#and i also have this whole thing about how she had the gift of prophecy which she passed on to rhal

[pessimistkale]

i have so much complex lore for MID in my head that im straight up analyzing the parallelism in my OWN lore

[plantboiart]

I was going to make a post about which greek heroes the jrwi pcs are but i came up with a better idea. Which greek myths/stories the jrwi pcs are, mostly just based on themes and vibes and stuff. Also some of these will be combinations of two or more characters when that’s required to make things fit

Riptide

Jay: starting off with what i think is the easiest one. The myth of Icarus, but more specifically: she’s Daedalus. Crafting wings for herself to escape the prison she has been locked in, reaching freedom but losing her family in the process. It just fits very well. (Was this entire post inspired by @enby-ralsei’s fic gifted wax wings? Maybe)

Gillion: had kind of a hard time choosing between the Illiad and the twelve labors of Heracles, but landed on the Illiad. It fits him as a story of war, of wrath and prophecies and higher powers playing with the lives of mortals. Achilles, the child of a goddess, an extremely capable warrior able to level entire armies by himself, but still human, still fully aware that he will die for the war he is fighting in. Helen, an innocent bystander by all logical means, the child of a god, or a goddess, or mere mortals depending on who you ask, ripped from her home and thrust into a battle she never asked for a part in. It just… well. It fits pretty well, I think.

Chip: The Odyssey, specifically from Telemachus’ pov (huh both jay and chip got a myth but from a different pov than the title character). Just a now grown up son trying to find his father who he lost years ago, even when all likelyhood points towards him being long gone. …lets hope chip and arlin can also get a happy ending reunion? Maybe?? Please???

Prime defenders

Dakota: the myth of Perseus slaying Medusa. Perseus is like… the ideal greek hero even by modern standards. Which, you know, Dakota obviously isn’t flawless, but he is very much the ideal of heroism. Kind, willing to learn from his mistakes, forgiving, capable, strong in multiple ways, he inspires people (Mark, William, fucking the whole of WATCH) to be better. Perseus really just fits him with like how ideal his story is at least in its older forms (obviously gets very different vibes if we go with the later interpretation of medusa being a victim but the older versions fit dakota better so thats what im focusing on)

William: Hades and Persephone! Extremely complex and complicated, somehow simultaneously one of the healthier love stories in greek mythology and also the story of Hades kidnapping his wife.. yeah its complicated. Just like Will! Also you know themes of the underworld and death and rebirth :)

Vyncent: the twelve labors of heracles, it doesn’t really fit as well as some others do but i barely have any fitting ones left (not writing these in order) and at this point like 90% of the myths i have left are just men being the worst. So vyncent gets a myth thats NOT a man being the worst! A very strong and capable fighter, sometimes easily overtaken by his own anger, in desperate need to prove himself and make up for his past mistakes

Blood in the bayou

Rolan: King Oedipus… uh ignoring the incest. Focusing on the themes of discovering your true identity and being so horrified and disgusted by the truth that you can’t live with it, that you’re the monster you’ve been seeking this whole time. Being unable to ever go back to the way things used to be no matter how much you wish you could do so

Kian and Rand: Orpheus and Eurydice. Not in the sense of “this character is this one” but the different themes just fit them both so well. Kian is music, is love, is hope and failure and loss and /love/. Kian is Orpheus risking everything for those he loves. Kian is Eurydice dying again because that very love was always going to be her downfall. Kian is a tragedy, and we all know how it will end. Meanwhile Rand is grief, is loss, is refusing to move on and let go of those you love. Of looking back even when you know it will only hurt you more. Rand is Orpheus, forever stuck in mourning those he’s lost. Rand is Eurydice, never able to come back from where she has gone. Rand is a tragedy, and we all wish we didn’t know how it will end.

Apotheosis

Rumi and Peter: already talked about this in my which greek gods they are post but!! The myth of Eros and Psyche. A god and a mortal that fell for each other, pulled apart by their circumstances. The mortal dying, only to be brought back by their godly lover and raised to godhood themself. A happy and loving marriage with their (lizard) children. It just fits so well

Thanatos: always feels ironic to pick a myth that doesnt involve Thanatos himself but. I think Thanny fits the story of Prometheus pretty good. Defying the gods by stealing fire for humanity and succeeding in that goal but then getting trapped forever because of that. I mean Thanatos you know stayed trapped willingly but still (also theres a real lack of greek myths where someone defies the gods and doesnt end up suffering like. A lot. Prometheus honestly got off somewhat easily compared to some others)

Not including the suckening since i still haven’t finished it :/ ill add my thoughts on the characters once ive done so

[marinersubmariner]

AU looks for Rey and Ben

Commentary under the cut

I initially conceived of this as being solely about the hairstyles, but then I couldn’t just make them wear one outfit because different outfits go with different looks, so it increasingly became a very high effort video game character customizer. It’s just too much fun to play dress-up, and what better time to indulge my love of space fashion than with a custom template of my favs!!

I actually do have a longtime dream of making a paper doll set because I love outfits, I love canonverse AUs, and the lack of significant variety in their looks throughout the sequel trilogy has obviously driven me to madness, but. drawing clothing on entire head-to-toe figures is a whole thing. These busts alone took so much time I don’t know if I’d ever finish something more extensive.

Miscellaneous notes and thought processes from staring at this for way too long:

Short-haired Rey/long-haired Ben 4ever

Rey wearing green and Ben wearing blue is my ideal configuration so it’s what I will always default to. They are simply the correct colors, sorry I DO make the rules

Of course this whole thing came about mostly because I wanted to give Ben a Leia hairstyle. OF COURSE. And the outfit is stolen from Bail—I previously made a photomanip of this but didn’t quite complete it (yet?? ehh. why bother at this point). Funnily enough in that manip I had turned Bail’s grey ROTS cloak blue for Ben, and then in the Obi-Wan show they did that same color swap and gave Bail an actual blue cloak. Curse my gift of prophecy

I played with giving Rey Ben’s exact same scar—which also looks rad—but because I overthink everything it seemed more fitting to make it a mirror image instead. Dyad things

The EU did already have a guy with Jason Todd hair, but setting that aside I’m still pretty attached to Kylo Red Hood parallels. And a while ago as I was thinking about the white streak again I realized it would make sense to extend it from where his scar is, symbolic of how death and resurrection would be experiences that stemmed from that initial injury. I’m not a huge fan of his scar being completely healed in canon because I’d rather things have permanent reminders instead of erasing them (which is generally a whole problem with TROS!!!), so I like the idea that it would change rather than disappear. Anyway the cost of resurrection is: looking extra cool 😔

Sci-fi women with shaved heads are very special to me, but specifically in the history of Star Wars I have a deep fondness for Natalie Portman’s buzz cut during the ROTS press. She looked so good, RIP bald Padme

Rey’s black cowl is modeled on Kylo’s TFA cowl, but I also imagined it as the good boy sweater. Either way, she’s wearing his clothes

I know Ben in the standard white shirt is pretty boring, but I needed a low collar to showcase his hair (ostensibly the point of this entire exercise!) and I liked pairing a white outfit for him with a black outfit for Rey, because reversals are the best part of their whole deal. Also: casual space Gandalf the White. Also also: I think I just ended up making him the transformed Beast from Beauty and the Beast. APPROPRIATE. It was kind of tough for me to settle on a look to go with the long hair because it was the Ben hairstyle that I thought worked best with every outfit.

