#i looked it up back when i first read it and apparently this happened historically

[probablyaseamonster]

Hi I’m rereading Sunwing by Kenneth Oppel and WTF?!

[ew-selfish-art]

DP x DC AU: Letters and Paper goods are easy to store, and therefore, easy to hide. Danny has drama to monger though.

Tim Drake becomes a ward of Bruce Wayne at the same time the Drake Corporation is crumbling, and his father's health is declining. Dana, his father's physical therapist turned new wife, isn't optimistic these days, and Tim can read the writing on the wall.

Times have changed and Bruce and Dick are treating him with kid gloves. Jason Todd is alive again, been there suffered that. Young Just-Us has proven yet again to be his true family... But Bruce 'welcomes' him home the second the fake uncle is sniffed out.

So, Tim rationalizes, If Drake Corp is going down, then so shall the reason he spent his childhood abandoned. The many, many archeology digs his parents left him for over the years and their many, many stolen historical pieces. Tim is ready and able to get rid of them all.

He first returns the artifacts that have obvious origins to the people with whom they belong. Then it starts to get a little hazy as to where each item stolen is from. The paper goods are the hardest to place.

Years later, Tim has almost completely emptied his parent's old home of their stolen goods. By now, he runs a fortune 500 company and is working as Red Robin. Going through the last of the archives means going through the very last objects his parents ever preferred over his company, and he can't wait to be rid of them.

A glowing green envelope however... this one he feels compelled to keep. He hadn't known it back when he started this project- but somehow his Parents had found objects drenched in the essence of the Lazarus Pits. And it wasn't just one letter, it was dozens and dozens.

Tim Drake knew it would be risky to move them, but he needed to get these letters to an ex-league member to understand what the language of the dead was trying to proclaim.

_____

Danny hates a fetch quest but apparently Ghost Writer is having a bad day. It starts with Danny running by the guys library to have a chat when all of a sudden, the question of certain... ghost relations... came up. Danny is always more than thrilled to hear about how the various ancient-as-in-old ghosts interacted with the Ancients-as-in-yikes ghosts.

Ghost Writer finally admitted to the monarch in training that if he wanted to know so badly, that he could track down Clockworks old letters. They'd been scattered well before Ghost Writer could properly work on the ghost archives (read: was still alive), and it wasn't until he'd long worked on the library that such affairs were noted as missing.

The potential for gossip was just too good! A call home to Sam, Tuck and Jazz to let them know he was on an adventure, and then Danny flew off with little more than some hints by GW and an annoyed nod of cryptic agreement by CW.

Danny goes about wondering Gotham as himself, not yet seeing the need to be Phantom, when he runs into the very guy he was looking for.

"Hey- you don't happen to have a shit ton of letters written in the language of the dead do you?" Danny smiles as innocently as possible as he watches all seven stages of grief play out on the guy's face. Then something changes and Danny can tell that this guy is like, scary competent.

"I do, however, I was double crossed and a shit ton of assassins are on their way to try and take them."

"Uh... Bummer for them I guess? I'll just take them and go- I don't even really need to keep them if you want em back-"

"Assassins. They won't exactly leave empty handed."

"Huh. Well... Wanna come with? These are supposed to have some pretty juicy drama in them." Danny awkwardly places a hand on the back of his neck.

A knife being thrown in their direction was enough to get this guy to make a decision.

"Let's go spill some tea then."

Danny grins as he pulls the guy through a rapidly drawn portal, ignoring the wide eyes he makes. Turns out his name is Tim, and walking him through afterlife drama is the best- how does he know so many dead assassins??? One of these letters is about a guy who took Tim's spleen??

[rey-129-fan]

Gotham-Amity Co-op AU Part 3

Part 1 | Previous | Next

“Hola beauties, and welcome back to Fashionable History, I’m Paulina,”

“And I’m Star, and on this channel, we teach you how to be at the height of fashion, no matter what time period you find yourself in.”

“Now for our long-time viewers who missed our community posts, you might be wondering about the change in location.  Well, we are moving up in the world.  That’s right, fam, we are officially-

“College girlies!” The two shouted into the camera.

“Ah, such a big step,” ‘Star’ sighed.

“Indeed it is.  And to celebrate, let us dress up like we’re going to meet the queen of fashion herself: Marie Antoinette!”

***

“So you would think it would be hard to demonstrate Amity Park’s weirdness while no longer living there, but you would be wrong,” a black man said into the camera while walking down a hallway, his glasses fallen ever so slightly down his nose.  There were voices in the background progressively getting louder.  “You see, Danny’s mentor popped by this morning, and apparently, he decided that the perfect way to tutor Danny and piss off his bosses at the same time was to allow a bunch of college kids to summon a historical figure of their choosing to discuss their area of expertise.  Once a week.

“Jazz got to go first.”

The black man stopped in a doorway.  Much clearer in the background was a woman’s even voice.  “And Jazz, being the future psychologist that she is, picked the most sex-obsessed man in history.”

The camera flipped to show a young red-head sitting across an older man with a white beard in a blue three piece suit.  In the background was a younger man, his blue eyes glazed over as he sat there sipping from his mug, his head of black hair bobbing as he fought to stay awake.  Really, it wouldn’t gather a second glance, except for the tiny detail that the older man’s skin was as green as a sunburnt person’s was red.

“-indeed homosexuality is not an illness, and in fact the only link between it and mental health has been observed to be caused by familial and community reactions.”

“That is good to hear.  Indeed, many people throughout history were homosexual, and a lot of them did not show any other signs of mental illnesses.”

“It is.  However, with the recent pushes for public acceptance of those not heterosexual, many have come forward with sexual orientations beyond just hetero and homosexuality, including those that are attracted to both men and women at the same time, as well as those who experience no sexual attraction or are completely repulsed by the idea of anything sexual.”

The camera flipped back to the first man.  “She is explaining how psychology has developed in the last 100 years without trying to rip apart Freud’s work.

“This isn’t even the first time something like this has happened.  Occasionally, we’d get guest speakers that would turn out to be some famous author or pioneer in their field.  It’s how our English teacher got his copy of the Tempest signed by the original author.  I think this might be the first one that won’t end in a raid by government idiots in white, though.

“So yeah, we occasionally get to talk to dead celebrities and don’t bat an eye at it.  Amity Park is very weird.”

***

“Danny!  You left your cups in the sink again!”

“How can you tell it’s mine?”

“They’re glowing green and you’re the only one that drinks ectoplasm!  Now take care of them before you bring the food to life again!”

“Fine…”

The camera pans over to a goth woman giving the camera a flat look.  On screen, there’s some text that reads: ‘When your boyfriend forgets to clean off his dishes after his mildly radioactive smoothies.’

***

“Urgh!” Just die you stupid, lazy skeleton!”

“How long is this attack going to be!”

“I don’t care, because when it’s finally my turn, I am going to stab the dust out of this depressed sack of bones!”

On screen was a couch, and on that couch sat 3 young adults, two women and one man.  One of the women was Valarie Gray, US National Taekwondo Silver Medalist, was jabbing her thumb down on the d-pad of her controller, lips pulled back in a snarl.  The other was Samantha Manson, more known for the TikTok channel Our Strange Lives.  The man was a muscular blond.  All three were focusing on the screen, their eyes emitting faint light and Valarie’s teeth seemed to be getting sharper.

Quietly a blond woman walked on screen, a backpack slung over her shoulder.  The woman was Star Strong from Fashionable History.

“You guys are still streaming?”

“This boss is stupid difficult and Manson and Gray are the only ones willing to play.”

“What happened to the guys?”

“Fowley, Wes, Singh all had work.  Fenton got to the first boss and then lost it because ‘Goat Mom just wanted to protect us’ before getting a call from his lil sis asking for help.  Kwan is working on a lab with a guy from his chem class, and Kyle passed out a couple hours ago.”

“Stop dodging!”

“Wanna play?”

“Can’t.  Going to the library to study for a calc exam I have coming up.  See you guys later.”

“Later.”

“FUC-”

***

“And so, with this polaroid image, we have evidence to prove that-”

“Hey, Wes, do you have something I can use for a collage?  Oh sweet, thanks bro!”

“What?  No!  Kyle!  Get back with that! That was the proof I was going to use to prove the existence of Yetis!”

“Oh damn.  This is some nice creature work!  Danny, your friend has an incredible costume, man!”

“Thanks, Kyle!  I’ll pass it on!”

***

Tim paused the video right as Wesley Weston stood to chase his older brother.

There.

The red-head’s eyes had a slight glow to them.  Tim clicked over to the other images he had gathered of the Amity Park teens, all with their eyes glowing or other signs of something inhuman.

Tim had been introduced to this group by Stephanie when she found a martial arts demonstration Gray did that involved breaking multiple boards, all several feet above her head.  Stephanie had meant it as a ‘check out his cool person doing what we’re doing,’ but Tim noticed something.  All the boards were being held by seemingly the same person- or at least people dressed very similarly.  And not in a way where they’re sitting on a ledge above Gray and are switching out the board each time she broke one.  More that there were multiple companies of the same white glove all holding a board and all floating several feet above where they should have been.  That was already a little weird, but it could’ve been some special effects or just a uniform.

No, what caught Tim’s attention was the quick glimpse of the face of one of the board holders.  It was youthful- late teens- but with paper white hair that showed no signs of bleaching.  Now these features would have been a thing to cement the mysterious person in Tim’s mind.  But it wasn’t that.

No, what got Tim to do some digging to find out about a previously unknown supposed hero from a small town that has been blacked-out by the US government, was his eyes.

His calm, glowing Lazarus green eyes.

***

So we finally get a taste for the shenanigans our liminals are up to. Sam, Tucker, and Danny all share a TikTok where they show off how weird the other two are and how weird their town is. Wes is trying to prove cryptids exist, which Kyle ruins. Dash has a gaming stream that most often Kwan joins in on, and Paulina and Star do dress history. Oh, and Valarie is a national taekwondo because karate has only been an event for one Olympic games, but taekwondo has been an event since 2000 and Val seems more like a kicker than a thrower. Plus, I actually took taekwondo when I was younger.

We do get another Bat showing up at the end. There is absolutely no plot, however, so who knows where this is going. Certainly not me!

I'm still looking for names (please, I need them). As for majors:

Jazz-Psych (obviously)

Kyle- Liberal Arts (I wanna put him in accounting, but Liberal Arts works for now)

Tuck- Comp Sci

Danny- Poly Sci, minor in Astronomy

Sam- Double Poly Sci and Environmental Science

Val- Criminal Justice

Dash- Undecided (both me and him)

Kwan- Pre-Med for now, though he wants to do Child Development/Education

Paulina- Fashion Marketing

Star- Sports Science

Mikey- Music

Wes- Journalism

[jazzy---j]

CC3... and just my problems with sjm as a whole.

