#there is of course a notable exception to everything in this post....

[faultyconscience]

deeply funny to me that there's ppl out there thinking remus is like. rough/dom in any way (i mean...still barely but) bc he's always turning ppl over to fuck them from behind when he really just doesn't want them to touch his body/see his scars. and bc he's like. never on the bottom unless it's a mostly clothed situation....but even then he has much less control of the situation and isn't a fan

[zedleaked]

HEY GUYS... HERES A HUGEEE POST ABOUT RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT SPAMTON AND TENNA AND ALSO A COLLECTION OF ALL THEIR REFERENCES AND INTERACTIONS... AS THE IMAGE SAYS: THIS CONTAINS MAJOR CHAPTER 3 SPOILERS AND MINOR CHAPTER 4 SPOILERS!!! PLAY THE GAME PLEASE IT'S GOOD!!!

UNDER HERE YOU'LL FIND MY RANT:

THERE ARE SEVERAL REFERENCES TO SPAMTON IN CHAPTER 3,, ESTABLISHING A CONNECTION BETWEEN SPAMTON AND TENNA. BUT OUR FIRST MENTION OF TENNA EVER WAS IN: https://deltarune.com/d_a_m_n_y_o_u_t_e_n_n_a/

IN HERE SPAMTON EXPRESSES HIS DISLIKE FOR TENNA BUT AT THIS POINT WE DON'T KNOW *WHY*

HE BLAMES "EVERYTHING" ON TENNA, EVERYTHING MOST LIKELY REFERRING TO SPAMTON'S DOWNFALL, STATING THAT *TENNA* SHOULD BE THE ONE SLEEPING AT THE BOTTOM OF A DUMPSTER INSTEAD OF HIM. HE STATES THAT EVERYONE IS GOING TO PAY! [EVERYONE IN TV WORLD EXCEPT MIKE OF COURSE]

SOME OTHER POSSIBLE REFERENCES TO TENNA INCLUDE SPAMTON MENTIONING A GAMESHOW HOST "FUCKING HIM OVER AT THE GOOD PART", MENTIONING A TV SHOW WHERE BULLETS COME FROM THE HOST'S MOUTH AND SPAMTON SAYING HE DOESN'T NEED [[EASELS]] OR [[CRTS]] [MOST LIKELY SWATCH AND TENNA]

ON TENNA'S SIDE, ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS AND KNOWN MENTIONS OF SPAMTON IS WHEN HE IS BREAKING DOWN,, BLAMING HIS LOSS OF HIS VIEWERS ON SPAMTON, HE STATES THAT SPAMTON WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO HELP HIM USE TECHNOLOGY. HOWEVER, SPAMTON DISAPPEARED. TENNA NOW RESENTS HIM FOR LEAVING.

IT'S ALMOST COMICAL HIS HATRED FOR SPAMTON, HE MAKES A HUGE RECREATION OF HIS HEAD IN THE SUSIEZILLA MINIGAME, CENSORING HIS EYES. HE CONSTANTLY INSULTS HIM, TELLING US TO KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! SHOW HIM THAT MR. ANT TENNA IS *BETTER*

EVEN IN HIS QUIZ, THE CORRECT ANSWER IS THAT HE'S BETTER THAN EMAIL! HE'S BIGGER THAN THIS. CONCEPT HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND. THIS CONCEPT THAT SPAMTON IS BASED ON.

[[FUN FACT: EMAILS BECAME RELEVANT AT AROUND THE 1990s-2000s, WHEREAS CRTS BECAME OBSOLETE IN THE EARLY 2000s]]

IN A LOT OF TENNA'S THEMES TOO YOU CAN HEAR HINTS OF "A Real Boy!" DURING TENNA'S MELTDOWN THERE'S A PART WHERE A SPED UP VERSION OF “Now’s your chance to be a” PLAYS, TENNA STATING AFTER THAT IT WAS "WEIRD." THIS IS DURING A PART WHERE TENNA IS REMINISCING BY THE WAY.

A LOOSE BUT NOTABLE CONNECTION TOO IS SPAMTON SAYING "I THOUGHT WE HAD A [Kids!] I THOUGHT WE HAD A [Set!]" IN HIS VALENTINE'S CARD FROM LAST YEAR AND TENNA SAYING "Mike, rebuild the set!! Rebuild my kids!!"

BEFORE I GET INTO DISCUSSION, THERES ONE MORE INTERACTION THE TWO HAVE AND ITS A DIRECT ONE TO BOOT! SPAMTON COMES OUT OF THE DEALMAKERS AT THE SIGHT OF TENNA KEEPING A PIPIS HE GAVE HIM, EXCLAIMING: 'YOU REALLY DO CARE!' WHILE TENNA PROTECTS THE PIPIS, NOT KNOWING ITS SPAMTON

I REALLY LIKE THIS INTERACTION BECAUSE [BESIDES BEING FUNNY] IT SHOWS THAT THE TWO OF THEM STILL HAVE SOME CARE FOR EACH OTHER, SPAMTON REALISING TENNA KEPT HIS GIFT [MOST LIKELY] AND TENNA KEEPING THE PIPIS FROM SPAMTON, GOING AS FAR AS TO PROTECT HER FROM A SUPPOSED THREAT

THEY HAD SOME KIND OF HISTORY BUT WHAT HAPPENED? THEIR HATRED IS MUTUAL. BUT SPAMTON WANTED TO HELP TENNA [AND LATER ON WE'LL TALK ABOUT TENNA WANTING TO HELP SPAMTON] IN THE Z RANK ROOM IT HAS POSTERS OF THE BOTH OF THEM HAPPY, BIG SHOT SPAMTON EVEN WORE THE SAME SUIT AS TENNA!

IN THE BACKSTAGE, THE HIDDEN VIDEO GAME REVEALS THAT TENNA ALSO WANTED TO HELP SPAMTON, PUT HIM ON TV AND MAKE HIM A STAR, GIVE HIM HIS ADVICE! THIS WAS PARTLY BECAUSE TENNA WANTED TO KNOW SPAMTON'S SECRET TO FAME, BUT ALSO I LIKE TO THINK IT CAME FROM A GENUINE PLACE,,

BUT THEN, SPAMTON HAD TO TAKE A PHONE CALL. HE LEFT THE ROOM WITH THE RECEIVER HANGING,,, ALMOST IDENTICAL TO WHEN THE ADDISONS LOST SPAMTON. YOU CAN EVEN SEE THE PHONE ITSELF IN THE Z RANK ROOM

FOR A WHILE I WAS CONFUSED AS TO WHY SPAMTON HATED TENNA, BUT NOW I THINK I GET IT. THAT PHONE CALL MAY HAVE BEEN [THE MAN ON THE PHONE] CUTTING SPAMTON OFF, WHICH IS WHY HE RUSHED AWAY AND WAS NEVER SEEN AGAIN.

SPAMTON HATES TENNA BECAUSE HE BELIEVES TENNA IS THE REASON WHY THE [THE PHONE] LEFT. THIS IS WHY HE SAYS 'EVERYTHING IS *HIS* FAULT! MEANWHILE TENNA RESENTS SPAMTON BECAUSE HE LEFT HIM BEFORE HE COULD GET HIS ADVICE! HE ASSUMED HE CONNED HIM WHEN REALLY [THE PHONE] HURT HIM!

BUT MAYBE TO A DEGREE SPAMTON IS RIGHT... I BELIEVE [THE MAN ON THE PHONE] LEFT HIM BECAUSE TENNA WAS *FATED* TO LOSE HIS VIEWERS AND FALL INTO LONELINESS. THE PROPHECY STATES THAT 'THE LORD OF SCREENS CLEAVED RED BY BLADE',, TENNA WAS *MEANT* TO BE TAKEN DOWN BY THE KNIGHT.

BECAUSE SPAMTON SHARING HIS SECRET WOULD LEAD TENNA TO NOT FOLLOW THE PATH THE PROPHECY MADE FOR HIM,, SPAMTON'S [BENEFACTOR] CUT HIM OFF BECAUSE WHAT SPAMTON WAS DOING WAS AGAINST THE EVENTS SET OUT BY THE WORLD, WHICH DROVE SPAMTON INTO INSANITY!!!

IT'S TRAGIC BECAUSE THEIR DOWNFALLS WERE NEITHER OF THEIR FAULTS, THEY COULDN'T HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THIS GRAND SCHEME OR THAT SPAMTON'S [BENEFACTOR] WOULD LEAVE, SO THEY'RE LEFT TO ASSUME ONE BETRAYED THE OTHER. THEY USED TO BE CO-WORKERS. FRIENDS. NOW THEY'RE ENEMIES.

ANYWAYS THATS ALL I CAN MUSTER RIGHT NOW THIS TOOK A LOT LONGER THAN I THOUGHT TO GATHER. BUT I HOPE IT'S INTERESTING AND I HOPE YOU SEE WHERE I'M COMING FROM :) I LOVE SPAMTON AND TENNA AND WHILE I DOUBT WE'LL EVER GET MORE, I LOVED TO SEE SMALL PARTS OF THEIR WEIRD RELATIONSHIP :)

[chainofclovers]

Apparently I’m not done rambling about Hacks s4 despite posting a bunch of thoughts earlier. I’ve been seeing the sentiment that Deborah was treating Ava badly in 4x10 and being disappointing or gross for abusing substances (I’m obviously paraphrasing here, and trying not to vaguepost too egregiously) and that 4x10 was anticlimactic and a backslide and disappointing after the incredible finale-esque intensity of 4x9, and I feel so differently about it that I think I’m gonna try to write out my thoughts as to why that is!

I think Deborah is really scared.

