#so the big tl;dr is what they wear is very situational

[banished-away]

A few others i remembered from the top of my head in Daughter of the Drow by Elaine Cunningham: "Although there were none about to see and envy him, Gromph’s proud stance suggested he was keenly aware of the impressive picture he made. The magnificent cloak of the archmage, a glittering piwafwi whose many pockets held more magic than all of the Sorcere, was draped proudly about his shoulders. Jeweled broaches adorned his shoulders and held the cape in place. The archmage touched one of them, a fist-sized sapphire that held the magic needed to enspell the city’s timeclock." "The newly elevated matron rose in a whisper of silk and the gentle tinkle of silver jewelry. [...] yet the female’s delicate appearance was completely at odds with her deadly reputation. Ghilanna Tlabbar was tall and slender, as vain of her appearance and reputedly as wanton in her habits as any Tlabbar female. Unlike most of the priestesses in attendance, she dressed not in somber robes but in an exquisite black gown. Black seed pearls and fine embroidery graced the tightly molded, daringly cut bodice, and the entire length of her legs was clearly visible through the gossamer layers of her skirts. Yet her lovely, painted face was set in grim lines."

"Meanwhile, far from House Baenre’s audience hall, Gromph’s daughter skipped lightly through the tunnels of the Underdark. Her eyes gleamed red as they pierced the darkness ahead, and an occasional cross-draft rippled through the thick white hair that fell in wavy locks to her waist. She was dressed for travel in boots and breeches fashioned from thin, supple leather, a shirt of quilted silk, and a vest of fine chain mail. [...]. Behind her, well out of reach of the whirling weapon, trudged a young drow couple. The female wore the insignia of House Shobalar, a lesser clan known for the rare female wizards it produced. The other drow was an exceptionally handsome male, elaborately dressed but for the single-braided hair that marked him as a commoner." "The young drow sat with unusual patience as a skilled servant wove her hair into dozens of tiny braids, then looped and tied the plaited strands into an elaborately contrived whole. Liriel usually left her hair flowing free, but tonight she needed a hairstyle that could hold up to considerable abuse. Her gown for the evening was also durable and designed for movement. Pure white and daringly cut, the dress had several long slits on the skirt to allow her to indulge to the fullest her passion for dancing."

"Something must be done about that Baenre brat!” stormed Zeld Mizzrym. The priestess fairly quivered with wrath, and beneath the black and purple folds of her robe her bosom rose and fell in an indignant rhythm." "She flung open the door and began to riffle though the clothes stored inside. The black, red-trimmed robes of a novice hung crammed against one side of the wardrobe; most of the space was taken up by festive gowns, scandalous undergarments and night-clothes, and frivolous dancing shoes." (Context: this is Shakti going through Liriel's wardrobe)

Ghilana's robes and the clothes in Liriel's wardrobe being pointed out as particularly extravangant suggests what Ruka said, that it is more typical in Menzoberranzan to cover yourself than to show off, at least in official occasions (Liriel's gown described in the last paragraph was specifically for a party). However, despite this tendency, drow do not seem to have a particular taboo or shame against nudity itself, but rather simply have a tendency for practicality and prefer the protection clothing gives: "Then, as was custom following a nedeirra, the dancers began to remove their finery. Personal servants rushed forward to collect the discarded clothing. The party-goers were ushered, unselfconsciously naked, into another room." (from Daughter of the Drow) "The drow’s exasperation increased fourfold. She [Liriel] had yet to accustom herself to human notions of modesty. Drow had a keen appreciation for beauty—including that of the body—and had few taboos about nudity. The main reason they wore clothing at all was because it offered protection from attack and hiding places for weapons!" (from Tangled Webs)

also, some pictures from the Legend of Drizzt Visual Dictionary under the cut. While it's not super accurate and is sometimes downright questionable, I think its a good starting point for the general aesthetic of 5e-era drow (My scanner is not big enough to fit the book, so have a few terrible phone pictures):

Drow Fashion 🕷️✨

Extremely rare description of drow haute couture:

It seemed just another day for Matron Mother Quenthel Baenre as she went to her evening prayers. Her magnificent black robes, laced like flowing spiderwebs, swirled around her as she regally moved along the center aisle, passing the inferior priestesses at the many side altars of the Baenre House Chapel. The slightest breeze could send the spidery ends of that robe drifting upward and outward, blurring the form of the matron mother, giving her the appearance of etherealness and otherworldliness. (R. A. Salvatore, Night of the Hunter)

Now I wonder how many other incredible examples of drow fashion can be hidden under "wondrous robes", "ornate robes" and similarly non-descriptive labels typically used in novels... *sigh*

For some reason, I imagine that luxury gowns of drow matron mothers might resemble some designs of Iris van Herpen, but with a spidery touch.

For more of my drow lore ramblings, feel free to check my pinned post 🕷️

[9w1ft]

i need help. i’m so slow at unpacking the songs & their lyrics but you guys seem so confident that Kaylor lives. mind sharing lyrics or interpretations that you make you feel confident?

i think i speak for a lot of kaylors when i say we weren’t going into this album thinking we were all in some make or break situation, where the songs would be what decides whether or not kaylor lives. and we haven’t come out of it feeling different! so for starters, the very process of processing the songs is a bit different, i think, than the process suggested in your question.

this post got kinda long so i’m going to put it under the cut! and just a tl;dr that i am just talking about this aforementioned process. i’ve started writing out interpretations for the songs that have caught my kaylor attention but it’s taking time, so i thought id go ahead and post the other aspect of my answer in the meantime

a big part of kaylor interpretation is taking a look at what taylor and karlie were doing over the period of time that an album was written and the lead up to album rollout, and seeing if it looks like karlie knew in advance about what would be on the album, or how it would be promoted. the fundamental idea is that if taylor and karlie truly hated each other like everyone insists, that they wouldn’t go out of their way to drop hints or allow one another to drop hints.

so for example, karlie started wearing this pair of sunglasses with the product name “poet” before the name of the album (the tortured poets department) was ever known. she walked in two schiaparelli runway shows (the significance being that these days its rare for her to walk a show, and she’s never walked for schiaparelli before although she’s been to their shows in years of late), one of these schiaparelli shows was specifically alien themed, which lines up with the theming of Down Bad, and then next taylor announced the tortured poets department at the grammys wearing custom schiaparelli (i don’t think taylor’s ever worn the house before). so like, these sorts of things don’t make sense until later but they are signs we look to as a backdrop when going into an album. they are a sort of most recent indicator of the state of the union.

historically (especially post 2019 when what i call the scorched earth narrative was disseminated) people looking to disprove kaylor tend to brush off this stuff (twinning, similar theming or messaging in social media, etc) as oh it’s coincidental, but even if it’s not, any kaylor things that happen now are just because taylor is grieving and desperate for karlie and/or karlie wants notoriety because she wants… more money. but as i’ve said and as many have said for the past 5 years, it makes no sense and is such a misread of drivers for karlie and taylor. i beg people to try and put themselves in karlie’s shoes and ask themselves, would you endure all the hate for… more… money?? would you fly across the country and go to taylor’s concert two weeks post-partum, in a state of physical disrepair just to… spite her?? and have millions of people send hate at you for it..?

anyway, i know this is different than lyric analysis but it’s an integral part of kaylor analysis so i wanted to highlight it. i’d also point out that a whole bunch of people are currently analyzing her entire back catalog re: matty context clues in the same ways so 🤷🏻‍♀️ i think it’s a natural tendency for a lot of people— with kaylor though it’s outlawed.

and i want to reiterate that i think observing the time surrounding the album is a particularly worthwhile thing to do because it takes into account a more recent period of time than that of which the songs represent. i think people can get tunnel vision analyzing an album or individual songs and lose sight of the fact that we are here now after the album has been written. the lyrics are not the most recent thing!

another point i feel that needs mentioning is that with kaylor, among kaylors, we are looking at recent albums more for signs of taylor weaving a story of them that leads to them getting back together publicly. the idea that we are probably not going to get some big reveal that oh everything prior was fake! we have always been together! but rather some separate telling of events that preserves the integrity of people involved to some extent. so there are likely several layers going on when looking at songs. a mix of truth and augmented truths. songs can be useful towards meeting an end goal without telling the entire truth, while the fact that they are useful is still an indicator of the meta truth. i know this sounds a little convoluted... but thats alright im not invested in proving it to people 🙈 (nor do i think it should be provable!!)

lastly, while i am still compiling all my kaylor observations from each song, i did want to point out the obvious: that my understanding of the album (and i assume this is true for more kaylors as well) is colored by the inclusion of the song Robin. …i guess i will mince my words a little bit because i consider it a sensitive subject but basically, it’s a song about something that we would expect taylor would be singing about if they’re together in the way we understand it to be, given what we have been shown. and some of the lyrics are so specific to this… far flung idea… and such a contemporary development… that it sort of works to recontextualize any of the songs on ttpd that would otherwise feel breakuppy? because it pushes the story so far forward in matching our understanding. the hardest songs are easier to see as emblematic of the past, and the path that led us here to the present. in this way, at least for me, it makes it easier to appreciate the kaylor easter eggs going on in the songs as emblematic of kaylor, as opposed to litigating them and filing them one by one, because i truly believe taylor would not release Robin if kaylor was actually over. same goes for recurring motifs throughout the album (and midnights, and you might also include folkevermore as well) related to what robin is about. might sound weird to say but you could almost make a drinking game out of the motif, honestly, given how often she does it throughout the album.

i know the whole thing is wild. i have accepted this and im not out here to push it on people 😌 though i do leave the porch light on for people passing by. because for years now, with each new album people continue to say oh this is the kaylor breakup album, oh she’s finally over it, and then i guess they get amnesia by the time the next album comes along and kaylor themes yet again persist. and idk, to me, kaylor just being together this whole time is actually one of the least complicated outcomes.

anyways, in conclusion, apologies for not providing a song by song analysis right away 🙏 but i wanted to put out this part in the meantime. i don’t expect everyone to agree with this premise but i think it’s key to understanding how a lot of us approach this album. i hope it provides a little insight into my perspective! 🫶

[niccho]

hihi! i’m jay i use she/they pronouns and i’m excited to plot with everyone! under the cut you can find some info about nic and below are the links to his stats and some plot bunnies (that will be added to eventually). smash that mf like button for me to slide into ur dms i promise i’m nice.

