Latest Posts by bassiascoparia - Page 8

Carter and Sadie should've been older

Istg Carter and Zia should've been 17 and Sadie should've been 15 years old.

Why? WELL, a little more MATURITY on our protagonists' part would have been nice. Also, Rick, you're telling me the king of the Egyptian gods, Horus, would inhabit a FOURTEEN YEAR OLD BOY? Carter should have been 17 to have more maturity and been taken more seriously. And then he could've had anxiety about turning 18 and no longer being a kid and having to face the world now? Just my personal opinion.

And Sadie, well, let's make Sadie a little older to NOT have the queen goddess in the Egyptian Pantheon inhabiting a preteen, which is really weird. And if she really had to date Anubis and Walt (an odd choice by the way, platonic Sadie x Walt would've been way better IMHO) she could've been 15 to match Walt's 16? A 13 year old and 16 year old are horrible together, and it's canon that Walt is sixteen, not fourteen, and to make it worse, this is one of the only 3 biracial couples (Zia x Carter, Sadie x Walt, Frank x Hazel) which does NOT have a fully white person dating a POC.

(Yes, I know Sadie looks like a white girl, but it's important to remember that she's biracial white passing, so this isn't a fully White x POC biracial couple)

Tam and Linh switch

In my opinion, it would have been interesting to have Tam and Linh's characters switched.

A muscular, closed off, angry at the world Asian girl who can pack a few punches but really loves her brother and a sweet Asian boy who is more optimistic than his twin sister but still ready to kill for her if need be.

It would've been a pretty interesting dynamic to see.

Properly developing and writing LGBTQ ships.

Ok, but when have we actually SEEN a good LGBTQ ship being DEVELOPED AND WRITTEN PROPERLY?

Like with Percabeth, you can see their development over the course of the series. WHEN HAVE WE SEEN THAT WITH GAY MALES OR LESBIAN FEMALES? I've never seen it (if you have, though, tell me please.)

We almost never get gay characters as major characters. Sure, Piper Mclean is bisexual, but we never knew it until the literal END of Trials of Apollo even though she was a major character in HOO and even starred as a side character for Trials of Apollo. Was her POV in HOO about discovering her bisexuality and coming out? No. Piper's representation is so shoved in that it barely counts, TBH. Though that is just my opinion on this matter-no need to agree with it.

And Nico di Angelo is gay, but his rep was handled terribly. A forced coming out with no closure and being paired off with a random side character to 'prove' his gayness. Also, Will being a terrible partner for Nico (sharing his medical information without authority, and being someone's doctor and boyfriend is problematic for boundaries. Nico could have had another doctor. Seriously, are there no Athena kids in the infirmary, or no trainee Apollo kids?).

I'm just saying that I'm not sure if Solangelo is good representation because we don't really get any development and whatever development there is on Nico's side is somewhat deteriorated. We don't even get much of Will as a character. No development at all.

And with the lesbian couple, Jo and Emmie, in ToA? No development-plus they got kicked out of a supposedly safe space for being lesbians. Very problematic.

And Piper and Shel? NOTHING. No page time. None whatsoever. No development or good writing.

Lavinia and Poison Oak? We're told, not shown. We don't even see Poison Oak.

Fierrochase is the only developed ship, and even then, it's a little rushed. (Just my opinion).

Ok, I am once again wondering why Rick didn't just put PIPER in DREW'S PLACE.

Piper could have been the head counsellor of cabin 10-exhausted, burnt out, and she and Silena could have been the ones to have charmspeak, which would give them an extra special bond as the only ones who had it.

And when Piper gets really emotionally intense after the Titan War II, she just uses charmspeak on her cabin members. Of course, she feels guilty afterwards, but they still start to be scared of her.

And this way, we can learn more about what happens at camp, because maybe she could be a year rounder so as not to harm Tristan, but she could still have her trauma from her younger days.

Just another example of wasted potential in PJO, which is surprisingly easy to come by.

What if instead of Hades, Poseidon sent monsters after Thalia?

Yes, you heard me right. You know that PJO kind of sanitises Poseidon a lot? Yeah, Percy's his son, but we could still get a few moments where Poseidon is the bad guy. I mean, this was a huge missed opportunity for telling us how bad the gods were as parents. Well………..imagine that Poseidon was annoyed that Zeus broke the oath, so he sent monsters after Thalia to show Zeus that this was not a good idea. It fits him perfectly and then Percy and Thalia could have even more angst (which is resolved at the end). And Poseidon can get ahold of monsters-don't tell me he can't.

Aphrodite and Mitchell oneshot

Mitchell stared at his mother. Her skin was pale silver, and curly black ringlets framed her face, the rest being pulled back into a high ponytail. Her eyes, however, changed every moment, like a kaleidoscope. 'M-mother,' he stammered. He didn't know what to do-was this really his mother, or was she a hallucination? After losing Capture The Flag, Sherman had taunted him about his parentage. 'Aphrodite's children could never fight as well as the rest of us. Your mom is the goddess of lust and beauty, what's so strong about that?' Mitchell had punched him in the face. In retaliation, Sherman had nearly scratched his eyes out and left him with bruises that might last for a month. And then, in front of the whole camp, Mitchell had burst into tears and ran away, even as Silena called for him and Drew hissed at Sherman. And he had come to the forest, where he really liked to be alone. Thankfully, there were no nymphs or dryads now. Well, there was one, and he had turned to leave, but she called his name and beckoned him over. And then she had told him that she was actually his mother, Aphrodite. He had been told that if, by a rare chance, a god was actually encountered, they must be given the utmost respect and consideration. One's own needs were practically nonexistent, one always agreed with them no matter what. She patted a moss cushioned rock beside her. 'Oh, do sit down! It's been ages since I've talked to one of my children.' He sat down, assuming a respectful posture, hands folded in his lap. 'Ah…………uh, to what do I owe this honour?' 'Oh? Sometimes I secretly visit Camp Half Blood and watch Capture The Flag for fun, and, well, I saw what happened today.' Embarrassment heated his face. Was she going to tell all the other gods? Would he be made a laughingstock among them? Or would she turn him into something for embarrassing her? 'Oh, cheer up.' she patted his cheek and he blinked in surprise. 'I'm not going to humiliate you further. I felt that I ought to tell you how bad my children can have it, especially my sons. The patriarchy negatively affects men as well.' He swallowed. Ah. So……..she was going to comfort him? Would she expect something from him after this? Was she going to send him on a quest to prove himself or something? His throat constricted. He'd heard stories of campers going missing or worse. And there was that horrible tradition of weaving a burial shroud for a quester.

