is there LOVE in OUTER SPACE?

makes me wonder =))))))))) 27 | they/them (tme) | pakistani ( i don't post art here anymore, art blog is neon-moon-night! )

[mothfishing]

i'm also frustrated seeing white italians and germans talk about how people are only mad at satrapi because she "highlighted the often-disregarded oppression of muslim women and girls by islam"

often-disregarded? surely you must be joking. muslim women never leave people like you's mouth even as you prevent them from speaking for themselves. i'm sure another invasion and another several years of drone strikes will fix it. it worked in afghanistan didn't it?

[mothfishing]

i read persepolis several years ago and thought it was fine. it's the author's personal memoir of her life, and she happened to be an upper-class girl living in her bubble apart from the majority of irani society. the things i dislike about persepolis, namely its excessive proliferation in the west, are not, strictly, her fault.

what really turns me against satrapi herself is her words are not limited to this comic; while claiming to oppose intervention in iran, she has on multiple occasions claimed "supporting the establishment of a democratic iran" is necessary to the safety of europe (in one clip i saw recently she said that otherwise terrorists will come bomb europe.) and also that a democratic iran means weakening russia and...hamas. the latter was said shortly before south africs brought its genocide case to the UN.

on other occasions she condemns the harsh stance iran takes against israel and laments that her own passport says it's valid for any nation but it. she has emphasized her israeli friends on multiple occasions. in response to this people pull out a single panel in persepolis where it says she was taught about "the children in palestine" as a child, and i'm forced to wonder if they think kamala harris is a radical because of her marxist father too. not to mention this isn't an unusual thing to be taught about in childhood in certain countries, such as iran; i was first told about palestine before i could read

[mothfishing]

she's kind of a figure who's similar to khaled hosseini to me. these were novels that became popular in the early 2000s for a reason whose creators were happy to profit off of them, they continue to be widely taught in schools in the USA and europe. khaled hosseini is obviously a more despicable figure but i feel annoyed with everyone who says you should mourn marjane satrapi and bullying from the online left is probably what did her in.

[mothfishing]

i read persepolis several years ago and thought it was fine. it's the author's personal memoir of her life, and she happened to be an upper-class girl living in her bubble apart from the majority of irani society. the things i dislike about persepolis, namely its excessive proliferation in the west, are not, strictly, her fault.

what really turns me against satrapi herself is her words are not limited to this comic; while claiming to oppose intervention in iran, she has on multiple occasions claimed "supporting the establishment of a democratic iran" is necessary to the safety of europe (in one clip i saw recently she said that otherwise terrorists will come bomb europe.) and also that a democratic iran means weakening russia and...hamas. the latter was said shortly before south africs brought its genocide case to the UN.

on other occasions she condemns the harsh stance iran takes against israel and laments that her own passport says it's valid for any nation but it. she has emphasized her israeli friends on multiple occasions. in response to this people pull out a single panel in persepolis where it says she was taught about "the children in palestine" as a child, and i'm forced to wonder if they think kamala harris is a radical because of her marxist father too. not to mention this isn't an unusual thing to be taught about in childhood in certain countries, such as iran; i was first told about palestine before i could read

[mothfishing]

ammar would have already been dead months ago if not for myself and some of my friends making significant personal sacrifices to pay for his medication. our ability to do so is exhausted and we still can't crowdfund his treatment.

[murderbot]

i'm genuinely at a loss for words as to what to say. we are on the second to last day of raising money for ammar's injection for the upcoming week, and we didn't even raise enough for the immune globulin injection last week, let alone anything else

the only reason ammar is still alive right now is because a doctor took pity on him and bought him the injection before we raised enough money. the extended delays made ammar have his first seizure.

israel has also been bombing the hospital again, photos on this post - and their planes + drones are still circling the hospital now, threatening to shoot people. ammar, samah, and mahmoud are all outside in the courtyard and will be immediately wounded if they do so

we need to raise $1471 by tuesday 4 pm at gazan time, which is roughly about 50 hours from now. this is for his food, as well as his injection, and the iv fluids. this is now the bare minimum required to be urgently raised

if he doesn't get this by tuesday, he would need an intensive injection that costs $6k+ total alongside the fact he would need extra medicine and this original injection too

i have nothing else to say. donate as little as $3 or $5 for him, or you'll be letting him die. this is extremely time sensitive.

