#(insofar as she had any to begin with)

[trans-girl-uchiha-itachi]

bestie im cyberbullying you into talking abt the tam lin au >:3

OH WOW... WHAT A MYSTERIOUS ANON... I DEFINITELY DONT KNOW WHO THIS IS. i definitely did not watch over your shoulder as you sent me this ask

anyway. yeah. the tam lin au. it's a non-massacre au where hinata never leaves otogakure, instead teaming up with karin + kabuto to kill orochimaru and take over oto, and at some point konoha starts getting REALLY worried that none of the people they send to investigate wtf is going on in oto ever. come back?

(i forbid ye, maidens all // that wear gold in your hair // to go down to carterhaugh // for young tam lin is there...)

and so eventually they send itachi to take An Peep (sadly i dont think he would be caught dead in a kirtle green OR tie it above the knee), and he discovers that the reason none of the other konoha-nin came back is that hinata paralyzes them with senbon and hauls them back to the lab ("hey, free spare parts!")

(none that go by carterhaugh // but they leave him a pledge --)

hinata, out of boredom/idle curiosity, hangs out chatting with itachi a lot (oto is not long on people who can, realistically, keep him contained), but i haven't gotten too far into writing this part ("what makes you come to carterhaugh // without the leave of me?")

from here it starts to diverge somewhat further from the plot of tam lin; hinata does (mostly against her will) get Attached to itachi and lets him go eventually, but i don't think there's an obvious analogue to the faerie queen here since orochimaru is already dead?

wait, oh my god, i can combine this with the eyeball marriage worldbuilding!! spiritual equivalent to janet coming back visibly gregnant is itachi coming back with one of his eyes swapped out for a byakugan and Not answering any questions about this. thats perfect i love it

[dangermousie]

Ep 27 was all plot and no ship. In fact none of my favorite characters except Jiang Li herself appeared in it - it was devoid of the Duke, his sidekicks, Shen Yurong, Princess Wanning, any of the Yes and except for a few seconds’ appearance devoid of Jiang Jingrui.

Still it definitely moved the plot forward - namely the plot of the serpents’ nest that is the Jiangs. Because the grievances were not suffered by our protag but the original Jiang Li and any connections of love or blood were also not hers but the original Li’s, she’s able to be clear headed and not really emotionally involved except insofar as she feels bad for injustice and she’s gonna need that because stepmom has lost the few restraints she had and the rest of the family is useless.

I found this ep humanized both Ruoyao and stepmom for me. I found it so tragic that Ruoyao has finally stopped stepping out of her mother’s monstrous, smothering shadow (her mother’s love always looked controlling and conditional but this ep shows just how downright abusive it was and how Ruoyao had so little chance) only to have her agency taken away from her by mommy on the most basic level. A woman who would poison her own child to get rid of a stepdaughter should not be called a mother in any sense.

I hope Ruoyao gets some sort of a happy ending and a way to find out who she actually is but I doubt that since the drama very clearly implied in this ep she is not a Jiang but is a child of adultery between stepmom and diviner. Papa Jiang is not much of a father even to his blood (he just goes with whatever the woman he is currently sleeping with likes) but the moment he discovers she’s not his, that nunnery is gonna be best case scenario for Ruoyao. Not every family can be the Fans from JoL or the Xiaos from Nirvana in Fire 2.

Stepmom? What a horror show but the drama humanized her (while showing she shouldn’t be allowed to run around at all.) All the woman wanted at the start was to run off with that painter and live in obscure bliss (Ruoyao’s desire to run with worthless ex-fiance is quite reminiscent of that - like mother like daughter - tho at least Mom’s boo genuinely loved her.) But daddy prevented it and was going to marry her off to some sort of mental defective with a family that wanted that dude to have a child (and in that society that marriage is pretty much life of horror) unless she found herself another match and was all “why don’t you off Papa Jiang’s wife, she’s sick anyway” - and not excusing stepmom being a murderer but it’s like Shen Yurong - when all your choices are bad choices you are way more likely to do bad things to survive. In some other alternate universe, she married that painter who never became a diviner and is living a placidly virtuous existence.

Honestly, the moment she killed a friend to escape a hellish marriage it was the end for her - she sent Jiang Li away because of the whole “I murdered your mom can’t have you find out or just look at you” (and daddy blames her for soft heartedness in not killing her!!!) and the other kid was an accident - it’s basically she started out as a villain out of perceived necessity but then she had to continue and got worse and worse. The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step, indeed.

I found it poignant she ultimately wasn’t able to maim monster daddy as requested by diviner. Not so poignant that she’s apparently repeating the way she was parented in the way she’s parenting her daughter despite knowing firsthand what that’s like. (But I wonder how much her obsession with getting Ruoyao the best marriage, the nicest reputation (no showing in public at age x), the best womanly skills (zither) is driven by her forever remembered terror of being a woman with no power and no options and no good marriage prospects.)

Even that scarred cousin who married the abuser got a little bit of interest from me - the way she tells his paralyzed body that even tho he beat her so badly she will take excellent care of him and the sheer terror in his eyes was great. Go girl!!!!

Still, hope next ep brings back the Duke and Co. (Jiang Li sent away the guard the Duke had on a mission for her and girl - bad life choice - guard had a big point in that he was there for her protection. And now diviner is coming and there is no guard. I guess she’s so bad at listening to instructions, the Duke will have to move in with her himself to make sure she does what he wants. What a hardship 😂)

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Silly thing but... got anything for Eclipsed! Lightning Nightmare?

We love that chaotic ophan-

Ah yes.

The menace herself.

Lightning Nightmare, otherwise known as Hasyut or "Syu," is an Ophan, as we know. She is... a force of chaos.

A younger Archi earned her well before the Conflict, oddly enough. She was escorting and nigh single-handedly protected a caravan of traders and doctors who were transporting a gravely injured Seraph to the Sanctuary. A group of Stellpeci Vespae as a handful of Fulmenix ambushed the caravan, agitated by a pair of rogue Starfolk pirates intending to ransack the caravan. Vespae are forces to be reckoned with, the Fulmenix didn't help any, and the caravan itself was largely comprised of non-combatants (hence the escort to begin with).

Long story short, Archi fought the ambush off by herself, and managed to apprehend one of the rogues. Unfortunately, she sustained some severe injuries and her weapon was completely shattered by the end of it.

Hasyut - still a fledgling Ophan at the time (think late teens) - was part of that caravan.

Some starlets might be traumatized, but Hasyut was all starry eyes and gushing because "THAT WAS AWESOME, did you see that?!", and told her flock about it immediately when she arrived back home. She never got the chance to tell Archi at the time, but boy howdy did she ever when she was given to Archi.

Between Hasyut's flock, the Seraph, and the caravan Archi saved, they decided she really should be given honors. Since her weapon - an exceedingly well made one at that - had been shattered in her efforts, they decided what better way that to bestow on her the honor of an Ophan companion?

And with Hasyut so obviously awestruck and at a perfect age for imprinting on a wielder, the choice of Ophan was obvious enough.

From then on, the two practically grew up together, attached at the hip and not too far off in terms of age (Archi would be, in Starfolk analogue, maybe 3-5 "years" older). She wasn't quite sure what to do with this starry-eyed excitable and chaotic ball of energy, but they bonded rapidly.

That bond transcended the Conflict in sheer loop-hole snagging defiance of Worldless. Where most friendships turned meaningless and hollow and drifted into nothing, this one lasted. Stunted and stilted and filtered through the Conflict's haze, but nonetheless it persisted. The two made for a lethal combination.

During the Conflict, Hasyut became a feared and respected commanding force (well, insofar as "fear" and "respect" still existed to Starfolk). She remained a pointed counterexample to the usual "voice of mercy" so common among the female Ophanim. Her residual pseudo personality so common among the former sophants took a colder, ruthless turn. You may remember it was her that ordered Willow to dispatch of The General. This, interestingly, was one of the very few cases of directly offensive action on the Lightfolk's side. They typically played defensively - they could afford to, and given their goals made perfect sense.

Were it not for other orders, she would have done so herself - she had it out for this rival commander. How could this weaker, Dark star, not even on par with an Ophan, be doing so much damage? It infuriated her. She would never admit to the lingering jealousy buried somewhere in there.

It's during this timeframe that Hasyut earned herself the title of the Lightning Nightmare, leveling small squadrons of Darkfolk with her absolutely brutal attacks and elusive combat rhythm. Even Lightfolk often gave her a wide berth on the field, both for fear of getting caught in an indiscriminate shockwave, and also for sake of actually having a fight.

Between Archi and Hasyut, the Darkfolk suffered some egregious losses. It's a lucky thing neither one found Aven - they came eerily close a couple times.

