rooms have more than one. They're running basically all the time, as well as the AC. Sometimes he has to get a family member to go home and turn them off when he's on a long mission. -He knew Alejandro before Alejandro knew him. When they were kids, Rudy was shy and had some problems with his health(exercise induced asthma mostly), so he didn't go out of his way to befriend other kids much. But he was a people watcher, and Alejandro was the most fun to watch. They actually met because one of Alejandro's friends pointed it out and called him creepy, only for Alejandro to defend him. Then they became super close friends! Phobia: Bufonophobia; the fear of toads Neuro...: Neurodivergent (Autistic, echolalia)

✧Valeria Garza✧

Age: 39 y.o Height: 5'7" Pronouns: She/It Sexuality: Sapphic Demiromantic Middle Name: N/A Likes: Expensive paintings, perfect nail-polish, sandalwood incense, lemon water, & flowers. Dislikes: Shaving, back-talk, tiny text on documents or books, chunky rings, & pineapple. Birthday: January 23rd Zodiac: Aquarius -Trivia- -Has a pull to religious imagery in a darker light because of religious trauma. Roman Catholicism is quite common in Mexico, but her parents were really heavy about it. To the point it makes Valeria bitter over it. She has a rocky relationship with God, but finds Mary comforting. Because when she was brought to church, but wanted to hide, she'd hide beside a Mary statue in a corner. -She has an odd sleep schedule. She often only gets four hours of sleep, but she doesn't seem to be tired at any point. In fact, the more sleep she gets, the more lethargic she is that day. -Her first girlfriend was when she was still in the military. A traveling medic from Italy. Unfortunately, the flame came and went thanks to the medic having to leave. Valeria has moved on, but she does mourn their lost time sometimes and has a little dream of meeting her again one day. Though she knows that's not practical. Phobia: Ecclesiophobia; the fear of church Neuro...: Neurotypical

✧Alex Keller✧

Age: 36 y.o Height: 6'1" Pronouns: He/Him Sexuality: Heteroflexible Middle Name: Sebastian (he's embarrassed about this) Likes: Golden retrievers, bad jokes, most seafood, provolone cheese, & hummus. Dislikes: Thanksgiving, the sound of rubbing styrofoam, being told to "do what he wants"(makes him feel aimless), tobacco smell, & overzealousness. (He likes simplicity...excluding his tattoos) Birthday: December 2nd Zodiac: Sagittarius -Trivia- -He doesn't really talk to his family excluding holidays. BUT, he will always keep in contact with his older sister, and his niece by proxy. They're the only two that made him feel wanted in his family. He wasn't abused in his mind, but he wasn't paid attention to much either. He always seemed overshadowed by something/someone, and as he got older, he got tired of feeling like an outcast in his own family. So he slowly drifted away and he goes on the guidance of orders he receives. -Probably born in a small town in a place like Utah. He's got small-town-mid-south manners. But I like to imagine he spent a lot of his time in California too, he seems like he'd enjoy the sun and the ocean. -Picks up languages really quick, somehow. At least, when he's around people that speak it. If he had to learn purely from books, he'd have choppy speech at best. He's fluent in English, Spanish, and Arabic. Also, knows a bit of ASL, but he's still working on that one. Phobia: Lilapsophobia; the fear of hurricanes/tornadoes Neuro...: Neurodivergent (Hyperlexia, SPD)

✧Farah Ahmed Karim✧

Age: 30 y.o Height: 5'5" Pronouns: She/Her Sexuality: Aliquaromantic Demi-Bisexual Middle Name: N/A Likes: Poppies, motorcycles, pretty much any food with chickpeas, super spicy stuff, and the sky at dusk. Dislikes: Overly salty things, riddles, genuine cockiness, the feeling of rust(that includes on spoons...), & long winded responses. Birthday: July 1st Zodiac: Cancer -Trivia- -Keeps her hair long despite the fact it's annoying to deal with sometimes. Purely for sentimental reasons. To her, it represents the growth she's had as a person. A far cry from the buzz-cut she was forced into when under someone else's control. So she refuses to cut it. -She will never use it, and she despises it, but she's semi-fluent in Russian. Being around it for so long made her pick it up. It works well if she needs to translate, but she'll be caught dead before she speaks Russian. -Honestly can't cook for shit. She doesn't know what the hell she's doing in the kitchen and basically relies on MREs or the skills of others. She's not a picky eater though, and she'll always finish what's put in front of her, even if she's not fond of it. Phobia: Agniophobia; fear of choking Neuro...: Neurotypical

