TikTok Recs Just Keeps Getting WORSE

[@RachelOates]

FREE TOYS OR A MASSIVE DISCOUNT OFF TOYS! Everyone who signs up to my giveaway with Bellesa wins something! www.bboutique.co/vibe/racheloates-yt

[@weeewooo69]

"Everybody knows Karmas a bitch" Me in the background: I shoulda known better-

[@emmyrose2774]

Everyone will talk about the parallels between this book and Twilight or Harry Potter, but given one of the main characters' names is "Tory Vega" I like to imagine this is some bizarre Victorious fan-fiction.

[@acemyname]

my thoughts exactly 😭

[@Lostmyluckyshoes252]

Winx fanfic, actually!

[@OliviaRubin9]

I'm choosing to hc Tory and Darcy as Victoria Justice and Danielle Monet in bad wigs and nobody can stop me

[@azuill1126]

​@@OliviaRubin9 Chicagoooo! Chicago!!!

[@auroraragazzoni4533]

and the magical realm being called "Solaria" like Stella's (yes, stella from winx club) planet. I'm not sure if i find it endearing or concerning

[@daddytchaik]

if you made a 20 hour video reading the entire book out loud and reacting to every line I would watch the whole thing 🙌

[@velvetrose4463]

Same 😄

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

Omg, same.

[@anna-mariewoodcock9086]

Yes! 🤣

[@ellea5670]

100%

[@anthropomorphicpeanut6160]

I think that wouldn't fall under fair use lol

[@tyler-df3wy]

The pegasus order is actually way worse than the Medusa order imo coz Pegasus wasn’t even a unicorn; pegasi are a whole different thing. Ancient Greeks thought unicorns were real animals separate from the gods, while Pegasus was a divine horse with wings and no horn. All of his children are called pegasi so it technically is the name of their species, but they also don’t have horns because they aren’t unicorns A horse with a horn and wings like in this isn’t a pegasus, it isn’t even Greek. It’s an alicorn from Assyrian myth. Those writers are so lazy they couldn’t be bothered to find out what a pegasus looks like

[@lemonadelunacy3291]

Thanks for this insight! ❤

[@ms.moronic9165]

Alicorns are Assyrian? You mean My Little Pony didn't make that term up?

[@ViolettaSachra]

Right?? I'm so confused how people could mess this up, they are so clearly different things!

[@vi9486]

Those men are literally 4 donald trumps running for president.

[@ugh712]

as an ao3 user myself who has read and written a lot of cringey stuff, we NEED to stop letting random people online think its a good idea to publish their weird omegaverse homestuck/victorious crossover fanfictions with a couple of names changed 😭 keep it online amongst our own niche communities where it belongs and where you can tag it properly so random people who didn't ask for this won't have to come across it lmao

[@erika2m16]

💯💯💯

[@that_trans_dude942]

I have never related to a comment more

[@darren.mcauliffe]

So their star signs dictate their personalities. They all have the same personality. Therefore Astrology is pointless. According to this book all star signs make you the same. That's the same as star signs not doing anything.

[@ayannadivineempath]

The bogliest I have ever seen.

[@warlordofbritannia]

When everyone has a special destiny, no one does

[@darren.mcauliffe]

@@warlordofbritannia That reminds me of something. When I was in 2nd grade, so I was about 8, our teacher told us that the reason our first names start with a capital letter is because we are special. We were all special, so we all had a capital letter at the start of our name. And even then I thought, we can't all be special. If we are all special then none of us are. It's a nice thing to tell a bunch of kids that they are special, but it's a BS premise. It's like how everybody can't be above average.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@darren.mcauliffe On an another note, if everyone is magic, then surely they don’t perceive themselves as having magical powers, right? This is something I realized when I was 8 years old and Avatar the Last Airbender debuted 😂

[@darren.mcauliffe]

@@warlordofbritannia I have mixed thoughts on that. What is magic? Arthur C Clarke said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I’m happy with that definition in the real world, but in fiction it’s a little different. In Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn if you swallow a metal you will get a power for a little while. But it’s genetic; it only works if you have the gene. So that’s not really magic, that’s biology, it’s physics. It’s different to the biology and physics of our world, but that’s all it is. In Harry Potter there’s no explanation for how magic works. If you wave a special stick and say the right words, anything is possible. And it’s genetic. There’s no explanation for how it works, it just does. So to be that feels more like magic. That said, just because we don’t know the explanation for how it works doesn’t mean there isn’t one. So that returns us to Clarke’s rule. It’s science I don’t understand, so I call it magic. So if everyone has magic, is it magic? Maybe. If they call it magic, but we call it science, is it magic? I’m going to say yes. I could go on.

