#I am not in the constitution to write meta

[tilions]

I am not over Obi-Wan trying to reach out for Qui-Gon in these two episodes because he does sound like he has been trying for years with no success but he's still believing it will happen eventually. The knowledge that he will manage that because he does become a Force Ghost in the end just brings up so many feelings.

[aroaceleovaldez]

i need to know everything about your pjo voltron au

okay so basic plot premise: Thalia, Luke, Jason, Percy, Maria di Angelo, and Bianca all work at the Garrison and get sent on 3 separate missions (Thalia & Luke, Jason & ??? or maybe he's just by himself, then Percy & Maria & Bianca) which are all "lost" and they're declared dead by the Garrison.

Of course they were actually all abducted by aliens. Maria probably dies pretty early on in that whole situation. Thalia gets separated from Luke and ends up escaping and becoming a rebel. Luke, Jason, and Percy & Bianca all separately (except for Percy & Bianca) end up gladiators. Luke becomes The Champion and basically ends up a Kuron/Sendak-type character situation. Is he being mind-controlled? Unclear. He has a giant alien scythe-sword though. Bianca probably dies buying Percy time in the arena. At some point Percy and Jason find each other and decide to try and stick together.

Hazel is a human raised by her galra dad in space with the Blade of Marmora. She knows she has a half-brother through her dad out there somewhere but not anything else about him. She ends up running into Jason and Percy on a mission and helps them escape cause they're humans too.

Back on Earth, Piper, Leo, and Annabeth are all Garrison students. Or Annabeth is possibly in a Keith-type situation where she used to be a student but got Kinda Pissed Off about all her loved ones disappearing into space and ended up getting kicked out. Nico is in a Pidge-type situation where he snuck in as a student under a false name to figure out what happened to his family's mission. Percy and Jason crash on earth, the gang finds them, they find the Blue Lion, and Percy pilots it to the Altean castleship where they meet Reyna and Frank. Reyna is the Altean Princess, because her sister Hylla was queen. Frank is the son of a high-ranking general or something and he and Reyna are a duo.

Rest going under a cut cause this got long -

Lion adventures happen - Annabeth pilots the Green Lion, Jason pilots the Black Lion. Nico finds the Red Lion and meets Hazel when he does and brings her back to the castle. Hazel pilots the Yellow Lion. Nico very quickly realizes he's half-Galra and Hazel's brother and joins the Blade of Marmora. Percy swaps from Blue to the Red Lion. Piper starts piloting the Blue Lion. Leo, Frank, Reyna, and Nico end up the home-base support team. Percy probably keeps the blue paladin armor and Piper gets the spare pink armor for color association reasons and also cause that's usually the format for every iteration of Voltron anyways. It works out nicely. Everybody has extra lion compatibilities too/every Lion has a back-up basically cause I'm still mad vld canon dropped the lion lore/sentience plotlines and we never got cool dynamic lion swapping instead of just the usual single switch. We're having fun here.

Then everything else I don't have much for other than Annabeth and Nico basically swap Keith and Pidge roles once they join Voltron so Nico goes and has his galra identity crisis adventures and Annabeth reunites with Thalia at some point, who is basically in a Matt-type role. And Luke functions as the Sendak-level antagonist who Annabeth probably gets to fight with a swap back to Keith's role in a whole Keith & Kuron emotional situation. Kronos and Gaea are probably analogous to Zarkon and Haggar/Honerva here but not necessarily in that order, and obviously it's more of an either "Emperor and his advisor mom" or "Empress and her prince son" but in either one somebody's doing magic and people are probably getting possessed. Hades, Persephone, Iaepatus/Bob, and Damasen are all with the BoM. The Titans/Giants are probably all Empire generals. Who's Lotor? Octavian? Calypso? I don't know. Who are all the gods? I dunno. We'll workshop it.

[queerfandomtrifecta]

I am begging people to stop misconstruing “this plot point totally works because random, senseless, confusing, purely bad-luck things happen all the time in real life” with valid critiques of what does and does not constitute a well crafted narrative in media.

Media is not real life. Writer’s sat down, created these characters, and decided all the things they do and what happens to them. These characters inside a fictional narrative are not real life people subjected to uncontrollable real life events. Yes, art reflects life, and that’s totally valid up to a point in that creative choices made can and often are harmful outside the scope of the show/book/etc. But “It’s supposed to be confusing because some people act like this in real life. It’s supposed to not make sense because stuff like that happens in real life. How would you treat *real person*’s death if this happened to them in real life?” Well I sure as fuck wouldn’t be here on tumblr dot com writing meta about whether or not an actual real person’s death served a narrative structure in a way that was well crafted. Who the fuck would?? The death of fictional characters happens because the writers chose for it to and those ARE NOT THE SAME THING AS REAL PEOPLE REACTING TO A REAL PERSONS DEATH FROM A REAL LIFE EVENT.

Narrative critique of media cannot be applied to real people experiencing real life, and a faulty narrative is absolutely not immune from critique because “that’s how life is so it’s realistic whether or not it makes sense”.

[curry-and-gunpowder]

Okay so I have some stuff to get off my chest, might get a bit heated, but I mean no disrespect to anyone, just expressing my genuine confusion and frustration and trying to make my stance on some matters clear.

Clearly I ship Odazai. But that does not mean I reject other interpretations of their relationship. Be it platonic, queerplatonic, brotherly, it's all lovely to me - I genuinely just enjoy their unique dynamic.

However, I am constantly on the brink of losing it over hearing them referred to as a father/son pair by so many people in the fandom. And I'm gonna attempt to break down why this interpretation bothers me so much.

Firstly, it just flies in the face of my personal experience of intergenerational friendships - I'm a young-ish Millennial with many Gen Z friends. And I find it completely incomprehensible to try and force people who are relatively close in age into such a dynamic. I'm aware that a lot of bsd fans are teens or young adults who maybe don't have much social contact with people outside their age range. But as a 30+ person on the Internet, let me tell you, five years? That's nothing. The plain truth is, the older you get, the less age starts to matter. Once you get out of school, you will interact with people of all ages regularly and you will have friends who are older or younger than you and nobody fucking cares. The thought of seeing any of my younger friends as my children is, pardon my french, fucking ridiculous.

Secondly, and I've spoken about this before, the fandom's tendency to parentify Odasaku way beyond what the text ever implies. It's easy to put him into the role, considering the way he cares for his orphans. In that way, he has some parental traits - but it's only a facet of his personality, and, i would argue, one that the fandom puts way too much emphasis on, imho. I'll gladly write some more meta on that at a later time, but doing that here would make the post even longer than it already is. Just to quickly reiterate, for anyone who hasn't read the dark era lightnovel - Oda does explicitly NOT treat the kids like his children. Why then would he treat Dazai like one? Dazai, whom he explicitly invites to go drinking with him in TDIPUD? How does that track? Is he supposed to be just a shitty parent? Or could it maybe indicate that he sees Dazai as his equal more than anything?

(Tangentially, I would argue that Oda's perception of what constitutes a child/an adult is horrendously skewed, considering his own past.)

Thirdly, and this is probably gonna be the one that might get me into hot water with some people, the thing I like to call the Cope. The tendency in fandom to manifest a hard line between groups of characters that somehow should never be crossed when shipping, otherwise that makes the ship badwrongtoxic. This is a phenomenon I've observed developing more and more in recent years, and it's ngl pretty worrying, because it's generally used to present one's own ship as "superior", and all "rival ships" as less than/bad. Ships with "significant" age gaps tend to fall into that category relatively often, but I suspect very few people actually genuinely care about the characters' ages, but rather use it as a shield to justify why these relationships are To Be Avoided. Odazai is an absolute stellar example of such a ship - by all means it should be way more popular than it is, considering the themes that surround it and the way its absolutely center to the nareative of bsd. But without fail, when I look up media for the ship, be it YouTube videos or simply browsing the tag on tumblr or pinterest, I see the same mantra repeated over and over - "how can you ship them, they're like father and son!"

(I'm concerned about the relationship you have with your parents, I say to myself in response.)

And its, quite frankly, just not the case. I cannot for the life of me find any indication of this so-called parental relationship anywhere in the text. All I can see is two people who are friends who have a deep and sincere love for each other.

In conclusion, not every relationship has to fall into the category of familial or romantic. Sometimes... people are just friends. Sometimes friends are some years apart in age. It's not shocking or special or anything, it literally happens all the time.

Just let them be friends. It's fine, really, it's allowed.

[bluedalahorse]

Philosophies of Justice and Narrative Catharsis in Young Royals

Do you ever just have… conversations with yourself at 2 am?

Me: Wow. August did some bad shit. I want him to get therapy and help, but I also want him to face some kinda legal punishment.

Also me: Oh, self. You don’t trust cops or judges or prisons. The legal system would be way harsher on Simon about the drugs. Doesn’t that give you anxiety?

A third me, thousands of words in and possessed by a hyperfocus demon: Well fuck. We might be doing a meta about it. It’s okay, this can just be building blocks for our graduate school thesis on YA literature. Ahaha it’s fine.

The following meta looks at philosophies of justice, both retributive and restorative, as they appear in the worldbuilding Young Royals. This is a monster of a meta, like ~6500 words long, so be aware of that going in. Content note for discussion of all the usual crime topics in YR, as well as the injustices present in real world legal systems.

Intro: Shifting the Focus

Fandom loves discussing—and disagreeing about—the redemption arc. Who can blame us? As human beings, we’re wired to notice novelty, and redemption arcs involve a character experiencing some sort of dramatic transformation. This transformation could be gradually built up to for a series of chapters or seasons, or it could be sudden and jarring. It could involve one big dramatic gesture or a series of small changes. Whatever happens, fans end up debating what they see onscreen.

Now, I love a good discussion. I also love stories that poke beyond simple notions of good and evil, where characters are capable of change in multiple directions, And yet, as someone who has spent years in fandom, I increasingly find the discussion of redemption arcs unsatisfying and even boring. Everyone seems to have their own definition of what constitutes “enough” good deeds for a character’s redemption, and even their own opinions of who is worthy of redemption in the first place. It seems we can’t entirely agree on what the term means, and everyone gets bogged down in discourse.

At first, my dissatisfaction prompted me to ask what I considered a well-written redemption arc. Well, no, that’s not accurate. There was a little arrogant voice inside me telling me that I, the great bluedalahorse, who has devoted many hours of academic study to various literary texts and even made complicated spreadsheets to track ideas in my favorite books, could use my genius analytical skills to find out what a perfect redemption arc is supposed to look like and develop a formula for it. And then I stepped back and laughed at myself. Since when did good writing ever follow a formula? All the best writers know how and when to break the rules. Also, I am not as much of a genius as I think I am. I’m literally just hanging out here and overthinking my fictional faves like the rest of fandom.