She has always looked out for herself. She said herself, early in her relationship with Ava, that “there is no line.” But she found the line, and did not cross it. After achieving her dream and surpassing all hopes for how well the show would do (except, of course, her own hopes, and Ava’s hopes), she made a decision that was both perfectly in-character and a massive departure from all the other times when she’s made progress or taken great strides in her work or overcame challenges precisely because she was looking out for herself. And all along, Ava’s been causing her to question whether she was always respecting herself while looking out for Number One, and those little critiques and questions are in the mix as she’s exhibited great character growth but is now spiraling in ways that are very disrespectful to her brain and body.

It makes so much sense to me that Deborah would stall on working on new material despite suggesting to Ava that they’ll be finding their next thing together in 4x9. (She’s just given up what she thought would be the ultimate culmination of what she’d worked for, and while she’s put a lot of work into finding an exploitable loophole so she can perform again, it doesn’t really feel like she’s let herself mourn.) It also makes sense to me that she’d escape into alcohol; she’s always liked to drink quite a bit, but this feels like desperate escapism rather than debauchery (even if she’s very careful to make it look debaucherous and fun when she’s in front of Ava). I think she’s terrified to feel anything deep or dark for longer than a few seconds right now, hence all the cookies in bed and airplane bottles poured into Diet Coke and giggling about how many cocktails she’s had.

And for all that she is critical of Ava (in ways she ought to turn around on herself) and for all that she’s procrastinating all her feelings and really putting the “non-linear” into non-linear progress, I think it’s really exceptionally notable that she never once articulates REGRET. She knows she made the right choice in quitting Late Night. She knows she wouldn’t have been able to forgive herself if she hadn’t. She knows she prioritized the right person. She’s making mistakes left and right and she’s deeply depressed and she’s falling back into the “conniving” that was always more fun when it was in cahoots with other people and she’s struggling. But she doesn’t betray Ava or herself by letting her sadness turn into wishing she hadn’t done the right thing. That feels huge to me.

A lot of movies end directly after the climax; the main character takes their big stand, and it’s exciting and intense and powerful, and we leave the theater still full of adrenaline. I think it’s really important that 4x10 was 4x10 and not 5x1. The aftermath of Deborah’s decision is a part of this story. And I found it interesting and touching to watch Deborah and Ava kinda suck at navigating the aimless misery of being in a mutually-beneficial partnership that prioritizes comedy over literally everything else here in a stretch of months in which nothing’s really that funny.

[the-world-annealing]

If Etienne Lux did not exist, who would find it necessary to invent him?

Ever noticed how in the Power Fantasy, whenever the Superpowers meet up to talk business, Etienne's not there?

Not physically, I mean - look at the little shards, that's a projection. And that makes sense when you think about it for half a second - Valentina zips around the world in minutes, Heavy can fly, Magus has random magitech, the Major had... something - Etienne gets half an issue dedicated to a plane trip. How's he getting to space?

(and at first I was convinced that Etienne's projections look visibly 'fake', but looking at the orbital meeting I'm not so sure - the giveaway triangles are notably absent until Etienne starts to actively use other powers)

So why is he out there so much? Why do we see Etienne having pizza on a street corner, or reading the paper in a cafe, or doing anything anywhere that's not a luxury penthouse, or a volcano lair, or a bunker under the Eiffel Tower?

There's a throwaway line in issue 1, where Etienne explains that Heavy's provocations are 'why he is in New York'. To an unfamiliar audience, the implication is that there's a range on his powers - that he can reach across a city but not across a country - but that's of course nonsense, this man can reach across the world with no clear loss of capability.

What Etienne actually meant becomes clear in issue 2: he wants to deliver a message to millions, which means physically appearing on camera, which means giving away his location, which means he has to be somewhere that can't just get nuked (a major city - a major American city if we're being cynical). New York makes sense.

Except that's of course also bunk. Etienne can interact with everyone on earth simultaneously - could he really not find some non-obtrusive way to deliver his message to millions? Clearly 'mass perception modification' is not unethical to him, because he does it every time he walks down the street. Is he trying to hide capabilities? That might be a concern of his (I think that's the only reading for his presence at the police station that makes sense), but it doesn't seem relevant on this particular count - Lux's omnipath status is public knowledge.

Going a step back, why is there even an Etienne Lux? Imagine you're him. The year is 1966, Magus' tech and Heavy's singularities are not even on the radar yet, as far as you know you can make anyone see anything with no qualifications. You might feel pressured to reveal a positive example of Atomic-kind: but why reveal yourself? Why not craft a mental construct and trick everyone into thinking it's real? Why not scour the world for an agreeable proxy who can pretend to have (a vastly reduced subset of) your powers? Forget the volcano lair, why isn't Etienne Lux doing everything he does from a rustic farmhouse in the French countryside?

Well, one reason:

In a world where Etienne Lux was the sole Superpower, history would have been upended before he even got out of that children's home. Only the presence of Valentina - first as an unknown to be understood, and then as an explicit check on his power - gave him pause. Even then, he tries to loop her in on world domination within a decade, and when he fails, how does he back down? Conditionally. It's not even subtext: if Valentina leaves the picture, world domination is back on.

The above is still true in 1999. So what if a handful of individuals are immune to Etienne? What are they going to do against someone they can't find? Why would they stop him as he reshapes 99.999999% of humanity into utopia?

Heavy can't kill Etienne without destroying the planet itself. Magus is actively afraid of him. Masumi... well, Etienne was in favor of killing her post-Tokyo, which suggests he believes her monstrous form won't be apocalyptic. Eliza's an unknown, but there's no reason to assume she can track Etienne down.

Last digression: consider the New Mexico massacre, and keep the timeline in mind. Nixon existed before Magus' shields did, and an omnipath has every reason to periodically check on what the US president is thinking, so why didn't Etienne say anything? He does not pointlessly waste lives, so letting the assassination attempt go through must've been useful to him. Why?

Because he figured it might kill Valentina.

Every single thing about Etienne Lux, from his presentation to his actions to his last name - it all should be understood as a response to a world with Valentina in it, as a compromise with her, a conscious step away from god-kinghood. If she ever goes, who knows what'll happen?

[taylor-titmouse]

so we know that gender for dwarves is mainly divided between rock and jewel (for the sake of keeping it simple to explain. there are definitely genders outside that binary) and that rocks map closer to masculine, and that jewels map closer to feminine, but it has nothing at all to do with genitals and everything to do with presentation. in dwarven terms, tourmaline and angre are both crafters, in that they're capable of childbirth, but this is considered a sort of natural skill rather than tied to their value. outside of the aristocracy and royal lines and half-things, dwarves do not generally care about bloodlines. children are raised by the community. you keep track of your crafter and getter for the sake of good health, but outside of that, it's not a big deal what you have down there.

of course tourmaline and angre are both exceptions to the bloodline concern, given she's royalty and he's half human. but this post is for dissecting presentation, rather than social dynamics.

TOURMALINE AS A ROCK

so the richer you are, the more you want to show that off. we know that having smooth skin is indicative of free time/money to spend on achieving it. that doesn't change for rocks. the one difference is that rich rocks (and sometimes jewels!) may, instead of shaving their faces, engage in elaborate beard braiding and decoration. this is more common among the older generations, who by the time they reach those ages, are either too wrinkled or simply too tired of dealing with shaving and wax. tourmaline, being a strapping young stone, would shave completely. long hair would also still be considered the fashion for a young rock of his station. however, luxurious thickness is for jewels. a tight, sober braid is preferred for rocks for everyday wear. he also doesn't wear makeup. makeup is entirely the realm of jewels. foundation to hide blemishes at the very most, but otherwise it is not expected of him.

gemstones are incredibly important to dwarves, with a lot of coding regarding how much you can wear and what styles/stones you can wear. as a jewel, tourmaline would be expected to wear a Lot. earrings, hairpieces, bracelets, anklets, everything and anything. rocks are a bit more limited, because the presentation is about strength and steadfastness rather than beauty... but if you're rich, you still have to show it. so in practice, rich rocks and jewels can both be totally decked out, but rocks will favor chunkier, less delicate pieces. notably: rocks will also have more piercings than jewels, because it signals toughness against pain. thus, rock tourmaline has pierced his nipples and belly button. and of course he's not covering his chest to show that off (and wearing anything heavy would be uncomfortable)

the slitted trousers are of course to show off the hot smooth leg. it would be perfectly acceptable for him to wear a skirt or skirt-like piece, but for the sake of making him more readably masculine, he gets pants. his shoes would also have a slight heel or platform to them. there's a sweet spot of height that dwarves find attractive, and he's otherwise fairly average/short. angre would be just on the upper edge of it.

ANGRE AS A JEWEL

so while rock tourmaline is fairly unchanged, angre as a jewel would be a very different person with a very different life path. as a jewel, she cannot become a knight or soldier. she can be taught self defense and how to wield a weapon, but being employed in the defense of another is Not Done with jewels. remember: this has nothing to do with childcraft, entirely with presentation. if she wanted to become a knight, she would have to transition to rock, which isn't an uncommon occurrence. switching genders based on occupation is very normal. but then we'd just have original flavor angre. so this is an angre who took a different path.

this angre would be a lady in waiting, and, if we want to give her the equivalent job to captain of the guard, she would be tourmaline's royal barber. she would be in charge of the care and keeping of his body, a role that requires significant training and trust. she would have command over a team, but she would be the only one permitted to touch and tend to his neck, and would be a close confidante.

as for her presentation, she would be considered a very conservative jewel. nothing in her hair (which she wears long) and very few actual gemstones in her jewelry. this is partially about expectation--she is a commoner, and it would be very inappropriate for her to be ostentatious in the service of royals--but it would also be her own choice. she does not want to be attractive to the young prince [undecided on the actual term]. rock angre did not want to be perceived as a sexual threat to jewel tourmaline, and so jewel angre would not want to be perceived as a sexual option (but would be just as in love with him). so she wears simple patterns, little jewelry, and very light makeup. showing skin is something she can't really avoid, because it also represents her work. you wouldn't really trust a barber if they had a bad haircut.

phew. that's a lot.

