#hazel tls

[ask-the-linked-systems]

So, I redesigned Hazelynn. This version is way more accurate to her real life counterpart(our neighbor's cat of the same name). Also more recognizable.

[apolaskiart]

A little jig in the dimwood to forget the horrors for a little!

[fideidefenswhore]

Despite [Margaret] being one of the most powerful figures in the vicinity of the Bisham Priory, Margaret's protest proved ineffective against the combined efforts of Cromwell and Anne Boleyn, and Barlow was duly appointed.

Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury: Loyalty, Lineage, & Leadership, Hazel Pierce

[highlordofkrypton]

my ACOTAR wips // you wanted a villain?

I've been sitting on this one for a hot minute. I wrote this as a response to my annoyance with the shift in narrative, specifically towards Rhysand in the ACOTAR series.

So, I figured I'd introduce my morally gray boy (idek if he's gray, either), and see how it holds up, but then I got attached to the sibling dynamic with Amren. I also really enjoy writing ancient horrifying creatures, so...

Not sure if I'll continue this, but it was cathartic to write.

TL;DR - There's a new menace in town, and he's... Amren's older brother? Beware of depiction of violence, if ever you're not cool with that. Read the WIP under the cut.

TAGS: YOU ASKED FOR MY OC, YOU'LL GET MY OC. @watcherintheweyr @amalhe-kofee and @feyres-divorce-lawyer this is my anti-IC WIP that I mentioned... IT'S NOT FEYRE FRIENDLY BTW IM SORRY

The House of Wind rests on the side of a mountain, atop a valley, overlooking the beautiful city of Velaris. It is the throne upon which the high command of the Court sit, watching over the peasants who rebuild after war and knitting fanciful tales of proximity. From high above, behind their wards and between wild oak walls, they tell themselves—these are my people, this is my court. 

Lights wink shut across the city, like candles snuffed out by a violent breath. The darkness creeps in from the outskirts, slithering towards the House with frightful purpose. A blanket of silence hushes the people, though most are already asleep. There is no such thing as the winds of change; change simply happens when it is least expected and least desired.

A mouse tiptoes against marble floors, silent as ever. Years of hunting to survive have taught her the habit, even if the need for discretion has long vanished. This is her home and these are her people. She has nothing to hide. (Oh, but who said she is hiding?) The smile that spreads on her face is wicked as she circles her prey, settled in the foyer, looking pensively into the fire. The bond between them remains firmly shut, an important part of her game, and the rest of her family has been ordered to bed in hopes of avoiding an… unwanted spectacle.

Rhysand looks as handsome as ever, if not more tonight. He stands tall and confident, broad shoulders in a dark suit that seems to drink up the dance of the flame. Feyre yearns for him—her love, her male, her mate. She creeps closer and closer, until she can wrap her arms around his waist. She has to stand on her toes to kiss his neck, nuzzle the fine hairs there and breathe in the scent of him. Crisp, cool, like the evening breeze. 

“You seem different today, I like it.”

Rhys always finds a way to take her breath away. The house rattles with the impact of Feyre's body against its walls and she sobs.

“Do not touch me,” he clips.

Rhys always takes her breath away, and he would, had he been the one here.

One by one, the Inner Circle of the Night Court appears. First are the three Illyrians, two of which are armed to the teeth. Their armour and weapons are familiar—discarded iterations of better inventions that this realm never did see. Their battle stance implies that they are trained, but not enough. Not for the villain they face now. 

“Let her go.” The very shadows warble around them as Rhysand makes his demands and utters his threat. ��Or I will tear your throat out.”

Johan’s icy gaze slithers from the pseudo-Fae to the false prince. His face remains handsomely impassive.

“Oh, would you? I’d rather like that.”

There’s a glint in his eyes that betrays the rest of him. His tone is dead, like his soul at this very meeting. Is this all they are? The famed Night Court? Children, all of them.

The High Lord of the Night Court moves. Probably to save his mate. The second he starts, Johan squeezes harder. Feyre’s head turns red, then a little purple with suffocation. Her eyes bulge a pretty hazel. It is still a struggle, after all this time, for him to piece together recognition in the form of faces. He can scent the anger, the soaps they use to clean themselves and even the nature of their magic, but he cannot—will never—see them.

Threat of his mate’s death is enough to stop Rhysand in his tracks. The other two had started to circle him and they mirror the movement of their lord. While the demonstration of reason is reassuring, the clear weakness is disappointing. Johan squeezes a bit more, each increment with the end goal of snapping her neck and watching the life blink out of her. An unsatisfying end, but there are many of them here and he has many questions. One answer for one life, that should do. The first murder is always meant to send a message.

“Hanni?”

Amren enters the room, her voice so soft, it’s unrecognizable to the Illyrians she’s known for years. The way she looks at the stranger makes her seem much younger than her fifteen thousand years; it’s the longing that fills her expression, shattering every knowledge they’ve had of their friend. (Did they ever really know her? A creature this old and devastating?) She spares no glance at the violence against her friend, only bolting towards Johan to tackle him in a tight hug. He remains unmoved.

“I have missed you.” Her eyes wrench shut as she holds him. Not even the sound of Feyre hitting the ground and her friends darting to care for the once-human High Lady will take this moment from her. “You’re back.”

