#nico and hades’s father son love my religion

[yonemurishiroku]

Something something Hades offering Nico immortality, to which Nico declined (to his father’s dismay), because “Death is a respite, you know it, father.”

Oh does Hades know.

It’s just that he would miss his son a lot.

[astralis01]

Nico DiAngelo X Male!Reader: Death

“Well I'm think that let change the whole Greek Demigod love each others , we have other religions for heaven sake and so I'm thinking that Nico x Egyptian demigod!male reader , son of Anubis =))) both of their fathers is the gods of dead/underworld.” Requested by @imgayandilikeit. I’m really sorry it was posted so late. I ran out of ideas.

If Y/n were to describe his life in one word, it would be tragedy. To be a son of an Egyptian god was almost never seen and to be a son of Anubis, that was a surprise in itself. 

It was strange though, his friends Sadie and Carter Kane had been hosts for the other gods but then he found out he was the son of Anubis and that changed it all. Now, Sadie asked him of Anubis’ whereabouts all the time. It was awkward. Would she still be his best friend or a new step-mother?

Contrary to popular belief, children of the death gods do not always have to be gloomy and visiting the dead, he was the living proof of that but sometimes his father’s winning personality seemed to shine through him.

After having some problems with the dead, he seemed to stable upon the beacon of the problem, a grave in New York South. As he roamed around he saw a boy offering happy meals to the dead.

“Whoa, what the hell?”

“Who in Hades are you?”

Both of them yelled in unison as they noticed each other. 

“Okay, introductions first. (Y/n) (L/n) at your service.”

“Nico Di Angelo.”

“So, what the the hell are you doing. You can’t just disturb them like that,” (Y/n) said, motioning to the happy meal and the skeletons in front of Nico.

“Well...I can,” Nico said, shrugging his shoulders at (Y/n).

“So, as the son of the dead god, I have perfect liberty to stop you from doing so,” Y/n said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Nico looked over to him in surprise and said, “Woah...Hold on a second, are you a son of Hades too?”

“Nooo...I’m a son of Anubis. You know the jackal-heades Egyptian god of dead. I assume you’re the son of Hades. Greek counterpart of my dad?” Y/n said.

Nico nodded. “Close enough, though I’m pretty sure that they don’t like to be called like that.”

Y/n snorted, “Of course. Imagine that.”

After a few minutes of silence Y/n spoke up, “So umm… are you getting into the Halloween spirit early on.”

Nico snorted at the statement and said, “No. I’m searching for some information on my family.”

                    —————————————————————

A few months later

“Why is it that whenever I walk into here, I find you Nico. Is it like you favourite hanging spot? You know boys your age should spend more time with the living than the dead,” Y/n said.

Nico laughed as Y/n took a seat beside him. “We are both of the same age Y/n.”

“Yeah, but my friends are weird and too much drama and angst in one place for me.”

Nico raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Aren’t you literally the son of the death god of Egypt.”

“Yeah, I just don’t exert sad boi energies like you do.”

A beat of silence passed and Nico said, “I was hoping to ask you something.”

“Go one.”

“Ummmmmm…..”

“Take you time. Unless it’s plans of murder…”

“No way. I just wantedtotakeyououtforcoffee.”

“Take it by me slowly again. I don’t do speedster talk.”

“I said that I wanted to take you out for coffee sometime.” Nico turned red.

“Seriously, I just thought that…”

“What?”

“Egyptians do not accept children of gods to well like Greeks do. I could be spited any day. It’s just that, you will be in danger and I don’t want to put you in danger plus if I die you gonna emit more sadness and I want you to be happy…”

Nico turned around and held Y/n’s hands and said, “It’s heartwarming that you want me happy but I’m happy with you. And it’s funny you think death can get you out of this. I will drag you back up myself.”

Y/n buried his head in Nico’s shoulders and after few seconds he got up and took a deep breathe and said, “Well, if you wanna date the mess of the person I am, then my answer is yes.”

[gatesofember]

PJO Arranged Marriage AU Guide

Below the cut is a guide for my PJO Arranged Marriage/Royalty AU.  I’ll continue to update this post as I write the AU and I’ll reblog it every time I update to keep it easy to find on my blog.

Have a question about the AU or can’t remember a tiny detail that was said 3 fics ago?  Shoot me an ask or leave a comment in the fic and then I’ll either answer you or add it here.  I know what’s going on, but sometimes I might forget that you guys don’t know everything I do about this universe!

Locations/Peoples

Location names are, for the most part, the Roman name of the ruler.  Character names are Greek and locations are Roman.  (I will break this rule a few times, e.g, when there isn’t a Greek/Roman counterpart or the person in charge is a demigod.  I equate Enyo and Bellona in this au, even though HoO states they are not the same).  

The three major countries (or the Romanus Terris):

Pluto -- Ruled by King Hades.

Location -- far in the north.

Demonym -- Adj: Plutonian; N: Pluton, Plutons

Economy -- Mining, tends to lead innovation and invention, jewelry, economy collapsed after illness called Scarlet Delirium

Major landmarks -- 5 major rivers: Acheron, Styx, Cocytus, Lethe, and Phlegethon (which leads to some very nice natural hot springs)

Major Cities/Duchies --

The HQ of the Sorority, Venadica, is in Pluto’s borders (but is not technically part of Pluto).

The Royal City is Divitia (which comes from the word for “riches” the ancient Pluton language -- aka, Latin).  It is sometimes called “the city of riches,” making Hades the “father of riches.”  (Just to tie in Dis Pater).  Divitia is in the Duchy Angelus (yup, you guessed it, Nico’s going to be the duke of Angelus when he’s old enough).  (The palace is called the Palatium de Divitae, or Palace of Riches, and one of the royal family’s other estates is called the Privilla).

Also duchies of Trivia, Somnus, and Vulcan, with the duchess/dukes Hecate, Hypnos, and Hephaestus.

Misc. notes -- 

In many senses, the most conservative of the three.  

Old Pluton (which is really just Latin) is the language used in many official affairs/old names.

The coldest of the three countries in the au

Jupiter -- Ruled by Emperor Zeus.  

Location -- South of Pluto.  There is a range of mountains along the western border.  On the east, it borders the sea.

Demonym -- Juvian or Jovian. I can’t decide on a spelling, and neither can they.

Economy -- Farming, trade, art and entertainment

Major landmarks -- Mount Olympus, upon which the imperial city was built.  The mountain range, Monti Ouri, is on the western border.

Major Cities/Duchies --

The imperial city, Olympus, resides in the Duchy of Juno, which is near the coast.  

Apollo is the Duke of Diana.  Mars, Ares’ duchy, is along the western border, where the mountains are.  Demeter is the Duchess of Ceres, which is located far in the south.  Other duchies: Ventus (Duke Aeolus), Mercury (Duke Hermes).

Misc. notes --

Largest of the three.

Most diverse population (aside from Venadica) which can be seen in major cities like Olympus.  

The Jovian language is spoken mostly everywhere, as the trade language and technical language.

Neptune -- Ruled by King Poseidon.  

Location -- A large island and its surrounding keys, located east of Jupiter.

Demonym -- Neptonian, Neptonians

Economy -- Fish, fine fabrics, dye, pearls

Major landmarks -- Prata Pontia (Latin: Prata = Medows, Pontia = of Pontus.  Named this because Romans sometimes called the sea Prata Neptunia), the sea separating Neptune from the mainland, bordering Neptune and Jupiter.

Major Cities/Duchies --

The Royal city is Salacia, located in the duchy Jafilius (Ja = shortened “Jack,” filius = son in Latin).

