#percy is his harshest critic

[grizzly-paladin]

I keep seeing complaints about this and it's true that this doesn't actually represent Percy or his abilities at all, but we need to remember that THIS IS HIS POV. This is how Percy sees himself and always has been.

From the very beginning of TLT Percy shows low self esteem and feels like he's not good enough. He spent his most formative years being told by every teacher and classmate that he's stupid because of his dyslexia or a bad kid because of his ADHD. He got expelled from school after school for those very things and then went home where Smelly Gabe reinforced every one of those beliefs (and threw in a heap of physical abuse for good measure).

Percy spent most of his childhood being told day in and day out that he was stupid and a waste of oxygen. The only person who ever told him otherwise was his mother who he had to watch suffer with Gabe's abuse that Percy was powerless to stop (only to later find out she endured that mortal monster to protect him from mythological ones)!

Yes original series Percy was unhinged, sometimes confident, often willing to do risky stuff with out thinking too much on it ("I think I'll start with the top"). But that was almost six years ago in this series. Six years that he's been battered by monsters, ordered around by the gods, put in mortal danger more times than anyone. All while watching his friends die around him while he lived.

Yes he led the demigods to victory in the Titan War. The ones that survived that is. They took four busses loaded with campers into the Battle of Manhattan — with the Ares cabin staying behind — and the survivors couldn't even fill one bus after they rejoined later. Percy feels personally responsible for those deaths. Every one of them, but especially ones like Michael Yew who was one the bridge Percy destroyed, or Beckendorf who sacrificed himself so Percy could get back to camp a year earlier, or even Luke who ended up being the subject of the prophecy instead of Percy like everyone thought ("Hero's soul cursed blade shall reap").

We see Percy as the guy who drew first blood in single combat against the God of War at 12. Who manipulated Crusty into his own trap. Who disobeyed orders multiple times to join quests that weren't his. Who created a mini hurricane without even trying. All throughout the PJO series we see Percy consistently underestimate himself, play down his strength to others and even to himself. He doesn't see himself as the guy who defeated titans; he sees himself as the one who failed to save his friends. Couldn't stop Luke from turning. Couldn't protect his mom.

Then we got five books that showed us Percy from other people's perspectives. We saw Hazel question if he was a literal Roman god! We got Frank talking about how Percy almost single-handedly body three whole-ass cohorts. "He fought like a demon." We got Nico calling Percy "the most powerful demigod" he knows. We watched Percy smooth talk and manipulate Bob into spearing his own brother (that was an Annabeth chapter).

But Percy doesn't know about or see any of that. Percy only knows that he never thought to see if Riptide can write as a pen until Annabeth suggested it. Percy only knows that they had almost ended the Giant war before it could truly begin when he got a nosebleed that woke the literal Earth. Percy is Percy's harshest critic every step of the way.

Lines like the screenshot above are how Percy has always talked about himself in his own POV. We're supposed to be upset about it. We're supposed to want to scream into the page and tell Percy how wrong he is. That he's smart, powerful, capable, and most of all good.

We literally read how Percy felt around Annabeth's architecture friends. How he perceived them as talking down at him and thinking Annabeth could do better. Percy thinks that too! These thoughts we're seeing from Percy are the result of a lifetime of bullying, abuse, and the trauma of being a literal child soldier. And we're supposed to be angry about it. But not at Rick.

We're supposed to be angry at Gabe for abusing Percy and Sally for years. We're supposed to be angry at all those teachers who wrote Percy off as a problem kid and failed to attempt any accommodations to help him learn. We're supposed to be angry at all the schools that kicked him out because he needed extra support. We're supposed to be angry at the gods that used him as a pawn for years and continue to drag children into their drama.

TLDR: The last several book series Rick put out showed us an outsider's perspective of Percy so clearly that fans have forgotten how much bleaker the inside view is.

