#Olympus APT

[circe-puppeteer]

More for the Hades x Persephone for @zippyskyfalls 's Olympus APT!

So this includes the previous stuff and the new stuff. First two alineas are the ones i posted before, second two are the new ones.

Footsteps echoed across the cobbled street as Hades made his way through the city, keeping his head low. He could feel the stares of people on him, pulling his hood on tighter. His gaze trailed across the many stalls and shores, before a quiet hum caught his attention, head snapping toward a flower store. Red tousled curls, neatly tied into a long braid, falling across a bare back, and a few loose strands perfectly framing a friendly face with rosy cheeks. Her eyes, however, were what caught his attention. Gorgeous deep green eyes, which reflected the sunlight just perfectly, making her expression look all the softer. She carefully arranged some flowers, creating an autumn coloured bouquet, handing it to a costumer, whom thanked her with a smile. It was only then her attention drifted to the hooded man staring at her. Admittedly, she felt creeped out, but there was no gut instinct telling her he was dangerous, so she simply flashed him a smile, walking over. "Hello, sir. Can I help you?" She tilted her head, looking at him with those kind eyes.

Hades snapped out of it, face flushed red in embarrassment. He hadn't meant to stare, but he'd simply been too entranced by her beauty. Hades wasn't a shallow guy, far from it. But Gods, she was beautiful. His hood slowly fell off his head as he gazed at the sky to avoid creeping her out more, eyes now uncovered. "Uh... Hello?" The redhead was still staring at him, waiting for a response. "Oh! Erm... You're talking to me?" He muttered softly, eyes downcast. That was what she noticed first. She found his eyes to be lovely. Kind and soft. Her gut had been right, this man wasn't dangerous. Dissapointed that he wasn't daring to make eye contact, she spoke again. "Yes, I'm talking to you, silly." The florist chuckled, her laugh sparkling like a stream of mineral water in a bright beam of sunlight. "You know, it's quite rude not to look at someone when they're talking to you." Her voice was filled with amusement. "Uh, I... Sorry?" Hades spoke, anxiety lacing his every word. "What's your name? I'm Persephone." She smiled softly. Persephone fiddled with her dress, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "Hades. My name is Hades." His voice quavered, eyes going to her lips. Wait, no. That's weird. His eyes instead moved to his own hands, fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie.

"Hades." Persephone mulled over the name for a moment, before a thought popped into her mind. Hades and Persephone. That sounded weirdly nice. She blushed even more heavily, imagining her lips on his and being able to call him hers. But just as soon as it came, Persephone pushed the thought away. "I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new?" She asked instead. "No, I'm not new. Not really." She didn't recognise him? Good. That meant she didn't know that he and his brothers- Not the time, Hades. You're talking to a pretty girl. You shouldn't screw this up with thoughts about him. A shudder rippled through his body. Persephone immediately noticed, concern spreading over her face. "Are you alright?" "... Yes. Just... Cold." Hades didn't normally lie much, but this one just slipped out. He wasn't even sure why he lied. Perhaps to protect her? To not have her face the disgusting truth about him. That was the reason. It wasn't a lie for her sake. It was a lie for his sake. A lie for his own selfish desire to be known for murder. Just this once. He wouldn't be able to bear seeing the same disgust and disdain in her eyes aswell. That everyone else looked at him with hatred was already bad enough. This might just be his only chance to have a clean slate with someone.

"Oh." Persephone fell silent. She felt something was off, but she didn't press the matter. Her eyes traced the area behind Hades, focusing on the clock tower. As the hands of the clock hit 10 AM, the shrill sound of the bell rang through the city. Hands moved to cover her ears. She'd gotten used to the bell, but the ringing in her ears afterward was always a pain. Hades's expression contorted as he counted the ringing. 10 times. He was running late. Very late. Panic flashed in his eyes. "Persephone, it was lovely talking to you, but I need to go." With that, he ran off, leaving Persephone looking flabbergasted. She watched him go, before sighing softly. Her gaze turned to her flowers again, melancholy in her eyes. She didn't hate her job, not at all. But she dressed the lonely hours when there were no customers. Fingers wrapped around a snapped stem, which attached to a wilting rose. The scent infiltrated her nose, and she seemed sad. How unfortunate that this lovely flower had to meet its end. Quietly, Persephone mourned the rose, getting on her knees to bury the remains.

[zippyskyfalls]

is this the mod behind lightning wielder who is trying to be a good dad and failing miserably?

because i was curious about the sitcom au and didn't want to flood your roleplay blog

so how will things with persephone work?

Yes!!! That's me :D

Alright, let's see....

Persephone is the owner of a flower shop near the Area Hades works in, she lives in the house next to Demeter's and the two are very close friends.

Hades one day gets in to work late just in time to see Persephone begin to open her flower shop (it usually opens after Hades gets to work). The two begin talking and realize just how much they have in common.

Persephone still lives with her parents at this time, with Demeter being the only one of Perse's friends that her parents approve of

Hades begins to fall for Persephone and goes to the only person he can think of to help: Zeus (dumbass)

Zeus suggests Hades should sneak Persephone out of the house for a private dinner, tecnically making it seem to any bystander that Hades is kidnapping Persephone (WHICH HE ISN'T. HE DOES IN THE OG MYTH, BUT NOT IN THE AU)

Demeter finds out about it and is PISSED at Zeus for giving Hades the plan in the first place, demanding he tell her where Hades took Persephone

I'm planning on making this idea into a series of comics, so I can't spoil much else, sorry~

[lightning-wielder]

anything. ill listen to all your talking. the au is just interesting to me. just share what you really want to share but hasn't been shared yet or something.

Ooh, the first Episode/comic Idea!

The first line is from our wonderful head guy, Zeus.

"You said No!?"

...alright, a bit of backstory.

The 12 Olympians have already been friends for YEARS before this (the latest members being Artemis and Apollo)

Thanks to this, one specific pairing ended up falling in love; Aphrodite and Hephaestus.

Aphrodite was beautiful, head strong, maybe a little bratty, but she had every reason to be!

Hephaestus (while not the Sharpest tool in the shed) was kind, a master in his art (he works at a tool/blacksmithing company), and deeply passionate about the things he cared about!

Eventually, the two were engaged. But before the moment of the wedding, Aphrodite had second thoughts. She was speaking to Artemis, when she suddenly felt a shiver down her spine

Could she really bring herself to marry that man for the rest of her life?

What if she begun hating him? What if they grew apart? What if she became ugly!?

So when she walked down that isle, she could only say one thing.

No.

The comic takes place just after the wedding

Aphrodite and Hephaestus (while they were never the same as they were before) are still great friends in the time of the comic release, just kind of... jaded.

Our Main romantic pairings for the webcomic are:

Hera and Zeus

Aphrodite and Ares

And eventually (when she appears), Persephone and Hades

We'll have a few smaller pairings here and there, but they'll probably be one shots or side plots.

