#same with pjo like the way some people are changing up with the movies....

[helenofblackthorns]

"the atla live action is the worst adaptation ever" none of you people would have survived shtv

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS:

💖 APHRODITE: Goddess of Love and Beauty 🕊

author's note: I had a sudden idea about writing some headcanons Camp Halfblood demigods being claimed and what it's like for each respective god and cabin, followed by a small blurb afterwards. Thank you for reading and please like and reblog! The order is not in order of the cabin numbers. [PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS MASTERLIST]

When you arrive at camp, you’re already got eyes following you. There’s something about you that draws people’s eyes to you. It could be your face, your hair, your eyes, your hands when they move, how you walk, how you move. So when you get claimed by Aphrodite, your fanfare is totally expected by others and unexpected when you get a magical makeover by your godly mother’s blessing. You’re dressed to the nines, your look done up perfectly like you're a movie star walking on the red carpet. People stare at you with awe and you can feel it.

The moment you are shown the Cabin, all you can think of is “Oh god it’s a god dang barbie mansion”; this may either fulfill your deepest childhood dream or your worst nightmare.

There’s gossip everywhere in the cabin. You’re hearing about people’s love lives, social interactions, and everything about the people in camp. Even if you’re not as romantically inclined yourself, you’re practically spoiled for choice for hearing about drama. There may be no TV or shows for you to watch, but this is the next best thing. It’s like the Kardashians, House Wives, and Golden Girls all the same.  

Shipping. So much shipping. Shipping between campers in your cabin and outside the cabin. Shipping between movie stars to literal characters. Heck, even self-shipping is encouraged! It’s a shipper's galore. 

The Aphrodite cabin likes to have fashion runs. A lot of the Aphrodite demigods become models and do a catwalk. But if you’re not that interested in being a model, there are still ways to participate. 

If you like to design and make your own clothes, the Aphrodite cabin has your back. You have access to all types of fabrics, patterns, and materials you could need. You have no shortage of models for you to work with. If you’re interested in doing make-up, cosmetic or movie makeup,  you have plenty of people to practise on. Even if children of Aphrodite have the ability to have permanent makeup and whatnot, it doesn’t mean you still can’t use your skills to be on fleek. 

You know the meme where you see a woman putting eyeliner with the sword to make sure it's sharp? You see that way too often.

You're swiftly proven that functionality being sacrificed for fashion is a myth. It can be done and it has been done, but it's just some outweigh functionality with AESTHETICS

Stans. Stans everywhere. People don’t usually see the Aphrodite kids fight and break character unless it comes to their stan. If you haven’t seen them fight before, you do now. You’re still reeling from the BTS stans.

K-dramas. K-pop. Enough said. 

You look at yourself as best as you could, it was both familiar yet foreign.  It was like looking at the mirror, seeing yourself and all the positives of your body. Even if you had a negative view of yourself, it was gone and changed.  

A girl stepped up, her black hair swaying, and you looked at her in awe as she smiled at you. “Hi! My name is Silena Beauregard, welcome to Cabin 10!” 

“Oh hi” you said lamely, but before you could say anything further, you saw a large amount of pink in your vision. “Oh my god” you couldn’t help uttering as soon as your eyes laid on the Aphrodite cabin. It was pink in glory, and all you can think was that it was a true to god barbie house. 

“Ah yeah,” said Selina, “Welcome to the Barbie house.”

“Wait it’s really called that?” 

“Well, we really shouldn’t be calling it a Barbie house, but ... .I do admit it is pretty much a barbie house” Selina whispered in the last part. 

You couldn’t help snicker and Selina gave you a knowing smile and wink, before she led you to the door.

“You ready?” she asked. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be” you replied after taking a deep breath. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll be here for every step of the way” she reassured and you smiled back. As soon the door opened, there was a waft of perfume. It wasn’t particularly strong or particularly bad, in fact it made you happy, but you could smell it anyways. There was a twinge of emotion that stirred up in you; it reminded you of smelling a perfume that reminded you of home and love…for some reason, you had a flash of a woman holding you to her chest and you burying your nose into her, your eyes closing with warmth.

“Hey everyone, let me introduce you to our new half-sibling!” introduced Selina, gently putting a hand on your shoulder. You raised your hand and waved, introducing yourself. That was all it took before the flood work came. Immediately, all the inhabitants in the cabin begun to interview you from where you were from, your favourite colour, your favourite colour, band, and etc-

Your head was absolutely swimming but as you all talked to each other, sharing your likes and dislikes, you had a feeling you were going to be alright.

[dootznbootz]

I don't think Greek Mythology retellings/adaptions/inspired/etc. are necessarily "evil"...but I DO think people REALLY need to understand that there's a huge difference between the actual mythology and certain media.

I feel like people have to basically do a "Fandom ___" to say the different versions. Like "PJO ___", "Hades game ___", "TSOA ___". For it to be understood that these depictions are DIFFERENT. I'm saying this as someone who grew up reading PJO and still has a soft spot for it. But as someone who really loves Greek Mythology as well, I sometimes get really SAD.

I'm going to use the comparison of Howl's Moving Castle with it's Book Vs. Movie. I enjoy both!!! But they are honestly very different. In the movie there is no "sister swap", Markle isn't a young teenager, Sophie doesn't throw weed killer at Howl, and many more moments. But I enjoy both because even though there are changes they still keep components that are ingrained into the characters!

In some Greek Myth retellings/adaptations/stories/etc., characters are...SO different from the source material. That's fine...Choose what you want with your story... But folks should know that the modern adaptations are NOT the source material!!!

It bothers me that a lot of these wonderful myths and stories are twisted up and seen so differently because of a modern version of them. You can have that character be "awful" or a certain way in your story. But I almost feel that as fans, it's not good to generalize them or see it as "This is the truth". People are hating the mythological figure when it's only in that interpretation they are like that.

In PJO, Ares is "Zeus' favorite", isn't a good dad, a misogynist, etc. The actual myths? One of his Epithets is LITERALLY "Feasted by Women", in the Iliad everybody basically bullies him with Zeus literally saying he hates him. He cries when he learns one of his sons is killed in the war. He literally kills someone about to rape his daughter. Ares isn't perfect but it makes me sad with how he's viewed and talked about when it's only in PJO he's like that. Same with Dionysus. Read the Bacchae, you'll love it.

