Day 22: Favourite villain/anti-hero
Are there even any anti-heroes in these books? Everyone's pretty definitely a hero. Except Luke, I guess, but how boring is he?
Oh, well, Clarisse counts too. She's a lot less boring.
And then there's Hades, who kinda counts as both, depending on where you are in the series.
I know I've ranted about misrepresentation of characters in pop culture before, but seriously. Why is Hades always the villain of these movies and books? Because he's the god of the dead? He just drew the short end of the straw, that's not his fault. His brothers, Poseidon and Zeus, got luckier with the realms they got, that's it. I mean, he did technically kidnap Persephone, but in the myths, you never really hear about Persephone complaining about it. You hear about over-bearing possessive mother Demeter complaining about it (which is the reason we have seasons - in fall and winter Demeter mourns and the harvest dies, but in the spring and summer Persephone returns and she's happy again). But by all accounts (except the Percy Jackson series, for plot reasons), Hades and Persephone have a loving, faithful relationship. Hades isn't a bad guy. By most accounts, the villain of greek mythology is a lot more commonly Zeus's penis. It causes most of the death and destruction. (It was a lot of fun exploring Hades's character in my book I'm writing. I gave him a nervous stutter. It was so much fun seeing where that went.)
But anyways.
From the books, I guess I'll say Clarisse is my favourite anti-hero.
She starts out as this stereotypical bully, yeah? Percy Jackson has this thing where there always needs to be a school yard bully somewhere alongside the monsters and giants and things. She's big, she's mean and she's the daughter of the war god. She is the schoolyard bully. But even then, she's not dumb muscle. She's... mean, but competent muscle.
Then in the second book she goes on the quest to find the Golden Fleece. Percy figures automatically that someone like Clarisse will screw it up (plus it involved rescuing Percy's best friend, so no way was he going to miss out on that), so he also went on the quest. He overhears Clarisse talking to her father, Ares, the god of war. And overhears him threatening her. Straight up: Ares is an abusive father. So, yeah, Clarisse has got my sympathy there.
Then in the fourth book, they find someone from the Titan army, a demigod called Chris Rodriguez, who got lost in the labyrinth and nearly went insane. Before he was part of the evil Titan army, he and Clarisse were a thing, and so now she's trying to nurse him back to health as he recovers from the trauma of the labyrinth (it's the general theory that he had PTSD during this period) while everyone else gives up on him. Notable in that this is the first time we really see Clarisse being soft.
Then in the fifth book, we discover that she has a friendship with Silena Beauregard, a daughter of Aphrodite, which is sorta counter-intuitive, given that the Ares cabin is known for bullying, booby traps, hot-headedness and stubbornness, and the Aphrodite cabin is known for.... not fighting. But even so, they're close friends, and so when Silena dies? Clarisse throws it down. She single-handedly takes down a drakon (making no modesty of it, either: "I AM CLARISSE, DRAKON SLAYER!!!! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!") and makes the Titan army retreat, earning herself the blessing of Ares. Damn, girl, you go.
But, yeah, she was an important player in the Titan war, and I think that makes her a hero, even if it is an anti-hero. And she's fun. And interesting. So, yeah. She's my favourite.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 21
Day 21: Favourite friendship
This is kind of like the last one in that it's based around my own theories and head canons about the characters, but it also, like, textually exists so...
Leo and Piper.
Here's the thing. Leo, Piper and Jason are one of the main trios of the series. Except we're all supposed to really like Jason, because god knows everyone else in the books do. Piper falls for him and Leo gets into a bit of a bromance with him. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for bromance. I live for bromance.
Which is sorta why I prefer Leo and Piper. They're basically a bromance in which one of them is female, and it's terribly understated, because of Piper's much more public and pronounced (and annoying) feelings about Jason.
So here's the thing. The first time we meet Piper and Leo and Jason are they're all at a school for troubled kids. Leo because he ran away from all his foster homes, Piper because she's believed to be klepto. Why's Jason there? He doesn't know. He doesn't recognize them. He's lost his memory. It was taken from him for complicated reasons.
