#Rick really flopped with the fatal flaws thing as a whole

[bright-eyes-strawberry-lies]

Do you think that one of the reasons Luke and Thalia were so close on the run was that Thalia seeks out power/control, and Luke was willing to give her almost complete control over him? And a reason for why Thalia had her "I don't recognize you anymore" line aswell as suddenly turning so hostile being that she no longer had that control over Luke's actions?

Yes, I do think part of Luke's appeal for Thalia was that he did whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it.

Maybe equally important was that Luke didn't stop Thalia from doing what she wanted. In Demigod Diaries, Thalia makes them follow a goat around for three days before Luke even asks why they're following it. When Thalia wants to go into Hal's house, Luke thinks it's a bad idea but he goes with her.

Luke's devotion to Thalia is such that she almost killed him - like actually, for real, with powers she can't control - and he stayed by her side. He didn't even blame her for it. Luke also took her to May's house when she needed help, a place it's pretty clear that Luke never meant to return to (and according to Hermes isn't welcome at).

Part of it may be her "fatal flaw" or whatever but I think it may be even simpler than that.

Thalia being power hungry for the sake of having power and that being her "fatal flaw" doesn't even really make sense because she really only uses what little power she has to take control of (or to save) her own life.

I hate talking about Beryl because she's so pathetic and a sorry excuse for a human, let alone a parent. But Beryl is a large part of the reason Thalia is how she is. She tried to baby-trap Zeus with Thalia and when that didn't work, she turned to drinking (or drinking more heavily, I guess). But like, she's another mortal parent who didn't want her kids (thinking about Frederick but like at least Beryl knew kids were a possibility the poor man). She didn't want Thalia and she didn't want Jason, they were just the side effects of getting to have Zeus/Jupiter for a moment.

Growing up with an alcoholic mother and an absentee father and a lost/dead infant brother (I dont remember what they did to Jason when they took him away but I seem to recall Thalia was either kept in the dark or lied to about it), Thalia had no control and no one who put her first in her life.

Luke was the first person to put Thalia before themselves.

Also it's pretty explicitly said that Luke is a gift (or a prize or a weapon, whichever you like) to Thalia from Zeus. Zeus led Thalia to Luke using the goat. Zeus led Thalia to her magic shield using the goat. Thalia actually says Zeus led her to Luke specifically.

As for her "this isn't you" line...aside from my opinion that it (Thalia siding with the Olympians at all) was spawned entirely because Chiron brainwashed Thalia...I think if Luke had been there (either because the rebellion never started or because he actually got to put the fleece on her tree himself and was there when she was birthed from the tree) then Thalia would have sang a different tune.

She was asleep and her dog was not there waiting for her when she woke up. That's out of character for Luke and Thalia would probably take it as a sign that he's no longer loyal to her personally (especially after Hal saying that Luke would betray someone and planting that idea in Thalia's head).

Now the puppy daddy got her is a full-grown dog with grownup dog teeth, and everyone is telling her that he's rabid, that he needs to be put down. And Thalia agrees.

[okaybutlikeimagine]

#37 for johnathan

37.   a song you’re ashamed to have in your music library

Hi!!!!!!

Jonathan is my dear and also so!! pretentious!! about!! music!!!!

this is absolutely NO hate to Jonathan, love the boy, I just think it’s fact. Jonathan is pretentious about his music taste. he’s gonna sit there and be like: “yeah, sure Nance, Rick Springfield is cute but you don’t understand. Bowie has a vision.”

and she’s sitting there like: “.....? Uh huh. Alright. Well Jessie’s Girl is on so shh.”

Jonathan rolls his eyes with a smile.

It’s just that... Jonathan really truly thinks he has a better ear for music than everyone else. Love him to death but it’s a bit of a fatal flaw for the boy. he argues w/ Billy quite a bit over music bc Billy also thinks he has a better ear for music than everyone else. They’re just two sweet, pretentious little music snobs! ♥

And Jonathan doesn’t feel like he has a lot to be embarrassed about. The music he likes is good because he only likes good music.

It’s just that...

He also really likes some songs that he... doesn’t really wanna admit to people...

Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran is one of them.

(now don’t get me wrong, I adore this song w/ absolutely all of my heart, but imagine Jonathan listening to this)

bc it’s so pop and the synth and it’s just... not something Jonathan necessarily wants to admit to. Except, it’s a nice song to listen to when he’s alone doing his homework in his room. so he’s doing exactly that, listening to this song and tapping his pencil on his notebook as he reads the chapter he’s meant to be taking notes on when...

