#what aspects of femininity are being challenged here? why is that a threat to you? quickly.

[sleevebuscemii]

this idea of ‘femininity is oppressed’ is such a moot point because none of these women have a concept of what being ‘feminine’ means outside of the requirement of being skinny pale and hairless. any woman that fits that criteria is automatically granted a label of femininity and true womanhood whether she’s wearing a pink ball gown or jeans and t-shirt meanwhile women of color women with disabilities fat women can identify with femininity and perform it to a T but still fall short because they can never meet the base requirement of being skinny pale and hairless whether they listen to taylor swift or watch the barbie movie or wear pink or not

[indigovigilance]

Tarot Symbolism in 1941

inspo: Three of Swords ask and answer by @embracing-the-ineffable

Okay guys this is outside my usual wheelhouse; I know just enough about tarot to be a nuisance. That said, once I saw the ask/answer above, I got to thinking about what other tarot symbolism might be in the S2E4 episode. "Nazi Zombie Flesheaters" was written by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, so it stands to reason this episode may contain unique elements not found elsewhere in the show.

I didn't analyze every suspect artifact, just the strong contenders. I'll demonstrate that whatever symbolism there may be directly pertains primarily to Aziraphale and to his relationship with Crowley. Below the cut we'll look at:

The Magician

The Chariot

Two of Coins

Ace of Coins

Three of Swords

Four of Swords

The Lovers

Two of Cups

Major Arcana

The Magician

First off may I just say that I am shocked and appalled that I have not come across a Fell the Marvelous magician tarot card. C'mon, artists of tumblr. Get it together.

This one is pretty obvious: Aziraphale is The Magician.

He has the ability to bridge the gap between heaven and earth and as such, he is capable of converting energy into matter.

The Magician is a card of manifestation: you want it so you make it happen. Aziraphale just grabbed this entire West End Stage situation by the horns and is steering it in the most ridiculous direction possible to show off for his knight in shining armor that just rescued him and his books.

Aziraphale manifests reality even when the miracle blocker is active: the bullet misses, and his notoriously unreliable sleight of hand works when he five-finger discounts Furfur's damning evidence.

Aziraphale is feeling his oats in this episode, and approaches every new challenge with the absolute and unwavering conviction that he can overcome it, and seemingly through sheer willpower, he does.

The magician is typically represented with all four symbols of power: a wand, a sword, a cup, and a coin (pentacle). This represents a high level of resourcefulness and adaptability, underlaid by the knowledge and skills necessary to deploy those tools.

The magician is a dangerous character, a boon to his allies and a threat to his enemies, but sometimes wields more power than wisdom. The magician has more ability to get what he wants than to necessarily know what is good for him.

The Chariot

This isn't symbolically referenced in 1941 per se but like I said, I have just enough knowledge of Tarot to be a nuisance and the symbolism was already there throughout the show so why not talk about it here.

This card depicts a black entity and a white entity (sometimes horses, sometimes sphynxes, depending on your deck) pulling a chariot. But the white thing and the black thing tend to be pulling in different directions, working against each other instead of with each other because they have different ideas about where the chariot they are both yoked to should be going:

It's rather inefficient.

And if that isn't a metaphor for Aziraphale and Crowley's influences on humanity and Earth, or the progress of their own relationship, I don't know what is.

But more generally, the Chariot represents the warring [internal] influences on the singular charioteer; their masculine and feminine aspects, their conscious and unconscious desires, etc. The message of the card is that the charioteer must define their goals so they can steer their powerful steeds in a single direction.

Much in this same way, Aziraphale [in the role of charioteer] is being pulled in opposite directions by his loyalty to Heaven and his conviction that Crowley is morally righteous. The challenge he faces is in unifying these beliefs.

The Magician & the Chariot

Where once there was one, now there are two; with the magician representing power and the chariot representing the unification of direction and purpose, the holistic effect is an incredibly powerful combination that can accomplish anything. Now that Crowley and Aziraphale have hitched themselves to the same cart, they will be unstoppable so long as they stick together and keep moving toward the same goal.

In the context of Aziraphale as the charioteer, however, the interpretation feels a bit more dire; there is great strength behind the forces that pull him in opposite directions, which now threaten to tear him in two. His ability to manifest has no clear direction.

Coins

Two of Coins (Pentacles)

Back at the bookshop, Aziraphale presents a sixpence and a farthing in the palm of his hand as part of a magic trick.

The Two of Coins is generally depicted as a juggler; like the chariot, this represents unsteadiness and conflict that needs to be resolved. The juggler is juggling multiple influences, trying to find balance and struggling to prioritize. It can indicate he is not giving enough of his energy to his romantic partner.

Ace of Coins (Pentacles)

After Aziraphale recites the magic words (and again, shocked and appalled that no one has done a meta on "banana fish gorilla shoelace with a dash of nutmeg," I mean are we meta-analysts or aren't we?) and the farthing has vanished, symbolically resolving the tension of duality:

The Ace of Coins (Pentacles), in the context of romance, represents a fresh start with a person who will provide stability: a knight in shining armor who arrives and provides a sense of security. It can represent a new beginning or a strengthening bond within an existing relationship.

If you have been considering taking your relationship to the next level, [the ace of coins] can also serve as a good omen.

I'm not even kidding, that's a straight quote from the source text.

Two of Coins -> Ace of Coins

Within this magic trick we have a symbolic transition from relational instability to stability, from unresolved romantic tension to a fresh start and strong bonding. If the magic trick is representative of Aziraphale and Crowley's relationship, this transition is a sign that they are coming closer together and starting a new chapter of their romance.

Three of Swords

Taken directly from the inspo; in the magic shop, as they are discussing the bullet catch, Aziraphale is standing in front of the Excalibur chest. Three swords emerge from the right side, and appear to be piercing his spine. The most direct imagery correlation is with this version of the Three of Swords:

The Upright Three of Swords signifies a sudden and unexpected blow to your emotions. When you see this card in a reading, it often foretells the sudden loss of a loved one, the realization of betrayal, or the end of an important relationship with someone you loved very much.

This accurately represents how Aziraphale felt the last time they saw each other, following the holy water request in St. James' Park.

At the end of this scene, Aziraphale disavows their "fraternity" and stalks off in a huff. Crowley makes no attempt to stop him. Clearly, neither of them expected the conversation to go this way, and each feels betrayed by the other.

Three of Swords & The Magician

When this duo appears in a reading, a breakdown in communication is causing serious issues.

During the entirety of S2E4, Aziraphale rushes boldly forward without duly considering Crowley's objections; by the same token, Crowley is also not being honest about his limitations. The "serious issue" that this causes is Crowley almost shooting Aziraphale in the face, a situation they would not be in if Aziraphale had not been so bull-headed about performing a dangerous and unfamiliar show-stopping trick.

Their relationship has barely been rekindled and has not had time to heal from the damage done in St. James' Park; it is too fragile for them to speak honestly with each other, and Aziraphale, fired up by egoistic fervor, charges boldly ahead with minimal regard for the consequences.

Suffice to say, this is some on-the-nose symbolism.

Four of Swords

When Aziraphale shakes Crowley's hand, he brings his hand up uncomfortably high to chest height, which seems like an odd choice until you realize that he has to do that in order to get his hand lined up perfectly between the aperture of the camera and the sword that sticks up from the Excalibur Chest. The three swords still emerge from his back, so Aziraphale is now the focal point of four swords. Additionally, the arrangement of the swords is in keeping with the general depiction of the tarot card; one sword is in his control/possession, three are not.

The Four of Swords is a symbol of chaos. It warns the subject that they are overwhelmed, overstimulated, out of touch:

- Haven't you fired a gun before? - Not as such.

...and needs to retreat and rest.

In romance, it can indicate that a rocky relationship is stabilizing and returning to normal. But it can also portent new issues that will make or break the relationship. One way or another, it is indicative of relational stress that needs to be resolved.

Four of Swords & The Magician

The combination with the Magician foreshadows a long-term relationship in your future. The key interpretation of the Four of Swords in this combo is that building yourself as a person first will attract the right partner.

Aziraphale (the Magician in question) has a lot of self-work to do resolving his attitudes about Good and Evil in order to be a good partner for Crowley, but if he can do it, the Four of Swords symbolism in this scene is a positive portent for their relationship.

Three of Swords -> Four of Swords

The transition from the Three of Swords to Four of Swords seems to indicate that a relationship broken by bad communication is starting to heal; it is not completely repaired, and there is still work to be done, but they have taken the first step. But it may also indicate that Aziraphale has bitten off more than he can chew and has introduced chaos into the relationship in his attempt to repair it.

The Lovers

We can't talk about Tarot without talking about the Lovers. Well, we could, but I'd get a lot of comments about it. The romantic candlelit scene invokes an image of lovers, so I'm running with it.

This card is rich with relevant symbolism and deserves its own meta from anyone who wants to do it. I will only briefly discuss it here insofar as it is directly relevant to the S2E4 depiction of events that occurred in 1941.

The upright Lovers tarot card can imply that you have major life-changing choices or are faced with a dilemma. Temptation is often part of that choice or dilemma.

Aziraphale constantly oscillates between the side of Heaven and the Third Side, but the events at the church have swung the needle and imbued our angel with a renewed sense of allegiance to his demonic companion. But this only serves to make things more complicated; no sooner is the flame of romance reignited than Furfur shows up to threaten Crowley, using their association as evidence against him. Miraculous escape notwithstanding, the danger of the situation is apparent. Aziraphale is aware that he may soon have to make some tough choices about who's side he's really on.

Two of Cups

The Two of Cups tarot card is one of the most positive relationship cards in the deck. When you pull this card in a reading, it stands for harmony, togetherness, and working as a team to build a strong partnership.

The Two of Cups is arguably more about love than The Lovers. This card indicates that the subject is in a deeply intimate, supportive romantic relationship. It serves to confirm that they've found The One.

The Magician & Two of Cups

...your new lover won’t be someone new at all, but a friend you already know well.

With the combined symbolism of Fell the Marvelous and the two glasses of wine at the end of the night, we have some holistic tarot symbolism that these two friends that go back a long time are, well... soulmates.

IN SUMMARY

I have no idea how much Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, or by extension Neil Gaiman and John Finnemore, are into tarot, but it's a show about angels and demons and the episode features homoerotic magic tricks and Nazi zombies, so, you know... it wouldn't be the weirdest thing they've done to include some tarot symbolism.

This was a fun meta to write and if you enjoyed it please say so; if anyone would like me to do a deep dive into the Lovers card, let me know, and I'll put some energy into it the next time I feel like neglecting meatspace responsibilities.

If you enjoyed this meta, you may enjoy Why Aziraphale Wears Spectacles or, if you want to see my full catalog of metas, you can check out indigovigilance original content (metas)

[strawberrytalia]

omg! i wanna do a few:

top 5 dc characters!

top 5 comic series!

top 5 animals!

OMG hi ella!!! 🫶 OH THESE ARE HARD

Top 5 dc characters (omg I feel bad ranking them)

Duke Thomas - who’s surprised 😭 no but he’s without a doubt my fave bat. i think there are just so many inspiring things about him, and he represents the aspect of comics I love most - stepping up and doing what’s right even when all odds are against you

Carol Ferris - I used to talk about her 24/7 when I was heavy in my GL phase, but I never stopped loving her. I love that she’s deeply flawed and angry and passionate, and she gets to be messy. Also she influenced me to be more comfortable expressing myself femininely which was hard as a brown girl ngl anyways carol <333

Ollie Queen - LMAO idk why but I feel so cliche putting him, but he’s my favorite Arrow and he always has been. I relate to him a lot. He’s really introverted, in his own head despite being is outspoken, he loves nature, cares deeply, and he isolates when he’s sad. I also like his very black-and-white thinking, esp when it gets challenged. live laugh love ollie queen

Talia Al Ghul - I won’t say much about her lmao bc talia stans are like sharks here, but she is also very important to me. Like you ever get that character that just seizes your heart???? Yeah that’s Talia for me 🥺 i don’t post abt her often either, but i love her sm

Khalid Nassour - it’s hell being his fan, but i’ll do it anyways 😭 so Khalid is rlly interesting bc i read his “cool” appearances first then read Dr Fate 2015 where he was more of an annoying 22 yr old. And it was so satisfying watching him grow from someone who was more narrow-minded and whitewashed to an intelligent, capable, and enlightened person. I really enjoy his character’s spin on what fate means in regards to one’s identity, heritage, lifestyle, and faith.

Top 5 comic series (THIS IS ALSO HARD OMG)

Day of Vengeance - this is the one currently living rent free in my head rn bc it’s so FUNNY and random, but also a really interesting storyline in regards to magic in the DCU. It’s just so enjoyable watching this group of mystics handle the hugest threat ever and barely get along, and they’re all weird, and then Lori joins and she’s like the group teenager and it’s so funny

We Are Robin - I honestly wish it was longer ngl but I really wanted to see more of the group together and their stories, especially Izzy and Dre. The premise and duration of this story is SO dear to me bc ofc Duke, but also I love watching kids band together against authorities bc they love their city sm.

Batman: Son of the Demon - as a Talia and sometimes Brutalia fan, how can I not 😭 It’s so sad and actually heartwrenching how happiness was so close to them but taken away, and how much Bruce and Talia sacrificed for each other because they are both loving people, they just love in the wrong way

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters - perfect Ollie. Perfect depiction of his mind. Really good storytelling. SHADOOOOO she served cunt and dc didn’t like that so they ruined her. Her initial appearance was so charming i literally made it my header. I like ethical dilemmas and the one in this story is so good. Also shoutout to Eddie fr

Green Lantern: Blackest Night - OKAY THIS IS THE ONE I WAS AFRAID OF SHARING 😭 I’m SORRY i love this for so many reasons, nostalgia mostly bc I re-read it over and over again at the peak of my hal obsession era idk why, I like the giant white entity, I like when all the Corps leaders have to team up and they’re all side-eyeing each other sm, and I also love when random heroes get involved and help save the day like Mera, Ray, Barry, Diana, Grant, watching them all try to survive it while battling grief in front of them. It is NOT THE BEST GL COMIC EVER but it’s one of my faves.

Top 5 animals (I love this question!!!!)

CATS 🫶 I used to have a cat when I lived in the states!! his name was austin, he was 8 years old, and he was the cutest thing ever. we had to give him away when we moved 😭 i still hate that my mom did that sm

SEALS!!!!!!! 🦭

Orcas 🐋🐋🐋 I like them a lot, they’re so adorable

Otters!!! 🦦

Flamingos 🦩 (hehe my username for a reason) they’re pink and i like all things pink also they’re so pretty

[chibimyumi]

Alan’s Crossdressing & Laughing Stock

Dear @aurorashenanigans,

First of all, thank you for your interesting prompt and your permission to use a screenshot of your comment.

Your question is very worthy of discussion in my opinion, because in theatre, even with the exact same script, one could still be watching an entirely different show if an actor has a different interpretation, and manages to express their interpretation.

This ⇊ post is an expansion to this post wherein I discussed the strikingly transphobic script and performance in ‘The Most Beautiful Death in the World’ (MBD).

Note: Please do read the post I referred to beforehand for a better and more complete understanding of this post, though this post will also contain a lot of overlapping information. If you are only interested in the conclusion of this post, please scroll all the way down to the 4th header ‘4. In Conclusion’.

So, let us unpack the differences between the scenes of MBD 2010 and 2013 wherein the characters prepare for the crossdressing-infiltration.

1. Premise of the Plot

The mystery around which the plot of the musical is based has its setting in the Crystal Palace where a masquerade is held which only permits the attendance of adult men - if - one is accompanied by a woman.

With most of the main characters being male, the key to solving this problem became ‘crossdressing’.

Grell in this musical was given the role as ‘a professional at crossdressing’ by making her criticise Ciel’s crossdresssing, which was given some weight (more or less) by making her use jargon such as ‘Clothes Language’. Herewith, the scriptwrights put Grell’s transgender identity on the same level as simple ‘crossdressing’.

2. Comparing Performances - 2010

In the 2010 of MBD, Alan makes his entrance in crossdress, starting with a traditionally feminine performative which is met with a roar of laughter from the audience. Only after having ‘successfully’ induced laughter from the audience, he drops the femininity and assumes a more neutral performative. Alan speaks the following line with a neutral voice:

皆さん、準備は整いましたね　行きましょう！

Mina-san, junbi wa totonoimashita ne, ikimashou!

Everyone, all the preparations are ready right? Let us go!

Grell is absolutely enraged, and challenges Alan as follows:

“なんでアンタまで女装する必要あるのヨ?”

“Nande anta made josou suru hitsuyou aru no yo?”

“Why do even you need to cross-dress as a woman?”

By saying this, Grell sends two messages: 1. that Alan does not acknowledge her femaleness as sufficient to get Alan through the security’s screening, and 2. herewith the script equates Grell’s dress to Alan’s crossdress.