Johan’s hand rests in her hair, jet black to mirror his. (And their eyes, brighter than any stars in the Continent’s skies.) The touch is awkward. Stunted. “I am.” He says, flatly.

“You know this asshole?” Cassian whines.

When she pulls back, Amren puts little distance between herself and the visitor. “Yes, he is my brother.”

“Your brother?” Cassian sputters, choking on his own saliva. The room stills, every soul in it staring at their ancient friend who only ever hints at her past. The thought that Amren, a creature just barely contained in her flesh, could have family is beyond them. The younglings swallow audibly. They are afraid.

They should be.

Rhysand stands while Morrigan tends to the High Lady of Velaris, a boy defending his territory. “Tell your brother he is in my house and he will not lay a hand on my mate.”

How could you mistake him for me, his voice echoes down the bond and into… nothing?

“So long as I am here, all bargains are off,” Johan drawls. Even the ones made with the heart and the soul. Something he said must be amusing because he can feel Amren’s amusement bubbling up beside him, despite her mimicking his impassive expression. 

The rest of the children in the room are of mild interest to him, part of a task. Nothing less, nothing more. Tilting his head, he inspects Amren. He towers over her, both in stature and demeanour. If she was cold, then he is the ice that drew the world to a standstill. If she is distant, then he is the yawning crevasse between humanity, faeries and whatever they are supposed to be.

A metal finger slides beneath her chin, tipping it upwards towards him. His lips part to speak to her, but before he can get a word out, a wheezing useless sound interrupts him.

“What does that mean,” Feyre breathes, struggling to her feet. It would have been a better show of strength, had she not needed two people to keep her standing. “What… happened to the bond? Amren?” She looks to her friend, expecting their relationship to sway the situation in their favour how it always has.

Amren rolls her silver eyes towards Feyre, then back to Johan. “These are my friends.” She chooses her words carefully. For they all have been through together, the being before her would not understand the notion of family. Not with these people.

Johan’s handsome features twist into a brief scowl, but he smooths his expression just as suddenly. Her relationships mean nothing to him. They are infinitesimal before Amren, even smaller compared to himself. It is only out of affection for Amren that he does not flay the once-human. He does not bother with answering her question, he owes her nothing.

“What are you doing here, little one?” He finally asks, gleaming the answers from the cosmos in her eyes. “This is not your home.”

From the outskirts of the room, Amren’s friends flinch. Velaris had been her home. For now.

“I was trapped in this realm when you all left.”

A frown mars Johan’s features, no matter how slight. He leans forward, pressing his forehead against hers. She does not need to say it for him to understand. Left behind. He mourns the injustice in his own way. “Do you wish to return home?”

It’s not a question she can answer now, not without betraying one (or both) of her families. Amren steps back, schooling her emotions into their usual iron. Johan’s gaze follows her with the same attention a predator would offer his prey. One wrong step and he could have her between his teeth. All this time, she wrought fear to all the Fae around her—a bedtime story to keep them in line—but she is nothing compared to her brothers. (If Johan is here, then the Other must be, too, wreaking havoc across the continent.)

“Why are you here?” She speaks on behalf of their house.

You know why.

“Speak it, so that we all may hear.” The order is bold, a risk she has weighed out. Her friends stand at the ready; she’s still on their side and they trust her.

Johan surveys the cast before him, properly this time. There is Amren, standing in a new light by allying herself with children playing politics and heroics. The High Lord shares a handful of similarities to Johan, calling back to the origins of his line and his Court, but still only a shadow of its former glory. He is pleased to see the way Illyrians have developed. Still strong in build and character, with no visible adversity to techno-magic (despite its archaic shape). His gaze lingers on Azrael. Not his face, never the face, but the whole of him. The fae’s magic whispers to him—shadowsinger—and Johan’s nostrils flare in the only visible tell of amusement. This will need to be revisited. There is the female fae who is of no discernible interest to him and lastly, the High Lady who’s stature as fae decreases with every waking moment.

“This world is corrupt. I am here to return it as it should be.” Simple as that. “Your bond is no longer and so is your Making. Neither were earned, but if you are truly worthy, I am sure you will be able to gain one of those back.”

Shadows warble around the room as the High Lord winnows across the room, dagger in hand. He aims right for Johan's heart. Metal clangs loudly as the blade’s tip collides with Johan’s false hand. His other one slides behind the High Lord’s neck to pull him close. “Anything you can do, I can do better.” Johan purrs.

Rhysand would not be the ‘strongest of all High Lords’ if he did not have a vast arsenal of weaponry to use against any assailant. (In the background, Feyre tries to help, but stumbles when she comes to the sudden realization that she is no longer High Fae.) He barrels into Johan’s mind with the ease of daemati, and the mistake is his. Johan puts up no shields, welcoming him into the chaos of his mind. 

“Rhys, no!” Amren shouts, but it is too late.

Johan’s mind is—

A wasteland made of shadows. Light withers in his presence, basking him in primal darkness. Fear in its purest form lives in him, surrounded by the souls of the dead. (Failed experiments, blood on his hands and ghosts beyond even his explanation.) They haunt him endlessly, robbing him of the ability to connect with the living. (He is one of them and they will never let him go.) 

Rhysand claws at his face, fighting invisible monsters after spending a whole second inside the mind of an ancient demon. His eyes roll to the back of his head, body hitting the marble floors and seizing violently.