[@Spracker333]

Id have a lot more respect for these authors if there was a blurb in the beggining that said “these books are fetish content. It’s not meant to be seen as healthy relationships.” And then there was content warnings for noncon, piss, ect

[@annamelvina216]

Just thinking about the amount of tags if this book was on AO3...

[@bbo7002]

💯💯 exactly!! All these authors have to do is stop pretending this is romantic meaningful high art, and call these stories what they are. It's ok to like crap!! U just have to understand that it IS crap and not pretend otherwise 😅

[@nikitatavernitilitvynova]

Didn't think I needed to hear more of the "If he mocks you it's because he likes you" bullshit. Going right back to middle school literally more than ten years as I'm now 23.

[@tyler-df3wy]

It’s honestly absurd how literally everyone is trying to ruin the twins’ lives. Like I’d get if it was mostly the heirs who hated them while everyone else has a range of attitudes towards them, but the fact that pretty much everyone in the universe is determined to torture these two girls is actually comical. It’s like they saw critiques of annoying self insert characters being fawned over by everyone in the world then tried to avoid it by making everyone actively want to assault and murder them instead

[@akisatsuki8444]

While still all being attracted to them

[@stephaniewinter749]

Giving a werewolf fleas is actually a funny idea for a more comedy-leaning book. It's sadly wasted here...

[@frankensteinlives]

How is she a good thief when she's been caught every time we've seen her try to steal something?

[@kikinationforever]

You and Alizee need to do a collab on a book review. Oh my gosh, the video would never end! 😅 I'm okay with that.

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

I second this

[@RedPandaSir]

Third

[@sarahchristine6473]

Fourth

[@mikalcarruthers]

Fifth

[@JennaThePanda]

Sixth

[@bluebow5014]

Rachel out here doing more for female empowerment in five minutes than these author twins can do in nine books

[@isaacbenrubi9613]

Two things: 1) I'm still not convinced that this book series is real because I don't believe trash can spontaneously combust in such a grand fashion. 2) Your outfit is awesome, Rachel! All those fun colors really suit you!

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

I meannnnnn in Fourth Wing is HARDLY enemies to lovers. It was marketed as one and Xaden was NEVER an enemy to her. And Violet feels nothing BUT lust for that mediocre man who gives her the same agency as Dain does, which is NONE.

[@Cheetahgirl_Studios]

I’m so sorry but every time I hear Tori referred to in this book, all I can think of is Tori Vega from Victorious. Why is my brain like this.

[@arkkon2740]

Thats literally her name so thats not surprising lmao Or at least its split between both of them

[@ah-sh9dw]

They were totally named after that. The names are too weird to be a coincidence

[@Cheetahgirl_Studios]

@@ah-sh9dw If so, this is the weirdest Victorious fanfic ever conceived.

[@RatEatRat]

no fr I was like her name is WHAT

[@yasminchan7425]

You think that's why her name is spelled with a Y instead of I? That's what I immediately started wondering when I heard the name Tory Vega 😂

[@tyler-df3wy]

There’s a scene in the thriller book Pretty Girls where one of the main characters gets waterboarded with piss and the werewolf scene is honestly more disturbing to me because at least Paul is the villain rather than a love interest

[@p0t.n00dle4]

You just brought up a memory I haven't thought about in YEARS. I remember that book being so disturbing when I read it at age 14 ish.

[@personofthetao]

I don't know why, but I would probably purchase a shirt that said, completely out of context: For five pages, there were just jars... Just looking at jars. And then there's another two pages of simply looking at jars...then after that, we get another seven pages of looking at jars...

