#she’s also one of the only demigods where I think her story has come to a close

[decaffeinatedpartymuggoop]

Okay, we all know being a demigod is a shit position. Its scary and gets you killed in really nasty ways. But I feel like being a Big Three Kid has to be the shitiest position in all the shit positions.

Like, imagine being Thalia Grace. Your dad is king of the gods, lord of the skies. Led a war to get rid of a tyrant. And the only thing you get is his scorned wife AND brother, who both try to kill you (with one technically succeeding), a drunk of a mother, and brother who you thought was dead. Oh, wait, he’s not dead! No instead he was used as an offering to appease your dad’s wife and help fight in a war and prevent mass destruction.

Or maybe you can imagine being Percy. Son of the sea god, the stormbringer, the earthshaker. You get to live with a disgusting, abusive man for around 6 years. Who smells like literal shit. All because your scent as a demigod is too strong, BECAUSE of who your father is. You see things that you aren’t supposed to see and do things that people can’t do and go years thinking something is wrong with you. That your the problem. Then you get to the one place where you’re supposed to be save. But! Here is the kicker! You’re not! Your uncles hate you and you’ve been accused of stealing a symbol of power. A series of events that will kick off a war, and guess what. You’re a center point for it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood.

Mhm, but then there’s Hazel. Daughter Pluto, god of the underworld and riches. But that doesn’t really change anything does it? She’s still living in 1930s America, in a red state. One where confederate flags still hang if you go deep enough into the city. She go to a school where the kids are supposed to be just like her! They still don’t like her tho. She’s got no idea who your father is, only that he left her with a parting gift. Only it’s not really a gift. Sure, she can pull rubies and diamonds from the earth, all worth millions. But anyone who’s ever gonna touch it will die. She lives with her mother, a woman gone so mad with greed it kills her. And Hazel, by the way. Laying dead Alaska, inhaling oil. But it doesn’t end there! She can’t have her mother suffering for eternity, can she? The answer is no. Hazel gets to spend the next 70 years in the Fields of Asphodel. It still doesn’t end! Because when she’s brought back to life, she gets to fight in a war against giants, her sad story seemingly never ending.

Nico’s a son of one of the Big Three, one of the most ancient and most powerful. But most people look at him as something bad, something not worth taking a second glance at. Something too look away from, mostly. He’s from the 30s, spent years in a magical time casino with only his sister at his side. She doesn’t stay for long though, she dies soon after they discover their heritage. And he doesn’t remember his mother much, a name without a face. A face without a name. He survived an attempted assassination at 2, though it wouldn’t be the only time his was life was threatened. He clings to his sister, even though she’s dead. He’s the son of the god of the underworld, is he not? There had to be a way, and there is. Only she won’t talk to him, she seems more concerned with communicating with the guy who got her killed instead. She chooses rebirth, and he decides to lay it to rest. She’s not coming back, and he has a war to fight in. (He gets stuck in a jar and forcibly outed a few years later, but that’s a lot to get into for now.)

Jason Grace is a pillar of New Rome, their golden boy, their American boy. He’s a son of Jupiter, a natural born leader. He’s been at camp for as long as he can remember, he wants to be praetor soon. He’s had a rocky start, but maybe he’ll be one of the lucky ones. Retire a veteran and live a long life with Reyna in New Rome. Only that never happened. He has no idea where he is, there’s a girl holding his hand, and she’s cute but it feels wrong. They get attacked and people come in and call him a Greek demigod, familiar, yes, but still wrong. It doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t put things into perspective the way it does for Piper and Leo. He’s goes to a quest to rescue Hera, the name sounds wrong. He nearly dies but at least he remembers who he is. He spends the next 6 months trying to get back home, even though he isn’t too sure on where or what home is. He gets there, eventually, but it doesn’t stop there. He’s dragged on quests and battles and fights in the war but at least he survives it, he’s still there. Apollo needs help, he and Piper give him aid. He gets dumped. He doesn’t get to he a veteran in New Rome. Not with Reyna, not with Piper, not with anybody. He doesn’t get kids or grandkids. No, he gets shot down, another demigod buried.

You could be any one of them, really. Pick your poison, but I guarantee you won’t like any of them. Spending years trying to find a place where you belong, where you feel safe. Only for it to never come.

Percy, who, if you really look at the books, isn’t really all that well liked until he’s at least 2 years into camp. Only to then be sidelined because the courages, brave, fearless daughter of Zeus is back from the dead. Nico, the son of one of the most feared and hated gods. Who has death written all over him, who excludes it so much animals can smell it and humans can sense it, who’s been ostracized and pushed off to the side since he was 10. Hazel, who was treated like disease as soon as she stepped foot on camp soil. Who’s gone her whole life looked as something that’s cursed, that will only bring misfortune, a bad omen.

Shit positions, all of them.

#Hazel and Jason make my head spin #also jaosn and Percy #I like how they both in a way didn’t want glory or to be some hero #i don’t think Jason mentions it much but they kids and grandkids mention in BOO is very telling #Percy’s is from the musical but whatever we all know the musical is canon #and show Percy thinking something is wrong with him and that he needs a mental evaluation of some kind is #everything #I’m making that canon now #I’d love to get a Thalia book #a trilogy maybe #first book is her with her mom and Jason + Luke and Annabeth on the run #ending with her dying #2nd book takes place after her resurrection and during the the war #final book is life with the hunters #and how she found peace in a world designed for her to struggle #I feel like out of all of them big three kids she’s the only one who got her happy ending #and in the fandom the hunters have gotten the reputation of being where Rick puts characters that can’t be shipped with anyone #but I really don’t think it’s the case with her #she’s also one of the only demigods where I think her story has come to a close #like it’s done #Percy’s story is almost done too #Nico and Hazel I feel aren’t quite there yet #percy jackson #thalia grace #hazel levesque #jason grace #nico di angelo #pjo hoo toa #heroes of olympus #percy jackon and the olympians

[thequeer07puss]

Hera as a goddess of legitimacy and a force of legitimisation

A lot of stories featuring Hera (not that many, to be honest, but the most famous ones) portray her as relentlessly attacking both gods and demigods sired by Zeus, which has partially inspired people to think of her as a “jealous wife” archetype, but most of these people ignore the main thing that Hera represents: legitimacy.

Hera as the goddess of marriage rules over legitimate unions, and as a result, may choose to pursue those who betray these kinds of unions in some kind of way. An example would be the speed with which she withdrew her sponsorship of the hero Jason why he broke his oath of love and loyalty to his wife Medea in favour of a crown which he was no longer eligible for.

Speaking of Jason, Hera was pretty much his only patron deity during his quest for the Golden Fleece, which was started as a way for him to claim his rightful place on his father’s throne, and this sponsorship started as soon as Jason’s quest started. No prayer was prayed, no offering was offered. Hera just showed up as soon as Jason’s quest for legitimacy started, and helped him as soon as he proved himself to her by carrying her (in the form of an old woman) across a river.

Also, Hera is a goddess who is known for testing the worth of both gods and heroes, especially when they are destined to enter Olympus (her home and domain), and especially when they were born out of an illegitimate union on either her or Zeus’s part. The torments endured by the various children of Zeus at her hand, and even her own (for the purposes of this essay I will take Dionysus, Apollo and Hephaestus)

Apollo

Apollo’s ordeal started even before he was born, as his mother Leto has been denied the right to give birth on any island attached to the land, and was relentlessly chased by a giant snake. Here Hera imposes herself and shows her might as the definitive and legitimate wife of Zeus (Leto was Zeus’s previous wife), and brands any child born from Leto as being under her in terms of status. When Apollo is born and slays the serpent Python, Hera is then forced to recognise that his trial is complete and that he has a claim to the Olympian seat.

Hephaestus and Dionysus

Hephaestus was conceived as a kind of revenge plot against Zeus for conceiving Athena on his own, from the sacred bed which he shares with Hera, but without her input or approval, which prompted the goddess to do the same in order to restore the balance of power within their marriage, and to show Zeus that if he could make a child on his own, then she could too.

However, when the infant Hephaestus was born, it was either Zeus or Hera herself that hurls him down from Olympus, however godly he may be, crippling him in the process and forcing him to EARN the right to re-enter Olympus (kind of like how Hercules in the Disney movie was debuffed so that he would earn his way back into Olympus), which he ultimately achieved by capturing Hera in a golden throne (literally trapping her with one of her most sacred attributes).

Dionysus’s trial begins where Hephaestus’s comes to an end. Having met Hera in his childhood and been rendered mad by her which led to him being rescued by Rhea (whom I assume here to be Rhea-Cybele, whose cult has some of the mad and wild attributes of Dionysus’s), he must have already taken notice of the tests given to him by the goddess, and was waiting for an opportunity to finally take a seat among the Olympians after having established a very respected and feared mystery cult among mortals, so when he heard that Hera was captured by an angry Hephaestus, he jumped on the occasion and coaxed him into following him back to Olympus, where both would finally get recognised as legitimate both in the eyes of the gods and of Hera.

Hera and the sons of Zeus

Hera’s tests mostly seem to affect her husband’s illegitimate Olympian sons, as can be evidenced by the lack of trial for goddesses such as Artemis or Athena. Why is that so?

Personally, I think it’s because sons in Ancient Greece were more valued in society: they could inherit their father’s property, they had claims to the throne and could be seen as heirs to it in case their father somehow resigned. So Hera branding these sons as reformed illegitimate sons could be a way for her to negate their claims to their father’s power and nerf their chances of growing too powerful at the expense of her legitimate children (Orphic Dionysus was literally said to be Zeus’s heir, and would have been had Hera not told the Titans to dismember and eat him), while checking if they are still fit to set foot on Olympus after that serious debuff.

