#dotb

[thebellekeys]

The black jewel similarities are so crazy to me. I remember hearing about the similarities for the first time and being skeptical because people accuse copying for unfounded reasons a lot in fantasy especially towards women(and I do think some are ridiculous). Then reading the posts and being like??? She couldn’t have been a LITTLE more creative? I also wonder how much this affected her rewriting of books 2&3 and adding to book 1, which she did less than a year before they came out. Like rhys thing with amarantha and acomaf is obvious but what about other parts of book one? Like did she add high lords and the name prythian along with rhys or was that always there? Sorry I’m rambling I just find this so interesting. I’d love to know what the original storyline was. Do you think sjm is aware of the similarities and doesn’t think it matters or doesn’t care or is she somehow oblivious?

See: the post in question!

Love this ask! Firstly, I think Sarah J. Maas that is an uncreative and unoriginal writer and, hence, that she always intended (perhaps passively) to make ACOTAR virtually identical to The Black Jewels. This is, in part, because the same situation exists when it comes to Throne of Glass, ASOIAF, and LOTR. Sarah J. Maas would have been a teenager when TBJ first came out and I think it left such a mark on her that she couldn't help but reproduce it in her own writing. TBJ is fairly popular among millennial fantasy-reading demographics but most people born after 2000 (more than half her fanbase) don't know that much about Anne Bishop nor care for writing as dark as Bishop's, period.

I also think she doesn't care about the similarities between ACOTAR and TBJ because she knows neither her hardcore stans nor casual fantasy readers will be able to immediately identify Bishop's work in her own and cramp her sales. This is the woman who name-dropped Breonna Taylor's murder while promoting her book and simultaneously relegating every major Black character in her works to the developmental back-burner if she doesn't kill them outright. She doesn't care. And there is no way she obvious to these glaring similarities.

[that-freak-named-ben]

Donnie said something fucking wild recently and I just needed to share the experience.

But me and the gang were going to this nice bar down in 104 3rd St, place called The Ruck, and there was this real pretty lady who served us our drinks. And my dumbass friend Donnie tries to pull up the rizz on this chick. Leaning forward over the counter, head in hand, eyes half lidded like a little fairy princess in a Disney film. And he put on this wild ass "sexy" voice. Hit her with the, "Hey darlin', I was wonderin' if you could tell me: If you're here, who's running Heaven?"

And this ABSOLUTE AMAZON of a woman whipped around to him, leaned down onto the counter, and very softly said, "Hun, if I had a penny for every time I've had to answer that same damn question, I wouldn't be workin' at this dump."

And holy shit- me and the boys were HOWLING. Mad said somethin' like, "oh mate, you might as well just retire. That was too cold" and then Crimson followed it with, "How are you gonna use the cheapest one in the book? God, you're so bad at this" and poor ol' Donnie sat in shame for the rest of the night. Drank himself a couple shots of gin until he was half blind.

We almost feel bad for him, but I mean. He's just gotta up his fucking game.

If you'd be a doll and maybe comment some dating advise for my sad sack of a friend, I'll be sure to pass the message along.

[dotbvn]

DotB - HỆ SINH THÁI GIẢI PHÁP CÔNG NGHỆ EDTECH

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Hệ sinh thái này không chỉ gồm phần mềm mà còn kết nối chặt chẽ các giải pháp để đáp ứng nhu cầu của mọi bên liên quan: ➖ Marketing & Sales: Tạo, chăm sóc và chuyển đổi khách hàng hiệu quả. ➖ Học vụ/Giáo vụ & Khối chuyên môn: Đảm bảo trải nghiệm học tập tối ưu cho học viên. ➖ Customer Service & Vận hành: Tối ưu dịch vụ, gia tăng doanh thu qua Upsell/Cross-sell, tăng thời gian vòng đời trung bình của một Khách hàng tại tổ chức.

