#rick riodarn

[coquettemouse]

I hate how Rick Riordan writes Hades, "demons", "spirit" and post life I really really hate it bc he is seeing it from an Christian POV. Only in a few religions do we see demons or spirits as inherently evil, that includes christianity. Of course we have spirits that are negative to you in pagan cultures but that is not a rule. The distinction of "angel" and "demon" as distinct things (creature representing good and creature representing evil) is not really common.

He "demonizes" any god who is not "good" in his eyes. As he did with Loki and Ares.

[ohmysatan42]

Ok I finally watched the second episode of percy jackson ( as well as rewarching the first) and yeah it's perfect.

Camp halfblood is perfect. I screamed qhen percy got claimed. This is my childhood. I love how clear they make it that Annabeth is a genius. I love that Luke seems like a lovely dude. I love that dysionius is a perfect bastard.

And the actors are amazing!!!! THESE ARE KIDS AND THEY ARE GREAT!!!! It's all so perfect and gorgeous and the writing is pretty darn good and rick has delivered!!!!!!!

So yeah gush over, now I'm gonna anxiously wait for the next ep.

[kekaki-cupcakes]

I think one of the things that made me feel icky about TSATS was that camp was empty??? 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I cant remember there being any reason for literally every camper to leave. I know that CHB gets emptier during winter as demigods go back to their families for school or whatever, but there was always enough to keep it running. 

CHB isn’t supposed to be empty, because there will always be someone who needs a place to live. I understand that lots of the older demigods will be going to college and moving into apartments I guess, and of course there's CJ to think about, but surely there's people who stay?

It just feels a bit wrong, like the fact that Percy and the main characters of all the series are moving on, which is great, can’t be separated from the worldbuilding and everything we know about the Riordan verse. 

All of those younger demigods without mortal parents aren’t growing up and moving away, so where are they going? 

[whiteraven0001]

Just wait untill the entire populacion of the Greece and Turkey finds out that they casted a black guy to play Zeus in the Percy Jackson show it is going to be a hilarious mess.

So take care Rick Riodarn.

[mehavethoughts]

Is anyone else really disappointed in the way Rick used dissociative identity disorder in Heroes of Olympus?

Hi, hello, introductions first. I am a part of a DID system, and read the series before I was aware of this. I do NOT speak on behalf of the entire DID community. My thoughts are my own.

Clarification on pronouns, as I'm aware this will probably be seen by many singlets; I am using the singular 'I' here because I am using my own thoughts, not that of the others in my system. When I use 'we' in reference to myself, I am referring to myself and other members of my system.

Terminology clarification: 'System' refers to all alters within a body. This is our preferred term for ourselves as a whole. 'Alter' refers to a single 'personality' within a system (alters is the preferred terminology, I only used the word personality here to explain. Don't call an alter a personality unless they've told you that's how they wish to be addressed). 'Singlet' refers to a person who is not a system). 'Singlet' is not a derogatory term, it is simply an easy way to differentiate. 'In front' or 'fronting' means the alter fronting/in front has control of the body. 'Co conscious' means that multiple alters are present in the body. Alters do not need to be fully co conscious in the body in order to talk to one another. 'OSDD', or 'otherwise specified dissociative disorder' is another system disorder (disorder that leads to the existence of alters rather than a single, integrated personality). There are several subtypes of it. Google for more information.

Last thing before we get into it; I invite any other systems to give their input here. As I said before, I cannot speak for every DID/OSDD system. I am trying my best, but I don't know every single thing about what every single system is like. People with schizophrenia, please feel free to engage on the brief points where I bring up your condition as well, as I do not have schizophrenia and cannot go into detail about that aspect, but Rick uses the term, so I touched upon why it is not the same as DID/OSDD. Singlets, I ask that you treat this post respectfully, even if you disagree. The validity of DID/OSDD is not up for debate, and while I'm happy to answer questions, I will not be discussing anyone's views on whether our diagnosed disorder is "real".

THE ACTUAL POST

Alright, so if anyone recalls, during Heroes of Olympus, Rick Riodarn refers to the gods as having "multiple personalities". This term is outdated, and was outdated before the books were written. If Rick had done any research, he would have known better. Never, ever, use the phrase 'multiple personality disorder'. Instead, use DID or OSDD, depending on which the system has. Do not attempt to label another person's disorder yourself.

