#(I love persuasive essays also

[queenlucythevaliant]

In Defense of Wuthering Heights

This is not an “I can make him worse” book. It’s a “we can make each other better in the face of tremendous pressure to do otherwise” book. I promise. 

I’ve already written extensively about my love for Charlotte Brontë’s Villette and while I love lots of other Brontë books with all my heart, what I really want to do tonight is try to make you fall in love with Emily’s Wuthering Heights (generally the most divisive Brontë novel among modern readers) the way that I did.

The thing that a lot of people don’t know which I really think ought to be printed on all the dust jackets is that the Brontë sisters were the daughters of a revered. They were PKs and it totally shows.  

So Wuthering Heights is not a romance; it’s a family tragedy. Specifically, it’s an astonishingly hopeful book about generational trauma. 

Heathcliff is Mr. Earnshaw’s bastard son. This is never explicitly stated, but it is implied so heavily that it might as well be. To boot, Mr. Earnshaw favors Heathcliff over his legitimate son, Hindley. When Mr. Earnshaw dies, Heathcliff is immediately and violently cast out of the family and forced into servitude. Mr. Earnshaw’s hidden infidelity is Wuthering Heights’s original sin.

Of course, Cathy and Heathcliff love each other, but it’s a violent and destructive like-recognizes-like kind of love between two people who, on the one hand, absolutely should not be together and, on the other, totally deserve each other. They’re capital T Tragic and capital R romantic: co-dependent, sharp-toothed sibling-lovers who don’t understand their own relationship as kids because their father lied to them. That lack of understanding follows them into adulthood; they don’t really know how to make sense of what they feel for one another, but boy do they feel it. 

Cathy tells Nellie “I am Heathcliff” and “He’s more myself than I am” and “whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same,” and it’s half a reaction to the fact that one of her brothers (Hindley) has cast her other brother (Heathcliff) out of the family with a vengeance and half a statement of the fact that although she doesn’t know what Heathcliff is to her, she doesn’t know how to live without him. And while Cathy’s love for Heathcliff definitely fills romantic roles once they’re adults, it’s doesn’t really read as sexual. To use Lewis’s parlance: it’s not eros/gift-love, but rather need-love in the most emphatic sense. It’s storge. Actually, it’s really posessive storge that thinks it’s eros. Hence the problem. 

From the other side, Heathcliff is an outsider from the moment he enters the story. He’s an intruder and a presumed bastard. He’s coded as non-white, maybe Romani or similar. (Probably not actually African-black, but kudos to that one movie for at least making the attempt.) He’s… probably kind of a psychopath in that he displays cruelty to animals and then later on becomes a charismatic, manipulative monster. You can make a nature vs. nurture argument—Heathcliff is definitely on the receiving end of a lot of cruelty—but there’s also something Off about him and that too is othering. And after Mr. Earnshaw dies, Cathy is the one person who still loves him.

But of course, they can’t actually marry. On and off the page, that simply cannot be. Heathcliff runs away, Cathy marries Edgar Linton. They hurt each other badly in the process. Neither Heathcliff nor Cathy can escape the harm that Mr. Earnshaw began and Hindley perpetuated. Cathy dies, Heathcliff marries Isabella, and then things get really interesting.

Because the beating heart of Wuthering Heights, the place where you can profoundly see the fingerprints of the reverend’s daughter, is in the third generation. Cathy and Heathcliff devour each other in life and in death, but the children survive. They forgive. The patriarch died without knowing what he had wrought on his children, the second generation died in anguish, but the third makes it out. Or at least Hareton and Cathy II do.

Cathy’s daughter is named for her mother. Heathcliff’s son by Isabella Linton is named Linton Heathcliff. Heathcliff forces Hareton, Hindley’s son and the only one among the third generation not named for his parents, to live in the same debasement that Hindley once forced on him: he denies Hareton any education and forces him into servitude while simultaneously courting his admiration. In essence, Cathy and Heathcliff implore the next generation to go on living their parents’ tragedy and it. Doesn’t. Work.

Heathcliff tries to force them both into awful situations in which they must act out his trauma, his revenge, to go on perpetuating the pain and bitterness. And at first, it looks like they’re going to play their parts. For a time, they’re as awful to each other as everyone else is.

But then they change. Hareton tries to stand up for Cathy II while she’s essentially being held captive as part of Heathcliff’s 12-Step Revenge Plot. Cathy teaches Hareton to read. She laughs at him, but when she realizes that she’s hurting his pride she apologizes and learns to be patient.  

“I didn’t know you took my part,” she answered, drying her eyes; “and I was miserable and bitter at everybody; but now I thank you, and beg you to forgive me: what can I do besides?”

And after this, they both stand up to Heathcliff. They say, “This ends here. This far and no farther.” Heathcliff is their dragon and they face him together. And when everyone else is dead in grand, tragic fashion, Cathy II and Hareton are left living.

But it’s not just that Hareton and Cathy II survive. They specifically un-do the failings of the previous generations. There’s a kind of atonement to it. They’re honest with each other, unlike Mr. Earnshaw. Cathy recognizes Hareton’s humanity, something Hindley never did for Heathcliff. Hareton lets go of his bitterness and resentment, while Heathcliff let his fester into cruelty and Elaborate Revenge. Cathy II is willful, like her mother, but she is also kind. Hareton is proud, like his father, but he is also compassionate. They forgive each other, while Cathy and Heathcliff only ever held grudges.

At the beginning of the book, Cathy is dead and has explicitly not gone to heaven; with the Brontës, you’ve gotta take these things seriously. Cathy is not in heaven and Heathcliff is a monster and they both seem to be damned, but they do not succeed in damning their children. And in that (I would say because of that), even Cathy and Heathcliff find peace after death.

I also do think that the fact that the story is narrated by Lockwood (weirded out by all of this) and Nellie (unreliable, cares deeply about everyone involved) can make it difficult to see the redemptive arc in the story as clearly as we might if it had an omniscient narrator, or if, say Cathy II was narrating. We're presented the Cathy and Heathcliff love story as this great, horrible, compelling saga (and it absolutely is), but then the following generation can almost seem like a footnote. They're adapted out of most of the film adaptations. But they're the whole point!

I do get why Wuthering Heights just isn’t to some people’s taste. Really. Some people just don’t go for Big Romantic Family Tragedy and that’s fine. But too many people come to the Brontës looking for Jane Austen or Elizabeth Gaskell and that’s just. Wrong. You’ve gotta at least read Wuthering Heights on its own terms before deciding that you hate it (not directed at anyone specific on here, but I do know people irl...). And you really ought to read it with an eye towards Emily’s faith. It makes a world of difference.

TL;DR- There’s a beautiful, very Christian center to Wuthering Heights and it’s one of forgiveness instead of revenge and kindness instead of cruelty. It’s a book about people who are destroyed by the sins of their fathers and those that manage not to be. In a way, it’s almost a fairytale.

[shima-draws]

I've been teasing her for months!! But at long last her ref is complete 🌷

I actually DON'T have a 5 page essay on her backstory this time (like I did for Ilari LMAO) but I do have some info about her if anybody is curious!

