#illyria meta

[kataraavatara]

the nc’s main army from illyria being so poor cassian is handing out blankets while the the rich merchant class in velaris doesn’t have to provide any soldiers is good class commentary until you remember rhysand is supposed to be the good guy and also it’s sarah j maas

[thequeenofsastiel]

My GOD Amy Acker is an amazing actress. Even without the blue makeup she doesn't seem remotely like Fred. Her body language, facial expressions, the sound of her voice, her speaking patterns...she's capable of changing herself so much that it's hard to believe she's the same person despite the fact that her physical appearance wasn't at all different when she was pretending to be Fred for the sake of Fred's parents. It's incredible.

I love excellent acting. It's one of the biggest reasons I prefer live action tv/movies over animated ones 99% of the time.

[froggybogwitch]

The horror of Motherhood in ACOTAR

The title Mother is soaked in blood.

Basically all the mothers we see are either dead or suffering, yeah? The act of being a mother, chosen or not, almost always leads to violence or suffering. There's an element of sacrifice to it, yes, but rarely is made willingly. Often these women are simply collateral to the desires and goals of the men around them. Cassian's mother, raped and worked to death, forced to carry a child she did not want, then forced to give him up by the men who inflicted him upon her. The Lady of Autumn, forced to carry son after son after son, for a man she never wanted to touch, bound to the birthing bed for as long as Beron willed it. The Lady of Night, tortured, beheaded, mutilated, her pride and joy taken as trophies to hang in the halls over her murderers, for the crime being at the right place, at the wrong time. There's a real sense of horror and violence embued into the role of mother, in acotar, and none escape it, not even Feyre.

All of this is compounded by the fact that textually, they are remembered almost exclusively by their suffering. None of them are given names, or speaking lines or any influence over their children beyond the second hand trauma they passed down. They are vectors of pain and grief. Motherhood is not beautiful in ACOTAR, it's an act of violence against the women it happens to.

I don't think this was an intended pattern but I can't help but notice it in the way the characters defined by their motherhood are treated.

[elains]

Azriel's association with Enalius, what it means for his arc and Illyria

This is something me and my friends have talked about off tumblr, but I wanted to write my own post about it and gather my thoughts. But here, I'll discuss a bit Azriel's character and how the revelations we witness in House of Flame and Shadow will be important to his character. (+ a little bit of Emerie).

What do we know about Enalius? From ACOSF, Emerie provides us with a little exposition when they are in the Rite, when the Pass of Enalius is brought up:

Long ago—so long ago they don’t even have a precise date for it—a great war was fought between the Fae and the ancient beings who oppressed them. One of its key battles was here, in these mountains. Our forces were battered and outnumbered, and for some reason, the enemy was desperate to reach the stone at the top of Ramiel. We were never taught the reason why; I think it’s been forgotten. But a young Illyrian warrior named Enalius held the line against the enemy soldiers for days.

Now, from the Crescent City crossover, we learned that Truth-teller and Gwydion are twin blades. They are a pair. According to the Silene History Lesson, the dagger used to belong to her father's (Fionn's) dear friend, slain during the war. A bit later, when they find Vesperus, she confirms that this friend was Enalius:

The Asteri’s eyes flared with recognition at the long blade. “Did Fionn send you, then? To slay me in my sleep? Or was it that traitor Enalius? I see that you bear his dagger—as his emissary? Or his assassin?”

Immediately before that, she also confirms that the Asteri crafted (which can either mean created, shaped forged, but we are going with created) the Illyrians:

The Asteri’s blue eyes lowered to the dagger. “You dare draw a weapon before me? Against those who crafted you, soldier, from night and pain?”

From everything, we can conclude this: Enalius was the original wielder of Truth-teller before Fionn and Theia, a dear friend to Fionn, and someone who pulled the ultimate sacrifice to keep the Asteri/Daglan from reaching the top of Ramiel. He was a traitor to the Asteri, a rebel against his masters and everything they stood for.

Enalius is the hero most Illyrians strive to mimic, the legendary figure who they all hope to one day surpass. He's a symbol of their people, even if so much about him has been forgotten — the fact that he had a dagger, Fionn's friendship, what the battle was for, maybe even how he was as a person. Brave, for sure. Willing to die for the cause.

And it's Azriel who bears his dagger. Azriel, who has such a complicated relationship with his Illyrian heritage and loaths it - and by extension, himself - is the one with this enormous legacy right at this hand. And this matters.

Still in ACOSF, we have Rhys talking with Cassian and wanting him to play Courtier, the following exchange then follows:

“What, we’re doing some role reversal? Az gets to lead the Illyrians now?” “Don’t play stupid,” Rhys said coolly. Cassian rolled his eyes. But they both knew Azriel would sooner disband and destroy Illyria than help it. Convincing their brother that the Illyrians were a people worth saving was still a battle amongst the three of them.

Azriel hates the Illyrians for what happened to him and his mother and his dislike for them is, to a degree, understandable. The thing is that Azriel, no matter how much he loaths it, is Illyrian. Maybe he's more than that (as it's pointed that Az is different in a lot of ways and Bryce wonders if he is Starborn), but at heart, he's Illyrian. Siphons, leathers, fighting, being Carynthian, his wings, his scabbard and the dagger it holds.

It was healthy, perhaps, for Az to sometimes remember where he'd come from. He still wore the Illyrian leathers. Had not tried to get the tattoos removed. Some part of him was Illyrian still. Always would be. Even if he wished to forget it.

Being Illyrian is part of who he is and his deep hatred for them only fuel his self-loathing. He would like to set himself apart, but he is not.

We can actually draw a direct parallel between Azriel and Bryce with how they regard the Fae vs the Illyrians. Bryce loathes the Fae and for most of HoFaS, she believes they are evil, corrupt, power-hungry and quite generally, not worth saving. She would leave them all to burn. Sound familiar?

And Bryce is wrong. Sathia challenges her notion, pointing out that she's laying judgement to all fae and that is hardly fair. What the one who don't deserve it? Herself, yes, but Flynn, Declan, and Ruhn himself? Do they deserve to burn too? Bryce herself acknowledges this:

Urd had sent her there to see, even in the small fraction of their world that she’d witnessed, that Fae existed who were kind and brave. She might have had to betray Nesta and Azriel, trick them … but she knew that at their cores, they were good people. The Fae of Midgard were capable of more. Ruhn proved it. Flynn and Dec proved it. Even Sathia proved it, in the short time Bryce had known her.

And this part here sums up quite neatly:

Fire met starlight met shadows, and Bryce loosed herself on the world. It ended today. Here. Now. This had nothing to do with the Asteri, or Midgard. The Fae had festered under leaders like these males, but her people could be so much more.

There are Illyrians who are kind and brave and break the mold. We see this with Emerie, who is also a woman. We see that with Balthazar, Cassian. The main point stands, though, that you cannot judge or condemn an entire race for the bad apples.

Azriel is wrong, just as Bryce was wrong, and his journey will be also to realise that his people are worth saving. They were created of night and pain (words that Azriel embodies, being a master of shadows and a torturer), but that is not everything they need to be. They can be more than soldiers. They can thrive.

And I believe this was something Enalius himself came to the believe, long ago. His people deserved more than to be slaves to the Asteri, forced to give them their power when need be, bred to live and die for them. They could be more. And Enalius died to free his people from their chains.

Is Azriel Enalius's blooded descendant? I'm not sure, but he doesn't need to be. Azriel is Enalius successor because he will finish what was started. He'll uncover the secrets of the past, what his people were in truth, what Enalius rebelled for, what he stood for, what the Blood Rite truly means - which he only got a glimpse of.

And this is where I think Emerie will also come in. She's s one of ACOSF most relevant characters and the first female Illyrian to be Carynthian. I think Emerie will also become an inspirational figure to the Illyrian women, another of these what they coud be. What they can be. And more importantly and that is just a theory, what they were.