“What did you do to him?!” Feyre shrieks, crawling over to her mate and cradling him.

Nothing. Nothing was done to him, but the answer seems so obvious, it’s not worth speaking. What happened to Rhysand is a product of his own making. What point is there to all the power if he does not know how to wield it? Power pales in comparison to pure skill, and skill is nothing without the intelligence to know when and how to apply it. Johan simply tilts his head questioningly and looks down at the famed couple.

Cassian steps forward, ready to avenge his master, but the shadowsinger rests a hand on his shoulder, halting the thought with a shake of his head. Johan watches Azrael for a long moment.

Good boy, he presses into his mind. The thought is made of warmth and velvet. It slithers down Azrael’s spine and curls in his belly. The Illyrian flinches, glancing away from the invader. “What does that entail? Returning the world as it should be?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“What could—” Azrael’s question fades to nothing. Whatever he was going to ask, there’s no point. The man—the being—or whatever he was is already gone, clearly uninterested in entertaining their curiosity (and their fear).

Wisps of black smoke dance across the room as Amren is slammed into the wall. Johan manifests himself. “That is the last time you will question me on behalf of your mortals.” Her breath hiccups in her throat.

With that final word, he vanishes to finish his investigation of what this world has become.

[doevademe]

Hi! Been re-reading some of your future-fic oneshots. I'm just curious to ask: considering Nico as someone tired and settling for Will and canon Will (uhm, the fandom writes him well sometimes), what do you think would be the last straw (for either of them, or both) for a solangelo break-up? Is it possible even with only a very minor (or none at all) intervention from Percy?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Okay, let's do a deep dive into Will and Nico and their relationship, and how, as they are written, they are already doomed as a couple.

However, if you want the TL;DR: Nico and Will are incompatible from a fundamental level. Their personalities and hobbies require way too much compromise to work together. In my future fics, Percy just sped up the inevitable. There's is no one "last straw" as there is an ever increasing pressure that eventually becomes unsustainable.

First, let's look at the dynamic they develop from their first on-screen interaction in BoO: Will nags Nico, tells him he's wrong about his own feelings of isolation and loneliness, and proceeds to basically gaslight him that people never shunned him and he did it to himself. Nico, who has been alone for so long, takes this as a show of concern and affection, and develops an infatuation with Will.

Fast forward to ToA, and it's more of the same. Nico is gloomy, or sarcastic, or a bit morbid, and Will is bothered by it. He's bothered by who Nico is, and decides to "fix him". Nico, meanwhile has grown dependent on Will as his other relationships grow distant (Percy, Hazel, Reyna, and even Hades), and begins feeling jealous of Will even touching others. Needless to say, that's a very toxic basis for a romantic relationship.

When tsats comes around, we get the relationship at its worst. The very first scene is Nico saying he is into fictional bad boys, and Will being disappointed in him. We see that Nico is now watching his every word, glancing constantly at Will to make sure it doesn't displease him, and Will is happier that Nico is "better", though worried he might relapse, lose him to "the darkness" inside him.

Will in tsats is just the worst. He's useless on the quest, he tries to make Nico turn his back on the Underworld (the closest thing he has to a home), he whines, and he simps for Persephone while his boyfriend is right there. Some of it is an intentional flaw, but most of it we're meant to read as romantic and genuinely "sweet".

At the end, Will "learns" that he needs to accept that Nico will always have some darkness in him, and he just needs to "shine brighter" for them both. This doesn't really solve their problems as a couple: They have very little in common, Nico's too dependent on Will and has isolated himself from family and friends, and Will's newfound "acceptance" is tied to seeing Nico as inherently negative.

This relationship is simply not sustainable in the short or long-term, and eventually it will give. Either Will gets tired of having Nico around disrupting his sunny energy, or Nico lashes out over being "the problem" Will has so graciously decided to burden himself with.

A break-up is not only inevitable, it's the healthiest thing either of them can do. People would say to try couple's therapy, but therapy can't make people suddenly like hobbies or personality traits they find repellent. Will is in love with the idea of a "fixed" Nico, and Nico is in love with the idea of a boy that likes and fights for him.

The break-up catalyst can be anything: One nag too far from Will, Nico doing a morbid joke too many, just waking up one day and realizing they were never really in love. Either way, it's not a matter of how, of whether Percy is there or not, it's a matter of when. When does it become too much for them to keep pretending they want the same thing out of this relationship.

[aroaceleovaldez]

Another thing re: Nico being autistic-coded, is that we know with his whole “people tend to ostracize me for things beyond my control” thing, only half of that is because he’s a son of Hades.

We know this for sure because of Hazel and other character’s POVs - other characters explicitly describe being inherently uncomfortable around children of Hades/Pluto but being able to ignore that feeling most of the time after hanging around with them awhile. However, most characters don’t describe the same thing with Nico. They’ll get past the spooky part and be perfectly fine with Hazel, or even Nico’s powers, but there’s a second thing about Nico that the other characters - including Hazel herself! - all still register as being unusual.

The interesting thing here is there is another autistic-coded character in the series who describes the exact same phenomenon. Leo. The only difference between Leo and Nico (besides powers) is that Leo is near-constantly masking. He specifically notes that he masks for the sole purpose of making others like him more, because he has difficulties with social situations and feels very strongly that he thinks people wouldn’t like him as much or outright be hostile towards him if he wasn’t masking.