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[lingeringspirits]

well. we've finally received a notice to vacate.

[lingeringspirits]

we've been in a dire situation for months, ever since my wife lost her job this past autumn.

we've finally been served a notice to vacate.

$3,138 due by JUNE 14 2026 or else it's the streets for us.

with no income or proof of employment, we have nowhere else to go. i'm unable to work because of worsening ME/CFS and other debilitating health issues that i can't afford treatment for. jobs are refusing to hire my trans wife. if we lose our housing, it will kill us, as even this city is becoming more and more openly hostile to immigrants and trans women.

it's aapi heritage month and me/cfs awareness month, and we're going to get evicted in pride month.

i don't know what else to say. we've been begging for months.

ppal | vm | ca | ko-fi

[lingeringspirits]

may 20, 2026; 25 DAYS LEFT

$2,804 / $4,136

i have to add our base rent of $998 to the goal amount since we still do not have any confirmation of being hired and even if that happens soon, it will take multiple paychecks to catch up on our own, thus starting this harrowing cycle all over again.

however, we are now only $334 away from paying up in full to avoid eviction!! i am deeply grateful for everyone's generosity and help in keeping us safe and housed. thank you thank you thank you

[lingeringspirits]

may 23; 22 DAYS LEFT

$2,894 / $4,136

which means we're $244 away from paying in full to avoid eviction!! please let's keep this momentum, and again thank you so much for helping.

[lingeringspirits]

may 28; 17 DAYS LEFT

$3,069 / $4,136

meaning $69 (lol nice) left to pay in full to avoid eviction!!

still jobless and incomeless, with phone and internet bills (~$150) and next month's rent ($998, included in overall goal amount) coming up soon too. it's been an enormously stressful time and i'm currently dealing with a PEM flare on top of everything. x_x

we are so close and i am hoping this momentum keeps going so we can reach the goal asap and not get evicted during pride month. thank you everyone!!!!! this means so much and is literally saving both of our lives.

[murderbot]

starting this new post a day early, before the final day for ammar's injection because we didn't even get enough to pay off all of last week's, so we really need to start raising it now.

samah and her family have been stuck at the hospital all week, and she was forced to use some of the funds raised for the passport to pay off the remainder of the cost of the iv fluids, with barely anything being made to recoup those costs

so, the transport costs were never paid for, and now we have that same amount to pay this week so they can return home

the most urgent of these funds is the money for ammar's digoxin injection, as well as ammar's food - he needs 3 meals a day at $5 in cash per meal, and we have to have 3 days' worth

that's $1260 we need to raise first, and we need this by tuesday 4 pm at gazan time. currently that's about 48 hours from now, and i hope you'll be willing to help raise this amount

if he doesn't get this in time, he would need an intensive injection that costs $6k+ total alongside the fact he would need extra medicine and this original injection too

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$5 x 3 meals a day = $15

$15 -> cash conversion fee 45% (15 / 0.55) = $27.27

$27.27 for 3 days = $81.81

$81.81 -> paypal fee 32% (81.81 / 0.68) = $120.30

$120.30 -> ko-fi fee 5% (120.30 / 0.95) = $126.60

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[murderbot]

$1340 / $2245

unfortunately, even though it is now 10 am wednesday for samah, which was the deadline where ammar required his immune globulin injection by, we have not managed to raise very much

we still need $905 to pay this off; we raised $80 for this purpose

usually ammar would now start needing iv fluids at extreme prices because we hadn't raised the immune globulin injection in time; however, the doctor was able to find a different kind of immune globulin injection, and ammar will be able to wait for another day without requiring it

however, we really need to raise this in as quick a time as possible. it is still a very urgent need. please don't make samah have to worry too much when it's eid, and she hasn't even been home in over a week

samah has informed me that we have until 12 pm tomorrow her time as the deadline. that means we have 25 hours from now

