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yonemurishiroku · 7 months

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Wondering the whole thing about loyalty being Percy's fatal flaw might actually be on a much more personal level rather than an encompassing "children of Poseidon"-trait.

This is to say that Percy's problem with unhealthy 'loyalty' could be a consequence of his upbringing. You see. The whole point is that Percy can be wary, yet once he deems someone an ally/ not-enemy, it's dangerously difficult for him to see them in a negative light. It's this sort of bipolar disorder but the categories are "Friend or Foe", each of which comes with a package of completely separate treatment. He put Luke in the Friend lot and he nearly died for that. He distrusted Nico but he didn't see him as an enemy and fell for the kid's trick still.

Revert back to his childhood. IIRC Percy had two parent figures growing up, i.e. Sally and Gabe. And here's a thing. They are basically two ends of the spectrum of Parenting. Gabe was an abusive, negligent, alcoholic, problematic stepfather whereas Sally was like a saint or something, who had sacrificed for him so much. So Percy had only experienced two types of attitude in his perspective-shaping phase: extremely loving and downright scornful.

This could thus limit his relationship categories, and later create a hole in his view of others' attitudes, I believe. His relationship table basically has only two columns, Friendly vs Not friendly. Percy puts people in those lots based on how they treat him, how they express themselves to him, how he sees them. But people are way more than just one facet. People can be many things at once, and so are the relationships. Percy's system is lacking, so he suffers from being twirled around in complicated, multilayer dynamics.

Imagine Percy, who only has two sets of acquaintances in his life, one of which gives him misery whilst the other fights for him, is thrown into a mess of two-faced lies and concealed intentions. He doesn't have the specialized code of reaction for that. There's no special section in his handbook dedicated to "People you need to beware of" or "These guys seem friendly, but better be safe than sorry". Once Percy has decided to put you in his mind as not an enemy - he would actively refuse to treat you as an enemy because that's not the way he does it.

And because Percy has so few 'Friends', you know, that he intrinsically, automatically puts you in the Friends column as long as he finds no hostility from you. Yeah, he has Sally, Grover, and Annabeth, but he also has Gabe and Nancy (?) and IIRC the bullies. He has always felt like he didn't fit in (no thanks to you, demigod-bonus ADHD and dyslexia). Percy has had to put too many in the unfavorable section that he, subconsciously or not, favors amicable acquaintanceships - that's why Luke got to him so effortlessly, just by treating him decently.

It's quite similar to the other category too. The best example I can come up with now is Bob/ Iapetus. Bob first made his entrance as Percy's enemy aka Iapetus, and later became harmless to him after getting his memories erased. You'd think Percy would rearrange the columns, but the fact is that Percy technically didn't even remember Bob, or Iapetus for that matter, after leaving him in Nico's care. If my theory is of any credit, I suppose Bob didn't make it into Percy's 'Friends' category, i.e. Percy hadn't considered him a friend. Bob landed in as a Foe and he stayed there in Percy's head - at least up until the Tartarus debacle.

So, like I said: a bipolar relationship classifying system.

#percy jackson #pjo #hoo #toa #yone rambling #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #trials of apollo #over analyzing #sally jackson #gabe ugliano #luke castellan

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heliomanteia · 2 months

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My personal list of criticisms for the series because if I don't put these somewhere I will actually go crazy in my room within the panopticon. I thankfully saw some other people share their lists and here comes mine.

Here I'm looking back at the episodes with the perspective of the viewer who knows what has and has not been properly used.

I rewatched the whole thing so this is EP1 through EP8.

🔱 Episode 1:

The ADHD & dyslexia rep stops episode one like it was forgotten about. It will become a pattern.

I am very, very bitter about the introduction of the "not everyone who looks like a monster/hero is actually one" through Perseus' story because in the context of Percy's life, he is - at least in PJO - a hero. Don't make the boy doubt himself more.

If they did introduce the "looks are deceptive" idea, I fail to see why this was not alluded to later with Luke.

I feel like neither Nancy nor Mrs. Dodds are really given screen time enough to actually showcase how much of an impact both have on Percy's life.

I still hate everything they did to Gabe's character. RIP Sally's Jackson empowerment story.

Blue food. They never really explain why it's significant.

They had budget to showcase Percy's dreams but instead of obvious enough dreams with animals it's Exposition.

Sally knows too much. They messed up her role as a character by taking away her book archetype. She's going from The Guardian to The Knowledge Keeper to The Victim back and forth.

Percy figures out too much too quickly. It has been discussed back and forth, so just putting it down here.

They mention the Minotaur smelling Percy but they never use it to explain Sally's unnecessary marriage? Potential lost.

Looking back at the Big Bull fight, they really don't let Percy act. The luring trick is his thinking, not Sally's. RIP the horn getting stuck and torn away. I can't exactly believe a young teenager had the power to break off a giant horn, in the rain, in the dark. Bad execution, the tree trick is a way to showcase Percy's wits.

🏺 Episode 2:

I wish they let Percy be dark-haired desperately. Hair color swap is bad design-wise because there's already one recognizable curly-haired blond in the series (Will). It's just a disservice to the actor.

RIP blonde 'Beth. Annabeth being wrongly seen as a "dumb blonde" is half of her character's thing. If they thought it no longer worked for her, they needed to play off another "perceived stupidity" stereotype.

Ugh I wish they let Percy be alarmed around Dionysus because in the book his gambling & "familiarity with alcohol" trigger Percy's PTSD.

Percy's PTSD is not a thing.

So, after the entire season: They had no reason to hide Sally's survival from Percy. Them doing it never got mentioned again. Traumatize the boy some more why don't you.

Luke's speech about the importance of glory doesn't work because his failed quest is never mentioned.

I think Clarisse is a miscast. She's pretty whereas in the books it's sort of the whole thing that she's "big, ugly, and mean-looking". She's one of the examples of deceiving looks as we learn in SoM and later on. Making her pretty just makes her lose purpose.

RIP showing friendly interactions or any true bonding with Luke.

All of that talk about Annabeth's wits and strategies in EP2 only to have it never play a major role in the rest of the season. Told you it's a pattern.

🐍 Episode 3:

Annabeth's story keeps getting decimated. There's so much talk about her closeness to Luke, but there's no showing it.

Ugh, I dislike how they keep making Mrs. Dodds so neutral - enough to just tell Annabeth everything? This is a whole new character.

The Medusa reveal still sucks so much, the tension & suspense are just non-existent.

Upon rewatching, I'd say Medusa overall was a decent monster because she barely did anything but it felt like the entire story was offered up on a silver platter and got resolved too quickly.

"You can't ship the head off" makes no sense, none of Athena's arc makes sense in this show. They established that heroes earn glory through mighty deeds (such as killing monsters) and established that Athena cursed Medusa. Percy is for once right.

