#politician!Percy Jackson

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

Anyone else remember how Percy literally stole the Senate from under "Conspirator Extraordinaire, Literally Pointed As The Politician By The Book" Octavian's feet, like, my boy did that. "I'm so glad you asked!" Get rekt.

Actually, no, I'm including the full quote:

"The camp is safe,” Octavian continued. “I’ll be the first to congratulate our heroes for bringing back the legion’s eagle and so much Imperial gold! Truly we have been blessed with good fortune. But why do more? Why tempt fate?” “I’m glad you asked.” Percy stood, taking the question as an opening. Octavian stammered, “I wasn’t—” “—part of the quest,” Percy said. “Yes, I know. And you’re wise to let me explain, since I was.” Some of the senators snickered. Octavian had no choice but to sit down and try not to look embarrassed.

"You're wise to let me explain, since I was." LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Also, that dig about his loyalty earlier, that everyone likes to bring up because of Percy's outrage? A direct response to Percy making a convincing argument (convincing for his audience) for allowing the quest when they were all ranging from hesitant to scoffing about it:

Finally Senator Larry stood. “I know what Mars said, but that’s crazy. Alaska is cursed! They call it the land beyond the gods for a reason. It’s so far north, the Roman gods have no power there. The place is swarming with monsters. No demigod has come back from there alive since—” “Since you lost your eagle,” Percy said. Larry was so startled, he fell back on his podex. “Look,” Percy continued, “I know I’m new here. I know you guys don’t like to mention that massacre in the nineteen-eighties—” “He mentioned it!” one of the ghosts whimpered. “—But don’t you get it?” Percy continued. “The Fifth Cohort led that expedition. We failed, and we have to be responsible for making things right. That’s why Mars is sending us. This giant, the son of Gaea—he’s the one who defeated your forces thirty years ago. I’m sure of it. Now he’s sitting up there in Alaska with a chained death god, and all your old equipment. He’s mustering his armies and sending them south to attack this camp.”

I have to say. Does this sound as an argument Percy would find compelling? He doesn't say so in the narration, but right here he is definitely working his crowd. And then he doesn't acknowledge the veiled accusation of treason that immediately follows the above quote like I cannot overstate that Octavian saw Percy as a threat and jumped to undermine him, proving not only his awareness of when he's being provoked, but the ability to control his temper in such situations (as seen before when Chiron asks him what he'd think of being though of as a story about children who lose their mothers and when he first meets Ares, when he's feeling his influence but doesn't have any legitimate reason to resent him), and succeeds in distracting even Octavian from his attempt to throw dirt on him.

He does something similar later when Octavian argues that they shouldn't provide any aid for the quest:

An uneasy murmur passed through the crowd. Frank jumped to his feet. Before he could start a fight, Percy said, “Fine! No problem. But at least give us transportation. Gaea is the earth goddess, right? Going overland, across the earth—I’m guessing we should avoid that. Plus, it’ll be too slow."

He saw the futility of the constant arguing and negotiating in circles and 1) made a show of good faith by accepting some of Octavian's conditions while 2) including his own request. The way he phrased it, at least to me, came across as rhetorically presenting himself and his friends as stoic Roman heroes to the Senate, going off in part from Octavian's own description and in part from the appeal he made earlier (second quote), while also pushing Octavian into a position where he had to meet him in the middle with the transportation (Should he have done this instead of pushing for more help? Possibly. That's a good question that, not knowing how the conversation would have gone in that case, I can't answer. I'm pointing out that Percy was very much thinking about the best way to direct the meeting here.)

He also showed how unflinching he could be under pressure when Reyna unfairly (both to Percy and to Frank, the actual leader of the quest — although, to be fair, Percy and Hazel were the ones doing the heavy lifting with the Senate in that scene while he stood back, probably cowed by his hurricane promotion and the constant reminders Octavian made about his supposed inadequacy for the role) puts responsibility on him for defending the quest and laying out a plan for it. He even calmed her when he saw her start to flounder.

“First things first.” Percy tried to sound confident, though he could feel the level of panic rising in the room. “I don’t know who the seven are, or what that old prophecy means, exactly. But first we have to free Thanatos. Mars told us we only needed three people for the quest to Alaska. Let’s concentrate on succeeding with that and getting back before the Feast of Fortuna. Then we can worry about the Doors of Death.”

Bolding mine because Percy has to be worried. He doesn't really know what to do besides what he outlines here. In the previous paragraph he's thinking of all the awful things that could happen in monsters can't be reliably killed. However, just like in this quote, he's thinking about it in reference to how it affects other people. If it was up to him, he'd be in one of his "this is so hopeless, we're gonna die, we have no clue, the world sucks" brooding sessions, but, because he's talking to a desperate crowd —one that's deciding whether anything will be done to solve the dangerous situation at all, which is one thing Percy is always in favor of— he puts on his big boy toga and leads them all to a more optimistic, active and effective outlook.

All of this to say... I can see why Reyna sought to recruit him after this.

[hazellvsq]

less discourse about whether the roman campers are child soldiers more discourse about how reyna/jason/percy/frank consistently tried to topple the democratic process of camp jupiter

[incorrect-riordanverse]

Can you explain Palestine vs Israel. I have done my own research and still do not understand. From my understanding Palestine attacked Israel first, and this war has been going on for so much longer than just now. So why is it suddenly so important and how is Israel in the wrong?? Genuinely trying to understand since you are spreading news of the Genocide on your page.

hey so i cant really explain all the complexities and details in a singular tumblr post. i dont really know how much research you did if october 7th is your earliest knowledge of ‘attack.’ israel has been an apartheid state since 1948 and during that year they were downright deplorable to palestinians to get them to be conpliant. nakba is probably the most notorious case but there is more.

this issue is important because this is the first time we see such atrocities in mainstream media and online. Its so oversaturated with suffering that it sets a precedent for how the world (the general public in particular) reacts outside of politicians and activists. will we continue to care when we see other people suffer, or will we grow numb and desensitised? it’s important we don’t lose our humanity like capitalist neoliberalism would prefer. just because we live comfortable lives, it doesnt mean we should be ignorant to those who are suffering. in fact, we should inspect ourselves and ask whether their suffering lends to our comfort and vice versa (it usually does). for instance, many western countries are profiting from this apartheid, hence their support.

i’m not going to list through everything (plus i myself don’t know everything) but i can tell you where to go, and hopefully some others can add on to it.

for israel’s crimes against palestine since october 7th on the account of genocide i feel like south africa has done an amazing job putting together documentations of evidence against them in the ICC. you can find the full thing on youtube or online. some of the crimes include bombing and stopping aid trucks from reaching gaza, preventing women from giving birth by bombing maternity wards, bombing hospitals (there are now 0 active hospitals in gaza, whereas before october there were 36. this info has not been updated in the case) to prevent civilians from getting life-saving treatment, psychologically tormenting civilians until they lose the will to live (particularly in children), and so on.

of course please pay attention to palestinian journalists within gaza specifically— they will show you firsthand whats happening. there’s many apart of al jazeera. al jazeera has also done some articles on the history for you. here is one on nakba. amnesty also did a good job on explaining what an apartheid is.

theres also quite a few independent ones that have become journalists through this attack from israel. bisan is one of them if youre active on tiktok. noor harazeen is a journalist on instagram.

here is a link on how israel funded hamas to rival the plo

here is al jazeeras article on the cultural genocide of palestinians through bombing ancient historical sites and artefacts.

kind of seperate to all that but still related is how support for palestine affects other people. people are losing the jobs over supporting palestine (such as melissa barrera in scream). yemen, another third world country who has been going through crises such as food insecurity for years, has been suspended aid by the UN because it has been aiding palestine throughout the conflict.

