#Titanic Historical Society

[markashtonlund]

The Titanic

[matchtheminrenown]

historical costumes + yellow

[onthehighwaytomel]

I don't care if people on the left (which I consider myself to be) disagree with me about this: yes, billionaires absolutely suck, but I wouldn't wish this kind of death on anyone, and it's just not something I feel comfortable making or seeing jokes about. (Even for people the world would undeniably be a better place without, death via implosion under the sea that's anticipated for hours and hours and hours beforehand is a particularly horrifying way to do it.)

Were they shitty, tactless, exploitative people? Yes. Should they have just fucking stayed on dry land instead? Yes. Did they deserve to die like this? No. (Especially not the 19 year old, who was scared to go, but went because he didn't want to disappoint his dad.)

The closest one to "deserving it" is the Oceangate CEO, who ignored (and then fired) the whistle-blower who flagged the safety problems, and skirted regulations and inspections for the sake of "innovation." That is despicable. It's gross negligence, and gambling with people's lives to cosplay as the coolest ocean scientist and save a few bucks.

A gamble he lost for himself, and unfortunately others. Others who had to have been convinced that it WAS safe, and had been successfully tested to withstand those depths. Do you think if they knew the complete truth, they would have gotten on? They were lied to. They could not give genuine informed consent.

Yeah, the fact that we live in a world where the top 0.1% seek experiences like going to the Titanic and up into space just because they don't know how else to spend their hoards of stolen cash, or what else can actually thrill them anymore, is fucked up. But everyone deserves to know the truth when it comes to their safety, and make their decisions from that place. Everyone.

I understand that empathy has been reduced because of their systemic lack of empathy for us; like, I do get WHY people are reacting like this. And if Muskrat crashes his Tesla tomorrow, I'm not gonna shed any tears about it. But the method of death was horrific and cruel and terrifying. And I just can't find it funny, no matter who it happens to.

This was a tragedy--an avoidable, morally complex one, but a tragedy involving human beings nonetheless.

I'm not crying, but I'm certainly not laughing.

[essektheylyss]

I do find it really interesting and almost sad that Ashton sees the titan turned into a home as a monument to hubris, particularly given Ashton's connection to earth primordials.

On one hand, there is the obvious; that the people living in that rock are well aware of its history and power, because this happened well within living memory. Perhaps some of them are laboring under a denial that it could happen again, but overall, Vasselheim of all places does tend, even sometimes to extremes, to remember—it responds quickly and efficiently to the sudden rise of its dead, harbors grudges still toward arcane magic for wizards' role in the onset of the Calamity, and does keep extensive records of history, even historical information that perhaps would be easier to contain if it was altogether destroyed.

So the fact that people have made homes in this titan's form feels far more like both the spite and celebration of having survived yet another horror than any declaration of hubristic supremacy. And on a more basic level, Exandria as an explicitly post-apocalyptic world simply must choose to continue to live, again and again, in the ruins of the circumstances that history has handed them. Societies continue to grow on the Shattered Teeth in spite of its dangers; Xhorhas is full of people living in ruins not of their making, and who still stumble upon horrors left behind that they must and do contend with; the Ashari themselves are built around this principle, of managing the reality of a world with connections to much more inhospitable planes.

But on a more personal level, Ashton has a piece of an earth titan within himself, yet there is a fear within his comments—that perhaps the titan will wake again. That if it returned, it would not be kind. And I wonder: how does that fear manifest for himself?

It's possible that Ashton feels already as though they've stolen (regardless of how voluntary it was) a power that could be taken back. They've already levied the charge of hubris against themself. They seem, of course, to relish their abilities and increasing power, but at the same time, they have exhausted themself to use it. Is there any part of them that still fears that something larger than them will awaken and take back what's theirs? Do they wonder if they deserve the power they now wield, and do they simply presume that one day someone who sees them the way they now see the gods will balance the scales in turn?

Ashton suggests that the footage of Aeor did make the gods more relatable in his eyes, more personable—perhaps he saw himself in their initial giddy reclamation of power, and loathed it in them because he loathes it in himself. And there are numerous others weighing in on the gods, but very few who would weigh in on Ashton himself and thereby push back against any idea of him as unworthy of life while he wields the power he's gained.