@summerslushies @turquoisewavesstitch @paranormal-librarian @nectarinegirl @bookskittychad

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[murderbot]

$1403 / $2245

we are an hour past the final deadline and we still need $842 more in order to pay off the immune globulin injection.

what's worse is, the pharmacy is refusing to let us borrow the IV fluids in advance. they say, because it is an emergency situation for them (presumably due to the recent attacks on the hospital), they need the money first before we can use them

essentially, this means we can't use them at all. if we could pay the money in advance, we would just pay for the immune globulin injection in the first place and not waste money getting that!

we need this money immediately.

ammar has had a seizure for the first time in his life just now due to passing the deadline without getting his injection, and the doctor has said that delaying the injection any longer will cause further complications. his health is already worsening as it is without that

we can't afford anything but to get this money as quickly as possible. help him now, i beg of you, because we need this money. this is just as dire and health-threatening as his digoxin injection

without your assistance, we have nothing and no money to keep him stable. without your help, he is going to die.

and all this during eid, when samah should be able to celebrate with her family.

@gudakko @the-stray-liger @thecyndimistuff @gamer-goo @yekkes

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[murderbot]

$1466 / $2861

as if the situation could not possibly be bad enough, the hospital is now actively under attack. they are being bombed and samah urgently needs ammar to have his injection and then evacuate with him

previously, i mentioned that ammar had been admitted to the intensive care unit with a high fever and non-stop tremors, which is an addition to the complications mentioned before because we have now delayed the injection for literal hours.

though the pharmacy didn't accept us borrowing IV fluids, the situation was so urgent that the doctor bought it for us first. this means we now owe him $69 in cash, or $194

we still need $1395 more in order to pay all of this off and allow them to urgently evacuate

i am begging you to help them so that they aren't left to die like this. people barely donated for ammar's urgent immune globulin injection goal already, which was much smaller, but we absolutely need your help now.

[May 29, 8:05 AM] Samah: Brother, please help us! There's a lot of fighting coming from the hospital. Please tell everyone that we have to get the injection and escape from the hospital. I beg you, help us! We're dying 😭😭😭😭🙏

[May 29, 8:09 AM] Samah: Brother, please don't leave us like this. You're our only lifeline. 😭🙏🙏

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[mothfishing]

a funny thing i noticed is people talk about "popular trans names" (for their country), but when you look at the most popular baby names that year for where they live (usually USA or UK), it's all the same popular trans names

people tend to have similar taste whether they're naming themselves or naming a baby

[save-the-child-qamar]

I will not forgive anyone who sees this post and doesn't offer a single word of support, ignoring me completely.

[save-the-child-qamar]

I write these words with tears in my eyes. I can no longer bear this situation. My children are completely exhausted from the rash and malnutrition.

[save-the-child-qamar]

All I wish for is safety for my children and family: treatments to protect them, and healthy food to help them survive. These are not luxuries, but the most basic necessities of life.

[save-the-child-qamar]

Time is running out, donations are scarce, and every delay increases the risks. If you can help, even with a small contribution, please don't hesitate. Your support today could make a real difference in the lives of children who can't wait.

chuffed – Vetted#53

[mothfishing]

my boss is a punjabi guy from faislabad and he said i don't look like i'm from KP. the thing to know about me is i have a very thick kohati accent in both urdu and pashto. so i don't know where he did think i'm from

[murderbot]

unfortunately, we have another issue.

samah has gotten incredibly sick, and she urgently needs a cortisone injection to regulate her breathing

the doctor has said she has enlarged lungs and a chest infection. she can't breathe at all without an oxygen mask right now, and she can't stop coughing

she is the only person who can help ammar, and right now she's so incapacitated she isn't able to take care of him

the doctor has also indicated that she needs this as soon as possible, within the day. this means we have less than 24 hours to raise this money - the latest she can take it is saturday 5 pm her time, which is in 16 hours and a half

$0 / $535

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[murderbot]

$225 / $535

$310 left, thank you to the person who donated. we still have 12 hours before the deadline as well, and as little as $3 could help

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[murderbot]

we are now past the deadline and we received no donations at all after this. please, she can't breathe without an oxygen mask.

if we don't get this paid off, she's just going to require even more expensive care - a double dose, $340 in cash. after fees, this would be $956.90 - almost $1000. please let's avoid this, i know people already struggle to give enough money to ammar's weekly medicine.

if you don't care about her health, at least consider how she can't take care of ammar in this condition.