Imagines flashed through his mind, of his siblings weaving with trembling hands, of tears sliding down their cheeks, of the designs that they would struggle to choose from. 'My children are often dismissed and treated as frivolous. The gods are changed by how we are viewed, and people have begun to view me as a silly, fragile little thing who would sooner walk away then get my hands dirty. And the same goes for my children, which I cannot control, though I fervently wish I could.' Does she want to control us? Mitchell thought uncomfortably. Or is she talking about her image? 'My sons bear the brunt of this horribly-misogyny and misandry can be two versions of a terrible, useless coin. Feminine men were often mocked back in the day-well, they still ARE mocked, but you understand me.' And the point of this is? 'The point of this is to assure you that you are not alone. Other feminine men, even ones not my sons, suffer from the same discrimination. And my daughters are also mocked and called useless for the simple crime-' she wrinkled her in nose in distaste, '-of being feminine, even though femininity and fighting are intrinsically intertwined since the dawn of time. Women have silently fought their wars, not the ones with politics and weapons, but the ones with misogyny and violence from both men and women alike-and those battles have dragged on for millennia, and every generation has been witness and victim to them.' A beautiful monologue, worthy of Athena, Mitchell thought, smiling, then he was glad that his mother couldn't read his thoughts. 'And so……….' Aphrodite waved her hand, 'go back and fight, my son. I was once worshipped as a war goddess, and feminine people can still fight. Go and show them that you are a worthy son of mine.'

Does anyone just really like platonic SoTam? Because Sophie with all the other boys just feels wrong and annoying due to the romance thing, but Sophie and Tam? Only platonic.

I'm a SUCKER for boy-girl platonic relationships and friendships. I love those. Shannon, more SoTam, please?

Ok, is anyone going to talk about Gunilla bullying Samirah? This is Magnus Chase from the Riordanverse BTW.

So we know that Samirah became a Valkyrie when she was fourteen and she's 16 in the MCGA series. And it states that Gunilla actively disliked and maybe even bullied Samirah because of her father.

Gunilla was 18 when she died and had centuries of experience under her belt. She should be more mature about this. And then she decides to go and bully Samirah, a teenage minor, over her parentage, something she can't control? Samirah doesn't even LIKE Loki and Gunilla still bullies her because of the whole terrible romance with the son of Loki.

Samirah, who was 14, 15 and then 16, who was living out a very stressful double life with her grandparents who COULD NOT be exposed to the magical world as it would destroy their brains, and really wanted to keep her Valkyrie job. Are you listening to this ridiculousness? And Gunilla also sabotages Samirah further editing her video footage of Magnus. Brilliant, Gunilla. Really Valkyrie worthy!

Yeah, ok, Gunilla may have died at the end of the first book, but I don't really care for her. (IMO she died because Alex was coming and Rick couldn't let them clash. Would've been so interesting to see though.)

Why not make Gunilla a mentor to Samirah? Like, she sees this poor teenage girl who's struggling to live a double life and she could help her with it. Enroll in her high school (cue the comedy). Just make excuses for her every time and cover for her with her grandparents, saying that she's a fellow tutor. It would make Gunilla more likable and her death more tragic and meaningful.

Romance is not ABOVE friendship and platonic relationships. It exists on the same level, just in a different color/shape/flavor. People need to stop saying, 'Let's take our relationship to the next level' when talking about romance. Seriously, let's not act like friendship and other relationships outside of romance aren't important.

What if Zeus had swallowed Beryl to prevent Thalia from being born.

Ok, but what if Piper was a boy and Leo was a girl?

Think about it. The male Cherokee son of Aphrodite and there can actually be a son of Aphrodite for once, not just a daughter, subverting the feminine pink beauty love goddess stereotype.

And then the Hispanic daughter of Hephaestus-we could get a muscular main character female for once, and it would inspire so many young girls! And she and Percy could bond over their mothers or something. And we wouldn't have the horrible romantic subplot with Calypso.

WHAT WAS CAMP HALF BLOOD LIKE IN THE EARLY CENTURIES?

Ok, ok, LISTEN. THIS IS IMPORTANT. I HAVE LITERALLY NEVER HEARD ANYBODY TALK ABOUT THIS, AND I WOULD LOVE IF EVERY PJO FAN COULD SEE AND TALK ABOUT THIS! Does ANYONE ever wonder what Camp Half-Blood was like in the centuries before the 21rst? What about the 15th or 16th century-where did they go then? The concept of a summer camp is very modern, so what was Camp Half-Blood like? Did more demigods stay there? Did more demigods SURVIVE to adulthood because there was no technology? Was Camp Half Blood a sanctuary of some kind-how many demigods stayed there for a full year? And what were the cabins like? Did boys and girls have separate cabins or something? How were Christians and other Abrahamic people affected knowing that the Greek Gods existed? What did girls and boys DO in the camp? How did Chiron manage all of them-how many children filled up the Dionysus cabin?

