#esp and dream analysis

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Katharine Cover Sabin - ESP and Dream Analysis - Henry Regnery - 1974

[themyscirah]

Complaining abt Suicide Squad yet again but the fact that they have Waller exposing the alien community to space racist attacks and talking abt how she got to her position through deceit and being a terrible person and stuff is just. Ahsfiwueh JUST SAY YOU DONT KNOW WALLER.

Anyways literally the 3rd mission of the Squad ever (and the first framed as smth Waller picked and not orders from above) was the Squad discrediting and stopping a rogue vigilante who was only arresting POC and funneling white people into white supremacy groups (of which he was the most prominent member) in SUICIDE SQUAD #4. and it's explicitly framed as this mission being personal for Waller that she's hiding from the government bc its illegal like. Guys. Please why are we having her incite (space bc comics) racist attacks now

Also the whole "Amanda got her position through deceit and being a terrible person" NO. she KEPT her position through being shitty and playing complicated political games!!! She wasn't always that way like there is a difference and it is IMPORTANT ppl PLEASEEEE. In Secret Origins #14 we learn Amanda's backstory and she used to be a normal, caring person! Like even after she entered into working in government and politics she wasn't automatically morally bankrupt like please people. She was originally given control of the Squad by Reagan (*sigh* 80s comics...) to distract and get rid of her because she was so successful at pushing progressive social policy in Congress. Acting like she's this static pillar of evil is such a waste of her character and so fucking uninteresting and disrespectful to her arc it drives me MAD.

Like I am NOT saying Waller is all sunshine and rainbows, she fucking SUCKS (said w love <3) but like there's a human being there. It's a progression, she has a character arc like please, DC, please!!! They've fucked up Waller so bad and made her so opaque and uninteresting she can't even be the protagonist of her own story for fucks sake!

Like I don't know how many times I have to scream it until DC hears me or remembers but WALLER IS THE MAIN CHARACTER OF SUICIDE SQUAD. ITS HER BOOK. yet right now she's a cutout to be used as the villain wherever the writers please. Even in her book we get none of her perspective really displayed, no exploration of her thoughts with any kind of understanding of the role she traditionally has played and was made to play in the story.

[lets-jam]

ever since i watched that critique vid of 2077 so long ago like it does bring up such a great point about how participating in an execution for profit/commercial exploitation and encouraging a clearly delusional person to do so despite him clearly being unwell would truly sincerely change a person not to mention adding on all this blasphemous religious flavor on top of it all. like for a merc that so blindly or apathetically kills for profit i think participating in something far more intimate and hands on would like the video said fundamentally change someones views on participating in such things (hired killing) even if they operated under a basic 'well they deserve it'/'self-defense'.

interesting to me more so to have this be a revelatory moment too because the only system of justice that night city operates on is revenge/eye for an eye and i think its a good wonder to have a character actively question that and possibly even try to leave that cycle or be an arbiter of it due to personal reasons. for a system/society/culture that operates on 'deserving' what would it take for someone to want to move beyond that/away from it. and then even more fun questions of is not participating in such a system anymore meaningful? does the personal choice to no longer want someones life or death to be up to you cause anything to change? even when its clear that someone else will fill the vacuum? is it enough to say/do 'this culture of revenge sucks so im gonna hit da bricks from it' esp fun to examine in such a natural-end-of-capitalism world where violence to enact change has become almost 'necessary'? not that theyd necessarily try to in response organize and develop strategies for a justice that doesnt require death in response, but like at least be one to finally wonder if something else can exist in the place of revenge in this stratified world of extremes

and even more so to have all this happen when johnny is a FIRM beleiver in that people really do deserve death and that one is righteous and always justified in doling that out, including enacting such violence for justice on a MASSIVE scale. would being stuck with someone who had such a profound experience and decided to just stop the death with herself change him? actually cause him to question such ideas? even if its begrudgingly so? even if he thinks its the stupidest most pathetic way to do things?

of course this is all undermined by generic videogame ludonarrative yadda yadda cause we need faceless goons to kill for combat always supercedes such conflict exploration but hey at least in oc lala land one can dream.

and its so funny that in the game proper v does do something the game portrays as feeling extremely WRONG for v (and johnny) but then you snap back into videogame land to kill swaths of nameless 3d models who were all probably forced into violent crime in order to survive without thought

[vasquez-rocks]

i know most ppl haven’t seen it yet but wanted to write something abt how annoyed some of the critical discourse abt I Saw the TV Glow is making me. MAJOR SPOILERS below the break, be warned!!

so idk i’ve seen so many reviews of the film positing that it’s about the dangers of obsessive fandom and overidentification with fictional characters, esp vis a vis real life self-actualization/coming out. (like, essentially every review has some of this in it, from what i’ve seen.) and, like: i don’t think that’s wrong, but i also think it’s massively underselling what schoenbrun is doing here. the metaphor of the show’s bleed-over is so smart because works in both directions at once.

like, in one direction: when maddy asks owen to come into the show by burying himself alive, you can read it as her asking him to abandon his real-life responsibilities, and the material facts of his real life body, in favor of a fantasy life where everything is already fixed. she’s inviting him to skip over the hard, messy work of transitioning and to sink even deeper into the analgesic obsessions he uses to numb his dysphoria. in this interpretation, it’s, like, the equivalent of overprioritizing “transition goals” instead of actually medically/legally/socially transitioning if that’s what you want, living forever in the ideal instead of taking difficult steps to change the material. (also, uh, if you don’t think she’s literally correct about the nature of reality, she is in fact asking him to kill himself. there’s that.)

BUT! it also works the other way. when maddy tells owen that the show is real, that their lives are just the buried dreams of dying girls in another life, she terrifies him by confronting him with something he’s always known about himself: he was supposed to be a girl. what she proposes is radical, dangerous, seemingly unhinged, and based on a childish fixation: all the things scared closeted trans people worry transition is, basically. on a more figurative level, too, the feeling she’s telling owen is real – that his real life is just a dream within a dream, that his home is not his home, that he belongs somewhere else, that he is supposed to be SOMEONE else – is something so, so, so many closeted trans people have felt before, myself so much included. when he sobs in the shower, yelling “this isn’t my home!” at his dad, i felt a sense of identification stronger than i’ve almost ever gotten from art before. when maddy finally calls him isabel, it’s the gentlest thing i can imagine.

in this read – which i do love, while thinking the other one is simultaneously true – it’s less “come sink deeper into delusion with me instead of dealing with your own life” and more “it’s going to be terrifying, but that childish dream of being a girl you once held wasn’t childish, and it can be real if you’re courageous enough.” he says he runs away from the football field because he thinks maddy’s not mentally well; it takes very little analysis of subtext to figure out he’s running away because he’s afraid of how much he wants what she’s offering. and, of course, the idea of the visible world being an illusion laid atop the world in which one is one’s truest self is a classic trope of trans cinema going all the way back to the matrix. (also: while i’m pretty death-of-the-author-pilled in most media analysis, it kinda seems like schoenbrun themself has interpreted the film in this way, as they’ve spoken at length in interviews about how, to them, transition felt like asking to be buried alive.)

all of which is to say: i think the film IS commenting on fandom, obsession, overidentification, and the ease with which queer people can sink into art as a way to dissociate from real life. but i think it makes the film so much more cynical and so much less tender to treat it as the ONLY read of the film’s relationship with the pink opaque. art, especially the sort of slow, metaphor-laden art schoenbrun makes, is best when it is complex and productively contradictory. the pink opaque is a problem, and an escape, and a fantasy, and it’s real, and one day isabel is going to wake up.