[luigra]

So listening to one of Joe's VODs I& missed as usual, he had a segment when he discussed his plans for the future for actually turning Deepfield into a real life pinball machine. He had an idea to turn it into a multi-season megabase project too. And it kind of struck me& just how profoundly he loves it.

Deepfield was his Minecraft home for so long. He flew through its every nook and cranny, built every inch of it painstakingly block by block. Every single step of the process had so much thought and effort put into it, effort that you can literally go see on your screen the recordings of, that happened in real time. It's almost stupid big for a pinball machine. But it's the only way to make your recreation faithful. You need every inch of it to be accurate. You're faithful to it.

The way he talks about it. Have you heard how he talks about pinball machines. The intricacies of the mechanisms themselves as one of the most exciting parts of them? Him explaining the logistics of actually making it real reminds you that it's actually quite a big commitment, until you think about how committed he stayed to the project for a whole year now and realize that it's not a question of dedication but mostly just financial ability.

If I& were in his place, and I& spent so long giving so much love to this machine, and there came to be a day when I would see it work, buttons activate under the presses of my& hands, so alive, every inch of it familiar like home. Fuck. How would a person even withstand this feeling. Would you not cry?

It would be inaccurate to thank a muse for descending from Olympus itself to guide your hand in making its flesh, because you are on your own and your guidance self-written, and you deserve a little credit for it, but for the sake of poetry it's a really apt comparison to call Deepfield your muse.

There is no way to write what they have as a romance novella, because the only accurate way to describe their relationship would be to write down a every measurement taken, his work schedules for the last year or so, cite the research he's read, attach diagrams of machines he's played, spreadsheets of costs planning... and by then what you have is a manual. Put THAT in the love story category.

I& can't do it justice. The only person who can write this shipping fanfic and do it justice is Joe Hills himself.

[thegoldenappleofdiscord]

Idk if you’ve gotten this ask before, but is there anything you would have changed if you wrote pjo/hoo/toa? And how would you have written it?

never gotten this ask before! and oh man, yeah, there are some things i would change. i wouldn't call myself someone who does analysis on their favorite media (at least i don't do it very often) i just read/watch and enjoy, unless there's something that seriously strikes me as Kind of Very Weird. half the time i don't mind occasional bad writing if i enjoy the media very much, which is the case with pjo, but again, there are some things that were odd to me lol. keep in mind it's been a while since i've reread so these are just things i remember vividly as being something i very much didn't like/understand.

percy jackson and the olympians:

that whole 'entwining history' with pjo thing felt weird to me: like with harriet tubman being called a child of hermes? for one, it feels unnecessary, and two, it feels as though all the things she's done, all of her bravery, wit, courage, are being attributed to her demigod status, as hermes is the god of travelers, cunning, roads, etc. it feels insensitive and not handled very well. there's also a blurb that mentions that hitler was a child of hades, that world war II was a conflict of the big three, and that the civil war was a roman vs greek conflict - again, these all just feel so insensitive to the actual historical events that occurred, ascribing all that violence and catastrophe to a squabble between the children of the big three when the actual causes of these events were so much more complicated and deep-rooted. i believe it was an attempt at trying to see where the gods fit in the modern tapestry, but i don't think actual history needs to be bastardized in order to write smth like that. there's also the issue with the "western civilization" narrative portrayed in the story, but i don't feel like i could even adequately sum up the issue here.

the fix-it: just. don't have the historical stuff? the insertion of demigods in wwII is supposed to show the destruction of these big three children in battle, and the later prophecy would supposedly give more reasoning as to why the big three can't have children. but why not just have the prophecy recited before wwII and cut out the 'oh demigods partook in wwII" nonsense? [before the war, after the diangelos are born] the gods have already witnessed wars that actual demigods took part in, such as the trojan war, and saw how terrible those effects were. and there were hardly any big three kids in that battle that were main players. if demigods who weren't of big three ancestry caused that much destruction, wouldn't that be apt enough reason, along with the ominous prophecy, not to give birth to any kids? especially because greek mythology is rife with sons trying to overturn their fathers, and said fathers trying to overturn that future. that itself gives perfect context for why this child-making ban would be introduced, and why zeus especially would enforce it (ex. attempted murder of the diangelos) because. he's literally the "son who overturned his father" (kronos.)

luke having romantic feelings for annabeth: why. why. when i was reading the series i always assumed he had spared annabeth because of their familial ties, but in staff of hermes percy describes their relationship as "luke later gaining feelings for her" which...why? lmao

the fix-it: luke does love annabeth, but as a younger sister, and it is that sibling love that makes him spare her all the times he did, and inevitably helps him break from kronos' hold. i think it's much more meaningful, makes more sense [ties into the threeway "family" conflict between thalia, luke, and annabeth], and obviously isn't weird to think about it like the aforementioned canon dynamic.

heroes of olympus:

portrayal of poc characters: now, i'm going to be honest, when i first read hazel's description, i never thought there was anything wrong with it. my rationale for this was "oh, golden eyes because she controls minerals" however many people have brought up how this feeds into the exotic poc caricature. while many characters have oddly colored eyes, i haven't done enough in depth research on the history of written poc characters and their applied descriptors, i don't want to minimize what could be a genuine issue. on another note, while i don't claim to be an expert on native american culture and tradition, i am aware of the numerous claims that native american pjo fans have made about piper, especially her wearing feathers in her hair. i think in her case it's very much cut and dry; rick didn't do his research regarding her heritage, at least in the earlier books.

the fix-it: research.

portrayal of medea (and other mythological characters): in the lost hero, medea is portrayed as a "blood-thirsty psycho," all while ignoring the terrible way jason (from the mythos, not Grace) treated her and the hardships that she went through. and that is my point - pjo does subvert some tropes, like hades being the villain [although given the fact that it is also canon his children were on the axis side, well.] but many times it falls into the same overused narratives, like medusa being characterized as the killer when in reality she was born a gorgon and often visited by heroes who wanted to kill her for glory [the version where she was a priestess was written by ovid, and ovid seems to have a passionate hatred for athena and women in general, as can be seen in his retellings.] i can understand this in pjo, but i think heroes of olympus truly would have benefited from more nuanced characterizations.

the fix it: research!

di angelo's Otherness + the ooc behavior of characters: one detail i always remember is how leo and piper behaved around nico, and the apparent...teasing? bullying? that went on behind his back - at least, it's alluded to that they both make some not-so-nice remarks about him. and it doesn't make sense to me, especially when leo and piper are both victims of bullying, have been judged for their appearance, etc. leo's literal first scene is him making fun of a bully [dylan] to jason, and in the mark of athena, when he and hazel see the vision of sammy making fun of one of hazel's bullies, leo mentions that he used to do that all the time. i think having leo and piper behave this way was supposed to emphasize nico's "not-belonging" within the argo II environment, but why at the sake of their characters? additionally, the scene were he does make those comments seems another way to frame jason as nico's "ally" [which the fandom loves to do while ignoring jason's actions towards nico in general, but that's a whole other thing lmao.]