“Really, John Boy?”

Jonathan’s blood goes a little cold at the nickname. Only one person calls him that...

He looks up to see Billy’s snarky face.

“Duran Duran?”

Fuck. Billy wasn’t supposed to be here.

Jonathan shoots him a look. “The music is-”

Billy raises an eyebrow.

“Well, his voice is-”

Billy sits in his hip and sighs through his nose. Jonathan’s tired.

“The lyrics are captivating.”

Billy guffaws at that. “Captivating? Are you serious?”

“Shut up, I’m not saying I like the song or anything, I’m just saying-”

“You’re just saying you’re listening to this song because you find the lyrics captivating?”

Billy’s smile looks like he’s about ready to eat Jonathan whole.

“Shut up, Billy.” Jonathan goes to get up and change the song, but Billy doesn’t let him, rather opting to call out to Steve who stops in the doorway behind Billy.

“Hey! I love this song! Duran Duran, right?”

Billy gives Jonathan a look that says Gotcha now. Can’t get out of this.

Bc see, the thing is, Jonathan and Billy both believe that Steve doesn’t have the best taste in music. They tease him about it all the time. The boy thinks Pat Benatar and Eric Carmen are cool. They're always laughing at him about his music choices. and if one of them is arguing about another song being good, then they ask Steve what he thinks of this song, to settle it. If Steve likes it...

“Still like this song?” Billy asks, leaning against the doorframe.

Jonathan grumbles. “Y’know what? Yeah, I do still like this song. I know you like this song too.”

Billy laughs, licking his teeth. “Yeah, but only because it’s about sex. Captivating, right?”

Jonathan rolls his eyes. “Okay Billy, I get it.”

Steve shifts his gaze between Billy and Jonathan.

“Wait a second, I know you guys don’t like my music, but maybe this just means that this song is good! I can like good music too, y’know! I like Queen and Prince and... and!”

Billy laughs, turning to Steve and running his hand along the boy’s collar. “You’re right. C’mon babe, let’s go listen to some more good music in my room.”

Steve smiles and nods, but hangs around Jonathan’s doorway for a second.

“It’s a good song, don’t mind him.”

Jonathan smiles a little, waves to Steve as he leaves the doorway... and then flops on his bed with a loud sigh and a groan when Van Halen starts playing loudly from Billy’s room next door.

[inkofamethyst]

AND ANOTHER THING

(comes from tiktok but is still super valid)

Part of Annabeth’s whole arc was like,,,,, she had all of this intelligence.  She was smart and she knew it.  But she and all the kids in the Athena cabin were blonde (I’m pretty sure that was a detail in the book somewhere, that they were all athletic-lookin blonde kids) and Annabeth had to overcome people not taking her seriously (this also might’ve been an age thing) which I mean HELLO that’s something poc/woc go through ON THE DAILY my friend.   Also, I’ve since learned that Rick’s original description of Annabeth as blonde and intelligent was literally meant to go against the dumb blonde stereotype of the time.  Black women are quite often portrayed as unintelligent/ignorant in comedy/media, so this choice is sort of... keeping up with the times, I guess.

GAH I remember seeing myself in/looking up to Annabeth SO MUCH when I read through the books (part of the reason why I took offense when my cello-friend revealed that he thought she was annoying (doesn’t help that I already think of myself as annoying lol)); she was my favorite character because she was smart like me (at least like people said I was) and she had goals which I wanted to have (girl knew she was gonna be an architect at twelve and I certainly wasn’t that sure about what I wanted to be) and also she could fight which is super cool to a fourth grader (and to a twenty-one year old).  Girl was like “hubris is my fatal flaw” in the second book or something and I was like “honey that is my BRAND and what you’re telling me is we understand each other” like,, the books meant so much to me and they will always hold a special place in my heart as my first fandom, as having my otp, just... yeah.

I’m kind of really excited for it.  The same way that The Legend of Vox Machina pulled from source material but gave us something that was different and a little bit more.  That’s all I want, really.  I don’t want or need adaptations for all of my favorite written works.  I think some of them are just fine staying as books (I cannot for the life of me conceive of the Broken Earth Trilogy being transformed into something visual and good, same with Gifts and also Powers which I’m reading now).  But if a book is adapted, I just want it to be good.  Enjoyable.  And maybe not shot-for-shot.  Keep me on my toes, even if I have read the source material half a dozen or so times (cannot claim the same for the sequel series, I’ve only read it once (it was very enjoyable!!!! just very long lol)).  It’s like, someone described how movie-to-musical adaptations sometimes flop because the characters in the movies don’t have souls that sing, and I think that applies to book-to-movie adaptations as well, but we’re kind of getting off track.

