#IS HER HUSBAND'S FAMILY THE ONE THAT KILLED HER ???

[connorcampbel]

There was also one thing that went in the other direction in GoT. Despite a lot of foreshadowing, a large chunk of the audience set expectations for Daenerys Targaryen that they shouldn’t have. I may have posted about this before. In any case, I have a friend who moonlights as a film critic, but his day job is social worker. He called what would happen to Daenerys at the end of season 2. At the time, no one wanted to believe him. Even I was skeptical, though I had to admit the argument was a compelling one.

His argument? Look at it from the point of view of a social worker who has seen – in real life – some of the worst situations humans get into. I’m paraphrasing from memory, not quoting.

We have a subject, one Daenerys Targaryen. She’s from a family with a very long history of congenital mental illness (comparisons can be made to European royal/noble lineages). Onset of the family mental illness is usually very quick, “sudden” according to those who’ve witnessed it. Her father, “The Mad King”, was a victim of this mental illness. Orphaned at a young age after her father was killed during a rebellion, “Danny” was raised by her sole surviving older brother, who abused her physically, emotionally, and sexually. Constantly on the run and having to watch out for assassination attempts, she learned not to trust anyone. She was married at a young age to a “Khal” (Horse-Lord) against her will in order to secure an alliance and troops to regain the throne for her brother. She learned to love this Khal, and the relationship was not damaged when her brother was killed right in front of her by the Khal due to bad behavior brought on in part by the family’s congenital mental instability. Her life became more stable during her marriage, until her husband the Khal was killed. When the rest of the Dothraki Khals made it clear to her that her life as she knew it was over and that she would be expected to stay with the other widows of Khals who had passed away, over her protests, she resolved the issue by mass murder of said Khals by way of arson. Fire – fascination with it and using it to cause harm – have been a recurring motif in the family’s mental instability.

And that’s just where we were at the end of season two. As time went on, it became clearer and clearer that Daenerys was heading in the same direction, though some of the signs weren’t clear until after the fact. Every time she was confronted with an obstacle, she was likely to burn the obstacle to the ground. She would listen to advisors but increasingly adopted a “my way or the highways” mentality. Everyone kept cheering her on because she was powerful – both personally and politically – and the people she was going after were “bad people”. The magicians who just wanted to exploit her. The slavers. Criminals. Despite good advice about not crucifying all the nobles on the way to Mereen, she did so anyways. This sowed the seeds for the rebellion that would take place later. By the time the episode “The Bells” rolls around, she’s lost most of her closest advisers and friends – some she drove away, some have been killed (in a few cases by her), and some have been left behind. She’s lost one of her dragons, her “child”. She’s literally burning people who won’t swear fealty to her.

The fact that when her closest friend is killed right in front of her by Cersei it “flips the switch” and causes her family’s congenital mental issues to surface, where she uses fire to burn most of King’s landing shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone. In fact, it wasn’t a shock to me by that point. I may have been throwing peanuts at the screen going “don’t do it, fight it” but the fact was that I already knew what she was going to do when the bells started to toll. A lot of people didn’t put the pieces together. They didn’t see the signs, they didn’t have a social worker to warn them in season 2, they loved the character. Apparently this blindness happens in real life – people don’t see the danger until afterwards.

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

[girlactionfigure]

Three Unlikely Heroes

To celebrate reaching 700 subscribers, I’ve decided to regale you with an extra long article about three civilian heroes of October 7; one Druze, one Jew, and on Muslim.

Nasreen Yousef 

Nasreen is a Druze woman who lived with her family in the predominantly Jewish town of Yated in the Gaza envelope. 

During the Black Saturday, her town was attacked by dozens of terrorists. Many were killed by armed locals (including her husband), some were captured, and more were hiding around town, waiting in ambush. 

Nasreen left her shelter and went to interrogate the captured terrorists, who were tied with strings and cables in her yard. Through a combination of intimidation and guile, she managed to wrestle out of the drugged-up killers the location of their compatriots, which the locals then took care of.

Later, the phone of one of the terrorists rang and Nasreen picked it up. She told the Hamas commander who called that she was an Arab woman sheltering his warriors. Pretending that she wanted to arrange enough supplies for the gunmen, she asked how many more were on their way, and from where. This allowed her to gain valuable intel which helped the IDF save many lives.

She later said, "Even in my worst dream, I never thought I’d have a conversation with a Hamas member, in my language, which I’m not ashamed of, and that I’d manage to save a lot of people and stop all of those monsters."

Inbal Liebermann

In December 2022, Inbal became the first ever female security coordinator in a kibbutz. Some minor politician even came to shake her hand.

On the morning of October 7, Inbal heard unusual noises outside the kibbutz. She quickly distributed weapons among the 12 members of a "quick response group" created from the inhabitants of the Kibbutz, and placed them in strategic positions to defend their tiny town.

She and her Kibbutzniks held their position for three hours, killing as many as 25 terrorists before the IDF arrived. Nir Am was the only border town not to suffer any casualties during the Simchat Torah massacre.

Youssef Ziadna

Youssef Ziadna is a Bedouin driver from the Bedouin city of Rahat in southern Israel.