the fix-it: don't include that post-cupid jason + leo + piper scene. there was already a layer of distrust between that group and nico, which is enough to emphasize a divide.

the detriment of caleo on leo's character arc: romance is everywhere it doesn't need to be in this second series. everyone is with someone, for better or for worse. however, while relationships like jasper and frazel are either unnecessary or badly developed, there is no relationship, i think, that is as detrimental to a character's arc as caleo is to leo. i won't be doing a deep-dive, as there are other posts on this site that delve into the issue better than i could, but i wanted to list it as one of my biggest gripes - it basically takes all his struggles with self and decides to give him a girlfriend as a shoddy fix-all.

the fix-it: there are a lot of ways you could go about rewriting this, but i'd have calypso be freed after the second titanomachy, join the hunters as her sister did - that way she could retain her immortality - and travel the world with them. khione would blast leo off the ship - maybe he gets injured and has to find his way back, thinking all the while that his friends have probably moved on, but he finds that they're all still there, desperately searching. he tells them they should have moved on, and they'd say that they aren't leaving him behind, that he's important to them more than to the mission, etc. although i think for this to work other dynamics would need to be tweaked - [no jasper after the first book; focus is instead on strengthening the lost trio's friendship throughout the rest of the book.]

the ending + gaea: i think it's a general fandom consensus that the ending for blood of olympus left much to be desired. the final battle felt so rushed and...didn't make much sense to me? how do you lift a being who is the earth...out of the earth...? and that's the main issue with me, honestly. how do you defeat the earth? there was that whole "scatter her essence" blurb at the end of the book, but that also didn't make much sense to me. gaea as a villain seemed like a bad choice because a.) her rising up to destory the olympians because of their treatment of her children is a repeat of the gigantomachy, just as pjo is a second titanomachy. it feels like the same narrative is being recycled, and b.) because she is the earth. a primordial being. i don't know how to re-hash this, but it's simply unrealistic to have a band of teenagers defeat an entity as old and powerful in a handful of chapters.

the fix-it: different villain entirely! at least, that's what i would do, because i can't think of a way to destroy the earth that doesn't involve actively poisoning it/j. there are a plethora of interesting mythological figures who would make for good antagonists, and also shed light on issues besides the ones pjo already touched on.

trials of apollo: i have not reread this series in a long while, and unlike the others can't remember as vividly the details, but the thing i remember bothering me the most occured in the dark prophecy, in which two lesbian hunters of artemis describe how they had to leave the hunters on account of their relationship. @solisaureus has an in-depth post about this which effectively sums up the issues and goes into other problems with the hunters, and i think they break it down better than i do, so go check that out!

the sun and the star:

pacing: i enjoyed the book but did feel like it was paced weirdly - for a book all about a couple journeying into tartarus, they only entered tartarus during the last hundred pages. i think this contributes to the bad fight at the ending, too, as it felt very rushed. i think having the couple spend a lot of time in the underworld was supposed to establish will's discomfort and the later conflict, but three hundred pages is a bit much. i also find it difficult to believe that nyx, the literal definition of night, was defeated so quickly, or defeated at all. i did enjoy her as a villain more than i did gaea, but i had the same problem of being dissatisfied with the ending battle.

the fix-it: i feel like having the villain be akhlys would make sense. as the goddess of misery, she might want to convince nico that grief is eternal, inescapable, and that he may as well succumb to a life of tragedy. buuut that would also mean no cocoa puffs. and i like the cocoa puffs - so this one is a bit up in the air for me!

plague will: this is personal to me because i love this headcanon and when it became canon i was all "oh, woah" but then it was. never brought up again lmao.

the fix-it: have him use it earlier in the book [perhaps discover it when he goes out by himself] and try to suppress it, but eventually learn that his negative emotions + memories - "darkness" - shouldn't be suppressed, but rather released; that those aren't things to fear. or at least have him talk about it later with nico and try to sort out what their existence means for him. [there are other problems with tsats that people did bring up, but i don't actually have issues with them - i.e. "the first kiss," "coming-out scene," continuity errors, etc. the coming out scene is especially controversial, but my only issue with that is that nico asked out will without considering will's closeted status. the continuity errors aren't really something to dedicate a whole bullet point to, seeing as rick's timeline is eternally convoluted and just not worth getting irritated over at this point.]

if you want me to elaborate on any of these in a second post i can! thanks for the ask!

[bookishjules]

18, 12, 22!

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year

while i was working as a barista toward the beginning of the year, i had a coworker who i got on really well with. she's nice and fun and respected the systems i needed to work efficiently hehe i started introducing her to pjo by bringing the books in one by one for her, but when i quit she still wasn't done with the series, which was good because it kept up hanging out regularly to swap books. we got piercings together in august, auditioned for the play we're now both in together (and proceeded to get absolutely shitfaced afterward while having some of the best conversations). she started writing poetry again because i shared some of mine with her. i stopped by her apt randomly one night when i was in her area and just wanted a friend to talk to and she not only let me in, but was happy i stopped by--her husband too. oh yeah and i love her husband and he's a big fan of me and my friendship with his wife bc apparently we were both needing someone like each other this year <3

18. A memorable meal this year?

omg the diner in canada for sure. this was when i was driving back from detroit with a stranger bc we both had flown one leg of a flight before apparently the weather and spirit airlines made it impossible for us to get on the second leg until like 48 hours later. and this girl was 19 and ready for an adventure, so we drove across the river into canada without passports just to go to this burger place bc google said they had vegan burgers for me. while we were sitting there eating, we made friends with this rowdy group of 35-45yos who apparently went to this diner together all the time. they were very drunk and very fascinated by the fact that we were from the states. they were like.. why are you here?? but they were really fun and the burger was yummy and my new friend and i thought it was hilarious. if we hadn't had to get back on our treck to nyc, we probably would have stayed with them and ordered some drinks ourselves haha

22. Favorite place you visited this year?

when my brother came into town in january, i finally got to visit the top of the empire state building!! and while it isn't as high, or have as good of views, as the top of the rock, it still felt momentous. like we were right under olympus!!! 12yo me would have lost her shit hehe it was fucking cold tho. the wind that day was brutal.

end of the year ask game <3

[malrie]

thinking of the seven as varying degrees of “one foot in, one foot out” when it comes to living in the mortal world and having jobs and paying rent out there versus new rome/chb. esp assuming new rome citizens or ex-legionnaires don’t get living stipends or whatever

jason - new rome apt but pays bills doing temp jobs in mortal world. is doin ok financially but only bc he lives so sparsely n is not a man of material wants but doesn’t mind treating himself with spontaneous purchases during grocery runs. would be friendly w all his neighbors.

