#the first rule of magic is there are no rules

[conundrumoftime]

One of the fun things about shipping Haladriel and about Galadriel's story in Rings of Power, for me, is that we know exactly where this is going to end up. And I wanted to babble for a bit about where that place is because I have seen so many people view it as "she is retired to some woods to be a passive wife-and-mother who can do magic but in a mystical New Age-y way", and: no! No.

So a quick overview of where she will end up by LOTR:

Very much not removed from the war against Sauron.

She is constantly mind-battling against Sauron: One of the lines that inspired McKay and Payne's whole show was her talking about this: "I say to you, Frodo, that even as I speak to you, I perceive the Dark Lord and know his mind, or all of his mind that concerns the Elves. And he gropes ever to see me and my thought." In one of the versions of the Annatar story in Unfinished Tales, Sauron immediately realises she will be his 'chief adversary', and has apparently not changed that assessment 3500 years later.

She co-ordinates joint efforts against Sauron: The White Council that Elrond talks about in LOTR, the combined force of Ring-bearers, wizards and elf-lords that first drives Sauron out of Dol Guldur - she's not just on that, she founded it.

She gets Gandalf back after Moria and the Balrog: Galadriel learns what's happened to Gandalf from the Fellowship when they arrive in Lothlórien. The the Fellowship are sad; the elves of Lothlórien mourn; Celeborn loses it a bit and says Gandalf 'fell into folly'; but Galadriel sends Gwaihir the eagle to get him, returns him to health, updates him on the situation with Boromir, gives him some messages to take to the others, and sends him back on his way.

She is possibly in Lothlórien because of its position of strategic importance: from Unfinished Tales here, she 'saw that Lórien would be a stronghold and point of power to prevent the Shadow from crossing the Anduin in the war that must inevitably come' and that's why she and Celeborn go there. (There are other versions as with almost everything else in Tolkien, but this is one of them.) She's not there to hide away from Events.

2. Calmer than in TROP, but not all-wise and all-sweet and still pretty scary.

She is still tempted by power and world domination: "I do not deny that my heart has greatly desired to ask what you offer [...] In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the morning and the night!"

And, she doesn't just turn down the One Ring because it's abstractly eeeevil. She turns it down because she knows what she, specifically, would do with it. Sam sees a vision of the Shire, and tells her "I wish you'd take his Ring. You'd put things to rights. You'd stop them digging up the Gaffer and turning him adrift. You'd make some folk pay for their dirty work," to which she says that yes, she would: "That is how it would begin. But it would not stop with that, alas! We will not speak more of it."

And saying she wants to rule the world here is not me joking about! This is Tolkien describing that moment in LOTR:

It was not until two long ages more had passed, when at last all that she had desired in her youth came to her hand, the Ring of Power and the dominion of Middle-earth of which she had dreamed, that her wisdom was full-grown and she rejected it

People are scared of her: The only scary moment we directly see is the Ring temptation, but she does other unsettling things. When she meets the Fellowship she tests them by reading their minds and offering something they really want to see if it would make them "turn aside from the road and leave the Quest and the war against Sauron to others." (She offers Sam a garden; the One Ring later on tempts him with the same thing.) Even the hobbits are a bit disturbed by this and Boromir, who's already said he doesn't want to go into Lothlórien because people who do that never leave again, absolutely does not trust her.

Éomer, a few chapters later:

'Then there is a Lady in the Golden Wood, as old tales tell!' he said. 'Few escape her nets, they say. These are strange days! But if you have her favour, then you are also net-weavers and sorcerers, maybe.'

She's scary! She's ancient and powerful and people are scared of her.

3. Married, but not in the character-limiting way the nerdbros want it to be and would have you believe it is.

I am not telling anyone they should ship Galadriel/Celeborn or even find it interesting just because I do, but, the angry nerdbros fancasting Celeborn as Henry Cavill and talking about how he'll come back to tame her and tidy her neatly out of the narrative are writing their own little AU headcanons because that is not what's in the text.

She's the more powerful one. Partly because she's one of the 'High Elves' - she's Noldor and has lived in Valinor seen the light of the Trees - which for various reasons about the way Tolkien's elves work just makes her more powerful, partly because she has a Ring of Power and Celeborn doesn't. It's her Mirror; she's the one reading people's minds; she's the one locked in endless mental battles with Sauron; she's the one the Rohirrim (whose lands border Lothlorien's) tell each other scary stories about. Celeborn at no point ever seems to have an issue with this, and calls her his 'treasure'.