A lightbulb moment switched on when I attended a workshop focused on restorative justice in schools, back in the summer of 2022. As I listened and processed the things I was learning, my storyteller brain kept poking me. Hey, it was saying to me. Heyyyy can we use restorative justice principles to write better character arcs? Particularly redemption arcs? I talked to my MFA adviser about this as we began to workshop ideas for a critical thesis in Young Adult literature. We started to explore the ways that restorative justice principles showed up in books like Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. I got a little further along in my theories, identifying techniques authors used to show characters confronting their privilege, unlearning old behaviors, and making amends for harm that they caused others. Still, something was missing. I just wasn’t getting where I wanted to with my analysis.

A few weeks ago I had a second lightbulb: what if we stop looking at justice in relationship to character arcs alone, and start looking at worldbuilding?

That clicked. Oh, boy, did it click! You really can’t talk about characters without understanding their world. Once I attended a panel on writing villains, and one of the panelists asserted that you can’t develop your villain as a character until you’ve developed your world. (Whether villains are outcasts hellbent on revenge, or oppressive tyrants at the top of their society, their world plays a role in shaping them.) Since what we call redemption arcs so often involves taking a character out of a villainous space and into a more heroic one, naturally worldbuilding has to be a factor in that kind of story. I also realized that the framing of the “redemption arc” frustrates me because on some level, it’s still tied to the Western Christian idea of individual salvation. I didn’t want to necessarily focus on what what one character does or doesn’t do individually without also focusing on that character’s relationship to other characters and their communities.

So I decided to experiment with shifting the focus of my thesis research. There were only two things left to do: come up with a framework for exploring my ideas, and test those questions out on Young Royals. Because it’s my favorite show, and it has a lot to say about justice. That said, a lot of what I say here and the methods I use could be applied to other shows as well. I’m curious to hear what it might have to say about your other favorite works of fiction!

The Framework

After some drafting during early morning bus commutes, I came up with three questions I wanted to explore when looking at Young Royals and other texts. These questions are:

What is the authorial philosophy of justice? What principles of justice are at play in how the author constructs the characters, world, and storylines?

How is justice enacted (or not) through the legal system(s) in this story’s setting? To what extent do the ideals of that legal system match up with its reality? To what extent should they?

What are the individual characters’ experiences of justice in their day to day life? What social norms do they end up creating in their smaller communities to enforce their ideas of justice?

What I like about this series of questions is that it allows a text to speak in multiple voices. There has been a lot of fandom discourse over the last ten years (and even longer, honestly, this shit goes back at least to Plato’s dialogues) about authorial intent and whether depiction equals endorsement and so on. I don’t think I’m going to end those debates today. Still, I do think it’s worth pointing out that a TV show or a book or a movie is able to tell a story and make a point in a different way than an essay or campaign speech does. You can have different characters own different parts of the truth. A particular setting can be positive for one character and negative for another. Fiction is really good at exploring paradoxes, contradictions, and tensions. I created these questions because they force me to tease out the tensions in a narrative and where there might be meaning in them.

Come on, Blue! you say. We know Young Royals has a lot of tension in it. When are you gonna start talking about your fandom? Okay. Fine. I’ll get to the sad teenagers now. Put on your school uniforms, everyone. We’re going to Hillerska!

No Good or Bad People, Only Good or Bad Actions

The title for this section comes from me paraphrasing Omar paraphrasing Lisa in an interview.

Two questions you may have about this section are: 1. What makes authorial philosophy (a term I am pretty sure I just made up for the purposes of this meta) different than authorial intent? 2. What’s the relationship between the author’s philosophy and their worldbuilding?

To answer question 1, I am defining authorial philosophy for the purposes of this meta as what the author intends + how effectively they convey that through their storytelling and craft. So like, authorial intent, but we’re also holding the author somewhat accountable for how their message comes across. Generally I read Lisa and the rest of the team as pretty intentional in how they craft their stories, and I can see how their ideas play out in practice, so I am more likely to give credence to authorial intent. I might not do that for other authors. As someone who reads heavily in the YA novel field, I’ve seen plenty of books with surface progressivism that end up being kinda reactionary when you scrape beneath that surface. Usually it’s a craft issue or the author not being intentional enogh. Young Royals, so far, has not been that kind of text.

As for question 2, authors can use their worldbuilding to reinforce their authorial philosophy, whether that’s through having characters in the story espouse said philosophy, or by using the story’s plot and character arcs to test their story, or by some combination of the two. Lisa is a writer who affords her characters a lot of grace, but I also see her as willing to test that grace and our her personal philosophy on trial. She’s very aware that ideals don’t always match up with reality, and those tensions are part of what she explores so well in her writing.

Now that we’ve addressed those questions, let’s address the authorial philosophy of Young Royal.

Young Royals stands out from other school dramas because it handles nuance so well. But how do Lisa and her team achieve that nuance? Part of it is the way their approach to characters resonates with the philosophy of restorative justice.

Restorative justice can be defined as “a system of criminal justice which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.” This website has some additional information about what restorative justice looks like in theory and practice. (Plenty of other websites do as well.) Restorative justice is really hard to pull of IRL, but philosophically it does ask us to think about the ways in which more retributive and punitive justice systems are failing people.

Now, before I get too far into my explanation, I don’t know if Lisa chose a restorative justice approach to her writing on purpose, or how much she’s read about the subject. But a lot of what she prioritizes as a writer lines up with certain RJ principles anyway. For example, RJ practitioners believe that every human being has worth and dignity, and that leaning too far into a retributive justice model (more on that in the next section) can be dehumanizing for both victims and offenders. In Lisa’s writing, each character is humanized, there are no characters who are caricatures. Everyone in Young Royals has their own reasons for behaving why they behave—even when they make choices that harm others. There aren’t excuses, but there are explanations.

Two other important ideas in RJ are accountability and dialogue. Season 2 of YR deals a lot with the question of accountability. Wilhelm’s positive growth is signaled by his willingness to be accountable for his actions; August’s more tragic arc is characterized by his baby steps toward accountability followed by his dramatic backflip away from it.

Regarding dialogue, Wilhelm’s growth is fostered by important and vulnerable conversations with others. Sometimes these conversations are with the people he harmed or impacted in a negative way. He and Felice have to talk their way through the weirdness of that kiss, while he and Simon have to talk about… well, everything. TBH they’re not done talking yet. But they’ve started, and that’s where the progress and catharsis is happening. Other times, Wilhelm’s conversations with other members of the Hillerska community—Nils and Boris come to mind—help him to see things in a new light and clarify his ideals. When we cheer on Wilhelm as he comes to better understand his privilege in the world and the weight that his actions have, we’ve been enlisted by Lisa to support restorative justice philosophy.

No one character represents Lisa’s philosophy entirely, because she’s so committed to all characters being fallible in their own ways, but I would say that of the main cast, the Eriksson siblings and Felice are the most likely to express different parts of restorative justice philosophy. All of them strive to look for people’s human side instead of relying on stereotypes. They want the people close to them to be accountable for their actions. They talk things through. They recognize the needs of multiple people in a situation. This doesn’t happen all the time, with every person, in every instance. They get distracted and led astray. There may be times where it would benefit them to get outside help and they don’t. Sometimes their efforts blow up in their face. But they’re trying, and I think Wilhelm has definitely joined them by the end of season 2.

So sure, all the characters in Young Royals might brush up against the principles of restorative justice, but they still “live in a society” as we may or may not still say on the internet. In order to understand more, let’s talk about the legal system as it’s presented in the show.

Call Your Lawyer Stepdad

As a writer, Lisa may believe in restorative justice principles, and this likely guides how she depicts the characters in her story. The legal systems she depicts in her work, however, are not restorative. What’s more, they are applied unequally based on the identity of the person who breaks laws or rules. Young Royals is very clear about the distinction between the ideals of the law and how the law actually gets enforced.

Obligatory disclaimer: I’m not a law student or someone who’s studied much comparative politics, so I can’t say for sure whether Sweden’s legal system leans more retributive or more rehabilitative. I also can’t say whether the ideals of its legal system match its reality, but I am making a safe guess that they don’t entirely. (Sweden, my ancestral homeland, I love kanelbullar and ABBA, but your current right wing government and your response to the COVID pandemic and your history of colonization, among other things, shows that you are just as capable of bullshit as any other nation. Forgive me if I approach your legal system with caution. If anyone from Sweden or another Nordic country has more info and can weigh in, feel free to weigh in.) It’s also worth mentioning my own preconceived notions here. I live in a country with a massive mass incarceration problem and a legal system that was specifically created to reinforce white supremacy, so my trust in law enforcement and courts and the like is… not high.

What I can say about the legal system in Young Royals is this: the writing of the show primarily focuses on the retributive aspects of the legal system. In a retributive justice system, those who break the law are criminals, and they are punished for their crimes. Punishment is seen as a way of deterring crime and keeping it from happening in the future.

We see the impact of a system like that when legal consequences motivate characters and the choices they make. Simon is afraid of getting caught and prosecuted for bringing drugs into school, while August fears being put on trial and imprisoned for leaking the video. What’s interesting to me, though, is that it isn’t just that both characters fear punishment. They also fear the stigma that comes with being publicly convicted of a crime. Simon doesn’t want to be stereotyped as the poor kid who comes into school and pushes drugs on the rich kids. He knows how dangerous drug addiction can be from witnessing his dad, and he brings the drugs into school out of financial desperation. August, meanwhile, wants to think of himself as an untouchable elite who is discreet about secrets, and probably (more sympathetically) also wants to think of himself as a relatively helpful guy who showed Wilhelm around school and took care of him the way Erik would have wanted. I think it’s very clever how Lisa had Simon and August each break the law in ways that betray their respective core values, because it brings this issue with a retributive justice system to light. Once someone has committed a crime, how do they move past that stigma and make themself into the sort of person who doesn’t do a crime again?

This leads to another issue with retributive justice. We often equate legality with morality subconsciously, but these two ideas are not the same thing. In August’s case, leaking the video is easy enough for us to label—it is both illegal because it is against the law and immoral because it violates Simon and Wilhelm’s right to sexual privacy. Simon bringing in his dad’s drugs—that’s against the law, sure. But is it immoral? Simon is up against a corrupt teacher who rewards students who can pay more with better grades. He needs to pay for tutoring if he want to succeed. He’s at a disadvantage because of his socioeconomic status, and he also probably hasn’t had time to process trauma around his dad’s addiction. From the point of view of a Hillerska parent, however, they’re just going to see Simon as a threat to their kid’s well-being.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Simon’s reasons for breaking the law are absolutely more sympathetic than August’s reasons. I cannot stress this enough. We see the way the system screws Simon over, and how it drives him to do what he does. Simon gets drugs to students who consent to take them, but when August films him and Wilhelm it’s without their consent. Moreover, August is complicit in Simon’s lawbreaking because he ends up being the guy who sells drugs on Simon’s behalf. (Jesus, August, sell a painting or something.) But who is the legal system in the YR universe more likely to give grace to? August. Who is it more likely to come down hard on? Simon. Simon does not have the wealth to afford a trial. He doesn’t have a lawyer stepdad on speed dial. He doesn’t have an in with the media like the royal family does, so he can’t control the public narrative of his life the same way that they can.

