#about the purple wedding btw

[a-chaotic-dumbass]

me when there r tyrion sansa jaime and davos chapters all in a row with no other boring snoring sloppy povs in between

[fairysluna]

Hello, I just stumbled into your old account and read and LOVED one of your Aegon fanfics (What Should've Been) and I have a teeny tiny request, if you don't mind. It seems the reader had tuberculosis from the symptoms, especially the bloody coughs, and since Aegon was thoroughly exposed to it, I was wondering if you can maybe make a teeny tiny follow-up about how he also contracts the disease and dies and later joins the reader in the afterlife under the same weirwood tree where she's waiting for him in her wedding gown and Aegon goes to her and tucks a purple pansy in her ear and they walk off into the light, together at last.

Please, I'm terribly heartbroken (and depressed but that's just my usual depression) over this beautiful story and I'd love a follow-up, even if it's just bullet points of what happens 🥺🥺

Author's Note: Hi hun!! I love the fact that you love my story enough to come here and ask me to write more, I will always love to make a follow up of my fics... so this is entirely dedicated to you, love!! thank you for enjoying my writing (and srry for breaking your heart). These are bullet points btw and it is quite short, but i hope you like it!!🤍

WHAT SHOULD'VE BEEN — Aegon's Grief.

Summary: The aftermath of the biggest loss in Aegon's life: you. An epilogue for this story.

Pairing: Aegon II Targaryen x Arryn!Reader

Tags/TW: angst, grief, death, mentions of depression, sickness, sensitive content. If something is missing pls let me know.

Aegon didn’t leave his bed for days. The grief and sorrow in his heart was too much for him to bear. He wouldn’t eat, he wouldn’t bathe, he wouldn’t even stand from his bed… the bed he used to share with you.

It was hard for him to go inside the room, the weeks before your funeral he couldn’t even bring himself to look at the door of it. Needless to say, he didn’t even step inside of it until the funeral was over. The sheets were still there, the shape of your body was still seen on the bed. He did not allow the maids to clean up the room; he could smell the scent of death that was left behind, but once he went closer to the bed he was able to smell your perfume… and that was enough for him to bury his face against the pillows as he sobbed and whined.

Alicent tried to go and persuade him to go back to his duties. He had become a King, but what kind of King he was if he didn't have his Queen by his side? What purpose was left for him when the most important person in the world was now gone? The forces of your love had left him without warming, the warmth of your love no longer covered his body in the shape of an affectionate kiss. He felt useless without you, for you were the only thing that brought meaning into his life.

Aemond would start to cover him up in the Small Council meetings and other duties. Aegon was in no condition to fulfill his activities, because not only his spirit was broken but his health was deteriorating with each passing day. The health of their King was starting to cause rumors around the halls, servants claimed that he went mad out of his own grief.

His chubby shape soon became a skeletal one. His rosy cheeks were now pale and bony, his cheekbones being too noticeable now. Alicent would go at night trying to make him eat something, but Aegon had lost his will to live the day he lost you. And eventually, the Gods were merciful enough… and they made him sick too.

Alicent knew what was coming, she had witnessed the same symptoms in you a few weeks ago before you took your last breath. She cried herself to sleep many nights as the Maester would only inform her that her son was slowly dying, with no signs of improvement at all. And then, the hallucinations started as Aegon was being slowly killed by the fever.

His already weakened body could not handle that sickness that came upon him. The lack of food, of sleep, along with his lack of will to live were enough to get him seriously ill, to the point when he started to speak to the maids thinking they were you.

"Oh, my sweet wife," he would say with a thin voice, barely audible. Most of his wording would be interpreted as mumbling and nonsense, "can't wait to see our beautiful child growing inside of you."

A few days later… Aegon passed away in the same bed that he used to share with you, grasping the same sheets that covered your body during your last days, and in the same bed where he held you close every night. And even though that was the day his body died, his soul had left him the same day you left him.

Alicent cried for days after the news, but she wasn't surprised at all. No one was. The love Aegon had for you was too obvious for everyone.

"Not even death could pull them apart," Aemond would say as he consoled his mother during the funeral, where Sunfyre was the one lighting the fire that ended up consuming his skeletal body.

Aegon thought he was dreaming when he found himself standing in the gardens, wearing a black suit but feeling light, the anguish that had haunted him for the past weeks was no longer there.

And then, he heard your laugh.

A small giggle that made him feel as if his heart was beating again. A sound so soft and gentle, delicate and blissful, that it brought a rose color upon his cheeks, which returned to be as chubby as they were before.

At first, he was afraid of turning around, thinking that it was a delusion, some trick of his mind making him hear things. But then, he heard it again, and the urge to look at your beautiful face once again was stronger than any fear that might succumb him. He needed to see you… and he did.

There you were, as beautiful as you have always been, wearing a tighter and less pompous version of your wedding gown. Your hair was falling down your shoulders in cascades, your eyes gleaming with pure happiness as you laughed at the pages you were reading. Aegon was enchanted, mesmerized by the angelic sound your laughter would produce.

He walked slowly towards you, as if he was scared you would become a pile of dust and fade into the wind, but you never did. Instead, you looked up at him and your eyes shined so bright that Aegon was sure he saw stars in them. You were so gorgeous, far from being the sick woman he saw before you passed. You were your old self, the woman who would make him laugh and make him fall in love all over again every single day.

"You came," you said with a radiant smile.

"You know I've never done well without you, my love," he replied.

You saw him picking up a flower from the greenest grass he's ever seen; a purple pansy soon was on your hair, and Aegon's heart felt alive once he felt your lips against the softness of his flushed cheeks. A gesture that he had terribly missed.

Aegon cupped your face between his hands, and looked down to you with admiration and pure devotion. Your eyes were full of life once again; a sight that Aegon wished to never forget again. Before you could say anything to him, he kissed you, and your lips felt warm and soft as they always were. Your touch made him feel like a teenage boy, the same boy that fell in love with you many years ago.

He realized then that he finally found heaven, that all his wishes and pleas were listened to by the Gods by sending him back to you; back to where he belonged.

Aegon saw your eyes once again, and right there he realized that the Gods were finally merciful, because now he got to spend the rest of his life by your side without having the constant fear of losing you again.

He finally found peace, because you were there with him.

[hybbart]

i love your magical girl designs for the seablings, could we get some more info on the choices of colour and stuff? i'm super into character design and love seeing peoples thought on stuff like that ^^

Sure!

A big influence was precure, obviously, as a fan. Many palettes aren't too far off from various precure if you look for them. I am generaly a bit unhappy with the mishmash of 20 different colours used in modern cures, but they did help me be a bit bolder with choices as I'll talk about later. I also tossed out their "avoid green as a main colour" rule like everyone else. I have no idea what sort of wack marketting advice convinced every girls show that girls don't like green and we probably will never know. Irrelevant...

My first step was assigning each mode its own colour. Since they're a duo I was tempted to do either contrasting or complimentary colours, but that went out the window quick. E1 seablings already had very distinctly assigned colours of green and purple, and they were the easiest that I already had ideas for, so I tossed that and just tried to not have them overlap. I still ended up with green, cyan, AND blue as main colours but I adjusted it with the secondary colours.

For the e1 seablings outfits it was primarily colour picked from my actual designs for the codfather and ocean queen, but tweaked to be more saturated, so their main colour theme is green (pink secondary) and purple (blue secondary). It's also when I decided to give them a highlight colour in their hair, as is popular with modern magical girls, since my codfather design already has this. (Also I stole the veil from cure Spicy. Her little veil/napkin hat I immediately fell in love with and thought it would work as a lily pad like hat on Jimmy when designing him, and it fit well with the slight wedding theme I gave them.)

Lizzie's colours are pretty much just various shades of purple and and blue based on her axolotl ocean goddess design. Jimmy's colours are supposed to be like a water lily, of course, and I made the greens less sickly than his codfather design which are meant to be more swampy and go with the browns of the cod. Both the seablings' secondary coloura are references to each other in this btw, as is the case in my codfather design to designate him as the ocean queen's family. Jimmy isn't inherently associated with blue in this au but I did manage to slip it into all three designs since outside of it he is.

The life series designs were veeery easy for Jimmy and much more difficult for Lizzie, but the actual colour choices were both easy once I worked out a design. Lizzie never had an actual skin for her faerie fort self, and her base skin is purple just like the ocean queen, which is also the case for her clothes in e2, so this is where I started taking liberties with her and assigned her other things and desided to throw out the idea of the colour palettes being in neat little boxes. This is the closest to a rainbow cure they get, but I made Lizzie's official main colour cyan and secondary green. Jimmy by contrast is the most monochromatic he gets here, with a main colour of blue and secondary yellow.