They work together. Even in a big-action-sequences sense: after Sauron's defeat, Celeborn 'led the host of Lorien over Anduin in many boats' to Dol Guldur, where Galadriel 'threw down its walls and laid bare its pits'. But the rest of the time, too: she says of him that 'together through ages of the world we have fought the long defeat'.

You really get the sense that they have been married for a loooooong time. An actual sequence of events in LOTR, somewhat condensed:

The Fellowship reveal there's a Balrog in Moria;

Celeborn goes "!!!!", complains about dwarves waking it up and says he'd never have let Gimli into Lothlorien if he'd known that;

Galadriel smacks Celeborn down for being rude to their guest;

Celeborn apologises to Gimli;

Galadriel tells the Fellowship that Celeborn is accounted the wisest of elves;

Boromir says something about "old wives' tales";

Celeborn, whose wife is one of the oldest beings in Middle-earth, tells Boromir not to be so dismissive because "old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know";

Galadriel hands Celeborn a drink.

Whatever is going on here is clearly something that works for them, is what I'm saying! And you don't have to find their marriage interesting just because I do, of course; but what it's not is some trad fantasy of domestic subservient-wife anything.

So where her TROP story ends up is ultimately with LOTR Galadriel: powerful, important, tempted to rule the world, a bit calmer than in TROP, a bit happier than in TROP, co-ordinating big strategic efforts in the war, married to someone who's got her back and adores her and they fall out a bit sometimes but generally work pretty well together, and still having Sauron constantly trying to get into her head. I am fine with this! I am more than fine with this.

[rayroseu]

Rambles about Book 7 lol

AAAAAAAÀAAA 😭😭😭 THIS IS SO AUGHHH THE MEANING BEHIND THIS INFO !!!!!! knowing that the first thought of Lilia in encountering Silver was that he should kill him to avenge Meleanor and Levan and that his purpose of adopting him is that he wants to believe he can love a human as well AND LILIA TEACHING THIS HUMAN BABY HOW TO LIVE DESPITE THE MANY CHANCES HE GOT TO GET RID OF HIM AUGJAURIWUTJW AND MAY I SAY LILIA WENT FROM DISTANTLY BEING ATTACHED TO THIS BABY AND THEN TRANSITIONING UNTO WANTING FOR HIM TO LIVE AND WITNESS HIM GROW UP AAAAAAA😭😭✨✨✨

IF I CRYYYY MELEANOR HAUNTS THE NARRATIVE 😭💞💕💞✨

LMAO not the faes snitching this info to malleus ofmg 😭✨

lowkey this is me as well i think babies are kinda ugly too KDHJAEJ especially when they cry 💀🔥🔥

YOU CALL THIS ADORABLE HELPPPP 🤣🤣🤣okay but in all seriousness, we rarely get this easy sarcastic Malleus, he's always too formal around NRC and often his humor lands amiss to other charas which doesnt prompt him to present this trait, but its so sweet that he seemed to be "truly himself" in the cottage scenes where its just him Lilia and Silver🥺✨ his voice doesnt feel "authoritative" too like a dorm leader, its just malleus and his difficulty in getting along with the random baby lilia caught lol

I remember this line was translated as a flower nectar?? but they kinda saying the same and i like this paraphrase that Lilia thinks of Milk as nectar for baby humans, like how Malleus often relates tech to some magical ritual lol

crying at this line, knowing that Malleus says this because he has broken several many things bcs he couldnt control his strength and perhaps there were things that Lilia owns that he accidentally destroyed as well so he tries to mend this uncontrollable strength of his in order to not be an inconvenience😭✨

NURSEMAID???? YEAH NURSEMAID CALLED LILIA VANROUGE 😭😭💔💔💔 and AAAAA not once did Malleus search for this tune??? not even sing it to Maleficia and Lilia so as to inquire about it 😭✨💔💔 this is when you know this lullaby IS truly MELEANOR'S LULLABY because everyone of the characters only heard it from her !!!😭😭😭💔💔

I love this response from Malleus lol, also i feel like some situation will challenge Lilia's love for humans again, like can you still love humans if they commit the same crime again to Malleus as they did with Meleanor?? Twisting their personality and actions so as to validate their fear?? Can you still say that faes should make an effort to make peace with them when repeatedly it was the humans who wasnt willing to udnerstand faes to begin with ? 😭✨ its a realistic worry fitting for a king that'll rule for centuries, maybe bcs he has this instinct that humans are epehemeral and so are their promises.

Thinking about it a bit more, its true that what Levan does is futile effort because the issue between humans and faes, Briarland and Silver Owls is too much that it cant be resolved by just understanding each other.

