#ethaster

[shippy-pjo-shipper]

Do you ship Ethan x Alabaster? If so, why? I'm not trying to be snarky or anything I'm just curious.

I do ship them! For various reasons.

The main one would be of course the potential of having a ship between two "bad guys". They'd understand each other's struggle, pain and hatred for the gods. And with them we can follow the progression of Kronos' plan and how some of his men start to be afraid of him and what he wants to do. Ethan becomes more and more hesitant while Alabaster's hatred remains stronger than any common sense. It would only be when Kronos starts to be violent with Ethan that Alabaster would start to react. And after that the story possibilities of having the two of them running away together and managing themselves on their own is HUGE!

Other than for their story potential I like (like I said) how they could understand each other while remaining opposed on some subjects, therefore making each other grow and see the world from another point of view that they're ready to listen to.

And both of their relationships to their godly mother are pretty interesting! While Nemesis uses Ethan for her own profit, Hecate shows more concern for her son's life and well-being, and Alabaster loves and respects her. Their experiences are so different and similar at the same time, and that gives them a rare potential imo.

This ship really is more based on story potential than personalities (even if it is a little of course) cause the two of them remains defined by their anger against the world more than anything, which are two characters which could be terrible or really interesting to see interact and/or be in a relationship together.

[takaraphoenix]

for the two ships thing: I think I should know this - cause I read most of your PJO archive - but what do you prefer, Alabaster/Ethan or Will/Jake?

*laughs* No, that’s actually a really good one! Specially with the more... side-pairing ones, I don’t think I show muuuch preference. Thanks for playing! <3

Mh, so, overall, I’d say Alabaster/Ethan, because E was one of the first characters I grew fond of and Al has the bonus of being the son of my favorite goddess! Those two and the potential they carry - exploring the rebellion, or giving Nico some non-Seven friends.

Though I do also love Will and Jake a lot and The Lost Hero really, really sold it to me a lot, but this one, Al and E win!

SEND ME TWO SHIPS AND I'LL TELL YOU WHICH ONE I PREFER!

[m4gp13]

I generally try to keep relationshippy type posts more platonic on my blog but ethabaster shippers (or ethaster, as I’ve seen it referred to) y’all gave me content when there was none, this one’s for you babes <3 Also quick sidenote, this ship has extremely limited content in canon (which is to say, NONE) so a lot of this is based on speculation but bear with me because some of them are actually fairly plausible (or at the very least they aren’t explicitly ruled out by canon). Si tight because this may end up being pretty extensive.

The main reason they are shipped is because they are the only two similarly aged demigods in the titan army that we have any information on (including name) and thus have some small chance of meeting however it would be silly to say this is the only reason and - believe it or not - there are some other interesting reasons on why this is shipped. Keep in mind this is the PJO fandom, a fandom that visibly adores the “the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one” trope (have y’all seen how popular Solangelo is ???) and in that respect Ethan and Alabsters personalities are easily compatible. 

I can’t recall a single instance in the books where Ethan is described as smiling; he is usually serious, driven and has very sharp responses to questions or statements he doesn’t like (see: “there is no wrong side”, glaring after being asked about his eye and almost pulling a sword on Percy for questioning his mothers motives and ethics). Alabaster on the other hand, while he is still traumatised from the massacre he recently witnessed, does still make ironic comments, smile and he is described at one point as “happy-go-lucky”. And yes, it is important to note that Ethan was with his enemy and Alabaster was with an ally during pretty much every page we see them in, the fact that Ethan had moments ago been rescued by the people he was snapping at and Alabaster still being somewhat cheery despite the horrors he had only just witnessed suggests it is more of a personality thing rather than a situation thing.  

This beloved trope is of course not the only instance of compatibility between the two. For example, Ethan’s story ended with him giving up the notion of getting revenge on the Olympians like kronos wanted and instead giving his life to pursue and fulfill his original goal of balance. On the contrary, Alabasters story is currently in a state in which vengeance helps keep him going; he sites revenge as the only thing that would make him go anywhere near chb. This sort of balances them out and creates and interesting dynamic and it would be a joy to see them interact after this but considering Ethan’s current predicament I don’t think that’s likely except in fics. (although in this Ethans calmer demeanor would make him the sunshine one and Alabaster with his John Wick revenge plot would be the grumpy one).