[thesirenisles]

Mercury’s Prophets⚕️🪽

gemini & virgo

love, mythology, astrology observations✨

🌬️Mercury in the 1st house, 3rd house, 6th house,

🌬️Gemini Sun, Ascendant, Rising, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Gemini Stellium

🌬️Virgo Sun, Ascendant, Venus, Mercury, Mars, Jupier, Stellium

🌬️Jupiter in the 3rd house, Jupiter in Gemini, 6th house

🌬️Mercury Dominant, 3rd House Stellium, 6th House Stellium

🌬️Sun-Mercury Aspects, Jupiter-Mercury aspects

“She leapt from the Earth. The free winds of the skies coursed beneath her golden wings as she raced for the clouds… the burden of her omniscience left behind. Nothing but silence above the heavens.”

Fascinating mythological history below! Do not steal any of my original writing. All rights reserved. © 2024 The Siren Isles Support

Voice of the Gods,

Soaring high above, with Godly knowledge ever-expanding… you are a magnificent being, Mercurian.

Gifted with wings to be free of the Earth 🌍 , one might confuse you for an angel.

However, Mercury blesses you with these wings to be a divine messenger, a literal VOICE of the Gods. ✨.

A prophet of sorts if you will. 💁🏾‍♀️

This energy makes you quite attractive, blessing you with divine looks and energy that is welcomed in any room.

When you speak, everyone listens. (Esp. 3rd house). This is a gift and a curse, of course, but it is still very powerful.

People can spot a Mercurian a mile away with your extensive knowledge and mellifluous way of speaking. You have a silver tongue. You could sell water to a fish in the middle of the ocean. (Pisces, I'm talking about you lol. Stop being gullible!).

The words you say leave a lasting impression and can cut someone deep to their core negatively, while also you could bless them greatly with your insightful knowledge and advice! (Because duh, Duality.💁🏾‍♀️)

You are always balancing two halves of yourself. Gemini of Air and Virgo of the Earth.

At your core, you’re both here to make connections and say what needs to be said!

With your planetary ruler being the fastest orbiting planet in our galaxy, you are always in constant, fast motion.

Ideas.. thoughts.. feelings… are always racing through the mind of a Mercurial being. Most are gifted with a natural claircognizance “clear knowing”, which can look different depending on the placement.

Why is this?

Mercury (Hermes to the Greeks, Thoth or Djehuty to the Ancient Egyptians) rules over commerce, communication, short travels, boundaries, intelligence, trickery, and thievery! 👀 LOL

GEMINI or the 3rd house apply these gifts in their natural settings: to the mind, communication, social activity, siblings (twins).

VIRGO or the 6th house on the other hand apply these gifts to their everyday routines and relationships. Less talking and more analysis & servitude. (The maiden).

The Duality of Mercury ⚕️

Virgo vs. Gemini

Mercury was the messenger of the Gods. He was essential to the communication and diplomacy between the realms. Each one trusted him. So, of course he knew them all well... and their dirty laundry.

🐍 Is it no wonder why they seem to know just about everybody and everybody’s business? Do not deny it, Virgo. LOL👀

Although they held more power individually, Mercury held the power of being their collective voice! (Also rules oration) They entrusted him with how and what was said on their behalf… often being a literal translator. (Powerful!)

This is similar to situations many Geminis and Virgos find themselves in. Many will come to you for advice and insert you into their dealings.👀 (As the middleman.)

Geminis on a social level and Virgos often within the family and relationships.

The Gods' divine trust came with plenty of gifts, which you’ll also find true of lovers in this lifetime. People value you and your gifts, which gives you purpose. (A virgo's dream.)

The most significant gift given to Mercury, was perhaps his trademark wand or staff... known as

"The Caduceus"

Per the Greco-Roman mythology, the caduceus was gifted to him by the Sun God, Apollo. A magical olive branch staff with two serpents intertwining around its base.

They say if it touched the dying, it blessed them with a gentle death. However, when applied to the deceased… they would literally return to life. (DUALITY!)

You’ve probably noticed this symbol at our hospitals, on our ambulances, etc.

I like to believe these two snakes themselves are yet another symbol of Mercury’s duality.

One is good and the other bad. One yin. Other yang. One Virgo and One Gemini👀

🐍Mercury was also known as the trickster God or God of thievery!

This is essential to note because I have a theory (possibly far-fetched, but makes so much sense) that this may have a connection to a certain Garden of Eden… where a certain serpent spoke to a certain woman and convinced her to eat the fruit of …. KNOWLEDGE. 🤯

They say that before the caduceus had it's powers, it was just a branch. Mercury was stuck in servitude to the God's.

But…what if… Mercury being the trickster God convinced the maiden (virgo) to bite of the the fruit of knowledge in the forbidden garden and gained a portion of the powers of Mercury that he did not want.

If Virgo took on the need to serve, then Mercury would be free to frolick the realms with his tricks and thievery. He was also remarked as a habitual line-stepper, or boundary-crosser. (This is unevolved Gemini energy all the way)

This really gets deep when you realize that Virgo's sister sign Pisces (whom in my Neptune post, I compared to Persephone) bit of the fruit of Hades in the same curious fashion and was in more or less words cursed!

This does not mean that being of service is a curse in any way, but honestly, the mythology behind this dual planet is fascinating.

I think Virgo actually bossed her side of the energy up to the max. She is the earthy incarnation of her own genius, often never showing just how intelligent she really is... so as not to reveal her cards.

Virgo can bring her wildest ideas to fruition within the Earthy realm! (After it's perfected to her liking of course.) A gift!

However, Virgo can also have some trickery within her nature… often appearing or putting on a more innocent act than she really is.

But, with Mercurian energy there is always the possibility for their beautiful thoughts to come out a bit... wrong.

This brings me to a very important note.

🐍Please beware of false gossip.

It’s inevitable honestly, as people can’t help but give knowledge to a heavenly messenger.

However, with the optional tongue of a serpent… be mindful of the power you possess Mercurians! (Think: Parsel-tongue in Harry Potter Universe.) It’s nothing to play with because here in this Earthly realm, Saturn is dominant and it is the ruler of Karma.

You are a divine PROPHET (or Prophetess). Please handle your energy as such. 🫶🏾

Mercurial Love Bites🐍✨

In love, they’ll have many admirers in several dimensions.

🐍I imagine a Gemini Mercurian as a sapiosexual, playboy of sorts. You’ll have your choosing of many lovers and will probably choose none… in search of new lands and ideas to learn and add to your beautiful collection.

You'll have an array of different tastes (in the bedroom as well) and will share passion with many, as you are a master of tricks.

🐍 It’s hard to lockdown a Godly intelligent being with the ability to fly away at a moments notice.

Many an earthly sign lover and watery soul will long for you and you will spin whimsical circles around them with ease, for you are too quick to catch.

Nothing too heavy or emotional, you must keep it light for this winged beauty or she’ll float away…

But, I do have to ask…my beautiful Geminis, 3rd housers if it ever gets tiresome to always be on the go?

Connecting too much to your air and neglecting your earthly connections through Mercury could leave you afloat for all eternity… alone. (This can of course be counter-acted with other placements in the natal chart.)

🐍Virgo Mercurians on the other hand are much more Earthy with their approach to love. This is the person who has thought very intricately about what the lover of their life will look like, smell like, and even their speech cadence. She eagerly awaits to be a perfect wife, organizing the home, teaching the children, etc.

Many will try to win her, as her innocent.. maiden-like energy is very attractive. While she may appear innocent, she is not naive!

All of her daily beauty routines, outfit curations, and perfected speech will not be wasted on just any man.

