#i have a meta post im debating posting

[allhalesterekstilinski]

Sc*tt stans are everywhere annoying me as if they’re getting paid to do it. I’m doing a rewatch with my mom and we’re coming up on season 5. This has been bothering me lately, so I’m going to rant about it.

We’re all aware that Scott uses Hayden as bait to lure the Dread Doctors to the school and he doesn’t tell her or get her consent on the matter. Liam and Hayden are rightfully upset and Liam makes Scott promise to do everything he can to protect Hayden.

Liam: This plan sucks!

Scott: You got a better one? Kids are dying, and she's next! So, somebody has to do something. Somebody has to save everyone. So somebody's got to be the bait!

Liam: Scott... Promise me you'll do everything you can to save her. Scott-- promise.

Scott: I'll do everything I can. I promise.

Hayden gets injured severely and is dying. Liam reminds Scott he promised to do everything he could for Hayden, this includes biting her, which Scott refuses to do.

Here’s where I take huge issue with this.

I have no idea the odds of Hayden surviving the bite. Scott admits that he thinks she may be too weak to survive. But Melissa and Theo explain or imply that she’s not surviving if he does nothing.

Hayden has a 100% chance of dying if he chooses not to bite her.

If you have two labelled barrels in front of you, the one on your left contains 100 oranges, the one on your right contains 95 oranges and 5 apples. Someone holds a gun to your head and says “close your eyes and select an apple from the barrel or I kill you” you might try to find an apple amongst the oranges, even if the chances are slim because there’s still a chance. You’re not going to reach into the barrel with zero apples unless you don’t want to choose an apple.

He chose to let her die. A 5% chance of survival is better than 0%. The reason he didn’t want to bite her is because he knew there was a high chance she wasn’t going to make it. Remember the conversation Scott had with Morrell in season 3?

Morrell: He wants to make a killer out of you. That's what he does.

Scott: But, if I kill someone, I can't be a True Alpha, right?

Morrell: Exactly.

If Hayden died when Scott bit her, that would technically be on him--at least it would be in his mind. She was going to die either way, he may as well keep his power.

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

This is an analysis of Kaveh and Alhaitham’s argument posted on the Port Ormos bulletin board!! Because it is crazy actually!!

I think this exchange of theirs out of the three posted throughout Sumeru is particularly interesting, and this is due Alhaitham openly expressing that Kaveh does not understand what Alhaitham is really trying to say to him: “I have never denied what you meant, but you don’t understand what I am saying to you at all.”

This exchange is relevant in various ways in exploring the motif of communication. As according to their usual rapport, the two disagree over their differing philosophies, as in sensibility versus rationality, however, Alhaitham’s particular concerns in Kaveh spending his money on “nonsense” highlights the underlying reason for this exchange. From this comment, the argument is recontextualised through Alhaitham’s intention for getting involved, as Kaveh prompts the workmen to take his money in order to help them out.

When Alhaitham states that this is a meaningless action due to the inevitability of people rising or falling on their own accord, rather than solely critiquing Kaveh’s “impulsiv[e]” altruism, as Kaveh interprets, Alhaitham is directly contradicting his own comment – as he is interfering on Kaveh’s decisions.

As concern is evidently the intention behind his interference, Kaveh cannot perceive this, and instead attempts to critique Alhaitham’s perspective in return, although Alhaitham states: “Make no mistake. I have never denied what you meant…” This response asserts that Alhaitham does not deny, but rather agrees with, Kaveh’s statement of “mutual assistance, fairness, and righteous anger” driving the world.

In lieu of this, rather than continuing the argument, Alhaitham claims that there is no point to it, as Kaveh does not understand what he is saying, as in, Kaveh does not understand that his intentions in interfering are out of concern. He follows this up, regardless, by criticising Kaveh’s handling of his budget, as, evidently, Kaveh has offered to give his own money to these workmen, and refuses to pay for Kaveh’s drinks for that month.

For Alhaitham, Kaveh’s lack of self-prioritisation leads him to impulsive altruistic acts which serve to jeopardise his own position, particularly regarding money. If Kaveh can afford to give away money, he can afford to pay his own tabs, is the takeaway from this exchange. Although, similarly to the exchange between them posted in Puspa’s Café, this applies to one particular month, insinuating that Alhaitham will continue to pay for next month’s tabs of his own accord.

The main argument, as well as the disagreement over the speaker of Kaveh’s quote, serves as a humorous exchange, but as a motif for communication it acquires a new meaning. The two hold perspectives which contrast the other which puts them on unequal footing, demonstrated within the argument over the speaker of Kaveh’s quote. Although it is not disclosed who is actually in the right, both are convinced of their respective viewpoint. There is an element missing here, a potential solution to this problem, and it lies within the idea of “correctness” established within A Parade of Providence.

The omission of there being an objective, correct answer to this particular debate serves as a parallel to their conflicting viewpoints, with the basis of their exchange being to “prove” to the other their “correctness” – here, it is in regard to Kaveh.

However, “correctness” being the basis of their exchange, and thus, relationship, is challenged with Alhaitham shutting down the initial debate due to Kaveh’s misunderstanding of his meaning. Correctness, then, and its importance, is called into question within this exchange, with Kaveh being the one to chase it; his last message being that he would “prove” himself to be right.

At the core of this bulletin board exchange is the idea that Alhaitham harbours an alternative ‘meaning’ than the one that Kaveh assigns to him: “… you don’t understand what I’m saying to you at all.” This is a meaning which Kaveh cannot perceive due to his current understanding of Alhaitham. This represents the standing of their current relationship, where Kaveh believes Alhaitham holds him in disdain, although this belief is incongruous with Alhaitham’s actions which show his care for Kaveh.

In these instances of communication through the Bulletin Boards, it is interesting to note that Kaveh is revealed to have been drunk and “scribbling” on these notice boards, and hopes that Alhaitham does not know.