Orestes was a warrior. What if so was Carynth and she was woman? The name always struck me as similar to Carina, which is the name of a constellation and commonly used by women. It would be ironic and another shaking revelation to the Illyrians that Carynth, for whom their greatest warriors are named after, was a woman.

Does that mean all Illyrian women must become Valkyries? No, but some might wish to follow this path whilst their society takes its time to catch up. They already shook the status quo and with Nesta poised to have a big role (andthe Valkyries along her), they will continue to do so.

Azriel will uncovered the lost history of Vesperus offered him all the clues he needed to start looking. His journey to find out this secrets will lead to him facing his own demons, confronting his loathing for his people and, in doing so, he will make peace with himself.

[bastardborne]

cassian is an incredibly disciplined person in several aspects of his life. something that i deeply disliked about those books is that cassian seemed incredibly quick to anger, and while i do love the concept of him wearing his heart on his sleeve, i think there's a level of impulse there that just doesn't translate well when you take into consideration that this man is a five hundred year old period, but also a five hundred year old soldier. he is very passionate, but it's that same passion and care that drives him to make sure he is always giving his best and on his game, both in life and in battle. he is a great warrior, and in that, he is highly skilled at both strategy and adapting to the unknown. cassian always has multiple plans that factor in dozens of different possibilities, and even then he has backup plans for those plans, and most of the time he's making them up on the fly. but there is, to him, a heavy responsibility that comes with having to take into consideration the lives of not only his people but the people they are protecting. he has an intrisnic need to be the best because people will (and have) suffer(ed) for his failure if he isn't. all in all, cassian leads with his heart in work and in his personal life. he is a force of nature, he has earned his ranking as one of the top most powerful illyrians to have existed, and it is integral to him that he remains focused on what's important when it comes to utilizing his power, which, in turn, ends up becoming a tension point when he feels as though he's lost the sight of what he's after in the first place. to circle back to my main point, cassian does keep his feelings in check a lot of the time, especially now that he's older and not young with something to prove. he still has his passion, he still burns hot, but it's more prominent when he's fighting for something or someone rather than based in ego. there is also a lot to say about how cassian is viewed by the people close to him, and how those changes don't seem to register and there's often a default that is also problematic when considering the history and culture of illyria that cassian is a "hot-blooded illyrian male". cassian is actually incredibly patient, does his best to be understanding, again, leads with his heart first, and is a strategist that prefers to have as much information as possible before making a decision and even then, will always do the best with what he has. that didn't come naturally to him (aside from his big huge heart), it's something that he worked and still works on to achieve. his work on himself is never finished, and he strives every single day to be and do the best that he can do and even go above that

[blackcur-rants]

Okay, so we all know Charles Dickens was a huge Shakespeare fan and a theatre guy in general. Like, he did so many theatrical productions alongside Wilkie Collins and loved himself some dramatic readings of his own prose.

What I’m saying is that I kind of feel that “A Tale of Two Cities” lifts quite a lot from Shakespeare. For example, in both ATOTC and “Romeo and Juliet”, we have a story about two factions (the two countries of England and France in Dickens’ novel and the two noble houses of Montague and Capulet in Shakespeare’s play) who have been at each other’s throats for so long they don’t even quite remember why they’re at each other’s throats in the first place and what happens when two members of these respective factions (Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay in “A Tale of Two Cities” and Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet in “Romeo and Juliet”) meet and become close to each other. And of course, both stories end with a desperate person sacrificing themselves for the one that they love with said sacrifice being less a noble and definitive ending to the story and more an act of desperation in the face of impending death (Carton takes Darnay’s place on the guillotine in a desperate attempt to buy Darnay, Lucie, and their daughter time to escape back to London while Juliet commits suicide in what is very likely a desperate attempt to escape from what she still sees as her impending arranged marriage to Count Paris). There’s also a strong parallel between the main character trio in “A Tale of Two Cities” and the main character trio in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”, I.E…

•Both Viola and Charles Darnay are sweet, sensitive young nobles who find themselves living in a new land and assume new names in order to avoid suspicion and end up in a relationship they didn’t expect with the second character of the main trio.

•Both Olivia and Lucie Manette are smart, pious young women living in mourning for a dead or at least severely traumatised loved one and end up falling in love with the disguised protagonist while fending off the attentions of an annoying suitor (Malvolio for Olivia and Stryver for Lucie).

•Orsino and Sydney Carton are both the depressed young men uncertain of their purpose in life who become acquainted with Viola/Darnay while also being in love with Olivia/Lucie.

Where am I going with all this, by the way? Well basically, I’m kind of suggesting that there being queer subtext between Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay might actually have been intentional on Dickens’ part. However, because queerness was so verboten and punishable by prison or death in the 1850s, Dickens had to cloak all of this in ambiguity and subtext, using these allusions to classic Shakespeare plays as a way of coding/broadcasting his true intent to the audience who would know what he was doing.

@cynicalclassicist @eleftherian @secretmellowblog @dachi-chan25 @uncleasriel

[wingedblooms]

Heart of the Night Court

This meta is a continuation of theories in forbidden secrets, blooming dreams, and bright as the dawn, as it narrows in on Illyria, Ramiel, and their connection to Wyrd. Please avoid if you do not want to read hofas spoilers. 

Facing Ramiel

The northern region of the Night Court is where Ramiel, one of the three sacred sister peaks, is located. It is considered the heart of Illyria and the Night Court. 

Ramiel. The sacred mountain.  The heart of not only Illyria, but the entirety of the Night Court.  None were permitted on its barren, rocky slopes���save for the Illyrians, and only once a year at that. During the Blood Rite.  Cassian soared toward it, unable to resist Ramiel’s ancient summons. Different—the mountain was so different from the barren, terrible presence of the lone peak in the center of Prythian. Ramiel had always felt alive, somehow. Awake and watchful. (acofas) [...] Ramiel rose higher still, a shard of stone piercing the gray sky. Beautiful and lonely. Eternal and ageless. (acofas)

Cassian describes Ramiel as alive, awake, and watchful, and so very beautiful as she rises from the earth. Likewise, Feyre emphasizes that Elain is alive and somehow infinitely more beautiful as she rises from the ground after she is Made in the Cauldron. Her legs are even bare, which remind me of the barren terrain, and her sheer nightgown might even be a hint for thin places, as @offtorivendell observed. Elain’s strength has also always been different than her sisters, just like Ramiel among her sacred sister peaks.   

And as if it had been tipped by invisible hands, the Cauldron turned on its side. More water than seemed possible dumped out in a cascade. Black, smoke-coated water.  And Elain, as if she’d been thrown by a wave, washed onto the stones facedown.  Her legs were so pale—so delicate. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen them bare.  The queens pushed forward. Alive, she had to be alive, had to have wanted to live– Elain sucked in a breath, her fine-boned back rising, her wet nightgown nearly sheer. And as she rose from the ground onto her elbows, the gag in place, as she twisted to look at me— Nesta began roaring again.  Pale skin started to glow. Her face had somehow become more beautiful—infinitely beautiful, and her ears … Elain’s ears were now pointed beneath her sodden hair. (acomaf)

As each spring dawns on the world, Ramiel is crowned with three stars, and the Illyrians—who we learned may have been the Asteri’s soldiers and therefore may carry on rituals that would have benefited them—honor bloodshed on her land rather than new life. 