Overall, this is the episode where Percy's starting to take up the Exposition Character role and I really don't like that.

🌊 Episode 4:

RIP book Sally Jackson I loved you. Sally's starting to go down the "showing visual frustration towards her neurodivergent child" which is a) utterly out of character b) breaks down her arc even more.

The Furies, the Minotaur, and Medusa are not children of Echidna. The monster's great despite looking extremely boring, but her motivation being personal doesn't work in their specific case; they didn't kill any of her kids.

Small complaint but "a temple is a temple" isn't exactly making much sense. We just established Athena-Poseidon rivalry, we just announced that Athena's place is safe for everyone and protected from Poseidon's earthquakes. The idea to call upon a rival God sounds stupid.

Athena's portrayal is just horrible. She was written badly in the books, like most women, but the show's literally saying: Yeah she would gravely endanger her kid for the "mistake" that wasn't even hers. And... it is never brought up again.

Making Athena such a bad mother while Poseidon goes out of his way to save his child from death seems a bit eh.

I. Am. Tired. Of others. Telling Percy. How and what to feel! Please let the guy discover things on his own.

🏛️ Episode 5:

I will die on the hill of "Annabeth is not supposed to be the one to see the Fates and no, her closeness to Luke does not matter" especially when her and Luke's connection has been buried!

It's Percy's quest, it's his prophecy to handle, it's for him to witness the yarn being cut. It's for him to put things together. I do not get why they keep switching Annabeth and Percy's places in the plot.

So, the fugitive twist is abandoned and never handled again. This is a pattern.

It makes absolutely no sense for Annabeth to be talking back to Ares when she knows who he is and how powerful he is. They keep making her play Percy's part and him - play hers.

I mourn Annabeth's geekiness over architecture. The sole time she seems entranced by something that distracts her is Hephaestus' mechanical wonders which is engineering but not exactly book Annabeth's focus.

I am pretty sure Ares doesn't hate his children in the book, he's just a hard-to-impress dad that lets his children fight their own fights. Making him "hate his kids" added zero weight to his character.

Why is Percy mansplaining mythology to Annabeth.

"Seaweed brain" doesn't work when he just explained a myth to her while she stood there listening as if she has never heard it before.

Ares doesn't really have an impact on the three that he had in the books. This was supposed to be the moment Percy first learns his mom's alive. Since Ares was messed up later on too, I call it lost potential.

🎲 Episode 6:

There's no real reason to suspect Ares or Clarisse in the theft, that scene/realization are lazy cop-outs. They do not begin to suspect Ares unless they literally find the bolt.

Lotus Casino my detested. Worst case of "they already know it" that I've seen in this show. The Casino is meant to be a trap, they are not supposed to know where they are going.

Suspense is nonexistent. They literally figure out the lotus-eaters the moment they step into the place, this is boring!

"Wise Girl" doesn't work when they spent less time letting Annabeth talk the smart talk than Percy.

It has been said a multitude of times but the Casino is boring.

"If you don't know what chances do I have" pretty high ones because they've been writing you off as the wise boy, Percy.

Personal pet peeve: I heavily dislike Hermes' casting.

Hermes' scene is far, far too early in.

Arcades are not too old to put into a 2023 series, VR is lame.

Why is the "is it because of me?" scene so awkward, why are they making Grover feel guilty/implying he's guilty. It was literally not his fault.

Hermes' involvement is so messy, there's absolutely no reason for him to hold them back in any way.

THE SOLSTICE PASSING MAKES NO SENSE, IT DIMINISHES ALL STAKES, AND IT DOESN'T EVEN CHANGE ANYTHING

💀 Episode 7:

It has been discussed deeply but everything about Procrustes' scene was done with utmost laziness and letting him live when he was just proclaimed a murderer makes absolutely zero sense.

RIP Sally Jackson's entire character. Show Sally is not above stressing her 9 year old out, getting visibly annoyed by his "outbursts" (they are really tame), putting the blame on him instead of explaining things to him in a calm manner, and raising her voice at him. Not only is this directly polar to her book self, but it also finalizes the show's destruction of her character.

The Underworld: ugly, incomparable with the book's version, boring. All that CGI and they could only pull up a LOTR movie Isengard.

RIP court of Kings, RIP Fields of Punishment, RIP actual Asphodel Meadows, RIP Elysium. The Underworld is done lazily.

Sally Jackson would never let her child think she's getting rid of him. It baffles me that she's not explaining anything to Percy.

This is not Hades and you cannot at a gunpoint make me accept that this is the terrifying, glorious, intimidating God of the Dead that puts awe into Percy Jackson and terrifies his own child. This goofy mf is not Hades, this is clownery. Another utterly decimated character, entirely off-point.

"These grudges go on forever" is hilarious (/neg) to hear from a God whose children are canonically stated to hold grudges as a fatal flaw. They really can't get the single clearly depicted person right.

Percy single-handedly figuring out it's Kronos with no clues is undoubtedly the worst part of the whole season. Go home kids, there's no tension anymore.

I hate how little Annabeth matters in this show. Her tie to Luke is severed, Percy does her job retelling the myths, she's not obsessive about her interests, and she's not even there with them when the biggest revelations are made. Her sole function is carrying the invisibility cap around (and apparently her friends can't even explain that to Hades). The show has killed Annabeth as a character and it's sad.

⚔️ Episode 8:

Sword lessons are far too late in the season, they would do much more impact building Percy and Luke up if they happened earlier.

I know that in the book Ares' curse is largely forgotten about, but they could have easily included it into the fight.

I feel like Percy has never been explained that monsters don't exactly "die" because not once does he seem surprised that Dodds is back.

Olympus is ugly!

The whole Luke reveal is a mess. Percy jumps to the conclusion far too fast, his sole direct argument it is Luke is the shoes, but he realistically has no other reason to assume Luke's the traitor. He has just given Percy the reason why he kept quiet about Clarisse. Percy and his Super Knowledge I guess.

Luke having a portal-opening tool at hand ruins the whole purpose of Thalia as a character and narrative function.

RIP Annabeth's arc.

Oh, Gabe's story line is horrible. We know they purposefully made him non-abusive (c), meaning turning him into stone doesn't really do anything. Like, you just killed a guy; an annoying but non-threatening guy. Lame.

My overall impression was more negative than positive.

My main complaints regard Richard himself for his shameless misleading promotion and poor writing, the casting directors for missing the "vibe" with too many characters (actors have certain types of charisma and this show is hit or miss with them), the producers for slacking off with prioritizing CGI where it doesn't need to be, and for costume designers. Whoever worked on the Camp sets did a decent job, but the Underworld and Olympus suck so much it's unbelievable.

