Day 6: Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter?
I considered Camp Jupiter for like two seconds, but sorry, my heart is with the Greeks.
Like, I appreciate that Camp Jupiter is super well-organized and clearly thinks a lot about the campers that stay there, and they even have a place for demigods who have grown up. But Camp Half-Blood just seems like a friendlier place in general.
You don't get all that power play stuff like Octavian's doing with Reyna, because they don't have the kids in charge of the whole camp. They have camp counselors, but Chiron is the trainer who runs things. At Camp Jupiter, Reyna alone was in charge of camp for like, eight months. Have a fun time at summer camp!
Camp Half-Blood also doesn't judge their campers for their heritage (godly or otherwise) - sure, Percy was alone in the Poseidon cabin, but it didn't take long for him to make a whole bunch of friends regardless. At Camp Jupiter, he was immediately regarded with suspicion because Neptune (Poseidon's roman form, of course) was generally mistrusted by the Romans (you'll notice even in Ancient times the Romans almost never attacked from the sea). Frank's grandmother worried about Frank going to Camp Jupiter because she worried that he'd be bullied because he's Chinese-Canadian. (I really like this about the books, that even in modern times at a camp based on Rome the author chose not to ignore the fact that the Romans were hugely prejudiced - there's always that underlying tone when they talk about Camp Jupiter). Not to mention how, for the first half of The Son of Neptune, the entirety of Camp Jupiter were just using the Fifth Cohort as punching bags because of something that happened in the 80s. Like, calm down.
I also like that Camp Half-Blood gets necklaces instead of tattoos. I feel like the Rome owns you thing is (accurate, but) uncomfortable.
Not to mention how the campers get to the camps. Camp Half-Blood - a friendly satyr protector leads you there. Camp Jupiter - a wolf teaches you for a few months and then sends you off to find it. Or, if you're real lucky, you get escorted there by a pack of wolves. (This is, of course, playing off the myth of Lupa and Romulus and Remus). Did I mention that you possibly get killed if you show weakness during that time? Fun stuff.
And MOST IMPORTANTLY: Camp Half-Blood has campfires every night. Sing-alongs. Led by the Apollo kids (hypothetically me, if I'm going to Camp Half-Blood). Like at real camp. Like, hey New Rome, you may have government and stability and a safe haven for grown demigods but do you have campfire sing-alongs? No? Then you have failed.
I just like Camp Half-Blood's overall tone better. Seems like much more fun, but I suppose, in Camp Jupiter's defense, we didn't really get to see that much of how Camp Jupiter really works in general. But my opinion stands.
Because sing-alongs.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 5
Day 5: Favourite female character
Slightly more difficult than day 4.
I'm stuck between Hazel and Annabeth. They're both amazingly capable, awesome, kick-ass ladies that are complex characters and just really great. (I love the fact that they can have boyfriends without being like "I LIVE ONLY FOR MY BOYFRIEND" *coughcoughPipercough*).
Huh.
Um.....
Huh.
Annabeth, Hazel.... Hazel, Annabeth. I keep talking myself out of one and choosing the other, and then doing the same thing for the other one. I AM SO CONFLICTED.
I'm going to go with my first instinct on this one, and that is Annabeth, purely because I have six more books of experience with her and know her that much better. Sorry Hazel, I do appreciate you too girlfriend.
When I first read the Percy Jackson series, before all this new-fangled Heroes of Olympus stuff, I always related to Annabeth. Because A) she seemed to be the smart one amidst a cast of characters who, well, let's say that being "smart" wasn't exactly their focus. And B) her fatal flaw is hubris - or, in simple terms, pride. She's one of those people who are defaulted to believe that they could do anything better than the way someone else did it. I was really like that when I first read the series. When I re-read it, however, I found I related to her less and less. Hey, people do change!
But as we finally got inside her head in The Mark of Athena and The House of Hades, I found I went back to relating to her, and beyond that, I found myself admiring her. She struck out on her own to find the Athena Parthenos, and damned if she didn't find it. She got herself out of every bit of trouble she got herself in with a mixture of brains and badassery, which is my favourite combo. Also, would you look at that, she's the only one of the Seven without any special (demi)godly powers, and yet, she's arguably one of the most capable of them. (Although, House of Hades seemed to be determined to make sure it was stressed that every character was entirely capable on their own - perhaps so their teamwork in Blood of Olympus would be that much more powerful). When she and Percy fall into Tartarus, the rest of the team laments that their two strongest members are now gone. As in, Annabeth was one of their strongest members. Who needs pyrokinesis or animal morphism when you've got brains, right?
So, yeah. As it turns out, Annabeth is a much more interesting character when she's not entirely defined by Percy's perception of her (the first five books in which she featured were from his perspective). Go figure, right?
At the same time, she does rely on him. That's part of what makes her interesting. She does have weaknesses. Pride, for one, although whether or not that's ever actually been used against her is a different question entirely. But another of her weaknesses is how much she relies on Percy. Yay for human flaws and wonderfulness.
So, yeah. Annabeth. One badass lady hero of Olympus, alright.
Slightly more difficult than day 4.
I'm stuck between Hazel and Annabeth. They're both amazingly capable, awesome, kick-ass ladies that are complex characters and just really great. (I love the fact that they can have boyfriends without being like "I LIVE ONLY FOR MY BOYFRIEND" *coughcoughPipercough*).
Huh.
Um.....
Huh.
Annabeth, Hazel.... Hazel, Annabeth. I keep talking myself out of one and choosing the other, and then doing the same thing for the other one. I AM SO CONFLICTED.
I'm going to go with my first instinct on this one, and that is Annabeth, purely because I have six more books of experience with her and know her that much better. Sorry Hazel, I do appreciate you too girlfriend.
