Chris · 3mo
Good afternoon! Tis I, the guy with the notes app, back after reading ch. 24 and with an account now. Sorry for how long this is about to be LOL
I would be happy to share my notes and vocab! So for vocab, there's a ton but I didn't start taking notes until chapter 15ish so I plan to go back and reread it to get all of the other quotes and vocab I missed to write down. Fetid, Unencumbered, Vitriolic, Recondite, Inveigling, Integument, Dehisce, Aureate, Sapidity, Ataractic, Chiropteran, Sluice, Latibulate, Imbued, Beatitude, and Disquietude are what I have so far though! I used to be big on reading classics when I was in high school so I thought I had a decent vocabulary, but after being in university for 5 years I found it hard to have time to read and I think my vocabulary dwindled a bit. But after reading your fic, it's rekindled a fire in me to take more time for myself to read again and build up my vocabulary more.
As for the rest of my notes, starting with my post it note from when we were first introduced to Wooyoung I immediately began theorizing who each God would be as their characters were introduced to us! When Felix said his twin was Wooyoung I pinned them as Apollo and Artemis (though I accidentally wrote them as Pollux and Castor at first LOL). I wasn't sure who Minho was for a hot sec if I'm being honest, it took me a little bit of research to figure out he was probably Hades. I didn't realize pomegranates were associated with him, as my Greek mythology is a bit rusty. Yunho I pinned as Demeter pretty quickly and Hyunjin as Aphrodite. The only ones I got mixed up were Seungmin and IN, as I guessed IN was Hermes and Seungmin was Hephaestus. After Jisung was gifted the bow though I realized the roles were switched.
My guess is Jisung is Persephone? Since he ate the pomegranate which I have now learned represents Hades and Persephone's marriage, and that he can only go to the mortal world for about a month which is similar to Persephone leaving for six months.
Speaking of which, I still have not gotten over the plot twist of Jisung being blessed and surviving eating the seeds. I knew something was sketchy about Hekate, I even wrote in my notes "checked on titan crawling out of pit vision- probably didn't and aiding in his escape- now knows Jisung's identity, will use as leverage against the gods" and am happy to report I was correct LOL
I also wrote "Jisung being a necromancer was not on my bingo card" because WHAT THATS SO COOL
I was for sure crying again when Minho was teaching him to use his ability and he saw the fawn in the forest. I really hope that all animals go to that realm IRL because thinking of how they can live peacefully without fear just makes me feel so much better...
A lot of the quotes that I have written down are ones that hit hard, I found funny, or pertain to your writing style actually. I love the way you describe character emotions or reactions or their looks, and how they tend to be related to their abilities. "Even Changbin, as yielding and easygoing as tides licking at sand-dusted shores... Yunho's fair, freckled face pales in pallid suspicion and lily-white mistrust." Like I truly just think that's so clever so I have a whole bunch of them written down! The others that hit hard or I found funny are: "No parent should ever lay their hands on their child like yours did" , "There's not much we can do to interfere with fate. But if I hear a child begging for mercy, I'll always grant it." , "Damn it, I knew you were fucking my uncle!" , "Unless I'm fucking dead, you don't control me" (that one hit hard, also foreshadowing hehe), "No matter what happens to him, he knows that he'd never come to regret the choices he's made if they kept him by Minho's side until the end" (my note with that was, "ouch, he probably dies, however being blessed by Chan and being a necromancer my guess is he either gets brought back to life or reincarnated somehow?" and once again happy to report my prediction was correct lol), "Minho had saved him so many times. From his nightmares. From his past. From death. From himself. It was time to return the favor" , "The kid's alive and that bitchass Typhon is done!" and finally "Having a home changes everything, doesn't it?"
I was not emotionally prepared for Jisung to have to witness Minho over the pit like he saw him in his nightmares btw, that broke me because his biggest fear came true right before his eyes as he was literally dying, the trauma this poor man has faced so far omg
And WHO WAS THAT??? AT THE BAR??? It wasn't Gaia herself right? She can't make herself into a humanoid figure like that considering Typhon was so big... right? I'm already trying to come up with theories and do more research because I need to knowwwwww
Lastly, based on a lot of hints ch. 24 dropped, is there potentially a sequel in the works? "All the gods could do was prepare for war, expect the unexpected, tread with caution" was what really made me think that. No pressure though!! Just excited if there is one :))
Again thank you so much for writing "I wonder, can I see myself in the dark?" because it's such a masterpiece. I'm looking forward to the epilogue!!
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...
