#ARE ALL THE CHILDREN AND ALL THE FATHERS AND MOTHERS AND RELATIVES THAT HAVE DIED FAKE????

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Sorry for the late reply! In a situation where Lord Appropriate marries Lysa, you're correct with your second guess-- their kids would not be involved in the succession of the Vale. The heir to the Vale, Robert's heir, would be (as it is now) Harry Hardyng, who is his closest relative on his father's side and the only other living descendant of Jasper Arryn (Jon's father). And after Harry, presumably the Gulltown Arryns or, if they exist, descendants of Jon's grandfather, etc.

If Donella had married Ramsay voluntarily -- or anyone, say Rodrik Cassel -- she would not have been able to name him heir to Hornwood. The Widow's Law means she can't be forced to leave Hornwood, that she has use rights of the castle and lands, but she can't bestow them as an heir to Hornwood, as she is not a Hornwood herself. She could appoint someone as protector (note I'm not sure if this title is ever used without the Lord part, but the role would be the same as Lord Protector), someone to act as the (male) guardian of the lands and lead its armies, which is difficult for women to do on their own in this patriarchy -- and for all practical purposes people might treat him as the lord*, more on that in a moment with the Bronn situation -- but it would not be, per the basic laws and customs of Westeros, a position inherited by his children (should he have any). Mind you, politics could change this! If you look at the Hornwood heir candidates presented to Bran (Robb's proxy), there are Hornwood female line descendants in Houses Karstark, Flint, and Tallhart, and the suggestion is made that one of them change their name to Hornwood should they be appointed heir by Lord (King) Robb Stark. Technically this heir appointment and name change could also be done with a non-relative (or even a non-noble!), if the overlord chose to do so, but the continuity of blood inheritance via family members, even distant ones, is part of the whole societal illusion of noble families in the first place. We wouldn't want the smallfolk asking inconvenient questions or thinking they're as worthy as anyone else, now would we.

*note a lord also has the right of pit and gallows, the power to imprison or serve justice to his smallfolk. I'm not sure a non-lord protector could legally do so, that right might have to go upwards to Lord Stark in the meanwhile.

And yeah, Bronn and Lollys's marriage is a perfect example of the issues here! Cersei offered Lollys to Bronn as a bribe because she figured a lowborn sellsword would jump at the chance to get in with nobility, and she knew that Lady Tanda would accept a lowborn sellsword as a husband for her daughter because they were fucking desperate. (Since said unwed daughter, as you know, was a second daughter, mentally disabled, not pretty, and extremely pregnant from a very publicly known** gangrape.) But like Bronn told Tyrion, though Lollys was the heir, her older sister had been married for 10 years with no kids, and could easily die before her elderly mother (hint, hint). As it was, Bronn didn't actually have to follow up on those hints himself, as Cersei's not-thinking-things-through ended up with Falyse's husband dead, Falyse tossed out on her ass, fleeing to KL, and soon dead or worse from Qyburn, and Lady Tanda dead from pneumonia after breaking her hip, and thus Lollys as the only heir. (More on this here, since you're interested.)

**Among others, Littlefinger included that info in the KL news he was sharing with the Tyrells to encourage Loras to join the Kingsguard to protect Margaery. Everyone in Westeros knows about poor Lollys.

All fair and above board and nobody cares about Stokeworth anyway, right? Right? Nope! Back to Falyse getting tossed out on her ass after her husband died. How did that happen?

"Bronn put a dagger in his eye, and told me I had best be gone from Stokeworth before the sun went down or I'd get the same. He said he'd pass me around to the g-g-garrison, if any of them would have me. When I ordered Bronn seized, one of his knights had the insolence to say that I should do as Lord Stokeworth said. He called him Lord Stokeworth!" Lady Falyse clutched at the queen's hand. "Your Grace must give me knights. A hundred knights! And crossbowmen, to take my castle back. Stokeworth is mine! They would not even permit me to gather up my clothes! Bronn said they were his wife's clothes now, all my s-silks and velvets."

As Lollys's husband, Bronn had no legal right whatsoever to Stokeworth. Falyse was the heir. But Bronn did have an army, a bunch of sellswords and hedge knights he'd hired to hang out in Stokeworth, and in Westeros, when someone says "you and what army?" it's really helpful when you have one. Bronn could throw Falyse out of Stokeworth because he threatened her with death or rape if she stayed, and she didn't have enough loyal men to deal with his. His men, who are calling him Lord Stokeworth. Bronn is not Lord Stokeworth, he is Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, husband of Lady Lollys Stokeworth, stepfather of the infant Tyrion Tanner, current heir to Stokeworth (god save the poor boy), and probable future father of the actual legitimate Stokeworth heir. But, as Lollys is just happy to be treated relatively nicely and wear silks and velvets, if Bronn says his mentally disabled sweet little wife appointed him Lord Protector with his big strong army to guard her and her lands, nobody will say otherwise.

Well. Cersei might say otherwise, but she'd have to reveal all the Bronn-murder-plot-gone-wrong or the I-gave-Falyse-to-my-necromancer-and-now-she's-parts situation and she really doesn't want to do so. She can declare Bronn is illegally occupying Stokeworth and try to throw him out (though again, with what army?), and hope nobody actually asks how he did so, but again, Bronn could bar the gates, stand on the battlements, and produce a happy and smiling Lollys with a baby in her arms, and it's hard to overcome that sort of public image. And Cersei knows that, which is one of the reasons she so desperately asked Qyburn if Falyse was still available (spoilers: she was not).

But besides all these schemes of inheritance and Cersei fuck-ups, why does Stokeworth actually matter? Well. It's easily overlooked, but that castle and lands is the biggest local source of food for King's Landing. There's the fish in the bay, and imports via the Roseroad and Riverroad etc, but within the Crownlands, Stokeworth is very important to KL. When the dragons were alive, hundreds of cattle and sheep and goats came from the Stokeworth lands every day to feed them. Even without the dragons, a lot of food still comes from there to feed the people of the city. (Note that Littlefinger didn't care about Stokeworth because he's not interested in local power, and he knew he had Lysa on a string.) Another big local source of food is Rosby... and Cersei gone and done fucked up the heir situation there too. And furthermore, as we learned from the Dance, Rosby and Stokeworth are very significant locations if you have to flee the city... which Cersei very much might.

Anyway, hope this all helps! Any further questions, just let me know.

Something I haven't seen brought up much with the ramsay vs manderly horn wood question is about Donella Hornwoods own claim to those lands. She's not a Hornwoods by blood, but by marriage, so she would only have widow's use rights (which I believe are the rights to live there and be supported). Hornwood would need to pass to the next blood claimant or revert to the crown to dispense with if one can't be found. This is why I'm especially confused as to how she can name Ramsay inheritor in a will to lands she doesn't own. (Whereas Catelyn clearly doesn't have the power to will winterfell to Arya over Jon despite being in the same position as the widowed Dowager Queen/Lady)

Instead, it's the manderlys and the bolton at odds over who owns that land, both through Donella, even though she herself doesn't seem to have actual inheritance rights to it. (As opposed to Sansa Stark, who is a blood claimant so Tyrion could legally rule winterfell through her) In any case I think the real crux of the issue, like with the forced marriage, is bigger army diplomacy. Bran mentions a bastard, but unless said bastard can raise an army or get the millitary support of a larger faction, those lands are going to the bolton or the manderlys.

I imagine there isn't a blood relative with any real millitary backing or roose and wyman wouldn't be going through all this trouble for someone who technically only has widow's use rights.

