I think the issues of Shori's body and age went over your head. She's representative of how Black girls aren't given the same chance of childhood innocence as other children, particularly white girls, are. Black girls are sexualized far younger than any other race and gender. This isn't to say other races don't experience p3d0s, but rather that there's a greater societal sexualization due to the presumptions that Black women, and Black girls, are 'promiscuous.' Even as children they're viewed as the sex they will have instead of being viewed as a child. Through the human gaze, she should be a child, but she's not viewed as one because of her race. Her body has taken on the life experiences and maturity that Black girls are forced to face younger than anyone should. It's taking the idea of "you're mature for your age" quite literally. Regardless of if she was human or Ina she would have those same experiences of misogynoir (the intersections of white supremacy and misogyny) The sexualization of her body would always exist, her age doesn't matter to humans. Add in the fact that, despite residing in a human body, they don't see her as human. They never will. They never would even if she weren't an Ina. The Ina view her as a child because culturally they aren't viewing her in the way humans do. They put more of a focus on her age than her body. Even though she exists in a young human body they don't see her as human. (Correct me if I'm wrong in this part, it's been quite a while since I've read it, and may be confusing the stagnant body with general vampire lore) If her body remains what it is, even if she reaches Ina maturity, she'll still be in a human child's body. At that point is she given permission by the reader to be an adult and act like an adult? Or will they always view her as a child because of her body? It's the reverse metric of how humans view her. When you're viewed as an adult and as a child by two different cultures where does your autonomy exist? Should she be denied access to her body by humans because her body should be making them uncomfortable? Should she be denied access to her body by Ina because they view her age as a child even though she's middle-aged to humans? Who controls her autonomy and why does anyone think they get to pick whether Shori is a child or an adult? She's either sexualized or not. She's either a child or she's not. She's either capable of understanding her own sexuality or she's not. She's either human or she's not. The discomfort you feel is what Octavia is poking at. If you're comfortable sexualizing her you're in the wrong. If you don't think she'll ever be capable of autonomy you're wrong. You're meant to understand that her sexualization and infantilization are both wrong. Her voice is silenced by all sides. Culturally she doesn't have a choice in how she's viewed - which would happen if she were human or Ina.

@purpleghost106

Жыл бұрын

I appreciate this take. It still sounds like it's not the book for me (as a CSA survivor) but this makes me feel like I'd probably enjoy reading some in depth essays by people unpacking the themes and nuance in it. (surely all of her works deserve that!)

@AyceMcGee

Жыл бұрын

@@purpleghost106 Being a CSA survivor too it was difficult to read and hard to comprehend how the situations in the book could ever be viewed as a good thing or this conversation starter. I stepped back from the book for a while, picked it up again, and it completely changed how I read it. It was cathartic for me as a queer person because I was told by some people (church, family) that I only wanted to be sexual with my partner when I was 18 because of my trauma. It didn't matter that I had been with that person for over two years at that point. I was simultaneously enough of an adult to be kicked out of the house by them for coming out, but too much of a child to know who I was or what I wanted in my relationship. I was told by my peers that it's my body my choice and the only way to reclaim my body as my own was to take on this highly sexual sex-positive role that just wasn't for me. (I'm sex positive always, but I'm not an outwardly sexual person if that makes sense) Both ended up being right in their own ways, but the issue was that my choices were denied by both. I was too traumatized to have some forms of sex at that point, but I needed to make choices for myself and work on my relationship with my body and learn how to communicate about consent. I was old enough to know exactly who I was but I wasn't enough to not follow into my friends' footsteps. I was either viewed as this person too traumatized to even look at someone or that I had to fit into my friends' path of trauma recovery by being outwardly sexual in a way that was unhealthy for me. I was expected to have children one day by my family, but not on the terms I wanted to set for myself. I was expected by my friends to have sex with my partner, day and others after our breakup, but it had to fit their idea of reclaiming my body. Both hurt me. Both saw specks of myself. Both had some truth to them. Ultimately both wanted to force choices on me that I didn't want to make and neither side listened because I was still too young and too old to do or not do anything. Relating that part of my past to the book changed how I read it. It ended up being a very cathartic experience for me and a huge step in my trauma recovery. It helped me discuss a lot of things with my therapist that I felt but didn't have words for. I don't think it's something every CSA survivor can read or should read. It's extremely triggering at times. But I'm still glad that I gave it a second chance.

