#and athena is one of the major characters in this so it makes sense to focus more on her difficulties with her family

[aphemera]

throughout the musical athena sees just how deeply odysseus loves and cares for his family and in the wisdom saga sees telemachus feel the same way for him, a man who was gone before he could know even him

she sees a father and son who would do anything for eachother yet when it comes to her own father it couldn’t be more different

zeus sets up game making her fight to save her friend and when she wins he can’t stand it and strikes her down

she’s so injured that her own immortal siblings ask if she’s even alive

like imagine the hurt and betrayal she would’ve felt especially after seeing how much mortals love their families in the short lives they have while her own father who’s known her for centuries could care less

[aroaceleovaldez]

i know a lot of people talk about the Cupid Scene as not being great as Nico's coming out story (which i think is a complex matter but that's a rant for another day), but I personally find it way more compelling if it's just not Nico's coming out story at all - it's the beginning of Jason's.

Because it doesn't really work or make sense to be Nico's, right? It's not Nico's pov. Nico doesn't have a POV at all in this book. And in House of Hades, the Cupid Scene is one of the first major things Nico gets to do right out of the box jar. Why introduce a character, have him be outed as gay, lead the crew around, and then leave to go travel with someone else all in one book where he's not even a POV? It's also contrary to the way Nico generally functions as a character - he's either exposition, dues ex machina, or damsel in distress. He's kind of a damsel here, but ultimately he doesn't need anyone else to save him - or even be there. He handles it on his own. Jason is mostly just a witness.

But, if you view the Cupid Scene as being about Jason, it narratively fits a lot more; Jason at this point is dating Piper, and they're three books deep into their relationship. TLH they start dating and are relatively happy with it and where they are. SoN is a skip but we know they're happily dating during that time, and then Mark of Athena we get a slight shift. Jason and Piper see Percy and Annabeth and go "Oh! They're perfect. Their relationship is perfect. We could be happier if we were more like them." Piper and Jason are also both characters who go through an identity turmoil in general - particularly about how both of them want to be perceived by others and who they are as people. The things they identify with - their parents, their heritages, etc etc. Their orientations. Piper's get more focus earlier in HoO, and Jason gets more later.

The Cupid Scene is from Jason's POV, in a book where he is beginning to struggle with his identity and what people expect from him - particularly him not feeling like he perfectly fits with "either camp." He's too "Greek" to be "Roman" but too "Roman" to be "Greek." He's not quite one or the other. He doesn't meet the expectations either has for him. (This is bi-coding, if you couldn't tell. Just replace "Greek" and "Roman" with "Straight" and "Gay.") It starts with Cupid addressing Jason first, before Nico, very directly - asking him if he's so sure he's happy in his relationship? Does he really think it's perfect? Even Favonius very pointedly asks him if he really forget that guys can date guys? Do you have some internalized bias around that, Jason? Hm? Heck, they're both specifically in their Roman forms, not Greek. Why would they appear in their Roman forms if they're there for a Greek demigod? And very notably, they have this exchange:

(remember what I said about the bi-coding with Jason's Greek/Roman identity crisis? I don't think it's coincidence that this so pointedly comes up during the Cupid scene.)

Favonius' introduction to the Cupid scene sets up Nico's portion of it, but Cupid almost exclusively speaks to Jason for the first half of it. Then Nico steps in. He diverts the conversation away from Jason and focuses the attention onto him. Nico's the one Cupid wants, he insists, not Jason. He's the target, not Jason. This is very in line with Nico's character - practically one of his core character traits is he trusts and starts caring about people very quickly, probably quicker than he should or even wants to, and will put himself in harm's way to prevent others from being hurt. The Cupid Scene isn't the start of Nico's coming out story - Nico already knows he's gay. He has no internal doubts about that. He's known it for awhile. He's just in the closet. And he starts coming out of his own free will in the next book, first to Reyna and Coach. The Cupid Scene is Nico recognizing that Favonius and Cupid are pushing Jason for something he's not ready for and hasn't figured out yet, but something Nico has and just hasn't said out loud yet. The Cupid Scene is Nico taking the proverbial bullet/literal arrow for Jason (Jason consistently describes the arrows as whizzing by him before striking near Nico, interestingly) and being outed so Jason isn't. And that presents Jason with the path to begin questioning his identity further. (Jason also then directly compares Cupid to Aphrodite, specifically her Greek form, which also ties into Jason's greek/roman stuff.)

And I don't think it's coincidence that Jason and Nico mirror each other so much, and that their arcs in HoH are so intertwined. The Cupid Scene functionally, on a meta level, establishes an explicitly queer character to parallel Jason and for him to bounce off of during his own arc. (And, also on a meta level, establishes to the audience to be sympathetic to queer struggles, with Jason's arc then proceeding to be a queer-coded struggle.) Jason is presented as having this strange level of isolation from how others perceive him in a positive way/the expectations people have of him that wraps around to something akin to Nico's ostracization as being an outsider and atypical demigod in general. Nico is a rouge - he explicitly expresses how he feels like he doesn't fit in at either camp (something he expresses explicitly during the Cupid Scene, mirroring Jason's simultaneous questioning his own place at Camp Jupiter) and a core part of his character is that he does function outside the rules and expectations of both camps. He operates on an entirely different realm to them. If the camps are an expectation of normative concepts of acceptable relationships, Nico is outside of that. And he recognizes that he operates outside of that and will never fully fit into the mold either expect of him, and he recognizes he doesn't need to fit in, even if he theoretically could force himself to fit that mold. Jason, meanwhile, is still locked within those boundaries, and grappling with this idea of how he can exist between them.

Nico hands Jason a goblet of poison and says "how much do you trust me?" and it's Nico challenging Jason to take his own advice about trusting others about their identities, and almost immediately after that Jason gives up his praetor title to Frank. Jason's Greek/Roman arc is directly tied to Nico and the Cupid scene. BoO ends with Jason asking Nico to stay at CHB so they can hang out that summer. By TOA, we learn that Nico has started dating and is staying at CHB (is exploring the niche of expected and socially accepted relationships) while Jason has broken up with Piper and is living away from both camps (rejecting hetero/allonormative expectations), still struggling with his own identity. They functionally swap places. And that's fascinating.

Anyways i think about Jason's bi-coding a lot.

[apdreadful]

Since the election I have deactivated some of my social media. Blocked some people I never should have ever engaged with to begin with, and unfollowed several accounts on IG that just don’t bring me joy.

And 911onabc was one.

