Does Anyone Else Think About This?

My theory as to why Rick added the judo flip

I was thinking about how weird it was that Rick added the judo flip scene to the reunion and I have a theory for why he did it.

Percabeth's reunion was supposed to be happy and romantic, and a judo flip is the antithesis of that.

My theory (And keep in mind that this is only a theory, so don't take it as canon) is that he added the judo flip in to make the scene unique.

Listen-every reunion scene like Percabeth's is happy and romantic, right? Happy couple is separated, they go on a journey to find each other and when they do it's seventh heaven and euphoria again. They kiss, hug, laugh, cry happily and declare that they'll never leave each other again.

Rick probably wanted to do that with Percabeth but he also didn't want to make it just another generic scene-he wanted to add somethjng distinctive that made it stand out. Not just 'Oh, it was a really sweet reunion scene' but 'Yeah, she judo flipped him! Crazy, right?' Something that people would remember, not just dismiss as another lovey-dovey reunion scene.

Vivienne and Madoc angst part one

So this is what a car looks like, Madoc thought. He had forgotten what they looked like. The models that Eva had showed him were 'old-school' and 'practically ancient', as Vivienne had put it. She had screamed with laughter when he asked about cars, using his fairy terminology.

Heather had politely smiled, but Madoc could tell that she was holding back laughter too. Her trembling lips conveyed as much. Madoc internally groaned. He was banished to the human realm, and he needed to brush up on his already scanty knowledge of it. And Vivienne seemed to delight in showing him how terrible he was at it. Laughing at every single thing he did wrong and condescendingly showing him how to do it better. He grunted in annoyance. 'This baby right here,' Vivienne patted the car, 'is a Toyota. Great model, very nice for a secondhand car, and holds four. Though with you in it,' she added casually, 'it'll probably be quite stretched, so be careful.' Madoc chose to take it as a compliment. His daughter was complimenting his muscular physique that could flatten any of these odd, lightning-speed, roaring vehicles. And anyway, the car was somewhat roomy at the back. He was studiously avoiding going to the house where it had all happened years ago. He would NOT remind himself of that time. Everything was better now. Jude and Taryn liked Faerie, and Vivienne- Vivienne, ironically, had been the only one who hated Faerie. She only stayed there for her sisters, and the moment she got a real chance to, she dropped everything and left to live in the human realm. Madoc had wondered at her loving a human girl. Just like him. And not understand her. Just like him. (And unintentionally hurting her. Just like him. Only this time, they were both well and good, while his hands were bloodstained and Eva lay six feet below). He had wondered how Vivienne would deal with Heather's death, but decided not to point it out. Vivienne was only 20 after all, and when she had lived centuries as he had, she would gain more experience. Oriana had chosen to come with him. What a wonderful woman and wife. Prim, thoughtful, proper, careful to consider he next move. Not like Eva, who was a restless whirlwind and broke more than one rule of faerie etiquette. (But then again, that was why he had liked her.) The human realm, however, was different from Faerie. No servants, no big grand mansions, only their little apartment in the building adjacent to Vivienne's, as she had absolutely refused to get him a flat in the same building as hers. He had already started playing politics with his neighbours and was making wonderful progress. He avoided telling Vivienne about this. Oriana rolled her eyes and shook her head. 'What will you do to the human world?' she had jokingly asked him. Maybe I'll take it for a spin, he thought, just like Eva did with my world. He had asked Vivienne to take him around the city to see what to catch up on. Now he stared at the glowing neon signs, recalling the ones from the 1970s, when he'd travelled around the city. He looked at the small stores whirl by. Vivienne wasn't even driving slowly-she simply drove ahead, telling him about the city and its modern developments. 'My goodness, humans really do evolve fast.' he said. 'I haven't been here since-well-' He fell silent. He hadn't been there since that fateful day-when he had killed Justin and Eva. 'You haven't been there since you killed my parents,' Vivienne said cheerfully. The car sped up. Madoc opened his mouth and closed it again. It shocked him that she said that, even when he had internally acknowledged it. My parents. My.

(Part one, since the whole thing is too long to post)

VIVIENNE AND HEATHER HURT/COMFORT (Part one?)

Heather grunted and rolled over. Something was missing………….. Her eyes slowly opened. Vivienne was not there. She frowned sleepily. Mmmmmmm, where was Vivienne? Maybe she had gone to the bathroom. Heather yawned and snuggled into the blankets. Vivi would be back soon. And then they'd snuggle and be warm. Yay. But time passed, and Vivienne didn't come back. And far from falling asleep, Heather started to gain more and more consciousess, until she was finally wired enough to go and find out where Vivienne was. Heather slowly walked out of the bedroom and turned on the lights as quickly as possible. Whew. No monsters in the dark. Heather never really believed in monsters until the incident years ago. After that, she'd been more than a little wary of the dark, but she had accepted that not all faeries were out for her, and some of them could be kind. Other than Mother Marrow. That woman gave her the freaky-deakies. Yech. Heather rubbed her eyes and stopped, tensing.

