#we love annabeth unconditionally

[demigods-posts]

no, i'm fine. i promise. it's just that annabeth's fatal flaw is hubris because she spent the majority of her life believing she had to earn love and respect, so she tells herself she's the best and works to make it true so she feels worthy. but i'm fine.

[randomness-is-my-order]

so we kinda understand where annabeth’s fatal flaw–hubris–stems from but when i think about percy’s fatal flaw and how he came to be so loyal that it’s a danger to his ownself, i think it’s all about how in his entire childhood sally was the ONLY person he could rely on, the only person that cared for him and loved him unconditionally. grover came into his life much much later but he grasps onto grover just as tightly because these connections–sally and grover–are the only positive ones he’s ever had. his peers bullied him or didn’t understand him, gabe was an abusive piece of shit, his father was a deadbeat, he was kicked out of schools regularly, he was ostracised, alienated, made to feel extremely lonely.

and because percy was so lonely, he came to treasure those who cared for him with so much fierceness. it was because he was showed so little loyalty, that he came to practice his own loyalty with very little reservations. he didn’t have many people in his life that he could call his own, that he could cherish, so he gave those few he could his all and then some.

this is why he is so extremely devoted to sally, why he is always loyal to grover, why he is okay with giving up his life for a friendly acquaintance/one-day long friend annabeth.

he is loyal to a fault because he once wished he’d have more people be loyal to him.

[lilislegacy]

It kind feels this fandom babys Percy and forget everyones been through things even Annabeth. She gets treated like shes the cause of some of his pain and therefore they shouldnt be together? When the guy would be depressed without her.

warning: i’m about to thought vomit. a lot.

RIGHT?? i try not to talk about it, but sometimes the way the fandom mischaracterizes and misunderstands percy really bothers me. the fact of the matter is: a lot of people want percy to be someone he’s not. and don’t get me wrong, i love that people have their own headcanons, but percy would hate the way people portray him in the fandom. and yes, it annoys me how people villainize annabeth in the meantime. they make him out to be this sensitive little guy and her this super mean toxic girl. when in reality they are complete equals. which is… the whole point.

percy has his insecurities, and he is super sarcastic and silly (largely in his head), but he’s a super strong and badass guy. he’s canonically very tough and intimidating. he has real human feelings, has big mood swings, and even gets emotional at some times (usually with his dad), but he’s not a sensitive guy, by any means. this is the same dude who’s been kicked out of every school, including military schools. he’s dealt with bullies and monsters and villains his whole life. he doesn’t get hurt or offended easily. and annabeth has been through just as much shit. it’s different, but it not “more” or “less” than he’s been through. and for some reason people don’t like this, but annabeth is the sensitive one in the relationship. she cries easily, she gets offended more easily, she feels and shows her emotions a lot more than percy. and that does not make her weak. and it’s the truth. so when people make her out to be this cold toxic person, who hurts little poor sensitive percy, it’s frustrating. it’s so wrong. they are both extremely strong. annabeth is percy’s biggest source of joy and comfort. she does not abuse him or degrade him.

no, their relationship is not perfect. neither of them are perfect. annabeth can be too prideful, and can tend to feel superior to others, but it’s just because she’s so intelligent. she’s aware of it and she actively works on it. in COTG, percy said whenever she gets excited about her day at school or proud of her accomplishments, she stops herself and asks about him instead. she knows she can be prideful, and wants to make sure percy knows she values and respects him. and percy, along with being impulsive, can be very insensitive. yes, it’s true. he is very loyal, but that doesn’t mean he’s always sensitive and considerate of people’s feelings. we see it so much, especially in battle of the labyrinth when he was an asshole to annabeth. some of it is because he can be very oblivious (no, not dumb), but some is just because of who he is. but he’s aware of it and actively works on it. like when he gave nico that big apology in heroes of olympus, and apologized to leo about calypso.

they are not perfect, because they are real. but they build each other up and love each other unconditionally. percy does not need people to protect him from annabeth. annabeth protects him more than anyone else. she takes care of him - physically and emotionally. and he does the same for her. they’ve been through a lot of crap, and they both help each other through it. they are partners. they are equals. neither are weak, and neither are toxic.

[graceshouldwrite]

The Most Powerful Hack to Make Your Readers Cry

You’ve seen it all: show, don’t tell, plant a visceral image in the reader’s brain of the environment/character, write a complex character arc with lots of growth and setbacks, establish deep relationships, high stakes, etc. 

All the advice for making readers cry I’ve seen so far is basically that list. But, while those things are absolutely important, I find that the thing that always does the trick, whether as a tipping point or in and of itself, is this: 

THE CALLBACK! 

Before we move on, this is an ANALYSIS heavy post, so all the book + show examples contain spoilers!!

So, what do I mean by a “callback?” Think of Chekhov’s gun, but, here, you use the gun to pierce your reader’s heart. As a refresher for anyone who needs it, Chekhov’s gun is just a rule in writing that anything you introduce in the book should play some role in the plot.

Specifically, the name comes from the example that if a reader introduces a gun in the first act, it MUST go off later, (maybe, say, in the third act). For example, in the TV show Breaking Bad, the protagonist Walter White prepares a vial of poison (ricin) that he wanted to use to eliminate an opponent early on in the series. After the assassination attempt falls through, the ricin makes an appearance again in the very last episode of the show, when Walt finally uses it to kill another opponent. 

Got that? Alright, onto the examples of successful, tearjerking callbacks: 

1. The Last Olympian (Rick Riordan); “Family, Luke, you promised.” 

Context: The character Annabeth says this line. Years ago, Annabeth had run away from home, and Luke had effectively adopted her into a found family with another kid named Thalia. Common reason for leaving home = parental trauma! Yay! He promised Annabeth that they would be each other’s “family” from now on. 