piper - originally a “born comfortable” sort of girl but obviously is class conscious in an extensive sort of way lol. do think she moves from her dad’s and then into shel’s who prob is still the breadwinner while piper takes classes at the local community college more for personal edification than pursuit of education….queen of being taken care of. not a frequent demigod world returner.

leo - really smart w money bc he had none growing up. also super secretive about money also bc of how he grew up. doesn’t use banks. probably comes into more than most once he sells rights to his inventions/intellectual property in the mortal world. sort of flits between there and the camps.

percy - lower middle class warrior and content w it. rents a unit at the same apartment his mom lives. breadwinner annabeth is fine with him. gives him more time to chill at either nr or either camps. same job pool as jason but w a trade emphasis.

annabeth - once graduating, she works mainly in the mortal world for entry level pay which isn’t too much even as an associate those first few years. most of the work she ends up doing at olympus is either pro bono with gifts or paid thru godly favors which is fine w her. it’s how she helps finances jason’s new rome temple plans eventually. continues to work in mortal world for proper experience bc olympus doesn’t gaf abt city standard codes. lives w percy at his mortal apt building and she pays most of the rent.

hazel - really do just want her to sell uncursed gems and rocks and crystals and be a real granola girl about it. has little kiosk pop ups at the mall or something. she’s probably financially taken care of by either piper or annabeth or both so it’s fine if she never rly makes much from the business. likes to adventure out in the mortal world but sometimes comes back to be w people who get it back at camp or nr.

frank - probably going to be the only one of the seven who has a good enough credit score to put in a down payment for a house to own. i like to think he’s the office coworker you have that’s diligent and quiet but u ask him abt his weekend and he said he just came from an overseas jungle safari to check out some endangered animals he really likes. he’d prob like currently trendy things like run clubs and rock climbing.

[meanderingstar]

Hi, I was wondering what you thought of Priory of the Orange Tree and if you're planning on reading the upcoming prequel?

I gave it 2.5-rounded-to-3 stars

honestly, I think the book was very mediocre. It took me a while to acknowledge that to myself because I wanted to like it very badly and was caught up in my own anticipation and hype, but I was very dissatisfied during my reread months ago. Please keep in mind, though, that these are purely my opinions; if I criticize something and someone else is able to overlook/enjoy it, it's fine.

Ultimately, I think the crux of my issue with the book is that a collection of interesting (albeit staple) ideas and in-depth research does not automatically translate to good storytelling.

Its pacing was abysmal - it was too long, it started too slowly and ended too fast, and it's genuinely bizarre that in a book with multiple kingdoms and a looming draconic apocalypse, we spend more than half the story following a single nation's daily court life + political intrigues that ultimately has no literal or thematic connection to the overarching plot and felt very disjointed and aimless as a result. It also wastes too much time on incessant filler descriptions about irrelevant details + scenarios that don't matter. When the grand finale against the Nameless One finally arrives, it lasts for less than a chapter and is resolved with embarrassing ease; I recently saw an ask that compared it to the final battle of Blood of Olympus, and that's a hilariously apt comparison. The book could and should have been trimmed down, because it could have been easily concluded in just half the page length.

It had an incredibly uneven and unbalanced focus: The West is given immensely more attention and pagetime than the East, which results in the latter seeming reactive, unimportant and vague in comparison. Many people have commented that dragons, despite being used to hype up the book pre-release, were minimally present in the story. The Pri/ory of the Or/ange Tree, despite giving the book its name, also plays an extremely negligible role in the story and barely receives any pagetime; it's also extremely ridiculous that a society of magic-wielding women whose entire purpose resolves around the Nameless One doesn't even fight in the final battle against him. Ead (I'll get to her in a bit, I have a lot to say) is the only one who gets a role. This is explained from an in-universe perspective, yes, but from a writer's perspective, my question is: what's the point of glorifying the Priory, of emphasizing the truth of Cleolind's history, if her legacy doesn't even matter to the plot beyond the actions of one member? I don't know if this is a criticism or a skeptical observation; take your pick.

The book also felt very flat, which was the most irritating aspect to me personally because I'm drawn to books based on their sheerness and the emotions they invoke, and while the language of this story was descriptive, the tone was dry, lifeless and monotonous. It had no sense of stakes and failed to invoke plausible surprise, tension or dread - characters having arguments is written with the exact same intensity as a world-ending apocalyptic battle. The Nameless One is an utterly lackluster villain: despite being told that he is terrifying, we don't feel it because the pov character (Ead) has a negligible emotional reaction; and he's defeated in less than a chapter with barely any difficulty.

Everything also felt far too convenient. The plot is full of ridiculous coincidences where characters just happen to stumble upon objects they need to find or people they need to meet - and so there's no actual sense of anticipation or active engagement. To give you some examples: Loth has to infect himself with a life-threatening, lethal plague to escape? No worries, it's just temporary, there's an easy cure that a group of people have vigorously hidden for 1000 years but he's given explicit directions to find. This results in a global, terminal plague seeming like nothing more than an aesthetical backdrop with no direct relevance to the story. A legendary sword has been missing for centuries, has been hunted for several queens to no avail, and is crucial to defeating the big bad dragon? No matter, it's conveniently connected to two characters despite no prior indication of such a relation, its vague location is almost instantly predicted and its precise location is directly fed to another character via a riddle that took her about two seconds to crack. Multiple nations with rivalries, cold wars, and deadly feuds are meant to ally together for an apocalyptic threat with no concrete evidence except for a random letter written by a woman who is regarded as a myth in one continent and almost completely unknown in another? It hardly matters because all of nations - I kid you not, ALL OF THEM - agree to ally with barely any conflict and without the traditionally established (as per our world and their own) pact of marriage. It's fine if these things happen once or twice; coincidences can be fun. But the plot of Pri/ory is not just laden with them, it's dependent on them. It would crumble without them.

Oh, and hardly anyone dies. A lethal plague, feuding kingdoms, fire-breathing dragons, a (poorly written) grand battle on the sea, and hardly anyone dies except for a few negligible side characters. Lmao.

The characters are stiff and abstract with little to no emotional resonance, at least not for me, which is a symptom of her descriptive but dry, overly formal tone, but also because 1) the author relied too heavily on broader concepts, aesthetics and superficial personalities to define and differentiate them, and 2) wrote a book with an incredibly uneven chapter focus between her povs. Her characters also had very similar internal voices: the vocabulary used and the way scenes/scenarios are described, for instance, are exactly the same in all their povs except certain instances with Niclays, despite their vastly different backgrounds and backstories.