And this lines up with how pre-Nico’s spooky powers other characters tried to avoid him, simply because he was a hyper 10 year old who speaks a completely different social language to them. They’re all ADHD, so it kind of makes sense if someone comes in with a completely different social language it’s gonna throw you off. You can also possibly do some analysis with how Reyna initially felt off-put by Nico until she went on her quest with him and explicitly noted how they have similar body language/habits and went “Oh.” and from then on was totally fine with him.

anyways tl;dr: Nico feeling ostracized isn’t just because he’s a son of Hades but possibly even more because he’s simply autistic and nobody else speaks his social language. Leo experiences the same thing, because he’s also autistic, but to a lesser degree because he’s constantly masking.

[14th-century-verona-queer]

Okay I love Percabeth with my whole entire heart

Like every single fiber of my fucking BEING loves them

I could never get enough of them FRRR

But can we please please PLEASE stop writing one shots and short stories and things where every time Percy and Annabeth are together in the same room, they stop paying attention to their friends?

Or that they NEED to be together at all times?

Of course, PLEASE keep writing stories where (even as background characters) they’re being silly, stupid, in love teenagers

But i also wanna see more of Percy just hanging out with Piper and Frank and Nico in a small group, playing video games, and just talking.

I wanna see Annabeth having a girl’s night with Thalia, Reyna, and Hazel where they just wreak absolute havoc.

I wanna see more just Percy doing things with his friends and having friendship moments with his friends, and Annabeth doing things with her friends, and of course both of them contributing and being active in their friend group as THEMSELVES. Not as a conjoined Percabeth. (If that dont make sense, keep reading)

I’ve seen and read too many stories where Percy and Annabeth will be in a ‘group hang-out’ but I never see them interact with anyone else or see them have an ACTUAL conversation with a different character, without bringing up the other. (Not that thats particularly a BAD thing, obviously its cute and stuff, but i know that Percy and Annabeth can and want to talk about more stuff with their friends than just being in love and being Percabeth)

They’re always connected at the hip, and don’t seem to have the meaningful, passionate friendships that they actually have with all the other characters, if that make sense. Whenever they’re “hanging out” with everyone else, they’re never really “hanging out” yk?

And I don’t mean you can’t write them being absolutely infatuated with each other (cause, yk, they are), or that you can’t write them in a group setting where they just kinda of only have eyes for each other in that moment, or that they can’t write them not contributing to the conversation as much and having their own little lovey-dovey conversations. Of COURSE you can do that, and I encourage you to! I love that shit.

But when it’s all the time, in every story, every, well, everything, it just feels like Percy and Annabeth are reduced to those couples that will only hang out with you if you’re also doing couple activities, if that makes sense. Like, it’s giving the whole “jaladdin” thing from Descendants: rise of red. (Which really bothered me btw, bc Aladdin and Jasmine are fantastic characters that deserved their own character and personality that didn't just rely on their relationship) (PS. I HAVE NEVER WATCHED THE MOVIE. BUT. THOSE ARE THE VIBES I GOT JUST FROM THAT ONE SCENE. I COULD BE WRONG. I HOPE IM WRONG.)

Like it’s okay to be completely in love with your partner, but when thats all you talk about and hang out with, it makes the characters meaningless and boring (IN MY OPINONNNNN.) (not to mention that irl, thats quite unhealthy. Too much time with anyone, even someone you love a lot, will start to create resentment and anger between you)

Even in the books, we see Annabeth and Percy that just hang out one-on-one with other characters or in little groups separately. Do they love each other? Of fucking course, literally nothing could change that. But they still have lives and relationships OUTSIDE of each other.

TL;DR: Can we please start writing more interactions with Percy and Annabeth where they have strong, independent personalities that don’t just rely on and talk about Percabeth and their relationship? It’s great that they’re in love and its adorable, yes, but i also want to see them, yk, being Percy, or being Annabeth, and having their own lives and friends and relationships BESIDES just Percabeth.

(I’ll probably update this with new thoughts/make it make more sense because I just needed to get this off my chest and voice my opinion)

[eulaliasims]

Howdy (or, as my cat would say, meowdy)! tl;dw: I've got some gameplay posts for you. 👋

Julian: Autumn, look, look! Straight As!

Autumn: Atta boy! Should we have pizza and ice cream tonight to celebrate?

Julian: Yes, please!

It's the rest of the Fletcher round! Only six months later! In the whopping single day I posted, Wren moved out to uni (where they are rooming with Lina Blanch and have already gotten into shenanigans ofc) and Tegan aged into a gorgeous elder.

Hazel, do you not have enough cats to pet at home?

Hazel: Never!

[riddledeep]

@zachbrightside and I added all the FOP: A New Wish episodes to our full FOP episode timeline, which places all episodes across the 50 years of frozen time (and beyond). This timeline is what I base all my Cloudlands AU content on.

A New Wish isn't canon with Cloudlands AU, but I have a separate series - City Lights AU - that branches off from Cloudlands after Season 10.

As always, it was a pleasure working with you on these A New Wish episode placements, Zach! Thanks for your insights. Check out what we put together!

