#potterless

[rayssion]

I've just started listening to potterless and I'm playing the introduction and Mike just goes all out and says something like:

"fun fact! Cedric Diggory is the only Hufflepuff we meet during the whole series!!"

"fun fact! Cho Chang is the only Ravenclaw we meet during the whole series!!"

And I was really wheezing like the man really knows nothing

[uselessgaywhovian]

You there!

Watch 20 to Midnight. The D&D actual play stream by Gabriel Urbina, Beth Eyre, Emma Sherr-Ziarko, and Mike Schubert. It's delightful.

Here, let me get episode 1 for you

[imyelenasexual]

me listening to potterless

and i just listened to the episode where mike finally finished the books and his love for mcgonagall skyrocketed

and then get a news notification “remembering dame maggie smith” thinking i missed her death and she’s been dead

but no it’s that she actually died today, as i listened to potterless

i don’t know what to feel

rest in absolute peace dame maggie smith, we all will always love and cherish you and your life ❤️

[rays-of-gold]

mike schubert thanks for this one

[mycolddisaster]

[dont-u-know-it]

i've listened to the same episodes of potterless probably six times and they always brings me joy

[girlgregheffley]

relistening to potterless. Podcast Of All Time.

[chiefnooniensingh]

I listened to the Cursed Child Potterless episodes again and I just kept thinking, whenever Harry did something: Harry Potter would not, under torture, say or do any of this

[froginapartyhat]

Reblogging because Mike Schuberts podcasts are a gift and binge listening to them single-handedly got me through the pandemic

Honestly going through series I lived with fresh eyes is so entertaining

So with the disney series on the way and one of my friends currently in a production of the lightning theif musical I've been getting back into pjo, and I've been listening to the newest olympian podcast (guy named mike who's never read pjo reads pjo and talks about it chapter by chapter with longtime fans), and in episode 8 he talks about how the cosmic threat (gods) is really different from the malicious threat in other books (eg voldemort) and it makes the stakes have a really different energy because it's not someone evil intentionally hurting people for personal reasons, it's larger powers at play who don't really care if they hurt people because to them it's just collateral damage.

Now of course mike is still early enough in book one that the cosmic threat is the only threat and we all know that changes as the series goes on, but it made me think about the difference between the godly antagonists and the human antagonists in pjo and how they're portrayed, and I sort of realized for the first time that, in the case of the fate of humanity, pjo doesn't have "bad guys".

There are two types of antagonist in pjo. The first are the gods/titans/other mythological beings who don't care about humans beyond what they can do for them and are mostly just fighting amongst themselves. Yeah, big bad villain Kronos isn't really a fan of humanity, but destroying humans isn't his main objective in the war. His objective is destroying the gods and taking back control. Destroying humans is a happy bonus for him, but even if he knew he wouldn't be capable of that he would still be fighting the gods.

The second type are the half blood traitors, and this is what I really care about, because Luke is an antagonist but he is NOT a villain. He's a victim. And that distinction is the entire point.

Throughout the entire series Percy shows he understands this concept. Our first minor human antagonist is Clarisse. Percy doesn't like Clarisse, but he understands she's a product of her situation and he treats her with genuine compassion even when he's not being very nice to her. He knows how important her quest is to her, that her anger stems from insecurity, and he makes sure she gets to take the fleece back even though he won't get any credit.

As the books go on we see more significant demigod antagonists who don't just bully Percy but actually betray him. It would be easy for Percy to hate them, to write them off. But he doesn't.

Nico turns on Percy several times throughout the series, always for the same reason (seeking information on his family/bianca). Someone else might see that repeated betrayal and be furious, and yes Percy is a little pissed, but his first conscious reaction is guilt that he wasn't there for Nico and his first instinct is to try and help him. He continues to trust Nico despite everything. And Nico fights alongside Percy in the very end when it counts.

