you know there are a lot of parts in PJO where Annabeth is being unreasonable and mean-spirited but at no point is it framed in a way that invites the audience to resent her or criticise her for it (because Percy never sees her that way) and i really appreciate that
i can’t stop thinking about this….. because it’s true. girls genuinely are rarely portrayed this way; they aren’t allowed to be angry, to be perverse, to be bratty, to be “emotional,” to be socially transgresive without it being moralised. thinking about it, i think she’s the only character i know who’s wholeheartedly allowed to be this way without having to be “put in her place.” she’s smart and stubborn and rough around the edges, and these sharper, tougher parts of her aren’t framed as a blemish on or deficiency of character—in fact, they’re her strengths. they don’t have to be made more palatable just because it’s a girl who’s exhibiting them. u get the sense that she’s not being held accountable for her fierceness and self-possessedness on the basis of gender. her merit and validity as a character do not hinge on how much she conforms to gender expectations
she’s mean, in a genuine way, and she’s allowed to be mean without conditions or restrictions, and that’s subversive
everybody who follows me and loves this NEEDS to read a practical guide to evil
never before had i ever seen pettiness portrayed so unapologetically
pettiness, cheating, hubris, selfishness, cruelty, apathy
any number of things are owned exactly the same by women as by men in this series and honestly I keep forgetting how revolutionary the way guide is written is because it feels so natural after a while, it’s just how the world is
and then i come across something like this in the wild and wait. this actually IS revolutionary isn’t it? join the rebellion folks, PJO has got a friend for you to make