On the morning of the attack, Ziadna received a frantic call from a passenger at the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, where hundreds of civilians were caught in the onslaught. Without hesitation, he drove his minibus rockets and bullets. In a desperate bid to save as many lives as he could, he packed 30 festivalgoers—far exceeding the capacity of his 14-seater vehicle—before navigating them to safety through perilous roads and fields. 

While his actions saved lives, he also suffered personal losses: a cousin was killed, and four relatives were taken hostage by Hamas. He later faced threats from extremists angered by his decision to rescue Jewish civilians.

URI KURLIANCHIK

FEB 27

[hello-nichya-here]

If Sansa didn't already have feelings for Sandor, do you think she could have grown to love Tyrion?

No, because her feelings for Sandor (that I wouldn't even fully describe as being in love just yet) have nothing to do with why she never developed the same level of attachment/compassion towards Tyrion.

Despite her already strong bond with Sandor, she constantly notices Tyrion's attempt at being kind to her. Before anyone ever thinks of marrying them to each other he already tries to comfort her when she's upset and protects her from Joffrey's violent outbursts, and when they're ordered to get married he offers Sansa the chance of marrying one of his cousins instead (someone younger and more handsome), doesn't let Joffrey humiliate her with the whole "undress the couple and lead them to the marriage bed" thing, and even full on tells Sansa that they don't need to have sex until she wants it - and that he'll just cope with some prostitutes if she decides she never wants it.

Truly, Sansa could not ask for a kinder captor.

Because yes, that's what Tyrion actually is: her jailer. He's another person forcing her to stay in King's Landing, submiting to the Lannisters, and he actually fought against her brother Rob, who wants to rescue her and free the North.

Tyrion himself even admits in one of his POV chapters that he's not marrying Sansa just because his father told him, but because that marriage is benefitial for him. It gives him Winterfell and a pretty wife. He knows Sansa doesn't want this marriage, yet he's playing a role in forcing her into it, even if he's willing to step aside and let someone else be the groom.

The fact Sansa is not allowed to state the obvious aloud ("I don't want any Lannister") despite everyone being well aware of it is the biggest proof that Tyrion is willing to be a kind captor, but never a true savior, ally or just neutral. If it benefits his house, benefits him, then he'll go for it, regardless of what it means to Sansa, physically or psychologically - there's even a moment in which all he has to say about how Sansa is obviously depressed after the Red Wedding is that her grief made her more beautiful. This poor girl's entire family (as far as they know) has just been killed, and all Tyrion can think is "Wow, my hot wife somehow got even hotter."

Now compare that to Sandor - Sansa COULD ask for a kinder bodyguard, and by God, she does. Over and over. In her prayers, by plotting with others who offer her help, and, more importantly, by telling Sandor himself that he's being a vile person.

And as much as he hates to admit it, her opinion matters to him to the point that he actually tries to improve himself. Little by little, without even realizing it. But Sansa very much picks up on it, to the point that she constantly thinks about him, wishes he were around, assumes that a man who saved her from being assaulted MUST be Sandor even if she knows that's impossible, and even has moments in which she questions her decision to not leave with him at the end of the second book (despite the fact that he had been in a middle of a PTSD episode and held a knife to her throat).

That's THE key difference between Sandor and all of Sansa's other potential suitors. He's in love/lust with her, yes, and he would certainly not complain if she decided to reward his compassion towards her by becoming his wife/lover - but he doesn't believe he's OWED that, and when she tells him he's not getting what he wants, not only does he back off, but he lists his inappropriate advances towards her (as well as his shortcomings as her protector, something NONE of the other men ever admit to also being guilty of) as one of the main reasons why he deserves to DIE.

When Sansa disappears after supposedly killing Joffrey and not taking her husband along, Tyrion can only throw himself a pity party about how she was so "false" when making her vows to him - nevermind that she made these vows under duress and that he broke them first by playing a role in her family's downfall. When he "saves" (kidnaps) her, Littlefinger is constantly trying to brute force Sansa into the role of his daughter AND lover, despite her obvious discomfort, and keeps implicating her in all of his crimes to keep her trapped.

But Sandor literally goes "I failed to protect her and even posed a threat to her myself, why don't I just die?" And now he's in rehab/therapy, despite thinking he'll never see her again and will thus never be rewarded. He's just genuinely sorry and adjusting his behavior accordingly because it's the right thing to do and what Sansa would want, and he wishes to honor her.

(Not to mention, Sandor is a nobody in Westerosi society. He has no money, no influence, no powerful allies, literally nothing aside from pure physical strength that he's already promissed to use solely for the KING'S safety and best interests. Him going out of his way to help her, even screaming at the king in public so he'll stop hitting her, is VERY dangerous for him)

That is what makes Sansa (mostly retroactively) fall in love with Sandor. It wasn't just because he was the first potential knight in shinning armor to offer her his protection or the one who was around the longest, but because he's the only one that doesn't feel entitled to her, despite being the one that is taking the most risks and being the one that she actually feels safer with it and would eventually become attracted to. She trust him and that allows a genuine connection to form.