Is it because Buck & Tommy didn’t end together? No. I’m a grown ass adult. I can be irritated by the something and not be dramatic or hateful about it.

It was because several storylines lately have been complete bullshit.

They start strong with solid good storytelling. But then..eh we’re bored. Only whatever we do absolutely can not make sense!

The lazy fucking way they wrote Christopher’s character out, and that weird ass doppelgänger storyline.

New season? Let’s start by putting Bobby and Athena through to some major disaster! Hey it worked last season! Let’s do it again! (Do not even get me started on that fucking drug cartel shit..what the hell even was that??)

We are only allowed to have one character or couple drama free at a time. And if we can’t come up with a plausible way to create discord or havoc, we’ll just do some stupid shit instead!

Spend several seasons showing the deep strong bond between Eddie and Christopher. Gavin’s family moves? Just make it something dumb..but fast! I know let’s have him get mad at his dad and ask to move in with his grandparents!! Never mind he’d never do that!

The amount of psychological trauma they have inflicted on Maddie. The near death experiences of Chimney. Jesus. Just what tf?

Hmmm. Karen and Hen..the fans would revolt if we broke them up. So let’s go after their kids!! And we can’t make it about them being gay! Let’s create this over the top villain Councilwoman Ortiz. Who’s the mother of that drunk coked up dude from the accident. Only we absolutely cannot have Hen or anyone defend what happened or shut that shit down by saying “Your son was a fucking menace and maybe if you hadn’t kept covering for him he would have gotten some fucking help and not caused an accident.” Also do not mention Hen was cleared of all wrong doing. Nope. Logic has no place here!

Ok so the fans have been clamoring for Buddie. But Eddie Diaz is straight. Period.

So hey! Let’s make Buck bisexual. And tell everyone we are getting him off the hamster wheel (because really, we’ve given him the emotional depth of a teaspoon for a while now)..And his love interest/boyfriend should be Tommy Kinard, who used to work at the 118, and we will invest time to give him a compelling backstory, and lay a ton of Easter eggs showing how richly we can mine this pairing and these characters.

And make them HAPPY for several episodes. Blissfully in love. And then totally out of the blue, let’s break them up. But the reason has to be complete bullshit, totally against character out of left field BULLSHIT. Like they should start out the episode great and about 80 percent in..wait! Let’s also make him the SAME Tommy Abbie from season one was engaged to before she started banging Buck! And then let’s make Tommy who is so into Buck it’s palpable, dump him because he’s afraid of getting his heart broken! Even though it’s one of the most tired, overdone, stupid tropes ever!!

Yeah. I don’t know WTF is going on in the writers room I would swear it’s like there’s this talented group of writers who start stories, and then they go out in Wilshire Blvd and ask some random person on the street to write the ending, but they have to do it, right there in the next 20 minutes.

No I am not going to stop watching 911 forever. I just don’t really want to see them on my IG. This last stunt, sparked only incredulity and scorn.

[laughterspren-abound]

im so normal about the trials of apollo you guys

the way that prophecies adapted to different types of poetry aside from couplets (sonnets, terza rima)

appearances from past protagonists, but not in a fan-service-y way and it makes sense for the plot (i.e. visiting sally in manhattan bc it's the only safe place that doesn't have cameras from the triumvirate)

ESTELLE IS THE CUTEST

apollo lowkey taking notes on how to be a better father by observing paul blofis' selflessness

will and nico. that's it

minor characters being brought to the spotlight !!! kayla and austin, sherman yang, malcolm from the athena cabin

demigods of other gods getting more rep, demeter and the other dryads deserved it.

the big bad of the series was fascism/the 1%. that's dope asf.

i love how nobody really questioned the funding behind the princess andromeda and now that was brought back as a major villain???? amazing

apollo and meg are best buds with no bitches. we love platonic relationships

WILL GLOWS IN THE DARK ARE YOU KIDDING ME. THAT'S ADORABLE

apollo recognizing the tyranny in zeus' rule by drawing parallels from nero and deciding to spend more time on earth whenever possible

"ill be there for you. the sun always comes back." i'm in tears are you kidding me

apollo's character development is so amazing, seeing victory through battles that were well fought with bruises and scars, rather than laurels that were given to him

apollo choosing diana for the summoning ritual bc if he was going to die, he would at least want to see his sister one last time

reyna joining the hunters??? that's so perfect for her

i can go on for ages. this series was amazing

[emberunderscore]

FableSMP EPIC the musical AU

whole thing comes from the perspective of Midas (as Quixis specifically) being Scylla, which means Icarus has to be Odysseus, which is also fitting tbh.

this is only based on the released sagas bc i dont have the vibe of the future characters yet (i dont look at a whole lot of snippets). also dont think about any of the blood family stuff too hard - theres nothing weird dw but it just makes stuff complicated with the gods

Monsters

Scylla - Quixis Midas

The ideas of Scylla being human turned monster, Midas is human turned Quixis, which in this universe could be something of a replacement for monstrous, which also works with 

Spooky bitch Midas propaganda

Look at my edit to be even more convinced

Polyphemus - Leviathan/Vorago

Probably makes most sense with Leviathan

Instead of the parent/child relationship with Poseidon they're siblings (ocie is poseidon)

Humans/Dead people

Odysseus - Icarus

Icarus has to be Ody because of Midas being Scylla

The song Monster

The conflicts within the plot work well with Icarus’ own relationships

Eury and Ody see each other as brothers, even though it isn't’t blood. Maybe they’re not blood related in this AU

Eurylochus: Rae

Brothers!!

Rae is seen as the leader of Lodestar, which works well with Eury’s place as the voice of the crew

Penelope: Centross??

prison duo

but it actually works because Icarus would do anything for him. just look at season 3

he's probably not smart enough to be penelope but the agenda is more important than that

Telemachus: Oscar

Ik Oscar isn't Icarus' kid but he is Centross and theoretically Centross would've been the one to raise him anyway

See Legendary

Polities: Athena

Optimist

Song open arms

"everything's changed since polities"

Perimedes: Caspian

Perimedes is the one who stabs Odysseus in the back to stop him from killing Eurylochus in Mutiny

For Rae? Cas wouldn't hesitate

Tireseas: Haley

Dead prophet

who else

Ody's dead mom: Isla

Isla is Icarus' mom??? In this AU??? /s

Gods

Zeus: Fable

Orignially this was Epros but I was convinced to change it

Massive ego

Yellow

Actual reasons in this post

Athena: Enderian

This could also be fable but I dont think Icarus would defy him like how he does

Goddess of the Mind, need I say more

Aeolus: Aurelius

They have the vibes I think

Aeolus is gender and so is Aurelius

There are a lot of options I think

I like the idea of the Winions(?) being the piglins they had in their bunker

Poseidon: Ocie

Ocean

At the beginning Ocie is so ready to kill people, she does not care for human life. Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves

She would do that for Vorago

Canon compliant beef with Icarus 

Circe: Momboo

My first thought was Ven because I'm a fucking dumbass

It makes so much more sense than Ven

Plant lady, plant witch

badass

girlboss

pretty woman

Hermes: Rakai

They have the vibes

One of the very few gods to tolerate Icarus

gender

Apollo: Malitae

Apollo sounds so fruity in god games

Apollo cares most about music in god games which is a form of expression so i think it fits for Malitae to be him

Hephaestus: Nexus

In god games Hephaestus' thing is trust, he's pissed that Ody betrayed his crew

Nexus is the Goddess of Loyalty so it fits really well that she'd be upset about that

Nexus was also a knight so being a god of blacksmithing isn't too far from that

Aphrodite: Soul

Aphrodite cares about Ody's mom's broken heart

If we thing of it in the context of soulbonds it makes sense that Soul would be upset about that

Ares: Netherum

Ares is the only one in god games to match Athena's power, which checks out - major god to major god

Maybe its a bit ooc for Netherum themself

But god of destruction as the god of war. thats something

Would totally step in for Soul

Hera: Perix

In this AU we ignore family dynamics- Perix is not married

Calls Athena "baby" (kinda gay)

Fits the vibe

can you come up with a better idea? no, nor could I (credit to Sardar106 for this casting lol)

Calypso: Ven

They're so "This could never really happen but let us pretend"

"I wish we could've been something"

Look at this post (person who reblogged has better words than me go read that)

thank you for coming to my au talk. please share your own thoughts and opinions (but also remember that i am objectively correct all of the time /j)

Updated after Wisdom Saga

[dynasty889]

A Very Rough, Very Informal “Essay” about Eurylochus and Odysseus

I swear to god if I see someone else hating on Eurylochus. I want to scream at this point.

Okay, let’s go in depth, shall we? Let’s start from the beginning since almost everyone seems to forget the Cyclops Saga when it’s convenient to blame him. Odysseus was warned by a goddess not to shout out his name. This wasn’t some subordinate saying ‘don’t do that.’ This was his mentor and a goddess, a very powerful goddess, saying ‘that’s a bad idea don’t do that.’ And what does the idiot do? Yell out his name.

And second, yall forget Eurylochus also warned Odysseus in Luck Runs Out about the gods. Odysseus does make good points about not wanting Eurylochus to spread rumors that will make the crew doubt his leadership, but in the process brushes off Eurylochus’ very legitimate and very valid concerns. He’s like “ehhh well I’m gonna try greeting the world with open arms so sorry bud, you’ll just have to trust me.” (as if that didn’t fail for him already when he spared the cyclops). The wind bag is 100% Eurylochus’ fault, I will admit that. What angers me is that people forget Odysseus was warned by Eurylochus as well.

Is Eurylochus kind of a dick for wanting to leave his men behind when they get transformed by Circe? Yes. But it makes sense. I mean, the way Eurylochus describes it in Puppeteer is absolutely brutal. It’s slow, painful, and gory. But if you think about it, it’s a reflective of what Odysseus does in Scylla. Odysseus sacrifices 6 men to save the majority. Eurylochus wanted to leave the transformed men behind to save himself, Odysseus, and the remaining crew. When Odysseus sacrifices men it’s “oh he’s doing it to get home” as if Eurylochus wanting to leave the men behind wasn’t for the exact same reason 💀

Next, let’s talk about the two in the Thunder Saga. As mentioned by Jay many, many times, Eurylochus and Odysseus’ values switch. Eurylochus takes on being the one willing to get his crew home safe while Odysseus is concerned only about himself. So obviously, these shifts in value are going to cause a very extreme reaction from Eurylochus. When Odysseus saved his men from Circe, Eurylochus realized that they could solve their problems instead of just running from them. That’s why he brings up their past encounters with enemies.

When they’re on Thrinacia, Eurylochus isn’t acting out of anger. He’s acting out of desperation. Yall people say that when Odysseus disregarded Athena and then shouted out his name, he wasn’t in the right state of mind because Polites just died. Well I got some news for you. Eurylochus was not in the right state of mind when he ignored Odysseus’ warnings and killed the cow. He was hungry, weak, and desperate for food, and he had food right there in front of him. He also, at least in EPIC, was not there when Tiresias appeared. So he is likely ignorant of the prophecy and due to his now negative perception of Odysseus and since they technically did manage to overthrow him briefly, believes that the warnings are false/exaggerated. He’s hungry. That’s the most simple explanation. And hunger makes you do things irrationally.

And lastly, are you really going to shame Eurylochus and the crew for being angry with Odysseus when he chooses himself over them? Put yourself in their shoes. You’ve been away from home for 10+ years, you’re *still* hungry, you are bringing home no spoils and have no glory. And you’re going to tell me “Oh yeah it’s fine because at least the captain gets to go home.” No way in hell would I be okay with that even if I acknowledged my faults.

I just. Yeah. I can’t. I can’t deal with the Eurylochus slander anymore. Like I love Odysseus and he’s still my favorite character in EPIC, but man is he about just as much of an idiot as Eurylochus. He does not need as much protection as you all are giving him. He equally fucked up their chance to get home as Eurylochus did. The only exception is from Calypso. This is why we needed Polites to survive smh 😔

[startheskelaton]

We continue the theme of one spark au but the ancient Greek AU: Blue Nova and Shatter in the role of Zagreus and Melinoy. That is, the children of Persephone and Hades (in our case, Nightflyer, Sound Blaster and Sparklug). And I really think that the role of Hestia is suitable for Optimus, as well as Megatron in the role of Ares and Elita in the role of Athena. I also imagine Rodimus as Apollo and Arcee as Artemis (maybe I'm wrong)

I completely agree with Rodimus being Apollo, as they have more than a few similarities! Both are closely linked with heat/fire , in TF animated HotRod was given a golden energy bow and arrow, and both have been pared up with more people then you can count. They both have a tragic underlying to them, as much as they crave glory and love, they end up losing many who they care for, be they in the right or wrong.