Now: Kronos, the antagonist titan, has possessed the demigod Luke and uses his body to strike Annabeth, injuring her. She’s also holding a dagger that Luke had given her when she joined his “family.”

Significance: her words + the dagger are a mental + physical reminder to Luke of his promise. They force him to recognize the sheer degree of his current betrayal by bringing him back to a different time. The fact that their found family only happened because of parental trauma bringing them together makes it worse—Luke felt abandoned by his Olympian father, Hermes. Now, he realizes that he basically did the equivalent to Annabeth by joining the titans. 

2. Les Miserables (Victor Hugo); Jean Valjean’s death 

Context:  At the beginning of the book, the bishop had caught Valjean trying to steal candlesticks to sell. Instead of handing him over to the police, the bishop told the police that he had given them to Valjean, saving him from arrest and showing him mercy. This changed his life forever, kickstarting his character redemption arc. 

Now: Jean Valjean dies surrounded by his loved ones, remembered as a benevolent man who bettered thousands of lives. He’s surrounded by light from candlesticks that once belonged to a bishop.

Context: Valjean had once taken in an impoverished woman named Fantine, showing her mercy and promising to take care of her daughter, Cosette, after Fantine died. Valjean then rescued Cosette from abusive quasi-foster parents (it’s a long story), raising her as his own daughter. This furthered his arc by allowing him to finally understand how unconditionally loving someone feels. 

Now: Valjean describes Fantine to Cosette, who never knew her mother. 

Significance: Both examples throw readers back to much earlier points in the story before the completion of Valjean’s character arc. In a way, this final scene feels like an external manifestation of his kindness paying off; both he and the reader feels a sense of accomplishment, relief, and just a general “OMG WE MADE IT.” Readers don’t feel cheated, because they were with Valjean every step of his 1,400 page arc. The weight of it all just crashes down on you...

3. Your Lie in April (anime); Kaori’s letter after she dies

Context: Kaori’s entire plot significance is that she helps Kousei, a piano prodigy who can’t play piano anymore due to traumatic parental memories associated with it, play again—but also, just to help him enjoy life again after a turbulent upbringing. She meets him a year before she dies of a medical condition, and her free spirit + confidence influences him to find beauty in life and music again. They basically do a crap ton of crazy funny stuff together lol

Now: Kaori has died, and she leaves a letter to him. Among other general confessions and thoughts, she references things they did and memories they shared: she says, “sorry we couldn’t eat all those canelés,” reminisces about  jumping with him off a small bridge into the stream below, “racing each other alongside the train,” singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as they rode the bike together, etc.

Significance: Yes, the nature of the letter is just sad because she’s revealing that she loved him all along, apologizing for not being able to spend more time with him, lying that she didn’t like him (to spare his feelings b/c she knew she would die soon), etc. BUT, these small details highlight exactly how many experiences they shared, and the depth of their relationship. Thus, they emphasize the significance of her death and the emptiness it leaves behind. 

4. Arcane (show); “I thought, maybe you could love me like you used to, even though I’m different.” 

Context: Character Jinx says this in the last episode to her now estranged older sister, Vi. Without going into the crazy complex plot, basically, orphans Vi and Jinx used to care for each other before a bunch of crap went down that got them separated. They then grew up on opposite political sides; Jinx grows up on the side of the underbelly city rebellion, and Vi grows up working on the side of the richer city that essentially oppresses the undercity. Thus begins the development of their opposing viewpoints and work environments, to the point where they always meet on opposite sides of a political battle, never able to come together as a family or understand each other again. 

Now: After a super dramatic confrontation, Jinx reveals that although she wants Vi to love her like she did before their separation, she knows it’s not possible because “[Vi] changed too.” She finishes with, “so, here’s to the new us” before blowing up a political council meeting a few blocks down filled with people Vi sides with. Oops! This cleanly seals the fate of their relationship as something basically irreparable.  

Significance: This callback isn’t through literal flashbacks or items like in the previous examples. Jinx’ lines are enough to bring back images of their childhood to the audience’s mind. Now, the audience subconsciously places this image of: 1) two sisters so different, hurt, and torn apart, right next to 2) the image of two sisters as innocent children who loved each other and would care for each other no matter what. 

Why do callbacks work so well? 

If you’ve noticed something in common with all of them, you’re right: they remind audience of a time BEFORE the characters have come so far on their arcs, developed, and put on so much more emotional baggage. 

Callbacks force the audience to SUDDENLY and IMMEDIATELY feel the weight of everything that’s happened. The character’s anguish and overwhelming emotions become the audience’s in this moment. Callbacks are a vehicle for the juxtaposition of worlds, before and after significant development. 

This works because we, as mortals, fear IMPERMANENCE the most. We fear LOSS. For us, time gone is time we will never get back; callbacks make us face that exact fact through a fictional character. A lost moment, time period, or even part of oneself may hurt as much as losing a loved one, and nothing makes humans grieve more than the realization of a loss. A callback slaps the audience in the face with the fact that something was lost; loss hurts so much because almost 99% of the time, what’s gone is gone forever. 

Of course, a good callback requires good previous character development, stakes, imagery, and all that jazz, but I thought I’d highlight this specifically because of how under covered it is. 

∘₊✧────── ☾☼☽ ──────✧₊∘

instagram: @ grace_should_write

I’ve been binging general media lately: I finished Death Note, Your Lie in April, and Tokyo Ghoul all within like a month (FIRST ANIMES I”VE EVER WATCHED!!), reread lots of Les Miserables, analyzed a bunch of past shows like Breaking Bad, watched a bunch of My Little Pony, worked to fix up my old writing... and that’s not even all! The amount of times I’ve CRIED while enjoying the above media and so much more honestly just inspired this post. 

