#Camp Utopia

[tdciago]

Fargo: Camp Utopia

INDIRA: You're saying if a woman is abused and she manages to escape, she should move to the woods, live in a tree, free from the burdens of basic human contact?

In Dot's "fantastic journey," she visits Camp Utopia. Are they all the deceased victims of domestic abuse, including Linda Tillman? Their names include Belin, Kelin, Tonda, Landa, Lindo, and Lynda.

Is Linda the Good Witch of North Dakota?

Are they gathered for a Punch & Judy puppet show?

Are they Dryads?

[ngray192]

So I watched the first 3 seasons of Misfits, and I finished Umbrella Academy, and I'm waiting for season 2 of Chaos Theory. I'm completely out of things to watch.

Please send me recommendations, I'll watch almost anything. I tagged a bunch of my favorite shows.

[nthflower]

One of my fave utopia era X-Men plot is when they were sick by an artificial virus created to effect mutants but actually it was robots.

All of them in island had runny noses and cyke was wandering and ordering around with an blanket on and namor was screaming how he is not sick while they try to pin him to bed because he is sick and wolvie was dying and utopia was in quarantine.

Angel was outside also Northstar pixie and dazzler too. Dazzler and Pixie became besties pixie taught dazzler saying tidy and they were non-stop saying tidy together and high-fiveing and JP was like wish you never met each other. And complain. And angel was there for saying don't go to island. Also fantomex too he was in there too. Idk why. It's not a good groundbreaking arc tbh it's not good but I love it so much. General utopia era have so many flaws and unnecessaryly dark sometimes but also so fun for me.

My comfort comics maybe because when I read them I was in a bad place but I loved them so much even port trace art can't stop it

[plum-taffy]

This new episode makes David so much more like Wilson Wilson 😩 They would be besties, and David would so get sucked into the network. I need to start on my Utopia AU -w-

[kissingwookiees]

this courier specializes in triage medicine and small engine repair

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“Agassiz Work Camp Opens,” Chilliwack Progress. June 20, 1961. Page 1 & 3. --- One Guard On Duty At Night ---- By John Davies You can forget all that nonsense about "criminal types."

The brand new Agassiz correctional work camp put out the "welcome mat" Friday afternoon for a bevy of press, television and radio representatives, And the only difference between the newsman and the inmates was that the inmates wore blue shirts and the newsmen wore pencils.

The ten former occupants of the B.C. Penitentiary who form the "advance guard" at the camp were, in fact, the most co-operative news subjects that this reporter has seen in a long time.

Did they mind having their pictures taken?

Surprisingly, not a bit. They sat down, stood up, turned around, mocked up a game of chess, transported plates to the dining room - all at the behest of successive photographers, and with all the friendly willingness of up-and coming starlets posing for the magazines.

The Agassiz work camp is now just a week old. The inmates will soon be joined by another 10 men. When permanent accommodation has been built, its capacity will be about 80 inmates.

There is a staff of four correctional officers headed by superintendent John Moloney. Eight local men are in process of being hired to become additional correctional officers. They will be given a month's training and then sent to the camp

At present, the inmates live in massive trailers. When the permanent buildings have been put up, the trailers will be moved out for use in other similar projects.

Right now, however, the work camp in unique so far as the Canadian department of justice is concerned.

NO GATES, WALLS The camp is tucked away on part of the Dominion Experimental Farm lands behind Maria Slough. There's no wall - not even a gate. A backwater curves round three sides of the site and forms a natural boundary beyond which an inmate must not pass without permission from an officer. On the remaining side is a hill covered with old timber, destined to be logged off by the work crews

The site adjoins 120 acres of bush-covered bog. Main project will be to clear this land and drain it so that it will be useable by the experimental farm.

It's work which, in the normal course of events, would not have been done in at least ten years.

A spokesman for the department of justice referred to the men as "the cream" of the penitentiary. Since this is a minimum security camp, with only one guard on duty at night, the inmates are picked with the utmost care.

