#library theory

[gayofthefae]

Even more that there's something up about the library. Will kept there, it being the central point of all the gates, but what's more, on the first shot we see the Creel House in the upside down in 4x03, we don't immediately cut to it. We follow a demobat flying to it. The first shot, in fact, of the upside down is of front and center - you guessed it

The library.

This is the first shot we get of the upside down.

[fluentisonus]

deeply annoying thing about university is you don't have the time to explore a lot of the institutional access until you graduate & then they take it away

[wybienova]

the books upstairs

some closeups bc the quality will inevitably be ruined

[project-sekai-facts]

Your blog is getting glued

[u-mspcoll]

Fabric samples from Persoz, Jean François. Traité théorique et pratique de l’impression des tissus. Paris : Victor Masson, 1846.

Chevreul, Michel Eugène. De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs. Paris: Pitois-Levrault et ce, 1839.

Read a bit about curator Jamie Vander Broek's journey toward developing the exhibit Behind the Curve: Rainbows and the Science and Culture of Color, on view through 4 September in the Hatcher Gallery Exhibit Room!

[invidioso-dogma]

What I love about the forgotten legions in 40k is that you can construct some wild theories and there is no one to stop you. Games workshop doesn't care but we do.

But my personal concern is.

The lore says unknown, but I am not satisfied with that response.

So today we will attemp to get inside Malcador's head and answer one of the Imperium's best kept secrets.

The facts we have so far

BUT WAIT.

The plot thickens because if we take it as fact that the geneseed was stolen from another legion we have to guess who is the father?

But fear not we have more evidence as to guess who might be.

1) All of the Grey Knights are sorcerers and pretty powerful ones at that.

2) One of the first hand picked, finger pointed, wholeheartedly selected Grey Knights was a Night Lord.

3) They are smug, walking talking warp magic nukes. They have that wap. Wild ass potential.

Also I am not joking. The Emperor saw that Night Lord and I guess was impressed by his human skin collection and agreed for him to join.

Malcador too. But at this point we all can agree Malcy Malc boy was a thief. Bad choices is his strongest suit.

SO.

👏🏻

Dad Theory No1

THE FATHER MIGHT BE. (empasis on might but it would be really funny if it was the truth)

Same same. But now a different picture. From a better angle.

The Crimson King is their dad.

Yes I am serious.

My limited research leads me to believe Magnus was the one... used for his geneseed by Malcador to create the loyalist version of nucler houdinis.

And you know what would make this theory even funnier if it was true.

Oh yes. Or oh no. Its the same at this point.

If the Grey Knights are indeed just a bunch of Thousand Sons but painted chrome and artificially orphaned.

That bastard Malcador.

He created 1000 sons and did not even have the decency to tell them who their dad was.

1000 men left out in the cold. With no place to call home.

1000 Sons -

1000 SONS PEOPLE THE GREY KNIGHTS ARE 1000 IN TOTAL. THATS THE FINAL CLUE WE NEEDED.

THEY ARE THE SONS OF MAGNUS BUT IN KNIGHT COSPLAY.

THIS IS CANON NOW.

MALCADOR STOLE MAGNUS SEED (THAT SOUNDS WRONG). AND MADE THE GREY KNIGHTS.

AND NOT ONLY THAT RUBRIC HAPPENED AND SINCE THOSE DUDES DON'T KNOW WHO THEIR DAD IS THEY PROBABLY WOKE UP ONE DAY +10 IN ALL THEIR STATS AND COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY

Case closed

This is canon now

What will games workshop do?

Refute it?

[carolaetroses]

About The Secret History, a little theory: it always surprises me how no one seems to talk about how the whole conversation between Richard and Francis about Camilla and Charles' relationship is, most likely, a whole lie. Not only Richard's, but also Francis'.

It's so obvious that Francis is clearly upset about Camilla, since he's attracted to Charles AND Richard, both of them rejected him, because they are attracted to her. Francis stablishes that Charles and him have had a few interactions, kisses, hook-ups, etc., but he also says that Charles denies it. When he implies that Camilla enjoys and leads on this relationship, he's trying to save his pride. We know Francis can't handle rejection very well (we can also see it on the Richard-Francis relationship, when Richard tells him he's not interested and Francis says he doesnt like him, even if it's obvious he does).

Francis describes Camilla as a man-eater, a femme fatale, because that would save his pride, that would explain why Charles doesn't reciprocate him. Of course, this also extends to Richard.

Francis says that Camilla leads on Richard, and Richard of course agrees, because that's what they both do to save their rejected pride. Richard can use the idea of Camilla as a men-eater as a way to protect himself from the shame of just being rejected because she doesn't like him. And Francis can also use this idea as a way to explain why Charles and Richard do not seem to like him back.

