#300 children in 3 days

[shamelessorange3]

Gaza (a city in Palestine, aka the Gaza strip) sent a letter to Barcelona (city in spain). These cities are twin cities and have been on very close terms.

The letter the Gaza government has sent is one saying a final goodbye. And you need to read it and reblog this as many times as you need to, because this is life or death for millions of people, and millions of children.

This is an exert from what has been made public from the letter.

Please keep in mind that translations between two languages may not be completely perfect.

"We don't know if we'll be able to keep in contact from now on, so please, tell the following generations about us, if we don't exist anymore, about how beautiful and charming the Palestinian people were and how committed they were to their land in cause" .... "It's been a pleasure working with you these last few years. May God let us rest in peace."

Tldr; Gaza has told Barcelona to remember them, and to not let their people be lost to history, and that there is a very real chance that this letter is the last one that they may ever send.

[nectarinegirl]

URGENT!!

Save a 3 month olds life!!

I am writing this post on behalf of Israa @nasseer220 who is fundraising to support her, her two children, and her father. Here is a previous post explaining her circumstances. She has two critically ill people to support, her father, who has cancer and recently had a stroke, and her 3 month old daughter Enaam, who has hepatitis, and has recently taken a turn for the worse, and needs urgent liver surgery. This surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, and they need $1700 USD to pay for it. Enaam was born during the genocide, and it is all she has known. This surgery will allow her to keep fighting for her life, so that one day she will know a life outside of the genocide. Yesterday, we raised most of the amount needed for Enaam's surgery. This is great! I cannot thank you all enough for your generosity! However, we are not quite at the goal yet. I know we can raise the money Israa needs to save her daughters life. Continue to donate and share, we cannot let Israa and Enaam down.

Make sure to get your donation matched by @musicfren

WE HAVE LESS THAN A DAY TO RAISE £300!!

Tagging people under the cut, message me if you don't want to be tagged anymore.

@neptunerings @socalgal @robotpussy

@rhubarbspring @duncebento @wotsukai

@bulliness @intersectionalpraxis @imjustheretotrytohelp

@nbblacksheep @deepspaceboytoy @strangeauthor

@lafemmemacabre @toesuckingoctober @heritageposts

@dlxxv-vetted-donations @fading-event-608 @sayruq

@omegaversereloaded @capricornpropaganda @hoodhinata

[thedailydescent]

📚Book Raffle for Yahya! 📚

Hi guys,

Yahya's fundraiser has been stagnating to a concerning degree for over a month, so I've decided to host a book raffle on behalf of his family.

Yahya (@yahyabkheeblog) is a husband and father of three, who has been struggling to raise the necessary funds to get his whole family on the evacuation list. I have spoken about this family here, here, and here, and you can also find more information from their old blog here.

With winter coming, and a lack of protection from the elements, he currently needs right away:

-$200 per metre of shade ⛺️

-$100 x 3 for winter clothes for each of his children ($300)

If he does not raise the funds to properly secure their tent by the next upcoming shower and the tent is destroyed, then he will need to purchase a new one, which can cost up to $1000.

Other necessities that Yahya and his family will also need:

-medicine for Dima, Mira, and Anas, who have, and will be again, at risk of getting sick due to seasonal change, polluted water, and lack of protection from the elements. With a reminder to everyone, there have been recorded cases of Polio in Gaza, and second rounds of vaccinations for children under 10 will not occur until mid-October.

-medicine for Yahya's mother, who suffers from heart disease and diabetes

-everyday supplies such as food, clean water, bedding materials, new mattresses, charcoal for cooking, firewood, soap/toothpaste, sanitary products, money for Internet access, etc.

-at least $27,500 for the Ya Hala Egyptian Travel Company to be able to cross into Egypt.

Whoever wins my raffle will receive a copy of House of Psychotic Women by Kier-La Janisse.

If you donate:

-€5-€9.99 to Yayha, you are entered in once,

-€10-€14.99, twice,

-€15-€19.99, three times,

-€20-€24.99, four times,

-€25+, five times.

Send me proof of donation by dropping it in my submission box (if I follow you or we're mutuals you may message me). The donation must have occurred between Oct 1-30. Oct 30 is the last day to enter and the winner will be announced on Oct 31!

This fundraiser has been vetted by nabulsi.

Tagging for further reach (let me know if you don't want me to tag you):

@neptunerings @khanger @ana-bananya @dirhwangdaseul @buttercuparry

@maester-cressen @brutaliakhoa @doublycharming-tetraquark @captainsaltymuyfancy @danlous

@strangeauthor @socalgal @diasdelasombra @lesbianmaxevans @greetings-fiends

@heydreamchild @tortiefrancis @appsa @northgazaupdates @lesbiandardevil

@victoriawhimsey @commissions4aid-international @punkpal @officialspec @dlxxv-vetted-donations

@transmutationisms @komsomolka @prisonhannibal @ericbogosbian @beserkerjewel

@a-shade-of-blue @tododeku-or-bust @streakoflavender @pikslasrce @pcktknife

@heliopixels @chilewithcarnage @greed-the-dorkalicious @naggingatlas @butchmagicalboi

@dykesbat @juniperhillpatient @jezior0 @claudiaeparvier @thevampirejules

[metamatar]

€21,746 raised of €82K target for healthcare of Mohammed, his sister in law Iman and his baby cousin Malak and Amir for their food, shelter and the reconstruction of their home in Gaza.

Update from Haruka Aoki, organiser of @mohammedatallah's fundraiser as duplicated from gofundme.

Hello everyone,

As many of you are aware, people in northern Gaza are struggling to survive because of Israel's current siege and relentless bombing for the past three weeks. I am relieved to tell you that as of 29 October 2024, the Atallah family is safe. However, because they are staying very close to Jabalia, where airstrikes have killed more than 150 people in the first week of the siege of Jabalia camp, they live every day in fear.

Thank you again to everyone who has supported the Atallah family from afar, as well as folks from Tumblr who have reached out to let me know about the unfortunate smear campaigns against Palestinian families that are happening on the platform. Please be assured that your donations are actively helping each member of the family as they survive through these horrific times.

I, along with another organizer from Tumblr, keep in touch with Ahmed, the brother-in-law of Muhammad and the father of Amir and Malak, on a weekly basis (at the least). Ahmed had travelled to Egypt for a work trip a week before the war and has not been able to see his children and family in Gaza for over a year. As the creator of this fundraiser, I have transferred your thoughtful donations four times through Western Union since starting this campaign: on 3 August 2024, 20 August 2024, 25 September 2024, and 29 October 2024. A total of €11,000. I have attached the receipts of the transfer below as proof.

For further transparency, I'd like to share how the funds have been reaching the family. Because the bank in Gaza has been destroyed, transferring money is complicated and takes effort. Through a close friend in Egypt, Ahmed is able to receive funds through Western Union in his friend's name. From there, Ahmed gets on an international call with his wife Iman and gives the funds (in increments, as there is no liquidity at the moment) to a trusted acquaintance in Egypt who has a point person in Gaza. This person in Gaza then physically hands over the funds to Iman, and Iman confirms with Ahmed on the phone that she has safely received the payment. In this exchange, after the middle person takes a cut, Ahmed's family receives 300 out of 370 shekels in the transfer.

Please continue to amplify this fundraiser and keep talking about Palestine! The Palestinian people need our help more than ever. No one is free until everyone is free!

Thank you,

Haruka

[a-shade-of-blue]

Urgent! Help 10 children buy food to survive!

Mahmoud (@mahmoudfamily1) is really worried about his family because they are struggling to get food and things are getting worse. They have 17 people and the money is not enough for them to live on. Because of the surging prices of food in Gaza, the daily cost of the family is #300 a day. $300 every single day just to stay alive! Mahmoud has been fundraising for more than 5 months and has only raised $4,139. This will only keep them alive for 13 days!