But that’s just my thoughts, I don’t have any source or academic paper that confirms this.

A rule of thumb when analysing Greek myths is that they don’t exist in a vacuum and that as entertaining as they may seem, there is something more to them most of the time, and that is especially the case with a goddess who has a history as long, rich and complex as Hera. It’s really a shame that people only see her as a mean shrew when she has so much more stuff going on, but I guess that with pop culture this complexity has to be diluted and thus misinterpreted by people who don’t have the religious and cultural context of these stories.

Thank you for reading if you made it this far, and may Hera bless you.

#helpol #hellenic polytheism #paganism #hera #hera goddess #Hephaestus #Dionysus #Apollo

[hermesmyplatonicbeloved]

Two POVs of Percy & Poseidon in HoO: The Neglectful Parent and the Helping Behind the Scenes Parent

Sometimes I like to think that after Percy returns home from the nightmare that was HoO (and Tartarus) he's big-time angry with Poseidon.

I mean, he was kidnapped, brainwashed and manipulated by Hera (using Annabeth's name no less), and then barely got his memories back before getting thrown into a second war and ended up falling into hell. And when he gets out, he sees Poseidon just casually :) chatting :) with :) Hera :) Like if I was him that would've been my villain origin story. The gods need me to save them? Fuck no. If they're not strong enough (or willing) to protect their own rule and kingdoms, then maybe they shouldn't be ruling at all.

Like I think that pre-hoo Percy and Poseidon were building a good relationship, and Percy would've kept all the gifts that Poseidon gave him (sand dollar aside). Maybe stick some of it up on the wall. Maybe make something, like a family sketch of him, Tyson and Poseidon he commissioned from Rachel. After HoO he's so angry and hurt that he just tears it all down. Rips it to shreds. Sally and Paul hear the racket and come bursting through the door hella worried only to find Percy looking furious with his eyes full of unshed tears with everything that Poseidon gave him (aside from Riptide) in pieces at his feet.

(Meanwhile Poseidon has no idea why his child is so upset. He believed whatever lie or excuse Hera spun to cover her ass and doesn't know how much Percy went through, and he's in for a very rude awakening the next time he tries to talk to Percy).

On the other hand, I like to think that Poseidon was paying attention (as best he could with the Greek-Roman split) and helped Percy out, and its just the fact that Percy had so little POVs that we don't know that Poseidon was in contact and helping out.

Like sure, Poseidon/Neptune wasn't able to help Percy against Polybetes, so he gave Percy power over poison so Percy could protect himself.

Percy fell into Tartarus where Poseidon couldn't reach or help him? He had his power over poison from Poseidon that saved him from Akhlys. Poseidon also went to Hermes and made sure that his temple in Tartarus was constantly stocked with food, and maybe sent a few of his elite Cyclops to find/help Percy since he couldn't go due to the Greek-Roman split + Zeus's rules. The cyclops just weren't able to find Percy because Percy and Annabeth's whole strategy was 'move fast to keep ahead of the hoards of titans/giants/monsters chasing us down,' so while their enemies couldn't catch up with them, neither could their allies.

And then afterward. Its canon that Poseidon appears to Percy in dreams to communicate (SoM), and that he shows up after the big battles to check in with Percy in person to see if he's okay (BoTL) so maybe he did that when Percy was alone in his cabin on the Argo II? Or when he gets back to Sally's apartment after HoO? And Percy just didn't want to tell anyone because 1. all the roman demigods are terrified of Poseidon/Neptune, 2. Annabeth does NOT like Poseidon (or his kids - Percy is the only exception) and they generally don't talk about Poseidon in a family context so why would he tell her, especially after she was scared to tears of his Poseidon given powers and 3. Percy isn't close to any of the other people on the Argo II (Piper - he thinks Percy needs to be controlled - the one thing the sea hates, and Leo - who's terrified of Percy).

#percy jackson #poseidon #percy & poseidon #pjo #hoo #heroes of olympus #percy jackson and the olympians #annabeth chase #rick riordan #percy #riordan verse #pjo hoo toa #pjo fandom #headcanons #pjo fic ideas #sally jackson #percy jackson whump #tartarus #percy poison control

[cerseimikaelson]

HIII CERSEI GUESS WHOS BACK (YOUR FELLOW WOTG FAN) WITH MY THOUGHTS ON COTG:

It is such a funny book, my fav jokes being the 'shrek, fiona, donkey' joke and an underrated classic in my mind, the scene where percy is like "There was screaming, crying and running in circles, and that was ✨just me✨" when talking about blanche's story (its so brutally honest and funny in a vulnerable way, which I will expand later on with the vulnerable part of it). It had so many iconic moments

It was a very low stakes, slow plot. You can tell Rick wrote it for the experience of reading our fav characters again (adding on to the fact that rick was made to write it by disney as additional marketing for the show, you can tell the plot wasnt thought of much), and ive seen people get mad over it, id love to know what you think!

This is a bit of a touchy topic. I've seen the people on the internet calling percabeth abusive with the constant name calling and the physical ??violence?? ( i obviously dont agree, but thats another topic), but something I've observed that everything that anti percabeths pointed out was toned down in the book?? Another post confirms that the majority of seaweed brains in the book was from percys pov and not annabeth actually saying it (like when hes looking at her expression and saying things like 'she looked like she was trying to say,....') and also when it comes to physical 'violence' (it feels so wrong to say bc i cant find another word lolol), the only things i found while rereading were 'lightly pinched my arm' and 'nudged me with her toe' which is wayyyy more toned down than ricks usual 'swatting my arm' or 'punching me' or 'judoflipped me'

One thing I admire so much about this book is the way he's written the characters vulnerability. percys way more open when he talks about crying whereas in the books its brushed over a lot, which is something the lovely @demigods-posts pointed out. annabeth tearing up when sally compliments her on something small like a cupcake, grover scared of percy and annabeth leaving him, and ofc percy. i saw someone interpret the river god scene as a ptsd induced panic attack, and i admire how rick has written it with so much angst, but still kept it light for the tone of the books.

another thing i love is how the characters dont revolve around percy as a main character (which is probably something rick learned while writing the tv show). annabeth has hobbies of her own, she's in her dream school, she is a busy woman and good for her. grover regularly goes to camp, and has his own conflicts with his gf and stuff. sally and paul are on their own arc with the baby on the way.

the fluff needs a special mention. every moment is so cute and sweet, there are way too many instances, especially with grover and percy which there was a severe lack of in hoo. them turning to seven year olds, percy and annabeths daily night iris message routine, the domesticity of the jacksons family

As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions too, im so happy i get to talk about it with you :))

Heyyy friend, how are you? Thanks for the ask!

Since you mentioned her, I LOVED Blanche. Iris is one of my favourite goddesses, so it was great seeing her. And I loved watching a god actually be ignored by their teenage child for once instead of the other way around. Blanche being a propel rebel with the monochrome was golden. (also, pink hummingbirds? lol)

It is obvious there wasn't much in terms of an actual plot with real structure, but it was fun and light-hearted and it does set the foundation for something in the future. Not all quests need to be high stakes, all-hands-on-deck, the world is coming undone. I liked watching the trio have semi normal lives (meeting up for smoothies after school) instead of constantly being on hero mode.

I genuinely had no clue people were upset about Percabeth's interaction in this. But seriously, violence? Did those people forget Annabeth judo-flipped Percy in New Rome, or was it okay then because it was a grand romantic gesture? How is punching someone in the arm to tell them they are being an idiot (provided you don't turn them black and blue of course) abuse? Percy and Annabeth are in a relationship, obviously they are going to be tactile with each other. Not to mention, people often nudge each other in real life and nobody shouts abuse then. I am rambling now but honestly this is the first I've heard of this and I have opinions.

I know Rick wrote the PG version, but can we talk about Zeus literally objectifying Ganymede at brunch and nobody but Hera (and Percy silently) batting an eye? Honestly, I am not a hardcore Zeus hater (although he is an a**hole) but the way Rick writes him he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I officially volunteer to be Hera's divorce attorney.

I really liked the idea of Annabeth having a secret fan club and having dinner with Sally, Percy and Paul every night. That was excellent.

I am already brainstorming theories about what the third book is going to be. Does it matter that WOTG isn't even out yet? Absolutely not. I kind of want it to be about Athena because her interactions with Percy are always 10/10, but that probably won't happen.

Feel free to send me asks about your favourite gods and goddesses, any headcanons you may have or anything you wish to discuss about PJO. You can also find me on ao3!

#cerseimikaelson #percy jackson #percy jackson series #pjo fandom #the chalice of the gods #ask #greek mythology

[thedeadlycod]

so, I was digging for fanfics and came across a redit/ quora where someone mentioned a betrayed Percy story that I imminently dug to find. and I can't find it. they only mentioned it briefly but what they said was Percy was cursed by the Ari and everyone forgot about him then he makes a life in the mortal world until Grover finds him via empathy link.

I'd also be happy with some good percy is cursed by the ari fics and recovery/ trauma post tartarus fics

I think that's the fic you were looking for.

since the fall (nobody seems to know my name) by Chill_with_Penguins

Words: 13,283

Pairing: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson

Completed: yes

The thing is that is had all gone so suddenly and spectacularly wrong that Percy had never seen it coming.

(In which everything goes wrong, Adulting is stressful, and Percy has no clue how he's supposed to raise Estelle with a ton of help, much less when everyone has literally forgotten he exists.)