Name: Ione

Age: 25

Hair color: Silver

Eye color: Orangish-yellow

Element: Light

Grabbing info from the few posts I've talked about her already, Ione was originally a very famous singer, pretty much an idol within the world of ATS. She'd hold huge concerts that were always sold out and people from around the world would flock to see her perform. Eventually tho all of the attention started to attract the wrong kinds of people, and sooner or later Ione was "scouted" by a very rich man who wanted her all to himself. She was manipulated and blackmailed into signing a contract with him that would essentially end her touring and make it so that she would become a private singer for him. He basically chained her with this contract and so she disappeared from the public eye.

Ione soon discovered that other people with similar talents had also been gathered and trapped by this man's contracts. Among them was a prodigy violin player who she grew very close with. The two of them struggled under the demands of this man, and eventually violin boy started to get physically abused by him 😭 Things escalated to the point where Ione decided she wanted OUT and was determined to do anything to escape. This led to a very...traumatic event that caused her to go mute by choice.

When Ione finally makes her escape, thankfully she's changed so much that people don't recognize her in public (mostly her hair! It used to be short and didn't cover one of her eyes before). Shortly after she runs into Nahu and his group, and is unceremoniously recruited to join them lol (Nahu can be VERY persuasive). Ione communicates with them through sign language, which luckily a couple of them are fluent in--Ezio and Sage to be specific. They then teach the others in the group sign language too. It takes Nahu a bit to get the hang of it bc he has like, no attention span whatsoever, but being a dragon elemental helps since his senses are super attuned all the time, so he can generally tell what Ione is feeling and what she's trying to convey when she talks to him :")

Over time Ione grows closer with them, and like everybody else is hit with the Found Family, and realizes that yeah. She'd do absolutely ANYTHING for this group of crazy weirdos. She starts to fall in love with Nahu (bc who WOULDN'T), and slowly gains the courage to use her voice again. This leads to secret meetings with Sage, who helps her relearn how to use her vocal cords.

Eventually her past catches up with her, of course, but the group all bands together to set her free from it. She has to face off against violin boy, who thought she'd abandoned him and got Messed Up Mentally as a result, so THAT'S a thing she's gotta deal with. But she's able to reach him by singing for the first time in over five years, and everyone absolutely loses their shit at how beautiful her voice is and they all cry and it’s very emotional!!

Even after regaining her voice she still prefers to stay quiet most of the time, as that is what she's comfortable with, but she's totally okay with speaking when she needs to. Also I need to mention this but bc she used to be like. An idol. Obviously her routines consisted of both song and dance so she's a pretty good dancer. Out of everyone in the group, Ione is the ONLY person Ezio will dance with (and he is a very VERY good dancer himself, but will only dance with someone who can keep up with him, which Ione can). Everyone is very jealous of this, ESPECIALLY Nahu lol bc he wants to dance with Ezio too 😂

Ione's a light elemental! I haven't given a LOT of thought into her powers yet but I do know that her singing makes her stronger and also gives her powers a boost, which in turn helps the rest of the group. She also can ride on these light waves--I will have to draw them sometime bc I can't really explain them in words, it'd be better to show them visually lol

And that's her!! My flower light mute girl <33333

[lilhealthybean]

teacher's pet

"If I'm so special, why am I secret?"

tags: jjk and suguru geto

note: au, teacher!geto . want to clarify, you are at college, 21 years old, and he is 26. also this seems more like a hatefic towards him, so sorry, i really love geto.

Bell rang, everyone sighed as they dropped their pens on the table. Suguru stood up from his chair to gaze at all the students, pausing longer on you than on others.

"Class dismissed, please leave now, and I will collect your essays," Suguru said nonchalantly.

Everyone obeyed and exited the classroom.

"Don't leave, y/n, I need to have a little chat with you," he said as you walked past him.

You froze in place, staring at the floor. When you were alone, he approached you, and you could barely move.

“You didn’t answer my call last night,” Suguru said calmly as he gathered all the papers.

You began to assist him.

“I was studying for your exam,” you replied. He chuckled.

The truth was that you were tired of him and the relationship you both had. This affair between you began almost six months ago, when he became your literature teacher for the remainder of the course.

Initially, you were unaware of him, but unfortunately, he was not unaware of you. The moment he walked in and saw you, he knew you would be his, and his alone.

Before you knew it, he orchestrated situations to spend more time alone with you. Just weeks later, he had you under his control.

How could you resist? He was charming, always treating you well. Unlike others your age, he knew how to keep you happy with his words and actions. Showering you with gifts, weekend road trips, afternoon promenades… Was he even real?

From that point on, you became the teacher’s favorite. Always eager to answer his questions, volunteering for anything he requested, and studying diligently. You craved his approval, no, you depended on it. You were a submissive, manipulated student, and he was well aware of it.

“Darling, you know I couldn't give you the exam; that would be cheating,” he said, lifting your chin to meet his gaze.

You despised how, at first, you mistook his actions for romantic gestures. It dawned on you that they were manifestations of your submission to him and his thirst for power. Avoiding his gaze, you sighed. When did this relationship devolve into a manipulative game devoid of genuine emotion? You cursed your naivety, realizing too late that Geto's feelings for you were shallow, driven solely by a desire for control.

Escape eluded you not due to threats, but because of his cunning ways—his knack for twisting situations, gaslighting you, and ensnaring you in his deceptions. Despite recognizing the toxicity, you felt lost without his guidance. Not only lost but you felt alone, since you believed his lies about your college companions inadequacy and your need for his supposed superiority in age, intellect, and greatness.

"Why are you acting like that?" he teased.

"I'm not sure," you replied, distancing yourself.

"I think I know why you resent me," he murmured, grasping your hand. "Is it because of the tutoring session with someone else? You're not like them; you're special."

"If I'm so special, why am I a secret?" you blurted out, instantly regretting it.

Despite his transgressions, you remained attached to him, berating yourself for your foolishness.

"Are you upset because I kept you hidden?" he inquired, taken aback.

You nodded, consumed by humiliation.

"Darling, you're a secret because you're too good to be true," he murmured, planting a gentle kiss on your forehead. "If the authorities found out about us, it would spell trouble. It's not just me who'd suffer; you'd risk expulsion. Is that what you want?"

You shook your head, avoiding his gaze.

"Expulsion would tarnish all your parents' hard work," Suguru continued, his tone persuasive. "Let's face it, you enjoy this arrangement the most, right? Dating someone of your league, not like those monkeys you have as classmates, reaping good grades. It's your call, my dear. Shall we go public and sacrifice all that you and your family have built, jeopardizing your future? Or shall we keep it between us, ensuring your academic success and our continued lovely relationship?"

You swallowed hard, meeting his intense gaze. His captivating appearance clashed with his manipulative ways, momentarily leaving you speechless.

"Perhaps you would consider ending things with me, but then you'd lose the privileges I've granted you in my class. Do you truly believe your grades solely reflect your hard work?" Geto's condescending tone pierced through.

Trapped without an exit, you harbored resentment.

"Let's keep it a secret," you conceded, defeated.

How much longer would you endure this? Until his interest waned?