Duchies Venus, Bacchus, and Aeaea for Aphrodite, Dionysus, and Circe.

Misc. notes --

Most fashion-forward nation, sometimes considered a bit risque.  If Pluto is the most conservative, the Neptonians are the opposite.  

Other groups:

The three main countries are collectively called the Romanus Terris (Roman Lands) because they share a religion and the Sorority binds them together, making them culturally similar and politically allied (mostly).  It helps that they’re all right next to each other.  But there are other countries, as well.

Within the Romanus Terris, there are several ethnic groups, like the satyrs and the nereids.  I’ll write a more detailed section about them when I’m not as exhausted as I am right now.

Southwest of the the Monti Ouri and across a desert is Aegyptia, which, obviously, is Egypt (this is the word that the populus romanus - Roman people - know for it; the Aegyptios have their own language).

Across the Prata Pontia and far to the north is the cold, mountainous Skatinavia, where the Norse live.  It is actually comprised of three main islands, the Scandiai islands.  Annabeth was originally from Skatinavia before Athena took her in as a ward.  (I chose this spelling because it was the one used by Pliny the Elder, so I think it’s the first known Latinization of the Protogermanic name. Credit also goes to Pliny for the idea of making it three islands, the idiot didn’t know they’re peninsulas.  HA! I kid, I kid.)

So is Scatinavia spelled with a “c” or a “k”? Lol, idk. I keep changing my mind, but probably “c.”

Noble Hierarchy

The hierarchical setups of the monarchies are modeled after the British monarchy, with some influence from the Holy Roman Empire.

Basically: King/Queen/Emperor/Empress are the highest positions, followed by Duke/Duchess, and then Earl/Countess.

A Marquis/Marquise is basically equivalent (or perhaps slightly superior) to a Earl/Countess, but the county (or more accurately, the march) is located on the border.

There is little social mobility in these societies; in other words, you stay in the class you’re born into.  Marriage can bring about small changes in status, but not large ones (e.g., a commoner cannot marry a king).

Notable exceptions: as a consor, knight, or soror, you have an achieved rather than ascribed status, but this is not transferable. In other words, if you are knighted or study to become a consor, you gain more respect/power, but you do not pass this status onto your children. Your title dies with you.

Even as a consor, knight, or soror, the class you were born into still matters. For example: it is questionable whether Reyna would have been picked out to be Nico’s adviser if she hadn’t been born into a noble family (of course, she’s perfectly qualified, regardless of status.)

Currency

As of right now, I’m still working this out, but the Romanus Terris all use the same coinage, which is based on ancient Roman currency

Mythology/Religion

The Sorority is structurally somewhat modeled after the Papacy and the Catholic hierarchy.  

Sorority terminology:

Consor -- A normal person (i.e., not a Soror) who volunteers services or studies with the Sorority, usually refers to a student/philosopher/scientist kind of person.  There isn’t a direct translation because it is a very culturally specific position.  Consors are often men, married women, and others who cannot or do not wish to join the Sorority.  Affiliated with the Sorority, but not technically recognized. Comes from a Latin word for “fellow.”

Matestra -- Leader of the Sorority (basically the Pope), currently Artemis, comes from the Latin words for “mother” and “mistress.”

Puella -- Priestess in training, one who has not yet taken the oath.  Comes from the Latin word for “girl.”

Soror -- Priestess, comes from the Latin word for “sister”

Soror Princepa -- High priestess

Sororal -- Relating to the sisters or sisterhood, like the word papal relates to the papacy.  Again, coming from the Latin word for “sister”

Sorority -- Priesthood/sisterhood.  You can probably guess what this means in Latin.

Venadi -- Another term for priestesses, referring to their search for knowledge.  Comes from the Latin word for “hunter.”

Venadica -- (Ember’s pronunciation: /vɛn’ædɪcə/) The HQ of the Sorority, similar to the Vatican.  Like “venadi,” this comes from the Latin word for “hunter.”  It is also called “The City of Enlightenment” because the Sorority leads a constant search for knowledge, which is often informally referred  to as “the hunt.”

Besides the Catholic influences there are also Greco-Roman influences, more with regard to worship.

The deities in this AU are mostly Greek primordial deities (or protogenoi). Basically everything is the same as Greek mythology until the Titans come in. I will take a few creative liberties, though, and sources are inconsistent with each other. I use Riordanverse as my main source, but not all the time. So if something is inconsistent with Riordan canon or with Hesiod or some other scholar, don’t worry, I know. I chose to do it that way because it’s my au and I can do whatever I want.

Like Greek and Roman Mythologies, religions don’t necessarily “conflict” with each other. In ancient times, when new deities from other cultures were discovered, they were added to the pantheon. The populus romanus used to be several different tribes who worshiped several different deities and over time they added to each other’s pantheons, eventually becoming one big society with an organized mythology.

For the most part, if a name isn’t listed here they either a) don’t exist in this au, b) don’t exist in this au yet, or c) exist but as a mortal.

The protogenoi:

Aeon -- Protogenos of eternity.

Aether -- Protogenos of light.  Consort of Hemera.

Anake -- Protogenos of inevitability. Consort of Chronos.

Chaos -- Protogenos of the void (genderless).  Parent of Gaea, Nyx, Akhlys, Ouranos, Pontos, Tartarus, Erebos, and Eros.

Chronos -- not to be confused with Kronos (who is referred to as Saturn in this au to differentiate).  Protogenos of time.  Consort of Anake.

Elpis -- Protogenos of hope.

Erebos -- Protogenos of darkness.  Consort of Nyx.  Father of Hemera, Aether, Moros, Ker, and Thanatos.

Eros -- Protogenos of love and sex.

Gaea -- Protogenos of the earth.  Consort of Ouranos.  Viewed as a protective mother figure by mortals.

Hemera -- Protogenos of day.  Consort of Aether.

Ker -- Protogenos of painful and violent death.

Moros -- Protogenos of doom.

Nyx -- Protogenos of night.  Consort of Erebos.  Mother of Hemera, Aether, Moros, Ker, Thanatos and Akhlys.

Ouranos -- Protogenos of the sky.  Consort of Gaea.  

Pontos -- Protogenos of the sea.

Tartarus -- Protogenos of the Tartarus pit.  Not the devil; just the guy you don’t want to meet.  Sometimes also called the protector of the pit, like a jail keeper.

Thanatos -- Protogenos of peaceful death.

Legends

Saturn and the Titans -- a team of 12 mortal sons and daughters of Ouranos and Geae, who, in an attempt to overthrow the protogenoi and seize control for themselves, threw their brothers and sisters (the cyclopses and the hundred-handed-ones, etc.), into Tartarus, leaving the protogenoi defenseless.  The war was said to have lasted decades.  In the end, one of the titans, Rhea, returned to her mother, Gaea, and helped her trick and defeat Saturn.  Rhea was killed in the process and died in her mother’s arms.

A reminder that the titan Kronos is called Saturn in this au to avoid confusion with Kronos (titan) and Chronos (protogenos).

Rhea and Gaea, particularly the Gaea clining to Rhea’s dying body, are often the subjects of pieces of art.  They have this cool mother/daughter-protectors-of-the-world theme.

This story is also the origin of the phrase “a hundred hands dealt a hundred poor cards,” because the hundred-handed-ones got a really crappy ending.

Yes, Ouranos lost his balls.  “Ouranos’ ballsack” (or variations thereof) is a vulgar, but common, exclamation.  So is “Gaea’s rocky mountains,” btw.

Remember when Nico and Will went to the opera to see Mutilationem Ouranos? 

....yup.  

