#and then i was thinking they deserve to be young and dumb until they're a hundred

[sylleblosscm]

@rexelectus:

Would you be surprised to learn that you've been on my mind?"

---

Reassuring Starters [accepting]

The comment draws a laugh out of Luna, who is deftly fixing the collar of Noctis’ shirt. Her husband’s brand of affection is one she can never tire of - for as shy as he seems at times, he has always been so unabashed when they are alone. Not a bit afraid or ashamed of his feelings. It is a delight.

 ❝The city of Altissia has adorned herself in lights and colour to charm her visitors, and you manage to be equally as charming with a single sentence. Bravo, dear Noctis.❞

 This brief respite from their duty is well-earned, and to pass it up would have been downright criminal. Lunafreya had been hearing about this carnival ever since she was a child, but it never fell on a convenient day to visit. Until she mentioned it offhandedly to her husband - then suddenly, their schedules magically aligned to give them an entire week to themselves in Altissia. 

 It is like a second honeymoon, almost. Free from the neverending demands of their crown, to indulge one another without the threat of another emergency making itself known any second. And thus, when she utters with such sincerity, she is relaxed and unhurried, for she has all week to make her point. 

 ❝I cannot tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to this. Oh, the carnival will be fun, I am sure - but it is your undivided attention I shall treasure most. Every time you look at me with those eyes, I feel I love you a little more.❞

 She punctuates her words with a gentle kiss, before grabbing his hand in a seemingly sudden burst of energy. ❝Now, let’s go! I hear they have those big cardboard pictures you put your face in - and some themed sweets, too!❞

[qqueenofhades]

I think its genuinely fascinating how Biden has somehow become the bad vibes sin eater for the party. I'm seeing people who were doing the whole "voting doesn't matter both old men are the same" pivot hard into voting as harm reduction. The anti voting rhetoric has COMPLETELY lost The Youths on tiktok. People suddenly remember the good things the Biden administration has done but don't associate Harris with any of the things they didn't like. In my swing state volunteers are signing up in droves. People feel ENERGIZED, the vibe shift pre and post Biden dropping from the race has just been insane

Y'know, that is a... good way of putting it. It's also why I'm quite sure that Biden has probably been planning it for a while. I don't think he was intending to step down, and didn't want to be forced out at the drop of a hat, but after he realized that the circus was never going to stop until he did, he did the honorable fall-on-his-own-sword thing and definitely, DEFINITELY spent some time choreographing this behind the scenes. Because while the roll-out has been very smooth, it could just as easily (as many of us were expecting) have been a total disaster, and that doesn't happen without SOME planning. It's also entirely possible that the campaign staff flipped from Biden to Harris are superhuman, to come up with a massive online roll-out, new branding, new signs (they had plenty of 'em in Wisconsin yesterday), new everything, but I'm guessing it's a combination of both. Biden has spent his entire political career being underestimated, and after we literally made a meme out of Dark Brandon juking the Republicans out of their shoes, we should definitely give credit where credit is due in how masterfully he pulled it off.

Because we have had eight years defined by the central question of Whether The President Is a God King Who Should Serve For Life (the MAGAts obviously think yes), the sheer idea of a president willingly giving up his power BEFORE he had to is also novel and admirable. It's sad that this is the case, but so be it. The Republicans also got a heaping helping of Be Careful What You Wish For that was undoubtedly brilliant; they've been yelling for years that Biden is old and frail and can't serve and should step down. Biden went "lol okay" and gave it to them, and now they're fucked.

Aside from that, on the most basic level, it's far, far easier to see the actual difference in the parties with Harris as the nominee, just because it shows that one party is willing to make progress and reflect the new demographic reality and social mores of America, and the other one is not. Now to be clear, Biden deserves an incredible amount of credit for coming out of retirement (he was ALREADY 77 years old when he became president and had had decades of a long and respected career in public service behind him) to fight, beat Trump, and deliver an incredibly successful presidency. He held the line against authoritarianism at home and abroad, he rescued the trashed American economy and managed a world-leading recovery from Covid, he stood up for democracy, he spent four years filling the benches with liberal judges to reverse even some of the Trump/McConnell hack job, he finally passed comprehensive infrastructure investment and the Green New Deal under the name of the Inflation Reduction Act -- and so on. Many of these priorities had been languishing for decades or were completely trashed under Trump, and he could not have done so much in just 4 years without all that age, skill, and experience. Hence why all the Ageism!!! was (aside from being a Republican/media smear job) dumb. He's able to do the job because he has had decades to study. Turns out that makes you actually pretty damn good at it.

Yes, Biden could not do as much as he wanted or originally planned, had to deal with MAGA Republicans and Joe Manchin/Kyrsten Sinema sabotaging him the whole time (lololol Manchin, possible possessor of the World's Biggest Ego and with Trump around that's saying something, popping out of obscurity to self-righteously announce he would not be willing to be Kamala's VP. YEAH ASSHOLE. LITERALLY NOBODY ASKED YOU. NOBODY WHATSOEVER. NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AT LEAST WE WILL SOON NO LONGER HAVE MANCHIN IN THE SENATE). And yes, Biden made some serious mistakes of his own, because he IS from an older generation and a different style of doing politics/different beliefs that no longer resonate with the younger segments of the electorate. But this old white Catholic guy at the age of almost 80 still managed to be the most progressive president ever, coming in at a moment of incredible domestic and international crisis and getting us safely to the other side, and all cynicism, criticizing, and caveating aside, he deserves an incredible amount of credit for that. I mean that absolutely, and I am very grateful.

As I said, willingly relinquishing that power takes guts, and when Biden saw the writing on the wall that he had to sacrifice himself, he took his time, he didn't jump too early, and he didn't jump too late. On the most basic level, it becomes a hell of a lot easier to make the "both parties are not the same" argument when one is running a (comparatively) young brown woman and the other is still running their loathed felonious old demented orange traitor. Most Americans are not plugged into policy minutiae and details. They look at Biden-Trump, they see two old white guys. When you take one of those old white guys away (who goes in a self-sacrificially heroic manner and in sharp contrast with the coup-happy fascist) and put Kamala Harris in there instead, it generates an obvious jolt. People can see for themselves that there is a real difference that doesn't rely on closely reading news and tracking complex policy, because as noted, most Americans simply don't. The brown first-generation American daughter of brown immigrants is a quantifiably different story from "old white guy career politician," which for better or worse is how Biden was seen, especially the old part. We needed that establishment expertise to beat Trump in 2020; I still think Biden is the only one who could have done it, and as noted, we owe him a great debt for doing so.

However.... 2024 is not 2020, and it is not 2016. There has been this HUGE and unbelievable swing to Kamala because she represents the antithesis of what the last eight years of Trump-induced anger, fear, panic, chaos, and hatred has stirred up. That's why people are so ready to rally around her, just as they were (I daresay) around Obama in 2008, after the exhaustion, chaos, war, and mounting economic misery of Bush. Trump has been out of office for the last four years, but his shadow over the American political landscape has been omnipresent. Now people know that we finally have a real chance at getting rid of him forever, and just as Biden was uniquely positioned to capitalize on that in 2020, so Harris is now. Which is why, however tough it will be, she has a real shot at winning. I can guarantee the Republicans know that, and are shit scared. Because the Black Lady Army of Democracy has indeed arrived in force to Get This Shit Done and I don't know about you, but I found that incalculably comforting:

Yikes! All lined up for Kamala pic.twitter.com/Dt4OCDp7WX

— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) July 24, 2024

This, at the most basic level, is what scares fascists the most, it's exactly what we need now, and what Harris is uniquely positioned to mobilize, along with her gangbusters appeal to young voters:

This is the energy we need. This is what Biden saw and planned for and which he launched us into, and where all that experience and age paid off. This is why people, even people otherwise disengaged, disillusioned, or checked out of the tedious and mind-numbering drudgery and depression of American politics, are responding to it. Because it's easy to understand, it offers hope, and it tells a very simple story that is nonetheless long overdue:

Thanks so much, Joe. Go absolutely waste that orange fucker, Kamala. We got your back.

[whateveriwant]

The 141 in a reverse harem

18+ content, GN!Reader, Reader is the ruler of an ancient kingdom

Soap

The moment you step into their communal quarters, Soap is always the first one to greet you, almost Iike he was sitting right beside the door

But nooooo, don't be silly. Of course he's not been impatiently waiting since your last visit. Though, you were 28 and ¾ minutes later than normal, not that he's been counting or anything

As you walk around their dwelling deciding on who to take back to your chambers for the night, he's following closely behind like a little horny whiny puppy

More than once, he's accidentally stepped on your robes because of just how close he likes to trail after you

Oh, but he's so terribly sorry! Here, let him make it up to you! Please, please let him make it up to you!

Because he tries to hog the limited time you spend with the men, it's earned him more than a few elbows to the ribs from his biggest “rival” in the group: Gaz. And speaking of which…

Gaz

Always trailing a little less desperately closely behind is the newest member of the harem: Gaz

Though he may be the youngest of the four, that doesn't mean he's any less experienced in these types of matters (and the young ones are always the most eager to please, aren't they)

Have you had a good day, darling? He knows you're very busy running a kingdom and all, so he for one is grateful you've taken time out of your hectic schedule to visit them

Oh, but your shoulders look so tense, darling! He can rub them for you if you'd like

And your poor feet! Those sandals of yours look awfully uncomfortable. Why doesn't he head back with you so he can show your full body the love it deserves

While he and Soap can't help but bicker when it comes to vying for your attention, on the rare occasion, the two have been able to put aside their differences and work together, if you know what I mean

Price

Unlike the two younger men, Price feels no need to fight for your time

No, he knows you'll eventually make your way over to him, swaying your hips in that way that makes him salivate like a dog

As the oldest and the longest resident of the group, he's become somewhat of a right hand of yours; almost like a concubine turned consultant, if you will

While of course he loves nothing more than to get down to the nitty gritty with you, these talks of yours are truly the highlight of his day even when they're entirely polite in nature

Why yes, he has done something different with his beard, thank you for noticing. He got some new oils from the market yesterday. Do you like it? Isn't it soft? Just wait until you feel it between your thighs

No matter who you're taking to your bed for the evening, Price always escorts you to the door of their quarters, leaving you with a kiss to the hand goodbye. Until next time, starlight

Ghost

Last but certainly not least is the man you have the most… interesting dynamic with, to put it one way

It's funny, really. He likes to pretend the sweet taste of you doesn't haunt his every waking moment, and you like to pretend that there was anyone else on your mind the second you walked through the door

But oh, he sees that you've arrived yet again... Well, this book of his is super interesting, so he's just going to sit in the corner and read, and absolutely not watch you out of the corner of his eye

What was that? No, he's not holding it in his lap for any reason. And no, his pant legs aren't shorter than normal. Why would you think that?