On a purely literal level, August dangling the threat of the pill bottle in front of everyone is the most textbook example of August being a little shit. On the thematic, level, however, this reminds us who the justice system really serves. It’s a caution against relying on the justice system—or at least relying on the justice system alone—for narrative catharsis in this story. Instead, we should be looking for narrative catharsis elsewhere. And, we should definitely be looking at more than one character arc if that is the case.

The Only Person You Can Truly Control Is Yourself

While season 2 includes the retributive justice of the legal system as part of its worldbuilding, we also see Wilhelm embody the philosophy of retributive justice through his actions. Wilhelm starts his arc in a place where he wants to punish August for what he’s done by taking away everything he cares about. He justifies this by pointing out the problems with the legal system—rich kids never actually face the consequences of their actions. While Wilhelm is correct to call that out, he ends up transforming himself into a more extreme agent of the retributive philosophy in order to pursue what he sees as justice.

Now, this is a writing gambit that could have failed spectacularly. We’ve all seen versions of the “if we are awful to our enemies, we’re just as bad as them” story that end up reinforcing an icky status quo. But that’s not exactly what happens in Young Royals. The first thing to notice is that Wilhelm’s approach works… initially. August has lost a lot at the beginning of season 2, part of it due to Wilhelm’s efforts, and that’s made him more willing to reflect and be vulnerable and listen to Sara when she tells him he can preserve his self-respect by turning himself in. I actually don’t think Sara’s being entirely naive when she points out that January August would have turned himself over. The problem is that as January August becomes February And March August and starts to gain new things to protect (an in with the palace, a new relationship with Sara) he becomes afraid of losing everything again, and starts to go back to his old ways.

The other thing to notice is that Wilhelm mostly acts alone. Felice is his confidant, but she’s not working alongside Wilhelm, suggesting they swap out August’s hair products with toothpaste. (I kinda wish she would have, though.) In spite of the fact that the video probably hurt Simon even more than it did Wilhelm (reminder: Wilhelm has access to a press team and hired security that let him walk away at first) Wilhelm doesn’t center Simon in the process of doling out punishment. He does it with the best of intentions—he doesn’t want Simon getting hurt—but that moment where Simon’s like “You did ALL THIS TO HIM when we could have reported him together???” Yeah. That’s extremely valid. And it hints at one of the central ideas of s2—yes, dealing with August is important, but priority number one for Wilhelm is Wilhelm taking accountability for his own actions (denying that it was him in the video) and making things right with Simon in that way. With that relationship restored (see what I did there? restorative justice?) they can lean on one another as they slay their next monster. At the end of the day, the person who Wilhelm has the most control over is himself. That’s why we end season 2 on him making the speech and publicly acknowledging his relationship with Simon, not with the arrival of cop cars at Hillerska.

Speaking of the choices Wilhelm decided to make, I invite Young Royals fans to consider how Wilhelm’s role as crown prince give his actions symbolic weight. The royal family may not have real lawmaking power, but they’re still supposed to represent Swedish values and traditions to the general public. If Wilhelm starts pursuing a kind of justice, then he’s making a statement about what justice looks like in Sweden whether he wants to or not. If he had shot August in the field, that would have been more than a murder—symbolically that would have been an execution, in a country that banned capital punishment in the 1970s. (Then again, Stella and Fredrika would probably be okay with that.)

I want to make one more point here as I transition into the next section. I don’t think Lisa is necessarily saying that August shouldn’t be punished or face consequences for his crime. But I do think she’s being very clear that a retributive justice philosophy is going to hit marginalized people without the resources to defend themselves—people like Simon—a lot harder. And that opens up the question of where we’re supposed to find catharsis. Can we really exhale at the image of jail cell doors clanging shut, knowing that this same legal system can come for Simon using the same tools? If Simon somehow manages to evade prosecution, can he ever really find relief? How long will that last? What’s to say the system won’t screw him over in other ways, and what’s to say that other rich kids won’t get away with what August did, or worse?

It would be one thing if a crime only harmed the individuals involved, but restorative justice philosophy reminds us that this harm also impacts communities and involves communities. So, without further ado, it’s time to zoom in and examine how justice plays out (or fails to) in the Hillerska community.

Snitches, Stitches, and Scapegoats

In the microcosm of Hillerska, students have organized their own justice system in miniature. Conformity gets rewarded, while open nonconformity gets ostracized. While there is some understanding among the students that individuals will deviate from heterosexual, traditionalist, rich kid norms, this deviation is generally only tolerated when students do it in secret. In this climate, Hillerska students do a lot of self-policing. Stella and Nils cover up their sexualities in ways that may not work for them long term. Felice frets about her physical appearance and how people will perceive her if she pursues boys a certain way. You get the picture.

Because of the pressure to maintain a pristine image of the school (gotta make those admissions brochures look sparkly clean!) the student body as a whole sweeps crime and “deviant” behavior under the rug by closing ranks and agreeing not to snitch on one another. The elite status of Hillerska students allows them to get away with a lot their public school peers would not. While gossip flourishes within Hillerska’s walls, woe betide anyone who lets it escape into the outer world.

On occasion, there are crimes that can’t be covered up, and it may be that more than one student is involved. We’ve seen what happens in this case. Hillerska students do not collectively assume responsibility, but instead agree upon a narrative about what happened and choose a scapegoat to pin the problem on. We see this most clearly in episode 1.5, when Alexander is found with the drugs that the Society used for their party. August suggests they pin the drugs on Simon, while Wilhelm breaks with tradition and says Alexander should take the fall, because Alexander can easily bounce back from an accusation like this. Sure enough, Alexander is back at Hillerska next season, far less innocent than before and far more likely to engage in political intrigue. Wilhelm’s considerations about how Alexander can more easily absorb the blame for the drugs are well thought out and in some ways compassionate—and we’re happy to cheer him on for defending Simon and to some extent we should. However, Wilhelm’s willingness to participate in the scapegoating system backfires on him nonetheless, and also entrenches him in one of the most toxic parts of Hillerska culture. He’s cut off one hydra head and two new ones have sprung up to take it’s place.

One obvious danger of scapegoating is that innocent people are often blamed for things they have nothing to do with. We’ve seen this negatively impact Simon on the rowing team and elsewhere. Vincent makes Simon the scapegoat for the rowing team’s loss in episode 2.3 and uses it as an excuse to bully him. Simon doesn’t get to sing his solo because people will recognize him from the video and that will affect the school’s image and the royal family’s image. Simon is innocent in these areas, but he’s being made to take on blame for situations that are a lot bigger than him. Of all the individual students at Hillerska, Simon’s probably getting the shortest end of the stick, and that’s directly related to the fact that he lacks privilege.

Feeding the Myths

There’s other ways to make people symbols of crime or deviance, however, that can damage the fabric of social groups in other ways. Since scapegoat isn’t quite the right term here, because it tends to presume innocence rather than superlative guilt, I’m going to borrow some season 2 language and refer to this as the Worst Person in the World Phenomenon. Now, this is where I’m going to go out on a limb a bit and ask a question the show might not engage with in season 3. They might do it. They might not. It may be beyond the scope of the story Lisa feels she is able to tell. I’m going to ask this question all the same:

If August faces public consequences and punishment for leaking the video, what impact will that actually have on the culture of Hillerska students? Will it prevent such a thing from ever happening again? Will it at least encourage self-reflection?

You could argue that a high profile case like August’s could deter his classmates from engaging in harmful behaviors. He may affect some students that way. I mean, what he did is Very Bad on the Bad scale. You might even call him… the Worst Person In The World. Who would want to be like the Worst Person In The World?

The flip side of the Worst Person In The World phenomenon is that can actually discourage people from taking responsibility and holding themselves accountable. Because gosh, what I did isn’t that bad. It’s not serial killer bad, or Vladimir Putin bad. Do we realistically believe that other students at Hillerska aren’t doing problematic things? That the rowing team has zero boys who will show a topless photo of their girlfriend (without her consent) to some of his bros while they chuckle over it? That some of the girl groups aren’t spreading wildly inappropriate and homophobic rumors about classmates that seriously damage reputations? That kids aren’t paying one another for test answers or putting pressure on one another to unsafely experiment with alcohol and drugs, even when students express boundaries and don’t want to? That kids don’t collectively work to bully teachers at times? And generally the kids aren’t getting in trouble because they’re the children of rich, elite parents, who will grow to be the rich people who run the systems and structures in society for the next generation.

Now, none of the Hillerska kids (that we know of) are doing bad things on the scale that August did when he leaked the video. This is important to stress. But it’s also important to stress that this “getting away with bad behavior” culture of Hillerska and rich people in general is part of what made August who he is. Are the other participants in that culture willing to reflect on that and actively work to change the culture in question?

Again, this does not mean that August shouldn’t face consequences or punishment, or that he shouldn’t go to prison and undergo some sort of rehabilitation. There are excellent reasons for him to face consequences. He did revenge porn FFS. But I think it’s worth acknowledging that the punishment of a very obvious, high profile offender can feed the myth that the legal system is finally working toward justice when in fact the system is continuing to perpetuate injustice. We can see how this works when only a few select predator men were convicted to placate the #MeToo movement, we can see how this works with corrupt cops when only a few who kill are ever convicted but most get away with it, and we can see how this works with political parties taking advantage of the fact that other political parties are, well, worse.

And yes, don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, no ethical consumption under capitalism, etc etc. I think we can keep that in mind while also keeping in mind that we still bear a responsibility to Do The Work in whatever way we are able. This is wandering off of Young Royals a bit. But I’ve given a lot of thought to the way we point at glaringly bad examples of human behavior and say “at least I’m not that guy” while not really doing the reflective work about what we can do to be better and how we can change our culture and systems. This kind of rhetoric is what allows people, especially people like the Hillerska kids who are at the top of society and the peak of privilege, to sleep at night. And maybe they shouldn’t be sleeping so well.

I think a lot about how the scene with Sara warning August that Simon is going to call the police (which is about Sara giving August one more chance to embrace accountability) is followed by a scene of Henry showing up to his group project meeting with no work done. Henry might not have done his work on a literal level, but as a symbol, he’s doing a lot of work. Not only is Henry foreshadowing that August isn’t going to do the right thing and turn himself in, he’s also lampshading the broader culture of Hillerska itself. For all the fancy plaques about responsibility, the students use their privilege and power to avoid doing what’s right and keep the status quo going. This is who they are. This is what they are going to have to overcome to be ethical humans who make their world better.

Working for Catharsis and Healing (A personal opinion section)

I don’t make predictions. The idea of making predictions for season 3 is in fact pretty stressful for me. But what this intellectual exercise has opened up for me is a question of where I would find catharsis and healing in the narrative. It’s not in the sound of police sirens. Maybe that’s different for you. That’s okay. I think we can learn a lot from the discussion in question.

