"There's No Fear In You Is There" Perfect Little Setup Hee Hee

Jabberjay aftermath

Reading Mockingjay as an adult is extra devastating because. Of course the plucky teenager and her ragtag friends aren't going to sneak into a government building to kill the president with a bow and arrow. That's absolutely ridiculous. It's the kind of thing that's only possible in the kind of propaganda that Coin developed. But she's so good at it that in some ways she tricks the reader into thinking that's the kind of story this is, too--even after 3 books reminding us that pretty much everything that Katniss does the second she volunteers is manipulated by adults pulling strings to make propaganda in some form or another.

Annabeth is one of the most respected characters in the Percy Jackson Universe since book 1. I don’t know where this “she has to fight to be respected” came from, except from that one scene in Mark of Athena and we have 10 books to prove why Annabeth is being an unreliable narrator in that scene. 

Let’s start with camp. At 12 she is already cabin counselor, Chiron most trusted demigod to the point she has know the great prophecy for a while before Percy even arrived to camp. People almost immediately look to her, we know after Luke betrayal she and Percy became the unofficial camp leaders and then she was also the leader of the seven. She mentions everyone looked up at her for leading at the beginning of Mark Of Athena when they are about to arrive in New Rome. Percy and Jason giving up the head of the table seat to her, Hazel thinking “What would Annabeth do?” in House of Hades, Frank going to her for advice almost immediately after meeting her. No one has ever doubted Her intelligence or not taken seriously. Leo mentions once that after meeting Annabeth he will never believe in the dumb blonde stereotype, but that’s it. Well that and Annabeth trying to act dumb while throwing the dagger in the lake but she also points out anyone who knows her wouldn’t fall for her act but thankfully Octavian. But then again Reyna mostly talks with her out of the seven, again proving she also considers Annabeth the leader of the seven.

Annabeth is not the ice cold person the fandom acts like she is, she cries at least once per book and she is actually super friendly and hopes for the best in each person even with the odds against it: Luke, Damansen, Bob just at the top of my head. The only two characters she truly had has issues with are Rachel (because of jealousy) and Jason (because he is too roman and she is too greek) but both get worked out at the end. We know she has a lot of friends at camp, we know she know about Juniper and Grover dating before Percy, she instantly tries to make Hazel feel better in Mark of Athena (I think is when Frank and Percy were at the aquarium) Piper calls her one of the best friends she ever had. Yes, she was mean to Percy at first but that’s not usually how she is with most people and she only became worse with Percy after finding his dad is her mom’s rival and then they became best friends.

She has abandonment issues and is very insecure of herself. Everyone she loves leaves her at some point: Her dad changing her for a new family, Thalia becoming a tree and then leaving for the hunters, Luke betraying her. And yet, she is still adored and loved at camp. 

Annabeth is smart but most of the times when she is reading books they are architecture related, she is not Hermione 2.0, please don’t make her to be. She is smart by nature, a mix of being an Athena kid and the fact most of the Chase family are like insanely smart (mentioned in Magnus Chase). She loves math but can’t spell, And let’s not forget she breaks rules left and right. 

One of my most popular post back in the day is how Annabeth breaks rules because she doesn’t agree with them and Percy breaks rules because he has too. He actually worries when Annabeth is breaking rules (sitting next to him at the poseidon table, breaking curfew in Sea of Monsters, etc…) the musical had it perfectly when it comes to him “I swear, I swear that I'm a good kid, A good kid, who's had a bad run”. Annabeth in the other hand is used to get her way to the point she is absolutely shocked Coach Hedge grounded her in MoA after she and Percy fell asleep on the stables.