Feasts, festivals, and other celebrations:

Chronalia -- A harvest festival, dedicated to Chronos (not Kronos) to honor the passage of time and the end of waiting. Held in Ceres (Jupiter).

Erotia -- A fertility/love holiday, held in honor of Eros.  Takes place in Venus (Neptune) during spring.

Rhegalia -- Celebration of Rhea and Gaea’s defeat of Saturn.  Held in winter in Angelus (Pluto).

Gaealia -- A festival held in Ceres (Jupiter) to celebrate the beginning of the harvest in Spring.  Sacrifices are offered to Gaea to pray for a fruitful season.

Pontonia -- A festival held in Jafilius (Neptune) in honor of Pontus.  Occurs in summer.

Games, Sports, and other activities:

Stones-and-Stems -- A children’s game.  The children attempt to throw a stone into a “target” made up of twigs or stems.  If a child makes the target, they continue to move farther away from the target until they miss.  The child who gets farthest wins.

Wolf-in-the-Pasture -- A children’s game.  One child is the “wolf” and the others are “cattle.”  The “wolf” chases the “cattle,” and when the “wolf” catches a “cow,” that “cow” also becomes a “wolf.”  The game continues until all “cattle” are “wolves.”  The last “cow” standing becomes the “wolf” in the next round.

Bluff -- A card game similar to poker.  Generally more popular in lower class.

Quadratis -- An aristocratic 4-player card game.

Belli -- An aristocratic 2-player card game.

Acies -- A two-player war/strategy board game meant to simulate a battle.  The board is rectangular and the players sit at either end.  The board is filled with eight large square-shaped tiles, each representing a section of the battlefield.  Each large tile contains 16 squares to signify spaces.  Figurines with differing attributes are used, similar to chess, and each type of figurine has a limit on how many spaces it can move per turn and has specific battle abilities.  The players take turns moving their characters or using an ability.  The goal is to seize control of all tiles on the board, which is done in one of several ways, including a particular combination of figurines on a space, defeating an opponent on the tile before either claim it, or taking control of the tile from an occupying opponent.  Once the tile has been claimed, the player who seized it places a token on the space to signify it is theirs.  The token can be removed and the tile seized by the opponent if the area is left unguarded.  The first player to control all eight tiles wins.  This game can take many hours, even days to complete between a well-matched pair of skilled players.

Bull Leaping -- a traditional sport/performance in Jupiter, based on ancient Greek (mostly Cretan) ritual bull leaping and the more contemporary French course landaise.

Misc. Culture, Customs, and Social Norms

Introduction — The reason I started this au was because of my fascination with arranged marriages, social stratification, cultural norms, etc., so I wanted to add this section on miscellaneous customs not otherwise specified elsewhere in the guide.  This section is going to be much more descriptive rather than simply definitional, so I apologize for my verbosity.

I know some of you feel that the formalities in the au are a bit much, but I’ve actually toned down the formalities because I knew I was probably the only person who would like them.  I’m not trying to write a romance in a historical setting.  I don’t want to write the trope about love being more important than social class.  I’m writing a historical drama with romance in it.  So if things seem formal or proper...yes.  That’s the point.  I’m writing an arranged marriage/royalty au.  It’s all about social class and etiquette.

Just as a note, originally the arranged marriage was much more...arranged, I guess?  The whole thing was far more of a slow burn, too.  In my early plans, Nico and Will had been betrothed for years before they even met in person for the first time.  Their families were discussing the details and they were kept fully informed about the situation, and even wrote to each other some.  Will, of course, was smitten from the moment the negotiations started.  I had this little joke that when they exchanged portraits before the engagement was finalized, Nico’s portrait was the original Nico di Angelo official art, and Will picked it up in complete awe and said, “He’s beautiful!” And then when they actually met in person for the first time, Nico had grown up into Viria official art!Nico and Will basically had the same reaction.

Anyway. I still love this original idea, but I changed it for simplicity’s sake. I’m happy with Privilla, so it all turned out fine, but if I were to do this all over again, I think I would go back to the original plan.

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on history (I haven’t even taken a history class since high school).  I’m not an expert on sociology and anthropology either, but I have taken classes and I absolutely loved them, and I have done a lot of research for writing this fic.  I drew a lot of inspiration from my cultural anthropology class (I fucking loved that class, have I mentioned that?).  Still, I’m not an expert, nor do I pretend to...ok yes I do pretend to be an expert.

However when it comes to economics and government, I’m making all this shit up.  Mostly.

By mostly I mean like 99.9% of it.

Marriage

Arranged Marriage

Here I’m going to explain the positive things about arranged marriages, but I’d like to say that my no means do I think we should all be having arranged marriages, and I certainly don’t believe we should arrange the marriages of children. I am expressing things from an in-world point of view and this world has many flaws.

The point of an arranged marriage is not love. That does not mean that there will not be love. That does not mean that people are forced into marriages. That does not mean that it is an entirely impersonal transaction. I only said that the point isn’t love.

Marriage is a rite of passage. You become much more respected when you are married. People generally are excited for their marriage to be arranged because it means that they are growing up and serving their family, and they are enthusiastic about the next chapter of their life with their spouse.

Marriages take a long time to arrange. There is a lot of communication between families. Sometimes, the couple in question may not meet for many years, but in this case they usually will exchange letters and get to know each other in preparation for their life together. Again, none of this is done against their will (except that it absolutely is done against their will considering that very often parents begin preparations when their children are still minors). Their feelings are taken into consideration; if they absolutely cannot get along, their families will decide that a marriage would be unsuccessful. Usually, however, they are encouraged to try their best to get along. Again, people are generally excited to meet their suitors and they want to have a successful marriage, so they will be kind to one another and become friendly. Clashes so severe that they lead to breaking off the arrangement after the official betrothal begins are rare.

Sometimes we say things about finding “the one,” like the person you are destined to be with. The concept of fate in this society is a bit different in this respect. In the au, everything that happens was meant to happen because that was how the fates dictated it. If you marry someone, then that is the person you were fated to marry. That person is “the one,” no question about it. Does that mean you’re fated to fall passionately in love? Perhaps, perhaps not. Love isn’t the point of a marriage. All it means is that person is the one you are fated to spend your life with.

Try to consider how people in the au view our “love marriages.” To them, our marriages are weird. They are also quite unwise. Passion, the kind of love that generally leads to marriage today, is a fleeting emotion, one that only lasts the first few years of a relationship. It is not a good foundation. Not only that, but the person you are marrying, most likely, isn’t from a family that’s close to your family, and the two families haven’t communicated to plan and sort everything out. This is a huge decision and you are making it largely on your own. That is seen as very foolish. You are marrying someone who is a complete stranger to your family, which is incredibly risky. So, if you think it is cruel to arrange a marriage, try to consider exactly how terrifying, risky, and impulsive a love marriage would seem to them.

We say, “first comes love, then comes marriage.” They say, “first comes marriage, then comes love.” Just because love didn’t trigger your relationship doesn’t mean there won’t be love.

Think of it this way: most of us, I sincerely hope, love and are loved by our families. You did not choose them. Often, you probably wouldn’t be friends with them or even like them if you aren’t related. But you love them anyway. This is what marriage is like in the au. Your spouse is your family. Under other circumstances, you may not have even picked them out as a friend. Still, you care for them. They’re your family and your partner. You are going to be together for life and you will support each other unconditionally.

Love, although not the foundation of marriage, is expected to happen.  But the kind of love that defines marriage is not passion; it is companionship.  Passion, of course, can and does also happen, but when passion inevitably starts to ebb, it does not seem like the marriage is falling apart because that wasn’t why they married in the first place

I steal a lot of my love terminology and conceptualization from Sternberg’s triarchic theory.

