#and so much of it comes from mischaracterizing Percy as well

[valewritessss]

Why is it that most of the time they either make Annabeth seem like Percy’s mother or they make her a tool for him to be more angsty and dark and disregard all of her character and trauma? Can we normalize making them equals

[hypnzo]

Hii, are you ok??

I was wanting to ask something to Percy based on "You came" "You called" maybe the reader is in danger, she went on a mission, she was already returning to the camp, but then several monsters appeared, hurt her companions and now she was the only one sane to fight, but there were too many monsters for her to handle, so when she manages to hide in some place for a few seconds she makes one of those iris calls with Percy, "Percy, help me, I'm near the camp, there are too many monsters!" And then like a puppy he runs until he reaches his queen(reader)? And he helps her.

You Called.

Percy Jackson x Reader

Warning !! English is not my first language and there might be possible mischaracterization.

The sun was going down and you felt exhausted to your core. You were sure that your companions felt the same thing—monsters, running, fighting... All at once was tiring.

You started to feel dazed while you continued with your lazy march back to camp half blood.

Suddenly, you heard something—no, you swore you saw something lurking from the shadows. You swore it happened.

“Did you guys see that?”

Your companions only looked as tired as you were, but they didn't seem to notice or even understand what you were talking about.

“Ugh.. Nevermind. It's probably just exhaustion.” you toned down, not trying to get the group into even more trouble.

You continued to kick the rocks underneath your foot when you suddenly saw something run to the bushes. You were starting to feel paranoid but your companions seemed so clueless that it started to piss you off just a little bit.

“Okay, I swear I'm not insane,” you paused, turning back to your group, “come on, don't tell me you guys didn't see it!”

“We're tired.” someone whined in annoyance. “Whatever you're seeing is.. probably just you being tired.”

“Yeah, I swear we're almost back in camp. Don't start to delay us now.”

“I'm not..?!” you raised a brow, feeling offended.

“Let's just continue walking.”

You clenched your fist and it took every thought and self-control you had to not punch one of them right now.

“Whatever...” you say, biting the inside of your cheek.

The way back to camp shouldn't have taken this long—honestly, it felt like decades making your way back.

You were mindlessly kicking the rocks in your path when suddenly, someone lunged onto one of your companions, causing everyone in the group to scream in panic.

“Okay! What.. is that?!”

“The 'lurking shadow' I was talking about, dimwit.” you say, not even bothering to hide your annoyance from earlier.

“...” you felt someone glare in your direction, “...Rude.”

“Keep fighting!”

“Hey, I can't really hold still for much longer!”

It was chaos. You weren't sure if it was the fatigue taking a toll on all of you, but it seems like the majority of your companions were getting knocked out one by one.

Suddenly, the monsters averted their direction and hunger towards you.

It was terrifying—their relentless, prey-like demeanor cooled your blood almost as if you couldn't move in your place.

With all the strength you could muster up, you tried to run away. Though they were fast, you were more than capable of tripping them to their senses.

With might, you grappled your hands onto one of the stable tree branches nearby the area, causing the monsters to slip onto the road.

“Shit.. shit..” you muttered out a groan, feeling some stinging pain after one of the monsters managed to land a hit on you.

You tried to think of any way to get out of here, but you were cornered. You couldn't go anywhere without suddenly alerting those monsters underneath.

You accidentally hit your arm on the tree trunk, causing you to hiss a little in pain, but then you realized...

You were holding a Compact Disc.

Then that was when your mind flashed onto an idea: You need to Iris message Percy. As soon as possible or you might as well be a goner.

It was random for you to be holding such an item but you remembered one of your companions holding it earlier specifically for this very reason.

However, now.. you just need to find a great light that will light up your CD to function out an iris message.

...Okay, this might be more difficult than you intended it to be since the sun was going down. If you messed this up, you'd be gone before midnight even starts.

Fate seemed to be on your side, you managed to sneak out without getting caught. Thankfully on your part, the sun hasn't gone down yet fully—its hue of shines still reflected nice and bright enough for you to iris message Percy.

“Oh shit. I need a goldren drachma...” you groaned, searching your pockets for anything you could offer.

You felt like this was a good time to praise the Gods all at once now that you found a golden drachma in your pocket.

“Thank the Gods.. I guess I have more time to live.”

... ”Gods, this better work.. this is the only chance I have.”

“Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.”

“Percy!”

“Pretty, what's wrong?”

“Gods, please come and find me. Percy, I really need your help. My companions and I got attacked and I don't have back ups! They're a lot out here—I can't do it on my own! I'm honestly surprised I even got this far to managed to iris message you! Please I don't have much time on this iris message. Come quick! I'm near camp!”

“Woah, woah...” Percy felt baffled with how fast you started talking, though he couldn't blame you knowing your resources to even message him was hella limited.

“Alright. I'll be there. I love you.” he says, making a kiss gesture towards you to which you rolled your eyes to with a soft smile.

“I love you, too. Come quick, please?”

“I will.”

It'd been a few minute and you were already starting to worry. You tried to stay calm and quiet, but you felt a little scared after you've started to hear their footsteps run back and forth somewhere closer in your direction.

“Percy... please..” you silently plead, pulling yourself up on a thread of hope when you suddenly heard monsters being slaughtered left and right.

You ran to see what was happening, though you felt something crawling from behind you.

You felt goosebumps starting to show through your skin, feeling that same coldness you were feeling earlier.

You looked back and saw at least four of those monsters sensing the ground as if it was trying to track your scent.

Panic rushed through your instincts and you immediately plunged away from the scene, though it seems like your footsteps were heard.

Without meaning to, you bumped into someone.

You were just about to apologize when they suddenly rose their sword—a familiar celestial bronze weapon lunged through the monsters throat, striking them into ashes.

...

“Pretty.” you heard them call out.

“Percy?” you blinked in surprise and suddenly you felt his hands wrap around your waist, tightening you into a warm embrace.

“I was worried I got here too late. Are you hurt?”

You felt your heart warm in place as you leaned into his touch. “I'm fine.”

“Mm.. Really?”

“Really.” you smiled, pressing a soft kiss on his lips to which he reciprocated with the same amount of gentleness.

Note: Hello! I'm doing alright, how about you?? I'm so sorry for such a late response!

Have a request? Feel free to send one in!

[voltronisanobsession]

Oh boy, oh boy, do I have something for you. I really hope this is as good as the other requests I’ve given you, but can you imagine a Percy x Zagreus!reader?

The Reader is the child of Zagreus himself, who doesn’t have a good relationship with the Olympian queen. This means Hera is against his child as well and, despite being a goddess of marriage, tries to keep them away from their father as much as possible. But the Reader doesn’t care, they’ll fight their way to the Underworld no matter how long it might take.

So… how do you think Percy would react with this one? Think he’ll fall head over heels for their determined attitude? Join them in their runs? Patch them up while also scolding them if they come back terribly injured? You gotta tell me what you think.

Hope this is good, hope your day is going well, and have a good morning! Or afternoon…? Maybe even night?