The 10 children in his family are suffering from constant diarrhea and stomachaches due to malnutrition and the contaminated food and water. There is no clean water at all! After watching the children in pain for so long, Mahmoud's brother cannot bear to see the children suffer and went to see if he can buy some vegetables for them. He looked at all the markets and found only 1 onion available. That single piece of onion costs $4 when before it costs only $0.3 for 1kg of onions. That's 7900% more expensive than usual! There has been no meat at all for a long time.

(The children before October 2023)

There are also 3 babies in Mahmoud's family. There are no diapers for them, and even if they are available, they are often to expensive for the family to afford. Mahmoud's sister also needs medicine as she suffers from many infections due to giving birth in an unhygienic environment in the middle of this genocidal war. But there is barely money for food, and medicine are also expensive!

Moreover, they have no shelter since the tent they had was completely destroyed in a bombing! The winter will bring freezing temperature and heavy rain, and they don't even have a tent to sleep in!

This campaign is #3 on @/gaza-evacuation-funds vetted list here, #117 on @/gazavetters vetted list, vetted by bilal-salah0, and vetted by association.

Only $4,139 CAD raised of $80K goal! Only 5% of goal reached!

Please, please help them! Mahmoud has been raising funds since MAY!!! These funds are urgently needed for the survival of 17 people, including 10 children!!

As an incentive to donate, I'm also hosting a freshwater pearl phone strap raffle to raise funds for this campaign (UK only)! Click here to enter after you donated!

Tagging for reach, please message me if you want off the mailing list! We thank you in advance.

@dlxxv-vetted-donations @ana-bananya@northgazaupdates@c-u-c-koo-4-40k@riding-with-the-wild-hunt @roadimusprime@aces-and-angels@just-browsing1222@neptunerings@mushroomjar@northgazaupdates2@kyra45-helping-others@decolonize-solidarity @heritageposts@timetravellingkitty @briarhips @ankle-beez @akajustmerry @wellwaterhysteria @rhubarbspring @brutaliakhoa @decolonize-the-everything @postanagramgenerator@heydreamchild @watermotif @stuckinapril @malcriada @appsa @buttercuparry@bixels @afro-elf @officialspec @headspace-hotel @dailyquests @charlott2n @bruciemilf @pcktknife @valtsv@sealsdaily @sporesgalaxy @ilovelifetbh

@salemruinseverything @bifrosted-flakes @a-scary-lack-of-common-sense @tooningin @charmsterz  @thou-art-of-the-stars @sandersgrey @ofide @rukafais

@officialpenisenvy @theonpilled @fleurrice @tetrafelino @think-queer

@timothylawrence @roakkaliha @lostacelonnie @huzni @laurajameskinney

@gamb0fficial @vincentspork @teabisexual @officialscud @evilponds

@dinodamage @yurischolar @lune-tic @lipid @newporters @witticismz @dovv @capricornpropaganda @iso7010 @palentonga @parsleyrosemarybotch @tadpoledyke @userpeggycarter @thedigitalbard @melon-colli @demilypyro @stuckinapril @pomodoko @theygender @kagrenacs @godfrey-the-chaos-duck @justsomeantifas @catwire @professionalchaoticdumbass @postanagramgenerator @hazem-khalil

[lonniemachin]

CONTINUED SUPPORT NEEDED FOR PALESTINIAN FAMILY

A couple of days ago, my friend Ahmed and I celebrated his campaign achieving its initial goal of €40,000 — a feat we’d been trying to reach since April. However, he informed me that because of the rising costs of survival essentials in Gaza, he’d had to dip into his evacuation fund, and the bank was taking $300 of every $1,000 he withdrew in tax. He wants to raise the goal to €50,000 so he would be able to make up for tax as well as secure funds for daily needs like diapers for his 3 little children, medicine, and nylon to cover the holes in their shelter for winter.

While we wait for the beneficiary to raise the goal and update the campaign, PLEASE continue to support Ahmed and his family. GoFundMe will allow donations past the goal, so you should still be able to donate using the link provided. Ahmed told me they’d need $1,000 PER MONTH at minimum for food, etc., an easy new target as I’ve seen what we’ve been able to raise in the past. Because the bank transfer takes a portion and the bank itself takes a portion, that means we’d have to raise around €1,500 to give his family what they require.

€0/€1,500 for the month of November.

PLEASE do not make them use the money they need to leave Gaza. It would be beyond horrifying if one of them was made to stay behind so that the others could survive. And please keep in mind that while the initial goal has been achieved, this increase is necessary as they need money to be able to LIVE so that they can escape together.

Vetted by el-shab-hussein and nabulsi. I have also been in contact with the family for months, set them up with their beneficiary, and have witnessed multiple successful bank transfers.

[transgendz]

Okay, so I'm not calling out the OP of the post bc I firmly believe in assuming good intentions, but there's a post going around with over 150,000 notes that just. When you know how misinformative it is, it really comes across badly.

Okay, so I went through the notes and check the subs out some and this is a breakdown of every sub on the post, in the originally listed order. Just keep in mind comment farming is widely disallowed and if you're banned you're likely to be sent to the universal scammer sub.

/r/Assistance - requires 60 days of regular activity, 400+ comment karma required, 18+ user age requirement, one account per household

/r/legaladvice - seemingly run by cops who delete actually helpful legal advice

/r/Randomkindness - for gifts only, fundraising explicitly banned

/r/Charity - account must be 30 days old, 300+ comment karma required, primarily for charitable foundations as opposed to personal funding, no personal cashapp, paypool + gfm allowed

/r/care - email must be verified by reddit, account must be 6 months old, 100 karma required, financial and material requests require you to put your "city,state,country" on the post.

/r/Random_Acts_Of_Pizza - request pizza every 3 months, account must be 90 days old, 400+ comment karma, 18+ user age restriction

/r/Food_Pantry - requesting food, no takeout or delivery (relavent for food deserts), account must be 180 days old, 500 comment karma required, 90 days of regular activity, explicitly bans fundraising

/r/RandomActsOfPetFood - request pet food once every month, account must be 90 days old, 500+ comment karma, 90 days of regular activity in multiple subreddits required, explicitly bans fundraising

/r/RandomActsOfChristmas - private for most of the year, Christmas gifts for children

/r/almosthomeless - explicitly bans fundraising

/r/homeless - explicitly bans fundraising

/r/freelance - no hiring or soliciting, no self promotion

/r/povertyfinance - explicitly bans fundraising

/r/thrify - advice specific

/r/borrow - PRIMARILY LOANSHARKS, no links/gfm, must post your city,state,country to request, account must be 90 days old, 1,000+ combined karma requirement, one request per household

/r/gofundme - crowdfinding sites only, 250+ comment karma required, account must be 90 days old

/r/depression - advice

/r/familysupport - inactive

/r/transitions - inactive

I've color coded the list, red for no assistance available, green for assistance offered, blue for food assistance, and white for ultra specific assistance. I'm sure this list is partially useful for very active reddit users. But some of these suggestions are just ridiculous.

So yeah, idk like don't be this kind of person, don't reblog this kind of shit without checking it out yourself. It's condescending.

