#lace meta

[lierrelikes]

Recent old school pieces I got in the mail ! I'm so happy with my growing lolita wardrobe, and I'm so happy I finally decided to invest in lolita. I am living the dream middle school me could only fantasize about 🎉

Left : Lace up velveteen JSK by Metamorphose ( 2003 )

Right : Sapphire Yale JSK by Baby, the stars shine bright ( 2005 )

#have got some work to do on these babies #baby jsk is quite faded #the lace on the meta dress has yellowed also #gonna attempt brightening it #egl #old school lolita #egl community #metamorphose temps de fille #baby the stars shine bright #lolita fashion #my wardrobe

[lichdolly]

Metamorphose Temps de Fille - Raschel Lace Skirt (Solid) (2001)

#metamorphose temps de fille #metamorphose #gothic lolita #old school lolita #classic lolita #egl fashion #egl #egl community #elegant gothic lolita #kawaii fashion #jfashion #alt fashion #harajuku fashion #raschel lace skirt (solid)(meta)(01) #my post tag

[cursedzucchini]

Fellas fellas listen

What if after Sam and tucker die they are liminal enough to not die, but they don't have enough big of an obsession to become full ghost.

Idk abt tucker (which nothing against the dude, but i had the idea Abt Sam and that's all i can think of rn), But!! Sam just sorta floats around dimension trying to find something that could fuel her continuous existence. (Bc idk they wanna stay w Danny, it doesn't really matter).

Well in one dimension, she find this beautiful goth city. It's kinda dark, and it was still in the process of being build, but it just seemed like such a beautiful place! It only needs a little bit of green.....

Long story short, Sam gets attached and now she's the city's spirit.

And you already know the city is Gotham.

--

I didn't thought of much but this concept tbh, like maybe danny could visit Sam and this way meet batfam. Or the reason why poison ivy is so op, is bc Sam really likes her style. And there could be some liminal batfam thing, and her liking Jason and bringing him back to life!!

Just Gotham Sam y'all

#dcxdp #dc x dp #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #crossover #dc #dp x dc writing prompt #gotham!Sam #if u have any more ideas to add to this #pls do!!!! #also maybe sam could get sick bc of the crime and how fucked the city was #danny could visit to try and help #there could also be the momemt when batman is like: hey no metas in Gotham #and danny ready to tell him off is suddenly pushed back by this extremely tall lady in black clothes #all pearls and laces tears in her dress face hidden by her hat #nd just goes: this one is polite he can stay #meanwhile danny (im imagining him as danger twink) is just blowing a raspberry at them

[bread-that-draws]

The Lovers: Being at crossroads. Choices. Commitment. Falling in love. Harmony. Warmth.

The Lovers Reversed: Misalignment. Imbalance. Disharmony. Coldness.

#want some dating shoes #OKAY DETAILS RANT #the wires along the border are the same that queen uses to control people and the thorns are. Thorns #the color gradient along the border are blue and purple. Kris and Susie #both scenes you can only see in one route or the other hence why I chose them #the imagery from the deltarune can be seen on Noelle’s front and lace along with Susie’s collar/belt and Kris’s armor #Kris and Ralsei are in the top border bc they’re watching the scene #kris is pointing to Noelle’s battle sprite because they have to call upon her to beat spamton and Noelle is fucking. freezing berdley #the Entire Background of the tip except also the windows are Morse code for kris get the banana and character names #Kris’s halo is devil horns because of that story from their childhood and Noelle’s is a thorn ring #SOUL IMAGERY EVERYWHERE but especially Kris’s armor and sword (plus Noelle’s lace lol) #the binary code on Spamton spells the lyrics to big shot #Noelle and Kris are popping out of the frame at the bottom because the player is enacting control over both of them and UTDR meta like that #Kris’s clothes are lined with the same red as the soul because puppet imagery #OKAY I THINK THATS ALL OF IT??? I’m insane #deltarune #deltarune chapter 2 #Noelle holiday #Susie #kris Dreemurr #spamton #suselle #kriselle #I guess????

[mikecrewsteacup]

The un-addressed hilarity of Gertrude not realizing Eric had quit the Archives before dying. Let's recap how that got mentioned: 

Right. So Gertrude was under the impression that Eric Delano was working on statements, presumably either transcription or researching old leads; maybe she even occasionally let them file things for fun before she'd go disorganize them herself later on. And we can assume she didn't actually keep very close tabs on them, so it's even possible if Eric had quit a week prior to his murder, she would have naturally missed it.

