#I RAMBLE!! I am INTERESTED!! its a smart book!!

[itsnotmuchyet]

Okay, this is just a quick (lies, this ended up so long) and dirty articulation of why I don't like Annabeth Chase from PJO, her relationship with Percy, and what I think could fix it. (It got too long so I cut that bit. I'll write it if someone asks, but right now this is just a deconstruction of how, in my opinion, Annabeth Chase is not a well-written and compelling character.) This will be rambling and scattershot but hopefully it all makes sense, even if you don't agree.

First of all, Annabeth Chase has a lot of potential. I'm about to talk some shit, but I want to be clear, I see a lot in her character that could be interesting. I attribute most of my problems with her to Rick's writing, which, for all its good qualities, is not the strongest or most consistent imo. This isn't intended as a hate piece, just a way to organize my thoughts. I'm doing this all from memory, and am open to feedback, disagreement, or correction if I make a mistake so long as it's done in a civil way. Thank you.

I think my biggest frustration with Annabeth is that I simply don't believe her intelligence. I would LIKE to. But I think we are told that she is smart far more than we're shown, which makes the praise heaped upon her somewhat galling.

When I think about great strategies in these books, Percy comes to mind first. In The Last Olympian, he's the one who plans out the destruction of the bridges to frustrate Kronos' approach, including making diplomatic deals with the river gods and strategically deploying demigods to get it done. He's the one to realize that Poseidon is critical to success, find a way to get his attention in the middle of a war, and convince him to take heavy losses in Atlantis — and lose that battle which was very personal and precious to him — in order to win the ultimate war against Kronos. It is also Percy's strategy which is successful in defeating Typhon. Percy is constantly thinking up strategies in high pressure environments, such as fights. For example, in the Labrynth, when he realizes that his half-brother is healed by earth so he concocts a method with what he has around him to keep his brother suspended so he can be killed.

Now, other demigods also make important contributions in The Last Olympian. Wasn't it Nico who convinced Hades, Persephone, and Demeter to join the fight? And Annabeth activated Daedalus(??? spelling) statues in defense as well. But Percy is one that we are most often shown being strategic. I think it just goes under the radar because Percy does not have a high self esteem and does not praise himself internally for a lot of the clever stuff he does.

Annabeth most often contributes by knowing something. She often serves as exposition; she'll recognize a myth first, and explain it to Percy. But not only is prior knowledge and memorization not a replacement for actual strategy, BUT PERCY GETS BETTER GRADES THAN HER. I think it's in that Demigod Files book?? All Riordan's stuff has at least a month's waitlist at my library or I would double check my source, but I distinctly remember an entry where Annabeth is like, "Seriously, how is Percy getting better grades than me?? I'm the one who taught him how to put an essay together and now he's breezing through them??? Wtf." I find this intensely frustrating. Because what do you MEAN she's not even more successful than Percy academically? It's just, it's frustrating, because she's supposed to be so super smart, and I'm struggling to see where that actually gets expressed. If her only advantage is an earlier exposure to the Greek myths than Percy and a good memory, then her value as a character is highest near the start of the series and can only decline from there.

Even her encounter with the Sphinx highlights this. She had the trivia knowledge to answer the questions but not the wisdom to just, do that and not start an unnecessary fight in the middle of their quest.

I can think of several times in the books where Annabeth stutters, trying to think of something, while Percy improvises something that might be a little goofy but it WORKS.

Actually, Percy is by far the better manipulator out of the two of them. He is insanely good at reading his enemies, figuring out how to convince them to ally with him if possible, or defeat them if not. His big vulnerability is he can't do that for shit with people he cares about. Percy is actually very conflict avoidant in his personal life, I've noticed? And he's very quick to empathize with a friend and try to see things from their persepective (like when Grover kinda SABOTAGED his college applications and Percy heard him out and supported him in his emotional struggle with Percy leaving).

By contrast, Annabeth doesn't seem interested in the emotional wellbeing of her friends?

Annabeth often insults Percy's intelligence and his strategies. She says his head is full of kelp, seaweed brain, outright calls him stupid at least once (during that quest for Hermes, if I recall; was that in the Demigod Files as well? It wasn't in a main book I don't think). Everyone says that Annabeth is so smart, she's the daughter of Athena she's the architect of Olympus!! Meanwhile, the person I see actually implementing successful strategy is the person Annabeth constantly insults. She says that he's lucky, that he needs help to do anything, couldn't think his way out of a paper bag without her????????

That's what drives me crazy about Annabeth. Nobody ever calls her on her bragging or her putting down of other people. She doesn't learn. Not even when her carelessness and overconfidence gets her DRAGGED INTO TARTARUS. I'm so sorry, but is it not embarrassing for a daughter of Athena to be defeated like that??? All you had to do was keep an awareness of your environment, put two and two together that you're covered in webs just like the spider who just fell through the floor, and realize you'd better do something about that ASAP. And, like. Look. My issue isn't that she was pulled into Tartarus. My issue isn't even the way it happened. It matches with her fatal flaw.

My issue is that, like with everything else she gets wrong, she never seems to learn or grow from it. Like when Luke tricked her into holding up the sky. That to me is a perfect opportunity for a genuine character moment. It's so humbling, and would leave you so shaken. A moment for an unwanted but desperately needed reckoning between who she wants Luke to be and who he is. I'm not even saying she should have given up on him. I don't mind that she couldn't or that the whole thing was so messy and painful for her, but the way that it was expressed in the book made me feel like Annabeth was either willfully blind or untrustworthy. Her denial of Luke's worst aspects, her defending of him, her refusal to hold space for other characters feeling differently to her, all of it fostered suspicion in me when I first read the PJO books.

I remember when I first read the scene where Percy reveals his Achille's heel to her. My hair stood on end. Something about the way her eyes are described as "distant" when she asks where it is, and how Percy hesitates. In that moment I was screaming for him not to trust her. I did not want her to know. I thought his fatal flaw was going to kill him. Percy is a character who cannot anticipate betrayal.

Of course I was wrong about Annabeth there. Or was I? Other people before me have noted that when Annabeth judo flips Percy onto his back in New Rome, she does not know that the Mark of Achilles has been lifted. I don't think that the throw would have necessarily killed him if it hadn't; he lands on a flat surface. But it was certainly DEEPLY careless and foolhardy of Annabeth, EVEN BEFORE you take into account that it was, strategically, a STUPID thing to do. It makes me want to scream how dumb this moment makes Annabeth look. It's the tense, fraught first meeting in years between ancient enemies. You're the leader of your group, the diplomatic ambassador from Camp Half Blood. It's imperative that this goes well, for the fate of the world. And your emotions run so high upon reuniting with your kidnapped boyfriend — who was stolen by a god and has been through you-don't-know-what kind of godly fuckery — that you take it out on him, the VICTIM, and physically attack him. Didn't she put a knife to his throat?? If PERCY hadn't defused the moment, handled it, Annabeth would easily have destroyed the Greek-Roman alliance right there, no ghostly possession of Leo needed. With friends like her, who needs enemies?

Her relationship with Percy…I've never understood why they're the golden couple of the fandom. Annabeth seemed more interested in Luke than Percy, and when she was interested in Percy it was always…like, okay, Annabeth was vulnerable with Luke. I don't think he ever had a thing for her, but there was a tenderness to how she'd interact with him. When she interacted with Percy — think of the school dance, or how she handled having Rachel on a quest — she refuses to be vulnerable with him. If she has a crush on Percy, she hides it under glares, insults, and demands. Annabeth won't ask Percy to dance with her, she'll hit him and call him stupid for not asking her. She will not let her guard down with him.

This is a throughline in their relationship; even in Tartarus, she's thinking about how she likes to keep Percy on her toes. Yeah, Annabeth, we know. It was obvious when you manufactured a whole drama around your "one month anniversary." Which, no, that's not a thing, and it's completely normal of Percy not to anticipate that you would want him to do something special for it. I hated that whole story (it's in demigod files, I think). It's just Annabeth dangling Percy over undefined consequences if he doesn't read her mind and figure out what she wants and needs. He does all the work and she judges it. It's not cute or fun.

I do place most of the blame on Riordan's writing. What's that scene where Annabeth pushes Percy unexpectably off a cliff, triggering a very sensitive and dangerous encounter that he had to negotiate under time pressure while Annabeth watches? How does that scene start? "Get you a girlfriend who…" It's framed as a positive that Annabeth will just shove Percy into dangerous situations without warning when she absolutely does not have to do that. Isn't she supposed to be strategic? Why can't she think up a strategy and tell him, instead of shoving him at the problem and just, putting it on him to find a solution? "Give the problem to Percy" isn't a strategy worthy of Athena, I'm sorry. But my point is, Rick genuinely seems to think their romance is good and these red flag moments are cute and flirty. He is not writing Annabeth as an asshole on purpose.

I tend towards death of the author analyses myself, but Rick's writing is not consistent enough for that. You kinda just have to identify what he was trying to do, see where it failed, and decide how you wanna interpret that. And when it comes to Annabeth…I just want to either burn her relationship with Percy down or rewrite her character.