Although this is a humorous detail, it adds another layer to the unreliability of their method of communication, as Kaveh has no recollection of these exchanges with Alhaitham, and therefore could not have properly interpreted Alhaitham due to an altered state of mind. It is uncertain whether Alhaitham is aware of Kaveh’s being drunk whilst responding to him, or whether he is believed to have been lucid, which creates another element of unreliability in their exchanges.

Alhaitham understands Kaveh’s thinking and the reasons for why he acts as he does, but he cannot articulate his concern in a way that Kaveh will understand, both out of Kaveh’s incapability of receiving goodwill, but also due to his logical manner of expression. Kaveh perceives Alhaitham’s concealed expressions of concern as personal gripes and criticisms of his beliefs, and therefore believes that their relationship is based on the scholarly principle of proving the validity of one’s philosophies.

The Port Ormos Bulletin Board reinforces the core essence of their relationship: Alhaitham is invested in a personal regard, whereas Kaveh cannot see this due to his perception of Alhaitham and Alhaitham’s inability to communicate in a way Kaveh would understand.

(Update: For more analyses like this, the essay this is taken from is now uploaded! It can be accessed here and here as as a pdf <3)

[sollucets]

guys i am trying Really hard not to have public opinions about of this morning... pray for me

[aloysarrow]

I wish GI wasn't trying to push people (kinda specifically longer players) away from the game, like damn. I really hope new players are watching closely and not just deciding "there are haters" or "complainers." Some of the things, like the age old where's the end-of-game road map, have been actual game needs that haven't been addressed for years. Game needs, guys. Idk, if you still call some people haters/complainers, then I'm probably gonna call you a bootlicker lol

[ohallows]

I'm not gonna make a full meta post for a game that was released like over ten years ago bc I'm sure it's been done to death and I'm not adding anything new to the conversation but . cannot stand reading unnuanced takes about Anders and his act 3 decision-making where it's clear that the op didn't consider the fact that 1. it's been nearly if not actually seven years of anders working with the mage underground and watching the templars under Meredith and the Chantry turn mages tranquil illegally with zero recompense or accountability, 2. he has been tortured by the templars (and I'm p sure it's implied he was sexually assaulted as well, or at least harassed) since he was a child and sent to the circle, 3. this isn't a random evil plan by someone who hates the church it's someone who, by nature of their birth, was oppressed for years without ever risinf up (and has to watch others be oppressed, murdered, and stripped of their rights), 4. the fact that in thedas mages are basically treated as nothing other than property even in the circle and with the constant sword of Damocles that is the right of annulment hanging over their head, 5. *anders fully knew that this was unforgivable and expected to be killed in the outcome and was willing to accept that fact without question* he treated this as a suicide mission and knew the consequences but viewed it as important enough that a statement needed to be made

[thesherrinfordfacility]

it's all well and good to have discourse regarding generalised theories and meta and such like, it's cool to discuss and (politely) debate stuff; maybe you can change other fans' minds by sharing your perspective/analysis, or maybe they can change yours.

what's not cool though? screenshotting actual posts (that can easily be found on a straightforward google boolean search, or hell - usually just by typing the contents into tumblr itself) of takes you don't agree with and subjecting them to focused ridicule. those are someone's thoughts and feelings. that is someone's time, their effort, and their dedication.

what's not cool is vagueing about people's posts in such a way that it is obvious that your post is about them, about that particular post, and not just the theory/theme in general. this fandom is huge but it's also incredibly small sometimes - we're all so often of the same mind that art and fic and meta pass through us like shockwaves. what im saying is that the person that that post is about? they'll probably see it. don't be bullies. a good portion of us have had enough of bullies to last us a lifetime, and it's not needed here.

reblog a post and disagree courteously, patiently, and with compassion, or make a separate post "ive seen discussion on this theme/thought, and whilst it was interesting, i personally don't agree and here's why...". send a polite ask to the op perhaps asking them to clarify some things, because you don't agree but at least want to understand and discuss, if they'd be amenable.

if the bad takes are becoming too much, or are upsetting you, or the person is doubling down despite polite debate and it's pissing you off? that's absolutely valid and you're allowed to feel like that - and if you don't want, or can't, address it politely, and it's too much... block them. block them so you don't have to keep seeing it. rant about it in the DMs to someone you trust if you really need to, but don't publicly make people - on what is (to my mind) the mostly inclusive and open-minded platform - feel like shit because they see media different than you.

don't make people feel like they're absolute scum just because you disagree. don't make them feel stupid, or close-minded. dont stick labels on them that they will likely internalise and make them feel like the worst human being to walk the earth. it's humiliating, it's alienating, and it's going make some people fear having any interest in something they used to enjoy, and that once brought them joy when they needed it most. you personally may not be bothered, but others might - have some respect for them.

god knows im not perfect and ive done it myself, im not pretending otherwise bc sometimes i catch myself being unkind, or feeding into this culture of "different thought = wrong thought", but by god im trying to do better. don't be like me, please please please just be fucking kind

[imakemywings]

I am on the feanorians side of the silmaril debate and do see Dior and elwing as thieves. And I hope you dont see this as an attack i just want to explain my reasoning for the way i see it. But to me at least the stealing of the ships is an entirely seperate thing that happened, I know it happened because the silmarils got stolen in the first place. But it has nothing to do with the Dior and elwing part of the silmaril story. And thats why I dont bring up the stealing of the ships when talking about this

And I feel like Dior and elwing are thieves because they have the feanorians most treasured family heirloom and are refusing to give it back to them. And I think calling them thieves isnt exactly right because they didnt steal it from the feanorians and luthien and beren didnt either but it is wrong of them to not give it back. And the feanorians did first write letters asking to be given the silmaril back. The feanorians were wrong in kinslaying to try and get it back, but I do understand how they got to the conclusion to do so. They swore an oath to get it back and if they dont they will be in purgatory forever, so they really do have this need of getting it back even without considering the fact that its rightfully theirs to begin with.