Doesn't work as an adaptation for me. I wouldn't give it more than 2/10 - only for some set designs.

#🏛️#pjo show crit #pjo tv crit #rr crit

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cerseimikaelson · 1 month

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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

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enamoredwithbella · 3 months

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PJO TV CRIT RANT COMING !!

If you don’t want to hear or don’t like it just don’t read it. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion

I’ve been on the pjo tv crit tag and I gotta say I agree with most of what’s on there 😭😭

All my praise for the show goes to the actors alone. I’m not stupid I didn’t expect the show to be an exact replica of the books cause that would’ve been boring as well but I feel like say “faithful adaptation” is a bit overzealous.

1. The changes

Some of the changes I love. Like them stopping for candy and Annabeth going in was so cute. Grover using psychological warfare on the God of war ate.

But a lot of the changes were just like ???? What was the point? And all the stuff that they revealed like 4-5 seasons too early. Stuff that was hinted at through the books that built suspense and intrigue just dumped on the table was a bit 😕

I remember finding out about Luke’s mom and why Luke REALLY hated his father. It literally had me gagged it was like finding out something I didn’t even know I was waiting for. The build up to them finding out Kronos involved was always a favorite cause it felt so raw. It was pure fear encapsulated by words, you could feel it, it was palpable and we just didn’t get that in the show. It was so “here you go. Kronos it was him *but said intensely*”

2. Them knowing everything

I do understand how it does make sense that they would know a lot of things from the jump as they all literally grew up with this information but a lot of the times where they didn’t realize exactly what was happening right away in the books have a slight reminder of how young and innocent they are. These neurodivergent 12 year olds who have been tasked with a Gods job and have been trekking across the states for days; yeah I wouldn’t expect them to be at the top of their game ALL THE TIME no matter how smart they are. The slip ups show that even though they’re these tiny warriors they aren’t immune to being a little naive.

3. Setting

I’m not gonna criticize the settings cause if that’s how Rick imagined it then that’s how he imagined it but I can’t blame the ppl who are a bit miffed at how the sets were portrayed. The underworld did truly throw me off.

4. Info dumping ?? Or not enough info idk

I also saw a post about how they would just throw random names out there pertaining to Greek mythology and then just not explain 😭😭 and all the stuff that they left out too (fields of punishment, isle blest, etc) which sets up for things in later seasons. And I understand the time crunch; 8 episodes 40 mins give or take and a dream is what they had. That being said this shit was a mess 🤷🏽‍♀️😭😭 like badly set up, script was not doing them any justice, and it felt so boring most of the time.

5. Whimsy and fun erasure

There were gems I will keep saying that. There were fun times but the fun times also felt very strategically placed whereas in the books it was sorta woven into the chaos. Charon being a lil silly, Grover playing the shooting game in the lotus casino and killing humans (I love him so much 😭😭), annabeth geeking over the architecture of the arch and going on a tangent about how it was made while Grover and Percy trade candy in the back. Talking to the animals and Percy finding out he can speak horse, the car wash where annabeth scares off a grown man in a Lincoln, “shows over! Thank you and goodnight!”, Percy and Grover clowning annabeth for watching the discovery channel unironically. I’m not saying I expected them to put all this shit in there cause again I’m not an imbecile but the type of wit and humor that made everyone fall in love with the books was cut out for the more serious stuff. And what’s so frustrating about that is I KNOW the actors would’ve ate it up. Walker especially that boy IS Percy.

I could keep finding stuff but I’m trying to be grateful cause even after all of this Rick did take the time to try and think of us and maybe it’s not his fault but idk it’s just a bit disappointing after the way it was marketed towards long time fans

Much love to Walker, Leah, and Aryan and hope for future seasons 😊

#pjo tv crit #percy pjo #percy tv series #percy series #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson and the olympians tv show #book percy jackson #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #leah sava jeffries #walker scobell #aryan simhadri #rick riordan

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chase-ingjackson · 3 months

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A few reasons I like and dislike the the new Percy Jackson show (and why I think the musical is better) - initial reaction

To start, I think this new PJO show is a million times better than that dumpster fire of a movie (though I love logan lerman <3). I like that it is quite faithful to the overall arcs and major plot lines of the book. I love the diversity and high caliber of actors (though I def have some Viria-art inspired character images in my head that are god-tier). I love some of the characterizations/portrayals, especially when it comes to making the character more complex (I really appreciate TV Sally for being a real person with complex emotion, though of course book Sally is my fav). And I love that it's so high budget and hgihly-anticipated (great marketing) that it is bringing this beloved story to a greater audience, especially the younger generation and older generation (as parents/grandparents) than those of us who grew up with the series.

I can boil down all of my dislikes of this show into one overarching but very essential part of the show: I don't like that it is a drama. The characters are way too serious and too every-other-moment-we-need-an-instense-heart-to-heart. What I think this show should have been is a comedy adventure with drama/melodrama sprinkled in. In the books, it's all about the banter. And the TV show does some good one-liners, but it's always so serious. I think the best part of the book is that the characters can stay light-hearted and fun despite the horrors and terrors they face. In the show, the gods spoon feed the trio most of the answers, so when they do have a good realization (SPOILER: e.g. Kronos being the orchestrating force) it kind of comes out of nowhere. TV Annabeth is so serious (I know in the first book she is her most serious, but not to this degree) and a lot of the moments when she has time to use her smarts are gone or approached differently. Percy, too. He's not just self-sacrificing (which they really lean into in the show) but he's also incredibly smart and silly. In the books he's kind of a surface-level himbo with great critical thinking, but in the show he's kind of left in the dark and doesn't get opportunities to make his own plans (also, he doesn't seem to know how to control his power (by the 7th episode); whereas in the book he def did at this point. Then there are just dumb changes to make the show more "serious" like not mentioning that cell phones attract monsters or that monsters just smell demigods and not have a 6th sense for them. I'm finding that by trying to change these small details to make it something more exciting or interesting, it's distancing us existing fans by not letting us relate to the small details that really don't matter. For the cellphones, they still use Iris messages rather than getting a payphone or something, so that's kind of a plot hole in the show that is answered by the book.

Anyways, those are my main takeaways. Now, when I say "the musical" I refer to The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical by Joe Tracz and Rick Rokicki which first premiered in 2014 but got revamped and redebued in 2017 (which is when it came into my life). I got to see it live in Toronto in 2019 with my middle school best friend, but have been an avid listener of the soundtrack since 2017 (the day it came out on streaming platforms).