They also have a lot in common but not so much that they start looking like mirrors. They are both clearly passionate about their cause, both of them are willing to kill and die for what they believe is right. They both openly express how strongly they feel to the conflict and they didn’t get so far in the army by being apathetic to what everyone around them is fighting for. Alabaster was chosen to lead the demigods into battle and Ethan is definitely a person of note in the army from the things we’ve seen him do (meaning they had a very high chance of meeting during their time in the army). However, Alabaster and Ethan view the army in very different ways. Al clearly sees the army as a heroic force from his “hero’s never die, right?” line while Ethan isn’t so black and white with his world view which we know from his “there is no wrong side” line. This means that they are similar enough to have common interests that they can bond over while still being separate people that can act on their own wishes, desires or simple personalities. (because sometimes it’s nice when characters are characters instead of just existing to serve a ship)

They understand each other. As they were both high ranking members of the titan army with similar goals they will have had similar experiences and therefore know things about each other that most people just can’t; as in, they don’t have the experience necessary to understand them like they understand each other. This is very appealing from an observers perspective because a lot of the time people don’t want grand declarations of love and massive bouquets, they just want someone to know them intimately enough to be truly in love.

They also have a lot of story potential both before and after Ethan’s death. Especially if you consider the fact that Al could have saved Ethan or brought him back as a mistform. People like drama and intentionally or not seek out dramatic things. Ethan and Al’s storys are dramatic enough on their own but when you put them together and then imagine all the things they could have done or could do!!! The spice! The flavour! The DRAMA!!! and the intrigue. They are both very interesting characters that can pique one’s curiosity easily. When people are curious about characters they look more into them, think about them more and in some cases this leads to shipping.

Another reason is simple vibes. Sometimes you just look at some characters and go “yeah bro those guys vibe together” and that’s that. Your ship has been chosen by the Vibes ain’t nothing you can do about it. 

These aren't the only reasons of course but these are the only ones coming to my mind; if you have others please tell me. Now that we’ve got a couple of reasonings of why they’re shipped it’s time to look at their canon interactions. Since there are none you may expect me to skip this part entirely but you underestimate my devotion to both my favourite (platonic and romantic) ship and ✨obsessing over throwaway lines that only exist to give the readers a clearer image of a scene in their head rather than any plot important reasons✨. That’s right fellas it’s over analysis time (as the old saying goes, “if i cannot find homoerotic subtext, I will create it”) !!!

Before we begin, fear not avid lovers of sticking to things explicitly mentioned in the books, my argument is not “On page 228 of my copy of battle of the labyrinth, Ethan is first mentioned by a demigod holding a torch. Alabasters mother is the goddess Hecate and one of Hecate’s symbols is the torch therefore Alabaster is the person who found Ethan and thus the first times both are mentioned is in conjunction with each other which means boyfriends”, although I will admit my mind did have fun spiraling down to that little tidbit.

We know from the son of magic that Alabaster was able to use his magic to protect himself from the Princess Andromeda exploding but we are never given an explanation on how Ethan survived. I have mentioned this theory before and I’m going to say again the idea that Alabaster used the same magic to save Ethan that he used on himself. Alabaster doesn’t mention Ethan when he tells Claymore how he survived but remember he is still traumatized and it is anything but rare for trauma victims to seriously suppress their trauma (for example: almost watching a close companion being blown up right in front you and knowing that you are the only thing standing between them and breaking their toe on the big bad bucket) Of course there are reasons this might not work such as Ethan leaving the main deck to go to the engine room before the ship blows and Alabaster, being a high commanding officer, was likely on the deck when she blew however, Alabaster could have easily given Ethan some kind of magical protection before hand as they were warned of the anti Andromeda plot and will have prepared for any possible outcome. 

Another deadly event that Ethan miraculously survived is the bridge incident. Realistically, do you genuinely believe that an unconscious, minorly wounded kid is going to be able to drag his unconscious body through a massive crowd of tightly packed teenagers, to the other side of a very large bridge and get far enough away from that bridge to be safe from it completely collapsing all by himself ??? We already know Alabaster is powerful enough to survive an explosion of greek fire so a collapsing bridge should be nothing to him, even if he is lugging around his friends limp almost-corpse. Also, if you like the trope of character A lovingly teasing character B then there’s nothing to say Alabaster wasn’t the “nice knowing ya” guy and, If you prefer it when character A ruthlessly defends character B from silly jabs then there’s also nothing to say Alabaster didn’t stomp on the guys foot the second Ethan left. 