In Lore Olympus, Apollo rapes Persephone (noticing the fact that modern takes on the myths add rapes where there never were hmmmmm) when he never did in any of the myths.

In TSOA, Thetis is cruel when in the Iliad, she is such a loving mother to Achilles. She grieved alongside her son over Patroclus. Also with Agamemnon. In Ipheginia at Aulis, Agamemnon is a MESS. He adored his children.

In Circe, Odysseus is viewed as a selfish man who ONLY hurts others and doesn't care about his family when that is LITERALLY his one consistent character trait. HE is actually the one who is the victim of rape. Circe was never raped.

Medusa is only a victim in Ovid's, a Roman man, works. Not in GREEK mythology. She was just a cool monster. Leave Perseus alone. Poseidon and Medusa actually had a consensual relationship in Greek Mythology!

These adaptations/retellings/inspired by/etc. whatever anybody wants to call them, are not the real myths! They may be similar in some ways but to just generalize them or hate the deity/mythological figure because of something they did in the new media feels fucked up!

You can enjoy these new stories. There's nothing wrong with that!!! But know they're not the real myths. Maybe even label it as "I hate ____'s version of ____". As that makes it clear what version you're talking about.

[11queensupreme11]

Also, another question! As you are well aware, I am writing a fanfic book inspired from your fanfic thanks to your permission. However, i been struggling with what type between these two a storyline or a react. Do you think I should do a react first or the fanfic first? Also, I am debating on either have Luke, Ethan, or Male Oc Chase as Percy love intrest in the PJO world, which should I do?

i can't TELL you which one to do first cuz it all depends on YOU, buuuuut these are two very different types of books so i'll just list out the pros and cons of starting either one first and let you decide 😅

REACTION FIC

pros:

easier/quicker to make cuz all you're doing is copy-pasting a chapter, making any necessary edits (like changing names), and THEN putting reactions. so 50% of the chapter would be the og scenes and then the other 50% would be reactions; less writing imo, UNLESS you're the type to make long reactions which are also really nice!

(btw, i recently found out that some people tend to copy-paste the chapter and also add in the reactions simultaneously while editing??? that worked out TERRIBLY for me cuz i was so exhausted. i changed it up to copy-pasting the entire chapter first, editing the whole thing to put the changes and fix format, and THEN put down the reactions. this also helps to make lengthier reactions cuz you got the energy to do so instead of wasting it trying to simultaneously fix the og scenes!)

you can be really loose with the plot lol. it's a reaction fic, you don't really need a "climax, plot twist, resolution, character development, etc." like other fics do

cons:

gotta be careful on how you write the reactions 😭 this is a personal issue that i've been having trouble with rn 😭 i keep going back and changing shit cuz some of my reactions are so flat or downright cringy or just way too short

lot of work if you're gonna add tv/movie scenes. this is if you're planning on intermixing it with the tv show like i am, i suggest you look up the transcripts for the scenes so you can copy-paste instead of painstaking typing every word out! THEN you can rewatch the scene to describe movement/facial features

STORY-FOCUSED FIC

pros:

you have more freedom! with reaction fics, you'd be restricted to the same setting, the same characters reacting, etc.

you get to have fun fleshing out ur characters by giving them character development

cons:

no shortcuts lol. everything will be typed out, no copy-pasting huge chunks so get ready for more work!

gotta plan out the basic outline of the whole fic so you actually know what the goal for ur fic is. could be very tedious!

CAN BE STRESSFUL AS FUCK, CUZ SOMETIMES YOU END UP WRITING SOMETHING SO GOOD BUT IT'S NOT PART OF UR OUTLINE SO NOW YOU GOTTA DEBATE ON CHANGING IT, OR CHANGING UR OUTLINE 💀

anyway as for the love interest question....... idk bro, it all depends on how u write percy; would ur percy be compatible with so-and-so??? would it be easier for you to write their kind of dynamics??? etc.

[professorhayforbreath]

my blog probably gives the impression that i think the show is bad as a whole, but the reason this show frustrates me so much is because it's definitely NOT 100% bad

like... the movies are bad adaptations. everyone knows it. they have some great moments (an embarrassing amount of which are better than the show lol) but overall they are widely considered blatantly bad adaptations. it's easier to make peace with that

the show, however, is far less consistent and i find it much more difficult to wrap my head around. there are parts that are bad and i'm happy to say that with my chest, but underneath numerous questionable-at-best writing choices, there are glimpses of really, really good stuff. the first few episodes had so much promise—percy burning blue jellybeans and praying to sally, the consensus song. these are brand new additions but they're good, they capture the spirit of the story and characters successfully

and sprinkled throughout the rest of the show are other strong choices! for example in the last episode i really liked that they set the betrayal scene during the fireworks, it created a fantastic ambience. i liked that grover left camp at the same time as percy and annabeth so the three of them got to part ways as a trio on half-blood hill

there are good changes being made, but they're almost all small in the grand scheme of things. in my opinion, the bigger, more consequential things are where they missed the most marks, and that prevented me from fully enjoying the show as a long time book fan

when it comes to writing nothing frustrates me more than wasted potential. mediocre writing is one thing, but mediocre writing that could have clearly been so much better is INFURIATING. i don't dislike the show because i wanted it to be a 1:1 recreation of the book, i dislike it because it's just okay when it could have been great. it so EASILY could have been great and i don't get why it's not. a lot of the writing choices are just baffling in their mediocrity, and sometimes technical weakness, when compared to the well written and effective source material. i wish i could have been a fly on the wall in that writers room when they were making some of these decisions, seriously

the cast is phenomenal. their budget is more than sufficient. they marketed it as a "redemption from the movies", as the adaptation that would finally give fans book accuracy. and the show we got is... fine. it's all right. it's not all that book accurate even though it was advertised as such. there's plenty to like but it comes hand in hand with plenty to dislike. it's only natural for people to be disappointed

i know my critiques can come off as venomous but please never mistake my harshness as hating for the sake of it. i adore the original pjo books so i really wanted to adore the show as well, but unfortunately i can't get there yet. "yet" being the key word because there's still plenty of time for this show to pick up the slack, and for that reason i'm glad it got renewed. i don't have the most faith the writers will listen to the feedback but i'm rooting for them to prove me wrong

[katerinaaqu]

Many have commented when it comes to adaptations/retellings "don't watch it, don't read it, if don't like it ,don't engage".