Rey’s green wrap/robe is the most improvised clothing here, just aiming for something nice and green without getting overly fancy. I sort of vaguely pulled from the Chandrilan formalwear we saw on Andor, but I mean, the kimono wrap is a pretty standard Star Wars wardrobe staple regardless. The white mock neck undershirt is definitely inspired by Mon. So you can maybe say she’s dressed in Chandrilan clothes because it’s Ben’s homeworld, and he helped her with the braid because yes I subscribe to Ben hair braiding fanons, I’m so sorry, I’m in too deep!!!!!!!

Puffy jacket! Even more colorful!! To be honest I have throw pillows with these colors and I love them, but I was also thinking to give Ben a yellow accent as a nod to Rey’s lightsaber color. This is where it gets to a point that I could spend days switching out color combos, a dangerous game

This was way more time-consuming than I expected it to be, but that seems to be true of all art projects for me as I get older. Now I gotta try to sustain some productivity and move on to the next one of my billion WIPs. Being obsessed with a dead ship and character for which there is vanishingly little hope of ever getting new canon material is so much work

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

I have more thoughts about Chalice of the Gods

When I was getting through the first hundred pages or so I was a little :/ prob because I’m getting back into the books over a decade later and I had Expectations that I didn’t have as a kid. You could have thrown anything at me and I would have been DELIGHTED just to hear more of Percy’s story. I think the nostalgia factor was actually kind of a negative for me because I kept getting mad at the modern references and how low the stakes seemed to be. I did see a post about how it was good that Rick kept the books at whatever time he wrote them (in terms of references) because it’s literally just like the olympians growing and modernizing. You can’t stay stuck in the past. And I think keeping that perspective in mind will make rereads a lot more fun.

The low stakes seemed to bother me just because we’re so used to seeing Percy in horrible world ending situations and we just got out of HOO. But he really did deserve a break and it was helpful with developing his characterization

I didn’t expect the books to make me feel so emotional! I’ve been out of the horrifying college admissions process for a while now. But the questions he was wrestling with were very universal. At this point he’s accepted that the gods are what they are. There’s not much he can do to change them. He has to focus on himself and his future. And I am a little disappointed that his goals all seem to be around Annabeth. Like I love them but also he’s going to new Rome JUST for her it seems. But also when I was in high school I decided to go to college because that’s what Everyone Does right. I didn’t know trade school was an option. Feeling a little bit like ur life is on a set path and your choices are controlled by other people a bit was at least part of my high school experience. But also from a story perspective it does make sense that he wants to stick with Annabeth! They’ve been through a ridiculous amount together.

Sally having a kid and the emotions that it brought up was also a good way to show that transitional period between leaving home and starting a new life. Your parents are going to move on and do their own thing and their lives won’t revolve around you anymore. Also in general the whole Paul/sally/percy/annabeth dynamic was fucking amazing. The way Paul and sally accepted Annabeth into their lives and how happy they all are is what she fucking deserves!!

I think the end is what really got me. Some of it felt really silly and I did absolutely roll my eyes when Percy told the god he loved him and hugged him. But also him ACCEPTING that he would likely get old was so cathartic. This is a boy who was supposed to die at 16. And barely escaped death again after having his memories wiped and falling into fucking Tartarus. Hes never gotten a break and hes said, in multiple books, that he expects to die very young. This is the first time he says ‘wait I might survive this. I might get old and if I do it’ll be by Annabeth and Grover’s side.’ Percy fucking Jackson who has been the subject of COUNTLESS prophecies, who is reminded time and time again that he isn’t supposed to exist, even by people that he loves, (that was a lil mean of u in the intro Poseidon) CHOOSES to accept that he might get old. Like of course this boy doesn’t have much of a plan for his life yet other than ?? Follow Annabeth?? When has he gotten a chance to think about it!

This is something I did project upon a bit because I didn’t except to live to 18! Or 20! Or 22! And it’s only now at 24 that I’m starting to Accept that I might be here a little longer than I expected and now I have to Plan Accordingly. Like I have to learn these stupid life skills and figure out what I Want from my life now. And unlike Percy, I’m a little angry about it lol because I never expected to have this problem!! But, I too, am slowly accepting that time on earth is a gift or whatever. At the very least I’m stuck here for the foreseeable future so I might as well use it to learn who I am. I GUESS. In my life, Death has always been this ever-present choice I could take if things got a little too tough and I don’t know if that door will ever fully close but I have been dragged away from it kicking and screaming so. Might as well stick around. I’m still a little bitter about it honestly but I’ll get over it. I have to learn how to COOK guys. How fucked up is that. To care about the mundane all of a sudden??

Anyways. I doubt that’s the metaphor Rick was going for, it was probably more of a ‘your childhood ends! You’re gonna get older and that’s a good thing’ instead of a ‘one day you might not have killed yourself and you’ll realize that you’re actually stuck living this life and you gotta learn to fucking deal with it.’

Ok I could go on for hours so this is the last thing. Percy’s conversation with Poseidon, about how small waves are the ones that matter the most, REALLY resonated with me. Like I think I teared up at two parts of this book, the old age part and the conversation with between them at the end. It’s really easy to convince yourself that the way you alter your life is through Sweeping All-Consuming Change where you move to a different continent and begin anew. Unfortunately, through bitter experience, I’ve learned that’s not how things fucking work. Changing your surroundings does lead to new experiences but it doesn’t make ur problems go away! I moved halfway across the state and got what I genuinely believe is the best job on earth and I. Still have the same issues?? And then I thought ok maybe I was wrong this Wasn’t the best job I just need to find one that’s Better but that’s. Not how things work.

This is getting away from me but basically what I’m trying to say is u can make grand changes and it might fix u for a little while but unfortunately you have to put in the work and do the stupid boring mundane things like go on walks and journal and exercise and do things that scare the fuck out of u to actually change and grow and it’s so goddamn annoying. I should be able to become a different person just by being somewhere else but I can’t.

Wait I’m supposed to be relating this to Percy Jackson. So Percy can go on these life altering world defining quests right. And make all the right choices. But who he is at his core is defined by the choices that he makes when the stakes aren’t that high. When it would be So Easy to walk away from Ganymede and go live his life. And I know some people didn’t like that Poseidon was like ‘this is when I knew you were a hero’ of fucking COURSE he knows Percy has been this hero his whole life. But he’s also this person when there isn’t some prophecy, when he doesn’t have to be, when it’s just a mild inconvenience. It’s easy to talk about changing the world. It’s harder to go out there and take those little baby steps that don’t feel like they matter all that much. He has actually changed the world and just not talked about it but hopefully u get what I’m saying. I just liked that thing about small waves being able to sweep you off your feet when you didn’t expect it ok!! Most change is incremental!!

