Jayson’s Reviews > The Son of Neptune > Status Update
Jayson
is 29% done
Notes:
(1) I mentioned it during my first read of this book, but it bears repeating: The idea that in Vancouver of all places, Frank is bullied at school for being Chinese is the most ridiculous thing I've EVER read.
- As someone actually from Vancouver, I can say with dead certainty that this would never happen because the overwhelming majority of students here ARE Chinese.
- Who exactly would be doing the bullying?
— Mar 27, 2023 04:30AM
(1) I mentioned it during my first read of this book, but it bears repeating: The idea that in Vancouver of all places, Frank is bullied at school for being Chinese is the most ridiculous thing I've EVER read.
- As someone actually from Vancouver, I can say with dead certainty that this would never happen because the overwhelming majority of students here ARE Chinese.
- Who exactly would be doing the bullying?
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is finished
Notes:
(1) Finally finished this after three months. I got audiobooks done much faster when I drove a lot more.
- I've got to fit them better into my routine. Find some mindless, repetitive task to listen along with.
(2) Riordan's Achilles heel are his battle scenes.
- They're often so chaotic and noisy that everything just melts into one big cacophony.
- Outside of notable deaths, I don't find them memorable at all.
— May 28, 2023 03:40AM
(1) Finally finished this after three months. I got audiobooks done much faster when I drove a lot more.
- I've got to fit them better into my routine. Find some mindless, repetitive task to listen along with.
(2) Riordan's Achilles heel are his battle scenes.
- They're often so chaotic and noisy that everything just melts into one big cacophony.
- Outside of notable deaths, I don't find them memorable at all.
Jayson
is 92% done
Notes:
(1) Riordan makes a big deal about muskeg. Not being a homonym or near-homonym with an obscenity feels like a letdown.
- It's no "dam" or "shist" in other words.
- "Muskeg" is only moderately funny sounding.
(2) "Then she kissed him — a real kiss on the lips, much better than the kind of kiss she'd given Percy on the airplane."
- Even when Percy's not anywhere to be found, he's on people's minds during kisses.
— May 27, 2023 04:55AM
(1) Riordan makes a big deal about muskeg. Not being a homonym or near-homonym with an obscenity feels like a letdown.
- It's no "dam" or "shist" in other words.
- "Muskeg" is only moderately funny sounding.
(2) "Then she kissed him — a real kiss on the lips, much better than the kind of kiss she'd given Percy on the airplane."
- Even when Percy's not anywhere to be found, he's on people's minds during kisses.
Jayson
is 82% done
Notes:
(1) Hazel kisses Percy, which the narrator says "was totally sisterly."
- Whatever the reason, girls are always kissing Percy.
(2) "[Percy]'d never used a pay phone before. They were strange antiques to him, like his mom's turntable or his teacher Chiron's Frank Sinatra cassette tapes."
- Pay phones were ancient in 2011?
- Seriously, why would cassettes be Chiron's preferred audio format? For analog, go vinyl.
— May 21, 2023 04:25AM
(1) Hazel kisses Percy, which the narrator says "was totally sisterly."
- Whatever the reason, girls are always kissing Percy.
(2) "[Percy]'d never used a pay phone before. They were strange antiques to him, like his mom's turntable or his teacher Chiron's Frank Sinatra cassette tapes."
- Pay phones were ancient in 2011?
- Seriously, why would cassettes be Chiron's preferred audio format? For analog, go vinyl.
Jayson
is 76% done
Notes:
(1) Being from Vancouver, it's weird to to hear Riordan's touristy tidbits. No less because it's actually North Vancouver he goes on about.
- Firstly, no locals call it "North Vancouver," everyone calls it "North Van.
- Also, it's not very interesting compared to Vancouver. Riordan name drops a bridge, a park, etc.
(2) Apparently, Frank's family has a mansion in North Van.
- Mansions are more a West Van thing.
— May 05, 2023 04:50AM
(1) Being from Vancouver, it's weird to to hear Riordan's touristy tidbits. No less because it's actually North Vancouver he goes on about.
- Firstly, no locals call it "North Vancouver," everyone calls it "North Van.
- Also, it's not very interesting compared to Vancouver. Riordan name drops a bridge, a park, etc.
(2) Apparently, Frank's family has a mansion in North Van.
- Mansions are more a West Van thing.
Jayson
is 67% done
Notes:
(1) Usually, we get a kind of touristy overview and commentary on each city/locale. However, we see very little of Seattle here outside of a Space Needle mention.
- Instead, this section is all about Amazon HQ, with loads of Amazon purchasing and shipping jokes.