And no, no, I did not draw inspiration from the Hades game, slowly falling in love with it, and trying to find as much gameplays as I can. Nope, don’t know what you’re talking about (😉)

Percy with a Child of Zagreus Reader

OOOOO😻😻 I can smell the bitterness of this reader coming from a mile away💀

I didn’t even know there was a game called Hades, Imma have to look a little into. I kinda mostly focused on reader for this one if I’m being honest

Not proofread💔

EDIT: After playing the game I realized I mischaracterized Zagreus and Hera BUT WE WON'T TALK ABOUT

Being a child of Zagreus, Hera has put reader through HELL growing up

Like gods aren’t normally supposed to interfere with demigods and whatnot but since she has a bone to pick with the underworld god, you would never be on good terms with Hera

Zagreus would’ve wanted to raise you himself lowkey, probably if your mother died unexpectedly, and mostly to protect you from the wrath of the goddess

But this is Hera we’re talking about, she’s a very bitter and unfair goddess, so she’s willing to tear you both apart if it means seeing Zagreus continuously suffering

Reader is forced to grow up alone, running away from danger that seems to follow them at every corner and turn

The only thing you would have of your father is a pendant of his, and the distant memory of his face

Maybe he even gave you a blessing of protection and perseverance, something that would help you before you were taken away from him

I think Hera would have some curse placed on you and your father, something that keeps y’all from each other

Him trapped in the underworld and you forced to walk the world of the living, cursed to never find an entrance to the world below

Yeah you grow up very untrusting towards others because of Hera’s constant tricks

Most people you’ve met had always broken your trust and betrayed you in some way

So it’s no real shocker when you keep your distance when you first meet Percy

Percy had probably saved you from being eaten by a monster or even helped you run away from some situation that escalated badly

Whatever happened, he’s eager to talk to a new demigod!

It’s not everyday he meets a new halfblood outside of camp

And as nice and silly as he is, you can’t let yourself get close to him, after all this could just be another façade sent to distract you

So it surprises him when you walk past him without introducing yourself or thanking him

You kinda just look at him and move on with your life💀

And that’s what makes you so interesting to Percy! With the way you walk like you’re on a mission, since he has nothing better to do, he decides to join you!

And that’s how his journey with you begins

He fills the empty silence left by you with loud talking and ramblings, and somewhere along your journey, you actually begin to enjoy his company

One worded responses turn to small comments to actual conversations

You can’t help it honestly, you’ve been alone for so long that you crave the presence of another person

It’s a weakness that has led to so much heartbreak and betrayal in your past

But you allow yourself to indulge in Percy, allow yourself to believe he won’t turn against like the others had

Percy definitely notices how you don’t reveal much about yourself

You’re so closed off to a point where he basically only knows your name

And yet he can’t stop his heart from beating faster when you let a smile slip when he says something stupid

I think it would be during the dead of night where you finally reveal why you’ve been wandering around

Like y’all have been traveling together for a while and you ACTUALLY trust him

Percy is so sincere and doesn’t make false promises or comments

He’s an open book basically😭 you can tell he’s a genuine person, and from what you’ve heard about the demigod, he’s a good person

You dare say you might have even grown to like him😦

He honestly admires your perseverance and bravery, like you’ve been on your own for YEARS

Your determination to see your father again captivated him

He feels sorry for you too, you’ve been separated from the only family you know and with no way to get to him

He’s also lowkey scared of your lack of respect towards the powerful goddess

He’s learned to never make a god angry, but he guesses that doesn’t apply to your situation since the goddess had been after you the second you were born

Percy would totally mention how his friend, Annabeth, claims that Hera has a vendetta against her too

If this is after the first war with Kronos, I think you might even reveal how you fought along side him

Percy is shocked to hear that but not really surprised since you never had a good relationship with the Olympian

Kronos promised you that you would be able to see your father again, so you willingly joined his army

Like having this convo with you, it really makes Percy see how anyone can be influenced by the experiences they go through in their life

Percy really wants to help you so I think he might introduce you to Nico

“Nico might actually be able to help you get to the underworld! He’s the son of Hades, by the way.”

“Wait, are you serious? Hades has a son? Why didn’t you say anything sooner?!”

It takes time trying to contact the younger boy, but you still jump on Percy and hug him cuz AHH

You might actually be able to see your father!!!

And Percy is just as happy to see you smiling brightly as the younger boy makes his appearance

Hell you might even give him a small peck on the cheek as a thank you teehee (this dudes face would be REEEDDDD)

But danger finally strikes you all when Nico leads you to an entrance to the underworld

Monster quite literally spawn out of NOWHERE, mostly attacking you and keeping you away from the one place where people would stray far away from

You dodge any swipes and attacks aimed at you, inching closer to the entrance until you’re launched back

Battered and bruised, you get up only to be pulled away by Percy

He would try to explain that it was too dangerous to continue, that you all needed to fall back and come up with a plan!

“Percy let go of me! I’m so close, you can’t do this to me!”

“We need to get back now! Please! We won’t be able to beat them! They’ll kill you!”

It’s a complete surprise to him and Nico when you pull out a sword against him, it being half celestial bronze and steel

Nah cuz this would be a major breaking point for both of y’all, having such a dangerous weapon would cause Percy to question your morals😭💔

You would slowly back away from him, realizing that he didn’t betray your trust, but you betrayed his

You would separate from him as you fight your way to the underworld entrance, looking back once to him, heart breaking at the sight of his hurt expression

Your alone in the underworld now, and Percy can’t help but feel hurt that you would be so reckless and driven to this state

He would totally go in after you though despite Nico’s warnings

If Percy can find you before you run into any more trouble, then maybe your fate won’t end in tragedy

Zagreus!Reader is actually pretty reckless when it comes to being reunited with their father. It’s something that Percy admires and hates about them, since most of the time it leads them to getting hurt in the end

He just wants to help you in anyway he can, you just gotta let him help. Your untrusting nature might be the cause of your downfall if you don’t learn to trust others💔

(I love this reader tbh, so much potential when it comes to the underworld hehe)

[that-1-url]

my thoughts on the pjo tv show (spoilers for episode 8) pt 1

i want to preface this with: I have exactly zero (0) beef with the actors themselves personally i think they all did a great job with what they were given and all gave incredible, heartfelt performances so 10/10 on that front. I acknowledge that the TV series was not made to be a shot-for-shot remake of the books, and I accept that.

also, i only watched it once through and don't really want to rewatch just to make points so i won't remember everything clearly so if i get anything wrong feel free to correct me in a polite, constructive way. that being said,

i didn't like it. shocker, i know. but hear me out.

I'm not here to diss the show or just spew a bunch of hate. I'm here to make nuanced points and arguments for both sides, but the general overall conclusion will be that, in my personal opinion that is mine alone, i didn't like it. Starting with the critiques:

In the months leading up to the show's release I'm upset to say that there was a lot of racism surrounding the casting of Leah Sara Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri, something that left me extremely disappointed in the PJO fandom as a whole. Annabeth being white has absolutely NOTHING to do with the story and it shouldn't have mattered to anybody when Leah was cast. I never pictured Grover as white in the first place, but even if I did, Aryan as Grover wouldn't have fazed me. My only concern was if the writers were going to get their characters right. (I had no concern about their acting abilities or their ability to portray the characters correctly. If Rick cast them, I have complete confidence in them as well.) As far as casting went, the only person I actually had any issue with was Lin-Manuel Miranda. It was the equivalent of seeing a d*sney channel actor on a serious show I guess? I couldn't take Hermes very seriously mainly because the whole time I was like "okay Hamilton". I'm not even a musical fan I just couldn't take him seriously. Nothing against the guy, it's just what my brain did. When it comes to casting, you have to be very careful about just how big of a name you cast. And in this case Miranda's presence just kind of stood out too much and ruined the suspension of disbelief.

