tuor/ulmo’s message vs turgon’s response (book of lost tales version)
i am maybe just a sucker for bitchily replying with an unfavourable variation on the original speech. but there is very noticeable repetition and the variations Are interesting insight into how turgon views the valar. and the second criticism (that they hid valinor not to keep out evil, but so they wouldn’t have to hear about it) does actually fit with how manwë specifically acts in book of lost tales!
in that. there is a trend in the bolt version of manwë (who imo is a much more interesting character. weird guy) to try to prevent discord at all costs, regardless of like. fairness or actual resolution. like ‘if there is an argument it is the act of expressing discontent that is bad’ e.g. here
where melko deliberately sows discord among the noldoli, they notice this and don’t like it and plan to complain to the valar, melko anticipates this and complains first, and manwë exiles everyone involved. lmao. (there is iirc also another passage that i remember but can’t find bcs my copy of the book is at home. rip!)
Yes, OP, it's a truly chewy subject. And not to be the asshole that keeps adding this enthralling quote to all these discussions, but also:
Thus the Hiding of Valinor came near to countering Morgoth's possessiveness by a rival possessiveness, setting up a private domain of light and bliss against one of darkness and domination: a palace and a pleasaunce (well-fenced) against a fortress and a dungeon. - Notes on Motivations in the Silmarillion, Morgoth's Ring.
dont be sorry! this is interesting and relevant and i am 👁️👁️ i just haven't read morgoth's ring yet. rip.
i think there is also smth interesting going on in the silm + bolt (cant speak beyond that because. i have not read it) wrt gondolin (which is textually an imitation of tirion) as an imitation of the failings of valinor also. specifically the combination of 'you can come to our lovely well-fenced paradise and it is very nice untillllll you want to leave. lol' and the treatment of elves who live outside / are excluded as suspicious/inferior, on racialised lines.
which is part of what makes this speech of turgon's in bolt so crunchy to me. ulmo is telling him (unlike in the silm, where it's more of a warning) to go and fight morgoth in battle to help the enthralled noldoli and. well. the valar are not doing that also. turgon doessssss have a point when he's like. why
The Teas of Witch Hat Atelier and Their Real-World Counterparts
Listen, I'm a big nerd and I've been making a lot of Witch Hat Kitchen recipes lately. I'm also a big tea lover with an entire cupboard dedicated to warm drinks (help) (don't help) SO I want to talk about the tea in my favourite manga for a bit.
Willowgrape Tea
Made from Willowgrape leaves.
A tea known for its fresh, delicate flavour, despite its strikingly sweet aroma.
Said to help with sleep and recovery after a long and exhausting day.
I'm starting with this one because it is Qifrey's favourite tea, but also from my own culture as someone who's part Greek. A lot of people in my culture drink grape leaf tea. "Willowgrape juice" is wine in the recipe books. It's grape leaves. He's drinking grape leaf tea.
If you can't find this in a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern store/grocery aisle, I recommend harvesting grape leaves before the plant flowers if you want to diy it. If you harvest the leaves for tea after the plant flowers, it will be on the bitter side and people tend to find it that nasty. Harvest in dry conditions. The leaves are best dried in a ~100ºC/200ºF -ish oven for max flavour; but if you choose to air dry them, keep them spread out and out of the sun. Crush. One tablespoon for a normal cup. Two tablespoons for a punchy cup. You're welcome <3
THAT SAID, Twin Dragon brand tea is undoubtedly an in-world reference to Twinings of London. Let's be real. The pound cake Olly makes? That's an Earl Grey cake irl. It's very common to make Earl Grey pound cake. That's the One people generally use for tea recipes, as well as the first tea that tends to be generally associated with Twinnings.
If you make Olly's pound cake, I'd recommend doubling the tea in the recipe at the end of the chapter. Also, rinse your damn tea to strip the bitter tannins, and dump the water before brewing. You want it to be extra strong.
Wood Sorrel Tea
The plant from which this tea is brewed is known to sprout near cemeteries and other burial sites.
As such, some people drink the tea when thinking back on loved ones they have lost.