As for courting: yes, suitors will try to woo a potential fiancé.  There are a few reasons for this: 1) you want to get along with your spouse and it is presumed that you will love them eventually; 2) if you are one of several suitors, the wooing is sort of like bribing someone into favoring you, which will make them more likely to choose to marry you; and 3) in courting someone, you demonstrate your ability to provide for your potential spouse through personal attributes such as dependability and patience, as well as wealth in the form of gifts.

All in all, no: love is not the foundation of marriage. However, it’s there.

Unless you’re Zeus and Hera. Failed marriages can happen.

While I’m on the topic: Daphne and Apollo. Their marriage was based on passion and it failed. This is to show the culture’s perspective on love marriages. However, I will say this: we fight with family. We don’t get along with family. Sometimes, we don’t even personally like our family. Yet, we love them. Apollo and Daphne may not get along, they may not be able to stand being in the same room, and they may have other lovers, but they are partners. They are family. In some way, deep down, they do care for each other and they will support each other — and they’ll definitely work together to protect and preserve the well-being of the family they created.

Divorce

There is no divorce--another flaw of the culture.  

Annulments are possible in cases when the marriage was unconsummated.

Same sex vs Opposite sex marriage

Same sex marriage 

I already went on my long rant about marriage not being founded on love. We have same sex marriages today because marriage is about love now. In Ye Olde Days, it made sense to have a same sex lover, if that was the team you played for, but it wouldn’t have made sense to have a same sex spouse. So, I had to come up with a reason for a same-sex marriage to make sense, if it didn’t have to do with love or procreation.

A same sex marriage is about money and power and prestige. Yes, those things are also involved in an opposite sex marriage, but the degree is different. The traits that make someone a good suitor in a same sex relationship may not be the same as the traits that make a good suitor in an opposite sex marriage. For one thing, the orientation of a same sex marriage is immediate. The benefits of an opposite sex marriage, on the other hand, may take a while to show up. A lot of the functions tie into gender roles as well, which I’ll go over later. I’ve discussed this within the series already, so I don’t think I have to go over it more: just know that in a same sex marriage, the goal is “GIVE ME MY MONEY AND POWER AND PRESTIGE AND GIVE IT TO ME NOW VIA AN ARRANGEMENT THAT DOES NOT RESULT IN OVERPOPULATION.”

Opposite sex marriage

MAKE DEM BABIES

History of marriage

This is a bit complicated, but sort of ties into the same sex and opposite sex marriages.  A long time ago, before monogamy became widespread in the Romanus Terris, it was not uncommon in the upper class to have two spouses, one of each gender, if you were going to inherit a title or land because husbands and wives brought different but equally valuable benefits in a marriage. Eventually, because of foreign influence, monogamy became more popular, but what kept same sex marriages alive was the idea that the sex of your partner was relevant to what they had to offer. I’m not sure if the I’ve explained that well, but it makes sense in my head.

Anyway, this factoid probably won’t come up in the story, so don’t worry about it. It’s just an extra tidbit from world building. 

Weddings

Inspired by Ancient Greek weddings.  In Ancient Greece, weddings lasted three days and progressed similarly to what I outline in the series.  The first day is for sacrifices and honoring ancestors and stuff like that.  The second day is for the ritual bathing ceremony and the procession.  That night is the wedding night.  The third day is when gifts are exchanged, some dowry/bride price stuff is taken care of, that kind of thing.  So all that, but in an 18th century Europe inspired setting.

Gender 

Nonbinary, Transgender, and Otherwise Not Cis

This culture is extremely cis-centric and dyadic.  It lacks the language and conceptualization to think about and discuss gender the way that we do today, but nonbinary and transgender characters do exist.  More details to come later in the story.

Gender Roles

Gender roles are fairly similar to those in cultures we’re familiar with. More physical duties are masculine, whereas things dealing with childrearing are feminine. Childrearing includes education, which is why education is seen as such a feminine thing.

And yes, this means that Will is actually seen as a rather feminine character.

There’s a theory about gender roles and sexism that I particularly like; basically, this idea states that the problem with feminine gender roles is not that women are forced into roles (i.e., teaching, child-rearing, cooking) that are inherently demeaning. Instead, the problem is that women are treated as inferior, and therefore the things that we associate with women are also deemed to be inferior.

One notable piece of supporting evidence for this is nursing. In Ye Olde Days, nursing was considered a masculine career, but at some point, that switched. At the same time that nursing was becoming viewed as more feminine, it became a considerably less respected profession. This isn’t proof, of course, but it’s definitely worth considering.

There are lots of academic articles about this kind of thing out there, and I definitely buy into it. I find it very empowering and I think women in traditional feminine roles deserve a lot more respect. Reading about theories like this has really helped me learn to appreciate women, I think. I used to believe that a woman was weak or subservient if she subscribed to gender roles too much, but I’ve since figured out that there is absolutely nothing inherently demeaning about child-rearing or other feminine roles, and it was rather sexist of me to fall victim to the groupthink of the patriarchy. So I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with writing a culture that has clear gender roles, but equal respect between the sexes.

Breaking Gender Roles/GNC

In this universe, because both sexes are very respected, whenever somebody comes across someone breaking a gender role, they might just stop and think, “huh. That’s interesting.” And that’s the end of it. That being said, there are consequences, both good and bad, for breaking these roles.

Let’s take Chiron, for example.  Chiron is a tutor--an extremely good one.  As an educator, he’s in a rather feminine role.  Because Chiron is male, people tend to be especially impressed by his skill, because it’s so unusual to see a male in that position.

However, it was challenging for Chiron to get to where he is now.  Early in his career, people didn’t take him as seriously as they took the women.  He had to work a bit harder than everyone else to succeed.

Female guards

Physical careers (i.e., soldiers, guards, farmers) are definitely more masculine for physiological reasons. That being said, upper class ladies usually have at least one or two female guards, for several reasons.

The first reason is a being-in-the-room-while-you-change/we-all-have-the-same-parts-here kind of thing.  It’s not a sexuality thing (pretty much all the characters are bi anyway).  If you’re a female guard and you happen to see a boob or two, then it’s not a big deal. Nothing you haven’t seen before. Although it wouldn’t be polite to stare.

Is this transphobic?  Yes.  One of this world’s flaws is the dyadic and cis-centric nature of the culture.

But by no means is this a set-in-stone rule.

Could a cis male guard be in the room while a cis noble lady is changing?  Sure.  Besides, she’ll probably be behind a screen regardless of what her security has in their pants (or skirts).

A female guard could also be in the room while the male noble she’s protecting is changing.

Because yes, a male can also have a female guard.  There are no rules against that.

And if you’ll recall, Reyna has been in the room while Nico was changing before.

Another reason for female guards is to be a body double.  A female guard may pretend to be a noble lady to protect her if they think she’s in danger of being attacked.

A third reason for a female guard is that girls can do whateverthefuck they want.

But what I really mean to say is I don’t want people to walk away with the idea that this world is feminist because women can be guards.  This world is feminist because it respects women.  Being in a “man’s role” isn’t what makes a woman powerful.

Gender and Leadership

Men and women are seen as having different but equally important specialties when it comes to leadership. Women bring wisdom and empathy, whereas men are, for lack of a better term, “enforcers” (that isn’t quite right, but I can’t think of a more accurate description at the moment). Both of these qualities are necessary for good leadership. For that reason, there is pretty much always a somewhat equal gender balance in leadership roles. Often, this means a husband and wife.