@merphynapier42

Жыл бұрын

Thank you SO MUCH for your insight on this. This is the best explanation I've read on the book and I dug through a lot of reviews. This brings a lot of context into the story that I missed, thank you!

@3choblast3r4

Жыл бұрын

wtf are you talking about .. she doesn't have a race. She's a completely different species that happens to be black because they intentionally mutated her genes to create more melanin to protect against the sun. Listen bro, sometimes shit is just poorly written and you don't need to make up an entire defense because the writer is a particular race etc and you want to pretend they can do no wrong. Fledgeling is creepy af no matter how you put it. Not to mention full of nonsensical plotholes and decisions.

@BirdMoose

Жыл бұрын

I probably would have hated Fledgling if it were by any author other than Octavia Butler; because I know her work, I gave her a benefit of the doubt and looked for the feminist and racial lenses that I've come to expect from her, and got what you were talking about. (Albeit, in a much less well thought out form.) The adult-ification of Black children is not a widely discussed issue so it's super easy for readers to miss. or just be unaware of altogether. Shori's body being sexualized is going to make the overwhelming majority of readers, myself included, uncomfortable, and view her as 'other'. We as the audience also need to be made uncomfortable and unhappy by Shori's life in order to find a more neutral ground in her persecution and its proceedings, and for non-white or anti-racist readers her Blackness which is the focal point of this debate is not enough. It also makes the question of her symbiote's autonomy more interesting when the situation is something we find repulsive. That being said other methods could have likely accomplished this, and I don't think it was handled perfectly if only looked at through this lens. I think there is a important aspect of the Ina being theorized as aliens in relation to Shori's childlike body. In doing this and slowly revealing Ina culture and history Butler asks the audience to ask if we should get to apply our rules and morals to a fundamentally different culture/ species. Why do we get to place our own morals and standards on societies that are not our own? Why is p3d0 bad, because human children cannot give consent, therefore sexual activities with a child can only be r4p3. But we are shown through Shori and Ina society that she is not a child and these rules do not apply to her, and yet most of us will still feel gross. Butler asks us to question if our infringement of our cultural standards on others is to prevent harm or because of an unwillingness to accept cultures that are not our own. But it's such a delicate story to tell, that I totally get why so many people get instantly turned off form the book, especially those with history and trauma relating to the subject material. This is especially difficult in 2022 where I've seen far too many series (mostly anime, but some other stuff as well) in which the old mind in a very young body trope is used, but only as an excuse to sexualize children.

Merph just being *BAFFLED* at that 11/1 "rating" was just so precious

@user-vl6bv9fl8x

Жыл бұрын

Ah yes, November 1st - top mark for any book!

@billyalarie929

Жыл бұрын

I JUST GOT HERE OMG IM DYING 😭😭😭😭 It’s the new 5/7 🤣🤣🤣

@Miassimaissi

Жыл бұрын

@@billyalarie929 b

@TheLizardKing752

Жыл бұрын

I suppose they meant 11/10 but forgot the zero?

@xyex

Жыл бұрын

I'm guessing they meant 11/10 but missed the 0 at the end.

"If your plot sucks, then your plot sucks" - I laughed hard, put it on a t-shirt!. It kinda reminds me the excuse people sometimes give for bad kids movies, and no, just because a movie is aimed at kids, doesn't excuse it from being bad. The goal/message/target demographic doesn't mean it can be crap.

@mrstrangeworld5977

Жыл бұрын

yes and no

@writerducky2589

Жыл бұрын

As a writer once said: "If the adult can't enjoy the story alongside the child, is it really that enjoyable for the child either?"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it..." "I'm happy for ya..." Merphy holding in her rants so that she's not breathing fire at any specific reader 😂😂

@pRahvi0

Жыл бұрын

5-star review: "I was amazed at the reviews that were so negative but to each her own." Merphy (whispering): "Me! It was me!" and later Merphy: "... I mean _I'm_ amazed of all the positive reviews, so you and I should just meet and be amazed at each other."