When I first read the Percy Jackson series, before all this new-fangled Heroes of Olympus stuff, I always related to Annabeth. Because A) she seemed to be the smart one amidst a cast of characters who, well, let's say that being "smart" wasn't exactly their focus. And B) her fatal flaw is hubris - or, in simple terms, pride. She's one of those people who are defaulted to believe that they could do anything better than the way someone else did it. I was really like that when I first read the series. When I re-read it, however, I found I related to her less and less. Hey, people do change!
But as we finally got inside her head in The Mark of Athena and The House of Hades, I found I went back to relating to her, and beyond that, I found myself admiring her. She struck out on her own to find the Athena Parthenos, and damned if she didn't find it. She got herself out of every bit of trouble she got herself in with a mixture of brains and badassery, which is my favourite combo. Also, would you look at that, she's the only one of the Seven without any special (demi)godly powers, and yet, she's arguably one of the most capable of them. (Although, House of Hades seemed to be determined to make sure it was stressed that every character was entirely capable on their own - perhaps so their teamwork in Blood of Olympus would be that much more powerful). When she and Percy fall into Tartarus, the rest of the team laments that their two strongest members are now gone. As in, Annabeth was one of their strongest members. Who needs pyrokinesis or animal morphism when you've got brains, right?
So, yeah. As it turns out, Annabeth is a much more interesting character when she's not entirely defined by Percy's perception of her (the first five books in which she featured were from his perspective). Go figure, right?
At the same time, she does rely on him. That's part of what makes her interesting. She does have weaknesses. Pride, for one, although whether or not that's ever actually been used against her is a different question entirely. But another of her weaknesses is how much she relies on Percy. Yay for human flaws and wonderfulness.
So, yeah. Annabeth. One badass lady hero of Olympus, alright.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Just a Huge Dump of Music Appreciation
I've been appreciating a lot of music lately, and I think it's important to share because music is important.
Like, we went to Sun Peaks for a weekend vacation, and they had a lot of free concerts going on. So I fell in love with an extremely unknown group called Coloured Sky, which was literally just two guys with a couple guitars and a microphone and they were very very good. I sort of just downloaded their whole album without even listening to it because they were so good in concert. My favourite of theirs is "Realize". Unfortunately they're so unknown that they don't seem to have any videos online for me to link you to to listen to them. :(
But Coloured Sky was opening for another band called The Arkells, who are much better known in general. And they put on, just, a fantastic show. They're clearly very enthusiastic and passionate performers, but none of their songs really stuck out to me as much except
Except for a beautiful piece of art that has a gorgeous chorus that goes like this:
And if you want me to boil it down/All you cynical bastards, get out of town/And if you want me to boil it down/All you cynical bastards/Move a little faster
It's called Cynical Bastards and it's just wonderful and rocking and currently one of my favourite songs. Unfortunately, it's one of the lesser known ones on their album, so again, no videos of it online. :(
But Bastille also released a new album. And y'all know how I feel about Bastille. And I honestly don't think that Bastille could write a bad song if they tried. DID I MENTION THAT I AM SEEING THEM LIVE IN NOVEMBER ASDFJKL I'M GOING TO ACTUALLY DIE OF JOY
Favourite songs from the new album currently include:
Poet, The Silence, Sleepsong, Laughter Lines and The Draw. They are so entirely perfect.
Also, I realized recently that The Silence is actually about writer's block. Can I hug Bastille like all of them at once because it's like they just know my soul and also Dan Smith's voice is a gift from the highest heaven.
Yes, there's more music appreciation, forgive me.
So, I recently heard a few songs by Fall Out Boy. I started with My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (don't ask me what the title means because I really don't know) and at first I was like "Um, what is this?" So then I had to listen to it again because it had thrown me off-balance and dammit, I had to decide if I liked it for that or not. And then I found myself bobbing my head. And the next thing you know is the next day while I'm making my breakfast I'm playing the song and dancing around my kitchen and um, I pretty much didn't stop dancing to it for like three days. Even as we speak, if it is not night-time I am legitimately incapable of playing the song without dancing to it.
Then the next thing I heard by them was Young Volcanoes. And kind of like the first one, I was like, "Ehhh...." and didn't listen to it again for another week. Then I was in a store and it was playing and I was sort of like, "Yeah, I guess it's not bad." And then I played it at home and I was like, "Yeah, I can appreciate this." And the next thing you know I'm freaking learning it on the ukulele and all the neighbours can hear is me belting "WE ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE WILD, WE ARE LIKE YOUNG VOLCANOES" and that's pretty much where I'm at. I just love the lyrics. When Rome's in ruins/We are the lions/Free of the colosseums/ I don't know I just really like that line. And also: We will teach you/How to make boys-next-door/Out of assholes. I still laugh at that line.
And FINALLY
The Fields of Athenry, by the Dropkick Murphys.
Look, I've known about this song for a long time, but I finally looked up the lyrics and it gave me shivers. This is especially notable since the band playing didn't even write the song lyrics. In fact, they're just adapting an old Irish folk-song called The Fields of Athenry, which is set during the Great Famine. But they just adapt it in a way that's so KICK-ASS and ROCKING and HARDCORE, and I just have this extreme appreciation for how very, very cool it is to adapt something so traditional into something so... not. And, like, it's not just exploited for it either. It's not like they're sullying the subject matter by changing the tone, right? Because it is a song about famine and prison. It is literally just that hardcore. They did a version of Amazing Grace in the same way. It's really cool.
I mean, listen to this song, they make bagpipes sound hardcore. It's freaking awesome.
And just listen to what the bass and the drums are doing. These guys know how to rock.
Why, yes, my taste in music is ecclectic, thank you for noticing.
