#Just adding on a clarifying addendum

[thejolteonmastertj]

“Growing & changing with EVERY telling” is a slight exaggeration & understandably irksome for folks from cultures (Native American ones especially for example) that take memorizing sacred stories very seriously,

That said, the overall message is essentially 100% correct. Stories DO indeed change across time & space to better suit the culture & time-period! Sometimes they change to suit personal preferences of the storyteller. This all gets especially juicy once you take subcultures into consideration.

The key thing is it was, most likely I’d argue, almost always intentional. This is an especially great realization for the fanon & fanfiction argument. 🎉

Shameless plug for an old blog post I did on one of my favorite examples of this: The Dragons Gate legend!

The thing about fairy tales is that they have all been handed down, growing and changing with every telling, until they became the stories we know and love today.

Therefore, the 'fanonization' of Batman is the result of modern fans taking part in the time-honored tradition of collaborative storytelling, not damaging the original text. In this essay I will

[onlyhereforvividstasis]

Been getting hit with Aigiel Brain Blast so here I go rambling

Aigiel. What is there to say about her.

Well. She's got the inferiority complex to end all inferority complexes, and pushes herself to her limit because she thinks she can only be worthy of anything when she has something to give.

She can also hold a grudge like her life depends on it on demand. Like seriously- there is no canon event where she meets them, but in the Alternate Scenario where they return to the present prior to PMD2, her ass. Does not trust them [mainly Dusknoir] [understandably] and even in Survival AU, where she would theoretically survive to [and past] PSMD, she has to essentially reign herself in to stop her from mauling Dusknoir on the spot [Makoto did that job for her in the theoretical AS].

And then. There is the sun motifs. that I have already done a bit of a ramble on but I can maybe go more in-depth with it. but one very important thing to clarify first; Yes Aigiel has a sibling, a brother named Queth! [although he prefers Wave- found similarly to how Aigiel's name translates to Agate in a theoretical ancient language I was. not creative when making. We'll probably come back to this though]

Wave, if it wasn't clear, was also unsuccessful in evolving into Espeon- although instead of just. not being able to, like Aigiel, he accidentally evolved into a Flareon! because apparently sometimes mons just. leave fire stones on the ground randomly. As a result, he was also exlied. [Worth noting though- Wave was older than Aigiel, and also younger at the time.]

He wasn't as- I dunno, reliant? is that the right word?? on the existence of the Kiriens and their whole, thing to find his self-worth and what not, so while it stuck with him for a while, he'd be fine. He didn't have a narrow enough worldview that he couldn't see that he could embody the sun or whatever, if in a different way. [we will be getting to this in ~2 minutes don't mind me] So bottom line is, Wave would live.

Notice, however I said Wave would live. Not Aigiel. Because, you see.

Aigiel had, as alluded to in a prior addendum in this post, stayed within the Kirien tribe/family/whatnot thing for longer than Wave. And thusly. become [if not fully] more reliant on them for emotional response. You can probably see where this is going. [and if you can't. Hi! My name's Ghost. I have PMD little guys that I poke with angst knives for fun! You're going to have a great time here.]

And so. On that day... The evolution fails. She's unworthy. Not good enough. Not good enough. Not good enough. Not good enough.

She manages to realize quickly enough going back after them after they leave, would Not be a very viable strategy. Although she's still kind of reeling from her whole life getting upended so. Give her some credit will ya?

And so, with a newly injured tail [a story ultimately irrelevant to our current topic], She wanders the continent for. Like. 8 months. While mainly sticking to forests and such [and avoiding mystery dungeons for. obvious reasons], she does occasionally approach a village or town... only to get too nervous and run away anyways.

It took a while for her to find Treasure Town, but when she did, she... took a while longer to build up the courage to let anyone know she was even there in the first place, just kinda... taking the place in Sharpedo Bluff and hoping that wouldn't somehow anger Arceus themselves just by existing.

From here, we can kind of ignore the main events of PMD2 and its main postgame. As much as I love the brutality of one thing in particular I added about the final fight, again, none of this is particularly relevant to the ultimate point. [You might say, "isn't this a ramble? since when is there a point?" to which I say, we're getting there.]

Let's skip to her evolving, because that's the thing that matters in particular for today. Not because of When she does it, or with/for Who she does it, but... What she evolves Into. Now, I know you might think, "Yeah, It's Umbreon, what does That matter?" but that's where the overthinking comes in.

Because you know how I mentioned her reliance / focus on the Kirien tribe? Well to her, in her mind blind to that which she could not get validation from [i.e. Makoto and Kiriens], the only way to finally get away from them was to be the exact opposite of everything they stood for... which worked well, until basically every time she looked in any kind of reflection, she was reminded of why she chose what she did.

This is where we come back to Wave. See, Wave was actually able to cope with this all surprisingly well- and now is when I'd like to get to the parallels [tm] between the two, of which there are Way too many. For one, the evolutions themselves, with Wave choosing to embrace the sun from a different angle whereas Aigiel turns away entirely. Then there are the names. And I don't know what it means to me, but the fact one chose their name for what it is and the other chose their name for what it was always supposed to mean means a lot to me somehow.

The worst part to me personally about her evolution though is. If she didn't feel entirely obligated to evolve to keep up with the strength expected from her in exploration, she likely never would've evolved herself, it was the need to push herself to be stronger that made her think it was necessary.

Anyways that's all for now thanks for coming to my yearly OC post

💥

[merlions]

We (the tumblr population as a whole) (actually I'm revising that. The internet as a whole. And I can't speak for other countries but also the entire irl USamerica) need just like. A quick lecture series on how to use reflexive language - how to mildly dissent from things or correct perceived errors without assigning blame; and especially without assigning MORAL alignment to minor transgressions or to genuinely neutral things which we misperceive as transgressions. Sorry long post lol welcome to my TED talk.

(Putting this under a cut, bc I'm only posting this for the purpose of jotting down my thoughts and, crucially, to avoid doing homework lmao. Imo anyone likely to read this isn't likely to need it, knowing the people who follow me & mutuals. Just followin the long and storied tradition of using tumblr like a personal journal. As is only good and right)

This skill can be better taught by so SO many people and a quick google will return many results of them doing so. But here's a DIY one I whipped up for procrastination reasons. This skill will be massively useful in all personal and professional settings and you will see results starting from the very first time you try it.

An example I just saw: a tumblr post PSA about a recent US FDA class 1 Tostitos recall. Clarifying addendum by OP that a class 1 recall means it can kill people.

I go to the link supplied by OP. It's an undeclared milk contaminant, potentially lethal exclusively to those with dairy allergy. Hm I think that might be worth clarifying I wonder if someone said something about that

In the notes (summarizing many similar comments in the same spirit): "This is willful fearmongering and intentional misinformation! OP on purpose failed to clarify that this is only deadly to people with dairy allergies!!!"

Reactionary, blame assignment, pointing fingers, moral assignment (assigned: morally EVIL). This is understandable if you exist entirely in the emotion of affront, prioritizing hyper-focus on the potential chance of causing fear; implication/statement that failure to act is an active choice made to harm people for some unknown purpose. Prideful clout seeking: "I am saying what OP chose not to say, this proves I am BETTER than OP, morally!!!" This is destructive, not constructive. This can only cause or escalate conflict.

A constructive alternative: "Adding info to promote appropriate alertness, not panic: the recalled product is only deadly to those with a dairy allergy."

Or just: "Adding info: the recalled product is only deadly to those with a dairy allergy."

Calmly addresses the missing information (which to be clear was literally in line 1 of the linked article and also in the headline and subheader, before even reaching a paywall if that article even had one, so any panic caused shouldnt be all that long lived). The sentiment originates from thought, not emotion. Blame is not assigned. Morality is not assigned. Commenter feels there is a small missing piece to the provided information and fixes that gap without fanfare or self-aggrandizing, like an adult. Conflict deescalated or avoided entirely.

Crucially, when about to comment, you can ask yourself if you're feeling affronted; then ask yourself if you're about to speak from that, or if you have truly thought it through and rationally decided it is important to say what you're about to say.

Ask yourself if it's important that someone takes the blame for what you consider to be in error, or if it would be enough for that error to be fixed. If you feel it's more important to assign blame, go back a step and ask yourself if you're acting from a place of emotion or affront.

Also, ask yourself if you truly feel like it's important to you that you are right and the other person is wrong. Does this matter to you? Is it more important than simple & direct delivery of the information? Do you feel that getting credit, especially getting credit OVER someone else, is more important to you than the error simply being fixed? If so, go back 2 steps and ask yourself if you're acting from a place of emotion, especially affront.