Merphy saying "I'm happy for you" is PRICELESS 🎃🖤🤣

Three wishes for Merphy 2023: - don't switch to decaf - read The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean: she matches voice and story wonderfully well - a happy and healthy year for you and your family

When I read 5-star reviews of books I didn’t like it makes me feel like I’m missing something. Like, am I the problem? 😂 So I get why you threw some 1-star reviews in the mix to validate your feelings.

@pRahvi0

Жыл бұрын

When I read 5-star reviews of books (or anything, for that matter) I didn't like, it makes me wonder how many of them are actually genuine and how many just paid to give such reviews to increase sales.

Did not read any of these books but I love the concept - so much fun :D The way Merphy argues with herself at the beginning :')

I think the concept of children vampires is interesting in general (no idea about this book specifically though). Do they age mentally? Do they ever hit puberty mentally ? What tragedy it would be for someone who is 20, 30 or even 100 years old to be stuck in a child's body if they were to fall in love. I once wrote a short story about an AI/robot that was created to be the inventor's child. The inventor would change her body, as she was growing up, to match her age. But then, when she is 10, her father-inventor dies and she is stuck in this body. The AI develops like a normal teen/young adult but the body never changes. She is never listened to, people treat her like she can't make any decisions. She has to lie constantly about "my mom just went to the bathroom" for people to not call the police. She sneaks into college, pretending to ba a lecturer's child,... And of course, she really wants to fall in love/become sexually active, but she doesn't even have the parts (why would her father-inventor have given them to her?) and she knows anyone interested in her is a bad person.

@syntheticmaratus5574

Жыл бұрын

It's not even a 'concept', really. It's a very real condition. Look up Shauna Rae, who was on a TLC show. She is a 22-year-old woman who looks 8. It does raise some very uncomfortable discussions. On the one hand, she is a grown woman, with normal adult desires and deserves to have fulfilling relationships but then anyone who shows interest would be suspicious.

@DecKrash

Жыл бұрын

My book, "Double-Cross My Heart, was inspired by "Fledging." And in it, I do explore that concept of being frozen in time as a child vampire, as the two MCs are both vampires who were turned in their formative years, and fall in love as the story progresses.

@johnnymcjohnson1373

Жыл бұрын

Isn't that literally what the girl in Interview with a Vampire struggles with? She ages mentally but not physically

@JaMaInJo

Жыл бұрын

Wow that sounds amazing, I would love to read a story like that. That was literally the only part I liked about the movie eternals , where one girl can never age. The movie doesn't explore that topic much, sadly

@DecKrash

Жыл бұрын

@@johnnymcjohnson1373 Exactly. And Claudia, in a sense, goes mad because of it, never having truly known what it is to be human. I explore themes like that a little bit in my book.

I enjoy Merph's rants but the sudden unraveling and telling people to just write essays if they arent going to pair it with a satisfying story might be my favorite one yet lol

Maybe the vampire being 10 and the adult being like 30 is like a mirror of the popular trope of vampires being a thousand years old preying on teenagers and being romantacized by teens *cough*Twilight*cough*. Only now it is extremely creepy because it's put in THAT perspective when essentially it has been creepy all along??? But now it's turned up a notch???

@nichescenes

Жыл бұрын

I think it's akin to thor and jane in marvel. We as watchers see them as above 18 and adults so no matter the age difference it's ok. Many people who are young forget people age and remarry all the time. Sometimes 60 marry a great looking 80 year old. In fairness they were 17 when they were 37. Hurts but doesnt invalidate their love. It's a tough thing but in my opinion, I think the age thing is like characters who age slower also keep the mentality of a person their age and look. Some people in real life who age fast get more mature vs same aged person who just has younger looking genes. In bleach the author never narrows down how age works cause the ghost are like 100s of years old. He they marry humans (some of them or atleast like them) which arent exactly 100 years old too...its tuff. I guess if the author handles it tasetfully and not for shock value or to rise people up i give them the benefit of the doubt and see if the story is good. IDK. Never like throwing the baby out with the bathwater cause social media or societies current hang ups, since at some point alot of "classics" said not so great words and people were ok with that but not now and then their circling back. I just enjoy a book if i do and leave it to others if their offended.