What else is there? Oh yeah, does anyone else feel like the way her family is written makes her seem…overdramatic? Like, meeting her dad and stepmom…it's an anticlimax. This girl was so unhappy she ran away from home as a child. She chose to become homeless in a world where monsters hunt her down, AS A CHILD, rather than stay with her dad. There's a deep unhappiness and loss to that. When she talks about it, she talks about being unwanted, a burden that her dad was unable and unwilling to handle, not being heard, not being believed. She is describing victim blaming. In that house, she, a six year old child, was seen as the problem.

And after that build up, we meet her family, and they are…well, they're fine, aren't they. Her step mom is concerned for her. She and Annabeth's dad (no i don't remember his name rn) seem to want the best for her, to help however they can. Mr Chase—is his name Frederick maybe???—Mr Chase takes the initiative, after Percy and his friends let him in on a sliver of what's going on with Annabeth, to melt down old weapons to make bullets and FLY A HELICOPTER to come save his daughter.

I'm honestly at a loss about what we're supposed to think here. At the end of Titan's Curse Percy gently suggests to Annabeth that she give her family another chance. If I recall, she says some things can't be repaired, but it's implied that she does actually try again with her family later. This always seemed to me to undermine Annabeth's entire narrative…the way she describes being treated simply does not match what we observe for ourselves in Titan's Curse.

I could go on but I'll cut it here. Maybe I'll make a post about I'd rewrite her if I could, because I do WANT to like Annabeth. There's a lot interesting that could be done with her. Probably not though bc all the Annabeth stans are gonna block me for this one I fear. Maybe I'll post my criticisms of other PJO couples instead lol (I won't. if you've read this far you'll find this claim dubious, but I actually don't enjoy being a hater. anyway i don't have nearly so much to say about any other pjo couple). Thanks for reading.

[itscherrylipsforme]

A love story yet to be written: Jason Todd x Vigilante!bookworm!fem!reader

Summary: The mysterious Red Hood has been your loyal teammate since you became another one of Gotham's vigilantes. Many literature puns and "subtle" flirty comments later, he has decided that it's time to meet you when you two are not covered by the city's darkness and your secret identities

Warnings: Just dozens of references to my fave classic lit authors and novels

Requested: yes

Words: About 1570

Author rambles: God, this has been on my drafts for so long. Glad I was finally able to publish it. Thanks to the anon who sent the request, hope you like it 🫶🏼

Masterlist Characters I write for

Likes and reblogs are appreciated ღ

I do not authorize any of my works to be copied, translated or plagiarized ✗

Gotham’s skies were pitch black when you submerged, like every twilight, in its streets and roofs. Masked face, combat boots, dark sweater and jeans paired with a black leather jacket and a bulletproof vest under all of it. Pointed daggers on your belt, a pair of guns attached to your back harness just in case. Being a vigilante was not an easy side job, but you needed to do it.

Some people simply can’t watch their whole world fall apart and stare blankly. And you would certainly not stay back when your beloved city was drowning in corruption and crime. Growing up you had always been aware that they were others protecting you. Batman, Robin, and the other peculiar crime fighters that had joined them with the pass of time. But being honest, Gotham was a criminals dump, and all the help they could get counted.

 So, you decided to do you your bit. Trained hard, learned how to hide in the shadows and started to feel that what you did matter to your people. Recognition was not long in coming, although fame was not what you were after anyway. One night a camera caught you beating up one bastard who was trying to assault a young girl, next day you were on the news. Dusk they called you and you were not annoyed by the nickname, it suited you in a certain way.

You soon became another no-faced admired warrior to your neighbours. Not bad for the girl who used to be bookworm theatre kid back in High School. Becoming one of Gotham’s saviours was not one of your dreams job as a child, but life has surprising turns waiting for us. What was even more unexpected is that you ended up meeting one of the other vigilantes and that he had become an interesting fellow during the otherwise solitaire superhero’s nights.

“Nice to see you here in the dead vast and middle of the night, darling” He greeted you, after hearing your feet landing in the same rooftop he was in. Didn’t matter if he was backwards, you had started to think he had developed a sixth sense to notice your presence. You could almost bet he was smiling bellow his metallic helmet.

“Good night, Hodd” You answered coming by his side. “Shakespeare, wasn’t it?”

“Smart girl. Hamlet, more precisely” You agreeded “You arrived later than you use to”

“Missed me, geekie boy?” A little chuckle broke the silence of Gotham.

“Of course I did! I would not wish any companion in the world but you” He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his gaze locked in the city’s sky. “And admit it, you are as much a nerd as I am”

“The Tempest? Have you been rereading Uncle Willy’s plays again?” The question ended up sounding like a half-joke half-teasing “And you are right, bookworm and proud. We wouldn’t get along so easily if I weren’t. I declare after all that there is no enjoyment like reading”

A slow nod was the only answer you received. You were certain that a smile was decorating his face at the moment. But not in a million of years you could have imagined that his usual smirk was now followed by a pinkish tone in his cheeks. How long he had been like this around you? He couldn’t recall exactly. This flirting slightly hided between book quotes and glances had been part of your friendship for quite sometime now.

The only problem? He couldn’t bear with being just a friend anymore. When it had all started? He didn’t know. Maybe the night he met you. And when the two of you started patrolling together like every other night, he couldn’t help coming back to those sweet memories still fresh on his mind.

“Another superhero wannabe” that’s what he thought when he first saw you moving from celling to celling without the grace and rhythm that only years of practice can give you. And he was not wrong, you were an amateur, one who still need to practice, but you definitely were determinate enough for that. Jason was not aware of this, therefore he decided to have some fun.

“What are you doing here?” He asked jumping to your side with a voice tone much deeper than his usual one.

“Patrolling” You managed to say in a whisper, rising your head to look at him directly. Shivers run through your spine, not knowing what to do. But you would not allow him to notice your fear.

“Scared of me darling?” He leaned a little so he could be nearer to your face.

“Not even a little, I know who you are” You answered and somehow the most daring and wittiest part of your mind chose to add the next sentence “And also there is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others.”

“My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” He finishes almost instinctively.

He stared at your for some instants, not believed the words that had just come out of your lips. Another vigilante? Who quoted Austen? The night was turning up to be quite interesting.

“You are a sharp girl, with a good book taste” He resolved. “Red Hodd, at your service” He offered you his hand and his presentation, although it was no needed.

And that’s how all started, now a few months later you two keep protecting Gotham from whoever and whatever treats it. This night had been tranquil, a seldom occurrence, and Jason hadn’t talked to much, his mind was focused on a matter which had been troubling him for weeks. When the first rays of light threaten to appear, it’s time to farewell. Not without cracking some bad puns first of course.

“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Dusk is the sun.” He smirked once again.

“First, that’s contradictory. Second, you seriously have to get over your Shakespeare era”.

“Does that mean I don’t get a proper goodbye?” Even with his voice modulator you could hear the teasing edge on the question.”

“Of course, you do” You tried to come up with something silly, yet sweet. “Good night, sweet prince, and flights and angels sing thee to thy rest!”

With that you made a small joking bow and left the rooftop to go back home. It had been enough; Jason had made out his mind. He was going to look for you. He needed to see the unmasked face who had been able to be the first one to win his heart. Luckily, one of his many siblings is a professional hacker.

A bookstore, somehow, he was not surprised at all when Tim found your worked there. In his jean’s pocket there was a small piece of paper with dozens of cheesy books lines that made him think of you. "You are part of my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read." "We would be together and have our books and at night be warm in bed together with the windows open and the stars bright." “You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how” … And those were only the first ones. There were not enough words in the books from your bookstore to describe how nervous he was and how much he wanted to tell you he loved you. But he could at least try.

Your elbows were resting on the counter, another novel laying in front of you. When the doorbell rang announcing another client, you immediately smiled and looked at Jason. You left your seat to meat him by the door, the book long forgotten.

“Took you long enough to find me, geekie boy” You gritted him.

All his speech and quotes banished in the air with just a single sentence of yours. He finally came to himself.

“Wait, were you waiting for me?”

“Of course, I did” You chuckle, God he loved that sound “For almost two months, after all your bad pick-up lines I thought you would be ready to come and met me in person”.

“But… How have you recognized me?” Confusion was still seen on his face.

“Easy. Looked for the libraries and bookstores that had your favourite tittle. Cheeked the names of all the men who borrowed or bought them. Looked for their photos on the internet and compared them with the physical description I had from your” You shrug your shoulders as that work was nothing to you “I am a vigilante after all”.

“I have a brother who would love to meet you, you know?”

“Maybe later, but I guess you came here because you had something to tell me”.

He took a deep breath. Just a few hours, that was all he needed to win you over this time. "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed.” He said softly, but determinate “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I love and admire you.”

Just after he finished your lips were meeting his in a soft and sweet kiss, like the ones written in romance novels.

“You have bewitched me, body and soul” You whispered to his ear.

“Actually, that’s from the movie, not the book”.

You had to kiss him again, this time with more passion, to shut him up.