Pacing. I was going to put this first as this was the main issue I had with the show, but I felt that what I had to say about the casting was more important. Every time they entered a fight, there was no sense of mystery. There was no build up to when they figured it out. There was no suspense. It was just "oh hey Medusa." and then they killed her shortly after. At first I had benefit of the doubt, and then the Crusty scene happened and I just kind of sat there like "...really?" The writers felt the need to balance "We don't need to reintroduce this, book readers will be watching!" and "New viewers who are unfamiliar with the source material will be watching, we have to reintroduce this concept" which in theory could have worked, but it always seemed to tip the wrong way at the wrong time. As a book reader, I feel as though I should not have been confused with the way the story was going, instead, the suspense in seeing exactly how they were going to portray something through TV, and how they were going to add to the story via visual format would change the storytelling. But I ended up being extremely confused in most of the scenes. I didn't see how things added up and I didn't understand most of the changes. It made the plot feel very choppy and random, like they were trying to add too much and in the process took away from an actual linear story, leaving me to watch a series of scenes rather than an even-paced flow of events.

Mischaracterization. Percy and Annabeth were really good, actually. It was very true to character and Walter Scobell and Leah Jeffries' acting really brought out the reality that they were 12. The characters felt very organic and childlike, leaving us with the hard truth that the gods sent literal children to the Underworld to retrieve the most dangerous firecracker of all time. Back to critiquing however, Grover's character felt very off. Grover is an extremely anxious 28 year old satyr who has the misfortune of having to be in middle school for the past six years. He's not timid by any means, but the way that TV!Grover interrogated Ares in the diner a) led no where, at the very least the scene felt unnecessary, b) felt extremely out of character, and c) kind of took away Grover's role as the protector of the group, as he didn't get to save Percy and Annabeth from an untimely demise from the Thrill Ride of Love. Chiron was also given a much smaller role, as he doesn't give Percy Riptide and his wise words of advice before sending him off on Half-Blood Hill. Sally. I've seen a LOT of controversy on the characterization of Sally in this series, so here's my piece. Sally Jackson is by no means someone who backs down or is submissive. She is an extremely clever woman who knows when to pick her battles. While Smelly Gabe may have just been around to mask Percy's scent, he was still a very real threat to her and Percy in their ordinary lives. I know everyone says that Sally is perfect, and I love her so much as a character and person, but we also as a fandom have to accept that there is no such thing as a perfect person. That's kind of one of the big points in the series. It shines a flashlight on the darker parts of peoples characters, to show that even the so-called "perfect" immortal gods aren't all the myths made them out to be. Percy is an unreliable narrator, meaning that he has certainly exaggerated certain parts of Sally's character because she's his mom. Some people have defended the scenes in which Sally raises her voice at Percy and gets frustrated with him with this argument. It's a valid thing for her to do! She's human! She's a single mom raising a son who has multiple learning disabilities and can't stay in the same school for more than one year. She has no living relatives and is married to an asshole! But Percy also stated that Sally never raised her voice at him, and he's never pushed her because he knows that if he does, she'll cry. They are both careful with each other. Which makes the car scene and the pool scene make so little sense. Book Percy apologized to Smelly Gabe because he knew that even if it was something he really didn't want to do, it would make his mom happy. Sally, although not stating the specific reason, actually did manage to explain in a patient way why she felt the need to send him away, which is something she continually brushed off in the show. Gabe. I've seen a lot about this as well, with some arguing that he should have been "more abusive" and others pointing out that that could be dangerous and triggering to put in a show. My take walks the middle line. Don't show Gabe's active abuse, but continue to show it passively. Instead of Percy walking to the window, have him walk into his bedroom, taken over by Gabe's stuff. "Oh, but Gabe's stuff dominated the living room!" Yeah but it was super dark and I couldn't see a thing. Plus, that's a communal space. Having it in Percy's room as well would've been a brilliant but subtle way of detailing what little respect Gabe had for both Sally's and Percy's privacy. (also what was up with the complete lack of Gabe in the last episode? I'm so confused by that-)

Dialogue, but Percy's specifically. I understand that most of Percy's funny quips are said in his head, but the "jokes" he made out loud just...weren't funny? Like the original lines from the books were, I have no idea why they didn't just take some of those. It felt like an adult trying to relate to "the youth" rather than Percy actually quipping. The other main thing I can think of off the top of my head were whenever he was speaking to a god. Ares made a little more sense because of his aura making Percy angry, but when he spoke to Zeus? Hades? Book Zeus would've smited Percy there and then. Percy at the very least starts respectful, beginning with formal titles and being as polite as possible. TV!Percy just immediately started arguing with him and it was more tense than any of the actual "battle" scenes.

The fights. Oh my gosh they were so underwhelming. Whoever green-lit the show had to know how action packed these scenes needed to be, and then blatantly ignored that fact. I understand that VFX teams are overworked and underpaid, but I also understand that the sarcastic narration and quick-paced action scenes were written to keep neurodivergent readers (hi) engaged, which made it very difficult for me to take any of the so-called "fights" seriously. In my opinion, if you can't, don't. And by that, I mean if you couldn't find the time to adequately pay a good team to do cool effects for the action heavy series, then don't make the show. (1/2)

[unicornofgt]

ok now that i’ve got it on the brain, i want to talk about disability in pjo and specifically how calling percy jackson dumb or treating him as such is not only a mischaracterization, but ableism. as a quick note, i’m keeping this to just percy to avoid having this already long post be even longer, but there are other disabled characters in pjo worthy of discussion. i bring up percy specifically because he is mostly the character i have seen people treat as dumb.

percy is a dyslexic teen with ADHD who comes from a low-income family, raised by a single mother, and deals with an abusive step-father. i cannot stress enough how much of his character is shaped by that experience, but as hard as it is to single out any one part, i am going to focus on his ADHD and dyslexia. this kid has nightmares of being forced to take tests in a straightjacket as teachers ask him if he’s stupid and withhold him from recess with his peers. he is constantly labelled as “troubled” and blamed for things he didn’t do or aren’t his fault. he is told, over and over again, that he is “not normal” (othering him). he bounces between schools. he struggles to make friends. he deals with bullying. he has difficulty studying and reading, even when invested. teachers struggle to connect with him and tend to just give up on him. these are real disabled experiences, and rick does a good job at presenting them. sometimes, it feels like everything is a struggle. you are living inside a system that not only is restricting, but actively works against and punishes you.

in contrast, CHB is a great example of how when environments meet the needs of disabled people, it hugely changes how disabled we are in that environment. demigod brains are hard-wired for ancient greek, not english, and they’re born impulsive, with high energy levels that help them survive battle—but aren’t very good for a classroom setting. but by having them read books in greek, regularly do lots of training/physical activities, and have genuine opportunities to express themselves…they function pretty damn well. percy discovers that while he struggles academically, he is brilliant in combat and capable of saving the world numerous times—he is a hero. it is here, in camp half-blood, that percy finds a place he belongs, that shows him his worth—finally, somewhere is built to not only include him, but to nurture and genuinely prepare him for the world outside its boarders. however, i think people forget that just because percy functions in the world of CHB and the gods, that does not mean he doesn’t face ableism in the mortal world—and that there is an entire group of people who see ourselves reflected in his character.

i could talk for hours about how percy’s humor revolves around coping with his environment and actually displays a very low self esteem after being looked down upon his entire life. this kid doesn’t even have to say anything and he screams ‘i had a neurodivergent childhood.’ but about five years ago, when i was more regularly tuned into the fandom, every time i saw someone call percy jackson dumb or an idiot, even jokingly, i raised an eyebrow, and now that the series is getting fresh coverage from disney+, i have wanted to make this post. so much of this kid’s life and personality comes from being treated like he’s dumb or incapable, so it’s troubling to watch part of the fanbase reflect the harmful parts of this character’s upbringing. i truly hope it does not become common again. it’s also one thing coming from a neurodivergent/disabled person with similar experiences (and even then i personally find it a little uncomfortable), it’s another to be said by a neurotypical/able bodied person.

percy jackson’s experiences make for very important representation, and for people to characterize him as just a goofy, unintelligent guy is not only an insult to his character as a kid who is intelligent, but previously lacked the environment to show it, but also ableist. so in the dawn of the new tv series era, i ask that we cut that shit out. rick riordan did not create rep for neurodivergent and disabled kids for them to be called stupid by the fanbase. even jokingly.