[@MimiIce]

„If you leave your abuser you are weak“ is the complete opposite of reality. Leaving takes strenght and courage sometimes and can be really hard. In you managed to do that I am so proud of you❤

[@incuriousgaze]

I’m just saying if the gorgons are named Medusas and the unicorns are named Pegasus then we deserve the Edward and Jacob orders too

[@RachelOates]

That’s exactly the joke me and Alizee made while I was making this video 😂😂😂

[@sarahouillette1357]

I wish I could like this twice!

[@tyler-df3wy]

On one hand the way the authors write the academy feels like they wanted to write about 16 year olds then changed their minds to avoid criticism, on the other hand I think they’re so lazy they didn’t bother to research higher education and assumed it was the same as secondary school

[@Jess_talks_book]

It's almost impressive that the authors managed to include a magical school, vampires, werewolves, dragons, and fae all in this cash grab, I mean book series. Are there any popular fantasy elements that they didn't include?

[@arkkon2740]

Kelpie, inexplicable wings where they don't belong, power combinations that were previously unseen or ancient, giants, ancient beings that are overpowered just because the girls are special, inexplicable skill jumps, and the classic "You are smart" talkdown despite these two being consistently the dumbest on screen I think thats it

[@erika2m16]

Elves, dwarves, and orcs 😂 That's about it.

[@sciencefantastic]

But it’s the most boring versions of all of them.

[@arkkon2740]

28:37 Oh my god finally someone understands how annoying this is "Oh IM fine, I CAN tell what this is" yeah, and you're not the general population. It took me quite a bit of time to shake off my biases and fears about people and relationships in general, I would more than likely see this and think its fine like 6-7 years ago compared to now, and its really weird to say people wouldn't think like this AT ALL just because you don't. I saw the same being said about Haunting Adaline, Credence, and The Wild. Just because its not real, that doesn't mean a lack of communication won't lead people to start thinking its something to strive towards or look forward to

[@maximumdinosaur]

I cant even wrap my head around how evil the love interests all are

[@Spracker333]

Okay but is the pegasus thing really an allegory for race? Or is it an allegory for being gay? Like “im not attracted to unicorns” is “im not attracted to guys. Like the rainbow wings, the association with femininity.

[@sashalynn6087]

Two things can be true.

[@mikalcarruthers]

I'm guessing this 2nd book is gonna get worse from here. Why can't everyone in this book series be normal?! Why do these authors romanticize abuse and think it's sexy? They don't care to understand women in my opinion

[@elizabethj4450]

Xavier is old enough to use a device, but Darius wants his parents to pass the phone to him.... so these immensely powerful beings still use landlines?

[@sarahouillette1357]

I am now picturing a recreation of the 4-way call scene from Mean Girls, but with the heirs...

[@chaseashley6775]

Rachel I LOVE that shirt! If it was short-sleeved it would join the ranks of the button-down shirts I wear in a weekly basis.

[@Jess.Anderson]

This sounds like the type of romance/smut I was super into in my early 20s. I did know that these scenarios were harmful IRL but I had no attraction to men, outside of romanticizing and sexualizing these kind of fantasies involving harm/humiliation/degradation. I did need therapy. I'm actually gay. 😂

[@wanderlovely]

The astral adversaries, elysian mates, third one allies thing is just homestuck?? It's homestuck??? It's literally homestuck lmao help

[@frankensteinlives]

Thank you, Rachel Oates, for, once again, falling on the sword and reading this hot garbage for us.

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

5:48 Twilight also has a werewolf named Seth. I’m seeing a pattern…

[@AnnaRenee]

And the actor who played a werewolf on Buffy is named Seth

[@ghostreader-fm2cq]

Tonight's episode: The Writer's Barely-Disguised Fetish

[@rachael5025]

"the siren magic wont let you leave until you kiss me" "yeah? bet." proceeds to sit down and wait to die of starvation.

[@remedy836]

I hate how much potential is squandered in this series. The political intrigue and murders and nymphs and secrets between the ruling families could be a genuinely good fantasy story, but instead it's a bunch of assault. It's disappointing.