Post-conflict, Hasyut and Athena actually get along much better. It takes a bit though. That said, Willow is dumbfounded, mildly exasperated, and amused. Athena and Hasyut also share a mutual wide-eyed admiration for Archi, and Hasyut absolutely has to tell The General about The Caravan Incident. They are the leading members of the Archi fan-club, occasionally joined by Edda, Willow, and Aven.

Oh, and by the time the dust is settled, Archi and Hasyut are Animi Gemini. Ophan's and their wielders already have an incredible bond, but it's got a different timbre to it, and is utterly unique to Ophan and wielder. Animi Gemini is layered over that.

Attached at the hip as always, Hasyut remains by Archi's side doing medical work as an assistant, go-fer, and moral support. Her bedside manner leaves... something to be desired, though.

By now, "Lightning Nightmare" has retextured to a more affectionate nickname. While she finds some amusement in it, it also feels strange in her mouth and ears most of the time. She's never said anything about it, but Archi is really the only one who she doesn't mind it coming from. Archi picks up on this after a while, and starts subtly discouraging people from using the nickname. It still haunts Hasyut's dreams though, and eventually, in an effort to own it, she repurposes it into a racing moniker (she eagerly participates in the various races and athletic competitions the Starfolk hold, especially against other Ophanim).

[saintmeghanmarkle]

The Telegraph's review which includes thoroughly disrespectful paragraph about Queen Camilla by u/Von_und_zu_

The Telegraph's review, which includes thoroughly disrespectful paragraph about Queen Camilla Omid Scobie’s Endgame is ludicrous propaganda for Team Sussex... The reporter’s much-trailed study of the Royal family is laughably partial, devoid of insight and bizarrely misogynistichttps://archive.ph/mJGXXIt begins with a spot on observation:"Hell hath no fury like a royal reporter scorned. Omid Scobie’s Endgame is billed as the real story of what has been going on inside the Palace walls. But what runs through its 400-odd pages is Scobie’s sense of burning indignation that he was shut out." This indeed seems to me like Scoobie in a nutshell. Edit: This also reminds me of the effect of grey rocking the UnSussexfuls -- burning indignation that they have been ignored.Then it goes through some of the mean spirited nasty things he has to say about the main characters in this drama. But then it provides this excerpt about the Queen, and I must say, this is so off-putting, I really cannot believe anyone even pretending to be a serious journalist or author would publish it:" As for the Queen, is that a tone of misogyny I detect in Scobie’s prose? “Camilla,” he writes, “might not have stood on the barricades in the ’60s, but she did enjoy the sexual freedoms ushered in by that radical generation.” “Some who knew Camilla” have described her as “the sort to throw her knickers on the table”; he quotes, from one of the tabloids he despises, a housekeeper saying that she knew when Camilla had been to stay with Charles because there would be knickers all over the place. “Camilla’s undergarments making yet another appearance,” Scobie adds."Later, the review includes this: There is little gossip to be had here, unless you count Scobie regurgitating a rumour that one of Charles’s bodyguards found him with Camilla “doing what Lady Chatterley enjoyed best” in the garden at Camilla’s grandmother’s house. He caveats the story by saying it is “an old (but probably false) fable in royal circles”...It futher includes this paragraph that says to me that the UnSussexfuls really have no respect or regard for the Monarchy which was the life's work of the late Queen and his father and provided them with the titles to which they so desparately cling:There is a lot of petty detail, but Scobie’s target is bigger than any one individual. It is the monarchy itself, described here as “a desiccated system”, “a cratered Firm”, “an unstable family business” and “an institution in decline”. The family is “debilitatingly out-of-touch, even expendable” because it hails from “an incredibly shrinking, old-fashioned world of land barons, polo fields and posh formality”. “The rot has set in,” Scobie warns, “and it’s eating away at the monarchy’s undergirding.”Surely, this really must be the end of the Monarchy insofar as it heretofore included Harold and Madame. I hope as it goes forward, it does so without reference to them.​​ post link: https://ift.tt/2XpNaPi author: Von_und_zu_ submitted: November 28, 2023 at 05:06AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[fideidefenswhore]

I think the problem with Chapuys is that the ambassadors aren't really seen as "people", if you will, with agency and biases like everyone else, but just disembodied voices narrating the story, and so for a long time historians and writers just accepted reports at face value, because there wasn't "thought" behind it. You should write a book on him as a response to the other one. You've got a lot of interesting observations.

Omg, you're too kind. But thank you ❤️

Yeah, I actually made a similar observation to you, elsewhere, expanded a bit:

Unfortunately, the practice of using Chapuys' dispatches as the emotional blueprint for all these historical people has become rather prevalent. I think he had credible insights at times, but what's sort of forgotten is that while many of his reports are of what these people said and did (according to, a noblewo/man, or Cromwell, or a physician of a nobleman, or a servant of a gentleman, or 'several reliable quarters', or COA or Mary themselves), many others are simply what he's assuming they thought or said or felt, and have no specific incident or quote or source given. One particularly egregious example informed a lot of subsequent portrayals of Thomas & George Boleyn, namely that upon the death of COA in Jan 1536, they "must have said to themselves, what a pity it was that the Princess had not kept her mother company", with the 'must' (ie, speculation, rather than an actual report of what any of his sources claimed to have overheard) omitted.

[To wit]:

"The King’s mistress had from the very beginning resolved that the Princess should act as her train-bearer, and that she would cause her and her mother all manner of annoyances; but considering that her singular beauty, goodness, and virtue, might possibly induce the King to change his purpose, and that if the Princess were to attend Court, and be seen there continually, she might daily gain the hearts and favour of the courtiers, she has not allowed her to come." Jan 1534, Chapuys to Charles V

[Also, literally a month after this report Anne does invite her stepdaughter to court, the first of three recorded attempts, so...awkward.]

Now, as 'resolved' is not 'said' (it's also interesting that his concern seems to have shifted from the report of the year prior, in which making Mary her trainbearer was the least of what Anne threatened: 'I hear she has lately boasted that she will make of the Princess a maid of honour in her household, that she may perhaps give her too much dinner on some occasion [ie, poison], or marry her to some varlet [a low-ranking servant of poor birth, Chapuys would later refer to Mark Smeaton as a 'varlet']), this would be a case of the 'mind reading' I meant; insofar as some explanation as to why Mary was sent to Princess Elizabeth's household, which was a satellite of the the King's court, rather than the centre of everything, the King's court itself. Granted, I think AB fearing her stepdaughter's popularity is more likely, but the likelier explanation overall would be that Mary was not invited to court for the same reason her own household was dissolved; she defied Henry's appointment and determination of her illegitimacy. Youth and beauty and envy thereof was hardly the determinate factor here, considering [...] that Margaret Douglas, of almost identical age and equal in beauty (according to their contemporaries), was one of AB's preeminent ladies and much in favour...the determinate difference was that MD and her mother acknowledged Anne as Queen, and, for obvious reasons, Mary and hers did not. Rich pickings for the narrative trope casting Mary as Snow White and AB as her wicked stepmother, tho......

[zeldahime]

Highway to Pail Day 19

[Day 1] [Prev] [Next] @do-it-with-style-events

February 19: I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.

The angel did not have a desk, because desks had not been invented yet. He did not have a pencil, because those hadn't been invented yet either. What he had was a quill and a book and an innate understanding of the physical laws of the universe and a mission ordained by God.

He was going to build a nebula.

Not design it, technically, just build it. He was given the designs by the Archangel Saraqael, who said that they had been written by God Herself. He'd given a bit of feedback at the beginning, proposed a couple edits, and Saraqael had just looked at him and handed it right back, but that was okay. She hadn't said no, so he went ahead with them anyway. It had been a lot of red, very nouveau-Gothic except that original Gothic hadn't happened yet.

He thought that in the Z quadrant, there should be a bit of a pinky-blue kind of thing, and a bright orange splotch up in the corner of B area, and a big bright yellow streak right down the center. It was going to be glorious.

He sat on the firmament, insofar as firmament existed enough to be sat upon, the book floating in front of him as he worked out the calculations.

Time wasn't really a thing that existed, as such, so there's not a measurement that can tell us how long the angel worked there, alone in the firmament. It was long enough that each time he returned to Heaven to rest or to retrieve a tool, he didn't recognize any of the angels he saw there. He didn't know where Saraqael went. He didn't mind, because he hadn't known any of the angels to begin with. He hadn't been born with friends, just a Divine plan to enact.

Eventually, his nebula was nearly complete. He'd constructed over a million pages of meticulously detailed calculations, graphs and charts, all to carry out the Concept he'd been handed down from On High (plus his couple little tweaks, stuff to make it even better). He'd gotten the winding kit from the Quartermaster and the blessed scroll to concentrate the miraculous energy that would activate the firmament.

