#THE 7TH MONTH???????

[deesi-academia]

2024 IS HALF OVER THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. 2024 IS HALF DONE. GONE. LOST IN TIME. 50% OVER.

[daily-castiel]

Day 10

[hyydraworks]

And along with little bird themed rexes, will have some non feathered boyos as well.

[stcharls-st]

[voidwelt]

mr yang is pregnant

[daz4i]

hsr as screenshots and other pics i have saved on my phone but it's only the astral express family

[vulturereyy]

The Pastel Punisher Original Face Smasher Paladin of Moonsummit Savior of the Triplet Kingdoms Champion of Selune

Sorbet Lemonbalm

And nothing more.

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH @spindlewit FOR THIS AMAZING PIECE OF MY D&D GIRLIE SORBET!!!!!! Literally came out beyond perfect and reflects her journey over this 3+ year campaign so well, my girl is SO tired but she's not done yet :') !!!! Somebody please give this bitch a break!!!!! (And go commission Spindlewit!!!)

[mariposaminako]

Another March hairstyle!!

[trashiiplant]

Happy 7th anniversary RW!!

timelapse below cut:

[mylight-png]

When does it stop being October?

[queenfredegund]

Women in History Month (insp) | Week 1: Leading Women

[atlantis-area]

JONGHYUN's wins - BASE ver.

[yeuziu]

when ur ex haunts ur thoughts

[marvel-lous-guy]

Daily Bugle top reporter: Where are you going?

Eddie Brock: To interview spiderman

Daily Bugle top reporter: You got an interview with spiderman!? How!?

Eddie Brock: Well, I didn't exactly schedule one but he usually comes around in the end

Daily Bugle top reporter: How!?

Eddie Brock: well, we are on an incredibly high building so I tend to take advantage of that *jumps out window*

Spiderman: *swings down and catches Eddie* Mr Brock sir! You really need to stop doing this! I might not always be here you know!

Eddie: yes, thank you for your concern. Now, what would you say is the best part about being an avenger?

[murasaki-cha]

Ok I got this reply about how we actually know so little about Arnold despite how much we've learned about him by @wondering-lazer and I would like to thank them because now I get to rant about this (I tried to reply but there was too much I wanted to say so I'm just making it a post)

Arnold is the most interesting character in the novel for me.

The way he is written is actually so freaking interesting because the story is from Rishe's pov most of the time so even if Arnold is being honest with her we only learn about the things he's willing to tell her. We slowly learn about him (the past with his father and siblings, the truth about his mother) and about his plans (or more like the plans he has for each arc), only because those are the things he decides to be open about with Rishe.

In truth Arnold is still an enigma. We know he loves Rishe it's obvious, but why did he fall for her so quickly because I simply will never believe Arnold can be reduced to the "She's interesting" trope. I am a firm "Arnold remembers the loops" believer so that would make sense but he never interacted much with Rishe in all the past loops so still, him falling for her so fast doesn't make sense. (actually I have a whole other theory about this but I need to finish vol 6 first to see if I learn anything new before I post that)

Also we know Arnold is not a great guy™, like sure he's the best and we love him, and he is genuinely a good guy, but he can be every bit of a villain he claims he is. We still don't know what pushed him to actually stage a coup and kill 7tlhis very evil psychotic maniac of a DNA donor which richly deserved it, but most importantly why he started to stage war in all those different kingdoms.

But he did stage war and he did kill thousands and even now he has show moments of the same kind of cruelty as the Emperor Arnold Hein of the past. Just as Rishe has deemed, we need to find the actual reason why Arnold finally snapped in the past loops to actually fully understand Arnold.

And still there are so many things left unanswered. What are his future goals now that Rishe has intervened? What has he asked Raul to look for in secret and keeping it hidden from Rishe? Does he actually remember the past loops?

There is still so much we have yet to learn about him, the things we know are just the tip of the iceberg and the day we finally get the full Arnold lore is the day I will sleep in peace.

[city-of-ladies]

Japan's third empress regnant, Empress Jitō (645-703) was a powerful and effective ruler. Shrewd, bold and clever, she walked in the footsteps of empresses Suiko and Saimei and prevailed against all odds.

A troubled youth 

Jitō was the daughter of Prince Naka no Ōe, the son of empress regnant Saimei. The year she was born, her father killed a minister in front of his mother, leading to her abdication.