The Virgo's analytical eyes has surveyed many a suitor who tried to win her heart. She is looking for the perfect man. The one whom she can serve and assist while being provided for in return.

Better believe, if she chose you.. you have checked all of her boxes. For, she wants an Earthly promise...(AKA, Where's the money? If you ask me, the perfect suitor is perhaps a Capricorn or Taurus dominant. ) But, my Virgo queens... do not neglect your airy influences of Mercury as well. Life can be more rewarding than the material world.

This was a bit longer than i intended! But, I have never seen an in depth explanation of these dual energies of Mercury!

Thank you for reading! Wishing you blessings! 🪽✨

Neptune Observation♓️✨ Pluto Observation ♏️✨ Mars Observation

@thesirenisles | masterlist | Enjoyed? support🧜🏾‍♀️

[httpstes]

Observations of the Mercury placements

This is kind of like a pt.2 to the mini observations of the moon signs that I posted to my second account. I would’ve posted this there but I honestly don’t think i’ll make anymore astrology posts on that account. I’ll link it for those who want to see :) Mini observations of the moon signs. I might add more onto this as time goes on :D

Mercury in 5H may be very interested in art, history, literature ect.

Mercury in 5H also know how to have a good time, like literally, they make conversations so fun and easy, esp for people who struggle to continue conversations.

Mercurial dominants are for some reason similar to uranus doms imo. However Uranus is more about change and revolution meanwhile mercury is more intellect and personal power.

Mercurial dominants are really easy to spot, they’re very eccentric yet sophisticated. They look all over the place but put together at the same time. They’re really unique individuals.

Mercury in Cancer relies on past experiences/knowledge to help them in tough situations.

I noticed they may find it hard to improvise on the spot. And though Cancer mercurians do have strong intuition, it’s hard for these individuals to decipher whether it’s intuition or if they’re overthinking it.

Mercury in 4H may write/create deep and emotional pieces that can resonate with a lot of people and their childhoods.

Mercury in Cancer at an Aries degree might come off as petty or vengeful. I know many cancer mercuries that have an Aries degree on it, and god these people like drama 😭

Mercury in Aquarius could be into alternative/grunge music.

Not to be stereotypical or anything, but taurus mercuries/mercury in the 2H do have very beautiful voices. Even if they don’t believe it themselves, their voices are so soothing to hear, they sound poised and elegant lol.

Scorpio mercuries analyse EVERYTHING. Every small thing, they will dissect and uncover istg. They’re also good at getting to the root of a problem in any dynamic/situation. This is due to their good analysis skills as well as emotional intelligence.

Mercury in 10H, similar to 1H, look like smart individuals. Except unlike the first house, mercurial qualities aren’t apart of their personality (unless ofc they have a virgo/gemini rising, major mercurial influence) Mercury in 10H individuals look smart and put together when out in public but people who are close to them know they are actually really scatter brained🙏

Mercury in Capricorn have dry humour, and i love it. They are very sarcastic individuals and I love them for it.

Mercury in 11H individuals are social butterflies even if they don’t think so themselves. They always manage to get on peoples good sides without even doing anything.

Mercury in 11H can manifest easily through communication, writing and visualisation.

Yeah. Libra mercuries are very balanced people. Mentally at least. They really do want the best for everyone and want a fair playing field for all. These individuals could be heavily involved in protests for equal rights, and they enjoy bringing attention to things that need to be talked more about in society.

Libra mercuries are also really funny people, ESP IF THEY HAVE AQUARIUS PLACEMENTS!!

Mercury in 12H could come off as very shy people. Of course this is dependant on the sign mercury is in and the aspects made to it, however I noticed most Mercury in 12H at first really come off as quiet.

Mercury in 12H also may be very detached mentally. They could be more attached and grounded in their imagination. These are the types of people who have dreams that really drain them in their waking life. It’s like their dreams have a huge mental impact on them. Ik many ppl with this placement who use a dream journal as well.

imo the most emotionally/intellectually mature mercury placements are scorpio/cancer/aquarius/taurus mercuries, 8H/3H/10H Mercuries and Moon-Mercury, Jupiter Mercury aspects

Leo and Gemini mercuries are so cool istg. I love how vibrant you guys are when you talk. Leo is very entertaining to listen to (this highkey applies to sagittarius mercury as well) and they’re just so funny to watch LMAO. Many Gemini mercuries I have met are actually really jittery and like move a lot when they talk, lots of them barely hold eye contact with me either it’s so cute. Some of them actually may struggle with speaking out loud in front of people but they are extremely talented writers.

Interest in writing/Talented at writing = Venus/Moon/Mercury/Jupiter in 3H as well as Sun/Venus/Moon/Jupiter conj Mercury.

I also feel like Saturn in 3H may enjoy writing but they may have struggled a lot with english or communication as a kid but grew to like it as they aged.

this is a very random assumption I just made, but maybe saturn in 3H have really well structured writing ? I feel like they would be really good at essay writing and exam prep, because they won’t go off topic or anything, they can keep things short and concise while also describing things in detail.

Meanwhile Venus in 3H may have a very soft and delicate writing style. The words they use are unique and really paint a picture inside the readers mind.

Mars 3H might be good at persuasive writing/speeches. Could be good at making eye catching advertisements, good catch phrases, y’all should get into marketing or sumn.

Fixed mercuries are the types to stand up strongly for what they believe in and i admire this wholeheartedly.

3H Moon may have lots of writing pieces that are perceived as very emotional and deep.

Uranus in 3H may be interested in and good at all types of writing. They get bored of sticking to one topic so they may struggle writing essays.

Pluto 3H may have very dark ideas that they can easily put onto the page. Traumas they have experienced, or any issues that they have in their lives can be written in a beautiful manner by these individuals.

Ok im done with my 3H/writing tangent 😭

Maybe this is just me, but i notice you attract a lot of individuals with mercury placements that are extremely similar to yours. For example, many of my friends have Cancer mercuries, I am a cancer mercury myself. I have a 3H mercury and I attract a lot of people who have mercuries in air houses, no matter the sign. (Air houses = 3H/Gemini, 7H/Libra, 11H/Aquarius)

Mercury-Neptune I feel is similar to 12H Mercury, these individuals could have very vivid imaginations, ones that they easily can get lost in.

I feel as though many people misinterpret mercury in 12H/Neptune-mercury’s words.

Capricorn Mercuries have a really monotone sounding voice ? Think text-speech voice on tiktok but more human like ?? 😭 I MEAN THIS IN A GOOD WAY. Because they have a very ‘matter of fact’ type of voice it makes me want to listen to them and take whatever they’re saying seriously. I’m on the floor for you guys atp, if I have to, I will lower my standards for you

Mercury in 4H may have been seen as the smart child in the family.

Mercury in 4H may also write really deep literature/lyrics that resonates with many individuals childhoods.

Mercury in Sagittarius, are blunt in the best way possible. Mercury in Sag are really good at explaining things and giving advice as well. (This is esp true if their mercury is in an earth house, ie. 2H/6H/10H)

Many Mercury in Sag individuals are also powerful speakers, this is because many people with this placement in my generation have their Mercury conj Pluto.

Mercury in Taurus take a while to learn things, this does not mean they are slow in the head, actually quite opposite. They’re very strategic and work at their own pace, and even though to others it seems like they’re taking their sweet time, they are building up a lot behind the scenes and turn out to be ones that are the best in their profession. Definition of work smart not hard. Plus they do all of this in such a aesthetically pleasing way 😭

Mercury in 8H can make very beautiful and meaningful art. Whether it be music, paintings, literature, makeup and fashion, they always know how to reach deep within themselves and pour out the most authentic work.

