#like a person is allowed to dislike a character

[angelwishess]

○˚.• Elena Leech

Pinterest Boards — Playlist(s) .

The sweetheart singer of Mostro Lounge; Her sweet, little sister-like demeanor makes it impossible not to spoil her! But, just like the sea itself, theres something dark lurking deep within, despite the seemingly peaceful surface.

○˚.• — BASIC INFO !

Nicknames:

El / Ellie (Jester, Kyra, Jade, Floyd, Azul)

Madamoiselle Sirene (Rook)

Literally every insult ever but never her name (Jamil)

Nicknames for others:

Literally any insult except their name (Applicable to anyone really) (but especially Jamil)

Azu / Azu-chan (Azul)

Grade/Class: Freshman, Class B

Birthday: October 17

Age: 16

Height: 162.56 cm (5’4 ft)

Dominant Hand: Ambidexterous

Homeland: Coral Sea

Club: Gargoyle Appreciation Club

Best Subject(s): Astrology and Divination

Hobbies: Analyzing complex stories and characters, making jewelry and accessories out of seashells and pearls.

Pet Peeves: (??? To be added)

Favorite Food: Polvo à Lagareiro

Least Favorite Food: Pickles

Talent: Fortune Telling (I’d put singing but… Shes literally a siren 😭)

Likes: Complex stories, psychological topics, crystals, tarot cards, the moon, freezing cold temperatures, psychological thrillers, analyzing things, puzzles, pearls and seashells, old books, ancient curse magic, history, Anthropology.

Dislikes: Mentions of sirens, sour food, hot weather on the surface, heights (will never admit this), people she can’t “read”.

Gender & Sexuality: cisgirl, unlabeled.

Voice Claim(s):

(To be added!)

○˚.• — UNIQUE MAGIC !: See The Heart

This spell allows Elena to summon a bubble that shows her the Past, Future, and Present of a specific person.

Each time setting has a different requirement. She can see whats happening in the present anytime without any issues, while looking into the past and future are much trickier.

But, a common requirement is that Elena must personally know the person to use her spell on them. And, the better she knows that person, the easier and much clearer the visions are.

She cannot use the spell on herself.

Since this spell is so powerful, it accumulates blot quickly if not used wisely.

She can only look into the future once or twice a month. She can only look into the past a few times a week. But she can see the present anytime.

After looking into the future and past, though, her magical abilities are drastically weakened.

○˚.• — APPEARANCE !

A rather short girl with a pear body shape, Elena has pretty Opal hair with a pretty rainbow shimmer, and almost pearl-like eyes that reflect color beautifully.

She looks like she doesn’t have pupils— but she does trust me !! She has a sweet, round face as well as soft facial features. Big, shiny eyes and cute lashes, as well as notably plump lips. She has she sweetest chubby cheeks and fluffy hair and eyebrows ! Notably quite pale, and her skin is somewhat glittery.

○˚.• — PERSONALITY !

A breath of fresh air compared to the tension when faced with her brothers, Elena Leech is a complete sweetheart! With big bright eyes and a cutesy, innocuous demeanor that just makes your heart swoon, who could resist that urge to spoil the perfect little sister she is?

Have something weighing on your mind? Don’t worry! Because Elena is here to listen to all your problems! You can trust her, so don’t worry about a thing!

A sensitive soul, an empath! (And a bit of a crybaby,) An absolute angel! No matter who you are, Elena is here to sympathize with you. Unfortunately, shes waay too trusting of other people… Naive, and far too innocent for her own good.

A girl with that just attracts the attention of everyone, wherever she goes the spotlight is sure to shine down on her as she basks in the attention of everyone else! A deep sea beauty with a love for the moon, she can tell your future, too! Isnt she just so admirable?

Shes even like a lucky charm! Even since shes come to NRC, the Monstro Lounge has never been more successful! What a funny coincidence! But then again, its no wonder why theyre getting so many more customers! With her on the stage as Monstro Lounge’s singer, her melodic voice attracts everyone who passes by! Who could resist that gorgeous voice?

Honestly, its almost like shes too good to be true!

…Huh.

Elena gets along just swimmingly with everyone! With a fake stunning smile, and big empty bright eyes, its no wonder so many fawn over her!

Hey, you’ll be her friend too, right? Don’t worry. You can trust her.

○˚.• — Elena’s “True” Nature

Well, a leech is a leech, right? Trouble runs in their blood, and even if she is adopted shes still one of them nonetheless.

The sudden increase of success the Monstro Lounge has gotten is no coincidence, in fact it was all planned from the very beginning. Elena is no damsel in distress, not a pawn used by Azul. No, not at all. Shes never needed saving.

Don’t you know? Back home, everyone’s terrified out of their wits because of the big, bad, scary siren swimming around. And no one can do a thing, how could they when shes under the protection of the Leech family? No one wants to get on their bad side.

Azul’s most trusted friend, his very best friend. And Monstro Lounge’s best informat. Their spy, if you will. Her charming little act is nothing more than that, an act. A well-crafted facade to gain the trust of unsuspecting students, after all Azul’s reputation doesn’t do him any favors when it comes tot he trust of the school body— so who better than the cute, new bright-eyed student to come in and steal everyone’s hearts?

They have no idea all the little secrets they let slip around Elena makes it way to Azul. Elena always updating him with all of the lastest info regarding the student body.

Shes a master of psychology, studying everyone around her constantly. A silent observer, everything she does and says has a purpose, drawing people closer and closer, getting them to trust her. She has files upon files written by herself, dedicated to analyzing and memorizing everyone’s indivual traits. Psychoanalyzing personalities, studying their body language, the way they speak, their tells for lies…

She knows exactly what to say and how depending on who shes talking to, and everyone is blissfully unaware of the fact its all been completely intentional.

In truth, she doesn’t really care about anyone other than her brothers and Azul. Why would she? She knows theyre only kind because they only know this version of her, she knows they wouldnt be as welcoming once they knew who she really is, what she really is.

Its not her fault that people choose to trust her. Dont they know the laws of the sea? Its kill or be killed down in the depths, and ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves. One shouldn't be surprised to get bitten if you so willingingly stretch out your hand to a beast. A monster is a monster, and nothing will ever change that.

Elena at her core is deeply sensitive, shes emotional and loving— but shes closed off her heart from the rest of the world a very long time ago. There are layers upon layers to peel when it comes to her, but maybe one day there would be someone new to find her vulnerable heart shes hidden from everyone so desperately.

She loves so deeply for the people closest to her, but even then shes scared to ever say a word about it. The last thing she wants is to be seen as weak. But, no matter how hard she tries to hide it, she’ll never be able to fully cover up the fact she cares so deeply about her loved ones.

But her loyalty comes to the point of self sacrifice. She’ll do anything in her power to make sure they remain untouched, unharmed. She doesn’t care how to what to do, she doesn’t care how many people she has to use or hurt, she doesn’t care if it’ll cost her own life and dreams, she’ll do it. Because she does it for them, and only them. When others are your everything, nothing else matters. Even if she’ll end up giving up everything she has, and more than that.

“You should take your own advice. Don’t trust people too blindly. If we were in the deep sea… Hah! You’d be eaten alive by now. Pathetic.”

○˚.• — BACKGROUND / LORE

— To be added! (I’m lazy…)

To summarize it for now, Sirens are seen as monsters and lacking of empathy and morals. She was adopted by the Leech family after her lil’ egg thingy drifted off to their doorstep (???), and grew up as one of them. It was only later in her life they, and she, began to realize she wasn’t a mermaid, but something else. When everyone came to the realization she was actually a siren and not a mermaid, she was shunned by everyone else— except her family and Azul.