[valtsv]

was thinking about this earlier but the dynamic of cannibalism being associated with high society and the culinary elite (hannibal comes to mind specifically) while also simultaneously being associated with the socially isolated and economically impoverished (as in texas chainsaw massacre) is so interesting to me i want to read 10 million books on why it happens so much in media....

i can only speak from a place of personal opinion and general knowledge, because i haven't read that many papers or in-depth studies on cannibalism, but i think it often comes down to an interesection between the themes of the story you're telling and class structures and divisions. cannibalism is a compelling form of narrative symbolism because it's undeniably impactful and hard to ignore. when portrayed as a practice associated with the culinary and social upper class, it might be used as a critique of the rich and powerful and their lack of ethics and willingness to consume and destroy others for their own self-interest by showing them literally preying on and consuming their victims, or a horror story/cautionary tale about how having everything can lead you to never be satisfied and turn to increasingly extreme measures to feel like life is worth living, or a dark fantasy of indulgence and excess. when associated with the poor, marginalized and isolated, it's often based in bigotry and harmful stereotypes of the "primitive" "inhuman" "savage" "other", however it might also function as a revenge fantasy where the most oppressed and exploited members of society turn on their oppressors and take "eating the rich" to its most literal extreme, exposing the fragility of class divisions and pointing out that those in positions of social and economic power are hardly the mythic titans their propaganda tries to make them out to be, but ultimately just as mortal and made of flesh and blood as any other human being, and not immune to being dragged down from their position at the top of the food chain and torn to pieces by the crowd (as well as reminding the audience of their own fragile mortality and precarious position in the social order, and the humanity we all share in common - however cannibalism often divides the perpetrators from both their victims and the audience, so this is rarer than the other interpretations mentioned).

cannibalism and power often go hand in hand. cannibalism has historically been used as both a means of displaying your power over defeated opponents and delivering a final, humiliating blow to their image by consuming their flesh, and a means of othering and dehumanizing your opponent by portraying them as the cannibalistic monster.

both the very rich and very poor also tend to be perceived as more distant from the people who make and consume these stories, making them easier to project fiction onto and transform into symbols and narrative devices (or, in the worst cases, dehumanize) than those who occupy the same social spheres as the creator. they can be held at an arm's length without discomfort and, depending on the target audience, may be a source of fascination due to the differences in their lived experiences. it adds to the fantasy, and makes any inaccuracies, exaggerations and fabrications feel more plausible because the majority of the audience probably don't have any personal experiences of being in those positions to draw on.

[dwreader]

Emphasizing Louis's Beauty

I've talked previously about how Louis in the 2nd half of the season is rarely seen in suits anymore but what about the earlier episodes when he wears a wide array of colorful suits while he is still performing his role in human society? What stands out is how many vibrant colors and patterns we see him in vs. Lestat who is always in some kind of tan, gray or navy. A lot of this is simply historical record as vibrant colors were more typical of black male dress of the era and we see that Louis is trying to maintain appearances, but on the show his bright costuming always stands out from other background male characters black OR white (confirmed by the costume designer that his colors are like a flame drawing Lestat in) and the tailoring and color choices often stands in contrast to Lestat on screen next to him in a more traditional masculine (aka duller) color. I mean compare this to how romantic period dramas typically style the men and women.

Beyond the historical nods, which most tv viewers don't have detailed references to as there aren't many color images we have from that era, I think the show does a great job of connecting cultural references everyone can immediately pick up on (the Leydecker outfits were obvious examples). For example, if you think of a white stripey suit from the 1910s, the image that came to mind was probably Rose in Titanic. So even as Louis is projecting what was period standard masculinity, what the modern viewer is likely thinking of is a tailored suit worn by the female protagonist in one of the biggest movies of all time. These looks screams high fashion latest designs from Paris, decked out pampered princess of the ship ("prince of your district").

In the same vein, when you imagine an iconic green period costume you're probably thinking of Keira Knightley in Atonement. In fact if you google "green suit in period film" all the results are of women. Rarely are men put in these colors in period romances particularly. I mean I think they put Keira in that green dress simply because she looks incredibly beautiful in that color and that's also how I feel about Louis in his green outfit.

I've talked before about the use of red on Louis but looking at the actual context of when Louis wears red they are specifically scenes of lust (w/ Jonah), shame (the slutshamig w/ the soliders) or anger/revenge (killing the Alderman) and hello look at these!!

And this is really an exclusively female character trope where vivid color costuming is used to convey mood or emotion! When a man is angry or lustful in a film, he's never wearing red, he's just wearing a boring color like black or grey. Evil and goodness are conveyed by black vs. white costuming with men (i.e Lestat's evil black darth vader get up) but rarely any colors not on that b&w scale.

Also speaking of cultural references in costuming here's this again.

[franciswhetsel]

one of them called another 'a sycophantic lickspittle'

if you dig deep enough in Titanic forums, you will find the pettiest infighting between big name authors

[jpitha]

You have to understand.

At least at first, I didn’t mean to do it. I had just gotten out of College, a kid with a degree in History and an eye watering amount of debt. I made the mistake of telling the professor I did early 21st century historical reenactments for my summer job and he let me take on a titanic amount of debt for historical realism. I’m not sure who I owe the money to, since we live in a post scarcity society, but I sure worry about repaying it, so I have that going for me. Extra points for realism.

