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year 2 of no albedo winter break... damn 😔

#albedo #genshin impact

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Watched the first episode of the PJO TV show and I have Thoughts.

Warning: this is long, entirely too nitpicky, and written like an English essay (sorry). It also isn't wholly positive so there's that...

I've come to accept that we'll probably never get a perfect adaptation of PJO but that doesn't mean I'm not slightly disappointed by the amount of small details that were omitted or outright changed for the television show.

It's very minor, little touches that at first appear insignificant or trivial but ultimately lead to a watered-down story and an experience that lacks the depth the books have.

The first thing that comes to mind is when Percy pushes Nancy Bobofit into the fountain. Not only could we have avoided the Disney Effect Budget rearing its ugly head, having the ambiguity from the book would have added a great layer of mystery to who Percy is and what his powers are.

In the books, Percy doesn't see Nancy go into the fountain at all. He states, "I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain" (9). I'm no film director, but a good way to interpret this scene might have been to have a quick cut - like implying that Percy blinked and she was in the fountain - instead of showing her being Force pushed into the fountain. It keeps Percy's powers ambiguous and continues to build up intrigue. It's about the suspense of that moment, rather than showcasing Percy as a demigod early.

Another detail I wish they'd left alone was the timing of Percy learning that he's a half-blood. I understand that they wanted the explanation to occur early in order to keep viewers watching and have them understand the premise but I think it was a mistake to have Sally bring it up on their trip to to the cabin because it ruins the tension. It's implied in the books that Sally knows something happened to Percy at Yancy, but she doesn't want to push him on it. And Percy doesn't want to mention it because he doesn't want to cut their vacation short: "But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that" (40). This is EXCELLENT characterization. We can tell that Sally is stressed, that this cabin is her escape. Percy mentions, "As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face" (37). Percy, sweet, kind, Percy doesn't want to ruin his mother. He knows this trip means a lot to her, that it's a brief moment away from Gabe and the complications of her life and he doesn't want to take that away from her. It's STRONG characterization and allows us as viewers to see Percy as something more than a trouble kid; he really loves his mom. Having Percy learn about being a half-blood at the cabin helps expedite the plot but it takes away from a genuinely sweet and good moment for him, takes something away from his character.

I'm not even going to talk about omitting the Fates I'm going to admit full stop that seems weird to me. It's such a small detail, could've been like a ten second scene that adds to the weirdness and mystery but they just didn't?? Go for it?? That's fine. (Honestly they probably should've cut out Grover telling the principal that Percy pushed Nancy into the fountain and replaced it with the Fates but hey. I'm just a uni student).

My final gripe about subtext erasure from the television show is, of course, Gabe. I can absolutely 100% get behind the idea of why they turned down the implications about Gabe. This TVLINE article by Keisha Hatchett contains interviews with the crew of the PJO TV show and in one of them, Rebecca Riordan explains that, "When you see it visually, it is triggering and difficult to watch. That is why we came at Gabe in a different way, because this isn’t supposed to be a horror show." I can absolutely agree that toning Gabe down was the right choice, especially considering the age range for the television show. I just wish it had kept a bit more of the subtext. Having Gabe shake Percy down to cash might've been a little much but there were smaller details in his conversation with Sally that could've been kept that would've flown over kids' heads but had allowed more mature audiences to realize that Gabe wasn't just your average douche.

In the books when Sally asks to go to Montauk, Gabe asks, "So this money for your trip... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?" (35). As a child, the implication of this completely and totally flew over my head. Even as a high school student this line didn't seem weird to me at all. It was only now, in my last year of university, as I was rereading the series, that I thought to myself, "That's so controlling wtf." To imply that Sally, a woman with a job, is being financially controlled by douchebag Gabe is pretty chilling and although it is undoubtedly still abuse, it's also something that I think wouldn't go too far. As it stands, Gabe feels a little bit toothless and if they stick to his canon fate, it'll feel a little bit unwarranted. In that same TVLine article, John Steinberg mentions that, "When you’re reading a story, you can read past the parts that could be upsetting if you’ve stopped to give them more thought. You don’t really get to do that with the show. It’s all in your face and it’s all presented in a much louder way.” I think that even keeping just this one line isn't too "in your face" but still gets across how much of an absolute jackass Gabe is.

I also think that although it was a strong choice to have Sally stand up to Gabe immediately, I do have a bit of an issue with her characterization. One of the first paragraphs you get when you meet Sally is Percy specifically stating, "I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even more or Gabe" (33). The books make it a point to show that despite Sally being on the quieter side, it doesn't mean she isn't an absolute badass. She's calm, rational, and cool during the Minotaur scene and then of course kicks ass during The Battle of Manhattan. The books have proven over and over again that Sally's kind, sweet nature is a strength and not a weakness. I can absolutely get behind seeing this side of her earlier in the TV show, I'm just concerned that they're forsaking her softer nature for something more "cool mom." Part of what I like so much about Sally is her kindness, the way she seems to be the embodiment of a warm hug on a hard day. It's not the vibe I got from her TV show counterpart.

Okay that's it, that's all my grievances. I've only seen the first episode and despite this mega page of my negativity I still think that the show is pretty good! It's infinitely better than what we got before and I can tell that there's so much passion and love put into the show. The young actors who are portraying the starring roles are absolutely brilliant, they're killing it, and I hope they have a bright future. I think the show looks great considering it's a Disney+ show (I've seen your special effects, Mouse) and I genuinely hope that the show is enjoyed by old fans and new ones. My brother said, "Hey, the first half was pretty cool" before the pacing kinda nosed dive off a cliff - high praise indeed.