No one with a record of physical violence is allowed to go to the camp. There are no drug offenders. No fewer than 12 people - including the psychologist - are consulted to see whether an inmate is a suitable prospect.

Most of them are drawing towards the close of their jail term but this will not invariably be the case.

“No one." explained Warden Tom Hall, is sent to the work camp with the intention of later returning him to the penitentiary. But if there are any doubts about his behaviour when he is here, he will be sent back."

Fear of being sent back to the "pen" is one of the few ways of ensuring discipline at the camp. The staff is completely unarmed and joins with the men in their work.

Inmates get up at 6:30 a.m. in the dormitory trailer, make up their beds and clean their area. Breakfast is from 7 to 7:30. At 8 am. they start work and keep at it until 12 There's a half hour break for lunch, then work resumes until 4:30 Supper is at 5 p.m. The rest of the day is their own. During their free time they can wash their clothes in automatic washers, write, play chess, checkers, soccer, softball or listen to the radio. Later there will be television.

TEACH HANDICRAFTS It's also hoped to organize training classes, and the staff is looking for local people who are willing to teach handicrafts.

"Lights out" is at 10:30 p.m.. except at weekends, when the men can stay up till midnight.

Said Warden Hall: "In their spare time we'll get the men to build a chapel for weekly services."

The inmate's work routine will be strictly an eight-hour day, five day week. Object is to adapt them as much as possible to civilian conditions and so prepare them for their eventual release.

Visiting by relatives will be permitted at weekends and there will be no restrictions within reasonable limits upon the time of the interviews, Picnic tables will be set up at which inmates and relatives can chat together.

The eight-hour work day, spokesmen pointed out, is a good deal heavier than is possible under maximum security conditions where about 4 hours work has been the usual rule.

Inmates are graded according to their conduct and their pay varies from 25 cents up to 55 cents a day for an exemplary prisoner.

Part of this is put aside as compulsory savings so that the prisoner will have a "stake" with which to start civilian life when he is released.

Correctional staffs foresee a great future for the minimum security camp which, they feel. is suitable for between 20 and 30 per cent of the prison population.

Apart from the good psychological effect on the inmates there's a substantial economic factor.

It cost $15,000 per inmate to put up a maximum security prison. A fully-equipped work camp can be put up for $2,000 per inmate.

Image captions: TOP left: PICTURE AT LEFT shows large trailers being used to accommodate prisoners at the B.C.Penitentiary’s new work camp at Agassiz. Above, inmates go to work clearing bush land of federal government property. LEFT: NEWLY ARRIVED inmates of the B.C. Penitentiary’s Agassiz work camp tested beds in their huge trailer homes Friday. About 80 men will eventually be accommodated in the correctional institution.

[mesetacadre]

biggest pet peeve is people mentioning Spain as an instance of "Stalinist betrayal" because that is only parroted by anarchists mad their forced labor camps, horrific industrial output and senseless fighting in the rearguard did not achieve their utopia, or trots and leftcoms who take Orwell at his word

[gallusrostromegalus]

Im curious, how many people do you currently have explaining Pokémon at you?

So far just one, and very politely.

Apparently the Hexagon is the baby pokemon's D&D Stats, and my friend rolled straight 18's AND managed to get a cool feat off the randomly-picked chart :)

I do have a *general* grasp of how pokemon works, it's just that I also don't play videogames for ADHD/Carpal Tunnel/Vertigo reasons. Don't recc me games, it's very literally a hardware problem on both ends and something that has too high of an entry effort threshold for me to really enjoy- but I can watch other people enjoy them so I'm not so much a Pokemon fan as a Pokemon fandom fan. Love learning about shit third-hand, and like re-explaining it badly even more.