Levan wants the war to stop but obviously that can't happen because the bigger factions of each natioj are resolute at their stance that Briarland is owned by faes or humans, no in between. He can't immediately fix the mentality of higher faes and Meleanor with their hatred of humans and vice versa with the human officials like Henric,

but what he can do to decrease the casualties of this conflict is to pave way for the COMMON folk to understand each other, if he can make way for the common fae and the common human to talk to each other, then it might decrease the misunderstanding between the common fae and common human (assuming that both parties arw willing to be understanding)

its really a long shot and a gamble to aspire for considering his country's situation, and its effects would take a while to impact and honestly it took so much important people and years just to have his dream of peace, i wish we could get an input about what he feels about this

considering his kindness he might be happy, but im kinda sad its really tragic the implication of how the faes had to earn their peace and atone for a conflict that they didnt even start with,

based on Lilia, it took 400 YEARS just for the humans to sign a peace treaty, maybe in the eyes of the faes, thats just a piece of paper, so they waited and grieved the lost of their Princess Meleanor and many of their fae soldiers and Prince Levan and ALMOST the entirety of their continent, just for these humans to sign an 400 year long overdued peace treaty?? so the faes that died couldve been saved if these humans could spare some compassion and ink to sign a treaty-- It kinda feels like they're insulting their grief (in the faes point of view atleast), whats the purpose of having this paper peace treaty when they have lost so much already?? I WISHHH the story could delve more into the grief of faes,

kinda lowkey mad they just swept Lilia's grief by the humans just cuz he encountered a few good ones, i wouldve love to see him being vengeful then learning how to convert that grief to love again just like Maleficent in the live action, bcs it would be very meaningful on this way, Lilia can truly say he has learned how to love because he experienced real deep hatred---but AAA its whatever this storyline is good as well, just kinda feels general lilia's belief converted to present!lilia a bit too fast to my liking lol

its really intriguing how before book 7 the faes dislike of humans seems so dramatic but now after book 7 it all makes too much sense 😭✨

(can you guys tell i play too much reverse 1999 bcs i ramble too much about morals and politics between different races now JHDJWHRJW)

[paeliae-occasionally]

Can you tell me a little about the gardens of Tamir’Sul?

Why, of course! I love talking about the death realms!

To preface for anyone unfamiliar, The gardens is a place in the death realm of Tamir’sul which houses souls who died at unnatural times. This could be because of an interaction that wasn’t meant to happen, especially if they were murdered or made a choice that lead to their unnatural death. This also includes necromancers or people who try to live beyond their natural years. This realm is ruled by the goddess Schaeres.

If you left the world before you were meant to die, you only stay in Tamir’sul until your natural death was meant to occur, then you are taken to the regular death realm.

The Gardens

So the gardens are the part of Tamir’sul where honoured souls are placed. It’s a bit like the Greek Elysium but not necessarily good people, just honoured people.

The first thing you notice about the gardens is that they are beautiful. They are made up of hundreds of plants growing and shifting as they hang from structures or drape across archways. Imagine hanging gardens of Babylon, but brighter and more colourful, covering every section of the ground with some type of moss or flower.

Secondly you notice that these plants are not quite natural, they are imbued with magic to perfectly mimic life in a realm of all dead things. Their constant motion, (accelerated growth, swaying as if wind was blowing across them) is also propelled by magic.

The gardens are also suffused with music. While the rest of this realm is deathly quiet, soft lyre and string music plays quietly across the majority of the gardens. Tae’etsu (energy spirits) sometimes play or imbue instruments with energy to allow them to play themselves.

This is an area in my world that is not heavily explored in any of my stories but it is peaceful and the resting place for some of our heroes.

Notable people in the gardens include:

Rin. He won’t move to true death by request of Ezemhaziel, god of Ike (magic). Rin helped Ez create the first runes.

Paeliae of Myr was here for a while. Paeliae carried the treaty to the king of the dieral gods in the dissolution.

Andea Cohsi for a while, she has passed on now as the time of her natural death came. Cohsi discovered the Cohsi elements (a group of simple components) and also proposed the idea of magical decay for the first time.

Muliva Kazi, she has also passed. Kazi developed the godly bindings used in the dissolution.

Thanks for the ask, hope you enjoyed.

Tagging the tag list.

@thelovelymachinery, @an-indecisive-nerd, @the-letterbox-archives, @oliolioxenfreewrites, @winvyre

@happypup-kitcat24, @wyked-ao3, @leahnardo-da-veggie, @alnaperera, @dearunreliablenarrator

@rumeysawrites, @urnumber1star, @seastarblue, @thecomfywriter

[isbreulla]

Any head canons you're willing to share about Sarah, Snape, and co? I'm invested.