As for for Dior and elwings part in this, I have more understanding for Dior than elwing. Dior is a new king and not well known to his people. And the silmaril to him represent a great deed done by his parents and their love for each other and I wouldnt be suprised if the silmaril was starting to become as important to Dior and his people as it was to the feanorians. So him not giving it away makes sense it has personal importance to him and giving it away could mark him as a weak king which is not something he needs. And it is also the fact that we dont know how much he knows about the feanorians oath and what it means he may know nothing at all about it.

Elwing on the other hand is completely different, I do not understand why she does the things she does at all. I will just be discussing the lead up to the kinslaying and not what happens during it, because I have read posts saying that her mental health may have crumbled during it and I do concede they have a point. But that doesnt explain any of the lead up to it. The feanorians ask for the silmaril and she tells them no and its like doesnt she realize that just like last time this can lead to a kinslaying, like does the thought even enter her mind and I dont understand how she could not see it as the likely outcome bu then she doesnt prepare for the eventuality at all. Its so puzzling to me, shes the leader and responible for the safety of everyone there but she doesnt seem to care about it. She doesnt even send her sons to cirdan were they would be safe from the feanorians. For elwing this has all happened before and she does nothing to change what will happen and it doesnt make sense.

So yea im on the feanorians side in this because the silmaril is rightfully theirs and while they did bad bad things to get them back i understand where they are coming from. Something i dont understand with elwing.

Hey anon, I definitely don't see this as an attack; I do appreciate your reasonable tone here.

If you're interested in other more detailed explorations of Elwing and her motivations, definitely check out my Elwing meta tag, because others on on tumblr have done some great work there.

The point I think the other anon was making about the swan ships is that fans can be very quick to condemn Luthien and her descendants as "thieves" of the Silmarils, but say nothing about the Feanorians' theft of the swan ships. No, the events aren't related, but one is a much clearer-cut case of theft than the other, yet it's the one that's swept under the rug to attack those who stand in opposition to the sons of Feanor (SoF). But you're right, it's not relevant to discussing Dior and Elwing in relation to the SoF.

Luthien and Beren, at great personal risk, obtained a Silmaril from Morgoth. I think it's relevant to note that at this point, the SoF appeared to have no problem with Luthien having possession of the Silmaril. In fact, Maedhros takes heart from their success and by it is inspired to begin his efforts which culminate in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad.

First, let's recall Luthien's history with the Feanorians at the point that she and Beren depart Doriath after Beren is restored to life:

Luthien is aware of the Kinslaying at Alqualonde and the theft of the swan ships, actions of shocking violence by Elves against Elves, and the Noldor's part in trying to conceal it from her parents.

Celegorm and Curufin feign friendship with her when she encounters them on her quest to rescue Beren, only to then trap her in Nargothrond. Celegorm plans to wed her against her will, which strongly implies he also means to rape her, in order to force Thingol to open the Girdle to the Feanorians.

Celegorm and Curufin overthrew Finrod's chosen successor, Orodreth, and the Arafinweans had been friends of Doriath. She may or may not be aware that Celegorm used the oath to threaten the residents of Nargothrond, implicitly threatening violence against them.

After Luthien has escaped and rescued Beren from Sauron, she encounters Celegorm and Curufin again. Curufin attempts to kidnap her, and Celegorm then attempts to kill Beren when he leaps to her defense.

Celegorm openly makes threats against Thingol and Doriath.

So at this point, you can perhaps see why Luthien does not feel a lot of need to play nice with the SoF. From her perspective, they're pretty scummy people who are more than willing to commit violent acts against other Elves. At no point does Maedhros reprimand or punish Celegorm or Curufin for their actions, which as the leader of the Feanorians, suggests he doesn't think what they did was wrong. Why should she cooperate with them? They didn't risk their lives to obtain one of their Silmarils. If the Silmarils were as important to them as they claim, why haven't they tried harder? She and Beren, with far fewer resources, managed to do it.

Additionally, the Feanorians do not make any effort to reclaim the Silmaril from Luthien during her life. Possibly because she took down Morgoth (briefly).

"For while Luthien wore the Necklace of the Dwarves no Elf would dare to assail her..." (Of the Ruin of Doriath)

So she dies and the Silmaril goes to Dior, her son.

To Dior, the Feanorians are the unquestioned villains of his parents' story. These are people who openly threatened his grandfather's kingdom, who tried to force his mother into marriage and imprisoned her, who tried to kill his father. Sure, you can argue that they have an ancestral claim on the Silmaril--but cannot Dior also make that argument at this point? And what motivation does he have to cooperate with them? They do nothing to win his friendship, as they have done nothing to win the friendship of Doriath throughout their time in Beleriand. If Maedhros is such a formidable diplomat, why can he not come to terms with Dior?

"They [the Feanorians] came at unawares in the middle of winter, and fought with Dior in the Thousand Caves..." (Of the Ruin of Doriath, emphasis added)

Furthermore, to your point, Dior is a young king--and a mortal among Elves. Doriath is also recovering from the war with Nogrod; they are already in a vulnerable position, and with Melian gone, the Girdle is down, so they are far more exposed than they are accustomed to being and having to adjust to that.

So Dior does not relinquish the Silmaril, and rather than pursue the two held by Morgoth, the Feanorians assault Doriath, kill many Elves, throw at least two children out into the woods to die of exposure, and still fail to capture the Silmaril.

So Dior dies and the Silmaril goes to Elwing, his daughter.

Consider what the Feanorians represent to Elwing at this point.

These are Elves who have shown themselves to be unrepentant killers. We as the fans love to focus on the tormented regret of the Feanorians, but to their victims, they are simply killers. They committed slaughter in the Blessed Realm, for which they were exiled by the Valar, and for which they have expressed such regrets--except that they've gone and done the same thing here in Beleriand. They have threatened forced marriage, they have killed children, they have driven the Iathrim from their home and made them refugees. To Elwing personally, they are the murderers of her parents and the ones who dragged her brothers into the woods as children and left them to die.

