#because of the hephaestus pic. just in case

[thedreamsofgods]

I have some uhhh, grievances. With how Hephaestus looks in Hades 2. And I'm trying to find the best way to phrase this, but I make no promises that I'll manage, because I just flat out don't know how to say what I'm trying to say. In short, I think Hephaestus should've been given facial differences.

So theres a lot of different versions of Hephaestus like with any greek god, and as such, there's a lot of different takes on how different parts of his life ago, including his birth. In some myths, he's born a healthy baby and thrown off Olympus when he's older, which injures him and leaves him permanently disabled, and that seems to be the version of events Supergiant went with, and I'm actually mad that they did? Because in the other versions, Hephaestus is born visibly disabled. Some versions refer to him as "lame"(he walks with a noticable limp, he was possibly born with clubfoot which would mean the limp was assumed at birth, though some myths suggest the limp was gained later in life), others call him "ugly", a lot of the terminology is either outdated or completely avoided because asking people to confront disability without being rude about it is too much I guess. Upon seeing the way her child looks, Hera throws him off of Olympus for being born visibly disabled. The landing further disables him in most versions of the story.

And talking around the unpleasant parts of the subject is what bugs me about his Hades 2 design.

Yes, he is visibly disabled, as in he lost his leg at some point, probably in the fall from Olympus, and he uses a wheelchair because of his prosthetic leg. But... that's it. Supergiant had a genuine good chance to depict someone with visible differences that are often looked down on and to make a character just as gorgeous as everyone else. They had the opportunity to make a very handsome man with any sort of facial differences, and they didn't for seemingly no reason. No cleft palate, no cranial differences, no vitiligo, no birthmarks, no asymmetries at all? Not even visible back problems, something many myths specify him having? They didn't even give him any scars or burns when he's the god of the forge???

There was so much room to represent a group of disabled people that rarely if ever get to see themselves depicted as attractive in the game series known for having attractive people. It's hard to not feel like Hephaestus was designed the way he is because of the developer's reputation as the attractive characters game studio. The leg and the wheelchair are well done and he represents that particular disability very well but... that's not the only disability he should represent, and it feels downright cowardly that that's the only disability he represents? I get not wanting to make Hera out to be as terrible as the myths make her out to be, but I just feel deeply disappointed with this Hephaestus design. For as careful as they were with all the gods in the first game and with all the little details and obscure touches they've paid attention to previously, they either didn't do nearly enough here, or they willingly left out so much.

If anyone in this fandom knows of a way to reach out to the developers privately with this sort of feedback, I'd appreciate it. I don't feel even remotely comfortable trying to leave this sort of feedback on a public platform outside of tumblr, and I'm really trusting yall on here to be normal about this on here. I'm putting this in the tags in the hopes that it'll reach someone who can either help me contact Supergiant or who is willing to brave the public forums and feedback locations in my stead.

[Here's a link] to a post talking about the positives of his wheelchair and leg design as a palate cleanser.

[deliciousobservationbird]

Reddoons is not Ares coded I’m sorry

So I was watching the Ozzaworld stream (ft. Acho) where they worked together to place people in the different cabins that exist within the Percy Jackson world. This was their final tier-list. 

There’s many of their choices I agree with, many I disagree with, but there’s none that I would disagree with more than Reddoons in Ares and boy am I ready to state my case.

Why am I doing this? What are my qualifications?

Well, dissertation writing is boring and I was a Percy Jackson kid, so I'm essentially entirely justified to do this.

Firstly, their logic of placing people was as follows: they tended to focus more on the creator’s persona and content for the sake of ease, and also so the stream didn’t last forever. This resulted in choices such as Martyn InTheLittleWood as being in Hephaestus, MythicalSausage in Hermes, and Guqqie in Apollo. Regardless of how accurate these choices are, it remains that they were made because of stream content and the streamer’s online persona.