Turns out what happened was that Jason's never actually met them before. All the memories that Leo and Piper have of him being there and being part of their three musketeers were actually just implanted there. He was never their friend before the events of the books.
So, though it's never actually addressed, I'm putting in my own inference. Because if Jason was never there before, then that must mean that Piper and Leo were friends all by themselves. Before Piper got so annoying with her Jason-romance and Leo got shoved away as the third (or seventh) wheel. And although, as I said, this was never outright addressed, you can sort of see it in the way they interact. Leo's always making up nicknames for Piper (among them are "Pipes", for obvious reasons, and "Beauty Queen" since she's a daughter of Aphrodite). Piper's always super snarky to match Leo's general goofiness ("What's my title? Am I, like, captain, or admiral, or...?" "Repair boy." "Very funny, Piper.") They're bragging about each other to their other friends, and they totally trust each other. Not to mention the not-famous-enough moment when Piper found Leo after having been kidnapped by mer-centaurs, she literally dived into the ocean to kiss him on the cheek and that is adorable. And how Leo literally flirts with every single girl he meets, except with Piper. Especially notable in that she is a daughter of Aphrodite, making her totally out of his league A.K.A his type. But he doesn't flirt with her because their friendship is awesome and they're practically siblings.
This is one of the only things in the whole series that makes Piper seem like an interesting character, which makes it such a bigger shame that it's so understated.
The whole thing is understated and underappreciated.
And I adore it to pieces.
This is kind of like the last one in that it's based around my own theories and head canons about the characters, but it also, like, textually exists so...
Leo and Piper.
Here's the thing. Leo, Piper and Jason are one of the main trios of the series. Except we're all supposed to really like Jason, because god knows everyone else in the books do. Piper falls for him and Leo gets into a bit of a bromance with him. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for bromance. I live for bromance.
Which is sorta why I prefer Leo and Piper. They're basically a bromance in which one of them is female, and it's terribly understated, because of Piper's much more public and pronounced (and annoying) feelings about Jason.
So here's the thing. The first time we meet Piper and Leo and Jason are they're all at a school for troubled kids. Leo because he ran away from all his foster homes, Piper because she's believed to be klepto. Why's Jason there? He doesn't know. He doesn't recognize them. He's lost his memory. It was taken from him for complicated reasons.
Turns out what happened was that Jason's never actually met them before. All the memories that Leo and Piper have of him being there and being part of their three musketeers were actually just implanted there. He was never their friend before the events of the books.
So, though it's never actually addressed, I'm putting in my own inference. Because if Jason was never there before, then that must mean that Piper and Leo were friends all by themselves. Before Piper got so annoying with her Jason-romance and Leo got shoved away as the third (or seventh) wheel. And although, as I said, this was never outright addressed, you can sort of see it in the way they interact. Leo's always making up nicknames for Piper (among them are "Pipes", for obvious reasons, and "Beauty Queen" since she's a daughter of Aphrodite). Piper's always super snarky to match Leo's general goofiness ("What's my title? Am I, like, captain, or admiral, or...?" "Repair boy." "Very funny, Piper.") They're bragging about each other to their other friends, and they totally trust each other. Not to mention the not-famous-enough moment when Piper found Leo after having been kidnapped by mer-centaurs, she literally dived into the ocean to kiss him on the cheek and that is adorable. And how Leo literally flirts with every single girl he meets, except with Piper. Especially notable in that she is a daughter of Aphrodite, making her totally out of his league A.K.A his type. But he doesn't flirt with her because their friendship is awesome and they're practically siblings.
This is one of the only things in the whole series that makes Piper seem like an interesting character, which makes it such a bigger shame that it's so understated.
The whole thing is understated and underappreciated.
And I adore it to pieces.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 20
Day 20: A character you like but think everyone else doesn't
Um.... I don't know. As far as I can tell, every character gets their share of appreciation. It would be easier to name a character I dislike that everyone else likes.
Oh, but hold on.
Hahaha.
Would anyone believe me if I said I liked Octavian?