Then, Alan explains why he resorted to crossdressing and speaks the following line with a deeper voice:

“俺  エリックと話さなければ　そのためなら… どんな屈辱でも甘んじてうけてみせる！”

“Ore, Eric to hanasanakereba. Sono tame nara… donna kutsujoku demo amanjite ukete miseru!”

“I need to speak to Eric. For that sake… I will resign myself to any humiliation!”

Instead of just walking down the stairs, Alan jumps down in an incredibly unrefined and masculine manner. However, is is entirely unnecessary to jump because the stairs connect to the ground normally. As such, it is safe to assume that Alan is trying to “compensate” for his crossdress with more pronounced masculinity. This is further confirmed by the line “resign myself to any humiliation”, which makes it explicit that Alan considers wearing a dress something a man should be ashamed of.

3. Comparing Performances - 2013

This script for the same scene in the rerun of BMD remains mostly unchanged. Just like in 2010, Alan enters the scene in crossdress. Unlike the previous however, 2013Alan speaks the line “everyone, all the preparations are ready right? Let us go!” in a high pitched voice. Instead of a slightly raised pitch however, he uses the type of exaggerated high pitch men conventionally use to mock women. Not unlike in 2010, Alan’s feminine performative is welcomed by a wave of laughter from the audience. This performative is so ‘funny’, that even Sebastian - who according to canon doesn’t give a damn about human gender norms - finds it hard to suppress the urge to laugh. Really, Sebastian, really?

After Crossdress!Alan’s introduction, both Grell and Alan are given a new line in the 2013 version before the scene proceeds like before.

Upon seeing Alan’s dress, Grell challenges as follows:

ちょっとアンタ！何を、それ！？

Chotto anta! Nani wo, sore!?

Hey you! What (the hell) is this about!?

“One roar of laughter at men in dresses was not enough, let’s get an encore!” thought however came up with the following line:

Alan:

巻いたほうがよかったかしらっ？

Maita hou ga yokatta kashira?

Should I have curled my hair instead?

Grell: “No! Why do even you need to cross-dress as a woman?” 

Then, instead of jumping down the stairs, Alan walks down normally, but strikes a dominant stance wherein he shows off his triangular MANLY chest and muscular arms. Not unlike 2010!Alan, 2013!Alan also feels the need to ‘compensate’ for the dress as he speaks the line “I will resign myself to any humiliation!”

In both versions of the musical, Grell responds with the following line:

“だからそんな屈辱受ける必要ないわよ!”

“Dakara sonna kutsujoku ukeru hitsuyou nai wa yo!”

“But there is no need for you to endure that humiliation!”

Using Grell’s reply the script reconfirms that what Alan said is right. By making Grell echo Alan’s opinion, the script effectively makes her agree that ‘a man wearing a dress is indeed a humiliation’.

After some petty-fighting, Sebastian decides to put an end to this fight, and says:

Sebastian: “まぁ女性は何人いて��良いでしょう。それに　グレルさんよりもお似合いですし。”

“Maa, josei wa nannin ite mo ii deshou. Sore ni, Grell-san yori mo oniai desu shi.”

“Well, it does not matter how many women there are. And moreover, [the crossdressing] suits [Alan] better than Grell-san.”

Here, Sebastian acknowledges how there is no such thing as ‘too many women’. Herewith, he effectively confirms how a man can be turned into a woman using a mere dress. By having Sebastian say: “the crossdressing SUITS Alan better”, Sebastian invalidates Grell’s gender identity by reducing her to ‘a lesser crossdresser’ than Alan.

4. In conclusion

In conclusion, in both versions of BDM, Grell’s dress as well as EVERYONE’s crossdress is a joke and a source of ‘humiliation’, and EVERYONE’s crossdress except maybe Ciel’s is a laughing stock.

Alan‘s crossdress is, as extensively explained above ⇈, the script’s tool to shame ‘men’ in dresses, and delegitimise transgender identity. Alan’s character is normally rather neutral and certainly does not ooze with toxic masculinity. The moment he put on a dress however, he plays his masculinity up, as though to assure both the audience and himself that his ‘precious male identity’ is unharmed, despiiittee wearing a dress that’s not for men!

Likewise, Aberline and Hanks are established comic reliefs in the Kuromyu universe, so it is not hard to see how their crossdressing is also the laughing stock of the show. The moment they are crossdressed, the jokes they make suddenly all surround their failure to ‘pass as women’. Just like Alan, they are “proper men whose masculinity remains unthreatened.”

Only Ciel’s dress does not seem to be something that the writers wrote as a active shaming-tool. Ciel is still a child, and unlike adult men’s masculinity, a boy’s masculinity does not need to be protected at all cost. As boys are ‘lesser men’ or ‘not men yet’ anyway, gender-nonconforming behaviour by them are not considered a threat to society’s gendered order, and do not need to be punished immediately. However, I could still argue the pink dress to be a laughing-stock, albeit a smaller one. While the audience is still supposed to find Ciel in a dress funny, this joke is supposed to appeal to a sense of endearment, and maybe even from a type of pity because Ciel obviously hates wearing the dress.

Finally, we can conclude that even though 2010!Alan is slightly less demeaning towards transgender women and men in dresses, his small-dick-energy/fragile masculinity is still very obvious.

Soooo,

🥇 The gold medal goes to 2013!Alan for being 1. transphobic, 2. demeaning towards women, 3. playing the cross-dress-joke up to 11, and 4, not even having bothered trying to be respectful about it!

🥈 The silver medal goes to 2010!Alan for first making us think that despite being a bit transphobic, you were somewhat respectful towards men in dresses... and only THEN backstabbing us.

🥉 The bronze medal goes to Sebastian for being complacent in reinforcing transphobia and laughing at men in dresses, even though you really should know better after 3000+ years history of laughing at humans and their ridiculous social standards.

🎖️🎖️Aberline and Hanks get honourary mentions for their participation in the Small-Dick-Energy Cup🏆.

5. Epilogue

I am very aware that this musical is very dear to many people. But I beg you. Please do not wilfully unsee the problematic aspects just because you like something. One can like the musical for what it is, namely a show with flaws that some people enjoy.

Liking a problematic thing does not automatically make you look bad, justifying the problematic aspects does!

[ceridwenofwales]

Random but remember the scene where Lagertha killed Aslaug she said that Aslaug bewitched Ragnar. Rewatching vikings & in S1 ep.9 Lagertha goes to the Seer to ask about the dreams she’s having. She fears for Ragnar’s life and the Seer tells her that the shadows are from Hel’s Hall, the shadows want to take something from her. He also tells her that Ragnar is in danger from the magical world. This is the episode where Gyda dies and Aslaug is introduced. She really did bewitch him. Thoughts?

I’m so sorry that took me this long to reply. I needed to watch two episodes of the first season and check it out some of my favorite sources to give you a more appropriate reply. I don’t think Aslaug bewitched Ragnar and I’ll explain why I think so.

I was writing a meta and Dumblr (how I lovingly refer to Tumblr when it sucks) erased my highly detailed post. ;(

Brace yourself, it’s a meta. Hahahahaha.

I think to answer this we have to go back to episode 8 from season one “Sacrifice”. Lagertha suffered a miscarriage and they are preparing to go to Uppsala to ask for the Gods’ favor.

Ragnar: “Of course I’m happy. Why should I not be happy? When we reach Uppsala, we shall ask the gods why they give with one hand, but take away with the other? Why they make me Earl, yet kill my son?”

Lagertha: “We can have more sons.”

Ragnar: “Have we not tried?”

When they reach Uppsala, Lagertha and Ragnar talk to the Gods:

Lagertha: “Freyr, lord, fill me with seed and give me a son. Do as you will with me, make me blind or deaf if you want to, but give me a son. Accept the sacrifices of blood we make to you, the honor we offer you. My lord, make me conceive again before it’s too late.”

Ragnar: “Lord of lords, father, hear my prayer. Let me understand your will. Is it true that I shall have more sons like the seer says? Accept the sacrifice I plan to offer you and then answer me. Who will bear me my son?”

Notice that Ragnar is already doubting Lagertha will bear him another child and searching for the fulfillment of his prophecy elsewhere. Aslaug was yet to be introduced at this point.

Seer: “Do you think your husband is in some kind of danger?”

Lagertha: “I’ve had strange and disturbing dreams.”

Seer: “What happens in your dreams?” 

Lagertha: “Dark shapes come to me at night. Monstrous forms. When I wake, they skulk in the shadows, shapeless, but no sooner am I asleep than they creep forward again.”

Seer: “Ah, yes. The shadows come from hell’s hall. No one can ensnare them, not even the gods.”

Lagertha: “What is it that they want?” 

Seer: “To take something from you.”

Lagertha: “My life?” 

Seer: “No, something far more important to you than that.”

Lagertha: “My husband’s life? Tell me.”

Seer: “Why must you all force me up and unearth me to sorrows? Your husband is in danger, but not for his life. He is in danger from the magical world.”

Lagertha: “How? Answer me.”

Seer: “I was unwilling to speak and I will say no more now!”

The Seer is clearly disturbed by Lagertha’s insistence and dismisses her. 

In the following scene, Arne and Torstein see Aslaug bathing and she seems curious at the mention of his name. I think, as a Völva, she knew her destiny was with Ragnar and told his men that Ragnar should apologize to her on their behalf.

Ragnar: “Who is she, anyway, to put such a high price on her nakedness?”

Arne: “We didn’t ask.”

Ragnar: “I’m intrigued.”

Bjorn: “What’s so intriguing?" 

Ragnar: "Sometimes the gods put things like this in front of us as some kind of test.”

Ragnar then challenges Aslaug to join them neither dressed nor undressed.Neither hungry nor full, neither in company nor alone.

Siggy: “What did the Seer tell you?" 

Lagertha: "He said that it’s true; That Ragnar is in danger.”

Siggy: “From whom?" 

Lagertha: "I don’t know.”

Siggy: “Who do you think?" 

Lagertha: "I think he is in danger from himself.”

Lagertha knows Ragnar is ambitious and this scene is symbolic because as we talk about free will and fate, Lagertha is working on a loom. The Norse people believed the fate was woven by the Norns and so the female’s role of weaving, spinning, etc was related not only to the Norns but also to the practitioners of seiðr. 

Any kind of textile work, particularly weaving, was believed to be a way of exercising supernatural power. One enigmatic aspect of seiðr is that it was connected with ergi ‘unmanliness’. If seiðr was spinning, it would certainly be unmanly for men, because spinning was the most characteristic women’s work. The feminine character of spinning also fits with seiðr in other ways. Firstly, manipulation of other people’s lives was also done by other kinds of women’s work.

There’s another important scene that implies this symbolism: Floki and King Horik’s conversation happens as they see a spider’s web. Floki is saying that the wolf Fenrir couldn’t be constrained by any mean known to humans.

Floki: “I came to ask about Jarl Borg. He won’t sell. He wants to make a deal.”

King Horik: “I’m not interested in deals.”

Floki: “That would make it hard for Ragnar.”

King Horik: “Ragnar will come to the right conclusion, and make the right decision.”

Floki: “Don’t you care if the negotiations fail? 

King Horik: “Mm Look!" 

Horik shows Floki how the spider attacks the fly trapped in its web. The web here can represent more than fate. Horik sent Ragnar to a doomed mission in hope Borg and Ragnar would destroy themselves and he would be rid of two problems at once. Let’s remember Ragnar is getting more famous than the King himself. Jarl Borg tried to convince Ragnar to form an alliance against King Horik and then asked Rollo to join him against Ragnar. There are more threats to Ragnar than the arrival of Aslaug.

When Aslaug agrees to follow Ragnar and his companions to the Ash tree that is believed to be Yggdrasil, he asks her:

“Why did you come along with me?” 

Aslaug: “Because I had no choice.”

Ragnar kisses her for the first time and later on when Aslaug gives him the news she is pregnant, she says:

"I’m carrying your child. Did the Seer not promise you more sons?”

We might interpreter her words as a sign she knew of her role in Ragnar’s fate and that’s why she mentioned she had no choice earlier. Ragnar is conflicted because while he seems pleased his prophecy is being fulfilled, he knows Lagertha won’t take it lightly.  

Now we have to examine the reasons why Lagertha could be suspicious Aslaug bewitched Ragnar.

The vǫlur were referred to by many names. Old Norse völva means “wand carrier” or “carrier of a magic staff”, and it continues Proto-Germanic *walwōn, which is derived from a word for “wand”.

Historical and mythological depictions of vǫlur show that they were held in high esteem and believed to possess such powers that even Odin consulted a völva to learn what the future had in store for the gods. Such an account is preserved in the Völuspá, which roughly translates to “Prophecy of the Völva ”.

In addition to the unnamed seeress (possibly identical with Heiðr) in the Vǫluspá, other examples of vǫlur in Norse literature include Gróa in Svipdagsmál, Þórbjǫrgr in the Saga of Erik the Red and Huld in Ynglinga saga.

The vǫlur were not considered to be harmless. The goddess who was most skilled in magic was Freyja, and she was not only a goddess of love, but also a warlike divinity who caused screams of anguish, blood and death, and what Freyja performed in Asgard, the world of the gods, the vǫlur tried to perform in Midgard, the world of men. The weapon of the völva was not the spear, the axe or the sword, but instead, they were held to influence battles with different means, and one of them was the wand.

The vǫlur were known for their art of seduction, which was one of the reasons why they were considered dangerous. One of the stanzas in Hávamál warns against sexual intercourse with a woman who is skilled in magic, because the one who does so runs the risk of being caught in a magic bond and also risks getting ill. Freyja, who is the mistress of seiðr, has a free sexual life that gives her a bad reputation in certain myths.

One of the methods for seducing men may have been the use of drugs. In Fyrkat, the grave of a völva revealed the use of henbane, a drug which not only produces hallucinations but can also be a powerful aphrodisiac. If Freyja was the goddess of love in Asgard, the völva was her counterpart in Midgard.

There’s also an interesting post by @dyannehs that points out a new interpretation of the archaeological evidence of women being buried with weapons as being practitioners of seiðr and not female warriors/shieldmaidens.

This hypothesis doesn’t dismiss the shieldmaiden entirely. There’s room for a sword-wielding woman if we ever gather enough evidence to support it. But that would not have been the normal role for women in battle. This hypothesis states that if women went into battle (and if they did, then they would have been a very small minority on the field), then they were not warriors but sorceresses, who would literally be casting spells and reciting charms and curses left and right and practicing magic in an attempt to sway the outcome and protect their own men and homes.  

These women would have been in commune with the Valkyries and the gods, urging the fate of the battle in a certain direction. And the weapons found in their graves were not meant to be used but were symbolic of prowess in battle as something removed from warriors.  

After all, how else can you physically represent the power of magic in battle?

And we know that sorcery in battle was a legitimate thing. Practitioners of seiðr had a wide range of battle magic and could perform such feats as instilling fear into the enemy, hindering the enemy’s movements, strengthening armour and weapons, weakening armour and weapons, providing invulnerability, providing other protections from weapons and enemy sorcery, killing enemy soldiers, fighting and killing enemy seiðr practitioners, and breaking enemy curses. 

While a Völva was highly respected, there was also a reverential fear for the power they held. I don’t believe Aslaug manipulated or bewitched Ragnar. I think she only knew her destiny was entwined with his. I talked about Aslaug’s fate here as well.

Sources: 

Seiðr

Old Norse religion in long-term perspectives

Women and Magic in the Sagas

Völva: Sexual Rites and Drugs

Seiðr and Norse Shamanism

Spae-craft, Seiðr and Shamanism

Viking Women

Norns

[helshades]

There is a difference between an individual deciding not to have children and someone embracing the view that there is something inherently wrong with motherhood and giving birth to children.

Individuals have always made choices about whether or not to have kids and about the size of their families. These were personal decisions rather than statements about the moral significance of bringing new children into the world. Yet today, a significant section of society presents the decision not to have children as a political comment. There is now a misanthropic ideology that promotes hostility towards those who choose to have children, alongside a growing tendency to paint motherhood in a negative light.

This anti-natal ideology is promoted in two separate but often interconnected ways. First, it is claimed that childbirth and childrearing are fundamentally negative experiences that ought to come with a health warning. Secondly, it is argued that having children is irresponsible because newborn babies constitute a threat to the environment. And it seems as if this ideology is having an impact: alarming new figures from the UK’s Office for National Statistics show that the birth rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level since 1938. In 2018, there were just 11.1 live births per 1,000 people – a record low.

Is motherhood natural?

One way in which the moral status of motherhood is delegitimised today is through the idea that society’s expectation that women should have children is an artificial and coercive imposition. This narrative calls into question what is sometimes described as ‘maternal inevitability’ and asserts that motherhood is not a natural role for women.