Artemis I feel doesn’t have as many connections to Arcee, however I feel like in spirit they are very close. Arcee was the first female transformer, made so the creators daughter could feel represented. Though not the perfect representation of all girls everywhere, Arcee definitely gave some girls a sense of comfort. Not unlike Artemis being known to protect young girls. However it can be argued that Arcee is the most sexualized transformer in history, at least by the male majority. Something meant to comfort little girls was seen as nothing more than eye candy. And that’s why I see Arcee and Artemis as so closely linked, Artemis had many myths where she punished those who tried to objectify her, taking her own autonomy into her own hands. And seeing how Arcee has evolved over the years, making way for other female characters and even gender nonconforming characters…. You can’t help but smile

That was a lot so let’s end on something a little bit more light. I believe Bumblebee is Hercules. This may make sense but also not so let me explain.

Both characters are respectively the poster boys of their media in the modern day, both are known to be “sons” of an extremely important character, both go through some really hard shit in order to prove themselves, and both always have that one person who says “Actually in the original, that character is like this” ie Bayformers bumblebee and Disney’s Hercules. However I just think that both characters have the ability to inspire. Yes they’ve both been done a million times but we keep bring them back because we love them, and it’s not complete without them

[turning-the-frigging-frogs-gay]

An analysis of the use of tonality (key signatures basically) in Epic: The Musical

(and what it tells us about the mental state of the characters)

@ryu-deagon @elixs-mythology-corner You seemed interested? Hopefully I do a good job at explaining it!! 

For those new to music theory. Major key sounds happy, minor key sounds sad/scary. That’s literally it. You can probably already work out which one most of the songs you know are. Thing is, in Epic, sometimes you can’t. Let’s get into why.

Here’s the pattern of notes for the simplest major scale:

Every major key has a relative minor key - to find it you start on the note a minor third (3 semitones) below it and play a slightly different pattern of notes, but there are different versions of a minor scale you can play. 

You can change nothing, play all the notes of the major scale just starting in a different place, which gets you the “natural minor” 

Or if you want it to sound even sadder you can sharpen the seventh note by a semitone, this is the “harmonic” minor, the most common kind of minor we see in classical music 

And there are other versions but these are the two that are important for Epic. If you have access to a keyboard I’d suggest you play the notes in the order to hear how they sound!!

Examples… uhh … for a major key think “twinkle twinkle little star” (usually played in C major)

And for a minor key. Just search up any piece of classical music in the key of A Minor, start of Chopin’s waltz in A minor is a good example, would link it here but I have a feeling tumblr won’t like that lol

Crucial thing is: epic almost never has that sharpened seventh note. You could also consider the tonality of most of the songs to be something called a “mode” which is a scale used in folk music before classical music popularised the use of the “harmonic” minor keys. This could signify the musical’s taking place in an ancient time before classical music? 

I noticed it in Ruthlessness first but then I realised it’s in nearly every song.

“If the song has pretty much without exception only the notes of the major scale why don’t you just say it’s in the major key?” Well I’d say it can be argued that way. But the reason i would say most of these songs are in the minor keys is because they often seem to land/“resolve” on the tonic of the minor scale at the starts and ends of phrases. Like Full Spead Ahead

Every time he says Just a Man 

Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves 

Thunder Bringer 

And for that reason to me they sound more like they’re in the relative minor keys although with Just a Man especially I think you could argue it either way which is very telling about Ody’s mental state. More on that now…

So all the songs seem to be having this kind of identity crisis about whether they’re in major or minor keys (to the point where when you look it up different sites give different answers). I guess if this is intentional it’s meant to mirror Ody’s identity crisis about whether he is good or bad? you may ask “but Fliss, i guess it makes sense to include it in songs like Just a Man and Monster, but you said it was very noticeable in Ruthlessness?” Very true. I kind of see it as symbolising Ody’s perspective on the world, especially given he later tries to justify Poseidon’s actions, he’s constantly mentally debating himself on whether ruthlessness is the answer  

And adorably the only songs that are completely unambiguously in the major key are Open Arms, Legendary (well… up to the point where the suitors join in) and We’ll be Fine. 

Even the tonality presents Polites and Telemachus as a source of goodness and light. This is especially sweet if we consider the Wisdom Saga to be from Athena’s POV and the way she views Telemachus. I’ll probably come back to this after Ithaca Saga but I’d imagine would you fall in love with me again will stay pretty definitely in the major key as well.

Concluding thoughts; the majority of the songs in epic have all the notes to be in a major key but they don’t sound major. Just like how ody has all the potential to be good but he is put in situations where he is forced to choose violence again and again. 

I would be very interested to see what key signatures Jorge actually wrote when composing these songs 

[candycorncrave]

So. Let's talk about Penacony and birds.

-Spoilers for the 2.1 quest (and possibly some of 2.2 if my theories and findings are correct)

Hey all! I'm not too good at starting these essay type things, so we're just gonna dive right in. Disclaimer, these are all just theories complied from random (not very in depth) research I did, and my own thoughts, so take it all with a grain of salt. I just wanted to put this out here for funsies!

With that out of the way, let's dive in!

From very early on into the Penacony quests, there was something that just kept nagging at me. Robin's name, (mixed with the fact that shes a singer.) The family's crest being a Nightingale. Aventurine's design very clearly representing a peacock. Ratio's owls.

There were just too many bird references for this all to be a coincidence, so I decided to do some research on bird symbolism and meaning.

And here are some very interesting things I found!

Now a lot of this is quite clear cut, so I won't go into alot of explanation, but I do find the "rebirth" part quite interesting, especially since it is hinted during the 2.1 quest that she came back from "death".

Let's start with Robin, since she's one of the more obvious ones: "Above all, the robin red-breast is a symbol of spring song and good fortune. Additionally, it also symbolises passion, a new beginning, and re-birth. Therefore, if the bird flies into your life you will be blessed with happiness and joy. Subsequently, most of the symbolism of robins is centred on their spiritual meaning which is believed to be a symbol of divine sacrifice." In native American culture, Robins also have strong ties with family and "heart centered connections."

Next up are Owls: Now this one is also pretty obvious. Dr Ratio's design has very heavy Greek inspiration, and owls in Greek mythology are very clearly tied with Athena, knowledge, and wisdom.

The thing I found interesting about this was all over Sunday's mansion, there are owls decorating a lot of the furniture. Could this have been foreshadowing for his "betrayal" and assisting Sunday? I'm not sure. In my opinion, that seems like quite a length to go to mislead players- especially since it's such a niche detail that most people probably won't think twice about. Maybe it will have more meaning in 2.2. Guess we'll wait and see!

3rd, Another obvious one, Black Swan: They symbolize the opposite of what the white swan does, naturally, so death, danger, destruction, suffering, chaos, mystery, etc.

