This blog is solely concerned with criticising Rick Riordan and his words. Having hit around 60-ish posts, I decided to rearrange my blog and give you a summary post here for reference:
how to write representation masterpost, + the power of two characters from the same group
Rick's writing voice (rant)
the awful redemption arc of Asterion (credit to anon for the very detailed ask!)
amnesia trope and jason's wasted potential,
Kronos, never sliced (full debate), + anon reply
demigods disrespecting the gods with no consequences
Hephaestus, never "ugly" (nor is Rick an "expert")
Aphrodite, never shallow (reblog from an excellent post)
the missed potential of demigod quests
Olympians as bad parents
Ares, never abusive (nor passive)
Helios and Selene, never disposable (??)
list of mental illnesses done wrong (likely to expand)
Do you have any thoughts/opinions on EPIC that you might wanna share?
Sorry, I know this is a Rick Riordan criticism blog, not a Jorge one...
I don't actively hate EPIC but I also will never like, get into it. I don't really have much of an opinion on it, considering I've listened to like three songs and wasn't particularly... wowed by what I heard. There's this excellent breakdown of Gods Game that is more entertaining than those three songs I listened to.
I've also heard some... awful rumors about Jorge but have not been keeping up with the news surrounding this dude so, uh, yeah. Only thing certain is that I'm never joining this fandom.
i keep hearing a lot of different things and i had a questions and didnt relaly know who to come to for it you were like the first person i thought of so its a little off theme (sort of? it did start with pjo and not getting a straight answer but now its more in general) but do you know which greek god is the most stubborn/determined or is that like not one of those situations where one god is the god of xyz/known the most for xyz yknow ?
Oh that's a tough question! I don't believe there is a specific Greek god of determination, and if you ask me, you could argue for any god to be incredibly determined/stubborn, depending on which myth you're looking at.
Personally, I will just have to hand this one to Demeter. Her search for Persephone is just the epitome of never giving up, unwavering love, uncompromising stubborness. She didn't yield to anyone or anything until she got what she wanted, which isn't supposed to be possible (bringing someone back from the Underworld). In my opinion she is the most bullheaded of the Olympians.
But again you can probably make a case for most of the gods.
Hi!! Do you read any pjo fanfic? If so, is that any fanfic that u have read where the author changes something from the Rick Riordan's books that u think makes the story better?
I have tried looking around for PJO/HOO rewrites but no such luck. They usually do not deviate from canon enough to fix the problematic stuff, probably because you'd have to rethink the worldbuilding from scratch (such as the gods moving to the US) and that's not a job people would do for free. Yet I must keep hoping to find a good one, some day.
Np if the answer is no, but i was wondering if I could write a fanfic inspired by your post on Annabeth being a child of Aphrodite? I'd link to the post and give credit for the idea
YES PLEASE. I think you have approx. 316 people (current amount of likes on that post) who would fw this idea.
Rick Riordan could literally spit in the face of a Greek statue in a museum and his fuckass fans would laugh and say “it’s just a joke” or some bs like that.
Then he’d “apologize” and they would “forgive him” as if they were the once who got to decided whether he’s forgiven or not and not actually Greek people.
I'm actually so happy that he's getting so much backlash for the announcement of his new book (which sounds awful, way to butcher the series that made you famous). I think fans are finally starting to get sick of his shenanigans, like bro keeps vomiting more and more books and the quality has never reached its peak (which imo is still lacking) of the original five books series. When will his greed stop? What is he trying to achieve at this point? Richard stop. You're milking a dead cow.
I know that a lot of your criticism is about how Riordan handled the Greek gods, but fucking Christ, the way he fucked over the Æsir needs to be analyzed in a lab. Odin getting the Poseidon treatment was batshit insane, the way the rest of the Æsir were portrayed was fucking stupid, and never have I ever seen such a case of character assassination as with Riordan’s depiction of Loki. Just look up the Faroese ballad Loka Táttur (officially written down in the 1800s but likely existed since the Middle Ages) and tell me if that’s the same motherfucker from the Magnus Chase series.
My knowledge of Norse Mythology boils down to a few key characters (Freyja, Thor, Odin, Loki, Hel, Ymir), a few key terms (Ragnärok, the Æsir, Mjölnir) and places (Asgard, Valhalla). Also some niche stuff like the myth of Narfi and Vali because of that one time I fell down into a research rabbit hole and the einherjar because of another time I fell down into a research rabbit hole. It's weird that it occured twice.