No wonder that first ruler of the Night Court had made this his insignia. Along with the three stars that only appeared for a brief window each year, framing the uppermost peak of Ramiel like a crown. It was during that window when the Rite occurred. Which had come first: the insignia or the Rite, Cassian didn’t know. Had never really cared to find out.  The conifer forests and ravines that dotted the landscape flowing to Ramiel’s foot gleamed under the fresh snow. Empty and clean. No sign of the bloodshed that would occur come the start of spring. (acofas) 

Some even seem to take great pleasure in the killing that is permitted during this rite, and Ramiel, which we know is alive and watching, is forced to witness it every year. Azriel calls it a week of pointless bloodshed, but we know now that is likely untrue. @silverlinedeyes, @offtorivendell and I believe the Asteri may have created or warped an existing rite to suit their needs. @silverlinedeyes pointed out that this spring rite reminds her of the Great Rite, and that made something click for me: perhaps the Blood Rite is the Night Court's Great Rite. Is the secondlight from slain warriors absorbed by the land? And do those few who reach the stone, which I suspect might be the Maiden in this rite, provide firstlight to the cache hidden in Ramiel’s heart? Is it any wonder the winds around her howl, and her land is often frozen and inhospitable?

The mountain neared, mighty and endless, so wide that he might as well have been a mayfly in the wind. Cassian soared toward Ramiel’s southern face, rising high enough to catch a glimpse of the shining black stone jutting from its top.  Who had put that stone atop the peak, he didn’t know, either. Legend said it had existed before the Night Court formed, before the Illyrians migrated from the Myrmidons, before humans even walked the earth. Even with the fresh snow crusting Ramiel, none had touched the pillar of stone. (acofas)

The shining black stone on Ramiel’s face is able to heal and transport those who touch it. In acosf, it knew where Nesta’s friends were needed most and sent them to the River House. It is also on the southern face of the mountain, which in the northern hemisphere, is the part of the mountain that receives the most sunlight. Cassian tells us that he doesn’t know who put it there, but legend says it was before humans even walked the earth. While it is very likely that the Asteri warped it (into a tool to sustain them, like the gates in Lunathion as @merymoonbeam so cleverly pointed out), I believe it may have also originally been linked to the Cauldron. 

In hofas, we discover that Ramiel used to bear the Cauldron on her land:

“The Cauldron,” Nesta said hours later, pointing to yet another carving on the wall. It indeed showed a giant cauldron, perched atop what seemed to be a barren mountain peak with three stars above it. Azriel halted, angling his head. “That’s Ramiel.” At Bryce’s questioning look, he explained, “A mountain sacred to the Illyrians.”  Bryce nodded to the carving. “What’s the big deal about a cauldron?” [...]  “All life came and comes from it,” Azriel said with something like reverence. “The Mother poured it into this world, and from it, life blossomed.” (hofas) […] The snows around Ramiel parted, revealing a massive bowl of iron at the foot of the monolith. Even through the vision, its presence leaked into the world, a heavy, ominous thing. “The Cauldron,” Nesta said, dread lacing her voice. […] “The Cauldron was of our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the Daglan captured it and used their powers to warp it. To turn it from what it had been into something deadlier. No longer just a tool of creation, but of destruction. And the horrors it produced…those, too, my parents would turn to their advantage.” (hofas) 

I wonder if long ago, before the Asteri desecrated them, the stone and Cauldron together resembled this depiction of Wyrd: 

The Under-King lounged on a throne beneath a behemoth statue of a figure holding a black metal bowl between her upraised hands. Symbols were carved all over the bowl, continuing down her fingers, her arms, her body. Ithan could only assume it was meant to represent Urd. No other temples ever depicted the goddess, no one even dared—most people claimed that fate was impossible to portray in any one form. But it seemed that the dead, unlike the living, had a vision of her. And those symbols running from the bowl onto her skin…they were like tattoos. […] “And she,” the Under-King went on, gesturing to that unusual depiction of Urd towering above him, “was not a goddess, but a force that governed worlds. A cauldron of life, brimming with the language of creation. Urd, they call her here—a bastardized version of her true name. Wyrd, we called her in that old world.” (hofas)

This depiction is interesting because it mirrors, almost exactly, the figurine Nesta assumes is the Mother in the House of Wind: 

It was a fire. Not her father’s neck. Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess—perhaps even the Mother herself. Nesta hadn’t let herself dwell on why she’d felt the need to set the rose there. Why she hadn’t just thrown it in a drawer.  Another log cracked, and Nesta flinched. But she remained sitting there. Staring at that carved rose. (acosf) 

For some reason, she needed to set Elain’s rose, half-hidden in shadow, next to this depiction of what appears to be Wyrd. In hosab, the Under-King also described Wyrd as a mother to all, which is why I theorized that she is actually a triple goddess: Mother, Cauldron, Fate. They are three parts, or faces, of the same force. The three sacred sister peaks and three blessed Archeron sisters are intentionally linked to her. Perhaps the moon in the female’s hands isn’t just a moon, but a world too. Immediately after this scene, the House of Wind shows Nesta her heart in the lovely darkness of the mountain, which she calls the heart of the world, of existence. Of self. 

Heart racing, Nesta lifted the lantern in one hand and gazed at the darkness, untouched by the light from the library high, high above. The heart of the world, of existence. Of self.  The heart of the House.  “This…” Her fingers tightened on the lantern. “This darkness is your heart.” [...] Let the darkness sweep in. Embraced it. “I’m not afraid,” she whispered into it. “You are my friend, and my home. Thank you for sharing this with me.” (acosf)

Nesta embraces the heart of the House of Wind, which naturally makes me recall the heart of the Prison asking Bryce to open her heart to it…it might sing again. Awaken. There was a beating, vibrant heart locked away, far beneath them. We’re not sure exactly how Avallen might have affected the Prison island, and I suspect there is more to come with that plot thread. While I had always hoped the Valkyries might re-establish themselves as an intercourt army in the Middle, which does not have ties to any court in particular, I can also appreciate the possibility that they might ultimately settle on the Prison island instead. It would be incredible to see Pegasi return and for the Valkyries to learn how to fly on them. 

This plot is related to the core thread driving us forward, and it is something that can occur in a book that is centered on Elain and Azriel. Together, they have the vision and gifts needed to map the secrets of the land, starting with the sacred sister peaks, which I believe will ultimately help them restore Wyrd. This would fit all of the seeds Sarah has planted for the third sister’s arc with Azriel, Nuala, and Cerridwen. It would also be powerful for a character who has been underestimated and ridiculed for gardening to heal the land and the very source that created it. 

As I said prior to hofas, this exploration will inevitably bring them to the very heart of Ramiel. As a bearer of Wyrd, the source of life, Ramiel may even be the heart of the world, not just the Night Court. Will they discover that she was once very different? Did she change, as her sisters did, when the Asteri burrowed into her heart? Or was it because the Cauldron, Wyrd’s physical form, was warped into a tool of destruction by the Asteri and later removed from her land? Were the Illyrians created to guard the Cauldron since it was the Asteri’s most precious weapon? And is that why, as @cassianfanclub wondered, the Asteri were so desperate to reach the stone at the top, where the Cauldron was once depicted? Enalius may have prevented it from falling into their hands as he defended the Pass, which would’ve been a critical turning point in a rebellion. Unlike the rite they currently use to honor him, Enalius’s defense was in the service of life, which is what made Nesta’s sacrifice so inspiring. Her sacrifice is now depicted in the heart of the Court of Dreams, which is dedicated to building a better world.

Descending into Ramiel

We learn that Ramiel may be hiding secrets from Eris, of all characters: 

Eris shrugged, and Nesta knew Cassian monitored his every breath. “There are three of them, you know. Sister peaks. This one, the mountain called the Prison, and the one the Illyrian brutes call Ramiel. All bald, barren mountains at odds with those around them.” “We don’t know why they exist, but do you not find it strange that two out of the three have underground palaces carved into them?”  […]  Eris gave him a mocking smile, but continued, “Unsurprisingly, the Illyrians were never curious enough to see what secrets lie beneath Ramiel. If it, too, was carved up like the others by ancient hands.” “I thought Amarantha made the court Under the Mountain herself,” Nesta said.  “Oh, she decorated it and made us act like a sorry imitation of your Court of Nightmares, but the tunnels and halls were carved long before. By who, we don’t know.” (acosf)

He tells us that the three sacred peaks are sisters. Sacred is another word for blessed. And two out of three of them have been at least somewhat explored, but the third? Still mysterious. No one was curious enough to see what lied beneath her beautiful face, at her heart. This is such a lovely parallel for the three blessed sisters, and seems like a clear hint for the third one in particular. 

