Hey everyone, it's been a while

I'll talk about some more things in regards to this book down in the author's note, but for now, I'd like to invite you to take a short trip with me as I explain why Tam and Nico di Angelo are not the same person. 

Now, you maybe be thinking "Of course they are, Silver!! It's so obvious!"

And at face value, I can completely see why people think this, and I am not trying to insult anyone's intelligence by making this. In fact, I kinda agreed with it for a little bit until I really started thinking. 

Now, let's start with their similarities. Are they both sweet emo bois with dark pasts, dark hair, tragic backstories, and epic powers?

Abso-freaking-lutely. 

But that's kind of where the similarities end. 

1. Tam Has Trust Issues, Nico Doesn't

"Silver, have you even read Nico? Of course he has trust issues!!"

Nope. He doesn't. XD

Now, does this mean that he immediately trusts anyone he meets? No, it doesn't. I don't think anyone completely trusts a stranger. But he doesn't find it hard to trust people, unless he has a gut feeling that he shouldn't. 

And Nico actually has plenty reason to have trust issues, since Percy promised to (try) and keep his sister safe, and he failed. And yet, although Nico is understandably angry and upset with Percy, he doesn't think Percy never keeps his promises, or that anyone who says they'll do something is lying. Throughout the Battle of the Labyrinth, when this would've been most prevalent, Nico just wants his sister back. He never once tries to convince people Percy's not trustworthy or anything like that. When Percy tries to convince Nico to come back to Camp Half-Blood and tells him the campers will accept him, Nico doesn't say "and why should I trust anything you say?" or something like that. He simply says "Do you really believe that?"

And you could bring up how Nico pushes everyone away. But that behavior doesn't stem from a lack of trust or a fear of betrayal; it stems from low self-esteem, and the belief that no one really wants him. He trusted the rest of the Argo II just fine, despite not knowing any of them. 

Tam, on the other hand, has MAJOR trust issues (we don't count his thing with Glimmer -_-). This mainly stems from a need to protect Linh, after living in a house with people who did nothing but hurt them for most of their lives. Heck, he wouldn't even let Sophie and Co anywhere near him and Linh before reading their shadowvapor. In fact, he threatened them with shadows when they tried to cross the river. 

He was also extremely adamant about his suspicions of Keefe and Alvar, even though they both seemed like decent people, all because of his belief that refusing to be read meant you had something to hide (and he was right too). When Keefe joined the Neverseen, Tam repeatedly said that they couldn't trust him, despite Sophie's insistence that Keefe would never do anything bad. 

In fact, Tam still doesn't trust Sophie--though admittedly, he has good reason. His belief that she couldn't protect Linh is what mainly what led him to agreeing to join the Neverseen. 

2. Their Backstories 

Nico was a very excitable and outgoing kid. Then, after his sister took a vow of immortality and basically said she was going to leave him to go to Camp Half-Blood alone, she goes on a quest and dies. Nico then leaves Camp Half-Blood, devastated over his sister's death, and terrified of his powers and feelings for Percy. He roams around for a long time, trying to find answers about his past, before eventually joining Percy's "helpful people" contacts list. 

Tam was scorned basically from birth. His parents were abusive--(seriously, the amount of hints Tam drops at Choralmere in Nightfall that Sophie doesn't pick up on)--and they allowed the banishment of their twin daughter. Tam decided to go with her and they spent the next three and a half years isolated, learning skills under horrible conditions and living in tents with literally one fruit a day to share. 

Now, here's where you can start to see the differences. Both their backgrounds are terrible, but the key difference is where they ended up and why. 

Nico chose his temporary isolation. He wanted answers about his family, and he knew he had to do it alone. Tam did not choose his. It was either that or stay in an abusive household with his only support system gone, forced to pretend to be something he's not. 

Although it's not the most important distinction, because of course they'll have different backstories, it's important to take into consideration considering how it affected each of their personalities. 

3. Anti-Social Reasons

"You're siblings."

"Twins. Will that be a problem?"

That's the first thing he says when Sophie notices. He lets people know right away that he will not tolerate any kind of hate against him and his sister, and he will kick their butt if they try it. Nico, on the other hand, pushes himself away. The key difference? Tam pushes people away because he thinks other people suck, and Nico pushes people away because he thinks he sucks. 

4. They Don't Even Have the Same Personality

Tam is a lot more lighthearted than Nico is, especially when he feels comfortable around people, like he does with Sophie and Co now. He teased Dex in Nightfall and had what could've become a friendly rivalry with Marella (you know, with her threatening to burn his bangs of and all). He's also a lot more casual and emotional. We've seen Tam laugh, cry, have a good time, etc. Nico's way more closed off--heck, the only time we see him smile is around Hazel and Will. He doesn't show much emotion because he doesn't want to get close to people. Tam's the exact opposite--he does want to get close to people, he just wants to make sure they're the right people. 

5. Nico Has An Arc, Tam Doesn't

The final major difference: Nico's arc. 

Nico changes a lot over the course of PJO and HOO. It's subtle, yeah, but it's definitely there. First, he learned how to deal with and get over Biana's death. Then, he gradually accepted his position as a son of hades and the consequences that came with it. Now, that isn't to say that he was happy with it, and he most certainly wasn't--but he accepted it. Then, he learned how to get close to people again--first Hazel, then Jason, then Will, until finally, he accepted the last part of himself that he needed to: his feelings for Percy. In TOA, we finally see him happy, and we know he's not the same broken kid he was in BOTL. 

Tam doesn't have an arc like that, and that's perfectly fine! Static characters are necessary, since it would get way confusing if everyone was changing. 

"But you just said Tam got more comfortable with Sophie and crew! Isn't that an arc?"

Not exactly. Tam was perfectly capable of getting close to them given enough time. Now, if Tam meets someone new and doesn't need to read their shadowvapor first, that would be a change. But even as Tam's becoming more comfortable around Sophie and Co, he still needs to read Marella's shadowvapor, even though he knows she's a friend of Sophie's and therefore more trustworthy. 

6. Some Minor Differences, Cuz Why Not

-Tam has a nervous habit, Nico doesn't

-As far as I know, Nico is the only one that wears all black

-Nico isn't salty like Tam can be, he's just done with people/has no social skills

-Tam is more observant than Nico is

-Who would win in a fight, Tam or Nico?

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

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Hey everyone!! I've got some bad news

I probably won't be posting on this book for a while. I highly doubt Tam will be in Unlocked, which means no Tam content until next year. On top of that, I'm kind of falling out of the fandom (aside from ranting about it XD) and I'm not into writing fanfiction as much as I was. At this point, I'm only reading Keeper for Tam and Tiana (which doesn't even look like it's gonna happen)

That being said, I'm due for some more Tam fanart, so if that happens, I'll post it on here as well as my art book <3 Love you guys