○˚.• — NOTABLE RELATIONSHIPS !

Elena ♡ Jamil — Hatred At First Sight. || When Elena first saw Jamil during Book 2, she immediately disliked him. It was probably because she couldn’t immediately get a good read on him, and she hated that. She knew there was more to him than the “average student” facade he kept up, but she didn’t know what, and it drove her insane. It was almost to the point of obsession, really. She tried everything she could to get him to crack after that. Following him around, purposefully annoying him— anything, just to get him to drop the act she knew he was keeping up.

After the events of Book 4, their mutual dislike of eachother was obvious to everyone. But… When the lines of love and hate begin to blur, and those glares turn into longing glances, they’ve begun to realize, maybe the other isnt so bad.

Azul & Elena — Bestfriends! || Elena is Azul’s best and most trusted friend. She’d honestly die for him, and her loyalty to him is admirable. Always standing behind him, Elena quite literally always has his back. She sees him like a little brother despite him being older, and feels a sense of protectiveness towards him. Shes always looking out for him and doting on him, making sure hes taking care of himself and eating well. Despite how much she teases him, she of course cares for him a lot, and will never tolerate anyone else teasing or talking bad about him. Will literally dropkick anyone that dares to try.

Elena & the Tweels — Family! || Her literal brothers. Growing up with those two, there was never a dull moment! They all care for eachother very deeply, and even if Elena never says it outloud they know she loves them dearly. Elena is always looking out for Floyd, scolding him whenever he does something reckless while panicking to take care of whatever injury he has, Elena always eats Jade’s dishes, despite not really wanting to. She doesn’t want to make him sad, after all. And even though she knows that its probably just to guilt her into eating it, she can’t handle seeing him pouting.

Jade likes to carry around her things for her, and Floyd likes to let her tag along in his little adventures. Elena loves her brothers very dearly, and also does not tolerate any badmouthing of them. Will actually go feral if you try to in her presence

Elena & Trey — “Suspicious…” || Yeah. Elena is scared of Trey. Its literally only because he baked a dessert so good she almost broke character. Ever since shes been wary of him, and he doesnt know why…

Elena & Ruggie — “So Cool…” || Elena really admires Ruggie!! Shes always admired hardworking people, really. And after the events of Book 2, shes been looking up to him a lot! Although she gets too shy and nervous to strike up a conversation with him, she often leaves him coupons for a free meal at Mostro Lounge. Of which Azul never actually approved of— but he can’t really do anything, because its Elena. So, he supposes he’ll let it pass…

Ruggie, however, isn’t at all aware of her admiration for him. She never directly gives him the coupons either, usually just leaving them wherever she knows he’ll find them. So, he doesn’t have a notable opinion on her for now.

Elena & Malleus — “Damn… Just like me fr!!” || Initially, Elena only joined the Gargoyle Appreciation Club in hopes of gathering information on Malleus. But, she ended up genuinely enjoying her time there, and Malleus’ company. She enjoyed learning about Gargoyles, and trying her hand at creating some. She discovered, Malleus… Wasn’t as scary as she expected. And then she realized, she was looking at Malleus the same way other merfolk back in the Coral Sea. And she felt terrible about her assumptions.

It was because she realized they were actually so very similar that Elena gained a soft spot for the fae. And so, she ended up never bringing back any info to the Lounge. Because yes, she is loyal. But she is loyal to everyone that deserves her loyalty. And Malleus is definetly one of those people.

Elena & The First Year Gang (+Kyra) — “Idiots… But theyre MY idiots.” || Although Elena only stuck around them for the sake of gathering information, she ended up getting attatched to them. Some how, some way, against everything— she.. Actually saw them as… Friends??? EEEWW GROSS!!!! She couldn’t BELIEVE herself. Shes sunken so very low. She felt terrible, almost like she was betraying Azul and her brothers by getting attached to them. So she tried to deny it, tried to ignore it. But, Elena cant ever hide how much she actually cares. She ended up not giving Azul much of the information she’s gathered from them, and even looked the other way when she noticed them sneaking into his office.

She didnt expect to make any friends when enrolling at NRC. But the world is a mysterious place, and it has funny ways of doing things. And slowly but surely, they’re tearing down her icy shell and tall walls. Maybe one day, she can let herself be vulnerable.

○˚.• — FUNFACTS / TRIVIA !

Elena is Twisted from Ursula’s Bubble!

She loves spicy food!

Elena is actually very physically strong! She can easily carry something 10x her size.

She also has the biggest appetite ever, she could easily beat even Ruggie in an eating competition. This is because Elena is a Siren, and has a much different diet than both land-beings and merfolk.

Sirens actually eat much, much more than you'd expect, as the other creatures in the deep sea where the sirens live are freakishly big and absolutely packing in protein and nutrients (that, and the fact they eat humans and other seafolk).

Because of that, Elena eats much more than you'd expect without gaining weight or height, since its barely enough for her body.

Elena was a biter as a kid.

Elena is adopted, yet has no desire to know about her real parents.

She can't use her signature spell on Kyra for some reason. And as of late her predictions have been getting blurry whenever she gets involved.

If Jade usually stands at Azul’s right, and Floyd stands at his left, Elena stands behind him. Somewhat as symbolism for her involvment in the Mostro Lounge’s shady business being hidden.

Elena is very interested in ballet, and is a ballerina!!

Elena is freakishly strong, and could easily carry her brothers 😭 she has a nasty bite and while Azul doesn’t let her do any of the dirty work for the Lounge and instead likes to keep her close by, she definetly could handle the dirty work if it came down to it.

^^ Like her brothers shes also trained in self defense. She may be on the shorter side, but her hits are no joke! She loves a good fight, as it lets her let out all of the pent up frustration she has.

[somewhereincairparavel]

If Jason's character had been written to its fullest potential, as you and many others have discussed several times, do you think that there would still be a large amount of favouritism towards Percy or do you think there would just be people arguing over who's better?

Personally I like to think that if we had gotten a few books documenting Jason's time at Camp Jupiter prior to the release of The Lost Hero, people would've had time to warm up to Jason a bit more and develop a fondness for his character and then the second option probably would've happened but what do you think?

my inbox was sort of jammed w asks so I'm sorry this took so long anon! i wanted this post to be more in-depth and not lazily written so I waited for a while to get my motivation recharged again, i hope this post reaches you somehow haha

my take on this, is that yes, jason would've gained more support than he did originally, and there wouldn't have been an agressive bandwagon of people jumping on the slander train, but he would still be somewhat disliked/suppressed imo.

from what I've observed the hate doesn't just stem fom him being uninteresting, it's combined with a lot of people's attachment towards percy, that they gatekeep him and are agressive to anyone who even alludes that other characters have a chance of being more interesting/powerful if rick hadn't played favourites. (like hazel, nico, thalia, etc)

i think you'll get a better perspective with this example I'll be giving you from one of my observations (i sound like a philosophy professor pfft)

I was on the r/camphalfblood reddit once, and a post came up on my feed, the person went on to rant about how jason shouldn't be 'trying so hard to suck up to nico by being so overbearing' and that they 'wished it wasn't jason with nico in that scene, it should've been someone else' and that rick shouldn't have made jason so nice and understanding about it. they were outright bashing him for being supportive?? idk it was clear they favoured percy over him and had some kind of prejudice against jason.

i didn't even understand what op was so pressed about. that jason wasn't being homophobic and was being a supportive ally? lol thankfully the comments went off and a few of them said 'you're saying this but you would be bashing jason if he wasn't comforting nico as well, jason can never win in the fandom' and that was VERY true.

