#octavian isn't in the wrong for this

[wanderingmind867]

"Really?’ Octavian said. ‘You seem to know a lot about our enemy’s plans, Percy Jackson."

Most insults Percy could shrug off – being called weak or stupid or whatever. But it dawned on him that Octavian was calling him a spy – a traitor. That was such a foreign concept to Percy, so not who he was, he almost couldn’t process the slur. When he did, his shoulders tensed. He was tempted to smack Octavian on the head again, but he realized Octavian was baiting him, trying to make him look unstable.

Octavian isn't trying to make you look unstable! He's reasonably pointing out that you shouldn't trust a weird foreigner who is clearly not roman! If a strange new person showed up in my home too, I'd be concerned! I can see it from Percy's perspective, but come on! Octavian is not in the wrong for this!

[pineconepie]

CHARACTERS: Octavian, you/reader

WARNINGS/TAGS: Parental yandere, wrist massage, wrist pain, slightly infantilizing behavior

WORD COUNT: 983

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a commission! Thank you to the commissioner! I enjoyed writing this! <3

Almost immediately does Octavian notice something off about you; you wince when picking things up, you rub your own wrists a lot. When he questions you about this, however, you seem adamant that everything is fine and there isn't an issue that needs addressing. This response alone raises every alarm inside of his head.

Of course, he doesn't allow this behavior to continue for very long at all, giving you time to maybe come to him and finally say something. But you don't, and his concern for you begins to overwhelm any sort of patience he has left in him.

His last straw is when he sees you rubbing at your wrists and groaning to yourself while doing so. That sound- such a pained expression makes him wince as though the pain had been inflicted upon him instead of you.

No longer is it acceptable for you to be dealing with this alone.

"Why haven't you said anything?" he demands quietly, the tension evident within his tone. There's anger and frustration, but it's not aimed towards you; rather, it's aimed at your suffering. "I thought you'd come to me if you're in pain, but I'm tired of just watching you suffer. Tell me what's wrong, (Y/n)."

It's very rare for him to pull out the stern voice, the parental one that leaves no room for disagreement or argument.

You go silent, unsure what to say.

He takes your hands into his, gently as if you're made of fragile glass. You don't pull away when he lifts up your sleeves, like he's expecting to see something horrific, only to see nothing.

Octavian softly squeezes your wrists, clicking his tongue when realizing the issue: they're swollen. He could feel it by applying only the slightest amount of pressure.

"What have you been doing?" Octavian murmurs. He takes off his gloves and gently touches where he squeezed moments earlier. His fingers are cold, yet it's soothing.

"Copies of scrolls," you murmur with a shrug. "Lots of them, lately."

"You know better than that."

"I can handle it..."

Your words earn a sigh from him as he stands. As he disappears upstairs for a brief moment, you fiddle around with some papers, feeling a bit nervous. This must've been the longest you've gone without telling him about any discomfort. Not like you can go long, he usually notices right away.

"Give me your hands," Octavian says after a few minutes, reappearing with a bottle of something you don't recognize and a bowl.

"...what for?" you ask, drawing your hands towards your chest defensively.

"I promise, I'm not hungry for hands," he chuckles softly. "Just let your Papa take care of you?" He holds one of his own hands out towards you, palm up.

Your gaze shifts to his open palm before you relent and slowly reach out both of your hands, earning a pleased hum from the older vampire who then takes the bowl, sitting in front of you.

Octavian pours the bottle over the water that's already inside of the bowl, swirling it around so that the contents mix thoroughly.

"What's that?" you ask.

"A balm that works wonders for your poor wrist." The mixture smells herbal, almost minty but stronger than that. Not too strong to become overwhelming, but it's definitely potent. "I've been alive long enough to make quite a few handy recipes like this one. When I was still human, I had a lot of bad chronic pain in my wrists."

"And that went away with being a vampire?"

He shakes his head. "Sadly not, but I did develop a good way to alleviate the pain whenever it flares up, so it's much more manageable. The super strength that comes with being a vampire did also do wonders too, even if it didn't necessarily cure it."

Gently does Octavian hold your hand in his while the other dips into the cool water, just warm enough for comfort, and slowly swirls around. The mixture itself gives a slight tingling sensation at first touch, cooling further.

Octavian is silent while he repeats this process on your other hand, looking pensive while he massages them. You notice that, despite the intensity in his expression, his movements remain as delicate as ever; he rubs and rolls your joints ever so gently while holding your palm between both of his hands, making sure that every part of your hands and wrists receive thorough care.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he finally asks after several quiet minutes of the massage. When he looks up at you, you see pain in his eyes.

It almost makes you feel guilty.

You shrug. "I'm not a baby, feels weird if I go whining to you about something this small."

"But you are my baby," Octavian responds firmly. "And I'd prefer to know these things so I can help you, whether its a paper cut, or a broken bone." He pauses. "Extra emphasis on a broken bone, though."