Sobbing sounds were coming from the bathroom. The smell of popcorn was strong and fresh in the air.

How could that be? They HAD made popcorn today, to accompany their watching Superhero Movie, but what was left of it was in the fridge, and it had probably gone cold. So how had Vivienne heated it up again? Did she use magic? her mind said. Heather inhaled sharply and strode towards the bathroom. She didn't like Vivienne using magic in the apartment and Vivienne never did. So why would she use it now..........? 'Vee?' she said softly. 'What happened?' The sobs were muffled by a slap of hand to mouth, then a surprised squeak was emitted. 'N-nothing,' Vivienne's broken voice came from the bathroom. 'I-am-fineHeather. Gobacktosleep.' she said. 'Vivienne……..' Heather pushed open the bathroom door. Their popcorn, the one that Heather had stored in the big green plastic bowl, was trembling on Vivienne's lap. Vivienne's hands were shaking and she was hyperventilating. 'VEE! What happened?' Heather fell to her knees and leaned towards Vivienne, who sobbed and shook her head, wiping her tearstained face. 'The popcorn,' she sobbed. 'Superhero movie. OW.' Heather felt like her heart was breaking. Here Vivienne was, sobbing, and Heather didn't know why. How could she help Vivienne? 'Vee,' she said gently. 'Do you want to tell me something?' Vivienne shook her head, but yet another sob escaped her, and she grabbed a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into her mouth. Vivienne's entire body was shaking. Heather slowly scooted in. 'Vee. You're shaking. Hey, listen to me. Just lean on me for support.' Vivienne gulped and wiped her nose. 'I miss him. It HURTS.' 'Miss him?' Heather asked. 'Do you mean Oak?' 'N-no. I mean-my dad. Justin.' Vivienne said. Heather mentally raised her eyebrows. Vivienne almost never talked about her father. She said that she had two fathers, but Heather had always heard her refer to Madoc as her father mostly, though Vivienne also thought of Justin as her father. Vee sneered at Madoc and took pleasure in taunting him. Heather was uncomfortable about it, so she stayed out of it. Not her problem. But now………'Justin?' she said slowly. 'Your mortal father.' Vivienne sniffed and nodded. 'I-I was going to-' she gestured to the bowl of popcorn. 'Vee, you can tell me,' Heather said, slowly rubbing Vivienne's back as her girlfriend sobbed into her shoulder. Once Vivienne had calmed down, she took a deep breath and gulped. 'My father-Justin. He made me popcorn.' OH. Ohhhhhhhhhh. Of course. Vivienne had always liked popcorn a lot. She made a big bowl for herself every movie night. Somehow, the bowl was always full. So Vivienne clung onto her memories of the mortal world and with it, her mortal parents. Heather had wondered if Vivienne really thought that the big, hulking, scary man was her father or whether the muscular yet gentle-looking man in the rare photos that Vivienne had taken with her was Vivienne's father in her thoughts. Maybe it was both, as weird as that sounded. Maybe that was it. Faerie was weird. Not Vee, though. 'Today. Superhero Movie.' Vivi said weakly. 'Released 2008. Dad and I were going to watch it that night. He made popcorn. But it never happened because-' She smiled weakly and then burst into more sobs. Oh. Oh. OH. Heather sucked in a breath. Of course.

Madoc had killed Vivienne's parents and taken her and her sisters back to Elfhame. When Heather had first heard the story, she was terrified of Madoc. She hadn't wanted to meet him, but Vivienne assured her that he wasn't always violent like that, though he could be 'a total jerk' most of the time. It was hard to believe that Jude and Taryn could love him and Elfhame, hard to believe that they could want to takr their chances with the cruel faeries who plagued Locke's wedding party. Heather had never been able to understand them.

Oh, well, it took all sorts to make a world.

But it was hard to believe that the tall, hefty, frowning man who'd stared at her with those eerie cat eyes was really nonviolent. Heather had shivered. She'd loved Vivienne's cat eyes, but somehow, they looked terrible on Madoc. She had been terrified of Madoc then. And she was still a little scared of him-but there was something else stirring in her now. Anger. Not just anger. Fury. Boiling rage. Heather had seen enough of Vivienne's silent crying and Madoc bothering Vivienne for something or the other. Now, she wanted to stride into his apartment and punch him deep in the gut. She didn't care if Oriana gasped or if she was glamoured or even if Oak cried. Vivienne was hurt, and this bastard had hurt her. Heather remembered thinking that Vivienne was crazy. She remembered her remembrance and the fear that came with it- But she also remembered the pure love that she felt for Vivienne, and her absolute joy and contentment at being with Vivienne again. Vivienne sighed and rested her head against Heather's chest. Heather immediately shifted her weight to accommodate Vivienne. 'Sorry,' Vee mumbled. 'I just really miss him. I mean, I miss both of them really bad sometimes, and now-it's just one of those times. I'm so sorry, Heather. And-and Jude and Taryn don't think that I'm grieving Dad, because Madoc is my dad, but he raised me too, you know? Crap, I'm so sorry.' 'It's no problem.' Heather said, slowly rubbing circles into Vivi's back. She couldn't imagine having a life like that. Just thinking about her parents being murdered made her want to vomit. But to have the murderer be her actual father and to have her sisters love him? Heather didn't have sisters, but she cared for Mikey, and she couldn't imagine how betrayed she'd feel if Mikey loved the man who did that. Vivienne had suffered so much that all Heather could do was be there for her and support her during these trying times. 'Vee,' Heather said, 'Let's not talk about that. Let's go back to bed. Do you want to finish the popcorn, or………?' 'Yeah,' Vivienne said, stuffing handfuls of it into her mouth. Once it was over, she took the bowl and poured water into it, leaving it in the sink to clean tomorrow. They both went back to bed. Vivienne was shivering.