Finally, ask yourself if you're getting excited by the potential for conflict. If this is the case, consider simply taking a step back and choosing not to comment. I can't stop you but I'd hope that if you can recognize you're causing conflict on purpose for lizard brain stimulation, you'd choose to try to seek an alternative stimulus that's more constructive and less destructive.

I suck at this but I feel strongly the most important aspect is that if I'm causing conflict I can admit either 1. I didn't mean to come off how I did and though that is my fault and I take responsibility for what I said, I can learn how to communicate more clearly in the future or 2. I was wrong to do so and need to see where I can do better in the future. See? Constructive. Working towards being better. Let's all go take ibuprofen together

[the-redhead-in-a-dress]

La'an's Academy graduation is coming up. Una lets her know she'll be there.

[Sort of a sequel to a fic I'm writing about Una's Star Fleet graduation, but I had this scene in my head and it doesn't fit in the fic except as an addendum and so it is here]

____

“It’s just graduation, I don't mind being by myself." La'an said, as if graduating top of your class was just another day.

The young woman watched as Una's immaculately preened brows furrowed in disagreement through the subspace call view screen.

“I’ll be there.” The older woman insisted.

“It’s fine Chief, I won't be the only one there alone. And really it's just a formality, Did you know you don't actually have to be there to receive your commission? If I wanted to I could just get a shuttle and get a head start on work instead."

Una sighed as memories surfaced in her mind of similar words flowing from her own mouth on a subspace call to Chris long ago. La'an was far too like her for her own good.

“Everybody needs somebody," Well now she was just copying Chris. "And I’ll be there for you." Una replied firmly. "Chris commandeered a shuttle and crossed the galaxy on unearned shore leave for mine. I can make it from spacedock at Starbase V.” 

“You’re serious?” La’an raised an eyebrow. "He did that?"

She had never met the man, but Una talked about Chris a lot when recounting her exploits in Star Fleet. La'an had assumed for a long time they were married, or at least in a very long and serious relationship, even if it wasn't necessarily monogamous, but Una had clarified some time ago that they were purely friends. La'an didn't exactly buy it, but had never directly questioned her mentor about her relationship. Maybe it would make more sense when she finally met the man in the flesh, Maybe he had a revolting smell or a furry tail?

“Mmmhmm.” Una pursed her lips, not looking up from the PADD in front of her as she looked up the best route back to Earth for La'an's graduation.

“He must have liked you a lot Chief.” La'an added softly, gently prying without really prying.

“He did.” The older woman agreed, but did not expand. “And I like you a lot," She added, looking up at La'an firmly, conveying her sincerity in her eyes. "So I’ll be there next Saturday, that’s a promise.” 

“Okay.” La’an couldn’t help but slip a smile on her face in response.

Una grinned back. “See you in a week.” 

Before then, she needed to comm Chris and ask him where exactly he’d managed to get that star necklace he’d given her for her graduation. She needed another one, ASAP. 

[tombware]

i shouldve added an addendum to that "what if it was all just a dream" post clarifying i like ast*rion because i got so many tags hating on him. bad foresight on my part

[rottmnt-honeybea]

The Birthday Deal

Summary: Donnie just can't believe Q.B. didn't want to celebrate her birthday with them. And Q.B. can't believe Donnie won't just drop the conversation.

A/n: I wrote this blurb, but realized it doesn't fit into the Mystic Library episode very well, sooo I cut it. But, I liked it, and will reference it in a future chapter, so I decided to just post it here as a short one-shot. Don't expect this to become the norm.

"I can't believe you never told us about your birthday!" Donnie huffed as he sat back in his chair.

"Donatello, I just didn't want to celebrate it, that's all." Q.B. didn't look up from the motor she was fixing. "Besides, you've had access to my personal information since before we met."

"Which you very rudely asked me to stay out of and I very graciously obliged." Donnie pointed out.

That got her to look at him. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you hear yourself when you speak?"

"As it stands, you do realize this now means we have to celebrate with an even bigger party." Donnie returned to his work, unable to handle her unshakable gaze. Shelldon's ungraded motors weren't going to fix themselves.

"Absolutely not." Q.B. scoffed.

"Absolutely yes." Donnie countered.

"Donatello. No." Q.B. continued to shake her head as she returned to his work.

"Quinn. Yes—," Donnie dodged the screwdriver that was thrown at him with scary precision. He turned back to the other mutant, mouth agape in shock.

"When someone says 'no', they mean 'no'." She snarled at him. She got up from her seat and walked over. "So, to reiterate," she bent down and picked up the screwdriver. When she stood up, she pointed the phillips head at him, "N-O."

Donnie swallowed hard, his mouth dry, and watched as she returned to her seat. She returned to her work in silence. A million thoughts raced through Donnie's mind, but nothing tangible he could grasp or act on.

That was the scariest, cutest, craziest thing ever. Why wouldn't she just let them celebrate? Did she not like her birthday? When did her aim get that good? Note to self, no more sharp objects in Bea's hands while talking to her. Addendum: Stinger could be the exception if in battle. Addendum to the addendum: so long as that battle is not against him. Or his brothers.

"I can feel you looking at me." Q.B. muttered.

"Why not?" Donnie blurted out. Q.B. raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She was forcing him to explain himself. "Why not celebrate your birthday?"

Q.B. scoffed irritably. "What's to celebrate?" She grumbled to herself.

That hurt. Donnie frowned. "Everything?" Q.B. paused and turned to look at him curiously. Feeling he had to explain himself (again), Donnie continued, "We...never really celebrated our birthdays growing up." They didn't even know about birthdays until April had mentioned them. "So, now we go all out." He couldn't look at her. Not when her eyes suddenly turned sad and looked at him with pity. So, he turned back to his motor. "Just wanted to celebrate."

Q.B. was quiet, but Donnie could see in his peripheral that she wasn't working. "I can feel you looking at me." He sighed.

Q.B. turned and looked at the motor in her hands. "I didn't want to celebrate this birthday." She clarified. Donnie continued to work. "It....it was my first birthday without my family. My first birthday like...this." Her lower hands gestured to herself. "And then Raphael dragged me to fight Meat Sweats, and I just wanted to be alone and..." Now she was rambling. Donnie looked at her.

Q.B. trailed off and looked back at him expectantly.

"Well," Donnie sniffed haughtily before he stood up and walked over to her, "That just means you owe me a birthday." Q.B. looked at him confused as he took her finished motor and held both motors up triumphantly. "You better be ready, Q.B. Santos because next year we are throwing you the biggest, loudest, most grand celebration of life ever." With every adjective he added, he climbed onto a taller surface. First a nearby box (full of totally valuable junk, and NOT garbage, thank you very much), then a chair, and finally a table.

Q.B. blinked twice, then her snout scrunched up and she laughed. She stood up and flew to meet his height. Her upper hands took the motors from him and passed them down to her lower hands. Then, her upper hands grabbed his hands and formally shook them once. "Hamato Donatello, you've got yourself a deal."

[theofficersacademy]

Happy March! Spring is just around the corner, and wow! It's already been a year since the Officers Academy officially welcomed Elyos aboard!

Housekeeping

Current Month in TOA: Wyvern Moon

Our mission board this month is for the Blue Lions house! We’ve added new tasks to the board. Check out the [mission board here] for the whole list.

Reminder that that having a stat tracker linked on your stats page is now required in order to submit a stats claim! If you need help with getting one set up, please reach out to Mod Rai. We keep a detailed log of everything every muse has ever claimed during their time in TOA.

This month is the annual Battle of the Eagle and Lion! Signups will open on March 8th and close at 11:59PM EST on March 15th.

You guessed it: we also have a new feedback poll for the month of March!

IMPORTANT: We have seen an increase in the number of people requesting feedback on their apps in the #charactercreation channel in our server, but the app winds up in our inbox only a few minutes later. This is telling us that feedback is not actually being given on these apps or, if it is, it is not being considered by the applicant. We want to remind you that hyping up someone else's app is not the same as giving constructive criticism. A number of muns requesting feedback have submitted applications that we required them to rewrite. Remember: the mod team is looking at your understanding of the character, not how well you write. Please be sure that you are conveying a complete character to us, and hitting their canon traits, instead of getting lost in the details of the writing style.

IMPORTANT: We have added a clarifying rule about dropped threads that are picked back up by a returning muse. Please note that this is not new, and that the mun who drops a thread has always forfeited the rewards accompanying it.

A dropped thread may be claimed for skill points and mastery as long as the thread has reached a minimum of 2 reblogs (starter + your reblog + partner’s reblog OR starter + partner’s reblog + your reblog) and 400+ words on your end. However, the partner who requests the drop forfeits any rewards. This includes threads started from an ask. NEW Addendum: When a muse drops out of the group, they officially drop all of their threads, which allows their partners to claim them for skill points and masteries if they meet the above requirements. If a mun brings back this same muse at a later date, they can pick their old threads back up again but cannot claim the masteries or skill points because they already forfeited them when they dropped their muse.