Even more than that though, "The black swan theory of events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight."

Another one I don't feel the need to dig that deep into. It all pretty much checks out with what we've seen of her character and the events of the story so far. Black Swan is a scary lady....

4th, Let's talk about Peacocks: Now we all know peacocks are commonly associated with general wealth, pride, and flamboyance. I thought that was all there really was to it being such a big contributor to Aventurine's design. But I decided to dig a little deeper and. Oh boy.

Peacocks can also symbolize both death, and life. Now at face value this is quite contrasting, but when you apply it to Adventurine's character- it makes quite a lot of sense. A single coin flip between life and death that keeps landing face up, and yet, it's a gamble he never hesitates to make. Moreso, peacocks can symbolize the freedom and liberation of the soul. (OUCH)

And Let's finish off the doozy. Nightingales: The symbol of the family and the bird constantly following Sunday around and watching everything the entire quest without a sound.

"Nightingales are symbolic of beauty, melody, creativity, purity, and the expression of oneself freely. They are also symbolic of darkness, mysticism, spiritual awakening, and renewal."

Now I found that the latter is often meant when you see a nightingale in your dreams. It is also mentioned if they do not speak back to you in a dream you will soon be betrayed.

,,,, How intriguing.

Also intriguing, Bloodhounds are very well known to be hunting dogs, and birds are prey for dogs.

And speaking of prey,,, are fish not considered birds' prey? And Sparkle, who we see fish around every time she shows up, was the "victim" in Black Swan's quest.

Anyways. I could be grasping at straws with that last part, but I do feel there is alot of stuff going on here with animal symbolism, especially more to dig into with Gallagher and Sparkle. It's all very intriguing

If you read all this here's a cookie! 🍪 Thanks for your time :) I hope you enjoyed the ramblings of a madman. Please feel free to add anything or comment your thoughts! I'd love to discuss

[pinkblahaj]

rick riordan's female characters pt 1: annabeth

this year i reread pjo and hoo for the first time since finishing the series five years ago, and i now understand the (somewhat?) common opinion that the way he wrote female characters was definitely flawed in some ways. although, i don't completely agree with all the criticisms, and i still love the majority of his characters. because i have so many thoughts on annabeth, i'll make this post just about her and discuss other characters later.

i'm certainly not one of those avid annabeth haters, but i do think there are valid reasons to not like her- I think there are valid reasons to not like any character. for me, there are moments where she is a bit too arrogant or mean. but i don't think she should have been written with an entirely different personality either- it makes sense why she is the way she is, and all the characters are flawed in their own ways, which is what makes them relatable. i just don't relate to annabeth like i do to the characters i like more.

i see how some ppl dislike the dynamic between percy and annabeth, but i feel like a lot of those issues are just a product of their time. the judo-flipping scene in mark of athena has been made to be way bigger of a deal than it is. it was not annabeth "abusing" percy- it's more akin to play wrestling. but... i do agree that moments like this would be clearly unacceptable if annabeth were a boy (which, i know, those "if the roles were reversed" type discussions sometimes are used to weaponize the suffering of men in order to diminsh women's issues, and i am not trying to do that here). it unfortunately does make sense when you think about the whole anti-femininity trend that used to be so common, and existed in rick's books as well (ex: aphrodite's children). annabeth is supposed to be tough and scary, not soft and weak. but we should also keep in mind that every relationship's boundaries our different- annabeth might joke about percy being dumb, but it's obvious that doesn't bother him and he likes the nickname "seaweed brain".

annabeth's treatment of rachel in botl seems to be a dividing topic, and i can see both sides. i honestly was quite bothered by it when i reread botl, and i find it strange that some ppl will hate on percy on this book while not criticizing annabeth. but honestly that's probably because i'm a sensitive person. some ppl find it funny, which is probably how it was supposed to come across. it was probably just as obvious to rachel as it was to us readers that annabeth was only being mean out of her fear of losing percy... and rachel did indeed like percy. but i do wish that we would've seen someone call her out or see her apologize, and while her abandonment issues are an explanation for her behavior, they are not an excuse. but again, it's safe to assume that rachel was not that affected by it, and being a teenager who is rude to someone bc they like the same guy as you is not the worst thing a person can do. (i do think it's interesting how this situation is brought up more frequently than leo bullying frank, which actually did hurt frank.)

contrary to what i've seen other ppl say, i actually really liked annabeth in heroes of olympus. i thought her povs were great, and i loved to see her interact with the new characters, especially piper. i also found her more likable (ik some think she was too perfect, but i loved seeing her as a competent leader). the scene with frank and the finger trap was so cute and because i love and relate to frank, i will forever appreciate her for that. however she was def underutilized- outsmarting arachne by attacking her pride made sense because of arachne's backstory, but that strategy became overused (the way she defeated nyx was kind of ridiculous). and of course, who doesn't love the percabeth scenes- sure they were obsessed with each other, but that makes sense. they just met the rest of the seven, ofc they're not going to care about their new friends to the extend that they do for each other (side note: i don't disagree that seven felt like "co-workers", but i don't see a problem with it either).

leah was a perfect choice for the tv show adaptation. i honestly could not care less that she's not blonde and white. yes, the acting could be a bit better, but they're young and i've seen worse acting from older actors. what i do have an issue with is how annabeth was written in the show. i feel like the writers read that she's the brains of the group and she's serious and forgot that she's also a twelve year old girl. annabeth is a great character because she is strong, smart and skilled, but still flawed, realistic and relatable. i wish the show delved into other parts of her character, such as her love for architecture, the scene with the spiders, and her relationship with luke- this last one especially is such an important part they missed out on, because it's a huge source of her vulnerability in the books. i'm completely fine with them cutting out her crush on him, but the fact that she looks up to him and sees him as family is so central to why she can't accept that he's betrayed her. her believing that there is still good left in luke is also key to how they defeat kronos with luke's help. show luke says that annabeth is like his little sister, but without us actually seeing this relationship, it's going to be hard to understand in later seasons why annabeth defends him.

overall, annabeth is a great character and deserving of her popularity, but i don't think that if you dislike her you hate complex female characters. while she's not my favorite, i see her as a testament to both rick's ability to write good female characters and some of his shortcomings in this area.

[blazinghotfoggynights]

I am so happy for episode 7x4. Why? It has already led to lines of communication about romantic and queer journeys that are not typical.

I see Team!Tuck and Team!Buddie have some members that are not happy with the other and think the other team is delusional or doesn't make sense. Only the members of that show's crew know what is going to happen. For all we know, Buck could meet a third party, fall in love, leave the 118, and go off to happily ever after.