Yeah, I know, the manipulative, treacherous, war-mongering augur of Camp Jupiter who called out Percy as a spy after a day of knowing him, who blackmailed Hazel into voting for him as praetor, who is pretty much the driving force behind the Romans attacking the Greeks. How could anyone possibly like him?
But I gotta admit, I really missed him in the Mark of Athena and the House of Hades.
And I also gotta admit, I was really excited when I heard that he got a POV chapter in Blood of Olympus.
Here's the thing about Octavian. He's really unlikeable. Like, really really unlikeable. Even when he was just a benign annoyance in the Son of Neptune, he was still an ass. But what made him such an ass? Well, it was his dedication to tradition.
He asks Percy for a letter of recommendation to join Camp Jupiter in spite of the fact that A) Percy can't remember anything so how could he possibly have a letter of recommendation, and B) Percy walked into the camp carrying a goddess, is that enough recommendation for ya? But he's obliged to ask anyways. It's traditional.
Yes, he met the Greeks already suspicious of them. They are flying to their camp in a big mother warship, for heaven's sake. To be honest, I'd probably be suspicious as well. And when Leo started firing on the camp (while possessed, but Octavian didn't know that), Octavian, as a Roman, sees that the best defense is a good offense. Attack the Greeks. That's the Roman way, the traditional way.
What you have to understand is that Octavian isn't exactly a demigod. He's a legacy. That means that he's the descendant of a demigod. You don't know by how many generations or whatever, all we know is that he's, by some extent, descended from Apollo. Which means, since his family has had multiple generations knowing themselves as descendants of gods, that Octavian is not new to the Roman ways. It would be a fair assumption to think that he probably grew up in New Rome, since they have a whole city that works as a safe haven for demigods and their kids. All Octavian probably knows is the traditional Roman ways.
Of course, that doesn't excuse the power plays and the treachery and all that stuff. And he's still not a likeable character by any stretch of the imagination. But the more I think about him, the more I find myself willing to understand him. None of the other characters at all seem willing to hear him out about anything, and I think that's a mistake. That's why I'm so eager for an Octavian POV in Blood of Olympus. I want to know what the heck that crazy kid is thinking.
Basically what I'm saying is that the only reason I enjoy Octavian is because I have a lot of hypothetical theories about the way his mind works that are barely, if at all, based on what the text actually said.
I am the master at overthinking things.
Um.... I don't know. As far as I can tell, every character gets their share of appreciation. It would be easier to name a character I dislike that everyone else likes.
Oh, but hold on.
Hahaha.
Would anyone believe me if I said I liked Octavian?
Yeah, I know, the manipulative, treacherous, war-mongering augur of Camp Jupiter who called out Percy as a spy after a day of knowing him, who blackmailed Hazel into voting for him as praetor, who is pretty much the driving force behind the Romans attacking the Greeks. How could anyone possibly like him?
But I gotta admit, I really missed him in the Mark of Athena and the House of Hades.
And I also gotta admit, I was really excited when I heard that he got a POV chapter in Blood of Olympus.
Here's the thing about Octavian. He's really unlikeable. Like, really really unlikeable. Even when he was just a benign annoyance in the Son of Neptune, he was still an ass. But what made him such an ass? Well, it was his dedication to tradition.
He asks Percy for a letter of recommendation to join Camp Jupiter in spite of the fact that A) Percy can't remember anything so how could he possibly have a letter of recommendation, and B) Percy walked into the camp carrying a goddess, is that enough recommendation for ya? But he's obliged to ask anyways. It's traditional.
Yes, he met the Greeks already suspicious of them. They are flying to their camp in a big mother warship, for heaven's sake. To be honest, I'd probably be suspicious as well. And when Leo started firing on the camp (while possessed, but Octavian didn't know that), Octavian, as a Roman, sees that the best defense is a good offense. Attack the Greeks. That's the Roman way, the traditional way.
What you have to understand is that Octavian isn't exactly a demigod. He's a legacy. That means that he's the descendant of a demigod. You don't know by how many generations or whatever, all we know is that he's, by some extent, descended from Apollo. Which means, since his family has had multiple generations knowing themselves as descendants of gods, that Octavian is not new to the Roman ways. It would be a fair assumption to think that he probably grew up in New Rome, since they have a whole city that works as a safe haven for demigods and their kids. All Octavian probably knows is the traditional Roman ways.