Writing about her film, My So-Called Selfish Life, Therese Shechter says she was interested in chronicling ‘the rise of a growing community of women who don’t want children and who reject the message that a woman’s most important – and most natural – role is to be a mother. Shechter’s ‘taboo-busting film’ is directed against ‘maternal inevitability’:

‘The film gives voice to a community challenging our most fundamental ideas about female identity, including a 19-year-old student determined to get her tubes tied, a woman “coming out” about her regret at becoming a mother, the founders of a childfree LGBT seniors’ community, and a repro-rights activist whose unsuccessful fertility treatments lead to a life transformation.’

Shechter says her aim is to challenge a world ‘where femininity is tied to childbearing’. Her film summarises the key points made by anti-natal activists. It suggests that motherhood has little to do with a woman’s identity, and it supports the claim that regret about becoming a mother is widespread. Finally, it hints at the superiority of childfree communities.

The anti-natality narrative seeks to portray motherhood as an undesirable and unpleasant trap. In recent years, numerous commentators have adopted the term ‘maternal regret’ to highlight the idea that many mothers pretend to be happy with their lives, but secretly they regret having had children. One Canadian article, titled ‘I regret having children’, argues that this sentiment is becoming increasingly common. It draws attention to a 9,000-member Facebook group, also called ‘I regret having children’. The author is delighted that ‘parental regret’ is a taboo that is finally being busted. This taboo has recently been brought to public attention by everyone from the BBC (‘100 Women 2016: Parents who regret having children’) to Marie Claire (‘Inside the growing movement of women who wished they never had kids’) to Today’s Parent (‘Regretting motherhood: What have I done to my life?’).

Some observers insist that maternal regret might be even more widespread than we think. They say that large numbers of women suffer from this condition in silence and feel unable to tell anyone about what a big mistake they made. A recent confessional article in the Daily Telegraph, by an anonymous author, was headlined ‘I secretly wish I’d never had children’. It is typical of the trend. The author writes of her disappointment with her predicament and tells of a time when ‘a little voice in my head whispered if I hadn’t had children I’d be living the life I dreamed of’. She added: ‘I feel so alone living with this secret.’

This word ‘secret’ is frequently deployed, no doubt to suggest that maternal regret is far more common than we suspect. It is also intended as a form of encouragement, to get more women sharing their stories. So at the end of the Daily Telegraph confession, the editors inserted the following: ‘Do you regret having children, and would you ever admit it? Join the conversation on the Telegraph Women Facebook group.’

Yet if maternal regret really is a secret, it has become a very open one. Maternal regret is now widely discussed across the world. In 2009, the French psychoanalyst Corinne Maier published her bestseller No Kids: 40 Good Reasons Not to Be a Mother. In 2016, the BBC included Maier in its list of the 100 most inspirational women in the world. Germany has been particularly hospitable to the issue of maternal regret. Sarah Fischer’s book, The Lie of Maternal Happiness, offers a disturbing account of the supposed horrors of motherhood. Alina Bronsky and Denise Wilk’s The Abolishment of the Mother is directed against the traditional idealisation of motherhood in Germany. That the hashtag #RegrettingMotherhood was trending in Germany in 2017 suggests this concern resonates with certain sections of society.

In some cases, critics of the ‘normalisation’ of motherhood don’t only see themselves as exposing a dirty secret – they go a step further and actively try to help mothers to distance themselves from their decisions. Orna Donath, author of the 2015 book Regretting Motherhood, says the aim of her work was to help mothers who ‘wish to undo motherhood’. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that much of the commentary on maternal regret isn’t only describing this phenomenon – it is also seeking to normalise it. From the perspective of these observers, the new normal is not the association of motherhood with positive feelings but the association of motherhood with regret.

Estrangement from parenthood

The normalisation of maternal regret is connected to a wider trend – one that regards childbirth and the raising of children as an onerous burden, best avoided. The very idea of adults assuming responsibility for younger generations is regarded as an outdated custom, at odds with the lifestyles of busy and successful individuals.

The desire to opt out of parenthood is often blamed on financial difficulties. In Spain and Italy, so-called ‘empty cradle syndrome’ is put down to the financial and time commitments that come with having children. But this doesn’t stack up, because in many parts of the world the contemporary estrangement from natality is as pronounced among financially secure individuals as it is among less well-off people.

South Korea, which has the lowest birth rate of the OECD countries in the Asia-Pacific region, also has a vociferous #NoMarriage movement. A new network called EMIF – Elite Without Marriage, I Am Going Forward – reflects this sentiment. Not surprisingly, this year the number of people dying in South Korea is expected to be greater than the number of those being born.

In China, couples who choose to be childfree are often described as DINKs – ‘double income, no kids’. It is reported that couples who believe children would only cramp their lifestyles are on the rise in China. The term carefree has become synonymous with this childfree outlook.

Historically, women were confronted with the expectation that, when they became adults, they would embrace motherhood and give birth to children. This expectation is still widespread. However, it now competes with a negative vision of motherhood that suggests having babies will thwart a woman’s ambitions and diminish her quality of life.

Twenty-first-century society’s estrangement from having children is often said to be driven by women’s aspiration for greater independence. Sometimes the ascendancy of anti-natalist sentiments is linked with the influence of feminism. These things may have contributed to the crystallisation of the anti-natalist climate, but there are other, more powerful forces at work here.

Numerous aspects of human existence have been pathologised. Young people, in particular, have been subjected to a form of socialisation that encourages them to view the problems of existence – pain, disappointment, pressure, anxiety – through the prism of psychology. They have been brought up and educated in a way that tends to insulate them from pressure and from challenging or unsettling experiences. Instead of cultivating children’s capacity for acquiring independence, the current regime of socialisation encourages the young to be ‘aware of their vulnerability’.

In such circumstances, young people often become distracted from the aspiration to grow up, to take on adult roles, to embrace duty and responsibility.

This is one of the reasons why many young women – and men – in their early twenties claim that they don’t want children. Ever. No doubt many of these young people will change their minds at some point and opt to have children. But the assertive and confident manner with which they declare their anti-natal predilections suggests that right now they believe that avoiding the burden of parenthood makes perfect sense.

The anti-humanist movement against childbirth

The estrangement of sections of Western society from motherhood is underwritten by an anti-humanist doctrine – one that regards humanity not as the solution to the problems of the world, but as the cause of them.

In recent decades, much of the environmentalist movement has adopted a radically misanthropic rhetoric. According to some environmentalists, humans are a kind of cancer on the environment. Deep ecologists claim humanity has degraded the planet via our human-centred ideology that treats nature as a utility for people. The denigration of humanity is often vitriolic. There is a tendency to depict humans as parasites, and this is not confined to extreme and marginal individuals. Michael Meacher, a former minister in the New Labour government, referred to humans as a ‘virus’ infecting the Earth’s body. James Lovelock, the well-known originator of the ‘Gaia hypothesis’, says humans ‘behave in some ways like a pathogenic organism, or like the cells of a tumour or neoplasm’. Consequently, we have grown in numbers and ‘the human species is now so numerous as to constitute a serious planetary malady’, says Lovelock. He concludes that ‘Gaia is suffering from Disseminated Primatemaia, a plague of people’.

In the West, the population-control lobby is busy castigating those who have large families, branding them ‘environmentally irresponsible’. Having children, especially lots of children, is treated as an eco-crime. Prince Harry, via the issue of Vogue edited by his wife Meghan Markle, pushed this idea this week, with his promise only to have two children in the name of eco-sustainability.

From this perspective, another human life is just so many extra carbon emissions. Which is why it is preferable, apparently, that these new human lives simply did not exist.. As the Optimum Population Trust – since rebranded Population Matters – once put it, ‘A non-existent person has no environmental footprint; the emission “saving” is instant and total’.

And now there are the climate-change activists who have formed the ‘BirthStrike’ movement. They have decided ‘not to bear children due to the severity of the ecological crisis and the current inaction of governing forces in the face of this existential threat’. BirthStrike’s website features personal statements from individuals who think it is wrong to give birth. Aletha, aged 39, says:

‘The priority of my husband and I is to avoid bringing another child into intolerable future conditions such as heatwaves and drought, considering children are already dying from heatwaves in India and Pakistan this year.’

The idea that giving birth is some kind of crime against the environment is now even endorsed by celebrities. Miley Cyrus says millennials ‘don’t want to reproduce because we know that the Earth can’t handle it’.

The BirthStrike movement is merely the most extreme and depressing manifestation of an anti-humanist culture of pessimism. It is not simply these activists’ deep attachment to the environment, but also their misanthropy that leads them to the conclusion that the world would be a better place if humans stopped having babies. Their view of babies as polluters of the planet seamlessly meshes with a sentiment that treats parenthood as an undesirable and ‘problematic’ goal.

Until recently, babies were seen as a blessing. Now, far too many people argue that not having a baby is a blessing. Ultimately, the reason for this loss of faith in the human spirit is neither economic nor environmental. Rather, the main driver of this anti-natal movement is the difficulty that sections of society have in giving meaning to life today. Recovering our confidence in the human spirit and in age-old human virtues is the best antidote to the turn against giving birth.

[theevershipping]

Most Sensible Voltron End Game Ships:

Note: this doesn't mean I don't LIKE other ships, but logically, given that Voltron is a CHILDREN'S CARTOON, these ones make the most sense story-telling wise. Here's why.

Hunk/Romelle:

I start here because I think this will likely be the least controversial. They set up in the first ep of S7 that Romelle and Hunk clearly think alike. They also set up that even though Lance is attracted to Romelle initially, she soon actually annoys him. On the other hand Hunk finds Romelle's thought processes to be so like his own that he acts she's like his own personal God-send ("It's like, I think it, you say it!") Likewise, Romelle seems to rather enjoy her interactions with Hunk, and the way he supports her curiousity. For once Hunk gets to be the one "in the know", and Romelle likes and appreciates the way that he interacts with her.

I know there's a lot of talk about doing right by an LGBTQ+ rep character, but I think the "Nice guy who's really smart and awesome but happens to not be conventionally attractive" rep deserves to get an attractive girl who he really does genuinely like and connect with and who genuinely likes, connects with, and respects him.

Lance/Pidge:

Although we are all understandably wary of trusting anything the writers say at this point, they have pretty much said that they do have an end game for Lance and it's not Allura. While I'd personally love to see a Klance ending, it seems pretty clear that Lance and Keith are both being set up to be straight--Lance shows attraction to basically every conventionally attractive female, and Keith/Acxa is a thing (and a reasonable thing, which I will get to next). So..

Lance and Pidge: first off, Pidge constantly points out and makes fun of Lance's crush on Allura, and at times even seems annoyed by it. She definitely doesn't show any sign of caring about the romantic interests of any of the other characters. Although it's been subtle, as Pidge's priorities have clearly, and rightly, been elsewhere, there's been some hints from the beginning that she's certainly paying attention to Lance's love interests, and is maybe jealous and just covering it up by making fun of him--which is pretty age appropriate, and typical of girls with older brothers: She's more comfortable approaching him on guy level and expressing her annoyances (unconscious jealously) through teasing him and, in the process, attempting to dissuade him from said romantic pursuits.

The writer's stated that Lance would get what he NEEDS in a relationship, not what he WANTS. Pidge is not girly/feminine in an aesthetic sense (what Lance thinks he WANTS), but she's perfectly pretty--it's not like Lance wouldn't be attracted to her once he gets passed his old-school markers of attraction based purely on conventional outer symbols of femininity (I.e. If he saw Pidge a few years older and in a dress, he'd almost certainly have a different reaction to her). Pidge does have an abundance of qualities that Lance NEEDS in a partner.

Pidge and Lance balance and trust each other. They have from the very first episode of Voltron. If you think of the first episode as establishing our main and most relatable characters, we really enter the story through the trio of Lance, Pidge and Hunk. Keith and Shiro--who they are and how they're involved in what's happening--are mostly mysteries to us in the first ep. In the typical trio story set up you have the main male character, who represents ego, in story structure, and you have his two best friends, who represent his ID and Super-ego. Often the Super-Ego character is female, and the ID male. The function of the super-ego is to check, regulate and correct the impulses of the ego, which the ID often supports/supplies. The super-ego, basically, is the one who thinks things through, when the ego doesn't want to, and the ID can't. Pidge is the super-ego.

What Lance NEEDS is someone who he both implicitly trusts and who can be the things he isn't in such a way that it helps him to grow, while still having his partner see him as an equal and having respect for the qualities and strengths he has as an individual and that he contributes to the balance of the relationship.

Allurance shippers will say "Allura can be those things too!" But she can't, because she is not and never will be his equal. She is a 10,000 year old Princess from a race of people that are vastly more evolved than humans. She was raised to rule a planet and take on the burden of the universe. No matter how much she might LIKE Lance and trusts him as an ally and a friend, that quality of equality and challenge that actually attracts confident and capable women to men does not exist between Allura and Lance--which is why she was attracted to Lotor.

The contrast between how Allura reacts to Lotor and how she reacts to Lance is a great representation of what creates actual romantic attraction vs. friendship compatibility: Lotor is her equal in his own right and can challenge her to see and grow beyond her pre-conceived notions, while having enough similarities that he understands and fits into the world she comes from and will return to (that of Galatic leadership and responsibility). Allura and Lance do not have that kind of shared reality and the ability to build together as equals that comes with it.

Pidge and Lance, on the other hand, start from the same place--they're kids who were smart and capable and followed a dream, and who have taken on the unanticipated responsibilities and adventures that came as a consequence of following that dream. They constantly demonstrate that their gut instincts are aligned. They do not have fundemental differences in terms of values and unconscious life expectations, and those things matter when you're talking endgame, because endgame means when two people are grown ups and they have kids and grow old together--that real life stuff.

Allura and Lance might have a minor romantic arch, in fact I suspect they will, because they will need to in order for all both Allura and Lance to fully realize they're not compatible. This will also force Pidge to become conscious of her feelings for Lance. From there we can from there spring board into Pidge/Lance and back into...

Lotor/Allura:

So, I'm not at all surprised we didn't see Lotor or Haggar in Season 7. It would have been too easy. We needed the stakes to be much higher, and the only way to do that was to bring the Galra threat to Earth, which couldn't have happened with Lotor as Emporer, or even with Haggar in charge--she's a much bigger schemer than just blindly chasing those lions across the galaxy like all those dumb male Galra meatheads want to do. Also, it gives her time to realisticly retrieve Lotor, fix him physically, and in the process develop some sort of relationship that would lead to them trusting each other enough to come back (allegedly) on the same side in S8.

I don't want to speculate on the plot of S8, and I won't. But I think that plot stuff aside, Lotor has to come back for the sake of Allura's character development.

ALLURA IS A RACIST. She is not malicious (just like most racists aren't malicious). But she seriously discriminates against the Galra just for them being Galra. She has a reason, no one can deny that--Just like someone who gets beat up by a gang of white guys has a reason to be wary of groups of white men, and they might take the trauma of the experience to the degree that they unconsciously start to demonize white men as a group... The trauma creates predudice because the brain is looking for a way to protect you from the trauma that just occurred. So it notes visual markers associated with the trauma, and when it later sees those markers it gets triggered into a state of flight/fight in order to (ideally) prevent you from reexperiencing the trauma associated with those physical markers. It's an evolutionary imperative--it's why we all jump across the room when we see a spider. But this primal imperative does lead to discrimination against groups of people. In my example, being fearful of groups of white men after being the victim of a gang beating is understandable, but is still a PREJUDICE based on their physical likeness to individuals who committed terrible acts, when in reality those physical traits have nothing to do with the terrible act.

It seemed like Allura was making progress with her predudices because of her relationship with Lotor, but Lotor is half Altean. He had to prove to her several times that he was "civilized" and even more knowledgeable about aspects of Altea than her. She fell in love with the Altean part of him. The literal second that she was given reason (by an ALTEAN stranger) to believe that he'd done something terrible and “GALRAN”, she instantly jumped to betraying him without even listening to his side of the story. This act proves that she didn't ever actually consciously see and acknowledge her predjudice and the irrational assumptions it causes her to make, she just was able to temporarily over look the Galran in Lotor for the Altean. So, Allura still has some major self realization to do in this department.

Next, the rash actions of the Paladins destroyed what could have been peace in the universe. Lotor gave them the option pretty much up until the end to stop and think things through even after they betrayed and attacked him. But at the end of S6 it's pretty clear it's Allura calling the shots on whether or not the team listens to Lotor or fights him. And we all know what happens:

She lets her emotions win. She prioritizes her anger--at herself for trusting a Galra--and she completely fails to care about (and likely think through) the bigger picture. Rather than realizing that the new emperor of a civilization that has been systematically enslaving the Galaxy for 10,000 years is trying to give agency back to planets, to create peace, harmony and a universe that works together to fulfill the needs of the whole, she doesn't even listen to him, she just attacks. With Lotor gone, of course the empire will fall and divide to the various generals of power. If Team Voltron had stopped and thought for 5 seconds about that they maybe would have realized that leaving Lotor in that rift was the most selfish and childish thing they ever could have done, humanitarian principles aside even. How many more worlds besides Earth suffered and will suffer for ALLURA'S emotional reactions that stem most deeply from PREJUDICE?