But...months?

I present to you the only possible explanation: that Jonah Magnus (who would have been hiding in Wright's body at the time, not Elias' yet) had to be the one frantically trying to keep Gertrude in the dark about it being possible to quit the Archives. After not interfering for the two years Eric Delano spent trying to quit — presumably he underestimated Eric the way he does Martin later on, and just didn't bother checking in on him until OH SHIT I CANT SEE ERIC WHERE DID HE GO — Jonah suddenly had a huge problem on his hands.

So please, imagine Jonah sneaking back into the Archives after dark (or just never leaving at all) and frantically rifling through Eric's desk to do his paperwork. Knowing just enough information about Eric's intended leads to pretend they'd been interviewed and take fake notes (but not TOO fake as to be suspicious! Eric was always a pretty serious and dedicated employee!). Just generally making it appear that an entire employee had not left for MULTIPLE. MONTHS. 

I know we discuss how to Jonah this show is a workplace comedy for the first like 4 seasons, but it's implied shenanigans like this that really showcase it for me. 

(Also now I can't help but wonder if Jonah is a natural at mimicking handwriting, or if Eric's notes from that period abruptly go from 'neat and tidy but modern cursive' to 'ye olde script, hastily attempting to look modern'.)

#Eric Delano #gertrude robinson #tma #i don't always post meta but when I do you bet it's stupid!! #Jonah Magnus #eric being a straight-laced hard worker who just loves ghosts so much he then married an evil village witch is iconic tbh #So is Jonah getting himself in a pickle bc he forgets to use being literally fucking omniscient and telepathic

[outofangband]

in response to an ask from @justpostsyeet about what Laws and Customs of the Eldar say about sexual assault

under a cut for non graphic discussion of this!

also thank you to @undercat-overdog for helping me find the relevant passage that I literally had memorized but could not find (seriously I spent like an hour reading through Morgoth's Ring and could not find the part I needed, my fault for researching when half asleep but anyways, Undercat saved this post!)

The ask: Hi, hope your having a good day/night (maybe this request doesn't worsen your day). I honestly love your posts and I've a thing that I want to ask to you.

Maybe you has done this before but what do you think the elves view on sexaul assault must be?

And even if it's true what must be the reaction of elves when the a) hear about such news, b) witness such cruelty, c) experiences such awful things themselves .

I know it's a very sensitive topic and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable so, ignore it if you want. I've my own headcanons but I just wanted to know your opinions.

My response: this does not worsen my day! I'm sure you know this from my posts but I write a lot of darker topics and I'm fine discussing this! Indeed, I enjoy discussing darker topics, I can find it very cathartic to write about

Thank you so much for the ask and for thinking of me!

The concept that elves cannot survive sexual assault comes from Laws and Customs of the Eldar, an essay style section of Morgoth's Ring, in the Histories of Middle Earth. In LaCE, as it's often known, Ælfwine, or Elfwine, a pre canon character in The legendarium is credited with the editing of this text as well as other parts of the histories of Middle Earth adding another aspect of meta to it.  

LaCE is a controversial essay. Many consider it to be precanon or non canon. Others consider it an in universe philosophical or religious work rather than biological facts or universal standards for the elves. I think this interpretation is probably accurate

The relevant part you're talking about is a footnote in response to this line of LaCE Even when  in after days as the history is reveal many of the Eldar in Middle Earth became corrupted and their hearts darkened by the Shadow that lies upon Arda seldom is any tale told of Deeds of lust among them.

The footnote reads ...But among all those evils there is no record of any among the elves that took another spouse by force for this was wholly against their nature and one so forth would have rejected bodily life and passed to Mandos. Guile or trickery in this matter was scarcely possible even if it could be thought that any elf would purpose to use for it; for the Eldar can read in the eyes of another whether they be wed or unwed 

I agree with you that it's probably not the case that sexual violence instantly leads to death.

I think it's fun to play around with whether or not LaCE is a, canon or b, strict biological law! Generally I go with it not being so but there is a lot of fascinating ideas that can be explored, if often horrifying ones, treating it like that! (the idea that elves can tell in the eyes of another if they're married or not is FASCINATING even if the idea that such a phenomena would prevent sexual violence is...troublesome...)