I've seen people say that jason shouldn't have been written to be a very handsome heartthrob either and that they were very annoyed that rick kept emphasizing his good looks, making him 'too perfect' but that person failed to acknowledge that rick emphasized percy's attractiveness way more than he did jason lol but that was apparently completely alright (to me it just translated to 'how dare rick make jason as good looking as percy, only percy is allowed to be hot, jason deserved to look like an ugly rat' LOL)

so you can see how people pick on him about the most trivial things ever to 'defend' percy from imaginary arguments/rivalry lol

if jason was written well, they'd still find a way to hate on him, probably tossing the 'hes such a gary stu he has no flaws' in there aswell

funny thing is that they hated him for being too perfect and not making mistakes, but proceeded to SHRED him to pieces during MOA when he said he was suspicious of nico. didn't you just claim that he needed flaws? but the moment he displays it you are driven off of the handle??

I do have an interesting perspective that works in jason's favour tho, where I'm willing to bet that atleast 80% of the fandom would've been sympathetic to his struggle and he would've become a fan favourite, even going as far as to rival percy's fame, where, like you mentioned, there would've been equal percy and jason stans and it would've become a debate as to who is better. (hint: villian jason grace) send me an ask if you want me to elaborate on this ;)

[walkingstackofbooks]

I know this is cursed but. Please rank DS9 characters in order of how Dominant or submissive they’d be during kink scenes? I feel like we could write whole essays analysing what those guys do in bed tbh.

Oh my god, cackling, is this really what you all think of me? :P (Yeah, no, that's fair 🤣)

This was actually so interesting to think about! I was finding it very hard difficult to decide on an order on initial vibes alone, so I wrote up my headcanons for them all first - and a few of them are surprising even to me! Also there are so many switches/not really into it so the middle is really very fuzzy.

1 - Ezri Yeah, definitely a surprise to find her at the top of my list, but I so really think she'd get a kick out of the dom scene (and mostly dislike subbing). She's just got that quiet powerful energy that makes you want to be in her thrall, and being joined and having Jadzia's memories alongisde her own just makes her more confident that she's good at what she does. She wouldn't dom for brats though. (Also partly why she's so nervous at asking Julian out, she doesn't feel she's got a good read on his dom/sub energy...)

2 - Sisko If he was into it, I can only see him as a dom. He made captain because he's good at commanding, and he likes it, and I think that would carry through into the bedroom. But honestly, he probably wouldn't be interested in power play in the first place.

3 - Jadzia She's a great dom for sure, but I think she enjoys exploring new things way too much not to be a switch? Plus, Worf like to think he's a dom, and she's happy to humour him from time to time. More dom than not, though, and she's definitely a brat when she subs.

4 - Worf I've definitely said this before, but Worf thinks he's a dom. He's a Klingon warrior, etc etc etc, "obviously" if anyone's domming, it's him. I don't think he's that good at it, but Jadzia finds it endearing, so it's fine. And I think he likes it when Jadzia takes charge, but he never actually refers to that as "subbing" in his head... Idk, I just don't think he'd be able to relax enough to really let himself be submissive, even though I think he'd enjoy it if he were able to. (I also don't think he's particularly into power play, either, tbh)

5 - Garak Ohh, another difficult one... I think subbing would be really good for him, if he could let his guard down enough for it. And he'd have to be in the right mood to dom - at times, he'd really enjoy it, at others, it would hit too close to home and he'd be holding off a breakdown until whenever his partner left. I think he'd *want* to dom, though, even if he knows it'll trigger him, because he does enjoy breaking the other person down and hurting them. (Not that he'd think of it as "triggering" to himself, of course.)

6 - Odo I really cannot see him being into it. No rating. [Edit: I came back to re-evaluate after writing Kira but no. Even for her, it's really not something he wants to try.] [Edit: Fuck, he would dom for Quark though.]

7 - Miles Again, not sure he'd be into power play for itself, but he enjoys playing his role for a partner who's into it. Keiko, I think is a switch with a slight preference for domming, so he's been a sub more often than not. I think his favourite part of it is giving aftercare when he's been a dom :3 (something something good-cop-Miles-bad-cop-Keiko domming the hell out of a dazed Julian)

8 - Julian Disclaimer - I exclusively read sub!Julian, so I'm biased XD But trying to think about it objectively... I think he's a switch. Like Jadzia, he enjoys exploring new things too much to really stick to one or the other. I do think he'd have hangups over how much he enjoys domming though, what with his secret fear of going bad... And being a sub allows him to relax and not have to think and just relish in all the sensations and I think he'd love being slowly taken apart bit by bit...

9 - Kira Sure, she screams dom at first but I pegged her as a sub a few weeks back and now I've really talked myself into it. I think she could dom, but unlike Sisko, while she's very good at being in command, I don't think she intrinsically enjoys it, and letting someone else be in control would give her the chance to relax. It would take her a while to allow herself to explore it, but once she got there, she'd find a space where she can be soft and gentle and cherished - and hurt, and soothed.

10 - Quark Oh my god he's such a sub, right? Not that he'd ever tell anyone but he LOVES being told what to do and ordered around. In theory he's a brat, but it never lasts for long - he becomes a pliant submissive wreck too quickly. (Okay now I'm considering if Odo would break his definitely not rule for Quark and... Yeah, actually 😅 Why would their dynamic change just because they're having sex?)

[coffee-in-rain]

1. it's a fanfic idea exploring Hannibal's post-fall vulnerability and childhood trauma. Hannibal obviously wouldn't remain emotion-less and stoic throughout it. this is taking some liberty in regards to canon/the show because guess what? it's a fanfic idea. not an analysis of the show. i wasn't aware that fanfic authors were not allowed to come up with original ideas or their own personal headcanons unless it's approved by someone else.

2. i never asked for your fucking opinion. but your entire reblog of my post is essentially: I... I... I... as if i invited you to share your negative thoughts of my post. here's some advice if you see a post that you dislike or disagree with: don't interact with it. i could be nicer. more understanding. more polite.

but why should i have to be the bigger person when you're the one barging in on my post with the sole purpose to berate me. acting like an absolute deranged dick about my fanfic idea (on thanksgiving day when i'm in the middle of baking dessert).

3. i'm not shoving my opinion down other people's throats. i'm sharing a prospective fanfic idea with my followers. you are the one who is shoving your completely un-asked-for-opinion and views down my throat.

oh no, someone wrote a headcanon/fanfic concept that doesn't align with your exact belief? boo-fucking-hoo. it ain't the goddamn end of the world. scroll past it. there's no need to make it everyone else's problem.

4. how hard is it for people to remember: don't like. don't read. also there's no reason to be hostile towards the people coming to my defense in their reblogs. these are my friends you're being hostile and rude towards. this is such odd behavior btw. comparing me to a fictional character (Franklyn) is also odd...is that supposed to be an insult? 🙄

5. here's a reminder that my fanfic ideas or headcanons have no impact on you whatsoever. this is my tumblr blog. not "good reads." i am allowed to write about Hannibal being vulnerable. ignore my posts if my headcanons and fanfic ideas piss you off so much. i wrote the original post for my own enjoyment. not yours.

i'm sorry for always yapping about Hannibal's food trauma and its prospective appearance in his and Will's post-fall relationship. but it is so intriguing to me. particularly: the usually romanticized notion of hand-feeding and the idea of Will making an off-hand joke one day.