Said to be efficacious in treating melancholy.
Produces a golden colour.
Wood sorrel (oxalis) is probably the least fun of the group because it's just an irl wood sorrel tea. Some people have been using it to treat insomnia and hypertension, boost energy, etc. for ages.
It's...kind of mid. Truly the myrrh of tea. Meant to be mixed, honestly. It's fine, just a little underwhelming on its own.
"Golden" colour. Beige tea. Tastes about the same as beige food.
If you want a GOOD sorrel tea, I'd recommend the Caribbean stuff. You get RED sorrel (hibiscus sabdariffa). It's hibiscus tea, which is technically the next one. I'll bring this back.
Throne Tea
Made brewed from the petals of the Diadem Herb.
Marked by its potent, acerbic taste, which can be balanced out by adding nectar or honey.
Said to improve metabolism.
Produces a red colour.
I immediately thought of rose hip tea but there's no way that's it.
I drink rose hip tea regularly and I would not describe it as acerbic in the slightest. It can be a bit on the sour side sometimes but there's no real bitterness to it unless you fuck it up tremendously.
I then thought of hibiscus tea. The problem is that it's not really acerbic. This one seems more likely than rose hip because people love going off about how much it's said to boost metabolism. I still think that the properties of hibiscus tea most closely match the lore so I'd use this for Throne tea, personally, but (much like the use/application of willowgrape tea) it would depend on the context.
Let's be real. That's the one. Those are about as close to irl diadem herbs as you're going to get in the form of tea
If you're drinking Caribbean hibiscus tea, I'd recommend using Witch Hat Atelier flavour slips, hehe.
For real though, boil it with ginger, clove, and orange zest. Sweeten it. Serve cold. Trust me. You're welcome.
That said, if I were to suggest an actually acerbic tea that's red when you brew it, I'd be more inclined to opt for a rooibos red tea.
Rooibos looks like this irl.
Yeah, I know, I know. That looks a lot like the in-world depiction of the next tea. We've just got a weird tea Venn diagram going here.
Thornbark Tea
Tea brewed from the needles of the Thornbark plant.
Due to its natural astringency and bitterness, it is usually served with copious amounts of honeytree nectar.
Effective at staving off sleep.
This one looks more like a rooibos in how it's depicted in-world BUT irl rooibos is a caffeine-free tea. Thornbark tea is definitely used as the in-world coffee. Coffee looks like this when it's growing so it's not much of a stretch. They're pretty similar.
Also, for those who don't know, coffee looks like this before it's roasted. You have to roast it. I've done this and I would be more likely to use the term "burn" considering how smoky the oils get.
Halftea
Brewed from Halftone Weed grains.
Known for its trademark sweet aroma, particularly when paired with milk.
Halftone Weed doesn't grow in the downs surrounding the atelier, making this a relatively uncommon tea.
A favourite of Qifrey's apprentices
Produces a deep black colour.
That's likely mugicha/boricha/barley tea. It's nice. It's earthy. It tastes like a hug.
That said, the in-world plant looks like it could be a fusion of more than on type of grain, much like a lot of the beasts. I'm inclined to think it's a fusion/hybrid plant that grows what would best be described as gokokucha. Gokokucha is a blend of roasted barley, soybeans, rice, corn, and buckwheat.
It's still not quite black when you brew it, but I maintain that it's a type of cozy grain-based tea and we'll leave the rest to fantasy worldbuilding.
Erbe Tea
Tranquileaf
A medicinal drink with analgesic and antipyretic properties.
Though somewhat bitter, the drink is highly effective.
Produces a pale, translucent green colour.
Tranquileaf is likely green tea aesthetically and in its flavour profile, but likely closer to matalafi in terms of its irl equivalent for treating fever and pain. I would personally opt for green tea when making Witch Hat Atelier kitchen recipes.
Green tea (camellia sinensis)
Matalafi (psychotria insularum) is an Indigenous Samoan plant and remedy that studies have shown to rival ibuprofen in its antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties. You want Erbe tea? Green tea. You want irl ibuprofen plant? Matalafi. I've never tasted it so I can't recommend something that I haven't tried. I'm just here for the nerdbuilding.