Merphy is so funny. She came out of the gate swinging with these last few videos. I've had to pause each video partway through due to laughing so hard. Thank you for the constant stream of Joy!

I'm speculating, as I've never read it, but it could be that Octavia E. Butler's commentary around the age and "otherness" in Fledgling is a note on how young Black women - girls - are also viewed as older than they are, treated as older than they are (specifically speaking from an American POV). In addition to what others have said in these comments. On a lighter note, love the rants! You're also the reason that I'm actually tempted to read One Piece - I watched the first 3 seasons of the show back in the day, but now it's too long to commit to watching. Reading, though - reading I could maybe handle. 😂

Haven't read Fledgling so definitely not the best person to comment on it but from what you said it felt like Butler wants you to feel uncomfortable or at least think about the situation. For me, it made me think about how many younger people *feel* older and so think their relationships with grownups are okay but you as an adult reader still know that it's not okay and the grownup in the relationship got a serious problem pursuing this... But as I said idk the tone she used around the situation in the book.

@OtherSideLLC

Жыл бұрын

You are correct that is the point of the book, to explore the adultification of children, especially black girls, and ratchets that shit up to the extreme and make you uncomfortable. It's supposed to be horrific and upsetting, which to be fair is not for everyone.

I cannot read Fledgling. I'm mentally unable to do so. However, I feel like I need to address this. Was the relationship glorified or was it explored? Societally, we have been teaching the victims of relationships like this that their side of the story isn't to be talked about. No one wants to hear about the child that thought they were in love and how that made them feel. No one wants to hear about all the mental issues that come with finding out what happened to them and reconciling how extremely wrong it was with their actual feelings during the abuse. No one wants to know about the lack of attention that might have made the child, not only a target, but a willing participant. Are those people not supposed to write their experiences into stories? Are they not supposed to try to purge that experience by exploring it in fiction? Are they supposed to hide it there, too? It's horrifying, it's stomach turning (I have some PTSD and this topic literally makes me want to vomit but I feel someone needs to speak here) but I have known victims of this type of abuse who were so guilt ridden by their feelings that it was tearing them apart inside because they weren't allowed to talk about it without judgement. What about those people? Isn't it possible that Octavia Butler also knew someone like that and, since she wrote about power imbalance and its repercussions, she wrote about it?

@mrstrangeworld5977

Жыл бұрын

agree so many books that people think might be glorified or romanticized don't even understand that some people who wrote those books might be exploring their own issues and traumas and how they might Still feel it might come across romanticized to you but to that person who wrote it as simply there truth

I LOVE reading reviews that have the opposite opinion about a book than I do because it's always as fun as it is frustrating and watching you react to these reviews made my day

I just love seeing how passionate you are about books Merph! Whether you love or don't love them, it's so great to see your passion shine through!!!! xoxo.

So excited to see the rest of the Hitchhikers Series on your shelf. My favorite book of Douglas Adam’s is a non-fiction called Last Chance to See. I would truly love to see you review it

"But the story has to be good too!" Agree! We can have all the conversations stem from that story. But great works never forget to give center stage to the characters and the story

I am pretty new to your channel, but I love it and this is absolutely making my day (I just interrupted reading a new release xD), thank you! :3

2:19 "How though... How?" I think this is my spirit animal.

Great video Murphy, you did a great job of articulating your points while being entertaining. Thank you.

I love how passionate you get with those rants! 🤣❤

Really cool concept for a vid, and big of you to go in looking for things you missed and willing to have your mind changed by the five stars

As a survivor myself i get why this part of the book bothered you and those that ignored it or made excuses , well it explains to me a lot why this issue is so hard to address in our society. um maybe that was Butler's point. I LOVE OUTRAGED MERPHY!