Let’s start with the obvious jerkface himself and the question of him facing punishment. I think it’s worth separating August from other people for a time, to prevent him from doing additional harm to others. If we’re going to call that prison, then sure, let’s call it that. But let’s unpack what that separation looks like. In order for Wilhelm and Simon (and Sara and Felice for that matter) to heal, they’re going to need to be away from him. They should not be the ones responsible for his rehabilitation. As a restorative justice nerd deep down (at least, mostly, but fictional teenagers are well within the broad spectrum of people I’ll offer grace to) I still think he deserves a chance to heal from at least his drug addiction and his eating disorder and his trauma over his dad’s suicide. I also think he needs to understand accountability and the impact his actions have on others, and needs to learn to act in ways that repair the harm he’s done and prevent future harm. This is what he owes the world. There’s not time enough for us to see that whole journey, but I feel like the writers could show us the first few steps.

I’ve seen some people try to argue that August can’t change because he didn’t respond enough to Sara treating him like a person. I can see their point, and I can see the show using the Sara subplot as a shorthand for the idea that August can’t change. Writers often have to use that kind of shorthand to make a point about a character. (The relationship between redemption arcs and romantic love is one of my ongoing problems with redemption arcs in fiction, just for the record.) The way I see it, though, Sara is just one neurodivergent girl with a family history of abuse experiencing her first romantic love. She’s not a team of trained mental health professionals and social workers and other help-minded adults who’ve studied up on how to de-program systemic nonsense. After all, we can accept that although Simon loves Wilhelm very much, Simon’s efforts alone weren’t enough to fully dislodge Wilhelm from his place of privilege. Wilhelm needed Boris and therapy, and a mom who made him go to therapy (Kristina often does more harm than good, but her making Wilhelm go to therapy is the broken clock being right twice a day), and Felice as a friend and confidant, and Nils as a different sort of confidant, and a literature teacher like Fröken Ramirez who’s assigning him books with queer representation. Wilhelm’s journey is still ongoing. Romantic love may be transformative, but individuals in love don’t change people on their own. Communities change people. I am an aromantic relationship anarchist and I will die on this hill.

Speaking of the Eriksson siblings, I want Sara and Simon to have a chance to repair their relationship and build it anew. This would be another point of catharsis for me. I’ve seen a lot of people saying “Sara needs to do xyz tasks…” like we’re in a confession booth and a certain number of Hail Marys will save the day, but step one is that Sara and Simon just need to start communicating again, and communicating honestly. I think it’s easy to point to August as being the root of their relationship struggles, but there were a lot of unspoken tensions between the Eriksson siblings long before he entered the chat. They would have had some other falling out even without Hillerska. Simon’s been led to believe he should parent his sister, and Sara’s been convinced she’s a burden to her brother forever. They both are still reeling from trauma related to their dad, and it may need that they need different things to heal from that. Even without all that, they’re both maturing and defining their values and exploring romance for the first time, and Sara’s getting friendships of her own without always tagging along with Simon and Rosh and Ayub. Simon and Sara are getting to the age where they may not always be the most important people in each other’s lives, and they need to learn to grow up without growing apart. That doesn’t always happen automatically; it takes self-reflection and commitment and listening. I don’t think we’ll ever be back to the innocent days of Sara teasing Simon about his fairy tale prince. But I do think they can move their relationship forward in a new direction, and bounce back stronger.

I also think both Eriksson siblings need to come to terms with the fact that they violated their own values. Sara didn’t do anything illegal, but she did do something that violated her own morals, and you can tell that she feels pretty awful about that when she’s alone on the bus and driving away from school in 2.6. As for Simon, I don’t know if he’s fully gotten a chance to sit with the fact that he violated his own values when he brought his dad’s drugs to school. Again, I don’t want Simon to have to go through legal trouble, or deal with the prison system. The legal system is stacked against Simon in ways that are not fair. But Simon values accountability, and Wilhelm basically rescued him from being held accountable in season 1. I imagine that’s caused cognitive dissonance for Simon he’s still sorting through. I wonder what that’s going to be like for him.

On Wilhelm’s end, I’d like him to continue growing in the ways he’s grown in season 2. He’s learned not to be a symbol of extreme retributive justice. What would it look like for him to model restorative justice practices instead? (Note: this doesn’t mean that he personally has to forgive August. That’s entirely up to Wilhelm.) How can he encourage his community to act differently?

For Felice—well, one of my few issues with season 2 was how they handled Felice, and how they made her ancillary to others’ arcs instead of having her own, but that’s a post for another time. All the same, I think Felice is learning to trust her instincts, push past her biases, and take a unique point of view on things. She’s able to look at the video and see the broken pixels rather than the scandalous gossip scene everyone’s talking about. She can sense Sara’s hiding a secret from her and knows Sara needs to talk. Even if the conversation they end up having is deeply upsetting for her, it brings truths to light that need to be shared. Felice doesn’t have every tool in the toolbox yet, but what she observes and how she interacts with people can be helpful in delivering justice.

I don’t have meta space to consider every parent and adult on the show and things they can do differently. But I expect in season 3 we’ll start to see some adults (I don’t think it’s likely that we’ll see all of them) consider the roles they play in perpetuating systems and cycles. At least, I hope so. It shouldn’t be all on the young people to achieve change in society.

As for the Hillerska culture, it needs to change too. It’s worth asking if a place like Hillerska should even exist. Every secondary Hillerska student is going to act a little bit differently in response to the events of the plot, and I don’t know if I’d buy it if the show tried to tell us the Hillerska culture changed overnight in a magical ripple of self-consciousness. We might see individual students taking baby steps toward responsibility and liberation here or there. We might just see status quo as usual. I think of all the threads in this story, this is the one I would be okay with seeing Lisa Ambjörn leave things unresolved or in a place of tension, as long as that tension feels intentionally placed. Because changing the world is hard, and not everything changes all at once.

Young Royals doesn’t have to tie up every loose end by the last episode of season 3, but I do think it’s already raised a lot of questions about the relationship between justice and storytelling and where we find catharsis in fiction and our own lives. These questions are worth us considering, even if the answers point toward all the work that still needs to be done for the future.

[revoevokukil]

Sapkowski the Pagan: The Grail & The Goddess

Andrzej Sapkowski and Stanisław Bereś. 2005. Historia i fantastyka

One of the more fascinating features of Sapkowski's writing is the intertextuality of his works; their relation not only to preceding legends and fantasy, but also to his own works. There are several topics and ideas that repeat, in various shapes, throughout. As I am going through the Hussite Trilogy right now, I am taking notes.

Among his works I herein count The Witcher, The Hussite Trilogy & The World of King Arthur. Maladie. The latter must constitute the closest we have gotten so far to authorial research notes on ideas of interest.

The ley lines (so far):

Humanim, i.e. decency

(Erotic) Love's salving & dooming qualities Amantes amentes. Those who love are out of their minds. Take heart. Have pity.

Woman, the Grail of being

Fairy tales brought to life (but there's a snag)

Prophecies/Grand narratives

Folk stories & beliefs

Witchcraft

The Cult of the Goddess, the Great Mother, The One who is Three

The perishing of the old (but not quite disappearing) & the brutal onset of the new. Change and upheaval.

Common sense vs idealism vs pragmatism

Anti-taxes, anti-clergy

Anti-fanaticism

The Grail & The Goddess

"For the Goddess has many names. And still more faces."

First, Andrzej Sapkowski construing Ciri as The Holy Grail is documented. It's not merely conjecture based on the text(s), although the text overwhelmingly declares it.

Cutali, Daniele. 2015. Interview with Andrzej Sapkowski

But so what?

The Witcher is an extremely allusive and meta-literary work. It deconstructs mythical matter and fantasy canon in the same breath as establishing itself in the eternal mythical present of legends. It completes itself as a self-aware analogue, because everything has already happened, and everything has already been written about. And Ciri - Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon - sits at the centre of its method and madness; not only the axis of plot events, but also the spindle of its meta text. It's apparent already in her name. O Elaine, O Rhiannon. All Christian legends have a pagan origin. This Polish newborn has Arthurian origins. And Arthurian itself…?

In The World of King Arthur, Andrzej Sapkowski gives his account of the Arthuriana's transformation through centuries of re-writes. It is self-evident for him that for anyone to understand anything at all about Arthur, they need to orient in the history of the British Isles and in Celtic mythology.[1] Arthur was, in all probability, a Celt. And so was the Grail, if not even more ancient. 'The Grail - like almost every element of the Arthurian legend - has its origins in Celtic mythology. This is absolutely certain and has been confirmed many times,' he writes in Świat króla Artura. So what did Arthur believe? What views and values lay at the heart of the world in which he originated? Why is this relevant for a more meaningful reading of The Witcher?

Because the world of the Celts, as so many pre-Christian cosmologies, was a living world - an animistic, self-eating and self-renewing entity, cyclical, circular, without beginning or end, embracing life out of death - and Ciri is a living Grail. Ideas repeat in Andrzej Sapkowski's writing.

Ciri, a living Grail. A girl. A young woman. A Goddess. She who is Triple. A source of rebirth and hope, of death too. Strange magic is enclosed in her veins, as in Ceriddwen's Cauldron, that is of the essence of life. Cauldrons abound in Celtic mythos (be you Dagda, hero Cuchulainn, Brân or Pwyll, you got your hands on a cauldron eventually). But Ciri does not need to be rendered an artefact in order to hold power, because… she is a woman. That alone is enough.

Sapkowski's appreciation for compelling female characters should be well-known.

Sapkowski, A. 1995. The World of King Arthur. Maladie

'Celtic mythology,' Sapkowski notes in Świat, 'is mainly about the love life of the gods.' Gods fighting, scheming, and transcending themselves for goddesses. It's called the oldest story in the world; girl meets boy. But that's not quite the beginning of it: in the beginning, we're all born to a mother.

The Grail's functions and characteristics are notably maternal and feminine, and the mystery and nature of the Grail's power is love.

Sapkowski, A. 1995. The World of King Arthur. Maladie

Great, White, Triple

Who? And what features?

The ability to provide food is the property of the Grail most often referred to. Nourishment. Revitalization. Mother is the only parent who may truly feed her child with her body. Or give birth. The Chalice symbolically representing the "Womb of the Mother" is a very old idea. Old and basic. The most basic. Bernard of Clairvaux even calls upon Mary, saying: "Offer your son, sacred Virgin, and present the blessed fruit of your womb to God. Offer the blessed host, pleasing to God, for the reconciliation of us all" (qtd. in Bynum, 268). But we'll talk about the role of Christianity and symbolism another time. For first, we are pagans.

"Drawing from various sources, I assumed that – although I am not a blind follower of this theory – the feminine element dominates in nature. If there is any cult not related to politics, it is the cult of the Great Mother, the Goddess. The belief in the male God, Yahweh, worshiped by Jews, had a political character – Yahweh was invented because he had to be invented to maintain certain social structures. For primitive people, the mysterious, divine element was exclusively femininity, the ability to give life. However, I emphasize that I am not defending these theories from a religious studies standpoint; they simply resonate with me." - Andrzej Sapkowski and Stanisław Bereś. 2005. Historia i fantastyka

This idea that resonates with Andrzej Sapkowski so strongly as to appear in virtually everything he has written was re-kindled as an ideology by the neo-Celtic, neo-pagan Wicca movement (Gardner, Murray, Starhawk, et al). Foundational text: The White Goddess by Robert Graves. The idea precedes the Celts though, and, at heart, revolves around nature and man being inseparable.