But it gets worse.

Rick uses the terms "multiple personality" and "schizophrenic" interchangeably when describing the conditions of the gods. This is not at all how that works; DID, OSDD (OSDD is a system disorder as well; google for more info) and schizophrenia are not NEARLY the same thing, and it's harmful to both communities to refer to them as if they are. Most people are unaware enough of both as is, and both disorders are heavily stigmatized. That said, DID and schizophrenia can co-exist in the same person, but that still does not make them the same. Alters are not hallucinations, they are their own beings.

Additionally, every god's system is exactly the fucking same. 'Original' Greek personality, and second, harmful Roman personality. These personalities constantly fight for 'dominance', to the point where the body is completely incapacitated. Minerva is cruel to Annabeth and her other children. This is harmful for a few reasons. The first is that no two DID/OSDD systems work exactly the same. The odds that there is a system for every god, and every god's system contains only two alters, is not remotely how things work, either. I don't think I've ever personally met a system with only two alters, although I do know they can exist.

The second is the idea that alters are inherently harmful to one another, and that a DID/OSDD system is inherently volatile, unstable, and dangerous to the outside world. Now, alters can be harmful towards one another. DID/OSDD is a coping mechanism for severe trauma, you need to keep that in mind. However, a violent/abusive/harmful alter is an alter in need of healing. I myself have had alters who were harmful in the past, but learned a better way of communication, and are far kinder now. Some systems' harmful alters even become their strongest protectors! Conversely, many alters are helpful, or simply neutral. Rick making every single alter completely and utterly incompatible with one another is a totally inaccurate decision, and one that actively contributes to discrimination against systems. Systems exist to protect. They exist to carry people through intense trauma. Rick's "systems" are counterintuitive to that very purpose.

Thirdly is the idea that the Greek alter is the "original" personality, and the Roman alters came later. Now, I understand Rick made this decision because the Greeks came first in real life, and the Romans copied them. However, this gets at another harmful misconception; that there is one alter who is the 'real' person, or the 'original'. DID/OSDD form when a person undergoes intense trauma, so intense that it interrupts their ability to form a singular personality. I'm not going to get into syscourse here, but the last thing any alters need is the idea that one of us is the 'original' or 'real' person, and the other is a copy that came second.

Lastly, we know that Greek and Roman Apollo were system, yet in Trials of Apollo, the Roman Apollo simply? Never makes an appearance of any sort. Well, more accurately, Greek and Roman Apollo have suddenly become a singlet once again, and Greek Apollo regards all of Roman Apollo's memories/experiences as if he were fronting for them and Roman Apollo was not present/did not exist (as we can see with the Commodus situation. Given Apollo was in Rome, he would have been Roman Apollo at the time). Alters do not simply go away. They may not be present in the mind or interacting with the person in front, but they do not vanish, and can always come back if triggered. Re integration is its own thing, but does not happen simply because. You can look into that more on your own, but to put it very basically, alters only 'integrate' (merge personalities) as either a very advanced step of healing, or when under extreme duress.

And honestly it sucks, because we had such a perfect opportunity for some good DID rep in Trials of Apollo! If both Greek Apollo and Roman Apollo had been present, and Rick had consulted real DID/OSDD systems to check on the accuracy of his presentation, it could have given people some real insight on what it's like to live with DID. We had the PERFECT chance, too!

DID, as I mentioned before, forms in response to extreme trauma, especially extreme childhood trauma, which we know Apollo has. Living with a father like HOO's Zeus would definitely be enough in some minds to do it. (I say 'in some minds' because trauma is very subjective. Not everyone who undergoes trauma develops DID as a result.)

We could have seen Greek and Roman Apollo learning to co exist within the headspace. We could have seen Greek and Roman Apollo switching, responding to trauma together, and perhaps even using their systemhood to their advantage at times (though it should still be portrayed as disabling. It's a disability, guys.) We could have seen more alters, instead of just Greek and Roman Apollo. Not all alters front, or front frequently. Alters within a system may not be aware that there are other alters, or may not be aware of all other alters. When I first met the alter who made me realize I was a part of a system, another alter was also present, but did not speak until he felt the two of us were ready to meet him, too, to give one example of what that may look like. In that insistence we were not aware of him, but he was aware of the two of us.