In hofas, we receive confirmation that these secrets might be connected to the Asteri, who are known as Daglan in Prythian lore: 

“They fought the Daglan and won, she went on. Using the Daglan’s own weapons, they destroyed them. Yet my parents did not think to learn the Daglan’s other secrets—they were too weary, too eager to leave the past behind.” (hofas) 

-

Vesperus backed up a half step, hissing at the gleaming weapon. “We hid pockets of our power throughout the lands, in case the vermin should cause … problems. It seems our wisdom did not fail us.” “There are no such places,” Azriel countered coldly. “Are there not?” Vesperus grinned broadly, showing all of her too-white teeth. “Have you looked beneath every sacred mountain? At their very roots? The magic draws all sorts of creatures. I can sense them even now, slithering about, gnawing on the magic. My magic. They’re as much vermin as the rest of you.” (hofas)

Bryce concludes, after Vesperus is able to draw the power from her secret cache below, that there is a firstlight core in the root, or heart, of the mountain. We see what happens in Avallen when the land is forced to contain magic where its ley lines overlap, rather than allowing it to flow as it should: it binds the magic of the land and causes it to wither like a plant with root rot. And that seems to explain why the sacred peaks are so odd: barren yet thrumming with power. 

I have theorized that the caches of power may need to be released leading up to the restoration of Wyrd, and I suspect there may be clues—especially within Ramiel—about how the Asteri warped and bound her to the land. If Elain is as tied to the land as we suspect, this could also strengthen whatever magic she possesses. 

In the cavern illustrations Bryce views in hofas, we see what might lie beneath Ramiel, maybe even the entire Night Court:

Scenes of a blessed land, a thriving civilization. One relief had been so similar to the frieze of the Fae male forging the sword at the Crescent City Ballet that Bryce had nearly gasped. The last carving before the river had been one of transition: a Fae King and Queen seated on thrones, a mountain—different from the one with the palace atop it—behind them with three stars rising above it. A different kingdom, then. Some ancient High Lord and Lady, Nesta had suggested before approaching the river.  She hadn’t commented on the lower half of the carving, which depicted a Helscape beneath their thrones, some kind of underworld. Humanoid figures writhed in pain amid what looked like icicles and snapping, scaly beasts—either past enemies conquered or an indication of what failure to bow to the rulers would bring upon the defiant.  The suffering stretched throughout, lingering even underneath that archipelago and its mountaintop palace. Even here, in paradise, death and evil remained. A common motif in Midgardian art, too, usually with the caption: Et in Avallen ego.  Even in Avallen, there am I. A whispered promise from Death. Another version of memento mori. A reminder that death was always, always waiting. Even in the blessed Fae isle of Avallen. (hofas) 

This might merely be a hint for the Asteri secrets that remain buried in the earth. But I agree with others (including @offtorivendell, @ladynightcourt3, @cassianfanclub, and @silverlinedeyes) who have wondered if this Helscape is in fact a hint that Prythian, and the Night Court in particular, is tied to Hel. We learned that the worlds in the Maasverse are tied together through ley lines, and the veil between worlds is thin where these ley lines overlap—like the lines in a star. 

That may be the true meaning of star symbols throughout the Maasverse, and the one specifically found in the Prison that is connected to the Starborn: as I theorized pre-hosab, it is a compass rose, and it seems to be linked to other places in the grander tapestry of the universe. There is power in the space where the lines meet; these lines represent ley lines. Certain people (Asteri, Starborn, etc.) are able to use that power to travel, communicate, or even light up entire worlds. Depending on how those lines are woven in certain areas, they might even be able to draw you to one place more than another. That may explain why the Prison seems more connected to Midgard. So, could Ramiel be more connected to Hel, and the Middle to…Erilea?

I wonder if Elain, Azriel, Nuala, and Cerridwen’s exploration in the heart of Ramiel might lead them to Wyrd’s Temple in Hel, except @silverlinedeyes, @offtorivendell, and I think she goes by yet another name there: Chaos. It’s possible they could use black salt or another substance to achieve this, as @offtorivendell and @cassianfanclub have discussed, especially with Elain’s sight. I am personally hoping for a physical trip to Hel and Ramiel might possess a doorway, or rift, as @offtorivendell has theorized. 

The black boat that Aidas led Bryce and Hunt into was a cross between the one that had brought them into Avallen and the ones that carried bodies to the Bone Quarter. But in lieu of a stag’s head, it was a stag’s skull at the prow, greenish flame dancing in its eyes as it sailed through the cave. The eerie green light illuminated black rock carved into pillars and buildings, walkways and temples. Ancient. And empty. Bryce had never seen a place so void of life. So … still. Even the Bone Quarter had a sense of being lived in, albeit by the dead. But here, nothing stirred. […] “It’s like a city of the dead,” Hunt murmured, draping a wing around Bryce. Aidas turned from where he stood at the prow, holding in his hands a long pole that he’d used to guide them. “That’s because it is.” He gestured with a pale hand to the buildings and temples and avenues. “This is where our beloved dead come to rest, with all the comforts of life around them.” […] Before Aidas could answer, the boat approached a small quay leading to what appeared to be a temple. A figure emerged from between the pillars of the temple and descended its front steps. Golden-haired, golden-skinned. […] “The Temple of Chaos is a sacred place,” Apollion said sharply. “We shall never defile it with violence.” The words rumbled like thunder again.

This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It sounds an awful lot like other beliefs in the Maasverse:

Bryce asked, because some small part of her had to know after what she’d seen of the Mask, “When you die, where do your souls go?” Did they even believe in the concept of a soul? Maybe she should have led with that.  But Azriel said softly, “They return to the Mother, where they rest in joy within her heart until she finds another purpose for us. Another life or world to live in.” (hofas)

-

“We’ll collect the dead tomorrow,” Manon said, her voice low. “And burn them at moonrise.” As both Crochans and Ironteeth did. A full moon tomorrow—the Mother’s Womb. A good moon to be burned. To be returned to the Three-Faced Goddess, and reborn within that womb. (koa)

Wyrd (Chaos) is the heart of the world, of existence. Of self. And that is where people rest in joy until they are reborn. Could this be where the spirits are migrating on Starfall?

We know the Princes of Hel are intergalactic helpers, so a trip to Hel or an encounter with a Prince (Bryaxis? Thanatos? Even Balthazar, if he isn’t Elain? 😉 still my favorite crack theory) might give us insight into their role in Prythian. It could also involve Azriel’s peculiar magic that makes him, like Ramiel, so different from even his Illyrian brothers. Let's be honest, he’s always had a Prince of Hel vibe—down to his reverence for Wyrd (Mother, Cauldron, Fate/Chaos)—that I would love to see come to fruition. 

Beyond Azriel himself, I also think we will learn the origins of the Illyrians in the heart of Ramiel. Were they connected to Hel before the Asteri made them their soldiers, like @silverlinedeyes and @offtorivendell theorized? Or were they an experiment like the blessed sisters? Did the Asteri put humans (hence the ears) into the Cauldron after it was imbued with their void magic and create beings of night and pain who could combat enemies, including demons? This might be another reason why the three most powerful Illyrians are a match in power for the three blessed sisters. 

Together, they balance opposing forces as @silverlinedeyes previously theorized. They seem to represent the forces of Void and Chaos, and their power can be combined in the space between to achieve impossible feats (eg, physically healing the Cauldron and the rip in the world). All three sisters seem to be chosen bearers, or conduits, for Wyrd (Chaos), so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another example of this in a different way for Azriel and Elain, and/or a scene where they are all linked magically.  