To be clear:

ALLURA believed the word of an ALTEAN she did not know, over the HALF-GALRAN she had fallen in love with, all because she FEARED she was wrong to trust someone with GALRAN blood: "You're more like Zarkon than I could ever have imagined," she tells Lotor. NOT "You're more like Honerva (AN ALTEAN) who began this whole mess by experimenting on quintessence and what happened when one combines it with their own life force and then became so addicted to it that she went crazy and enabled terrible things to happen to innocent peoples and planets." Nope. Even though in all honesty that comparison would have been more accurate, it didn't occur to Allura to accuse Lotor of being corrupt like his ALTEAN mother. What she says to him is essentially, "You're corrupt (and thus more) like your GALRAN father."

So, in order for Allura to grow into someone who is actually mature and responsible enough to lead the Voltron Colition and bring peace to the Galaxy, she's going to have to see the serious error in her actions, and the root prejudice that actually lead to them. And Lotor will be the one to make her see it.

From the moment the Paladins take Lotor prisoner he points out that Allura is discriminating against him based on species and parentage. It's pretty clear that this is set up to be their arch--Both of them are deeply flawed and magnificently gifted individuals who were born and raised to rule worlds, if not whole galaxies. They both have let their personal fears and flaws get in the way of what they could achieve together. In Allura's case the fatal flaw is predudice. In Lotor's it is lack of trust. He should have told her about the Altean colonies, but, rationally feared that he couldn't trust her to hear him out--irony being, if he'd brought it up privately and volunteered the info she probably would have reacted differently. However, Lotor has never had anyone he's trusted or who has trusted him, so he doesn't know that is how trust works. 😢

These two are designed to point out each other's flaws, and help them to correct them (not to make up for them, but to truly help each other change as people by, essentially, calling each other on their shit.) When they do that--Allura facing her racism; Lotor facing his lack of knowing how to actually trust someone fully--then the fatal flaws that lead to the ending of S6 (and the subsequent inter-galactic crisis that the simultaneous betrayal of these two baby-rulers, has caused) will be obliterated, the fatal flaws cured. Allura and Lotor will then be capable of resuming creating the new era of peace they were attempting before, but this time they will succeed because they will have learned to have real transparency/trust, rather than letting their unconscious fears be reasons to mistrust each other when they need to trust each other the most.

Lotura is a ship that is about real equality combined with real consciousness of self and other in relationships. Neither will be able to mature as characters until they see the flaws in Self that their initial (immature) love brought out in each other; the completion of the circle is then conscious change from seeing these flaws, and then forgiving themselves and each other for them. Only then can they can move into a mature love, which will allow them to bring out the best in each other without being blind to the flaws in each other and themselves.

Real love is seeing and dealing with both the good and bad, not ignoring one in favor of the other (this always backfires, as Lotura's first arch demonstrates). And that is a super valuable relationship lesson, that, in a show for kids, is profound and important. Love is seeing and accepting all of your partner and working together to change the things that need to be changed--not getting mad at each other, refusing to listen to what your partner has to say, deflecting with things like "your just like your dad," and subsequent retaliations that take the couple further away from the real issue, like Lotor does when Allura finally hits his weak spot and his basic response is "oh yeah, well your dad sucked too!" And from there it's all just them both being so hurt that reason is lost. That is the state of immature love.

Lotor and Allura are the only two characters who are each other's equals. They are the only two who can call each other on their shit effectively and who can help the other to change and grow. Their arch is about learning how to do that consciously and maturely. How to trust instead of doubt. How to see through the limitations of ego fears (Allura's prejudice, Lotor's not knowing how to trust) and to consciously choose loyalty to each other and to a fully shared vision. Without doing so, neither of these characters can transform from being in their immature Prince/Princess state to being ready for the mature King/Queen state.

Okay, Next...

Keith/Acxa:

I keep seeing posts where people are saying that this came out of nowhere... frankly, you all need to go back and rewatch the series. Keith and Acxa first meet in season 2 inside the guts of a Weblum. Even though it's clear to them from the start that they're on opposite sides of a war (thank you space suits) they still work together to survive and don't abandon each other even when it might benefit them to do so--they demonstrate immediately that they have a similar honor code/value system.

Every time these two encounter each other, despite remaining on opposite sides, they always help each other in this way that shows they both are in wonder about it--they don't know why, but something, some sort of "I owe you" that can't ever seem to be repaid no matter how often they help each other, is just in affect between them. Obviously, this continues to mount in S7.

So, why can't they just be friends? Well maybe they can, but I don't think that's where this is going...

For one thing, Keith is clearly drawn to his Galran side. He wants to be with the Blades of Mamora more than Team Voltron for a long stretch of time. Then he meets his Galran mom. Keith never got along well with other humans, as is established all over S7. He does get along with all these Galrans.

Those of you who know psychology know, we pretty much always marry some variation of our parents. Keith has a Galran mom who he likes and loves a lot. Acxa fits his mommy archetype. And, she's a half-breed like him--she knows what it's like to not fully belong to any one people.

Plus, as stated and well established in canon, these two just can't help but constantly save each other. I think more than ANY ship possibility, this one is obvious, and would totally make end-game sense.

So...

Shiro/???:

On the one hand, I'd love to see everyone all happy and paired up living happily ever after, but think it completely fits all of Shiro's character development to end up alone.

S7 firmly establishes that as a person, Shiro's ambitions/dreams matter more to him than the emotional needs of his partner, Adam. That's okay, there's nothing wrong with that, but, as a personality trait, it's not going to make for a happy long term relationship. In relationships you need to be willing to sacrifice things for your partner--not everything, not all the time--but you don't have the right to make serious decisions that affect you both without giving weight to the other person's needs. Shiro makes it clear that Adam's feelings don't matter to his decision to go on the Kerberos mission. That's not good partnering.

Adam, on the other hand, demonstrates a much more partner-oriented approach. He knows this is Shiro's dream, and because he loves him, he put his own wants/fears aside to support Shiro going on his first mission. He doesn't want to stop Shiro from being happy, but, when he tells Shiro that if Shiro goes AGAIN, Adam won't be here when he gets back, he's realizing that he's got to let Shiro understand that he can't be the only one in their relationship caring about the other's feelings. Adam needs a partner who will give the relationship serious weight in serious life decisions. Shiro demonstrates through his actions that he does not value the relationship more than his ambitions.

Shiro is a great team leader, but that doesn't necessarily make him a good life partner.

So, if Shiro ends up realizing this about himself and choosing to not have a romantic partnership, there is a really valuable lesson and story line there:

In American culture there is a lot of pressure to pair up. We are taught from childhood that real happiness hinges upon being partnered--at the end of every Disney movie the princess and prince finally get to be together forever and this is how we know they will "live happily every after". But not everyone is suited to relationships--and that has nothing to do with sexuality.

Shiro is gay, but that doesn't make him intrinsically more suited to long-term relationships than being straight makes anyone suited to long term relationships.

The LGBTQ+ community seems to be offended that Shiro isn't being represented in a relationship, but honestly I think they're being done a great service--Shiro is being understood as human rather than as his sexuality. His sexuality doesn't make him who he is. Being honest with himself about whether or not long-term relationships are actually something he is built for, is important for everyone to think about, and it's maybe especially important for LGBTQ+ kids to have a role model who does think about this.

One of the dangers of being LGBTQ+ is that people unconsciously reduce you to being a label--and you are so so much more than that label. Your sexuality is just one facet of Self, just like being straight is just one facet of Self for straight people. The pressure to be in a relationship as "proof" of your "identity" is very real for young LGBTQ+ kids, and the fear of leaving a relationship once you find one is far more intense because you fear your options are limited and you might not find someone else of your sexuality/who accepts your sexual-identity. So, LGBTQ+ kids are more vulnerable to staying in relationships that they've outgrown as a result of semi-conscious societal pressure to both pair up and to "prove" their "identity", and to fear that they might not ever find another relationship.

Shiro being the rep for the LBGTQ+ community teaches kids that you can be any sexuality/sexual-identity, and it doesn't change anything else about you--it doesn't change that you're smart and skilled and capable of being a space pilot, it doesn't change that it's perfectly possible and okay for a relationship (or even long term relationships in general) to not be right for you, it doesn't change your ability to be a good team leader... it doesn't change or mean anything else about you any more than a straight person being straight does. It's a facet of Self, to be weighed against many many other facets of Self.

...All that said, if they do somehow make it canon that Adam miraculously survived and he and Shiro are end game, that could be a great character development arch too, as long as it involves Shiro acknowledging that if he's going to resume being in a relationship with Adam he has to make decisions WITH Adam, and respect that Adam's emotions and needs matter equally to his own. If Shiro isn't willing to chose the truly rational emotional well-being of his partner (I mean Adam was reasonably scared that Shiro would die in space) over his own ambitions, he's not compatible with Adam. And that's okay too.

And, lastly:

Zethrid/Ezor:

Here's another rep for the LGBTQ+ community. In contrast to Shiro's story line, which may end up with him consciously deciding that committed relationships aren't as important to him as other parts of life and is happy being alone, we are now being introduced to a relationship in which two women who have worked together for a long time are discovering happiness through exploring their romantic connection. From what we've seen in S7, it looks like Zethrid and Ezor are experiencing a deeper trust and intimacy as a result of their new relationship.

I think it's great for two characters who are largely portrayed as villains/secondary shades-of-gray characters to demonstrate to people how relationships can change your priorities. Zethrid and Ezor seem to have made each other the first priority, rather than the ever-convoluted mission. They're still in the middle of this war, but now they care most about looking out for each other, rather than prioritizing the Galra Empire or Lotor. They are finding meaning in what they've fought for through their love for each other. I think they will be taken on an arch that is the opposite of Shiro's, in which they increasingly discover that their relationship and love for each other matters more to them than the military ambitions that may have once fueled them as individuals. ❤️

In conclusion:

While I think this is clear, in case it isn't, I am not bashing on ANY ship in this post, I'm just explaining why I think these ships are the logical end game ships for good story telling.

If you are so inclined, I'd love to hear your thoughts presented in a respectful and legible manner. ❤️

Thanks for reading, I know it's a long one. 😅

[bpd-shuichi-togo]

Thoughts on the warrior dogs? Or just moritaka? Hes just a litol guy

i don't have that many thoughts on them sorry uh

moritaka: 100% he's overrated imo. on some level he's got some fairly interesting stuff going on ig but he just doesn't hook me, i think bc he's too like Nice™? he's too... well-adjusted. i'm sorry he's just very bland to me. he doesn't have any internal conflicts that interest me at all, and his role in external conflicts is always pretty generic, and his arc just doesn't hook me. make him more abnormal & maladjusted and come back to me. there was a glimpse at something that could have been interesting in the (teeth grit) pep talk scene in chapter 9, where he's resentful of shuichi for what he views as squandering the opportunity to reconcile with a loved one- an opportunity he'll never have, as his own family is dead. and that could have been so interesting!! he's not just being Nice™, he's being biased in how he views a situation and projecting his experiences onto others'!! but that whole (potentially really really good) conflict was mishandled so bad if i start to get into it we'll be here all day lol also that whole? running gag where people??? joke about him and/or treat him like an animal???? and he objects to being treated like that and it's supposed to be funny???? like the character who's an in-universe minority has their friends like semi-regularly subject him to what in-universe are legit microaggressions and it's like. what the fuck is that. what even was that speech in chapter 8 tying that into his dog-dad like what the fuck was that

tadatomo: man you remember when he was fucked up?? like he would kill you and then bring you back as a zombie in an extremely painful process to get killed and brought back again? what happened to that that was wild why was he only fucked up for like 15 minutes what was the point of that then?? the 'accidentally calling people dad' gag is funny as hell but you remember when he just like mercilessly tormented people for like 15 minutes and then it just never got brought up again???

yasuyori: the sumo one. housamo stop being h*rny about teenagers challenge. potentially interesting internal conflict ig, but i don't find him very interesting either

tanetomo: FAR AND AWAY MY FAVORITE HAKKENSHI. i wish lifewonders would stop being transmisogynistic (and also weird re: his and yasuyori's relationship -_-) bc i fucking love him, i love when a guy is just a fucked up evil cunt, he's top-tier fem transmasc rep. when he started stabbing ellie in cold-fucking-blood and was legit torturing her my jaw DROPPED, that was SUCH a first impression. god i hate how allergic this game is to having proper antags, they turned him way too fast i wish he'd been a threat longer that mf was SCARY. whatever's going on with him and yoritomo is one of the only non-togo aspects of act 2 i gaf about at all. i wish housamo weren't being transmisogynistic about him bc i love that he's like legit a gnc guy who's unabashedly feminine, who is and wants to be considered Pretty and Cute and so on. and my god he's SO fucking funny. he threatens to mutilate one of his superiors because he was cuter than him in his plushie body. he's honor-bound to help ellie because she spared his life or something but he openly dislikes her and despite the whole torture thing she just doesn't take him seriously enough to care. there's something seriously wrong with him <3

masanori: i haven't played his debut chapter and i don't intend to so i don't really know what his demeanor is like, but his conflict actually does seem interesting and compelling to me. i like his design also. I KEEP FORGETTING HE'S A COP LOL. young man if you don't stop that right now i'm telling your dad. maybe i'm not utilizing him properly but he kinda sucks as a unit (affectionate). the fact that he uses wagahai is SO FUCKING FUNNY TO ME FOR UNRELATED REASONS but also sad. therapy might fix him but i'm not sure

yoshito: i forgot what his name was and had to hunt for him on the wiki (he isn't filed properly on the wiki). i'm probably going to be reading his debut chapter but it hasn't been translated yet so idk what his demeanor is like. i like his design, i wish the nightglows skins had looked more like his pilot skin and less like everyone was vacuum-sealed into a skinsuit. where'd he get that fucking plushie

[maidenoftheforestlight-blog]

Sansa and The Heroine’s Journey

So you may have seen my discussion on Arya and the Heroine’s Journey earlier this week (if you haven’t, feel free to check it out here , and do make sure to check out the whole discussion by reading through the notes). As you’ll see, I do reference Sansa’s role in Arya’s Heroine’s Journey and, in doing so, allude to aspects of Sansa’s own journey. In this post, like the one on Arya, I’m going to apply Maureen Murdock’s outline of the Heroine’s Journey (once again, check it out here) to Sansa’s story and also use it to make predictions as to where I think her story will go in the last two books. 

Now, as I said in my last post, I think Arya’s story so far fits pretty much perfectly with Murdock’s outline of the Heroine’s Journey. By that I mean; Arya’s story is essentially written as a straightforward Heroine’s Journey in a way that suggests GRRM probably did it -at least to some extent- on purpose (compare to how Jon has clearly been given a Hero’s Journey). However, with Sansa we are given a rather unusual version of the Heroine’s Journey. 

Now, this may seem strange to some because, in-universe, Sansa is the much more conventional character while Arya is more unusual and subversive, but when we look at the two sisters in a more meta-fictional way, it is Sansa who is actually the more unusual character in the fantasy genre. To clarify, what I’m saying is; characters like Sansa are not usually the protagonists of their own stories in fantasy fiction. 

Sansa seems to fit the “damsel in distress, fairytale princess” archetype; a character who is usually more of a prop, motivator or reward in a male hero’s quest than a well-developed character in her own right... never mind actually having her own story and character development. Makes a lot of sense why a lot of people in the ASOIAF fandom look at Sansa the way they do, doesn’t it (as a kind of bonus prize for whatever male character they think deserves to win the day)? Well those people have actually focused in on the archetype GRRM is working on with Sansa... except, they haven’t realised that GRRM is actually subverting this archetype by making Sansa a protagonist in the first place!

So, Sansa is a very unusual heroine in this particular genre, it makes sense that she would have a less straightforward Heroine’s Journey... And she does, but it’s still a Heroine’s Journey and to explain how her story fits the pattern, I’m going to have to start from the beginning and go through each stage (a thing I really didn’t need to do with Arya) so more under the cut! 

So, the first stage of the Heroine’s Journey is The Shift from Feminine to Masculine. The linked post on the Heroine’s Journey sums this up as:

During stage one, the heroine rejects the feminine in favor of the masculine. She may still be tied to the feminine, but she increasingly resents that attachment. 

Now, this is pretty clear in Arya’s story, but how does this fit Sansa at all? She’s super feminine and happy about it and everyone even praises her for it! Well, there’s actually two ways that Sansa fits this archetype despite not appearing to on the surface. Firstly, Sansa does reject the feminine... she rejects the subversive femininity she sees in her sister, the more subversive femininity of Northern culture in general (if we use characters like Lyanna and the Mormont women as examples). 