The point they don't realise is that, these issues continue happening, so commenting on that isn't an issue, but apparently for them is. Like they are saying "keep your mouth shut".

Why? 🤔 What's so bothering with saying facts that these adaptations simply are mocking Greek culture?

Nolan's version had sparked a debate again and unfortunately won't be the last to make such.

And the problem is that these versions gain so much popularity which makes one sad to think how amazing would it be instead of these twisted up versions or oversimplified versions (like Epic the Musical or PJO or Miller's books) were not as popular and instead we have had projects like "L'Odissea" or "Iphigenia" "Trojan Women" etc be the top of the top at fans preferences how much better would people understand mythology!

But yes I find this notion of "if you don't like it don't watch it" interesting because I could answer the same to many people who say that "if you don't like my critique don't read it" or "if you don't like my comment don't read it and delete it from your page". Why do you feel the need to point the obvious to me? Another interesting thing that I get all the time is "why don't you see them as different like I do to like them both?" Like for starters me seeing them as different is exactly my problem. I find the notion of something being "different" especially to THAT degree when they claim to adapt or retell material is exactly my problem and second please show me the part of moral code where it says that I have the moral obligation to like them all?

I love Nolan's work before but even him I feel they are up for disaster. Many times over we have the same talk. Ironically people are trying to give FANTASY books the attention they deserve (successfully or not is another story) by making trilogies or tetralogies etc. They made a majestic production for Lord of the Rings with three movies spanning over 3 hours each in order to adapt the book properly for example but when it comes to epics like Odyssey they just go like "fuck it we shall squeeze everything in a movie" with the rare exceptions of some writers and even then the budget wouldn't allow them to unravel everything they needed to unravel. Makes me feel that if they gave the same attention to the mythological movies as they do to fan material we would have great things going on but nope. They just refuse to do it.

And yes they make monstrous changes to the material or the story or the cast and then somehow people who point the harm this has done for decades out are somehow the bitter bad guys who should shut it and turn the other way like okay dude then you too shut it and turn the other way when I express my opinion. I find it tiring how sometimes people play the self-righteous card but suddenly YOUR opinion doesn't matter because YOU have no right to speak and your problem is as easily solvable by "looking the other way". And it is the same type of people that for OTHER projects would be screaming first like that "ENOUGH WITH LOOKING THE OTHER WAY! WE MUST DO SOMETHING AND FINALLY DO THIS RIGHT!"

Apparently Greek mythology is not entitled of the same courtesy. Sweet irony how it seems that the mythology material was greatly adapted till the 60s or 70s (of course not without their problems but the projects were great)

[pzyii]

Would like to hear more about the black Buffy au 👀

okay so like. There’s a lot to say about it , because it’s ultimately a part of my whole buffy rewrite/ redesign/(modern?) au (which is both fixing stuff I’m bothered with and a way to collect a bunch of head canons and just be more free with these characters). Tho I do also just see her as black at this point and draw her as it even if it’s not directly related to this au.

I got caught up in it and it’s all long so it’s all under the cut

it started with me drawing her as black once, I think it was prompted by a TikTok of someone who was giving heavy buffy vibes. But when I did, it really stuck with me. These are for various reason. One of the main ones, honestly? Racism in this show.

Like I get that it was the 90s but that doesn’t excuse it. There are obviously a lot of examples, the lack of characters of colour being a big one. But Buffys racism towards Kendra is another one, as well as the first slayer only communicating through Tara, a white woman in restless. The way they talk about Romani culture and people isnt good either (and something I’ve been working on how you can make the story work still), neither is ampata and def more examples I can’t think of now.

but it isn’t just about that, and it’s not just about representation. But rather the concept of buffy the vampire slayer itself. The idea of a woman who always is the one hunted and killed in horror movies turning around and just killing all the monsters. Yeah this fits a blonde woman but it sure also fits a black woman. (another part of this is people underestimating buffy, both her enemies but also the people around her. They think she’s stupid, that she’s not strong etc. When she very much isn’t. This is yet again something that while fitting the stereotypes of a blonde woman, but also fits, a lot better today too, with a black woman. Or any woman of colour. To point out an obvious of example of this, we for example have Annabeth Chase in Pjo. Who’s intelligence and capability was underestimated in the books because she was blonde, but makes even more sense with her being black)

but onto the fun stuff!!! Idk exactly whattt you wanted anon but I’m giving you some insights into what I’m working on on and off right now. So Buffys not the only one getting redesigned with this, obviously her family, Dawn and Joyce’s appearances are gonna change. But other characters too, this both being connected to what I said about head canons, but also Xander for examples prob gonna change a bit, he’ll still be a brunette, probably the same height and similar build but he won’t look a lot like Nicholas Brendon. This is because well. I want him to look like a kid!!! All of them, while they’re teens I want them to look like it, and hopefully if my art capabilities go that far, that they look visibly older by the end of it.

this au is my baby so I’m gonna share some random notes of like character design changes.

This is one of those very affected by hcs and personal preferences. A lot changes about willows appearance, she’s a bit taller(I want her to look too tall for herself, she’s all awkward, doesn’t look like she fits in her body), she has freckles (she’s ginger), there will be some changes on her body from magic (and other injuries but lots of magicks stuff, it’s reminders, SCARS) aND her hairs naturally curly but she straightens it, at least in early seasons (this is like 100% personal preference, but it’s also like…. I have things that fit and I wanna explore with it….) and so forth.

Anyas pretty similar because I just think Emma fits real well but she’s less.. human. I have a bunch and more to go in vengeance demon lore but I want her to be Different than human, having been a vengeance demon Changes You. Her ears are pointed (great for expressions, also applies to vampires), she has goat eyes (classic demon move, also fits the Almost Human thing.), her teeth are pointy (it’s fun, she’ll naw your arm off if you steal)

As a final example, that’s actually related to the black buffy aspect of the au. Drusilla. She’s also black. This design is pretty recent, and was created by me both because I wanted to explore the concept of different ways to convey her vibe, but also, and mainly, because she’s a buffy parallel. History wise there’s some things to work out with it but it’s def a design I’m stuck with at this point. (She is supposed to parallel buffy in every way, sharp edges against soft curves). Also she’s really fucking tall. (Taller than spike, which is the most important part of it)

also bonus, given about the whole modern? Au Aspect of it

[flower1622]

I was listening to some songs and i had an ideia to write a perachel fanfic with Peter Pan.