[twobluejeans]

HEARTBREAK ON TOUR!

charles leclerc x famous!reader

summary: in which the lavender haze has been lifted. or in which america’s it couple splits.

part 4: emo ponytail girl, part 3: dupeee, part 2: wtf does ET know?, part 1: don’t start

faceclaim: madison beer

ally’s radio 📻: PART 4! the drama goes on. a lot of tswift references 🫶

INSTAGRAM, july 3

liked by oliviarodrigo, masonmount, and 8,654,142 others

yourinstagram thank u manchester & london for an amazing 5 days. you guys were so much fun to play for. i also wanna say thank you to my two beautiful children @oliviarodrigo @gracieabrams, eternally grateful for u guys flying in last minute to leave manchester w a bang. love u all so so much. see u soon amsterdam🖤 

View all 45,772 comments

oliviarodrigo 🥹🥹🥹🥹

gracieabrams i love you thank you 🤍

augustbridgelvr my founding fathers

TWITTER, july 3

INSTAGRAM, (stories)

yourinstagram 1h (july 4)

viewed by kimkardashian, maudeapatow, and 678,892 others 

INSTAGRAM, july 4

liked by selenagomez, neymarjr, and 8,345,146 others 

yourinstagram happy independence day from me n a few of my favorite people 🤍

View all 45,782 comments

arianagrande love uuu!!!

yourinstagram arianagrande i love u more

canyonmoondeservesjustice why can i not picture all of them  in the same room like 🧍🏽‍♀️

danielriccardo damn who’s that guy on the 3rd pic in white?? he’s so 😍😍

landonoriss danielriccardo me when i lie 

yourinstagram danielriccardo ur gonna let him do u like that??

danielriccardo landonorris yourinstagram girl bye you’re just jealous you aren’t as pretty as me 🤷

danielriccardo notice how it got quiet. EXACTLY.🙄 

TWITTER, july 10

liked by 55sainzleclerc16, lolaransdellfan, and 103,728 others

charlesleclercdaily Charles and Lola Ransdell at Wimbledon today!

View all 24 comments

kingofmyh3art_ bye i’m crying he really out here winning the idgaf war 😭😭

55sainzleclerx Bro i can't get over the fact that she's the spitting image of Y/n

landoxcharles16 no bc why is every f1 driver entering their hoe era

szafanaccount12 landoxcharles16 no literally like charles gives me the ick now

INSTAGRAM, july 10

INSTAGRAM, july 10

liked by leclercmidnight, sainzrace, and 234,122 others

cl16daily Charles with a fan tonight in london

View all 31 comments

youtolerateity/n dad pls wake up and come home

driverczains he looks so nice too UGHH

i2lvsrry She said to him that her favorite album was lover lol 💀😭

purrfecy/n/n i2lvsrry SHE DID NOT 💀

enchntdtwilight i2lvsrry SHE ALSO SAID THAT HE JUST SMILED AND LAUGHED AFTER SHE TOLD HIM

lewis44girls enchntdtwilight how do you know that??

enchntdtwilight lewis44girls I saw the original video on tik tok and she said that in a comment.

replovers hi 👋 im the girl in the picture! i was scared to approach him bc he was eating dinner with his new gf and i didn’t want to disturb him or anything so i waited until he was done. charles was very nice and talkative. i did mention that my favorite album was lover bc..it is. he just smiled and awkwardly chuckled. he then changed the subject and i got the hint. his new girlfriend, lola, actually took the photo too. she looks mean but she’s actually really nice, i can’t lie. she complimented my shoes. she was standing besides charles the whole time and had her hands locked with his, she looked kind of uncomfortable to be around cameras and get that kind of attention which is understandable yk.

mrrwoballstyles bruh they’re literally betty, august, and james 😭 NOT THE FOLKLORE LOVE TRIANGLE BECOMING REAL

IMESSAGES, july 10

TWITTER, july 11

INSTAGRAM, july 11

liked by charlesleclerc, wolfiecindy, and 546,992 others

lolaransdell two tickets for barbie please

View all 300 comments

ricciardofavboy i could SMELL the comments

herbffsinsta gorgeous gorgeous girly

lolaransdell herbffsinsta love uuu

grussellgirl where’s charles?

goldenstyles wow the power of plastic surgery and good lighting

haileybieber She knows she's the hottest 😍😍

itsainzleclerc remember u were a fan girl bye

y/nzone The only way this girl got famous was because of Charles. Other than that, nobody would have known who she was except her friends and now she pops up on Google and YouTube.

INSTAGRAM, july 12

yourinstagram (story) 2h

viewed by jennierubyjane, tchalamet, and 3,456,135 others

ally's radio 📻 : so, um, secrets out? anyways, screw charles! #JUSTICEFORY/N2023 (this took me 3 hrs to make bruh, free me)

taglist 🦢🪩: @incoherenciass @dakotali @405rry @topaz125@sassyheroneckgiant @hevburn @itsmytimetoodream @ivegotparticulartaste @crowdedimagines @asterianax @haydee5010 @scenesofobx @christinabae @magical-spit @dessxoxsworld @myareadsbooks @honethatty12 @hopefulinlove @diasnohibng @gentlemonsterjennie1 @hummusxx @eugene-emt-roe @taestrwbrry @pejarma @cxcewg @chimchimjiminie16 @glow-ish @allywthsr

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 19 June 1937, the Women's Day massacre took place when police killed 16 people and injured nearly 300 when striking steelworkers' wives and children demonstrated in their support in Youngstown, Ohio. Workers at Republic Steel had gone on strike when 1,000 union supporters were sacked. Strikers' wives organised a Women's Day to support the men, but the presence of women angered the police captain, who ordered the women to leave. When they refused, instead spitting and cursing at the officers, police fired tear gas at the women, children and even babies. This outraged the workers who rushed to the scene to defend their families. Then police began shooting, killing and wounding scores. Many of those were shot in the back as they ran from the police. If you value our work researching history like this, please consider supporting us on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/workingclasshistory https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=647360567437162&set=a.602588028581083&type=3

[moonlayl]

"According to the United Nations, roughly 6,400 Palestinians and 300 Israelis have been killed in the ongoing conflict since 2008, not counting the recent fatalities." - X

Palestinian deaths: 6,407

Israeli deaths: 308

Palestinian injuries: 152,560

Israeli injuries: 6307

Palestinian children's deaths: 1,437

Israeli children's deaths: 25

Palestinians children's injuries: 32,271

Israeli's children injuries: 524

Palestinian women's deaths: 626

Israeli women's deaths: 36

Palestinian women's injuries: 8,953

Israeli women's injuries: 218

(this is total, so not just civilians.)

168.6 times more Palestinians were killed than Israelis

24.2 times more Palestinians were injured than Israelis

57.5 times more Palestinian children were murdered than Israelis

61.6 times more Palestinian children were injured than Israelis

17.4 times more Palestinian women were murdered than Israelis

41 times more Palestinian women were injured than Israelis

source: UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

but yes "Israel is protecting itself and not at all carrying out genocide or hurting innocent Palestinians. Israel has never hurt Palestinian civilians and this is totally an equal fight where both Israelis and Palestinians are equally wrong, equally at fault, and Israelis deserve to defend themselves by wiping out an entire region of 2 million Palestinians (most who are children) but the barbaric Palestinians better not fight back, defend themselves or hurt their oppressors.

Israelis are justified in their slaughter and oppression of Palestinians for DECADES because of the action of Hamas 3 days ago, but Hamas’ actions 3 days ago are completely wrong in every way shape or form, no question, despite the war crimes Israel has committed towards the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza for decades. That makes perfect logical sense

Israel has only started harming Palestinians because of Hamas, despite the fact that Palestinians were being murdered and displaced for more than 40 years before Hamas was ever a thing. Again, Israelis are perfectly justified in any horror or warcrimes they've committed and the UN will never condemn them and will sweep their infinite war crimes under the rug, but Hamas needs to be stopped which includes trying to suspend humanitarian aid to innocent Palestinians (even though most Palestinians aren't part of Hamas and this will affect the innocent people in need of help) and also cutting off their medical and water supplies (even though it'll affect almost a million innocent children stuck in an illegal blockade) but billions of dollars, supplies, and military support needs to be sent to Israel immediately!!!

The world cannot remain silent and the Israelis deserve our support, but please do ignore how the world's been silent for Palestinians all these years!!

We will show you videos of horror from other countries taken years ago, or even crimes Israelis have committed but spread the news that it was Palestinians who did such things, but we will not show any of the evidence of Palestinians refusing to harm women and children and instead taking Israelis as hostages, majority of them soldiers.

We will show you Muslims across the world celebrating the death of innocent people (when in reality they're protesting in order to call out their hypocritical governments who support an apartheid state) but we'll conveniently ignore how the people of Sderot (the city nearest to Gaza that Palestinians were recently able to enter after 16 years of being caged in Gaza) used to watch rockets hit Gaza and cheer on, calling it " best reality show" and "better than the world cup" back in 2014 which is one of the deadliest years for Palestinians (more than 2000 massacred).

