#alliance university ranking

[atultiwari]

Alliance University MBA Ranking in India

Alliance University stands among the top MBA institutions in India, known for its academic excellence, innovative curriculum, and strong industry connections. Its consistent rankings reflect its commitment to producing skilled and industry-ready graduates. https://campusdakhila.com/blog/alliance-university-mba-program-ranking-and-accreditation

[handlewithcharacter]

just saw a post that described Starfleet as a nonprofit and i'm just like oh dang, the military propaganda got another one, boys

[whateversawesome]

Spy x Family AU Fic Recommendations

It's been a while since I've done fic rec list. There are so many good fics out there, so I thought it was time. For this list, I will focus on my favorite Alternate Universe fics!

After Peace by @unhappy-sometimes : My current favorite AU, also named by someone else the "midwestern au" for its vibes. In this fic, Twilight is no longer the best spy of the West, but an agent forced into retirement in small town in the middle of nowhere because of a terrible injury. As you can imagine, he's quite depressed without a purpose until a little girl named Anya enters the picture.

Tactic & Strategy by Puolain: In which Twilight and Thorn Princess are forced by their agencies to get married. Twilight is undercover as Lionel Reiss, from the national guard. This fic is not only beautiful but also very exciting.

Hidden Under the Roses by @sister-cna-reader : This is a mafia AU that has plenty of fluff and plenty of spice! In this story, Yor is the Garden's heir and must marry Loid to ensure an alliance. Also, did I mention Anya is a baby in this universe?

As Time Goes By by @nightofnyx8 : In this AU, Twilight is a spy and an American pilot that crashes near Yor's garden. After nourishing him back to health, they face the terrible Captain Winston Wheeler, who won't rest until he captures that spy. This story is incredibly exciting and also sweet.

Green Eyed Monster by Bigbruja: If you like jealous Twilight, this is the fic for you! Here, an old friend of Yor's returns with the intention of taking her away from her husband, but Twilight is not going to let him do that so easily.

Air by @cantareincminor : In this AU, Twilight and Thorn Princess meet during a mission gone wrong. I can't say much without spoiling it! Just know that it's very sweet and you can feel the strong chemistry between those two! Major flirting alert hehehe.

The Cat, the Key, the Cook, and the Queen by @lpham2525 : If you like fairytales, this fic is perfect for you. In this universe, Queen Yor must marry, so she creates a clever competition to find the right man for the job!

Lo que se hace en el primer día by @gijipaw : Yes, I am aware this is in Spanish but, do you want to see Loid and Yor as boyfriend and girlfriend? Then you have to read this fic! If you speak Spanish or if you know how to use Google translate, give this short and sweet fic a try.

The Five Times Loid Forger Went Topless In Front of His Wife and the One Time She Reciprocated" or "Bare-Chested in Berlint" by Talik_Sanis: Ahem...yes, I am aware of the title and what can I say? This list needs a crack fic! This is probably the funniest fic I have ever read (the title says it all) so I encourage you to read it and have a good time. And when you get to the ice cream scene come back and tell me what you thought about it. It's my favorite scene in the whole fic hehe.

The following is not a fic per se, but an exciting, ongoing multichapter fancomic that has become a staple in the fandom and is definitely worth checking out. I'm talking about none other than...

Doppelgänger by @buf309 : Without giving too much away, in this AU there's a man who looks exactly like Twilight going on a killing rampage. Twilight will have to face his worst nightmare and do everything he can to save his family. This is an amazing story!!

And finally, the list wouldn't be complete without some shameless self-promotion 😆

My Enemy : A war fic AU in which the Briars are forced to host a Westalian high-ranking officer in their home. As an Ostanian, Yor hates this man, of course! However, little by little Captain Loid Forger wins her over and, despite being enemies, they end up falling deeply in love. Riddled with exciting twists and turns, this story is also full of fluff and spice.

Love Is...: A non-traditional omegaverse in which Twilight is a shifter (a person who can shift between Alpha, Omega or Beta) who experiences his first rut after a kissing practice with his wife. This fic has plenty of fluff, plenty of angst, and some spice too!

Eden's Ball: If you like Eden AU, you're going to love this fic! In this story, Loid Forger, president of the student council, is in charge of organizing a ball at school. His intention is to ask Yor Briar to go with him but things go terribly wrong!

That's it! If you like these recommendations, check out my Spy x Family fic compilation and my previous fic rec lists (part 1 and part 2).

[wizard-finix]

LU Star Wars AU: Part 3

Got a theme of noncanon characters for this one, this time we have Spirit and Warriors! (It doesn't feel right having a Star Wars AU without including Spirit)

PART 1 | PART 2

Spirit

Spirit isn't actually related to Wind, but the two of them are so alike in appearance that many mistake them for twins. While Wind loves to pilot, Spirit's interest lies more in tinkering directly with the spacecraft itself. He personally works on Tetra's, Linebeck's, and Wind's ships, and ended up also working as a mechanic for the Alliance for a brief time before moving on.

Spirit has had his own adventures with Spectre (AKA his Zelda); he is one of the rare few people alive to venture into the chaotic Unknown Regions of the galaxy without a wayfinder or star compass and return to tell the tale. That adventure involved an encounter with a ghostlike being named Malladus.

Spirit is also especially in tune with the Force and spirits, just like Wind. He also has some skill with a blaster, and is extremely handy in space combat, but he has no interest in combat and would rather work on his personal projects and ship designs. His personal favorite is a prototype set of powered armor he designed for Spectre, but unfortunately it got wrecked in the encounter with Malladus.

Warriors

Warriors is an active military captain in the Alliance. He is also a close friend of Artemis, who is a high ranking general and a current member of the Imperial Senate. Their home planet has widespread anti-Imperial sentiments and secretly hosts a base for the Alliance, and Artemis does her best to keep it hidden from Imperial eyes.

Warriors actually inherited his saber from his mother, a former Jedi Knight from the days of the Jedi Order, and was taught how to wield it by her before she passed. He grew up on stories of the old Order and is determined to uphold the legacy of being a Jedi Knight. Part of that is looking out for his men and protecting those who can't protect themselves, and protecting Artemis in her efforts with the Alliance.

He has a certain amount of pride in that legacy and the skills and stories he was taught. He quickly rose to the rank of Artemis's personal knight, and his achievements make him stand out among Alliance forces. It took a few particularly close calls with Imperial Forces to temper his pride.

One of those encounters involved a Sith Lord named Cia, whose attention he unwittingly caught. The only reason he escaped alive was due to someone named Lana, who he later learned was Cia's twin sister. Cia still has a one-sided obsession with Warriors in particular and is determined to hunt him down.