[@NecrozmaJade]

I don't like the concept of "mates" either. Like, I understand the fantasy of it. When I was a kid I loved that idea, that there could be a perfect person out there for you somewhere. When you're young and lonely and everyone around you doesn't seem right, it's definitely something worth daydreaming about. But now that I'm older, I think the chaos of actual human relationships is so much more beautiful. We're not perfect for each other. We never are. Being in a relationship with someone is about finding someone who you can share many things with, but also learn about new things, and compromise on things. It's about fighting and apologizing, forgiving and learning, loving and respecting each other so much that you try grow and be your best self. That complexity is what I want to read about it. Adult women who have lived whole lives should be perfectly capable of writing that. I think the concept of mates is appealing because it absolves immature people of the responsibility of having to mature. Having to learn how to be in a healthy relationship.

[@NecrozmaJade]

Because it's on my mind, I would also like to add that it absolves the author of the responsibility of showing us why two people are good for each other. A lot of the time, it seems like two people are fighting a lot and aren't good for each other at all, but then the author goes "they're mates" and you're just supposed to be like... oh... I guess they're perfect for each other then. Very tell not show.

[@neptiicism]

you put this so well i love it

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

55:38 that’s Targaryen stuff, specifically. Lannisters did it because twin siblings wanted to be naughty. Targaryens did it for purity. You may now continue.

[@vvitch-mist20]

I've started calling authors who write like this "cosplay writers" because they don't provide anything, and are only throwing darts at a board with trending themes for books. Not to mention how the female lead are A L W A Y S basically highschool students and the male lead is 5+ years older. Big ick.

[@lilgreenslimecat]

It cracks me up how you say "stop it!" with the exact same intonation as if Kyra was chewing on a shoe or something

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

4:49 if she actually intentionally made that distinction, that would be interesting. I don’t drive because I have bilateral vestibular syndrome and that makes me unusually clumsy and unbalanced. But I think one of them is clumsy because so was that Twilight protagonist.

[@elysiagoodson1463]

Isn't Tory Vega the same name as the main character in Victorious???

[@lithijohnston3222]

Yes! 😭😭

[@Louves192]

Tbh I would rather get kidnapped by Orin, than by Orion.

[@warlordofbritannia]

You say that, but then you remember Orin will feed you your own cat. Then again, Grub stew is apparently delicious…

[@mentallyunw3ll]

It’s giving Miss Frizzle Rachel, and I’m here for it.

[@Otterwaffle]

Yessss the shirt is amazing

[@evintyde]

I am only 20 seconds in so far, but I just had to tell you that I love your outfit. The shirt lipstick and hair combo is elite, you look amazing. Im going to actually watch the video now 😅

[@a.l.i.c.i.a.]

Omg I LOVE Alizee! So pleased that you're working together

[@rachelannebach2360]

I'd be willing to bet that the reason they're called Medusas and so on is that your average person has no effing clue what a Gorgon is and can't be bothered to do a two second google search. Never underestimate the stupidity and laziness of one's audience when it comes to books like these.

[@annamelvina216]

My problem with that is that the author could literally just write, "I'm a gorgon!" "Oh what's that?" "It's what Medusa is. Snakes for hair, turn people into stone. That's my deal!" And that's all that'd be needed...

[@BooksToAshes]

Ah, my Team Jacob teen self would have probably loved this (though I HATE the wolf shifter in the zodiac academy, oh how the tables turned) I got to book 5 in Zodiac Academy and I question everyday why and how I got that far. It's just a whole lotta filler the more you read

[@Lostmyluckyshoes252]

Yes, they are fun and addictive to read somehow. Also, I’m enjoying Rachel tearing them to shreds 😂.

