Elfthreads!

[DanielH]

Okay, maybe there isn’t another shoe.

[jalapeno_dude]

Okay, maybe there isn’t another shoe.

Funny, I had the exact opposite reaction to the Bell introduction.

[DanielH]

Bells aren’t perfect rulers but it seems like they’d prevent most of the ways that other rulers could mess up. Especially with the conversation about how the Valar used to be less sensible.

[futurevision]

Would a Maitimo in Names-Fairyland be bothered by not knowing anyone's real names?

[DanielH]

My guess would be “no”. I expect he cares about names in the sense of “what people want to be known by”, and most people like it when you call them by name. Similarly I expect he wouldn’t be bothered with the jokers with common aliases, even if he would be upset by jokers with no default moniker.

Is this about right?

Now, I expect Midnight might want to learn some fairies’ names, but that’s for a different reason and I expect he’d only use them as close to a last resort (even if it’s less last than his alts might prefer).

[Kappa]

...would Maitimos be uncomfortable with someone who didn't have a consistent name, or preferred not to use a name at all? There's Jokers but there's also the admin, and probably more I haven't thought of.

[lintamande]

I think they would in fact feel vaguely weird about someone who did not prefer to use a name (no consistent name would be okay iff there was a consistent pattern to the inconsistent names; like, genderqueer person with preferred names for different gender feelings is fine, person with different preferred names in different contexts is fine, randomness is unfine.) They wouldn't communicate this but they'd feel it.

Midnight would very much like to know all fairy names and would be very happy ruling a court in Fairyland. It would probably be a well-run court with hardly any horrible abuses of power and torture.

[DanielH]

I got my non-Midgnight prediction from Maitimo feeling weird at kobolds not having names, especially when there were multiple relevant ones.

Still well behind in that thread; it was fresh in my mind because I read that part recently.

[jalapeno_dude]

Okay, maybe there isn’t another shoe.

Funny, I had the exact opposite reaction to the Bell introduction.

I would like to re-register this prediction in light of the introduction of Midnight. I am getting a feeling from his interactions which is the same feeling I got when I read Branches on the Tree of Time, i.e.

total spoilers for that fic

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rational!Skynet repeatedly evaluating whether the time has come to Defect in the game with Humanity and deciding, for now, that Cooperation is still more profitable

.

[DanielH]

And you think that Eru is currently in that position but it might have destabilized? That seems out of character for him. He said in Silmaril he can put limits on his own power and that it’s less beautiful when people are only fine because they don’t understand him, though that could be a lie.