Subject: The Lotus Eaters
Author:
Posted on: 2015-02-05 11:46:00 UTC
Annabeth saved them in the book. The movie made her useless. On the movie alone, it's pretty okay, but with its butchering of the book and especially Annabeth it just gah.
(I had to watch the whole thing because my school was playing it.)
Sorry, done ranting now.
I wasn't expecting this to be done so soon, but it turns out the Stu was... well, "He Was Practically Asking For It".
A continuum I don’t know (except for general knowledge of Greek mythology), a new partner from a continuum I know nearly nothing about – and yet, I love this mission.
Two nitpicks, though:
Zeb didn't exactly want to balance on on just one leg,
one of the the best swordsmen
I’ll miss Randa, but I’m looking forward to seeing more of Zeb.
HG
...how did those typos happen, though? *shrugs*
I'm going to miss Randa, too- both of them. Real and agent.
I'm not familiar with the continuum, but I didn't have to be to get how messed up the fic was. I just... look, Stu, porn stars are people, too. They go to work to pay the bills just like the rest of us. Just because it involves sex doesn't mean they're obsessed with it to a weird and creepy degree. So knock it off. {= |
Random question: how does Eris, Goddess of Discord, figure into the Percy Jackson universe? I dunno if Discord quite equates to Chaos, but if one were looking for a chaotic, female deity for a parent, one could do worse.
The assassination was brilliant. I completely agree, that target was far too perfect to pass up, and it was hilarious. I don't think it came too soon, either.
There were a few other moments that make me laugh aloud, and the two I recall specifically both involved Zeb being clueless. "Hepatitis" and "fruitcake." ^_^ And hey, fresh, homemade fruitcake can be very good, so there!
Zeb is adorable. It might just be my cat-person's "aw, kitty!" instincts kicking in, cuz Luxrays look a bit feline, but I kinda want to cuddle him. And I'm sure he'd appreciate it about as much as the average cat, too. *rolls eyes*
Since Rina sent him to Jenni in the interlude, I now have a plotbunny where she sets him up to get some canon instruction/newbie training from Ilraen. He's a gentle, compassionate guy, and he knows what it's like to be totally clueless and have to learn the ropes in a hurry—at the hands of a far less forgiving partner, at that! I think they'd get along, and the idea of them walking through the Courtyard having intellectual conversations about books or whatever is a nice picture, isn't it? (Also, I plan for Ilraen to become an agent trainer whenever he retires from the DIC, so whee setting up future character developments.)
... And I have just now remembered reading down-thread that Zeb is gay, and oh my god what would Ilraen even do with a Pokémon flirting with him? I do not suggest this would, could, or should be a thing, but the thought of the sheer amount of awkwardness is making me laugh. {X D
I'mma go to bed now, before I get any more bad ideas.
~Neshomeh
All the slut-shaming in the fic just made me cringe. It was like the author had this severely twisted view of porn stars. I'm not saying I have any idea what they're actually like, because I certainly don't... but when you know nothing about a subject and can still do a better job portraying it than the badfic, you know something's Not Right.
Eris did have some demigod children in PJO, but she didn't get her own cabin until after the first series was over and Percy made his deal with the gods.
Glad you liked the assassination! I couldn't stop laughing when I read that bit in the badfic... ^_^ It really was just too good to pass up. The Stu really should have known better- I mean, it seemed like the half of the camp that wasn't enamored with him wanted to kill him. *eyeroll*
Hepatitis actually came from a conversation I had with a friend: we were playing hangman and she blurted out hepatitis instead of Hephaestus. I don't think we've referred to him as anything else since. :P It's a miracle we haven't been smited. Smote?
Zeb's so adorkable. I'm going to try and preserve his innocence as long as possible, 'cause it's just so much fun to write. (He'd let you hug him if you asked first. Blowing up tends to make one twitchy.)
That would be so cool if Ilraen showed up! Zeb would appreciate the help- and I don't think Rina ever got to say thank you, so there's that. But retire?? *curls up on the floor sobbing* NOOOOOOOOO
Zeb isn't really into anyone not a Pokémon, but then again, who knows? Andalites are Cool. No I totally don't have a crush on Aximili I think Zeb would be more "ask about ALL THE THINGS" instead of flirting. He's kind of shy as it is, exploding aside. He might make an awkward pass.