STATS - MEMORIES - PLOTS - PINTEREST - PLAYLIST

𝒊. 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 —

nic arrived to ansong around a month ago as the seasons started to change, mostly confused, a little concerned.

he does not currently remember any of his memories but he refuses to take the ring he arrived with off. even when he's throwing clay, he wears the ring on a chain around his neck. he isn't sure why, but he just knows it's important to him.

when he spotted glaaze as he was exploring ansong, nic knew that was where he wanted to work, drawn to pottery in a way that he couldn't quite explain, but he finds himself to be a patient and excellent teacher (especially since he speaks both korean and english fluently)

he can normally be found at one of the sitting areas around the apartments with a cigarette, mirage, illusion, and very infrequently, divine.

𝒊𝒊. 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 —

nic is always conscious of other people, not in the way that he's concerned with what they think (most of the time) but more so in the way of if they're in need of assistance in one way or another. he's a "i can fix them" kind of guy and it's almost never romantic in intent. he collects people like stray animals and nurses them back to health. if at any point you look distressed where he can see, he will swoop in to try alleviate the situation. that being said, he does come off extremely flirty in some situations, and while he might have once meant it, these days he's flirting just to flirt. TW: SUBSTANCE ABUSE, DRUGS in life, nic abused substances in lieu of therapy (which he definitely needed, but that's neither here nor there) and in ansong he finds himself falling into the same habits. it's not uncommon for him to toke up in his apartment, or to be found outside with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. he's a frequent flyer to bars and nightclubs and always with a drink in hand. nic is incredibly emotionally intelligent (we get it, fix-it-felix) and while he's the first one to rush to someone's aid, he has no qualms fucking right off if someone sets a boundary with him. he's very respectful of people and their wishes and he doesn't want to intentionally upset anyone if he can help it. this means he tends to ignore his own problems, but that's his own business okay!!! tl;dr: nic loves u and he's a loser about it. but if you need a good smoke sesh or cigarette to calm down and to talk it out, he's your guy. just don't ask to fix his problems in return, he won't let you.

𝒊𝒊𝒊. 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒖𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔 —

to preface everything below, i'm v v big on chemistry first. i love plotting, but it doesn't necessarily work if our characters don't have chemistry to begin with. i tend to lead with quick and fast plotting to see what we can get our characters to do and then we can go into more detailed plotting after, but i'm always willing to discuss things regardless!! TW: SUBSTANCE ABUSE, DRUGS

people interested in pottery (coworkers or people looking to learn!)

anyone entrenched in ansong nightlife (party people aye)

smoking buddies!! (nicotine AND thc)

people in need of a solid father figure to give them unconditional love (pls let nic adopt everyone thank u, he would be so happy)

honestly, literally anything else just shoot me a message and we can chat!!

[asheepinthenight]

Hi Dani! I love Talon's End so much! I love the writing and Hawk and Shea and the Siblings and Isla and Erich and not so much mom, but I still love her and it's amazing.

Question: How would you describe the usual human clothing of the region? I'm trying to draw my MC (helps with getting to know the character) and I'm not sure of what clothing she'd wear.

Thank you and take care! <3

That's a super good question! I got a little carried away, but hopefully this is at least kind of helpful!

TL;DR: Women mostly wear dresses; men mostly wear trousers. Regardless of gender, clothes tend to be light and loose in style without a lot of ornamentation. Currently though, elegant, ornamental hairstyles are in, and many people are growing their hair out to take advantage of that. Hair length isn't particularly culturally dictated or gendered. Clothing colors usually reflect the seasons' colors in nature, but only members of high society (like MC's family) are really expected to have whole ensembles of the "proper" colors. For those curious, robes aren't at all common due to their association with mages.

Details under the cut!

The area where MC and their family live is relatively diverse, so fashion there has been influenced by a variety of different cultures. Maressea is on the warmer side of temperate with a fair amount of precipitation, so during warm weather, clothes tend to be light and not have too many layers--but coats, jackets, and capes to ward off the rain are common. Even when it's warm, sleeves, trousers, and skirts are usually long, but they tend to be more loose and flowing. During the winter, heavier fabrics are a must, but the styles are relatively similar to warm-weather clothes. Colors are an important part of styling, though. The colors of an ensemble should generally match the colors seen in nature during a given season. This is obviously pretty expensive and, therefore, a thing people will be judged by if they're considered a member of Society. But in situations where no one could reasonably afford multiple dyed garments for every season, people still often use seasonal colors for ribbons, handkerchiefs, and other small items. Even among the nobility, garment patterns and shapes are often relatively simple since the mundane aspects of fabric arts were only revived in the last century. Those who had the knowledge to revive things like lace-making and detailed embroidery are highly sought after, and their services quite expensive.

Hats aren't a big thing--unless they're necessitated by weather--since elegant, complex hairstyles are having a moment (the vibe but not necessarily form of fancy wedding updos). Historically, there hasn't been a major tendency toward long or short hair, regardless of gender, but long hair is stylish due to greater options for the aforementioned elegant hairstyles. (Not quite Hawk-length, though!) Hair accessories like ribbons, combs, and gemstones are common based on what a person has available to them.

Women are usually expected to wear dresses, and men are expected to wear trousers. But some avant garde women (including Sabine) have started wearing trousers at informal events (and formal events, if they're feeling extremely spicy). Some men have begun wearing dresses as well, but it hasn't taken off as much just yet. Robes are sometimes worn, but it's very rare since they're associated with being the garb of mages--not the most popular thing these days. So Hawk's gift had the double sin of being a robe AND not being a seasonally appropriate color.

[kamomie]

I really tried to do a more general commentary on Q!Foolish, but it does focus more so on the recent happenings OTL

Quick note, I’m working with the information we have as of July 30, so things might change and my views and interpretation of q!Foolish might not hold next month LOL

TL; DR

Q!Foolish is a complex character, who doesn’t fully understand consequences in relation to other people, largely because he is unable(currently, might change) and unwilling to view issues from another person’s perspective. He’s self-centered and it’s starting to become a problem for himself and others. This is not to discredit his good sides, which I also touch on, though a little less because this got long just talking about the first part. At the very end I list a few of his traits I don’t touch on in the main text, but I feel deserves to be pointed out too.

Now let’s start! Long read ahead!

One of my key takes on q!Foolish, is his inability to fully understand consequences, while simultaneously being aware of the possibility of consequences, but simply choosing not to engage with those ideas and thoughts. This is because he has a self-centered view, and so when he does think about consequences, he thinks about it regarding himself, and not others. Now, self-centeredness isn’t bad, as I’ve stated before, however it becomes a problem when it starts actively hurting others.

Him arresting q!Tazercraft shows this. While he has sporadically shown a bit of worry for them, he’s largely unbothered. He seems aware that there will be consequences, but it seems like he doesn’t quite understand the severity. Add to it that his focus is still on himself, “It’ll be a lonely path” he says, as if it’s somehow unreasonable for his friends to be angry with him after this betrayal. He simply lacks interpersonal understanding regarding these sorts of negative situations. He seems unable and unwilling to see it from another perspective.

This is not to say he’s completely unaware of others, he’s shown plenty of times that he does have interpersonal skills and understanding. One example being that he understood that people wouldn’t take kindly to his actual reasoning for agreeing to help the federation arrest q!Tazercraft, and so he lied and gave a reason most islanders would agree with and understand. But, again, this is one of the instances where he fails to factor in the possible consequences of his words, because if the truth comes out, people are likely to get angry at him for lying on top of his other actions. There won’t be a possible redeeming in the others saying, “well, at least he was honest with us”, that’s already been blown.

Another example of him ending up being aware of how others might feel, is when he got killed by Pomme. He perfectly knows not wearing armor puts him at risk, and he knows that when he instigates a playfight, there is always a risk one might get downed. However, he simply doesn’t care about the risk, to him it’s just whatever, he can easily brush it off and laugh at it, because to him it’s not a big deal. In this instance however, he becomes aware of how Pomme feels, and so he reassures her. This is an example of him realizing that his actions caused another person to do something that they felt bad about and ending up holding himself accountable for what happened by reassuring Pomme. This, however, seems to be more of an exception to the rule.

Either way, q!Foolish is so sure of himself, that it rarely occurs to him that he might be the issue or that others might not see things his way. And as I’ve said, when it does occur to him, he shuts that line of thinking down. It’s very evident when he talks about his work with the federation, that his focus is entirely on how it’ll affect him, and not how it’ll affect everyone around him. It seems that to him their reactions would be the problem, and not that it’s his actions they’re reacting to.

This part is not entirely confirmed canon! But if we assume q!Foolish to be some sort of immortal, then to me, he gives off this sort of young immortal vibe, that’s a bit arrogant, as if he sees himself above whatever could happen. Like, obviously he’s gonna be fine, right? While also a bit unknowing and uncaring about other people. Kinda like “You’re just dumb if you don’t agree with me/understand me LOL”, not meaning to be malicious, but coming across as entirely unsympathetic. 

Anyway, this is why I hope he gets forced to face the consequences for this traitor arc. I so badly want to see him handle something where the harm was done to others and not to himself, because he can easily brush off the consequences of his actions that harmed himself, but it might surprise him that he can’t brush off the hurt he caused q!Tazercraft.

Another interesting aspect of q!Foolish is his whole “I’m just a silly little guy!” thing. I think he does this for two main reasons, enjoyment of life and unpredictability / getting underestimated. Let’s start with enjoyment of life. Q!Foolish wants to enjoy life, be silly and see where things take him. His easygoing nature can be seen in how quickly he forgives people, how he generally acts, his attitude towards armor and dungeons. It can also be seen in his parenting, as he seems to be one of the more easygoing parents.

Now, I’m not team bad parent q!Foolish- Largely, I think he does great parenting Leo, however his easygoing nature does occasionally create less than safe situations. as an example, when he does dungeons with eggs, his easygoing nature paired with his silliness, will often manifest in him seemingly not taking the eggs safety seriously. He’ll ask the eggs to protect him and send them headfirst into danger, because he fully believes it’s the best way to live and that nothing bad will happen. Add to this that often when he’s with eggs other than his own daughter, he wipes his hands clean of responsibility. “If anything were to happen, it’s not my fault”, is an iteration of what he’ll say. This is not to say he doesn’t care; I’d say, the eggs probably bring out some of his best sides. I think the reason why he doesn’t want responsibility for them, is because it’s one of the instances where is aware of just how terrible the consequences would be to lose them.

But his easygoing nature and silliness also lets the eggs have fun, in a way that they often don’t get to with their parents. Q!Foolish will start playfights with eggs and let them beat him and kill him, all in good fun. He’ll encourage them to do waterdrops and to try things out for themselves.

It also often extend to the other Islanders, they often have a lot of fun with q!Foolish. It’s especially noticeable when q!Bad spends time with him, those two can get really silly with each other and it’s honestly so funny to watch.

