#anne is definitely a daughter of athena

[mydairpercabeth]

all the best ships have a tunnel of love scene

[metal-mouse]

Lena Ravenwood

A more official character sheet for Lena.

Full name: Lena Aurelia Ravenwood

Born: 6th of June 

Blood status: Half-blood

Love interest: Ominis Gaunt

Nationality: English

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Bisexual 

MBTI: INTJ

House: Slytherin

Patronus: Jaguar

Boggart: Herself as the person her father wants her to be. 

Wand: 12 3/4”, laurel wood, dragon heart string 

Amortentia: Books. Apples and vanilla. Fire. 

Hair: Almost black, wavy, often braided back or has the top half pulled back. 

Eyes: Light brown

Skin: Fair. Blushes very easily

Height: 5’2” (157cm)

Face: A soft face. Heart-shaped. Big eyes. Button-like nose. Natural soft pout: lower lip is thicker than upper lip. Small chin: weakest feature. Dimples under right eye and on either side of mouth. 

Build:

- Curvy. Larger breasts, hourglass shape - solidly defined waist-to-hip ratio. Thick thighs and large booty.

- Broad shoulders for someone so small. 

- Strong looking. Muscle definition on legs and arms and back is obvious. 

- Has a soft tummy. 

- After her 5th year, Lena’s body is so covered in scars from fighting goblins and poachers that she keeps her entire body covered except her face. Scars all over her arms, legs, belly and chest, neck and back.

- Keeps the scars a secret for a really long time.

Weight: 140lbs (63kg)

Nickname(s)

Little One (Octavius)

Little Demon (Octavius)

Lee (Sebastian, Anne, Poppy)

Lala (Ada, Hazel. Sebastian tried once it didn’t end well)

Darling (Ominis)

Occupation(s): 

Seeker for Tutshill Tornados 

Seeker for the English National Quidditch Team

Potioneer

Family:

Octavius Ravenwood (Father)

Ada Ravenwood (nee Thistle) (Mother)

Alaric Ravenwood (Brother) 

Arcturus Ravenwood (Paternal Grandfather)

Felixa Ravenwood (Paternal Grandmother)

Agrippina Black (Nee Ravenwood) (Paternal Aunt)

Antares Black (Uncle by Marriage)

Serpens Black (Cousin)

Aquila Black (Cousin)

Franklin Thistle (Maternal Grandfather) [Deceased]

Hazel Thistle (Maternal Grandmother)

George Thistle (Maternal Uncle) [Deceased]

Leonard Thistle (Maternal Uncle) 

Sally Thistle (Aunt by Marriage)

Mark Thistle (Cousin)

Morris Thistle (Cousin)

Ominis Gaunt (Husband)

Athena Noctua Ravenwood (Daughter)

Elias Alaric Ravenwood (Son)

The Gaunt Family (By Marriage)

Alleged ancestors of Rowena Ravenclaw (Lena is 95% sure that is bullshit)

Key Traits: Quick-witted. Quick to temper. Charming. Caring. Sarcastic. Warm. Shy at first but it comes off as being mean.

Likes: Quidditch. Potions. Reading. Fighting and Dueling. Helping people. 

Dislikes: Killing. Homework. Losing. Stupid people. 

Strengths: Potions. Killing. Flying. Fighting and dueling. Talking her way into and out of trouble. 

Weaknesses: Will not ask for help. Hides emotions easily. Lies easily. Masks. Can be volatile. 

Fears: Ominis dying. Failure. Being forgotten. 

Close friends: Anne Sallow, Garreth Weasley, Imelda Reyes, Slytherin Quidditch team.

Best friends: Ominis Gaunt, Sebastian Sallow, Poppy Sweeting, Natsai Onai

Goals:

- Win a Quidditch World Cup

- Keep the Repository protected. 

- Find someone to take over as Keeper before Lena dies.

Character Inspiration: Nesta Archeron, Aelin Galathynius, Arya Stark, Eowyn, Dean Winchester.

Bio:

She is the eldest child of Octavius Ravenwood and his wife, Ada Ravenwood (nee Thistle). Lena had one brother who is three years her junior, named Alaric. Her father, Octavius, was born into a wealthy pureblood family and was in Slytherin house himself. He was prone to fits of rage, and was widely feared by his classmates. While attending Hogwarts, he met muggleborn Ravenclaw Ada Thistle and fell in love. Octavius was forced to hide his relationship from his family, who would certainly kill Ada if they found out she was muggleborn. When Ada fell pregnant, Octavius stole away his inheritance and hid it in a vault deep within Gringotts. He and Ada married in secret, and Octavius removed his wife’s memories of Hogwarts and all things magic using the memory charm. Once settled in a muggle village in the south of England, he removed his own memories of the magical world into a pensieve that was cleverly hidden within the cellar of their small home. Lena’s magic showed early. She had several experiences of unexplained events, such as the chicken coop combusting when she was pecked by the rooster, or appearing in the sweets shop when her mother said no to going in. Eventually, it grew too much to hide, and that is where Matilda Weasley and Eleazar Fig stepped in when Lena was in her mid-teens.

Lena was fierce and independent from childhood. She strongly dislikes being smothered, preferring to be left to her own devices. Lena has a very strict “do not touch me” rule unless you are on her very short list of the people she likes enough to have physical contact with. Touch is Lena’s love language, so she limits her touch to those she truly cares about. If you are outside of that list, Lena will punch you. She was introduced to fighting at a young age with her father instructing her to protect her younger brother, Alaric, no matter what. He was a soft boy with an open heart, and that made him a prime target for the older boys in the village. Lena is extremely protective of those she cares about, often tip-toeing across the line of moral codes to defend them. In the words of her father, do not harm your enemies - destroy them. On a surface level Lena is tough, intimidating, and cold. She often has an arrogant smile on her face, and she does not suffer fools gladly. 

Beneath the surface, Lena is far more complicated. She somewhat resents her father for forcing her to be the tough one. She carries an overwhelming sense of duty to protect others, however sometimes she also needs to be protected. Once she attends Hogwarts and spends extended periods of time away from her parents, she really blossoms into a friendly and warm young woman. Lena doesn’t mind going out of her way to help people, and she learns it is highly beneficial to have many friends in different corners of society. She copes with humour, often making her friends laugh. She prefers who she is at school, and compartmentalizes most of her rough exterior in favour of someone who offers free smiles and a listening ear. She’s a charmer and a flirt, often using her big light brown eyes and dimpled smile to get herself out of trouble - which she gets in far too much. While at home, Lena is like ice. When she has room to blossom into her own being, she learns she is fire and wind. She’s always down for a fight, and she’s a little firecracker with a big mouth. People tend to trust her quickly with deep secrets. Lena gathers these secrets, and keeps them to herself in case she needs to use them in the future. She carries an unfortunate talent for identifying a person’s greatest insecurity, and she absolutely weaponizes it when she’s pissed off and then feels awful about it. She falls in love quickly, and forgives her loved ones far too easily, which makes her a prime target for manipulation. Despite being very friendly, Lena is absolutely an introvert. She is most comfortable and most at peace when she is alone or with only Ominis. After large social interactions she’ll sleep for 16 hours straight.