✧Konig✧

Age: 28 y.o Height: 6'10" Pronouns: He/They Sexuality: Bisexual Middle Name: Obercht (Bonus)Last Name: Badubrecht Likes: Making bracelets, boxing(watching or doing), soda, heavy metal, & fresh bread. Dislikes: Certain kinds of wool, small cars, low doorframes, having to go to the medic, & the smell of hay. Birthday: March 9th Zodiac: Pisces -Trivia- -Was bullied all through high school for various things. His demeanor, his size, his hair(which was long), his cleft lip scar, etc. It took until he hit the largest growth spurt he ever had in secondary school when people began to stop poking fun, but instead avoid him. He maybe had 2-3 actual friends in his entire life before the military. And even now he mostly has acquaintances, not friends. -Doesn't talk to his mother, she was overbearing and cruel, mostly because Konig looks a lot like his father. He doesn't really talk to his father much because the man is hard to talk to. He's not completely cut off, but they are estranged. Konig's grandma hears from him almost every day, sometimes twice a day. She's a badass in her 90s who has never done him wrong, and he would blow up the entire world if anything happened to her. -Sometimes Konig gets comments that say he's got multiple personalities. (By uneducated people, clearly) Because he seems to switch dramatically between modes depending on time, place, and circumstance. Sometimes he's childish and giggly, cute even. Sometimes he's silent, unreadable, and withdrawn. And on the battlefield he's...inhuman, terrifying, and nothing short of bloodthirsty. Phobia: Equinophobia; the fear of horses. Neuro...: Neurodivergent (autistic)

[lo-shouldve-been-an-email]

So…I am bored.

As such,I have decided to rate Thanatos across Percy Jackson,lore Olympus,hades,and OSP and talk about what I like about them.

So yeah.

Percy Jackson:

6/10

I don’t really have much to say about him.

He appears in son of Neptune and he’s cool,I really like his design,and also the idea of death personified just carrying around an iPad is fairly funny.i also like his interactions with frank and hazel.

Lore Olympus

7/10

I know my whole thing is that I love the guy,but he doesn’t really get many points with how weird his character is.

The only reason he’s ranked higher than Rick’s than is because RR’s Thanatos gets very limited screen time.

Either way still the best character with the best quote in the comic.

Hades

10/10

Where do I start I love this man.

I love his design,his personality and achilles noting in the codex that the reason he’s so drawn to zag is because he’s probably the life just.i love soulmate stuff.

Also I love tsunderes.

I haven’t actually get on around to using the pierced butterfly or mort(I’m a Pom blossom and battle girl) but they seem good.

Right now I’m only one ambrosia away from maxing out our bond because HE.CANT.STOP.TALKING.TO.PEOPLE.

Anyways,I love him.

OSP

8/10

He’s pretty cool.

He features only in the Sisyphus video but I really like him.his design is good and the Sisyphus myth is one of my favorites(if not,my favorite) of which made me really dislike how LO just glossed over it.

It’s similar to Rick where he appears for like a second but I rewatch the Sisyphus video a lot.

Anyways that’s my opinion on the death guys.

[nausikaaa]

WIP Wednesday

thank you to everyone who has tagged me these past few weeks, though I haven't had much to share! I'm still fiddling around with part two of my Trojan War novel, so here's some more Briseis.

Lyrnesses was not a rich city by any stretch, but every slave had their own room, handmade clothes, and went to bed at night with a full belly. To some that may have meant nothing. They were still slaves, and that was its own indignity that no amount of kindness could lessen, I had learned. But my own father, born to a wealthy family in Ethiopia, was taken by pirates as a child and sold as a slave. He arrived at Lyrnesses as a young man, where he was freed, eventually attracting the attention of my mother, who fought for her right to marry him, dismissing every wealthy suitor her father offered her to until he relented. They were a rare love match, and I grew up hoping to model their affection in my own marriage.

My father never forgot his mistreatment, and understood how quickly and startlingly a person’s fate could change, and so he was always kind to those less fortunate. I wondered if he ever could have anticipated how my life would turn out to echo his own, to be free, enslaved, and then freed again. But as a woman, I was never as free as he became, and knew I never would be. I would be forever tethered to that part of my life by the children I carried within me.

I thought of my mother. Her deft hands braiding my hair, her clear voice singing along to a bard’s lyre as she did so. My father crooning back to her, making her very name a song. “Hippodamia…”

“Briseus…” She would reply, and tug at one of my curls. I was named after him, and the reminder always made me grin.

a long discussion of Briseis's appearance, plus tags, under the cut:

Briseis is an interesting case when it comes to visualising her. Most greek myth characters are depicted as roughly the same as they're described, but Briseis is so inconsistent! she's described by Homer as fair, and by Ovid as incredibly pale. most renaissance depicts her as blonde, and Natalie Haynes describes her as such in A Thousand Ships. but plenty of more modern art makes her brunette, as she is in the film Troy and the series Troy: Fall Of A City.

and then there's Madeline Miller's The Song Of Achilles, one of the most popular books to feature Briseis, where she is black. I have issues with the writing of all the women in Miller's book, and dislike Briseis being presented as a commoner, who can't speak greek and worships foreign gods, when she was a Queen, and the Trojans had the same gods. not to mention that Miller also kills her off (spoilers? the book is over a decade old) when we simply don't know what happens to her after the Iliad. the entire point of my writing is to fill in that gap in her story.

anyway, i don't mind her being black, and like the art the book has inspired. though i've seen some people say they dislike this choice, as Briseis was a slave, but ancient Greek slavery was a very different concept from the slavery of America and the colonies, and less about skin colour than simply being on the losing side of an invasion or war. that isn't to diminish what those people must have gone through, but there are more slaves in the world right now that there were in any period of ancient history. my Briseis is also given her freedom before the story kicks off.