Butterfly Lizzie is actually the only time I had multiple palette ideas that I had to make a hard choice between because I liked them all so much, usually I was struggling to find shades I enjoyed being paired since I don't usually work with such saturated palettes. I guess it's fitting, since cyan/teal is minecraft's bets colour that's easy to slap on any build to make it look elegant. Jimmy's palette itself was pretty easy, took a lot of notes from cure sky for him in colour AND design, but it was a matter of where to put what colours. I think I changed the colour of his shorts more times than any other article.

E2 designs were the first I actually designed and thenthe last ones I made palettes for. Their main colours were red and orange... which are quite difficult to work with in such high saturation, and especially with trying to avoid overlaping. I ended up using very unconventional palettes way out of my comfort zone. Brown in general is very unconventional for a magical girl, but there's been a few curea like cure chocolat and cure wing that utilized it that gave the inspiration. It was an easy decision to make her hair and ears based on her calico design after that, though I had trouble deciding exactly where to incorperate the brown into her actual outfit. The purple just came very natural after that. I often use purple instead of actual brown for dark browns so it made sense to me, at least. It was a nice pop against the orange and also contrast the yellow.

E2 Jimmy is the one I am least satisfied with. It was the only one that was not based off his skin the same way Lizzie's weren't. I still look at it and think if theres anything else I could try. By far the most difficult. Red's a very bold colour so it's hard to match without just using different tones of red, and the wrong shade would make the whole rhing look off. I also already knew I wanted yellow/orange in the design because of the sherrif star, but I didn't want it to be his life design with a different primary colour. I decided to try incorperating his blue, and I like it in concept but I still am not sure about the specific shade. After that I thought to add green to make it that classic childish primaries colour, make the design like a space cowboy almost. The star on his hat, the hat in general actually, ended up being the biggest help to decide.

At one point I experimented with a full on rainbow theme but it did not work out. I think it could have with a slightly different design and somekne better at picking colours, but I scrapped it. I also decided to use a lot of darker shades since red is already so bold and bright. Still unhappy with the pants, but white was just a bit too bright and the secondaries were too bold to use. This was the only time I actually messed with the design itself to try and help make colours work, but it didn't work out. I'd say overall I'm happy enough with it but I could have done a lot better.

Also I decided to adjust Lizzie's pink hair slightly with each to match the palettes. I was trying to avoid it, but it's so pink and there's so much it really affected the rest of her design a lot, so I made her e2 hair a more salmon pink and her life design a more bubblegum pink.

As for their wands I just went with an unobtrusive white and pastel rainbow colour scheme. The white matches their outfits and the rainbow doesn't clash too hard with anything. Joel I obbiously just made green and Norman was a bit more awkward but I went with a grey to match the real Norman since a full blue palette made him look like a generic cat faerie and not specifically Norman.

[builtbybrokenbells]

t’s fic rec list

well hello everyone 😁 i think it’s about time i put out some love, and this is the best way i know how. below I’ve compiled a list of my most favourite fics (which is definitely not complete). these are just a couple off the top of my head from absolutely fantastic writers that have not only blown me away, but even inspired me to write some myself. i will be adding to this as time goes on, but i do not have enough time to read as much as i would like, so bear with me.

Josh Kiszka

Drift - @gretavangroupie

Purple Haze - @gretavanlace

Jake Kiszka

Cream & Sugar - @sacredthefran

Covet - @jakeyt

Little Wing - @daisyful-gvf

Imperfect Moments - @abeautylives

Make Her Happy - @gretavanfleetposts (i think abt this fic all of the time btw)

Sore Loser - @sparrowofthedawnsworld (one of my favs of all time)

Wilt - @gretavangroupie

The Ripe and The Ruin - @gretavangroupie & @gretavanmoon

Le Morte d'Arthur - @joshym

Sam Kiszka

Burn - @gretavangroupie

Danny Wagner

Four weddings and a funeral - @hearts-hunger

Struck - @gretavangroupie

Twins

Poppins - @gretavanlace

Janny

Valor - @gretavangroupie & @gretavanmoon

to be continued! im definitely missing a whole lot more, but for now this is what I’ve got. thank you to all of the fantastic writers who put out such amazing content 🫶🏻

[j0kers-light]

What about a Indian reader and She and Joker are eating Indian food and it’s jokers first time eating it????🩷

Hey hi anon!! This was buried in my emails (tumblr literally did not show it in my inbox! This dates back to Aug 30th!!!) 🖤✨

I probably have more requests than I think I do if I'm going by my email and not the blog ask box 😭 moving right along..... I'll panic on my own downtime.

Disclaimer: I’m not going to try and attempt to write about a culture I have no knowledge of. I’m so sorry anon in advance! I’m black, not Indian and I do not wish to disrespect your culture if I say something out of turn. I’ll try my best to fill your request but it’ll be surface level. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

I did extensive research to fill this one!

Joker does not care what part of the world you hail from. You can be from Antarctica and he’d still love you. It’s your character that he’s head over heels for.

The way you carry yourself and the way you don’t put up with any of his nonsense. You aren’t afraid of him and you have patience that very few people possess. 

He understands there is a huuuuuge culture difference between the two of you and he will never get in the way of your traditional practices, teachings, etc.

If you do something out of the ordinary, he observes and files that information for a later date. He’s in awe most of the time whenever you introduce him to something and he never judges you. 

When you speak in your native tongue, (I used Hindi here- terribly sorry if the translation is horrendous) Joker is automatically hypnotized with heart eyes and a dopey smile. 👁👄👁 okay?

It sounds so enchanting to his ears and oftentimes he forgets you’re not talking directly to him. 

“Whatever ya say, Bunny.” cue you staring at Joker in confusion since he interrupted your phone call.

“Shh, J! मैं फोन पर बात कर रहा हूं” You could’ve called him an illiterate purple platypus for all he knows, but the idiot just nods along as if he understands. 

Has Joker fallen asleep to the sound of you talking in your native tongue? Yes, and he’ll do it again!

He hides and listens to you and your mother talk on the phone on some mornings when he can't sleep.

Your voice lulls him to sleep right there on the floor. You trip up on his slumbering body but pay him no mind as you start your house chores.

Moving on! He adores your traditional clothes!!

The rich colors, the detailed fabric and textures all come together to transform you into a living, breathing goddess.

You can make a trash bag look like high couture but the first time J saw you in a formal saree with beads and gold jewelry adorning your bronzed skin, his jaw fell to the floor.

He couldn’t think straight as you fixed your hair in the mirror as you prepared to leave. You were going to a wedding, Joker thought you were a deity walking on Earth.

Best believe Joker followed you without your knowledge so he could see the ceremony for himself and he was floored.

Everything was so beautiful and elaborate!! Even if he didn’t understand a single thing, he was inspired to learn. Knowledge is uhhh power.

The man is whipped for you. 👏🏾👏🏾 He studies your culture from top to bottom so he doesn’t accidentally disrespect you and he even tried to learn the language from your region. (Mac and Neo laughed for hours at that failed attempt)

You thought it was sweet but yeah… J does not need to speak your language to love you. (He sounds awful btw)

Joker shows that he cares in other ways. He’s mindful of the little things you do or don’t do and he’s always down to try new things.

Which is why you wanted him to start eating more traditional dishes for dinner. You wanted to start J off with something simple before throwing him into the world of spices and complex flavors. 

Joker ate sugar, junk food, and pre-packaged foods before you waltzed into his life. His knowledge of spices was salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika. Like? What? 🤦🏾‍♀️

It amazed you that men went to war for spices yet limit themselves to such bland food. Bless this Caucasian man. You love Joker, but his taste buds deserved better. 

You started off slow and made a huge serving of samosas for an apartment complex meeting and packed a few in Joker’s to-go bag as an 'accident'.

Joker called you in the middle of the night (still munching on them) asking you what they were. You could hear the crunchy crust over the phone as you padded to the kitchen for a midnight snack.

You found some homemade Kulfi and sucked on it as Joker explained the snack to you. 

It was like a kid discovering their favorite dish. He thanked you over and over for being such a sweet thing and cooking for him.

Up until then, you made sure something American was on the table for him to eat while you ate dishes from your culture. Little did he know that was all gonna change.

Joker notices how you didn’t eat with utensils much and he'd glare at the odd concoctions you passed as food in intrigue. His mild curiosity would end very soon. You set a time and a date to get him to officially try Indian food.

Joker made sure he was home before ten pm and burst through the door, hoping he wasn’t too late for dinner.