And Camp Jupiter, what was it like there?

Oh my god, please reblog this! I would like as many fans as possible to see this so we can discuss it! Thanks for reading, and I will DEFINITELY read ALL comments, so don't be shy!

I just found out that, according to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, if a god broke their Styx vow, they were rendered insensible for a year and then banished from divine society for nine years.

Imagine that in Percy Jackson. I know that Rick couldn't do it due to plot reasons, and Zeus was too powerful to be banished, but imagine Zeus helping Beryl raise Thalia and adjusting to being mortal, and then maybe they have Jason who's fully mortal.

And just imagine Poseidon helping Sally raise Percy. Oh my god, the fanfiction ideas with this one would be amazing. WRITERS, DO YOUR THING!

Why leave, did I not give you enough? (Part 2)

Was it because of Oriana? Madoc had not seen much of her interactions with the children, but they might have been apprehensive of new stepmother-Vivienne certainly taunted him about his infidelity to his previous wife. And when she had said at the wedding, in front of everyone, that Oriana certainly hadn't married Madoc because even his first wife didn't want him, he had thought that he might kill her. Certainly his stare had silenced her, but she continued to smirk and many fairies silently laughed. He had not been able to face her after the event. Everyone knew about and questioned (Even silently ridiculed) his two human daughters. Yet he continued, and they had come to be accepted over time. The fairies questioned him no more. He wondered if they had cut off her top ring finger or whether it had really been an accident as she claimed. It had been almost 2 weeks since they had gone-the first few days, he had been too busy to notice, yet at the end of 4 days with none of his daughters running around and yelling, he had begun to worry. And then he had checked on them, and they hadn't been there. And he had searched, and they hadn't been there, and then he had searched more, and they were gone. It was only the next day that they had come back, and when he had seen them there, they had run to him, and he had run to them, and then tear-stricken apologies and half-explanations tumbled from their mouths, and Vivienne had looked at them through her cat eyes, blinking back tears, betrayal and anger and grief blazoned on her face like a painting for the world to see. And he had sunk upon his knees and told them that they would have nothing to fear and that Oriana would not hurt them, and that he would not send them away, and that all four of his children would be safe. And he had been so angry at Vivienne, but Jude and Taryn begged him not to punish her, so he relented. 'Why leave, did I not give you enough?' he had asked. Subconciously, he knew that he had taken what he could not give, and had tried to trade jagged, rusted, useless metal for the most beautiful, rarest diamond in the world.

(PART 2! Sorry if it's a bit underwhelming. Please leave constructive criticism under my writing posts-I'd really like to hear how I can improve!)

You know what Rick should have done to make Athena more sympathetic?

Simple. Make Frederick ask Athena for a child so that he can have an actual demigod to raise and observe, rather like a science experiment or something (which makes him a bad parent, treating Annabeth like a project instead of an actual child, that Rick could've gone into later).

She's unsure, because he doesn't seem like the type to be able to raise a child, but he insists, so she gives him one. INSTEAD OF THE WHOLE NONCON WEIRD MENTAL THING WE GOT.

And then Frederick finds out that hey, kids aren't always the way you picture them, surprise! So he just kind of leaves Annabeth alone and then we get the whole stepmother plot and it continues in canon.

There are definitely parents like that in real life, so it would be more realistic and I think that more people might be able to relate to that.

And Athena guides her daughter and is angry at Frederick for not helping the child enough and with herself not to see how bad he would be at parenting, because she is the literal goddess of wisdom.

Why leave, did I not give you enough?

Madoc was standing in the house once again, reliving his worst memories-Eva and Justin's deaths. The house where Vivienne had vowed to hate him. The house where Jude had screamed at him and hit him. The house where Taryn had sobbed, shaking her mother's dead body, though Eva would never get up again. It was empty. No one had bought it even after 3 years-the deaths still haunted them. It looked normal-a red plastic FOR SALE was mounted on the lawn and the wind chimes jingled in the comforting breeze. He wondered if ghosts existed. Would Eva and Justin be staring at him with contempt in their eyes? He hesitated, just as he had 3 years ago on that fateful day. Oh, how he wished he had grabbed Vivienne and Eva and ran. Would Justin come after him? Perhaps. But maybe he would take care of his daughters first. Madoc didn't know-Justin had been such a strange man. He didn't want to go inside. He didn't want to relive the bloodstained carpet and smell of wet blood.