[onemore2morrow]

okay not to ramble but in 2017 there were rumors about an all-female "Lord of the Flies" remake and the public LOST THEIR MINDS. (Although clearly, that never happened). The two biggest critiques being:

Hollywood is going too woke and this will be SJW propoganda (mostly from the alt right and filmbros)

Having an all-female Lord of the Flies misses the point of the book (mostly from film critics and a few feminists).

Both arguments held one universal truth: if girls (or women) were in a Lord of the Flies-esque situation, girls (or women) would be "too civilized" or "too smart" to revert back to the uncivilized violence seen in the original 1954 novel.

Although I think this argument is sometimes made in good faith (hell, if you'd have asked me my opinion on this in 2017, I'd probably have agreed with it), I think that this argument actually ends up dehumanizing girls MORE. Because it isn't a nuanced or intersectional argument. It completely ignores the idea that the reason why girls are like that is because they are conditioned to be. And it avoids addressing the obvious: girls are still viscous and violent when they feel they need to be. Their actions just manifest in different ways.

(Yellowjackets connection below)

I remember being told in some developmental psychology class that school teachers are taught to handle school fights differently depending on the gender of the students involved. If two boys are in a physical fight, the teachers are told to get them to break eye contact. If you can physically place yourself in between the boys and get them to break eye contact, they'll usually back down. But with two girls, you have to completely separate them. That means potentially dragging them apart, and taking one girl to an entirely separate room. Because they will. not. stop. fighting. Even if you think it's over, it isn't.

I don't know how backed by research this is, or if it was just some pseudoscience myth. But I think it's interesting to think about. And I think it's interesting that in fictional media, we often deny women the capability of being violent. To be violent as a woman or a girl is to be an anomaly. We are meant to be empathetic caregivers. We are meant to be "better than men".

But in a twist of events, that denies women and girls of our humanness. It others us. It gives us double standards. Girls could NEVER inflict the violence in Lord of the Flies, because "girls know better". They're still, in the eyes of the patriarchy, more emotional and lesser than men. But they're too smart for that. Too civilized. A girl could NEVER be violent like that.

And I know I will have someone in my comments arguing that "statistically, men are more prone to physical violence". Before you become that commenter, know that I agree with you. Statistics agree with you. Please understand that I am not saying "women are AS violent as men". I am saying that "women aren't allowed to be violent in media". Essentially, just because men are more prone to physical violence, doesn't mean that women aren't capable of being violent.

I think that's why I've fallen in love with Yellowjackets. Even with it's flaws, it turns the "Lord of the Flies" argument completely on its head. The men are the docile ones. The men are the civilized ones. Be that because of forced vulnerability (Coach Ben), outnumbered compliance (Travis), or just the literal age difference (Javi), the men remain civilized. Even Travis, who ends up going along with Lottie's cult, you could argue does so out of a need to survive. He doesn't instigate. He isn't the one who suggests hunting people.

It's just very refreshing to see a piece of media that lets girls be feral. Obviously, this is an extreme example of it. But that's my whole point:

Both genders can be violent, messy humans when pushed to the extremes.

[the-briny-bulletin]

(warning: long rambling about the bathysphere and cryptid fish ahead)

Map of Bermuda showing the areas of the Bathysphere dives as shown in William Beebe's 1934 book "Half a Mile Down". you can find the PDF of the book for free here. I've only read a few pages (20 i think) as of yet but what I've read so far is really interesting!

William Beebe was one of the two men aboard the Bathysphere, an unpowered deep sea submersible used between 1930-34 (we will get to that later). He was a naturalist mainly known for ornithology but was also an early pioneer of deep sea exploration. During the late 20s he started formulating a way to explore the deep sea, something that was unimaginable as even military submarines with no windows could only go about 117 Metres (383 ft) deep at the time. He was also pretty progressive as he often hired women to do scientific work (pretty scandalous for the 1930s).

The other man, Otis Barton, was an engineer who actually designed the Bathysphere itself! William Beebe was originally planning on using a cylindrical shape for the submersible, which he then published to the New York Times. Otis saw this and sent William a few letters explaining that this was a shit ass design and how a spherical shape would be better. (William ignored this because he was getting a lot of letters from folks asking to join his efforts. but eventually a mutual friend introduced them). He then went on to design the Benthoscope, another deep sea submersible, and write his own book "The World Beneath the Sea" which I have also yet to read (mainly bc i cant find a free PDF).

Now, the Bathysphere itself:

I would try to describe how it functions but unfortunately i am not smart enough to do so, and i feel too weirdly guilty to copy and pasting from Wikipedia. If you are an engineer nerd, please feel free to nerd about the design in the reblogs! But what I do understand is that this fucking thing was STUPIDLY DANGEROUS.

It is a literal ball of steel that they lowered into the ocean using a cable connected to a boat. a hollow one, sure. But when they first cast this thing it was too heavy to be lifted so they had to recast it. even in its lighter form, it was clunky and difficult. When it was submerged it would violently swing like a pendulum which would cause Barton and Beebe to hit their heads on the steel walls. they would often leave the Bathysphere bruised and bleeding. Once, Otis Barton threw up due to sea sickness while in it and they just shrugged and kept descending anyway.

Also, due to the high amount of pressure exerted on the sphere (deepest dive being 923 metres/3,028 ft which would be around 90 ish atmospheres which is 90 times more than on the surface(i think idk maths someone fact check me)) they probably most very likely would have experienced some form of nitrogen narcosis, which is basically when some people who reach below a certain depth in the sea start to experience temporary mental impairments kinda like if you were on anesthesia. That, as well as the fact that - despite their best efforts - the air circulation in the sphere was bad, meaning there was probably a high amount of Co2 in the air.

This ^ may be an explanation for the 5 cryptids described by Barton and Beebe during the "Untouchable Bathysphere" Incident and I'm vaguely aware these things probably have been spoken about before on this site (probably with better dictation and analysis) but i wish to speak about them again because they HAUNT ME I think about them OFTEN and I wanna TALK ABOUT IT!!

Fish themselves as Illustrated by Else Bostalmann:

The Five-Lined Constellation Fish

(Bathysidus pentagrammus)

The Pallid Sailfin

(Bathyembryx istiophasma)

The Giant Dragonfish

(Bathysphaera intacta)

The Abyssal Rainbow Gar

(No scientific name given lmao)

The Three-Starred Anglerfish

(Bathyceratias trilynchus)

I really suggest reading up about the untouchable bathysphere incident because there's something so haunting about how they describe these fish that have never been seen since. Imagine being the first person in the world to see such sights, only to be the last. An elusive ghost story.

There's a bunch of theories about what these fish are, if they are real and if so are still alive. The general consensus I've seen is that "they definitely saw something but their perception of reality was fucked up" and I whole heartedly agree.

For example: this "Five-lined constellation fish" has very similar patterns to a comb jelly

And the pallid sailfin's large dorsal and anal fins look an awful lot like cephalopod fins (?)

And when I was rambling about this with someone, they point out that the lures of the three-starred angler fish could potentially be caused by double vision and like

Yeah

Another post on tumblr I saw a while ago (which i cannot find please lmk if you know what I'm talking about) talked about how its very difficult to tell the size of things underwater if you don't have another object for a frame of reference, and also that objects tends to seem bigger underwater (23% i think?). Considering the pitch blackness of the deep sea, its very likely that they could've miscalculated the size of the giant dragon fish.

I dont know how to end this. this has been in my drafts for months. if you wanna add something please feel free to do so!!

[kaycode1999]

Hi! May I please get a match-up? (I'm sorry you don't have to answer if you don't want to-)

but basically, I am more of an anxious person, who is definitely more book-smart than street-smart.

Im a bisexual girl, who enjoys painting, as well as art. I've been told I have more of a Golden retriever personality. I enjoy reading.

but I love music, and tend to yap. but I love to listen to them ramble about their interests. I'm a sucker for physical touch, and will buy them a bunch of gifts! :D

I match you with

TFA Bumblebee

You guys are both so similar and so different at the same time it makes for an interesting pairing *In a good way of course*

Whatever things one struggles with the other makes up for. For example he's more street-smart than book-smart where you're the opposite

He has his moments where he's anxious (like when he's fighting for his life against a Decepticon 😳), but for the most part he's a chill guy who just wants to have fun

I think this is what brings a nice balance because he helps you have fun and enjoy things while you help him take things more seriously (when the situation calls for it)

He's not exactly a fan of art, but he enjoys it if its something you like and/or care about strongly. Especially if you make it he's gonna love it

I'm not sure if he gives off the vibe of a golden retriever boyfriend or not, but he definitely is. Adores you more than anything and he will get sad if you have to go away for more than an hour

Very much reminds me of this post I saw

Bumblebee: Yeah I give up. I'm tired

The other Autobots: quick, get the emergency supply!