“I’m back, pretty girl. Did ya…” He stopped in his tracks when an explosion of aromas smacked him right in the face.

It was coming from the kitchen but it hit him the second he walked into your penthouse. He couldn’t describe what it smelled like, it was simply phenomenal. His stomach growled just off of the scent alone. 

You sent him a text reminding him not to eat anything and to come home with an open mind for dinner. You piqued his interest.

Usually Joker wouldn’t eat dinner with you on the nights he prowled Gotham City. He’d come back to your place around five or six in the morning and warm up whatever you fixed him (your dinner/his breakfast) before crashing. It's how things worked with the clashing work schedules. 

However you begged and pleaded with Joker to call the night early, before it truly began, and come home to eat with you. 

He wasn’t expecting all this. 

You decorated the table with a rounded tray filled with vibrant sauces chutneys, pilled high with some kind of bread, rice, and other mixtures, and aromatic fixings. Joker eyed the candles you lit and was wondering where you were when you emerged from the kitchen with a pitcher of water. 

His eyes softened seeing you in a stunning saree. It was the same one he commented on when you unpacked it from its original boxing. 

Sure it was a little too fancy to be wearing around the house and your mother would scold you if you got it dirty, but you wanted to dress up for Joker. Tonight was special in a way.

“सुस्वागत” you mumbled but then remembered Joker couldn’t translate. “Welcome home.” You gestured to the spray of food on the table. “I offer you a thali. It's a variety of dishes that represent a balanced diet."

Joker walked over to the table and you trailed behind him, pointing things out as you explained. 

“That’s a mango chutney. We call that dal. Oh that’s murgh mahani." He furrowed his eyes at a bowl. "That’s just rice Joker. I didn’t make it fancy." He laughed and made a comment about the bread looking more fluffier than normal.

"Oh c'mon J, you had my naan before. This one is just garlicky to go with the yogurt.” you finished explaining everything and an awkward silence fell over you both.

Joker nodded to himself but he didn’t say much else. It was a lot to take in and you picked up his reserved demeanor. 

“If it's too much, I can defrost some samosas that you like or we can order take-out or or..”

You were rambling. A habit of yours that he loved to pieces. Joker didn’t know why you were so nervous but he smirked before leaning down and kissing you speechless. You rested your hand on his chest and blinked in confusion when he backed away and sat down at the low table you set up instead of the normal western dining table. 

You really went all out for this so he'd try to have an open mind here.

“Is there a uhh order, I gotta eat this in?” He asked. There were so many individual bowls before him and he finally noticed the entire spread was atop a banana leaf of some sorts.

This was too cool, he felt like a seasoned traveler being honored at the elder's table. If only the native would participate.... you thought.

He took his eyes off the food to find your hesitant e/c gaze. You were still standing in that gorgeous gown of yours. He’d appreciate that later tonight… but for now.. he was rather hungry for actual food.

“Well Bunny? Can I just dive in orrr whaT?” Joker clicked his tongue and you blinked out of your fog.

You managed to hear what he said and laughed to yourself before joining him on the floor.

Why were you so bent out of shape over finally embracing your culture with Joker? This man would accept anything you offered and he would never turn down food if you made it. Being accepted was a new concept to you so yeah you got emotional.

You dabbed at your lash line for any stray tears and clapped your hands together.

“Yes! There’s an order, J. Thali is all balanced. Here, I’ll help you. You are only to eat with the fingers of your right hand. Okay?” You demonstrated by scooping up some rice with a bite of vegetables.

You brought it to his mouth and he kept eye contact with you as he opened his mouth for the morsel.

Joker groaned, causing you to blush. Your fingers brushed his lips as you leaned back. "D-Do you like it?"

Like it? This was just the beginning of a long course and it already tasted better than anything he'd eaten in Gotham! (Excluding your cooking of course) And you made this as a side dish!? Nah, he loved it.

Green eyes bore into your soul, "I want more."

[lemonhemlock]

Why you don’t like stannis, renly, olenna and margaery?

disclaimer that a lot of my dislikes are just predicated on lannister stanning and it's really not deeper than just side-eyeing anyone who's side-eyeing my faves. i'm not playing morality olympics here, just rooting for my own barbies (they're not going to win anything, but that's won't stop me) 🤷‍♀️

that being said, i don't like SATANNIS because, well, what's there to like, precisely? he has the charisma of a brick wall. has the most aloof relationship with his wife and only living child and literally every other person. there's stuff about stannis that's interesting, like his bond with davos, his relationship with renly, his indoctrination into the religion of r'hllor, how he'll end up sacrificing his own daughter etc, but he doesn't exactly have a riveting personality

renly is a lot more boisterous and enjoyable as a character but a lot of people tend to gloss over the fact that he's essentially a usurper and a slimy interloper. on the one hand, what he tells stannis is true ("no one wants you as king") and his barbs are pretty darn funny, but, legally-speaking, stannis IS the rightful king. this is not a pick-and-choose-system. renly compromises stannis' war campaign out of pure vanity, simply bc HE wants to be king, but is never even truly shown to have any proper kingly qualities.

he's not interested in the good of the realm at all, because he constantly engages in petty court schemes. like in AGOT his grand plan is to have robert set cersei aside and marry margaery instead, for shits and giggles. he's already the king's brother, what more influence does he want? he's willing to start a potential war just so his boyfriend's family can climb the greasy pole. the tyrells are all very rich btw, they don't even need this. which is why i'm not fond of them either - a lot of fans gloss over how self-serving and mercenary they are and like to pretend they're this flower power house that are just so much more principled than the lannisters.

also renly's thoughts on brienne and shireen. just two-faced and cruel. he would appeal to me a lot more if he got a POV (bc that shit would probably be entertaining af) but this lack of additional insight doesn't compensate for the bad taste in my mouth

no wonder he is the first to die in the war of the five kings, he's literally a paper gangsta, whereas the tyrells are poster children for the expression "fuck around and find out". olenna is basically a bully for no reason (within her own family) and willingly sets sansa up during the purple wedding, while margaery is a participant in that. idk, it's just really slimy to think of how they treat sansa and make fake friends with her while plotting to have her framed for murder. they don't receive nearly as much criticism as they should in comparison with other characters. wanting joffrey dead is understandable, but surely there are ways to go about assassinating him that would look like an accident.

[horizon-verizon]

when you say daemon and rhaenyra were having sexual relationship while laena and harwin was alive, can you explain more, I haven't read the book. I know that one of the reasons they got married was beacuse rhaenyra was with child but could it not mean they had sex right after laena? but then again rhaenyra must have know she was pregnant beacuse she knew she had sex with daemon a few months before? do you think she was noticable pregnant? btw I agree with you I just want you to explain further

*EDITED POST* 6/2/24

I promise I wouldn't have snapped at you if you did. The other anon who I argued about Dameyra actually getting married for a love only/more than for politics, where I got snappy not because they disagreed, but because they kept bringing up contradictory statements that also send to not really take into account what I already said before.

Answering your question:

The Timeline, Again

Laena, Laenor, Harwin and Lyonel Strong all die on 120 A.C., the Year of the Red Spring.

When Daemon & Laena return from Pentos with their daughters in the year of 116 A.C. :

In 116 AC, in the Free City of Pentos, Lady Laena gave birth to twin daughters, Prince Daemon’s first trueborn children. Prince Daemon named the girls Baela (after his father) and Rhaena (after her mother). The babes were small and sickly, alas, but both had fine features, silver-white hair, and purple eyes. When they were half a year old, and stronger, the girls and their mother sailed to Driftmark, whilst Daemon flew ahead with both dragons.

[...]

With Driftmark and Dragonstone so close, Daemon and Laena oft visited with the princess, and her with them. Many a time they flew together on their dragons, and the princess’s she-dragon Syrax produced several clutches of eggs. In 118 AC, with the blessing of King Viserys, Rhaenyra announced the betrothal of her two eldest sons to the daughters of Prince Daemon and Lady Laena. Jacaerys was four and Lucerys three, the girls two. And in 119 AC, when Laena found she was with child again, Rhaenyra flew to Driftmark to attend her during the birth.

(“A Question of Succession”)

Then, when Laena dies:

During her final hour, it is said, Lady Laena rose from her bed, pushed away the septas praying over her, and made her way from her room, intent on reaching Vhagar that she might fly one last time before she died. Her strength failed her on the tower steps, however, and it was there she collapsed and died. Her husband, Prince Daemon, carried her back to her bed. Afterward, Mushroom tells us, Princess Rhaenyra sat vigil with him over Lady Laena’s corpse, and comforted him in his grief.