FOP Episode Timelines

Google Docs links

- Full Timeline Doc - 140 pages -> A New Wish begins on Page 123 - tl;dr Timeline Doc - 40 pages -> A New Wish begins on Page 38

Related

- Birthdays and Annual Events (Post) - Fairy School Schedule (Post) - Zodiac Years in Timmy & Hazel's Time (Doc) - Cloudlands AU 'Fic Chronology (Blog page)

Click HERE for my worldbuilding sideblog masterpost

Reference image - Fairly OddParents: A New Wish - "A New Development"

[ghostkingdiangelo429]

**Warning: Character break**

So, I forgot to mention what his account is about. Mb.

So, I'm running this account as a Nico di Angelo rp/slice of life account (If you want to do a rp, submit a question in the "Ask Me Anything" blue button at the top of the blog). For people who don't know, Nico di Angelo is a book character from the Percy Jackson book series (who had his own book (The Sun and The Star)) and is my favorite character in the whole series (Leo and Will fighting for second, and Mrs. O'leary, Tyson, and Ella having a place in my heart for First and a half place, then Hazel, then Percy and Annabeth in fourth place). But anyways, I like writing and poetry with occasional side of photography, I also LOVE art (and fanart) and am writing my own story about my own characters inspired by the Percy Jackson series and Steven Universe show. I gave a rough draft of the first few chapters of it to my friends in middle school and they absolutely loved it, so I might upload occasional anecdotes of rough drafts I have. That or the occasional character analysis of my characters.

Anyways! Thank you for reading this if you did, it means a lot to me :)

Tl;dr: Nico di Angelo roleplay account that will occasionally upload anecdotes of the story(ies) I'm making.

If you made it this far, have a cookie 🍪

[ask-the-linked-systems]

Hazel

So here is a random scene where Kiki returns home to find that Hazel has thrown a house party....in his house. I drew a few blurred out anthrimals in the background bc I'm too lazy to draw the rest of the people.

Hazel(Her actual name is Hazelynn, but most refer to her as Hazel) lives next door to Kiki, and they are good friends. She is pretty wild, and can get Kiki, someone usually calm, riled up.

Kiki: I go out for groceries and I return to this?!

Hazel: Yup. Want a drink? *offers beer*

Kiki: Well, can't turn that down. *takes the drink and plops down in his recliner*

[greensaplinggrace]

🔥 I’m so curious any unpopular opinions you might have about Nikolai….

do you want me crucified? please nikolai is this fandom's baby 😭😭

I'm alksjdflks- neutral on Nikolai at the best of times and I dislike him at the worst of times.

as a character, I find him fun, but I also find the 'charming rogue' archetype tired when it comes to him. I don't necessarily hate the archetype, but for some reason the way bardugo leans on it so much to make nikolai appealing rubs me the wrong way. I think it's a cheap imitation of what could have been a better crafted character. the times I have found nikolai most appealing are when he's cunning, political, and practical - especially after he's infected by the merzost. I also really like how similar he actually is to the darkling in a lot of ways, that's compelling to me. but all of that just makes me neutral towards him.

what makes me often swing into dislike is his function within the narrative. he essentially serves as the White Savior, and even when he gives zoya power (which in itself is handled unrealistically), it is with the same functional plot power and armor of a White Savior. I don't like the way bardugo handled the grisha and the monarchy, and unfortunately nikolai is just too tied into it all.

but actually the biggest unpopular opinion about him for me is that I think he should have also been an antagonist. not only would it have actually given bardugo's message about 'men in power' a lot of weight, but it would have been a brilliant study in how being outcast and othered doesn't automatically make you bad, and how being loved and accepted (and actually charming lol - he would serve as a much better 'charming abuser in hiding' than the darkling) doesn't necessarily make you good.

because this scene -

“I’m telling you that if you want to be a leader, it’s time you started thinking and acting like one.”

“I’ve heard this before, you know, from the Darkling and his supporters. Be brutal. Be cruel. More lives will be saved in the long run.”

“Do you think I’m like the Darkling?” I studied him—the golden hair, the sharp uniform, those too-clever hazel eyes.

“No,” I said slowly. “I don’t think you are.” I rose to go join Mal. “But I’ve been wrong before.”

-is the perfect setup to such a plot, and it would have given actual weight to what bardugo was trying to convey about men and power. it also would have gotten rid of the white savior trope, cast a more realistic light on the vilification of her only activist for the oppressed minority, and added more complexity to all of the characters.

tl;dr - unpopular opinion: nikolai would have served better as another antagonist, and I think his narrative function was unpleasant

send me a 🔥 for an unpopular opinion (x)

[ihazyourkitty]

Why John Hargrove is full of it p.1

Multiple people have expressed interest in the detailed Blackfish rebuttal I am working on. The plan is to put it in video essay format on Youtube. This not only has the potential to reach a larger audience, but it also gives me more creative/expressive flexibility that would otherwise be difficult to get across in just written text.

This project will not be completed for quite some time, as there are a lot of things to cover. However, I did want to provide a short glimpse into some things I've uncovered thus far.

You see, I plan on not only refuting the movie itself, but also covering the consequences of Blackfish, and major figures like Naomi Rose, Ingrid Visser, etc. So as part of this project, I am listening to the eBook version of John Hargrove's Beneath the Surface for the second time. It's..... so.... much..... fun.....

*sigh* Warning, there's a long rant ahead. TL;DR John Hargrove comes off as very full of himself in this book, and it's annoying.