Hand-Feeding

imagine if one of the last times Hannibal was hand fed by anyone, it had been his sister when they were trapped in a cabin in the middle of winter. Hannibal had been giving her all of his scraps because she was getting sick and needed it more and he couldn't let her go hungry. he was desperate to care for her in any way he still could. he'd gone so long without food that he'd passed out and awoke on the cold cabin floor. small pieces of bread were being stuffed into his slack mouth. one week later, his sister died. not solely because of a cold. she had fallen ill and it had been apparent she wouldn't make it through the winter.

imagine Hannibal carrying that guilt with him. wondering for the rest of his life: if she hadn't fed him those morsels of bread and subsequently fallen ill, then maybe she would've made it through the winter and they could've escaped together.

imagine the trauma of being hand-fed following Hannibal into the BSHCI: one day the orderly who detests him the most straps him down to shave his face and keeps him restrained during meal time. Hannibal doesn't receive a bite of food even though it's dangled mere inches away and it reignites the memories of being trapped in the cabin during the winter as a boy. imagine if he goes to sleep that day with an empty belly for the first time in almost four decades because the food was never close enough in distance to take a bite. imagine if he promised himself as a boy that he would never go to bed hungry as an adult and it had remained true until that night inside his cell.

imagine Will hand-feeding Hannibal post-fall when they're in recovery. Hannibal dealing with a broken wrist--making it cumbersome to feed himself depending on the meal. imagine Hannibal hesitating. unable to take the first bite. an offering of food. monumental only to Hannibal.

imagine Hannibal's jaw clenching with a notable tremor and his heart seizing the moment Will presses a piece of food against his lips, urging him to open up.

Will saying: "come on, baby, you need to eat."

you need to eat. one of the last sentences Hannibal heard his sister utter. imagine Hannibal feeling nauseous at the mere prospect of eating--of taking opportunistic nourishment away from Will (even though both their plates are full)--and then blinking back tears because he doesn't deserve this.

kindness. encouragement. the ability to sate his hunger before Will even takes a bite of his own meal.

knowing it can be taken away at a moment's notice and can be placed just out of reach like the multiple times he's experienced before. imagine Hannibal asking Will: "are you going to eat as well?" because he's scared of both feeling and appearing greedy.

imagine Will registering the turmoil stirring inside Hannibal. being patient and coaxing Hannibal to eat. whispering "it's all right" and "take your time" and then kissing Hannibal's temple in reassurance/praise as the first mouthful of food is eventually swallowed.

Will's Off-Hand Joke

imagine Will gaining a small amount of weight post-fall and he needs to size up in his usual pair of pants. Will makes an off-hand remark after dinner: "are you trying to fatten me up?"

it's meant to be teasing.

but imagine Hannibal's brain racing to the first association he has with that term: of being trapped in a cabin and having his shirt raised so his body-mass could be inspected. if he had retained a little more weight then maybe his sister wouldn't have been the one to be chosen. knowledge that haunted Hannibal for the rest of his childhood.

imagine if Hannibal becomes defensive and shell-shocked by Will's comment. believing it's truly one of the worst things he could do to Will. that he's made Will vulnerable in the same manner he had unknowingly done for his sister by keeping her as well fed as he could--and now he's been keeping Will as well fed as he could during their recovery. imagine Hannibal having a nervous breakdown because of that off-hand comment and Will spending the rest of the night piecing Hannibal back together.

[reginamillls]

Eddie hate is exhausting tbh, would love not to see it

[relaxxattack]

trying to go through the psycholonials tag why are you people saying the art is ugly and bad what the hell. did you actually read the whole thing or were you turned off by the Pixels on the first page

“it’s not as imaginative or interesting as anything in mspa” what the hell are you talking about.

do you understand how hard it is to get these colors to look this gorgeous together. do you even try to be immersed in zhens mental state (which is quite obviously what the art is evoking especially for characters like percy or the cops).

i would argue that not only is the juxtaposition of this style incredibly whimsical and fun as hell but actually some of it’s more technically advanced than art in homestuck

look at this guy! look at the level of rendering and shadow! how are you thinking this is ugly!

[sideprince]

When I tell you I'm tired of this "but Snape was mean to children and that's unforgiveable" shit. And it's always from anons.

I had a lot of awful teachers in school. Like the one who overwhelmed us with work and then tried to sabotage my grades at my next school after my parent told her off for it. Or the teacher who failed half the class because he was racist, and it was known around campus that he was racist but the administration did nothing about it except make him head of the department. Or the other teacher who tried to fail me because she just didn't like me (and when I went to the administration with a complaint, they made her recalculate my grade and it turned out I had earned over an entire letter grade higher than what she wanted to give me). Or the elementary school teacher I had when I was SEVEN who used corporal punishment and abusive language. Or the high school teacher who only allowed white kids in her honors class to take the AP test at the end of the year, and not the hispanic or black kids.

And yet somehow when I read Harry Potter for the first time, Snape didn't stand out to me as a particularly abusive teacher. Because in the landscape of 90s education, he wasn't. I found Fake Moody/Crouch disturbing because of how much he enjoyed watching Neville suffer during the Cruciatus demo and how wildly manipulative and sociopathic he was with zero administrative oversight. I hated Lockhart because he reminded me of the teachers who, despite being grown adults, were more interested in personal validation from a bunch of teenagers, and our grades and test scores suffered for it. But the teacher who stood out to me as particularly vile and reprehensible was Umbridge - because I knew teachers like her. Teachers who exploited adminstrative policies to feel powerful because they were small, unimaginative, stupid people who were unqualified for their jobs and they knew it. Teachers who were emotionally stunted and felt the need to assert their personal like or dislike of literal children by affecting their transcripts forever. Teachers who thought that if they disliked a student enough they could justify using corporal punishment against them. And you know what I did? I put together petitions and got every student in every period to sign it who was taught by the teacher the petition was about. I went to the administration and invoked my rights as a student - sometimes they said there was nothing they could do, sometimes they took action. One teacher ended up getting fired. One administrator's contract wasn't renewed. And I don't feel bad, because they failed in their responsibilities to their students. And because I actually did something, instead of sitting around and complaining. And if I'd been born later and this had happened more recently, I would have done the same things, instead of venting my frustration online at random strangers on the internet over a piece of fiction.

So I have a question for every one of the "Snape was mean to kids and Snape fans excuse it" people, who never seem to ask themselves why they get so riled up over this character but not about Umbridge. Because I've had teachers like Snape. And when I look back on them, I don't feel traumatized by them. I remember hating them at the time. And I also remember everything they taught me. Because they were good teachers. And tbh, we were little shits, and the attitude check they gave us was socially acceptable at the time, so they weren't exploiting their power because they could - the way an Umbridge does - they were just mean. Sometimes people are mean. It's not OK, but it's also not the irreperable heinous crime some people make it out to be. There's a lot of nuanced grey area between those two things. And what I was left with by those teachers is the knowledge it was their job to impart, and did so successfully, and I have no hard feelings - to the point where when I looked one of them up I was sad to find they'd passed away because I wanted to reach out and thank them. The same way as the ones McGonagall reminds me of, who was also mean to kids and made them unsafe. But when I think back on the teachers Umbridge reminds me of, my stomach tightens. My blood pressure goes up. I get angry and feel helpless. Especially the ones who weren't just teachers, but were administrators who abused their power and affected kids' entire lives and academic careers. I want to look them up too - so I can shout at them and tell them how vile they are. And I'm glad I can't do that, because for all I know they've learned and grown as people and changed for the better. Because they're real people and not a fictional character.