so in the end, i decided to combine elements of all these depictions. i like Briseis having African heritage like so much art depicts. i like her being pale and looking good in dark colours like Ovid says. so, my Briseis is half Anatolian, half Ethiopian, and has albinism. a mix of this sculpture and this model is pretty much exactly how i envision her.

as for the people who get up in arms any time any person with more than a slight tan is depicted in Greek myth tellings, quite frankly, i don't care to hear it. it's fiction. there are gods meddling in people's lives and you're critiquing the accuracy of someone's ethnicity? anyway, there was an African man in the Trojan War, Memnon, the son of Eos, the goddess of the dawn, and presumably he brought other African soldiers with him. freaking Aphrodite is an evolution of Inanna, a Mesopotamian goddess. Andromeda, the wife of Perseus, was from Ethiopia, and Poseidon is also said to be visiting Africa at the beginning of the Odyssey. the ancient Mediterranean was a melting pot of cultures that was well aware of northern Africa long before the Romans conquered Carthage- which is also visited by Aeneas and his fellow Trojans!

tags: @forabeatofadrum @j-nipper-95 @artsyunderstudy @that-disabled-princess @prettygoododds @confused-bi-queer @imagineacoolusername @ic3-que3n @aristocratic-otter @larkral @hushed-chorus @ivelovedhimthroughworse @shemakesmeforget @fatalfangirl @ebbpettier @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @cutestkilla @youarenevertooold @alexalexinii @shrekgogurt @bookish-bogwitch @thewholelemon @supercutedinosaurs @shutup-andletme-go @theearlgreymage @ileadacharmedlife @alleycat0306 @carryonsimoncarryonbaz @comesitintheclover @blackberrysummerblog and @orange-peony

[tategaminu]

“They are both equally important to each other and their development but Rayla is the one who gets the insults…”

What’s even more annoying about this is not only does Rayla get ridiculed for something Callum also does, that particular set of fans will also straight up deny that Rayla is Callum’s priority. “Oh, he would’ve found a way to connect to the Ocean with or without her as motivation. There were other factors in him deciding to do dark magic again.”

No. It was about Rayla, and pretty much only Rayla.

THIS

What kind of bs is "there were other factors" like my guy!! are you watching the show with a blindfold on? sure, he probably wanted all of them to get out of the boat but Rayla was the trigger

A thing I have also seen in fandoms is people trying to invalidate male characters' feelings for a girl, for whatever reason I don't understand. I will always find incredibly beautiful a male character treating a female character as an equal, not as the fairer sex or stuff like that, as an equal who he loves, and we see this with Callum, he has never ever treated Rayla as lesser than him, she's his priority alongside Ezran and that's super beautiful. I will always have a soft spots for guys being the most lovable and protective people towards their girls you know? not because they are girls but because they know they deseve love, so seeing people totally invalidate that feels so wrong to me.

S5 and S2 parallel each other, in S2 we saw Callum connect to an arcanum because he did ark magic for Rayla, sure he also did it for himself to feel useful but it was mostly to save Rayla, season 5 shows it even more clear. We only see Rayla and Callum wanting to scape when they see the other in danger, the reason Finnegrin even wants to throw Rayla to the leviathan is because Callum punched him because he was hurting Rayla, and he was hurting Rayla because he tried to beat his ass for hurting Callum.

We can see Callum letting himself get beaten and still refusing to do dark magic and give the spell to kill Domina away, it's only when Finnegru says he will feed Rayla to the fishes we see Callum BREAK. He tells him the spell right away. He could have invented a different spell but he was too desesperate to save Rayla he told him the whole truth. He could have done dark magic any other moment but it's after this moment when he does, and then he goes straight up to save Rayla, then just as in season 2, he figures out the arcanum after doing dark magic for her, but this time also thanks to the poem A LOVE POEM who he recited before in ep 1 TO RAYLA. The proof is all there like seriously, he can figure out the arcanum because he loves her, it is as clear as day.

He tells her "I would do anything for you" which it's directly shown in this whole episode. Callum is terrified of doing dark magic, not only because it breaks his morals but because he's scared it could make Rayla dislike him and because it would be an step further for Aaravos to possess him, (tho I'm not sure if he fully knows dark magic is what allows Aaravos to possess him at all, maybe he suspects it) we can see how people like Claudia who do way too much dark magic lose a bit of themselves, Callum is probably afraid of that as well and yet he still does because Rayla is more important to him than whatever the consecuences might be.

There are people out there who believe he wouldn't risk the world for her and stuff but c'mon, this guy would risk the entire universe, he is extremely loyal and proctective, his love for the ones closest to him make him twist his morals because he treasures them more than anything (Rayla and Ez that's it). Rayla has been shown as his achilles heel and we will see even more this plays out. I can't believe there are people who can't see it, everyone has their own way to interpret media sure but somes things are just SO clear, like imagine looking at Zym and going "I don't think he is a dragon, he could be a rat", no.

In a summary, I want people to cut slack on those two, mostly Rayla. It would be cool to treat her like an actual good written character and not trying to invalidate her or her relationship with Callum. The show characterizes them and their relationship so well, they are such complex people and I can't believe we have to deal with those kind of comments.