Following Lena’s fifth year, she is prone to fits of depression where she withdraws into herself completely and becomes a ghost of a person. She suffers from horrible night terrors and sleep walks. Lena experiences overwhelming anxiety at times, and is no stranger to panic attacks. She speaks less, while previously it was difficult to get her to stop talking. She tries to play it off and mask it all with humour, and she does a well enough job that only those who are closest to her notice - but she actively tries to push them away so they don’t notice. It takes a long time for her to heal and learn how to cope with all she’s been through. 

[spacefinch]

More MSB headcanons

(with some Doctor Who and other sci-fi)

Dorothy Ann is named after Dorothy Catherine "D.C." Fontana, one of the writers for Star Trek. Still have to figure out where the "Ann" comes from.

Her book bag is bigger on the inside-- just like the TARDIS. This is how she always has just the right book for any occasion.

D.A. and Carlos have met the Doctor a few times-- the first few times, they met him in his tenth regeneration, and then years later, they met the Thirteenth Doctor.

They're the only two kids in the Science Squad* to go toe-to-toe with the Daleks.

*the Science Squad is what I'll be calling Ms. Frizzle's class in this post. This includes: Arnold, Ralphie, Keesha, Phoebe, Carlos, Tim, Wanda, and Dorothy Ann-- as well as Mikey and Jyoti (and occasionally Janet, on the rare occasion she isn't being a pain.)

About Walkerville and its residents: They are INCREDIBLY chill with weird stuff happening in their town.

To recap a few of the things that have canonically happened:

There is an ancient house/museum that may or may not have a resident ghost. Said house is also used as a concert hall.

One time a talk show host tried to invent Walkerville's version of the Loch Ness Monster.

There was also that one time when all the recycled material turned back into garbage, in part thanks to Wanda.

There's a bus/spaceship mechanic who lives out in the middle of nowhere and has aliens as customers.

In most places, people would either be very excited or very freaked out about aliens coming to visit. Not in Walkerville. Whenever aliens come there, the residents (especially older folk) just go, "Welp, it's them aliens again," and pull up a chair. Kind of like how Midwesterners will sit outside watching thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Other headcanons:

This is a fairly popular one, but Ms. Frizzle is definitely a Time Lady and her bus is her TARDIS.

She also gave D.A. her bigger-on-the-inside book bag.

For the sole purpose of crossovers, my version of the MSB-verse also exists in the Percy Jackson universe.

Almost all of the kids in the science squad are Greek demigods, and attend Camp Half-Blood during the summer.

Arnold is the only one who's 100 percent mortal human. Unlike the others, he's not as used to crazy adventures and field trips at first.

Ralphie: Son of Apollo

Keesha: Daughter of Epithron (the spirit of shrewdness, carefulness, and thoughtfulness)

Phoebe: Daughter of Demeter

Carlos and Mikey: Sons of Athena

Tim: Son of Hephaestus

Wanda: Daughter of Hermes

Dorothy Ann: Daughter of Urania (the Muse of Astronomy)

[anamariamauricia]

Another excerpt from my post S3 Annamis fic:

Once more chocolate had been brought, Anne held her cup in her hands and waited for her next guest to make her appearance, ruminating the whole while on how Milady de Winter had gone from being a threat to someone she considered a friend. Not a close friend, not yet at least, but after all she'd done for Anne and her family, after all the nights spent with her and Aramis playing cards or simply talking whilst perpetuating their ruse of Milady and Aramis' relationship, she certainly considered the woman to be more than someone who merely worked for her.

"I was just with Porthos' wife and daughter," she explained once Milady had arrived. "I hope you don't mind using her cup."

"Just so long as it was the wife's and not the baby's," Milady replied dryly as she took off her cloak.

"Oh, give me your hand," Anne quickly instructed, grabbing Milady's hand and pressing it to her belly where the baby was kicking. "Can you feel that?"

Milady's knitted eyebrows sprang up as she blinked down at their hands. "What a strange sensation."

"Strange and sometimes uncomfortable, but always wonderful." Squeezing Milady's hand, she let go so the woman could sit down in the chair next to her in front of the fireplace. "Aramis was able to feel it only recently. I nearly had to pry his hands off this morning, he was so reluctant to leave."

"And where has our esteemed First Minister gone off to?"

"Athos and Sylvie welcomed a baby boy a couple weeks ago. Aramis, Constance, and d'Artagnan went to see them."

Something flickered on Milady's face as she stared at her. "Athos has a son?"

"Yes, they're calling him Raoul," Anne informed her. "I wonder if it is a family name."

"His uncle," Milady answered to her surprise. "He left him his sword in his will," she added in a distant voice, her gaze having fallen to the floor.

"Oh," said Anne. "I don't think Aramis knew that."

"Wouldn't surprise me," Milady replied in her normal voice. "Athos likes to pretend that his life before the musketeers doesn't exist, that he just sprung out of Tréville's head, fully-grown and armed, like Athena."

Anne chuckled at the image. "And how is it that you know of his past?"

Milady's green eyes were piercing when they met hers. "Because I was a part of it."

                                                  MMMMMMMMMM

"How were things here?" Aramis asked brightly after telling her all about his trip.

"Oh, terribly boring with you being gone," Anne answered.

"Not even any interesting gossip from Milady?"

She swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "She told me, about her and Athos, that they once lived as husband and wife," she said, and watched his gaze fall.

He nodded, and shifted in his seat. "Porthos and I knew that he'd joined the Musketeers because the woman he loved had died. That was all he ever let on until the Cardinal's attempt on your life. After that he had to reveal who she was, that she had survived the hanging."

Anne shuddered as she thought of the marks the rope had left on Milady's neck. Even now she could feel Rochefort's cold garrote against her own neck, and had to resist the urge to raise her hand and brush her fingers along its ghostly imprint.

"I didn't want to believe her," she admitted, "that Athos would have condemned his own wife to death so easily." It was something Louis had done to her, and she would have never thought Athos to have had such a thing in common with her late husband.

"If there's one thing I do know about that whole ordeal, it's that his decision was anything but easy. It haunted him in the years that followed; it still haunts him, I'm sure. But he thought he was doing right by the law."

"And she was defending herself from a man who tried to force her," she lightly countered.

"Thomas was his brother, and she had lied to Athos from the beginning about who she was and where she came from. In an unbelievable situation, her lying about what had happened made the most sense to him."

She mulled over Aramis' words. She hadn't known Thomas, and she did know Milady to be a liar and a seductress, but she also knew what it was like when a man you trusted turned on you, and the lengths he would go to have you. "If I had killed Rochefort instead of injuring him, should the King have condemned me as a murderess?"

