#pjofandom

Avoid shipping the actors with each other, even if their characters are shipped, or at least just don’t ship them to the point of discomfort. Whether it’s Walker and Leah or any other set of actors, please refrain from making the actors uncomfortable.

1. They are not adults

2. They are not their characters, they are their own people with their own choices.

Thalia is pronounced TH-A-LIA

Not Ta-lia

Percy: I didn't want to be a demigod.

To start, I think this new PJO show is a million times better than that dumpster fire of a movie (though I love logan lerman <3). I like that it is quite faithful to the overall arcs and major plot lines of the book. I love the diversity and high caliber of actors (though I def have some Viria-art inspired character images in my head that are god-tier). I love some of the characterizations/portrayals, especially when it comes to making the character more complex (I really appreciate TV Sally for being a real person with complex emotion, though of course book Sally is my fav). And I love that it's so high budget and hgihly-anticipated (great marketing) that it is bringing this beloved story to a greater audience, especially the younger generation and older generation (as parents/grandparents) than those of us who grew up with the series.

I can boil down all of my dislikes of this show into one overarching but very essential part of the show: I don't like that it is a drama. The characters are way too serious and too every-other-moment-we-need-an-instense-heart-to-heart. What I think this show should have been is a comedy adventure with drama/melodrama sprinkled in. In the books, it's all about the banter. And the TV show does some good one-liners, but it's always so serious. I think the best part of the book is that the characters can stay light-hearted and fun despite the horrors and terrors they face. In the show, the gods spoon feed the trio most of the answers, so when they do have a good realization (SPOILER: e.g. Kronos being the orchestrating force) it kind of comes out of nowhere. TV Annabeth is so serious (I know in the first book she is her most serious, but not to this degree) and a lot of the moments when she has time to use her smarts are gone or approached differently. Percy, too. He's not just self-sacrificing (which they really lean into in the show) but he's also incredibly smart and silly. In the books he's kind of a surface-level himbo with great critical thinking, but in the show he's kind of left in the dark and doesn't get opportunities to make his own plans (also, he doesn't seem to know how to control his power (by the 7th episode); whereas in the book he def did at this point. Then there are just dumb changes to make the show more "serious" like not mentioning that cell phones attract monsters or that monsters just smell demigods and not have a 6th sense for them. I'm finding that by trying to change these small details to make it something more exciting or interesting, it's distancing us existing fans by not letting us relate to the small details that really don't matter. For the cellphones, they still use Iris messages rather than getting a payphone or something, so that's kind of a plot hole in the show that is answered by the book.

Anyways, those are my main takeaways. Now, when I say "the musical" I refer to The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical by Joe Tracz and Rick Rokicki which first premiered in 2014 but got revamped and redebued in 2017 (which is when it came into my life). I got to see it live in Toronto in 2019 with my middle school best friend, but have been an avid listener of the soundtrack since 2017 (the day it came out on streaming platforms).

The musical in my eyes is a nearly-perfect adaptation of the book. It's soo funny - def the action comedy I'm after, but does have the meaningful emotional moments (ballads, which are essential in musicals). The show itself if the full package; however, even just listening to the soundtrack gives you the whole gist. Here's a link to hte soundtrack on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFwX6FWeUFQ&list=PL0hK1fYMaqXbtZ0Fhm48TYcLJl7ikNX7Q&ab_channel=TheLightningThief%3AOriginalCastAlbum

At this time let’s take a moment to review what online bullying and harassment looks like so that we can ensure this boy has a completely positive experience <3 so reminders:

- If you think he “doesn’t look like Percy”, just don’t say anything! It’s that easy!

- He’s a kid so any sexual or suggestive comments are not okay

Watching the new show and being downright impressed with this characterization of Annabeth. Of course she’s guarded and moody and difficult to understand. Of course she’s a stalker by habit (she has an invisibility cap, for gods’ sake). Of course she’d be the first to figure out Percy’s parentage. Of course she’s going to use everyone around her and they’re going to trust her completely. She’s a 12-year-old (autistic) genius with plenty of childhood trauma and a thirst to prove herself. She’s a boss and she’s going to get what she wants.

Looking forward to the next episodes! The pacing was a little clunky, but the awkward humor really grows on you, and you could really feel the themes Rick Riordan wanted to retain from the books, even if they weren’t executed perfectly.

I saw on tiktok somebody calling out the title saying it seemed like a little girl wrote it and I could assume why. It seems basic because yeah, WIll and Damesen probably represents The Sun and Bob and Small Bob the Star.

And the idea that those are the two main characters Nico wants to keep safe, WIll the sun and Bob the star. Basic.

OR.

Maybe we’re THINKING basic.

And The Sun and The Star don’t represnt People but Choices.

I had this theory about what of equal value would Nico have to sacrafice and maybe it’s the idea he has to choose between maybe sacraficing himself (because he’d never let WIll do it) or sacraficing the mythomagic statue that his sister died for, the last thing that gives him proof his sister ever really existed speaking they don’t have any like, pictures, and her hat and jacket died with her.

So what if his choices are between giving up Apollo’s son, giving up his next morning, giving up his bright future. Giving up THE SUN.

Or giving up all the yesterday’s, giving up on his childhood he never got to have, giving up on the dream of what he thought the God’s would be, giving up on holding onto the idea of being somebody’s younger brother for his sister doesn’t exist anymore and he’s now the oldest of the children of Death...What if giving up the statue and in turn giving up his dark past and all the small bright aspects of it, is him giving up on yesterdays Stars.

Nico Di Angelo and the Choice between The Sun and The Star...