[marieisnothere12]

kinda a hot take but i dont hate tsoa i dislike it more but i have a big ass beef with some fans (unfortunately which is what i see/interact with the most).

wow i yapped quite a lot

On the book itself, it accomplishes what its job was, write a heart-wrenching story and tell part of the story of the trojan war and not have ppl confused (or so ive heard). Miller tells us what led up to the trojan war simply and gives us enough info bc tsoa isnt abt the war—its obviously abt achilles and patroclus. I think thats why it shouldn’t be cast into the depths or tartarus, tsoa has its strengths. however, i definitely dont like how the women are written. Thetis and Deidemia are villainized but then again this is from patroclus’ pov and an adaptation so I wont bash Miller too much but still—dont like it. Briseis was ???? idk how i feel abt her. I just think her liking patroclus was iffy?? it gave main character privilege too much for me? does this even make sense?? phyrrus, well hes supposed to mirror achilles but yeah Miller didnt have too much leeway so i can forgive her on that but..my boy phyrrus…your nuance…

yeah ill give tsoa 3/5 i think its strength is that its accessible but nothing too special to elevate it up further. one big bonus it got ppl (me) it get back into greek mythology after forgetting abt it for a while so yeah and smth abt help queer teens feel better abt their sexuality which is great.

okay so the fans, acting like youre an expert on thr iliad after reading an adaptation is just. pls dont. adaptations have change. look if you watched epic the musical but havent read the odyssey i wont trust you bc jorge has made changes and so has miller. thr most notorious for me is that achilles and patroclus arent 1st cousins once removed (one of thr things that was in Troy 2004 funnily enough). i wont explain plot differences bc ✨ you probably read ot alr✨and its sanatized if that wasnt abundantly clear. theres naturally added scenes, some for the better and some for the worse (*cough* any scene with deidemia)

i am not too upset abt medic patroclus its an interesting change. i personally like a mix of warrior and medic patroclus but eh

i really wishes deidrmia wasnt a total bitch like jealous yet supportive patroclus?? i wanma see this internal conflict?? assuming patroclus has feelings for achilles atp. also i wouldve loved to see their friendship too like their not only lovers but best friends. and antilochus but alas a girl can only dream. this was a delusional hope paragraph

im like 90% sure twink patroxlus is bc of tsoa so :( man

in conclusion, i cant tell how i feel abt this book and its impact. its ???? theres lost nuance but its a single book and them again most patrochilles stuff is thr iliad and unfinished or fragmented texts so..

[moirasglittergelpen]

I'm a little less than halfway through song of achilles. It's. Well. I have thoughts

Patroclus has an amount of love for Achilles that I simply cannot sympathize with, unfortunately. I've been an Achilles hater since childhood and not even a fond narrative will change that :( that's a matter of personal taste though, and not real literary criticism. I think Patroclus is still an interesting narrator.

I find it kind of odd that the narrative acknowledges the misogyny present in ancient Greek culture while also presenting every female character (so far) as either unimportant, unlikable, or actively antagonistic. I know there's precious few female characters to work with in the Illiad but I feel like this retelling isn't doing them any favors. But I haven't finished it yet, so maybe that will change as the story progresses.

I know I should find it somewhat upsetting that Odysseus found them in hiding, but sadly I do not care about them enough to be upset. I find Odysseus' cleverness entertaining and I'm just glad there's finally a character around whose antics I enjoy (this is another childhood bias. I really like Odysseus even though he is the sneakiest bastard in ancient Greece)(but in my heart of hearts, I'm a Hector fan through and through. That's probably at the core of my great dislike for Achilles) (that and the fact that he's presented as virtually flawless and totally lacking in humility, two traits I find very annoying. This is well documented, given how much I also dislike Galahad)

Those asides got away from me. Oops

Ultimately, I know there's more to the classics than just a fandom/fannish level of engagement, but this isn't the actual Illiad. So I will engage as I see fit, and right now I see fit to complain

[freddie-77-ao3]

I have another question. 2/? 🙃🙃🙃

I know you like Percabeth and Valgrace, and you don’t necessarily like Caleo, but what other canon ships do you like or dislike? If you want to share. 🤪

canon ships? goddamn

alright lemme think about canon ships....

percabeth-- as you said, i love it (10/10 first ship i ever shipped, since tlt-- which i read when i was six. haven't wavered). ik some people use the judo flip scene as a gotcha about percabeth being abusive but i don't see it-- for one, annabeth thinks percy still has the curse of achilles (other stuff too but this isn't my main point so)

caleo- dislike. idk both characters needed more time to be single/more development. seemed like a shove two characters together bc everyone needs to be in a relationship. both of them could use a SIBLING or parent, not a romantic partner

chrisse-- it's okay. i mean both of those characters are mainly minor so most development happens offscreen but overall i think it fits (personally i prefer chrisse and charlena TOGETHER being poly, but post TLO it definitely works)

charlena-- exact same thing as chrisse. VERY sweet how much charlie loved silena.

frazel-- the age difference makes it iffy. like, three years at 13 and 16? weirds me out. if there was no age difference, my only issue would be the lack of development. let them get to know each other before jumping into a relationship. the way rick pushed it like oh they're praetors together was just weird. i like their personalities together though.

jasper/jiper-- no. so much no. i mean just. the relationship is built on a lie, there's no foundation, neither of them GET each other. it was doomed to fail.

solangelo-- i love it. great first canon queer rep. wish we saw more of the development on page but. that's what fanfiction is for ig.

paul/sally- 10/10 i love both of them and they're a great couple.

fierrochase-- again, love them. they're both so funny

i don't remember any others off the top of my head i'm sorry (if there's any big ones i forgot lmk and i'll do those too)

[purpleshadow-star]

Apparently there's been a lot of discourse about Nico and Percy on Twitter lately? Idk about here cause I haven't seen much personally, but here are a few facts I think people need to remember, coming from someone who is rereading the series right now:

Nico and Percy do NOT hate each other. They don't even dislike each other

Nico never hated Percy. Nico never really blamed Percy for Bianca's death (he was projecting. This was explained in tbotl).