[iamnmbr3]

ok so i'm rereading Order of the Phoenix and what's up with Draco being so... helpful??

Like back in the Goblet of Fire he's litterally telling the golden trio to hide Hermione because she's visibly (how could you tell tho?) a muggleborn;

then in OotP in the train to Hogwarts he comes to say hi to Harry and hints that Sirius had been spotted by Lucius (the dogging line);

THEN he goes all the way to lean on Harry during Care of magical creatures to say how Hagrid's being messing with stuff to big for him.

HUH??

Why on earth would you say that to Harry? To taunt him? But he could have done it without revealing precious intelligence passed by his father!!

Like, to me it makes sense if it is intended as Drarry moments, because he has a crush and can't help but being invested in Harry's life, and accidentally being helpful to Harry, but we know that it wasn't the terf meant.

And we clearly see how easily Draco can make Potter angry(their interaction during Potions and Quidditch, Potter stinks badges, Weasley is our king ecc.)

It seems like he's trying to help in a reeeeaally backward way, but at the same time he's enjoying himself so much that they do not translate as helping hand.

Also to me it kinda falls flat on a Doylist perspective because the golden trio would have hidden in the forest without him, and they were already worring about Sirius and Hagrid so...

What do you think about it??

P.s.: i reaaally love your metas about hp universe, can't get enough of it <3

yeah, it’s wild. I get why while the books were still being written some people thought he was secretly undercover trying to help the order or something.

I don’t think at that point he was consciously trying to betray his side yet. I think that didn’t happen till book 7. But at the same time, I do think two things were going on.

First of all, he always craves Harry’s attention and does everything you can to get it. And he also really wants to be a part of her story. Harry has other things going on his life and till book 6, Draco isn’t the center of his focus (although he does actually think about and watch him a lot - something Draco doesn’t realize but would be thrilled if he knew). From the moment that Harry rejects his friendship Draco looks for ways to insert himself back into Harry’s life. Dangling his knowledge of things Harry is interested in is one way of doing that. And it also puts him on Harry’s level - in his mind - because his secondary involvement with the Death Eaters mirrors Harry’s secondary involvement with the Order.

And also in his mind shows how cool and serious and important Draco is. He’s always creating the perfect set up for an enemies to lovers story but Harry won’t buy it. Like I think of his mind he think Harry’s going to be like OK I really wanna know what’s going on so I’ll make a deal with you and that will evolve into a grudging friendship. Of course Harry won’t do that while Draco holds the attitudes he holds. Nor as I’m sure he also hopes is Harry going to be like wow I realize you’re so important and special and well-connected and I was wrong to turn down a friendship with you. Draco desperately wants Harry to need and respect him. (Only when he grows beyond this post book 7, and learn to except Harry’s boundaries and to change his own behavior will he actually earn either of those things.)

Secondly though, I think it’s really notable that most of these instances end up helping Harry to either learn information about someone he cares about or protect someone he cares about. The example at the World Cup is really striking. Hermione is specifically in danger because Lucius is one of the Death Eaters under the hoods and he knows who she is and likely intends to target her. Obviously, Draco isn’t going to directly betray his father, but he does warn her that if she stays where she is, she will be recognized and attacked.

Draco at that point kind of likes the idea of violence but he doesn’t like the reality of it and I think a part of him is uncomfortable with what would happen if she actually got caught so although he doesn’t acknowledge it even to himself, that’s the basis of the words. Plus he knows was Harry will fight to the death to protect her. Something similar is probably also a factor in what he says about Sirius. Even his comments about Hagrid to at least revealed that he is alive In addition to dangling more knowledge if Harry will talk to him and pay attention to him - which he won’t.

[skamenglishsubs]

Actual Royals dropping the ball on PR

So, one criticism of season 3 of Young Royals so far is how the court just ignored Simon, didn't offer media training, didn't offer security, and basically had the new PR person tell Wilhelm to tell Simon to stop posting shit on social media.

A lot of people think this is extremely unrealistic, of course a smooth media machine like the royal court would be prepared for something like this and have the resources and social media managers to stay on top of this and control the narrative, etc.

MEANWHILE, in the real world, in the UK, today, it's absolutely fucking amateur hour over at Kensington Palace!

The Princess of Wales has been notably absent this year for undisclosed health reasons, which is fine. However, they're pretending that everything is fine, and for mother's day they released a photo of her and her three kids, big smiles, happy family, yada yada.

Except the photo was painfully obviously photoshopped, it had been badly edited for no apparent reason. British media picked up on this immediately and refused to publish the picture. And when trying to control the damage, they released the following tweet:

😱😬🤡

Are we supposed to believe that Kate herself took the picture, and edited it herself before releasing it? That's beyond ludicrous. And that's the story they're sticking to? What PR person approved this? Are they so out of touch that they don't understand how stupid this looks?

"The plot in Young Royals isn't realistic!"

Sorry, the clowns at Kensington Palace just proved you wrong by doing something even stupider.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I know you’ve been receiving a lot of Malleus asks lately, but do you think Malleus’s overblot will really play with the idea of overblots being dangerous to the overblotter’s health? Having him suffer from health complications after his massive magic expenditure would help take him down a notch in preparation for whatever follows in Book 8. We can’t have him solving everything with his ridiculous magical might after all.

I don't really think they'll "really play with the idea of OBs being dangerous to the OBer's health" beyond making Malleus conveniently incapacitated for a short enough of a time to not defeat Grim in a single flick of his pinkie finger. (I also want to point out we don't have confirmation for a book 8 with OB Grim quite yet, so I'd rather not make assumptions on what's to come.)

The reason why I think this is because none of the other boys seem to have suffered the physical consequences following their own incidents. Not a single one as far as I'm aware, at least not in a significant way. It's also odd when you consider that both Riddle and Vil's books highlight that they are seemingly back to full health again "a few days later", implying that it only takes a few days to totally recover from the exertion and anguish that they were just under. The worst of it was Vil mentioning his group did not perform as well as they could have since they were all exhausted.

More damning, however, is Leona's circumstances. He actually recovers almost immediately after the defeat of his OB form (barring a trip to the school infirmary; this is more explicitly shown in the Episode of Octavinelle manga) and even has enough magic to spare to rejoin the interdorm tournament that's going on that same day. And, mind you, they are playing a sport which requires the use of magic… meaning Leona still pushes himself and uses magic when he just overblotted a few minutes ago??? Trey and Jamil even talk about how since the Savanaclaw students took such a beating, it'll be easier for the rest of them to have their revenge on them for playing dirty before the tournament's start. Is… Is no one concerned Leona might OB again from playing?? No?? Just me?? Okay…

Now of course Malleus is on a completely different power level than his peers. We can’t be sure how his body would react post-OB compared to everyone else, same as how Idia notes in book 6 that the memory wiping technology STYX has on hand may affect fae differently. Solely basing my thoughts on what we already know of other characters though, the mage’s health is not treated like a huge concern in the aftermath. We don’t observe devastating side effects either.

I think we can assume they’ll be fine granted enough rest and food, with maybe the one notable exception being physical hindrance/tiredness in the period right after. That’ll probably be long enough for Malleus to not Save The Day Instantly whenever it is that Grim loses it and rampages, thus giving the other boys a chance to team up and help out. Again, really plot convenient (*stares at the feats Leona was able to pull off in his “tired” state*) but whatever makes the story move forward, I guess 🤷‍♀️

[thejoyofseax]

Sausage Making with Daniel Serra

Daniel Serra is one of the authors of An Early Meal – a Viking Age Cookbook & Culinary Odyssey. He was running a sausage-making workshop at the Boyne Valley Viking Experience, so I found it absolutely necessary to go.

These Viking things are interesting, but they never quite grab me. Too much focus on fighting (which then looks unsafe from the SCA point of view), and less on day-to-day life, although I have to say there were some very nice cooking setups at this one. There were many stalls - about 60% jewellery - from which I bought a few odds and ends of things; some nice S-hooks for my camp kitchen, a ladle and some other bits. I thought about wearing garb, but didn't, and didn't really miss it.

Anyway. The sausage making included everything except preparing the intestine. We started with chopping the meat - 2 parts beef, 2 parts pork, and 1 part cold-smoked bacon. This was reduced to pea-sized bits, and since there were about ten people working on it, and only a couple of kilos of meat, it was quickly enough done.

The meat was then mixed together, and pounded. This is a process that has largely been lost from modern cookery, I think - we've replaced it with mincing (grinding, in American English), which doesn't do quite the same thing. Many of the Arabic recipes I've worked with have included instructions to pound the meat, and it really does make a difference both in texture and taste; pounded meat takes on the flavour of vegetables, herbs and spices better.

We then added flavourings - mustard, prepared the previous day, in one batch, and wild garlic, juniper and thyme in the other. Also a little water, which adds overall coherency, and helps steam the sausages from inside a little in cooking. These were mixed in by hand. Notably, we didn't add any salt.

The final step was to stuff the actual sausages. Daniel had gotten hold of far more intestine than was needed, so we cut bits off at about 60cm lengths. He had a bunch of little horn tools - essentially funnels - which were segments of cow horn, narrower at one end. These apparently turn up in Swedish flea markets all the time. You put the intestine over the narrow end, hold it in place, and stuff the meat in through the wider end. Some were wider at the narrow end than others, and I think the optimal width there is probably about 12-15mm; the intestine otherwise tends to slide off.

The most effective way to make sure the intestine is not tangled is to blow into the wide end of the horn once it's on; this puffs out the intestine like a balloon, and provides a very amusing short squeaky noise as air comes out the other end.

We then stuffed meat through the horn segments and into the sausages. This was remarkably easy, in the end; the intestine is strong stuff, and deals pretty well with being manipulated. There were more issues with it sliding off the horn device than anything else. The end result was a neat pile of sausages.