As a 3H Mercury and Gemini Venus, I LOVEE Sag mercuries/9H Mercury placements/Mercury-Jupiter. I always learn something new from these individuals and they’re like my other half. My bestfriend has this placement and even though we’re quite different, we’re very mentally compatible for each other. She takes in information, analyses it, then spews it out for me to learn and understand. This is the best way I can describe it🙏

Gemini-Sag Mercurial placements (Any sag/gemini placements tbh) = teacher/student dynamic, in the least weird way possible LMAOO.

Pisces mercury individuals are very, very imaginative people. Esp when placed in the 11/5H. Pisces mercury in 11H makes these individuals big dreamers who daydream about the things they constantly want. Pisces mercury in 5H daydream about new and different things that they think are fun and may struggle to commit to one single idea/creative outlet.

Mercury in Aries are so authentically themselves. They don’t talk/say things to please other people, they say it because they want to. They always rely on their mind in the end, very independent individuals.

Mercury in 7H could be very relationship oriented and constantly are wanting to please others

Fixed mercuries are stubborn in terms of their beliefs and mindset. I’ve noticed these individuals find it hard to to analyse situations from another perspective as their opinion on the matter is what matters most. Out of all fixed signs though scorpio and Aquarius seem to be more open minded.

Cardinal Mercuries are the ones to speak up in class and actually raise their hands when everyone else is too afraid to.

Mutable mercuries, understandably are the individuals with the most easy going mindset. They find it easy to accept others beliefs even if those beliefs are highly criticised. Though, this does have its downside as mutable mercuries may change their opinions often and struggle to form strong opinions on different things in life.

Virgo mercuries may be very organised when speaking. They could overthink before even saying anything, so they go over everything and make sure that what they’re going to say is well structured and makes sense.

People who have Mercury in the 1st house look smart. Like i’m telling you every single person I’ve met who has this placement, look extremely punctual and intelligent.

[allyriadayne]

will someone explain to me what the deal is with asoiaf lore? i'll see someone talking about something and it will come from martin responding to a fan letter from the 90s? and this is canon?? like who found and compilates all of the stuff he has said besides released books and interviews i guess. i've never been a fan of a series like this, is this common?

this has me genuinely in tears sorry 😭😭😭

okay serious now. i genuinely don't know if this is normal or expected in fantasy book series, at least i don't think it's that common in modern fantasy where the fashion has gone other ways from the expansive sword & sorcery type from the 20th century. i could not tell you if other fantasy authors are as involved as grrm is because i haven't been involved with any other fandom like this either (maybe lotr fans can say something different), but considering the years between publications (let this one be the last 🤞), the massive fanbase and fame of the source material, i think it's normal that his interviews, comments, and fanmail has been archived in the internet.

strictly speaking, everything outside asoiaf (books 1-5), fire and blood, and the dunk & egg books is not considered canon. BUT if the info comes from people like elio and linda like twoiaf book, or like the calendars, cookbooks, official art etc it's considered semi-canonical, just like anything grrm says /outside/ of the books. famous example, it's like when jk rowling said dumbledore was gay /after/ the books were done. it's semi canonical bc it comes from the author themselves, it doesn't affect the main body of work so it can be taken or discarded.

the thing is, martin has done A LOT of interviews and answered A LOT of fanmail and worked closely in answering doubts from the westeros dot org site for their rpg games set in westeros (girl, the dream) during the more than 30 years since the publication of agot. all this is considered semi canon and this archive is called "so spake martin" (SSM), which i think was started by elio & linda in the 90s and it's still collecting info. if you go to the awoiaf wiki, esp in the main series characters you'll see this citation (from tyrion's page):

most will be things like "martin has said tyrion has similarities to richard iii" (i mean duh) but other will be really neat like saying tyrion has been trained in arms, which while not something new (he does fight more or less ably during the blackwater battle) it's interesting to point out when it's a detail that may be lost in the series. it goes from character trivia to how casterly rock is different from the show. most fans take what he says seriously but i know there are people that only consider what's in the book and that's it, which is fine. in any case, most of these is used to enrich theories or character analysis, it's why you will see trivia from a fanmail from 1996 or whatever. i myself haven't read SSM completely one by one but i do like to peruse the wiki often, even if it's not complete.

i've seen a few blogs on here who also "collect" grrm's words like nobodysuspectsthebutterfly's "so spake martin" tag (mostly analysis but really interesting read if u don't want to go thru the westeros org page) or georgescitadel that has specific info about characters or themes in asoiaf.

[cupcraft]

I keep losing in discussions with c!dream apologists... and I don't know why!! it's very hard when tommy is well who he is and they just dont buy that he didnt deserve to go to exile.. this time sure they agreed that the psychological stuff dream did was bad but that wilbur was worse?? do you agree?? am I crazy??? Idk I think you're a good analysis person

cdream apologists never understood the dsmp at all ever the end 😭 and had "calling my character a villain means you're a hater (esp to the cc)" syndrome. Cwilbur was never worse ctommy was never bad cdream was a villain its 2024 love and light cdream apologists missed the plot forever and ever and ever

[stone-stars]

a while ago i made a post about naddpod music and @metamagic-adept brought up kingshammer in the replies. and yeah, i can't resist. so. kingshammer essay, let's do this.

first of all: huge, huge thanks to @operationslipperypuppet for helping me with this; she found a bunch of uses (esp for c3) and contributed truly so much to the analysis as well.

now, the use of kingshammer differs by campaign. so! really quickly. here is every use of kingshammer in naddpod.*

*as of c3e53. obligatory spoiler warning for every naddpod episode up to that point.

(continued under the cut as i was not kidding about this being an essay-- i will leave a tl;dr of sorts towards the end)

c1e45: The Kings protect the Boobs from the avalanche (except Hardwon)

c1e54: Hardwon's death*

c1e54: Hardwon's visions while he's dead*

c1e54: Hardwon is revivified*

c1e55: Hardwon's dreamless sleep after dying*

c1e65: JV and Rosa in the fog, when he gives her his lantern*

c1e65: JV, the Duskmother, and Moradin*

c1e69: Hardwon seeing the day his father died while in Galad's sword

c1e75: Hardwon speaking up in the astral council: "You don't broker a deal with someone who calls themself a God"

c1e80: Hardwon's flashback in Hell: "Looks like a Dwarf to me"

c1e81: Hardwon fuses the Bronzebeard and Coldain hammers

c1e86: Hardwon throws King Coldain the Kingshammer in the Tarrasque fight

c1e86: Coldain returns the Kingshammer to Hardwon in the Tarrasque fight

c1e87: Hardwon and King Coldain talk about succession of the throne

c1e90: Hardwon dreams of Grimthor MacGannis in the fall of Irondeep

c1e91: Hardwon notices that the debris from Irondeep collapsing is gone

c1e93: Hardwon and King MacGannis talk about the Godshammer / MacGannis offers Hardwon the MacGannis Kingshammer

c1e98: Pestilence sends Bev and Bubbles to a Maze

c1e98: Bev in the maze, following Bubbles (instead of Erlin)

c1e99: Bev Sr. possesses Balnor so he can bless Bev's sword

-

c2e2: Fia and Zirk talk about their mentors and their books

c2e14: Jabari sees the past and is controlled to need to protect the King

c2e14: Jabari (still mind controlled) attacks Corbeau

c2e20: Bathilda retells the betrayal of the Blades / Cain and Moxora's attack on the Blades meeting

c2e21: Losgrar explains the Crux, and the cave in that killed hundreds

c2e22: The Third Mates plead with the Scrappers and Grez / The Scrappers and Grez stand off in the basement

c2e28: The Third Mates get through to Walder Lachnamoore (using Kenley's map and Remove Curse)

c2e40: The start of the ritual with the crown and Irina (that is ultimately corrupted by Moxora)

c2e41: Henry removing the crown

-

c3e21: Callie approaches and soothes the Silver Serpent

c3e27: Big Bev and Callie go down in the High King fight, the King tries to escape, Calder fails to finish him

c3e34: Murph talks about Moradin, the Kingshammer itself, and the blessings people seek at his statue

c3e38: Callie tries to soothe the Bronze Serpent (first attempt)

c3e38: Callie tries to soothe the Bronze Serpent (second attempt)

c3e39: Callie tries to soothe the Bronze Serpent (final attempt, after bean rat, which succeeds)

c3e45: Callie enters the helm ("I'm coming Calder")

c3e45: Hardwon summons the spirit guardians

(note: uses in c1 marked as a * are credited instead as "A Sight For Sore Eyes", and i'd also like to mention that i didn't exclude side campaigns or oneshots from this list. kingshammer just... isn't used outside of the main campaigns.)