Like, no joke, my eyes were almost always swollen during this period whenever I hung out with my friends and it was so embarrassing help 

Personally, I just find that this method works super well for me, and I watched a bunch of reaction videos to these above scenes (and read book reviews on the book scenes I mentioned), and it seemed that just about everyone cried during these parts. That’s when I realizes that the callback might also just be a universal thing. 

Anyway, this post is long and dense enough as is. SORRY! As always, hope this was helpful, and let me know if you have any questions by commenting, re-blogging, or DMing me on IG. Any and all engagement is appreciated <3333

Happy writing, and have a great day,

- grace <3

[apollothesunrat]

That moment when after weeks of TMNT brainrot, you get hit with sudden Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus brainrot and now your thoughts are genderfluid Percy and nonbinary Nico and a hell of a lot of headcanons. Now I'm sharing some.

Thats all my mind is now. Along with gnc Leo who will wear literally anything, Percabeth wearinf matching dresses, Piper and Nico friendship. Percy steals Annabeth's clothes cause they're similar in height and stature due to training. Piper lends Nico some of her clothes wgen Nico first comes out cause Nico is wary about buying their own fem-type clothes at first due to internalized transphobia(this is helped by Will and their friends supporting them unconditionally).

Its all demigods. And Zeus bein a dick, and only calling Percy and Nico he/him. But hey, at least Poseidon and Hades are trying!

Another headcanon, despite Triton claiming to hate his half-sibling he always seems to have a sense as to what pronouns Percy is using whenever he visits Atlantis and he always gets Percy's pronouns right. And whenever Percy switches midday, Amphitrite makes a point to make sure Poseidon knows and doesn't fuck it up. (we need more of Percy getting along with his seafam. Give me nice step-mother Amphitrite and protective half-brother Triton)

I have so many things to say.

Percy, Nico, and Thalia go thrifting together to get new clothes. They choose thrifting cause: 1.None of them like Hot Topic or Spencer's prices or stuff, it just isn't exactly what they like, 2.Thrifting allowing them to also pick up stuff for their friends as well, 3.It's easier to find actual vintage type clothes when thrifting and easier to diy some other clothes they find. All in all, the three of them just find a lot more when thrifting than compared to anywhere else.

Sally hosts monthly Big Three Kid sleepovers and monthly "The Seven + others" sleepovers. She and Paul love having demigods over and have given both of their phone numbers and the home phone number to Chiron incase any Campers(especially Percy's friends)need a quiet/safe space. She sends containers of blue cookies to all of Percy's closest friends on their birthdays.

Clarisse and Percy friendship!! They respect eachother and have friendly spars often. And if they send eachother Birthday and Christmas gifts? No one has to know, it would ruin their rivalry setup! Except everyone knows they do respect eachother.

This is all for now. Might post more headcanons and maybe even drawing later on.

[death-himself]

BRO this episode is definitely my favorite holy shit ok here are episode 4 thoughts

the starting scene of percy learning how to swim was so cute I love every percy and sally interaction

also I kind of love the way they make sally speak kind of erratically and sort of stream-of-thought like, I don't know why but something about it is really interesting and a unique spin on her character

when percy brought up thalia I was BEGGING for a flashback and i'm so sad we didn't get one, probably my only critique of this episode and even then it's not even really a critique

I also love how they're emphasizing grover and annabeth's friendship and history in the series because I feel like it wasn't a thing at all in the books

their dynamic is just getting better and better each episode istg

grover says "2 days until we reach los angeles" which makes me kind of nervous about the lotus casino scene. the whole thing with the casino in the book was that fear realising that they wasted an entire week, so i'm kind of worried that they're only gonna be there for like 5 minutes now, but I guess we'll see in an episode or two

I love echidna greeting them on the train, I think it actually makes more sense than her just being there at the arch at the same time as them

also love echidna's actress she's incredible omg

the arch being a temple to athena is SO FUNNY to me

also love the little hint to annabeth's love for architecture and how she infodumps a bit about it

i love the conversation percy and Annabeth have, them coming to an understanding on the different ways they view their godly parents

also annabeth still worshipping and loving athena because she's both never really had a loving family and because she's been in the godly world for a large amount of her life AND because she doesn't know what it's like to be loved without having to earn it

versus percy not worshipping or caring about poseidon because he's had a loving mother and knows what it's like for a parent to care about him unconditionally and realizing he doesn't need poseidon's attention because he has his mother and she's more than enough

them splashing percy with water in a fountain aslkjdgakljgh

"my impertinence wounded my mother's pride" and she just looks SO DEVASTATED i'm gonna cry

percy tricking annabeth to get her to leave with grover was such a percy thing to do, him knowing he's already dying from the venom

it seems like every time there's a big dramatic fight they always cut the music and i think that's such a cool interesting choice

very sad they didn't just teleport the river over but that shot did look really fuckin cool

i LOVE how they're setting up for percy to have such complex mixed feelings about poseidon, and them ending with him taking a breath and trusting his father was a cool choice

also about that teaser at the end, we're getting the chair hephaestus built in the myth??? i'm so excited to see how that goes

"she said this is what the gods are like to each other. this is the kind of family they are." i feel like that just explains every problem in the riordanverse

with episode 3 probably being my least favorite out of what we have so far, I'm so so happy with this episode. this is the first episode where I don't have a single real critique, and I just know the next 4 episodes are gonna be absolute bangers

[skywalking-through-life]

what’s your favorite headcanon of [percabeth]?

what’s a meme/quote that reminds you of [percabeth]?