On the basis of LaCE not being biological law though, there are a few possibilities for this inclusion (note: these are in universe possibilities, not a complete list of reasons why Tolkien might have included it)

a, an in universe narrator trying to mitigate or cover up the fact that this did indeed occur

b, as in most versions he appears in, Ælfwine is not an elf but a human, this could simply be an idealistic notion or misconception or even misunderstanding or mistranslation

c, sexual violence is a taboo subject in many human cultures, it's certainly not implausible that it was treated similarly the elves. Even if it's not an attempt to cover up actions by well known figures in the history of the Eldar, it could be a denial of cultural traumas or a refusal to reckon with a certain kind of pain

The fact that it specifically reads 'no record of any taking the spouse of another by force' is somewhat strange. Obviously, non married people can be the victims of assault (and people can be victimized by those they're married to; it's worth noting here that Tolkien did seem to realize both, some of the primary, and only, instances of rape in the legendarium are instances of marital rape)

A...generous reading is that it is worded like this because the footnote appears in relevance to the section about marriage and this is meant to discuss specifically how certain trauma affects the marital bond, something that LaCE defines as a spiritual and physical matter.

(Plenty of horror you could potentially explore there; spouses actually feeling the pain and trauma of their partners due to this bond, whether trauma from this kind of violence or other)

What I do think is true is that elves have a stronger connection between body and mind and soul and that severe trauma of any kind can lead to physical consequences up to, including and beyond death of the body. This is of course not unheard of in humans, stress takes a physical toll. But for elves I think this connection is perhaps more profound.

This is not limited to sexual assault and indeed most of the instances we see of this in canon are not related to sexual assault.

It's worth noting that there are some troublesome aspects of Tolkien's wording. Obviously the linking of sexual assault and lust is not entirely accurate. Desire and lust often do not play a role in sexual violence; power and control perhaps being more pertinent. Then of course the fact that it says 'no record of one taking the spouse of another by force' is also questionable as I talked about above.

In conclusion, I think like the rest of LaCE, it makes more sense as the philosophy of one group or individual rather than biological reality.

Finally, I'll note that the two primary examples I can think of in the works of victims of sexual violence who "choose" death or at least leaving body or life in some form or another are not elves but are Aerin, a human, and Arien, a Maia (Arien's example also not being strictly canon), both of whom choose fire. (also I think that whether or not Aerin died is actually ambiguous and is certainly not definite, that being said the idea that she did is a perfectly plausible reading) Also why are their names so similar...

#the silmarillion #musing and meta #HoME #LaCE #the hidden hours

[bobbinbugs]

Anne Carson, Antigonick / Team Cherry, Hollow Knight.

#the visual similarities here. woof. #hornet #hornet hk #hornet silksong #meta #bobbinbugs originals #silksong #holow knight meta #hollow knight #hk meta #heaaavily inspired by an rgu post formatted the same way! #lace #antigone #antigonick #anne carson

[undercat-overdog]

One thing that's fun working in LaCE-land is considering how that affects elven societies. If the species is obligatorily monogamous and having sex means you get married*, eternal soulbond and all, how does that play out? What do romance novels look like, or erotica? Do married couples have smutty statues of themselves in their library? What are the stigmas around sex, or are there any about sex itself? What about sex parties? (Why yes, I have thoughts on LaCE-compliant sex parties.)

*not the only interpretation of the wording of the text

Fucking in LaCE-land: many fun possibilities!

#meta #elfsex #hypermonogamous elves hits a lot of narrative kinks of mine too #played for romance and/or tragedy and/or horror #but lace definitely doesn't rule out sexy times or kink #and i enjoy exploring how it might work

[flowerflamestars]

(Part two)

2nd there’s Feyre’s sisters, who she loves dearly but doesn’t know if she likes all that much. Nesta HUGS her. Nesta breaks Cassian’s nose. Elain STABS Azriel. They know about the war. They know about Valeris. They hatehateHATE their father with a ferocity she doesn’t understand. She doesn’t understand why titled nonsense matters. They don’t like Rhys so they must still hate faeries (the problem can’t be RHYS so it must be faeries. Never mind that Elain is perfectly fine having tea and small talk with Cassian and Azriel and, you know, the whole Lucien Thing).