Oh, but the moment you hold your hand out for him, he has to stop himself from immediately tossing the dumb book aside and hauling you over his shoulder like some sort of rabid beast

Instead, he takes his time standing from his seat, almost indifferent as he takes your hand and lets you lead him back to your chambers

It's all a farce though, of course. Nothing makes his pride swell more than having you scream his name for the whole palace to hear, echoing all the way back to where the three other men are left to sit and mope

[coralpaperthoughts]

I will never understand ppl who hate/anti ANY of the members of the Gaang, or even any of the other kids. coz they are just kids. in the middle of a fucking war. of course they're gonna fuck up and make mistakes and be little shits, THEY ARE 12-16 !! ALL OF THE GAANG (including Zuko but excluding Suki) HAVEN'T HAD PROPER SOCIALISATION WITH OTHER KIDS THEIR AGE UNTIL THEY MET EACH OTHER !!

and yes, you could argue that Katara and Sokka had each other, but that's siblings and siblings are not the same as friends, and also Sokka was the only teen boy left in the tribe and I think Katara was the only teen girl too (might be wrong there tho)

you could also argue that Aang had friends before he got stuck in the iceberg so he did actually have that socialisation, but bro is fucking 12 and he was stuck in an iceberg for a hundred fucking years and had the whole avatar thing weighing down on his shoulders, cut the boy some slack ???

Toph and Zuko were both Rich Noble Kids™ so they automatically did not get proper socialisation with other kids their age. Toph was sheltered from the outside world because she's blind and a young girl, but yes she did go to that underground boxing ring but that was mainly adults, I highly doubt she was hanging about with kids there and definitely not in normal circumstances.

And although Mai and Ty Lee were there, they were Azula's "companions" (not originally meant to be friends but may have ended up as so after the war) and they weren't there for Zuko, they were there for Azula only. I'm pretty sure Zuko spent most of his time with tutors or with his mother before she left, he didn't get any socialisation with normal kids and he definitely did not get a normal childhood.

None of them got a normal childhood, so can you really blame any of them for being manipulative or assholes or doing dumb shit, whilst still being a kid/teen !!! and then being bad parents too, when they literally have no good role model to go off of (love Hakoda but bro was not there for his kids for a good couple of years and that does a lot to a kid)

edit: also Azula deserved a redemption/healing arc because she was a victim of abuse as much as Zuko was. she was in fact just a child, as much as the rest of them were, and deserved better. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk 🙏

edit 2: Jet also deserved a chance at healing. like bro watched his village burn and was the sole survivor, he probably has mega survivor's guilt that isn't touched upon in the show, like his hate for the fire nation is pretty rational and his actions (to an extent) are justified. all I'm saying is that if he had anybody else in his corner, that wasn't more angsty, out-for-revenge teens or kids, he could have had a much nicer life. one that didn't lead him to his downfall.

[hiemaldesirae]

Tis Arrax,:3 and Fallen Angel Vox with Human Alastor (then eventually Radio demon Alastor) Anyone?

A Vox who is the baby brother to Lucifer, who looks up to him, who follows Lucifer anywhere. Who joins in on his rebellion, and--because he's so young, both Lucifer and Lilith curl around him and protect him during the Fall. Saving most of his wings from damage. They're still a little scorched, but he can still fly like Lucifer and the dark blue is visible. Vox, since he was Lucifer's younger brother keeps his human shape unlike the Sins. He becomes a Prince of Hell, but usually spends his time on earth, enticing humans.

That's how he meets Alastor--or should I say, that's how Alastor attempts to kill him. He immediately thinks this murderous human is hilarious-he takes the knife out of his chest, wings unfolding out of his back and draws Alastor close, a purr in his throat.

"Oh, Darling aren't you just delicious?" He murmurs, gently cradling Alastor's chin. Wing cocooning them Intimately. "Very possessive aren't you? I'm your muse, and no one else could have me hmm? That's why you had to kill me, precious?" Vox croons, demonic form fully showing, tail wrapping possessively around Alastor's thigh. "A gift, for when you enter my brother's kingdom--power, form your muse." He murmurs, mouth crashing down onto Alastor's tongue demanding entrance, the taste of his own blood thick as he entered his human's mouth. (A gift without taking Alastor's soul :3)

Laughing, he broke away as Alastor greedily swallowed his blood, and he flapped his wings, vanishing into the night.

Alastor of course never forgets his muse. Never forgets how powerful his muse WAS that night, or how safe Vox made him feel, wrapped in his wings (not that he'd ever tell anyone) and when he drops into hell...well, he is astonishingly powerful and becomes an overlord overnight, power no one's seen before at his fingertips.

Of course, he doesn't see is precious muse again until Charlie Morningstar opens her hotel (which he goes to help only for the chance to see more of the royal family.)

And who should be helping dear sweet Charlie on behalf of her father because he's in trouble for killing some important human too early? Why, her beloved uncle and Prince of Hell, Vox.

Alastor is thrilled. His muse, his beloved, his soon to be mate is here! Yes they're stuck doing this dumb redemption thing but they're together! Maybe Vox will let him curl up in his wings....and get a taste of his blood again. (But mostly he wants to feel safe, just wants to feel those wings around him again...)

WOOOO (very excited clapping) YES i love fallen angel aus... ive always wanted to do a fallen angel vox au but this one is the only one thats spoken to me so far LMFAO

the idea of alastor joining up the hazbin hotels efforts to rehabilitate sinners SOLELY because he wanted another chance to see the pretty (fallen) angel he tried to kill all those years ago in life is so fucking funny to me. like yeah okay go off boyfailure try and get your cognitohazard wife

also i do want to ask questions for this. obviously because i have nothing in my head ever and i hardly understand asks when i first read them through LMFAO. but uh, as a prince of hell would vox be considered like one of the sins??? in which case would we have... 8 sins? if so... i wanted to mention vainglory/vanity, which is a historical sin no longer used in reference when it comes to the cardinal sins. i think given the fact that it's now encompassed into pride as a sin works for vox, who followed lucifers guide and would thus want to follow even in his brothers footsteps when it came to his ascension (decension?) as a sin. and of course, the way that he behaves with alastor is... well. vain as fuck but you know what my wife deserves it

also. sighs and hangs my head. even though i have like 19 wips to do would you let me try and write this one too,..... (making puppy eyes at you)

[incognitofox]

I don't get people saying that some of the Until Dawn characters deserved to die because like... They really didn't? At least in my opinion.

I mean, yeah, they did something truly cruel and I don't think they should be forgiven for that. Especially in the original, the implications of the prank were EXTREMELY not okay.

They very well could've ruined Hannah's life, and I don't deny that, but it certainly wasn't their intention to get Hannah killed (or wendigo'd), and some of them seem to express remorse over what happened.

But like... Do consider: they were teenagers—maybe young adults at best—and they probably didn't understand the severity of what they were doing. (It was NOT just a prank, Han.)

I personally feel like the prank doesn't really justify their deaths, if that makes sense.

I get they're fictional characters and ultimately their deaths aren't a big deal, but saying that they deserved to die just because they did some really dumb things feels really unnecessarily mean to me for some reason lol.

Like, I see so many people intentionally kill Emily for no other reason than because she's an asshole. And don't get me wrong, she IS an asshole, and I can totally understand why people hate her (even though I personally love her).

But I really don't think Emily being a giant bitch really warrants SHOOTING HER IN THE FACE.

That's just my opinion though lol. You can do what you want ofc, it's just a video game. Part of the fun of gaming is being able to do whatever you feel like with little consequence.

I mean, who am I to judge? I did some truly abhorrent things to far more likeable characters during my evil run of Baldur's Gate 3 (and it was truly emotionally devastating to me, but I did it nonetheless), so I have no moral say in this at all.

I just think this line of thinking is interesting, I guess.

[reverse-falls-stan]

Just another night

Aka: Stanley is very much not a healthy person in any sense of the word (and I struggle with conflict scalation)

Tw: Child abandonment, manipulation, alcohol drinking, overall toxic marriage dynamics

Ship: Fiddlestan

He thumbed idly across the records, choosing one more on feeling than the title of the vinyl. The whiskey was already opened by the counter. There was no one to complain about leaving alcohol out in the open, his brother had locked himself in his study hours ago and the children- lord knows where they went.

The disc slided swiftly into the player, the resonance of the room being perfect to make the old ballad eco through out. Humming to the tune in an attempt to fully remember it, Stanley served himself the glass and ice. His eyes slipped closed as his body swayed to the soft rhythm, taking his sweet time of enjoying the music before asking the first bitter-sweet sip. It goes down easy, and with it all the worries of the day, the week, the month.

Like many times in his life, there was nothing but a bottle and some music to keep hin company-

"That's... Sinatra, right?"

- until now.

