people like the idea that there is an identity they can claim that will absolve them of the responsibility to examine their beliefs and actions and adjust them accordingly to better align with their values and desired outcomes but there isn't, we all have to practice humility and do the work regardless

The thing about a good character flaw is that it has to be the same thing as their greatest strength just turned up too high. the person who loves deeply and therefore controls. the person who sees everything and therefore trusts nothing. the person who is so loyal they lose themselves. there are no clean villains and no clean heroes and once you understand that in fiction you can't unsee it in people. everyone is just their best quality at the wrong volume.

Thinking about the whole "there is no platonic explanation for this" thing and how it doesn't account for intense platonic situationships and anyways I think we should start saying "there is no casual explanation for this" bc really what we're talking about is the way the characters in question are Obsessed with each other

online numbers can really fuck you up when it comes to your creative work because you're sharing something you worked on with all your heart but it's very important to remember there's actual people behind those numbers. even if it's 1. that's one whole actual person. that's a human being who said "haha nice". that's a connection with a REAL person with a REAL life and REAL thoughts and feelings and experiences. like. damn. that should mean something

happy 15 years of the lightning thief:’)

20 years of the lightning thief i cant believe i havent deactivated yet!

early percabeth were so sweet with their email threads and percy printing out annabeth's picture and her kissing his cheek after winning the chariot race and failing miserably at staying mad at each other and standing up against tantalus together and keeping each other out of danger by doing the dangerous things together and having midnight heart-to-hearts and "you're a genius" and

ethan nakamura the character that you are he literally told percy that mercy has no place in this war after percy spared his life, pledged his allegiance to resurrect kronos and then quite literally figured out percy's vulnerable spot which would have killed him if it wasn't for annabeth

#percy as mercy personified and ethan as the self-assigned agent of its death #something about his battle against mercy and percy's battle for hope #and how mercy hinges on hope. the hope that people will be better. the hope that they will not retaliate the minute they're unchained #and ethan being active proof of how ineffective that hope can be #but ethan ultimately being the one who ends up dead. just feet away from where hope is stored. #and percy winning the war for both chb and the demigods in the titan army who just wanted change with an act and a show of mercy and hope (tags by @bookishjules)

I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with relating to characters, “they’re literally me” etc but if that’s the only way you engage with stories you’re kinda missing the whole point of Characters being vehicles through which we can see perspectives outside of our own. and also you’re going to get upset when the Character acts in a way that is not Personally Relatable to You

congrats to percy jackson on the knicks making the finals 🙂‍↕️

CONGRATS TO PERCY JACKSON ON THE KNICKS WINNING THE FINALS 😝