(“A Question of Succession”)

And Laena dies on the 3rd day of the year 120 A.C.:

And so it was that the princess was at her good-sister’s side on the third day of that accursed year 120 AC, the Year of the Red Spring.

Aegon the Younger was born at the end of 120 A.C.:

And thus that dreadful year 120 AC ended as it begun, with a woman laboring in childbirth.

It takes 9 months for a healthy pregnancy to end in birth and Aegon III’s birth went smoothly. (So she, Daemon, and Rhaenyra all lived, visited, and flew together for 3 years.)

Fire and Blood does not give a specific day or date when Laenor, but again, it couldn't have been more than 5-6 months after Laena died because the quote I give for when Rhaenyra and Daemon marry says that they marry when "neither/nor" of their spouses haven't been dead for half a year yet.

Neither Daemon’s wife nor Rhaenyra’s husband had been dead even half a year [6 months]; to wed again so soon was an insult to their memories, His Grace declared angrily.

Daemyra married 4-6 months after both their lovers/spouses die.

This means that Aegon was conceived at most 2 or so months earlier than when they got married. (It also depends on what "end of the year" was, like the 10th month? 11th? 12/the last?)

Which also means that Rhaenyra and Daemon began sleeping with each other not long at all after Laena dies, if they haven’t already been.

Even if they were doing so because they needed respite from grief and found comfort together, we know they had an attraction(that added to the already existing trust) since Rhaenyra was at least 15, because something happened between them for Viserys to go overboard and send Daemon away in 111 A.C. (Just maybe not how exactly Mushroom relates it. He's fond of exaggeration). Viserys also reacted hard enough for him to think that Rhaenyra and Daemon would consummate or elope or whatever by that reaction.

CORRECTION!!![6/2/24] -- I will just take "last days" to mena the actual last days, so he was def born in the very last month, and not in the 10th or 11th!!! And I redid the calendar. (ignore the first purple line, it was a mistake!]

Here is a calendar with the timing of deaths, etc. (ignore the real months, pregnancies take 9 months max):

Dark Blue - Laena's Death

Light Blue - Laenor's Death (approximate)

Purple - Rhaenyra and Daemon's Wedding (appr.)

Red - Aegon III's Birth

Orange - Aegon III's Conception (appr.)

Answering you Other Questions:

but then again rhaenyra must have know she was pregnant beacuse she knew she had sex with daemon a few months before? 

Yes, I think she would have found out that she was pregnant not long after she and Daemon began sleeping together. Again, that fertility they had....

do you think she was noticeable pregnant?

It’s actually easier to hide an earlier (1-3 months) pregnancy than you might think, and women can vary in size even when in the same month and when they have single babies (non-multiples: twins/triplets).

(Of course, this is a cartoon diagram, but you get the point.)

Rhaenyra could be obvious if she were not wearing the right clothes, but she’s royal, she can afford it. Just has to be discreet about it.

EDIT: 

Look below at @the-king-andthe-lionheart ‘s reblog, where they correct me about the clothing women could wear that doubled as what we’d (moderns and Westerners) call “maternity” clothes.

[finniestoncrane]

i dunno if this has already been requested or not but im on my hands and knees for No.10: The Staunton Lick with btaa!scarecrow 🙏 (love your work btw finnie you’re so talented!!)

🎀 No.10: The Staunton Lick 🎀

give me a character and i'll make a mini playlist for them a/n: oh good LORD i had the most fun with this so thank you so much for that and for the sweet compliment ;-; 💚💚💚 1k milestone info! 🔞minors dni🔞 • kofi • tag: finnie1k

i think jonathan's music choice would be accompanied with a brief lecture on how important it is in relation to how much fear and horror it can provide. for a song to be on his "enjoy" list, it has to either be jaunty enough that he can imagine it playing as he goes about his business or just magically creepy enough to evoke a sense of absolute terror when he hums it quietly 💚

perfect day - lou reed

there's so much melancholy in this, but it's also so beautiful, so it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that's kind of enjoyable. also, reaping what you sow, it's a good message

eagle rock - daddy cool

used perfectly in the soundtrack to wolf creek, it's an absolute joy when a song so filled with joy can become so synonymous with the dreadful feeling as we fear what's to come after it's finished playing

wonderful, wonderful - johnny mathis

used perfectly to denote the arrival of fear in a particular episode of the x-files (season 4, episode 2, "home") the smooth romance lends itself nicely to that creepy feeling that comes along with nostalgia

main titles (beetlejuice soundtrack) - danny elfman

this is the perfect "driving to work/crimes/drug deals" music. it just gives any journey an added bounce! and isn't that michael keaton just super hot when he's betelgeuse? far more than he is in any... other... roles

twilight time - the platters

there's nothing more romantic than the dark of night, the shadows, the cool air, the all-consuming black, or calming purples and morose blues? this is the kind of thing he would dance to at a wedding

in dreams - roy orbison

if you can get past the imagery of the clown at the beginning, this song is actually far more terrifying than first glance might suggest. the loneliness, the desperation, losing someone and only having them in your imagination? absolutely deranged and unhinged romance

music box (the candyman soundtrack) - philip glass

if he were ever cursed to be responsible for a child, somehow, god forbid, this would 100% be the lullaby that played for the little cretin. it would set them off right in life

just - radiohead

is this really just wishful thinking? maybe jon isn't as much of a jigsaw-esque villain as he'd like to think. sure, people choose to take drugs, and sure they choose to sell them, but is it really a choice if the alternative is dying, starving, desolate and threatened?

i put a spell on you - screamin' jay hawkins

this is the kind of song he would listen to if he was really feeling it, like this is in his house on a saturday morning, eating pastries in his pants kind of music. absolute joy with a hint of wild attitude and the threat of control. very much jonathan crane

we've only just begun - the carpenters

i think jonathan is a sucker for nostalgia, for soft, romantic songs that can be manipulated and distorted and changed to make them send chills down your spine, which is what happens with this in the movie 1408

[pyxy-styx]

1-100 you did this to yourslef

You're right, I did to this to myslef.

1. What's your middle name? Gonna change it to Parker eventually. Right now, it's the maiden name of a dead grandparent I never met and have no attachment to.

2. How old are you? 59 (18)

3. What is your birthday? October

4. What is your zodiac sign? Libra

5. What's your favorite color? Purple

6. What's your lucky number? Don't have one, if had to pick, probably 10

7. Do you have any pets. Three cats, a dog, and a bearded dragon.

8. Where are you from? Jupiter, I came to earth to rob people and ended up stuck here

9. How tall are you? At least 5' 5"

10. What shoe size are you? Good question

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Four I think?

12. What was your last dream about? Another good question. I have no idea, I only remember the really bizarre ones

13. What talents do you have? I'm fairly decent at piano when I'm actually able to play

14. Are you psychic in any way? We're gonna go with no

15. Favorite song? Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

16. Favorite movie? Legally Blonde today

17. Who would be your ideal partner? Oh what a shame, someone played the Uno skip card and I can't answer this question

18. Do you want children? Yes and no

19. Do you want a church wedding? Only if I get to kiss a girl in front of my grandma and my dad officiates

20. Are you religious? Kind of??

21. Have you ever been to the hospital? Unfortunately for my parents, yes. I am currently the not-so-proud owner of the Most Hospital Trips in Two Months award in my house

22. Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law? Got the cops called on us a few times because our downstairs neighbors, who knowingly moved into a place with kids btw, were pissed that we acted like kids and ran around a bunch

23. Have you ever met any celebrities? Loads, we used to go to conventions a lot. There's pictures and autographs somewhere

24. Baths or showers? Showers

25. What color socks are you wearing? None right now but usually black

26. Have you ever been famous? Nope

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity? In theory yes, but unfortunately people suck, so no

28. What type of music do you like? We rotate between multiple genres, pop and goth are the top two

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping? No

30. How many pillows do you sleep with? I'm not gonna go count

31. What position do you usually sleep in? On my stomach but I can't do that without dying right now and it sucks

32. How big is your house? Please don't make me do math

33. What do you typically have for breakfast? Cereal or whatever leftovers sound good

34. Have you ever fired a gun? Yes, I suck at it

35. Have you ever tried archery? Yes, I suck at it

36. Favorite clean word? Dystopia, it sounds pretty

37. Favorite swear word? Damn

38. What's the longest you've ever gone without asleep? Two days

39. Do you have any scars? Yes and literally none of them have a cool story. They're all from me being clumsy

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer? Nope

41. Are you a good liar? Depends on who I'm talking to

42. Are you a good judge of character? Ehhhh

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own? I can do a few, they're not the best though