Now let’s talk about the unpredictability and getting underestimated. I don’t think q!Foolish is stupid, I do however think he overestimates himself and how well he can handle certain situations. But I think a part of his overt silliness is a way for others to underestimate him. It’s a way for him to feel in control of his narrative. It also creates an air of unpredictability, as it can be difficult to tell when he’s being serious. This is also a part of why people allow his pro-federation tendencies, because surely, he wouldn’t seriously sell them out for a cloud or whatever he fancies in the moment? This unpredictability also serves as a an out for him. He can simply say “Well I’ve always been like this, it’s your fault for trusting me?”, meanwhile he’s been benefiting from this trust and care he’s received from his friends.

The reason I say q!Foolish overestimates himself, is because I think he’s started to realize he’s being manipulated by the federation, however, he thinks that because of this knowledge he has the upper hand, but I think he’s actually playing right into the federations hands. And it’s the same with the other islanders, he thinks he has the upper hand by being deceitful and lying about Richas, and that it means he can deal with whatever comes his way. He just fails to realize that if anything slips out and if he continues this path, the floor will crumble beneath his feet.

Other traits I’ve observed from Q!Foolish:

-Acceptance. He’s shown many times he’s a live and let live type of guy, which ties into his general self-centeredness, because to him doing something others might not agree with, doesn’t matter if he isn’t the victim.

-Adventurous. Q!Foolish, likes going on adventures and trying new things. Not afraid to do something new.

-Hardworking. He’s proven many times with his builds that he’s hardworking.

-Loyal. However, it’s reserved solely for his closest family, Vegetta and Leo.

-Patient. I touched on it a bit above but wanted to add a little something onto it. His patience at the start of the qsmp was slightly above average, after Leo’s arrival, it’s only gotten better.

-Charming. Q!Foolish has a lot of charm, and it helps him tremendously, both gaining friends and staying out of trouble.

-Friendly. Almost always friendly and approachable.

-Perfectionist. Again, ties in with his building skills, he’s very meticulous with his builds and want them to be as perfect as possible, though he’s not overly perfectionist, he’s able to recognize when he’s building something for the first time it might not be perfect, but instead uses it as a learning experience.

-Procrastinator. Often ties in with being a perfectionist, because it requires a lot of focus and so you might stop for a while to catch a break.

[mooniety]

sometimes when i see how a lot of people interpret susie being a girlboss & still a big bad, i worry that my own interpretations may be a bit too out of character, so here's my interpretation!

i want to make her conflicted, feel constantly ostracized, naive, overly defensive, anxiety ridden, lack an understanding of modern social cues, have a witty sort of awkwardness, & waste literal days doing heavy research on how to make friends only to later realize that said research was wildly incorrect & unnecessary to a humorous degree

she's definitely intelligent, but getting 100s on all of your exams doesn't exactly equate to being the most street smart, i'd say she's the equivalent of an overly sheltered stem kid, perhaps even a madonna of some sorts - work is the only thing & friend she knows

even if she's lived in a pseudo hell for what i imagine was a majority of her life, despite the largely popular idea that she fought back with the hopes to just live another day, what if she instead hid like a coward the entire time & ate whatever scraps she could find after the persecutors finally left? after all, she didn't come back home with many physical scars, if any at all

& despite being disgustingly rich, her wealth is just a shield - classism as a form of confidence she aggressively douses herself in like gasoline to hide all of the mental trauma she's obtained over the past years, shown through an immature mindset of how wealth is spent: ugly items she purchases because it has easily recognizable luxury branding displayed all across it, stupidly big gold diamond jewelry you'll never see her wear because it goes against work policy, & expensive food & drink that is specifically popular on social media platforms when it barely fills her nor really fit her tastes

yet, she manages to hide this all, gatekeeping her true emotions with a ridiculously arrogant, nefarious crackle she's been taught through multiple encounters with others will basically guarantee her a 100% chance of escaping her current situation, fancy yet crude teases & remarks built from words she doesn't understand the true impact of, & a simple venomous smile. she's on the verge of breaking, but you wouldn't even know it.

everything about her is running away. hiding. fearing. cowering. crying. begging. rinse & repeat.

she's a liar to herself & everyone around her-- & she knows it.

she's definitely still morally ambiguous, don't get me wrong - good, heartfelt, maybe even heroic intentions, disgustingly horrible & overly grandiose ways of carrying them out, but no matter what, she's still a coward at the end of the day

she's a young girl stuck in an adult woman's body - forever stuck in the past yet forced to live in the present

she's no black swan. she's the purest, most innocent, white swan you've ever laid your eyes on. & if you've seen the swan lake, you know how it ends - a tragedy.

maybe someday she'll gain the confidence she needs to get over her fears, but for now, she's nothing but a coward that desperately clings onto her wealth as if it were a white knight in shining armor. maybe that's why a lot of people like to headcanon that she has a massive crush on meta knight. but hey, i'm guilty of that too.

anyways she's still best girl of 2024-beyond because i have a thing for villainesses, please don't ask me further about that part... ^^;

tl;dr: my headcanon for susie is not very girlboss but instead a wimpy rich chick, & i REVEL in that.

[strangefellows]

Alrighty then! As I finished LB6 at....oh, 5am this morning -- because I got stuck on Cernunnos and went to bed early, and then couldn't sleep because I was stressing about finishing the LB before the Oberon banner -- it is time to once again sit my ass down and babble about my (possibly unusual? idk) take on Oberon Vortigern.

I'm gonna put my full thoughts beyond a cut but TL;DR -- I'm far, far more interested in the Vortigern part of him, and so my take and interpretation tends to focus on that side of him, and on looking at PHH Vortigern as well. (Not that Oberon isn't an intrinsic part of him as well; it's just that I tend to look at him as more "Vortigern wearing Oberon" more than "Oberon who is also Vortigern".)

So when I was....oh god. Very young. Four? Five? An incredibly small child, I know that much. I was given a picture book. See, my mom is a huge, huge, huge fan of Arthuriana, I cannot count how many books she's got on the topic. That's one of her two big loves, Arthuriana and Robin Hood (which is a whole other kettle of FGO fish, me and my dear outlaw, for another time). Anyway, she got me a book. Merlin and the Dragons by Jane Yolen -- I'll link you guys to an audiobook version on youtube, it's of course a kid's book and very short, and gorgeously illustrated, but that's not the important part. The important part is, well, the story. The story of little Emrys, King Vortigern and his tower, and the two dragons. That was, I think, my very first exposure to Arthuriana, and I was immediately in love. That story in particular captured my attention, and ever since then I've been extremely obsessed with interested in Vortigern. The Charlie Hunnam/Guy Ritchie King Arthur movie is my favorite King Arthur movie I've ever seen solely because Vortigern is there (and Jude Law kills it, ok?). So, of course, two years ago when Oberon first dropped and I saw him on the FGO Wiki, I was mildly interested -- until I saw his full True Name, and then I was immediately sold. Oberon is one thing, but Oberon Vortigern? Yes, please, give me all the details.

And as I read more about FGO's Vortigern, especially the retcons they gave in FGO about what he is (compared to the very old Garden of Avalon LN) -- that he was born of Britain's will of self-destruction to preserve the Age of Magic and prevent the dying out of Mystics, that he was born both human and not -- I was so fascinated, especially when I read more about Oberon Vortigern, and I drew parallels between their situations.

In essence, both of them -- PHH and Lostbelt Vortigerns -- are an exercise in contradictions. Two diametrically opposed things inside one being.

For PHH Vortigern, he was born as a human, Uther's brother and Artoria's uncle -- but he was also born as the avatar of Britain's will, the White Dragon. Unlike Artoria as the Red Dragon, who was meant to protect humanity, Vortigern was supposed to protect Mystics and the Age of Magic, to destroy humanity...but at the same time, he was in part human. Holmes, in the introduction to LB6 Part 2, says it best despite talking about Morgan:

It's unclear if PHH Vortigern had a faerie aspect (and admittedly, quite frankly the fact that his successor Morgan did makes me look at Oberon and go hmmm in that regard), but even so the same comment still applies: his human aspect and his aspect that was Britain's avatar were irreconcilable. And unlike Morgan, it seems as if he didn't partition them off (or couldn't?) and...well, we know how that went, if that part of the LN is any indication. Or hell, looking at Salter or Lalter. Man probably went a little crazy.

And by the same token, Lostbelt Vortigern is the same way-- but rather than 'man vs mystic' it's a matter of 'truth vs lies'. His identity as Vortigern is intrinsically altered and changed by the aspect of Oberon placed on top of it. And while I absolutely agree that the Welsh faeries did not, as some people think, 'brainwash' him, and he was both from the start...they absolutely were the reason he is Oberon Vortigern.

Now it's not explicitly stated, but more or less to me this implies that the chrysalis, when it got up, had been shaped by the desires and wishes of the Welsh faeries who had been awaiting a 'perfect fairy tale king' -- Oberon Vortigern even mentions the flotsam that Morgan let wash up as likely the source of that particular notion.

After all, if he was truly 100% a 'Lostbelt Faerie King Oberon', he wouldn't be affected by either Titania's (non)existence or the lying Thing brought on by the circumstances of the play.

I think the distinction I make, like I said above the cut, is that he's not "Oberon who is also Vortigern" so much as he's "Vortigern who was given the mask of Oberon". The White Dragon, the Abyssal Wyrm (they used that spelling once they should have kept it, it makes perfect sense!) at his core, but rather than wearing the face of a human King of the Saxons, he's wearing the face of a faerie King of Wales. Oberon Vortigern rather than Vortigern Pendragon. Oberon is the type of Vortigern he is, shaped by nurture/environment at birth, rather than the nature of what he is at the core.

That's why he's a Pretender -- he's Vortigern pretending to be the Faerie King so hard it's impossible to tell anymore what's a lie and what's not, rather than the other way around.

EDIT TO ADD: I was going through my screenshots again (because a bitch literally screencapped every line of dialogue in the finale) and:

Forgot he'd just, uh, said it outright. "I am Vortigern using the face of Oberon the Faerie King from Proper Human History," huh. Granted, man's a liar by nature, but... (not to mention, I notice, that the way he phrases his description of Vortigern doesn't match the LB, because in the LB the Age of Mystics never ended. One wonders, then, if Vortigern himself is -- to borrow computer metaphors from Nasu -- basically a 'universal program' from the inner sea reused with different shells depending on the situation, given Albion itself sits in on the border of all realities, and he is also the same Vortigern as PHH, just in a different form for this particular usage.)

Either way and in any case, as he's said, Oberon Vortigern is also a contradiction: Vortigern wants -- no, is born to -- destroy the Lostbelt, while Oberon wants to destroy PHH for Titania. That's the contradiction. The object truth of PHH over the lies, the story of the Lostbelt. And, as with 'Man vs Mystic', that's irreconcilable. And thus, his misery, his pain, his disgust at his own existence and everything else.