My lips tugged toward a smile. But Rhys stared at all of us, somehow assembled here in the sun-drenched open grasses without being given the order. Our family—our court. The Court of Dreams.  […] He surveyed them all again—and held out his hand to Cassian. Cassian took it, and held out his other hand for Mor. Then Mor extended her other to Azriel. Azriel to Amren. Amren to Nesta. Nesta to Elain. And Elain to me. Until we were all linked, all bound together. (acowar)

Since Ramiel is connected to Wyrd (Chaos), and there may be a doorway to her temple in Hel, this journey will likely also uncover secrets about her. Will her story come from illustrations in stone, members of Hel, or…my personal favorite, Wyrd herself? I believe that is one of the many reasons she gifted Elain with such powers, including sight: so she could tell her story to someone who could see differently. Someone who could see the creator within the darkness, just as Elain saw the dark cottage as a shelter rather than a prison. This gift may provide them the information they need to uncover the Asteri’s secrets and unravel their magic from the sacred peaks and Wyrd, which could lead them to at least two other places: (1) Midgard, where the Book of Breathings is now kept by Bryce, and (2) Cretea, where the Cauldron is currently hidden. Could Azriel even pay back Bryce for stealing his precious dagger? It would only be fitting. 

Ramiel Springs Eternal 

I was so cold I might never be warm again. Even during winter in the mortal realm, I’d managed to find some kernel of heat, but after nearly emptying my cache of magic that afternoon, even roaring heart fire couldn’t thaw the chill around my bones. Did spring ever come to this blasted place? (acomaf)

Illyria is known for being bitterly cold, to the point where Feyre wonders if spring would ever arrive there. Sarah has consistently described Elain as blooming life amid death and winter, and this imagery starts to become really apparent in Illyria: 

Mor let out a snort that made the Illyrians stiffen. But she shifted, revealing Elain behind her. Elain was just blinking, wide-eyed, at the camp. The army.  Devlon let out a grunt at the sight of her. But Elain wrapped her own blue cloak around herself, averting her eyes from all those towering, muscled warriors, the army camp bustling toward the horizon…She was a rose bloom in a mud field. Filled with galloping horses. (acowar) 

Compared to Nesta, a newly forged sword, Elain is a blooming flower even in an Illyrian army camp, which is essentially saying she is a bloom of life and color in the middle of winter. This imagery is so fitting because she commits her time to creating and restoring gardens wherever she goes. She brings life and joy and beauty into the world. Even her scent is a promise of spring: 

Her sister’s delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring, a sparkling river that she followed to the open doors of the chamber. […] Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health. Elain’s smile was as bright as the setting sun beyond the windows. (acosf)

We also know she is also capable of hearing sound, specifically hearts, through stone. In their conversation about heartbeats, Lucien even wonders if she is speaking to him: 

She looked away—toward the windows. “I can hear your heart,” she said quietly. He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he said nothing, and drained his tea, even as it burned his mouth. “When I sleep,” she murmured, “I can hear your heart beating through the stone.” She angled her head, as if the city view held some answer. “Can you hear mine?” He wasn’t sure if she truly meant to address him, but he said, “No, lady. I cannot.”  Her too-thin shoulders seemed to curve inward. “No one ever does. No one ever looked—not really.” A bramble of words. (acowar)

Was Elain actually speaking to one of the sister peaks, or even Wyrd, during some of this conversation? Her response to Lucien even seems to echo the song of the land: no one had ever truly looked, not really. No one knew what secrets they carried in their heart. This is such a lonely existence. As Elain and Azriel heal the land, I believe they will also heal their own wounds. Feel seen and heard. Understood. 

Elain was also wearing a blue cloak in the Illyrian camp. Could that be a hint of her future work with others who wear something similar, like the priestesses who worship Wyrd? She answered her sister’s prayer during the war rather than Wyrd and has led her own sister in prayer before. Is she more priestess—more healer—than warrior, and is that the different sort of strength needed to garden on a larger scale? @willowmeres and I were discussing this the other night: perhaps like Gwydion and TT (which I theorized singing to each other across space), Elain’s rose necklace was called to the library when the priestesses were singing about Wyrd. And because like calls to like, the necklace answered and drew Azriel to the library instead of the Palace of Thread and Jewels. Like her sisters before her, Elain might receive help from priestesses as she hones her vision and gifts. I would scream if this turns out to be true because that necklace is pure Chaos (pun definitely intended).

It’s also possible the priestesses could be helpful in unbinding Void from the Book of Breathings, a book of spells. I doubt this will be a simple matter, however. It might rival the unraveling of Erawan, which required massive raw healing magic. Will the Asteri’s void magic manifest on another plane as Elain battles it with raw healing magic, shining bright as the dawn? Could a dawn ritual help ground her during this battle? And will Azriel, the sisters, the brothers, even priestesses with their healing stones, need to create a living chain to defeat Void and fully restore Wyrd (Chaos) in the end? Will we finally get a glimpse of her, unbound? 

Maybe with the help of Azriel and others, Elain will even restore Wyrd—blossoming life—to Ramiel’s sunniest face, the heart of the world, of existence. Of self. And true spring will finally come to her sacred land.

[pricklypear1997]

You do realize that our ancestors moved from Asia to Europe too right? Idk what kind of Balkan you are, but I’m Bulgarian, and the bulgars were a semi nomadic Eastern iranic group that settled in the Balkans and mixed with the thracians and Slavs. The Slavs also migrated from the north to that region as well… even Serbs moved around before arriving in the Balkans as well… I’m well aware that our people were enslaved by ottomans 👀 don’t need to tell me twice. I never once said that the Targaryens are EXACTLY like the ottomans, but partially um yeah. There’s definitely some similarities. For starters, they were literally foreigners who force their way in to rule a continent that doesn’t belong to them lol. The Baratheons mixed with the targs because that’s what royals do. The people of Westeros had settled into Westeros long before the Targaryens showed up. Just because they too were once foreigners, doesn’t give the Targaryens the right to just show up out of nowhere and force their rule upon the people. Yeah, the people supported the rule after 300 long years because they were weakened. How else do you think that happened? The Targaryens LITERALLY had DRAGONS lmao. Robert took back the throne and many supported him, including the Starks who were always semi independent for starters.

I really hope that the racist pattern of depicting Arya and Jon as unspecified POC while Arya's full-blooded siblings are the whitest white that has ever whited doesn't become the new "Dornish are POC". I wish this series had racial diversity as well and it's fun to racebend the characters. But there is a clear pattern of only making certain characters POC while characters they share the same ethnicity couldn’t be paler. And this better not start being treated as a faux social issue where people start demanding that Arya, Jon, and Ned can ONLY be fancasted as random POC while the other Starks MUST be FCed with white actors.

With the unfortunate trend toward racism blended with faux wokeness ramping up, that's the likely direction that crowd is going to push for soon.