Of course, that doesn't excuse the power plays and the treachery and all that stuff. And he's still not a likeable character by any stretch of the imagination. But the more I think about him, the more I find myself willing to understand him. None of the other characters at all seem willing to hear him out about anything, and I think that's a mistake. That's why I'm so eager for an Octavian POV in Blood of Olympus. I want to know what the heck that crazy kid is thinking.
Basically what I'm saying is that the only reason I enjoy Octavian is because I have a lot of hypothetical theories about the way his mind works that are barely, if at all, based on what the text actually said.
I am the master at overthinking things.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 19
Day 19: Favourite prophecy
The Prophecy of Seven.
Partly because the suspense about what it means is dragged out through the entirety of the Heroes of Olympus series, but also because the way it's been written means that it can be interpreted in so many different ways, and I think that's really clever.
For instance, on a first reading, it looks like "storm or fire" will end up destroying the world. But, if you take into account that they're fighting Gaea, the earth goddess, then it could actually mean that "storm or fire" must save the world by causing the world - or earth - to "fall".
Also, what's storm and fire? It's been generally assumed by everybody that "fire" must refer to Leo, since, being pyrokinetic, he's kinda the fire guy, but what about "storm", huh? Jason, son of the sky god, can cause lightning strikes and control the winds, but Percy, son of the sea god, can make hurricanes. Either one of those guys could be storm, as far as we know.
Or - as has been suggested by one of the fans - maybe it doesn't refer to either of them at all. One of the wind gods Jason talks to in the fourth book is known as "stormy" in his Greek form and "fiery" in his Roman form. Maybe it doesn't mean Percy or Jason or Leo at all. Maybe it's referring to Greek or Roman.
And what's this oath to keep with a final breath, huh? Could it refer to Leo's promise to Calypso? Could it refer to Percy's promise to return home to his mother? Maybe something that hasn't come up yet? It could be anything, and it's killing me, because it means that one of the Seven are probably going to die and I am going to cry. (It's really set up so that Leo could be it - he made that oath to Calypso, first of all, and also, if the second line's connected to the third one, then pay attention to the word, "or". It implies that possibly "storm" or "fire" won't make it and if Leo is fire, ugh, this is killing me).
And the fourth line - everyone assumed it was referring to Greeks and Romans joining forces to close the Doors of Death, but as of the fourth book, in which they closed the Doors of Death, it actually referred to even deadlier foes - demigods and Titans, demigods and giants. Percy and Annabeth had a Titan on their side as they fought to seal the Doors, and a giant, which is the race of sons of Gaea that they're fighting, even helped them do it.
What this prophecy actually means is anyone's guess.
And it is tearing me apart.
Bravo, Riordan. Bravo.
The Prophecy of Seven.
Seven half-bloods shall answer the call
To storm or fire the world must fall
An oath to keep with a final breath
And foes bear arms to the doors of death
Partly because the suspense about what it means is dragged out through the entirety of the Heroes of Olympus series, but also because the way it's been written means that it can be interpreted in so many different ways, and I think that's really clever.
For instance, on a first reading, it looks like "storm or fire" will end up destroying the world. But, if you take into account that they're fighting Gaea, the earth goddess, then it could actually mean that "storm or fire" must save the world by causing the world - or earth - to "fall".
Also, what's storm and fire? It's been generally assumed by everybody that "fire" must refer to Leo, since, being pyrokinetic, he's kinda the fire guy, but what about "storm", huh? Jason, son of the sky god, can cause lightning strikes and control the winds, but Percy, son of the sea god, can make hurricanes. Either one of those guys could be storm, as far as we know.
Or - as has been suggested by one of the fans - maybe it doesn't refer to either of them at all. One of the wind gods Jason talks to in the fourth book is known as "stormy" in his Greek form and "fiery" in his Roman form. Maybe it doesn't mean Percy or Jason or Leo at all. Maybe it's referring to Greek or Roman.