I'm probably still going to watch the show, just to sate my own curiosity (though I'm probably NOT going to write another English essay on why I wish we'd kept some subtext) and I hope that everyone who's sticking with the show enjoys it. I don't think it's bad by any means, I'm just a pretentious literature nerd and this is how I digest media.

So yeah, here's to another decade of Percy Jackson!

#percy jackson #pjo tv show #if you made it allllllll the way to the bottom of this post you're amazing #I don't want to read this thing and I wrote it #again don't hate the show or anything I just think we left a lot of nuance on the table and that makes me sad so I had to exorcise it

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*stares directly into the camera*

My ass refuses to go crawling back to MHA but it feels like it's dogging my every steps begone foul beast I exorcised you long ago

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Rereading Heroes of Olympus because I want to read Sun and Star but I said I'd only do it after I reread the whole series sooooooo

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Finished Kane Chronicles! Was too busy to write anything up when I finished Throne of Fire so I'll just squish it in here with Serpent's Shadow. I remember thinking these books were super underrated as a kid and I still think they're a bit underrated tbh. Carter and Sadie are really fun narrators, the secondary cast are full of gems, and I loved the themes and plot of the story. Serpent's Shadow is still my favorite of the three, there's a sense of urgency throughout the book and it has some of the best, most memorable moments. Particularly, everything with Walt was something I grasped better now that I'm an adult and had more of an idea of what it would be like to live under a curse like that. I still have a soft spot in my heart for Felix, bless his little penguin-shaped heart, and I ended up liking both Zia and Sadie way more than I did as a child when I was stuck in my I'm Not Like Other Girls phase. Both Zia and Sadie are fantastic and I love them with all my heart.

Something that surprised me now that I've reread Kane Chronicles tho was the way Carter didn't really have much to do??? Poor boy spends three books getting kicked around and saved by his sister I don't think this poor boy had a single victory to his name aside from the airport scene in The Red Pyramid. I don't think it really clicked in my mind just how often Carter was incapacitated until I read through the entire trilogy again and thought to myself, "why are you even pharaoh..."

(I still love Carter)

Overall had a really fun time rereading Kane Chronicles!

#s.unny r.eads a lot

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Walt's Nico di Angelo moment

Rereading Kane Chronicles because I've heard people talk about the Sun and the Star but I said I would only read it after I reread the entire Riordanverse soooo

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I love Sadie and Carter so so much the sibs ever

Rereading Kane Chronicles because I've heard people talk about the Sun and the Star but I said I would only read it after I reread the entire Riordanverse soooo

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Foreshadowing is a literary device-

Rereading Kane Chronicles because I've heard people talk about the Sun and the Star but I said I would only read it after I reread the entire Riordanverse soooo

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My ass refuses to go crawling back to MHA but it feels like it's dogging my every steps begone foul beast I exorcised you long ago

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YES THIS IS BECAUSE I SPENT TWO HOURS DOING AETHERIUM WARS AND WAS ON THE BRINK OF HOMICIDE

If it weren't for how much time and effort I'd put into this game I would've quit so long ago

Sunk cost fallacy fr fr

My hatred for Star Rail is eternal and undying

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My hatred for Star Rail is eternal and undying

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Been so busy I've been forced to read The Red Pyramid fifty pages at a time but I just want to take time to appreciate how much foreshadowing there is. At one point, Carter and Sadie ask what the last Nome is and Zia mentions "Antartica. Nothing there but bored magicians and penguins." Love that this makes a return in Throne of Fire through both an antagonist that was assigned to Antartica as punishment and also through one of Carter and Sadie's proteges who is OBSESSED with penguins

#s.unny r.eads a lot

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Rereading Kane Chronicles because I've heard people talk about the Sun and the Star but I said I would only read it after I reread the entire Riordanverse soooo

#s.unny r.eads a lot

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Finished the Last Olympian. Easily the best book in the entire series and it mostly boils down to the way in which the book ties up all its loose ends and brings every little detail back to the main theme of the story. It was so fun to watch side characters return and I kept being impressed by how everything kept building and building until it all culminated in the Battle of Manhattan, and ultimately Luke's sacrifice. Not a single character or moment was wasted and I think that's the hallmark of an excellent story. So glad I got a chance to reread it <3

#s.unny r.eads a lot

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Emotional damage

Rereading Percy Jackson because I've heard people talking about the Sun and the Star but I said I would only read it after I reread the entire Riordanverse so like... here goes nothing I guess

#s.unny r.eads a lot

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Somebody needs to pull me the hell away from Genshin today I spent two hours just doing Abyss over and over again. I've started min-maxing my units. This is a cry for help

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Finished Battle of the Labyrinth! This one was my favorite when I was little and it's pretty obvious considering how beat up my paperback copy is. Unsurprisingly I had Nico tunnel-vision this entire book (the sky is blue, water is wet, Sun likes angsty emo boys with sympathetic backstories), but there were other characters I got to appreciate on this reread like Calypso (LOVE HER) and Ethan Nakamura (awesome morally gray character). Also genuinely just a fun cast of characters all around between the four on the main quest and the side characters like Rachel and Nico.

#s.unny r.eads a lot