[hellsite-hungergames]

THE FIRST WAVE OF TRIBUTES

All tributes (With the exception of hellsite-hall-of-fame, God, Jesus, Tarlton, and Wallace) were chosen randomly, as were the pairs (Again, with the exception of 1, 18, and 32)

Information about the polls will be out a little bit before the polls themselves

Polls will open February 14th in the afternoon/evening (EST)

Second Wave will be announced sometime around 6pm EST

Tribute List under cut

@hellsite-hungergames vs. @hellsite-hall-of-fame

Vace (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist) vs. Herobrine (Minecraft)

Regulus Black (Harry Potter) vs. Edward Cullen (Twilight)

Merlin (Merlin) vs. Florida Man (American Mythology)

Gary the Gadget Guy (Club Penguin) vs. Sunny (Omori)

Benoit Blanc (Knives Out) vs. Ridley (Metroid)

Animal (Muppets) vs. Miku Binder Thomas Jefferson (Hamilton)

Clint (Stardew Valley) vs. Data (Star Trek)

Skunk Ape (Florida) vs. Daniel the Manager (Anon's manager)

Waluigi (Mario) vs. Timmy Turner (The Fairly OddParents)

Meta Knight (Kirby) vs. Castiel (Supernatural)

Death (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) vs. Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia)

Katsuya Suou (Persona 2: Eternal Punishment) vs. King Arthur (Monty Python's The Holy Grail)

Squidward's Hopes and Dreams (Spongebob Squarepants) vs. Spiders Georg (Tumblr)

Anya Forger (Spy x Family) vs. Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)

Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal) vs. Campbell Bain (Takin' Over the Asylum)

Jasper (Steven Universe) vs. Star Butterfly (Star vs. The Forces of Evil)

Tarlton (A completely real fandom) vs. Wallace (Wallace the Living Wall)

Mikhailo "Mickey" Aleksandr Milkovich (Shameless) vs. Dimitri Blaiddyd (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Duck (Don't Hug Me I'm Scared) vs. Everyone from Cats the Musical (Cats the Musical)

Jay Walker (Ninjago) vs. Miles Vorkosigan (Vorkosigan Saga)

Illyria (Angel: The Series) vs. Evan "Buck" Buckley (9-1-1)

Haymitch Abernathy (The Hunger Games) vs. Richard Gansey III (The Raven Cycle)

Ronald McDonald (McDonald's) vs. Amelia Bedelia (Amelia Bedelia)

Matt (Wii Sports) vs. Oswald Cobblepot (Gotham)

Edward Nygma (Gotham) vs. Tumblr Anon Icon (Tumblr)

Gillion Tidestrider (Just Roll With It) vs. Jedediah (Night at the Museum)

Reigen Arataka (Mob Psycho 100) vs. Willow Rosenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Alex Fierro (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard) vs. Puss in Boots (Puss in Boots/Shrek)

Jessie Prescott (Jessie) vs. George Costanza (Seinfeld)

Leon Scott Kennedy (The Resident Evil Franchise) vs. Han Solo (Star Wars)

God (Universe fandom/Deadbeat dads fandom) vs. Jesus (Christianity fandom)

[silverlinedeyes]

ACOTAR 5: A Frozen and Moana Retelling

By @wingedblooms and @silverlinedeyes

Note: this is mainly a joke based on @wingedblooms amazing Ramiel meta and we were cracking up at the idea, but Sarah has toddlers so I CAN SEE IT lmao

Cast of Characters

Te Fiti/Arendelle: Wyrd whose soul is in Prythian (the heart of which is in Ramiel)

Ta’ka/the eternal winter: the barren parts of Prythian

The Heart of Te Fiti: the Cauldron

Elsa/Maui: The Asteri (I think? TBD honestly)

Anna and Kristoff/Moana and Maui: Elain and Azriel

Love: well, love (or Elain’s life giving or healing powers)

A Plot Summary

A long time ago in a land far far away (Prythian) Wyrd birthed the land. To give life to the land, her spirit was entrapped in the cauldron, and that cauldron was hidden in the heart of Prythian: Ramiel.

One day, the land was invaded by evil beings called Daglan, though we now know they were Asteri. And the Asteri stole the spirit of Wyrd for themselves and corrupted it.

This corruption caused a plague to ripple through the land, killing mountain after mountain (like how death killed island after island in Moana—see where we’re going here?)

This set off an eternal winter (“you kind of set off an eternal winter”) in Illyria that could only be prevented by the Blood Rite feeding life and magic back into the land to temporarily bring back spring, only for the land to fall into a deep winter again that it seemed could not be broken until the Rite was done anew.

Never fear though! Elain and Azriel are going to go on a journey to figure out what is wrong with the land. They might even have to go to Hel or maybe the Middle (either one would be Lalotai—the land of monsters) and back to find answers.

They will have to face whatever evil lurks within the land, leeching it of life, and whatever evil has corrupted the cauldron.

And ultimately, they will discover that love (or maybe, you know, Elain’s lifesinging magic or healing magic) can thaw a frozen “heart” and remove the corruption from the cauldron (a la Yrene in ToD and KoA using healing powers to remove the Valg parasite?), restoring the heart of Prythian—i.e. the Caudron and Wyrd’s spirit—to the land and cause spring to bloom again.

Oh and how could I forget—Elain and Az will discover true love (true mates?!) for each other along the way.

THE END.

#you’re welcome 🤣🤣

[kataraavatara]

back to this quote, I think I’ve cracked a major reason why training women to fight was Illyria going so abysmally other than “all Illyrian men are just The Worst” it’s like. not only are the men extremely psychologically fucked up from experiencing this insane amount of violence and abuse starting at eight there’s also going to be natural feelings of resentment that the women didn’t have to go through this and still get to be warriors and fight. they desperately need to rationalize the amount of abuse they experienced so it can mean something so now anyone who didn’t spend their formative years getting their bones broken is obviously No True Warrior. There’s an obvious misogyny element but also deeper psychological component that if they see someone like the Valkyries succeed when they started training as adults they might have to look inward and realize it was all for nothing. that they suffered so much for so many years for ultimately no reason. sunk cost fallacy yada yada

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, December 21

FRED: Are you okay? LORNE: I was feeling seasick when we were still on dry land. Do I look greener than usual? FRED: A little.

~~AtS 3x12 “Provider”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Dead to Rights (Faith, Dexter, T) by Aadler

Role-Playing (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by veronyxk84

A Kiss to Build a Dream On (Buffy/Giles, M) by LonesomeSundown

Material Pleasures (Illyria/Wesley, E) by purple_mechanicalpencils

Chained Up for Christmas (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden, ClowniestLivEver

Gifts from the (Undead) Heart (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Grief Counseling

Uncommon Scenery (Buffy/Spike, T) by veronyxk84

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Greatest Gift: A Fuffy Christmas Carol, Chapter 1/4 (Buffy/Faith, G) by user1013

Return Of The Soulless Vampire, Chapters 1-50/50 (Buffy/Spike, Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya, M) COMPLETE! by Hoomanbeans (Frednymph)

The Queen's daughter, Chapter 68/? (Buffy/Faith, Cordelia, OUAT xover, not rated) by Dragonprincess19961

I Love You (and The Horizon Hides You in Vain), Chapter 3/? (Buffy & Dawn, Buffy/Spike, canon ships, M) by ConcernedReader

A Slayer in the Senate, Chapter 11/12 (Buffy/Faith, Buffy/Tara, E) by storiwr

Half And Half Girl, Chapters 2-27/27 COMPLETE! (Angel/Cordelia, Fred/Wesley, M) by Hoomanbeans (Frednymph)

Where are you?, Chapter 2/16 (Buffy/Riley, Xander/Anya, T) by RotBlau

Whiplash, Chapter 16 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ninereeds

Open Your Heart & Close Your Eyes, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

Rude Awakenings, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

Take Me to Prom, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Spikelover4ever

Some You Lose, Chapter 22 (Buffy, Stargate xover, FR13) by lyapunov

Out of Time: 1942, Chapter 61 (Buffy/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter xover, FR18) by Jonayla

Agape, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Lilacsandorangeblossoms

The Science of Being Yours, Chapters 9-12 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden, ClowniestLivEver

Indecent Proposal, Chapter 27 (Buffy/William/Xander, Adults Only) by harrisxander2

[Images, Audio & Video]

Gifset: ANGEL THE SERIES | 1.19 “Sanctuary” requested by juanabaloo (Faith, Angel, worksafe) by elizadushkudaily

Artwork: Probably not gonna finish these in time so have a couple of festive Faith wips (worksafe) by sideartblog999

Artwork: [Drawings of Buffy Summers] (worksafe) by psicheanima

Gifset: Every Tara look: S5E13 Blood Ties (worksafe) by lovebvffys

Artwork: 5 Seconds (Buffy, Faith, worksafe) by takenabackbytuesdays

Gifset: - hymn to virgil hozier (Buffy/Spike with lyrics overlay, worksafe) by theveryunlikelywonderland