I was very bored/dissatisfied with the pov characters in particular. Loth and Niclays were barely relevant to the plot and could easily be scrapped with little to no change to the overall story. Tane had the most potential: the combination of relentless ambition and haunting fear, the brief moment of greatness before the inevitable fall, and the grieving climb back to the sky was fascinating as a concept, although the dryness of the book obstructed its resonance. But she's constantly given the short end of the stick: she's barely present in the middle of the book and her relationships with people from the East are barely explored (eg: Susa's death, despite its importance to Tane's story, was utterly unimpactful to me because we barely knew Susa at all beyond what we are told about her relation to Tane). Even worse, although she's supposed to be one of the two main characters as a wielder of a jewel, her connection to the overarching story feels purely coincidental and disjointed. She had no arc of discovering the threat on her own the way characters from the West were afforded; instead, it's only due to her link to them that she becomes involved in the main plot at all. Loth tells her about the Nameless One, she and her dragon are used to heal Ead, and Ead explains the full situation and decides their course of action during the final battle. It's a massively uneven balance of narrative attention and respect, especially considering she's our only Eastern pov. This is repeated in the final battle, where she loses the sword which is retrieved by Ead; where she's unable to bear the Nameless One's voice even though Ead somehow knows how to respond to him. Tane's only able to properly succeed with Ead by her side; she's allowed no discovery or victory on her own.

Ead is probably the most irritating to me because 1) blatant authorial favoritism drives me bonkers, and 2) despite dominating this book's pagetime and clearly intended to be its main protagonist, she has no concrete personality to show for it. I loved her chapters the most and her pov the least: she, more than anyone else, is primarily defined by an Aesthetic because her narrative voice is incredibly flat and her characterization is vague and all over the place. The events that occur in her chapters are interesting in theory (although the writing remains deeply dry and unengaging) and she's the only character who's given the chance to Do Things, but that is even more aggravating because 1) she's simply not resonant or characterized enough to stand on her own and is therefore subsumed by her own story, and 2) several other characters get sidelined and disregarded to enhance her importance. She also had an incredibly static arc, imo: while her situation has changed by the end of the story (she is Prioress, in love with Sabran, saved the world, etc), her individual character has changed very little. And that's because her motivations are entirely external rather than internal: she reacts to the plot, but she's never actually affected by it. She has no journey of discovery and risk like Truyde (who was framed very weirdly by the book), arc of acceptance like Loth, or story of ambition, downfall and reclamation like Tane. I'm not saying any of these were written well, but the concepts were there and they could work for Ead as well. But she was, ultimately, stagnant. There's very little introspection, internal conflict or overarching goal for her as an individual; it's always in relation to the current plot, which arranges itself to accommodate her (eg: the moment there's a spark of tension between her love for Sabran and loyalty to the Pri/ory, it's revealed that the current Prioress wants to send her to Ungulus and murdered her mother. There's no tension or actual choice: leaving the Pri/ory to aid Virtudom is her only option, and it's conveniently the only moral one with no room for complexity or ambiguity. The isolationist plotline was also very arbitrary - we do not see Ead actually contemplating this policy in Inys, so her disagreement with Mita falls entirely flat; we don't see her contemplating it after she leaves the Pri/ory either, and so her proposal that she'll be able to "shape the future of the Pri/ory" to "ensure the stability of the new world" feels utterly random. Similarly, Ead becoming the Prioress at the end had no satisfaction or catharsis because 1) the Pri/ory barely played a role in the story, and 2) we only learn that Ead has always wanted to become a Red Damsel 150+ pages into the book. Nor does she consider becoming the Prioress/conducting a coup against Kalyba to save the Pri/ory until the queen of Lasia explicitly tells her that she'll be offered the position after they win. Compare it to Tane's overarching goal of becoming a dragonrider that drives so much of her arc, despite how flatly it's written; Ead is extremely scattered and lacking in comparison). Since she has the most pagetime and is clearly meant to be the protagonist, my irritation with her is more than the others.

I liked Sabran, though! Rulers burdened by their weight of their crowns, legacies built on dust and lies, selfhood devoured and finally reclaimed. However, when her arc reaches its pinnacle and she has to confront the truth of her family and her name ... the book falls flat. It seems like Sabran is barely affected by the reveal beyond "it will take time for me to come to terms with this". She argues for a few lines, and that's it. We're told that she's grappling with it, but we're not actually shown anything and it seems like she just moves on. And at the end, her proposal regarding abdication and succession change came from literally nowhere - she surprises Ead by saying "I have something to tell you" and surprises the reader as well because the last I checked, she was still struggling to accept the lies of her ancestry, and she led her people into war as their queen. Abdicating and removing the monarchial structure altogether is a huge decision that requires a lot of internal conflict and development that we're simply not shown; instead, we're merely informed of it once she's already made up her mind. It also feels extremely uncomfortable that the overhaul of an entire political system is limited to Sabran's own personal experience rather than, yk, an external exploration of how it affects the people who are being ruled. I also think the book would have also benefitted from her pov, at least for some specific scenes/a few specific chapters. Ead's perspective and observation has its own merit, yes, but I think it does Sabran a disservice to view her from a purely outside perspective and it lessens the impact of her arc. God knows she's more relevant to the actual story than Loth and Niclays.

One of the most potentially interesting concepts of the book to me was the intersection of history and mythmaking. However, I personally think it was executed quite shabbily? There is no proper build up or gradual uncovering or startling revelation: we are matter-of-factly informed of the truth right alongside the myth within the first 50 pages of the story. From an in-universe perspective, as mentioned before, Sabran, the descendant of Galian who staunchly believed in this lie all her life, is barely affected by the reveal. Nor is this publicly revealed to the nation as a whole; all we have is Sabran's promise that she'll eventually do it once the story is finished, so there's no proper collective impact, either. And to be really honest, how does this origin myth actually matter? I don't dispute the injustice that was inflicted on Cleolind's legacy on a personal level (although her true story is remembered and revered in the South) but how does this traditional gender dichotomy actually shape and impact the Bereth/net dynasty and Inysh society? Because as far as I can tell, it does not. Inys is a matrilineal queendom with no concept of gendered roles or customs with Cleolind as the sole, inconsistent exception. And frankly, in a world where gender is largely irrelevant, where misogyny doesn't exist, how does Cleolind get cast into such a traditionally gendered role (a "swooping waif" as Ead calls her) in the first place? I think Sh/annon wanted to explore patriarchal reconstructions of myths but also wanted a patriarchy-free society, and imo, those two ideas are pretty contradictory. Or maybe they're not, and it simply wasn't executed very well here. Either way, it ultimately felt scattered and illogical.