So here's my question: why are you @-ing strangers on the internet about fictional characters and are you doing anything in your actual life about the Umbridges of the world? Are you on your local school board? Are you someone your kids or nieces/nephews/niephews can talk to if they're struggling with someone abusing their power? Are you still a student and if so are you doing anything about these teachers in your school? Organizing with other students, going to PTA meetings to bring up these issues, starting petitions to bring the administration's attention to the fact that the student body has issues with a staff member? Are you actively involved in any way, or have you been at any point, in trying to protect students from teachers like Umbridge, or do you just go around sending anons to Snape fans because stamp collecting was too boring a hobby for you and apparently you slept through the section in Lit class when you learned about how to spot when an author uses a biased narrator as a literary tool?

Do you actually care about abusive teachers as a real social problem, or do you just like to argue about fiction from the comfort of your couch and feel superior to strangers on the internet you actually know nothing about?

Grow up. Do something constructive. And stop thinking you're the first person to come up with this asinine argument because it turns out,

okay, yes, snape suffered a lot but he also made his students suffer a lot. do you know what it must have been like for all those kids to be constantly humiliated??? if you like comparing with real life so much, what would you think of a real adult who abuses their power to feel better at the expense of children??? snape fans always come up with all kinds of excuses, but when it comes to the topic of his abuse towards his students, you always stay silent, and that's because it has no forgiveness.

Severus’s role as a dysfunctional adult is honestly pretty amusing to me, especially because while I never experienced bullying from peers or equals, I grew up in an environment full of wildly dysfunctional adults. On top of that, I now work on legal cases involving even more dysfunctional adults. And, to make it even better, while my classmates never gave me grief, attending a private Catholic school in the 2000s meant teacher-on-student violence was pretty much a daily occurrence. Not just at school—I've also had some truly awful professors at university. So, I get firsthand what it’s like to have authority figures who are supposed to guide and protect you but act like an absolute pack of jerks.

Here’s an unpopular opinion: if I compare my personal experiences with dysfunctional adults and terrible teachers, Severus is practically a lamb. I’ve witnessed some insane things. There was a case at my school where a teacher bullied three siblings (in different grades) so badly that their dad came to the school and physically beat the teacher up. And honestly? The guy deserved it. I’ve seen old-school priests handing out slaps. I’ve had a teacher in his late 30s openly flirting with 17-year-old students. I’ve had teachers who didn’t just throw out a sarcastic remark—they flat-out called us “idiots,” “morons,” "dickheads", "assholes", “worthless,” or said things like, “You’re all going to end up mopping floors because you’re useless pieces of crap.” Fun times with Mr. Antonio.

There was one teacher who made students stand up one by one so he could critique their outfits in front of the entire class, piece by piece, like he thought he was Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Another handed out nicknames that were humiliating and outright cruel. Or that elementary teacher who also taught catechism and would call up children who were not going to take their First Communion (this happens at 8 or 9 years old) to the front of the class and publicly ask them why they didn’t want to embrace Jesus Christ. She would even ask if they thought their parents didn’t love them because they weren’t letting them do the same as their friends. Or the second-grade teacher who called a boy up to the board because he didn’t know a multiplication table very well and started singing a mocking song in Spanish that goes, “Fulanito tururú, que no sabe ni la u” (basically calling someone slow-witted).

Then there was the fourth-grade teacher (9-10yo) who had a particular grudge against one of my classmates and kept threatening to lock him in places or scaring him by saying he was going to throw him out the window. The English teacher, who, when we were 14 years old, locked us in a classroom, made us skip lunch, and kept us there without eating until 5 PM. The technology teacher, a 50-year-old man with a very hands-on approach towards the girls in first and second year of secondary school (12-13 yo). And I could go on and on.

So yeah, I’ve seen some wild stuff in classrooms, and trust me, you don’t need to explain the trauma bad teachers can cause—I’ve had my share of them. And none of it is going to make me like Severus any less. If anything, the stuff he does in the books feels like 1% of the madness I’ve seen play out in real life.

[ganondoodle]

okay, bc i have seen this argument alot now (and it also seems to be the view point of aonuma himself..) is that "zelda cant do everything link does bc whats the point then"

and i take personal offense on that bc its a stupid argument (in. my. very. personal. opinion.- not judging people for liking it. its a ME thing)

whats the point? its that its her. its still a different character, different in story, background, personality, but i WANT to play zelda and she can do everything link does, why does she have to be so restricted and be bend over backwards to find some new way to make her 'useful' when link gets to do basically everything no questions asked (the only thing thats hers is like .. sealing power and sacrificial maiden, which i find a little underwhelming to say the least), if theres no point to it why are there always modders that model swap link with someone else, and in that case it has even less impact bc its an artificial model swap with no changes to the story (which can and should still be different when its the vanilla game with a different protagonist... its still a different character), clearly theres joy in just the model being a different one- and that isnt even to mention the story possibilities, since, again, its stil a different character

if we ever (never ... i know who we are talking about here) get to play as ganondorf i want to him to be just as versatile and active as link is, if we got a point and click adventure game for him instead bc 'whats the point' id be disappointed too- you can find any sort of excuse/explanation for zelda to be singled out but the fact remains it tracks with how female characters are often treated, and that hits a very sore spot for me

i guess i am unfortunately one of those annoying people that want to see female characters be treated exactly the same as male characters, possibly bc i am myself afab but identify as agender and have a deeply personal dislike for anything 'traditional' feminine bc i cannot and never will be able to truly live as myself in real life, it influences all of my work, my work is as just as much as my opinion on this, very personal

and in line with my point about modding, i see theres joy in just beign able to play as her even if its like this, i get that, i also get it for the creative aspect (though that mechanic worries me even more for the future bc it really seems to be the path now that -freedom = good, linear anything = bad-) it is a different idea and its not like i cant see that value- im not trying be "right" either, just bc i have that opinion doesnt mean i need everyone to agree, its a very personal thing, if you like it good for you! not for me though, and i think both of that is equally valid

i just personally wish she was allowed to be just like link, fight just like him but be different bc its still her and not him in the end- to be physically/playstyle like jsut like him, but you know ... as her, i dont think shed stop being zelda if she could wield a sword just like him

i dont really know how to get my point/feelings across, i dont want to step too much into personal stuff nor spam people with something that ultimately doesnt interest me alot, im just saddened by it really

(EDIT: bc i forgot to add this on here again; this isnt as much of a problem as it might sound like here, just the main topic i wanted to talk about; why im so uninterested in it is MAINLY bc i dont trust them to write anything interesting/care about lore anymore after totk, im always on the more pessimistic side that thinks its most likely worse than id hope and i know even the past games arent perfect or super interestingly written, but now its much more just a general distrust, together with everything like the price ... im just much less hopeful and cant get excited until i see more of it, like im waiting for the game to get out and reveal that its just as much of a mess and money i regret spending- kind of fear)

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

Still blows my mind the disparity between the Eng and the JP localization of Sonic Frontiers

So in the og English Tails expresses that he needs to part ways from Sonic so he can grow into a hero on his own, right? That he can't grow by being with him?

