anastasia

she/her | minor | cabin 12 | I like Greek mythology, Percy Jackson (pretty much only in the context of defending Octavian though) and les mis

[ilovewillsolace]

so a few of my headcanons about the friendship of Octavian and Lavinia

she taught Octavian Russian (btw, very successfully)

there were a lot of problems with the letter ы

he explained to her for a long time the structure of the camp and the Roman Empire in general, to which Lavinia casually replied "drisnya"

they keep the whole camp in fear

Lavinia's speech very often skips Russian words and no one except Octavian understands her to the end

wlw 🤝 mlm solidarity

she forced Octavian to learn how to bake blinyi because she wants blinyi but she's too lazy to cook

she's in adidas he's in dolce gabbana

he was the only one who could guess her riddle, so Lavinia just pointed at Octavian with her finger and said "you, you will be my friend"

he calls her "lavik" no one else can pronounce this nickname

a lot of pink and purple

"stop joking about vodka balalaika and bears, no one believes in these stereotypes anymore"

"okstis' boleznyi, they really believe in it"

sometimes Octavian literally has to work as a translator

they like to judge everyone around them but not to gossip

Octavian constantly covers Lavinia in her adventures

He is a little intimidated by Lavinia's questionable table manners

Lavinia calls Percy "downcast/opyshhennyi", Octavian laughs terribly from this

a strange sense of humor. both have

Octavian asked Lavinia to choose any Russian word to get a tattoo with him now he has "интерференция(interference)" written on his shoulder

Lavinia drinks a lot of kvass and got Octavian hooked on it

they both love Russian poetry, especially the Silver Age (Octavian likes the freedom-loving Gumilev and Lavinia likes the sharp Mayakovsky)

[pjo-hoo-toa-freakazoid]

мне очень нравится этот пост😂🌸 these two would be so goofy together Ksksksksks

[morganizer]

crazy that Goncharov (1973) will be 50 years old in a few months because it seems like it just came out yesterday

[theseus-anti]

Well, Katya did tell Sofia “that which has happened longer ago than you can remember will always seem like it simply happened yesterday” when she told her about missing her parents after they died in that fire

[algumaideia]

Terrible, tragic that we can only consume things with our five senses.

Like sometimes I listen to music and I want to jump, but jumping doesn't make me feel it better. I want to feel the music under my sking, to be transported to the music (not the place the music is being played, to the music itself), I want it marked on my brain.

The same thing for movies and tv series scenes that I get obcessed with. I want them printed in my head, incapable of leaving my memory, I want to taste it. Seeing and listening to it is not enough. I want more.

To dive deep in the media I get obcessed it.

[theseus-anti]

I can’t believe the filmmakers of Goncharov didn’t know how Russian last names work; I think that’s the only thing I don’t like about the film!

So this is how Russian surnames work:

Goncharov = male surname

Goncharova = female version of Goncharov

Meaning Katya’s name would be Katya Goncharova, not Katya Goncharov.

[enigma-the-mysterious]

The reason Goncharov (1973) is such a hit is because it allows Tumblr to unironically participate in its national sport:

Lying

[theseus-anti]

I adore your username 💘

Thank you!!

Not a day goes by during which I don’t think of how much I hate Theseus.

If Theseus has 1,000,000 antis, I am one of them. If Theseus has 1,000 antis, I am one of them. If Theseus has 100 antis, I am one of them. If Theseus has 10 antis, I am still one of them. If Theseus has 1 anti, it’s me. If he has no antis, I’m dead.

[theseus-anti]

hey if you want I'd like to hear your thoughts on how Octavian wasn't as power hungry as people make him out to be

I would love to!!

So, I think I can break it down into three main reasons.

1: He could have lied but didn’t.

As mentioned in my previous post, he could easily have lied about what the gods wanted. Even if no one would believe him if he straight up said “Jupiter thinks I should become praetor, and Jupiter also thinks that there should only be one praetor, which should be me”, he could easily have lied and told Reyna the gods demanded an election. But he didn’t; he respected her decision to not hold an election. He didn’t agree with her, and I personally believe he was right in not agreeing with her, but he accepted that (as praetor) her word was final.

2: He could have convinced the legion that they needed an election.

He could have used the argument that Reyna herself was power hungry in that she refused to share her power with a second praetor.

He was pretty much the only candidate (before Percy returned from the quest), so if he had succeeded in convincing her to hold an election, he would have almost definitely become praetor. It couldn’t have been too difficult for him either- it was implied in Mark of Athena that Octavian was capable of “[whipping] the legion into a frenzy”.

“Reyna’s voice was as hard as iron. “What choice have you left me? Octavian smells blood. He’s whipped the legion into a frenzy, and I can’t stop it.”

Octavian managed to extract such feelings from the legion that even Reyna, powerful as she was, couldn’t stop. Of course, the legion had the attack on their home to add to the feeling, but if Octavian had convinced them that Reyna was power hungry and refused to share her power with a second praetor, he could have probably gotten a similar reaction.

But he kept his mouth shut and respected the praetor’s decision.

3: He genuinely seemed to want what was best for Rome.