Percy and Rachel would find an old book of fairytales in the Hecate's cabin and they would open it in a specific one about a boy that never wanted to grow up. But, there is something written under it, a question "Would you want to live many adventures and stay forever young?". Rachel would answer yes animated because of the heat of the moment. It was not totally serious, just a little part since she always wanted to experience the same thing Percy and the demigods had. So, the book shines a bright light around the camp.

Both are sent to Peter Pan's world with no memories of themselves. They are Peter and Wendy. My story will have some things from Peter Pan's, but i'll try to change many things maybe (or not. I don't know. I usually don't plan my stories, so i don't know how they will go)

Will (Michael) and Jason (John) would be Rachel's brothers. Luke (Felix) would be Percy's right hand or best friend maybe, the second in command. There could be some original lost boys, the ones from Peter Pan's story and other characters from PJO like Leo and Nico (All the characters from PJO would have different names in the story). Will likes Nico when he arrives in neverland. Clarisse could be a friend of Rachel at school. They would be considered the excluded or weird ones. Annabeth and Piper would be.... i can't say here to not get people mad. Sorry.

Almost in the end or in the middle of my story, Percy and Rachel would have that kiss and they would remember about themselves. But, they are still stuck in the story and have to think a way to get out. Hazel, Frank and Reyna weren't affected since they were in Jupiter Camp. They are trying to think about how they can help their friends. Will they be able to find a survivor from Camp Half Blood like a daughter of Hecate maybe? Or will they be able to do this by themselves? 🤔🤔

Obs: Luke is still dead, so the one in the story is a fake one. If or when Percy and his friends are saved, Percy would remember the Luke he met in the story as Peter. The one who never betrayed them. Percy knows that the friendship he had with the fake Luke could be almost the same he would have had with the real Luke.

I gave some spoilers? Yes. But, who cares? Only few people read my stories, so i'm good. This is just a note of my ideias for my next story. I got inspired by the live actions of Peter Pan. I already said that movies and songs inspire me...literally! The characters from PJO could also be deaged inside Peter Pan's story since many of them are adults. If or when they return back, they would come back to normal with their real ages and everything. Chiron could be Captain Hook and Dionysus... Mr.Smee 😅😊. After getting her memories back, Rachel would feel bad since it all happened because of her and Percy would comfort Rachel and show her that she doesn't need to have adventures in her life to be someone special. The fake Luke would be created by the island because it saw that deep down in "Peter's heart", he missed the friendship he could have had with "Felix (Luke)."

Unfortunately, Percy and Annabeth are still dating. So, i don't know if i make the couple break up since both liked Rachel and Piper in the story a little bit. Or Percabeth could still be together and Percy and Rachel stare at each other, knowing that something happened between them in the story. They understand that everything that happened in the story, it stays there. Both didn't know this would be their last time together. Percy and Annabeth come back to their college. Percy and Rachel never forgot what happened to them. Percy and Annabeth get killed months later by monsters. They could have a last moment together smiling at each other or maybe holding hands(I don't know. Not a big fan of the couple. Percabeth's death would have something very significative behind it). Rachel gets sad and moves on with her life as an oracle. Percy becomes a memory of a boy Rachel met once...a boy that wanted to grow up. She kept drawing all her times together with Percy that happened real life and in Peter Pan's story. She would also tell her stories about the boy that wanted to grow up for the new kids of the camp.

[bluecrocss]

Those Annabeth "fans" lol

I really wanna let this topic go, but if I have ONE MORE non-black pjo fan, come on to my page and explain to me how "they grew up seeing the book characters (they're literally only talking about Leah, btw) one way, and they just can't reconcile it with the show 🥺", I might commit serious bodily harm...

They act like only white kids read PJO. I was little black girl reading it in middle school and annabeth was my favorite character. Do you think I was like, "oh she's blonde and white, how can I ever relate to her??" I didn't really have that choice, cuz as a kid MOST of the books/shows/plays/movies I had growing up, most characters didn't look like me. The hunger games, harry potter (forgive me, I was a kid), nancy drew, every disney princess movie, you name it. I notice how only white people complain about "struggling to connect" with characters that don't look like them, cuz POC have always had to do it. When POC ask for representation, it is because we have historically been ACTIVELY excluded, not because we can't connect to the characters otherwise 🙄

When it was halloween, and I dressed up as my favorite princess (Belle) and my brother dressed as his favorite superhero (superman), we just wore the wig and the outfit. I didn't need to paint my skin white to see myself as Belle. Yet every year there's this new controversy of some white person painting their skin or doing some offensive cosplay when they dress up as a POC character, because they see the race of POC characters as INHERENTLY part of the costume.

Why does your perception of Annabeth and the pjo characters trump mine, because you're white and I'm not? I fully viewed Annabeth as a white girl when I read the books, and when I saw Leah was cast, that didn't change my view of the character because her race was never central to the character. The author has stated the same thing. If you can't view a non-white/non-blonde version of annabeth (I am not speaking about the writing of the show or Leah's performance because this discourse started as soon as she was cast) as annabeth, then the parts of annabeth that actually mattered, the parts that Rick has identified as the most important, the part that I and millions of other non-white, non-blonde girls connected to, never connected with you. Rare representation of Neurodivergence in a female character, being underestimated (which had nothing to do with her being blonde lmao), perseverance, emotional vulnerability, overcoming generational curses and broken family life, abandonment issues, I could go on...

If you managed to grow to the age of maturity and still struggle to connect with people and view people as equal beneath their physical/material presentation, that is a YOU problem... the rest of the world shouldn't have to hold your hand through this.

And once again... NOBODY FORCED YOU TO WATCH THE SHOW. You don't like the casting, DON'T WATCH. Stop, coming to my comments and explaining how you're the exception, and you're not being ignorant, how, in fact it's the author, the casting directors, and the majority of the fanbase, who just don't understand her character the way you do 🥺

Give me a break.