Religion and its differences across cultures is another major theme in the story, but I found its portrayal very surface-level. I'm agnostic, so take this with a grain of salt, but again, it feels as though Sh/annon mainly relied on aesthetics rather than exploring how it shaped her characters? Two instances where this was prominent pertained to Ead and Sabran. Sabran, by all accounts, is an extremely devout follower of her Faith and a devoted believer in the myth of Galian and Cleolind. Yet, like I mentioned, when she's actually confronted with the haunting reality of the truth, that her entire religion was a lie ... apart from a few lines here and there, she accepts it and moves on with mind-boggling ease. Another instance was Ead and her feelings for Sabran. Because honestly ... Sabran isn't just a queen of Virtudom, she is Virtudom. She is the descendant and the embodiment of a lie which she subscribes to entirely and which is the direct antithesis of the Pri/ory. Ead had to convert to remain at her court, she has called Ead's people and her beloved mentor "heretics" to her face, she commanded Ead to stop recounting the southern version of the story in favor of the Inysh version instead. The fact that Ead, a passionate follower of the Mother who holds the Inysh myth in contempt, falls so quickly for Sabran is simply bizarre. I might be forgetting, but I don't remember any guilt or anguish or fear or crisis of faith. Her love for Sabran seems entirely disconnected from virtually everything she is and everything she believes in. It could be an interesting dynamic, but the book didn't really explore or emphasize that. Maybe it's a personal issue for me, though.

That being said, I'm definitely reading ADO/FN. Despite Pri/ory's many flaws and lack of engagement, it was readable with some interesting (if staple) ideas and some genuinely beautiful lines/paragraphs; and I'm aware that it was Sh/annon's first book in the series and the genre of high fantasy. I'm also very partial to prequels, and from what I've seen regarding the world and characters of this one, it seems a lot more interesting and fairly promising. At the very least, I enjoyed her worldbuilding posts. Let's see.

Ik you sent me this weeks ago, sorry for answering so late! I'm planning on starting ADO/FN soon (probably tomorrow), so I figured I should probably write down my thoughts before I begin. Again, these are just my personal opinions and nobody has to necessarily agree or disagree!

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

Odysseus: ATHENA HELPPPP

Athena: WHERE'S YOUR SWORD? BATTLE STANCE, SOLDIER

Odysseus: THERE'S A GIRL

Athena: I thought I taught you an enemy is an enemy!

Odysseus: I'M IN LOVE ATHENA

Athena:

Odysseus:

All of Mount Olympus:

Athena: So... have you considered showing your very big head, apt for child-carrying?

So like I was thinking

Athena approaches Odysseus in Warrior Of The Mind, when Odysseus is "a boy". So, young. And Warrior Of The Mind does not mention Penelope.

Do you think when Ody fell in love with Penelope he went to Athena for advice?

Can you imagine the conversations?

[the-firebird69]

Star Trek Voyage Home: Whale song

YouTube · Tatiana Kamaeva

Dec 26, 2013

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DkkbHi2eT5_U&ved=2ahUKEwiupr6MqMGJAxUVRDABH

They signal us yes a threat on us. And on morlok. Meant to push them ultimately. It will. They tear up we can't help it. We say it they want you to. Will use what made the spent ur which is very hard. 100k death Star yes. Behind Jupiter this is it morlok will respond negatively they will all be incinerated.

--they threaten for a few other things for them to back off which they won't they know but yeh, for our son it's a Sperm Whale radar noise and a huge one. An apt analogy. Threatening for ours too. Mostly to push.

It can penetrate Earth about a quarter way through in seconds. Might to destroy devices. They don't care. About two hundred simultaneously.

Our son and daughter say your all going to die morlok we use it and you will have cool roles he will post one

Thor Freya

Olympus

He's helping me loves me

Hera I get it too take on me yes I take on you haha my answer today but as it's said ok

We love them you harm them your gone s we mean it. At all in any way

Thor Freya

We back him up all list bring made all sign on and I mean all ours to this statement yes

Nuada Arrianna

We shall

Kehovenjian God's and Goddesses

[jerzwriter]

Do any of your MCs get upset if they see their LIs notice someone attractive? Does their LI get upset if their MC does the same?

Hey Nonny! Thanks for asking.

Honestly, the only way any of my characters would get upset is if it was something overt and disrespectful to all involved, and it's not in any of their characters to do that. But a little bit of how it would be handled by my pairings:

Tobias and Casey: Casey is more likely to notice someone attractive than Tobias. If she thinks someone is exceptionally attractive, she'd point it out to Tobias. She'd be all, "Babe... absolute hottie at 3:00... look, but don't make it obvious." Tobias would casually look and offer his assessment. I can imagine them on vacation in, say, Miami, where the hotness ratio just soars... they're setting up their blanket on the sand, and Casey would say, "Hon, lay down so we can check out the hotties together." He'd just chuckle and say, "God, I love you." lol

Trystan and Carolina: One of the joys of being bisexual is that they can check out EVERYONE together. But I don't see them doing it too often. They're usually too focused on each other or whatever they're working on to care too much.

Ethan and Kaycee: Ethan is quite good at a poker face, so even if he notices, most wouldn't know he noticed. Kaycee is more apt to do a double take. If Ethan notices, he'll just shake his head and tease her. So, if on rare occasions she does catch him, she'll tease him ten times more just to "catch up."

Eli and Zoe: Given their positions at Olympus and the nature of the world they live in, I don't think they're spending much time checking others out for sport. lol I'd have to give them more thought.

The bottom line, though, is that none of them think there is anything wrong with noticing others are attractive—it's normal, and they're human and they're not insecure, so they're not going to get upset over it.

Thank you for asking!

[circe-puppeteer]

Olympians sitcom AU masterpost!

- Canon points and art by @zippyskyfalls (otherwise known as @lightning-wielder )

Hades and Persephone (confirmed to be canon)

Hera art (not confirmed to be final design)

Zeus art (not confirmed to be final design)

Aphrodite and Demeter art (not confirmed to be final design)

Canon things/ideas (part 1)

Canon things/ideas (part 2)

First episode lore

- Writing pieces

Hades and Persephone (not confirmed to be canon)

[spacebutnotfar]

Pilgrimage

Over the years, I've started a pilgrimage. Throughout the months and years, I collect... things, trinkets, souvenirs, letters, photos, foods, leaves, a collection of things so lacking in common features that it might as well be called trash, though often trash can be categorized as the things people what to get rid of.

I guess, in a way, it is trash. I too, want to eventually get rid of it; it is just that instead of being so indifferent to its location, I am highly interested in where it will be.

Once I have enough, and let me tell you, the definition of enough has never been subject to so many revisions, I pack my things, call my time off the colony, and depart.

My wife was stranged at first by this ritual of mine. She was really suspicious when her boyfriend of 2 years one day knocked on her door and said he would be going on a trip out to the Redlands and near the peak of Olympus Mons.

Over time, she mellowed to it, even made the trip a few times with me, but ultimately, she and I realized that for whatever reason, it was my trip, my time to be alone with my thoughts and with my trash.

It's a long trip, about 4 weeks worth, and once I am off the Redland's solar farms, there are no more humans until I get back.