Beast-tail Tea
Pufftail Weed/Woolpuff flowers
Rich, tangy aroma, similar to roasted beans, but with little aftertaste.
Often consumed before bed due to its gentle, enveloping warmth.
That's chamomile and you can't convince me otherwise.
Chamomile is in the aster family. Loose chamomile looks like this.
Those are Woolpuffs.
Windmiller's Tea
Brewed from Millflowers.
A fresh, invigorating tea that clears the sinuses with a minty rush.
Said to improve concentration.
Can be served cold to alleviate motion sickness.
This is just mint tea. Most people who like tea have a box of peppermint. I use it for nausea all the time.
(mentha piperita)
Like grape leaves, if you want to grow your own, you don't want to harvest this if it's flowered. I usually pinch the buds off mine when it tries to start shit. No flowers. Flowers bitter. Bitter bad. I mean, you can keep a designated bitter bitch if you want the Vibes. I don't recommend letting your herbs designated for consumption bloom until you're done harvesting them for the year but that's my personal preference. Keep a seed plant separate imho.
Fairy Tea
Brewed from Fairy grass
A tea with a sweet, refreshing aroma and a clean, slightly tart flavour.
Said to be good for soothing nerves and calming the mind.
Produces a vivid, translucent blue colour.
Turns bright red when combined with an acid (sour flavour).
Probably the most fun tea of the bunch so I saved it for last. Some people are shocked when they find out about this tea. Fairy grass is butterfly pea flower tea (clitoria ternatea) (yes you read that right) which is bright blue. Some people might need help finding it. That's okay.
It does turn violet to red when you add an acid and, much like an elementary school cabbage juice experiment, the hue will be determined by how much acid you mix into it.
Yes, this is a real tea. Yes, it's very yummy. Yes, we need to keep it under wraps so influencers don't make it go viral and start global supply shortages like what happened with matcha and pistachios.
Flavour Slips
The slips are just cinnamon, ginger, and lemon. I'm so not ready to do a prism lemon blog post right now. This took me like four hours by the way. Am I allowed to link my ko-fi? It's magicmetalbird. Feel free to send tips. Sheesh. I'm tired.
Please sound off with your thoughts/input on the matter! I'm really good at completely missing stuff sometimes.
Disclaimer: you know how it is with the herbal/herbalism communities. People claim a lot of things that may or may not be backed by science, research, evidence, etc. There's a lot of misinfo, wild claims about fighting cancer or cellulite etc. out there; lots of articles telling people to forego medical science and adopt ThE AnCiEnT sEcReT tO MeTaBoLiC hEaLtH and whatnot. Logical reasoning please.
Also, if you forage, please use proper resources and field guides like Peterson, etc. and don't haunt me if you die; and don't use AI like a dumbass.
At first glance, it might seem that Qifrey has reached the happiness limit in the domestic fluff spin-off, Witch Hat Atelier Kitchen and he's a risk at turning trees. Some might say, "Hiromi Sato either didn't know or wasn't taking the twist into consideration when writing." But think about it. Cooking for six people is hard on its' own, but Qifrey makes it much harder on himself.
Think about it. He seems to have a twisted idea on what constitutes a easy meal to make. He dyes eggs green for what's supposed to be a simple meatloaf easy to make on his own, and individually handstamps gnocchi with a triangle for what was supposed to be a quick lunch. Is this a coping mechanism? Does the expectations he set for himself in making new, whimsical meals help keep him stressed?
And it's not just that. Qifrey constantly acts like the girls are picky eaters, but in reality, they're little angels who love everything he makes. Most professors/parents dream of children who are half as good as eating as they are. Is he gaslighting himself that they're picky to create more of a challenge?
Qifrey does not sleep in this manga. Either he has night time fun with Olruggio, or he cooks. Notice how Qifrey will wake up at 4 AM in the morning to make lunches for the girls, or spend the entire night making a bouquet of flower apple tarts to surprise Olruggio with in the morning. By using cooking as an excuse to stay up, he's exhausting himself.