I managed to stay up by the way but not in a healthy way btw.

May 6, 2022

BLACK GIRL ANNABETH BLACK GIRL ANNABETH BLACK GIRL ANNABETH

Did I always picture Annabeth as a lil white girl with blonde hair?  100% yes, but I also picture almost every single character as white (even when the narrator repeatedly reminds me that they are not (ahem… Annals of the Western Shore, I sincerely apologize and I’m doing the best I can, but it’s so rare to see black/brown leads in fantasy books that aren’t “black fantasy” books, you know?)).  I–  WOW.  AHH I’M SURE SHE’S GONNA BE GREAT.  ALL OF EM.  and I better not hear nobody make a peep.  (tbh I thought they were going to race-bend Thalia because she’s not like,, important-important, and they still totally can and might, but Annabeth??  outta left field)

Speaking of Annals of the Western Shore (the best trio of books I’ve read since the Broken Earth Trilogy tbh), book 3 got me feeling some kinda way.  The whole slavery thing like,,, it’s dizzying.  I can’t say too much without spoiling stuff but wow it’s a good book.  I’m halfway through and it’s just so well-written.  A bit of a heavy-handed allegory?  Perhaps, but that could just be me looking too deep into it.

Okay but just like,, this whole trend of taking “white characters” and having them played by black women (MJ and Ariel and Catwoman come to mind and also Elle Woods in some new stage production (and wasn’t Hermione in HP and the Cursed Child played by a black woman or something))… I love how opportunities are opening up.  I just…  Honestly, I fear that the resentment and the backlash might reach a tipping point.  And that it will be directed toward black women entirely because I can’t really think of any cases where an “iconic” “white male character” has been played by a black man, or just a POC man (I recall there being talks about Idris Elba as James Bond but I don’t pay enough attention to Hollywood to know what came of it (probably nothing), and Nick Fury used to be white in the comics and I think Grover might’ve been white (or raceless/racially ambiguous (I feel like he might’ve been described as a redhead with freckles??))).  It’s like,, black women check two diversity boxes (A+ for intersectionality), and white men still get their leads.  And I know, I know I shouldn’t worry about people who think that way because their opinions should be irrelevant to me… but if Trump showed us anything, it’s that there are way more people who think stuff like this out there than we know of.

This summer Imma listen to so much video game music it’s not even funny.  As much as I enjoy being in the audience for the chamber concerts, there are for sure people I’m interested in performing with next semester, I just need to find pieces to perform (though if I’m being completely honest,,,,,,, I wouldn’t mind just chilling in the audience).  Saxophone-guy already has a few in mind, but I wanna find a couple of my own yknow?  Honestly I’d love to find one that I could do with my cello-friend, I just think that’d be so so so cool.

Speaking of this summer, had a talk with a prof today who said that they might know some labs that I could get into this summer to learn techniques, one of them being at an ~ivy~ (it’s one of the ivies on my list (I think I’m looking at four total??  I’ll probably narrow it down to two at most but I mean hey, there’s also nothing wrong with casting my net wide (it’s just, like, the cultures at each one are probably so different that I’d probably need to learn more about them))), so that’s cool.  Housing is, of course, an issue to be dealt with, but I’ll cross that bridge if it’s an issue.  The other option is a lab at my uni which is also fine (esp since I’ll be paying for this apartment through the summer).

Gotta say though, if I see a single Dr. Strange spoiler, Imma go ballistic.  Somebody’s gonna die and it ain’t gonna be me.  I am literally so excited to see that movie (I adore Scarlet Witch and have since AvX).  I’ve been dodging Moon Knight spoilers left and right because Pinterest sucks butt nowadays and I’m tired of it.

Today I’m thankful that… honestly that this was the last full week of classes :)

I need to find something to binge tonight because I have to be up early tomorrow but I’ve screwed up my sleep schedule and I really do not want to take a nap (it’s because I napped last Saturday I think ugh) because then I’ll stay up late but I’m not really in the middle of any show right now.  I was planning to hit up the performing arts center this evening, maybe.  I could watch The Batman tonight.  Hm.