He smiles warmly, watching how you return his smile before turning back towards his work. By now the numbing has begun, taking full effect to leave only a weak, tingling sensation in your hand and wrist.

For a few more minutes he continues massaging your wrists, kneading the skin carefully until he feels that they're both satisfied. He pulls out a roll of bandages, carefully wrapping one around your wrist until the end is secured with a clip.

"Aaaaand there we go," he coos, kissing the top of your hand. "Better?"

"Much better..." you murmur with a nod, smiling. "Thanks."

"You don't need to thank me, sweetheart. Just promise you'll come to me next time, okay?"

"Okay," you hum. "I promise."

"Good. Oh, and you're taking a break from writing." You open your mouth to argue, but he wags a finger in front of you. "Ah-ah! No arguing, Papa knows best."

[carmilllaofstyria]

Percy : making Annabeth laugh in Tartarus

Annabeth : literally needing to suppress a smile at his discomfort

No, just no.

This is canon. I'm not saying Percy's perfect. He's not. In fact I'm an avid supporter of flawed characters. As long as we and anyone with common sense in the story admit that they're flawed.

I'm one of the people who got goosebumps when Inej said "I like it when men beg, but this isn't the time for it." in SOC and arguably even for the wrong reasons. I admit it. So you know I mean it when even I think the whole Annabeth girlbossification is mortifying at best and wrong at worst.

I wouldn't even be against Annabeth getting progressively worse in the series. No one except Luke, Octavian and Bryce (not including gods and monsters) was shown as actually bad in the stories (I have opinions on that ) . I don't believe every single character has to get character growth or even a dramatic end. There's so much that could have been done with Annabeth. I've read some fics which portrayed Annabeth so well, it's clear she had potential.

But the relationship is just unforgivable. If at least someone around them actually reacted normally,

For example :

Annabeth: I only attack my boyfriend like that.

Reyna, abuse survivor :

Jason :

Piper, daughter of Aphrodite and hater of girls with a superiority complex (hypocritical but I'll allow it) :

Leo Valdez, abuse survivor:

Hazel 'don't touch Percy,Frank and Nico if you want to live' Levesque :

Frank Zhang, heart of gold and soft boi :

The entirety of New Rome :

Octavian, certified asshole and hater of Greeks :

YIKES!

You're saying not even Hazel and Frank who have never seen Annabeth interact and haven't gotten used to her behaviour wouldn't talk to Percy ( the same Percy who was nothing but kind to them and just came back after a life threatening quest with them) about his abusive girlfriend?

You're saying Reyna whose father whom she loved but abused her and her sister and gave her the trauma of a lifetime who's a no nonsense leader and Percy's co-preator didn't tell him he deserves better than that and not only that, but go in the entire opposite direction and admire her?

Just please, don't do this to him. Or the other characters. They deserve to have common sense.

I will also add that TLH had no business being as bad as it was. Because I wanted to.

[princessofghosts-posts]

Was thinking about how in ToA we got a bit more of a domestic feeling with CHB,something that I personally never felt much after the first ever book,before the plot kickstarted and,no matter how traumatizing it is,having the older campers teaching the new ones classes would be something else.

Apollo commented in the Hidden Oracle how some demigods were new and got brought at camp after the war (6 months is a lot of time after all–),while also pointing out that most of the old characters we know are away,trying to live their life,but come back periodically.

Now,image Clarisse teaching some fighting class in the arena to new demigods,and they are all a bit wary of her because they don't know her but some of her siblings do and they talked about her. And while the tension is high Clarisse isn't aware of it and start to shout,frustrated by their incapability of striking her down.

"Have you all gone soft?! At your ages I was battling a drakon with the blood of my enemies on my hands while trying to win a war! You need to do fucking better if you want to survive!" and everyone is just confused because they know a bit of the wars,but their acknowledge of them is only a surface type of level,so they have no idea of what the hell she is talking about and they are getting scared.

Some of them ask questions about them to the Stolls,only to find themselves more lost than never. "Ah,the war. Which one you talking about? The one where we tried to raid Manhattan's candy stores or the one where we put the mines on the wrong hill?" Wdym you guys tried to steal candies in the middle of a war to save the world? "Well,with all due respect,Percy was handling it quite well before the pig started flying".

Sometimes,when Will is in a good mood,he start talking about the one with the giants himself–usually Nico is always nearby and either nod at his words or clarifies some things. "You guys weren't there for that but basically the whole conflict was based on racism. You see,there was this anemic roman soldier guy that–" and while you are immersed in his story,you sometimes hear a quite voice that "I literally had to chase you to save you from people that were chasing you" and "Will,pretty sure I killed the guy,you don't need to act as if he is still alive" or "It was crazy–I never knew that the coach was actually a good flighter,especially after Albania".

When Drew complains about something during breakfast she tries to guilt-trip Chiron with "Remember when you left us to defend ourselves alone,before coming back at the last moment and helped us with your 'my little pony family'? Yeah,not so over that yet. This is way having the pavilion built in pink would be a better option than–" and you just stare in the fucking air because what the fuck???