To all the others, Tyrion very much included, she's a potential trophy, a compensation for a lifetime of misery, their object of affection, a valuable asset that will help them with their politial ambitions -whether she likes it or not. To Sandor, she's a person, one that is free to choose not having him around, regardless of what kind things he does for her.

Tyrion could never mean as much to Sansa as Sandor did because, despite claiming otherwise, he does not actually respect her right to reject him. He won't full on sexually assault her, but he's still holding her hostage, allowing his family to coerce her into being his wife (meaning he already went further with her than any other man as he got to kiss her, see her naked and even grope her despite her CLEARLY not being okay with it), and playing a role in killing her family for wanting to save her from this fate.

He can lie to himself about it all he wants, but he's not the hero that simply looks like a monster but will ultimately save the princess that is trapped in the tower, prove everybody wrong and then be rewarded with her affection - he's just the guy that locked her door.

[jewish-vents]

They're doing it again. They just announced the death of Shiri Bibas and her two kids and I've seen posts on X that makes me want to throw up and shout at these vile beasts. They're saying Shiri was an occupier and a participant in the 'genocide' of Palestinians because she used to work in the IDF when all she probably ever did was sitting behind a desk on a computer. They're doing everything in their power to find something incriminating against her and her family meanwhile they were only innocent citizens who never killed anyone. Her parents were assassinated in cold-blood. Hamas returned the bodies of the two sons but Shiri's body is still unknown as we speak. And many on social medias are celebrating her death and justifying it. I have seen tweets about Yarden Bibas saying 'look! even the husband says Israel killed Shiri and the babies!' DISGUSTING MONSTERS. He was abducted as a hostage being filmed against his will with armed terrorists behind the camera. They're mocking the kids hair color saying they look European, that they didn't belonged there, that they would grow up to be occupiers. Shiri was a PEACEFUL woman who never did a crime against Palestinians, her parents Yossi and Margit were PEACEFUL Jews as well, her father was a Leftist Jew and used to give lectures on socialism in his free time. Margit worked in kindergarten and teached to Jewish and Arab children. They believed in peace and coexistence. Look what they've done to them. When they say "from the river to the sea" they mean EVERY JEW even the peaceful ones.

My blood is boiling and I feel so much rage and hatred inside of me. All sorts of thoughts the main one being that we will never have peace with these inhumane people, disgusting beasts incapable of thinking with their fucking brains and no compassion.

.

[beardedmrbean]

Months after trekking through the treacherous jungle between Colombia and Panama, Saudy Palacios abandoned her hopes of a new life in the United States and joined other migrants going home to South America by sea.

"There's no American dream anymore," said the 27-year-old Venezuelan, who was traveling with her husband and 11-year-old son.

"There is no hope. No dream. Nothing," she told AFP.

Palacios said she had waited nine months for a chance to seek asylum, before US President Donald Trump canceled the appointments and vowed mass deportations after taking office on January 20.

She is part of a reverse flow that has seen hundreds of migrants, including children, board boats in recent days from the island of Carti off Panama's Caribbean coast for a roughly 12 hour journey to a port in Colombia.

The sea route enables them to avoid migration controls and the arduous return trek by foot through the Darien Gap between Central and South America.

But while they avoid dangers including fast-flowing rivers, wild animals and criminal gangs, the journey is not without risk: an eight-year-old Venezuelan girl died after one of the boats sank on Friday.

- 'No future' -

Going home only adds to the cost of the failed attempt to reach the United States. 

Palacios and her family said they had spent more than $2,000 on the return trip alone, relying on relatives in Venezuela to send them $250 to pay for the boat.

Most of the migrants going home came from Mexico without documents and in debt after spending between $5,000 and $10,000 on their unsuccessful journeys.

They have slept in shelters or on the street, gone hungry and sold candy at traffic lights to pay for buses or boats back to their countries.

When Astrid Zapata arrived from Mexico with her husband, four-year-old daughter and a cousin a few days ago at a migrant shelter in the Costa Rican capital San Jose, the first thing she did was hang the Venezuelan flag in their small sleeping cubicle.

"There's no future now in the United States. But I'm afraid. It's very hard to go back into the jungle. One mother lost two children there. I saw them drown in the river," she told AFP.

Karla Pena was one of 300,000 migrants who crossed the Darien in 2024, along with her two-year-old baby, daughter, son-in-law and a grandson.

The experience "was the worst thing in my life," the 37-year-old Venezuelan said at a shelter in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa, where she traveled to from Mexico. 

"Going back is hard. It's been hard because we move from country to country, without passports, and now to think that the jungle or a boat awaits us ahead," she said.

For these women and their families -- part of the exodus of eight million Venezuelans in the past decade -- the risk of being kidnapped and extorted again in Mexico meant staying there was not an option.

- 'Broken dreams' -

Maria Aguillon abandoned her home in a small town in southern Ecuador in December with her husband, three children and three grandchildren. 

"We had to leave because there was a lot of killing. I lost a son," she told AFP, in the San Jose shelter.

They crossed the Darien from Colombia, but her husband was stopped and sent back from Panama, so she continued without him, hoping to join two children living in the United States.