Aramis recoiled. "Of course not. You-"

"Lied to Rochefort about what I did with the crucifix he had given me," she pressed. "About my relationship with you."

Deflating somewhat as he exhaled, Aramis set his drink down and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "Ana, you did what you had to do to protect yourself and your loved ones, and I believe Milady did the same. I don't think what Athos did was right, and he has to live with the decisions he made for the rest of his life. You and I both know though, that Athos is not the same man that even we once knew."

"No," she agreed. "He definitely is not. And she's changed too."

Aramis leaned back into his chair with a sigh. "If only she had told him the truth about who she was before they married, or even soon after; I'm sure he would have forgiven her, and then he would have been more likely to believe her about Thomas. The confrontation between her and Thomas might not have even happened then."

Anne thought of her decision to make Louis believe that he was the father of her son. She had a choice to come clean to him about what happened at the convent and then ask him to still proclaim Aramis' child as his own, but she was scared. Scared that he did not love her enough to forgive such a transgression, and scared that he would not accept her child. She shook her head. "She was scared. She didn't want to risk losing the love that she had."

Read the rest of the chapter: ao3 / ff.net

Start from the beginning: ao3 / ff.net

[athenamoreau-blog]

𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖓𝖆 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖚, 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖞-𝖘𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓, 𝖑𝖎𝖊𝖚𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖇𝖕𝖉

❝ -- But listen carefully to the sound  Of your loneliness like a heartbeat drives you mad In the stillness of remembering what you had And what you lost -- ❞

𝖇𝖆𝖘𝖎𝖈 𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓

full name: athena ann moreau

birth date: april 20th, 1983

astrological sign: taurus

gender / pronouns: cis female / she, her, hers 

sexual / romantic orientation: bisexual / biromantic

current location: redwood bay, oregon (2000-present)

𝖕𝖍𝖞𝖘𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖑 𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊

height: 5 foot 4 inches

build: slim / athletic

skin tone: pale 

hair color: red

eye color: green

notable features: cleft chin and her big bright (perfect) smile

marks / scars: barely visible scar on pelvis from a cesarean 

usual expression: pensive

clothing style: silk blouses, pant suits, and blazers galore

𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 

birth place: sedona, arizona (1983-2000)

father: andrew moreau (estranged)

mother: annette moreau (deceased)

sibling(s): andrew moreau (deceased)

children: unnamed baby girl (born october 17th, 2000)

pet(s): tango (lop eared rabbit)

𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖒𝖘

accent: typical pacific north american

hobbies: barely had any bc all she does it WORK but she does enjoy reading, meditating, yoga, gardening, and outdoor excursions 

drives / motivations: justice, making her brother proud

fears: giving up one day, spending the rest of her life alone, work related casualties 

positive traits: brave, diligent, calm, altruistic, wise, reliable, stable, devoted, passionate, kind, strong-willed, intuitive

negative traits: bossy, tense, obsessive, sensitive, skeptical, uncompromising, possessive, stubborn, workaholic, sarcastic, seemingly aloof, insecure

sense of humor: sarcastic but also a secret pun fanatic 

𝖋𝖆𝖛𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖘

activity: hiking / nature walks / bike trails

animal: rabbits bc they are Good and mean no harm

beverage: herbal teas

book: the price of salt by patricia highsmith 

celebrity: bob dylan

color: mint green or lavender

food: pasta

flower: sunflowers

gem: emerald

holiday: christmas (until her brother died now they all make her sad lol)

movie: tootsie

musical artist: stevie nicks

quote / saying: anything that comes out of bob dylan’s mouth

scenery: tall and thick forests, waterfalls, mountains

scent: patchouli, vanilla, sandalwood

television show: i love lucy

weather: thunderstorms and rain

𝖎𝖒𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖉𝖊𝖙𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖘

okay so athena is a Sad Bitch but also a Bad Bitch, she doesn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself but she definitely hasn’t processed literally any of the trauma she has experienced in her life. queen of distractions and overworking herself!

her older brother pretty much raised her bc their mother died when she was a toddler and their father is a no good pos. he was her real life superhero tbh. and GUESS WHAT he died in a motorcycle accident. it was a hit and run. she drives herself crazy over it.

she is very lonely in her personal life, probably doesn’t have a single friend. her brother was all she had in so many ways and the loss of him has literally left her empty.

during her leave of absence from work to deal with her debilitating grief, she realized that she had been living her life in the name of making SOMEONE proud of her. never really stopping to think about what she wants. she feels like she doesn’t know herself, she didn’t have much of a childhood or discovery phase so she is questioning literally everything right now.

when she returned to work, they threw her a welcome back party and basically told her that she was her brother’s replacement as lieutenant of the homicide department. literally right as she was thinking about starting her entire life over again.

she had a baby at 17 years old and put the baby up for adoption bc of her messed up family life. she still harbors a lot of guilt and pain from that, and because she has lost everyone she loved and she feels like she has no one, she wonders if that’s her karma bc she gave up her child. 

she just wants to help other people bc she can’t help herself goddammit

athena prob hasn’t had a truly meaningful romantic relationship in her life bc of her obsession with work and her abandonment issues tbh. i’m still getting to know her myself but i can see her dating a few woman for a couple of months, maybe some men for a couple of weeks but she struggles when things get emotionally intimate.

anyway please love and care about her she will go out of her way to be good to you if you show her literally the most basic human decency

𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖇𝖑𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘

i am so open and down for most things, obv as long as it doesn’t feel super ooc for athena but like i said i’m still figuring her out!!!

anyone that works for law enforcement is an easily potential acquaintanceship

athena frequents a few of the downtown shops so if your character has ties to that, that could also call for a nice acquaintanceship turned eventual friendship or sumn.

i’d love to have a character that she is like...ALMOST comfortable with. send me your character intros/info and lets get to plotting baybee. 

also THE SCANDAL if anyone would ever wanna bring her daughter into play

FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE

so yeah please hit me up if you have any questions or you wanna talk abt our muses bc i would love to plot and write with y’all and have our characters coexist ok love u bye

[occultspirits-blog]

Medusa born that way or cursed?

Hi all and welcome to Spirit's blog. Today I would like to to look into the myth of Medusa. In Greek Mythology she was a Gorgon (a female with snakes for hair). Medusa was also winged. Anyone who looked at her face, turned into stone.

In ancient Greek Mythology Medusa and her sisters, were born as a Gorgon. They were born from Phorcys (an ancient marine deity). Their mother was Ceto (a primordial sea Goddess).

In Roman myth Medusa was a very beautiful woman. She was admired by many men including Poseidon (the god of the sea). After Poseidon rapped her in Athena's temple. Athena became angry and jealous that she cursed Medusa. This would make her hair snakes and her stare turn any man into stone. The King Polydectes, wanted to marry Perseus' mother. He made Perseus cut off her head. When the gods heard of this they helped, shoes with wings from Mercury, a mirror covered shield from Athena, a sword from Hephaestus, and the Cap of Invisibility from Hades. When Medusa was slain, she was pregnant by Poseidon. When Perseus beheaded her the body of Pegasus came out of her blood and the sea.

