dreamwalkeramrita

[dreamwalkeramrita]

#the two ways to give your crush a paper flower 

[dreamwalkeramrita]

Content warning: discussion of abusive relationships

I find it concerning that many LO readers openly glorify Minthe as a badass bitch. Several people think that Minthe 'deserved' better. I'm not saying that we shouldn't feel compassion towards Minthe - but it is important to recognize that Minthe is a classic abuser. She's beautiful, with sympathetic motivations and Rachel has fleshed out her character so it's easy to see why some readers like her. BUT Lore Olympus shows that she's been EMOTIONALLY (and maybe even physically) abusing Hades FOR YEARS and that should not be brushed off as merely being 'bitchy'.

People have tried to argue that Minthe is also a victim, since she's a woman in a relationship with her boss. Hades is a God; in fact, he's a King. My point is that despite the fact that Hades has the outward appearance of having agency in the relationship, Minthe is the one with all the power. Hades is obviously more physically imposing than Minthe - and yet, he felt afraid and didn't resist when she slapped him. He meekly listened to her abuses ("You're a piece of shit"; "you stink of death", Minthe said, in the introductory chapters), and Minthe exploited him financially while Hades was emotionally dependent on her. And yet, Hades obviously cares about her - that's how Minthe was able to hurt him so deeply.

In a typical abusive relationship, the abuser chips away at the victim's self confidence until the victim feels like they DESERVE nothing better. The victim is usually psychologically powerless to stand up to the abuse (even when Hades was slapped, Hecate had to intervene ; Hades did nothing in response to the abuse and had a mental break down). Minthe claimed to feel remorse for her abuse, but her actions did not reflect a sincere wish to change : in fact, in chapter 151 Minthe reflected that "he shouldn't have tried... He shouldn't have made me feel like second chances were infinite", which is another classic example of victim blaming that lets the abuser off the hook while making the victim responsible for all wrongdoing. Even in the next chapter, prior to Minthe's "punishment", Minthe hurled verbal abuse at Hades, once again trying to demean him. This is not the behavior of someone who is truly sorry for their abuse. This is what an abuser would do when faced with the possibility of losing control over their victim.

Abusers are not awful all the time. They can be charismatic, and can even have suffered abuse themselves. Abusers tend to justify incidents as 'mistakes' or sudden outbursts that can be apologized for.

In the LO universe, abuse is not trivialized. It is important for readers to not trivialize abuse or excuse Minthe as a 'misunderstood bitch'. It is difficult enough for victims to recognize abuse and extricate themselves from such relationships without trivializing and glamorizing it in media.

Should Minthe get a redemption arc? She probably will, but in my (humble) opinion she should only be redeemed if she really makes sincere efforts to stop her abusive behavior and allows Hades to recover his mental and emotional health away from her. Perhaps her time as a plant will enable her to introspect and reconsider her choices and behaviour patterns.

As a side note, I've also observed that Minthe's biggest supporters don't extend their compassion towards Apollo (and they should not, since he's a rapist). Apollo is universally hated by the fandom, and rightly so. However, he is being manipulated behind the scenes by Leto, and seemed to seriously delude himself into thinking that Persephone was into him before she literally broke his lute. I am not equating rape and abuse obviously, but it makes me wonder if Minthe gets a pass from readers because she's an attractive woman with a glamorous character design and a back story of financial insecurity.

[dreamwalkeramrita]

Right at the beginning of A Deadly Education, El mentions that she would have been OK with Orion saving her 13 times, in the role of a 'personal bodyguard', instead of saving her twice and ruining her carefully cultivated reputation.

However, right at the end (when their friendship is firmly established), Orion says that he actually has saved her 13 times.

What a fabulous way to come full circle!

Also I thought that this whole interaction between El and Orion was so endearing!