They are protecting their own pride by using this concept of Camilla, it's like a silent agreement between them, like their way to say: "Yes. She's evil, she leads men on, she uses men, that's why Charles and Richard like her, that's why she doesn't reciprocate Richard". They're just straight up lying, which I find fascinating.

(I have a lot of more ideas about Charles and Camilla's relationship, and of course a lot of Henry and Camilla too, but that would extend this post way more than I have intended anyways)

[fiendishartist2]

you appear familiar dear; you look just like my bathroom mirror!

[wingedblooms]

Summoning magic

This is a Maasverse mini-theory that has bothered me for some time and I am finally posting it more than a year later. If you have not read both the acotar and cc series, please avoid.

I still think about the underground library of the night court and how Bryaxis, a monstrous creature of nightmares, was trapped there. Whether he was put there by hel, as @offtorivendell and @silverlinedeyes theorized, or trapped there by Silene, it is clear he was meant to be a deterrent to what is hidden in the lower levels of the library. What could be hidden in the lower levels of the library, a place dedicated to information?

After Bryaxis is released from the library and his whereabouts are unknown, we suddenly learn that the priestesses in it are researching the multiverse theory.

And somehow, after all this time, Clotho discovered ancient songs in the lower levels that operate ✨like a spell✨ when Nesta joins them for dusk services. Amplified by the natural magic of the cavern, which functions like witch glass, their ancient spell songs help Nesta locate one of the Asteri’s weapons, the harp. Almost like there was an intentional call in the song, and the harp answered.

Is it possible that the priestesses stumbled onto the Asteri’s archives and records at the bottom of the library, which is why they were urgently researching the multiverse and using the equivalent of ancient summoning spells?

What, or who, else might have answered their summoning? An ancient sorcerer whose own magical influence travels on the wind? And/or, perhaps, the distraught shadowsinger, who was intent on going somewhere else, but somehow ended up in the library instead?

[gayofthefae]

One of those things that's either Noah had something in his eye or really cool on a post-season 5 rewatch so I'm putting it out there.

But of course there are those library theories about Will being put there and the rift centering on it, and we know Will said he felt Vecna there, well (editing frame by frame per usual), when he's out of focus just as they're driving past the library, I noticed his eyes do something

It's slowed down a bit for emphasis but at full speed it's still more odd-flutter than blink the way his eyes don't close. Like I said, could be nothing, but in case it's something - I said it first.

[rowanthestrange]

Libraries are stories. Best weapons in the world.

So much Doctor = Moon for Dr Moon.

Two of the same object - the screwdriver in a sense.

Alright, fine this has enough legs to be entertained. So what else could we have then? Out of order storytelling comes to mind. This would track with out current position of multiple areas of the story the Master should be inhabiting.

She’s his wife. That’s on theme with Doctor-Master marriage either past or future.

The children do live — for a given value of life which at least matters to them — so Belinda, much like Maestro’s harbinger, survives regardless of what seems to happen to her. (Which is now why I think we see him at the end actually, to show they can).

And River lives, just in a different form - well it’s the Master so duh.

But the Doctor is separated from that marriage, at least for the time being. Donna separated from that family structure forever and it didn’t happen at all but she had the like of it after. (And obviously bearing in mind she’s a Doctor mirror anyway).

…This might work actually. What are we calling this theory so we can later forget what we called it? Just ‘Library Theory’ or does someone have a pun?

No lights in Aliss’s helmet and four people in the airlock when there’s only supposed to be three.

Now she does have a few sus looks at people earlier.

I’m thinking Who Turned Out The Lights.

She kept talking about a child.

Could the monster was inside her already and she’s already dead/parasitised, and the one behind her back is the ‘child’?

(We’re potentially talking at least two Masters at various points in time, one being harbinged and one in the tooth. Maybe this is where tooth meta would come in? Already being inside the house?)

[stone-cold-groove]

Mathematics: The Story of Numbers, Symbols and Space. The Golden Library of Knowledge - 1958.

[iwtv-az-hours]

he's so me

and hello Real Rashid

[leonawriter]

On Keter in LC-LoR-LC

I was just reminded of something I'd put in a previous post about the concept of Keter being the Crown of the Tree of Life - that is, the culmination of all of the other Sephirot.

In Lobotomy Corporation, Keter is the last Department to be opened (not counting Da'at, which doesn't have agents employed there, no Abnormalities, and no associated Sephirah, since I don't count Carmen for that).

In Library of Ruina, Keter is technically the first to be opened - but it's the last to be activated. All of the other floors have Realisations in the same order that they're opened in, other than Keter.

