#Older sisters

[torveiglyart]

Allura looks good in any hairstyle, the goddess she is, but especially braids!

This was really just an excuse to draw my faves.

Edit: WOW I did not expect this to blow up the way it did! Thank you all! It's nice to know those braids weren't in vain 🥲

[rat-at-heart]

Will never understand how older sisters work

[necromancer-at-abattoir]

The ultimate tragedy of Bianca di Angelo

The tragedy of Bianca di Angelo is that she was written to be only an older sister to Nico.

She revolves around Nico. She’s a moon to his planet. She’s an auxiliary character for the sake of his development.

But…..for a brief moment………Rick Riordan accidentally created some figure of hope for older siblings, more specifically older sisters who were conditioned to always be the soft yet firm column for their younger, or sometimes, even older brother to lean on, because in this society, it is expected that women will light themselves on fire and smile and be loving and sacrifice their lives for the men. 

So many older sisters saw Bianca as someone whom they could relate to and grew to love her, even after she only got half a book and died.

And this is where the tragedy comes into play, because after her death, she’s always mentioned only in relation to Nico. She’s never her own person, only the feeble but potential Earth to Nico's brightly blazing sun of well written character development. 

And that’s what happens to the older sisters. They simply vanish, are only mentioned in passing and always in relation to their male relatives. And they’re mere children, forced to take care of another child like a fully grown adult, and it gets exhausted, and one day they’ve just had enough.

And what does society do when women finally lash out, scream and protest and put themselves first?

Selfish. Cruel. Cold. Uncaring. A pussy bitch. 

Bianca has gotten so much backlash from her haters. But we all forget that she was twelve-a terrified, immature child who shouldn’t have been taking care of Nico.

(I think that she had to watch him in the Lotus Casino, because he’s her younger brother. Annabeth and Grover weren’t like that to Percy, only friends. Also, they both knew that their parents were dead, so it was different. Nico did mention that Bianca was strict with what she let him watch, so she probably watched over him in the Casino too).

And the older sisters were let down. They watched and silently cried, disappointed, as Bianca was never her own character, always Nico’s older sister first and foremost. They were tortured inside as they watched so many people condemn and put down a literal child who was manipulated by two much older figures simply for a rash decision. That’s how they knew that society would perceive them negatively too. 

We barely know anything about her. Whenever people think of Bianca, they’ll most likely ALWAYS think of Nico too, think of her in regards to him, because that’s how she was written. That’s how she was meant to be written from the start. Bianca's biggest fans will always have only the first half of the Titan's Curse as her actual appearances when she was alive, and herself, and not linked to Nico.

But there’s more.

This post is dedicated to all the older sisters who despaired after reading about Bianca di Angelo and seeing people who had never actually had to parent someone hate on her. 

It’s ok to lash out. It’s ok to want some you time. Literal parents want the same, so it’s ok for you, a child, to do so. It’s ok to ignore their needs for your own and put yourself first. They’re your sibling, not your child-you don’t need to take care of them and always put them first, because you didn’t bring them into life by choice, and so, you are not wholly responsible for their needs and comfort. 

It’s ok to be a child.

@rosabell14, I know how much you love Bianca and angst, so here you go-have another post from me about Bianca

[shilohsylvanian]

New older sister just dropped! Older Sister Marguerite Rabbit, Julia. Japan Release August 11, 2023 Roughly $55 USD for this set, yikes.

[clockworkbee]

she’d answer his every curiosity, big or small. Be his big sister, his teacher, the person he could look up to, until the day when he outgrew her and she looked up to him instead.

—As Good As Dead, by Holly Jackson

[elijones94]

🌊 Adella, Aquata, and Arista 🧜🏻‍♀️

[prettyboysinmyheart]

On this Mother's Day, let's take a moment to also appreciate and celebrate the incredible older sisters who have taken on the role of raising their younger siblings. These amazing women have selflessly put their own needs and aspirations aside to provide love, support, and guidance to their siblings. They have taken on the responsibilities of a parent with unwavering commitment and have done so with grace, strength, and courage. Their hard work and sacrifices have undoubtedly made a profound impact on the lives of their siblings and their families. Today, we honor these unsung heroes and express our gratitude and admiration for their unwavering dedication and love. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful older sisters out there!

[ettheapologizer1]

Here is a reference sheet of Scarlett one of Lucy's older sisters.

Ref sheets are hard.

[sapphosboy]

Watched my little sister receive some awards at school today, and while I was beaming at her with pride I was just hit with the thought of all the Palestinian older sisters, who have outlived their younger sisters. Who won’t get to watch them grow and flourish. The Palestinian older sisters, who are the only members of their family left. I can’t even imagine the grief. I can’t even fathom that kind of devastation. 