As best I understand it, Pokemon is a game about a futuristic Utopia where society is so safe and so free that it's perfectly reasonable for a 10-year old to just take their dog on the road and functionally become a biology research assistant/D&D Adventurer/Boxing coach to wild animals and nobody particularly worries about their saftey on the road beyond the normal hazards of camping. It's almost like the Federation in the original and Next Generation Star Trek- a meditation on the kinds of problems a post-scarcity egalitarian utopia actually would face. Star Trek posits that colonialism and imperialism cast long shadows not easily abated, and that post-scarcity eliminates many, but far from all interpersonal disputes. Pokemon posits that the biggest issues that society would face are gangs of bored teenagers getting Up To Shit and rats that can shoot lighting.

[catididnt]

Burning Man is less about “eat the rich” and the complete disregard for the natural environment that those attending have embraced while claiming to be so about community. (How can you claim to be community focused when your chosen location degrades the equipment of the people who attend? They’re very self-selecting about who attends without saying they are. Even the cheapest tickets require like $2K once you add in everything.) 

It’s more like the libertarian town that got invaded by bears. I felt for the original locals in that - only there are no locals at Burning Man. Everyone decided to be part of an event to “burn the man” despite how much they now cater to influencers.

“Eat the rich” is the wrong battle cry, but I don’t think we have one that gets more nuanced. You want to go after the people who are using up the resources at an unsustainable pace, that are setting the bar and selling out everyone else for their own enjoyment - How do we sum that up?

Anyway, check out https://www.jetfinder.com/burning-man-festival/ and their recommendations! 

I’m aware most of the 72,000 people there are not “private jet” rich, but pretending Burning Man doesn’t cater to “$500 is a rounding error” rich is silly

Seeing the notes on posts about the Burning Man Debacle™ and for fucks sake I am taking the phrase 'eat the rich' away from y'all until you can CORRECTLY IDENTIFY the rich

Rich is 'arrived by way of their private jet', is 'dropped $500k on a submarine ticket', is '$500 is a rounding error'.

'$500 dollars for a nine day event they must all be rich white people' no you reactionary rotten potato that is actually an entirely reasonable price for an entirely normal person to pay for an annual event! $500 over the course of a year is approximately equivalent to one big takeout a month! Being able to afford that doesn't make you rich it makes you probably not poor! The 'rich or poor' narrative is a false dichotomy that completely excludes the fact that 'richness' or 'poorness' is a SCALE! It's not fucking categorical! You don't one day magically flip a switch and go from 'poor' to 'rich' or vice versa you see incremental changes over time! Wealth distribution is a (these days, admittedly, rather wonky) motherfucking BELL CURVE! . The fact that capitalism is driving more and more people to either extreme of said curve is just evidence of a broken system, but it doesn't change the fact that most people should have a decent amount of disposable income!

The fact that many people don't have said disposable income doesn't magically make the ones that do 'rich' it makes everyone else poor. And the people at fault for the massive and growing percentage of people living below the poverty line are not the ones managing to stay above it, it's the fault of the actually rich, the ones stealing our time and our health and our wages and our future in pursuit of a number on a screen. And the rich are the only people you're helping by hating the people struggling slightly less than you.

When it comes time to 'eat the rich' you're going to be murdering dentists and librarians and scientists while the actually rich point and laugh from a safe distance as you solve their problems for them.

[drchucktingle]

kind of blown away that this is even possible but here is a timeline of my writing career told through erotica books PLEASE ENJOY

1. LONELY AUTHOR POUNDED BY DINOSAUR SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS. 

2. SLAMMED BY THE SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF PRESS GENERATED BY MY BOOK POUNDED BY THE POUNT

3. SLAMMED IN THE BUTT BY MY HUGO AWARD NOMINATION. 

4. POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY MY BIZARRE ASSUMPTION THAT CHUCK TINGLE BOOKS ARE JUST COVERS AND NOT ACTUAL BOOKS

5. POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY MY CONSTANTLY CHANGING THOUGHTS ON THE ONGOING MYSTERY OF CHUCK TINGLES REAL IDENTITY 

6. POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY MY HUGO AWARD LOSS

7. POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY MY SECOND HUGO AWARD NOMINATION. 

8. POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF CHUCK TINGLES SCIENCE FICTION AND COMIC BOOK CONVENTION APPEARANCE