When a muse is dropped, they should be treated as if they are dropped for good so that there is no expectation that the mun will return to them. Having an unspoken claim on a muse you dropped discourages others from picking the muse up and goes against the spirit of our community.

IMPORTANT: Please be sure that you are hyperlinking any application submitted to us via an offsite host (e.g. gdocs). We have written this reminder in a number of places, including the app page itself, and it continues to be ignored.

IMPORTANT: For characters with minimal to no canon information (e.g. Kiran, Mark, Layla, Sitri, the Elibe morphs), the mod team will be stricter about what we pass. We should see whatever canon information is available in the application itself, and although roleplaying at its heart will introduce a muse to new scenarios that might develop them in ways not seen in canon, the character should still not stray too far from this canon once accepted. Note: canon information exists outside of dialogue, and for minor characters, must be found in the maps they show up on, other characters' behavior toward them, and additional lore embedded throughout the game. This is not a group for original characters, so applying for a minor character should not be treated as a free pass to write an OC.

Other

March Mun Birthdays: Limit (8th), Susanne (13th), N (22nd), Barely (23rd), Kristopher (23rd), Rosie (24th), Nat (30th)

March Muse Birthdays: Eremiya (1st), Lyon (13th), Yarne (14th), Tine (14th), Thrasir (15th), Elise (19th), Minerva (19th), F!Shez (19th), Niamh (22nd), Poe (23rd), Faye (26th)

First-year mun anniversaries this month: Aster (1st), Kanoesa (9th), Squids (11th)

Second-year mun anniversaries this month: Orokara (7th)

Third-year mun anniversaries this month: Darcy (28th)

Fourth-year mun anniversaries this month: Neffi (8th)

First-year muse anniversaries this month: F!Alear (1st), Diamant (3rd), Nanna (4th), Griss (4th), M!Alear (6th), Sephiran (9th), Ingrid (11th), Denning (24th), Ephraim (27th)

Fourth-year muse anniversaries this month: Merric (8th)

Muses who have been in the group for a solid year will also be granted an Academy Brooch to put in their inventory. It doesn’t do anything. It just lets others know your character has been around the block. These characters are also granted a new opportunity to change houses if they wish to do so.

- The House Leaders

[furiouszealot]

I want to make an addendum to further clarify some stuff since i keep seeing the same questions and misinformation posted:

What about the accounts? There are no accounts on 4chan. The closest thing to that are the e-mail based verification system and the 4chan pass, both of which ill explain after the read more to keep compactness.

What about the feds? There were no feds. I am as heartbroken by this reveal as you are, but 4chan moderation had no feds amongst them. Can't say the site wasn't being surveilled to some degree, but that's just standard at this point.

What else did the hacker do? Nothing. The servers were taken down by 4chan team to prevent further tampering. A supossedly leaked mail from one of the main mods said that they were working on the website and all of the moderation members passwords to access the backend were being changed.

About the exploit? After some reading and a helpful reblog on the first post, the exploit used was reverse shell powerscript, which has been present since php 5.5, and since about 2013. Take in consideration that the current php version is 8.7

Anything else? Some stuff. Apparently there was some sharty spam on here after the first day, but i think they've already got bored? Also i forgot to mention /qa/ got axed from 4chan originally because one day they decided to raid /lgbt/, ironic. /ghost/ is still going strong, although people started to flock little by little, so activity died down ever so slightly.

Now, i'll get some inane babble out of my system bellow, and will add some responses i got from anons to provide further commentary. Keep in mind this will be updated every now and then. Also I'm still open to replies if you want to tell me something about your experience as an anon.

About the verification system - The verification system was implemented sometime last year yo prevent spamming or ban evading, it boils down to a captcha that makes you wait 15 minutes before posting to verify your session, either that or provide a mail to which a verification link would be send, and you're free to post from there. 4chan pass is similar in the sense that you have to associate an email address, but neither of these were compromised. Mails used to verify are hashed, payment methods are processed through a third party, and neither of them were leaked by the hacker, since it wasn't in their interest to compromise users.

As for the images. I'll keep any names out to preserve anonimity, which seems fitting regardless.

To help understand:

/a/ - Anime & Manga

/k/ - Weapons

/tg/ - Tabletop games

/mlp/ - take a wild guess

/qst/ - Quests

/s4s/ - Shit 4chan Says (I have no fucking clue what "Jack Rusell" threads are)

/vt/ - Vtubers

/ck/ - Cooking

/vg/ - Videogame Generals /u/ - Yuri

Can't vouch on /vt/ being shit, since I lurked mostly /co/ and /vg/, but I believe it regardless. I'm posting this because I want to insist on what I said before: the bigger communities migrated to other chans, there we're already 4channers in here, a portion stayed on /ghost/, smaller sites are struggling to keep up with the bigger influx of people. I predict things will stay like this until we have actual news on 4chan status.

On a personal note, the funniest thing that has been unearthed from /j/ is how much janitors seemed to loathe the dragon ball threads.

There are A LOT of posts like these, but this is one of the reuploads that made me laugh the most. Bejitabros stay winning.

Can't think of anything else worth adding, if something of value comes up, it will be added bellow this point.

Also I know i wrote below instead of bellow on my first post. Bite me.

Post script notes:

I want to rectify the thing about /ghost/ going strong. Theres some guy accusing everyone of being some dude he has a vendetta against since 2013, and has turned the entire thread into a troll fest with his mere pressence.

2 million Israeli posters - You may have seen an image going around that claims that Israelis were leaked to be the number 1 posters on /pol/. While the image is real, it's extremely old, and it was common practice on /pol/ to put the Israel flag just to shitpost.

As for more Anon commentary:

People that say that "nothing of value was lost" really don't know jack shit about internet culture. 4chan (specifically /x/) was the origin place of SCP, the Backrooms and creepypastas as a whole, and the videogame boards made katawa shoujo, among other things. Acting like it was only a honeypot for schizos and extremist ideologies is being reductionist as fuck. Most people that post there just want to discuss their hobbies and stay in a format more comfortable than most social media, without an algorithm forcefeeding you literal trash designed to destroy your attention span just to get you to watch more ads. Pretending Anons are irredeemable monsters just because they posted on a mongolian basket weaving forum about what cartoon they watched, what game they played, or what clearly inedible food they ate, is detrimental to the already decaying evniroment of the internet. Don't celebrate when other people's spaces get shut down.

Also, a tool to track activity on altchans was made, so I guess this facilitates my predictions about where the traffic is going - https://eylenburg.github.io/altchans.htm

As of 24/04 (no im not putting the month before the day) an ETA was given that the site would be up as read only on late sunday or early monday. Edit: nevermind its back up lol

If you followed me because you expect more posts like this, abandon all hope. I post mainly about homestuck, lmao.

All right, I know no one gives a shit, but let me give you a recounting of the fall of 4chan from the perspective of someone who was there and has been lurking both 4chan and tumblr for a few years now.

I'll try to provide as much context as I can, but a lot of images were either lost or im too lazy to look for them in the +5000 reply thread in soyjak party.

Anyways, info below:

So, necessary context: a few years back, 4chan had a board called /qa/, which if you know little about the page, you may think every board is like /b/ or /pol/, which means a containment cess pool of grifters, (you) baiters, incels, and other deranged individuals. The thing is, /qa/ was somehow worse. The entire board was plagued and infested with soyjack edits, board culture was a nuclear disaster, anons were incredibly hostile in there, you know the drill, the big bad 4chan, but this time its actually true.

One day, moderation deleted /qa/, anons that posted there got mad, tried to raid other boards, failed, and then moved on to an altchan called soyjack party, which entire purpose you can guess from its name alone.

Apparently, the boards that allow pdf uploads (paper and origami, for example) didn't check if the uploaded file was actually a pdf file, so postscript files could be used to get access. This is as far as my understanding of web backend goes, sorry.

The hacker claims to have been working on this since 2021, and that he had access since about a year ago, but was recopilating data.

Now, what actually happened when the hack ocurred? Well, a banner of miku dancing with a song that played automatically was placed on top of every board, with the text "/QA/ IS BACK", this was possible because apparently no board was ever deleted, they were just hidden from the public.

A thread was then made on soyjack party, claiming authorship over the hack, and shit went south from there. Anons went en masse to talk there, a lot of weird discussion happened, the thread got the bump limit removed and got pinned, more than 5k posts were amassed on the first night alone. Keep in mind this happened at about 8 pm and most of the stuff went on through midnight.