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[gelarshiesprofruitboarder]

tgese pictures haunt me every day what the fuck was this for theres no reason for this to behappening im so scared

[skuttlespringg]

happy april fool's day to the boyfriends ever

[insert-the-4thwall-entity]

So I've just remembered an au i made awhile ago, that was based on Heat abnormal by iyowa ( yes, i've listened to vocaloid music. In this house we respect inabakumori and the song i mentioned by iyowa. )

It's called 'Dawn of the Black Stars' and it's a mainly Sonic crossover au. It centers around reawakened mobian hero Sonic, blessed Japanese bloodline decedent Mahoro Itō, 2000's American ghost Zach Jones and mobian kid genius Miles 'Tails' Prowler as they go on a mission to defeat the 9 'Black Stars' from taking over the country of Kurosuwārudo and the rest of the world.

Do y'all want to make content of this? Or no?

[qazastra]

i think that probably sitting in one spot for three hours and only realizing i should get up when i start feeling sick is not normal necessarily and with any luck the adhd assessment i took today will come back with helpful results soon

[gendersoap]

uhgggfdghhhhhhhhhh hyoprfixatjbg on the. Wicketd elites latrly…. I need to draweg them doing dumb mundane aibling shit

[fenhonig]

sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry soeey soeeys eidghs rosey srouey sorry sorur soru soyr sury shry syr aorry aorh y sihr urh

[that-freak-named-ben]

DONNIE OF THE BATS SHUTTERFEST TOUR

April 17th Shutterfest Tour tickets out for pre-sale! Go get 'em quick before you lose the chance to see our beautiful faces!

Look forward to seeing ʸou! Can't believe it's been five whole years. You fuckers are the reason we get ourselves up out of bed in the mornings. Kudos to you, luvs.

VIP tickets available if you wanna get an autograph, have personal tea-chats with your favorite idiots, and maybe grab a bite to eat if we're feelin' hungry. But most of all, we'll be dedicating our time to YOU!

[transfusible]

every day is a battle and i'm one of god's strongest emo warriors

[milfstalin]

whether LGBT liberation under a dotp takes a proactive approach like cuba or a hands-off one like china, it's safe to say that all of the gains under a dotp are more substantial and genuinely improvements than any of them under a dotb where they can and will be swept away by the next election when a socially reactionary party gets into power

[psychotrenny]

The core premise of Democratic Socialism, that Capitalism can peacefully transition to Socialism through Liberal Democratic procedure, is an error that can only result from the most blatant revisionism. Because if you coherently apply Class-based analysis to the situation it's pretty obvious that the Bourgeoisie state would not passively allow its own procedures to decisively act against its class interests. Both in theory and in practice (i.e. the rise of Fascism in 20th century Europe) the Bourgeoisie are more than happy to drop even the pretenses of Liberal Democracy if they ever pose a serious threat to Bourgeoisie power. The State does not exist as an entity on its own disconnected from broader society; it is fundamentally an expression of and tool to reinforce the power of the dominant classes. It might be possible to, at least temporarily, turn those tools against them but the results that subversion can achieve are limited on a structural level.

Like Democratic Socialism only works if you adopt a fundamentally Liberal mindset, that sees social structures as determined entirely by metaphysical ideas. In this way, political positions are evaluated in terms of the abstract values they hold rather than the material interests they advance. "Democracy supporters would never oppose the results a free and fair election; that would go against their ideals". But as soon as you start looking through the lens of class analysis it becomes pretty clear that Liberal Democratic elections are just a means to an end, and an easily discarded means at that. Despite all the fuss they like to make about democracy, the fundamental fact is that the Bourgeoisie class were not voted into power and so cannot be voted out. Democracy under a DOTB is fundamentally a game where the Bourgeoisie set the rules and are free to ignore the results; you can't beat them at it no matter how good you play

[soup-mother]

DOTB: dictatorship of the boys (cringe)

DOTP: dictatorship of the princesses (important step towards communism)

[transfemstalin]

death penalty here lol, of course I want to see what you have already! <3 and don't worry I understand it can be difficult to do things with executive dysfunction but you're definitely smart too! but either way anything's fine with me, I'm just eager to learn new things <3

okay, this is the outline i have planned, i’m going to expand on each point and try to make it somewhat coherent. im not the best at explaining my thoughts, forgive me for how long it’s taken;