9. NOT POUNDED BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF CHUCK TINGLES TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING DEAL 

10. EATEN RIGHT BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF MY PRIDE AND EXCITEMENT THAT THE LEAD CHARACTER OF MY FIRST TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED HORROR NOVEL IS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM JUST LIKE ME

11. POUNDED BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE SHOCKINGLY MASSIVE IMPORTANCE OF PRE-ORDERS 

12. NOT POUNDED BY MY BOOK 'POUNDED BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF THE SHOCKINGLY MASSIVE IMPORTANCE OF PRE-ORDERS' BECAUSE ITS SO IMPORTANT I HAD TO WRITE ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT IT

13. POUNDED BY THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF CHUCK TINGLES ABILITY TO WRITE 'FROM USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR' ON THE FRONT OF HIS BOOKS NOW 

14. NOT POUNDED BY MY HANDSOME SENTIENT STOKER AWARD NOMINATION FOR CAMP DAMASCUS

15. POUNDED BY THE REALIZATION THAT CHUCK TINGLES EROTIC WORKS ARE A SINGULAR PIECE OF ART THAT SKEWERS CONSERVATIVE FEARS OF MORAL DECAY BY REPURPOSING THEM AS THE PROMISE OF A SEX-POSITIVE UTOPIA 

16. POUNDED BY MY PREORDER OF BURY YOUR GAYS

thanks for reading buckaroos and for kindness and support and acceptance of my unique way over these years. cant want to see what future holds. if you have not already, preorder BURY YOUR GAYS so we can continue this erotica thread together. LOVE IS REAL

[hrizantemy]

The Night Court is an Authoritarian Oligarchy Draped in the Aesthetic of Freedom

At first glance, the Night Court—especially Velaris—appears to be a shining utopia. It’s diverse, creative, safe, and egalitarian… if you’re one of the lucky few allowed to live there. But when you step back and look at the full structure of the court—not just the Inner Circle, not just Velaris—you see the truth:

The Night Court is a highly centralized, authoritarian oligarchy, built on selective control, fear, and aesthetic curation.

1. Oligarchic Rule by the Inner Circle

• All power rests in the hands of a small, unelected group: Rhysand and his Inner Circle. There is no representative council, no advisory body of commoners, Illyrians, or Hewn City nobility. All decisions are made by the Inner Circle or Rhys himself.

• These individuals are appointed by Rhysand based on loyalty or personal connection. They are competent, yes, but their authority comes from their relationships, not the will of the people.

• Rhysand rules with absolute authority. His friends may argue with him, but he always has the final say. This is not democracy. It’s aristocratic consolidation masquerading as benevolence.

2. Authoritarian Control over Dissent

• The Court of Nightmares is ruled through violence and fear. Keir governs Hewn City with brutality, and Rhys allows it so long as it keeps the nobility contained and subservient.

• When Keir insults Feyre, Rhysand’s response isn’t justice—it’s public bone-breaking. Rhys doesn’t create a better system; he simply asserts himself as the strongest monster in the room.

• This is not reform—it’s coercion. The people in Hewn City don’t obey because they believe in the system. They obey because they’re afraid.

3. Rigid Social Segregation

• Velaris is a gated sanctuary for Rhysand’s chosen few. The rest of his court—Illyrians, Hewn City dwellers—are kept out. Not metaphorically. Literally.

• It’s a city-state within a kingdom, isolated and elite. Citizens of the Night Court cannot just walk into Velaris. Their value to Rhys determines whether they are “worthy” of access.

• This is segregation by merit and favoritism, not unlike an empire where the core is protected and the borders are left to rot.

Why the Night Court Will Never Grow Beyond This System

1. Rhysand’s Power is Personality-Centric

Rhysand’s entire rule is built around himself—his trauma, his judgment, his control. The Inner Circle functions because they love and trust him, not because of any legal structure or enduring institution.

If Rhysand disappeared, the Night Court would collapse into chaos. There’s no succession plan, no democratic structure, no independent judiciary or religious body that tempers his power. He is the court.