I'm sure approaching it from the Oberon side has similar conclusions to be drawn, but it's fascinating to me taking it from the Vortigern side and looking at PHH Vortigern, especially given the discussion of him in the early parts of LB6 and the presence of Melusine/Albion. As well as Oberon Vortigern's relationship with Merlin, given PHH Vortigern absolutely has to have ties with him given the main myth Vortigern comes up in. (Points emphatically at Dinas Emrys in Wales.)

Anyway! I would kill a man for a PHH Vortigern alt Servant (Ruler or Avenger calling it now), and I have a lot of personal headcanons for my own Master OC's specific in-universe version of Oberon Vortigern, but in general, I love looking at him from this perspective.

....

And really, though, they should've kept it as Abyssal Wyrm.

GO BACK AND MAKE IT WYRM AGAIN, LASENGLE. WYRMS ARE LIMBLESS DRAGONS, IT'S LITERALLY A WORM-WYRM, IT MAKES SENSE, IT FITS, IT'S PERFECT DOUBLE MEANINGS. [riots, coughs]

[concerningwolves]

Heya! I have an rp related question regarding a HoH character of mine, if you don’t mind me asking that is, it’s a superhero rp and I’ve been looking for ways they would be accommodated whilst on missions.

I was initially thinking of them not wearing hearing aids for the missions (they wear them for daily life) since they’re going to be grappling from buildings along with fighting, it’s really just to prevent the hearing aids from being destroyed, instead they are accommodated through other gadgets to help prevent scenes like sneak attacks, although I’m not sure if this way holds questionable implications, which is why I’m putting it here.

I have a second idea for accommodating them, which is to have hearing aids implemented into their helmet, the helmet itself is meant to “high tech” esc, even if the hearing aids were to fall or get pulled out, the helmet would catch them, along with the additions of those various gadgets I mentioned, as they’re really big into robotics and mechanics, and can afford to make it, plus I have an idea as to how it’d work. My hesitation with the second one is because we have a scene planned out which would result in the helmet being taken off by someone else as it’s a captive situation which is where I get unsure.

I know scenes like this need to be treaded very carefully, you’ve answered an ask somewhat like this before but the example in the ask was different, though I know all of what you said there still applies here. I’m wondering, for this specific scenario, if I do go with the second one, would there be any additional advice for sensitively going about it?

Hearing/accessibility aids for superheroes

Oohh *rubs hands gleefully*. More deaf/disabled superheroes. Excellent :3

I am always excited about inventive hearing and accessibility aids in the SFF genre, so this ask makes my brain go BRRR. Thank you, anon!

TL;DR of my answer:

Hearing aids and alternatives in combat are fine (and encouraged!), especially when the deaf character has input in their design and implementation. The only real issues come in if the aids are foisted upon the character or if they entirely negate the disability / function like magical cures. It's also a good idea to consider realistic limitations and necessary upkeep.

Having an aid taken away is a thorny issue, which someone is probably going to be upset about either way. My opinion is that it's sometimes a fact that characters do horrible things to other characters as part of the story, which taking away a character's HA or other device(s) counts as. Still, it's important to be aware of the potential issues when writing these scenarios, and to always use nuance.

Full answer below the cut.

Hearing aids (and alternatives) in combat

What kind of HAs does your character use in everyday life? If they use any kind of open or behind-the-ear style where part of the HA will be out of the ear, then I understand why they would seek alternative aids in combat. There's a definite risk of damage/getting lost (at worst) or the hook or housing getting caught, resulting in the whole thing being displaced and reducing performance (at best). Other limitations with these styles include:

sweat and earwax buildup in the mould or ear tip

Water clogging the mould or ear tip

Condensation buildup in the tube that connects the ear tip/mould to the housing.

For that last point, I always had to use one of these bad boys to pump the condensation out after PE:

[Image description: a SoundLink air blower box, next to the air blower itself. The air blower is a lemon-shaped pump with a tiny little tip attached. /End ID]

(As an aside, no HA-using superhero would go far without the means to do impromptu maintenance on their aids. I always had a little hearing aid maintenance kit in my schoolbag (my HAs are open fit BTE models), which included one of those pumps, some wires and brushes for cleaning into the tube and ear mould, and a battery level tester.)

Inner ear HA styles, on the other hand, shouldn't pose those same issues, and are actually recommended for people who play sports, afaik. They fit close inside the ear without any external parts, and there are models available with sweat protection (and even some that are water resistant, I think). Note that not all styles of hearing aid are suitable for all types of deafness, so it's not necessarily as simple as switching styles for different situations, but it's still something to research.

If your character is into robotics and tech, and has the means, then it absolutely makes sense that they'd come up with aids for themself. The helmet being a backup that can catch the HAs is actually a super cool idea! And like I've said, I'm delighted by adaptive gadgets and inventive accessibility aids. It's always doubly cool when those aids are designed by – or with input from – the deaf/disabled characters themselves. I.e., when it's an informed, personal choice to use an aid, and not something that is gracious bestowed upon that character by someone who's there in an abled saviour capacity. So long as you avoid that particular pitfall, you're doing fine.

Finally, there's the blanket caveat of "Make sure the aids don't ~miraculously~ cure the disability so it's like your character Isn't Really Disabled", but it sounds like you're already well aware of that. So long as the aids assist with the disability instead of conveniently erasing it (i.e., allowing readers and writers to forget about it for palatability's sake, or to make telling the story easier), there isn't an issue in having characters use them.

Taking away the aid(s)

I apologise if this next bit is going to feel like a non-answer, but it's not an issue that I have an easy answer for. All I can do is tell you my personal opinion, as a moderately deaf person who choses to rarely use his HAs.

My answer boils down to: it's complicated, because the limitations and the risks are realistic, but it is tricky ground to walk because of prevalent ableist tropes about disabled people being liabilities. At a very basic level, it's kind of analogous to blindfolding a captive so they're disoriented by lack of a sense, which is a tried and true thing that villains do in stories when they take captives. So yes, exploiting any vulnerability or weak point* is shitty, but it's also just A Thing That Could Reasonably Happen.

*weak point meant in a completely neutral, context-dependent way, btw. I'm not saying that deafness or using hearing aids makes you weak; I'm saying that someone desperate/callous/evil (or some other flavour of Opposed to the Protagonist) would probably take any advantage they can get, depending on their morals.

If a villain does draw a line at taking away a character's accessibility aid, then it should be because it says something about the villain's character, motives and/or role in the narrative. Similarly, if they do take that aid away, it shouldn't just be because they're Evil™ and whumping on the deaf character is an easy way to show that.

There needs to be internal consistency of characterisation for all your characters, which includes both your deaf protagonist and your antagonist. And, no, it's not necessarily going to be comfortable for a deaf or disabled person to read, but if something awful is happening to the characters, then maybe that's the point. (And we as readers have the responsibility to realise that our discomfort isn't always the author's responsibility. Sometimes fiction is uncomfortable and we can just walk away from it!).

But also, yes, sensitivity is important. Be aware of harmful tropes and stereotypes, and steer clear of them, for example, having the deaf character become suddenly helpless/no longer being "useful" to the team. Having an aid taken away is scary and disorientating (and also a violation! Which it's entirely natural to be upset or angry about!), but deaf people have many coping mechanisms, gathered by necessity throughout our lives. Some, like lip-reading or reading body language, aren't always reliable, but they're still there as an option.

Finally, think outside of the deafness aspect and work with the whole character. Ask yourself what else could the captor could exploit or suppress? I.e., loyalty to their teammates that can be leveraged, a dark secret, important knowledge that they need and that the captor has, a fear of heights, useful powers or abilities, etc. It's easy to limit yourself to only the deaf aspects when you're over-focusing on accurate representation, which ends up defeating the object.

Thank you for your question, and best of luck with your writing! <3

[tiffaluvr]

okay we are definitely getting closer to the point where Aiko meets Daisuke because I KNOW they are going to meet.

big yap on The Spectrum Of Us ahead (⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)

Consider the TSOU universe timeline:

(this was posted on Sen-chan's insta, btw)

Notice the way TSOU ends and then re-starts with the 1 yr timeskip (the current time of the new chapters btw)

BSC "continues or will continue between TSOU's timeskip", and in both TSOU and BSC we have seen how the Saito family was searching for a new successor, either Emiko or Daisuke. So it's been a year: something must've happened, I suppose.

As much as Daisuke hates the idea of having the burdens of his family, and so does Emiko, it is very unlikely the family picked Emiko as a successor, since the grandfather was very firm with his idea of Emiko being "useless".

Emiko ily u don't deserve this shit btw

Even if her father clearly would like for her to be the successor, it's gonna be unlikely because he also dislikes her.

They were also supposed to do that combined marriage thing, it was either Daisuke and Sara or Riku and Emiko, but I'm pretty sure Daisuke is gonna take the burden just to make sure Emiko doesn't get involved in this.

It is not sure whether the Daisuke/Sara marriage actually happened because in the end, they were supposed to marry to benefit Daisuke's mother's health condition, she could've died in the meantime

TL;DR up to this point: it is most likely that, in the timeskip, Daisuke became the successor of the Saito family

Sen also posted smth in may, when the webcomic was back, and recently a "Daisuke timeskip design" for his birthday.

Try and tell me he doesn't have that serious look of head of the mafia family. Seriously.

However I'd like to pay more attention to the first image specifically, because, not only Aiko is wearing her police uniform, but there's a symbol with wolves on it.

1. As for the Aiko uniform thing, I really hope it indicates they're gonna reunite in the current situation (since she's wearing THAT and she's at work right now + Setsuko is around. If there's Setsuko there must be Daisuke). It could be simply the author put both their timeskip designs and that's it, but I'm gonna hope it's the first theory

2. It seems like it's mainly wolves involved in this green bird situation.

They are clearly trafficking him and want to sell him to someone

Reminder: hybrids of humans and birds / humans and reptiles are forbidden and illegal in this universe

Very much something you'd see the mafia doing.

At this point, what I mean is that the Saito family is most likely involved, and if Daisuke really is the successor, it means he's also involved in this stuff.

Involved = Present at the event where this undercover stuff is happening.

However, we don't know if he really wanted to do this. Or if he's gotten worse, if that's the case

Maybe the family has some troubles? There's something going on? Why are wolves forbidden? (Because that's what I'd get out of such a symbol on the wall)

TL;DR again: if Daisuke really is the successor of the Saito family, and this stuff has them involved, it means he's probably around and might meet Aiko soon.

I'm not expecting it to be all fun and games, he's probably going to act like she doesn't even exist and ignore her, hell she might even get in serious trouble again!