After I graduated - with an ulcer from stress worrying about the debt, another point for realism! - I was bumming around the orbital looking for a way to earn some quick cash and I realized how I could put my degree to use. Everyone has everything provided for them by the government because - after the Unpleasantness - we figured out that was easier and cheaper than giving everyone on the planet a gun.

But that means that everyone has mostly forgotten how to keep an eye out for scams. Who is going to scam you anyway when you all have the same access to cheap and easy housing, food, and Space Cocaine?

People who have mountains of debt due to historical accuracy, that’s who.

I set up shop right outside the exit from Customs on the station. Rubes-er People from all over the Galaxy would come, hellbent on seeing the sights of my planet and before they could hit up the Cøffee Haüs they would find me.

I started small; ran a couple of three card monte tables, but without a partner, convincing people they could win without them actually winning was tough. I hacked a janitorbot into being my assistant and soon enough I would have a crowd watching.

This, while effective was incredibly boring, so I changed to my plan B and just started making fake supplements. For maximum compatibility across all of the galactic species, mine were pure carbon (to absorb toxins you see). This increased who I could sell too without worrying (too much) about inadvertently poisoning anyone.

A few people were sad I moved away from scamming people with cards, but they became my first ‘partners’ in selling my supplement. I had to actually explain how a Ponzi scheme worked though, nobody remembered. I told them about how so long as they found more suckers underneath them, they wouldn’t be left holding the bag and it took off like an oxygen accelerated fire.

There was also an oxygen accelerated fire, but that can’t be traced back to me.

Three weeks later, I was the richest human in the Galaxy. Honesty, I didn’t even know where everyone even got the money, I thought we had eliminated it, but here I am, rich as hell. I feel a little bad about it, but if I admit the whole thing was a ploy to pay off my student loans, I worry that they’ll turn on me.

I still haven’t paid off my loans either. I don’t think I can swing the payments and the payments on my Super Dreadnought. Did you know they’ll build anyone one so long as you put the deposit down?

Anyway, do you want to get in on an incredible deal on the low effort world of supplement sales?

[codenamesazanka]

Although HeroAca's ethics are conscientious, we can also see a glimpse of modern dangers. At least as far as the developments to date are concerned, it seems that at the base of the work lies naive nationalism and a lack of imagination toward the situation in which official authority expands in the name of "justice." However, this nationalism seems to have an inclusive character, just like the nationalism of nationhood, which is another hidden basis of "Shounen Jump Values." As a fusion with such nationalism, we may be able to see in HeroAca the aspect of a higher level of community ethics that is relativistic and individualistic, yet aware of responsibility to "others." However, according to Karatani's logic, nationalism, which is a "(insular) community" way of thinking, should be in conflict with "(broad) social" thinking. Perhaps in the case of nationalism as a nationhood founded on universal ideals and principles, it does not actually contradict "social" thinking.

Still, it is important to note that even such nationalism is always in danger of slipping into exclusionary logic when a crisis occurs. Although HeroAca clearly denounce dictators, it does not have the imagination to understand that historically, bureaucrats/civil servants were the means by which rulers carry out their rule, so the current positioning of Heroes is a status that could support movements such as the state control of society that occurred in Japan in the late 1930s (fascism). [HeroAca fails to show enough wariness towards social control by public authorities.]

...

In that sense, if Heroes are imagined as an entity rooted in the network of "Hero Agencies" in the story and its spiritual ethics are depicted as maintaining a healthy tension with the state, then its ethics may be considered to be truly "social."

Nihilism and ethic in Shōnen Manga as romanticism : "Attack on Titan" and "My Hero Academia", Anna Eto, 2018

(translated by me)

[velvetvexations]

People make jokes about 9/11 because it's a tragedy that's officially become historical and that's completely normal, but like, just as younger generations are experiencing not having a connection to 9/11, older-but-not-too-much-older generations are dealing with their first big example of a horrible thing that happened during their lifetime becoming less taboo over time, and this strikes them as some kinna unique event worth pontificating about.

9/11 jokes are not different from jokes about the Titanic or Hindenburg, but it's annoying and edges into "okay, now maybe you are actually being offensive" when people try to make it into a weird moral/political thing. Like, yes, people were hysterical about 9/11 when you were a kid, grow up for once in your life, Muslim and Arab-Americans were actually punished for it while all you had to do was write an essay in grade school. When you proclaim 9/11 humor means the sheeple are finally waking up you sound like fucking QAnon.

I've even seen people take this acceptance of 9/11 as an acceptable tool for comedy to mean that society is now fully behind Mohamed Atta and believe it to have been a good thing, because to some people it's not about the means or the results, just as long as you made the authority figures you don't like sufficiently angry. It's kinna the perfect example of how some people really could not care less about those they claim to be defending the most. 9/11 did not have even one single remotely positive consequence besides some damage to America's PR over the next couple of decades. To some people the fact that we can look back in retrospect and think "lol freedom fries was silly huh" is a decisive strike against the imperial core that totally validates the deaths of not only the people killed in the attacks themselves but also the American response.