When Rachel visit,and isn't locked in her cave trying to understand what's going on with her "oracle's powers",she mutters things about the wars that seems disconnected to everyone–expect people that were there at time. "Should have said to Annabeth to crash that stupid helicopter into my father's building" ; "Fuck being an Oracle,let me go back to my Ariadne roots in the Labyrinth" ; "I should have hit Kronos harder" ; "Should have hit Octavian when I still could if I knew this would have happened". Most of the time it's just frustration building up but every time she whisper something they collectively ignore it.

Nyssa will look at you dead in the eyes and– "My brother blew up" without fucking elaborating and walking away. And you are there horrified about it.

Percy and Annabeth don't really talk about the wars but they will gave you the details about the stupidest things ever. Wdym you jumped into the rivers,only to purify them from pollution,in the middle of a war? Wdym you spent half a day trying to wake up statues in all New York?? You went in Tartarus??

And it's just so funny because the new demigods will know some informations about the conflicts,but they weren't there to witness it all. The drop lore is insane here. I just know that Drew,Nico and Clarisse always talk about it,exaggerating it even,only to fuck with the new campers more.

[t470n]

I feel like Bryce Lawrence in effect encapsulates what I think is wrong with how the villains in HOO are written because he's so unimaginable flat and cartoonishly evil. And it's not like there isn't anything interesting to work with. Rick accidentally gave him the potential to be pretty fascinating actually! He killed his own centurion and was exiled from the legion but came back as soon as he heard there were pardons being offered. That could be really rich characterisation but Rick does nothing with it. Bryce is designed to be as antagonistic and unlikable as physically possible so everything about him is purely just a reason to dislike him.

What's his deal? he works for Octavian, he's a bad guy! Okay but there are non-bad guys working for Octavian so why is this one really bad? he was exiled from the legion! From the legion the heroes are fighting against? Yeah, but he was exiled because he murdered his centurion! oh wow that sounds important and dramatic and character-defining, care to say a little more? . . . he murdered his centurion! is that all? . . . And he hurts animals! wow, were the animals puppies and was his method of attack kicking them?

Bryce could have actually been a really interesting character because there are so many questions about him that just never get answered. Why did he kill his centurion? When? Was it during the Titan war? How does his family feel about all this considering they got his sentence reduced from execution to exile? How does he feel about his family stepping in like that? What about his and Orcus' feelings towards each other considering that Bryce probably broke an oath with all his antics? What was Bryce doing all that time in exile? How does he feel about being asked to rejoin the legion? Does he hate them and is only joining for survival/protection/to regain his status? Or does he still have some sense of Roman duty and loyalty?

All these questions, and more! are very interesting, but unfortunately rick was only interested in making the single most cartoonishly evil villain so no one feels bad when Nico wipes him from existence. Because characters are allowed to do morally questionable things as long as they're only morally questionable in theory, and in actuality are totally fine because the people these acts are being done to aren't people. If Bryce had layers and complexity, that would make Nico infinitely more complex and morally grey for his decision to kill him (same with letting Octavian die). Nico's grey morality is an optics thing. It's not allowed to be meaningful or have consequences. Characters like Bryce and Octavian (and several other HOO antagonists) need to be as bland and cartoonishly evil as possible so no one needs to feel bad or have any complex emotions about getting rid of these antagonists. They're not characters, they're obstacles for the heroes to overcome, which is such a downgrade from the antagonists of the first series. You feel something with the 'bad guys' there, from the minor antagonists like Clarisse and Claypso (even Quintus/Daedalus to an extent) to the actively villainous antagonists like Luke and Ethan (even Nico for a little bit during TTC). They have layers and character and motives and personality that makes you connect with them and root for them a little bit. This is completely absent with the antagonists in HOO which is why they don't work.

[nobodysavemysoulitsperfectlyfine]

What kind of song do you associate with Octavian?

Hoo buddy there's an ENTIRE playlist I made for that. But, if you were to ask the one I MOST relate to him, it'd have to be The Song With Five Names by Will Wood. Everything in it is a carefully constructed masterpiece.

I was also lowkey hoping to make an animatic of it the day I get my grubby little paws onto a digital pen.

Why, I can't see, that I am the “me” that I was born into — Octavian questioning himself as Apollo's Legacy, wondering what his family lineage has really meant this entire time if someone like Frank or something was able to get the blessing and not him.

And what's the source of you? — Wondering where the hell Percy came from.