The musical in my eyes is a nearly-perfect adaptation of the book. It's soo funny - def the action comedy I'm after, but does have the meaningful emotional moments (ballads, which are essential in musicals). The show itself if the full package; however, even just listening to the soundtrack gives you the whole gist. Here's a link to hte soundtrack on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFwX6FWeUFQ&list=PL0hK1fYMaqXbtZ0Fhm48TYcLJl7ikNX7Q&ab_channel=TheLightningThief%3AOriginalCastAlbum

Anyways, I want to hear more thoughts and pls tell me what you think of the show (and the musical!!)

#hoo #pjo #percy jackson #annabeth chase #the lightning thief #the lightning thief musical #percy jackson musical #grover underwood #pjo tv series #pjo tv show #pjofandom #sally jackson #review

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madrone33 · 3 months

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Ok, so heavy SPOILER WARNING for Pjo episode 6! And the rest of the show since I have read the book! Just, y’know, there’s your warning.

I’d also like to preface this by saying this post will be a rambling, not at all ordered, completely unscripted, kinda-rant kinda-essay of my thoughts on the episode, which means it is inherently biassed and completely composed of my thoughts, feelings, and opinions! None of this is fact, and I’m not trying to force my opinion on you. If you think differently or disagree, that’s completely fine! I would hate to live in a world full of clones of myself lol

With that out of the way, onto whatever this will turn out to be!

Ok, so I really liked the Hermes scene. That part was well written and acted. The family drama and guilt and blame is this show is really complex and everyone just needs multiple hugs tbh. Also, seeing a bit of Hermes’ powers was interesting.

I’m intrigued to know more about Percy’s flashback, while at the same time dreading it because I know it’ll be something heart wrenching and traumatic for poor Percy.

Hermes not agreeing to help them was a kinda foregone conclusion; it would be way too easy for them if he just let them into the Underworld, and we can’t make things easy for them now, can we :D

The Kronos stuff was cool to see, with Luke desperately covering his ass lmao, and Percy confiding in Annabeth. The slight change in Iris Messaging, with them not needing water and using a crystal instead was good. Both that it saved time and that it’s more believable. If your one communication tool is rainbows, of course you’d carry around a portable crystal to make ‘em.

It does make me wonder if they’re ever going to explain that technology - as in phones - makes it easier for monsters to find you. ‘Cause currently I… don’t think that’s been made clear to non-book audiences? Maybe I missed it in an earlier episode? Idk.

The scene where they released the trafficked animals was funny, and Grover completely overlooking if humans would get hurt and only thinking of the animals was a nice touch. I get why they didn’t show the animal abuse explicitly, even if I liked how in the books it was shown more clearly.

Them actually realising that the Lotus Hotel is connected to the Lotus Eaters from the Odyssey was good. I like how they’re identifying the threats faster in the show, whereas in the book they really fell for the monsters’ traps a lot. And the fact that they were on guard and were thinking that it was the food to watch out for added a different kind of danger than the books, where it was more just the readers sensing something wrong and hoping they’d not get trapped.

I like that the Lotus was actually being pumped into the air the whole time. And the fact that Percy and Annabeth being together helped them remember what they were actually there for vs Grover being alone and succumbing quicker was logical.

I didn’t like what they did with Grover so much. Him finding a fellow Satyr and trying to talk to him the way that he can’t to Percy and Annabeth was sad, but then, uh, idk he kinda just felt a bit useless? And the Satyr (who’s name I’ve completely forgotten oops) I think was supposed to be seen as funny? But he was… not. He wasn’t funny. And Grover was just very meh.

Like, this is one of those instances where I would’ve liked for them to change it from the books. In the books they all get split up become slowly addicted to the games in the Lotus Hotel and all that, and then Percy snaps out of it and he goes to wake up Annabeth and Grover, and they find Grover playing something like ‘Destroying Humanity’ and then drag him out of there. Which is basically what happens here, but it’s just-

They’ve changed so many other things for the better, turning moments from a randomness scene to a character beat. And I think they tried to do that by adding the Satyr and the ‘Finding Pan’ game, but it just. Didn’t work for me. He was just kinda there and did basically nothing and, like.

Ok ok so my main problem with this episode is the lack of tension.

First off, they were more meandering around looking for Hermes, it didn’t seem like they were that worried they might not find him. Like, they literally just wandered around and found him, without asking for any directions from strange people that might’ve given some insight into how sus this place is, or even having a quick montage cut of them jogging around peering into shady places. They just- walk around slowly and then there he is. Incredible.

Second, I know the Lotus is supposed to be like a drug, where you forget things and just focus on feeling good all the time, but I would’ve liked if Grover figured out that it was in the air, or that too much time has passed, and tries to fight it or smth?

Like, he starts to forget, and knows he’s forgetting something important, and tries to find- someone- the people he knows he came here with- not just so they can help him remember but to warn them that they were wrong, and it’s not just if you eat the food it’s everywhere and they need to go because the time- it’s all slipping away and he can’t let them be trapped here-

But something or someone stops him, hold him back, makes it so he can’t, and slowly he starts to forget why he’s fighting or what he’s fighting for and then he succumbs, and the switch you can see in him from scared-determined-panicked to dazed-confused-happy is terrifying.

And now we viewers are on the edges of our seats, because now we know that Percy and Annabeth are in so much more danger than we thought, and now there’s a time limit, and now Grover is trapped in his own mind slowly losing himself, and now we’re wondering when it’s going to start happening to Percy and Annabeth too, and now we really need them to realise and save Grover and get the fuck out of there before it’s too late-

But uh, yeah, we… didn’t get that. Instead it was almost- portrayed as comical? Like, there wasn’t a lot of weight put on it.

Old man Satyr keeps forgetting ha ha ha. Oh Grover’s forgetting too? Wow it’s gonna be super hard to get out of that one! Oh, no it’s super easy. Barely an inconvenience! Oh really? Yeah, Percy and Annabeth have barely started to forget anything important, and then they happen to look up and see the Satyr and get reminded of Grover. And then there’s a super short chase scene and then jump cut to them finding Grover playing video games and oh funny, he doesn’t remember them! But it’s fine, it actually doesn’t matter, they get him and go and he remembers on his own a few minutes later! 😀

Speaking of; I might have missed something but did Annabeth do anything at all during that chase scene? Like, I think she went another route to try and cut him off, but then she just kinda disappears, Percy tackles him, and she never shows up…? Idk, I’ll rewatch it sometime, but as of now it’s very strange in my mind.

The car scene was kinda funny, but again, not a lot of tension at all.

(Though as someone learning how to drive that scene made me cringe because of how relatable it was lmao. Honestly, Percy drove way too well for a first timer in a crowded parking lot, and the fact that he actually made that turn decently well? Yeah, someone give him a pat on the back lol.)

… Okay so I just thought of something that is unrealistic and wildly deviating from the books to the point that it’s basically just fanfic, but hey, they deviated anyway when they introduced Hermes this early and it’s my shitty tumblr post so - imagine if there was a car chase. There. I said it. If you’re going to make Percy drive a basically stolen taxi through Los Angeles, fucking commit and make him have to outrun the cops/some monster until they manage to activate whatever makes the car teleport!