[@BooksToAshes]

@@Lostmyluckyshoes252 Haha completely agree with you there. I enjoyed most of my time reading it but it’s fun to watch it be shredded a bit too

[@laurah4702]

I can't explain why I love watching these videos so much. I was really looking forward to the next one ! Thank you for the quality content, Rachel

[@rachael5025]

i listened to the whole last video and fully forgot it was twins and not one singular mc

[@A_BA_H]

What you said at the 27:24 mark hit very close to home. My experience may not be exactly what you spoken word for word here, but I feel like it is interlaced. I’ll try to keep it vague because I do not want to expose myself, but I doubt the person I am talking about would watch this video. (And I would be surprised if anybody I knew watches you, it would be a happy surprise nevertheless!) One of my favorite topics of all time is a branch of biology. I love it so much and I wouldn’t imagine myself working outside of it. I was so excited to study a class on that branch, I really was. Unfortunately, I struggled a lot with it. The professor was one of the nicest ones I’ve met, but this was his first time instructing this class, and it was complicated. The professor was not the problem, it was one of the teaching assistants. I still remember first meeting him outside of the lab. He looked out of place. He asked me a question. I don’t remember what it was, but he looked more lost than a freshman despite being way older. He thanked me and said I had an [outside of my culture] accent. I was sure he’d only said that because of my appearance, but I brushed it off. Then when it was time for the lab, I was so surprised to find he was the teacher’s assistant; and I was glad I was polite to him. He was the "cool guy", the lab with him was easygoing in contrast with the class. This is getting long and specific, so I will try to cut to the chase. He wanted me to join an investigation conducted by one of my other professors, back then I did not know how enrolling into one worked so I trusted him. What I found weird was that he told me not to tell my professor. (Crimson red flag!) On text messages he asked if I was autistic because I said I liked to be organized. I said yes. Why would I deny it? In a world that wants to eradicate and deny your existence, living is an act of bravery. (I've had my professor's phone numbers before but only for academic purposes! That was a personal question!) Whenever we two met up, I was always on my toes. I acted normally but was aware of my surroundings. Cutting again here, my friend told me he said rather disrespectful things about me behind my back. I dropped out of the class for other reasons and decided to retake it next semester, and I investigated under another (third) professor. I was thriving. Yes, still difficult but my professors on that class were more skilled in this topic. I was with another teacher’s assistant, and he didn’t fetishize my disability. He understood it and knew I was talented in other ways. The first guy began to harass and stalk me during that semester. It felt degrading and other feelings that are too long to bring back up. In the following year, I got a restraining order. In short, I was happy again... as much as I could for a busy student. But free. Seeing how TV, some fanfics, and contemporary commercial books romanticize student x teacher pairings is so heartbreaking now. I always knew those relationships were wrong. (I mean, they also tell us that too!) But now it feels personal. I would personally cut off someone if they enjoyed these imbalanced student/teacher pairings. I would understand a teenager not knowing better but, damn, I am a young adult and almost fell for a trap. Still, I gave up on the class my first try, and on my second I succeeded with an A! What I wanna say here is thank you for your testimony, warnings, video, all of it. It resonates with me, informs others of predatory behavior, and part of what inspires me to be conscious in writing fiction. Some final notes: 1) Fun fact: In the Philippines some colleges have school uniforms! I do doubt the creator was inspired by their culture though... 2) I had to stop at 33:24 for now. I have a bad feeling it’ll get into... the trope I was complaining about (granted I still watched the first video even if you mentioned it). I will get back to this whenever I feel better. 3) Obligatory “Sorry for the grammatical errors, English is not my first language.” 4) Thank you to whoever read all of this. You read everything? Wow! Hope you had a good meal, cleaning, scrolling, or whatever you are doing.

[@globblin1734]

I love your little Vtuber background it has amazing vibes. We should all tell crimson rouge about this book series

[@sarahouillette1357]

Krimson would TEAR IT TO SHREDS!! It might be longer than his Lightlark videos

[@TrashPanda_lvl15]

I see your book reviews and the books feel like apart of another universe, like surely I wouldn't ever encounter books like these AND THEN I SAW THESE BOOKS IN THE WILD I vaguely looked at a book while in line at Barnes and Nobles, and I saw Zodiac Academy, AND I WAS SO TAKEN ABACK THAT IT WAS REAL, LIKE I KNEW IT WAS REAL BUT I SAW IT IN A BOOK STORE IN MY CITY??? HUHH 😭😭😭

[@ctrl-alt-smile]