Now the 48-year-old is trying to find a job in Costa Rica.

Yaniret Morales, a 38-year-old mother staying at the shelter in Tegucigalpa, said she was "starting from scratch."

She decided to return to Venezuela with her 10-year-old daughter, but only "to save up some money and emigrate to another country" -- not the United States.

Although Central American governments say they are trying to help migrants go home, it is a chaotic process.

Panama and Costa Rica are confining migrants to shelters in remote border areas.

"They promised humanitarian flights, and nothing. Pure lies," Palacios said.

"We're returning to our country with broken dreams."

[john-laurens]

Patriot Mother vs. Loyalist Son: Anne Kinloch's Attempts to Change Francis Kinloch's Political Beliefs

Francis Kinloch's transition from a loyalist receiving an education in England to a (reluctant) patriot fighting in the American military is one that has long intrigued me. In this post, I'll explore how Francis's relationship with his mother contributed to his change of heart. As a preview of the information contained below, please enjoy this (questionably historically accurate) meme:

For those interested in the John Laurens-Francis Kinloch relationship, it is well known that Francis Kinloch was a loyalist at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, much to the detriment of his personal relationships. His loyalist beliefs and preference for a monarchy are conveyed in his letters to John, particularly when they engaged in their political debate throughout the year 1776 (the letters can be found here). Francis's political views may have in part been due to the fact that he was placed under the guardianship of Thomas Boone, a staunch loyalist, after his father's death. Under Boone's direction, Francis was educated in England during 1768-1774 and again during 1777-1778. Despite this, Francis would return to the colonies in 1778 and fight on the American side. This post will address but one of the various factors that contributed to this decision.

Francis's loyalist views were not shared by others in his family. His mother Anne Cleland Kinloch and sister Mary Esther Kinloch Huger remained in South Carolina and supported the patriot cause. Being located in the colonies for the entirety of the war, the two certainly had a much greater exposure to the ongoing conflict. While Francis was abroad, Mary Esther married Major Benjamin Huger, who served in the 5th South Carolina Regiment. Mary Esther unfortunately lost her husband to the war, as Benjamin was killed in a friendly fire incident in Charleston in 1779.

Anne and Francis exchanged letters while Francis was in Europe, and Francis must have made his loyalist beliefs apparent to his mother. A recurring theme in their correspondence is Anne encouraging her son to rethink his views and to return home while Francis wonders how to respond to his mother's exhortations. The collection "Kinloch family history and genealogy research files" in the South Carolina Historical Society archives contains transcripts of parts of letters from Anne to Francis during the American Revolutionary War period. While the following paragraphs were written in different sections across the collection, they all appear to be from the March 10, 1776 letter from Anne to Francis. Any x's are directly copied from the transcripts and may indicate a skipped portion of the transcribed letter. Any ellipses are my own.

"this will be sent to you by an Officer in our Continl [Continental] Troops, who has promised to see you xx who is besides an intimate friend & acquaintance of ours. xx shall show Capt. Gillon & c xx I hope before he leaves you, you may perhaps be able to congratulate yourself on being the subject of a free and great Empire, that may in future times vie with ancient Greece or Rome xx"

"this will be sent you from a Sea port in France by an Officer in our Continental troops who has promised to see you; I have assured him you will with pleasure go to him, as he will be 4 or 5 days ride from you, he says he will meet you half way & perhaps return with you as he will have little else to do but to travel about xxx I have taken the liberty to give him an invitation to your house_ I tell him I am sure you will do everything in your power to make agreeable to him & suppose that tho' tis Bachellor's Hall that you have a spare bed for a friend. We shall all be much obliged to you for any civilities You, or thro' your means your friends shall shew Capt. Gillon whom you will find a agreeable sensible obliging intelligent man & who can give you a very good account of the unhappy differences between our unnatural Parent & us xxx I have had for some time very little of my amiable worthy Huger's company, he being obliged to be on duty in Town in the Service of his Country & has lately been made a major of a Company of Riflemen ... Your old friend Mr Baird is again our neighbour but quite different & an imperious young wife & young children bawling about his ears & for heavens sake my dear Francy if you don't take a wife when you are young, never marry at all & to ad to poor Archie's troubles he cannot be prevailed upon to sign the association so that no person can buy from him, his situation is truly Deplorable, looked at unkindly by his old friends & stigmatized with the detested name of Tory xxx"

"... cause I am hopes to send you a book wrote by a native American, whose arguments will I hope convince you, we are right & which I assure you it will give me great pleasure to hear. … you'll please not to mention to Mr Boone, your going to meet this Gentn [Gentleman], till his return to America, as I suppose you sometimes make little excursions with out his leave, then you may if you please make an apology. At the same time this present situation of our affairs, renders this caution necessary, you'll please likewise to introduce him as coming from America, to none of your English friends. As he is not an American nor an English Man, & speaks many different languages, you may converse in which you please."