[the-dyke-of-handsomeness]

I just realised that the closest thing I’ll probably ever get to siblings are strangers on the internet despite having siblings.

[adacide]

24/07/23 - 00:03

I hate being the youngest daughter. My older sisters are kinder than me and prettier than me and more successful than me and I am so, so jealous and bitter because of it but so guilty because I love them and I want them to be happy. I hate being compared to them, I hate the way they look at me with disdain because I got everything they never could. The opportunities, the love, the pressure, the dreams, the care from our father and mother.

I wish they'd gotten everything I did. I wish they got the love, the care, the place at the dinner table. I wish they'd understand the belittlement I faced, the "you'll understand when your older" and the "why can't you be more like your sisters" and the "you should just stay home, your sister's did when they graduated!"

I love my sisters but I hate the comparisons. I hate being forced into their mold, I hate that they got to carve their own ways in life but I'm expected to follow their footsteps. I hate that my sister was forced to give up her dancing to become a banker. I hate that my other sister quit music to become a mother. I hate that I had to leave them behind so I could pursue my art.

I hate being the youngest daughter. I hate having generations of women from my family all look to me to carry on the dreams they never got to fulfill. I hate the way my sisters look with me with envy and pride when I tell them all about my adventures on the other side of the country. I hate that I am everything they wanted to be and everything my parents despise. I hate that I took everyone's expectations and dreams and carried them on my shoulders. I hate that I left my own dreams in the dust.

[growinguptheyoungest]

Once when I was a little kid, my older sister convinced me I was adopted and my real parents were Demi Lovato and Ronald McDonald and I cried

[werewolftransjenderism]

*Warning this is a bit of a trauma dump*

When I see people on here talk about the parentification of eldest daughters/older sisters taking care of their siblings, and these things being common enough that lots of people relate, it's wild to me because my experience with an older sister was so different. For me, having an older sister was (and is tbh) like being bullied by a "popular girl" at school except she lives with you and it doesn't stop when you graduate. And there was no one to ask for help because my mom was the same. As we've gotten older she's told me she views it as "helping me" and says she wishes she had an older sister to do the same for her. The worst part is, she now works with autistic kids and you'd think she'd make the connection that the very same traits she made fun of me for are autistic ones, but no!! She's getting married and I'm going to be her "maid" of honor and I am DREADING IT.

[necromancer-at-abattoir]

Vivienne Duarte, Bianca di Angelo and being an older sister

So, in this post, I'm trying to examine how we as a society, even the ones who are progressive, automatically expect the older sibling, more importantly the older sister, to take on the burden of their siblings when their parents can't.

I'm going to use the example of Bianca di Angelo from Percy Jackson.

For context, I'll tell you-Bianca and her younger brother Nico were from pre WWII before the big 3 took the oath, and once her mother was killed by Zeus, her father put her and her brother in the Lotus Casino, which makes time pass slowly while the outside world time goes faster.

Bianca and her brother Nico were in there for about a month according to them but actually 70 years in real time. Keep in mind that during this time, there were no parental figures for them, even if they got everything they materially needed-food, clothes, etc.

Nico also mentions that Bianca was strict with what she let him watch, so this means that she watched over him in the Casino. Not fully, maybe, but she watched over him and felt parentified nonetheless.

Bianca felt that she had to take care of Nico.

And when they come out, they remember that their parents are dead and they go to a military school of all schools. Now Bianca feels like she has to take care of Nico because their parents are dead and because of the general expectations piled onto older sisters and they probably cling to each other a lot, seeing as how Nico didn't mention any friends from his boarding school time.

And when Bianca gets the chance to join the Hunters of Artemis, well, she takes it-and how do people react to this?

Well......they don't like it. They think she's abandoning Nico, they call her selfish, even though she's only 12-a literal child, not even a teenager. And she only wants to not be just a big sister, to have a life for herself. And she's groomed and mislead by two much older women who are also in the guise of being children (Artemis and Zoe) and she's told that she can meet Nico from time to time, but that she won't have to take care of him anymore and that he'll be taken care of. And so she takes the chance. She doesn't know that they're going to camp-she thinks that if she declines, she won't get this again. And she doesn't even think about the possible consequences of this, because again, she's just a scared twelve year old who barely had time to make a decision with a lot of pressure and 3 people there who tried to pressure her into the opposite directions.

No one really thinks about this, do they? They only think about how her joining the Hunters and her death affected Nico, and they judge their reactions to her based on him.

Because the way Bianca was written, she was always the Earth to Nico's Sun. And ultimately, she died and was only ever remembered as Nico's older sister, which is so sadly ironic because she always wanted to be more, but Bianca was doomed from the start.