Other than that... yeah, I'm afraid Richard could probably defeat me at a basic Norse mythology knowledge quiz. Which is very embarrassing for me and I will put in the work to beat him one day (gosh I speak like those characters who are obsessed with their "rival").
However I have no doubt that his Norse mythology must be lacking. In the sense that, just like with Greek mythology (who he taught and supposedly knows best so far) he knows the basics and he's researched the niche stuff... but when it's time to incorporate those into his stories he will bastardise or ignore things which always makes you question how deep his research actually was.
Wait, so is Odin some chill guy, deadbeat dad that is just a sweet ol' nice guy who's never done anything wrong in his life ever? And what happened to Loki? Was he dumbed down or made to be a douche or is he just plain and boring?
Anon come back!! you need to elaborate, I NEED the tea!!
I'm trying to find him a nickname but can't make up my mind on anything. Obviously shouldn't be vulgar or insulting because there are a lot of good people on this planet named Richard and they don't deserve their name being butchered because of that one Richard I don't like.
Also his "crime" was to write a bad series with bad mythology and bad representation, and sure it pisses me off, but it's not like he was found on some guy's files like another author I often compare him to, haha... (when you enter a "completely lost the plot" contest but your opponent is JKR).
I can't pick!! Ricky (as in, when I catch you Ricky)? Rick Roll? Unc? Just plain old Richard? Ricardo? Help.
Ur like my dad, you make me happy for two minutes and then disappear for two weeks.
😀😞😀😞😀😞😀😞😐
Anon, I don’t know what to say to that ask… BUT! I have an excuse haha it’s because I had exams these last two weeks so… yeah. Been busy… I’m hoping to start posting again later this week 🙏 There are like fourty super interesting asks in my inbox right now + a good chunk of drafted answers collecting dust... can’t wait to get started 🔥
Not to be ableist, but if I was the Sphinx, I would've just told Annabeth to spell some shyt like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious the moment she started making a tantrum that my riddles are "too easy". Because man, I would've gotten offended af.
Not so smart anymore, huh? Too bad, now you gotta die, since you can't solve my riddle/challenge.
Ok, but seriously, the fandom seems to keep forgetting that she's also dyslexic just because she's "smart", and you can see it in "memes" like the next:
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/1056586762581459461/
And I put in quotation marks because memes are supposed to be funny.
Oh, wait, I really like that idea because it fixes everything about that stupid Sphinx scene:
Imagine if Annabeth wasn't asked questions that are "insults" to her intelligence just because they are general knowledge questions rather than tricky riddles.
Imagine if, instead, the Sphinx became tired of people learning by heart the answers to every popular riddle out there, of people preferring memorisation over critical thinking, of people surviving with no merit of their own. So she simply resorted to asking these know-it-alls questions that will actually make them sweat: spelling bees. Every demigod has dyslexia. This is way too easy for the Sphinx.
Imagine if Annabeth is someone who takes pride in her intellectual abilities, someone who enjoys puzzles because it's gratifying to feel challenged, rather than because it's gratifying to be right; that Annabeth is asked to spell temporarily or some shit.
But then, Annabeth explodes at the Sphinx. Because this isn't fair, and it's certainly not spelling words accurately that makes people smart and worthy of passage.
This actually fixes so much about the scene:
-> Instead of reinforcing Annabeth's pride as a fatal flaw, it breaks reader expectations by showing that pride can be a strength.
Pride means self-respect and having high standards for oneself.
Where another demigod would have simply taken the challenge, Annabeth is indignant that her intelligence is measured against something as stupid as a spelling bee.
Annabeth isn't fatally prideful in that moment, she's proud enough to stand up against a millenia old monster who's acting like a bully.
Her explosion would come from rightful anger, not petty arrogance.
This allows to balance Annabeth's character flaw. Percy's loyalty is always a good thing despite being called a "flaw", but with Annabeth? The dichotomy of pride is never shown.
-> Instead of a silly side-quest to tick on the checklist, this scene would have been a powerful commentary on ableism in schools:
Annabeth's intelligence is being questioned by the Sphinx's challenge because she is unable to spell a word...? That's just ridiculous and not fair at all!
Annabeth, considered the smartest demigod (more told than shown, but let's use our imagination) passionately speaks out about how spelling words correctly will never mark anyone as cognitively "superior" than everyone else.
This scene would become a cathartic and validating moment for the people this story is supposedly written for!