God's Plan was going to go off without a hitch.

Except... there was one last bit.

The blessed scroll wasn't like the book. It didn't interact with the firmament, didn't float in the nothingness of space. The angel needed two hands in order to hold it properly, and then he'd need to stand a foot away and turn the crank in order to wind up the nebula. For all the brains God had given him, he couldn't figure out how to work it solo.

He tried for a while, growing more and more frustrated, until he saw a bright blue light zooming through what would become the cosmos. A fellow angel—someone to hold the scroll!

"Excuse me! Hi!" he yelled, waving them down.

The blue light changed course. He agreed to hold the scroll. And the other angel was there with him, watching as he said "let there be light" and as his nebula was born. He thought the other angel would leave after that, but he stayed and talked. He introduced himself as Aziraphale, tried to warn him about what happened when you made suggestions to God.

The angel had already made suggestions to God, and nothing bad had happened, had it? No. This Aziraphale's heart was in the right place, the angel thought, but surely whatever he was all worked about couldn't be that bad.

Sometime after Time started, the demon remembered this conversation, looking up at the angel on the wall. He remembered his book and his nebula. He remembered Aziraphale, and how much he had cared about someone he'd barely met getting into trouble.

He slithered up the wall to say hello.

[caesarflickermans]

dear prof. dr. caesarflickermans (the prof dr is still so funny to me), can you please tell me more about how v sees plutarch's body? he's pretty neutral about his own body, but what's her opinion on it (his body and how he sees it)? thank you so much <3

What we need to keep in mind about bodies within the Capitol is that similar beauty standards apply to them as in our real world, but that changing one’s body comes at a much smaller cost than what we know. The dieting pills are hinting at this fact in canon, and my perception of the Capitol in terms of pharmaceuticals or plastic surgery has been shaped around the ease with which one had access to such the in-canon pills. For example, Virgilia makes frequent note of plastic surgery and Caesar, too, has had some done.

This implies a lot about Plutarch’s body even at first glance: That him being overweight is, in contrast to today, very much a choice. Paired with his movie look—that of a relatively subdued style, little makeup, receded hairline—and you get a man who does not fall into the standard Capitol appearance.

Plutarch is not unaware of his options; which indicate that he has chosen to abstain from the Capitol’s beauty industry. You and I have often referred to this as his own little rebellion inside the rebellion.

This appearance difference is an immediate fact Virgilia notices about him in the very first description we receive of Plutarch. His weight being the main signifier:

The new [Head Gamemaker] was rounder than the usual visitor, yet it suited his face, making him appear softer and kinder than the pointed sticky faces who had aged terribly and talked in long and exhausting sentence. (SSLWR, CH1)

The first chapter and its first half cover a relatively broad and purposefully undefined time. What pauses this narration is a regular dinner with an irregular guest. Plutarch’s weight is the first irregularity within that and his interest in making watches the second. Both throw her off and both are part of the initial fascination she has with him.

Plutarch’s body is defined as the other. In the first case, it is the contrast to the usual visitors, but it’s a frequent subject with which Virgilia draws lines between her current circumstances and Plutarch. For example, we have him not fitting into the mansion:

There were barely any straight lines, except for his thick eyebrows, and he seemed so strange in the frame of a mansion that fitted right to Gratia—or Gratia to the mansion. (SSWLR, CH2)

But the most important comparison is that between Snow and Plutarch:

Yet, [Plutarch] was so very lovely the way he was; she pictured him less bony than her husband when embraced. What was it like to be held by him? It must certainly feel extraordinarily pleasant. (SSLWR, CH7)

This is the key point of why she is so drawn to his weight, especially at first, because he is the exact opposite to Snow. At first all she knows about him is the visual difference, but this visual difference is only an indicator for what comes next, insofar that Plutarch from a character level and from a relationship level is the very opposite.

For example, a frequent point within the fanfiction is that Virgilia is not good at talking and uttering her thoughts. A main reason for that is because she has never been given the momentum to speak—you cannot be good at speaking or debating if you aren't practiced in it. She is not invited to partake in any of the conversations that are, to her, not part of her skill level—"They talked about the economy, or something, [...]" (CH1). In contrast, Plutarch is noted to be waiting for her to voice her thoughts, frequently being attributed with patience as early as chapter 3. When she speaks, he doesn't interrupt her. He takes her words seriously.

Once they grow closer romantically, Virgilia begins to have a fascination with feeling his body. She wonders about what it might feel like to hug him in the above quote, and once she receives a hug, she feels positive about his body both as it is and in contrast to her husband:

Plutarch’s hug was warm and welcoming. His arms were rather strong, wrapping around her so entirely and keeping her close for only but a mere moment. But that was enough, more than enough, sensing an ubiquitous prickle spreading from her stomach as she felt him so close. Virgilia imagined hearing a pounding heartbeat—albeit it might have been her own. He was different from her husband, whose large but thin shape seemed so cold and empty. No, Plutarch didn’t slip away from her, even when her chin briefly came to rest on his shoulder. He appeared ever so real, caught in the moment in the same way the sun warmed her face after clouded days, awakening her anew in a reality that grew dense and present. (SSLWR, CH8)

To paraphrase, Plutarch is: warm, welcoming, strong, hugging her whole, stays with her, feels real. Her husband is thin, cold, empty. While some of it has to do with the nature of their hug—for example the length—much of it is a comparison between two bodies, and Plutarch’s being attributed only positive notions. She’s fascinated by how he feels and wonders about it because she is craving that connection with him. She daydreams about him, and some of those include what his body—a foreign, unexplored entity—feels like.

I very purposefully wrote about those moments and about how she views his body. I did not want her to be detached from it, both because the difference felt important, but also because a romance with an overweight character would feel wrong if it glossed over the body. It felt important to make his weight part of her attraction, not an in-spite-of or a secretly feeling grossed out by it. Neither did I want to make her too obsessed with it in a kinky sense, because overweight people are people, not kinks. My goal was to make this part of her attraction to him without it being the sole part of her fascination—that, if he were to lose weight, she wouldn’t jump ship, but that she nonetheless likes him that way and isn’t interested in having him change for her sake.

Obviously, one of the most significant scenes in terms of Plutarch’s body and Virgilia's thoughts on it happen during the sex scene in chapter 14:

She kissed him the way that flowers looked up at the sun, desired every ray of its warmth, every attention of its light. Her hands had grown desperate in hunger, moving from the stubbles of his cheeks down the muscles in his arms to the softness of his belly. (SSLWR, CH14)

This is the first time she is exploring his body. She is once more affirming his softness in the first quote. Once more, Plutarch is different: Virgilia lives in a world where everything with sharp edges, poking bones, or straight lines is not safety and not love. Plutarch is, because of his otherness, safety and love.

Touching him had been different than she expected, and yet all what she had hoped for. Plutarch was not like the people in the Capitol, whose latest craze seemed to have bones poking out everywhere. Her hands trailed across his chest, led by the soft hair that adorned his upper torso. Each breath of his lifted chest and belly, bolstered his shoulders and changed the shadows cast across. Eventually, the hair was gone, far too few in between, and she had been left alone as her fingers traced to his belly button. It was then that something had tugged on the edge of her mind. (SSLWR, CH14)

She is making room for this interest by exploring his upper body; affirming the difference and being allowed to roam and explore at the speed she needs. In that moment, Plutarch is watching her, and he’s once more being patient as she is touching him. This quote is followed up by him asking about undoing her hair, and it’s an equal fascination on his part that Virgilia is not in the know about yet. They both have mysteries they wish to explore about the other that day. His body and its weight is hers.

She sunk deeper into the bed, deeper into the black fabric. Blonde hair appeared, then his thick brows, the warm gaze, and lips smudged with her lipstick. Plutarch had climbed on top of her, and what seemed a not-too-uncommon place, whenever she moved, he responded by shifting his weight; enough that she could break away if needed—except she did not want to. There was trust in the heaviness of his on top of her, and, for once her heart ached not for escaping, but for more. (SSLWR, CH14)

I’ve thought about this moment a lot before writing it, and I’ve worked on those lines a lot. Plutarch’s weight is a factor once more—again, I never wanted it to be mentioned once and then be ignored—and it’s one that could be very scary. It’s a fact that he is heavy. He could easily overwhelm her and sleep with her as he pleases, completely ignoring her needs while keeping her in place. 

The easy solution is to switch—and have her be on top. Right before this quote, they actually have a conversation (“There were whispers exchanged, like small gusts of wind carried into the woods.”) and while I leave the exact words out because it’s more reaffirming the wants of each other, it being followed up by her sinking into the bed, and him climbing on top of her should give away at least parts of the content of their conversation—Plutarch, himself likely insecure, asks her if she would like to be on top.