"You show such maturity for your age; that's why you're my favorite student," Geto remarked. "Now, be a good teacher's pet and leave five minutes after me. Tomorrow, I'll pick your for dinner so dress up decently, alright?"

[gffa]

Do you have a favorite reference/visual guide in the Star Wars fandom? If so, why is it your favorite and are there any info bits you enjoy reading?

Far and away the best guide book that Star Wars put out was Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy.

Before I read this book, I don't know that I was that excited for it, but I found it thoroughly fascinating to read because it was such a great idea and it was pulled off beautifully--it's an in-world book of essays about the history of the galaxy and the use of art used to sway both sides of the various conflicts. So it tells the history of the galaxy, from the prequels to the sequels, through characters within the universe, while also being halfway a poster book of really fantastic political-style art pieces.

My favorite was the Republic vs Separatists sections (I am a prequels bitch after all) but the Empire vs Rebellion art pieces and the commentary and history that went with them were fantastic. This is one of the few books I recommend in physical form if you can afford it at all, because the pieces look nice in digital form (I have both), but a little photoshoppy to my eye. But holding this book in my hands I could see it was very much designed to be a print book, they look so much better there. You can see some more examples of the posters here or, if you want to know just how much I loved this book and some examples of why it hit me so hard, I have an essay here that explains more about what it's like. My other favorite guides are two other in-universe books: - Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious has great art, great in-world character notes, great tidbits about the worldbuilding, and even our only glimpse at a possible IN UNIVERSE CALENDAR SYSTEM - Star Wars Galactic Maps: An Illustrated Atlas of the Star Wars Universe has great art, fun in-world character notes, and is just really, really fun look at what a guidebook from inside the GFFA would look like.

[sarahreesbrennan]

sorry if you have already answered this, but are we getting any queer rep in Long Live Evil? 💕 i am super excited to see what you've cooked up for us either way!

I came back after I'd gone off on one, seeing the post had struck a chord and being thankful but fearful of my inbox. Let me say with delighted surprise that all the asks are very kind.

Thank you for this one, sweet anon. I am so excited and so nervous about my best beloved, Long Live Evil, and about coming back with a new book of my own after so long, when I believed for a long time it was hopeless.

I'm really grateful to find readers waiting for me. But I know readers are naturally more invested in characters they know: I extremely appreciate you taking an interest in the future.

So, short answer: YEAH you are!

Long answer: Long Live Evil wouldn't exist without its queer narratives.

C.S. Pacat and I were talking in our virtual Brookline Booksmith event recently about our favourite Disney villains. C.S. Pacat picked Maleficent, a fine choice. I picked Snow White's Evil Queen. We agreed we loved most of them.

Here's the relevant excerpt I was quoting in my last post from Carmen Maria Machado's In The Dream House, saying 'I think a lot about queer villains, the problem and pleasure and audacity of them.' Well... me too.

I think many of us have experienced feeling made wrong in some way - for not wanting what society said we should or being what we were expected to be - and that one step along that journey of discovery is going 'Okay, if it's wicked, I'll just BE wicked.' And that's part of why those characters appeal - because they seem free, and free of pain.

But modern storytelling isn't confined to coding, and audiences can now feel free to expect, not the certainty, but the possibility characters who aren't introduced as such still might actually turn out to be LGBT+. The essays I've read about Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Sherlock, Ted Lasso, Fox 9-1-1... I think the latest argued Jaime Lannister was bisexual. (Pretty persuasive.)

I remember reading the Raven Cycle going 'oh? OH.' I remember being at a writing retreat in 2013 and running through the halls screaming about Nico diAngelo. Ten years later we got a Nico diAngelo book co-written by Rick Riordan and the amazing Mark Oshiro. I watched Red, White and Royal Blue with a friend and she said 'honestly I hope the guys get together, but...' and I (having read the book) silenced myself with a herculean effort and watched her hopes come true. I didn't know about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and almost dropped the book in a swimming pool. But I've also read and watched many things thinking, just maybe... oh, no. Still that hope existing is meaningful, the thought that if the story had gone differently, if this revelation had happened, if this realisation had happened, if, if, if...

Long Live Evil is a story about the story going differently and asking yourself questions about your own nature, and the escape to fiction of those who really need escape. The book is based on that 'if,' and the 'if' itself is joyous, and brings me back to the idea of gleefully transgressing the narrative that much villain love is based on.

It's also an ensemble story with a rogue's gallery of characters and multiple PoVs. (I was much inspired by the Six of Crows ensemble.) So it isn't about any one character's romance, and by the book's nature there exist many possibilities. A critique partner read and said 'I didn't know you were going THERE' and I responded 'Should I?'

I've never been one to confirm where stories are going, and I won't do so now. I'm not talking about any one character or telling you a direction.

I'm just saying yes to rep. It's baked in.

[teddywesworl]

I hope everyone knows that when I say I’m creatively driven by spite, what I mean is that many of my works of fiction are arguments. I’m doing a persuasive essay but it’s prose. It’s spite insofar as I have had a negative reaction, and often an emotional one, to someone else’s text, and I need to express and explore that reaction. Everyone writes stories in conversation with other stories, whether or not they mean to, and I mean to.

Tulips is a reaction to the almost universal structure of soulmate stories placing the soulmate reveal as the climactic event that resolves the narrative tension. That doesn’t mean I hate those kinds of stories, but I did feel a need to dig into and contradict the pattern. Anemone is FULL of love (and lbr mostly in conversation with jeff and jules) but I did have some stuff to get off my chest about gender expression and omegaverse tropes. Vino and sihaw are fully contrarian on purpose—vino came from a desire to flip the vampire!eddie fanon tropes on their head, and I started sihaw annoyed at how often ship fic and art takes aesthetic as equivalent to character. I call it spite, and it is spite, but I hope it’s also a constructive contribution to. Well. The discourse, in the traditional sense. u feel me??

anyway im writing a dragon age fic rn it’s about that blond ex church cop I hope u will all forgive me

[philistiniphagottini]

Rec List

This is my first time doing one of these posts so I hope this doesn't turn out chaotic. This post is going to be my rec list because I follow so many amazing and talented x reader writers/artists and I just want to show them love and give them the appreciation they deserve. Since this post may turn out to be long, I will put it all under a read more and I will try to only write a few sentences for everyone or I will ramble on for 15 pages. Please scroll to the end to see any extra notes.

@spiiiiiral They are such an amazing little artist and is very big into Yugioh. I absolutely love their arts featuring thief king bakura and yami marik. I like their art style and I'm always excited to see more from them. And they will absolutely convert you into liking the characters that they like. I'm talking full blown essays, they are very persuasive.

@imastrangeone98 We share a lot of similar interests in fandoms/characters and they are a really nice and chill person. I love reading whatever they post and I absolutely devoured their most recent boothill x reader fic. I could probably write a five page essay on how much I adore them but just know they are an amazing writer.

@ayyy-pee JJK obsessed and I am so here for it. They are a really, really great writer. I mostly read their JJK one-shots (specifically suguru because I am down bad for that man) but I regularly see them also have a bunch of longer series that they write and there is so many words they have to offer that you can devour. Seriously, if you are into JJK please check them out. I'm pretty sure they also have an open collab event going on so if that's your thing, drop on by.