-> Instead of yet another moment of hubris from Annabeth, we'd be reminded of her struggles, which Percy rarely sees:
Annabeth is, like you say anon, often forgotten to be dyslexic by the fandom, simply because she is "smart" (and THIS is why a scene like the one I'm describing is incredibly necessary).
This is on Rick for being a rotten writer, on fandom misoginy who always dismisses female characters, but also on Percy's perspective, a guy who deals with a lot of unadressed internalised ableism from the very first book and onwards. Percy often forgets or needs to be "reminded" that Annabeth has ADHD and dyslexia, because she's soooo smart and smart people can't be neurodivergent or struggle with reading and writing. Right?
I also just needed scenes where neurodivergence and dyslexia are shown to create struggles for demigods within the demigod life. The "your disability is your superpower" pipeline is cute and all, but it also appears to shrugg off the fact that having a disability is... disabling.
Also the pin anon mentionned in the ask (in case it's deleted or something):
In the previous post you talked about Octavian. And I agree that he needs his redemption arc. It seems to me that his character, in principle, needs to be revealed and shown not only as his "villainous" nature. Like, wtf everyone just hate him
It was so ON THE NOSE. I saw people complaining about it but nothing prepared me to how badly written Octavian was. I was half-expecting characters to over-villainise him in SoN because the plot twist was that Octavian was on their side or something.
But no! Rick just did him really, really dirty. Like, physically scooping up dirt from the ground and throwing it at Octavian's face kind of dirty.
And I mourn that because Octavian seemed like the kind of character I would've loved. I found the stuffed animal stuff really cool but apparently it was to show how Octavian is unstable and can't be trusted. Because apparently people draw the line at stuffed animals. Oh, you know what would've been sooo cute? If Octavian sewed them right after stabbing them. Like, he probably got kids crying and parents going after his ass. Who knows, maybe the last Augur was driven out of Camp for that, what should I know. He's a descendant of Apollo, I think he would be great at surgeries.
Also he goes to Asphodel are you kidding me? Tartarus would've been less insulting. Honestly, with how "obsessed" he was said to be about Roman traditions and honouring the gods, Octavian should've gone to Elysium no diff.
Rick really said "let's save Elysium for the manchildren with daddy issues like Luke who are retconned last minute as having noble goals when in reality they didn't gaf about others and are responsible for half of demigod casualties."
I keep hearing that Nico was paradigm-shifting representation, but what’s the evidence for it? Personal impact ≠ shift in trends. I understand he was impactful for some, but what actual influence has he has on queer rep? I’d love to here your thoughts on this.
I think it's more personal impact than anything, like you say, anon.
People were rightfully excited to see a fan favourite character come out of the closet, in their favourite kids series (well, I doubt hoo is people's favourite since pjo always comes first), and that at a time where it was really difficult for middle grade authors to write positive queer rep.
But I'd draw the line at claiming it was a paradigm shift. Rick doesn't exist in a vacuum, he didn't wake up one day and said "I'm going to take one big step for gay rep in children's media," no. Not when his first series had the very heteronormative Hunters of Artemis who did not accept boys because "the girls could go astray" (ew ew ew) but seems to ignore the existence of lesbians (and also seem to be exclusive of non-binary and transgender people).
Nico was part of a trend, a movement, rather than its instigator. There is no evidence of Nico inspiring another middle grade author to make their characters more queer (I'm not saying it can't be true, just that I don't know of such instance).
It's more likely to me that Rick saw the movement and hopped on to it (which I will applaud because even today, middle grade authors can be such cowards, since with MG it's the parents who buy, read aloud & review these books). The Legend of Korra's last season premiered in the same year as The Blood of Olympus, and these cannot be coincidences. Rick certainly did not invent queer rep in children's media (no one did), nor did he start it, and, imho, Nico would've never been gay if that larger progress hadn't existed.
But I guess because he had such an important personal impact on readers, and "Uncle Rick" is so beloved, people overinflate Nico's importance. I read boo, what, in 2024? And was not very impressed (but that's a privilege because a kid in 2004 would probably faint if they saw Nico).
Tbh I'd rather Rick rewrote pjo, especially the Hunters, to be less, idk, ICKY, than have Nico make his coming out in his second series. But that's just me. I just want to see pjo completely rewritten (and the show is not, for me, also it's on Disney+).
this is not a character study or anything… but in ur opinion who should be in the prophecy of seven?
I'd say Jason, Piper, Leo, Reyna, Hazel, Octavian and Frank.
I didn't give that much thought though, it's based on pure vibes + me not wanting Percy and Annabeth to steal the show for a second series.
