#he's pretty important to the Underworld arc

[sorrinslays]

Belobog Roleswap AU

So this is a small thingamaching I've been thinking about sometimes. Truthfully, I just saw some versions of the same concept and while they were certainly interesting, they weren't really my style. So, I decided to try and make my own version.

To start off, I wanna say that I gave myself a few 'rules' to keep it consistent and whatnot. Specifically, I want it to be a true roleswap, so that means no true personality changes, at least not when it's unnecessary. The roleswap should make sense, like it should be able to happen realistically. Nobody expect the people of Belobog are roleswaped.

So I'll start by who we meet first and work my way down until we get all the characters.

We meet Gepard first. He is a petty thief/vigilante that fights fragmentum in his free time, mostly because nobody is willing to offer him a job. At some point, his parents were arrested for really huge crimes (up to interpretation). Due both Gepard and Serval being over the age of eighteen, they are in legal care of Lynx.

They have trouble finding a job due to their reputation and moved to the Underworld because the rent is cheaper. Soon they are forced to steal to get by. When the Underworld was sealed off, Gepard was in the Overworld, pickpocketing, separating him from his sisters. So, for ten years, he was forced to do petty crime to survive, abandoning his "dream" of becoming a Silvermane Guard.

All that changes when the Astral Express comes to Jarillo VI. After the Supreme Guardian "becomes suspicious" of the trailblazers, Sampo comes to Gepard, offering to show him one of the secret pathways to the Underworld. In exchange Gepard has to be the guide for the Express. (Sampard/Gepo fans rejoice, a canon interaction!)

Of course Gepard accepts. So when Seele is chasing after the trailblazers, Sampo sends a few smoke bombs and, with Gepard's help, gets them to the Underworld, reuniting the Landau siblings.

Next, we see Sampo and Luka. Sampo is the Captain of the Silvermane Guards. He's still a Masked Fool but after coming to Jarilo VI and seeing that the role of the Captain is basically empty (the old one is on his last breath) he decides to take up the role.

The first impression we have of him is that he is one lazy Captain. Always slacking off and "going with the flow". He doesn't do his paperwork or listen to anyone all that much. He kinda does his own thing and bothers everyone.

He's still the only one who can travel between the Overworld and the Underworld freely, but he does so in secret, behind the Supreme Guardian's back. He is still helping the leader of Wildfire and he's still the one to plan everything behind the scenes.

We learn that he's the one who got us to the Underworld through Gepard when Seele almost kills him.

When we get back to the Overworld, he greets us and we have to hold Seele from trying to murder him. He doesn't outright reveal anything but he does tell us that more soldiers have been dying under Natasha's rule because of her orders and he's been trying everything to find a way to prevent more soldiers from losing their lives.

He helps us sneak past the Guards, lying smoothly when something happens. Soon, they reach Natasha for the Boss Fight.

Luka is the Intelligence Officer. He used to be in the frontlines but he lost his arm in a very big fight and was "demoted" to a desk job. He hates it and oftentimes does Sampo's neglected paperwork so that the Captain owes him and takes Luka to the frontlines with him as "payback", which is why we see him when we first arrive.

When the crew is back from their adventure in the Underworld and he sees Sampo helping them, he questions the Captain. Soon enough, he joins the crew in fighting the fragmentum.

Followed by those three, we meet Natasha. As an orphan, she was picked to be the Supreme Guardian instead of Cocolia, so she never got the chance to live the life she could've actually enjoyed. When we meet her, she has a faint smile on her face, her voice are gentle and her words kind. Yet, something is eerily off about her, it's just very hard to put a finger on it.

Unlike the lies the Stellaron fed Cocolia of the world dying and everyone getting to live somewhere else, in "the new world", they tell Natasha that by killing everyone, they are gonna resurrect everyone and change their biology to be able to withstand the Eternal Freeze. The cold never bothering them ever again. They say that the moment all of Belobog dies, the life of the fragmentum would be transferred to the people, so they will never again be in danger of either the monsters or the cold.

Her story ends just like Cocolia's in the original timeline, losing her life to the Stellaron and the Astral Express.

Next in line, we have Seele. We meet her during the same scene as Natasha. She doesn't really question Natasha, at least not as much as OG Bronya. Not because she's stupid, no, but because she trusts Natasha whole-heartly. She just follows orders. It doesn't help that Natasha is hiding all the orders that are made specifically to kill as many soldiers as possible.

So, later on, when she finds out that Sampo, a somewhat of a father figure to her, went against Natasha and even kidnapped Seele herself with some "criminals"? She almost mauls Gepard, the "messenger", on the spot.

Of course, she gets her reality check when she sees how bad the situation in the Underworld really is. She sees Gepard in tears after finally reuniting with his sisters after 10 years, she sees kids who never ever went to school, she sees the lack of medical supplies, she sees how dirty everything is and she sees how the fragmentum has been affecting them too.

Just like canon, her romance with Bronya still happens and soon they are back in the Overworld. After a brief conversation with Sampo, she heads off to confront Natasha, and the rest follows canon.

Following Seele, we meet Oleg. He works at the Neverwinter workshop, the adoptive father of Luka. He used to be a Captain but after openly questioning Natasha's rule, he loses his job, leaving him to tinker at the workshop.

He's somewhat aware of what Sampo is doing, which is why he humours him and follows his orders of assisting the Astral Express. He isn't present during the Boss Fight, keeping the fragmentum at bay with Luka's help, he's devastated to learn about Natasha's death though.

Up next, we have Cocolia. She's a very smiley and kind doctor that greets us when we wake up from Sampo's smoke bombs. She is, gasp, in a happy relationship with Serval.

Competent is her middle name, and she mostly follows canon. Instead of Natasha, that doctor couple adopted Cocolia, which is why she becomes the Underworld's main doctor.

Not much to say about her, so let's move on to Bronya. She stops a fight from escalating when Seele causes a scene. While she still is very kindhearted, the Underworld has roughened her edges a bit.

We get bonding scenes between her and Seele and everything pretty much follows canon expect dialogue changes. I don't have much to say about her to be honest.

Pela! She works in the fight club, not because she wants to, but because she fell into debt due to trying to get her hands on the Tales of the Winterlands. Not much about her, sadly, Hoyo wasn't too keen on given her and Luka much screen time, I fear.

She helps us deal with the mine situation that happened in canon.

Now, we get to see Serval. She has an emotional reunion with Gepard and we learn that she is a member of Wildfire. Unfortunately aside from that nothing changes canon (blame the lack of Oleg in the story not me).

Now, we meet Lynx, who has befriended Svarog, the robot acting as her father figure. While Serval isn't a fan of Svarog, she doesn't discourage her little sister from befriending him.

Since day one, she is trying to get Svarog to agree to let people pass through the Furnace Core, she yearns for the outside and tries to find and all possible ways to change Svarog's calculations.

Of course it doesn't work until we, the variable, come to the Underworld.

Lastly, we meet Hook and Clara. Both are orphans adopted by Fersman, whose a Lieutenant under Sampo's command, send by the Captain. "The Moles", we learn, is a specific group of kids that wish to join the Silvermane Guards and, Sampo, to not break their hearts, made them honorary members.

Basically, he tells them sometimes to look out for any suspicious people, maybe follow one (if the job is not at all threatening), or the super duper important mission of getting lunch for him and the other soldiers. In this instance, he used them to lead the gang to Oleg and then to Sampo himself.

And that's it! Let me know your thoughts! If you have any questions about the AU, want a more in-depth explanation or wish to see scenes written about some of the things that happened feel free to ask!

[cherllyio]

Macaque will be trapped in The Underworld - A season 5 theory

Now, why would this make sense? Because it would fit perfectly with his characther devolpemt so far.

So, lets look at the evidence for that.

Macaque has through these 4 seasons gone from someone who does everything for his own sake, because of his own personal trauma, to someone who is starting to develop direct friendships with our main cast. (which this person talks more about in depth)

Therefore, it would make sense, if we start going into the most mysterious part of this monkey’s past: His time in the Underworld.

This would make sense for two reasons:

We could get answers on how he ended up in The Underworld in the first place (aka Shadowpeach lore)

We could get answers on WHY all our mystic monkeys are getting accused of breaking the sky, but we would also get some more answers about this guy, The Traitor.

The Shadowpeach part makes sense, therefore I want to go into more details with the whole “Macaque meeting The Traitor” - part of this theory, because they are actual scenes that indicates this in the trailer.

As this person mentioned in a breakdown of the trailer, it looks a lot like here that Macaque is getting sucked into Li Jing's Pagoda (because of that flashing light that looks awfully similar),

and after I made a timeline of the trailer, I realized that Macaque doesn’t really show up in the following scenes after he supposetly gets trapped in the Pagoda.

So, from a story perspective, it looks like Macaque stayed behind to fight off Li Jing, while the others got away in the car, while he himself got captured. This would then lead to Macaque again getting trapped in The Underworld, so they could keep an eye (pun intended) on him.

This would then result in Macaque getting (PTSD) flashbacks to his time in The Underworld, where there is a pretty realistic chance, in that time, he MET the Traitor.

Think about it. The Traitors whole goal is “chaos”, and our mystic monkeys are nothing but CHAOS. (talked more about this here)

There is also the fact that a theory (you can find it here) going around that The Traitor was the one who released Azure Lion from his prison, but erased his memory so he didn’t remember how he even got out:

(Season 4, ep 10)

Wukong: Wait, how are you here?

Azure: What, what kind of question is that?! You know exactly how-

Wukong: No, here and now. I put you in The Underworld myself. How did you get out? How did you get the scroll? I know for sure you didn’t steal it, you couldn’t have.

Azure Lion: I- I don’t know… I was…

Wukong: Azure! Who gave you that scroll? Because whoever it was, they must have known this would happen. WANTED this to happen, and they used you to do it.