They don’t go for the easy solution. And that is because Virgilia trusts him. I didn’t go into the depths of their sexual relationship because it did not feel like the fanfiction to do that—I really don’t like more explicit smut scenes in a work otherwise not very focused on them—but it is alluded here that she enjoys the feeling of him, with all his weight, being on top of her. She likes feeling that, despite every odds technically being against her, this is a safe space, and he’s listening to her. Him moving when she does might initially be born from discomfort on his part, but it is meant to eventually become a play where both move in unison knowing the other, and this is its first act.

There is some part insecurity voiced by Plutarch at the end of the chapter. This quote happens right after Plutarch jokes about how she had not gotten a younger lover, which leaves Virgilia confused.

With an equal amount of confusion, much as if she did not understand that the sun rose every morning, he opened his mouth far before words could come out. “Most might prefer someone who is stronger or taller or younger and certainly with less grey hair.” (SSLWR, CH14)

She responds that she likes him and his hair. While much of her thoughts on his body are focused on weight, the other parts of it not affirming to Capitol beauty standards, such as non-grey hair, an indicator of aging, are loved, too. She likes him, and she likes his body.

To return to general ideas about Plutarch’s body—and we did somewhat talk about this recently!—his body is something daring to her. Virgilia has time and time again given into the beauty standards. She needs to maintain them as they are closely tied with her own survival. Plutarch does not need to do the same; and Virgilia recognises it for the rebellion it is.

She will always love him regardless the body he has, but the body he has as seen in the movies is a source of comfort, love, and safety for her. She wouldn’t change a thing about him.

[avelera]

Having a Neil Gaiman moment over here when I realized you saw my tags. Like, “Oh this author I adore that who I know reads their tags might notice, but oh well!” And then just doing a tag ramble because that’s what one does on tumblr, and then. WELP. The mortifying ordeal of your tags being known. 🤣

Anyways!! I would love anything you’re willing to do for Calliope’s perspective. You’ve done one of my favorite characterizations of her that I’ve seen and it’s arresting in the best way. I want to know more of her in this world, Pre-Madoc, and see what she thinks after everything is said and done and if this human truly IS the match of her ex husband. It’s just so fascinating to think about her perspective of their relationship as an outsider with intimate knowledge of Dream and what it means for where Hob and Dream are at!

Friend-o I religiously read my tags you don't understand like how much I'm obsessed with seeing every little thought people might have about my work! (LOL, meanwhile I too live in terror of one my critiques of Mr Gaiman's work from a literary angle one day making it back to him, eep!)

I will say, without diving into prose for it, that Giving Sanctuary Calliope being Pre-Madoc was very central to planning out her character.

I wanted her to be even more strident and powerful than we see her in canon. There's... hmm... something of a theme that plays into with Giving Sanctuary, that's based on my own lived experience, that sometimes it can take quite a while for powerful, confident people to recognize and admit that something traumatic has happened to them and that it has changed them? And there are scars left behind the first time something really bad happens to a person who had previously thought themselves untouchable? So this is not to say that Calliope was in any way weakened by her time with Madoc, but she might have been changed by it, and at least when we see her in the immediate aftermath, she's more quiet and reserved than she might have been before he captured her, before she's had any time to heal and go back to her old self (insofar as anyone can).

I think to express this is not to diminish the experience of the victim, but to rather acknowledge the violence of the hurt? Calliope was more strident and self-assured, more powerful in the way she took up space before she was captured.

Dream before Orpheus died was happier and it did make him shrink into himself and harden towards the world and become icy and cruel and callous towards the suffering of others when his son died and his wife left him and it felt like the whole world turned against him at once so he lashed back harder and shut Calliope from his kingdom. The whole fic begins because a moment's kindness and empathy from Hob awakens Dream to the realization that Lucienne is afraid of him, that him being party to "cursing" Hob with immortality when Hob hadn't done anything to him and indeed, showed him kindness when they spoke the first time, was monstrously cruel and unjustifiable. Dream as a powerful person took two thousand years to admit that a bad thing happened to him and he can't just use his power to wish it all away and Dream of 1,000 Cats Orpheus back to life! That there's no fixing this and he's been hurt and it changed him, deeply.

And finally, likewise, with Hob. Hob was at the top of the world in 1589! Even when he embarked upon having a family and trying to do it all "right" he did it from a place of hubris, as one who had never really been hurt before. It never occurred to him that his wife or children could die young, or hate him for his immortality, or that some other tragedy could befall them. He waited until he did everything "right" in terms of wealth and status and had a family and thought having waited and planned that long would somehow shield him from the random tragedy of chance, and it didn't. He is scarred by that tragedy, he has shrunk within himself, he is trying to claw his way back and he has faith that he will, someday, but that time is now lost, that suffering has now been felt, he has seen those depths of deprivation and he will never be the same. I headcanon that in canon, without Dream's help, this set Hob on a path to becoming the apathetic, self-centered monster in the 1700s who was so focused on regaining wealth and status after losing them so traumatically that he didn't give a fuck about entering the "shipping business" to do it! GS Hob has already diverged from that path, just by having Dream's kindness and mercy stop his descent into becoming more like Dream over the next century of self-defensive cruelty.

... None of which was your question about Calliope BUT! At the risk of this getting even more insanely long, I will say this:

For Calliope, the most humiliating part of her separation from Dream was Dream becoming a monster. It already took a great deal of courage for her to flout her entire family to marry him in the first place, I can't even imagine having my wedding boycotted by my family? So for him to be so cruel to Orpheus, for Orpheus to then die, and for Dream to just shut himself off from the world and become this icy monster who doesn't give a fuck about anyone and barred his own wife from his realm? That was humiliating for Calliope. It made her feel like maybe she was an idiot, maybe her family was right all along!

The hope she sees in Hob is for him to make Dream a good person again, the person he was when he was in love with her. The person she felt was worthy of her hand in marriage. She recognizes with age and experience that the bitterness began to brew between her and Dream because she couldn't give him the sort of 24/7 clingy affection he craved because how lonely he was being Dream of the Endless, he wanted a personal life so badly and so when she wanted to go create, he grew increasingly bitter about it, because the thing that brought them together (creating) was now driving them apart (Dream just wants to cuddle when she wants to make art together!). She sees in Hob, who has been in love with Dream for 300 years, who is human, who is good for him, who makes him smile, and who *can be* that personal life to Dream, joyfully!, that Calliope saw as her second priority after being a Muse, and she has hope. Not just for Dream, but for herself, that maybe she just wasn't quite the right person for Dream, this famous ex husband of hers. And if Hob works out, Dream will become kind again, and she'll be able to point to him to her family and say, "See, I wasn't the right person, but we were happy for a time, and now he IS with the right person and just look at him. Look at how kind and wonderful and full of joy he is, the Lord of the Dreaming. That is the man I married. That was the person who was worthy of me. And you were wrong to say I was a fool for marrying that person, because he is worthy of love."

[checkoutmybookshelf]

...Someone Get Me Back on the Ice

Ok, for a lot of reasons, I was never a competetive athlete. That said...I am Canadian and I was probably 3 or 4 years old when my grandparents bought me my first pair of skates and my parents took me to the (manmade) kiddie rink in the park to teach me to skate. My middle sister and I had skating lessons for a few years, our parents took us skating pretty often growing up, and when we moved into the big house in Alaska, we had a pond out back that we skated (and burned christmas trees--yes, it was always awesome) on every winter until I left the state. And even when I moved back to Canada, I brought my skates with me and still use the arenas and outdoor town square rink in the winter. All this to say that while I'm never going to be an Olympian, I deeply love skating, so when there was a cozy college skating romance between a figure skater and a hockey team captain...it was not a hard sell. And then I was absolutely delighted by this cozy, fluffy, very skate-y book. Let's talk Icebreaker.

CONTENT WARNING: I'm not going to cover much of this here, but if anyone wants to pick up this book, please be aware that it does contain disordered eating, a super controlling/abusive relationship, and a near-death experience, so take care of you when choosing your books!

The very last thing Anastasia Allen wants to do right before sectionals is be forced to share her rink with a hockey team. Then she gets adopted by a bunch of overgrown man-children with hearts of gold who enjoy body-slamming other overgrown man-children into the boards over a puck. It is possibly the most adorable thing I have ever seen, and it is the best possible embodiment of the healthy, non-toxic version of "boys will be boys" insofar as the team just genuinely love and support each other and make space for Anastasia and Lola in that world with care, respect, and joy. I love it so, so much.