Granted, I don't know any porn stars either, but it stands to reason. Most people, by and large, are just people like other people. Switch out the hows and whys all you like, but we all pretty much want the same things: security, wellness, sense of place and purpose, etc. *shrug*
Jenni: *writes prescription* RC 999. Ask for Ilraen. Ignore his partner.
*g* This can be a thing if you want. I dunno if there's enough story for an interlude, and I think we both have a lot of writing on our plates at the moment, but maybe a little journal RP, reply when you feel like it sort of deal?
Don't worry, I'm not planning to retire Ilraen anytime soon. Anyway, he'll still be around, so it's not so bad. {= )
Andalites ARE cool, and Ax was my favorite character, too. My fangirl tendencies run more toward "please let me bask in your awesome presence/take you away from all this pain," not so much crushing, but yeah.
Ilraen actually has a crush on Agent Cinderella (Andalites prefer blondes, this is my headcanon), but since Herr Wozzeck has vanished into the mists of RL, I dunno if anything's gonna come of that. Le sigh. I want him to get a girlfriend—or a boyfriend, even, but that would only end in disappointment when Ilraen figures out he likes girls. Preferably one who's willing to take the lead and be very patient, because Ilraen has no idea how to relationship. ^_^;
~Neshomeh
And, if anyone wants to watch: http://rc-999.dreamwidth.org/777.html
~Neshomeh, fostering RP-comm awareness.
Lemme see if I can remember my password, it's been so long :P
This seemed a little short for you, but I guess that's to be expected considering how recently your last mission came out.
I think I've been averaging roughly 25 pages per mission, and this one was 22. But I digress.
And thank you! :)
Usually, that's the big climax, but you had plenty to do after that, so I think I tricked myself into thinking it was shorter than it actually was.
Well, you don't find many Sues who are fourteen year-old porn stars. Or who tempt fate to the degree that Roxy did with his target undies.
The list on the Wiki says the process for adding Sues to the list is under review, so I figured I'd post here and ask if Roxy could possibly qualify for the list.
I was going to start a thread to discuss something which should address this. Look for it soon!
~Neshomeh
But it could be a troll fic, in which case I'm not really sure if he'd qualify... I'd say you should probably put him on the "Assassination Methods" page, too.
That's just a personal opinion, though.
However, it seems that missions are getting shorter into the story before the charges are laid out. Either badfics gone worse and worse, or it's getting more taxing to write very long missions. I weep for the former, but as for the latter, it may be for the best.
this was just too good an opportunity to pass up. The next one will end up being longer since it takes a while before the really massive canon breaches happen. And Rose Potter will be a six-parter...
Zeb's cluelessness is the best part, especially with the fruitcake joke :P Good work! I'm looking forward to future installments!
Also, is Randa going to make other appearances now that she's in Bad Slash?
Zeb's so much fun to write. He's adorkable. ^-^ I'm already working on a World of Warcraft fic... It's on the Claimed Badfic list if you want to check it out.
As for Randa, I don't know. She's been transferred into my care, but I don't know. Maybe I'll bring her back for Little Miss Mary, that would be fun.
Then the homophobic slurs aimed at Nico don't make much sense, since we don't find out about his orientation until The House of Hades, and even then, it remains secret.
Unless the slurs are just supposed to be insults. I'm not really sure about that... I kinda wanted to look it up in the original fic, but I then realized that the whole "14-year-old porn star" thing would probably get me on some kind of list.
But... huh. That totally slipped my mind. Derp.
As for the slurs, it seemed like everybody and their mother were throwing them around, so who knows? :/
That was a skillful job of killing something that could've been really NSFW-y in a way that was still readable. Nice!
And, 'son of Chaos' - um, yeah, no. I'm pretty sure I would've noticed if House of Hades personified Chaos - particularly as a woman. Though I do wonder whether the writer was thinking of Nyx (does she spell it that way, or did Riordan go with Nix? I forget), and got tangled up.
Also: timeline craziness like whoa. If Percy isn't 16 yet, what's Nico even doing at Camp Half-Blood? He ran way after Bianca died, and didn't really come back... uh... ever. Not to mention he not only wasn't openly homosexual - he doesn't seem to have admitted it to himself at that point. (Also, pillar of flame. Wut, Nico. Just, wut.)
One thing I particularly liked: your characterisation of Clarisse just before and after the exorcism. You showed us what 'possessed' looked like, and exactly how it's different from 'normal' - without descending into overkill-levels for either.