- There is one Seattle Sonics pun that I appreciate.
(2) Frank asks Hazel to tend to his stick... literally, it's a piece of wood.
- No innuendo here.
— May 04, 2023 04:20AM
(1) Usually, we get a kind of touristy overview and commentary on each city/locale. However, we see very little of Seattle here outside of a Space Needle mention.
- Instead, this section is all about Amazon HQ, with loads of Amazon purchasing and shipping jokes.
- There is one Seattle Sonics pun that I appreciate.
(2) Frank asks Hazel to tend to his stick... literally, it's a piece of wood.
- No innuendo here.
Jayson
is 58% done
Notes:
(1) Riordan makes a peeping Tom joke, where Reyna's in the bath when Hazel calls and Frank says he wishes he could have seen her. Surprisingly edgy for these books.
- I mean, this series is more mature than "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," but up until now there hasn't been a whiff of anything sexual.
(2) Is Portland famous for food trucks? Because that's the main takeaway (pardon the pun) of these chapters.
— Apr 24, 2023 04:40AM
(1) Riordan makes a peeping Tom joke, where Reyna's in the bath when Hazel calls and Frank says he wishes he could have seen her. Surprisingly edgy for these books.
- I mean, this series is more mature than "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," but up until now there hasn't been a whiff of anything sexual.
(2) Is Portland famous for food trucks? Because that's the main takeaway (pardon the pun) of these chapters.
Jayson
is 51% done
Notes:
(1) Iris has a store called ROFL, which the narrator pronounces "roffle."
- I don't think I've ever heard ROFL pronounced phonetically. I've always just said each initial.
(2) These Frank chapters are rough! Definitely my least favorite here.
- His backstory's never about him, but his ancient ancestors, his mother and grandmother, and a burnt stick he keeps on himself.
- He's an entirely superficial character.
— Apr 09, 2023 05:00AM
(1) Iris has a store called ROFL, which the narrator pronounces "roffle."
- I don't think I've ever heard ROFL pronounced phonetically. I've always just said each initial.
(2) These Frank chapters are rough! Definitely my least favorite here.
- His backstory's never about him, but his ancient ancestors, his mother and grandmother, and a burnt stick he keeps on himself.
- He's an entirely superficial character.
Jayson
is 46% done
Notes:
(1) There's this wheat field scene where the word "schist" is used as a faux expletive, in place of the other S-word.
- Keen observers will know this is a reworking of the "dam" gag from "The Titan's Curse," albeit less spot-on.
- Essentially, a modern take on the classic "Who's on First" routine.
(2) We get Hazel's backstory here, which is good stuff.
- Much more substantial and less superficial than Frank's.
— Apr 06, 2023 04:25AM
(1) There's this wheat field scene where the word "schist" is used as a faux expletive, in place of the other S-word.
- Keen observers will know this is a reworking of the "dam" gag from "The Titan's Curse," albeit less spot-on.
- Essentially, a modern take on the classic "Who's on First" routine.
(2) We get Hazel's backstory here, which is good stuff.
- Much more substantial and less superficial than Frank's.
Jayson
is 38% done
Notes:
(1) Reyna seemed to be proposing some sort of political marriage with Percy.
- Percy gives her the cliché, and always-awkward, "but I have a girlfriend" excuse. Though, having no memory, he can only assume so.
- From what I understand, having watched HBO's "Rome," this is quite the Roman thing to do.
(2) Terminus scoffs at the idea of magical trains.
- Yet another of this series' subtle digs at "Harry Potter."
— Mar 30, 2023 04:45AM
(1) Reyna seemed to be proposing some sort of political marriage with Percy.
- Percy gives her the cliché, and always-awkward, "but I have a girlfriend" excuse. Though, having no memory, he can only assume so.
- From what I understand, having watched HBO's "Rome," this is quite the Roman thing to do.
(2) Terminus scoffs at the idea of magical trains.
- Yet another of this series' subtle digs at "Harry Potter."
Jayson
is 20% done
Notes:
(1) Hazel mentions that her father looks like Adolf Hitler, but without the moustache.
- Frankly, the moustache is the one thing that makes someone look like Hitler. Take that away, and I doubt even Hitler would look like Hitler.
(2) The leader of the Fifth Cohort is Dakota, son of Bacchus, who's perpetually drunk on Kool-Aid.
- Ironically, he's not "drunk the Kool-Aid," being quite lethargic about his duties.
— Mar 02, 2023 05:15AM
(1) Hazel mentions that her father looks like Adolf Hitler, but without the moustache.
- Frankly, the moustache is the one thing that makes someone look like Hitler. Take that away, and I doubt even Hitler would look like Hitler.