[murderbot]

unfortunately, we have another issue.

samah has gotten incredibly sick, and she urgently needs a cortisone injection to regulate her breathing

the doctor has said she has enlarged lungs and a chest infection. she can't breathe at all without an oxygen mask right now, and she can't stop coughing

she is the only person who can help ammar, and right now she's so incapacitated she isn't able to take care of him

the doctor has also indicated that she needs this as soon as possible, within the day. this means we have less than 24 hours to raise this money - the latest she can take it is saturday 5 pm her time, which is in 16 hours and a half

$0 / $535

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[murderbot]

today, once more, is the final day for ammar's injection

after such an agonising last week where times were continually dragged out, and deadline after deadline was failed to be met, ammar's health is incredible fragile and poor, especially considering the extreme heat of being exposed in the hospital courtyard without shelter made him have to briefly Return to the hospital.

i'm really begging everyone to do what they can for ammar. the fees for sending money through paypal have been increased again, and the delays mean he absolutely does still need the immune globulin injections even though they were meant to only be for winter

therefore, costs are even higher than before, and we still have to pay them if we want ammar to live

HE NEEDS YOU MORE THAN EVER. EVEN $3 CAN CONTRIBUTE

thank you to everyone who has donated to double the total amount of money we had, and i hope everyone will keep helping for this final date

samah needs this before tuesday 4 pm gaza time

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[murderbot]

$224 / $2540

thank you for the two people who contributed - sadly, we did not get the amount ammar needed in time for the first deadline

we have so extremely little donations, and he needs at least $1130 before the end of the day in order for him to not require an extremely expensive intensive injection, as well as whatever medicine is required to keep him stable, IN ADDITION to the digoxin injection he needs now

we still need $906 more in order to pay off what absolutely cannot be delayed

we have until 10 pm gaza time to pay this off. this is in just under 6 hours

please, i am begging you to help ammar.

if we can't raise $2.5k in a week, we sure the hell can't raise $5k+ in a day or two. so, if we don't get him this injection in time for the deadline, he WILL die

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[runerage]

Speaking of how caretaker might have become aware of lace, when do you think lace and phantom were created? Before or after the citidel fell? Because if it was before, that might explain why he knows of her and why he knows her connections to gms.

I assume phantom was created before, due to the fact their job is to play the organ, something that keeps the citidel going, but what confuses is.. what were their roles initially, how did the citidel react to these strange children just... appearing?

Because we know that the conductors didnt understand the nature of their goddess until way too late, with the weavers likely constructing the initial version of the citidel to obscure gms, the citidel bugs engaging in acts of worship not to worship her but the sake of the worship itself, so how were phantom and lace treated, these obviously divine creations of a god that most likely didnt even know existed, once they appeared?

Were they initially given high positions within the choir? Within the church? Was lace initially some sort of high priestess or an inquisitor who cut down the unfaithful?

So while it's not like I have no ideas (some formed in the relative isolation of just my experience playing the game and reading about it, and some formed based on what I've read and incorporated from other people), as of beginning to type this out... My honest answer is still I don't know and it torments me. I suffer worse than Trobbio, for sure.

This got long, I think. I typed it up on mobile so it feels long.

I'll lead with what I was thinking based on my own first experiences, to whatever extent that I can separate it out neatly at this point. I think Phantom was created before the Citadel fell and Lace was created after. I don't think the two of them were ever intended to meet, so it isn't like Lace was raised around Phantom and then they were separated. Lace would have been created after, as an attempt for Grand Mother Silk to finally have her perfect daughter. I'm ignoring any implications around the Organ Sleepers, as cut content.