The fact that this started as a fanfic for a dan shnider show says a LOT

[@verda3665]

I was listening to these videos and at some point I needed to charge my phone and take a shower and all I could think in shower was "i could use these characters and the setting trash a few of them spin a good duology out of this and Id make the romance convincing even" which made me also question if there is fanfiction on ao3 of this series

[@Artbyhurricanyounot]

Not me JUST finishing the video of the first book 😎 perfect timing

[@hanfam7665]

Why do I have the feeling the authors know nothing about astrology, birth charts, etc.💀

[@anonymousperson2839]

Even though I don't read books that much anymore, I love listening to your detailed commentary and constructive criticism on these terrible books. Especially since this is a genre of book that I wouldn't personally choose to read. And I love long videos too, so a 3 hour video is a bonus for me!

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

3:24:53 I once went to a world premiere of a musical that was supposed to be inspiring and heartwarming about a family reckoning with the loss of a loved one. Act 1, boring except the death. Act 2, the dad becomes an alcoholic and it’s a slapstick thing where he tries harder and harder to hide his six packs behind little pillows and of course it’s no problem because it’s solved in one trying-to-be-catchy song. It was handled like iCarly had a very special episode about alcoholism. These things need more treatment and understanding.

[@leeann1140]

I don’t usually comment on things but I wanted to let you know that you are a huge inspiration to me. I’m in my early twenties and I struggle with a lot of similar things as you do; but your content and your stories on how you learned to handle those things has made me feel less alone. It’s nice to see someone who has gone through/deals with things I have gone through/deal with and they are a successful adult. That all my struggles don’t always have to be struggles. Ig it’s nice to see someone happy who’s like me. Anyway if you read this I hope that I haven’t trauma dumped or something.I just wanted to let you know what an inspiration you are me and how much an appreciate your content. It never fails to make me smile or to make me think. :)

[@RachelOates]

Thank you so much!

[@feliciasjoberg9886]

Idea: Set up a gmail like Hannah Alonzo, CC Suarez, Isabella Lanter so subscribers can send screen shots and screen recordings.

[@wildwytch]

I'd call these books a case of "the writers' barely disguised fetish" but that would require there to be some level of disguising said fetish(es)

[@Murmarine]

This is the "writer is not a least bit ashamed of their fetishes, in fact, they parade it around like its a trophy"

[@kaylamoerman8808]

As someone who was bullied-not as severely as I could have been tbh-I do crave a bully romance for the validation. But I’ve never found one that’s done well, or in a way that is cathartic. For a bit of context, I’m Aroace and I realised this when I was like nine, even though I didn’t have words to be able to express that, but even then knowing I didn’t want to date anyone really, I still desperately wanted someone to like me and being asked out on a date was extremely validating. It would have meant I had someone in my corner that I could trust! What Seth did, in particular, is quite important to me because, no one went to quite that extreme, it did happen to me and someone did pretend to date me for a prank, so that was really rubbish. I’ve never had an apology. But as a reader, I would love for him to become a love interest because it would mean that there was something about whichever twin it was, or an event that occurs, that made him come to terms with the fact he is scum and actually grow up. I hate hate hate that bully romances never address the actual bullying in relation to the romance, I want them to be genuinely apologetic and accountable because I need to hear someone say they are sorry for being needlessly cruel. I’ve only ever gotten one apology from any of the people that bullied me and it’s healing to know that they’ve grow up… but one of another doesn’t even remember bullying me. That hurts a lot more than I care to admit, but it means if I’m going to find closure of any kind, it’s probably going to be through fiction. There’s a kind of power in watching characters get beaten down and still be resilient and persistent enough that the people doing the beating start to realise and question their own actions and feel remorse-it’s a power fantasy if I’m honest, imagining that one person can be enough to sway the morals of the people that hurt and hate them most. Zodiac academy does it terribly. Because they always excuse it and parcel off the blame, but I wish so badly that the bullies could one day just admit it being terrible and apologies. If it’s going to be a bully romance I want to see a bully come to terms with how they’ve destroyed someone’s life and be genuinely apologetic, I want a relationship to stem from the ruins of this… on that note, A Silent Voice is an incredible bully romance-at least for me, I cried a lot and it felt really good.