That’s not sustainable. And more importantly, it’s not just.

2. There is No Investment in Structural Reform

Rhysand is willing to make progressive gestures—banning Illyrian wing clipping, promoting women, embracing polyglot diplomacy—but he refuses to build institutions to carry those reforms beyond himself.

• The war camps still practice clipping in secret.

• Mor has no real power over the court that nearly killed her.

• The Library priestesses have no political voice.

• Feyre was made High Lady in title only and rarely wields actual governing power.

Everything good in the Night Court hinges on Rhysand’s approval, not on a system that protects the vulnerable. That means when he’s gone, so is the progress.

3. The Narrative Reinforces the Myth of the ��Benevolent Ruler”

This is a court—and a book series—that constantly tells us Rhysand is the best leader in Prythian. That everything he does, no matter how cruel, is “for the greater good.” This romanticizes authoritarianism as long as it wears a good suit and says nice things about women.

It’s the same logic that justifies:

• Forgiving Rhys for drugging and branding Feyre because he “meant well.”

• Ignoring how Velaris was protected at the expense of everyone else.

• Praising the Inner Circle’s “freedom” while allowing Keir to abuse his people.

The problem is systemic, but the narrative keeps blaming the individuals on the fringes (Tamlin, Nesta, Keir) while refusing to interrogate the rot at the center.

The Night Court Doesn’t Need a Savior. It Needs a Revolution.

This court isn’t broken because Rhysand is cruel. It’s broken because the system allows one person to decide the fate of thousands—and no one is allowed to question him.

• Illyrians are angry and beaten down.

• Hewn City is treated like a landfill of undesirable nobles.

• Velaris is a bubble of beauty built on exclusion.

• And even Feyre—High Lady—has to obey Rhysand’s will.

That’s not love. That’s not liberation. That’s control.

The Night Court will never truly evolve because it’s been designed not to. Power cannot decentralize unless the people who hold it choose to let it go. And Rhysand? He loves to say the word “freedom,” but he’s never once risked his control to make it real.

[emiarainewrites]

I mean, yeah.

He’s pretty much the definition of aesthetic perfection.

🔥💞🔥

Like, seriously, who gave him this right?

This man is too fucking pretty I can't handle it

[merwgue]

The Night Court in A Court of Thorns and Roses is portrayed as a place of freedom and opportunity, especially within the city of Velaris. However, beneath this veneer of liberty lies a dictatorship, one that controls and manipulates its subjects to maintain Rhysand’s hold on power. The stark contrast between Velaris and the rest of the Night Court, particularly Hewn City and the Illyrian camps, highlights how Rhysand’s rule is not as benevolent as it appears. This essay will delve into the ways Rhysand’s leadership functions as a dictatorship, exploring his control over his people, his manipulation of his Inner Circle, and the lack of true freedom within the Night Court.

Control Through Manipulation

Rhysand is often hailed as the epitome of a “good” High Lord because he allows for personal freedoms within Velaris, but his rule over the rest of the Night Court paints a different picture. His dictatorship is most evident in the way he exerts control over his subjects through manipulation and fear, especially in Hewn City and the Illyrian camps.

In Hewn City, the people live in a state of oppression, fear, and isolation. The citizens of Hewn are not allowed to enter Velaris—the so-called “City of Starlight”—because they are deemed unworthy. This segregation is a form of control, ensuring that only those Rhysand deems “good” enough can experience the supposed freedom of Velaris. It's crucial to note that Rhysand does not provide any opportunity for the people of Hewn City to change or rise above their circumstances. Their exclusion from Velaris creates a class divide that mirrors the structures of totalitarian regimes, where one group of people is favored and others are subjugated.