Of course, Anastasia is not here just to be adopted by a hockey team. She's also very much in danger of falling deeply in love with Nate Hawkins, captain of said hockey team. Nate and Anastasia are a genuinely darling, adorable couple, and watching them together was just FUN.

Particularly in contrast to Anastasia's relationship with her skating partner, Aaron. Who is--to put it mildly--the biggest most manipulative toxic douchebag I have ever seen. There's something about his and Anastasia's relationship that managed to embody everything that can go horribly toxic with athletic partnerships and how difficult it can be when your dream relies on someone who is actively trying to drag you down.

The super nice thing though, is that Aaron is absolutely the bad guy in this book. Neither Nate nor Ryan (the adorable himbo basketball player she begins the book in a friends-with-benefits arrangement with) descend to Aaron's level. They are there to support Anaastasia. That doesn't mean they don't get angry or jealous--they're human men in their late teens/early 20s, of COURSE they get angry and jealous--but they deal with those emotions pretty freaking healthily, and they don't descend into petty ego-based bullshit. Add that to Anastasia's therapy-honed communication skills, and the relationships in this book are just so well done. Sometimes relationships in romances can get weirdly toxic for drama, but that's not the case here, which made this cozy romance GENUINELY delightful to read.

The side characters are also super well-developed and full of personality, so everyone in this book feels well-rounded, real, and delightful. From Lola to Henry, Robbie, Russ, and JJ, you get to know an ensemble of strong secondary characters in the context of the main romantic relationship, and Anastasia and Henry's platonic love for each other might be the best platonic relationship I've seen in FOREVER. I would 100% read a spinoff novel about those two buddy-ing around.

Author Hannah Grace is a self-proclaimed "fluffy comfort book writer," and if Icebreaker is any example, then ACCURATE. And I cannot recommend this book enough, it was a delight to read from start to finish.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

Piggybacking off of my thoughts here a bit, here are some further musings on the distinction between Will and Bedelia in how they relate to Hannibal -

To put it briefly, they’re both afraid of Hannibal, but Bedelia is afraid of what Hannibal will do to her, whereas Will is afraid of what Hannibal brings out in him.

That Bedelia is afraid Hannibal will eat her, and that her general objection to his entire deal is the risk he poses to her, is pretty obviously established. She’s intrigued by his extra-moral tendencies, but balks when confronted with the reality of what he is. In Florence, her therapy is motivated by a genuine desire to help him, imo, but also by self-preservation, pitting him against Will and continuing to be useful to him so as to prolong her survival. And once she gets away from him, she’s got no inclination to see him again - as she tells Will, “I’ve seen enough of him.”

But while Bedelia certainly has trouble stomaching actual murder (as seen in the cases of Neal Frank and Anthony Dimmond), she doesn’t seem particularly fazed by the mere fact that violence appeals to her. When talking to Will, she owns her urge to crush a wounded bird without any compunction. She might not actually do it, but she’s not troubled by the impulse itself. She doesn’t believe in thoughtcrime! Hannibal recognized her sadistic and destructive impulses, and perhaps even helped make her more aware or accepting of them, but they don’t instill guilt in her or destabilize her sense of identity - she simply finds acting on them disturbing and unpalatable. So the horror in her relationship with Hannibal stems not from having to confront herself, but in the creeping threat of what he’s capable of - and the fact that it’s so much more than what she’s capable of, that she's bitten off more than she can chew.

Will, on the other hand, is surprisingly unconcerned with Hannibal’s murder and cannibalism - at least, insofar as he himself could become a victim of it. He snarks about the cannibalism a few times - “I haven’t been gorged, drowned, plucked, and roasted” in Ko No Mono, and “If you’re partial to beef products, it is inconvenient to be compassionate toward a cow” in Wrath of the Lamb - but unlike Bedelia, he doesn’t seem seriously preoccupied the threat of it. When he discovers that Hannibal has had other murder protégés in Randall and Margot (and makes a connection to Bedelia), what upsets him about the implications as to his possible disposability to Hannibal seems to be less the idea that Hannibal might kill him, and more that the authenticity of their bond is in question - that Hannibal might not be wrestling with the same conflicted feelings that Will is, and that Will is nothing but another toy for him to play with (“wind me up and watch me go”, etc.)

The horror of Hannibal, for Will, initially comes from the shock of the realization of his true nature - starting with Savoureux and continuing into early season 2, the stag man indicates the terrifying dissonance of the fact that someone Will trusted and opened up to so much could have such a monstrous nature, without him realizing it. But in the second half of season 2, it shifts into the horror of Will’s own transformation, and of the blurring between him and Hannibal. He comes to feel, as Chiyoh sums up, that he has to kill Hannibal to avoid becoming him, and that’s reflected in a lot of the most overt horror elements of the latter season 2 arc. The beginning of Ko No Mono - imo, one of the most genuinely unsettling nightmares sequences in the show - features the imagery of Will emerging, screaming, from the stag, which is rendered chrysalis-like - Hannibal’s nature is secondary to the horror of Will’s own becoming. That same episode features the extraordinarily uncanny few seconds in Hannibal’s office in which Hannibal’s face is swapped with Will’s, seemingly listening to himself talk, and then Will is in turn swapped with Hannibal - like the blending of their faces in the final shot of Naka-Choko, the unsettling horror elements are centered on the fear of Will’s loss of himself, of not knowing where he ends and Hannibal begins.

The summation of this is Will’s rejection of Hannibal in Digestivo. It’s not on the basis of Hannibal trying to eat his brains, which in a different story would easily be the “you’ve tried to hurt/kill me too many times” last straw. It’s “I don’t have your appetite.” Yes, it’s deliberately chosen because it would hurt Hannibal the most, but I’d also say it’s true in that it’s the main reason Will wants to be able to walk away from Hannibal - the fact that Hannibal brings out a part of Will that Will himself doesn’t want to face.

To put it another way, Bedelia is pretty thoroughly amoral, and in this she’s actually more akin to Hannibal than Will is. Will does have system of morals - one could even say an overly rigid and punitive one - but his moral compass just starts going haywire whenever Hannibal is around because of Hannibal’s irresistible magnetism (really getting some mileage out of this metaphor). Hannibal sees himself as God, and his values are centered on his own whims and aesthetic preferences. Bedelia’s values are centered on her own self-preservation first and foremost. But the fact that she has this particular quality in common with Hannibal is exactly why it’s so easy for her to walk away from him when she’s had enough. She’s self-possessed enough that she doesn’t need him the way Will does. For Will on the other hand, Hannibal brings about a rupturing of his sense of self. So he’s inclined to set himself up for pain and violence, over and over, in seeking Hannibal out, just to find some kind of clarity. And whether he rejects Hannibal or embraces him, there’s always a sense that he’ll lose some fundamental part of himself.

I would say this is part of why it’s important to Will that Hannibal take something from Bedelia, as she puts it in 3.12. Part of it is his belief that “if you play, you pay” and his moral outrage over her ability to escape without consequences. But I think another part of it is more personal resentment - resentment of the fact that she’s able to let Hannibal go so easily, using her experiences with him for monetary gain without much emotional turmoil. That she doesn’t dwell on Hannibal, doesn’t struggle with her feelings about him, doesn’t feel the same confusion and anguish and longing that Will does. The fact that it’s possible for anyone to have a brush with Hannibal without feeling that.

[haggishlyhagging]

Ti-Grace Atkinson sees love as part of women's condition of oppression, not as a salvageable good that had been corrupted. She assumes that men do not love: Her discussion focuses on what love does to women. She sees love as a political institution, necessary to the functioning of male domination.

I propose that the phenomenon of love is the psychological pivot in the persecution of women. Because the internalization of coercion must play such a key functional part in the oppression of women due to their numbers alone, and because of the striking grotesqueness of the one-to-one political units ‘pairing’ the Oppressor and the Oppressed, the hostile and the power-less, and thereby severing the Oppressed from any kind of political aid, it is not difficult to conclude that women by definition must exist in a special psychopathological state of fantasy both in reference to themselves and to their manner of relating to their counterclass. This pathological condition, considered the most desirable state for any woman to find herself in, is what we know as the phenomenon of love.

The most common female escape is the psychopathological condition of love. It is a euphoric state of fantasy in which the victim transforms her oppressor into her redeemer. She turns her natural hostility toward the aggressor against the remains of herself—her Consciousness—and sees her counterpart in contrast to herself as all-powerful (as he is by now at her expense).

The combination of his power, her self-hatred, and the hope for a life that is self-justifying—the goal of all living creatures—results in a yearning for her stolen life—her Self— that is the delusion and poignancy of love. 'Love' is the natural response of the victim to the rapist.