Another thing, ya know how Al has a bit of a revenge thing that he might need to tone down ever so slightly? Who better to help with that than a kid whose mum is the goddess of that kind of thing?! And yes, I know Ethan was already dead at that point but also, I don’t care; it can sort itself out. Anyway, I feel like with Nemesis kids it’s less of a “constantly seeking revenge for everything” and more of a “having a deeper understanding of revenge and therefore more able to regulate who does or doesn’t need some vengeance in their life”. It would have been interesting if Ethan survived and sorta coached Al on his feelings and how to deal with them in the least destructive way possible.

Also, as I mentioned before they are both high ranking individuals in the titan army. Al is chosen to lead the demigod forces into battle and Ethan seems to get called on by Kronos for a lot of specific tasks i.e. the sword of Hades, capturing Beckendorf, guarding Prometheus and being with Kronos during what he thought would be his final victory. From this we can assume that they probably worked pretty close together as the only high ranking demigods aside from Luke that we know of. All other important people in the army are titans, monsters or gods. As the only two demigods with such importance they probably gravitated towards each other and bonded over their workloads, goals or other things that people talk about before developing more intimate feelings (I assume but anyone who knows how relationships work please correct me if I’m wrong)

Also, a couple of things I noticed is what drives them is, at surface level, the same thing. They both want the Olympians to back up a bit and allow for the minor deity’s to receive some of the respect that has been with held from them for centuries. However, Al is more deeply motivated by his emotions while Ethan is not so much. Al expresses anger at the gods and disdain, he almost immediately latches on to the closest father figure he can get and gets notably excited when it appears he’s about to win and distraught when he thinks he’s lost. Ethan is motivated less by hatred for the gods but by a less emotionally draining thought of the minor gods deserve respect. He never gets emotionally invested in tasks, even life or death ones, unless attacked with something personal (he was generally apathetic during the parley until Percy started insulting him and his mother).

 This could be due to Al being allowed to openly express emotion while Ethan has been taught to suppress it. What evidence do I have for this? Their mothers. To Nemesis, Ethan is a tool, a means to an end, a “thing” to use so she can get the desired outcome. To her, taking his eye and telling him to join the army was little different from drilling a hole in a board. She took a part of his body as payment so she clearly doesn’t see him as or care that he is his own person with thoughts, feelings and desires of his own. Hecate on the other hand actively acknowledges that her son has his on interests ideas and she wants to see him happy which is a complete U turn from Nemesis. We know that Al ans Hecate have regular enough conversations through dreams but we don’t know if Ethan ever met Nemesis after the eye thing. So we know that Al has contact with a mother that not only supports him but actively uses her powers to improve his life (see Claymore) and Ethan saw his mother once, was presumably traumatized and never saw her again. Big yikes. (Also the reason that Hecate stopped resisting the Olympians was because they threatened her with Al’s life. If Nemesis was the one who chose to resist and Ethan was still alive would she have stopped to keep him alive? I doubt it)

But yeah that’s pretty much all possible character interactions they could have had, the rest is up to our dear old friend, imagination. have fun kids. Also pretty much everything here can be read as platonic sooo.

[takaraphoenix]

18, 19, 20, ethabaster

Thanks for playing!

18. Who confessed?

Mmmh, probably Ethan? Alabaster is a stubborn bastard, he wouldn’t :D

19. How long did they know each other before getting together?

I headcanon that both of them grew up from a very, very young age in the Hermes Cabin together, so like... ten-ish years, I’d guess?

20. Who’s the ship’s biggest in-universe supporter?

Depends on the AU. It’s not like we know a whole lot of the rebel army.

And if it’s a more detailed rebel army take, I’d probably go with Chris. Outside, in AUs, definitely Luke because I like the idea of Luke and Ethan being best friends.

Ship Preference Game

[takaraphoenix]

S for ethaster for the ask thing

Thanks for playing! ^^

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

Well, clearly did they reunite post-canon. Ethan may have been yeeted off Olympus, but he’s FINE. Alabaster opened a portal for him. They live in a cabin in the woods, Alabaster earns their money by doing hand-readings and card-tricks and other silly things that are beneath a son of Hecate but it brings them money, Ethan hunts most their food himself, he’s really become an outdoors-y guy. ^^

Fandom Ask Game

[takaraphoenix]

for the ship ask thing can you do ethabaster ?