He swallowed. He was a redcap. He was brave, and he slept at night knowing that he had killed thousands of soldiers. He could go inside and endure the ghosts of the past. He inhaled, curled his hands into fists and stepped inside. Nothing. It was empty, scrubbed clean, like no one had lived inside it at all. There were ornamental decorations and a pleasant perfume permeated the air. All dressed up to make it look flashy and attractive. Nothing could ever attract Madoc to the house, except for the fact that his daughters had run away. Just like Eva. Just when he had thought that they had begun to like him-they had sat on his lap, eating out of his plate, and played Nine Men's Morris with him. Taryn had stopped flinching every time she saw him, and Jude had smiled at him, even coming to have a somewhat twisted affection for him. Vivienne, of course, had not stopped. The weight of her vow would never leave her, and she had been so angry that she could not speak to them for days. Had she guilt tripped them into leaving? Most probably. Though they loved him somewhat, they would never be able to forget their real parents. The ones that he had murdered right in front of their eyes. Blood on the kitchen floor and the heavy smell of blood. He forced his feet to move, up, down, up, down. Into the kitchen where Eva once lay. Into the backyard where Justin's forge once stood. Into the bedrooms- He stopped, inhaling sharply. The beds were clearly made with gray and yellow covers. The room was airy and sunlit, dust motes dancing in the sunlight. A peaceful, drowsy afternoon. Was this where his daughters had slept? Where they had played with each other? Where they had watched, what did humans call it, TV? Television? Eva had told him of it and he had watched the strange pictures dance across the screen. They had watched it together, she laughing, he not understanding but smiling and playing along. He closed his eyes. He opened them again. Any question of them being here was gone, though they might have come for a brief visit. Were memories too painful for them as well? Footsteps made him spin around. Standing there was a woman, wearing a suit that hinted that she might be a-what had Eva called it-a 'real estate agent', someone who sold property. 'Sir,' she said. 'I don't know what you're doing here, but you need to leave, unless you're a potential buyer. How did you get in here?' He hit her on the side of the head and she crumpled. His heart wildly richocheted and suddenly she was Eva. He had killed another person. He stepped back and fell against the wall, screaming into his bundled cloak. Was she dead? His eyes were wild, his heart pounded as he scrambled to find out. No, Eva, please don't be dead- She had a pulse. She was bleeding, but she would be all right. He couldn't stay here. He had to leave-he barely had a few minutes to go back before he would have to attend a meeting. He took her phone, called the police (911, was it?) gave them directions and then stepped out. Suddenly, he didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay here and drink in the memories of a family, torn apart by him, that he had so desperately tried to put back together. And now that they had run away, he might never be able to. He took the silky black horse back to Elfhame. His memories took the form of knives, stabbing into him as he recalled their painful shapes and colors. They took the form of needles, slowly sliding into him as he silently screamed, feeling the cold, sharp pain of memories upon him.

Why do Linh and Tam have light silvery blue eyes

Why did Shannon have to give LINH AND TAM of all people the LIGHTEST EYES? It has racist connotations and ok, sure, all elves have blue eyes, but there are so many different shades of blue-she could have gone with really dark blue for the Asian looking characters as well as the black looking characters. Like Oxford blue or Navy blue, something like that.

How do you think Dionysus looked when he was dating Pollux's and Castor's mother? Did he look like his usual self at Camp Half Blood or did he look more handsome, like his usual godly self before his punishment? It would be hilarious if he looked handsome when was dating her and then he went back to his usual appearance. Can you imagine her and her sons' confusion? She asks her sons about him and they describe him, and she's like, excuse me, is that your father? That's not how I saw him, and then she comes to camp maybe, and he reverts to his handsome appearance, confusing his sons and the other campers, and Chiron is trying so hard not to laugh.

And then his sons see him change appearances and stare at him in disbelief, maybe horror, and he smiles at them guiltily, and Chiron comforts them or something, IDK, I just think that that would be really funny.

Vivienne Duarte short analysis

So, we talk about Vivienne not being there for her sisters in Elfhame and letting them get bullied by the other children of the Gentry, but I raise you this-

Vivienne WANTED to go back to the human realm, but Jude and Taryn wanted to stay in Elfhame, and when they were actually able to finally go to the human realm, Jude and Taryn hated it and wanted to go back, which broke Vivi's heart and immensely saddened her, because have we ever considered what Vivienne wanted?

Jude also recalled how angry Vivienne was when she and Taryn finally 'gave in' to Elfhame. I think that Vivienne thought that by choosing Elfhame, Jude and Taryn didn't just choose its perquisites, but also its perils, so one side of her mind decided that she didn't need to protect them so that they could learn a lesson. The other side of her, however, felt guilty that she wasn't protecting them, so she stayed for them. And so this cycle continued-angry one day, guilty the next. Just a theory of mine.

So, if Rick is writing the PJO senior year adventures for the TV show cast, and he's making Percy, a white guy dating a black girl, out to be an incompetent dumbass (horrible characterisation) and he's mommifying Annabeth, a black girl in the show, and making her clean up all of Percy's messes (totally untrue and OOC)......

DISCUSS.

We know that Vivienne, Jude and Taryn left when they were 10 years old-about the same time that Madoc courted and married Oriana.

Do you think that they left home because of this very reason? It's canon that they were worried about it, because Madoc might send them away, so it's a real possibility.

I wonder how he reacted when they ran away and then came back.

If Liriope had lived

I don't think that Locke would have been as much of an asshole if Liriope had lived-her death probably caused his shock and decline.

I want to draw you (Part 2)

Heather showed Vivienne her drawings. They were amazing-Vivienne loved how they portrayed her cat eyes and faerie ears, making them pop. 

‘How long have you been drawing?’

‘Well, since I was a toddler. I’m going to attend community college and major in something involving art. I just love drawing and painting-it’s my central passion. I’d die if I couldn’t draw anymore.’

‘So, drawing is the thing that calms you down?’ Vivienne said.

‘Most of the time, yeah. It doesn’t always help me, though-sometimes my emotions are so intense that even if I draw, I can’t calm down, and when I have art block, it’s the worst.’

‘Yeah, art block sounds bad if your main thing is drawing,’ Vivi agreed. ‘Um, hey, want to go get some Chinese food? Just you and me-I can pay for it.’

‘Ooh, really? That would be great! I’ll pay for my own food, though. You can pay for yours.’

They went to that great Chinese restaurant-the one with the amazing fortune cookies. Heather had been there once and she’d gotten the funniest fortune-there is money in your future-that doesn’t belong to you.