Azure: I just wanted to make the world a better place.

There is then a good chance that he did something similar to Macaques memory, where one of thoughs memories could be his final fight with Wukong.

The Traitor could have made it so that Macaque remembers it as Wukong DIRECTLY killing him, but as David Breen mentioned, that’s just how Macaque views it.

Therefore, that’s what is going to be Macaque next character development in this season:

What happened in the past? More specifically what ACTUALLY between him and Wukong. Because we, the fandom, don’t know, but maybe MACAQUE doesn’t even know himself.

We can also, with this new information, figure out another important of his next arc: The theme of understanding.

We also know that a lot of the reasons for Wukong and Macaques fallout, is because they MISUNDERSTOOD a lot what the other actually intended.

We also know that Macaque is starting to realize that too, in the way he reacted when he saw his and Wukongs fight again: He realized HE MISUNDERSTOOD what Wukong had meant.

The seeds have been planted everyone, and we are know going to see what they are turning into. And that is a story of Understanding, growth, and friendship (or whatever the hell their realtionship is at this point).

[taitavva]

yaldabaoth couldn't help but make his whole team overpowered huh ... how are the phantom thieves supposed to survive ?? "oh noo akechi ur so hot haha .. please don't kill me" brilliant strategy pego (entire ask under cut)

[ACTUALLY UR PUTFITS WERE SO ON POINT. I HAVE 2 OUTFIT IDEAS 4 HIFUMI & SHIHO (MINUS MASKS) & 1 mask idea for yuuki but idk what else. i was thinking for the leaders it would def be chaotic but goro has most metaverse experience so hes the leader. ken kinda acts like mona in giving useful tips abt personas etc and hifumi takes on the role of makoto where she gives out different strategies (her, ken, & goro debate over these tips & strategies but usually end up doing them anyway). I have an urge to show u these outfits omg. i can ramble abt these outfits & their personas for forever .. i chose jormungandr for yuuki, skadi for shiho hela for hifumi, and persephone for eiko. ik its not very in the literacy scene for them to all have deities as personas but... goro breaks it with loki anyway, so ..

explainations:: hela & jormungandr are 2/6 of loki's kids in norse mythology, aiding him in the ragnarok/end of the world, and hela is sentenced down to the underworld to be the goddess of that realm since she was born half alive half dead, and she's sentenced to it by odin (basically. kinda the zeus of norse mythology, like the "king" of all of them) because she's the daughter of loki & all this other stuff .. chose her for hifumi because hifumi's mom basically forces her to be a shoji star after hifumi's dad and yeah. jormungandr i chose because hes kinda just a sleepy little guy: in norse mythology he's known as "the World Serpent" and he wraps around the entire ocean with his tail in his mouth kind of in a constant sleep until the ragnarok (all of loki's kids --aside from 2, one being dead & the other being a gift to odin-- including loki himself, are kinda trapped somewhere before the ragnarok happens) and he's not talked about a lot but he aids in so much and he's important (like how yuuki is kind of ignored by the pts, the dialogue options being horrid, despite him aiding in them. also yuuki is the bm's navi in the au & he runs a "revenge site" like how Strega/takaya sakaki, jin shirato, & chidori yoshino do in p3-- strega also does death calling cards , mainly shown in the novels which is p cool.. first ppl to use mental shutdowns despite not beinf called that then either. i love strega sorry. they all agreed to it because shiho wanted to deal with more people like kamoshida, goro wanted to deal with more people like shido, hifumi wanted to deal w more people like her mom, etc).. i chose persephone for eiko because in greek mythology, persephone is (most commonly accepted form of the myth) kidnapped by hades and forced into marriage with him by eating a pomegranate out of the underworld .. point blank, persephone reminds me of eiko being trapped and persephone's shown to overcome it , ( honestly eventually making the underworld & hades her Bitch. she kills the goddess/nymph of mints and creates the mint plant because she got too handsy with hades).. also hifumi and eiko are a little gay for eachother so why not have their personas be, too? anyway. SHIHO!! i chose skadi for her because skadi , in norse mythology , is both jotunn (giant) and a god like how loki is, but she's an accepted form of it because she was given over to the gods as a peace treaty, and thats pretty important to norse mythology i'd say (like how rooftop scene is important to kamoshida arc), and skadi claws up the aesir (council of gods) thru both her marriage (ann? ann. hehe.) and her own sheer will (shiho's recovery and goro's ..... questionable aid.) and skadi just fits. the goddess of mountains and winter? sign me the FUCK UP.

Anyway . this was long I apologise]

[deadite-central]

Honestly I’m kind of surprised I managed to fit punk hazard in just two posts, but considering how much I like this arc this isn’t the last time I’ll be talking about it lmao

While overall Punk Hazard is a pretty lighthearted arc, there are two things that make parts of it genuinely hard to get through. The first one being the reveal of what’s actually happening with the children. We already know that Caesar is a terrible person, but when you read that these children have been conditioned to get addicted to drugs, it’s shocking, and Oda doesn’t shy away from portraying just how terrifying and fucked up this situation is. This storyline is an incredibly heavy one, and I think that the way Chopper is written during it genuinely made me like him even more

On the other side of things, we find out at least a little bit more about what Law is doing here, as well get more of Caesar being. Caesar. We hear the name Joker for the first time and oh will that lead to great reveals later. A really good set up for everyone involved

Remember how I said that Law keeps being mysterious? Yeah that doesn’t last too long. We for now find out that he’s trying to overthrow Kaido and for that he needs an alliance with Luffy. Obviously, that’s not all that there is to it, but we’ll find that out in Dressrosa. The alliance itself IMMEDIATELY turns into one of the biggest comedic highlights in all of One Piece to me and many others, as Law’s mysterious aura completely disappears because no matter how serious he tries to be, he has now become one of Luffy’s friends, whether he likes it or not

I’ve mentioned before that I really really like Caesar as a character, and everything surrounding his broadcast to the underworld is a testament to that, because again, what he’s doing is absolutely despicable, but also, he’s so incredibly funny it’s a joy whenever he does anything. Like. He named his weapon of mass destruction Smiley. It looks like an axolotl. He cries when he sees him, what more could you want from a villain, not every single one has to be serio

And on the topic of villains, cause I got a lot to say! The build up to Doflamingo’s reintroduction is great, and the way he takes up almost two whole pages is just good panelling. Oda’s clearly started leaning more into his menacing side in post timeskip, and as much as I love the silly rendition of Doffy that we see pre timeskip, for everything in Dressrosa to hit as well as it does he has to be terrifying. And he is. Vergo certainly isn’t the most important character ever, and once Law gets his heart back he gets rid of him with no problem, but I did enjoy him for the short time he was there and he sets up the fact that while Law knows Doflamingo, he doesn’t know as much about him as he thinks

And finally: Monet. I said in my last Punk Hazard post that I believe she shares the main antagonist of the arc status along with Caesar. She’s just as much of a threat as him, and she’s even closer with the main villain of the saga than him. And that’s the thing. Monet is our first true look at a member of the Donquixote family. She is also the first of many to fully be ready to sacrifice herself for Doflamingo’s sake. The man saved her and her sister and took them in, of course she cares about him. The self sacrificial mindsets of the Donquixote Family is something I’m going to touch upon more during Dressrosa, but Monet shows that the straw hats aren’t the only ones who truly devoted themselves to their captain, with the difference that their crew is built upon mutual love and care, while the Donquixote Pirates, no matter how much Doflamingo cares about them, and he certainly does, will always take second place behind his own self, again, more about that during Dressrosa. Monet herself is such a good character, and I think that one day maybe I’ll make an entire post dedicated to her, her death is also the second thing that makes it hard to get through this arc for me

A lot more shenanigans happen, leaving the arc off on a more positive note, but not before Doflamingo himself arrives on Punk Hazard to clean up the whole mess, and we get one of the best hooks for the next arc: Law giving him an ultimatum, either he forfeits his warlord status or he’s never getting Caesar back, and considering the fact the the SMILE trade with Kaido is what’s keeping him on the man’s good side, oh is this a great way to leave the reader questioning for what’s to come

Especially since Doffy’s first reaction to this will be to absolutely wreck the shit out of Smoker and his men, poor guys

[piece-of-hweat]

So. About Danny Phantom and Underworld Office...

Quick break from my Little Nightmares brain for a sec, I wanna talk about stupid ghost creatures.

Recently, I rediscovered a whole ass discord thread I made a year ago, which was literally filled with Charlie in Underworld/Underworld Office stuff. What is Charlie in Underworld and Underworld Office? Well, the first novel (Underworld Office) is a visual/digital novel about a kid named Eugene who stumbles upon the ghost realm. They are also adopted into a found-ghost-office-family. Important note: Eugene's soul can exit their body while they rest. So basically, going ghost, but not really. (the second thing/sequel just follows the redemption arc of an antagonist, Charlie, from the first game)

Now. Danny Phantom. A couple of months ago, my friend introduced me to the show as well as the Phandom, and gotta say. It's pretty cool. Danny Phantom is a cartoon series about a lil silly dude named Danny Fenton. He is half ghost. Because of his half-ghost-ness, he can "go ghost". This is where he turns into a ghost and kicks ghost-ass.

Alright, let's regroup. Now that you know a bit about both fandoms, remember that note from earlier saying that Eugene can "go ghost"? Yea. See where I'm going with this?

My proposal, fellow DP and/or CIU/UWO fans, is to make a crossover AU. Why? Because I need it. I need these two idiots to bond over the fact that they both have connections to ghosts and how, in a way, they're both half-ghosts.

What is the plot/storyline? No fuckin clue All I have is:

Danny's been Danny Phantom for a while now

Eugene moves into Amity Park. Danny, honestly, can't really give two shits about that.

One day, Eugene and Danny meet, they become friends and bond over the fact that they're both dead and alive.

Danny meets the Office Ghosts and they both become allies or smth (tbf, they both fight monsters/bad ghosts)

Both Danny and the Office have a common goal (perhaps a conflict they both want to solve? Maybe)

Now, as for lil stupid notes:

Danny is creeped out by Boss and River. (Boss is cold and Danny feels like Boss would just casually murder him if he looked away for 0.001 seconds. River is just chaotic in a "high-aunt" way. The shit she does probably scares Danny in a "BRO WTF" way)

Eugene and Danny, unlike the other ghosts, are more warmer-coloured and less monotone.

Charlie will spit on Danny's grave and Danny would do the same. They'd probably hate each other's guts in a sibling way.

Luke, Oliver and Joy would probably meet Sam and Tucker. (Tucker and Oliver would honestly be besties ngl. Joy and Sam can both judge each other silently over a cup of coffee)

Alright, that's all I have to offer. Hope you'll uh, consider this possible AU. Um. Have a nice day or night. Don't turn into a half ghost. Or do, I don't know man--

[moa-broke-me]

honestly I have a rant locked and loaded but I don't know if this is something anyone else has noticed so I'm gonna lead with a question:

Have you noticed Rick Riordan's work has become less... Idk... Human lately? As in, leaning more into the symbolic and abstract, particularly when it comes to his characters?

Because I certainly have. I made it to, like, chapter 6 of TSATS before I had to quit because I just couldn't get into it, and even I noticed.

Like... Idk, the whole reason I'm thinking about this was that one post going around explaining that, yes Octavian is flat as a character, but when you start to view him as a symbol of neofascism, then everything clicks into place. And I think that analysis is good, don't get me wrong! It's actually a very well written piece. I wish I had the link to it at the moment so you could all go and read it for yourself.

However, the series doesn't really lend itself to that kind of symbolic, metaphorical thinking. Like there is metaphor in the series, yes, but I don't think there's ever been a human character that's treated as a straight up *symbol* for a certain concept. At least, not frequently enough that it's established as a pattern or even a possibility in the readers' minds.

Notice how I said *human* character. That's important, we're putting a pin in that.

Now, as an aside, I do think that the post could be misinterpreted as 'if you give octavian a backstory or a redemption arc in your fic then you're basically a fascist' and, no. I'm pretty certain that's not what the author of the post intended, don't get defensive and don't delete your blog.

Personally, I think his characterization could also be explained as him being someone who turns to a dangerous, destructive ideology because deep down, he's desperate for unconditional love, and he feels the only way he can get it is through force. Playground bully mentality, basically.

And if you'll notice, though both explanations tie into fascism, mine still emphasizes the humanness of Octavian. Because, well... He's human.

See, my theory is that the gods in the series are basically everything I've said the human characters aren't. Metaphors for different concepts, and how people see those concepts. It's barely even a theory, it's basically canon, but it's something that I feel needs to be pointed out for this analysis to make sense. Like, Zeus is the god of authority, so the way he acts is reflective of the way that human authority figures do. Hades is the god of the underworld, so like the underworld, he's dark and gloomy, mostly ranging between the gothic serenity of asphodel and the burning rage of punishment, though he can be kind, even nurturing at times, like Elysium.

This leaks out in more one on one interactions too. The whole reason Dionysus was so hostile to and dismissive of Percy the whole series is because his only experience with alcohol had been hostile and dismissive. Hera's nice to people at first, but makes it clear that she doesn't extend that kindness to everyone, just like a lot of 'looks good on paper' families (including Annabeth's own stepmother). Eros publicly humiliates Nico, because he sees love, his own love in particular, as humiliating.

And it seems, now, that Rick is shifting away from writing these characters as humans, and moreso how he'd write a god. Which may be why the books are starting to go downhill.

or maybe I'm fulla shit who knows?

[mysticstarlightduck]

For the character dynamic asks, between supporting characters - What secrets or conflicts exist between them?

Thanks for the ask, @mk-writes-stuff! I'll go with the cast of Song of Thorns (because I'm working on a chapter for it today/tomorrow!)

So, mild spoilers for those WIPs below the cut!

Between supporting characters - What secrets or conflicts exist between them?

Between Tarrant & The Twins - While there are next to no conflicts between them (except when Tarrant loses his patience at Dimya and Cyriel's recklessness lmao) there is a secret between them. Two actually (a secret Tarrant keeps from the twins and a secret the twins are keeping from him).

(Tarrant's Secret) - Tarrant hides from his cousins the fact that he is showing signs of being infected by the blood curse plague - for three reasons: 1. he is terrified of the Corvus, the royal alchemists tasked as plague doctors, as he knows the truth that the "salvation" the royal family promises plague victims is actually being used as magical experiments, 2. he does not want his younger cousins to worry about him, 3. he fears his boss (who holds his soul contract) is going to kill him or otherwise discard him (or hurt the twins) if the man finds out he is sick. As you can imagine, this has less-than-ideal consequences for him as the story progresses.

(The Twins' Secret) - As Lantern Keeper for a group of underworld mercenaries, Cyriel is plotting to find a way to overthrow/betray their leader and save Tarrant from his contract, which is a very tricky plan that backfires immensely when the mercenary leader finds out and makes Cyriel be framed for treason, caught by the local city guard and (unsuccessfully) sentenced to death. She doesn't tell Tarrant about her plan because she knows he will freak out - until he inevitably finds out either way. On the other hand, Dimya, her twin, is pretending to still be loyal to their leader (mostly because he is trying to continue Cyriel's plan in a moe subtle fashion but also because he is very much terrified of the situation they're stuck in), and has a secret he did not tell neither Cyriel (his twin) or Tarrant - he found out their boss was smuggling live, unfortunate vampires into a fighting ring and other dreadful places sponsored by the elite, but was so terrified by this discovery (and horrified that he was working for a man that would hurt so many innocent vampires for money) he didn't tell a single soul, fearing their leader would kill him for knowing more than he should, and is very much traumatized by it.

... So, basically, family communication issues at their finest.

Cadenza Novalie & her Dad - Cadenza is a young noble fey from the vampiric lands whose relationship with her Dad has become pretty strained in the past few years due to, mostly, a very bad misunderstanding. I can't go into much detail without spoiling an important plot twist but vaguely, the gist of the situation is: her Dad had to, secretly, make a tough decision in order to protect her, knowing that she would likely hate him or at least dislike him for it (it isn't anything too awful but from outsiders point of view it does look worse than it is) but would at least stay safe. They've become pretty distant since then, but still care for one another deeply and their relationship heals later on in the story once they get over this misunderstanding.

Elveryn Haven & The Main Cast (prior to his redemption arc):

As mentioned in a few other posts, Elveryn is a monster hunter tasked by the King to hunt and kill Renn (an adult dhampir) and arrest the rest of the main cast. This makes Elveryn a strong - and oftentimes terrifying - antagonistic force throughout the earlier acts of the book, as his thirst for revenge against all monsters (even good ones) makes him hunt down his targets relentlessly. So one could safely say that yes, there is a lot of conflict between them. And even after he starts to undergo his redemption arc while being forced to work with the main cast for a common goal, there is still a lot of tension between him and them (he considers them his enemies and they still haven't really forgiven him/still fear him for trying to hunt Renn, though they do find a common ground eventually and do become friends later into his redemption route).

The main cast only later finds out that the real motive for his hatred of monsters wasn't prejudice, but actually a thirst for revenge and grief over losing his little brother in a monster attack years ago, and the fact he - deep down - blames himself for not finding him. After his redemption arc, they make amends and finally become good friends, as he realizes the wrongs of his ways.

Renn Atrius & Prince Alaric:

While they technically are friends/allies from the very beginning and are on the same side of the book's conflict, there is some tension between them. Renn has a strong hatred and distrust for human nobility - as when Renn was a child, he witnessed his beloved Dad (Kyrie, a vampire) be murdered by a monster hunter sent by the royals - and Prince Alaric is a human noble - though they have a common goal of stopping the corruption of the royal family - so the distrust/tension is always ready to reappear on the back of Renn's mind in every single interaction, though they're mostly polite to each other they do have a bit of a mix between rivalry/friendship. To make things worse, Alaric has no idea of Renn's past trauma and sometimes is painfully oblivious (not on purpose, he is just not very perceptive in that way) to any signs of it, which creates a lot of rocky patches in their communication at times.

[wrennwyrmnest]

i’m very very curious about your arthurian retelling! who are the central characters? what do you find most interesting/exciting/compelling about them? what are your arthurian sources & inspirations (be that medieval texts or modern retellings)?

Hey there anon! Thank you so much for asking this question - this is going to be a bit of a long answer but I get the feeling that won't be an issue :D (Maybe grab a snack?)

Firstly I'll explain why I'm using 'reimagining' rather than 'retelling', namely it's because of moving Arthur and co into a high fantasy setting rather than just Britain etc. which, while of course there will be analogues, there's going to be a bigger part that other fantasy species play. Christian themes and I guess, reasonings, aren't found but linger where appropriate (Grail Quest is there but but Galahad doesn't like yk go to Heaven afterwards) as some media I've been inspired from as well as I think a big thing of Arthur's legend of moving from one world into another whether that be Pagan -> Christian or Anglo-Saxon -> Britain(* all the big asterisks there because yk fiction and history not aligning).

Characters

Oh boy. Firstly I'd like you to check out the chart that was added to the wikipedia for King Arthur's Family: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Arthur%27s_family *how I wish this was there last year :sob:* and basically this kinda gives a good scope of characters I have 'webbed' out. I've gone to both Welsh and French texts for inspiration since Welsh includes Arthur's trips to the underworld ( ;) ) and French is when we get Lancelot and the Grail Quest. Firstly know I have taken some liberties both in Arthur's family tree as well as some creative ways that account for say multiple parents (Lancelot is recorded as being the son of a King but also as a son of The Lady of the Lake ~plot reasons~ they're separate uh, instances lets say ;) of his parents in my story). But in terms of characters whose voice I have a pretty good grasp of, their emotional arc(s) and a clear image in my mind of what they look like are (and grouped for no particular reason...):

Arthur, Lancelot, Gwen, and two others in their polycule.*

Igraine, Uther, and Gorloris.**

Merlin <- think druidic Loki vibes, he's a pain in my ass and I love him.

Hector his daughter Ser Kay.

Nimue and The Lady of the Lake.

Morgause and her son Mordred.

Madoc and his brother Mark.

Morgaen and how they were separated from Arthur at birth.

... The notion database I've created by pulling all the characters from sources comes to 258 but the above lists some uh key figures that are fleshed out as protagonists, antagonists, and anti-heroes.

(*) I'll get to Arthur/Lance/Gwen's triad a bit more below, but what I will say is that polycule is an important term here as everyone isn't with everyone, if that makes sense? But imagine found family five-man-band vibes.

(**) SO fun fact, when I watched the movie Merlin as a kid I misheard Gorlois as Goloris so I just kinda stuck with it. Unsure if that'll upset people too much though aha.

Why Tho? Exciting/Interesting/Compelling reasons why these characters have my soul.

I'm a big fan of Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Mythology. Seeing comparisons and also seeing both the Disney-fied versions but also the original tales. Arthurian legends has scratched an itch of dragons, knights, and magic that I've loved and is also shared by other stories too - which in part is why I'm spending so much time worldbuilding up front so I have a whole world sandbox to play in and tell some other tales too with it.

Why did I go with Arthur instead of say the Little Mermaid & Harpy sapphic reimagining I've got stashed? Honestly? Because he answered the call to adventure - the quest I have planned - but also because the Arthur I have in my mind, a big theme for him is Courage and doing the thing even though you're scared to which I resonate with a lot. Lancelot came stumbling in as his best friend from their squire days after disappearing for a few years for a second chance romance plot. Gwen butting heads with her twin sister had a certain, fire let's say ( ;) ), that need to pull these two dorks out of their heads while also exploring themes of empowerment. Mordred's arc which I hope to pull off as well as Zuko's was. Merlin, whom I love, was the one who revealed the world to me and really sparked the magic of it all. But then two scenes came to my mind, in full colour and with a big emotional impact.

Arthur and Morgaen's next meeting after finding out they're siblings.

Lancelot's lost memories returning and Arthur knighting the man who had turned to stone to save him.

I'll need to go through and make a full list of tags eventually but uh, lots of Angst/Hurt/Comfort mixed in with wholesome moments. I'm leaning towards potentially writing in a serial format and also doing maybe side stories from different character perspectives.

Sources & Inspirations

In terms of Arthurian specific things:

Welsh sources: Black Book of Carmarthen; Red and White books of Hergest; Culhwch and Olwen; Mabinogion; and the Welsh Triads.

Geoffrey of Monmouth, notably for Arthur's connection to the Roman Empire and characters from that region.

French sources: Le Mort de Arthur, Tristan and Iseult, Perceval and other stories such as Lancelot and the Knight of the Cart (I cackled a bit when I read that one ngl).

I tend to listen to the Myths and Legends podcast by Jason (something) who will be coming out with an Arthurian book sometime which I am keeeen for.

In terms of post-medieval things, there's a lot of nodding to fairy tales such as Tom Thumb and any story where Jack is mentioned.

Merlin the 1998 miniseries with Sam Neill. (This is the one that I misheard Golois as Goloris aha.)

The Mists of Avalon 2001 miniseries. (I haven't read the books and don't plan to support the author or that estate in any way due to the abuse she aided and abetted in).

Sword and the Stone is a classic Disney film but the main thing here I took inspiration from was to really highlight The Great Game in some way... Which is also a nod to Talesin in the Mabinogian. Also enjoyed Quest for Camelot as well.

There's a sapphic scifi retelling that I love called Once and Future.

And I also watched King Arthur's Disasters as a kid which, ngl I prefer the Welsh versions where he's a badass but this was amusing at the time.

In terms of non-Arthurian sources and inspirations, oh boy this gets quite long but basically from the above there are offshoots that I've done in terms of exploring:

Other Welsh tales.

Folklore of Europe as well as Ireland, Scotland, and Britain.

A lot of dabbling in comparative mythology and folklore as well as such as the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index for folklore to create some original but familiar folk heroes and lore for my world.

Consuming pretty much everything on Overly Sarcastic Productions.

I've mentioned that Avatar the Last Airbender and Fullmetal Alchemist are two comparative points of media: the first being for the elemental magic system as well as just some solid worldbuilding and character arcs - one of my blocks with writing is that I have like this big epic quest, various wholesome slice of life moments, deep emotional beats, but then also some spicey scenes that come to mind; the latter is mainly for a nod to alchemy, and magitech as well as some character beats.

I've also mentioned ASOIAF and really want to highlight that there won't be any inc##t at all in my books. There will be dark themes such as abuse of power, manipulation, and there will be people who get hurt or take advantage of, but I just really don't like that plot beat at all. Hence why Mordred is no Arthur's son.

*flops* Okay thank you for sticking with me through all of that. Let me know if you have more questions or if you'd like me to elaborate on anything! Thank you again for your question, it means a lot that people are finding it interesting (helps stop the imposter syndrome voices yk?)

[animentality]

Just saw Wakanda Forever.

I liked it a lot! First marvel movie I've seen in phase 4 beyond the joyless, effortless dreck that was Thor 4.

And I actually really enjoyed it.

Let's talk about it.

So first:

Story: 8/10 

I enjoyed the story quite a bit. The pacing was much slower than any of the other frenetically ADHD Phase 4 Marvel stories, and I did enjoy the build up and tension. Not many quips and annoying one liners too. Just an emotionally deep, heavy melodrama with action thrown in here and there. The focus was on the characters and I really, really loved that. 

But holy fuck. It was too long. We hit the 2 hour mark and I was like oh my god...there’s still 40 minutes...and those 40 minutes could’ve been sharper, cleaner. It lagged at several parts when it didn’t need to. 

Martin Freeman and his wife were utterly pointless. Their scenes felt forced and strange and terribly uninteresting. 

I don’t mind the over drama being how the world’s governments treat Wakanda...that was narratively cool and thematically solid, I just think Martin Freeman lacked the importance he had in the first movie, and so his entire role could’ve been cut or reduced. 

He’s just exposition man, and the movie didn’t need the American government scenes. Not really. They didn’t have any impact on the main plot, really, anyway. 

The main threat was Namor, and that was all we really needed. 

So that’s the minus 2 deduction. 

Action: 8/10 

I loved the action of this movie because it felt meaningful, and character-focused, rather than just a CGI mess like say....Black Adam. There was real weight to the action, which is nice, since Thor 4 kind of destroyed my idea of Marvel as a decent action studio. 

I enjoyed Wakandan tech, Shuri’s more technology based approach to fighting, and Okoye domination, as always. Less action than Black Panther, but where it existed, it was poignant, fun, had purpose, and felt fairly solid. 

The only deduction comes from the fact that well. Some of the underwater action was meh. And I was a little underwhelmed by the climax. The fight on a Wakandan ship was...ehhh. 

Still, Shuri vs. Namor was pretty damn cool. 

Effects: 9/10 

Solid! Thor 4 looked fucking awful. I was so worried they’d be fucking lazy. 

But no. 

This movie was gorgeous. 

This movie had wonderful, real costumes with some amazing makeup, clothing designs, weapon designs, and integrated tech. 

Great CGI that felt seamless and not horribly and lazily edited. Some wonderful cinematography and shots of both Wakanda and Atlantis. Er... Talokan.

The tech looks cool. The CGI suits and moving pieces weren’t too distracting, not unless you deliberately slow things down to analyze them, which I suspect some people will. 

My only real complaint is that Talokan was so murky and dark that I had a hard time seeing the daily lives of Talokan’s people? We were supposed to see like, children and families and this ethereal underworld city that lives so different from us... 

But I could barely see shit. Plus, it didn’t look natural? Everyone had this weird stiffness to how they were swimming...I didn’t believe they naturally belonged there. Everyone moved too spasmodically. Like they were in a pool and the director was making them act like they’re ok when they’re actually about to run out of oxygen? 

They might’ve known that, cuz we didn’t linger on the city for too long. 

It wasn’t like super horrible, it was just awkward. So 1 point demerit. 

Wakanda looked fantastic. Even when under attack. 

So here’s the meat of this review: 

Characters 7/10:

Shuri 10/10: I loved the exploration of Shuri's grief and her arc of becoming the Black Panther. That was beautifully done, solid thematically, narratively suitable due to the unfortunate passing of Chadwick Boseman. It felt natural and respectful.

Shuri's relationship with Namor was thoughtful and deep and I liked how it was resolved. I'll admit I did want her to murder him for a brief moment just cuz I'm a gremlin like that, but it was nice for her to sit back and say well I'm a queen now. This isn't just between you and me. I don't want to bring our kingdoms against one another.

That was nice. It didn't feel as cheap as a marvel movie normally would do it, like, have Shuri make some dumb speech about how revenge is simply bad all the time.

It was more practical. A little less personal.

And it made sense for Shuri! She’s not this angry, passionate warrior. 

She’s a scientist. A voice of reason. 

Less mystical. Less honor bound, and more pragmatic and wise. 

I always liked how Shuri was the character that represented Wakanda’s tech too. 

Like Wakanda is this larger than life Afro-futuristic paradise where various African cultures from the real world are displayed...but also, it’s high tech. 

So how do you negotiate between the highly technical and fantastic elements, with the more realistic, more grounded historical roots?

Shuri is the answer.

You have the traditional T’Challa. And then you have his more youthful and irreverent sister, who’s a scientist and a genius, who’s not just up to date with technology, but far ahead most of the world.

It makes sense, and having Shuri have to explore how that will affect her rule as the Queen...I liked that a lot.

I liked that she fought Namor hand to hand...and lost horribly, until she used her ship and her other tech to weaken him.

It made sense for her. 

And again, the story of her grief and losing both her brother and mother...deciding that she would still reject revenge and embrace her new role as a leader...it was well done. 

I loved Shuri here. 

I hope her actress has given up on her anti vaxx weirdness from a while back! 

Now...

That being said...

Namor 5/10: Didn't really like him. He felt a little underdeveloped. He had this hatred of colonists like Killmonger, but he lacked the emotional connection and development that Killmonger had.

We just didn't see his personal story enough. It didn't feel justified enough, since we only saw a few scenes of his mother, and only one scene about the horrors of the surface.... 

Plus we've already seen that anyway. It was a copy paste of the idea that here's an oppressed people who wanna get back at the rest of the world. 

Not saying colonialism isn't bad or anything but in this particular narrative, you are just copy pasting a new anti genocide...genocidal maniac.

Plus his stupid wing feet had me rolling my eyes the entire time. He just didn't feel that intimidating. We didn't see much of his abilities in the water other than that he's very fast and he re powers through water.

Kind of not very memorable in terms of weapons either...man’s hot but he’s basically just a dude in a swim suit. 

His necklaces/collar were interesting and his later re design was fine, but....I don’t know. 

His aesthetic was fine, but his character narrative was weak to me. 

And like I said, I was just laughing at his dumb little wing feet. 

Yeah they give him the power of flight, so what? There are a lot of characters who can fly without looking silly. 

Also again, not enough underwater stuff to really make him pop out as a credible villain.

He might as well have just been a flying villain. 

I don’t mind the resolution they reached, though, so. 

Okoye 4/10: 

Listen. Okoye was very funny and I do love her. But she kind of...was just there for the first part, and then she got fired...and then Shuri just re-hired her again by the end part. Not nearly as complex as the first film. 

I liked that they touched on Angela Bassett being annoyed still over that whole, siding with Killmonger shit.

But her character didn’t grow or change or do a whole lot, even as a civilian... 

She didn’t even fix her mistake of letting Shuri get kidnapped. Nakia did that... 

And speaking of Nakia... 

Nakia 5/10: 

I really feel like they didn’t know what to do with Nakia...she did save Shuri and the Scientist Girl at one point, but she didn’t do much for the whole rest of the movie, besides Be There. 

I feel like they dropped the ball on this one.

And the ending credit scene, where she has T’Challa’s son...it’s sweet and all, but I can’t help but feel like it reduces her role to being a mom who’s off screen. 

We didn’t see enough of her involvement with the main plot. 

She was some emotional support for Shuri, but...she wasn’t impactful other than that. Kind of sad, I liked her a lot in the original, since she and T’Challa had these conflicting viewpoints about how Wakanda should be involved in the world... 

But here, well. Now that the world knows of Wakanda...she just has no purpose or role. 

She didn’t really have any good fight scenes either. Most of her work was ensemble. Mixed in with other randoms. 

They did my girl dirty....but damn, she was gorgeous this movie... 

M’Baku 11/10: 

No notes. He’s perfect. 

He’s hilarious, he’s emotional support. He and Shuri were so fucking cute.

No notes. 

Queen Ramonda 11/10: 

Angela Bassett carried this movie on her back. Truly phenomenal performance. 

Wonderful beginning and end to her glorious character. 

I am mad that they killed her, but...also, it was fitting enough, since Shuri becoming the next Queen AND the Black Panther was neat. 

But damn, I am a little mad. 

Ironheart 5/10: 

I didn’t hate this character, but...she was like...barely present. She was important initially, but then she just got under water shafted for a long time...then she came back to help Shuri do some background work....then she was in the final battle.

And that was kind of it. 

I didn’t care for her suit, and didn’t feel like her character had enough significance to Shuri or the main plot. 

She was a genius tech expert, but helping Shuri design the anti Namor ship was something any character could’ve done, that’s how background it felt. 

I didn’t think she had enough of a fleshed out backstory either. 

She didn’t have an arc, plus I wish she and Shuri had bonded more over their scientific genius. Their friendship came across to me like...I guess they like each other. 

We needed more of them finishing each other’s sentences or geeking out over their shared technical prowess. 

We only really got a scene in the beginning and the very end. 

not enough meat and potatoes. 

And that Ironman suit was dopey looking. 

So all in all...

8/10. 

Yeah. 

Solid, really good, way better than anything else in Phase 4.... 

Chadwick Boseman’s scenes had me tearing up or openly weeping.... 

A touching tribute to him, as well as the character. 

The runtime needed to be reduced, however, and the plot dragged in several places.

Plus, Namor could’ve been more interesting. Beefed up. 

Narratively, of course. His actor was pure beef. 

Overall, I really liked it, though. 

I’ve only seen 2 Marvel Phase 4 movies, and I’ll say.

Wakanda Forever deserved to be better than Thor 4, and it was. 

Rest in peace, Chadwick. 

You’re a legend. 

[ylojgtr]

star wars movies ranked by how much i like rewatching them:

1. Revenge of the Sith - the culmination of the prequels, where everything comes together so nicely, just such a satisfying story. my favourite characterizations of pretty much everyone who appears in it (except grevous lmao) and the 3d cgi finally came into its own to make a very unique aesthetic imo

2. A New Hope - the original, full of creativity from so many people, just a perfect movie honestly. the special effects are absolutely fantastic and the story is simple but so well told. i feel myself getting swept away by the adventure and mystique in this one more than any other

3. The Empire Strikes Back - personally my favourite star wars movie, it builds on the original in every way i could hope for. some excellent character development for luke and the jumping between storylines is super fun. it has some great silly moments with yoda and lando and also some seriously dramatic set pieces on hoth and bespin

4. Rogue One - what was probably pitched as a nostalgia bait plot hole filler turned out to be one of the best character driven team movies in the last decade (all in my opinion, of course). jyn's faith in life and hope being restored is what makes the conclusion so heartbreaking and krennic is such a hateable villain with stakes directly connected to the protagonist. of course the whole cast is amazing. i remember being surprised at how fast i learned the names of all these previously unknown characters because i just liked them so much. each one is unique in personality, aesthetic, and what they bring to the discussion of the movie's themes. they don't all get a ton of screentime, but for what they're given each has a really well deserved heroic conclusion, however sad they are

5. Attack of the Clones - while its not my favourite in terms of characterization, plot development nor does it have my favourite gags, i still find myself coming back to this one for the vibes. it's 85% cgi, but the giant battle on geonosis and the intrigue of kamino are so fun and i think those awkward special effects kind of add to it. it's just fun, yk? the mystery elements are some of my favourites in the movies, although i think that aspect is better done in the clone wars series

6. The Last Jedi - really difficult spot to pick but i ultimately chose this over phantom menace because honestly i usually just watch the maul fight lmao. this movie is tricky for me since i like a lot of the ideas present, but hate it at the same time for completely derailing the sequels. had jj made all 3, we could have had a mildly entertaining if very repetitive nostalgia trip. with the way it was done, we have one of those movies, one movie that completely swerves the opposite direction and gives a taste of something more, then violently course corrects to the point of everything going off the rails. i think had rian johnson been given control for the whole series, we could have gotten something very special, and so this movie is here because it's fun to live in that world even for just one film. kylo is at his peak here and i love the idea of rey coming from no "important" background, i don't love how rey developed in this movie but had it been followed up on properly it probably would have been better. really i like rose and finns story as well as the end scene, which is more of the movie than phantom menace, so there

7. Solo - i really like this movie, don't get me wrong. the star wars underworld is super cool to see on the "big screen" (so they say) and i think han's portrayal is EXTREMELY well done. his arc fits perfectly into his story, the naïveté at the start and the reluctant hero at the end. he's a pure hearted boy thrown into a situation where heroism is punched in the stomach and kicked in a corner and seeing him navigate it is endlessly captivating. i like the new characters too (especially l3-37 and enfys) and it's so cool to see lando in his prime. all the forced-in explanations about how han got his name, how the millennium falcon ends up looking like that, etc etc is kinda unnecessary but id imagine they needed to do that to get the movie greenlit lmao, but honestly those are the things that drag it down in terms of rewatchability for me. once you see how the falcon lost its escape pod for the first time the novelty wears off, and enough time is spent on it that it becomes a drawback, time taken away from what i really want to see: character interactions, development, and fun, unpredictable action. the end where han kills beckett never gets old though and everytime i watch it i have that same feeling of relief, sadness and shock

8. Return of the Jedi - i love this movie, but in terms of rewatching it for fun on its own, i get a lot of what i like about it from other movies. ive always been a little underwhelmed by this one tbh. the death star again is fine, but it doesn't hold the same existential horror as the first time around. the emperor is perfection, but he's way more over the top in rots which is more entertaining lmao. vaders redemption is awesome and the perfect way to end the trilogy, but it is what we were expecting, isn't it? ewoks are fun and work symbolically i thinkbut they make for less spectacular action than other combatants

9. The Phantom Menace - qui-gon is one of my favourite star wars characters, ever. liam neeson's performance is excellent, and i love watching him throughout the whole thing. however, the story isn't as tight as other movies and while i love the thought and implications of the politics it explores, the senate and trade disputes kinda bring it down if im just watching it for fun. the podrace section is really popular for how fun it is, and i do like it, but car chases and races are often my least favourite type of action and i would sooner choose to watch a different action set piece. the fight at the end is AMAZING but i can watch it on youtube if i want so yeah, it goes here

10. The Clone Wars - it's...not good lmao. everyone knows this. but it is pretty fun. and most importantly, it kickstarted the best star wars media of all time, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. seeing the introduction of ahsoka and rex, and the reintroduction of ventress and cody, while neat to look back on, are improved upon in the series so id sooner just watch that. i have no problem watching it, despite its faults, but definitely not my go-to (i do wish we got to see rotta the hutt again though smh)

11. The Force Awakens - literally just watch a new hope. lmao that's not entirely true but all the characters here i prefer in tlj. there are some great moments, like when you think ben is going to accept help but he cements himself on the dark side or when finn and poe escape the star destroyer. the practical effects are nice, the sets and costumes are cool. but really this movie just makes me sad seeing how much promise these characters had and knowing how they all went to waste. maybe this will change someday and ill be able to take it for what it is, but now is not that time lol

12. The Rise of Skywalker - *sigh* yeah this one is just painful to watch. i honestly can only think of one character moment i like from this movie, which is when c3po calls the cast his friends. and thats like one line. i hate what they did to rey, to ben, to finn, to poe. rey's arc just sizzled out, she's more just going along with whatever comes her way, doing what she's told. she has more agency than that!! i honestly think she should have turned to the dark side. my ideal head canon was that rey and ben essentially switch sides at the end of tlj before both realizing that absolute adherence to either the extreme light or dark would only result in death and destruction as the universe fought to have balance. so they both come together in the middle and try and explore the practicality of living in the neutral area of the force. this would have opened up some really cool discussion about good vs evil (which is what star wars is known as being an excellent example of), it would have created a new, unique era of star wars to set future stories in in the future, and it would have ended the saga in a poetic way (the prequels end in darkness, the originals end in light, the sequels end in the middle). alas, this didn't happen, and this movie just makes me sad. there's nothing wrong with liking it, to be clear, i just like to pretend it doesn't exist

[greatwyrmgold]

Orpheus Challenge: My Hero Academia

There are too many My Hero Academia characters, so I'll mostly stick to a handful of the most important 1A characters. If you want to hear my thoughts about other HeroAca characters, or if anyone else wants to hear my thoughts about characters from anything else, just drop an ask!

Izuku's chances of success are more or less directly proportional to chapter number. Early in the story he's anxious and unsure of himself, which would translate to him being easily startled and easily convinced that whoever he's trying to save had left.

As he gains confidence, these would become less significant. Also, the shades of prior One For All users would be more and more capable of reassuring him that the underworld shades are lying. Perhaps most importantly, pretty much everyone he would want to save (aside from his mom) does more and more feats of heroism and willpower as the series progresses, so he has more reason to trust that they're doing what they need to.

The one exception to this is the Dark Hero Arc, where success is basically assured because Izuku is not listening to anyone.

Bakugo's chances of success also improve as the story goes on, though not quite to the same degree. At first, he'd get mad enough at Hades for imposing such a dumb and arbitrary restriction that Hades eventually kicks him out of his audience chamber; depending on whether Bakugo has an attack of good sense or not, this might lead to him antagonizing Hades enough that he's not allowed to leave, forcing someone else to rescue him. Later, he'd become calm and level-headed enough to accept the deal and force himself not to check on whoever he's rescuing. I'm not sure if he ever gets calm and level-headed enough that the underworld shades couldn't make him look behind himself with some insults. He spins around, shouts "Do you wanna say that again, you—", and realizes what he did a split-second too late.

By contrast, Todoroki starts his character arc with the stubbornness, confidence, and cool attitude needed to succeed at The Orpheus Challenge, and becomes more likely to fail as he develops. He becomes more aware of his limitations and more concerned for the people around him. He's probably more capable of success once he stabilizes into his final characterization, but not to the absolutely overconfident degree he started at.

Hades expects Ochaco to fail; she's so kindhearted and anxious. It's possible that Horikoshi would agree. I'm inclined to think that she'd screw her courage to the sticking place and return to the world of the living without even looking to the side. And considering her Quirk, she wouldn't even be vulnerable to that thing in some versions of the myth where Orpheus fails because he turned to help Eurydice get out of the cave entrance. Though since she'd have to blindly wave her hand behind her, there's some potential for last-minute slapstick.

Tenya "Vroom vroom follow the rules" Iida has no trouble with the Orphic quest...at least while he's in the underworld. If whoever he's saving doesn't remind him to slow down, he might end up at the surface way ahead of the rescuee; after several minutes, he'd look around to see what the heck's going on, which Hades counts as "turning to look at the rescuee," which leads to Iida debating Hades about the finer points of their agreement.

All-Might would not look back. It's among the easiest things he's had to do to save a life. All For One would shrug, steal the souls Quirk and say "Never mind then."

[funkiestbear]

Dnd campaign info dump

To go about this rather quickly, glossing over some non important details. Our party, Varis the half elf Wizard, Kulga the half orc barbarian, Tiefling paladin (whos name im completely blanking on rn),Alynn, an aasimyr Fighter, and my Minotaur Fighter, Morgoth War-Caller, were sent on a boat to join an adventures guild on a newly discovered continent, Mundibyr, We adventure for a few weeks, level up a bit, I take rune knight, as I thought the idea of discovering old magical runes was thematically appropriate and cool. After some adventurers go missing up north, we find their bodies near an alter to the archfey Oberon, and (after whopping this warlocks shit) we go back an share our findings to the captain of the guard, Sora, a dragonborn paladin, the only person I liked on that stupid council, she could fight, had a good head on her shoulders, we were pretty tight. (she becomes sorta of important soon stay tuned). Attacks from wild creatures become more frequent to the town, and after some time, we find that the place we call Mundibyr, was actually a piece of the Feywild, specifically Oberons domain, and that a darkness is covering the south side. After an encounter with some talking animals, they slipped that Oberon had been kicked out by an alliance of 2 other Archfey and the Demon God of Undeath, Orcus. (Basically the Archfey power structre shifts and Orcus gets to devour that part of the feywild.) After learning this, all other settlers left Mundibyr, save us, and a new party member, Vats, the Goblin Rogue, who stayed to pick at all the stuff people left behind. Searching for more answers, we earn the trust of a Moon dragon named Lymrynth, who is attempting to revive Oberon and send the misplaced feywild back to its own realm. We offer our assistance to the dragon, as Orcus growing in strength was not something we were too interested in. (dispite having killed one of her agents, the warlock from earlier, none of us are really sure if she knew the truth or not.) Its at this point, our dm asked us for backstorys, as we were nearing the end of this arc, and he needed to prep our home continent (which hadnt been started yet).

Two more of Lymrynths agents go missing in the southern darkness, and we get them, bring them back, and on the way, discover a tree, miles high, dead and rotting, we make a note and move on, but were all pretty sure this is were Orcus is probably cooking something nasty up.

Returning the two agents and informing Lymrynth about the tree, we recived some magic items from the dragon and travled to banish Orcus from the material plane. One very long fight later, we banish Orcus and free Oberon, the land over the next month fading back to where it came. Morgoth takes the wand of Orcus, and its here where things get WILD. Were brought to the feywild by Oberon himself to thank us for our efforts and rewards us with two items per from his horde. I took, a +3 Shield, and the Spear of Heliod, other party members took some fun items, but the Paladin takes the deck of Many things, and has started each session since with "Anyone wanna draw a card?". When we first get the deck a few people drew 1 or 2 cards and gets themselves banished to the underworld, yknow the one where not even a wish can bring you back. And before I get into how many cards Morgoth drew, and what happend..

Morgoth Backstory time!!!

• The Warcaller clan, traces its roots to Oberons part of the feywild (This was actually an addition by my dm that made my runes feel even cooler bc, they were technically mine to begin with)

• After a hunt that left the clan weakened, Morgoth father, Valar, took upon himself 5 wives, who each bore him 5 children.

• Morgoths family, the weakest of the 5, were dispised by Valar, and after a heated argument between families. Valar had the 5 children and the mother, Hurin, put to death, save a 16 y/o Morgoth who fled the clan.

• Years later at age 22, he arrives in Mundibyr, and rediscovers his peoples lost arts.

Now, 5 has been a reoccuring number to Morgoth, and so I consider it his lucky number, Morgoth draws 5 cards.

I drew, the, You get a 4th level follower, You lose all of your magic items, One stat goes up by 2 up to 24, Your alignment swaps AND, You can reverse one event when you want. I immediately use the last one to bring my party memeber back, the fighter I receive is one of my brothers, which was so cool! I pump my STR to 22, and kinda kicked myself for loosing the magic items but whatever. My alignment however, DRASTICALLY changed Morgoths whole vibe, He was Chaotic neutral (imo favoring good) for the entire campaign, and has now been turned Lawful Neutral, (favoring evil now). After his exile, Morgoth pondered his existence, his conscience told him that wrong had been done, but his chaotic upbringing kept his hand steady, "Surely, the weak deserved to be punished, a man of Strength such as Valar cannot have his judgment be clouded", Morgoth thought all those years ago. With his internal change, brought about a sense of Justice and Order, calming and focusing the Minotaurs mind to a singular goal. Bring Valar War-Caller to justice. Snap back to the actual campaign, Oberon allows us to explore the feywild for the evening before we leave the next day. As we leaving his dwelling, Morgoth hatches a plan, if you dont know, when you attune to the wand of Orcus, you have to beat a dc 17 con save or you just insta die. Morgoths pretty beefy, and has a few rerolls available to him from his Runes. As expected Morgoth attunes to the wand of Orcus, the moment this happens, Oberon, still injured leaves his dwelling, and harshly scolds Morgoth for attempting to use it demanding he shun its power and hide it. When Morgoth obviously refuses, Oberon kicks the party from the Feywild. Nice going me :D.