The UN in general has been useless about calling for a ceasefire. The United States vetoed during a UNSC meeting because the USA sucks ass. you can look any of this up and they will come with multiple sources im just too tired to find something rn (i’m currently on vacay and heavily sleep deprived).

also general advice to not ask a percy jackson account but an account dedicated to spreading information on the palestine-israel apartheid because they would be able to help you more. yes, ive talked about it on this account but that doesnt mean i’m qualified to explain 75 years of oppression.

[best-nun-tournament]

Round 1, Match 19

Percy Jackson and Polyphemus (Percy Jackson) vs Mercer and Gage (The Silt Verses)

(Mercer and Gage art by @thedoublepp)

Propaganda under break

Percy Jackson and Polyphemus

Points to the part in Sea of Monsters where Polyphemus threatens to snitch to Poseidon like he did with Odysseus and Percy’s like good luck buddy I’m dad’s favorite

Mercer and Gage

Mercer and Gage are two fairly young people who have been failed by the systems in place. They’re a pair of orphans who have been working to birth a god and are attempting that through their hunting. They get hired by a politician to kill a few other gods, which results in them spending several months traveling up and down the countryside, razing entire towns and killing worshipers of whatever god they are hunting at the time, going so far that the politician who hired them asks them to chill out a bit because now they’re just killing voters. Over time, Gage grows to hate the hunt and longs to do something more with their life, while Mercer grows angry that their sibling is drawing away from her. She tries to push Gage to keep going, and reluctantly they do. When the politician instructs them to stop hunting the god they’re currently after, Gage tries to tell Mercer to stop, but Mercer refuses because she believes that after they finish hunting this god, their goal will be accomplished. Seeing that Mercer will never stop and Gage will never be free of her, Gage decides to kill her.

Poll Runner's Note: I also really liked this drawing by @caimitos. The detail of Gage having the dog's jaw at the bottom of their hood is really cool!

[royaipercabeth]

"Honestly? Can we just go home?"

PJO one shot. In which Sally tries to cheer her veteran-of-two-wars son up with a day to be "normal" and as things tend to for the Jackson household, it goes terribly wrong. But happy ending!

Written from Sally's perspective because I, a grown adult, am terrified and fascinated by the fact that she knows her son is constantly in all these dangers and there's nothing she can do about it. Also because Sally Jackson is amazing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sally Jackson just wanted a relaxing day with her family. A casual day off, spent together, after they had lost so much time in the last few years. Instead, she got a front row seat to exactly how much weight the gods kept putting on her child.

They'd decided to come down the the pier, where she knew the salt air would lift her son Percy's spirits. He had been subdued since he'd come back from... wherever he was for the last several months. He hadn't shared everything, and the haunted look in his eyes told her she didn't want to know.

She figured he hadn't been able to be much of a teenager while he was away. So she'd talked to her husband, Paul. They were going to have a normal, healthy day out to remind him that he could be a normal, healthy teenager. Maybe chase away some of that darkness that hung around in his eyes.

It seemed to be working. Today he almost seemed like a typical kid, unburdened by anything greater than a report card or standardized testing. He was to her left, verbally jousting with her husband, who was to her right. He was relaxed--holding on to the handrail and leaning back, his hair swept into a deplorable mess by restless fingers and the ocean breeze, his blue T shirt loose and comfortable. His camp necklace was still around his neck--for once he hadn't taken it off when summer had ended. On his arm she saw the brand he'd come back with. She'd been tempted to get mad at him when she'd first seen it. He wasn't old enough for tattoos, demigod or not. But he'd explained that it wasn't exactly his choice, it was just how things were done in the place where he'd received it. Then she had gotten mad, but not at him.

As it was, no one except her seemed to notice. The Mist consistently obscured it. Even Paul sometimes had trouble remembering it was there.

Percy snorted a laugh behind her. "Wait so you're telling me the pigs run the place?" He said, with mock incredulousness, craning his neck to watch Paul's reaction.

Paul gave a humouring sigh. "Yes, and it's a representation--"

"--For how politicians should eat our food scraps?" Percy interrupted, with a mischievous grin. He watched Paul stifle a laugh. Misinterpreting literature had become his favorite way to rag on his stepfather. Paul liked playing along.

Percy drew forward, now leaning on the rail instead of away from it. His green eyes twinkled with humour. "Mom, can you imagine? All that food waste reduced by--"

But he looked over her shoulder, and the joke died. His smile faded, his brows sank, his jaw and shoulders squared. He shoved a hand in his pocket, where she knew he kept his magic pen/sword. In an instant, he had transformed from happy go lucky teen to war-worn demigod.

"Percy--?" She said.

He didn't look at her, instead staring at something at the end of the pier. She followed his line of sight. There, on the end of the pier, stood a tall man in a leather duster and red wraparound shades, with--were those flames?--sticking out from where the eyes should have been. He looked rather out of place against everyone else's T shirt and jeans, but no one seemed to even notice. Seeing him, she felt like she needed to punch something, but Paul interrupted that thought.

"Is something wrong," Paul murmured at her side, trying to assess the sudden tone shift. He couldn't see through the Mist like her and Percy, but he could see them, and they'd both just frozen in place. Sally looked sidelong at Percy. His face, his stance, was all a mix of apprehension and anger.

She looked back at the man in leather and answered her husband.

"I don't know. There's someone over there. He looks human but powerful. I don't know who he is."

The man seemed to be waiting for Percy to begin the conversation. Percy drew his sword and stepped out into the middle of the pier, away from Sally and Paul. He also waited, forcing the other man to start the conversation.

The man snapped his fingers, and the crowd on the pier moved away as though bewitched. Percy didn't move, so neither did Sally. She caught Paul on the chest and kept him there too, though his eyes flicked nervously between the man, Percy and her. She wasn't sure what he saw, but it probably wasn't good.

The last few mortals trickled off the pier and the man finally spoke.

"Perseus Jackson," he said, spitting the name out like it was a bunch of bad grapes. "Son of the sea god. My least favorite mortal. You are certainly making a name for yourself."

"What do you want?" Percy demanded, and Sally was startled to hear such command in his voice.

"Oh it's not what I want, kid. It's what Olympus wants."

Percy raised his eyebrows briefly. "Oh, so you can suddenly see past the end of your nose?"