‘They have really funny fortunes, though you find generic ones too.’ she said. She started talking about the restaurant and telling Vivienne all about it, though Vivienne had been there a few times before (in glamour disguise). Still, Vivi nodded her head and pretended that she was just going there for the first time, just to hear Heather talk about it.

They ordered spring rolls and sweet and sour chicken. Heather talked about her life and family and Vivienne listened to her. 

Before she knew it, hours had passed and Heather had to go home. They exchanged numbers and she left, Vivienne staring after her. 

When Vivi returned home, Taryn asked her why she was smiling so hard, and she blinked and noticed that she was. She simply shook her head and went to her bedroom, then jumped onto the bed, squealing and giggling. Maybe life wasn’t so bad after all.

(I recently learnt that there's a short story on Heather and Vivienne in Faeries Never Lie-The Honest Folk. If I've made any mistakes in this short story, please let me know! Thanks for reading!)

Sally shouldn't have gotten pregnant

Am I the only one that thinks that Sally Jackson shouldn't have gotten pregnant? Don't get me wrong, I don't hate Estelle or Paul or Sally, but it just feels like the woman gets to be 'happy' with a new husband and child to look after-just a generic happy ending. She could've been writing and publishing a book, and while I have nothing against her getting into a new marriage and finding someone who makes her happy, I just wonder why she had to have a baby directly after-she's 41 years old, and she's going to be raising yet ANOTHER child, which isn't as nice as it sounds, and it's not clear if Percy is going to help, as he has a lot of demigod-related challenges going on.

Just an opinion of mine-it's perfectly fine if you think that her ending was happy.

I want to draw you (Part 1)

She met her in a mall courtyard. 

Vivienne was simply walking around, window shopping. She occasionally bought something if she felt like it, or if she thought it would annoy Madoc, or to gift to Jude and Taryn, though they seldom liked such presents-maybe because it reminded them of their brief childhood in the human realm and they had no use for it in Faerie.

She usually glamoured herself to have round ears and brown eyes, though sometimes she let her natural features shine through. Some humans saw through it-rarely adults, sometimes children, who were not believed, though she smiled at them. If an adult really did see it, they convinced themselves that they were hallucinating. Sometimes, however, she let her real features show to enjoy the look on people's faces. Some of them would come up and ask her about it, and she would be vague about it. 

This time, she wore her real features. She was feeling somewhat bummed out after a fight with Madoc and Oriana and wanted some comfort food after window shopping, one of her favorite things to do.

She wandered along the aisles, looking at glittery sticky hands, beautiful porcelain mugs, comfortable-looking sweaters and beanies. She smelt the aroma of Chinese food and Subway. She ran her hands along the grainy counter tops. And she sunbathed on the wooden benches while listening to her favorite music playlists on her phone that she had magically obtained-there was a whole lot of glamouring involved, too many complications all for a simple phone.

And then she saw Heather. 

The first thing she noticed was a smudge of blue ink on her nose. Then she noticed her beautiful eyes, the color of darkest amber. And finally, when she spoke, Vivienne was afraid that she was talking to someone else.

'I want to draw you.'

Vivienne blinked. 'What?' she said, looking around, but there was nobody else. The girl was talking to her. 

'I want to draw you. You're beautiful!' the girl said, gesturing towards her face. 'You're absolutely breathtaking-ethereal.'

Vivienne blinked rapidly and blushed. 'Oh-um, thank you. Thank you very much.' she giggled. 

VIVIENNE. STOP GIGGLING LIKE AN IDIOT.

'I'm an artist,' the girl said, sitting next to her. 'I love drawing things. What's your name?'

'My name? Oh, it's Vivienne.'

'Ooh, French! Meaning full of life, very spirited.'

Vivienne laughed. 'Yeah, that's me. Very vivacious. Though my sisters call me ferocious.'

The girl laughed too. Her laugh was beautiful-very musical. 'Your eyes and ears-they're beautiful! How did you do them like that?'

How did I do them like that? Vivienne thought. Oh-she probably thinks that they’re fake products and contact lenses. 

‘It’s a bit difficult, but I get it right in the end.’ she said, smiling mysteriously. At least, trying to smile like she was an enigma.

The girl laughed again. Her laugh really was music to the ears. ‘Oh, cool. Are you cosplaying or something? Or are you just doing it as part of a makeup routine, or do you just like the look?’

‘Oh, um, I just like the look.’ Vivienne said.

No, I do not like the look. In fact, if I could, I’d trade them for rounded ears and brown eyes in a heartbeat. Madoc would be so mad.

‘Wow. How’d you get your parents to approve? Mine are a little bit strict.’ she said.

Vivienne swallowed. ‘Well, my mom is dead, and my father and I aren’t on the best terms, so I usually stay away from the house. He doesn’t pay much attention to me anyway, so.’

She couldn’t lie, so she’d have to twist her words with this mystery girl-but she’d have to be much more subtle, since humans were not like the fey. They could probably see through lies much easier, since they could actively lie, something Vivienne wished she could do at times.

‘Ohhhhh.’ she said awkwardly. ‘Well, that’s sad. Um. So, do you come here often?’

‘Yeah.’ Vivi replied. ‘I love window shopping and then getting food to eat. It calms me down, every time.’

‘That must be nice-being able to find something that will calm you down, no matter what.’ 

‘It is.’ Vivienne agreed. Especially after she had come back to Elfhame after trying to leave forever. 

‘So………….may I draw you? You look fascinating. Not to objectify you or anything,’ she hastily added.

‘Yeah……..wait, what’s your name?’ 

