your friend comes over a lot, but they keep talking about your coffee maker. every time, they tell you about how awesome your coffee maker is. they think its a compliment. they hint about how they want you to make coffee for them. sometimes they even come into your house to make themselves coffee. though they assure you it’s you they like, they never spend any time more than necessary getting to know you and spending time with you. it doesn’t take too long for you to realize that they don’t actually like you, they just like your coffee.
don’t let it be harder to realize in relationships. girls, you have a body. you are not your body. you have boobs. you are not your boobs. you have a butt. you are not your butt. guys comment on you on your body, thinking it’s a compliment to you but it isn’t. it’s like telling you they like you because of your coffee maker or your car or your dining room table, or couch or any other thing that you own.
So one thing i noticed about the way Mother Olm speaks about the powers of the Calamity gems, is that she, and by extention the Olms as a whole has a somewhat contradictory view of them.
On one hand, she basically says that her kind basically believed the gems shouldn’t be used at all if possible, while condemning the other races for using them for conquest.
But at the same time, she makes it perfectly clear that as far as she is concerned, the powers of the Gems and by extention the Music Box, rightfully belongs to Anne, Sasha and Marcy, and that Andrias has “Stolen” them.
And she encourages Sasha to obtain and use those powers as well. Because it is her “Right”.
By what? By destiny and divine mandate, that’s what.
Andrias has lost his divine right to the powers, and by extension his right to rule. And here comes 3 new chosen ones to wipe the board clean to allow a new and better Amphibia to rise.
One thing i find interesting though, is that it’s not hard to figure out how the Olms probably helped lay the groundwork for the Amphibian Empire of old.
On one hand, the Olms believe that the Gems powers are better left alone. But at the other hand, they very much belive that the people who master them and prove themselves worthy, has a “Right” to use them, a divine mandate to do so.
These two ideas are not compatible.
The olms didn’t want anyone to use the gems if it could be helped, but at the same time they preach that it’s wielders have a right to do so.
The Olms in the olden days would have promoted this idea that the users of the stones powers had a divine mandate to use them, which not too surprisingly lead to them actually do that very thing, which lead them to becoming a real powerful force on the continent.
Which for better or worse is the logical endpoint of the Olms stance that the gems wielders have a right to make use of their powers.
The olms were probably very hurt when the Amphibian empire began to expand beyond to other worlds, but at the same time, assuming they were big advocates for the sacredness of the gems, and the people who were worthy of using them, they no doubt played a massive role in the rise of the empire, by being champions of the calamity users “Right” to use their powers as they saw fit.
It’s a delightful, but very believable contradiction. These powers are sacred, holy, and should be left alone. But if you DO manage to master them, they are YOURS by RIGHT to use as you will.
I rather hope this contradiction is brought up and called out in the show, because the Olms believe in the Divine right of those wielding the stones powers, just as much as Andrias forefathers did, they just didn’t like the way the people with that right utilized it.
They weren’t wrong about that path mind you, but it’s very clear that both these two groups sprang from a shared belief in that those who had obtained these powers had a right to use them.
asdswascf imagine if shortly after rescuing Marcy, Anne and Sasha start talking about the prophecy and them being the three stars that save the world expecting Marcy to be all excited
and Marcy just says “Is that all you needed me for? To stop Andrias?”
Marcy:Is that all you need me for? To stop Andrias?
Anne:No! Well… we DO, but tha-
Marcy: So what now? We save all the worlds and… that’s it?
Anne:Well, yeah!
Sasha: We can just forget this ever happened.
Marcy: How are you going to forget with me around? I’m the reason we’re here in the first place. That’s why you took so long, isn’t it? You hate me. You didn’t even want to save me!
Anne:Marcy-
Marcy:Don’t act like you want me here! What’s you plan for me, huh? Are you going to send me back to my parents? So you can just forget about me? Are you going to leave me alone!?
In order for this change to occur, a lot of the original moth population had to die off, perhaps resulting in a normally white appearance and a ghost motif
The real difference between a butterfly and a moth is dinural v. nocturnal. Moths don’t tend to be as brightly colored because, in the dark, there is less imperative to have useful visual adaptations.
Luna moths are an exception, for example, and they are very pretty gals! Remind me of frosmoth and might be why its shiny is green.
A repeated teardrop pattern with a circle on the end reminds me a lot of the planchettes on ouija boards
It repeats on Klara’s bracelets and the ‘tails’ of her hairbow, which may be tails on G-Dustox’s wings
“a small board supported on casters, typically heart-shaped and fitted with a vertical pencil, used for automatic writing and in seances.” - Oxford Dictionary
Thus tying in with the ghost inspiration
They were particularly popular for Victorian-era seances
Yo- so- I’ve been doing some thinking recently. Specifically about what ways in TTRPGs geography would/should/does effect the prevalence and manifestation of magic.
Like we all get druids hang out in the woods- clerics are around temples- wizards have towers and schools and all that jazz in some classic fantasy. That just sorta scratches the surface of what I’m thinking about though. And to a certain extent this idea has been considered by the Circle of the Land Druids but id like to explore it further.
For example- let’s us, you and I- look at the Tempest Cleric. It makes sense to me that the storm gods are prayed to more heavily in costal regions and so it tracks to me that in port towns or seaside villages the most common/largest/best kept temples would be staffed by Tempest Clerics. And that when a ship goes out to sea they either get blessed by a stormy priest or even bring one along both to keep wind up and in the sails and to prevent shipwrecking storms from arising.
I think this train of though kinda continues to track with other classes too. I would posit that rural or more isolated communities would be more likely to have a sorcerer or warlock as arcane casters than a wizard just based on access to fancy magical education. It’s way easier to make a deal with a hag for some good good magic then it is to move your ass a thousand miles just to be the man who went to wizard school. AAAAND think through this with me- I would argue it is more beneficial for a village to have an in with a hag than one good wizard- help protect your crops in the fall, maybe get a milder winter, maybe your village livestock never really seems to have issues with predators. No good ol’ wizard is really gonna be able to do that.