(I so don't want that. But what can a girl do?)

I want to say that as someone who probably has just a teeny bit more of life experience than many people on here and other social media, no I am not sharing my age, I have seen, and experienced, a lot. Remember I mentioned lines of communication opening? They are open now because people are inspired and feel empowered to share their thoughts and experiences.

To Team!Tuck, yes, Team!Buddie is still quite a possibility. How? Did you know you can be so in love with someone you have no idea you are in love with them? Sounds crazy, right? But it can happen. It took many years for me to see that I was head over heels for my best friend. I never considered it. I never looked at him that way. We were just really close and besties.

It took someone asking me if I were stuck on a deserted island and could only have one person there with me, who I would choose. I said his name instead of my then boyfriend's name. I didn’t even think about it. It was reflexive.

The person was staring at me smiling and watching me as I realized what I’d said and then a montage of our friendship played in my mind.

“Oh my god.” That was me.

“Finally figured it out?” That was the other person.

When I thought about it, I compared men to him all the time. The qualities I was most attracted to in my partners up to that point were qualities they shared with him. But it was at that moment, many years into our friendship, that I realized that had been happening.

This leads me to Team!Buddie. Team!Tuck is valid and could very well be endgame. If the writers make Eddie a completely hetero man with no flexibility, Buddie will not happen. However, they have offered a character who is literally an amalgamation of Buck and Eddie as a possible love interest. It is funny to me, because when I look at the Tommy character I see the lovechild of Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley. Buck picked a man who mirrors him physically but shares a lot with Eddie including military background, quick wit, snarkiness, the willingness to say screw the rules when needed, hobbies, etc.

If Buck knows with no uncertainty that Eddie is not, and will never be, an option, wouldn’t it make sense that a man who is so much like Eddie would catch Buck’s eye?

I will also say that it is not impossible for someone who truly believes they are 100% heterosexual their entire lives to realize one day that may not be the case. How do they realize it? They look at someone of the same sex and have an epiphany.

As a young one who was new to this world, I fell for the rhetoric that sexuality is static and does not change. You were either straight or gay. There was nothing else.

This older, wiser version of me knows the only things you can count on in life are change, surprise, and unpredictability. She is also grateful for those who worked hard to explain that sexuality is a spectrum and give those who never quite found a space a label that finally fit.

She is extremely grateful for the brave people who who have the courage to live out loud and raise their voices in pride so others know maybe one day they can do the same.

I will always have my fingers crossed for Buddie endgame. I’m talking big wedding, tears being shed, vows so sweet everyone requires insulin. You get the picture.

However, I also want to see the two characters who never have happiness or a partner who truly supports them find what Hen/Karen and Athena/Bobby have. If that is with other people, so be it.

One more time, I am going to say major respect for ABC and the show writers for flipping off that network that can go to hell and giving this arc life and to Oliver and Lou for doing what is bound to piss off a lot of people who won't be shy about vocalizing their narrowmindedness.

[lemotmo]

Ngl, whenever someone talks abt dreading Athena centric eps? I really don't mind them!

This isn't criticism towards people who dislike them, btw. I understand! I just wanted to share my perspective on them, as someone who also doesn't love the copaganda centric Athena (to me, there are two Athenas - the cop and the one Bobby is married to, lol).

Anyway. My point: Angela's time is limited.

I'd much rather sit through one episode focusing on her and then have most of the season dedicated to the others, than have a storyline cut across the season. This is actually what happened in 8a! There really isn't that much Athena outside her landing the plane and then the copaganda ep.

Her getting the limelight in a more concentrated way makes it easier for me to see it as a random action movie. It means I get to enjoy the other episodes more, because there's more breathing room for the other characters, and ngl more time to put together a cohesive episode (look at 8x06!).

Again, this isn't to offend anyone or tell them they can't be frustrated with Athena centric episodes!!! Just a different approach that helps me deal!!!! She's gonna be on the show whether we want her to be or not, and we NEED Angela there because for a majority of the audience she IS at the core of the show. It is what it is. I am... trying to see things positively. Especially for the gay firefighters escapism show. Why feel bad if there's an episode I can easily skip on a rewatch instead of tire my fingers having to skip?

I like your approach here. 😊

My approach is pretty similar, in the sense that we all know that we are going to get the Athena as a police officer episodes once in a while. That is just a fact. A lot of the time we can see these episodes coming from miles away. So I just adjust my expectations for that episode and try to see through the Athena as the supercop storylines to see what lies beneath. I always tend to find something positive to latch onto and appreciate.

And don't get me wrong. I love Athena as a character, as Bobby's wife and Hen's friend. I love her mentality and her spirit. I love when she is just being a civilian going about her daily business. I love that Athena so much.

I probably wouldn't mind Athena the cop if she would be a little less 'superhero cop'. She seems to be able to do it all. No matter what happens, for some reason Athena is always in the thick of it. It's just weird to me. As far as I know she is a patrol officer, not a detective. So why is she handling all the work that is supposed to go to detectives? It's just so weird to me. It brings me out of the story every single time.

Last, I adore Angela Bassett. I have adored her ever since she portrayed Tina Turner in the 90s. She is a brilliant actress and yes, for a lot of people she is the main appeal to 911. So I'm happy she's there and still happily playing Athena.

I also think that Angela won't be able to film all that much for 911 the following months. So yeah, her time is definitely limited. Isn't she filming 3 other projects or something like that?

[celaenaeiln]

who do you think would be the batfamilys godly parents in a pjo au?

Interesting question!

Previous post about how Dick and Percy and Tim and Nico are identical.

Also disclaimer: All these characters can come from different gods which is why I struggled with this because I have a hard time simplifying them into one trait but I tried my best to do them all right.

Bruce: I think it'd be really interesting and fitting if Bruce's godly parent was Hades. Bruce's obsession with not killing could lend itself to him experiencing the afterlife and resolving to himself to never send anyone there. He has an obsession with anti-killing and Bruce is also a billionaire so it would tie in with Hades being the god of riches.

Dick: He's the son of Apollo. Mainly for the reason that he's seen as the light to Bruce's darkness and how he made everyone happy and laugh and stuff. Apollo, the god of light, music, and archery matches with Dick's background as a performer and his exceptional physical abilities and combat skills. He also likes helping people. Apollo is the god of healing which means he can accelerate healing, provide comfort, and alleviate pain. Apollo was also known for his beauty and charisma. A demigod of Apollo would have a natural charm, an engaging presence, and the ability to inspire and captivate others which certainly applies to Dick. Furthermore Dick became an actual prophet in the Death Metal arc, having visions of the future. So many attributes that belong to Apollo are also written for Dick. I was already working on this ask when I got the second one but here's a brilliantly written essay ask by anon about why Dick could also be a son of Ares.