Moreover, the way Hewn City is governed is particularly telling. Rhysand claims to despise the Court of Nightmares, yet he allows it to continue operating under the rule of his father’s cruel and oppressive steward, Keir. By permitting this, Rhysand creates a convenient scapegoat. While he distances himself from the atrocities of Hewn City, he still benefits from the power structure in place, maintaining a balance of fear and control that ensures Keir’s loyalty without directly dirtying his hands. This hands-off approach to brutality is characteristic of dictatorships that allow local tyrants to terrorize the population, creating an environment of fear while the dictator maintains a benevolent façade.

Rhysand’s treatment of the Illyrians further illustrates his dictatorial tendencies. He controls the Illyrian warriors through the threat of violence and punitive measures, such as when he punishes them en masse after they refuse to comply with his orders to stop clipping the wings of female Illyrians. Instead of working with the Illyrians to build trust and create real change, Rhysand chooses to rule through fear. His brutality toward his own people, even if it’s framed as “necessary,” showcases his authoritarian rule. The problem of clipped wings goes beyond physical abuse—it's a systemic issue that requires more than just punishment. However, Rhysand does little to address the root of the problem, instead opting to control the Illyrians through fear of his power.

Segregation of Velaris and False Freedom

Velaris is often presented as a utopia within the series, a place where everyone is free to live their lives in peace and happiness. However, the freedom offered within Velaris is illusory. Only a select few are allowed to enjoy the privileges of this city. By keeping Velaris hidden from the rest of the Night Court and the other courts, Rhysand ensures that this “freedom” remains inaccessible to most of his subjects. The people of Hewn City and the Illyrian camps are barred from entering Velaris, creating a stark divide between those deemed worthy of freedom and those left to suffer under oppressive rule. This is a form of control—if the people of Velaris are the only ones benefiting from Rhysand’s rule, they are more likely to remain loyal, while the others remain oppressed.

Furthermore, even within Velaris, true freedom is limited. Rhysand’s Inner Circle, who serve as his closest advisers, are loyal to him above all else. Their loyalty is so strong that they often suppress their own needs and desires to maintain the status quo. This is particularly evident in Feyre’s interactions with them. Though they are welcoming, their loyalty to Rhysand is unquestionable, which creates an environment where dissent is impossible. Even if someone within the Inner Circle wanted to challenge Rhysand, it’s clear that they would never act against him. This kind of unquestioning loyalty is a hallmark of dictatorial regimes, where those in power surround themselves with individuals who will never challenge them.

Moreover, Rhysand exerts subtle control over Feyre, especially in her early days in the Night Court. When Feyre is first introduced to Velaris, she is isolated from her old life, particularly her friendships with Lucien and Tamlin. Rhysand subtly undermines her relationships with these characters, ensuring that Feyre becomes more and more reliant on him and his Inner Circle for support. While Feyre’s alienation from her past is presented as her growing into her power and finding her place, it’s also a form of control. By isolating Feyre and making her dependent on him, Rhysand ensures her loyalty and obedience, even as he presents himself as offering her freedom.

The Dictatorship of the Inner Circle

The Inner Circle functions as Rhysand’s elite group of enforcers, each of whom plays a role in maintaining his control over the Night Court. This group is fiercely loyal to Rhysand, and while they are portrayed as having close, familial bonds, their relationships with him are more complicated. They are bound to him by duty, power, and past trauma, and while they may not always agree with him, they rarely act against his will.

Take Mor, for instance. Mor is Rhysand’s third-in-command, a powerful female who plays a key role in maintaining order in the Night Court. However, even Mor, who is shown to be incredibly strong and independent, remains deeply tied to Rhysand. Her loyalty to him is unwavering, even when it means sacrificing her own emotional wellbeing, such as in her complicated relationship with Azriel. In this way, Mor is part of a system that prevents any real dissent from occurring within the Night Court. If even someone as strong-willed as Mor won’t act against Rhysand, it creates a chilling effect for anyone else who might challenge his rule.

Similarly, Cassian and Azriel, despite their personal feelings and desires, always put their loyalty to Rhysand above all else. They serve as his military commanders, enforcing his will in Illyria and beyond. Their loyalty is rewarded with power and status, but it also binds them to Rhysand’s rule. This dynamic is reminiscent of dictatorships where military leaders are rewarded for their loyalty, ensuring that they remain loyal to the regime instead of acting as a check on power.