I've personally always thought it would be super cool to see a system in a work of fiction be able to resist mind control/persuasion because the person attempting to exert control is unable to control a mind with alters; too many conflicting wills, not to mention people with DID/OSDD deal with trying to negotiate and control who is in charge of the body on a regular basis (Note: this does NOT inherently mean systems always fight for control. Sometimes, there are fights over fronting. Sometimes it's simply a conversation about who should be fronting for what. Sometimes, alters cannot switch. We refer to this as 'frontstuck'. Many systems are not able to control who switches in. We in my system can only switch on command occasionally, and it may take us a minute of focus. Some alters are not interested in fronting. Others may be triggered to front by outside stimuli, etc., etc..).

Even better, we know Apollo struggles with memory loss throughout it. His mortal brain simply cannot hold centuries of memory, but in DID and OSDD, it's actually often that alters contain different memories. This is sometimes because alters cannot remember what happens when another fronts, or, commonly, because DID/OSDD is a covert disorder, and there are often what we call 'dissociative barriers' preventing systems from accessing memories too traumatic for them to handle. Oftentimes, some alters can access these memories while others cannot. In Apollo's case, Greek Apollo could have memories of the Greek times, and Roman Apollo of the Roman, with some intersection and/or deliberate sharing between them.

There was just so much potential for Rick to try to correct his mistakes, but no. Instead it was brushed over entirely.

When Nike and Victoria were first introduced, they were trying to destroy one another. Is that the representation you'd want if you were us?

Hazel directly says in Blood of Olympus, "'Nike,' ... 'you're confused, like all the gods.'" DID/OSDD systems are not "confused". They may experience confusion, yes, that's actually quite common, but they do not exist because a singular person is confused about their identity. While interacting with Nike and Victoria, every single person in the scene refers to her exclusively as Nike and refuses to use plural pronouns ('they' is sometimes preferred by systems when referring to multiple alters, but characters in this scene use the singular 'she' even when referring to both), despite being well aware Victoria is there too. Yay, the continued dehumanization of alters who are not the one singlets are expecting to interact with. Imagine if someone just decided to flat out ignore your existence. They knew you were there, but instead insisted you were someone else. They would only talk to that person, not you, and if they did bother acknowledging you, it was to insist that you were the other person, or to ask you to bring the other person back. It would feel like shit, wouldn't it? We can confirm for a fact it does.

They then proceed to capture them and gag them with a dirty sock, to restrain them from causing harm due to their condition. They fucking restrain a mentally ill person because they're displaying violent symptoms. If you know anything about any mental illness, you know why that is an absolutely awful thing to portray. Then they threaten to have a horse nibble on their wings. Though as I said before, Nike and Victoria trying to destroy each other was pretty fucking tone deaf to begin with (again, while it is a reality many systems face, in HOO it is a problem because EVERY single system is made up of Alter 1 and Alter 2 who are trying to destroy each other, and never goes into the nuances of why an alter may actually wish to cause harm to another, or the ways this can be worked on), a better solution would have been if the heroes were able to facilitate some sort of conversation between Nike and Victoria, that led to the two of them being able to begin reconciliation. From there, instead of a prisoner, Nike and Victoria could have taken on a guiding role for the heroes of the Argo II, guiding them to victory. Nike and Victoria would still from there be able to serve their plot purpose of talking to Leo about his plan, but from the perspective of a mentor-like figure, not the mentally disordered person they kidnapped and are holding prison 'for the greater good'. Leo could still want to seek out Apollo and Artemis, both because they are needed for the cure, and to ask for their second opinion because he is not sure if they can fully trust Nike and Victoria, who did try to make them kill each other. In that case, the distrust towards Nike and Victoria is also not because Leo sees them as "crazy", but because they have committed harmful actions against him, which would be good because it would prevent the situation from being 'Leo discriminates against the mentally ill'. But this doesn't happen.

Then, we get to Delos, and Apollo and Artemis talk about how, because of their disorder, they are incapable of doing anything. Now, good disability and disorder rep does involve characters being restricted by their disorder/disability. What it does not involve is characters being completely and totally helpless. But conveniently, despite being disordered beyond the point of being able to leave Delos, he is present enough to talk to Leo and serve his purpose in the plot.