This is closely paralleled with their unironic support for Hamas and just saying with their whole hearts that they think October 7th was a good thing that should have happened. And it's like, why? Literally why? What did it do? What positive result do you believe it accomplished beyond "made Zionists mad"? People will say "it's not a war, it's a genocide" and that's completely true, which begs the question of what people believe Hamas accomplished beyond making the immediate situation a million times worse than it was at the time. Drawing attention? I've despised Israel for a decade, so that really seems like a skill issue on your part, poser cunt.

[locuas642]

Make the Exorcist Fall in Love and Homosexuality (CW: Fictional depiction of Homophobia and child abuse)

Okay so there is this manga called "Make the Exorcist Fall in Love"

The surface premise is that it is a Shonen Fighting series with a Christian Catholic theme, with the plot being that the character of "Mr. Priest" a (very) young priest who fights demons in the name of the church, and who is assigned to protect a japanese artist named Imuri.

Who turns out to secretly be a demoness on a mission to seduce Mr. Priest.

The thing about Exorcist is that this is not a series that just takes the surface level stuff to be cool, the series does legit take this element of the Catholic Faith and builds upon it to talk about important stuff.

Including strong criticism against the church and organized religion.

It's doesn't go bleak like Attack on Titan or Chainsaw Man get, but it is still not a light series and it was plenty of dark moments.

There is this character Dante, who is his mentor

He is the archetypical Mentor figure. you know, a mixture of laid-back and serious, and who understands the protagonist in a way other characters dont, etc.

He even has that Friend-turned-Enemy with a male witch named Vergil (GET IT???)

You can pretty much guess what their dynamic is. Like Gojo and Suguru Geto in JJK. A complex relationship with a lot of depth that veers into the ground of homoerotic subtext.

Yeah about that. As of chapter 79, it is not subtext, it's text. and it goes Heavy and Dark (Content warning here)

This flashback flat-out comes and says "This character is gay and this was the relationship these two characters had. They had to deal with Homophobia, that was a legit part of their struggle."

And then on top of that, as if not wanting to leave any room for interpretation the flashback adds this scene:

The two of them separated by the metaphorical image of a cross and Goddamn Leviticus 20:13 on top. as if screaming "THIS IS ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO READ THIS WITHOUT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE HISTORICAL PERSECUTION OF GAY MEN, OF WHICH THE CHURCH IS PARTLY RESPONSIBLE"

AND THEN ON TOP OF ALL THAT (Serious Content Warning for implied pedophilia) the flashback heavily implies (as in, doesnt say it, but it doesn't need to) that Vergil was a victim of the Churches historic problem of priests who abused kids

as if saying "also, the church, who condemns homosexuality, is filled to the brim with hypocrysy, that two kids loving each other is a sin. but an adult buying sexual favors of a Kid is OK"

I explain this because 1) it's good for Manga (the name for a medium made in Japan) to become more comfortable with depicting homosexuality outside of it's genre like this.

but most importantly that 2) if this makes you interested in reading this series. this is not a case of wholesome Gay Content. this is using the topic to explore the topic of Homosexuality and it's persecution. it's about Homophobia and pain and the failings of society.

[simpforsix]

With all the stuff about the Titanic submarine I keep thinking about the tourism of sites of mass tragedy and human remains. It’s a really important conversation that I haven’t seen many people discuss outside of historical and final care provider circles.

The Titanic is a grave. The only reason that submarines are even permitted to go through it is because it’s in international waters. Other shipwrecks, like in Lake Superior, are frequently declared grave sites and have restrictions or bans on exploration of their structure. At the very least, there should be incredibly strict restrictions on Titanic exploration. It should not be a tourist destination. There may be still be human remains in certain parts of the ship, and the mud around the ship is filled with corpses. Considering the tragedy only happened 100 years ago, this tourism is very disrespectful. Also, exploration of the Titanic could potentially damage the structure, which would hinder academic research as well as further disrespect the dead and those who remember them. The structure will not be around for much longer.

Tourism of sites of mass tragedy can also be very dangerous. Obviously we know why the Titanic is dangerous, but it goes beyond that. Oftentimes people are not aware of the danger, or are reassured by authority that it is safe. For instance, many people visit active volcanoes, and some have been injured or killed by eruptions. For some, the danger is a feature. There are people who visit Chernobyl, an even more recent site of mass tragedy than the Titanic, despite being aware of the danger of radiation. It’s thrill-seeking, but instead of a rollercoaster people are putting themselves in danger to walk through human remains.