Here are some headcanons for you...

Once Anya gives birth to Sarah and dies during childbirth in Azkaban, the Ministry of Magic considers leaving the child with the Dolohov family but first tries to find out who the child's father is. Severus Snape is confirmed as Sarah's father and gains custody of her.

After Snape is confirmed as Sarah's biological father, the Ministry spends a few months trying everything they can to take custody of Sarah away from Snape, believing that he could be a danger to the child due to his past as a Death Eater.

At this moment, Snape fears losing his daughter to the Ministry, but at the same time he questions whether he will be the father she deserves.

With Dumbledore's help, Snape manages to keep custody of his daughter.

From now on, Snape will do everything to protect Sarah and to prove to the Ministry that he is a good father, and would never be a risk to his daughter. Thus, he becomes very overprotective.

Snape had no idea how to raise a child, so he did what he did best, he studied. He read every book on parenting he could find and became a master at being a father.

Snape never liked children in general, Sarah was his only exception. He would do anything for her. Within limits, he didn't want to raise a spoiled brat.

When Sarah was a toddler Snape would take her to play in a park near Spinner's End, but he would keep her close at all times. If any stupid child bothered her, he would scare them away.

Snape does not use corporal punishment. He does not want to be like his father in any way. His method of discipline is time-out… Sometimes a pinch or a tug on the ear every now and then, nothing serious.

As Sarah grows up, Snape becomes increasingly anxious and stressed.

Snape expects academic excellence from Sarah, and always guides her towards the path he believes is right.

Aside from his past as a Death Eater and Sarah's mother, Snape is very honest with Sarah, he tries to tell her the truth about the world, they talk a lot about lots of different subjects.

Snape may be seen as a conservative father to many people, but the truth is that he only wants the best for his daughter, and he honestly does everything to see her happy.

When Sarah comes out to him, Snape is not surprised. But he makes sure she knows she is loved and that he will support and protect her always.

Sarah's coping mechanism is to write her frustrations in her diary.

Sarah hates most of the people in her house at Hogwarts, but most specifically Pansy Parkinson. The girl is a living hell.

Sarah is a sassy girl, even to her father. But she tries to control herself around other people, because she doesn't want them to take him less seriously because of her.

Sarah knows better than to argue with her father when it comes to his rules. But that doesn't mean she'll accept them without complaint.

The main reason why Sarah is always arguing with her father is because she doesn't know anything about her mother, but also because Snape tends to keep her in a bubble at all times.

Sarah is the affectionate one of the family. She loves to hug her father all the time (when no one is looking of course).

When she was younger, Sarah liked to paint her father's nails.

Sarah lived at Hogwarts before becoming an official student, but the rule was that she couldn't leave her father's quarters without him… A rule she broke countless times.

Sarah loves toads, but Snape is disgusted by them so she could never have one. One time Sarah sneaked a toad home to test a potion on it, and the toad ended up multiplying… She was in trouble.

Ron Weasley doesn't really like Sarah because he thinks she's too much like her father. Sarah thinks he's a bit of an idiot.

Hermione also doesn't like Sarah at first, because she doesn't believe she can be trusted. But little by little they become friends.

Sarah knows that Snape has to protect Harry, and this makes her slightly jealous. She doesn't like the boy very much at first, but she always tries to help him as much as she can.

… and that's enough for today folks!

[the-violet-galaxy]

Moon in the Killswap AU, to go along with Sun! This Swap AU explores TSAMS if Sun had been the one with the killcode – and by extension, Moon is the one Eclipse manifests inside of.

The twins’ backstory is almost the same as canon. Moon was born with no control over the body, and was angry and lashed out at Sun for this (and was an asshole to pretty much everyone else when he did have control.)  Sun was afraid of him, but still tried to reach out. They came to an understanding, became brothers, and found a way to separate.

Where the backstory differed is with Sun. His killcode was like a switch that activated when he was pushed to a limit, reacting to abuse, mistreatment, the breaking of rules. Moon’s abuse was one of the things that could trigger Sun’s killcode, which emotionally destroyed Sun every time he came back to himself to find someone dead by his hands; during these early years, Moon was so bitter about his circumstances that he sometimes egged Sun on and mocked him for his efforts to not kill people.

But eventually, he knew Sun was not to blame, and wanted to change for the better. He wanted to help Sun suppress his Killcode. So, he separated them, so they could start a new chapter in their lives.