When it comes to some post tartarus stories these are great

the perseid by liminal

Words: 8,378

Pairing: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson

Completed: yes

"let me love the world like a mother let me be tender when it lets me down" maggie smith - rain, new year's eve

the world and the gods through percy's eyes, after tartarus but he's still going through hell

Behind these sea-green eyes by stuckInaDitch

Words: 1,798

Pairing: gen

Completed: yes

This is one of those things you observe about a person and never mention it to him. She knows very well That she's treading dangerous waters, and she knows the dismissal was her queue to drop it, but she's watched everything he's ever wanted slip out of his grip too many times from the sidelines.

Of Divine Moves by Valorem

Words: 2,244

Pairing: gen

Completed: yes

Percy smiles softly looking down into the water, Jason is for a moment certain he’d seen some Merepeople. “Triton is celebrating my return.” He says like it’s a very common thing for Gods to celebrate the lives of Demigods, “This is his domain,” He grins, “My brother really pulled out all the stops for this.”

or

There is something significantly different about Percy now that he's returned from Tartarus. Jason can't quite put his finger on what.

I am not what I expected (The poison just didn't take) by dcninja

Words: 29,524 

Pairing: gen

Completed: yes

After the War against Gaea, Percy finds himself struggling in the life he worked so hard to get back to. The more he tries to fit back in, pushing down his powers and emotions after the war, the more things seem to fall apart. As Olympus prepares to officially reopen at the Winter Solstice, Hermes takes notice that something is off with the Savior of Olympus. But when he asked for help from Hades, none of them could imagine what Percy’s trip to the Pit led to and what it will mean for the hero.

Or Percy finally reckons with the consequences of challenging Akhlys with a little help from his immortal family, who he might be around for a lot longer than he thought.

#annabeth chase #percy jackson #thalia grace #poseidon #percy jackson fanfiction #dark percy #dealing with tartarus #percabeth

[happyk44]

Wanted to make a separate post about Jason and Thalia's potential powers because I think RR really missed some fun opportunities - especially w/ Zeus/Jupiter's status as god of law and order/king of the gods. Side note: I have an OC and original story that was inspired by my thoughts on the law and order powers so I've thought A LOT about them and the consequences/struggles someone might have w/ them

Zeus as the god of the sky:

The sky is a entire realm: air, the sun, the moon, the stars, clouds, rain, birds, etc. If Percy, Nico and Hazel can encompass the entirety of their father's realms, then so can Thalia and Jason.

Can create light like sunlight, moonlight, starlight

Lightning - can use it as a weapon (like a sword, bow and arrow, etc.), summon it from the sky, manipulate the electricity inside someone's body to control them or explode them

(re the above: I like to imagine that when they were little, Thalia used to distract Jason from Beryl's angry moods by creating little lightning orbs to float around his head)

Manipulate clouds, summon rainstorms, summon gale force winds, tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons, twisters

Talk to birds (esp. eagles since that is Zeus/Jupiter's symbol)

Can use the wind and air to amplify themselves: enhance their senses (mainly smell, touch and hearing, but sight might also be possible), enhance their speed and strength, flying (canon)

(re the above: I like to think that Jason as a pack animal tends to use this power unconsciously to hold onto his friends, and keep track of them)

Healing using the air around them, may create a rechargeable battery effect where they continue to become energized as they use their powers, no matter how long a battle goes on

Zeus as god of law and order/justice:

I have thought A LOT about this one because of my OC, but basically they are so fucking stringent to their own personal rules. Everyone has rules that they follow - even if it's not explicitly stated, it's just things your mind has made up, like saying thank you to the bus driver or, for me, making brownies/cookies for my sister whenever she comes over to visit. With Thalia and Jason, these rules are of the utmost importance and they get very stressed out when people don't follow them.

Law/Rule inducement: can force their rules on other people, effective for turning enemies into allies, getting people to fall in line, only works if they themselves believe in the rule they're trying to force - varying results depending on someone's willpower and the importance of the rule enforced

Logic manipulation: somewhat similar to the above, can convince people that they're in the right - good for getting people to believe in planning, i.e. Thalia has a plan for trapping a creature that the other Hunters are wary on. She can manipulate their logic to agree with hers so they'll go through with the plan despite their reluctance

Order manipulation: again similar to the above, can create order in chaos, a nice example is throwing a pack of cards into the air and having it fall perfectly into a stack, getting a riot or an army to become a more organized in-tune form, works best in fights or creating structure in meetings (everyone shouting over each other, Jason manipulates/induces order on them and everyone quiets down, going one at a time to discuss their ideas)

Related to the above, both of them are very organized and neat to an almost irritating degree

Justice and punishment: a part of law and order is punishing those who break the rules so both of them get this innate desire to punish people who break the rules - more important the rule, the more harsh the punishment

Extreme sense of justice: children of Themis and Dike also have this problem (both are goddesses of justice), does create a black-and-white attitude about things sometimes

Zeus as king of the gods:

Innate leadership skills - compels people to follow and listen to them, works well with Athena, Ares, other war-related demigods, the kind who work best with someone in charge. They can radiate the energy when they need to, either intentionally or accidentally, to further compel people to follow them

Innate diplomacy skills - might appear only as needed (sort of like Percy's innate ability to sail)

Might add more thoughts later but!! There's a lot of potential with them and their powers - we don't see a lot of use with them in the books, which is so baffling because the potential!! Especially with Jason who was literally raised from near infancy to be a perfect soldier. He should've been more OP than anyone, tbh.

#happy talks pjo #zeus (pjo) #jason grace #thalia grace

[outeremissary]

Oooh how about telling us a little about The Thousand Mile Fall? 👀

Thank you Ash and @bearvanhelsing for asking!

I want to begin by apologizing- I suspect you were looking for Tristian, but this is the single BG3 thing that was on the list. Jay, idk where you stand on discourse game of the year, but Ash, I know that you're not a fan and have been working on distance. I'm placing the rest under a cut. You can read it or not read it. Either thing is fine with me.

As compensation: the one actual Kingmaker ask I got on this (sorry it's not a flashy one), or a PF2e one about Kasander/Asperia.

Still with me? Thank you, I appreciate it!! Let's see to what degree I'm willing to bare my soul before I get too embarrassed and awkwardly trail off.

Ah: DUrge spoiler warning. And content warning: DUrgetash (sorry)

So! The Thousand Mile Fall, something which was only just starting to go beyond planning (and originally planning for a comic) when my laptop committed die. I was really interested in the concept of the Dark Urge as a character who was always framed as having fallen from grace, and who had also fallen from a state of divinity. The liminal state excited me, and we all know how I feel about a horrible someone who's a horrible failure of an angel. Horrible failure of a demigod occupies a similar space. I think the nature of that failure- that fall- began to occupy me quite a bit, since I had a strong concept for Asperia from very, very early on in my playthrough (long before I knew anything besides the DUrge plot besides that they were a Bhaalspawn, even before I had become convinced Kasander and Asperia existed simultaneously) and at the heart of Asperia was someone who was infallible and convinced of their invincibility- maybe rightly so.

So, this story is set only a bit before the game and is meant to unpick the loss of that perfect favor- in my mind, the loss of Asperia's "godhood," something which is stolen twice. The second and definitive loss is of course to Orin in a singular act of violence, but Orin's path to victory was opened by the slow and insidious poison of having known Enver Gortash. In a "the bar is in hell" turn of things, their... acquaintanceship is the closest thing Asperia has ever experienced to a normal relationship and a normal life. And that glimpse of the other side is what unmakes her. It's always been crucial to Asperia's role in the system to be the one who loves being Bhaal's beloved child, who can reconcile anything with belonging, who buys in so fully that it is unthinkable to be less than a god and it is unthinkable to have desires besides those of a god. Others hold the questions, the fear, the other desires- Kasander and Bride especially- but Asperia wants nothing else in life, and Asperia believes with painful, self-destructive fervor.

Asperia has already been acquainted with Gortash for some good while here, the wheels turning in the scheme of the Absolute. This is the longest positive relationship of any kind Asperia has ever had outside of whatever pseudo-parental thing he has with Scleritas, and it has been wonderful: novel, collaborative, a meeting with someone who resembles an equal despite being a mere mortal. Asperia has begun to see other facets of the world through this, to see the ways the world of the living comes together for purposes besides inevitable execution. It's all an act of devotion, all furthering the will of Bhaal, all what Asperia desires and wants to do. But the further it's gone the more it's started to be fun for its own sake too, and a certain fascination with a frenemy has begun to blossom into dangerous fantasies.

Asperia doesn't fantasize. Asperia can't fantasize. Asperia is a god, and he only wants things which are real and deserved. Bhaal's favor is proof of that: Orin's ugly, messy desires make her a worse worshiper, and she's never had their divine father's love. Asperia is Bhaal's beloved. Asperia is defined by her distance from those mistakes. And so too is Asperia the perfect disciple, a being beyond sin. If something is what Asperia wants, then it must be acceptable.

And this is how Asperia begins to lose Bhaal's favor.

Asperia starts the story at a personal high and only rising- with the world at her fingertips and Bhaal's love behind her, she's preparing for the victory lap and has taken an extra prize in becoming more intimately involved with Gortash. But you can't have your cake and eat it too- this impossible personal high the seed of Asperia's ruin, already sown, takes root and begins to grow. Bhaal's perfect killing machine doesn't play house with Bane's Chosen. And there are more than enough people who fucking hate Asperia already and are ready to take note- as well as Gortash himself, so much older and colder than young, sheltered Asperia. There may be some genuine affection there in some form, but calculation and power take precedent, as does the enjoyment of solving this Bhaalspawn puzzle by picking her apart.