Israel will warn the people of Gaza to flee and then go right ahead and bomb the only route they could possibly use: the Rafah crossing to Egypt and it will also threaten to target any humanitarian aid trucks trying to enter into Gaza (X, X, X)

Israel will also murder journalists, including an American citizen which is a war crime and illegal, but will face no consequences and try to frame Palestinians instead.

but remember! Palestinians are all terrorist islamist barbarians and you MUST support Israel and its oppression of Palestinians, otherwise you are antisemitic. Every Palestinian deserves to die and Israel is justified in carrying out mass genocide (by taking away electricity, water, and food) with the support of foreign countries because of the actions of Hamas, but Palestinians will never be justified in attacking their oppressors or defending themselves from 70 years of oppression. Shut up, these things aren't meant to make sense, just support Israel.

[incorrectbatfam]

Not sure if you’ve heard of the ‘dad reflex’ where dads just save their small children from imminent harm (usually because the child is still learning how gravity works or just completely unaware of the world around them). I know Bruce technically doesn’t get the bat kids young but either way his batdad reflex has to be off the charts. What are his best dad reflexes? (They can be smol kids or cannon ages whatever sparks your creative juices most!)

Thank you💙💙

They're at someone else's gala and 27-year-old grown-ass Dick is swinging from a giant chandelier in an atrium 3 stories high when it gives out and Bruce "Wine drunk and raving about his kids" Wayne, who hears the tiny snap across the room, stops mid-conversation, grabs a steak knife, slashes a curtain, and swings from the balcony in like fuckin' Tarzan to grab him in the span of 5 seconds before 300 pounds of metal and glass come crashing down

Tim gets mosh pit tickets for his favorite band and Bruce goes with him because Bernard got caught up in something last minute, and after hours of waiting outside, they make it all the way to the front where, on the last song, Bruce's dad senses tingle in time to shield Tim from a malfunctioning confetti cannon all while glaring at the crew in a way that guarantees someone's about to lose their job

In a recon mission gone sideways, Bruce and Steph are taking on some goons at the harbor when one of them knocks her into the water, and without hesitation he throws aside the person he's fighting, dives into the freezing waves, and gives her his rebreather, holding his breath for what seems like forever until they resurface, and despite the ache in his lungs the next morning, it's worth it when he watches her turn waffles into a breakfast burrito

Duke's driving the Batmobile while Bruce is in the passenger's seat walking him through all the controls, and they're listening to the scanner and joking about their last mission when, just before an intersection, Bruce suddenly grabs the wheel and swerves, and before Duke can say anything a semi truck plows through the exact spot where they would've been

Cass tries to cook one day while Bruce is sitting at the bar doing some work, and he forgot what she was making, but all he knows is one minute he's answering an email and the next he's sprinting across the kitchen and sweeping her out of the way right before the pressure cooker explodes—and afterwards he doesn't let her clean up because everything is still scalding hot

The middle school holds a fundraiser at the petting zoo, and everything's going great until someone forgets to turn off their flash and the whole enclosure descends into chaos, and all Bruce cares about is scooping Damian up before a bull rams into the fence he was sitting on—then he makes eye contact with Clark, who just did the exact same with Jon

Against orders, Jason pursues a lead that brings him right to the Joker's doorstep. Dazed and disarmed, he doesn't realize what's happening until a long metallic scrape renders him frozen as those moments replay in his mind, and he thinks this is how the universe wants him to go out. Then he hears a swoosh and a click. Jason opens his eyes to Batman pointing a gun at the Joker, his silence sending a clear message: no more chances.

BONUS: Teenage Bruce tried to sneak out the window and Alfred was at the bottom ready to catch him

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

1968 [Chapter 3: Hermes, God Of Thieves]

Series Summary: Aemond is embroiled in a fierce battle to secure the Democratic Party nomination and defeat his archnemesis, Richard Nixon, in the presidential election. You are his wife of two years and wholeheartedly indoctrinated into the Targaryen political dynasty. But you have an archnemesis of your own: Aemond’s chronically delinquent brother Aegon.

Series Warnings: Language, sexual content (18+ readers only), violence, bodily injury, character deaths, New Jersey, age-gap relationships, drinking, smoking, drugs, pregnancy and childbirth, kids with weird Greek names, historical topics including war and discrimination, math.

Word Count: 4.5k

Tagging: @arcielee @huramuna @glasscandlegrenades @gemmagirlss1 @humanpurposes @mariahossain @marvelescvpe @darkenchantress @aemondssapphirebussy @haslysl @bearwithegg @beautifulsweetschaos @travelingmypassion @althea-tavalas @chucklefak @serving-targaryen-realness @chaoticallywriting @moonfllowerr @rafeism @burningcoffeetimetravel-fics @herfantasyworldd @mangosmootji @sunnysideaeggs

💜 All of my writing can be found HERE! 💜

They say it’s the most dangerous job in Vietnam. That’s why I wanted to do it.

Chinooks transport men and equipment, Cobras are gunships, Jolly Green Giants are used in search-and-rescue missions. But the Loach—Light Observation Helicopter—is a scout. We have to fly low enough to spot fresh footprints in mud, glints of sunlit metal, blooms of firelight from smoldering cigarettes in the primordial maze of the jungle. And when you go looking for the enemy, sometimes that’s exactly who you find. U.S. Army regulations decree that each Loach must be inspected after 300 hours of flight time, but they rarely make it that long. I’ve been shot down twice already. You roll out of the wreckage, grab your buddies, and book it out of the area before the Vietcong kill you, or worse: drag you back to the Hanoi Hilton so you can die slow.

Currently we’re just north of Pleiku, coasting close enough to the treetops that I could reach out and touch them. I’m in the back seat with my M16, no door between me and the outside world, my hair tied back with a green bandana, the wind hot and sticky. It’s so fucking humid here. Why can’t the communists be trying to take over Malta or Sweden or Monterey Bay, California?

It was the old men who suggested I might be of greatest service to the family by enlisting. I was 25, newly graduated from Columbia Law—a family tradition—and dreading the desk job that awaited me at the Department of Justice. Some people are born to type their lives away in some leather-upholstered office with a view of Pennsylvania Avenue, but not me, and I know this like I know the sun or the stars, ancient truths that can never be changed. And so when Otto and Viserys sat me down—my father had only had one stroke by that point, and was still relatively involved in the day-to-day minutia of putting a Targaryen in the White House—and said Aemond having a brother in Vietnam would make him more relatable, more sympathetic, more noble, not an observer to the carnage of the war but a fellow victim of it…I told them I’d go.

Everyone needs a project. If you don’t have something to distract you from the futility of human existence, it’ll break you in half. I have the Loach. Otto and Viserys, both immigrants ineligible to serve as president of the United States, have their shared ambition of getting their bloodlines in the Oval Office. Aemond has his legacy. My mother has her children, and Criston has my mother. Helaena has her gardens, her bugs, quiet gentle things that she tends with her own thorn-pricked hands. Aegon doesn’t have a project, he never really has, and it’s driven him to the cliff’s edge of insanity. See what I mean?

Anyway, let me tell you something about Vietnam. The Army gives us all the steak, beer, and cigarettes we can handle, but I’d kill for a lemon-lime Mr. Misty—

“Daeron, get down!” the guy to my left screams over the noise of the rotors. His name is Richie Swindell, and he’s from Omaha, Nebraska, and now he’s plummeting out of the helicopter as bullets riddle his chest. I duck low and cover my head as we spiral sideways into the trees, snapping branches, shredding leaves like confetti. I can hear the pilot yelling something, but I can’t tell what. When we hit the earth, the lightweight aluminum skin of the Loach does exactly what it’s supposed to, crumpling to absorb the shock of the collision and reduce trauma to us mortals inside. I scramble out of the rubble on my hands and knees and go to check on the pilot, but it’s too late. He’s already being hauled out by the Vietcong and gets a bullet to the brain. I reach back into the ruins of the Loach to grab my M16, but there are hands around my ankles yanking me out. And now I’m next, and there’s nowhere left to run, and I’m hoping Criston will be there to hold my mother when she gets the Western Union telegram.