Like, do an ‘IKEA after dark’ situation where things are all happy go lucky in the club at first, and then after they talk to Hermes and the Lotus starts effecting them, shit starts to get weird, and the patrons around them start becoming strange, and there’s a creeping sense of wrong wrong wrong as they rush to find Grover and then they find him but he’s wrong, and he looks at them like they’re strangers and they don’t know how to fix it, so all they can do is grab him and run, barely remembering where they’re going or why, but they’re holding themselves together, and when one starts to slip the others are there to haul them forward and remind them what they’re doing.

They have car keys in hand, and they might not know how to drive but fuck it they need to go, so bring on the dramatic dark lighting and wild driving and many bumpy, jerky, shit-we-almost-ran-over-something-important escapades, sirens closing in behind them and then he takes a wrong turn and stares wide eyed into the headlights of an incoming truck, flinches back, eyes slaming shut and-

Silence broken only by crashing waves. Insert Santa Monica scene after slightly hysterical laughter because holy fuck they survived.

… Um, yeah soz, idk where that came from lmao.

Moving on! So, I didn’t mind them getting Hermes’ car too much. Like, hell yes she pickpockets a god. But I didn’t like the way that Annabeth got the keys. Like, he’s the God of Thieves and she’s pretty smart. No way she wouldn’t realise that he let her take them.

A way to make it better would’ve been if he’d done some subtle shit, and she’d done some subtle shit, and then it was shown with some shots that here he puts his keys in this pocket, and then a few shots later maybe she brushes past him, or she “leaves” the room but you can fuzzily see pot plant leaves moving in the background if you know to look for it, and then boom, no more keys in his pocket, and when Percy catches up with her she reveals that Hermes let her take them, and we’re like “ahh, of course, can’t help directly but isn’t stopping them if they take initiative, cool cool.”

But nope. She got they keys, thinks she somehow stole them without his knowledge, and then it’s revealed that, duh, he knew, and they’re just like, welp, guess we should’ve known! Yeah. You should’ve. Annabeth is just- not? She’s just not? Like this? This isn’t how she would- do stuff. She’s smarter than that.

But see what I mean? No tension. Need to find Hermes, oh there he is. He won’t help them, but they got his keys. Lost Grover, but found him almost right away. Don’t know how to drive, but whatever lets go. Grover lost his memory, but nah he’s got it back just fine.

Yeahhh. Idk it just felt weirdly lacking.

What also felt weirdly lacking was the reveal that the Solstice has passed and the gods are going to war.

So, most of that underwater bit wasn’t how the books went, but I’m kinda withholding judgement on how I feel depending on how the next two episodes handle it.

The deadline being up and the gods already going to war? I don’t like it, but yeah, I can see how it might work with the themes laid out.

This isn’t just a war, it’s a family fighting, and instead of Percy just doing it because it’s The Quest, this - his father releasing him from the quest, and Ares telling him it doesn’t matter and they’d go to war regardless of it the Bolt is found, and everyone saying it’s not his place - it gives Percy agency because he’s choosing to forge ahead and save his mother, and find the bolt, and save this family he’s become a part of from itself. It’s his choice now. I can see why they made that change.

Though for some reason the pacing was weird, and the reveal that war was literally upon them was… eh? Like, “oh btw you’re too late and now we’re going to war.” “Huh, interesting, but I’m still going.” Like I said; lack of tension. There’s just no real urgency. It went really fast, or maybe too slow? Idk, there was just something missing.

The four pearls thing? I was very thrown by that, and I’m still pretty uncertain on if that’ll remove all the tension in the Underworld part. Because the whole conflict is if he’ll choose going after the Bolt and saving the Olympians? Or will he choose his mother and doom them to war?

If he has four pearls, then he can do both, which means zero stakes. But I’ve read some other people’s opinions, and I agree that one of those pearls is definitely getting lost/broken/used up before he can give it to her, which means this was done to raise hopes and then bring them crashing down, so I’m withholding judgement and hoping that it won’t be too contrived.

And I don’t like that Poseidon basically says he wants Percy to save Sally too, because a huge part of Percy’s dilemma was that the gods didn’t understand or agree with Percy wanting to save his mum.

Poseidon being on Percy’s side certainly serves the themes the episode set up, with Hermes wanting to be there for his family and failing, this time with Poseidon trying to be there for Percy and Sally, and hopefully succeeding. But it just feels like Percy isn’t as alone as he should be, which is good for him as a person, but bad from a writing standpoint because it makes it feel too easy.

In the books, it’s kinda an act of rebellion, that he would even think of choosing a mortal over the gods, but here he’s… not? Because the gods - or at least Hephestus, Hermes and Poseidon - are on his side. So he’s not choosing a mortal over the gods, he’s just saving his mum, and half the gods have given him the thumbs up to do it.

Not saying they weren’t secretly supporting him in the books too, but Percy didn’t think they were. He felt alone. He felt the pressure of the consequences that would come with whatever descision he made. In the show he’s not really going against the gods, because the gods are actively endorsing him. Which means, say it with me, no tension.

Anyway, like I said: withholding judgment. I'll see how the next ones go, and then come to a proper conclusion based on a complete picture.

Also, side note: When the nereid said, “What belongs to the sea can always return” all I was thinking was the musical and Poseidon’s goofy ass voice saying “It’s a SeAShElL” 😂

Oh and btw, the graphics/makeup/cgi of the nereid was well done to my untrained eye. I have no idea about how it’s done, or if it’s actually shitty in the professional sphere, but I thought it was pretty, so- thumbs up from me.

Though the whole scene at the beach and swimming to her was so dark I literally had to turn my tv’s brightness up to see what was happening, which I also had to do with the Theme Park last episode, and I almost did with the Minatour. Man, they really have a problem with lighting during the night scenes.

But just throughout the whole episode, there's just this feeling of non-urgency. Like, in the episode where time is the most important thing, it... doesn't really feel like it matters all that much.

Um, yeah. I think that was all I wanted to say…

In conclusion, I liked Hermes, aaand not much else. It was still a fun episode, but just all round pretty iffy plot wise. Rip.