Artwork: Just Spuffy enjoying their winter weekend and trying not to catch another apocalypse (worksafe) by flyora

Gif: I don’t need a guy right now. I need me. I need to get comfortable being alone with… Buffy (worksafe) by buffysource, andremichaux

Manip: Hustler (Buffy/Spike, G) by honeygirl51885

Manips: Snapshots From My Idiot, Chapters 1-3 COMPLETE! (Buffy/Spike, G) by cd85

Manip: Chasing Away Insanity (Buffy/Spike, G) by honeygirl51885

Artwork: [FANART] Fuck, Marry, Kill, Trio Edition (Warren, Andrew, Jonathan, T) by GarsCrucible

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Season 4 Recap by Investigating Angel

PODCAST: A Love Like Troy and Gabriela (S5E11) by It Stakes Two

[In Search Of]

ISO: Can anyone please link that great meta on the Buffy episode “Who Are You” that talks about the Faith and Buffy fight? requested by thewarlocknerd

[Fandom Discussions]

If ATS never happened… by annarowyn

Since I was little kid, I always imagine there’s spinoff about well adjusted Connor after Angel tv show by kingsaint

“Drive My Soul” by LIGHTS is so Spuffy coded by lilyginnyblackv2

doing a BTVS 3x10 Amends rewatch for the holidays. and damn if the (unintentional?) Fuffy isn’t hilarious by juanabaloo

The conversation between Buffy and Angel in Gingerbread always struck me as so poignant by initiumseries

[anon ask] Do you have any cents on the idea that the narrative let's angel get off easier than spike for his Angelus crimes and its a cop out that angel and Angelus are considered separate people? answered by firelxdykatara

sometimes I think about dawn being like. she IS it takes a village child by camellcat

we really do not talk enough about how just a TASTE of buffy’s blood snaps spike out of the first’s mind control by raisedbythetv89

Spike is so funny, it never even occurred to him to angst about being in a vampire/human relationship by messedupdoilies

The Conflicts of BTVS continued by hoponlilmama

If Liam's father saw Angel would he be proud of him? by The Whirlwind, multiple posters

Angel and Darla - Reprise by jogaforacont

Lack of Merch by Better-Mud2595

Buffy's Baby Bangs: A Christmas Essay by _ineffective_

Ever notice buffy wears white when she fight the big bad by Silver_Storm_1

Why didn’t the Watchers send someone to capture or kill Faith whilst she was in a coma? by Scopeburger

Christmas Buffy by TwistedLogic81

Holden is one of the best short lived characters by beans_the_fruit182

What's the difference between the Willow & Buffy dynamic and the Xander & Buffy dynamic (excluding his unrequited crush on her) by Cailly_Brard7

Why do you think a good portion of the audience struggles to connect with some of these Buffy characters? by PristineSituation498

Which are your favorite lines from the show....that you've actually used in your day-to-day life? by Jdobbs626

Buffy and D&D crossover by starbucksmetalhead

Catherine Madison (S1E3) was a really cool villain by TheSekretGarden

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PODCAST-Interviews: An Oral History of Buffy's "Hush": A 25th Anniversary Special by Slayerfest 98

CONVENTION: James Marsters to Attend Comic Con France 12-13 April 2025 by dontkillspike

CONVENTION: James Marsters Upcoming Events by dontkillspike

PUBLICATION: Buffy the Vampire Slayer's 10 Most Insidious Villains, Ranked by CBR.com

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[kyliafanfiction]

I know that the official narrative of Season 5 is that Team Angel was losing their way at Wolfram and Hart, becoming corrupted, etc, but the writers did a very poor job of showing it.

Like, the worst you can say they did was Gunn helping an antiquity get through customs. Like, yes, that ended up being Illyria’s casket, but helping a guy make some money on illicit smuggled artifacts, all Gunn thought he was doing, in exchange for what he was able to do with the legal upgrade he was re-upping, seemed like a reasonable trade, because it *was*.

In Season 5, we see multiple times the good they could do working on the scale W&H allowed. If not for them, that one kid and his whole school would have been killed to stop the Black Tomorrow. And that bit with the cult leader who was too well-connected to go at directly... if he was too well connected for W&H to go at, do you really think AI would have been able to attack them (and successfully kill them all) without any problem? 

Or that bit where Gunn uses W&H’s resources to open the orphanage for vampire victims kids, banish the fire demons to another dimension and shut down the company dumping demon waste into the water?

The groxlar demons that ate babies? Remember how W&H was trying to get them to stop? We don’t see how the negotiation ended, but they seemed to be on a good start, and W&H has the resources to make that stick better than AI would have.

Without W&H’s resources and access they would have found out about the Smile Time demons far too late to do anything (it was only 7 kids by then)

Like, yes, the heroes made compromises, and as I’ve outlined before, if they really wanted to have the heroes try to take down or actively work to hurt in a big way Wolfram and Hart (a multinational, multidimensional law firm that goes well beyond L.A.) they had options, involving working to bring down the place within.

But it doesn’t mean they lost their way. and I object strong to the burn-down-the-system-all-compromise-is-bad core of the ‘moral’ of Season 5. Especially since it also all but asserts that throwing your life away ineffectively is heroic just because it is.

So yeah. Mutant Enemy can give me the official line on Season 5 all they want. They were wrong then, both in the big picture, and frankly, they were wrong about their own damn show.

Additional reading if someone wants to know more of my (many) thoughts on AtS Season 5:

(They’re all old posts because I don’t really write meta anymore, but I stand by pretty much all of them still)

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/150635189012/how-it-should-have-ended-angel-season-5

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/157834725517/how-it-should-have-ended-angel-season-5#notes

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/150615258627/i-would-love-to-hear-how-s5-of-angel-would-have

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/149954308962/also-probably-a-very-unpopular-opinion-not-fade

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/149112358992/alkenifanfiction-i-was-just-re-reading-the-rant

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/144988256222/so-much-about-angel-season-5-enrages-me-i-mean

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/149244529822/the-good-they-did-in-season-5

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/157834830487/i-will-be-forever-bitter-about-the-way-angel

https://kyliafanfiction-archive.tumblr.com/post/132502005942/re-angel-the-series-season-5-episode-22-not

[a-court-of-moonlight-and-ire]

Oh yeah, this is definitely an extension of that culture war bullshit

I mean, Rhysand being progressive is very much a tell-dont show thing on SJM's part. Hes made Feyres High Lady of the Night which is supposed to be different from her just being Lady (like she was in the spring court) and is supposed to show how much more progressive he is than all the other High Lords, but then she ends up the exact same things as any other Lady (birthing an heir, being Rhys' armcandy at public appearances etc)

Or with illyria, hes banned wing-clipping but it doesnt seem like he's actually properly enforcing it, it seems like the camplords who do it just kinda get scolded a little but no further consequences to disinsentivise them from doing it (like maybe having their wings clipped themselves, or even just getting killed to set an example for the other camplords). And its not because he thinks enforcing it would require excessive cruelty or because he thinks theres some good inside these guys he can appeal to, because he was fine slaughtering all the illyrians who were with him UTM and because he seems to think theyre just inherently evil

Then theres the fact that women in illyria are allowed to train to fight, but only for an hour after their 'chores' are done, and thats seemingly the only move Rhysand has made towards giving them rights equal to men. And its an incredibly bad move too because we hear from one of the camplords that women who are seen training are declared unmmariable, which is a good insentive to keep them from actually doing it. But even without that, the idea behind it seems to be that it'll empower these women by giving them the option of 'fighting back' against their abusers, but women in a society this misogynistic cant just do stuff like that without massive consequences that, once again, disinsentivise them from actually doing that.