She doesn’t understand why they’re so angry she wrote to the queens. It’s important that they talk to the queens. Don’t her sisters understand that? The queens will meet with them. Why wouldn’t they? Feyre was human and understands humans. The queens will understand how important this meeting is. (Never mind what the laws about consorting with faeries are. Never mind that Feyre knows absolutely nothing about the political climate of the Human Lands.) Rhys will protect them from anything anyway (and there’s absolutely no reason Elain needs to MARRY LUCIEN).

But her sisters give her the cold shoulder for a few days. Elain eventually forgives her enough to take her on a tour of their new house. Feyre tries to be interested in the life her sisters have built (even if she doesn’t understand it) and ask about tapestries and things. Then Elain opens a set of doors to some of the most beautiful perfect rooms she’s ever imagined and the ART STUDIO and the paints and the windows and then Elain says it’s all hers. The sisters she loves but doesn’t know if she likes built a place in their new home for her even knowing she might never be coming back (like they were hoping she’d come back). And they still say it’s hers, even though she’s a faerie now and they hate faeries (never mind how easily Elain talks about wards and blood magic and the Lucien Thing).

Then there’s a wardrobe full of dead birds on the front lawn and Nesta and Elain are even more furious. Then Nesta is shouting and Rhys is telling her to back off and then all of a sudden Elain IS HOLDING CASSIN’S KNIFE TO RHYS’S THROAT, like he’s a threat and she tries reassure her that Rhys would never hurt Nesta and he would protect them from whatever was happening, they can trust him. Everything is happening so fast and Cassian says he called a legion.

She doesn’t really understand what’s happening but she knows Rhys will make it better. Right?

(End babble)

Right EXACTLY

So, when writing Feyre I always end thinking about how...SJM really doesn't know how to write believable siblings, actually? Feyre has a lot of that youngest sister brattiness hiding in her, but she's also possessive of people in a way that feels...like she maybe never had siblings at all? She doesn't really like her sisters, even if she mostly loves them, but they matter because they're HERS

(please picture here Feyre wrecking peoples lives like a toddler stomping on sandcastles)

And that carries through! She's so surprised when they show any sign of their personalities!

To Feyre, I think, having money again was just supposed to wipe away any pre-existing issues within the family. Obviously, this does remove the biggest stressor in their lives. But in comfort (if not necessarily safety, Feyre, bringing FAERIES TO THEIR HOUSE, FEYRE), all those festering things still exist.

Their dad? Still the worst. Their childhoods? Still fucking trash. The entirety of sexist society? Still, in fact, an issue.

And like the money, Feyre applies the same minimizing logic to magic. To transformation. To the Night Court.

Her death? Doesn't matter because she lived, never mind that she never bothered to tell her sisters that until she needed something. Fae historically kill and own humans? No, NOT HER FAE. The war? Won't touch her sisters because Rhys won't let it. The Queens? Will just talk to her...because she was a human?

She doesn't understand what's happening but she mostly thinks she does.

She also wholly believes Rhys will fix things, Morrigan will lighten up the situation and get along with Nesta (lol), the Queens of multiple countries will just...believe some random letter in the post and show up to a provincial manor to meet a High Lord of Prythian everyone says is a monster, and oh yeah, trust him.

I don't think it's even a spoiler to reveal that the Archeron sisters relationship is complicated, and frankly, about to get a lot worse.

#Feyre yelling in the back of her head for days: SHE DOESN'T NEED TO MARRY LUCIEN! #LUCIEN?! #LUCIEN #if Feyre's fatal flaw is anything it's that she's so young she has not yet learned to see things from literally anyone elses pov #and like Nesta is the most stubborn person alive #so naturally just. #will not LISTEN #Archeron stubbornness also about to be a cataclysmic plot point frankly #Elain standing in front of her big hot husband in a pink lace dress: WHO THE FUCK SAYS I CAN'T KILL PEOPLE? huh RHYSAND? HUH? #Archeron most likely to kill: Elain #Archeron most likely to destroy someones entire life on purpose: Nesta with time #Archeron most likely to do both by accident: Feyre #Babes she's not an idiot but SHE IS in over her head taking really bad advice about shit she knows nothing about to start with #effloresce meta

[lichdolly]

Metamorphose Temps de Fille - Lace Up Front Velveteen JSK (2001)