Over time the increasingly clear dissonance between the impossible misalignment- the first Asperia has ever experienced- between what they want and what Bhaal allows them to desire and have drives them to spiral into a state of exceptional vulnerability that ultimately allows Orin to usurp them. The escalating stress causes them to lose time more and more frequently, beyond what they can explain away to themself and make disappear, and they begin to doubt themself. To fear what is happening, and to develop their own doubts about Bhaal- things that should live elsewhere, things that cause other parts to bubble up in ways they notice. Asperia is straying and rivals like Orin can see it, is becoming less dependable and reluctant allies like Ketheric can see it, is becoming a less than perfect disciple and that butler shepherd of Bhaal can see it (not that every part was always perfect- Scleritas has always known that "Asperia" is more than just Asperia, and has long pitted Asperia against themself). And Asperia is vulnerable and open and easier and easier to see- and Gortash, who has solved the part of this puzzle Asperia refuses to see quite well, sees it all and drives the spiral deeper. Pulls Asperia closer, and begins to learn the others without letting Asperia know (this is a piece of how Kasander knows Gortash, has known Gortash before anything).

So y'know. It's all heading for inevitable tragedy, heartbreak, ruin, bad feelings, and a tadpole in the head, as well as a shitty asshole boyfriend conspiring with one's sister who has been waiting for ages for the change to REALLY wreck one's shit. Yikes! Feel like not enough was spent on the family drama and that's sold Orin short, but she's played a damn active hand through it all. Sacrificial Orin, always underestimated, always overlooked, always surviving.

I dunno how to conclude this and I feel like I probably talked too long (half just to remember things I can't access until the new laptop arrives and is set up). All in all, just a fun little project to play with while I continue to fail to finish the last teeny bit of the actual goddamn game (I'm the worst at wrapping up the last little dregs of things after I've cleaned up the most fun stuff).

TLDR: Asperia, main character of life, starts to Lose the Plot and gets written out of the story for a little while

#I assume that folks asking about this were looking for tris. unfortunately my only tris fic with a clearly That Guy working title #was not on the list because I really hate the draft I was working on in fall and I am ignoring it for a little while- thus inactive #I think it's fun how possibly every person who sent an ask got something besides what they were looking for. not my intention :') #emi plays bg3 #asperia #arendaes #bearvanhelsing #ask me emithing #well even if we all walk away disappointed here I did enjoy getting to talk about asperia #I can smell something burning in the kitchen but I needed to finish this more than anything else. I feel a little faint

[gutsybitsies]

finished TSATS and hmm (slight spoilers below)

i'm gonna meet it where it's at and what it's trying to do, and say it was okay. well, meh to okay.

so my initial expectations were that as long as it's entertaining, then its fine by me. but the pacing and the dream/narration sequences was really off and made the story very draggy right up until nyx enters the picture.

the central conflict was strange and not too fleshed out, because usually the stories intertwine outer conflict (for example eros withholding staff of diocletian bc he just happened to have it and his nature dictates truth of love before giving it away) and internal conflict (nico's inner turmoil over his sexuality and feelings for percy clashing with the quest).

also another example: piper's repeating dreams about a cherokee creation myth linking her two heritages together and her saving the day with that by using the cornucopia to release fresh water in MOA.

but this time the conflict is....uh. meh? first or all, i fucking loved Nyx here. I think she's the coolest, the story became 100% more entertaining when she came in and started bitching at her kids. I understand why she chose to capture Bob the Titan. I don't get why she's obsessed with Nico. There is no satisfactory external conflict giving her a reason why she needs a demigod, nico specifically, to stay in Tartarus. And that makes the internal conflict that nico has feel weak.

i understand where the book was coming from, it wants to show nico accepting the "dark" parts of himself. personally i thought the personified cacaedemons were cool and cute as fuck. but i don't know why will was written the way he was? because narratively it doesnt feel like he was very conducive to helping nico accept the dark part of himself. at least not in a way that makes him sympathetic.

will's actions only serve to confirm nico's fears that hes unwanted and hard to love? his initial reaction to the underworld is that it's creepy, and he hates it. valid reactions! but this is paired with the view that the reason nico doesn't get along with others is that nico is the one who pushes people away, rather than other people being put off by who nico is. well, nico identifies strongly with the underworld, and will is very put off by the underworld, but still we're supposed to think that everything nico said about people's reaction to him is in his head?

i don't get why he's there, written the way he is, if what the book wanted to do was to write a story about nico seeing past his darkness and accepting it + accepting other people and letting them in. i get that they probably wanted to tell a story about two imperfect people getting together, but you can make will imperfect in ways other than confirming his boyfriend's biggest fears about himself.

will does end up apologizing for his reactions and tells nico that he's wrong for sometimes treating nico as something to "fix", but in NICO's pov he's still thinking that he himself is the biggest roadblock to acceptance with other people.

ALSO his last conversation with piper? was strange. i'm assuming that this meant that he and piper became super close right after the Giant war and before she left for school, but this was never hinted at throughout the book and then BOOM? if i was still in middle school and picked up this book having never read any of the other books i'd be very, very confused.

anyway. if you enjoy riordanverse i would still give this a read, because it does contain some cute moments, and i loved nyx and her army of monster children. narratively i think it could've done better, but nothing was a huge surprise.

#tsats #the sun and the stars #spoilers #tstats spoiler #nico di angelo #will solace #there's some lore stuff that seems like worth exploring but ehhhh

[sarcasticbeanie]

odysseus! for the send me a character thingy :3

First Impression I read about odysseus first in my Chinese textbook as a wee child of like. 10? Or something? It was the "Nobody" story, and I thought nothing of it because it was. You know. For a class. I did think it was a funny story though, and I suppose my first impression would be "classic main character from mythology", and nothing else.

Impression now He's a war criminal. He's my babygirl. He's cruel and wily. He's my poor little meow meow. He would kill with no hesitation and excels at war. He's a draft dodger and longs for home. He's the Sacker of Cities. He's the Father of Telemachus. He's filled with hubris and had a solid hand in his own downfall. He's paid his price and he just wants to go back home. I don't know man I'm squeezing him and throwing him off a cliff but I'm also tucking him into bed in Ithaca. u get me?

Favorite moment Many... but I love the part where he shot an arrow through the axe heads and did the dramatic reveal. it is I, odysseus. you've taken my home, prepare to die. etc etc. There's a visceral tonal shift when war and bloodshed suddenly seep through the pages after dozens of pages with no active warfare and not much death ... it's good stuff. I liked it.

Idea for a story Concocting a sci-fi fantasy AU for the Iliad and Odyssey in my brain, in which there are spaceships and magic and godly-AI-run companies and cyborgs and impenetrable planets made of metal and firewalls. Demigods are cyborgs whose cybernetic enhancements come from one or more godly-AI-ran companies. Ody's skills now include hacking and programming, and the Greeks finally won by attaching a "trojan horse" to their peace treaty. Calypso is a deathly intelligent and powerful space mob boss whose henchmen are all androids, and she wishes to meet someone who matches her own intellect. Circe runs an exotic space casino with replicas of long-since extinct creatures, with only magic-users as employees. Polyphemus is a heavily guarded surveillance station with hidden company secrets from Poseidon(TM) which Ody and co. stole, leading to tragedy. has this been done? this has probably been done. but I'm basing it off my own OC sci-fi universe so this is. so so niche. and only for me.

Unpopular opinion I don't know why there's a sudden uptick in the need for characters to be morally pure and good, and I think the debate surrounding "whether Ody cheated" is. odd? especially since there's so much vitriol against the guy for cheating? It may just be me but I don't really get it,, I wouldn't have cared even if he cheated. Listen. Listen. There's no moral high ground in Greek myths. They're all war criminals and that's fun for me.

Favourite relationship 10 fics on ao3 and it's odydiopen. i love poly relationships. even if they have no basis in canon at all. but neither did telegony and it's still considered to be part of the epic cycle, now is it? but also: ody & telemachus. your son is grown, and you have never even seen him as a child. your son is grown, and he does not even know your face. are you still a father? is he still your son? you've missed every part of his life and then some, and now he is a man grown, with his mouth twisted in his mother's wry smile - though he has your hair and eyes, you cannot see yourself in the tilt of his head, or the gentle crinkle in his brows. but now there's time to learn of him, now there's time to hold him in your arms - there is time, you are home, and that is what's important.

Favourite headcanon He would've loved the GPS. RIP my guy. All jokes aside I don't think I have one? Feel free to tell me any of yours though. Please.

#asks #odysseus #the odyssey

[angrycloudloud]

Percy Jackson spoilers episode 8

I'm not joking, i commented everything.

(i'm putting the episode in pause to write everything... So i don't have to do 10000 posts about this episode, so if you are reading this, hold your horses because this is going to be a long post (probably) not edited, from a person watching this in Europe starting to watch this at 3:11 am... And English is not my first language, so...sorry before hand)

LUKE!!! LUKE TALKING?! REALLY?! LIKE... COME ON!!! Don't do this to me... Not me vibing with the foreshadowing just in the begining of the episode.

THOSE WHO WENT ALL "WUAHHH WHERE'S THE TRAING LESSON FROM LUKE?" HERE IT IS!!! YOU REALLY THOUGHT THEY WON'T SHOW IT BEFORE MAKING PERCY FIGHT A GOD?! (I mean, they could have...but come on!... That would have being insane and would have make Percy to op and this works perfectly to remind us the "bond" between Percy and Luke at camp, just before what readers knew It was going to happen)

Oh~ i love the Ares doesn't take well that others think he can't have a single original thought... But i LOVE more that he literally decided to go with the "say hi to your mommy for me" like... Ares my man, god of war, sir... You fucked up so badly with just that... That kid is going to make Hephaestus and his chain-net over you and Aphrodite look like a fun story after Percy "son of Sally" Jackson finish humilliate you.

Aaaaand we got golden Blood + enemy for Life (Where's the curse, sir? Where's the "your sword will fail you when you most need it"?)