Like, we went to Sun Peaks for a weekend vacation, and they had a lot of free concerts going on. So I fell in love with an extremely unknown group called Coloured Sky, which was literally just two guys with a couple guitars and a microphone and they were very very good. I sort of just downloaded their whole album without even listening to it because they were so good in concert. My favourite of theirs is "Realize". Unfortunately they're so unknown that they don't seem to have any videos online for me to link you to to listen to them. :(
But Coloured Sky was opening for another band called The Arkells, who are much better known in general. And they put on, just, a fantastic show. They're clearly very enthusiastic and passionate performers, but none of their songs really stuck out to me as much except
Except for a beautiful piece of art that has a gorgeous chorus that goes like this:
And if you want me to boil it down/All you cynical bastards, get out of town/And if you want me to boil it down/All you cynical bastards/Move a little faster
It's called Cynical Bastards and it's just wonderful and rocking and currently one of my favourite songs. Unfortunately, it's one of the lesser known ones on their album, so again, no videos of it online. :(
But Bastille also released a new album. And y'all know how I feel about Bastille. And I honestly don't think that Bastille could write a bad song if they tried. DID I MENTION THAT I AM SEEING THEM LIVE IN NOVEMBER ASDFJKL I'M GOING TO ACTUALLY DIE OF JOY
Favourite songs from the new album currently include:
Poet, The Silence, Sleepsong, Laughter Lines and The Draw. They are so entirely perfect.
Also, I realized recently that The Silence is actually about writer's block. Can I hug Bastille like all of them at once because it's like they just know my soul and also Dan Smith's voice is a gift from the highest heaven.
Yes, there's more music appreciation, forgive me.
So, I recently heard a few songs by Fall Out Boy. I started with My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (don't ask me what the title means because I really don't know) and at first I was like "Um, what is this?" So then I had to listen to it again because it had thrown me off-balance and dammit, I had to decide if I liked it for that or not. And then I found myself bobbing my head. And the next thing you know is the next day while I'm making my breakfast I'm playing the song and dancing around my kitchen and um, I pretty much didn't stop dancing to it for like three days. Even as we speak, if it is not night-time I am legitimately incapable of playing the song without dancing to it.
Then the next thing I heard by them was Young Volcanoes. And kind of like the first one, I was like, "Ehhh...." and didn't listen to it again for another week. Then I was in a store and it was playing and I was sort of like, "Yeah, I guess it's not bad." And then I played it at home and I was like, "Yeah, I can appreciate this." And the next thing you know I'm freaking learning it on the ukulele and all the neighbours can hear is me belting "WE ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE WILD, WE ARE LIKE YOUNG VOLCANOES" and that's pretty much where I'm at. I just love the lyrics. When Rome's in ruins/We are the lions/Free of the colosseums/ I don't know I just really like that line. And also: We will teach you/How to make boys-next-door/Out of assholes. I still laugh at that line.
And FINALLY
The Fields of Athenry, by the Dropkick Murphys.
Look, I've known about this song for a long time, but I finally looked up the lyrics and it gave me shivers. This is especially notable since the band playing didn't even write the song lyrics. In fact, they're just adapting an old Irish folk-song called The Fields of Athenry, which is set during the Great Famine. But they just adapt it in a way that's so KICK-ASS and ROCKING and HARDCORE, and I just have this extreme appreciation for how very, very cool it is to adapt something so traditional into something so... not. And, like, it's not just exploited for it either. It's not like they're sullying the subject matter by changing the tone, right? Because it is a song about famine and prison. It is literally just that hardcore. They did a version of Amazing Grace in the same way. It's really cool.
I mean, listen to this song, they make bagpipes sound hardcore. It's freaking awesome.
And just listen to what the bass and the drums are doing. These guys know how to rock.
Why, yes, my taste in music is ecclectic, thank you for noticing.
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 4
Day 4: Favourite male character
HAHAHA IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION
LEO VALDEZ
HOW COULD IT NOT BE
Yes indeed, Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, repair boy extraordinaire, the seventh wheel, supreme commander of the Argo II and did I mention he's pyrokinetic? He's pretty much just made of awesome.
But that's not the only thing. See...
I sort of have this thing where I'm emotionally masochistic.
I just love having feelings, I think feelings are miraculous and what makes us human. So whether or not the feelings are positive, like, that's not as important to me. I just really enjoy having feelings.
And Leo Valdez makes me feel all the feelings.
Like, yes, this is indeed the same character who pulled all that hilarious stuff with Narcissus and his fan club (see Day 2 of the meme). This is the same character who has conversations like this:
Jason: You're not annoying, and you do take stuff seriously, especially your work. I wish I could do half the stuff you do.
Leo: (rolls eyes) I try very hard to be annoying. Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like, the prince of the sky, son of the lord of the universe. I'm supposed to resent you.
Jason: Lord of the universe?
Leo: Sure, you're all - Bam! Lightning man. And - "Watch me fly. I am the eagle that soars" -
Jason: Shut up, Valdez.
Leo: Yeah, see. I do annoy you.
Jason: I apologize for apologizing.
Leo: Thank you.
But then it's also like, oh yeah, remember, this is the kid who accidentally killed his mom when he was eight with his pyrokinesis. Oh yeah, this is the kid who was cast out of his family by his aunt after she called him a diablo (he's Latino, and his mom used to talk to him in both Spanish and English). Oh yeah, this is the kid who ran away from his foster homes six times since he was eight before he was finally dumped at the Wilderness School and picked up by the other demigods.
This is the kid who fixed this huge bronze dragon, Festus, only to have it die during the quest. This is the kid who devoted eight months of his life to building the Argo II, effectively isolating himself from everyone else. This is the kid who was possessed by an evil spirit and fired on the Romans, starting a war.
I just have a lot of feelings about Leo Valdez.
In fact
I have all the feelings about Leo Valdez.