Ultimately, because armies are honestly the biggest decider of succession law in westeros (Aegon II acknowledged as king over Rhaenrya I in histories because he won the war, Maegor over Aegon the uncrowned because he won the war, even the Tyrell's claim to highgarden being a bit dodgy in terms of blood relations but backed up by the targaryen millitary power of the time etc), whether or not Donellas's marriage and contract are going to be considered valid according to history will depend on who is in power. Should the boltons be toppled, I think the new lord/lady/king/queen of the north will suddenly be hearing a lot of arguments about the legality of vows forced at sword point that no one dares take to roose bolton now.

hello anon, thank you for your thoughtful message!! the hornwood marriage and its fallout is one of my favorite subplots of the series so i'm always thrilled to talk about it.

while i agree with your final conclusion that armies are the biggest decider of succession law in westeros (i talked about this here re: lord manderly and his squatting on hornwood after donella's death), i think you're underselling donella's legal claim to hornwood as lord hornwood's widow as they apply to her lord husband.

look at lysa tully, jon arryn's widow:

agot, chapter 34, catelyn vi

you could say that lysa only has a claim to the vale because she has the men to back it. lady hornwood is alone. her son and her husband were killed, and the majority if not all of her household guard were killed as well. she is the last remnant of house hornwood.

the degree to which wives who marry into greathouses are integrated into that breathouse is variable. cat, as a notable example, calls herself a stark as often as she calls herself a tully. tyrion (and others i think) calls her a shewolf. she considers herself an outsider, a riverlander in the north, but as the series progresses and especially after ned's death she speaks about herself in her private thoughts and aloud in public as a stark of winterfell. cersei, on the other hand, would drop dead before she called herself a baratheon. and lysa falls moreso in the middle, where she is called lysa tully and after the death of her husband is often reminded of/aligned with her familial connections to house tully, but absolutely considers herself Of The Vale, even though she's spent about fourteen years in king's landing with jon serving as robert's hand. (donella, for as long as we know her, is always and by everyone referred to as lady hornwood, never donella manderly).

so one could argue that lysa tully is pointedly not an arryn, and is only holding the vale because her son is a blood claimant AND she has tully and arryn forces to support her own claim in the meantime.

but suitors are beating down lysa's door because they want the vale. and the vale would pass to them as the new head of the vale and defacto head of house arryn. i was going to use ramsay as an example but his bastard status makes this more complicated so let's pick a legitimate second son. why can't i think of anyone.

actually, let's say tyrion, since you also mentioned sansa's blood rights to winterfell.

tyrion is heir by blood to casterly rock, since jaime is a knight of the kingsguard and thus unable to inherit. let's axe that because it also makes things more complicated. jaime leaves the kingsguard as tywin wants him to do and he inherits casterly rock and becomes warden of the west. this leaves tyrion a second son with no blood claim to casterly rock (similar to the blackfish, who left house tully to go with lysa to the vale and serve house arryn. i didn't use him as an example because lysa's husband also being a tully would muddy the waters of an example that is already stretched pretty thin). so tyrion marries lysa tully. tyrion is now lord of the vale, stepfather to lord robert aryn. tyrion's first order of business would be siring a son on his new wife so that lord baby lannister-tully would become the new heir to the vale, trumping robert arryn's claim. all of this would come from lysa tully's claim to the vale, as the widow of jon arryn.

importantly, donella hornwood is considered an elligible marriage prospect by the men at winterfell, even if she is too old to have children.

Midday came and went. Maester Luwin sent Poxy Tym down to the kitchens, and they dined in the solar on cheese, capons, and brown oatbread. While tearing apart a bird with fat fingers, Lord Wyman made polite inquiry after Lady Hornwood, who was a cousin of his. “She was born a Manderly, you know. Perhaps, when her grief has run its course, she would like to be a Manderly again, eh?” He took a bite from a wing, and smiled broadly. “As it happens, I am a widower these past eight years. Past time I took another wife, don’t you agree, my lords? A man does get lonely.” Tossing the bones aside, he reached for a leg. “Or if the lady fancies a younger lad, well, my son Wendel is unwed as well. He is off south guarding Lady Catelyn, but no doubt he will wish to take a bride on his return. A valiant boy, and jolly. Just the man to teach her to laugh again, eh?” He wiped a bit of grease off his chin with the sleeve of his tunic.

acok, chapter 16, bran ii

here we see lord manderly scheming to get the hornwood lands by marriage, for either himself or his son

Bran wanted to give the lady a hundred men to defend her rights, but Ser Rodrik only said, “He may look, but should he do more I promise you there will be dire retribution. You will be safe enough, my lady … though perhaps in time, when your grief is passed, you may find it prudent to wed again.”

“I am past my childbearing years, what beauty I had long fled,” she replied with a tired half smile, “yet men come sniffing after me as they never did when I was a maid.”

“You do not look favorably on these suitors?” asked Luwin.

“I shall wed again if His Grace commands it,” Lady Hornwood replied, “but Mors Crowfood is a drunken brute, and older than my father. As for my noble cousin of Manderly, my lord’s bed is not large enough to hold one of his majesty, and I am surely too small and frail to lie beneath him.”

Bran knew that men slept on top of women when they shared a bed. Sleeping under Lord Manderly would be like sleeping under a fallen horse, he imagined. Ser Rodrik gave the widow a sympathetic nod. “You will have other suitors, my lady. We shall try and find you a prospect more to your taste.”

“Perhaps you need not look very far, ser.” After she had taken her leave, Maester Luwin smiled. “Ser Rodrik, I do believe my lady fancies you.” Ser Rodrik cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable.

acok, chapter 26, bran ii

and here we see donella both acknowledging her many suitors and flirting with ser rodrik (cute!!!)

immediately after this though we get a more pragmatic breakdown of why donella's dead husband and son cause issues politically:

“She was very sad,” said Bran.

Ser Rodrik nodded. “Sad and gentle, and not at all uncomely for a woman of her years, for all her modesty. Yet a danger to the peace of your brother’s realm nonetheless.”

“Her?” Bran said, astonished. Maester Luwin answered. “With no direct heir, there are sure to be many claimants contending for the Hornwood lands. The Tallharts, Flints, and Karstarks all have ties to House Hornwood through the female line, and the Glovers are fostering Lord Harys’s bastard at Deepwood Motte. The Dreadfort has no claim that I know, but the lands adjoin, and Roose Bolton is not one to overlook such a chance.”

Ser Rodrik tugged at his whiskers. “In such cases, her liege lord must find her a suitable match.”

“Why can’t you marry her?” Bran asked. “You said she was comely, and Beth would have a mother.” The old knight put a hand on Bran’s arm. “A kindly thought, my prince, but I am only a knight, and besides too old. I might hold her lands for a few years, but as soon as I died Lady Hornwood would find herself back in the same mire, and Beth’s prospects might be perilous as well.”

“Then let Lord Hornwood’s bastard be the heir,” Bran said, thinking of his half brother Jon. Ser Rodrik said, “That would please the Glovers, and perhaps Lord Hornwood’s shade as well, but I do not think Lady Hornwood would love us. The boy is not of her blood.”

“Still,” said Maester Luwin, “it must be considered. Lady Donella is past her fertile years, as she said herself. If not the bastard, who?”

“May I be excused?” Bran could hear the squires at their swordplay in the yard below, the ring of steel on steel.

acok, chapter 26, bran ii

so we're right back to the point where you and i totally agree. the only thing that REALLY decides inheritance rights in westeros is the point of a sword.

which wheels us back to my longstanding point (arrived at throughout my first reread and with the help of many friendly mutuals and anons who contributed to my understanding of the issue) that ramsay kidnapping donella hornwood and marrying her at swordpoint is unusual because he is an unrecognized illegitimate bastard when he does it, but is at the end of the day not that much more brutal or unheard of than any other run of the mill marriage in westeros.

so donella here is like a vector through which the hornwood lands would pass. lysa's situation with the vale is similar, though her claim to the keep and its lands is stronger because she has a living heir AND both tully and arryn forces to guard her claim.

ramsay banked on the dreadfort's forces to protect him from the ramifications of kidnapping raping and murdering a noblewoman AND to hold the hornwood lands. the dreadfort forces could do neither. but the marriage was not a total loss politically since as i have said, ramsay is the legal claimant to the hornwood lands, AND roose has an interest in holding those lands as well so he would back his claim if it came to it.

as with all things in westeros, whoever carries the biggest stick wins the day, regardless of written law or unwritten social custom.

so at the end of the day, i think donella's legal rights to hornwood are strong only insofar as they serve her new lord husband, who stands to inherit her land. which. actually reading over all this again i think it is accurate of you to say that donella only has widow's rights for as long as she does not remarry. but that is less to do with westerosi legal code (nonexistant) and more to do with hornwood having no military strength left AND their leige lords the starks being stretched too thin with the WoFK to lend their help before it's too late to do so.

donella can will her lands to her new husband ramsay because she would have functionally been doing to same thing if lord manderly or his son married her. or if ser rodrik married her. donella has claim over hornwood only insofar as she can give it to her lord husband.

[not-foxy-knowledge-seeker]

gods why the fuck do I even try to talk to my dad

[mightybeewrites]

Child of the Bat

Yandere! Batfamily x Neglected! Platonic! Reader

Chapter 1:

first, next

Synopsis: you and your mystery horror author mother moved to Gotham for a fresh new start. At first you hated the idea of moving. You wanted to stay in Georgia with all of your friends and all of the familiar faces but soon you had to say goodbye. A few months into your new Gothamite life—disaster struck and your mother died. It was revealed that you’re also Bruce Wayne’s bio child. And so you moved in with him and his sea of children. Will you survive this new change in your life? Or will you succumb to the pressures of Gotham and its corruption?

tw: character death

Author’s note: while I did write this in mind for a fem black reader, anybody is welcomed to read it. Never wrote one of these before, hope yall like it

--—————-

Your mother always told you that you had your father’s intense blue eyes and thick sharp eyebrows. You didn’t know how to feel about that. But everytime you’d see an interview about him or him walking the red carpet at an event, you could see it. It felt strange yet… comforting.