Sally swallowed her laugh. She wasn't 100% sure who this guy was, but he was definitely immortal. She could sense his aura of power. Yet even at him, Percy was mouthing off. Maybe he wasn't as worn down as she'd thought. Then again, maybe he was using wit to hide his real feelings. She didn't have time to wonder, because the flames around the man's glasses flared up brightly and he stepped forward.

"If it were up to me, Jackson, you'd be dead. You are my least favorite demigod."

"Well, good, because the feeling's mutual."

"You want a fight, kid?"

Percy tightened his grip on his sword. Sally realized that the water around them was slowly rising. It was nearly level with the pier.

"I beat you once, Ares. I can do it again."

She stared at Percy, mouth open. Partly because he was goading the god of war into a fight, partly because he'd apparently done this before, and partly because for the first time in her experience of seeing through the Mist, she saw Percy's aura of power, radiating off of him like the tide. This was her son.

The water was above the railings now. It did not spill over. It simply rose silently, fencing in the confrontation. Towards the shore, it tapered off, but behind the god at the end, it peaked. Ares glanced at the rising water, and for a second she thought he almost looked nervous.

"Nice show, kid. But we both know that in a death match, I'd win. So instead, I'll settle for a little manners. Isn't that your mother right there? Didn't she teach you better?"

Sally immediately registered the god's veiled threat. She swallowed. She hadn't stayed to get in the way. She just... didn't want to lose sight of Percy, so soon after getting him back.

Percy blinked once, then lowered his chin and the tip of his sword. "What does Olympus want?" He said, still demanding, but in a softer tone.

"Beats me."

Percy's head retracted slightly.

"But you've been summoned to the throne room. Tomorrow morning. Show up. Or don't, and I'll get the pleasure of dragging you there." Percy raised his sword again. The water was above their heads--ten, twelve feet high. "And because you've been an insolent punk, I'm not gonna help you with those two back there." The god pointed to behind Percy, and began to glow.

"Don't look!" Shouted Percy, and the water crashed down around them. Sally shut her eyes, and pushed Paul's head down so he didn't stare at whatever godly power might leak through the Mist.

When she opened her eyes, she made two realizations. First, that she and Paul were both dry, despite the wall of water. Second, that Percy was already in combat with two monsters that had appeared on the shore side of the pier. She only managed not to scream because she'd grown used to seeing beasts like this over the years of seeing through the Mist. These two must have been what Ares said he wasn't going to help with.

Paul caught her eye and raised both eyebrows, as if to say, 'what is going on?' She put a hand on his arm to reassure without drawing the monsters' attention. The last thing Percy needed was for her to make herself a target again.

Percy was holding off both monsters with his sword, backing his way towards the oceanside railing where Ares had just been. He thrust, parried, and rolled around their claws and maw so fast she could barely follow the movement. They had backed him against the railing when one of them grazed his abdomen.

Despite her intention, she squeaked in fear at seeing him injured.

The near monster turned and saw her and Paul, seemingly for the first time. It--he?--began to waddle over.

"No." She heard Percy growl as he clutched his stomach, and the sheer venom in his voice made the hair on her neck stand on end, despite that she was in no danger from him. It sounded so unlike him. The monster lumbered over, but all her instincts were trained on Percy as the dangerous one.

A fist of water rose from the side and snatched the monster, slamming him into the railing, and then flicking him over and into the sea beyond.

In that moment, which must have taken a lot of concentration, she saw the other monster lunge at Percy. He met it with his bare hands, and they tumbled over the railing. She heard a terrible splash as they broke the surface twenty feet below.

Paul and she stared at the end of the pier. Then they ran to the railing and looked over.

They could see nothing. No bubbles, no underwater movement. Not even a jellyfish.

She held her breath.

She knew he could breathe underwater. He'd told her that, even demonstrated anytime they visited a beach, though it usually lead to a warning from the lifeguard, if there was one.

But watching an eerily still ocean after seeing him go over, locked in combat with a monster.... It was one thing to see him show off his ability, and another to see him depend on it.

She backed away from the edge and sat down on one of the benches that filled the center of the pier's ocean end. Paul sat beside her.

"He'll be all right," he said, taking her hand. She knew it was as much for himself as for her. At least she had seen what had happened.

They sat there for over an hour, scanning the waves and shoreline every few minutes for any sign of Percy's return. The crowd trickled back onto the pier, and soon it was as though nothing had happened.

Please. Sally thought. Please come back. Please don't be swept off into another quest or godly errand.

She had seen this happen so many times. They started what was supposed to be a normal day, only for something to go drastically wrong, and Percy would be gone for weeks, sometimes months.

Not today. I just got him back. Not today.

Finally she could stand it no longer. She rummaged in her bag.

"What are you looking for?" Paul asked when her search became frantic.

"Matches! The matches I always keep in here!"

Paul winced. "Oh honey, I think you used them last night to light that candle. They're probably in our room."

She fixed Paul with a desperate, shattered look. She knew he was right. "No! Paul, I need fire. I need a way to make fire!"

He held up his hand in a placating gesture and reached behind him with the other. "Hang on. Hang on. Maybe I have something in my wallet."

He had one match.

She struck it against the bench and cupped her hands around it, protecting it from the sea wind. Carefully she held the flame against the blue-frosted cinnamon roll she'd been intending to surprise Percy with. It didn't want to light, but she insisted.

"Sally--"

The frosting caught the blaze and she picked it up, then rushed to the side and threw it as far out into the ocean as she could.

"POSEIDON!" She called out. The people milling to either side alternately ignored her, or looked at her like she was a crazy, raving lunatic. She did not care. "Bring Percy back!"

Paul came up to her side. She continued shouting to the waves. "Do not let him be swept off into another quest, or errand, or--he needs a break. Do you not see that? He is tired. Your son is tired. Bring. Him. Back."

She gripped the railing until her knuckles went white. Paul simply stood with her. The crowd gave them a wide berth.

They both kept scanning the shore and the waves, but no dark hair popped up. The wildlife had returned, and the crowd was aweing over the glimpse of some dolphins, but still no sign of Percy.

Finally Paul tugged on her arm. "C'mon, it's almost noon. Let's get something to eat. We can come back."

"No," she said.

He gave her a worried look. "Sally--" She knew he didn't want Percy to be gone any more than she did. He was just worried about her.

"I'm afraid if I leave, then Poseidon will think I'll take no for an answer," she said.

Paul pursed his lips. "Is this why you always keep matches?"

"Yes."

"When was the last time he answered you?"

She opened her mouth, then thought better of it. "A long time ago. But he will listen this time. He will."

Her husband shifted his weight. "All right, we'll stay til sundown. If nothing by then, we go home and... I-message Chiron? Don't you still have a drachma?" He met her eye as if to ask if that was a viable plan. She nodded. "I'll go get us some food," he said.

He came back with hotdogs and fries slathered with slimy cheese, and two Cokes. "They didn't have any blue," he joked. Sally felt tears prick the corners of her eyes but smiled anyway.

Seagulls begged for their food. The crowd came and went around them. They still got up every quarter of an hour or so to scan, and Paul walked along the beach in case Percy washed up out of sight. But they found nothing. As the sun grew lower and lower over the city behind them, so did their expectations.