In conclusion, while at first glance Witch Hat Atelier may seem like a peaceful, happy time for all, Qifrey is still just as mentally unstable as ever in it.
I think my main interpretation of Ri's interactions with people, particularly in the Noppera-bō arc, is that Ri does genuinely care for humanity but that just makes it worse when we're so awful to each other. like he resents us in a way that can only come from love
Jokes aside, there's something grossly and darkly ironic about seeing Ogier (a human) lusting after Domi (a vampire) one chapter/a few in-universe minutes after he displays such spectacular hatred of and violence toward Dhampirs.
I think there's a reason Mochijun chose to have a Chasseur hit on a vampire he's fighting for the first time at the top of this Dhampir-centric arc. Dhampirs are the children of humans and vampires, yet now we see how the very people who hate them are happy to indulge in interspecies lust when it suits them. It really distills how Ogier's actions are part of this larger cycle of sexual violence and discrimination; his declared attraction is just another weapon to inflict.
The topic of dhampirs' place in this society and the topic of sexual/gendered violence between humans and vampires feel. linked. even if not all or even most dhams result from violence.
After spending too much time reading questionable takes on MDL and seeing an interesting discussion with @renewedmotionforjudgment and others analyzing how certain types of "girlboss" narratives are infiltrating historical Cdramas (and the way those narratives are pandering to a certain audience), a comment someone left on one of my fanfics came to mind.
In this particular fanfic that was based on a historical drama but with a canon divergence, the female protagonist was taken as a tongfang (a bed-warming maid) by the very high-status male protagonist, the enemy of her husband. Several not-so-great things happened in this particular story (nothing too gratuitous, if we're going by the standards of history) but a commenter left and subsequently deleted a long paragraph deriding how I was always "torturing" the female lead and that she needed to have some backbone and fight back, that she couldn't believe that she was calling the male lead "master" like she's a dog, and so forth. I was mystified at the time. How would a woman with a scrap of self preservation "fight back" against this man in the logic of a faux tenth-ish century story? Why wouldn't she address her master the way all of his other servants address him?
My question is, do these audiences (especially younger women and girls) really want to watch something historical, or do they want to watch pretty people in pretty costumes therapy-speak at each other and live out 21st century relationship dynamics? MDL commenters want to crucify male leads for having concubines and jinjiang novels increasingly have this obsession with "double-pure" dynamics even in stories with emperors who have harems or noble men who are well into their twenties who would have long since been given servant women to teach them "human affairs." When people don't give historical female characters a chance to navigate their societies in historical ways, audiences are robbed of a chance to discover how female strength and resilience is more than just girlbossing, even in the face of restrictions and cultural practices that seem inhumane to us now.
I hope audiences and writers can continue to let history exist in historical stories, or the days of being able to watch fascinating dramas that capture the dynamics of the past, warts and all, will be history.
Amen. I also think a lot of audiences can't distinguish between stories ABOUT historical sexism (and other forms of oppression) and stories filmed THROUGH a sexist lens because many times #GirlBoss stories, whether historical or contemporary, don't actually respect their women characters in either the writing or visual storytelling. For example, I've seen "strong women" dramas where the
FL's personality or personhood is reduced to what her body looks like
FL doesn't have personal goals and/or makes decisions that actually drive the plot
FL doesn't have a character arc, with distinct wants and needs she must actualize in order to be fulfilled as a person, and instead is written as an empty vessel that only serves the ML's character development
FL isn't granted interiority so that the audience knows and understands what she's thinking and feeling--and most importantly why?
FL isn't allowed to have vulnerability, flaws, or unlikable traits, and the writing either fails to contextualize it so the audience can empathize with her or punishes her for having them
FL is only rewarded with a "happy ending" for completely rejecting traits and interests associated with the feminine OR for strictly adhering to stereotypes
FL experiences trauma or extreme distress but its lasting impact is never unpacked, empathized with, nor revisited
Etc.
I would much rather watch and read stories about women characters who are allowed to be vulnerable, complex, and human within the very real constraints of a historical setting than subjected to a hashtag version of feminism.