@tehrevving mostly Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy and Resident Evil. Very talented writer and they have been around for a long time. They have recently been writing a vincent valentine x reader multi chapter fic that I have been bookmarking so i can read later. Chaotic blog, absolutely adore it. love getting notifs on whatever they write.

@queenmuzz mostly Devil May Cry enthusiast but I have seen other fandoms pop up now and then. I love reading their Vergil fics, very nice writing style that just scratches an itch in my brain. They are very nice and welcoming to all, check them out.

@princesschimchim1325 Lots of Honkai Star Rail and I think they are recently getting into Wuthering Waves. Very good writer and they have a bias towards anything related to Blade, Yingxing, Dan Feng and Dan Heng. I love reading whatever they come up with and enjoy their shenanigans.

@husbandomail they have recently moved to this new blog but I believe they have a link to their old blog. Very nice and sweet and they write mostly one-shots and headcannons. They are into a few different fandoms but I enjoy reading what they write for Yugioh and Pokémon. Very pretty blog theme and an amazing little writer. Keep it up!

@imagine-darksiders mostly darksiders, fnaf and I think I've seen bowser pop up a few times. Double trouble because they are so, so talented with both drawing and writing. You can tell they have been dedicated to their craft for years. Seriously I love all the Darksiders writing and drawings they have produced over the years. Their writing is so poetic and they have a lot of ongoing series you can sink your teeth into.

@mubabee amazing artist. multifandom blog but I mostly adore their honkai star rail, genshin impact and demon slayer drawings. I am also a big fan of when they genderbend characters and I seriously am so happy to find artists that love drawing y/n x characters. Check them out for some good art.

@demonichikikomori multi fandom blog but I have noticed a lot of twisted wonderland recently. a lot of headcannons and one shots and I love reading through their works whenever they pop up on my feed.

@rabbbitseason x reader artist. such pretty and amazing drawings. feeding the honkai star rail community so good. I get so excited when another new drawing graces my eyes, please check out their nice artworks.

@kuroshioi new/recent writer that popped up in the last couple of months. mostly into honkai star rail and genshin impact. a lot of short, bite size pieces but they are very nice little reads and I think they are doing an amazing job.

@lorelune such a talented and amazing writer. Mainly for Honkai Star Rail. I love reading their long one-shots and whatever they write for Jing Yuan and Blade. Their descriptions in their writing just satisfies that itch I get in the back of my head. Seriously, I just want to print their words out and devour them, they are so, so good at writing. currently on hiatus

@honeyedgifts recently moved to this new blog. I love reading their bite sized fics and ramblings about the characters they like. very chill person. I believe they are thinking of going on hiatus soon but you should still check them out and share the love!

Okay, I believe that's it and I really hope I didn't miss anyone. If your name is on this list and it makes you uncomfortable, please let me know through my dms and I can take you off.

I believe all these artists/writers deserve more love so please check them out and give them a follow if you like what you see. Thanks for reading.

[atla-confessions]

Please read, as follows, my propogandist persuasive bullet-pointed essay on why we all should consume far more Yuezula than is the current normal intake, and why Azula and Yue make the best pairing for both characters and indeed everyone involved.

The cage symbolism as connected to the reality of being a princess. At the beginning of their respective stories, both girls are in cages: Yue in the cage of responsibility and duty over love, and Azula in the cage of her own perfectionism and the propaganda of her rearing. By the end of their arcs, Yue unlocks her cage by making a choice and seizing back her autonomy, but at the same time transferring her straight into another cage of responsibility and immortality, as she loses the human life that she never really got to live. Azula ends up in the cage of her madness and a physical cage of the asylum, which she was in a steady course towards throughout the whole series. Both cages of their own making, and yet constructed by fate, which they are helpless against. Like parallels say what???

Both princesses without mothers. This isn't really touched on much in Yue's case, but Yue isn't really touched on much either, aside from what we can infer about her from what's shown. But the reality of both of them is that they grew up as princesses without a mother to guide/teach them. Ursa is a really cool and complex character, and this is by no means bashing on her, but she was at a loss for how to deal with Azula and guide her: Ursa's actions towards Azula were incredibly influential towards who she ended up becoming, and ultimately Azula did not have that positive maternal guidance. Neither did Yue (assumedly), and I think that Yue not having a mother to stand up for her and ultimately how she ended up with all that responsibility is reflective of Katara's situation at the beginning of the series. Now, this brings in Katara: why not yuetara? why not azutara? You raise an excellent point, but let me raise you another: Yukazula. That aside, as this is a Yuezula essay, I believe that yuezula makes a superior pairing because both Azula and Yue actually lived as princesses, and also, the vibes.

They would be hilarious together. Can you even imagine? Yue would not put up with Azula's bullshit, as a fellow princess and enthusiast of keeping the universe in balance and sacrifice and everything: Yue basically contradicts everything Azula is and stands for, and vice versa. If they were tossed into a situation where they had to work together, neither one of them would be able to come out of that pairing unchanged. Yue would have to learn some selfishness in order to just survive with Azula, and Azula might actually learn some humility. I mean, Yue's the moon spirit, which far outranks her, so Yue would have to demand her respect in some ways.

Spirit wives. Spirit wives. Guys. Please. The ultimate power couple. Need I say more?

It has unlimited crack, angst, and fluff potential. Literally this ship is an untapped goldmine. Any au. The spirit world is super fun to play with, Yue's whole mysterious aura is super interesting to tweak and play around with, she's way underutilized in fandom anyway, and Azula deserves the redemption that a Yuezula relationship could give her.

In conclusion, please consider the unlimited health benefits of consuming and offering more Yuezula to the fandom. Please. We are starving.

X

[mazeinthemiroh]

stray kids in high school

genre: headcanons; general, highschool! au

word count: 1.7k

warnings: cursing

a/n: heyy everyone. i wanted to try out some high school headcanons to see what you guys thought. i find i enjoy writing high school aus and there have been a few requests for these so i thought i'd give it a go! please like and reblog if you enjoy, and feel free to send a request in for more highschool aus when the askbox is open <3

bangchan

the class president

chan is extremely popular. he's friends with literally everyone due to his approachable personality. he doesn't want people to feel left out and is very attentive

the oldest in the class, so people naturally respect him

you would think being class president would make him unpopular due to the responsibility coming with that role. but in reality, he was voted as class president by the rest of his peers because he's so well-liked. everyone trusts him and his personality exudes natural leadership qualities

has a rapport with everyone, including the teachers. so if he doesn't hand in his homework on time or forgot to do an essay, his powerful persuasive skills come in handy

which makes him very good at debating. he tends to lead the debates but finds it interesting to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. he's a good devil's advocate

best subjects are physical education, music and mathematics. but he doesn't really do particularly badly in any subject. his grades are both decent and consistent

he or changbin are the team captain of the majority of the sports teams

he's also very good at keeping himself organised. always on schedule and does the homework as soon as it's given to him so that he has more time to do what he wants, much like seungmin

lee know

the class clown

bet you thought i was going to put hannie as this

but nope.