Warriors has also met plenty of people across the galaxy during his time with the Alliance; among these people were Wind and Spirit. Wind had a brief stint with Warriors as a pilot and Spirit ended up tagging along for the ride.

(Linked Universe AU belongs to Jojo)

[inky-duchess]

Fantasy Guide to Royal and Noble Marriages

Marriage is an important part of the life of both royal and nobles in any setting, either historical fiction or fantasy. Marriages are not only life long commitments but they are business and protection deals by families. These are strategies, not relationships. So how can we write them?

Why make a Marriage?

Marriage is at its heart, the seal on an agreement. Two families may come to an agreement to share resources, connections and support one another. For a noble family, it could be about elevation. For example, if the daughter of an Earl marries a Duke, her siblings can now make higher marriages and her family would be more important thanks to this link. It could even be about money. In the late Victorian - Early Edwardian period, many impoverished English peers married wealthy American women for their fortunes. In exchange, the women became titled aristocrats. Royal marriages are made for more universal perks. A royal marriage can change the political layout of the world, it could isolate a kingdom or be the starting gun or a war or end a years long conflict. For example, Kingdom A might be being threatened by Kingdom B. Kingdom C has a powerful military. Kingdom A might offer up a marriage deal to Kingdom C, with the caveat that C protect A from B. C would obligated to act if A gets attacked by B, since A is now an ally. A marriage cements the deal as it creates family ties, which is seen as a sort of permanent stamp on negotiations. After all, would you screw over family?

Marriages of Choice vs Arranged Marriages

Marriages can either be made on behalf of a royal/noble or made by themselves. An heir might be more restricted in this case whilst a younger children have a little more leeway especially if they are part of a large family.

Marriages are not always arranged. But that doesn't mean there aren't restrictions. Any royal or noble will have a list of certain attributes their spouse must have or certain attributes they cannot have. Marriages of choice have to be approved by parents (and the crown if you are a high ranking noble) and if you are royal, sometimes by the government itself.

Arranged marriages are agreements between two families. They might want each other's protection, support or they might simply want to do business together such as opening trade corridors or lifting embargoes on certain items. Arranged marriages are usually made on behalf of both spouses and they are expected to agree to the match for the sake of their family or country.

Screwing over the Deal

Making a marriage doesn't mean that the deal will last forever. Alliances change and circumstances shift. Whilst everyone may be all friendly during negotiations and for some time after, politics is the aim of the game. Treaties can be broken, war can break out and marriages can become unpopular choices. If a country has welcomed a bride/groom one day and then their country becomes the enemy, the bride/groom could become an enemy as well and face isolation and disrespect from the public - even their new family. However they are expected to be loyal to their new family and country, even over their own family and kingdom. These marriages have no promise of happiness. They are a job, a duty to ensure the family is taken care of and securing their futures.

Timeline of a Royal Marriage between Two Royal Families

Offer: The suggestion is made.

Negotiations: The discussion through ambassadors of what a marriage might entails, what each side is willing to provide or what they demand of the marriage. This can take weeks, months even years before a marriage is agreed.

Betrothal: Marriage is approved, treaty signed and the couple is engaged. Betrothals can last from anything from a few weeks to years

Wedding: If one spouse has to travel to their new home, they will travel to their new home and meet their new court, new family and their spouse. Once they arrive, the wedding will take place in a matter of days.

Married Life

These marriages are public, so it is expected for the couple to at least act civil. If they do not like one another or can't stand the sight of another or they just don't love each other, is irrelevant to society and their expectations. They are expected to attend certain events together, sire children and do their duty. There's no rules saying they must live together, so many lived separate lives. The higher ranking spouse is expected to provide their spouse with an allowance and a staff. For international marriages, spouses are not permitted to hire a large party of their own attendants even if they accompany them to their new country. They may keep one or two for company but a newly minted royal should not be waited on by foreign servants, they are a royal of their new kingdom now.

What makes a "good" marriage?

As mentioned above, marriages and relationships are expected to fall into certain perameters. Any spouse - chosen or assigned - should meet certain standards such as be of appropriate rank, follow societal norms and even sometimes be of the same religion. Marriages to anybody who falls out of these standards can be seen as a devasting move - the marriage of Edward IV is still remarked on as a contributing factor to the end of the Plantagenet dynasty. Making the wrong choice of spouse in society's eyes can lead to gossip, being shunned, being disrespected and even barred from succeeding to your birthright. Unequal marriages or morganatic marriages, can even bar children from succession, disallow the couple from attending events together and deny the spouse the style they ought to be entitled to - the marriage of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is a good example to study. A good marriage is seen as one that adheres to all the expectations of society - even if it is an unhappy one.

[minamorsart]

Enter Merla: Queen of Darkness!!! 🖤✨

I was pretty disappointed when VLD didn't explore the culture and politics of the Galra Empire more, especially after Lotor took the throne, and I was also quite disappointed with Merla's cameo. So I decided to take a crack at her design myself! Some backstory below!!

I made her Acxa's twin sister because while I don't believe it was confirmed, I always thought that 80's Merla's character must have been divided into the four women who became Lotor's generals in VLD, so why not make Merla and Acxa related? Plus in every piece of fiction you need to have at least one set of twins ;) That's just da rules babeyy~

Acxa and Merla are from Planet Drule (a loyal territory of the Galra Empire) and are half-Galra and half-Drule. They are not of royal descent, and since they were children they were looked down on because they are half-breeds. As the oldest, Acxa takes on the responsibility of looking after Merla, who over the years begins to grow restless with the two of them settling for low-ranking positions in the army and living a less than satisfying life.

One day exiled Prince Lotor comes to oversee the planet just as Merla is planning a coup to overthrow the corrupt Drule king. The coup fails, and wanting to protect her sister, Acxa takes the blame even though she had nothing to do with it. When she is sentenced to death, Lotor, seeing the potential and skill Acxa possesses, offers to pardon her in exchange for her loyalty to him, thus saving her life (it is my personal headcanon that Acxa is the first of the generals to be recruited). She accepts and tries to convince Merla to come with her, but Merla refuses and insists on staying, saying that she wants to change things on Drule, and that by leaving Acxa is abandoning her. The two part ways on bad terms, and do not see each other for many years.