Let’s take the example of Pluto. Hades is the King and Persephone is the Queen. (Well, technically speaking, Persephone is not the Queen, she’s the Queen Consort, but you get the idea). The Pluton inner court is made up of a fairly equal number of men and women. Nico, unlike Hades, will not take a wife. This is why he has Reyna. Because Reyna is eternally single and not going to mingle, she will reliably remain by Nico’s side when he becomes King and through the duration of his reign. Politically speaking, her position in the Pluton court will be comparable to a Queen Consort. The bond between Nico and Reyna is like a marriage in that sense; it’s a very formal partnership and they will share Nico’s authority (albeit not completely equally). This sort of relationship is a remnant of the polygamy in the history of the Romanus Terris.

So where does this leave Will? The purpose of Will’s marriage to Nico is money and trade relations.  Also to get a sunshiney poster boy for the Royal Family because Pluto, in general, doesn’t like Nico.

However, neither Will nor Reyna will have the same amount of power that Persephone has because Persephone is the King’s wife and adviser.  More about the details of Nico’s marriage will be revealed later in the series.

Food and Meals

I’ve probably been inconsistent about this in the actual series, but these are the official facts.

Meal times

Breakfast: Served in the morning; generally a small meal, traditionally cheese and cold cuts.

Lunch (or Luncheon): Midday meal of the upper class.  The working class has an earlier dinner.  The size of luncheon varies by culture.  Juvians have the largest lunch.

Dinner: In the upper class, takes place later in the afternoon, maybe around 4 pm or later.  In the working class, it takes place earlier, perhaps at 1 or 2 pm.  Largest meal of the day.

Supper: For the upper class, takes place in the evening.  For the working class, takes place in late afternoon.  Is a smaller meal, often just snacks.

Cuisine

I try to give Aegyptia and Skatinavia somewhat culturally and historically accurate foods.

Neptune: Much of Neptune’s culture, including cuisine, is inspired by New Orleans and the Caribbean. Loud flavors. Spicy. A lot of seafood.

Jupiter:  Southern Jupiter’s cuisine is influenced by food in Southern USA. Cornbread. Chicken pot pie. Butter.

Pluto: Tends to be meat-heavy. Kind of bland and dry.

[fandomsandfeminism]

Rick Riordan's books just keep getting better (and more diverse!) Transcript

Part 1

Part 2

Transcript Below the Cut:

Rick Riordan. So, I've wanted to make a video about Rick Riordan for a while and with  The new Trials of Apollo book just coming out, I’m really hyped about it. So I wanted to talk about why I like his books, or at least some of the things that impress me about them and keep me consistently excited about them.

Rick Riordan, if you don’t know,  is the author of the wildly popular Percy Jackson series, and today I want to talk about his books, especially how his representation of minorities has improved over time.

So, a few quick things: First, I’m not going to talk about ALL of Rick Riordan’s work, especially his ancillary and tie in material like the Demi-God Files or all the cross over stories, mostly because I haven't read all of them.

And second: Spoilers. Just, big old spoilers for basically everything. I’m not going to go into big plot points much, but I will be talking about some of the characters in depth. I’m going to move through his ouvre in roughly chronological order. So, you are warned.

Lastly, this video hinges on the premise that well done, well executed, fully fledged representations of minority characters in children and Young Adult media is good and important.  I’m not really going to argue this point. It is the assumption we are beginning with. Diverse media with diverse characters is  good and important.  

And this point is, weirdly, kind of controversial. In fact, in the vast majority of children and young adult media most of the cast will be white, straight, cis, able bodied, neurotypical children or young adults with an unstated or vague religious affiliation. This last bit, about the unstated or vague religious affiliation is one we don’t often think about, but really, having a character with ANY stated religion is really rare. Most will, maybe, practice a sort of secularized Christmas maybe? But that’s about it.

The rationale you’ll hear for this is that this makes books more accessible and thus marketable. I would counter that if you really want your book to appeal to as many different people as possible, wouldn’t you want to have as many different types of characters as possible? But that comes with the assumption that outright bigots wouldn’t refuse a book because one of the secondary characters is in a wheelchair, I guess.

So, yeah. Most children's lit and young adult lit  will be white, straight, cis, able bodied, neurotypical children or young adults with an unstated or vague religious affiliation, even if it gets absurdly, massively popular. Popular enough to take risks and work outside the box. I’m looking at you, JK Rowling. Looking at you.

This fact, this lack of diversity, does not bother some people. And we are not going to argue this point in this video. We are beginning with the assertion that this situation is not ideal, and that added quality, well written diversity is a positive. And we are going to look specifically at how Rick Riordan improves in this specific aspect of his writing over time.

--

Ok, so, Uncle Rick is a San Antonio , Texas native, and as someone who was also born and raised in central Texas, I love this fact. He went to MY alma mater, UT, and became a middle school teacher. We’re basically the same person.

Now, Percy Jackson isn’t actually his first book series. In the 90s he wrote a detective series set in San Antonio called Big Red Tequila. There’s like 7 books in this series and I have read none of them. I’m sure they’re great though. How could they not be with a name like that?

Our story really begins in 2004-ish. The story goes that he was telling his son Greek myths as bedtime stories, and when he ran out of myths (or at least child friendly myths I assume), he started to make one up. He invented a story about a boy named Percy, a son of Poseidon, who goes on an adventure to return Zeus's missing lightning bolts.  His son told him that he should turn it into a book, his dad had published books before after all. So, Rick did just that. He then took his rough draft to his middle school students and used their feedback to revise.

He then sold this book to Miramax Books for enough money to retire from teaching and focus on writing. God damn. Rick was living the dream here. Life goals.

So, yeah. If you’ve never read the first Percy Jackson books they are...fine. They’re ok, good even. Definitely like, children’s books. But if you like bad puns and greek myths they are fun. I read all 5 in like...one weekend when I was in high school. I personally think the books really pick up in the third one: Titan’s Curse, mostly because we meet my favorite character, Nico. There’s some good world building in that book, and it really feels like Rick had figured out how he wanted to end the series by that point, so the plot feels more focused.  Maybe that’s just me.

So, remember how I said that Children’s lit will tend to be filled with white, straight, cis, able bodied, neurotypical children with an unstated or vague religious affiliation? Well, Percy Jackson and all his friends are...mostly, white, straight, cis, able bodied, children with an unstated or vague religious affiliation who have ADHD and Dyslexia.

Because Rick Riordan’s son has ADHD and Dyslexia, and Rick wanted these heroes to be like him. So, yeah. The diversity isn’t AMAZING here, but the intent to provide representation for minority children was present from the very beginning. And ADHD and Dyslexia are, like, super powers here, proof the children are demi-gods, are side effects of their brains and bodies being ready for amazing quests.  And there’s this great diversity in the characters with ADHD and Dyslexia and how it impacts them. Annabeth is depicted as super smart and studious. You have Percy who has always struggled in school. And so on.

Now, how you feel about this representation of ADHD and Dyslexia will vary. Some people really like it, others think it isn’t very well done or plays into some iffy tropes. I think we can safely say that the intent was very positive, but your milage may vary on the execution.

There’s also a movie adaption of the first 2 books which are…..bad. Logan Lerman was 18 when he played Percy- who should be like...12? And they made Hades the bad guy? And like..Persephone? Is? In? The? Underworld? In? Summer? Which….ugh. Like, they made Grover black, which was a cool choice, an attempt to address the lack of racial diversity it seems.  but still these movies are not good….maybe if you haven't read the books, you’ll like them. I don’t like them. I didn't even watch the second one honestly. .