And what's this oath to keep with a final breath, huh? Could it refer to Leo's promise to Calypso? Could it refer to Percy's promise to return home to his mother? Maybe something that hasn't come up yet? It could be anything, and it's killing me, because it means that one of the Seven are probably going to die and I am going to cry. (It's really set up so that Leo could be it - he made that oath to Calypso, first of all, and also, if the second line's connected to the third one, then pay attention to the word, "or". It implies that possibly "storm" or "fire" won't make it and if Leo is fire, ugh, this is killing me).
And the fourth line - everyone assumed it was referring to Greeks and Romans joining forces to close the Doors of Death, but as of the fourth book, in which they closed the Doors of Death, it actually referred to even deadlier foes - demigods and Titans, demigods and giants. Percy and Annabeth had a Titan on their side as they fought to seal the Doors, and a giant, which is the race of sons of Gaea that they're fighting, even helped them do it.
What this prophecy actually means is anyone's guess.
And it is tearing me apart.
Bravo, Riordan. Bravo.
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 18
Day 18: Favourite mortal
How many mortals are there in these books? Like, three? Not many.
I mean, I dunno. Percy's mom is caring and loving, but defiant. Love her. Percy's step-dad killed monsters he couldn't even see with his Shakespearean stage-fighting skills, and that's pretty badass, not gonna lie.
But there's really only one mortal that got enough character development and screen-time for me to really like them, and that's Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
She's artistic and outspoken and kind and she's pretty much just made of heart. She actually took off in the middle of her vacation to help Percy and the other demigods fight the Titans, with the price of having to go to some, like, girl's private school "become a proper lady" thing, which was pretty much her definition of hell. And at the end of all that, she became Apollo's Oracle of Delphi, after the position had been cursed by the gods for convoluted reasons that I'm not going to go into.
Also, she pretty much marched up to a battle-ready army of romans unarmed to deliver a message to their praetor, so she's brave as anything.
And to top it off, she once hit Kronos in the eye with a hairbrush.
And if that's not awesome, I don't know what is.
How many mortals are there in these books? Like, three? Not many.
I mean, I dunno. Percy's mom is caring and loving, but defiant. Love her. Percy's step-dad killed monsters he couldn't even see with his Shakespearean stage-fighting skills, and that's pretty badass, not gonna lie.
But there's really only one mortal that got enough character development and screen-time for me to really like them, and that's Rachel Elizabeth Dare.
She's artistic and outspoken and kind and she's pretty much just made of heart. She actually took off in the middle of her vacation to help Percy and the other demigods fight the Titans, with the price of having to go to some, like, girl's private school "become a proper lady" thing, which was pretty much her definition of hell. And at the end of all that, she became Apollo's Oracle of Delphi, after the position had been cursed by the gods for convoluted reasons that I'm not going to go into.
Also, she pretty much marched up to a battle-ready army of romans unarmed to deliver a message to their praetor, so she's brave as anything.
And to top it off, she once hit Kronos in the eye with a hairbrush.
And if that's not awesome, I don't know what is.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 17
Day 17: A scene you really missed in the movies
Try everything.
The movies suck, okay? They pretty much botched up everything, and as a result, I live in constant fear that other book-to-movie adaptations turn out as bad (please God have mercy on Artemis Fowl, says the silent but constant mantra in my books-rights-activist soul). Between Percy Jackson and Inkheart.... my heart's been broken too many times. How can someone screw up a book-to-movie adaptation that badly? There is literally a plot with developed characters already written out for you. Don't change the story. Change how it's told. That's the definition of an "adaptation". Why is a teenage girl figuring this out before screenwriters at big movie studios? Ugh.
But with the Percy Jackson movies, I guess the thing I missed the most was Ares.
In the first book, Percy crosses paths with Ares, the god of war, and let's just say he doesn't exactly come out of that with a new friend. First Ares leads him and his friends into a trap for his own amusement, and then he gives them something to "help them" on their quest that turns out to actually frame him for a crime against the gods, and it all boils down to Percy duels the god of war - and wins. That was a ridiculously awesome part of the book that they were absolutely insane to not put in the movie.