Nico never wanted Percy dead or to get any revenge on Percy for Bianca's death

Percy never bullied Nico or was even outright mean to him, except for in the Last Olympian

Nico and Percy were on good terms by the end of the Battle of the Labyrinth. They were fine. There was literally no bad blood between them

NICO WAS WRONG TO TAKE PERCY TO HADES WITH NO WARNING. Nico thought Percy wouldn't get hurt because Hades told him he wouldn't hurt him (remember, Nico has no reason not to trust his dad), but Nico still could have at least explained the situation to Percy before taking him to Hades. There was no need to trick him. Percy might have even agreed to go talk to Hades to help Nico in exchange for Nico's help gaining the curse of Achilles, or explained his history with Hades and that Hades was most likely tricking him. Nico probably would have listened! There should have been communication from Nico to Percy

PERCY WAS WRONG FOR THE WAY HE TREATED NICO IN THE LAST OLYMPIAN. Yes, he was stressed. Yes, he was under a lot of pressure. That does not excuse his actions. Him being mad at Nico is 100% understandable. Him holding a sword to Nico's throat and purposely not moving it when he realized Nico was there to get him out is inexcusable, especially when he claimed Silena and Luke were heroes after they got multiple demigods killed and almost killed him/ got him killed multiple times (he called them heroes in the same book, when he was just as stressed, if not more so bc he was literally in the middle of fighting a war and people were dying around him). All three of them took actions to right their wrongs, but only Nico isn't considered a hero to Percy? Why, because he didn't die for him?

Regardless, Nico and Percy DO NOT HAVE BEEF after that. Nico convinced Hades to help and goes and helps in the battle of Manhattan, and Percy appreciates and acknowledges it. No more beef between them

I'm going to stop here because I haven't reread the Heroes of Olympus series yet, and I don't want to misremember anything, but the point is:

Nico and Percy have a complicated relationship. They both have hurt each other, but they've moved past it. They're friends. They're not super duper close, but they do care about each other, and no one can or should deny that.

The faster people accept that they both have done bad things to each other and have moved past those things and don't dislike each other, the faster we can put an end to this ridiculous discourse.

[dragonciphering]

#1 of my brain rots for Hektor-centric fics.

Hektor was known as “The Horse Breaker” or “The Tamer of Horses.” And Poseidon is the “God of the Sea & HORSES.”

So in order to be good with horses, Poseidon must of liked him atleast a little bit. And if this was in a Hades the Game….Hektor could probably get boons from Poseidon (I think.)

And because Odysseus has done some stuff to them (fucking throwing Hektor’s son off the wall and killing him, coming up with the Trojan horse, and the whole thing with the Cyclops in the Odyssey) you can assume that they have a mutual dislike for him.

But what if Poseidon takes a liking to him and just starts showing up and trying to make him his champion by trying to give him random gifts or like charms. Perhaps this is his way of saying “Sorry your home was destroyed, your family murdered/taken, and that your body was treated that way lol. Want to bond over our mutual dislike for Odysseus?” (also don’t think that the gods were very happy with how Achilles treated his body but that might just be me.)

———————————————————————

Imagine Hektor trying his best in Asphodel (or Elysium), vibing with his family, just trying to be a good guy/be a good father to his son, and get over his grief of loosing his home when Poseidon appears:

Poseidon who really wants to annoy Odysseus: “Hello my little horse tamer! I heard you don’t like Odysseus that much! Want to become my champion?”

Hektor trying to be polite because he doesn’t want to anger him: “No thank you. While I am flattered, I am not interested. Plus I’m sure you would find someone better than me who is still alive.”

Poseidon: “Oh come on, don’t you want some revenge?”

Hektor: “I believe that we in death should put aside our differences and try to understand each other and why we did the things we did in life. Even if we have been wronged by another.”

Poseidon: “You sure are a stubborn one! I’ll find something to change your mind!”

———————————————————————

And what if he decides that the gift he’s going to give Hektor is all of Odysseus’s horses. What if Hektor wakes up one morning and just finds a whole bunch of strong horses on his lawn? (And almost gave him and his family a heart attack because of PTSD.)

Perhaps he tells Patroclus about this because he doesn’t know how to explain this to Odysseus. (Hektor and Patroclus made up in this btw)

And Patroclus is just like: “I’m sorry??? What??? Do you mean to tell me that all of Odysseus’s horses are in your lawn and won’t leave??”

Hector feeling like he wants to sleep for a year and letting out a long suffering sigh: “It’s exactly what it sounds like. Oh, and tell Odysseus that if he doesn’t find a way to get them back that they will soon belong to me. It be a shame to waste this opportunity. Another thing, tell him I didn’t do this on purpose.”