It also willfully ignores the fact that illyria's current setup, where every able-bodied male is essentially forcibly drafted from the age of 9 to become a soldier and theyre all constantly training to fight even when there arent any wars being fought, is incredibly fucked up and the best thing to do would be to make it so that no one has to live like that, not forcing all the females to do it as well

And Velaris definitely seems like the best place to live but it has its own ethical issues even beyond the fact that Rhysand is essentially using the rest of his court as a big meatshield factory for the sake of protecting a single city. Because its meant to be secret, no one except for the ic (and their guests) is allowed to come in or out, and the only people who are allowed come in are the traumatized priestesses that stay in the House of Wind, but you just cant leave. And its like, what if you wanted to travel? What if youre one of those priestesses and you had family members outside of the city that you wanted to see again? You just cant do thlse things. And obviously those things are nothing compared to the shit that everyone outside of Velaris has to endure but it still sucks that they have no choice in the matter

And the stuff with the CoN is just. Atleast with Illyria theres some attempt at fixing things and some implication that Rhysand believes that maybe not all of them are inherently evil, but with the CoN its just "yeah no, these people are born evil and they will stay evil forever, Mor (who just happens to be related to Rhys) the only possible good person there" which is a line of thought thats incredibly conservative. dare I say its even a little fascist

And like, it would make sense for Rhysand to think this way and to have this kind of ideology considering the society that he grew up in, but according to meta-narrative of these books, hes not supposed to be a guy with beliefs that are typical for his incredibly conservative culture, hes not even supposed to be a guy whos progressive by the standards of his culture, but that we as the audience would consider conservative by our own standards, hes supposed to be progressive by our own contemporary real world standards, but SJM just completely at writing him as such, either because shes incompetent or because her views of what being progressive means are just backwards like that

ohhhhhhhhhmy god I just saw someone say "ugh, cant believe all those rhys stans who voted democrat have the audacity to be upset about trump when they wouldve probably voted for him if he was hot" and I just. grips you firmly by the shoulders. You understand that fiction does not equal reality right. And you understand that you very likely cannot acertain anything about a stranger online just based on their taste in fiction or their takes on certain book. And thats not to say that their tastes or opinions on fiction are completely meaningless and that they cant tell you anything about them, but those things are rarely obvious because what people enjoy in fiction and what people enjoy in real life dont perfectly match up a lot of the time. Most women who like to read about being the husband of a sexy rapey vaguely-pedophilic rich fae tyrant and justify his actions online would not justify his actions if he were a person who existed in the real world and that they knew. The reason they defend and justify Rhysand's actions so vehemently is 1) because they dont like the thing they enjoy being attacked or criticised and 2) because theres no real stakes because HE is not real and defending him has no effect on the real world and does literally nothing exceot maybe make random strangers on the internet be judgemental towards you

[hellsite-hungergames]

POLL MASTERPOST

Wave One Round One

hellsite-hungergames vs. hellsite-hall-of-fame

Vace vs. Herobrine

Regulus Black vs. Edward Cullen

Merlin vs. Florida Man

Gary the Gadget Guy vs. Sunny

Benoit Blanc vs. Ridley

Animal vs. Miku Binder Thomas Jefferson

Clint vs. Data

Skunk Ape vs. Daniel the Manager

Waluigi vs. Timmy Turner

Meta Knight vs. Castiel

Death vs. Prince Caspian

Katsuya Suou vs. King Arthur

Squidward's Hopes and Dreams vs. Spiders Georg

Anya Forger vs. Katniss Everdeen

Hannibal Lecter vs. Campbell Bain

Jasper vs. Star Butterfly

Tarlton vs. Wallace

Mikhailo "Mickey" Aleksandr Milkovich vs. Dimitri Blaiddyd

Duck vs. Everyone From Cats the Musical

Jay Walker vs. Miles Vorkosigan

BLOODBATH: Illyria vs. Evan "Buck" Buckley vs. Haymitch Abernathy vs. Richard Gansey III

Ronald McDonald vs. Amelia Bedelia

Matt vs. Oswald Cobblepot

Edward Nygma vs. Tumblr Anon Icon

Gillion Tidestrider vs. Jedediah

Reigen Arataka vs. Willow Rosenberg

Alex Fierro vs. Puss in Boots

Jessie Prescott vs. George Costanza

Leon Scott Kennedy vs. Han Solo

God vs. Jesus

Sponsors

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, December 12

Buffy: Hey, Ken, wanna see my impression of Gandhi? Lily: Gandhi? Buffy: Well, you know, if he was really pissed off.

~~Anne~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

S Sometimes Stands for Sisters (Buffy/Spike, T) by apachefirecat

First and Last (Buffy/Spike, M) by kcchameleon

Damsel (Cordelia/Doyle, T) by properlyirregular

Baked with Love (Buffy/Spike, T) by veronyxk84

Untitled (Buffy/Faith, sfw) by Coraniaid

'Tis the Damn Season (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by acekoomboom

Hold My Hope (Buffy/Spike, 13+) by Desicat

All I Want for Christmas (Is to Be Alone With You) (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Degredation of Duality [Series Part 2], Chapter 67 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Ragini

Masquerade, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Holly

Stories of True Love in Capeside, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

The Science of Being Yours, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden and ClowniestLivEver

Sending My Love from The Other Side of the Apocalypse, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by cawthraven

Crave, Chapter 18 (Buffy/Spike, AO) by NautiBitz

Waiting For You, Chapter 29 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:[Buffy/Faith "hey u up" headcanon] by sideartblog999

Gifset: Rewatch -> Bad Eggs (2.12) by creulsummer

Gifset:I'd like to make a confession. by vargamornight

Gifset:I am Willow. I am Death by ladyverdance

Manip:Collage #264 by thedecadentraven

Manip:Helpless by revello-drive-1630

Manip:Collage #267 by thedecadentraven

[Reviews & Recaps]

Last-Minute Love-Making | Buffy the Vampire Slayer 7x20 "Touched" | The Normies Group Reaction! by The Normies

"Bargaining, Part 2" (6x2) | *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* Reaction by cass reacts

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5x13 & 5x14 REACTION | "Blood Ties" & "Crush" by The Horror Bandwagon

*ULTIMATE TWIST ENDING?!* Buffy the Vampire Slayer S6 Ep 17 "Normal Again" Reaction FIRST TIME WATCH by Nick Reacts

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season 2 Episode 10 (REACTION) What's My Line?: Part 2 by JayPerView

Buffy The Vampire Slayer "WITCH" S1E3 (REACTION!!!) by JerBear Reacts

Buffy-less: S1 Ep 5 by Vampires and Mermaids

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 3 Episode 12 - Helpless by Sh*t 90s Shows Taught Me

[Fandom Discussions]

[Xander apprecation meta] by unnamedmedicalprofessional

Ask: Biggest issue with Angel by thornfield13713

Ok this was just wicked cool | S1 E1 “City Of” (First time watching) by multiple authors

Am I Dumb? [Conversations with Dead People] by multiple authors

Serious Q about the women in Angel especially re: Season 5 by multiple authors

What do you think of Tara's friendship with Dawn? (INCLUDES MAJOR FUTURE SPOILERS) by multiple authors

Would you consider the Buffyverse to be teaching good moral lessons? by multiple authors

my favorite scene by multiple authors

where does this door in the back like actually lead to? by multiple authors

Dawn presentiments? by multiple authors

Episode Analysis: Tabula Rasa vs Spin the Bottle by multiple authors

Episode Analysis: Spin the Bottle vs Tabula Rasa by multiple authors

Potential hot take re: seasons 4 and 5 by multiple authors

Xander by multiple authors

What if Buffy had come back wrong? by multiple authors

The killer in me by multiple authors

Do you think the things Illyria said to Wesley when she was lying to him at the end were her actual feelings and not just what he wanted to hear? by multiple authors

How was Willow's behavior in season six looked at back then? by multiple authors

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