#metamorphose #metamorphose temps de fille #elegant gothic lolita #egl community #egl fashion #gothic lolita #old school lolita #lolita fashion #lolita community #kawaii fashion #jfashion #alt fashion #velveteen dreams #lace up front velveteen jsk (meta) #my post tag

[fairybonesandstardust]

a horrible "analysis" of fukuchi and fukuzawa's friendship and a little ranpo's feelings on the betrayal

warning this will contain discussions of outing and homophobia/transphobia

as i write fukufuku i can't help but think about canon and their friendship and the betrayal and everything else in between. because i see myself in their friendship. i see myself in ranpo who put his blind trust into fukuchi only to have it back fire. i have a sister and for a very long time i thought of her as my best friend, if i ever had a wedding i though she would probably be my maid of honor or my groomsmen. i thought she would be the first and maybe only person to meet my s/o. she was there for me in so many ways.

she was the first person i came out to and she was the very first person who bought me gender affirming clothes. i don't think she knows how much it meant to me. that i could talk to her about my sexuality and gender so freely that after so many years...

she was also the very same person who outed me.

she knew i was in the closet.

and despite everything i hate her. i can't stand to be around her yet for so long i masked it and i kept pretending that everything was the same. the worst feeling in the world is having the person you trusted more than anything in the entire world betray you and they don't seem to care. you're screaming into a void that they cannot see or hear. you seem them and you feel sick to your stomach and you cannot eat.

you hate them so fucking much but for the life of you, you cannot vocalize it because they wouldn't understand they wouldn't see it. and that hatred and pain keeps growing and growing but they've been by your side for years. they fought for you. how could you leave them?

and then somewhere along the way something snaps and you stop caring. you can no longer pretend.

she outed me for a second time in front of our mother but thankfully our mother is oblivious.

she (they) didn't understand what was done.

you feel stupid because you saw this coming but you swore to yourself that they would never do something like this. because they aren't like that. (but they are and you knew that)

in some weird way you feel almost violated when it happens. you aren't alone so you cannot break you smile and you pretend like it hasn't killed a part of you.

and in the end you go on with your life you make sacrifices that come with horrible consequences because you need to regain control. you have to make sure nothing bad happens that nothing worse comes to pass. and now you are all alone so you so bury it all and you go back to pretending but you no longer hide your hatred. (the worst part is that you will always be there when they call)

you lost someone who thought like you. who knew you better than anyone else in the world but you can't blame anyone else but yourself for this.

you cannot mourn the loss. you hate them too much.

and to this very day they still do not understand all that has past or its consequences.

this is how i see the loss of fukuzawa and fukichi's friendship and how ranpo must have felt. i'm too tired to put my thoughts in better order maybe someday i'll rewrite this analysis (i probably won't)

i will now go back to my regular shit posting 👍

#bungou stray dogs ranpo #bsd fukuzawa #bungou stray dogs #bsd season 5 #bsd fukuchi #bsd meta #character analysis #ranpo bsd #fukufuku #but platonic #ranpo and fukuzawa #ranpo angst #fukuzawa angst #fukuchi angst #analysis #fairybonesandstardust #lace's lore #friendship #loss of a friendship #betrayal #meta post

[layzeal]

okay i'm gonna ask something very real right now. since we'll be receiving even more influx of users, lots of people will be using the main tags to find and be found by potential new mutuals

so, can we all agree to please keep discourse-bait posts outside the main tag?

this is like. the #1 reason i don't go into the main tag. it's exhausting. i rely almost entirely on mdzsartreblogs and my friends reblogs to find new posts, because the main tag is filled with #hot takes and discourse bait and people trying to start shit on purpose, which is silly cause most of the time you'll be posting that for your followers who already agree with you anyway

so, for the sake of welcoming new people, can we keep the main tag clear, please? if you do, use a different tag (you've must all have seen by now how i only ever tag my posts as #modao) i hate blocking people on tumblr, but because there's no mute button, it's the only option, but that also means i miss any other non-discourse bait post they might make

so like, let's keep it chill, let's keep it respectful. post whatever you wish on your blog, but if you're tagging it as #mdzs (or any main fandom tag), then please first wonder if it's a post you genuinely think would add value to it and help boost the artists and writers trying to look for audiences, or are you just looking for people to anger and causing people to not want to go into the tag anymore