Anne appears to have sent both literature and people engaged in the American cause to convince her son to support the side of the colonies. Captain Gillon is likely Alexander Gillon, who was a merchant in Charleston, captain of the German Fusiliers of Charleston, and later Commodore of the South Carolina Navy. He was born in the Dutch Republic, which explains Anne's comments about him being neither American nor English. Anne made her opinions of the British Empire and the revolutionary American colonies clear in her letters. She describes the British Empire as an "unnatural parent" and hopes that her son will one day be proud to call himself a free citizen of America, a soon-to-be formed country that she believes will rival ancient empires. She also clearly realizes that Thomas Boone would be unhappy to know that Francis is associating with members of the American military, and she cautions Francis to avoid mentioning his meeting with Captain Gillon to his guardian. I do not know what role Anne played in naming Boone as the guardian of her children (I assume her late husband Francis was likely the one who made this decision), but it is interesting to see her strive to counteract Boone's influence on her son.

Captain Gillon may not have been the only person who helped Anne get through to her son. According to the "Kinloch family history and genealogy research files," Anne may have worked with John Laurens to persuade Francis to join the American side. As described above, John debated the merits of monarchism and republicanism with Francis in 1776, and the Kinloch family collections suggest that Anne may have been involved in this exchange. There are some brief mentions of John that describe his potential partnership with Anne. These descriptions, to my understanding, are written by descendants of the Kinlochs who compiled biographical information about the family:

"When 21 and travelling in France the American War was beginning and his [Francis's] mother [Anne] wrote to him to return and sent his friend John Laurens & Com. Gillon to urge his doing so."

Another anecdote mentions John without directly connecting him to Anne:

"He [Francis] was [loathe] to abandon England, his allegiance, career, & hopes there and the influence of his guardian & protestations of his friends & relations there detained him But his Mother's earnest solicitations brought him back to Carolina (I have one of her letters to him & his dear friend John Laurens alludes to his position in a letter to his father [Henry Laurens])."

I see two possibilities for these potential interactions between Anne, Francis, and John.

The Kinloch family has correspondence between Anne and John or other documents that indicate the two directly communicated and jointly endeavored to change Francis's political views. These documents, if they exist, do not appear to be present in the "Kinloch family history and genealogy research files."

The Kinloch family read some of John's letters to Francis in 1776 and assumed that Anne encouraged John to send these letters. This assumption may have been false, as there are no surviving letters (or at least no publicly available letters) between Anne and John that suggest they worked together or otherwise interacted. The families certainly knew each other, but we do not know the extent of their interactions outside of Francis Kinloch, Sr. and Henry Laurens engaging in business with one another. I do think it's hilarious that the Kinloch descendants potentially read John's scathing letters to Francis and went "Wow, Anne Kinloch must have asked him to send such blistering letters. Why else would John have been so highly motivated to criticize Francis's beliefs?" When in reality...John was a very passionate person who was Just Like That.

Francis was not immediately receptive to the arguments of his mother and friends, but his mother's criticism did eventually wear him down. He repeatedly wrote to Johannes von Müller about his mother and the conflict he felt between pursuing a career in England and returning home to South Carolina:

"My Mother, I hear, has suffered very much with a pain in her face. This has broke her health so much that She is scarce to be Known again, I hope in God that She may have got rid of it by this time, but the bane idea of her suffering at this very moment perhaps, added to all She must feel on my account, this wrings my very soul_ In the middle of my dreams of Ambition, the thought of Her shoots like lightning across my mind, I see her pale emaciated face, I see Her beckon to me, I hear her tell me how many times She has watched the live long night at my bedside, & Nature stirs within Me._ What can I do, my Muller, You Know, as well as I do, what I owe to My Guardian, You & every one must see the propriety of the plans that he has lay’d for my future welfare, & there is now every probability of their succeeding, on the other hand_" – Francis Kinloch to Johannes von Müller, April 4 [or 14], 1777

"some times I think of living in Switzerland, but then I am afraid of getting too much dishabituated to the World, & particularly to the English world, nor do I Know how soon the sources of my money may be dry, at others I have thought of serving a Campaign as a volunteer with General Howe, but that idea my Guardian has already smothered by objecting that it would immediately be attributed to Him, besides, I should draw down the curses of an angry mother, of a Mother whom I love too, upon my head. What remains then to do? An Idle life I neither can nor will lead_" – Francis Kinloch to Johannes von Müller, July 30, 1777

"Born to a fortune as ample as was necessary to render me independent, for upon moderate Computation My Brother & I would have been worth a thousand a year each, I find myself reduced to thank a Merchant for allowing me what I can just live upon for one year, burning with Ambition & preferring a military life, I am prevented from entering the field of Glory now opened to All corners in my Native Country, & am daily agitated by the sense of what I owe my Mother, whose solicitations should melt a heart much harder than mine, joined to the reflection of the numerous obligations I have received from Mr Boone._" – Francis Kinloch to Johannes von Müller, August 3, 1777

"If a man who is deprived of his fortune, who is cut off from his country, who is daily incurring the displeasure of His Mother, & who sees no probability of being provided for but by wading through the Chaos of an interested, laborious, sedentary, profession should utter some complaints, why clothe them with the appellation of ennuie, & cut off his only resource_" – Francis Kinloch to Johannes von Müller, August 14, 1777

After much contemplation, Kinloch would ultimately leave Europe and return to America in 1778. One can only imagine how Anne felt to finally be reunited with a son she had not seen for 10 years - a son who had left a boy and returned a man, a son who defied her pleadings for so long but ultimately heeded his mother's call.