Thanks for playing! ^^

Who’s the…

…werewolf/hunter: Mh… Witch who is a hunter Alabaster and growly loner werewolf!Ethan, who then falls for Alabaster when Al realizes that the wolf is not necessarily dangerous?

…mermaid/fisherman: Octopus-merman!Alabaster who crawls onto the Princess Andromeda and seduces himself the first mate ^o^

…witch/familiar: Clearly, witch!Alabaster and then familiar!Ethan

… barista/coffee addict: Ethan is clearly a coffee addict and maybe Alabaster is the irritated barista who really dislikes all the things, however there’s that handsome regular he really likes?

…professor/teaching assistant: Professor!Ethan who technically has no time for that teaching assistant but he’s cute so oh well

…knight/prince(ss): Knight!Ethan, with matchmaker first knight Luke, and prince!Alabaster then, I suppose ^o^

…teacher/single parent: Teacher!Alabaster and single parent!Ethan with like a child-version of Luke?? It would be cute :D

…writer/editor: Writer!Alabaster who is trying to impress the new editor but Ethan is very serious

Ship Dynamic Game

[takaraphoenix]

lukethan or ethabaster?

Thanks for playing!

Well, I have no attachment to Luke/Ethan while Ethan/Alabaster is among my favorite side-pairings so thaaat is a very clear winner in this case! ^-^

SEND ME TWO SHIPS AND I’LL TELL YOU WHICH ONE I PREFER

[shippy-pjo-shipper]

Here's a bunch of ships to consider. Jason/Calypso, Will Solace/Thalia, Will Solace/Leo, Jason/Ethan, Percy/Athena, Ethan/Alabaster, Magnus/Jason, Percy/Khione, Triton/Thanatos. Thoughts?

Jason/Calypso (Jalypso, Calypson) : Ok anon you will listen to me very carefully... I love Jalypso. This ship is gold tier, this ship is awesome this ship is... gods it's just wonderful, ok ?!! I adore this ship, Calypso and Jason could have one of the cutest relationship in the entire Riordanverse (yes I love them that much). Just all of you should try to think about Jalypso, it's wonderful (two cuties with a big heart who would hurt anyone who threatens their love ones ? A-do-ra-ble.).

Will/Thalia (Willia, Thil) : Oh yes ! I've thought about it and it's really cute too. Thalia is the kind of demigod who's always "too" invested in capture the flag, so she would end up in the infirmary a LOT. I'm totally on it for a friendship between the two, and as a couple ? Yes, a thousand time yes !

Will/Leo (Willeo) : Again, a really cute ship. The two are nice, the two are fun and the two are protector. Will has a lot of love to give and Leo could need that. They certainly would have a lot of fun together. (And Naomi and Leo would love each other, she could be like a mother to him too. + country music at every family dinner, Leo would love it).

Jason/Ethan (Ethason, Jasan, Ethon) : Ethan is in a big need of affection and Jason gives affection (he's not really good at understand it but he gives a lot of it). So why not ? Actually it sound REALLY good and I'm really interested by it.

Percy/Athena (Perthena) : Like I said a few days ago, it's not really my thing. A good fanfic material, but that's it.

Ethan/Alabaster (Alan, Ethaster, Ethabaster) : Yes, yes, yes, yes yes yes yes yes yes... YES ! I shipped it at the moment I met Alabaster in Son of Magic.

Magnus/Jason (Mason, Jagnus) : Already told what I think about this one, two words : absolute cuteness.

Percy/Khione (Percyone, Khiocy) : ... Wahou... And I thought I had crack ship. I'm impressed anon, sincerely impressed. But... I really don't know what to say, when I first saw your ask, I almost laughed, like... I thought it was ridiculous. But have to admit that more I think about it... more I like it. It's crack, probably one the most crack RR ship I've ever seen (the most one being the next one), but it could be cool (haha... sorry). Water and Ice loving each other, Percy could make melt Khione's heart, help her to be less cold and warm her (no seriously I love this jokes). I think Percy and Khione could be really interesting, and I'll look forward to it.