You sat in between your mother’s legs as the TV played the high society event as you felt your mother’s fingers intertwine the braids of your hair. You flinched a couple times when she braided too tightly but then quickly recovered.

As your mother braided your hair, you looked down as what you were working on.

“What do you have there, Y/N?” Your mother’s honey voice broke into your concentration.

Your blue eyes remained focused on your lap. The device you held was long and bulky—with wheels on both sides. “Oh, I’m trying to upgrade my skateboard.”

“Really?” Your mother also remained focus braiding your hair.

“Yeah, I wanna see if I can add rockets to my baby—so I can go anywhere. Maybe even the skies??”

Your mother stopped braiding as you felt her eyes on her. “Honestly I believe it’s a grand idea but… is this about failing your driver’s test?”

“…” you didn’t say anything and continued with your work.

“Oh (Y/N).. I understand you feel a certain type of way but—“

“It’s okay mom, I’ll figure something out. Driving.. it’s not for me. So that’s why I’ll try to get around some type of way. Maybe a rocket skateboard”

Your mother sighed and smiled, “or maybe some rocket shoes?”

“Yeah! That too!”

And with that, you two simply laughed.

—-

When she was finished with your hair, you had long braids that stopped to your lower back. Something that could last a good while.

You looked in the mirror and saw your reflection with your mother standing behind you. Her hands grasping your shoulders and staring in the mirror with you. Her long kinky starlight hair tied back in a puffball with a warm smile.

“You look so beautiful, my dear Y/N. I just know this new life will be great!”

—-

It rained a lot in Gotham. You could barely see the stars at night too. Because it was always hidden by dark stormy grey clouds.

Everything smelt bad—even on the rich side.

It rained a lot.

Even at her funeral.

You disassociated when the pastor read Psalms as a few others bowed their heads in respect.

Despite you being the only blood relative, everybody else was from Gotham Publication—the company that had you and your mother move all the way out here.

Your gaze was intense and your fists were balled up in anger and sadness.

She.. looked so peaceful. She looked as if she was sleeping. As if she could wake up any moment.

But she didn’t.

You wish she did but she didn’t.

———

Another a/n: hey all! Hope you enjoyed chapter 1! Really excited to share my own piece of the action. Plz expect more soon!

[jollmaster]

(re)design trivia: Alastor's father

his name is Roy

tall, charming, with absolute ear for music

louisiana creole, approximately half-black; approximately, because no one knows how much non-white he is

it all started when wealthy french creole plantator took young and beautiful black woman (she was brought to Louisiana from Senegal) as unofficial wife and gave their children from plaçage rights and inheritance

this family formerly owned a piece of land and was part of the local mixed-black elite (after Louisiana purchase in 1803, in time of segregation, they lost it, but retained remnants of former dignity)

he would have passed for a moorish somewhere in Malaga, but unfortunately he lived in the American South

seduced Alastor's mom when she was sixteen and half

died on hunt when son was six years old, but their kinship had a noticeable effect

Alastor still remembers that dad had dark hands, often went hunting, sang for him and played guitar for mom; Roy wasn't brilliant dad, but he was caring, loving and tried to be better

mother hid the fact that child's father wasn't white

CHARLIE'S GANG: Charlie, Vaggie, Angel Dust, Niffty, sir Pentious (and egg boiz), Cherri Bomb, Husk, Alastor (+ gang as humans)

HEAVEN: Adam, Eve, Lute, Emily, Sera

ADAM AND EVE'S CHILDREN: Cain, Abel, Seth, Awan, Azura

HELL: Lilith, Lucifer, Seviathan, Helsa, Razzle and Dazzle, Baxter

SINS: Asmodeus [Lust], Beelzebub [Gluttony], Satan [Wrath], Mammon [Greed] (and Fizz), Belphegor [Sloth]

LUCIFER'S WIVES: Eisheth Zenunim, Naamah, Agrat bat Mahlat

VEES: Vox, Valentino, Velvette

OVERLORDS: Zestial, Rosie, Carmilla Carmine (and her daughters, Odette and Clara), Flaming Skull Guy

FRIENDS AND RELATIVES: Mimzy, Arackniss, Molly, Alastor's mom

[celestica-1988]

An headcanon for every Tokyo Revengers character. Some are funny, other are not.

Mikey favorite holiday is Halloween cause he can eat as many sweets as he wants and nobody can tell him shit.

Draken secretly wants to go to a spa with Emma. Draken babysits Toman, Emma takes care of the Sano household and they need to rest. He gets flustered if he thinks about sharing a bed with her or taking a bath together at the offsprings.

Baji feeds stray cats and others animals. Animals are naturally drawn to him for some reasons.

Chifuyu likes to watch TV programs of plane crashes. He dreams to be a pilot and he wants to learn how to avoid situations like the ones in the programs.

Takemichi started reading and watching thrillers in the hope they help him sharpen his ability to investigate

Kazutora still has nightmares of his father beating his mother.

Mitsuya keeps himself updated on what is popular amongs kids so he can sew cool things to his sisters like clothes or stuffed animal.

Hakkai is secretly learning Italian since he loves the Godfather series.

Taiju favorite film is Shark Tale.

Pahchin sleeps cuddling his dog.

Pehyan reads scientific books so he can came up with more witty come backs on Pahchin brain.

Angry is really loved by the elderly people in his neighborhood because he's always ready to help them in any way despite his grumpy face. One of the grannies taught him the perfect recipe for ramen.

Smiley is an hardcore naruhina shipper and won't hesitate to fight if someone insults his otp.

When Mucho saw Sanzu for the first time he thought he seemed like a stray cat. That's why he approached him with food aka cheesecake.

Sanzu would like to fix his relationship with Senju but he doesn't know how. Senju is always with Takeomi and he hates Takeomi. He's also scared that if he stops checking on Mikey, even for a second, something bad will happen to him and Shinichiro would have died in vain.

Kisaki has an album of pics of Hinata that he took when she didn't notice.

Hanma really loves movies with a lot of action and comments loud every scene of violence saying what he would have done instead if he was the protagonist.

Kokonoi talks about his days and his thoughts to a framed pic of Akane. He feels like she's still with him.

Inui plays guitar and he's interested in spiritism.

Izana throws darts to a Karen Kurokawa pic pinned on the wall because she ruined his life and his relationship with Emma and Shinichiro.

Kakucho shaves his hair by himself. He's not comfortable with people touching his scar.

Shion is unexpectedly good with children. He's a bit chaotic but overall a good babysitter.

Mochi is really good at cooking and he's proud of it.

Rindou started going to the gym because he was tired of being teased for his chubby cheeks. His guilty pleasure is eating Mac Donald food.

Ran loves 70s lamps, the one with bubbles that are moving up and down inside. They help him sleep.

South loves to dance Latin dances like samba, cha cha cha, rumba etc...

Wakasa has got some fishing trophies in his apartment.

Benkei appears as a tough guy but he loves to sleep with plushies.

Shinichiro has got an organizer that uses as his diary in which he writes his thoughts and notes all of his siblings birthdays.

Takeomi is always scolded by his relatives because of how he wasted his life, raised Haru to be a lunatic and ruined the relationship between Haru and Senju.

Hinata secretly trains in martial arts to help Takemichi, even though she knew he probably won't let her take part in a fight.

Emma often thinks at how good it would be if Izana lives with them. She wants him to have a family.

Yuzuha listen to heavy metal as a let out of her frustration for living with Taiju.

Senju sometimes wants to be adopted by Wakasa so she won't have Takeomi around and maybe Sanzu would visit her. She also hate Concordes.

[bunbotbuggiman]

au where the peak lords reincarnate as Bingge's quarter demon spawn

saw a post (https://www.tumblr.com/cursed-angelic-art/686056254886559744/do-you-think-mobei-jun-is-the-one-playing-father) talking abt if mbj "played dad" for og lbh's army of kids and-

au where the peak lords reincarnate as Bingge's quarter demon spawn

they all have different mothers but are all the same age- were born the same year-

even sqq, who's nyy's favorite kid (because he reminds her of her shizun, during the good days before lbh became a disciple) despite not being her kid (she herself never had any kids, which doesn't bother her as much because neither did lmy or shl and they're the head wives still so) (in the same vein, Liu Mingyans favorite kid is the one who behaves most like her late brother)

This world's version of Shen Yuan, however, was born as the son of one of mbj's advisors, before said advisor and his family died in a tragic accident. so he was adopted by mobei-jun and shang qinghua at the ripe old age of barely a few weeks old.