44. Do you have a strong accent? You can tell I'm from America

45. What is your favorite accent? Probably Scottish

46. What is your personality type? Idk

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing? Probably the Technoblade merch

48. Can you curl your tongue? Yep

49. Are you an innie or an outie? What on earth does this mean

50. Left or right handed? Right

51. Are you scared of spiders? Only when they're touching me, they're okay otherwise

52. Favorite food? Pasta

53. Favorite foreign food? Thai coconut soup

54. Are you a clean or messy person? Both

55. Most used phrase? Probably "what the fuck"

56. Most used word? Funky

57. How long does it take for you to get ready? Like five minutes, thirty if I'm doing makeup or hair

58. Do you have much of an ego? Oh yeah

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops? Both

60. Do you talk to yourself? Yep

61. Do you sing to yourself? Yepyep

62. Are you a good singer? I like to think so but probably not

63. Biggest fear? Drowning

64. Are you a gossip? Nope

65. Best dramatic movie you've seen? Does My Girl Count??

66. Do you like long or short hair? Short hair

67. Can you name all 50 states in America? Nope

68. Favorite school subject? English

69. Extrovert or introvert? Yes

70. Have you ever been scuba diving? Nope

71. What makes you nervous? Everything

72. Are you scared of the dark? Yes

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes? I try to sometimes

74. Are you ticklish? Unfortunately

75. Have you ever started a rumor? If I have I wasn't aware of it

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority? Kinda

77. Have you ever drank underage? Cooking wine and shitty beer are disgusting

78. Have you ever done drugs? Yeppers

79. Who was your first real crush? I have no clue

80. How many piercings do you have? None

81. Can you roll your Rs? In my accent? No. In other accents? Yes

82. How fast can you type? Fast enough it's illegible if I'm not careful

83. How fast can you run? I have no idea

84. What color is your hair? Brown

85. What color are your eyes? Gray

86. What are you allergic to? The medicine they give you for strep throat. I'm not figuring out how to spell that shit

87. Do you keep a journal? Nope, I had to stop because my older sister kept reading my old one

88. What do your parents do? Mother dearest works at Walmart and Dad stays at home

89. Do you like your age? It's alright ig

90. What makes you angry? That is unfortunately a very long list

91. Do you like your own name? It's quite nice

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so, what are they? I have not, we'll cross that bridge if we get to it

93. Do you want a boy or girl child? I quite honestly don't care. A kid is a kid and I'm gonna love them regardless

94. What are your strengths? I'm pretty smart, I guess?? I've been told that I'm pretty good at rationalizing things

95. What are your weaknesses? I am unfortunately a very anxious person. No matter how much logic I use, I can't get over some shit

96. How did you get your name? I was named after a comic book character, my parents just gender bended the name

97. Were your ancestors royalty? I fucking hope not

98. Do you have any scars? I'd just like to point out that this is on here twice and your answer is back at 39

99. Color of your bedspread? Dark blue right now

100. Color of your room? White walls, pink carpet

[airasora]

I seem to remember a swan emblem over Odette's crib and while I may be wrong, the curtain pulls in the beauty pageant DEFINITELY also had swans on them 🤔

And also tbh I love the idea of Rothbart choosing a swan because it's something Odette loved or was connected to. Maybe he just saw it on her locket while he was Doing His Spying, he certainly realized it was too important to leave out of the copy-Odette (I know why she's a swan in the original story, but that's very long)

If we want it to make any sort of sense, Odette wore the dress and allowed Uberta's hairdo as a fuck you to Rothbart -she liked swans and he's not gonna take that from her (it's admittedly a pretty dress, too).

As for Derek running the ball, I always got the impression he was trying to turn whatever his mother had planned (and he definitely suspected something, she's done it before, since he says ANOTHER ONE of your beauty pageants lol) into his wedding, hence his asking where Bromley is because he needs a best man. Or at least a proposal. If he was gonna make such an important vow at least the place could look nicer xD

I LOVED THE TUBA THING LMAO Rogers is the best -also if you notice, he looks supremely annoyed at the "rubato" thing, probably because he knows what he's talking about.

Yes, it's Chamburg or Chamberg.

I thought my life was a lie irt the swans but I went back and I know why I got mixed up! In the dub I watched as a kid Puffin says "su alteza" which means his or her highness but is gender neutral without added context so I always assumed he meant Odette. It would have been a wink to the fact that in the original story, there were a bunch other swan girls in that lake. Shame it's just Derek again pffff

(Also small aside, came to mind because of the beauty pageant: I was OBSESSED with the level of sparkle they put in the purple wigged girl's dresses and spent my entire childhood looking for a princess dress that had that much. I was extremely disappointed 🤣)

Btw, forgot to say I'd absolutely love an Odette Wedding Dress post! It would be so cool

Sorry, but I see no swan emblem above her crib nor do I see any swans during the beauty pageant. You're going to have to show me a screenshot yourself cause I've watched and paused at this movie three times now, and I don't see more swans than the ones I mentioned in the first post and now I'm annoyed I can't find any xD

[rejaytionships]

btw bill and i decided we're doing blues and purples as our wedding colors because of course we are /lh

on my side i've got literally every gym leader in sinnoh (my dad obviously included), my qpps (jessie and james), my buddy flint in the sinnoh e4, my zio (our wedding planner), and his date

on bill's side we have all six of his pc friends, his parents, his grandfather, his two sisters, his nephew, and one of his cousins

he's got a whoooooole lot more family showing up than i do but you know how it is when your family consists of your single adoptive father and your godfather who you only met in adulthood dkfhdkfhj---

at least i have my friends though yay :) roark was obv coming, and i knew jessie and james wouldn't miss it for the world, but it's nice that flint and volkner had time to help with bridal party stuff. i guess they've been pretty bored at the league recently, not that many people have been coming through, especially not over to flint

i was shocked about gardenia too.........i wanted her to be a bridesmaid both because i really always looked up to her as this cooler older person growing up (yeah she's only a few years older than me but whatever you know what i mean) and also because bill had six people in his grooms' party (including the best man) and i only had five including my moh so i wanted to even the score. usually she's way busier but i guess she wanted some time off anyways so the wedding is a perfect excuse to get out of her gym for a while

(she's also providing flowers YESSS between her and the flower shop over in goldenrod it's going to be a VERY planty wedding vibe i think. whoops skdjfhsdj)

anyways see y'all in pastoria in like.......arceus above only a bit over TWO WEEKS i'm going to scream i still have so much to do---

[longeyelashedtragedy]

eyes 👁️

smile 😊

lips 👄

kiss 💋

vagina 🦪

eyes 👁️

“Uggggh!” Mason’s first instinct is to throw his hands over his eyes like a little kid hiding—and so he does.  “Are you gonna answer that?” (couples try new things)

It’s bad enough that she’s a Redknapp by marriage now, and feels it sometimes sinking into her bones.  She’s glad to have an outsider.  Fresh blood, fresh eyes.  (she may not remember me but i remember her)

Jack eyes the expensive watch and the wedding ring. See? Frank thinks.  It's not a date.  (10022)

It suddenly doesn’t matter what good new thing he has going.  It feels like his life is flashing before his eyes.  (tranquilo, amor)

“Granit?”  Agon is snapping his fingers in front of Granit’s eyes.  “Everyone is dead!!!" (dangerous au chapter 8...Spoiler Alert)

Frank’s eyes are blank.  Dead.  It’s never been anything else. (jamie did a bad bad thing...this is not the title btw lmao)

His eyes lock with Frank’s and he mouths.  Wow!  He’s impressed that Frank has two Girls.  Frank impressed Jamie.  Okay.  He can do this. (2008 debauchery fic...the working title is "you rearrange me till i'm sane" but that feels too on the nose lol)

smile 😊

Her mouth twists into a little smile no one but the stars will see as she remembers something said in a different voice maybe a long time ago. (she may not remember me...)

Frank smiles a smile that doesn’t reach his pretty blue eyes. (couples try new things)

His smile is too thin and his face is too pale.  It would look better if he wasn’t smiling. (jamie did a bad bad thing)

Maybe Jamie will call.  He’ll look so handsome even on the video.  He’ll be so happy to see you....What if he knew?  Would he still smile then? (10022)

“No.  Tonight is different,” Mikel says, and he feels like his smile matches one of Granit’s terrible ones.  (dangerous AU, christmas chapter)

lips 👄

“Well.  I guess I should…I’m sorry, Mason, I…” He holds his finger to his lips and then picks up the call. (couples try new things)

“What’ll we do if it keeps raining?”  Frank drinks heavily from his glass of red wine.  His lips are purple, and he leaves an ugly streaky stain on the back of his hand when he wipes his mouth. (she may not remember me...)