One of the soldiers shouts and stops the others, shoving them aside to get a better look at me. With the barrel of his AK-47, supplied by either China or the Russians, he prods at the patch displaying my last name: Targaryen. His compatriots don’t seem impressed. Again, he batters my nametag, speaking to them in Vietnamese.

He knows who I am, I realize. He knows Aemond is running for president.

Now there is a hell of a lot of excitement. The men are talking rapidly amongst themselves, marveling at me, poking and examining me. Then two of them grab me by the arms. I look to the soldier who knows English, at least enough of it to read those nine fated letters. He smiles at me, not like a friend. Like a wolf baring its teeth.

He says: “It is okay, Targaryen boy. We just have some questions for you.”

Guess I’ll be checking into the Hanoi Hilton after all.

~~~~~~~~~~

You wake up to Aegon strumming an acoustic guitar and singing Johnny Cash. The guitar must be new. The one he left at Asteria is plain maple wood and covered in stickers; this unfamiliar instrument is a vivid, Caribbean blue and has Gibson written across the headstock.

“I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rolling ‘round the bend

And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when

I’m stuck in Folsom Prison, and time keeps draggin’ on…”

“Let me die. I’m ready to go.”

Aegon laughs, setting his new guitar aside.

“Is Ari okay?”

“Yeah, he’s doing great. And I got the stuff you asked for.”

Sure enough, there are three roomy sundresses hanging from the coatrack—you wanted to have options in case you had trouble finding one that fit correctly, though you gave Aegon a general neighborhood for sizes—as well as an array of cosmetics on the nightstand, including a bottle of shimmering champagne-colored nail polish. “I’m really impressed. You barely forgot anything. Though I will look odd with blush but no foundation.”

“Ohhhhh. Fuck.”

“And this isn’t human shampoo. It’s for dogs. That’s why it has a mastiff on the label.”

“I thought it looked like you,” Aegon says, smirking mischievously.

“Well, thanks for trying.”

“And I found this at the gift shop.” He tosses a card at you like a frisbee. You open the envelope to see a cartoon cow on the front, black and white and wearing a huge copper bell and a party hat. Inside is printed: May your graduation be legenDAIRY! Aegon has crossed it out and written instead I thought this was blank…congrats on the new calf! followed by his illegible scribble of a signature.

“A cow,” you say, smiling despite yourself. “Because I’m Io.”

“You’ve got about a million of those pouring in from all over the country. Congratulations cards, get well soon cards, we really hope your husband gets elected so we aren’t consumed by nuclear Armageddon cards. And then Richard Nixon sent a pipe bomb.”

You set Aegon’s card on your nightstand, half-open so it will stay standing upright. Then you drink the apple juice from the tray the nurses left for you. “Aemond’s not here yet?”

“Uh, no, not yet,” Aegon says vaguely, kicking his feet up on the ottoman. He’s been shopping for himself too. He’s wearing a denim jacket over a black The Kinks t-shirt, ripped jeans, moccasins. He uses the remote to turn on the television: The Dating Game. “So, what did you study in college? You went to Manhattanville, right?”

You chuckle, shaking your head. “You really don’t listen when I talk, do you?”

“I try not to.”

“Yes, I went to Manhattanville. And I studied math.”

“No way. You didn’t major in math.”

“Women can’t do math?” you tease. “That’s sexist.”

“I didn’t say women can’t do math. I’m saying there’s no way your parents sent you to a housewife factory like Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart to get a math degree.”

“They didn’t, which is why my bachelor’s is in math education. So half-math, half-kid stuff. Makes it a little more…domestic.”

“Cool. Teach me math.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah. Really.” He digs around in the pockets of his jeans until he finds a receipt, then locates a pen in the nightstand drawer. He hands both to you and then stands so he can watch over your shoulder as you work. You can smell him: cigarette smoke, rum, the cool grey rain that is falling outside. It drips off his hair, carelessly slicked back from his face.

“What’s something you don’t know how to do?” you ask, expecting to get an answer like exponents or calculating the volume of a pyramid.

“Uh. Long division.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Going all the way back to 4th grade. Alright then.” You begin writing. “So let’s take a large number—this year, 1968—and divide it by…hm…how many kids you have. So five.”

Aegon whistles. “Five kids. Goddamn.”

“Yes, and you probably couldn’t name them, but there are indeed five. Trust me, I’ve counted.”

“Okay, this is the part I don’t get. Five goes into 19 almost four times. But there’s no way to say almost four.”

“There certainly is not. Five goes into 19 three times, so we put a three up top and then subtract 15 from 19. We get four, drop down the six from 1968, and now we’re dividing 46 by five.”

“Nine.”

“Right. Five times nine is 45. So the nine goes up top and we subtract 45 from 46.”

“45 is basically 46. Let’s call it a day. Close enough.”

“No,” you insist. “We get one, then drop down the eight from 1968, which makes 18.”

“And five goes into 18 three times.”

“Where’s the three go?”

“Up top,” Aegon says, observing fixedly.

“And then we subtract…”

“15 from 18, which is three. So the answer is 393.3.”

“Wrong. Loser.”

“What! How am I wrong?!”

“You don’t just put the three after the decimal,” you say. “You drop down a zero—”

“A zero?! Where the fuck did a zero come from?”

“From the fact that 1968 is a whole number, so it’s actually 1968.0.”

“Oh.” Aegon blinks a few times. “Gotcha.”

“Add the zero after the three to get 30—”

“And 30 divided by five is six. So the answer is 393.6.”

“I am so proud. You are officially as smart as an average nine-year-old.”

He takes the receipt from you and studies it. “This was super enlightening.”

“You want to try calculus now?”

He cackles and sinks back into his plush salmon pink armchair, his miniature dominion in your hospital room kingdom. “You like teaching?”

“I love it,” you admit. “I had to do a semester of student teaching the spring before I graduated, and at first I was kind of petrified. But the kids are so hilarious and interesting and full of excitement about everything, and they’re sweet in totally unexpected ways. They’d chatter all through a lesson and make me want to jump out a five-story window, and then bring me some of their Easter candy. That’s when I realized they weren’t trying to torture me. They’re just kids.”

Aegon is meditative. “Yeah, kids are fun.”

“I wasn’t aware you had much interest in them.”

“No, I do.” And something about the way he says it makes you feel bad for taking the shot. He runs his fingers through his hair, perhaps debating how much he wants to share. “You know Viserys made us all do these little missions after college so we could learn about the real world, right?”

“Right.” Daeron spent his on lobster boats up in Maine, Helaena learned horticulture in France, Aemond helped register voters in Mississippi and Alabama. You can’t recall ever hearing about Aegon’s.

“I got sent to Yuma, Arizona to teach on the reservation there. When I stepped off the bus, I thought it was hell on earth. And then when my time was up I didn’t want to leave.”

“What did you teach?” And then you add: “Hopefully not math.”

“No, definitely not math,” he says, smiling but distant, remembering. “English. Books, poems, all that. But my favorite thing to do was take a song and break it down line by line, really get them curious about what the author was thinking. And then of course we’d all sing it together. I’d play guitar, they’d run around jumping on the furniture, it was a good time.”

“But you couldn’t stay.”

“No,” he sighs. “I had to come back here so I could get dragged kicking and screaming through law school and then married off.”

“And elected mayor of Trenton,” you say, trying to make him laugh. It works.

“Oh God, we are not talking about that. Most miserable two years of my life.”

“So far.”

“Yeah. If Aemond wins and makes me the attorney general, that might be worse.”

“Knock knock!” comes a cheerful trill from the doorway, and then Alicent and Mimi rush in. They descend upon your hospital bed, cooing and soothing, squeezing your hands and trying to smooth your untamed hair.

“What did it feel like?” Mimi is morbidly fascinated, swaying a little, eyes bleary with gin. “When they were digging around in there?”

“Well, obviously she was sedated, hon,” Aegon says, a bit impatiently. He and Mimi share a nod in greeting, no warmth, no depth. You wonder what it must be like for someone you spent so much time tangled up with to become a stranger.

“Oh, darling, I barely recognize you!” Alicent says. “You poor thing, you must be in such awful pain. I’ve never seen you like this before. Your face, your hair…”