Ok that’s it. Loved Chalice, will probably enjoy it more on a reread and it resonated with me in ways I didn’t expect.

[toastywatchesstevenuniverse]

S1 E45

Rose's Scabbard

Okay so I've learned a lot today.

Also this episode much like the fireworks one made me..

Very uncomfortable. But even more so than that one did.

This episode was just......really fucking sad man.

First off:

None of the gems seemed to like Greg so far (Except Amethyst) but Pearl especially seemed particularly not very fond of him. I kinda didn't think much about that. I just assumed it was because "Greg is a slob & Pearl doesn't like that he's a slob." And honestly given his current state in the show rn, I ain't exactly too fond of the man either. Though the winter episode definitely made me like him more.

But uh....now I'm starting to think Pearl's distaste for him isn't as simple as that. Because Pearl....

This whole episode Pearl was being like....

Okay look we can't word this in any other way: PEARL WAS BEING A MASSIVE HOMO™ THE ENTIRE TIME LIKE GOD DAMN SHE WAS GAY™ AS FUCK ABOUT ROSE THIS EPISODE LIKE WOAH OKAY NOW I GET WHATS GOING ON HERE. PEARL IS A MASSIVE FUCKING LESBIAN™ FOR ROSE & NOW THAT THIS REVEAL HAS HIT. Well to be honest that actually explains a lot. Like, huh, yeah actually this makes sense & explains a lot about why she's like this.

Guys when I called her a Gay™ Disaster™ all the way back in the start I wasn't expecting to actually be correct. I was like half joking when I said that????

I WAS TRYING TO BE FUNNY I WASNT TRYING TO BE A PROPHET HERE WHAT THE FUCK WHY WAS I ACTUALLY CORRECT¿???????¿¿¿¿¿???

I WAS JUST BEING A GOOF WHY DID I END UP HAVING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY???? FUCK OFF APOLLO.

PEARL & ROSE WERE APPARENTLY 'VERY CLOSE FRIENDS'. ROOMMATES OR WHATNOT. SHE EVEN FUCKING BLUSHED & HAD THE QUEER™ EYELASHES. DAMN PEARL I THINK YOU MIGHT BE SUFFERING FROM A CASE OF BEING A FUCKING SIMP, YOU FUCKING LESBIAN™.

MY GAYDAR™ IS OFF THE CHARTS RIGHT NOW. THIS MF IS GAY™ AS FUCK. 💀 THIS IS BEYOND NORMAL GAY™. THIS IS ADVANCED GAY™.

So idk what happened that led to Rose vetting with Greg but yeah, suddenly I'm realizing Pearl disliking Greg is definitely a case of her being....

Well. And excuse me for the vulgar metaphor here but I can't resist.

Pearl is bitter because Greg was the one who got to put the sword in Rose's Scabbard when she wanted to put her sword in there in the first place.

And honestly if I lost out to someone like Greg who....let's face it is kind of a pretty shit dad so far. Yeah I'd be bitter too. It actually makes the fact she's the one trying the hardest to be Steven's mother make more sense & honeslty it makes her even more sympathetic. He's the closest thing she has left of Rose & the fact she's so caring & all just....if Rose had to sacrifice herself for Steven to exist, the fact Pearl isn't resentful towards Steven at all for that is so nice. Because it'd be so easy for the writers to just have her be like that for cheap drama but no, they don't. Thank you for that writers. That's so wise to avoid that bullshit bc I'd hate this episode if they went that direction....look idk how to word this rn but damn Pearl has some serious emotional issues. And Amethyst had some trauma reveal a few episodes ago too....

So if this pattern continues....

Guys I don't even know if I want to find out what fucked up shit Garnet is going through because I feel like hers is probably gonna be the most fucked up of the lot. Like I don't even think I WANT to find out what shit she's carrying in her head. I mean....like, fuck all of these people need therapy & a hug.

Anyways Pearl was definitely being shitty by the halfway mark (I mean what she said to Steven was legit fucked up I ain't gonna lie, like, damn, you said that to a CHILD, Pearl. Holy shit. I get that you're upset about the wife thing but he's literally a child I think he's probably upset about his mom being gone just as much as you are.) but y'know-

Okay quick side note: Amethyst I get that Pearl was being shitty but you have no right to be talking shit about her like you didn't just do some pretty fucked up shit just a couple episodes ago. Neither of y'all are in ANY position to be acting all high & mighty. Pearl just SAID something but you straight up fucking used your transformation magic to torment a man about his dead wife. You don't have any fucking high ground here girl. Garnet is the only one of you that has any room to be acting above it. She hasn't done anything like that so far so she's the only one that gets to talk shit. Sit tf down ma'am.

ahem, anyways Amethyst was being shitty too just a bit ago. And like I said then: when you're that mentally fucked it leads to that kinda behavior. It's not an excuse but it does mean you know there's a legit reason for why they'd act out like this. And it's not entirely their fault that they have a tendency to be that irrational. But Pearl, like Amethyst, you can tell she felt remorse.

Again, the way they resolve it without a drawn out argument...but instead it's just Pearl openly showing her vulnerability & Steven just showing her a sign of affection. No argument. No yelling. Just a genuine moment of sincere emotion. Steven understood. While what she said was horrible, he gets why she said it. They both miss her. But they have eahcother. I am going to fucking sob typing this oh my god.

Yeah this episode made me cry a lot. Absolutely stellar episode. And the ending was just beautiful.

Further cementing the fact that Pearl is my favorite. I can't wait to see how much the show uses her emotional baggage to rip my heart in half & stomp on it mercilessly.

Second best episode of the entire show so far. Only just slightly behind 'On The Run'. (That one just hit me on a more personal level so it still has my heart by the throat.)

[acourtofthought]

I'm thinking SJM made the Trove in the likeness of the One Ring from Lord of the Rings. The ring was also sentient in a way, doing it's best to be "found" by those who might help it along it's journey and calling to those who it felt could lead it back "home" to Sauron.

“Made objects tend to not wish to be found by just anyone,” Amren cautioned. “That they have faded from memory, that even I didn’t think of them immediately in the fight against Hybern, suggests that perhaps they willed it that way. Wanted to stay hidden. True things of power have such gifts.” “You say that as if the objects have a sentience,” Cassian said. “They do,” Amren said, storms drifting across her eyes. / Made objects back then tended to gain their own self-awareness and desires. It was not a good thing.”

The Dead Trove seems to have purposely stayed hidden all these years, waiting until the right time......

“Or perhaps the Dread Trove wants us to know of it now, for some dark reason of its own.”