______

Now, on a purely emotional, literary level I guess, the book is certainly very gripping. It's difficult to put down, even when you know that much of what is alleged therein is utter bullcrap. However, I don't think this is just because the whole "little-guy turns against evil corporation" trope makes for good storytelling across the board. I think it's also because, unlike Mark Simmons' Killing Keiko, or Hazel McBride's I Still Believe, John Hargrove's Beneath the Surface has the luxury of both professional editing, and a co-author (Howard Chia-Eoan).

To be clear, I'm not saying this as dig against Hazel McBride or Mark Simmons. I bring this up merely to illustrate the stark contrast here. As far as I know, their works were self published, or at least lacking the same polish and publicity from big name publishers, or sensationalist documentaries.

However, this contrast wouldn't be so noteworthy to me were it not for these two things I'm increasingly noticing in this reread of Beneath the Surface:

It is never clearly stated which parts were written by Hargrove, and which were ghost written by Chia-Eoan... but the amount of contradictions and shoehorned information in here gives me some serious suspicions.

John Hargrove... seems incredibly full of himself!

I don't have the time to elaborate on #1 right now, so we'll just talk about #2 today. John Hargrove is almost never in the wrong. He is always painted as the hero, the true advocate for these animals. You don't hear much about the other trainers he worked with or learned from. Mostly, it's just about him. He bemoans the allegedly poor conditions SeaWorld's animals are kept in, while simultaneously boasting about all his accomplishments with them. He speaks of differing perspectives between him and some of the other trainers, but seldom elaborates on what exactly those differences were. Instead, he usually just frames it in a sanctimonious "me vs. them" way.

The closest he gets to admitting any mistakes he had to learn from is when he recounted an aggressive incident with Freya at Marineland Antibes, and even then.... the whole reason why that incident (allegedly) happened was because Hargrove overestimated his training/waterworks abilities with a whale he didn't have a relationship with. His admission of that mistake is then overshadowed by the rather self-righteous tone he frames the resolution with. All the success was about him. You don't hear anything about how he worked with the other trainers there, what they brought to the table, and certainly not the stronger, lasting relationships they had with Freya. It's not that he had to mention them by name, but he didn't even mention them at all!

To be fair, this interpretation is partly subjective on my part. Still, as someone who is personally working in animal husbandry right now (albeit not with marine mammals), the gaping holes in this narrative raises some red flags.

Here's some free advice to anyone interested in working in the zoo/aquarium industry: I have been told by multiple hiring managers that they don't want someone who "just wants to work with the animals, and not deal with people." That's not how this works. You still have to work with people in some form or another.

It doesn't matter which animals you are working with. When you're on an animal husbandry/training team, you gotta ask for/provide help, seek/give feedback, communicate with other departments, etc. Complaints, conflict and disagreements will inevitably happen, but you gotta be mature about it.

And yes, in that process... you are going to make mistakes, and you're going to have to own up to them! It's part of how you learn. You're also going to inevitably work with people who don't see things the same way.

The people who can't do this tend to not only get stuck in their own way, but are more likely to start resenting coworkers and/or management whenever disagreements happen. They'll constantly complain about how other people do things, but then can't/won't take constructive feedback themselves. It's worse when it's someone with more experience under their belt because of the massive ego. Let me be clear: this kind of mindset does not help your animals! It only creates a toxic work environment that's resistant to change!

DO. NOT. BE. THIS. PERSON!!!!

No, this does not mean you can't vent frustrations. No this does not mean that you can't take pride in your work. It means that you gotta be able to swallow your pride, and not alienate other people.

So, what does all that have to do with the contrast mentioned earlier?

Like Hargrove, McBride details her career journey, but doesn't just paint it all in glamour. She talks about her setbacks, how she grew, things she learned from other people, the internships she did, the grunt work she was willing to do, etc.

Killing Keiko has less to do with the details of Mark Simmons' career path, but he does give credit to other people where it is due, even at times towards those he fundamentally disagreed with. I can remember one part where he explicitly admitted that he made a mistake too, and tellingly, it was in an instance where he played the "I've been doing this for years" card. In the very next sentence he admitted it was the wrong thing to say in that situation, and highlighted the perspective he was missing in that moment.

These things are conspicuously absent in Beneath the Surface. I don't remember anything of the sort that stood out when I first read the book, and thus far it's certainly not there in my second time around. The first third of the book is dedicated to how he dreamed of becoming a trainer as a kid, and the path he took to get there. Most of this path, though, is painted in glamor, when the reality is.... the path to getting into animal husbandry isn't particularly glamorous. Not only do you have go to college, but you also have to settle for various unpaid internships or volunteer gigs, and then apply for multiple jobs only to get several no's before it works out (to say nothing of how underpaid zookeepers/aquarists/trainers are).

Hargrove, on the other hand, kept pestering lead marine mammal trainers at SeaWorld since he was a kid, practiced his swimming/diving abilities, and started his degree in psychology. Then, as luck would have it, an apprentice trainer position opened up at SW San Antonio, and when he got the job, he jubilantly quit college. Not much is said about what kind of volunteer work he did before that. I think he did some stuff with marine mammal rescue in Texas, but I'll have to go back and reread to be sure... in any event, I wish I'd heard more about the experience he got besides swimming and pestering the SW animal training department.