Alright so we will look at the rest of Rick Riordan’s books in part 2 of this video. I wanted to cut it here to keep it from getting super super long. So I will see you guys over on Part 2 to finish up

CUT --

Welcome back to my look at all of Rick Riordan’s books and how they have improved over time. We are going to jump right in where we left off at the end of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Ok, so after Percy Jackson, Rick Riordan started work on the Kane Chronicles. If you haven’t read the Kane Chronicles, I don’t blame you. They are kind of the forgotten half-siblings of the Percy Jackson universe, but you should read them. They are really good, and they feel like a really experimental time for Rick. Not only is this the first time we see him play with a split First Person narrator, where different chapters are from different character’s Point of View, but he also really tackles race in these books.

Carter and Sadie are biracial, and deal with all kinds of race issues- Sadie being white passing and Carter not, the books looks at  how that impacts them and their experiences with others, their family, and their heritage. Plus all the Egyptian shit is really cool.

But even if you skipped this book series (seriously, go back and read them.) you can see this evolution in Rick’s writing in his sequel to Percy Jackson- Heroes of Olympus. These books actually came out at the same time as the Kane Chronicles, with The first Kane Chronicles book coming out in May 2010, then The first Heroes of Olympus book coming out in October 2010, and back and forth. And it’s clear that his new skills in Red Pyramid were influential on Heroes of Olympus.

Not only do we see the return of the Shifting narrator, now a Third Person Limited Point of View that follows different characters in different chapters, but where the first series was overwhelmingly white, these books seem to make a real effort to avoid that. The first two books- The Lost Hero and Son of Neptune take place, more or less concurrent and independent of each other. It’s not until the 3rd book when all the new characters meet up. But in those first 2 books, we get 5 new MAIN characters- Jason, a white boy; Piper, a Native American girl, specifically Cherokee if I remember; Leo, a Mexican American boy; Frank, a Chinese American boy; and Hazel, an African American girl. We also get Reyna, who isn’t a main character at first, but I would argue becomes one in House of Hades, and she is Puerto Rican.

And ALL of these characters and their racial identities are handled really well. Like, they are fully fleshed out and genuine characters. This doesn’t feel like shallow, lazy tokenism. Their heritage plays a part in who they are, but is not the ONLY thing about them. Piper, for example, has a father who refuses to play Native American roles in movies because he wants to avoid being stereotyped or type cast and Piper carries that struggle to connect with her heritage with her. Hazel’s experience as a black girl, and a black girl from the 1930s at that, impacted how she was treated growing up and makes up a big part of her backstory. But they aren’t solely defined by these experiences like shallow stereotypes.

It’s well done ,is that I’m saying

-

So at this point, we could say that while Rick had a good grasp on racial diversity and neuro-divergence representation. Most of his characters were still straight, cis, able bodied, children with an unstated or vague religious affiliation. (Seriously, did none of these kids have like..faith in a religion before?)

Now, here is a true, fun fact. On June 30th, 2013, 3 months before the release of House of Hades, I went on Tumblr and wrote an Open Letter to Rick Riordan about how he should really include LGBT+ characters in his books. He had written. Like, 11 children’s books at this point, and despite my headcanons, every character had been portrayed as assumed straight and cis. So I wrote a letter. How much I liked his books, but really, could we have some LGBT+ characters, this IS Greek mythology after all.  I don’t think he ever saw this letter, despite me tweeting it at him.

Among other things in this letter, I go on to list several possibilities for LGBT+ representation in his books, including:  quote: maybe Nico feels an unrequited crush on Percy. A headcanon I had since book 4, Battle of the Labyrinth.

And so, I want my moment, just to say: I. Was. Right. And I told you so.

House of Hades came out in 2013, and well, so did Nico. My favorite character came out of the closet, or, well, was outed and it was heart wrenching. The fandom kind of lost its shit over this. Anyone who had shipped Percy and Nico was throwing a party, homophobes were throwing a fit, it was very emotional. I was gloating a lot.

And let’s be clear- Nico’s sexuality in House of Hades is not...handled the best. It’s better than nothing certainly, and it’s better than Word of God reveals post publication. Rowling. But, by itself, it’s...well...single sad cis gay boy pines over unrequited straight crush hits some stereotypes. None of this is malicious, but it by itself is only so-so representation.

But Rick wasn’t done there, because we still had one more book- Blood of Olympus. Nico gets a super cute boyfriend in the form of Will Solace, and gets some closure with Percy. Now, your mileage may vary with that particular scene. Nico smugly telling Percy he “isn't his type” feels, well, a little out of character and, I dunno, corny. But it’s nice to see Nico get this happy relationship with Will, and I’ll forgive Rick for any stumbles in the exact execution to avert that sad-single-gay trope.

- -

Ok. So, now at last, we get to the 2 series that are still in publication: Gods of Asgard and Trials of Apollo. These two series are publishing concurrently, and  because the Gods of Asgard started publishing first, let’s talk about it first.

I love Gods of Asgard. Truly. These might be my favorite of Riordan’s books. Part of that might just be that after 10 Greek and Roman books, a focus on Norse is refreshing, but I just love it. I love Magnus, I love the Annabeth cameos, I love Sam. Ok, so, the first Gods of Asgard book: Sword of Summer hits two important notes when it comes to minority representation.

Hearth is deaf and mute and uses sign language. This is the first time we’ve had a main character with a clear disability other than ADHD and Dyslexia. Which is really cool. And The consistent use of sign language throughout is neat.

Our second is Sam. Who is muslim and wears a hijab. Like, truly, how many stories do you know about a hijabi muslim valkyrie girl kicking all the ass.

Book 2, Hammer of Thor…well. Remember when I said Nico is my favorite character? Nico might have to fight Alex Fierro for my heart. Alex Fierro. A trans gender fluid child of Loki. I love Alex. Some people cried SJW Gay-Agenda bullshit over Alex like, being trans and gender fluid and, actually mentioning it more than once, but those people are unhappy assholes and I ignore them. I like Alex. Alex is an interesting, complicated character and I can’t wait for the next book.

Also, am I the only one who thinks Magnus and Alex are being set up for some romance? Just wishful thinking? Feels like romance. I ship it. I’ve been right before.

So ok, so We now have racial diversity, representation of multiple kinds of disabilities, a gay character, a gender fluid trans character, and a muslim character. -

Let’s talk about Trials of Apollo.

These books are really fun. If for no other reason than Apollo might actually be the most loud, entertaining narrator we’ve had yet. He’s funny, he’s an asshole. He’s also very loudly and clearly bisexual. Which, duh. How else would you even write Apollo if you have any understanding of Greek mythology?  It’s mentioned a couple of times in the first book, and then even more in the second, where his prior relationships have plot relevance.

The second book also introduced us to Jo and Emmie, a biracial lesbian couple who used to be hunters of Artemis who are now raising a daughter together.

And this is kind of the joy of really GOOD diverse representation. Like, Apollo has faced hardship because of his relationships, with both men and women, but his sexuality itself isn’t a problem with him. Alex is very secure with who they are, but has clearly faced a lot of transphobia. Nico was very closeted and seemed to have a lot of pain tied up in his sexuality and is only just now healing from that with Will. Jo and Emmie clearly faced issues with their relationship, having to leave the hunters, but have built a new life together. We get this great array of experiences, rather than just one prevailing narrative.