Silena doesn't just betray Percy, but all of camp and by proxy all of humanity. And instead of seeing a traitor Percy sees that, just like Clarisse, just like Nico, Silena is a victim of this life they've all been forced into by their godly parents. Percy understands that the human threat has been created by the cosmic threat, and Percy turns around and says "no." He has Clarisse's back. He forgives Nico. He makes sure Silena is honored as a hero. He gives the knife to Luke.

And this is what sets pjo apart. This is why the story is so important. Luke is the ultimate traitor. He was Percy's first friend at camp after Grover, and at the end of book one he tries to kill Percy and nearly succeeds. He turns his back on the gods, offers himself to Kronos, and forsakes all of humanity. And instead of building up that animosity throughout the series and culminating with Percy killing Luke, Percy spends years trying to help him. He learns Luke's backstory. He meets his parents, the godly and the mortal. He sees Luke's experiences as what they are: trauma. He finds him and asks him to come back. He offers him his trust. Luke declines, multiple times. But Percy doesn't stop trying. And at the very end, when killing Luke is the only way to stop Kronos and Percy has the opportunity to do so, he doesn't. He is not the hero, and he knows it. Instead, he forgives Luke. He gives him the knife. He offers his trust. And Luke finally accepts.

So Luke dies, Kronos is defeated, and Percy is not victorious. He sees it as a failure that they all let it get far enough that saving Luke wasn't an option. The gods offer to grant Percy one wish as a reward for his heroism, with immortality as the implied correct choice. And Percy shocks them all and says "no. This isn't about me. It was never about me. I don't want to be a god. I want you to make sure that what happened to Luke never happens to anyone ever again."

[tamayokny]

so....long story short i have been inspired to revisit the harry potter series. i rewatched the movies, but i don't feel like rereading the series so i'm listening to the potterless podcast. and mike schubert is hilarious for many reasons, but i laughed so hard when he said harry potter is dumb in his first episode for goblet of fire. cause he's so right lmfao harry is one of the most dense protagonists ever but i love it.

[rcarx]

discovered the creator of the podcast "potterless" also created a similar type of series for percy jackson and im so excited to listen to it!!

[pagesofkenna]

does anyone want to go with me to the Newest Olympian liveshow in LA next month (and maybe also pick me up/drop me off in Palm Springs bc I know my car won't be able to make that trip)

[acourtofquestions]

Welcome page/post thx 2 A Court of Questions by @lavendarneverlands

This is my (secondary/“side”) blog for my #FirstRead (& adoration of) the Maasverse! — But take this as a heads up: I mix up the two pages frequently😅😂 sorry in advance for any confusion! — Think of this page like Potterless (except probably not half as cohesive & good as the podcast lol😂). I love enjoying the series with the fandom so please feel free to reach out to #ReadAlong or #ReadWithMe (it’s why I’m on Tumblr; no one I know reads these). 🫶 also check out the tumblr community “@maasverse-first-readers” for more :-)

Header image: Blue illusion Art & Profile pic: Beth Gilbert Art

LET’S FANDOM ABOUT IT

This is a Maasverse related blog, thus it does discuss the series & spoilers (depending on where you are in the books) HOWEVER I try to keep up to date with spoiler warnings (often in the form of: #tags, red, 🚨, or what I call the “more” bar of safety) & I hope it makes it accessible for all readers! I also really try to keep this blog inclusive & friendly for everyone (any character, any ship, any reader, any person… or fae I suppose too :-) & use proper content warnings (as I greatly appreciate that in others too) … so thank you!!

As I am unfortunately human here’s a lil up-to-date guide for what is & is not discussed thus far (& as I also try to avoid spoilers for the books I haven’t gotten to yet)

— I have read ALL of ACOTAR,

— I have read ALL of Throne of Glass,

— I am currently reading my way through “CC” Crescent City; & now on Crescent City 2 (2 chapters + epilogue left)

Be warned: I’m a rambler of posts & content posting, and autocorrect is my true enemy😂🤣 p.s. I’m new here & always trying to learn!😊 I do my best to do my due-diligence and properly credit. And use TW whenever I can (as I need it in my life too <3

I leave most “reaction” posts up from my first reads. Opinions of course change over time! I try to edit & update (& or re-tag) but some stay old.