Then again, it was the only interruption he could ever ask for

"Ah, sorry doll. I didn't mean to bother you"

"Not at all" Fiddleford laughed softly- and oh how that laugh still made him feel dizzy still

Stanley opened his arms and his husband walked up to him, kissing his hand before taking it, pulling him in. Both of them struggled to get on track, tripping and stepping onto each other until almost out of nowhere they found themselves in complete synchronization with one another and the tune. Once they realized, they just chuckled, kissed softly, and Stanley took another sip

"Do you remember this song...?"

"I think so? Is... yes, one of our first dates, right?"

"Mhm. I had gotten a record player so you and Sixer would have something while you worked..."

"And you just hijacked it at some point for the date- wait, no, there was a- a band right?"

"I got both. You deserved it after all"

"Still the same flatterer as then, hun"

"And we danced the night away..."

As they swayed softly at the rhythm of the fading song, Stan sighed and left his head rest on the crook his darling's neck

"You really get me acting all stupid..."

"Is that an insult, doll?"

"You know is not. Just... when we dance like this, I get dumb ideas. The kind that only make sense when you're young and sick with love"

"Such as what?"

"... Running away"

The record finally went silent, along with the rest of the room

"I wanna pick you up, run to the car, and ditch this town. Maybe get new names. Leave all this business nonsense and never look back"

After a few moments, Fiddleford hummed and paced a soft kiss to his temple "That really is a love sick idea"

Stanley sighed again and, never letting go, made his way backwards until dropping on his armchair, his husband idly sitting on top of him

"Are you not happy here?"

"Of course I am. We got everything we could want"

"Then...?"

"I dunno. I just got stupid, I told you. But don't you think it'd be nice?"

"Hm... yeah, I guess it is nice to think about. We could try to move out... but we'd be forgettin' sumthing, don'tcha think?"

"Hm? What?"

He he'd his cheek so he'd look up at him "The kids, Stanley"

"Oh."

Of course. It was always those kids. For the last 6 years it has always been those kids.

"I mean, we could always just leave 'em with Ford-"

"Oh please, ya know that man would leave 'em in the garbage dump if he had the chance"

"He wouldn't do that. He's not getting near enough to a dump to do it"

"Ya know what I mean! Those kids got nothin' but us. But you"

It took all of his will power to not groan in response, deciding to instead finish off what was left of his drink in a few gulps to have something else to think about.

"Look, I know it's pro'lly not what you expect to be doin' at this age, but they're still our family"

"Yeah, cuz Sherman decided to fuck off with my nephew to lord know where"

"And that was their mistake. It don't gotta be yours too"

Stanely focused only on the ice that remained om the glass, swirling it around just see them crash and clink, completely useless without its companion.

"... you weren't actually thinking about it, right?"

"... I need to refill my drink. You want one?"

"Hon."

"I'm sure we're got some nice rum arond-"

"Stanley."

Finally, he turned around to meet with those strange eyes. That odd look somewhere between anger, confusion and betrayal. One he couldn't for the life of him remember ever having seen in his husband's face yet the dread that made a home in his stomach as a result felt so familiar.

"Are you actually mad? Really?"

"You honestly think I'm gonna be ok with the idea of just abandonin' them?"

"It's not abandoning. They'd still have Ford, they'd still have all of this mansion, hell they'd have the town!"

"That ain't what a kid wants, they want you! A parent, or- or at least a guardian!"

"Like you would know anything about that!"

Fiddleford suddenly got up, holding the side of his head "ack- just- God you're impossible sometimes! Why- why- why do ya always get like this when ya drink?"

"Fidds- please-"

"Just- Just forget about it! I'm gettin' a headache. I'm going ta da bedroom. Ya can come when ya pull your head out your glass and ass"

Stanley looked from his seat as he walked away, muttering something under his breath. He kept staring until his figure could no longer bee seen down the corridor. Then, he calmly got up to serve himself again, drinking half of it in one go, and walked down that same corridor already with quite the struggle. The alcohol in his system, however, didn't seem to be a problem when he took the memory gun out of his jacket and pointed straight to the back of the head. He rushed to catch him, now both of them in a daze in front of their dorm

"Uh- wha..."

"Geez, I swear ya become more of a lightweight with every year doll"

"Really? I.. ugh..." he held his head, and Stanley kissed his temple

"C'mon, let's get ya to bed before you pass out"

"... a- alright, yeah, thanks..."

After laying him down on the bed and spoiling him with a few more kisses until he was fully knocked out, Stanley took out the gun once more, forcing his foggy mind to think about something

He only had to change a few characters of the prompt before shooting himself

After the shock was gone, he got up with a blank expression, returning the device to the hiding spot it should've been in from the begging, and dragged himself back to the living room

[noonmutter]

Adjudication pt. 2

DWC May 2024 Day 3: Shame/Favorite

(As always, this one got a lot longer than the first. If you're not interested in a whole lotta dialogue, you're gonna be real disappointed.)

"You never carry me around like that."

"Shut up an' eat yer pancakes."

Caythaes pouted some, but it was hard to maintain a pout while eating warm pancakes. After swallowing the current mouthful, their eyes slid across the table to their guest. "Did uh... did he do something special to- to deserve this treatment?"

Shedwyn shrugged as she hung her apron on the hook by the stove and settled into the seat next to Tulford, still bound and gagged in his own spot at the table. "Not really special, he only threw a knife at Terry."

"That's it? Not even- Not even a brick? Or a bomb? T- please tell me he- he at least had a rallying cry before he threw it. Like- 'Down with the monarchy!' or- or 'No taxation without representation!' Maybe even- maybe something like, 'That's for George, you self-righteous prick!'"

"Not a word. In tha' regard, 'e at least 'ad some sense." Terry gave their utterly bewildered captive a little pinch on the cheek, then tromped off to take a shower.

Shedwyn followed up with a ruffling of Tulford's tawny hair, "Cute, but young and dumb."

"Ass- Assassass-" Cay paused, then cleared their throat and started again. "Assassinations do very little to- to change the system, you know. S-sure, you get rid of ONE asshole, but- but there's no guarantee that- that they're not going to be replaced with an- with an even BIGGER asshole. And- and I think in this case, you'd- you'd get a very angry Lady Shedwyn in place of Terry, since. You know. Noble inheritance rights and all that."

They waved a hand with a shrug, pausing only to take another bite. "You'd- you'd be better off doing grassroots campaigning with- within your community. Form mutual aid groups, com-compile lists of grievances and work together to- to make Terry's life miserable by- by refusing to work until your demands are met!"

As Cay got excited, they stood up, thumping their fist on the table lightly to punctuate each consecutive statement, pancakes now forgotten. "Start with infrastructure! Demand b-better roads! G-government funded public schools! Public works programs! Form unions for- for laborers and guilds for artisans! Make- make your home better by- by demanding equal rights! One voice, one vote! Challenge authority! Ask questions, require answers! Healthcare for the sick, the injured, and the elderly!"

Shedwyn very flatly watched Cay go, frowning only when the kids started to get excitable. "Tsk." She flicked a speck of bacon at Cay's face. "We're already doing all that, silly. But it's not nice to project our views onto him!" Cay had seen the bubbly ditz act before, but never in front of company unless she was conning a merchant to get a better price or get him to trip over himself in a lie. "Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding!"

Tulford didn't really have any choice but to listen, with his mouth taped up, and his hands bound, and the absolute certainty that the creepy half-elf with the knives was still skulking around somewhere with eyes on him. It was hard to say if he was even still capable of blinking any way but owlishly anymore, in the face of Cay's rant.

And then Toby, kind, observant, helpful Toby, said, "It's not nice to talk at somebody, Uncle Cay," and ripped the tape off his mouth. After a small explosion of noise, Toby gave a thoughtful look at the tape in his hand, then said, "It's not nice to swear at the table either, Mister Tulford," and went back to serving his younger brothers their pancakes.

"I'm- I'm not projecting, I'm just. Informing..." Cay mumbled as they sat back down, looking up at Shedwyn like a kicked puppy. Dipping a napkin in a glass of water, they began to clean some of the mud from Tulford's face, blithely ignoring any sounds of protest. "He- he threw a knife at Terry, that's- he's clearly ignorant to- to the many alternative methods of-"

They paused, taking a really good look at the spot they'd cleaned away. Combined with the perplexingly parental treatment from the Ambroces, the indignant rage on Tulford's face put something of a spotlight on just how young he was underneath all the road grime. "Oh my gosh, y-you're a baby! L-look at you, not- not a single wrinkle on your face!"

"I'm not ignorant, I'm not a bloody baby, and what the bloody hell is happening right now?!"

"S-sorry," Cay murmured, flashing Tulford a sheepish grin and a shrug. "I- I have a hard time with human ages, es-especially between the ages of uh... 16 and 30? I- I can't really tell how mature humans are un-until they start getting in a few wrinkles."

"Family breakfast. The most important meal of the day, so eat up!" There was something uncomfortably keen--he might have used the word 'predatory,' if he'd had the presence of mind--in the way Shedwyn looked him up and down before adding, "You're going to need your strength."

Cay passed Toby a plate of pancakes so that he could help Tulford eat, which after a few deeply suspicious looks at the first forkful, he did finally do. If they were gonna kill him, they'd have already done it by now, right? And pancakes were hard to resist for long. There was no way these people knew they were his favorite food, right?

"I'm- I'm Caythaes, by the way. Lady Shedwyn's Boy Toy." They paused, then looked to Shedwyn. "Or- or is it consort now? Do- do I get a fancy title to make our relationship sound less scandalous?" Another pause as Cay's eyes go wide. "Oh no. Or- or should I have just not said anything at all?"

"I knew it" tumbled out of Tulford's mouth as soon as 'consort' hit his ears. The scowl he aimed Shedwyn's way was very familiar, since Terry used to have roughly the same one all the time when he and Cay first met. It lost a lot of its punch when he was doing it over a mouthful of pancake, though.