It just really sucks to see. I'm not saying hate Heroes of Olympus now, but I am saying when consuming DID/OSDD related content (or any content with a character who has a mental illness), be mindful of the way the disorder in the media being portrayed, and don't take fictional portrayals of the disorders to be true to life. If you choose to write fanfiction, roleplay, etc., do your own research and see what those communities have to say about living with it, don't just copy a potentially harmful canon portrayal. Additionally, do not simply ignore or erase their disorder.

As of right now, we exist in a world where we, and other systems, cannot tell most people, even our closest friends and family, about ourselves without fearing discrimination and invalidation. Media like this only worsens our reputation, and makes it harder for us to exist in the world.

Someone you know may be a system. Someone you love, even. Systems in your community deserve a safe place to exist as well. I'm not kidding when I say telling people I have DID/OSDD could ruin my reputation and relationships. It's not a fun, quirky thing to use as a plot device.

Thank you for your time; this was quite the ramble, but I felt it had to be said. Again, I invite other DID/OSDD systems and schizophrenic people to add to the conversation from their own perspectives.

Side note to the schizophrenic community; I wasn't able to find anything online from schizophrenic people; do you prefer person first language or identity first, if the community at large has a preference? If I get a clear answer, I'll edit the post to reflect that, but for now I've used them interchangeably.

[over-a-rainbow]

Magnus Chase is just pure as hell

The Valkyrie wants to be a pilot

The troll wants to be a fashion designer

And Magnus just wants to see his mom!

[starrypawz]

I’ve got my ‘critical thoughts’ hat on

And like this is one of the things I noticed whilst reading the OG PJO books. This is an issue that’s like not exclusive to Rick Riodarn’s writing but I’ll relate it to his works since they’re fairly fresh.

But basically the depiction of several female characters within PJO is like the ongoing issue I see with female characters in fiction where it’s like character’s can’t be too ‘feminine’ but they also can’t be to ‘gnc’ or like they still have to be conventionally attractive

Like for example

There’s a fair amount focus on pointing out that Clarisse is ‘ugly’, although her prowess in battle is praised a lot in the series it feels kind of unnecessary to be like ‘wow she ugly!’ 

This is especially jarring imo because like I don’t think we really encounter any other particularly conventionally “non attractive” female characters in the series

The depiction of the Aphrodite campers seemed to focus a lot them being sort of ‘ditsy valley girl’ types, when that’s also a gross simplification of what Aphrodite stood for

The only Aphrodite camper we meet is Silena, and tbh she doesn’t really have that much substance to her imo?

Annabeth is both depicted as being not that ‘feminine’ in terms of her interests and appearance but she’s also still generally depicted as being conventionally attractive

Rachel, I wouldn’t quite call her a manic pixie dream girl but I think she sort of has that vibe going, where yet again she’s shown to not be super conventionally feminine, and she bridles with her family about the having to go to a school to become more ‘typically feminine’ but also she’s still implied to be conventionally attractive

Thalia is presented as like a ‘alternative’ girl, she has a bit of a ‘not like the other girls’ attitude towards the Hunters which tbh at least that gets resolved so I think Thalia is the only one who doesn’t fall into the trap as much

[aromanticflamingo]

Whew, that was a long break. I’m back, how was everyone? I’m leaving my private school on Monday cause I’m lonely and have no friends there. also Rick riodarn is cowriting a solangelo book!? Lots has happened, love yall bunches.

[thejudgingtrash]

I like how you brought up the problems with rick riodarn’s poc rep because as a Iraqi American my issue with Samirah al Abbas character is that she is being married to her own cousin which people seem to forget that and ship for some reason and was forced to marry someone else by her dad. Also if that was a case then wasn’t her mom married to someone if that was the case, which I hate that stereotype so much because tbh my parents care about more of my education than marriage.

Cont: I would also like to point out how on earth did she even got expected by her grandparents even in her own community because being born out of wedlock is considered shameful or haram meaning forbidden since her family are Muslim and his research on Islam is not very good. One more thing I would like to point out since she experienced islamophobia in middle then why is her middle school named after Malcolm X who is a Muslim? I thought rick would at least change it to something else Okay Bye!