[thejudgingtrash]

Annabeth is a good person,but not a nice or pleasant one,IMO.

YES.

That’s it. That’s the post. Pack it up everybody, we just cracked the case and cleared up one of the most compelling fights in the PJO fandom since forever. Good job everybody, clap it out and there’s the door! Don’t forget ordering the drinks at Starbucks, Mitch! They’re on me!

Okay, but on a more serious note: YES. YES EXACTLY.

And before some of you roll your eyes or grab your pitchforks – put your biases aside and hear me out for once. I like Annabeth. She’s my in my top three characters only second to Percy himself. I love Percabeth. It’s my favorite ship in the entire series and to be frank, the only ship that I care about PJO wise. Hell, I spend my time creating my own headcanons or writing my own fanfics with Percabeth being the star in them.

But that is not to say that I’m unable to see how certain things have developed over the years or where they stand now in regard to Annabeth. I’m not here to ignore things that have been said and/or done due to or in the name of Annabeth and I’m not here to vilify anyone that doesn’t like her. And I’m here to admit that I’m guilty of some of the things that may be addressed in this meta essay that you will read in just a second. However, I try my best to assure you, that I’m for once able to recognize my own bias.

Warning: a monster essay lies right upon you.

This should count as a paper of its own.

Back to the statement on top: I would go out even further to reframe your claim, anon:

Annabeth Chase is a good character but not a nice or pleasant person.

Annabeth is a wonderful character but she isn’t a nice one. Or at least not nice to everyone. She is (construction wise if I dare say) the best character out of the series. She has her positive traits (she’s caring, she’s emotional, she’s encouraged and volunteers, she fights for what she believes in, she forgives (even if doing so begrudgingly)) but she also has her negative traits (she’s stubborn, she’s brash, changing her mind takes forever, she is prejudiced, she baits others). That balances things out. She is branded as the intelligent kid but does irrational things (like I’ve just said a) she’s a kid and b) she’s not a robot). She should probably know better, but we all make mistakes and hopefully grow and learn from them. The clouds in the sky do blur and cover our visions sometimes.

Annabeth had clashes with other characters or was about to have fights due to her stubbornness or jealousy (Rachel, Reyna, etc.) and has of course her problems with the mortal world and her family but she also found new friends, some things cleared up throughout the narration and she was/is quite popular in Camp Half-Blood.

The thing is: she doesn’t have to be nice or pleasant (as a character). Or at least not all the time. Her character is humanized. That is what or who she is. Human. She does stand out as a character, not just because she’s the (future) love interest. She feels like someone you could meet in real life and either adore from the top to the bottom or declare as your biggest enemy. And that’s totally okay if you lean either way – liking or disliking her. Or even feeling indifferent about her. Also great!

To say that she has been the best character that Riordan has crafted is easy to say, because she has been sculpted after Riordan’s wife. He had a model he could rub some of real-life events or traits on. That’s not the problem. The problem truly doesn’t lie on Riordan’s side for the most part for once.

The problem is inherently on the fandom’s side. What the fandom does, how it acts and how it treats Annabeth as a character is the problem. The problems vary but it’s mostly the mischaracterization of Annabeth, starting fights and fan/ship wars, internalized misogyny (in some cases) and how some of the Annabeth stans lash out (ha, got firsthand experience in that field among many of my friends and mutuals!). There is a reason why many people are wary of people that have Annabeth or Percabeth related URLs.

The fact that we see Annabeth mostly through Percy’s lens and (until the Heroes of Olympus saga hits) we never really see her in chill everyday situations is essentially Riordan leaving the back door of the house open, ready for all of you asshats to rob his mansion in Boston. Because a frame on a character means that we don’t get to see the character in its entirety (unlike we do with Percy in PJO for the most part). That means a bunch of stuff is left open for interpretation which is the reason why Annabeth gets so many polarized headcanon and opinions tossed around. I think that is one of the true appeals of Annabeth. You can add on stuff and it necessarily doesn’t have to contradict itself.

We have people calling her abusive due to a (n admittedly stupid and unnecessary) judo flip and we have people that act like she’s never done anything wrong. People sorta use this excuse to form and shape Annabeth however they want and distort her characterization.

People in the fandom act like Annabeth is some weird prized possession. We perceive Annabeth mostly through the eyes of others (Percy, Apollo, etc.) and when we had some sort of insight in her ways (MOA, HOH) it felt… weird? Somewhat? Like Riordan left two bullet points of her characterization and told the ghostwriter: aight, fuck it up, gringo, see you on Tuesday and greet Fred the next time you see him for me. 

There have been many posts lately (by Tharini, Simi, Sawasawako, Jewishpercy and Annie I believe?) that HOO Percabeth felt weird. That they felt weirdly constructed, that there was no conflict, no growth. It felt stagnating, like we’re turning back. We had five books prior where we had Annabeth and Percy slowly shifting from disliking to liking and crushing each other. True development. And when we finally got the cake it felt… dissatisfying. Like the cheap box stuff and not the delicious exquisite taste that we were promised.

I said it previously in my Percabeth ship roast, but let me repeat myself: many Percabeth related things are straight up fanon. Some of it is very old fanon so that’s been unable to distinguish unless you’ve read the books recently and subtract nearly 99,9% of things you see on Tumblr (and occasionally the other shitty parts of the fandom like Reddit, IG, Twitter. Although they mostly steal and recycle tumblr stuff oh well. But back to the topic).

The way people treat Annabeth is so strange. She’s either an innocent fluffy smush baby that’s never harmed a fly and all that she wants for Christmas is being Percy’s lapdog or she’s the devil incarnate, broke into your house, killed your parents Batman style, kicked your puppy and didn’t flush the toilet on the way out. I think this is what mostly makes people hate her or the ship Percabeth. And both extremes are wrong and right at the same time? She is multifaceted so both stereotypes are true and untrue and sorta cancel each other out in the same way.

The true reason why people dislike Annabeth is because the stans are doing the most. (The haters as well, don’t get me wrong, but oh boy. Piss of a stan and you’ll know what I mean). That isn’t inherently new. Are you guys old enough to remember the ship wars that have happened cross platform? Perachel vs. Percabeth? Oh boy, oh boy. I saw some kids on tumblr a few months ago trying to infiltrate both tags and start shit (and also fail). The fact that Rachel still gets used as the bitchy (ex) girlfriend in fanfics? It’s 2020 guys. I know this apocalyptic year is far from perfect and over but I think we can let this trope die, right? Right? I thought we’ve established that Rachel is a pretty chill charcter by now… right?