In your head, in your head, in your head

And yet you believe it's true, well you do — That feeling when he realizes no matter what he says that the minds of legionares are not so easily convinced under the right circumstances

Like you knew anything ever

Never trust in yourself or anyone else — That feeling of paranoia when he realizes so many have been working with the Greek that they thought they could trust, especially Reyna and Jason

We've always all been wrong — about the gods/greeks

And we built these walls strong — Camp Jupiter was SUPPOSED to have a fool proof system with the help of Lupa

Even I might define, won't deny that I'm trying while my

Eyes do defy and belie quiet liars as I

Say what I say any way I may be saying it but

I've been wrong before — In the son of Neptune, when he read that Fortuna was blessing them, which I believe was really a lie to keep the Romans calm that was supposed to be shared with Reyna afterward

You can break a shovel when you break new ground — The lingering fear that delving deeper into searching for the truth would drive him insane

You dig dirt up when you dig deep down — Trouble only brews the more you go looking

You should know better than that by now — He believed that he was far above making simple, naive mistakes, and frustrated that Reyna was so trusting

It's not profound to know that you could, you could

You can break a shovel when you break new ground

You dig dirt up when you dig deep down

You should know better than that by now

It's not profound to know that you can never know

You can never know — that phase where he decides that hardly anyone is deserving of his trust

You can never know

You can never know

So don't you forget that all you project is just to protect you from — The falsehoods the Romans of the past spread to hide their cruel history

The void within the form — Gaia's influence slowly seeping in

Yes or no isn't null, yes it is, no, I don't know

Yes or no? Isn't it a silly question? Ask it anyway, 'cause — Beginning to lose idea of what is right and wrong

What we are is (Gotta get to the bottom of this) — The state the legion is currently in and how weak it has become

What we are not (Gotta get to the bottom of this) — The power they could be

אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה (Gotta get to the bottom of this)

What myths must make us man? — What needs to be done to achieve that former glory, what blood must be shed

What is “is?” What is not? What is “what?” — Questioning

What's up, party people? What? —

Just.. Just this image

What I wonder? Why I'm not “whatever” —

Hehe just this one too

What the fuck? ‘Cause

You can break a shovel when you break new ground

You dig dirt up when you dig deep down

You should know better than that by now

It's not profound to know that you could, you could

You can break a shovel when you break new ground

You dig dirt up when you dig deep down

You should know better than that by now

It's not profound to know that you can never know

You can never know

You can never know

You can never know

I noticed that the sunshine is a gaslight — Finally coming to understand that was "Apollo" had told him was really a lie all along, the promise of being recognized as Rome's Saviour (Theory that it was still Gaia all along)

I'm hoping that this one might be my past life — His supposed resemblance to his namesake Caesar

My Lord, I know enough to get my facts right — He's every well versed in Augury and being a Herophiant, you can't deny that the guy knows his stuff

And that's good enough for me — Deciding to willingly sacrifice himself anyways

And everything and everyone will die soon — The destruction that will come across Camp Jupiter at the hand of the Triumvirate/ The very possible destruction of both of the camps

And we'll have nothing left for us to lie to — Future generations not sure what happened because the history was all wiped and hidden from them

No matter what we seek you'll never find truth — Working with the gods will always ruin you no matter the intentions

And that's good enough for me — CHOOSING TO CONTINUE ON THE PATH THAT WILL ONLY LEAD TO A FIERY DEATH

So give me that Old Time Religion — Relying on the Roman's faith as a means of being able to carry on, telling himself that it's what the gods would've wanted from them (it lowkey is)

Gimme that Old Time Religion

Give me that Old Time Religion

It's Good Enough For Me — I'll take anything

Give me that Old Time Religion

Gimme that Old Time Religion

Give me that Old Time Religion

It's good enough but not enough to be good enough for me — That last moment of hesitation — THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO GO OUT LIKE THIS

You can break a shovel when you break new ground

You dig dirt up when you dig deep down

You should know better than that by now

It's not profound to know that you could, you could

You can break a shovel when you break new ground

You dig dirt up when you dig deep down

You should know better than that by now

It's not profound to know that you can never know

And the little boom at the end is him explodint

Thanks for the ask, thus was all down at the top of my head

[musicofthenightphantomoftheopera]

So I'm back on my percy Jackson bs again and I saw this one post on Tiktok claiming that Solangelo is "Klance Coded" and I simply had to laugh because that couldn't be any further from the truth...

Klance is Red and Blue, Fire and Water type polar opposites in both personality and aesthetics

However, not every polar opposite style ship is "Red and Blue Coded" there's also Sun and Moon, ( Or in Solangelo's case, Sun and Star) Light and Darkness.

so basically, and this might be controversial, but I know those who will get it will get it, what I'm trying to say is.....

Solangelo is NOT Klance Coded.

Solangelo is SORIKU Coded

I can go into heavy detail, and I will!