Jason: Jason's pretty much the son of Ares. He struggles with pain and he has a canonical violent nature to his robin ("mean streak" as Alfred called it). As Red Hood he has a lot of anger and restlessness and love. Him being the son of Aries also ties into how Jason feels sad about his own anger sometimes. This would be something fun to explore with him analyzing his own bloodlust like in canon and coming to terms with it. It also makes sense because as Red Hood he acts a lot like Clarisse but smarter. Because Ares is the god of war, Jason would have a high pain tolerance and resilience which enables him power through battles and this could be tied to his post-lazarus pit experience. Ares' children possess exceptional combat skills, strength, and a fierce determination which aligns with Jason.

Tim: Athena. As a demigod of Athena he would possess exceptional intelligence, critical thinking skills, and a natural thirst for knowledge. Furthermore he and Dick have a good tactical sense on the battlefield which aligns with Athena's Goddess of Wisdom and Strategy.

Stephanie: Hermes! She's fun, outgoing, and social but Stephanie also struggles with insecurities of not living up to expectations. For as bright and sunny as she is, she also gets super anxious about her abilities and meeting Bruce's. I feel like this is very much how sons and daughters of Hermes felt. They were a super happy bunch but at the same time they felt a collective feelings of being abandoned by their parent. Of not being enough for them. This feeling marks the majority of Stephanie's robin career. Her reappearance as Spoiler aligns with the Hermes demigods of being accepted for who they are and becoming happy. Furthermore Hermes, the god of travel, communication, and athleticism, would align with Stephanie's resourcefulness and agility as Spoiler. Hermes' children possess swiftness, agility, and a talent for communication like she does.

Cass: Artemis. Goddess of the Hunt. Children of Artemis would heightened senses, such as enhanced vision or hearing, and are skilled in survival techniques which fits in perfectly with her meta-like body reading perception skills. Artemis' children often value their autonomy and prefer solitude and while Cass may not prefer it, she's not opposed to it either. Artemis is self-sufficient and can adapt to any situations by relying on her own skills and resourcefulness which Cass excels at.

Damian: I don't know how it would work but Damian's godly parent would also be Hades. Maybe Hades is his grandparent but his powers are strengthened by his connection to the Lazarus pit given the revival thing and how Hades is the god of Death. Hades is associated with darkness and shadows so ofcourse Bruce and Damian also have the power to manipulate shadows, using them for concealment, transportation, or even offensive purposes.

Duke: Duuuuuke. Duke was so hard to define and I debated over him for a while before coming to the conclusion that his godly parent is probably Hephaestus. Given Duke's resourcefulness, technological skill, and his ability to manipulate light as the Signal, Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths, craftsmen, and technology, would align with Duke's technological prowess and inventive nature.

Again all of them are multitalented and can come from a number of different parents so I did my best to take into account their history and abilities and motives and tried to write them individually. This turned into less PJO gods and more actual Greek God characterization whoops

[rdng1230]

9-1-1 Tag Game

I was tagged by @until-i-set-him-free

Rules: answer your opinion on these nine topics, then tag nine other people to give their opinion as well

Favorite Character: Damn, I know I'm the Sal girly around here but my favorite character is actually Eli. I love his mixture of Jiminy cricket and fairy godmother. And there's a heaviness to his soul that makes you immediately understand that every lesson he has to impart was very very hard learned. I also admire the hell out of May. (but also Sal and Tommy obvi)

Character You Relate to the Most: I think I relate to a lot of them in different ways. May is only a year younger than me so I definitely relate to her sense of wanting to fix the world and to not accept a shitty status quo. I'm an info dumper/deep diver like Buck, actually I make him look like a walk in the park lol. Chim and I have really similar senses of humor too. Oh and Sal's stubbornness for SURE.

Favorite Episode: I love a bunch of them for different reasons. Chim Begins is high up there. I miss the ones with thematic consistency, Rage is a favorite. The factory fire scene in Buck Begins always gets me.

Hottest Take: oooooooh y'all not gonna like this one. imo Bobby and Athena have diametrically opposed world views and attachment styles, and I feel like their marriage has fallen into a pattern of "lets just put them in peril so we never have to deal with the super major incompatibilities they have." And I haaaaaaate that because you have two fucking stellar actors who could EAT UP that material should the writers ever stop eating around the edges of all that.

Favorite Lone Star Character: I'm nowhere near up to date and I know things are a bit fucked with the actress not coming back for season 5, but I love Judd and Grace, their love is so intentional and based in these really strong mutual values. I love what they bring out in each other and in the world around them. Oh also Marjan because I have never been able to resist a hot civil disobedience doin' Roller Derby girl a day in my life.

Favorite Ship: Saltommy, Bucktommy, and whatever Grace and Judd's ship name is.

Most Underrated Character: Eli. I'm still so mad he wasn't at the madney wedding. (and his wife Molly, who they never even bothered to show on screen but you just know she's freaking awesome)

Most Underrated Ship: honestly, the answer would be saltommy but I have gathered so many of us together I forget normal people aren't obsessed with them. Honestly? I think the answer is Eli and Molly because we never got to see them. I just know their relationship would be so fucking amazing. I'd love to read people's versions of them!!!!

One Thing You’d Love to See: Well, more saltommy'ers of course, but also more peace in general for the fandom. There's enough sand and toys in the sandbox for everybody;)

NP tagging and apologies if y'all were tagged already: @racerchix21 @cliophilyra @nine-one-wanton @judymarch15 @sunnywithachanceofbi

@thepinkcrayon @loopsenjoyer @gaybonesforivy @jamieroyjamieroy

[kwazii-son-of-poseidon]

general facts about this AU-Percy/Kwazii introduction post

Okay important distinction this is a future AU in which the events of the Percy Jackson series happened pretty much how they did in the books the only major difference is that on Cersei's Island, there was one pirate that instead of trying to kill them actually helped them Escape because he saw a kinship in Percy because he's a son of Neptune( this is Calico Jack) and Tartarus leaving both Percy and Annabeth with permanent damage, Percy losing his eye and Annabeth needing to walk with a cane because her ankle never healed properly, also Percy is the only double duty character everyone else is how they are in the show or how they are on the books no more combos just him