If you posted your stuff on FFN back in 2010-2013 and it wasn’t the typical cutesy Percabeth story (Goode High, the gods read TLT, punk/prep Percabeth, college AU, etc.) people would’ve come for your fucking throat. Not because the story or the narration was shit. But because the pairing wasn’t Annabeth and Percy (in the sense that Annabeth had to be paired with Percy. I mean Percy gets shipped with everyone and their mother but for Annabeth it was strictly Percy. As annoying as this whole Connabeth thing is – the people behind it actually had a point. She never had a different love interest unless it’s a Percy centered story and he goes off dating Athena, Artemis and Zoe at the same time for some odd reason. Yeah, FFN Percy ships are something). Or it wasn’t the action filled canon compliant story or it wasn’t an AU that was popular.

People were really stubborn, snobbish and wanted their stuff in the four five boxes that were the most popular ones and that’s it. People have been bullied off the site in many fandoms, so it’s not a PJO-only thing but it’s still sad that it happened. (Off-note: most of these FFN tropes are still alive and well and thriving on AO3. Don’t be so snobbish and pretend that every piece you’d find there is a holy grail. There’s a lot of trash you have to waddle through. Same with Wattpad, Tumblr or anywhere else where fanfics get posted. Also had this discussion with Annabeth stans. Sigh).

And Tumblr back then? Forget it, wasn’t much better.

That view has sorta changed (at least for people that have been in the fandom for several years or have managed to find a way to navigate through it) but some of the negative sentiment from back in the day has survived. Be it by new fans coming in or from old fans that never let their stance die. The aggression feels differently and somewhat not. (I don’t know if the anon function had been abused that much back in the day. I was an observer not a participant in the fandom).

Crack a joke at Annabeth’s expense (Kal’s famous “Annabeth is a Republican” post or Dee Dee’s and many others “Annabeth has the education of a second grader, chill with the college plans, girlie” stance) and you have people insulting you, making callout posts, unfollowing and blocking you (based on only that? Okay, honey), making aggressive counter-posts, etc. in a minute. If you respond with “It’s a joke, it’s not real” you have a 50/50 chance of either getting blown off or embarrassing them so that they apologize for once.

This isn’t just about jokes. You can make a headcanon that’s not the cozy cute convenient mainstream saga and people would react the same way. Or art piece (no, not including the whole Tannabeth Blackchase shtick done by Viria and others) or fanfics.

People project so much onto the unfinished canvas that is Annabeth Chase that any form of negative sentiment as little as someone not liking her to straight up criticism, regardless of how tiny it may be, seems like an affront. Like an invitation to a fight. Like an insult to them, their character, everything they believe in. Let me state something:

You are NOT Annabeth Chase. Annabeth Chase IS NOT you. Annabeth Chase is NOT real. Her feeling cannot be hurt. Someone criticizing, disliking, joking about her or even insulting her will not bother her. Someone making a statement about her is not an insult to YOU.

Let me repeat that:

Annabeth Chase isn’t real. Annabeth Chase isn’t you.

So think a little before you act? I get it when you’re a kid and new to fandoms or haven’t been up with fan cultures in the past and are back in the scene. But if you’re in your late teens or even older as an adult and you’re unable to understand that you aren’t what you like – you aren’t the extension of a fictional character – I feel incredibly sorry for you. Because that’s just incredibly sad. Someone disliking something you like isn’t an attack of your character. It shows you that you are you and the other person is a human just like you. That they just have different taste. Disliking something you like isn’t a crime, you know? But me feeling sorry for the way some of y’all act won’t mean that that’s even remotely okay. Especially if you’re no longer in the intended audience for PJO age wise and should know better.

This isn’t a “white stans” only thing. I’ve seen and witnessed firsthand how people of color, mainly women of color, act the same or not even worse when it comes to her character. People have projected their problems and real-life occurring events into her character (I’m sure that she isn’t the only character nor that this is the only fandom where this is happening) and in some cases like I’ve said cannot separate their own personality from the fictional world. Fights with woc happened because of Annabeth fucking Chase. So many things have happened in the fandom the past few months, mostly due to people being forced staying at home because of the quarantine but I’d say it’s 10% on quarantine and 90% on people for acting up like this.

So here’s a little story: There was the act of Riordan blowing the fandom up because of his own stupidity and being unable to apologize for his mischaracterization and lack of research (the whole Piper fiasco) back in June (?) and admits the upset fandom, people on Twitter, Tumblr and Discord legit thought that none of that mattered and that the outcry was destroying Annabeth Chase’s birthday. That’s right. People thought that Annabeth Chase’s non-existing birthday because she’s a fictional character had a higher priority than the rupture and prevalent racism in the fandom. Okay. This isn’t a great look, Annabeth stans. And this of course pissed a lot of people off. I made a post about it and someone not only berated three other people on said post but no, we had a mighty argument which had disrupted many friendships in our circle which haven’t recovered until this very day. We both had our parts in it and no one is innocent. But the cause of this still remains Annabeth Chase or how people prioritize her non-existing well-being. Anyway. I’m getting agitated just thinking about it.

Let’s go back to the characterization thing with Annabeth. Let me remind you:

Annabeth Chase is an asshole. There I’ve said it in a post ages ago (too lazy to look it up, sorry) and I’ll say it again. And that’s not me insulting her. That’s me actually loving that about her. Annabeth is one of the very few unapologetic female characters that really showed all young readers across the world that you can be a girl, a badass, smart, strong, standing up for yourself and what you believe in. You don’t have to be nice. You don’t have to hide your feelings. You don’t need a man in all cases but it’s also okay to accept help and defeat.

A large reason why I think she’s an incredibly important character in children’s literature/YA because many other novels (mostly (sadly)) have the “Oh, I’m a white skinny dark-haired girl that likes unconventional things like READING. I’m not like the other girls, that take care of themselves and pamper themselves by enjoying shopping and wearing make-up. No, I’d rather be one of the boys but a sweet cute little boy and not the jock fuck that drank vodka shots out of a filthy shoe once. Despite me calling myself hideous every man in a 10-kilometer radius falls in love with me and tells me I’m oh so sexy and by the way I’m only 16 years old” shit going on for no goddamn reason.

Yes, I do blame Twilight for this mostly in recent years, but this trope isn’t by any means knew. Pretty sure that you could even use classics as Pride and Prejudice and dissect them in the same manner (Bold statement: Lizzy Bennet is the OG Bella Swan. There. Go fight somewhere in the corner, people). The new wave of YA focuses on girls belittling themselves and only starting to believe in themselves because someone else (mostly the male love interest) tells them they’re worth it. And these books hit the mainstream because they’re incredibly bland and picture perfect white.

With Annabeth it’s different. She shows up for the job and is done with it. (Brie Larson would probably be the perfect in real life version of her. You either like or dislike her. Or you really don’t care). That is what is so refreshing about her. Her unapologetic nature. Can it be off-putting? Yes. Is it annoying? Yes! Hell, every time I read The Lightning Thief, I want to rip her goddamn head off. And it’s just so well written. Her shift from mistrusting Percy but secretly still believing in him to her opening up. Wow, Riordan did something right there.

Annabeth Chase isn’t a young character. She has existed along with PJO for 15 years. She’s on her way to the second decade. I’m pretty sure that with the success of Percy Jackson (and Harry Potter) many lives have been warped and shaped.