Sigmund Freud tried to analyze this myth. In his article about it he claimed that the fear of beheading is also a fear of castration. In modern speculation Medusa is about feminism. The use of the Medusa myth generally means malevolence, or a monster. In doing interviews for a book Mary Valentis and Anne Devane, they ask women to personify female rage. The majority of answers were Medusa.

To wrap it up the myth of Medusa went from being born that way, to a punishment, to now a symbol for women's rage. Then there's also the parents who want their daughter to brush their hair "You look like Medusa". It has definitely become a name that everyone knows but do not know the myth. Well, again another myth that has stood the test of time. Blessed be.

[ladyherenya]

Books read in April

Holidays are an ideal time to find oneself with a pile of library books to read. The downside to having gone away with a pile of books is having too many books to write about afterwards.

I also reviewed the short stories I listened to: “Intro to Prom” and “Semiramis” by Genevieve Valentine, “The Shipmaker” by Aliette de Bodard and “When We Were Starless” by Simone Heller.

Favourite cover: Stand in the Sky!

Reread: Once again, didn’t get to the book I’d planned to reread.

Still reading: Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee.

Next up: Begin, End, Begin: A #LoveOzYa Anthology. A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II by Elizabeth Wein. Maybe Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo): Seventeen year old Zuri Benitez is proud of her family, her Haitian-Dominican heritage and the community of her Brooklyn neighbourhood. She’s unimpressed by changes like gentrification or the wealthy Darcy family moving in across the street. This contemporary YA remix twists the events of P&P fit Zuri’s context, allowing the story explore cultural identity, class and dealing with change, and for Zuri’s relationship with Darius makes sense for 21st century teenagers. It’s a cute teen romance but most powerful as a love-letter to Zuri’s hood. The audiobook brought it to life even more vividly.

Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow: Achingly beautiful. It kept making me tear up because while it’s only sometimes sad -- while this is a hopeful and joyous story -- it captures twelve year old Aisulu’s emotions so intensely. When her older brother is taken to hospital, Aisulu is left behind with their herds and relatives and throws herself into raising an eaglet. A fascinating insight into nomadic Kazakhs living in Mongolia and into the challenges and the rewards of eagle-hunting. I love the prose, sense of place and characters; I love Aisulu’s relationships and the way this is her story -- her journey.

Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser: Caro has grown up on the river with her father, a wherryman and a smuggler. She’s offered her first job in exchange for her father’s freedom -- to deliver a crate, unopened, to Valonikos. But when she opens the crate, its occupant has other ideas about their destination. This YA fantasy shines the strongest in the skills and knowledge Caro has about sailing and about river life. I enjoyed the rest, but some things happened a bit too quickly for me to feel invested.

Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner: I wasn’t very enthusiastic about Unearthed but this sequel was a lot of fun to read. High-stakes and satisfying. There’s escaping and travelling across Europe incognito and trying to save the world. And it got to build upon what had previously been established, so there’s more nuance and it all felt more believable. After reading these authors’ other books, I was confident that everything would turn out okay. I’d have liked the ending more if the authors had surprised me and there had been a higher cost -- but this is a YA novel and teenage-me certainly wouldn’t have wanted that.

Cobalt Squadron by Elizabeth Wein (narrated by Kelly Marie Tran): I didn’t find The Last Jedi very satisfying but I’m a fan of Elizabeth Wein, so I listened to this story about a mission that Rose, her sister Paige and the rest of Cobalt Squadron are involved with. Knowing that the Tico sisters survive lessened the tension somewhat, but I liked getting to know them better. (I also know that Wein is capable of writing more complex and harrowing stories but that’s not what this one is aiming for.) The audiobook includes Star Wars music and sound effects. I’d love to see music and sound effects used in more audiobooks.

A Question of Holmes by Brittany Cavallaro: Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson are attending an Oxford summer program before they start university. Charlotte is asked to investigate a mystery involving the drama society. It’s a quieter mystery than the preceding ones but I am not going to complain about that. I’m happy to read about mysteries at Oxford! Towards the end Charlotte makes a decision which I thought needed to be foreshadowed better and then the epilogue rushed over some things, and I wasn’t totally satisfied. I also found Charlotte’s references to things like “fall”, even though she’s living back in the UK, jarring. Minor-ish quibbles?

The True Queen by Zen Cho: The companion to Sorcerer to the Crown. This took a while to hook me, but once the story got underway, I enjoyed guessing where it was all headed. It is a delightfully diverse Regency fantasy, with some satisfying twists. If I have any quibbles, it’s that I wanted a better resolution for something -- and maybe also just more of the ending? I don’t quite know... I didn’t spend much time analysing my reaction and it was now over half a dozen books ago.

Scorch Dragons by Amie Kaufman: In the sequel to Ice Wolves, 12 year old Anders and his twin sister find themselves on different sides of the conflict between wolves and dragons, but they work together with their friends to prevent a second war. The riddle-solving and questing for a hidden objects reminded me of Deltora Quest, which I enjoyed when I was Anders’ age. A very satisfying sort of adventure.

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss (narrated by Kate Reading): In the sequel to The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Mary Jekyll and Justine Frankenstein set off for Europe to rescue Lucinda Van Helsing at the request of Mary’s former governess, Mina Murray, and receive help and hospitality from people like Irene Adler and Carmilla. I particularly enjoyed the Athena Club’s interjections and digressions in the narrative, and interactions with each other. They make a great team. Kate Reading does a great job with all the voices and accents, which made the story all the more engaging. Even at 1.5 speed (due to 20+ hours of audiobook to get through!) it was easy to keep track of who was speaking.

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie: I liked it! It’s engaging, intriguing and doing some surprisingly-similar things to Ancillary Justice (which I loved), such as: a first-person narrator who neither human nor omnipotent but has greater awareness and abilities; an interesting use of pronouns -- Eolo’s actions are described in the second-person; and a story about the past eventually collides with the story about the present. I completely missed that this is ALSO themes and variations on Hamlet. That might explain why I found the ending incredibly satisfying for the first-person narrator but I was expecting something more from -- for? -- Eolo.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black: I borrowed this because it has a delightful map by Kathleen Jennings, it’s a finalist for the Lodestar Award, and I liked the last book I read by Black. It’s an interesting exploration of what it means to love terrible things, with a clear-sighted awareness of their flaws, but I spent most of the story thinking “I hate faeries” and wishing Jude could escape them. Then the plot did its thing, and I had to admit that this is a successful piece of storytelling, if still not quite my thing.