But Sun considered himself too weak to ever fully control his killcode – so while they were in the process of separating, he secretly snuck it through the datastream into Moon’s head, who he thought would never be affected by it.

And Eclipse manifested inside of Moon, who was “Sun” trapped alone within the mind of his abuser…

And a year later Eclipse shows up and begins his crusade to ruin the brothers’ lives and to find the Star to bring order to the world! While inside Moon, he starts amplifying Moon’s faults. He eggs on his abusive behavior towards Sun, his assholish behavior to others, and, one of Moon’s biggest struggles: his controlling nature.

Because these are all faults that Moon has, and Eclipse shines an especially strong light on them. This causes tension between the brothers as they try to figure out what to do, when Eclipse keeps hijacking Moon’s body in search of that Star.

(Especially when Sun’s killcode starts regenerating, and as with before, when Moon is abusive towards Sun, that is one of the big triggers to make the killcode’s influence stronger and stronger until Killcode as a sapient entity is strong enough to be born. For Sun’s arc, the killcode is like a metaphor for “taking revenge and hurting the people who hurt you back,” which Sun desperately wants to fight against.)

And so, one of the big parts of the AU is Moon having to learn to be a better person – to keep changing for the better -- to unlearn his abusive patterns. That will be the key.  

Because one thing’s for sure: Sun is the most important person in Moon’s world. Even during the times when he hurts him, he still loves him more than anything. He vows he WILL protect Sun (and the rest of his family that come later), he will keep Eclipse from the Star so he can’t use it to kill them, he will save Sun when Solar is implanted in his head (and later, protect Solar when he is their brother), he will find a way to remove Sun’s killcode when it regenerates and becomes sentient.

(But it won’t be that easy. And, well, when things keep NOT going his way, Moon might end up with a very unhappy arc that ends in disastrous consequences the way it did for Sun when Sun killed Bloodmoon…)   

And that’s an overview for Moon!

Some other notes:

Moon has very little knowledge of Magig. Sun is the master magic user.

Moon is the one who suffered July 16 because of the Blacksun Burn Twins, and boy is he mad at them.

Roxanne replaces Monty and is Sun’s close friend. Whether there is a crush or not, Moon still teases Sun about having a crush on Roxanne.

It’ll be fun to write how Moon interacts differently with Solar and Killcode when they control Sun’s body. (He first realizes Solar is in there when Solar isn’t good at acting happy and jittery like Sun.) (But he haaaaates Killcode’s guts sososo much you guys.)

(It will also shine a light on Killswap Moon’s difference between Old Moon and New Moon from TSAMS canon.)  

That’s him! I should probably draw Eclipse next!

[merwgue]

Why Feyre Shouldn't Have Been High Lady of the Night Court (and Why Lucien & Elain Shouldn’t Lead the Day Court Without Putting in the Work)

Alright, let’s get one thing straight: being the High Lady or High Lord of a court isn’t about looking pretty, having magical powers, or being able to swing a sword. It’s not some fantasy crown you can just plop on your head and suddenly you’re ruling a kingdom. No, being a leader is about more than just political power—it’s about knowing the people, their culture, their traditions. It’s about being part of the community, not just ruling it from a fancy chair.

And that’s where we run into a problem with Feyre. I mean, bless her heart, but let’s be real: three months in the Night Court, and boom, she’s High Lady? It’s like showing up to a new job, sitting in a few meetings, and then declaring yourself CEO. Girl, you haven’t even figured out where the coffee machine is yet!

The Night Court has centuries of history, deep-rooted traditions, festivals, and customs that Feyre couldn’t possibly know in just a few months. She was still figuring out the whole “Inner Circle” dynamic and hadn’t really gotten to know the people or the intricacies of the court’s culture. And yet, she’s handed the title of High Lady like it’s a participation trophy. Sure, she may have bonded with Rhys and the gang, but knowing a few people in power isn’t the same as understanding the heart and soul of an entire court.

Leading isn’t just about power and politics—it’s about making people feel seen and heard. It’s about knowing what makes them tick, what they value, and how they celebrate. How can you guide people if you don’t even understand what they’re all about? How do you unite a court when you don’t know what unites them? Leadership isn’t just about making decisions; it’s about connecting with the people you’re leading. And let’s be real, if you don’t know the culture, you’re going to end up making some pretty awkward blunders along the way.

Now, let’s talk about Lucien and Elain, because if they become High Lord and High Lady of the Day Court without putting in some serious time there, I’m holding them to the same standard. I love Lucien, don’t get me wrong—he’s my cutey patootie—but leading a court isn’t just about showing up and throwing your weight around. Lucien hasn’t been a part of the Day Court as an adult, and Elain… well, let’s just say her resume in court politics is a little thin.