Oh yeah, not to mention that a goddess literally told him that he would never find a place among his friends and he will forever be the seventh wheel as one of the demigods in the Prophecy of Seven.
LIKE LEO IT'S OKAY I WILL LOVE YOU
And what I especially love about Leo is the way he's portrayed to the audience.
Because he's always the comic relief - like, if you're having a serious conversation and need something to lighten the mood, fear not, for Leo Valdez will say something like, "Oh. I mean, suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this!" And I think that people have this habit of imagining class clown type characters as, like, boneheads, but it is very stressed through the books that Leo is an extremely smart and talented individual. Like, where Percy was generally the comic relief in all his books and he was a bonehead who would run without thinking into every fight, Leo lets himself think for a minute and manages to throw together a plan that works. I mean, obviously Leo is extremely talented in terms of building and repairing and mechanics and engineering, being a son of Hephaestus, but I think what defines his intelligence is his ability to problem-solve, which shines pretty brightly every time he's caught in a, you know, a situation.
What I also love about him is that he has very clear strengths, but he's also a flawed human that makes mistakes and he knows it. Like, every one of the character is flawed, but I think Leo is one of the only ones that acknowledges it about themselves. As I was talking about in one of the unfinished thoughtful draft posts, I sort of have a weakness for characters like that.
And also, can we give it up for characters who don't like fighting hand-to-hand? Because he's literally the only one of the Seven that has that weakness. He just, you know, fights in different ways. Generally from behind a control panel. (Although he did once fight a goddess hand to hand once - he only survived because she was the goddess of snow and hahaha, hello, he's pyrokinetic). But I just have this appreciation for him for not being, y'know, the hero-hero that's in every single adventure novel ever.
But, uh, yeah. Leo Valdez. My favourite male character.
I have opinions.
What have I gotten myself into with this meme thing.
HAHAHA IS THIS EVEN A QUESTION
LEO VALDEZ
HOW COULD IT NOT BE
Yes indeed, Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, repair boy extraordinaire, the seventh wheel, supreme commander of the Argo II and did I mention he's pyrokinetic? He's pretty much just made of awesome.
But that's not the only thing. See...
I sort of have this thing where I'm emotionally masochistic.
I just love having feelings, I think feelings are miraculous and what makes us human. So whether or not the feelings are positive, like, that's not as important to me. I just really enjoy having feelings.
And Leo Valdez makes me feel all the feelings.
Like, yes, this is indeed the same character who pulled all that hilarious stuff with Narcissus and his fan club (see Day 2 of the meme). This is the same character who has conversations like this:
Jason: You're not annoying, and you do take stuff seriously, especially your work. I wish I could do half the stuff you do.
Leo: (rolls eyes) I try very hard to be annoying. Don't insult my ability to annoy. And how am I supposed to resent you if you go apologizing? I'm a lowly mechanic. You're like, the prince of the sky, son of the lord of the universe. I'm supposed to resent you.
Jason: Lord of the universe?
Leo: Sure, you're all - Bam! Lightning man. And - "Watch me fly. I am the eagle that soars" -
Jason: Shut up, Valdez.
Leo: Yeah, see. I do annoy you.
Jason: I apologize for apologizing.
Leo: Thank you.
But then it's also like, oh yeah, remember, this is the kid who accidentally killed his mom when he was eight with his pyrokinesis. Oh yeah, this is the kid who was cast out of his family by his aunt after she called him a diablo (he's Latino, and his mom used to talk to him in both Spanish and English). Oh yeah, this is the kid who ran away from his foster homes six times since he was eight before he was finally dumped at the Wilderness School and picked up by the other demigods.
This is the kid who fixed this huge bronze dragon, Festus, only to have it die during the quest. This is the kid who devoted eight months of his life to building the Argo II, effectively isolating himself from everyone else. This is the kid who was possessed by an evil spirit and fired on the Romans, starting a war.
I just have a lot of feelings about Leo Valdez.
In fact
I have all the feelings about Leo Valdez.
Oh yeah, not to mention that a goddess literally told him that he would never find a place among his friends and he will forever be the seventh wheel as one of the demigods in the Prophecy of Seven.
LIKE LEO IT'S OKAY I WILL LOVE YOU
And what I especially love about Leo is the way he's portrayed to the audience.
Because he's always the comic relief - like, if you're having a serious conversation and need something to lighten the mood, fear not, for Leo Valdez will say something like, "Oh. I mean, suffering? I love suffering! Let's do this!" And I think that people have this habit of imagining class clown type characters as, like, boneheads, but it is very stressed through the books that Leo is an extremely smart and talented individual. Like, where Percy was generally the comic relief in all his books and he was a bonehead who would run without thinking into every fight, Leo lets himself think for a minute and manages to throw together a plan that works. I mean, obviously Leo is extremely talented in terms of building and repairing and mechanics and engineering, being a son of Hephaestus, but I think what defines his intelligence is his ability to problem-solve, which shines pretty brightly every time he's caught in a, you know, a situation.
What I also love about him is that he has very clear strengths, but he's also a flawed human that makes mistakes and he knows it. Like, every one of the character is flawed, but I think Leo is one of the only ones that acknowledges it about themselves. As I was talking about in one of the unfinished thoughtful draft posts, I sort of have a weakness for characters like that.
And also, can we give it up for characters who don't like fighting hand-to-hand? Because he's literally the only one of the Seven that has that weakness. He just, you know, fights in different ways. Generally from behind a control panel. (Although he did once fight a goddess hand to hand once - he only survived because she was the goddess of snow and hahaha, hello, he's pyrokinetic). But I just have this appreciation for him for not being, y'know, the hero-hero that's in every single adventure novel ever.
But, uh, yeah. Leo Valdez. My favourite male character.