[tortured-demigods-department]

an unhinged (and unofficial) dissertation on the pjo fandom

so i don't usually post anything that isn't my-works-related, but i had a...mildly heated discussion with a fellow film student tonight about the pjo show and it's got me thinking. bear with me, we'll be here awhile.

as we all know, the first season of pjo has ended. i've stayed relatively OFF tumblr and other social media during this time, but i know there are a lot of OG fans who are (in their words) "massively disappointed" in the show. most of the complaints i've heard have been during in person conversations though, so this post is mostly going to be referencing real complaints i've heard.

i've been a part of this fandom since i was thirteen. that's nearly eight fucking years of my life that i've devoted to the pjo universe. i have written and consumed YEARS' worth of fanfiction, i have read and reread every book so many times i can quote them forwards and backwards, and i went to the bookstore every single year on the new books' release dates to pick up my copies in-person. this fandom, these characters and this world have brought so much joy to my life, and i don't think i could ever fully articulate that in words. when i think of this series, i genuinely feel nothing but happiness.

but a few years ago—around the time i started college—i started distancing myself from the fandom for one glaring reason. this fandom can be such an...angry place? like, genuinely, i don't know how far it goes back—maybe all the way to the release of HoA, honestly—but i wasn't here pre-HoA, so all i know is that i very much remember how much people hated ToA when it came out.

here i was, having the TIME of my life with apollo and his silly little haikus, and people are going to war over how the series' writing quality has gone to shit and how everything was better before, blah, blah, blah. IN SPITE of everything that series gave us—discussion of the repercussions of child abuse and ptsd, representation of lgbtqa+ characters, and deep psychological messages that really teach young readers, i think, how to better understand themselves and their emotions and deal with them in healthy ways. and it just wasn't fun to be in a fandom where, as soon as you go "hey, did you read the new book?" they scoff and roll their eyes and only want to talk about how terrible it is. (i also missed all the discourse on the sun and the star when it came out—PHENOMENAL read, btw—but i've read some things that lead me to believe that it wasn't well received either, in spite of how lovely it was.)

so...it's dramatic to say i "left" the fandom, but i certainly withdrew from it. deleted my pjo ao3 and tumblr, started over with a different fandom. but the love has always been there, and the show starting really helped spark it fully back to life.

but now, the same thing is happening again, i'm noticing. remember back in the day, when we only had the shitty fucking movies, and we were like "man, ANYTHING would be better than this garbage. literally just give us actors who are the right age and we'll be happy." well, now we have PHENOMENAL kid actors who genuinely are having a good time playing our beloved characters, and instead of supporting them, we're STILL complaining about them not being "portrayed correctly"?

i've talked to so many people who complain that percy is "too smart," which is kind of a bullshit insult to percy's canon character. in the books (at least the first five) we're seeing things ONLY from percy's pov. he's a kid who's struggled with learning disabilities and been told he's an idiot all his life by everyone except his mom—but as others have pointed out way more eloquently than i could, percy is a very intelligent and powerful individual while maintaining his goofy fun personality, which is WHY so many people love him so much. he's complex, and i think they managed to capture that really well in the show even amidst all the changes.

don't get me started on the fucking racism towards leah sava jeffries—i'm honest to gods ashamed that there are racists who call themselves pjo fans. she is so talented, and everything we ever could have hoped for in an on-screen annabeth. ALL of the kids are—there's literally no argument to be had there.

and then, if people aren't complaining about the casting, it's the series' writing. or there's too much exposition. rick is changing too many things. the directors don't know what they're doing. it's not a TRUE book adaptation. (someone said that to me, and i genuinely laughed because i thought they were joking. when the MOVIES exist, they wanted to make that comment about the show.)

are there some things i would change about the show, given the opportunity? god, yes. the set design for the underworld was horrendous. (in my opinion, of course.) but here's the thing. i have spent eight years of my life waiting for this show to happen, and in that time, i've learned a lot about how much goes into successfully producing such a complex series. how much money and time is spent, and how many people have to be on board to make it happen. it's genuinely kind of miraculous that we're even getting this show at all, considering all the ways it could have failed before it even made it out of pre-production.

and i think we, as fans, sometimes forget that we aren't owed this. we don't own the percy jackson franchise. it makes me so sick and tired when authors or artists in any capacity feel like they have to cater their works to the masses, because they know they'll get thrown into the fucking fire if they don't. rick and becky riordan didn't have to got to the trouble of producing this show for us. they chose to—everyone involved chose to—because they wanted to make something fun and enjoyable not only for the fans, but everyone who chose to be a part of it.

do you know how insane it is that, when you read pretty much any interview of pjo bts, everyone talks about how fun the production was? i've been on film sets. they can be ABSOLUTELY miserable when they're not done right. but eight months into production, the kids were still laughing and having a good time, everyone's still giving 100%, they're excited, it's fun. walker was willing to go into a diving tank for a full fucking day in order to get one scene—i know i would never have that kind of dedication, and i bet 99% of you wouldn't either.

i know this has gotten really long-winded, but i've said all of that to say that...i'm kind of tired of fans trying to bring down the show, and more than that, trying to bring down each other for having a good time. as i've said before (many times, i'm sure), i waited eight years for this, and i have had SUCH a fun time watching it. assuming we get a season 2 renewal, there are going to be even more new fans coming in than we've already gotten from season 1, and i want this fandom to be a fun and positive place for them. for all of us. we don't have to miserable and angry all time. we can critique the show, sure—it's not perfect, and it was never going to be—but we have to remember that television is an art form, and that art is subjective even when it involves our favorite characters. and we can accept that and still have a good time, because it's just more fun to have fun, you know?

this fandom has always had so much potential to be the BIGGEST, most supportive and kind and loving fandom. with how much representation this series has, with how much content we've been given, with the SHEER massive number of us...i've always thought we could be a really, really great community. maybe it's impossible to hope that we could be the best fandom on earth, but if nothing else...could we all try to just be a little bit kinder? genuinely, as cheesy as it may sound...it's just nicer when we're nice to each other. and when there's so many real things in the world to be mad about...i would much rather this be a place where we can come to at the end of a long day and just...feel at home. personally, i just think that would be really, really nice.