[between-the-realms]

There was a furrowled brow before Sia stepped forward. She pulled her robe tight around her body, deciding now that this man had no right to see more of her than she already did. She would squat to the ground, sothat the man could stare into her scarred eyes. "I'm gonna tell you a little secret. The sun goddess loves blood-shed, and she burnt out my retna's when I told her I would spread that message. No one knows that besides me, my husband, and my son. I do teach about forgiveness and second chances, but those are my teachings, not the church's." She stood back up now. "Let's take a look at your actions today. You came into one of our sacred prayer rooms, almost forced yourself onto me, called my son foul names, beat him to a pulp, had the audacity to call me love and tell me we can finally have a family together. I already have a family I love dearly, and you're not in it. You lost any chance of forgiveness the moment you assumed I was unhappy with my life."

She walked back to Lelouch, a soothing hand being placed on his leg. "I'm not the one with the claws right now. Your life is in his hands. I would say a man shouldn't be killed in a room like this, but you already defiled it once. The sun won't be mad if it's defiled a second time."

First Ones

@the-mysticandmodern-world

The ice that once covered the planet had just finished melting, and the sun constantly shone these days. Their was still a chill in the air, but not one that the first citizens of Sunray Province couldn't handle. The war between the Frost Elves and the homunculi was long past gone, not that these humans truly knew the history of this conflict. They knew of the hommunculi and the Frost Elves, but all they knew was the homunculi kingdom to the southeast and the Frost Elves' small tribes to the north.

The chapel of Sunray Province had just finished building, and the first Saint and Prophet of the Religion were taking a tour. The first Saint was a human woman with medium length red hair. White eyes and scars around said eyes. She wore white robes with sun symbols adorning it. Her name was Anastasia but she wanted to go by Sia. Her friend, the first Prophet always wore a white and green hooded robe. She had curly brown hair, tan skin and green eyes with a freckled face. She could see aspects of the future, and many of it scared her. She was always seen with Sia, holding onto the woman's arm, guiding her. The Phrophet's name was Abby.

They started the day, like any other day, sitting outside, eye's closed toward the sun in their silent prayers.

[biteofcherry]

Happy Wetnessday 💦

I hope you are doing well! I see you're in a mob mood lately.

There's four mob families in total in this region. Yours the most powerful with your father in charge and you the only mob princess. Of course you'll be married off but your father is generous enough that you can choose which suite you want.

Andy Barber the head of the Barber family whose previous wife disappeared mysteriously

Lloyd Hansen who used to be an enforcer but took over the Turner family after they failed a coup on your family

Bucky Barnes the heir to the Barnes family who's a charmer but ladies man that they're hoping you'll get to settle down

Which one do you choose?

xoxo Wetnessday anon 💦

Hiiiii 😊💖

I'm quite good this week, thank you!

Hmm, Andy's wife mysteriously disappearing is too sus. I'd be too scared he'd try to get rid of me, too. Maybe he made her disappear to get the opportunity to marry me? Or maybe she didn't give him an heir, which is why he killed her? What if I can't give him kids either? Or what if he gets rid of me once he secures that power that marrying me would give?

Lloyd is fun 😆 And he knows how to take what he wants. Buuut, I have to admit I'm drawn to Bucky.

Not even thinking that I'm going to change him and he'll be faithful. Quite the contrary. I would play the card of "Let's build an empire, because our combined resources scream ultimate power. But you live your life and I live mine." As in, I'm going to get a lover, too. Maybe even Lloyd 😎

The question is: will Bucky agree to that, or if he'll actually go into unexpected possessive husband mode? 😏

[the-tenth-arcanum]

rough episode for aramis

[gogandmagog]

Oh, I will try! 🫡

So Isabel Anderson takes a lot of explaining but as briefly as is possible, she was this woman who wrote to Maud in the 1930’s, and Maud, believing because of the way she wrote, that Isabel was a young fan, wrote back. Thinking this ‘young girl’ very clever and talented, the two began to exchange regular letters. When Isabel invited her over to her house (she didn’t live far) for dinner, Maud went… and was surprised to discover that Isabel was actually a 34-35 (I can’t remember which) year old school teacher. After that dinner, things got really strange and uncomfortable for Maud. Isabel starting writing more increasingly often, calling Maud’s house phone, and sending her gifts. All in an attempt to see her again. Eventually Isabel’s intentions became clear (she wrote to Maud about loving her and wanting to “sleep with” her [to be fair, this did refer to the common practice then of girls sharing beds during extended visits]), and Maud sort of shifts in her journal entries between feeling enormous pity for Isabel and then conversely abhorring her, also thinking her a “pervert,” and a “lesbian.” (In truth, Isabel was probably bisexual btw. She ‘chased’ men too, married and unmarried alike.)