Power brings love, she says.

Any theory of attraction could begin with the definition of the verb 'to attract': the exertion of a force such as magnetism to draw a person or a thing... Usually the magnetized moves toward the magnet in response to the magnet's power; otherwise, the magnetized is immobile... Unfortunately, magnetism depends upon inequity.

According to Atkinson, women have not necessarily had a choice about whether to love—or whether to have sexual relations.

Isn't love a transgression of the self? A giving over of what we know will be taken by violence if we don't?

To refuse to name this giving "love" might make it unbearably grim.

Insofar at least as love is inequitable, that is, as long as it is not by definition reciprocal, love will not survive the liberation of women.

Atkinson assumes that love will remain non-reciprocal.

Almost none of Atkinson's definitions of love apply to love between women, which clearly is not the response of the victim to the rapist or a giving over of something that could be taken by force.

What is love but the payoff for the consent to oppression? What is love but need? What is love but fear? In a just society, would we need love?

Atkinson clearly thinks the answer to the last question is "no." If all personal needs are political needs, then in a politically just society there would be no needs. Perhaps this submerges the personal a little too much into the political, the individual into the collective.

An article by the Feminists, which shows Atkinson's work, says:

We must destroy love (an institution by definition), which is generally recognized as approval and acceptance. Love promotes vulnerability, dependence, possessiveness, susceptibility to pain, and prevents the full development of a woman's human potential by directing all her energies outward in the interests of others.

Unlike Beauvoir and Firestone, Atkinson does not see love as something that can be salvaged, but as a development that was created solely to foster male domination. She sees autonomy as the feminist goal, and sees friendship as being more compatible with autonomy than love is.

I distinguish between 'friendship' and 'love.' 'Friendship' is a rational relationship which requires the participation of two parties to the mutual satisfaction of both parties. 'Love' can be felt by one party; it is unilateral by nature, and, combined with its relational character, it is thus rendered contradictory and irrational.

But Atkinson is not recognizing that friendship and "love" may co-exist in the same situation. One friend, for instance, may love another sexually, and the other may not reciprocate in the same sense, but a caring interaction may still be possible. Such interrelations are common among lesbians. Some kinds of love may be on a continuum with friendship; such a concept is not part of Atkinson's framework in Amazon Odyssey.

In a 1979 interview with off our backs, Atkinson told me that she had feelings for women that might be called "love," but she would prefer not to use that term. Atkinson said present-day friendship for her generally means friendship among women. Friendship with men, like love, poses dangers.

An article by the Feminists, which clearly reflects Atkinson's touch, says,

Friendship between men and women, under the present conditions of inequality, is the pretence that equality and mutual respect exists. So long as the male role exists, men have the option of assuming it; therefore, the relationship is one of jeopardy to women. In actuality, friendship serves to reinforce the female role need for approval and support.

-Carol Anne Douglas, Love and Politics: Radical Feminist and Lesbian Theories

[enchantra35]

Reflections upon Volumes 7 & 8 of RWBY by a first-time watcher

Hi, it’s me again. I’m writing this as I have already gotten into volume 9, but I believe it’s a good opportunity to recapitulate and review what has happened before the Ever After.

- Volumes 7 & 8 play around a lot with many ethical dillemas. We see all characters trying to figure out what is the right thing to do. Everyone has their own ideas about what is right, and this is exactly what is creating conflict. Ultimately, this struggle leads to the fall of Atlas. At the beginning, there is not a clear answer to the pending question of what is the right thing to do, but towards the end of volume 8, what becomes clear to the viewer is what isn’t the right thing, even if that isn’t clear to all of the characters.

- General Ironwood is the primal example of such a character. I admit that I was slightly more sympathetic towards him in earlier volumes, but volume 8 in particular made me despise him greately. That said, I don’t think he was completely on the wrong. He was driven by fear and rightfully so. However, that still doesn’t justify any of his actions. His hero complex blinded him and turned him into a violent tyrant who didn’t hesitate to kill anyone who disagrees with him (Jaqcues Schnee being the exception, he had it coming). He becomes dangerous and when his subordinates turned against him, he doesn’t even pause to think why. All he says is that he has always expected to be betrayed. Yeah, well I wonder why. He’s foolish to believe that loyalty is unconditional. He learns the hard way that this is not remotely true.

-Ironwood’s actions also create conflict within his own forces by bringing forth the dillema between fullfilling one’s duty and doing the right thing. Winter Schnee and the Ace-Ops in particular are those who struggle the most with this dillema. The deaths of Clover and Vine show that those above do not always have the best interests in mind, and blind loyalty leads nowhere but to distruction. Admittedly, I was shocked to see Clover die, but in retrospect I understand why it happened. 

-Conflict doesn’t only exist among the ranks of the Atlas’ military, but among the huntresses as well. It’s heartbreaking to watch team RWBY split and it’s not easy to claim which side was right (to me, both of them made valid points). The conflict exists not only on a team level, but also on a personal level, as we see among Ruby and Yang, or Ren and Nora.

-These two volumes focused quite a bit on Renora. I actually liked the fact that they decided to expand upon Nora’s character, because insofar she was the archetype of a “comical relief” or an accessory to Ren. It was heartwarming to watch them reunite and reach a common understanding of their relationship. Ren has a difficult time processing his anger and the rest of his emotions throughout these volumes, but ultimately he learns to manage them and to acknowledge Nora’s feelings too. 

-Speaking of ships, Bumbleby also becomes a lot more clear these seasons, although there’s a bit less focus on them this time around. But the signs become even clearer. For starters, the subtle flirting and Blake laughing with Yang’s jokes. To the more angsty side of the spectrum, Yang also fears that Blake thinks less of her because she made a different decision. Jaune does little to comfort her, assuming she’s talking about Ruby (he’s an oblivious idiot, I love him), but Yang’s response makes it obvious she wasn’t referring to Ruby LFMAO. Right after that when they return to the Schnee mansion, Ruby and Weiss are open to Yang, but Blake sits back hesitatly. But Yang approaches her, caresses her face and they bonk heads. AGAIN! And don’t get me started about all the blushing, I’m going to run out of space. But the rollercoaster of emotions idensifies when Yang falls into the void and we witness first-hand Blake’s despare. If it hadn’t been for Weiss, she would have jumped after Yang, I think we all know that.

-Penny has had one of the sudden stories (in my list, she’s up there with Pyrrha). How can so good a person suffer so much? But I think the most tragic part of her story was the fact that she gained a human body, only to die a little bit later on. I mean, I kind of expected it because it seemed to me that Winter becoming the Winter Maiden was sort of unavoidable, it’s so heavy implied. But it didn’t make it hurt any less. She was loved by so many people, her father, Ruby and her friends, and even Winter. 

-Speaking of Winter, at this point I’d like to mention how much I FUCKING LOVE this woman. I really liked her early on, but I was a little bit worried about the fact that she was Ironwood’s subordinate. But when she finally turned against him after realizing what a monster he is, I cheered so LOUDLY. Yass girl, now go chop his dick off- I mean, slay! I also loved her bond with Weiss, the Schnee sisters really said, fuck this stupid family. Yes, she gives Weiss some tough love, but she does love Weiss, I think beyond anything less. It suddens me how distressed she is now that she thinks Weiss is dead. 

-ALSO speaking of the Schnees, I’d also like to point out how the family instantly bonds again in the absence of Jacques. Again, fuck this GUY. The only good thing James Ironwood did was kill him.

-I hope I’m not alone when I say Winter and Robyn should kiss

-Although we are given some context about Cinder’s past, I cannot bring myself to sympathize with her. Yes, I can see why she became what she became, but that doesn’t make her any less of a horrible person. She also seems very childish to me. When Watts yelled at her, I was like: “When the worst person you know makes some good points”. I hope Neopolitan actually beats her ass the next time they meet. Cinder definately didn’t deserve Emerald’s royalty AT ALL.

-I also felt really bad when Hazel sacrificed himself in order to stop Salem, because although it’s not very explicitly shown, he grew to be something of a fatherly figure to Emerald at least. 

-ALSO WE SAW GLYNDA AFTER I DON’T KNOW HOW MANY SEASONS? GET MY GIRL OUT OF THAT BASEMENT.

-A little comment on volume 9 and I will call this a day, because this already an essay on its own and not just an afterthought LOL. It is clear Ruby WILL suffer a lot. The psychological trauma caused by the death of Penny, and the overall guilt about both Penny’s death and the fall of Atlas is just too much to handle. Ren was right to still call her a child back in volume 8 I believe. This is too much of a burden for a kid to carry. I will not be surprised to see her break down. 

[aladaylessecondblog]

Mother, pt. 4

Author's Note: Ffs this is gonna turn into its own fic...