Sari: *brings y/n into the room*

Bumblebee: AND I AM BACK BABY LET'S GOOO

I think the best way to put it would be you are both golden retrievers SO’s to each other which is sweet and I think you both deserve someone who is going to be just as loving as you

You're both yappers and love to listen to the other person talk about things they like

Once he gets used to it he loves physical affection; hand-holding, cuddling, or even sitting on his shoulder while he walks around doing whatever, he might even just carry you in his arms while he walks around the city

He never pictured someone getting him a gift. I wouldn't necessarily say he deserves the title of Tsundre because he is definitely loving and warm, but its in that vain as subconsciously he doesn't think he deserves it. I low key think the things he went through in boot camp affected him. The bullying and physical abuse he went through made him think the worst of himself and that is why he puts on the facade of cocky and self important *not gonna lie I just broke my own heart with that realization 😭*

This is to say the first time he receives a gift from you he gets a bit choked up, but it will be his most prized possession just like anything else you get him

He will also get anything he sees that he knows you will like

[dollydewdrop]

Hello new moot. How are you. Let's cut to the chase what's your book about. I wanna know and how's the progress on it.

What type of book is it? A tragedy, a romance or better romantic tragedy. I am a book nerd myself so as to say a writer too. I have concepts for two books and one of them are in drafts. Sorry for the ramble.

Thanking you

Sprit (me,its me)

AHHHHH AN ASK!!!!! hi spirit!!!!

To not put it short because I am a woman of very many words, it's about a boy.

His name is Mason, and he has an older sister named Beth and an aunt named Katherine. He was disowned when he was 15 for what you'd think it is, he's queer :3 And lived with his aunt until he moved out, where he was a drifter for two years before settling in to his home city again (FAR away from his parents.)

He lives alone in an apartment with his cat (based off of my cat) and slowly throughout the book he kinda begins to spiral.

First he sees a giant starry woman who is later revealed to be a queen, and then begins having nightmares.

The second main character is revealed when they meet in the woods! The character is named Lux! He is four armed, very tall, and also very very mean. He hates Mason and tries to kill him at first and Mason actually flirts his way out of death 😓

Basically Mason is really smart but doesn't put it to use because that's all his parents really loved him for, and Lux's mom Nati (the starry queen) needs Mason's help in her kingdom because of these smarts. So lux and Mason are stuck around each other.

Mason thinks Lux is attractive, lux hates him-->Lux starts to like Mason and hates himself for it, Mason is kinda neutral about Lux--> Lux says something in sensitive->they both hate each other now-> lovey hate fucking for the angry boys->getting to know eachother->giving it a chance->love

Quite a process ik.. Anyway they fall in love, there's a lot of politics involving Lux's kingdom (there's a whole government I have a fucking google docs for the entire working of the kingdom...) anyway kingdom turmoil, they save the kingdom but since Lux is the heir he decides he doesn't want to heir and instead wishes to be a human (again, but we won't talk about that yet) and his brother custo takes the throne married to Mason's sister Beth!

Lots of info, most of this was spoilers but this whole story is very angsty and there's so much more to it than this. Feel free to DM and talk! I'd love to tell you more :) it's very rare that someone takes interest in it!

[tcfryn]

img\ gonna go crazy

book bfdi

I can't stop thinking about ehr I would go to sleep but I just need to find some sort of outlet fir this intensity involving book so im making a crazy Tumblr rant that literally nobody's gonna read the ramblings of its 1:35 am, which isn't late, but if you consider the fact I usually sleep around 8,9, and sometimes 7, + having to wake up at 4am to eat and 7 am to go to school ,it kind of is. bu ti cast sleep cause my minds too active thinking of book and ways I can create and consume media about her but everything sucks because of course im only interested in the underdog characters that literally nobody acttually gives a shit about, but I guess better for me because I know what to make rants about booookkkkkkk she's os silly and real she has abandonment issues and is just a stupid silly nerd trying to be nice and find her place in a friendgroup people think she's just a typical nerd character, despite her only notable phrase being ' I am actually a book on _' people say she has no substance but then go absolutely feral over fries, like I get the appeal but it makes me sad because your okay with that and not book hookbobookbobookokokobkokokokokokokookokkit would be cool if she had like a price tag as a bookmark like that's so epic she keeps her angel wings and has like a star or something from that one book variation hrhhruhruhrhurhrhrrhr book is o cool she has so many designs and even her own game I need tennis ball and book interactions, or even friendship because why does it feel like the writers are avoiding it. I only realized when in bfdia 18 tennis ball called him and needle the 'only nice/non-saboteurs' despite book being kinder than both them combined. I dont think I've seen tb and book Interact recently. they're both like silly and decently kind and nerdy smart green objects who are known to take a side role in friendships. I really dont get it, but maybe they have something in store because that's how I felt about needle and book before they actually started interacting this episode. im gonna motivate myself to sleep by dreaming about book no w so goodbye if managed to skim read all the way over here

[blazethecheeto]

ATLAS PARADOX RAMBLING

dude this book. i need to talk. about it. im going insane.

everyone who hasn't read it, PLEASE DO!!! it's a dark academia book about a bunch of gay silly magic people that join a society and try to kill each other. there's time travel, a big ass polycule, aesthetic scenes, the prettiest writing style in the world, science, philosophy, and fucked family. (opposite of found family).

(extremely chaotic unorganized long rant below, with spoilers. click at your own risk)

FIRST OF ALL WHY WAS THIS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE?!!?!?

i had to power through the first one, it felt long, and unnecessary and like trekking through a JUNGLE with the thickest and most intricate ecosystem that i had to peel back and unravel for hours and hours. only to like move the plot by an inch.

BUT THIS. olivie blake found her footing because this was so good. i am aware the reviews hate on this book and some people don't like it, but personally i adore it and it's really well written.

CHARACTERS

bro they all had such wonderful voices, like they were distinct and unique from each other but not drastically, noticeably different I NEED TO LEARN FROM THIS. six of crows and the atlas six do multi povs so well <3 its like this book was made for me, each character was perfect and incredible and gay and silly and-

reina. love of my life. i look forward to all her povs because the plants are so silly and she's the best character. i said it. she's canon asexual now too YEES. i needed more of her because she was barely in the first one, and they DELIVERED. the juicy plot with her 'god complex' (ily callum) and her feelings getting hurt and learning she actually is lonely and wants friends? she's so wanda maximoff. next book better have her opening up and learning to love people or i riot (and also her killing people and being the badass she is)

parisa always my fave too, i do wish her character wasn't always talking about sex or romance, there were some great moments in this book where she showed off her telepathy powers (the prince in the tower!!) it was awesome. i'm glad they acknowledged that side of her with reina, (oh my god i ship them so much wait till i rant about them-) but dude i still HATE DALTON. SO MUCH. OH MY GOD. every time it's her pov i dread seeing dalton, i wish she could give that up. generic white men should die.

CALLUM. whatever turned him from complex, daunting, and a psychopath last book to janus from sanders sides this book- beautiful choice. he's literally the one sassy wine-sipping gay aunt that feels nothing and everything at once, also extremely mentally ill and depressed. he's SO FUNNY. his povs are fucking hilarious to read, and he quickly became one of my faves bc of how complex he is. i'm not smart enough to decipher and psychoanalyze him but god i LOVE CHARACTERS LIKE THIS.

i don't know what happened but nico is literally one of my faves now too, he's so silly and sweet and kind and i loved his relationships with everyone this book. like him trying to murder tristan in multiple different ways oml. he's my bbg. tristan was hit or miss for me, i did find him interesting but he's not my favourite. doesn't mean i hate him, he's so very british, i feel it radiating off the page. libby my queen my icon, her dream povs were so trippy i loved it- so so realistic to a real dream, that was the most surprising and unique part. also my bisexual queen seducing belen??

i did not like ezra and atlas was a little iffy here and there but tbh the cast was so well rounded and interesting and unique but paralleled each other so well?? THE RELATIONSHIPS. I DONT THINK ANY BOOK HAS THIS INTRICATE WEB-LIKE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER. they're one big polycule.

RELATIONSHIPS

nico and libby <3 i love them so much as siblings/queerplatonic partners. i don't ship them romantically, because i LOVE how they subverted the eye-rolling predictable ' YA academic rivals enemies to lovers' trope. when i started TAS, i immediately thought they were gonna get together and assumed the worst. but no, they still had the banter and importance in their relationship but without the romance? instead both of them were gay af. it's beautiful. i love subverting tropes so much. they're each other's 'other half' and they're hilarious together.

NICO AND TRISTAN. they were such a highlight this book, it was unexpected but so funny. nico trying to murder tristan and their little talks because 'they're not friends...just coworkers' yeah right, the best friendships start with creatively murdering each other. tristan being droll and chill af, and then nico bouncing off the walls my adhd king.

reina and nico broke me?? like that one chapter where they sparred and caught up with each other and reina was guarding her hurt feelings. DUDE THAT KILLED ME. made me stare at the ceiling for a good minute. their friendship is everything to me, they contrast each other so well. she deserves to be treated better- when they had that projection chapter and she saw that nico downplayed her skills...like she was good, but not good enough for him to care about her. AGGHGH.