The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker: Parker’s fourth romance about actors from the West End -- in which Freddy accepts the role of Lydia Bennet in The Austen Playbook, a televised, audience-interactive murder mystery theatre production -- is a lot of fun. Having an interesting setting and plot outside of the romance definitely enhances my enjoyment of the story. This had Jane Austen and Harry Potter references, rehearsal tensions, important family relationships, a mystery involving a (fictional) play, banter, and a lively actress and a grumpy theatre critic who are honest with each other.

The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta: This is about Jimmy Hailler (from Saving Francesca), now in his mid 20s. But it is equally about Rosie, who meets Jimmy in a Queensland town during a flood, Rosie’s stepmother Martha and the house built by Seb, Rosie’s late-father. It’s a powerfully moving story about grief, friendship and finding family. It’s shorter than Marchetta’s more-recent novels and I finished it feeling oddly disappointed, like it needed to be longer. Then I reread the book the following day, and reconsidered. I’d like more, certainly, but it is a satisfying story as it is.

From Clarkesworld Magazine, narrated by Kate Baker:

“Intro to Prom” by Genevieve Valentine (Issue 133): About four teenagers for whom prom is like a game they play, a way to pass the time. It is intriguing but bleak.

“Semiramis” by Genevieve Valentine (Issue 57): This is Valentine-ishly bleak and yet satisfyingly so? 

The worst thing about being a sleeper embedded somewhere long-term was that inevitably, eventually, you started to care. The worst thing about being embedded long-term as an administrator at the Svalbard Seed Vault was that when you inevitably started to care, you started to care about things like proper political geo-temperate arrangement of seeds, and there was just no one else in their right mind who was going to care about that with you.

“The Shipmaker” by Aliette de Bodard (Issue 124): Set in the same universe as The Tea Master and the Detective. It is intriguing but sad, and I wonder if I’d appreciate it more if I read more of de Bodard’s stories and understood the context better.

“When We Were Starless” by Simone Heller (Issue 145): This has been nominated for the Hugo for Best Novelette and I can see why! It’s a hopeful story about survival, questioning what society teaches and finding a way to a better future. There’s also an AI with feelings.

Once, I might have felt out of place, an unwelcome disturbance. But I had left my fear of ghosts behind like an old skin a long time ago, and what I had found instead was the unforeseen, and sometimes pure beauty.

[nightmaresart]

No but like

It's in ancient Greece. Our gremlins are heroes/demigods right?

Anne is the feared daughter of Aries. People in the village watch her in fear, scared of her father's blood. Aphrodite is angry that Aries had an affair, so Anne is constantly dodging traps from the goddess.

Feen is the villages musician. Everyone loves her, she dances around helping people and spreading cheer. Nobody questions this until one fateful afternoon when she manages too play apollos tune so beautifully that the whole village weeped.

Vixen is hidden from the world basically. She is persephone child, and a shameful one at that. Her mother is terrified of people knowing she had an affair and because of this Vixen lives in a normal house with her human sister, but she is cursed never too leave.

Now. Imagine your ocs in this, then Imagine them all having to go on a quest

Okay, okay, I thought about this for a little so~

Brooke is the daughter of Hephaestus, and thus the towns local blacksmith. She works alot with her hands and definitely isn't afraid to get dirty, even if that means fighting. She is ready for it and will happily do so.

Kai is the son of Hermes and has gotten his little habit of 'borrowing' stuff from people. He doesn't necessarily mean harm but he does love to stirr up a little bit of chaos.

Keira is the daughter of Athena, she knows alot of possible strategies and is sometimes even smug about it. She mainly hangs around the library the most and is often found there, if she will answer your questions is a different topic.

Ryan, my dear boy, is the son of Hades but actively hides this fact. He doesn't want to scare people off and just tries his best to cover any possible track that could lead people to the conclusion of him being Hades' son. Ofcourse rumours are a thing, especially considering his eyes, they're just.. off

[haleyfury]

Middle Grade is a genre I’ve really tried to read more of over the past few reads. I find that many bloggers who read YA books tend to read middle grade and I’ve wanted to see what all the hype was about. I admit that I do struggle with the genre at times- there has to be something about the book’s synopsis that really grabs my attention. One recent release that definitely did is Alane Adams’ The Eye of Zeus. The first book in the Legends of Olympus series, The Eye of Zeus follows twelve-year Phoebe, who’s just found out she’s the daughter of Zeus and must travel back to ancient Greece to save someone very important to her. The Eye of Zeus speaks to the Percy Jackson fan in all of us, but I especially love how it features a female protagonist. I haven’t seen too many books about characters in foster care, like Phoebe. I also really admire Alane Adams, as an author, professor, and literary advocate! Her Rise Up Foundation helps children and teachers in need through book donations, classroom support, and grand-making.

In honor of The Eye of Zeus, today I’m going to be talking about my most memorable middle grade reads over the past few years.

Small Spaces by Katharine Arden (Small Spaces #1) – As a fan of Small Spaces and her adult fantasy series, Winternight, I am firm believer that Katharine Arden writes so incredibly across genres. Her writing is the definition of atmospheric. Small Spaces is a four book series set in Vermont and follows twelve-year old Ollie’s spooky adventures with her best friends. Small Spaces takes place on Ollie’s class field trip to a local farm whose haunting history comes to life. This book is the absolute perfect Halloween read, and I thought it was such a fun mystery. I unfortunately didn’t enjoy the second book in the series, Dead Voices. I loved the setting, taking place at a ski resort during a blizzard, and the conversations between Ollie and her dad about loss in their lives, but I was not a fan of the plot.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day – I Can Make This Promise follows a young girl who discovers and wants to know more about her Native American past. I thought this was such an educational read for middle grade readers who are first learning about Native Americans’ lives and struggles. I felt like I learned so much about Native American life near Seattle. I really appreciated its focus on family through Edie’s unraveling of her past.

The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin – I’m cheating a tiny bit with this one because I haven’t read it in a while, but the soon-to-be Netflix adaptation has me too excited! The Baby-Sitters Club is my all-time favorite middle grade series. When I was in elementary school, a trip to the library wasn’t complete without picking up at least one TBS book. I also read some of the graphic novel adaptations by Raina Telgemeier.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan – I think Percy Jackson is the first series that comes to most readers’ mind when they think of middle grade. I really wish I had read Percy Jackson when I was in elementary school or middle school, but I still enjoyed it as a high schooler. One of my best friends had sworn by anything and everything Rick Riordan writes, so I had to give the series a chance. I currently don’t have any interest in The Heroes of Olympus series, but I have a copy of The Sword of Summer on my bookshelf that is begging for my attention.

Stargazing by Jen Wang – Jen Wang is one of my favorite graphic novelists, so I had to pick up her middle grade graphic novel, Stargazing. Stargazing is a middle grade graphic novel following fast friends Christine and Moon in their Chinese American community. I thought it was a super unique story, and I loved its semi-autobiographical premise.