Aegon gives her a quick, disapproving look and then lights a cigarette of the traditional variety. He puffs on it as he gazes at the window, like he’s counting the raindrops on the glass.

“I’m feeling a lot better now,” you assure Alicent.

Her eyes flick down to your belly, still swollen beneath your blankets. “Will it scar terribly, do you think?”

You shrug; you haven’t thought much about that part yet. “It’s a battle scar. Aemond gets them in the real world, I get them in here. Same war, different arenas.” You peek out into the hallway. “Is Aemond…is he with you…?”

“He wanted to be,” Alicent says, like it’s a consolation. “But, Washington, you know…the primary there is so close. So, so close. He kept saying that he and Humphrey were neck and neck, and they still are, I believe. Every vote counts, and he’s campaigning all over the Puget Sound.”

“He’s still in Washington?” Your voice is flat with disbelief, with disapproval.

“He wishes he could be here with you and the baby,” Alicent insists, stroking your hair. “I’m sure he’ll fly back as soon as he’s able. But he’s thinking of you so, so much. That’s why he let me and Mimi leave this morning.”

“Right,” you reply numbly. And then you remember what you’re supposed to say. “The election is important. It affects everyone, our son included. For the greater good, personal sacrifices are necessary.”

“We saw him,” Alicent tells you, radiant with joy. “Aristos Apollo.”

“So precious,” Mimi says. “But so small! And trapped in that hideous machine! We could only see him through those little round windows.”

Aegon casts her a violent glare. You are alarmed. “He’s not in an incubator?”

“They have him in a…what was it called, Mimi?” Alicent asks. Mimi has nothing useful to contribute. “A hyperbaric chamber, I think. To help him get more oxygen.”

“But he’s fine,” Aegon says firmly, giving his wife and mother a warning. “Didn’t the doctor say it was a precaution?”

“He did, he did,” Alicent promises you. “Yes, just a precaution, that’s what we were told. The doctor has been trying to reach Aemond, apparently, but since he landed in Washington, he’s never in one place for long…”

“We should buy gifts for the baby,” Mimi says excitedly. “Adorable hats and shirts and trousers. Although even the tiniest clothes might be too big for him right now.”

“Yes, gifts! We must shop for gifts. Oh, it’s all been such a whirlwind. We hurried off the plane to come straight here, love,” Alicent tells you. “Can Mimi and I get you something for dinner?”

“Sure, sure.” You are distracted, still thinking of Ari. “Anything is fine. Wherever you end up.”

“Would you like me to bring a priest to pray with you? Saint Nicholas Church is right around the corner.”

You smile. “That’s very kind, but I think I’d prefer some books.”

“Baby clothes, dinner, and books. We can do that. Can’t we, Mimi?”

“We absolutely can,” Mimi agrees with tipsy, girlish enthusiasm.

As an afterthought, Alicent says: “Aegon, have you been here all this time? You must be exhausted. We’re going to book a suite at the Plaza, there will be plenty of room for you too. We can drop you off there on our way to go shopping, if you’d like.”

“I’ll stay,” he says softly, watching the rain again.

Alicent’s brow furrows; her dark doe-like eyes are puzzled. “Alright, dear.” Then she and Mimi disappear into the hall.

“Is he really okay?” you ask Aegon when they’re gone.

“Yes. That’s exactly what the doctor told me, just a precaution. I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Aegon,” you say, and don’t continue until he meets your eyes. “Why are you still here?”

He lights a fresh cigarette. “I don’t think you should be alone.”

“I’m not alone anymore. Alicent visits me, Mimi visits me.”

“Yeah, but you feel like you have to put on a show for them. Play the perfect Targaryen wife with all that stoic, dignified, unshakable faith. You hate me, so there isn’t as much pressure.”

“I don’t hate you, Aegon.”

“Yes you do. You always have. You don’t have to be polite about it.”

“Well…I have valid reasons to hate you.”

He smiles, exhaling smoke. “Right.”

“And you hate me too.”

Now he shrugs, avoiding your gaze. “Everybody worships you, everybody thinks I’m a waste of chromosomes, is it really that hard to psychoanalyze?”

“No one worships me. They worship Aemond.”

“But you’re a package deal. Jack and Jackie, Franklin and Eleanor.”

You trace the lines in your palm with a fingertip, not knowing what to say. You’re so close to Aemond, so inseparable, and yet so vastly far. “Will you wheel me downstairs to see Ari after dinner?” It’s best to go at night when there are less staff around to try to stop you.

“Sure. You want a Mr. Misty?”

“Yeah. Lemon-lime.” That’s what he brought you last time, and it wasn’t bad for a cardboard cup of florescent green sugar water.

“Got it,” Aegon says, and leaves you alone.

You look at the phone on your nightstand. You’ve tried to call Aemond to no avail, though you spoke to Criston twice; on both occasions he said Aemond was in the middle of an interview. It’s understandable that you would have difficulty getting ahold of your husband while he’s off campaigning, leaping from town to town like an electric current. There’s nothing unusual about it at all. But Aemond could call you anytime he likes. You haven’t moved; he knows exactly where you are.

You keep staring at the phone. It doesn’t ring.

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s night again, and you swim up from morphine-soft dreams into your hospital room, dark except for the flashing color of the television, low volume, NBC news. Aegon is curled up in the chair he’s claimed, snoring and half-covered with a cheap, pale blue hospital blanket. And it’s a strange feeling—a foreign language, a new religion—to realize that you’re relieved to see he’s still here, that there’s a comfort in it, a safety.

Suddenly, Aemond is on the television screen. You sit up in bed as gingerly as you can, leaning in, listening close. He’s rarely looked better: blue suit, prosthetic eye, rested and measured and sharp. He’s giving a speech at the Hotel Sorrento in Seattle, three hours behind the time you’re living in on the East Coast. Flanking him on the stage are Criston, Otto, Helaena, Fosco, the eight charming children. Five-year-old Cosmo keeps waving at the camera.

“Right now, my wife and newborn son are at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City,” Aemond says, beaming, and the audience whistles and cheers. You should smile, but you can’t. He���s not supposed to be there. He’s supposed to be on his way home. “But tonight I’m here with all of you, fighting with everything I’m made of to win the great state of Washington. And I won’t leave until the job is done, because I know the greatest act of devotion that any of us can show our children is to ensure they grow up in a better America than the one we find ourselves in today…”

You look over at Aegon and see that his glassy eyes are open, watching the television just like you are. You don’t know how long he’s been awake. The two of you exchange a glance, and there is a silent, shared recognition of what won’t be said. You can’t criticize your husband. Aegon isn’t going to kick you while you’re down. You are grateful for this. It is a conviction he has only recently acquired.

Aegon pulls his blanket up to his chin and rolls over, turning away from you. You close your eyes and dream of being a child back in Tarpon Springs, mesmerized as you watch Greek sponge divers emerge from the bubbling depths in their suits of rubber armor.

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s the afternoon of the 13th. The Washington State Democratic Convention is being held tonight, and so win or lose Aemond will be walking into Mount Sinai Hospital tomorrow. He has to, he doesn’t have a choice. He’ll have no excuse to be anywhere else, and journalists will be swarming at the entranceway like bull sharks in the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s raining again. You’re reading one of the books that Alicent brought you, Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care. You had been meaning to get a copy before you were consumed by Aemond’s campaign and then his near-assassination, his maiming, his fleeting brush with oblivion. Aegon is cross-legged in the salmon pink armchair and plucking lazily at his guitar, singing so low no one outside the room would be able to hear him. It’s a Rolling Stones song, slow and mournful.

“You don’t know what’s going on

You’ve been away for far too long

You can’t come back and think you are still mine.”

As you flip a page and raindrops patter gently against the window, you find yourself thinking how easy this is, your hair undone and your feet bare, no photos to take or lines to remember, no practiced smiles, no overwrought itineraries, only compassion that is quiet and small and real.

“Well, baby, baby, baby, you’re out of time

I said, baby, baby, baby, you’re out of time…”

Aegon abruptly stops playing, cutting off with a twang. You look up at him. He’s gazing back with eyes that are filling up his face, glistening with horror. You turn to find out what he’s seen. There’s a doctor standing in the doorway, but he’s not alone. There’s a Greek Orthodox priest with him.