Limbus Company seems to be going the same route. Currently, Dante has Hokma and Binah, and if we're looking at the Sapling of Light abilities as activating in the same order as the floors of the Library, then we've not doubt got Chesed activating in Canto 8 part 3. What Dante doesn't have is Keter - which makes sense considering the previous two entries in the series.

Keter is "The Knowing I" after all. It is associated with the divine name which means "I Am What I Am" and "represents pure consciousness and transcends human understanding." It also "embodies the qualities of absolute compassion and humility." With those things in mind (sourced from the wiki page), we know that Keter is all about knowing who you are, and being compassionate toward others.

With that in mind it makes complete sense why Ayin couldn't achieve Keter without first defeating his three evil other selves- reflections in the mirror. It makes sense that Angela couldn't achieve Keter without first facing her past, and also Carmen.

It makes sense that Dante will only be able to achieve Keter once they know who they are.

Which leads me to the original point:

Another of the meanings behind "Keter" as a concept reads as follows-

"Keter is also known as "Nothing" (אַיִן, ayin) or "The Hidden Light" (אוֹר הַגָּנוּז, Or HaGanuz), reflecting its abstract and ineffable nature."

In a previous post, I joked on that saying "Hello there, Dante's old name" but honestly, what just occurred to me is that Ayin is present (more or less) in the Keter of both Lobotomy Corporation in that he literally is the Keter Sephirah; we even have to play his Core Suppressions, and Library of Ruina, since Angela hears his voice in the Light.

Which says to me - hidden within the Keter, there is always "Ayin." As the wiki page says, Keter is also known as Nothing, otherwise known as Ayin, or the Hidden Light.

This says to me that no matter what, Ayin IS going to make some sort of appearance the moment that Dante gets to unlock their Keter. Whether that's going to take the form of a conversation, an appearance, or, even, Dante quite simply remembering who they are, and what their other/true name is - which would be highly fitting considering that the "Ayin" would be a "hidden thing" that is then "brought to light," no?

[lone-nyctophile]

I always think about how similar humans are to each other on a fundamental level. We all feel the same core emotions but differ tremendously in the way we respond to them.

[sherbertilluminated]

Last night I was talking with my friends @teefigotem and @calypsopond about the pacing of the musical Les Miserables. I think Les Mis' libretto is one of the best foundations for a musical out there, but the first act has so much more plot and more iconic songs than the second, and I worry that top-heavy structure diminishes the ultimate impact of the uprising in the second act.

Caly and Maddy agreed that the 2012 film adaption had the right idea when it swapped the positions of "Do you Hear the People Sing" and "One day More." Transplanting the former to the beginning of Act 2 maintains the balance of revolutionary fervor (and iconic songs) between the two acts, and a serves as a payoff to the tension at the end of Act 1. While "Upon these Stones/Building the Barricade" begins Act 2 in the current libretto, it's high on exposition and low on enthusiasm. Since "Do You Hear the People Sing" has become an international revolutionary anthem, making it the opening of the uprising, rather than the prelude to it, builds on *ahem* that connection.

Just picture it: the audience returns to their seats, the orchestra hums with tension, and the lights go up on a somber street with a single voice—Enjolras, probably—singing. Students emerge from the set, workers join in, the turntable starts turning and it becomes clear that soon a barricade will be built in the street. The subsequent Marius/Eponine conversation that transitions into "On my Own" would still probably work here. In the span of fifteen minutes, the thesis statement of the revolting students turns into the reveal of the final barricade. It'd be pretty damn rousing, right?

The potential problem with this change is the lacuna it would leave behind. In the current structure of Les Miserables, "Do you Hear the People Sing" is an elaboration on Enjolras' claim that "they will come when we call!" and going directly from that rallying cry to a quiet romantic interlude flattens the rhetorical tension between romantic love and revolution "Red and Black" and makes Mairus seem a little silly (which, to be fair, he is. But Enjolras is not.) Although "Do You Hear the People Sing" is a little too bombastic for Act 1, before the uprising actually begins, there's still got to be some kind of transition. Something needs to foreshadow the violence to come. But what?

I proposed that the best transition would be a reprise of Stars. And that Eponine should get to sing it.

Since the Broadway premiere of the musical Les Miserables in 1987 and especially following the 2012 film adaptation, Eponine's character has been a locus for fandom attention and discourse. Because she's really compelling: despite being the daughter of the selfish, abusive Thenardier, she devotes her life to protecting Marius and ultimately sacrifices it for him. But the closest she ever gets to being understood is by the audience; even Marius, one of two people in the show to be kind to her (the other being Valjean), doesn't really understand the full extent of her devotion to him. And that devotion is powerful, whether as a proxy for audience members' own experiences with unrequited love or a representation of the bourgeousie's reliance on unacknowleged suffering. There's a lot going on with her in the musical. But there's even more to her in the Brick.