On the subject of arcane nerds however I think some schools of magic would be more popular foci of study in different areas. A rural wizard might practice divination to find the ideal time for planting and how late you can leave crops in before the seasons change. An urban wizard might be more inclined towards abjuration or evocation- two schools where they city they live in might be more interested in employing them for defense or what not.
I dunno if all this makes sense to anyone else but I’ve really been thinking about it a lot recently and wanted to throw it on out there.
This was basically the theory, and it’s just that, a theory not anything concrete, I thought it was an interesting take on it
“I fell for your magic, I tasted your skin” the magic of the industry and getting into the thick of it, falling in lust with the idea of it
“I witnessed your madness, you shed light on my sins”, the madness that is being famous and always in the spotlight, shedding light on all he does
“I know you’re not in love like you used to be, guess I’m not the one like you used to think, so you just run” fans changing their rhythms and moving on, or getting into new things.
“I know that I’m stuck, in this misery, guess I’m not enough like you used to think, so I’ll just run”, being stuck in this rut of not living up to everyone’s expectations, and wanting to be free from it by running
This was my favorite part of the theory from this all
“You bathe in your victory, you blew out my fuse” this could be towards the actual label that he’s working for essentially owning him and what he puts out and when, blowing his fuse
“And if I took on the planet, will I pay my dues?”, would he finally be free from the love hate stress of it all if he took on the whole world
“Your love was a mystery, yeah my love is a fool”, the mysteries of being famous and making music and his foolishness of being in love with the idea of it all
“And I travel the country, just to get to you”, traveling around the world touring and doing shows just to remain in the limelight and chase that feeling of love for the crowds and the music he makes
The video fits pretty well with this ideal too, the loop of a party scene in a limo that’s never ending, and finally ending with him breaking through the glass. Other than the space thing and waking up I still have no idea what that parts about.
Lyall Lupin hated werewolves, yet his own surname was (oddly) Lupin, and since werewolves are shown to have wolfy names in HP I have a headcanon that Remus’s grandfather was also a werewolf (we know from Teddy Lupin that werewolves’ children do not inherit the condition) and Lyall either faced abuse from him or because of him by his peers and other people who hated werewolves, so he started hating werewolves. I also headcanon that Remus himself had daddy issues because of this, and his first name was suggested by a naming seer (Naming seers are seers some people go to in order to get name suggestions for their babies according to Rowling). On that note, I also think Bellatrix’s name was from a naming seer.
Spy x Family Theory: Loid’s Mission Is Fake (SPOILERS)
Spy x Family is a popular manga series that has received an anime adaptation. The main premise of the series is a nameless spy (codenamed Twilight and later “Loid” to masquerade as a psychiatrist) is given the assignment “Operation Strix.” His target, Donovan Desmond, is the leader of the National Unity Party, a political party that could threaten to escalate tensions between Westalis and Ostania.
But seeing that Donovan was a recluse, Loid has to adopt a child to enroll them into the esteemed Eden Academy (while unaware that his adopted daughter has telepathy) and later “marries” Yor who herself hides a dirty little secret: that being a professional assassin.
With that being said, there appears to be something off about the mission. For one, while Donovan is billed as being the main antagonist of the series, he rarely appears despite being a crucial person of interest. In fact, he is never actually shown performing “nefarious” acts. At best, it could be said that he is a neglectful parent who seemed to not really care much that his second-son Damian got decked across the room by Anya. Later chapters in the manga have him outright say that he finds his family strangers.
Where I am getting at overall is that while Donovan looks like someone drug up Edgar Allen Poe’s corpse and left it to dry for ten days, it is more than likely that the organization Loid works for is overplaying his threat level. But the question, obviously, would be why?
I am suggesting that WISE fabricated Operation Strix so Loid could get a life outside of his spy work by settling down.
Sounds ludicrous, but thinking about it, it does make some sense. I always thought Loid had to specifically get a kid (and later saw that having a spouse would be mandatory for the interview). But considering how Donovan himself isn’t close to his kids since he viewed them as “strangers,” it makes getting intimate with him for the mission more implausible. So what if Loid adopting Anya was actually NOT really important?
You may ask when they decided to fake the mission? I believe we’ve been clued into it from the beginning. As you may recall, Loid was doing one of his missions until eventually he outright goes “screw it” and tells his date they should break up.
So, once that plan goes wrong, they decide to do the next best thing. As for why they are so preoccupied with getting their best spy hitched and/or adopting a child? Would have to go with his backstory: in the manga series, Loid did not have the best upbringing: his home was attacked by Ostania and his mother was killed. He was left all alone to fend for himself undoubtedly giving him a good bit of trauma. That’s pretty much the reason why he becomes attached to Anya: because he would see some of himself in her especially after finding out she was consistently taken back to orphanages.
But it is also because serving WISE would be a long-time commitment. With all that pressure, it is really another ploy by the organization to ultimately get Loid to retire.
The biggest piece of evidence that Operation Strix is really just a front comes when Anya finally does get into Eden Academy after being placed on the waiting list: to commemorate it, Loid has to pull a few strings to recreate the scenes from Anya’s favorite spy show.
Of course, several agents are in on it largely because they were fanboying over being in the same room as Loid, but what if they were also informed about the true purpose of Strix and are playing along? Could also explain why Handler is ticked off: because they are putting in such a MASSIVE budget just because they can’t just be outright and say “Hey, Loid, we appreciate all the work you’ve done for us for years, but we feel you need your own life so maybe retire please retire?”