But like. The director of the game, who worked with Ian Flynn, worked on the JP localization and it's like. You're telling me that when they localized that scene for the Japanese audience

That it was about Tails learning that there are things only he can do? That instead of concluding that he needs to part ways from Sonic and become a hero, he just comes to realizes the ways in which he and Sonic fill each other's gaps? He learns that he already is on equal footing with Sonic. The two of them are just heroes who save people in different ways?

[rewritingcanon]

no girl tell us what you think about jegulily!! im so here for it (tone is weird but I mean that genuinely, I don't ship them so I'm not here to be weird)

dw bae ur tone is fine ! (i’ve been waiting for an ask like this 💀) i think jegulily is... yeah its…. like usually as long as its legal idgaf as long as shippers portray their characters right but regulus fans are literally incapable 😭🙏 WHY WOULD U PAIR A MUGGLEBORN AND A BLOOD SUPREMACIST IM SO DONE WITH DIS FANDOMMMM!! that actually goes for a lot of lily ships like bartylily as well (no clue where that came from either but it’s equally as stupid lmfao).

and jegulily just feels like shoving in lily because people feel bad for ditching her, or shoving in regulus because some people like jily and jegulus and want them (for some reason) to coincide even though it makes zeroooo sense for it to. like, idk if i said this with jegulus before (i yap sm on this account i forget what i say), but like it, jegulily can be done well if a realistic dynamic is taken into account, but the marauders fandom is allergic to nuance and so just chalks up everything regulus does and believes to his neglectful homelife. hes not all-bad, sure, i do feel bad for him, but im nowhere close to shipping him with a woman whos part of the people hes trying to eradicate, or with her man who purposefully went against all pureblood tradition (which is such a large part of james’ character— he is a pureblood that chooses to be seperate from that culture hellooooo plz wake uppppp).

marauders fandom has a chronic “i can fix him” mentality when it comes to wizard neo nazis, i have never understood it. but thats a topic for another day.

jegulily should be filled with envy, toxicity and prejudice stop nerfing it to be some fluffy feel-good polyamorous stable marriage where they raise harry together. yall are looking over the potential. this ship has blood and guts in it plz act like it or else idk what to say 😭 if it doesnt end with at least one of them getting murdered i dont want it.

[silkywishes]

i think maybe somewhere there is something in between "you're not allowed to voice negative opinions on any part of D20's story bc it's all improv!!" which feels like a blanket excuse to bulldoze over any and all opinions you dislike, and "disparaging the cast and crew bc these fictional characters didn't get treated like actual irl human beings"

[doctorodyssey]

i cannot believe there are people who don't care about/hate eddie

[icewindandboringhorror]

I have a big google doc thing where I keep track of media and stuff (putting everything in loosely ranked categories), which is mostly just for my own reference so I know what tv shows I've already seen before, etc. and I never really look back through it, typically just a quick "okay, watched two movie in the past 8 months, need to quickly slap them somewhere in the lists. okay. done. save document. exit". But today I was actually reading through some of the old notes and there are like... MULTIPLE places where my comment is basically "It would have been good if it were about elves" or "I wish there was a fantasy show made in this same style" or "It's well made, but I just keep thinking about how I would like it more if everyone was an elf or was in old 1700s costumes" or etc like...... lol.... Most biased media ranking system on earth blatantly made by someone with an extremely hyperspecific range of narrow interests. It'd be like if a food reviewer only had 5 foods they actually liked, so they'd just go to a pizza place and be like "eh, the pizza was okay, but I just think it would be better if it was cereal instead. :/ ...2 out of 10"

[thevalleyisjolly]

I think part of what troubles me about the opinion that Maglor and Maedhros were the “best” people to raise Elrond and Elros is that many (though not all) such interpretations often refer to fanon interpretations as if they were canon.  Which there’s nothing wrong with enjoying fanon!  But when popular fanon starts being treated as a definitive canon and subsequently starts being used as a lens for textual interpretation and engagement (and in some extreme cases, an excuse for bashing other characters), that’s when it gets a little eyebrow-raising. 

So in this post, I’m going to examine some of the more common fanon beliefs and headcanons around Maglor and Maedhros as parental figures/guardians to Elros and Elrond.  The point is not to debunk them and say that you cannot interpret the texts this way or enjoy them as a fan reading.  Indeed, if there was no textual or analytical basis for these headcanons altogether, they would not exist.  Neither is this meant to bash anyone.  Rather, I’d like to show that many of the assumptions we hold are nowhere near as solid or definitive as they sometimes seem to be, and that there is in fact room for a plurality of different headcanons and readings to coexist without elevating one over the other.

1. Maedhros and Maglor were both involved in Elros and Elrond’s upbringing.

As the wealth of Kidnap Fam content demonstrates, this is a very common headcanon.  However, let’s look at what the Silmarillion says.  Bolding is mine for emphasis.

For Maglor took pity upon Elros and Elrond, and he cherished them, and love grew after between them, as little might be thought; but Maglor’s heart was sick and weary with the burden of the dreadful oath. (”Of the Voyage of Eärendil”)

Nowhere is Maedhros mentioned.  He is mentioned in the version of the story included in The Fall of Gondolin, where the passage instead reads:

For Maidros took pity on Elrond, and he cherished him, and love grew after between them, as little might be thought; but Maidros’ heart was sick and weary with the burden of the dreadful oath. (”The Conclusion of the Quenta Nolodrinwa”)

Christopher Tolkien’s commentary directly interjects after this to observe that the passage was rewritten to be the version in the published Silmarillion, which is an interesting distinction to make when the entire version of the story it comes from is very different from the one in the Silmarillion; it is also worth noting that apart from changing which Son of Fëanor it was, Tolkien kept this passage nearly verbatim in the Silmarillion.

Maedhros is also mentioned in the preceding chapter, in Tolkien’s sketch of the mythology, with the line:

Their [Eärendel and Elwing] son Elrond who is part mortal and part elven, a child, was saved however by Maidros. (”The Conclusion of the Sketch of the Mythology”)

So yes, there was once a version of the story in which Maedhros was the one who spared Elrond (Elros did not yet exist, at least not as Elrond’s brother, at this point in Tolkien’s thinking).  This version of the story differs quite significantly from the published version in the Silmarillion; as Christopher Tolkien comments, the Silmarils were of much less significance and had differing fates (Beren and Lúthien’s Silmaril was lost in the Sea after Elwing threw it in, Maglor threw another into a fiery pit, and the third was taken from Morgoth’s crown and launched into the outer darkness by Eärendil).  Also notably, Eärendil does not intercede on behalf of Middle-earth before the Valar.

Of course, being a Tolkien fan pretty much entails picking and choosing which bits of the Legendarium you like.  If you want to take Tolkien’s original thinking that it was Maedhros rather than Maglor who cherished Elrond and Elros, and mix that with the more common version of events in the Silmarillion, go wild.  You can say that the narrator is unreliable, that it makes logical sense for Maedhros to be involved, or that it’s simply more fun to imagine domestic shenanigans with the last two Sons of Fëanor.  But there’s a difference between blending versions of the story as your own personal headcanon, and asserting that headcanon as the one true fanon.

It is also interesting to observe that at no point are both brothers mentioned in relation to Elrond and Elros; it is either Maglor or Maedhros.  The version in The Fall of Gondolin has Maglor sitting by the Sea and singing in regret after the Third Kinslaying while Maidros saves Elrond; in the Silmarillion, it is only Maglor who takes pity on Elrond and Elros.