(And... hey, if Chaos is 'GAPless', where exactly is Roxy supposed to have... y'know... come out?)
hS
If memory serves, it was Nyx. It... would not surprise me if the author mixed them up, considering everything else that happened.
Nico stayed at Camp for a few days after the final battle in Last Olympian, but then he left. I think by the end of the series, he'd spent more time in Camp Jupiter than Camp Half-Blood.
Glad you liked how I handled Clarisse! She's one of my favorite characters, so it made me mad to see her being mishandled like that.
Gaples? Uh... uhh... uuuuhhhhh... *sporks eyes out*
I would hug, kiss you in both cheeks, hug some more, kiss your forehead and then give you a rib crushing hug for good measure, but I'll restrain myself to just give a military salute, you deserve that and more for destroying this piece of dino-poo-poo and send it in a direct line to Tartarus. Lots of respect m'lady.
Regarding the movies... I never got past the 30 minute mark of "The Lighting Thief", I was deeply outraged and disgusted of the way that both source materials were treated, that gave watching it, and have never seen the sequel nor I plan to see it, as far as I'm concerned I see it at the same level of quality than "That-Film-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named".
Finally, here have a Poffin of each flavor for Zeb as a reward!
What films? Ehehe...
I had a lot of fun taking this one out. And I guess my agents did, too.
Zeb: "Oh, Poffins? For me? Thank you!" *delicately nibbles the Sweet Poffin*
Rina: *shifty eyes* "Uh, mind if I try one? *bites into Spicy Poffin* "Mm, these are pretty good!"
rest now stus,ashes to ashes and glitter to glitter.
AND GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAD RUBISH!
Trough i´m worried about the second stu of the fic, i hope he doesn´t show up somewhere else to cause trouble...And that was a great way to kill the stu, very ironic and appropiate,all things considered it made a lot of sense for him to explode into pure glitter.
Just by the mission, I swear that this badfic has to be a troll! It just has to! Like, seriously, who seriously writes stuff like "[the Stu,] now only in his black-brief-and-printed-with-a-target-sign-in-the-butt undergarment, swayed a little in the air, dancing like some kind of whore-slut devoid of morals"? The author couldn't possibly be serious. I was positively eager for the Stu to die...and you did not disappoint.
Also, good work acclimating Zeb to the PPC. Pardon my slowness (I'm sure you explained it before), but what's happening with Randa (both in-universe and IRL)?
Two issues, though:
First, it looks like you inadvertently made a mini:
She's a daughter of Ares who single-handedly took down a drachon all by herself
According to the Percy Jackson Wiki, the spelling is "drakon." Is it amiss?
Secondly, this line:
Zeb's eyes widened, then narrowed. "That is completely unacceptable!" he said, his voice trembling. "Sexual orientation is nothing to be mocked!"
Being native to the Pokemon universe, how would Zeb have such a liberal view of sexual orientation, much less be so incensed at homophobic slurs? Sexual orientation isn't mentioned at all in the anime, and given the Day-Care's workings, I doubt that homosexual pairings feature in the games either.
First of all: Corrections! Fixed! Thank you, and as for Zeb's commentary... Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. ^^; Thank you again for pointing those out.
Secondly: I sure hope to the gods it was a troll. This fic... this whole fic... *shivers*
Thirdly: Randa. IRL, we still see each other at school, but very rarely, and I can't remember the last time we were able to hold a good conversation due to time constraints. Since we're most likely going to lose touch after we graduate high school, I decided to go ahead and bring in a new agent, even though she gave me the go-ahead to write agent!Randa. I don't feel totally comfortable writing what is basically her, so agent!Randa will be seen in two more missions (the already-started co-writes with SkarmorySilver and World-Jumper) and then I'm putting her in Bad Slash.
I guess you could consider the universe of Nuzlocke challenges as AUs, in which case some minor canon breaks would be kinda acceptable.
And, since Zeb's lust-objects according to his wiki page are both male, maybe he was offended due to more personal reasons.
Regarding Zeb: Yes, he's gay. But I really don't know why I went ahead and had him get all offended, because game mechanics kind of don't allow for homosexuality, and at this point Zeb's still kind of naïve. He finds out about those LOs later. I went ahead and put them on the Wiki because I'm a total derp a fan of completeness. Yes. >_>
Regarding Zeb: Yes, he's gay. But I really don't know why I went ahead and had him get all offended, because game mechanics kind of don't allow for homosexuality, and at this point Zeb's still kind of naïve. He finds out about those LOs later. I went ahead and put them on the Wiki because I'm a total derp a fan of completeness. Yes. >_>
As a diehard fan of the books (and the movies, to a... lesser extent), I wholeheartedly approve of this. I do agree that the films weren't exactly faithful to the source material, but at least they were, well, tolerable. In my opinion, anyway.