What, precisely, might motivate Elwing to cooperate with them? So the Silmaril "belongs" to them--so what? They have tormented Luthien's line for generations now--the Feanorians ARE the Morgoth of Elwing's story. And she should give into them why? The Ring belongs to Sauron--should Frodo hand it over because it's his property?

Maedhros, who has apparently lost all diplomatic veneer, does nothing to show good faith or a desire to cooperate with Elwing. Instead, he writes with his demands, as he did with Dior.

The one thing--the ONE thing--that might make Elwing cooperate is, to me, solely to avoid another slaughter as happened in Doriath, as you mentioned. So in this vein, why doesn't Elwing surrender the Silmaril just to avoid trouble, even if she hates and distrusts the Feanorians? There are two things which are absolutely key to understanding this decision.

1.Elwing does not make the decision alone. Critics of Elwing often act as though she made a unilateral decision to withhold the Silmaril from the Feanorians--which is not the case. In fact, Tolkien writes that "Elwing and the people of Sirion" refused to yield the jewel under threat.

This is not an unusual response. Most people do not respond well to being threatened, and may refuse out of spite. Furthermore, these are people who were made refugees by the same people now making demands of them.

But more importantly, Elwing did not alone choose to keep the Silmaril. She and whatever Sirionites aided her in governing decided together that they would not give in to the Feanorians.

2. The second is that the Sirionites believed the Silmaril was protecting Earendil and the Havens. Remember that at this time, Earendil is seeking for Aman, to obtain the help of the Valar in defeating Morgoth. So not only is he the lord of the Havens at Sirion, but he is on a quest which is, to them, of critical importance. They need him to stay safe so that he can complete his mission and hopefully win Beleriand's rescue.

And to your point about Dior above--this Silmaril is effectively a family heirloom to Elwing as well.

The Sirionites are particularly loath to part with the Silmaril while Earendil is at sea--which makes sense, as he is a ruling lord of this city, and they believe his protection is somewhat dependent on their possession of the Silmaril.

But the Feanorians don't wait for Earendil to return to negotiate--they lay siege to the Havens at Sirion while Earendil is still away ("For the sons of Feanor that yet lived came down suddenly upon the exiles of Gondolin, and the remnant of Doriath" Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath, emphasis added) and render the Iathrim virtually extinct as a people. Once again, they come down "suddenly" on another group of Elves and destroy them.

What the Feanorians do in the Havens at Sirion is so awful ("the cruelest of the slayings of Elf by Elf") that their own troops stand aside or even turn against them during the fight in an effort to defend the Sirionites; the Feanorians kill them too.

This, to me, tells us how far the Feanorians are from attempting any real diplomatic work here. They are not even considering the Silmarils that Morgoth still has; they have utterly failed to reach Elwing in a diplomatic or cooperative manner; they refuse to even wait until Earendil has returned so that he and Elwing can make a decision together, as joint rulers of this city.

Why doesn't Elwing fortify the Havens? We have no evidence that she doesn't. Only that it wasn't enough to stop the Feanorians. Why doesn't she send Elrond and Elros away? That poses its own risks--and she may believe they are safest there, as the Sirionites believe the Silmaril is protecting the Havens. It may be incorrect, but it is something they believe and they operate under that belief.

But even if you think she didn't do things she should have--does that justify the actions of the Feanorians? It's fine for them to murder because their victims didn't do enough to prevent them from murdering? You took our object so we can kill you for it now?

Putting all that aside for now, I want to jump over to the oath, because you mentioned something interesting about it:

They swore an oath to get it back and if they dont they will be in purgatory forever

Purgatory and hell do not exist in Ea. What exactly the Feanorians think their "punishment" for breaking the oath will be is unclear, whether it's just death without the chance for rebirth (as is the case with Feanor, and seems to be the most extreme punishment the Valar can or will enact), or something more. Clearly they put a lot of stock in it--but they also are not totally beyond the notion of breaking it. Maglor himself suggests after the Third Kinslaying that they should abandon the quest and plead their repentance to the Valar, but Maedhros refuses.

Maedhros seems to still believe they may suffer some punishment for breaking it--that Eru might actually hold them to the oath they swore. But Maglor counters with the notion the oath can be voided:

"Yet Maglor held back, saying: 'If Manwe and Varda themselves deny the fulfillment of an oath to which we named them in witness, is it not made void?'" (Of the Voyage of Earendil)

And of course, why would Manwe and Varda hold them to an oath which has caused so much strife, and which promises to cause more? Why should they desire the Feanorians to be held to an oath which causes them to murder and destroy other Elves? Maedhros refuses, still believing, or at least asserting, that some punishment by Eru awaits if they break the oath. Maglor somewhat grimly points out that given what they've done, punishment is their due one way or other other:

"'If none can release us,' said Maglor, 'then indeed the Everlasting Darkness shall be our lot, whether we keep the oath or break it; but less evil shall we do in the breaking.'" (Of the Voyage of Earendil)

Maglor acknowledges that they have done evil in pursuit of the oath and that they will continue to do evil if they do not choose to set it aside. Furthermore, that if they cannot be excused from the oath, they're likely to experience punishment either for breaking it or for the things they do in pursuit of it, so it's all the same in the end anyway. Yet Maedhros and Maglor instead make a free and conscious decision to continue their pursuit of the Silmarils.

They are a) well aware that they have done horrible, awful things trying to fulfill this oath; and b) aware that breaking it is an option. They choose not to. They have chosen not to this entire story.

And truthfully, even if they would be condemned to purgatory or whatever, it doesn't justify what they do. They chose to swear this oath, they have chosen to pursue it, and if they are willing to slaughter whomever they need to to protect themselves from the consequences of their own oaths, that still makes them selfish, wretched people who are willing to sacrifice anyone else to make sure they themselves stay safe.