When Nesta first wears the Mask, it's as if it knows it's on its journey to where it wants to be:

Her blood was a cold song, the Mask a slithering echo to it, whispering of all she might do. Home, it seemed to sigh. Home.

SJM spoke of the consequences that would result from Nesta changing Feyre's anatomy and I think those consequences are not because of the physical alterations made to their anatomy but because she wielded all three items at the same time:

Koschei may very well know something about the Trove that we don’t—some greater power that manifests when all three are united.”

I think the three items worn together sent a signal into the world, possibly to the horn which led to Bryce landing in Velaris. And that event will alert the "original" masters of Prythian to it's location (the Asteri have long since forgotten where the ACOTAR world is). Remember, it's as if the items wanted to be found for a dark purpose of their own, perhaps to return to:

“They were Made in a time when wild magic still roamed the earth, and the Fae were not masters of all. / They were petty and cruel and drank the magic of the land like wine.”

As the ring was eventually destroyed, I imagine the Dread Trove will be too.

But first, in a crossover battle I think Nesta will call armies of the dead to her (just as Aragorn did), in their world and others:

Thousands and thousands of bodies. But she would not call thousands. Not yet.

"Open any door, and you could move that army of the dead wherever you wished"

Emerging from her cocoon of grief and rage, this new Nesta might very well send entire courts to their knees. Kingdoms. (I think this line is hinting that the dead across kingdoms will kneel for Nesta, awaiting her command).

And as that golden light broke the surface before them, the dead knelt.

"you could make any enemy territory and its people bow to you.”

I don't think the Dusk Court will ever become an actual Court so much as being a portal between their worlds and a way for the characters to come to the aid of one another in a final showdown. The whole "sword and dagger being reunited and so too shall our people" prophecy could simply mean the ancestors of all the original major players from different worlds coming together for one last battle (not to live) in order to defeat the Asteri for good and a place where Nesta can raise the dead who were once trapped within the stone.

I keep trying to figure out how Helion and Lucien will be tied into everything. Since Helion had a reaction to the Mask, that means Lucien would be connected to it as well.

I wonder if Lucien will play a role in destroying it in the end?

The reason a hobbit was most suited to the task of destroying the ring was because they were less likely to fall victim to the greed that plagued men however even Frodo struggled to do what needed done when the time came.

Especially if she were to march into battle wearing the Mask. No enemy could stand against her. She’d slay Beron’s soldiers, then raise them from the dead and turn them on him.” Cassian’s blood chilled. Yes, Nesta would be unstoppable. But at what cost to her soul?

Wielding items of power usually come at a cost and it's possible that by doing what needs done to save others, the Mask will latch on and make it difficult for Nesta to destroy it. I think SJM has written Lucien's character to not fall victim to temptation (just as Aragorn did not fall to temptation by taking the ring from Frodo) and I could see him freeing her of its burden (I actually love the idea of Lucien and Nesta having a moment like that 😍).

[classicschronicles]

Hi lovelies,

Last week I convinced my Dad to read the Iliad (well audio-book it but same thing). Every morning I get in the car for school and he launches the entire Spanish Inquisition on to me about whatever book he listened to the night before. He then just sits there in silence and questions why I took Classics. But after explaining the Iliad to my Dad every day, I’ve realised that it can be seriously confusing if you just pick it up with no context. So today I’m going to try and give the Cliff Notes version of the Iliad aetiology!

The ‘Iliad’ translates to the ‘Story of Ilium’ (Ilium being the contemporary name for Troy). The Iliad is a Greek epic written by the poet Homer, and the reason it is called an ‘epic’ is because it has certain defining features. An epic is a very large story that can be broken down into smaller books (in this case 24 books). It usually depicts or focuses on a journey or a large theme or event (so the journey of Achilles, the theme of war, or the event of the Trojan War). In traditional ancient epics the main character is a hero. *enter Achilles, stage left*

Achilles is the son of the Goddess sea nymph Thetis and the mortal king, Peleus. Initially Thetis was one of Zeus’ many loves but a prophecy that stated that the son of Thetis would be more powerful than his father led Zeus to marry Thetis off to Peleus (to ensure that this unborn son did not pose a threat to the king of the Gods).

As an apology to Thetis for making her marry a mortal man, Zeus throws Thetis and Peleus a huge, massive, over the top (basically Indian) wedding. Out of all the Gods and Goddesses only Eris, the Goddess of strife, is not invited. Which is understandable, because why would you want Strife at a wedding? Eris gatecrashes the wedding and holds up a golden apple and says that the apple belongs to the fairest of the goddesses. Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera all claim that the apple should be theirs. Zeus is too much of a pussy to chose which goddess the apple should go to and so he sends them to the Trojan Prince, Paris for judgment. This whole side myth, by the way, is called ‘The Judgement of Paris’

Okay so Paris, that’s a whole other story. Paris is the son of the Trojan King and Queen, Priam and Hecuba. Before his birth, Hecuba received a prophecy about her son too. Her prophecy stated that the child she would have would be a burning torch that set fire to Troy. After giving birth to the baby Paris, she left him on Mount Ida to die. However, he was adopted by a shepherd and brought up as his son. At some point he returns to Troy and reminds his mum that she left him on a mountain (although I don’t know how he knew that) and despite the prophecy Priam and Hecuba took him back in.

Back to the main plot. The three goddesses (Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera) go to Paris and ask him who is the fairest, each promising a gift if he chooses them. Athena says that she will bring him success in war, Hera says she will bring him political power, and Aphrodite promises him the most beautiful woman as his wife. For those amongst you already familiar with the story, I of course am referring to Helen of Sparta. Paris travels to Sparta on a diplomatic mission where the beautiful Helen is married to the most powerful of all the Greek kings- Menelaus. After the mission is complete, Menelaus leaves Sparta for some foreign business, leaving Helen to entertain the Trojans. It is at this point that Paris kidnaps Helen and takes her to Troy.

Now Helen is of course famed for being the most beautiful woman alive, but she was also a daughter of Zeus. When the time came for her to marry she had many suitors (such as Patroclus), but Menelaus was chosen. Odysseus suggested that all the unsuccessful suitors take a blood oath that if there ever came a time that Helen was in danger, they would all bring their men to protect her. That is why the armies of so many Greek kingdoms arrive in Troy (to fight alongside Menelaus and to save Helen). Fun fact! Achilles was never proposed as a suitor for Helen and so he wasn’t contractually obliged to be in Troy, he just went for the glory (and probably for Patroclus too). Oh and also because Odysseus told him that if he didn’t go he would look like a wimp.

The Iliad begins exactly one decade into the Trojan War (I’m not joking they have literally been there for ten whole years- I can’t make this shit up). When the poem takes off both sides are weary from war, but the Greek have just won a small battle victory- abducting two women- Chryseis and Briseis. And it is after the abduction of these two women that Book One takes place.