I must admit I have not read the Magnus Chase series. And to be honest I’m not so sure if I really want to (for the little Percabeth and the Chase’s background story that there is). Seeing that side of the fandom makes me less inclined to it and most people in my environment said that book 1 is essentially pjo 2.0 and also narration wise isn’t the best (I read some reviews and the excerpts also the people that I asked know my preference and taste so I trust their judgement before you come at me).

But Riordan being problematic about characters and their portrayals doesn’t come to me as a shock. Really, if you’ve been long enough in this fandom you already know how he operates. 5 minutes of wiki research to cross that point of his list is his bread and butter.

But yes. Samirah really struck something for me especially since I have very good muslim friends and her portrayal made even me as an outsider go ?!?!?!??!? Literally what. Forced marriages and marrying your own cousin is a solid no. This is really stereotypical and adds nothing but more stigmatizing and fueling islamophobia in my opinion. Education really is key in communities and are valued more than marriage. Your family isn’t the only one thinking that way. How is Riordan trying to speak up about that issue when in reality he doesn’t do much than add to it? What a power move on his side wow.

And the rest also doesn’t even make any goddamn sense?

Tbh I’m tired of it. We all should lower our expectations by a lot.

[ohmysatan42]

Holy shit it's percy jackson!!!!!!!

[shadesofhui]

Pentagon as Percy Jackson characters

Hui- Percy Jackson

Is a Greek demigod, son of Poseidon & the Greek camp main protagonist

Intelligent but acts rather dumb at times and likes to annoy others

A natural leader

Is true to their word

Hongseok- Leo Valdez

1 of the 7 in the prophecy, a greek demigod, son of Hephaestus.

Mischievous easygoing who loves to tell jokes, be eccentric and flirt

On purpose- more fun being mischievous than thinking

Has an emotional side

Shinwon- Grover Underwood

Is a satyr (irony I know), who lives at the Greek demigod camp

Adventured with Percy & Annabeth early in the series.

Is cheerful and upbeat

Gets easily upset, mopes bc of it and scared by all

Yeo one- Jason Grace

He’s a Roman demigod, son of Jupiter & the main protag of the Roman camp

Earnest, straightforward and kind

Takes criticism seriously and strives to do better

Straight laced humor has deadpan effect

Yanan- Frank Zhang

A Roman demigod, son of Mars, and one of the seven demigods.

Sweet hearted, intelligent, & strong sense of loyalty

Naturally leads others well

Often pessimistic, uses negative traits to build a stronger compassion level

Yuto- Will Solace

A Greek demigod, son of Apollo, and head of Apollo cabin

Caring sunny like personality

Always willing to help another out when they need it

Insecure about lack of talent compared to others

Kino- Annabeth Chase

The child of Athena, a Greek demigod & second protagonist of their camp

Genuis, witty, kind hearted, and level headed

Always wants to seek out more knowledge

Doesn’t give up easily

Wooseok- Piper McLean

Greek demigod, child of Aphrodite, who’s one of seven demigods chosen

Calm, caring, and loyal but a rebellious spirit at times

Perspective of others emotions

Stands up for what they believe in

Jinho- Nico di Angelo

At end, because no character fits him well but this is good enough

Son of Hades, demigod whos kinda a major character but not in prophecy

Fact jinho didn’t talk to Hongseok for months during shine promos is enough for me to put this here

Aka holding grudges wayy to long- valid point alone, thanks

Universe challenge- day 26 god/ goddesses

Demigods- Percy Jackson and the heroes of Olympians

The artist is @viria

Official art for rick riodarns site is also done by them!

[dreamswithadashofspice]

Meet the Writer (again pt 5mil)

Tagged by @bodoramzap -- hm, I feel like you should know a lot about me now. :) 

1. What’s your favourite supernatural creature? Why?

Oh, that’s a hard one. Can I be vague and say faeries? They come in so many forms and they’re so neat! But I love any type of mythological creature, especially the ones that come from older civilizations.

2. Do you share your WIP/s with anyone you know outside of the internet?

Hm... Once, I think. I’d rather not detail it because it wasn’t a pleasant experience. I have spoken about them to my extended family and a few family friends (who I recently met), both of which were supportive :)

3. What is your moral alignment?

Chaotic neutral.

4. Rick Riordan Universe or Harry Potter Universe?

Rick Riodarn all the way. 

5. Do you have any characters that share names (either in the same piece or different pieces)? 

I don’t believe so. 