Even if they were able to obtain the one Silmaril from Elwing, the oath is not fulfilled. Morgoth still has two. Everything they did to Doriath and the Havens at Sirion is worthless without the other two Silmarils, but they did it anyway; and even after the chaos wrought by their actions there, go ahead and slay Eonwe's guard after the War of Wrath to steal the Silmarils everyone else had rescued from Morgoth.

The Feanorians have done so much wrong that the Silmarils themselves reject them by the end. I don't know how else the narrative could make it clearer they are in the wrong. Tolkien implies that the oath was wicked from the very start, and always bound to lead the Feanorians into wrongful acts.

Lastly, I will point over at this meta I wrote a few months back about how if the Feanorians had obtained the Silmaril from Elwing, it would likely have doomed Middle-earth to Morgoth's rule.

In any case, I don't think anyone who escalates a situation to murder is ever in the right, and certainly not over something like property rights. If you can sympathize with the Feanorians about their perspective, you should be able to consider what the Feanorians are to the perspective of Luthien's line--and why they are not keen to work together with the Feanorians or give them what they want.

Not sure if you found any of this convincing, but I hope it's something to consider at least!

[seriousbrat]

im asking this because you made a james one but can you make a jily meta if you have time🙈🙈

Anon I'm sorry for the delay in replying, I was thinking it through!! But it's nice to have something positive to talk about haha.

The loves of my life tbh. I really really like jily even though I think my snapeishness means I'm not as involved in mainstream jily fandom. I mean enemies to lovers always has its appeal and to me james and lily are a realistic, imperfect- but all the more compelling for it- appealing dynamic.

Obviously we don't get to see a lot of their actual relationship in canon, but I think that's why it's so fun to fill in the blanks. Personally I think it's pretty normal that they were drawn to each other and ended up in a relationship from what we know- they're both pretty big personalities, intelligent and charming and brave, they have similar goals and beliefs about the world, there was attraction early on (obviously in james's case, more or less confirmed by jkr in lily's- and b4 anyone starts in on lily for being attracted to him that's not something one can control, and she probs wasn't aware anyway).

Lily basically hated his guts, with good reason, so to go from that to dating there had to be a pretty big shift in both james and in their relationship (and likely lily too, or that's my belief). Honestly what I think is that in their final years at Hogwarts, the encroaching war brought on this new seriousness, and as lines were more clearly drawn in the sand it became obvious that lily and the marauders were on the same side of it. Things like sports, popularity, rivalries cease to matter in the face of a life-or-death conflict, you're forced to grow up and deal with it, and while for Severus this brought out the worst in him, for James it brought out the best.

People talk about James changing but I think a post SWM-lily was also changing. She set a very clear boundary with Sev and I think that was an important character development moment for her. Again, the war was on the horizon, their priorities were becoming clear, and I see Lily as becoming more sure of herself and her beliefs, less tolerant of bullshit from those around her. James was becoming more circumspect, more open-minded, more responsible, so when lily and the marauders were thrown together in natural alliance the two of them were just at a point where they were compatible.

I don't think their relationship was perfect and idyllic and all that, that would be less interesting anyway. It was probably hard sometimes. One thing I love when fics explore is the class differences between James and Lily; not only is he pureblood while she's muggleborn, but he comes from wealth where she comes from a humble little working-class family in the mids. There was probably a lot of stuff James didn't understand about her life; I feel like he probably tried his best anyway. Lily probably felt intimidated or defensive about her own background at times.

I don't doubt that they argued; in fact they got off on it probably enjoyed arguing with each other, given their personalities. Both of them were intelligent, opinionated, had an arguing kink, fiery people. Like I don't think it was this exaggerated screaming match sort of thing but I'm sure they loved a healthy spirited debate which maybe got a little out of hand sometimes.

I have touched on this previously but I see James as deep down pretty insecure (who isnt in this world apart from sirius black) and I think initially he was probably pretty insecure about Lily too. I do see him regretting his previous behaviour and thinking he isn't good enough for her and that he's incredibly lucky to be with her. which is true and he should suffer. but I have an upcoming scene (lily's first time at the potters') where james is like "i feel like i'm not good enough for you" and lily's like "shut up i'm the one who's not good enough for you" and they're like "great. i guess we're not good enough for each other. sorted i guess." My point being James actively tried to be a better man, Lily saw that and admired it. because she's good and wonderful like that.

Idk I guess I see it kind of as a realistic, flawed, but ultimately loving relationship. I'm sure there was a lot of stuff they had to work on over the few years they got :( but I'm also sure they had a lot of fun together because to me they just seem really compatible in so many ways as humans.

My belief is that they got married quickly because of the war (I also believe this about frank and alice, even though i see them as older) but it's likely they would have ended up married anyway, or at least in a long term, healthy, happy relationship.

Also the pottermore entry about Vernon and Petunia is my absolute fave for many reasons (love the vertunia of it all ofc) but also the little snippet about jily is golden. The double date between vertunia and jily is perhaps one of my favourite scenes I've ever written haha it's just such a good moment, basically the only canon info we do get about while they were dating.

[snopiah]

ooooooooooo i think it was completely logical for q!Baghera to bring up q!Forever’s past mistakes even though it hurt q!Forever and even if he regretted it, especially during this political climate. Even if it was from the past, it’s necessary to talk about.

This is an election hosted and monitored by the federation. Correct me if im wrong, but i think the debate questions will be picked by The Federation from the viewers (it’s a bit meta including the viewers, which definitely makes me think that we’re getting Truman Showed here but that’s a theory for another post). The Fed could very easily pick questions that have to do with the candidates’ pasts.

AND it’s important to remember that The Federation is always watching the members of the island. Nothing can truly be hidden, so they definitely know about what happened with q!Foolish, q!Forever, and Leo.

Who’s to say that what q!Forever did will not ever be brought up? Especially if they’re debating within the turf of The Federation.

The Federation can strategically pick questions that will hit each candidate the most and I think in order to be one step ahead of them, the members of the island must be prepared for even the most unlikely and hurtful questions.