Will is definitely a lot like Sora in that even when surrounded by so much bad happening or even when he's going through his own stuff, he still puts on a smile and pretends nothing is wrong. of course to his own detriment and also has self sacrificing tendancies. Overworking himself to heal others to the point of exhaustion and even down to the self esteem issues. Sora sees himself alone as worthless without his friends ("My Friends Are My Power") and Will feeling like Healing is the only thing he's good for since he didn't inherit any of the other natural talents most of his other siblings have as demigod children of Apollo. And the incident with Octavian probably didn't help either. They also have somewhat of a hero complex and struggle with dealing with the fact that they can't save everyone. Sora broke a major taboo in order to bring kairi back in kh3 because he didn't want her to die, and Will being a medic that had been through not 1 but 2 LITERAL WARS, one in which he lost several of his siblings and of course being a medic in general, no matter how hard you try or how good at your job, it's just a fact that you cannot save everyone that's put in your care. Also, Both Sora and Will are heavily associated with Light both literally and figuratively

And then we got Nico, who just like Riku was lost for so long in lieral and metaphorical darkness, both trapped in metaphorical labyrinths of their inner turmoil of thier feelings, their pasts, their trauma (wether it be losing someone they care about, or being abused and manipulated at the hands of a shifty adult figure for their own gain) , and feeling that they have no place of belonging. only to be brought back by the people that care about them the most and through their own self determination and strength. And also both characters associated with darkness literally and as a concept.

Riku and Nico also have a teensy bit of Angel character symbolism with Nico's last name being Angel in italian and Riku's original keyblade Way To Dawn having both a monster/demon wing and Angel wing at the hand guard and for the "teeth" of the keyblade

you could also argue Riku could technically be seen as a "Fallen Angel" type character since he was originally chosen to be a keyblade wielder by Terra but lost that right when he fell to darkness hence why the keyblade went to Sora instead, then Riku spent the next several games on a very angsty redemption arc.

And of course, Nico and Riku aren't strictly associated with darkness. Nico is a son of hades, a prince of the underworld, The Ghost King. However, he isn't all doom and gloom. He's still just a teenage boy that's secretly a giant nerd and is actually a a good kid.

Riku as well, has the power to wield both the powers of light and darkness and it was Riku's light inside his heart that sora reached out to that dark and stormy night on the beaches of destiny island that let him wield the keyblade in the first place

And don't even get me started on how Riku is 100% gay coded (don't beleive me? look up the "Riku Is Gay" video on youtube, grab a snack and enjoy. you're gonna be there a hot minute)

Both characters in both medias are opposites to each other but both also compliment and balance each other out. But not like Fire and Water. Like Light and Darkness. Not only hat, but the dynamic between Sora and Riku and between Nico and Will are kinda similar. not identical by any means, but enough to where I definitely noticed it.

If anyone else has anything to add to this, let me know! I had this lightbulb a few nights ago and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since!

[starlightshadowsworld]

Jason: I'd want a family, you know? To escape this life of service and grow old surrounded by the people I love.

Octavian: I wish it worked like that but... Happy endings don't exist for people like us. My ancestors got their "happy ending", didn't mean the rest of us did.

Jason: sad smile Is it wrong to hope for it?

Octavian: No, no it isn't.

[shandoratheexplorer]

WIP Tag Train

Thank you @strixamans for tagging me!

Currently working on the next chapter for Symphony of Colors

contents: paying Evindral's debts and taking Lachlan on a happy little trip because he is an asshole.

Premise/Notes for this bit:

Lachlan: I don't want your money, I want to extort you.

Octavian: How about a flight?

Lachlan: You mean fight?

Octavian: Did I stutter?

"Evindral", Octavian cuts in sharply, his voice shifting with chilling precision, smooth as drawn steel, "open the window. Wide." It's a voice from another life—the voice of a commander in the assassin pits, of a man who once issued orders to those who dealt in death like it was currency. It isn't a request. It's a command that vibrates through the room like thunder. Lachlan barks out a laugh. "What? You think a little fresh air's gonna change my mind?" But the twitch in his eye betrays him. His instincts whisper that something is wrong. That he's just stepped into a trap. And if there's one thing men like him know—it's when the predator has stopped circling and started moving. To his credit, he doesn't show fear. Not outright. And Tav respects that, in a way. Weakness, after all, is a death sentence in the kind of empire Lachlan runs. Behind them, Evin obeys without a word. The windows creak open, spilling cool morning air into the room. Then Tav moves. Despite the weight of his armor, he lunges with startling speed, all thanks to year long training with a vampiric husband. He snatches Lachlan by the front of his leathers and hauling him to his feet. The chair skitters backward and before Lachlan can even draw a full breath, Tav surges forward— —and dives through the window. The world erupts into cold air and open sky. Lachlan gasps, the wind tearing the sound from his throat. They plummet for a heartbeat before, with a burst of force and light, enormous blood-red and silver wings explode from Tav's back, catching the air and wrenching them skyward in a violent ascent. "You see", Octavian says as he climbs with slow, powerful wingbeats, voice cutting clean through the wind, "I'm used to carrying others. My husband. A child or two. They're light. You? Not so much." He tilts slightly mid-flight, letting Lachlan sway in his grip. "So if I happen to let go...", a smirk with all teeth and dark glee, "well, chalk it up to exhaustion." Lachlan snarls again, struggling to find purchase on Tav's armor. His hands scrabble uselessly across polished metal, seeking anything to hold onto, his earlier bravado all but evaporated in the face of empty sky. And Tav... just keeps rising.