“Mrs. Targaryen,” the doctor begins, then glances to the priest. The holy man—black robes, gold chains, clasping a komboskini like the one Aemond keeps in a box on his writing desk at Asteria, stained with his own blood—gives an encouraging nod. “We’ve tried to reach your husband. We’ve called his hotel in Tacoma several times, but the senator must be out campaigning, and…” Again, he looks to the priest. Aegon is setting his guitar on the floor, covering his mouth with his hands.

Ari. Too early, too fragile, too defenseless in a world full of wolves.

Your words come out in a whisper. “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

“We must remember, child,” the priest tells you, vague patronizing pity. “That the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, but what is lost to us in this life is never truly gone. Those we love wait for us on the other side in paradise—”

“Please leave. I don’t want to talk to a priest. I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

I just gave birth to him. I just started to believe he was mine.

The doctor begins: “Ma’am, I’m so sorry to have to deliver this news—”

“I don’t want to talk to anyone, I want to be alone. So please leave,” you beg, your voice breaking. “I want to be alone. Please leave me alone.”

The doctor looks to Aegon. A man’s permission is sought. “Go,” Aegon manages, raspy and strangled, and the doctor obeys.

“God bless you and your husband, Mrs. Targaryen,” the priest says as he departs with a swift bow. You can’t reply. You’re biting back sobs as the tears begin to slither down your cheeks, scalding and furious, not just grief but the bottomless rage of Nemesis.

Aegon is watching you, not knowing what to do, not knowing what you need.

Aemond would want you to be stoic. Aemond would want you to have faith, forbearance, grace. “It is God’s will.”

“Hey.” Aegon reaches across the space between you, grabs your hand, holds it so tightly your bones ache. Still, you wouldn’t want him to let go. “You’re allowed to be fucked up about this. I am too.”

When your eyes drift to him, they are glaring and heartsick and poisonous. “Where’s Aemond?” Why isn’t he here?

Aegon sighs deeply and picks up the phone with his free hand. He spins the rotary dial with his index finger and then holds the handset to his ear. He waits as it rings. “Pantages Theater, Tacoma, Washington,” he tells the operator. A minute or more crawls by. “I need to speak to Senator Targaryen immediately. Yes, I know there’s a convention underway there, that’s why I’m calling you. Go get him.” More minutes, eternal, terrible beyond description. “What do you mean you can’t find him?!” Aegon snaps. “Okay, give me someone else. Anyone travelling with him. Criston Cole, Fosco Viviani, Otto Hightower, Helaena Targaryen. Hurry up. Let’s go.”

Outside the rain grows heavy and loud; it falls in sheets against the misty windows. In the distance, thunder growls.

“Hi, Criston, it’s me. He needs to come home now. Right now.”

Aegon closes his eyes. Criston must be arguing with him.

“No, you don’t understand,” Aegon says, forcing the words to leave his lips and ride the wires to the West Coast, to where the sun sets, to where the future is dawning. He’s still holding your hand. “Aemond doesn’t have a son anymore.”

[mohammedatallah]

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@rodent178

@tangledinourstrings

@kraigeslist

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[lizbetlovesbyler]

still thinking about this

tw ; talks about gun violence, racism and homophobia

I love everything our community has done and all the work that has gone into analysis, but you dont need a 300-something slide goodledoc to prove there's something going on here.

They talk about wills sexuality in the first episode, going so far as to use what is now a slur to describe him.

"oh but, lizbet, it was the 80s, it wasn't a slur then" I'm aware, but every film/show/book/play that is written in a different time period than the one it is set still has to be relevant to the audience it was made for. A lot of people think stranger things is set in the 80s to call back to classic thrillers like IT and ET, which it is...at its very basic, fundamental sketches. If that was all it is, the GA and younger watchers especially would not care for it as much as they do.

Anyone who ever read 'An Inspector Calls' in school should know what I mean. In 'An Inspector Calls', he author writes about the ignorance of an upper class 1912 family living in capitalist England through the context available to a 1947 audience. The audience knows the family faces two upcoming world wars, the titanic sinking and the great depression, this knowledge is used to highlight the ignorance of the family by believing England, and they too, are free from mistake or flaw. This dramatic irony screams out at you as you are watching/reading it. the typical audience doesn't scrutinise every detail, despite if those details are intentional.

"what makes stranger things relevant?" I hear you ask. "what context do we have that enhances the storytelling?"

Rising Russian-American tensions - Russians weren't actually shown as a threat in the show until season 3. Before then, it was pure paranoia from the US government in the show that fuelled their research and experiments, as the show is set during the cold war, it is relevant for the time period. The show reflects real life tensions as they've spiralled out of control due to the Russo-Ukrainian war through the actual introduction of Russian villains. (I think its common knowledge that the USSR were not actually opening interdimensional portals underneath 80s malls.)

The opening scene of season 4 showing the massacre of the lab children, children we'd seen innocently playing in the rainbow room. 010 we see taking a 'lesson' with Dr Brenner, the interaction is calm and the two joke. Moments later, every single one of those children is murdered. we hear sirens, screaming, and gunshots. The US in 2022 saw 51 school shootings. Gun laws in the US are a topic that a lot of people still do not want to address, but through stranger things, the writers force forward the reality of modern America in a way impossible to ignore. The reality that the leading cause of death in American children and teens is gun violence. The reality that an estimated 4.6 million american children live in a home where a gun is kept loaded and unlocked. The reality that, on average, 23 children are shot in the United States every single day. It's also the idea that it was the forced conformity of Henry Creel that pushed him towards this warped perception of humanity, allowing him to justify his actions. Reflecting the cases in which the shooter was a bullied student. Forced conformity being a core theme of the show, because it is relevant.

Constant reminders of a racial divide and aggression towards black characters, a theme that has persisted throughout the seasons much like it has persisted in real life.

Growing LGBT acceptance

That's all I can come up with at the moment, I'm really eager to hear other peoples ideas on this, but moving on.

Each of these themes can be traced back to the very first episode.

and then we have

If you think this is far fetched, consider how you'd write the first episode of a multi-seasonal period piece to introduce ideas and themes relevant to your audiences.

Consider how the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage in the US would impact your choices.

For the purpose of portraying Will as a reserved kid for which it is unusual for him to not have come home, it would have had the same effect for Joyce to stop at the fact he is made fun of at school for his clothes and such.

this line adds a layer to her concern, that Will was targeted and hate-crimed, she is trying to get the police involved. What does Jim do?

He expresses judgement.

There is no reason to include this other than to lay the groundwork for a theme that will come back later in the show.

A theme that did come back and slapped us all in the face.

A theme that didn't go away like a lot of people wanted it to/assumed it would.

Assumed it would go away because so many shows nowadays drop a label or a flag pin on a character and leave it at that. It's frankly humiliating how people stoop so low to kiss the feet of writers who reduce them down to a few stripes. (most prominent example to me is Sasha Waybright's pitiful bi sticker in the last 3 minutes of the final episode that got people screaming in excitement.)

If this were the Russian-American tensions theme, it would be unusual to drop it before the shows concluding season, its core to Elevens storyline and the interactions of the main cast with ignorant government officials.

People have grown accustomed to the representation of queer characters with labels, that representation is the co-existance of hetero and homo characters without ever needing to address the differences. But we are different, its the beauty of being different that is ignored. I feel quite a lot of representation nowadays fails to reflect the core of LGBT experiences - love.