1. Communism does not function on bourgeois morality

2. The death penalty is itself, amoral, because it is a tool for enforcing laws, and thusly, for protecting the continued existence of a state

3. The nature of the death penalty is not predetermined, and its use in communist states will always be in contrast to the nature of the death penalty in capitalist states

3.1 Laws in a DOTB protect the bourgeoisie and persecute the (lumpen-)proletariat

3.2 Laws in a DOTP protect the proletariat and persecute the bourgeoisie

4. We should condemn state executions by DOTBs as they protect the state’s interests, and by extension, the bourgeoisie's interests

5. We, as communists, should oppose the death penalty in DOTBs because it persecutes working class people and targets minorities

5.1 Racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and ableism all exist, by and large, to keep the working class divided, and allow the bourgeoisie societal permission to exploit the most vulnerable members of the working class

5.2 Capital punishment, as it is wielded by DOTBs, perpetuates these biases in their application of the death penalty, as the judicial is a part of the superstructure itself

6. We should offer critical support to DOTPs and their use of capital punishment to ensure the continuation of a proletariat state against opposing interests

7. We should recognize that the death penalty is not the only option for protecting a worker’s state and hope to abolish it, or save it only for extreme circumstances where no other option is realistically effective.

7.1 Rehabilitation for the bourgeoisie and for violent offenders is possible and has been done before

7.2 The development of socialism addresses the root causes of the crimes that get people on death row in the first place, suggesting that the death penalty can and will wither away along with lower rates of violent crime or with the cessation of external threats to the state’s sovereignty

[thebellekeys]

A strong suggestion of plagiarism: Detailing the similarities between Anne Bishop’s The Black Jewels trilogy and Sarah J. Maas’s ACOTAR series

Anne Bishop released her The Black Jewels trilogy between 1998 and 2003. It is a dark fantasy book trilogy, part of a larger fantasy saga within the world of The Black Jewels. Sarah J. Maas released the first book in her A Court of Thorns and Roses fantasy romance series, which goes by the same name, in 2015. This popular series of Maas is still ongoing.

For the last decade, many individuals have noticed glaring similarities between Maas’ fantasy series and Bishop’s earlier books. From character names to world-building elements and plotlines, several readers have concluded it is highly possible that Sarah J. Maas has plagiarized major aspects of Bishop’s work in the ACOTAR series. For purely legal reasons, I am hesitant to say outright that Mass indeed plagiarized The Black Jewels in ACOTAR. However, I do believe that there is very strong evidence indicating that Maas may have done so. Please note all my screenshots here are all from The Black Jewels and I can provide more if necessary.

This post presents my observations of the similarities between Maas’ book series compared to Bishop’s trilogy. Indeed, there are several elements that are near-indentical in Maas’ series compared to Bishop’s. Whatever is in brackets is my shabby-MLA-esque way of referencing in which specific book you can find the content I'm talking about. I am aware others have made similar posts on Tumblr and Reddit, and I salute them! Here, I am merely outlining what I have noticed myself, and I imagine there will be significant overlap between his post and others online.

The Eyrians and the Illyrians

The Eyrians are a winged warrior race in TBJ, described as having tanned skin, black hair, gold eyes and "batlike wings". They are one of the long lived races and live thousands of years, based upon a lofty mountain range in their realm. They are a warrior race with a long history of physical fighting, often reputed to be "backward" by aristocrats in their realm (DOTB, HTTS). Their "dark, membranous" wings are the prized physical feature among their race and they have a tradition of turning to militarism and barbarism during skirmishes (DOTB). Cutting off or clipping an Eyrian's wings is the greatest torture and the worst dishonour for a warrior (HTTS). The Illyrians in ACOTAR are a virtually identical winged mountain warrior race with a similar culture and physical features including "black, membranous" wings and tanned skin (ACOTAR). The Eyrians, like the Illyrians, yearn for freedom of their expansive mountains and the war camps within them.

Eyrian males are raised to be warriors in hunting camps in the mountains, while females are forbidden from touching weapons and are confined to domestic pursuits. Eyrian women are often mistreated and are usually expected to be docile and subservient to their militaristic males (QOTD). This is the same gender construct present among the Illyrians in ACOTAR.