So, the hacker leaked some things, first of all, the html files for the entirety of /j/ and the email address for every moderation member (important note: the pressence of .gov mails was disproven by the hacker themselves, so i guess there were never any feds), what is /j/? the board exclusive for jannies and moderators to discuss actions taken on the website regarding spam, ban evaders, threads spiraling out of control, etc. Among other things, some of the inner workings of 4chan got revealed, such as the web extension for jannies that allows them to do their job easily, how reports are handled, and other stuff. (Anecdotically, some guy got permabanned for calling anons jews or n-words over a 100 times in the same few threads)

Then, the source code got leaked. Important to say, the hacker removed the part of the source code related to the captcha, as to not facilitate bot attacks on the future, and all information related to email verification or 4chan pass users information also got removed, so all in all users are safe.

What was found on the sourcecode? That it was old, mostly. Most boards used code that hasn't been updated since about 2016, and /flash/ used the exact same code from when it was created back on 2011.

From there, desuarchive, a site that archives threads that die from bump limit, opened a dragon ball general on ghost mode, and thus began what later got called /ghost/, a solely text based thread with well over 20k replies as of right now, where a fraction of the 4chan population took refuge and is currently discussing random things with no particular topic. Kinda hard to read, but its comfy.

What does this mean for other sites? Not a lot, really. A lot of anons already crossposted in 4chan and tumblr already, and the ones that din't most likely wont come here. Some of the bigger/most dedicated groups, like /vt/, migrated to other boards. Various altchans are trying/tried to catch some of the flock of users that got lost, but i doubt it will get anywhere, since soyjak party for example was struggling with just the influx of users that came for the hack thread given its poor infrastructure. Kiwifarms saw a surge of new accounts apparently, but a lot of anons kinda loathe the idea of having to register, so theres that.

Smaller communities, such as generals that didn't get a lot of traffic, or boards on the slower end (say, /ic/, /lit/, etc) will probably vanish or disseminate until (or if) 4chan comes back up. I'd say give it a month, don't get your hopes up whether you want it to stay dead or want it to come back.

Given how many anons are staying on places like /ghost/ or other similar archives with the same ghost posting feature, i doubt it will be as bad as people are making it sound. Besides, the communities that are most likely to migrate to places like tumblr are either /co/, /vg/ or /lgbt/ refugees, which aren't THAT bad. Not every board was like the main cesspools (/b/, /r9k/, /pol/). From now on, either 4chan comes back up in a few weeks (somewhere between 2 weeks to a month is expected), altchans capture the migrating anons, or a brand new imageboard rises from the ashes to become the new go-to site for old 4chan posters.

In conclusion, nothing ever happens, but also don't worry, chances are this won't affect tumblr in the slightest. If it does, you can cash in your "you were wrong" ticket whenever you want, i'll take the L. As a footnote, keep in mind: NO users were compromised, if you ever posted there and are worried for your safety, physical or digital, you are safe. Edit: Forgot to add, if you are a 4chan refugee, im BEGGING you to dm me and tell what board you were from and where are you migrating, if at all.

[annlawschool]

How the 'Give It My Best Shot' Package Transforms Your Application Journey

When aspiring law students come to me, they are often dazed by the complexity of the law school application process. I get it: personal statements, optional essays, resumes all perfected, and deadlines, making it feel like climbing uphill. That's why I am here: to take the chaos to clarity & make this overwhelming process an empowering journey instead.

Let me tell you how I do it.

Why I'm Different from Other Consultants

As a law school admissions consultant with over 20 years of experience, my approach is more than just guidance; it's about connecting with you, understanding your story & helping you present the best version of yourself. I don't believe in cookie-cutter solutions. Instead, I tailor every part of my service to your unique strengths, aspirations & challenges.

It should reflect your very self, not just something to tick the box. Your application is a perfect opportunity for you to communicate to the admissions committee directly in your voice. In close collaboration with you, we'll identify the best, most persuasive aspects of your story and build a true showstopper.

The "Give It My Best Shot" Package

If you need the ultimate, all-encompassing support, then my "Give It My Best Shot" package is perfect. Here's how it will work:

Personal Statement Guidance: I'll walk you through every step of the personal statement process, from brainstorming to the final draft. The final product does more than check boxes-it's aligned with your goals & makes a connection with the admissions committee.

Resume Assistance: Law school resumes are not like job resumes. Together, we will compose a document that emphasizes the most relevant experiences, skills & achievements to what is valued by law schools.

Optional/Supplemental Essays: These essays are not extra but opportunities to strengthen your application. I will work with you to compose meaningful, thoughtful responses that add depth to your narrative and enhance your statement.

Addendum Support: Whether you want to explain a gap in school, a low grade, or other aspects of your application, I will assist you in drafting an addenda that is concise, respectful & effective.

Fast Turnaround: I know how timely this process is. That's why I return every document within 48 hours, so you always keep your momentum.

Personal Touch with Zoom Consultations

Each client purchasing my "Give It My Best Shot" package receives five 15-minute Zoom consultations. One-on-one sessions are really helpful for brainstorming, clarifying any doubts, or just getting reassurance that you're on the right track. I work hard to make each consultation productive and outstanding so that you leave each session feeling confident and inspired.

Adding the "Launch Me" Package

An added-value package is my "Launch Me" add-on: it provides the final polish on an already shiny application. Starting at just $500, this strategic investment will give your application the professionalism it deserves to make the impression needed for that next round of consideration.

Why I Do What I Do

Over the years, I've written books, published articles & created YouTube content to help students navigate this process. I've seen firsthand how daunting it can be, but I've also witnessed how transformative it is when students find their voice & tell their stories with confidence. My job isn't just about getting you into law school—it's about helping you make smart, informed decisions that will positively impact your future.

Your Law School Success Story Starts Here

Working with me is all about building confidence, clarity & a robust application that reflects who you really are. Together, we make sure your application tells the best story possible about you, your life, and your ambition.

Are you ready to get started? Let's go on this journey to become a law school success now. Contact me today so we can turn your dream into reality.

[all-my-writings-and-musings]

Going for the sappiest fics possible on some of these.

Day 11: Friends

Macaque x Reader

It was the silliest little thing, but that didn't stop you from feeling exceptionally nervous. 

Clinging to the fancy paper bag in your palms, you tried not to squish the precious cargo within, praying that this whole idea wasn't just an absurd impulse. There was no way to double check the gift giving customs of demons and ensure you weren't doing something offensive.

The door to the Dojo swung open as soon as you were within knocking distance, revealing Macaque lounging against the frame in a pose he probably thought didn't look staged. Winking, he welcomed you inside with a wave of his tail. "Hey, it's my favorite mortal, right on schedule!"

"Macaque!" you greeted with an awkward squeak. Coughing to try and banish the sound alongside the resulting blush, you hurried inside, heart pounding as you threw caution to the wind and got right to business. You offered the little bag with hands that thankfully only shook a little. "I, uh, got you a little something!"

"Oh, really? It's not even my birthday!" Macaque replied with a laugh, taking the bag. There was a hint of confusion in his face, but he appeared mostly curious as he opened the top to reveal the contents. A dozen or so orange candies caught the light on their glossy surface as he turned them over, recognition dawning alongside an even greater sense of confusion. "Are these-?"

"The candies we saw at the store! I had some extra cash from my last paycheck, so I swung back and grabbed a few." you explained quickly, recalling how he'd expressed interest in them but hadn't been carrying enough money. It had taken you quite out of your way to go back, but knowing his love for mangoes, you'd been quite motivated. Watching his every reaction for clues, you added a somewhat rushed addendum. "I hope you like them!"

"Uh… yeah, thanks!" Macaque replied with a rare nervous smile, a veritable cocktail of emotions swarming across his face as he lost his mask of confidence. There was happiness, confusion, even some awe... You caught a small sense of nervous panic in his voice as he spoke up without his usual energy. "I… don't really know how I'll pay you back though."

"You don't have to. They're a gift." you insisted once the pieces finally fell into place. The Six Eared Macaque probably didn't receive many presents, so even the simple gift of a dozen or so mango candies was throwing him for a loop. He had probably expected you to request payment for the candies, or for the inconvenience of getting him something he didn't actually need, even if you wanted nothing but for him to enjoy them. Hearing your reassurance helped him to relax, but he was still openly touched by the gesture, something he didn't bother to hide as he took out one candy and turned it over on his palm with a small smile.

"A gift, huh?" he asked with only a tiny smidge of his sarcasm still holding up.

He must not have had the slightest idea what to do despite the gratitude all but radiating from his very being, so you gave him an additional bit of help, securing the gift bag in his other hand as you clarified beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"That's what friends do."

The very word made his eyes go wide, and to hide his speechlessness he popped the candy in his mouth without a sound, puffed cheeks making you giggle at his antics.