" [...] one point raised by a participant who works as a fan art designer caught our attention. [They] believed that BL fans placed themselves in an information cocoon where they enjoyed their own carnival in the BL subcultural world, imagining their seeming empowerment and assuming that their favourite IPs were already widely accepted. This may be the result of social media’s tendency to push targeted information to fans, since the accounts they follow tend to be mostly from the BL communities; thus, fans are separated from the mainstream cultural world and come to believe that BL is no longer for a minority audience."
-"A Transmedia ‘Third’ Space: The Counterculture of Chinese Boys’ Love Audio Dramas", by Tingting Hu, Jing Jin & Lin Liao
After the arrests last year of danmei authors who published their works on the Taiwanese website Haitang, the authorities have allegedly arrested another 200-300 authors, many of whom took to weibo to share their experiences recently.
What struck me is how the authors always blamed themselves for not being cautious enough or being led astray by their financial needs, but nobody put the blame on the unjust rules and the greed of the authorities that led to their arrests - not that they would dare to. It's an utterly bizarre situation that, as a new danmei English license seems to be announced once every few days here on the other side of China's Great Firewall, within China the persecution keeps getting more rampant and the danmei community feels more and more cornered and frightened. Reality is always more surreal than fiction.
I translated some of the author's weibo posts, please see below:
“I knew I was being naïve and over-optimistic (about the repercussions of writing danmei), so I can’t blame anyone. Sometimes I want to resent society but then I’ll give up the thought. As for the criminal punishment, my view on it is still the same - I even feel that I’m different from those who engage in prostitution; after all, I made all this money by typing my stories word by word. Yet when I got into trouble, people talked about it as if I didn’t have to work for my income.” - This is from an author who wrote danmei because her family’s poor and she wanted to save money to travel. She got into a master’s programme before this and the programme kicked her out because of her arrest.
“Ever since I was little, I’ve always been the well-behaved golden child in my parents’ eyes. I had the best grades among my peers and won scholarships in both high school and university. When we visited family during New Year and other festivals, my parents were always proud of me in front of our relatives. But that day I shamed them thoroughly and the shame will always stick around...I love the characters I wrote very much, planning and creating their stores always brought me so much happiness and fulfillment. But a mistake is a mistake. I want to use my personal experience to admonish others - don’t try to go against the regulations in any way ever, don’t put yourself in the slightest bit of risk.”
“I’ve never felt this horrible in my entire life. I’ve always firmly believed that nobody in this world could be that bad. My rose-tinted glasses were broken along with my romantic expectations for the world. My values and outlook on life were shattered. When something like this happens, perhaps only the family of the author involved and the author herself would be hurt deeply! It’s just business for everyone else!”
This one’s written by the author’s sibling: “Another sleepless night. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, and it’s been three festivals since we could be together...I’ve felt remorseful for countless times that I didn’t contact more people and I felt that I haven’t done enough. I prayed to the gods and the Buddha for more times in the past two months than in the past 30 years. Besides asking for the Heaven’s protection and blessing, what else can we do?...You supported yourself financially during university solely by doing part-time jobs. We’ve always put too much importance on money, and that’s how we allowed you to make a mistake.”
(link to the original weibo posts: https://x.com/whyyoutouzhele/status/1928763362541818266)
Obviously Noé's powers as an Archiviste pose a lot of more serious stakes and questions about ethics and consent but there's also just. Something very queer about it. Yes wanting and drinking blood is normal and if everyone involved is fine with it it can be a very beautiful and enjoyable thing but YOU are different and YOU need to be extra careful about even slightly expressing your attraction and YOU need to know that your feelings surrounding this will often be seen as more predatory than anyone else's. The way even when it's Louis that's offering his blood to Noé, Noé still hesitates and Louis has to remind him that it's not the first time, his powers won't work, this is okay. The violent reactions Vanitas has over Noé asking for it being only mostly about Noè's powers. It definitely gives growing up queer and becoming more and more aware that your feelings are more "shameful" than everyone else's even when they're the same
jacobvanloon