Whatever happens, I'll look forward to it! I'm also hoping Sen recovers since she said she's not feeling well and she's slowing down the updates to one every two weeks instead of one each week.

That's all!

I don't even know why I'm making this stuff so long, however I gotta say this webtoon had me hooked from the first chapter, binged it all in one day and it was the best decision ever. So many characters and stories :3

P.S. it is your average cutesy anime style mafia romance. however I am very much enjoying your average cutesy anime style mafia romance, especially because it is a light read yet interesting, AND IT DOESN'T ROMANTICIZE MAFIA FOR ONCE.

Bye :3

[jaqobis]

i finished the path of daggers last night and i have this whole jumble of incoherent thoughts about rand’s and egwene’s leadership storylines in this book

but tl;dr it remains fascinating how you have these two characters with similar personalities, dealing with similar circumstances (trying to take ownership of these leadership roles they’ve been thrust into because the alternative is watch time being frittered away at the end of the world), with similar traumas and trauma response and similar frustrations with the people they’re dealing with! some lines egwene’s had about romanda or lelaine are beat for beat what rand’s had about shitty nobles he’s been forced to work around! she dealt with moghedien exactly how he dealt with asmodean! both of them think on and use advice from moiraine! the SAME advice from moiraine! it’s incredibly sad that amyrlin seat egwene and the dragon reborn rand will never just hang out and commiserate about their jobs because they’d have so much to talk about.

the biggest difference, of course, is isolation. because even with nynaeve and elayne gone and essentially out of contact for most of this book, egwene has both a friend and mentor figure in siuan. yes, siuan cares about and tries to help her, but importantly, siuan is also teaching her and reining in her behavior! siuan warns her about overreaching, siuan gives her that important perspective on why wanting to throw away the three oaths is dangerous and even offensive to aes sedai, siuan keeps her patient. rand spends most of this book with no one can he really trust or rely on, and even when he does (bashere, min), he’s dismissing and disobeying the advice he’s given. he’s also getting it hammered home over and over again that whenever his (or lews therin’s) sins come home to roost it’s other people who get hurt. ta’veren means he has plot armor and he knows it and he knows that it means he has to watch people pay for his mistakes while he comes out alive, because he has to come out alive, or the world ends before tarmon gai’don. 

i think part of it has to do with how their respective captivity traumas played out, too. both rand and egwene at this point have very horrible, very formative experiences where they were captured and tortured and beyond help for several weeks. egwene’s was, of course, longer ago at this point. but she was also saved by her friends in her darkest moment, and she was not alone after that, either; they traveled together that whole winter going back to the tower, they were together at the tower, and they were together on their other adventures too! she had nynaeve and elayne and aviendha and others to help her cope. rand was in a situation where, with no idea if help was even coming (and lbr how would they have found him even if they’d reached him first?), he had to free himself, he didn’t run into a friendly rescuing face until several minutes after that, and was pretty much immediately pushed into a position of having to make painful calls and getting reamed out for them and reminded how much it cost to save him. perrin was under a lot of pressure at that moment too! but oh boy what a thing to say to someone Right Then And There, and rand clearly internalized and took it in stride because that’s not very different from how he thinks about people around him getting hurt anyway. 

rand’s had to wear arrogance as a shield the same way egwene’s learning to wield aes sedai coldness, and clearly a big part of his storyline right now is how the arrogance is starting to wield him instead of vice versa. (though i’d argue that he’s always been very proud, it just didn’t have avenues to come out as glaringly obviously as it does nowadays.) cadsuane’s trying to position herself to be to him what siuan is for egwene, which is great because he needs that and terrible because cadsuane is not equipped to actually provide what specifically he needs. i suspect if moiraine were still around (and lan by association, his emotional support sworddad), his behavior might better resemble egwene’s right now. and if egwene didn’t have siuan, it’s easy to imagine she might grow more prideful about her own power too -- completely well-meaningly, completely born out of the same impulse that rand has, that she has tremendous access to this Power and should be allowed to do things with it (including, say, things the oaths disallow), and because being strong in the Power will keep her safe. a sentiment they both share, honestly! 

rand and egwene are extremely similar personalities, such beautifully articulated narrative foils, and tbh i will die on this hill

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Was Napoleon a tyrant? I don't necessarily think he was: at least, I believe he was a better alternative to the absolute monarchs he was fighting. But there are those who disagree. What are your thoughts on the subject?

This is a can of worms to be sure.

I mean....how are we defining the word tyrant? All monarchs are tyrants to someone. Monarchy, by its very nature, is tyrannical in one way, shape, or form, no matter who is at its head. Even in the more neutered forms we see now days with the British. The Queen still exerts a ridiculous amount of power, all things considered.

Napoleon was no better or worse than any other monarch in Europe at that time. Indeed, better than some, worse than others. Because you know, he was human!

-

This got VERY long. SO LONG. Choice excerpts from below the cut:

"'Power was encroaching with large strides behind the words order and stability,' as Thibaudeau put it."

"(And I suspect he was concerned about seeming too eager for power/setting up a monarchical system. Fouche: You're about as subtle as a canon going off right next door. Napoleon: Hush.)"

"Theeeeeen the little bastard (affectionate) became Emperor."

"Napoleon Vs. Jeff Bezos: fight! fight! fight! (I'm putting my money on Napoleon.)"

--

tl;dr: a more or less benevolent emperor who had his faults and who was intimately aware, for better or worse, more than most monarchs, that the head is only tenuously attached to the body. (Skim to the bottom for my thoughts on the personal things i.e. how I interpret Napoleon's actions and brain)

But, more seriously, as with most absolute statements, I am opposed to calling him a tyrant because it is reductive and serves no purpose except to make broad sweeping political statements that I believe are far more about the person making the statement exemplifying their modern political, republican position (as in, actual republican-I-support-the-existence-of-republics not the gop) rather than expressing any sort of truth about the past. (wHaT iS tRuTh.)

For historical purposes, it can over-simplify the situation and lead to skewed interpretations of events because you're coming in with this word that has a lot of modern, 20th and 21st century baggage to it.

And, because these people are coming in with this big, bad word of tyrant as a label for Napoleon, it doesn't allow them to engage with the nuance and complexities of his reign.

Anyway.

Napoleon, as emperor, supported centralized power held in his own hands, with support from other governing bodies (senate, council of state etc.). However, Napoleon had a lot of influence in the structuring of these governing bodies and the subsequent appointments as a means to exert control over entities that would otherwise be able to act somewhat independent from him and impinge his power.

We see this consolidation of power beginning, obviously, under the consulate. 'Power was encroaching with large strides behind the words order and stability,' as Thibaudeau put it.

There was the whole theatre around the Tribunate offering to extend Napoleon's tenure as First Consul for another ten years as a means of thanks/showing gratitude for all he did for France (Fouche was like: fuck that, let's just make a statue of the guy). Napoleon played the part of Humble Servant of the Public and refused both statue and the ten year extension. (Very Julius Caesar: You all did see that on the Lupercal, I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?)

In actuality, though, he was pissed because he wanted it extended for life.

This resulted in the Council of State deciding "independently" (i.e. Napoleon wasn't present but he sure as hell influenced that Council session) to hold a plebiscite in order to ask The People two key questions: 'Should Napoleon Bonaparte be consul for life?' and 'Should he have the right to designate his successor?'

Napoleon nixed the second question saying to Cambaceres, 'The testament of Louis XIV was not respected, so why should mine be? A dead man has nothing to say.' Which is to say, he knew people would vote for him to be Consul for life, but the prospect of him choosing a successor, a la the Roman Empire, and having that choice be without input from the people and respected upon his death? Less clear.

(And, I suspect he was concerned about seeming too eager for power/setting up a monarchical system.

Fouche: You're about as subtle as a canon going off right next door.

Napoleon: Hush.)

For the Plebiscite, there were around 3.56 million votes for Yes to the question of Napoleon as consul for life and only around 8,300 for No.

The turnout rate was 60% which is uhh...impressive! (To be fair, there was no real evidence of tampering with the vote. Unlike in subsequent Plebiscites, such as the results for Do We Make Him Emperor, which were absolutely doctored. But, considering the highest turnout ever seen in the French Revolution was around 30/35%, double that is certainly something.)

Lafayette was pissed with this. He kicked up a fuss in the Senate and wrote to Napoleon saying that his 'restorative dictatorship' had been well and fine for now but has Napoleon thought about restoring liberty? and that he was certain Napoleon, of all people, wouldn't want an 'arbitrary regime' to be installed!

Napoleon: Bold of you to assume that, Lafayette.

There were, at this time, some mumblings and grumblings about tyranny from the liberals and those still wanting to continue the experiment of the French Republic, to be sure. They increased as time went on and Napoleon's power continued to consolidate.

Theeeeeen the little bastard (affectionate) became Emperor.

Lafayette: WhAt Is tHiS??

Napoleon: Look into my face and tell me honestly that you are shocked.

--

His government, as Consul and as Emperor, was centralized and very top-down in how it operated. Little was done without Napoleon's input.

The seemingly democratic institutions that had propped him up into power were retained and Napoleon used them as a means to facilitate his rule. As noted earlier, Napoleon had a heavy hand in appointments and the processes in place to fill various offices. Nothing was really...independent of him and his influence.

Though, in terms of Image Building of Empire, Napoleon worked hard to try and maintain the façade of impartiality as emperor. That he was head of state, sure, but all state apparatuses operated independent of him.

(Why is Napoleon's hat so big? because it is full of lies supporting the imperial image making machine.)

That said, when it came to filling those offices, Napoleon focused on merit more than anything as he wanted his governing officials to be capable, hardworking and, above all else, loyal.

(A good quote from Napoleon in one of his more Eat the Rich moments of the consulate: 'One cannot treat wealth as a title of nobility. A rich man is often a layabout without merit. A rich merchant is often only so by virtue of the art of selling expensively or stealing.'

Napoleon Vs. Jeff Bezos: fight! fight! fight!

(I'm putting my money on Napoleon.) )

--

This is getting really long and I feel that I've not addressed anything in a useful manner, but am I going to stop? No.

--

Napoleon, himself, at least in 1803, did express some conflicted views about assuming an imperial title. To Roederer he said, 'So many great things have been achieved over the past three years under the title of consul. It should be kept.'

Cambaceres said to Napoleon that upon assuming an imperial title 'your position changes and places you at odds with yourself.' No longer are you merely a public servant, an upholder of the Republic's ideals. Now you are a man wearing a crown, trying to be the upholder of the Republic's ideals.

(nb: I feel that duality is something Napoleon never fully got a handle on. He would veer strongly into authoritarian monarch then have moments of Rousseau-ian Idealism.)