I’m not kidding, explaining this to my dad has been an entire Olympic Sport. I think me asking him to read it has just opened up the door to him questioning every single one of my life choices! But hopefully you all found that a lot more digestible. Hope you all have a lovely rest of your weekend :)

~Z

[maddy-ferguson]

i think bylers are so close to getting the 'mlm shippers hate the female character getting in the way of their ship' title if they try a little bit harder. the amount of bs takes i have seen here is really just... something else. trying to portray el as an abuser and saying she forced herself on mike when mike didnt want it, and then blaming her for everything that exist in mlvn's relationship as if mike wasn't a participant in it, blaming el for lying even though mike has also been lying to her and is still lying (which is a popular take in byler community so make it make sense)? and this on top of it ppl wanting mike to have never loved her at all and wanting him to break up with her. the whole thing is just not great, lol, it is sounding like steve or billy fans who shit on nancy and the thing is el didn't even do anything actually, whereas you could maybe argue nancy didnt handle the breakup and relationship with steve or problems with jonathan that well.

well we already all have that title but i think you mean bylers are so close to earning it and i don't exactly disagree lmao.

i think it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. people are afraid of being called misogynists so they preface everything they say about el with "i love el. because i love women. i'm not a misogynistic mlm shipper." or something to that effect and then everyone gets sick of having to say this (even though no one forced anyone like the people who have decided that we all collectively hate el are not reading these posts and if they are saying that will not change their minds) and think that everyone in this part of the fandom worships el like mlvns and redditors do when there was actually always el criticism like when was there ever anti-el sentiment censorship. i don't remember it. people were making i love el BUT posts 35 times a day. so yeah everyone gets sick of having to do that even though they didn't really...have to and then they go um since no one wants to say this i will. el is not a good girlfriend to mike. no one wants to say this because she was raised in a lab for the first twelve years of her life and doesn't know anything about social norms. like YEAH thank you for pointing that out we really hadn't noticed. that's why she shouldn't be in that relationship in the first place lmao.

people who think mike should never expect to have a relationship of equals with her because she still needs to be taught things he learned in the first twelve years of his life so expecting her to give him a big speech about how she loves him back or to give him a gift like he did at the airport isn't fair (redditors. they've said that) are missing the point that if the relationship can't be good because el is learning how to navigate the real world in real time as she's dating mike...then she shouldn't have been in a relationship in the first place because it's literally bad for her too. and when bylers make posts about how mike should get to break up with her because he's had no agency in the relationship...are you implying that mike has had less agency than the girl he introduced the concept of a relationship to who thought he was gonna be her brother and who didn't know how to tell what she liked for their first six months of dating. it's not a competition but if it was el would be winning it.

i know societal pressure is a thing but was lucas forcing mike to win el back at like gunpoint? i know mike probably feels like he owes it to el to be a good boyfriend for whatever reason like he promised they'd go to the dance together in season one and he's a paladin and they don't break their promises and he's gay and it's the 80s but god. he didn't want to say i love you in el's bedroom and he didn't he's not staying in this relationship until he's 40 she's not forcing him to do anything. he tried to win her back and said he loved her and she later kissed him and said she loved him back. could he not have said damn that sucks el i don't know if i actually want to get back together now :/ lmao like he didn't because it's a story and again the gay thing and she'd just lost her dad and everything else you can say to explain why he wouldn't want to say damn el i actually don't want to get back together now. but how is her saying she wants to be with him again TOO and him not saying he doesn't want to ANYMORE him not having agency. the only time you could argue his agency was taken from him is when will said you're the heart because el was dying lol. and even then he could've said anything so like he still had agency. or he didn't because it's a story but you get my point. a lot of it is self-inflicted a lot a lot and him feeling pressured to be in a relationship with el doesn't come from her pressuring him lmao. so i get wanting him to get himself out of it to a degree but if we're saying the one who has the least agency should get to "break free"? it's not mike.

[ambriel-angstwitch]

Sofia the First Finale Analysis

First of all I loved it! It feels great to have finally finished the show. I started watching it when I was little and it was fun to wrap up this part of my childhood.

Secondly oh boy did a lot of things happen. I’m going to split my thoughts by character. I love that Miranda is such a good mother and actually thinks logically. Her heartfelt gift of the dress was very sweet and I’m kind of sad that it got replaced with the protector gear. I’m kind of hoping it just got teleported to her room. As for the logical part, Miranda is always out here speaking the truth that they really are just children they shouldn’t have to be the ones saving the kingdom. She’s also concerned about this whole protector thing with Sofia. The way Tilly delivered the line “Oh it’s a great honor, and only occasionally life threatening.” was gold. I’m fairly certain it did nothing to calm Miranda’s worries but it cracked me up.

I loved the way they wrapped up Cedric’s arc. He’s finally fully regained the trust and friendship of Roland. Not only that but people other than Sofia are acknowledging him as Cedric the Great. He’s earned the title that he wanted all along. Also the fact that he grabbed the amulet and just returned it too her with like no hesitation. He’s got what he wanted, he doesn’t even want the amulet anymore.

Sofia as the main character her arcs come to a close. She’s become both a fully realized protector, storekeeper and royal. I find it interesting that the other storykeeper had that prophecy he bestowed upon her. I was confused at first because after he said it she was able to get her allies back. Then of course the amulet happened and I realized that’s what he meant by facing the evil alone. I’m happy that she’s been so successful in all her endeavors but sometimes I worry about all the childhood she’s lost to these things. I mean both the Storykeeper and protectors acknowledged how YOUNG and successful she is.

James doesn’t have as much of a noticiable arc. He’s just fully realized who he wants to be and his purpose, and I’m proud of him for that. I love that he’s ready to charge into battle to defend his kingdom and more importantly his family

Ambers arc also did come to a nice completion too. She’s working to be the best queen and they also harkened back to the true sisters thing of the first episode. She loves her sister so much and was willing to cover for her all the time. Though I’m also very worried that Amber just experienced some serious trauma. Like imagine if they hadn’t been able to free Sofia from the Amulet. It was really looking like Amber might have blamed herself. She suggested that they trap Vor in the Amulet, and she was there and wasn’t able to stop Sofia from going in. It wouldn’t have been her fault but she would have felt that way.

[chordsykat]

Would it fall into spoiler territory to ask the what where when why and how about Eden’s super sheltered persona? Those ask prompts with Eden’s answers seeming so oblivious to the world has me curious! Of course, if spoilers they be, feel free to say no!

This is a whole can of worms, and you guys will learn a bit more about her as Dethkomic goes on -- so I won't spoil too much of what isn't already out there...

However, there are things that I can totally reveal right now, and especially as it pertains to how I wanted to develop her...

That said, I'll put a cut here in case even that amount of spoiler is too much. :)

When the past scenes in Dethkomic are taking place, Eden is somewhere around 10 years old, I'd guess. Charles' hostel manager, Emily, says this:

Most readers guessed correctly that she was referring to Eden. Also, extra kudos to those of you who pointed out the secret bio-weapon Lars Luder was developing goes by the name "Project Dragonfly", which indirectly references her - the dragonfly being her totem animal.

