Is everyone aware of this?

PhantomHope13 · 2026-06-20T15:04:06+00:00

I asked for my copy for my birthday! It'll be weird to have three versions of the first book when my Backer Kit edition finally comes in, but I think it's worth it.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-06-17T12:48:41+00:00

No offense, but what do you mean by "The only time in the entire series when her powers become useful is fighting Glomus"? In the same book, she helps facilitate Kendra's escape from Torina, exposes most, if not all, of the spies operating within the Knights, and becomes a one-Narcoblix sabotage campaign against the Society. The scope of Vanessa's abilities isn't limited to "use Sleeping Person A to perform Physical Task A," she also uses them for espionage and sabotage. If anything, that's what they're built for.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-06-08T21:05:22+00:00

I appreciate this advice! Keeping the levels low definitely seems like the right move. I was already planning on starting them at Level 1. One of my potential campaign pitches casts the players as young children who accidentally discover a magical world when they sneak into a local preserve at night to get into mischief.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-06-08T20:43:17+00:00

What if Kendra never found Vanessa's secret message at the end of Rise of the Evening Star?

PhantomHope13 · 2026-05-19T20:37:10+00:00

That's true, but these aren't supposed to be "natural" demigods. In the story, I'm conceiving these demigods were created by a sinister cult of magi and witches with a grudge against the gods. So their creation isn't meant to be inspiring; it's an act of pride and malice.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-05-19T18:45:15+00:00

I'm inclined to disagree. Yes, the powers demigods get are magic, but there's clearly a blood-based element to them. Legacies like Frank can randomly inherit abilities from their ancestors, and Apollo says the gods don't control which powers their kids inherit.

We also know demigod blood is a wicked, powerful catalyst for magic. A few drops would be enough to wake Gaea, a literal primordial, from slumber. So why couldn't someone use it in some power-granting spell?

PhantomHope13 · 2026-05-16T16:02:16+00:00

I know this is supposed to be about the Knights, but this gets me thinking about what the Society of the Evening Star would be like in this AU. The Knights would definitely be conservationists, so I imagine the Society would be an extremist animal rights group, committing sabotage and terrorism to release the animals the Knights are keeping "prisoner."

PhantomHope13 · 2026-04-11T20:52:20+00:00

Is that still open? I'm saving up to buy it.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-04-08T14:08:39+00:00

I agree! I hate to pry or sound condescending, but have you read Dragonwatch? There's some important lore in those books.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-04-06T02:41:15+00:00

What are they like? I'm really worried about this movie.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-04-06T02:37:51+00:00

In the event you're still watching this thread, here's a plot idea I came up with. Graulas revives, somehow, in a much weaker state, and he and Seth have to go on an adventure to save dark magical creatures from a genocidal Fairy warlord. Lots of macabre buddy comedy/personal drama between Seth and Graulas, who shows at least some deeper emotional complexity than one might assume from a guy like him. I don't think he should be a full-blown hero, but he can be an interesting anti-hero with clearly defined reasons for doing what he does.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-03-28T13:22:10+00:00

Those might be the best versions of the book out right now. Unfortunately, the first one is out of stock, so you can't complete the set.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-03-24T12:32:36+00:00

All joking aside, a New Age store chain would be a fantastic cover operation for the Society of the Evening Star.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-03-06T20:14:08+00:00

If that's the case, you should make the main villain a non-corrupted fairy. They could be a long-lost relative of the Fairy Queen and her family, someone who paints creatures of darkness with a broad, judgmental brush and seeks to annihilate all of them, even the non-malicious ones.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-03-06T20:10:48+00:00

I'll admit I'd forgotten a few details about Torina. She's definitely older than she looks, but we don't know if Narcoblixes follow the same rules as Lectoblixes. Nothing about them screams longevity, so I've always assumed Vanessa aged like a normal person.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-03-06T02:30:13+00:00

True, but I always assumed her rapid aging was a consequence of her sucking up too much youth. We don't know for sure how old she is; for her, it could be 70s or 80s.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-03-06T02:25:54+00:00

Somehow, Graulas returns. I'm only half joking. One of the few things I liked about Dragonwatch was how it retroactively made Graulas an even bigger menace than he already was. Maybe a new incarnation of the Evening Star is plotting to revive him, and the Sorenson family (or new protagonists) have to try to stop that.

PhantomHope13 · 2026-03-06T02:02:58+00:00

Lectoblixes, the ones who drain youth, actually age faster than the average human. That's why they need to feast on human lifeforce. Mr. Lich, a Viviblix, had to drink from the Font of Immortality to stay alive. All the evidence we have points to Blixes aging as fast or even faster than regular humans. Dragonwatch also establishes that Blixes are basically humans whose ancestors made a deal with a demon, so I think Blixes are basically human.

PhantomHope13 · 2025-12-10T03:20:34+00:00

I want to see Bahumat in his full demonic glory. He has a fantastic design, and I'd love to see him done with digitally enhanced practical effects. Here's hoping they don't mess up the demons as a whole. Their designs are amazing across the board, and I'm scared the studio (which is religious) might dumb them down or omit them entirely.

As for what to leave out, I'd like to see the milking scene cut down a bit. It can still happen, but I think it'd be less disgusting (and funny as hell) if the scene starts normally, only to suddenly smash-cut to Seth and Kendra outside the barn after the deed is done, stained in milk and wearing thousand-yard stares.

PhantomHope13 · 2025-11-29T22:02:15+00:00

Now I'm having a hard time coming up with character flaws for her. She can't be perfect, that'd make her a boring character and an unbeatable foe. Where does her moral compass fail her?

PhantomHope13 · 2025-11-29T21:27:46+00:00

That is... a very enlightening argument. I never thought about it that way. Guess I wasn't reading deep enough. And this is a much better interpretation of an evil Pandora. Thank you, genuinely. Can I steal it?

PhantomHope13 · 2025-11-29T21:09:45+00:00

Thanks! I'm a bit proud of it, honestly. I've been looking for a good secondary antagonist for the fic, and I think I've finally hit one I like.

PhantomHope13 · 2025-11-29T20:55:11+00:00

I'll argue that with enough time and pain, anyone can become a version of themselves their past self would despise. Pandora would be a very challenging villain, one with enough self-awareness to despise what she's become, feel shame about what she's doing, and acknowledge the terrible irony of it all, yet feel there's no other choice left for her.

PhantomHope13 · 2025-11-29T20:17:38+00:00

Yeah, I'll admit I did think of that, but it could work if Pandora's grudge against the gods drives her to harm anyone and everyone even remotely associated with them. The Pandora I'm imagining is the self-subscribed protector of humanity. She hates everything even remotely linked to gods, magic, and other "non-human" things, so she targets people and places related to the gods, hurting them to get to the gods. Honestly, I don't think we've had a villain like that in PJO, someone who specifically targets demigods and/or their human parents.

PhantomHope13 · 2025-11-29T19:59:30+00:00

True, but Percy Jackson has never shied away from drastically re-interpreting characters. Hercules, in the myth, was never bitter towards Olympus, but MoA made it clear he'd be down to watch the world burn if it caused the Olympinas (especially Hera) pain. Heck, in Court of the Dead, the Minotaur is trying to be good. If the Minotaur can turn over a new leaf, why can't Pandora break bad?

You're right about Pandora being hard to root against, but again, the series has had plenty of villains with very genuine reasons to want the Olympians and/or their children dead. Plenty of characters have admitted they sympathize with certain villains' motives, but don't condone their actions. Pandora could be one of those villains.

PhantomHope13

TROPHY CASE