I shall leave this with saying WE FINALLY GOT WISE GIRL!! 🥳

#pjo #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo episode 6 #spoilers #essay #rambles #my posts #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #hermes #long post #poseidon #percabeth #writing #analysis #sorry for any typos

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daphnebowen · 3 months

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thinking about percabeth moments/annabeth's reactions to Percy being alive and ok. I feel like the first time, with the hug, it's really the first time we see Annabeth vulnerable. she's so relieved because Percy just frickin threw himself off a building and would have died had his father not saved him. she's never really seen Percy almost die in this scenario before. she almost lost faith that he was ok, whereas with Medusa and Clarisse and the furies, they were all together so Annabeth knew they would be ok. because she could protect them. ITS HER FATAL FLAW PEOPLE SHE THINKS SHE CAN DO THINGS BETTER INCLUDING PROTECTING THOSE SHE LOVES. and in the second clip, it's more awe. she's like omg, I can't believe you are ok. this time there was really nothing he could do. both of them had accepted the fact that it was going to be a bit before Annabeth could set him free. and now Annabeth is like omg, a freaking god just came and helped you out??? what the flip?? we're saved??? you're saved??? but I'm thinking she doesn't know all the crap Percy's gonna put her through. put Grover through. put the camp through. put his freaking mother through. and with the different types of reactions we've already seen from leah idk I'm just so so looking forward to all those other moments because when he goes missing for two weeks???? and crashes his own funeral?? and she hugs him but then has to quickly show everyone how angry she is??? WHAT WILL I DO THEN because that hug? this first hug is a secret. nobody knows about it but Grover. IT WASNT EVEN IN THE BOOKS SO HELP ME the callbacks are going to send me- and ofc, Annabeth and Percy are both confused oblivious embarrassed teens at this point who either a) don't know what they're feeling or b) know what they feel but aren't sure how to feel about it. and idk I'm just so so excited to see leah's portrayal. and walker's immediate omg she's not mad she hugged me- WAIT NOW SHES YELLING SAVE ME- and I cannot WAIT to see leah and walker's portrayal of this moment (provided, of course, that we ever get there)

yeah so idk where I was going with a lot of that but I think my point is Annabeth already has two different reactions to Percy being saved by two different gods two different times. if that's not chosen one behavior I don't know what is. and so I'm thinking, once Percy continues to receive this "special" treatment and be saved again and again by the gods or with help from the gods or just be so flipping lucky in everything he does - will the shock wear off? will, every time Percy does something stupid that could have resulted in his death and instead he somehow manages to pull through, will she just shake her head and say "could have called that one" or will she continue to be in awe of her wonderful stupid future boyfriend/husband seaweed brain troublemaker best friend?

#I have absolutely no idea if this makes sense #I'm rambling at this point #but lowkey thinking the second one #annabeth never gets over percy being “special”#and I say that with quotations because #you know #the freaking first episode of this blessed show #percy jackson #pjo #percy jackson and the olympians #percabeth #annabeth chase #walker scobell #leah jeffries #percy and annabeth #percy jackon and the olympians

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faramirsonofgondor · 4 months

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Spoilers for Episode 5 of Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

This episode is INSANE. THE STRING BEING CUT!!! So yea, Gabe is a complete asshole. My god Percy’s reaction to him too. The anger, and the fact that he sounds so serious when he says he’s gonna kill him. Also IM LOVING THE PERCABETH WERE GETTING. And Annabeth being distracted by the machinery and Grover being a “fan” of Ares. Ares literally saying “I hate kids. All kids. Even my own kids.” Percy and Annabeth over here fighting for their lives while Grover just over here spilling tea with Ares. IM LITERALLY CRYING “You’re better at this me. You just are. And you know it.” and Percy giving Annabeth the pen. And the “It’s okay. I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m…..” Annabeth staying with Percy!!!! “I won’t be like all of you. I just won’t.” THE CLIFFHANGER!!!!!

Anyways I’m loving how disillusioned Annabeth has become in the gods whereas Percy is starting to have more hope because his father saved him!!!

#pjo tv show #pjo spoilers #pjo fandom #pjo series #pjo #percy jackson #annabeth chase #grover underwood #ares #THIS EPISODE GAVE SO MUCH AND NOT ENOUGH AT THE SAME TIME

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hanziii-11 · 4 months

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ok ok, ik i will say this about every single episode to come but ep5 was the best! i have collected various reasons to support my claim.

ladies and gentlemen:

✨️REASONS WHY "A GOD BUYS US CHEESEBURGERS" IS FRIKIN AMAZING✨️

1) grover underwood being an absolute genius

this guy manipulated an actual GOD into giving him information! the way he played ares by saying he was a fan and choosing the right reasons to state why = perfection. i love how the series is an updated/perfected version of the books because in the books, grover's just there to tell percy about the mythological world and to yell "fOoOd" for comedic effect whereas grover in the show is a powerful character and struggles dealing with his two best friends arguing and is actually genius. anyway, grover was awesome in this episode.

2) the chair scene and showing hephaestus

they didn't have the mechanical spiders, but they made up for it with the epic chair scene! it shows how annabeth and percy have become such close friends and that they can't bear to lose each other. also their fatal flaws! percy's fatal flaw is loyalty, so he sat on the chair and was prepared to sacrifice himself, and annabeth's fatal flaw is pride, so obviously, she tried to work out a machine made by A GOD. also we got to see hephaestus!! honestly that scene was perfection.

3) the hug

grover's expression was, "yes! they don't hate each other anymore!!"

4) hiding behind the thing (idk what it's called) on the road

they way they peeped out every 3 seconds>>> and when ares came and was like well hello there.

5) the three old ladies (the fates)

in the books, this comes in the first few chapters but since percy and annie hugged they included it later which i loved because percy thought she was worried about the hug when she was like, "no? this ain't about you, percy." that was hilarious!

6) the first seaweed brain line :) <3

"this isn't the arch, seaweed brain."

yess!!!

7) ares starting fights on twitter

that- that was what i always imagined him doing in his free time.

#percy jackson #pjo series #rick riordan #grover pjo #grover underwood #annabeth chase #percy jackon and the olympians #annabeth pjo #yes yes yes #i love this show #the cliffhanger tho

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fearlessinger · 1 year

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How does Athena foil Apollo?

oh in so many ways… Love that you picked her. (Granted Athena herself, like all the gods who aren't Apollo, has had a relatively low amount of screentime in the rrverse so far, but I believe there's enough to paint a pretty complete picture if you read between the lines, and take into account what other characters - mainly Apollo and her children - say/imply of her. So.)

Athena is Zeus's favorite, I would argue even above Artemis, because she's the only one out of all the gods who never feels the need to resort to going behind his back in the course of the three pentalogies. She's the only member of the Olympian council that we know he actively seeks the advice of.

Apollo on the other hand, is possibly the least favored of Zeus' progeny in the present day. In Apollo’s own words, Zeus “hasn’t trusted [Apollo] for millennia”. By the time we meet him, Apollo has been left by his father barely any room to maneuver even within his own domains, as demonstrated by the fact that he can’t even independently choose to cede the reins of the sun chariot to anyone that Zeus might not approve of. He is the one Zeus immediately points to when he needs a scapegoat. He gets hit with a punishment so harsh it's quite literally a miracle he survived, to the point that we find ourselves wondering, in the end, if he was actually meant to.