And like.... great, he got the job, but it seemed more by luck than by the sweat of his brow. Then he balked that he was put in the SeaLion Stadium, and/or that he had to spend a lot of time washing dishes and spotting before even being allowed to work directly with a whale, which like..... yeah? I don't know what you were expecting dude.

(Btw, this part isn't just me being nit-picky, Duncan Versteegh from ML Antibes corroborates Hargrove's resistance to doing grunt work like cleaning)

Whenever mentioning people at SW who didn't want to work at Shamu Stadium, Hargrove couldn't understand how anyone wouldn't want that.... because heaven forbid other people have different preferences? To be fair, from what I've heard of SW work culture in general, Shamu Stadium is kind of painted as the glamorous A-team, but DANG does Hargrove really lean into that attitude!

Later on, he detailed some of the conflicts he had with SW's entertainment department. At one point his manager explicitly told him he needed learn to get along better with other departments. And like... yeah... yeah you do!

Look, I'm not interested in doing blanket apologia for SeaWorld. I'm sure Hargrove was in the right more than once when he'd argue with people, but I'm also not convinced that the whole of the entertainment department, management, et al., were just a bunch of unfeeling jerks who didn't care about the animals.

This part actually ground my gears quite a bit. Before I became an aquarist, I was an educator, and sometimes I would overhear certain husbandry staff gossip about us in a really patronizing way whenever there were miscommunications. Not that they never had valid reasons to complain, they did, but to be treated like you're just a dumb educator/guest services person is not pleasant, and certainly not professional. I don't know how common this is at other places, but I bring this up to illustrate the importance of being able to work with other departments, especially in the face of disagreements or miscommunication.

That Beneath the Surface paints Hargrove's inability to do this as a virtue rather than as the character flaw that it is... well.... it's um... it's a choice. And it's telling.

Again, some of this interpretation is subjective on my part. Ultimately, none of us can know for sure what is in someone else's heart. Hargrove does seem to sincerely care about the animals, despite the narcissism. However, the vast majority of people who are going to be reading his book are not people who have spent much if any time working in the zoo industry, and thus may not pick up on some of these things. I'm not the only one to point these things out either.

So even if one is against keeping orcas in captivity, I think being aware of the egos behind figures like Hargrove is important. When you get to the end of his book, you would think that all his former colleagues are, at best, just timid little clogs in a corporate machine, brainwashed to do as SW says. This is just not true. These people are dedicated to their animals, and have worked very hard to get where they are at. Some have gone on to get their masters, or PhD's, provide expertise to other facilities, or take part in rescues, etc., and they did it without chasing clout.

SW Corporate should absolutely treat their employees better, but their treatment of them pales in comparison to how people like Hargrove basically erase their accomplishments altogether. In this way, he tries to have it both ways... his time at SW proves how much of an expert he is, you know, because he was a senior trainer with two decades of experience after all! Oh, but when someone else from the field speaks up to refute what he says, nope.... their accomplishments don't matter, they're just brainwashed. If that doesn't scream "massive ego", then I don't know what does.

I'm only halfway through the book on this second round, so there is a chance I'll come back to correct some things here. I do encourage people to try to read this book themselves and come to their own conclusions. You don't have to buy it either, check your local library (it's how I got a hold of this eBook).

[xxemxlxserxx]

Hades is one of the best dads in Percy Jackson. (From the point of view of someone who has read up to The Lost Oracle)(Basically just an Underworld kid timeline)---(Go to the end for a TL;DR)---

(I don't have a great memory so some of this could be fanon or just completely false information. Be aware! This is a super long post. I am also less aware of Hazels story so feel free to add on/disagree!)

Aside from his actual parenting, he is the only of the big three to keep the oath. He has three children in the series so far which is more than the rest of the big three. All of those children were born before the oath was made. Nico and Bianca Di Angelo and Hazel Levesque. The timeline of Nico, Bianca, and Hazel is hazy at best. What we do know is that they were all born sometime between 1924-1938.

When Nico was 8 and Bianca was 12 Zeus killed their mother with a bolt of lightning. Many of the gods would have let the children fend for themselves but Hades put the children into a magic casino where time was altered and no one could find the kids.

He was admittedly not as good to Hazel when she was young. Hazel's mother was a fortune teller in 1920's-1940's New Orleans. She summoned Pluto, the roman equivalent of Hades, and they had Hazel. After, he did almost nothing for her. She died when she was a preteen. She was given a chance at Elysium but refused for the sake of her mother. She was sent to the Fields of Asphodel but granted memory of her previous life.

Year's later there more kids of the big three. There is a prophesy foretelling that one of the big three children will save or destroy the world when they turn 16. Hades finally retrieves the Di Angelo's from the casino and sends them to boarding school to be found by Camp Half-Blood. He intends for one of them to be the child of the prophesy.

Bianca joined the immortal hunters of Artemis and then dies on a quest. Hades is upset but does not cast aside Nico and give up on him. He says that it would have been easier with Bianca but he will just have to train Nico more. When Bianca dies Nico leaves CHB and travels the country. It is assumed that he spends time with his father in the Underworld. He also has a connection with Persephone, Hades' godly wife and her mother Demeter. Most demi-gods do not spend time with their godly parent, let alone there godly step-parent.

Nico has a personal room in his father's palace. He is able to freely talk to his father, even negatively. When they fight Hades sends Nico to his room, like a regular parent. Him wanting Nico to have a "normal life" becomes important later.