Loid would obviously not take the bait if they were upfront with him. So, what better way to get him to “retire” and settle down than to create a false story by claiming that this guy Donovan is dangerous so you need to get a kid and put them into Eden Academy. That is not to say that the political party is NOT dangerous or threatens the peace, but they could be deliberately demonizing Donovan just to make the lies stick.
So, in short, the mission Loid thinks he is in is not real and was an elaborate ploy to get him to retire and have his own family after suffering trauma and things no man should ever suffer when he was a kid. He would take the bait hook, line, and sinker, but not realize that by doing so he would actually grow attached to his “fake family” until he could no longer tell the difference?
Lol
Yeah, I also feel this way.
Twilight is that kind of perso who only know how to work. So how to tell him to relax a bit and find himself happiness? By making him work a mission to get a family, and fall slowly for the family without him realizing.
This will be the biggest twist ever
However, in a sxf way, somehow the Forgers will be caught up in a real trouble that will ensure the peace between West and East. Troubles always follow that family anyway
I want to age like the original Barb. My personal theory (may not be the creators truth but it’s facts to me) is that Barbie is in her late 30s. look like she’s ready to settle down somewhere. a big one of my inspirations honestly.
I read somewhere that our fictional crushes were our soulmates in another universe. What if in their world, we are their fictional crushes that they read about in a book, or watch in a movie, and they long for us, but just like how we think, we are only fictional and there is no way to reach us, because to them, we are a work of fiction?
Exclusive Interview: Fandom Veteran Hillnerd Discusses how the Fandom has Changed
Fan artist Hillnerd (@hillnerd on Tumblr) has begun to step into a new role. She’s an artist, to be sure, with her “giant binder of all the different characters [from] Harry Potter, [including] the animals from it,” but lately, she’s taken the mantle of “fandom veteran” in stride to give us all a dose of fandom history. When her page-long meta-analyses of various fandom ships came across my Tumblr dash, I knew I had to know more. I sat down for a chat with Hillnerd, and she took me on a journey through fandom, ships, and controversial characters that younger fans might be unfamiliar with.
On the First Fan Theories
Hillnerd explained what it was like to be in the fandom when there were so many mysteries to explore. As the books were published, fan theories abounded, particularly about Harry’s eyes. The prevailing theory that has largely been forgotten in contemporary fandom spaces was that Harry’s green eyes would reveal a power that would allow him to defeat Voldemort. “This is before we knew about Horcruxes,” Hillnerd said.
There was a lot of speculation that somehow Harry had some sort of superpower that was going to [defeat Voldemort], that it would be his green eyes [and] that somehow his green eyes are special.
Harry James Potter
On Female Characters
According to Hillnerd, characters like Hermione, Lavender, and Ginny, used to be treated very differently than they are today. Though Hermione is now often criticized for her treatment of Umbdrige and her attack on Ron in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, according to Hillnerd:
But back in the day, Hermione was the one everyone wanted to ship with everybody. She was a self-insert character for a lot of people because so many of us who are invested in Harry Potter are nerdy girls who love to read and have strong opinions.
With Hermione being held in such high regard, it came as no surprise when Hillnerd recounted the controversy that arose when Lavender Brown became Ron’s girlfriend. “Man,” she said, “there was a huge meltdown [about] that. It was intense.” Ginny Weasley also faced backlash when she was introduced as a love interest for Harry:
Ginny was a nonentity for most people until the fifth book […] Then, [after] the sixth book [came] the meltdown. Poor Ginny has been drug through the mud.
Hermione Granger
On Snape
Another notable evolution in fandom has been the view on Snape: “Alan Rickman made more and more people think Snape was hot,” she said. She later explained: “But back in the day, his bullying wasn’t as much of an issue.” This hasn’t changed, but Hillnerd believes that nowadays:
We are a little bit more nuanced, sometimes, with our analysis of his childhood. But he’s always been one that people never seem to be neutral about. When it comes to Snape, people have strong emotions.
Severus Snape
On Dumbledore
According to Hillnerd, back in the day, Dumbledore was most associated with the fan theory that he and Ron were the same person. But now, “there’s more vitriol towards Dumbledore as an authority figure and as a teacher than there ever was back in the day.” As Hillnerd explained:
It wasn’t until after the seventh book had come out and people had marinated on it for a long time that we started seeing more of that interpretation of Dumbledore as a shady guy in some ways.
Albus Dumbledore
On Queer Characters
Though the Harry Potter fandom is now marked by queer ships like Wolfstar and Drarry, expressing queerness in fandom faced many obstacles in early internet spaces. According to Hillnerd:
In general, queer ships weren’t as popular then as they are now. ‘Slash fiction’ is what it used to be called. It did not have as many safe places, just because different places would associate anything queer with being more mature. Over time, as more queer spaces were more open to [fan fiction], you’d see a little bit more of it as well. So over time, we see Harry and Draco become a more popular thing with LiveJournal. That’s when it really took off. And then Sirius and Remus became really popular. That was a popular one. But over time, it became very popular. Then LiveJournal went and cut away a lot of queer content. Did you see how on Tumblr they did that for a little bit, where they banned a lot of different tags? It was very similar to that with LiveJournal, only it was much more extreme. That’s when you saw the founding of AO3. AO3, at first, when it was founded, was almost entirely queer content because [it was] all the content that hadn’t been able to safely stay on LiveJournal. Some journals were just literally deleted off the Internet without any warning whatsoever, just because they had queer content. And people were like, ‘This is really good content,’ and they would ship it more and more. Now it’s hugely popular.
Full Transcript with Hillnerd, Saturday, April 2, 2022
Transcribed by Jo Moses and Marissa Osman
Jo Moses: Tell me your story. How did you get involved in the Harry Potter fandom in the first place?
Hillnerd: I got into the books around the time the fourth book had come out. I was babysitting, and I had nothing to do, so I decided to go ahead and pick up this book. I got really hooked after the third one and went online to see what was going on there. That’s when I found Fiction Alley. Have you heard of Fiction Alley?
