EEEEE THIS IS AMAZING KASJD;LFKASJDF;LK THANK YOU MY FRIEND

(long response w/ spoilers!)

First of all -- I LOVE the vocab notes! Those words are so yummy. And i totally get it; I was a big reader when I was young too, but I felt like I lost the time and energy during college too! Writing has helped a lot though. I'm (obviously) super specific with my descriptions. My favorite part of reading was always the escapism and vividness of what I could imagine in my mind. When it came to writing, I felt like I wanted to make those images as clear as is possible with words -- so I would pour over thesaurses and dictionaries to find the perfect words. It was definitely time consuming to do so, but I feel like it paid off. For me, black isn't enough -- is it onyx? Obsidian? Igneous rock? Vantablack? Is the sensation intense or is it electrifying, burning, scalding, searing? You know what I mean? I'm really glad that readers have, from what I've been told at least, enjoyed the specificity. I know the wordiness isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I felt like with magical realism and world-building and low fantasy at play, it was worth it :D (from your list, I think latibulate is one of my favorites. That word makes me cackle bc... same. Same.)

As for your predictions... you're on top of it! Minho's hints were purposefully a bit more vague because I didn't want to object of Jisung's dreams to be immediately SUPER obvious. I think it wasn't necedssarily unclear, but I wanted there to still be some doubt surrounding it for a while. Pomegranates, interestingly enough, are a symbol of marriage (and therefore, Hera) -- but are so closely affiliated with the myth of Hades and Persephone that I knew it'd be a solid hint. Jisung isn't Persephone so much as heavily inspired by her; I wanted him to be original and unique, but also fill the role she would have with respect to the Olympians and Hades. So he has the green thumb/love for flowers and nature, has the necromancy she gains when she becomes Queen of the Underworld, and even falls into the Underworld for the first time due to a Narcissus flower (just like in the original mythos) -- but outside of that is very much his own character. Part of why I chose to do that is because some versions of the Hades and Persephone myth are a lot more dubious/non-consensual, whereas others aren't as much, and I wanted their connection and love to be without question.

LMAO HEKATE IS SO SKETCHY YES I was so happy everyone picked up the HEAVY dubiousness of their interactions. In original mythology, she was so so so trusted by the gods, given access to so much. It was a close betrayal and for that, I couldn't resist. But you know.... fuck her for trying to kill our boy! But I'm so happy you liked that plot twist! There's a lot to his past that we haven't dug into yet, and that's just one part of it. I know, too, that Chan was not particularly liked in the story (and that was on purpose -- Zeus isn't known to be a great guy lol) but I really wanted there to be a moment in which he chooses Jisung. He chooses to help him without knowing what he'd mean to them. Chooses to protect him. Chooses to protect innocence over ignoring him. Jisung was Chan's first stray kid, and I felt like that had to somehow be reflected in the story... and I felt like this was a good way to do it and redeem his character a bit :D writing that conversation made me emotional, too... there are a lot of dark topics in this fic, especially with his familial abuse. But it needed to be said and shown that there are people (or, in this story, powerful gods) out there willing and ready to help victims and protect them, show them that they don't deserve any of it and instead deserve grace and peace and a life without pain.

And I love the quotes you picked out! Yes, I definitely tried to be thematic when describing each character. Not every time, but I tried to distinguish each god and their unique appeals so I'm super glad you caught it ;)

And I know... Minho nearly befalling the fate that Jisung has feared since chapter 1 was scary. Honestly, it sucked to write -- I cried so much writing those chapters because even though I knew how I planned for everything to turn out, it still hurt to imagine how it would feel in that moment. To be weak and helpless despite every risk you've taken to strengthen and embolden yourself and watch someone you love in the exact danger you feared most. But that desperation was enough <3 and they're both okay!! and happy and sappy!!

As for chapter 24... hehehehehehehehhehehe. First of all, I won't spoil who it is. BUT I will say that it isn't Gaia. However, who says primordials couldn't take humanoid shape if they wanted to? Tartarus did, didn't he? Most of Hellenism focused a lot on the Olympians. Some of the titans, even less of the primordials. So the mythos isn't going to be super helpful for you on that one ;) but not Gaia. There are plenty other powerful figures it could be, don't you think? ;) You'll find out eventually... I'll announce how in the author's note of the epilogue <3

Thank you SO so so much for reading. Seriously, I never could've made it this far without insanely generous and kind readers like you. I couldn't be happier that I made the decision to post it. Writing has changed my life for the better. And thank you for sharing all of these thoughts! I'm a little obsessed with hearing what my readers think -- their theories, their loves and hates, all of it -- so I seriously appreciate you taking the time to share all of this with me <3 it means the world that you've come along for this ride with me. Can't wait to post the epilogue and see what you all think of it!!

PS... I'm curious... did you catch any easter eggs/big hints from earlier in the story? There was one that I actually never heard anyone bring up and I can't tell if anybody picked up on it or not! I'm curious if you did. My hint is that it's related to the time he always wakes up from his nightmares...

OH. MY GOD. THANK YOU??????? asdlkfj;alskdjflaksdfj

thank you SO much!!! this is so so sweet I am quite literally kicking my feet at work. I'm so, so happy you enjoy the story so far! However, I will say you gotta sleep, anon!! ;) but really, I'm so so so happy you like it so much.

I knew for a long time that Chan would ultimately be the one to have protected Jisung, albeit unintentionally. It was so hard writing him as a... not very nice character at first knowing that he actually has a heart of gold buried under the pride and temper. I'm glad you liked that lil twist, though! I want to hear all about your predictions, vocab words, and quotes!! I'd love love love to know what has stuck out to you while reading. It's different for everyone, so I find it really fascinating learning what quotes have hit hard for different readers (if you're willing to share).

Thank you SO much for reading and for coming on here to share your thoughts! It really does mean the world to me. I'm excited to hear what you'll think about 21-23... ;) come share you thoughts on it when you're caught up! chapter 24 will be up soon, I promise <3

I know, right!?! we had to start playing the Hercules soundtrack afterwards LMAO…

Want a little chemistry lesson? 😉 this reaction is really cool. Basically we take concentrated hydrochloride acid and dissolve a copper salt, copper(II) chloride, in the acidic solution. Copper salts burn either green or blue depending on the charge of the copper ion (its oxidation state). When we drop aluminum foil into it, two different reactions happen; one is a displacement reaction between aluminum and copper. The aluminum is more reactive than copper, so it kicks copper out of the salt to replace it. So we end up with elemental copper and aluminum chloride (think of it like a switcheroo). The other reaction is between aluminum and hydrochloride acid — and this one produces more aluminum chloride and releases hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas is VERY flammable — so as soon as we drop the aluminum in and give it a swirl, hydrogen gas starts generating and we ignite it right away. Because there’s copper in the solution, it makes the fire blue!!!

Not that anybody asked for a science lesson… but it’s pretty cool!! And fun blue fire!!! And because we do it in a round flask, it helps trap the gas so the fire kind of stays inside and swirls around :))