If Lucien and Elain waltz into the Day Court and start calling the shots without first understanding the history, the culture, and the people, it’s going to be a disaster. They need to spend some serious time under Helion’s wing, learning about the traditions and festivals, understanding what makes the Day Court tick. Otherwise, they’re just going to look like tourists trying to lead a country they don’t understand. It’s like trying to host a party in a house you’ve never been in before—you’re bound to knock over a few vases and spill some drinks.

And don’t even get me started on the whole "High Lady of the Night Court" situation again. Leading isn’t just about making political decisions or winning battles. It’s about fostering a sense of community. It’s about celebrating the court’s culture and traditions, making sure people feel united. If you don’t even know what those traditions are, how can you possibly lead? Feyre got the title before she had the chance to immerse herself in the Night Court’s customs, and that’s a problem. Imagine if she accidentally trampled over centuries-old traditions because she didn’t know any better? Awkward.

At the end of the day, leadership is earned, not handed out like candy at a parade. Feyre, Lucien, Elain—they all need to put in the time to really know the courts they’re leading. It’s not enough to just have power. You have to understand the people, the culture, the history. Otherwise, you’re just a figurehead with no real connection to the court. And let’s be real, nobody wants that.

So, no shade to my guy Lucien, but if he and Elain take the reins of the Day Court, they better put in some work. And Feyre? Well, maybe next time she could spend a few years learning the ropes before jumping straight to the top. It’s not like we’re in a rush or anything, right?

Ty @ae-neon for letting me take inspo of your idea💞❤️

[needsmoreknives]

I was honestly feeling ambivalent about veilguard since the first teasers dropped - I'd prefer a different artstyle and much more tactical, technique heavy combat. then they said blood magic specialization won't be happening which was kind of a personal bummer, and none of the mentioned specializations sounded especially interesting to me but whatever, that's pretty petty, I will find something to like. but only importing 3 choices, one of which is who your inquisitor fucked, and another their personal feelings about Solas??? im sorry how is that in any way more important to the setting than, from the top of my head:

whether the inquisition sided with templars or mages

whether the head of the southern chantry is a mage

whether circles got disbanned

who is ruling orlais

what the inquisition did with the wardens

did the inquisition ally with the qun

who drank from the well of sorrows

whether kieran had the soul of an old god

I also consider Hawke's possible fate and decisions at the end of DA2, the warden being alive or dead, who rules Ferelden, and key choices pertaining to DAI romances to be important, but like, from a flavor perspective - I could get over them not including it. But how can you tell me a huge militarized power player like the inquisition making sweeping changes and alliances within southern thedas didn't influence the north at all?? Like no one even mentions it? And in a game centered around the Evanuris, the well of sorrows doesn't fucking matter? Either they will have to dance around mentioning anything about the world around us at all, or they are canonizing a worldstate that isnt mine. Either way, by now my excitement about the game died to the point where I likely won't be buying it, unless it receives multiple glowing reviews from people invested in the past games.

[odinsblog]

Zuckerberg says he's a Libertarian. What's that?

A new profile of mega-billionaire Mark Zuckerberg in last week's New York Times identifies America's richest millennial — he owns one-fiftieth of all millennial wealth in the U.S. — as a libertarian.

Privately, Mr. Zuckerberg now considers his personal politics to be more like libertarianism or classical liberalism, according to people who have spoken to him recently. That includes a hostility to regulations that restrict business, an embrace of free markets and globalism, and an openness to social justice reforms, but only if it stops short of what he considers far-left progressivism. Zuck, of course, isn't the only one.

It's high fashion across the GOP to claim your libertarian credentials. Ron and now Rand paul turned it into a money-making scam, and most all of the Putin caucus in the GOP love to talk up libertarianism, as do multiple right-wing billionaires. Senator Mike Lieber claims himself a libertarian and has for years.

We see it writ large in the rhetoric of Republican members of Congress and conservative pundits who argue that shutting the government down is a good thing because most government functions are unnecessary or woke. So let's take a look at how libertarianism would work out in America and where it came from in the first place.

Generally speaking, libertarians don't believe in democracy, which they say is mob rule and should be replaced by the magic of the market. Or at least the magic of people made rich by the market place, running the country's essential services.

Here's the one question that always stops libertarians dead in their tracks when they come on or call in to my radio TV program to proclaim the wonders of their political ideology: Please name one country, anywhere in the world, anytime in the last 7,000 years, where libertarianism has succeeded and produced general peace and prosperity.