Merla eventually succeeds in taking the throne, her followers assassinate the king, and she becomes queen of Drule. She and Acxa have the occasional run-in, which is how Lotor and the other generals get to know her more. There is still lingering resentment between the two sisters, however, particularly on Merla's part. The events of VLD proceed as normal up until the end of season 5, and I personally would like to take out Lotor killing Narti and the generals turning against him. Now emperor, Lotor works tirelessly to unite his people and deal with the growing Galra factions which plot to rise up against him.

News of Lotor's ascent to the throne spreads throughout the universe, and soon Queen Merla is paying a visit to the Empire and demanding an audience with him. She knows all about the Galra factions, including Sendak's Fire of Purification, and proposes that she and Lotor marry in order to combine the forces of both the Galra Empire and Planet Drule. If Lotor accepts, the two nations will become stronger than ever and no one will dare stand against them. If he refuses, Merla will merely seek support from the factions, perhaps even form an alliance with Sendak, who will eventually try to take the Galra throne himself.

What can this mean for not only the Galra Empire, but for Voltron and the Coalition as well?? What can this mean for Lotor and Allura's developing relationship??? For those who haven't seen the 80's show, Queen Merla debuts in the US-made 2nd season. She and Lotor are actually engaged for a time! Merla is cold, cunning, and calculating like Lotor, and perhaps even a little more manipulative. She enjoys being entertained and can on occasion be condescending.

And this is not meant to create any unnecessary love triangle between Merla, Lotor, and Allura. While Merla has people in her life she cares for and she respects Lotor, her first priority is maintaining her seat on the throne and looking after her people, so she really only sees Lotor as a means to gain more power. Lotor recognizes this, because he mostly shares the same mindset as her and can see the benefits of marrying her, regardless of his own feelings. And how does Allura feel about this whole matter?? 👀 Only time will tell, though it is also likely that the princess may be too proud to ever reveal how she truly feels. At the end of the day, I just think it would be fascinating to explore more of the politics of the VLD universe and the complications that come with ruling an entire empire whilst trying to keep alliances and territories intact. Plus it would make for some fun drama! Particularly in the romance category hehe.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

DC

What Does it Mean When Your Son Comes Home with Plans for a Death Ray? Asking for a Friend by PrinceJakeFireCake

Basically the title.

Excerpt: “What does it mean when a young man comes home with plans to create a death ray so he can frame Luthor for plagiarism?” Bruce asked anyway, because maybe one of them knew.

There was a long silence. Bruce waited patiently.

“What?” Clark and Diana asked, at the exact same time.

“You know what? Never mind,” Bruce sighed, wearily. “He’s probably just at that age."

Clone Wars

: (Is to) :: (As) by TamerLorika

Cody's General was a perfect example for the men. He ate regularly. He was punctual with his medical appointments. Kenobi socialized with his officers, hosted curated office hours for the rank-and-file, walked the field hospitals during engagements, and made time every Centaxday to review escalated grievance reports.

He was there for his men—but always at the exactly appropriate arm’s length away and half step ahead.

.

Cody notices that Kenobi's regard for himself is always clinical and utilitarian. As he ponders a way to break the stalemate, he begins to learn more about the lightsaber that is so often in his hands, and how it relates to the subject of Kenobi's own soul.

The Exception by Threebea O (ThreeBea)

Cody gets a new Jedi assigned to the 212th Attack Battalion after he is forced to execute his last one. He has enough experience to know how this new Jedi will behave.

But the Sith Slayer proves himself to be the exception to all of Cody's expectations.

Cody leads his unit, fights a multi-front war, and tries to figure out JM-031.

All for the Game

No straighter path than to struggle by otatop

Neil is sick and it's fine until it's not.

There's a lot of soup.

if you saw my darkest parts by KweenDay

When you meet your soulmate, you share your dreams. Even the bad ones. Especially the bad ones.

Jeremy knows he's met him—his soulmate—when he starts sharing his dreams. But those aren't just any dreams. They're all dark and violent, nightmares that make Jeremy suffocate. And Riko Moriyama is in all of them. Jeremy narrows it down to one person—Kevin Day. Except, Kevin already knows his soulmates (plural?), and Jeremy isn't one of them. So why is the universe fucking with him? And why is Jean Moreau looking at him like that?

//Soulmate AU in which you share your soulmate's dreams after you meet them in person.

soleil / sans soleil by electric_typewriter

Jean is slowly learning how to live as a Trojan with the support of his teammates friends. There are better days, and worse. A bad day leads to a conversation with Coach Rhemann. Some uncomfortable questions have to be asked.

SVSSS

Luo Binghe's Guide to Winning a Bride by Meriglass

Five years have passed since the events of the Immortal Alliance Conference, and Luo Binghe is nowhere to be seen. Shen Qingqiu is beginning to fear the worst. That his dearly beloved, golden halo protagonist really did die in the Endless Abyss. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have come to enact his revenge by now?

Meanwhile, Luo Binghe is alive and well. He's just sulking in the Demon Realm.

In which Shen Qingqiu is kidnapped and placed as the official bride prize for a demon battle tournament, and it's up to Luo Binghe to enter undercover in order to save him.

[anthurak]

Funny little thought/headcanon I had while looking at Yugioh card archetypes, specifically the various ones that have spun off of Yugi’s iconic monsters, ie; Dark Magician, Gaia the Fierce Knight, Buster Blader, etc.

In terms of in-universe card-lore, I feel like many of Yugi’s monsters read like this oldschool fantasy adventurer party who banded together to go on a series of epic quests together.

You’ve got Dark Magician, the wise and powerful wizard who brings the group together.

Gaia the Fierce Knight is a knight who joins the party, and later tames a powerful dragon to be his new steed in Curse of Dragon.

Kuriboh is a little fiendish spirit who is probably Dark Magician’s familiar and becomes the party’s mascot.

Summoned Skull is a powerful fiend whom the party forges an unlikely alliance with.

Buster Blader, an up and coming dragon-slayer who joins the party.

Dark Magician Girl, the Dark Magician’s young protégé.

Really, I think it’s easy to picture basically ALL of Yugi’s monsters as being part-or-full-time members or affiliated allies of this hypothetical band of adventurers: Mystical Elf could be an elven priestess who joins the party, Celtic Guardian could be Mystical Elf’s bodyguard, Feral Imp and Horn Imp are a pair of petty demons who get bound to the service of Dark Magician or Summoned Skull, Silver Fang is a wolf the party adopts, the list goes on.

And all the individual archetypes that have spun off of each of Yugi’s monsters represent each of these adventurers going their separate ways to have their own big solo quests and stories after the party disbanded (ie; when the DM anime ended).

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl clearly continue to have their own long string of adventures.

Possibly with DMG eventually forming her own band of fellow magical girls.