When it came time to decide on a cabin for Redd, Ozzaworld hovered over his pic and said “Reddoons.. I’m assuming this is all you” to Acho, although admitting that if he had to pick for Redd, despite his only knowledge being some clips mainly from Pirates SMP, he “think[s] PVP and I think Ares”, before following it up with a disclaimer that “I’m sure there’s more nuance to them than that”. 

Acho starts his ranking by saying how big of a personality Redd has and that although they’ve met, it was at TwitchCon which is perhaps not the best metric to discover someone’s “true” personality. Acho quickly admits that Redd is just so Ares-coded in his type of content (“I also think of PVP cause he’s a little sweat”), and that it’s so easy to place him as being in the Ares cabin that he was tempted to place him in Zeus with KyleEff. They discuss a little further but ultimately decide that “Zeus would work but [Reddoons] had to be in Ares”.

I would agree with them on a lot of the things they said but in my opinion, the final conclusion they came to was not the right one. 

For example, when placing Jojo in Ares, they didn’t hesitate in her placement at all and mentioned her being the first port-au-call when it came to getting mentoring in PVP within their content creator space. Her skills and enjoyment in fighting characterises her as an Ares cabin resident. The difference with Reddoons is, the way you see him fight is different. Sure, Reddoons enjoys fighting but often (at least on Lifesteal), he spends his time avoiding fights unless he’s certain he can win them. I could see him as a child of Mars, yes, but a child of Ares leaves out some of the biggest motivations in his persona: self-preservation and pragmatism.

If you watch some of his older One Try SMP videos it’s shocking how loony tunes his logic is, and how well it works for him. Yet, all throughout he doesn’t forget the deadly nature of the server and however wacky his hijinks are, he is still constantly refining his plans and changing up his strategy.

I’d be more inclined (out of the options immediately available) to place him in the Athena cabin due to his skill at battlefield strategy rather than his raw PVP skill. However, in light of watching him work his way through Midmysticx’s ARG... Let's just say that I also have some doubt about that placement.

Athena leaves out the greed that is inherent within his persona (and all others but his persona’s greed is all-consuming). His hubris would be pride, overestimating his skill and underestimating others, maybe not accounting for those he doesn’t think of as threats, but he’s not 100% an Athena kid. I also wouldn’t be too inclined to place him in Zeus, as there’s an aspect of natural leadership implied there —the children of Zeus establish themselves as natural leaders, even in unfamiliar situations with people they don't know well— and Reddoons is a self-proclaimed hater of social situations. He does well in them, but that doesn’t erase how much time he spent in Pirates talking to the NPCs instead of other players.

It’s a shame that Ozzaworld and Acho didn’t cover Hades or Nike in their rankings because those are the two I’d probably lean towards, other than Athena. Reddoons is all strategy and skill but those are due to him “being a little sweat” and his relentless drive towards his goals. Hades covering both wealth and death is convenient as it merges his monetary greed (as expressed on Lifesteal and Pirates) and the ever present nature of mortality in all his characters. Nike is a lot more self-indulgent and (considering my criteria) would fit a lot of the other members of Lifesteal, but his self-preservation in Lifesteal leads to this obsessive need to always come out on top no matter what. He does try to make the wisest decisions on the battlefield but also clearly has the impulse to attempt a risky move, to risk it for a victory he seeks. Also his Blockwars records. Man’s a winner.

I guess my ranking would probably be as follows:

One Try SMP: Ares

Outsiders SMP: Hades

Earthbound SMP: Nike

Lifesteal SMP: Nike 

Blockwars: Nike

Pirates SMP: Hades

So technically, I think Nike wins but I’m tempted towards Hades because of the whole death theme. A Lifesteal fan is a fan of death symbolism, go figure ig.

Either way, I’d argue his aptitude and enjoyment of battle does mean that whilst the Ares cabin makes sense, those are, in fact, the side effects of his bigger motivators in terms of self-preservation, greed, and an overall desire of victory. Also Ozzaworld and Acho’s stream was super fun so check it out if you like Percy Jackson lol.