Eden was orphaned at a young age under mysterious circumstances. The letter in the panel above says "The sisters", implying she was under the care of some sort of Catholic-run orphanage/school at the time. I am not sure if it's important enough for me to explore how she came into Orpheus and Valentina's care, but if you recall these panels from earlier:

...Dr. Necrophagist was fresh out of college then, and it seems Project Dragonfly had perhaps been abandoned, according to Charles' informant. And he wouldn't lie.

...unless he was trying to throw him off the trail... Which, hey - Orpheus seems to have managed to find himself as one of the girl's primary caregivers these days. Sure that's just a coincidence, though... right? Regardless, Lars Luder having a vested interest in the prophecy would seem to imply he's wise to the idea of Eden (potentially) being a piece to that particular puzzle. And as you'll see in the coming pages, he was right to think so.

Luder is one rich bitch, and he funds Eden's upbringing up to (and past) the day he dies. While alive, he seems to throw his whole existence (including his family) away on pursuing things like magical girls with super powers, insane experiments, and recruiting armies of people to become his followers. It's quite ironic, considering who he turns out to be, actually.

But then, that's a story for a few updates down the line. And Eden grows up in various institutions until coming fully under Orpheus and Valentina's care. By then, she's not only been revealed to be magically endowed as a healer, but a gifted guitarist, too. Orpheus finds himself as obsessed with The Prophecy(TM) as Lars once was, and you know the minute he finds out all of that research has been pointing to Dethklok playing a pivotal role in it all, he is going to start hatching a plan to get close to them. Luckily, a certain opening act just happens to be looking for a replacement guitarist so they can continue their tour with the boys, right around the same time.

All that said, Eden's not really treated as anything more than a convenient way to gain access to Mordhaus. Had she not shown any skill on the guitar, in fact, it's likely Val and Orph would have dumped her and moved on to trying to get Dethklok's attention, by themselves. They're clearly not impressed with her healing magic the same way Lars was, and by the time they all pack up for Mordland, it's probable they're not betting on her being connected to the Prophecy at all.

So you have this girl who has grown up with no real parents, passed around from place to place, possibly experimented on, treated like a lab animal, definitely sheltered away from much of the outside world, and suddenly given an amazing opportunity to not only tour with the biggest band in the world - but for the first time ever, have real friends and a life of her very own outside of four sterile walls (and the very occasional visit to the park and, I'd wager, out-of-doors at large)? I mean, there's culture shock, and then there's untangling indoctrination, and then there's what Eden's going through - which is kinda like finding out water is wet for the first time. :D

I've said it before, but it bears repeating: All of the girls in Baen-Shee play this sort of opposite-but-equal part to their reciprocal member of Dethklok. Eden and Toki may be the most up-front of them all, I guess. They're both the youngest members of their bands and are in a band for the very first time - both have a sort of "secret badass" thing going on - both have some real trauma to work through when it comes to things like isolation, rejection, the world at large and profound loneliness. Even the thing with Toki "killing" things and Eden healing them is the same, in a way. They both speak to the same "entity" (death). Their messages are just different, is all.

The author, too, admits to taking Eden as more utility than person, sometimes. Remember the Baen-Shee quiz? This answer to this question is "the Eden one":

Anyway, I'm guessing that was more than you wanted to know. :) Actually, it might be none of what you wanted to know, hehe. Either way, it was fun to sit down and write about Miss Nightwish for an hour, and I'm always happy to spout on and on and on when you guys want to know more about my characters. I very much appreciate the question, Anon, and I promise - there's SO much more to come. :)

[dipstar1489]

Disney Hot Take and Rewrite

Encanto should have been a series, not a movie.

Do note, I do like the movie, but there are just some things that make the story feel weird to me.

Slight Encanto spoiler mentions, references to abuse, and broken family dynamics.

In the movie, we have so many characters that have little impact to the narrative and certain scenes feel out of order. For example, you could easily cut out Camilo altogether and the story wouldn’t change. Also, the order of scenes just felt off. Like, I had watched clips before the movie and I was expecting Luisa’s Under Pressure to be played around the same time as Isabella’s What Else Can I Do, and I’m not exactly a fan of how they treated Bruno since despite the whole family sang a song named after him, he translates a prophecy and stops showing up.

If I were to rewrite it as a series, the pilot would establish dynamics, and each episode would center Mirabel and one of her relatives, with the relative in question giving pieces of information about Bruno. The series should probably start on Pepa’s family for the first half and Julieta’s family for the second half, though Dolores’s episode should be one of the last, with her revealing Bruno’s location.

I DEFINITELY want Felix or Agustin to defend Mirable at some point considering they are ALSO giftless, but that point NEVER comes up. I know people love Bruno, but make him a dick to people. Like, the family sang a song dedicated to how off putting they guy is, and he ISN’T some flavor of asshole? Yeah, no. I want Bruno to come off as a jerk during his introduction to give the idea the family was right, but slowly we realize the guy does care about the family through his rebuilding of Casita and interacting with the rats, and the asshole front is either a front to avoid hurting people, or he’s just REALLY bad with human contact.

Season two would have Mirabel trying to heal family dynamics and question if Bruno was actually that bad to be kicked out, but unfortunately some of them will take years to mend, if ever. Also, we start getting information about the triplets’ childhood, each story being more fucked up than the last and revealing that Alma might not be a saint. Bruno and Dolores would be dragged into Mirabel’s plan, Dolores overhearing secrets and Bruno letting his rats dig up vital information.

The final should have the family divided, with those trying to heal on one side, and those unable to recognize the issue on the other. Then, Alma buts in to defuse the situation, when Mirabel starts to interrogate Alma on what HER gift is. Now, Alma would hide she was giftless to everyone, including her own family, and with Alma being speechless, THAT’S when the family realizes Alma has been using and criticizing their gifts, when she herself never had any, and all respect is lost.

On the last half of the final, Alma and Mirabel go to the waterside where Pedro died, and there we get to see Pedro and Alma’s relationship, how they planned their future and just characterizing Pedro and young Alma. Mirabel will feel sympathetic, but able to recognize that she can’t help Alma because she has refused to change. I’m not certain if I want Alma to be accepted by the family again or not, for I don’t want her actions to be hand waved away by trauma, but her redemption would be her accepting the trauma and stop afflicting it onto others.