Shedwyn merely giggled, even as she rolled her eyes at Tulford's disgust. With the big table and all the kids she was a little too far away to reach out to physically comfort Cay, but the desire was there in her tone (not that Cay needed it, having completely ignored Tulford's reaction). "You're not a secret, Caythaes. Not ever." She brightened visibly, "And, unless you prefer 'consort,' I think we can leave that off until Terry and I take you somewhere formal, hm?"

"Oh. Oh good," they sighed, laughing softly and giving Shedwyn a reassuring smile. "I'm fine with- with whatever, I just, uh- Well, there's- there's a lot of rules to Nobility, isn't there?

"I'm- I'm still learning a lot of it, myself," they added, turning their smile on Tulford and giving his shoulder a friendly pat. "If- If you can't trust Terry, you can- you can at least trust me as- as a fellow commoner and laborer. I was- I was known back home as a rabble rouser, you know."

Finally, the kettle whistled, and Shedwyn got up to make a pot of tea. "Has Terry ever told you that he wanted to join the revolution and help overthrow Genn Greymane? And now here he is, hand-picked by Queen Tess. All this land here in Duskwood was bought specifically to get and keep it out of the hands of the 'nobs,' just like Keel, and now it's a barony. Life's funny like that." Shedwyn didn't feel it necessary to include that she was the one that grabbed up the land in Duskwood and Terry had taken the inspiration directly from her. "As far as you and the 'rules,' half those people already have their own 'secret' lovers. And unlike most of them, ours can't have children."

"I can have children..." Caythaes mumbles, because that was clearly the most important thing Shedwyn said. "I think," they add, pouting as they look over their purple hand, ears tipping downwards as the pout becomes a frown. It doesn't last long, and Caythaes shrugs, flopping back into their chair. "Anyway, I don't want kids. I'm- I'm perfectly happy with being the weird uncle."

"Tea or coffee, Tulford?"

Their captive audience had been struggling to keep up, head pivoting back and forth like watching a tennis match. It was hard to yell epithets when the people holding you hostage and being frickin' wierd at you were barely even paying attention to you. It didn't help that what they're saying was fascinating, in an additionally 'what the fuck' sort of way. Which mostly meant by the time he was addressed, his expression was back to 'what the fuck' again and all he could do for a second once he looked at Shedwyn was blink while he rebooted.

Then, he spat in her face. "Iunno what wierd-ass game you're playin' but I'm not joining in."

The kitchen fell immediately silent as all five children and Caythaes watched in anticipation. Even Corben and Ulfrich, the youngest of the bunch, had gone still and stopped eating.

Shedwyn blinked a few times, then smiled beatifically. “Water, then.” She picked up a napkin from the table to calmly wipe her cheek, then slid a rather large cup of pretty decent coffee in front of Cay. She took the opportunity to give them a kiss on the top of their head, and finally poured green tea for the rest of the table. Ulf turned up his nose at it, Corben batted the cup around while making mewing noises for a minute and then guzzled it, Junior opted for water instead, and Graeme and Toby swapped cups for no discernible reason.

“There’s no game here, Tulford. I don’t know what you went through before you got to the keep, but since we met you’ve been beaten, left in a cell, and strung across the back of an elderhorn for hours. You’re tired, dirty, hungry, and thirsty, and that is being remedied while my husband gets a good shower. You're free to join or even lead the discussion until then, or you can just enjoy the food and happy company."

Just like every other time someone had spat in Shedwyn Lias's face and gotten no-sold in response, Tulford could only stare angrily in silence, too baffled that he hadn't been punched to have a different response loaded. As the kids were given their green teas and the mild noise of multiple children under the ages of ten, Cay, and Shedwyn having breakfast resumed, he rebooted once again and just groaned.

She set the water, in a kid-safe wooden cup, in front of him. “Of course, the third alternative is to wait in a cold cell, with no food, no water, and no hospitality.”

Drinking from the cup would be tricky without the use of his hands, but Tulford seemed ready to try and manage up til Toby stuck a straw in it for him.

"I can- I can also provide some light healing, if- if you'd like," Caythaes offered, smiling happily up at Shedwyn and wiggling their ears as they sipped their coffee. "Despite all of this-" They gestured to their entire shadowflame self, "- I- I haven't lost my connection to Belore. The warmth of- of the Eternal Sun will soothe your aches and- and keep bruising to a minimum, at least.

"Y-you'll want to wait on the bath until this evening," they add, nodding sagely to themself. "I'll- I'll make sure one is prepared for you before dinner, that way- that way you can feel like a person again before you pass out. Do- do you like oranges and vanilla, by the way? Or- or are you a patchouli sort of guy."

If he could have, Tulford would've slammed his hands on the table. "I tried to kill your husband. And all that happened was getting my shit kicked in for a while, then a shitty nap. Why am I here right now?" After a few more sips and a minute to get himself riled up again, he added, "And fuck off with your bath shit already, elf. That's wierd. You're a wierd elf."

Shedwyn gave another airy, brainless giggle. "Ah, Tulford. Weird doesn't mean bad. But you have hit the nail directly on the head. Why are you here? Why did you try to kill my husband?"

"You threw a knife at Terrence Ambroce, Eonar's champion and- and the guy who committed Grand Theft Siege Engine! Among other things!" Cay added, their voice rising in pitch with each exclamation. "Why did you think that would work? Wh- why did you think you, a baby with- with likely no military training, I assume - could pull a- a fast one on someone old enough to- to be your uncle, at least, who's spent his life on the battlefield?

"F-face it, Tulferd, right? I'm- I'm bad with names..." Cay shook their head and waved a hand. "Anyway- y-you're here because y-you're young, stupid, and- and you made a stupid mistake and Terry's trying to- to be reasonable about it.

"Anyway, I'm not-" Cay pauses, huffs, and rolls their eyes with a shrug. "Okay, I am weird for an elf, but- but not because of the bath thing. That's- a hot bath with scented candles is- is nothing compared to- to what many elves get up to, especially the rich ones. I'm weird because- because I like getting dirty and playing in the mud. And also fake blood."

Now with no further distractions and the kids seemingly bored of mum and dad's new project, Tulford was able to focus on what really mattered: getting pissed at being insulted. He bristled, and despite his youth he did appear to have some bulk that made bristling at least a little impressive. At least, it would be if he weren't tied up. Most of it was further undercut by how red his face went right out the gate.

"Shove the giggles and the smug right up yer arse! If I'm not gonna be executed then I'm damn sure not gonna sit here lettin' some nancy jackrabbit pontificate on how stupid I am and how untrained I must be because I happened to get caught! Soldiers get caught, dumbass! Sometimes that's the best case scenario, actin' like it isn't tells me you probably don't have the training Elune gave a pheasant!"

After a moment to catch his breath, and blink, he backed up a couple steps. "...Wait, Eonar? That holy champion shit was real?"

"Well, g-given that I'm from Quel'thalas, y-you're right," Cay says calmly, setting down their empty coffee mug and tipping their head to the side. "I- I do, however, have the training Belore gave a phoenix, and I - I rather think that suits me better. Now, as- as much as I'm enjoying your, uh..." They gesture at Tulford's bristling, then his face. "The shade of red you're turning, I- I do think you should answer Lady Shedwyn's questions. They're, uh- well, they're bit more important than, well..."

Caythaes coughs politely into their hand, blushing faintly. "They're more important than me condescending from- from my high perch again. I- I am sorry about that. It's- it's a bad habit I've been trying to break. Anyway."

"The holy champion thing is- is very real. I've- I've had to shoo her off a few times just- just because my proximity to Terry means that, well. She kind of just. Drifts into my space."

Shedwyn tamped down on the grinning, falling into a pout instead, even after Tulford's brain hiccup. "While I am incredibly eager to find out how much of the stupid nonsense he's gotten up to has been successfully mythologized, I really do want to know... Why would a trained and educated soldier try to kill him?" She was a master of the sad, confused puppy eyes, and was not afraid to break them out now. For bonus points, she rested one hand on her stomach. They were talking about her husband, the man she loved to distraction, the father of (most of) her children, and she could not fathom why someone who wasn't a paid assassin would be trying to kill him.

All of that was utter bullshit, of course; she could--and had--come up with a dozen reasons people might want to kill Terry in under 30 seconds.

Tulford, to his credit, did take a moment to actually process a few of the bombshells that just went off right in front of him. Long enough at least for the redness in his face to dial back a few shades. He was still angry, confused, and not sure whether or not to be scared, and being uncertain about that was more terrifying than just being terrified. It didn't help that Shedwyn drew attention back to her pregnant belly; if anything gave away his youth, it was how easy pulling at that heartstring was. He rallied beautifully, though.

"Because he's a fuckin' traitor, why else? Gave up bodies, ran off to join the deaders, went full red for years, finally got tossed in the clink like he deserved when he pissed off some mercs in Draenor. Fast-forward to now... none of that happened, far as the crown seems to care. A fuckin' turncoat coward betrays his family and friends and country and gets a ton of land and a foreign wife and a damn blood elf consort apparently. There's your damn myth."

Shedwyn's lips pursed as she made herself stop and think instead of getting angry at the racism or the enormous holes in this version of the "myth."

Leaving her one hand on her belly, she placed the other on the table and started counting things off. "First, yes, he was going to sell out the location of the graveyard, in return for…. what turned out to be empty promises. It's not my place to tell you exactly what those were, but I will say… I don't know how much you remember of that time period, but much of Gilneas--even those who escaped the Curse--was mad from grief. He was no exception, and he bears intense shame for that even now.

"Second, he did not join the rotters," the slur slipped off her tongue with the easy vitriol of long-born hatred, "He was kidnapped and tortured for years. We all know the stories of what they did to prisoners; this was worse. Use your imagination.