But when I say the problem lies mostly in the fandom, it doesn’t mean that Riordan’s completely innocent. The only problem that I have with Annabeth lies not truly with her but the fact that Riordan is only able to produce three variations of female characters:

The sweetheart (Hazel, Silena, Calypso, Hestia)

The strong feminist (Annabeth, Piper, Thalia, Reyna, Artemis)

The bitch (Drew, nearly every female goddess in the goddamn Riordanverse next to every female monster)

And these female characters only know three endings:

End up married with a mortgage, three kids, two dogs and a cat somewhere in Connecticut by the age of twelve

Get dumped into the hunt

Chill on Mount Olympus and only come down to be a nuisance and/or give a cryptic message before going back and doing a godly rave party or something

We know Annabeth as the badass strong female first (or the bitchy character we’re supposed to actually like. Choose your approach), the blueprint so to speak, so some of the other characters feel almost pale in comparison and almost not needed? Doesn’t mean that other characters can’t behave similarly, but it feels kind of redundant especially if their character arcs end in a rather anticlimactic way (Thalia, Reyna). The new additions are the much needed woc as the main story with PJO was inherently white (anyway stan black!Percy and Grover, folks). So it’s not to bash on the new characters, it’s more Riordan’s fault more than anything.

Since Riordan only knows three female character arcs it feels like he tried to copy the formula several ways with different nuances. Some more or less successful. This is where fandom actually comes in handy and helps create more distinguished and fleshed out characters in form of headcanons or fanfiction.

But even in these cases people still make it about Annabeth when it’s time for characters of colors to shine. Remember that whole spiel and discussion that broke out when people (Kal, diver-up, Caitlyn, Bee, reynaisalesbian, etc.) joked about or criticized that Annabeth thinks that she’s having it harder because she’s a blonde? In front of Hazel and Piper? If she would’ve been a real person that’s an invitation for getting decked. And then all hell broke loose because Annabeth stans couldn’t accept the fact that in the real world and/or in fictional worlds the woc/coc have it harder? That the white woman wasn’t the victim that needed the coddling? Yeah, that was mad pathetic.

I hope you people get my point?

Well fuck. I wrote so many things and have the feeling I’ve said nothing. Anyway, I hope I made sense. This is way too long.

TLDR: Chill about Annabeth please. She’s an important character but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to like her, regardless of being a character in the books or a reader/fan of PJO in real life. She isn’t nice or a sweetheart all the time. She also isn’t the monstrous asshole that some try to make out of her.

Peace out.

[the-ghost-king]

So I'm not going to start like an Anti-Chiron tag because I don't find that enjoyable personally, but every so often people ask why I dislike him so here's essentially a "masterpost" of my thoughts on that situation for when anyone asks, just so I have it to explain some...

This isn't nearly a full list, and there's many more "incidents" that make me less than fond of Chiron, I don't hate the old man but he leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I'm not a fan of that. He's a very twisted character.

- The Lightning Thief

This quote is literally just after Percy's mom "dies", they're all sitting on the porch of the Big House right after he's finally woken up after days of sleeping, and that's the line Chiron pulls out on him.

That's straight up emotional manipulation which was entirely unnecessary in the context of what Chiron was trying to explain. There wasn't a single reason for that, in the slightest.

Immediately following that, and Percy, who canonically has anger issues, does his best to remain calm, he is immediately threatened by Dionysus, and Chiron doesn't even tell Dionysus off for doing that; Chiron just let's it happen. It's Grover who has to speak up to tell Dionysus off...

The only reason Chiron comes out looking like a old guy in this scene is because Dionysus was so much worse in his behavior, at one point intimidating Percy with his power over madness.

- The Titan's Curse

This is the aftermath of when Nico ran away upon confirmation of Bianca's death. When Percy is telling Chiron about the situation, Chiron wishes Nico had been eaten alive rather than recruited into an army.

He'd rather a child be dead than fight against him, and he openly tells this to other children he's in charge of. If Percy went missing would he have said "I hope he was eaten <3" as well?

I don't blame Perry for not delivering the truth here, it was done in an effort to protect Nico; which wasn't something Annabeth had planned on doing... I don't blame Annabeth for that though either, she's been beneath Chiron so long that she probably doesn't realize the shady stuff he does, and to her "going to tell" probably was the "right" move because she was a child...

But the fact that Chiron believes Nico truly would be better off eaten than alive :/

- Tower of Nero

This quote from Tower of Nero shows that Chiron lied to a bunch of young children (most of them were young because the older campers are largely dead because of the war or too old for camp now). It wasn't just a little white lie that adults sometimes tell kids either; they were walking into battle and he told them it was a field trip.

Did he even begin to explain the danger he was putting these kids in? Did the children understand their situation? And how dangerous it was?

Kayla has been blindsided over the years into thinking that telling children they're going on a field trip instead of fighting a battle is something to make a joke of and not be questioned... (Again, I don't blame her she's only like 12 in the book, but still)

Apollo also agrees, which isn't on Chiron but it's a whole mother reason why I can't stand Rick's interpretation of Apollo...

<><><><><>

This isn't me being like "oh Chiron is the worst most evil character ever" I just think that he has numerous flaws which are largely ignored in favor of the "perfect wise teacher" narrative when in fact Chiron and Dumbledore share a lot of.. Offputting qualities.

I do think that some of the situation is simply a result of Chiron having his hands tied behind his back by the gods some. And he even goes so far as to confirm this in a scene of TLT

However many of the scenes in which he exhibits behaviors like that in my first three screenshots are not related to anything the gods require and are, in fact, of Chiron's own free will.

Some things I would blame Zeus and the council for, such as how he withholds information from Percy to an excessive amount for long periods of time even when Percy straight up asks about things. I could easily see that being Zeus trying to prevent Percy from claiming the prophecy as his own, and I could see reasoning that maybe Chiron had sworn over the River Styx or something similar.

But those things don't apply to Chiron making such an unnecessary comment about Percy's mother so close to her "death". It doesn't explain why he would say he hoped Nico had been eaten out loud, and it doesn't cover the fact that he led children into a battlefield without telling them that's what was happening.

I think the context of Chiron's choices and comments would be different if the campers were older. If they were in their late teens or early twenties for the most part, I wouldn't really have much to say about how Chiron handled the situation.

But this man is in charge of children and extremely young teenagers, Percy is only 12 in TLT, maybe if he would have been 16 or 17 then I could give Chiron a pass, but he wasn't. Within the context of the comment he made in the Titan's Curse, Percy is only 14 and Nico is 10 at the beginning of the book... You don't wish a 10 year old had been eaten alive by a monster no matter how bad you think the alternative is, and if you do wish that you don't say it out loud to a group of other children. In the battle from Tower of Nero we get a quick look at the battlefield, and although Ben's age, and the age of another girl fighting alongside him are never confirmed they are implied to be fairly young, and we know Kayla is only 12 at the time too; yet Chiron told them it was a field trip instead of a battle, limiting the time they would have to mentally prepare themselves for what was coming.

On top of that, the nods the reader gets to the fact that Chiron can't act out against the gods depletes over the course of the series. After TLT the amount of times the situation involves the gods interfering with what Chiron is allowed to say lessens, and by the time the Heroes of Olympus series comes around, these limitations on his speech is almost entirely gone. Yet as seen in Tower of Nero he still does morally questionable things in regards to how he treats the campers.

Like I said, I recognize that in many scenes Chiron's hands are tied behind his back because of the gods.. But there are undeniably things he does of his own free will that are, in the nicest manner, very :/

This also isn't a full list of comparisons just a few notable scenes. I don't think Chiron is equally as bad as Dumbledore, but I think it undeniable that Chiron has some significant flaws built into his character design.

A good character has flaws, and there's nothing wrong with having a character that doesn't always conduct themselves properly or have good intentions- it's actually good writing, and I can appreciate that, but for some reason I find myself personally rubbed the wrong way by Chiron. This doesn't make Chiron badly written, or poorly designed, in fact I would say Rick's Chiron is very well designed in lots of ways, but I just don't like how it's never acknowledged by anyone in the series.