Secondly, as the post goes on to explain, this stage also accounts for the heroine having a difficult relationship with the feminine,  or Mother figure, herself... and this is the case with Sansa. Oh, not with her own mother, but with Cersei, the woman who is to be her mother-in-law, and (as mentioned above) with her little sister, Arya who embodies a different kind of Feminine. 

Within only a few chapters of AGOT we the see a power struggle begin to develop between Cersei and Sansa. Cersei literally attempts (and succeeds to a certain extent) to kill Sansa’s spirit when she orders Lady’s death. Cersei sees Sansa as a potential threat to her power, as a usurper coming in to steal her crown and her son. Cersei both demeans and manipulates Sansa, and tries to coach her into a certain expression of femininity (tears aren’t a woman’s only weapon, the best one’s between your legs). Cersei is the enemy, the Dark Mother and threat to her own individual self expression, the Evil Queen, that Sansa has to overcome.

As for embracing the masculine, while Sansa does not take on typically masculine behaviours, she does forsake her connection to her home and hearth (the almost womb-like comfort and shelter of Winterfell; think on that warm water pulsing through the walls). She leaves this traditionally feminine and familiar starting place of home, and her mother’s care and guidance, for a new world of excitement, pageantry and politics, where she has only her father for parental guidance and- most importantly- where she must prepare for marriage to Joffrey, the future husband and king who societal mores dictate she must now put first before even her own blood. It is indeed a symbolically masculine world Sansa enters in the South.

The next stage in the Heroine’s Journey is The Road of Trials. Mythcreants states:

In stage two, the heroine sets off on a journey, departing the ordinary of the feminine and fully embracing the masculine. This might mean she actually leaves home, sword in hand, or it could just mean that she abandons sewing classes and goes fishing instead.

Regardless, she has something to prove to herself and others. In her new journey, she is surrounded by masculine allies. They still think she is less, or at least not one of them. In her heart, she believes they’re right. But that doesn’t mean she’ll give up. She’s fixated on showing everyone that they’re wrong..All her actions are designed to make her look better to her masculine allies; she never does anything because she simply wants to do it. She’s always compensating for the feminine lurking within her. .

Again, we can see how this perfectly fits Arya who literally does “abandon sewing classes” and goes off on her own journey “sword in hand” and is surrounded by male friends and allies. However, Sansa also enters this stage in her journey. By COK, Sansa is firmly entrenched in (as established in the previous section) the “masculine” world of Kinglanding politics, being used as a pawn in a war between her brother and King Joffrey. She isn’t “embracing” this because she wants to, she simply has to accept her situation in order to survive. She has to learn to understand this new world, to understand the “game” of it in order to protect herself. Sansa’s weapon is not the sword, but her wits (as GRRM himself has stated). She begins to understand men and how their minds work and, in understanding them, learns to protect herself from them or gain them as her allies so that they can protect her. 

And she does gain these male allies. First and foremost we have Sandor Clegane who Sansa appears to develop an empathetic bond with after she comforts him, who gives her his cloak twice and swears himself to her as a protector and who Sansa begins to develop some tender feelings for despite him being much more than “rough around the edges” (more on him later...). We also have  Dontos Hollard, a man who swears himself to Sansa after she saves his life, Tyrion Lannister, who both pities and desires Sansa, and Petyr Baelish, a man who presents himself as her friend and ally due to his own friendship and intense “love” for her mother and sees Sansa as both a protegee and a younger version of Catelyn. 

Being beaten and worn down by constant abuse in Kingslanding, Sansa does let the words of her enemies get to her. Once accustomed to great praise and feeling accomplished as a young lady, she begins to believe insults to her intelligence. Nevertheless, she does not lose her faith or hope and we actually see her challenge Sandor on his nihilistic outlook and terrible behaviour as well as begin to use her new understanding to subtly manipulate the likes of Joffrey and even Tyrion. So we can see that this stage is definitely present in Sansa’s journey.

Stage 3 is The Illusion of Success and is described as such:

By stage three, the heroine has faced great trials and emerged victorious. She feels the thrill of success, and her confidence is bolstered by the applause of others. She has built an impressive, masculine reputation... Somewhere inside, she begins to realize that something is missing from her life. She feels stretched thin. She looks in the mirror, and isn’t sure she knows the person looking back. Even her victories seem empty. She counsels the great and powerful, but does not feel great and powerful herself. 

This is Stage that I think we’ve left Sansa off on in the Vale. If you read the TWOW Alayne chapter, you’ll see that Sansa is kind of riding a high right now. She’s actually happy! Things are better for her than they have been in while... at least... they seem that way. While Sansa’s confidence in herself and her intelligence is improving under Littlefinger’s praise and guidance, she is also quite aware that he is not truly trustworthy. She must be wary of him and his “unfatherly” advances and intentions. 

There are a lot of people Sansa must be wary of in the Vale, actually. She cannot be certain of who to trust. Things are not as they seem. Not even she is what she seems. When she “looks in the mirror” she does not see Sansa Stark, but Alayne Stone. She has to be careful not to lose herself in her alias. Her identity is at risk. 

Now, this next stage is where I get to start making predictions... My favourite part! Stage 4 is The Descent:

In stage four, tragedy strikes. It could be a cataclysm that shakes the world, or a private matter that no one else knows of. Regardless, she is suddenly made aware of what’s really important to her. When her allies come to usher her along on the next adventure, she turns them down... She begins a period of voluntary isolation, descending into a metaphorical cave. There time passes slowly. It’s dark; there are no sights or sounds to distract her. There she searches for herself. 

What is going to be the tragedy that strikes Sansa’s story? Well, imo, it really is going to be one that “shakes the world”; the WINDS OF WINTER are going to reach the Vale and one by one the Chekhov’s Guns that GRRM has set up in Sansa’s narrative are going to be set off. First and foremost, I do think there will be some kind of natural disaster that affects the Vale with the coming of Winter, probably an avalanche considering the ominous imagery GRRM has been using (check out this essay for more on that). As the dominoes fall in the aftermath, Littlefinger’s supposed plan for Sansa, the one that he so nicely laid out for us so that we could be absolutely certain that none of it would ever actually happen, will be proven moot; Harry is going to die, Sansa is going to be exposed too soon, enemies are going to show their hands and real allies are going to come forth. 

The result of this, without going too much into speculation as to “how” (though I recommend @bluelemonsforever‘s Sansa TWOW prediction essay), is that Sansa is going to end up on the Quiet Isle with her old ally Sandor Clegane. It is in this peaceful place that she’s going to have to return to herself, to her identity, to Sansa Stark, and is also going to be called on to “woman up” by new allies who now know her identity. She is a Stark heir after all and many people will be looking for a Stark to rally behind. Coming to know her true self in this isolated place will also involve addressing the things she has repressed or ignored in her subconscious... this includes her subconscious desires and it is in this stage, on the Quiet Isle, that I strongly believe Sansa will have some kind of sexual awakening (her narrative is the “romance plot” of ASOIAF after all; she’s GRRM’s exploration and subversion of the fairytale princess archetype, of course love and sex is going to play a major role... and has already). This is where Stage 4 meets Stage 5 because as Sansa comes to greater self awareness, understanding and acceptance, she begins to embody “the goddess”...

Stage 5 is The Meeting with the Goddess:

The heroine begins stage five in her darkest hour. But she is rewarded for her struggle when she encounters the goddess.

The goddess symbolizes the true nature of the feminine, and the best of what the heroine left behind. The goddess imparts a great truth to the heroine about herself and the feminine.

When the heroine parts with the goddess, she feels reborn.

Am I saying that Sansa is her own personal goddess.... yes, kind of? But of course, not in a literal sense. The previous stage is going to involve something of a crisis of identity for Sansa. It’s going to involve her facing a lot of the things she has chose to repress or ignore for her own sanity and comfort. It’s going to be a very difficult for her to confront these things... The pay off, I think will be in coming to self awareness and through this, beginning to come into her power as woman, and understanding what that means. 

Just as Arya is going to face her darkness in Lady Stoneheart, I think Sansa is going to have to face her darkness by actually looking at herself and recognizing her own shadow side. In doing so, she’s going to have to let go of her notions of perfect womanhood and the black and white morality of the songs she loves. The worth of the songs is in the high ideals they encourage people to strive for, but the real world is not that kind of fantasy where decisions are easy and where you get everything you deserve for being the “good girl” your parents raised you to be (it might get a bit meta, yes). The world might not be that kind of fantasy, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your morality to it, to lose yourself in it’s corruption in order to survive... It does mean you have to open your mind and keep it sharp while also keeping an open heart.

This is where Sansa finds out that Arya is alive (because Sandor will tell her) and where she realises her error in shunning her sister for supposed “imperfection” -and it’s possible that she also meets or hears of Brienne in this stage- and so comes to an understanding of different expressions of femininity and womanhood (in this way both Arya and Brienne also represent the symbolic goddess she “meets”). 

In setting herself free from these kinds of mental constraints, Sansa becomes the symbolic goddess and is ready to meet with the god in hieros gamos, the sacred marriage. On the Quiet Isle, I believe Sansa will marry Sandor Clegane and probably become pregnant with his child... a daughter that will look like Arya (there’s a lot of fertility symbolism in that holy place, Arya was often mistaken for Sandor’s kid in their travels and Sansa having an Arya lookalike for a daughter has been foreshadowed). Here the Maiden meets the Warrior and becomes the Mother and he becomes the Father. We go into winter with the promise of new life... a dream of spring. 

Stage 6, The Reconciliation with the Feminine:

In stage 6, the heroine heads back to the familiar surroundings she left behind. She finds and nurtures her inner child, the part of her left from before she rejected the feminine. She may seek to bond with the mother, and to gain new understanding about her...  She spends her time on simple tasks of a feminine nature. She receives no glory for her toil. 

Returning to points made in Stage 1, Sansa returns to Winterfell- the starting point, the safe-space of her childhood- and starts embracing the lifestyle and culture she once rejected. She will also, I think, be reunited with Arya at this Stage and it is very fitting that this is called the “Reconciliation with the Feminine” as this is the time that both sisters will be working on their feelings towards each other, healing old wounds and strengthening their bond. Sansa will now be able to see Arya through new, wiser, more understanding eyes. 

As I discuss in the post about Arya, it will be Sansa’s acceptance of Arya’s own personal form feminine expression and womanhood that allows her to fully release the pain of feeling rejected or looked on as a failure in childhood by Catelyn, Septa Mordane and Sansa herself. I also think this “reconciliation stage” will extend to Jon Snow, who also felt rejected by Catelyn and whose relationship with young Sansa was therefore somewhat distant. Sansa will come to truly embody ‘The Mother” as an archetype from here, acting, as the eldest female Stark, as something of a matriarch within Winterfell. 

I think this stage and the next will bleed into one another a lot for Sansa so I kind of have to talk about them together. The next stage is Stage 7, The Reincorporation of The Masculine:

In stage seven, a crisis erupts in the realm of the feminine. In dealing with this crisis, the heroine once again faces the masculine side of herself, ready to emerge and dominate. She now understands the inner need that the masculine fulfills, and why she lost herself in it before. She recognizes that while the masculine was not her true goal, it was an important part of her journey. 

So again, it’s kind of hard to see Sansa in this because... When exactly has Sansa had to face a “masculine side, ready to emerge and dominate”? But, again, these things can be more symbolic than literal, or rather, in this case, can be more physical than psychological. By that I mean, it’s time for Sansa to face her “savage giant” and also deal with her enemy, Cersei (which is why I say that this Stage will probably bleed into the “Reconciliation with the Feminine” stage). 

As I mention in the Arya post, Winterfell will probably be threatened and here our heroines will have to call upon a more “masculine”, martial, side to defend the “feminine”, family and childhood home. For Sansa in particular, I think this may mean that Cersei actually sends Robert Strong with an army, to Winterfell in order have her killed as Cersei is still out for Sansa and I wouldn’t put it past her in her mental state to do something like this. This would definitely present a crisis to Sansa both on a personal level, as her life and home is threatened and also for the sake of her lover/husband Sandor Clegane, who will have to face the creature who was his brother. 

I’ve talked about this before on my blog but here it is again; I feel quite strongly that Sandor will in fact be forced to fight his brother, not for revenge, but to protect his new family... but that it will be Sansa who strikes the killing blow and saves him (perhaps in a little homage on GRRM’s part to Tolkein’s Eowyn and her slaying of the Witch King). In doing this, Sansa will finally realise the full strength and potential she possesses when she doesn’t put herself in a box.

Alternatively (or maybe this will all happen, who knows?) the “Masculine” that will “emerge and dominate” will come in the form of Petyr Baelish coming back into Sansa’s life and trying to entice her back into his darkness. It is definitely believed by a significant amount of the ASOIAF fandom that he is the “savage giant” that Sansa will slay and I definitely don’t discount the possibility. In this case, the “Reconciliation with the Feminine” also comes in with Sansa assuming responsibility for the trust Catelyn placed in Littlefinger and dealing with him once and for all in a very firm rejection of his particular brand of politicking. The “Reincorporation of the Masculine” aspect to this could also mean that Sansa also assumes her father’s role as justice in the North and acts as an executioner after discovering Baelish’s role in her father’s death and family’s downfall. 

Whatever the case, these two stages are sure to be the exciting climax of Sansa’s arc where I think much of what her narrative has been building up to will come to a head and be resolved. 

This leads us to the last bit, Stage 8, The Union:

 By stage 8, the heroine has found balance between the feminine and the masculine. But she is not finished until she helps others find that balance as well. She uses her synergy of the feminine and masculine to bring everyone, on either side, together. If they are embattled by a great enemy, her leadership guides them to victory. 

As stated in my comments on the “Reconciliation” stage, I think Sansa takes on a matriarchal role from that point on and I think that running her household and holding Winterfell will be her major role in the war against the Others. She’s no warrior or mage like her siblings, so I don’t think she’ll have much to do with the fighting at all, but she can organise food and supplies and transport and get people to safety and shelter. Again, think of LOTR’s Eowyn who is a beloved leader of her people when the men ride off to war and think of Sansa herself, being of comfort to the other women, to Lancel Lannister and to Sandor during the Battle of the Blackwater. Sansa’s strength will be in giving support, comfort, inspiration, hope and healing through the battles of winter. 

The skills she has gained in politicking over the course of her journey will help her with negotiating and gaining allies and she will be able to prove herself as a strong and capable female leader who is loved by her people, “If I am ever a queen, I’ll make them love me”. I think with her growth in empathy and compassion and knowledge she has gained throughout her story, that she, along with Arya and many of the other characters who survive the war, will help to create a better world for Westeros. 

Well, this is the Sansa essay! Please let me know what you think of how Sansa’s fits into the archetypal Heroine’s Journey. I can’t wait to discuss this with people as you’re certain to bring up stuff I forgot to mention or never even thought about!

[escailyyy]

Exasperating also starts with E

(Note: this is an Au where Eurus never killed VT and grew up as normal in the Holmes household as the baby of the family, she’s still a sociopath, so this happened…)

"Are you ever going to tell Molly Hooper that you love her?” Was the first thing Sherlock heard upon entering Baker Street after a long case, admittedly he should be used to his little sister showing up at his flat for no reason other than to annoy him, but honestly he thought it was Mycroft’s turn this month .

“And good evening to you too Eurus” Sherlock sighed turning around to find her sitting in his chair casually eating from a tub of (obviously expensive, imported specifically for high priority clients, delivered just two hours ago by a messenger with sweaty hands) Marchetti Gelato, she was wearing the Pajamas Mycroft had give her last Christmas and apparently seemed to have the ludicrous idea that he was back to his eight year old self who’d indulged her in as many pretend tea parties as she wished “I thought you said sleepovers were for goldfishes and amoeba brained females not worth associating with”

(Adult Eurus had never graduated from her ‘force my brothers to play tea party with me’ phase. And unlike Mycroft, who’d easily used his seniority to escape their little sister’s manipulative feminine machinations as soon as humanly possible, Sherlock never really had it in him to push her away)

“And he avoids my question, big surprise there, do have some Gelato, I even had this Ginger Nut flavor comissioned just for you” Eurus smiled extending the tub in his direction “you know that you are my favorite brother don’t you?”

“Yes I am aware, considering that the other option is Mycroft and I always win by default, although I apreciate the effort to sweeten what will undoubtedly be a conversation fraught with manipulation tactics and no I do not love Molly Hooper” Sherlock replied, putting away his bellstaff loosening his scarf and accepting the gelato “speaking of which how is your dear James?”

“Still hiding behind his lawyer in an effort to avoid me” Eurus sighed dramatically with a wave of her hand

“Well to be fair Moriarty isn’t an idiot, I think most men would prefer his high security prison in the middle east over facing your wrath after his failure to remember your aniversary” Sherlock didn’t have to make his disapproval of his sister’s choice of boyfriend known, after all it was the frequent topic of discussion among family dinners and the only subject Mycroft and he agreed on lately, but when it came to life sentences the Holmes brothers didn’t think that there was anything worse than being subjected to Eurus and the mercurial moods she hid under her sociopathic personality, so they both refrained from outright trying to get themselves rid of him.