Currently my favorites and majority are:

ACOTAR

I love the Archeron sisters (Feyre is dear to me, I think Nesta is an important kind of character, and I look forward to more Elain in what I’m calling ACOTAR 5&1/2)

THE Valkyrie (Gwyn esp.)

I can go any which way with the Elriel/Elucien/Gwynriel/Gwynlain/etc. “debate” (like I said though I’m here for all fans and prefer to keep it generally positive/friendly; we’re all just enjoying stories & art😊).

I love Feysand (sry Tam-Tam😅 I struggle with him)

If you want to go give some ship love @gwynlain you can also find me there :-) 💕 because yes I am that fandom obsessed I have a side page for the side blog😂

TOG

I adore Celaena & Aelin (for posts on both I tend to call her “Aelin Sardothien” cause I love ❤️‍🔥 fireheart ;-)

Rowaelin is my fav ship (though you will find it was not an immediate love for “bird-boy”😂 from page 1😅) the “Team Chaol” force was once strong long ago (I don’t hate him now, I just like them as friends) though I’ve also shipped all the ships at some point🤣 (I like a lot of fandoms and have a very “SQUIRREL!” personality😅😂 so I do make a lot of references, despite this being my Maasverse page) there was a time for Dorlaena & of course Samlaena too

and Sam Cortland always deserves more (I love him & am still sad😅). My beloved "Assassins of Adarlan"

As will Dorian ALWAYS be beloved as a character,

I think in another life I’d like to be Yrene

Lysandra is a favorite.

Manon and the 13 are everything to me… till darkness claim us & beyond…

I still want a spin off with the cadre

I could make this list really really long because these books are one of my all time favorites

— Abraxos & Fleetfoot (TOG) & “The House” (ACOSF) as characters hold a candle to no other. —

“CC” Crescent City

I finished House of Earth and Blood “CC1”

I am currently reading House of Sky and Breath (on Chapter 12) “CC2”

I love Baxian! And LIDIA CERVOS IS AN ALL TIME FAV FOREVER!!! (Day x Night might be my fav ship in the series rn)

After that will be House of Shadow and Flame (no spoilers please haven’t read it!!!) “CC3”

I love my kick-ass gals; Bryce rocks, & of course the pack of devils & Danika (her & Bryce’s friendship meant a lot to me), Fury x Juniper (their my bb’s).

SERIOUSLY I LOVE DANIKA

Syrinx is a fav, I love all the animals!

I wish I liked Hunt more, I don’t hate him, I’m just kinda meh?.. and slowly evolving into dissapointment

& look forward to the possible crossovers (I hope)?!?

Thank YOU “fellow dreamers” for welcoming ME! into your feed & Maasverse!

& to my fellow “first time readers” Welcome to you too! 💕

+ All you old-timers THANK YOU for your loving guide notes & support (for ALL THE FANDOM FEELS😂)!

… And yeah… Hi! Much love❤️💚🩷🩵🧡 all are welcome!!! This blog does NOT discriminate & is a safe place to enjoy fandoms (because it’s about enjoying stories!) regardless of race, nationality, ability/disability, gender, sexuality, belief, age, etc. Feel free to message & tag😊 + if it helps in the matter of communicating:

I identify as she/her (please always feel free to tell me your pronouns if you like :-) 🏳️‍🌈Bi🩷💜💙 LGBTQIA+ if you wanna call me by something other than my blog name/names you can call me Lila (short for Delilah), I’m a Zillenial (21+) I primarily speak English (though I’m usually fluent in Sign, & Czech, working on refreshers & learning Spanish), Chronic Illness advocate. & I look forward to enjoying stories with you!