Forever, Baghera and Bad all must have confident answers for such questions in order to shut it down immediately.

[acircusfullofdemons]

🗡🏆 HUNGER GAMES SIMULATOR 🏆🗡

INTRO

Because of the posts by @maddgical-boy [link] & @nevermore-grimes [link], I will now be subjecting my paras to the Horrors. I have a lloottttt of paras, so to make this simply I used a random number generator to select the new victims tributes.

I will also be adding commentary on how accurate this would be to my paras. Because I can’t have fun without criticizing their every decision, despite forcing them to make those decisions in the first place. Bullying my paras is a full time job and brother, I just clocked in >:3

TRIBUTES

District 1: Edward Nixon [Mad as a Crow: Missing Piece of the Puzzle], Lucy Fisher [Phantasmagoria: DreamSet Circus]

District 2: Loyd Nixon [Mad as a Crow: Missing Piece of the Puzzle], Benjamin Graves [Mad as a Crow]

District 3: Marzipan Velveteen [Fractured Fables: Illusions of Life], Neil O’Brian [Mad as a Crow: A Plague of Octopuses]

District 4: Beelzebub Honeyblood [Phantasmagoria: Crossfire], Reign Blanc [Fractured Fables: Illusions of Life]

District 5: Phineas Glazier [Fractured Fables: Illusions of Life], Luciana Potenza [Phantasmagoria]

District 6: Phoebe Sparks [Phantasmagoria: ElectroGear Software], Prism Raymond [Phantasmagoria: DreamSet Circus]

District 7: Thackery Velveteen [Phantasmagoria: Illusions of Life], Rosemary Velveteen [Fractured Fables: She Trusts me, He Loves Me Not]

District 8: Victor West [Mad as a Crow], CaterpillarOS [Fractured Fables: Illusions of Life]

District 9: Mary Crowley [Mad as a Crow], Ketrill Hyde [Phantasmagoria: As the World Falls Down]

District 10: Khole Banner [Mad as a Crow: Assembled Monsters], Alex Grimm [Fractured Fables]

District 11: Stacy Collins [Mad as a Crow], Orion Guerrero [Mad as a Crow]

District 12: Vincent Hyde [Phantasmagoria], Lucien Jekyll [Phantasmagoria]

BLOODBATH

Yknow what i just realized. CaterpillarOS is, uh, a giant robot caterpillar. Khole is a weird mix of species but yeah there’s no way he’d win that fight. 

Aint no fucking way Neil would loose to a blind girl. She has the power of accuracy but is smaller and younger than Neil. He’d rip her to shreds!!

HOW DID PHINEAS SET KETRILL ON FIRE LMAO

DAY 01

I like to think she read him, ironically, one of the brother’s grimms books. It’d be so funny for various reasons. 

NNOOO MARY 😭 say goodbye to our only licensed nurse everyone…

uuuuhhh something something phineas in the wrong paracosm. insert joke about d//c or para!jervis here.

Interesting team up! No idea why Eddie would work with Loyd since that’s his father and they hate each other. Same with Stacy, she hates Eddie bc that’s her dad. I fully believe Prism and Lucy are being held captive here, folks.

Accurate !!! sorry rosemary BUT ALSO. WOW. I CANNOT OVERSTATE HOW ACCURATE THIS IS OH MY GOD??? GIRL HOW DID YOU LIVE OUT YOUR TALE ALL THE WAY OUT HERE IM SCREAMING. also wow accurate for Neil too. Killing another innocent child, I see. At least this one’s intentional!

Our fallen tributes are: CaterpillarOS, Ketrill Hyde, Mary Crowley, Rosemary Glazier.

NIGHT 01

Bee! Don’t kill the bunny!! But fair lol

Debating on if Neil would keep a victim alive. I think for a little bit, for the psychological torment. He always liked to play with his food. 

That is a VERY tense truce lmao, Stacy hates basically everyone Eddie is associated with, which includes the Crowley Family bc ooo boy, that family is a Certified Mess.

Luce 🤝 Phineas: ripped away from their home at a young age thanks to a random dimension portal. Not the same case here but wow I never noticed that. 

DAY 02

Nothing interesting to note.

Our fallen tributes are: Marzipan Velveteen, Phineas Glazier

NIGHT 02

Khole winning is just…perfect. All 3 have to do with experimentation (Khole & Neil are from the same lab/facility/organization, actually!) but Khole was made first, both in a story context and meta context. So. yeah. Older Sibling Rights.

TWIN TEAM UP HELL YEAH!!!!

Either Orion or Eddie is winning those ghost stories bc Orion knew Aurelia, and she worshiped the god of fear, while Eddie knows Jonathan, Aurelia’s descendant and uses fear in his villain schemes. Then again, Bee is literally a demon, so….

YAY STACY!!! sorry loyd just…sucks lmao fuck outta here

DAY 03

Nothing interesting to note.

ARENA EVENT

Our fallen tributes are: Victor West, Neil O’Brian, Loyd Nixon, Reign Blanc, Orion Guerrero, Luciana Potenza, Khole Banner, Vincent Hyde, Thackery Velveteen. Only 9 people left!

Nothing of interest to note for NIGHT 03.

THE FEAST happens, aka The Cornucopia is refilled.

Nothing interesting to note for DAY 04 & NIGHT 04.

Our fallen tributes are: Benjamin Graves, Lucien Jekyll.

Nothing interesting to note for DAY 05 & NIGHT 05.

DAY 06: Eddie dies by accidentally drinking his own poison. Get wrecked, idiot.

NIGHT 06: Prism bashes Alex’s head in. Get his ass!!

Nothing interesting to note for DAY 07, NIGHT 07, & DAY 08.

NIGHT 08: Stacy poisons Prism. Lucy dies from thirst.

Stacy wins!! Wow. Fucking lame as shit I don’t even like her. Wish she stayed wherever the fuck she was before moving to Prism Pulse. Whatever! Realistically speaking she would’ve been killed way back at that random family reunion thing. Yes, by Eddie. he would’ve killed his own daughter. what of it.