‘My name? Oh, it’s Heather.’ she said. ‘I’m gonna start sketching-are you ok with that? Just tell me if you’re uncomfortable.’

‘No, I’m ok. You can start,’ Vivienne assured her.

Heather started drawing, looking at Vivienne and then back at her notebook. Vivienne, in turn, secretly stared at Heather-she loved her bunch of pink curls, her gray glasses that kept slipping off her nose, her lovely eyes that were a lot like Jude and Taryn’s, her rounded ears, her clothes that also had drawings on them-beautiful, intricate designs. She didn’t know if she’d meet her again, but she wanted to stay in touch with her-someone actually her age.

‘Did you draw those?’ she asked, gesturing towards her clothes.

‘What? Oh, yeah, I sometimes sketch on my clothes, though it drives my mom crazy. I love tie-dye shirts because I can make whatever patterns I want-I also like to design my clothes.’

‘You can design your own clothes? That’s brilliant!’ Vivienne said. She normally wore human clothes, even when in Elfhame, but she sometimes wore faerie clothes, that were also intricate and delicate and simply designed for beauty, and she had a feeling that Heather would love those.

No way. You can’t tell her about Elfhame. She’d go mad. She wouldn’t believe you. She’d think YOU were mad. 

‘Thank you!’ Heather smiled. Her smile was beautiful, like her laugh-it changed her face so much, Vivienne wished she’d smile forever, though she’d have so many wrinkles if she did. ‘My mom knows how to sew and all that-she taught me!’

‘Your mom is brilliant,’ Vivienne offered, then was pleased with Heather giggled and offered another thanks, saying that she’d be sure to tell her mother.

Jude and Madoc oneshot (From Madoc's POV)

11 year old Jude looked at Madoc. 'What you want to do is evade the strike.' he said. 'You can't always evade, but it's best to learn how. Your reflexes have to be quick enough-if they strike suddenly, you'll need to jump back and preferably not fall over. I'm going to strike, and you're going to step back.' 'Ok,' she said. He took the sword and struck at her. She screamed and jumped back, tripping over her feet. 'Yes,' he said, smiling slightly. 'That's what you want to avoid.' He would not admit it, but he was growing to love Jude more than Vivienne. She was so like him-fierce, determined, ready to protect her loved ones at all costs. He saw so much of him in her, rather than Vivienne, though he had spent years thinking about the latter and imagining how she could have been if not for her untimely 'death'. Yet it was Jude whom he gravitated to. She had Eva's fierceness, determination and resilience. What he had originally been attracted to. Taryn was also there, yes, but she was more quiet and submissive. It was Jude that he really liked. And it seemed that she growing to love him as well, though she did not feel comfortable with it. He had let her sit on his lap and eat out of his plate, even though he had murdered her parents in front of her own eyes. Jude flushed. 'Sorry.' she said, darting glances at him. 'Um.' 'Let's try again.' He struck at her and this time, she stepped back expertly. 'Good. Now, it's not always good to evade-you're only putting yourself where the blade is not, which might be useful in some situations, but if you want to end the fight, you'll have to strike back. And sometimes, the enemy will be faster than you, or you will tire out and finally be struck. And if you misjudge their timing, you're done for.' She nodded. 'You want to be able to do a simple BLOCK.' he said. 'When your opponent attacks you, you raise your sword and block their thrust. Put the blade between yourself and your attacker. You can also support the blade, like this-' he grasped the blade in one of his hands while holding the hilt with the other. She practiced the block and at the end of an hour, she had mastered it. 'Amazing, Jude! You're a natural.' he said, smiling at her. 'Keep on doing this and you'll be the best swordsman in Faerie.' 'Swordswoman,' she mumbled, then nodded and smiled back at him. One of their mutual interests was sword fighting-well, their strongest mutual interest, actually. They took many lessons outside, sometimes Jude being covered in dirt and sweat after them, much to Oriana's chagrin. Everything was all right now-he might have murdered their parents, but they seemed to have gotten over them and were well adjusted to Elfhame. (Even if they had left for a brief period of time last year. Vivienne had said that they just needed a vacation from Faerie, but Madoc was glad to see that Jude and Taryn were ecstatic to be back. Even if Vivienne was sulky and depressed.) Still, sometimes he felt depressed looking at them. How could he have killed their mother? They were so young, and it had obviously affected them in terrible ways. He wondered if they still cried into their pillows when they slept. Hopefully not. He was delighted with Jude's progress, and, as time passed, hoped to make her into one of the best, if not THE best, swordsman in Elfhame. It was the least he could do, teach her how to survive in Elfhame, for her mother. Eva may not have been a good wife, but he would be a good father to Jude-and to Taryn, and Vivienne. If there was one thing he would do for his dead wife, it would be to raise her daughters in honour and give them a good life. Fate may not have smiled upon him in the Duarte house, but he was in Elfhame, and by the blood crown would he bend it to his will here.

Jude and Madoc one shot (A year after being brought to Faerie)

Murderer, 8 year old Jude thought as she looked at the man who had killed their parents.

How long ago had it been? A year, perhaps. Time flew by before she knew it. One year ago her biggest fear had been the math test coming up, and now-well, she would take every math test in the world if it meant going back to her parents and house.

Not this horribly large mansion with its false promises of empty beauty. And the terrifying monster that resided in it. 

Her parents' murderer. The smell of wet red blood and splayed limbs on the kitchen floor was burnt into Jude's mind like it had happened yesterday-perhaps always would be.