I wonder if they would be obviously perceived as divine? I definitely feel like Lace looks strange (in an "unnatural perfect" sense), and Phantom would have, once. Even bugs who didn't properly notice that would just kind of sense something off about them, but I don't know that they would have been perceived as divine. And I never really imagined either of them formally or intentionally interacting with Citadel bugs at large; I pictured them as sort of existing on the fringes. Encounters would have been fleeting and frightening and unwanted (on the bugs' part).

I don't think GMS would have needed any kind of intermediary or to try to win back worship directly, and the Citadel was keeping her trapped. If Phantom or Lace had tried to interact much directly (though this more applies to Phantom, before the Citadel fell), and were identified as what they were, I think the Conductors would have known enough to want to stop them, rather than welcoming them or offering them power. So I don't see either of them having been regarded as royal or divine or as much of anything by the Citadel bugs. They were, ultimately, unseen. So what were they meant to be, to GMS?

For me, the piece that I feel is missing regarding Phantom's situation is actually: why did they never leave? It could be just shame, possibly due to their appearance and/or some genuinely lingering over whatever it was that got them banished. It could be fear over what would happen if they tried to escape. I suppose it could have just been not wanting to fade - if they left their tank, even to seek death elsewhere, there was no guarantee they'd find anything, so it was better to stay with their tank in the organ, and hope someone would come to them.

(Maybe hoping that one day, Lace would come back and be able to grant their wish herself?)

Anyway, I just feel like knowing that would help me Make Up something more specific about what happened to them in the first place, and I think that it could be related to the kind of reception they would have had in the Citadel and what their role was.

Though they may have been some kind of outlaw? I feel like that fits further with the entire phantom thing - Phantom of the Organ when we see them, but once they were the Phantom of the Citadel, servant and saboteur of Grand Mother Silk, perhaps before she gave up and fully resigned herself to haunting. And then they were captured and pressed into the Citadel's service instead?? It wasn't that GMS was the one to banish them, but she did abandon them for their failure, and (presumably) they never showed their face outside of the organ again.

I had a discussion about this at one point, and in a scenario like this, whoever was in charge was able to identify Phantom as a child of GMS when they were captured, and gave them the tank because they had some sympathy for another child hurt by her (not Just to keep them at that post forever. Though there is that element), and they were deemed no longer a threat. Perhaps they used to be under watch or otherwise actively imprisoned, but eventually no one was left to do that.

For Lace... her knightly role initially felt to me like something she took on herself, to try to get her mother to look at her, to see her as a worthy daughter? GMS seems exacting and also like she'd get bored pretty easily. Possibly some of the Weavers' "advantage" was that there were more of them, so GMS wasn't just looking at one individual and getting tired of that one; she may have had a few favorites, instead, and switched who she was showing her favor to at any given time? Probably unfortunately for that Weaver.

So yeah... what was Lace supposed to be, if keeping the Citadel quiet wasn't actually her job, if she wasn't supposed to be a protector? Was she literally just supposed to dance and sing, the doll in the bed of flowers atop the music box? Was she just there to worship, or otherwise keep GMS entertained or lift her spirits? Not knight, not princess, but jester without the privilege... Frankly I feel like there should be more than that, but how many real parents absolutely have children basically to treat them like a dress up doll and get tired of them once they become people? GMS seems to have been very given to wallowing, so I think she could have done something like that and basically got bored of Lace and left her to her own devices (not even worth the effort for GMS to end, or - more likely I think - unwilling to truly let go of any of her creations)?

So Lace is "relieved" of her duties somehow. Goes down from the Cradle, wanders around the dying Citadel, alarms some bugs for sure but is perhaps perceived as another especially strange Haunted thing... Ultimately she meets Phantom.

And learning about Phantom and what they did, decides to try to follow in their footsteps... Sabotage what remains of the Citadel, silence the pilgrims... Please their mother, with or without Phantom's approval of this idea? Though I think they would have supported her and tried to help her, so that she could avoid their fate, and their advice was uh. Maybe not always good for either of them.