Jo: I don’t think I’ve heard of that, no.
Hillnerd: Okay, it’s an old one. This is back when there wasn’t a lot of social media all over the place. This is probably back in the early 2000s, [maybe] 2002. It was a forum [similar to] Reddit, and you [would] go in there and there were all these different threads. It finally went away about a year ago. No one had been on there for about five years [at that point]. But back then? Oh, it was thriving! People were posting all sorts of stuff. There were all sorts of debates happening and different threads where people would go off about things. There was a post limit as well. I wrote fan fiction, [but] I was more known as being a fan artist. That’s where I got started, I guess.
Jo: How’d you start drawing?
Hillnerd: I’ve always been an artist at heart. I have just been a professional artist for the past 12 years, actually. Back when I was a teenager, I loved to draw characters. I had a giant binder of all the different characters [from] Harry Potter, [including] the animals from it. I have not really stopped drawing those things, to be honest.
Jo: That is amazing. It’s pretty special. I’m someone who also really loves to draw. We draw the way we imagine a character, and we carry that image with us into adulthood, you know? It’s what makes every fan artist unique in a way.
Hillnerd: I love being able to do that and portray the characters at different ages, but still have it be the same character. That’s one of my favorite things about Harry Potter. When it comes to fan artists, you get to explore so many different emotions, as well as just the breadth of ages there. You can draw anyone from when they’re a kid or when they’re older. And then there are all [the] headcanons you can do. What if Ron decided to grow a beard, and he and Hermione have the cutest kids in the world? Let’s draw this stuff! It’s really fun. And people love to interact with them as well.
Jo: You were saying earlier about how [Fiction Alley] would have threads with different ships. When did you make the jump from reading the books to getting interested in it to finding ships that you’re invested in? What was your first ship?
Hillnerd: Lots of people thought, “Harry and Ginny? That would never happen. That’s ridiculous. It’s gonna be Harry and Hermione.”
Jo: It’s definitely really interesting to get the hear the perspective from someone who was in a position to really see the long game with the plot. Where did you think things were going with the Harry Potter ships? You can go broader [with your answer], I just feel like a lot of the main fandom conflict is about ships. Where did you think everything was going?
Hillnerd: I thought endgame was basically what we saw. I thought it was going to be Ron and Hermione. I felt that was pretty obvious from the first book. From about the second book, I was like, “Oh, it’d be Harry and Ginny. Eventually. They’re doing this narrative thing, the fairy tale of the man [saving] the damsel in distress - only they’re 12 - and then flipping it on its head.” That’s how I saw it happening. I didn’t know exactly how it happened. I definitely thought Ron and Hermione would get together sooner, as did everyone else. When the sixth book came out, [we were] like, “Really? The whole Ron/Lavender thing? We have to wait for a whole other book?” But at least they really got together. Man, there was a huge meltdown [about] that. It was intense, but that was the speculation. And I was very satisfied with it. It was nice.
Jo: I want to go back to something you said about Ron and Lavender. I feel like in the fandom spaces - at least that I’m in - the view towards Lavender has become a lot more favorable. People are even shipping her with Pavarti. What was the attitude towards Lavender [when the book came out]? Were people pissed?
Hillnerd: Yes. A lot of people were highly irritated that it happened at all. A lot of people were not very kind toward her character. I was just annoyed that the plot twist happened, that Ron and Lavender got together. But I never had anything against Lavender. I actually thought she was a pretty supportive girlfriend and really nice to Ron. I liked her and [so did] a few people. But she was eviscerated as a character for nothing, which was pretty unfair. I think she was just a teenage girl trying to have her first boyfriend and getting a little silly [about] things. It was one of the things that made me write a fan fiction a while back because I was like, “You know what? We need something that shows Lavender as a good girlfriend.” People were not very kind.
Jo: What was your experience with female characters in the [early years of the] fandom? Because, obviously, I don’t know a lot about it. But it seems to me that the way they have been treated has changed a lot. What would you say are some examples of that, or how has that gone?
Hillnerd: In some ways, things have changed [but in other ways, things have] stayed the same. Hermione used to be much more put on a pedestal. Now there’s a bit of a shift there, where she is more humanized. There’s even some discernment and criticism about what she’s done. But back in the day, Hermione was the one everyone wanted to ship with everybody. She was a self-insert character for a lot of people because so many of us who are invested in Harry Potter are nerdy girls who love to read and have strong opinions. It was very easy for that to happen. And then the movies and later books accentuated that as well. Ginny was a nonentity for most people until the fifth book, when people started realizing, “Oh, she’s changed a little. She’s more open.” And suddenly, “This is ridiculous.” Then, [after] the sixth book [came] the meltdown. Poor Ginny has been drug through the mud and called a Mary Sue, which, to me, never made sense. Ginny got bashed pretty harshly. And that happens still; a lot of people just don’t much care for her, which I don’t get. I love her. She was always a great character; one of my favorites. Luna, for the most part, has always been beloved. I don’t think that changed much. Molly Weasley got bashed a lot. The Weasleys, in general, get the short end of the stick with the fandom. As ships would get exploded by a Weasley, People would get pretty bad.
Jo: How, if at all, has the view on Snape changed? Because I feel like now, he’s very polarizing, there are a lot of people who think, “He’s a terrible teacher. He’s a bully.” And then there’s a lot of people who are like, “He’s just misunderstood.” And then [there are the people who] think he’s really hot. What was it like back in the day?