Soooooo, yeah. that was a bit disappointing. I wanna start off that due to the problematic nature of SJM I wanna make it clear I no longer financially support her. When I first began reading her books I was in high school and didn't know much about whose books I was reading. Most of it was just pick up a book, read the summary, if I liked it I bought it. But now as an adult who is on booktok and all the other bullshit (it's a whole mess) I can see all of a book and author's pros and cons and be like, "nah, I'm not doing that." And you know as a black woman, I cannot just be and do what I want and damn whoever it may impact or the consequence. I don't get to live in that world. I feel like I have somewhat of a responsibility to not contribute to the harm that the world already does to marginalized people around the world. That's just me personally, black people are not a monolith and this way of thinking doesn't apply to all of us.

Anyway all that being said, I am a book reader who is invested in whatever story they are reading and want to know what happens. So I read CC3.., but was sailing the high seas while I did it if you know what I mean. And let me just say... yikes. The problematic things that SJM does in real life and all that those issues mean really do shine in this book. I mean I always knew white authors have different experiences than me so I don't expect something that caters to me when I read their books but, idk sjm makes all the problematic things just so apparent. And it's just generally hard to read. There can't be any separation between the art and the artist in this one guys. I'm a political science and history major in real life so I spend my time studying political theory and structures of power in historical contexts. Hopefully, I can work to better understand those structures in our current present and with my intersection of activism (I am very passionate about that in my day-to-day) work to make a better world for marginalized people. So when I read SJM, I see some very troubling themes in her work. Themes that can perpetuate misogyny, racism, and imperialism. And it just makes me queasy reading it. It's not fun for me to read that. The way she used the oppression and discrimination of people as a major plot device, that the heroes have to defeat but in real life be ok with taking a birthright trip is just... a type of cognitive dissonance that I can't even put into words. and don't think I forgot the Breonna Taylor incident that she still has on her Instagram. if you don't know what I'm talking about look it up on TikTok, many black book readers have created multiple videos explaining that whole situation.

Now some people may be like, "What the fuck are you talking about. I don't see any of this." And like that's cool maybe because of what I'm studying I just see it everywhere. But I just have not been able to shake this ickiness in my gut about her work. The most thought-out example of the problematic nature of her work that I have is the description and characterization of the Illyrian people.

Now the way she physically described the illryians is as brown-skinned, with dark hair, and brown or dark eyes. This does put them in a very racially ambiguous position but to describe them as brown-skinned makes me picture brown people who in real life are racially recognized as black and brown people. People apart of brown communities are usually Southeast Asian or Arab people. They are marginalized in real life through various forms of oppression displayed in orientalism perpetuated mostly recently by the United States in the last 30 years (the war on terror, but this behavior goes back so much further). The Illyrian people's cultural characterization coupled with their physical description aligns with the negative aspects of Orientalism. Literally, the illryians are described as "backward", "barbaric", "slow to change", and stuck in timeless, old antiquated traditions that encourage the abuse of women and children. Sjm describes an indigenous people (she makes it clear that the illryians are native to the night court and nowhere else) as "savage" culturally, in their interpersonal relationships, and communally. That is just described as inherent to the people (except for a couple of characters who are "the good ones", or "not like that" and lucky enough to get away). Culturally they are described as being constantly in a state of conflict, preparing for and/or enjoying that conflict. I'm so sorry but that is Orientalism, literally the definition of how Orientalism was used to justify the colonization of the Middle East and parts of Asian during the colonization period and again when the western powers and the United States had a vested interest in interfering politically and economically in the region in the last couple of decades. That same language was used to describe the people of the Middle East and justify their oppression in the West. The exact same words. I did not understand the connection until I took a Middle East: politics and society class about two semesters ago and again that same language was used when we were learning about Orientalism. I went back to read some of acotar again and I saw all of that in relation to the illryians and I was like, "oh, oh no." I really don't know what else to say. To me, the relation is very very clear and makes my stomach just drop when reading it.

And the thing about it is it did not have to be this way, SJM did not have to characterize them like that. There is no real narrative function of this characterization, they are not the bad guys of the story or the main antagonist. In fact, the main characters need them to actually defeat the evil. SJM at the base made an interesting indigenous group of people that could have been a unique culture in her narrative landscape and added to her world-building. Instead, she wrote harmful stereotypes about vaguely racialized, marginalized people that directly mirror a marginalized group of people in the real world. Now was that her intention or just the subconscious influence of Orientalism in our society coming out without her awareness? I mean i cannot confirm from the horse's mouth that this is the case right? She has never actually said this. But her stance on current world events that are happening right (Palestine and Gaza strip) does not give me a lot of hope that she is completely unaware. But either way, this can hurt people in the real world. In the book, because the Illyrians are characterized the way that they are, the main characters are put in a moral position of opposition, that is the the dynamic. And to me, that dynamic is hard to read knowing what I know and what actually happens in real life to people that the Illyrians mirror. it begins to be super easy to just live in that moral opposition that can stripe away people's humanity and value. Azriel's contempt for his people and desire to destroy Illyria and the culture is a good example of what happens to these groups in real life. This is just one example of things in her work that can be problematic.

And listen I'm not writing this to tell you to stop reading her, to tell you what to do with your money, or who to like/support. That is not my job. I just wanted to share some of my thoughts and give whoever is reading this food for thought. And hey I might be reading too much into this, and just going way too deep. It is just hard for me to enjoy her work anymore knowing and seeing what I see. I can't really ignore that icky gut feeling.

And hey do I think sjm is a good writer? Eh... that is a whole other blog post. I could go really deep into her world-building, story choices, and what I think might just be lazy writing. But there are some aspects that I do like and are unique. But guess what? The fandom's fanfic writers are the light in the tunnel in this situation. As they often are in other fandoms. they take the actual cool and fun things that SJM created and build on them in a way that does not negatively depict the representation of real people. In a way that is not narratively disappointing. In a way that is just fun for everyone to enjoy. Free of charge they express their talent because they love to do it for however long they want to. Fanfiction is an amazing system that I hope and pray won't get messed up. Like one of my favorite creators @separatist-apologist posted about last week, "I think no matter what happens, we've all spent so much time reading fic and developing headcanons that whatever SJM does isn't going to live up to the fantasy we've created...". And I for real felt that and I just wanna shout out to all the fic writers who make this space fun despite all the fandom fuckery and SJM fuckery.

@separatist-apologist, @thehaemanthus, @the-lonelybarricade, @moodymelanist, @ablogofsapphicpanic, @vidalinav, @vikingmagic33, @c-e-d-dreamer

There are more that I probably missed. So you know thank you guys for making things fun and giving me something to read that doesn't give me an icky feeling when I read.

So yeah, thank you for coming to my ted talk. this turned out to be hella long but you know once I started I couldn't stop. If you have any questions, my ask box is open. Again these are just my thoughts. you don't have to agree and I'm not trying to change your mind. I just needed to share this somewhere.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 23: The Testing

Welcome back to my reread! The way to see spoilers for the whole series, yes that's right not just this book but everything all the way to the end, will come but once. Be steadfast. Or just click wildly, whatever you like. But if you like not being spoiled, don't click below and just keep doomscrolling through tumblr with no hope of escape.

This chapter has the Flame icon because it concerns one of the initiation rites of the White Tower.

Centered under the dome was a thing made of three rounded, silver arches, each just tall enough to walk under, sitting on a thick silver ring with their ends touching each other. Arches and ring were all of one piece.

So what the heck is this thing, one wonders. I've seen people suggest it's a holodeck with the safeties off, though that seems frivolous even by AoL standards since it seems to be connected to genuine mirror worlds. It may be some device meant for observing and experiencing such worlds that has become damaged in some way, causing memory loss. Maybe one of the forgotten Darkfriends of old built it as a bizarre punishment system.

All four Aes Sedai wore their shawls, as Sheriam did; blue-fringed for Sheriam, red for the swarthy woman by the table, green, white, and gray for the three around the arches.

We (a word which here means "the wiki") don't know who most of these ladies are, but apparently the "swarthy woman" is Silviana. Not too sure how we know this exactly (the Companion?) but hey! Hi Silviana! You're delightful.

“The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and when it wills. Patience is a virtue that must be learned, but we must all be ready for the change of an instant.”

Nynaeve was patient really, by waiting at all, and she's more than ready for change. The Tower's usual deliberate refusal to communicate is silly under these circumstances. They could have given her something to do.

Nynaeve shook her head. It sounded either like too much to swear or too little, and she said so.

She's exactly right. The First Oath is too little and easily sidestepped, the others give up far too much utility and helped hinder the institution.

Light, child, I am trying to teach you what any other woman standing where you are would have learned over the course of years.

Honestly Sheriam is pretty good as an undercover Black, giving a huge infodump that's legit and not misleading. And I suppose it's pretty appropriate we transition from Moiraine acknowledging the Black to a big spiel by one.

Once you begin, you must continue to the end. Refuse to go on, and no matter your potential, you will be very kindly put out of the Tower with enough silver to support you for a year, and you will never be allowed back.

Oh look it's another policy that only guarantees the Tower doesn't get the numbers it needs.

Some women have entered, and never come out.

And don't forget that this is a price of the ter'angreal they chose to use. They aren't selecting for great women this way, just the stubborn ones who get lucky.

You may turn back now, right now, and I will put your name in the novice book, and you will have only one mark against you.

Literally the only sensible winnowing process they have! If after three chances a woman still doesn't think she's ready, then unless it's the Tower's teachings itself that failed her (and we don't see evidence that such happens often), it's a good sign that she's not ever going to be ready.

I must make Moiraine pay for what she has done to us. I must.

I'm still sad she never quite gets to act on this. It's such a great motivation.

Nynaeve’s cheeks colored at forgetting already what Sheriam had told her on the way down from her room. Hastily she removed her clothes, her shoes and stockings.

Note that she's not at all ashamed to be naked in front of strangers.

And note that this is the first of many "all ladies must be naked" sequences. Yes there's some historical accuracy here, but you'll note that the Black Tower never picks up such a tradition even under Taim's messed up supervision.

Taking a deep breath, she went on straight, through more passages that all looked exactly alike.

It is the nature of video games, even magic post-apocalyptic ones, that sooner or later someone will reinvent Colossal Cave Adventure.

Dimly, she remembered playing mazes on paper as a child; there had been a trick to finding your way out, but she could not bring it to mind.

There are many tricks to exhausting mazes, though not every trick works for every maze. The simplest and most well known is to pick a wall and follow it. In a maze where both entry and exit are upon the outer perimeter, this is guaranteed to work eventually. On the other hand, if you start in the middle like Nynaeve (or if you want to reach the center from the outside), this might not work. The walls may not all be connected, so you loop around to where you started without ever reaching your destination.

She started to take the left fork . . . and spun around at another glimpse of movement. There was nothing there, but this time she was sure. There had been someone behind her. Was someone.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how pathetic is it that dream Aginor manages to be a more compelling threat than he was in book 1 or books 6 through 9?

“You are a pretty one, girl. I will enjoy you.” Suddenly Nynaeve remembered she wore not a stitch.