Uh! Pretty helmet~ I said it before, and i repeat myself, Hades has good taste in art.

I like the "the last war on olympus caused wwii" and not like the book, i like It better this way, like "everything is the gods fault" because It is. (I'm sure Luke will comment this at some point)

Also, Annabeth clueless because she wasn't there... I'm like, yeah, it's the one of the trio that could catch up just by context, she IS the wise girl after all.

THE NECKLACE WITH HER FATHER'S RING!!! OMG!!!! ANNABETH, DARLING, DEAR... I LOVE THIS, SO MUCH.

(Leah is Annabeth, look at her!!! If someone says something bad about her acting just because their racism... i hope Apollo write their names in the plague list or the bad music for the rest of their lifes one... I hope there's a list for that)

Grover: e-mail? Maybe?

Percy: *nah, it's time those gods know what they are dealing with* what's the Glory on that?

(Walter, dear boy, your face in that moment...perfect Percy moment just there)

OH MY GODS!!! I NEED A TOUR IN THAT OLYMPUS!!! but again...WHY THE FUCKING ARCHES?!?!?!

Okay... Hold on! HOLD ON!!! THEY DID A THING HERE I THINK COULD EXPLAIN THE FUCKING ARCHES...THE ARCHERS MIGHT NOT GIVE ME NIGHTMARES.

(Look behind, there are temples with easter asian architecture and i spot a building that reminds me a bit of Santa Sofia or Saint Peter of the Vatican... So... Maybe they are implying that not only the greek gods are chilling there in olympus? That could be interesting.)

Luke, i'm seeing you...

WoW!! Wooooo!!! Not the Annabeth IS terrify of spiders coming now and from him, Luke himself, just to say "hey! Demigods are small but if the gods thinks you are scary they'll kill you" GODS they are MAKING Luke soooo much justice, like, he needs to be like this if they didn't portrait him like this "big brother figure" it would be incomprehensible that so many Demigods will follow him. He IS a leader. He IS reliable.

Seriously, i'm in LOVE with all that Big city vibe of the olympus... Like... I Understand why Annabeth wants to be architect after seeing all that. (Disney, you better give us something good in the 5th season, and i have high hopes for the laberinth after seeing this)

I'm so sad about the death of Zeus actor... I'm liking a lot how he is acting Zeus, like a fucking CEO know-it-all Who thinks Percy is wasting his time saying things he already know but doesn't want to believe yet. "I will not be weaken by my brothers" darling, Zeus, that's the youngest brother part of you speaking. Shut the fuck up and listen to the kid.

Percy speaks facts.

Oh!!! Daddy Ken, i mean, Poseidon is here, protecting his kid~. (Better solution than turning him into a tree, actually showing up, heh!)

BEG YOUR FUCKING PARDON!? IM ALREADY EMOTIONAL BECAUSE MY OTHER FICTIONAL FATHER FIGURE IN MY OTHER SILLY SHOW MIGHT DIE THIS FRYDAY... WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MADE POSEIDON SAY "I SURRENDER" TWICE!!! TO FUCKING ZEUS!!! TO PROTECT PERCY?! I FUCKING LOVE THE SHOW.

Hermes IS the FUCKING snitch of the olympus.

Poseidon : "Who knows about father?"

Zeus: "Ares, Hades, you, i... And fucking Hermes so..."

Both: "everyone, then..."

He really asked Mr. Impertinent if he is obedient?! Hahahaha... Poseidon, dear beach daddy, sir... He is yours and Sally's, what makes you think he'll be obedient?!

"Ares IS a moron" sooooo ... Percy speaks facts because he speaks his father language then. Sorry, this is funnier than i thought It would be. Poseidon being an affectionate father for like 3 seconds before the daddy issues kicked in and push his son away with magic...

THIS. This here with the victorius Hero looking at the defeated who even "dead" had safe his life. Because the mention of Thalia's death was enough for Zeus to spare Percy's life... She had save Percy by being dead and make her father feel guilty for that. Also, he left camp making jokes about the tree and Thalia's death, and look how serious and respectful he looks now. Admiring that tree, Thalia, and all what she means to the demigods... (Maybe i'm reading too much into It, but i liked this frames too much)

Did i spot a pair of twins?! I need the second season NOW and i'm not even half way of the last episode of the first one...

SECOND HUG OF ANNABETH TO PERCY!!! AND HE IS SMILING!!! BOY I WANT TO HUG THEM BOTH... MY BABYS...

Oh~ they are going to do this "Clarise IS guilty but we couldn't risk a war here" to the end so the show watchers don't see It coming. Okay... I like how they are doing this.

Luke and Percy alone in the forest while Annabeth watches Clarise... Yeah... This is it.

I like the lights changing colors because of the fireworks but just giving more dramatic contrast to all the scene. Oh~ Luke's face... My gods!! (These kids are making me insane with how good actors they are!!!)

Luke trying to recruit Percy because he sees himself reflected in Percy, with their mothers suffering because of the gods. "This wasn't to betray you Percy. My enemies are the gods." SEE!!! RIGHT THERE!!! THAT'S A BOY ABOUT TO REBEL AGAINST HIS FATHER, TRYING TO RECRUIT HIS FRIENDS BECAUSE HE IS RIGHT BUT USING THE WORSE WAYS POSSIBLE TO DO THINGS!!!

I said it before, and i'm saying It again... I LOVE THE SHOW.

BACKBITER!!!!! OH MY GODS!!! THAT SWORD IS...HAVE YOU ALL SEE THAT!!! IT FUCKING CUT ANYTHING.

"WE is the word Zeus fear most." And again, as i said above, he is so RIGHT and so wrong at the same time. Luke speech is a 10/10

Percy's reaction. PERCY'S REACTION!!! first to Luke's speech. And then when he wounded Luke with his own sword, he INMEDIATELY apologize to him. "Sorry, i didn't mean to..." Because he knows Luke is being manipulated by Cronos, he still sees him as a friend. And that's why he is scared, also because Luke cut him back, but because his friend is choosing to betray him.

WOOOO!!! ANNABETH?! WOOOOO... LUKE'S FACE!!! ANNABETH'S FACE!!! MY GODS!!! THOSE KIDS!!!

Chiron: "Cronos is persuasive"

Percy: "i'm a seaweed brain, stubborn as fuck... I'll be fine..."

I love Dionysus. Like...

Dionysus: "wait, wait, wait... Peter Johnson, why is everyone calling you Percy?"

Percy: "i'm Percy Jackson, that's my name"

Dionysus: "are you sure? You don't look like a Percy to me, Peter"

A seaweed brain, has being delivered and i'm vibing, living, happy...

ANNABETH IS GOING TO DISNEYWORLD AND PERCY SMILING MADE HER WORRY SHE WILL BE IN TROUBLE THERE!!! SHE IS SO ADORABLE!!! I'LL PROTECT THAT CHILD WITH MY LIFE, I SWEAR TO ALL THE GODS!!!

Grover!!! GROVER TELLING PERCY HE IS GOING TO SEARCH FOR PAN IN THE SEA!!! AND PERCY ACTING LIKE A NEPO BABY!!! LOVED IT!!!

Baby coming back to the beach House... Sally!!!!!!!!!!

Nooooooooooo... Fucking Cronos!!!!

Sally: *all worried* "another nightmare?"

Persassy: "grampa"

Sally: *i swear i saw her roll her eyes* "don't call him that"

I LIKE THE END OF GABE!!!! FUCK YOU GABE!!! Sally is divorcing him, change the locks and his first question to his lawyer is if he knows how to pick a lock... Fuck you, Gabe~

He turning himself into a statue because he opened a box for Percy (wich IS illegal) and after he called the head of Medusa gross... Poetic justice.

(i'm ending to watch this and write this at 5:22... My brain isn't braining anymore. So... Tomorrow i'll post a separated part about the thrones of the gods and maybe trying to put my degree in good use and picking all the art references i could and make a post about them)

#pjo tv show #percy jackon and the olympians #Percy Jackson spoilers #pjo episode 8 #seriously spoilers of everything

[streaminn]

sending an ask bout pjo au bcs i miss them, although i can see why everyones talking bout the bodyguard au (i saw your latest drawing and god damn 👀👀) 

considering you mentioned that tyler was devastated that he couldn't ruffle percy's hair as easily when they get older i'm gonna assume that they're close? or grew close? what's their dynamic like (enid, sally, annabeth, percy, tyler)? does enid know that they're all demigods? if so, does being a werewolf play a part her figuring it out (like can she smell them the way saytrs can, wait is she a werewolf in this au as well?? bcs i think i read so somewhere but i'm not too sure)? also did knowing that percy was a demigod have any influence in her hiring sally or did she find out later? does she know their godly parents? wait is tyler even a demigod?? how did they get to camp? what were chiron and dionysos reaction to enid coming back, to idk drop off the kids or check in on them (also the reactions of campers who went during the time enid went, i mean, if there's any still alive 💀) also what's the fight w zeus about? what kind of godly quests did enid complete before she found annabeth (and did she get any rewards for it)? and also in your drawing of younger enid, you can see a scar that shows a XIII and i was wondering the story behind that👀👀?

(btw just wondering for future reference do you prefer long lists of questions or the questions being spaced out in separate asks?)

-🦕

I don't mind either! I like long asks bc it makes my brain think

But lemme explain, Enid picks up Annabeth after a few years on working under the God's directly. Immediately, she starts the sweets on America business to make sure Annabeth has a stable life compared to what she gone through. Being a demigod is hard, it's only right Enid makes sure it's easier for her daughter

When Annabeth needed to go to kindergarten, Enid made sure to hover around, after all she's rather aware of her daughter's lineage. It's where she meets Sally and well, they hit it off considering that they're both young parents.