Especially because Ares's appearance in twenty-first century America is that of a bad boy biker thug, and I think that's golden.
Try everything.
The movies suck, okay? They pretty much botched up everything, and as a result, I live in constant fear that other book-to-movie adaptations turn out as bad (please God have mercy on Artemis Fowl, says the silent but constant mantra in my books-rights-activist soul). Between Percy Jackson and Inkheart.... my heart's been broken too many times. How can someone screw up a book-to-movie adaptation that badly? There is literally a plot with developed characters already written out for you. Don't change the story. Change how it's told. That's the definition of an "adaptation". Why is a teenage girl figuring this out before screenwriters at big movie studios? Ugh.
But with the Percy Jackson movies, I guess the thing I missed the most was Ares.
In the first book, Percy crosses paths with Ares, the god of war, and let's just say he doesn't exactly come out of that with a new friend. First Ares leads him and his friends into a trap for his own amusement, and then he gives them something to "help them" on their quest that turns out to actually frame him for a crime against the gods, and it all boils down to Percy duels the god of war - and wins. That was a ridiculously awesome part of the book that they were absolutely insane to not put in the movie.
Especially because Ares's appearance in twenty-first century America is that of a bad boy biker thug, and I think that's golden.
Friday, September 19, 2014
Percy Jackson Thirty Day Meme: Day 16
Day 16: Favourite minor god
In both the books and greek mythology in general, the answer is the same. Pan, god of the wild.
(Who is, coincidentally, the son of Hermes. What do you mean I have a one-track mind?)
Because A) that's where the panflutes came from, and the panflute is a cool instrument no matter what you say. And B) he could be the most anti-social god, and I think that's hilarious. Like, sometimes he was like all the other satyrs (because he was, essentially, a satyr) with the fluting and the flirting and everything, but sometimes he got moody and anti-social and wanted to be left alone. And if someone bugged him while he was like that, what would he do to get rid of them? He would let out this awful scream that would make them take off running. This was legit a power he had. And this power is where the word "panic" comes from. Pan. And if you don't think that's even a little funny, well, you're wrong.
Pan is just cool, in both the books and the myths. So.... yeah. Also, while I have quite an extended encyclopedia of knowledge about the main greek gods and the demigod heroes and stuff, my knowledge of the minor gods is realllly limited. Like, they had a lot of them, so I kinda gave up on learning all of them. As a result, my knowledge of them pretty much amounts to Pan, Hecate (goddess of crossroads and magic), Hypnos (god of sleep), Nemesis (goddess of revenge) and Nike (goddess of victory), so yeah, not that much to choose from. Does Eros count? I know him too (you'll know him more commonly as his roman name, Cupid). But yeah. Not much to choose from.
But even so
Pan is still awesome.
In both the books and greek mythology in general, the answer is the same. Pan, god of the wild.
(Who is, coincidentally, the son of Hermes. What do you mean I have a one-track mind?)
Because A) that's where the panflutes came from, and the panflute is a cool instrument no matter what you say. And B) he could be the most anti-social god, and I think that's hilarious. Like, sometimes he was like all the other satyrs (because he was, essentially, a satyr) with the fluting and the flirting and everything, but sometimes he got moody and anti-social and wanted to be left alone. And if someone bugged him while he was like that, what would he do to get rid of them? He would let out this awful scream that would make them take off running. This was legit a power he had. And this power is where the word "panic" comes from. Pan. And if you don't think that's even a little funny, well, you're wrong.
Pan is just cool, in both the books and the myths. So.... yeah. Also, while I have quite an extended encyclopedia of knowledge about the main greek gods and the demigod heroes and stuff, my knowledge of the minor gods is realllly limited. Like, they had a lot of them, so I kinda gave up on learning all of them. As a result, my knowledge of them pretty much amounts to Pan, Hecate (goddess of crossroads and magic), Hypnos (god of sleep), Nemesis (goddess of revenge) and Nike (goddess of victory), so yeah, not that much to choose from. Does Eros count? I know him too (you'll know him more commonly as his roman name, Cupid). But yeah. Not much to choose from.
But even so
Pan is still awesome.
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