Buster Blader became The Destruction Swordsman, adopted Buster Whelp and had… that whole adventure.

With Gaia, for a while I’ve had a theory/headcanon that the numerous ‘Gaia Knights��� aren’t actually all the same guy, but rather various members of an ORDER of Knights founded by the original Gaia. With each Gaia Knight representing either a rank, position or notable member of the order. With Gaia himself forming the order after leaving the party. He also apparently took Catapult Turtle with him.

Heck, Summoned Skull being retroactively classified as part of the Archfiend archetype could be read in-lore as Summoned Skull becoming an Archfiend after or even as a result of their time with the party.

Gazelle and Berfomet go off to form the Chimera series and also join the Phantom Beasts.

Celtic Guardian takes up a second sword and becomes Celtic Guard of Noble Arms.

The three Face-Card Knights (or the ‘Poker Knights’ as I prefer to call them) probably form their own order of knights with Joker’s Knight and Imperial Bower and eventually become the Arcana Joker trio (with Queen’s Knight/Arcana Triumph Joker clearly having inherited some power from Slifer/Osiris, given her effect).

And the list goes on.

Oh, and the Magical Citadel of Endymion probably factors in here somewhere, given the existence of the ‘Skilled Magician’ monsters. Not to mention Yugi’s use of Breaker the Magical Warrior.

And I dunno, I think it’s really fun to think of the ‘in-universe’ card lore in this way, as well as tie together all of Yugi’s monsters in a cool way. Heck you can reimagine much of Duelist Kingdom, Battle City and the other arcs of DM into more classical fantasy adventures.

[cooking-with-hailstones]

A theoretical framework of how arranged marriage, and reproductive politics could work in the Avatar universe.

(Mostly focusing on the ATLA era, but can extend to TLOK as well)

Why? Because I am a sucker for a good arranged marriage story, I’m fascinated by the politics that they necessarily entail, and I am deeply curious about the ways that same-sex arranged marriages can work diplomatically, socially, and politically. Also, no one can stop me!

(There was an excellent thread about how same-sex arranged marriages could work, esp in a feudal political system, that I cannot track down for the life of me, but I’m drawing heavily from what was discussed in that thread. If you know what I’m talking about, please send it to me.)

So: realistically, humans are gonna human, and during peace times, humans fraternizing with other humans leads to unions, and, well, babies. I imagine among border communities and non-benders, relationships with people outside your nation would be fairly commonplace. The hardline intra-nation relationship standard seen in ATLA would be mostly a product of the 100 year war, rather than anything particularly inherent. 

Canon has also established that arranged marriages, especially among the leadership and nobility of each nation, is not unusual (Ursa and Ozai, Yue and Hahn, etc.) We see political alliances through marriage a few different times through the series. 

We also know from canon that strong benders most often hold major leadership roles - not always, but boy it sure helps. This would incentivize intra-nation marriages to ensure that strong bending prowess stays in the family, if you will. Furthermore, it means no one who’s got the wrong flavour of bending for your nation would end up in a position of political power. 

The importance of leaders being strong benders seems to matter less in the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom, but there is still the implication that these leadership roles wouldn’t go to a bender of a different element. And again, since the leadership and nobility of the Northern Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, and Fire Nation all seem to be inherited titles, there might be extra pressure to ensure that the blood “stays pure”. 

The Air Nomads and Southern Water Tribe seem to be the notable exceptions. I do not know enough about Air Nomad culture to really factor them in here, but I have some ideas that I’ll save for another time.

So, in our world, arranged marriages have had and continue to have lots of political and cultural importance - it’s a way of integrating families, a means of consolidating wealth and power, ensuring peace between warring or disputing factions, etc. However, in the Avatar universe, this presents issues for benders. We know from Mako and Bolin in TLOK that two parents from different nations can have children who can bend either element. If an earthbender were suddenly a viable contender for the chieftainship of the northern water tribe, or a firebender inherited a high-ranking position at the Earth Kingdom court, that might become problematic very quickly! (And by the time we get to TLOK - entirely viable as a premise! I would love to see this idea explored more, but I’m getting off topic)

Thus, my proposal: same sex political marriages. 

Any political union that crosses the boundaries of the nations could be between same-sex spouses, to ensure that lines of succession do not become complicated by virtue of the Wrong Flavor of Bender being born, while retaining all of the political, diplomatic, and strategic advantages of an arranged marriage. As with arranged marriages in our world, I imagine there would be a spectrum of parents who would want their child’s active involvement in choosing their spouse, to children who grit their teeth and marry their parents choice of spouse in the name of Duty (hi Yue), to children who are forced kicking and screaming into the union their families chose for them.

An example: Imagine a wedding between two daughters, one of Fire Nation nobility and one from a Water Tribe leader. This union could be MAJOR for shipping and trading, strengthening economic ties between them and ensuring dominance over favorable shipping routes for select fire nation and water tribe merchants. (Now I'm imagining an au of fire and water bending seafaring merchant houseboat lesbians…)

Now there are two diverging ways to pursue this: A. one where these marriages are still expected to produce children, and B. one where these marriages are expected to NOT have children.

In scenario A: Each member of the marriage could be expected to have children via a surrogate or sperm donor from the appropriate nation. The inheritance of each parent would go to the child they sired, but the expectation would be that the offspring are raised by both parents, and share aspects of both cultures. These children would be considered the legitimate heirs of the parents whose genes they share, while having the advantages of being raised with parents and siblings from both cultures: they would be highly sought after diplomats, traders, mediators, and negotiators. The inclusion of surrogate/sperm donor genetics also helps diversify the gene pool among the nobility. I imagine the surrogate or sperm donor would be from a suitable family - not nobility, but not peasantry. Ideally people with a family history of bending. There could be high levels of cultural cache in helping to sire the nobility’s children, even if you cannot legally claim them as your own child.

In scenario B: If the expectation is that these unions won’t have children - or at least any children that would be recognized as legitimate - then this is a convenient way of, uh, well, pruning the family tree of undesirable genetic material. This could include weak benders or non benders. The children who are considered strong benders/desirable would be expected to marry and reproduce with someone of the correct nationality, with the correct flavor of bending, while the non bending, weaker bending, or otherwise undesirable members of the family are convenient tools for families to use for political unions where they don’t risk weakening the line of succession with… whatever it is that the family might not want. These married-off members of the family still hold significant power and influence, they're still considered useful. They just don't get to pass on any inheritance to any children they might have. 