Rhysand’s control over the Inner Circle is particularly evident in his handling of Feyre’s pregnancy in A Court of Silver Flames. Despite the clear danger to Feyre’s life, Rhysand withholds crucial information about her condition from her. His decision to keep this information secret, along with the complicity of the Inner Circle, is a form of manipulation and control. Even though this decision is framed as an act of love, it reveals the extent of Rhysand’s need for control over those closest to him. He makes decisions on behalf of others, even when it involves life and death, without allowing them the agency to make their own choices. This is not freedom—this is control masquerading as care.

A False Democracy

The Night Court is often presented as a more progressive alternative to the other courts in Prythian, but the reality is far different. Rhysand’s regime is not a democracy. It’s a dictatorship, one that hides behind the illusion of freedom and progressivism. Velaris, the shining city, is kept separate from the rest of the Night Court, and only a select few are allowed to enjoy its benefits. The rest of the Night Court is ruled through fear, manipulation, and violence.

In contrast, the Autumn Court, ruled by Beron Vanserra, is at least honest about its autocratic nature. There are no pretenses of freedom or equality in the Autumn Court—it is a place where power is maintained through fear and strength, and everyone knows it. In this way, the Autumn Court is more transparent than the Night Court. While Beron’s rule is cruel and oppressive, it is not hidden behind a façade of benevolence. The Night Court’s claim to be a place of freedom and opportunity is false advertising, a way to maintain Rhysand’s power while silencing any dissent.

Conclusion

The Night Court is not the bastion of freedom it claims to be. Rhysand’s rule is built on manipulation, control, and fear, and his so-called “freedom” only extends to those who are willing to submit to his authority. The people of Hewn City and the Illyrian camps suffer under his rule, while Velaris remains a gated utopia for the chosen few. Rhysand’s Inner Circle, though powerful, is bound to him through loyalty and duty, ensuring that no one ever challenges his decisions. The Night Court is not a democracy—it’s a dictatorship, one that hides behind the illusion of freedom and progressivism while perpetuating inequality and oppression.

I just got back from college so its not all that good but I hope you like it 🥹 @tamlindudley

[comicsohwhyohwhy]

Arcane theory - Viktor's utopia and the eldritch horror

Sooooo been thinking. Clearly Viktor's 'healing' isn't actually healing, it's turning people into husks and vessels for some sort of arcane horror. Look at what Jayce sees when he walks through the camp and looks at the 'people', those images being overlaid really fast onto the supposedly serene faces (and also think about Salo not breathing and the like, and this sort of husk-face also appearing from Jayce's pov when he looks at him):

I fully believe Jayce sees the 'truth' here, and that's why he has to kill Viktor. As Viktor said in season one - 'Jayce, you have to destroy it. You have to. Promise me'. As he said beginning season two: 'I should have died. What am I? The hexcore killed Sky, Jayce.' This force is evil, and I'll come to what exactly it does and what it means for Viktor's arc in a moment.

And as I've said before, not only does Jayce kill Viktor with Viktor's blessing - the entity within Jayce, the 'second will' that herald Viktor feels - that's Viktor himself, the part of Viktor unsoiled by the corruption by the hexcore. We see this because the Jayce coming back after months within the hexcore carries traits of Viktor, he has the leg brace, the shoulder brace, he's Jayce, but he carries Viktor's 'essence'. It's Viktor's choice that this version of him causing so much evil in the world has to die. It's Viktor taking back the autonomy over himself that Jayce took from him when he changed him with the hexcore against his will.

This sort of split, two wills being at work, is imo exactly what's happening with the eldritch horror hexcore force in Viktor's body and mind too. I thiiiiink that Viktor's still fully in there, only totally under the thrall of that force and deceived by it into believing he's really healing people, and we see glimpses of him - e.g. when he refuses to use Vander for his own purposes. I think what's still purely Viktor is the Viktor we see on the astral plane, the one with the amber eyes that we know so well, the one who shows emotions and has facial expressions that we recognise.