“As James should” Eurus huffed “but he won’t be able to plead guilty forever if I make sure evidence of the contrary begins to accumulate around him” And considering the latest petty crime Moriarty had pleaded guilty for involved the assassination of a well known Middle East religious leader, Sherlock didn’t doubt his sister’s threat “are we done with your deflections Sherlock?, answer me already, when is that love confession taking place?”

“Very well Eurus, I’ll humor you” the 'else you’ll never let the subject drop’ was implied but thankfully not voiced, if one thing was true among the Holmes family was that Sherlock loved his like minded sister and rarely left an opportunity to talk to her go to waste “why do you think that I am as you so eloquently put it 'in love’ with Molly Hooper when you know I firmly believe that sentiment is a waste of time”

“Because you are, do you need me to make a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate it?” Eurus snorted, reminding Sherlock of their teenage years and her old perchance for whining about always being right “Anyone with high IQ can see it”

“So Papa has finally given you the grandchildren ultimatum huh?”

“No more than he gave it to Mycroft but that’s not the point”

“Youre his only daughter of course its the point, Papa wants grandbabies to spoil and you as the daddy’s girl that you are, do not want to dissapoint him, you wouldn’t be here trying to matchmake me otherwise” Sherlock shot back smugly “stop saying I’m in love with Molly”

“may I remind you that of all the people in this sentiment riddled universe Molly Hooper is the only one you’ve voluntarily apologized to?”

“It doesn’t prove anything” Sherlock dodged sitting in his armchair “I respect Molly, she’s my friend”

“You analyze her life choices and clothing preferences more than you do any other female in your acquaintance and that includes mummy, Mrs Hudson, Mary Watson and Me” Eurus listed off ticking her fingers “I don’t have much experience with actual friends but as the social manipulation expert in this family I can tell you that friends do not do that”

“I do NOT analyze Molly’s life choices, I deduce them and offer helpful advice, which according to John IS what friends do”

“Then why do you always hold your deductions whenever the topic of sex comes up around her?” Eurus challenged him with a smug smile as if to say 'go ahead, try to deduce yourself out of that question’ “it wouldn’t happen to be because your mind palace automatically supplies complimentary material would it? You used to say that intercourse was part of human nature”

Sherlock internally blanched, his sister really knew too much “because it has come to my attention that talking about someone else’s sexual habits and preferences in a social setting is potentially embarrassing for them”

“I see I’ll have to help you along, honestly your level of denial is quite impressive” If Eurus had been a little younger she’d have reached for fake glasses and written Sherlock’s name on a clipboard like she used to do when she’d mockingly declared she wanted to be a psychologist after her tenure in Sherrinford “why if its potentially embarrassing do you still do it to virtually anyone…exept Molly?”

“Because Molly is different, she’s not an idiot, she’s useful to me and good at her job”

“So you get no satisfaction out of making her feel like an idiot I understand, yet one could argue that Mycroft and I arent idiots either and you infer about our sexual lives often enough” Eurus pointed out taking a spoonful of gelato “why is molly different?”

“Because she is!” Sherlock grunted instantly regretting it by the knowing look his younger sister was giving him “what I mean to say is that, talking to her about the subject never feels correct to me, Molly isn’t …”

“Able to talk about sex like a normal adult? Why Sherlock she’s a healthy woman in her thirties who disects naked human bodies for a living, I would think she’s probably very open about it” Eurus ventured innocently “her past boyfriends seem like they were enjoying themselves at the very least”

“Would you please stop taking about Molly Hooper and sexual expertise in the same sentence!” The consulting detective finally snapped

“You ruin all her relationships”

“Its not my fault that she seems to attract men with criminal tendencies”

“Oh please, you announce to any who can hear the most inconsequential things, who cares if the paralegal with the bleach teeth was evading his taxes? His only crime was talking to your precious pathologist during her lunch break” why was it that Eurus always managed to sound fifteen whenever she tried to meddle in his life?, she was a genius in all parts of her life, but as a sister Eurus Holmes could really be a pain in Sherlock’s ass when she wanted to be"If you haven’t deduced it, I’ll have you know even James could tell that her relationships are your blind spot"

“Please don’t remind me about the famous 'Jim from IT’ considering that masquerading as Molly’s date isnt an ideal way of meeting my younger sister’s psychopath boyfriend ”

“ Life partner” Eurus corrected without missing a beat “James and I don’t use amaeba terms to classify our conection” then remembering something funny she added with a chuckle “The 'Molly factor’ blindsided your deductions so badly you even thought James was gay, as if someone like him would limit himself by the sexuality and gender of his partners”

“Nowdays I even doubt that he’s limited by their consent, species or lack of pulse” Sherlock rolled his eyes, glaring at his sister “But then again he’s saddled with you, so what should I expect? After all I’ve seen his bruises and heard the tortured screams”

“What can I say I like things rough and James is the only man I know who gives as good as he gets” Eurus shrugged and Sherlock had to remind himself that she wasn’t the type to worry about the gender, sexual orientation, lack of consent or inmorality of her sexual acts either “he has a certain je nes se quais that fits me so well”

“Spare me the details Eurus, there’s a reason I never frequent your Knightsbridge flat”

“Me thinks the gentleman doth protest too much, your Molly hasn’t been raised under a rock you know, why, if my airlines didn’t keep me so busy I’d think I might even grow to like her, I would wager my escapes with James wouldn’t shock her”

“Keep your evil machinations away from Molly Hooper sister mine” Sherlock warned narrowing his eyes “You already played you games with John and it almost cost him his marriage, if you so much as try the same on Molly so help me science I will make you regret it”

“Why would I want to make my future sister in law despise me?” Eurus laughed letting Sherlock see in her eyes a glint of the madness she kept firmly under lock and key in the confines of her own mind palace “you should really hasten that love confession Sherlock, you won’t be virile forever you know, after all we don’t know if all those drugs you’ve taken in the past have affected your fertility” she taunted in a sing song voice

“I’m perfectly fertile and perfectly virile! Molly would have nothing to complain about in that aspect” Sherlock exclaimed outraged realizing belatedly thst he’d falken for Eurus’ bait “I meant it in a purely hypothetical situation”

“ARGH I blame Mycroft for this! If he hadn’t put the 'emotions are evil’ mantra in your head you wouldn’t be acting like a preschooler pulling the pigtails of the girl he fancies” Eurus groaned putting her head in her hands “what have I done to deserve this?” The answer : probably a lot

“Funny, Mycroft blames you for crippling Victor’s legs in that blasted well and coloring my perception of human relationships with trauma”

“He locked me in SHERRINFORD for three years because of it, excuse me if I disregard his opinion on the state of your psyche”

Sherlock sighed, he supposed they all were self fulfilling prophecies, being the middle child in a family of geniuses had never been easy, specially because their whole sibling dynamic hinged on Sherlock’s hability to stay neutral in the feud between Eurus and Mycroft, who by all means hated each other during a good day

But Eurus liked Sherlock and Mycroft liked Sherlock so they made an effort to not attempt mutual murder if it kept them in their middle brother’s good graces.

“Sherlock you leave me no choice! If you don’t get your head out of your rectal cavity where Molly Hooper is concerned and tell her that you love her I’ll have to force the issue with Mycroft” Eurus outlined in no uncertain terms, eyes flashing the way they only did when she played violin “and believe me I won’t be as nice to him as I’m to you”

“It would take a battering ram to knock down Mycroft long enough to give papa grandchildren and we both know it” Sherlock exclaimed, then narrowing his eyes the posibility that Eurus was in fact unhinged enough to put her brain to the task of breaking Mycroft “you wouldn’t, even YOU have to draw a line somewhere”

“Andrea has been working with him for how long? Since high school if I’m not mistaken, I happen to know a philanthropic a armament mogul that is looking for a public relations manager and well…How bored must Andrea be in that silly little desk, chained to our brother, doing paperwork all day, a woman of her capabilities deserves more and Mycroft doesnt let her do an ounce of fieldwork, if I happened to offer the position to her, adding the fact that our mogul has the highest number of assassination attempts in any bounty hunter’s book, she’d accept right away, if only to get to use her fancy guns” Eurus began innocently as tough outlining her lunch break plans

Deducing exactly who she was referring to Sherlock groaned “Nikolai Udinov? You would send Andrea to manage the life of that reprobate? Mycroft would never allow it”

“Well what do you expect? If Andrea leaves her job and him for good I calculate that it will take Mycroft less than two months to crack, she does his laundry, paperwork, calls, orders him his cakes, decorates his bunkers, manages his agents with an iron fist, Andrea practically breathes for him and Mycroft needs the wake up call” Eurus smiled with a hint of malice “so many agents have fallen in Udinov’s maze of secrets…It would be a pity if Mycroft’s greek flower was next”

“That’s because Nikolai Udinov is the type of assignment that goverment agents train for years to take on, the bullseye in his back is larger than Mycroft’s ego ” Sherlock snapped wondering again why he hadnt trottled his sister yet “you’d be manipulating Andrea into strong arming Godfather Death”

“Correction Mycroft will THINK she’s taking on Godfather Death” Eurus snapped rolling her eyes “She’ll be fine, I wasn’t lying when I said Agent Anthea is quite competent and she’s been wanting to do fieldwork since her thirtieth birthday, my people will make sure she doesn’t get killed”

Sherlock didn’t even want to ask about who 'her people’ were, like he did with Mycroft and they did with him, the less the Holmes siblings knew about eachother’s ocassional dabblings in the wrong side of the law the better “You’ll just have Mycroft believe she is, but why?”

Eurus huffed tempted to just repeat Sherlock’s famous 'you see but you don’t observe’ dribble that he always spewed to John Watson “Because it will kill Mycroft to lose Andrea and I’ll enjoy seeing him suffer” Eurus shrugged “think about it Sherlock, Andrea has been a fixture in Mycroft’s life since your uni days, the only time you and I see him without her is on social situations and even then she’s always one text away from him, he trusts her with all of his sensitive information”

“You assume that he cares about her” Sherlock snorted mystified “Mycroft doesnt do sentiment Eurus, not even for Andrea”

“Oh how blind my brothers can be when they wish to” Eurus laughed taking out a bag of chips from her purse and biting a couple “I don’t assume, I KNOW, just as I know that you love Molly, the difference is that Andrea is more likely to wait to have children, but as I said I’ll force the issue if I have to”

“If Agent Anthea dies because you wanted to get out of giving our parents grandchildren then forget about Sherrinford, he’ll hire a submarine and drop you in the Atlantic with a crew of deaf personell”

“You could also tell your morgue mouse that you love her, then I wont have to threaten Mycroft’s potted plant”

Eurus like always, had a better grasp of the ins and outs of sentiment than her two elder brothers, a fact both Sherlock and Mycroft often resented, because while Sherlock fought his battles with logic and Mycroft with dry politics, Eurus manipulated people using their emotions against them. She’d rarely used her 'gift’ on Sherlock preferring to keep herself occupied with her chain of airlines and her side work as a data analyst (when she wasn’t dabbling in her illegal hobbies) apparently tough she was doing it now.

Sherlock didn’t find it amusing.

“I suppose I should be grateful that you have not threatened to kill Molly yet and instead chose to talk to me about it in a rational way, isn’t that what your point is?”

“Yes! And I feel deeply offended that you don’t appreciate the gesture, I could have bulldozed trough your childhood traumas just to make you see sense” Eurus huffed clearly not happy by Sherlock’s lack of gratitude “I don’t see why you wont just admit the truth”

“You’re seeing things where they don’t exist, don’t you think that if zi loved Molly I would know?”

“NO! BECAUSE YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND SENTIMENT” she shot back with an angry glare, then Eurus sighed and did the one thing that always brought Sherlock to his knees, she opened her big dark eyes and gave him a very sincere part of her vulnerability “Sherlock” she began, her tone belying how much she wasn’t trying to manipulate him this time “you’ve been there for me trought all the hard things in my life, you who have supported me even in things we both know you knew better than to support…Is it really such a surprise to know that I want to see you happy?”

“as my little sister, wanting to see me happy comes with the territory” Sherlock replied putting the desert down and returning her sincerety “the truth is that I don’t see a future where I can keep Molly safe, I have too many enemies…she deserves better than me, she always has”

“And yet she loves you, all of you, far strongly than you deserve”

“Foolish woman that she is” Sherlock chuckled “I can’t love her Eurus, I’d be placing a red mark in her forehead if I did”

“Sherlock, there’s always going to be Blackwoods, Magnussens and Black Lotus organisations in this world, in fact there’s drunk drivers and bad weather and unhealthy eating habits all who cause death on daily basis, but for you there’s only one Molly” Eurus tried reasoning softly “ its hard enough for people like us to form lasting human connections, I’ve come to learn it takes years of persistence to completely bond with someone else and the fact that you are capable of it is something I’ve always admired far beyond Mycroft’s Iceman facade”

“Speaking from experience?” He raised an eyebrow taking care not to break the fragile bubble of vulnerability they’d reached

“Its always nice to know that there’s always someone out there who will care about you beyond the trappings of your psyche” Eurus agreed cryptically, giving Sherlock a tiny insight into the twisted reason why his sister hadn’t allowed Moriarty to blow his brains off after Sherlock’s fall “isn’t that how Molly makes you feel? I admit she’s no Nocturne like Irene Adler in looks or sexual appeal but I don’t believe I could be wrong in what I see when you look at her while her back is turned”

“Don’t put Molly in the same category as the woman…Irene is a capriccio, an Intermezzo with too many Staccato harmonies and not enough tenerezza, more Opera than Nocturne she’s filled with high octaves and acciaccaturas, Molly is her own sonata”

“Now that is quite surprising” It had never occurred to Eurus that Sherlock might have a melody for Molly, mainly because if he did he’d want Eurus to hear it at least once, given her brother and her shared a love for violin that often lent itself to describing people in musical terms according to how they saw the world but honestly Eurus expected Sherlock to classify Molly as a chloral “how does Molly sound?”

“Molly is shades of Adagios, Dolce notes and intermitent Allegros, that rise and fall without damaging the integrity of the composition, any more notes and she could have been a ballet or a solft waltz” Sherlock sounded so sure, humming a few bars to let her understand the gist of his thoughts, always far more comfortable expressing sentiment trough music than in words

“I wonder why you have never played her for an audience” Eurus genius that she was didn’t need to see him play to hear the notes in her head, the soft tone of the violin and the spikes of the Sonata’s hidden edges “she sounds like comming home” was all Eurus could say after the song finished playing in her mental fortress “your very own masterpiece”

“Her melody isn’t for public to hear” Sherlock replied ruminanting in his sister’s words, because she had put into words the elusive title that he’d never given to the Sonata that belonged to Molly Hooper 'comming home’ was an apt name for the piece and if he was honest with himself he had to admit it had been that way for a long time, Molly herself was the kind of person who’s existence validated the part of Sherlock who needed a place to run to when things got difficult “she makes me feel accepted, when it comes to Molly I always know that whatever I do, or wherever I go, I will always have a place to call home in her life, the Sonata always changes in degrees of subtleties” hadn’t that been the reason he’d felt so hurt by her (failed) engagement to Meat dagger? Because he’d assumed she would always be there… and on the heels of that thought the realization struck “Because I love her”

Eurus could have clapped her hands in joy at the breaktrough of her brother, and to think it hadn’t taken any death threats, really Sherlock was so much better to reason with than Mycroft “then why do you keep wasting so much time?” She asked still trying to be understanding

“You don’t understand Eurus, I LOVE HER” Sherlock exclaimed in shock and Eurus could see the beginning of what looked like a very Holmes panic attack “And I’ve hurt her in the past so badly…and you KNEW” he was referring of course to the fact that Eurus hadn’t told him what she suspected since day one

“In all honesty I thought that you would have noticed your attraction to your pathologist since the moment you began your game of 'flirting for organs’ I didn’t expect the situation to last this long” Eurus admitted sheepishly reminding Sherlock of the way she used to intentionally assume that he’d clean his bedroom when he had a nasty experiment rotting in his desk, conveniently not reminding him to throw it away “its not my fault, its yours” So maybe his mind palace was undergoing a major rearrangement, Eurus could work with that..hopefully

“What do I do now?” Sherlock groaned putting his head in his hands “I love her”

“You do whatever mummy would do I suppose, she’s the one who is good at handling non-sociopaths” Eurus tried to help along “maybe you should confer with Dr Watson, I fear my continued advice in that subject would nderimental to your latest breaktrough” Aka: Eurus would not give Sherlock romantic life hacks, she simply wasn’t willing to.

