0ver-thinker

[0ver-thinker]

the fact that you’re trying is a big deal. that’s all that really matters.

[0ver-thinker]

cant stop thinking about sunrise on the reaping. a revolution IS really just trying again and again and again and having HOPE that itll succeed this time. and oh god plutarch talking about how they would need better timing ... the 75th hunger games arena being a clock... im SICK

[0ver-thinker]

Thinking about Maysilee Donner. A girl who refused to let the Capitol dehumanize her. A girl who wanted to die with dignity, without begging for her life, because that mattered to her. Who set up a place setting with napkins and forks in the middle of the arena because she is a human being. Who loved jewelry and fashion and believed that her appearance sends a message about who she is, and who wanted that message to be respectable, dignified, worth something.

Thinking about Maysilee Donner who was unafraid to slap the woman who pulled her name in the reaping and who threw clever insults towards anyone who provoked her, no matter who they were. Maysilee Donner who believed human dignity is inherent but respect is earned and who refused to give respect to those who did not deserve it.

Maysilee Donner whose father threw money at the reaping stage as if that could save her, and the money floated to the ground just like the confetti, meaningless paper that signified nothing when placed against the power of the Capitol. Whose privilege could not save her. Who recognized that reality and faced it with more fortitude than any person should ever have to display. Maysilee Donner.

[0ver-thinker]

Started rereading the Hunger Games series and I feel like it’s so overlooked how in 74th and 75th Hunger Games, we don’t know every Tribute’s names, with Katniss only referring to them by their District numbers but in TBOSAS, we knew every single Tribute by name. We associated them with the clothes they wore on the Reaping Day and Suzanne even goes so far as to describe how they looked, however briefly. We see these Tributes and we’re familiarized with them by the little tidbits provided to the mentors and to Snow and Lucy Gray. But we never get this in the original trilogy.

In two generations, President Snow alienated the Districts from each other so much that Katniss didn’t even care to know all the names of the Tributes sent into the Arena with her, with the exception being those who posed great risk against her safety and those she felt great compassion for (e.g. Cato, Thresh, Rue, Mags, Betee, Wiress etc.). Katniss even went so far as to call the D6 Tributes in the 75th Hunger Games morphlings, for their affinity to imbibe in the drugs that help them forget their own traumas (an incredibly hurtful description, in my own opinion, to be known by the qualities you hate the most about yourself). We never know the real name of the 74th D5 girl, with Katniss only referring to her as Foxface and we don’t even know Marvel’s name until we get to the second book and he was Katniss’ first personal kill. Katniss even kills the D4 girl in the books with the same tracker jacker venom that killed Glimmer and yet still, we don’t know her name. We are so removed from the identity of the other Tributes that we don’t even know what some of them looked like beyond brief descriptions of mangled bodies and dead Tributes in the bloodbath at the Cornucopia.

And, the thing is, Suzanne established the importance of names in the series. Even in real life, we recognize the importance of being named. It is a fundamental aspect of being human. If you’re ever in a perilous situation where a person might be placing your life in danger, we’re told to remind the person that you’re human. “Keep saying your name, how old you are, where you came from. Remind them you are a human being just like them.” Before any propaganda can work against a group of people, refusing to recognize a person’s name is the first step to dehumanization. And just like the people of the Districts, we don’t care enough about the other Tributes to even want to know their names. Their propaganda worked on us, the readers.

In two generations, President Snow completely wiped out any sense of familiarity and camaraderie the Districts may have shared with the other. In two generations, Snow sowed the seeds of distrust and division into the Districts so deeply that even we, the readers, were affected by the effects of Capitol propaganda. In two generations, the Districts ceased to genuinely care about the others beyond the vague sense of injustice they feel for their shared plight. It’s why Career Districts don’t seem to care about killing the other Tributes. How can you care, to show your compassion and humanity, when you can barely see them as people? Yes, they may have been in the Arena with you. Yes, they may have been starved and beaten and forced into labor like you were. Yes, they might be children just like you. Yes, they might be subjected to the same deplorable system that turned you into virtual slaves. But they are not your friends. They are not your allies. They are strange, with different customs and traditions that you have. You do not share the same values. They do not care about you. At the first chance they get, they will kill you with your bare hands and they will do it with alacrity if it meant their survival. There can only be one Victor and it can’t be them. It has to be you.