REINA AND PARISA. NOW THIS. THIS HOOKED ME INTO THE BOOK. i ship them so bad guys. they parallel each other and are both hot and enemies to lovers and wlw slow burn and- look. reina is asexual, therefore the only person to truly see and understand parisa for who she is, and not be influenced by her body. like that one projection. she can help parisa understand HERSELF and who she is past her sexual desirability. how to love someone again. romantically. then, on the flip side, parisa can help reina see and understand OTHERS. reina only sees people as one trait, cut and dry- without any of the complex feelings. parisa is a telepath, she knows how to read others. THEY CAN BOTH HELP EACH OTHER AND LOVE EACH OTHER IN WAYS THEY NEVER COULD HAVE OMFDADJFLSKJADFL- also reina pinned her against a wall and they want to kill each other and every time they interact i scream into my pillow-

-

'You can't love anyone right?"

"I've met very few people worth loving."

-

*throws myself off a building*

now we just gotta play the familiar game "IS IT DELUSION OR IS IT JUST SLOW BURN" and find out whether their insane chemistry pays off in book 3.

the nico parisa scene was actually sweet ngl, even though i don't ship them. the whole callum and tristan thing was so bitter exes situationship coded and i ate every second up. especially that last conversation. AND OFC. GIDEON AND NICO?!!! AAAAA THEY WERE SO CUTE THEY'RE ENDGAME I SCREAMED WHEN THEY KISSED DUDE THEYRE SO-

PLOT

now for the actual plot. this book has so many interesting subjects and philosophies and debates i'm not smart enough for this. but past all the aesthetic glamour, it's science, time travel, dreams, multiverses, fate, reality, and the complexities of the human mind. and my god it's fascinating as fuck.

do i have any idea what they do in this society?? NO. am i entertained? YES. especially that whole explosion paradox to bring libby back to the future. the whole powering the connections via aurora borealis? the whole debate about being gods? i love it. i love it.

alright im so sorry for that rant, i gotta go now but DUDE I LOVE THIS BOOK NO MATTER HOW WEIRD IT WAS

[eitoscythe]

Ramblings regarding Eito Post-100 Days So Far

I think a very interesting aspect of Eito as I consume the game bit by bit is how he continues his rather charming and nice demeanor. It might just be a front to get on people's good side, but its so fascinating how he continues this alone with Takumi, the one person who KNOWS who he truly is. The man who thwarted him no less. The reason he's even in this damn cage like a hamster. Charming him and keeping his time travel ability Their Little Secret. WHAT IS WRONG WITJ HIMMMMMM!!!!!

I find this so fascinating. He's playing into still being friendly with them, when his secret was already out and everything. Unlike the first 100 days, he was absolutely filled with hatred, sparing no punches. Perhaps he had his breaking point then. Since he had to endure a 100 days nonstop with "monsters." But even so, He's so amiable to them right now. He's socially toying with them, especially since everyone else hasn't seen his true hatred for Humanity besides Takumi. ITS SO FASCINATING. I want to understand his brain. His connection with Takumi, and his backstory. He has mentioned killing his family BUT WHY??? There needs to be a reason, there has to be. I know it oh my god. This boy.

Revisiting the First 100 Days

As someone mentally sane, I have been watching NicoB's playthrough of 100 Line whenever I have the chance. Since I have been prioritizing Crystal's streams, I watch his playthrough to hit that 100 Line Itch I've developed. But since Crystal is so much more ahead, Watching Nico's playthrough has driven me up the wall due to the recontextualization of everything. Like DUDE. Eito is being so Coy here. Acting as if he cares, knowing VERY WELL he killed them. This boy...

Beyond this however, knowing Eito's chest pains was from being exposed to other humans is actually an interesting development. So it's intriguing to see how easily he disguised his distain for humans as an overwhelming pain of high emotions. I feel like that's what it still is, but it is just predominantly because of his hatred for humans. Even so, I can't help but fixate on how often Eito willingly talks to Takumi so much? Out of his own will? By himself? I would imagine someone who hates being around these monsters, I would only do the bare minimum of interactions with them. ESPECIALLY With the guy I hate the most apparently. Maybe he's buttering him up, but everyone tells him he's overdoing it. EVEN TAKUMI. Yet he still hypes him up. Still confides in him with his own investigations. Continues to work with him so they can make progress. It's probably because Eito knows working with Takumi will allow him to continue his investigation. After all, he did save him. (Which might I add he must feel conflicted about. Most hated guy saved you and you keep being around him and telling him how great he is. But also I totally hate this guy trust).

As seen here, Eito, in Private, tells Takumi how much he missed him (Which is crazy that he was worrying about him to the others as well.) Takumi is obviously embarassed, like chill out dude don't pour your heart out to me so easily. This may stem from Eito's socially inept nature. Yes he's smart, and yes he's capable of socializing with people from a text book sense, but he doesn't wish to interact with humans.

I'm not saying he doesn't entirely know what he's doing either, I feel like his introduction was a lie to mask his lack of human interaction being due to his self imposed isolation and hatred of humans. I am saying his socially awkward and lack of understanding of Humans is that his knowledge comes from textbooks. His front is built on book smarts rather than actual practice and experience. Does this make sense? I am trying to not sound like I think Eito is an uwu soft boi (that hurt to type) but a rather calculated boy, but he still has his faults because of his outlook on human life.

And since he's so calculated ........ I also wonder how deliberate his actions are? Why he does certain things?

Why does he willingly smile at him one last time? Why does he choose to be so overtly friendly with Takumi specifically? Personally, I believe Eito has some conflicted feelings with Takumi. Like Yaoi Jokes aside, I do firmly believe Eito has a strange connection and affinity for Takumi (even though he won't admit it).

Not to DR2 post, but it reminds me of Nagito and Hajime. It's mostly with the complex connection, Eito hating Takumi the most because of being the worst monster of them all thwarting his plans; Nagito hating Hajime for being a reserve course student posing as an ultimate, as well as being the ultimate hope that brought despair to all humanity. I think the MAIN difference is that Nagito found out later on that Hajime was a RC later on, while Eito has always hated humans from the very beginning. And Eito continues to treat them with his very kind and wholesome front, while Nagito showcases his disdain very clearly to his class. THERES MORE COMPARISONS TO THEM BUT I WILL LEAVE IT THERE FOR THAT THOUGHT.

OKAY WAIT TODAY'S STREAM IS SENFING MEINTO A SPIRAL OH MY GOD OH MY GOOOOD WAHODHIGUWHDSGBHAWDUKJBADSBJFSAUKSADFBKJWBKJFBKJBCAVHJAWBKJFAKJB

(today as in Thursday I didn't finish my thought until now)

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT WHATW WHAT

Okay .so a lot of what I just said previously is like. Correct to an extent. I WASN'T EXPECTING HIM TO JUST ADMIT THAT. ADMIT THAT TAKUMI IS THE ONLY HUMAN HE'S EVER HAD THIS FEELING OF INTRIGUE AND AFFINITY FOR. GUYSSSS GUYS GUYS GUYS . I WAS RIGHT! Ohhh this is so awesome. As previously mentioned, Eito is still socially inept in my eyes but in a different way. Like this guy is smart and coy, but he lacks quite the filter. Again, he might be buttering up Takumi so he can get out, but Takumi's comment on Eito's Genuine Smile is so intriguing. EITO genuinely likes Takumi. This is the only person he's ever felt this way towards. And as a result he wants to be of assistance. So fascinating. Speaking of which, Eito . Talks like me. Like he says words that are things that I say. I might not post about it but I feel like Eito is very relatable to me to a degree (I don't hate mankind and am willing to destroy and kill everyone around me,). But I feel like I understand him, and the more I do understand him the more I feel seen and fall in love with his character more ...

[avis-aestrimer]

ooc: Random ooc lore-drop bc Avi was my first TMA oc! And he holds a special place in my heart bc of it.

This version of him, [human], was not his first iteration! Initially Avis was made as a Spiral avatar whom I only delved deeper into his backstory after realizing I love just how goofy he was and I needed to give him trauma.

Technically he has two other avatar designs, other than spiral, The Eye and The Slaughter! The eye bc he has had so many hyperfixations and just has too much knowledge in that skull of his and he would absolutely fall into the eye even knowing the dangers. The Slaughter was more so a curious thing, a role-swap with his sister Eleanor! His slaughter design was actually stranger themed bc overall his character is meant to have those themes throughout.

He also has a design and loose story of if he ever escaped the sprial! It never really went anywhere but it's a lil thing I jump back to from time to time.

In the terms of his Spiral/original design, my favorite spiral episode is a tie between Upon The Stair and Binary, and so when working on Spiral!Avis I wanted to lean to one of those elements. I went the Binary route bc I just find the paths to go there v interesting.

Technically this vers of Avis has already dealt w the Spiral in a big way once! It's the whole reason that he isn't a nurse anymore and why he decided it may be a good idea to get hired at the Magnus Institute! [oh my sweet idiot boy, it was not a good idea.] Also, if he ever mentions taking antipsychotics, its bc of his spiral interaction! He has convinced himself that what happened to him wasn't real, and all a stress-induced psycosis!

Initially, Avis stumbled into the spiral once, and escaped. He gave a statement and continued on w his life. It then happened again. He gave another statement. Went on his way. Third time is the charm, and he got pulled into the spiral Via his phone!