#like. seriously #i talk so much shit in this blog sometimes but i don't use the main tag for a reason #because even in mid 2021 that place was INFESTED with everyone trying to Have Takes #while i was just looking for artists and writers and interesting anysis #to the point i began to loathe ''meta blogs'' bc that was just another word for ''discourse bait blog'' #like on one hand i need to get over it and start blocking people freely #but blocking feels so harsh and i rly wanna avoid it unless it's personal #so like. before tagging your posts as mdzs (or any main fandom tag. this applies to all) stop and think #if you're actually adding anything of value to the main tag or are you making this place even more hostile to new writers and artists #lace speaks

[lacependragon]

So here's the thing. I'm working on the BF5 rewrite fic. But y'all gotta understand.

I fucking love Sage. She hits all my tropes and all my sweet spots and I think she is an incredibly strong, powerful, nuanced character and genuinely one of the best written ancient aliens out there (at least in cartoons).

I also absolutely adore writing how grief stricken, guilt ridden, and horrified she is by what she's become. How the warping and loss of her memories has left her with only a glimpse of what she's done, and that glimpse is dark, and coated in the gore of broken open red sentients and their spilled anti-matter. How she tries so hard to be better to fight.

She's dying, you know.

The mobi slows it, but it doesn't stop it. She's dying. They know she's dying. Every week the glowing gash in her chest gets a little brighter, a little bigger. She doesn't remember how she got it. (We can guess)

She doesn't know how she survived (she will).

She doesn't know why she survived (and she will, we know, and we will understand more than we were ever given).

She is grieving and mourning and broken and damaged and weak weak weak. She is not enough to save them. She is not enough to protect them.

(No matter how many times they say she is not broken, that weakness and illness are not brokenness, that health is not worth, she does not listen. sentients are supposed to be perfect. she is not perfect. why can't she be perfect.)

She was never supposed to care. They were supposed to be replaceable. But they include her. They teach her games. They tell her jokes.

They love her.

The tell her that they love her. And they show it. In every action. In every word.

And by all the stars in the multiverse, she cannot deny that she loves them too. She loves them so much it hurts. She would do anything for them. And that terrifies her. She's never loved something as much as her people before.

They are not her people. But they want to be. And they want her to be theirs.

When she is healed, when her mind and body are whole again and the pieces she lost to her brother are returned (they are not. the ones that come back are broken and gritty, and there are some she'll never get back. she'll never be a perfect sentient again. how can she protect them if she is not perfect?), she finds herself with synthetic tearducts that bleed a glowing light Spinner calls stardust. She is the only sentient she has ever known that can cry, and she now remembers many sentients.

She almost cannot stomach how appropriate it is, in the face of everything.

But before then, when she is still broken (you're not broken, sage, please, believe us. you're okay) and dying, when she is begging them to keep going without her, she has to learn to live with this feeling of love. They refuse to leave her. They refuse to let her die. They fight as much to protect Earth as they do to find a cure and save her. They don't want to do this without her.

And as the time she can spend outside her charging bubble shrinks, and the things she can do begin to slip away (she cannot float anymore. her feet refuse to leave the ground. she cannot call things to her. she must ask someone to get them.), she curls into herself and pleads to every power in the multiverse that they find a way to save her.

She doesn't want to die. She wants to live. To laugh. To help them win.

She doesn't want to die.

And when the chance is there, to get it all back, to save herself, to be with her friends, to be able to help, to feel worthy again -- can you blame her for taking it? Can you blame her for ignoring the warning signs?

She had weeks, if not days. She knew the price was high. She knew it would be a cost she might not be able to stomach.

She didn't know it would be Krytus, stars believe her, she didn't know it would be Krytus.

And she'll never forgive herself for that.

They should have just let her die.

#hot wheels battle force 5 #bf5 #lace writes #lace speaks #this is what i call a slippery post #i go from rambles to fic meta #the shape of a fist #tw death mention #tw ableism #yes sage is HELLA ableist i know #its a plot point

[princes-creations-askblog]

traditional sona doodles + kirby silly and a couple lesbian bugs

#art #my art #traditional art #oc art #oc: koko #hk #hollow knight #hk hornet #hk lace #kirby #meta knight #galacta knight #dark meta knight #doodles #ooc post #nebulis’ art #character antics #unrelated sillies

[knife-eared-jan]

OK, I’ve finally had time to read The Missing #4 and I have THOUGHTS!