please don't fight me in the comments i beg just hear me out

i see minho as the class clown because he is naturally gifted in wit and intelligence

he's not the typical class clown. they usually are stereotyped to be the most extroverted and outgoing person in the class, which is not the case with our dear minho

rather, he's just the funniest person there. mostly everybody appreciates his humour

what's better is he's able to piss around during class and still have the charisma to get away with it

also fairly level-headed so he exceeds in academically inclined subjects

also strong in the arts. he's damn good at drama, that's for sure. he has the confidence to play any character

and it will come as no surprise that his core subject, the one he actually cares about, is dance

he comes across as cynical, satirical and a humourous genius, so it comes as a surprise to most teachers that he favours dance above all subjects. seeing him express himself in that way is truly amazing

because of this, he definitely has a lot of secret admirers

changbin

the jock

i mean, what did you expect

probably the most popular person in the school, let alone the class

everybody knows him and respects him

he, in turn, knows everybody. which means he knows all the gossip. and knows who to spill the tea to

has many circles of friends, it's hard to keep up really

involved in a lot the sports teams and is usually their main player

despite being smaller in height, he's the best at basketball. knows how to bounce around people and uses his speed and energy to get to where he wants

all the ladies love him, obviously

he's super flirty and highkey likes the attention. and it's hard not to give him it

but he never really comes across as obnoxious

he's just there for a good time, really

probably one of the loudest in all his classes. put him in a class with wooyoung and yeonjun and no one is getting any work done

main focus is sports, so his grades in other subjects are average or lacking a bit

he knows if he puts his mind to it he'll probably be much better in academic subjects. but that just doesn't appeal to him. he'd prefer to focus on the teams he's part of and the bonds he shares with people, which does unfortunately take a toll on his grades

hyunjin

the artist

he's a very stereotypical art kid who sits in the back of the class sketching detailed drawings he rarely shows off

but he's not necessarily all shy and quiet

his group of friends definitely brought him out of his independent shell

best friends with felix, who is essentially a louder version of himself. if these two sit anywhere near each other in a class and there's no way to get any work done from the amount of talking they do

obviously exceeding in the arts, particularly art and english. he has to have a creature outlet, and his talent in art comes so naturally to him. his art teacher absolutely adores him and uses his work as an example to all the other classes

as for english, hyunjin seems to find it very easy to understand the writer's thoughts and intentions. but his favourite lessons have to be when the teacher is discussing poetry, a hobby he has been working on recently

hyunjin laughs at everything, which can often get him into trouble. whether it's changbin making an inappropriate joke or seungmin being his witty, awesome self, hyunjin giggles at them all

overall, hyunjin keeps to himself, only coming out with his opinions if needed

han

the all-rounder

he's the annoying guy who doesn't revise or study on any test but will get some of the top grades in the class

liked by many people, but also disliked by the same amount

they're just jealous, what can i say?

gets a LOT of attention from all genders who can blame them

people are sometimes baffled by han because he, being his hilariously amazing self, may appear to set low expectations. he's loud and talks a lot and cracks jokes in every other sentence

but then he's the only one to work out this weird ass equation on the board. or he's the first to understand complex concepts in philosophy class

he's very bright, to say the least

however, he'd say music and drama are his forte. or, at least the subjects he likes the most

he and minho are a match made in hell heaven and the cause of many teachers' joys (and anxieties). on the one hand, they work well together and you should see them in debate class, oh lord-

however, they can be very unpredictable

you can't help but indulge in their ludicrous behaviour, purely to see them try and outwit each other

they're outrageously flirty about it too

they're just the main characters at this point, idk

felix

the sunshine

there's no other way to describe felix other than being wholesome

he has no beef with anyone. he minds his own business and just does his own thing

focuses on improving himself

wants to create a productive and positive learning atmosphere

takes regular mental health breaks his attendance is low and encourages other people to do the same

he's like the class therapist. he inspires comfort in all his fellow classmates. he may not be the stereotypical popular guy but he is the most well-liked because of his kindness

having a gracious heart and a soft, welcoming smile on his face make him absolutely irresistible to all. his natural, gentle charms are no match for mean-ass bullies

besides if anyone laid a finger on him they would be severely beaten by chan and changbin but we move

always fun to work with in group projects because he has a lot of creative ideas. thinking outside of the box is his speciality and he has quite a lot to offer to the group

makes brownies for everyone in the class during wintertime <3 he never leaves anyone out, even people he hasn't gotten a chance to get to know yet

he just balances the group out and acts like a glue that holds the class together

seungmin

the teacher's pet

seungmin is extremely organised. he's got his folders colour-coded and containing all of his notes. he has one for all subjects so he can compartmentalise his thoughts for each one

you can always rely on him for any sort of stationery. forgot your pen? he's your guy. you need a highlighter? he's got both a neon and pastel collection to choose from

teachers love him. he hands in work on time, contributes regularly to lessons, and is overall the perfect, model student

will probably remind the teacher that they set homework much to everyone's annoyance

will scold the others if they don't have theirs

he, like bangchan, usually does the homework as soon as it's set, just so he can get ahead

he made an unlikely friend in jeongin, who is quite different to him in terms of personality

they can't quite figure each other out but their differences push them closer together. it's cute. and both of them are good influences on each other so being paired up in class is usually a safe option

they joke that they're the most normal people in the class

overall, seungmin is a hard-working student and his grades are a good reflection of that

he's more worried about burning out, which has happened in the past

jeongin

the new kid

at first, jeongin was very quiet and didn't talk to anyone

being the new guy in class was already daunting enough. but seeing all these big and impactful personalities - like the class president who seems to have a charming and commanding presence, or the extremely handsome humour expert who twists everything into his own little joke - it's hard not to be intimidated

would he fit in? would he make friends?

of course it's natural to worry about this sort of thing, especially coming into a new class

but in reality he has nothing to worry about

the class president, bangchan, immediately takes him under his wing, allowing him to hang out with his group and get to know the others

which is very daunting, considering they all have unique personalities and different ways they interact with one another. jeongin finds that initially intimidating

but he's able to play it cool. and soon he finds no problem settling into the class and making new friends

seungmin is the person he sticks with the most and ends up having a close bond with

jeongin gets average grades. he had good days and bad; one day he's contributing the most in class and the next and the next day he doesn't say a word

[mihai-florescu]

I noticed our wording for these pokemon assignments is weird. "[Character] would have [pokemon]" actually we'll never know however there is a chance they would have that pokemon. Also some characters might not actually have any because some might see them as pets and might not want to have them - like how not everyone in enstars has a pet. Maybe the characters with pets won't want a pokemon because they have a pet already. Anyway my point is we'll never know but I love seeing everyone's opinions and reasonings. Anyway it is pure coincidence that I assigned Niki my favourite pokemon ♡♡♡

Well we're not really writing a fanfic to need to figure out specifics, we're just headcanoning and imagining based on vibes. I dont think the phrasing is necessarily wrong? In my opinion, x would have y pokemon. But pokemon arent real, so yes, we will never know for sure. But there are personality traits, dispositions, aesthetics and personal interpretations that make people link together characters and pokemon. Im not writing an argumentative persuasive essay, it's just my blog where i talk about my opinions:))

[threefuckencrowsinaleatherjacket]

The cool thing about being an artist is seeing art EVERYWHERE. Like until I started painting I never really noticed set design and outfits and all that fun stuff but now it’s the first thing I see which makes everything SO FUN AND COOL but that’s not the point of this post this is the intro paragraph motherfuckers. I’ve got you now keep going

So you know what’s an art form? WRITING (“obviously writing is an art form threefuckencrows. Make your point” IM GETTING THERE).