Annabeth Chase is a very complex character with a lot of emotions and she is one of the most respected characters in the PJO universe, thank you for coming to my ted talk.

when you grew up as a lonely uncool girl it will never stop haunting you by the way. you will meet a cool person at a bar or the train station or at a friend's party and you can wear your most stylish outfit and striking eye makeup and you will swear that they can see through all of the facade and see the lonely terribly insecure teenage girl you used to be who desperately wanted to connect and you will swear that they know that there is like an insurmountable gap between you. this will happen forever

okay i'll say it: percy being "different" because sally taught him the myths before he knew he was a demigod is an unnecessary change. percy was never "different" because he knew the myths and thus came into the mythology world knowing how fucked up everything is. he's different because he has a strong sense of loyalty (fatal flaw). he's different because his mum loved him and he learned love and compassion and kindness from her. he's different because when the time comes, he will choose to be the demigod of the prophecy. he's different because despite the life he's had he's a good kid. he's different because he will not give respect that hasn't been earned, even if it gets him into trouble. he's not different for knowing the gods are a fucked up family and that sometimes a monster is not a monster. he's not different for not wanting kleos. in fact i think it's much more impactful if he gets to that conclusion himself, if he sees it and he comes out kinder and choosing not to continue the cycle on the other side.

also they should have let annabeth say the exposition. not just because she's the "smart one" even though she is, but because she was raised in the world of the gods since she was seven and she would absolutely have biases percy could challenge with his own choices.

you know.

like in the book richard wrote already.

Also increasingly aware that a LOT of people "manage" getting through the 40+ hour work week by sleeping less than is healthy and relying on stimulants like coffee and energy drinks to keep them going.

For people who are unwilling or unable to do this...work really does just dominate your life. Like we really should not have to rely on unhealthy practices just to have a social life or keep on top of housework or whatever.

I know I post about this a lot but I'm so TIRED all the time and it's just so depressing that this is how we're expected to spend the one life we have.

Guys I found the cutest Percabeth tiktok (classicalgreeklaserguns and ashlee.tayla)

suzanne collins is such a genius... the cultural phenomenon of her series leading to the hanging tree house remixes, mockingjay being milked for two (bad) movies, the capitol-inspired makeup palettes, the halloween costumes, the explosion of the market for dystopia, the butchering of her characters and removal of disabilities, disfiguration, and racial tension + representation to sell more tickets, the extra gale scenes to fuel discourse, and the audience showing up to cinemas to watch what was pretty honestly marketed to them (the jacob vs edwardification of the symbolic love story and also to watch children fight to the death) it's just so ridiculously ironic i would say you can't write this shit, but she did write about it... in The Hunger Games published 2008

BTW this is a future problem but I don’t want to see any of it-

No one better do to Percabeth what some people in the Flash fandom tried doing to Westallen. Percabeth is endgame. They always have been and they always will be both in the source material and they will be in the show. If I see anyone pulling some snowberry bullshit out of they’re ass with Rachel or Calypso or whoever else the fandom decides to make some kind of de facto white female lead because they’re racist I’m gonna fucking scream.

Percabeth is the definition of a slowburn friends to lovers ship and if anyone even attempts to argue against it in light of the casting indisputably racist. I saw this happen in the Flash when it took a few seasons for Barry and Iris to get together and no matter how much those people claimed it wasn’t about race it clearly was.

We’re not doing that.

Leah and Walker are Annabeth and Percy. And Percabeth will be endgame.

the “lgbt community” isn’t based on “love and acceptance” it was forged out of necessity for survival. it’s not a club you join for funzies. we are not required to be nice people on account of us being lesbian gay bisexual and transgender.

community is about resources and solidarity. there is power in numbers. we’re meant to support each other in the wake of material oppression we face because we are lesbian gay bisexual and transgender.

y’all don’t fucking get that which is why most of our “communities” are disintegrating under the weight of these weird “actually EVERYONE is lgbt if you squint a little” arguments they deny any autonomy or agency to lgbt ppl who are anything but deferential about it, and all you have to show for it are like. flags that are impossible to print and seven thousand labels to labor over every time you have an existential crisis.

it’s so infuriating.