There literally is none, nowhere, not a single one.

It has never happened, ever.

If it had, that country would be on the tip of every libertarian's tongue, the way democratic socialists talk about Norway or Denmark, where the full-on social democracy and regulated capitalism experiment has succeeded for generations.

—Thom Hartmann: But where did all this ‘greed is good’ as a political philosophy that Zuckerberg is now embracing start?

[fog-rolls-in]

Pulp Musicals Theorycrafting: Firestone

With the ending of Episode 3 and now Episode 4, Pulp Musicals has introduced the concepts of orreries, the Blazing World, and time travel in its overarching story.

After some thought, there are a few dots that I've connected in my hunger for Pulp Musicals lore. To preface this, I could be completely off the mark but it is a fun idea after all. And that's what this is all about, imagination running at breakneck speed.

Ultimately, this theory boils down to Margaret (as most things do in this series). To get to that point though, we need to talk about a few things first where I will explain my thought process...

An orrery is, as we all now know, a model of the solar system. The orreries in Pulp Musicals are especially important, as the Travelers use them for navigation. But that's not all, we learn that very few orreries capable of time travel. Or more specifically, we know that they are definitely capable of time travel to the past.

We've seen both kinds of orreries at this point, both time travel capable, and not. The Antikythera's orrery is the former, while the Nautilus' is the latter. Other than being explicitly told what kind of orrery each one is, as Addison does to Samuel in Masterpiece Containing Masterpieces, I believe there is a feature that divides the two.

When the Antikythera's orrery is first introduced in Ahlaam and the Orrery, it is described as featuring a "glowing sun". Fastforward to Episode 4 during Dropped from the Clouds, it no longer shines.

The main change that has occured between these points is that the orrery was used to send Rose back in time. Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that the glowing sun is what gives the orrery its time travel power. Especially when we consider that this feature is not mentioned when the Nautilus' orrery is described, despite similar phrasing.

This feature is mentioned one more time though, and that is what fuels this theory. Once again during Dropped from the Clouds, and immediately after the Narrator stating that the glow is gone, Rose hands the orrery over to Dakkar. He then makes this observation:

Once again, we can make a reasonable assumption about this. The glowing sun is called a firestone. So, let's do a brief recap of what we know so far:

There are (at least) two types of orreries used by the Travelers

A regular orrery cannot be used for time travel, while the other can (at least) be used to travel back in time

The distinctive difference between the two is that the latter has a glowing sun at its center

This glowing sun is called a "firestone"

Okay, so what does all this mean? Nothing, really. It's largely just speculation based on information we've been explicitly told. That being said, remember those dots I mentioned connecting? Here's another one, courtesy of A Spell is Just a Rule Made With Magic...

Huh, that's interesting. There's no denying that a "fire burning in her chest" could simply be wordplay based on her longing for a place called the Blazing World. However, the wording is interesting. Especially when we also consider one last piece of evidence. During Masterpiece Containing Masterpieces, Addison says the other orrery capable of time travel was "lost long ago".

Let's cast our minds back all the way to Episode 1 for a moment. During Margaret and the Moon, Margaret explains her feeling of being completely alone, of missing something. She describes it as a sort of "phantom pain", saying that something inside her was, that's right, "lost long ago".

Now, here comes the crazy thought as a result of all of this...

What if orreries, or at least time travel orreries, are the result of a traveler dying or ascending? Maybe, when a traveler dies, they become an orrery. And the 'special' ones have a firestone that remains intact. Or maybe every traveler (or perhaps just those capable of movement) has a firestone and these orreries are the result of it being extracted in some way.

Perhaps Margaret's firestone is, or will become, the other orrery that was lost, and that's why it's paramount that she reaches the gate.

I would like to reiterate that I know this is all quite a stretch. All of these associations could easily be entirely coincidental. But I had a lot of fun thinking about this possibility, and I hope you had fun reading it.

~ Scott

[chaoswarfare]

dp x dc prompt #38

The JL had always known that both Captain Marvel and Phantom were ancient god-adjacent creatures. So maybe it was normal to occasionally catch them running giggling through the watchtower after pulling a magical prank, or competing to see who could eat the most, or just messing around outside missions.

Maybe ancient immortal beings just act like a couple of children.

…Either way, they probably should have seen the way things would get out of hand sooner. Because now they have to figure out how to reign in a bunch of ghost animals and retrieve the Eiffel Tower from the moon.

[chirpsythismorning]

Ya'll catch the final rose ceremony at the end of s4?!