"Third, when he was put out on a leash, he did upset some mercs--my family and his brother. They caught him, and cut his leash. On what he thought was his deathbed, he pointed us to the place he was tortured, enabling us to destroy a particularly heinous laboratory located where the keep is now.

"Fourth, you're missing out on his time in the military, of which you have clearly heard stories, just without his name connected to them, or that you disbelieved because they were so shockingly outrageous. 'The holy champion shit' is an excellent example. He did everything he could to keep his name out of it, but debriefings are only so avoidable, so records were kept.

"That is what got the attention of the Crown. That is why he was one of those who was here to retake Gilneas. And why, in the aftermath, he was offered the opportunity to grab up as much land as possible, to keep it safe.

"Which brings us to fifth: the Crown cares a lot about his entire history. We are under close watch by the governments of both Stormwind and Gilneas."

For her last point, she finally allowed her anger to seep into her voice. "And of course, sixth, if you don't stop saying racist things about my friend, I will have to ask my children to leave the room."

"That means she's gonna fuck you up." Junior had been watching the whole scene play out in more or less silence, like he generally did, but much like his father, once he got invested in the show, he couldn't keep his enthusiasm to himself. And, unfortunately, his brand of enthusiasm was infectious in a room full of little boys. The younger twins cackled like gremlins, Graeme shot milk out his nose in pure surprise, and Toby blushed.

Shedwyn froze, then closed her eyes for just a second with a raw, unfiltered face that all but screamed 'god damn it, not again.' She only opened them again when she felt Ulfrich tugging at her sleeve. "Mm?"

"What's a consort, mum?"

"Oh-KAY I think it's time to take this outside WHO WANTS TO GO FLYING Shu-fen if you would please take them to go meet Scooter bless you you're a gem..."

Much like the spooky elf earlier, Tulford had almost forgotten about the pandaren attendant until she stepped away from the wall. She hadn't even been in shade or anything, she'd just gone all not-noticeable on him. The second Shedwyn said her name, she was there, and shushing the little chorus of combined protest and eagerness as she led the herd out the door.

Despite his very real predicament and the very touchy topics at play, Tulford almost burst out laughing anyway. (Caythaes was no help, they were still laughing once the kids had gone, and excused themself to the next room to finish getting it out.) It was all so fucking absurd! And he was pretty sure the one kid had done that on purpose; it'd cut the tension like a cleaver.

Right up til he looked back at Shedwyn, to find her staring straight through him, all pretenses completely dropped. Her eyes were glowing blue, unmistakably magical, and she looked ready to fucking eat him. In spite of himself, he wilted a little. "None of it sounded real. It still doesn't sound real. I think you're fuckin' with me, saying it is. That kind of shit doesn't happen to Gilneans."

"It was real, and it was horrible, and wonderful, and we barely got back in one piece. There are still things neither of us can talk about, even to each other. But it was all real."

Another tense silence followed. Then, "The Lighthound."

She slowly smiled, and leaned back a little. She was still staring, though, and there were too many teeth in her smile. "The one and only."

His brow furrowed, and he fidgeted with his bound hands again. "What was it?"

"It was him. He was desperate. They all were. He called out for help, to anyone or anything that would listen, and... Eonar owed him. I don't know what number you heard, but he carried five people out of the Blight clouds. It was classified--and instantly became a folk tale--because absolutely none of them showed a single sign of being Blighted."

Tulford scanned her face while she spoke, and for a while after she finished. Whatever he was looking for, he was increasingly distressed not to find. "I heard fifty."

"Only five. Five men who would have died in agony made it home."

"How-" He choked, swallowed a few breaths, and started again. "How does a slag like him get a favor from a fucking titan?"

She finally looked away, glancing down at her belly (where there were once a matched pair of holes in her torso), and huffed a little laugh. "Right place, right time. How much do you know about the Antorus campaign on Argus?"

More fidgeting. "Not much. I was only ever ground support here."

She peered at him, looking him up and down again as she did some very fast math, but let it pass. "Mm. The short version is, he answered her call, and they helped each other a few times throughout the campaign, establishing a... connection. She lives because of his actions. He lives because of hers."

Incredulous, Tulford asked, "Are you telling me they traded?"

"After a fashion. There was some back-and-forth. As I understand it, there is some mutual respect at this point, established when he agreed to be her champion during the Nazjatar campaign."

Not knowing what to say or do was fast becoming Tulford's baseline, and he didn't like it. It wasn't the normal kind of not knowing, either; not being sure whether a mission would go to plan or whether he'd get to go home for dinner was one thing. Being presented with answers he had no idea how to interpret, by someone he could not figure out whether to trust, and having no idea what the endgame was... That wasn't something he could have prepared for.

When he finally broke the silence again, he sounded even younger yet, and terribly lost. "What are you gonna do with me?"

She glanced at the door Terry had gone through earlier. "We haven't decided, yet. You seem to be a confused kid, but we'll have to do some background on you. However, as long as you're not some hired assassin or someone with a personal axe to grind, you're not in any danger from us."

After some uncomfortable throat-clearing to pretend he hadn't let his voice crack that way, Tulford gave her an evaluating look. "You're not actually a dipshit, are you."

"No more so than you."

A rude snort escaped him, and he shuffled with his bonds one more time. "Fine, that's fair." With that, he slid his hands right out of the ropes, letting them fall to the floor, then looked back up at her again.

After how calm she'd been each time he expected her to punch him in the face, it came as no surprise that she didn't really react aside from a slight nod. Acknowledgement? Approval? No telling. "Thank you for waiting for the children to be out of the room."

"Yeah, well." He rubbed at one wrist with a quiet grunt. "You already knew I didn't have any weapons. And you didn't slit my throat and dump me off the cliffs. So... Iunno. I wouldn't call what we've got trust, s'much. But I'm willing to at least believe you aren't gonna kill me now."

"Duzzat mean I kin come out now? Only I'm gettin' real sick o' sittin' 'ere all pruny an' I'd really like some clean pants."

Ah. Right. Terry'd been showering.

Shedwyn rolled her eyes. "I told you it was a mistake not to connect the bathroom to the master bedroom!"

"An' I told you there's nothin' wrong with 'avin' more'n one bathroom! Can I come out now or not? Are we done bein' murder-'appy idjits yet?"

"We're done being murder-happy idiots."

"Good. I'm fuckin' cold." With that, Lord Ambroce emerged from the bathroom, mercifully with a towel around his waist, and strode across the room to disappear through another doorway. As he passed the pair, Tulford once again blinking helplessly, he leaned over and pecked Dwyn's temple. "You owe me five gold."

Then he was gone, and Tulford was still blinking.

( @daily-writing-challenge @shedwyn @mekandawn )

[lookwhatyoudidithasanxiety]

I think I have figured out Anon Anon's whole 'thing'.

Loosing ones limbs can be very traumatic, see Harvest and Ghost as an example:

Ghost tends to lash out towards other people, though that might be because of past happenings. Though, being eaten and killed might not have been helpful.

Harvest tries to seclude himself as much as possible from what he believes to be the cause of his unfortunate dismemberment. And while he is getting better he gets very frustrated with his shortcomings and lashes out towards the people that he loves (bloody) unlike Ghost, who was taking her frustrations out on everyone, with almost no real pattern besides a specific little who was left behind (not on purpose) by an older sibling and was getting the attention and care he deserved. That itself can be frustrating when you see someone getting the love and attention that you were robbed of when that sibling person left.

But, up until AA's latest ask I couldn't figure out what their deal was. It was when I paralleled them with Sans did I figure it out, comedy. They do rather dumb things to be the comedic relief. They make themself the butt of the joke so others can laugh and they can laugh along. They did this before they even lost their fingers, this might say that something happened to them outside of the blog and they were projecting onto their anon character, or they just like making people laugh. But they continued after a rather traumatic situation instead of just letting them properly analyze what happened, they brushed it off. They bantered with MWCT, they played tricks on the others, they did everything in their power to keep the light on the funny parts of them instead of the bad. To laugh is to forget, at least for a little bit.

When they do talk about what happened they brush it off as if it was 'no big deal' while it very much is a big deal.

And dear sweet Star.

They most likely got pushed away a lot when younger. Told to stop being a bother and a nuisance. Most likely by a parent or an adult, that would explain the constant 'I don't have to play if they don't want me to' getting told to not talk or to go away as a child or a teen is very damaging to the brain and rewires it to work a different way. I'm a bother, no one wants to be around me, I should just shut up and go away. No one wants you to leave, ok? We care about you.

Blood is... violent, most likely from being exposed to the internet at a young age.

Magic penguin, people pleaser. Right off the bat they only asked others what they wanted and have tried bringing comfort to other characters. They desperately want the validation of others and for them to like being around them.

TFM, they like being in control, not in a bad way. They like having the situation taken care of quickly and swiftly with as little casualties as possible. Perhaps they didn't have a lot of control given to them as a younger child so they're trying to make up for it now to make them feel like they're doing something useful.

Anyway, thats just what I've gathered from what I've read. I might be wrong and feel free to let me know if I am. I'm training to become a therapist.

More coming soon.

-Casey

//....Dang. That was....ah. 😅 I think you pretty much got everyone.//

[horizon-verizon]

You probably misunderstood me. You are right that from a purely objective view Rhaenyra should have been a Queen. But as a reader, I see a woman who was given that unique chance and blew it. Blew it so hard that her ancestors are ashamed of her. You know, it is like if a young woman is enrolled to some college where traditionally only men are applied (imagine this hypothetical major). She was given that chance but instead of studying, she took drugs, partied, cheated and missed her lectures. She was expelled from college and they banned from enrolling all women. Unfair? Yes. But I can't say that girl was a pure victim.

*EDIT (5/31/24): Rhaenyra suffers from really bad sexist writing on GRRM's, not just the maesters', part and it undermines his own point.* And no, she doesn't need to be necessarily "moral" like Dany to be a deserving ruler. The below is still relevant.