Daniel reckoned these were either boiled (with a reference to "kettle-worms" in one saga) or grilled, rather than fried. These examples were boiled, and came out very well.

Someone noted that sausages were a particularly useful way of providing meat to people who didn't have many teeth (yet, for children, or still, for older people). Daniel also said that these sausages could be smoked to preserve them.

There were a few other interesting bits of conversation about other cookery topics, of course, but I'll note and credit those when they arise in other posts. It was an excellent day.

[lost-technology]

Explaining Vash Outside the Fandom!

So, today on another forum I mentioned Vash the Stampede. I mentioned him by way of "I don't ask myself WWJD? so much anymore as WWVtSD?" and explained "Vash the Stampede." I said "If anyone is unfamiliar with this name, go ahead and ask and I can fangirl all over you, but be warned, you will be reading all day." I got a taker. And then another taker who is a person on the forum who is straight up not having a good time right now and needs some distraction I feel - to read someone's dumb fangirling over a fandom they aren't in yet. So... I wrote up an essay explaining Vash the Stampede in Word and pasted it in shifts on the blog: (uck, looks like I'm gonna have to post this in shifts, too. Dumb tumblr!

*Flashes my fangirl license*  You asked about Vash the Stampede?  *Raises eyebrows.*  Big mistake.  You shall be here all day!  Vash is the protagonist of Trigun, an anime / manga by Yashiro Nightow.  Well, the manga is by him and there are two different animes to date, one originally airing in 1998 before the completion of the manga (and it gained the idea enough popularity that Nightow was able to continue the manga and purposefully took a different track to keep the story fresh.  Because he had to switch publishers the continuing story was titled Trigun Maximum).  As of 2023 there has been a reboot of the anime, Trigun Stampede, done in a cell-shaded CGI style that takes more cues from the manga.  It has done its own story elements, too, most notably having the City of July as a part of the story, making it almost a prequel, since the City of July is past tense in the other media.  A second set / continuation / completion of it is set for a future release date and as of yesterday, the “final phase” of the new anime will be titled Trigun Stargaze. Additionally, there was a feature-movie made in 2011 based solely upon the first anime titled Badlands Rumble, which is kind of the black sheep of the fandom (personally I enjoy it, find it very funny).  So, anyway, Vash is a tall blonde man with a Bart Simpson hairdo and a long red coat who lives on a desert planet with 10X the guns of ‘Murica.  There are two suns and five moons.  It’s a scavenger world where people barely eek out a living using a form of lost technology known as “Plants” – which are these energy and materials production entities housed in giant lightbulbs (or something more like tanks in Stampede).  No one knows how to create Plants anymore and few know how to maintain them, so everything is slowly dying (except, of course, the native sandworms.  Yep, there’s something Dune-like going on).  People live a half sci-fi half Old West existence and things are, again, very violent.  It’s a world where you have higher chances of making it out better as a bandit than a farmer.    Vash is a pacifist.  He is also an outlaw with Sixty-Billion-Double Dollars ($$) on his head because he has been shown to be capable of incredible destructive power.  Now, most of this comes accidentally from trying to weasel out of tough situations and people after him getting themselves hurt, but somehow towns fall apart.  Except for the City of July (or Jul-Ai in Stampede), which he did wipe out.  Under circumstances not of his own making or will, but the normal citizens of the planet don’t know that.  That was around 24 years ago in the first anime and in the manga.  July exists as of the beginning of Stampede.    Early on in the manga’s story, an insurance company that gets a lot of damage claims regarding damage he supposedly caused declares him a “Human Act of God” so as to avoid payouts.  He is assigned a pair of insurance agents, Milly Thompson and Meryl Stryfe, to follow him around to attempt to mitigate the damage he might cause.  In the anime, it is the same, except that his bounty is not removed for some reason.  (In the manga, the government removes his bounty per his “Act of God” status).  He is also known as the Humanoid Typhon, putting him in the same category as a destructive storm.  Vash-damage is thereafter treated in the same like as hurricane damage!  Honestly, this is one of the most creative things I have seen of any media – having the local superhero / super-cryptid followed by INSURANCE AGENTS. (I am fond of characterizing Trigun as “If Mayhem from the Allstate commercials was followed around by Flo from the Progressive commercials”).  (To Be Continued in Reblog-posts)

[archie-archivist]

On A Hunter's Calling

As this post does refer to the final quest of the game as of writing, it will predictably contain spoilers for it. So for this post in particular, the 'keep reading' button I include for length shall serve the extra purpose of hiding spoilers.

A Hunter's Calling is a level 103 quest that requires the completion of A Journey Further and the Eldritch Outlook quest to begin. As it's main reward for completion, it unlocks the Hunted gamemode that you can toggle on the class that completed the quest and enable permanently on future classes at character creation. Hunted mode is Wynncraft's current form of PVP combat, allowing players in Hunted to kill and loot each other.

As a quest, however, it's quite the outlier in its structure and content. While all of the Silent Expanse quests are odd - most notably The Olmic Rune, a quest that feels more like a secret discovery at times - A Hunter's Calling is a confusing end to this section of the story, especially for players going through it for the first time.

For the first time, you're not acting as yourself. You are an undead, a villager, a dwarf, or a mech depending on the scenario. You see events surrounding familiar faces that are set in time periods ranging from several centuries ago to perhaps a few months from now.

There is also the fact that everything you witness is a hypothetical scenario. An 'end' as the quest giving entity calls it. Nothing is real, though they tend to be entirely possible scenarios. What ifs and what could have beens. Possibilities with no real tie in to what's happening and what the player character's goal is.

And therein lies the problem - the clear lack of connection to everything else. Like I said, it's an outlier. It looks at first glance to be a quest with no purpose other than to unlock the Hunted gamemode.

Which, in a way, that is its purpose, but to get the full picture we can break it down into three questions:

1) Who is the one giving the quest to the player?

2) Why is the quest structured as it is?

3) What is the possible narrative purpose of Hunted mode?

Let's take them one at a time, starting at the top: Who is giving the player the quest?

The obvious answer is, of course, the mysterious entity that stands outside the Portal to Dark. However, that doesn't tell us much of anything about who that is. Its location is the most important factor in truly answering this - it's right outside the Portal to Dark.

It is the only living creature we see on the road to the portal at that point. Of course, there are creatures in the places around and beneath, but if you don't stray off the path you can avoid running into anything at all from the spike wall to the portal. Yet, ??? as the entity is so named, is stood there even after you finish the quest.

This suggests to me that it stands there for a reason, perhaps directed to by a higher force - namely, the Dark Beast itself. It is, also, the only entity like itself that we see in the current state of the game and the only creature other than the Eye, its puppets, and the Omnispective Wanderers (through telepathy) that can talk to the player.

The second question is a little more nebulous: Why is the quest structured like that?

??? speaks in short, cryptic sentences except when providing the riddle to the next city and scenario. It repeatedly offers the player 'an end' which take the form of those scenarios. It also questions the players reactions to the scenarios with 'To what end?' - essentially saying 'what's the point?'.

However, the key to answering this question lies in the scenarios themselves and the similarities they share. They all have the role of the player character following orders that lead to terrible outcomes. You kill citizens and help Ragni fall; you kill the mayor of Almuj and let WynnExcavation run wild; you kill Theorick Twain and cause the corruption of Nesaak; you release the Corrupter of Worlds and destroy Troms; you trick people into Dr. Urelix's lab to become more iron golems; you blow up the Rodoroc slums; you begin a civil war in Corkus and kill Maxie; and finally, you kill Aledar and Tasim in order to take Detlas for the corruption.

It is also important to remember that the events of the Realm of Light questline were spurred on by you following the orders of Orphion, to sometimes painful outcomes. Excluding the events of Realm of Light III where you honestly just go and give Dullahan a terrible day. It should also be noted that Orphion himself states, in his dialogue at the end of the Nexus of Light raid, that he underestimated your power.

This questline is the biggest blow the forces of darkness have faced in quite some time - they lost the parasite and their influence over Orphion. You then follow this up with killing the Eye, the overseer of Wynn and a key minion of the Dark Beast. You are now standing right outside the portal to its realm which is an extension of itself, pretty much.

The Dark Beast does not want to underestimate the player character and does not believe that it can win in a confrontation between them.

So the next best thing is to get the player to deal with themselves: cause them to doubt their actions. Cause them to doubt the fact that they follow orders so blindly. Cause them to hesitate when it really matters.

Everything in A Hunter's Calling outside of the scenarios is presented as a choice. ??? offers an end. You are not required to continue the quest, it is always your own choice to go out there and witness these horrors. And because of this, there's a small sliver of a side effect that it presents the forces of Darkness as granting more freedom than that of Light. 'Look, we offer you choices!' 'You can always say no!' 'Do you really want to lose more people by following orders?'

The Dark Beast cannot win a fight against the player at full power with complete conviction in what they're doing, so it must first weaken them.

Given that, the third question has a neat answer: What is the narrative purpose of Hunted mode?

It is another way for the player to deal with themselves, to get themselves out of the picture. Frankly, the player's ability to dodge death is unique and likely unexpected by everything except Death himself.

So, with the assumption that the player has one, single life? Letting them go out and fight people just as strong as them is a great way to let the problem handle itself. The victor of the scuffle that kills the player wouldn't be Orphion's Pulse, after all.

'Hunted' is also an interesting name to give to a PVP mode. Predators hunt while prey is hunted. The player, no matter how many victories they achieve, is always the prey and this comes with the usual fear and paranoia - constantly looking over their shoulder, checking their gear, can you trust that other person who's also in Hunted? - of their life being constantly under threat.

The player may also take to the gift like a duck to water - diving right in and relishing their new ability to fight and kill those just as strong as them. Which if witnessed and unprovoked will land them in trouble with the law - murder is, after all, quite illegal. And murdering powerful soldiers protecting the province? Well, that's probably an even worse crime but even better for the Dark Beast.