Hillnerd: Alan Rickman made more and more people think Snape was hot. There was something about the way he would say his lines that would draw people in, and Snape has always been a character that had people [disagreeing]. What are his motives? Is he actually evil? We are a little bit more nuanced, sometimes, with our analysis of his childhood. But he’s always been one that people never seem to be neutral about. When it comes to Snape, people have strong emotions, which I get. He is a character that is controversial in the way that he treats his students. I’m a teacher and I just cannot imagine having that kind of vitriol towards a child, ever. But back in the day, his bullying wasn’t as much of an issue.
Jo: I guess this is a little along the same lines: Were people still more people skeptical of Dumbledore as you kept learning more information? Because I know a lot of the discourse now is like, “He was such a bad guy - a selfish guy - for not revealing these things to Harry.” And some people think he was just doing his best, he didn’t know… I feel like when I first read the books, I was very enamored and taken in.
Hillnerd: There’s more vitriol towards Dumbledore as an authority figure and as a teacher than there ever was back in the day. Some of the things that people were trying to figure out were [interesting]. There was even one speculation that maybe Dumbledore and Ron are the same person. It wasn’t until after the seventh book had come out and people had marinated on it for a long time that we started seeing more of that interpretation of Dumbledore as a shady guy in some ways. It took a while for that to come in. But for the longest time, Dumbledore was pretty much beloved by almost everybody.
Jo: What were your favorite fan theories from when the books were coming out?
Hillnerd: Favorite fan theories? Oh, my goodness. I’m going to have to think back. Let’s see… Well, I remember back before the fifth book came out that almost no one really realized that Sirius was pure-blood. I don’t know if this was really a fan theory or not, but it was interesting. We were all trying to figure out how he would get his freedom. There were some great ideas. [One was that] there will be a trial, he’s going to get his day in court, it’s going to be amazing. And the fifth book exploded a lot of cannon ideas. That one was a heartbreaker. There was a lot of speculation that somehow Harry had some sort of superpower that was going to [defeat Voldemort], that it would be his green eyes [and] that somehow his green eyes are special. This is before we knew about Horcruxes.
Jo: Yeah! This isn’t related to the books per se, but I feel like a lot of people today just think the movies are crap. What [was the attitude] back then? I imagine there was a lot of excitement about the movies, to see these characters come to life on screen. But were expectations met when the movies came out?
Hillnerd: For the first movie? Most definitely. Everybody was so pleased with the first one. Then the second one came out and people were a little bit less pleased. And the third one? I personally love that movie [but] after that, the fandom got angrier with each film. Sometimes they would be excited about certain things, but then the casting of certain characters would come out and there’d be a lot of controversies. Some of it was really pointed and horribly unfair, especially whenever a new woman was cast. Basically, every time a new woman was cast in the movies - like Cho Chang - she got a lot of flack from random people on the internet. So sometimes it could be not so great. But in general, people were excited every time. They were like, “This time they’re going to get it. I just know.” And then if it didn’t happen, they [would be] like, “Next time, guys! We’re gonna get it next time!” [There was] a lot of that.
Jo: What would you say were the biggest conflicts in fandom when you entered into it?
Hillnerd: It was shipping. It was always shipping. It was called “shipping wars” for a reason, and it was intense. Harry and Hermione [was called] “Harmony.” It had a special ship name. Each ship had its own special name. “Orange Crush” was Harry and Ginny. “Harmony” was Harry and Hermione, because they get along so well. Have you ever heard of “Sugar Quill?” “Sugar Quill” was specifically a Romione-centric place. There was another one called “Checkmated”. There were all sorts of things. And back then Harry and Draco weren’t shipped quite as hard. That didn’t really happen till the LiveJournal days in general, but yes, it’s shipping, it’s shipping. Everyone wanted it to be a romance even though the books are not about romance.
Jo: Could you take us on a journey of “Drarry?” What happened?
Hillnerd: Back in the day, Harry and Draco were shipped in some places, but the big ship with Draco was actually “Dramione.” Hermione was the one that people were shipping with everybody. [“Dramione”] was an incredibly popular ship. Then there was that meme [with] Draco and leather pants. Like, “Oh, he’s a sexy bad boy.” And [people would discuss how he] would have a dungeon where he’ll take Hermione. There were all sorts of things like that. It was the thing [to put] Draco on a pedestal.
Jo: With “Drarry,” how has that developed?
Hillnerd: In general, queer ships weren’t as popular then as they are now. “Slash fiction” is what it used to be called. It did not have as many safe places, just because different places would associate anything queer with being more mature. Over time, as more queer spaces were more open to [fan fiction], you’d see a little bit more of it as well. So over time, we see Harry and Draco become a more popular thing with LiveJournal. That’s when it really took off. And then Sirius and Remus became really popular. That was a popular one. But over time, it became very popular. Then LiveJournal went and cut away a lot of queer content. Did you see how on Tumblr they did that for a little bit, where they banned a lot of different tags? It was very similar to that with LiveJournal, only it was much more extreme. That’s when you saw the founding of AO3. AO3, at first, when it was founded, was almost entirely queer content because [it was] all the content that hadn’t been able to safely stay on LiveJournal. Some journals were just literally deleted off the Internet without any warning whatsoever, just because they had queer content. And people were like, “This is really good content,” and they would ship it more and more. Now it’s hugely popular.
Jo: What do you think are the most important ways that the fandom has changed since the books were written?