Like I said, I'm not starting an anti-Chiron situation, I just think little events like those mentioned, the way he's built a child army, and how he doesn't even try to plead with the gods over raising the ages on campers being allowed to battle is a little sus. But it more so bothers me that there's no attention payed to this problem anywhere in the books, not even by a side character or Luke, nowhere.

I don't actually care that much and this isn't that important to me, but sometimes people ask why I don't like Chiron and this is basically just my explanation to hand off to them... It's not even so much that I dislike Chiron entirely, he's well written and has his "good" moments, I just don't like the way other characters interact with him and his actions.

It's more a personal beef with him rather than an aspect of poor writing or him "being bad"... PJO in general (and HoO/ToA to a much lesser extent) shows that there's not such an inherent good vs bad in the world, and that sometimes people are victims of circumstances in some situations, or they're horribly misguided in their actions, but the series does a good job of showing those people as human still, and I applaud that.

I don't really know how to tie this up in its entirety, but there's nothing wrong with having a morally grey character who does questionable things and in many aspects it is good writing. I think Chiron is a result of Rick not thinking through the implications what he's doing in lots of situations, and I can see a fairly consistent drop in Chiron's characterization from PJO-ToA which is consistent with most other aspects of Rick's work.

I also want to clarify that if you like Chiron and disagree with me, that's absolutely 110% okay, I just personally dislike Chiron and that's on me. Like my problem with many of Rick's other immortal characters, I think he missed important aspects of them in some manner and slightly (or entirely in some cases) mischaracterized them in comparison to their original myths.. Some of these characters he came around on and fixed their character in many aspects to their more "correct" characterization (like Hera), while others (like Chiron and Apollo) he never quite figured them out. Which is a running complaint I have with Rick so I'm just adding this to his tab.

But yeah, I don't hate Chiron I just dislike him and those are different things, and I don't think it's a bad thing to have a morally questionable character, Chiron just personally rubs me the wrong way and I just wanted to explain that more fully because I've been asked about it multiple times.

Also I apologize for not adding a [read more] to this, it's a complaint of mine often when scrolling through the tags but I'm on mobile currently and don't have immediate access to a computer so~

[zukkacore]

i didn’t know people were being racist shits in their sokka depictions ?? Also why would people portray him as dumb did they even watch the show? ugh, i feel the same about lance from voltron (those two guys rlly remind me so much of each other) but in voltron the show itself treated lance like trash so i can at least see where the confusion comes from. i’ve only seen one season of atla but love sokka with all my heart and have heard he got a gr8 arc ahead of him

Yeah ngl my exposure to it has been thankfully minimal (I’m picky abt which Atla ppl I follow ngl) but I still see & hear abt it on Twitter and shit & here too. Idk ppl treat him purely as flat comic relief which is so dumb bc imo he has the second best arc in the show (like, after zuko) & has some of the most obvious growth? He’s clearly brilliant and necessary to the dynamic of the gaang bc he’s a strategist & an innovator and incredibly resourceful and creative. Sokka’s idea of a “vacation” was to go to the library! I literally have no idea where ppl get these horrible ideas abt him being useless and stupid are, I rly think they’re just buying into their own racist biases. Or they take the most offhand gags and assume that’s his entire personality and ignore any contributions he makes to the gaang. Like, he’s not the best artist, or he forgets Toph is blind sometimes & for some reason this gives ppl cart blanche to act like he’s an idiot.

(Actually I have a theory abt this bc I think ppl just have a lack of understanding or empathy for characters that display adhd traits whether coded or stated canonically, just look at the way everyone is HORRIBLE to Percy Jackson or Leo as an example & mischaracterize both of them as stupid when rly they’re both smart they’re just kinda out-of-sight-out of mind type ppl. Sokka can be selectively forgetful and he just can’t help that! He’s not always the best communicator, oh mood)

I’ve joked abt him being dense before but it’s with the caveat that he’s mostly just a dumbass in the way most teenage boys are dumbasses? Like, i call Zuko a dumbass too but they’re both smart, they’re literally just both teenagers and teenagers have some real brainrot moments. Really It’s nice when Sokka gets to be childish & silly honestly (bc ppl mischaracterize him as all sunshine too which is not the case like he’s cynical and snarky but he also paints rainbows into scenes when there aren’t any!)!He’s a 15 yr old traumatized by imperialism, he deserves moments of playfulness. But ppl take moments of him getting an actual childhood as signs that he’s “immature”.

(People treat Katara in a similar way, honestly they’re probably worse to her bc she’s also a girl & misogyny in fandom is nothing new they just depict her in the flattest way possible like she’s nothing more than a motherly figure.)

Also bring up the show that shall not be named to me omg. Bc I’ll have a chip on my shoulder abt the v-slur forever bc I ADORE Lance McClain (Lance 🤝 me = Latines w inexplicably white last names) but that show treated him like garbage and I am STILL heated abt it, but so did the fans. The show had no idea what to do w him but he was like weirdly important to me for a show that I now hold so much hostility for in my heart of hearts

Ppl just don’t know how to write or sympathize w (bisexual) brown boys & I would say idk why but I think we know the answer. All they do is get reduced to jokes and their intelligence gets diminished. But the think abt Sokka is that he IS a well written character and sadly that’s rare as hel. Ppl wanna fit zvkka into their fav cliche mlm conventions so bad but like they’re both PEOPLE, they’re both interesting people with rich characterization and I think they would have a genuine connection based on common interests & complimentary temperaments. The fact that Sokka and Zuko can both be grumps is actually something I rly like abt the pairing! The fact that they’re both nerds who have an appreciation for the arts! the fact that they have parallels in their arcs as they cope w feeling inferior to their prodigy sisters! And there ARE fans who I know treat the relationship w respect and nuance (lol, fans of color) but we have to get lumped in w ppl who I don’t feel like I any affiliation with & openly critique (& imo zvkka as a ship w a bad reputation isn’t comparable to a case like r*ylo bc even tho I didn’t see any chill r*ylos anyway, I think willfully ignoring Finn/John Boyega’s importance to the sequels trilogy & enabling or outright contribution to his harassment & willingly associating w a fandom like that is causing harm to an real black person irl. Zvkka has it’s problematic implications bc Zuko is a former colonizer but bc they’re fictional characters I think there’s a way it can be handled more ethically than others, but way too many ppl don’t give a shit abt that and just indulge in ya kno, racism)

[moonlit-maiden]

On Nico di Angelo, "Pairing the Spare" and How to Shaft a Complex Character in Less Than 500 Pages

This will be long. Strap in. This is long overdue.

So more longtime followers of mine may already know this but I adore Nico di Angelo from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. They also know I continue to eastly, to this day, about how he was handled at the end of the Heroes of Olympus series. Now, I've never fully delved into the 'why's and I will do so now as it's probably best to actually articulate it at some point instead of continually lamenting it without presenting rationale.

First: WHY do I love his character so much? It all boils down to shared/similar experiences for social ostracization. Growing up, I was quickly pushed out of social circles due to who my parents were; immigrants. Simply existing with the ethnicity and cultural heritage I had labeled me as untouchable. To sum it up succinctly; white but not the "right" kind of white. Keep in mind this was at the end of the Cold War; attitudes towards Slavic peoples were poor as hell. Fuck, they still are 30 years later! Nico is ousted due to his heritage too; being a Hades child. It's not something he chose nor controlled. He himself did nothing wrong to any of the campers yet when word got out they pushed him away. The same happened to me. As soon as the school kids and/or parents realized my parents were Slavic immigrants they shoved me out. It still hurts to this day. As such, I can deeply empathize with Nico.