But it wasn't always like this. Once upon a time Apollo too enjoyed Zeus' favor. He and Athena both used to be Zeus' main enforcers and right hand people. We still see evidence of this in the kind of relationship they seem to have.

Athena is the only one of Apollo’s family members whose counsel he explicitly wishes he could ask during his trials, as opposed to his wishing for material help from most of everybody else. She is the only one of the gods to openly speak against Apollo’s punishment, right in front of Zeus too. She words her disapproval carefully enough that she retains plausible deniability, but just barely. And she alone bets on Apollo’s survival in Hermes’ pool. In that last council scene, she and Apollo are able to silently communicate with just a glance. It’s clear that they share some deep camaraderie, an old well established ease with each other that the recent distance between them has not diminished.

We’re never given the full explanation, but it’s not hard to figure out how their paths must have diverged. It’s not even hard to figure out why. Apollo’s ruled by his heart, while Athena can’t fathom following anything but her brain. As Apollo started more and more chafing under their father's rules, more and more refusing compliance, Athena clearly made the opposite choice. Nowadays they play opposite roles: the beautiful fool and the dutiful lieutenant. Everything about the way Apollo chooses to present himself is a middle finger to his father, whereas Athena is the staunchest of Zeus loyalists.

And yet it looks like they still have a lot of respect for each other. Which isn’t surprising because they have some significant similarities despite their very different characters. Firstly: they share a similar sense of responsibility. It’s undeniable that Athena takes their job very seriously, and much as it may seem that Apollo has the opposite attitude on the surface, we know, having reached the end of TOA, that that was never the truth. Secondly, they are both extremely intelligent and acutely aware of it. They both expect to be the smartest person in the room at any given time. And they are right except of course for when they are wrong bc their intelligence most definitely does not prevent them from being also incredibly dumb. You may be wondering how can I so confidently make this latter assertion, since we never get a peek into Athena’s head, but I think Annabeth saying that the first lesson Athena’s kids must learn is that “mom is always right and don’t you ever dare suggest otherwise” backs me up here.

On this note, it’s interesting to observe that Athena’s children and Apollo’s children both display a strikingly unusual amount of faith/confidence in their divine parents, compared to… basically all the other demigods.

Annabeth won’t ever stop singing Athena’s praises/boasting about being her daughter, even as she makes comments like the one I cited above. And Will famously stood in front of the army that was about to raze CHB to the ground in Apollo’s name and called bullshit on the idea that his father would ever approve of such a thing with enough conviction that the matter was considered settled and nobody even for a second thought of doubting Apollo afterwards.

And yet “dad is always right” is very obviously not an idea that has ever entered the mind of any of Apollo’s children. They show absolutely no reverence, let alone fear, toward their father. Will doesn’t hesitate to legit SCOLD Apollo in front of the whole camp in THO. The loyalty that Apollo’s children have toward their father is nothing like that of the Athena kids toward their mother. In this too it seems like Athena has chosen to stick to the path traced by Zeus, while Apollo has rejected it.

But their divisions aren’t irreconcilable, and that little secret nod she gives Apollo at the end of TON proves it. Remember when I said Athena is the only one out of all the gods who never feels the need to resort to doing stuff behind Zeus’ back? That changes here. For the very first time, we see her take initiative without her father’s knowledge or consent.

#colorsunlikeanythingseen #rrverse #toa #toa meta #*cough* someone ask me about hermes next *cough*

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posallys · 2 years

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okay okay something i think is SO interesting (and also kind of goes along with this theory I have about percy being the son of poseidon and neptune merged) is that percy was sort of seen almost as an underdog at camp half blood because he was the son of poseidon and not zeus, whereas he was kind of feared at camp jupiter for being the son of neptune. Like hear me out.

Percy shows up to camp having just defeated the minotaur, a notorious monster, with his bare hands. That’s it. And to chb, someone who can do that has to be a powerful demigod, probably the big three, and almost positively zeus bc he’s the “most powerful” olympian, and it would make sense, right? And then when annabeth finds out percy is the son of poseidon she’s even like “i thought it would be zeus” and then literally TTC happens and EVERYONE believes that it’s going to be Thalia who is the prophecy child, not percy, because why would it be the son of poseidon and not the daughter of zeus? Hell, even kronos tries to get thalia to join him because of couse it should be the daughter of zeus.

But there was NONE of that bullshit with the romans. Percy showed up and fucking tore gorgons apart with the water carrying a goddess (granted, definitely more skilled and obvious than his entrance in tlt, but they were both a feat that a camp-newcomer shouldn’t be able to do) and the romans are like “oh. Neptune. scary ” but waste not a single second putting him in charge. and it’s strange to me because there was no indication of this same sort of fear to power pipeline for jason, a son of jupiter, the supposedly “most powerful god” ya know?

Anyway the point i think i’m getting at is that i think it’s interesting that chb and cj’s perceptions of percy kind of differed from the portrayal of the gods. Like in roman mythology, neptune started out as a nobody minor god, and then whenever people started making associations with poseidon, THAT’S when people started fearing neptune, because they understood how powerful poseidon was, etc etc. but the greeks ALWAYS feared/respected poseidon, to the point where in the Mycenaean era poseidon WAS the king of the gods. He WAS the most powerful. The greeks have ALWAYS understood what poseidon is capable of, something the roman’s can’t say the same for about neptune. So the fact that chb took the stance that was more like “oh he’s a son of poseidon he’s not the prophecy kid” vs. cj being like “oh shit, Netpune. Fuck—did he just? okay let’s make him praetor.” is SO interesting!!

Like ik im rambling and this probably doesn’t make sense, but in my head it almost shows that percy is a blend of the two of them? Like idk…why would the greeks not treat percy like he was capable of being the prophecy kid…why did they treat him how the romans treated neptune? Unless there was SOMETHING there, a sort of feeling maybe that, subconsciously made them think otherwise? Maybe deep down they got the feeling that he wasn’t really a son of poseidon and they just didn’t understand it. He was claimed, and at the time they didn’t know about other gods, so he had to be the son of poseidon. And then same for the romans. Like yeah they feared neptune blah blah but they would NEVER put a son of neptune in a position of power over the son of jupiter…so why did they? Idk maybe they had a feeling, like percy was somehow stronger than what they believed neptune to be. Somebody please tell me this makes sense.