“Mummy…would make lunch, maybe a pot of her favourite tea” Sherlock agreed pensively “and ease Molly slowly into the situation”

“Not too slowly, I want my first nephew to be born preferably within the next year or so” Eurus asserted as tough she were giving Sherlock her takeaway order “you will make mostly male children given both of your genetic profiles but I’d still like at least one of them to be named after me if possible”

“Have you ever thought that Molly might not want children? If anything she hasn’t agreed to even date me yet, let alone get engaged or conceive with me…”

“Tiny crime solving pathologists?” Eurus supplied when he couldn’t bring himself to say the word children “Sherlock a basic deduction of Molly’s life would point towards a desire for a nuclear family, more to the point she’d want it and she’d want it with you, the only sibling in our circle liable to be successful in raising another generation of Holmes geniuses” considering Mycroft and Eurus would most likely cause their offspring some degree of psychological issues with their parenting techniques, it didn’t sound so much like a compliment

Aaaand there went their bonding moment, Eurus was back to her manipulative self “Maybe you should leave” Sherlock muttered comming in and out of buffering mode “as much as I enjoy our interludes, I don’t think I’m fit for company or will be for the next few hours”

“Maybe I should, my work here is done” Eurus agreed rising from her seat and dusting her Pajamas “I expect that a sleepover wouldn’t be any fun anyway, not with the way your thoughts are shouting”

Noticing the changes in the tone of her voice Sherlock briefly paused his panic attack to regard his sister with a suspicious stare “Stay away from my pathologist Eurus, I mean it”

“I will, but be a smart boy and keep an eye on her, I heard your old friend Victor is back in town” Eurus attempted to joke “Maybe you should move her here for a few days, you know, for security reasons” And with that parting shot his sister breezed out of Baker Street leaving a very stressed Sherlock no choice but to phone Molly

“Gasp and Bloody Works what can I do for you?” Molly’s cheerful voice answered her mobile, Sherlock could hear the sound of a bone saw in the distance and deduced he’d caught her in the middle of an autopsy

A million thoughts raced trough his head but he settled for a mundane response, no need to alarm her “Bad time for a call?”

“Oh it’s you Sherlock, sorry I didn’t see the caller ID, funny you should phone I just got the most interesting body with a unidentified brain aneurysm, I thought you might find it interesting so no its not a bad time at all” she always sounded in good mood whenever he called, give or take a few exemptions, Molly always tried her best to be positive about everything including his cases.

“Really? A brain you say” Sherlock perked up before remembering the subject at hand “actually I was calling to ask for a favor, but the brain aneurysm sounds quaint, please save it for future study”

'smooth Sherlock real smooth’ mind palace john muttered

'Not now Watson’

Molly who knew him well enough to know that if he wanted to ask for something big he’d do it in person and not by phone had no qualms in replying “what kind of favor? Sherlock is this for a case?, you know that as long as its within my power I will help you”

“No its not for a case, this is more of a personal favor, I need to stay in your flat for an undefined amount of time” there he said it now all he had to do was get Molly to agree, because while this wasn’t the first time he’d used her place as a bolthole it was the one time he’d do it for sentiment’s sake and consent was important.

“Wait, why? Are you okay” the bone saw was turned off and Sherlock could hear the unecessary concern in the voice of the woman he’d just realised he loved.

“yes I’m fine, but I have reasons to believe that my privacy in Baker Street has been compromised” and he needed to make sure Molly’s hadn’t been. Lest Eurus perchance for giving people a push in the right direction landed Molly in the bottom of a well.

“By who?”

Sherlock gave a long suffering sigh and answered “by my sister”

An: I’ve thought up Eurus as a dark version of Georgiana to Sherlock’s Mr Darcy hope she wasn’t to occ, this fic is for all my Sherllolian folks on tumblr, who are just awesome

[kyberled]

Is Braig more comfortable in the company of women or men? His peers, his subordinates or his superiors?

Character building questions! || ALWAYS Accepting

I’m gonna preface this by saying that I don’t really see the Star Wars universe operating on the binary gender system. This isn’t just ‘cause I’m hoping for an agender character (I am, but that’s neither here nor there), but because gender’s weird enough on earth like. I think I read somewhere that honey bees have three genders, clown fish change sexes based on necessity, there’s an entire species of lizard with only one gender, and don’t even get me started on how weird angler fish are), and this is if you only take reproductive capabilities into account, and not identities, and this is just one planet. And I’m expected to believe that, with all the countless species and races, only have male/female. AND I SWEAR THIS ISN’T ME BEING ANNOYED OR UPSET AT YOU!! Just sowing my fields with salt for Disney and Lucasfilm tbh

Anyway, on to the meat of the answer!

I’m not going to pretend sexism isn’t a thing in the Star Wars universe, because it absolutely is. From the female Twi’Lek slave trade, the Republic propaganda posters of feminine droids in the boobs-and-butt pose of comics, the little Twi’Lek civvie who told Aayla she couldn’t be a Jedi because she was a girl (to which she replied that, not only was she a Jedi, but she was also the kid’s cousin and was there to save his life), Oked hitting on Ventress and getting mad when she tries to get him to leave her alone (to which she replied by stabbing him. Literally both of them are icons), the fact that in the same episode someone hires the bounty hunters to (unwittingly) transport a kidnapped girl to become some creepy old guy’s wife, the whole thing with Death Watch literally stole a village’s entire population of women just so they’d have people to cook for them, like. This is an actual problem in the universe, but, at the same time, it doesn’t seem to be as much of a thing in the Jedi, and it makes sense. I mean, can you imagine another Jedi telling Adi or Shaak or Aayla or Luminara (Or Yaddle, rip) that they shouldn’t be on the council because women are too emotional, or that they shouldn’t be Jedi, and should be in the kitchen, instead? If Ahsoka heard that? Man, you wouldn’t even need a medical team. Just a bucket and a squeegee, maybe a damp paper towel. Don’t get me wrong, Jedi are absolute jerks to each other, and I’m pretty sure it stems from pitting them against each other at a young age to see who deserves a master and who’s low-key dubbed a failure at the one thing they were raised for, but, even then, it’s more jabs at someone’s lack of skill - again, probably to make them seem less appealing to any potential mentors. Like when the two padawans mock padawan-Anakin for his lack of self-control, or when Bruck Chun nicknamed Obi-Wan ‘Oafy-Wan’ to highlight his clumsiness. Don’t really see gender being brought up, though. Clothing’s gender-neutral, clans were mixed-gender - and, by extension, lessons would be, as well - big events like gatherings were mixed-gender, padawans and masters could be any combination of genders, and, even disregarding the Councils, there are women in pretty lofty positions, like Jocasta being in charge of what’s arguably the biggest store of information in the galaxy. Now, I’m not saying that there’s Absolutely No Sexism In The Order It’s An Objective Fact, just that I haven’t seen any evidence of it. I’ll also be the first to say that my knowledge of Star Wars is kinda limited. But, yes, all that to say that I don’t see gender really being a deciding factor in whether or not he’s comfortable with a person. To add to this, he’s met plenty of people who he’d perceive as being a threat, or capable of being a threat, if they so chose, regardless of gender - and, if you mean in terms of who he’s attracted to, he’s a lovely mixture of pan/demiro and pan/grey-ace. Basically, everyone has the potential to be attractive to him, so that doesn’t help, either. So, again, gender isn’t a factor in determining how comfortable he is around another person.

As for the second part of your question, I find the line between peers and subordinates and superiors tends to blur with him, since he makes friends in all walks of life - from homeless bounty hunters to clone marshals to Jedi Masters on the High Council to I don’t even know who, at this point - it’s gotten delightfully out of control, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. But, for the sake of this question, I’m going to equate ‘peers’ with equals - since this is being written for MainVerse Braig, it’ll be other Padawans. Now, this largely depends on who it is - after all, Obi-Wan is Brag’s superior, and yet Braig’s more comfortable with him than anyone else. And the clones are technically his subordinates, but you’ve seen how he is with Wolffe and Cody. Even though he technically outranks them as a Jedi, he’s never even thought of pulling rank on them, and they’re more likely to call him ‘Bra’ika’ (’little Braig’, a Mando’a term of endearment) than ‘sir’. As a whole, though, he tends to be more comfortable with subordinates. Sure, he has his friends across the board, but, as a general rule. His subordinates include younger padawans, Initiates, younglings, clones, and probably Temple staff. Among younger Jedi, I imagine Braig’s got a fair bit of clout. Not necessarily because of anything he’s done, personally, but simply because he’s Obi-Wan’s padawan. Canon basically establishes Obi as the Order’s equivalent of a celebrity; All the kids both want him as their mentor and want to be him when they grow up, and even older Jedi use him as an example of a ‘perfect Jedi’. Braig, being his padawan, is sort of a gateway to all things Obi - whenever it’s his turn to be on nursery duty for chores, he’s probably surrounded by littles wanting to hear stories of Space Dad. Add to that the fact that he’s older, more experienced, and higher up in the Order’s hierarchy, he feels more secure around them, and less like he has something to prove - sure, he wants to show he’s a good commander for the troops, but it’s not the end of the world if he’s not the best commander in the Order. When it comes to peers, that is, other padawans around his age (usually only with those he’s not close to, as he doesn’t really have this problem with his friends), he still feels like he has to be better than them - residual behaviour from when they were competing for masters. This is at its worst when he’s thirteen, having come fresh out of Initiate-hood, but dissipates, the older he gets. By the time he’s late fifteen-early sixteen, it’s basically gone completely. He still has moments, especially when he’s actively challenged or otherwise confronted, when he can get a bit bristly in regards to his position in the Order, but, for the most part, he’s grown out of it. As for why he’d be uncomfortable around his superiors - to put it simply, they quite literally control every aspect of his life. They control what training is available to him and when, whether or not he’d be allowed to stay with his mentor and by extension what room he lives in, what activities are available during his leisure time and how much of that time he has, whether or not he stays a padawan, and, if he doesn’t, whether he’d be sent to be a farmer, doctor, or teacher, or whether or not he’s allowed to stay in the Order, and, if not, if he’s to be left on his ow, or sent off to live with a family he never really met. While he doesn’t completely realise how much power they have over him - at least, not consciously - he is aware that they’re In Charge, capitals for emphasis, and he’s been raised to view them as Better Than Him in some way, so, having to remember and act on the proper protocols at all times, while not a problem for him, having grown up with them, it does make reactions feel a bit less personal. As I said, there are exceptions, based on how close he is on a personal level to any particular master, and how strictly said master observes protocol. So, again, he’s most comfortable around Obi-Wan, and to lesser degree some of the other masters. Quinlan Vos is an interesting fusion of someone Braig’s comfortable with, and someone who doesn’t seem too hung up on protocol. Can you imagine bowing and scraping and adding ‘master’ to the end of every sentence with Vos? He’d probably think Braig bashed his head too hard while sparring. 

So, tl;dr, gender doesn’t really matter, and, though there are exceptions, he generally feels most comfortable around those considered his ‘subordinates’. 

[auraidea-blog]

five Strategies No one Tells You About Winning His Heart Forever

Relating to receiving a guy to commit to a romance, quite a few women can not seem to be to crack the code.

As many of us have noticed, you'll find two varieties of guys: Behind curtain #1 could be the sort of man who's absolutely smitten with his girlfriend - he puts her on the pedestal, treats her like a queen, and spots her happiness above his personal. And behind curtain #2 would be the form who's labeled like a "commitment-phobe" - he does not appear to benefit from currently being within a partnership, acting as if his commitment is from the involuntary kind.

The truth is, a research by Match.com discovered that 95 % of men openly admit to seeing marriage as one among their ultimate daily life aims.

So if that is what 95 % of them seem to be to want, how will you get a man to commit and essentially fall in take pleasure in with you?

It all comes right down to how a man views dedication. To a guy, it can be like cracking a blend lock; in case the numbers never line up, he'll be emotionally distant and unavailable, as opposed to all in. He might even come up with a variety of one-liner excuses that females undoubtedly unearth frustrating: "I really need to focus on my career," "I just have space," or, "I'm just not ready for a relationship proper now."

But these one-liners aren't lies. He actually believes what he is saying given that the "numbers" of his commitment code aren't lining up.

Quite simply, when he says, "I'm just not prepared for any connection perfect now," what he extremely signifies is, "I'm just not ready for a romance with you."

Even while it hurts to hear this, comprehending how to get a man to commit - and why and how he chooses to ultimately get the plunge - can conserve you heartache and enable you to have an understanding of males.

The truth is, when he lastly comes across that 1 woman who creates the best sequence of "numbers" to unlock his commitment combination, he'll feel compelled to hang onto her. He'll commit to a connection mainly because he doesn't would like to threat dropping her.

So, now we know commitment isn't some kind of guy allergy. What you should do is find out the way to crack his commitment code and get your man to commit - and sooner or later fall in enjoy with you.

Easier said than accomplished, certainly, thinking about the common guy isn't terrific at communicating his emotional demands. That's exactly where I come in! 

Here are five issues guys (will not inform you they) demand before they will commit to a romance and begin to fall in love with you.

one. He requirements you to need him.

One of the keys to understanding ways to make your man happy is fundamental, animalistic want. Inside the pit of his stomach, he needs to want you, extended to suit your needs, yearn for you personally. He needs to miss you when you are not all around and he has to feel a pang of lust when he has not seen you for some time. 

This wish is created as a result of the play of opposites. He'll crave you then he catches you; he'll miss you after which falls into you; he'll lust for you after which you'll surrender to him. It really is the developing and the release of tension more than and over again.

The way in which you create this tension is through your sexuality - tease him and then give in, playfully run from him and after that let him to capture you, include levity and spontaneity to his daily life, give him lustful stares and after that leave the area, send him sexy notes through the day, grab him and kiss him unexpectedly. In summation, use your robust feminine attributes to contrast his significant and calculated masculine nature.

2. He desires your respect.

Respect is known as a cardinal virtue; it is the basis of any connection that endures and stands the test of time. Respect can help re-ignite a connection long after the flame of really like and lust has sputtered. Quite a few guys marry the girl who respects him, even over the woman who loves him.

Guys can rest with, speak to, and care concerning the woman they adore (and lust), but usually really like only is not all they desire.

A whole lot of this must do together with the term "I love you." To a guy and also a woman, this phrase can have unique meanings. A man may well interpret it as "don't harm me" as well as "you're trapped." Men see the really like from a lady as a lot more of a commodity than one thing novel.

Certainly, the phrases make him feel very good when he hears them, nevertheless they never sing to his soul. Men have crippling inadequacies they silently battle their total lives.

So, determine why you respect your man. What are you proud of him for? What is it possible to acknowledge him for? How can you make him truly feel very good about himself? Then, tell him. Do not inform him merely that you really like him, inform him why you love him.

Another solution to express your respect will be to apologize when you have manufactured a error or said some thing wrong. You (and he) needs to make the relationship far more significant than personal egos. When he understands you respect his character, he will allow you in deeper, exposing other tender parts of his soul where he desires healing and help.

three. He must feel emotionally harmless.

The third issue to maintain in mind when figuring out the best way to continue to keep your guy content is his emotional wellness. By surrendering your anger, bitterness, or any resentment you have got toward him, you give him risk-free passage to become vulnerable.

This comes about by you putting your trust in him. Then, he can believe in you. You the two make it possible for on your own to become vulnerable and that helps a partnership job. But for this vulnerability to get off, women frequently will have to be the initiators. Guys are trying to find an individual to lead them in to the vulnerable abyss.

It happens to be a woman's courage to open up and allow down her guard that inspires guys to lay down their psychological shields and relax.

So how can you do this? Well, it assists by studying how men think. He must are aware that you will not judge or criticize him. He must come to feel supported, accepted, and encouraged that you're on his side. He has to understand that you won't inform your friends or (worse) your mother about any errors he can make. He has to are aware that you'll stand up for him when some others say lousy details about him. He has to understand that you will confront any injustices or conditions head-on.

four. He desires you to challenge him.

On the core of every guy is challenge. Guys grow by means of challenge. Challenge speaks towards the aspect of their masculinity that innately can make them need to conquer and win. Challenge is the path males get to attain results, which eventually makes them come to feel respected.

In the nutshell, it actually comes down to owning a strong sense of one's own values - recognizing precisely what is crucial that you you and standing by it. This creates the challenge that strengthens the romantic relationship. An additional component of this challenge is having the ability to confront a guy as you really feel like these values are compromised.

This could possibly demand you confronting him once you feel he owes you an apology, rather then letting it fall through the wayside. While you can confront him, he'll locate you exceptionally enticing. Even when his primary reaction is anger, the fact that you'll be able to stand up to him will alter the way he appears at you. It should challenge him to become a better guy.

five. He needs to really feel awe and wonder. 

The final stage in finding out easy methods to always keep your man delighted is beneficial, old-fashioned excitement. Even acting somewhat crazy can be a beneficial matter; crazy, not insane - skinny-dipping inside the ocean is beneficial, but faking your personal kidnapping since he is been doing work too late isn't.