The Eyrians in TBJ carry prejudices against half-Eyrians, similar to the Illyrians' prejudices against "half-breeds" like Rhysand in the ACOTAR series (ACOMAF). The word “half-breed” is actually used to describe an important half-Eyrian in TBJ, Lucivar Yaslana.

The Eyrians have a practice known as the "Blood Run" which is a rite of passage taken by skilled Eyrian warriors in their mountains, rather similar to both "Nephelle's Run" and the "Blood Rite" which we learn about in ACOWAR and ACOSF respectively.

Powerful Illyrians, like Cassian and Azriel, use siphons—colourful, jeweled gauntlets that channel and hone their magical power. This is eerily similar to the way aristocrats in TBJ use jewels to channel and concentrate their power. The Illyrians also wear fighting leathers while the Eyrians wear black skintight leathers to go to battle.

Lucivar Yaslana and Cassian

Lucivar Yaslana is an Eyrian male who commands a large portion of the Eyrian troops. He is described as a "bastard", both as an insult and a jest in TBJ, because his father and his mother were unmarried and he did not grow up knowing his father who’s the High Lord. The same situation is pertinent to Cassian in ACOMAF whose "bastard reputation" precedes him.

In QOTD, Lucivar begins training Eyrian females to defend themselves and fight military-style, which is a radical move in the realm and receives a lot of push-back from fellow Eyrian males. Lucivar wants to make sure the Eyrian women tap into their strength, at least a little, to prevent them from being helpless when under attack or in battle. There's a few heartwarming training montages in QOTD where he whips them into shape. Cassian leads a similar initiative in ACOSF where he trains Illyrian women so they learn to defend themselves and some even become respected warriors.

Lucivar has gold eyes, big wings, big muscles, shoulder-length dark hair, and light brown skin. Cassian also has gold eyes, big wings, big muscles, shoulder-length dark hair, and light brown skin. Lucivar ultimately reports to the authority of his queen and serves her faithfully just as Cassian reports to authority of his High Lord and Lady and serves them faithfully.

Daemon SaDiablo and Rhysand

Daemon SaDiablo of TBJ was forced to serve as a sex slave in the court of an evil priestess, Dorothea of Hayll, and he has experienced a lot of trauma and pain for hundreds of years due to being forced to serve in the bedchamber of this abusive enslaver. Rhysand similarly serves as a sex slave to Amaratha for 50 years when she builds her court Under the Mountain. In TBJ, the evil queen who conquers the realm through cruelty and corruption, Dorothea, enslaves multiple males to serve her in bed and she even banishes Lucivar to land's brutal "salt mines" when he becomes disobedient. Daemon is known as "Hayll's whore" by the public in DOTB just as Rhysand is known as "Amarantha's whore" by the public in ACOTAR.

Daemon has jet-black hair, golden skin, and a frighteningly beautiful face. Daemon is also known as a natural Black Widow, one of the one only male Black Widows ever in their world. As such, Daemon is one of the most powerful males in all the realm. Rhysand, similarly, has dark hair, a stunningly beautiful face, and has unique powers making him the most powerful High Lord. Daemon, like Rhysand, becomes the highest ranking male in his "Dark Court" and he is also the main love interest (QOTD).

Daemon has a habit of putting his hands in his pocket when he's nervous and/or trying to intimidate people. Rhysand has the same habit. Daemon is feared for his sadism and power in TBJ but is, deep down, a good person and a devoted lover, similar to Rhysand’s persona being much crueler and sadistic than his real personality (ACOMAF).

Daemon originally starts seeing the protagonist of the series, Jaenelle, in his dreams and he recognizes while enslaved that she is the realm's salvation (DOTB, QOTD). Rhysand also begins seeing glimpses of Feyre in his dreams while enslaved Under the Mountain and he knew she was Prythian’s hope (ACOMAF).

Wingspans

We know that in the ACOTAR world, the wingspan of an Illyrian male is supposedly proportional to their, yunno, male parts. This is also the case in The Black Jewels where, in the second book, we learn a male's wingspan also corresponds to the size of his… down there.