Unlike my esteemed Les Mis mutuals I'm definitely not informed enough to do original analysis, but I'm a big fan of the Javert/Eponine wolfdog theory. My introduction to it was with this post by @pilferingapples, although I don't know whether it originated somewhere else. The theory posits that Javert and Eponine, who are both compared to wolfish dogs for their ferocity and devotion to their idiosyncratic systems of morality, are character foils who represent the limited choices offered to people excluded from. I definitely don't know the op who suggested they trade methods of death (if anyone does, please let me know!) but that's also in the Brick. And while the musical adaptation doesn't preserve Hugo's canine/lupine symbolism, it keeps Eponine's one-sided committment to guarding Marius. And it keeps Javert's devotion to the institution of Law.

"Stars" is the hymn of that devotion. It's more sinister than Eponine's love for Marius, but in the grand scheme of things it's just as pathetic. Giving a short reprise of that song to Eponine not only explicates that parallel and gives new life to relatively-unused musical motif, it has the potential to tie together the action of the first act and add a new dimension to subsequent scenes.

Imagine if, instead of beginning "Do You Hear the People Sing" immediately after "Red and Black" or transitioning directly to the Rue Plumet, the scene changes to the outside of the ABC cafe. On the other side of the turntable/wall, Eponine is waiting. And worrying. She knows her father's going to rob a house tonight and that the girl Marius asked her to find lives there*. She can't let her father hurt him. She's smarter than him. She'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe, she swears—not to God or the stars, as Javert does, but to herself. The promise is shocking, because the audience heard that melody two songs ago and are just now discovering there is another way to be. There is another vow that can be made.

While she's singing, the ABC society files out the door. Maybe some hand out pamphlets or chat with people on the street. If the production wants to emphasize Eponine and Gavroche secret sibling bond, maybe they interact a little. But no one pays her too much mind. No one ever does.

The last person to emerge is Marius, looking a bit shaken. The timeline of the students' plans has been unexpectedly accelerated, he says. In case it's his last chance—nevermind why, 'Ponine, don't worry about me—he needs to see her once. You've found her, haven't you? Could you show me? Please? For my sake?

Consumed by shame and dread and the sense that he'll probably do something really stupid if she doesn't tag along, she agrees. And the stage begins to turn into the Rue Plumet, where "In my Life" begins. The whole interaction would take maybe two minutes.

There are of course thematic objections to this plan. There's the argument that "Stars" ought to be a unique, distinct song like "Bring Him Home." But those motifs are reused in instrumental form after Javert's and the students' respective deaths, so I don't necessarily think they're scene- or character-specific. There's also the argument that the melody of "Stars" is altogether too rigid for Eponine's character. I think there are a couple moments that would work quite well with the emotion("and if they fall as Lucifer fell," for example) but if you really don't want Javert's and Eponine's motif to cross, the melody of "A Little Fall of Rain" ("and you/I will keep me/you safe") could work for this moment too.

There's also the argument that Eponine already gets "too much" attention in the musical adaptation and doesn't need. But I don't know if that's true either. She interacts with Marius in several short scenes, she's present for "A Heart Full of Love" and "One Day More," she goes on her errand to Valjean, sings "On my Own," goes back to the barricade and dies shortly after. She gets about as much stagetime as Cosette does, and a little less than Marius.

It's true that she stands out as a character, but that's because she's got such interesting writing and is so isolated in the narrative. And while it's important to keep her "on [her] own," for the plot, using shared motifs to emphasize her symbolic similarities with other characters might make her character fit more cohesively into Les Miserables' grander thematic narrative. It could even make "On my Own" that much more powerful if she has a little hope that saving Marius from her father might get him to like her, and subsequently understands that this is not happening. But there's a lot more to her than being Marius' rejected best friend** and this choice has the potential to make that clear onstage.

In conclusion: moving "Do You Hear the People Sing" to the start of Act 2 letting Eponine do a wolfdog reprise of "Stars" between "Red and Black" and "In my Life" would be sick as fuck and maybe resolve some pacing issues in the libretto.

*There is a moment in the show where she realizes that she and Cosette grew up together. I like it in concept but it's a little awkwardly-placed and integrating it into the unnamed Red and Black/In my Life transition song would be great. Overall, her interactions with Marius seem like afterthoughts in between the larger numbers, which isn't fair to either of them.

**And for the record: this not a post pitting her against Cosette! They are both good characters and I wish the best for both of them!