now, looking at this list, there's something that's immediately obvious: you can't talk about kingshammer without talking about hardwon surefoot.

... and i say that, but i'm going to immediately do the opposite of that and talk about non-hardwon uses in c1 and c3, as well as all uses in c2. also, keep in mind that not every use 100% fits these categories, sometimes kingshammer is just the right song for the moment, and that's fine. let's get into it!

first: moradin. the man who created the hammer, so of course it would be used for him. i would place both of JV's scenes here (the first scene, though not featuring moradin directly, is tied to JV's afterlife), as well as the c3e34 moradin statue scene. (i also wouldn't be surprised if the JV scenes get kingshammer partially because of its link to jake like. on a meta level. but i digress)

second: once the godshammer is created in episode 93 (put a pin in that), kingshammer is no longer used for hardwon or the weapon itself. in the first campaign, the song shows up a few more times, all for beverly: when he's in the maze during the pestilence fight, and when bev sr. possesses balnor to speak to bev. these fall in line, to me, with the early uses of kingshammer for hardwon (post his death in ep54). being beyond the planes of the living, being trapped. hardwon sees lydia there and has to leave her behind for his friends; beverly sees erlin and does the same.

third: in eldermourne, kingshammer is largely used for rituals and betrayals, and is especially tied to the cycle of mistrust and betrayal that surrounds the children of the trickster; the final use being when henry goes to remove the crown from irina in the finale. it's seeded with the introduction of the guardians of the grove books in ep 2, and continues throughout. i'm not going to touch on every use here, some fit more obviously, but i want to call out a few things: 1. re; the use in e28, walder lachnamoore was specifically involved in the downfall of the summer and autumn children of the trickster after they had been manipulated by moxora/heredecia and 2. every other use comes in a pair (the use in 2 sets up bathilda's story in 28 / the two uses in 14 are both jabari getting controlled / 21 and 22 are the ghost dragon / 40 and 41 are both the crown)

fourth, i'm just going to quote emily on the c3e27 short rest: "kingshammer in [campaign 3] i'm trying to put under dragons and serpents, 'cause they're the weapons of this campaign." this covers the uses in eps 21, 27, 38, and 39. the use in 34 is for moradin, and the only other c3 use left is the one in episode 45. put a pin in that.

and with that we've covered all the other kingshammer uses. so, finally, let's talk about hardwon and kingshammer.

hardwon is definitely the strongest association the song has. especially in campaign 1, where it's almost exclusively used for hardwon and the kingshammer (the weapon, not the song) until the godshammer is created in episode 93.

i want to break these uses up real quick; first, let's look at the first handful of uses in campaign 1: 45, 54 (all of them), 55, 69. here, the song comes in as things get dire. the mountain collapses, and it looks like even as the kings save his friends hardwon is going to die. then, he dies and sees that lydia is trapped. he watches his father's last stand. kingshammer isn't a heroic theme for hardwon here, it's a theme he struggles against. it's not prompted by his actions, it's prompted by something happening to him. it's the weapon he wields, but in 69 it's even actively rejected him due to his vampiric nature.

and then, well, a few things happen. he's reborn, for one (literally). and then in episode 75, for the first time, hardwon prompts the song. he speaks up in the astral council, and says "you don't broker a deal with someone who calls herself a god." and his friends and allies stand with him.

after this, the uses in episodes 80-93 (keep that pin in episode 93) are pretty obviously tied to the weapon itself. the kingshammer. as it gets stronger, so does hardwon. the "looks like a dwarf to me" flashback is the first time he wields it. every other use concerns the hammers and the dwarven kings. the kingshammer isn't what makes hardwon a hero, not by a long shot. but the thing that's interesting to me is the turn here. it's no longer a song that happens to hardwon, not really. it's often a song prompted by hardwon's action, and it's more hopeful now. it represents the weapon and its legacy, which is a thing hardwon is coming to embrace.

now, about that pin. in episode 93, hardwon and macgannis talk about the godshammer. when macgannis offers hardwon his own hammer, hardwon says: "i don't necessarily have to be the guy, you know, if you wanna swing it--" and the song cuts off. they wrestle for the hammer, hardwon wins, and the godshammer is restored.

after this point, kingshammer is not used for hardwon again until campaign 3 episode 45, when he summons the spirit guardians at the 11th hour of the lord ultrus fight.

i just want to emphasize that; hardwon tells macgannis that he doesn't have to be the one who wields the kingshammer, and the song doesn't get used for him again until he accepts it back in campaign 3. when he says "hey boys, i think we have a friend to avenge," stands against ultrus, and his friends and allies stand with him. when he accepts himself as the wielder of the kingshammer again, and what that means to him (being a hero).

do you see-- i am talking directly to you, the single person who read this far-- do you see why the song use in this podcast is insane?? like! did murph know, back in the first campaign, that hardwon would return, be retired, and have given up the kingshammer? definitely not. does the use of kingshammer for hardwon mirror his arc in an insane way? yes.

so that's an overview of hardwon and kingshammer. however, we're not done. let's look at it all together: moradin, the kingshammer (the weapon), the uses for bev and jv in c1, betrayals and rituals in eldermourne, the serpents and dragons of c3, and hardwon's relationship to the hammer and the song.

kingshammer is a song for weapons. emily says it, when talking about campaign 3. and that is 100% a common theme here. but, going a bit further, it's also a song about the interaction of mortals and divine/otherworldly power.

often, it's mortals wielding that power. the kingshammer (the weapon) is a divine gift, given by moradin to the dwarven kings. a huge chunk of the uses, especially in c1, are directly tied to the weapon and hardwon's wielding of it. the spirit guardians is a huge example of this as well, as hardwon and his allies are touched by the kingshammer's magic and able to stand against ultrus. and also; bev sr uses the power of the shadowfell to bless bev's sword. and the serpents are oberon's weapon against the destruction of nature; glen uses the silver serpent for his own gains, gromdal does the same to the bronze. callie, meanwhile, doesn't use the serpents, not like glen or gromdal-- instead, kingshammer comes in when she attempts to soothe them. because ultimately, that's the way she wields their power. through connection.

sometimes, they're being pulled at by its influence instead. positively, or negatively. JV, when he's beyond death, meeting the gods. hardwon after his death, torn between lydia (who was put in this position by a god) and his friends. beverly, trapped by an avatar of thiala's magic, being guided by the ghost of erdan. the souls of irondeep being pulled from the prime material by lydia, the lord of shadowfell. callie, entering the helm where ultrus was trapped to save calder.