[oppulencehq]

Our addendum has just been added to our pinned and mobile navigation. It can be found here also. Please read it fully and LIKE this post when done. We consider that your signature of approval. If you need anything clarified, our INBOX is always open to you.

[eye-may]

clarifying/adding onto a couple points that were brought up in the tags! to be clear, rather than parrying, Im just extrapolating further bc people bring up some really fascinating ideas and I could easily talk about this stuff all day :^ ) this is the beauty of this IP lol we all come up with our own theories and ideas and they're all so different but nobody's correct and also everybody's correct 😂

idk if I was clear about this, but Everlasting cat is not the "Moon Cat" I had mentioned. Everlasting cat is basically Cat God, the supervising director of the department of cat deities lol. "Moon Cat" is one of his 'daughters' a la yk how greek gods have children and family trees and stuff but it's the God Version of genealogy lmao and her job is to safekeep and supervise magic. she lives in the moon from where she can see all the goings on of catkind. "Demon Cat" is Moon Cat's favorite sibling, and she helped the benevolent demon ascend from Hell, after which he became the guardian of the Heaviside Layer. you could say he's an "alumnus" of heaven AND hell see?? see???? XD

my cats universe does not have a Quaxo lmao. Im familiar with the trope that Mistoffelees is like...Quaxo's alter-ego, or his showman/stage name, or his final form, etc. etc. etc. I think it's an interesting idea but it is simply this: I do not like the name Quaxo phonetically and I also think it just doesn't suit the character. like to me...that is Mistoffelees. 😂 Im big on names and phonetics and that is the primary arbitrary reason I never entertain the notion of using the london-based ensemble moniker pffttt.

I don't want to also name the Demon Cat Mistoffelees because I want to avoid creating the impression that the Demon Cat and Mistoffelees are one in the same; Mistoffelees isn't a demon, he is a domestic shorthair cat haha, but he's imbued with the demon's essence and powers...or like think how in some branches of abrahamic mythos, Jesus Christ was the human incarnation of the archangel Michael. but in that interpretation, Jesus Christ himself isn't an angel and doesn't retain Michael's memories.

so anyway, I'm entertaining a few ideas about what to call him. yes I could go the obvious route and name him after Mistoffelees's meta namesake Mephistopheles but needless to say I'm not married to that idea. (although I like how it does remind me of Megatron naming himself after Megatronus Prime tho...like yeah I just cut a syllable or two out of the Original Version hahaha) I've also thought about referencing Gadreel or similar variants / mythological beings who reflect Demon Cat's vocation of guarding Heaviside the way Gadreel was supposed to guard Eden (I think?) I've thought of Enoch, Seraphim, Grigori...on and on lmao. I don't think I can use the name Gadreel itself, as much as I like it because unfortunately...Supernatural has it in a chokehold XD

re: the idea that Tugger is like a young Deutoronomy. I'm irresolute regarding how Deutoronomy was as a young cat (which was literally centuries ago like...idk if even he remembers XD) but a lot of Tugger's iconic idiosyncrasies partly stem from his turbulent upbringing in my mind. idk it's a combination of nature and nurture.

addendum: regarding Mistoffelees's parentage/lack thereof/Deutoronomy (murray voice) is NOT the father. the poetical aspect of his heroic moment in the show is that, in the grand scheme of things, Mistoffelees was the answer to Deutoronomy's prayer to save the sacrality of Magic Itself--- but then, not having an inkling of that in any case, Mistoffelees saved Deutoronomy as a result of his love for him on a completely personal level. ergo the "mistoffelees is the answer to Deutoronomy's prayer" being a double entendre <3

okay I wrote all this out instead of working!!! back to work!!!! pls yall feel free to message me or write essays in the tags w your own thoughts hahaha it makes me sooooo happy ^^

NEW MISTOFFELEES HEADCANONS ?? :000

I love your cat universe, It's so entertaining

yes. :' ) I've been going back and forth for weeks weighing different scenarios for the cats' parentages, along with explanations for why Mistoffelees has magic and I THOUGHT I settled on something. but then I listened to Ed Kingsley Wade's (Tugger UK tour 2022) episode of wcd and it got me rethinking a lot of things. partly it validated an earlier idea I had about Mistoffelees not exactly having """PARENTS""" per se. and also I've just been hearing so much about the de facto canonical interpretation of Munkustrap and Tugger being the biological sons of Deutoronomy, that I started entertaining that notion too because it began to feel blasphemous to believe otherwise. 😂 and yes that doesn't technically preclude the possibility of Mistoffelees also being Deutoronomy's son but I can't have Tugger and Mistoffelees being brothers for obvious reasons lmao. and I couldn't go the Son Of Macavity route for...the exact same reason.

So you see, these are the mental gymnastics that have been plaguing my grey matter lately. I'll include a slightly more comprehensive explanation of my latest hcs in answer to the question Why Does Mistoffelees Have Magic? under the cut lol

basically. all cats used to be magical --- further validating the propensity for older civilizations to idolize them.

Edit: I had a whole paragraph here that got deleted somehow but all you need to know is, along comes a particularly powerful magical cat who does the Isildur/Anakin thing and attempts to basically usurp the Cat Diety of Magic, who lives in the moon, that I call Moon Cat until I can think of a better name. He amasses a cultlike following.

the Isildur Cat's attempt to wrest godlike magical power (with a following that he has amassed over time...convincing a bunch of people that his ascension was prophetic...yk cult shit) essentially results in a war and the totality of magic was becoming volatile and corrupted. There's a big battle something something and at the end of the day, Moon Cat sees no other option to save the sacrality of Uncorrupted Cat Magic by gatekeeping what is left of it, so she siphons her own essence into three stones (I call them Moon Stones but I intend to come up with a cooler name) and assigns three different trusted Keepers (Old Deuteronomy is one of them...so yeah he's from Ancient Times) to protect the Stones, and then sends them off to vastly different parts of the world. possession of a Stone bestows immortality to the Keeper so that they can guard it ad infinitum. In the meantime, as a result of this development, a magical cat will never again be born and magic will never exist among cats as it had before.

fast forward centuries, along comes Macavity, one of the many sons of Deuteronomy. he shows sensitivity towards, and a propensity for, magic --- not in its most literal sense a la Mistoffelees, but more in a sense that he's keen to its potency and gravitates towards spiritual avenues in a way not dissimilar to Coricopat and Tantomile. he'd have mystical talents, like prescience/precognition, minor manipulations of extant fire, attuneness to weather, etc. but he couldn't conjur, or summon, or materialize matter or anything like that. Deuteronomy was aware of his son's Uniqueness and chalked it up to inheritance---a little bit of Deuteronomy's magicalness getting passed down. young Macavity, though, wasn't keen to take his heightened senses lightly, and became more frustrated and quixotic the more he attempted to make sense of it. seeing how the pressure was building in Macavity, Deuteronomy sat him down and explained to him the legend about the Moon Cat and the Isildur Cat and the Stones and all that, in an attempt to elucidate on why cats can't be truly magical anymore. he was hoping this knowledge would put Macavity at ease but instead it horribly backfired :D

okay so long story short! Macavity attempts to wrest Deuteronomy's Moon Stone, fails, and then flees to quest for one of the other three Keepers. it's a whole thing but all you have to know is he does find one, and basically...extorts the Stone from him. (it had to do with exploiting the Keeper's romantic feelings for a mortal yadda yadda yadda. master of manipulation, the napoleon of crime! Macavity knows how to get what he wants!)

EDIT: Forgot to mention. this is from where Macavity gets HIS power...but since he's not a truly Magical Cat and because he's Evil and Shouldn't Have The Stone, he's basically destroying himself by using it to wield magic. and he's also corrupting the Stone itself. but obviously he doesn't care or even fully understand what he's doing to himself.

Deuteronomy, beyond deeply troubled by all this shit, sacrifices a sizeable chunk of his magic to send a prayer up to Everlasting via priority mail. basically he's like STOP I fucked up STOP Send Help STOP

his prayer reaches, and Moon Cat and the other Cat Deities senses a Disturbance In The Force. they're like shit. fuck. it's happening again. initially Moon Cat's plan was to amass the dregs of her remaining power to create a sentinel that could potentially stop Macavity, but that would officially kill her off, and then Jellicle Moon would cease to exist and the essence of the entire cat race would be fucked, so...that would be counterproductive. Moon Cat's little brother, a benevolent Demon Cat (I need to work on names 😩) whose job it is to guard the Heaviside Layer, volunteers to do the job instead. he's warned that if he gives up his essence/magic to incarnate into a corporeal form, he won't remember his previous life and won't be able to return to the Heaviside Layer. although obviously this is saddening, he accepts the consequences and heroically allows Everlasting to corporealize his essence into a bona fide...Original Conjuring Cat.

enter the boi! Mistoffelees wasn't 'born' per se, he more kind of...landed? spawned? lmfaooo and so he has no memories of parents or littermates and spends the greater chunk of his life just thinking he was abandoned because he was the runt of the litter.