Okay, so this is an octonauts human Au that takes place in the Percy Jackson Universe, going to start with the obvious Percy is Kwazii due to being off and on America's Most Wanted since the age of 12 through 16 (even though all those charges were dropped and otherwise resolved) Percy need an alias to work with regular society without drawing too much-unwanted attention to himself, why he chose a pirate Alias in the 21st century nobody knows, it might have something to do with another son of Poseidon Calico Jack( the actual real-life pirate) kind of adopting him as a grandfatherly figure because he was the only pirate to not try to kill them on Cersey's Island, all of the monster stories that he tells are not real and he does not believe in the reason he tells them is because one he kind of wants to fuck with his crew and two the plan is to tell obviously fake monster stories so the crew no longer believes in monsters to keep them safe, he is one of three demigods on the crew the other two are tweak daughter of a Festus( if Apollo can have kids with guys a Festus can too) and peso son of apollo. Also for some reason peso actually believes in his obviously fake monster stories even though he has pulled him aside multiple times and told them hey no I am fucking with the crew, inkling also knows he's a son of Poseidon because he is a legacy of Neptune

He is also a shark biologist but he can't share his knowledge about sharks because he chose a pirate Alias. against everyone's wishes. inkling went out of his way to come up with an alias he was supposed to be Peter Johnson but no Percy said fuck that I'm going to be a pirate

Oh and the reason he wears an eye patch is not for Aesthetics he actually lost his eye in Tartarus, and this would be mentioned in Annabeth's post as well but she uses a cane because the events of Mark of Athena and House of Hades did long time damage to her ankle

Also, all of the Percy Jackson characters or how they look in the TV show, because one Leah is our Annabeth and two blonde hair Kwazii makes more sense than brunette Kwazii

Oh also before I forget in this Au he's 28

Another thing I forgot to mention the reason why he has Arachnophobia is spiders are a trigger for Tartarus because Arachne  is the reason both he and Annabeth fell in

[box-dwelling]

OK so as someone who just genuinely loved Dual destinies and is keeping my theis length DD apologia in the drafts at least for now. I genuinely want to know why people don't like it.

I have seen this take from so many AA fans who I completely agree about everything else with. I need to understand why it sounds like we played completely different games.

I will put some I've seen but feel differently about under the cut

Critisms I find unfair:

-it doesn't tie up the loose ends AA4 left hanging. We don't hold any of the other games up to this standard because they all properly finish up the characters arcs. Aa5 cannot be blamed for the problems we want to overlook in AA4. I do also love AA4 but it does leave a lot of dangling plot threads that the others don't and that would be a fucking nightmare to tie up *staring directly at sibling reveal*

- Clay comes out if no where. He's very well established through the game. He just isn't mentioned in AA4 just like Fran isn't mentioned in AA1 and Dahlia isn't mentioned before AA3.

Critism I acknowledge is a reasonable opinion people can have but strongly disagree with

-Spilting the game between the protagonists stops them having proper arcs. Athena is our weird girl for this game. She is our maya. We get to play as her for 1.5 cases. For the majority of the game she's taking up the weird girl screen time and she's honestly still doing that in the ones you play as her. She's just a weird girl who happens to be a lawyer. In the main game Apollo and Phoenix have a roughly equal amount of screen time by chapter. They cut the bloated filler not the arcs (yes I will argue that 5-2 is needed for Apollos arc. Its there to set up his relationship with Athena that us a catalyst later on)

-Phoenix and Apollo are OOC. No. Phoenix is still a cryptic little bitch when you don't play as him and in AA4 he was so very clearly missing being a lawyer. It makes sense. Apollo very clearly in the last case of AA4 regains a lot of his respect for Phoenix. No, he doesn't do this on screen but again that is AA4s fault not dual destinies. That's how he acts the last time we see him so that's how he's acting now.

-The Phantom comes out of nowhere. Plot wise, maybe. But so do a lot of AA villians. Thematically, he's the perfect fit. DD is a game about trust. Very, very explicitly. A spy is someone who can't trust anyone. The phantom is a man who's shut himself off so much from emotions that he no longer recognises why trust is needed. And also has an ability that directly preys on people by making them think hes a trustworthy figure. He's not an incredible villian but he is thematically cohesive.

-almost a part 2 to the last point. The Fulbright reveal comes out of nowhere. First of all 5-2 has some very very choice sprite framing lol. But beyond that it also is a thematically smart choice. We as players are conditioned in AA games to trust the recurring detective. The villain should be someone that we trust. The guy was likeable but also fundamentally always kinda hollow and did in fact pull a shit ton of strings in 5-4 that we all ignored because we trusted him. The clues are there. You're just not ment to pick up on them because of the formula of these games.

-Edgeworth doesn't need to be there. Again game with a theme of trust. He doesn't necessarily need to be there but his dynamic with Phoenix does. They spent 3 fucking games setting up how important it is that those two trust each other and in a game about trust his absence would be felt.

-I don't see this a lot but I did see it a few times. Blackquill is a bad prosecutor. Honestly this is a taste thing and I love him. He is my little bastard man. Also thematically he embodies the two people you aren't supposed to trust in these games, a convict and a prosecutor but is actually a cool guy.

-I've never seen this but I can guess it's happened. Pearl comes out of nowhere. Again theme of trust. Phoenix has just lost the two people he's been relying on to trust the most and needed to be reminded that there were other people he loved and trusted so letter from Maya and visit from Pearl.

-mood matrix. I like the mini game I think it's fun. My brain likes to sit and logically think about what emotions it would make sense for someone to feel in situations.

Criticism I agree with but really don't bother me

-Trucy is side lined. Yeah. I love her to pieces and will never complain about getting more of her but it doesn't make sense for her to not be there plot wise and they clearly just didn't have room for her. I am happy with my Trucy scraps. I would visit her and present every piece of evidence to her to get as much dialogue as I could.

-Klavier is sidelined. Also yeah. But he did genuinely need to be there for 5-3 thematically for that case. (It is literally a showdown between his school of thought and the one he thought phoenix had) but they couldn't make him procecutor because he'd be too much on their side. It had to be someone who at that point seems at least a little morally dubious. I wish there was more but I will also happily take my Klavier scraps.

-the anime cutscenes. I don't love them but I do have a little switch in my brain marked "watching anime" that I can flip and enjoy them for what they are.

-the switch of the voiced sound effects. Yes they are worse but like, I can live with it.

Stuff I don't like and won't defend

-turnabout reclaimed racism and fatphobia (also blatant animal welfare ignorance). I'm not defending it or overlooking it but it's not the only game in this franchise to be problematic.