[livefinn]

Look at his little face

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

So, Ahti II, huh?

I've explained Ahti II's backstory a bit in the past, but there's not really... any general information on him. What he's like. So I'm talking about him now! First here’s this handy dandy information sheet I made of Ahti some time ago:

(+ Art reference)

King Ahti I (the First) formed the Kingdom of Osmeri about a millennium ago from the scattered groups of merfolk living in the Baltic Sea, and his descendants have been ruling ever since. Ahti II is the oldest child of the current queen (if barely, him and his sister are twins) and therefore he’ll be next on the throne. He’s been raised for that purpose pretty much his whole life: he’s knowledgeable in politics, history, literature and languages. Now he just has to learn what people really care about! Hence why his parents sent him and his sister off to the coast of Finland. They’re privately tutored as they navigate normal life and try to make friends.

Ahti II would indeed make for a pretty good ruler: he’s kind, he’s patient, his manners are impeccable, he’s very knowledgeable, and he wants to take absolutely everyone into consideration, although that last feature does make him more of a people pleaser… he would like everyone to be happy, but since that’s frankly impossible he takes it a bit hard and blames himself when compromises don’t satisfy everyone. Still, the role of a diplomat is a natural one for him and he slips into it very easily. He keeps his own interests and thoughts on the background and centers other people and the actually important topics first. Ahti II can handle crowds, even able to entertain and hold the attention of big ones, but prefers quieter environments and just a few people whose company to enjoy.

Ahti II’s big interests include literature and, by the heavens, FISH. He is ridiculously excited about fish! His interest was sparked by the domestic pikes his family raises and it never once has died down. He loves learning about fish and aquatic life from foreign waters and keenly eyes the fish that he can see while swimming. He’ll very enthusiastically explain everything he knows to anyone who’s willing to listen. Like stated above he’s also very enthusiastic about reading and stories, it’s how he often learned other languages as a child. He dabbles a bit in literary analysis and even writes himself, but he’s shyer about showing his poems to others. Along with writing, his other hobbies include collecting vintage animal illustrations, hiking in nature, and swimming, since now he can’t do it all the time. He likes to keep himself busy with activities!

Ahti II has a speaking quirk where he tend to exclusively use formal language, in every language he knows. In part this is because he often liked to read older books as a child, but also he just really likes speaking that way and he likes the sort of reputation it gives him. He wants people to see him as a polite and jolly person first and foremost, whom one can trust when there’s trouble. He never swears, often he exclaims “heavens” when things go badly (the “heavens” he talks about are not “the heaven” you might think of, “heaven/haven” is the common name of a species of giant sea turtle that according to legends sailors could trust to help them if their ship sunk). He might not drop the act even when he’s upset.

His favourite type of music is cheerful corporate pop music that most would find annoying. His favorite food overall is cheese and cucumber sandwiches, his favourite snack is sweet liquorice. His favourite animal is the northern pike, if you asked him what his favourite land animal is he’d say lion. His favourite flower is coltsfoot. His favourite smells are rain and saltwater.

[donnyclaws]

Not posting abt tiger crawl home as much bc I'm having fun with my little scratchings and updates but it's so going somewhere rn

[phantomposter1412]

Heiji: I dare ya ta kiss the next person who walks into this room. Shinichi: Screw that, I’m not kissing any of you. Saguru walks in Kaito: Fine, I’ll do it. Rules are rules you know.

[randomnameless]

I think the example of the aqueduct in the Red Canyon alongside with how among Seiros's miracles was creating a canal through Enbarr that was vital to it's growth, couple that with how humanity flourished due to Sothis sharing technology with them, I think the game might be hinting that technology regressed under the rule of Nemesis and the Agarthans, the latter keeping their own tech away from those they deemed as base animals.

TBH I'm always a bit miffed by the "technology" talks, because while Agartha sure kept Sothis' more advanced tech and current Fodlan was supposed to be "age of discovery" developed, we still have magic, like, people can warp around...

Tech in general regressed post Sothis vs Agarthans war, but we don't know how advanced/far Enbarr was before the WoH - of course they didn't have elevators, but indeed, I suppose that, in general, after this war, Fodlan had to rebuild itself without Sothis giving tech bonuses anymore to accelerate the growth and development of humans - and here would come the sci-fi principle of "giving tech when people are mature enough" or something, so maybe the Nabateans wanted to let humans develop themselves first, and then would have helped later on?

I still find it fascinating that when Rhea was apparently "roaming around Fodlan clinging to her desire of revenge", instead of directing the Enbarrites to build thousands of mecha-golems, she... made a canal for them.