[creative-hanyou-girl]

I don't know if anyone else feels this way but I think a big reason why I'm so chill about the changes made to the PJO show from the books is because I kind of look at each other as their own seperate canon.

Like, I read a lot of anime and manga, and anime adaptations have a huge habit for changing plot points for various reasons, and as a fan of said anime and manga, I've found that I can enjoy both versions of the same story even with the differences when I look at them as their own universe or canon. That's not to say I don't want them to be faithful or true to the source material, but if a scene or situation plays out differently for a logical or entertaining reason, than I can still appreciate that deviation from the manga even if I still like the other original version of that part more. And I can even like the reversal way if I feel an anime does something better than even the manga. But if I want to, I can look at certain moments as more canon than others because I got 2 different versions of that same scene or moment.

And, I don't know, I kind of apply that reasoning to the PJO series as well, mainly with the books, the show, and even the musical (not the movies put that right back where it came from). So far I'm loving the TV show, and while I miss some of the things they changed (like the pink poodle), this adaptation really is doing a great job with staying true to the heart and spirit of the original book that I personally am not even really bothered by the changes, especially when I remember that the books will always still be there with it's own version, or canon, of events.

Like, I will say 1 thing I adore in the books that isn't really in the show is the fact that a lot of Percy and Annabeth's "rivalry" during TLT has more to do with the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena. I just really like on how this adds a level of "forbidden friendship/love" to their relationship 'cause I personally eat the forbidden relationship trope up, especially when it's done well like with Percabeth.

Yet, even if this isn't really the reason percabeth have beef with each other in the show, I can still appreciate and enjoy that according to the show's canon, they have issues because they genuinely have problems with each other as actual people rather than their parents' rivalry, because at the end of the day, that's the PJO TV show canon, and I can always turn to the books for that version of Percabeth's "rivalry", as that is the PJO book canon.

Same goes for the characters too. I will always have and love my dark haired Percy and blond haired Annabeth in the books, but I can also welcome and love Walker's Percy and Leah's Annabeth from the show. And so far, they along with Aryan are KILLING IT as those characters.

I can love both versions of the characters.

I can love both versions of the same story.

I can look at both versions as they own seperate canon or mix them together if I so wish too (especially since both versions of PJO are written by the same guy)

And that's ok. The adaptation doesn't have to be a complete copy of the books. It doesn't have to have things play out eactly the same way. The characters don't have to look exactly the way they are described as in the books. And that's ok. I will still always have the books to love and appreciate, but I can also start to love and appreciate the new adaptation for it's new spin and twists to the same story that sets it apart as it's own canon while still staying true to the spirit of its predecessor.

Anyway, sorry if I'm not making a lot of sense. I just think the people complaining about the changes in the show are looking at it all the wrong way. The show has it's own canon just as the books have their own canon, or even the musical. At the end of the day, isn't that kind of cool to have different versions of the same story and characters? Doesn't it give you so many more options to look at the story in different ways that you can prefer or choose from? Doesn't it give you new versions of canon that you choose from? And really, as long as the PJO adaptation, or any adaptation for that matter, stays true to the heart and spirit of the original story and characters, do the changes made really matter?

[my-pjo-stuff]

For the Great PJO Ask Analysis event: (ask no. 4)

You've got a topic in PJO you'd like for me to analyze?

The Americanisation of the Greek myths: Olympus being on top of the Empire State building, etc.

The demigod world and the mortal world being intergrated instead of separate.

Want to share YOUR analysis of stuff with me and my followers?

The Hunters of Artemis are a poor representation of women and don't do the original myths justice.

Want to hear my take or shares yours of different characters and aspects of the PJO universe?

The TV show is more accurate to the books: thoughts?

The Americanisation of the Greek myths: Olympus being on top of the Empire State building, etc.

I think I said it on here already, but tbh to me it's just a classic case of Rick only knowing America, so he sets all his action in America. Which, yeah I can get that. I'd probably do the same- but personally I'd still prefer it if the different pantheons (not just the greek ones) were spread out over the world more. To me it all just feels very small and cramped to have EVERYONE important- god AND myth- in America. I mean, stuff like gods should be world wide, right? Why are we all just hanging out in America? Having it all more spread out over the world could allows us to explore more locations. In the context of a children's book we can use it to introduce children to different cultures. Not to mention all the possibilities we can have for non-american demigods! A culture and system of a country can influence a child very much. What differences would there be between an American Demigod and let's say- a french one? It all just seams very wasted for me for the benefit of comfort in writting for Rick.

The demigod world and the mortal world being intergrated instead of separate.

I don't think you can really say that the demigod and mortal world are very integrated to be honest- yes demigods live in both worlds- but there is very little truly connecting the both. Mortals can't enter CHB. The mist keeps anything mythical hidden from mortals. Demigods can't usually share the truth of their heritage with friends due to fear of getting written off as crazy. It doesn't seem very integrated to me, it's more like....an open border.

Imagine it like two countries, one is the demigod/immortal world and the other one is the mortal one. Between them is a border demigods are free to cross as much or as little as they want. The two countries would still be separate, it'd just be easy to traverse between them for a certain group of people.

The Hunters of Artemis are a poor representation of women and don't do the original myths justice.

I mean I said often enough that I think they are creepy af and I honestly HATE pjo Artemis which is why I won't chew it all through AGAIN on here. So yeah, agree 100%. The TV show is more accurate to the books: thoughts?

Ehhhhh- more accurate than the movies? Certainly, but it still has some way to go. Like casting for example, personally I'd have preffered it if we kept all appearances to the books (black haired Percy, blonde Luke ect.) but I can live with that okay. I can also live with the changes the made to Luke in general- my main problem really stems from them missing the deadline of the quest and the way they did Hermes. That's mostly because both of these things just.......make the gods to nice. Like I genuinly do not think that book!Poseidon would have given up for Percy. And the whole Hermes thing looked to me like excuses. An integral part of these books is that Luke was genuinly right. The gods are just straight up selfish, and even evil at times. They use their children like pawns. They negelect them on purpose. Not because of some "rules" (looking at you, show!Hermes). I think the show lost that, which in my eyes is sort of a big problem. But I still hold up hopes for it to get fixed, and I do enjoy Luke.