[@WynnWynn-gl3fk]

Creepy sad and scary and what a shame. You would think you would want a strong woman who stands up to bullies. This is what males want for you to romanticize bullying and &buse now.

[@maximumdinosaur]

As bad as these books are, your videos on them are becoming some of my fave vids on the internet 😭 15:44

[@dont_mess_with_squirrels]

Recently signed up and became a member Rachel, you are so funny, enlightening and dun to watch, cant tell you how much you've changed my thinking and reading choices!! Xx😂 much love to you! Never change gorgeous 🥰

[@Pink_Artist]

I mean... aren't the 4 heirs also getting their position through nepotism??? I mean, it's not like these guys would be good rulers from what we've been told, so, trained in ruling or not, I'd honestly take the stupid mirror twins because I worry what those guys would make legal as soon as they became kings...

[@Accy__]

Tori vega? As in the victorious nickelodeon tv show?? LOL

[@ninanung5945]

I really enjoy the new editing ^^ the additions of memes are like lil treats

[@KreeZafi]

Regarding how the creatures/orders are named after specific characters (Medusa, Pegasus, etc) and how you said it's like calling all lions Simba, that brought back a memory from my early childhood when all the kids used to call deer - and particularly baby deer - Bambi, as if that was the name of the species. They didn't confuse random deer for the character, they would literally use it as a noun, like "we saw a Bambi in our backyard" and it infuriated me so much as a 6-year-old lmao

[@genefletcher1932]

NGL,A revenge story sounds a LOT better than this golden chocolate swril of manure

[@yasminchan7425]

I hate how majority, at least, of these authors write incredibly abusive and toxic male characters and to make sure all readers will like him they give him a sad backstory to explain and excuse why he's a terrible person. Being abused and traumatized doesn't excuse you abusing and traumatizing others

[@arienbates2996]

Your blouse is amazing! Thank you for bringing us the dregs of literature - I so appreciate your thoughtful critiques!

[@ElvenArcane]

I have such a hard time understanding how anyone could write such difficult and heavy topics with such carelessness. I’m a writer myself. I’ve written about assault, physical and mental disabilities, addiction, etc… and put in weeks and weeks of research before I even dare touch them. I write with the belief that if you feel you can’t write heavy topics like that with the proper respect and understanding they deserve, then you should leave them be. These books just feel disrespectful to survivors

[@elizabethrentko7938]

It’s almost sickening how excited I am for this video

[@ananana5200]

Oh the 'You're the bad one if you leave, you owe others to fight for them, you are at fault if they misbehave' hits too close home. It's mind blowing people can romanticize abuse when I know how toxic and disgusting it is.

[@Pink_Artist]

So... I think that, garbage as books like these and Colleen Hoover's are, they are allowed to exist BUT, my problem is how they're marketed and I think there should be a noticeable disclaimer on these dark romance books to say, full on, that the relationships in these are not healthy and should not be looked up to, maybe even explaining relationships like this are bad and, if you feel like you've experienced anything similar, you should reach out

[@paulinewauty5374]

i really hope the authors will use the money they made of off their books to pay for their therapy

[@Amira_Phoenix]

FORGET THE EDITING, this book series is one huge Freudian slip 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 no sublimation whatsoever. Imagine telling on oneself like that. Obviously, fundies are not OK, and I love it

[@001Manali]

This book sounds so insufferable! Kudos to you for going through this and entertaining us❤

[@oromhal]

Thank you so so much for your book reviews! I've never found anyone who makes them as good and thorough as you do.

[@Dressup_Doll]

Books like this make me ever so glad I write on AO3. Like, I just posted a smut chapter that had more consent than anything in this book, and it was pretty not sexy (I suck at that, so I resort to vibes and feelings).