With our business with the fey wrapped up after months of play, Varis teleports us to his former mentor, Servum's, Castle. A dragon attack on a small town happens, shortly after we vacate the empty, but magical and animated castle. We come to find, that humans are harvesting dragon essence to make immortality elixir, and other dragons are pretty pissed out it, having an etire town burned to the ground, Varis contacts his mentor for assistance, and is told to meet with Servum, at the college in the capital.

Varis teleports us there and talks to Servum for awhile, and through a summary of events, Varis informs Servum that a member of the War-Caller clan is with his party.

Servum tells Varis that the King has been having a problem with Warcaller raid partys, and that there is a bounty for any living Warcallers. The reason, The War-caller clan in recent years has grown so strong, the Capitol cant contest them, and that using aark magic, theyll sacrifice one of his progeny to kill Valar, and that if a War_Caller is in the city, the guard WILL be coming to arrest them.

My fucking jaw dropped.

The entire session was escaping the city. Guards every street, entire companys patrolling the city. Varis turned me invisible which helped significantly, and used his status as a former student of Servum to pull some strings with the gate watch (which there were 3 total gates, Minas Tirith style.

Approaching the party was a knight and friend riding on horseback, a squad of guards following them. After ducking into an alley to avoid the patrol, perception was rolled, and the Knight is question, was Sora, captain of the guard, brandishing new armor, new religious iconography, and new weapons. Knowing what we know, we believe the deck of many things has skewed Soras perception of Morgoth, though to be quite honest, she probably would dispise the new Morgoth. Both seem to have changed. After a very stressful session, we escape the city. Were headed for the port city Daksos, our paladin has a relative there, and the guard there is significantly less equipped.

We left off arriving at Daxsos.

Im so hype for tuesday..

[purple-eyesgreydragon]

I think my sister loves me😊. Look what she got me for Christmas!

This art book is FULL of facts! I’ll share some too. Not all of course. If you want the full descriptions, character and landscape facts, and creator commentary. You’ll have to order it yourselves. I’ll only share the ones I found most important and fascinating. For those who won’t get the book.

Eagle Claw’s three skulls represented Maya’s brothers.

Chimi was Jorge’s nickname for Sandra when they started dating in high school.

Rico was named after Puerto Rico.

Picchu after Machu Picchu.

Jorge came up with Picchu while playing D&D and listening to Conan the Barbarian soundtrack.

Chiapa has a skull spot for every victory he’s had.

Zatz was designed to be complementary to Maya. Her hair is black, his hair is white. Her colors are warm and organic, his colors are cold and unnatural. Most of her shapes are circles, most of his shapes are triangles. His iris is red since it’s Maya’s most dominant face paint color and he only has an “eye for her.”(😍) His name is based on his father’s. His armor is based off his father as well.

Zatz’s fangs mostly show when he’s really angry. His hair is also shaped like bat wings.

Camazotz was designed after Zatz. His relationship with Zyanya is a love letter inspiration from 1946 Beauty and the Beast.😋

Mictlan’s body is made out of the blood of fallen warriors. He believes all mankind is ultimately wicked like himself.

Xtabay is actually the headdress, her body is an illusion.

The Ah Puch are the celestials. (I knew it!)

Colibrí was meant to reflect Maya’s situation. Her palace was amazing but it was still a cage for her free spirit.

The Gran Brujo was inspired by Mr. T. He was Rico’s grandfather too. The Gran Bruja is his aunt. (That I didn’t know!)

Skulls on skulls on skulls was pretty much the direction Jorge gave the Jungle Lands. It was his chance to go skull crazy, so he did.

The Jungle Lands’ King was slightly based off old man Xibalba in The Book of Life.

For the Golden Mountains, since Maya would eventually turn into the sun in this world, they decided to stay away from the classic image of the sun that Incan culture is known for. Instead they made the kingdom obsessed with the image of pumas to set up Picchu, and later Zatz, as the “Puma Warrior” from Maya’s true prophecy. (It seemed obvious Zatz took over for Picchu as the Pump Warrior of the prophecy.)

Picchu’s parents both carried golden axes which he inherited till he rejoined them. (Aww)

Jorge from the start wanted to go against the implication that “barbarians” don’t have kindness or empathy. Picchu’s arc of forgiveness and eventual redemption is one of his favorites in the story. (I can respect that.)

The golems of Mictlan’s army were made from the divine gate.

The Underworld was littered with the remains of ancient fallen gods Mictlan had slain. (I looked closely, they are😨.)

Mictlan’s throne room is meant to look like they’re standing inside the mouth of a giant serpent, foreshadowing the final showdown between Maya and Lord Mictlan.

The door to the throne looked closely upon can be made out Mictlan’s foreshadowed transformation into a giant two headed serpent.

The massive obsidian claw of the Underworld staircase, referencing Mictlan’s claws, that is reaching out to grab a giant skeleton spine is meant to sell the idea that the Underworld was not a good place and souls could never escape.

The colors of the scenes imply the mood settings. For example: Picchu is introduced into a cold color palette to make him feel even warmer. Once his parents were gone all color disappears. Maya and her friends slowly bring him back into color.

Foreshadowing his eventual transformation into the moon, the romantic “dance fight” between Maya and Zatz was meant to look like a moonlit ballroom sequence. “Except with dancers trying to kill each other while falling in love” - Jorge (Ha! I love his playful humor😂!)

When Maya and Zatz kiss for the first time, the colors warm up just a little. (😊)

In the climax of the final battle. Our heroes fight back and bring warm colors back into the darkness of the fight.

Lastly Mictlan eats all the gods’ hearts and finally transforms into a giant two-headed serpent as the sky gets really red again and all is lost. Green becomes the color of Mictlan’s power. Maya riding Chiapa like a knight on a horse, faces all these reds and greens. She manages to get inside the serpent and just before the reds and greens consume her, she makes her final sacrifice and saves the day. The golds and blues of Teca return as Maya becomes the warm sun. As the sun goes down on her story, like a candle, the light goes out and Maya sleeps triumphantly forever.

That is until the sun and moon both get a second chance at life

There are tons more facts on all the characters, the settings and landscapes, and also a foreword from Zoe Saldana. Plus Jorge commentary on his story and everything is actually pretty funny😄! I highly recommend it.

[rynnaaurelius]

While Luke's death was a 10/10 in terms of plot(the foreshadowing,the prophecy,how it had this simple elegance about it),it only reached a 7 in terms of character (that event was a good finish for his arc,explained his motivations,but I feel like Luke dying was the thing that interrupted his redemption arc,or stopped him from having a real one. If Rick focused more on the tragedy of this, rather than using Luke's death as an atoning act on itself,I'd grade it higher. Besides,Luke still had plenty of history potential,IMO. Imagine if Luke had escaped the Underworld, getting to be one of the seven,the angst while dealing with rejection from the camp,the regret).

I have once again let an ask collect dust for a month (and a half. . .), I am so sorry about that.

Anyways. I mostly agree with you, in that I think Luke's death is a pretty perfect ending to TLO, with a giant fucking asterisk.

That giant fucking asterisk's name is Heroes of Olympus.

The original series has a very open ending, and that's very much on purpose—for the first time, Percy has his whole life ahead of him, there is hope that demigods are going to live longer lives, that the gods can change. As such, Luke's death is super fucking important. Here's a guy who's had his faith in a better world, in creating good change that isn't enforced by the most nightmarish of violence, destroyed.

And he dies for that faith in a better world, on the word of one of the two people left that could possibly convince him to do so. It's a pretty good death.

*Winces* . . .and then the sequels happened.

Luke's absence from the narrative—something that I've talked about before, how it should have haunted the plot, and Percy and Annabeth and Piper in particular, I think—is, ultimately, an absence of a larger problem.

The consequences from that war should be deafening. Like, you should not be able to swing a dead cat without hitting a consequence in TLH (And SoN. Especially SoN).

Mostly, I think it would've been fascinating, with Gaea pulling out "mythology's worst villains" from Tartarus, with Medea and Minas and so many others, to have her also pull out the most high-profile demigod villain in the last millennium.

Like, you wanna sow chaos in the ranks? You wanna make Percy Jackson, who's approaching the very same age Luke was when he first heard from Kronos, doubt his every move?

Yeah, bring Luke Castellan back from the dead and bring out the popcorn.

(I don't think Luke would stay on her side for very long, considering he likes the world's existence, thanks very much. But he'd be a helluva wild card)

The worst thing though, as awesome as that could be, is that the lack of him or the second war permeating everyone's characterization is. . .it really runs counter to TLO?

The point was that these demigods had been dismissed as not mattering. That they were inconsequential. These weren't the rare children of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, being thrown aside and refused rightful recognition.

These children of minor gods, of Olympians whose kids often didn't have much power of their own, being tossed aside and left for dead, when all they wanted was a sign that their parents loved them, thought they mattered.

And when they couldn't do that, Luke—son of Hermes! No powers in particular, one of a dozen kids of an even larger cabin, counselor of the place housing the unclaimed when no one else would—mounted a rebellion to prove them wrong and make their regret of ignoring their kids the last thing they did.

Percy's intervention gave a happy ending to that tale, considering the fact that Kronos was in the driver's seat, and left the ending of TLO with the feeling, that, yeah, Luke was right about the need for change, but he wasn't right in how, but he was able to give Percy the leverage needed to do things right.

It's the son of Hermes, the son of Nemesis, the daughter of Athena, a mortal, who all decide the day. Percy has to let go of being the hero, Nico is trapped down below in Manhattan, and Thalia is literally immobilized by a statue.

Luke and the unclaimed were important. And then HoO just. . .does away with all of that.

Kids are going unclaimed, divisions are alive and well, the gods once again don't give a fuck when the world is ending and their kids are being tossed around and manipulated for their parents' ends. Silena and Luke are barely spoken of (Ethan getting a mention? Don't make me laugh).