All also frequently, girls are taught to really feel awful about currently being emotional, feeling 'crazy,' and acting unpredictably. But these feminine attributes are in reality attractive to males. As a result, embrace your femininity and enable it to enliven your connection. This could guide a man fall deeper and deeper in take pleasure in with you.

If you embody your instinctual feminine nature, you produce the space for him to say details like, "There is just a little something about her that I like."

Study alot more about this right here - 

https://apatio.tumblr.com/post/176916099705/5-tricks-nobody-tells-you-about-winning-his-heart

[piss-sip-blog]

five Techniques No person Tells You About Winning His Heart Permanently

Here is what guys are honestly hunting for (but won't - or can't inform you)!

In regards to acquiring a guy to commit to a partnership, lots of ladies can not look to crack the code.

As many of us have observed, you will discover two forms of guys: Behind curtain #1 would be the style of man that is certainly smitten with his girlfriend - he puts her on the pedestal, treats her like a queen, and spots her happiness over his very own. And behind curtain #2 certainly is the style who's labeled being a "commitment-phobe" - he doesn't appear to enjoy remaining in a romance, acting as if his dedication is within the involuntary variety.

The fact is, a study by Match.com noticed that 95 percent of guys openly admit to seeing marriage as one among their greatest lifestyle targets.

So if that is what 95 % of them look to want, how will you get a man to commit and literally fall in really enjoy with you?

It all comes right down to how a guy views commitment. To a guy, it really is like cracking a blend lock; if the numbers will not line up, he'll be emotionally distant and unavailable, as an alternative to all in. He could even come up with a few one-liner excuses that women undoubtedly uncover irritating: "I must focus on my profession," "I just have to have area," or, "I'm just not ready for any romance suitable now."

But these one-liners aren't lies. He definitely believes what he is saying considering that the "numbers" of his commitment code aren't lining up.

In other words, when he says, "I'm just not prepared to get a romance suitable now," what he seriously implies is, "I'm just not prepared for a relationship with you."

Even while it hurts to hear this, comprehending ways to obtain a guy to commit - and why and how he chooses to finally get the plunge - can save you heartache and allow you to comprehend males.

The truth is, when he eventually comes across that 1 girl who produces the suitable sequence of "numbers" to unlock his commitment combination, he'll truly feel compelled to hang onto her. He'll commit to a partnership for the reason that he doesn't like to threat dropping her.

So, now we know commitment is not some kind of guy allergy. Everything you need to do is learn the best way to crack his dedication code and get your guy to commit - and gradually fall in really enjoy with you.

Simpler stated than completed, obviously, looking at the typical guy is not fantastic at communicating his emotional needs. That is exactly where I are available in! 

Here are 5 items guys (won't inform you they) have before they will commit to a connection and start to fall in take pleasure in with you.

one. He desires you to want him.

Among the keys to studying the right way to make your man content is fundamental, animalistic desire. In the pit of his abdomen, he has to want you, extended for you personally, yearn for you. He needs to miss you when you're not about and he needs to really feel a pang of lust when he has not seen you for a while. 

This desire is made via the play of opposites. He'll crave you after which he catches you; he'll miss you and then falls into you; he'll lust for you and then you will surrender to him. It is the making and the release of stress more than and over again.

The way you create this stress is as a result of your sexuality - tease him and after that give in, playfully run from him then make it possible for him to capture you, include levity and spontaneity to his daily life, give him lustful stares then depart the space, send him sexy notes during the day, grab him and kiss him unexpectedly. In summation, use your potent feminine characteristics to contrast his substantial and calculated masculine nature.

two. He requirements your respect.

Respect can be a cardinal virtue; it's the basis of any romantic relationship that endures and stands the test of time. Respect can help re-ignite a relationship lengthy following the flame of appreciate and lust has sputtered. A number of guys marry the girl who respects him, even over the girl who loves him.

Males may possibly sleep with, talk to, and care in regards to the woman they like (and lust), but typically really like only isn't all they have to have.

A whole lot of this needs to do with all the phrase "I love you." To a guy and a female, this term can have unique meanings. A guy might interpret it as "don't hurt me" or even "you're trapped." Men see the appreciate from a lady as alot more of a commodity than one thing novel.

Obviously, the phrases make him truly feel decent when he hears them, nevertheless they never sing to his soul. Guys have crippling inadequacies they silently battle their entire lives.

So, determine why you respect your man. What exactly are you proud of him for? What are you able to acknowledge him for? How will you make him truly feel decent about himself? Then, tell him. Never tell him merely that you like him, tell him why you love him.

An additional method to express your respect would be to apologize when you have manufactured a blunder or stated a thing wrong. You (and he) need to make the partnership a lot more very important than personal egos. When he knows you respect his character, he'll allow you in deeper, exposing other tender elements of his soul in which he needs healing and help.

three. He has to come to feel emotionally safe.

The third thing to keep in thoughts when studying how you can hold your man joyful is his emotional well being. By surrendering your anger, bitterness, or any resentment you will have toward him, you give him protected passage to become vulnerable.

This comes about by you putting your believe in in him. After which, he can trust you. You the two make it possible for your self for being vulnerable and that assists a relationship job. But for this vulnerability to get off, females normally have to be the initiators. Men are trying to find another person to lead them in to the vulnerable abyss.

It's a woman's courage to open up and let down her guard that inspires males to lay down their psychological shields and take it easy.

So how do you do that? Effectively, it assists by studying how males consider. He has to are aware that you won't judge or criticize him. He must really feel supported, accepted, and encouraged that you are on his side. He must are aware that you won't tell your pals or (worse) your mom about any mistakes he tends to make. He needs to realize that you are going to stand up for him when other people say negative important things about him. He has to realize that you'll confront any injustices or challenges head-on.

four. He desires you to challenge him.

On the core of every single guy is challenge. Males increase as a result of challenge. Challenge speaks to the aspect of their masculinity that innately helps make them want to conquer and win. Challenge could be the path males get to attain success, which in the end helps make them feel respected.

Within a nutshell, it definitely comes right down to possessing a strong sense of your personal values - understanding precisely what is crucial that you you and standing by it. This produces the challenge that strengthens the connection. One more element of this challenge is having the ability to confront a man whenever you come to feel like these values are compromised.

This might require you confronting him once you believe he owes you an apology, other than letting it fall by the wayside. As you can confront him, he'll unearth you incredibly appealing. Even if his to start with response is anger, the fact that you can actually stand as much as him will change the way in which he seems at you. It's going to challenge him for being a greater man.

5. He has to come to feel awe and wonder. 

The final phase in figuring out the best way to keep your man pleased is good, old-fashioned pleasure. Even acting just a little crazy may be a great factor; crazy, not insane - skinny-dipping in the ocean is great, but faking your own personal kidnapping given that he's been working as well late isn't.

All too often, gals are taught to feel lousy about staying emotional, feeling 'crazy,' and acting unpredictably. But these feminine qualities are truly desirable to men. Thus, embrace your femininity and let it to enliven your partnership. This will support a man fall deeper and deeper in appreciate with you.

Any time you embody your instinctual feminine nature, you generate the area for him to say factors like, "There is just anything about her that I love."

Read even more about this right here - como ser boa de cama

[luckybouquetnachous-blog]

Adventure Travel In Australia

Australia is among the nicest locations to go to. Very friendly people and the scenery is wonderful on some places. By encouraging lively participation in daily routines resembling cooking, cleansing, setting camp and packing up, journey excursions have interaction travelers within the complete outdoor adventure experience somewhat than merely ready on passive individuals hand and foot. For those who do, then that you must know extra about the nation, its tradition, individuals, and food before you make that major choice of touring to Australia and obtaining your personal Australian visa. One of many main draw playing cards to a On line casino trip in Australia is its implausible year round climate conditions. If you're seeking to be totally independent then the Greyhound coaches or the prepare provide good value to cowl large areas however will not permit time to cease and see places. There are plenty of full facility campgrounds suitable for campervans throughout Australia, with a higher focus around fashionable tourist areas. You can see local tourist info and free advice in most locations in Australia. When you fill up an application kind and pay the mandatory charges, you must now be able to purchase the vacationer visa, as soon as it's authorised. Skydiving might be finished in cities like Sydney and Cairns after a 15 minute tutorial course on tips on how to do it. The charges are somewhere round $200. Air tickets must be booked after receiving a sound visa and after organizing vital paperwork. There have been a variety of incidents of harassment, robberies and attacks (together with sexual assault) on foreign tourists. The itinerary however will put together your group for ideas like, how a lot you will spend, the issues you want to deliver and the way a lot time you could allocate from one place to a different. The excessive cost of hotels is one motive most travellers find yourself compromising on the standard of lodgings they e book, however this need not be so. You can simply find an affordable place to remain whether you might be travelling alone or with household. The current monetary climate, with many students having to depend on student loans, parental help, vacation jobs or private financial savings for his or her financial fluidity, largely dictates and limits just what might be achieved on this regard and there are a selection of ploys and methods which might be commonly used to make the cash go additional or, to look at it one other manner, to allow the same cash let the student go additional! Scorching continental climate is auspicious for Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz and for other full bodied wines (even fortified wines can be found right here). The most typical visa issued by Australian immigration authorities, is the Digital Travel Authority (ETA) visa, which lasts for up to three months, as well as a vacationer visa that enables the customer to remain up to 12 months. Many worldwide visitors favor to vary their money to Australian Dollars as soon as they get to Australia either at registered Forex Change places or in Australian Banks or just withdraw Australian dollars from Automated Teller Machines (ATM's) using their worldwide bank playing cards. Lower than an hours drive from Melbourne, lies this rich hillside area which grows all method of fine issues to eat, drink and recognize, such because the display of Spring bulbs, Devonshire Cream teas and the Puffing Billy Steam Prepare that lightly meanders its way via the attractive landscape. The scenic great thing about the place makes you understand why Australia vacations are so valued and special. If and if you find yourself already issued a working vacation visa then you may be allowed to stay in Australia for no more than twelve months. For example, the 'Queensland Coaster Package deal' consists of travel between Brisbane and Cairns in addition to quite a lot of tours. From Brisbane to Darwin traveler meets a number of wine regions. Summer time vacationers can enjoy fishing, climbing, and mountaineering while ski fans may have the time of their lives in the Victorian Alps during winter. Bus journey could be handy for different reasons, too. A good journey insurance coverage policy ought to cover you for medical and well being cover for an harm or sudden sickness abroad, 24 hour emergency service and help and private legal responsibility cover in case you might be sued for causing damage or damaging property. Adventure journey is due to this fact primarily associated with journey merchandise where the primary purpose is to have interaction in activity and participatory expertise slightly than the extra passive sightseeing associated with conventional outdoor tourism. The ETA is legitimate for twelve months or until the expiry of the visitor's passport, whichever occurs earlier. Watch waterfalls and additional visit to Port Douglas and Daintree National Park which has greatest variety of vegetation. In Australia, the notion of journey in travel is inextricably linked to that of the Outback. Its wonderful beauty, unique metropolis life, arts, culture, historic buildings and museums are a few of the major attraction that adds extra color to the tourism business in Melbourne. Beneath you will discover a listing of holidays in Australia, and you will discover that a lot of them are the same as ours! You possibly can have an entire view of town from the top of Sydney Tower. Arranging for a gaggle tour of this enchanting city is likely one of the signifies that yields the very best chance of seeing everything it is best to see. The most cost effective forms of travel generally being the slowest and least luxurious. The Nineteen Nineties noticed fast growth in the evolution of particular segments of the tourism market including ecotourism, nature tourism and other particular interest tourism which catered for the brand new breed of refined traveler with both the means and the desire to journey. Which means true adventure travel is more likely to be found away from the comfy, city east coast, and specifically away from the area positioned south of the Brisbane-Adelaide line the place over eighty% of Australians reside in city and suburban settings oblivious to the geographic, climatic and cultural realities of the majority of the Australian continent. Quality outback adventure tours in Australia are characterised by many elements, together with the use of 4-wheel-drive vehicles moderately than buses, access to spectacular distant sites, provision of challenging adventure actions, and active palms-on participation in day by day routines. You may also avail of this entry requirement on-line, by logging on to the official Australian Visa on-line web site. All these cards can be found within the US from Council Journey, STA, and Journey CUTS. Australia is fast changing into a power to reckon with within the artwork of wines, and once you join a wine tour, you're going to get to taste what the fuss is all about. Await some surprises once you go to Victoria which is a relatively smaller state than different ones. A crocodile sliding into the water from a river financial institution will go away a attribute mark; hold this in mind when organising camp! These classes embrace visas for expert staff, businessmen, dad and mom, companions, household immigrations, company sponsors, students, guests and dealing holidays, to name a few. For a wondrous investigatory trip hop a vacationer bus and view portions of the outback. Located close to Melbourne, this place can be enjoyed by folks of all ages. A big portion of Australia is roofed with deserts however nonetheless there are a lot sufficient places to make Australia a hot journey destination within the World. East Coast overland journey - Combines the most effective of Queensland and New South Wales. They're erected in that particular area the place a crocodile is regularly noticed and could nonetheless be dwelling or even breeding in that space. Australia, with its no. three rating within the World Well being Organization's most health-accountable nations, is a major destination for immigrants and guests alike. You successfully enter your requirements and these sites send the main points to dozens of airlines (and a few brokers) and show their findings with the most cost effective first. Once on the vacation spot, the scholar has to contemplate the best way of travelling around. cheap hotels jackson wy Varied online immigration visa providers additionally make use of the ETA or Electronic Journey Authority processing, which is equivalent to a visa. Wildlife safaris can be found within the Australian Outback and Rainforests. This is the country oldest state and has a number of tourist places. It is common title, the Saltwater Crocodile, is also called the Estuarine Crocodile and 'Saltie'. Everybody needs to journey on a budget, to reduce their expenses whereas maximizing on their experiences. Luxury Australia journey does not must be costly - life-style in Australia comes as a given - it is the lifestyle in this a part of the world, so add slightly luxury into your Australia travel with a few of our solutions. It is clearly inconceivable to generalise throughout the world, but hitch-climbing, which might have once been considered the cheapest way to journey, has a distinct threat aspect of private security and clearly is inappropriate for the lone feminine traveller. Organized tours are available based on the kind of journey. Take a spectacular sunrise balloon trip over the Yarra Valley, certainly one of Victoria's stunning vineyard areas. You'll be able to visit the Gold Coast and enjoy sunbathing. Furthermore, you must have a passport from an ETA utilizing country as a way to be eligible for this technique. It's advisable to carry private well being data and proper medical prescriptions assigned by a certified medical practitioner together with medicines. You will both want an ETA Lengthy-Keep Vacationer Visa or Quick-Stay Vacationer Visa if you happen to wish to go to Australia to visit some buddies or relations, go sightseeing, or take pleasure in different non-working activities. Billed as metropolis sightseeing with a distinction you will discover the history and pleasure of sporting Melbourne. Whether or not you're with friends, household or partner that is the most suitable choice for having fun with your holidays. They are found around the coast of Australia anyplace north of the Tropic of Capricorn and inland for up to a hundred kms or more. When planning your trip to this fabulous continent, ensure you have a look at this Australia Journey Guide. Right here are a few things to look out in your cheap holiday in Australia. In consequence, substantial modifications occurred in the demand for worldwide travel merchandise. Next to Barossa Zone we are able to discover Eden Valley, dwelling of the Australian Riesling. If you're getting out into the Australian outback then tenting or a campervan could be an excellent foundation for an inexpensive vacation in Australia. The vibrant metropolis is famous for Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour and the Opera House which attracts a large number of travelers. Australia is filled with freedom camps, which are either free or low value tenting and ideal for in travelling in a camper van. If you happen to determine to go on a extra adventurous vacation akin to skiing, ensure you have winter sports cover. Catamaran excursions take folks out in the sea to watch Humpback whales. Steeped in outdated world appeal, these 1920's brown and gold liveried tram vehicles are an interesting method to uncover town centre sights. The other major issue of low-cost holidays is preserving the cost of travelling in the country to a minimum. Crocodile Dundee the movie was a giant hit for Australia and the people working as safari guides. It has a combined population of round solely 21.three million, with many of the population living around the state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, in addition to in Canberra. There are variations on this process with websites like Expedia and Travelocity specialising in lengthy-haul flights and Expedia and Opodo allowing flights to 1 airport then leaving from another. As I mentioned there are potentialities to search out good wines in Western Space as effectively. New rules and laws governing business migration placed higher emphasis on the skills of a business in comparison with how a lot cash they may potentially make. You will want to convey light-weight clothes for your journey and a couple of sweaters or sweat shirts just in case. It claims to be the first airline with the most affordable rates in Australian domestic flights. Small group tours or overland tours are in all probability one of the simplest ways of getting an affordable holiday in Australia, whilst attending to see and expertise a large number of places of curiosity.