And why does she need to be a pure victim, in terms of morals, for me to insist that it's more important to think abt how no one (esp men in-world and out of world) was going to care of she was a good, competent leader? It certainly matters in terms of the writing and themes, but Rhaenyra lives in a world where men do not have be competent to be valid leader candidates at the same time.

The point of her story was to highlight how no matter how good or evil or morally ambiguous a person you are, if you are female, you are subject to losing a power men are just granted. Or usurped. And this is inherently wrong. Rhaenyra chose to go to war rather than give up. This is valuable. Visenya was not thinking "for the realm" or for the benefit of smallfolk or outside of her family, yet she as so many fans bc she was not passive or restricted by "madness". She has less sexist writing.

In light of all the above, there is something weird with characterizing the "opportunity" as something a woman can have if she just acts like a "good woman-ruler", as this asker actually pointed out back in January:

A war that has once again been started / provoked by the Greens, because they have fomented a usurpation and usurped the rightful heiress. From the moment the Greens began a plot, war was all but inevitable if they achieved their goal, as it was inevitable that the Blacks would retaliate. They are responsible for this war, it is a fact. [...]

The fact is, the Greens attacked the FIRST, then fought hard, until it led to the fucking war in question. In this scenario, how does Rhaenyra have a real share of responsibility in the birth of the conflict / war? Or even Blacks more generally?

[...] Also, why would Rhaenyra have to be a "revolutionary feminist" according to some, to deserve this fucking throne exactly? Seriously, when I argue that the Greens attacked first, with power greed and misogyny as their primary motives, and are therefore by extensions the antagonists/villains of the story, this bullshit of "but Rhaenyra n 'isn't a feminist who will revolutionize Westeros' is almost systematically released as a response, as if it were a real argument? We do not care ? That's just not the point of what they're saying. Again, there's this completely dumb notion that since Rhaenyra is a woman, then she must earn her inheritance. She has to prove that she will be better than the others, and not just be a ruler who will keep the kingdom possibly stable, etc. This argument is simply another mani manifestation of the misogyny of some fans. The problem being that we have no idea how Rhaenyra's reign would have actually been, simply because she wasn't herself when she got the throne, and she was getting worse and worse because of of all that she had taken in the face and what she continued to take. We don't have the means to know if she could have improved certain things for women, if she would have simply kept the kingdom stable and prosperous, or if she would have been a bad queen anyway.

If she acts according to our (the patriarchal "lords"/the greens) standards and purview, she is a good leader.

I'm not saying that she should have never tried to be more strategic, pragmatic, and/or active in the politics and court of KL. That she should just not learn how to chess-move people so she could prevent, say, Alicent's green council.

What I am saying is that Alicent had effectively made KL an environment hostile to her children's development and has undermined Rhaenyra's ability to practice power since the woman was 10 and Rhaenyra had some reasons to not stay in KL even after Viserys cut his hand and grew worse.

AND

In terms of JUST the competency levels, that she didn't is GRRM's fault, not really hers, because in real history luxurious and "entitled" noblewomen like Olga of Kiev, Urraca of Castile, Elizabeth I, etc. still did stuff and participated in war even when they didn't fight with any of their soldeirs just as many male nobles didn't actually fight w/their soldiers [read the post I linked above in the "EDIT" space, I explain!!!]

AND

If you begin a group/community/etc.'s hostility or disfavor and suspicion against a person since their childhood, they are going to have a very difficult time in independently gathering followers.

Basically, if you are in a setting that makes it that much harder for people to just either be or to do what they want without being castigated or threatened, you increase the likelihood of that person being incompetent or of worse moral character bc that person will default to selfishness real quick in a world that already says you must be authoritative and cruel and selfish to "win". You are definitely accountable, but you have also been shaped. you've been shaped and cornered and developed into a worse moral character, but to blame things that were out of the person's hands on them is unfair.

A)

You: "You know, it is like if a young woman is enrolled to some college where traditionally only men are applied (imagine this hypothetical major). She was given that chance but instead of studying, she took drugs, partied, cheated and missed her lectures. She was expelled from college and they banned from enrolling all women."

The issue, anon, is that the privilege to be a monarch has its legitimization from militaristic quasi-religious beliefs. It's not about deserving based on merit, and the prize is not a career but the total domination of a whole group of groups of people.

Both situations have women entering an institution of some sort historically & traditionally granted only to men, but feudal monarchies are never as altruistic as we want. Being a leader of a nation based on the right of blood; it's almost inevitable that your claimants be monarchists and not feminist democrats or the like. You're likely going to get people who believe in at least some crucial parts of the ideologies their world organizes itself on. Doesn't excuse rape or racism, for example, it's just that I find it strange how one expects most/all persons put in front of them in a text or real life to be as progressive as they want them to be. Again, we're talking about human behavior & recognizing constraints/social norms being used against women for the sake of power and social control, not how her moral fiber defines how much we sympathize with her and if she deserves help based on how sorry we feel for her.

1.

Because this modern 19th-century/20th-century girl/woman already voluntarily enrolled in the school to fulfilling both her personal career and sociopolitical goals, having known through her experience, observation, and education.

A girl in your scenario having a psychological breakdown is likelier due to outside/societal pressures not wanting her to succeed and trouble male privilege and authority's norm (thus she faces near-ubiquitous censure since she still lives in a society where both men and women take exception to a woman doing "man" things) or an intentional evil plot/conspiracy. She already knows what she's up against, why would such a thing happen if not for external forces?

2.

I think that there is a thin, subtle line between making women a monolith/a female individual a representative of all women's capabilities and discerning how a woman's capabilities are perceived to exist through an already patriarchal understanding of women=less-than.

On the one hand, the world of this woman--she is the first woman to be in a male field/space--makes her sit so that people eye her for her ability to go against expectations of her abilities. Materially, she has some sort of responsibility that she makes it through so that other girls and women can feel that such is possible for them, that if they press hard enough they can also achieve things and resist patriarchal pressures against their desires. However, at the same time and once more, much/enough of the audience observing and watching the boundary-crossing is looking at it hoping and actively compromising so they may "prove" how women "like her"/all women should be barred from male-given things AND Rhaenyra cannot be much of an example if people have usurped her and totally blocked her for just being a woman.

In other words, this one woman is made to stand for all women because society already makes "woman" into an entity without diversity, without personality, with personhood and human vulnerability or grace of development and psychology. If a woman breaks apart publicly, it's likelier she'd get called "crazy" or be described as "throwing a tantrum" while also expected to not handle huge responsibilities without male accompaniment, as if she were a child that's also meant to conform her behavior entirely to what others want from her in their own designs, no matter the inspirations for her feelings and goals.

Rhaenyra is not reviled for her taxes in broader/later history, but because the councilors of Aegon III's regency saw that "risking" the throne for a woman was not worth it. Especially with what happens to Baela, with Aegon's council trying to marry her off and criticizing her for acting "unseemly" by hanging out with men, drinking, maybe sleeping around, and definitely flirting and daring to run away and choosing for herself a husband. Munkun saw her actions as "proving" that the woman ruling was chaotic by nature.

3.

Let's consider what happened with the first female marathon runner, Kathrine Switzer, in the 1967 Boston Marathon. She was "allowed" to run but discouraged and criticized for it by her boyfriend and even her own coach at turns before and during the actual run. The organizer, John Semple, shouted and tried to intimidate her, even hitting the coach show trying to protect her and stop him from running her off--during the race. Other people actively tried to stop her from running or felt it was their right to slow her down to get pictures.

Later this same guy (Semple) would try to make it as if he only wanted her to not "mess up" "his" race and was afraid she'd ruin it. Do we actually think that your female student at a male college would not face such discrimination and scare tactics almost daily? Kathrine Switzer, while doing the rune and a little afterward, even blamed herself for much of the abuse she faced. But I don't think that makes her a bad person or even weak. And since she is human, I'm sure she had her moments in her private life. Does this then mean that she wasn't a victim of misogyny and active attempts to disempower her? No, she still faced people trying to deny her autonomy, therefore she was a victim, but a victim who continued and managed to find some

Switzer definitely managed to actually finish and show female autonomy on her own terms by racing despite these things, but she, unlike Rhaenyra, this form of social backlash occurs from the time a girl understands social cues. What happens with Switzer is, I think I can say figuratively, a high-intense microcosm of what happens to girls and women all the time: constant intimidation, belittling, discouragements, and even manipulations to get them to over-compromise or give in to hidden/semi-unconscious desires for control over them/exclusion. How one finds and maintains that strength and focus is always subject to circumstances that shift in constant reflections and response to the environment, which .

If it feels like Rhaenyra was overly unaware, it's because GRRM made her too unwilling to respond to things a bit quicker or anticipate making her fall concentratedly and quickly. I say this because it was necessary--writing-wise in his vision--for Rhaenyra to begin to fall by some sort of action-inaction (Othello and tragedy writing).

4.

What is a "pure victim"? One that does no evil or questionable actions independently with or without provocation at any point in their life, or one that only ever is victimized without trying to take control back after victimization?

At first, there is no such thing as a person, someone who hasn't done something at least amoral once in their lives. In the second option, what do you truly expect a victim to do, sit and take it? And what happens when humans try to take back control after being victimized?

Some like Alicent do worse evils and abuse others, some do more serious things but also strive to be more altruistic, and some aren't so altruistic. In all of these options, there are always mistakes being made, errors, and misunderstandings because that person is navigating how to gain and keep power, riding the line of self-reservation vs helping others without expectation of immediate gain. This is not as easy as it seems since you first have to have an understanding of who you are, which might have been messed up from your trauma and which you must entangle while living life and surviving. In other words, it's a treacherous road of going back and forth by itself. Some will falter, some will "fail", and some will "succeed"; but I don't think what makes you less human is that failure/faltering. Of course, Rhaenyra is not "perfect" nor a "perfect victim"--why should she, for me feel even somewhat bad for her, or blame most of her troubles on the patriarchy that denigrated her in the first place and had set up several of every same challenge that she had to directly face in order to gain power?