Hillnerd: I think that the emphasis on diversity has been much stronger over the years, and I love that about it. I feel like we’re so much more nuanced now when it comes to how we interpret our characters. It’s not just about what’s going to happen in the books; we know now what happens in the books. Now it’s more about building our own ideas and making sure different identities are represented in our fiction and our work. And that, to me, was such an important and good thing about how our fandom changed. In some ways, the fandom has become more global, in general. We used to [only] have this forum. Iy was the main one, [as well as] those couple of websites, and that’s about it. It was all about the books. But then, as the movies came out and [then] the plays and everything else in the world of Harry Potter expanded, we saw how there were just so many different interpretations of, “What should Hermione actually look like,” for example. “How do you see yourself in these characters?” It’s been incredible to watch it grow from speculating about things like, “Who’s going to date who? What’s going to happen? How will Harry defeat Voldemort,” to, “How do we feel like queer identity intersects with this? How does disability work within the Harry Potter world?” We’re also a lot [more] hurt now by [J. K. Rowling] and with all [that] she’s been doing. So in some ways, it’s hard to be in the fandom. It’s something that meant so much to you and you created so many community memories and so much content about this series. In some ways, it’s a little bit difficult to be part of the fandom. But in other ways, it’s pretty incredible. You can’t come across almost anybody who hasn’t had at least a little bit of knowledge about it. [You can say,] “I’m totally a Hufflepuff,” and they’re like, “Oh, that’s so cool.” I’ve had students that are like, “I love Harry Potter,” and they’ve only seen the movies. It can be such a great connector for people. So I think that’s my favorite thing about fandom that hasn’t changed. It’s that it connects people. And I’ve gotten to meet so many people in real life. I went to a Harry Potter convention with people from LiveJournal ten years ago. And then this last year, with the pandemic, I [went on Zoom] and started a Harry Potter book club [where] I would have people from all over the world come in, and we’d get to talk and be brought together. That’s the best thing about this, even if the author might do things that are just so disappointing and so hurtful. It does not take away how many beautiful relationships we’ve been able to form.
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So at first glance for these Last Bot Standing #2 covers, there isn’t a ton of of new information. We’re seeing more of Rodimus’ design, and maybe some Robo-horse riding potential.
BUT then we have this cover right here:
I’m not sure about most of these (certainly mechanical) silhouettes, but the couple on the far left caught my eye.
I’ll be damned if that isn’t Moon and Scylla from Beast Wars II.
Upon realizing this, I did a double take and saw that the horse from that first cover, is in fact ANOTHER II/Neo bot, named Mach Kick.
So there’s obviously a Beast Era component to all of this. If I had the time, I’m sure I could assign names to more of the silhouettes, maybe ya’ll will know more. I can’t tell if this helps or hurts my post-IDW1 theory, but it sure is interesting an exciting!
There wasn’t much going on in the chapter, but I still want to discuss some things.
First, Kazuma spent the night away from Yato and got teased about that a little. Building on what @spootywabbit said, Yato was probably wisiting Yukine’s grave that he himself made. If I had to guess, he deliberately sent Kazuma away, both because visiting Yukine’s grave was a very intimate thing for him, but also because he didn’t want Kazuma to start questioning how Yato knows about the place. We know that Yato is trying to take down father with as few casulaties as possible, so it was the most logical thing to do. This is why when Kazuma suggested that Yato found a good observation spot, the latter went along with it, it was a very convenient excuse for him.
The second thing that interested me was Yato using Rekki as a tracking device by dispersing Rekki’s arrows around the town. I now wonder how that affects Kazuma - he did say he had to maintain his concentration, so it’s probably hard for him. Also, why leave the bow behind? Yato is still wearing the scarf and the tracksuit, so it’s not like Rekki isn’t with him, which means that Kazuma will witness whatever Yato is going to do. I mean, isn’t that why the trick with the arrows was needed in the first place - because Kazuma can sense (or even see) everything with any part of Rekki? Wouldn’t that include the scarf and tracksuit? Also also, how will Yato summon the bow should he need to defend himself? Gods can summon shinki by calling their instrument name, but Rekki is already summoned. Will Yato have to revert Rekki and call it again? I’m kind of confused.
Finally, about Father’s plan to make Yukine kill his sister. We know that’s what Yato thinks is going to happen, but is that really the case? Does Yato know Father well enough to predict his moves, if he was never really interested in Father’s schemes? And if it is what Father is planning, I wonder if there’s some symbolic meaning behind it. You know, besides making Yukine think that he has know family left other than Father. Should it come to that, I hope that Yukine’s strong aversion to killing, which has been a prominent theme throughout the manga, will kick in and prevent him from making that mistake.
@stainedglass-wings had some late night thoughts and shared them on another post, and it got me to thinking. I still think the last initials of the lockets could represent musical notes, and the order could represent a leitmotif.
However, this new idea would shed light on the motives for their deaths, since I think we can probably all agree they didn’t die simply from natural causes. And then Yana-san had to choose specific words for these things, so that the initials could still represent musical notes and not repeat each other (wouldn’t be confused which locket was for which thing).
But what do I mean by “things”? Sins. Cardinal or deadly sins. This would be another parallel to s1’s Ash Landers’ obsession with purging the world of “impure” humans. And it would work very well, if John Brown turns out to be an angel or something bent on a deranged version of divine justice.
Ok, so here are the lockets again, with their order:
Emile C.–Lust. The “C” could stand for “cravings”. Lust is sometimes thought of as a type of gluttony, and “cravings” (as well as “appetite”) can describe aspects of one’s libido just as well as one’s desire for food. So, this Emile fellow (if Yana-san isn’t playing with name genders again) could have been killed for the sin of lust. And considering I’ve long thought the “C” might be for the name Chambers (the Viscount of Druitt’s family name), this would make sense. The Chambers line could have a particular penchant for the more lustful or hedonistic pursuits.
Oliver A. –Avarice. That’s an extreme form of Greed. I have no idea what last name this would be or where they might fall into place within the narrative, but this Oliver dude might have been seen as far too greedy for his own good.
Alex B.–Blasphemy. It’s not what’s typically listed as one of the “seven deadly sins”, but it’s considered one of the unforgivable ones. I came to this one because I couldn’t think of a “b” word for Wrath. However, when our earl watched his older twin being stabbed to death, his unbridledanger led to him making a blasphemous statement. That blasphemy is apparently what really interested the demon that was summoned.