I read Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler a few years ago for a class-this book also featured an “adult style” relationship between a teen and grown man. While I enjoyed the book and sped through it because it was really good, that part did bother me. My class was able to have a nuanced discussion about it, but I still can’t justify it at all.

Not sure why, but Petunia was also the first P name that came to mind for me.

Another banging video from Merph 5 Stars! Had a headache and in a bad mood from shouting at my cat to leave my Christmas tree alone, put Merph on and my headache and mood evaporated. Congrats Merph 😊

Let it all out Merphy...all the bad juju so that you will have a clean slate for next year.

Has any mentioned that your sweater is almost the exact shade of green as the book cover? ... Because I love that for you.

This was so fun! I’ve been wanting to do a similar video!

Great to see the Octavia E. Butler love. She writes SF for grownups, talking about social perspectives, otherness, and dysfunctional relationships in ways that are as un-ham-fisted as I've seen. I haven't read Fledgling, however, and it does sound ... disturbing. Not unusual for Butler - her Xenogenesis series is not a comfortable read, either - but pretty out there even for her. I have to trust, though, that she was using sexualized child vampires as allegory for ... something.

Sometimes... Just sometimes... It is nice to see angry/annoyed Merphy.

The age gap in Fledgling is meant to disgust and highlight the age gap in almost every vampire tale. Butler uses age gap in bodies but not in minds because most vampire fiction uses age gaps in minds but not bodies. The age gap in Twilight is much more extreme than that in fledgling but everyone glosses over how gross it truly is.

Amazing review... Enjoyed it and keep up the great content

if you are interested into books that talks about making things from scratch or goes into detail about manufacturing things without technology, and you love fantasy, you should try ascendance of a bookworm series (currently in the 20 something book but the books read fast). It's really great at that sort of thing, plus Awesome worldbuilding.

I just feel the need to say that in Interview with a Vampire, though Claudia and Louis call each other lovers and such, and she is a very young child, never does Anne Rice detail sex between the two. I re-read this in the beginning of the year, but I don't remember sex detailed between vampires at all, actually. They were companions whose relationship changed in their minds as she mentally matured. Not the same as a adolescent vampire in a 10 year old's body. I'm not sure what that reviewer was trying to say. My 11 year old daughter is almost the same height as me and while not flat chested, she's still small chested...does that make her ready to go? Does her actual age mean nothing? Weird review (the weird 5 star reviewer, not Merphy's).

What a fun video! Love how enraged you are about some of these reviews. I just went back to my 4-star-review of Fledgling and apparently I mentioned this aspect only a little bit (but my review is quite short): "It includes discussions about consent, age difference, power dynamics and racism. It might make you uncomfortable at times but I would say that's the point." This book made me very uncomfortable but I think was part of the discussion. It also addresses power dynamics with the fact that the Ina make their symbionts addicted, so hold quite a bit of power in the relationship. It also mentions that they literally need the sexual contact to thrive. I can understand that the whole "sex with a child" is still not something people want to read, but for me there was an uncomfortable discussion there which is why I did give the book a high rating.

Re: Fledgling. I do agree the young girl factor was disturbing but think consent and sexualisation are maybe what Butler was trying to get at. The human blood supply have an apparent choice but don’t really, do they. The sexualisation of young black girls may be another element. Been a while since I read and I haven’t read anything from Butler analysing her work so I could be wrong. I did still find it disturbing to read those parts though. But if I star rated would probably still give it a 4. The ick factor losing a star.

Love Merphy rants! Especially when we’ll deserved

@britneynicole8903

Жыл бұрын

@@Nasser851000 You did not!!

So fun. I like seeing that I am not alone when I come across a DNF book scenario that is not worth my time. This video is definitely worth my time! Cheers

Lmao, I loved seeing the bit of rant near the end. I completely agree though. Making excuses for a story by not using the plot in an effective enough manner would drive me up the wall too lol

Merphy this video might not have been fun for you to experience but holy crap it was so much fun to watch 😂

Thanks for the video, Merphy! Hilarious for sure, and definitely a good list of books I'll be avoiding.