Mistoffelees is imbued with the fruits of Demon Cat's sacrifice, which is where his magic comes from. he's his own person tho, a truly material Jellicle Cat, so as foretold he retains none of Demon Cat's memories or personality or feelings and so on and so forth. he just has a deep seated instinct that he's...Different™ and has a unique (nonetheless tragic) insight/connection to the Heaviside Layer, where he knows he can never go. he also develops a unique father/son-esque bond with Deuteronomy, because Mistoffelees is, after all, the literal answer to Deut's prayers, and because Deut hasn't felt the special warmth and spiritual connection inherent between Magical Cats in centuries. neither Deut nor Mistoffelees realize this for a while tho...it's during the events of the actual musical that Deut realizes what Mistoffelees is.

Moon Cat keeps her eye on him, hoping he can fulfill his destiny of stopping Macavity from fucking up everything for everybody. no pressure!

okay I think that's...kind of enough for now XD or at least it scratches the surface. ty anon for being interested in my crazy diatribes lol I'm glad they entertain you! hopefully this especially wacky take was no exception. 🥴

[panharmonium]

...and damn the consequences

These are just some thinky-thoughts that I suppose could be an addendum to this old piece about Morgana, since I saw a couple of different discussion threads in that general vein in the tag a while back, and you know reading about this show always gets my brain going. :)

Most of what I ran into was written with the intention of shifting the blame for Morgana's issues away from Merlin, which is something I appreciate, personally - I've talked plenty myself about the myriad reasons why Merlin does not owe Morgana his secret and does not deserve "blame" for the things she does.  

But when the blame is shifted (rightly) away from Merlin, it does sometimes end up getting pushed onto others.  And while I do understand where that impulse comes from, I actually tend to approach this from a slightly different perspective, so since I don't think I've ever typed up anything about this particular subject before, I figured I might as well set down a few potential things to consider about a) Morgana (in relation to Gaius, specifically), and b) the more general question of "the blame" (and whether it's really a productive line of discussion, given that the question only has one legitimate answer, for me, at least).

disclaimer, as always: these are just my own thoughts, and nobody is obligated to share them!  If my particular perspective isn't interesting to you, don't worry about it - I'm just hanging out talking to myself on my own blog, so feel free to scroll past and continue interpreting the show in whatever way is most enjoyable for you!

i. my favourite patient is always welcome

So, first of all - some thoughts about Gaius.

I was really surprised at how infrequently Gaius appeared, when I first started poking around in the fandom.  For such a major character, and for someone who is such a huge part of Merlin's life, I definitely thought he would be more prominent, but essentially the sorts of posts I've seen about him are mostly restricted to two things: 1) memes, and 2) call-outs (he's in a very similar position to Kilgharrah, in that way).   

I don't necessarily think those things do him justice, and there’s a lot more we could talk about when it comes to his character, but for now, the only thing I'm really interested in working on is maybe adding some nuance to the perpetual question of Gaius, Morgana, Merlin, and "the blame."  

(For clarity’s sake: nothing that follows necessarily means that Gaius makes the “right” decisions.  The entire point of his character's history is in fact his failure to always do the right thing - see: Kilgharrah's line where he tells Gaius to “do nothing," because “that is, after all, your talent."  What I’m saying in the section that follows is just that there's more to consider about the choices Gaius makes than “he's a coward.")

So - some things to consider, when we think about Gaius and Morgana:  

1) One thing I'm not always sure people realize about this show is that neither Gaius nor Merlin knows that Morgana has magic until 2.03.  

And I definitely can see why people don’t necessarily realize it, because as we all know this show can be a little haphazard/loosey-goosey with its worldbuilding, but just to help clarify: until 2.03, Gaius does not know that Morgana has magic.  He knows that "some of the things she dreamt" have indicated certain future events (NOT all of them, importantly - more on that later), but her dream-visions are also specifically stated to be a separate gift from sorcery - dream-visions and magic are clearly established to be different things in this show, and prior to 2.03, Morgana has only ever demonstrated one of these abilities.  

At the end of 1.07, Merlin asks, "Is she like me?  Does she have the gift?" and Gaius's response is, "I hope not, for her sake."  Earlier, he also says, "The gift of prophecy is too close to the work of magic," indicating that the two things are, in fact, different abilities (if equally dangerous ones, in Uther's eyes).  “It's said to be an innate ability.  Those who have it are born that way.”  Whereas magic, in the Merlin-verse, is a learned skill.  We spend so much time around Merlin that we tend to transfer his experience to all other magic-users, but we have to remember that Merlin, in this world, is directly stated to be unique.  He uses magic without spells, without study; he tells Gaius he was born doing it.  But when Gaius hears Merlin say this, his response is, "That's impossible."  It's not something that happens.  

In the Merlin BBC-verse, people can be born with the "gift" - the ability to use magic - but their magic doesn't just manifest on its own.  What happens to Merlin (being able to use magic "before he could talk," with no training and no spells) and Morgana (starting a fire accidentally) is NOT something that is indicated to ever happen to other magic-possessors.  We aren't being introduced to a world where magical children will automatically start manifesting their magic in dangerous ways unless they're trained to use their abilities (ie, the X-Men model, or the Force-sensitive child model, where choosing not to teach someone is automatically irresponsible ).  Magic, as presented to us in this show, is something that cannot be used without training or specific spells/power-amplifying artifacts.  Merlin (and, later, Morgana) are exceptions to a universal rule.

And this is just something to keep in mind, because it does provide some context for Gaius's decisions.  It doesn't mean people have to agree with the choices he makes - it doesn't even mean *I* always agree with the choices he makes, to be honest - but I do think it's worthwhile to at least remember that Gaius doesn't make his decisions thoughtlessly.  As far as Gaius knows, even if Morgana did have magic, there is no way that it could ever manifest and become an issue for her without her being trained.  If she doesn't learn how to use magic, she can't use it, period.  And if she can't use it, no one will ever know she has it.  And if no one ever knows she has it, no one can ever kill her for it.  

(Once we hit 2.03, the conversation changes, obviously.  It becomes clear that Morgana is some kind of anomaly as well, and at that point, the only appropriate path forward is to tell her she has magic.)

(Which is, of course, precisely what Merlin does.)

2) According to the show, only "some of" Morgana's dreams have actually played out in real life; others have just been regular nightmares (and we see later on that even some of her prophetic dreams are vague to the point of incomprehensibility - eg, she dreams about a raven in 2.01, but how would she ever know what that meant, or if it meant anything at all, barring external context?)  Some of the risk/benefit analysis on Gaius's part has to take this problem into account - what if he did tell her that some of her dreams might be prophecies?  There would be no way for anyone to sort out which ones were real and which ones were just nightmares.  And Gaius has known Morgana all her life - he knows what she's like; he knows how headstrong she is.  She would assume all of her dreams were real, and she would act on all of them, because what if the one time she ignored a dream, something bad happened to someone she cares about?  

Gaius is familiar enough with Morgana to know with absolute certainty that this is what she would do.  And he knows that this could SO easily end up getting her killed, either by Uther, who would quickly figure out that something was going on, or by the sheer dangers associated with Morgana throwing herself into confrontations based only on uncertain visions (or worse, regular old dreams).

3) We also have to think about what this show tells us about prophecy in general.  Trying to act on prophetic information, in this world, is firmly established as a dangerous game, one which, more often than not, ends up directly causing the outcomes one was trying to prevent.  Trying to change the future, in the BBC Merlin universe, backfires on people every single time.  In 2.10, the Crystal of Neahtid is framed as holding "a terrible power," and Merlin knows instinctively that "no good [will] come of it," even as he feels compelled to look into it.  In 3.05, Gaius himself says of the Crystal Cave that "the crystals are treacherous," and Kilgharrah says that "to change the future is no simple matter, Merlin.  To do so is fraught with danger."  In Season 5, of course, we all know what happens with Merlin's attempts to prevent Mordred from killing Arthur - it ensures Arthur's death!  And that's not even mentioning all the collateral damage it causes - Kara's execution, Mordred and Morgana’s eventual deaths, etc.

I thought I could alter the future, but instead, I caused it.  I made it happen.

What you did was dangerous, even for someone as gifted as you.

These are truths about the universe in the BBC Merlin world, not Gaius's personal opinions.  Gaius had been brought up steeped in the rules of the Old Religion; he knows how that world works.  The risk posed by Morgana interpreting all of her dreams as prophecies (and the absolute certainty that she would constantly attempt to alter their outcomes) is not a trivial concern or something he should ignore.  It is real, significant, and extremely dangerous, for both Morgana and the people around her.