Then the school day ends and wow, those eyes are rather familiar, enid thinks as she reaches the classroom with Sally.

As Annabeth smiles up at Enid, her eyes catch the grinning boy next to her.

Oh fuck, that's her uncle's eyes. Talk abt making this shit complicated. So now Enid stays around because one, that's her cousin and two, she may not be a hero but she cares.

After a month or two, when Sally loses a job, Enid offers her a spot at Sweets on America. Now they're pretty close, three years later :) does Sally harbor feelings? Who knowsss

Enid met Tyler a year after that, when he stumbled in bc Sally was offering samples when he was twelve something.

--

As for Tyler, he is very much a normie! Just a tad clear sighted like Sally. He was kinda freaking out because his dad has been telling him that he's seeing things like his mom, whos also clear sighted

And well.. The mom had an experience rather similar to Luke's mother in the books so it's no wonder he clings to Enid so much

Since Annabeth and Percy meet alot earlier compared to Canon, Percy tends to loiter around the shop with Sally

This is where he meets Tyler! And vice versa

They're kinda a lil family! Except, Sally couldn't fully embody the mother role. She's more neighbor essentially.

As for Enid being a werewolf, she was cursed. It's why she got that bite scar along her wrist but luckily she got cured during one of her first few quests after her exile. She's okay now, just a few leftover instincts but that's about it.

Since the present pjo au takes place when Enid is 30, Annabeth being a young 7 and Tyler a simply 14 something so they won't be going to camp for a while

Besides, you think Enid is going to let them go there? After what they did to her? Absolutely not.

Enid is also a child of zeus!! So any fight is practically a fight between father and daughter

I purposefully made their ages young so Wednesday can easily settle into the mother role, also bc domestic life with a child is pretty cute. Especially when a smart-ass like Annabeth is there to make sure her parent is dating someone worth her time

#Pjo au #🦕 anon

[fruit-salad-ship]

Monster Rome AU

I woke up to an overwhelming amount of ideas from y'all, and i love it.

-------------

I think i really like the minotaur grey idea, i keep mulling over other options for him and it just doesnt suit as well, gives me Ferdinand vibes, a mean looking huge monster of a creature, who just wants to sit under a tree and feel the breeze and get pets and love. Also then we can branch into the whole 'someone goes to slay him' story, Grey tries not to fight, cant help it to survive and ends up becoming feared when hes actually very docile, rince and repeat story line.

This is where plum comes in, I 1000% cant see her as anything other than a full blown godess, her energy, her demeanour, everything about her point to a deity. She is kind and calm and finds humans fun little things to intervene with, perhaps a little mischevious, somewhat of a trickster but never with harmful things, more just little pranks. She sees Grey is lonely and sad, and feels for the creature, perhaps she made him, perhaps she knows who did, and they didnt accoutn for his gentle heart. But she does. She sees he's stuck in a loop of vioence and needs to be freed, but she cant do it, she's got to send a champion to meddle.

Enter demigod peach, a very tired, very well trained fighter, who simply wishes for the same thing, peace and quiet. I'd like to think years of fighting and a slow aging process make her wise but worn out, totally burnt to the very end of her wick from fighting endless battles, perhaps even other gods messed with her to make her a champion to battle things she never wanted to fight. Almost a puppet in some game, she doesnt have any control of her choices, and its made her very jittery and uncertain in social settings, kind of a massive nervous introvert, despite her skill level.

She's been crushing on plum for ages, but thats a literal god, and Peach is just some little fragment of one, not even someone who'd catch her attentions. She gives up that attempt to win a shred of plum's attention without even starting, its destined to fail, shes a tired, worn out scarred and nervous person with nothing to offer, she knows that Plum's out of hr league, so much so she's not even playing the same sport. But when the goddess she looks so fondly towards asks her for a favour, to go and free the minotaur trapped away, she does it for once with a bit more enthusiasm, Plum asked kindly, she wasnt pushy or bossy like the others, and that gentle touch was enough to make Peach (dare she say it) eager to help. At first theres a mix up, peach thinks "freed" meant kill, thats what shes known for, its why they ask her to perform such dangerous tasks so often, but she see's Grey sat somewhere quiet making something, he's intelligent, and kind, and curious, so she doesnt take out her sword. Grey's instinct after many years of being targeted is to lash out, but Peach doesnt retaliate, and he slowly realises this one is different. They become fast friends, he shows her all the things hes made in his isolation, he's actualy rather inventive, with a fine eye for craft.

The pair start to fight together, he swears his sword to her, and she's...a little taken back by this but fine, if he's sworn to help her he can leave his current location and prison, he's technically freed if her orders are to live and enjoy more. Besides, she too has travelled and worked alone for many years, maybe some company would be nice, especially company that likes the same stuff as she does. She finds he likes a good scratch on the neck, and doesn tmind her putting little briads in his hair. They have a petience for anything nature based, sitting and watching birds, or making cool carvings from wood, finding interesting rocks or spotting a deer out in the forests. It's like they were cut from the same cloth. Peach never got on with humans, and the gods were out of reach or if they did pay attention to her it was never for good reasons, always taking from her, and she only ever recieved trauma in return or a new scar, or a new level of fear and exhaustion. Other demigods like her often came off arrogant or entitled, they had more favour with the gods more often than not so they felt better than her. She never found her people, but maybe her person was a monster? A very kind one.

We also get to have some low key fun with a little monster fucking going on there. because why not, for the spicy side of this all. both of them are total outcasts, covered in battle damage, who find common ground in the soft touches and gentle moments. Things neither have much experince with.

plum becomes very fond of this little demigod whos done as shes asked and then some, how Peach had gone unseen for so long is a question she'll ask the other gods sometime, she cant even find out which god is her relative, its been redacted, no one will speak of her, as if Peach is taboo, and everything she came from is too. Perhaps she's some secret disgrace, or maybe an heir to something far bigger than she ever could have imagined. For a demigod she shows incredible strength and resilience, things that have killed others like her almost slide off her back. Whatever she is, wherever she came from, shes less human than others would like to say, and her lowley status despite this means theres certainly a secret to be found there, someones not telling the truth here. Plum would 100% dig for more on this strange little demigod, and start asking questions about her that get her called up by far more important gods who tell her to stop sniffing around, that Peach is a child of a disgraced match, nothing more, they do not speak of her. Plum doesnt believe it, shes too strong, holds no power amongst her own despite that, she should be high ranking, well renown, in a better position, and yet. Bottom of the pile, essentially thrown away. Plums got to know the truth.

Perhaps its a child of prophecy situation, but Peach is clueless, she just gets orders, and her and Grey go off to do the jobs. Plum gives them as much protection as she can, and at every point possible, spends time with them, theyre sweet and compelling, and she can sense Peach is totally nervous around her, its very sweet for someone so big and tough. Grey loves this god, he finds out she was the one that got him out, and becomes a big soft puppy of a monster with her, brings her little trinkets, makes her stuff, shares his stories which plum loves, all the while peach is quiet, more so than normal, polite and kind but very stoic, her personlaity reverts to how she behaves with all the other gods, theyre above her, she retreats in on herself, doesnt make eye contact, doesnt argue, doesnt express opinions, just shuts up and behaves. Plums nice but shes still a god, and peach has been subject to their wrath a few times too many to push her luck here. Shes simply happy that nothings gone wrong, and that Plums not quick to anger, her old crush on this woman gets shoved down and she just plays the part handed to her. Just some lowley half human who has no place to even look her way, that she gets to sit with someone so special is in itself a gift.

Grey doesnt seem to have the same fear peach does, nor the reserved behaviour, in fact he picks up when plum is around, gets excited and jolly, this is a kind lady and he likes her attention, wishes his dear friend would feel the same. Notices Peach just shuts down a lot, never brings it up, just tries to include her when this happens, not that it usually works.

Plum would get frustrtaed at her champions quiet behaviour, she's seen her without that mask on, when shes less tightly wound, and its so much nicer. she'd out right ask why she does that, peach dancing around the truth that she gets nervious around someone so pretty. Greys defo worked it out, hes not the best at social, but hes got a good eye for Peach now, teases her for it a lot.

------------

this setup defo feels like it can retain that tired sad beaten down peach energy original Rome AU had, which i LOVED, shes always so emotionally durable, so like, i like to make her weaker, and more unnrved and unsettled, she'd not understand recieving affections, or kind gestures, or anythign other than orders.

i may toy with this a bit more if i get five!

Thank you everyone for the great ideas and notes and messages, its helped me feel like i can dip my toe back into this kind of an AU without being pooped on for it.

#maybe peach is a true god cursed to live a mortal life? #maybe shes a prophetic child #maybe shes a child of someone VERY important #no one knows #plum will find out though #shes a sharp one #meanwhile her little demigod champion remains quiet and agreeable #and she hates it #fruit salad #brainrot #rome AU

[eggplant-crusader]

Hi hi! I apologize for the bother, but I was wondering if you might be able to provide some Wednesday insight for me, if that's not too much to ask.

I'm trying to fit a lot of pieces together in my head when it comes to writing a potential PJO au for the show and I've been struggling on which students belong where. This is specifically asking about Wednesday Addams, since she's very elusive for me and I can never really pin down a voice for her that fits in a way that I think is true to character.

I didn't want to place her in Hades cabin--mainly because it feels too expected, and would diminish the full impact of Wednesday's intimidating nature. Like "Of course Wednesday is intimidating, she's Hades' child." Much too easy for my liking

I think she would work better as an oracle; she wouldn't be a demigod, but she'd be a central part of their society either way. Morticia having been the previous oracle, passing that title on to Wednesday, highlighting her mother issues a bit more.