Due to the way he was taken, Sp!vis is very arcade themed. He also has roller skates. He has a domain and its like the worst mix of 80's arcade/roller-rink/laser-tag course. Bright colours, flashing lights, and loud music.

Sp!vis also has ambient music whenever he's around, all videogame sound tracks. The music changes with it's mood, though 80% of the time, the song that accompanied it is "BIG SHOT" from Deltarune.

There is technically more but these are the key bits!

I do intend for this vers. of Avis to become an avatar, and it likely will end up being the Spiral [bc I adore sp!vis] this being said, I am very down to traumatize my special lil guy even more before then, esp entity related trauma! He is book-smart-everything-else-dumb.

Also, the things listed above as his spiral things, technically happen in the his future! His age on this blog is a bit before he got taken in his original story! [This being said, if extra trauma stuff happens in rp, none of the things said here are set "these have to happen in this way" thing, I'm just rambling ab what his initial story was!]

For now I think that's all, he's just my silly lil guy and I wanted to ramble about him!

[rebelcracker-s]

What's up with your descendants rewrite?

How does it differ from canon?

Thank you so much for sending in this ask so I can ramble, and I am so sorry because you have just opened a massive can of worms.

The original Descendants films have been lacking to me for a while. Especially in the context of Rise of Red, which has such a strong storyline and a very well-rounded protagonist (and a not-so-canon queer ship) at its core while the original trilogy does not. I love Mal, but she's so boring as a protagonist. As is Ben. Maybe I just need to read the books to see how they're fleshed out bc I love Melissa de la Cruz's work for the franchise lol.

ANYWAYS I mostly want to rewrite the OG trilogy into a new canon that's interesting to me. Also more queer rep because if conservatives don't shit their pants you didn't do a good enough job :D

So yeah, I'm basically trying to take everything that bugs me about the original trilogy and rewrite it. Like why would Belle, the most intelligent and insightful Dinsey princess, allow everything happening in the Isle of the Lost to continue? She's too sympathetic to let suffering happen and too smart to be ignorant to it. Why does Mal have better chemistry with a random side character than with the guy she canonically marries? Why is there so much misogyny in the trilogy, from Mal stealing Audrey's boyfriend (however awful Ben and Audrey's relationship was) to Mal getting married before she left high school? And so on.

I know this is really vague, but I do want to leave the main twists of the plotline a secret because! can't spill the whole plot before it's written! I think I'll do a series of oneshots bc longfics are too daunting. they let me go bit by bit :3

UNFORTUNATELY I'm in the throes of writer's block, so I haven't written anything for this au. However questions like these are really helpful in getting me to think about it :3 so thank you for asking!

[the-crow-binary]

Im quite curious about your opinion on the portrayal of the french revolution; I know it was a super complicated political moment with multiple fronts from the commoners wanting better life conditions, the bourgeoisie wanting to get the nobility out of the way (which it's part as to why it cant be directly translated into 21'st century american capitalism analogy 🙄), how multiple nobles supported the revolution for moral values despite going against their families interests (bc social class influences but doesnt instantly determines your morals) and that many revolutionary groups supported the independence of Haití (heck, many members of my countries independence participated and almost got beheaded in the resulting mess. And ad hundred and something years later France would try to invade us lol). What im trying to say behind my ramble here (sorry for that lol) its that im sure nfcv made it a slavery bad black ppl vs white ppl american dilemma without getting into the complexity of it and i say this as a foreigner with basic history knowledge, so i do wanna see your take on it

Which portrayal of the French Revolution? 🙃

I swear this very important Historical event that affected not just France but all of continental Europe and is considered as one of the world's biggest events was just used as background for the characters to fight and be racist. The characters keep throwing around the word "revolution" from all sides, but we don't see shit. Maria gives context in the first episode (there's a revolution, they overthrown the monarchy and declared a republic, they arrested the king...), talking to a group of revolutionaries, and from then on the story could've literally taken place in an imaginary country with imaginary politics it would've been the same.

Oh, what am I saying, there IS one thing. Our motto. 🙃"Liberty, equality, fraternity" 🙃 Yeah it has been thrown here and there... Except that it wasn't our official motto yet. We had the notion of liberty and equality, sometimes fraternity, and it was in the middle of other words such as "friendship", "sincerity", "charity" and "union". There is some people and even some books who used this motto but it was abandoned then taken back later... Just this is a mess lmao but the point is. I cringed everytime the characters screamed "Liberty! Equality! Fraternity!". And while we're on the subject, Richter, at some point, meets three girls during a festival (I suspect one of the girls to be Marianne, who wasn't a real person but the symbol of Liberty) talking about dressing up as Liberty and Equality and Fraternity. And Richter, thinking he is so smart, say that you need to be a man to dress up as Fraternity, because it means "brotherhood" (and the girls go "sisternity then" and don't correct him). Oh, and the writers clearly thought it was very clever too, since later on Annette's teacher (and even the Messiah I think??) will ALSO talk about the motto, saying "liberty, equality, brotherhood". IT DOESN'T MEAN "BROTHERHOOD". I MEAN IT CAN. BUT IN THIS CASE IT MEANS "FRATERNITY". IT'S A TERM TO TALK ABOUT A BOND EXISTING BETWEEN PEOPLE CONSIDERED AS MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. AKA IT CONCERNS EVERYONE. YOU ARE NOT CLEVER, AMERICAN WRITERS.

Also I thought a fucking festival at a time like that where people dress up at the concepts of our not-exactly-official-motto-yet was stupid, and it is. There was no such festival, however, we did have the "cult of the reason". To put it simply: it was a serie of events and civic holidays wich were organized by a group of atheists. In it there WAS an event called "Fete of the Reason"... Where one ACTOR dressed up as Liberty. It was NOT multiple people representing liberty, equality or fraternity.

The fun fact is, the French Revolution was a pretty good occasion for NFCV to promote it's CHURCH BAD mentality. We were taking away the church's power, more people became atheists, anti-christian vandalism and blasphemy was actually encouraged, it was a mess. Paris even ordered to shut down churches at some point, wich did not happen in the end. So yeah, this precise moment, right before the Vendée War, was perfect for the church-haters those writers are. And it ended up just being as bad as the original show, without any nuance... Ok there might be a little bit of nuance because of Mizrak, a guy who served the church and in the end actually team up with Richter and the gang, and it looks like he's there to stay. Emmanuel (the abbott) tries to be complex, but in the end, he is still a God-obsessed man that makes terrible decisions and is not a good representation for the church. So okay, it might be a BIT better than the original show thanks to Mizrak, but it's not saying much.

Another thing. Only the main characters are shown to have a dislike for the church. We don't see ANY of the french people doing anything against the church (but we do hear the church complaining about the revolutionaries, tell don't show y'know), not even talk about it. It's mostly jokes about how haha priests are sexual predators/they can't keep it in their pants (with the occasional "it exploits the people and take their money" line, and by occasionnal I mean once). There IS a few shades thrown at God here and there, honestly I didn't bother remembering the exact lines because they are so cliché and really not that deep. I think Maria is the one complaining the most.

What angers me the most is the lack of ANY ACTION FROM THE FRENCH PEOPLE. It's like nothing is actually happening except vampire killing people and vampire hunting (wich begs the question: WHY bother making it happen during the FRENCH REVOLUTION?). Nocturne literally made the french people the side (oh what am I saying, the BACKGROUND) characters in their OWN REVOLUTION. AND ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS. WHAT THE FUCK. Maria is supposed to be a revolutionary leader but she doesn't lead anyone. We never see anyone do anything outside of the main characters. The french are literal planks, except from those three girls from the festival and villains, they don't even have a voice. At some point the vampire Messiah arrives in town, in plain view, and people are like "OUR SAVIOR IS HERE! OUR DELIVERER!" and I thought the people shouting were vampires, but no, there is humans TOO. ALL TOGETHER. And you have no idea how much I hate that they basically portray the french people as not doing shit and needing someone else to save them 🙃 To do things for them 🙃 And also. That that someone else is not even french themself. 🙃 Even without the Messiah... the revolutionaries we saw were led by Richter (romanian/american/british idk at this point), Annette (Haitian, even if Saint-Domingue was owned by France at the time), Tera (Russian) and, of course, Maria, who's both Russian and French, at least. Those four were doing most of the work while the french people were in their houses cooking baguettes, I guess. And by "work" I mean fighting vampires and night creatures, there was nothing done about the Revolution. Almost like there is NO REASON TO MAKE A CV SHOW ABOUT THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Oh and I just HAVE to talk to you about Saint-Domingue, and the BLACK PEOPLE ARE OPPRESSED theme going on with Annette. And that's when I'll have to take out this magnificent dialogue again:

"Even these french with their high ideas, what do they know about we've suffered? And what do they care? They're building new world, but it won't be freedom, or equality or brotherhood for US"

This is said by Annette's teacher. Worth to note that before that, in episode 3, she also shat on the French revolution and our motto. Basically, the show portray the French Revolution as being one thing and the slaves in Saint-Domingue having their own other revolution. And not just that, it implies that the French did not care about slaves, and that they do not know what suffering is (yeah, people just start revolutions because they feel like it y'know 🙃). And the anti-white dialogues are portrayed as normal and are even applauded, btw. And it is BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLSHIT. MY FUCKING GOD. OH THIS SHOW MAKE ME SO ANGRY.