So, Alex could have been blasphemous and/or wrathful. Again, I don’t know what last name the “B” might be.
Cloudia/Claudia P.–Pride. We know the Phantomhives can be a prideful lot, and Vincent says the Phantomhive women tend to be particularly strong-willed. Apparently, Undertaker repeatedly warns them about it, too… saying they keep losing touch with the fact their power comes from support they receive from others, and how they will fall if they lose that support. Our earl wearing that ring like a collar around his neck by his own volition also seems to be a matter of pride, and Undertaker warns it could end up “choking” him someday. So, perhaps our earl’s grandmother was a particularly prideful sort of person. Vincent might have been, too. Francis/Frances sure seems to be….
Molly/Mally G.–Gluttony. No idea who she is, but she’s the one who died first, among the people represented by lockets. I’m reminded by some old research I did on Queen Victoria and her early scandals, back when she was new to the throne. She ascended the throne in 1837 (coronated in 1838), and an early scandal involved a female servant whom Victoria accused of getting pregnant out of wedlock. Her belly was so swollen that she looked pregnant, but it turned out to be a horribly large tumor in her abdomen. I had once wondered if Molly/Mally was a Kuroverse version of that unfortunate woman. The possible “sin of gluttony” reminded me of that swollen belly mistaken for pregnancy. And pregnant people are said to be “eating for two”…. It’s a long-shot, but she could have been a royal servant repeatedly caught stealing food, or something? Accusations against her could have been some huge misunderstanding, too, particularly if Victoria acted against her before John Brown was by her side… or if he was there and knew the truth but did the queen’s bidding anyway. It seems like a weak motive to kill someone, but the queen might not see it that way. Not if she truly believes the person is committing a deadly or unforgivable sin.
Gilbert D.–Dejection. That’s the term sometimes used by the orthodoxy instead of Sloth. Gilbert could have been someone who was too overcome by depression or even just apathy. If we are talking about someone who specifically pissed off the queen, it could be that he neglected to follow her orders. I used to think the “D” could stand for Dalles/Durless, which is apparently Madam Red’s married name. If the death was in 1885, it could have been Madam Red’s husband, supposedly killed in that carriage accident, but I don’t think the accident was really an accident. He was the Baron of Burnett, and he showed deep affection for his wife and unborn child, despite the fact Madam Red was still in love with Vincent. If it was him (another long-shot), then he could have been killed for not giving a toss about the queen’s intentions or goals. If the death was in 1862, as one image of the locket shows, then who knows. March 1, 1862 was a few months after Prince Albert died, so it could have something to do with Albert’s death. Like a physician whom the queen blames for not doing enough to save her beloved Albert’s life. This is me using a lot of words to say idk who Gilbert is.
Harry E.–Envy. How Harry’s envy leads to him being targeted for death, idk. I also have no clue who he might be. Perhaps he was envious of the queen herself. There were many attempts on her life, especially early in her reign. I found a total of 8 known attempts on her life, committed by 7 different people (one failed twice), but none of them happened in 1851. However, Vincent was born in 1851. Harry could have been involved in some plot to kill or overthrow the queen. Otherwise, I got nothin’.
Well, I don’t know if any of this will pan out, but it sure is an interesting idea! Also, it doesn’t take anything away from my leitmotif theory, so I kind of like it. We all want to know why and how these people died, right? Deeply hidden clues about their “sins” is a cool concept, and I think it’s still worth pursuing, even if their last initials don’t end up being that clue.
Haven’t posted here in a while so I guess I’ll start by defending the most controversial MHA theory, Bakugo is the second OFA user a.k.a Bak U Go
People often dismiss this theory on sight due to the preconceived notion that any form of timetravel will automatically fuck up the story and that the mere idea of Bakugo having OFA is a automatic turn off
If this theory were to come true then the time travel aspect wouldn’t be a problem since it would be a one way trip, he wouldn’t get OFA from Deku, he would get it from the first, and he would die fighting AFO during his time in the past since we see him in the vestige world
The manga has also already given examples on how it can happen with Eri’s dad supposedly disappearing into thin air
Eri’s quirk unknown variable that we still don’t have a grasp on what it’s fully capable of, and combined that with the possibility of quirk singularity shenanigans and quirk awakenings then I don’t think the possibility of Rewind sending person back in time is that farfetched
So we have a unnamed guy that looks identical to a older Bakugo, with a unknown quirk that the hint for are the similar to Bakugo guntlets he used, said guy had chapter where he acted like a mature version of Bakugo while doing the same reaching out parallel that Deku and Bakugo have
During chapter 318 he was the only vestige that wasn’t visually worried about Deku because he knew what was going to happen and he throws out a line alluding to Deku needing people he can rely on just as Bakugo shows up
Horikoshi did mention that the characters from the Yakuza arc are characters that will play a important role in the final arc of series, and that’ll sure happen if AFO gets his hands on Rewind or even he simply just uses force quirk activation on Eri
I have a theory, so, for everyone who‘s read the book and Azriel‘s POV:
We know how Az is feeling towards Elain & we also know that his shadows were dancing around him, when he spoke to Gwyn.
When Az gave Gwyn’s gift to Clotho it said: „He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn‘s teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason… he could see it.“
And then: „But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.“
I‘m just gonna point out that SJM said „glowed“ & „for whatever reason he could see it“.
So, I‘m assuming that - just like Elain has a mate - Azriel & Gwyn might be mates as well. And I‘m also thinking that Elriel might be the ship that SJM uses to show that you don’t have to be with your mate in order for you to be in love & happy. These two might be the ones not choosing the mating bond, but their love & affection for each other.