in eldermourne, this is less tangible. however; the betrayals and the children of the trickster. this cycle of betrayal is the biggest divine influence that remains in eldermourne. the blades are tied up in it, due to their ties to cerenysus and the betrayal by the blades who sided with moxora. walder is tied up in it, as i mentioned before, and he remains in his undead form because of the influence of moxora. jabari is influenced by the prophet-ed king into betraying his friends. the ghost dragon, an otherworldly being, is created by pain caused by mortal actions. and then the crown ritual, at the very end. when moxora, disguised, betrays them and shows irina the third mates "betraying" their ideals, out of context. and the last use, with henry, is as he steps up to end the cycle, one that he had been a part of before.

it's all mortals and the otherworldly, and the places they meet. it's hardwon and his mortal allies, standing together on the premise that you don't broker a deal with someone who says they're a god. and, at the same time, it's hardwon and his allies finding strength in the kingshammer's magic to stand against the avatar of one. it's the ways the two influence each other. an intervention by one onto the other. sometimes they draw strength from each other, other times they're opposed. it's a song that is dire, and also hopeful. oftentimes, which of those is the case is determined while the song is playing.

tl;dr: kingshammer has a lot of uses, but it's very consistently used to represent (divine) weapons, and the interactions between mortals and the divine/otherworldly. when applied to hardwon specifically, it has a lot to do with his journey as a hero and accepting that that's what he is.

(also, since i'm writing this before either happens: don't be surprised if it's used for the ice knife (the weapon) and/or the final serpent whenever we meet it. both of these have a high chance of getting kingshammer applied to them considering everything that's been set up about the ice knife and also, y'know, serpents.)

in conclusion: you can pay careful attention to the music in naddpod, but watch out. you might accidentally write 2.5 thousand words about a song. thank you for reading.

and go listen to kingshammer-- aside from all the meaning it also just kicks ass.

-

notes, disclaimers, etc:

for the purposes of this, if the song loops, it's part of the same use. if it is used later in the same episode, it's noted separately.

this is mentioned above, but not every use fits 100%. murph and emily very deliberately use music throughout the story to inform it, and also sometimes kingshammer is just the right song for a moment. both are true.

as a follow up to that, i'm not claiming that all of this was the specific intention. i'm just saying that when you look at kingshammer's uses as a song, there are some pretty strong themes, and it's fun to examine those.

i am not perfect. this is for fun. if i missed one, i'm sorry, feel free to point it out, and also i'll edit this post if that's the case

i would once again like to call out alli operationslipperypuppet for her help. she pointed out the divine connection first, and in general helped immensely. and, if naddpod music interests you, she's another person who often goes insane about it.

i am not above doing this for other songs, if you're interested let me know (few songs are as prolific as kingshammer, however)

[trashlie]

hello there! I recently read I Love Yoo for the first time and first off, wow what a series. as I've been diving into the fandom I found your blog (your analysis posts are absolutely amazing) and since you've been around the fandom a long time I was hoping you could help clarify a few things for me. obviously there's seven years of fandom and meta context I'm missing out on, but I keep seeing references to two planned time skips and seasons that I'm a little confused about. everything that's out now I think is still the first season? but I'm wondering what exactly the author has shared over the years of the planned timeline, time skips, etc. thank you in advance for any clarification you can provide! very excited to dive into more of your analysis in the future

Oh wow! I feel like getting to jump in and just binge ILY from this point is SO amazing - having this much of the story already out, so many episodes and being able to see how those threads connect and where they go! 🤩 The dream! (Also thank you!!!! I really appreciate that! Esp since I haven't made any ILY posts lately; they're in my head, I just haven't gotten around to finishing typing them out lol)

But to answer your question, quimchee has told us there will be two timeskips. The first is a short timeskip that will bring us to graduation, and the second is a much bigger timeskip of around 4 years or so. 👀 I have a little write up in the ILY Discord server about this that I should finally add to my blog today after work about how I think the timeskips coincide with Yujing's article - that is, I think she's likely working on two articles.

Now, this part is speculation and not from quimchee - she's only told us when the timeskips are and how long they'll jump us. But Nol's sentence is 120 days (less if he's good, as Yujing noted) and 120 days takes us to April. What else is in April? Shinae's birthday! Timing-wise, it depends on if quimchee is using a Korean calendar for school; after all, she did use the college entrance exams that Korean school systems utilize. In this case, graduation happens in February, but given that ILY doesn't strictly add to Korean or U.S. culture rules (quimchee refers to the setting as The United States of Asia lol) we might see this budged to adhere to a more U.S.-centric graduation era where Nol's release times up with Shinae's birthday (no way are we skipping over that!) and graduation. This is likely when Yujing will drop her first article about Nol, possibly exposing that he was framed for a crime he didn't take, made to take the fall, and most certainly exposing that he's the true legitimate heir of the Hirahara family by Mukoyoshi law. Yujing noted that Nol pleading guilty actually helps them/their case, and I think this is so because it isn't the first time he's taken the fall for someone else because he's the "other son"; it's heavily implied that the altercation that occurred between him and Kousuke was not Nol's fault/doing.

Now, the other timeskip will likely see our cast reuniting after Shinae finishes college. I think she will end up taking Yui's offer - whether because she's backed into a corner or because makes the choice we're yet to see - and I think we might actually see her come back as Kousuke's assistant to finish off her contract (or perhaps as part of the Yui trap). Nol will likely go to college abroad and Kousuke... well. I think we can see where he's headed 😭 This is also when I think Yujjng will REALLY go after Yui and Gun, what all those articles she was researching are leafing to.

Something quimchee mentioned on a patreon stream is that during the timeskip (and it wasn't specified which), she'd like to show the passage of time by showing the characters keeping in touch via letters, emails, texts, etc which I'm REALLY looking forward to!

In the past, we were told ILY would be divided into 2 seasons, and that season 2 would start after the big timeskip, but quimchee has said before that's not going to happen? However, sometimes a lot of us still refer to season 2 as "post-big-time-skip" for brevity lol. Maybe we'll still see it as s2 in the future but last I heard it won't be broken up into seasons.

I know this was more than what you asked but I always get so excited talking about the timeskips, I can't wait for them!!! I know the first one is SO close! I think quimchee was trying her best to get to it before her birth so she could do a little break before the first timeskip but alas. But we are SO close, I can almost taste it, AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!

I'm so glad you found ILY and are enjoying it!!! It really is not what it first appears and the way it subverts those expectations will always be one of my favorite aspects of this series. Seeing nre readers find it at this time, when there's so much of the series to consume and feed on is so exciting! 🥺 Happy reading! Please let me know if you have more questions!

[elizakai]

AU INFO ARCHIVES

AU REFERENCE ARCHIVES AND QUICK FACT GRABS

Ok keep in mind, some of these Are going through reboots or are ongoing! 

but these are BASICS and should mostly hold up!

I only knew of a few of these sources before tonight, so I did have to skim a few of these sources as I searched…. I’d like to think I’m a decent info surfer 🫠 but take with a grain of salt as you should most things _^_

I may have to come back and edit this post :( lmk if any of the links don’t work, sites prove unhelpful, or if you have BETTER sites, please 😁

If you want other au’s, or if anyone’s interested in specific characters simplified facts and/ or analysis, I can do the research for you and write it up more swallowable, just lmk _^_

❗️BELOW THE CUT❗️

KILLER SANS ARCHIVED

Au/ canon by rahafwabas

The ao3 link in this was especially helpful to me personally :)⬇️

DREAMTALE ARCHIVED 

Au/ Canon by jokublog/ joku

SIMPLE, HELPFUL SUMMARY, JUST FACTS! updated 2021 so beware of potential changes but most of this holds up from reading it⬇️

Dreamtale past archive , xxtha has been approved by joku and has some good character analysis things on their blog, esp on dreamtale/ and dream’s character :D!⬇️

DUSTTALE ARCHIVE

Au/ Canon by ask dusttale

DUSTTALE is hard because the creator speaks Korean.  I’ve yet to find compiled info so here’s their tumblr, there is an archive of asks and such on blog!