I have opinions.
What have I gotten myself into with this meme thing.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 3
Day 3: If you were a demigod, whose child would you be?
Whew, good question.
I want to say Hermes, because every myth he's in is hilarious and he's for sure my favourite god (god of mischief, hello?) but I don't think I quite line up with that. (He was also the god of thieves, travelers, messengers, commerce, eloquent speaking, hospitality, and athletic competitions so HAHAHA NOPE).
I'm gonna go with Apollo, who is the god of the sun, prophecy, medicine, archery (I think - he and Artemis maybe kinda go hand in hand on that last one?) but with those things, he is also the god of intellect, music, poetry and, well, pretty much everything artsy. He was the mentor of the Nine Muses, who are the goddesses the arts and inspiration (hence the term "I found my Muse" or whatever). So I think that probably makes him closest to me out of the gods.
Is it too self-catering to say that?
Oh well. I'm a writer and a musician and an intellectual, so I think it's a fair statement. Also, judging from the myths, Apollo is very aware of how good he is at the things he's good at, which I can have the same kind of arrogance sometimes. As well as the fact that Apollo clearly has a temper - I mean, every god in greek mythology is pretty vengeful, but Apollo seems to have a thing for curses - and I also have a pretty significant temper, when it's not kept in check.
So, yes. I'm going to say that Apollo is my hypothetical godly parent. Admittedly I'm not very good at telling the future, nor am I very good at being a doctor, but I could probably be decent at archery with practise, and I like to think I'm a pretty sunny person so...
Yes, I have been waiting to make that pun this entire post.
Whew, good question.
I want to say Hermes, because every myth he's in is hilarious and he's for sure my favourite god (god of mischief, hello?) but I don't think I quite line up with that. (He was also the god of thieves, travelers, messengers, commerce, eloquent speaking, hospitality, and athletic competitions so HAHAHA NOPE).
I'm gonna go with Apollo, who is the god of the sun, prophecy, medicine, archery (I think - he and Artemis maybe kinda go hand in hand on that last one?) but with those things, he is also the god of intellect, music, poetry and, well, pretty much everything artsy. He was the mentor of the Nine Muses, who are the goddesses the arts and inspiration (hence the term "I found my Muse" or whatever). So I think that probably makes him closest to me out of the gods.
Is it too self-catering to say that?
Oh well. I'm a writer and a musician and an intellectual, so I think it's a fair statement. Also, judging from the myths, Apollo is very aware of how good he is at the things he's good at, which I can have the same kind of arrogance sometimes. As well as the fact that Apollo clearly has a temper - I mean, every god in greek mythology is pretty vengeful, but Apollo seems to have a thing for curses - and I also have a pretty significant temper, when it's not kept in check.
So, yes. I'm going to say that Apollo is my hypothetical godly parent. Admittedly I'm not very good at telling the future, nor am I very good at being a doctor, but I could probably be decent at archery with practise, and I like to think I'm a pretty sunny person so...
Yes, I have been waiting to make that pun this entire post.
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 2
Day 2: Favourite Heroes of Olympus book
This'll possibly change after Blood of Olympus comes out in October, but as it stands right now -
Book 3, The Mark of Athena.
There are just so many good things happening here. We get to finally get inside Annabeth's head, for one thing, which up until then had never happened before, in spite of the fact that she'd been around for seven books already (the five Percy Jackson books, two Heroes of Olympus). And like, she'd never really clicked with me in the Percy Jackson books - like, I liked her and accepted her character, but it's like, she was less of a person and more of an entity in those books. Which is why thank god for third person omniscience! (Which god do I thank for that? Apollo? One of the Muses?) And now I love her and relate to her and she's just awesome. She's just so much more interesting when A) we're in her head, and B) when she's away from Percy once in a while.
And there's just so much about the book that's freaking hilarious. Particularly, but not limited to, the scene where Leo has to distract Narcissus (and Narcissus's fan club) from his reflection.
Leo: Narcissus is a loser! He's so weak he can't bench-press a Kleenex. He's so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, it's got a picture of Narcissus - only the picture's so ugly, no one ever checks it out.
Narcissus: What are you talking about? I am amazing. Everyone knows this.
Leo: Amazing at pure suck. If I was as suck as you I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that. Team Leo for the win!
Narcissus fan: (about Leo) He is funny. And cute, in a scrawny way.
Leo: Scrawny? Baby, I invented scrawny. Scrawny is the new sizzling hot. And I GOT the scrawny.
Or the scene where Percy scares a crew of dolphin pirates into thinking that Dionysus will curse them. (Google that myth, it makes sense).
Percy: We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest! (runs to the ice chest and digs around to find a can of Diet Coke). Behold! The god's chosen drink! Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!
(Dolphin people begin to panic.)
Percy: The god will take your ship. He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly! Save yourselves! It is too late for us! (points to Frank, who has the ability to turn into any animal) Oh no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!
(Frank does nothing).
Percy: I said, Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin.
Frank: Oh no. I am turning into a crazy dolphin.
Just golden. Or when Annabeth has to trick Arachne, who takes no small amount of pleasure in killing her, into weaving her own trap:
Annabeth: As I said, I'd love to take your tapestries to Olympus and hang them everywhere. You could rub your craftmanship in Athena's nose for all eternity. But the only way I could do that... No. It's too difficult. You might as well go ahead and kill me.
Arachne: No! That is unacceptable. It no longer brings me any pleasure to contemplate. I must have my work on Mount Olympus! What must I do?
Annabeth: Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Just push me into Tartarus or something.
Arachne: I refuse!
Annabeth: Don't be ridiculous. Kill me.
Arachne: I do not take orders from you! Tell me what I must do! Or... or -
Annabeth: Or you'll kill me?
Arachne: Yes! No!