But I also felt that making her an oracle would have followed a little too closely to the show's canon, which I haven't really loved a whole lot.

Those are the two options I'm contemplating at the moment, but as someone who has only watched Wednesday through your and Barb's fics, I feel I could be greatly mischaraterizing aspects of Wednesday in a way I haven't considered. So, any insight or you feel you are in the space to provide would be greatly appreciated. Thank you 🫶🏼

My first thought when my brain connected "Wednesday Addams" and "PJO" was Hecate.

That said, I think the Hades and oracle iptions make a lot of sense. The oracle one has the benefit that she gets to keep both her parents, who are great characters in their own right.

Another option is making Morticia a minor greco-roman deity. I Mean, she has the name for it. And it makes her relationship with her husband even better imo, I also love the idea of Wednesday being literally the only demigod ever with a functional family.

Finally, there's Apollo. Apollo is the god of prophecy, which goes well with Wednesday's premonitions without making her Oracle, and the whole Sun thing is the complete opposite of Wednesday, so it can be played that way, Wednesday being a misfit in her cabin, going against what's expected of her as a daughter of Apollo. You can also do the same with Enid, give her a darker god who fits her, like Ares or Hecate, and have it clash with her sunny personality. Funny, now that I think about it, both Enid and Wednesday fit with Hecate but for different reasons. Enid could also be one of Artemis' huntresses, which could add Drama (Artemis would be the obvious choice for her divine parent if she had kids).

I suppose it depends on what kind of story you want.

Oracle and god-Morticia work best if you want to keep closer to canon by keeping the Addams family intact.

Hades and Hecate are a good choice if you want to make her a witch, basically.

Apollo I think is the one that has the most room to play with, especially if you pair it with Hecate!Enid, but this option is the more AU one of the lot, it requires you to focus much more on the pjo side since part of what makes it interesting is Wednesday's clashing with her divine heritage

Other assorted thoughts:

Bianca is an interesting one. A Siren is already a Greek mythology monster, and probably one with divine blood. I think it would be more interesting playing with that than making her daughter of Poseidon. I also feel like she's got Nike in there but it would require not making her water themed. Or if you're thinking of including Camp Jupiter in your story, I think she'd fit in better in there, perhaps as daughter of Mars or even Jupiter. But again, that's if you want to get rid of her siren-ness. Also if you make Wednesday a child of Hades, you HAVE to make Bianca a child of one of the big three, it's the rules, and water theme aside she has BIG Jupiter or even Zeus vibes the more I think about it.

Eugene, son of Demeter. Easy.

Yoko: again, Hecate. I like Hecate, alright? And she has connections to certain vampire-ish monsters. But ALSO, ALSO, Dionysius! The blood ans wine parallels, the partying, the passion, there's a lot of fun that can be had here, exoring Dionysius' darker side.

Divina: unlike Bianca, I see her more entrenched in her water theme, perhaps as the daughter of a minor deity or as a monster.

#my asks #i should be sleeping but this is too much fun I'll stop now #thanks for the question anon

[the-drunken-huntsman]

Hiii arr u willing to answer all the TES months asks for Aneis and Murza and Dire please please please :} I know that's a Lot so if u want to skip over some that is totally understandable hehe

Morning Star - What was the first thing you gave your OC? Name, backstory, design, etc

Aneis: I guess technically the first thing I gave her was her name, even though I've since changed the spelling. I had liked the name Anais before picking up Skyrim (even though I was pronouncing it wrong lol) and had used it for my PC in Pokémon Sword and one of my SDV saves so I just used it again when I started Skyrim. Also side note, I've never watched The Amazing World of Gumball before today while babysitting and I had no clue that was the little sister's name.

Murza: The first thing I came up with for her was just a vague concept. I wanted to play around with mismatched race/class, so of course the first thing I wanted was an orc mage. The second thing I decided for her was that she was gonna be trans because hell yeah.

Dire: The first thing I came up with for him was also a vague concept. I had wanted to make a chaotic evil demigod type character and even though he's changed a lot since initial concept I figured the best way to achieve that would be to make him a demiprince. I wanted him to be kind of conniving and sly and settled on making him the son of Clavicus to get there. Originally he was going to be another one of Aneis' companions who was tagging along just for the vain glory of being a part of the dragonborn's adventures but you know how OCs sometimes seem to have a mind of their own and he eventually got to where he is now :)

Sun's Dawn - Does your OC have a love interest? What is their relationship like?

Aneis: Aneis was always a pretty promiscuous person. She knew she'd have to make Teldryn another one of her conquests from the first moment she saw him without the helmet. They hooked up a few times while traveling on Solstheim, but while going through Nchardak trying to get to the Black Book, he used his whole body to shield her from an automaton that had caught her off guard and that was it, she was done. That night in Severin Manor she sits him down and is like. Look, don't be alarmed and please don't leave because I still need you to guide me around this gods forsaken island. But I think I'm in love with you. To which Teldryn is like

Murza: You know the "me doing whatever my hot witch wife wants" meme? That's Murza and Endurys. However before they were married they were the epitome of idiots in love. Just stupid long stares and longing sighs in camp at night until one day Aneis snaps and shoves them in an inn room together and yells at them to not come out until they've fucked all the yearning out.

Dire: Dire is aroace do no romantic interests for him! But his absolute favorite people in the world are his little cousins and his little brother

First Seed - Does your OC have any enemies or rivals? How did these rivalries start?

Aneis: I know there's lots of people who read into the LDB's relationship to Miraak and how tragic his story is and blah blah blah, he makes my blood boil so Aneis feels the exact same way. As opposed to any other big bad she faces, (Harkon is Serana's White Whale before anyone else, Ulfric had to go for the well-being of the people in her opinion, and defeating Alduin was more for the people she loved and needed to protect than anything else) Miraak makes it personal for her, acting like some sort of sibling rival to her when Akatosh is nothing more to her than a perverted puppet master playing with her fate. She actually loathes any of the Dovah who call her sister without having earned that respect from her first (like Paarthurnax and Odahviing have). As far as she's concerned she only has one father and he never used her to clean up his messes, he gave his life trying to protect his homeland from the Dominion.

Murza: I've been wanting to play around with the concept of Savos Aren being the big bad of the College Quest line as opposed to Ancano. Like Ancano is still evil and shit, but like, Aren was actually in league with him the whole time. He needed the Thalmor's resources to get him to the Eye and the Staff and the second he has what he needs he betrays their shaky alliance. Anyway yeah I think Murza would kinda always be wary of Savos and it would also legitimize her succeeding him as opposed to any other member of the staff if she's the one who was able to fell him.

Dire: I wouldn't say Dire had any real enemies or rivals. I'm kinda keeping his story once he goes adventuring on his own open because of TES:VI supposedly being eminent and I might want to use him in that game. So as of right now, in the Skyrim timeline, he's just a lil guy? Who could hate that?

Rain's Hand - Can your OC use magic? If so what Schools?

Aneis: Aneis knows three spells: close wounds, clairvoyance, and muffle. All taught to her by her father as they're the most useful out in the wild while tracking prey. She can also do a bit of fire magic, but nothing more than just enough to light a campfire. She might later learn heal undead for the sake of Serana though.

Murza: I'm not sure what to say for her. She's the arch mage of course she uses magic. I guess she is particularly adept at conjuration, being a follower of Malacath and having a half daedric son

Dire: Dire would mostly be adept with alteration and illusion, but also conjuration because duh. I could see him as a very small child, using alteration to make his toys move without touching them, a slightly older child summoning small beasts from oblivion to play with (maybe even Uncle Barbas), and when his cousins are babies, using illusion to calm them down and keep them entertained.

Second Seed - Is your OC an alchemist? What do they excel at making?

Aneis: Araneth, Aneis' mother, was an apothecary. In the same way her father passed his hunting prowess to her, her mother also tried to give her as much of her knowledge as she could as well. She didn't much get it or appreciate it while her mother was alive, but later in life she put the effort into actually trying to understand her mother's teachings. She eventually becomes about as skilled as your average professional alchemist.

Murza: Gonna preface this with the fact that I still consider alchemy a school of magic even though it counts as a thief's skill in Skyrim. Anyway I think it would be the one school to slip her grasp. It's just too... material. Breaking an enemy's mind with a flick of her wrist? Summoning a sword from Oblivion that weighs nothing in hand but can slice through trees? Those are the kinds of esoteric things that Murza understands. Plants that need to be boiled at a certain temperature and creatures' innards that need to be removed in an exact precise manner? May as well be Dwemeris to her.

Dire: Dire is like his mother in that alchemy is just too far over his head. But he isn't as frustrated about his lack of comprehension as she is. Why would he need to worry about mixing potions when he can just find them well and good for the taking in every dungeon in Tamriel?

Mid Year - Does your OC have a favourite celebration? Do they celebrate holidays?

Aneis: Hircine's summoning day is a very special time for her. She always spends days hunting before hand, trying to gather as much a variety of pelts and trophies as she can for her offering. This is even though, as his champion, they are definitely not necessary, the woman fells dragons in his name. However she always prepares as much as she can for him, and once summoned she always has the same simple request for him. To deliver a message to her family in the Hunting Grounds, that she loves them, and misses them, and hopes she is making them proud.

Murza: Murza always tries to make it a point to be home at Lakeview Manor for the Witches Fest. She loves seeing the children dressed up and doing little tricks to entertain them. (This goes along with the headcanon that Lakeview Manor would eventually have a little village crop up around it)

Dire: He would very much enjoy the Jester's Festival, but his absolute favorite is Clavicus' summoning day. I've joked before that it's the only time he gets to play catch with his dad, but since he is also a small aspect of Vile in and of himself, I think the whole day he'd just feel a little closer to Oblivion and it makes him feel whole.