Merph went off about that essay comment. Loved it.

In answer to your question, while I bear no ill will against anyone who doesn't like Fledging, as it is definitely an acquired taste, the story's disturbing nature is one of its core elements. And the reason why Octavia Butler made things the way they were with Shori and Wright was to show very profound biological and cultural differences between the Ina and humans. Ina live much longer lives than humans, and age very slowly, even to the point where they remain physically like children until they are well into their 80s. This creates a profound disconnect between their mental age and maturity and their physical age and maturity. And as Ms. Butler tends to display alienness in many of her books in a very disturbing sense ( Remember the effects of the virus in Clay's Ark.), It makes sense to display that same otherness in how the Ina Form bonds with their human symbionts In ways that human society would see as inappropriate at best, And absolutely perverted at worst. In short, it was her intent to be disturbing, In order to engender a sense of discomfort in the reader and and make them fully understand the other is that is represented by the Ina.

@mrstrangeworld5977

Жыл бұрын

that sounds intresting

@purpleghost106

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. It feels like permission to avoid it to have the question answered. I feel a pull of curiosity, but as a CSA survivor that also sounds like trigger city in a book, and probably a very bad idea for me to read. Sometimes the answer is: You're not supposed to like it. It's there as an element or horror and you're supposed to find that unpleasant and feel the distance between the way you'd handle it and the way the characters (or the book itself if there isn't pushback--which with this topic is the worst for me, no opposing voice feels so silencing, like I'd be muted in that world, nearly like I'm muted in my own reading of it.) and that oppressive difference is thematic. Not there to be picked apart, it's there to pick you apart as the reader and draw your feelings into discomfort and examination of that discomfort--and I'm already uncomfortable in ways irrevocably tethered to that topic. So I don't have to read that kind of horror, to subject myself to that particular style of themes. Knowing what it's there for is knowing it's not written to be for me. It won't dig in and break down the hurt in the way she does for other topics, a way that makes that hurt simultaneously more painful but also seen and real and in some small way useful for once. So thank you for this reply. It's a relief to not have to have my curiosity fight with my very reasonable caution.

@austa10

Жыл бұрын

All I can feel from your comment is a poor attempt to justify pedophilia in books. Even looking aside the society of these vampires in the book. 1. 50 years old is still young for these vampires and 2. The main character has a 10 year old body. This part is not disturbing, it's sick and discussting.

@mrstrangeworld5977

3 ай бұрын

​@@austa10Yh I see that you suffer from poor understanding

When I got sick, I remembered that I used to be prejudiced against anyone with romantic feelings when I was a kid, so it was hard for me to understand how the child finding out what was going on, would be so traumatic for them, because I was trying to distance myself from my old self

Unhinged Murph at 21:48 is now my favorite thing 😅

There are SO MAMY QUOTABLE MOMENTS in this video!!!! Merph, you're amazing and we love you!

I haven't read Fledgling but I read Parable of the Sower earlier this year and there was ALSO a sexual and romantic relationship between an old man and a teenager. I forget her exact age, like 17? Maaaaybe she was 18, of legal age, but that didn't make it any less disturbing to me

@sarahk6545

Жыл бұрын

This is what made me dislike Parable of the Sower so much too! Especially when the very first thing she says about her love interest is that he looks exactly like her dad.

18:00 Merph is capable of THAT volume&tone??? Now, this girl's on fire 🤣🤣🤣

I enjoy watching you when you get passionate about books and their quality.

"I'M SO GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT" ... probably the most aggressive thing you said ever...🤣

“HOW though?!” 🤣🤣

Wow, I haven't read any of these books but just love when you get so worked up...I have been baffled countless times about 5 star reviews for books that I have hated. Just goes to show that we all come from different backgrounds and like different kinds of stories and writing styles. Some things trigger us in real life which will trigger us when reading it in books. For this reason, I find it very difficult nowadays to find a reviewer of books on youtube whom I can 'trust', because just as I think I found someone with more or less the same taste as mine, that person will praise a book that I basically loathed.