Some writing is more art than other writing. And I think the more I read books (for context, I read A TON when I was younger and barely touch books now—I’m really picky and it’s hard to find stuff I like) and find my taste the more I’ve found that the type of books I like just have pretty writing. Consider, for a moment, The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. I have never posted about this but it’s one of my all time favourite series’ and if you liked the raven boys oh boy. Oh boy oh boy. Anyways. The dreamer trilogy is a book series. This is an indisputable fact. It is also a work of art. Not in the metaphorical ‘it’s so amazing’ way, as in that is art just like any painting in a museum. Every word, every sentence is a brushstroke and a fucking masterclass in being good at telling a story. You can’t read that then read Harry styles x y/n on wattpad. You can’t. It’s not possible. So what’s the point here? The point is that. A good book may have a good plot, and good characters, and those are super important. But the writing should make you FEEL. Consider, also, vicious by VE schwab. I have made 1 post about this series and it was 30 minutes ago, so sorry for the total shift from the scheduled program but I promise we’ll be back on track soon (or maybe not. This is MY account after all and my brain works like a janky office computer in the early 2000s). The use of blackout poetry? The voices being so distinct and the symmetry of chapters paralleling each other?? I EAT THAT SHIT UPPP YALL

I obviously am not a writer. I can write a persuasive research essay for English class, or a really strange rambly tumblr post, but that’s not the writing I love. Here is a comprehensive list of Writing Is Art books that I love and hope someone else will tell me they also love so I feel like I’m not screaming to the Internet void:

1. The dreamer trilogy (as mentioned. Book 1 less than the other two but still all gorgeous)

2.Vicious, ve schwab. Currently 2 books but #3 is on its way!!!

3. The Kingdom of back, Marie Lu. Guys. When this came out I was WAITING for it to get the hype it deserved but I swear I’ve seen 1 fanart and no discourse. Where’s the insanity?? Plspls read it’s so iconic

These obviously aren’t the only books I like, but they’re the best examples of Art Books that I can think of in the middle of the night. If this is crazy lmk but if u get it EVEN MORE SO PLS LMK THANK YOU FOR READING THIS IS THE END CREDITS YOU ARE WAKING UP FROM THE SIMULATION GO GO GO

[spirit-of-the-westao3]

PERSUASIVE ESSAY ON CASEY JONES JR BIOLOGICAL FATHER ⬇️⬇️⬇️

🙏🏼BEGGING YALL TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND TELL ME IF IM CRAZY OR NAH🙏🏼

OMFG…reading some fics and there was one where Leo was Casey’s bio dad and another where Raph was his bio dad and I was like naaaaahh I love it, but realistically? (For humanoid turtle worlds, anyways) Nah.

But then they pointed out that Casey only received the human half of the respective turtle genes.

And I thought man, but we don’t have a reference because we don’t know what the rise turtles look like as humans…

And then it hit me

We don’t know what the TURTLES look like as humans….

BUT WE KNOW WHAT HAMATO YOSHI LOOKED LIKE

So I’m thinking to myself, okay, in theory, Casey might have some of Yoshi’s physical traits.

Let’s compare.

First up, we got hair color. Yeah, both have dark hair, but that’s meh evidence. But it is worth noting that they both have those little flares on the back of their necks…

But what’s this?!

They have the same facial structuring and shape…elongated, sharp chin. It could also be argued that their skin tones are pretty similar.

We can also note that their ears are drawn the same way too!

And you might say okay Spirit, but maybe that’s just how they draw ears-

Well Cass is literally his mom and her ears are drawn differently. You can also appreciate that her face is more rounded, and her chin is flat, unlike Lou’s.

So…maybe there is a chance?…

Look, these rise creators did a fantastic job at sneaking in details and Easter eggs, it would surprise me if they decided to do this in secret and just see if anyone caught on.

I originally theorised that some douchbag just knocked Cass up and ditched her 🤷🏼‍♀️ but I don’t know…it just doesn’t feel quite right. Some rando? No hints or clues, rhyme or reason as to why or how Casey Jr came to be???…

TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!

Do you have evidence to support this theory? Evidence that challenges it? IM ALL EARS PEOPLE!

P. S. Sorry if someone has already talked about this, I’m new to the fandom and also a little dumb. Not tryna steal credit.

EDIT.

After thinking about it further and writing my own fic, I realized while writing Casey Jr that he doesn’t really show a lot of Cass personality traits…I mean, Cass is loud, wild, she’s unhinged and kinda chaotic. While I wouldn’t call Casey ‘shy’ by any means, I definitely wouldn’t consider him as wild as Cass…instead, I think of him as sweet, gentle and kind.

I’m just saying…I know a certain red turtle that gives off those vibes 👀

[landwriter]

PSA: The Death of Translation has been translated into Chinese! Go give it love, or read my rambling essay and then go give it love:

翻譯之死 by @thirrith

How do you translate a story where meaning hinges not only on the words themselves, but the meaning made by the reader's knowledge of their obscurity? Where misspellings aren't misspellings at all, but memories? Where sentiment is drawn from syntax differences? Well you start by being absolutely fucking brilliant!

I was so lucky to be able to hang around in the document while Eth worked on this. The level of creativity and diligence that has gone into this is mind-blowing. It is such a gift, and the process was incredible. It doesn't matter if you can't read Chinese - if you liked the fundamental premise of The Death of Translation, if you like language at all, you need to know how this was done:

Eth's translation is in Traditional Chinese characters with the addition of Classical Chinese and Cantonese to translate the Middle English. Classical Chinese - also known as Literary Chinese - isn't representative of how Chinese used to be spoken in the vernacular, which is why Eth chose it specifically for the written portions of Middle English...and those lines spoken by Dream, naturally.

Hob's Middle English lines are in Cantonese, which has the benefit of being older than and still at least a little intelligible to readers who only know Mandarin. Middle Chinese can't be used the way Middle English is used in the Sandman fandom (delightfully and gratuitously), because unlike the alphabetic characters of English, where words can be sounded out and phonetic spellings will exist in written record - a huge part of understanding how a language once sounded - logographic characters don't directly specify phonology. And even if they did, Middle Chinese spans from the 5th-12th centuries AD - making it contemporary of not Middle but Old English, and covered an area several orders larger than the parts of a small island where Middle English was spoken for about three hundred years - it's nowhere near as homogeneous(ish) or accessible(ish) as Middle English; Cantonese, despite being a different language, serves the same effect.