:) have a lovely day!!

Hi my friend!! 💙 These are amazing asks, in part because I have SO many that it's actually really hard to choose, and once I get going I never shut up, lol.

But here are a few (sfw, lol, I have others that are much more adult!):

I LOVE the idea of Percy being a stay-at-home-dad/author/career-bouncer, probably because a) I love literally all the headcanons people have about possible careers for him (marine biologist, social worker, teacher, author, firefighter, pro athlete, etc) and I can't pick one, lol, and b) I think that Percy's biggest goal/ambition for his future is to have a happy, healthy family with Annabeth. I think he'd be absolutely thrilled by the idea of her being the career woman while he cares for/protects/raises the kiddos and the home! We know Percy has a real respect for the power of the hearth, and the love found there, so I think he'd find a lot of meaning in being a stay-at-home-dad!

I also think that, once they are done with college in New Rome, they probably eventually move back to the East Coast. I just can't see them staying physically closer to Annabeth's family than Percy's, and CHB and NYC are home to them both in a really real way. Plus, how can the Architect of Olympus keep up with the work all the way in Cali? So I think they come back and build a life for themselves in the NYC area, and babysit Estelle all the time as practice for having their own kids. 😌

And the last one I'll share is that I do think they have kids! I know some folks on here have discussed how ridiculous and unsafe and silly it might be for them to have kids, but my stance on that is that it is, frankly, always ridiculous and unsafe to have kids, mortal or immortal, real or fictional, lol, and that the only reason anyone should have them is because they desperately want them - and will love them unconditionally. Percy and Annabeth have both mentioned the idea of sons and daughters at multiple points throughout canon, so I think that becomes a topic of serious conversation and planning as they get older! But the basic instinct is there for them, and it isn't for everyone, so I do think they act on it. I think Percy is a pretty natural parent, and Annabeth a little more anxious, but I think they both find joy and exhaustion and meaning in parenthood.

As far as memes/quotes go, I could pick approximately 8 hundred thousand, but two are:

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,   

I love you directly without problems or pride:

I love you like this because I don’t know any other way to love,

except in this form in which I am not nor are you,   

so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,   

so close that your eyes close with my dreams." - Pablo Neruda, Love Sonnet XVII

and

"You are my blue crayon, the one I never have enough of, the one I use to color my sky." - A.R Asher

[rosesradio]

luke and annabeth were like yes i will love you unconditionally and truly and its the most toxic shit ever that no one understands but we both know its real even if its wrong and its just so fun to think about

okay yesss exactly, chewing on them throwing them around like a dog toy etc

allow me to yap

analysis can be different & i'm sure people will think differently than i do (which is fine & encouraged!) though i'm of the belief of like...if not for annabeth's loyalty for percy as well as thalia's return, annabeth probably would have joined luke. i feel like this was kind of a given struggle given her remaining loyalty to luke even to the latest point as well as hubris being her fatal flaw.

thinking about that one post about how percy was the hero of the prophecy because he knew exactly when to give the knife & allow luke to sacrifice himself. thalia was too distrusting of him & never would have given him the knife, while annabeth was too trusting of him & would have given him the knife before he was ready (& she'd probably find herself stabbed in the back for it).

there's just so much to their relationship that is unexplored i think because people are scared to explore it? & like look, i understand Completely. imo, they're probably one of the darkest ships in the rrverse depending on how you slice it. i respect people's preferences & icks alike in fiction—though i'll admit i'm a little disappointed people immediately dismiss it as "too problematic" because like...of course it is. so is sweeney todd, a musical about murder, rape, grooming, and cannibalism. & yet it's been performed & beloved by theaters for decades (my favorite musical <33 anyways—)

one of my fave things about lukabeth (that i haven't really explored in my fics because i always make lukabeth!luke into a literal predator but it's fine—) is a pivitol plot point i feel like a lot of fans ignore: luke was one of annabeth's weaknesses, but annabeth was also one of luke's, if not his only weakness. i feel like a lot of people dismiss him as one-dimensional & manipulative, which like...sure, he's a manipulative bastard. he did some fucked up stuff. but he's also morally grey, & he too has a soft spot for annabeth until the end, it's literally what saves the war.

ofc, the debate on luke's death scene will remain the most toxic sludge on the bottom of the pjo fandom's shoe until the end of time (that is, until the show erases this scene entirely as charlie bushnell stands up mid-death speech to clarify "hey, i mean this completely platonically!" lmao). tbh, i don't want it to have a black & white answer, because i don't trust Uncle Richard with anything these days, plus the nuance of it all is really interesting to explore instead of it all being laid out for us. it really is up to the individual to determine how they feel about luke & annabeth's relationship & what their final words meant.

am i always gonna interpret it a bit romantic because i'm a Freak that's interested in Whatever The Fuck they have going on? yeah ofc. would i endorse a relationship like theirs at all in real life? no, go to therapy.

that's all i have for now, thanks for giving me the space to yap anon 💌

[mydairpercabeth]

Hi. First, I would like to say Happy New Year. Next, I am a new Percy Jackson fan. I have never read the books, but I am in the process of reading the first one, and I am a fan of the TV show adaptation. Since you have read the books, I want to ask you two things: in the show, Annabeth was at the convenience store and purchasing snacks for herself and Percy.

But she was having a hard time choosing which candy to buy. I think it's because she's dyslexic since she is a demigod, but you believe that it is because Annabeth wants to surprise Percy and Grover with candy, not just soda and chips, but doesn't know what candy they like so she decides to buy everything.