(Both of these feature flavors of eugenics that are gross in their own unique ways! I am not endorsing this! Eugenics is bad! This is an exercise in world building, and hoo boy the eugenicist potentials in the Avatar universe are something I think about a LOT, and on a related note I'm still mad about the handling of the equalist subplot in Korra…)

Anyways, those are my thoughts as they stand now. I fully welcome any feedback, further ideas, headcanons, etc!

[elfdragon12]

New issue, new impressions!

This arc continues to set-up and gives the Autobots a little breathing room (though we know it won't last).

"Abomination" has never been more accurate.

Everyone's an art critic, especially Starscream when the subject is himself.

"With the trigger tied to my heartbeat--and our little controller over there, if we stop ticking, so do you."

A smart move, but, let's be honest, this tactic never ends well.

"A being that shares my goals! How fortunate! My name is Starscream and surely I am the greatest Decepticon you could have captured. I myself have been looking for the right fleshling to partner with."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah."

*looks at the first few issues* ... Yeah, yeah, that's totally what Starscream in this universe has been looking for.

This whole scene... Definitely explains in a nutshell how Starscream went from stopping Ulchtar from squishing little critters to gleefully crushing humans.

This is never a good expression from Starscream.

YEEEAAAAAHHHH!!! THE BAND IS BACK TOGETHER! Poor, poor Brawl!

OOOOOOHHHHHH! So that piece of Cybertron neither burned up in the atmosphere nor sank into the ocean. Hopefully, Cliffjumper is hiding out there somewhere!

"But we must focus on things more important than my own greatness. There is an evil that has grown in our ranks. Soundwave has--"

"You need not say more, Starscream!"

"Onslaught and I heard him plotting against our own fallen Shockwave! He is a traitor!!!"

This is all getting super juicy! 👀👀👀 Remember when Thundercracker was talking to Soundwave about how Shockwave was treating their prisoners of war? (I think it was issue 10.) Onslaught and Brawl certainly do! 👀

And then things hit the fan with the human squad.

Man, the general was really the only one close to Starscream's level, wasn't he? (Also... We don't necessarily need to feel too bad for these humans beyond general sympathy. They worked for Destro, major arms developer and dealer who recently confirmed his alliance with Cobra Commander. Yeah, the underlings were likeable in a sort of incompetent way, but also part of an aggressive paramilitary organization with intent to overthrow governments.)

I think these bits with the flashback reveals a lot regarding Starscream and Megatron's relationship, at least from Starscream's perspective, in this continuity.

Starscream may have willingly joined the Decepticons after Ulchtar was killed in action, but Megatron seemed to have dragged him down over the course of the war and pressed Starscream to do things he didn't want to do. While the lines blurred over time, Starscream's resentment never wavered.

And he gains a cat!

Of course the one human he left alive was the artist!

Oh, a little tidbit from the letters section:

"In regards to Ratchet, I will say 'never say never'."

It's not a promise, so Ratchet fans shouldn't get their hopes up, but DWJ is more loosey-goosey with what the robots can survive. It is possible that Ratchet still has some spark left like Skyfire/Jetfire? Starscream and Skywarp have survived a lot of punishment.

I would say this was a pretty interesting issue! We see, without the pressures of the Autobots or Soundwave, how Starscream can be effective in getting what he wants. He also has so much anger and resentment. Resentment out the wazoo!

[new-tella-us]

Me- Brain, it’s late. Let’s go to bed.

Brain- Okay but let’s listen to oooooone last song.

Me- Fine…

(Listens to the one song that would make my brain go “What if King Erik?”)

I swear to y’all, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Erik wasn’t supposed to get a mildly good king ending. This is probably not canon to my universe… probably. But I’ll at least let the brainrot do its thing.

And I’m gunna be talking about this like a tired, rambling historian for the vibes.

SO, the golden era is dead. At this point of history, the last royals of the golden era, Raestrao and Istorae are nowhere to be found so it’s time for a new era to begin starting with the second son of the late Demon Lord, Uzaeris. This era is often called the “Ruby Era” or the “Animal Uprising” depending on who you’re talking to. For the sake of respect, we will be calling it the “Ruby Era”.

A lot of people didn’t like this change at the time for 3 major reasons. 1) Some people didn’t want any of the Demon Lord’s sons on the throne and instead wanted the Rebel Queen, Ezaeur but… she hasn’t been seen either. Most people assumed she was killed in the war. 2) Many still wanted Istorae’s line to continue and the golden era to resurface but that ain’t happening. 3) Racism. Aka some people didn’t like that Uzaeris, a part animal demon, was going to be their king. Too bad for them though because he’s turning out to be a very powerful and pretty good king all things considered.

Most in his alliance would report him as charming and likable. The trade deals he made were as fair as they could be while still benefiting his kingdom, leaving a long line of improvements in agriculture that affect even the modern day. He’s managed to unite many kingdoms over his reign with just diplomacy. And over all, if you can get over the previous three reasons not to like him, you’ll find that he was generally cool to be around. However, a diplomat he was but a pushover he was not. Over the years there have been a few rebellions from those three reasons plus some people who didn’t feel like they were being benefited enough but every rebellion was lost and pretty swiftly too. Every rebellion ended in one of three ways: imprisonment, banishment or execution. Of course, being a diplomat, Uzaeris was known for using the former two far more than any ruler before him which only strengthened his reputation as a strict but fair king.

Now, let’s talk about the lovely lady clinging to his shoulder. As a human in the Demon World, she stood out from the start. She has no official name (only really being called “Human” by most and “Princess” by the king), age (though we can assume she was around the king’s age. Maybe slightly younger) or place of origin and some even suspect that she’s not fully human; she only started appearing in the records around when Uzaeris became king. Some relate the correlation between the time the four princes disappeared for 10 years with the time she started appearing in records and wonder if there was any reason for that correlation though nothing is set in stone.

If you tried to research what role this girl played during the Ruby Era, you would get a word that could vaguely be translated into either “Harem Girl” or “Courtesan” neither being fully accurate. It would be more accurate to call her a harem girl, she was really only for the king after all; though records show that she was far higher in the social ranks than most harem girls at the time, hence the confusion with the word “Courtesan”. Even so, she wasn’t treated like a harem girl. Most paintings and records depict the relationship between the king and this girl as loving equals rather than the massive power imbalance that should have been there instead. A common theory is that these two were lovers but, for safety reasons, she was called a harem girl. Most people at the time wouldn’t accept a human queen after all. Though, once again, nothing is set in stone.

Truly these two were an elusive pair, seemingly popping out of nowhere and eventually; when a new ruler was settled and decided, they disappeared back into nowhere.