[ebdanon]

My husband and I's birthdays are three weeks apart so we were treating everyone to lunch for them. It was a bit of a circus but we were at a place that's like not very popular, so it was fine lmao

Anyway, just before we left, my mother in law accused me of filming her and streaming what she's doing online. I was on my phone, theorizing and connecting stuff (the one I was looking at that moment - The Albatross line about a rose by any other name was a Taymoji from I Know Places, aside from being a line from Romeo and Juliet) and I bumped my phone on the table while I was typing it out to send it to a friend. As soon as I did, I lifted up the phone to see if anything cracked because it's a glass table. I have no idea how she interpreted that as me recording her (or why the hell I would be doing that in the first place, she was just sitting watching a film) and she started screaming. The thing is, I didn't even hear her, usually when I'm theorizing, I'm also listening to the song at the same time, so I had headphones in, blasting the song at full volume. But my husband did, and started arguing with her about how she's making stuff up, and asking why I'd be doing that. When she saw that I was ignoring her (I turned off the song when I heard commotion but kept my headphones in), she switched the subject to why was the lunch scheduled today, when her husband has to go to work afterward, it should have been a different day when he's off work. But the thing is, this was the date that my in-laws agreed would work for them two weeks ago. Because we were making sure it would work for them, not everyone else. So that argument wasn't working for her either.

Then at the restaurant all she talked about was illnesses various relatives had, or funerals and funeral anniversaries (my grandma on my dad's side, the crazy one, has the same conversation topics btw) and this was a birthday lunch! Each time she opened her mouth it was a downer lmao Everyone was trying to steer the conversation in different directions but that woman is unstoppably morbid skskks We're back home now and my dad called me to ask what the hell was up with her, that's how bad she was lmao

I ignored her the whole time, didn't even look at her, I'm expecting for her to bring that up the next time she feels bored and wants to start an argument. Oh and to top it all off, everyone got us gifts, but my in-laws. My family gave us gifts for our birthdays when they happened a couple of weeks ago, and again for this lunch because they didn't want to come "empty handed". My in-laws gave me a gift on the day too, but nothing today, and my husband got nothing from them both times. On one hand, who cares, but on the other, they're his parents, you'd think they'd at least pretend to care? I know they got me a gift because they think I'm gonna tell my parents and they want to know pretend like everything is fine and dandy when that happens, but I'm not the type to even mention stuff like this. But they're both shitty for the way they treat their son and I hate it.

Anyway, enough about that, tell me your favorites off the album!!

everything i learn about your in laws makes me wanna inspect their brains with a microscope like what miserable people 😭 also not getting your son anything for his bday is a little wild even as an adult

anyway!!! im still trying to process but thank you aimee, so high school, the prophecy, and also guilty as son and but daddy i love him are bops but im trying not to think of the Muse tm

[aquillis-main]

It always bugged me how the fandom will grasp at straws to go out of their way to paint Aleena as an abusive/neglectful cunt of a mum. I wonder if it's a cheap way to insert angst .

I think it might be, considering the Underground triplets don't seem too preturbed about their situation in the show. Manic has expressed the most out of all of them on what he feels about the whole situation they're in, but the most 'angst' out of Manic in regards to his lifestyle was the lack of home he had with the thieves in 'Mobodoon'. He never really blames Aleena for anything that happened before finding Sonic and Sonia, but the 'potential' of him being angry at Aleena just entices people enough I guess.

... Even when it's pretty obvious in the show that Aleena having to ditch her kids wasn't just part of the Prophecy underlying the whole show, but also due to Robotnik's actions that forced her into exile. Three hungry babies that can only cry isn't going to allow her to get very far, after all. And even without the Prophecy hanging over their heads, it was a smart move on Aleena's part to separate her kids into three different class sects - less of a chance for them to meet before the alloted time, and also make Robotnik miss them since he's looking for three similar looking hedgehogs, not one. You'd be surprised how easily it is to not realize what you're looking for until your brain reregisters sometimes.

One final bit: Most of Manic's angst came from the fact that he, along with the rest of the Thieves Guild, had no solid structure/place to call their own. It's practially screaming that Manic was actually homeless for a while, yet he held no ill will towards any of the Thieves Guild members for the situation he was in (in fact, Manic happily hugs Ferrel for 'gifting' him new drumsticks as a kid. I don't think someone upset about the situation they're in would do that, even a kid), nor has he ever stated it was Aleena's fault for putting him in that situation.

To add to my final bit: in 'Artt of Destruction', Manic's own laminations about the situation they're in is due to the trio losing hope over the situation. They've bee at searching for Aleena for a long while, and it makes sense for Manic to be the most open of the three about the lack of finality. Sonic's not open to revealing his emotions too much, to the point of him not being able to express his 'fear' of water (really, more like 'a large amount of water reminds me how I can't swim'), while Sonia - Sonia may be able to expression frustration and cries easier than the others, you have to remember that she's grown up in high society, so she usually has a better handle on her emotions and when to express them. Manic, being used to a homeless group whom had a lot of close relationships because of the 'us versus them' mentality, is able to express his worries more openly than Sonic or Sonia at times, so he's more likely to talk about things that are bothering him in his head.

Sorry. This got a bit rambly, but basically my point is that Manic may feel strong emotions, but the only canonical evidence he has that is 'angst material' is mainly birthed from two things: his lack of a stable home in his youth, amd the longevity of the mission he was on woth his siblings. Neither of which have anything to do with Aleena, or are birthed from the consequences of one man.

[hermitknut]

Thinking about Encanto again because I’ve been listening to the soundtrack again, and specifically thinking about the types of power everyone has, and how it shifts generationally to show how much more stable the community is.

First Gen: Healing, Weather, Prophecy. 

These had to have been absolutely crucial. Healing - they may well have had a doctor in their community, but they may not, and they seem to be isolated from other communities to travel to/draw resources from. Weather - you cannot tell me that wasn’t used for farming and similar, to make sure they always had enough food and no drought, no flooding etc. And Prophecy - while this one went a little sideways (to say the least), you can see how handy it might have been and how much security it could give to this little isolated community.

These are defensive powers, aren’t they? Improving the community, sure, but more specifically defending it - against sickness or injury, against inhospitable environment, against the risk of an unknown future.

Second Gen, Older Three: The whole thing is more stable now, right? And it shows in the types of powers that appear. Luisa is strong! This is useful to help (literally) build the community, and gives them another resource against danger if they need it. Having someone who hears everything is also a potential community strengthener - but it’s also something that can divide, and it has to be used carefully. There’s more nuance here. It also means any discussion that threatens the community is noticed immediately, which feels faintly dystopian, but I suppose it depends on whether or not she actually tells anyone/does anything about it/what they do. Then we have Isabella’s flowers - another skill that’s a little to the left, because it’s being used to strengthen a community bond (marriage!) but its potential for food supply and other things is being ignored. 

These are useful skills, but they’re more complex, and they’re not all being fully utilised because the community functions pretty well already.

Second Gen, Younger Three: Shapeshifting... feels very off to one side. We see it being used helpfully (rocking the baby, putting up the sign), but it feels much less key to community than the things before it. Maybe not much else is actually needed. Then we have Mirabel with no gift - I like a lot of theories on this, but how about the candle recognising that the community has everything it needs; Mirabel doesn’t need to do anything but live in it. But of course the fallout to no power destabilises things again, landing us with Antonio’s skill. It’s still not in the crucial category of the First Gen powers, but is there something in there about communication that might be lacking in that community? Antonio understands animals, it’s not about humans, but it doesn’t feel unconnected to me.