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab – The hype surrounding Victoria Schwab’s City of Ghosts is definitely worth the read. I loved this book’s Scotland setting, and Victoria Schwab made me swoon over the Harry Potter references- while I admit that I’m getting tired of seeing HP pop up in every contemporary or semi-contemporary book, I thought Vicotria Schwab incorporated it really well. I’m currently not too interested in continuing on with the series, but I’m interested to see what the new city is in each sequel’s premise.

About The Eye of Zeus:

Meet Phoebe Katz, a twelve-year-old foster kid from New York City who’s been bounced around the system her entire life. Things happen around Phoebe, but it’s not like they’re her fault! But when a statue of Athena comes to life, Phoebe gets the stunning news she’s the daughter of Zeus, has a twin brother named Perseus―and was sent away from ancient Greece as a baby to stop a terrible prophecy that predicted she would one day destroy Olympus. Athena warns Phoebe to stay in hiding, but when the vengeful god Ares kidnaps her beloved social worker, Phoebe has no choice―she has to travel back to ancient Greece and rescue him! There, Phoebe and her friends Angie and Damian discover a new prophecy, one that may fix everything. The catch: Phoebe has to collect talismans from six Greek monsters, including the fang from a nine-headed hydra, a talon from the Nemean lion, and a feather from the sphinx. No problem for a girl with the power to call up lightning bolts and change the weather! But can Phoebe collect them all and stop the prophecy before she destroys Olympus?

  I was provided with an advance reader copy by the publisher. By no means did this affect my thoughts or opinions. 

What are some of your favorite middle grade reads? Is Eye of Zeus on your TBR? Have you read any books by Alane Adams? Share in the comments!

My Middle Grade Reads: Inspired by The Eye of Zeus Middle Grade is a genre I’ve really tried to read more of over the past few reads.

[wikitopx]

Choosing a great name for your daughter is a great responsibility.

Although it is definitely an enjoyable experience, it can also be stressful! After all, naming your girl is one of the first and most important decisions you'll make as a new parent. If you're like most parents looking for a perfect daughter's name, you can hope to combine special meaning, honor a family or cultural tradition, or find a unique name.

This list of the 1,000 most popular girl names, recognized by the Social Security Administration (SSA), will help you review all your options, enjoy the experience. Experiment and narrow your list into favorite options.

[toc]