NB: None of this is to excuse Uncle Rick's inability to form a coherent timeline or how badly he needs to fire his editor and hire a couple fans instead. But people need to remember that Percy is and always has been an unreliable narrator. Him shit talking himself in his personal thoughts is nothing new and is almost never discussed in-world because he doesn't actually talk about it.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

thank you rick riordan i love it when you don't care about your own characters and just go on an incorrect quote generator

[utilitycaster]

I think there’s also this refusal to admit that *Imogen* is projecting her own feelings about religion and the gods onto FCG and the coin, and that she’s in the wrong for doing so. Like, FCG isn’t somehow victimizing her by having a belief system that doesn’t line up with hers, its his idealism and faith rubbing up against Imogen’s cynicism, her resentment towards the gods for not helping her personally, and her pretty rigid way of looking at the world. (Which is why they have one of the most interesting dynamics in the party, but I digress.)

So here's the thing: I don't think Imogen actually has strong feelings about the gods either way! I think this is falsely claimed by people trying to recast Imogen's consideration of the Ruby Vanguard as a good and righteous thing rather than something messy and complicated but at no point does she outright position herself against the gods. The harshest statement I can find from her is that they don't mean anything to her, which is ultimately neutral. I think this is a distinction that trips a lot of people up when discussing theology in Exandria in general; I think many people, especially those who perhaps have left a strict religion, do not have room in their conception of this fantasy world for people like Imogen, or Percy, who have little personal use for the gods and no religious practice, but don't hold any deep resentment either. The most I've seen from her regarding the gods and the coin is irritation, and like...Imogen is irritable about most things.

I think, if anything, Imogen, who has always been one of the most if not the most vehement defender in Bells Hells of FCG's personhood, is much more annoyed that FCG, upon discovering they were in fact a full, living person, immediately submitted to a higher power, but would feel the same way if FCG had joined a weird club. Honestly I bet if FCG enthusiastically became a full-fledged zealot of the Ruby Vanguard, she'd be annoyed too [sidebar, this made me reframe her conversations in episode 3x49 in a new light so thanks for the question!]. I think Imogen's worldview means she really struggles with earnestly giving one's self over to a cause in general, and FCG is doing things a very different way than she would, and she's cranky about it.

But with all that said the criticism I saw in the fandom focused much more on blowing Fearne's dislike of the coin out of proportion, rather than being about Imogen, so this isn't even terribly relevant to that. I really do think it's as simple as people resenting FCG for taking up space they think belongs to Imogen; possibly resenting him for not actually being the shipper on deck of their fevered conspiracy theories; and possibly also for not being a truly sourceless cleric, which was a very popular concept early on in campaign 3 among people who are stupid.

[percival-templeton]

THE PAST RELATIONSHIPS OF SER PERCIVAL TEMPLETON

Lady Lenora Lefford (128AC – 129AC): Percival first became interested in Lenora due to the Lefford fortune, aware of how beneficial such a match would be for him and his family. He began pursuing her, beginning a discreet courtship that was kept private. He found soon enough that he actually quite liked the young lady. Their romance ultimately ended in part due to the opinions of Lenora’s family only mere months before the Dance of the Dragons broke out. Their goodbye was a painful one, but Percival reassured her that she would be alright and that a good future awaited her. Despite not seeing the lady again until very recently, Lenora still holds a special place in his heart due to having been his first love. Lady Janna Baelish (130AC – 131AC): Following the end of his secret relationship with Lenora, Percival found some solace in the company of Lady Baelish, the youngest sister of the ruling lord. A friendship led to courtship and he was betrothed to wed her, with some delays to their planned wedding due to the war. Unfortunately, Janna fell ill while Percival was away in battle and ended up passing away at the young age of twenty. Lady Jeyne Waynwood (134AC): With the rapid succession of losing his lord father in the war and losing Jeyne to illness, there was a period of time in which Percy remained on his own, isolating himself as he went through his grief. Having earned the title of Knight of Ninestars and being the one who had to continue his family's lineage, he eventually sought a potential bride in Lady Waynwood. He had heard rumors about the lady, her strangeness, and the whispers about her being cursed. He was in awe of her cleverness when he got to know her better and he did develop genuine affection for Jeyne in their time together. Ultimately, her father denied Percival's proposal to wed her, convinced that his daughter could marry someone of higher status than the Vale knight. Lady Fiona Grafton (135AC): Percival briefly courted Lady Fiona, however it was ultimately decided by both House Grafton and House Templeton that a marriage wasn’t necessary since they already had good ties to one another. Fiona and Percival became good friends during this period and continue to be friends to this day, often bickering and gossiping together. Lady Myranda Umber (135AC – 136AC): To establish an alliance with the Umbers, Percival agreed to marry Lady Myranda. The courtship lasted about six months and a betrothal was made official. The relationship was mostly a long-distance one since the Knight of Ninestars continued to fight in the war. During this time, the betrothal was unceremoniously ended, as the Umber lady became pregnant from her lover and thus was made to marry that man by her father in an attempt to preserve her honor. Such a slight hasn’t been forgotten by House Templeton, with Percival being the harshest of critics for the way it all unfolded. Since then, he’s never missed the opportunity to talk shit about House Umber. He does so with a polite smile and in the most caustic manner, of course. Lady Zaida Manderly (139AC – 140AC): By the end of the year 139AC, Percival entered talks with House Manderly with the intention to unite their houses. The betrothal that was arranged between Percival and Lady Zaida ultimately ended due to some tensions between the Manderlys and the Vale. Both himself and Lady Zaida remained on good terms, however, in a great part because of the lady’s kind and friendly nature. Every now and then, the pair exchange letters.