DUSTTALE has a lot of intentionally unanswered questions in general, so if it’s confusing that’s…part of it😪

Ask DustTale — Can you clarify something please? You keep...

This is helpful and simple character wise⬇️

Canon Dusttale Sans Storyline, Character, and Facts | Undertale AUs Amino

the creator has several stories on ao3 about dust (well, technically murder) sans, but most are in Korean….if you know how to find translations I’d love to get my hands on it 👀

INK SANS ARCHIVE

Au/ Canon by comyet

COMYET Being golden and splendiferous and making it easy for me by compiling it for us I will marry them just for that, this includes a personality section too⬇️

HORRORTALE

Au/ Canon by SourAppleStudios

❗️This comic contains gore and disturbing images❗️as long as that doesn’t bother you…ABSOLUTELY go read it!!! IT’S GOOD.

Welcome

If the link is weird, just find sourapplestudios and you should be able to figure it out! Keep in mind the comic is still in the works but a good amount of content is established

K so for horror SANS this is a wiki ( :( I tried avoiding those…) BUT it’s quick and easy, slightly biased but still valuable⬇️ I’m sure there’s better sources but this is the first decent quick one I found!

UNDERSWAP

Now most of you are aware of the underswap drama that occurred…and that most of the fandom doesn’t adhere to the original underswap, especially after the creator stepped away from the story

However, I think this still holds valuable information, even if just for reference or ideas, so here THIS hefty chunkalunk⬇️

Canon Underswap research

I’m afraid an archive for the Fandom underswap probably doesn’t exist, as interpretations are kind of just…accepted?but if the original was more your thing, or if you just want the info, there it is!

ERROR SANS

god I’ve analyzed this hoe left and right. Not even kidding.

We all know loverofpiggies/ CQ , you should easily be able to find the comic with a search ‘ask error sans’ , there’s also some fun comic dubs on YouTube :) ! Here’s the blog with start at beginning and archive options⬇️

Ask Error!Sans (Unfinished) (Posts tagged errortale)

Also. This entire thing is AMAZING I read this years ago and had a ball,I need to reread it but I managed to find it and 😪✨ great phycology analysis by she-of-many-fandoms…⬇️✨

I draw comics sometimes — themightymarai: she-of-many-fandoms: Preface...

That’s all for now, my arms are dying from Internet surfing🧎🏽‍♀️AGAIN feel free to suggest, request, correct, comment or offer more info! Happy brainworms :) 🐛

( @zucchiyeni )

[zyk1ng]

Waiting for Don and Heathcliff friendship arc pls deliver project moon 🙏🙏🙏 (i still love Don and Hong lu as buddies but Heathcliff and Don has grown on me like a fungus I need to see canon content of them please PLEAAAAAAAAAAA

This is like the only piece i have of them in recent memory (plus the cosplay thing in 3.5) PLEASE give me more food pm I BEG YOU

I saw an analysis of Heathcliff where it was talking about how his gf(?) wife whatever brought him around places with people who kept judging him even tho he tried his best to be cool to them and I think Don would literally be like the cure to cancer for him bc there are few sinners who have the insane (literally) amount of confidence and carelessness for what other people say/think (much like how he pushes to act esp w/ dante in the beginning of the game where he threatens to blow their head off if they’re a dick to him LOL) they’re also both my favorite sinners and I need to see more of them being bffs like in my dreams

Also they’re dance partners and kill on the dance floor I don’t make the rules srry

[probatiostudies]

can't believe etoiles and baghers are logging into the server on a day i thought i could keep myself away from streams rip

but this means i can post my hopes and dreams for bolas rojas today!

genuinely just want the french duo to pop off in their shared language, to have fun playing the game. i don't think a win can be secured for bolas rojas, only because some strengths of blue soulfire really lie in analysis-based strategy and being able to maximize the farming of materials. if they're fixated on winning today, i don't think bolas rojas can do much to combat that, esp if the majority of their active team members won't be logging on or streaming today!

of course, in wanting them to have fun, baghera can be her little gremlin self and try to go for blood <3 i just don't want her to be down if that doesn't happen, or if they lose despite any efforts the team makes! if they want to play the game to have fun then that's all that matters, manifesting good streams for everybody <3

[ails-of-ardor-au]

Hm thinking about Bluestar contrasted to Goldenstar. ESP if she’s still the formers apprentice. Like okay Blue is told that she is to abandon and cut away any ties she has so she can fulfill her fated purpose, losing a mother, sister, kits. She never stops to think maybe she could keep these things. She has to lose everything to be born anew. She doesn’t just let these tragedies happen, she brings them about.

Whereas Golden wanted connection, she had a family, kits, that she never would’ve wanted to lose. She would’ve changed anything to keep them. And yet fate took them. Her parents (whoever they were, personally a fan of Sunfall and Speckletail), her twin, her mate, her kits. She loses them all and it hurts. And yet she’s supposed to feel grateful for this grief that rips her apart. That she simply can’t shake off. She has to rise every day and act like she earned this by losing them all.

I can’t help but feeling like she would look at Fireheart with such envy that eats her apart. He got to have it all. He goes to bed to a warm nest with the cats he loves. He wasn’t leader sure but at this point, with this much pain it’s put her in to be able to be here, she wishes she could sleep in the place that smelled of family. But she’s all alone, in her den with no one to hold, only their ghosts to show up in her dreams and tell her this was her destiny.

I’m a bit crazy over them actually- cannot wait for the Goldenstar ref I will be hanging her up on my wall lol

Was Goldenflower Bluestar’s apprentice..? That’s a very interesting extra connection between them… I’ll keep that in mind, though I’m not cementing it into the lore for now.

Also ugh… UGH!! They’re both so tragic… Two women of such different circumstances who ultimately fall onto the exact same path.

This was great to read; I love this sort of casual analysis so so much…

[fumifooms]

Mithrun x Marcille

Second part of my “Dunmeshi rarepairs I will birth with my own hands if I have to” series

Marcille and Mithrun… No no HEAR ME OUT besides chap 94 I think Mithrun was the most emotional when confronting Marcille about the whole situation of her maybe being on the edge of becoming dungeon lord AND he seemed to empathize with her?!! Look at his face! Listen to his words!

He desired to save her. The ex-dungeon lord who lost everything and the newly dungeon lady about to walk herself into a trap and lose everything. They seem very compatible to me attitude wise, without mentioning that they seem to be each other’s type (Marcille’s succubus, Mithrun’s love). Marcille could even put an eyepatch on him lmfao. I feel like his very blunt attitude (most shown when he confronted Thistle about the flaws in his plan and perspective, but also the whole interactions with Marcille at Thistle’s home) would be good for Marcille, both in a ‘convincing her’ way and just in a general relationship & dynamic way. They’re both pretty tragic characters, who need the same kind of comfort imo. They’re mirrors of each other, he reflects what she would become. The Marcille that has been tempted by Power and desires and is left wrecked from it, regrets, is filled with nothing but vengeance. The Mithrun of the past that might yet still be able to be reasoned with, to be saved. People who wanted to live in an utopia with their loved ones. Listen, everyone by the end is left needing to find themselves a new dream and goal, that’s sorta the point with character arcs and it’s very in theme with the series’ message of constantly desiring new things, BUT I just think it’d be cute if specifically Marcille & Mithrun found a new purpose together ok <3 Mithrun could walk over to her to apologize for the murderous behavior and an acquaintance would start from there. Hnng idk idk it’s understated quiet romance and I love that I’m sorry!!