Our natural fascination with mortality leads many to disrespect the dead. The viewing of human remains in museums is a big debate, and I personally don’t think that we should display human remains without previous consent from the person. Imagine how you would feel if yourself or a loved one was displayed in a museum, or had your resting place constantly disturbed by tourists. 

It’s also important to note that this type of tourism disproportionately impacts people of colour. Eurocentric society systematically dehumanizes the bodies of POC, and this becomes crystal clear in how we treat their remains. Egyptian mummies remain on display in museums despite the disapproval of many Egyptian people. Many black bodies, particularly of women, have been displayed in museums, such as Saartjie Baartman who was finally buried in 2002. Indigenous human remains are also frequently displayed, and ancient burial sites are viewed as cursed land and get destroyed by construction. The remains of people across Asia have been sold and displayed, with recent displays posing the human remains of Chinese prisoners. Most human bones being sold originated from graverobbing the graves of Asian and Indigenous people. None of these people consented to this treatment, and these communities are still being harmed by the commodification of their dead.

Engaging with sites of mass death needs to be done respectfully. The dead deserve our care. 

It’s natural to be curious about tragedy and death, and engaging with our own mortality can be healthy. There are ways to engage with these topics respectfully. Many online resources are available to learn about death, with my personal recommendation being the youtube channel Ask a Mortician. Visiting cemeteries is another great way to engage with death, so long as you abide by the rules and have good intentions. There are some great documentaries about instances of mass death, with many available for free on youtube. You can visit designated memorials of the sites. The Titanic itself has a section in a graveyard in Halifax. I also recommend donating to and supporting the efforts of communities to have their human remains and cultural artifacts repatriated.

Sites of mass death need to be treated with the same respect as cemeteries. They are important and full of education, but we need to remember that these are real people. The dead are not fantastical oddities; they are us.

[franki-lew-yo]

An alt-universe's version of The Owl House's final season

"Thanks to Them" - Luz, Amity, Willow, Gus, Hunter and the Palismans get stuck in the human realm after King's heroic sacrifice. Luz properly meets Vee and reconciles with her mother.

"HalfWay House Noceda" - The Demon Realm kids attempt to make themselves 'useful' to Luz and Camilla by doing chores around the house even though their magic/skills are a bit more of a detriment. Meanwhile Luz shows Camilla some videos she took of Eda to prepare her for meeting the Owllady and King and Camilla is unnerved but also thrilled.

"Abduction of the Innocents" - Vee and Hunter have a heart to heart while everyone else pretends to like Camilla's and Luz’s favorite movies, except of course for Gus, who is inspired by the images on screen to really explore his illusion powers for Camilla. 

"Next to Nowhere" - Luz begins school again and ruminates over accidentally helping Philip, but her friend's determination help's her to keep going. Also Amity and Luz bond over Azura with Amity being able to tell Luz that she doesn’t like the Azura movies. 

"Kids of Gravesfield" - The other Palisman have been noticing Flapjack pacing around and both hiding something from the kids while also looking for someone. Luz and Hunter investigate a certain feeling they have around town while the rest of the gang heads to the Gravesfield Historical Society to get answers. Unbeknownst to everyone, Belos is amassing power and does something to Jacob Hopkins. 

"Season's Feedings" - On Halloween Night the kids learn the story of brothers’ Wittebane. Through this Luz regains some of her glyph magic by finding the portal Evelyn and Caleb originally used. Hunter gets possessed by Belos who kills Flapjack, but Hunter gets unpossessed. With just enough Titanblood to take them to the Demon Realm, Camilla joins the kids after Belos while Vee stays home to cover for them being missing.

"For the Future" - A look as to what our Demon Realm friends have been doing all this time; King keeps the Collector entertained, Lilith and Eda try and reach the immobilized citizens, and Hexside becomes a safe haven for the unconverted kids of the Boiling Isles. 

"Outside, Over Here" - The Collector, King and the Clawthorne sisters begin actually knowing Collector and bonding over his past - but things get interrupted by the Owl Beast and further interrupted by Lilith being puppet-ized for 'bad behavior'. Or, is it? Lilith, Hooty and the Owl Beast begin their own psyche-plotting within their inner mind and find a way to communicate with Eda and King despite still being puppets.

"Revenge of the Bad Girl Coven" - Just as it looks like Matholomule is coming into his own, Boscha decides she's taking over the remains of Hexside after her Grugby Team are turned into Puppets and two new students appear on campus.

"Watching and Dreaming" - Luz, Camilla and the crew return to the Boiling Isles and discover what's left of the Owl House and Hexside. They aren't alone, however, as Belos has also returned. 

"After All" - Amidst Boscha's reign of terror, Luz heads to the basement to recount her memories of Philip's shortcut to the head of the titan. The kids ultimately thwart Kikimora's takeover with the help of the Bat Queen though not before Willow finally looses her cool. Luz on the other hand finally meets her palisman, Stringbean. 