Triton/Thanatos (Tritos, Thanaton) : ........ whaaaat ???? Ok, ok, ok, but seriously... I kind ok like it. Triton is arrogant and Thanatos seems to be the "too strict forward to be appreciated" type of guys, it could work. I don't ship lots gods but this pairing is unusual, has a certain logic and lovely, all I want from a ship. So again, why not ?

Thank you for all this ships anon, what I can resume from all of that is : crack ships but good ships, cuties, lots of cuties, and Jalypso... just... Jalypso

[takaraphoenix]

Alabaster and Ethan? Or Luke and Ethan?

Alabaster rating Ethan:

Looks: should be a literal sex god | too gorgeous to be true | gorgeous | handsome/beautiful | cutie | nice | not my type

Alabaster: *watching dark-eyed* All mine.

Ethan: *flushes*

Personality: SWEET CINNAMON ROLL TOO PURE FOR THIS WORD | I love them | I like them | they’re okay | they’re an asshole | I hate them | despicable being | has no personality

AlabasteR: *winking at Ethan and kissing him*

Relationship: we’re lovers | we’re soulmates | we’re platonic soulmates | we’re best friends | we’re friends | we’re allies | we’re family | we’re enemies

Alabaster & Ethan: *fist-bumping*

Ethan rating Alabaster:

Looks: should be a literal sex god | too gorgeous to be true | gorgeous | handsome/beautiful | cutie | nice | not my type

Ethan: *kissing Alabaster with a smile*

Personality: SWEET CINNAMON ROLL TOO PURE FOR THIS WORD | I love them | I like them | they’re okay | they’re an asshole | I hate them | despicable being | has no personality

Alabaster: *basically sprawled out over Ethan’s lap at this point*

Relationship: we’re lovers | we’re soulmates | we’re platonic soulmates | we’re best friends | we’re friends | we’re allies | we’re family | we’re enemies

Alabaster & Ethan: *too busy making out to hand in the questionaire*

[takaraphoenix]

Alabaster X Ethan + kisses?

Alabaster likes to steal them. Just, lean in and get a kiss from Ethan. Even in the middle of meetings. Ethan is so used to it, he doesn’t even really notice, only when Luke next to him huffs or laughs. Just innocent pecks.

The deeper kind of kisses are reserved to the bedroom though.

And then there are the freckle-kisses. Ethan likes to trace Alabaster’s freckles with kisses. Now those definitely belong to the bedroom, because they reach far beyond Al’s face.

[takaraphoenix]

Ethan x Alabaster + sleep cuddles

Alabaster likes to use his magic to turn into a cat and curl together on Ethan’s lap when Ethan is still working and Al wants cuddles.

Ethan isn’t a huge cuddler, but he likes to indulge Alabaster whenever his boyfriend feels cuddly.

They don’t do a lot of sleepy morning cuddles because Ethan has to get up early to help out Luke - being his second-in-command and all - so it’s mostly sleepy night-time cuddles.

[takaraphoenix]

Ethan/Alabaster for the ask thing please?

Who said “I love you” first: Alabaster. But it ends with “jerk” so it has been debated whether or not it even counts.

Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background: Ethan does. Alabaster relentlessly teases him about it.

Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror: Percy. He’s a stupid dork who, after training in the morning and using the communal showers on board of the Princess Andromeda, likes to write E+A in a heart and other stupid teasing. Ethan has repeatedly asked Luke and Octavian to please control their sea brat. Luke just cackles and adds even more hearts to it… (And yes, this just turned into an AU where Romans and Greeks fought together on the rebel front and Tavy and Luke seduced Percy into joining them.)

Who buys the other cheesy gifts: Ethan, occasionally, small things. Usually, it ends with Alabaster teasing him again.

Who initiated the first kiss: Ethan did, it was a rather romantic setting. For the most part. The drunk, partying rebels below deck not counting.

Who kisses the other awake in the morning: Neither does. Usually, the sunlight through the windows wakes them. Or the bored Percy knocking on their door, complaining about Tavy and Luke working too hard and too much (it’s times as those that Ethan deeply regrets befriending Percy, or letting Percy befriend Alabaster).

Who starts tickle fights: Neither of them.

Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower: Oh, that’s something Al does.

Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch: Neither, they get lunch together at the cafeteria usually.

Who was nervous and shy on the first date: Again, neither. They just had a genuinely good time.

Who kills/takes out the spiders: Ethan wouldn’t dare. Alabaster loves spiders.

Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk: Neither, though there is a lot of making-out happening.