Thought #1 - Varric is Duncan 2.0: Varric made it through the comics unscathed and without a decision to quit active fighting, but being clearly shown to be getting slow and weary of it all etc etc, like that was basically his entire role in these comics, to give off a “too old for this shit” vibe. I therefore have a sneaking suspicion that Varric is going to essentially be Duncan in DA:Dreadwolf. He will recruit the hero and be shown as a beloved mentor, especially for Harding, tasked with a mission too important to fail. And then, at the end of the Prologue, he will die. That’s when Harding will take up Bianca in his name, as we can clearly see in promo images (@mrs-gauche makes an extremely compelling case for this being Harding):

And she will get a whole arc about grieving for Varric, like Alistair had. The protagonist will get to have something to show the stakes in this and a hook to continue what Varric started but couldn’t finish + to get justice for Varric. It’s a classic story telling device for an inciting incidence, and Bioware already used it successfully when they wrote the battle of Ostagar!

We know the devs have tried to kill of Varric twice before and I feel like they will finally want to nail the bastard (affectionate). And Harding kinda needs a bit more character background and driving motivations tbh. Like, she is absolutely lovely, but she is mostly a blank slate in Inquisition, fresh from her parents’ home and just looking for adventure and meaning. That was really refreshing in DAI when all your companions were Important People(TM) and it felt really nice to just talk to a normal person for once, that wasn’t jaded by it all. To be full companion, however, it makes sense to give her some trauma to work through in her personal story, to allow her to have character growth.

And of course, as others have pointed out before, they would never kill of a character as beloved as Varric in a tie-in comic. That was to be expected. But if the comic had ended with him deciding it’s time to leave it to the next generation or something like that “Right I’m getting too old for this, I’m out” kind of thing, I would have thought they’ll make him an advisor. Since he doesn’t hint at anything like that at all, I’m back on team “Varric will die”. I think all these points to show him getting slow and weary serve as lead up to his death at the end of the first phase of the game.

Edit: oh and I can totally see him narrate the whole game again, like Duncan did in DAO, and like Varric does in the trailer already. People will think he’s safe, like in DA2, and then BOOM.

#dragon age the missing #the missing #da the missing #dragon age: the missing #dreadwolf speculation #DA: Dreadwolf #dreadwolf #da dreadwolf #dragon age: dreadwolf #my theories #Dragon Age theories #DA theories #DA theory #Varric Tethras #lace harding #DA meta #dragon age meta #my obsessive da ramblings #scout harding

[outofangband]

What Does the Laws and Customs Among the Eldar Say? Part One

So I have some posts about speculative bio with regards to elves and humans coming up but I wanted to go into this text first! This is mostly a summary and synthesis without my own commentary as if I added my own thoughts, this would be even longer. But please feel free to give me areas to talk more about!

Laws and Customs among the Eldar is a controversial text by JRR Tolkien concerning the Mind, Body, Spirit and relationships of elves. It was published in the text Morgoth’s Ring which is one of the Histories of Middle-earth and its place in the legendarium as Cannon is debatable. Debatable also was the purpose of the text and whether it is intended to be a philosophical Treatise or a moral doctrine or a biological reality for the elves. Ælfwine, or Elfwine, A character in The legendarium is credited with the editing of this text as well as other parts of the histories of Middle Earth adding another aspect of meta to it.  

Laws and customs starts out comparing and contrasting the development of elves with that of humans. The text states that elves grow more slowly in body but more quickly in mind and develop a Mastery over their bodies sooner than human children do. It also says that humans and elves are more similar to each other when they are young. This information matches with what is said in The Children of Húrin by the character Sador when asked about elf children. The exact timeline of development is unclear however it does say that a human might reach their full height while an Elven child of the same amount of years still appears to be at the age of 7 in body. And that elves did not reach their full stature until about fifty years. This information is contradicted or confused by other pieces of information elsewhere in the legendarium

Marriage is also said to be the norm for the elves outside of ill fate or strange circumstances. Obviously this is not true in the Silmarillion where a high percentage of characters do not married however it's possible that they fall under the ill fate or strange circumstances category. They marry shortly after their coming of age, at about fifty. Again, this seems to be contradicted elsewhere in Tolkien’s writing. The elves, LaCE says, have few children with four or more being extremely rare. Their children require little teaching or governing. Elves wed only once. 