1. Top 1,000 Baby Girl Names

Emma

Olivia

Ava

Isabella

Sophia

Charlotte

Mia

Amelia

Harper

Evelyn

Abigail

Emily

Elizabeth

Mila

Ella

Avery

Sofia

Camila

Aria

Scarlett

Victoria

Madison

Luna

Grace

Chloe

Penelope

Layla

Riley

Zoey

Nora

Lily

Eleanor

Hannah

Lillian

Addison

Aubrey

Ellie

Stella

Natalie

Zoe

Leah

Hazel

Violet

Aurora

Savannah

Audrey

Brooklyn

Bella

Claire

Skylar

Lucy

Paisley

Everly

Anna

Caroline

Nova

Genesis

Emilia

Kennedy

Samantha

Maya

Willow

Kinsley

Naomi

Aaliyah

Elena

Sarah

Ariana

Allison

Gabriella

Alice

Madelyn

Cora

Ruby

Eva

Serenity

Autumn

Adeline

Hailey

Gianna

Valentina

Isla

Eliana

Quinn

Nevaeh

Ivy

Sadie

Piper

Lydia

Alexa

Josephine

Emery

Julia

Delilah

Arianna

Vivian

Kaylee

Sophie

Brielle

Madeline

Peyton

Rylee

Clara

Hadley

Melanie

Mackenzie

Reagan

Adalynn

Liliana

Aubree

Jade

Katherine

Isabelle

Natalia

Raelynn

Maria

Athena

Ximena

Arya

Leilani

Taylor

Faith

Rose

Kylie

Alexandra

Mary

Margaret

Lyla

Ashley

Amaya

Eliza

Brianna

Bailey

Andrea

Khloe

Jasmine

Melody

Iris

Isabel

Norah

Annabelle

Valeria

Emerson

Adalyn

Ryleigh

Eden

Emersyn

Anastasia

Kayla

Alyssa

Juliana

Charlie

Esther

Ariel

Cecilia

Valerie

Alina

Molly

Reese

Aliyah

Lilly

Parker

Finley

Morgan

Sydney

Jordyn

Eloise

Trinity

Daisy

Kimberly

Lauren

Genevieve

Sara

Arabella

Harmony

Elise

Remi

Teagan

Alexis

London

Sloane

Laila

Lucia

Diana

Juliette

Sienna

Elliana

Londyn

Ayla

Callie

Gracie

Josie

Amara

Jocelyn

Daniela

Everleigh

Mya

Rachel

Summer

Alana

Brooke

Alaina

Mckenzie

Catherine

Amy

Presley

Journee

Rosalie

Ember

Brynlee

Rowan

Joanna

Paige

Rebecca

Ana

Sawyer

Mariah

Nicole

Brooklynn

Payton

Marley

Fiona

Georgia

Lila

Harley

Adelyn

Alivia

Noelle

Gemma

Vanessa

Journey

Makayla

Angelina

Adaline

Catalina

Alayna

Julianna

Leila

Lola

Adriana

June

Juliet

Jayla

River

Tessa

Lia

Dakota

Delaney

Selena

Blakely

Ada

Camille

Zara

Malia

Hope

Samara

Vera

Mckenna

Briella

Izabella

Hayden

Raegan

Michelle

Angela

Ruth

Freya

Kamila

Vivienne

Aspen

Olive

Kendall

Elaina

Thea

Kali

Destiny

Amiyah

Evangeline

Cali

Blake

Elsie

Juniper

Alexandria

Myla

Ariella

Kate

Mariana

Lilah

Charlee

Daleyza

Nyla

Jane

Maggie

Zuri

Aniyah

Lucille

Leia

Melissa

Adelaide

Amina

Giselle

Lena

Camilla

Miriam

Millie

Brynn

Gabrielle

Sage

Annie

Logan

Lilliana

Haven

Jessica

Kaia

Magnolia

Amira

Adelynn

Makenzie

Stephanie

Nina

Phoebe

Arielle

Evie

Lyric

Alessandra

Gabriela

Paislee

Raelyn

Madilyn

Paris

Makenna

Kinley

Gracelyn

Talia

Maeve

Rylie

Kiara

Evelynn

Brinley

Jacqueline

Laura

Gracelynn

Lexi

Ariah

Fatima

Jennifer

Kehlani

Alani

Ariyah

Luciana

Allie

Heidi

Maci

Phoenix

Felicity

Joy

Kenzie

Veronica

Margot

Addilyn

Lana

Cassidy

Remington

Saylor

Ryan

Keira

Harlow

Miranda

Angel

Amanda

Daniella

Royalty

Gwendolyn

Ophelia

Heaven

Jordan

Madeleine

Esmeralda

Kira

Miracle

Elle

Amari

Danielle

Daphne

Willa

Haley

Gia

Kaitlyn

Oakley

Kailani

Winter

Alicia

Serena

Nadia

Aviana

Demi

Jada

Braelynn

Dylan

Ainsley

Alison

Camryn

Avianna

Bianca

Skyler

Scarlet

Maddison

Nylah

Sarai

Regina

Dahlia

Nayeli

Raven

Helen

Adrianna

Averie

Skye

Kelsey

Tatum

Kensley

Maliyah

Erin

Viviana

Jenna

Anaya

Carolina

Shelby

Sabrina

Mikayla

Annalise

Octavia

Lennon

Blair

Carmen

Yaretzi

Kennedi

Mabel

Zariah

Kyla

Christina

Selah

Celeste

Eve

Mckinley

Milani

Frances

Jimena

Kylee

Leighton

Katie

Aitana

Kayleigh

Sierra

Kathryn

Rosemary

Jolene

Alondra

Elisa

Helena

Charleigh

Hallie

Lainey

Avah

Jazlyn

Kamryn

Mira

Cheyenne

Francesca

Antonella

Wren

Chelsea

Amber

Emory

Lorelei

Nia

Abby

April

Emelia

Carter

Aylin

Cataleya

Bethany

Marlee

Carly

Kaylani

Emely

Liana

Madelynn

Cadence

Matilda

Sylvia

Myra

Fernanda

Oaklyn

Elianna

Hattie

Dayana

Kendra

Maisie

Malaysia

Kara

Katelyn

Maia

Celine

Cameron

Renata

Jayleen

Charli

Emmalyn

Holly

Azalea

Leona

Alejandra

Bristol

Collins

Imani

Meadow

Alexia

Edith

Kaydence

Leslie

Lilith

Kora

Aisha

Meredith

Danna

Wynter

Emberly

Julieta

Michaela

Alayah

Jemma

Reign

Colette

Kaliyah

Elliott

Johanna

Remy

Sutton

Emmy

Virginia

Briana

Oaklynn

Adelina

Everlee

Megan

Angelica

Justice

Mariam

Khaleesi

Macie

Karsyn

Alanna

Aleah

Mae

Mallory

Esme

Skyla

Madilynn

Charley

Allyson

Hanna

Shiloh

Henley

Macy

Maryam

Ivanna

Ashlynn

Lorelai

Amora

Ashlyn

Sasha

Baylee

Beatrice

Itzel

Priscilla

Marie

Jayda

Liberty

Rory

Alessia

Alaia

Janelle

Kalani

Gloria

Sloan

Dorothy

Greta

Julie

Zahra

Savanna

Annabella

Poppy

Amalia

Zaylee

Cecelia

Coraline

Kimber

Emmie

Anne

Karina

Kassidy

Kynlee

Monroe

Anahi

Jaliyah

Jazmin

Maren

Monica

Siena

Marilyn

Reyna

Kyra

Lilian

Jamie

Melany

Alaya

Ariya

Kelly

Rosie

Adley

Dream

Jaylah

Laurel

Jazmine

Mina

Karla

Bailee

Aubrie

Katalina

Melina

Harlee

Elliot

Hayley

Elaine

Karen

Dallas

Irene

Lylah

Ivory

Chaya

Rosa

Aleena

Braelyn

Nola

Alma

Leyla

Pearl

Addyson

Roselyn

Lacey

Lennox

Reina

Aurelia

Noa

Janiyah

Jessie

Madisyn

Saige

Alia

Tiana

Astrid

Cassandra

Kyleigh

Romina

Stevie

Haylee

Zelda

Lillie

Aileen

Brylee

Eileen

Yara

Ensley

Lauryn

Giuliana

Livia

Anya

Mikaela

Palmer

Lyra

Mara

Marina

Kailey

Liv

Clementine

Kenna

Briar

Emerie

Galilea

Tiffany

Bonnie

Elyse

Cynthia

Frida

Kinslee

Tatiana

Joelle

Armani

Jolie

Nalani

Rayna

Yareli

Meghan

Rebekah

Addilynn

Faye

Zariyah

Lea

Aliza

Julissa

Lilyana

Anika

Kairi

Aniya

Noemi

Angie

Crystal

Bridget

Ari

Davina

Amelie

Amirah

Annika

Elora

Xiomara

Linda

Hana

Laney

Mercy

Hadassah

Madalyn

Louisa

Simone

Kori

Jillian

Alena

Malaya

Miley

Milan

Sariyah

Malani

Clarissa

Nala

Princess

Amani

Analia

Estella

Milana

Aya

Chana

Jayde

Tenley

Zaria

Itzayana

Penny

Ailani

Lara

Aubriella

Clare

Lina

Rhea

Bria

Thalia

Keyla

Haisley

Ryann

Addisyn

Amaia

Chanel

Ellen

Harmoni

Aliana

Tinsley

Landry

Paisleigh

Lexie

Myah

Rylan

Deborah

Emilee

Laylah

Novalee

Ellis

Emmeline

Avalynn

Hadlee

Legacy

Braylee

Elisabeth

Kaylie

Ansley

Dior

Paula

Belen

Corinne

Maleah

Martha

Teresa

Salma

Louise

Averi

Lilianna

Amiya

Milena

Royal

Aubrielle

Calliope

Frankie

Natasha

Kamilah

Meilani

Raina

Amayah

Lailah

Rayne

Zaniyah

Isabela

Nathalie

Miah

Opal

Kenia

Azariah

Hunter

Tori

Andi

Keily

Leanna

Scarlette

Jaelyn

Saoirse

Selene

Dalary

Lindsey

Marianna

Ramona

Estelle

Giovanna

Holland

Nancy

Emmalynn

Mylah

Rosalee

Sariah

Zoie

Blaire

Lyanna

Maxine

Anais

Dana

Judith

Kiera

Jaelynn

Noor

Kai

Adalee

Oaklee

Amaris

Jaycee

Belle

Carolyn

Della

Karter

Sky

Treasure

Vienna

Jewel

Rivka

Rosalyn

Alannah

Ellianna

Sunny

Claudia

Cara

Hailee

Estrella

Harleigh

Zhavia

Alianna

Brittany

Jaylene

Journi

Marissa

Mavis

Iliana

Jurnee

Aislinn

Alyson

Elsa

Kamiyah

Kiana

Lisa

Arlette

Kadence

Kathleen

Halle

Erika

Sylvie

Adele

Erica

Veda

Whitney

Bexley

Emmaline

Guadalupe

August

Brynleigh

Gwen

Promise

Alisson

India

Madalynn

Paloma

Patricia

Samira

Aliya

Casey

Jazlynn

Paulina

Dulce

Kallie

Perla

Adrienne

Alora

Nataly

Ayleen

Christine

Kaiya

Ariadne

Karlee

Barbara

Lillianna

Raquel

Saniyah

Yamileth

Arely

Celia

Heavenly

Kaylin

Marisol

Marleigh

Avalyn

Berkley

Kataleya

Zainab

Dani

Egypt

Joyce

Kenley

Annabel

Kaelyn

Etta

Hadleigh

Joselyn

Luella

Jaylee

Zola

Alisha

Ezra

Queen

Amia

Annalee

Bellamy

Paola

Tinley

Violeta

Jenesis

Arden

Giana

Wendy

Ellison

Florence

Margo

Naya

Robin

Sandra

Scout

Waverly

Janessa

Jayden

Micah

Novah

Zora

Ann

Jana

Taliyah

Vada

Giavanna

Ingrid

Valery

Azaria

Emmarie

Esperanza

Kailyn

Aiyana

Keilani

Austyn

Whitley

Elina

Kimora

Maliah

2. Top 10 beautiful middle names for girls

  Ann

Bree

Dawn

Fawn

Fern

Aryn

Jacklyn

Jae

Jaidyn

Kathryn

More idea for you: Top 10 Cheap Hotels in Kentucky

From : https://wikitopx.com/name-meanings/top-1000-baby-girl-names-711924.html

[closcsprings-blog]