First off: Only the colonies were pro-slavery. The french pretty much weren't. A "Society of friends of black people" was even created in France in 1788 to fight for the abolition of slavery. People fought for black people's rights during the French Revolution. Books written by black people to join the fight came out. The French Revolution scared the colonies who were very against losing their slaves and it led to Haiti's own revolution (slaves rebelling, killing their owners, burning the plantations... Nocturne at least got that part right). So both revolutions are very closely linked and the slaves might not have rebelled at this point if it wasn't for the French Revolution threatening Saint-Domingue's economics and creating social upheavals.

And what does those shitty american writers remember? BLACK PEOPLE OPPRESSED. BLACK PEOPLE SUFFERED SO MUCH MORE THAN EVERYONE ELSE. LOOK AT THESE POOR BLACK PEOPLE. WHITE PEOPLE ARE SO POWERFUL. THE FRENCH ARE UNGRATEFUL ACTUALLY. BLACK CHARACTER IS RIGHT TO SHIT ON THE WHITE FRENCH WHO DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM.

FUCK.

Oh, and I mentioned the Vendée War earlier... So, fun fact, during the revolution, we have what we call "la Terreur". It's a pretty gruesome period of time during the Revolution that caused the death of hundreds of thousands of people. La Terreur happened from 1793 to 1794. So one year after this first season of Nocturne. 🙃 I'm just saying. It wouldn't surprise me if they used this for season 2. 🙃(I literally do not trust them)

And the vampires... Look the vampires have their own can of worms that I'm not motivated enough to open. I'll just say that, of course, in classic NFCV fashion, the message the show is trying to pass is not subtle at all. They're just evil. All of them. All of the french nobles. Evil evil EVIL EVIL!! NUANCE AND COMPLEXITY ARE FOR PUSSIES.

Also the count of Vaublanc? Annette's ex-owner? This guy existed. And he never owned slaves. He was pretty pro-royalty, at some point he voted against slavery, then later voted in favor of it... but he did not own slaves. But honestly I don't care about that guy much, I just wanted to show that NFCV really doesn't care about nuance. Everything has to be black or white (lol) and that's why we have no human nobility in Nocturne.

Urgh. UUUUUURGH. I SWEAR WATCHING THIS SHOW WAS A PAIN AND THE MORE I THINK ABOUT IT THE MORE PAINFUL IT BECOMES. THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND NFCV IS DOING JACKSHIT WITH IT. I MEAN IT'S SO MUCH FUNNIER TO SHIT ON THE BELMONT CLAN AND SHOW TIDDIES TO MAKE THE FANS HORNY.

So, my opinion on the portrayal of the French Revolution: CREATE YOUR OWN FICTIONAL REVOLUTION NEXT TIME AND LEAVE THE HISTORY OF MY COUNTRY ALONE.

[lov3dream]

hes so lovely actually. i read ' heart flutters for you' today, and its so reassuring to me, it affirms my selfship in ways i didnt know i needed. long ramble abt the themes & my thoughts under the cut :)

its a hs au card, luke and mc are in this district wide school competition; a written exam and physical competition to decide the winners. luke is more athletic and mc more book-smart and good at memorising the reading, so they use their respective skills to train the other and to complement each others' strengths.

it made me emotional because mc struggles with some of the physical challenges and he helps her and affirms that its okay that their talents are different. he comes up with creative ways to train and practice, sort of effortlessly accommodating for both of their difficulties. luke struggles with focusing and remembering just by reading the material, he gets distracted easily. the way he understands both of their strengths and weaknesses is so lovely and caring of him.

he takes care of her and helps and supports her so easily and lightly without being patronising that it honestly made me tear up.

on another level, both of their issues are somewhat categorisable as neurodivergent traits: lukes distractability, excess energy, difficulty slowing down is similar to adhd. mc's difficulty with physicality could easily be from proprioception issues (sense of your body in relation to space, balance, awareness of movement etc.) which are common in neurodivergent people. this isnt necessary to think of to read the card, nor do i think of it as purposeful coding, but the themes were clearly present for me.

its really heartwarming that they work together and focus on supporting each other, rather than medicalising and pathologising these things. its part of why i am so drawn to luke. when i first got to know him, it came with a kind of recognition that he is the type of person i would have wanted to have in my life. when people were so keen on naming things, never on my terms, and diagnosing issues before even understanding or trying what works, i just wanted someone to pause and think outside the box. these traits arent problems and flaws, even if they cause people to struggle. thinking like that focuses on the negative.

what luke does so well in this card, and in generally, is facing the situation as it is, and making the best of it. its somewhat bittersweet how his hyperactivity and liveliness doesnt need the term 'adhd' because the people around him (in this card his parents) just thought of solutions to problems he was having without trying to discipline him into hating these traits. while medicating and diagnosing is important, it really doesnt mean medicalising your personal life and experiences is the best path.

he faces the situation as it is, without shame, and openly suggests how to proceed in the most suitable way. it exemplifies how perceptive and caring he is, how he picks up on other peoples emotions even if he has difficulty processing his own sometimes.

its why i connect to him so deeply, i think. he has this positive light to him without being too perfect and overt. sometimes he does hide his struggles and tries to brush them off, but i think that is because of the events in the main story canon and his past. this story especially shows just how a healthier luke with less hardship to endure is open and forgiving to himself as well as others.

it shows a more complex side to him. because its an au card, his parents are alive, which has impacted his upbringing and character in these fascinating ways.

i also like the difference of the relationship, usually mc and luke are childhood friends but in this au they met in highschool. it really makes their dynamic different. its less codependent and more mutually supportive in a sane way lol.

very interesting card, theres a lot more to say, these are just my first thoughts!!

[notwantedonthemoon]

THE HANNAH RAMBLE

This rapidly spirals into me plotting fanfiction. PRELUDE:

Gotta be honest. Hannah completely blindsided me. Her character did not go the direction that I thought it was going to go.

When I was studying Not Wanted on the Voyage in class, she was given a super impressive introduction: “the most intelligent character in the cast” (which I will respectfully disagree with. I think it’s Crowe, because my love for that bird is immense and unending) and her scenes in book one were stellar. I am most fond of book one Hannah. She had poise and ambition, she was menacing and mysterious. I liked that! I liked that a lot! I think she has a future in politics or perhaps as an extremely cutthroat lawyer. Unfortunately her talents keep being wasted in middle management at Applebee’s (the Upper Decks).

I was envisioning her throwing a coup and taking Dr. Noyes’ place as the main antagonist of the book. I feel like she had potential to be an even more terrifying villain than Dr. Noyes because she’d not only be cruel and ruthless like him, but she’d be smart, too. Noah was kind of an idiot. 

The message that I was expecting from Hannah's coup is a commentary on how systemic issues by getting rid of the bad people in power; the entire structure that they were functioning under needs to be overhauled. I was expecting a story in which Noah was killed off and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the root of evil was done with… only to discover that Noah was never the root of the evil in the first place, but rather, a product of it. His ideas are infectious; they didn’t start with him and they certainly won’t die with him. 

And now that he's dead, there are some people who are very interested in continuing his legacy. 

The environment that these characters were raised in is very, very flawed and we see a lot of what the culture expects from people very early on: formalities and borders are encouraged, power imbalances are essential for the structure of this society, obedience to one’s superiors is equivalent to love, differences should be eliminated, and questioning your superiors is dangerous and insulting. Noah is terrible and has committed so many atrocities that he should definitely be held accountable for, but I refuse to believe that there is anything inherently evil about him. I refuse to discount a character like him as ‘just a bad apple’ because people are products of their environment and these guys are living in a world that has a tendency to produce tyrants. You can’t say someone is ‘just a bad apple’ and ignore the same rotting barrel that all of them are showing up in and Not Wanted on the Voyage is very good at showing how all its characters are impacted by their environment

I think a lot of Noah’s strength as a character lies in his simplicity. I vaguely remember read an academic article somewhere that describes him as more like a force of nature or a strawman than an actual person, and I disagree. I think that he is painfully human. He doesn’t want to take any responsibility for his actions, because he doesn’t want to be the villain (no one does!) and he always has to be the victim. He throws his authority around and mistreats everyone around him because it feels good to be powerful and to get what you want. He’s so human and that makes him scarier because he’s the type of villain that you could realistically become by giving into your worst impulses.

I suppose that's why Mottyl was so tentative in calling him evil.

What I’m saying is: if it wasn’t Noah, it would have been someone else. Someone like him is inevitable (but so too are the people who stand up to him).

This world has a tendency to create tyrants and Hannah has been primed to be Noah’s replacement. Even the victim in a harmful system can internalize its values and they can end up becoming the perpetrator. We do see that with Hannah in the book (her treatment of Emma, for example), but on a much smaller scale than what I was expecting. 

But what exactly was I expecting?