Hunted exists to weaken the player: to make them fear; to drive a wedge between them and their allies; to kill them; or just to get them locked away and out of harms way.

All in all, A Hunter's Calling boils down to quite the sinister gambit pulled by the Dark Beast. But, given your strength and all you have accomplished, it likely feels like that is the only choice it has.

[nellynee]

Recently reminded that I never actually completed my series of cultural, biological, and world building Trolls (DreamWorks) meta that I've had sitting in my Drafts since 2021. So rather than finish it, I've decided to post what I had with some minor edits, with a second post to come about some tribe specific meta.

At some points you might see references that don't exist (ala, see "subject on expanding on this idea") where I had planned a series of other articles to be linked back later. Rather than write them all out and burn myself out, I'll probably only address the mentioned topics if someone shows interest, and link them back later then. So yeah, feel free to ask on any of those or for explanations or expansions.

This stuff is ancient, but overall holds up and is still my general headcanons to this day, though the tone is strange to me now after all this time. Most notably I have not watched the third movie. I have spoiled myself for it for the most part, but what I've seen has left me disappointed and uninterested, so all of this is technically canon compliant to a point up through World Tour, colored by the TV shows, and does not account for Band Together at all. Everything below is as written as of 2021, with any modern expansions labeled with an edit.

Reminder to take all this as a “generalization and stereotyping” sort of thing, which of course ignores obvious exceptions and nuances and personal preferences of a sentient species 

General biology and behaviors:

Trolls are a plant based lifeform. All parts of a Troll including hair are digestible, though due to the repeated consumption and internal refinement of excess sugars, their sap is exceptionally sweet. While Trolls come in a variation of shapes and colors, their sap is universally transparent with visible iridescence. Troll sap is known to cause a euphoric high in most species and thus, Trolls are the victims of several natural predators. 

It is believed that the phenomenon known as Harmonic Tranquilizing developed as a direct result, though this is up for debate as other uses have been observed. Known consistencies in this behavior is the use of vocalizations to affect the immediate vicinity of said Troll in a pacifying way. Experiencing these vocalizations causes a much milder form of the same euphoric high produced by consuming the sap. It is unknown how these vocalizations are able to affect their surroundings, though it’s believed to affect the endocrine systems, as they affect low sentience flora as well as all fauna. All Trolls carry this ability, with the only known exceptions being instrumental based Troll mutations. While most mutations of this variety are small communities of nomads who have found alternative adaptions, the most prolific and notable of these exceptions would be the mountain dwelling Classical Trolls, who at some unknown point completely lost the ability to use of Harmonic Tranquilizing in exchange for their highly domesticated local fauna being able to do so instead. (see Trolls as a keystone species, see Troll symbiotic relationships) 

Edit: (sing away the paaaaain. Harmonic Tranquilizing was my way of trying to create a word for the behaviors we see in trolls through singing. I've specifically had some form of this headcanons since movie one, talking about Branch and going grey as a hormonal stress response, and how singing might be used around him as a subconscious attempt to reduce stress and increase health. Also explaining away the end of movie dance sequences, singing when nervous or towards those who are upset. This isn't a word used by the trolls (maybe something made up by some very specific funk trolls doing some very specific research) but it's no more a general word in the trolls lexicon as say a word for "you exude dopamine when eating good food" would for people. Though it is a much more intense phenomenon capable of being observed. Troll societies who have observed with would probably adhere it to some facet of bonding or spirituality when addressed.)

It is strongly believed classical Trolls did have this ability at one point, as their closest known relative, the Operatic Troll, retains the ability. Why they lost this ability is unknown though, as other variations of farmer Trolls, the most notable and prolific being the yodeling Troll, contains specifically strong examples. It is believed that oxygen availability at high altitudes may be a factor in this loss.

(edit: will be discussing Operatic trolls and nomads in my tribe specific posts)

Another notable species that is rapidly loosing the classic example of Harmonic Tranquilizing is the underwater Techno Troll. While examples of vocalization have been found, the majority of the Harmonic Tranquilizing affect seems to come from the rhythmic pulsing of the Techno Troll’s exposed Wishstone (see wishstones in mythology) 

The initial development of this ability is up for debate due to the varied uses that have been observed. Said uses include

pacification of predators

pacification of farmed resources in the form of living creatures from more predatory Trolls

calming of young

encouragement of aggression from other Trolss (notable in that vocalizations can affect other Trolls in ways other than pacifying, and seemingly done with intention) 

encouragement of a lack of aggression from other Trolls

vocalization from nearby fauna and flora (unknown if this is a byproduct of pacification or intent

hormonal balancing in imbalanced trolls (see troll coloration variation vs loss of color)

courting behaviors

large vocalization gatherings of unknown meaning, though observation of behaviors lead the belief as bonding exercises, potentially through said hormone balancing

observations of said behaviors has led to the prevalent theory that trolls of similar genre’s are able to cause a more euphoric sensation in one another, as when placed together, different genres are still prone to grouping

(edit: basically, there is some biological component to what a troll's genre is. Genre is both your heritage, and what you practice, in the way that say, Cooper is a Funk Troll by birth and Pop by practice. Trolls of similar genre have physical responses to their genre's style, and will see different genre's presentations as positive or negative specifically when comparing it to their own reactions. Example, a classical troll might appreciate a hard rock's guitar solo for its technical skill, while the hard rock troll might resonate with the message of the song and loud bodaciousness)

Trolls are an ancient species whose variations have become keystone to their respective environments. How they do so vary, though it is most closely related to community building and food collection, some general trends in environmental changes include domestication of local species to suit the Troll’s needs, large scale housing that directly affects the landscape, waterway redirections, and resource hoarding.  

On Wishstones:

(edit: Wishstones are a completely unaddressed subject in the DreamWorks Trolls universe, but that wasn't always so. For those who weren't around for the original dolls, Wishstones were the little gem at their belly buttons, and trolls were advertised with the perks of rubbing their stones to grant wishes. Watch an old commercial, they are wild.

The artbook for the first movie addresses Wishstones in an early draft that wanted to establish Creek as a villain early in the story. In that version, his sister was a fully acended troll with a working Wishstone that let her float around in a meditative state. Creek was supposed to have one hell of a complex over his not working stone, and it was supposed to be an indicator of his inner darkness and nature. As it stands, the visual gag of him floating only to reveal he's being carried around is a byproduct of that cut storyline)

Wishstones are the core of a Troll that makes them function. Though they are found to beat much like a heart in an animal, it doesn’t appear to have any sort direct biological function as an muscular organ might. Rather, it works closer to a brain, sending out pulses that direct the health and actions of a Troll. The beating of the Wishstone is necessary, and limbs cut from the main body of the Troll immediately go grey while those injured but still connected to the Wishstones will retain color. An otherwise heathy Troll with an injured Wishstone with quickly fade to grey and expire. Studies indicate that the tempo of beats that a Wishstone maintains is related the Troll’s genre. While most are internalized, some Trolls have adapted to a partially externalized Wishstone for unknown reasons. While it has been found that an exposed Wishstone is necessary for a flight capable Troll, an exposed Wishstone is not necessarily indicative of flight capability. Nomadic Gem Trolls, a subgenre of the Instrumental Trolls, are famous for their beautiful exposed Wishstones, which are said to be covered in a layer of hardened sucralose for protection. Common Troll mythology tells of Gemtrolls who are able to grant fortune telling and wishes if the Wishstone is touched directly, which is where the name of the stone originates. Gem Trolls were nearly hunted to extinction by their own kind as a result, and are a common target of bounty hunters.

(I'll probably go into it deeper when I go over the tribes, but I found it *veeeeeeery* interesting that a series ofpreviously completely sequestered series of cultures would need out of tribe bounty hunters....)

On Troll diet:

(tldr: trolls are plants and their heads are flowers, fight me)

Trolls contain chlorophyll and are able to photosynthesize. Trolls come in a large variety of exceptionally bright colors, but their pigment base comes from highly modified pigment chains not unlike anthocyanin, leaving low pigmentated trolls dark in color but still capable of said photosynthesis. (see Trolls and environmental factors for variations)

As a result, Trolls have very small caloric needs, but disproportionately large trace mineral and water requirements. Trolls are capable of consumption and can augment their needs accordingly to environment. In ideal conditions, a Troll could theoretically subsidize entirely on sunlight and mineral rich waters, but such conditions have yet to be found in the wilds. All Trolls are capable of opportunistic omnivorous behaviors, but show poor meat digestion and a marked preference for high sugar content foods. 

(Pop Troll, having only been reintroduced to a moderately rich environment, are not noteworthy, but are a decent comparative control when compared to nomadic subgenres and more extreme mutations)

Closest to the ideal conditions are the Mountain trolls. Rich clean waters and great sun exposure have lead Classical Trolls and their variations to give up much of their darker chlorophyll in favor of the light hair and gold skin camouflage that makes them nearly invisible to airborne predators, but their flying has left them with a much higher calorie and water needs. Classical trolls have adapted a social culture around domestication of the local fauna in a symbiotic train of extensive trade deals. Forming large clans each with their own specializations, the clan’s highly specifically domesticated animals are able to imitate harmonic tranquilizing of very specific kinds, and Classical trolls often form large bands of concerts to make the best use of various specializations at once. Classical trolls use this to control local resources and repel predators to a much greater effect than any other Troll species around. Classical trolls take great pride in their patron animals and live in excess, using said excess to bribe the local clouds for water resources.

(this information above should go into the classical troll shtick, and most will be repeated there, but it's in the original draft so.....)