So in general, I do think there's a broader context to what Gaius does than we typically look at.  I'm not saying that it isn't a sticky situation, and I'm not even saying that Gaius makes the right calls.  All I'm saying is that I think it's worth acknowledging that the decisions he makes are a) always sincerely intended to protect Morgana from a number of very real dangers, not just Uther, and b) founded on more than simple cowardice or carelessness.

ii. of course what really matters is the blame / someone you can blame

More generally -

Whenever I see discussion circulating about Morgana’s descent into villainy, occasionally the conversation can start to feel to me a little bit like that scene in Into the Woods where all the characters start going "so it's HER fault/HIS fault/YOUR fault" as they backtrack further and further along the chain of events and tear apart every single character's innocuous decisions (the consequences of which could not possibly have been foreseen) in order to escape any scrap of personal responsibility, until the Witch interrupts their bickering and rips them a new one for worrying so much about who to blame when they have a real problem to solve.

These blame-placing conversations about Morgana, much like this scene, are interesting and enjoyable to think about in their own ways, but they rarely get quite where I want them to go.  I definitely love seeing people articulate the "we shouldn't blame Merlin for what Morgana does" angle, but things often then slide into "we should blame X person instead", where X person is Kilgharrah or Morgause or Gaius or Uther or whoever.  

And for me, that analysis doesn’t quite hit the mark.  The correct endpoint of "we shouldn't hold Merlin responsible for Morgana's actions" isn't "we should hold X person responsible instead."  The correct endpoint is "the only person responsible for Morgana's actions is Morgana."

The last time I wrote about Morgana like this, I mentioned that ultimately, the difference between Merlin and Morgana for me is that Merlin owns his choices.  He feels guilt, he expresses regret, he apologizes for his mistakes, and he blames himself for his missteps (as well as for other things that aren't remotely his fault).  Morgana, on the other hand, never apologizes for anything (despite the fact that she's made plenty of mistakes worth regretting), and sometimes it feels like in fandom we don't necessarily expect her to do so, as if it's a benchmark we don't need her to meet.

So because I really do have strong feelings about the double standard we use when it comes to Merlin and Morgana, I want to talk for a minute here about Merlin and Gaius’s relationship, to provide a comparison.

Morgana isn't the only person who's had important information about her parentage and potential abilities withheld from her.  Gaius hides both Merlin's dragonlord heritage and the identity of Merlin's father all the way until the end of Season 2, when necessity forces him to reveal the information.  Merlin's mother, for her own part, has been hiding this information from Merlin all his life - out of valid fears for Merlin's own safety, of course, the same way Gaius is trying to protect Morgana.  But still, from Merlin's point of view, in the moment when the information is revealed to him, the justification offered by his guardians is unacceptable.  He is angry and upset, and he feels cheated out of knowledge he deserved to have, the absence of which has negatively affected him all his life.  “I had a right to know,” he keeps saying, on the verge of tears.

Has Merlin been harmed by the choices his guardians made for him, even if said choices were made to protect him?  Yes.  Does he have a right to feel hurt, betrayed, and angry?  Yes.  Is he entitled to every ounce of his righteous rage?  Absolutely.  

Is he also responsible for how he reacts, now that the information has been revealed?  YES.

Merlin has no say in what his parental figures do to him in the name of protecting him, and he has no choice about how it makes him feel.  He does, however, have a choice about what actions he will now take in response.  He can react in a way that hurts others, or he can choose a path of lesser harm.  And there's plenty we can say to justify both options, certainly, but either way, the decision he makes is on him.  

What that means, in short, is this: Merlin is not responsible for what was done to him.  But he is responsible for what he himself does next.  

The same goes for Morgana.  In absolutely no universe would we classify Merlin's behavior as acceptable if he'd reacted to the revelation of his Dragonlord heritage by assassinating Uther, claiming the throne for himself in the name of his murdered kin, and then shooting innocent civilians in the street when the knights refused to recognize his legitimacy.  We would never say that was okay.  And we definitely wouldn't then blame Merlin's downfall on Gaius, saying it was Gaius's fault for withholding information about Merlin's powers for so long.  The choice to act in a harmful way would still be Merlin's, in that situation.

The same standard holds true for Morgana - particularly when she has access to resources that Merlin can't even dream about.  She is rich, beyond his wildest fantasies.  One of her dresses costs more than everything Merlin has ever owned in his life - his house, his land, his livestock, every bushel of wheat he's ever harvested.  She isn't the 1% in comparison to Merlin; she's the 0.0000001% - a princess in all but but name, and one who would presumably be heir to her father's entire estate in addition to everything she already has in Camelot.  

Morgana has the wealth to go anywhere she wants, including places where magic is practiced freely (see Helva, as mentioned in S5).  She has the prestige to affiliate herself with powerful people outside of Camelot, if she chooses to do so.  Any person in her position would have a broad, high-status network of friends and allies, and indeed we do see that Morgana has political ties outside Uther's court (see: how easily she's able to go to Cenred, Agravaine, Annis in Seasons 3/4 and be admitted, recognized, and trusted, as well as her repeated ability to recruit and/or take command of external armies).  

She could leave Camelot if she wanted, learn about her abilities, and build a life for herself elsewhere.  She could stay in Camelot and use her considerable resources to work toward her people's liberation, without indiscriminately murdering and enslaving the innocent poor.  She could seek out other magic-users like Alator in the spirit of true solidarity, as opposed to just using them as tools to get what she wants and then turning on them when they decide that they don’t want to use her sort of tactics to achieve their liberation.  She has hundreds of options, none of which necessarily even require her to forgive or reconcile with the people who harmed her, and none of which are even remotely open to Merlin, who (like Morgana) is still learning about his own abilities, and who (unlike Morgana) has no money, no social power, and no connections that he can leverage or lean upon, besides a tiny village of dirt-poor peasant farmers on the other side of the border with Cenred's kingdom.

Morgana has options.  The choices she makes are hers.  Gaius's decision not to tell her about her dreams is not equivalent to her receiving a blank check for harmful behavior.  She has so many resources.  She has so much power.  She could have chosen so many other paths - like Merlin tries to plead with her, in the crypt, after he tells her that he does not believe she deserves to be executed, despite what she's done: “We can find another way.”

She's the one who says, “There is no other way.”  She makes that decision.  She chooses to dismiss the thousand other paths available to her.  

That's on her.  That is always going to be on her.

iii. i'm going to give you one more chance

This last section...it’s more just a muddle of feels-riddled musing as opposed to a real opinion.  It's not something that has a right answer or a solution; it's just something I ponder sometimes.  

When we talk about harm being done in the real world, we talk about how intentions don't matter.  And that is absolutely true, in terms of both the impact of harmful actions and the harm-doer's responsibility to own what they did/make restitution.  If someone knocks you down, and you break your arm, the impact of that event doesn't change depending on whether the person in question did it on purpose or not.  Your arm's still broken, either way.  Intent doesn't matter, in terms of impact and responsibility - the actual harm done is the same, and the person who knocked you down should still be apologizing and making amends, regardless of whether they intended for you to fall or not.  

However - intent does matter when you're considering the future of your relationship with the person who knocked you down.  It affects how you react to what they did.  It changes how you respond to their actions.  If someone threw you to the ground on purpose, you'd (probably) feel differently about that than if a friend knocked you down because they were trying to pull you out of the way of an oncoming vehicle, or because they were carrying too many things in their arms and didn't see you turn the corner.

I think about this sometimes when it comes to Morgana and Merlin.

I don't want to frame this as "Morgana should have forgiven everybody who hurt her," because I don't think that's the case.  I've written before about how I fully understand her reasons for ultimately rejecting Arthur, Gwen, Merlin, Gaius, etc.  She's not required to reconcile with anybody if she doesn't want to.

At the same time, though, I do wonder sometimes about intent.  And sometimes I ask myself how things might have been different if Morgana had considered intent, before things went completely to hell, and whether the story’s ultimate outcome might have changed, if she had given even just one of these people a chance.

Morgana has plenty of reasons extend some degree of understanding to the people who caused her pain.  The vast majority of the people who caused Morgana harm did so either a) out of love, in a sincere attempt to protect her from being killed, b) without any knowledge of the fact that she needed help, or c) after they thought she was attempting to kill everybody in the city.  Everything Gaius ever conceals from her is concealed with the intention of keeping her safe.  Arthur knows absolutely nothing about Morgana's parentage until after Morgana has already violently invaded Camelot, and he knows nothing about her prophecies/magic, either.  Gwen, too, is never told anything about Morgana's parentage or her magic, even though Gwen supports Morgana when Morgana thinks her dreams might be sorcery.  And Morgana never comes to Merlin for help, despite his demonstrated support in 2.03 - what he does later, in 2.11, is a response to him legitimately thinking that she is actively trying to kill everyone in Camelot.  When she comes back a year later, he forgives her for it immediately, and when he realizes she has turned against them again, he STILL tries to talk her around, to offer his hand.  