It is the love that makes us who we are, not the labels.

This is what makes Stranger things worthy of recognition, the queer characters are introduced through their love for others, not a single label is needed, they actually make a point of not labelling a single sexuality, which a lot of people mistook for them "dancing around the topic".

You think, for even a moment - with a style of queer storytelling such as that, that Wills love is going to be used to fuel the heteronormative relationship?

Stranger things - the show about being different, about love conquering hate - wouldn't go so far as to let Mike return that love?

yeah, right.

(i would like to add that these themes are serious issues i'm grateful the writers address. this post isn't meant to prove byler endgame, but the impact a requited love between them would bring to audiences and why that is important, much like the other themes.

the only way to have the full impact is for this theme to persist another season and play a crucial role to the shows conclusion, hence why Mike and Will are likely centre stage, even if they dont "get together", their bond is crucial to the plot, whatever happens with them and rovickie will be unforgettable.)

[dearlyfetching]

The Curious Case of Criston Cole

Something that's missing from these discussions about the perception and reaction of Criston Cole as he is characterized in House of the Dragon, is how there's evidence within the source material of Fire & Blood that could've offered a better perspective for why Criston reacted as negatively as he did regarding his involvement with Rhaenyra.

There is an in-universe incident which saw both Jaehaerys and Alysanne discharge one of their kingsguard for not only having sex, but wedding and siring children from 3 different wives! Once the secret was revealed to everyone including the wives and children who weren't made aware of this until it was too late, this man was not only fired and stripped of any prestige he had, but castrated by his former kingsguard members and sent to the Wall. He may not have been executed, but violating his oath had severe repercussions not only for himself but for the women who were involved with him and even their children.

Fire & Blood, pg. 300

Jaehaerys left it to his queen to deal with the three families. Alysanne decreed that Lucamore's sons might join their father on the Wall, if they wished. The two oldest boys chose to do so. The girls would be accepted as novices by the Faith, if that was their desire. Only one elected that path. The other children were to remain with their mothers. The first of the wives, with her children, was given over to the charge of Lucamore's brother, Bywin, who had been raised to be the Lord of Harrenhal not half a year earlier. The second wife and her offspring would go to Driftmark, to be fostered by Daemon Velaryon, Lord of the Tides. The third wife, whose children were the youngest (one still on her breast), would be sent down to Storm's End, where Garon Baratheon and young Lord Boremund would see to their upbringing. None were ever again to call themselves Strong, the queen decreed; from this day they would bear the bastard names Rivers, Waters, and Storm. "For that gift, you may thank your father, that hollow knight."

Oaths aren't just meaningless in Westeros. Look at how often Jaime Lannister is scorned for being a kingslayer, despite the dramatic irony of readers knowing why he broke his oaths in the first place. Jaehaerys had already denied the service of kingsguard who broke theirs to turn against Maegor, stating that he didn't want men who couldn't keep their oaths because he felt they were untrustworthy. So, who was this infamous kingsguard anyway? Lucamore Strong.

Yes, Strong.

A member of the kingsguard from House Strong broke his oaths and secretly fathered children across 3 wives. The scandal led to him being derided as "Lucamore the Lusty" long after he was dead. His descendant, Harwin, would also go on to secretly father bastards on the crown princess of the realm and heir presumptive decades later.

As it stands, Criston has justifiable reasons to feel disgusted and embittered at his situation. He is a lowborn (son of a steward) dornishman who obtained knighthood and was then elected as a member of one of the most prestigious positions outside of a lordship. Breaking his kingsguard oath would've resulted in castration and disgrace at best or execution at worst. Criston knows that if the truth were ever to be reported to the king (who would attack his own brother scenes later for allegedly deflowering Rhaenyra), he would be summarily punished. As Lyonel Strong himself said:

"Your intimacy with the Princess Rhaenyra is an offence that would mean exile and death. For you, for her, for the children!" -Ser Lyonel Strong, House of the Dragon S1E06

Not only this, but Criston is stuck serving a lifelong occupation wherein he must exist in the same proximity as the employer who propositioned and coerced him, and for years witness her committing what is tantamount to treason (if not scandal at the very least) with another man by violating her own marriage vows as opposed to getting them legally dissolved in the absence of a trueborn heir. This isn't even taking into account what might happen to him once Rhaenyra ascends the iron throne. He was forced to confront the horrific realization of being subjected to the whim of a Targaryen and see that all his efforts of adhering to rules and societal standards meant nothing to the people with authority greater than himself. To boil his character down to a "thug" or an "incel" without attempting to understand his motivations or the broader context surrounding them is utterly reductive.

[noemilivv]

Hi Hi Hiii!!

I just came across your blog for the first time and OMG YOUR CONTENT IS SO SILLY I LOVE IT AHENEGSNWVDBEGDEE (the aesthetic is <33)

That 300 thingy was so cute,too bad i missed it 😭😭

Anyways,

May I ask for some platonic! Alastor,Rosie,Zestial,Carmilla,Vox,Adam and Husk (don't be afraid to shorten the list if it's too many 😭 I usually give a lot so you can write those you have more inspiration for) with a child!reader that is stereotypically childish and just very energetic and happy? Like,they love bright colors,plushies,running around,climb on stuff,always are happy but overall is a very nice and polite kid and will behave if kept occupied? Maybe one day the kid isn't all happy like always and the character worried? (Idk you do you,I just want a silly little chaotic kid!reader 😭😭)

I love platonic stuff so yeah :3

Anyways,I hope you can and enjoy writing this!!

I hope you have a really nice day! Don't forget to drink water and have rest!!

Stay proud!

-Nina <3

AWEEE TYSM !! i’m glad you enjoy my content (as well the aesthetic of my blog hehe), dw tho!! i’ll def have more events similar to my 300 celly in the future ~

as of now, i do not write for zestial or carmilla, but other than that i can do the rest ! enjoy !

Adam, Alastor, Husk, and Rosie + Chaotic!Child!Reader

Adam

He literally loves you to pieces bro, it makes him consider kids later on in his afterlife

Wrestling is constant with the the two of you, he’ll let ya beat him up for fun, he’ll swing ya around, anything ya want!!

Although, if you start swearing at a young age, now it’s thinks to him!

If he sees that the chaotic and fun kid he knows just isn’t feeling it today, he’ll plop down next to ya, try to make you laugh or smile, but if he gets no response? Crushed bro.

He’ll just be like “What’s wrong little bro?” with a 🥺 look on his :’)

Alastor

Alastor wasn’t much of a kid person, well.. until he met you.

You were fun to be around - energetic, but also still polite, as well as entertaining

He would have you do some tasks, giving him less work, and it kept you occupied

Although one day, his charming little kiddo wasn’t their normal happy self.

Al would bend to your level, a soft smile on his face, “Young one, you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

Husk

To be honest, kids weren’t really Husk’s thing, teenagers? Sure. But young children, eh…

Well, until he met you, you were polite, but still had a lot of energy and were fun to be around — but also knew when to shush.

He would especially love it when you would say the most out of pocket shit, and just not know, cause you’re just a kid!

But when he sees his little stinker without their usual smile, he’s concerned.

When you come to the bar with your little soft frown, Husk will lean over the counter to face you, whispering a small ‘Keep pushing tiger, ya got this.’

Rosie

Rosie adores children of all ages, she’s a very motherly person, so it’s safe to say when you first stumbled into her emporium, clueless, she was more than delighted to help you!!

Once she got to know you, she was in awe about how a child could be more perfect, you were so grown yet so innocent, it was cute, really.

So when she sees you stumble back to her parlor, looking like you had just cried, her heart broke for you.

She’ll take your hand, and lead you off to your usual talking spot, giving you a cup a tea, “C’mon now, sweetie, what’s got ya in a funk? What can I do?”