Trolls do not naturally retain water or excess calories. A majority of waste is exuded out of the mouth as a sort of colorful paste. But excess is refined in the guts and exuded from an orifice at the bottom of the abdomen as a sort of highly nutritional nugget. These nuggets have been observed as being stored for later, given to the sick and young, consumed for large gatherings, and are apparently incredibly sweet to taste. Arguments can also be made of its development as a defense mechanism, in which a startled troll might drop the contents of their stomach to distract a predator with a sweet smelling alternative. While all trolls have this byproduct to some degree (see Trolls and animal domestication, see Country Trolls and gut fermentation) Funk Troll territory is both lavish and lush, and their guts have evolved this refinement to an art. Funk Troll history is filled with periods of rich trade between other Troll Tribes, as well as periodical raids and the occasional territory dispute when they were land bound. 

(edit: look....look. I don't want to think about the poop cupcakes, you don't want to think about the poop cupcakes. And yet here I am, here I was, trying to justify the poop cupcakes. The best way I found was to remove the action as far away from waste production as I could, and perhaps tie the action through Cooper, to some of the excess and opulence of the Funk trolls. The closest real world examples would probably be bees, in that it's the collection of sugars, excreted at high concentrations in times of excess, to be consumed in times of little. And also it's explicitly bug vomit but we do not care cause it's yummy. I almost guarantee that this stuff was a Bergan delicacy in the heyday of Troll domestication, and would be so again if rediscovered and capable of mass harvesting)

Rock Trolls live in a similarly mineral rich calorie deficient environment to Classical Trolls, but have evolved a nomadic lifestyle to compensate. Rock trolls have a very high calorie requirement due to local volcanic activity lowering sun quality in their territories, and have become strip grazers in response. They rely heavily on complex networks of travel routs to survive, to allow new growth to appear as fast as they can get to it without starving. Population growth is leaving them more and more dependent on their local variation of Bug Bus (see Angler Bus. See symbiotic Troll relationships. See great Troll migration theories) to travel these routs at greater speeds. It is believed that the gradual darkening and lack of pigmenting in Rock Trolls is due to the greater need to depend on anthocyanin based photosynthesis, but it’s unknown if the change is happening quick enough to maintain sustainability of the population. Current outlook seems unlikely, as Rock Trolls also rely heavily on their opportunistic diet for their water consumption as well. (Note: Am I insinuating that part of Barb’s motivations in the movie came in part from the slightly farther than beginning stresses of food insecurity in her people and the hope that if all Trolls were rock that would mean more resources?... yes I am

(edit: in fact, that was directly what I was implying. Will get into in much greater detail in the rock troll article)

Techno Trolls are a very unique case as the exclusive deep sea aquatic troll (yet known). Their exceptionally high anthocyanin content insinuates they were once surface dwellers, but its later been found they they do very little in the ways of consumption, relying almost exclusively on hydrothermal vents for their mineral needs. Note that Techno Trolls are not bioluminescent by nature, but rather, have developed a symbiotic relationship with a bioluminescent bacteria that lives on and in the Troll. This bacteria uses heat from the thermal vents to chemically produce energy, which is shared with the Troll. Note that parental Techno Trolls do not partake in the bonding experience known as sunbathing with their young, rather have taken to a much higher level of skinship with offspring in developmental stages to share this bacteria.  Techno Trolls also receive a very high degree of their pigmentation from their bacteria and thus have the greatest child to parent resemblance of all Troll types. Techno Trolls are a rare case of visual identifiers over vocal, and a infant Techno Trolls can pick out a parent in a group using the exact variation of their parent’s glow as an indicator.

Country Trolls are the most vicious, outwardly aggressive, and carnivorous of all Troll genres. They have become almost entirely reliant on Bugfallo for their nutritional and liquid consumption, as Bugfallo are able to to consume the normally toxic to Trolls but prevalent cacti and produce a sweet and far less toxic Honeydew the Trolls can consume in response. The Honeydew is overly processed to the point of little nutritional value, and consumption of Bugfallo flesh is high enough in demand to compensate that Country Trolls are known to subsidize their diet by raiding other genres, most notably the herding tribes of Yodlers to the north and the nomadic subgenres. Direct consumption of local cacti by the Trolls is technically possible and only fatal in the long term, and is often done by the older generations, as the gut byproduct of the cacti are highly fermented and alcoholic. Repetitive consumption of this fluid quickly intoxicates said Trolls as it ferments more and gets stronger, and some Country Troll families boast multiple  generations worth of the same alcohol being re consumed. 

(edit: country trolls make tequila in their guts. Their elderly are almost always piss drunk on it. Pass it on)

On troll biology and hair:

Trolls do not have bones, and maintain their shapes through a combination of stretchy membranes and internal pressure. These membranes deteriorate rapidly after death. Chemical reactions upon expiration cause the rapid fermentation of internal sugars, which upon evaporation, leaves a unique and delicate latticework of internal and external structures. It is unknown if this structure aids in shape maintaining, or is adjacent to an nervous system. Trolls are not animals and do not have a brain, but have something noticeably adjacent in the form of a Wishstone kept in the abdomen.

Trolls do have an organ on top of said abdomen that contains some sensory organs of varying use, but what common observation in mammals would call the head of the Troll is rather it’s reproductive organs. Trolls grow large amounts of long thin filaments around their stigma that are able to extend and retract at will. Excess length is kept within the organ’s cavity, reeled around the internal ovary, and can be reeled out at will to more than 10 times the length of the troll in the most impressive of species. These filaments are very thin, excessively strong, and are controlled by minute musculature covering the entire length of the filaments. Though referred to as hair, these filaments are a living functional organ of the troll and should not be cut under any circumstances. It’s believed that ancient trolls once used these in reproductive behaviors, the most common theories being courting displays, passive pollen collection, or mate capturing, but there is no concrete evidence to support such claims other than the rapid filament growth that comes at sexual maturity. 

Most modern trolls only have vestigial extension abilities and musculature with enough control to allow conception, but there are notable exceptions. Pop Trolls are famous for their unique chromatophores and dexterity, wish allow them to use their filaments as camouflage to a great degree of success. Like most decorative trolls, (see decorative trolls and hair shapes) Country Trolls have very high external musculature for control, but nearly no internal musculature. But Country Trolls have very notably retained this musculature around their forward facing sensory organs in some individuals. Classical Trolls are another ornamental Troll that has lost most internal musculature, but have interestingly enough mutated to have some filaments grow down and out the back of the abdomen. Cursory dissection of filaments has led to theoretical similarities to those of the Techno Trolls and might be responsible for flight. Techno trolls have the greatest relative reeling ability, though it's uses are unknown, as they are relatively young for an aquatic species and such ability would have developed before their time in water. Modern uses see it being employed in current surfing, allowing Techno trolls to travel great distances with little energy (see migratory trolls)

On “Grey” or “dark” Trolls:

Trolls are famous for their wild variations in pigmentations, but occasionally darkened Trolls that don’t fit their genere’s coloration can be spotted. These trolls should not be confused with naturally dark colored Trolls, who normally contain very high chlorophyll concentrations in darker locations (see Techno Trolls, Rock trolls, Punk trolls and grunge variations, Operetic Trolls, and other dark dwelling variations) 

Grey Trolls are Trolls who’s Wishstones have gone quiet (note that a Wishstone can not go silent, as that denotes a dead Troll, but direct correlation has been found between the strength of the beat of a Troll’s Wishstone and primary pigmentation) Trolls can go dark for a large variety of reasons, but it is far more common denotes some sort of long term mental distress. Troll who have received fatal blows do not often loose color as there is no time for the hormonal trigger to take place, though all Trolls lose pigmentation at some point in decomposition. A grey freshly killed Troll denotes suffering or complete separation from the Wishstone.

(edit: This is in reference to Chef's cookbook in her deleated song, a few pages of which can be screen grabbed and read. One recipe calls for thinly slicing the finished product, with a troll still alive in said product, and mentions that a troll that survives a few slices will loose its coloring before it dies, unlike a quickly killed troll, which will retain its bright coloring. The note continues that the cook in question should not worry, as a grey troll retains it's flavor and euphoric effects, it just doesn't look appetizing, and the presentation and filling should cover that up nicely. Absolutely horrific, and has always stuck with me)

Otherwise healthy Trolls might go grey if they have long term medical issues that cause suffering, but this is considered beyond quality of life as it has affected the Trolls mental health. Most common issues in greyed out Trolls is mental distress. It is believed that low pigmentation in a normally pigmented Troll intended to be a visual signal to their community that a Troll is in distress, as other Trolls are often seen using Harmonic Tranquilizing on the affected Troll to great effect, as the euphoric affect of the vocalizations seem to cause artificial stimulation to the Wishstone (see first song stimulation in newborn Trolls) Greying out is commonly very temporary given enough communal exposure. Resistant Trolls most commonly succumb to wasting as they show a resistance to eating and sun exposure and have little interest in personal hygiene or sleep. Long term grey out effects is unknown and untested. Note that grey Trolls do no produce glitter inert or otherwise, do not court or show any other signs of reproductive interest, nor to do they produce seeds/eggs when exposed to glitter, indicating infertility. 

(edit: lot of this is based off of the general reaction to Branch and the very visible physical indicator of his mental distress. And the idea that the best cure for what's ailing him really is music. Poppy's continued determination to pull Branch into social gatherings and songs in the first movie is as close to an instinctual reaction to his physical and mental state as you get for a troll. For those outside his tribe, in briefly meeting him, his coloring is dark enough he might be mistaken for a mixed breed of some kind (*flips off Band Together* you will pry Soft Rock!Branch genetics from my cold dead hands) and those who dont assume might think he's just in chronic pain)

(edit 2: am I also insinuating that Branch's depression makes him both infertile and without sexual desire? Yes I am. I developed this idea in parallel to my own struggles in trying to untie my own asexuality from my depression. The original idea coming from the hilarious idea that Pop Trolls have accidently developed a propensity for giant springtime orgies, which look an awful lot like the world's glitteriest dance party. I had developed 3 separate chapters, one before the movie in which Branch looks on with some bitterness but overall apathy, one in which recently recovering Branch finds himself on the outskirts but without inclination to join, much to his own embarrassment. He spends most of the time with the people helping on the sidelines (hydration, food, childcare, ECT) and talking to *actual asexual* Biggie. The third fallows quite deep into recovery and the discovery of his own desire to pursue Poppy in the fray beyond romantic.)