"The Brothers Wittebane" - Flashback episode that shows the complicated life of farmhand-turned Witch-husband Caleb Clawthorne and the brother he didn't mean to leave behind."

"Collector Says" - In an attempt to get more information on the archivists and what happened to the Titans, King and the Collector travel once again to the Titan Trappers, who listen to whatever the Collector says. Luz and Stringbean get separated from Camilla.

"How it shouldn't have Ended" - Luz, King and Eda all get reunited in an unconventional way while befriending Collector, while Belos makes a break for the Heart of the Titan to amas his final body.

"Inbetweens" - Belos' uses various hosts to get to the Titan's body which he takes over and starts destroying the Boiling Isles in his wake, but also leaving behind the now-mobilized hosts (Covenheads, Raine, harpy-Lilith) who each help Eda, Luz, King and Collector get to Belos from the inside out. Luz jumps in the way of the Collector being killed and appears to die herself, setting off Eda and King.

"Now Eat this SUCKAAH" - The puppet-ized kids regain their consciousness and begin fighting back and freeing the others under the Collector's spell. Luz wakes up in the in between realm and is helped out by King's dad in finding a way to get out and defeat Belos using the magic of the Titan. In the end Belos melts in the boiling rain and the Collector thanks everyone and goes to confront his family.

"Gone Bygones" - Peek into a bright, Belos-less future for all the characters.

Upside of this alt reality = proper Gus and Willow development, resolution to the Batqueen, actually seeing Caleb and Evelyn andbeebybaby Belos, an answer as to who really made the original portal door, more Stringbean, Lilith having her moment of bonding/actualization with the Owl Beast, resolution on the Titan Trappers, and just a final season overall to really close out the series and send off the characters we all love.

Downside to this alt reality = because Disney's no longer funding it the animation had to be finished by Dingo Pictures and all the voice acting is done by Chris Pratt. Also a nuke went off and we're in the middle of WWIII officially.

[lucysarah-c]

Hi, how are you? I hope everything is going well for you :) I really enjoy your writings, and after reading your thoughts on sexism and homosexuality in Aot I was wondering if you have any thoughts about life inside the walls? Like about their culture, politics, every day life etc. No pressure tho, it's supposed to be fun for you too lol and it's just a silly little request. Thank you for reading and I hope you have a lovely day ! :)

Hi! 😊 I’m doing great, thanks for asking! How are you? Oh, that’s a lovely question! As someone who loves writing about life inside the Walls—especially in my main fic, Holy Ground—this question is right up my alley.

I think most celebrations inside the Walls would be related to the monarchy, the Church of the Walls, and local events. For example, this might sound a bit silly, but in Argentina, there are small agricultural towns that have celebrations like “The Potato Festival,” “The Cow Festival,” or “The Wheat Festival,” where they have fairs with games for kids, presentations, and competitions for local farmers. I believe similar events could happen inside the Walls.

Barley was particularly important back in the day because it’s hardier than wheat in tough weather, and you can make beer as well as bread with it. I wrote a story where they hold a barley festival twice a year after the main harvest to celebrate and hope for a good season. This helps boost local trade and consumption, especially during the long winter, which would create many struggles. I imagine Wall Rose, which isn’t as cosmopolitan as Wall Sheena, would have such festivals. Each region likely has its own “main” source of income and celebrates that. You could explore that idea a lot in a fic.

I also think there would be religious celebrations. Most of the characters we meet in Attack on Titan are more on the “radical” side of beliefs, but I bet the common folk were deeply religious. After the fall of Wall Maria, it’s mentioned that the church regained significant influence. Historically, natural disasters like earthquakes or pandemics were often seen as signs of divine anger, and I think many people inside the Walls would interpret things similarly.

Isayama didn’t fully explain how the religion of the Walls works, so I don’t have deep thoughts on it, but I’m sure they’d have celebrations and traditions around it, just like we do. Interestingly, many religious holidays worldwide coincide with similar times of the year because they’re often rebranded versions of older celebrations, like those of the Romans. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if the people inside the Walls celebrated something like the birth of Goddess Sheena around the time of the winter solstice, much like the Romans and later Christians did. Just to clarify, this isn’t meant to discredit any religion—I’m just providing historical examples!

Monarchy plays an important role in many societies even today, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they celebrated the birth or coronation of the royal family. Maybe there are portraits of the king displayed around the Walls—in schools, public buildings, etc.