Tagging @nw39 @sawickibalisong @dramatiquechipmunk no pressure lovelies!

[sugar-r-rush]

do anyone actually get heated and insanely upset when a character that so near and dear to your heart is looked at wrong..

like Drew isnt a big meanie and hates other women :( no Octavian isn't a misogynist :(( PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONENENEN

[mcaelius]

Hey, what was inaccurate about Domina? I want to watch it but I’m unsure on the characterizations

(oh this got quite long, sorry in advance-)

it's not that it's *super* inaccurate, it's just that (in my opinion) some of the choices made were a little, well. they could have been more interesting. guy who only ever thinks about agrippa all the time voice i am going to talk about agrippa first. i do love how they did agrippa but i also feel like his character was sort of flattened? like we see him for the most part as either a violent warmonger or then flip it entirely to this (i'm going to be mean here, but i don't care) pretty pathetic man who just kind of rolls over and does whatever gaius and livia want, and there's not really much nuance - no mention of the whole quote unquote 'exile' situation in 23, or negotiations with herod or parthia or anything like that.

(this is very much a personal thing, but the [spoilers] sort-of-but-not-really romance plot with him and livia definitely irked me. i think they did it well for what it was, but - they did come close, but when are they going to make a show where him and octavian are as insane about one another as they were historically? the emphasis on his relationship with livia over octavian lessens the effect of his death - and the whole death thing really did piss me off. they show his death, they show his funeral, they focus on how sad LIVIA is in that funeral shot (and not his, you know, childhood best friend other half of my soul etc etc) and then immediately cut to a sex scene with livia and gaius. yay. i haven't seen beyond this episode, so correct me if im wrong, but it kind of feels like people just... forget about him immediately? even gaius. there's not really a mourning or grief sort of thing. it's weird.)

the show also often skips out on events that, in my opinion, could have been more interesting than inserting some kind of weird little random subplot in instead. like - without too many spoilers, they give livia this ex best friend who's now a vestal virgin who was also in love with her as a kid which could have been really interesting! and done really well! but it's. not. it glossed over characters who's stories i think are really intriguing - like octavia adopting and raising antony's children (cleopatra selene isn't in the show at all, which i think is pretty sad) could have been interesting to focus on, but instead after a point in season 1 they just kind of reduce her to her grief over marcellus.

i think the show has a little bit of a problem with girlbossifying livia, but to the point where it sort of comes full circle and goes right back to portraying her how people like tacitus might have portrayed her. despite all the reasoning and motivation the show gives her, it still comes across like she's picking off and poisoning octavian's possible heirs one by one (because, well, she literally is) to protect her and her family's power. i think the whole 'restoring the republic' thing COULD have been really interesting! but they don't really explore *how* they'd do that or anything, they just kind of... bring it up every time there needs to be some kind of dramatic secret scene and never expand on it. i understand the show is the livia show but i think the focus on her sometimes makes the other characters (eg gaius) seem stupid or idiotic when we KNOW they weren't historically.

i am not very knowledgeable about the historical julio-claudian 'kids' (for want of a better word), so i can't really speak on a lot of their portrayals, but the whole 'bad tiberius' thing irritated me. unsure of how grounded in history this is but they give him some slightly odd butchered form of doctor-jekyll-esque did where he has an evil fucked up version who comes out and kills people sometimes. i really really love the portrayal of tiberius for the most part in the show, but this bit... eh. he also wants to kill his mum and have sex with his mum, so that's a thing.

side note but it does feel a little weird that two of the main slave characters (antigone and tycho) are both Black, especially in a setting where slavery wasn't influenced by race.

not sure if this is coherent or what you were asking at all, but here are some slightly disconnected thoughts! but despite all of this i do genuinely enjoy the show, if nothing else i think it's very fun. thanks for the ask :]

[wanderingmind867]

I still don't like Reyna very much. I don't despise her, but I also don't like her very much. Octavian is sympathetic because Rick Riordan heavily hammers in that Octavian is lonely, and has nearly every character bully him. But Reyna isn't like that. I don't think I've seen anyone bully her. Instead, she's used her power to try and manipulate things. She tried to get Percy to date her or something. She once allied herself with Circe, a woman who turned people into animals (and felt no shame about doing it). It's just…not the easiest task to sympathize with her so far. I still hate a lot of other characters more (like Luke, for example), but Reyna just rubs me the wrong way occasionally.

[pineconepie]

These posts got me feeling whimsy!!!

Now I gotta ask, how would your ocs react/handle a crybaby reader? (I ask since I am sensitive and cry a lot💀)

Hope u have a great day/night!!!!