On reproductive biology and child rearing: 

Trolls are plants and are built very similar to a flower (edit: not similar. They are straight up a flower). The organ on top of their abdomen contains their ovaries, with their stigma terminating in their scalp. There is little visual indication of the stigma compared to the rest of the scalp, but there is a textural change that can be determined with practice.

(edit: in a very tldr short version. Their body is the stem, their head is the ovary containing the seeds (eggs) their hair their petals. Their cheeks are the part that produce pollen (glitter) and the central part of their scalp the place pollen is received and where the seed emerges. Troll sex consists of rubbing their cheeks together, and potentially all over each other, and hoping the pollen is exposed to the stigma.)

(edit 2: I spent a loooooong time contemplating whether the stigma (pollen receiving organ that takes it to the ovaries to produce a seed) should be on the scalp, or in the mouth, adding kissing and licking into the mix, and I'm still really attached the idea of the soft pallet as the exposed part of the stigma. I'm up for debate on either option.)

Trolls do not have filaments, and their anther is instead exposed on the apple of their cheeks. Troll Microsporangium is chunky, shimmery, and metallic in color, and is universally referred to by trolls as Glitter. (note that the inferior set of cheeks on the lower abdomen also produces large quantities of glitter, but this glitter in inert). Trolls also produce inert Glitter on the anther from birth, and that inert Glitter is visibly different from viable Glitter, with viable Glitter being discernably more holographic and chunkier than inert Glitter. Trolls can easily tell the difference between and are unbothered by common inert Glitter, though it can be seen as an attractive trait. Other attractive traits vary by genre, but high pigmentation, well groomed hair (see ornamental Trolls) and pleasant vocalizations are universal attractors as well.

Note that Glitter covered mutations have been noted in the wild (see classical trolls, see pigmentation display theory) and artificially (see the Bergan affects on troll biology). Glitter covered Trolls are not more reproductivly viable, but carry a mutation that causes production of inert glitter in mass. 

Reproductive Troll sex consists of courting behaviors to trigger hormonal responses, viable glitter production, and the frantic rubbing of the anthers on each other to encourage cross pollination. Even the most advanced Troll societies are not particularly interested in the sciences behind reproduction, so general Troll society tends to be less than knowledgeable and ascribe some spirituality to the act. But some tribes know more than others, and bathing is almost universally considered the most consistent contraceptive. 

(edit: look. Humans as a species only like, *just* figured out how human reproduction works on a molecular level. The only trolls debatably advanced enough to care might be the Funk trolls. Most trolls aren't going to know how their bodies work in sexual and non sexual ways, and their understanding of how they do work will mostly boil down to whatever mysticism their cultures have attached to it, as well as any correlations they've discovered, and any misconceptions when conflating it with causation

Reproductive sex rarely leads to conception. Unless a Troll accidently or otherwise rubs the Glitter in their hair, the Glitter has a short viability span and must drift into the hair naturally. Conception is less common in small Troll communities as the presence of children suppresses reproductive hormones. Larger communities can afford to sequester children away and thus encourage reproduction in not child responsible adults.

(edit: this was the beginning of a long article attempting to explain the Pop troll numbers vs how much they must have been eaten and needing replaced vs the sustained population down the road, moved to pop troll article)

(edit: and this is where it ends. I had a whole listing of tribe specific diets, courting behaviors, some rough historical events and holidays, ECT, but I'm now choosing to save those for individual posts.

[ladyazurith]

Hi, I just needed to get this thought out of my head for a moment, I hope you don’t mind me dumping! Of course, you don’t need to answer either, I just really needed to get it all typed out.

So, we know that NRC is based on the Great Seven—‘villains’ that have, presumably, won in their respective tales. Everything in NRC is centered around them, being ‘villainous’ is the norm and encouraged in the students.

But then, if all of Twisted Wonderland is based on successful villains, why is RSA on the very same level as NRC? They’re even on the same island, for Seven’s sake. They regularly compete against each other in various ways and RSA wins more often than not.

That means it’s highly unlikely that all the villains won in TWST.

So, and bear with me here, what if RSA was based on successful heroes instead? Like, the Great Seven obviously succeeded in their fairytales, but what if there were fairytales that went the way we know them, or very similarly?

That would explain why RSA exists on the same level as NRC and them winning isn’t, like, a scandalous thing. Both schools are based on the winners of fairytales. Different fairytales.

And if you followed my train of thought until here, I’d love to hear what fairytales you think inspire RSA!

Okay, thank you for allowing me to use your inbox for this, feel free to ignore. Much love for you and your writing!!❤️❤️

My very first thought was that in twst, yes the characters we know of as Villians are seen more heroically, and as the 'good guys' BUT! The hero's stories still seem to exist too. This is clear, especially with Aladdin, where they talk about Jasmine and Aladdin and their story, just as fondly as they do the "Sorceror of the Sands." This one I specifically tried to reconcile in one of my fics, where I altered Jafar's character to be the one Jasmine had always been in love with, and couldn't marry because he wasn't technically royal, and Aladdin and the Genie were framed as the villains looking to deceive them. This allows both Jasmine's story and Jafar's to both be told as if they were the true heroes.

There are concepts from the Disney TCG called Lorcana, of "Floodborn" and "Dreamborn" versions of the characters. I made some posts about it early on when I first rejoined Tumblr, but basically, the idea that the Ink came and changed the Character's stories fundamentally. Dreamborn for example would be close to what we have with Twist, where it presents versions of the villains where they won. Floodborn completely changes their origin story (You get things like Cinderella who trained all her life to be a Knight, and Gaston who is a genius.)

Given how the world of Twist is infected/corrupted with blot, and what happens to our cast when they accumulate too much of it, the idea that the ink/blot itself is responsible for these changes isn't far-fetched.

So you do end up with things, where the villain wins and is considered successful and someone to look up to, but you also have hero characters that are still just as well regarded. Something that from what we know holds true in Twisted Wonderland.

I think this supports your idea here of RSA being just as important while representing "Traditional Heroes" as we know them (with certain notable exceptions like Silver and Kalim, but this also leaves the door open for more traditionally 'villainous' characters at RSA)

So applying the same idea I did with Aladdin, maybe the version of the story here, Ursula did in fact help Ariel unite with her true love, and escape a difficult home life (Say Triton instead of acting like a concerned father, taking his anger issues further than just destroying her things in a fit of rage, leaving him more concerned with control than his daughter's well being)

We know, a Twist version of Snow White, the Cheshire Cat, and Ariel exist (off hand I can't remember if they mention Prince Rielle goes to RSA or not, but I think it would make sense if he did.)

As for who else attends RSA/ what other fairytales are represented there. The school has a very Cinderella feel. While I myself believe in the Caterella theory (that Cater is a representation of Cinderella in twist) it wouldn't exclude other Cinderella characters, like Prince Charming or The Fairy Godmother from having representation there.

Twist seems to focus on 'classic' Disney movies, and while I don't see any reason twisted versions of more modern characters couldn't be there, (especially with the new upcoming JPN event. I won't mention what for spoilers sake, but if you're interested its easy to find the info) I'll focus on those classic films.

Peter Pan is a good canidate. We don't have a Hook equivalent at NRC, BUT like I said before thanks to the anomalies at NRC, there is no reason he couldn't be at RSA along with variations of Pan and Wendy, etc. Him having some kind of rivalry with Pan could be amusing.

Sword and the Stone with Arthur is also a good guess. With Merlin as a professor. Also versions of Hercules, in contrast to Idia at NRC would be interesting. Belle as a librarian etc. There are a lot of possibilities here.

Anyway, I hope this was at least close to what you were expecting. Thank you for the ask :)

[iamnmbr3]

Hi it's me!🙋‍♀️

My roman empires these days:

■ the way Harry describes Draco's clothes in yule ball is one thing but funnier thing is when Harry thinks he looks like a vicar i love it lmao(idk is it considered as good or bad, compliment or...???)

■ in GOF Ron is the first one who notices Hermione's teeth length have changed, not Harry..guess whose details Harry notices 24*7? (skin colour, mood, height, etc)

■ Harry lied to MLE for Draco(at least talked in passive voice so it wasn't obvious who did those things) so why should Draco need a trial?! I think these two are impossible together, either MLE knows nothing about Draco's deeds and there's no trial or they know everything and there is a trial for him..idk did i miss something..

1) I don't think Harry meant it as a compliment. But also, it's notable that he's looking. What's up with that Harry? Draco also has opinions on Harry's clothes too - in one of the books he makes derogatory comments about Harry's Christmas jumper. They are both really out there like 'wow i hate that guy so much. and he has a terrible fashion sense. want to hear my detailed opinions on every outfit he's ever worn?' (Their friends must be so Tired TM).

2) Lol omg yeah good catch! Ron immediately notices when a tiny detail about Hermione, the person he has complicated and growing romantic feelings for, changes. Because he's hyper aware of her and what she looks like. Similarly, Harry catalogues every detail about Draco and immediately notices tiny differences - like his skin tone changing a bit in book 6 - before anyone else does. Hm... Wonder what could be up there...

3) Post book 7 a lot more information about Draco's crimes would be available. Draco would probably be rounded up as a known Death Eater. He's got the Dark Mark and other Death Eaters who were captured would have named him (especially given how hated his family became). From an outsider POV the fact that Voldemort was using the Manor as a base and was keeping prisoners there makes it look like Draco and his family were high up, favored members of the inner circle (and the postwar wizarding world would be unlikely to be sympathetic to "no actually he mistreated us too. we didn't even want him in our house. no really"). Draco would be seen as being complicit in the kidnappings, imprisonment, torture and murders that took place in his house. And to be fair, he was, however unhappily and unwillingly, complicit in all that. He was one of the jailers holding people prisoner there (albeit a minor one and quite possibly something of a prisoner himself in his own house, possibly even without the ability to release people even if he had wanted to). Survivors of that experience would be able to name him as responsible.