[chillyfeetsteak]

regarding the rally last saturday, here is a write up from The Hollywood Reporter. I've copied the text behind the cut:

As industry workers face layoffs, outsourcing and the specter of artificial intelligence, leaders of the union painted this year's bargaining cycle as a "do or die" moment.

Katie Kilkenny

AUGUST 10, 2024 11:00PM PDT

Animation workers and supporters argued that recent technological and business shifts have left their craft hanging in the balance during a packed union rally in Burbank on Saturday, with one speaker positing that “the American animation industry is at stake.”

The Animation Guild (IATSE Local 839) organized the event before it heads into bargaining over a new three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers that will tackle hot-button issues like AI and outsourcing. Gathering at the parking lot of IATSE Local 80 in sweltering, mid-80-degree heat, attendees heard from guild leaders, local politicians, rank-and-file workers and a few boldfaced names (director Guillermo del Toro sent a rallying cry, telling the workers to “fight like hell”), who emphasized the urgency and stakes of this year’s talks.

The overall message was summed up by union president Jeanette Moreno King (Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe): “We’re at a crossroads in this industry with uncertainties we haven’t faced before,” she told the audience, adding, “We’re not just defending our jobs, we’re defending the soul of this industry."

Top of mind for both attendees and speakers was the threat of generative AI to animation workers. Addressing the audience, emcee Mike Rianda compared the plot of his 2021 film The Mitchells vs. the Machines to the situation that today’s union members face. “It’s funny that I’m [now] part of a group of actual human underdogs who are fighting a very real threat of robot replacement with AI,” he joked. Legendary character animator James Baxter (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King) emphasized in a short speech that art is made by humans. “If someone tells you that AI is just another tool, is just another paintbrush, they are wrong,” he said.

Talks are set to begin at the Sherman Oaks offices of the AMPTP on Monday and last through Friday, which is the final day of the union’s current contract extension.

In an interview at the event with The Hollywood Reporter, negotiating committee member and writer Joey Clift (PAW Patrol, Spirit Rangers) asserted that the union was fighting for the careers of current and future animation workers. “This really, for us, feels like a do-or-die negotiation cycle,” he said.

Dual Writers Guild of America and Animation Guild member Bill Wolkoff (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts), who has been a member of the latter union since 2009, emphasized that he had never seen animation workers so fired up. “This is the most engaged I’ve ever seen TAG members before, and I’m very excited to be out here for that reason and be a part of that,” he said.

The crowd at Saturday’s event was notably larger than the one attending a similar rally organized by the guild two years ago, during its last round of contract negotiations. While attendance numbers were not immediately available, according to negotiating committee member Clift, this year the union had over 2,000 RSVPs as of Friday, which more than doubles the crowd of the 2022 event.

It also had an engaged audience. Rock, Paper, Scissors writer Julia Prescott got a hearty response during a speech stating that if the union doesn’t make major changes to the contract now, it won’t have another chance. “The American animation industry is at stake and the drawing kid from your childhood is not going down without a fight,” she said. Storyboard artists Nora Meek and Charlie Jackson (The Patrick Star Show) also drew attention for their joint address. “What we’re going to win in this contract is more than just slowing down the race to the bottom. We’re going to win our industry back,” said Jackson.

Packing in the f-bombs, Writers Guild of America West board member Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) drew loud applause during his speech to the group. He advocated for animation workers not to seek out the respect of companies during the negotiations. “You do not need their respect because they will never give it to you,” he said. “Their respect doesn’t matter. What matters is your respect for yourself. And if you respect yourself enough to say, ‘You know what, I will not work for you until I get what I deserve,’ then you will fucking win.”

[soapy-birblover]

Dead Boy Detectives x The Locked Tomb AU

Charles and Edwin have SUCH cavalier-necromancer potential it’s insane!!!!!!!!

My rambles on this AU below:

Edwin - Fifth House necromancer, generalist with slightly more experience in spirit magic and psychometry. Focuses more on the application of necromancy rather than research. Has studied on the Sixth House at some point.

Charles - Fourth House cavalier, offhand is a buckler (small shield. to protect Edwin :D).

They would have met at Koniortos Court on the Fifth, leading to a rare interhouse pairing which was only allowed due to the close association between their houses (I’m not sure if this would work in universe, as a lot of necro cav pairs are pre-determined, but maybe their pairing was some sort of alliance between houses, or maybe they’re low ranking enough that it doesn’t matter). Due to how revenants work in The Locked Tomb, I think our dead boys are gonna have to be alive, as even if Edwin cracked some way to exist as a fully conscious revenant that doesn’t need to attach itself to something/one, who would their clients even be lmao.

But yeah. Their devotion to one another would be insane (like Palamedes and Camilla levels of insane; they know exactly how the other thinks and are able to work together perfectly). If they were sent to the frontlines to fight, their role would more so be helping things run smoothly: detecting lingering revenants, helping suffering soldiers pass on through the River, solving the odd mystery here and there, whatever.

Charles being from Fourth House has.. hehehe... implications. He would most likely have siblings to “compete with” instead of being an only child, so maybe that feeds into his desire to please his father. Soldiers from the Fourth House tend to die young, so perhaps he’s stressed about keeping him and Edwin safe and alive. Also. "Four for fidelity, facing ahead" AHAHHAHAHA the loyalty is baked so hard into this guy. Charles would be a pretty good cavalier, as in this universe he would have actually had training, but his main priority is to protect Edwin, and he can usually do that through distraction and taking the blunt of a blow. As a necro-cav pair they would try to avoid violence, sort of like Pal and Cam.

Other characters:

Crystal - Third House necromancer who received training on the Fifth House due to a natural talent for spirit and soul magic. David was a fellow Third House necromancer (flesh magician) she dated, but then he died somehow (probably in some dumbass way), and now he’s an asshat revenant haunting her and fucking with her mind. If she has a cavalier, she doesn’t remember them.

Niko - Fifth House, neither a necromancer nor cavalier. Literally just chilling. Maybe she’s a romance writer or academic who writes fanfic on the side.

The Cat King - Heir to the House of the Third, Crown Prince of Ida. His cavalier primary is likely extremely skilled but someone he doesn't care all that much about. Powerful animaphilia flesh magician necromancer, and extremely influential within his house. He doesn't have "nine lives" but is instead very good at self regeneration, given some time, of course, as it's strenuous.