Honestly? I'd have Piper be a daughter of Venus and Leo a son of Vulcan, so they can all be Roman.
Octavian's there because I think a "redemption" arc would've been more compelling than what Rick did with his character (which had quite the ableist undertone if you ask me, because why was Octavian portrayed as unstable to show he can't be trusted?) One thing that the Argo II really lacked was actual conflict where both sides of the argument could be right, and I think, because Octavian is so "othered," disagreements could have been interesting and compelling. Rather than ceaseless soap drama.
Also, Reyna is soooooo underrated in Rick's eyes istg because tell me one good reason why she wasn't on the Argo II. Seriously. She could've been The Character Ever if Rick wasn't so weirdly obsessed with pairings and labelling "aro-ace" (from Shein) any female character that is not in a relationship.
Aprodite in teh myths was a WRETCHED mother lmao. Are you on crack? You are out here criticizing RR, and you are worse than he ever is.
No, she wasn't lol (and I'd be more ready to hear you out anon if you could provide a source/quote/evidence instead of vaguely mentioning the "myths").
No, I am not on crack, never have been and never will be.
No, I am not "worse" than he is. Sure, I'm "out here" criticising him, but Rick is out there both-siding a genocide, enriching the rich who are financing said genocide, profiting off of a loyal and nostalgic fanbase by overpricing lazy and low quality books, disrespecting countless cultures & people, and refusing to be humble enough to admit to his own mistakes.
At least I'm not making money out of anyone. All I'm doing is yapping on my little corner of the Internet and trying to correct misinformation. If you think that makes me such a terrible person, then maybe consider the block button. It's free.
Not bashing Percy or anything, but he seems to be a rather lackadaisical as a protagonist. He seems to have a flat arc and flimsy development in the OG series. Anyways, what are your thoughts on him as a character?
It is difficult to hate Percy. Not because he's a great character or a good person, these can divide fanbases just fine (think Aang from ATLA), but because Percy's character is specifically written to be as palatable as possible.
He is the embodiment of a people-pleaser, a character that seems to be designed to upset nobody, or at least to be in the good favor of the greater majority of the readers. And I must admit, I've rarely seen people-pleasing characters be as successful as Percy.
Why is Percy so popular?
I'm not going to pretend that I don't understand why he's a fan-favourite.
Percy follows the classical wish-fulfillment formula, a formula that you can find in a lot of middle-grade and young adult series, but also in entire genres like isekai animes.
Basically, Percy has a combination of relatable and admirable traits that make him equally an excellent self-insert and an excellent role model.
Relatable traits make you go "I am Percy." Percy is insecure, Percy has mid grades, Percy is neither stinky rich nor stinky poor, Percy loves his mommy very much, Percy doesn't have many friends, Percy deals with bullies at school.
Admirable traits make you go "I wish I were Percy." Percy has three girls crushing on him, Percy wins every fight, Percy is mistaken for a god, Percy is the favourite child, Percy is the strongest demigod to ever demigod strongly.
In the wish-fulfillment formula, the author maximises both types of traits in order for the audience to be able to place itself in the MC's shoes while also enjoying all the impossibly unrealistic stuff the MC accomplishes.
In other words, and though I don't approve of the term, Percy can be considered a (very successful) Gary Stu.
Percy is too relatable — how is that a bad thing?
Now my problem is that wish-fulfillment often comes at the expense of unique and interesting protagonists. You can't make a unique protagonist that anybody can relate to, and you can't make an interesting protagonist that can be admired by everybody at all times.
Percy is relatable, but we can't really say that he is very flawed or has a unique stance on things. Ever noticed how many of the traits that would make him unique are watered-down?
This is just a minor example, but it illustrates the wider issue with Percy's un-uniqueness perfectly:
Percy has ADHD and dyslexia, traits that would typically set him apart as an atypical protagonist... yet PJO makes these facts very easy to forget and digestible to neurotypical readers. I would even argue that Percy's ADHD and dyslexia were handled so selectively that anybody can relate to him despite the neurodivergence usually coming with its package of social exclusion and feelings of inadequacy.
Look at these two quotes from The Lightning Thief...
"There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces."
"And the ADHD — you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom."
... and tell me there is anything that a neurotypical kid wouldn't be able to relate to.
I mean, I'm not dyslexic myself, but I still spent months spelling and reading "Agamemnon" as "Aganemmnon" and "Proserpina" as "Prosperina" (and rereading myself I still struggle to see a difference).