Anyways, point is, it's very good at being hilarious.
And then, whoa my god, the tension - and not even just, like, plot-wise. I mean, for sure, they have four days to save Nico from suffocating and also stop Rome from getting destroyed, and Annabeth has to strike out on her own to find the Athena Parthenos, and they have to defeat two giants with supposedly no help from the gods which, by the way, is impossible, so yes, there's a lot of plot things happening.
But what's great about the book is that the two books before were all about introducing the cast. Book 1, The Lost Hero, introduces the Greek half of the Seven: we meet Leo, Piper, Jason and Annabeth. Book 2, The Son of Neptune, introduces the Roman half of the Seven: Frank, Hazel and Percy. Book 3, The Mark of Athena, is finally the book where we're like: "Okay, we know who these people are now. So what happens when we put them all in a room together?"
Answer: some greatness and a bit of tension.
Things I love: Everyone assumed that when Jason and Percy met, since they were the leaders of their respective camps, that they would be all up in each other's faces, like getting in a who's-more-macho-and-awesome competition. What actually ended up happening was they almost immediately started getting super bromantic. And they make a really good team. I love bromances.
Things I feel guilty for enjoying: the tension between Hazel, Frank and Leo. So, Hazel's a child of the 1940s who gave her life to stop Gaea, and then, since the Doors of Death are open, was brought back to help stop Gaea again (kinda like Nico, who incidentally, is her half-brother on the godly side - she's a daughter of Pluto, who is Hades's roman aspect). Anyways, back in her old life she had a boyfriend called Sammy. So, just as she starts dating Frank (SHE AND FRANK ARE PERFECT I JUST CAN'T) she meets Leo, who happens to look exactly like Sammy. Leo has no idea who Sammy is, or why Frank asked him if that wasn't his name, or how it could have anything to do with him if Hazel's from seventy years ago. And he starts getting a crush on Hazel, which is super awkward for Frank because now Hazel's getting all confused, and Frank starts gettin' a real hate on for Leo. It doesn't help that Leo can summon fire, and Frank's life literally depends on a piece of firewood. It also doesn't help that Frank makes Leo nervous, and so Leo tends to hide that with humour, namely by razzing Frank.
Anyway, as it turns out, Sammy was actually Leo's great-grandfather. Awkward.
It was a close toss-up between this book and The House of Hades (Book 4), though. Because there's a lot of good character stuff happening there too. Like, Frank can take on a whole freaking army by himself. And Hazel is capable of anything. And Piper starts to understand her power. And Leo and Calypso meet, which, in spite of how arguably lazy it was to write it the way he did, they're still adorable. But the book was also like, ANGSTY ANGST ANGST DID I MENTION ANGST (at least by this series's standards). So that's why I chose the Mark of Athena instead.
Because
tension and laugh balance
but also
character interaction
character interaction
CHARACTER INTERACTION
*clears throat*
I believe I've made my point.
I just really like observing how all the relationships between the Seven evolve so sue me.
This'll possibly change after Blood of Olympus comes out in October, but as it stands right now -
Book 3, The Mark of Athena.
There are just so many good things happening here. We get to finally get inside Annabeth's head, for one thing, which up until then had never happened before, in spite of the fact that she'd been around for seven books already (the five Percy Jackson books, two Heroes of Olympus). And like, she'd never really clicked with me in the Percy Jackson books - like, I liked her and accepted her character, but it's like, she was less of a person and more of an entity in those books. Which is why thank god for third person omniscience! (Which god do I thank for that? Apollo? One of the Muses?) And now I love her and relate to her and she's just awesome. She's just so much more interesting when A) we're in her head, and B) when she's away from Percy once in a while.
And there's just so much about the book that's freaking hilarious. Particularly, but not limited to, the scene where Leo has to distract Narcissus (and Narcissus's fan club) from his reflection.
Leo: Narcissus is a loser! He's so weak he can't bench-press a Kleenex. He's so lame, when you look up lame on Wikipedia, it's got a picture of Narcissus - only the picture's so ugly, no one ever checks it out.
Narcissus: What are you talking about? I am amazing. Everyone knows this.
Leo: Amazing at pure suck. If I was as suck as you I'd drown myself. Oh wait, you already did that. Team Leo for the win!
Narcissus fan: (about Leo) He is funny. And cute, in a scrawny way.
Leo: Scrawny? Baby, I invented scrawny. Scrawny is the new sizzling hot. And I GOT the scrawny.
Or the scene where Percy scares a crew of dolphin pirates into thinking that Dionysus will curse them. (Google that myth, it makes sense).
Percy: We are doomed. If you don't believe me, let's check the ice chest! (runs to the ice chest and digs around to find a can of Diet Coke). Behold! The god's chosen drink! Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!
(Dolphin people begin to panic.)
Percy: The god will take your ship. He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly! Save yourselves! It is too late for us! (points to Frank, who has the ability to turn into any animal) Oh no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!
(Frank does nothing).
Percy: I said, Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin.
Frank: Oh no. I am turning into a crazy dolphin.
Just golden. Or when Annabeth has to trick Arachne, who takes no small amount of pleasure in killing her, into weaving her own trap:
Annabeth: As I said, I'd love to take your tapestries to Olympus and hang them everywhere. You could rub your craftmanship in Athena's nose for all eternity. But the only way I could do that... No. It's too difficult. You might as well go ahead and kill me.
Arachne: No! That is unacceptable. It no longer brings me any pleasure to contemplate. I must have my work on Mount Olympus! What must I do?
Annabeth: Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. Just push me into Tartarus or something.
Arachne: I refuse!
Annabeth: Don't be ridiculous. Kill me.
Arachne: I do not take orders from you! Tell me what I must do! Or... or -
Annabeth: Or you'll kill me?
Arachne: Yes! No!