Ceridwen is one of the forms of the Celtic Goddess, and her cauldron is the womb-cauldron of rebirth and inspiration. In early Celtic myth, the cauldron of the Goddess restored slain warriors to life. It was stolen away to the Underworld, and the heroes who warred for its return were the originals of King Arthur and his Knights, who quested for its later incarnation, the Holy Grail. The Celtic afterworld is called the Land of Youth, and the secret that opens its door is found in the cauldron: The secret of immortality lies in seeing death as an integral part of the cycle of life. Nothing is ever lost from the universe: Rebirth can be seen in life itself, where every ending brings a new beginning. Most Witches do believe in some form of reincarnation. This is not so much a doctrine as a gut feeling growing out of a world view that sees all events as continuing processes. Death is seen as a point on an ever-turning wheel, not as a final end. We are continually renewed and reborn whenever we drink fully and fearlessly from “the cup of wine of life.” - Starhawk. 1979. The Spiral Dance

Nature's heartbeat resounds in reincarnation through reproduction. The gentle fury of love.

“Listen to the words of the Goddess, whose arms and thighs are wrapped around the Universe!” called the shaman. “Who, at the Beginning, divided the Waters from the Heavens and danced on them! From whose dance the wind was born, and from the wind the breath of life!” “I am the beauty of the green earth,” said the Domina, and her voice was like the wind from the mountains. “I am the white moon among a thousand stars, I am the secret of the waters. Come to me, for I am the spirit of nature. All things arise from me and all must return to me, before my visage, beloved by the gods and mortals.” “Eiaaa!” “I am Lilith, I am the first of the first, I am Astarte, Cybele, Hecate, I am Rigatona, Epona, Rhiannon, the Night Mare, the lover of the gale. Black are my wings, my feet are swifter than the wind, my hands sweeter than the morning dew. The lion knows not when I tread, the beast of the field and forest cannot comprehend my ways. For verily do I tell you: I am the Secret, I am Understanding and Knowledge.” "Worship me deep in your hearts and in the joy of the rite, make sacrifices of the act of love and bliss, because such sacrifices are dear to me. For I am the unsullied virgin and I am the lover of gods and demons, burning with desire. And verily do I say: as I was with you from the beginning, so you shall find me at the end." Sapkowski, A. 2002. The Tower of Fools

It is for this reason the Irish recorded so many songs of aitheds - motifs of female abduction. It is for this reason one of the earliest legends of the search of the Grail is the tale of the hero Culhwch's quest for the hand of Olwen, who, wherever she stepped, made four white clovers bloom under her feet.[2] It is why Ciri, the living Grail in whom the function of the Goddess has been doubled, finds herself in a double-bind; as the keeper of power and immortality she is more frequently seen as means to an end rather than an end in herself. Not unusual for any failed relationship where the parties confuse love for something else. And while we are confusing notions of erotic and spiritual love, the Question of the Grail which must be asked of the Fisher King, undoubtedly, still comes down to a question about love.

Sapkowski, A. 1995. The World of King Arthur. Maladie

Celtic mythology is about the love life of the gods. The longing for a union; that completes. That turns the wheel and closes the cycle. That revitalizes, heals, nourishes, allows for flourishing. That immortalizes; if not oneself, then at least a moment. And what is life but fleeting moments, grains of sand passing through an hourglass?

Sapkowski, A. Something Ends, Something Begins

It can get confusing. The Goddess has many names and many faces, and three aspects.

Sapkowski, A. 1995. The World of King Arthur. Maladie

As to the inherent eroticism of the Grail, well…

Sapkowski, A. 1995. The World of King Arthur. Maladie

He wanted to tell her everything, but the words stuck in his tight throat. She saw it. She knew. How could she not? For only in Reynevan’s eyes, stupefied by happiness, was she a maiden, a trembling virgin who was embracing him, eyes closed and biting her lower lip in painful ecstasy. For any wise man—had there been one nearby—the matter was clear: she was no shy and inexperienced young lass, but rather a goddess proudly receiving the homage due to her. And goddesses know and see everything. And do not expect homage in the form of words. She pulled him onto her and the eternal rite began. - Sapkowski, A. 2002. The Tower of Fools

Sapkowski's interest for the fates of men in the power of the Goddess is only surpassed by his hope for the triumph of common sense and humanism. And the mystery of the Grail - what unleashes its power? - is of both sexual and platonic variety. Humanity is important. Heart. As in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival. As per Campbell: 'The big moment in the medieval myth is the awakening of the heart to compassion, the transformation of passion into compassion. That is the whole problem of the Grail stories, compassion for the wounded king.' [4]

Thanks to Ciri, the story of Geralt of Rivia - a grail knight who set out with his hanza in search of a dream - is ennobled and raised on par with King Arthur. It is Yennefer and Geralt's love and compassion and sacrifice for Ciri, which ultimately heals them. An echo of love for his daughter melts the ice shard in the heart of an Emperor. The mystery and nature of the Grail's power resides in love.

"Love has many names,” said Hans Mein Igel suddenly, “and it will determine your fate, young herbalist. Love. It will save your life when you won’t even know that it is love. For the Goddess has many names. And still more faces.” - Sapkowski, A. 2002. The Tower of Fools

By the end of The Witcher, Ciri's journey as the Goddess has barely begun. And what has begun has begun traumatically. Her journey to know herself, to find, forgive, understand, and accept (or reject) the Grail within, has not yet dawned. She remains in a liminal space between the Maiden and the Woman after having, already and much too early, worn the guise of Death, the Crone. The author doesn't tell; he lets the reader wonder. For before Ciri is everything. But Grail, the Goddess, requires something, and also empowers with what she requires.

Sapkowski, A. 2002. The Tower of Fools

Love leads spring into the Waste Land of the human heart.

Love, compassion, willingness to suffer with and for another, readiness to transcend one's own pain, selfishness, and rage. For three things last forever: faith, hope, and love - and the greatest of these is love.[3]

-----

[1]: Sapkowski mainly used Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch, Celtic Myth and Legend, Poetry and Romance by Charles Squire and Mabinogion. [2]: In order to marry Olwen, Culhwch must take her from her father, but Ysbaddaden will first set him on an endless quest; a list of long and laborious tasks. In the name of a woman. [3]: Or, as The Tower of the Swallow renders it: 'Are, then, Chaos, art and learning according to you, the Powers capable of changing the world? A curse, a blessing and progress? And aren't they by any chance Faith? Love? Sacrifice?' [4]: Campbell, J. 1991. The Power of Myth

[something-pithy]

(Quick) Notes and an Update: Come and Knock on My Door...

pictured above: Ascended Astarion before this Tav is like "Nah, bruh, i think this might be toxic OK gotta go bye" 5 Years Later...

Happy Tuesday, my sweet summer children!

And y'all salty ones, too :D

So Chapter 12 is up, and it's deadass over 5000 words of Astarion at different levels of unhinged and Tav at different levels of drunk af.

looool I mean, I had a lot of fun with it.

Quick Notes:

ON THE MF EPILOGUE:

OMG y’all, so Patch 5, amirite?!

Given the nature and content of an echo, a stain, OBVIOUSLY I AM EXCITE. 

A couple of things for the record:

Everything through Chapter 12 of this story was written as published before I saw any type of Ascendant epilogue. 

I don’t have an Ascendant Epilogue of my own to review because though I was in EA from jump and have 1700+ hours in this game (lol michaeljordangetsomehelp.gif), I've only completed one playthrough so far and I definitely failed the constitution check to complete the game with Astarion Ascended (listen, I love writing Ascendant Astarion but at the core of my being I'm here for ProcessingTrauma!Astarion and in the game, that's my SpawnStarion, baby)

My beta watched a video of the Ascendant epilogue and took notes, then gave me a bulleted list an echo, a stain was right about both in the parts that have been published, the parts that are still in progress, and the notes/outline for the rest of the story... loool it's a long list. tl;dr an echo, a stain remains pretty canon-compliant even post-epilogue.

I'm going to stop promising things about what I'm going to write in my notes. I really always do this with the best intentions, but once I drop a chapter, very frequently the day gets away from me because dropping the chapter took longer than I thought and/or I have other things to do.

If you have a specific meta question, don't hesitate to ask! I'm a teacher and a librarian and there's nothing I believe harder than "There are no dumb questions."

Normally I try to put out two new chapters each week, but after I dropped Ch 12 I started working on what was supposed to be Ch 13 and this motherfucker turned out to be 24 pages / 10K words.

I'm going to do my damnedest to get it posted today, but the revision process on this thing is already more involved than usual for a number of reasons. My incredible beta whomst I don't even deserve and I are working hard on figuring out how the MANY different things that happen in those 10K words best go together, best fit into the story, and also fix my Britishisms because during that torrent of word vomit I definitely started slipping into my native New Yorker / New Jerseyan f-bomb city patterns here and there. looool

Aight beautiful people, that's what I've got for now. I actually honestly do have about 2K words on alignment, good vs. evil, how they work (in my opinion) in BG3 and this story that are going to be pretty relevant to the HECKIN CHONKER of stuff that's coming up soon, but... we'll get there when we get there. Have a delicious day!

[mareastrorum]

TF&TS Meta: Cree Deeproots's Character Sheet

Since I am posting another chapter later this week, no WIP Wednesday excerpt today! However, I usually throw out a meta post before each chapter to tide people over.

I will post a little late this week! Unfortunately, work has been crazy, and this week continued that trend. I am hoping to update by Sunday evening.

Edit: Unfortunately, I have had to bump my planned posting date for Chapter 8 back to 11/24 due to work going haywire. I am still writing, and I'll post another WIP for the next chapter this Wednesday, as well as another meta post the following Wednesday. I'll hopefully have some reprieve by then and intend to get back to a regular 2-week posting schedule after that.

This post discusses how I developed the character sheet for Cree.

See the directory for other meta posts.

The story itself will get into Cree’s backstory and characterization, so this is going to focus primarily on mechanics and items. Here is her character sheet.

As mentioned in a prior post, Cree was at least level 13 when the Nein first encountered her in Eiselcross because she used Firestorm against Gelidon in 123, then at least 15 in 133 because she used Earthquake. Her holy symbol was the gold/crystal pendant with Lucien’s blood that the Nein first saw in 117. She also had the Cape of the Mountebank, first spotted in the same episode and then used in 133.

Like the rest, Cree is starting at level 14. Unlike the others, I did not roll Cree’s stats. I tried to come up with what made sense narratively. Another wrinkle was that Wizards released an update to Tabaxi in 2022, but I opted to go with the racial features from Volo’s because that’s what Matt would have used at the time of the campaign.