#help

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anxietea413 · 3 months

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was it just me, or was poseidon having a british accent a shocker? i didn't look through the casting of the gods (except hermes, i got a lot of pins on lin manuel miranda being cast as hermes) so toby cast as poseidon got me gasping out loud. i mean i expected most things to happen in the show, but like british poseidon??? bigger plot twist than luke going over to the darkside. and poseidon's now directly related to minerva mcgonagall, what a small world. i also love how poseidon's kind of always there for sally, and their little pearl necklaces, my heart 🖐 also the show's depiction of luke's betrayal got me screaming, crying, and throwing up. it's so deep. and the emotion in annabeth's eyes when she saw that, im never gonna recover. the show's version shows more hesitation in luke's betrayal, whereas in the book, luke just shoves a scorpion at percy and disappears. also im confused, backbiter can open portals now??? im still mourning over the lost poodle scene and annabeth's arachnophobia. im not saying the hera's throne scene was bad (that scene is seared into my soul) but her arachnophobia reveals a lot about her. i just needed the poodle scene for comedic relief.

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aficionadoenthusiast · 1 year

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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

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royalberryriku · 3 months

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You know, I also want to rant about my anger of "girls are smart and take care of the boys" and "boys are annoyed at insufferable smart girls" trope but I think that's enough anger for one day.

I will say though, if someone pokes me about it later on, I may or may not actually remember to write an analysis of Hermione Granger from Harry Potter and Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson to delve into how and how not to write smart female characters.

Actually, damn I can't help myself:

Yes, I know I have a bias against JKR for her opinions in general (there are many I disagree with), but the way Hermione was handled and demeaned through the books and parts of the movies is so infuriating and blatantly sexist, and then comparing that with Annabeth who is only treated as mean because she was literally hostile to the main characters at first as a child of Athena to a child of Poseidon to gain her mother's attention and whose fatal flaw is pride is so clear. Because, despite being the same type of trope, she was still was respected by Percy and Grover the entire time rather than be othered for no other reason besides being a "stuck up know it all" as a girl who likes books and is smart and that was it, then constantly the butt of Ron and Harry's jokes and then apparently okay with it and didn't mind being belittled all the time. There was no basis to pretend she was mean and horrible (she wasn't, she was just smart) or arrogant (again, yes she's proud but that's not a reason to be so damn disrespectful especially when she's smart and actively right about something and is really just called arrogant for being loud about being smart if anything, she's not even self absorbed or anything). There is a difference and it shows. And yes, the way strong women in Harry Potter were handled vs how strong women in Percy Jackson and various other books are handled also shows a very strong bias to the idea that "women are strong because they're smarter than boys" and "boys are naturally always stronger than girls" which is bullshit.

Compare with the fact Grover is not physically strong at all, but he can use nature magic and music, he can think, he is smart and knows certain topics even the others don't because he's older, the fact that Clarisse is literally one of the strongest fighters in camp, a girl, not because she's smart but because she's a physically strong daughter of Ares and Annabeth is strong because she's smart and wise, but they don't cancel each other out as better or worse, just two different ways for women and girls to be strong.

Sexism has a basis in Harry Potter's characters, it's there and present all the time and not really addressed, just a part of how each character is written; Ginny is strong but not as much as the boys, she has to go out of her way to be treated as such even as a tomboy, Luna is only strong because she's smart, so is Hermione, so are most of the female cast, whereas the boys are often shown doing physical tasks and being strong in them, even the weakest of them are shown to be generally stronger. Boys who are clever are shown to not be as smart as the girls generally are, the boys who don't meet physical expectations are clumsy and othered. The girls who aren't as smart are absolutely othered and the boys are always, generally, shown to be the ones making stupid decisions that have to be "fixed" by a girl who known better (usually Hermione or Ginny). Whereas in other narratives such as Percy Jackson, again, it is very clear that being a girl or boy wasn't a defining part of their character, just a thing that's there and while, yes, Annabeth is part of that trope, it's very clear that she's a unique case for one and also not the one taking care of the boys all the damn time. If anything? Grover is the one doing that. Hell, even Nico is shown to be smarter than he is physically strong and more powerful in the sense of his connection to his father than any "boys are dkb and brawny". Sex and gender doesn't make them who they are; their abilities and ideals do.

That's my biggest issue here, it's not a simple "oh so clearly Hermione is a bad example but Annabeth is a good one", it's that women in general are treated very different and talked about on different terms. There's a basis a to why Annabeth is the way she is but other girls aren't, why she was hostile at first, why she acted arrogant, why she's proud and what she is even proud in. There's specifics, there's reasons and connections to her story and the plot. But Hermione? She's smart. Therefore she's arrogant, apparently, when she voices her opinion from a book. What specifically makes her arrogant? Talking loud and proud about what she knows. Yes, she wants to be better, yes she wants to be strong. Because she's Muggle born and raised, you know, Just like Harry? Who was raised ignorant of magic and also wants to prove himself? Why is Hermione the only one called arrogant when she is only as proud as Harry, if not less later on as The Chosen One deal gets stuck in his head? I'm not saying he doesn't face consequences or is never called out for it, but I am saying that he is never socially ostracized for it. He's never seen as too much, but Hermione is just by default of being smart and being too open about it. If it was critised as sexist, a theme even, maybe I could be more sympathetic but it's just. Not. It's just shown as okay and a part of how the world is and even that it's somehow correct; that it is arrogant for a girl who's smart to talk up too much when clearly the boys known better but oh there's also stupid and need her to mother them? For some reason? Yeah that pisses me off, especially when you could have a reason for it at least. But nah, Hermione Granger's crime is trying to fit in too much, trying to catch up, trying too damn hard because we all know girls are supposed to shut up and take care of men silently while lot pretending they know too much. And yes, that was sarcasm.

The problem is that, again, with narratives like Percy Jackson or Six of Crows or Deltora Quest or any other thing in existence, it's not that every single female character is only useful as a someone to set the boys straight, but Ginny, Hermione, Luna all had that same damn role. I want more for women, I want more behind a caretaker who is chided for talking too much about her damn well earned accomplishments. And you know how wasn't chided? Annabeth fucking Chase. Not once did the narrative claim that her arrogance was built on anything false, that she was a know it all, just that she was smart and he used it and yes she was fucking right and everyone acknowledges it. Percy does, and he's not an idiot he's street smart and knows shit. And he actually doesn't hassle her for it, he doesn't go over to Grover and whisper "what a lunatic" for the crime of wanting attention and affection which apparently was a crime for Hermione trying to fit in. The same acts, different treatment that's the whole freaking problem.

Anyway that was enough of that, uh, please support strong female characters who are well written and not treated badly by the narrative. Also indie authors and new upcoming authors! Especially the ones who treat their characters the same regardless of gender!

#harry potter #jk rowling #percy jackon and the olympians #rick riordan #annabeth chase #hermione granger #grover underwood #clarisse la rue #percy jackson #harry potter series #pjo #hp #sexism #feminism #comparisions

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