———————————————————————

Meanwhile at Odysseus’s house:

Penelope: “Dear, do you know where have all the horses have gone?”

Odysseus having a sneaking suspicion that his life(death?) is about to get a whole lot harder: “What do you mean? Their all in their pens—”

Penelope opening the curtains: “They are not in their pens, Dear, look!”

Odysseus now looking outside:

Odysseus: “Yeah.”

Penelope: “🤨”

Odysseus: “I…I can see what you mean now….where…where are they???”

———————————————————————

Also, imagine the bugging that Poseidon put Zagreus through. Every time he came across a one of his boons he would just be asked/told questions and things about how to win over Hektor or what a good bribe is and how to bribe well.

[streets-in-paradise]

guess you’re the ONLY still writing about Patroclus, like why is he so overrated? I PERSONALLY LOVE HIM.

Could you write like everything you have in mind about him according to the movie or to the iliad, i just love him in both.

I don’t know if you have anything on mind but your writing is so good, i just love the way you describe things and I would love to read everything about Patroclus written by you, like headcannons or just imagine, EVERYTHING.

You’re really so kind, thank you so much.

I like to think that Patroclus is such a cute boy according to the movie, he acts though because of Achilles but he just dislikes war.

He just needs someone who truly understands him, i also think that he’s just so lovable and he never had some experience with girls, like never kissed one.

He’s so precious to my eyes, i don’t know if this looks the same for you but think about it and let me know in your next posts.

Thank you so much, you’re so kind ^^

You are welcome! You too are so kind 😊

Patroclus is trully underrated, so I love getting requests for him because it doesn't happen often.

I too love him, he is so adorable!!

Look at this sweet baby boy. How can one not love him?

Help, he looks like a little Achilles. It is so cute!

Your ideas of him go pretty much in hand with the characterization I develop. Based heavily on the movie, he is THE " cinnamon roll, to precious for this world, to pure. "

Iliad Patroclus is more like Eudorus, so given the characterizations are so drastically different, i stick to the movie for him.

He is my precious boy, so sweet 💕💕

I too headcanon him as inexperienced with girls. In one of my fics I wrote a scene where Achilles and him are in Sparta and Menelaus, being how he is, offers him a girl like " come on, lad! make yourself a man!" but Patroclus is like the " mom, come pick me up. I'm scared. " meme looking all weirded and a bit grossed by the offering.

He is a naive, sweet, beautifull boy of great morals. I always had the headcanon that, of meeting him without a war in the middle, he would end up fanboying for Hector. Their morals are in line, often calling out the love-driven selfishness of Achilles and Paris.

Pat is the best synthesis of his world's best heroes: the fighting movements of Achilles with the morals of Hector in such a humble boy.

[darlingpoppet]

WIP — Where The Dead Forget Chapter 7 excerpt

Either a few days late or a few days early for WIP Wednesday :) Here are the first 600 words or so of the chapter as of right now, though it might still need some tweaking. Contrary to this initial scene, this in fact a very Patroclus-centric chapter and he’s the POV character most of the time and I’m very excited about it!

I’m hoping to finish this chapter sometime in February, though admittedly I’ve feeling a bit of fatigue the past couple weeks after writing and/or editing so much every single day since November, lol. So it’s been going a bit more slowly while I allow myself a break & some time away from the draft. I know this comes as no surprise but the writing process can be pretty lonely sometimes. I suppose any encouragement and feedback is welcome! <3

Patroclus looks up at the sound of Achilles’ approach.

Achilles stops short, a few paces away from him at the top of the stone staircase, uncertain if he ought to come any closer. He assesses Patroclus’ mood carefully.

There is recognition in his face this time, but it is impassive—whether Patroclus feels joy, annoyance, or nothing at all at the sight of him, Achilles cannot say. He is unsure whether or not this is what their reunion would have been like, if none of this had happened. If only he had ever tried to imagine it.

“So, you’re back,” Patroclus says.

“Yes,” says Achilles. “I said that I would come again, did I not?”

“You did.”

“Are you displeased?”

Patroclus lifts his chin and regards him for a moment, considering.

“You are free to do as you wish,” he says, finally.

Achilles decides this is as close to assent as he is going to receive at this point. He gently lays down his spear by the riverbank, and then sits himself on the grass beside Patroclus, neatly folding his legs. He sets his clasped hands into his lap, trying not to fidget.

Patroclus’ manner had always been soft-spoken and unassuming in life, but there was always an underlying mischief to it, a dryness and sardonic, vicious wit. Now however, there is a monotonous lilt in his gentle voice, a listless look in his eyes. Is it the fault of the Lethe? Or had Patroclus always been this way in death? Even with the apparent blank spots in his memory, he still seems to have kept his wits. In many ways, he has become much the same as Achilles in death: an incomplete soul, quiet and contemplative. However, Achilles is unaccustomed to being on the receiving end of Patroclus’ coldness, reserved usually only for those he truly disliked or otherwise did not trust. Even from the beginning, he had been more shy rather than abrasive towards him (even if Achilles had once mistaken it for the latter).