I took a photo of one of my trinkets, a seashell from Earth, though it had lost all its color and nearly looked pearl white. I found it one day in a playground; Though there it was surrounded by green grass and kids playing. I asked one of the kids if they knew whose it was, and after playing detective with one of them in the hunt for its owner, we came to the conclusion that the teddy bear on Miss Alewinth's desk was to blame. I don't think it would've held in court though; the deposition of Carlos, the wise tree snail, was made under duress because we threatened him with salt if he didn't spill the beans.

Nevertheless, the victim, Shelly, needed a place to rest for the rest of time, so it was only fitting I would take them with me on this trip.

Out here is where I only really appreciate the expanse of the world before me. I grew up in one of the largest cities on earth and was told that I would meet civilization no matter where I walked or how far I walked. It was supposed to be a great human achievement. For me, it was an overwhelming feeling of compression.

Here on Mars, I would need to go around the whole planet before meeting another human, and I don't think I have enough life support to get even a tenth of the way there.

People ask me if I thought this desolate, deserted, uninhabitable, radioactive, thin-atmosphere planet is worth living in. Every time I tell them of the last pilgrimage I did. Congratulations, you caught this one.

Time to reflect is rare, and Mars is unique in that there is nothing but reflections outside the colony. You are just in a suit, walking through sand and rock. You look up, and maybe you can spot a satellite, but that's it.

Want introspection? Come to Mars. Catchy slogan for the tourism board, eh? They rejected it three times so far, but they are good sports about it; it became a bit of an inside joke among the staff there since I always come by their office before going to Olympus Mons, they are the ones setting up my equipment. I bet next time, they will run with it.

Today's item of color for you is a double A battery. No longer in production anywhere. This one fell off an old flashlight someone was carrying on their caravan flight to here. The poor fella died on the way to Mars, and so his funeral was here; the family asked for his belongings to be spread among the colony; they did not want to pay the cost of sending them back. Say "Cheese!" Howard.

He, too, was deemed trash, and so I took him with me on a past pilgrimage. Don't worry, it's not his actual body there, just his ashes. He had a bible so I figured this burial was apt.

Not a lot of people can say their final resting place is on a different planet from the one they were born. Not a lot of people can say where they are buried, actually.

Howards was coming to Mars after the war to find work as a journalist. A lot of educated folks were; they figured if Mars was free, then surely there would be a need for white-collar work.

Among his things were a pair of books. "The Forever Question: Why?" and "For Who Do You Write". Nitra, the librarian, ended up with these excellent books, which really impacted him and how he looked at his work; as such, they were not trash.

Well, here we are. My little spot. It ain't much, but it's far and quiet. Now it's time to dig in.

It takes a while, and the hole goes deeper every time, or so I think, but I take a moment to look at my trash and start working through the list.

Hello Battery, sorry I could not find you a remote to fit into; this is your home now.

Hello Shelly, sorry I could not find your killer; I mean, owner, this is your home now.

Hello 10-dollar bill, I am sorry you are not legal tender here; this is your home now.

Hello Jane's necklace, I am sorry I couldn't find you a new owner; this is your home now.

Hello, screw from the teacher's lounge; sorry I didn't find where you screwed in; this is your home now.

Hello, suspicious USB stick; sorry I was not brave enough to figure out your contents; this is your home now.

Hello Self,

I am sorry I failed you, I am sorry we still struggle, I am sorry you have to keep doing this. But this. Is. Not. Your. Home. Your home is with Alice, with Martin, with Annie, and with the others.

I cherish these items and my time with them because I've made my time with them limited. They and this pilgrimage remind me that I am not here forever and that one day, I too, will need to be disposed of like trash. But if that is to be my fate, then I want those around me to treat me like I treat my own trash.

[lightning-wielder]

Drew Hera for the Sitcom AU for some reason, she's very silly

[universalinfo]

Zoom-In on Talent: How Microscopy is Revolutionizing the World of Life Science Recruiter

Let’s play with this idea: have you ever imagined a parallel universe where your job as a life sciences recruiter hinges upon your ability to appreciate the striking beauty of a mouse brain slice under a microscope? Sounds peculiar, doesn’t it? Well, the reality might not be as far-fetched as it seems. Know everything here with advice of the best life science recruiter.

Microscopy, the fascinating science of magnified wonders, is redefining the rules of the game in life sciences recruiter. The ability to study the minutest details of the natural world is not just inspiring awe, but it’s also creating a ripple effect in the world of recruitment. In this post, we’ll dive into the nucleus of this curious phenomenon. Let’s begin, shall we?

Life Sciences Recruiters Embrace Microscopy

Microscopy and life science recruiter share a relationship as old as time, but the concept of integrating microscopy into the recruitment process is relatively new. Life sciences recruiters are starting to realize that a candidate’s prowess in microscopy can serve as a litmus test for various skills such as precision, patience, and understanding of biological complexities.

When a candidate showcases an intricate, beautifully crafted slice of a mouse brain under a microscope, it sends a clear message about their mastery of detail, thoroughness, and technical expertise. Not to mention, their ability to remain patient through the painstaking process of preparing, staining, and imaging.

The allure of the microscopic world is not just for the scientific community anymore, it’s steadily capturing the imagination of life sciences recruiters. Know all about data management in life sciences.

The Microscopy Prize and Its Unexpected Impact

A microscopy competition might appear, at first glance, to be just another scientific contest. But, the recent Olympus Global Image of the Year Award sent ripples through the life sciences recruitment sector.

Ainara Pintor’s striking image of an immunostained mouse-brain slice, dubbed “Neurogarden,” not only showcased her scientific expertise but also her creativity and artistry. Her win emphasized the importance of unique, talented individuals who can merge scientific rigor with artistic vision. That’s the perfect combination that life sciences recruiters are actively seeking. The contest opened up new horizons for recruiters, enabling them to scout for talent in places they hadn’t considered before.

Going Beyond Borders and Disciplines

The power of microscopy knows no bounds, and this has significant implications for life sciences recruiters. With the globalization of science, talent can spring from any corner of the world, and the recent Olympus contest serves as an apt testament to this fact.

From Howard Vindin’s intriguing autofluorescence image of a mouse embryo that fetched him the Asia-Pacific regional prize to Alan Prescott’s arresting image of a mouse’s frozen head that won the European award, life sciences recruiters are learning that talent is a global phenomenon. Their talent-seeking endeavors are no longer restricted by geographical or disciplinary boundaries, paving the way for a diverse, multi-faceted talent pool.

Unearthing the Hidden Gems in Microscopy

Not all talent receives the limelight it deserves. This is as true in the world of microscopy as it is in the recruitment field. Honorable mentions in the Olympus contest, although they did not take center stage, presented a plethora of unique subjects. From photonic crystals in insect scales to desert locust wings, these beautiful images shed light on the lesser-explored avenues of microscopy.