2. No one else cared about Elros and Elrond; only Maedhros and Maglor did.

Very explicitly in The Silmarillion, “Great was the sorrow of Eärendil and Elwing for the ruin of the havens of Sirion, and the captivity of their sons, and they feared that they would be slain...” (”Of the Voyage of Eärendil”).  But we also read:

Too late the ships of Círdan and Gil-galad the High King came hasting to the aid of the Elves of Sirion; and Elwing was gone, and her sons.  Then such few of that people as did not perish in the assault joined themselves to Gil-galad, and went with him to Balar; and they told that Elros and Elrond were taken captive, but Elwing with the Silmaril upon her breast had cast herself into the sea. (”Of the Voyage of Eärendil”)

Again, bolding is mine for emphasis.

What we see in the Silm version of the story is that 1) when Sirion was attacked, Círdan and Gil-galad raced to help but were too late, 2) a very large percentage of the population of Sirion died in the Kinslaying, and 3) those who survived reported that Elros and Elrond had been taken captive.  That’s it. 

True, there is no mention of any rescue attempts or negotiations, but there also isn’t mention of anything else because at this point, the narrative returns to Eärendil.  Which makes sense, because the voyage of Eärendil is the whole entire point of the chapter, and arguably the climax of the version of the narrative that’s in The Silmarillion.  It’s not “Of the Captivity of Elros and Elrond,” or “Of the Third Kinslaying,” the main focal point of the story is Eärendil sailing to Aman and pleading for all the people of Middle-earth.

There’s also another version of this story in The Fall of Gondolin, where we read:

...but the folk of Sirion perished or fled away, or departed of need to join the people of Maidros, who claimed now the lordship of all the Elves of the Hither Lands. (”The Conclusion of the Quenta Noldorwa”)

In this version, the survivors do not go to Gil-Galad, but either flee or join Maedhros who now claims lordship of all the Elves.  If you go by this story, then there really is very little possibility of a rescue, since 1) Maedhros is now the most powerful lord among the Elves and claims authority over all who are left, where would they even go if they got away, and 2) it would therefore be a betrayal to stand against or attack one’s lord.  It also opens up the possibility that Elrond (this is the version without Elros) had other survivors of Sirion around him while he was a captive, and was therefore not alone.

What all this means though is that we can headcanon whatever we like regarding what happens in Beleriand during this time, but we really don’t have enough information to definitively say what did or did not happen.  And what information we do have in The Silmarillion at least suggests that Círdan and Gil-galad cared about the people of Sirion and tried to help them, and also that the people of Sirion were not in great shape to be mounting any sort of attack on Maedhros and Maglor.

Also, just because someone who survives a horrifically traumatic mass murder which killed nearly everyone they knew does not immediately go out and fight for the well-being of other survivors, it does not therefore mean that they don’t care about them or that they care less than the perpetrators.

3. Maglor raised Elros and Elrond to adulthood.

This is another one of those instances where the absence of evidence does not make a positive.  We don’t actually know for certain how long Elros and Elrond were with Maglor.  In the early letter where Elros and Elrond are found in a cave, it is implied there that they were left there by the sons of Fëanor after they were taken captive, and later found by other, unspecified Elves.  In another version, in The Fall of Gondolin, it reads:

Yet not all would forsake the Outer Lands where they had long suffered and long dwelt; and some lingered many an Age in the West and North, and especially in the western isles.  And among these were Maglor as has been told; and with him Elrond Half-elven, who after went among mortal Men again... (”The Conclusion of the Quenta Nolodrinwa”)

This is also the version of the story where Elros does not exist and it is “from [Elrond] alone the blood of the Firstborn and the seed divine of Valinor have come among Mankind” (”The Conclusion of the Quenta Nolodrinwa”). 

Then there’s also this which Elrond says in Fellowship of the Ring:

Thereupon Elrond paused a while and sighed. ‘I remember well the splendour of their banners,’ he said. ‘It recalled to me the glory of the Elder Days and the hosts of Beleriand, so many great princes and captains were assembled. And yet not so many, nor so fair, as when Thangorodrim was broken, and the Elves deemed that evil was ended for ever, and it was not so.’ (”The Council of Elrond”)

What we see is that Elrond, at least, witnessed the end of the War of Wrath, including the breaking of Thangorodrim.  Then there is this passage from the Silmarillion:

Of the march of the host of the Valar to the north of Middle-earth little is said in any tale; for among them went none of those Elves who had dwelt and suffered in the Hither Lands, and who made the histories of those days that still are known; and tidings of these things they only learned long afterwards from their kinsfolk in Aman. (”Of the Voyage of Eärendil”)

In most versions of the story, the Elves who lived in Beleriand took part in the major conflicts of the War of Wrath.  Men do -“And such few as were left of the three houses of the Elf-friends, Fathers of Men, fought upon the part of the Valar...” (”Of the Voyage of Eärendil”)- but very clearly no Elves.  So Maedhros and Maglor did not participate in or witness the main battles of the War of Wrath, but according to Lord of the Rings (which I would argue holds the “most canonical” status over every other text in the Legendarium) Elrond was there to remember firsthand, if not take part in, major events in the War, suggesting that they were no longer together at that point (which does not preclude Elrond returning to them afterwards, though it would be a very tight timetable with the Fourth Kinslaying).

Returning to the original point, Elros and Elrond could very well have stayed with Maglor until they were grown, even up to and beyond the Choice.  They could equally have left Maglor and Maedhros at any point, or Maglor could have left them with their other kin.  Tolkien changed his mind a lot about the details of the end of the First Age!  There are a good number of different canons, to say nothing of opportunities for different headcanons. 

4. Elros and Elrond turned out to be great people which is all down to Maglor (and Maedhros)’s childrearing (and therefore they were the best possible people to raise them).

Hear the sound of that old familiar bell ringing again?  Absence of evidence one way does not mean that another way is automatically true!  We actually don’t have any information at all about how Maglor brought them up, only that emotionally, there was some element of mutual love in the relationship.  We don’t know for certain how long Elros and Elrond were with Maglor (a few months? a few years? all the way to adulthood?) and we don’t know how or what sort of things Maglor taught them or to what degree they absorbed those lessons.

Yes, Elros and Elrond became great people.  But there is simply too great a gap of information to correlate (either positively or negatively) all their future deeds and character to Maglor (and/or Maedhros)’s upbringing.  Not to mention, people are not only the products of the people who raised them.  So many people influence us on a daily basis, from friends to coworkers to enemies.  While Maglor (and Maedhros) doubtless did have an influence on how E&E grew up and who they became, it seems a little reductive to credit them as the defining factor in Elros and Elrond’s morality or greatness, when both of them (E&E) lived very long lives for their respective fates and met many people and experienced many things.

Narrative Analysis: What’s this about themes?

Textual analysis aside, there’s one other factor which I think is missing in a lot of these discussions, which is genre.  The Legendarium is full of tragedy.  Good people make bad decisions, or suffer (often unjustly) the consequences of another person’s decisions.  People are placed in terrible situations where there is no “good” or “right” decision, where anything they choose has tragic consequences.  Sometimes people make decisions believing that it is justified or for good, only to discover that it was very much the opposite.  Sometimes people know that what they are choosing will hurt them or others, but for one or many reasons, they do it anyways.