And then, the grocery list! This is where writing systems go ham. In English, it contains abbreviations, the medial s (ſ), archaic spellings/misspellings, and fancy old ampersands (one of the only logograms in the English writing system, I think, originally Latin's et and evolving over time into the shape of & - in Jane Austen's Persuasion you will find this aural history of 'et' instead of 'and', where &c is used to mean et cetera).

Eth used Cantonese, Simplified Chinese characters (a 20th century addition, faster to write, that Hob definitely would've embraced), variant character forms (which typically have a visual resemblance to each other), and 通假字, homophone characters that were conventionally used interchangeably with one another in Classical Chinese:

English and Chinese have such different writing systems and histories, and Eth has used all the compounding effects of that (upon things like phonology, modern-day intelligibility, writing system changes) to the absolute fullest effect and made choices that add invaluable implicit meaning to the story and characterization.

(As if that's not enough, the translation also features hot-linked footnotes that provide context for cultural references?! Literally everything a reader could ask for.)

And this is all super clever and fascinating if you're a big language fan like me, but the soft artichoke heart of my wonder can really be summed up best by this fact:

For many years I've loved the Jack Gilbert poem 'The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart', enough to put the first lines at the beginning of the fic:

How astonishing it is that language can almost mean, and frightening that it does not quite. Love, we say, God, we say, Rome and Michiko we write, and the words Get it wrong.

And for just as many years, I assumed Michiko was a place name, or some classical reference to art or literature beyond my plebby ken - until I saw Eth's note in the translation document.

Michiko, in fact, was the name of his wife.

The whole thing is such a testament to translation: the true deliberate practice of it, not just figurative language imagining a fictional character and his long-lived idiolect. And Eth's translation has only underlined my conviction that there is, sometimes, I feel, deeper work of understanding done - greater art made - and lovelier agonies to be had - in carrying words across languages than there is in putting the words down in the first place, in a first language.

[grandhotelabyss]

Thoughts on Trump picking a writer as VP?

I haven't read Vance's book, so I don't know if he's a good writer, but I've heard it's a reasonably effective memoir, written mostly before he had this level of political ambition.

I just read his personal essay about his conversion to Catholicism today. I am cautious around writing that proclaims its humility and thereby forces me to search for its will to power; this is why I proclaim my will to power and allow you, but only if you want, to discover my humility, my debility, my "male vulnerability." Other than that, the essay is most moving and persuasive where it refutes the simplistic materialism of the likes of analytic philosophers and Sam Harris, and where he details his real spiritual experiences (I believe him). His critique of the left's superficially compassionate but actually cruel attitude toward the poor ("like sympathy for a zoo animal") is also exactly right. But I find it overly solemn, anxious, barely concealing the abandonment of his natal Protestantism for its plebeian or peasant quality—no less part of his desire for acceptance by an elite than was his earlier atheism. I was raised in plebeian or peasant Catholicism myself, on the other hand, which has nothing at all to do with the authorities he cites, like René Girard and St. Augustine. I look slightly askance on adult converts drawn in by the theology and morality. It has always seemed to me that the point of Catholicism—and I mean this much more religiously and much less blasphemously than it sounds—is the architecture and the incense, the barely sublimated sex and the eros of death. But I also love, as an outsider, the reckless, almost doom-seeking individualism of certain strains of Protestantism, some of them laundered as atheism. Since these seem to me to be the point of America, I am wary of overly intellectual Catholics and social democrats, their philosophies literally reeking of the over-crowded warrens of 19th-century Europe, moralistically tut-tutting about it. His second long quotation from Augustine gives me a chill, not in a good way. "[I]n his own affairs let everyone with impunity do what he will in company with his own family, and with those who willingly join him," our theologian jeers. Yes, Bishop, that's the American dream. Why not be a climate-doomer de-growther flinging soup in a museum with an attitude like that? The solution to poverty is abundance.

Possibly more significant for practical purposes, however, is Vance's tie to the literary-philosophical network around the Silicon Valley dissidents: Yarvin, BAP, and their associated publications and social media presences. (This is a good time to revisit James Pogue's Vanity Fair piece on the new right from 2022.) As Walter Kirn observed yesterday, that makes this election different from the last two. The last two were organized around the force of Trump's personality as he tried to hold together a fraying and fracturing Republican coalition of "provincial capital" (the proverbial boat dealer), the (mostly but not entirely) white working class, and the old Reagan Republican business constituencies of defense and energy, even as finance defected to the Democrats, while entertainment, academia, and intelligence pursued total war against their almost undefended reactionary enemy. The belligerent entrance of Musk and Andreessen into this election on Trump's side as representatives of big tech, with Vance as the political figurehead of big tech's literary and philosophical vanguard wing, makes it a much more even and generally significant contest: a true class war between incumbent and emergent elites. Literature has played no small part in this class war, as so many now widely-read writers and thinkers, love them or hate them, have resigned from the old left-liberal consensus. I don't mean to sound excessively neutral on the subject, but I belong to neither of the contending classes, and neither is at all democratic. I'm still not totally sure how the emergent elites' values are connected to a downbeat puritanical Augustinian Catholicism either, but since it seems to have everything to do with the aforesaid René Girard, we are still in the realm of literary theory if not literature.

In any case, the service of literature to any political faction or project should be the taming of its worser tendencies and the opening of its members to dialogue, irony, sympathy, and fresh perspectives. I will be told this is too idealistic.

[marvelousmagicalaura]

I have finally finished Part 1 of The Lost Metal. I finally know that Trell is an Avatar of the Shard Autonomy. I’ve loved Wayne and Marasi’s partnership, Wayne’s POV chapters, and the science of God Metals.

I’m very interested in the concept of Autonomy making many Avatars, especially cuz there are two methods of making them. I wonder what’s the difference between an Avatar and a Splinter (know that from Elantris / Sel essay).

Chapter 19 has my first official sight of the word Intent.

Autonomy/Bavadin sounds very dangerous and intelligent, with long-spanning and mysterious plans. I love her Intent and mindset. I think by the end of this I’ll love the writing of Autonomy much more than Ruin’s, same with their respective Shardic conflicts. Though to be honest, I already do.

The red haze is… interesting. I don’t understand if it’s suppose to limit Harmony’s divine sight over the world, limit his ability to see the future, or both. I’m also confused if it’s still a crude representation of Autonomy’s influence/essence, or an actual haze she created.

Harmony can still see and hear Wax, and presumably every other Scadrian cuz he’s Connected to them all. And he can hear the thoughts of every Scadrian. So I guess it’s not limiting his divine sight? Though I guess the trellium that pierces Set members i.e. the Cycle could muddle his divine sight. Much like it did for Paalm. The haze apparently Invested Scadrial, so I guess that could make things worse.

Harmony confirmed the red haze infects his future sight ability… but what does that even mean? Does that mean Autonomy’s… essence?… splits Harmony’s future possibilities into infinite more, like atium/electrum vs atium? Or does it cut off Harmonys ability to see the distant future, limiting him to only foreseeing what happens in the near future?