Taulant opens his mouth but his lips too are shaking.  And Agon talks instead. (dangerous au chapter 8)

red red red smeared on Franko’s lips and chin and drops of it on his pink shirt what was he drinking what did they give him (jamie did a bad bad thing)

“Hungry,” Justin says, pulling back and looking pleased.  His lips are all wet. (10022)

Rob blows air out through his closed lips.  “I’m not good enough for you anymore, then?” (arsenal crime au...i feel like this hasn't shown up in any of my other searches wtf)

kiss 💋

But he doesn’t mind Frank getting on all fours on top of him to kiss him. (couples try new things)

She kisses Christine while she sleeps, making the kiss soft but not too light—a real kiss.  Not an exploration.  Louise is 37.  She knows what she wants. (🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣 she may not remember me... this is not even what i was talking about with the 770 words of exposition!! what is happening in this googledoc)

So Frank does, and he feels lips kiss each eyelid and then slide down onto his mouth.  The kiss is different than it had been at the bar.  (10022)

Their foreheads bump together and Sergio kisses her, or maybe she kisses Sergio.  Either way, they kiss out of a shared feeling of something.  (tranquilo, amor)

Granit snorts the line like a madman and flops back on the couch.  He doesn’t think you can kiss the dancers, but he’d like to. (dangerous au chapter 8)

The kiss is sweet from the shit Franko likes to drink and bitter from his own tongue (jamie did a bad bad thing)

vagina 🦪

gotta love that clam emoji but i can't see myself ever using this word in a fic!!! unless there's like...A Doctor Scene or something? but what word to use instead is one of those eternal struggles lol

[hoardlikegoldenirises]

This is Peter's "move your arm before I kill you" face 😄 aka his "I only agreed to stand here to make my aunt happy and would rather be anywhere else" face.

EDIT: decided to change the eyeshine color lol

closeups and a bonus doodle below:

say cheeeeese!!! (left to right: flash, janine, aracely)

I realized while drawing this that I accidentally put the boys in left-to-right order from least- to most-fucked up face 😂 Ben and his perfect nose 🙄🤣 IDK what he's saying but probably something engineered specifically to make Peter mad.

He's smiling. 🙂💢 See? Busted nose. Turns out I also put them in order of "least to most traumatized," now that I think about it... Peter is a little less uptight by 2016 but... only a little. He might even not be wearing the costume under his clothes.

I know you're probably thinking "how the fuck is Ben less traumatized than Peter?" but in this case it's true. Ben is the most well-adjusted of them all. Comparatively.

Kaine is definitely wearing his costume under his clothes. Head to toe coverage, no skin except face and hands basically ever. When I sat down to sketch this pic this morning I realized that he probably doesn't like having his picture taken, because he has very bad self-esteem (understatement) and lots of scars, but probably also for Warren reasons, as essentially an ex-lab specimen. So he's hiding.

His hair would be in the process of growing back out from a buzzcut, if it's November 2016... so a bit longer than his shoulders, most likely.

If it wasn't like, May's idea to take the pic and Janine w/ the camera Kaine would not be tolerating this. He'd either leave or break the camera LOL but... if May wants a pic... he can at least pretend to be in it.

Miss Maybelle... The only one in the pic who doesn't have anything weird going on (ah, her strange nephews and their strange eyes). She has an O2 tank though. Her lungs are not very strong after 2012 because ummmm... Kaine stabbed her in the chest. (He apologized, it's fine 😓😅)

Ben's tan lines 😂 peter has 'em too but Peter is all covered up obv. Peter's neck tan line is actually way higher up though, because his costume has a higher neckline so he has to wear higher collars/scarves/whatever even if he rolls the neck down. But (not pictured) Peter's arms are more tan than Ben's because Ben's Scarlet sleeves are longer than Peter's Spidey sleeves. Obv Ben isn't wearing (the top of) his costume in this pic though. and they can both roll the sleeves up anyway.

That's the watch Peter got May for her birthday in 2007 btw. Actually the color is wrong because I didn't bother to check my own #lore but also because I almost forgot to color it at all (lol whoops) so I was just like. It's purple, I remember that much. But the strap is supposed to be "pale violet linen."

I also almost forgot to draw Peter's wedding band entirely 😂 Luckily I remembered! lol

Kaine is wearing a kilt, by the way (over jeans or leggings or something probably... well, maybe not leggings if his costume is underneath...) My goal is for him to find a different way of expressing his masculinity. related to why i am sticking to pink for his theme color (for costume etc.) and letting him grow his hair back out. I think he probably has some genders going on but not in the way that Flash has. He's not a girl. More like he wants to be nothing at all... null gender... etc... but also he doesn't have the language for that and would likely push back against it because of the way he was treated by Warren and the issues he has with like. personhood and manhood... but experimenting with (expensive) clothing is a way for him to explore his own autonomy in spite of that treatment and a way to learn to hate himself a little bit less, maybe, even though he's still very insecure.

he also has a "nazi punks fuck off" shirt, but... he wouldn't wear that to thanksgiving with aunt may... probably. I'm sure his leather jacket is around here somewhere...

i picked thanksgiving arbitrarily btw 😂 it just made the most sense as a reason for may to force i mean ask them all to come over and get pictures and stuff. kaine leaves nyc in 2012 following ben and only comes back for good in 2016, but when he and aracely first come up in the summer there's a bunch of stuff happening so it makes sense to do fall, once it's settled down...

May: Oh, by the way Peter, I invited your... brothers... to Thanksgiving. Peter: You did WHAT?!

[rainbowolfe]

Ah-hah... a wedding veil you say... I'll have to link back to this when I finish writing what I'm cooking up. Critical supporting evidence.

But in the meantime, while I was reading, I started thinking. What if the numbers are meant to align with the in-game tarot deck instead? Amazing connection to make btw.

Narinder Ichor Earned (22)

Who dares draw the blood of Gods?

In hindsight I should've reversed the order on these, but it's too late now. Regardless.

I would think this card was about the Bishop's betrayal and slaying of Narinder, but it's Gods plural. So this must be referencing the God purge the Bishops went on. (Which might mean Aym and Baal were a gift before they sealed Narinder away)

"Bond forged by the spilling of blood" after all.

This particular skull seems to be the one from The Burning Dead, which references "Death's Door" and/or "The Deal" in the background. "Service, even in death" is actually one of the doctrine decisions you get to make. It's the Funeral Ritual vs the Ritual of Resurrection.

Also there's a movie called The Burning Dead that's about cannibals being brought back to life.

Shamura was the one leading the charge on this war, so this (cracked) skull and crossbones just might represent them.

Side Tangent: Being that the Bishops aren't truly/fully immortal, when Shamura said they participated in the "experiments", did they mean that they had Narinder resurrect them?

Aym and Baal Shield of Faith (20)

Take refuge in your devotion.

This card visually parallels Master of the Art, which places the Red Crown in between the sun and the moon (with a line of blood connecting them all). The lore text for this card implies this is about a particular fighting philosophy. To put it shortly, to be ruthless.

Don't hesitate, offer no mercy, and don't relent.

It's about the dynamic between the All-Seeing Sun, the Red Crown, and the Weeping Moon. On a grand scale, that'd be the cosmic interplay between these three forces of nature/First Gods. The blue/sun deity, the red/eye deity, and the purple/moon deity.

But if we bump that down to a mid-range scale, it's about Kallamar, Narinder, and Shamura. So flipping that back to Aym and Baal...

The Red Crown (Narinder) is trapped within a container of its own, but the relationship has switched from his siblings to the twins. There's also nothing connecting the three things now.

Kudaai says that one "must find comfort and power where they can". He fulfills that need using his weapons. Narinder would fulfill that need using Aym and Baal. Literally finding comfort in (taking refuge in) his source of devotion.

He may not see them as family, but he does appreciate them/their loyalty/both. The twins entire existence has been their relationship with TOWW, so it makes sense for this to be the thing to represent them.

((and if you flip it back around again, it would make Shamura and Kallamar the Masters (of combat) that Narinder learned from/relief on))

Klunko (and Bop?) All Seeing Sun (8)

Destruction wastes at noonday.

This is just straight up a verse from the bible. Psalm 91:6 to be exact. "Nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday."

This seems to be a reference to the day Jesus died. Looking to Mark 15, they crucified him at 9am and at noon there was a total eclipse that lasted three hours. This sudden darkness is theorized to be the first sign of judgment day.