The next part of the text talks about engagement relations. The lock of gendered roles for the initiation of these Traditions is very interesting. Someone who wishes to propose to another gives them a silver ring and they are generally engaged for a year or more. During this time there is an ironclad law that the betrothal can be revoked in which case the Rings are melted down and the metal is never again used for marriage rooms.  The text goes on to say that the revoking of this engagement is extremely rare and that elves are rarely deceived by their own kind and also are not usually swayed by desires of the body. It appears to be a more delicate way of saying that they are rarely motivated by lust alone or at least sexual lust. 

Elfwine then says that for the Eldar, “even in Aman”, not all were married and that unrequited love was one of the few sources of sorrow in Aman. He describes a philosophical debate where some claim that sorrow from unrequited love was an aspect of the marring of Arda whereas others claimed that it was simply the nature of love itself and the result of Fëar being free to choose. 

Elven weddings take place after over a year of the engagement and the families of the couple celebrate at the feast which represents a joining of the houses. 

The name of Eru is spoken at weddings but seldom elsewhere. Mortals it is said have never heard the vows or marriage blessings said in entirety. The mother of the bride and father of the groom join hands with the mother naming Varda and the father naming Manwë though it is implied this is not always the wording. 

Among the Noldor it was a custom that the mother of the bride should give a gift to the groom, usually a jewel on a chain or  and the father of the groom should give a gift to the bride. 

These traditions and others importantly were not necessary for a marriage to take place but are considered gracious and an opportunity for the parents of the couple to express their love and blessing as well as a way to represent the joining of the houses as well as of the couple.  Indeed during prosperous times, it was considered ungrateful or ill mannered to forgo these traditions though according to laws of the Eldar, anyone unmarried can marry without official ceremonies. 

LaCE states that the true consummation of a marriage is “bodily union” which formed an “indissoluble bond” 

The next part of the text describes the creation of children. Elves are pregnant for one year exactly between the “Begetting” and the birth. It is the Begetting Day that is celebrated each year. It is common for this to be in the spring. It is common misconception among humans that elves can become pregnant throughout their life however this is not true, Elfwine says, and that “the life of elves is the life of Arda” and that “body and spirit are not separated but coherent”. This means that the weight of memories and the passing of time does limit elves ability to reproduce and they typically do so in their younger years. 

LaCE says that children are almost always born shortly after the marriage, regardless of when the marriage takes place and that once this ‘will and desire’ is exercised, the couple will turn their energy to other matters. 

It is also said among the Eldar that greater physical and emotional energy 

While elves are married forever, the couple might not always live together and their separation doesn’t indicate trouble in their marriage unless it takes place during pregnancy or the early years of childbirth. 

Next, Elfwine says that neri (elven men) and nissi (elven women) are equal in matters not related to childbirth and reproduction. Despite this however, the text immediately follows up with the caveat that it is said that nissi bring new life into the world much other change and invention is brought about by neri. 

“There are indeed some differences in the natural inclinations of neri and nissi and other differences that have been established by custom”. The art of healing is thought to be the domain of nissi and it was said to be neri who fought in times of need. It was said also that killing, even if necessary or in self defense, diminished the power of healing and it was due to this that nissi did not usually take place in hunting or war rather “than to any special power that went with their womanhood. Indeed in dire straits, nissi fought valiantly and there was less difference in strength and speed elven men and women who had not born children than is seen among mortals” (emphasis added by me)

Now, there were many elven men who also were skilled in the art of healing and like women, they did not hunt or go to war. 

Among the Noldor, the making of bread is done mostly by women and the cooking of other food is usually done by men. Nissi are also more commonly skilled, it is said, in fields and gardens, textile arts, playing instruments, and the lore of the Eldar and their history. Whereas neri were more commonly smiths and wood or stone wrights, jewelry makers,  poets and linguists, and love the wilderness more. 

Despite this divide, the last part of this section of LaCE claims 

“But all these things and other matters of labor and play, or of deeper knowledge concerning being and the life of the world, may at any times be pursued by any among the Noldor be they neri or nissi”

The Next Part will go into the section on naming 

#the silmarillion #LaCE #HoME #elves #Tolkien #musing and meta