Esther - Seventh House necromancer. She attempted Lyctorhood without knowing that’s what it was, but messed it up (this is when she murdered her husband + his lover), so while she lives eternally (unless killed hard enough), her body is in a constant state of decay that she mitigates with injections of thalergy (which she extracts from little girls :3). She relies heavily on Eighth House soul siphoning magic for her methods, so has probably studied there. She’s not technically a Lyctor, but still very powerful, and lays low on her planet because she's content to just be a menace there, and maybe take over one day, if she can be bothered. She didn't absorb that much of her husbands' soul, so permeability is lower than usual, but still leads to some juicy shit whenever she catches herself thinking or doing something that he used to do, because she HATES him man. Also he was just some guy, so Esther doesn't have any cavalier skills, and can't drop into the River.

Monty - Seventh House cavalier. Esther chose to be paired with him when he was born, because she didn't want to be forcefully paired up with some rando who would report her little girl murders. So, you know, homeschooling indoctrination vibes. Esther doesn’t think she needs a cavalier, so he doesn’t do much besides odd jobs for her (kind of like Ortus but instead of writing fanfic poetry he’s into astrology). His offhand is a chain (I think that's customary for Seventh House cavs? also because chain symbolism relates to his relationship with Esther :P).

Jenny - Second House, neither a necromancer nor cavalier. Likely works to prepare food for Cohort soldiers. Received some cavalier training as a child but was never bonded with an adept, but, you know, the Second House wants everyone to be a somewhat competent fighter. Proficient at rapier with dagger offhand, but weapon of choice in a pinch are her butcher blades (two short swords).

Night Nurse - First House, definitely a Lyctor, idk who her cavalier would have been though (hence I don't have a saintly title for her). Originally Sixth House (all that bureaucracy!), or maybe even Eighth House (Mercymorn vibes). Her offhand is a net because she do be trying to catch people.

Okay. Okay now imagine Edwin trying to solve their conflict with Esther in a more civil manner: cavalier duel between Charles and Monty. Bro that’s. That’s delicious. The drama of it. Esther wondering why the duel seems so personal. Monty glancing at Edwin every few seconds. Charles getting ready to beat Monty's ass. Ehehehheherhehe.

[angelkitty54]

Thoughts I had on Sally Acorn and her role as "Princess".

Look, there's a lot more active and unconscious sexism in mainstream media then we like to admit and let's face it, Princesses are rarely portrayed as possessing any form of power or authority despite their rank. Neither are Queens for that matter; always considered below the King in that regard. The Patriarchy at work.

And Princess Sally Acorn is unfortunately a victim of such misogynistic tropes.

The problem is, the Archie comic writers were determined to make her into another stereotypical powerless princess, but unfortunately for them, she was fundamentally not designed that way! Sally Acorn was created as the sole remaining heir to the throne; one not only fighting, but leading the fight to take back her kingdom! She was meant to rule, her character being designed to do so in fact. Which is a very large part of why she was so inconsistently written: when she was portrayed as a Princess she was meek and subservient, but as a Freedom Fighter she was fierce, decisive and a proactive leader!

When you really look into her character, Sally was not raised a princess, she was raised as the last remaining heir to the throne, meaning she was effectively raised to be King. And it shows! Sally, even as a child was leading the Freedom Fighters, was a regarded as being in a position of authority by those living in Knothole, she lead negotiations and forged alliances! She was already doing all the things a true Ruler is supposed to do!

Yet the moment her father came back she was effectively demoted to being a hapless little girl. To be fair, it does make some sense to an extent. Sally does not know how to be a princess, at least not by her very traditional father's standards. She's been searching for him for all this time and finally has him back, of course she'd want him to be proud of her. So, naturally, she'd try her best to conform to his desires, but she was always meant for greater things.

That whole thing she had with the "Source of All" and Sword of Acorns just further cements Sally's true place in the royal hierarchy. A literal cosmic or god-like force (whatever was going on there) wanted Sally to be Queen, and add an enchanted sword called out to her, wanting her to wield it? Anyone else getting the Sword in the Stone vibes here? Of course the writers forced her to not want it and give it all up, because reasons I guess, despite going out of their way to show us all how in universe Sally was the One True King of the Acorn Kingdom.

At least her brother and her boyfriend recognised pretty much right from the start who she truly was. Sonic had always campaigned for Sally to return to lead the Freedom Fighters. And Elias tried his best to support her, knowing she was a much better leader than him.

Not to say Elias wouldn't make a good King. He had his ups and downs, but the his character really shone in the Secret Freedom Fighter story arcs. You could really see him coming into his own then. With Elias taking on the role of heir, it frees up Sally to go back to leading the Freedom Fighters. Her authority was always recognised there at least; her own little kingdom as it were.

It's very easy to imagine the Freedom Fighters traveling the world as a kind of superhero team, lead by the power couple that is Sally and Sonic. :)

But if she were to take the throne, it definitely would be nothing like how they represented Queen Sally in the 25/30 Years Later arc. Not just because they completely nerfed her character entirely, also because Sonic never would have become King to start with. Marrying a princess does not automatically make you a king!! You have to already be a prince in your own right, or literally everyone else in line for succession, including your spouse, has to die for you to gain that title! Even then you'd have to have had some sort of claim to the throne to start with!

The highest rank Sonic could have feasibly achieved would be "Prince Consort", but logically his title would have been "The Queen's Husband" given he was a commoner. And let's face it, Sonic would happily be Sally's trophy husband.

But anyways, this has gotten long, so in conclusion:

Sally Acorn is the rightful ruler and One True King of Mobius. She would have made a damn great Princess and Queen if not for poor writing coloured by sexist views. But she is also just as much a Queen while leading the Freedom Fighters!

(And she totally should have kept Excalibur the Sword of Acorns! Tho her energy swords are cool too!)

[glorianamultistan]

I do not own the image.

I will be uploading more soon; this has been in my drafts for over six months. P.S.:- you can support me by buying me a coffee; link's on my page.

Lee Know x Male Reader

Part 1

Summary: Prince Lee Know has fallen for Y/n.

It was early morning, around 4 am, when Lee Know was sure that no one was following him; he departed towards the left wing of the manor, the ones where the guest rooms were located.

Y/n felt a light knock on his door and before he could ask who it was, the prince slipped in.

'Your Royal Highness!?' y/n whispered as he got up from his bed and felt a bit embarrassed because he was not in a very presentable state.

'Ah! You are up! Great! Let's go, we need to go to the lake; it will take some time. You wanted to look at the sunrise. So let's go.' Lee Know stated as if all this was a preplanned enterprise.

'Uhm... But sir. I just said it lightly.' Y/n could not understand how his light comment made the prince be present here at such an hour with all this enthusiasm.