I think, though I could be wrong, that Isayama mentioned somewhere that Eren, Mikasa, and Armin attended a “private” school and received better education than most kids. I remember wondering how Eren or Armin could afford private school when they weren’t particularly wealthy. But if there’s private schooling, there must be public schooling too! I imagine there’s a basic public education system, though it probably doesn’t last as long as ours—maybe something between kids of 6 and 12 years, where kids of different ages are mixed and taught reading, writing, and basic math. If they wanted to continue their studies, I bet there were institutions similar to colleges. I can’t see education being mandatory though—can you imagine MPs knocking on your door because your kid isn’t in school? Lmao, me neither! There were probably girls-only, boys-only, and boarding schools for wealthier kids.

Aside from the Scouts, I can clearly see the other two military divisions having multiple headquarters since they have more soldiers. They probably have food fairs on specific days of the week to sell cheaper groceries, and maybe even traveling fairs or circuses.

In Wall Sheena, which is wealthier, I can imagine art exhibitions, book fairs, and theaters hosting opera performances or orchestras. Universities are probably only within Wall Sheena too.

I also believe that depending on the region, people have different local foods and accents. I bet people from the north don’t sound the same as those from the south. Sasha apparently had an accent she tried to hide. They might also prioritize worship of one Wall over another, depending on where they live—for example, Wall Rose’s celebration might be bigger in Wall Rose.

As for clothing, we shouldn’t forget that before the industrial revolution, clothes were expensive, and dyeing them was even more costly. My great-grandfather used to tell my mom that he would take his shoes off to walk to work barefoot and only put them back on when he arrived to preserve them. I think inside the Walls, colorful clothes would have been a luxury, and most people only had one or two good outfits. Society was far more divided economically, with those who were slightly well-off doing much better than commoners.

For example, I have one MC who’s very rich, and she’s always wearing tartan or detailed patterns because different colors and threads were expensive. The same goes for lace—my great-grandmother used to knit bridal veils, socks, and gloves and made a lot of money because it was so costly to produce.

Isayama once mentioned that hygiene inside the Walls isn’t the same as our standards today. He implied that most people don’t shower often and re-wear their clothes. He even said that Levi falls asleep in his chair without changing his uniform. So while Levi is more invested in hygiene than others, even he wouldn’t meet our modern cleanliness standards, haha.

OMG, this turned out SO long! I’m sorry! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did because I ADORED answering this ask! Thank you so, so much! <3

[waywardsunlight]

Compiling all of the canon evidence about Caleb because I noticed sources are getting muddled. Below the cut is all the canon info I could find with the episodes and who said it/ where it came from.

Caleb was alone as a child raising his little brother, at some point they moved from an unknown location to Gravesfield (Masha, TTT). The two of them played a witch hunter game where they dressed up in costumes. We see Caleb playing a witch, stepping in a trap Philip set. They also churned butter together and Caleb whittled Philip's mask in Gravesfield. (Portraits, Hollow Mind) Caleb met Evelyn at an unknown point, and bonded over birds, where she was disguised as a human. (Dana Terrace) Later, as a teen, Caleb and still child Philip went on a witch hunt. They found Evelyn in the woods (may or may not be related to witch hunt) and discovered she was a witch. Caleb was accepting of her and the duo began traveling back and forth between Gravesfield and the Boiling Isles, developing a secret code to travel, leaving Philip behind from his perspective. (Portraits/ cut portrait, Hollow Mind. Masha, TTT). As an adult, Caleb cut his hair. (Statue, Yesterday's Lie) At an unknown time, he acquired the cabin near the Noceda house. He had his (implied in KT/TTT) blue coat embroidered with the symbol of a bird in a cage, and this coat became Philip's at an unknown point in time. (King's Tide/TTT) Caleb or Evelyn also hid the Rebus Box under the floorboards and created said Rebus and hid the Titan's blood near the portal with an owl stopper. (TTT) At some point, as Caleb and Philip were adults, a fire started at the current day historical society and Caleb + Evelyn vanished. Philip followed after, leaving a diary behind which was used to understand the situation by the townspeople (Jacob, Yesterday's Lie. Masha, Storyboard for TTT, considering canon as complacent). Philip states that it takes him five years to find the Titan's blood and in the image he is growing a beard (Eclipse Lake). He has a medium length beard when he confronts Caleb and Evelyn first in his beast form, transforming back when Caleb hugs him. At this point, Evelyn is pregnant with a child and she and Caleb are holding hands. A later shot shows Philip holding a knife behind his back as Caleb smiles and Evelyn is turned away. Philip is wearing the blue coat. At a later point, Caleb has his hands up, holding a flat edged knife looking worried as Philip walks to the right. Caleb is on the ground with flames around him, and those flames die down as he dies. Philip sees himself in the reflection of the dagger with blood on it. Evelyn returns and uses a gold magic, hitting Philip as he runs away. (Portraits, Hollow Mind) At an unknown point, Philip obtains Caleb's remains and begins several failed grimwalker experiments until the episode Elsewhere and Elsewhen where he meets the Collector.