THE PART WHERE I RAPIDLY SPIRAL INTO PLANNING FANFICTION:

I was expecting Noah to die somehow (don't think too hard about how, because I sure didn't), leaving behind a power vacuum that multiple candidates would be vying to fill aboard the ark.

There’d be Noah’s sons: Shem, who’s the oldest and should be expected to replace his father… actually who am I kidding, he’s not going to be involved in this. 

There’d be Japeth, who, at the core of his character, is scared; he learned, abruptly and in one of the most traumatizing ways possible, that powerful people can do whatever they want to you; but you know who never had to beg for his life and bend and bargain around the whims of stronger people? His father. If Japeth inherited that kind of power, he’d never have to be scared and powerless again. 

And then there’s Lucy; yes, she wants a better world for herself and her loved ones. Yes, she has good intentions and has always done what she thinks is right, but Lucy grew up in the trigger happy, might-makes-right culture of Heaven that produced her battle-obsessed brother. We already know that Lucy has a ruthless streak:

So I want to see how far she’d be willing to go to achieve her goals. I think Lucy should commit some murders, actually. I cannot believe that her kill count during the book is a solid zero.

Friendly reminder that Lucy is basically a disgraced war general from Heaven. She has canonically led armies. So why on earth is her kill count the same as Ham’s????

Is my frustration, perhaps, anything like what Lady Macbeth felt when she was trying to get her husband to commit regicide. Actually what I said about Lucy applies to Lady Macbeth too, I want Lady Macbeth to commit a murder or two.

And finally there's Hannah, who’s ambitious and clinical and calculating and wants to carry on Noah’s legacy not out of love or loyalty to him, but because she wants the respect she’s owed. She wants to have her words spoken and heard and appreciated, she wants to be Yaweh’s new prophet, she wants the security and prestige of Noah’s position. 

We'd be viewing this disaster of a succession crisis through Mrs Noyes and Mottyl's increasingly distressed narration.

Can I just say, though: Mottyl would make a fantastic diplomat. She’s comfortable talking with both humans and animals, she’s very frank but very considerate at the same time, and her greatest strength is making allies by being friendly and dependable. 

‘LOCAL NEWS. Exhausted 97-year-old mother of six desperately drafts peace treaty: more at nine. Also she’s a cat.’

I think it's clear you're screwed when all your hopes are riding on the negotiation skills of a 20-year-old cat.

Anyways, this entire plot was inspired by this song:

[x-rds]

[Lio] Hi I can’t sleep bc my tummy horts. Here’s a ramble about the f naf movie bc I watched it. Spoilers if anyone cares lol

The movie was not bad. Honestly it was pretty enjoyable! The practical effects were great and beautiful and it had a lot of fun visuals.

But the plot - well. I wouldn’t say it was bad but it wasn’t a masterpiece by any means. But that’s not what has my mind on it. I think the plot really just honed in on something that made me less interested in the series as it continued: it stopped being as nonhuman as I wanted it to be

The lore evolved and changed over time as happens a lot in things that start out simple and catch popularity and then explode. The current lore (or at least the movie/books) focuses a lot on the humans, how they’re connected, what they’re doing. Which makes sense, for a horror story written by humans.

But the appeal of the early F NAF world was that it was simple, and it was a story about victims of a horrible crime who had perished and through their deaths been transformed into vengeful, and to some level powerful, creatures. They can run, they can move about in silence, they can maybe even teleport, they can bite, they can interfere with electronics and they can hunt. They can sense the presence of an adult human, which was the source of their pain, and they can corner that human and destroy them. Though the game is about trying to avoid that fate, the reason the guard has to fight to survive in the first place is that these creatures are unnaturally powerful and smart and fast and will enact vengeance upon you if they catch you.

And there was a lot of room for interpretation of course - were the children the driving consciousness, or were the robots made conscious by the children’s pain and seeking vengeance? Or were the children’s consciousnesses changed and evolved through the time they spent contained in a machine to where, combined, they were something greater than either? It was speculation, but it was what I liked about it. The idea of a creature that was innocent, hurt, and through the device of their demise grew powerful and dangerous.

But as the story was written over time, it started to focus on the alive humans. The murderer, his family, the guard. And some of that was interesting, sure - but it started to overtake the danger and presence of the possessed machines. And in the movie (though I admit I know things have to be made into an interesting story for a movie, so I guess it’s fair, but still) the story meets its climax in revealing that, no, see, the robots are nice, they’re possessed by sad children yes, but all the murders were them being influenced and controlled by their killer! Of course! They are just children, after all! Not vengeful machines. They get their revenge in the end but then they live peacefully. The surviving humans go home and live peacefully.

And like yeah, it’s a movie, it’s a horror series, its audience is humans who like seeing humans. But I was interested in the vengeful no-longer-human creatures, and they got edited down to something palatable for human consumption. Or maybe I was just reading it wrong from the start, who knows. I still like the first three games especially, but after that my interest really started to wane. (And all that not even to say anything about the creator’s political inclinations which.. yeah. But that’s not the point I’m making here)

There’s things I still like about it but damn.... the movie made me really think, “well, I guess I am not the target audience, I’m not human enough for this”

[twsthc]

oooo if you ever wanna talk abt caters system my dms are always open!!! :D also i wish you luck on your journey, ik how confusing it is in the beggining (i have did) ,,,, im sure youll figure it out, slowly! and i know some stuff abt it so if you want to learn lmk :]

i also have a hc of ortho osdd-1a or 1b :3c im not so sure on the specifics but ye

now to the rambling!!!

for floyd i go off some HCs i have for her, like him having the adhd + autism + bpd combo, which makes him a very unstable fella. i also HC that the coral sea was Rough, principally where he comes from, so the circumstances werent at her favour and Boom, did system

some of his alters are sea-life based, but brainmade, with a ton of diff species! the others are based off songs she likes & characters she sees herself in/relates to! sometimes the characters resemble jade, too. theres only a few trauma holders, most are protectors or soothers, and some persecutors!

theyre like. that weird, big family down the street. they all like each other a lot but they looove to bicker and brawl and all of that. ALSO all of them Love jade too! they see him the same way they see floyd :D shes included in their weird family, floyd says shes an honorary member of his system!!

iii think his inner world would be like. a beach house! close to the sea and such, cause hes a mermaid but he also likes having legs. so beach house it is! its veey big and lively! i also think hed learn it after he comes to land, maybe in the middle of his freshman year, but he wasnt very affected by it. hes also very open about it he does not give two shits lol

for riddle... its canon that her childhood was shitty, ever since she was old enough to talk & walk, so its no wonder hes a system too lol. i hc her as autistic + bpd and that heavily influenciated the whole splitting too

she has some brainmades, mostly based on flowers & animals (ladybug & rabbit), But i also HC that she has some alters from an old novel she red while small ! one he loved soo much and his brain split the guys. i even have their roles (soother, protector, gatekeeper, and some others) but anyways! most of her alters are either from books or brainmade, and theres a shitton of trauma holders. she has like only 1 or 2 guys from songs cater showed her and Thats It. no more song guys lol

most of them are either very smart and prideful and all of that, or theyre sillay. very funny fellas, love having fun, but still smart as hell !

after her overblot he like. split three or five more in a week 😭😭 it sucked ass and he had an awful headache for days. + he was only made aware of her system After the overblot, during the recuperation week, bc the other alters went to check on her, and it was. Something. she told cater & trey right away and they helped her navigate it all, then she told adeuce duo too and some other few close friends!

i hc that her inner world is a big ass red white pink and black castke, in the middle of a very dense florest, with a maze and all. the fauna & flora are kinda diverse and all ! very pretty :]]

also i am. a big fan of florid..... and i think theyd start dating someday. and when they do. they turn into partner systems (if u dont know what it is lmk) and lots of other alters from their systems start dating too lol. they take turns to stay w their s/o.... theyre all so annoying and cute

(i have some names for their systems too.... rosewell for riddle's and vortice for floyd's... yay)

and PLLSS tell me abt kalim osdd . if u want. i love him so much hes my special gal !!! im interested in the HC :D it makes sense. in mah head

anyways hope the rambling entertained you!!! the voices in my head told me my HCs and to me these voices are right. theyre very real

⚠️ mention of kidnapping

OKGGMGMNE i love this. all of my alters hate me #cantrelate floyd. i will be n ur dms soon...

for cater i have an entire google slide of alters that's unfinished but ill send that to you later :3

i don't really have much to add.. very cute very real.. 5 stars would dine again..

UHH ALSO KALIM OSDD3 i think when shes distressed she disassociates for a few hours and after jamils OB she was out for a week; her brains response to the kidnappings and other traumatic shit she was put thru. i don't hc her to have alters tho! one of my RAMCOA friends hcs her to have HC-DID tho!

i also think the human brain is super interesting.. i was wondering how traumatic events would effect merpeople/beastmen differently so it's interesting to see someone hc floyd as someone affected by his upbringing. i think there's a thin line of difference between what's considered normal/traumatic for humans and non humans (for example, jade being implied to eat his and floyds siblings is considered normal, but would the violence down there be?)