--------------

Tav appeared in Reithwin with a slight smile, and when one or two of the children who knew her ran up, she asked, "Where is Halsin, little ones?"

They took her by the hands and, giggling, pulled her along behind them. She smiled, running after them without a trace of resentment. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and it did her heart good to see them so happy.

Halsin was sitting beside a sapling tree, apparently showing a horde of other children how to safely whittle a block of wood. The two who had led her there quickly joined the rest of the group, and she stood towards the back, watching over them.

After a few minutes he looked up, and on noticing her, made some excuse to the children and instructed one of the older children to ensure that no one was in danger of cutting any fingers off.

Tav gave a brief smile as he approached. "Halsin...it is good to see you again."

"You've been away for some time," he replied, "I was beginning to wonder..."

"I could never forget you. I would prefer to forget the one who wears our star's face, but..." Tav shook her head. "He is no longer the man we loved. I thought I was helping by letting him--"

"Let us talk of other things. Like what you have been doing. Surely something to the benefit of the children, considering you have made it your sphere."

She nodded. "I was...ensuring that the devil that plagued our journey would no longer attempt to make deals with children."

"My heart--"

"I know what you would say," she went on quietly, "That it is too dangerous, that I cannot trust him. That he will inevitably win out over me in the end. Perhaps he has...but I have ensured his agreement. He will no longer offer deals to children."

"And in exchange?" Halsin asked, "What did you promise him? To share the power you gained from the Crown?"

"Insofar as it relates to his attempt to conquer the hells," Tav replied.

"There is more, isn't there." He studied her face, and she felt herself forced to nod. "Why? Why would you agree to this? It pains me to see you offer yourself up like this, a lamb running to the slaughter."

"For the children, Halsin. That is why I've done it. Because I count the cost and find it as fair as it will get. The only one this harms is me. And the residents of the hells, of course."

She looked up at him.

"What else?" he asked.

She looked away.

"He wants me as consort."

-------------------------------

"You have stolen my gifted."

Tav looked into Mystra's eyes and sneered. "I have saved children from becoming your tools."

"They were mine to instruct, mine to teach."

"They are no such thing," Tav snarled, "You think yourself the end-all and be-all of magic. You think yourself virtuous and loving. But tell me, Mystra--do you know that there are people who hide their sons' magical abilities? They hide them, so they may be safe from YOU. You groom them into your perfect lovers and you think yourself the final authority on it all."

"How dare you--"

"I will never seek your end. But I will do everything possible to prevent another Gale from happening. To save these boys from being made to feel like they are lesser because they displeased you. And if I have not been clear enough, mark this: I have set myself against you. I will never seek your death, but I will fight you at every turn."

"Do you think your devil husband will help you?"

"Oh, I know he will. He loves nothing if not power."

[dissimulxte]

@dcviated sent:

quiet, sender gestures for receiver to be quiet. [i know, the idea of them hushing is sacrilege isnt it?]

Every performance has its own unique challenges to navigate. Perhaps the walking gait of the chosen role is unique, molded by an injury sustained in younger years which never quite healed right; just as a vocal cadence might be so precise, so unique, that failing to emulate it just right ruins the illusion. Today's challenge, though, is much more conventional. A simple question of grace in a small space: moving around a tight enclosure while crooning sultry tones—in precarious heels and a classic, suitably expensive cocktail dress—in such a way that it seems effortless, so her attention remains fixed on the clientelle who've shelled out obscene amounts of cash for this whole affair on rails.

Working out the logistics of having a live performance space on a luxury passenger train was certainly no mien feat, to begin with, but a necessity insofar as its designers were concerned; no matter how fancy a sound system they could afford to install, any sort of pre-recorded shlock simply wouldn't match the opulent, art-deco atmos they'd woven into every other feature.

So they carved just enough space for a three-piece jazz band to be tucked into the wall, and laid a richly colored, damascus printed carpet down the center aisle where their vocalist might prowl; weaving between narrow lounges and booths as the audience watched, entranced—close enough to touch, though they wouldn't dare, (and she wouldn't give them the satisfaction).

All in all, it's an easy gig. A thin disguise by way of little prosthetic touches, and makeup done just-so, with the brunt of the work going into the pseudonym, the background, and strategic placement to ensure that of all the entertainment options the luxury line entertained in their selection process she would be chosen for this particular voyage... all preamble for the real work to come later—when vague faces and names became details, invitations, opportunities. Getting their attention is the start, and she does that beautifully; always a creature to thrive under attention.

Each person she passes gets their halfway glance from dreamy eyes, a dulcet word or two, but only that: a taste, a sample, no more than a second spared, no pauses as she works her way down to the end of the beautifully appointed car and faces the glass façade separating this cabin from a little vestibule, and another door on the opposite side which lead into the first line of deluxe sleeping suites.

This, too, happens in only a moment: where hooded brown eyes meet the glass expecting only to admire their own reflection a moment, to privately appreciate the show in media res, but meet another pair, instead. Maybe the movement caught his attention, the little sliver of song growing just that much closer despite the buffering walls between, or some combination of the two—or, perhaps, there really is some unseen string which tethers the two, and the fates gave it a little tug.

A hand scrawled note in neat script she'd left, somewhere he'd find it: 'Out of town on business for a few weeks. Try not to miss me too much.' A message from an unknown number: [sms] i was about to say the same thing. tell me all about it when we're both back in town—over bibimbap? my treat ;)

...she'd wonder, later, if he'd have recognized her even if she had been better concealed—if he'd know her, by then, from nothing more than the way she looked at him. At the time, though, she only savors that second's time, and does everything she can not to let the smile which tugs at her lips cause folly in her song when he raises a conspiratorial finger to his own lips, grinning behind the gesture.

What a laugh, that either of them would be shushing the other, considering... well, needless to say: the humor couldn't have been lost on him. More like that was the whole point—because in what world would she say anything? Make any sort of sound or allusion to how surprised she was? This wasn't amateur hour at the laugh-in.

Sure: an undeniable thrill moves up through her spine and sends a shiver down to her fingertips a the sight of him; her head rushes, abuzz with the new information, the new factor in the game being played—but that reaction is for her, and her alone; not a beat missed, no visible shift. She's too good for that, and he knows it.

...If she'd had a moment more maybe she could have lifted a hand and pretended to lock those lightly rouged lips he knew all too well, but alas, they remain shaped around the note she was sounding—all she can spare as her shoulder turns is a cheeky little wink, then it's back to face the audience.

The show must go on... and the script just got so much more exciting.

[buffyspeak]

From Katniss' POV, we know that every district has specialization about their main product or industry, such as District 3 (technology), D4 (fishing), D12 (coal) etc.

What kind of economic system do you think Panem have?

If we can draw parallel with real world right now, which country is the most similar with Panem?

What's your opinion about this situation on Panem and its system?

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

hi there!! i saw this a while back and forgot to answer until now, so i appreciate your patience because this is definitely a real interesting subject. i'm probably not the best person to ask, tbh, as i'm not well-researched in my understanding of modern economics and find it all a little fake and strange (as in, money only has value insofar as we assign, value to it), but regardless here are my thoughts!

i don't have any specific quotes to pull, but i'm confident i remember references made to coins and possibly bills as well, so panem clearly has some form of finacial currency comparable to what we have now. it seems unlikely it's the same kind, as i actually believe that these are the kinds of things that would've retained their names if passed down so many generations later, but who knows?

it also seems, however, that the majority of district 12, at least, which is the district we are most familiar with, does not have reliable access to such currency. it's possible that the merchants do - though i find it unlikely they have it in abundance, as we see the baker regularly accepts hunting spoils as currency. the only people who probably regularly pay them in currency are peacekeepers - but in general, it seems that district 12's economy functions primarily - and could not function without - an illegal and somewhat rudimentary bartering system. we learn of a whole illegal black market center known as The Hob very early on. this actually seems to be where MOST of the day-to-day trading activities go on. it's notable because - unless i'm not remembering correctly? - even some of the merchants are known to frequent it, with katniss noting they always waited until the baker's wife left before engaging him in a trade. i could be wrong - it's possible she meant at the bakery. regardless, it's worthwhile to note that while the merchants are obviously materially better-off than those from the seam, they still live in the poorest district and it doesn't seem like even they could function without partaking in some of the bartering system that defines the district. (understanding the culture here is also signifcant in terms of understanding katniss' relationship to being indebted to others.