And there’s nothing left to say but…

— LET’S FANDOM ABOUT IT —

[gam3bo1-movedagain]

     ᘛ⁐ᕐᐷ 🧀   𓈒ㅤ⋅    "aria, that's—" literally only ten seconds of her as a background prop sitting at a cafe while the main characters spoke, but... "that's great." he says, although he sounds a lot less enthused now.

closed starter for @gam3bo1! ♡

     " i didn’t mind i was just happy for the air time. "

[puuvillaa]

Pls tell me more about your complicated past with Sirius 👀

Omg I'm putting this under a cut, I'm not brave enough to say it right on the dash

In short, I used to kind of dislike Sirius. Kind of, because I didn’t really care about him that much. I didn’t care about any of the adult characters at all, except for Snape.

Looking at Sirius from a Snape perspective isn't that great, which was why I disliked him. But ironically it's also because I like Snape that I started to like Sirius. Because. I had been away from the fandom for a decade or so, when I stumbled upon the potterless podcast, and thought it would be fun to listen to it, a bit of a blast from the past. One of the guests in it brought up the idea of Snape and Lupin as a ship, and I went, hmm, you know what, enemies to lovers has always been my thing and I used to be a hard-core snarry shipper, so I would probably like snupin too. So I read some snupin, and I absolutely fell in love with Remus.

Because I'm a multishipper, I wanted to explore other Remus ships too, and, kind of begrudgingly, put aside my dislike of Sirius to read some wolfstar since it just so happens to be the most popular Remus ship. The more I read, the more I started to like Sirius, and here we are today, wolfstar as my favourite ship and Sirius as one of my favourite characters, who actually ranks above Snape. Never thought that would happen

[rayssion]

So when I was listening to potterless, I only played the first episode btw, Mike was narrating those scenes with the wizards celebrating and congratulating one another and I'm not really sure if this was in the movie because I visualised it in my memory and all, also that scene where uncle Vernon is at work and an owl flies by his window I think? Or the wizards' whispers of Potter and Harry? Or McGonagall in her cat form watching them? Idk it's been a long time since I last watched the movie to know whether they included it or no.

The other thing that he talked about how McGonagall teared up when she asked dumbledoor about Lily and James and at that moment I was like,

"Fuck, that's true. This's Harry Potter. There's no James or Lily here. Fuck, James and Lily are dead. Regulus is dead. Sirius is imprisoned. Barty is imprisoned. Peter is a traitor who ran away. Marlene, Dorcas, Mary, Evan are all dead. Even Pandora dies eventually. And Remus is left alone"

You know that moment when you run through a rush of feelings all at the same time? This wasn't my world, this's a world where Harry grows up alone, facing Voldemort again and again. His parents are dead, his godfather dies before he could even spend actual time with him, and Remus, the last of his father's best friends, the last marauder, dies while they face Voldemort.

It was a harsh moment to realise all these people whom I love truly are dead.

And there were no happy endings.

They were barely adults, graduated school just to find themselves thrown amidst a deadly war, only hoping for a future to their kids.

Thinking about Regulus, how he knew he won't see the next sunrise yet bravely stepped into the cave.

Mary having enough and being fed to the rim that she obliviated herself and ran away. A nice new life, she hoped. Only to be killed in the end by an old friend.

Those who died fighting, they didn't even have a moment to say goodbye, to write a letter, or to give the world a final smile. One moment one was thinking about that old friend of theirs, how are they doing right now? Wishing they did actual goodbyes and the next moment all of them are dead.

Ever thought about Lily? When she found out she was pregnant, that they're having a child with death eaters literally at the other side of the wall. How terrifying must it be, to bear not only your life but another one too, to hope for that life to have a better future.

Yet James was there, James comforted her, James promised to protect her, to protect them, James... James... James....

Laying dead at the doorstep of their house.

And Lily gave her own life in exchange that her baby lives, little Harry Potter....