“I wanted to come see you again, because I’m not sure that we started off on the right foot last time,” he says. “I was too forward. I did not respect your feelings or your privacy. I did not mean to pry. I am sorry.”

Achilles’ thoughts lingered once more on their adolescence. Back then, in the days and weeks since learning the extent of Patroclus’ past—of his crime and all the rest, the reasons for his behaviors over the previous years began to make sense. Patroclus had been a person who guarded his wounded heart carefully, wary of anyone who might try to gut him completely. And yet, it seemed as if he had opened it to Achilles so easily back then, their relationship so full of intimacy and closeness and touch since that very first day of their friendship. It was the privilege of children perhaps—still innocent, and brazenly eager to love and be loved in return, in spite of everything.

It is a privilege that both of them no longer have. Achilles is doubtful that Patroclus could grow to love anew what he has become now—a wretched and gloomy shade with only his sorrows and too many regrets. And though his hands practically twitch with his ache for it, he does not dare to try to touch him now.

Perhaps unexpectedly, Patroclus’ expression softens.

“To be honest, I am a bit relieved that you came back,” he says. “On the contrary, I was unkind last time. I too, had wished to make it up to you.”

[likeafairytale]

"You have lived so many lives, your brain is not made to remember all on its own. Here. This will help you. This is the best I can do." - Mnemosyne to Achilles about the hourglass

❛A hourglass?❜

❛Yes.❜

❛Is that your way to tell me my father is Chronos, the titan of time? Because that would be pretty cool.❜

❛Still funny, I see.❜

Achilles shrugged to his mother's words, to be honest, yes, he thought he was quite funny right now. Taking the hourglass from the Titaness, he looked at the steady seed inside before looking at the chain, which made him understand it was supposed to be a necklace. The demigod was lost at the moment; his mother appeared to him for the first time in years, to offer him a meaningless gift, but hey, weren't all gods that way? He knew Aphrodite did the same with Anastasia years ago with Helen's dagger, it was maybe just a matter of time before his mother did the same. He has to admit, he was disappointed, but also a bit jealous. At least his best friend had a weapon, something useful, what was he supposed to do with an hourglass?

❛Like I said, it's for your memory.❜ Mnemosyne said, as to echo her son's thoughts. ❛You have an extraordinary memory, Achilles, but a human brain isn't supposed to remember so many things.❜

❛Good thing I'm not completely human then.❜

❛You know what I mean.❜ She replied. She was both amused and annoyed by her son's comeback, but he was just like his father, which was why she fell in love in the first place. ❛How many lives did you live already? Three. Three lives is a lot, Achilles.❜

❛I'm perfectly fine.❜

❛That's not what the room is telling me.❜

Achilles opened his mouth, ready to talk, but he had no sassy comeback this time. He looked around and could only agree with his mother; the room was a mess. Books everywhere, curtains ripped off, it was as if a hurricane came into his room when really it was all his doing. His head was hurting, so much he wanted to smash it against the wall to make it stop. Make the noises, the memories, everything stop. But he couldn't make it stop, no matter how many times he tried, everything was swirling into his mind that violence was the only solution. He came to self harm sometimes, when it was too much, like today for example, something Mnemosyne noticed when he tried to hide his left arm with his shirt already covered with blood.

❛Tya seems quite fine with her memory.❜ He noticed. Although his best friend wasn't there, he knew she did not have violent outbursts like him.

❛Anastasia forgets some things of her life. Like everyone is supposed to. I'm sure you can test her, ask her about something specific, she won't find the answer. But you. Your memory is too perfect. You just cannot forget like you should. I blame myself for that.❜

❛Yeah, so do I.❜

The young man sighed and looked twice at the hourglass, trying himself to figure out how this little trinket could help him, –he was really fond of jigsaws and wanted to find by himself– but he was just puzzled by that. When he was about to turn it upside down, his mother stopped him quickly, bringing his attention on her.

❛Before you do that...❜ She started, with such softness that Achilles was suspicious. ❛I need to tell you how it works.❜ She marked another paused, and he noticed she was trying to find her words.

❛Like I said you remember too much... This will erase your memory. All of them.❜

❛What? So your solution of me remembering too much is for me to remember nothing at all? What kind of bullshit is that?!❜

❛That's not... You'll have core memories. Your likes and dislikes will stay the same, you will stay the same, you will remember who you truly are. You will just have to learn again some things. It will wipe your memories so it can make place for more new ones.❜

❛How does it work?❜

❛Once it's upside down, you forget. Until the last seed is down, you will not remember, but once it's over, your memories will come back.❜

❛What's the point if I'll remember eventually?❜

❛I cannot tell you everything. Some things need to be figured out by yourself.❜ Obviously this wasn't the answer Achilles was expected, but he shrugged it off. He was quite ready to turn the hourglass when Mnemosyne stopped him again: ❛Before you do that...❜

❛Oh by the Gods, what again?❜

❛You will also forget people. By that, I mean everyone. Except me and your sisters.❜

❛...Tya...?❜

❛It's to protect you from her that I am doing this. If you cannot remember her, she cannot find you, and you cannot die. The less you remember, the more chance you have to stay alive. But once all your memories back, once you remember her, you're doomed.❜

❛I don't want it, thanks.❜

Mnemosyne couldn't say that she was totally surprised by his answer, she knew about her son's affection for Anastasia. If she had said that sooner, he wouldn't have listened to her, she knew that well. She thought that if he knew more about how the hourglass worked, he won't be against it, at least won't be so quick to refuse, but she didn't know her son and his devotion for Aphrodite's daughter as much as she thought. Achilles handed the hourglass to his mother, who did not take it. For the Gods, a gift was a gift, and you couldn't refuse it, it was insulting. The young man did not care about insulting his mother, because she was insulting him first, by thinking he will be all right with the idea of forgetting his best friend, the only person who stood by him from the very first day.