In the same episode, Annabeth admitted that Grover was her protector before Percy, so doesn't that mean Grover already likes her? Aren't they already friends or at least cordial towards each other since he was tasked with protecting her and keeping her safe? Percy, I understand, but Grover shouldn't be an issue at all. Throughout the episode, Grover was never mean or hostile towards her. He was annoyed but only because of her constant bickering with Percy. He was always kind to her and even told Percy that she was the one in charge when he (Percy) questioned to him why she took on the role of their leader.

Second, if Luke and Annabeth are supposed to have a sibling-like relationship, then why does Annabeth have a crush on him? Doesn't she think of him as her older brother?

I think the candy scene is so layered. This is Annabeths first time leading a quest and up until that point, she has put up the front of being wise beyond her years. In the candy scene we finally see her as the kid she is. Annabeth was only going to get chips and soda but we see her in the candy aisle. She hasnt seen Grover for a long time and he is best friends with Percy. Shes the odd person out and I think she sees the candy as her way “in” the group. She struggles to connect with them but she wants to.

As for her relationship with Luke, I think it’s both. Luke sees her as his little sister but Annabeth never calls him her brother. She looks up to him, she is comfortable around him. He is the first person to actually love her unconditionally, something her own parents wont even do. I can see why she would develop a crush. Luke is the older boy that is always kind to her and believes in her.

I could do a whole essay on how they use Percy and Annabeth to show the differences in how ADHD presents in boys and girls but that is for another time. I cant wait to see what they do with her character next.

[justaneedle]

Okay, I didn't even plan think about Thalia, but thinking about Luke and Annabeth will certainly lead to her, too. And to my problems with her.

Luke and Annabeth — kin. Annabeth is just kin, so I don't love her so much as I understand and accept her.

Luke is a kin mixed with the biggest "what if" of my life. Therefore, I understand, accept and absolutely unconditionally love him.

And the fact that my two kins have never completely ditched each other till the end probably doesn't do a favor to Thalia, who is not only inconsistently written, but also has no real connection with Annabeth and is the only one who truly dumped Luke... in general, there is hardly anyone to whom I would treat — with my own attachment issues — worse than Thalia.

If she were a normally written character, I might be influenced by the explanations of the fandom that this is related to Annabeth in TTC. But against the background of the fact that Rick didn't prescribe the relationship between them from books 3 to 5, and the fact that we have Annabeth as an unreliable narrator in books 1 and 2... even when I consciously try, I can't convince myself that the relationship between Thalia and Annabeth is at least somewhat comparable to the relationship between Luke and Thalia in importance (which is also questionable due to the way Thalia is written), and it's better not even stutter about the weight of the relationship between Annabeth and Luke.

Annabeth and Luke clearly share attachment issues that Annabeth hates changes, which is why she will prefer poor stability to any change, even if it's an attempt to change objectively rotten stability to something better.

Annabeth understands Luke's motives, but simply refuses to accept that he has a life of his own. Annabeth stays on the side of the gods not because they are a more preferable constant, but on the contrary — Annabeth has a better chance of getting Luke back, getting him to be with her again, than to pull off reform (when her hubris isn't really against) the entire system of the gods. That's why she also believed that Thalia wouldn't have joined Luke — Annabeth didn't really know Thalia, she was just a little kid, even if she was smart. The memories about Thalia itself became a constant, and if Luke moved on, Annabeth's brain made the logical conclusion that the constant (Thalia) wouldn't move on, because then it would be an unnecessary change, which Annabeth hates.

Luke's attachment issues are not related to any changes in general. He just wants to have people who love him and whom he can love in return. Feelings that would really be able to achieve the point from both ends, because with his parents it wasn't. He loves demigods as a species cause of his compassion — because of the rotten system of the gods, their lives are similar — filled with pain, suffering and death. And, of course, ideally, he would prefer those he loves to be by his side. He accepts that this is impossible for one reason or another, but as long as he knows that affection is not dead, he would like to be together with dear people. So he repeatedly asks Annabeth to join him (he also asks Percy about it in SOM) and Thalia to join him.

Annabeth, although she doesn't accept his offers, never completely turn around from Luke; Percy, although full of negative feelings to Luke, actually retains the lion's share of sympathy for the elder one, which becomes most obvious in TTC and BOTL, and in TLO is one of the key points at all. Thalia completely cuts off Luke in the TTC, and TLO only confirms this.

Thalia doesn't show purely human sympathy towards Luke, not to mention that Luke is supposed to be her best friend once.

So how should I perceive Thalia against the background of all this? Six months later (biologically, according to her feelings) she is someone who hated the gods for their shit and was Luke's best friend, but now she completely disowned him, after his alleged death by her foot hand Thalia quickly switches from grief to “you were right about”, leaves Annabeth becoming a servant of the goddess (dubious), after about 2 years she doesn't show any special emotions after reuniting with friends (again, Annabeth), but at the same time remains a servant of the goddess, even when it is no longer necessary, because... she is devoted to Artemis (?!?).

I can't bring myself to call Thalia anything other than spineless.

[thethiefandtheairbender]

I know we haven’t talked in a while but seeing you reblog pjo show content gave me an ‘Aha’ moment. The scene of where Percy tricks Annabeth and pushes her to safety in episode 4 has been bugging me the whole day. It reminded of something but I didn’t know what, but seeing you reblog that specific scene made me realize what it reminded me of. Its Shallura from the second last episode of the first season. Allura throwing Shiro to safety while she got captured. That’s what the scene of Annabeth and Percy reminds me of. The PARALLELS!!! And now i am overwhelmed with feelings.