Scents and gender

In TBJ, magical figures have the abilities to identify or smell another person based on his or her "psychic scent", which is their unique scent. The psychic scent also allows them to sense the magical abilities, emotions and traumatic experiences of other persons. Romantic couples also have a keen awareness of their partner's scent. This is the likewise the case in the ACOTAR world where mates and fae can identify and read each other based on specific scents including their arousal.

In TBJ, you can put up a "psychic shield" to stop someone from peering into your thoughts and reading you through your psychic scent. It's the same in the ACOTAR world, a concept introduced in ACOMAF, where you can put up a mental shield or barrier to stop someone like the daemati from breaking into your mind.

The males in TBJ can become quite territorial and possessive over their women and mates, almost animalistic based on their emotions. They purr and snarl and growl quite often, and Sarah J. Maas uses identical descriptive language regarding the bat boys.

Dragons and Amren

There's an older female character called Draca in TBJ who is a dragon in human form, trapped in a human body. Draca, who serves in the main character's Dark Court, has to decipher old texts in the TBJ because she is the only one who understands the ancient languages they contain. Draca is referred to as the "ancient one." This is exactly like Amren being known as the little "ancient one", a powerful angel in human form who is the only one that can decipher the Book of Breathings in ACOMAF.

There is a "creature" deep beneath the Keep and library of the High Lord of Hell in TBJ who, in HTTS, turns out to be a mighty dragon whose name is Lorn. Likewise, beneath the library in Velaris lurks Bryaxis who is a dangerous dragon-esque creature (ACOWAR).

Other worldbuilding plotpoints

There are “High Lords” of various realms in The Black Jewels and High Lord is not a traditional feudal title throughout history or mythology. One major character in TBJ is the High Lord of Hell, Saetan SaDiablo. His court, and that of his adopted daughter, is known as the Dark Court or the "Court of Darkness". Rhysand is the most powerful High Lord who presides over the Night Court which is also, in many ways, Prythian's own Court of Darkness.

The Dark Court in TBJ has a "first circle" that is comprised of the queen's most trusted courtiers. Rhysand's Court of Dreams in ACOMAF also has an "inner circle".

Jaenelle is known as "Dreams Made Flesh" because of her immense power and ability to deliver her lands from evil. Jaenelle was a saviour-figure who was dreamt up by the "dreamers" in her realm who were suffering and oppressed for many years, ruled over by cruel queens (QOTD). Likewise, the Court of Dreams and Feyre's defeat of Amarantha were, more or less, the product of dreamers who wished upon the stars (ACOMAF). Just like how Feyre possesses the power of all seven High Lords, Jaenelle is the magical figure to possess the power of all the various colored jewels in TBJ.

There is a character named Prythian in The Black Jewels who is a powerful priestess, and the main land that the ACOTAR series is set in is called Prythian. There's also an assassin-prostitute character in TBJ named Surreal, and the Suriel is character in the ACOTAR series.

The sigil/seal of Janelle's Dark Court in TBJ, we learn in the second book, is an image of a mountain with a unicorn’s horn above it. The main sigil of the Night Court in ACOTAR is a mountain below three stars. The vastness and freedom of mountains are a motif in both TBJ and ACOMAF.

Conclusion: There are others online who have pointed out the similarities between The Black Jewels and the Throne of Glass series, but it’s been many years since I read Throne of Glass and I’m rusty so I won’t touch it. Did Sarah J. Maas rip off Anne Bishop’s work? I think it could be proven in a court of law, but I’m quite hesitant to say outright that she’s guilty of plagiarism. Is Sarah J. Maas guilty of serious unoriginality? Yes, definitely. A preliminary search online will tell you that Sarah J. Maas has openly praised Bishop’s writing and she has even said that Lucivar is her favourite fantasy man of all time. Bishop's books were released when Maas was a teenager. Make of this what you will.

I’ve used a variety of tags on this post because, honestly, I’m not sure whether it falls into the “anti” category of posts or not. I think this post neutral in tone and exists just to catalogue the similarities between both series. I hence believe both fans and antis might appreciate it... for different reasons.