His name: Mo Yuan, named after an old friend of Shang Qinghua's from his secret pre-transmigration life (In this world, SY is not a transmigrator.... maybe he is a reincarnation.... but there's no real way to tell, he sure doesn't remember anything)

So he's an ice demon. looks like Shen Yuan but everything about him is like 30 shades more MBJ. he adores his parents, and his parents adore him, and because of this mutual adoration he has successfully grown up completely secure in his status as their child in spite of fully knowing of his adopted status.

This being said, there are very few individuals who also know this fact, because since the transition was so fast (and because Shang Qinghua knows stuff, and Mobei-Jun knows he knows stuff) they just bullshit it and say that Mo Yuan is a magical plant baby who was born as a full demon in spite of technically being a half demon because of magic plant bullshit.

He looks enough like shang qinghua to make it believable anyways, so it's fine.

Mo Yuan and Shang Qinghua also have a really weird relationship where MY at some point got into Shang Qinghua's writings (only the age appropriate stuff.... he found out about the porn at a later age) and violently hated it, but Shang Qinghua found it:

A. funny that his son was so violently opinionated and

B. thought it was important that his son be able to have an outlet for these emotions so he honestly encouraged it.

So now they have a really close parental relationship but also are kind of friendly-close because when Mo Yuan found some of SQH's writings, he immediately was like "oh my god Baba you suck???? at writing????? How?????? You are a scribe???? This is so awful???? Baba, you could do this better, and this better, and- what the hell, take this out, oh my god..."

Also, his name in the au is 漠垣 Mo Yuán meaning North[ern] Wall, but his courtesy name is 漠 雪峰 Mo Xuefēng, meaning North[ern] Snow[y] Peak.

However, he is beloved by much of the palace staffers, who have watched him grow up much closer than any of Luo Bingge's children, who mostly grow up in the relative isolation of their courtyards and palaces and palace wings, so he is referred to by many of them by his nickname, 雪花 Xuehua, meaning snowflake.

So anyways, he meets + kinda grows up alongside many of the peak lords because he grows up spending a lot of time in the palace by virtue of his dads being, well, Mobei Jun and Shang Qinghua.

Shang Qinghua and Liu Mingyan, shippers prime and book club buddies into this universe (though Mo Yuan staunchly ignores all of LMY's writings because his face is wayyy too thin for that) immediately sees the way that the various children of Luo Bingge climb over each other in desperate attempts to charm and woo the chilly Mo Xuefeng...

and maybe eventually, how one son of Luo Bingge looks at him and how Mo Yuan looks back.

(I haven't decided what I want the pairing to be here.... oopsies y'all, come to y'alls own conclusions ig lmaooo)

[regencyrosalie]

biblically accurate modern!husband!anthony hc’s 🤍

first post here ! <3 i hope u love it <3

- anthony “i love my wife” bridgerton trying to go about his daily life when he quite literally wants to stay in bed all day with you.

- anthony is THE lightest sleeper on earth. if you get up at night, you’ll come back to the bedroom and hes just sitting up in bed half asleep like 🧍🏻‍♂️

- speaking of, if you even want to get up, you’ll have to wriggle out of his death grip. he will hold onto you throughout the entire night, and if it’s hot, he’ll make sure to have a hand sprawled across the bed onto you.

- sometimes you have to remind him to back off a little because he genuinely acts like you might die every time you leave the house

- insists you call/text him (preferably call) when you arrive at at wherever you’re going so he know you didn’t get hit by a car or something on the way there

- speaking of, Anthony texts like he he does not understand what a phone is.

- quite literally really only uses his dad’s old desk phone and emails. he owns an iphone 7 that is usually sitting in the back of his bedside drawer for days at a time.

- he loves all of his siblings equally, but Hyacinth has him wrapped around her finger at all times.

- will do pretty much anything for his wife, but is much more firm with his siblings.

- which is why every time they need something and you aren’t around, Hyacinth is sent to give him her best puppy eyes. he folds almost instantly every time without fail.

- genuinely does not really have many “friends” that aren’t also family. he used to in college, but he just doesn’t find it necessary anymore, and also doesn’t have the time.

- he has reading glasses. enough said.

- scared of bugs.

- talks about pretty much everything with Benedict, who he’s probably closest with in his family besides his mother.

- used to play with/take care of Hyacinth as a baby when Violet was grieving.

- sometimes struggles to pronounce big words when he’s arguing and it pisses him off so much he has to leave the room.

- likely has most of his siblings set up with a therapist, but doesn’t get one for himself until his wife tells him to.

- all of his spaces are organized meticulously, usually by color or number order.

- will check to make sure every door to the house is locked at least three times before going to bed.

- which can take up to an hour when staying at Aubrey Hall.

- we all see how he softened in season 3. his siblings tease him about it sometimes, but they’re all delighted. and he couldn’t care less. he thinks he is the luckiest man on earth and rolls his eyes every time he thinks of how angsty he was.

- if you have children, he’s the most loving father in the world. will wear a tutu if the need arises.

- he can’t have you in his office for more than thirty minutes or he gets distracted.

- he didn’t cry for years after his dad died, and now he cries about once a month.

- most animals love him for some reason.

- has nightmares relatively frequently after edmund dies, but they die down as he gets older.

- favorite color is navy blue. changes to light blue once he’s married.

- good with babies and toddlers from when hyacinth was little.

- you make him take breaks while he works everyday, and they become his favorite parts of the day. you bring him tea and sit in his lap and pet his hair, sometimes he falls asleep. he tells you to wake him up but you never do.

- still uses an alarm clock.

- refuses to leave bed until ten am every day.

- smells like sandalwood and cinnamon.

- idk why but i feel like he fucking LOVES sudoku puzzles.

- but dont ever ask him to do a real puzzle thats more than 50 pieces or he may start crying.

- type of mf to read actual newspapers.

- no one in the family has serious allergies, but he still keeps an epi pen everywhere just in case.

[city-of-ladies]

"Women participated in war, an aspect of life that may be classified as political. Father Peter De Smet, the famous Jesuit missionary, recorded that Flathead women served as assistants in warfare: they retrieved arrows and intervened in the battle if a relative’s life was endangered. Point said of women’s battle role:

Several women rivaled the bravest of the men in courage. In the midst of the fray an elderly woman, hatchet in hand, hurled herself so violently between her son, whose horse was tiring, and a Crow on the point of reaching him, that the pursuer, despite his giant stature, judged it prudent to move away. Another younger woman went about on the battlefield gathering up arrows for those of her warriors who had run out of them. Another, who had advanced too far in pursuit of the enemy, made such a swift about face, at the very moment several arms were outstretched to grab her, that she galloped back to her own lines leaving the enemy stupefied. Still another, after having spent some time pursuing several Crows, returned saying, “I thought these great talkers were men, but I was wrong. They are not even worth pursuing.” 

Point further mentioned a female warrior in passing: “All the Pend d’Oreilles warriors rode out, led by Kuiliy, a young Pend d’Oreilles woman renowned for intrepidity on the field of battle.” Unfortunately, he did not further describe this woman. 

Another warrior woman was Colestah, wife to Chief Kamiakin, who participated in the Battle of Four Lakes and Spokane Plain against Colonel George Wright in 1858. She armed herself with a stone war club and fought by her husband’s side. When Kamiakin was wounded, she rescued him and - being a medicine woman - used her healing skills to cure him. It is apparent that women had the option of becoming not only assistants in warfare but warriors in their own right, either regularly or on an occasional basis. Plateau women apparently took part in peacetime politics as well as war. “It is no rare occurrence to see a woman step in during council and severely upbraid the chief”.

Before Plateau people were restricted to reservations, a few women participated in warfare on a voluntary basis, sometimes in defense. While under siege from the Assiniboine, a Flathead woman ran out of a besieged tent with a pistol and shot an attacker dead. Southern Okanogan women and children retired behind barricades during raids on the village. If an enemy approached too closely, a woman “with much power” (spiritual) seized weapons and fought even if menstruating. Her guardian spirit protected her and made her strong. Under such circumstances, a woman could touch weapons and retain the enemy weapons she had captured. 

Traditions of warrior women were collected in 1980 on the Colville Reservation. Emily Peone, a granddaughter of the great Chief Moses of the Moses-Columbia, narrated: 

Women fought in battles; went out with war parties. My mother’s father took his younger wife along. She dressed herself in her finest clothes so that if she died, she would be wearing her funeral clothes; they wouldn’t have to dress her. Women used a club on enemies, and lances too. They took stuff along to dress wounds. They helped the wounded and rescued men in trouble. Chief Moses was always noticeable by his fine clothes in battle. So his sister-in-law saw him fall in the fighting. She galloped to him and chased away his attacker. Then she fixed his wound. These were brave women. The warriors on the other side would kill women. 