Napoleon was insistent that his rule be a parliamentary monarchy (keeping the governance framework implemented in the Constitution of Year VIII, if I am not mistaken. But don't quote me on that.) and that the French were not his subjects but his people.

So, the imperial government worked thus with the Legislative process divided between four bodies:

Council of State which would draw up legislative proposals,

Tribunate which could debate on legislation but not vote on it,

a legislative body which could vote on legislation but not discuss it, and

Senate which would consider whether the proposed legislation conformed to the Constitution.

The Senate and the Legislative body could, theoretically, curtail Napoleon’s freedom/power. However, considering the fact that he was involved in the appointment process of these offices, and the general rhythm of daily governance, how much power they were able to exert over him was limited.

(This is at his height! Of course, towards the end we see a shift in that. But that's largely tied up in his military defeats and the British banging the door knocker demanding to be let in. Also they brought with them some friends. You might have heard of them? Bourbons?)

The initial terms the Senate brought to Napoleon with their offer of accepting him as a hereditary monarch included, but weren't limited to:

liberty cannot be infringed

equality cannot be jeopardized

sovereignty of the people must be maintained

the laws of the nation are inviolable

all institutions were to be free from undue imperial influence (e.g. the press)

the nation should never be put into a position where it needs to behead the head of state. Again.

Napoleon was uh. Not best pleased with this and had a new version drafted up that included acknowledgement of the sovereignty of the people, but a lot of the other things (e.g. freedom of the press) were cut out.

Yet, Napoleon maintained certain parts of the French Revolution's values which were reflected more in the 1804 Code Napoleon and other legislative and legal pieces than in the initial terms of Senatorial acceptance of his imperial title.

Some of the things enshrined in the Code that were carry-over from the Revolution include, but aren't limited to, the abolition of feudalism, equality before the law, freedom of conscience (to practice their own religion), gave fixed title to those who had bought church and émigré lands during the 1790s, and the equality of taxation was maintained (tax those aristos and the church). Also, there was affirmation of the idea of careers being "open to talent" rather than an accident of birth (as touched on above).

The Freedom of Conscience clause in the Code was a further formalization of several Articles Napoleon amended onto the Concordat in 1802. The Articles guaranteed the principle of religious toleration and made the Protestant and Jewish churches similarly subject to state authority (alongside the Catholic).

These are just a brief summary of some of the more liberal/revolution-informed aspects of Napoleon's governing.

The non-liberal ones I believe we're all pretty familiar with: suppression of the free press, roll-back of rights for women (women are for babies!), reinstatement of slavery (which he later reversed circa 1810/12-ish), top-down Emperor-has-final-word approach to ruling (Napoleon was all about Authority From Above, Trust From Below) etc. etc.

At the end of this, I would say Napoleon's empire falls into that "benevolent monarch" situation. For a given value of "benevolent." As stated at the start, he was like most other monarchs in Europe at the time. Better than some, not as great about certain things as others.

--

Really, it all ties back to Order and Stability.

Napoleon's assent, and his approach to strong, centralized ruling, was a result of uncertainty and constant government change over ten years of revolution alongside the growing belief, by 1803, that a republic like the Romans or Greeks was not going to happen any time soon. Not without constant warfare and the forever looming threat of a Bourbon restoration.

In addition, Napoleon was doing imperial drag. (If that makes sense.) He was dialing the notch of Emperor up to 11 - being the most emperor of all emperors. So, state control was absolute because he couldn't show any signs of weakness - either in his own body, his familial body, or the body of state. The court protocols were intense and over-the-top at times because he had to prove he was not just a second son of a parvenu lawyer from the sticks. No! he was worthy of this pomp. He was worthy of imperial majesty. He was worthy of the crown and scepter.

Napoleon was not raised to be anything other than a military officer and a middle-class head of a family (would have been a MASTER at doing Sunday Dad Puttering About the House). When he dawned the mantel of power, particularly that of empire, he had to make it up as he went along. For such a self-conscious and proud man, this was difficult. He never wanted to misstep and be embarrassed - on a personal level, political or military.

At the same time, he was reared on Rousseau and Revolution so still had those values and ideals imbedded in him, and those fears and memories. Napoleon knew as well as any Frenchman that a monarch's head is easily removable should it become necessary. Therefore, he sometimes ran roughshod over the liberty to ensure security. For better or worse, that was the choice he made.

--

Napoleon was a flawed leader with a complex approach to governing that was focused on a centralization of power within him while, at the same time, trying to be the Successor of the Revolution, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Layers! Like an onion.

His approach as emperor really was within the realm of normal-for-the-times when compared to most other monarchs on the European stage in 1800. He also granted liberties to his people that were unheard of in other countries.

I feel like all my Napoleonic ramblings end with the same message: Dude was nuanced. Dude was complex. Dude did good things and bad things. Dude helped people and hurt people. Dude contained multitudes. Because he was simply human, at the end of the day.

--

ANNNNNNND we are done.

Gods bless all y'all who made it this far.

Have my favourite picture of Napoleon at Tuileries as a prize.

hmm that beautiful heavy, handed symbolism.

[infiniteglitterfall]

The vaccine is important because it makes it MUCH less likely that you'll have such a bad case of COVID that you have to be hospitalized.

Severe COVID causes way more damage.

But the vaccine doesn't give you much immunity.

Basically, it takes 2 weeks for your immunity to build, and then you have maybe 50%-60% immunity for a month before it starts dropping again. It ends up at about 20%-30% by month 3, then it drops to near zero after month 6.

Why yes, it IS fucked up that we can barely manage to distribute vaccines once a year!

Immunity from getting COVID is a little higher. But it drops in about the same amount of time.

There's some evidence that if you get BOTH -- COVID and the vaccine for the strain of COVID you got -- then you have good long-lasting immunity. But a shockingly low number of people have gotten the vaccine in the past year.

For me, the strongest reason to wear a mask in public is that it makes it easier for other people to wear a mask in public.

I've seen lots and lots of chronically ill and immune-vulnerable people say that wearing a mask is good allyship.

Because (1) it protects them from anything you might not know you have.

And (2) it makes it safer for them to be out and to wear a mask. It makes it more normal, it encourages others to do it, and it makes it less likely that people will be awful to them about it.

A mask protects both you and other people. If the last thing you heard about masking is that it only protects others, you are four years behind on any information about this stuff and you are in danger because of that.

(Doubly so if you think you know when you're sick/contagious. "It only protects others and I'm not sick, so" is a big part of why case rates have been so high.)

Even if I don't think I'm at risk in a given situation, someone else might be. I might be getting coffee at a coffee shop where someone's coworker has COVID and doesn't know it yet.

Which makes them very infectious.

I know that one from personal experience! My normally extremely-COVID-cautious ex went out to eat twice in one weekend, last fall. He didn't think he was at any risk. I guess because there weren't many people there?

Listen: COVID is AIRBORNE. Unless there's a lot of air filtration going on, IT HANGS IN THE AIR FOR 4-6 HOURS.

THAT IS WHAT AIRBORNE MEANS. THEY WERE NOT CLEAR ENOUGH ABOUT THIS IN THE BEGINNING oF THE PANDEMIC.

Anyway: he didn't think he was at any risk from that... so he didn't mention it, or wear a mask around anybody afterward.

Within 24 hours, he came to my house to pick up the kid, stood in the living room talking to my roommate for like 30 minutes, and gave her COVID.

Three days after that, both of them got sick, and he tested positive. and that's how I found out we were all getting COVID!

Maybe if I show up wearing a mask, at a coffee shop where one of the baristas is contagious, or at a grocery store where some other shopper is contagious, it'll inspire them to grab a mask and put it on. Or to get some and start wearing them.

Maybe it'll just brighten the day of someone else who's wearing a mask. Or who isn't right then, but does when they're around their immune-compromised friends.

Also, if you hate masks, consider whether that's because you only tried cloth or surgical ones.

Cloth masks are harder to breathe through. Surgical masks can be too. Both of them can make your voice sound muffled. Neither one is super effective, either; I think they average 60%-80%, depending on the number of cloth layers.

I haven't really had either of those problems with an N95/KN94 mask. Plus I really do love that I can mutter things to myself or pull a face without anyone knowing. And in cooler weather, they help keep your face warm!

My kid wouldn't wear them to school until I got him the cat-shaped ones. Now he's so comfortable in them that he frequently forgets to take them off in the car.

TL;DR: please help normalize mask-wearing by wearing a mask! wearing a mask is Cool and it Helps People!

know someone who enjoys horror stories? share this one! it's true!

hahahahahahahahahaha aarrggghhhhhhhhhh 3,000,000 deaths due to COVID-19 last year. Globally. Three million. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. The reason people are still worried about COVID is because it has a way of quietly fucking up your body. And the risk is cumulative.

I'm going to say that again: the risk is cumulative.

It's not just that a lot of people get bad long-term effects from it. One in seven or so? Enough that it's kind of the Russian Roulette of diseases. It's also that the more times you get it, the higher that risk becomes. Like if each time you survived Russian Roulette, the empty chamber was removed from the gun entirely. The worst part is that, psychologically, we have the absolute opposite reaction. If we survive something with no ill effects, we assume it's pretty safe. It is really, really hard to override that sense of, "Ok, well, I got it and now I probably have a lot of immunity and also it wasn't that bad." It is not a respiratory disease. Airborne, yes. Respiratory disease, no: not a cold, not a flu, not RSV.

Like measles (or maybe chickenpox?), it starts with respiratory symptoms. And then it moves to other parts of your body. It seems to target the lungs, the digestive system, the heart, and the brain the most.

It also hits the immune system really hard - a lot of people are suddenly more susceptible to completely unrelated viruses. People get brain fog, migraines, forget things they used to know.

(I really, really hate that it can cross the blood-brain barrier. NOTHING SHOULD EVER CROSS THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER IT IS THERE FOR A REASON.) Anecdotal examples of this shit are horrifying. I've seen people talk about coworkers who've had COVID five or more times, and now their work... just often doesn't make sense? They send emails that say things like, "Sorry, I didn't mean Los Angeles, I meant Los Angeles."

Or they insist they've never heard of some project that they were actually in charge of a year or two before.

Or their work is just kind of falling apart, and they don't seem to be aware of it.

People talk about how they don't want to get the person in trouble, so their team just works around it. Or they describe neighbors and relatives who had COVID repeatedly, were nearly hospitalized, talked about how incredibly sick they felt at the time... and now swear they've only had it once and it wasn't bad, they barely even noticed it.

(As someone who lived with severe dissociation for most of my life, this is a genuinely terrifying idea to me. I've already spent my whole life being like, "but what if I told them that already? but what if I did do that? what if that did happen to me and I just don't remember?") One of its known effects in the brain is to increase impulsivity and risk-taking, which is real fucking convenient honestly. What a fantastic fucking mutation. So happy for it on that one. Yes, please make it seem less important to wear a mask and get vaccinated. I'm not screaming internally at all now.