And now we come to Vivienne Duarte, who can also be a slightly selfish sister, only people love her more because we actually see her helping Jude, and Jude doesn't seem to be that affected by Vivienne's distance from her and Taryn-in fact, Jude has said that Vivienne has come through for her plenty of times, and Vivienne does help Jude a lot over the course of TFOTA, so Vivienne would of course not be hated that much, right?

But, as always with case of older sisters not being there for their younger siblings, there's Vivienne hate for this.

And I mean, I can understand where you're coming from, because maybe it looks like Vivienne should have been there for Jude and Taryn-

But let me tell you, have we ever considered Vivienne as a person, and her desires and wants?

Let me tell you something very frankly-I wholeheartedly believe that if TFOTA was from Vivienne's POV, then a lot of people would be hating Jude and Taryn. We'd all be wondering why they choose to stay with the people who don't care for them and treat them like toys or pets. We'd be cheering Vivienne on, and maybe some of us would take some time to think about Jude or Taryn and maybe even defend them, but ultimately, we would say that they chose to stay in Faerie, so they weather the consequences.

And that's what I'm talking about. Have we ever considered the fact that Vivienne wanted to go back to the human realm, but Jude and Taryn wanted to stay in Faerie?

And then Jude and Taryn grew to love Madoc. Madoc, the man who killed Vivienne's parents, and kidnapped her and her sisters to a foreign land which they knew nothing of, and then her sisters started to love him.

It must have been awful for Vivienne. How many times did she turn away, her heart being pierced, when she saw Jude smile at or hug Madoc? How many times did she blink away tears when she saw Taryn with Madoc?

And she vowed to hate Madoc, but she was forced to live with him because of her sisters, even when she found a way out, because they wanted to go back to his stronghold, and VIVIENNE stayed for JUDE AND TARYN, even though she could have gone and lived in the Mortal Realm using her magic and she could have come and visited them when she wanted to.

Can you imagine a man murdering your parents, then he kidnaps you and your sister and is your biological father? And then your sisters, who aren't his real daughters, grow to love him even though you hate him, and you can't fathom how they can love him, because HE MURDERED YOUR PARENTS IN FRONT OF ALL THREE OF YOU.

I love the fact that she hates him. I love that she tried to kill him and betrayed him for her sisters. I love her for that.

And Vivienne did try to protect Jude and Taryn, but their relationshop fractured as Jude and Taryn grew to love Elfhame and Madoc, and that's realistic, because which person in Vivienne's place, with all her trauma and vows, would not hate her sisters a little for doing what they did?

And now we come to Vivienne's desires.

I mean, I already told you that she wanted to go and live in the mortal world away from Faerie, but she stayed for her sisters. Was she planning to stay forever if she had met Heather? Probably not, but she would have stayed longer.

But I think that when she met Heather and Heather wanted Vivienne to move in with her, Vivienne realised that it was either her or her sisters' desires-

And she chose herself over them.

And I think that that was wonderful, because she couldn't stay behind forever. She couldn't sacrifice forever.

And let me tell you, she offered so many times to Jude and Taryn, she said, hey, let's go back, stop being the the crazy psychos, and they kept saying no, we want to live here.

And Vivienne ultimately accepted that she couldn't always just try to help her younger sisters, that she and they would have to go their own separate ways, that ultimately she couldn't help them anymore. That Jude would have to fend for herself, that Taryn would have to find a husband.

And so she chose to leave for herself, and I think that that's so bittersweet, because she was leaving them behind for a new life, and she must have been hurt too, but she stopped sacrificing for her sisters. And she knew that she was immortal, so she could come back and visit them when they were settled.

And she tried, one last time, and she was even prepared to give up Heather for her sisters, but then they refused, and she gave it up entirely.

But I think that if Jude ever came to her, then Vivienne would help her, always.

Yes, Vivienne did play with Cardan, but that was most likely before he started bullying Jude and Taryn. Jude literally said that Vivienne stopped attending classes and also that she and Taryn hid their trauma in Faerie from Vivienne, so Vivienne didn't know that Jude and Taryn were bullied. And being the big sister that she is, she would never tolerate Cardan if she knew that he was bullying Jude and Taryn.

Bianca died, and Vivienne lived, and when people think of Vivienne Duarte, they're not always going to remember her as Jude's older sister, because she's so much more.

Vivienne stopped taking care of Jude and Taryn when she felt that she didn't need to and realized that they needed to fend for themselves and she couldn't always help them.

I feel like Bianca and Vivienne could have such a talk.........

@madockisser not sure if you've read Percy Jackson but what do you think about this? I'm trying to understand Vivienne's POV and I feel like I made some good points here, but I want your opinion too

[shilohsylvanian]

Lulu Golightly, older silk cat sister Credit