[prinzundrabe]

Announcement!

It's ya girl @yurious-george! It's been several years since I made this blog, and since I dropped it. Now after a conversation with @goldkrone-struggle-tweets, I realized how much of a gap there is between the new tumblr tutu fans and the older ones, and considering how much general knowledge surrounding princess tutu I have, reviving this blog seemed apt!

Some things of import:

I originally made this blog when I was 14 and more than a little unwell; if you read something that seems unhinged, dont worry abt it. just ignore it

on that note this blog needs a decent amount of gussying up. you're welcome to poke around but until im up & running smoothly, kindly do not debate old posts. so same as above

I'm going to be focusing more on research rather than meta within princess tutu. so fewer headcanon posts

askbox is open, and you're welcome to ask me anything! I have a lot of general knowledge surrounding princess tutu and related fairy tales, ballet, & operas; if you want to know what music plays in an episode, inspiration behind characters and episode plots, or want me to elaborate on a line of research you've reached a dead end on; hmu!

I'll even archive older fandom posts & lore, like livejournal posts & anniversary events.

tagging my friends, mutuals, and ppl who i've seen around who might be interested in princess tutu meta or have done research in the past: @an-aura-about-you @goldkrone-struggle-tweets @fate-defiant @lesbianfakir @theoandmoon

Now, I must study for my midterms. More to come when I inevitably get distracted.

[seesgood]

below the cut is spicy humor, if you are not in the proper place for spicy humor, don’t click below the cut. okay? okay. 

my favorite things about rpc drama:

everyone using people’s first names as if we’re all just immediately supposed to know who a person is by their first name. 

bonus points if the drama is bad enough that the name now becomes Legendary, i always pity those who want to use their name / alias but it’s one of “The Bad Ones” 

it’s very much giving lunchroom gossip

bonus points because the person involved in the drama always changes their alias so then you get “this is a warning about name / other name / other other name / other other other name” 

the dash response always being vague posts about drama but no one ever actually posts what the drama is, you have to go through the black market network and hope someone offers to message you privately and fill you in and then you are now charged with spreading that knowledge to who you deem worthy 

the ‘vague mention of drama’ > ‘omg im so glad that my dash is so nice i only ever get the reaction posts and not the drama’ posts > thought out really well written meta about The Drama and what it speaks to on a broader / more philosophical level’

rehashing the ‘filter your own content’ vs ‘actually some content IS bad’ debate for the trillionth time 

hours later the “wait omg what happened?!” or “i left for like three hours and it all goes to shit?!” posts arrive 

the references to the ‘walking into a burning room carrying pizzas’ gif 

the fact that at this point we all know that every person not involved with The Drama is gossiping about the drama, because we all secretly like the drama but you can’t outright say that you like the drama ya know bc then that’s bad 

it always being That One Fandom but the fandom always changes with the times so you’re never sure which fandom it’ll be next until it becomes That Fandom 

your dash being just entirely vague posts about the drama but then there’s always 1-2 people who are posting regular headcanons / metas about their character and it’s very much giving ‘the band played on as the titanic sank’ vibes 

call out post google docs that are over 30 pages. why? just why. your target audience will already have made up their mind in the first two seconds of your spiel, the majority of people are just reading it bc they want the Hot Goss

[davekat-sucks]

ive been following along and lurking on your blog on and off cause i was interested in getting back into homestuck but after seeing how everyone behaves it doesnt seem like a right fit for me i was the anon that asked about making art. everyone seems ready for a fight about nothing i dont like any of what i see so im just going to move on but it sucks this all sucks... i was worried because i love the beta kids but i only see john and john so i thought id be harassed for never drawing june it looks like the whole fandom is just infighting all the time

I want to say you can still draw and post and ignore others. If they ask about why you never tagged as June or anything like that, just politely tell them if you have to. But if you are uncomfortable, I understand. There tend to be lots of in-fighting within fandoms, but Homestuck is in a weird special case because of the meta levels the series touches upon. Canon, "Official" Canon, Dubious Canon... things like that makes lots of debate whether to take it seriously or not. And even if supplementary material shouldn't be taken into account, other people within take it like it is official despite that they aren't (see Pesterquest).

[densitywell]

just want to say im glad for another person on this hellsite who is able to see the nuance of the godhood situation. it's VERY interesting how no one really sees ashtons anger at the pantheon as an issue, beyond some of tumblr, at this point. and while im glad it's secluded to here, it's deeply annoying at this point to act like their belief at this point is ashton' biggest problem. and it's honestly actively harmful to analysis at this point for anyone (many big accounts, especially) to suggest that there arent valid reasons for folk giving their *entire lives* to an anti predathos cause to be cautious when they've often been burned or slighted by the pantheon or its institutions (still reeling from folk calling frida evil for their measured disdain at the gods as if they werent from AEOR.)

oh god the takes on deanna and frida that first week. their perspectives were SO fascinating and complex and layered and a little confused in a very very real way, and so much of the posting about it was just begging for a PC that loved the gods uncritically or assuming they must be secret ruby vanguard spies because they didn't. aabria iyengar's incredible brain is wasted on some of you!!!

and yeah there's this very persistent idea that the, "what have the gods done for me" question, or similarly personal reasons for ambivalence or antipathy towards them, is selfish and wrong. which, given that these things are being said in response to "something is trying to kill the gods and we are risking literally everything to save them", is insane, but i also think it's not really fair under normal circumstances either? given how deeply individualized a relationship with one of the gods can be in exandria, and the fact that they clearly play favorites with mortals, and pick and choose whose calls to answer, and can literally grant whoever they want the power not just to bring people back to life but also murder them a bunch, it actually feels extremely reasonable to think they suck. they're unaccountable (to you) arbiters of an unfair system!!

but somehow the fact that the gods are flawed gets used to shield them from criticism; it's a reminder that they're just like people, which means that they should be forgiven and understood like people, and saved like people. they can't do everything, they're just trying their best, they have their own feelings. and because they're like people, they deserve to maintain the massive amounts of power they hold over all other people and should be revered and respected and not have their actions questioned, i guess?

it really is a shame, because it feels like there is so much fascinating discussion and meta that could be had on this topic if people weren't so intent on defending the gods no matter what, often twisting the narrative being presented to do so, and casting characters as objective and reasonable or selfish and irrational based on where their opinions lie (see liam repeatedly saying orym's opinion on the gods debate is deeply biased on 4sd, only for fans to continue to treat him as the measured voice of reason.) instead we're stuck with, "laudna shouldn't hate the gods because of her previous treatment by clerics (it was her fault anyways for being scary and dead), but she should support the gods because a cleric brought her back to unlife." sad!