When the Doors of Death are opened Nico looks for Bianca in the Fields of Asphodel. Instead, he finds his other sister, Hazel. He brings her to Hades and Hades tells him to take her to Camp Jupiter. Nico becomes the first "modern" demigod to know of both camps. Nico is told to say he is the Ambassador of Pluto. He then joins in on important matters within Camp Jupiter.

Sometime during this Hades gives Nico a personal zombie-driver. He does this after finding out that mortal parents drive their children around. As established, Nico has no mortal parent.

Ok so I'm going a bit off-format for this but I swear some time in Hero's of Olympus Pluto appears to Hazel but I forgot when and could not find it on the wiki. So this part is kinda an unfinished thought. Hazel assumes Pluto does not talk to her because if he acknowledged her life, he would have to send her back to the Underworld.

So to recap my points. (TL;DR)

-Followed the no-kids oath

-Protected his children from the other gods

-Didn't underestimate his kids

-Gave Hazel special death-privileges

-Took Nico into the palace and truly made him part of his family

-Treated him like a mostly normal kid

-Gave him his own space in the palace where he was always welcome

-Entrusted him with the knowledge of both camps

-Gave Nico a zombie-driver because Hades couldn't always be there and he wanted Nico to be able to live a normal life

Now, what about other godly parents? I will admit that it is easier for Hades because he has so little kids. Despite this, Zeus is still able to be a bad parent. Poseidon is also a good example of a good godly parent. Apollo gets a bit better in trails of Apollo I think but I'm not done with the series yet.

Once again feel free to disagree or discuss. If your mean I'll probably cry tbh but do what you wanna do man.

[blehblarghblah]

Opinion on S3 of Infinity Train?

Tl;DR, I really enjoyed this Book! Grace's growth from a manipulator matched with Simon's trust issues were a clever pairing, especially in the regard that they are codependent enablers (Grace more than Simon at first). Hazel's presence was an excellent match for Grace and Simon's "companion" but Tuba leaving an imprint the way she did despite not being there for the majority only shows how good her character was.

The themes overall were done really well, as the show demonstrated a nice portrayal of how conflicting people can exist and what one can do to better themselves, or help others.

Good season, good characters.

To get into it in more depth...

My sister and I did not like these two because of Book 2, but when we learned they were gonna be the Book 3 protagonists I figured we'd learn to like at least one of them. Character wise, I prefer Grace over Simon but I still liked how they handled everyone's characters within this book. They really did feel like snarky teenagers with no adult guidance, who at their core were really the same scared old kids who got on the train.

When Grace told Simon, "I don't owe you anything" I really liked the emotions of that scene and dialogue. How Simon was portrayed with his trust issues, compared to Grace and her manipulation, I think was done well. He was meant to be someone frustrating and both the VA and animation carried that snark very well.

I also liked how their codependent relationship as mutual (though more on Grace's end) enablers was subtly expressed at first. It was a great take on expressing the problems of acting out for attention and issue of trust, but on top of recognizing good and bad friends. Or in other words, conveying the journey of recognizing flaws in an individual or self, and either striving to help others from them or realizing to distance yourself from the company you keep.

On that notion, Grace's number going down the way it did was a good way of expressing that while you've done a lot of wrongs in life, starting the path to redemption or making up for it can be an even greater step than you realize. I also kinda liked that One-One didn't know about The Apex. It sucked, obviously, but it evolved into an interesting element with Grace having to recognize her faults and the impact she's had on others, then expand on the idea of pushing out of that toxic mentality.

Good example would be Jesse confronting The Apex: as a Passenger, it sucked his "goal" was kind of being hampered by other Passengers who misunderstood the Train, but it did lead to him outright asserting he will be better which led to his escape.

Also, this Book had Samantha the Cat! Which was always a fun recurring character to me, so seeing some backstory for her was neat! I liked Hazel's character and what she did for Grace, her presence set a standard for Grace and Simon and I liked that a lot, since it forced them to compromise on the one thing we already knew they were adamant about: wheeling denizens. Amelia's return and knowing she's helping One-One now was cool to know, but it was also saddening to learn why Hazel existed in the first place. And Holy Hades did Tuba's death hit hard, she was such a good mother-figure and the delivery of that scene was so well done (followed up with the most twisted scene where Simon just happily tells Hazel he killed her).

The amount of characters within this Book blended well together, especially in terms of narrative. A lot of themes took place in this Book, and I liked that our cast of (mostly) four balanced each other out in terms of dynamics. Overall, I think this Book carried itself well with the characters it introduced and reintroduced. My sister and I really liked it!

Until next ask,

- Bleh

[namedafterflowerstournament]

im so sad i didnt see this poll early enough to submit my smurf girls :( blossom and lily and begonia and tulip and mint and clover and daisy and holly and hazel and petal :(

Wait. There are several Smurf girls ??? OMG they look so cool ! Also I'd love to know if TV designs are appreciated by the fandom or if I should stick to the ones from comic books ?

Actually they are enough to have their own bracket it would seem if you submit a few (I need at least 8 for that)

I don't follow the same rules for "fandom brackets" and you can submit characters who would have belonged to an already started mini-bracket otherwise into them.

(TL;DR : submit your Smurf girls. I'll make them their own bracket)