interesting, too, is the value we learn specific items may hold. for instance: at the start of thg, gale trades the baker a squirrel for a loaf of bread. this is implied (or maybe outright stated? i don't have my copy handy) to be a very good trade, and it's also said that the baker was likely feeling generous that day. a squirrel may be a more life-sustaining product in that it provides more protein in a meal, but A) it is an illicit product, since hunting is illegal, and therefore there is less room on gale's part for negotiation and B) fine bakery like what the mellarks make is a luxury item, with a lot of demand for it but few outside of the peacekeepers who can actually afford it. mr. mellark seems like someone who probably tries to trade fairly, but there is more value assigned to his bread than there is to gale's squirrel.

i'm also very fascinated by both katniss and peeta's changing relationship with currency at the beginning of catching fire, as we learn that, as victors, they earn (what i believe is) a monthly capitol-sponsored income that is substantial enough that they will never need to work again and are not expected to finish school. i have no doubt that this is the first time in katniss' life she has had any signifcant contact with this kind of currency, and i believe it is more unfamiliar to peeta, too, than one might expect. this puts both of them in a new kind of class inside there district (one that only haymitch had entered before them), alienating them from their loved ones in some very interesting ways. what i'm particularly interested in is understanding that this newfound wealth is framed by the capitol as a reward but is fundamentally just another means of control. while the insidiousness of this is not delved into as clearly as other aspects of the capitol's control over the victors, i think one could make a strong parallel between this and more real-world exampels of financial abuse. (i also think this is why i find it a bit harsh when people get down on gale for not accepting when katniss offers him some of her newfound wealth as a victor. i won't act like pride has nothing to do with it - though even that i can understand - but one of gale's strengths is that he really does understand the tactics the capitol uses for manipulation and control. he can't always regulate his feelings about them, but i think he implicitly understands in this situation that accepting this offer would just be one more way he was putting his life in the hands of the capitol. it's also worth noting that his and katniss relationship has always been one based in transaction. they came to care about each other in real and profound ways, but it's hard to shake that original dynamic of "i give you this, you give me that, i teach you this, you teach me that, i protect you, you protect me." only now, in this scenario, gale has nothing comparable in value to exchange for what katniss is offering him. and while katniss doesn't care about that, he obviously does. and i can understand that.)

we obviously know a lot less about every other district, and i'm not well-versed enough in economics that i feel confident in extrapolating beyond some very basic assumptions. (mainly that i assume outside the capitol, there is some sort of underground/black market trade system in most districts, likely based on their specialized industry. for example, i imagine resale of scraps of technology has a significant market in district 3. i imagine currency as we think of it is still less common than in the capitol in most districts, though i think it's likely more common in say, district 2 in exchange for the weaponry industry than it is in somewhere like district 7.)

we know a little bit more about the capitol than we do most other districts, though ofc, district 12 remains the one we know most about, as the story is told through katniss' eyes. but interestingly, even in the capitol - where most citizens are perceived as very well-off by katniss - it only seems that only those who are either in government or heavily involved in the games (which, in a way, do seem to function like a department of governement) are the ultra-wealthy. many of the citizens of the capitol certainly have this appearance - and can engage in luxuries that those in district 12 couldn't dream of - but we find it out in mockingjay that many of them are in debt, implying that there is some sort of credit system, and that those who cannot pay off their debts might eventually be forced into becoming peackeepers. in tbosas, we also learn that the war took a financial toll on some families and lifted up others, with sejanus' family rising in both wealth and social status and coriolanus' family losing his wealth and having to keep up a facade of maintaining his class and social status. while snow's family was obviously significantly impaired, i doubt he was an outlier in being financially affected by the war, and since the events of the original trilogy are really only a few generations later, it's likely that the family's acutely affected directly proceeding the war are those most susceptible to debt years later.

i don't think we can assign a single economic system to panem because the two places we have the clearest pictures of have such opposing systems, but it's clear it's complex around the board.

as for what country panem is supposed to represent - i mean, i'm obviously coming at this with narrow, western, us-based goggles, and would love to hear other perspectives! but yeah, my answer is... it's complicated? geographically, most of panem is canonically what used to be more north america. but socially, america - and the us in particular - is closer to the capitol than any of the districts. notably, though, i think most of us are far closer to the capitol citizens (who perform wealth and have access to many luxuries but are also exceedingly susceptible to debt) than the wealthy of the capitol, but all the same, i do think the story asks us citizens in particular to take a look at our lives and fill our blind spots. one could argue that it's only the government and ultra wealthy in our country who are meant to represent the capitol and that there are impoverished areas in the us that are just as comparable to the districts as other countries - which i think is fair! the point, in general, is that the book asks us to do that self-reflection, not that it gives us the answers.

[fideidefenswhore]

Hi there,

So I attended one of Claire Ridgway's events recently called the Men Behind the Throne. Talks were on the Tudor monarchs' advisors. Caroline Angus did a talk on Cromwell (she has a new book out on him) and in it she claimed that Anne Boleyn hated Cromwell from the beginning. Whereas, he for his part was always looking out for Catherine and Mary's interests. Apparently, he was also very loyal to Wolsey and played a big role in Thomas More's downfall. Is there any evidence to back up the idea that Anne hated Cromwell? In recent years more historians seem to be leading towards the belief that they weren't so chummy. However, I am not an expert on where most historians stand on this topic. She sounded like she was pushing the belief that anyone who supported COA and Mary: good. Anyone who supported Anne: bad narrative.

Whereas, he for his part was always looking out for Catherine and Mary's interests.

Yeah, that view has been a semi-recent development...it doesn't seem to have been the unequivocal belief of their advocate, though (depending on which moment in time, of course):

Cromwell has always given me to understand that he is much devoted to the Princess; nevertheless, I have found no evidence of it, except words […] [April 1535]

And as far as I'm aware, this author doesn't doubt the veracity of Chapuys' judgements (especially when it comes to Anne Boleyn), but, you know, selective reliance on his dispatches would not be anything singular to her in this genre.

Diarmaid MacCulloch, John Guy, and Julia Fox are the most recent to espouse that view (but about with the Boleyns, in general, not solely Anne).

As for the Wolsey factor...again, evidence is mixed. Missing from the Mantel narrative, for example, is that Thomas Winter, Wolsey's son, wrote that Anne, as Queen, spoke "very kindly" to him. Now, this doesn't negate the likelihood that Anne had hated his father and hardly mourned him (it doesn't seem like it was her credo to spite the family of her opponents; for example the Duchess of Norfolk was her adversary, but she highly favored her daughter, the Duchess of Richmond); but it is compelling insofar as the view that those affiliated with Wolsey unequivocally blamed her for his downfall and misfortune.

Yes, there is evidence, but it's mixed at times. They were battling for influence over HVIII, they were battling over the best ways to steer reform*, etc.

*[...] Crumwell, Wrotisley, and certain others, who, as report says, hated the Queen, because she had sharply rebuked them and threatened to inform the King that under the guise of the Gospel and religion they were advancing their own interests, that they had put everything up for sale and had received bribes to confer ecclesiastical benefices upon unworthy persons, the enemies of the true doctrine, permitting the godly to be oppressed and deprived of their just rewards. 

Usually the 'smoking gun' for that theory about their contentious dynamic is that according to Cromwell, via Chapuys, Anne had said she'd like to see "his head off his shoulders", but context is sometimes missing, I don't often read this parsed as thoroughly as I believe is its due:

Cremuel said lately to me that were the Lady to know the familiar terms on which he and I are, she would surely try to cause us both some annoyance, and that only three days ago she and he had had words together, the Lady telling him, among other things, that she would like to see his head off his shoulders. "But," added Cromwell, "I trust so much on my master, that I fancy she cannot do me any harm." I cannot tell whether this is an invention of Cromwell in order to enhance his merchandise. All I can say is, that everyone here considers him Anne's right hand, as I myself told him some time ago. Indeed, I hear from a reliable source that day and night is the Lady working to bring about the duke of Norfolk's disgrace with the King; whether it be owing to his having spoken too freely about her, or because Cromwell, wishes to bring down the aristocracy of this kingdom, and is about to begin by him, I cannot say. (June 1535)

The source here is Chapuys, and the chain of report means this exchange is thirdhand: Cromwell is telling Chapuys of it, which means we can't exclude the possibility that either Cromwell is exaggerating (to ingratiate himself to Chapuys, 'the enemy of my enemy' etc) or that Chapuys is likewise (to urge Charles V, as he often does, to do anything from push for excommunication to invade England, based on evidence that Anne&Henry are extremely hated by everyone save "their party"-- or maybe even members within-- and thus any action taken against them will only increase his popularity, power, prestige, by gaining the support and gratitude of many, etc).

And Chapuys' own judgement of Cromwell's account seems cautious: he admits he can't tell whether or not this is true, and he admits that if it is, it's very contrary to the popular perception of their dynamic (of Cromwell as Anne's "right hand").