Anyways, point is, it's very good at being hilarious.
And then, whoa my god, the tension - and not even just, like, plot-wise. I mean, for sure, they have four days to save Nico from suffocating and also stop Rome from getting destroyed, and Annabeth has to strike out on her own to find the Athena Parthenos, and they have to defeat two giants with supposedly no help from the gods which, by the way, is impossible, so yes, there's a lot of plot things happening.
But what's great about the book is that the two books before were all about introducing the cast. Book 1, The Lost Hero, introduces the Greek half of the Seven: we meet Leo, Piper, Jason and Annabeth. Book 2, The Son of Neptune, introduces the Roman half of the Seven: Frank, Hazel and Percy. Book 3, The Mark of Athena, is finally the book where we're like: "Okay, we know who these people are now. So what happens when we put them all in a room together?"
Answer: some greatness and a bit of tension.
Things I love: Everyone assumed that when Jason and Percy met, since they were the leaders of their respective camps, that they would be all up in each other's faces, like getting in a who's-more-macho-and-awesome competition. What actually ended up happening was they almost immediately started getting super bromantic. And they make a really good team. I love bromances.
Things I feel guilty for enjoying: the tension between Hazel, Frank and Leo. So, Hazel's a child of the 1940s who gave her life to stop Gaea, and then, since the Doors of Death are open, was brought back to help stop Gaea again (kinda like Nico, who incidentally, is her half-brother on the godly side - she's a daughter of Pluto, who is Hades's roman aspect). Anyways, back in her old life she had a boyfriend called Sammy. So, just as she starts dating Frank (SHE AND FRANK ARE PERFECT I JUST CAN'T) she meets Leo, who happens to look exactly like Sammy. Leo has no idea who Sammy is, or why Frank asked him if that wasn't his name, or how it could have anything to do with him if Hazel's from seventy years ago. And he starts getting a crush on Hazel, which is super awkward for Frank because now Hazel's getting all confused, and Frank starts gettin' a real hate on for Leo. It doesn't help that Leo can summon fire, and Frank's life literally depends on a piece of firewood. It also doesn't help that Frank makes Leo nervous, and so Leo tends to hide that with humour, namely by razzing Frank.
Anyway, as it turns out, Sammy was actually Leo's great-grandfather. Awkward.
It was a close toss-up between this book and The House of Hades (Book 4), though. Because there's a lot of good character stuff happening there too. Like, Frank can take on a whole freaking army by himself. And Hazel is capable of anything. And Piper starts to understand her power. And Leo and Calypso meet, which, in spite of how arguably lazy it was to write it the way he did, they're still adorable. But the book was also like, ANGSTY ANGST ANGST DID I MENTION ANGST (at least by this series's standards). So that's why I chose the Mark of Athena instead.
Because
tension and laugh balance
but also
character interaction
character interaction
CHARACTER INTERACTION
*clears throat*
I believe I've made my point.
I just really like observing how all the relationships between the Seven evolve so sue me.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
You Were Probably Getting Tired of All Those Thoughtful, Interesting Posts Anyway
So I think it's time for some useless fangirly ones!
It's just that I have like a hundred drafts of posts that are really thoughtful and analytical, but I can't finish any of them because my brain needs a break. I've kinda been writing non-stop.
And what better way to give my brain a break than to do the Thirty Days of Percy Jackson meme, because I have opinions and there's nothing I like better than... having opinions. Except, I think that instead of doing it in thirty days like you're supposed to, I'm just going to do it all in one post. I dunno, we'll see how it goes.
Day 1: Favourite Percy Jackson and the Olympians book
Easy. The Last Olympian, the fifth and last book in the series, is easily my favourite.
We all know that I love my epic action adventure stuff, and we also all know that if it starts to get real dark, I start to lose interest UNLESS
UNLESS it's tempered with a laugh here and there.
Buffy and Firefly do this beautifully (Whedon's kinda the master), hence my adoration for them, and The Last Olympian does this pretty well too.
Like, it's definitely one of the darkest ones of the series. Beckendorf dies in the first chapter of the book; Silena Beauregard dies a hero after living as a traitor; Percy takes a dip in the River Styx; Percy nearly gives up Hope (from out of Pandora's Box - it's complicated, but that's a thing that exists); we meet Luke's mom, who's been driven insane by a curse of the gods; the gods are losing the battle against the Titans; Luke sacrifices himself after working for the Big Bad all this time... there are a lot of things that happen.
But for a lot of those scenes, and a lot of stuff in between as well, I managed to laugh out loud at least once. Inappropriate, maybe, but how can you not laugh as Clarisse, taking revenge on the drakon that killed Silena, runs around screaming at the Titan army "I AM CLARISSE, DRAKON SLAYER! I will kill you ALL!" Or, after Percy takes a dip in the Styx and proceeds to destroy an entire army of evil skeleton warriors without getting a scratch on him...
Percy: I think it worked.
Nico: Ya think?
Or as the gods are losing the battle, and Dionysus pulls Percy into "party time" (because, since Dionysus is more or less the god of partying, his presence is invoked wherever there is a party) and warns him about Kronos... while playing Pacman.
Dionysus: The point is, I pulled you into party time to deliver a warning. We are in danger.
Percy: Gee. Never would've figured that out. Thanks.
(Dionysus glares at him and he loses the game)
Dionysus: Erre es korakas, Blinky! I will have your soul!
Percy: Um, he's a video game character.
Dionysus: That's no excuse! And you're ruining my game, Jorgenson!
Percy: Jackson.
Dionysus: Whichever!
The same thing could be said about the other books, though, of course. They all kinda have that tone, though books 3 and 4 are a little angstier than the others. But what I also appreciate about it is that hey, look at my babies, they're all grown up!
Nico chooses to forget his bitterness, at least for the moment, and help the demigods fight Kronos.
Grover is respected enough as a protector and as the chosen one of Pan that he commands an army of nymphs and satyrs against them.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare becomes the new oracle for Camp Half-Blood.
Tyson, my adorable baby cyclops Tyson who, if you don't love you have no soul, commands Poseidon's underwater army of Cyclops, not because he was promoted to that position, but because, in the words of Twisted Sister, We're not gonna take it/No, we ain't gonna take it/We're not gonna take it anymore. (This happened because the palace sorta got, like, bombed while they were eating lunch, and so Tyson was finally like, we've gotta fight and help Poseidon. So he stood up and yelled, "FOR POSEIDON!" but his mouth was full so all the other Cyclops thought he said something else, and they charged into battle with the battlecry "PEANUT BUTTER!")
Percy dips in the Styx in order to have a better chance of countering Kronos (his Achilles heel is the small of his back), NOT TO MENTION how he somehow, unofficially became the commander of Camp Half-Blood during the Titan War. And he does a good job, really.
Annabeth is just as kick-ass as she always is. She really matured emotionally here too, though. Namely, she stops acting like a jealous jerk toward Rachel.
And, hey, Clarisse is actually kind of a pleasant human being for a second or two there, so that's something!
But, yeah. The Last Olympian. Tension to keep you going, laughs to keep you happy, character development to keep you engaged. My favourite Percy Jackson book.
You know, I changed my mind, I think I'll do this in thirty days like I'm supposed to. Just 'cause I can and it's fun. :)
It's just that I have like a hundred drafts of posts that are really thoughtful and analytical, but I can't finish any of them because my brain needs a break. I've kinda been writing non-stop.
And what better way to give my brain a break than to do the Thirty Days of Percy Jackson meme, because I have opinions and there's nothing I like better than... having opinions. Except, I think that instead of doing it in thirty days like you're supposed to, I'm just going to do it all in one post. I dunno, we'll see how it goes.
Day 1: Favourite Percy Jackson and the Olympians book
Easy. The Last Olympian, the fifth and last book in the series, is easily my favourite.
We all know that I love my epic action adventure stuff, and we also all know that if it starts to get real dark, I start to lose interest UNLESS
UNLESS it's tempered with a laugh here and there.
Buffy and Firefly do this beautifully (Whedon's kinda the master), hence my adoration for them, and The Last Olympian does this pretty well too.
Like, it's definitely one of the darkest ones of the series. Beckendorf dies in the first chapter of the book; Silena Beauregard dies a hero after living as a traitor; Percy takes a dip in the River Styx; Percy nearly gives up Hope (from out of Pandora's Box - it's complicated, but that's a thing that exists); we meet Luke's mom, who's been driven insane by a curse of the gods; the gods are losing the battle against the Titans; Luke sacrifices himself after working for the Big Bad all this time... there are a lot of things that happen.
But for a lot of those scenes, and a lot of stuff in between as well, I managed to laugh out loud at least once. Inappropriate, maybe, but how can you not laugh as Clarisse, taking revenge on the drakon that killed Silena, runs around screaming at the Titan army "I AM CLARISSE, DRAKON SLAYER! I will kill you ALL!" Or, after Percy takes a dip in the Styx and proceeds to destroy an entire army of evil skeleton warriors without getting a scratch on him...
Percy: I think it worked.
Nico: Ya think?
Or as the gods are losing the battle, and Dionysus pulls Percy into "party time" (because, since Dionysus is more or less the god of partying, his presence is invoked wherever there is a party) and warns him about Kronos... while playing Pacman.
Dionysus: The point is, I pulled you into party time to deliver a warning. We are in danger.
Percy: Gee. Never would've figured that out. Thanks.
(Dionysus glares at him and he loses the game)
Dionysus: Erre es korakas, Blinky! I will have your soul!
Percy: Um, he's a video game character.
Dionysus: That's no excuse! And you're ruining my game, Jorgenson!
Percy: Jackson.
Dionysus: Whichever!
The same thing could be said about the other books, though, of course. They all kinda have that tone, though books 3 and 4 are a little angstier than the others. But what I also appreciate about it is that hey, look at my babies, they're all grown up!
Nico chooses to forget his bitterness, at least for the moment, and help the demigods fight Kronos.
Grover is respected enough as a protector and as the chosen one of Pan that he commands an army of nymphs and satyrs against them.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare becomes the new oracle for Camp Half-Blood.
Tyson, my adorable baby cyclops Tyson who, if you don't love you have no soul, commands Poseidon's underwater army of Cyclops, not because he was promoted to that position, but because, in the words of Twisted Sister, We're not gonna take it/No, we ain't gonna take it/We're not gonna take it anymore. (This happened because the palace sorta got, like, bombed while they were eating lunch, and so Tyson was finally like, we've gotta fight and help Poseidon. So he stood up and yelled, "FOR POSEIDON!" but his mouth was full so all the other Cyclops thought he said something else, and they charged into battle with the battlecry "PEANUT BUTTER!")
Percy dips in the Styx in order to have a better chance of countering Kronos (his Achilles heel is the small of his back), NOT TO MENTION how he somehow, unofficially became the commander of Camp Half-Blood during the Titan War. And he does a good job, really.
Annabeth is just as kick-ass as she always is. She really matured emotionally here too, though. Namely, she stops acting like a jealous jerk toward Rachel.
And, hey, Clarisse is actually kind of a pleasant human being for a second or two there, so that's something!
But, yeah. The Last Olympian. Tension to keep you going, laughs to keep you happy, character development to keep you engaged. My favourite Percy Jackson book.
You know, I changed my mind, I think I'll do this in thirty days like I'm supposed to. Just 'cause I can and it's fun. :)
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