Have you ever checked out five star reviews for Survive the Night? 🧐😹

The only Butler books I've read is the Xenogenesis trilogy and I'll be honest those themes just flew right over my head after book 1. No idea what was being discussed. I had fun though, the worldbuilding was interesting and the plot was fun. Got nada on the themes tho

The first thing I do when I finish a book is go find the reviews so that I can have my opinions validated and also be mad that other people thought differently than me about it. This video did not disappoint.

Best video ever love it 🥰 your honesty is amazing 😉 lol 😂 😂😂😂 love John ❤❤❤Merry Christmas 🎄

Haha, your rants about the survival book remind me of how I felt about the third book in the "Queen of the Tearling" series. Oh my god, the first two books were so cool and had so much potential, and then...WHAM! An absolute disappointment.

The whole "you need to watch supplemental material to properly understand the book" argument strikes me as more of a dig at the book than the writer of that review probably meant it as. Aren't books supposed to be able to tell their stories on their own?

I cannot wait to watch this!!

18:21 i know you would never say something like this but i thought you were going with "i will strangle you" lol

Watching the first video about small game, when she talked about the twist I thought at first the twist would be the crew were killed and they had to survive what killed the crew. It was not. I want that book. Someone write that book.

I'm not used to you yelling, so that "NOTHING" almost made me drop my phone 😂😂

What is the song at the end of the video?

OMG Merphy, your face when trying to work 11/1, just perfect!

Full disclosure I haven't read Small Game, but it sounds like it could have been a cool way to explore the theme of society. There's so much philosophy on what a society even is, how an ideal society would be shaped and so on...

Gotta wonder how certain books get published. My guess is, publishers aim for extruded fiction product that hits a certain demographic, rather than seeking good stories told well in competent prose. There are readers who go for tone rather than content, remember. I liked this one, Merphy, you make good sense and make your positions clear regarding why you respond a certain way. Brava.

Do you ever do any short story competitions or anything? I've been having a hard time putting together a short story that occurs in my world which I intend to be sending around for publication on sites/in magazines. I know what I want to write, but between work and taking care of my mom(she's been having a hard year this year) I can barely find the time and when I do I'm lacking in motivation. I wouldn't even care if there were a prize or anything. Just something that I could get other eyes on so that I could be reinforced that I've got something worth writing and doing the work to put together. I've got almost fifty characters structured, territories and plots constructed and two chapters completed, but this short story has me stuck in a state of static consciousness.

I love how to you rant! Thankyou for this video. Now I know not to read these books and will choose something else.

Great video!

Can you narrate a script Merph? Amazing video on your books

As someone with a 4yo, the thought or a 10yos body with a man just makes me sick to my stomach. Ew. Ew. Ew.

Have u seen house of the dragon?

Regarding "Fledgling's" topic. There's an anime that faced similar controversy. So, I recommend a vid defending it. Not... necessarily because their perspective will change your mind or feelings, in fact, it may get worse, but it is funny. I remember YT doesn't like sharing links in comments, so... Title: Call of the Night is Offensive? Creator: Echidnut

What I'm not understanding is that depsite her being an adolescent in vampire years isn't the person she is romantically involves with a human and who's to say that her vampire years translate to human years has her at 50 years old? I'm some what confused I will have to read the book myself or do further investigation

I read an article that said Bulter wrote Fledgling because she wanted to write something more "light" and "frothy" after she read a vampire series. If that's true, this book went from disturbing to a whole new level of abhorrent.

“I’m happy for ya” 😂😂😂

Can you do what like more about Onepiece & the one's you don't like

I remember starting 'Lord Foul's Bane' by Stephen R. Donaldson because it was casually recommeded to me. A few chapters in the main character r***d a woman who helped him, & I couldn't bring myself to continue. I didn't care what happened to him anymore. I didn't even want him to succeed. Even so, I've kept it on my reading list just because he's a prolific, medium-profile author. Hearing you drop a read because of a similar event makes me feel like I can finally donate that paperback.