[ghostking1]

I don’t really know what you’re into but I asked some of my other percico shipper friends and we made a list of some of our favs :)

•|| Five Times Percy Broke His Phone and The One Time It Wasn't His Fault ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29524128

• Percy/Nico

• Rated G

• one-shot

• Words: 5,726

Summary:

As punishment for blowing up the Legions armory Leo is sentenced to work in phone repair for the camps. Normally this wouldn't be too bad, phones these days are pretty bulletproof. Unfortunately, he hasn't thought of the extraordinary circumstances Poseidon’s favored son tends to regularly find himself in. This is one battle the Son of Hephaestus is determined to win. Olympus helped him.

•|| Breaking the Ice ||•

https://www.deviantart.com/leukanthes/art/Breaking-the-Ice-Slash-287857101

• Percy/Nico

• no rating, but I guess G bordering T (?)

• one-shot

• Words: 2,574

[No Summary]

•|| Could Never Imagine ||•

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10703658/1/Could-Never-Imagine

• Nico/Percy

• Rating: T

• 46 chapters

• Words: 103k+

Summary: The war is over Annabeth chose to leave camp to allow her soul to heal, leaving a distraught Percy behind. Soon enough though the girls at camp are coming-on to the twice savior of Olympus. Percy however has no intention of finding a new girlfriend. So how will he get them to leave him be? It's a good thing Nico is around.

•|| Family Dinner ||•

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5439187/1/Family-Dinner

• Nico/Percy

• Rating: T

• one-shot/1 chapter

• Words: 6k+

Summary: The fancy invite card read: Welcome to our new home! Please join Percy Jackson and Nico di Angelo's housewarming dinner. Please do not feel the need to bring anything. Dinner begins at 6:00pm. The address is 38501 Sunshine Lane, Long Island.

•|| Can I Clear My Conscience? ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1250188

• Nico/Percy

• Rating: T

• one shot/1 chapter

• Words: 12,222

Summary:

Death Touch: Nico’s powers have gone out of control and he’s killing living beings with a single touch. The only one who can save him is Percy.

•|| Revival ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19287157/chapters/45872164

• Nico/Percy

• Rating: Explicit

• 4 chapters (complete)

• Words: 28,903

Summary:

After the events of The Titan's Curse Nico finds himself struggling to live on the streets. Exhausted, he recklessly uses his powers to take him somewhere safe. He ends up in an unfamiliar cabin and too weak to do anything else he decides to spend the night.

Percy still feels guilty about Bianca's death. He searched and searched for Nico but was unable to find him. Something is sending him visions of the boy though as if to tell him to go find him. At last Nico ends up in a familiar looking place and Percy seeks him out. What follows is something neither of them expected.

•|| on top of the world ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1184790

• Nico/Percy

• Rating: T

• one-shot/1 chapter

• Words: 16,175

Summary:

In which Gaea wins and Percy breaks another promise to Nico, and surprisingly, Nico doesn't mind.

•|| The world will never take my heart ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1712186/chapters/3646085#workskin

Summary:

where Percy and Annabeth break up, and Percy convinces Nico to move in with him and attend Goode

•|| Sensory Love ||•

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12454985/1/Hitome-Chan-s-Sensory-Love

•Rating: M

•words: 237+

Summary:

Mortal AU where Percy and Nico are best friends, but Nico’s feelings run deeper than that.

•|| Coding and Codeine ||•

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12457018/1/Hitome-Chan-s-Coding-And-Codeine

Summary:

post apocalypse mortal AU where Nico meets Percy in a near dead world, and the two travel the US and fall in love

•|| Seasons Change ||•

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/7838989/1/

Summary:

Mortal AU where in Nico and Percy were friends since they were little, but they had a falling out. Nico never recovered from Percy's rejection and neither did Percy. Through a twist of fate, they get a second chance

•|| The love we miss ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1087406

Summary:

Canon divergent fic where Annabeth is killed during the days following the second war

•|| World Traverls ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649647

Summary:

a series of amazing fics by awanderingmuse which follow an older Percy and Nico

•|| Kiss a boy in Tokyo town ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/337259

Summary:

Japan becomes the new location for camp half blood after the fall of the United States.Nico comes to visit percy in Japan

while annabeth is still in the US and things transpire

•|| Tribulations ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2061345

Summary:

Percy and Nico are caught in an argument between two goddesses and are put to the test. They must prove the strength of their bond to survive or lose their freedom forever.