(In the context of Psalms, this is effectively a promise that even when judgement is cast on the rest of the land, those under God will still be safe)

Thus. The "destruction" that's forseen are the creatures that usually operate under the cover of night/darkness suddenly and unexpectedly being empowered midday.

Considering how heavily associated with the moon the Old Faith is, all these references to darkness are probably them. I noticed at some point that the moon phases associated with the OF aren't showing a proper moon cycle. Because of the placement of the two crescent moons, they're phases of an eclipse.

But at the very least, it's referring to the Night, aka The Teeth in Darkness, aka The Fox.

To me, this card reads as instructions. "this is happening, so be ready". While Weeping Moon is about protection from danger, maybe All-Seeing Sun is the danger. The aforementioned judgement.

Crows aren't night creatures. But worms are. :3c And Bop did ditch his family to become a cult leader.

Flinky The Lovers I (6)

A heart offered, a vow made.

Well. That makes Flinky two for two on Lover cards so there must be something here. I couldn't tell ya what, though. Since Shrumy and Klunko's cards are about a particular subject, I'll assume Flinky's is the same. Which leads me to: Luke 6:38.

"Give, and you will receive." [close enough] "Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."

I've singled out this passage mostly because I can relate what it's describing back to Gift From Below. An empty heart canister is a dead entity, so all that can be offered on this card is half a heart. He gave half his soul, and 30 cards later he got it back.

(or maybe the three empty canisters offered up the still-living heart, who's to say)

Shrumy Weeping Moon (4)

Fear not the terror of night.

This line is also a bible verse, Psalms 91:5. Riiight before Klunko's. "You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,"

Essentially, because he's under a God's (TOWWs?) protection, he doesn't need to worry about being attacked/killed day or night. Whether by wild animals or his fellow man/Beast. In COTL's context, the Teeth in Darkness (presently the Fox, but formerly wolves) seems to be the nighttime threat.

On a mid-size scale, the 'terror' here may be Shamura and/or their worshippers. As the only God we know of with a cracked open head, this statue of a literal weeping moon can only be them with the info we have now.

On a grander scale, the 'terror' could be the force that empowers their Crown (i.e. the Moon god, whatever that may be here).

This tarot card parallels the icon for the Blood Moon Ritual, and the special Steam banners related to this event suggest that the Bishops perform some sort of sacrifice for the Blood Moon.

Maybe Shrumy was meant to be that sacrifice.

Perhaps these tarot cards are marked because they represent the individual's past. What brought them to their present circumstance.

Narinder's Veil - An Analysis

A quick overview.

With the addition of the Bishop's of the old faith DLC, it was reveals Narinder's robes are actual a uniform of sorts denoting him as a death god. And once the Lamb has rescued all the bishops, they receive a version of these robes in fleece form. This made me wonder if TOWW's veil had any deeper meaning?

What is a Veil?

"A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance."

TOWW wears a black veil that partially obscures his face. Similar ones can be seen on his attendants, Baal and Aym, and former members of his old cult, Klunko, Flinky, and Shrumy. They seemingly serve no pratical use as before initiating combat Aym and Baal rip the veils off, possibly for increased visibility and keep the stands out of their eyes. Because these veils are only seen worn by TOWW and those in association with him or his cult, I assume these veils are exclusive to him and the veils we see worn by others are derivatives of his.

After some research, I was able to find an irl veil that most resembled the one TOWW wears:

A Sehra

"In some parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, men wear a sehra on their wedding day. This is a male veil covering the whole face and neck. The sehra is made from either flowers or beads."

Similar to veils worn by women, a sehra was worn to ward off the evil eye and to keep the bride and groom from seeing see each other before their wedding ceremony. While the reason for wearing the sehra is different, TOWW's veil very much resembles one.

Irl there are many cultural that require participants to adorn face veils or for sacred objects to be veiled. The most common practice that is familiar to most would be the wearing veils by brides on their wedding day. Interestingly the act of wearing a veil was prominently done by women and there are few cultures where men are expected to veil instead. In these cultrures, boys begin wearing veils after puberty and is considered a mark of manhood. It's interesting to note that everyone that wears a veil in COTL is male or male presenting.

Veils aren't always used for religious purposes.

Now that we have a better understanding of what veils are and why they are used let's move on to the next part of this analysis.

In-universe cultural meaning?

What could TOWW's veil mean to him and his servants?

Because all the information I've collected thus far, l'll break them down into seperate theories.

1.

As a mortal, Narinder died before or on his wedding day and was buried in his grooms clothes. Once he became a god, his wedding veil was one of the things he kept, either as a sentimental or cultural memento.

When the lamb usurps TOWW as death god, they don't recieve a veil, only his robes. This led me to assume TOWW veil is unique to him. For those that don't know, TOWW's name, Narinder, is of Indian origin. Because this and his face veil resembling a Sehra headdress, I like to image TOWW was originally from the COTL equivalent of India. Given how long TOWW has been a god, this place may no longer exist, with TOWW being the last 'living' member of this long lost culture. Only he would know the cultural meaning behind the veil. Others may have begun wearing them in association with TOWW.

11.

Given TOWW's station, being the patron of a cult and a literal god, it's plausible that his veil could be worn as a way of creating a barrier between himself and his followers. With the each number of strands denoting a rank amongst his servants. While Ratau's gang don't worship TOWW anymore, if at all given their dedication to Ratau, they may still wear the uniform of their ranks before the dissolution of TOWW's old cult.

"One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to honor a person, object or space. The actual sociocultural, psychological, and sociosexual functions of veils have not been studied extensively but most likely include the maintenance of social distance and the communication of social status and cultural identity."

The reason his servants are wearing them could be for a similar purpose. To seperate themselves from low level followers and layman. What is a cult if not a religion in it's infancy? Even still there seems to be a hierarchy amongst veiled servants of TOWW. Aym and Baal, likely due to their proximity to TOWW and having directly trained by him, have the most strands second only to TOWW himself. Ratau's gang each have different numbers of strands, possibly implying they were each at different level of their ordainment. Within TOWW's cult veiled members may have been the equivalent of enforcers

111.

TOWW's veil is a mourning veil of sorts.

"The mourning veil was commonly seen as a means of shielding the mourner and hiding her grief, and, on the contrary, seen by some women as a means of publicly expressing their emotions."

We don't know the deeper psychology behind what it takes to be a death god, to see hundred of thousands of millions of people die for all eternity. Granted TOWW seems quite psychopathic and is probably able to rationalize away his role as a death god, so maybe the veil is more for the souls that he reaps. A faux display of grief by an impersonal grim reaper. From a superstitious aspect, I'm sure looking directly into the face of death would be held as a very bad thing to do. TOWW also seems emotional constipated enough to wear something to show the emotions he won't let himself express.

A Deeper Look...

Something I noticed about the veils. Including TOWW, each character has a different number of strands/garlands:

Narinder = 22

Aym and Baal = 20

Klunko = 8

Flink = 6

Shrumy = 4

It's up to speculation as to why they each have a different number but that's what I'm here for. After a bit of searching I came to the realization that the amount of strands might correspond to the Major Arcana. While a pack contains 78 cards the first 22 are referred to as such and are considered more important than the rest. This is because they were meant to represent the spirtual journey through life. With that knowledge we can attribute each number of stands to a card in the Major Arcana:

Note the first card of the deck, The Fool, is not numbered.

If I match the number of veil strands to a card in the major arcana this is what we get:

Narinder (22) = The World (XXI)

Aym and Baal (20) = The Sun (XIX) or Judgment (XX)

Klunko (8) = Justice/Strength (VII/XI)

Flinky (6) = The Lovers (VI)

Shrumy (4) = The Emperor (IV)

The Arcana of the Lamb

Starting with TOWW, this what each correlation of veil strands to a card could mean.

Narinder The World (XXI)

"THE WORLD - Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place.

Reversed: Inertia, fixity, stagnation, permanence."

The World card is said to represent the end of life. It makes sense that Narinder wears this number.

"The World represents an ending to a cycle of life, a pause in life before the next big cycle beginning with the fool."

The "nexus between what was and what was not" in TOWW's own words. It's says alot that the number of TOWW's veil strands corresponds with this card and not the literal death card (XIII). That could be because the death tarot does not actually represent death but change. Paradigm shifts, changes in beliefs and philosophies.

The reverse of this card also represents TOWW's situation. "Stagnation" & "permanence". As death, TOWW was a permanent fixture within the world of COTL. Even with his fascination with the new and novel, his siblings, or atleast Shamura, expected TOWW to remain unchanged and stagnant in his existence.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_(tarot_card)

Aym and Baal The Sun (XIX) or Judgment (XX)

Judgment : self-evaluation, awakening, renewal, purpose, reflection, reckoning

Reversed: self-doubt, lack of self-awareness, failure to learn lessons, self-loathing

Per google, the word judgement has two definitions:

1. the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions.