Something I find intriguing is that Autonomy is afraid of Scadrial’s technological progress, rather than its hybrid Shard. She even wanted Harmony to move to another world. And it’s interesting that the goals of Autonomy and Telsin aren’t the same. Autonomy wants to destroy Scadrial. Telsin wants to rule Scadrial and delay Autonomy’s destruction.

Finally, I want to talk about Harmony’s situation and plans. I can’t help but feel he has a lot of things in motion.

1) Sazed expresses how he’s moved too slowly against Autonomy, and that this weakness grows over time. We know from book 5 this comes from Harmony’s Intent, and there he knew he “tied his own hands.” Sazed knows why his Shard’s Intent ties his hands. I theorize Sazed thinks a hybrid Shard’s Intent can be molded by its Vessel’s perspective on the combination… probably far more than the individual Shards. I think he knows that in order to act he needs to become something different than Harmony. I think he will willingly become Discord.

2) I love that Harmony expresses a lot of knowledge about the enemy, but misses the finer details cuz of Autonomy’s essence. It’s like in SoS, where he knew how Paalm was using her trellium spikes and switching them out, could speak to Paalm’s mind, and could likely hear her thoughts. But he couldn’t constantly track her or know her endgame. In TLM he knows Autonomy and the name of its Vessel, Autonomy’s Intent and her mindset, her extensive use of Avatars and what they’re made from, Telsin’s bestowal and persuasion and activities in Bilming, and Autonomy’s mindset for how Scadrial should be handled. Harmony even knows Autonomy is mobilizing an army. But Harmony does not know Telsin’s ultimate plan.

3) I really can’t shake the feeling Harmony has a master plan in motion throughout this book, even with the haze seemingly limiting him to seeing the near future. There was the envelope convincing Wax to make the trellium earring. Wax is experiencing some weird things after the second explosion. There was the sixteen vials sent to the mansion. There was the bit “I’ve lost games over and over against Autonomy.” There was the bit about him sending help that didn’t know he was the one arranging them to be the help. There was the “time to build greater alliances in the years to come.”

[badsalmonella]

HEY HEY HEY *SLAPS YOUR FACE* WAKE UP!!! I JUST MADE THE MOST INSANE STRING OF DISCOVERIES

-Setting the scene: I can't sleep. I'm rolling around in bed. I'm thinking about Camelot. The musical. As one does. Guys we ALL do this c'mon.

-Man the love triangle dynamics changing from version to version is interestinggg.

-Man the way the show sometimes has some interesting things to say about sexuality but also sometimes wants Nothing to do with sexuality while also having it written in the text is interestinggggg.... I wonder if anyone way smarter than me has ever written a deep dive essay about THAT.

-I'M NOT GETTING ANY SLEEP TONIGHT! TO GOOGLE!

-there actually is something written up about the movie but I think the full thing is behind a paywall siiiigh

-Oh what's this? A very interestingly titled BroadwayWorld forum title about scandalous nudity??? In Camelot????

- Strap in. Go pee before I start the car. This is INSANE.

-So what I stumble upon is a theater company in Massachusetts DEEPLY embroiled in the drama of advising people that their Camelot is GONNA HAVE NUDITY. Drama from 2005 (?) trapped in the amber that is the wonderful world of the internet

- The theater goers of Massachusetts are GOOPED.

- Some of them are also stupid lots of "well if you're adding nudity maybe I'LL ACTUALLY STAY AWAKE TO WATCH CAMELOT😂😂😂😂"

-also "Listen. There has never been sex EVER in Camelot" which ????????

- Like everyone is going in like "WHERE COULD YOU POSSSSSIBLIY PUT NUDITY???" bestie...you can't come up with one educated guess where they might slide that in? "NIMUE??? WILL NIMUE BE TITS OUT?????" "Will Morgan Le Fay be NAKED??? because she lives alONE IN THE FOREST???" y'all.

- Like so so sooo many entries in before someone eNTERTAINS the thought that it could be for a Lance Genny hook up.

-I don't know if this person was referencing another production or THIS MASSACHUSETTS PRODUCTION? They made it unclear. But they mention a staging of Fie on Goodness....where Mordred riles up the knights so much....they take off their shirts????? H eLLO????? ❓❓❓

-A NEW THREAD IS ADDED TO BROADWAYWORLD FORUMS

- A NEW CHALLENGER ENTERS THE RING

-Bro. A full blown RANT from the THEATER COMPANY THEMSELVES

-SO MUCH TO UNPACK HERE.

-What is Talking Broadway and why are you BANNED bestie??? WHAT IS THE TEA WITH THE ADMIN???

- ALSO AND THIS IS THE BIG ONE WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE NUDITY IS IMPLEMENTED VIA A TOPLESS BALLET DANCING UNICORN?????

-WHERE??? WHEN??? HELLO????

-CAMELOT YOU ARE ALREADY AT 3 HOURS NOW WHEN DO YOU HAVE TIME FOR A TITS OUT BALLET????

- it's 4 am. I flex my googling fingers. I'm getting to the bottom of this. I am NOTHING if not MENTALLY ILL ABOUT CAMELOT THE BROADWAY MUSICAL BY LERNER AND LOWE. And by GOD I will document it with GREAT DETAIL for you ALL!

- First of all no I did not find any evidence of what THIS SPECIFIC 2005 BALLET LOOKED LIKE

- But I did figure out where there was a ballet!

- Listen so there are two old men in the forums arguing about how on the OG OG OLD OLD OLD SCHOOL RECORDS FOR CAMELOT??? I guess you can catch some of the cut songs/versions of songs?

-One man insists a number known as "The Persuasion" or "Enchanted Forest Ballet" is on this record

-Other man flexes that he just got OUT his old album and it is not there.

-but either way I have my lead.

-So for those of you not SO DEEP IN THE CAMELOT SAUCE YOU CAN NO LONGER SEE THE SUN This is referring to an OLLDDDD version of the show where Mordred wants to fuck with King Arthur and keep him out of the castle so Lancelot and Genny can get caught treason hugging so what he does is he goes to the forest, finds Morgan Le Fay, convinces her to create a magic forcefield around Arthur while he's out and about so he can't move and he DOES THIS by bribing her with chocolate which works because you see Morgan Le Fay in this version lives in a home made of food BUT NO SWEETS so she can be bribed with chocol----

-yEah so that got written out of the show fast. And for good reason. But here it is if you are curious. I think this is where the unicorn boobies would be featured (yes. Remember this is about nude Camelot in Massachusetts DO NOT LOSE SIGHT OF THE PLOT HERE PEOPLE) also detail for those of you who have seen the bootleg too many times the revival repurposes this tune in the score for Morgan's entrance. NEAT!

-Okay also??? Random detail? Merlin was played by a child because Merlin ages backwards and at the end of the show that child plays Tom of Warwick. Neat

-Have you made it this far??? Are you still here???? I GOT ONE MORE THRILLING TURN FOR YOU ALL GUESS WHO WAS IN THE ENSEMBLE FOR THIS PRODUCTION OF GRITTY NUDITY CAMELOT IN MASSACHUSETTS

-JOSH CHAN!!! FROM CRAZY EX GIRLFRIEND!!!!

-Okay now you have made it to the end. I'm gonna need S O much coffee for work today.

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