Life sciences recruiters see these honorable mentions as uncut diamonds, brimming with potential. They understand that these unsung heroes of the microscopic world can bring fresh perspectives and skills to their organizations, spurring innovation and progress.

Evolving Requirements in Life Sciences Recruitment

Life sciences recruiters are increasingly looking for candidates who can blend their artistic sensibility with scientific prowess. An engaging microscopic image, as life sciences recruiters understand, is not just a result of technique but also of aesthetics.

Factors like composition, lighting, exposure, and post-processing are all part of the package. Candidates who can master this blend are fast becoming the most sought-after professionals in the life sciences domain.To know more about this contact us today.

The Future of Microscopy in Life Sciences Recruitment

The future holds exciting possibilities. As the field of microscopy evolves, so too will the demands and expectations of life sciences recruiters. The ability to produce striking microscopic images will no longer be a bonus but a prerequisite. Life sciences recruiters will increasingly look for individuals who can push the boundaries of what’s possible with a microscope, ultimately transforming the landscape of life sciences recruitment.

Conclusion

As the arena of life sciences recruitment rapidly evolves, microscopy is proving to be a game-changer. It’s not just about exploring the unknown world of tiny wonders but about unearthing the rich potential within life sciences professionals. Life sciences recruiters, equipped with their new microscope-aided perspective, are poised to bring in a new wave of talent that will push the boundaries of research and innovation with Agile Search.

So, next time you look at an impressive microscopic image, remember, it might just be the ticket to an exciting opportunity in the world of life sciences. Life sciences recruiters, it seems, are now playing a whole new ball game, under a microscope.

Website : https://agilesearchinc.com/sb/revolutionizing-life-science-recruitment-with-microscopy/

[denimbex1986]

'The last time I went to a cinema in London to watch a film I really wanted to see was more than 20 years ago. Time Regained, an adaptation of Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu, was shown at an indie cinema in the West End. A couple of years later I happened to meet its director, Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz, in the lobby of the hotel where I worked. I took the opportunity to thank him for turning the final volume of Proust’s great novel into a very fine film. However, I have never felt tempted to watch a blockbuster movie until I saw a poster for Oppenheimer in the London Underground.

The film opened simultaneously in London and the city of Srinagar, the town of my birth, which sits in a disputed region of India. When I was growing up, we had to wait for ages after its release date for a Hollywood film to reach a cinema in our town. I cycled many miles from my home to see American movies in a cinema called Broadway on the outskirts of town – its name a tribute to New York’s theatreland. I have never forgotten watching a scary Frankenstein film at Broadway as a youngster.

Like other cinemas in Srinagar, which is the largest city in the Kashmir region, Broadway closed for three decades because of political troubles. But as a friend told me over the phone, it has recently reopened as a multiplex and is now screening Oppenheimer to packed audiences.

I must confess that I hadn’t seen a Christopher Nolan film before – neither Dunkirk nor Interstellar. However, I wanted to watch Oppenheimer because it depicts a crucial moment in human history – the development and use of nuclear weapons. The fear of nuclear fallout is ever present in my native Kashmir, a region that’s surrounded by three of the world’s nine nuclear powers. It’s also home to several geological fault lines that run beneath its snow-clad mountains. Earthquakes, both manmade and natural, feel possible at any moment. In fact, India and Pakistan have come close to a nuclear confrontation twice in the past 24 years in the dispute over Kashmir. I was horrified when I saw a series of diagrams published in National Geographic during one of these near-catastrophic conflicts in 1999, depicting the many millions of people who would die in both of these countries if such an event were to occur.

Nolan’s film is based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is also subtitled The Modern Prometheus. It’s an apt moniker for Oppenheimer – in Greek mythology, Prometheus, god of fire, tricks the god of gods, Zeus, and steals fire from Olympus in order to give it to humanity, but is condemned to suffer in eternity for his actions.

Oppenheimer himself was deeply interested in literature and the classics. He chose the code name Trinity for the first detonation of a nuclear bomb because he liked the 17th-century English poet John Donne, particularly his holy sonnet Batter my heart, three-person’d God. He read 19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil while working on the first nuclear test. He was an aesthete who read Proust while on a walking holiday in Corsica and found a very reassuring passage in À la recherche about human moral frailty.

I hopped on my bike to go to see a matinee of Oppenheimer at an indie cinema in my neighbourhood in London. A small group of elderly cinemagoers, one of whom was using a walker, had arrived before me to see this historical saga. They must have been well acquainted with the McCarthy era, when several prominent Americans left the country and moved to Europe and Britain under suspicion of harbouring communist beliefs in the aftermath of the Second World War. Oppenheimer himself was under constant government surveillance while working on the Manhattan Project, having taken an interest in communism during his academic career. As Albert Einstein (portrayed in a cameo role in the film, though Einstein never participated in developing the bomb) once tellingly remarked: “The trouble with Oppenheimer is that he loves a woman who doesn’t love him – the United States government.”

After the war, government distrust would follow Oppenheimer for the rest of his career. When he met president Harry Truman at the White House in October, 1945 (the atomic bombs had been dropped in August), he apparently said: “Mr. President, I feel I have blood on my hands,” which privately enraged Truman. Martin J. Sherwin, co-author of the film’s source book, believes Oppenheimer’s words made the president see the scientist as a weakling. President Truman saw himself as ultimately responsible – somebody had to act decisively – and had ordered the bombs to be dropped on Japan.

Nolan’s film, shot both in monochrome and colour, also reveals the rivalry between Oppenheimer and Lewis Strauss, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission chairman. Strauss would eventually bring about the downfall of the eminent Manhattan Project leader by having one of his colleagues send a letter to J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, instilling doubts about Oppenheimer’s loyalty to the United States. It was a simple bureaucratic procedure with grave consequences. Before going to see Nolan’s film, I had watched the BBC documentary The Trials of Oppenheimer, which details the scientist’s appearance before an FBI security hearing in 1954. During the hearing, Oppenheimer described himself as “an idiot.” Being a genius is evidently no guarantee of wisdom.

Oppenheimer died of throat cancer in 1967, at the age of 62. But his tragedy doesn’t end there. A decade later, his daughter killed herself at the age of 32. She had struggled with her father’s death, but also constraints on her career. In 1969, she was denied a position as a translator in the United Nations because the FBI refused to grant her security clearance because of her father’s past entanglements.

Nolan’s film supplies interesting perspectives on the Oppenheimer story. The director seems painfully aware that Oppenheimer never properly apologized for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the two Japanese cities he had contributed to shortlisting for the attacks. Despite his deep readings of Donne, who wrote 19 religious sonnets in remorse for his sins, Oppenheimer never publicly repented.

I left the cinema in the early evening. It had rained lightly and the pavement was wet. After watching this thought-provoking three-hour epic, I found that I had lost all sense of time.'