THIS POST’S TAGS YES YES YOU GET IT!!!!! Listen my fave thing in ships is when the characters surprisingly have that 1 fundamental thing in common like a fear or desire and that is them!!! I love them sm. This is currently the dunmeshi ship I like the most, sorry. I wanna do a full character and dynamic analysis and write a longfic and do fanart and- Edit: here’s some fanart and more rambles about them hehe!! I make some new points I like in it, like how Marcille’s a mom friend who likes caring after her loved ones.

Somewhat related but I think Mithrun overall is a closer allegory to PTSD and brain damage than depression, and ye I do think that would work well with this dynamic’s potential as well- but that’s a topic for another day

Ok btw ship name wise what are we thinking mithrille to be close to “mithril” or “myrtille” which is essentially french for blueberry? Gonna use mithrille esp since it’s an unique word for practicality but there are fun little motifs we could use with their names there

The leftovers </3 The abused second heir bastard that a demon didn’t deign to finish eating and the girl who’ll always outlive everyone she knows and loves.

They met each other when they were both at a mental low, and they can get better from there. It’s a special kind of intimacy when you both intimately know each other’s lowest moments idk. They’ve fought to the death like 3 times they can drop the formalities at that point lmao. (she never wanted to kill him btw, only "overreacted” as instinctive self-defense). I love how everyone had to keep pulling Mithrun off Marcille bc it looked so bad and he couldn’t stop going straight for her throat lol

Presidential alert the babygirls are fighting

[burningvelvet]

this is a long analysis on titanic (1997), re: my last reblog on titanic’s depiction of rose coming into her own sexuality, being sexually dominant, & actively pursuing jack romantically, + LGBT themes, feminism, & the cal/jack/rose triangle as a freudian representation.

—this is one of the great and unique things about this film and also i’d like to point out that although we see jack liking rose first, rose is the one who actively pursues him every step of the way which is almost never seen in films. the roles are almost always reversed. she’s the one who lies to protect him, she’s the one goes to see jack again on the deck under the guise of thanking him, she’s the one who snatches his art book and asks about the nudes, she’s the one who asks to be drawn and specifically drawn nude, she saves him with an axe, she’s the one who initiates sex, etc.

i despise it when people talk about titanic like it’s the most boring cishet movie of all time when it’s one of THEE most progressive/subversive imo (in terms of popular mass media). jack is one of the only major male romantic figures i’ve ever come across who never says anything sexist even in jest, who never dominates their scenes together whether emotionally/romantically/sexually, and who genuinely helps the female protagonist become a better person rather than vice versa. i can’t even think of comparable male characters, so yes in a way he is the perfect example of a manic pixie dream boy. i would go as far as to call their dynamic a subtle gender role reversal and i don’t know why this isn’t talked about more.

there’s also been a lot of queer interpretations and analysis on titanic which i think is apropos. jack and rose have been seen by some as being butch-coded/lesbian-coded ever since the movie came out, and you can also make a case for rose representing (metaphorically or literally) the experiences of gender-envy or being GNC, especially in the scene where jack nonjudgementally teaches rose to “ride like a man, and spit like a man” — and she says “why can’t i be like you, jack?” — etc. — jack actively encourages her to go against the gender norms and i don’t think it’d be a reach to say that he would be supportive if she was LGBTQ+ and vice versa & that they’re both clearly allies regardless of interpretation. Take for example Rose’s line to Kack: “I know what you must be thinking— poor little rich girl, what does she know about misery?” & Jack’s response: “No, no, that’s not what I was thinking. What I was thinking was, what could’ve happened to this girl to make her feel she had no way out?” — As Rose says, Jack “sees” people, and validates/recognizes them in a way that is similar to the queer theories on queer kinship, allyship, & solidarity. Rose and Jack find each other and feel kinship for each other through their mutual progressive/bohemian values in a way that is commonly experienced by LGBT people finding other LGBT people, which is heightened by Rose/Jack’s mutual attraction & their blooming relationship being socially frowned upon (due to classism + Rose’s engagement).

I also think it’s important to point out that sexuality is a core theme of the movie in general, & this is esp important considering it takes place in 1912. From Rose’s Piccaso painting of the prostitutes, to Rose’s comment at the table about Freud re: male overcompensation, to Cal slut-shaming Rose, to the nude French prostitutes, to Rose saying she’d rather be Jack’s whore than Cal’s wife. The theme of being a “ruined woman” is rampant. Many of Cal/Rose’s scenes are laced with subtle sexual implications with him wanting Rose to be sexually submissive/passive/exclusive/available (“do not deny me”) and her clearly not being interested in that role (Cal asks her why she didn’t come to his rooms late at night when he asked her to, and he’s always the one initiating contact, & she clearly hates him). It is also very clear that Rose sees her wifely duties as performative, and to some extent her gender itself is performative (see: the scene where she watches in anxious disgust as she sees a little girl being taught how to act like a lady through table etiquette, and Rose immediately runs off to Jack). I also think it’s ironically symbolic that Cal gives her his mens coat toward the end, and we see pictures of young her wearing pants and riding horses “like a man” as her and Jack fantasized, etc.

I also think it’s intentional that Jack is slightly tomboyish/androgynous looking, younger, and open-minded, whereas Cal is older, dominant, and represents a sort of Byronic “tall, dark hair, handsome, rich” version of masculine appeal. There’s also the split in politics, class, etc. — they represent opposite ends of male sex appeal while both being attractive. The love story wouldn’t be effective if Cal was unattractive bc his sex appeal is necessary to the narrative. Jack and Cal’s contrasting versions of sex appeal are what make this love triangle so effective yet conflicting (aside from their differences in personality and Cal being abusive/Jack being supportive) because the contrast between Jack/Cal highlights and brings out Rose’s sexuality and her transgressive sexual desires. She refuses to be sexually passive for Cal. In nearly all of their scenes together, Rose and Cal are constantly competing for sexual dominance through their dynamic—whereas with Jack, Rose doesn’t have to compete for dominance bc Jack accepts her for the way she is and actively lets her take the reigns and sexually guide him, and Jack feels comfortable in the role he plays. During the drawing scene and in the car scene, he’s presented as being shy and nervous but is still clearly enthralled by her, whereas Rose is suddenly the comfortable/confident/more knowledgeable one, even making jokes when Jack reacts to seeing her disrobe. Typically in cishet romances, the roles would be reversed, which is what Cal desires—that’s Cal’s tragedy, that in the end when he searches for Rose during the sinking and then later on the Carpathia, he’s mourning a fantasy of who Rose was, & tried molding her into a submissive version of herself & destroying her dominant/masculine side.

For these reasons, I believe Jack also represents a part of Rose’s subconscious mind, and that the lines “he exists now only in my memory,” “it was the ship of dreams, and it was, it really was,” are symbolic of this. I see their relationship as being more importantly a deep bond of friendship and a connection between two kindred spirits than being solely romantic. To use a Freudian model, Jack helps bring out Rose’s “id” whereas Cal tries to supress it and bring out Rose’s “superego,” and Rose ends the film by forming a healthy “ego”—this is what makes the Cal/Jack/Rose love triangle so riveting and effective, because it represents this clash of values and this tug-of-war thru this Freudian Trio.

I’m considering turning all this into an actual academic essay atp lmao