If Madoc came tomorrow, Heather would tear him a new one.

Percy is the only one who looks happy

Has anyone ever noticed that Percy is the only big 3 kid who looks happy in his official portrait?

Thalia looks fierce, a testament to her character. She's nice, but she's also fierce, which makes up a lot of her personality.

Jason looks concentrated and intense, which is the mask he puts on most of the time as befits his title at New Rome and even afterwards.

Nico looks exhausted and frustrated, which is what he was most of the time in PJO, HOO and even TOA.

Bianca looks sad and wistful, which were her main emotions when she was alive, even after she joined the Hunters and got a little happiness.

Hazel looks cautious and guarded-her eyebrows are drawn together and her body orientation is tense.

But Percy? He's grinning like he's making an inside joke, leaning on sword, holding his helmet, with relaxed body posture.

I think that it would be infinitely funnier if Rick had made Artemis and her Hunt be clueless (also somewhat wary) and have a superiority complex about being separated from men and living in the wild and turn it into a comedy.

'Men do THIS? No wonder you're so behind! We in the wild do (something completely absurd and simply undoable in modern society that can be done in her Hunt because it's timeless and magical and in the wild and she's also a goddess). Far superior.'

Cardan Greenbriar with people other than Jude, please

Ok, people, does ANYONE in the TFOTA fandom want more of Cardan Greenbriar on his own?

Because most of the content I see with him is always linked to Jude somehow, and it's getting frustrating. This guy is his own person outside of Jude, yet no one seems to think about that. They just woobify him and reduce him to this himbo character.

What about his platonic relationships? I mean, I know he had an effed up relationship with Locke and Nicasia, but what about with Valerian (his thoughts on Valerian in general? Valerian lore?)

Or Vivienne? Or Taryn? Or his sisters or father or mother?

Or even Cardan with the court of Shadows. The Ghost, the Bomb and the Roach. Without Jude.

Or just on his own. Seriously, Cardan is an entertaining asshole who can be regal and intimidating-

and no one takes advantage of that. He's always dumbed down and placed with Jude. It's always Jude, Jude Jude with him and there's a certain point where it gets too repetitive.

Please make more of Cardan Greenbriar without Jude. I promise you that it is possible.

Let's make Percabeth fight

Can we have a Percabeth fight?

Like........I haven't seen them fight........about one thing.........ever since they got into a relationship.

Can we get Percy tired of Annabeth hitting him all the time, so he tells her to stop?

Can we have them argue about Annabeth's pride and the way it led them to fall into Tartarus?

Everyone's holding Percabeth up as this golden standard, but I think that they need to have a real, good-old fashioned couple fight.

Because, let's be honest, real couples bicker. Married, fiance, dating. They fight, even over small things. And it's just like Percabeth agree with each other all the damn time. Let them fight, even if it's over something small, like the color of something in their dorm, what food to eat. Let them squabble too. Let Annabeth not make all the decisions and have Percy follow her lead. Let him do something on his own, away from Annabeth!

Either give them a huge, blownout fight where they don't talk for days afterwards. Guilt, shame and anger linger in the air. They avoid each other, eyes averted, body leaning away.

Or give me a small fight, over something unserious, then they don't talk for sometime, and then they make it up.

Or just have them squabbling. Don't make Annabeth hit or insult Percy-just make them playfully fight over something.

Because I'm going to be real with you, real golden standard couples still fight.

I mean, Percabeth isn't even a golden standard couple (though I'm not calling it abusive) and one of the issues with this is that they just never fight.

Honestly I don't think that there's a couple in the world that's never fought. It's as simple as that, really.

.

Heather, Cardan and Garrett meetings

Ok, so we have Vivienne, Jude and Taryn-

But who's going to give me Cardan, Heather and the Ghost?

I NEED to see interactions with Cardan and Heather, I just feel like they would be hilarious. Like Cardan would casually be explaining something odd about Faerie, or something bad that Jude did (murder for politics, IDK) and Heather would be terrified. And maybe the Ghost would be comforting her or something. And Vivienne would be furious afterwards.

Oh my god, Duarte sister spouses meetings would be so funny. I'd love to be a fly on the wall to see all of them meet.

Happy Ides of March!