[crowcaws]

I've had some thoughts brewing ever since I finished NATLA, and watching Friendly Space Ninja's review of PJO really brought up a lot of feelings after sitting on it for a month so I'm going to try and articulate those thoughts here.

It's very interesting this fixation on the "word of god" and its involvement making or breaking a screen adaptation, to the point where you get unwavering devotion when a creator is on board, and outright disdain when a creator isn't on board. Both are completely reactionary takes that are unhelpful, especially when adaptations can be, sometimes, excellent without their original creators involved, and awful (cough fantastic beasts cough) when they are involved.

Regardless of whether or not NATLA was bad (it wasn't, it was just fine) I love that people are going "HA I bet Netflix regret losing BRYKE!" as a sort of gotcha, as if Korra didn't prove like a decade ago that Bryke are not infallible screenwriters. As if those same people, when the show was first announced and Bryke were on board, didn't even think to consider that Bryke are just two of the writers that made a great show.

Because fandom has a problem where it doesn't actually care or consider if the original creators are a good fit or not, if their involvement will harm the adaptation or help it, or if their recent work is still up to scratch with their original work. Fandom just wants a security blanket in the form of a name on a credits list, to the point of almost cult-like devotion that makes or breaks their opinion of content before it's even released.

This devotion is how you end up with fans doing logical backflips when their perfect book accurate Percy Jackson adaptation that "Uncle Rick" promised is now changing a bunch of stuff for not very good reasons, and now they have to either do mental gymnastics to justify questionable choices or admit that Rick can be wrong.

Percy Jackson had Rick Riordan on board and that series, let's be honest here, was just fine too. It wasn't groundbreaking, it did not surpass the source material on most points (I say most because all that Sally content was inspired) and fell short in a lot of ways that have been outlined by critics more articulate than I. Some of that, I suspect, was due to Rick's fixation on this adaptation being the antithesis of the 2010 movies to the point where it feels like they refused to let the show be fun and colourful in parts where it should have been. His involvement, as a book author delving into screenwriting, cannot be proven to have been more beneficial than if he had simply consulted and set boundaries and left it at that.

And of course Joanne is a fuckwit. But even creatively, you can't tell me that the fantastic beasts movies were better for her meddling.

But back to PJO and NATLA: I genuinely feel like we got very similar end products with both shows. An underwhelming foray into live action adaptation that suffers from too few episodes and disappointing characterisation save for a few standout roles (In this case, Sally, and Zuko and Iroh), and some problems aside that each show varies on, but ultimately still delivers something entirely and completely watchable. Percy Jackson has at least a tiny bit better characterisation overall, but cannot hold a candle to the fight choreography and special effects in NATLA (partly because in PJO they had a bad habit of cutting away or writing out every time anyone was mean to do something heroic or actually fight.) And yet you cannot speak a bad word about PJO, but NATLA is torn to shreds.

Back to NATLA and the Bryke: Almost nobody, in this whole time from the NATLA announcement to airing, has made comment on the absence of Aaron Ehasz, who was not involved with Korra either. They were happy to celebrate when Bryke was involved, and mourn when they departed, but you should have been mourning Aaron this whole time, if anyone. Aaron wrote Tales from Ba Sing Se, if you weren't aware. Arguably the most memorable episode of the Last Airbender, so emotionally rich and captivating that even hearing the instrumentals of that song in NATLA brought me to tears.

So why wasn't Aaron's absence ever felt? Well, that is because the fans saw "original creators" in headlines and ran with it without question as a sure sign of victory (and then failure when Bryke departed). Because fandom doesn't really care WHOSE name is in the credits, fandom just wants that sense of security -- and it's a false sense of security, because Annabeth and Katara both still ended up gutted of their depth at the end of the day. The presence of Rick didn't save Annabeth any more than the absence of the ATLA writers doomed Katara.

[11queensupreme11]

Can I confess something?

I don't really like Anabeth (or Piper for the same reasons)

No hate, I just...

Can't stand the female lead that was popular those years? With all the being rude = cool woman or the I'm really jealous and I'm NOT working with my partner about it, just being angrier (Sakura hater until she met Tsunade)

I really can't stand rude people (Hannibal's girls I think 🤣) and when they're proud of it? Nope, be an asshole but don't forget to say thanks and please

And Anabeth just keeps hitting the "hurting my boyfriend to show love" (Which, we forgot that Percy is an abused kid? My boy doesn't need to think love always hurts, especially when he seems so calm and protective about loving people) Or "I'm intelligent and that means only I can have the reason" (that somehow ended up being a good thing? Or used to make Percy look dumb that... No, just no)

Not saying she isn't a good person or that she's the real villain like some people try to make her see (the other side of the coin, hating a girl and hipping up a boy for the same reason, like the early seasons of Miraculous)

But all the books I was just waiting for Anabeth decide that her career is her priority and break up with Percy (also, perfectly understandable, no hate for being mature about what you want in your life and communicating it)

This isn't hate of course, I know she did a lot for Percy and they're cute together, I just don't see them together when they've to learn to live without war or requests (the little things, like cooking or paying bills and learning to forgive when your partner is at your side and not in danger of dying)

And how I can't stand rude people (If you are rude to servers for waiting for your food then you're wrong here) and Anabeth fans just end up using her fatal flaw to show she isn't Mary Sue ...

Creating a bigger Mary Sue

Love when they make mistakes but if they aren't learning about it then what is the point? If they don't develop then are they perfect? (Movie Hermione) or just don't change? (Bella Swan)

tbh, i never really had a problem with annabeth until someone pointed this out:

(this is from autumn's character similarity rant btw)

yeah that's basically my only issue with her, and it's not even technically her, just the way almost every female character was written to be so similar to each other 🙃

it was fine in the first pjo series cuz the female characters had different personalities, but in hoo annabeth's personality became less unique because almost every other female character shared the exact same traits as her 😟

[littlemisskittentoes]

get to know kittentoes!

this is such a fun way to strengthen connections around the little pod of us that interact in the same fandom space! so a MASSIVE thank you to @happiness-of-the-pursuit for thinking of me to tag!

without further ado, get to know me better under the cut!

First Set

Last Song: Valerie by Amy Whinehouse

Last Film: the new Mean Girls movie!