Finally the pier was quiet. The sun hadn't set, but it was behind the buildings, and the sky was a glaring orange, like a highway safety cone. The shadows had grown long, making everything look ghostly in the warm light.

They saw two officers moving towards the pier to lock the gate at the shore end. One of them pointed out to where they were sitting, and his partner leaned back, clearly displeased that the pier was not vacant.

"They're going to lock up," said Paul. "That's our cue. We should go."

Sally blinked back her tears. She really thought--it was silly, but something had really made her think that if she sat here, Poseidon might listen.

Paul looked around, doing one more quick scan of the area. "Sally, I know you want to stay, but you have to face the likelihood--" He stopped, staring over the side. "There," he said, pointing down on the beach. "There! That's him, isn't it?"

Sally rushed to the side.

Down on the beach, a teenager with dark hair was wading in through the surf, with surprising ease. He held a glowing sword in his hand, and even more odd, he looked bone dry.

"Yes!" Sally exclaimed. She could cry. It was so good to see him. "PERCY!" She called to him.

Percy had been scanning the horizon, no doubt trying to figure out where he'd come ashore, but at hearing his name, his attention snapped to the pier. Sally waved frantically and rushed down the stairs to the beach, past the two officers who were trying to figure out where this kid had just come from.

Percy capped his sword and put it into his pocket, ascending the stairs as Sally descended. They met in the middle and she repressed the urge to smother him in a hug. His shirt was torn and he had a bruise on his left arm, but otherwise he looked the same as when he'd left them.

He winced at the orange sky behind her. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, shoulders stooped from exhaustion.

"Oh, Percy," she said, and put a hand on the back of his neck, which she could do easily even though he was a step below her. "I'm just glad to have you back."

"Yeah..." he looked away sheepishly. "I didn't realize those guys were amphibious. Last time I fought them--well nevermind. Tyson showed up and we sent them packing."

Tyson. That must have been Poseidon's way of answering.

"That's wonderful," Sally said, and she meant it.

"Ma'am." Behind them, the officers had detained Paul from the stairs, and were now motioning for Percy and her to come up, so they could lock the pier.

Together they climbed the stairs. Paul clapped Percy on the back as they walked towards the parking lot.

"I guess we won't have a beach day," said Sally as they walked.

"Yeah just my luck," muttered Percy.

"But there are still lots of lovely little shops open," proffered Sally. "We could look around, find someplace to eat--"

"Mom." Percy paused a few paces behind. "Honestly? Can we just go home?"

"Of course." She smiled at him, watching his expression as it flickered between happy and haunted and finally settled on exhausted. "I think we've got some frozen pizza. Or I can probably make blue pancakes."

Percy smiled, a mischievous grin that reached all the way to his eyes.

"Yeah. That'd be nice."

They were in the middle of a parking lot, but on impulse, she hugged him. Hopefully no drivers would turn them into a mother and son blue pancake. She felt the tension go out of him as she held him, and in a moment he embraced her back. With her face over his shoulder, she mouthed 'thank you' towards the sea.

[randomthingsbylfcds]

SIMS 4- Bookstan Legacy Challenge

General Rules:

It’s a 10 generation legacy based on the characters and books;

Of course, spoilers from the books and sagas (Divergent, Folk of Air, Harry Potter, Magisterium, The Hunger Games, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus,  Caraval, Once Upon a Broken Heart, Princess of Ash, Red Queen and The Maze Runner) are going to exist, you can skip the generation if you haven’t read the book;

If you are going to skip a generation, you can read the “Next Gen. Preparation” section of the generation you are skipping and swap it with the main “Next Gen. Preparation” section to be prepared for the generation you want, not the one you ignore;

Cheats are allowed for storytelling only;

Mods are also allowed, (for this challenge I recommend mcc command center, fairies x witches and maybe extreme violence);

The genders does not need to be the same as the character;

Not all the aspiration, skills and careers need to be max out, it will be tagged when you need and when you don’t

The worlds tagged in are only suggestions, you can change it;

Feel free to change the rules if you don’t have the necessary pack or for any other reason;

Generation 1 - Tris Prior (Divergent):

        Your parents are simple and altruistic people. Perfect examples of Abnegation, your faction. But, you're not like that, you're different, you're divergent. When your time comes, you choose Dauntless as your faction, and become a new person, a stronger person.

Traits: Proper; Perfectionist and Adventurous (they represent the three factions you could belong to as a divergent);

Aspiration: Fisiculturist (before the change to Dauntless, must be Friend of the World, but you don't need to complete it);

Career: Militar;

Skills: Fitness;

World: Willow Creek (there´are 5 regions in Willow Creek, each one could be one of the factions, but that's totally optional, only for immersion and storytelling);

Other Rules: 

Start as a teenager girl or younger;

Must have a brother;

Until you´re a YA, you must never look in the mirror and use gray colored and simple clothes

When you became a young adult, you should leave to Dauntless (now you can wear every clothes you want)

Complete the aspiration and maximize the fitness skill;

Must be betrayed somehow by your brother;

Next Gen. Preparation:

Sleep with an fairy a single night (you can use a spellcaster, vampire, use mods to create a fairy or only simulate it) and get pregnant;

Marry a human and have twins (one of then will be the heir, you can cheat for it)

Be murdered, as well as your partner, by the fairy you slept with, when the twins become toddlers;

Generation 2 - Jude Duarte (Folk of Air):

        Your parents were murdered by a mythical sim that kidnaps you and your siblings. You discover that your older sibling is a fairy, descendant from the guy that kidnapped you. He creates you to be a warrior, but a certain cruel prince torment your whole life. You wanted so much to be a soldier, but that is denied to you, so you become a spy;

Traits:  Self-Assured, Loner, Genius;

Aspiration: Leader of the Pack;

Career: Secret Agent and Politician (don't need to max it);

Skills: Motor (child), Charisma; 

World: Tartosa (the habitants must be fairies);

Other Rules: 

Start as a toddler;

Maximize the motor skill as a child and the charisma one.

As a teen, be bullied by the prince/princess;

Fall in love with a guy (cannot be a fairy), that at the end up marries your twin and leaving Tartosa (preserve this two, they will be important);

As a YA, enter in a club of spies called Marauders, with only 3 other sims, they will be your only friends;

When the cruel prince/princess become the king/queen, become your meneschal (enter in politician career)

Fall in love with bully, now a king/queen;

Be exiled

Marry the wicked king, and become the ruler of the fairies realm;

Next Gen. Preparation:

When your only baby is born (he must me a spellcaster) run of Tartosa and go to another world;

Be murdered, like your partner, by a evil wizard;

Generation 3 - Harry Potter (Harry Potter):

        Your parents ended up dead in a car accident. At least that's what you thought...  You discover that you are a wizard, and receive a letter to the renowned Hogwarts school of magic. Between that and living with your wicked uncle and aunt, you don't hesitate.