But no attempts to damage the Cogwork Core?? Was this some weird thing where GMS was unwilling to damage the Weavers' legacy? Not that they made the core, but their craft is sort of what led to it... I do think they made the First Architect at least. But then, if Lace wasn't really supposed to be a knight, and that was more her being left to herself, and she was perhaps starting to feel those stirrings of disloyalty... Maybe she would not, in fact, have tried too hard to wake her mother.

So after all that...

I have my doubts but hammering away at it is part of the fun <3

Also to totally change direction, I like the idea of Lace having been an inquisitor or something, especially if she was a double agent sent by her mother. She does, in fact, care at first... She sees the injustice she is called to carry out in the Citadel's name and it motivates her because surely her holy mother would do better. And then she meets Phantom and things start to unravel (ha.) and she comes to realize that actually there is no justice in Pharloom and she has no one on her side except for them... And by the time Hornet meets her, Lace only knows how to offer one kind of mercy.

[thewhitefluffyhat]

I didn't find this until after I'd written a lot of my own stuff, but woah we really do think alike!

(I was originally just going to just reblog and comment in tags but uhhh the comments got out of hand ^^;)

I'm increasingly agreed on both the siblings not truly having a place in Citadel society. Phantom in particular… being denied the ability to have a normal life, forced to live unseen in the margins… yeah that's just Thematically Correct for the reference, isn't it? Oh!! And Phantom as saboteur! Given OG book Phantom's backstory is that he was an servant/spy/executioner for a tyrant, it works. it works scary well actually.

Phantom being found out by the Citadel's bugs is also something I've been playing with myself. Basically, what I was envisioning is that Phantom was living a double life for a while. They'd been GMS's shadowy agent from the start, but after taking a mask they started getting bold about walking about openly in the Citadel's halls.

Then someone pulled off their mask in front of everyone. and oops. they don't have a face under that. In a single terrible moment they were both exposed to mortal bugs as a fake, and GMS was alerted to the fact that they had taken said mask. Cue the whole house of cards crashing down in spectacular fashion.

The aftermath though, and why Phantom didn't leave… that's still the frustrating/tantalizing missing piece for me too. My first impression was "oh there's no way GMS would allow mortal bugs to mess with one of her precious children" and so their banishment was entirely a punishment meted out by her. And yet, and yet, the Organ exists primarily for the benefit of the Citadel's mortal bugs, not Her…

Perhaps, it could be a dash of one, a pinch of the other? First GMS did her own thing, attempting to "fix" Phantom by breaking their connection to the mask, and probably other attempts to excise their independence too. But when her alterations failed to take, Phantom was deemed unsalvageable, and abandoned for Citadel bugs to capture and do with as they pleased. At which point all GMS cared about was that Phantom was locked up to stay somewhere out of her sight while she wallowed in grief over losing yet another child to betrayal.

How many Citadel bugs were left at this point is another big question for me. For the extra drama, I use Phantom's downfall as the trigger for GMS to fully unleash the Haunting and to silence the Choral Chambers. Maybe this destruction was now in full swing, and Phantom was found by a group of survivors who would have preferred kill the hated saboteur, but they were in such desperate, dire straits to keep the Citadel's systems functioning that they put Phantom to work instead.

Hmm. Some promising angst potential. "This is all your fault!" + Phantom being too weak and shell shocked by their whole life collapsing so fast to resist. And then one survivor taking pity on them to allow them the small kindness of the tank. Aww. Though it still leaves the question of again, why doesn't Phantom just hit the bricks later? Especially when they stopped getting Silk from the Citadel. Hmmmmmm.

*continues rotating*

Very agreed on Lace's role as a knight and protector being something she took on herself! Again, it just feels thematically right. She was created to be frail and mad and childlike, it would make sense if all GMS ever expected of her is that she be a beautiful and helpless doll. "the doll in the bed of flowers atop the music box" <- this imagery!! One of those music boxes with a little ballerina that twirls atop as the music plays. Yeah, that's Lace and the Citadel.

…In that light, I wonder if Lace aspiring to be a knight at all was her first very small and subtle rebellion. She was meant to be something eternally protected not a protector. I don't think either she or GMS would have seen it as such but. it's certainly another way that Lace is far more than what she was created to be.