❛Take that back and sod off.❜

❛You talk just like him.❜ She said with amusement, and she did not have to say anything more, he knew she was talking about his father. ❛You know how gift works for us. That's yours. Do whatever you want with it now. But you know I'm right. You know that the more memories you made along the way, the harder it is for you to focus.❜

❛I don't care.❜

❛It's not permanent, Achilles. You will remember.❜

❛But for that, I need to forget, and I don't want to spend a day without knowing who Tya is to me.❜

❛Your love and devotion to her is admirable. But that won't reduce the outbursts. They will become stronger. More violent. Who knows, maybe you'll kill someone. Perhaps her. And she does not have the same curse as you; if she dies, it's over for her. Do you really want to risk that, son?❜

He did not like the way she talked. Especially about Anastasia. But he had to admit –reluctantly– that she was right. Today he hurt himself, what if next time he is with Anastasia, and he hurt her without wanted to? What if he hurt her so badly that even him can't save her? The idea hurt him more than his migraines. He said nothing. But his silence was enough for Mnemosyne to know she won.

❛Until the last seed is down?❜ He finally asked, and she nodded.

❛You don't have to use it right away. Take your time. Say goodbye. But for your sake, do the right thing.❜

[crystalisopod]

I wonder why exactly I walk on my toes? it's been suggested to me that I have a short Achilles tendon, and that sounds correct but I feel there's more

I don't enjoy wearing socks especially indoors, but I absolutely despise the feeling of the ground. any little dirt on the floor feels awful on my feet.

there's also the question of it just feeling nice, it's what I'm used to, it's more...dragony? in a way, I like that feeling though

I still do it in shoes, though not as much. I can only do so in flexible shoes, I really dislike stiffer ones that don't allow for anything other than walking heel-to-toe

[ask-mortarion-the-death-lord]

I kind of dislike the quick assumption for the traitors which is "daddy didn't love me so I'll kill millions" like even if they weren't traitors they still killed millions during the great crusade along side the loyalists the only thing that change is that they are targeting the imperium now. Also it looks like the books are now saying Emps did love his sons now during the hersey or something like that and is doing the star child thing. (Fuck 2 and 11 I guess). Sorry

got longer then i thought so under cut

thats kinda an essential facet to the whole tragedy though i would argue in that it revolves so heavily around soap opera drama between the primarchs and their dear ol dad.

partly because of the usual 40k "whos the real monsters question mark" ironic storytelling, that so much misery and the very face of the galaxy could be shaped by something as simple as a sons resentment of his father [even if it doesn't always land the mark in that regard].

partly because, well, what are the primarchs at the end of the day in terms of narrative evocation? functionally they're bioengineered super soldier super soldiers and generals, but within the 'monomyth' of the imperium they've always been positioned as demigods or divine beings. mythical subjects, and mythology itself is rife with narrative threads of divine beings being possessed of all too human or earthly flaws. zeus is promiscuous, hera is spiteful, hercules is a god damn moron in spite of his great strength, odysseus is possessed of no special qualities but his wisdom yet hes a far better and more competent person then achilles who is blessed with great physical capabilities and divine providence. and you can see patterns like this in all manner of mythological history. in that sense i feel its entirely appropriate for the traitor primarchs, these grand bombastic demigod generals being motivated in large part by an irrational emotional immaturity because it plays back into that idea of incredibly powerful beings physically being incredibly weak and immature emotionally. further you can derive more 'contemporary' meaning in alluding that tendency to modern structures and power brokers in society today. nobility that rules by divine right and the point of a sword might largely be a thing of the past or a antiquated holdover thereof now, but the problems of power hoarding power, and hereditary inheritance [those with power using that power to prepare their kids to take control of that same power] persist.

i think the problem in the heresies case though, is that its almost always the traitor primarchs that get hit with the branch of emotional immaturity the most both in and out of universe. its not enough to have rogal and perturabo be at each others throats over an irrational rivalry, no, it has to be perturabo whos projecting the majority of that rivalry onto himself well rogal is more so presented as being 'above' that squabbling. and its a pattern we can see all across the heresy series. and yet another way the series was arguably mismanaged over the course of its lifetime.

as for the emperor, cant really make a judgement call until p3 comes out in case this is leading to a twist of some sort, but taking it at face value its a prime example of how authors in the horus heresy series have been constantly undercutting each other leading to a lot of the messier elements present. in many ways, dan abnett is writing a really sold cap to the horus heresy series of another dimension effectively, where it would have made sense to have the emperor reflecting on things like the love of his sons. instead it comes across a a retcon/last minute heel turn because the rest of the series has very much leaned on the idea that no, he doesn't give a shit about if his sons love him or not.