The women who rode out with raiding parties were distinguished from other women only by their great physical courage: they had no unusual social status. Consultants did not recall where they obtained their weapons and shields, but they carried them. Since female combatants were as likely to be killed or captured as a male, they were prepared to fight. Most women saw their function as helping the wounded and rescuing men in danger, as in the narrative above. In the course of these activities, however, they did not hesitate to kill opposing warriors if the opportunity arose.

 A few women participated as warriors completely, as recorded by early missionaries in the area. Such full female warriors were not remembered on the Colville Reservation, but a female Nez Perce from Idaho participated in the war against the Euro-Americans. She was able to do so over the objections of her husband and two young children, indicating the extent of the autonomy that Plateau women exercised."

A necessary balance, gender and power among Indians of the Columbia Plateau, Lillian A. Ackerman

[llendrinall]

To get in the Christmas’ mood this year I have read Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas and I have got a revelation.

This is it. The foundational book. The story everyone else is referencing, parodying, answering to, even if they don’t know it. It has the manor, the suspects, the crime, the inheritance, the toxic family. You read it and you see the game Cluedo, and the Roys from Succesion, and of course Knives Out that was always obvious, but also all the other stories in between.

And you also see what they didn’t take. The women. By Jove, this was written in 1938 and the women are so great. They are the ones carrying the story. None of the works inspired by this book have these women, petty and generous and diverse, so let me tell you about them.

Lydia Lee. Liked by everyone, even the most despicable characters. Thin and energetic. Quotes Lady Macbeth upon finding the murder victim. Poirot asks her permission to solve the case. 10/10.  

Hilda Lee. Kind. Fat. Plain. Her husband says he is glad to have her as the beneficiary of his insurance policy, which is a wild thing to say in a Christie book. Explains to her husband that women can’t simply divorce because a husband cheated and should stop blaming his mother for staying with his father. 10/10 for letting fat plain women be fat and plain and moral. She doesn’t suddenly glam up nor does she need to.

Magdalene Lee. Not much about her, but it’s nice to see an early example of gaslight, gatekeep girlboss. 7/10

Mrs Lee. Died years before the novel, still very present. Is both a victim of her husband and a toxic influence to her children. 7/10 for letting women be complex.

Pilar Estravados, the poor Spanish relative. Wants to experience an English Christmas. Is disappointed there won’t be a Yule log because of the murder. Tells the police officer investigating that he is very handsome. Says when Spaniards fight, they yell and stab each other, but Englishmen only get red in the face and say nothing. 11/10 should have gotten a whole novel from her perspective.

[yunsound]

Some drama from Ne Zha 2 and Ao Bing Zhuan (Tale of Ao Bing)

For those of us that watched Ne Zha 2 or Ne Zha 1, I'm sure Ao Bing was one of our favourite characters: he's polite, cute and strong. In 2021, after the success of Ne Zha 1, they released a side webcomic about Ao Bing titled Ao Bing Zhuan (or the Tale of Ao Bing) focusing on Ao Bing's backstory.

It didn't get very much attention: in fact, it kind of flopped, even with the huge amount of Ne Zha 1 fans. This can be attributed to a number of reasons.

The hype for Ne Zha 1 sort of died down during and post-Covid.

Ao Bing Zhuan wasn't advertised very well

Other reasons that I don't know

However, with the huge success of Ne Zha 2 in China, Ao Bing Zhuan started getting a LOT of attention recently. I'll summarise some key stuff from Ao Bing Zhuan without spoiling too much of it. It is a paid webcomic, by the way.

Confirmed canon (in movieverse/mythology):

Ao Bing has two older brothers (canonical in both the movies and the myth, since he's the third prince of the East China Sea). His father, Ao Guang (canon) hid his egg for a thousand years so he wouldn't be killed by the Heavenly Court. Since Ao Bing was born after the dragons were imprisoned under the sea, he doesn't have the chains on him, and can move freely, unlike every other dragon.

Not confirmed canon (ABZ original):

Ao Bing Zhuan gives the backstory of his family. His two older brothers and mother are not canonically confirmed in the movieverse, but ABZ gives them identities.

His mother, in ABZ, is 应龙, or Ying Long. In the myths, Ying Long is the only dragon with wings (even though all Chinese dragons cal fly) and is a dragon deity. Ying Long is male in classic Chinese mythology, and is a supremely powerful rain deity whose descendants/distant relatives are the dragon tribe we know in most myths. In ABZ, Ying Long is female, and was imprisoned for reasons I won't spoil after giving birth to her children with Ao Guang.

Ao Bing's older brothers in ABZ are called Ao Jia and Ao Yi after the Chinese phrase 甲乙丙丁 Jia Yi Bing Ding, which isn't an idiom, just a way of describing order (Jia is first, Yi is second, Bing is third, Ding is fourth). So Ao Jia is like Big Ao, Ao Yi is like Second Ao, etc etc.

ABZ was hugely popular for almost a month after Ne Zha 2 dropped. Now here's where the drama begins.

Back in 2019, before ABZ ever released, fans of Ne Zha 1 began shipping Ao Guang and the Heavenly Emperor (Haotian Emperor). For an explanation on who Haotian Emperor is, please see my post linked here. In 2019, to keep in mind, neither Ao Guang nor the Haotian Emperor's human forms were revealed, and the Haotian Emperor was only mentioned in passing when Ao Guang laments the past glories of his dragon clan.

This was never a hugely popular ship as much as Oubing (Ne Zha x Ao Bing) was, and everyone shipping it acknowledged that it was half a crack ship and half just a brainchild made up of only headcanons (sort of like the Marauders ships in Harry Potter). Its dynamic, though, is hugely popular in Asian BL media: powerful seme who's a jerk to the uke, the uke says fuck you and leaves, then the seme regrets it- 追妻火葬场 (wife-chasing fiery disaster)

The general dynamic of 地笼 (Dilong, Ao Guang x Haotian Emperor's ship name) was that when Ao Guang was young, he met the Haotian Emperor, and the two began a romantic and sexual relationship. Ao Guang, being young, fell in love with the Emperor and spent a lot of time and energy exorcising demons for him.

However, for varying reasons, the Emperor betrayed him and cast him down into the underwater prison. Ao Guang thus resents him, and the Emperor, after seeing how much he's suffered, feels bad.

Dilong is an old ship as far as the Ne Zha fandom is concerned: it existed well before ABZ, and since ABZ wasn't popular, there was never any conflict between ABZ fans who shipped Ying Long and Ao Guang vs Dilong fans.

Ever since Ne Zha 2 went big, however, ABZ became big as well, and Dilong fans and Guangying (Ao Bing x Ying Long) fans began to fight each other. Guangying fans began attacking Dilong fans for ignoring canon and making up a ship that wasn't even implied, and Dilong fans attacked Guangying fans for being nosy.

This sort of battle went on for about two weeks. About three days ago, Dilong fans began finding out some things about ABZ that didn't look so great for ABZ.

First off, is ABZ even canon? It was always regarded as canon for its fans. The official movie's account endorsed it, and it was labeled as "Official Fanwork", which is a bit of an oxymoron. The author themself replied to a question asking if Jiaozi the director of Ne Zha 1 and 2 gave them the script by saying "Jiaozi's team gave me the general idea and I do the drawing", leading people to believe ABZ was canon.

Most Dilong fans are very spiteful towards ABZ because Guangying fans tend to do something called keyao (which means to specifically attack a ship in the comments of a video or work endorsing it, or to mention a ship when it's not mentioned in a video or work. It's seen as very bad fandom etiquette in China and Asia).

Recently, since there's been ship wars, Dilong fans found several things about ABZ that are a little sus.

ABZ's author is an Ao Guang yume.

What's a yume? A Japanese term for "Dream" which in fandom refers to a person who ships themself with a character. Usually being a yume is very widely accepted in Chinese fandoms, but to be a yume for a character and then also produce official content is not accepted seeing as it's disrespectful to other fans. This is different for fanwork, as yume fanwork is accepted.

2. ABZ contains very little Ao Bing content.

About half of ABZ's chapters do not include Ao Bing, and instead focus on Ao Bing's two older brothers. The author has expressed that they initially wanted the work to be titled The Tale of the Dragon's Sons, which is more fitting, but thought that name was too chuunibyou, so they changed it to The Tale of Ao Bing, or Ao Bing Zhuan (ABZ). Even ABZ fans have expressed discontent with the lack of Ao Bing content in ABZ, which is meant to be centered around Ao Bing.