Although. "otherwise keep GMS entertained or lift her spirits" - I've occasionally thought of Lace's deepest psychology as being oddly akin to a comfort/therapy animal. She was spun to be attentive and loyal and soothing to another Higher Being's needs at a very fundamental level. Except, the Higher Being she's bound to ended up neglecting and ignoring her, so of course she's now tearing up the carpet and chewing the furniture.

Also it can't help that Lace is still Pale, technically. Good job, GMS, you created a being that's twisting itself into knots because it has conflicting instincts both to dominate and to serve.

…Hm. A knight is both a figure of power and strength but also a figure of loyalty and devotion. Another potential reason for her to gravitate toward it: she can satisfy both aspects of her nature. At least in theory.

"May those who accept their fate be granted happiness, may those who defy their fate be granted glory." - Always loved this Princess Tutu quote, and I think about a lot, when it comes to Lace. (And Hornet, it's really interesting to think about for Hornet too.)

Oh, I love the idea that following Phantom's footsteps is what led Lace to the idea of being a knight. "their advice was uh. Maybe not always good for either of them." <- my favorite dynamic for the siblings. They love each other and they're trying but sometimes they're both very bad for each other.

"But no attempts to damage the Cogwork Core??" Another thing I've wondered about too! I go back and forth between "the Core wasn't actually effective + what little effectiveness it did have has already been shut down" (it sure isn't singing when Hornet reaches the top…) and weirder ideas like "what if Lace can't actually do much about GMS's bindings because they would work on her if she tried?" (she keeps falling back asleep when we find her in the Cradle, after all…)

"Maybe she would not, in fact, have tried too hard to wake her mother." I mean. I don't think she was trying all that hard to kill Hornet either, so. Could very well be!

anyway, Does It Cohere? I think so. The foundations are plenty solid enough to build on!

(I say, handing out a toolbox and a pile of lumber to anyone who will take them.)

[mothfishing]

lots of interesting thoughts here...

the silkblings are also a puzzle for me, lace is. Kinda easier to come up with something for, but phantom is more difficult. absolutely agreed on them both living a life in the margins rather than really being aligned with the citadel themselves, which is so interesting since for hornet's part, i personally feel she was primarily irritated with lace up until their confrontation in the cradle when lace's nature became clear - and part of that irritation came from her perception that lace was working with the citadel, but...

the way i tend to interpret phantom staying in the exhaust organ is that they have some practical reasons to; greymoor is where workers spool up fallen silk, and it's my opinion that from there, it's taken up through sinner's road and the exhaust organ where it's delivered to the citadel. thus the exhaust organ has a decent silk supply (and is perhaps the lowest point where this is true, if they tried to get as far from GMS as possible). and there's some dead sinner's road bugs on the way into the mist...if that's so it may even be that phantom is something of an inconvenient presence, as they prevent its normal operations to use the delivered silk to extend their own life. but by the time they self-exiled there, the citadel was in no position to stop them

i also really liked the idea of both phantom and lace having been born in the whiteward, in that pit of silk dregs...there's something about it, like being born in a grave. and the fact the unravelled also has a silk heart...lace and phantom are perhaps more similar than different to it...for phantom in particular that feels like where their name could've come from, if one assistant working alone at night swears up and down a silken bug climbed out of the pit and escaped into the citadel. it also feels like it would have implications for how lace sees herself as nothing but a husk, if those husks were the first things she ever saw

[mothfishing]

there's so many things that peeve me for no reason. like when canadians say they're accustomed to -30C weather but they're from toronto and meant windchill

[mothfishing]

i keep thinking about how people will say americans will riot when petrol is US$8/gallon, but when converting units + adjusting for PPP, petrol in pakistan is presently US$31/gallon 😬

[mothfishing]

if i did a literal currency conversion btw petrol is about US$7/gallon btw. in a country with a fraction of the income!! it's insane.

[mothfishing]

i keep thinking about how people will say americans will riot when petrol is US$8/gallon, but when converting units + adjusting for PPP, petrol in pakistan is presently US$31/gallon 😬