He saw the older flinch a bit and feel a bit out of words, so he just complied with the request and 'You took such measures so early in the morning. I apologize; let me just get ready. Oh, don't worry, I can get ready without helpers, sir. If you could please turn around.'

Lee Know stood there, his face towards the door, with a feeling of restriction in his throat as he heard y/n rustle in and out of the clothes.

Lee Know was restless the whole night. He saw y/n for the first time last year at a ball held by his cousin, where the latter was introduced to him with the sole intention of a matrimonial alliance between the l/n and Lee families, both being two of the few most powerful ones in the southern region of the kingdom.

Lee family was also a branch of the royal family, with princes and princesses ornamenting the upcoming generation of family heads. So Lee Know, or Prince Lee Know, was an heir to the titles and extravaganza, and he knew how to use them to get the work he wanted to be done.

Y/n, on the other hand, was an honorable person, not with high titles, as he was not the direct heir and had three elder siblings. But it was truth universally acknowledged that he was the best catch out of all his siblings and hence was courted by a legion of princes and dukes and marquises and all the remaining titles of the realm, even the high-ranking government officials of the other nations and royalties of other empires wanted to have him as their son-in-law.

Why? Just because he was blessed with the supreme combination of mind and grace. He was, at his current age of 23, already an established author and a formal martial artist. He was mannered like no other person, full of the right protocols and courtesies. He was the gem the crowns of all the empires lacked. And, he was utterly clumsy and naive to love approaches to the level of irritation for his suitors.

'We can leave now, sir.' Lee Know turned around to see y/n in casual wear for a walk; he was still affected too much. 'Uh, yeah, let's go, let me, yes, just okay, let's go.' 'But this is my room, sir; I should be the one closing the door.' 'But I insist.'

So, y/n stood in the hallway as the prince closed the door and walked down the few engraved steps that his room had to them, a medieval design.

'Were you comfortable in the room? I got it arranged for you, especially because you like cozier spaces.' 'It is an honour, sir, that you took such measures for me.' Yes, y/n clearly has no idea that they met last year as a probable couple; his parents never notify him of such occurrences as he gets anxious and is not able to present himself. So now, it's the prince's turn to think that y/n is not interested in him and probably thinks of this all as a once-in-a-while opportunity.

'Will you be comfortable on the same horse, or do you want a separate one? Or do you want to drive there? I can ask for the cars too if you don't like horse rides.' Lee Know asked repeated questions to ensure he asserted that he was doing it all for the younger's comfort.

'I have no complaints about sharing the horse, sir.' Y/n liked such escapist endeavours. He was surprisingly cheerful this morning to go and look at the sunrise properly. He had heard of the majestic view of the sunrise which the lake of the Lee manor had. It was sublime, in his older brother's words.

The lake was situated in the little valley formed by ancient hills now eroded to moors. Here the duo reached just a few minutes before the sun was about to emerge through the horizon, and so there was a hazy lavender-maroon sky waiting for them.

'It is indeed sublime.' Y/n whispered. 'Huh?' Lee Know looked at the boy looking over to the climbing sun. Rays shined over them softly, and a light breeze ruffling the long hair of y/n made Lee Know to realise that he might actually have fallen a bit too hard.

What was to be done now? The sun was roping up, and the firmament shone, and so did the face of the younger, watching it all with awe as the mist started to clear up. Lee Know knew he had to take them back before breakfast, but he did not have enough courage to disturb the scene in front of him.

'Uhm, we-we should head back now, we need to be present there for breakfast, or your brother would think I kidnapped you.'

'Yes sir, we must hurry. I don't want to be caught slipping out like this.' There it was again; Lee Know felt a jab at heart; was he really not going to even get a chance?

[sunny-three]

My personal backstory on the wesninski-hatford crime family.

Nathan - I imagine he grew up middle class a fairly normal upbringing a banker father and stay at home he was an only child. He was always good at math/numbers so he goes to university majoring in like accounting or some shit. This was taken from the books I’m p sure Neil mentions it. Anyways Nathan’s always enjoyed fighting like his blood pumping he was actually on the hockey team in high school but kicked off for violence. He meets kengo his first year of university when he got into bar fight and ended up permanently maiming some guys eye with a broken bottle. Anyways all charges against him get dropped bc as turns out the guy that Nathan maimed was one of kengos bodyguards. Kengo introduces himself and offers Nathan some low level work. Nathan agrees and slowly rises though the ranks by doing things for the moriyamas ex. Pushing steroids which actually how Nathan meets Patrick dicmaccio who was on his university’s football team.

Mary - grew as a child in a crime family younges child with some older cousins and one older brother. Her mother died when she was about 14 because of an assination. While Mary’s parents were never really abusive towards her growing up in a crime absolutely impacted her in ways she didn’t realize till she had Neil ex. The paranoid the fear etc. Mary’s parents were never abusive to her but her upbringing was far from normal and damaging to her she never realizes that till Neil’s born. I imagine she saw a lot herself in Neil not just in his personality but in his upbringing as being born in a crime family his isolation as child makes her realizesher own isolation and I think that colours a lot of her dynamic with him. I always assumed that her marriage to Nathan was something that basically arranged/some thing that had to be done which is why she’s so reluctant to trust her family after running away bc they were onboard for the marriage in the first place.

The marriage - I always believed their marriage was a the first attempt at moriyama- hatford alliance it was basically an arranged marriage as kengo didn’t have any kids but Nathan was one of his most trusted subordinates. I think at first the marriage was fine Mary grew up in a crime family she’s been playing this game her whole life and Nathan liked the idea that he was building something of his own the alliance with Hatfords happened bc of him he’s carving out his territory in Baltimore and they’ve stated calling him the butcher. Then Mary gets pregnant and they both think why not? But Neil born everything changes.

Mary doesn’t want Neil in this life at all she’s never realized that how she grew up wasnt normal till Neil was born Nathan doesn’t really like Neil at all he doesn’t pay attention to Neil when he’s a baby and when Neil reaches like toddler age Nathan begins to hate him he liked the idea of having the legend of the butcher of Baltimore continue but practice he finds that he doesn’t really care for the idea of child that squirms during police raids or looks scared when Lola brings him down to the basement etc Mary doesn’t help at all Nathan doesn’t understand why she objects to him taking junior to the basement he never stops Lola from having her fun because junior will need to learn to handle sharp objects at some pint Mary runs away before Lola can properly begin show junior how use the knives . What’s really important to me about Nathan and Mary is that Nathan chose this life and Mary was born into it and while that might sound similar it is vastly different and why they would never really work out.