I love it, and we’ve come so far from that first bedtime story about a boy trying to find some stolen lightning bolts. - -

So, what’s in the future for Rick Riordan? Well, he hasn’t announced any new book series for after Gods of Asgard and Trials of Apollo wrap up. However, we do know that he is starting his own Publishing Imprint with Disney Hyperion.  Rick will only work as a curator it seems, focusing on having minority authors write fantasy/mythology based books from their native cultures. There are 3 books signed right now,

Jennifer Cervantes’s Storm Runner, which is about a boy having to save the world from a Mayan Prophesy.

Roshani Chokshi’s Aru Shah and the End of Time, about a 12-year-old Indian-American girl who unwittingly frees a demon intent on awakening the God of Destruction

And Yoon Ha Lee’s Dragon Pearl, about a teenage fox spirit on a space colony.

All of which sound AMAZING and I will preorder as soon as Amazon let’s me.

Look, Rick Riordan is not a perfect person or a perfect writer. Some people take issue with him because he has said some rather insulting things about the small number of people who still worship the greek gods. That he took these stories and was dismissive of the people who still value them religiously. Now, The majority of those comments seem to come from blog posts back in 2006, and he did have a brief apology for offending Hellenists on his facebook back in February. and one would hope that this interest on letting minority authors tell stories from their own culture in the future is evidence that he has learned and grown since then.

And not everyone will like Rick Riordan’s books no matter what. They are for kids. They are corny and have bad puns and sometimes meander or forget about important characters for long stretches of time. Sometimes the ideas he has are better than the execution. It happens.

But when I look at his books as a whole, I see Middle school teacher from San Antonio who started with a fun idea and never stopped growing as an author with a dedication to minority representation in his novels. And I certainly appreciate that, and look forward to more of his work for as long as he decides to produce it.

[yonemurishiroku]

Nico taking advantage of being Hades’ ‘favorite’ to straight-up diss the gods that mess with him, showing attitude and all of that - knowing full well he’d have his father’s protection against their petty retorts.

[yonemurishiroku]

I was reading a fic and it reminded me of another fic. I’m honestly amazed by how Nico and Hades’ relationship is portrayed in that particular fanfic.

Beautiful. When you love someone but not necessarily like them

For context: this is a Modern AU, Maria and Bianca are dead (as usual. Shame), Nico has a few mental issues and Hades is an absolutely cold and strict father. That is to say: he restrains him. It has been a while since I read this fic, but technically it’s those along the line of: strict education, regulations, degenerating voices.

He set up a whole overabundant homeschooling course for Nico, pressuring him about grades and educational performances. He hardly lets Nico out of the house (it takes a twenty minute phone call of convincing). He doesn’t think Nico is capable of faring well in the outside world. He disapproves of Nico’s hobby (which is gaming btw).

But I wouldn’t be babbling if that was the case now would I? The fascinating thing about this is that: Hades actually does love Nico.

He is a man of rules, so he drew a path of future for his son. He doesn’t want Nico out of the house because he knows how bad Nico’s agoraphobia can get. And the fact that Nico can still get his way, albeit with extensive convincing, says a lot. He disapproves of gaming instead of education, but he still lets Nico play as long as it doesn’t get in the way of studying.

Here’s the thing. Through out the fic, Hades is portrayed as an absolutely scary, harsh and toxic (the degenerating voice doesn’t help) father figure. But - I don’t know if that’s my bias mind talking - I can still see that he cares for Nico and wishes the best for him. His delivery is wrong, of course, and that results in their tense, always-wary relationship. And the fact that Nico blatantly announces his father’s dislike towards himself earlier this screenshot.

It’s kinda relatable, and a reflection of unfortunate reality, when good intentions turn out not as good as we wish it to be.

Hades and Nico’s relationship is no where near perfect in this fanfic. Hades appears downright cold to his son, and Nico is either tired or wary when talking or mentioning his father.

And it’s half of the reason why I adore this fic so much.

-> That, right there, is exactly how I prefer to think of Hades and Nico’s father-son dynamic. They are not perfect. Nor is their relationship. Hades has issues and oh issues does Nico have. As much as I like to fantasizing about a healthy family, I think it would take more and longer for them to achieve it. Gods rarely make model parents. Hades is trying, which I appreciate, and is the exact reason why I say there should be fluctuation and mishaps and fights and a lot more.

But the key is that there’s love. And they’re both trying. And that alone is beautiful. The mistakes are what makes the efforts precious.

[yonemurishiroku]

i Love your content. nico has been my favourite since day one, and so has hades, i had always liked him as a mythological figure. while nico gets a lot of love i dont think hades does, and i cannot thank you enough for exploring their relationship so beautifully. i am not even in the “fandom”, i do not partake in anything really, it has been long long years since i read pjo and i was never part of the online fanbase. i came across your blog randomly. but i just love your content so much. frequently i check if you have posted anything new. thank you so much. its so refreshing to see my favourite parent-child duo get so much love.

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'M LITERALLY CRYING. PLEASE HELP I THINK I'M DREAMING.

Omg I can't express enough how delighted I am to know that someone enjoys my content that much. And to know that I am the one who's got you to stay with the fandom??? 🤩 I'm over the moon. 💖💖💖😳😳🥳😇😇 This is such an honor lord above please don't let this be a dream. 😭😭😭

THANK YOU A MILLION FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!!! (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ) PLEASE KNOW THAT I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR LOVE UNTIL THE END OF DAYS. 😭😭😭 would probably print this out to stick it onto my grave too----

I'd try my best to provide you with more Hades and Nico quality content. That is certainly something I can fulfill. I love them with everything in me and I don't intend to stop anytime soon. And this message of yours definitely throws that scenario through the window. I won't let you down.

Sincerely, thank you. God bless your soul and every blessing to you.

[yonemurishiroku]

Ok, so.

After the Gaea war, Nico disappeared. Like, straight-up vanishing, gone without a trace, soundless like a shadow, all of that. 

Even Hazel was clueless. Hades didn’t answer any of her calls, silent as ever. You’d think after everything Nico had done, the god would at least care for his son’s wellbeing.

And then one day, they found him again. Jason, in one of his expeditions to Italy - to be exact.

But Nico didn’t remember them.

None of them. Not Jason, not Hazel and certainly not Percy. In fact, Nico remembered nothing about demigods and all that crap. He thought Jason was a kidnapper and later a mental patient with how he tried to talk “mythology” and “Greek gods” to him. 

It turned out that Nico had been living a life - a peaceful, undisturbing, godless, mortal-like one - in the other side of the ocean, all this time. He was alone, but there didn’t seem to be any difficulty for this new, simple life of his to go on. 

They tested his memories only to come up empty handed. It was almost like his memories had been wiped out, again.

Then, they tried to bring them back to him. There was a lot of shouting, convincing, lasting out, backpedaling, triggering, crying, begging, forgiving, frustration, desperation, hurt and anger and everything in between. It was a mess. And they still didn’t know why he became like this. 

It was only until when Nico had fully gained back his memories that it turned out Hades had something to do with this.

They went to confront him, then, only to be met with a devastated Underworld and a weakened, paralyzed, suffering Hades.

Persephone told them he had been like this since the end of Gaea war. Even she didn’t know why.

Nico did, though, because he had been there. On the verge of unconsciousness, but still very much there.

He remembered now - the vow he had forced out of his father in despair: a painless ending, a restful slumber; the coldness of Hades’ arms on his skin, cradling him against his chest like he used to do back on Venice’s fondamente; the looming figure of a woman - Styx - much, much scarier and greater than the Underworld itself, reaching out for his father’s essence. Then the world had disappeared behind his father’s hands and everything had been bleached white so fast he couldn’t remember the darkness.

Nico held onto his father’s hand, tears on his face, whispering like he often did to those close to death. “You broke your promise.” 