When he was first wary of the Greeks when they landed at the start of MoA, he was probably wary because he knew Greeks were longtime enemies of Romans, and he was afraid the Greeks would do something to New Rome, Camp Jupiter or the people that resided in both those places. Leo only confirmed what he already suspected.

There is also the possibility that he had already seen what was coming (i. e. he had known that Leo would attack Rome) but a) he knew fate could not be avoided, or b) he didn’t think Reyna would trust him because he had already shown hatred towards Percy and the Greeks and he thought she would assume he was lying to get his way. I am inclined towards the latter, although both could possibly be the case.

Going back to my first point, I think he didn’t lie because he knew that lying would not be what was best for Rome, and at the end of the day, safety and prosperity for Rome was what he wanted, not power.

[zazzander]

Ooh yes. I think a lot of people assume that when Octavian says he wants Rome to prosper that's just a political line - a buzz word. But from what I can tell he legitimately believed that's what he was doing.

I actually think he did tell Reyna about Leo attacking New Rome, but she didn't believe him. So he brought it to the senate without her backing (end of SoN).

He could definitely have lied. As far as I can tell that lie is very simple: Jason Grace is dead. And who could dispute it? Sure, it's implied that he's voiced his concerns regarding Jason's fate but he's notably still looking for Jason even months later. If he didn't want Jason to be found, surely he'd just chill on temple hill for a couple hours before going back down and saying "yep no luck".

And the Reyna thing is so true. Because she's the one calling him power hungry, but he could have easily turned that against her. Especially if he hinted that she'd killed Jason. He even seems to have considered it, since he tells Percy that she was the last person to see Jason. But he hasn't used that against her.

Which reminds me of how desperate he is for her not to go to the ancient lands. I think he actually really respects her as a leader, which is why he doesn't want to be her rival but her ally.

[theseus-anti]

The second paragraph actually makes so much sense, especially considering that Reyna ignores his advice many times in the books.

It’s probable that Reyna mistrusts him, as shown in her conversation with Percy in MoA, so that may be a reason she ignores his (usually good) advice.

Near the end of Octavian’s introduction scene, Hazel definitely opposes his opinion (that is to say, the opinion that Jason is dead).

“Jason isn’t dead,” Hazel snapped. “You’re the augur. You’re supposed to be looking for him!”

“Oh, I am!” Octavian pointed at the pile of gutted stuffed animals. “I consult the gods every day! Alas, after eight months, I’ve found nothing. Of course, I’m still looking.”

He was looking. If he was that power hungry, he wouldn’t be.

I somewhat agree with you in that he respects her as a leader, although I think that possibly he may just obey her/attempt to protect her because he’s a loyal Roman, and loyal Romans are meant to protect their leaders, especially since he stops obeying her once she effectively gets herself kicked out of her praetorship, if that’s the correct way to put it. I also agree that it is probable he does want to be her ally, whether that is from a sense of respect, or him knowing she is a skilled warrior, if not a skilled commander.

[ladystarks]

[justgayrevolutionaries]

I love how 80% of Courfeyrac's introduction in the novel is actually "he could have been like Tholomyes, except he isn't an absolute douchebag *agressively side-eye Tholomyes* Courf is actually a sweetheart we stan him"

[fillsta-deactivated20251029]

Somewhere in an alternate universe, Enjolras fell asleep on his back on the couch and Bossuet is filming Grantaire, Courfeyrac and Bahorel giving him a fake funeral

[ueinra]

[theseus-anti]

hey if you want I'd like to hear your thoughts on how Octavian wasn't as power hungry as people make him out to be

I would love to!!

So, I think I can break it down into three main reasons.

1: He could have lied but didn’t.

As mentioned in my previous post, he could easily have lied about what the gods wanted. Even if no one would believe him if he straight up said “Jupiter thinks I should become praetor, and Jupiter also thinks that there should only be one praetor, which should be me”, he could easily have lied and told Reyna the gods demanded an election. But he didn’t; he respected her decision to not hold an election. He didn’t agree with her, and I personally believe he was right in not agreeing with her, but he accepted that (as praetor) her word was final.

2: He could have convinced the legion that they needed an election.

He could have used the argument that Reyna herself was power hungry in that she refused to share her power with a second praetor.

He was pretty much the only candidate (before Percy returned from the quest), so if he had succeeded in convincing her to hold an election, he would have almost definitely become praetor. It couldn’t have been too difficult for him either- it was implied in Mark of Athena that Octavian was capable of “[whipping] the legion into a frenzy”.

“Reyna’s voice was as hard as iron. “What choice have you left me? Octavian smells blood. He’s whipped the legion into a frenzy, and I can’t stop it.”

Octavian managed to extract such feelings from the legion that even Reyna, powerful as she was, couldn’t stop. Of course, the legion had the attack on their home to add to the feeling, but if Octavian had convinced them that Reyna was power hungry and refused to share her power with a second praetor, he could have probably gotten a similar reaction.

But he kept his mouth shut and respected the praetor’s decision.

3: He genuinely seemed to want what was best for Rome.