[0ver-thinker]

SotR is a realisation. A realisation that the rebellion didn’t start with Katniss. That all the people we see supporting her or helping her have all been wanting to fight but they’ve been failing. That there weren’t merely “rumours” of a revolution but there were many active plans playing out and failing.

It’s a reminder that the perfect Hunger Games we saw in the first hg book was an illusion because we had Katniss as our narrator. We didn’t have Haymitch, hell, we didn’t even have someone like Peeta because these people played the games. Katniss didn’t.

Katniss was introduced to us as a mad, simple, naive girl who literally only survived because of others. She didn’t know how much her taking Prim’s place mattered because she didn’t realise what it meant to everyone who came before her. To everyone who had heard rumours of how the last District 12 victor actually fought his games. No, Katniss had just kept her head down, hunting and providing for her family.

See, she grew up way before the Games got to her. She’d already lived through her dad’s death and watched it destroy her once lively mom. Haymitch didn’t have to go through that. Lucy Gray didn’t have to go through that. They were both angry, yes, but at the Capitol. Katniss? She was first and foremost angry at her mom. At her dad. She knew who was to blame but she had too much to do and deal with to think about that. She was already jaded in a way that the Games couldn’t touch.

Peeta? He was Haymitch. He knew what he was getting into and realised he was just on a chess board with no control. So, he adapted. He played the knight, the rook, the king, the pawn. Katniss? She just… did. Changing directions, not playing the piece she was assigned because she didn’t realise that’s what was going on. Remember her surprise at the crown twisting into two after the Games?? She was so oblivious. Until Catching Fire where everything caught up to her. Where everything so many other people had been waiting and working for caught up to her.

SotR is a history book. Rewritten and edited and published as a piece of fact. SotR is a mirror and it’s a reflection of what actually happens vs what ends up being shown. SotR is the playbook of those in control of any and every kind of media that we come in touch with. SotR is a wake up call and I truly don’t know how many will see it as such.

[0ver-thinker]

“sotr is mid because you already know how it ends” shut the fuck up, the point of the book is that despite knowing how it ends you would have never known what actually went down because that’s the point of propaganda, the whole book is about the power of propaganda

[0ver-thinker]

i’m so appreciative to suzanne for reframing the rebellion from the original trilogy as a “they saw their moment and took it” type situation and showing us that they’ve been trying, over and over, with so many failed attempts, to break the arena and incite a rebellion for decades. in this current political climate never giving up hope is so essential. haymitch wasn’t the first nor the last, and they kept going even when it seemed completely futile, and that’s what counts, and what ultimately saves them all.

[0ver-thinker]

The doubling of tribute numbers. The miscarried Abernathy twins. The Donner sisters who Haymitch carries a fascination for as consequence. Louella being replaced by Lou Lou, a name that only mimics the first half of her name, and a girl who matches her in appearance only. Tam Amber’s set of pins, one dropped down a well, the other discarded. The two versions of the games: the one that Haymitch remembers and the edited, falsified version of them without the real content. The two bags of gumdrops. The fraternal affection he feels for Louella and Lou Lou, the artificial twins, and Maysilee’s offer to be his sister—the second one she gives in the book. A bond with a real twin, both pairs healing the sisters he never did know. The split between what is natural and what is manufactured or forged, bonds that that grow on their own, or are forced into existance. And if the distinction makes any difference to the person it impacts.

[0ver-thinker]

This YouTube comment has been on my mind since I finished SOTR so this is what I came up with:

Lucy Gray was the mockingbird, living on the outskirts of district 12 and was there at the wrong time when they were forced to stay there after the Dark Days. They were subjected to the Capitol’s politics despite not being a part of Panem, technically speaking. Lucy Gray became part of the Games and, likewise, the mockingbird became affiliated with the Capitol through the jabberjay’s release into the woods, but it still continued to sing its own song.

Haymitch was the jabberjay, a Capitol tool that did what it had to in order to survive. The Capitol thought they could control them, but they retaliated in the form of rebellion. Haymitch refused to be a piece in their game and tried to end it, and the jabberjay, in the eyes of the Capitol, created a freak of nature that showed the Capitol’s lack of complete control.

Katniss was the mockingjay, a slap in the face of the Capitol, something that was never meant to exist. Together, the song of the mockingbird that lived on for generations and the stubbornness of the jabberjay that refused to die, the mockingjay had the best of both worlds. It was a symbol of rebellion and unity.