@laurelelasselin

Жыл бұрын

I didn't know anyone else who knew that book! Same. Exactly. I'm still reading it, not because I think it has a hope of redemption, but because I want to see just how bad it gets. But honestly - it gets more boring as you go on, and I still hate the protagonist. To everyone else reading this comment who hasn't read it, would not recommend.

Positive Petunia; my new rap name. I called it. It’s mine now.

People sometimes have different or unusual tastes. That's why Peter Pan is still popular today.

At the moment, in the German-speaking part of YT, a survival show called "7 vs. Wild" is being broadcasted, that almost EVERYBODY from Germany, Austria and Switzerland watches. Conclusion: you are not alone spending your time witch survival shows - ist is really interesting and intense sometimes.

this was very entertaining to watch :)

I read mangas, i love the overpowered MC trope, dont ask me why i do, but i do, so isekai is obviously is a genre i love but is one so freaking hard to find a good one, because yep, it had WAY too many pedo stuff in it, it usually is a 30 something or up dude who rebirth, and end up liking kids KIDS, as a teen i could sort of turn my brain off to that part, i still ended up dropping it but usually read more, but now, i still love the stories but i drop right away at any signal of that, i just can't, i genuinely don't get how many people accept that part, so.. yea i get your deal with the vampire stuff. And another great video, thank you

I haven't read Fledgling, but I love Octavia Butler and I love most of her other stuff and I will say that my one issue with her is that she seems to have uncomfortable relationships in a lot of her books and I don't always feel like she's making a point with it. Nothing quite as bad as what you're describing in Fledgling, but the Patternmaster series (especially Mind of My Mind) has some pretty uncomfortable relationships and there's a massive age gap relationship in Parable of the Sower which if anything is romanticized (please read that book though, it's fantastic). I think it's just a thing she does.

@laurenl1088

Жыл бұрын

Parable of the Sower lives in my mind years and years after reading it ❤

@mrstrangeworld5977

Жыл бұрын

As long as she off age i don't see the issue with the age gap being some what big depends on how it's done

@ilsukdyang8134

Жыл бұрын

@@mrstrangeworld5977 She was of age, but it was a huge age gap. I thought Octavia Butler did as well with the relationship as she could have, but it was still uncomfortable

@mrstrangeworld5977

3 ай бұрын

​@@ilsukdyang8134Tbh I don't mind that stuff just again depends how it written

I have not read "Fledging" so I don't know for sure, but maybe Butler's over sexualization of her 10 year old protagonist is a reaction to reading Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire" (the quintessential vampire novel) where there is sexualization of the five year old vampire, Claudia, without any of the nuances that Butler brings into her book. Anne Rice is praised for "Interview with the Vampire" often despite how disgusting the oversexualization can be to read. I will have to read "Fledging" to see the differences...

Hi Merphy 2 points 1-You REALLY need to learn to be more expressive 🤣 2-Breathe in, Breathe out, Repeat! As always, thank you for your hard work!

I love your normal content but as someone who also needs to express dislikes about some books, I really really enjoy listening to Rant Merphy (thank you)

“You and I should meet and be amazed at each other” HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA BUUUUURRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNN

18:17 EXCUSE ME 😒🙄😤🤣

I haven't read Fledgling and I don't know Octavia Butler's intent in writing the story, but I was reminded that there are genetic and hormonal conditions that significantly reduce the amount a person's body matures as they move into adolescence and adulthood. I assume hormone therapies help, but are there some people who are mentally and chronologically adults but not physiologically? Is it therefore immoral for them to form adult relationships? How about the people who do physically mature but, as adults, have a small stature and a childlike physique? Is it immoral for them to have adult relationships?

The most fun video on internet today😅

My first (and only, so far) Octavia E Butler book was Wild Seed. Judging by that book, and the explanations of Fledgling, she might just not be the author for me.

I will have to read the vampire book myself because a child in vampire years might be an adult in human years

I love you Murph

every question I want to ask about the fledgling sounds like things R Kelly would say and so I'm gonna stop.

geeez, she pissed lol!

You are a very good complainer hahahaha Love u roasting them