Jitō’s maternal grandfather committed suicide three years later, having been wrongly accused of plotting against Prince Naka no Ōe. Jitō’s mother, Ochi, died of grief. Jitō was thus placed in her grandmother's care and raised by the former empress.

At age 12, she was married to her paternal uncle, Prince Ōama, who was 27. Jitō was a reserved person with a brilliant intelligence and much liked by the court. She was curious, open-minded and studied Chinese literature. The death of her grandmother in 661 pained her greatly. In 662, Jitō gave birth to her only child: prince Kusakabe. Her father then ascended took the throne as Emperor Tenji in 667.

Succession struggle

The question of Emperor Tenji’s succession soon arose. The sovereign favored Jitō’s half-brother, Prince Ōtomo, but Prince Ōama had his own ambitions. He and Jitō left the court, waiting for an opportunity to strike. 

Ōtomo indeed succeeded Tenji, but Ōama revolted against him soon after with Jitō's support. When they arrived at Ise province, she dressed in male clothes and personally addressed the troops. She also worked on tactical plans. As Ōama left to leave an offensive in Ōmi province, Jitō took command of the troops stationed at Ise. She had indeed volunteered to defend the shrine dedicated to the sun Goddess, Amaterasu.

Their joint efforts led to their success. Ōama ascended the throne in 673 as emperor Tenmu, with Jitō becoming his co-ruler.

The radiant empress

Jitō was very influential in court matters. This was reflected in the choice of Tenmu's heir. He could have chosen his son by another woman, Prince Ōtsu, as his heir, but chose Jitō’s son, Prince Kusakabe, instead.

As Tenmu died in 686, Jitō took the matter in hand. She declared Ōtsu guilty of treason and forced him to commit suicide. She then organized grandiose funerals for her husband and wrote poems expressing her grief. 

Oh, the autumn foliage

Of the hill of Kamioka!

My good Lord and Sovereign

Would see it in the evening

And ask of it in the morning.

On that very hill from afar

I gaze, wondering

If he sees it to-day,

Or asks of it to-morrow.

Sadness I feel at eve,

And heart-rending grief at morn—

The sleeves of my coarse-cloth robe

Are never for a moment dry. 

Her son died in 689. Since her grandson was too young to rule, Jitō became empress regnant. 

She reformed the country, establishing a strong central power and surrounded herself with capable ministers. In 689, she enacted a mandatory code for all local governors. In 690, she launched a population census.

She reformed the army, improving the recruitment conditions and the troops' training. A protector of the arts, she also actively participated in the propagation of Buddhism. Poetry became more refined during her reign. One of her poems was later included in the popular Hyakunin Isshu anthology:

The spring has passed

And the summer come again

For the silk-white robes

So they say, are spread to dry

On Mount Kaguyama 

Jitō made her predecessors' objective of replacing the tribal system with a strong central power a reality. Her rule was synonymous with a degree of stability that neither her father nor husband were able to reach. She can be regarded as one of the true founders of Japan’s imperial monarchy. The empress was also fond of travels. In 692, she undertook a trip symbolic trip to Ise province, strengthening her authority and gaining the support of the local people.

The empress indeed took advantage of the Shinto rituals and the image of the sun Goddess to reinforce her legitimacy and used the links between the deity and the imperial family. Such was her prestige that Kakinomoto no Hitomaro, one of the greatest poets of his time, compared her to a goddess.

The retired empress

Jitō’s grandson, Monmu (r. 697-707) was ready to take the throne. She stepped back as Dajō Tennō (or “retired emperor”), becoming the first sovereign in Japanese history to assume this title. The power was in reality still in her hands. The Taihō Code was promulgated in 701, reforming governmental administration as well as administrative and penal law. This was only made possible by the reforms enacted during her reign.

In 702, she went through another tour of inspection of the eastern provinces and bestowed gifts and court ranks on the local officials and leading farmers. Jitō died in the first month 703 and her ashes were interred in her husband's tomb.

Here's is the link to my Ko-Fi if you like what I do! Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Further reading: 

Aoki Michiko Y., "Jitō Tennō, the female sovereign",in: Mulhern Chieko Irie (ed.), Heroic with grace legendary women of Japan

Souyri Pierre-François, Nouvelle histoire du japon