Traits:  Engaged, Hot-headed, 

Aspiration: Potion Master;

Career: Police (don't need to max it);

Skills: None; 

World: Anyone, but Tartosa and Willow Creek;

Other Rules: 

Start as a baby;

Must have a scar;

Be created by the twin of one of your parents, doing all the domestic stuff;

Go to Hogwarts everyday (Realm of Magic) as a teen;

Discover that you are famous when you go to the wizard world (cheat for it); 

Buy a wand, a broom and a familiar;

Learn all mischiefs spells and potions;

Complete the aspiration;

Have two best friends, a genius and a glutton;

One of the Marauders must be a traitor, the other two should be your allies. At least when they are alive (they have to be murdered by the evil spellcaster);

Fall in love with your best friend's sibling;

A war has to start

At the end of the generation, must have won the evil wizard in a duel;

Next Gen. Preparation:

After marry, have a single children;

Your partner must die in the wizard war;

After this, you create your heir as a normal human, hating and fearing the magic;

After dying, the evil wizard leave your twin, who try to revive him;

Generation 4 - Callum Hunt (Magisterium):

        Magic is evil. Wizards are evil. That was what your parent said. In your Iron Challenge, a judgment to see who is going to enter the Magisterium, you do your best to be denied, but that’s not what happened. You are accepted. So, you start to doubt whether magic is really bad

Traits:  Socially Awkward, Dog Lover, Clumsy;

Aspiration: Spellcraft and Sorcery;

Career: None;

Skills: Mischief and Pet Training; 

World: Anyone but the ones you lived before;

Other Rules: 

Start as a teen;

Maximize the pet training skill, and get at least level five in mischief;

Go to the Magisterium everyday as a teen; 

Use a wolf (dog) as you familiar;

Learn all the practice and untame spells;

Have two close friends, a proper and a perfectionist;

Don’t use wands or broom;

Fall in love with one of your best friends;

The other friend has to die;

Discover that your soul is the soul of the Enemy of Death (twin of the evil wizard that killed your grandparents), this will not change you at all, is just for storytelling; 

Use magic to bring your friend to life in other body (basically, bring him back and change his appear in cas);

At the end of teenagehood, go to the Britchester University (you can choose the subject, as well as your career); 

Next Gen. Preparation:

After marry, have a two human children (the oldest is our heir);

Abandon the magic; 

Leave to a poor world;

Die in a work accident

Work in progress... Soon, the next gens will be added

Any suggestion can be commented

[esmecatrealm]

Percy jackson fanfic idea

Percy grover Thalia annabeth and nico go fuck with billionares and politicians to cause societal and environmental change

Imagine one day you notice a group of figures outlined in the light of lighning creaping around sometime disappearing before your very eyes the lightning keep getting closer the waves are unnaturally choppy and you see plants begin to grow one moment its a crack in the pavement with some grass the next there's a tree cracking a 5 meter hole in the path and you find a note scralled in ancient Greek saying

Repair the world and you may survive this is a warning

And as you finish reading a knife suddenly just appears in your leg and the storm suddenly is gone

They could eaven get Hazel involved to make no one remember the storm and Frank could appear as a bear just in random rooms

[heyhanibee]

Growing up a poor, neurodivergent, troubled kid in an abusive home, PJO was absolutely everything to me. This world and its characters were a beautiful escape for me and I can genuinely say (as corny as it is) that I would not be the person I am today without Percy Jackson and the Olympians. However, since Oct. 7th of 2023, (though I acknowledge that the killings, mistreatment, and occupation of Palestine started long before then), the response and subsequent silence from many politicians, celebrities, and notable figures has been infuriating—disappointingly, one of these being the author of my beloved childhood series, Rick Riordian. As someone who claimed to be an advocate for inclusivity, diversity, and justice, Riordian’s statement on this issue was pathetically centrist at best and insensitive, ignorant, and just cowardly at worst—and I lean more towards the latter opinion. Riordian’s support of Israel with lukewarm calls for peace sprinkled in and ending his statement by PLUGGING HIS NEW BOOK??? His behavior was nothing short of disgusting and hypocritical of what he supposedly stands for and the lessons found in his books. He is an absolute disgrace and while I will always hold a special place in my heart for PJO, Rick Riordian is someone I no longer respect or look up to in the slightest and you will never catch me supporting any new projects concerning him, his books, or the new D*sney+ show. All this to say… Fuck Rick Riordian and Free Palestine, motherfucker🖕🏽🍉🍉🍉

[anne-the-insomniac]

More plot bunnies by I, who hasnt succumbed to the temptation of being a writer.

There is no set limit of fandom. I just go blink and it is here.

The bunnies.. oh god.

1. Chuuya as Cale.

- rather than KRS within it is Chuuya inside of Cales Body or sharing the same body like halfsies of the time within the body.

- At day its KRS at night it is Chuuya! Maybe..

- Both likes alcohol? Yes.

- Both red heads? Absolutely

- Both rich? Verily.

- You can mix in a Dazai in there... Maybe as Alver? Or as Barrow...?

2. Percy Jackson Harry Potter

- Child of Death (Thanatos) or Child of Magic (Hecate) Harry Potter.

- Main cast of Percy Jackson in there but with the addition of Harry Potter.

- Maybe with Ron and Hermione in the story.

- Child of Athena or maybe Child of Coeus Hermione?

- As for Ron I don't wanna change anything since the weasley family is great and the fact I seemingly can't decide a God that may fit in the moment..

3. Fullmetal Alchemist & Harry Potter crossover

- Ed somehow someway gets in the harry potter universe but during the time of Tom Riddle.

- Maybe through a deal with Truth or Amestris being a some type of undiscovered country.

- Ed may help Tom by stopping him with making horcruxes with Tom having a fascination with Ed because HE CAN TECHNICALLY MAKE HIM IMMORTAL.

- Make them rivals? Friends? LOVERS? FRENEMIES??? Any of these can fit actually.

- Rivals due to Ed being able to learn anything in a couple of months so him challenging Riddle with the golden good boy spot.

- Friends with them both being research buds. Ed is still rude and Tom still just wants knowledge from Ed. ( i dont think this is even friendship but sure.)

- Lovers two intelligent bastards with one of them wanting to be a inmmortal politician and one is a military man. Lovers out of convinience or actual romance? Who knows maybe Tom is using Edward as basically a way of gaining popularity within amestris and Ed using Tom as a way to learn more about the wizarding world.

- Frenemies with them equally hating eachother and will attempt to outsmart eachother but will assist when needed. Need a giant snake to get rid of a asshole sacrifice the said asshole to the basilisk call your good great annoyance Tom. Need knowledge to make yourself a immortal politician with power? Call Edward and hope he teaches you. (He will mostly likely wont but if he does you probably wont need to split your own soul.)

- Grindelwald is also yknow still there so maybe him and Dumbeldore as the main antagonists with minor ones called wizard racism.