Why does this matter? Because that blanket social rejections fucks people up. Nico is shown throughout the series to be distrustful, preferring to isolate himself. He has been shown time and time again he is unwanted due to being a Hades child. Eventually you just... stop trying. When you beat a dog enough times it stops coming around. This is the same thing. In addition, Nico has lost his elder sister, Bianca. The one person he felt understood him because she, too, was similar to him. Now I have Opinions on Bianca that would piss off 99% of the fandom but it's irrelevant here. Her death occurs shorts before or after it's revealed Nico is a Child of Hades. He is 10 years old with no one and the whole camp rejects him. It's a cruel thing to do to someone no matter how much you try and justify it. Rick did an incredible job highlighting how racism, ethnocentrism and bullying harms a child. Nico immediately became my favorite for this and I applauded Rick for having the balls to shine a very uncomfortable light on a situation similar to mine. A situation, I'm very sure many first generation or immigrant kids can relate to.

So where did it all go wrong? To be blunt, Blood of Olympus. Now, the final volume of the HHO series is a hot mess in general. Almost ALL characters get shafted on way or another with mischaracterization, simplification or backtracker on character growth. Not to mention the plot feels very slapdash and messy at times. But again, another subject. We see Reyna and Coach Hedge start to really get to know Nico and realize the extent at how bad his abuse has been at the hands of monsters and demigods alike. Neither feels this is right and shows it as best they can while respecting Nico's boundaries. In the previous book, House of Hades, Jason does the same thing. But then we finally get back to Camp Half Blood and shit falls apart for Nico's arc.

It's plainly obvious to anyone who's ready the series in full that Nico is traumatized, even moreso then most of the cast. He has been physically tortured multiple times, psychologically tortured by the camp and emotionally manipulated by several individuals. Keep in mind, by HOO, Nico is roughly 14. Fourteen. Can you even image how that feels?! He's only just now, after Jason, Hazel and Reyna's persistence that they will not hurt him, that they genuinely care for his well being, that they don't care about his heritage (and don't care about his sexuality, from Jason specifically). And then Will appears and Nico magically forgets 4 years of pining for Percy. It's so jarring, like a screeching record! This is when we enter the issue.

In writing, there are many rules. Like all rules, they can be bent of broken under certain circumstances. The rule in question is the 'pair the spare' rule. The rule states that if the pain cast has paired off, do not pair of the "spare" aka the odd man out unless it's been led up to. Rick chose to ignore this rule and pair Nico with Will, citing that as a canon LGBT character, he wanted to send the message to LGBT kids that they were worthy of love. This in itself is not a bad message. What IS bad is execution. First, Will is a background character. He very much has potential, don't get me wrong! But outside of having a few minor scenes in final volume of the PJO series, Will has only ever been mentioned in passing. From what we've seen, he and Nico have never interacted. On top of that, Will who is a healer, completely dismisses Nico's trauma. This is a very big red flag. When someone is traumatized, particularly psychologically, the absolute last thing to do is to dismiss the experience as "teen angst" like Will does. It shows absolute disrespect for Nico as a human being. And he is a healer. He should know better. In addition, Nico himself is not fond of the dismissive personality Will is displaying, the 'I'm going to tell you what to do' persona because he's a doctor so 'doctor knows best'. And in Nico's POV he says as much in his inner monologue! Yet he's "drawn to him". I'm sorry, but I call bullshit. Nico has been shown in 9 1/2 books to be quite smart, paranoid about social intentions due to past experiences and won't take crap from no one, not even his own father, the Lord of the (fucking) Underworld. Yet he'll just grit his teeth and basically follow Will's lead with little complaint? It's so out of character it's jarring and painful.

We briefly see Nico and Will in the first Trials of Apollo book. They're acting like the normal couple with Nico being the "sassy, snarky" one of the pair. Please note it's been 6-8months since the end of BOO, in-universe. In this one scene it completely erases Nico's trauma, very valid feelings of distrust and hurt, his struggle with both his heritage and his sexuality, his years-long unrequited love for Percy, his grief over his sister and his struggle to make connections with his fellow demigods. Love is powerful but its not a cure-all. It doesn't make the years of hurt and abuse magically disappear (trust me. I know.) and it doesn't change someone's personality to well-adjusted.

Pairing Nico with Will at the end of BOO completely destroys his characterization from a writing standpoint. All the real struggle, grief and unpleasant consequences of abusing and bullying people who are "other" in socially-acceptable ways is wiped away in less then 50 pages. It also send a very VERY dangerous message to LGBT youth; find someone you're attracted to and they'll fix you. That's a toxic message to tell to straight kids so why the fuck would you tell it to LGBT kids!? Unlike most LGBT character in literature that I can tell are shoehorned it, Nico was planned to be gay from the start, I have no issue with this. What I do have issue with is throwing his character out the window so he can chase some cute blond ass. Nico deserves better then that as a character. People who suffered socially-acceptable abuse deserve better then that. Immigrants and first-generation kids deserved better then that. LGBT youth deserved better then that.

THAT is why I keep getting so pissed; Rick took a genuinely complex character and fucked him over so he could lazily pair the spare and not be accused of leaving the only canonically gay character single. But there is a reason 'do not pair the spare' is a rule. It's better to leave a character single then slapdashedly pair them up. This goes double for characters who have trauma in their life and trauma is a serious issue that should be respectfully addressed. Love is powerful. Love helps to heal. But the love of family (Hazel) or budding friends (Jason and Reyna) is just as important, valid and send a powerful message. It sends the message 'you are not alone. You are worthy of love. You are a human worthy of regarding of both your experiences and your fears.' Pairing Will with Nico completely and utterly stomps on this message. It sends horrible signals to LGBT youth and scraps his complex character into the token goth gay boy. And Nico di Angelo deserves better then what he was given.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[arkhamarchitecture]

ok so "The Ioun Post You Knew Was Coming" is A+, but it is just Insane to me how many people are replying to it with absolutely groundless counter-arguments. SO many skewed interpretations, SO much mischaracterization of Percy I don't even know where to start. I just.....I imagine you must be frustrated :P

I’m ignoring most of them tbh. I wrote it based on my opinion and the reasons why I personally don’t like it (tl;dr: because it was a decision on Matt’s part based more on the out-of-game logistics of needing a god for scanlan and none of the other gods fitting scanlan at all, rather than scanlan actually being a better choice for ioun than percy). No part of that post was intended to change other people’s minds.

I’ve seen multiple responses along the lines of “Well at least Scanlan only keeps secrets about personal stuff instead of world changing dangers,” which misses the point so badly its in another area code entirely.

I also just had someone accuse Percy of mass producing guns and keeping them for Whitestone, which - nope, he did not do that. All the guns used by the riflemen are the ones picked up from Ripley. Percy has not made a new gun since Bad News. Percy also started teaching soldiers in Whitestone how to use them when the city was under potential threat of being attacked by several ancient dragons and he would have thus been a complete idiot for throwing away something that could help defend his city.

He has since maintained their training because there’s no reason not to. The secret of guns is out there in the world. There’s nothing Percy can do about it. Ripley spread that shit far and wide. But it’s insane to argue that “Well since people out there in the world know about it, Percy should spread it even more.”

What world do you live in where “More Guns” has ever been the solution to “Guns?”