At this point there were a few ‘stages’ of Isabel’s infatuation to come, with Maud 1) trying her best to ‘help’ Isabel (who wrote to her saying she’d kill herself if she didn’t hear back from her etc.) and therefore visiting her (which Maud learned was a mistake – staying over at Isabel’s parents only earned more intense letters form her, saying things like: “I have derived some comfort from sleeping in the precise spot you occupied half hopeful that some of the dear warmth might still be found to linger. But I crave something tangible. I want to hold in my arms what is dearer than life to me—to lie “spoon fashion” all through a long long night— to cover your wee hands, your beautiful throat and every part of you with kisses. I’m just mad with love for you…”) and allowing her to likewise visit the MacDonald (Montgomery) home (under great pains to always arrange for someone else to be handy), and 2) trying different ways to free herself from Isabel’s affection (ignoring her, pleading with her to see sense, writing strongly worded letters telling her to stay away, as she only wanted to be friends). It was very stressful for Maud (who pictured a scandal if Isabel were to actually commit suicide and leave behind letters addressed to Maud or a note that said she was killing herself because Maud wouldn’t love her), and the whole ordeal was just… like yikes, it was really quite something. 😅

Regarding Katherine Brooke – who Anne alternates between feeling enormous pity for and abhorring, who is cited in Windy Willows as having “a deep throaty voice… almost a man’s voice…,” who doesn’t “want a lover, I hate men,” and who might be pretty if she made some effort (compared to Isabel who Maud also reflected wasn’t pretty, but still wasn’t any less attractive than women she knew to have caught husbands) – there is that line where Anne says, “Katherine Brooke, whether you know it or not, what you want is a good spanking” and thissss is what’s so oddly close in wording to one of Maud’s journaled sentiments on Isabel, where she said that she would like to give “Miss Isabel a good spanking.” At the end of Windy Willows, there’s this other wish-fulfillment kind of niggle, where Anne “helps” Katherine by inviting her to Green Gables, and Katherine undergoes a ‘corrective’ and miraculous spiritual transformation through the magic of homey Green Gables and family-oriented Avonlea. In this, Anne achieves what Maud wanted (Maud openly states the reason she entertained and invited Isabel around her home, in the company of her sons and husband and friends, was in hopes of being such a ‘help’), but ultimately could not with Isabel.

🏳️‍🌈Tournament to decide the most queer coded Montgomery Character; round 1️⃣🏳️‍🌈

*no offense meant to AWAE fans, but we are taking no account of the the AWAE series Aunt Josephine, who was depicted as queer in the series. This poll is addressing canon characters only.

[cassiopeiasara]

You know usually when I encounter fandom content first if a woman is hated by a lot of folks, I find it unjustified in the source material. This is NOT the case for my current watch. Lori deserves every bit of frustration and annoyance she gets from fans.

[bucketofdeltav]

I like some horror.

I really liked The Haunting of Hill House.

I love that hide and seek movie where the woman in a wedding dress who's the dead spit of Margot Robbie goes completely ham on her husband's insane family who are trying to kill her.

I like some King adaptations but prefer the books.

I like most of American Horror Story - Delicate, the most recent season, I liked more than I expected (it's about pregnancy but there was less of what I'm told is called body horror than I was expecting) and I liked NYC less than I was expecting (the cast is a who's who of gay male actors and it's fairly overtly about AIDS, but also, the body horror aspects when the angel is on screen are getting a bit much for me).

I don't mind the Scream series but it doesn't do what I'm looking for when I go to watch a horror movie.

I really liked Jordan Peele's recent stuff (Get Out, Us, and Nope are the ones I'm thinking of) but couldn't tell you why.

I don't know shit, to be clear, and I have neither the time nor the inclination to become a horror movie 'buff' and know all the terms and directors, but I know there's diversity in the genre.

Tumblr has me locked into a vicious loop about horror movies, because I cannot go longer than a month without seeing:

"I don't watch horror movies at all, but I've noticed that [blatantly incorrect statement] and [factually untrue assumption] so I think we can consider [fundamental misunderstanding of horror in general]." Followed by hundreds of responses agreeing.

"I don't watch horror because I can't stand horrible things because those make any movie fundamentally bad, but I really liked [popular, generic, oscar baiting thriller]." Followed by hundreds of responses agreeing, and doubling down on how including anything beyond the most basic tension is bad filmmaking.

"Here's the best horror I've seen, I love horror so much." [List of a single, very narrow type of film, accompanied by general denigration of anything outside that narrow set] Followed by hundreds of responses going omg I need to see that now.

I'm not trying to discourage people from horror or be an asshole about it or nothing, but I do think talking about horror movies should include knowing something about horror movies, understanding how different horror elements are used, and an appreciation of the diversity in the genre. That's why I'm always digging through different styles and low budget stuff and old stuff - because to me, liking and talking about horror movies means trying to be open to all kinds of different types of horror movies.

[marietheran-archived]

...for all how I can (unfortunately) go without drawing for several days in a row when I do have access to my tools, being separated from my drawing tablet is weirdly stressful

[haru-chi]

I've been thinking about why Natsume Takashi's family called "Natsume" his mother and grandmother family name and not his father which normally should've been ??