[0ver-thinker]

During the period of changing tides twice a month, Poseidon's children have a small [in fact, just huge, save yourself who can].... a shift resembling menstruation.

their skin turns pale and becomes covered with a thin layer of scales, they also experience symptoms such as increased appetite, emotional instability, bone aches, body pain, inability to move, apathy, irritability drowsiness and much more.

this condition usually lasts 4 days or a maximum of a week.

ok that's cool but it gives me a slightly different idea:

poseidon's children change with the tides.

a spring tide is called a King Tide. the waves spring forth, grow in power and size. high tides are larger, hit harder; low tides are smaller, more gentle. there is more variation between the highest highs and the lowest lows. the sun and moon work in tandem to push the sea.

during a spring tide, poseidon's children are louder, more boisterous, more confident. they are always natural leaders, but during spring tides, it's easy to imagine them born to lead, leaping from the womb to the battlefield in little less than a breath. they sleep deeper, more restfully, and their circadian rhythm syncs with the low tides. nothing can touch a child of poseidon during a spring tide. nothing can bring them down. they could be immortal, gods themselves, powerful and inspiring and strong.

a neap tide happens not long after. the sun and moon are at odds, pulling the waters in different directions. the highs and lows don't vary as much, stay closer to baseline. the ocean is more moderate in temperament.

neap tides result in the children of poseidon acting more docile. the oceans are calmer, and they reflect it. it's harder to rile them up, harder to upset them, harder to make them laugh uncontrollably. it's harder to see them as a leader, a general, rather than a cold, calculating strategist. could they really be both? they sleep differently, shorter amounts more often; train differently, more geared toward endurance than speed; plan differently, more reserved and reactive than offensive and explosive.

a tsunami sees poseidon's children at the height of their power. it's as if they've forgotten they were ever mortal. the ocean recedes, preparing to swell to colossal sizes, and poseidon's children grow quieter with it. anticipation buzzes in their veins, excitement keeps them unable to be still. the closer the tidal wave gets the more they seem to grow, their presence almost overwhelming, their laughter too much for their lungs, their words to loud for their mouths, their actions too sharp and jagged and powerful to be human. they look like gods; they look like monsters.

they could be either.

[0ver-thinker]

Post-tartarus Percy and Annabeth and even post tartarus Nico weren't written well at all. Tartarus makes them manic, always on edge, jumpy. This is PTSD and it doesn't just go away. Not to mention, they lost Bob and Damasen.

Yes, sure, one could argue there weren't many opportunities for Rick to explore how Tartarus changed Percy in Heroes of Olympus series. There still should have been mentions.

Rick focused on Bob and Damasen part for a bit and then never again. It's like after Tartarus arc, Percy and Annabeth were back to being themselves, which is such a character assassination. Here are a few ways in which I think Tartarus changed Percy:

PART 1-PERCY

Percy becomes hypervigilant at all times.

He can barely sleep, and whenever he does, he is always affected by terrible nightmares.

He feels extremely guilty about not being able to save Bob and Damasen and hence is now extremely protective of his other friends and family.

He no longer feels at all safe in his cabin or at camp and avoids it since Hera abducting him from there led to the whole thing.

He spends large amounts of time away from the camp and avoids other demigods because he is constantly afraid he is going to hurt someone.

Percy only ever feels truly safe by the sea .

Percy knows how delicate Sally and Paul act around him, and he hates it and hates himself for it. They don't say a word even when his screams wake them up. In fact, they just sit beside him, holding his hand and letting him cry or scream. Mostly, he just finds himself shutting down.

Poseidon also makes his own protective tendencies known, and when Percy gets too manic to stay anywhere, he whisks him away to Atlantis to calm him and give him comfort.

Every night, Percy finds a place to look at the stars and repeat the same message : Bob says hello.

He becomes an entirely different person when attacked when fighting monsters. A killing machine. It scares most people especially Annabeth.

Percy becomes a lot more aloof and likes being by himself (so he doesn't have to bear the responsibility for protecting someone other than him for a while)

He becomes a bit more pensive and talks less than usual.

He hates his own power but doesn't shy away from using it in dangerous situations. But this leaves him with a long internal struggle.

He begins to think of himself as monstrous.

He can't feel at ease without feeling Riptide in his grasp.

Somedays the nightmares, the memories get so worse that he has to make himself bleed to take the worst of it away.

He becomes skeptical of most things: people, and food and objects.