2. a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment.

It can be assumed that the meaning of their corresponding tarot is the second definition. Within the story of COTL, they are fought after declining to return the red crown. Their battle could be interpreted as divine punishment, as they say as much. Within the game, they act as the precursor to TOWW's battle. Their fight could be considered a test of sorts for the player, as many of their attacks are diminutive versions of their master's.

Or

"THE SUN - Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment.

Reversed: The same in a lesser sense."

Considering their fate within COTL's story, I doubt this is the real interpretation of the number they wear. It is the actual 20th card of the Major Arcana but it can be assumed the devs meant the technical 20th card, The Judgement. Granted, depending on the players, the two can be reunited with their mother which makes them happy and content, that was retroactively added in the DLC and might not have been something the devs originally meant to add.

Klunko (and Bop) Justice/Strength (VII/XI)

Within the major arcana, the order of the Justice/Strength is switched or changed depending on the deck. So I decided to give the meaning of both.

FORTITUDE - Power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity; also complete success and honours.

Reversed: Despotism, abuse of power, weakness, discord, sometimes even disgrace."

And

JUSTICE - Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph of the deserving side in law.

Reversed: Law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity."

Within the game, Klunko, and Bop by extension, will give The Lamb the Strength from Without Tarot Card if they beat them.

Flinky The Lovers (VI)

THE LOVERS - Attraction, love, beauty, trials overcome.

Reversed: Failure, foolish designs. Another account speaks of marriage frustration and contrarieties of all kinds.

"In some traditions, the Lovers represent relationships and choices. Its appearance in a spread indicates some decision about an existing relationship, a temptation of the heart, or a choice of potential partners. Often an aspect of the Querent's life will have to be sacrificed; a bachelor(ette)'s lifestyle may be sacrificed and a relationship gained (or vice versa), or one potential partner may be chosen while another is turned down. Whatever the choice, it should not be made lightly, as the ramifications will be lasting."

While the numbers may align, I personally don't feel the card really applies to Flinky, unless the devs are implying some hidden relationship between Flinky and another character. This card better suits Ratau and Ratoo, given they give the in-game version of the Lovers card. They could also be twins, the Lovers cards us also associated with the star sign Gemini, known as the Twins. But I digress..

But Flinky's number of veil strands corresponding to the lovers card could have more to do with the imagery depicted on the Lover's card:

"In the Rider Waite deck, the imagery for this card is changed significantly from the traditional depiction. Instead of a couple receiving a blessing from a noble or cleric, the Rider–Waite deck depicts Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. By reducing the number of human beings depicted in the card from three to two, Waite was able to reinforce its correspondence with Gemini. The Rider–Waite card also includes the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil with a serpent wrapped around its trunk. The symbolism of no return from making bad decisions, and the consequences of innocence lost, would be more widely understood from this imagery."

Flinky could be an homage to the serpent that tempted Eve to eat the apple of Eden. Maybe his consul is what influenced Ratau that leaving their old cult was an option.

Shrumy The Emperor (IV)

UPRIGHT: Authority, establishment, structure, a father figure

REVERSED: Domination, excessive control, lack of discipline, inflexibility

"The Emperor sits on a ram-adorned throne, a symbol of Mars. Another ram head can be seen on his cloak. His long white beard bears the symbol of "wisdom". He holds an Ankh scepter in his right hand, and a globe, symbol of domination, in his left. The Emperor sits atop a stark, barren mountain, a sign of "sterility of regulation, and unyielding power." He symbolizes the top of the secular hierarchy, the ultimate male ego. The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the world."

"In Astrology, the Emperor is associated with the masculine, cardinal-fire sign of Aries, the domicile sign of Mars which is symbolized by the ram."

Shrumy behavior toward the Lamb fits alot with this card, in my opinion. When they first meet he's quick to assert his dominance as a non-follower of the lamb. Shrumy also makes it clear that he has no care or respect for crown bearers, as the power they wielded seemed to change them.

"What are you looking at? Hmf. That's right. You crown bearers are all the same. Nothing without your adoring Followers. Ratau wasn't like that. He stayed true to who he was. You'll NEVER live up to him. Get out of my way, I've got Knucklebones to play and money to win. Come and play me if you want a real challenge."

- Shrumy to the Lamb

Shrumy falls more into the reversed position of this card. But I did notice a striking similarity to the Emperor Tarot and TOWW's role within the plot of COTL.

"The Emperor is the absolute ruler of the world."

Whatever TOWW'S gospel was the end result of killing his siblings would have made him the only god remaining and the De facto ruler.

After millennia, all may bask in my glory once more.

"Vessel, do you not worship me? Do you not give offerings in hopes of gaining my favor?

Soon I shall be freed, and the world remade in my image. All will pledge themselves to the Cult. All will bow to my name."

The words of a man(cat?) with enough ego to choke a horse lol. While not explicitly stated to be Baal and Aym's father TOWW does fill a father figure role to them. Having essentially raised and mentored them. Similar to Ratau's relationship with the Lamb, TOWW could also be considered a father/mentor to the Lamb too.

Conclusion

Initally I was only going to include the tarot card bit, but I couldn't keep my love of anthropology at bay so I added some cultural theories too.

I'm entirely sure the inclusion of these characters wearing veils doesn't actually mean anything but I'm just zooted off my gourd on caffeine so I'm gonna theorize anyway lol. Either way I had fun researching info for this rabbit hole I dug and I hope anyone who actually takes time to read this enjoys it too.

[clearly-queerly]

Reasons my mother should have expected I was going to be queer:

- obsessed with our gay neighbors (shoutout to Sean and Kyle lmao) made dozens of "heart cards" just for them. Notes, drawings, all smothered in green and purple (which I assumed were their favorite colors) (also note: I was 5. It has been a decade and a half and I still remember the names of these random men lol, i loved them so much)

- personified my markers and made them marry each other. When I realized I had an odd number of markers I just made the red, pink and blue be a throuple. Polyamory win (proceeded to keep this game more secret than anything else in my whole half-decade life)

- liked Wow Wow Wubbzy because there was a boy, a girl, and a Wubbzy (couldn't identify gender, immediate joy)

- wouldn't stop talking about how pretty Lilo's sister Nani was

- my barbies (sasha and daisy btw) were gay. A troll doll officiated their wedding and they promptly made out

- always tried to pee standing up (I guess this may have been just me practicing my trickshots but like, I distinctly remember being frustrated that my little brother could do it and I couldn't, idk)

[sapphicpiratebish]

Music Analysis: Strawberry Letter 23

In S2E1: the wedding scene that Blackbeard crashes

whoever picked the music is a fucking genius

Look at these freaking lyrics!!!!

(Btw, I’m not good at writing English papers, so this is a very messy up summary of what I think)

-

“Hello my love, I heard a kiss from you

Red magic satin playing near, too”

Red magic satin

Like the red silk that Ed has that reminds him of Stede

-

“All through the morning rain I gaze, the sun doesn't shine

Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind”

He’s sad and in a depression. Only sees the rain.

At morning where new beginnings are supposed to be a thing, but it’s only rain. The new Blackbeard is dark sad.

Rainbows run through his mind

Gay thoughts. Lol

-

“In the garden, I see

West purple shower bells and tea”

PURPLE

ed always wore purple whenever he was most himself

Purple symbolizes royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition.

He’s being able to be fancy like he always wanted. Stedes helping him get there.

He wears fine things well :,)

-

“If you arrive and don't see me

I'm going to be with my baby

I am free, flying in her arms

Over the sea”

Dude… wow this.

He wants to be free. Free to be himself living with Stede on the sea. He wanted to run away with him.

-

“With velvet roses diggin'

Freedom flight”

Freedom motif again

Roses romantic symbolism stuff

-

When I searched the real meaning of this song irl, it said that this song is about a couple exchanging love letters. This is the 22nd love letter and it’s his reply to his love. The writer of the song said he wrote this to express his romantic feelings for his girlfriend. The title indicates hopes for another letter.

The lyrics imagery paint the innocence of love. Also, during Bible times, strawberries were symbols of sweetness, love, and beauty.

-

Links:

Strawberry Letter 23 - Wikipedia

Strawberry Letter 23 by The Brothers Johnson - Songfacts

http://www.ontheflipsidemusic.com/recapthrowback/2018/2/14/song-recap-the-brothers-johnson-strawberry-letter-23