When she first came here, she had been fully in shock. Taryn and Vivi had wailed, she had been dazed. Now, she was ready to fight-fight for both her sisters, like Vivi who would fight for them. She still cried, but she now drew her sword, eyes narrowed, baring her teeth at Madoc, her mother's former husband.

Vivienne didn't call him father. She said that Justin Duarte was her father, and that Madoc could never live up to him. Madoc's cat eyes flashed, and Taryn shrank, but Jude was glad of Vivi's ferocity and disgust, matching her own. 

Madoc sighed as he watched her try to wield her practice sword. For some reason, he had wanted to give her a sword fighting lesson one on one-without her sisters, in front of this monster, Jude felt terrified and stripped bare. 

'Adjust your grip,' he said, touching her hand, and she recoiled in horror. He adjusted it himself, then stood back. 'Try again.'

She growled and lunged at the practice dummy. Strike and thrust. 

Her practice sword broke in half-she had hit too hard.

'Well,' she said sarcastically. 'I guess that's broken, then.'

'I can see that,' he said. 'Now, cut vertically. Like this,' he said, swishing his blade down, and she flinched and jumped. He drew in a sharp breath, then shook his head.

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'It must have been too soon. Cut vertically.'

She cut her sword vertically down. It was somewhat difficult. 

'Practice. Do it again. It will get easier with time, and you must hone your reflexes. You need to know how to jump back without falling and how to duck and roll.' he said.

Maybe if he hadn't killed her parents, she'd be back in the human world, learning normal human things instead of sword fighting.

She missed her parents so hard, it hurt sometimes. A part of her still believed that they might come back, that maybe someone had taken them to the hospital and they were actually alive and they were searching for them.

But wouldn't her parents have found them by now if they were still alive?

'All right, Jude, keep cutting down vertically.' he said. 'Maybe your sister Vivienne will learn the hard way of refusing to learn the ways of Faerie.'

'Don't say that,' Jude snapped at him, then shrank when he looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

'Very well.' he said. 'Keep on practicing, Jude.'

How Rick could have portrayed Calypso

It would have been way better if Rick had portrayed Calypso as a mother figure instead of a teenager. I know that Percy Jackson is a kid's series, which is why he took out the rape, but choosing to portray Calypso as a teenager after reading about her being a fully-grown woman and raping Odysseus definitely feeds into the horrible mindset that men can't get raped by women because the latter are too cutesy and weak to do something that terrible.

She could remind Percy of Sally, ironically, because she wants him to stay (but won't force him to) and she's so angry with the gods because this boy is so YOUNG, only 14. And Percy loves her a bit like he loves Sally, and he resolves to make the gods free her if he can.

And when Leo crashes up on his island, barely older than Percy, Calypso doesn't really know if the war's been won or not, so she asks him, and he tells all, but instead of blaming Percy, she blames the gods again. And she reminds Leo of Esperanza and he comes back for her, and maybe she could join the Waystation and be friends with Jo and Emmie or something-just that terribly written and rushed romance plot.

Oneshot of Vivienne and Madoc a little after the three girls being brought to Elfhame

‘NO!’ Vivienne screamed, running away and sobbing. ‘LEAVE ME ALONE, MURDERER!’

Murderer. Madoc’s head pounded. How long ago had it been since his rage and grief controlled his head and actions, thus causing another emotion to seep in-guilt?

But maybe he had already been guilty-guilty that he hadn’t done enough for Eva to want to stay here. He had always been at war, and she had been so young-somewhere in her early twenties. Human aging was confusing. 

He took a deep breath and strode towards his daughter. He couldn’t make Eva stay, but he had his daughter now and he was going to make her stay. He’d make her stay and learn how her mother was wrong-she would be his heir, his pride and joy, and she would stay in Elfhame.

He picked her up and pinned her thrashing arms to her sides. Vivienne screeched and he winced. If only Eva were here to control her.

Eva. Another wave of guilt overtook him. How could he have thrown his sword at her back just like that? Justin was another matter entirely (escaping with HIS wife and siring THOSE brats! Hmph). But Eva was their mother, the mother of ALL of them, even those bastards.

(They looked so much like her, though. And Vivienne looked like him. She had his ferocity from his younger days.)

‘Vivienne,’ he said sternly, ‘listen to me. I am your father and you will obey me. Can you not listen to me for once? You are already behind-I will catch you up on the ways of Faerie. You and your sisters.’

‘I HATE YOU!’ she screamed, tears running down her face. ‘MONSTER! KILLER! MURDERER! I HATE YOU SO MUCH YOU KILLED MY PARENTS LEAVE ME ALONE LET ME GO-’

‘SILENCE!’ he roared, and she flinched away from him, trembling in his grasp. She glanced at him and then glanced away, continuing this like a pendulum. 

He drew in a sharp breath, looking at her. She was so small, so tiny in his hands-he could hurt her in any way he wanted.

(Just the thought of it made him sick. How could he do that to his own daughter?)

She looked at him, her eyes red and watery, her nose sniffly, her face wet with uncontrollable tears.

She was scared of him. His beautiful young daughter, his baby, his heir, she was afraid of him.

The worst thing was that he was used to it. He knew those flinches, those wide-eyed pendulum glances, those limbs jerked away from him, that shivering. Even Eva had sometimes displayed them, though he had tried to ignore it.

But to have his daughter do it-his sweet, precious daughter that was supposed to have been born in the walls of his mansion, who should have been trained by him from the time she could walk, who should’ve been brought up like a warrior, who should have laughed as she killed with him, a true redcap, yet Eva had run away, and this was the result.

 He moved to wipe her nose and she bit his hand. He let go of her with a yell and she dropped from his hands, rolling into a ball on the floor (who taught her that? Eva maybe) and, picking up a vase, threw it at him. It shattered against the floor, dropping before it could reach him. She screamed and ran away again.