( @lencra, @jeynewaynwood, @zaidamanderly )

[takaraphoenix]

For the fanfic ask meme: 1, 12, 20, 34 :)

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction?

Uuuhm... 14ish, I think. *tilts head*

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why?

JONATHAN CHRISTOPHER WAYLAND-LIGHTWOOD-HERONDALE.

He is so much fun to write. I love his complexity and his angst and pain and the relationships he has to the various other characters in the franchise.

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Yeeeah. Actually. There’s “Part Of Your World”, which literally had a whole third act that I just never wrote because I lost motivation. It would have turned into a Tritercy version of “Chasing Fireflies”, essentially, but then CF really took off and writing two parallel next gen fics was just too... weird for me, so I canned POYW.

Also “The Trial of the Chosen”, which was literally supposed to end in an OT6 with all of them getting together with Percy in the end, but that would have taken far more time and energy and I completely lost motivation and stopped shipping Leo and Percy along the way, so I just canned it and ended it as Nico and Percy as the only endgame.

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

Already answered that by saying I can’t answer that xDDD

[darrilshrugs-blog]

The Thin Man & The Ranger - Ch. 4

After an intruder in their room, our heroes run some totally mundane errands until they can reconvene and move forward. There's no way anyone gets his or herself in trouble.

Link

They didn’t leave the inn until much later that morning - or more accurately, that afternoon. After all the cleanup and reports and other excitement, there had been the appropriate amount of time spent on, in and around the bed. Then they had dressed, and headed downstairs for a meal. On their way, they became distracted by whispered words and wandering hands, which lead to a return to the bedroom - and then finally back downstairs for food. When all that had been taken care of, they parted ways to conduct a little business on their own. Percy had to address the tasks that were the official reason for their trip; deliver some documents from various Whitestone trade guilds and the council to their counterparts here in Vasselheim. He had also wanted to look in on Victor - to make sure his hand/claw/pick contraption was still in working order, or even if the old man had managed to keep from losing any other major body parts. Vex'ahlia was planning to look for additional bestiary tomes for her library, as well as a quality bow-maker. She had begun to consider training and outfitting other hunters for patrols around the city and the Parchwood. Trinket would accompany her, although she did not have much of a choice in the matter. He made it clear that he did not wish to be away from Vex, after not being present to stop this morning's intrusion. Either through Trinket's sharp senses, or some long attunement to Vex, he had recognized something wrong with his 'pack’, and had sundered, with claws and brute size, the doors leading to the inn's back gardens in an effort to get back to the room. It had taken substantial soothing from his mother before he would step away from her, needing the enticement of meaty treats and assurances from both of them that they would not lock the doors veranda while Percy and Vex enjoyed private time together. Vex had also skillfully calmed the owner's angst over damage to the property, until an allusion was made to banning the bear from the premise altogether. At that, Vex'ahlia had slid into an aristocratic mien that filled her husband with pride (as well as other feelings, but even newlywed ardor has it proper limit - he would let her know later). “What kind of ‘high-class’ establishment allowed noble guests to be accosted by hooligans in its suites?” The owner was quick to make apologies, and Vex agreed to pay a reasonable amount for any repairs to the doors. They planned to meet back at the inn in time for a late afternoon drink. They would further discuss the unwelcome visitor of the morning, and if, or how, they could further help Lyra. - Vex stalked forward in the alleyway that led to the back of the building that had once been the Velvet Cabaret. Her eyes watched a figure drag a burlap sack along the ground toward an open door in the building’s rear. Either the sack was heavy, or the man (she could see it was a man, now, likely human, but it was still too far away to make out his face) was not very strong, as he gripped the sack with two hands at one corner, and seemed only to be able to pull it along in short bursts. Taking another step forward, Vex could hear the man grunt and strain with each pull. He was almost at the back door, and she still couldn’t make out his features in the shade from the surrounding buildings. He was wearing clothes just a bit too nice for manual labor, so he likely wasn’t miner or a craftsman, but not fine enough to be those of a noble or clergy. Maybe a merchant? She couldn’t tell, and she couldn’t see his face, and he was almost inside! Hoping for a better look, she took a few more rushed steps forward. Still crouched low and careful, she tried to remain quiet, but urgency was beginning to outweigh her caution. Besides, she had checked the alley fairly thoroughly as she came