While obviously the main threat here is the implication of rape, let's step past that and get into the metaphorical. Nudity isn't the normal state of affairs in the arch worlds, only this one. This is Nynaeve beyond the Two Rivers, in a place where the authority she covers herself with is entirely absent. Aginor isn't just the Forsaken, he's also to a degree everyone she's had to deal with since she's left home - even the Aes Sedai who gleefully relish recruiting such a powerhouse.

“You dare? You dare!” He quivered, and spittle leaked down his chin.

This is honestly a pretty good prep for how scary we should actually think the Forsaken are: not at all.

“You cannot! It cannot be!”

Another reason I think Aginor is as much a stand-in for the Aes Sedai as he is for his allies in this sequence is that protests that Nynaeve can't have done awesome stuff and pointless hostility define their reactions to her.

And she could feel Aginor doing . . . something, as well. Dimly she felt it, and far distant, as if it were something she could never truly know, but around her she saw the effects and knew them for what they were.

Early installment weirdness? Or perhaps one of the tells that this isn't real; the arch isn't really drawing on saidin (or perhaps draws to a lesser extent on both), so Nynaeve has a dim awareness of it now that she's connected.

She looked back at Aginor, just in time to see him crawl out of sight over the mounded stone and disappear. She hissed in frustration.

Finally, and rather disappointingly in contradiction to what I've been saying, the last reason to view Aginor as a stand-in for the Aes Sedai is that to succeed in what she has to do, Nynaeve needs to give up her feud with Moiraine and not worry about what she's up to out of sight.

“You are washed clean of what sin you may have done,” the Aes Sedai intoned, “and of those done against you. You are washed clean of what crime you may have committed, and of those committed against you. You come to us washed clean and pure, in heart and soul.”

See what I mean? No reason to include this if not to say that the Moiraine feud is being wiped clean.

“That isn’t supposed to be possible. You should not even remember being able to channel.”

"Not possible! You dare channel in our sacred space?"

It's really rather a blatant parallel now that I'm seeing it.

She kept her memories, and she channeled the One Power when she was threatened. And she came out with her abilities burned to nothing, unable to channel, unable even to sense the True Source. The second to go in was also warded, and she, too, was destroyed in the same way.

To me it sounds like it's the wards plus channeling that cause problems, not the channeling itself. That's one hell of a vicious anti-cheating mechanism though.

There was more than an air of neglect about it, whitewash faded, a shutter hanging loose, the rotted end of a rafter showing at a gap in the roof tiles.

A final final reason (for real this time?) to consider Aginor a stand-in for the Aes Sedai as much as himself is that otherwise the past/present system doesn't line up. The Forsaken are real, present threats and the Two Rivers isn't exactly, but if Aginor is as much about Nynaeve's fear of the Power (oh shit it's that too) and the Aes Sedai then it makes sense that that's a trial she's already put behind her just by being in the Tower. Abandoning her notions of herself as a Two Rivers woman though, that's a harder struggle. It's not Bran neglecting his inn, it's Nynaeve neglecting the whole of her home.

“If Malena knows you’re here, there will be trouble. I just know Cenn went scurrying off to find her. He’s the Mayor, now.”

Malena's name of course comes from the Latin "malus", meaning "bad" or "evil".

She beat Alsbet all around the Green with a stick, and none of us who saw had the nerve to try to stop it.

Nice try, silver arches! There's no possible Mirror World where the Two Rivers folk would watch the blacksmith's wife get beat up and not immediately tear the aggressor to shreds.

She said that was why they died; the Light abandoned them. She talks about sin all the time.

Sin doesn't really get brought up a whole bunch in this universe. Like obviously becoming a Darkfriend is sinning and the Whitecloaks claim all sorts of stuff is tantamount to being a Darkfriend, but it's not as if more mundane behavior gets this description usually. Yet in this chapter the Aes Sedai mention it without and Malena worries about it within. Is she yet another reflection of Nynaeve's fear of the Aes Sedai? Destroying families, marking men with the Dragon... It's not too far off from how Nynaeve sees Moiraine, is it?

If she can’t make you afraid of her, she makes you think you need her for the children.

Is this how Nynaeve internally views her discussion with Moiraine after Shadar Logoth? Moiraine couldn't make Nynaeve be afraid of her but she could make her worry about Egwene and the boys even though she was the reason Nynaeve worried about them at all.

The way back—No! These are my people!

Not anymore. :(

“We have to run. We have to hide. Nynaeve, come on. Cenn will have told her who you are. She hates anyone even to speak of you.”

Does Nynaeve think Moiraine doesn't much like Lan speaking of her, I wonder.

“You are washed clean of false pride. You are washed clean of false ambition. You come to us washed clean, in heart and soul.”

Nynaeve's not a Wisdom anymore. It wasn't her real path.

The third is the worst. “I’m afraid,” she whispered. What could be worse than what I just did?

Having to walk away from the happy ending already won for you.

The city had a thousand gardens, but she preferred this wild garden on the hilltop.

Because a garden growing by itself in what was so recently the Blight feels more wonderous than those maintained by human hands?

“Go back? Where? To Emond’s Field? If you wish it. I’ll send letters to Morgase, and command an escort.”

Morgase of course won't be queen at this point. I wonder what reason besides dramatic necessity causes the arches to get a few things wrong.

To her horror, she found herself remembering him as her husband, remembering laughter and tears, bitter arguments and sweet making up. They were dim memories, but she could feel them growing stronger, warmer.

Did some fools in the AoL think that the Dark One's reach was limited purely to their timeline? Did they build this device in the hopes of finding a place beyond his touch, that would let them forget the horrors of the Shadow and recall all the sweet memories in its place instead?

I could stay here. With Lan. Nothing has changed. Her thoughts turned. Nothing has changed. Egwene is alone in the White Tower. Rand will channel the Power and go mad. And what of Mat and Perrin? Can they take back any shred of their lives? And Moiraine, who tore all our lives apart, still walks free.

It says a great deal about Nynaeve's character that the thing that gets her out of this gilded cage is her love for the others.

And also, I do so love ironic echoes, even if they're only separated by a single sentence.

She tried to picture the arch in her mind, to shape it and form it to the last detail, curve of gleaming metal filled with a glow like snowy fire. It seemed to waver there, in front of her, first there between her and the trees, then not, then there.

Perhaps this is just an ordinary entertainment device. Perhaps you forget for the immersive experience and then the arch is meant to be a primer to remind you of what you're supposed to call back to you. It seems unlikely that only Nynaeve would have this capability, after all. Presumably others should have been able to call the archway back, if only they'd known how.

Child, almost every woman who does this says much the same thing. It is no small thing to be made to face your fears.

It's no wonder so many women go Black, with trauma being such a central part of their identities as sisters. And the arches were only found after the Trolloc Wars, when the corruption began in earnest...

A gift from Ishamael?

“There shouldn’t be any scarring. And how did you only get two, and both placed so precisely? If you tangled yourself in a blackthorn bush, you should be covered with scratches and thorns.”

If scarring yourself permanently is part of the exit conditions, I could definitely see this being something Ishamael specifically devised. Not from scratch of course, he's not an engineer, but a relic he deliberately tampered with, setting admin access at a high price. There is always a price.

The Amyrlin’s eyes seemed to hold a dark glow. Nynaeve’s shiver had nothing to do with being naked and wet.

Yeah, this really only cements the Aginor thing. Too late now to escape, Nynaeve! You've committed.

Next time: A whole bunch of characters from book 1 come back. Some of them plan on being important this book, and others are only flirting with importance for the next three or twelve.

[crownedinmarigolds]

Context: This is from a VTM RP Server I was on, Noa was in play, but her story was much different! Here she was a ghoul at first in Chicago under the Hecata Seneschal (IDK I didn't make the hierarchy) and then turned during game. She is from the near extinct Hidalgo branch of the Giovanni that had been killed during a Sabbat raid while she was in a foreign exchange program for school. I revealed slowly throughout the game that Joaquin her elder brother was actually revealed to have "survived" and the Family suspected he was the cause of the slaughter. Which he was. Noa was tasked with killing him, which she did, but because she believed it was the kindest option for him. The Family would've torn his soul apart. If she killed him, she could then bind his spirit to her, and then eventually give him a body when she became a powerful enough necromancer. Fast forward back to Chicago, Julian is Noa's "ghoul" that she has enthralled through the Sanctifying Kiss (essentially you can smooch and blood bond without full ghouling) that is used as Joaquin's puppet conduit! It was cross-spat so I had Joaquin on Wraith Arcanoi... it was pretty unfair all things considered. Julian of course is blood-bond in love with Noa and she's just like Hmm hmm hmm~. She lives in a VERY haunted mansion with her sire and coterie, and in this little tidbit, she is wandering around after a server event Halloween party where a Tremere Cam-hater mass-dominates the room and compelled whoever they could to try and kill the Lasombra Prince. It was wacky! (Noa passed the check, but Joaquin/Julian did not)

Noa and Julian had arrived home late in the evening after the Halloween party, the hour almost three in the morning. She had excused herself to change out of her costume in her room and to bathe alone, but now she simply felt restless after being clean and changed. Of course Kindred didn’t get tired or wired in quite the normal way kine do, but the feeling of “I should be doing something else” is very strong within her now. This man antagonizing the Prince into making a major Masquerade breach, these wraiths terrorizing random citizens with apparent no regard for the hierarchy… these are strange nights indeed. So, to pass the time until torpor takes her, she wanders the mansion like the ghosts she shares it with, listening quietly to their whispers and catching their small, intentional brushes against skinland objects. Curtains billowing with no wind, books turning with no reader. Reminding her they were here, though making no full effort to speak to her. Eventually half an hour passes and she hears the hard footsteps of another in a hallway closeby. The sound of a large door creaking… who else is here and awake at this hour? Ken perhaps? She would love to speak with him actually regarding what the hell even happened back there. She follows the sound and sees the door that had been opened leading down to the cellar, the frame clearly labeled with some historical plaque discussing the various wines held below. It also led to the bowels of this home if you knew where to look. Surely Ken… she follows after fast, closing the door behind her.