The point being that many of the characters Tolkien wrote are purposefully nuanced and tragic.  Yes, there’s a Dark Lord and some very terrifying spiders who are unequivocally evil, but otherwise, nearly every character is some shade of grey.  Characters make decisions with both positive and negative consequences; they exist simultaneously as figures of both heroism and antagonism.  In short, they’re complex!  That’s why they’re so compelling and enjoyable!

So why set up a dichotomy of “So and so is better than so and so”?  Rather than pitting the sons of Fëanor as “the best” in comparison to other characters, why not embrace the complexity of the narrative? 

In order to save the entire world, Eärendil and Elwing had to leave their young children forever.  They could have decided to go back and try to rescue their children, and in doing so they would have also doomed the entire world.  Whatever they chose, someone would suffer for it.  It’s a question that we see explored a lot in fiction but which most of us will never have to confront ourselves: if you were in a position where you had to choose between your loved ones and the fate of the world, which would you choose?

Maglor, a character who has acted almost exclusively as a follower throughout most of the narrative, for once realized the consequences of his actions and, crucially, took active responsibility by caring for and cherishing the children he kidnapped.  It does not absolve him of responsibility for the Kinslayings because children are not tools to redeem the adult figures in their lives, and in any case, it is a fruitless pursuit to attempt to moralize fictional characters existing in a very particular setting and narrative.  However, it is a significant moment in his character arc, especially as we afterwards see him begin to openly contradict and disagree with Maedhros, multiple times within the same chapter after being a relatively silent follower throughout the narrative.  Which makes it all the more tragic later when he slays the guards with Maedhros and steals the Silmarils because we know now that he did not want to, that he might have chosen differently, but ultimately he did not.

Maedhros knew that the kinslayings were wrong and repented of them, and did not attack Sirion for many years.  However, he still did it in the end.  *mumbles in V for Vendetta “I have not come for what you hoped to do, I have come for what you did do”* He did not kill Elrond and Elros, and in some early versions of the story, was indeed the one to save them rather than Maglor.  He also continued to kill in the name of the Oath.  Rather than isolating any one of these things as proof of goodness or badness, all of them work together as part of his tragic figure - a prince, once great, with good intentions, who has fallen to such a point in his life that all he can see around him anymore is death and despair.

(On a side note, Maedhros-Hamlet AU when)

Elros and Elrond were young children who survived a horrifically traumatic event.  They were able to develop some sort of loving relationship with Maglor (or Maedhros), and as adults, they took pride in Eärendil and Elwing as their parents.  Rather than pitting Maglor against Eärendil and Elwing, is it not more important that amidst the apocalyptic horrors of late First Age Beleriand, Elros and Elrond had adult figures in their lives who loved them and cherished them, both before and after the Kinslaying?  Love is not the only important thing in the world, of course, and it is not meant to justify any of the actions taken by the aforementioned adults.  But.  Amidst the tragedy of the broken world they lived in, they were loved. 

Summary: Headcanons are great and can co-exist with each other

Not to belabour the point, but there is really so much we do not know about the end of the First Age.  Tolkien changed and developed his thoughts on his world throughout his life, and even with what he did set down in writing, there are plenty of gaps where we can only guess.  That’s part of what makes the Legendarium so fun to engage with as readers!

With all that in mind, there’s nothing wrong with having a preferred version of the story or a favourite set of headcanons, so long as we acknowledge that they are not the only way to engage with the text.  Furthermore, fiction and fan engagement is not meant to be about the moral high ground.  Especially with the complex characters and world that Tolkien created, you don’t need to put down other characters or narratives in order to justify your preferred reading.  It’s First Age Beleriand!  To modify a parlance from Reddit, Everyone Sucks At Least a Little Bit Here.  Characters can have good intentions with tragic consequences, make bad decisions but have some good come out of it nonetheless, or do things which have both positive and negative impacts.

Eärendil and Elwing do not need to be horrible or unfit parents in order for Maglor and/or Maedhros to genuinely pity and cherish Elros and Elrond.  Those are separate relationships with no correlation.  And none of them need to be perfect parental figures in order for Elros and Elrond to have real loving relationships with all of them.  It’s not a competition for who can “best” raise Elros and Elrond or who loves them “the most.”  You can love Maglor and Maedhros as good parents!  There’s just no need to go putting anyone else down, or to treat it as the one definitive interpretation of the characters and the story.

[ssaalexblake]

i need to rewatch all of disco for many reasons but mostly because i miss the era of the show where the character dynamics were a group of hopeful, good people trying their hardest to do the right thing in hard circumstances to help people, and their friend the serial killer emperor.

[nerdy-hyperfixations]

Breaking news: local doctor arrested for sunscreen incident and is facing life in prison. More at 5

Okay, but seriously, tho. I hadn't gone to the Luau somehow until very recently, and when I heard people talk about Harvey's line there, I got really concerned. Like one person claimed, he asks to rub sunscreen on Maru's back, and Maru gets really uncomfortable. I was genuinely concerned because I personally rather there be no implications that Harvey, a doctor who owns the hospital he runs, would have a crush on Maru, his employee. Even if some people can accept that age gap they must obviously have, it's just actually immoral...

But bro. I read the dialog that everyone is so creeped out by. He doesn't say that. He legit says, "I wonder if Maru could use some sunscreen on her shoulders," with a completely neutral face.

It's weird at best that he's pondering out loud to you instead of asking her, but the game doesn't really let people talk to each other outside of cut scenes. Sure sometimes their dialog can be related, but the game can't predict who you'll talk to first. If he were to ask her in his dialog but you talk to Maru first it'd be strange to watch her answer a question he hasn't asked yet.

Some people point out that it's weird he specifically singled out her, and *that's* why it obviously points to something more creepy, but... considering she was standing right next to him. And is his only friend if you don't count yourself. (According to the wiki. Some people headcanon he has more friends lol) It's really not all that strange if he were just concerned about her getting a sunburn and thus thinking of her.

The other evidence I've seen is that Harvey asks Maru to dance with him at the flower dance, so he obviously has a crush on her. But like. Again. She is his only friend. If you talk to him, he talks about being nervous to ask someone to dance. I think some people read "someone" as meaning he has someone in mind, that being Maru, but I've always kinda assumed it meant he literally is just nervous to ask anyone. Which, of course he'd end up asking the one person he knows. It's ultimately understood that the person they dance with doesn't have to be a romantic interest but can be, so I don't know why this is used as Harvey *obviously* having a crush on Maru.

The shoulders specifically being mentioned is pretty strange, however, directly quoting an article here, that's right I'm pulling out the big guns, "people are most likely to under-apply protection to their chest and shoulders." (Source linked at the end) Someone has pointed out that her shoulders are covered, but only by what looks like a loose t-shirt, which you can get sunburns through. It is entirely possible that *as a doctor* Harvey might know people often miss their shoulders when putting on sunscreen, and is genuinely concerned she might end up a little sunburnt.

Also, Harvey is an easily flustered man: he blushes, a lot, pretty much every time he flirts. And maybe it's just cuz the characters aren't able to blush around anyone but the farmer, I wouldn't know, but he has a *completely* neutral face. Not even smiling.

Maybe this is just me in denial because I like Harvey too much that I don't want to believe it, but idk. I'm willing to say it's not out of line, and that he's not interested in Maru because that would be... insanely inappropriate of him as her employer.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.huffpost.com/entry/surprising-place-getting-sun-damage_n_595157ebe4b02734df2c8176/amp