6. How many languages do you know?

English (fluent), French (B1), basic ASL, basic German, and I’m going to University for both French and Spanish next year. I hope to learn several more.

7. Do you have any favourite tumblrs you follow? If so, who are they?

Nope.

8. Have you ‘cast’ your characters? If so, what’s the cast?

I’m not sure what this question means. I googled it and got two meanings: Finding celebrity faces for your characters to be based on and filling different roles needed for the story.

To answer to either is no. I work as I go.

9. Describe your WIP/s in one word? 

Trials and Error(s): Mindfuckery.

Blessings: Irony.

The Cardinal: Bird.

Ace of Hearts: Space-aces!

Holy Deer: Tranquillity.

Ruins: Steampunk.

A Practical Guide to Autism (and its counterpart, A Practical Guide to Social Skills): Help (me).

10. What’s your favourite line from your WIP/s? 

“Oh,” the goat said. “I was going to eat him.”

[tharros-auris-black-asimi]

Oolong tea and earl grey!

Hey River! Thanks for the questions.

Oolong- So far, just Canada. My family and I went on a cross-country road trip to visit my mom's side of the family. Since they live in Michigan, we also decided to go to Canada to see Niagara Falls. It was a great time.

Earl Grey- Okay. This might be a bit a little controversial, because these two authors are problematic, in a sense?

But Harry Potter and PJO.

I know, JKR's a transphobe, and Rick Riodarn's depictions of his POC characters are racially stereotypical. But I read those two series' at a young age and I guess I'd call it nostalgic on my part, but I still enjoy reading those two series'. Is that weird? In the future though, if JKR or Rick Riodarn publish anything in the future, I'm buying their works second-hand. They're not getting a penny from me.

[procyon-kiryu-heaven]

Just a question

I need to read Kane Chronicles before Magnus Chase yes or not? I read Pjo and HoO (and the first of ToA) and I want to read more for Rio-...Ok, I want to read about Alex because I want to know how Riodarn make they. For personal (A.K.A  “I want to see if Rick has done right for once with an LGBT character... my hopes are few”) reasons.

So...yes or not?

[starrypawz]

So I finished reading through the OG Percy Jackson books and uh...

Rick Riodarn doesn’t really write female characters super well, and there’s def a pinch of a misogynistic tone in the series at points. 

And part of it I’m sure if part due to the ‘the pov is a 12-16 year old dude’ but also... could you maybe not?

Like I don’t think I have the energy to write a long critical meta and I’m sure people more invested in PJO have done and better than I so but like these are the bits that really stuck out to me

The focus on Clarisse La Rue being ‘ugly’

Also I think Clarisse is the only female character (non monstrous) we encounter who is implied to not be particularly feminine and conventionally attractive in the OG books

The constant implication that Aphrodite campers are giggly valley girl types,

Like other then Silena we don’t really get to properly meet anyone from the Aphrodite cabin, and even then Silena isn’t like given that much focus we basically only really know she’s a good pegaus rider and she and Charles are dating

Percy’s comments about the Hunters like ‘I couldn’t think of anything worse than being surrounded by girls all the time’

The very straw ‘feminism’ used by the Hunters of Artemis (like it’s a very simplistic caricature ‘ew boys stinky’ kinda deal)

People have pointed out the misogynistic attitude of Ares is like... not very mythology accurate

Something about the depictions of Hera and Aphrodite don’t totally sit well with me idk

There’s not really that many female characters we encounter who are like in Percy’s age cohort that don’t apparently have some sort of romantic interest towards him

Just as a whole I feel there just... needed to be a few more female side characters the series needed to be a bit more gender balanced?

The sort of possessive/jealous side of Annabeth, like if this was presented more as a flaw in canon it would be less of an issue but it never really seems to be called out? There’s some weird implications for the Percabeth relationship in that vein

The like ‘love triangle’ angle between Percy/Rachel/Annabeth, like I’m aware this is probably leaning into common YA tropes but also did we really need this? Honestly?

[whitetigerdemoness]

So I started reading Rick Riodarn’s  “Trials of Apollo” and man, Apollo is Bi as FUCK. He’s not shy about it either XD. Poor boy getting his heart broken at every corner. He also confirms that demigods can have mortal parents the same sex as their godly parents, which I think is really neat.