[aficionadoenthusiast]

probably the thing I miss the most from the ancient world (greece specifically) is that people were allowed to have flaws, even, and at some times especially, the gods

look at percy jackson (the series): the main character's fatal flaws are stuff like loyalty, hubris, grudge holding, and the inability to be selfish - while holding dire potential, none of these are flaws that would ruin someone's day or make a person outright objectionable; those flaws are saved for the villains/antiheroes: excessive wrath, the need to be better than everyone (this is different than hubris - hubris is the feeling, this is more the action), the need to attain a goal at any cost

and this aligns a lot with the modern view of how people should act: we can make mistakes as long as they're hidden and they don't happen again, but really we should just avoid making mistakes and try to be a person the most people would like

but in ancient greece: the great heroes had some pretty bad fatal flaws that by modern standards would get them a lot of hate: major anger management issues, impulsiveness so bad it harmed others many times, hubris that far exceeded annabeth's (and that's another point), excessive pride (again, different from hubris, and the extent was far worse than any pjo characters), and anxiety (which is coming to be tolerated in the modern world, but back then was just a flaw for a hero)

while a lot of these are very close or even match those of the pjo characters, the ancient heroes were able to let their flaws get much farther than any pjo character. the ancient world saw character flaws as a problem, yes, but they also saw them as unavoidable and just something that needed to be controlled whereas the modern world sees character flaws as personal failures

and we do this so much with public and religious figures: the second we see something we don't like from those we already don't like, we attack, but we're so quick to defend those we do like even when their mistakes go beyond mistakes and start becoming actual problems that need to be addressed (cough gop cough) - and again, we do this with everyone: politicians, the religious people we believe in, celebrities, our friends, etc - when what we really should be doing is acknowledging that no one is perfect and perfection is an impossible, unattainable burden

and i cite the gods because the ancient greek gods messed up so damn much, and the greeks didn't deny that. that's why there were so many gods, so that the different ones could pick up slack. but now, people act like they have to hold themselves to the same standards as the monotheistic gods we have now that are often seen as perfect. (I won't get into this because it seems disrespectful to me but the main idea is that we're not gods, so even if you view your religious figures as flawless, you don't have to be)

sometimes this modern view is a good thing such as in the case of morals and ethics or when people need to be held accountable for their actions, but too often this new perspective just puts unnecessary stress on people already doing their best, and it opens up opportunities for the people who are actually problematic to makes others feel like shit, plus it pushes the idea that everyone should be the same when people use this view to push their agenda

besides, part of the point of allowing people to have fatal flaws is that they have people around them that will help them control their flaws so they don't get out of hand. we see in the case of theseus when he was with his parents or ariadne until he was with pirithous, a horrible influence, and percy and annabeth, who each remind each other when they're being too prideful or letting their loyalty get the best of them, and nico and will when will reminds nico to let bygones be bygones.

anyway all this to say, take care of yourself. you don't need to be perfect. you don't even need to always do your best, and it's ok to make mistakes. the things you see as personal flaws are what make you spicy.

*the characters for the listed fatal flaws are tagged in order if you weren't sure which person I meant

[reconstructwriter]

Finally Sat Down and Gave RotS a Look.

. Said to be the best of the lot so let’s see what this movie’s got!

Warning, lots of word vomit.

…I’m genuinely surprised to find this funny. Aside from the bit with Dooku (And even then the look on his face! He did not expect betrayal from the space-Wizards betraying party) the first half hour’s been a comedy? And some of the dialogue got a laugh out of me. Do I have the bloopers reel in here?

Okay no, I don’t because we segway to all the political intrigue – which is a nice transition between the d&d-style rescue shenanigans and looming tragedy that (sort of) consumes the latter half of the movie. Starts with a nice bit of characterization: Obi Wan and Anakin joking about the uncomfortable spotlight. A joking reminder that Jedi should shy away from it – which does make it easier for Palpatine to mud-rake their reputation.

Pleasantly surprised by how suspicious everyone is of Palpatine – expected more obliviousness from all I’ve read but nope! Both Padme (and in the cut scenes 1,999 other politicians) and the Jedi Council worry this wartime chancellor the Senate’s been empowering for three years might not eagerly let go. Anakin’s his sole on-screen defender

…but you know that works for Anakin’s characterization here. He starts out wanting to help Oddball and his squad over rescuing the secret Sith Lord, willing to see both himself and Palps die to save Obi Wan. Then during the political intrigue Anakin defends Palpatine, even protesting Jedi Council orders to spy on the guy (who just gave him the cushy Council appointment so doesn’t feel so heroic). The tragic portion starts with Anakin finally throwing his lot in with Palpatine over the Jedi and going from ‘for the greater good of Padme’ 2nd Genocide to ‘ride or die for Palpatine actually’ immediately afterwards. (his lines to Padme would’ve been so much more delightfully ominous if they kept her rebellious scenes!) Finally, this ends with Anakin, fully sworn to the Sith, doing a one-eighty to betray Palpatine to make Padme Empress and rule the Galaxy together! He hasn't even learned the Super Sith secret of loved ones’ immortality – his entire reason for choosing to Fall in the first place. Sounds like he cares more about power than Padme. Especially since with Obi Wan’s appearance he immediately flips from wanting Padme to be Empress to strangling her. Something, something, Madonna-whore complex.

Decent narrative characterization for being stuffe in 2.5hrs.

I was surprised the whole ‘Jedi takeover plot’ wasn’t complete propaganda on Palpatine’s part. Sure, Palpatine made Mt. Everest out of a molehill but the Council does bring up a coup to solve the dictator issue. Yoda shuts this down but it shows the Jedi Order are losing their way due to the clone wars. IMAO this also shows they’ve got no better ideas/political power they could leverage.

Still, this plot point would’ve been better if they hadn’t cut Padme’s scenes. Those show she contemplates something similar, shows the Senate could’ve legally ousted Palpatine if more weren’t corrupt bastards and reinforced that Jedi just suck at politics, its not their arena.

This is probably me reading too much Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes but this movie seems to run with the cliché Ancient Greek tragedy plot point ™: ‘character X finds out terrible future. character X does everything in their power to prevent terrible future. Character X brings about terrible future via all their efforts to prevent it. Anakin has ominous nightmare/vision about Padme’s screaming death via childbirth. Anakin scrambles to keep Padme from dying screaming in childbirth (these methods apparently include crossing Moral Event Horizons but don’t include Space-OBGYNs)

…surprise twist! She dies screaming in childbirth. After he strangled her.

Why do fix-it fics begin with protagonists knowing about the future again?

Obi Wan’s obliviousness to Anakin’s past gives him that unwarranted faith, that inability to believe his brother made a one-eighty in like 3 days and just genocided the fuck out of their entire shared people. And Cody hands the lightsaber over to Obi Wan just after he defeated Grievous. From Obi Wan’s PoV everything’s going great – he and his buddy have hashed things out, General Grievous is dead. He can taste peace.

… Which makes order 66 hit so much harder.

For years I’ve read and watched these characters so the Order 66 scene hit me harder, but I also did not watch this until after the new live action atla came out. As heart-breaking as it is to watch Bly shoot Aalya in the back and keep shooting her corpse! At least this part is purely about betrayal, horror, sorrow. Jedi are gunned down by the overwhelming numbers of people they trust, children gunned down desperately being Jedi to their last breath. Anakin’s march on the Jedi temple with his massive army. The children taking shelter in the Council rooms because that’s where they feel safe – except the traitor was also appointed a member! We don’t even need to see the blood or the gore or anything. It's enough to have a little kid plea to an adult guardian…and focus on Anakin’s expression and ignited lightsaber.