•ll When the river meets the sea ll•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1171134

Summary:

Nico di Angelo should be his best friend. He looks over, meeting Nico’s eyes; Nico, who looks patient and a little embarrassed for some reason, and he thinks, why isn’t he?

Or: Wherein Nico has an incurable case of being a martyr, Percy grows to hate The Muppets, and Poseidon surprises the both of them with a bouncing baby demigod.

•|| Fire escapes and friendships ||•

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17810015/chapters/42019895

Summary:

“So it’s safe to assume you’re the reason she’s stalking around like she’s just sucked a bag of lemons.”

“She called me today.”

“And?”

“She just wanted to chew my ear off. You know, for ruining all her hard work and design for your cabin. And then for suggesting to Chiron that she shouldn’t be allowed to help with the refurbishment.”

Or where Percy and Nico burn the injustice that is the Hades cabin and Percy takes the blame.

Christmas parties, confessions and cozy death traps

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27748753/chapters/67921453

Summary:

Ah, Christmas! That magical time of year where goodwill permeates the air, gifts are exchanged, and demigods question if they'll be smote down for singing the less secular Christmas carols! But as Nico will soon find out there are far more nefarious threats than carols this joyous time of year, a threat, in the form of an ugly Christmas sweater.

||• percico authors to support ||•

Likegallows

https://archiveofourown.org/users/likegallows/pseuds/likegallows

Bobinthecomments

https://archiveofourown.org/users/BobInTheComments/pseuds/BobInTheComments

Awanderingmuse

https://archiveofourown.org/users/awanderingmuse/pseuds/awanderingmuse

Midnightinjapan

https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightinJapan

anitstar_e(Kailamahine)

https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaikamahine/pseuds/antistar_e

Let me know if you need more~ :)

First of all, thank you so much for these pics. All of these were disgustingly good, like extremely disgustingly good, and I enjoyed them all immensely. But, I figured you'd want to hear my thoughts on them, and because I wanted to share my thoughts on them, so here they are :D

•|| Five Times Percy Broke His Phone and The One Time It Wasn't His Fault ||• -Amazing, a 10/10, one of my favorites, short enough that my attention span never got me distracted, great writing

•|| Breaking the Ice ||• -Another great one, this one blew me away

•|| Could Never Imagine ||• -I loved this one because it showed all of Nico's insecurities

•|| Family Dinner ||• -sooooo cute

•|| Can I Clear My Conscience? ||• -this one was kind of sad but a great healing fic

•|| Revival ||• -showed the Nico living on the streets that we never saw, very well done

•|| on top of the world ||• -dangerous situation where all hope is lost and they can only lean on one another? sign me up

•|| The world will never take my heart ||• -this was a fun fic to read

•|| Sensory Love ||• -this was pretty good, but it had cheating themes which made it hard for me to absolutely adore

•|| Coding and Codeine ||• -loved this au

•|| Seasons Change ||• -this one was a little harder to swallow, it had mature themes in it and there was cheating involved, and I always have a harder time with that

•|| The love we miss ||• -*chef's kiss*

•|| World Traverls ||• -so cute, i love this au, it’s like that could actually happen in the canon book series

•|| Kiss a boy in Tokyo town ||• -percy jackson + japan? yes please

•|| Tribulations ||• -love, love, love, love, loved it

•ll When the river meets the sea ll• -a work of art

•|| Fire escapes and friendships ||• -I really like the change in pov, this fic was really well done

•|| Christmas parties, confessions and cozy death traps ||• -loved embarrassed Nico and the creepy ending

And all the authors you recommended are great! :D

Thank you so much for all your recommendations, they were really fun to read!