There is no such thing as a "pure" victim and there never will be (as in a victim that has no accountability for their own actions, as they are still human beings of some intelligence and cognition). There is just victim who must live on with their traumas and make a life for themselves. Again, Rhaenyra became a tyrant towards the end AND the act against Nettles was still blood purity rearing its head so she can take back control during paranoia, as I state in this Twitter thread. At the same time, she definitely came to the point she was at from misogyny and direct attacks from childhood. Two things are true at once.

B)

There is a kind and level of scrutiny on Rhaenyra and woman who take on traditionally male-reserved positions (context here, Westerosi monarchy) that has two sides: the woman-as-social-troubler has to work harder to stay in power AND yet, why should she have to "convince" others that she is worthy, esp when many will never be convinced and she will always be less preferred than a mediocre man? The story presents us with this question. She "works harder" precisely bc people will doubt her and try to stymie/block her hypothetically made moves. So there's going to be a perennial back-and-forth. And as we see with Cersei, Catherine the Great, & Elizabeth I, one even can see that a female ruler decided to/pressured-by-circumstances to eschew "ordinary" femininity and claim NLOGness.

That scrutiny she gets is still a colored one, one that is made from an idea of what leadership looks like and it is a masculine/militant and assertive-aggressive kind. Even Alicent's directing the city is publicly not for her but for her son, so it's acceptable. that what Alicent wants and sees her way to power, through her son. People in Westeros are not looking at Alicent as a leader in her own right; they're looking at her as a mother and wife to Kings who hang back and think of ways to defend those men's properties.

C)

I agree that there was a kind of "opportunity" for Rhaenyra or any woman there but (scroll down to section D to get to the main point faster) and think or imply that all or most of her ancestors were primarily interested in female leadership and the death of blood purity is false.

Check this post out by la-pheacienne, who writes how like in Greek Tragedy Rhaenyra is the protagonist: "Both characters [Alicent & Rhaenyra of HotD] have reasons behind their actions but there has to be only one character that is in the right, and that is Rhaenyra. Both characters will be punished for their errors, the hero will suffer because of the antagonist first of all, and their own errors of judgement (tragic flaws) and the antagonist will then suffer for their vile deeds in relation to the hero. That's a Greek tragedy. Simple."

I feel like Rhaenyra was in a place similar to a glass cliff sort of thing:

University of Houston psychology professor Kristin J. Anderson says companies may offer glass cliff positions to women because they consider women "more expendable and better scapegoats." She says the organizations that offer women tough jobs believe they win either way: if the woman succeeds, the company is better off. If she fails, the company is no worse off, she can be blamed, the company gets credit for having been egalitarian and progressive, and can return to its prior practice of appointing men. Haslam and Ryan say their studies show that people believe women are better suited to lead stressed, unhappy companies because they are felt to be more nurturing, creative, and intuitive. These researchers argue that female leaders are not necessarily expected to improve the situation, but are seen as good people managers who can take the blame for organizational failure.

While Rhaenyra is not subject to a capitalist company of main men, there is the same pattern of using women to mark women as unnatural leaders but also using their labor.

There was also an "opportunity" for Aenys I, Maegor I, Alyssa Velaryon, and Jaehaerys I to all push forward female candidates for the throne or heirship...but all decided against it to hold onto power. It's funny how this never gets mentioned in this discussion of their introducing a female ruler into the Westerosi society, that it rested on this one woman. you know some of those ancestors mentioned as having been "disappointed" in her because she supposedly was just not up to snuff. IT doesn't really matter that for generations, women have been purposefully barred from taking the throne and that over time, the Andal preference and precedence of amel-only got stronger and stronger, thus making more problems for any female official heir, later on, to be seen as worthy enough even before she ever attempts to present herself. It's like we have forgotten what happened to Rhaenys, how she and Corlys both worked hard to convince the lords and it still not working out for them, with th votes going nearly unanimously for Viserys!

Yeah, she could have seen the chance to make sure that women could rule easier everywhere else...but you're underestimating how gruesome that task was.

D)

You: "Blew it so hard that her ancestors are ashamed of her."

Anon, which ancestors? Jaehaerys? He would have been more upset that Viserys dared to name her, even over Daemon! He refused to name his firstborn, a girl, his heir, he rather call a council to make sure others chose a mal heir for him than name Rhaenys heir, he passed over her the first time by naming his son as heir and would have kept right of the first night if he hadn't been pressed by both Alysanne and Septon Barth, and it was Septon Barth who finally convinced him. He refused to give as much attention to his daughters as his sons, didn't give them any military or political training or made sure they had equal training so that Alyssa, who wanted to be a warrior, eventually focuses more on birthing Baelon kids. He psychologically tortured Saera in a way to make her submit to his designs on her marriages, when her actions obviously come from him not fully considering her a true agent or full person. He rushed Daella into marriage and pressured Alysanne to marry her off to just anyone, thus the girl married a man more than 20 years her senior before she ever reached 17. And she died in childbirth. Had no relationship at all with Gael.

Again, you must notice how Targ women lose more and more confidence in their rule/autonomous rule/political education with each new generation, right? Naerys and Rhaella are martially raped and have no power to their names whatsoever, relying on male relatives or having none and totally exposed to abuse with little-to-no haven. That's Aenys, Maegor, and Jaehaerys' fault, which I already stated. Maegor would have done what he did to Rhaena and denied her power by marrying her or just imprisoning her. Aenys would not have named her heir at all, thus Rhaenyra doesn't get to even acrue power for herself.

None of her ruling male ancestors would have wanted her to even rule in the first place! They would be "disappointed" no matter what. Maybe except for Aegon I, but again what happened with Rhaenyra is so much more than these individuals' expectations and resulted from their actions.

And as for the female members: Visenya would have hated that Jaehaerys compromised so hard like Aenys, and removed so much of female power. What would she have done after Maegor killed his own nephew, Viserys, after torturing him for days to draw Alyssa Velaryon out with Jaehaerys and their kids? What would Visenya have done if she saw Maegor

Maybe her sister Rhaenys has some "disappointment" in Rhaenyra not seeing, not going to hold you, over Rosby and Stokeowrth. The thing is that even with the rule of six and thumb that she herself enacted, it didn't completely erase men beating their wives because a total raze of Andal traditions would not be politically expedient to her and her sibling's new rule and hold on power, so Rhaenys would have some hypocrisy for her disappointment. Since Rhaenyra was thinking of her own hold on power during a civil war where anything could happen and had a true competitor, unlike the first 3 conquerors, at her door, I think Rhaenys might also consider this and look more broadly, recognize the similar-to-worsened conditions present. But I also think she would see how far women fell off in the dynasty and think of more than just Rhaenyra's personal decisions.

--Digression?--

Visenya and Rhaenys would be horrified that Rhaenyra had to fight at all for her position while side-eyeing her dumb choices, but still going for her and approving of her sentence of her claim of power despite those against her. Visenya would definitely be less understanding of her paranoia, as she's all about strength and competence. Then again, she herself gave too much advantage to Maegor even before he became king because she loved he was technically more hers to love and be loved by. What would Visenya have done if Maegor had died prematurely? Would she also have gone bloodthirsty and raze the earth (figuratively and literally)? By how she reacted to Rhaenys' death, if Maegor died prematurely, there's a chance she's going ballistic?

No Visenya could have insisted that Rhaenyra marry Aegon. But with Rhaenys being 10 years older and having to wait at least until Aegon was 13 (Maegor was 13 when he married Ceryse and Viserys II impregnated 19-yr-old Larra of Lys when he was under 13), how long until then would Alicent have plotted and undermined her, cutting away her influence or going against her more and more, turning Aegon from her as she does in canon and what then? Or would Visenya force/convince Viserys to train Rhaenyra to become a better leader all her own so she could rule over the incompetent Aegon/Westeros, because again she hated incompetence and Rhaenyra would be the actual adult doing things?

--END of Digression--

Alysanne has her own complicated issues with women expecting/seeking power through her relationship with her older sister, and her other daughters. She also tried hard to get women and girls in her family to have the same access to power as the males. She was also intelligent enough to become a maester (as the maester-written account categorizes "intelligence"). If she looked at Rhaenyra, she'd likely be glad there was a female heir but prefer it to be Rhaenys, true, because Rhaenyra is younger and it should have gone to Rhaenys anyway. But ALysanne asserted girls' right to rule not from t heir inteeligence or lask thereof--bc boys don't have to be to be "n0minated". She never expressed conditions on the firstborn girls she wanted to be Queen.

And all of these women and men simply did not live as Rhaenyra lived or lived during a time when misogyny was so set in the systems and against them that they could judge Rhaenyra impartially. Truly, we can't 100% rely on any of these people's perspectives of her. And all of them still did sibling/incest marriages for the sake of keeping their blood "pure" just as Westerosi/Andal peoples did. this is a feudal dynasty, anon.

E)

These posts: #1; #2; #3.

*EDIT* (8/21/23):

THIS is a great post by mononijikayu about medieval queens, female rulers, the history of how women in leadership positions were made and seen as threats to the very structure of social "order", and contextualizing Rhaenyra thru Empress Matilda. I didn't even know about Matilda's husband being comparable to Rhaneyra's Daemon! PLZ READ!!!!