Everyone makes sure not to bring Calypso in the same room as him lest he kill her then and there. It takes him a long time to forgive her.

Percy is now so good at sensing monsters that he is always ten steps ahead of everyone.

The worst of it is Percy's constant need to fight something. He spars with multiple strong opponents to at least make it a bit challenging for him. It makes him feel like Ares, and he hates it.

Percy's first true genuine smile is when he finds out he is going to have a baby sister.

Will cover Annabeth's and then Nico's in the next parts. This is enough ptsd for all of us for one day.

[0ver-thinker]

*planet explodes* *removes one earbud* what

[0ver-thinker]

Taylor performing The Prophecy/long story short as the surprise song on guitar

- The Eras Tour in Lyon, France (N1) on Jun 2, 2024 (x)

[0ver-thinker]

SPOILER FOR PJ

I’m probably not the first person to figure this out, but it just clicked for me. Percy Jackson never technically made a decision that would be the rise or fall of Olympus on his 16th birthday, he made one the day before. This is because he never actually turned sixteen. He, multiple times, got stuck in places where time was warped, like the lotus casino, and calypso island. He physically, never turned sixteen.

Instead, at the beginning of SoN, where he finds Juno (Hera) he makes the big choice of going into the water into safety or bringing her to Camp Jupiter. Thats roughly 2months after the Battle of Manhattan, as we don’t know how long went by before he went missing. In SoN, he said he’d been on the run for 2 months. If you go and add up the times where he was frozen in time, like calypso and the casino those two are 3 weeks, probably a little over a month including the Labyrinth.

This is a strong hypothetical, but if you went back and added up all the times he was frozen, my hypothesis assumes that they would add ip to, or near the rough two months between SoN and TLO. Don’t quote me on this, this is a stupid theory I’ve thought about before. Also, First post of Tumblr!

[0ver-thinker]

think im gonna change my username

[0ver-thinker]

Friendly reminder that -

Percy’s neutral expression is a natural brooding look that he gets from Poseidon

That when he does smile it’s crooked and makes him look like a trouble maker

When he talks it’s usually very sarcastic and/or impertinent 

His inner monologue is actually very negative and while we, as the readers, take it as a joke he’s usually pretty pessimistic for a good portion of the time

That when he’s fighting his expression is fierce and is hard to tell whether he is the good guy or not

That Leo Valdez equated Percy’s angry expression to the feeling he gets when Jason is about to shoot lightning. Let me repeat - just the look on Percy’s face when he’s angry was considered on par to Jason controlling flipping lightning

That he’s very very vindictive and loyal only to those he considers his friends and once you lose his trust it is nearly impossible to earn back 

That while he had the curse of achilles, he laughed crazily while he was single handedly destroying hordes of monsters

He made an entire volcano erupt, awakened a giant, and almost wiped out the northwest of the united states

He tortured a godess just so she would feel his misery

That he’s actually very manipulative and it made Annabeth step back for a moment and reevaluate her perception of him

That while his dark side came to it’s peak in house of hades and wasn’t mentioned in blood of olympus, there was no confirmation that it suddenly and completely disappeared after they left Tartarus.

Has been the child of the prophecy twice.

He manipulated Bob to kill his own brother by simply convincing him that they were friends and that is what friends did for each other

He was physically abused by his step father

That with absolutely no training at all he killed the minotaur with it’s own horn at the mere age of twelve

He wins a good majority of his fights by simply outsmarting his opponent 

He has scared not only Annabeth but his friends and peers on more than one occasion with his attitude and powers

That he’s considered extremely powerful for a demigod and for a child of the big three and makes the gods slightly nervous

That when he’s upset his powers act to mimic his emotions without him even trying

Has been offered immortality

That he is actually really sorta intimidating without trying 

That we need to stop reducing Percy’s character to a happy-go-lucky comic relief goofball that doesn’t know his left foot from right because he is so much more than that

[0ver-thinker]

Museums

Demigods usually avoid museums like the plague. It’s not that they’re not into art and learning, but just knowing that they might turn a corner and find a marble statue or painting of their godly parent seducing someone, stark naked, or both, is exhausting. 

Piper has a hard time explaining to her dad why she doesn’t want to go to the Louvre, Will and Pollux like to play a game called “Is that my dad leaning seductively against something or is it yours” and Percy knows he’s not safe even when he’s out of the museums cause there are fountains everywhere in Europe with his dad’s junk on display. 

Jason still can’t look at swans without cringing.