3. ABZ's plot conflicts with the plot of the Ne Zha movies

One of the plot points in ABZ is that Ao Bing's weapons, the two round hammers that look like lollipops, were weapons Ying Long left to him. However, in the Ne Zha movies, the weapons break multiple times and are reformed by Ao Bing, and the official account's character synopsis state that Ao Bing created the weapons himself. Additionally, in ABZ, Ao Bing's older brother Ao Yi is able to enter and exit the prison underwater, even though it was explicitly stated in Ne Zha 1 and 2 that not a single dragon can leave (except for Ao Bing, who has never had the chains on him).

Ao Yi also tells Ao Bing that he's going to attempt to separate the Lingzhu (Spiritual Pearl) from his body because he's afraid the pressure will be too much for him, which is impossible in canon.

In the movies, Ao Bing has been isolated his whole life- he's only ever interacted with his father Ao Guang, his master Shen Gongbao, and his aunt and uncles. However, in ABZ, he constantly fought with the abyssal monsters, and even tried to make friends with one of them (and was taught a lesson as to why that's a bad idea).

In Ne Zha 1, Shen Gongbao explicitly says Ao Bing's dragon horns can't be covered up, but in ABZ, a random person can cast a spell on him to cover up the horns.

3. ABZ's characters are very OOC

Ao Yi, Ao Jia and Ying Long have not been mentioned in other official works, but in Ne Zha 1 and 2 it has been established that Ao Bing and Ao Guang have a very good relationship with each other and care about each other very much. However, in ABZ, Ao Guang explicitly tells Ao Bing to his face that he is very disappointed in him, and is generally very strict and uncaring towards him.

Additionally, Ao Bing is very strong in the Ne Zha movies (he's canonically a little stronger than Ne Zha since Ne Zha wears a seal to suppress his powers), but in ABZ he's pretty weak, even though Shen Gongbao, Ao Guang and even Master Wuliang praise him as a prodigy from birth.

4. Ying Long is a badly-written character

Ying Long in mythology is a male supreme deity the likes of which Ao Guang and Ao Bing cannot be compared to. This is not the main gripe against the ABZ Ying Long: it's that she's portrayed as a caring mother, but after she gave birth to her children she abandoned them.

5. Ying Long is the author's self-insert OC

This one actually surprised me since all the previous complaints seemed kind of dumb. Prior to the release of ABZ, the author posted an art of their female dragon self-insert OC. They mentioned that "you can think of her as me, and you can think of me as her." This OC has the exact same face, hair and clothing as the ABZ Ying Long. TBH, Ying Long and the OC look literally the exact same. A self-insert OC being the love interest of the author's yume partner is obviously not a good look for any webcomic that claims to be the official spinoff of such a widely-beloved movie series.

The author of ABZ used to be a production assistant on Ne Zha 1, but quit for unknown reasons.

6. The biggest thing: the author plagiarised Dilong art despite creating the Guangying ship

The author's Weibo account was found and they sent many hateful comments under Dilong posts saying how disgusted they were by the ship. Dilong was very commonly attacked back then, but the author also commented that they even bought a Dilong doujinshi even though they hate Dilong because they thought Ao Guang and Ao Bing were drawn attractively.

Back in 2019, there was a viral genderbend Dilong art (remember, this was back when Ao Guang's human form was unknown) that depicted Ao Guang in a specific pose and with specific colouring. This is the exact same coloring, pose and clothing that Ying Long wears.

Additionally, since the Heavenly Emperor (Haotian)'s appearance is unknown, there was another viral Dilong art that depicted him as having teal hair and horns. This is the exact coloring and design of the character Ao Yi in ABZ.

A third viral Dilong art (from before Ao Bing's brother's names were confirmed to be Ao Jia and Ao Yi in ABZ) depicted a family of five with the Emperor, Ao Guang, Ao Bing, and two older brothers also called Ao Jia and Ao Yi. Since Jia Yi Bing Ding is a phrase, this isn't an exact confirmation of plagiarism, but the designs of Ao Jia and Ao Yi are probably 95% similar to the designs in the Dilong fanart.

In essence, Ao Bing Zhuan (ABZ) is like, 75% "cancelled" or whatever. I'm not going to lie, I never felt a desire to read it since I really dislike the artstyle and I'm not a fan of Ying Long's characterization. I agree with most of the complaints about the story and the art: it's never acceptable in fandom to criticise fan artists over the so-called "quality" of their work, but if you're going to claim your webcomic is canon material, then at least make the art good. It's very obvious the art is done in a half-assed manner, and the storyline is... IDK, it's not good.

I'd never heard of Dilong before the ABZ drama- I'm a little confused as to how that ship ever happened, but whatever. This drama is mostly inconsequential and stupid fan wars, but I'm not gonna lie, ABZ is probably one of the worst-executed spinoff webcomics I've ever seen in any fandom ever. ABZ also isn't even confirmed to be canon despite what the author and fans say- it's not on the list of Ne Zha spinoff canon works (there's another spinoff comic that IS listed as official) and it was labeled "Official Fanwork".

Just another example of how crazy shippers can get, I guess. I kind of feel bad for Dilong shippers, even though half the "allegations" against ABZ seem dumb. TBH, I don't think most of this is worth "cancelling" a webcomic over, I just don't think people should think of ABZ as canon (it probably isn't) and I wouldn't recommend paying to read it if you're looking for Ao Bing backstory.

It's probably considered the same as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Ignorable. Lmao. Whereas Dilong is like the Marauders ships: almost 100% headcanons, but beloved.

There is an OFFICIAL (this one is 100% official, it's on the Ne Zha website) spinoff comic that includes some of Ao Bing's childhood years. 三界往事 Sanjie Wangshi (Stories in Three Realms) is 100% canon, the official accounts are selling it, it's a picture book and includes a letter from Jiaozi in it. It has extra art and scenes.

[nikosdaydreams]

Team Black I'm so sorry but can we stop going like "☝️🤓 erm acshually the blacks won because rhaenyra and daemons son became king L greens jumphaera nee ner nee ner" every time there's a discussion on Rhaenyra's or Aegon's deaths? Not only is it an exhausting and weird argument, but it's also simply not true.

Yes, a line carrying on is very important in ASOIAF, but at the end of the day, nobody won. As important as it is, it does not mean victory.

Rhaenyra still died thinking her son's death was next. As a mother, how could you feel victorious knowing your young child is most likely days from being killed? And that's without considering the fact that three of her children are already dead.

Aegon only made it six months after her before getting poisoned, having seen Sunfyre die, having mourned both his sons, his sister-wife and his brothers, having been burned and disabled by dragonfire.

Alicent began the war with four children (that she never asked for, mind you) and ended it with none, spending her final days in heartbreak and madness.

Aegon III was known for being extremely depressed throughout his reign. Who wouldn't be, after watching his mother be killed so violently and horribly? They say in his reign, Aegon did not even smile, and it was in his reign that dragons fell out of favour in the Targaryen dynasty.

Jaehaera was also known to be a sad, quiet child. She had watched as her twin brother's head was struck from his body. She had likely heard of her younger brother's violent and inhumane death at Bitterbridge. She hadn't been there when her mother could take it no more and jumped to her death. Her father was poisoned just when they thought he had won. She was then married off at 8 to the son of the man who had ordered the death of Jaehaerys, the son of the woman who had a massive hand in the death of Maelor, and by extension, her mother. Her grandmother, her last living relative, then tried to get her to kill her husband, after which she was placed under house (room?) arrest and she likely never saw her again. Even if she wasn't overwhelmed with grief and pain (which she definitely would be), she wasn't even queen for long enough to make much of a difference.

Rhaenyra and Daemon are dead. Aegon, Helaena, Aemond and Daeron are dead. Alicent is insane. Otto is dead. Jace, Luke and Joffrey are dead. Jaehaerys and Maelor are dead. Rhaenys is dead. Criston Cole is dead. Aegon III is scarred for life. Jaehaera is also scarred for life. Viserys II is nowhere to be found. Pretty much all of the dragons are dead.

The point I'm making is, nobody wins. All of them either died in fear and horror and fire and blood or survived in horrific mental and/or physical pain for the rest of their lives.

"There are no winners. Only survivors." - Haymitch Abernathy

[ruru-me]

hiii! idk if this has been asked yet, but can i get more lore on the kids’ mothers & their relationships with the dads (strade, lawrence, rire, ren!) are the moms still alive in some cases or are they dead? i’m really interested to know! :3

Hey anon!

The answer to this may be a bit long, so I'll put it into topics and organize them from the best to the worst parental relationships :D

(also some images I found on Pinterest to illustrate cuz I find it funny)

REN

The best among them fr

Bro is living the dream with his children

Manipulative and overprotective at times but it's because he really fears that his babies will go through something like what he went through with Strade.

The mother is still alive (happily married, thank you).

She works as a programmer and ren is a relatively big streamer in the specific internet niche he works in (I leave it to your imagination what that might be)

All his children appreciate their father and love him

The cool dad all kids want to have (me too pls)

Strong emotional bond, he always knows if something is wrong with any of them

10/10

Lawrence

He's only before strade because his anxiety wouldn't let him forget to buy baby formula for violet

Honestly not the best father figure, but violet really likes their dad

Emotional dependence is the basis of it.

It's not healthy but neither of them seems to care

Violet's mother unfortunately died after an infection caused by Lawrence and his idea to remove her limbs.

Unpredictable some days, can be a caring father or an anxious mess (nothing in between)

CPA has certainly gone after violet

6/10

STRADE

More like a cool uncle who offers alcohol to minors than a father

no paternal sense, plus places no limits on the things Hertha does

Regarding their relationship, Hertha doesn't have a good impression of her father and Strade couldn't care less.

Strade shows "affection" by pampering her with everything she asks for (for him it's much more practical than being emotionally available)

One of the reasons Hertha actively tries to F strade when adult and shows no remorse about her actions

Her mother unfortunately took her own life when she was still young

She was probably the only person Hertha could empathize with and care about (genuinely)

5/10

RIRE

Self-explanatory image

The worst of them

He doesn't even think about trying to be a good father figure

Rire is the father who goes to buy cigarettes and disappears and magically appears again when you're an adult to ask you for a favor

Probably his only contribution was the names Severus and Linden

Their mother is alive and lives with them in a house (almost all Rire's proof)

The twins fear their father like the plague. They have no sentimental attachment to him and prefer to stay that way.

Not to be unfair, rire even showed up a few times to check on them (for some unknown reason) but the twins ran off as if they'd seen a monster.

Theoretically they did

-100/10

Ok that's all, hope I've answered ur question.

Feel free to send another (if u feel like)

*dies*

[ninaslittlewickedplace]

I’ve been seeing some people talk (saw a comment somewhere by @feldspursfiyero ) about Fiyero’s behavior and choices, in particular how his depression and love for animals tie into one another and what his potential backstory is. I have a few things in mind that I’ll jot down here since I haven’t seen too many posts out there about Fiyero’s life before Wicked.

To start, it is obvious that Fiyero is a prince and the heir to the throne. From what we know in real life, being the Crown Prince was never an easy role. Though, I do find it interesting that Fiyero’s choice to act out is more along the lines of the behavior of a modern spare (Margaret, Harry etc) whose life feels directionless in the shadow of their older sibling’s glory. Historically and realistically, the heirs have been relatively good at containing their feelings and attitudes towards their position, but for Fiyero I think there are more layers to why he, the eldest child and the heir, has the personality traits that he has.

More under the cut because I don’t wanna clog the feed. This became longer than I thought 🙃

I do believe there was a time where Fiyero was able to be himself and allow himself to be loved and seen. Being a Prince, his life was dictated by strict protocol and rules by default, but there was once a time where he could breathe and let loose. That’s why he still has the innate ability to know and feel himself deep down, but events in his life have taught him to hide them.

From the Shiz Gazette online (and the books), we know his parents are Baxiana of Upper Fanarra and Marilott, Chieftan of the Arjikis. In my headcanon, his mother is the queen regent, the royal one and his father is the Ozian equivalent of a nobleman. He has a younger sister four years his junior named Arrietta with whom he is very close (she’s my OC).

Having not been raised in the rigid royal structure, Marilott taught his children that there was more to life than rules and appearances. Even if he couldn’t shelter them from their position, he made sure that they got to experience a taste of more “normal” things. Even if Baxiana saw them as her successors, Marilott saw them as his children. Most, if not all, of Fiyero’s happiest memories involved his father.

His death hit Fiyero very hard and is the main catalyst to his evolution into the man we see in Wicked. With him died the carefree boy Fiyero once was. Being fourteen, it came right around the time where he was expected to formally begin to prepare for royal duties and his mother was very strict with him. She had no patience with his slower progression in his studies (which I headcanon to be a combo of dyslexia and adhd) and implemented a stricter study regime, which inadvertently made it worse. He began to develop feelings of inadequacy and low self esteem about his abilities to be a ruler and began to yearn for his mother’s approval. Even if there were times where she was satisfied, she didn’t outwardly show it. Why would she, when royals weren’t expected to show emotion? Every social interaction was a transaction, one where nobody cared about anything but a satisfying end result.

Feeling trapped by his mother, his destiny, and his internal turmoil, Fiyero began to act out. Having partaken in an increasing amount of public events, he became aware that his people were enamored by him. Everytime he ventured beyond the castle walls, he would find crowds of people his age following his every step, listening to his every word. If he could garner attention simply by existing, maybe he could gain their respect by giving something to admire. After all, who could resist being royalty AND being cool?

The Winkie Prince was seen at almost every night club in Winkie Country and Oz, dancing the night away in the middle of the dance floor, winning the heart of every lucky Ozian to be graced by his presence. Every time he was expelled from university, angry students would petition the board to revoke their decision. When they didn’t, his classmates would gather and bide him tearful farewells. The expulsions didn’t both him one bit because wherever he went and wherever he would end up next, he would have an admiring crowd that he could entertain with abandon. That is, until he meets a special girl at Shiz…

Now here is where the real Fiyero fits in as well as the Animals. Yes, things may have been bleak for him, but there were only two places he felt the most safe: Arrietta and the Animal staff at the castle.

Despite his facade being so convincing that even Fiyero himself forgot it wasn’t real, there were times where his old emotions would bubble to the surface. When he was younger, he would burst into tears and as he grew, he would sulk in his hiding spots throughout the castle. Of course, his sister would find him and the two would often sit together, some times in silence and other times, listening to eachother’s woes. She was the only human after their father’s death who loved him for who he was and she was the only person he could be himself with. She had similar worries, but instead of acting out, she turned inward and grew to be an intelligent but shy young woman. She never told him this to make Fiyero more worried than he already was, but she secretly wanted her “old” brother back. The carefree boy who would tease her until she cried, joked until she laughed, and tell stories until she fell asleep.

His other source of comfort, the Animals, are the reason many years later, Fiyero stands up to the injustice against them. The Winkies were known for their deeper connection with nature and Animals, which is why they are so prominent in culture, politics, and trade in their country. The royal family was no different and many of the staff at the castle were Animals, including Fiyero’s governess, tutors, and personal guard. He was most fond of his governess, a kind panda named Palina who stayed with the royal children until Fiyero left for his first university. Even in retirement, she would write letters to her former charges, who never failed to write back. While he was away, she was his safe space, her warm and fuzzy hugs replaced with warm and encouraging words of ink. His tutors, despite instructions from Baxiana to be more strict with his curriculum, had empathy for the prince’s learning struggles and would try various methods to help him learn. They also understood the importance and value of encouragement and would give him small praises and rewards for completing tasks on time or correctly. Fiyero never understood why humans couldn’t be as good teachers as animals and attributed the former’s lack of empathy for their spartan methods.

Finally, Fiyero met Feldspur completely by accident! He had been hiding in one of his hiding spots in the royal stables (which were more like suites for the Horses) when one of the mares found him in the corner of her suite. She knew him and he knew her, so it hadn’t been awkward but she thought she would cheer the teen up by introducing her colt Feldspur to him. At first, the two didn’t see eye to eye, as Feldspur didn’t know why a prince would be unhappy and Fiyero didn’t know why the young horse asked so many questions, but the two eventually warmed to eachother when Fiyero realized that Feldspur actually listened to him. Even if he wasn’t human and wasn’t Fiyero’s age (in animal years haha), he listened intently and the questions that bothered him were asked with curiosity and care, not mocking or ignorance. Fiyero had eventually forgotten why he had been in the stables in the first place, having made a new friend that was on the same level as him. The two quite literally grew up together (and ate grass together in the process) and share a deep friendship that goes beyond a prince and his noble steed.

Phew, that was a lot IM SO SORRY HAHAHA. At that I’m gonna log out and explore this more in fics and drabbles in the future. If you made it this far, THANK YOU and I promise future posts will be shorter 🤗

[dusty-daydreams]

I saw someone suggest the idea that the Ushers all represent a deadly sin - here is which I think they are and why

Prospero - Lust

Camille - wrath

Leo - gluttony

Vic - sloth

Tamerlane - pride

Fred - envy

The Twins (Roderick and Madeline) - greed

Prospero is Lust, not only because of his hedonism but his unabashed Lust for power - he is filming his anonymous orgy so he can blackmail powerful people and dies in the midst of his orgy - but I could also see him as sloth (wouldn’t come up with a proper business proposal, didn’t bother to check that the tanks held water not acid)

Camille is Wrath, she approaches everything - her siblings, her job, her assistants/lovers and verna in the end with rage - and she gets killed by an angry animal

Leo is Gluttony - he indulges himself in abundant drugs and abundant sexual partners, despite having a relatively good situation - he has a successful career that doesn’t put him directly under his fathers control, he has a committed caring partner but still he gluts himself on everything that comes his way, he dies chasing a cat that hunts far more than it needs too

Victorine is Sloth - she doesn’t want to put in the work needed too make her device work, she just takes shortcuts to make it seem like it is working, she kills her partner in part because her partner who is actually the skilled surgeon doesn’t want to do the work anymore (admittedly this one I’m not as sure on - she might be pride, refusing to admit her device doesn’t work out of fear of failure)

Tamerlane is Pride - Of all her siblings she is the most proud of being an usher, and the most obsessed with her own image, obsessed with beauty, obsessed with being a success, she will not take anyone’s advice not even her husbands, she is proud and controlling in her relationship forcing her husband to go along with her voyeuristic kink when he doesn’t want too. This is a double-edged sword as she is also deeply insecure, outsourcing intimacy and dying as a result of smashing mirrors attempting to prevent Verna taking her place (alternatively she could be envy - envious of Verna etc.)

Fred is Envy - he is envious of his father and his effortless command presence and his fathers success, and he is envious of his wife, punishing her horrifically purely because he believes she cheated on him, (even though she didn’t, all she did was think about it and go to a party where she was alone) he is so envious that he even makes an attempted coup against his father. (He could also be gluttony - his drugs, and dying because putting more and more nightshade in his coke)

Finally the Twins - Roderick and Madeline are Greed - They set everything in motion because they both always wanted more, more money, more recognition, more power, even immortality - through AI in Madeline’s case and in the creation of a bloodline legacy in Roderick’s

I also have one thing to add I think that Lenore (and Annabel Lee and Juno and Morella - Lenore’s mom) represent the seven capital virtues: these are chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility.

Chasity - Lenore dies before she ever has a relationship, she is in gothic story terms a chaste innocent

Temperance - Lenore seems disgusted by her dad having done drugs (also Juno is Temperance, her wisdom in coming to her own conclusion to wean herself off Ligodine)

Charity - As Verna says the charity her mom starts is a result of Lenore saving her mom (also Juno and Morella donating to charity)

Diligence - Lenore sticks to what is right even when it’s hard, giving a statement to the police about her dad, caring for her grandfather, searching for treatment options for her mom (also Juno diligently weaning herself of drugs, Morella’s charity work, Annabel Lee caring for her children)

Patience - Lenore patiently encourages her family to do better and be better

Kindness - Lenore saves her mother, and creates a ripple effect that saves millions of lives (Annabel Lee being kind to everyone)

Humility - Lenore thinks that losing their fortune and company could be a good thing that leads to a moral good for her family

[boymanmaletheshequel]

One facet of Hellenistic and Roman, /Greco Roman paganism that I’ve always found extremely interesting to me, is how inherently human and relatable it’s gods, and their correlating counterparts are, especially when compared to deities in other ancient religions. They are divine, of course, this is made clear enough, but they all have aspects and traits to them that are inherently human. Rage, lust, joy, love, conflict. They represent, if nothing else, key elements of humanity and the human condition, which is something that no other ancient religion I’ve studied quite compares to in the same way. And not only that, but their relationship to people and humans as gods is clearly very symbiotic. They rely on their subjects for their fulfillment, interact with them directly on a regular basis, and often times even respect and revere them as not necessarily always equals, but as at the very least, creatures worthy of their consideration and respect, sometimes even falling in love with, and baring children with them. This is something that doesn’t really happen in any other ancient religion I’ve seen, sure, there are aspects of it in them, but not nearly are they portrayed as objectively or centrally as they are in Hellenism and Roman paganism. Each god represents some aspect of humanity in ways that are inherently non-Devine, Aphrodite is a lover, sometimes desperate to a vulnerable degree you wouldn’t expect a god to be. Dionysus is regularly consumed by madness as a result of his addiction and mental illness, and falls into spirals of depravity that are hauntingly ungodly. Artemis hunts even though she doesn’t need to, she respects her body as a goddess woman just as much as any human woman would, and fights back just as violently as well. Apollo finds much of his joy and happiness through the humans he falls in love with, and faces much of his suffering and sadness through them as well. Persephone fucking dies. maybe not literally in the sense of human, medical death, but absolutely metaphorically, and the grief her mother Demeter experiences is so inherently human, and so shockingly, gut wrenchingly tragic, that it is pretty obvious that this is what her story is meant to represent: a divine allegory for death and grief, an element that so many religions completely separate from their deities. Even Zeus, the primary deity, is a father figure who’s connection and relativity to fatherhood as seen in human men is almost identical. and if it weren’t for the pre-established lore and status of him as a an extremely powerful deity, there are moments in his Mythos where you might even forget that he’s a god, an all powerful, all divine, objectively non human god to begin with. I think it’s what makes Hellenism so emotional and so drawing to me, and to many other pagans, it’s a relationship that is mutual, and relatable, which is an element that is lacking in so many religions, even the major ones like Christianity and Islam. Yes, there are still elements of this in those religions, but it always feels like the stories constantly hammer in the fact that they are divine, so divine, so utterly unrelatable, so inherently disconnected from their subjects and their plights as a superior enitity, that there’s a limit to how connected one can feel to them. In hellenismos, this limit doesn’t seem to exist, and that’s something that makes it so much more personal and fascinating to me than any other religion I’ve studied. The gods are us, and we are the gods. At the end of the day, I think that’s what all religions should be about, and ultimately, are about, wether we realize it or not.

[judesmoonbeauty]

Jude’ Past Records Highlights Chapters 1-3

These are highlights, and may not be 100% accurate as I’ve not researched these lines. New BG artwork is included.

Jude’s father was an Irish immigrant dock worker.

His mother was a British beauty from a well to do, or noble family. She married his dad and everything went to hell. She is sickly.

Jude has an older brother and younger sister. No names specified yet. (Please take the older brother part with a grain of salt).

Jude’s father wastes their very limited income on cigarettes and money. The children are sickly because of it.

Jude gets beat by his father for telling him to quit smoking so they can get better.

Jude’s mother sells all her clothes and jewelry to give cash to the father in order to keep Jude safe.

His mother teaches him to write his name in the dirt with a stick, and tells him he can survive if he has wisdom. She squeezes him tightly.

Jude and his mother have a good relationship.

He’s a cheeky little kid.

His mother died shortly after with Jude by her side. Her husband and older son are out drinking. She leaves his sister in his care and apologizes profusely. Jude says she has nothing to apologize for.

The children are forced to the attic sans big brother and they’re starved. Jude tries to sneak scraps from the dead beat’s left overs, but usually there’s nothing to eat at all.

His sister says that he’s sick too, but he say he’s fine, and she laughs that he’s always acting tough.

Jude resorts to his first crime, stealing an expensive-looking pocket watch from a corrupted wealthy guy. It’s a fake though. The pawn shop keeper says that there’s nothing but inferior products on the market lately.

Jude runs away as he’s accused of stealing it.

Later, Jude takes his sister to the docks so they can get a check up by a doctor named Oswald who does charity checkups.

He tells Jude to be cured, it would take continuous medication. Out of desperation, Jude imitates his father and older brother by picking up a bottle, busting it and threatening Oswald, stating he’d pay him back double for the medication later.

The doc talks sense to Jude and Jude admits he’s right to himself. He tells Jude to read this medical book and to have it memorized the next time they meet.

Jude takes the book out of frustration because he feels looked down on, as he’d basically only have a week to read the book before he sees the doctor again. He’s grateful to his mama for teaching him to read and write, and he studies night and day for a week. Not eating and barely sleeping.

The following week he recites the text book to the doctor who is amazed. He agrees to treat Jude and his sister, and steadily over time they start healing. Jude notes that the doctor treats them just like any other human and while that makes him frustrated, it also makes him feel happy to be an equal.

Jude opens up to Oswald that people want him to die, but he doesn’t want to die and isn’t going to. Oswald tells Jude that if people want him to die, then the best way to get revenge is to live. And so, Oswald also teaches Jude many things.

However, this relatively peaceful time doesn’t last…..