When he was first wary of the Greeks when they landed at the start of MoA, he was probably wary because he knew Greeks were longtime enemies of Romans, and he was afraid the Greeks would do something to New Rome, Camp Jupiter or the people that resided in both those places. Leo only confirmed what he already suspected.

There is also the possibility that he had already seen what was coming (i. e. he had known that Leo would attack Rome) but a) he knew fate could not be avoided, or b) he didn’t think Reyna would trust him because he had already shown hatred towards Percy and the Greeks and he thought she would assume he was lying to get his way. I am inclined towards the latter, although both could possibly be the case.

Going back to my first point, I think he didn’t lie because he knew that lying would not be what was best for Rome, and at the end of the day, safety and prosperity for Rome was what he wanted, not power.

[chthonicgodling]

but seriously though i’m sick and tired of those masterposts that are like “here! A reference site on Greek mythology for all your needs! Look it has all fifteen Greek gods on it!” And I’m like. tHERE WERE LIKE HUNDREDS OF FIGURES IN MYTHOLOGY YOUR CRAPPY HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL BIBLIOGRAPHY SITE MEANS NOTHING TO ME 

if you want a basic outline of Greek mythology okay sure fine??? but like. if you want an extensive fucking reference site you are looking in the wrong goddamn places

as a self-declared greek mythology snob my reference site is fucking always this fucker right here. almost every single figure ever mentioned in a Greek text is on it, it has the most obscure gods, spirits, nymphs– it’s GREAT. You really wanna extend your mythological knowledge past the basic 12 and like four others? USE THEOI.  plus plus PLUS everything is cited so you can actually read the source material written about whoever it is you’re looking at.

fucking signal boost this. i’m so sick and tired of writer’s helpers blogs referring people to sites with as much information you would get from opening a third grade mythology book jesus chriiiiiist

[theseus-anti]

“Octavian was power hungry” Octavian could’ve literally pointed to a random gull (if he could do augury* as well as haruspicy) and said “that indicates that Jupiter thinks I should be praetor” and no one would have been able to disprove him apart from Jupiter himself.

I get this wouldn’t have worked especially since no one really trusted his auguries that much and everyone thought him to be a liar, this is just me being annoyed at people who claim he’s power hungry and that’s his only motive throughout the series. I can go into detail about how he’s not, this post constitutes an almost nonexistent part of my reasoning.

*- augury was the Roman practice of ‘telling the future’/figuring out the will of the gods by observing birds, and haruspicy is what octavian did in the books with the plushie stuffing

[cupioriot]

Ok, so let's talk about octavians death, because I hate it. I hate how it's not talked about, I dislike how it's written because it felt like it only happened because riordan didn't know where to take octavians charcter, but there are things I wanna bring up about it.

Now, these are just some things I was talking about with friends on discord because we talk about octavian quite a bit(as we should, sabrin, anastasia, and me solo B) )

So

I noticed when rereading a few chapters of blood of olympus, and there are 2 lines that sort of make it seem like octavian knew he was fated to die soon.

"Yes, you fool! I will be remembered as the savior of Rome." -Octavian, to Michael Kahale, page 469

And,

"A good friend to the last." -Octavian, about Michael Kahale, page 469

However, I'm less confident in this, because they could be taken multiple ways, and they're only two scenes. Remembered as the savior of Rome could mean long term, he gets noted in history for it. Or, it could mean he doesn't live long enough to be the savior of Rome. Only in memory.

A good friend to the last could mean a friend that sticks by no matter what, or it could be taken as being a good friend until octavians last moments.

Thats why those are just minor theories because of lack of evidence, however this next one I'm more confident on.

It's said in blood of olympus that there was smoke coming off of octavians jewelry, which was gold.

"The gold on his body was definitely smoking now." -Nico di Angelo, about octavian, page 468

And, as far as I know imperial gold works the same as normal gold, which would mean it can't smoke or burn.

So, if the smoke wasn't from the gold? It was coming from his skin. His skin was burning. The gold heating up was burning his skin to the level of it smoking. The fact he kept it together/didn't realize or mention it raises me more questions about his character. But that's a thing for another day, I guess

I'm not good at written analysis, so take this as you will. Don't quote me on any of this, coz in the end these are just my theories n such. I'm not even sure if this post makes sense.

[defnoteros-deactivated20251009]

Deadass do not ever interact with my content me or my posts if you truly thing Luke Castellan is someone more forgivable than Octavian.

Luke was a pedo. Octavian was not. If you say Like deserved forgiveness and then turn around and make an ENTIRE post about castrating and burning Octavian alive you make me physically ill. (Yes this IS targeted.)

[theseus-anti]

I think I accidentally developed an obsession with the history of prophecy + augury in general.

Especially the Sibylline Books.

But the thing is there’s like 3 articles on the books, which all say the same things (and I’ve pretty much memorized at this point).

help

I blame Octavian. This is his fault.

(However, now I can sympathise with him since I doubt he had more sources available to him, since from what I remember they were found after his death. I do not enjoy being able to sympathise with him. It hurts knowing I’ll never know what happened, or indeed if they even ever existed, although most evidence would imply they did; you can barely ever be certain with history this old. /j but not really? like it’s in a joking tone but it’s not a joke per se.)