This was a very sleepy ramble half-written with We Don’t Talk About Bruno playing in the background, not sure how much sense it’ll make when I reread it in the morning, but *gestures* it’s a thought?

[inthenameoftheyarn]

I’m so over people going all “OMG they ruined the prophecy in GOT” because you clearly haven’t been paying attention if you think prophecies in this universe (and it’s kind of a trope in fiction also) have one clear and obvious interpretation. They don’t.

The prophetic dream Aegon I has does refer to the Prince(ss) that was promised… but him assuming (and a lot of Targaryens after him) that it must be about a Targaryen is just them having a severe case of main character syndrome. The whole thing about Targaryens is that they think they’re the actual gift of Gods to humanity, the only dragonlords who survived the doom of old Valyria, they require very little to go “OMG I’m the chosen one!”. Rhaegar got it from reading a book when he was young. Daenerys’ whole arc is her being the chosen one according to herself. If you read the books when they talk about Targaryen kings you’ll notice a lot of them do things based on “the prophecy y is about us because HOW COULD IT NOT HAVE YOU SEEN US”.

I personally didn’t like the inclusion of the prophecy because I feel it wasn’t needed either as a callback or as a reminder that Targaryens constantly view themselves as the saviors of the world by the decision of the Gods and destiny itself.

Also it re-opened that whole can of worms of people being all surprised Pikachu that Daenerys Targaryen is cruel, even tho she’s been burning people alive since the very beginning (yes I do think the last season in particular was quite rushed and in the books we have characters explicitly noticing traits of Mad King Aerys in her, so it’s easier to see but a lot of y’all acting as if your fav can’t be a horrible person just because she’s pretty and had been m cruel so far only to people you didn’t like).

[revedetendresse]

Pretender Scrolls theory:

Ocee says some believe it's gospels from the hand of God, others believe it's scribblings from the paw of Satan. Prophecies.

But prophecies are what exactly? Events seen way before it happens. That means someone or several people saw the future.

The Scrolls were brought by Templar Knights from the Crusades. The monks swore to Pope Innocent they would bury them at sea but they didn’t. They hide them. It is said they contain unimaginable power. Miss Parker says “Like the Holy Grail or something?”. Ocee replies “Exactly like that.’

(and that's where you need to bear with me 😁), what if this whole thing is about the Holy Grail? I mean it’s a huge coincidence that Parker would mention that one precisely.

Most legends say the Holy Grail is a cup. But what if it’s something else? What if it is a person?

Holy means sacred.  I don’t think the Pope wanted the Scrolls destroyed bc of the power they contain but because it would reveal that someone had the gift of foresight. A power only a God can have. The revelation that a mortal had that kind of gift would probably have been devastating to the Church. Maybe there was a part of “let’s protect humanity from that evil” but I doubt it.

There is no higher power than the gift of knowing/seeing the future. What will be and what may never come to pass.

We can push the speculation even further. What if Catherine and by extension Miss Parker, Lyle and Ethan, are the descendants of the one who wrote the Prophecies? It would explain the Inner Sense thing. The voices they can hear, the ability to feel things, to see visions of events that have yet to happen? With each generation maybe the gift started to lose its intensity?

But why Lyle doesn’t have the gift? The simplest explanation would be it requires to have light in your heart. Something Lyle is incapable of.

After theorizing on all that, it’s hard to believe that Mr Parker married Catherine out of love. Maybe he did marry her out of love. Did he know about her gift? Honestly? Probably.

Knowing his daughter has the gift, and it is considered a divine gift, would kinda explain why he calls her angel.

And his words from the plane scene in IOTH adds to the theory. He says to his daughter that the Scrolls are real, that he’s returning them where they should have been this whole time. He says they inflicted so much pain, specially on her mother. It has to end.

I do really believe that he jumped to protect his daughter. His fear and his resolve were genuine during that moment. Jarod doubted his love for Miss Parker just before that. Him jumping to protect her from what the scrolls said the Centre would do to her makes sense. He manipulated her, lied to her, had Thomas killed but in his own twisted way, he loved her.

So, if the Scrolls are about the Holy Grail... And the Holy Grail is in fact a person... A person who possesses the gift of foresight. A person that can see and know all?

Now add that only Jarod and Miss Parker could find the Scrolls, a fact said by Brother Rinaldus. Which is something Mr Parker knew. He knew his daughter and Jarod needed to be together to find them. Otherwise he wouldn't have played the whole catatonic patient part. It also explains why they had her meet Jarod when they were kids and not some random girl. They knew the two of them could find the Scrolls. That their bond would lead them to it. We can also speculate that they knew their bond could bring down the Centre. Which is why Mr Parker sent her to boarding school to break them apart, to remove her from Jarod's influence.

We know Jarod's name is written in the Scrolls “The Chosen will be found. A boy named Jarod...”

I'm pretty sure hers is as well. You have to read between the lines from what Alex says to Jarod in the first movie:

“The Swedish ambassador, she’s nothing to your world. But Miss Parker is. In fact, you have no idea how important to your life she really is. And after today, you’ll never know.”

Alex knows Jarod cares for her. In fact, has feelings for her. But it’s more than that. From the way he says it. He’s practically telling Jarod that she’s the air he needs. And maybe I’m a biased shipper but the way Alex says that, taunting Jarod with Miss Parker’s well being, he makes them sound like they’re soulmates.

Now let’s to go back to the Holy Grail being a person.

When Mr Parker is about to jump, Miss Parker walks in. He explains what he’s doing and why.

“Daddy, are you just gonna let me here to die?”

“No, no. You’ll be alright. That’s not how they say it ends.”

She asks if he is her real father. He tells her he loved her as his daughter and that’s all that counts.

"Don’t be sad. The new Parker legacy begins with you. God be with you angel."

The line about the new Parker legacy might have several meanings. He’s jumping with the Scrolls so she can be free of the madness. But it can also mean so will her children. They will be the new Parker legacy, free of the Centre.

The parallel between the crypt's keeper and Mr Parker is beautiful actually. One sacrificed his family including his daughter who loved him for the power of the Scrolls. The other gave his life to destroy them so his daughter could be free from the power of it.

So anyway...

What we learn during the show is knowledge is power. Jarod's knowledge from being a Pretender. Miss Parker's knowledge from having the Inner Sense gift.

Soulmates who both have two different kind of knowledge that make for a deadly, powerful combination.

Whoever wrote the Scrolls knew the Parkers would use them for evil deeds. Who better than the child who possesses both gifts inherited from their parents to tip back the scale to the light? A sacred child who knows all, sees all.

MPJ as the parents of the Holy Grail. MPJ bringing the Centre down for the love and safety of their child. I don't think it's too far-fetched tbh. Well at least to me, it makes sense.