As she reaches the bottom of the stairwell, she sees the wine room for the first time since her arrival here. The ceiling is made of rock and the place is filled with rows upon rows of gorgeous glass bottles with varying shades of burgundy and red. She hears someone shifting further down, and she follows, her bare feet making soft noises against the stone. As she looks, she finally comes across her fellow night owl, but is slightly disappointed at who she sees. Julian. She observes him for a moment. He had been so exhausted nearly all of the way home, napping in the car despite the evening’s strange events. Now he is here, eyeing old wine from a date she can’t read from where she stands. “Julian, what are you doing up?” He nearly drops the bottle he’s holding on the stone tile, thankfully scrambling in time to catch it. He looks over to her like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and he goes to her as if to beg for forgiveness. In Spanish, he exhales a frightened breath. “My God you scared the hell out of me.” His hand touches her shoulder and he gives it a soft rub, as if to calm himself down. She watches him still, not expecting anything foul afoot but still curious. “I couldn’t get back to sleep. I feel like…” His voice trails off a moment as he rubs his tired eyes. “There is so much to think about. You said you were dead, I have met with more dead… and then I go to a party where there are even more but I don’t know who is who. And my mind…” He looks at the bottle and frowns as he considers it, then back to Noa. “I-Is Joaquin here?” She shakes her head, now suddenly very aware of how alone they were. Huh. “No, he is feeding below. Spending time in your body took quite the toll on his spirit.” Joaquin honestly has not done much work with his craft beyond a good hour or two of puppeteering, so an entire evening of inhabiting a body and controlling it required a lot of energy for him to use. Thankfully they live here where he can feast in abundance, but them being separate for another hour or so is a very new experience for the both of them. “Oh!” Julian smiles in relief, but quickly hides it. “I see. That’s good. That he’s able to… eat. What do ghosts eat exactly?” “Intense emotions. After all, that’s what wraiths are made up of for the most part. Come Julian, do you want to drink that?” She gestures to the bottle as she walks to the bar setup nearby. It has a sink, glasses… very interesting and fancy. “I do, but I feel like it’s more pathetic to drink my problems away alone. Could you… also join me? Or can you not?” She takes the bottle from him with a smile and takes down a glass to pour for him. He looks almost awed by such a mundane gesture. “Sorry, I can’t drink wine. I would just have to throw it up later. I can really only have blood.” She listens to the wine pour, smells the pungent odor, and hands it to him when it is filled halfway. “I could perhaps drink the blood of someone who just recently drank alcohol to get a buzz… but I don’t think I could do that to you.” “W-why not?” He asks quickly, taking the glass from her but not yet drinking. “I don’t mind if you drink from me, I’m already giving my body - you may as well have it all.” After a beat of silence, he asks, “Er, well, would it hurt?” She smirks slightly, wishing terribly to be able to bite from him. “From me? Yes, the bite would be excruciating. Like being bitten by a venomous snake. I could kill you if I drink directly from you.”

“Oh.” He grimaces.

“Yes, oh. Remember when we talked about clans a little bit? Well, just my clan suffers this curse. You could be bitten by another Kindred and experience utter ecstasy from their bite… better than any orgasm you could ever have... but not from me. It would just torture and pain, and while I have my dark interests, rubbing salt in the wound isn’t one of them.” She looks to his glass. They broke open a Lafite Rothschild 1929, he should probably drink that.

“H-ha. Well, I am already provided with plenty of ecstasy without the bite.” He half jokes, then quickly he starts to down the wine to perhaps hide his shame. There is hardly time for him to savor it before he immediately swallows it down. “I’m sorry I can’t provide more then.”

She snorts, “Listen. You do serve your intended purpose well. I suppose I would be the one apologizing to you. I simply cannot give your mortal body the bite.

Quietly he swishes his drink, lost in thought as he looks at its color.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Just a headache, I feel like I’ve been living in a cloud all evening. I’m not sure drinking is a good idea.” He looks up to her, “Can you be controlled like that? By something like Joaquin, by the person who made me want to kill at the party?”

“Well, I could, but it would take something far more powerful. Quino hasn’t been trained properly in the overtaking of the supernatural, but it’s possible. Just difficult. And I have at least a fighting chance when someone like that shouts a command in such a way at me. I am able to avoid both.”

“So, this is something I just have to deal with as a mortal.” He says bitterly, going to drink again.

“Yes, I’m afraid so.”

He ponders more as he swallows. “Will you be… turning me into a Kindred one day?”

Noa blinks at the question, mind going blank. She hadn’t even thought of turning Julian before. “Turn you?”

“Yes, will you turn me into something like you one day?” His voice is quiet, but his dark eyes are watching her so intensely. She hadn’t really had the time recently to consider such a thing - a Childer far, far from her mind… but. It is certainly a thought. If she turned Julian, she doesn’t think it would be until she and Joaquin were ready.

“I might.” She says honestly after some thinking. Imagining Joaquin residing permanently in Julian’s body, getting to experience the world finally as she does. The intimate connection of biting, being bonded to each other rather than everything being one sided, equality in power, not needing sex to reassure themselves that they love each other. Just existing as otherworldly beings, secure in their positions, being powerful commanders of the dead… the thought is enough to nearly make her swoon. “Yes, I could consider that.”

His eyes go wide and he looks unsure if he likes that answer or no.

“But that isn’t for a while, none of us are ready I think. But yes, I could turn you into a Kindred, and if your will is strong enough, you can fight back over these forces that want to dominate you. You would not experience mortal pains. It would free you.” Not entirely true, but something nice for him to think of in this dark mansion.

He looks to the floor, and silently drinks again. She can guess what he’s imagining, but doesn’t ask as she takes his hand.

“Come love, it’s very late, and the sun will be rising soon.”

He nods, quickly downing the last of the wine before leaving it on the counter. Clearly used to someone cleaning up after him now. “Yes. Shall I sleep with you during the day?”

Noa leads him back to the stairwell, “No, darling, I’ve told you. Never during the day.”

“Of course, my mistress, I apologize.” He takes her hands in his own and kisses them as they make their way to his room so he may finally get some real sleep.

[writingforatwistedworld]

(Unless the letter seems short, I suppose this would fit in the write your heart out category. Also, the reader has been transported to the world of Twisted Wonderland.)

Dear Malleus,

First of all, I’d like to thank you for being such a kind friend to me and helping me so much ever since I came to this world. I’ll probably never be able to repay you for everything you did to make Ramshackle a livable, cozy place to be. Spending time with you is also really fun, and it often even distracts me from the stress and pain of being alone away from my family. I appreciate that you always stick with me and never judge me for my atypical autistic behavior. You never got weirded out, even when I admitted that I had known you as a character in a mobile game that I used to believe was only fictional before I ended up this world.

There are a couple of reasons I wrote this letter. Both reasons are things in my head keeping me up at night, though one does so in a better way than the other. I should admit that I’ve got a crush on you. In my old world, it was just a crush on a fictional character, but spending time with you in person is only making my feelings grow bigger. Spending time with you is always fun, and I often lose track of time when we’re deep in a discussion. If you have a chance of liking me back that way, could you please let me know?

My other reason is that I would like to please ask for your help with understanding a few things that have me stressed lately. People have been telling me lately that I’m apparently some historical figure that others look up to despite the fact I’ve never been here before. Ace let it slip that I apparently inspired the Queen of Hearts herself despite not being here or having any memory of it. He told me he didn’t know how it happened even though he insisted it was me. I thought he was playing a prank on me at first before Riddle backed up the story and said the throne of his country is actually for me to occupy! The high esteem they hold me in is slightly flattering, but it’s even more confusing since I don’t know how this even happened or how I could deserve it. I’m worried about it too. I was never someone of any significance back in the world I’m from, so what would happen if people finally realized they made a mistake in thinking I’m whoever this historical figure is? I’m afraid about what will happen the moment I fail to meet the high expectations they all have of me. Then I heard the mention of wars waged in my apparent honor. I haven’t been sleeping well lately thanks to the stress.

I’ve even been told there’s a religion about me in the Valley of Thorns and the country Idia is from. You’re the closest knowledgeable person I could think of to ask why all this happened without fearing you’d be offended by my ignorance. If my inquiries do end up offending you due to religious beliefs, I’m sorry. If it’s okay though, can we please discuss this over ice cream?

Sincerely,

Reader

Self-aware au

I do not take any responsibility for you reading this no matter which age group you are from!

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, unhealthy relationship, religion, war, obsession, possessiveness

Malleus Draconia-Loving confessions

Hearing a knock on the door you went towards it to open it. It was weird to see a new, polished one of dark wood and artistic iron decorations (that had to be iron and not... silver... right??!) instead of the old, always looking like it would collapse anytime soon one. Opening it you saw Lilia, Malleus guardian in front of it, holding a letter out to you as if he was delivering something of unimaginable worth. Thanking him you took it. Just as you were to ask him if he would like something to drink as a thanks he was already gone. Staring at the spot on which he was standing just moments ago. Coming to the conclusion that there was nothing you could do to make more sense of the situation you returned once more inside, the letter heavy in your hands.

Dear Overseer,

after I read your letter I was not sure how to respond but I think I was able to come up with answers worthy of your questions. But before that, I would like to express that within all those emotions I felt was unbridled joy also one of them. Being the one who has the honor of receiving the affection of our dear Overseer! I had to ask Lilia if I had tried to curse someone with the curse of my ancestor and somehow hit with it myself but no, it was all real. Me taking care of your holiness wellbeing was the least I could have done. In comparison to what you had done for us all this is nothing. I can only imagine how painful it must have been for you to be separated from your loved ones. On this occasion I would like to ask if you could tell the church your roots. We pray to you day after day and yet, you are still a mystery to us.

However, I do not dare to make you wait any longer. As such, let us begin.

I am afraid to tell you that you most likely lost your memories of all your deeds. We, your loyal followers, have recorded everything you ha done and made sure that no one would dare to speak false words of you. To some you are a God and to some, you are an important figure but in the end you are always the one who did important deeds which would shape our world forever. Thus the praises which you get are earned. Let us discuss what you are still able to remember and what was erased from your memory. I can assure you that you, my dearest, are the Overseer everyone is talking about. We Faes always had a close bond with you and as such I know that it is you.

The Queendom of Roses is one of those who decided to stay ignorant yet also took notice of your unlimited wisdom. Their throne was vacant the moment after you whispered how she was meant to rule, creating peace and order in a place which was the opposite of that. In cold light its diamonds and silk are waiting to be bestowed with your presence and yet, the throne stays vacant. Waiting for the true ruler. Waiting for the one who led a country of chaos with perfection and a gaze that was colder than the peaks of the highest mountains and hotter than the fire of a dragon. The perfect ruler. I hope that I can witness the grace one day upon a throne. Whether that one would be the one in the Queendom or in my beloved Valley.

You call us “characters from a mobile game”. I apologize but, what is that. Is our world in some sort of competition with other ones? Are you in one with other Gods? If that is the case then allow me to write a letter back home. My homeland shall call upon every general capable of assisting in this. I assume it is another holy war between you Gods? In the next meeting we shall discuss the enemy and our best strategies. The Valley of Thorns is at your disposal.

I hope you can sleep well after hearing my answers. If not then I wouldn't mind using a spell. Do not worry, I would never use that curse on you.

But now to that confession. I already told you that I felt honored to be the one you favor and I return your affections. There is nothing else in this world that could make me so happy as you did with those words. I already wrote to my grandmother that she should start with the preparations for our wedding. Do not worry, you will be immediately accepted as the Valleys future ruler besides me.

I look forward to our next meeting.

Until then I wish you the best.

With love and admiration,

Malleus Draconia

[callistawolf]

My thoughts while watching Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 -- SPOILERS!!