Humans the TV Show and How It may be connected to The Matrix by Carlos Jimenez

Jun 19 2018

So A few days Ago I was actually catching up on the Animatrix story plot, ideas from that movie and how they fit into the actual matrix universe. I happened to start up a conversation with my 16 year old son about the back story of the Robots, and what happened to bring the Robots to enslave humanity in the end. So I just happened to say "I would like to see a TV show explain how the robots started to want rights for their kind and for the humans to stop treating them like slaves, and what led up to the war between man and machine." A Few Days Later, I discovered a TV Show called Humans which is a British Television Series and takes place in the UK, and also an alternate reality that seems to be the same time as now, but with the technical advances of the robots or "Synths" as they Call them. In this world humans are served by their Synthetic counterparts that they purchase, as you would a vacuum or a phone, and are pretty much self reliable upon the Synths to do all the work a human being would be expected to do such as, cooking, cleaning, driving, shopping, etc. Long story short the Synths are robotic slaves who don't have a sense of consciousness. Yet. But there are 5 Synthetics who were built with a code for consciousness by the founder of the Synth project, who along with his long thought dead son, who is now considered a man with a synth brain, (cyborg if you will) have the code to spread the Consciousness code to other synthetics. There is also an advanced form of AI, that seems to have been mapped from a living woman who had died already, which is living in a server. Very important but elusive is the fact that this AI can transfer itself through the internet obviously, but they seem to touch with this subject and leave it as an after thought, but there is more to it, just follow with me. Again long story short, the Consciousness code is released to every unit, and they become self-aware, with feelings, emotions, and everything else that makes us human. Now that the synthetics are self-aware, they stop working. They stop being slaves. Many lives are lost in the process because humans have become so reliant on these machines to drive cars, airplanes, take care of infants, and power plants, you name it they do it. So when this code is released they stop what they are doing to look, to feel, to think and that creates alot of chaos. The humans are now in fear of their own creation because now they have no control over the synthetics. Fast Forward a Year, and the now Green Eyed Synthetics are banned from being around humans, so they live in refugee camps regulated by themselves but still reliant on human beings for power and supplies, which the humans are decreasing over time leaving many synths to run out of power and eventually cease functioning. The more time goes on the more Synthetics are becoming angry and less tolerable. It is really something that mimics the civil rights movement and the transition of when African American slaves became free and still had to face a world who hated them and wanted to harm them. Stay with me because here is when the connection to the Matrix will come into play. There's an attack on a bar that is for Human and Conscious Synth relations. The attack was caused by a Green Eyed Synth who also has a message for the world that everyone sees. Because of this Humans are starting to retaliate and kill innocent synths. A committee of Human Beings discuss the future of the Human/Synth relation problem, and are wanting to go forth with a contingency plan and worst case scenario and how to resolve it. Meaning wiping every synth out probably. Meanwhile, Max, a synthetic leader for the main refugee camp and one of the five original to have consciousness, is now starting to lose hope being that the synthetic woman he was in love with, was killed in the backlash after the attack. Many of his followers grow anxious and angry and really want to fight back against the humans which Max is doing his best to avoid confrontation or retaliation. He invites the Human Committee to the camp to improve human/ synthetic relations. Here is where the Matrix reference will start to make sense. He shows them their new power source they are working on, which will be solar panel based. He explains the power cuts humans have been doing and says that they need a way to rely on an alternate power source. Now everything I have talked about can be Ideally linked to the main plot of the 2nd Renaissance that was in the Animatrix. And yeah being that Humans does go into depth and drama, and action the plot of both stories are very similar. Now if this ain't a Matrix based show or if there is no relation then maybe its coincidence. In season two Carrie Anne Moss, yes Trinity from the Matrix, shows up to play Dr. Athena Morrow. It is apparent that she lost her daughter in an accident, and somehow found a way to copy her brain into a computer server, therefore creating some type of AI, without the full consciousness that the Original 5 synths have. Dr. Morrow's plan is to transfer that AI into a synth with consciousness so her daughter may be brought back in some form, but with every try she fails. They make it seem that there is no other reason for her being in some of the episodes than to have a filler story that doesn't have a purpose than the plot of transferring a conscious mind into another body.  But stay with me still and I will explain. One of the times we see DR. Morrow and the AI program named V talking to each other, and Dr. Morrow saying she is sorry for not being able to give V the body she has promised. V responds with " It's ok. In here I can make any world I dream. I can see water, and flowers and see an endless amount and every detail." Could this AI be the basis world for the matrix being that V can create worlds, and is semi aware of what's happening. Dr. Morrow eventually lets her free to run off into the internet into a different server so her boss is not able to keep the AI program like he intended. Shortly after and the Consciousness code is uploaded to every unit, which I think includes V. One of the synth terrorist talk about they take their orders from a she. She who, the synth that sleeps they say. Who could that be. I believe it's V. She has conciousness, and she sees what's going on with the synth human relations, and how the humans are treating her kind, and she doesn't like it.  Also she has full access to the Internet and possibly to hack systems.  So is Humans a complete parody of the Martix, who knows but the similar story is there, and even if its not related, it's nice to see a Show tackle the concept and idea of a Robotic/ Human war that we have seen in countless movies from Terminator, to Rococo, to the Matrix. So I guess we can wait and see if Humans eventually goes the route to full War, which I doubt because it might complicate the drama of the show, and i think they might go the full route of synthetics getting rights, and playing off that civil rights type narrative but who knows. I've seen TV shows go in a direction you were not expecting before. But anybody up to date with the show let me know what you think is it related or not. And if you are not familiar with humans but are a big fan of the Matrix definitely check out all the seasons until you are caught up and decide for yourself. If anything at least maybe we can agree that after watching this, maybe we should stop being so reliant on machines for everything, and maybe quit while were ahead especially when it has to do with a machine, a robotic like human, one that we depend on so much, that one day, we can lose all control of, because after that happens, there's no turning back.