Cree cast slow on the Nein as they escaped in 123, and Fjord successfully made a wisdom save with 19. The highest failure was 14, so spell save DC is 15-19. The DC is 8 plus proficiency bonus plus wisdom modifier, and at level 15, her PB would be +5, while it rises to +6 at level 17. So, assuming she was level 15, her wisdom modifier would need to be at least +2 and no more than +6. If she had been level 17, her modifier had to be at least +1 and no more than +5. Either way, that doesn’t tell us much about her wisdom score, especially if she had an item that could have factored in. Any reasonable cleric would pick wisdom for their highest stat, so unless she rolled shit and never took an ASI, I would expect her modifier to be at least +4. However, since she was an end game mini-boss, I thought +5 seemed reasonable. Thus, Cree’s wisdom score is 20 because it maxed out at some point, and considering that cleric is SAD compared to blood hunters, I think she would have prioritized it. Thus, assuming she got at least one good roll to assign to Wisdom, I chose 18 base, and one ASI was used to raise the 18 to a 20.

Logistically, Cree’s Con score only mattered as an antagonist for determining her Con saves because Matt usually needed to buff health pools against the large party. So, for all we knew, it was 6 and he gave her a ton of HP. However, if we were constructing her sheet as if she was a PC, her next highest priorities were constitution, then dexterity. Blood clerics have some BH-like abilities to sacrifice HP for benefits, so she needed a decent health pool. Considering her self-sacrificial behavior, I felt that a player would have strategized for that, and it made sense narratively if she managed to survive as an orphan in the Run and eat “muster” all the time while out adventuring. Since I gave her 18 for Wisdom, I chose 16 for Con.

Dex was next. Higher initiative and AC were also important. Cree’s AC in her final fight was 19. AC is usually armor mod + dex mod + shield(?) + enchantment/item mods, so that could be all sorts of combinations. Matt didn’t mention she had a shield, but we know her armor was enchanted because he mentioned all the Tombtakers’ armor glowed during a detect magic in 117. Clerics are proficient with Medium armor, but not Heavy armor, and while she could have taken a feat, Matt didn’t mention that she had anything more than heavy leathers and furs—no chain or plate. Medium armor also caps the dex mod at +2, and heavy armor doesn’t add dex mod at all. Thus, she probably had studded leather armor, which is 12 + dex mod + enchantments. If she had +3 armor (possible, but very expensive), then her dex mod had to be +4. If she had a shield (which Matt didn’t mention), then maybe she had +2 armor (reasonable for level 15) and +3 dex. Finally, in the last fight against the Nein, Matt mentioned that Cree rolled a super low initiative, but the lowest the Nein got was a 12. Initiative is normally just the roll plus dexterity modifier, so that doesn’t really tell us anything about her Dex score. Realistically, that meant Cree’s dex modifier was probably around 3-4 and she had items or enchantments to add another 3-4, totaling +7 to her AC. Probably not an additional cloak, a spell caster staff, or a shield because Matt didn’t mention her using them and the Nein only looted the necklace and the Cape of the Mountebank. (Or maybe her holy symbol gave AC?) Tabaxi get a +2 to Dex, so I opted to give Cree a 14 that was then raised to 16.

Strength could have really gone anywhere. There’s no D&D mechanic reason for her to have high/low Str according to what we saw in the stream. Her weapon was a war pick, not a finesse weapon, so it would have been her melee attack stat, and therefore it’s a safe assumption that the mod was at least 0 (not <10). However, she never actually used that weapon. So we just have ~vibes~. Because of how Matt played her (immediately firing off her biggest spells at Gelidon), I decided I would use this as a vanity stat rather than something meant to used regularly in combat. I got the impression that she leaves the melee combat to the rest of the Tombtakers and she stays the hell away from it. Considering her time in the Run meant she would be pretty athletic and I already have her +3 to Dex, I gave her 16 strength to match. That makes her excellent at climbing and jumping even without proficiency in the Athletics skill, which I felt was appropriate for the one tabaxi in the group.

Int and Cha are Cree’s dump stats. Strategically, neither is important for a cleric. Narratively, she’s an uneducated orphan, and Lucien no doubt did most of the talking. Based on how Cree spoke, I don’t expect she had much of a Cha stat, though I doubt it was a negative modifier. She was polite and courteous to the Nein until Lucien was back, and then she was rather jealous/envious. So, she can get along, if she wants to, but I figured her Cha wasn’t higher than Lucien’s. Thus, I gave Int 8 and Cha 9, which received a +1 to 10. The only reason I didn’t give her lower Int was that she would have received some education at the Orders. Most of the things she would have learned with the Nightback Clan were wisdom skills, and she’d have relied upon those in the Run as well, and whatever she didn’t know about the town itself, Lucien did, so there wasn’t much pressure to expand her specialty.

If you think I’m being overly generous about Cree’s stats, maybe take a look at Jester’s level 2 stats. That’s right. Level 2.

Cree’s background was relatively easy to choose, though I had considered Urchin. Her experience as an acolyte at the Claret Orders was far more relevant to her skills and character than her time as an orphan in Shadycreek Run. It also made sense that Religion was the one Int stat she’d be good at.

Feats were interesting. War Caster was an obvious choice for D&D strategy, and it made perfect sense for how she would have been trained at the Orders and her experiences with the Tombtakers. The Vital Sacrifice feat was not available at the time of C2, but the flavor fit her very well. Matt had also let her exceed the mileage limit of her Crimson Bond ability (10 miles), or characters flagrantly and repeatedly lied about her ability to track blood further than that and she used some other spell (Commune?) to hunt people down on the Gentleman's behalf considering Crimson Bond is limited to 2 uses per day. (I exceeded that in this chapter.) The narrative reason is she just has a knack for hemocraft, so she figured out how to tap her own vitality to fuck with people.

Items were a challenge. They had to be sensible for her level and not push her into high-level enemy territory. The most pertinent decision was whether she had anything she'd had in Aeor. The first times we saw Cree with her holy symbol necklace, the Cape of the Montebank, and a scroll of Control Weather were after the Nein caught up to the Tombtakers in Eiselcross. However, as a cleric, she wouldn’t have needed the scroll because she could do that at level 15 (which she also needed to be for Earthquake). And if Cree went so far as to criticize the Nein for being rich kids because of the tower, she wouldn’t have spent the coin on buying the scroll when she could just do it herself. Maybe the explanation was she hit level 15 after that, but then there’s the question of why was she so much lower than Lucien’s level and how did Matt expect Lucien (level 17) to be enough to balance the rest of the Tombtakers against a larger group. Maybe Matt gave her the scroll as a clue that the Tombtakers expected this to be a one way trip, but there were other ways of doing that.

Instead, what made sense to me was that Lucien looted the cape and scroll from DeRogna. Think about it. I don’t know if Cree would have just clung to a rare magic item for the 2 years that Lucien was dead, especially one that wasn’t useful and we had no indication it had sentimental value. Neither the cape nor the scroll made sense for that. But Matt also mentioned that DeRogna’s room had already been tossed and looted when the Nein found her body, so Lucien robbed her on top of taking his book back. What would he steal if his plan was a one way trip to the Astral Sea to become a god? Magic items! But the Tombtakers certainly would have already brought weapons and armor, and DeRogna wouldn’t have bothered, so it had to be other items—like a teleportation cape to avoid danger and a scroll to conserve spell slots. Like a rich person would stock for a trip where bodyguards handle all the monsters. Thus, Cree doesn’t have either of those in TF&TS.

There’s also the issue of Cree’s holy symbol. As I’ve mentioned before, it doesn’t make sense for her to currently have a necklace with Lucien’s blood for her to be a cleric of the Nonagon. He’s undead, and while she is tremendously faithful, it’s a whole extra step beyond worshipping a childhood friend to worship a dead one, and then another step to worship an undead one. I had to be able to reconcile it with the facts that she went to Zadash and never once checked on his grave, then let “Lucien” (Molly) go off by himself with strangers and not checking on his blood vial even once to see if he was okay. She believed the Nein the first time when they returned to Zadash and claimed Lucien had parted ways; if she suspected he was dead, she would not have been so calm or courteous. So she trusts him enough to do as he asks, but with him dying “twice” (though once was actually Molly), I don’t think she would have actually worshiped Lucien as a god by that point in time. There’s also the fact that Lucien’s body is in someone else’s control right now, so there’s a disconnect between undead Lucien and his blood. For the premise to make sense, his blood couldn’t be part of Cree’s holy symbol, and the timeline of events suggests that she didn’t start worshiping him as a god until after he came back to life.

The Raven Queen absolutely would not have worked as Cree’s goddess in this plot either. The Matron hates the undead, so even if Cree had remained faithful to her, that likely would have had perilous consequences for trying to cast any spells while Cree helped Lucien. Any attempt to bring him back as undead would have been an issue too. (Yes, I know that clerics have tons of necromancy spells, especially Blood Clerics, and there’s no mechanic prohibiting it, but this story has to have some logic to it.)

Thus, the Somnovem were Cree’s gods. I couldn’t think of a single reason why a gold/crystal necklace with someone’s blood would be suitable for the Somnovem, so I had to make up a holy symbol. That’s excellent for story purposes because the new one is packed with symbolism. It’s an eye carved into a silver coin with a ruby chip embedded as the iris. It’s obvious to anyone seeing it that Cree had to improvise, that she made it herself, and that she didn’t go overboard with making it especially pretty or ornate. Easy to carry, hide, and hold. Practical and without excess.

Then, where’s the gold/crystal necklace? And why was that one so fancy compared to the coin? Hmmm.

I figured she would keep her Raven Queen symbol, though it likely cracked due to her broken faith. She’s sentimental, and even if she stopped worshiping the Matron, that would have been a huge part of her life. It remains to be seen whether her background feature would still work.

I decided to make the coin a Guardian Emblem because Cree didn’t use her actions to defend/heal the Tombtakers in combat except for one Cure Wounds on Lucien. She plays offense like Jester does, but even more aggressively because she threw out her highest level spells as attacks in her first two turns against Gelidon, leaving her with fewer options when the Tombtakers absconded that night with the bag of holding. Thus, having a reaction to significantly reduce damage taken would be a good option for her so she can still focus on attacks.

Coming up with a second item was such a pain. What would she have kept for so long without adventuring? What would she have bought? Probably nothing, but surely she wouldn’t sell off everything she ever had when trying to hide from DeRogna. Eventually, I felt a Ring of Protection made sense because it’s something that would be useful in the event that anything ever went sour with the Gentleman, or if DeRogna tracked her down, and it would lean into the “stop dying so I can kill stuff” mentality. Plus that gives her some AC.

Cree doesn’t have armor, but she has a shield. Why would she have armor? She’d have sold that for sure, and finding something suitable for a tabaxi in the Empire probably isn’t easy. It would be easier to pick up a shield, or for any of the others to buy for her, on the way out of Zadash than find armor that would fit. Plus there’s the strategy of it: anyone starting a fight in the Evening Nip is going to focus on the bouncers and bodyguards in armor, not the blood lady in a robe and costume jewelry—until she blights them. (She needs to buy some armor.)

Cree had a war pick in Eiselcross, and it’s not the type of weapon someone would choose unless they really liked the feel of it. It has no benefits. There’s numerous other 1d8 weapons that are versatile, finesse, or have other special features that make them better options. No, that was a character choice. Listen, Cree is a blood cleric that formerly worshiped a death god and recently brought her best friend back as an undead because she had nightmares and a madness inducing vision about it. Gouging people with a glorified mining pick is probably the most normal thing about her.