(2) The leader of the Fifth Cohort is Dakota, son of Bacchus, who's perpetually drunk on Kool-Aid.
- Ironically, he's not "drunk the Kool-Aid," being quite lethargic about his duties.
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Juju ♡ ～('▽^人)
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Mar 27, 2023 05:21AM
i assume some really ignorant kids that are legally blind and legally quite stupid and legally deserve no voting rights
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Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "i assume some really ignorant kids that are legally blind and legally quite stupid and legally deserve no voting rights"Well, anyone who's blind I'd actually really feel sorry for. Frankly, I'd let them do whatever. As far as voting goes, high schoolers can't do that anyway, so that's already taken care of.
Jayson wrote: "Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "i assume some really ignorant kids that are legally blind and legally quite stupid and legally deserve no voting rights"Well, anyone who's blind I'd actually really feel so..."
thank god they have to grow up before they're able to.
as for the blindness - i agree. though, i'd think with them being blind, they wouldn't see a difference in people's races anyway as well as the fact that they know suffering and pain, so they'll always understand compassion and empathy. don't think they'd ever turn into assholes and thus, bully anybody for anything, let alone for their looks/their race. i'd do anything for blind kids though 100%
Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "Jayson wrote: "Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "i assume some really ignorant kids that are legally blind and legally quite stupid and legally deserve no voting rights"Well, anyone who's blind I'd actually..."
i also wasn't calling them actually blind ;-; i meant it more in the sense that they would have to be blind not to notice the amount of chinese population over there and then go on and bully somebody for being chinese ahhh i'm sorry if that came across weird/i misphrased stuff!!
Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "as for the blindness - i agree. though, i'd think with them being blind, they wouldn't see a difference in people's races anyway as well as the fact that they know suffering and pain, so they'll always understand compassion and empathy..."In general, I'm with you. Though, personally, I wouldn't be so broad as to say that blind people can never be assholes. Individuals have the capacity for all sorts of things, and there's exceptions to any every rule. It also depends whether people are blind from birth or become so later in life. But, in general, I share your sentiment.
Not to get too far off topic, but it reminds me of the classic Dave Chapelle sketch about the blind white supremacist who never realized he was black. Possibly you're not familiar with American TV or it's before your time, but it's quite famous this side of the Atlantic :)
Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "i also wasn't calling them actually blind ;-; i meant it more in the sense that they would have to be blind not to notice the amount of chinese population over there and then go on and bully somebody for being chinese ahhh i'm sorry if that came across weird/i misphrased stuff!!"Not to worry, we all write things here that aren't read by others the way we intend. What threw me off was "legally," which isn't an adjective really associated with hyperbole. Now, if you phrased it like "you'd have to literally be blind not to notice..." then I'd have got your meaning right away :)
Frankly, the only people I could see bullying Chinese kids in Vancouver schools are South Asians or Southeast Asians, if there's sufficient social clout and if their numbers are high enough. Caucasians only make up at most 10%, and that's being generous. Really, it's like bringing beef to a vegan potluck. I mean, does one have a death wish? 😅
RR books have really bad asian rep (as someone who is Chinese themselves) and i don't expect his books to be extremely accurate when it *does* have asian rep. Frank is one of the only Chinese characters and one of the main thing that irritated me in riordan's whole franchise is the lack of asian rep. that's all i have to say about this 😭
audy (brekker's version) wrote: "RR books have really bad asian rep (as someone who is Chinese themselves) and i don't expect his books to be extremely accurate when it *does* have asian rep. Frank is one of the only Chinese chara..."I'm not all that big on representation, to be honest. I'm actually from "Asia", and it's not really a thing for people there at all, it's almost exclusively a Western concept. But, people value different things in their literature and so forth, and I have admittedly an old-world mindset, so at least on this site I'm an outlier. Personally, it always feels try-hard and cringy when done poorly, which it almost always is in these sorts of books.
Jayson wrote: "Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "i also wasn't calling them actually blind ;-; i meant it more in the sense that they would have to be blind not to notice the amount of chinese population over there and then..."ooo, okay! thank you for letting me know; i'll be more careful with how to use hyperbole and sarcasm haha
to respond to your other comic - i agree regarding the blindness; just as well that not all of them of course have the same type of self-reflection etc!
i've known of dave chapelle, but not this particular bit. it sounds very humourous. might just check it out :3
Juju ♡ ～('▽^人) wrote: "ooo, okay! thank you for letting me know; i'll be more careful with how to use hyperbole and sarcasm haha..."I often have trouble myself. The English language and I have a love-hate relationship 😉