[gothamghostwhispers]

Hello ooc introduction! Last updated 5/31/24

I’m Coolcat101s (that’s where I follow from) I’ve been rping on and off for over a decade now, but this is my first time rping in the dc community. My response speed and length varies but I’m online often. I’m primarily a mobile user.

Much like dc canon the ‘canonical’ (for lack of a better word) nature of any given story line is decided by vibes especially since this is a crossover friendly blog I figure this approach will help make things mesh best so if I ever have plot holes or contradict myself maybe that was a different continuity

Along that thought line while there are plots happening and time passing, because rping takes time I won’t say there’s like a set matching timeframe if that makes sense? comic time logic you know? Sometimes a day takes 3 panels and sometimes it’s 3 issues.

It can take people a while to reply I get that ^^”

Posts are in character unless otherwise specified, but some posts are meant to be things that happen in the “real world” the stylistic chooses should make these posts obvious but I like to practice writing with my ocs so expect those sometimes

-

I am okay with shipping/flirting with Artem I think it’s fun ^^ but be aware that they are pretty oblivious to many things

I’m okay with violence in rp but I’d like a conversation before we do anything that would need a content warning

Same with more suggestive content, conversions first, probably using a red/yellow/green check in system in the tags

Minors can interact but be mindful! Muse and mun are the same age (You should really be mindful anytime youre in a mixed age group but that is sometimes forgotten by many in online spaces) I tend to keep things pg 13 and anything not would be tagged as ‘suggestive’. Any minors caught interacting with anything tagged as suggestive will get one warning in case they didn’t read this post but after that you will be blocked if it happens again

Im crossover friendly but only for content that I know if I don’t know it Artem will act confused and will wrap it up to multidimensional shenanigans causing worlds to temporarily touch or whatnot. ( known crossovers that I’m chill with: Danny Phantom, Miraculous Ladybug I’ll add more as I come across them I guess)

Artem was a self insert at one point but they became their own thing after rotating them in different scenarios so now they’re their own oc

Ongoing arc(s):

Power suppression arc (hiatus kinda, abduction interrupted so might be done)

Magic experiments

Completed arc: abduction arc

Bread boy arc

-4’11 blue eyes, hair is naturally brown but they keep it blue

-birthday June 11th (whatever year makes their age match mine in whatever continuity also their chart isn’t mathematically possible but it’s what makes sense for them)

-they’re agender and pan/demisexual, also polyamorous in theory but single in practice

They have a boyfriend ( @bugboi-of-gotham )

-currently has 3 children legally but in the process of adopting more

-went to college on a full Wayne scholarship, they have a bachelors in English with a minor in folklore

-job hops between restaurant and goon positions

-the first goon they ever worked for was calendar man when they were 17 and they currently work under riddler, penguin, scarecrow, and ivy

-they get robbed a lot because they have a resting smile and generally give the vibe of an easy mark when not hanging out with scary people (subsequently they hang out with scary people often)

-lives in a building owned by Red Hood but it’s debatable if they know that

Due to plot they are moving to the Manson family Manor that they inherited with their kids and bb

-Forcibly outed as a meta publicly during the abduction arc

Artem also has an easy time learning instruments and perfect pitch but they don’t equate those to a meta ability (it is linked to their power though)

-has a cat and an aloe plant

-soft spot for kids

-Artem is a witch but doesn’t have much time to study, does small spells though

-grew up going to an anti meta church/cult

-Joker killed their mom in front of them when they were 16, they aren’t really the killing type when at all possible so they don’t seek vengeance but they avoid him at all costs and will not work with him

Layout of the Manson Manor! (Manson being Artem’s mother Amara’s maiden name, if the Wayne’s are gothams royal family then think of the Manson family as like barons of gotham I guess? Rich in an old money way. Probably not well known by average people but press/other gotham elites might recognize the name. They’re like the 42nd richest family in gotham)

Protections listed in link bellow

Source: https://archivaldesigns.com/collections/mansion-house-plans/products/balmoral-castle-house-plan

[ilynpilled]

alright im not answering what u sent bc it contains a link so to the anon that sent me a short meta post thing and said i debunked it already and should reply. i do not want to sound mean here but lol first of all i am not gonna argue for u. second of all idc for debating with random ppl in fandom that i dont know in general. i like discussing with people/mutuals in dms. i rarely (more like never) argue with ppl on their posts. i talk about this character and his arc so far on here at length and have addressed those arguments already. i am not the type to engage directly with interpretations i disagree with, or even view as contradicted by the text, especially if i already talked about it and described my read of things in my own meta, independently of any wank, arguments, debates or whatever. i believe once i start doing that it will never stop, and id rather kms than have fandom feel like a chore. as long as they mind their business idrc what other ppl believe that much. like it wont affect the books themselves or my interpretation of them 😭. ill talk about wank vaguely and address general things max in my own posts. maybe years ago i wouldve engaged more in fandom debates or whatever but i see no point in going in circles atp. like u can repeat the same shit over and over again only so many times. maybe once winds comes out and we will actually have new things to discuss lmao. so yeah dont ask me or expect me to do this. especially when you are free to do it yourself