Lastly, Cree has a lot of money. Have you never met a person who suddenly started making obscene amounts of money after growing up poor? If they didn’t start spending it like an idiot, they hoarded it for What-Ifs out of paranoia, at least until the shock of having money wore off. Considering Cree’s behavior, it takes her a good while to get over things, and she absolutely seems like the kind of person to hoard her savings. Thus she’s barely spent any coin other than what was necessary for reagents, like diamonds, diamond dust, silver dust, etc. (You want holy water? It costs how much? We have holy water at home.)

[welcometomy20s]

May 18, 2023

Scripts are not a novel, they are a handbook.

Perhaps it’s due to how my brain works, but I have always been more privy to scripts than novels, to the point my prose are pretty much structured like scripts.

But the above advice haunts me, because I always feel that I did not give enough pointers in my scripts, because while I know in my head the blocking and camera shots and all that, I’m just too lazy and the scripts are just way too long (because basically I’m writing several seasons in one go) for me actually flesh out what I’m doing. Perhaps I should spend each day taking one.

This thought comes from Local, a YouTuber who I agree 80%, which is a good percentage, and I think I’ll make a short post into a long one, by commenting on his ten rules.

#1 - Characters are Not People

I agree with this. It’s more ‘fun’ to write characters as archetypes and that is how I usually see characters in my stories. Then again, it’s mostly because we agree on the drive.

#2 - Purpose Before Personality

I am not going to knock down the pegs of fanfic writers, since I have a whole series about praising fanfics - Season 3 will definitely arrive soon BTW - but I would say OCs… is not writing.

That is to say, OCs are a different form of writing. OCs are not designed to pursue a purpose but to accentuate the setting, and hence should not be subject to the same rules. A good OC has no bearing on whether that character would be a good character in a story, and that is not some failure but perfectly intentional, and I would not bash OC creators for such a service.

I rarely have OCs in my writing, and if they do, they are usually very bland, as in they would make terrible OCs. I don’t really have a drive for OC creations, so there.

#3 - It’s Not About Audience

All I could say is that ‘if the story is good, the audience will exist’. Hence the rule.

#4 - Words are Actions

A critique against ‘show, not tell’, but not a critique since the argument really is… talk to show, not talk to talk. Dialogue needs to show something, not merely be a description.

#5 - Don’t Stop the Dominoes ever

You know, one of the series I despise is Star vs. Force of Evil. And the reason I despise it is precisely because the whole crew is radically shifting the stories to get to the right conclusion and it’s so obvious that the series does not want to go that way.

#6 - Incite Violence

That is the most basic of advice, but it’s not bad. It’s basic for a reason. You need conflict in a story! You need to connect ideas into the real world! Praxis! Sorry.

#7 - Draw Your Shapes

Another outline-favorable advice. As Logic himself posits, this is personal advice. Some people really do work better with drafting and drafting. I think, for me, it’s a case-by-case basis. Sometimes I heavily outline things, sometimes I just go with the faintest idea, and other times I have to do both back and forth. But outlines are not a bad thing. I agree.

#8 - Write Your Backstories Backwards

This is so natural and also just much easier, and yet people want to avoid this… I guess because it’s not natural enough? I think this movement of advice killed a lot of writing juice.

#9 - Remember the Power of POV

In memes, POV means setting, like, it has been generalized? Traditionally, POV is a worldview, like a tunnel, not a frame. It is how you want the world to be seen, or the basis to which to compare the different perspectives. And therefore… yeah, it’s pretty important.

#10 - Be Kind to Yourself

Last advice is always kind of this penance, like how all constitutions end with all these meta-caveat so that the document doesn’t fall apart. Yeah, it’s kind of like that.

[xxpeppermintxx109]

And there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with being a sweet, quiet girl with a weak constitution and a big heart (we need Beth Marchs, Jane Bennets, Cassandra Mortmains, Rory Gilmores, they make the world go round). Nonetheless, Shaera was never going to be the brasher, tougher, kind of OC that some of those reviewers seemed to want her to be, having been born in the birth order and court that she was; nurture is going to crush nature with these kinds of social pressures at work. And this is part of why I love Shaera; she is a completely realistic product of Westerosi womanhood in general and her family situation in particular and you can tell reading the fic that you've thought about this and how her position affects her choices, her friendships and relationships, her responses to antagonism, etc., instead of just having some chick stroll into the training yard to twirl a sword, put Aegon on his arse and leave Aemond lost for words. I am so sorry to dump all this on you, i am done now, and i can't believe i'm writing meta for a HOTD fanfic.

PLS DONT APOLOGIZE, THIS MADE MY NIGHT IM SO SERIOUS!!! part of my undergrad degree was literally this for gothic novels and so whenever I make an OC, this is exactly what goes into the creation process and seeing someone else recognize that just makes me so soft and like near tears, cause it means the world to me. So thank you for the “meta for a hotd fanfic” skskskksks it’s so lovely and kind of you and I want u to know I appreciate you sm

[trekwithigor]

Enterprise A - parts ordered!

I know I should be writing this blog chronologically, but I got super excited and wanted to post something. I ordered the parts for my new build! I am super excited because it should be arriving in the next 2 weeks.

I was able to get this model for cheaper than I originally thought. Basically I had bought the instructions from Ky-E bricks on their website ages ago. ( I have included the link to their Brickable site where you can see the instructions ) and then I uploaded the instructions into Brickable, so that some of the more rare parts are substituted for more generic parts. This was a game changer people! Instead of spending $75 on parts (S&H included) from Thailand and Hong Kong, I was able to get parts from 2 local sources in Ontario. I wanted to try to keep the commerce as local as possible, so I sourced it from 2 stores and I cannot wait to see what the quality of the parts is going to be.

To be honest, I have been slacking with building my Legos and I have taken a little more of an initiative this week. I have been trying my best to stay of Instagram and other Meta Social Media things cause I need my peace. Tumblr and building Lego Star Trek is going to be where I find that peace that I cannot find online at times lol

I have so far built the NX-01 already, and my boyfriend surprised me with a Constitution Class Cruiser kit that he bought separately. I was able to get the parts for the Constitution Class Cruiser Refit ( as pictured) and I am excited to get the build going. Once this is done I basically have the 3 ships in total in my shipyard.

[iron-cutting-meteor-sword]

I’d decided ever since I first got into Lupin that I was going the completionist route and consuming all the media from it that I could find, but there are some bits that I am dreading going into lol. Despite this I am determined to find something useful and or enjoyable about each Lupin thing I find, because there’s always something you can pick out from them and because to me that’s a fun way of gathering little bits of info and meta on the series and characters, and seeing how they interact or oppose each other. This isn’t to say I’ll ignore the shitty stuff that’s waiting there, but I’m also not going to be writing a post about every bit of awful shit and how I disagree with it for every post I talk about appreciating something, because I trust we all understand and agree that that is clearly not what anyone worthwhile likes or approves of about the series. I may even consider making a meta post talking about the worst recurring themes and content that has stuck around in the franchise over hundreds of different development teams due to negative influence from the various different and levels of cultures involved as well as time period, lack of gender diversity, and internalized bigotry; but also discuss how the series has worked towards visibility on certain issues like queer men in media and even more recently touching on the short hand Fujiko had been drawn for so many years by her getting an entire series for herself written by a woman, and how there is clearly a wide array of people that have touched the foundations of the franchise to make it what it is and how these positives and the negatives sometimes intersect on their way to the surface. It’s such a nuanced subject though and I really don’t want to make a post about that just on the fly. Not to mention I’m certainly not the authority on all the subjects that would need to be covered for such an analysis and I’ve certainly not “arrived” in any sort of way in terms of progressive understanding and analysis of themes and narratives in media, but maybe one day I can start a decent and good faith discussion about the different views on consuming media like Lupin the Third that is so chock full of content that should be left in the past and rightly criticized. Tangent aside, the point is I may talk about or reblog posts about or from some of the less popular installments of the Lupin franchise, and talk about some of the stuff I liked and disliked. Its my opinion that there’s something to be gleaned from each piece of Lupin media, and it all constitutes the giant tower of content that makes the series, even the foundation, the original manga. Despite all of its massive, massive problems, and like it or not, the manga is the reason the anime exists, and it’s history and influence on the series (and the history and influence on the manga itself) can’t just be thrown aside or ignored, as it still influences the series to this day! I think by the logic that is is the foundation of the franchise, there’s clearly something informative to rip from the pages. You just have to join the queue of people waiting to piss on Monkey Punch’s little clown grave after you read it.

[sassygwaine]

WELL ok then, the bit that's been particularly haunting me is in chapter 8. ed asking stede "what if i hurt YOU?" and stede making a plan on the spot to get himself safe but to get Ed safe too. "Because Ed, I think if you hurt me, you would be in a very bad way.” like, i am very much filled with dread and excitement but oof i just want these two middle aged dudes to chill and be happy

this one is too heartbreaking for me to let you stew over omg

the show (and this sequel) asks an overarching question of what constitutes violence, and therefore what causes people to act violently—tons of brilliant meta around this topic in fact. and tons of thoughts still left for canon to explore.

as for the fic i’m writing: while there is violence and the two of them carry out acts of violence, you will never have to worry about ed and stede turning any of it to each other. ever. i’m very very careful about that.

[floveslondon]

Things I noticed/thought while watching GO S2 (again) Episode 6

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5

I’ll be rewatching this after the fandom has found out that that kiss was ONE take, ONE TAKE! There are literally no words for what is going through my brain now, what the actual hell.

(Edit: Actually, they did 3 takes according to Rob Wilkins)

Crowley heaven look is definitely a look, not my personal favourite though…

If Zira is a retired angel, why does the gateway open just like that? I would’ve thought they would close it or make it inactive or something. Although, in heaven they might all have been thinking that someone else would do it, and then eventually no one did, much like in any business.

Why are Michael and Uriel looking at each other after they pass Crowley? I think they recognised him, why didn’t they do something, raise the alarm?

‘Books go up like, well anyway’ In which way do books burn up? I’m curious to know what he was going to say.

Again, how does Saraqual stay so calm? And then she says to just show him the trial!? Crowley not recognising someone again, whether he really doesn’t or just says so to be annoying, who knows. Maybe we’ll know in season 3? #renewgoodomens #payyourwriters

So the first prince to be cast into the outer darkness, that’s Lucifer right? Or is it Crowley? Also ‘there is no constitutional problem’ my arse

I saw a meta/theory on Gabriel’s box, and I agree it looks like it is much heavier when he is carrying it in heaven on the surveillance cameras. What was in there? The book of life? Gabriel also says to Zira that his arms hurt because of the box he was carrying for so long, yet when he arrives with the box, it only contains a fly…

Crowley looking around a Saraquael, probably with smirk on his face

That halo sequence is just genius. But, did Zira know that Crowley wasn’t around? Because surely it would have discorporated/killed him too? They are probably so in tune with one another that they an feel each others presence. And why did Shax not get discorporated? Was she able to protect herself? Or is it something else?