Which. . .says a whole awful lot. About everyone.

[yuji-thirsty]

All the statements where Eugeo and Kirito had moments of LOVE/tight feelings in their chest:

In the light novel: When Eugeo finally reunites with Kirito in the Cathedral after getting seperated. The novel says: "Something deep inside him throbbed with an emotion he couldn’t even name." and that it was "gentle, wistful and sweet."

After Kirito's heartfelt speech in the SAO Lycoris DLC (Myosotis). The two watch the stars together while sharing a blanket in the desert. Kirito asks Eugeo if he could stay by his side forever--which seemed to have stuck with him ever since. After that, Eugeo later goes on to tell Silica that he felt something in his chest and that he would fall for Kirito if he were a girl.

Following on the previous scene: Silica told and confirmed with the other girls that Eugeo had the look of a girl in love when describing that night with Kirito in the desert.

In the SAO Light novel, When Eugeo asked Kirito if he could teach him the sword: Kirito felt something indescrible inside that he had to try and fight down. 

During the Cathedral arc when Eugeo was seperated from Kirito, he goes on to think about both Alice and him. The light novel quotes this: "My most beloved person. That would be Alice, the girl who was taken by an Integrity Knight before my eyes eight years ago. ...And while it might not the same type of love, I also had a partner, a friend as important to me as Alice. Kirito." He also describes Kirito's eyes and hair the same affectionate way as Alice. And also describes his smile.

The final fight with Administrator, where Eugeo crafts the red rose sword for Kirito. (red roses typically symbolize romance btw.) Kirito in the light novel goes on to say: The cold emptiness at the center of my breast evaporated in the midst of blazing heat.

"Love is not something you seek, it's something you give."...were one of Eugeo's last words to Kirito as he passed on his life and love to him.

War Of Underworld (part 2. ep 8) the Eugeo that lives in Kiritos heart : "If you didn't want to leave (the Underworld), it wasn't for your own sake, It's because you love the people you've met here." the Light Novel & SAO Unleash Blading Eugeo even goes to add "....And perhaps me."

Myosotis prologue, where Eugeo narrarated this: "i spent much of my time fumbling through the dark, looking for light to hold onto. The darkness was parted, and yet still i struggled. I was doing all i could now. Even if my footing was shaky, we were finally on the right path. And in my hearts of hearts, i know who i want to walk this path with. There was a young man at the heart of everything that transpired.

In Memory Defrag story event "A Rest Day For Swordmen": Tiese notes that Eugeo might love Kirito with the amount of times he talks about him.

The prologue of Myosotis, Kirito says that he'd want to get stronger in order to protect Eugeo. Asuna goes on to say "You must really love (suki) Eugeo-kun and the rest don't you." Kirito replies with "Yeah. I love all of you."  (this was mistranslated in the localization to "you mustve really been shaken up."

In SAOUB during Tsukimi--a Japanese Moon-viewing holiday, Kirito on your homescreen will blurt out "The moon looks really pretty". That quote is actually an old japanese way of saying I love you. In the localization he adds "It's so romantic...". 

Kirito sounds like he was about to confess to Eugeo in the 4th chapter of Myosotis: the scene where Kirito hugs Dark Rose King Eugeo. After saying that he needs him--he sobs out: "ore wa itsumo...omae ga...itsumo..." which translates to "I always....you...always.."

In the last SAO Lycoris bedscene with Eugeo, he tells Kirito that remembering his childhood with him and having them reunite again means everything to him. (This was mistranslated in the localization to "im glad you're here") He goes on to say things like there was always a hole in my heart, that Kirito eventually filled.

[seavoice]

Oh wait some thoughts on how power operates in the PJO world (not in general Greek mythology don’t come at me)

VERY fascinating to explore the difference in how power is perceived by gods/demigods, in the sense of intrinsic supernatural ability vs. the power of respect and mythologized “political” position (so to speak),

The reason that Zeus and Poseidon’s kids, while obviously being feared, are also clearly revered is not because of how powerful their fathers are in terms of elemental powers, BUT because of their powerful position on the council. Compare this to Hades’s children, who are not revered, while being just as powerful because HADES is not respected among the gods in the same way! (except in the ranks of chthonic gods like Hecate and Hypnos! To whom Hades is in a position of relative power over them! And in turn we see how differently Hazel and Nico’s powers are perceived by them/their kids.).

And you’ve got the hierarchy of power at Camp Half Blood before Percy’s arrival—without the Big Three kids, the most impressive (supernatural) powers you could find were magical metalworking, or magical lock picking or glowing people. All small change compared to the sheer elemental powers that the Big Three Kids possess. So obviously the hierarchy placed more importance on battle skills which was why Ares, Athena, Apollo cabins had an “edge” of sorts over say Hermes or Hephaestus cabins whose parents were more of craftsmen gods. Demeter kids are given their due only in ToA, and even then its the attribute of Demeter of the Golden Sword that makes Meg truly deadly.

The prime example of this is Luke who fought his way by (unconventionally as an Hermes kid) proving himself in sword fighting before he established himself by raising an army with his charisma and aligning himself with Kronos who is not only the most powerful Titan, but also the King of them all, who can bring the rest of the Titans into line.

There was an overhaul in that structure with the introduction of Percy and Thalia, and later Nico (+Bianca) with the powers they possessed which is why everyone FREAKS THE FUCK OUT when they fight, or why the gods want them killed. But even then you have Thalia and Percy who are acknowledged and are seen to have the opportunity of being “honed” vs. Nico who’s left to his own devices

In HOO it’s not executed well lmao but I still have a little fondness for the way it translated and evolved because, like, the concept was there. We see a lack of the same reverence for Percy in Camp Jupiter because it placed importance on Jupiter and Mars (collective strength after all) than Neptune—he gets shunted to the side not because he’s not impressive but because of who his father is and he earns that awe later on by showcasing his power.

You’ve got Jason who’s considered powerful pretty much by everyone, because of his powers of course but ESPECIALLY because of who his dad is, and it’s what he has to grapple with in his whole arc (kinda). You’ve got Hazel who‘s equally (or actually more) powerful than the rest of the Big Three, and it is a power most acknowledged in Underworld circles (Hecate, Pasiphae) because THEY are the ones to whom this power is relevant in both senses of sheer ability as well as power in position.

Even when you consider the rest of them—you’ve got Frank and Reyna, children of war gods who are very important to the Romans. Not to mention the idea of family gifts from gods that you dabble in with both their stories, and the sort of “dynastic power” and power drawn from the people you are a leader for (very literally in Reyna’s case!).

You’ve got Piper who’s mother is older than all the Olympians, but hasn’t ever got her due, and you’ve got her power (which at times can function as a deus ex machine because of the way it’s written, but regardless) which is underestimated by everyone and hence for a little while even by Piper herself, because it’s difficult to give power to a weapon unless you believe in its power.

which leaves the last two of the Seven, who imo also present the most interesting questions on what power is in this universe:

Leo—it’s very interesting to have someone as clever and creative as Leo have fire as his power, because firstly the myth of Prometheus and how Leo seeks to do what nobody else has done over and over again? Love the repeating motif of fire is destructive but it is also constructive, it matters on the wielder, that we get in his storyline. Also the whole taming fire thing he has going on? He’s also the lynchpin of the prophecy so I don’t feel it’s too much of an illogical overpowering of his character (nor di feel this with Frank and Piper) because we ARE reading about the most special demigods of the millennium!!

AND THEN ANNABETH. Annabeth has no powers, and she calls herself the weakest of the Seven—and while obviously she is wily enough to get herself out of whichever situation it is and it’s not a knock on her—it is true. She’s powerless in the traditional sense, but she offers an interesting example of the way power operates with relevance to reputation a la her mother Athena, because she is That Goddess in Greek Mythology who everyone reveres and fears especially due to her position of being Zeus’s right hand woman. But how does that translate when you don’t have an army to lead? When you’re not a general of an army but a teenager and alone. It’s the stark difference we see in pjo vs. hoo in regards to Annabeth’s character because she’s alone without an army or friends, and has to learn how to use her wits solely by herself in MOA. (Also the whole thing about Minerva not being as respected in Camp Jupiter? And how that influences Annabeth’s welcome?)

also this is not translated into text at all, but I wonder about the non-council gods like Hypnos and Hecate and Thanatos and Morpheus, who have kids with incredible powers I’m sure, but due to being ignored do not have the same respect/clout (for lack of a better term). They may outstrip Athena kids when it comes to sheer ability, but also they are on the fringes. It’s why they rally against the major gods in TLO. You have only as much power as you are given by your worshippers.

Because in the end, that’s the crux of the gods’ existence in pjo isn’t it? They are weakened due to their lack of worshippers. Chiron says this way back in TLT. The power of belief. Helios and Selene fade because people stopped attributed importance to them. It’s what Echidna says to Percy way back in the Lightning Thief, do you have faith in the gods? die you faithless one and Percy has to hold his breath and jump to save himself. It’s what he had to do over and over, unfortunately, because that’s the fate of a hero. It’s what saves the gods, the power he puts in them.

It also circles back in TOA. The emperors keep themselves alive through memory and relevance of their power (absolutely thrilling implication of Nero being a billionaire, the modern emperor. What’s that Ursula K Le Guin quote? people believed in the divine right of kings and now they believe in the power of ceos. They make themselves gods because of their cult of personality.

Inthe end, the way power is posited to work is based on the respect given to it, not really the elemental powers. Which is kind of awesome if handled well! (which it wasn’t unfortunately). Because where do the gods’ powers lie? In the mythology of belief. In the end, in the books, it’s not whether the gods control the elements that makes them truly powerful, it’s whether people believe they control them.