He sighed. He was exhausted. He had accidentally ruined his chance at happiness by killing Eva, and now he was stuck with her two bastards. If it had been only Vivienne, it would have been somewhat better, but………..

(Why had he killed her? And what if he had not? Would she escape a second time?)

A thought struck him-what if VIVIENNE tried to escape? She had her mother’s courage and spunk, so the thought of her planning to run away with her sisters was not far off.

No, he couldn’t allow that. (But he did. Three years later. Though thankfully they returned).

‘You’re not my father,’ she snarled at him. ‘Justin Duarte is my father.’

He froze. 

Justin Duarte.

The best human smith Faerie had ever seen, once his friend, then his enemy for a brief period of time, before he had died by Madoc’s blade. 

He had trusted him, taken his blades, laughed with him. 

How had he not seen the signs? Of course, he had been at war for too much time. Of course he had thought that Eva wanted to spend time with Justin because he was another mortal, and wouldn’t she get lonely without her own kind? 

She had promised Madoc that she was his bride and his alone. Oh, those sweet words from her honeyed, smiling, full lips. 

Mortal words. Ones that he never should have trusted. Mortal vows, so easily broken, like porcelain vases.

And mortals themselves, who would smile and simper and promise, and in the end, they would take what they could and did not care.

How like fairies, only fairies used different methods of manipulation, and then they could be far crueler.

He’d thought Eva was a human-she could have been a faerie, the way she deceived him and took his own daughter from him.

And then Justin, raising her as his own. Horrible man.

(Honourable man, loving his stepdaughter as if she were his own.)

Had Justin ever abused her? No. Had he ever looked down on her for not sharing his blood? No.

Madoc grit his teeth. If Justin could do it, then he could too. After all, they were the progeny of his wife and thus his responsibility.

(Damn responsibility. Sometimes he wanted to fling off its burdens, just let his rage and bloostlust wander freely).

They would receive the same education as his real daughter. They would be claimed and accepted as his own and live in high Fae society and eventually settle down. 

(And they did. But did they?)

Justin Duarte is my father, not you.

He looked at her, his eyes cat narrowed. Her eyes were the same and her ears were his. Even her skin was white, unlike his green and her mother’s brown. A mix of human and faerie, both worlds. He had been excited to know what she would like, and then he thought that he would never know. And then he knew, and her face had been distorted with fury and hatred.

She was staring at him fiercely, murderously, like a redcap. He almost laughed-such irony. What he had most wanted her to look like was directed towards him. Oh, Eva.

He sighed. ‘I am sorry, Vivienne.’

She looked at him warily. ‘What?’ 

‘I am sorry for killing your mother-and your stepfather.’ he said.

She snarled. ‘You mean my father.’ 

‘No. He was your stepfather. I am your real father. And I should have not killed him-yet my rage took over. One day you too will know the feeling. Though I hope that day will never come for your sake.’

She laughed wildly. ‘It’s too late. They’re dead. They’re dead, and I hate you, and I’ll never love you, and my sisters will never love you, so stop trying.’

‘I don’t expect them to love me,’ he said. (But they did. It was just not a comfortable one.)

‘Good. Because we won’t. And one day, we’re going to leave and never come back.’ she said.

He inhaled sharply. ‘No. You are going to stay here. You are my heir and will obey me.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Like hell I will. I obey no one and do as I please.’

He swallowed and picked her up again. She started screaming and kicking, and he knocked her out. She fell imply in his hands and he sucked in a breath, pausing to make sure that he hadn’t seriously hurt her. 

He carried her back to her room, ignoring the surreptious looks from the servants. 

He opened the door and stopped.

There were Eva’s other children-her twin daughters, huddling under the covers. One looked at him, eyes wide with terror, while the other, the one who had kicked him after he had killed Eva and Justin, glared at him, burning anger concealing white hot fear. Both of their faces were like hers. They were wet with tears like his daughter’s.

He walked over to the bed and they scrambled away from him, screaming when they saw Vivienne lying unconscious.

‘What did you do to her?’ the angry one screamed. 

‘She’s unconscious right now. She’ll wake up later.’ he said gruffly.

He deposited her on the bed and turned to leave. At the last moment, he stopped, his hand on the door handle.

‘I am sorry, children,’ he said to them. ‘Sorry for taking away your parents when you so desperately needed them. But know that I will make it up. I will claim you as my own and you will be raised as High Fae.’

He would do it-he could raise them, his daughter-daughters. Eyebrows would raise, mouths would whisper, but he was the High General and he could bear it for their sake. He would sacrifice for them if need be.

He would do it for Eva and Justin, for he owed it to them-they had wanted to raise their children peacefully and he disrupted it, but now he would do the same. Maybe he could find a wife to teach them what he could not-the social customs and methods of Faerie, the intricacy and delicacy and finesse that he was so lacking in.

‘All right.’ he muttered. ‘Eva and Justin, this is for you. Here I go-to becoming a new, determined father.’

Was Vivienne ever aggressive like Madoc? That her redcap nature, though somewhat tempered by her human nature, played a role in her pre-Elfhame childhood? Was that why their parents and the other adults were so worried, apart from the cat eyes and fairy ears? Do you think that Eva saw Madoc in Vivienne's eyes and shrank from her? What about Justin? Do you think that they homeschooled her to keep themselves safer? Do you think that she was angry and ferocious at Madoc, then saw that he liked it, then tried to calm down and be nicer and go against her fiery nature and not learn battle strategies and swordplay in order to displease him?