Missing/fragment evidence: Philip and Caleb are missing information for most of their adulthood, and Evelyn has extremely scare information. A mural in Belos's castle representing wild witches burning a town resembles Eda with short hair in a green dress and a blonde witch with rounder ears, likely Evelyn and her daughter. (Watching and Dreaming) The blue coat has never been proven to belong to Caleb, other than Masha using a similar blue coat in TTT and Belos's sensitivity to the coat being mentioned/ him always wearing it. There is no canon explanation as to how Caleb ended up alone with Philip, where their parents are, or how they got the cabin. It is unknown if Philip confronting Caleb in his beast form and Caleb's murder happened at the same time or on different days, or where Flapjack or Evelyn is for the murder (although she returns from the right, the same direction Philip was facing with the knife) (Hollow Mind). Flapjack has limited information but is likely Evelyn's bird (Dana Terrace). Caleb was a whittler and may have carved Palismen, as that later becomes the family business of the Clawthornes, and Evelyn is a Clawthorne. However this isn't provably canon.

[autumnmobile12]

Felt like sharing some speculation today:

All right, so we know My Hero Academia has the something of the same premise as X-Men in the sense that select a group of humans were suddenly born with powers, the whole 'evolution leaps forward’ deal.

We see in My Hero how the First Generation of people with Quirks, especially the ones who appeared non-human or semi non-human, were originally ostracized like the mutants of X-Men are, but then more people were born with powers and then more people had powers until it became a widespread phenomenon and ‘normal’ people became the minority and society had to restructure itself to accommodate the new normal.

But have you read The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black?

The plot is a 19th century doctor who theorizes that mythical creatures like the minotaur, harpies, sirens, and the like all existed millions of years ago but slowly interbred with humanity and eventually died out altogether.  So he believed that when someone was born with extra fingers, limbs, a tail or otherwise didn’t have the typical human shape, it wasn’t so much a mistake in genetic coding as it was the extremely recessive genetics of those ancient creatures trying to reoccur in the modern day.

...

Definitely an interesting premise, so now I’m wondering if the My Hero world has a cult, conspiracy theorists, or even some scientists/historians that have similar views regarding mythology.

If this whole Quirk thing happened back in the Stone Age where no one had the benefit of science or awareness of DNA, anyone born with an otherworldly power would have been worshipped as a deity. Or the ones born with a non-human appearance would have been reviled as monsters.

So following the idea of The Resurrectionist, maybe the sudden appearance of superpowers did lead people to take a closer look at the old myths and consider the stories of the gods/goddesses of old were originally stories of people with 'Quirks' who rose to power.  Humans with meta-powers ruled the world for a few centuries, then those powers inexplicably died off. For a variety of reasons or maybe unknown reasons, humanity lost that history but remembered the old stories and chalked them up to just myth until the powers that made it possible began to reappear full force several millennia later.

Some myths began as historical events but in being handed down hundreds of generations, the multiple tellings and retellings exaggerated them into the realm of impossibility.

Lightning/electricity powers:  Zeus, Thor, Hinon

Fire powers:  Hephaistos, Surtr, Hestia, the phoenix

Foresight:  Any seer, prophet, or oracle that appears in any myth ever

Ice powers:  Yuki-onna, Skadi, Morana

Water powers:  Poseidon, Chalchiuhtlicue, Anuket, Tlaloc

Plant-related Quirks:  Demeter

Gigantification Quirks: Giants, titans, nephilim

Ryukyu:  Is a dragon.  ‘nuff said.

All Might:  Herakles

Tokoyami having a bird head but otherwise appearing human is pretty reminiscent of the old Egyptian gods.

Hawks:  Any winged creature; take your pick.  Personally, the one that comes to mind for me is Hermes.  He only had wings on his sandals, sure, but the trickster archetype resonates.

Tsuyu: Naiads, nymphs, rusalki, any kind of water fae

Momo: Sedna (created sea life from her finger bones), Ukemochi no Kami (produces food from her own body)

Best Jeanist: This one's a bit of a reach, but the fabric thread thing coupled with the long, spider-like limbs kinda brings to mind the story of Arachne the weaver.

We do get a nod to Ancient Greek mythology with the prison Tartarus.  What better place to lock away beings with god-like powers than the prison of the Titans itself?

Obviously an incomplete list, but you see my point.

Personally, I'm leaning toward cultist ideology with this one as I find it hard to believe every civilization would have forgotten about a previous appearance of Quirks. But civilizations die off, civilizations are overrun by others and their histories are suppressed, maybe this hypothetical 'previous Quirk phenomenon' wasn't as widespread as the current one and so fewer people were affected and therefore fewer people were alive to verify the truth of facts, maybe this hypothetical time was from an age of oral history and nothing was documented properly, so not impossible just really, really improbable.

Still, I love mythology and I find it an interesting headcanon to think about.