Sorry I'm replying to some of these so late, but tysm!! <3

Octavian would worry profusely, gently asking if there's anything wrong and getting you tissues, tea, or blankets, or perhaps taking you into his arms to cuddle.

Octavian is always patient and sweet, but this would bring out a whole new level of softness in him. He wouldn't ever complain or feel put off by this, it just makes him want to protect and shield you even more than he did before.

.

Vincent would coo at you and pepper your face in kisses, scooping you up bridal style and twirling you around in his arms. Vincent adores that his little prince/princess/royal needs extra affectionate love to get back onto their feet again!!

And he'll be ready to provide all the hugs, kisses, and tender words a sweetheart like you needs <3 and on top of that, would be extra silly to cheer you up, even if he needs to every minute of the day.

.

Indigo would burst into tears along with you, scooping you up and squeezing you tight against him, sobbing "It's okay, shhhh.... Papa is here" even though he's blubbering harder than anyone.

He's a bit of a crybaby himself, and cries often when you do, even if there isn't a real issue and you were just crying because you pricked your finger.

.

Magnus thinks you're just constantly cold, tired, hungry, or sick. Every time you cry, he assumes it is a medical emergency or that he's doing something wrong and he needs to improve.

Magnus would try to shush you with snuggles, food, or warmer furs. Each time it doesn't work, he grows more distressed, but will never get angry with you about it, just frustrated with himself.

.

Seradiel would know there's nothing seriously wrong, since he has witnessed your crying spells multiple times, but that doesn't make him less doting toward you.

He's ready with some water and a fluffy blanket, ready to cuddle and remind you that Papa loves you more than anything in the world and he's there to protect you. His presence alone calms you down rather quickly, just because he has that effect as an angel.

.

Warren, unshockingly being the bastard he is, just uses this as further proof you need to be here with him, where he can keep you safe and sheltered.

As a method of calming you down, he uses soft, sweet words, or distracts you with a game or snack. He'll be quick to hold you as soon as he notices tears or the signs of distress, and reminds you he'll always be there for you forever and ever and ever and ever and ev

[vyrid]

The 'Bashing Fictional Characters' Series– Chapter One, Piper McLean.

Piper McLean, the tomboy daughter of Aphrodite, badass on the battlefield, a classic example of defying her heritage– not. 

Now, don't get me wrong. There are moments where Piper is really brave and shows her worth to the readers– like battling the winter goddess Khione, waking up Festus, using her charm-speak power and her quick thinking to get our favorite boys and girls out of trouble. She's an admirable character, and I don't doubt for a second that the crew needs her. 

I am not her biggest fan in town, but I disagree with people who say that our Argo II team would have survived without her assistance. She's shown to be a huge asset to the crew, and we can leave the honor of uselessness to other characters like Hazel Levesque Octavian NoLastName. Drew Tanaka, who can charmspeak, wouldn't get along with the others and would probably spend the battle staring in the mirror. There is no replacement for Piper in the series.

Now, with those points aside, Piper is a hollow character who Rick Riordan could have done so much for, but decided to make her a female-warrior, a tomboy, a cliche boy obsessed demigod who seems more like the girl of the group than anything. 

The main thing that bothers me about Piper is that half of her chapters seem to revolve around Jason, and how great he is. I mean, she should have been locked up when she said that Percy is unimpressive looking next to the cold hero Jason is (she's absolutely right.) I mean, I get it babe, Jason is hot and everything, but Jason doesn't seem to think about Piper nearly as much as she thinks of him. I know that she likes him, but it seems near-obsessive. Everyone should be proud of their dashing superman boyfriends, for sure, but her constant after-thought of Jason after every sentence just gives me.. icks. If she was nearly as independent as Riordan likes to portray his women in HOO, I think she should be able to look at a desk without comparing the shine of it to Jason's glowy eyes. 

Another pet-peeve of mine is less Piper's fault and more Rick's, but I feel like her character is just like every other girl in the series—hates feminine things, actively ruins and downplays her beauty, and hates being the daughter of Aphrodite. Every girl in the series, like Annabeth, Reyna, Zoe, Thalia, Hazel, seem to have a couple things in common: being rough and tough and tomboyish. It makes you think that you can't be a hero if you like girly things, and I don't think that's fair at all. There is nothing wrong with enjoying normal teenage girl hobbies– I mean, I could totally take out Kronos with my makeup brush. When I was shown Annabeth's casualness to the feminine side of things in the Sea of Monsters, when Percy says that makeup and dresses and braided hair isn't Annabeth, I said, "Fine. Feminine isn't the core of all females. I like how Annabeth is different from how blonde white girls are portrayed in the 2000's." But as time went on, and every girl I met was just like Annabeth, the heat of the anger fell to Piper, the last girl to fall in this pile. (I am aware that Silena Beauregard was a girly-girl and a hero, but she is one of so few.) 

Also, totally unrelated, but her constant bitching, uh, I mean, whining, in the books makes me want to cover my ears, and I'm reading off a page with total silence around me. 