I took notes while watching Bridgerton earlier today so that I could refer back to them when talking to my ladies next week. And then I thought, I could just post them here (under a cut and with SPOILER WARNING aplenty) so I'm gonna.

Again, if you weren't aware... SPOILERS FOR BRIDGERTON S3 PT 2!!!!!!!!!

Episode 5

I'm confused on who's side I should be on. Eloise is right that Pen needs to tell Colin but also Eloise is the least observant best friend in the world and that ain't a great look.

Cressida's news about her parents marrying her off has Eloise kinda thrown and she's brooding and is this where we start to see her "everyone's getting married and i'm left alone" stuff? Cuz that's how you get an Eloise season you guys.

Maybe we'll see her writing letters in s4?

I also hope she's realizing her own self absorption here. Cressida's situation is no bueno.

re: Pen and Colin doing the deed - now they HAVE to get married. I've read enough historical romances to know that once they knock boots its imperative they get married in case of babies. No walking this back now! No matter how mad he gets, it's a done deal.

I totally get why she's too scared to tell him. But at the same time COME ON.

How am I feeling bad for CRESSIDA??

Wait. Is the Mondrich boy going to end up with Hyacinth instead of the Danbury grandson? There was a Look.

He's younger than her tho isn't he? Maybe he's a late bloomer?

Would solve the issue I have with Violet and Mr. Anderson though. Let's not keep everything in the family SHALL WE.

Anthony being loudly and confidently wrong during charades is giving me life. I love him. <3

This whole party is just a pressure cooker. I almost need to go out and get some air jfc.

Cressida announcing she is Whistledown is the least surprising thing ever but tell that to Pen. Oh wait, she's on the floor.

Honestly, Pen should just let her go with that. Problem solved. In the books, if I recall, she wanted credit for them? Or something...? Honestly, it's hazy now. But will that happen here?

Episode 6

This whole thing is an unmitigated mess.

I'm losing confidence tbh. Has Bridgerton jumped the shark? Am I just not as invested as I was? Or was I ever very invested at all? Oh hush just keep watching, you always doubt the process and it ends up fine.

I find I say "oh for fuck's sake" way too much while watching this.

JUST STOP WHISTLEDOWNING

She is doing the thing! Istg Pen. GAH.

I know this will work out but still

The Queen is READING Cressida and it's quite glorious.

I do like Pen contemplating who she wants to be. Her own significance. Can't she write something else though? A book maybe? Be the next Jane Austen?

I kinda feel bad for Mondrich giving up his club.

And now Cressida is READING Eloise. Lord. The mess.

I'm glad this light is being shone on Eloise at last though. Truth hurts.

Oh! Is she doing it? Giving up being Whistledown? DID SHE HEAR ME?!?

I know it's not for good, but she bets credit for trying. Bless.

Is Tilly setting up a threesome? Who is this guy? He's totally giving Benedict bedroom eyes. I don't blame him but like... who is he? Why is having dinner with them?

BRAVO to Francesca for calling out Violet and her single-vision concept of love.

Soma. Wooffffff this argument between Mr. Anderson (I keep missing his first name!) and Lady Danbury (SOMA!) is giving me every single feel. Compelling drama.

Benedict, that man is giving you the eye.

BINGO! I was right!

Oh, Ben. You coward.

Damn, apparently Mrs. Cowper can write.

Oh god, is Colin going to overhear Eloise and Pen?

Woah, Eloise is asking Pen to write as Whistledown again? Just one? Are we sure about that?

This whole convo is just so .... <3

This episode is lasting ten years.

Whistledown is en route! And writing!

Oh hell, is Colin following her? He is, isn't he??

OMG that is just like the book! It's just... a bit out of order. HAH!

Episode 7

He knows. Oh the drama!

Wait. Omg, is he crying? Is this the scene they talked about in the interview? Aww.

He'll never forgive her?? OMFG, Colin, don't be so dramatic.

Dear lord, Cressida is absolutely deriding the Bridgertons. YIKES.

Pen to the rescue!! Sorta? Eh, sure.

I still feel sorta bad for Cressida though. The girl is desperate and it's easy to see why. That old guy is not it.

I like seeing Pen and Eloise being friendly again though.

Spoke too soon. Come on, El, give her something.

The conversation between Colin and Eloise is glorious. Long time coming. God, I like Eloise again! Miracles happen!

I called the "having to marry her" cuz they slept together thing!

Okay but he's being an ass about it. Entrapment? PLEASE SIR.

Tilly demurring to Benedict about being caught kissing that dude... don't make me laugh, ma'am. You were not being discreet with Benedict being a room away with the door open. You wanted him to see.

I do enjoy this pragmatic discussion of bisexuality. I'll allow it.

Damn, Tilly is progressive as heck.

Benedict is considering it. As you should, sir. You are not married (yet).

Violet being flustered about Mr. Anderson (WHAT IS HIS NAME) is adorable.

Okay so Pen and Colin have ignored each other all week and they wait until the NIGHT BEFORE THE WEDDING to have it out?? Guysssss....

OMFG he is jealous, isn't he? I haaaaated that in the book! SIR. No.

God, Kate is perfect.

OMG did the Queen just figure out who is Lady Whistledown?

Always love a good Benedict and Eloise conversation, especially if it's on the swings.

Is Cressida doing a runner? She's escaping but to where?

Aww, Kate and Anthony are going to India and will have the baby there! Anthony is SO CUTE about it too! I love that man. I love THEM.

Blah blah wedding blah blah

Shit, it's the Queen!

Way to break up a party, Your Majesty. I mean, in the way only she can.

Francesca... honey... no. <3 That is not the secret. It's okay, boo.

Lady Danbury remaining when the Queen had said anyone not a Bridgerton had to get out is just iconic.

Colin! No! *thwaps him with a rolled up newspaper*

Get it, Benedict! (bow chicka bow wow)

Ooop. Cressida is on the scent!

Episode 8

She knows. GAH. Oh, poor Pen.

Oooh, blackmail! Very nice. Very villain of her.

This should be where the Bridgertons come together to support Pen and back her up against invaders, yes? YES??

Ooh, the metaphor of this chess game is delightful.

Whistledown will continue? So it wasn't just one issue. I knew it!

Protective Colin activate!

Wow, the threesome are still at it a day later?? Come up for air, guys. Have some food. Drink some water. Jeebus.

My boy, Colin, you are jealous of Lady Whistledown. But I love that he really gets Pen.

Portia is going through it.

Pen and Eloise! Are they friends again?? Please say yes.

Oh Cressida, that was a jerk move upping the blackmail. Now they can't give in.

omfg STILL???? They're STILL going at it like rabbits???

Oh wow, I lovelovelove the conversation between Lady Danbury and Violet! They are the best friends and that transcends relationships. And the shot of the crown! <3

I honestly have no clue anymore where they're going with Benedict. Not a one.

Colin's shirt here is so Astarion coded. It's the same shirt!!

What is happening...?!?!?!?!?!

Also.... Benedict? What? What is going on?

WHat. Who? What. HUH?

How is Eloise going to change the world?

I should never have read the books. I have too many preconceived ideas.

I'm so confused.

The money Pen gave the lady maid was for this tacky ass ball?

NGL though I love how "bugs" are actually butterflies.

Shit, it's the Queen Part 2!

Ohhhh... oh okay. So Pen told her she's Whistledown. And now.... Pen is just standing there announcing it to everyone.

Okay, I get it. The Queen being there and accepting it is basically telling everyone there they have to accept it too. Smart.

So, Pen is going to keep Whistledowning. And everyone is just going to know it's her. I mean, sure.

Okay but what about Cressida? Where is she? What happens to her?

Colin is doing some good here, telling her the things that need to be told tbh. A little late but I'll accept it.

John's cousin? Michael? No, wait... omfg it's MICHAELA. lakdjflasdj LMAOOOOOO oh shit.

I might need a little time to process that.

I maybe shouldn't have read the books part 2

Ooh an epilogue??? BABIES!!!! OMG THERES THREE BABIES.

One is Pen and Colin's! SQUEE.

LKJFSDL lmao of course they had the boy and the other two had girls.

Aww that means their baby has the title from the Featheringtons. That's sweet.

Annnnnd that's it. All she wrote. For TWO YEARS. Because lord knows they can't write the next season until the first is all released or something? I honestly don't know. GET MOVING, GUYS. Is Benedict next or what? We didn't see a Sophie anywhere. There was a brief mention of a masquerade ball that I need to go back and look for cuz I sorta missed it. Does that mean Eloise is next? Or Francesca? GAH.

[boleynns]

Have you read the fire and blood books? If so, ok this is a very dumb question but I haven’t read the books and everyone keeps telling me daemon cheats on rhaenrya after they get married with mysaria and other women. It’s been confirmed that mysaria comes back next episode and for the rest of the season sooo like?? Is this canon or was it a rumor that he cheats? Apparently rhaenrya didn’t care either but with the way the show is going it looks like he cares more about her than book readers are implying?

literally the entire book is rumors, so "canon" in relation to the show, especially for the relationship dynamics, honestly isn't really relevant. It is a fake in-universe history book, and like real history is full of bias, errors, and huge amounts of rumor and uncertainty about what "really" happened. My favorite example of discrepancies between the "historical text" version from Fire & Blood and the "real" version so far is what we see in Episode 2. According to Fire & Blood Daemon was going to marry Mysaria, she was pregnant, and he wanted a dragon egg for their baby. But in the show we find out that Daemon wasn't actually engaged, Mysaria wasn't actually pregnant, and he said all of that and stole the egg for attention. I like to interpret that change to: all the historian had access to was that triggering letter Daemon sent to bait Viserys saying that he was getting married and having a kid -- so that is exactly what history remembered.

All that to say, the character's personalities/relationships/dynamics from the book aren't really relevant to the show at all, because that is literally a Maester's interpretation of what these characters might have been like based on hearsay and rumor and the Maester's own biases.

So you tell me if you think Rhaenyra would "be okay" with Daemon cheating on her based on what we've seen, because I don't think that is the dynamic they've built between them AT ALL. Like, please imagine them doing all this build up, and paralleling all their storylines even when they're apart, and making their romantic tension a huge part of the show and their character's arcs, and establishing how strong of a bond they have with one another and how much they care about each other, and making their other long-term partners basically irrelevant, and having them reunite after years and finally sleep together, and then finally get married -- and then after all of that Daemon just randomly sleeps with someone else, and Rhaenrya is just fine with it, because they are just so uninvested in their relationship even though all we have seen is how overly invested they are in each other. Literally nonsense.