Also in related news I’m obsessed with those ancient aliens types who are like “there’s no way this civilization could have known how to do this” and it’s just math. Like
Or if you really want to put your tinfoil hat on there are people who are like “how did Aztecs and Egyptians BOTH build triangles if they weren’t in contact with an Extraterrestrial Being telling them to, hmm?” because it’s the most structurally stable shape. You can find this out by stacking rocks on top of each other
i’d like to clarify i don’t think he’s less intelligent or anything i just mean did he go out of his way to learn that shit when newton invented calculus in the 17th century? we know he didn’t even like studying wizard school so he’s a jack of all trades. i’m gonna assume that includes math
So by now some of y’all might know I just can’t help myself when it comes to Thedosian lore. It’s partially why Bioware owns my soul. This post is going to theorize about the future of the Dragon Age series through the lens of a part of the Chant of Light called the Canticle of Exaltations. No, I’m not exactly pro-Chantry. So why this?
I think Exaltations hints at things to come in DA4 and way beyond, once you remove the Chantrification (that’s totally a real word). Including…
The removal of the Veil and Mythal’s return
all hell (Fade) breaking loose
Balance restored?
As always, I claim no special insight. Take everything here with a grain of salt. Also this post is long. Very long. As in I break down an entire canticle stanza by stanza type long. Continue forth at your discretion. Or, if you want, skip to the end, where there be predictions and a tl;dr.
So I’ve read some “adrien knows” theories and I think that it could be true.
Of course he doesn’t know now, but eventually I think he would be the first one to know who ladybug is. I don’t think Marinette will believe that Adrien and ChatNoir are the same person because she idealizes Adrien and ChatNoir isn’t as “perfect” as him but Adrien… I think he will find out how similar Marinette and Ladybug are not only because of how they look, but how they are: always protecting and taking care of others (thATS BASICALLY LBs JOB)
Let me know in a comment which are your theories and who do you think/want to find out the identities first.
As folks have noted, Kitty’s “solution” that made Stotz to quit the force doesn’t address the larger problem that he’s statistically likely to be violent with someone else someday. Removing him is a short-term fix that will make Hannah’s life easier and consequently make Tommy feel better. It’s not about justice or healing but rather immediate gratification, dealing with the problem directly in front of them. (I don’t mean to suggest Kitty was necessarily wrong to act as she did, just that it has ramifications.)
She had a similar reaction in 3x02 when she thought they should let the innocent man plead guilty and go to prison so he’d feel like he was doing something instead of nothing. It was what he wanted NOW so why not let him have it, bigger picture be damned? Pouring her soda over the laptop to destroy Watson’s mss is another example of her acting on impulse to reach a conclusion instead of belaboring the point.
At the same time that she’s drawn to the quick fix, she also has long-term (if perhaps short-sighted), goals. I don’t think Kitty actually wanted to be a detective when she started working with Sherlock; as she told Joan, she’s moving toward something, and I think that’s payback for what happened to her. The skills and knowledge and contacts she’s acquiring are for that. When Sherlock told Marcus she reminded him of a younger version of himself, I thought of “M” and his speech to Watson about how all her lessons helped prepare him for the opportunity to avenge Irene.
My guess is that Joan’s influence will alter Kitty’s plans, but to what end?
oh! Also I should take this opportunity to air my crack theory about Night Watch, to wit: Ned Coates is a time-traveling grown-up Young Sam.
My evidence:
Ned is the only other Watchman who is new to the squad, and new to Ankh-Morpork.
He is supposedly the only person who knew the real John Keel, but he never calls Sam out for it. If there ever was a real Ned Coates, and he really knew John Keel, we only have Ned’s word for it.
When he and Sam spar, he fights just as dirty as Sam does, and claims John Keel taught him the tricks Sam uses himself.
He’s protective of Vimesy, moreso than other Watchmen though he’s known them all for the same length of time.
He is clearly up to SOMETHING; Sam thinks he’s one of the real revolutionaries plotting to overthrow Winder, but none of the other revolutionaries interact with him or seem to know him that I can recall.
When Sam admits he’s a time traveler, he’s unfazed; his question “From how far back?” would make perfect sense as “from how far back in my timeline, where you are my dad?”
He supposedly dies in the last fight, but Sam doesn’t see it, and Sam supposedly died in that fight too.
Lu-Tze is 100% good enough to have two time-travelers operating at the same time without breaking the timeline; he does, however, worry about the unusual strain he’s creating.
So, let’s say an adult Young Sam has a time-travel accident. Possibly after some sort of major falling-out with his dad, one that’s got him still pissed off at him. And now he’s stuck in a vastly more shitty version of the city he grew up in, and the versions of his dad he has met so far are a) a dumb kid and b) kind of a dick. He is not having a great time. He really, really wants to go home, but first he has a revolution to see through.
I love the moment in DwIT when Thomas is trying to explain himself and the following exchange happens;
Thomas: “Virgil, I don’t want to do what he says!”
Virgil: “You mean you don’t want to act on what you think!”
Logan: “Virgil, enough.”
Remus: “Ugh, here we go, Virgil. Looks like Logan has reached his ‘listening to others’ limit for the day!”
I love this so much because it’s obvious that Remus is trying to separate Virgil from the others by playing to their weaknesses. Logan often doesn’t listen to the others, and even though in this situation he’s right, Virgil is still frustrated by him. He plays to Virgils weaknesses often. Like, when Logan reveals that Virgil is partially at fault for Thomas being so distraught and getting no sleep, Remus says, “Despite his best efforts, Virgil could never stop being the bad guy!” Which effectively makes Virgil feel at fault.
Did you notice how quiet and reserved Virgil is that whole video? How defensive he becomes at times? How many times you see a shot of him, standing silently and scowling at Remus?
(This is such an old draft I wrote but I never post on this blog and I feel like this can’t stay in the drafts. Clearly I was going feral over this for some reason.)
![NrM [ノラガミ]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/avatar_6a9c9626ecbe_30.png){kind=avatar}