down it, and Trinket was stationed at the entrance to the street behind her. If anyone entered the alley from that direction, she expected to hear his warning growl, followed by suitably terrified reactions. Her rushing steps didn’t help. The man finished yanking the sack across the threshold, and loosed a relieved grunt as he leaned back even further into the pitch-dark of the inside of the building. The door swung closed, leaving no sign of the man except for the drag marks, and some drips in the dirt that could have been from the man’s efforted perspiration. Vex was frustrated at having missed a chance to gather more information, and if she were honest, a little with her own inability to do something about it. She would always be her own harshest critic, even though she had made a concerted to be more forgiving with herself. She paused just inside the end of the alley, before it opened into the tiny, shady back courtyard. What would Vax do? , she thought. He would attempt to infiltrate the building, either by picking a lock, or stalking to a second story window, and continue to search inside. He would then likely do something stupid, get himself caught and have to throw himself out the window in a bloody mess in order to escape. No, that won’t do at all. She would wait. She would wait a little while, and see if the man left, or if anyone joined him. As she had tried to stealthily rush forward the last few yards to get a better look at the man, she had noticed an area of shadow, created where an entryway to the building on the alley’s left side jutted out. She had caught it out of the corner of her eye as she had advanced, its darkness deep enough to be hidden from even her superior vision. It would have a view of the target door, and keep her out of sight. She sidled two steps over, and slowly edged backward, eyes remaining fixed on her target door, waiting to feel the angled wall at her back. Instead, alarm washed over her, and her sense of time to slowed to a crawl. The object she backed into wasn’t a wall, it was a person. Taller than her, she felt their chest give slightly against the pressure from her back. She sucked in breath in shock and her instincts kicked in, screaming in her head. Move! Fight! Run! Whoever was behind her, they were blindingly quick - faster than she, which was nearly impossible. Before she could react, a hand flashed into her vision and an arm was felt around her body. A gloved hand passed her eyes and covered her mouth with firm pressure, while the other arm, not thick, but strong still, wrapped her arms against her sides and applied enough leverage to pull her backwards and up onto her toes. She had been surprised and rendered almost helpless in an instant. Her attacker continued to pull her up and back. She heard a whispered voice in her ear. “Shhh. Hello, wife.” - They walked back to the inn mostly in silence. There had been a few whispers and hand gestures in the alley, but the rest of this conversation would take place in someplace they knew they wouldn't be overheard, and after they had both had a few minutes to put their thoughts in order. Trinket, always excellent at reading their moods, made his way out onto the room’s veranda, and lay down in a remaining sunny patch. He folded his paws and rested his head upon them, looking in. "So," Vex started, she sat down on the bed and began to unlace her boots. "We both had the same idea and decided not to share with the other. I thought we had moved beyond this, Percival, both of us". The tension in the room was almost a living breathing thing, filling the air between them. They had argued before, been angry at each other, but not since their relationship had changed; become something new, with promises and rings. "Yes." His eyes came up from where they had been focused on down toward his shoes. They looked at her, and his mouth took on the slight upturn that meant he believed he was saying something particularly clever. "This is what we get when we both try to be inscrutable". Vex smiled around the beginnings of tears in her eyes, at her husband’s pride in his own silly, clever words. And like that, the worried emotion drained from between them. The potential storm of concerns discharged by a countervailing force of warm feeling. "And that is why we both waited until we had died before we told each other how we felt” She crossed the room to wrap him in her arms, leaning head against his chest. “For two people who believe themselves smarter than most, we can be awfully dimwitted". "Mm. " he muttered, and leaned back slightly from the waist to try to look her in face. “Perhaps we should endeavor to always be clever together". "Hmmm." She leaned with him, keeping her ear against the steady heartbeat in his chest, and frustrating his attempt to pull away. "Another vow this week? A vow of scrutability." She felt him chuckle, the rumble in his chest against her cheek. "There's no way that's a word, but I agree regardless. If a mess will not allow us not to be involved in it, then we shall be involved together." She made another approving sound against his chest, and they stood that way for quite some time. He continued, “This is a deal I would make at any time. Do you happen to have a contract that I can sign in blood?” “Percy!” She laughed, scandalized, “That’s terrible!”