I saw a tweet from someone last year whose family hadn't had COVID yet, who were still masking in public, including school.

She said that her son was no kind of an athlete. Solidly bottom middle of the pack in gym.

And suddenly, this year, he was absolutely blowing past all the other kids who had to run the mile. He wasn't running any faster. His times weren't fantastic or anything. It's just that the rest of the kids were worse than him now. For some reason. I think about that a lot. (Like my incredibly active six-year-old getting a cold, and suddenly developing post-viral asthma that looked like pneumonia.

He went back to school the day before yesterday, after being home for a month and using preventative inhalers for almost week.

He told me that it was GREAT - except that he couldn't run as much at recess, because he immediately got really tired. Like how I went outside with him to do some yard work and felt like my body couldn't figure out how to increase breathing and heart rate.

I wasn't physically out of breath, but I felt like I was out of breath. That COVID feeling people describe, of "I'm not getting enough air." Except that I didn't have that problem when I had COVID.) Some people don't observe any long (or medium) term side effects after they have it.

But researchers have found viral reservoirs of COVID-19 in everyone they've studied who had it.

It just seems to hang out, dormant, for... well, longer than we've had an opportunity to observe it, so far.

(I definitely watched that literal horror movie. I think that's an entire genre. The alien dormant under ice in the Arctic.)

(oh hey I don't like that either!!!!!!!!!) All of which is to explain why we should still care about avoiding it, and how it manages to still cause excess deaths. Measuring excess deaths has been a standard tool in public health for a long time.

We know how many people usually die from all different causes, every year. So we can tell if, for example, deaths from heart disease have gone way up in the past three years, and look for reasons. Those are excess deaths: deaths that, four years ago, would not have happened. During the pandemic, excess death rates have been a really important tool. For all sorts of reasons. Like, sometimes people die from COVID without ever getting tested, and the official cause is listed as something else because nobody knows they had COVID. But also, people are dying from cardiovascular illness much younger now.

People are having strokes and heart attacks younger, and more often, than they did before the pandemic started. COVID causes a lot of problems. And some of those problems kill people. And some of them make it easier for other things to kill us. Lung damage from COVID leading to lungs collapsing, or to pneumonia, or to a pulmonary embolism, for example. The Economist built a machine-learning model with a 95% confidence interval that gauges excess death statistics around the world, to tell them what the true toll of the ongoing COVID pandemic has been so far.

Total excess deaths globally in 2023: Three million.

3,000,000.

Official COVID-19 deaths globally so far: Seven million. 7,000,000. Total excess deaths during COVID so far: Thirty-five point two million. 35,200,000.

Five times as many.

That's bad. I don't like that at all. I'm glad last year was less than a tenth of that. I'm not particularly confident about that continuing, though, because last year we started a period of really high COVID transmission. Case rates higher than 90% of the rest of the pandemic. Here's their data, and charts you can play with, and links to detailed information on how they did all of this:

Here's a non-paywalled link to it:

https://archive.vn/2024.01.26-012536/https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates

Oh: here's a link to where you can buy comfy, effective N95 masks in all sizes:

Those ones are about a buck each after shipping - about $30 for a box of 30. They also have sample packs for a dollar, so you can try a couple of different sizes and styles.

You can wear an N95 mask for about 40 total hours before the effectiveness really drops, so that's like a dollar for a week of wear.

They're also family-owned and have cat-shaped masks and I really love them. These ones are cuter and in a much wider range of colors, prints, and styles, but they're also more expensive; they range from $1.80 to $3 for a mask. ($18-$30 for a box of ten.)

[bitchesgetriches]

It's so hard for me to wrap my head around how hard it is to vote in the US! Where I live, we get a little letter mailed to us that says 'There is a vote happening at this time and this is where you need to go! If you don't wanna go, here is how you mail it!' Like, what does this 'register to vote' bs even mean? If you're a registered citizen, you should be registered to vote! That's how it's supposed to work, isn't it? I'm honestly angry on your behalf.

Ah, you must live in one of those civilized countries where the tenets of democracy are honored both in word and deed. What’s that like? 

I’ll be brutally honest with you, and it’ll probably make me sound (even more) like a tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorist (than usual). The US electoral system is flawed by design. In the land of the free and the home of the brave, we talk a big game about universal democracy, equal rights, equal protection, and equal representation. But we have NEVER had those things across the board here. 

When the Founding Fathers (see Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” for more information... also, History Nerds, please don’t @ me as I try to breeze through 300 years of US history in a few paragraphs) set up our voting system, right out the gate they were limiting voting rights. At first the only people who could vote were land-owning white men. Non-land-owning white men had to fight to get the right to vote, and it took them a while. Men who weren’t white? Fucking forget voting, they couldn’t even be citizens. And women? HAH.

Every new demographic that attained legal citizenship and the right to vote had to fight for it and jump through flaming hoops to get it done. There were poll taxes, specifically designed so that poor people couldn’t AFFORD to vote. There were literacy tests, designed so that recently freed enslaved people couldn’t gain access to ballots. Restricting voting rights in order to sway election results is a practice as old as American democracy. Just because certain citizens had the legal right to vote doesn’t mean those in power made it easy. Suffragists were literally tortured and imprisoned for attempting to vote. 

And it continues to the present day. There are still people in power who understand that to REMAIN in power, they cannot allow a fair and equal voting process. The modern practice of gerrymandering divides states into utterly ridiculous districts to ensure over-representation of one ideology over another in Congress. All 50 states have different voting systems, which means that while Colorado can institute universal drop-off/mail-in ballots, Wisconsin can insist upon in-person voting. And while all that’s required to register to vote in Massachusetts is proof of residency, in Alabama you need a state-issued photo ID with your full legal name on it... something people who don’t drive, or who changed their name when getting married but haven’t yet gotten a new license, just... don’t have. 

It’s not some sad situation that all American citizens are equally invested in changing. It’s an intentional problem, developed by powerful people who understand with perfect clarity that if every single American citizen voted... they would not longer be in power. If voting was easily accessible to all American citizens---if it was GUARANTEED that we could all vote, then politics would be very, very different in this country.

So your reaction to elections in the US is completely rational. But for those of us who live here and understand anything about politics and history, our situation is not at all surprising.

tl;dr: fucking vote. Do not disappoint me on this, you guys.

Don't Boo, Vote: If You Don't Vote, No One Can Hear You Scream 

[frobin]

Random consideration: there is an online legend about Oda can change story events if someone on the web/fans guess the thing. So... what do you think about this topic? It can be really valid? If yes, even for whatever eventual not-canon ships? I don't know, because ships are just a very side element in the story, and not like main events of the storyline. (And for my opinion, for Jin:be father topic, I could agree with who said is for the age, maybe. Anyway, I will ship FroBin forever).

Hey anon! Thank you for your question!

Maybe Oda really made Jinbe the dad because of age. right now Oda and Jinbe have the same age (46). He has two children who are (if the internet and my math are correct) 15 and 12 years old. So may it’s not unlikely? If he connects with Jinbe he would rather see him as a dad than a grandparent or a weird uncle. 

-

Now, to the rest... I have to say sorry for answering so late but as of right now I’m writing parts of my answer and I literally pulling my hair because I really try to make sense of the whole situation and trying to understand the intention of a 46 year old japanese man. And this is long again so sorry about that. Anyway... 

I have heard about that. I remembered something about Oda not reading Fan Theories and now I googled once more. Apparently this is the newest Information:

"Oda once said he will change OP story if it coincides with fan theories. But according to TV show today, Oda will never change his plan about "final chapter" even if a fan theory hits the nail on the head. Oda said in 1999 that he had already decided final panel and chapter."

https://twitter.com/sandman_AP/status/1352851201478418432?s=20

I don’t think Oda is actively browsing the web for OP content ( how would he have time to) but he gets fanmail with questions and suggestions. And considering that over 4 million people are One Piece fans... one of them has to get it correct eventually. Trying to avoid any similarity with any fan-theory is IMPOSSIBLE. 

And I do believe that Oda knows how he wants One Piece to end and won’t change that, no matter what. 

As for the details in-between........ I wouldn’t say Oda is not prone to be a Troll and sometimes downright an ass towards his fans. XD Never out of malice but because he thinks it’s funny. 

I’m also sure he will never focus on romance in the manga, but since love is an important part of life it will come into play now and then. Classic romance (?) more with side-characters  (Roger/Rouge, Sai/Baby5, Bege/Chiffon) than with main (Strawhats) but still possible.

He may very well edit less-important plot lines if they don't change the ending. 

That also includes, that I absolutely think it’s possible that the Strawhats will have romantic involvement at the end of the story. At the moment it is never in the focus, except for plot reason (Whole Cake Island for example, though that is an entirely different topic) but absolutely possible. 

Because the Strawhats boning each other or maybe someone outside of the crew will not change the story. It has no influence to anything, except if it’s on a higher scale, like if Luffy really suddenly married Boa Hancock. That would influence the political outline of the world.

Meanwhile Pauli/Iceburg or Noland/Cagara or Bartolomeo/Cavendish have literally no influence to the story (anymore). And I don’t think I have to start on things like other rare pairs or even OC-ships. 

That being said, and having more stuff in mind, I wouldn’t put it past Oda to actually focus more on Jin/Bin. 

Why? Well... 

we had so many interactions between Robin and Franky after the time skip that it was almost ridiculous. In every single arc we see them fight alongside each other. We had strong romantic tropes portrayed with them: 

Their meeting after the timeskip (Sabaody Archipelago)

Franky having his head in Robins lap (Punk Hazard) 

Wearing the same shirt (Dressrosa) 

Finishing each others sentence (Zou)

Franky offering Robin a ride and her answering with a heart (Wano)  

And the moment the internet exploded when Robin was holding Frankys face. Which yeah, only a Colorspread and not canon yadda yadda

For now let’s gloss over all the other moments that showed that they cared for each other. 

... so many.

Anyway what I want to say is that Oda had declared “All the Strawhats are in love with adventure.” and “I won’t focus on romance.”  but is seemingly showing a connection between Franky and Robin, that made one think that he might actually be aboard the ship even if the fandom itself is rather silent and small. 

Meanwhile when Jinbe appeared (in the timeskip) he was instantly a hit. His popularity then rose thanks to Fishmen Island Arc. And again I can’t blame anyone. On the other hand Franky always had a hard stance. This was recently shown again because is the lowest ranked Strawhat in the popularity poll. 