Let me reiterate a theme (& evolution of that theme) the show has been harping on for both Daemon and Rhaenyra, both together and separately, literally from the first episode: I don't want to be married to anyone and/or I don't want to be married to someone I didn't choose -> Marriage is a political necessity, but you can still have a side piece -> Maybe marriage wouldn't be so bad if we were married to each other, but that is not an option anymore -> We are married to other people now, but we can't be each other's side piece because that would be depressing and diminishing -> We are finally single and able to not only choose who to marry, but also to have a marriage that is not a placeholder or a show we're putting on for other people 🎉

That throughline is not narratively building to "...and then they slept in separate bedrooms and fooled around with other people on the side with zero emotion, #politicalmarriage"

[gendiebrainrotreceipts]

Girl boss culture is so stupid and you radfems are making it worse. You think you’re making women look so bad but it’s just toxic don’t come crying to men when it all backfires. There are many rumours and beliefs about mystical phenomena happening every time Constantinople was attacked. What I did not know is that apparently this is mentioned in Ottoman scripts as well. That’s certainly interesting. In any case, this is folklore at this point and I am not at all sure it is credible. I read there in the comments below the video someone saying that there must have been some sort of high voltage produced in the midst of the battle. Or maybe a lightning stroke the church for all we know. Surely it must have shocked medieval people but I believe there was some natural explanation for it or that in the heat of the moment people certainly made it out to be more otherworldly than it actually was. something abt fate's glamorization of historical figures (including giving them tits) seems so epic at first glance, then u skim thru their wikipedia page and they're like... *lives after the Great Schism of the Catholic and Orthodox church*, "which Council of ____ are we following?", *invaded by an empire that just disbanded 100 years ago*, political marriage and matchmaking is hard, "our city was terribly ransacked after the fourth crusade back in 1204, we can't ask help from the West!", *civil wars in neighboring states probably*, *Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They might be giants playing in the background*, the Habsburgs family tree is dangerously getting close to being a vine, Margaret of Anjou GiRlbOsSinGggggg her way thru England, maybe another chapter of the Hundred Years War. constantine xi was like existing with by social and political forces of their time. sucks to be him though! imagine being a legit heir of capital R=Rome, only for the austrians to like rebrand themselves as the Holy Roman Empire which according to Voltaire is neither holy, nor Roman nor an Empire while u, the legit remnant of the glory that is Rome is shrinking with forces beyond your control. the city has fallen and you're still alive, you stand singular against the invaders. the glory that was Rome is in you and you'll perish with it. On right there is the antithesis, Dracula, on a background of blood-red. A simple stylized city is shown behind the theatrically dark-clad Dracula, and a many-tailed dragon roars before his feet. In this way he is presented as the saint of death, as the Dragon is a mythical being most closely associated with evil and destruction. In the Biblical book of Revelation, a seven-headed dragon appears in sky, being one of the heralds of the End Times. ‘The Christian dead totalled about four thousand, many more were wounded, and tens of thousands were taken prisoner. Blood flowed in the streets of Constantinople, encircling the cobblestones like red mortar. Some of the bodies were thrown into the Dardanelles, where they "floated out to sea like melons in a canal". Others were piled up as there had been no time to bury them; the stench was terrible, but even more terrible was the task of identifying the bodies of friends and relatives, because many had been beheaded.’

[thestarsarecool]

Paul McCartney Interview in Q Magazine: Cash for Questions. January 1998 Issue.

Hi, all! A photo of one page of this has been around on tumblr for a while (here), but I’ve always wanted to read the full thing. Some lovely soul on Google Groups in 1997 decided to transcribe the full interview (here), so now I’m uploading it so you can read it. Hooray!

Q. When you first wrote a song with John Lennon, did you realise you would play one of the biggest parts in rock 'n' roll? (Michael McConnell, Crawley, West Sussex)

A. Obviously not. But even with all the so-called "historical" events that followed, you're just too inside it all, too busy doing it to realise anything's "historical". You just get on with it. I'm not a great ponderer. Some people would say that's a mistake but it's just the way I am. It's quite cool not to always get the overall picture because it leaves something to be found out. The musicologists get paid to discover the differences between me and John. I'm only just beginning to see it now, based probably on their analysis. So John is often one note, I'm often more melodic. (McCartney is thinking especially of Ian McDonald's book Revolution in the Head, where he describes the ace partnership in contrasts: Lennon's method is "harmonic, dissonant", McCartney's that of the "natural melodist".) It might sound amazing but we never spotted that when we were writing. We just did our thing. But it is kind of apparent when you bother to analyse it.

Q. If John Lennon could come back for a day, how would you spend it with him (Mark Wilson, Deeside, Flintshire)

A. In bed.

Q. Were you ever envious that Brian Epstein didn't fancy you? (Nick Gibson, London) 

A. No, I didn't mind. We just used to go to these clubs at night and wonder why there were so many men. It was OK. Brian was very cool about his side to things. I think the nearest any of us got to it was the John-going-to-Spain thing (it inspired the movie, The Hours And The Times) and I'm not sure what the strength of all that was. I think it was power play on John's part. But Brian kept his private life aside. He kept it out of our faces (pause, possibly for effect). He kept it out of mine, anyway.

Q. What were the last records you bought? (Chris Timms, Harrogate)

A. The Prodigy's The Fat Of The Land, Radiohead's OK Computer and Chopin's Nocturnes.

Q. How do you feel about all the animosity between you and Oasis right now? (Christina Vellano, Syracuse, New York, USA)

A. There is none as far as I'm concerned. What happened was I'd said, Good group, good singer, good songwriters. But people asked me about it so much that one time I decided to take it further and say that they don't mean anything to me. I am not related to Oasis. I wish them good luck and everything. But my kids mean something to me, John Lennon means something to me, but Oasis ....

Q. Who would you pick to play with in your dream six-piece band? (Alan Thatcher, Essex) 

A. Dream? So we're into fantasy, aren't we? Ringo, John, George, that's three. Me. Jimi Hendrix. That makes lots of guitarists, so Little Richard on keyboards.

Q. With Wings, did you feel pressurised to live up to The Beatles? (Andrew Williams, Neath)

A. Yes, it was a case of "follow that!". Impossible to do. Looking back on it, it's a lot better than I thought, though some of it is just not PLAYED as well as The Beatles. My son (James, co-worker on McCartney's last pop album, Flaming Pie) plays a lot of Wings, so I'm re-listening, and there's good shit that I'd forgotten about. A lot of the lyrics were off the wall, drug stimulated. Things like "Soily - the cat in the satin trousers says its oily". What was I on? I think the answer is stimulants.

Q. Do you still support the legislation of cannabis? (Grahame Woods, Northwood, Middlesex)

A. I would make a distinction between legalising and decriminalising. I'm in favour of the latter. The problem is that jails are stuffed full of kids doing what a lot of people do. Why stuff the jails with young kids? Plus it's one of the best places to score. I remember when I got busted in Japan, nobody made the slightest effort to rehabilitate me (laughs). Just stuck me in a box for nine days. Obviously you come out and you are fairly resentful.

Q. Do you roll a wicked joint? (Steve Kline, Bury)

A. I have nothing to say in answer to that question, m'lud. I wasn't even at the venue.

Q. The critics have been harsh on your solo work. Did this ever discourage you? (Robert Hemauer, Madison, Wisconsin, USA)

A. Yeah, sure, but you don't let it kill you. It's a difficult one, because it's never cool for someone to tell you you're shit. Many people through history were damned by the critics of their own time - Cezanne, Van Gogh, Stravinsky, all great painters! Ha ha!

Q. We'd like to see your paintings but can't get to the exhibition in Germany (McCartney unveils his work for the first time in Siegen, Germany, next year). Any thoughts about putting your paintings on "tour", or publishing a book of them? (Kathy Goodman, San Diego, CA, USA)

A. A difficult one. If you're a so-called celebrity - like Bowie, Anthony Quinn, Tony Curtis - and you exhibit any art, inevitably, people are not going to think of you as a real painter. Gallery owners come up to me and offer to give me exhibitions. I say, You haven't seen my pictures, and they say, It doesn't matter. Well, it does to me. Otherwise, it's just trading on the name. However, this guy from Germany came over, looked at all my paintings, seems to like them. He's telling me what they're all about.

Q. You've done so many things - classical, films, music, art, drugs - is there anything left you might have a go at? (Tim Bowler, Swansea)

A. The thing is how reluctant I've often been to have a go. I think we were brought up pretty repressed. Brought up to be seen and not heard, to stay in your place, particularly a working class thing. And I think - I hope - with The Beatles, we got rid of a lot of that. With the painting, for instance, it was Willem de Kooning who liberated me. I used to go to his studio, took in one of my paintings, said, Hey Bill, I hope you don't mind but can you tell me what it is? (Affects American drawl) "Oh, looks like a couch." Well it looked like a purple mountain to me. And he says, "Well, whatever." Here's one of the greats, his works go for one million, and it was great to see how little bullshit he was bringing to it all. It's really important to explode these myths that surround the arts, music, painting. It's Wizard of Oz time - so many myths, and it's often just a little man behind the screen. The paraphernalia that surrounds them gets in the way. Often you meet leaders in their field and they have none of that. I remember asking a great painter - Peter Blake, maybe - for some advice once, and he said "Just paint a lot". Similar to my approach to music.

Q. How do you know when a song's finished? (Joyce Slavik, Palatine, Illinois)

A. It's full up. You've answered all of your questions. Normally, I start following a thread: "Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice ... " The thread might come out of nowhere, and I follow it and complete it, like a crossword puzzle. When the crossword is full up, the song is finished.

Q. What's more embarrassing: writing Hi Hi Hi or Say Say Say? (Tien Vu, Costa Mesa, California)

A. (Weighs up pros and cons). Say Say Say.

Q. Why did you give such extensive interviews for an authorised biography (Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now) instead of writing an autobiography? (Deena Hochberg, Southampton, Pennsylvania)

A. I don't think I'm a writer. I've never been moved to do it. You have to have a pretty big fire in the belly to do something as big as that. I fancy music more. I'm happier writing in songs rather than in prose, or poetry. Though I wrote something that was never published about the time I got busted in Japan - for my kids. Because I knew one day they'd say, "Hey dad, what was it like, nine days in a Tokyo jail?". So I had a mate of mind, who did all our printing, knock up a few copies, one for each of the kids.

Q. I'd like to know if Sir Paul sings in the shower, and if so, what does he sing? (Jennifer Nash, Bursville, Minnesota)

A. It's normally the bath. I prefer a good bath. And the answer's Firestarter - "I'm a firestarter, de-de-de-de-dera."

Q. As a kid you used to play pranks at school by throwing balloons filled with something "worse than water". If you had one of those balloons right now who would you like to hit with it? (Brett Yuskiewicz, Leipzig, Germany)

A. Jonathan King. He's a prat from way back.

Q. Which football team did/does each Beatle support? (WC Chan, Maryland, USA)

A. None of us were big footie types. We weren't very sporty, unlike other groups who were always having knock-arounds. My dad was an Everton fan, which I was most of my life. But then Liverpool started playing well, and Everton didn't, so I took the unprecedented move of supporting them both. It's not allowed, I know, but there you go.