Why does Crowley insist on taking Muriel back to earth again? Honestly, I don’t trust anything that happens in this show anymore.

Case in point, what is that miracle noise at 18.05? It’s can’t be Saraquael miracling the pathway, because 1 it’s already there and 2 why do we hear the noise but never see the pathway happen or just exist? Is it Crowley giving information to Zira through a miracle? Or vice versa? Or both of them forming a plan what to do? Or maybe something entirely else?

After Crowley turns over the box and all the papers fall out, Zira looks at the papers with this weird look on his face like he’s never seen them before, and then looks at Gabriel, still confused. Am I trying to see things again where there’s nothing or does anyone else see that?

Crowley was right when he predicted that Gabriel would just go to Edinburgh and look at his own statue for hours 😅

Why the focus on the packet of crisps? To fit in with the humans? Also!!!!!!! the only time we see someone paying for something is Gabriel in the pub!

It’s bigger on the inside!

Oh god, Zira reaching for Crowley and clutching, my poor heart 😢

Metatron is in line, and he’s chewing on something. I thought celestial entities should not sully their body with gross matter?

Crowley mentioning Alpha centauri and immediately lookign at Zira, and Zira looking back 😢

A love so strong it turns on all the lights in the bookshop. I’m telling you, love will play a big role in season 3. Or the second book Neil has promised to write in case Amazon don’t want a third season. And in case any of you at amazon read this, you would have to be monumentally stupid to not sign for a third season, just saying.

Zira’s heart eyes, and he doesn’t hear a word anyone says at this point, poor angel in love <3

Michael you liar, you are not the supreme archangel because Gabriel is gone, I’m sure someone has to tell you that you are in fact the supreme archangel. Liar liar pants on fire. And I’m sure that the book of life is off limits, even for the supreme archangel, and that any of those punishments are actually carried out by the metatron or God herself.

‘I’ve brought over a coffee’ Ok, what for? this so weird, I don’t believe in the coffe theory but still it’s weird.

Why does he ask Crowley wether he knows him? He talked to Zira only a few years back, why not ask him first? Surely a demon will never talk to the metatron? Or was Crowley working closely with the metatron when he was still an angel?

It might be the lighting, but why is Metatron’s finger blackened? I thought angels were pristine while demons are generally not so hygienic?

‘Are you going to take it?’ Are you going to take this coffee or do you choose death (for either Zira or Crowley)

And, Zira says quite firmly that he has made his position quite clear. But then he changes his tune so much in a matter of moments. I do also believe that we haven’t seen the whole conversation between the metatron and Zira.

‘’Oh, it’s very nice!’ Yes I should jolly well hope so’ I don’t like this one bit, I don’t know why, it sounds very ominous or something.

That look the metatron gives Crowley, grrrrr get away from my pookie.

How smooth was that move with the carpet!? And, again, different colour!

‘You don’t have to answer immediately’ and then he comes back in 5 minutes and nearly drags Zira up to heaven.

‘You are just the angel for the job’ Note how he says the word job, sounds to me like he is saying Job… Is this a test for Zira by God, are they going to take away everything (Crowley, all earthly pleasures, his bookshop, humans, humanity) to test his faith? And then when he succeeds give it all back to him, but even more? To be able to be an us with Crowley? (yeah, we wish huh)

Once again, Zira says he doesn’t want to go back to heaven.

I don’t believe a word of it, that he could restore Crowley to full angelic status, not an iota.

And once again this scene has done me in, I’ll have to finish this later. ———————— They keep talking over each other, misunderstanding each other, the millions of years of trauma is showing here. I hope they can work out things in Season 3 <3

That kiss, is so heartbreaking, and then both their reactions afterwards 😭

And Zira looking 7 times at Crowley through the window :(

The metatron says that he had Muriel ready to look after the bookshop. To me it looks like he didn’t foresee that Zira would worry about his bookshop, and he just made that up on the spot. And Muriel just goes along with it, because she is still very much under his thumb and impressionable.

When Zira hears about the second coming, I think he realises that Crowley was right (when in S1E6 and they’re on the bench). And then looks at him… I think they have something to blackmail Zira, so he has to go to heaven and that at the same time he is thinking about things he can do to thwart them and make heaven a good place again. I think that that is what those strange looks and the smile are about in the elevator at the end. I would suggest making heaven a place on earth, but well.

This series really is a golden combo of beautiful filmography, fantastic storywriting, out of this world acting and to top it all of one of the best soundtracks.

[lefthandcontradiction]

Inkspell({})___--Covephine(tsi)-([])

"After Wesley was removed from Eshu with it's associated htsa, dead as Zetsugo(at Calexico the alley near Calexico Walmart directly across the road and to the left, Mugi_san{} found it, it was Justin fused with Wesley -----), Eshu cast a waterfall time effect spell. As a result Eshu grabbed the taunt counter and died in Murray Lake. As it sailed into it's death spiral it attempted to grab onto Zxceluib expected support as made a reach for future timelines to fold into actualization(OM10.8). The fish |'God'(under definitions 15.6)| attempted to cast sail({}) on this interaction. Thus the Unification_War({})""|} that had lasted forever of one infinitesimal, thus yeilding historial({}) unavailable as an interaction upon observation, yet available upon perception. The_Historial({})""|}

Merriwether_StatZzzSzzZs''"}¶CGI_''"///Computer Generated Images({}). blah blah.theme~~|¶ 

So you are reading at the time of the inception of Civilization Novel 1 known as The Historical. The layer upon which the veil has broken will impact your translation, capacity has many ways. There are three techniques with associated flags by which your capacity will inform your placement and an associated set of law as known ::({}), the judicial branch and the Monarch ConstitutionCosmicc,({})''"|}} inform the intelligencebranch({}). "This gets erased by an editor."

So that is what happens when I write, he translates a narration tone modulator on the binding, silently mumbling something about an Inkspell({}) that had been cast. An Inkspell cast all the way out until three weeks from now. It must be that kind of novel he mused, the kind with that kind of tone. No ink or pen, or any assumed kind of pencil that might have known about the sign on the door, which clearly had warned them, the supposed reader, or pencil, of any potential suspicious thoughts. It isn't that kind of novel though. Existence begins soon Omniverse under construction. Version10.8 isn't just a new meta, it's Eternal({}).~ make sure the VR is in the binding included. As the reader you should note that your psychic data as a reaction will be filtered through_GrimoreEducationSystemsZzZ''"|} which works using the .csv and .dta file types, a compiler sorts the total number of and types of total data types and performs an algorithm. Not all compilers are alive. Thus is the notion of a magical machine…..::''"""|} thus continued. Therefore the Grimore was fully operational within the ritual, I wonder how many people will read this before they accept the direction that forward in time is, and check my Tumblr. Your measurements of how much you broke the veil at the end of the Unification War are complete, which grammatically the 'are complete' is a plurality referring the the measurement. 

Luke thought, I wonder if the infrastructure to actually get:: ^^ ::_"[∆]¶valid_cosmic_currency_{([])}"::[∆]¶ 

Is this acceptable taxPlan({})rrrcccccZzzZ::

As you can see I am limited by the constitution yet it is designed in a way with which I have the right to private_enterprise({}). 

Is this acceptable syntax for this medium? This medium is a website known as Tumblr, own by Disraytheus Company"::[∆]¶

¡¡¡¡

[∆]¶::

Inkspell[¶

"UnsaidQuote({})""|}

"""|}

"

-Luke Recibilir, at End of Unification War({}) , PostPpppZzzZ91intel({}_CGI::"[∆]¶

[rainhadaenerys]

I am tired of people saying that we Dany stans don’t acknowledge Dany’s flaws. The fact is, Dany is THE most mischaracterized character in the fandom. Like, I am not kidding, I have written hundreds of metas with tons of book quotes just to disprove claims about her (I am many times not even writing about my own ideas, but writing in reaction to the takes in the fandom). I have written metas about how Dany is NOT a slaver, about how Dany is NOT arrogant or entitled, about how Dany is NOT violent, about how Dany does NOT see things in black and white, about how Dany is NOT reckless, and so on. And because we Dany stans are constantly denying things, we are accused of “ignoring Dany’s flaws”.

But we're not! Every single meta I write, I am constantly pointing out one political mistake here, one bias that Dany has there, her grey moments that the fandom never shuts up about, and so on. And so are other Dany stans. The discussion of Dany’s flaws and mistakes are scattered all over our metas. I (and other Dany fans) sometimes point out double standards, sometimes we point out exaggerations, and sometimes we point out that context needs to be taken into consideration, but we Dany stans are ALWAYS discussing Dany’s flaws (this isn’t even something that we can avoid discussing, because the fandom is constantly criticizing Dany one way or another, so discussing Dany means discussing these things).

But the thing is, there are certain “flaws” that the fandom accuses Dany of having that she simply DOESN’T HAVE! Like, it’s a fact, it’s not even debatable, because there are tons of evidence that contradict it! I am not going to claim that Dany is arrogant, not even a little bit, I'm not going to "admit it" because I have made rereads specifically for the purpose to find out if this was true, and in result I have written a meta about what I found out, and I found out that she is not, in fact, arrogant. Not even a little. And this goes for all the other “flaws” that the fandom accuses her of having and that I have disproven with my metas. I found the textual evidence and made my own conclusions that the fandom is not, in fact, right about Dany’s flaws (or about her strengths and her characterization in general, the general fandom really doesn’t know anything about Dany).

I am not going to "acknowledge" that Dany is arrogant or that she is violent or that she sees things in black and white or that she doesn’t have self reflection just to please the fandom. I am not going to accept those things just to show that I am moderate and can find “a middle ground”. Because just because you “find a middle ground” doesn’t mean you are right. This is a logical fallacy, the middle ground fallacy or argument to moderation. Just because one person says the sky is blue, and another says that the sky is yellow, doesn’t mean that the correct opinion is “the sky is green”. Similarly, I am not going to find a middle ground when I know for a fact that certain assertions about Dany are 100% wrong.

Dany does have her flaws. But they are not the ones the fandom usually believes them to be. And sometimes, she does make individual mistakes, but one mistake doesn’t necessarily constitute a character flaw. Just because Dany authorized torture once, doesn’t mean she is a violent person. Flaws are consistent aspects of the characterization of a certain character, and Dany is not a violent person. So I am not going to say that this is one of her flaws. I will instead discuss it as one of her mistakes. Similarly, Dany makes some political mistakes (which we Dany fans have discussed exhaustively), but that doesn’t make her dumb. The fact that we do discuss her actual flaws, and that we discuss her occasional mistakes without flattening her character like some people do (people who would just prefer to call Dany “rash”, “violent”, “stupid”, “incompetent” because of certain mistakes, instead of acknowledging that these are not actual consistent flaws of her character) makes me think that we are the ones actually writing nuanced meta about Dany, and writing actually evidence-based meta, instead of the people who just like to scream that we don’t acknowledge her flaws, and people who don’t even use evidence to make their claims.