One (Oda) might come to a conclusion here:

Maybe people don’t like Franky and so would dislike FRobin. But since Oda also seems to enjoy grown up relationships (?) maybe he thinks Jinbe is the only reasonable replacement?  -> It could be a tactial decision. 

Maybe he really changed his opinion and personally likes one more than the other. He was a FRobin supporter but now likes JinBin more? It wouldn't change anything for the story and there wouldn't be any harm -> It could be a personal decision. 

Maybe he fears that he put too many hints in the manga and now has to paddle back? Because let’s be honest, until the colourspread with Robin putting her hand on Frankys face... the FRobin fandom was on the backburner. And so he wants to throw out some Red Herrings.  -> Again a tactial decision

Maybe he never inteded to make it  romantic and it is actually all just friendship. Subtext is something many authors use without being aware of it. (Just ask anyone who is a lesbian!Nami fan. They have good points.) -> A mistake from the very beginning. 

And you can use these same thoughts for every other non-canon ship. 

Please take everything of this with a grain of salt because I try to understand the intention of a man who is more than 10 years my senior and from a culture I can’t even start to try to comprehend (sometimes I don’t even get my own culture), who is the head figure of a money-making machine. So it’s hard to tell what else influences his decisions. 

My interpretations are influenced by my own experiences and knowledge which is big and vast but also stretched very thin. 

Last but not least I want to make clear that any speculation is really the same as asking a crystal ball. In the western fandom we have only few people who can even slightly try to give an insight to the whole thing and they (smart enough) keep out of any shipping discourse. 

tl;dr: I don’t think Oda will change the ending. But I do think that he is willing to change minor plotlines  and so yes I think Oda might change couples for any possible reason, as long as it does not change the ending, and he does not even has to choose a good reason because in the end they are his characters and he is free to do whatever he wants with them.

[elfyourmother]

How is Gisele getting along with the members of House Hallienarte?

fabulously well!

Francel is The Baby and everyone is fiercely protective of him, so the fact that Gisele saved him the way she did pretty much guaranteed her endearment to the Hailenartes for life but beyond that they are all genuinely fond of her for many other various reasons

Her friendship with Francel is incredibly strong for numerous reasons even beyond the rescue--shared love for Haurchefant, their interests in music and poetry--but they’ve had a really warm metamour relationship that eventually slid into “with benefits”, which is a fic I still very much want to write but tl;dr Francel essentially discovered he was bisexual because of Gisele, after a lifetime of thinking he was a hard Kinsey 6. And after going through so much inner turmoil, it meant a great deal to him that she was so kind and compassionate and gentle with him. I want to stress that it’s not a romantic thing at all between them, but a deep and abiding friendship that now occasionally doesn’t have pants.

Lanaiette admires Gisele a great deal because she doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her, and she’s incredibly driven; these are qualities Lanaiette has always had, and not always been encouraged to develop. Not from her family of course, who have always been very supportive of her, but Lanaiette has never fit into Society(tm) and while everyone else was busy being heterosexual she was studying the blade. Gisele’s never let anyone define who she is or who she should be and that’s something that means a hell of a lot to Lanaiette. She and Gisele have an understanding because of that.

Aurvael adores Gisele because she gets Stephanivien out of the Manufactory but also because she’s a kindred adventurous spirit fascinated with getting out and exploring the world. He gets so much vicarious joy out of hearing stories about her adventures and if he happens to be in the city when she is, she is Obligated to tell him all about her latest ones.

I can’t talk about Stephanivien without bringing up The Situation(tm) with him, Francel, and Haurche, and it’s way too long and complicated to get into here (I had to cut it from this fhjsdkfs), but it will suffice to say that Gisele was the impetus for that love triangle finally getting solved after who knows how many years, simply because she got them to sit down and talk to one another about the elephant in the room they’d all been trying desperately to ignore for so long (especially Haurchefant and Stephanivien).

Count Baurendouin took a bit to warm up to Gisele. Obviously he was immensely grateful for everything she had done for his house even before she got to Ishgard, but his early view of her was admittedly colored by class prejudice, in the sense that adventuring was seen as a disreputable profession, so she was little more than a sellsword. And he worried about her influence on Stephanivien at first, but Edmont’s adoration of her went a long way toward setting his mind at ease. Then his concern wrt her involvement with his heir was really fear of the rumor mill hurting them both, because she was known about the Pillars as Haurchefant’s mistress from basically the first time she set foot in the city as Edmont’s ward. He adores her though, because of who she is, and how she brings out the best in Stephanivien just by being herself.

ofc I’ve got headcanons about the Countess de Haillenarte because you know me and missing moms, so I’ll talk about how Gisele’s relationship with her is particularly quite strong. Jacinthe was a vibrant social butterfly but Chlodebaimt’s death nearly destroyed her, and she hasn’t been the same since; she sank into a deep depression and is still wearing the black of mourning, far longer than the customary year and a day of Ishgardian tradition. (When Gisele and the lads had the big public wedding, it was actually the first time Countess Jacinthe had made an appearance at a social event not hosted at Haillenarte Manor since Chlodebaimt’s death.)

But Jacinthe warmed to Gisele immediately, of course because she saved Francel and cleared the House of the false heresy charge, but with her grace and compassion and wit. Jacinthe is reminded very much of her youthful self, when speaking with Gisele (she and Baurendouin had an understanding and each of them kept lovers, though few were shared in kind). And as much as Jacinthe adores her sons, she always wanted another daughter and has basically claimed Gisele as a second one, which she doesn’t mind at all.

[greentrickster]

Counterpoint: Villainess is overcoming all of her ‘challenges’ with equal ease, such as her struggles to write a poem that’s romantic from his perspective or gathering unicorn hair when she’s really unqualified. As I said, the overcoming of challenges isn’t the main point, the main point really is cute couple stuff and aesthetic. But also they’re not interfering with each others’ moral code or forms of worship beyond drawing the occasional line. Ex: the Prince laid down a very clear ‘no human sacrifices’ and the Villainess, while she’s willing to wear white for that ritual she attended with him, also stated clearly that it was moving, but not for her (in other words, “I’m happy to attend the ones that are important to you, but I’m not going to convert.”)

One of the big things that’s keeping any major ‘conflicts’ out of this is that they do both already have a general idea of each others’ cultures (they’ve been clashing for centuries, after all, and it’s the same for political parties in this day and age), and both are aware of the general hard lines that the other won’t be willing to cross. He’s not going to go around asking her to perform blessings, she’s not going to ask him to kill innocents, that sort of thing. They’re entering into this relationship with the intent to make it work, and that means not only respecting the lines the other draws, but taking the time to figure out what some of those lines are without being told. 

They’re both okay with their ‘challenges’ because they’re challenges that they can work with and allow themselves in regards to respecting the other’s culture. Prince knows the assassination attempt is simply meant to be an attempt, it’s never meant to succeed, he nudges Cathulhu very gently with his foot because he’s seen Villainess punt the thing across the room and out the window to no true ill effect, and he’s okay being a bit of an ass at her family’s court because, from his interpretation of things, that’s what good manners look like over there, so he’s being respectful (one of Villainess's friends even complained about him being so sensitive to her needs by doing this). Villainess is being polite at his court with the smug thought of just how many people she’s pissing off by being able to play their ‘game’ as well as they do, and also spends a good deal of time plotting to herself about things she could do, and everyone knows she could do, but she’s choosing not to and it’s driving the people who care a little crazy. She also has the benefit of being able to do all this stuff to REALLY piss off her own parents, who would super like her to just stab him and claim his kingdom as your own already, no don't go making friends with the court ladies-!!! And, as shown with the dragon form conversation, they just talk through potential conflicts when they come up, calmly and respectfully.

It’s not a big, dramatic part of the setting because it’s not meant to be a big, dramatic part. Nothing’s been ‘removed,’ just left unsaid or done in understated ways. And a lot of the people who read it seem to pick up on that, especially the readers who take one look at this setting and go “Addams Family origin story.” Which, honestly? Really good take, really captures the idea that I was going for with this! Not only with the aesthetic, but with the idea that, like the Addams, a lot of this is left unexplained in the exact details of how everything works, we’re mostly just here to see the Addams be quirky and wholesome and happy with themselves and each other, even as they do things the majority of watchers would agree are socially unacceptable. Another person recently brought up ‘The Schools of Good and Evil,’ which, from what I understand of the books, is also a good comparison.

TL;DR: I am actually showing what the Prince and Villainess’s conflicts look like, but not in a way that’s typically shown in these situations. We’re in and coming from an era of media where ‘conflicting sides realize that the system creating the sides is actually the real villain’ is very popular, so I think people jump to that interpretation pretty easily, even if it’s not written into the text. Also, a lot of the time when you get ‘evil’ protagonist characters like Villainess these days, it turns out that they’re actually the good guys and the ‘good guys’ are actually the bad guys. But this is a setting where everything really is what it says on the tin, and that’s what makes it fun!

I've seen a number of people on my Beloathed and Darling thread go on tangents in the tags where the Villainess and Prince's parents are both bad actually because it turns out the whole system is corrupt/cultish/evil and the kids, by breaking free of it, are actually the good guys. And, I'm gonna be real... I always hide those reblogs. Because 1) I don't want to see them built on (and it's my thread, so I'm allowed) and, more importantly, 2) ...it completely misses the point of the concept.

Yes, the main purpose of Darling and Beloathed is 'aesthetic' and 'cute fun couple,' but, at a slightly deeper look, it's also a story about two people with extremely conflicting world views and moral codes deciding to not only be together, but figuring out how to be together in such a way that neither of them has to truly compromise their beliefs in order to do so. It's about two people, one who is undeniably a good person and the other who is unapologetically evil, deciding to make it work without anything like a redemption arc or the discovery that actually both sides are wrong and they need to find a new, third way to exist. Because if the system itself is evil, then it kind of undermines all the work they've put in to find the pre-existing places of overlap and figure out what parts of their lifestyles they're willing to compromise on to make their partner comfortable without making themselves unhappy.

And that, to me, is a far more interesting concept overall, because it's something we're much more likely to encounter in real life. None of us are ever going to tear down an entire government's worth of systems with the help of love and a couple spunky friends; it's fun to read about, it has its place in literature, but it's not gonna happen. In contrast, there's a very good chance that one day we'll meet a person whom we really like, really enjoy spending time with, but whose views on religion/politics/sports/character ships/whatever are completely at odds with our own, with neither of us willing to change our opinions, no matter how much we like that person in other regards.

And that's when we'll have to decide whether we're just going to stop hanging out, or whether, like the Prince and Villainess, we can find a way to make it work while respecting both ourselves and each other. Sometimes reality isn't about redemption, systemic change, or harsh, gritty truths. Sometimes it's about having the breathtaking courage to acknowledge that a person will never be like you, but being able to love them anyway.