When we do get the 20-minute fight montages, they still drive home the betrayal. The loss. The defeat. You can't forget that Anakin and Obi Wan were brothers in all but blood while they’re dueling on a hell-planet. Yoda and Sidious duke it out for the fate of the Republic, but in an empty Senate that Sidious dismantles to fight Yoda with. All driving home that the Republic is gone, Democracy is dead, the heroes either dead with it, Fallen or being hunted down like dogs!

Palpatine also gets to be an A+ bastard in this movie – he even outright informing the Separatist leaders that his new apprentice will arrive to take care of them? He was definitely laughing maniacally as they role out the welcome mat for their murderer. I love the tragedy but deeply regret that Anakin stopped Mace from punching Palpatine in the face with his lightsaber.

We know Anakin ultimately survives Mustafar but wow they really make it look like he’s dying (and using his last breaths to curse Obi Wan). It’s almost a shock to see his metal hand claw at the ashes of Mustafar terminator-style. After watching this I’m a little less harsh on Obi Wan for not finishing Anakin off there. The dude looks like he’s finished off and Obi Wan can’t watch anymore.

Okay y’all I get the ‘Padme's death as life force suction via Dark Side’ interpretation. She and Anakin are paralleled in medical and the in-movie reason for her death sounds so stupid. I do think narratively its just a contrast but adding that interpretation makes it better. Padme in the light medical room, Anakin in the dark laboratory. Padme is dying but giving birth. Anakin is surviving but becoming Darth Vader.

And then children entrusted to the Jedi are given over to loving families.

I’d agree this movie is the best of the lot. The pacing feels better, the overall mood of the film transitioned nicely from a humorous action adventure to a political drama and then finally falling into its tragedy. Anakin’s character is less annoying, though the sins of the last movie make his heroics fall a little flat to me. Even the dialogue is an improvement, barring a few terrible deliveries that drag down some important scenes:

Darth Vader’s Nyooo is just cringe. This guy face-planted at the rock bottom point of his life. He’s traded everyone else he loved, cared for or even said ‘hi’ to for unlimited cosmic power to save Padmé and has just woken up to find she didn’t survive him using said power to strangle her (surprise, surprise). His physical agony is only eclipsed by his emotional agony and I’m honestly surprised Palpatine’s space-Frankenstein lab survived that. Nyooo just doesn’t cut it.

Yoda’s words to Anakin really don’t convey his intention well to me. I get that pulling teeth would be easier than making Anakin say anything relevant but even his general advice could’ve been delivered better.

And the kid’s wooden delivery during the genocide… George you know you’re bad with dialogue don’t make some of your movie’s most powerful moments hinge on dialogue!

But there’s some good stuff. I’m going a little feral over Palpatine’s response to Anakin’s “I can do better” which reminds Anakin he has done worse and implies ‘no, you can’t ever be better than you are at your worst’. It's a philosophy Anakin takes to heart, keeping his silence about his first Darth Vader act until he swears to embody Darth Vader. Of course Palpatine’s philosophy is ultimately deconstructed in the original trilogy when after 20+ years of Evil Warcrimes in Chief of the Evil Genocidal Slavery Empire Anakin makes (1) better choice. And the shattered remnants of the Republic and citizens of the Empire also choose better. It's both a hopeful message and one that spits in the face of assholes who say they can't do better.

But Disney Star Wars – in re-doing plot-lines and deconstructing characters/narratives – seems to lean into Palpatine's philosophy. I don’t think that’s their narrative intent but it still bugs me the most about Disney Star Wars stuff.

Speaking of bugging me you can guess what else does from my incessant repetition but damn what this movie did to Padme.

This not only does her character considerable injustice but also hurts several other scenes and IMHO the overall movie. She mostly feels like a flat cardboard designated romantic partner of the lead character and the movie feels a little flatter, a little less nuanced, ominous and tragic as a result. Even her banger ‘this is how liberty dies’ line would’ve hit harder if we’d been shown her fight for it. Learning she had more scenes like that but they cut those because they wanted more Anakin angst? How dare you!

Instead, we get Padmé saying ‘he [Obi Wan] said such terrible things...you killed younglings'. Which…she’s one of two people who knows he DID exactly that. This makes Padmé sound weirdly moral myopic. I'm not surprised when Palpatine makes an unfair comparison between the murder of Dooku and the genocide of the entire Rrhr tribe, but Padmé?

tl;dr:

I’d agree this movie is the best of the lot. The pacing is better. The narrative itself feels more coherent with all the plot threads tying fairly neatly into each other. With one tragic exception the characters are all at their least annoying. But I know Revenge of the Sith could have been better. It almost was, so I’m still left sighing longingly at What Could Have Been.

Hopefully the novel will do the story justice. I've heard good things about it.

[sylveonwip]

All James Bond actors rated by how much I want to see them get pegged:

(specifically in a 007 movie, preferably by the 'sex interest')

- Sean Connery: A teir. One of his girlfriends thought he was repulsive until she saw him in a kilt, was investigated multiple times for tax fraud and supports Scottish independence, which earns him extra points, but the misogyny and abuse knocks him down a lot.

- David Niven: C tier. Acted the original casino royal and... Nothing else. Mid.

- George Robert Lazenby: B tier. Acted in only one film, but is Australian and I'm not entirely unpatriotic. Married twice, divorced twice, six kids, one of which was a bastard. It's his turn.

- Roger Moore: A tier. Most films excluding the modern ones. Likes older women; 6 and 12 years older to be specific; acted with one of his sons in a film of the very exciting and not at all derivative name 'Sherlock Holmes Goes to New York.' Conservative who liked unions, which is a little baffling. Kind of just a salad of random shit, but you KNOW he's been pegged before, I want to see those skills at work.

- Timothy Dalton: B tier. 'Licence to Kill', 'Hot Fuzz' and 'Dr Who' on his IMDb. Briefly dated Whoopie Goldberg, but never married anyone, doesn't do much else. Chills out.

- Pierce Brosnan: A tier. 'Goldfinger', 'Mrs Doubtfire' and 'Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief' on his IMDb. Appeared in a movie about Eurovision as well. Never divorced anyone, had his Aston Martin burnt in a fire, and HASN'T got an OBE but IS allowed to put it next to his name (just because he's Irish). Attends Catholic mass but follows Buddhist philosophy. Just like a really cool guy.

Daniel Craig: S tier. You saw this one coming. Said "politicians are shitheads..." and has personal vendettas for a handful of British MPs. Brought back James Bond, is Benoit Blanc, is going to run James Bond into the ground again, the straightest, buffest fucking twink you've ever laid eyes on, and the best bet for best silicone head a Bond villain/sex interest will have in her entire life.