We've always took this name for granted so we never question it even when we know about his family's history. I speak of myself that I never question it or find it weird till now ><

I feel it was something that triggered this idea suddenly but can't remember which event or scene did, or was it a late realization on my part or was it Seiji's remark in that scene hmmmm

I believe I find it weird because he had the same family name as Reiko herself .. since if Reiko was married then she too would go by her husband family's name thus her daughter too .. but Natsume had the same family as his grandmother not his mother which led to many questions in my mind either about him or Reiko but let's focus on Natsume for now …

It's weird, isn't it ?? or am I the only one that think that ??

It's known that the wife takes her husband's family name after getting married. also, his father is known unlike his mother's mysterious father so there's no reason to use his mother's family name. plus, his mother was the first to die too and he mostly was raised by his father, so it wasn't the other way around for him to maybe had his mother's family name.

Why give him his mother's family name then ?

his name "Natsume" Takashi wasn't passed down by only the yokai to link him to Reiko. I mean this name isn't exclusive in the yokai side of the world for it to make sense why he had this family name, even in the human world he's known as "Natsume".

Then I remember the orphanage incident that Seiji mentioned … how his relative never put him in one again in fear he might ruin their family image in society given how weird he is that he was kicked out of the orphanage .. "let's keep this disgrace within the family" they said (I so wanna kill them for this remark)

Do you think that's why they changed his family's name after his father's death ? So, they can blame it all on the other family "he's crazy like his grandmother, our family has no such weirdo" or to have an escape route by saying "he's not from the family" .. thus if he did another problem …. oooooooh wait … what if they changed his family name AFTER the orphanage incident ??? so that if he did another big incident or his name get to be known publicly then this name won't trace back to their family or image ?? ( this idea just clicked right now and .. I .. it make sense that I hate it ugh)

I'll stop here, I feel more damaged the more I think or talk about this and sure hope this whole idea in unfounded > - >

can someone tell me it makes no sense and nothing is weird in him going by his grandmother's family ?? T^T

this idea is painful if it's true >-<

NATSUME DOESN'T DERSERVE ALL OF THIS !!!

[alicentwhore]

Okay I don’t wanna sound like a dick cause it’s really not a big deal. But I guess because Medea as a play and character is like really important to me, there is kind of an amusing irony to the way I’ve seen so many edits and webweaves and stuff of Alicent with that “wretchedest of women” line from Medea (A line specifically about Medea choosing to kill her sons to avenge herself on Jason). Then those people being completely aghast and disgusted and pissed by the concept of Alicent sacrificing her sons. It means nothing It’s just kinda funny to me

[grimm-the-tiger]

My FL main went through some really weird, organic development over the...oh god, I think it's been five years since I started playing now.

So my main is named Skadi Larkin. They are a little bastard. They started out extremely 2D; I named them after my favorite Norse goddess and the protagonist of the book I was reading at the time. I originally wanted to make them female like both of their namesakes, but the second I saw the third-gender option, I thought it was too good to pass up. This is where they got their primary base characterization as a mad scientist who wanted to Cause Problems.

Then I started the Nemesis ambition and forgot which option I'd chosen for who I was trying to avenge, so they lost both their lover and their older brother under tragic circumstances (only the lover was killed by Nemesis's antagonist, though).

Then I got an Exceptional Friendship and had to give my tragic backstory in order to gain entry to the House of Chimes. Skadi pulled said tragic backstory (orphaned in a hansom accident) more or less out of their ass, but it did establish that their parents are dead.

Somewhere down the line, I realized that technically Skadi is a linguist, since the Correspondence is a language, and I made that their profession on the Surface as well.

Around this time, I started working on character designs for my fan comic. I got really into messing around with skin tone, and somewhere along the line thought it would be fun to draw Skadi (who was originally white) with darker skin, and it stuck.

Then I abruptly realized I was taking a lot of options that increased my Melancholy, and almost all of them were based on the Surface. So now Skadi has a longing for the Surface.

I left the game for a few years, but somewhere during this stretch of time, and I don't know how this happened, but I decided Skadi was now Native American; specifically, Metis. I changed their design to incorporate a sash woven in a style characteristic of the Metis, which also added a bit of color to their design (which was mostly black or grey at this point).

During this time, I started incorporating Skadi into my fan comic. This would eventually lead me to actually flesh out their backstory in greater detail. When I started playing the game again, I also created my first alt by total accident (long story), and I decided to weave her backstory with Skadi's.

So Skadi is in the interesting position of being an Indigenous person who is what we'd probably consider Two-Spirit today but they'd just call "Bollocks to that gender crap". They never belonged on the Surface, since the Metis are in a bit of a liminal space compared to other tribes due to their interesting background (the Metis are the descendants of French settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, mostly Cree), and Skadi exists in a liminal space within that liminal space due to only being half-Metis and raised primarily in white culture, although they still maintained a connection to it through their late mother. They also never belonged because no one else on the Surface outside of the communities they already felt isolated from would ever accept them for their gender. London gave them a chance to express one of those, but not both, and despite knowing that the Surface hates them just for existing, they still long to return.