But all of these are minor problems. Other problems, like her being strong enough to put a Giant to sleep, are just minor pet-peeves that are more on Riordan's short thinking than Piper being a lacking character. 

But, the one thing that threw Piper out of the window for me, is her breakup with Jason in the Trials of Apollo. 

As most of you know, Piper and Jason's relationship was fabricated by Hera and Aphrodite. Her dance with Jason on the rooftop and their limited-time dating was a trick of the mist, and she was devastated that everything she knew about him was all in her head. 

But the thing about Piper in HOO was that she spent all the series making up for the faked time. She proved, through all odds, that Jason and her were meant for each other. She refused to let Hera and her mother get in the way of her love for Jason, and that's really admirable– she is utterly in love with Jason, and actively makes up for the wasted time. At the end of the series, we see everything Piper and Jason were supposed to be in the beginning. 

That is something I genuinely loved her for. Against all odds, her love for Jason prevailed, in classic Aphrodite fashion, but it was a sweet and commendable ending. 

And then she broke up with Jason in TOA using the excuse of feeling chained because their relationship was fabricated by Hera and Aphrodite, and wanting to find out who she was without being told by goddesses– What? She spent all of the Heroes of Olympus series making her and Jason's life real. She made up for the fabrication that was her love life and got her ending with Jason, but she ruined it. Like, girl, if you were so stressed about your relationship being a lie, what were you thinking for 5 whole books? Not a single thought for 5 books, and suddenly it's a whole issue behind the scenes. Reyna could have had him if you had made up your damn mind, and gotten her happy ending (/j.)

Then Jason is killed right in front of her before they could reconcile. She then goes on to blame Apollo for this and largely retreats to the sidelines. Appearing at the very end having her rooftop fantasy with some girl that we never met before named Shel.

What just happened? 

Short summary: Piper sucks.

[princessofghosts-posts]

Gods freaking out over Nico di Angelo [pt.14]

Note: I actually have an hc where Nemisis was Nico's teacher when he was new to the whole mythological world,this is why he has a great sense of justice when it came to the dead and isn't afraid to end someone for it. Even after HoO she sometimes still teach him a couple of things.

Nemesis: And this,your highness,is why we value white and black justice in the Underworld. Balance must not be tempted with,it's something you shouldn't do,and those who do must be punished. Do you have questions about the lessons?

Nico: So...when I let Octavian die it was a good thing,right? Since he almost killed us all by siding with Gaia. I just restored the Balance before he messed it up.

Nemesis: I...yes-? That would be it,yes.

Nico: And it was also good when I killed Bryce and turned him into a ghost,right?

Nemisis:....probably?

Nico:...Does that mean if someone do something horrible I can kill them to "forgive" their wrong doings?

Nemisis,realizing her lessons are starting to get too much into Nico and she is creating a serial killer:

[praetorialreject]

what are the saddest Octavian hc's you have

I discuss self harm and suicide, fair heads up :> also there's probably more in my brain somewhere!!

- he has audio hallucinations. usually they're the screams of dying animals!

- he picks at his nails a lot. he also scratches at his arms when he's nervous or scared or sad or [insert negative emotion here]. But he claims he's clean......

- he can't stand showering because of how often he had to scrub himself clean of blood as a kid

- he works part time in Camp Jupiter's infirmary as an attempt to learn to fix what pain he can cause

- he's a very skilled swordsman. he cries every night after shedding blood, and panics when he remembers what he's capable of

- his parents abused him into being their standard of perfection. He can't stand mirrors, scales, or the idea that he isn't good enough

- he had an older brother once, the only person in his family who protected him, who saw him for him and not his gift. that brother died, and he no longer has a barrier between him and his parents.

- he wanted to go to a school on the East Coast to get away from his parents, and wanted to study veterinary science so he would never have to see another animal die at his hands.

- his SPQR branding has a scar through it from when he tried to kill himself after a prophecy went wrong and lives were lost

- on that, he hates himself for failing his attempt. "stupid useless bitch can't even kill himself right." type thoughts

- sometimes he scrubs his hands to the point of bleeding after a bad plushie reading because he thinks he deserves to bleed for having to give negative prophecies

- he appears like he's put together and knows how to take care of himself, but he doesn't actually know how. He just knows what he has to do to look and act the part

- deliberately doesn't bandage his knuckles after scrubbing them raw, or his arms after scratching. plays off injuries he gets during training. all in the hope that someone will say "hey, are you okay?"

- he's New Rome's best orator in canon, i like to think his parents didn't let him grow up speaking like a normal child, but instead all formal and such to prepare him for that. he hates himself for sounding so pretentious all the time but he doesn't know how else to speak

- has a scar going down his torso from where he learned to do readings on himself to pacify New Rome's calls for truly accurate prophecies. he tells no one.

he just hates himself so much and desperately wants his pain to be seen. or to end. whichever comes first