So I think about that sometimes.  And I wonder what would have happened if Morgana had chosen to recognize things like this.  Merlin, for his own part, always chooses to recognize things like this when it comes to the people who've done him wrong (and by this I do not mean to say that his response is always the best one - I'm not talking about him consistently allowing Arthur to continue oppressing him and his community, here.  I'm talking about him, on an interpersonal level, being able to recognize when the people who've harmed him did so in an attempt to keep him safe, or without fully understanding the potential consequences of their actions.)  

Merlin understands that his mother lied about Balinor and the dragonlords in an attempt to protect him, and he continues to love her in spite of the fact that the deception legitimately hurt him.  He understands when Gaius gives Finna up to Arthur, because he know that Gaius sincerely believed her to be a trap laid by Morgana.  He understands many of the things Morgana does, too, and he gives her all kinds of chances - he knows why she tries to kill Uther in 1.11, and he holds no grudge.  He knows she tried to steal the Crystal of Neahtid in 2.10, and again he holds no grudge - he doesn't even suspect her, at the beginning of the next episode, when the entire city falls asleep.  He forgives her in 3.01 after she (as far as he knows) tried to kill the entire city at the end of the previous season, and even after she reveals herself to be a traitor in 3.02, he tells her he doesn't believe she deserves to be executed for who she is.  He still feels for her.  He still understands.  He wants to connect with her.

And, admittedly, neither Morgana nor Merlin are obligated to extend this kind of understanding to the people who've harmed them.  The impact of the harmful actions is the same, and Morgana doesn't have to give her friends a chance if she doesn’t want to.  She doesn't have to consider their intentions.

But she could have.  And I think that in some of these situations, there are compelling reasons why she should have.  

It's important to me to recognize that Morgana's choice not to ever consider her friends' intentions, particularly when it comes to people like Gwen, who didn't even understand what was going on and who were given no chance to prove their willingness to help Morgana before Morgana attacked first - completely obstructs the possibility of making amends, working things out together, making a connection, or seeking a more positive outcome.  Morgana’s actions come out of nowhere, for most of the people who know her.  She starts trying to kill them before they ever even know anything is wrong.  She doesn’t give them a chance to help her.

And she doesn’t have to, certainly.  But I wonder sometimes what things would have looked like if she had.

[faimrpg]

is this roleplay lgbt friendly ic?

Hi, yes! I wholeheartedly believe that fantasy settings shouldn’t be used as an excuse to portray bigotry, whether it’s in character or not. This also applies to the plot and the setting; for example, as a lesbian I didn’t want to write a fantasy world in which people like me wouldn’t be accepted. I’ve just added a little addendum to the rules (so thank you for asking this!) but any players writing their characters as homophobic or transphobic towards others in any capacity will be removed from the group immediately, without warning. If this doesn’t answer your question, please let me know and I’ll clarify as much as needed! 

- Julia

[watcherscrown]

I know I rbd the original bee post and added this

“holy fuck. I did not expect this to get more than like... 10 notes you are all amazing ;0; I want to add the addendum to this that I am pretty distantly related and while I have tribal membership, I’m extremely white and none of this money directly benefits ME because I don’t use tribal services and I’ve only been to the rez once”

but I’ve been getting a lot of specific questions about the farm I’m really not equipped to answer so I want to reiterate it again: I do not work on/with the farm and I don’t have close contact with any family members who are active in the Tribal community. I have been to exactly 1 community meeting and that was during college on a semi-unrelated assignment. I used the phrasing “my tribe” because explaining the exact details of my relation seemed irrelevant and unnecessary bc they would just complicate the post. ie my family has the good luck to be able to trace our ancestry back 3 generations to a specific person and have essentially been grandfathered into the tribe via documentation and paperwork.

they could have chosen to educate me on this culture, enroll me in the language class, or take me to any number of community events as a child, but they didn’t. Therefore I feel very disconnected and in an in-between space. Like if my life had been framed differently maybe I would feel more comfortable claiming that cultural heritage, but as it is, I view myself as white, with all the stuff that comes with that.

I wrote that sentence a couple different ways ways originally but “the ioway tribe” with no context seemed detached, and “the tribe with which i share ancestry but am not necessarily part of” seemed stupidly complicated.

ANYWAY, all that is to just clarify my part in this (which is none).

[outlanderfandomfollies]

Tony managed the successful Scottish band The Fratelli’s--that’s why the platinum records were on the wall behind Cait

Seeing misinformation about Tony continuing to be spread by former ES, I still feel an urge to make corrections, although sadly, it probably won’t stop these people from continuing to spread the misinformation.

This was recently posted by tvuckic, a former ES, who seems to delight in spreading negative misinformation about Tony. 

And Cait, she is the same… banging in the kitchen, platinum records that we’ve never seen again, all designed to create an impression that may not be real at all…in fact, we know Tony is not a music producer and Cait only admitted it because fans kept posting to journos correcting his profession.

It is this kind of misinformation that continues to fuel hate towards Cait and Tony.

Below, I’m going to explain that: 

The “platinum records” were on the wall in Cait and Tony’s home because Tony used to be the band manager for the triple platinum band The Fratelli’s. 

The reason that Cait corrected the “music producer” misinformation was because Cait said that Tony “hates” that misinformation being repeated about him.

1. ALTHOUGH TONY WAS NOT A MUSIC PRODUCER, HE WAS A BAND MANAGER AND THAT’S WHY THE “PLATINUM RECORDS” WERE ON THE WALL 

This was the photo with the “platinum records” in the background to which tvuckic was referring:

Yes, tvuckic, Tony wasn’t a music producer--BUT he was a band manager. In fact he managed the very successful band The Fratellis. But don’t take my word for it, take Barry Fratelli’s (in a 2012 twitter conversation about Tony).

Yeah, Tony used to manage The Fratellis who had a triple platinum album during the time he managed them. In fact, Tony’s having managed them is referred to in the description of the panel proposal he and two other people submitted for the SXSW Music Fesitval 2016.

“DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION: THE KILL OR CURE OF MUSIC?

"Music streaming is killing the industry. Artists get paid close to nothing from streaming and it's a fallacy that touring makes up the numbers with ticket agents and touts taking away what little they earn. Should we give up on music and accept only focus grouped reality stars get supported? Or fight back and find a way to turn this digital distribution poison into an antidote? We found an unlikely hero in the fintech hotspot of Edinburgh with blockchain smart contracts that could reshape the whole music industry, from artists managing their IP rights to tout free ticketing. An ex-triple platinum artist manager, ticketing stalwart and fintech innovator will attempt to solve this problem.” [emphasis added]

2. CAIT CORRECTED THE MUSIC PRODUCER MISINFORMATION BECAUSE TONY “HATES” THAT MISINFORMATION BEING REPEATED ABOUT HIM

According to tvuckic, 

“Cait only admitted [that Tony wasn’t a music producer] because fans kept posting to journos correcting his profession.“

Sorry tvuckic. Theresa Corigliano interviewed Cait at the Outlander Season 5 Premiere on Feb. 13, 2020 for Check Your Local Listings. According to Ms. Corigiliano, during the interview with Cait a woman standing next to her mentioned:

“her boyfriend who she said was a music producer like Balfe’s husband, Tony McGill.”

“Balfe politely but firmly interrupted her: ‘He’s not a music producer, by the way. I just have to do this…He really hates this because he manages bands. He’s in artist management. One person wrote it and now everybody does.’” [emphasis added]

So Cait herself said that the reason for the correction was because Tony “hates” that the misinformation about his profession being repeated by media outlets. Cait also clarified that Tony “manages bands.” 

BTW, after Cait made the above correction, that would have been the time for Cait to “correct” any other “misinformation” about her marriage. Therefore, it is significant that Cait didn’t “correct” the woman’s assumption that Tony was her husband--because he IS her husband. (And if she were actually referring to Sam as being “her husband,” wouldn’t she have said her husband is an “actor” and a “TV producer”?)

Why do former ES keep circulating misinformation about Tony? It’s very wrong that they do. If they are going to continue to talk about him, they should at least get the information right. There’s no excuse for this.

[edited]

ADDENDUM 05.09.20:

Cait refers to The Fratellis in this tweet as “my mates.” More evidence that Tony used to manage The Fratellis and stayed in touch with them afterward.