[@lindseygriffin5264]

I totally understand and think your points are valid for sure. However, I have been in a multitude of abusive relationships in my life, and I absolutely can and actually even find it cathartic to read dark romance. I know my opinions and situations are just one of many, but I thought I would leave my thoughts here. Dark romance unlocks "kinks" for lack of a better word that be explored, and deconstructed in a low stakes safe place to do so. No one is being harmed as long as credible triggers are listed for the reader to decide if they want to proceed. Just my thoughts ❤

[@alinam.4865]

I feel a similar way, however I just wish books like these came with a more explicit warning. Thankfully there's websites that sometimes list triggers, but they sadly only do it for more popular books like A Little Life. If the authors actually put trigger warnings on the first page or two themselves, detailing exactly what kind of content to expect, I would feel more comfortable reading. I feel like i need to brace myself for certain topics. If i know in advance, I can handle it, but if it just comes out of nowhere then it feels like I've just been hit by a train. That said I totally agree with you on dark romance feeling cathartic ❤

[@elijahwilensky3318]

I agree that kind of thing isnt neccessarily bad, but some the messages in these books are super insidious. The whole 'if you meet your soul mate, it'll be chaotic and challenging, but after some point you'll be happy together, and if you reject them you'll never find love' is a really dangerous thing to just slip in.

[@animalxINSTINCT89]

This sounds like the author loved Mean Girls and Twilight and decided to split the difference

[@wretengrja]

I really really like your long-form book reviews, they are excellent to have on in the background when I draw.

[@Moon0525_]

So I've been listening to this whilst playing Slime Rancher 2. I got up to the 'fisted' part. I had to quit the game because I'm LOSING it laughing

[@SJisReading]

The pubic hair thing was so gross to me. The "vagina sweater" comment felt like it was played as a good and funny thing to say? Like that mockery was justified? Disgusting. It just rang so real to me. As women, we spend our whole lives being told that everything about how our bodies exist naturally is wrong... I don't turn to fiction for more of that

[@Никодим-м9ъ]

I love you so deeply for making those long ass videos

[@bettyunicorn6132]

Wow I was super early. 😊 Love your vids Rachel! And Alizee’s too!

[@bagelprince3]

WHOA!! ANOTHER RACHEL VID? i feel so treated!!! 💚💚💚💚💚 dont overwork yourself though love!

[@warlordofbritannia]

Imagine having a political thriller in a fantasy world, that would scratch such a great itch. Instead we have this, four CoHo protags who use their magical powers to be even worse pigs.

[@generaldreagonlps6889]

I love seeing the return of vtuber Rachel. The model is so cute and sassy.

[@Ricochetkiller]

Isn't the system ran by these 4 families still nepotism though? At least the heirs have prepared and worked for their turn to rule, but it still doesn't sound great (Unlike this video hi Rachel love your work)

[@Otterwaffle]

Exactly xD at least theyre trained but it is still nepotism

[@erika2m16]

After this, I know never to doubt you when you say "it gets worse." I'm never prepared for how much worse it gets 😂

[@mars6233]

It's bad when I can't believe the school, I was homeschooled on a conspiracy theorist anti-vax curriculum. I used to beg to go to school, and would be beaten for it. Anywho, I don't know anything about school, except for what my kindergartener tells me, if I can't believe it, it's a bad excuse for a school. I am now vaccinated, as are my children. Took parenting classes for learning about gentle parenting, I really hope the cycle is broken.

[@KakiOlsenCreative]

1:48:26 I want you to write a book. Complete with calling people bumholes. And a main character named for your dog.

[@carolep6251]

Hi Rachel Just wanted to say that I appreciate hearing about your experience, early on in this video, about thinking you knew what it was like. I just went through this, I told myself I wouldn't be with an explosive person but I refused to label them that when their actions were that. I really was convinced I would never be in that relationship after growing up seeing one like that.

[@kireiynnight5961]

I am now genuinely confused as to why this book series is so popular. And it's being passed off as romance??? Really?

[@frankensteinlives]

The hair cutting is giving Onision vibes, yikes

[@mikalcarruthers]

I know, right? I would make a comment about Onision but if I do, I would end up going off about his terrible behavior. So, I'm just gonna chill for my sanity

[@mastersouth531]

Okay, I had a full on Dryad-eque image, but DAMN, now I can't think of anything other than RUSTY SPOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONS