#Famine Rebellion

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1848 – Young Irelander Rebellion | Tipperary Revolt – In Tipperary, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police.

The Young Irelander Rebellion (sometimes called “Famine Rebellion” or the Battle of Ballingarry of 1848). It took place during the Great Irish Hunger (1845-1849) or ‘Battle of the Widow MacCormack’s cabbage garden’) was a failed uprising of the Young Ireland political movement, which took place on 29 July 1848 in the village of Ballingarry, Co Tipperary. William Smith O’Brien, Thomas Francis…

[heartofashepherd]

Jeremiah’s Lament: Jerusalem’s Humiliation (Lamentations 1) - from www.H...

[kdmiller55]

A Famine of Forgetfulness

31 Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, and it brought quail from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground. 32 And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread…

[jovialbasementbouquetblr]

2022: Zhao Shukai Calls for Politics-Free Historical Research

Rural China where most of China’s people still live and  rural governance across the long histories of the many states that have occupied the Central Plains since very early ‘barbarian peoples’ coalesced into. assimilated others into and inherited what is still known only dimly of early civilizations that existed in what is now southwestern China. The civilized ‘us’ vs the ‘barbarians’ outside…

[lonestatus]

do you other princesses not have to worry about managing your realms or am i messing something up cause i don't know where to fit in getting ravaged by my guard or maid or whatever between maintaining the balance of power among the nobility and sending out tax collectors and preserving well-enough ties with the church to encroach on church land without getting excommunicated and ensuring my levies are well-supplied and my generals are loyal and putting down rebellions and travelling to remind people that i rule over them and getting married to my 2nd cousin thrice removed and inventing new laws so the peasants don't burn down cities when the fourth grain famine in a row occurs and attending balls and court festivities and honestly i'm really tired

[arijackz]

PICK A CARD: What Era Is Your Beauty From?

☯︎ “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Disclaimer: This is a general reading, take what resonates. I am not suggesting any of these descriptions are cannon to your ancestral history, these are just how my intuition perceived, and then presented your beauty’s energy.

p1 → p2 ↙︎ p3 → p4

🂽 Pile One 🂽 (the devil, 2oC rev., ace of cups rev., 4oW, 3oC, king of swords, the tower, the world)

❖ Pile one, I feel like I’m watching the Game of Thrones out of context. Just flashes of people from around the Medieval 1400s living their day-to-day; singing, dancing, eating together, and then… not.

❖ The imagery I got when I asked what era your beauty came from, was very longing in nature. There was a lot of joy and celebration but it felt like I was watching the film through teary eyes and a heavy heart.

❖ The “movie” flashed between a thriving culture sharing tales of triumph and having happy, drunk sing-song moments together; and then those same people under a war-torn regime of a very cruel but powerful man. I sense themes of religious persecution, nationwide government-forced famine, and general desecration of the once-peaceful way of life. The population was going through collective mourning.

❖ People lamented over their unfulfillable desire to reconnect with their homeland and all of their loved ones. With the World card at the end of the spread and the Empress at the bottom of the deck, I get the clear image that your beauty is the physical embodiment of a large collective’s longing for the sanctity of their community. You invoke that feeling people get when they remember a bitter-sweet memory that hums fervor in their chest and gives them the fire they need to push forward.

❖ Your beauty comes from an era where the genuine smile and cheer of a pretty girl sparked a nation’s hope for reformation. You are the last remaining connection to long-lost celebration and the heart of a forgotten city.

How Do You Paint The Divine Image of Hope?

🂽 Pile Two 🂽 (7oC rev., 4oP rev., full moon, leo, sacral chakra)

❖ WHOOOAAaaaaa Ammberrr is the collluuhhhhh of ya enneergyyy!! WHOoaaA, shades of gaawwllddd displayyy naturraalllyyyyyy…..

❖ Just know I was HOLLERING that. This is my hippie pile. My people. Yea that’s right, I’m talking the late 1960s - early 1970s.

❖ Your beauty arose at a time when society desperately needed color (specifically seeing some of you wearing a lot of bright colors or eye-catching jewelry or hairstyles). The world was bleak and the war’s aftermath on the overall mental and emotional welfare of the general public pushed people to radical ideals and birthed a revolution centered around liberation, pleasure, and community.

❖ Your beauty is all sunshine and rainbows. Psychedelics and organic food. The best music in human history (feel free to argue with me, but know that it is going straight out the other ear, mama) and week-long outdoor festivals full of peace, love, and vulnerability with total strangers.

❖ Your beauty brushes people with the chilling winds of shameless pleasure. The taste of unadulterated personal freedom that is almost a societal taboo. Your beauty is so purely liberating.

❖ Lmao, I imagine a guitar riff going off everytime you walk into a room.

❖ You are the physical embodiment of eccentric love and vivacious rebellion.

Play That Funky Music

🂽 Pile Three 🂽 (The lovers rev., the High Priestess rev., Ace of Swords., 4oC. 7)

❖ Revolution is a running theme for all of the piles. This collective’s beauty awakens people.

❖ I’m seeing a brilliant man going mad at the lack of creative intelligence around him and pushing for societal rebirth. A complete cultural shift from the Dark Ages (pile one), to modernity. This is my Renaissance pile.

❖ You embody the mystical fusion of art, religion, architecture, and science. You are all the world’s intrinsic beauty rolled up into one figure. You are the art that attracts painters, inventors, and philosophers alike.

❖ You have the beauty of an all-around muse. You invoke the spirit of creative passion. It is like people see you and get a stroke of inspiration. Something that kicks them in the ass and tells them to go outside and create.

❖ This pile is very romantic. A classical beauty, like red roses and bottle poems. The universal innate desire to dream big.

❖ Shoutout to my Aquarians, 11th housers, and Shatabhisha natives.

The Medieval-Modern Muse

🂽 Pile Four 🂽 (king of pentacles, 2oP, 5oP rev., 9oP)

❖ OKAY PLOTWIST?? I don’t know what era this pile’s beauty is from because it’s set in the future.

❖ It’s funny how the last piles were all set in periods of revolution (putting in the WORK) and your pile, the final pile, is set in a better world full of financial stability, the end of inequality, economic fairness, and universal abundance (the fruits of the labor).

❖ Dude, I was trying to read the message at first and was just scratching my head. I was like, “When has anywhere, literally ever been this good???” Then I saw the ace of wands reversed at the bottom of the deck and saw impending change and it clicked.

❖ I also saw some star semblance, and see that your beauty is a reminder to mankind that the “impossible” is already set in motion. The hell we have created will crumble.

❖ You are a physical embodiment of society’s future triumph. You radiate wealth and fairness. My Venusians, especially Libra. You also look regal, something about you makes people want to stand taller.

❖ You got the pride card, I see that you give people the feeling of victory. You are living proof of future triumph in a better world where greed and sorrow are eradicated.

❖ You are the harbinger of the next era.

Introducing The First Titanium Man On The Moon!

[writingwithcolor]

Avoiding the white savior of the kingdom

@ceo-of-angst asked:

Okay so I'm writing a fantasy series. There's two main kingdoms though there is a third but that one doesn't have to do anything with this ask. Both of them are likely as big as a continent each so there are different climates everywhere, therefore there's a lot of diversity even within one country. The issues mostly is between the two kingdoms nationality wise, as there's a war. The prince of one of the kingdoms kills his older brother to gain the throne. This is where the issue starts. They have a younger (half)sister who ends up leading a revolution bc of her brother's bad rule (famine, war, dictatorship and incantation or sentence to fight to the death in war to anyone who doesn't obbey the government etc), she's white, she's helped by my main cast who are all poc (one of them also from nobility) from the other kingdom and I don't want to accidently make it a white savior She's not my main character though if anything we only see into her pov bc of a difference between kingdoms in book 2. Most of the pov is on my main cast so I don't know how this could pay out.

Add diversity to the kingdom

There is a simple solution: don’t make one kingdom all-white or all-BIPOC. Add in diversity and mixed race. You seem to already be doing that, and it’s not an issue of race but rather tyranny. White saviorism is when only a white character can solve a problem for BIPOC and they’re seen as the hero. If it’s a team effort, where your protagonist is fallible but well-intentioned, you should be fine. -Jaya

Questions to ask yourself

This critique got levied at Tamora Pierce’s Trickster series, and it’s a pretty valid critique of the books—every time you have a white person as a figurehead of an otherwise-diverse movement, you’re going to start getting into why this white person, and why then?

It’s especially salient if you have the person come into an already-established rebellion movement. Is her involvement the thing that gets the privilege necessary to make the movement valid? What about her makes her the ideal top person in the organization?

Why is she white?

My first question is: why is she white? Is it related to colorism and classism? If yes, then why are you automatically making the leading group white if there’s so much diversity and so many other groups can trend extremely pale?

Why are the kingdoms so big?

My second question is: why are the kingdoms so big? It’s actually frighteningly hard to run a continent-sized country. If you’re attempting to make these single groups so big simply for ease of worldbuilding, and for diversity’s sake, know that a country does not have to be large to contain a multitude of groups. You are allowed to have political rivalry in a small area and still maintain diversity within it.

How much privilege is she willing to give up?

My third question is: how much privilege is she willing to give up? Is she trying to take the throne for herself, or is she trying to destroy all of the structures that gave her status in the first place? Because that question will determine how willing the PoC around her are going to be. Why would they support a ruler if they’ve been subjugated by that family, with no real promise she’s going to be any different once she gets in power?

On the flipside, why would she be willing to give up any of her privilege in the name of removing her brother from the throne, and what stops her from going off the deep end once she has the ability to control others?

It’s likely doable to make this situation read as less of a white saviour, but in order to do that you’ll likely need to wask yourself a lot of hard questions about your motives and the character arc you want to have with her.

People may see a white savior, regardless

And you’ll also have to ask yourself if you’ll be comfortable with never really being able to avoid some people calling this a white saviour plot. Even if you do “everything right” and follow every bit of advice you can, there’s always going to be some people who aren’t too thrilled that the person saving everyone is white.

So examine your motives, really nail down what you’re trying to show with this, and come to terms with not making everyone happy no matter what you do.

~Mod Lesya

[witchthewriter]

𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑻𝑾𝑶: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐈𝐀𝐅 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞

a/n: I probably should have done this in a proper timeline so apologies for that. However, it's women with dragons and how they would rule. So I think it doesn't matter that much about certain details.

Anyway, I was fluffing on - thank you for reading this. I would love to have a discussion in the comments as well!

Also, think of each of this as an ulternate universe - please don't apply too much logic :) ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚

middle pic by @zacckiel

⋆⭒˚.⋆✧˖°.𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑻𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒚𝒆𝒏 ✧˖°.⋆⭒˚.⋆

The blatant advantages of this House are clear: Every Targaryen Queen would have bonded with a dragon. No matter what canon says. Those that inherit power, will be given a dragon by their parents. What being a dragonrider would bring for all Queens is the ability to take to the skies on their dragon and given them unparalleled respect, mobility, enabling them to quickly respond to crises, survey their realm, and gather intelligence that could inform their strategic decision-making.

𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐀 | 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝐷𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑

・Kept the Seven Kingdoms in line - everything flourished under her rule.

・Not cruel, but strict, everyone listened to her when she spoke - every word was heard. Memorised. No one wanted to disappoint her.

・Her 'nickname' isn't about her being a horrible person, but she coined the name because her enemies felt dread. Visenya would never influence this emotion on those that have sworn fealty.

・Created a great emphasis on military strength. Using Vhagar, to assert Targaryen dominance and deter rebellion. Her presence could instilled fear and loyalty across the realm.

・She listened to the issues of the smallfolk, never ignoring anyone who came to speak to her.

・No tolerance at all for disloyalty or betrayal.

・Upheld the Targaryen traditions. This clashed with the Faith of the Seven as they had opposing views on the Valyrian family. That did not matter as she threatened to burn every sept with dragonfire.

・Visenya’s strong-willed nature resulted in swift and ruthless responses to any threats to her throne.

・Her leadership inspired other women in Westeros, altering perceptions of female power and influence.

・Ultimately, Visenya's reign... brought about a powerful mix of strength, justice, but also political changes and threats. Forever shaping the kingdom's future.

𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐍𝐘𝐒 | 𝑀𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝐷𝑦𝑛𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑦

・Rhaenys would absolutely usher in and promote the arts. Music, artwork, stories would all be encouraged and upheld.

・For example, Rhaenys would invite different singers to the castle and have them perform for the court. Not only did this influence the courtiers, but help the artists to become more known.

・Her reign oversaw a flourishing of literature, music, and the visual arts, enhancing the cultural identity of Westeros.

・Rhaenys' leadership style was one of unity and innovation.

・She was also known to fly a lot. Meraxes was seen over King's Landing to Dragonstone nearly everyday. Her scales glinting in the sunlight.

・Sometimes the smallfolk could hear Rhaenys' whoops and cheers as she beckoned Meraxes to fly higher and faster.

・Her relationship with the Faith of the Seven

・Rhaenys would likely focus on the well-being of her subjects, addressing issues like famine and injustice. Her policies might include land reforms and support for the common folk, earning her loyalty and respect.

𝐑𝐇𝐀𝐄𝐍𝐀 | 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑇𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑚𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡

・Rhaena inherited her father's (Aenys' the First) compassion, promoting policies focused on the welfare of the people, particularly the common folk. She emphasized justice and fairness, aiming to reduce the class divide.

・Rhaena's nickname was given to her because she would be on the frontlines whenever there was a battle or a dispute. Every disgruntled House(s) were confronted by her.

・However, her foremost desire was to give women more protection, freedom, opportunities and choices.

・Rhaena was a champion for women, it rubbed the men in power the wrong way. But as Queen, she did not care and brought forward laws that elevated women in society.

・No patience for old men ...

・Rhaena possessed a strong sense of duty and resilience, challenging those who would see her want for change as a bad thing.

・In all honesty, the realm is constantly in some sort of disarray. By it be through small rivalries, gossip, disloyalty, crimes, drought, starvation.

・Rhaena would prioritize the wellbeing of mothers and children - especially the education of all.

・Rhaena's rulership was marked by a degree of authoritarianism, which the maesters would have emphasised greatly in their history books.

・Overall she foresaw the realm and how her choices now would affect it in the future when another would take the throne.

𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐀 | 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑠

・Haunted by the legacy of the Queens that came before her, Aerea, was like an underdog rising to show just how capable she was.

・It had surprised many by how well she ruled. Always being early for council meetings, keeping every White Cloak in line and telling them off whenever they needed it.

・She was very mature; a large shock as she was a passionate and wild woman.

・Many did not think she would thrive under such pressures but that was completely untrue.

・As the rider of Balerion - that should have proved just how well she was at leading. The large dragon had welcomed her gladly as its rider.

・Aerea, on her many royal processions, saw what it was like for the smallfolk. Aka., dwindling food, a lot of violence, hardships etc.

・She implemented particular programs to combat such issues, and ensured her subjects would not go hungry. Which only grew the love for both her and Balerion.

・Ironically enough, the dragon that was used to conquor the Seven Kingdoms, was now being used to create and nurture instead of destroy.

𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐒𝐀 | 𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝐽𝑜𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑄𝑢𝑒𝑒𝑛

・A rebel, a tom-boy; wild and uncontained. Alyssa had shocked many people.

・Nearly everyone she met.

・She wasn't a 'normal' queen - no frivolity nor pagentry.

・Hated wearing formal wear. She was seen in pants 90% of the time

・As the Queen, Alyssa influenced a lot of the fashion in the Red Keep. A few brave women started wearing pants as well - and like a domino affect, it started to change the culture too.

・Alyssa implemented reforms in taxation and land ownership to alleviate burdens on the common folk, ensuring that the wealth of the realm is more equitably distributed.

・She loved showing off Meleys, and the Red Queen did not mind it either - as long as she got a good big feast afterward.

・LOVED sneaking out at night, using the hidden passageways of the castle. Not just being amongst the smallfolk but listening to how they felt about things and how life was down there

[flowerandblood]

The Man with the Deep Scar

[ Amor • Aemond x Psyche • female ]

[ warnings: mention and description of the murder of multiple people, descriptions of wounds, virgnity loss, smut, angst, violence, suicide attempt, trauma, mourning ]

[ description: After she is attacked in a fair by a strange man and narrowly avoids death, her father the king decides that from now on she will be watched over by one of his ‘ghosts’, a assassin acting on his orders, wearing a black mask. The man follows her like a shadow, accompanied by their past, which keeps her awake at night. Gothic horror love story, angst, sexual tension, very dark Aemond. ]

This story is several requests combined into one: sworn protector x female; Amor x Psyche; Phantom of the Opera! Aemond x female. I took the liberty of creating a completely new story from this, having only elements of each of these requests.

Series & Characters Moodboard Lady Walford Moodboard Gothic & Horror Sensual Moodboard

Part 1 - The Man with the Black Mask | Part 2 - The Man with the Empty Heart | Part 3 - The Man with the Lost Soul | Part 4 - The Man with the Cold Mouth | Part 6 - The Man with the One Eye | Part 7 - The Man with the Golden Gift | Part 8 - The Man in the Black Crown | Part 9 - The Man with the Bloody Sword | Part 10 - The Man in the Black Gloves | Part 11 - The Man in the Death Cloak | Part 12 - The Man with the Pearly Hair | Part 13 - The Man with the Fiery Gaze

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Next chapters: Masterlist

_____

For as long as he could remember, their father had taken no interest in them, preferring his first-born daughter to his second wife's children. He hated her with all his heart, jealous that although he read extensively and was so skilled in hand-to-hand combat, the King only focused his attention on her.

He lived in a constant conviction of defeat − his grandfather incited his mother against his father by saying that if it went on like this it would be Rheanyra who would be chosen by him as heir to the throne, not Aegon, her first-born son.

The tension inside the fortress and their internal strife meant that they failed to see the threat that lurked outside. Discontent among their people was growing due to poor crops and famine − although the King showed concern about the whole situation, his grandfather, Otto reassured him that he had everything under control.

He only recognised how serious the situation was when it became apparent that an army was gathering near the city walls − the lords on whom gigantic taxes had been imposed demanded that the King abdicate and a new ruler be chosen from among the nobles.

House Targaryen had ruled the kingdom for centuries and his father had no intention of giving up the crown to anyone just because they willed it; he called all the lords rising against him traitors, demanding their heads.

However, when it became apparent that the most powerful of the lords, his father's former ally and friend, Lord Walford had risen against them at the head of a rebellion, taking their stronghold by storm, all was lost.

Hearing the sounds of battle and screams he ran to his mother's chamber wanting to make sure she was safe − she was packing up in a hurry and when she saw him she grabbed him by his arms and shook him.

"There is a passage under my bed to an underground shelter. You must press with your little finger the mechanism which is hidden in a small hole under the wooden panels. You and Daeron are to hide there, go get him at once." She ordered in a trembling voice, sweat droplets on her face.

He wanted to defy her, horrified by her condition, feeling that even though he was only twelve years old he was already a man, that he would not hide like a coward but would fight to defend her.

However, he decided that it was indeed necessary to hide Daeron somewhere and was already about to leave her chamber when Lord Walfrod's soldiers suddenly rushed in, their armour and swords all filthy with blood.

He only had time to scream when the blade of one of them swung and drove into his face − he fell to the floor with a loud whine, catching himself on his cheek, completely losing sight of his left eye.

He began to waddle across the floor in front of him towards the bed − he heard his mother screaming but didn't turn to look at her, terrified, thinking only of the fact that he didn't want to die, that he was scared, that he wanted to hide, his heart pounding like mad.

He managed with a shaking hand to find the hole she was saying about − when he slipped his little finger into it something clicked and the flap lifted. He crawled quickly down and closed it behind him, breathing loudly, panting all over, the voices above him muffled and indistinct.

The corridor he was in was very cramped, consisting only of a steep staircase leading down and walls all around him − with one hand he clutched at the painfully burning wound, feeling the warm blood run down his fingers, and with his other hand he began to slide down into complete darkness. He finally reached a sort of enclosed, stone-cold room.

He fell to his knees and wept loudly, his nose all stuffed up from tears − he felt sticky from his own wetness and blood. He was terrified, but most of all he could not forgive himself for running away like a coward, for leaving his beloved mother to die, Daeron and everyone else, for hiding instead of dying with them with honour.

He lay down on the stone floor and stayed like that, listening to the sounds of battle and screams, until there was complete, empty silence. The pain he felt on his left cheek was unbearable and he thought that although he had avoided a quick death, he would die here slowly, forgotten and abandoned.

He decided that he would rather bleed out or die of thirst and hunger than go out and give himself up to these traitors.

Staying in that dark, cold pit, he lost track of time − he didn't know if days or hours had passed. All he could think about was that the ache in his skull was unbearable, his wound oozed and smelled bad, his stomach twisted with pain, his lips dried with thirst.

He felt that he had fallen asleep only to wake up and cry loudly, wishing for nothing more than to find that his mother had survived, to return with his father and brother at the head of a great army and come to his aid.

He imagined that the wooden flap opened and his queen-mother appeared in it like an angel in a pillar of blinding light, that he threw himself into her arms with relief, hearing her tender reassurances that all was well now.

He shuddered when he heard the screech of wood and the sound of a trapdoor opening, the pillar of light coming from the side of the room almost blinding him and he had to take a few steps backwards, pushing against the wall, his heart pounding like mad.

"Is someone there? I can hear you crying. Let me help you, please, speak up." He heard a soft, feminine whisper echoing through the room − he felt a tightness in his throat recognising instantly that it wasn't his mother's voice.

What if it was a trick?

If there were guards with her, if they were about to come down and kill him?

"I will spend tonight with the King in his chamber. I will order my guards to rest and not watch over my rooms. I will leave the flap open for you to leave, on my bed you will find a hooded cloak, a sack of food and coins. Leave the keep through the kitchen rooms in the cellars. My servant will be waiting for you and lead you out. She will hand you over to your mother's friend, Ser Criston."

She said quickly and closed the trapdoor with a quiet creak of wood, the room again surrounded by complete darkness. He breathed loudly, hearing only the rapid beating of his own heart.

Should he believe her or not?

What if she was lying?

What if they were going to torture him?

He clamped his eyelids shut, feeling a terrible pain in his skull and decided that he couldn't take it any longer, that he wanted it all to be over.

He walked back and forth across the dark room, feeling a sudden rush of energy and adrenaline, the blood bubbling strongly in his veins. He jumped back when he heard the creak of wood, followed by someone's footsteps and the sound of a door closing.

There was complete silence.

He swallowed loudly; over these few days his eyesight had completely adapted to the darkness, so he confidently found the steps of the stairs with his hands and slowly began to climb up. He slid out from under the bed and listened for any sounds, however, there seemed to be no one in the room.

He crawled out from under the bed and stood up on trembling legs, looking around quickly but saw no one − on the bedding in fact lay a small cloak, a pouch of coins and a little bag of apples and bread. He took it all, quickly putting the cloak on, pulling the hood over his head and left the chamber, looking around in a panic, his wound hurt more than usual, all swollen and throbbing.

He knew the map of the fortress by heart and indeed had not encountered any guards on his way, so he ran towards the kitchen rooms and stopped, frightened, when he came across a woman. She looked at him horrified and almost screamed seeing his face, turning her head quickly, disgust and disbelief in her gaze − he stood in front of her wondering if she was going to start shouting.

"− gods, so it's true − poor child − come, we don't have much time −" She whispered looking around and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the servants' passage − they walked through the cramped, dark corridors, he could hear rats running past them, his heart pounding like mad.

After a while they reached a small wooden door, apparently intended for deliveries from merchants − the woman opened it and waved to a man dressed in a cloak, a hood over his head, he was standing next to a large cart harnessed to two horses, covered with a large sheet.

"− I got him − quickly −" She whispered to him, the man stepped forward to meet her, a sigh of disbelief escaping his lips when he recognised in him Ser Criston Cole, her mother's sworn protector.

"− thanks be to the gods − your merits will not be forgotten, woman − come, my Prince, we have no time −" He said impatiently, and he moved swiftly after him, jumping on the cart. Criston covered him with a sheet and after a moment he felt a tug − they moved off and he drew a loud breath, laying down on the wood beneath his feet.

He had escaped.

This woman had really helped him.

When his emotions wore off he immediately devoured the piece of bread and apple that the woman had bagged for him, feeling immensely relieved, no longer even thinking about the pain, just that he had survived.

He hoped Criston would take him back to his family, to those who had survived the massacre, that he would see his mother again soon.

As they stopped he heard Criston's voice speaking to someone, and then the sheet lifted, Cole and a man who looked like a monk stared at him in disbelief.

"− good gods −" Muttered a plump priest in a grey habit girded with a simple rope. "− what have they done to him? −"

First they bathed him and changed him into new robes, and then they took him to the medic despite his pleas that he wanted to see his mother and siblings first. Cole stood over him as they waited for the monk to attend to his wound, his face pale.

"− I'm so sorry, my Prince −" He said low, his voice trembling slightly, but he didn't need to say anything more. He felt a squeeze in his stomach, a burning wetness gathered under the eyelid of his healthy eye. He wept like a child even though he wanted to act like a man.

He thought that he had only survived because he was a coward.

When the medic arrived and saw the state he was in, he prayed first and said that it was a miracle that the infection had not killed him, that the wound needed to be decontaminated immediately and the eye had to be taken out.

A stick was placed in his mouth on which he was told to bite his teeth, having previously been given a huge amount of poppy milk and spirit to ease the pain, however, what he felt when his blade penetrated his skin and began to burn and cut away the dead, rotting tissue seemed like pure hell to him.

He fainted after a few minutes of writhing like an animal and muffled screaming, Criston was unable to look at it and walked out. He was left alone and thought that this was his punishment that was waiting for him from now on, punishment for his cowardice, punishment for not being able to behave like a man.

Darkness and loneliness.

He would not allow anyone to light the candles in his cell, which had previously belonged to some other monk, feeling wonderfully invisible there.

When he covered the small window at night with a thick black cloth he was once again in complete darkness, just as he had been when he had spent those few days that seemed to last indefinitely under his mother's chamber.

Criston had told him that his mother had died after several swords had repeatedly pierced her body, his father old and infirm to the point that he, like Aegon, Helaena and Daeron, had had their throats cut in their beds.

The whole attack had been premeditated − Lord Walford had pretended to be a friend of his father-king to the end, and now, from what he understood, he had been chosen from among these fucking traitors to be King and take his place on the throne.

Cole assured him that there were still individuals in the realm and lords who remained loyal to him, who wanted justice and the return of House Targaryen to the throne, who would support him if he wished to regain the crown.

He practised hand-to-hand combat with him every day in the great vaults of the men's monastery. Even though the new king's soldiers repeatedly searched the entire building, thinking rightly that they might have been hiding the prince out of sheer compassion, each time the monks warned them off and gave them time to find another refuge quickly.

He lived only for the thought of doing to the family of the new king what he had done to him.

He knew that he had time, that he could not rush, that this matter had to be carefully considered.

They met in secret in one of the strongholds of his father's former vassal, Lord Malet, who received him with great honours, gathering all his supporters there.

They discussed what to do, having an army smaller and less well supplied than the royal one, unable to act openly, treating the news that the prince was alive as something that could not come to light.

"I have my man in the King's closest guard; he is one of his ghosts. I pay him fairly for any information, he could bring someone else in there. Some spy. We would set up an ambush on one of the already existing ones, similar in size and weight − they wear the same clothes, if his behaviour did not arouse anyone's suspicion, no one would know." He said with conviction, and he licked his lower lip at the thought that popped into his head.

"I'll take his place." He said coolly, looking at the map of the fortress spread out before him on the large table, the lords looked at each other in surprise.

"What do you mean, my Prince? It's dangerous, it puts our whole plan in danger!" Exclaimed one of them, clearly horrified by his proposal − he chuckled under his breath, several of the men swallowing loudly, apparently wondering if he was still remaining in his senses.

"I am very familiar with this fortress and its customs, I will be able to keep up with what is going on there. When what we're speaking about becomes a reality, I need to be on the ground, taking charge and the throne right away." Said matter-of-factly, Criston grunted, looking at him uncertainly.

"This plan has some chance of success, but it would be best if you were not in front of the King himself, as he might order you to remove your mask in his presence. We cannot allow that to happen. It would be best if you served his son or daughter." He said looking around at the assembled crowd, the men looked at each other.

"We can arrange to ambush her at the fair. My ghost told me that she often sneaks past her guards without their knowledge. If someone attacks her, the King will reinforce her guard, perhaps appointing one of his ghosts to the task. When we find out whom, my man will kill him, and you, my Prince, will take his place."

He recognised that, although it was madness, it had a chance of success, and nothing pleased his heart more than the thought that he would be able to take the life of the man who had destroyed his family with his own hands when the time was right.

To his delight, it turned out that the lord's plan had worked and he had indeed appointed one of his closest guards as her protector. The man was killed later that evening, and he and Criston, under cover of darkness, made their way to the fortress from the side of a forgotten passageway that led out into the woods which had once been used to return from hunting.

One of the ghosts, with the help of a servant who was also involved in their conspiracy, dragged the murdered man out of the castle, and he immediately changed into his clothes.

Although they were a tad too tight, when he put on his mask he felt wonderfully peaceful − the darkness and silence that enveloped him made him feel again as he did when only blackness surrounded him.

Solitude.

The ghost explained the exact rules to him again and informed him where there was a place where he could sleep and rest, although, he said, he didn't think he would ever have the opportunity to use it − they only ate at night and usually slept standing or sitting up.

They parted in one of the passageways, and he moved with a confident stride down the corridor he knew well towards the chamber that had once belonged to his sister, and in which now slept this little whore. He saw the disturbed looks of the guards from afar and smiled at the thought that he would soon kill them all.

They needed to smuggle as many of their men and as many weapons into the fortress as possible.

"You may leave. From now on, the Princess is under my protection." He said coldly, one of the men snorted loudly, angry, he could smell the strong odour of alcohol from him.

"You are not a King, by what right do you command us?" He asked resentfully and he chuckled with amusement − he saw that the man looked at him uncertainly, with fear from which he felt pleasure and heat in his chest.

"Shall I inform the King that not only are you incapable of guarding his daughter, but you refuse to obey his orders?"

The man growled something under his breath, speaking of his insolence, walking away with his companion with a loud clang of their armour.

He hummed under his breath as he stepped against the wall facing her door, the door to his sister's chamber, and thought of Helaena, of how gentle and sensitive a person she was, of how she despaired even when one of them accidentally trampled a spider or a slug.

He thought of how she lay alone, terrified, dying slowly, coughing up her own blood, and felt a pain in his heart, swallowing loudly, his heart pounding hard.

He was comforted when the torches around him burned out and he was left at last in complete darkness − he closed his eyes and decided to rest, work out his plan in his head and wait patiently.

He shuddered and opened his eyelids, startled when he heard the loud creak of a door − a figure appeared in it illuminated only by the soft light of a candle, her large eyes looking at him with uncertainty and terror.

His jaw clenched in rage when he involuntarily thought she was beautiful, though he wished she would turn out to be a disgusting, ugly girl that no one would ever want.

However, he could not say anything about her appearance other than that her face was pleasantly fair, smooth and slender, her nose shapely and slightly rounded, her eyes sparkling, surrounded by a veil of long lashes, her long, slightly wavy hair and eyebrows seemed to him as dark as the night itself.

They stared at each other for a long moment without speaking.

"What's your name?" She asked suddenly, uncertainly, softly, with a kind of innocent curiosity from which he felt like laughing.

He didn't answer.

You are a mere whore, he thought with amusement, who wallows in riches filthy from my sister's blood.

"How am I supposed to address you if I don't know what your name is?" She asked, surprised by his lack of answer, but he just looked at her, wondering how she was going to force him to speak to her at all.

Ghosts could only speak with the King.

"Should I complain to the King about you not answering my questions?" She asked with a note of threat in her voice from which he clenched his teeth, letting the air out loudly through his nose, trying to calm himself, thinking only of the fact that meeting the King was the last thing he wanted.

He couldn't allow himself to order him to take off his mask.

"Call me any name you see fit." He answered her coolly, tired of her refusing to leave him alone. She shook her head as if she didn't understand the meaning of the words he spoke to her.

"Shall I name you?" She muttered in disbelief and he turned his head to the side, rolling his eyes, feeling that he was losing patience.

"Yes. My Princess." He said roughly and coolly, adding the last two words quickly, reminding himself that he had to title her in that disgusting way.

For now.

She stared at him for a long moment with those big eyes of hers and swallowed loudly, something on her face that looked like she had made her decision.

"Vhagar."

He felt a shudder when she said this − he remembered a book he had read when he was a small child about a great, terrible dragon that devoured people and burned entire cities.

Could it be that she had read it too?

"I will always treat you with respect and I will never make you do anything to humiliate you or offend your good name." She said with some kind of pain and regret, as if she sympathised with him − he felt his jaw clench tightly, felt for some reason a tightness in his throat at her words.

After a moment, the door closed behind her and he let out a loud breath, swallowing hard, wondering how he was going to stand it all.

However, it turned out that his suffering was rewarded, because already at supper the next day he heard some interesting information about where they were looking for his body, that the case had still not been abandoned.

He wrote a letter to Criston later that night informing him to leave some false trail in the city's vaults, his old child's robes or anything that would help them think they were on the right trail, which he passed on to a trusted servant aware of everything.

Everything was going according to plan until that little whore took him to see her mother.

As soon as he crossed the threshold of her chamber and heard her voice he recognised her and felt a squeeze in his throat, standing at the door, not knowing where to look, his heart pounding like mad.

The new King had locked his wife in the tower like some kind of animal.

He shuddered when he felt her gaze on him, her lips slightly parted, as if she really had seen a ghost.

"The gods are gracious." She whispered in a trembling voice − he felt a sting in his heart at the thought that he was only alive because of her.

"What?" Her daughter asked quietly, as if she didn't understand what her mother had just said, but she wasn't listening, staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and relief.

"You came for me like a death? Have you come to relieve my suffering at last?" She asked in a trembling voice shivering all over, pale and thin − he felt his lips involuntarily clench, his eyebrows twisted in pain, his heart pounding like mad.

"Mother, he is a guardian, he will not hurt you. He will protect us."

"Don't take her away. Have mercy on her and my son, they didn't know." She whispered pleadingly and he clenched his eyelids, thinking with rage and despair that Daeron and Helaena were innocent too.

"Stop, please. Please. You need to rest, mother. You need to eat and rest. I'll bring you some new books next time, all right?"

As they walked back downstairs he was completely immersed in his thoughts and wondered how it was possible that she recognised him. He shuddered, coming back down to earth when he heard her daughter's voice − she was leaning against a pillar with no strength, as if she was about to collapse to the ground.

"Kill me."

His healthy eye looked at her open wide in complete shock, he couldn't believe she had said that out loud.

Did she really mean it?

Involuntarily, his hand slid down to the dagger he had hidden under his cloak, he tightened his fingers on its hilt.

"Please, kill me." She whispered − he could feel his hand clamped on the weapon trembling all over, his jaw clenched so tight he thought his bones would break, his heart pounding like mad.

Don't take her away.

Have mercy on her and my son.

He swallowed loudly, thinking with pain that he would be just.

One mercy for one mercy.

His hand let go of the hilt, and she moved abruptly ahead, as if awakened from sleep, and spoke no more to him.

As soon as the door to his sister's chamber closed behind her, one of the ghosts came up to him and told him that he would replace him because the King wanted to speak to him. He nodded his head, tense, praying to the gods not to make him take off his mask.

He would have to kill him then, and he wanted to wait a little while, until they were better prepared.

He repeated to himself that he had to be patient.

That since he had endured so many years, he would endure a few more weeks as well.

He entered the chamber that had belonged to his father, originally in Targaryen red, now all in shades of blue − Lord Walford looked up at him from the book he had just read.

"Come closer." He said coldly, and he wordlessly obeyed his order, looking ahead indifferently with his hands clasped behind him.

"Did my daughter visit her mother today?" He asked, flipping the page with an aggressive, quick gesture that he noticed out of the corner of his eye.

"Yes."

The king hummed under his breath, stretching out comfortably in his richly decorated wooden chair.

"What did they discuss?" She asked lowly, and he licked his lips, wondering what he should say.

There were guards all around them, they could overhear their conversation, he couldn't come off as a liar in front of him.

He had to stick to his role.

"The Queen expressed disappointment that the young Prince was not visiting her. She also raised concerns that I was the personification of death, had come to bring her relief and take her life. She told me to spare her daughter and son because they did not know anything." He recited in a cold, dispassionate tone − the King sighed heavily, running his hand over his face.

"She has completely lost her mind. She keeps poisoning my poor daughter's head." He muttered, looking ahead with indifferent, enraged gaze.

"Take care of her."

He looked at him in disbelief, unsure if he had understood correctly what he expected of him.

"What do you mean, my King?" He asked lowly, uttering the last words with great difficulty. The man looked at him and licked his lower lip with impatience.

"It should look like she took her own life. Preferably a hanging. That will look the most natural. As long as she lives, our family will never move on."

Walking down the corridor towards the staircase to the chamber in which the Queen was being held, he took two vessels from his pocket, which he had kept for himself in case of need.

He walked all the way up, noticing that there were no guards or servants around, the door to her chamber open − she was sitting on her bed with her hands in her lap and looking towards him smiling, as if waiting for him.

"At last." She said softly, her skinny face as if it had taken on a flush. "I was hoping to see you one day. Believe me, there has not been a day in which I have not prayed for you."

He looked at her impassively feeling a tightness in his gut, playing between his fingers with the glass little bottle he held in his hand.

"You know what I came for." He said matter-of-factly, and she nodded and laughed lightly.

"I've waited a long time for this. For freedom." She replied − suddenly it seemed to him that she was completely sober and awake, that she had known perfectly well all this time what was happening to her.

She was waiting for him to come back and kill her.

He thought with surprise that something moved him at that thought.

"I have a proposition for you, my Lady." He said finally − she looked at him sleepily, wrinkling her brows.

"I will spare your daughter and your son if I gain your family's support in taking the throne." He said lowly, raising a hand with a small vial in front of him, waving it in front of her.

"Black Tears. That is the name of what I now hold in my hands. A few drops are enough to fall into a deep sleep − a person's heart beats slower, their pulse cannot be felt. However, if one drinks too much, one may not wake up again. Do you understand?" He asked coldly − she looked at the liquid and then at him, disbelief in her gaze.

"I'll help you escape."

When it was all over he informed the King that according to his will his spouse was dead. He came to her in his own person and sat down beside her on the bed, touching her cheek.

"Did she suffer?" He asked as if in pain, thought for a moment that he regretted his decision.

"No. She just fell asleep."

The King ordered that her body be prepared respectfully for burial and that he contact the prior of the monastery on his behalf to conduct the ceremony.

This is what he had been waiting for.

"She is alive. Move her to the monastery and inform her family what her king-husband wanted to do. Criston will give her an infusion that will wake her up. It is best if she vomits a few times, she may also have a fever and be weakened." He said to the man who had been like a second father to him during his years of solitude.

The monk looked at him in horror, both of them standing over her body in the small castle chapel that had once belonged to his mother.

"− you risk a lot −" He said, afraid to use his title aloud − he hummed under his breath, looking at her indifferently.

"− I am paying my debt − you always told me that a just King must be merciful − did you not? −" He asked coldly, the man swallowed loudly and looked again at the body of the sleeping Queen.

"We must change the body and put it in the coffin at once. Tell the King that there are nasty marks on the Queen's body, probably indicative of the injection of poison. He will then not allow the lid to be opened and will order a burial as soon as possible." He said indifferently and walked away, leaving the monk with his words.

When he returned he headed for the King's chamber and announced to him that everything was ready for a quick, trouble-free burial. The King showed satisfaction at the speed of his work and praised his organisational skills, glad that his face was obscured by a mask so that he could not see how wide his smile was.

Your end is coming, he thought with amusement.

"Summon my daughter." He said, putting a bite of roast into his mouth.

He wasn't surprised by the Princess's reaction to what her father had said, he wasn't surprised that she didn't believe it, that she ran towards the chamber where she had spoken to her mother only hours before.

He moved quickly after her, seeing that she was in complete hysterics, and thought that she looked just like he had when her father's soldiers had entered his mother's chamber.

"You fucking bastard!" She shouted wrestling with him desperately, trying to hit him with a candlestick, but he caught her easily, her wrists slender and petite − he thought if he put any more strength into his grip he would break her bones.

"− tell me where she is − please −" She mumbled looking at him pleadingly, the candlestick fell out of her hand with a loud clink of steel against the stone floor.

She was despairing, her face all red from tears, her lips puffed up and glistening − he thought there was something beautiful, noble in her suffering.

"− please − please, Vhagar, I don't want her to be alone −" She whined, and he swallowed loudly at the thought that her father hadn't told her everything, that she thought her mother was still alive.

"It's too late. She didn’t suffer."

She spilled into his hands, what he had told her was too much for her mind and heart − she fainted from grief and pain and he caught her in his arms at the last moment.

He picked her up and started down the stairs with her, her head resting against his chest − he thought she was incredibly light and soft, her pleasant scent filling his entire lungs.

He carried her to her chamber and laid her limp body on her bed. He sat down in the chair beside her, spreading himself out comfortably, taking satisfaction for some reason that he could shamelessly look at her from so close.

Her shoulders were bare − the sleeve of her gown slipped off one of them, exposing her naked skin in a way that was inappropriate to say the least.

He had spent eight years of his life within the walls of a men's monastery, devoting himself to training, reading and prayer − the last thing he thought about when dreaming of reclaiming his rightful throne were women and the frailties of the human body.

He shuddered when her body moved − her eyelids parted suddenly, her vision hazy and dreamy, the darkness clearly startling her and it took her a moment to realise where she was and what had happened.

Her face finally turned towards him and she froze, her eyes opened wide in horror, her lips began to tremble − he felt like he saw a flash of a tear run down her cheeks.

"You were supposed to protect her." She uttered in pain. He looked at her with an indifferent expression on his face wondering if she would have thrown herself at his neck if she had found out he had helped her mother escape.

"I did." He saw that she furrowed her brow, furious, so he continued, wanting her to understand exactly what order her father had given him.

"I showed her mercy. Your father the king wanted me to make it look like she took her own life. I gave her poison, after which she just fell asleep, although he suggested hanging. He thought it would look more...natural."

He saw that her eyebrows arched in pain and regret − she pressed her lips together and closed her eyelids, turning on her side, curling up like a small child and huddling in her furs, seeking refuge in the warm fabric.

"When will it be made official?" She asked trying to feign calm, her voice trembling however, betraying her pain and suffering.

"Tomorrow morning the kKng will convene a gathering and announce the sorrowful news."

She raised her gaze to him, he felt something change in the expression on her face − she was thinking hard about something.

"Do you still have that poison?" She whispered and he felt his heart begin to pump the blood faster through his veins − he pressed his lips together and swallowed loudly, wondering if she was really planning to do what he suspected her of doing.

"…yes."

He looked at her in disbelief as she held out her slim, smooth hand to him, trembling slightly, hanging in the air.

"Have mercy on me too." She said softly, pleadingly, warmly − he hesitated, unsure of what he should do.

He had promised her mother he wouldn't kill her with his own hands, but he hadn't said he would stop her from committing suicide.

He got up slowly from his seat with a loud creak of the old wood and pulled out a small vial of leftover poison, enough to kill her. He walked over to her and handed it to her, looking at her with some kind of wide-eyed excitement, wondering what she would do.

He thought she was only pretending, that she wanted to arouse his pity, that she hoped he would stop her at the last moment.

"Is it going to be painful?" She asked in a trembling voice, looking at him helplessly, his heart pounding like mad − he could feel the cold sweat running down the back of his neck.

"No. You'll just fall asleep." He replied softly, and she sighed quietly, as if relieved, startling him when she opened the vial in a perfectly confident motion and immediately tilted its entire contents down her throat.

She swallowed loudly and looked at him with big eyes, horrified as he was by what she had done, by the knowledge that she was going to die, and lay back, tears of sadness, grief and fear running down the sides of her face.

She looked like a small child.

"Will you stay with me?" She asked in a trembling voice filled with despair and sorrow − he felt his heart sting, only realising a moment later that he was breathing heavily through his mouth.

"Yes." He whispered, noticed how involuntarily her head slowly slid to the side, her eyelids closed, her lips slightly parted.

She did it.

She couldn't take it and took her own life.

He went to her, pulling the black leather glove from his hand and touched her neck. He pressed his lips together, still sensing her pulse, wondering strenuously whether to let her die.

If it turned out that the King's daughter on his watch had died, he would have to kill him outright.

They weren't ready yet, they needed the support of her mother's family.

He clamped his eyelids shut and sighed heavily, taking her hair from her face with his fingers and swallowed loudly at the thought that her skin was incredibly warm and soft − he ran his fingertips over it for a moment as if it were a sheet of water before he reached into his coat pocket and took out a second vial.

He took the cork out of it, caught her cheeks in his hand and poured its contents down her throat, lifting her so that she didn't suffocate, her body began to shake.

She snorted loudly and squeezed him tightly − he reached quickly for the bowl of fruit standing next to her bed and dumped it on the stone floor, placing it under her mouth before her body shook with convulsions.

"Come on, you have to get it out of your body. Yes, there we go." He whispered as she began to vomit − he looked at her and thought with surprise that for some reason he felt relieved.

She was merely a tool in her father's hands, just like him, surrounded only by a terrifying, cruel, cold darkness.

He thought with some kind of pain, watching her as she fell asleep, shivering with fever and fatigue, that she was as alone as he was. He covered her with thick furs and lasted by her side all night without a wink, wanting to be sure she was still alive.

He was shocked to see that the next day, despite her fever, she got up as if nothing had happened, ordered her servants to help her dress in a black gown even though her father had not yet declared mourning.

Her expression of defiance, her expression of strength.

She was so pale that when he saw her walking in a small procession behind the coffin, he thought she really did look like a ghost − he had the feeling she was about to collapse, yet she walked ahead, her gaze distant, cool and empty.

He watched as she smiled at her father, as she pretended in front of him only to see complete emptiness appear on her face when he disappeared from her sight, a coldness in her gaze from which for some reason he felt a pleasant tickle in his fingertips.

"It's time to go back." He said finally snapping her out of her lethargy. She walked over to the grave where she believed her mother rested and placed her hand on it, tired and filled with pain.

"No. I won't leave her alone this time."

He looked at her impassively, for some reason feeling that he understood her, that like him she blamed herself for not protecting her mother.

They had both lost them at the hands of the same man.

"She's free now." He said calmly.

It wasn't a lie.

He had never lied to her.

She looked at him in a way that made him lift his chin higher, challenging her. She approached him slowly, her face enveloped in a black veil seemed even more mysterious and disturbingly beautiful to him, as if she were not human, her shape seemed slightly blurred to him, as if she did not really exist.

He drew in a loud breath when he felt her hand on his chest, her lips placing a kiss on the cold mask that covered his face in the place below where his cheek had been. He looked at her in disbelief as her hand stroked his mask, smelling the pleasant scent of her skin, a mixture of lavender and chamomile.

"This is my expression of gratitude for your dedication to the affairs of our family." She said with feigned tenderness, her puffy lips slightly parted, her gaze indifferent, sharp, dark. He felt a throbbing inside his breeches and swallowed loudly, embarrassed and horrified by his body's reaction.

He thought, following her back towards the keep, that they were the same.

That as King he would need a Queen, a woman who would give him offspring and extend his line.

What would unite the realm more than the marriage of two conflicted sides, bringing peace and order at last?

He thought about it watching her while she was bathing, when she let him stay, saying he could watch − he was completely hard at the thought that when it was all over he would take her for himself, that this warm, soft body with pleasant, girlish shapes that peered through from under her wet chemise would be his alone.

He thought of this only to clench his hands around her neck a moment later, watching her terrified face trying helplessly to catch its breath after thinking horrified that she had ruined everything.

She had found the passage.

Why, why couldn't she just leave it all?

Why was she forcing him to do this when only he could give her freedom of life or death?

He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead against hers − he let out a growl of rage and let her go, heard her draw in the air loudly as she looked at him with a gaze full of terror and disbelief, her lips swollen and red from the blood that, through the adrenaline, flowed quickly through her veins.

She was beautiful.

He sighed heavily, involuntarily clinging to her − she trembled all over trying to push him away, but he was stronger than her. He began to rub against her body with his swollen cock and parted his lips, feeling his manhood respond with a strong pulsing, wave after wave of hot, tickling pleasure flowed through his lower abdomen.

"You are my curse. My ruin." He exhaled, looking closely at her face, her dark, wonderfully long eyelashes surrounded her eyes, staring at him with disbelief, fear and something that made him hot, her eyebrows arched in indecision, her full, moist lips parted slightly − he thought he would have killed for the chance to taste them. "My doom."

He shuddered and lost his breath for a moment when he felt her hands let go of his chest and slide down to his hips, her thighs spread out in front of him, her fingers tightening on his flesh, pressing him tighter against her − she sighed quietly beneath him, breathing louder and louder.

"− destroy me − leave me with nothing −" She whispered; he felt a powerful shudder run through him and he thought it was over, that he had to do it, that he had to feel her.

He didn't believe it when he felt her own hands help him untie and slide down his breeches, he didn't care if she changed her mind − he wanted her and took her. He forced his way inside her with difficulty, her fleshy walls clenching against him, resisting him, a whimper of discomfort escaping her lips.

He was panting and moaning along with her, sliding into her with effort all the way in, with a natural, subconscious movement beginning to root into her, delighted at how tight and warm she was, how with each thrust of his hips he slid into her with increasing ease, his movements accompanied by the loud click of her moisture.

She was wet.

"− good gods, you are fucking enjoying this −" He muttered with a sneer and groaned low, feeling her clench tightly around his manhood − he began to slam into her harder and faster, feeling that something was happening to him, some kind of tension was rising and rising, he felt like his cock was about to explode.

And then it happened.

He came inside her, for the first time in his life he experienced fulfilment and it was so stupefying and pleasurable that for a moment he was just panting with his eyes closed, rooting into her again and again, trying to prolong it, listening to her mewling of pleasure, her cheeks wonderfully pink, her gaze misty, her lips parted sweetly.

He stared at her thinking about the fact that he had filled her to the brim with his seed, that he felt fulfilled as a man, as a lover, as a husband, as a King, as anyone he wanted to be.

He had taken for himself the woman he desired and filled her with himself.

Was there anything more natural?

However, he quickly regained his sobriety of mind as did she − they pulled away from each other, terrified. He slid out of her and she moved away quickly, covering her thighs, panting loudly, looking at him in horror, clearly thinking he was still going to try to kill her.

He reached up quickly and tied his breeches, looking at her in disbelief, his manhood still all wet from her juices, from what had flowed out of her after she had reached her peak with him deep inside her.

He looked at her and thought only of the fact that he had never experienced something so pleasurable before in his life.

That through his seed she could soon carry his child in her womb.

That she would become his Queen.

_____

Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess @sweethoneyblossom1 @watercolorskyy @randomdragonfires @apollonshootafar @padfooteyes

[queerism1969]

Atrocity created by CAPITALISM

Irish Famine (1845-1852)

Indian Famines during British colonial rule (Various, 18th-20th centuries)

Indigenous Genocide (Ongoing since colonization)

Slavery (16th-19th centuries)

Indonesian Genocide (1965-1966)

Pinochet Dictatorship (1973-1990)

Argentina Dictatorship (1976-1983)

Brazilian Dictatorship (1964-1985)

Pakistan Incident (Bangladesh Genocide, 1971)

The Gilded Age (Late 19th century)

The Great Depression (1929-1939)

Operation Condor (1960s-1980s)

Banana Wars (Early 20th century)

Batista Dictatorship (1952-1959)

Guantanamo Bay (Ongoing since 2002)

Vietnam War (1955-1975)

My Lai Massacre (1968)

Sinchon Massacre (Korean War, 1950-1953)

Kent State Massacre (1970)

Patriot Act (2001)

Red Summer (1919)

Jim Crow (Late 19th-20th centuries)

MK Ultra (1950s-1970s)

1985 MOVE bombing (1985)

1921 Battle of Blair Mountain (1921)

Malayan Emergency (1948-1960)

Mau Mau Rebellion (1952-1960)

Covert war in Yemen (Ongoing)

Stanley Meyer incident (1998)

Genocide in Turkey (Armenian Genocide and others, WWI era)

Congolese Genocide (Late 19th-20th centuries)

Greek Civil War (1946-1949)

Invasion of Cyprus by Turkey (1974)

Washita River Massacre (1868)

Minamata Disaster (1950s-1960s)

Bhopal Disaster (1984)

Kentler Project (1960s-2003)

Thomas Midgley Jr. and leaded gasoline (Early 20th century)

Forced labor in private US prisons (Ongoing)

Collateral murder in Iraq (2010)

Julian Assange and leaks (Ongoing)

US drone strikes (Ongoing)

US sanctions (Ongoing)

US support for dictatorships (Ongoing)

Korean War and civilian casualties (Korean War, 1950-1953)

Nazi funding and collaboration (WWII era)

Hitler and "Judeo-Bolshevism" (WWII era)

[strangesimsfiction]

New challenge Unlock the medieval uberhoods

Here's a medieval twist on the "Unlock the Uberhood" challenge for The Sims 2! In this version, you'll roll for births, deaths, marriages, and unlocks, giving it that extra layer of unpredictability.

Basic Rules:

Starting Conditions:

Begin with a single family of peasants in a small medieval village. As you progress, you'll unlock more families, social classes, and types of buildings by completing rolls and objectives.

Classes and Unlocks:

Peasants: Start with 1-2 families of peasants.

Merchants: After 3 generations of peasants survive, you can unlock a merchant family.

Nobles: After 5 successful peasant generations and 2 merchant generations, you can unlock a noble family.

Royalty: Unlock after 3 generations of nobles have passed.

Aging and Lifespan Rolls: At the beginning of each Sim's age transition (baby, toddler, child, teen, adult, elder), roll a die to determine whether they survive the transition.

Baby to Toddler: Roll a 6-sided die. If you roll a 1 or 2, the baby dies.

Toddler to Child: Roll a 10-sided die. If you roll a 1, the toddler dies.

Child to Teen: Roll a 12-sided die. If you roll a 1 or 2, the child dies.

Teen to Adult: Roll an 8-sided die. If you roll a 1, the teen dies.

Adult to Elder: No roll, but elders live for a maximum of 15 in-game days. At the end of every 5 days, roll a 6-sided die; if you roll a 1, the elder dies.

Marriages:

Before any Sim can marry, roll to determine their fate.

Roll a 12-sided die:

1-4: The Sim never marries.

5-8: The Sim marries within their class.

9-12: The Sim marries above or below their class (peasants marry merchants, nobles, etc.)

Arranged marriages can be introduced by rolling a 6-sided die at teenhood:

1-2: Parents arrange a marriage.

3-6: Sim chooses their own spouse.

Children:

After marriage, roll a 6-sided die to determine how many children a couple will have.

Roll for each pregnancy: If you roll a 1 or 2 on a 6-sided die, the mother dies during childbirth. If the mother survives, roll a 4-sided die to determine how many babies are born:

1-2: Single baby

3: Twins

4: Triplets

Plagues, Famine, and War:

Every 3 generations, roll a 10-sided die. If you roll a 1 or 2, a disaster strikes:

Plague: Roll for every Sim in the neighborhood. A roll of 1-3 on a 6-sided die results in death.

Famine: Reduce food availability for one full season. Roll for each family member; a roll of 1-2 on a 6-sided die results in death.

War: Male Sims of fighting age (teen and adult) must go to war. Roll a 4-sided die; on a 1 or 2, they perish in battle.

Social Class Progression:

When a family has accumulated significant wealth (50,000 Simoleons for peasants, 100,000 for merchants), they can move up in social class. Roll a 6-sided die to determine their chances of successfully rising:

1-3: They remain in their class.

4-6: They move up a class.

Castle Unlock:

Once you unlock royalty, build your royal castle. You must maintain a royal lineage by ensuring heirs are born. If a royal Sim dies without an heir, the next closest noble family takes the throne, but a rebellion may occur if other nobles are unhappy.

If you would like to play the premades.

For a medieval-themed "Unlock the Uberhood" challenge, here are a few pre-made Sims 2 neighborhoods and families that could fit perfectly with the narrative:

Veronaville

Premise: The town has a Shakespearean vibe, making it a perfect fit for a medieval twist. The feuding families (Monty's and Capps) could easily represent rival noble houses in your challenge.

Key Families:

The Capp Family: This wealthy, aristocratic family could be your nobility. With their large estate and established lineage, they’re perfect for royal aspirations.

The Monty Family: Also a noble family, but rivals to the Capps. You can roll for marriage between the Monty's and Capps for some drama, or play out a power struggle.

Summerdream Family: They are more whimsical, almost fairy-like, so you could make them the magical or mystical part of your medieval kingdom.

Strangetown

Premise: While known for its alien and paranormal lore, you could play Strangetown as a strange, cursed medieval land. There could be a lot of interesting supernatural elements to roll for, especially when dealing with war, plague, or famine.

Key Families:

The Beaker Family: Cast them as strange alchemists or a family of outcasts. You can roll for whether their experiments are successful or disastrous.

The Grunt Family: As a military family, they could be tied to wars or battles in the medieval challenge. Roll for their fate in wars and how they influence your kingdom's power dynamics.

The Specter Family: The Specter family could be seen as cursed nobles or witches, making them perfect to add a supernatural element to the challenge.

Pleasantview

Premise: Though this neighborhood is more suburban, with a few tweaks, it can be transformed into a medieval village. The pre-existing drama here would translate well into the challenge.

Key Families:

The Goth Family: Play them as ancient aristocracy, a family of high-born nobles with a mysterious past. Mortimer Goth can be a powerful patriarch looking to maintain control over the kingdom.

The Caliente Sisters: They could be seen as lower-class or merchant class women looking to marry into higher classes for wealth and status.

The Broke Family: This could be one of your peasant families, struggling to survive in the medieval world. Their lack of wealth would fit the lower class of your challenge.

Each of these pre-made neighborhoods has distinct families that fit different roles in a medieval society, making them great for the challenge! If you want extra drama, you could even mix families from different neighborhoods!

For this medieval-themed "Unlock the Uberhood" challenge, we'll assign the pre-made Sims to different social classes (Rich, Merchant, Poor/Peasant) and give them jobs based on the original "Unlock the Uberhood" rules, with some medieval flavor added to the professions. Here's a breakdown of each family, their class, and the jobs you'd need to assign to them to unlock more families and features.

Veronaville Families:

Capp Family (Nobles/High Class)

Class: Rich (Nobles)

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (Consort Capp): Lord of the Manor (Politics - Mayor track). This unlocks the Politics career for other Sims.

Teens (Tybalt, Hermia, Juliet Capp): Can work as Apprentices (Slacker career) or be schooled at home until marriage. To unlock more careers or features, they must grow up and contribute through arranged or strategic marriages.

Unlocks: If they remain wealthy and have multiple children survive, they can eventually unlock the military career (Medieval knights) or the law enforcement career (Medieval guards).

Monty Family (Nobles/High Class)

Class: Rich (Nobles)

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (Patrizio Monty): Landowner or Merchant Lord (Business - Tycoon track). This unlocks the Business career.

Teens (Romeo Monty): Work as a Squire (Military - recruit). Upon adulthood, they can join the full military, which unlocks future career choices for other Sims.

Unlocks: Their family could unlock additional buildings (markets, inns) if they stay successful merchants.

Summerdream Family (Magical/Mystic Class)

Class: Mystic, not part of the standard class structure

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (Oberon Summerdream): Healer or Alchemist (Science career - Natural Scientist track). This unlocks medical or scholarly careers.

Teens (Puck Summerdream): Scholar or Healer's Apprentice (Science). As the family is mystical, they can unlock magical elements in the challenge, such as spells or potions.

Unlocks: If the Summerdream family gains influence, you could roll to unlock magical or supernatural elements in your medieval kingdom.

Strangetown Families:

Beaker Family (Alchemists)

Class: Rich/Middle-Class (depending on gameplay)

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (Loki Beaker): Court Alchemist (Science - Mad Scientist track). This unlocks the Science career for others.

Patriarch (Circe Beaker): Healer (Medical - Chief of Staff track). Unlocks the medical career for other Sims.

Unlocks: By working in alchemy and science, they can unlock the supernatural aspect of the challenge.

Grunt Family (Warrior Class)

Class: Middle-Class (Military/Guard)

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (General Buzz Grunt): Commander of the Guard (Military - General track). This unlocks the military career.

Teens (Tank and Ripp Grunt): Squires (Military). This will unlock knightly or guard-based careers for future generations.

Unlocks: The Grunts’ success in military careers unlocks the law enforcement career (Medieval guards and jailers).

Specter Family (Noble but Cursed)

Class: High Class but Cursed (Nobles with dark secrets)

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (Olive Specter): Retired; historically, could have been involved in witchcraft or black magic (no career required).

Teens (Ophelia Nigmos): She could marry into a noble family, continuing the legacy of the cursed nobility. Alternatively, she could take on a profession such as an herbalist (Science or Medical career).

Unlocks: The Specter family could unlock a darker aspect of the kingdom (supernatural careers or even curses).

Pleasantview Families:

Goth Family (High Nobility)

Class: Rich (High Nobility)

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (Mortimer Goth): Lord of the Manor (Politics - Mayor track). This unlocks the politics career.

Teens (Cassandra Goth): Arranged marriage to another noble family to unlock future features (her profession would depend on her spouse).

Unlocks: Through strategic marriages and Mortimer’s political influence, the Goths can unlock more noble families or control over the kingdom.

Caliente Sisters (Merchants/Social Climbers)

Class: Lower Nobility or Wealthy Merchants

Starting Jobs:

Nina and Dina Caliente: Merchants (Business career - Executive track). They use their wealth to climb the social ladder and marry higher-class Sims.

Unlocks: As the Calientes accumulate wealth, they can unlock the Business and other middle-class careers, possibly even marrying into nobility.

Broke Family (Peasants)

Class: Peasant

Starting Jobs:

Patriarch (Brandi Broke): Farm laborer or washerwoman (Slacker career). This family will have to scrape by, and you can roll for random events like famine or war to test their survival.

Teens (Dustin Broke): Apprenticeship (Slacker career). As he grows older, you can roll for his chances of upward mobility.

Unlocks: If the Brokes manage to save enough money and have successful careers, they can eventually unlock merchant careers or even a step up to lower nobility.

Unlock Requirements Based on Original Rules:

Business Career:

Families like the Monty's and Calientes (Merchant class) would need to reach the top of the Business career to unlock new businesses and marketplaces.

Politics Career:

High-ranking families like the Goths and Capps would need to unlock the Politics career to open up new political positions in the medieval kingdom.

Military Career:

Families like the Grunts and Monty's will need to unlock the Military career to establish knights, guards, or protectors in the kingdom.

Medical/Science Career:

Families like the Beakers and Summerdreams would work in the Science and Medical fields, unlocking scholars, healers, or even supernatural elements within the kingdom.

By strategically using marriages, jobs, and rolls, you’ll unlock new aspects of the Uberhood, from expanding the kingdom to allowing more Sims to join different careers and grow your medieval society!

Here's a good starting point for the Capp family in your medieval-themed "Unlock the Uberhood" challenge, focusing on drama, class dynamics, and rolling for important events like marriages and deaths.

Setting the Scene:

The Capps are one of the wealthiest and most powerful noble families in your medieval kingdom. The family is ruled by the aging patriarch, Consort Capp, who is determined to keep the family in power through strategic alliances. The family estate is large, but tensions run high with their rivals, the Monty's. The younger generation is facing pressure to marry well, increase the family’s influence, and protect their noble status.

Key Characters:

Consort Capp: The family patriarch, Consort is the key to keeping the Capp family in power. He must focus on his political career to maintain control over the kingdom.

Tybalt Capp: The eldest grandson, Tybalt is expected to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and marry strategically to maintain the family’s power.

Juliet Capp: Juliet is of marriageable age and is secretly in love with Romeo Monty, a member of the rival family. You'll need to roll to see if she marries Romeo or if she’s forced into an arranged marriage.

Hermia Capp: She has her own ambitions, whether that’s marrying for love, joining a convent, or supporting her family’s political goals.

Initial Rolls and Events:

1. Marriage Rolls for Tybalt and Juliet

At the start of the challenge, roll to determine the marriage fates of Tybalt and Juliet.

Tybalt’s Marriage: Roll a 12-sided die:

1-4: Tybalt will never marry and instead focus on building political power and controlling the estate.

5-8: Tybalt will marry within the noble class. Roll again to determine which family (could be a Capp cousin or even a noble family from another neighborhood).

9-12: Tybalt marries below his class, possibly a wealthy merchant’s daughter or even a peasant with ambitions. This could cause tension within the family.

Juliet’s Marriage: Roll a 6-sided die:

1-2: Juliet is forced into an arranged marriage with a noble chosen by Consort Capp.

3-4: She marries Romeo Monty despite family objections, which could lead to conflict between the Capps and Monty's.

5-6: She runs away or refuses to marry, which could lead to scandal and affect the family’s reputation.

2. Consort Capp’s Political Career

Consort Capp must reach the top of the Politics career to ensure his family’s control over the kingdom.

Start Consort’s political career (Mayor track). As he moves up the ladder, roll for random political events:

Every time he gets a promotion, roll a 6-sided die. A roll of 1 means a political rival (like the Monty's) tries to undermine him, and he must complete certain tasks (increase his friends, win a debate, or earn more money) to keep his career on track.

If he reaches the top of the career, the Capp family secures control over the kingdom.

3. Family Alliances

With the Capps’ noble status, they must forge alliances with other families to strengthen their power. Depending on who Tybalt and Juliet marry, new families can be introduced into the challenge.

If a Capp marries a Monty, roll to determine if the rivalry intensifies or resolves:

1-3: The marriage leads to greater conflict, with duels or even a war breaking out between the families.

4-6: The marriage brings peace between the families, allowing you to focus on other aspects of kingdom-building.

4. Children and Heirs

Once Tybalt or Juliet marry, roll to determine how many children they have (as per the childbirth rules in the original challenge). They need at least one male heir to carry on the family name and estate.

If there’s no male heir by the third generation, the Capp family could lose its noble status, and another family (like the Monty's or Goths) could take control of the kingdom.

Suggested Storylines to Explore:

Noble Rivalry with the Monty's:

Whether Juliet marries Romeo or not, the rivalry between the two families can drive much of the drama in your kingdom. You can roll for periodic events (duels, political disputes, or sabotage) to keep the tension high.

Tybalt's Struggle for Power:

Tybalt may be forced to marry for political gain, but his ambition may cause him to overreach. He could attempt to assassinate a Monty or even challenge his grandfather’s authority, leading to a potential family schism.

Hermia’s Rebellion:

Hermia could refuse to follow her family’s plans, either joining a religious order or running away with a lower-class Sim. This would create scandal and lower the family’s standing, making it harder to keep their wealth.

Succession Crisis:

If Consort dies before securing his political position, the family could face a crisis over who will take control. Tybalt may be too young or inexperienced, leading to other families vying for control of the kingdom.

Arranged Marriages for Influence:

Use the marriage rolls to introduce other noble families into the story. For example, the Goths from Pleasantview could become allies or enemies, depending on how the marriages play out.

Building the Kingdom:

Unlock New Families: Once the Capps secure their political power, roll to unlock new noble families or merchant classes, adding new layers of intrigue and complexity.

Build New Structures: As the family rises in power, you can build new community lots like markets, inns, and even a castle for the ruling family.

War and Plague: Periodically roll for kingdom-wide events (war, famine, or plague) to test the Capps’ resilience. These events could affect their wealth, family members, or alliances.

In The Sims 2, each household can be associated with a color to help distinguish their themes and classes. Here’s a suggested color for each of the pre-made households based on their characteristics and roles in your medieval-themed "Unlock the Uberhood" challenge:

Veronaville

Capp Family: Royal Blue

Reason: As a wealthy noble family, royal blue symbolizes their high status and power. It reflects their rich, aristocratic nature and influence over the kingdom.

Monty Family: Crimson Red

Reason: The Monty's are rivals to the Capps, so a bold, striking color like crimson red represents their fierce competition and passionate ambition. It also hints at their potential for conflict and drama.

Summerdream Family: Emerald Green

Reason: Associated with magic and mysticism, emerald green fits the Summerdreams' otherworldly and enchanting qualities. It represents their connection to mystical elements in your medieval world.

Strangetown

Beaker Family: Midnight Black

Reason: Black represents the Beakers' dark, experimental nature and their involvement in mysterious alchemy and science. It also adds an air of secrecy and intrigue.

Grunt Family: Steel Gray

Reason: Steel gray signifies the Grunts' military background and their role as warriors. It reflects their strength, discipline, and ruggedness.

Specter Family: Haunted Purple

Reason: A deep, eerie purple symbolizes the Specters' cursed and supernatural elements. It conveys a sense of mystery and otherworldly presence.

Pleasantview

Goth Family: Dark Burgundy

Reason: Dark burgundy reflects the Goths' rich, old-money status and their dark, somewhat morbid family history. It also represents their noble, but somewhat gloomy, nature.

Caliente Sisters: Gold

Reason: Gold represents the Calientes' ambition and their attempts to climb the social ladder. It reflects their desire for wealth and higher status in the medieval society.

Broke Family: Earthy Brown

Reason: Earthy brown fits the Broke family's lower-class, struggling background. It reflects their connection to the land and their humble beginnings.

Assigning these colors to each household can help you visualize their roles and relationships in your medieval challenge, making the gameplay even more immersive and dynamic.

Hope this will be something fun to do <3

here is the original rules<3 @clouseplayssims go follow them on everything <3 https://www.youtube.com/@clouseplayssims3813

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1848 – A gunfight takes place between Young Ireland Rebels and police at Widow McCormack’s house in Ballingarry, Co Tipperary.

The Young Irelander Rebellion was a failed Irish nationalist uprising led by the Young Ireland movement, part of the wider Revolutions of 1848 that affected most of Europe. It took place on 29 July 1848 in the village of Ballingarry, South Tipperary. After being chased by a force of Young Irelanders and their supporters, an Irish Constabulary unit raided a house and took those inside as hostages.…

[marcusrobertobaq]

DBH worldbuilding info u're supposed to know

The collection

US is having major issues with sea level rising quickly, making even the wealthy residents deciding not living right on the coast anymore. Polar ice has melted to an extent that rising sea levels have many states struggling to keep the water out of their coastal towns (Magazine)

CyberLife's intention with complex level humanization was to literally make people welcome 'em home like they're family instead of getting creeped about it (Magazine)

VR games are very common by 2038 (Magazine)

The President Cristina Warren is an ex-vlogger with no experience in government that relied on social media and celebrity status to be elected in 2036, originally a republican representative. There's a "rumor" CyberLife helped she getting elected by corrupt means and that's why they're "too close" (Magazine, Gallery, Cut concepts)

Warren got an approval of only 33% due to the sequence of bad decisions (Magazine)

The world's population is 10 billion by 2038 (Magazine)

Obesity is in a record high in Detroit by 2038 (Magazine)

NATO is divided about the Russia vs US conflict in the Arctic, they think everybody can benefit of the region without war but Warren is totally pushing for a conflict (Magazine)

Rare minerals used in synthetizing Thirium got Russia and US biting each other in the North Pole in recent yrs. Android manufacture dominates both the US and Russian economies (Magazine)

Kamski being the one creating Thirium 310 and biocomponents more than a decade ago suggests other areas with these minerals were already explored, the North Pole being the last one (Assumption)

Police is constantly using marketing data to identify criminals (Magazine)

Dating websites usually have less than 5% of women using it (Magazine)

0.4% of world population holds 94% of global wealth by 2038 (Magazine)

By 2038 there's constant propaganda selling Canada as the true land of freedom (Magazine)

No matter how u play as Markus u gonna eventually have event contexts distorted, including fake news. They're called criminal org and terrorists no matter what u do (Observation)

CyberLife developed a nano-android to help combating cancer and diseases that can extend the human life-span even reaching a semi-immortality status - and it's very promising as it was already succesful in doing its task (Magazine)

US life expectancy is 91 by 2038 (Magazine)

By 2038 US got a aging population but not enough young people to support the economy with the unemployment rate at 37.3%, and the "job" area is dominated by androids (Magazine, Observation)

When the rebellion starts the gov consider bringing retirees back to work as the country lack qualified manpower to deal with the withdraw of androids (Cut dialogue)

Only two countries have android industries that rival the United States: Russia and China, they're also in a space race of sorts (Magazine)

Team sports like baseball got at least 1 android per team (Magazine)

An advanced high speed train was completed in 2038, connecting New York and LA in less than 2,5 hrs and there's a high flux of east coast folks going to LA (Magazine)

Suburban prices there have rose 64% and California folks are worried they gonna get pushed out of the region (Magazine)

Detroit is currently in a Red Ice epidemic with it being the easiest route the poor go, either by selling or using it (Magazine)

There was a Red Ice Task Force from 2027 to 2031 that made major arrests and drug seizure during the first epidemic (Gallery, Articles)

Bees are extinct by 2038 and people expect a global famine. CyberLife is already making partnerships to create bee-robots while other groups try finding new alternatives (Magazine)

Environmentalists say the Earth’s environment is beyond repair (Magazine)

Global rainforests have been reduced by 79% since 2000 and coastal corals by 58% (Magazine)

During the events of the game an earthquake kills 10k people in China (Magazine)

CyberLife has partnership with the Department of Defense in the development and supply of military androids, something that started in the early 30s after it was approved to limit human casualties in the battlefield (Magazine, Observation)

In 2031 the US gov ordered 2 million androids for use in the infantry, mostly SQ800 units already being deployed in 2032 replacing human soldiers.

Michigan also announced the purchase of 5k auxiliary androids to assist law enforcement department but following the 2029 Android Act they can't use weapons (PlayStation Blog)

U.S. Army soldiers are equipped with advanced equipment to keep up with their android "subordinates" (Gallery)

Stock exchange falls 10% on fear of Arctic conflict by 2038 (Magazine)

68% of men prefer sex with an android to a human woman and with 52% of men saying they’ve tried the experience at least once (Magazine)

CyberLife currently got around 120 million androids across the globe and some people suspect they're using 'em to spy on people (Magazine)

There are at least 200k military android units already in service across the US military by 2038 and the gov is buying more for the Arctic conflict, an effort to double the infantry size (Magazine)

The US Army is 60~80% android, with humans mainly as commanders and strategists but they tend to use complex AIs to help with assistance (Magazine)

Sales of android intimate partners are very high as lotta men and women prefer living with an android than a human partner (Magazine)

Birthrate is at record low, population decline is said to be irreversible, marriage is in decline as traditional families become “thing of the past” and the divorce rate only increases (Magazine, News, Observation)

US is currently in an "antidepressant epidemic" due to the constant contact with technology, with people even lacking emotional development (Magazine)

The AX400 price is $899 by 2038 (Magazine)

5% of the music market is produced by human musicians. An android boyband Here4U is favorite to win Best Act, Best Video at global music awards - which are human record awards (Magazine, News)

Scientists found "alien" life on Titan: microorganisms living hundreds of kilometers below the surface, in an ocean of salt water protected by a thick layer of ice. The machine-i-forgot-the-name was sent in 2019 (Magazine)

Lute turtles, polar bears, mountain gorillas, african elephants and several species of tiger are extinct by 2038, with CyberLife now making some sorta android zoos (Magazine)

Canada is an android-free zone they don't sell or have any laws about it there as they don't permit androids inside 'em borders (Magazine)

CyberLife has recently released a tech demo of a quaterback android, something that got the Anti-Android Fan Group pissed (Magazine)

There's some sorta quantum magnet being studied that got the potential of cleaning carbon from the air (Magazine)

The Anti-Automation League and CrowneCars representants are in a discussion about ethical decision-making capability of autonomous cars (Magazine)

CyberLife has made a new quantum supercomputer, capable of one billion billion operations per second used to calculate the probability of mass extinction events (Magazine)

Hackers targeting systems like solar panels for ransom seems to be common thing (Magazine)

NASA announced the launch of a five android crew to explore Io (first time it's a full-machine crew). The journey will last three years (Magazine)

CyberLife is a trillionaire company by 2038, they were already billionaires a decade before (Magazine)

The first android ever officially released by CyberLife was the ST200 Chloe, costing 65k in 2024. By 2027 they already had 1mi androids sold (PlayStation Blog)

[continues on the next reblog]

[queereads-bracket]

Queer Fantasy Books Bracket: Round 4

Book summaries below:

The Locked Tomb series (Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, Nona the Ninth, and others) by Tamsyn Muir

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier.

Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die. Of course, some things are better left dead.

Fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, humor, series, adult

The Radiant Emperor series (She Who Became the Sun, He Who Drowned the World) by Shelley Parker-Chan

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future her brother's abandoned greatness.

Fantasy, historical fiction, alternate history, epic fantasy, adult

[serpentface]

Stavis Amanti, the reigning monarch of the Wardi Empire during the great drought, decked out in traveling regalia and perpetually frazzled.

He and his dynasty are facing some major public opinion issues in the wake of a disastrous war against the rebelling tributary state of Finnerich and an unprecedented drought and famine.

Stavis oversaw a second invasion of Finnerich, in attempt to assist the imperial loyalist Finn monarchy in civil war against dissenting Northern Finns. This invasion was a catastrophic failure, and resulted in much of Finnerich's conquered territory being liberated and Imperial Wardin being humiliated.

One of the most crushing elements of the defeat was the killing of the Odomache (the high priestess of the Odonii order, spiritual leader and de-facto commander of the Imperial Wardi military, and believed to be a physical incarnation of God). The Odomache does not usually participate in combat directly, but was sent into the thick of battle as an attempted show of power. She was captured and killed and her corpse was defiled, an act deeply significant to those in the Wardi faith- the sanctity of her body is directly connected with the sovereignty and sanctity of the imperial entity.

This was proven to imperial Wardi observers when the rainy season that year failed, as did each rainy season over the next five years. The region is mostly reliant on seasonal flooding for its agriculture, and with flooding either being inadequate or wholly absent, this drought resulted in an extreme famine. This is interpreted as a result of The Face Of God Itself being defiled, and God being severed from Its lands.

Five years into the drought, the political landscape of the Wardi empire is in shambles. The city-state of Erub is experiencing a localized collapse as the Yellowtail river runs dry. Godsmouth and Lobera are in borderline open rebellion, calling for the ousting of the Amanti dynasty. Public opinion of the royal family is at rock bottom. The key unifying factor of Imperial Wardin (which is culturally diverse and composed of relatively powerful and distinct city-states) is its shared state religion, and the royal family is increasingly seen as impious, weak, and a foreign element (as effectively a remnant of the former eastern Burri empire). Pre-existing tensions between the monarchy and the priesthoods are exacerbated, with much of the Imperial Wardi public now calling for the overthrow of the monarchy (in favor of, essentially, an imperialist theocracy).

Much of the population is starving. All the usual dry season sacrifices have failed to restore the cycle of sacrifice and rebirth, and no new Odomache has been crowned. It's in this context that the great pilgrimage occurs under Stavis Amanti's command, with the goal of performing a reenactment of creation via the mass sacrifice of seven great beasts (aspects of God) and the incarnation of a new Odomache. It is hoped that this will restore God's connection with its lands and end the drought.

While this is (for most involved) a sincerely believed religious conviction, it is absolutely a desperate power play as well. The trek of the royal family, hundreds of soldiers and military elites, and the two most powerful priesthoods (the Galenii and Odonii) is a display of unity between the three fractured core powers of Imperial Wardin.

This is itself exceptionally fraught. Not only are the leaders of barely unified factions stuck together on a road-trip, but this trip is essentially a military march, taking place largely through conquered tributary lands. The pilgrimage contains the king, the prince, the king-sister, about three hundred soldiers, dozens of Odonii and Galenii, hundreds of servants and associated laborers, and a couple hundred khait and oxen. Such a movement requires a tremendous amount of resources to sustain.

Imperial Wardi culture involves a spirit of charity (particularly towards the Galenii priesthood) which is being heavily banked on to keep this hungry march afloat. In practice, a lot of commoners aren’t too thrilled by soldiers marching into their towns and demanding tribute in the midst of a devastating famine. Particularly given that much of the pilgrimage path is through conquered and heavily exploited tributary lands.

Needless to say this is not the best PR move for the Amanti dynasty and things go to shit.

Stavis himself is not a particularly cruel or stupid man (BIG CAVEAT: he is the head of an imperialist state), but was crowned amid growing internal conflict (after a long stretch of relative stability during his father's reign) and is overwhelmed by complex political situations and prone to hasty and dramatic maneuvers. He is heavily distrustful of the Odonii priesthood (which is functionally more in control of the military than he is), and is maneuvering to have his personal friend Faiza Haidamane mantled as the new Odomache, in hopes of maintaining loyal ties and not being replaced by, like, a god-emperor.

That being said, he is a true believer in the pilgrimage and is really, really, really hoping that getting all those cows and stuff to that place is gonna make all the raiding (and occasional massacres) of his own civilians to feed his pilgrim-army work out.

[city-of-ladies]

Sent to a foreign country as a tribute, Lady Ki (c.1320- after 1369) carved a place for herself and became a powerful empress, the last of the Yuan dynasty.

From maid to imperial consort 

Lady Ki, also known as Öljei Khuduq, was born in Xingzhou, Gaoli (present-day Korea). The Korean state used to send a tribute of women to its neighbor, the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty, who controlled most of modern-day China and its surrounding areas such as present-day Mongolia. 

Lady Ki entered the palace and was assigned to Toghon Temür's service. Described as beautiful and clever, she quickly caught the young emperor’s attention and was elevated to the rank of consort.

The empress Danishiri was hostile to Lady Ki but was executed in 1335 or 1337 for having tried to protect her brother who was involved in a rebellion.

Toghon Temür then tried to name Lady Ki empress, but his decision was met with extreme hostility. Indeed, no Korean woman had held the dignity so far. Most empresses came from the Mongol Khongirad clan. He ultimately relented and chose a Mongol empress: Bayan Khuduq. 

A powerful favorite 

Lady Ki’s position was strengthened when she gave birth to a son, Ayushiridara (future emperor Zhaozong of Northern Yuan, r.1370-1378). Bayan Khuduq's son died young. Having a frugal and effaced personality, the empress was furthermore no match for Lady Ki. Ayushiridara was thus made heir apparent in 1355.

Empress Ki was influential and involved herself in political and military affairs. She for instance protected the high-ranking official Toqto'a but withdrew her support when he opposed the installation of her son as heir apparent. 

She liked to read the Women’s Book of Filial Piety and sought examples of past empresses she could emulate. When a famine struck in 1359, she showed her generosity by having the officials distribute porridge to the hungry, using her own funds to have thousands of corpses buried and hiring monks to perform funeral services. 

Lady Ki used her influence to promote her family’s interests. Her kinsmen in Korea were granted official ranks and titles. They repeatedly abused their power, which led the Korean king to execute Lady Ki’s entire clan. 

When she learned about it, she asked her son to avenge her family and raise a force of 10,000 soldiers. The military campaign was a complete failure and the entire force was routed. 

Empress before the fall

Bayan Khuduq died in 1365. No obstacles stood in Lady Ki’s way and she received the empress’s seal. It seems that she tried to make up for the mistakes of a poorly-performing emperor. Later historians indeed wrote that Toghon Temür preferred focusing on wine and women, though this could be an exaggeration to justify the fall of the Yuan Dynasty. 

The government’s structure was disintegrating. Empress Ki conspired to force the emperor to abdicate and put her son on the throne but failed. She faced little consequences and was simply put under house arrest for 100 days. Her agressive defense of her son’s interests was in keeping with Mongolian political culture, which recognized the influence of strong women. 

The Yuan dynasty fell in 1368 when the armies of the future Ming Emperor Hongwu entered the capital. Empress Ki fled to the north with Toghon Temür. What happened to her afterward is unclear, but she likely died the following year.

Her life was the inspiration for a 2013  Korean television drama, Empress Ki.

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Further reading 

Buell Paul D., Fiaschetti Francesca, Historical Dictionary of the Mongol World Empire

McMahon Keith, Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing

Robinson David M., Empire's Twilight: Northeast Asia Under the Mongols

Xu Shindan, “Öljei Qudu”, in: Hong Lee Lily Xiao, Wiles Sue (ed.), Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 - 1644