[chaotic-gender-fluid]

a list of things I want to do in the future, but it's gets slowly more and more unachievable

do a piano practice

finish my current book

read the Epic of Gilgamesh

be in a play

be (a lead) in a musical

be in a movie

meet the Percy Jackson series cast and Rick

get a double degree in law and politics

become a politician

get elected prime minister

world leader/world domination

finally finish my 2000 word igcse global perspectives essay

[owenthetokencishet]

tagged by @castallurspells

Ten favourite characters from ten different fandoms:

- ensign Beckett Mariner (Star Trek: Lower Decks), I want to be her best friend

- Jinx (Arcane[league of legends does not exist 🙈]), a long weekend spent hanging out with Adam Savage would fix 90% of her problems

- Chrisjen Avasarala (The Expanse), the politician we NEED

- Sidney Freedman (MASH), when I say I need a therapist, I mean him

- Dr. Stephen Vincent Strange (Marvel Comics, specifically the Jason Aaron run oh my GOD), me too, my guy. Me too.

- Abed Nadir (Community), the ORIGINAL autism creature

- Sanwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings), not the real hero, but still the realest

- Grover Underwood (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), the fucking G.O.A.T.

- Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra (Star Wars, I'm so sorry), LESBIANA JONES

- Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean), hhhHHHOOOttttTTTTTT

I NOMINATE @threecirclingbuzzards, @nutellabolognasandwich @queervictorvandort

Note, the added sentence was all me, you are not obligated to do the same, or any of this for that matter

[best-nun-tournament]

Round 2, Match 11

Percy Jackson and Polyphemus (Percy Jackson) vs Mercer and Gage (The Silt Verses) vs Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII (Egyptian history)

(Mercer and Gage art by @thedoublepp)

Propaganda under break. Spoilers for the Alexandrian War (47BC).

Percy Jackson and Polyphemus

Points to the part in Sea of Monsters where Polyphemus threatens to snitch to Poseidon like he did with Odysseus and Percy’s like good luck buddy I’m dad’s favorite

Mercer and Gage

Mercer and Gage are two fairly young people who have been failed by the systems in place. They’re a pair of orphans who have been working to birth a god and are attempting that through their hunting. They get hired by a politician to kill a few other gods, which results in them spending several months traveling up and down the countryside, razing entire towns and killing worshipers of whatever god they are hunting at the time, going so far that the politician who hired them asks them to chill out a bit because now they’re just killing voters. Over time, Gage grows to hate the hunt and longs to do something more with their life, while Mercer grows angry that their sibling is drawing away from her. She tries to push Gage to keep going, and reluctantly they do. When the politician instructs them to stop hunting the god they’re currently after, Gage tries to tell Mercer to stop, but Mercer refuses because she believes that after they finish hunting this god, their goal will be accomplished. Seeing that Mercer will never stop and Gage will never be free of her, Gage decides to kill her.

Poll Runner's Note: I also really liked this drawing by @caimitos. The detail of Gage having the dog's jaw at the bottom of their hood is really cool!

Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XIII

You know

Poll Runner's Note: I sure do, and now I'm going to tell everyone about it! Ptolemy XII, their father, had five children: Berenice, Cleopatra, Arsinoë, Ptolemy XIII, and Ptolemy XIV. Berenice had usurped Ptolemy XII's rule and was executed when he regained power, making Cleopatra his eldest living child. In his will, he declared that when he died Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII should get married and reign as co-rulers of Egypt.

Ptolemy XII died when Cleopatra was about 18 and Ptolemy XIII was 11, and right from the start she was not interested in this co-ruler business. She started leaving his name off documents, leaving his face off the coins, and generally acting like she's the only ruler in Egypt. Unfortunately for her, Ptolemy's guardians weren't keen on being demoted from "power behind the throne" to "glorified babysitter", and they deposed Cleopatra and forced her to flee to Syria, where she raised an army and started a war against her brother. It didn't go well for her, and things were looking bad for her until Julius Caesar showed up with his army.

Caesar was 1) Already mad at Ptolemy's advisors for killing Pompey who he'd wanted to spare and 2) famously a huge slut so Cleopatra was pretty easily able to convince him to restore her to power.

It's at this point Arsinoë shows up with her army. She joins forces with Ptolemy XIII, declares herself Queen Arsinoë IV, and beseiges Cleopatra and Caesar in the palace complex. For five brutal months, they battled through the city. The fires are said to be how the Library of Alexandria was lost, which is probably a legend but it was still devastating. Ceasar himself almost drowned while fleeing Arsinoë's forces at the Battle of Pharos Island.

Finally Caesar's allies show up with their armies, and Ptolemy drowned trying to flee across the Nile while Arsinoë was taken prisoner. She was brought back to Rome as part of Caesar's triumph, but her life was spared and she lived out the rest of her days at the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus. This was about five years because Cleopatra later persuaded Mark Antony to have her murdered right there in the temple.

Cleopatra married her youngest brother Ptolemy XIV, before finally poisoning him so she could make her son Caesarion the new Pharaoh.

Cleopatra was at least partially responsible for the deaths of all her siblings except the one her father killed, and the struggles between them were devastating for Egypt and caused a lot of suffering. These are some legitimately awful siblings.

[anonymous-dentist]

A reminder of my Percy Jackson au:

Child of Athena Quackity.

His dad was a politician, and he was so upset about a literal baby showing up on his doorstep that he tried having the kid drowned. But a duck pushed the baby back to shore, and Papa Quackity took it as a sign from God and decided to keep the kid. (Maybe this duck was Athena, who knows?)

He’s got an ex boyfriend that he dumped in Vegas on his way east. This scares him immensely and he’s vowed not to cross the Mississippi ever again.

His favorite sibling is Tubbo, and sometimes they even get along.

Child of Ares Sapnap.

So his actual mom died in childbirth, but her half-brother, Bad, took him in immediately. Bad is a Hades kid and knew about camp from the start, and he sent Sapnap off to camp at the ripe old age of six to live year-round when he started causing a few too many problems with other kids (and teachers) at school. After getting to camp, Sapnap accidentally gained the favor of Hestia, and she blessed him. He’s so cool.

He has two best friends that he’s basically glued to, but they went off on a quest with freaking Punz instead of him because he got stuck with his own quest of retrieving the Apple of Discord. Stupid Punz. Fuck you.

His least favorite sibling is Punz. They’re best friends.

Child of Janus Karl.

So Karl’s a Rome Kid, except he never actually made it into the Roman camp. The wolf in charge of that, Lupa, didn’t think he was strong enough, and so he was basically stuck in the wilderness by himself until some very confused hikers picked him up and brought him back to civilization. He spent a couple of years in and out of foster homes before giving up and deciding to become a superhero. Instead, he became a thief, and he may have stolen from the wrong goddess and gotten himself cursed. Whoops.

He has a weapon that he stole off a dead dude in Montana. It’s a golden stick that turns into a hefty spear when in the right hands. Unfortunately, Karl is useless with actual weapons, so he just smacks people with his stick until they get annoyed and leave him alone, or until he can use his demigod abilities to swoop in for the kill.

He has no siblings that he knows. He’s always been alone, and he’s very sad about that.