Needless to say, the arrow up the Stu's butt was my favorite part. The title of this mission pretty much says it all. X'D
Come on, you don't wear target-printed undies when PPC agents are around. You really are asking to get shot.
I imagine that Kala would have it even worse than Zeb does. He at least still has four limbs before and after being disguised; Kala's used to having TWELVE, not to mention a much larger and more stable body.
Great mission, though I admit my PCO knowledge is limited to the first movie.
You really should read the books. The crapfest movies were unfortunately quite horrible.
And heh, I can only imaging Valon trying to teach her how to walk. I suppose he wouldn't be quite so willing as Rina to act as a handhold. :P
I find myself pondering the same thing I was during the movie.
Namely, Poseidon isn't just the god of the sea. His portfolio also contains earthquakes and horses.
Shoulen't Percy logically be able to control those as well, or does that happen later in the series?
Horses, yes. It's a major plot point in a lot of moments, especially those that involve travel or even reconnaissance. I can't remember if the earthquake thing was ever brought up, but it would make sense.
They mention that Poseidon can create earthquakes, but Percy doesn't get that ability— probably because he's already a powerful enough demigod as it is.
Valon freaks out over physical contact with women. He desperately tries to avoid doing anything that could get him labeled at a creep or pervert.
This despite the fact that he does like hugs... usually, he'll just go for the nearest mini rather than risk offending someone.
Even without knowing the source material, I thought something was off based on Greek Mythology in The Lightning Thief. I'm pretty sure the Hydra was a nonsapient beast, and that Hades and Persephone were the happiest married couple among the gods.
... I may or may not be a mythology nut.
I did like how the movie handled the Lotus Eaters, though.
Annabeth saved them in the book. The movie made her useless. On the movie alone, it's pretty okay, but with its butchering of the book and especially Annabeth it just gah.
(I had to watch the whole thing because my school was playing it.)
Sorry, done ranting now.
In the book, Percy was the one who saved them from the Lotus Eaters. He had to snap Annabeth out of the spell by telling her about spiders. But yes, the movie made her pretty much the Token Chick instead of the Badass Bookworm she is in the books.
I remembered her snapping people out... did she drag Grover out of it?
And she's the one who did ultimately get them out, because Percy nearly fell back under the spell when they were about to leave.
Yeah, the hydra that showed up in The Sea of Monsters book was much closer to its mythological counterpart than ghe fire-breathing one in The Lightning Thief movie. Also, the movie basically took this awesome quest to stop Hades, save the world and Percy's mom, and retrieve the Master Bolt and turned it into a Fetch Quest for Plot Coupons MacGuffins pearls. I could rant all day about the movies, though, so I'll just stop now.
Ironically enough, Hades and Persephone had one of the better godly marriages, especially considering the circumstances surrounding the arrangement. If I ever came across a mention of either of them being unfaithful to the other, I can't think of it.
(Also, in TLT book, the kids could leave whenever they wanted and nobody tried to stop them. The only problem was, well, they didn't want to leave in the first place.)
Did you ever come across a mention of Hades doing anything after his abduction of Persephone? Much like his fellow non-Olympian-child-of-Kronos (Hestia), he doesn't get a lot of mention in mythology.
Persephone, on the other hand, did - but mostly in a Mystery context, which we no longer have. I doubt they discussed her marriage very much, though.
While I'm on the subject, and contradicting myself: did anyone else get the impression Persephone wanted to stay in the Underworld? I'm looking at sentences like this:
But he on his part secretly gave her sweet pomegranate seed to eat, taking care for himself that she might not remain continually with grave, dark-robed Demeter.
(Homeric Hymn to Demeter, courtesy Theoi)
'Secretly'? That doesn't imply 'forced', and it doesn't imply 'without her knowing what it would mean'. To me, it strongly suggests 'without her mother's knowledge' - ie, it was a secret plan between Persephone and Hades. And that description of Demeter offers a reason, too - particularly since 'grave, dark-robed' is more the way you'd expect to see Hades described.
(And yeah, she later says he 'secretly' put it in her mouth and 'forced her to taste' - but she also doesn't mention this until Demeter specifically asks. I reckon she's just lying. ^_^)
hS