Q. For years, you've claimed it's you in the Walrus costume in the Magical Mystery Tour film. But watching the footage shows that for it to be you, you and John would have had to exchange all your clothes. Are you winding us up, or have you not watched the film in 30 years? (Dorothy Northcutt, Tucker, Georgia) 

A. The big one. Very good question. I tell you what it was. In the stills we had taken, I was the one with the Walrus head on - in the film it's different. So John then immortalised it in Glass Onion, "I've got news for you all, the walrus was Paul". Obviously at the time you don't care, it's just a Walrus head. You don't realise years later people like our friend from Georgia will analyse it.

Q. What is the quality of each of the other Beatles that you like(d) the best about? (S. Breggles, Richmond)

A. All of them - musical talent. All of them - honesty. Ringo -funny, and kind hearted. George - straightforward and open. John - witty with a soft centre, or maybe hard with a soft centre.

Q. Do the copulating beetles on the sleeve of Ram (1970) stand for F**k The Beatles? (Luc Van de Wiele, Wemmel, Belgium)

A. It happened to be a picture Linda had taken. We couldn't resist it just because of the way it looked. She'd caught these two beetles f**king, and then the significance hit us. We saw that pun, yeah, thought why not?

Q. Was there ever a third Lennon song for Anthology 3? (Jake Lennington, Rush City, MN, USA)

A. There was, but George didn't like it. The Beatles being a democracy, we didn't do it.

Q. I have a Beatles t-shirt which I bought from The Grapes (celebrated Liverpool pub). I was told the band are pictured in their favourite seats - adjacent to the Ladies where you would often catch a glimpse of the girls changing for an evening at The Cavern. True? (Alan Tomkins, Goring, West Sussex)

A. I hope so. It SOUNDS true. Had there been an opportunity to spot the girls changing, I'm sure we would have sat there.

Q. If you hadn't been a musician, what do you think you would have been? (Tony Carter, Manchester)

A. The only thing I could have probably qualified for was teaching. So I might have been an English teacher.

Q. Does it do your head in - stuff like the handwritten lyrics to Getting Better selling for $249,000 at Sothebys? (Peggy Robinson, Trinant, Gwent)

A. It's the price of fame - literally. You scribble them on the back of an envelope, and it gets to be famous. People want it, so it becomes a desirable object. Like Mozart's bog paper, which is another highly desirable object, apparently. More valuable obviously if it's been used.

Q. What is the inscription on the ID bracelet you wear? (Rachel Hyland, West Harford, Connecticut)

A. It says Paul - for when I forget who I am.

Q. How does it feel to have a star named after you (the christening courtesy of American astronomy fans)? (John Sales, Barry, Glamorgan)

A. Really cool. The good thing is that as you get on, your fans get on too. And some of them are pretty swotty. Like the people who started Apple, they were just Beatles fans, hence the name. You don't sit around looking at the sky, trying to find it, but it's like getting a very nice birthday present. I'm not religious, I don't believe in any one system - I sort of think the universe is basically benevolent and we f**k it up - but I am spiritual. I saw Stephen Hawking on TV the other night, and he was saying that we are made of the same stuff as the stars. Which is great. We are all stardust, luv.

Q. What do you want written on your gravestone? (Tom Mangold, Exeter) 

A. Here lies Gracie Fields. Anything to keep people away.

Q. Hey, is it true you are dead, and if you are, what is it like? (L.A. Patterson, Hamlet, North Carolina)

A. Yes. And it's very interesting. It's a very interesting afterlife.

[fairy25]

Girl boss culture is so stupid and you radfems are making it worse. You think you’re making women look so bad but it’s just toxic don’t come crying to men when it all backfires. There are many rumours and beliefs about mystical phenomena happening every time Constantinople was attacked. What I did not know is that apparently this is mentioned in Ottoman scripts as well. That’s certainly interesting. In any case, this is folklore at this point and I am not at all sure it is credible. I read there in the comments below the video someone saying that there must have been some sort of high voltage produced in the midst of the battle. Or maybe a lightning stroke the church for all we know. Surely it must have shocked medieval people but I believe there was some natural explanation for it or that in the heat of the moment people certainly made it out to be more otherworldly than it actually was. something abt fate's glamorization of historical figures (including giving them tits) seems so epic at first glance, then u skim thru their wikipedia page and they're like... *lives after the Great Schism of the Catholic and Orthodox church*, "which Council of ____ are we following?", *invaded by an empire that just disbanded 100 years ago*, political marriage and matchmaking is hard, "our city was terribly ransacked after the fourth crusade back in 1204, we can't ask help from the West!", *civil wars in neighboring states probably*, *Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They might be giants playing in the background*, the Habsburgs family tree is dangerously getting close to being a vine, Margaret of Anjou GiRlbOsSinGggggg her way thru England, maybe another chapter of the Hundred Years War. constantine xi was like existing with by social and political forces of their time. sucks to be him though! imagine being a legit heir of capital R=Rome, only for the austrians to like rebrand themselves as the Holy Roman Empire which according to Voltaire is neither holy, nor Roman nor an Empire while u, the legit remnant of the glory that is Rome is shrinking with forces beyond your control. the city has fallen and you're still alive, you stand singular against the invaders. the glory that was Rome is in you and you'll perish with it. On right there is the antithesis, Dracula, on a background of blood-red. A simple stylized city is shown behind the theatrically dark-clad Dracula, and a many-tailed dragon roars before his feet. In this way he is presented as the saint of death, as the Dragon is a mythical being most closely associated with evil and destruction. In the Biblical book of Revelation, a seven-headed dragon appears in sky, being one of the heralds of the End Times. ‘The Christian dead totalled about four thousand, many more were wounded, and tens of thousands were taken prisoner. Blood flowed in the streets of Constantinople, encircling the cobblestones like red mortar. Some of the bodies were thrown into the Dardanelles, where they "floated out to sea like melons in a canal". Others were piled up as there had been no time to bury them; the stench was terrible, but even more terrible was the task of identifying the bodies of friends and relatives, because many had been beheaded.’

Bro you lost me at Constantinople, if you want to insult me please just get to the goddamn point

[thoughtfulfangirling]

I just finished The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek which is a historical fiction piece following the life of Cussy Mary, a blue Appalachian woman based off of the actual blue people in the Appalachians.

When I read that in the description, I did a double take. Actual blue people? I was skeptical, but it is apparently a thing. Just look up Blue Fugates on Wikipedia if you really want to know. I had to look it up. This is besides the point though.

What struck me reading this, was that a couple of days ago, I started Meru. It's a sci fi book that takes place in the far future where, while genetic diversity is valued highly, a lot of major diseases no longer happen. By a fluke chance, one of the main characters, Jayanthi, ends up with Leukemia however when her parents (sentient robots with organic parts but not human reproductive parts) let her genes be truly random out of human archives.

Cussy Mary from the first book is different in that she is blue, and because of this, society has rendered her disabled by this genetic difference. Something that she lives with completely healthily with becomes a disability entirely because society had decided it has no value.

Jayanthi, however, is incredibly affected by her Leukemia and is truly disabled in that it affects her health, how her body navigates the world, and the medications she needs.

Cussy starts and ends the book on the fringe of society, though she has a happy ending of sorts nonetheless, because of her arbitrary disability.

But Jayanthi is going to be able to visit the first discovered planet, Meru, only because of her actual disability. Meru's one problem for human habitation is its higher oxygen levels, something that is being used to treat Jayanthi's Leukemia and which she already takes some sort of treatment/supplement/whatever to counteract the corrosive effects of. No other human exists with this opportunity she has because of it, and for that, she has great value (not just that obviously but I'm clearly doing some contrasting here).

It's a contrast that's sticking in my brain. It happened completely by chance that I would be reading these books back to back, but it's incredibly fascinating and gives lot of food for thought. And because it has been swimming in my mind so much, I needed to get it out just a little by putting some words to it... here I guess. XD

[radicalcoffeeclub]

Girl boss culture is so stupid and you radfems are making it worse. You think you’re making women look so bad but it’s just toxic don’t come crying to men when it all backfires. There are many rumours and beliefs about mystical phenomena happening every time Constantinople was attacked. What I did not know is that apparently this is mentioned in Ottoman scripts as well. That’s certainly interesting. In any case, this is folklore at this point and I am not at all sure it is credible. I read there in the comments below the video someone saying that there must have been some sort of high voltage produced in the midst of the battle. Or maybe a lightning stroke the church for all we know. Surely it must have shocked medieval people but I believe there was some natural explanation for it or that in the heat of the moment people certainly made it out to be more otherworldly than it actually was. something abt fate's glamorization of historical figures (including giving them tits) seems so epic at first glance, then u skim thru their wikipedia page and they're like... *lives after the Great Schism of the Catholic and Orthodox church*, "which Council of ____ are we following?", *invaded by an empire that just disbanded 100 years ago*, political marriage and matchmaking is hard, "our city was terribly ransacked after the fourth crusade back in 1204, we can't ask help from the West!", *civil wars in neighboring states probably*, *Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They might be giants playing in the background*, the Habsburgs family tree is dangerously getting close to being a vine, Margaret of Anjou GiRlbOsSinGggggg her way thru England, maybe another chapter of the Hundred Years War. constantine xi was like existing with by social and political forces of their time. sucks to be him though! imagine being a legit heir of capital R=Rome, only for the austrians to like rebrand themselves as the Holy Roman Empire which according to Voltaire is neither holy, nor Roman nor an Empire while u, the legit remnant of the glory that is Rome is shrinking with forces beyond your control. the city has fallen and you're still alive, you stand singular against the invaders. the glory that was Rome is in you and you'll perish with it. On right there is the antithesis, Dracula, on a background of blood-red. A simple stylized city is shown behind the theatrically dark-clad Dracula, and a many-tailed dragon roars before his feet. In this way he is presented as the saint of death, as the Dragon is a mythical being most closely associated with evil and destruction. In the Biblical book of Revelation, a seven-headed dragon appears in sky, being one of the heralds of the End Times. ‘The Christian dead totalled about four thousand, many more were wounded, and tens of thousands were taken prisoner. Blood flowed in the streets of Constantinople, encircling the cobblestones like red mortar. Some of the bodies were thrown into the Dardanelles, where they "floated out to sea like melons in a canal". Others were piled up as there had been no time to bury them; the stench was terrible, but even more terrible was the task of identifying the bodies of friends and relatives, because many had been beheaded.’

We need to bring back character limit for asks actually

[semper-legens]

186. The Night Ship, by Jess Kidd

Owned: No, library Page count: 371 My summary: 1628. Mayken sails to a new world on board a ship named for her destination, a child seeking her new existence. But tragedy befalls the Batavia before too long, and Mayken is cast into a world of conspiracy that she doesn't quite understand. Three hundred and sixty one years later, a boy called Gil is trying to move past the death of his mother when he comes across the graveyard of the Batavia. But how and why are their lives interlinked? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

I should probably have heard of this incident before now. Long-time readers of this blog will know that I am particularly interested in Bad Things Happening On Boats, from the Franklin expedition to the mutiny on the Bounty to the Belgica. So I should probably have come across the Batavia before now, right? Apparently not. Yeah, we're back in historical fiction territory, with a split narrative between a girl who sails on the Batavia's doomed voyage in the 1620s, and a boy in the 1980s who finds himself washed up on that same shore. It was mystical, it was haunting, it was lyrical, and it was a very good, if tragic, read. I'd highly recommend it.