Currently Reading: okay, this is kind of like, a two part question--

fic-wise: the PJO AU (by Rhys, Manu, and Beas ! and i'm also doing an in-depth portfolio crawl through Sarah's ao3 !

outside of fic: i'm working my way through volume five of Lore Olympus, and reading Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica, and of course, i fall asleep every night to the RWRB audiobook, so that's a constant bip

Currently Watching: i've been informed that i'm supremely late to the game, but i just finished season one of True Detective! and, of course, i'm staying tuned for the weekly episode release of PJO

Currently Consuming: some good old h2o! the last thing i ate were some sugar snap peas!

Currently Craving: an aunt of mine makes these really really tasty salads with different sprouts and seeds, fresh tomato and cucumber from her garden, some avocado, and her own dressing. an Aunt Paula salad would slap right now

Second Set

Were You Named After Anyone?

Yes! Sarah comes from my paternal great grandmother, my middle name comes from my maternal great grandmother!

When Was The Last Time You Cried?

Mmm, two or so weeks ago i got into an altercation with one of the feral cats i take care of while trying to capture them to go to the vet. it did not go well, and i felt awful that i scared him

Do You Have Kids?

i do not! i was in a four year relationship where i took on a kind of 'step parent' role from the time the child was a newborn onward. so, i do occasionally see her. but outside of that, no. and i'm not someone that ever pictures themselves changing that

What Sport Do/Have You You Played?

sigh alright, so i played soccer as a very young child-- not great at it. tried basketball for a bit-- also terrible at that. went for volleyball-- gave a girl a concussion trying to serve overhand. FINALLY, i started cheerleading and ended up as cheer captain for a number of years!

Do You Use Sarcasm?

i think so! i'm pretty sure i use some dry humor occassionally

What's The First Thing You Notice About Other People?

probably smile, or if they have a more general welcoming aura/body language!

What's Your Eye Color?

brown!

Scary Movies or Happy Endings?

as much as i'm an absolute hopeless romantic, my go to is actually horror! i'm an adrenaline junkie and LOVE to be scared! i can easily be pursuaded into a romance movie though

Any Talents?

i'm actually a very confident public speaker. i still have some of my cartwheels and splits from my cheer days. and i'm decently okay at keeping up my score during jeopardy! lastly, i'm pretty good with some watercolor paints and a micron pen

Where Where You Born?

Northern US!

What Are Your Hobbies?

i help run a local poetry open mic night, i'm fairly active in my local bdsm scene, and i have a constant revolving door of hobbies i entertain for about a week and completely forget about (most recently it's been crystal 3d puzzles, painting book edges, and making shrinky dink earrings)

Do You Have Any Pets?

so many... i live with my parents at the moment, and they have one dog and eight cats! we also care for a colony of feral cats that live on our property

How Tall Are You?

5'3 (1/2)" ! am smol gorl

Favorite Subject in School?

english! i was also a massive studio art nerd though

Dream Job?

you know, all through undergrad and my master's program, i always said that i would have loved to have been a manuscript editor. i even had an internship helping edit poetry chapbooks! but now that i've found myself in a sphere where I get the privilege of beta-ing for a handful of friends, it feels like that skill set is already able to be used and stretched. so, i'm not super sure! maybe something with animals?

alright!! sending out a no pressure tag to some of my beloveds @inexplicablymine @read-and-write- @affectionatelyrs @gayrootvegetable @anincompletelist @leojfitz @leaves-of-laurelin @matherines @wordsofhoneydew @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @user-anakin

[paper-nihilist]

i’m starting to think that no pjo adaptation will ever be good enough for this fandom.

i’ve seen people complaining that the show “lost the meaning” of the series. the series that retold greek mythology by changing and adapting it to modern situations now can’t handle having its own author change stuff to tell a story in a shorter amount of time and in a better way.

there is simply no way that any pjo adaptation can include everything from the book; that’s the nature of adaptations. i was bummed that disney decided to go with only eight episodes, but that seems standard for disney’s originals; it’s not them just targeting pjo. so, they had to cut stuff, the same way that the movies, and the broadway musical, and the graphic novels all had to do. jesus christ, that’s why we have the original books in the first place, to have all the detail and nuance the show will never have the ability to touch on.

but more importantly, the changes to the plot all make sense. the st. louis arch episode now foreshadows the ways that Athena treats Annabeth and all of her other kids in MoA. Poseidon actively saving Percy by reaching out with the water fixes a notorious plot hole AND adds depth to Poseidon’s character.

(I am writing this before ep 8 comes out so i have to admit i might be proven wrong about plot changes making the show better. grover loses one of the pearls in ep 7, which absolutely felt stupid and like a throw away plot point. Having posidon give percy four pearls is a change that adds depth to Poseidon, but it makes sense that a pearl had to be lost somehow. it just seems rushed in how they lost it. i’m hoping that they follow through and do something with that set up in ep 8, in which case, the rushed aspect of the set up could be forgiven. but if the show runners don’t do that, rip me)

Also i can write a whole separate thing about sally jackson but every change and addition to her character makes sense and adds to percy’s background. for example, i think that percy being kept away from camp makes more sense with this sally and her stronger attitude against the gods’ way of doing things. i think people don’t like her because her additions take up run time, but i think that her scenes make the show more accessible to an older audience by making it relatable. pjo is suppose to be relatable for neurodivergent kids, so why shouldn’t it more heavily focus on the struggles that our parents make, especially considering the author is one. the show isn’t told in percy’s pov, and this allows for new perspectives to be explored that add to the overall meaning.

ultimately, does the show feel rushed in places? absolutely. i’d argue that some of that rushedness is from how many focuses the show wants to take. the show focuses much more heavily on the attitudes and motivations of the gods and how that effects their kids than anything else. the fun Quest Scenes necessarily take a backseat to setting up the rest of the series. the mattress store chapter should not take precedence over Sally struggling with parenting a neurodivergent child. i think one of those adds more in the limited run time of the show.

in a dream world, the pjo series would be 24 episodes per season and pay homage to every detail possible. but that’s never going to happen and this disney plus show is already more than any of us ever expected and is a really good show in its own rights. it first and foremost focuses on how Being Different is good and challenging existing unfair systems is good and i think that is the spirit of pjo. the book was not a well thought out masterpiece and changing plot points to save time or to more explicitly show themes should be applauded. yall will just never be happy.