[riordanness]

THIS. POST. this is so absolutely true.

i have criticisms for rick in this new trilogy, especially in wrath of the triple goddess, but it’s much more for annabeth and the way she acts around percy that i don’t like. this post isn’t about that.

while a lot of the dynamic between percabeth is super different in the new trilogy, it’s mostly the way annabeth perceives and treats percy. percy’s inner monologue and way of thinking about himself hasn’t changed as much as people are saying.

remember, we haven’t had percy’s direct pov for months. so much has happened since we were in his head.

i just know that i know percy jackson better than i’ve ever known a person. and this is still him. slightly different, yes. traumatised and grown up? yes. influenced by walker’s percy? also yes.

i can also guarantee you that neither percy nor annabeth has actually had any real proper therapy or shit after tartarus, so… yeah.

percy has always thought badly of himself. he is his own worst enemy, and that’s always been the case from the very first page of the lightning thief.

“am i a troubled kid? yeah. you could say that.” “bad things happen to me on field trips.”

percy was abused, neglected (by poseidon and gabe), bullied, shipped from school to school, struggled with adhd and dyslexia (which is not easy.), and never had any real friends until grover. we know this.

then, at the age of literally twelve, which is insanely young to me (especially now that i have grown up and am eighteen, twelve is ridiculous), he is shoved into this world of gods and monsters and is forced to go on a quest with his best friend and a girl who quite literally actively dislikes him at first.

yes, in hindsight we all know annabeth had a crush on him since the lightning thief, and percy too (although he wasn’t aware of his own feelings for like. years), but at first, he was keenly aware of her being smarter, stronger, taller, better, and a lot more comfortable in this new world that he was. all while she was kind of bringing him down a lot and making decisions for him (sort of) and all in all not being particularly nice to percy.

by the end of the lightning thief that dynamic has definitely changed, but still. percy’s thoughts about himself don’t. he has always looked down on himself. he’s always just thought that he’s Some Guy. yes, he’s aware he’s saved the world. he doesn’t think of that in some awestruck way. he just knows and thinks about how much it sucked and how many friends he’s lost, etc.

percy has terrible self esteem, and always has. probably always will. and everything that we, as readers, and the other characters, in their own povs, praise and adore him for, he blames himself for.

yes, he saved annabeth in tartarus many times. but he blames himself for getting her in there. yes, he saved olympus. but he blames himself for everyone who lost their lives (michael yew, silena beauregard, ethan nacamura, etc). yes, he’s done all the amazing and wonderful and brave things.

but in his head, he’s just this guy who woke gaia with a nosebleed and then wasn’t needed to help defeat her.

annabeth has always been elevated in percy’s head. he doesn’t personally think he is smart, even when he is genuinely very intelligent, because annabeth is much more book smart than he is, but percy is street smart. people smart. annabeth is not people or street smart, not in the way percy is. he grew up in an abusive household and multiple schools. he knows how to read people, gauge their emotions, and figure out how to get around that.

percy. is. smart. percy. is. also. too. hard. on. himself.

all in all, perseus jackson is the best character ever written, and i hate how rick is changing these characters in this new trilogy. especially percabeth and how annabeth treats percy. but not how percy is.

percy, in his core, is still the percy i’ve always known.

thank you rick riordan i love it when you don't care about your own characters and just go on an incorrect quote generator