If any of the other Death Eaters who were on the Astronomy Tower survived and were captured they would also be able to name him as responsible for at least some of the events that occurred there (Harry's probably out there like 'nope. they're definitely lying. You're really going to believe the Carrows over me?' lolol /hj).

He also used Unforgivables on fellow Death Eaters on Voldemort's orders - probably there were other incidents like the Rowle incident that Harry witnessed - which some of his surviving fellows could reveal. Probably most wizards would not be receptive to the "no I swear I didn't want to do it. I was forced." argument. Except of course, Harry can actually provide evidence this is true due to his mental connection to Voldemort.

Therefore, I imagine he'd be on trial for aiding and abetting the Death Eaters, an illegal paramilitary organization, multiple counts of imprisonment and kidnapping, providing aid and material comfort and support to the wanted criminal Lord Voldemort (by being complicit in letting him use his house as a base), multiple counts of the use of Unforgivables for torture, accessory to murder (all the prisoners who were killed in his house), possibly some sort of insurrection charge (because they'd probably assume he actively fought on the side of the Death Eaters at the Battle of Hogwarts), possibly a generalized count of crimes against Muggleborns due to his involvement with the Death Eaters, AND if someone spilled the beans on the Astronomy Tower incident - one count of using the Imperius curse on Madam Rosmerta, multiple counts of attempted murder, and one count of accessory to the murder of Albus Dumbledore.

So yeah. Not looking great for him. Now there's a lot of important context around these charges. A lot of this context is information ONLY Harry can provide or verify. So Harry's testimony would be critical in proving that Draco didn't do some of these things or was coerced and in proving that he had a change of heart.

In fact, given the likely postwar climate and Draco's last name and seeming heavy involvement as a diehard Death Eater loyalist who was so favored by Voldemort that he was granted the rare honor of a Dark Mark while still in school, I take the fact that Draco isn't rotting in prison postwar (and apparently didn't do any prison time at all according to supplemental material) as incontrovertible evidence that Harry spoke for him at his trial. Which delights my drarry heart.

[cyclical-polyp]

This is a post about Sylvester Lambsbridge from Web Serial Twig by Wildbow. He's Plural Btw.

(Warning: Major Spoilers for LITERALLY ALL of Twig. I can't talk about this without covering the entire story and talking very explicitly about the ending.) This is really a take I haven't seen anyone make about him ever before I don't think (not that many people are out here making takes about Sy, but) so here I am to loudly shout to twigblr that Sylvester Lambsbridge is plural and he makes factives of all the people important to him and he's a fucked up little freak about it. Now obviously Wildbow didn't write him to be plural. I think if he'd *tried* to write Sy that way he would've done a dogshit bad awful job, because he's Wildbow. That said, Sy's hallucinations of the Lambs (and later a number of other notable figures) that he conjures, who act with varying degrees of independence (especially later on in the story as he gets more unstable), match pretty closely with a lot of my experiences with being plural. The ways that each of his alters are interconnected and how they're tied into deep-rooted concepts (Duncan is Politics and Social Engineering, the Infante representing Power, etc) matches a lot with how things are structured with us. Also a lot of him is tied up in his fucked up relationships! Sylvester cultivates the people around him into the shapes that best please him. He does this because he is a very very traumatized, scared individual who was sold to or seized by the government and made into a child assassin when he was a toddler. They inject his brain full of neuroplasticity drugs which cause excruciating agony on the regular. This has, naturally, leads to him having an somewhat skewed worldview from someone from a more reasonable world. He views people as either Threats or Allies, and neither can be trusted fully, ever. Both can be manipulated, though for different purposes. For the Lambs of course he'd say that he was trying to help them thrive, help them get everything they want (and genuinely he does). But he still manipulates them actively, willingly, consciously, and deliberately. This means that fundamentally, no one can ever trust him (except Jessie but this post is long enough without getting into their relationship) and so he can't get the kind of human connection that he craves. This is where his alters supplement that human need for connection. All of Sy's alters are factives of real people (and monsters), both allies and enemies. The most powerful and concrete of them are the Lambs of course, as they're the closest thing he has to people he can trust and be vulnerable with. His alters serve to help him understand and predict them, since they will never trust him and open up to him in the way he craves (because A) he's Sy and B) they're all also sooooooooooooooo fucked up in their own ways :3). Sy's deteriorating memory also fits really really well through this lens because, well, dissociative amnesia! During the time that he was on his own and his mental state got worse and worse, more and more alters started forming. He starts losing more and more memories. This is just kinda stuff that can happen when you go through a big period of trauma and you're plural. It really just Fits. And the ending of Twig, well. The alter that was Sylvester is gone. Now the host is Lord Simon. Lord Simon is a somewhat more integrated person; a lot of the crowds and voices that built up alongside Sylvester got woven in. Fusion of alters is also a thing that happens, especially during big crises. A major headspace restructuring is also not particularly weird! This man is literally just part of a system. I think I've kind of finished what I was trying to say. No clue if this is coherent or if the people will care to read it, but here it is! Maybe I'll post more Twig thoughts in the future, who knows :3

[lurking-latinist]

re: these tags

THAT'S SO COOL AHHHH!! good for you aubreyad community stays winning

[introducing this with a disclaimer in case i'm wrong about everything: i am only halfway through the series rn (just about to finish 10) and also am but a mere undergrad classics major who has yet to even declare said major and I probably don't have the right to be yapping about propertius. nevertheless i shall.]

anyway i have been growing persistently more insane about diana's proximity to a Lot of classical imagery, like how her first appearance in post captain is literally during a fox hunt + all the gender stuff she has going, obviously linking her to mythological diana (and artemis if we're going to conflate the two) but your take has sent me in a whole new direction with that-- because she doesn't actually really embody the artemis archetype all too much overall (an emphasized character trait being that she's notably Not Chaste) EXCEPT in relation to stephen, w/ whom her relationship is much more brotherly than it is sensual i guess?

which would align very well with your idea of diana as elegiac puella-- sort of in a way being mythologized by stephen-- resulting in the reader actually being able to see two different manifestations of her character (one through the eyes of an omniscient prosaic narrator and one through the perspective of stephen as a "poet" figure). and i just think that's neat.

my latin class has also been looking at a few of propertius' love elegies and, at least to me, they read a lot like if stephen 1.) hated himself significantly less and 2.) were less indecisive in writing about his Feelings?? 1.8 (and all of the poems concerning cynthia moving/traveling away and propertius being all moody about it) is very reminiscent of the arc from post captain to the surgeon's mate imo. 1.12 is also Literally Him-- "cynthia prima fuit cynthia finis erit" can be compared to stephen's poetic catastrophizing about how his life is Literally Over and Love Is Dead when he believes to have fallen out of love with diana!?!? i'm going to lose my mind.

sorry for dumping all of this on you unprompted and also sorry for the fact that it probably does not make sense. peace and love

if undergrad classicists don't talk about propertius literally WHO WILL. (genuinely my currently-being-written phd dissertation chapter is based on an idea I had in the class I read propertius in freshman year. never feel like you're not a 'real scholar' or something yet, because you honestly never do become something different, you just keep reading and talking and this is what we do! there's nothing realer than this!)

oh wow that's really well put--we kind of get to see her from an omniscient-narrator perspective and through the eyes of her lover who is Not Being Normal About Her. very nice!

yeah I keep reading bits of propertius and being like "hmm is po'b going to quote this one I wonder." (he doesn't mostly but I keep thinking he should. because I want the aubreyad to be denser and less accessible I guess? :P) there's a lot of catullus woven in too of course - I associate Catullus 72 with the 'falling out of love' arc (my dude that is not what falling out of love looks like).

oh gosh yes 1.8 -- that was one of the things I was trying to describe to Distinguished Classicist, the way she's so -- what's the word I want? not volatile... she disappears. she's constantly Gone. you turn around and oops, she's eloped to Sweden. (honestly though if Cynthia and Propertius could manage to have *fake* revenge affairs that would actually be *great*, for them that would be an improvement.) Gareth Williams (in a chapter called, amazingly, "From Grave to Rave") describes Cynthia as "ever only elusively visible in the narratological mist" and I feel like that's a bit what's going on with Diana. For her there's a genre element as well--she's a woman in the Men Going to Sea books, and even though the Aubreyad gives way more time to women than the average Men Going to Sea book, the fact is the camera frequently simply isn't on her. We see far more of Stephen thinking about her, hearing rumors, etc. than we do of her actually being on the page. Now in elegy nobody seems to be quite fully on the page, we only get "fragments of story" as Genevieve Liveley and Patricia Salzmann-Mitchell say (excellent collection by that name btw, I recommend checking it out if you're at all interested in narrative and lyric/elegy). But Diana manages this while being in a novel, which is impressive to me.

yeah stephen as a character is a lot more... self-reflective? than propertius' speaker. for one thing he's in a novel, I think, so he can actually... have a series of contiguous experiences. he's also a compulsive diarist which is helpful for self-reflection I guess. and more mature, like, as a human being, than propertius' speaker, who apparently does nothing with his life except be in love and write poetry, he doesn't exist outside of as a poetic voice whereas, again, stephen benefits from a third-person narrator and has medicine and spying to do and so on. also he's Catholic.

I love the "Catullus-and-water" line, it's like O'Brian just put in a little wink to those of us who would notice this, like, "yes I am doing this on purpose." All in all I've pretty much defaulted to assuming that O'Brian is doing things on purpose. although he did forget Babbington's first name that one time and retconned it very awkwardly