Sun's Height - What is your OC's favourite shop, in any of the games; what do they buy the most of?

Aneis: Aneis adores The Drunken Huntsman. Anoriath is a very talented fletcher and Elrindir is always game to swap hunting stories. They make the whole establishment feel like what she's been missing from Valenwood all these years away, even as a wooded building. They're probably the only people in Tamriel she trusts to service her family bow.

Murza: Murza actually likes hanging around Tel Mithryn. Neloth always has interesting, useful things to sell to her and she suspects he likes her company as she's much quicker to catch onto his teachings than his actual apprentice (sorry, Talvas).

Dire: Even though Enthir's displeasure at having a child on college grounds was always well known to Dire, he still likes bugging him to show him all the weird, cool things he has for sale, which he has no intention of buying. Just looking and maybe a little swiping to play with later.

Last Seed - What weapon does your OC use? Who taught them how to use it?

Aneis: Aneis' main weapons are her family's heirloom bow and the battleaxe gifted to her by Balgruuf. Her father taught her how to shoot and she's self taught with the axe. She'd honestly never touched a two handed weapon in her life before but she thought the nords might think it a great insult for her to not use a weapon gifted to her by the Jarl, so she just swung it around until she found what felt good and did the most damage.

Murza: Murza got her base knowledge of magic from Atub, but growing up in the stronghold she was also expected to learn to swing a sword. Though the swords she uses now are less... mundane. She uses summoned weapons. Idk if that got across lol.

Dire: Dire has had a natural affinity for magic since birth but he hones his craft under the tutelage of his mother and the other professors of Winterhold.

Hearthfire - Does your OC have a family (blood or found)? Who are they closest to?

I can answer this generally for all three characters. The whole of the found family (the people who live at Lakeview Manor) are Aneis, Murza, Teldryn, Endurys, Dire, Hab, Cinuri, Braiel, and the dogs, Sable and Merc. Aneis and Murza are closest to each other platonically, and though he'd never admit it, Dire is closest to Cinuri, she's his best friend.

Frost Fall - Where is your OC's primary residence? What city is there favourite?

Aneis: Aneis knows most of the Bosmer living in Skyrim find The Rift to be the closest approximate to their homeland, she finds the quite, backwoods nature of Falkreath reminds her much more of the area she grew up in. Of course she loves her quite little life on the homestead, surrounded by all her loved ones.

Murza: Technically, Murza's main residence is the college, but she tends not to spend much time there, mainly because she gets lonely. Endurys hates the cold having grown up in the shit hole of Eastmarch and avoids the college as much as possible and Aneis only goes if she's asked to specifically by Murza. So she ends up spending most of her year in Lakeview.

Dire: His parents have determined its much better for him to grow up in an actual stable home surrounded by actual stable adults, so most of his childhood is spent in Lakeview. However, once in a while, Murza will bring him with her on her trips to the college and he loves it. So many places to explore and get into trouble and so many people to bug until they relent and teach him something new.

Sun's Dusk - Is your OC religious? If so, who do they follow?

Aneis: Aneis' grandmother was a priestess of Hircine, her father a priest, and the rest of her family devotees. Their whole devotion is based on having such hunting prowess on their own, they have no need for the gift of the beast blood. This of course culminated in Aneis literally being born to be the greatest hunter of the greatest prey, the Last Dragonborn.

Murza: Murza has always felt like an outsider, even within her own tribe growing up, so she finds a lot of solace in the tenants of Malacath. She also keeps a quiet reverence for Dibella, as her priestesses were the ones who helped her become her most true self.

Dire: Dire doesn't really necessarily worship Clavicus Vile, he just kinda has this air of thankfulness around the subject of his daedric parent. After all it is through his connection to Oblivion that he is able to help so many people and keep his family together in the afterlife.

Evening Star - When is your OC's birthday?

Aneis: 27th of Hearthfire, 4E 153

Murza: 21st of Sun's Dusk, 4E 165

Dire: 30th of Mid Year, 4E 206

#wow i havent written in a while that really hit the spot #thanks stars!!! #rikke.txt #oc: aneis #oc: murza #oc: dire #asks #ask game #long post

[soleminisanction]

You have pitches for a Cassie Sandsmark story? Would you like to share?

A couple, some more refined than others. My favorite is a little out-there and goofy but I think it'd be fun:

Starts off with Cassie and some of her fem friends (Cissie for sure, maybe Anita, Rose, M'gann, Yara if she's got a status quo that would allow it, etc.) running a day camp for the children of a women's shelter run by Amazons and funded by Themsycira but located somewhere like Washington D.C. or Metropolis. They're having fun, running the kids through some games and field sports based on superhero stuff and Amazon training, when suddenly, oh no! Supernatural monster attack! Girl squad forms up and kicks ass, getting all the kids to safety... save for one.

Too late, Cassie realizes that one of the monsters, an amphisbaena (two-headed snake), has broken through their ranks and is going straight for a lone toddler who has managed to wander away from the rest of the group. Cassie leaps to defend the child, but in her heart knows that she's too late, bracing herself for tragedy as the serpent strikes...

...only for said toddler to suddenly seize the snake around both its necks and immediately bash it to death with super-strength Hercules-style, giggling and laughing the entire time.

Subsequent investigation reveals that this little girl is the daughter of a woman who turned up at the shelter a few years ago, pregnant and in a state of severe traumatic shock, and who has been there in a state of heavy catatonia ever since. Moreover, it likewise quickly becomes clear that the mythological monsters were coming after this specific child, and they're not going to stop until whoever wants the kid dead is found and stopped.

Thus it falls to Cassie to become the child's babysitter, protector and surrogate big sister while she travels the country unraveling the mystery of who is...Wonder Tot?

---

There's also the one that'd be a spin on The New Titans where Cassie becomes the subject of a prophecy involving the Greek mythological succession cycle and has to bring together a team of literal "new Titans" to challenge the gods of Olympus. It'd be made up of a mix of new characters who're all demigods like her, and established friends of hers like Kon, Tim and Bart, each of whom has caught the attention/favor of one of the old Titans or one of the other non- or pre-Olympian Greek gods. That one's a little more vague and ambitious though.

#look if Morrison can raid the silly bits of canon for spare parts then I can too #cassie sandsmark #wonder girl #wonder woman #dc comics #seriously I would pitch this to DC if given half a chance I think it'd be fun #the kid's name is sophia for what it's worth I know who she really is but that's spoilers #wonder tot #the new titans

[littlesparklight]

In myths Zeus seems to have a better relationship with his children that are important in society, like Athena, Apollo and Hermes. But how would you describe what makes him like a child and want to spend time with them, versus what makes him have a contentious relationship with a child. Because it can't just be about approval and obedience.

I know I've talked a little about Zeus and his relationship to his children before, but :V I'm not going to try and find those posts lol

Anyway uh, first thing I feel is kinda important to point out - absence of any interaction (positive or negative) with Zeus and any given offspring of his in myth can't be taken as "he has a negative relationship with them".

The only one we unequivocally know Zeus doesn't like and definitely has a (up to the Iliad, at least, which is at the end of the myths bar some stragglers) contentious relationship with is Ares. He straight up tells us (well, Ares) why he doesn't like him, and still helps him promptly.

Does he have a good or bad relationship with, say, Hebe? The Charites? The Muses? We don't know. It's not like it comes up (there's no need for it to come up/no stories/myths/poems/etc, if they were written about that, like Callimachus' literary hymn to Artemis where she goes to her father, has survived). I'd default to "it's usually good" because assuming that he doesn't just because we don't see anything either way... just seems like one is assuming a priori that of course no one likes Zeus, etc.

I think you could just as well ask why he likes Athena, Hermes, Artemis and Apollo, because it's not as if we actually get much of any reasons for that either. He likes Athena because... she comes mostly/only from him, because her war domain is more "aristocratic" than Ares, because she is like him? Your pick/guess. She certainly isn't always obedient and he instead usually bends the rules he has just set up for everyone else for her (see you the Iliad).

He absolutely has a contentious relationship with Apollo, but I also interpret their relationship as mostly positive, too.

An example; yes, he grants Athena and Artemis to stay virgins - because they specifically ask for this particular status. He has quite a lot of other divine daughters who never marry (and some of them variously have demigod offspring at least once, but those trysts/marriages are only temporary, the mortals left behind). So does he like Artemis and Athena better... or did he just give them what they asked for, while allowing his other daughters to do as they wished, without any need for specific virgin status?

I think we're better served looking at it from another angle; who he chooses to put close to work with.

Apollo asks for, and gets, the official position as disseminator of the knowledge of fate as it pertains to mortals from Zeus. Note; this ultimately comes from Zeus. Apollo is a middleman, and claims the exclusive spot for this. Other divination is unreliable/can be false, exactly because it doesn't come down through the ~official channel~. And Apollo, we know, isn't particularly obedient all the time, so clearly 100% obedience isn't a trait necessary. Perhaps he values Apollo's approach, etc.?

Hermes is another important one. I feel like he just likes Hermes' approach/personality, on top of needing Hermes' particular skills. He likes the kid instantly after he's performed his infant larceny, after all! And I suppose you could call Hermes obedient because he certainly does all Zeus has him do, but Zeus also clearly liked a child that showed they were very much not going to be obedient if it got them what they wanted.

I honestly think Zeus does, in general, has a pretty good relationship overall with his many offspring. Most of them he doesn't need to work with closely, so any approval or intimacy isn't going to be spotlighted (or even necessary for day-to-day life).

Also; The ones he seems to like best are the ones he's also most likely to have at least temporarily contentious relationships with!

#greek mythology #zeus #greek myth thoughts #asks