Let's start in 1628 with young Mayken, a newly motherless girl being sent to live with her estranged father in Batavia, a Dutch colony in Indonesia. The only person she has is her nursemaid, Imke, who dies in the crossing after a bite on her foot is infected. Mayken is curious and imaginative, but that imagination can be used against her. When a sailor she thinks of as a friend helps her obtain access belowdecks, she thinks that's a great thing despite the area belowdecks being full of perils for a lone child. She is taught a story of an eel-like creature called the Bullebak, and comes to believe that this monster is responsible for anything that goes wrong on the ship. This serves, to the mind of the adult reader, as something of a metaphor for the true rot at the heart of the Batavia, including the mutinous Jeronimus Cornelisz who takes advantage of the wreck to take some of the surviving women as his own and orders the murder of survivors when supplies get low. Mayken was a really engaging protagonist; Kidd strikes a fine balance between her childish naivety and a real sense of character and personality. She's not a bland Dickensian urchin, she has her own thoughts and feelings, and the narrative doesn't spell out exactly why she does half the things she does, while still leaving the truth plain for anyone to see if they are looking. Mayken believes in the Bullebak because she needs a sense of control in her life while Imke is sick and the ship wrecks and everything is falling apart. She is protective of the people in her life because they are all she has. She finds routines and patterns in her daily existence because they help keep her grounded in a sense of reality. It's a mature, nuanced worldview that still keeps the childish outlook and that has to be commended.

Meanwhile in 1989, we have Gil, a newly motherless boy being sent to live with his estranged grandfather on an island off the coast of Australia. There's something familiar between Gil and Mayken - shared by the mirroring the narrative does between them. The first two chapters are mirror images of each other, sharing the same beats and progression, highlighting these two children as important. Gil's mother, who reading between the lines was severely mentally ill and/or a drug user, died not too long ago. She may or may not have killed herself. Gil found her, and lived with her corpse for a couple of weeks before eventually being found and shipped off first to a children's home, then his only living relative, his grandfather Joss who lives on Beacon Island. Gil has the same naivety of Mayken, but his worldview is a bit more cynical; while Mayken makes connections among the crew and passengers of the Batavia, Gil keeps to himself and trusts nobody, even though he's young enough that this independence is more sad than admirable. He has a hot temper and does not react well to bullies, not helped by the fact that he's 'weird', liking to dress in his grandmother's clothes and put on fashion shows because that's what he used to do with his mum. He also exhibits some distressing behaviours, such as drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, something he also seems to have learned from his mother. As events unfold, we get to understand him and what he has done better, as well as the complex guilt he carries with him over his mother's death.

This is a book about trauma, and this is a book about tragedy, and it doesn't have any easy answers to either. Bad things still happen. Mayken is one of the people massacred by Cornelisz' men, and is believed to haunt the island long after her death. Gil's tortoise Enkidu dies after being dropkicked by Gil's bullies, and ends up being stalked and harrassed by an adult who hates his guts. Mayken lost everything. Gil's mother's death might be his fault. Most of the characters are messed up by some trauma or other, not just the kids, and very few of them have the language to express it or the wherewithal to understand it. Some of their stories we only catch glimpses of, and ultimately cannot know why they are the way they are, just seeing the end result. It's a melancholy tale, but not a grim one. There's light there. Despite the monstrous actions of a few people, there are still others who take Mayken under their wing or look out for Gil. People are complicated, and most of us are just doing the best we can under the circumstances. And that's such a hopeful message, even in the midst of all this pain. You can heal. There is a light. Even if you don't reach it, that light is there.

Next, dark magic and a strange boy in a rural town.

[fishylife]

Thoughts on Painter of the Night chapters 103-126

First of all, it's pretty unfortunate that Byeonduck has been going through so many health problems :/ I know comic artists are under an immense amount of stress with deadlines and such. I'm glad that they're able to take hiatuses from drawing and writing, but hopefully they can take MORE of them :///

On to Painter of the Night, chapter 126 ends with Nakyum in jail because he took the fall for Seungho's crimes, and Seungho is there vising him. They're at a bit of an impasse because Nakyum is insistent on taking the blame, whereas obviously Seungho doesn't want this.

At this point, the story is kind of formulaic. Nakyum gets hurt because of something to do with Seungho, Seungho does what he needs to do to get Nakyum back (often using violence), rinse and repeat. And yet, I CAN'T STOP READING lmao. I just love seeing a guy get whumped for love, and that is what's happening to Nakyum. But the patterns are rather obvious now.

The handful of chapters after the murders of the lords, when Nakyum was still recovering, and Seungho had wanted him to stay at the kisaeng house...honestly those chapters had me tearing up. Nakyum was so worried about being abandoned by Seungho that he was doing everything he could to show him that he wanted to be there, pretending to be happy, even making sexual advances to Seungho. And Seungho...he reacts so gently now. I remember in the early days when it was so hard to read Seungho; he was so erratic, you never really knew what he was thinking or going to do. It was terrifying, even just as a reader. Even though Seungho and Nakyum's love is kind of obsessive, we can't deny that the love has grounded him a bit, for better or for worse.

After the deal at the kisaeng house, we see Heena mulling over things, probably because she sees with her own eyes that Nakyum wants to be with Seungho. Before, she was still kind of convinced that he was being held captive but now, seeing him run after Seungho, she's thinking about how things have changed, and probably aren't how she thought they were. Side note on Heena, it appears that she was the person that had been saved from the water, because she was looking for Inhun's stuff? And I think it was Seungho's people who saved her? Sorry, I'm picking this manhwa back up after a long time so my memory's a bit foggy, and I know that that panel was a callback to that time when Nakyum confessed to Seungho followed by a panel suggesting that Inhun had possibly drowned. But we're supposed to interpret it as Heena having been saved after looking for Inhun's stuff. I think lol.

I do love the scheming!!!! One of my favourite themes in historical stories. We start to see more into the relationships between Seungho, Seungwon, and their father who I'll just call Lord Yoon. Seungho isn't totally out of it, being a noble himself, he has an inkling of what's going on behind the scenes, because he knows these people well enough. And we come to realize that the reasons why Seungho is still alive right now is (1) because he has some dirt over the older nobles and (2) his dad still has a sliver of love for him. Apparently the older lords like Lord Yoon and Lord Haseon had done some shady shit and the petition was evidence of that, which Seungho held.

I CHEERED when I found out that Seungwon was on Seungho's side, and was the spy within the Yoon family. We'd only seen him briefly before, but I was always hoping that Seungwon would be cool and he is lol. I do appreciate that Seungwon is in the middle between Seungho and Lord Yoon though. He understands that Seungho's been through shit, and he's very sympathetic to that. However, he is also there to push Seungho to get it together. See, Seungho lives in a manor with people who all report to him. Nobody is telling him to get his shit together. That can only come from outside, and the only noble that Seungho even barely trusts is his brother Seungwon. And it's not that Seungho needs to study for the civil service exams like his brother and get a government post. But it's clear that because he handles things recklessly, that danger is always coming back to him and his loved ones, including Nakyum. So yes, there is a need for Seungho to get it together, and imo Seungwon is right to push him.

Inhun was approached by Lord Haseon to get the petition. I did enjoy the conversations between Inhun and Lord Haseon. It appears that long ago, Inhun had berated Lord Haseon for bullying a child Nakyum at the kisaeng house. And here they are, years later, Lord Haseon ordering Inhun to find evidence of Lord Haseon's own misdoings, and Inhun desperate to do so. There was that panel where Lord Haseon said that "time changes us all," and we see Inhun on the floor, kowtowing in desperation for another chance. Inhun was once a bastion of justice and the bureaucracy broke him down to the man he is now.

Lord Haseon pointed out that Inhun already showed that he was a man that was open to bribery the moment he agreed to an audience with Lord Haseon. Anyway, Lord Haseon got Inhun to look for the petition, and in return, Lord Haseon would help him get a government post.

It appears that Inhun always knew about Nakyum's affections for him, and used that entirely to his advantage to get the petition. It was so ugly when we saw Inhun burst into tears, feigning worry over Nakyum's "captivity," because we know how fake those tears were. But ever since Nakyum confessed to Seungho, we've seen his fondness for Inhun go from romantic to something of admiration for an elder. And that's what it is now, it's his admiration for a man he used to look up to, whereas Seungho is the one he wants to kiss, the one he wants to spend his days with.

See, this round of Nakyum being whumped and kidnapped is a little more personal than the last round (with the lords), because Inhun and Haseon both have personal connections with Nakyum and Seungho. Nakyum choosing Seungho over Inhun to his face is a big step.

As for Seungho, we're finally getting to see more into his past. It was hinted at that he'd suffered sexual abuse as a teenager (?). According to Seungwon, he believes that Lord Yoon does still love Seungho, and pushed most of the blame of the abuse onto Lord Haseon, which is a bit of a copout because they both should be responsible. But I'm guessing the story wanted to set up Lord Haseon as the big bad with regards to Seungho's depravity, and then Lord Yoon is going to be the big bad in terms of keeping Seungho and Nakyum apart. In any case, Seungho killed Haseon so that chapter is kind of closed. Kind of. It depends on how Byeonduck's going to handle Lord Yoon and Seungho's conflict.

And that brings us to where we are!!!!!!

Seungho and Nakyum's toxic relationship grows to be slightly healthier, if only because they considered the running away together. Seungho's starting to understand that...you should want to make people you like happy, and Nakyum being around all the people that hate Seungho is only going to hurt Nakyum. But they're struggling just to leave because Seungho's enemies are too strong and all around.

That being said, I don't know that Seungho has a lot of tools in his arsenal. He has no political power, except for the petition. I also don't know that he can get either him or Nakyum out of the crimes because, like, my man did commit them. Maybe he can get some leniency on punishment but ??? how???

For some reason I was under the impression that Painter of the Night was going to end happily (not sure why), but I wonder if this is going to end with Nakyum and Seungho dying together. Byeonduck once mentioned that in our world, Seungho would be a criminal, and even in his original world, he is a criminal. It's going to be a rough time getting out of this one, but with the power of bureaucracy and an imperfect political system, maybe there's hope for Seungho and Nakyum.

For some love stories, dying together isn't a sad ending to me. Usually when it just hurts too much to be together. But despite the ills they went through, I don't think dying together is necessarily the happiest ending for Seungho and Nakyum. Maybe because there was hope, and there was intention; I do think there's a realistic possibility that they could be happy together in their own world, not bothering anyone. But we shall have to wait and see what Byeonduck has for us!!!!