As for the ADHD quote, kids have simplistic decision-making systems. "Impulsive" would describe most children, not just those with ADHD. You don't need ADHD to be impatient for the bell to dismiss you, you don't need ADHD to wish you were anywhere else than in a boring classroom. Why do you think class trips are so popular in primary school?
Percy is too admirable — how is that a bad thing?
No: Percy being too admirable doesn't make him less relatable. Rick made sure (perhaps not intentionally) that Percy was bland enough for most people to be able to "be him"; relatability is rarely the problem with wish-fulfillment characters anyway.
Percy being too admirable makes him less exciting though — which might not be a big deal for everyone, but I personally go into books hoping to be at the very least interested in the protagonist.
Percy's admirable traits make him less exciting in various ways:
-> Take his "fatal" flaw for example. Loyalty. I'm not going to pretend this can't be a flaw. Loyalty, if turned sour or pushed to an extreme, can be an exciting flaw. Emphasis on "if".
In fact, I prefer when traits that are usually regarded as qualities turn out to be flaws in certain situations, and vice versa. For example, optimism is a quality until it leads to inaction in a precarious position because someone believe things will "get better" on their own. Conversely, pessimism is a moral flaw except when the worst-case scenario happens and the pessimist was prepared for it.
Think Murphy's Law ("anything that can go wrong will go wrong") and Yhprum's Law ("anything that can work will work") both having exceptions.
That's basically a baby writer's cheatcode to a complex character: you place them in at least one context where their positive/negative trait is the opposite of what it usually is.
Because that's interesting.
But Percy's loyalty? It doesn't come with exceptions. Percy is never loyal to the wrong person, Percy is never loyal to someone who doesn't reciprocate, Percy is never loyal to people who don't get along, Percy is never loyal to the point of hurting himself or the people he's loyal to. And that's boring.
You know whose fatal flaw could be loyalty, though? Annabeth. I said what I said.
-> Or how about the fact that, from the very first chapter of the very first book, Percy broke the powerscale so bad that he could have taken on Kronos right there, right then?
The Erinyes (or Furies) are chtonic deities either almost as old, or older than Time (Kronos) himself. They are some times daughters of the Night (Nyx), other times daughters of the Earth (Gaia) and born of the Sky's (Ouranos) blood when the latter was castrated by his son.
They aren't some mere monsters of the week, they are the powerful allegory of divine vengeance, inescapable consequences and tormenting guilt.
Heck, you know who could not defeat the Erinyes? Kronos himself. Not because he couldn't beat them in a fight — they didn't attack him physically. But their presence alone personified the impending doom that Kronos had placed upon himself. They were his curse, the embodiment of his fate when later on, Zeus did to Kronos what Kronos had done to his own father.
You get the point.
Percy should never have been able to defeat an Erinye, not at the end of the series, much less at the very beginning. Even a god couldn't.
Yet Percy, in the very first chapter, "vaporises" one in a single slice, and so in less time than it would take me to sneeze.
This ridiculously impossible feat destroyed the power scaling of the series before Percy even knew he had powers. Because if you can get rid of an Erinye, you can get rid of Kronos, and if you can get rid of Kronos then you really shouldn't be panicking when you see the Minotaur. The Minotaur and an Erinye is what a middle school bully is to Rocky Marciano.
And that's what makes Percy more admirable but far less exciting.
That's what has hundreds of kids make "Nah, I'd Win" edits of him, what makes "Who would win between Harry Potter and Percy Jackson?" debates completely uninteresting and unambiguous, what makes fights in PJO and HOO either unsuspenseful or frustrating.
Conclusion — why it worked
Because kids are stupid.
Because Percy is a character designed to put readers at ease. Percy keeps you comfortable, Percy keeps you safe.
Percy is a "smooth" character that doesn't create friction for reader identification, a character that doesn't need to be re-evaluated or questioned. A character you can just "turn your brain off" with and enjoy the wish-fulfillment.
That's who Percy is: a fun ride that is accessible to practically everyone.
No wonder kids panicked when they saw Jason, Piper and Leo's povs for the first time! It must be daunting to suddenly go from "Percy is best boy who can do no wrong™" to "oh em gee, why does this Piper-gal hate girls so dam much??"
Oh and by the way, I'm not advocating for Percy to be written in any other way. As much as I despise people-pleasing writing, it's the one type of writing that creates mass appeal. It's what characterises best-sellers. It's the formula to successful escapist stories.
I mean, Percy Jackson's numbers speak for themselves.