This is the Viktor that ultimately allows Jayce to kill him - because that's what happens, the boy/husk leading Jayce to Viktor is under his control, after all, and Viktor, with all his amazing powers, doesn't even lift a finger to try and prevent Jayce from killing him. Maybe this Viktor has started to realise that he's being tricked and used, that he's bringing evil into the world.

So probably that's the Viktor (or a version of that) that lives within Jayce now too. And Sky, the supposedly benign 'guide', his inspiration - that's the hexcore, it's the form the eldritch horror takes to influence Viktor, to bend him to its will, to make him think he's healing when he's in fact killing and making a conduit for evil in this world. The hexcore knows that Viktor's feelings of remorse towards Sky make her the perfect form for toying with Viktor, for deceiving him.

Now, this is suuuch a mean arc I'll have to say. Viktor, who's always wanted to help people, whose main clash with Jayce was over the urgency of that need vs. Jayce's other ambitions, like being well respected within Piltover, ends up killing so many, doing so much harm, while thinking that he's doing good and healing people. I really hope that this won't just be it - Jayce managing to kill Viktor, the Viktor-essence within Jayce evaporating. I do hope that this character does get another chance to actually do good, a less hopeless ending. But it's Arcane, it can be VERY MEAN AND TRAGIC, so we'll seeeeeee what they do with my fave tragic twink...

[nickel156]

THE "DREAMER" HYPOCRISY "

My rant on the blatant inequality the Inner Circle perpetuates between the Hewn City fae and the privileged residents of Velaris, because it’s honestly infuriating. They love to preach about freedom, dreams, and “protecting the innocent,” but the moment you dig beneath the surface, you see how they pick and choose which dreams actually matter. And spoiler alert! It's not the dreams of the fae living in the Court of Nightmares or even the Illyrians.

The Inner Circle sits up in Velaris, this perfect little city where art and beauty flourish, acting like they’re the champions of Prythian, while they leave the Hewn City fae to rot in their oppression. The hypocrisy is real. Rhysand and Co. have all this power, but instead of helping those in the Hewn City who are trapped in their own cycle of fear and brutality, they just write them off as monsters and keep them there. How is it that the IC get to pick which dreams are worth nurturing and which are worth suppressing? The fae in CoN aren’t even given a chance to “dream,” let alone change their circumstances. But Velaris? Oh, Velaris gets to be the City of Dreams. It’s all so… selective.

Let’s not even start on the Illyrians. Rhysand loves to brag about how he’s making changes in Illyrian camps, yet most of the Illyrians are still stuck in a toxic, hyper-masculine society where women are wing-clipped and treated like dirt. Where’s the equality here? If Rhysand is such a champion of progress and change, why are so many Illyrians still suffering under a system he’s supposedly in charge of? The IC sit there in their fancy Velaris lofts, patting themselves on the back for their “reforms,” while doing the bare minimum for the people outside their little bubble.

And don’t get me started on the whole “dreamer” narrative. The idea of being a dreamer is nice in theory, but when the IC controls which dreams are valid, it’s an empty sentiment. You can’t call yourselves dreamers when you actively keep others in darkness and misery. You can’t act like Velaris is this perfect utopia while pretending the Court of Nightmares doesn’t exist or that the Illyrians aren’t suffering in the camps. The Inner Circle is playing favorites, plain and simple, and it’s frustrating how selective they are about who deserves a better life and who doesn’t.

So yeah, the concept of being a dreamer in the Court of Nightmares doesn’t work when the IC are the ones holding the keys to who gets to have a dream in the first place. They pick and choose who gets the privilege of dreaming and who’s left behind, and that’s not progress. That's hypocrisy.

[sirfetchd]

all my games today were good!!!! even when i died it at least felt fair and i had fun. i wish it was always like this i would play dbd way more

playing dbd since the castlevania rift is out.. soma is so cute <3