Oh Shallura - they will have always deserved better </3 And I do always love ships where both halves are basically competing over who can sacrifice themselves for each other

But honestly all I could see watching that scene - from the injury to the reasoning to Annabeth's proposed sacrifice to Percy's panicked little head shake - was Rayla and Callum from The Dragon Prince down to a T. Which is funny, because Rayllum has always very much reminded me of a less mature (at first) form of Shallura anyway, especially in the first few seasons

But yeah the Percabeth switch scene specifically made me think of Rayla and Callum's scene in Season Two in which she's going to possibly die saving/defending a downed dragon from dark magic dissection, and Callum has this panicked little head shake as well

Interspersed with Rayla saying things like "It doesn't matter what happens to me. Live or die, this dragon goes home" because. we love an overly self sacrificial elf girl with white hair (and just to be clear, this dragon is a Total Stranger to her) and Callum drawing her because he's Worried and an Artiste

Before he goes after her and well, takes the blow, shall we say, by uh, permanently corrupting his soul with dark magic

Callum also winds up having a dark predecessor (the way Shiro did with Zarkon) and arcs surrounding agency, and Rayla comes to help him get to safety after he collapses post-spell. Angry at him, but ultimately concerned/worried

Even though TDP is just like. a Really Good fucking tv show for Every Conceivable Reason (plot, characters, development, queer rep, these two) but I do have a fondness for how these two continue to grow in their attempts to out-devotion each other with shit like "I trust her. Unconditionally" and "the best thing I ever had: you"

i love them Almost as much as they love each other

[happyk44]

Maybe I'll give Annabeth NPD anyway. I mean there's ranges in experiences of anything and also I can't stop thinking about it lol (her fatal flaw, guys!! It fits so well, she wants to design the whole world and doesn't see that as a bad thing!!). So yeah, I'm gonna say she has it, but lemme break it down anyway.

DSM-5 criteria:

Patients must have a persistent pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy

Right away, grandiosity and need for admiration fit, but lack of empathy not so much. HOWEVER, while I do think Annabeth is a fairly empathic person, I can see her being more cognitively empathetic versus affective/emotionally empathetic. Her ability to be affectively and compassionately empathetic is more so based on the situation itself. So, say, someone gets something she wanted, while cognitively she'll understand their excitement, she won't feel it or want to celebrate with them because, well, she wanted that thing, so fuck them, why are they getting so excited about it? Similarly, if she does something that affects another person negatively, she'll understand how her actions upset that person, but she can't intrinsically find it in herself to care or do anything about.

I think she'd be good at masking this part of herself, not as manipulation or anything, but just out of instinctive mimicry of other people's behaviour. Other people feel bad when they hurt someone by accident, so she should feel bad too, and so on. What this causes, though, is a lack of understanding that she is not as emotionally empathetic as she thinks she is.

She's also a problem solver!! So when someone has a problem, she will fix it, she will come up with solutions, and she attributes this to "caring" when it's not always.

The presence of five or more of the following:

Exaggerated/unfounded sense of their own importance and talents (aka grandiosity)

It's literally her fatal flaw. Hybris - exaggerated pride or self-confidence in one's abilities. She thinks she can redesign the whole world to be perfect, guys.

Preoccupation of fantasies of unlimited achievements, influence, power, intelligence, beauty, or perfect love

Once again folds back into her fatal flaw. Not to mention we know that she'd been thinking about the prophecy coming to fruition for a long time and how she would help Percy (although, could've been any child of the big three that showed up) win the battle

Belief that they are special and unique and should associate only with people of the highest caliber

See, I don't know about this one because I think Annabeth is pretty inclusive of most people. But I do think that she believes she's special, or has more importance to the world than other people. Part of me has always thought that she thinks she's better than her siblings, especially considering how she's treated by her mother (gifted the invisibility cap, when we don't know or head about her siblings receiving similar gifts, being given the title of architect of Olympus, other stuff I'm blanking on probably). So 50/50?

Need to be unconditionally admired

Hubris again lol. Not, but in all seriousness I'm like 50/50 on this one. I don't really feel that she has that sense in canon? But I feel that she could have it very easily - if that makes sense.

Sense of entitlement

Idk tbh. I'm not sure she ever displays a sense of entitlement. Maybe when she joined Percy's team because if I remember correctly in the books, she was just "I'm coming with you". I think part of the problem when it comes to assessing based on diagnostic criteria is that sometimes I read it too specifically to the wording rather than what the criteria could encompass lol

Exploitation of others to achieve their own goals

You could look at her in TLT in this way - joining Percy's team not so much because she wants to help Percy but because she wants to go on a quest and leave camp. Also her positioning Percy at the river as bait without telling him so their team could win. It's a thin margin, yeah, but look I'm desperate and I really really like this headcanon 😅

Lack of empathy

See my above comments on lack of empathy

Envy of others and a belief that others envy them

I can see her being envious of others, especially when it comes to familial relationships since hers was never the best, or when it comes to success in areas that she does not do best at. One of my HCs is that she and Leo start a business - Leo does a lot of the physical creation, they both handle designing and planning, and she deals with the people side of things. Leo being a child of Hephaestus is better at making things, and Leo being Leo is more mathematically inclined than she is, and I can see that as a sticking point in the early stages of their business.

She likes aesthetic, he prefers functionality, and she'll get extremely annoyed whenever he catches a flaw in her ideas, angry that she didn't spot it, envying his level of intelligence and doing/saying things to knock him down a peg because she's upset (and then his inferiority complex kicks in and they fight and break up the business before coming back together after a few days because they know they need each other for this but, ugh, frustration. Eventually they figure out how to work with each other without getting prissy, but it takes its time)

I'm not so sure about the belief that others envy her, but, maybe, a need for others to envy her. She doesn't think people do, but she hopes they do. She hopes that people believe she is amazing and talented and that they envy the hell out of her abilities and wish they were her.

Arrogance and haughtiness

There are times where she can be arrogant. She's very self-righteous and convinced she knows better than other people, that she's smarter than everyone else, too stubborn to accept other people's point of views, see when she and Percy would argue about Luke - her inability to recognize that Luke was a danger to everyone now, her insistent belief he could still be saved. Also when she argued with the Sphinx because she was angry she didn't get a good enough riddle.

So five (and a half) points! Yay 🙌🙌 I did it! I have now fulfilled the cluster B portion (Percy - BPD, Piper - HPD, Clarisse - ASPD, and now Annabeth - NPD) so whoop. Good for me 👍

And as always if you have NPD and/or have ideas about the ways it presents in Annabeth (or any other character), or have thoughts on other disorders and the characters you feel fit them, feel free to drop into my inbox 😂

[satan-spawned-in]

You know with the context of the books, you really do know that Annabeth could never. She so desperately wants to be loved and we know that Percy loves her unconditionally in a way no one else did

the pjo fandom on tumblr vs tiktok is so funny cause we've all (or most of us) have already read the entire series, we know what's going to happen so we can see the parallels and the tragedy behind it but on tiktok???

they're in love with Luke

they think he's so kind and nice and its wonderful he's percy's friend, there's no way that he'd be evil - I've seen theories that annabeth is going to be the one who betrays percy (prior to ep4)

the tonal shift is insane and I can't wait to see all these first time viewers lose their fucking minds

[ravenexy]

random percabeth hcs

• after getting their grey strands, they'd use hair chalk on them often, and usually match.

• except, the first time they did, they completely disagreed on the colour they wanted to choose

• they kept arguing about it until percy grabbed both of the chalks, broke them up, and mixed them together while annabeth stood there, her jaw on the floor.

• to say the least, they started taking turns when choosing which colour to have on.

• percy always had two hair ties around his wrist since he knew that annabeth constantly lost the one around hers. when planning, she'd fidget with it. when understimulated, she'd also fidget with it. it's bound to get lost every day.

• while on a quest, annabeth found a blue rose on the edge of a road, and gave it to percy. long story short, he sobbed when he lost it while fighting

• one time percy came tumbling down the stairs (which probably shoukdve killed him, but we know this boy cheats death) and annabeth was at the bottom with her hands clasped on her mouth

• he has the audacity to look up and go, "i think i just fell for you"

• percy dramatically declares his love for annabeth out loud, but no, her? she intends to make him flustered on the down-low so no one else would know why he's suddenly breathless and blushing hard.

• grover being the best and going "what're you blushing at, percy?"

• like when she'd whisper something into his ear as he goes to grab his food, or the secret compliments during meetings

• and then percy just so happens to be called on for his say on the mission, but he's not processing what he's been asked, ehich is usually followed by, "uhm what happened to you?"

• percy has a habit of walking around shirtless in his cabin. since he's alone there's no issue right? he's rarely ever alone, he's got people going in and out of his cabin for gods knows what

• and the day that annabeth tried to work on daedalus laptop in there, was the day she died. how was she supposed to focus

• share everything, literally

• percy would go through her closet and put on the most dramatic dress she owns

• detention buddies

• percy loves to to play with annabeth's curls. the first time he did, he blurted out "boing" every time he gently pulled on them and then watched them curl up again. since then he made the boing noise when he messed with them

• he also loved to stick a pen into the ringlets without touching the edges and shed smack his arm every single time

• they loved each other unconditionally (a fact)

• and they would forever be there for one another (again a fact)

[the-pjo-analyst]

Chapter 7 - My Dinner Goes Up in Smoke

Theme of the day: Home

I guess a subtheme for this would be “belonging”: where do the characters feel like the belong? Where do they consider home to be? Where do they not feel at home? Maybe this theme was a little early to do, but there are a few moments where it turns up both directly and in between the lines.

Camp Half-Blood is the most self-explanatory place for this theme. Demigods struggle to survive and fit in in the regular world and CHB is the only place where they can be safe and be themselves. I also can’t believe it took this long for anyone to tell Percy that he’s a demigod lmao. Idk what anyone expected by keeping this fact from him and then saying you belong here. Just seems like the start of a horror movie ahaha. Though it was sweet how once Percy had dinner with everyone and participated in the campfire and singalong that he felt like he was part of the campers. No one treated him like a spectacle and for the first time in his life Percy didn’t feel like an oddball or outsider, he felt like he was home.

The whole claiming and cabin system at CHB is so fascinating to analyze, especially since it’s an important point of interest as the books progress. A kid arrives at camp, and if they know who their godly parent is, they get sent to the corresponding cabin. If they don’t know, they’re put in Hermes’s cabin until they’re claimed, if they’re claimed at all. But if they do get claimed, and the godly parent isn’t an Olympian, they still have to stay at the Hermes cabin. The best case scenario would be that first option where you can find a home at your cabin with your siblings. But as we see with Percy’s conversations with Annabeth and Luke, being claimed doesn’t equate like.... parental love. So no matter what, the demigods don’t necessarily feel wanted. The system just breeds bitterness and hate.

And that also doesn’t consider whether a demigod’s mortal parent is a good parent or not. If they’re lucky, their parent is someone like Sally Jackson who unconditionally loves their child. But so often we come across demigods who don’t have that, like Annabeth who ran away from home for that very reason.

I know that Riordan hadn’t created Camp Jupiter at this point, but it’s interesting how it’s by far more structured and larger than CBH is. Like CBH is more like an actual camp, something temporary, so you don’t often have Greek demigods that live to adulthood since they’re likely to die off when they leave. Whereas CJ is more like a city and permanent home.

This whole idea of belonging and home in relation to CHB and the gods is part of the reason of Luke’s descent to being anti-Olympian I think. Being part of the Hermes cabin, he’s seen firsthand what the CHB system does to a demigod emotionally. He becomes the representation of all the bitterness and hate the demigods feel, but at the same time he’s also so caring and understanding (all of that just gets twisted from Kronos’s influence though). I keep mentioning how much Percy is thrust into this new world without any true explanation or proper orientation (feels like most jobs I’ve had lmaoo), but then Luke is the only one so far that has really understood what Percy is feeling coming to camp for the first time. He sits down with Percy and actually talks to him, asks him how he’s doing, and answers his questions without that air of “I’m hiding things from you” like Chiron or seeming condescending like Annabeth. Like Luke is genuinely looking out for Percy and his wellbeing. But despite all this, I also think that someone like Luke was probably the most likely one to betray the camp because of how caring he is and because he’s seen so much, not only in the Hermes cabin but also prior to his arrival at camp. Also the whole fiasco of his quest 😬

It’s been so long since I’ve read these books that I can’t remember if Annabeth had inklings of Poseidon being Percy’s father or not. Considering the rumors of Percy being “Big Three material” and the whole bathroom incident, it wouldn’t be surprising if Annabeth had suspicions, which would explain why she suggested he go to the Oracle. She’s already aware that one of the Big Three broke their pact, so who’s to say another also did too? It’s kinda fun finding all the little hints as to who Percy’s godly parent is though. Besides the times he full on controls water, there’s small moments like him just knowing that the horn for dinnertime was a conch shell, or him being drawn towards the ocean or things that recall the ocean. Like obviously Percy loves Montauk because it’s a place where it can be just him and his mom, but I think it also has to do with being a child of Poseidon. He’s just hardwired to love beaches and whatnot lol. I wonder if Percy’s memory of his father’s smile is from a dream maybe or that general feeling he gets when he’s by the ocean.

Small things:

Why were the naiads the tipping point for Percy 😂 Was it just the proverbial straw in an overwhelming day or is it like “I can take in a lot but I draw the line at naiads” ahaha

Annabeth, Percy just got here he’s not gonna know what “cabin 6″ means lmaoo

Percy’s toast to his mom with the blue coke ;A;

Previous: Chapter 6 - I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom

Next: Chapter 8 - We Capture a Flag

[starlightshadowsworld]

To storm or fire the world must fall.

We know it ends but what if it was the son of Jupiter who ended it all.

Jason who was raised for this, who's been an extra since birth and raised as a soilder his whole life. As a weapon, something that can be so easily discarded and replaced.

("you've been raising him as a pig for slaughter")

Just like he always felt he was and shown to be.

Jason has lived his life following the wills of the God's, who's only ever wanted love. Only ever wanted to be loved unconditionally for who he is, for his father to look him in the eye and smile and say he was proud of him.

To say that he was enough, that he was good enough.

And how better to do that, than to bring an end to all of this mess.

And Jason wouldn't come back, he doesn't want to tempt fate by changing it. He knows the rules and follows them with all his heart to ensure everyone's safety. And what if its made in complete by him surviving, he couldn't be so selfish. What if his father saw him as a coward?

Also, Jason doesn't have anyone to live for.

His camp replaced and forgot him, if he returned he'd be marked a traitor. Reyna who loved him only did so from afar. Jason never fit in in Camp Half-blood, he was always a lesser version of Percy.

Thalia he loved dearly but too much time had passed and he would only be prolonging her suffering knowing she'd always outlive him.

As for the Seven and Nico he adored them but he also knew it wouldn't last. No home of his ever did, everyone always left in the end that's how it went.

Piper he knew only loved him for the fantasy ideal of loving the son of Jupiter, she was already realising he couldn't reach such a standard. She would leave, he wouldn't blame her even if he did love her.

Besides, they had lives, families and those to go back to. The least he could do was bring them home.

Jason who didn't think anyone would think anything of his decision because he never realised just how much he was loved.

He was an old soul, in pain and haunted by the life he'd lived.

Jason who makes the oath when he can't save Annabeth and Percy. Who screams "noo!" and dives after them but Tartarus is pulling them in while sending him away. He uses his powers to propel himself but it isn't enough.

He makes eye contact with Percy who gives him a smile, and says that it's alright, we'll be okay. Get em to the otherside, won't you Jase? Before they plunge below and Jason's sent back into the ship.

And he promises, promises that he will get them all to safety in the end.

He feels the weight of his words, he knows what he's done.

Jason who goes out fighting, he let's his powers loose in a way they've never been before. He's ruthless in a way he's been raised to be but never quite been and no one's ever seen him go off quite like this.

Because there's no need to hide, there's no need for shame and fear. Nothing matters other than making sure everyone is safe, he pushes himself like he's never pushed before, the air burns around him and the earth scorches at his touch.

He himself is glowing like his dad's master bolt, he's growling and brutal because it doesn't matter how he looks. Doesn't matter if everyone realises he's less than a human or a monster.

He doesn't expect to be remembered, everyone's always been good at forgetting him.

The clouds are grey and rain pours as Jason not only becomes the center of a storm but the storm itself.

And maybe there's pleads and horrified stares not of him but because they know what he's doing but he can't and won't listen.

Jason who's never felt more free, more alive and unrestrained hoping his father is somewhere watching. He gives it his all and succeeds.

And when it's all over, the clouds vanish and the son of Jupiter is no more. He's content in a way he hadn't been in years and doesn't know the tears being shed aren't out of joy but greif.