No, Hades had never been one to brake his promises. 

But he had never loved a son that much, either.

[yonemurishiroku]

Child of Aphrodite Nico au in which Will is put through trails like Psyche in order to prove his dedication to Nico. Thoughts?

Will and Apollo bonding over having to overcome trials. Will fighting for his love whereas Apollo fighting his exes. Brilliant. He is really his father's son.

Anw this reminds me of that one Child of Aphrodite! Nico fanfic wherein Cupid calls him "Mother's favorite" or brother or st like that.... It's fun. It gets me thinking, where do Cupid and Psyche stand in all of this? Are they supportive? I think they would be, even though their support doesn't always promise good things...

On another note. Idk if you notice but like. Will is a child of Apollo. And Apollo and Cupid might have... beef? In the myth, I mean. It's about Daphne and the origin of the laurel tree, you know? That time Apollo looks down on Eros' archery and in retort, Eros shoots a gold arrow at Apollo and a bronze one at Daphne, which then leads to the whole... tragic love chase or whatever.

Sorry. The whole thing is also the inspiration for a Solangelo fanfic of mine so I can't help but bring that up LMAO. What I'm trying to say is that this can shine a new light on this scenario. Does it make Cupid/Eros more bitter or lenient?

Onto the story itself. Now this is an exciting part. In the original myth, Psyche has to go through four trials, three of which are finished with the help of outside forces, the last of which is -I just looked it up- retrieving Persephone's cream. I can alr see many references, really.

The first thing that popped into my head was that we could put other characters into the roles of Will/Psyche's helpers, which then translates into all the connections either Will or Nico possibly have made in all those years of demigod life.

For instance, in the 3rd task of the original myth, an eagle helped Psyche fill a crystal vessel with the water of the spring that feeds the Styx and Cocytus. Who does it remind you of? Who has access to the Underworld and has connections to an eagle symbol?

Hazel. That's who. And I really don't know how you intend to mortify their dynamics now that Nico isn't a child of Hades, but Imma assume they are sibling-like still bc fuck it, they are my religion. The point is Hazel might help Will, if only for her brother.

I suppose I don't have to talk much about how Will's gonna fetch Persephone's cream bc Rick makes it pretty obviously LMAO. They are chilling in the Underworld garden sunbathing (Will being the sun) covered in Persephone's suncream or st Idk. Will has this so much easier than Psyche.

In the end, Cupid rescues Psyche from the deep sleep of the underworld cream. This can be translated into Nico realizing that someone is truly fighting to be with him, and he wants to make an effort to meet them in the middle, but that's just me running into a dead-end bc idk how Will's gonna fall asleep if Persephone is alr so kind lending him the cream and that kid def doesn't dream about getting more beautiful like Psyche did or whatsoever. So. Idk. Maybe Cupid messes it up? I would if I were him, ngl. But that's just me.

Thoughts are jumbling around in my mind but life doesn't always give what we want so I guess this is all I can offer atm LMAO. this is a good foundation for a long-chaptered Solangelo child of Aphrodite!Nico fanfic if you ask me, ngl.

[yonemurishiroku]

I, for once, wholeheartedly believe that if Nico was to sacrifice himself to defeat Gaea, his father, the Lord of the Underworld, Hades himself would go beyond his way to bring him back to life.

Rules be damned.

Just. Picture a stern-looking Thanatos, his scythe brandished, ready to reap the soul as he looks at his employer, who was hugging his own son’s small body close to his chest. His voice is calm and cold, like Death.

“You, of all people, should know the rules, my Lord.”

But Hades’ arms just clutches his son tighter. Shadows rising from under his feet. The god merely gazes at Thanatos when his hands tangled in the little boy’s hair, guiding his head to let it rest on his shoulder.

“Nico deserves all happiness this world has to offer.”

His words sound heavy even to Thanatos’ ears, like a judgement, absolute, unchanging.

“And I would make sure he gets it.”

Call me delusional all you want, but Hades loving Nico dearly is my religion and the hill i will die on.

[yonemurishiroku]

What is your favorite au

Ok this is a conundrum lmao. I pretty much enjoy everything that has Nico, and the people come up with countless fantastic ideas as well.

But since you asked, I'd say I'm most enthusiastic with the Royal AU(s) and that Time Travel AU (with or without the selfcest part) of mine.

The Royal AU(s) because imo Nico is canonically a prince (son of Hades) and a King (Ghost King) and a court member (Ambassador of Pluto). With that, the AUs appear not quite far from canon, thus have enough materials to work with, while still allowing me to spice things up with a few touches of politics and warfare. ヾ(•ω•`)o

Actually no that was a lie. I just like Royalty Nico too much LOL. 🤣🥳😔 every time I think of him as a Prince or a King I picture him with all these exquisite clothes and thorny crowns and bony thrones, commanding his people with those limited set of leading skills and abundant love, and I just fall in love all over again.

And of course, the fact that I can squeeze a nice Hades-and-Nico father-son relationship out of it lmao. 🥰🥰 It's like my religion at this point. In every Royal AU I have, Nico would always be Hades' precious child. Nico can be a King, a Prince, a Crown Prince, or an Angel,... and I'd personally make sure Hades favors him all the same. Of course, Nico's devoted to his father (and their nation) in kind. I just love this family too much.

The Time Travel AU because 1/ I can fantasize as much as I want about an Older Nico and 2/ The first one Nico should love is him, and what else is better to build it than a Time-Travel AU, wherein you can meet multiple versions of yours?

I'm a die-hard for selflove Nico. Always have been. Since the very start. And the Time-Travel AU - even without all the selfcest part (which I might have or have not put in just to piss the fandom off lmao) - is a perfect reflection of it.

I'm a vindictive being. Sometimes I see nobody good enough to take care of Nico the way he deserves. So I just think, "Why don't I make another version of him take care of himself?" and surprisingly, it makes sense - what's with Kronos being the Titan of Time... And that's all I need for an AU.

An older Nico from the Future, who has lived through and understands all nooks and crannies of Nico's traumas, returning to the Past to save himself. What's more beautiful than that?

Also yes because I have self-esteem issue LMAO. 🤣🤣🤣

This basically concludes it. Tho there're many more AUs I'm in love with - the Sky AU in which I made Nico Nyx's successor aka the embodiment of Night for example, or many others which I wrangle Luke in just for the angst.

[yonemurishiroku]

I read the similar in one of a time-travel fic and now i’ve started to think.

What if when Nico said he would leave the camps forever, he meant that he and Hades had had a deal: after everything had ended and all had settled down, Hades would grant him a gentle, painless death?

A true end it was.

Maybe it was because he had failed to believe that the surface would welcome him. Maybe it was because he was painfully aware that his powers had been eating him up inside out, and Nico just didn’t want to succumb to that.

Because he didn’t want it to be his end. He wanted not his soul to dissolve into one with the darkness forever.

Because death wasn’t an end. Nico saw death as a mere stop in the middle of a road trip, a long, needed rest between continuing days. Those which heralded a new start, a new journey, a new dawn. And he wanted it. A new life. Starting over.

He asked for his soul to be freed from physical restraints and returned to the cycle. Rested. And then started walking again. Their was no chain from the past. Only the arms of a new future awaited.

And Hades had no reason to decline. Even if that would leave a hole in his heart. His son was just like him. He, too, saw a restful death as a reward.

And the god loved his son too much to not give him just that one thing. And he would go as far as asking Zagreus for a blessing for Nico’s next life to be the happiest of all because that was what the child deserved.

I have spent too much time thinking about Hades and Nico and now i’m making myself cry.