Excerpt:

just as much, along with these fictitious portrayals, more lies are depicted. these women are considered vixens that cause havoc to men by shifting them into desires and danger. through the written word, we see how women are cast in roles of villains in men’s lives. it is because by their conclusive thoughts, women are the only creatures that are able to turn ‘good honorable men’ into despicable creatures who do shameful, deplorable acts for the sake of women’s pleasures.  [...] it is within this narrative that ancient chroniclers declare that women were in fact the doom of men. if they were not able to control the dangers posed by the wiles of women, then the foundations of the mighty society they had built would be up in flames.  [...] as i mentioned, these factors of community are written down and preserved. and with that, the example of the ancients were the foundations by which medieval society built itself. the same concepts continued to cause the same issue within society and that was the exclusion of women from participating in the bigger picture of community and state, much so with governing states in their own right—without judgment or disapproval. 

[alltimefail-sims]

Idk if I'm super late to this or if I missed a response, but I'd like to hear your thoughts about Roberto Crinkletop being Robert Crumplebottom. I'm not sure how I feel about it and would be happy hearing somebody else's opinion

You are not late on this nor did you miss a post from me about Roberto, but oh boy do I have thoughts! LOTS of them! I forgot about EA's atrocious little video until this ask remined me. Thank you!

I considered making a whole lore post on Agnes and I still might - but this whole thing with Roberto has re-contextualized her lore in the most inconsistent way, in my opinion. It has also discouraged me from wanting to talk about her. No surprise there though - they have fumbled the ball with lore in TS4 time and time again, and I think I am apart of a minority that just doesn't want them to address it any more. Even the slight mention of the Landgraabs in their most recent livestream made my skin crawl in the worst way. I just wish the Sims team would just stop pandering to a fanbase they do not care about in order to seem like they're putting thought into these families when they make them (spoiler: it's clear they don't put that much thought into them, if any at all. I truly believe they used to care, but that has been lost to time and that's why the games just aren't the same as they used to be. Trying to fuck with preexisting families, like the Goths for example, is only ruining what made them good in the first place... but I digress.)

Basically though, I'll sum it up now by saying that it seemed to be canon that the death and/or disappearance of Agnes' husband is what made her turn sour and callous (grief is what made her the person she is today, grief and loss made her hate romance). But then that wretched video drops and they decide to portray young Agnes as this mean, naggy wife that her poor husband (eye roll...) had to escape from? It even feels like they're insinuating that she was actually abusive because he says coming to Chestnut Ridge and becoming a nectar maker literally saved his life. Like holy shit! Just seems really fucking dumb to me if we're being honest!

It's just lazy writing, and it doesn't make sense with what we know of Agnes from TS2/TS3. In the original games it felt like she was a nuisance and a miserable old woman who we're supposed to feel bad for. In TS2 her actions aren't explained, but we know she is adverse to romance. In TS3 we see her in a whole new light, and it's pretty devastating how the loss clearly impacted her (that half unfinished nursery lives in my mind rent free). It was implied that they loved each other, in my opinion, but it seems like the Sims team will never miss an opportunity to villainize a female premade. I'm serious - it's actually getting concerning how the negative traits or actions of the male characters in this game are always twisted to be endearing, understandable, or momentarily misguided. But the women? Oh no, they're insufferable nags, abusers whose husbands need to leave them, women who never really loved their spouses at all, they're evil, they're mean, they're distant, they are bad wives and mothers, they are money-hungry, they are killers, and that's the whole of their marketing.

Poor uwu baby boys, save them from the mean ladies!! And if they cheat on the mean ladies, the ladies deserved it! If they are a serial cheater who will go as far as to leave their fiance at the aisle, that's okay because they're just a lovable himbo! If their wives go missing and they date a woman much younger than them, that's okay - she's actually the money hungry one! Yes he is lazy and does not have any ambition or drive, but his wife is so mean for being tired of their life being stagnant - she is the problem! She is a money hungry evil woman and he is just her husband who has no idea! He's rich and literally lives with her but uhhhh he's so nice that the estranged son (who looks just like him) isn't even his!

Ugh. Give me a break sims team. I'm tired!

[astropithecus]

From a red state refugee, please realize "just move out" isn't a callous statement of disregard for your humanity. "They're all hicks" isn't a value judgement about your worthiness to feel respected and safe.

Those are dire warnings. Southerners like you do deserve better, and that's why they should leave the South. Throughout the history of our nation, fleeing the South has been the only viable course of action for marginalized people. Many of the people you're referring to weren't lucky enough to be born north of the Mason Dixon, either. Many of them were only born at all because their parents or grandparents fled the South.

It is noble that you want to improve the place you were born and advocate for the people there, but we literally fought a civil war over this and still couldn't fix it. The resources you're referring to don't exist in your state because when people try to establish them, they face opposition. Social and political opposition, but violent terroristic opposition, as well, from both sides of the law.

For over 200 years, Southern states have been held in the thrall of white Evangelical supremacy. It's kept in place by state-sanctioned violence. It is the foundation of the entire legal and social structure of Southern states. If you want to get an idea of what that looks like, read up on the hundred-year cover-up of the Tulsa Race Massacre. And things will never improve because Southerners don't want them to. The system there is working exactly as intended. Gettysburg didn't fix it, some grass roots non-profits and healthy leftist discourse aren't going to either.

You can't fix the South because there's too many poor, uneducated people that vote based on fear, bigotry, and the Christian religion. They're poor and don't have adequate housing because they vote against their own best economic interests. They're uneducated because they vote against education. They lack genetic and cultural diversity because their society is insular. It's insensitive to call them inbred trailer hicks with bad food and dumb hobbies, but they are the reason no one can fix the glaring issues, and those are jokes about the reasons why. People aren't saying "you don't deserve better because Southerners are trash," they're saying "you deserve better, so get out, the people around you won't let us help you until you do."

Easier said than done. But those people around you - the ones that vote for politicians that leave them living in trailers and are so distrustful of anything outside their experience that they won't try new foods or date outside their own ethnicity - aren't going to get up tomorrow and dismantle two hundred years of systemic oppression. They think it's working out just fine.

When I was young, I also felt the shame you describe at being born in the South. But realize that what those jokes are criticizing isn't you - they're jokes about the cultural signifiers of christofacists, the conditions that fiscal and social conservatism create. They're mocking Southern political ideaology and the inevitable outcome of a theistic government and "trickle-down" economics.

yall have got to be more normal about Southern people and I'm not kidding. enough of the Sweet Home Alabama incest jokes, enough of the idea that all Southerners are bigots and rednecks, and enough of the idea that the South has bad food. shut up about "trailer trash" and our accents and our hobbies!

do yall know how fucking nauseating it is to hear people only bring up my state to make jokes about people in poverty and incestuous relationships? how much shame I feel that I wasn't born up north like the Good Queers and Good Leftists with all the Civilised Folk with actual houses instead of small cramped trailers that have paper thin walls that I know won't protect me in a bad enough storm?

do yall know how frustrating it is to be trans in a place that wants to kill you and whenever you bring it up to people they say "well just move out" instead of sympathizing with you or offering help?

do yall understand how alienating it is to see huge masterposts of queer and mental health resources but none of them are in your state because theyre all up north? and nobody seems to want to fix this glaring issue because "they're all hicks anyways"

Southern people deserve better. we deserve to be taken seriously and given a voice in the queer community and the mental health space and leftist talks in general.

[the-firebird69]

Watch "Shinedown - Second Chance (Official Video)" on YouTube

The song sounds horrible but it's not the message that I sent to my mother and father that you believe here. It's about when I was young and I decided to expose what kind I was and I did it on purpose and I told him that sometimes me being away from us as a second chance for me and us and they knew what I was talking about and believed it would work and they helped me.

The second part of the song is very important I made a display on Jupiter to express what the problem is

*you here on Earth who are us will understand when I tell you that Jupiter was struck by part of a comet that smashed into another one and it was Haley's and a shoemaker love you and Haley was destroyed it on impact and shoemaker broken to pieces and impacted Jupiter of course I encourage mine to find comments and asteroids and hurl them to the suns to destroy them, and I've done my share of it as space to breathe it impacts a planet across the universe could destroy this solar system 3 days from then and all you would have left to comment with humans here would be a blink.

The corky and others are similar to these comets and asteroids and nobody really gives them stuff because that's childish and foolish and asinine to assume that people who are completely out there and gone should get stuff they just turn around and try and use it on people and that's what happens and it's by history and there's been tons of it recently and we're collecting devices day and night we have most of them in

I'm speaking to the idiots on the boats and about them because what they're doing is asinine and angering there's dumb as an asteroid

Zues

It's very well put and it is what it means it's what the song means and John remillard is dead yes and he's wrong and he's an idiot he thinks he can be in my husband so we're going to get rid of him and we're going to get rid of him shortly and putting it in now but he says is it's an urgent request from the both of us and a plea because nothing else has done it permanently yet

Hera

I did receive it just now and it says what you said and more and I'm going to tell you she's actually in tears and needs it done she's emotionally strong and she is tired and he is too this idiot is wearing him down and won't shut his face my son is getting the better of him and it's getting better and better and he's beating on him and humiliating him and tearing him to pieces and using him up I'm going to make sure it stays that way and make sure he's gone he will die his general grievous and he will not be remembered for being a good person in any way he is a huge a****** and a schmuck and comes out and says what he wants to do without you saying what you're going to do or if you do he doesn't care why nose leave damaged him very badly and he still does it and our son is going to consume him and have the landlord do it and it's kind of a joke too because the landlord said for you to move out and you're going to and he wanted you out and you didn't leave so now you're going to be a dead man and your fate is already decided and you'll see it starting to happen and you become fatalistic and nobody would like you at all and be surrounded by animals and watch your own get eaten every day and that's the payment you're going to get for your vulgar behavior yeah and he's dahmer too and he deserves it. It's coming up regardless of your inane arguments or your whining you've earned it and it's going to happen to you and you're going to court again and you got caught again and the judge has ruled against you one more time and there is going to be a trial for your wrongdoings another one and you can't handle what's going on already at all he also ordered to go to court tomorrow if you don't show off you'll be arrested here until you go then you're going to go to prison what you did today and yesterday you're a pig and you're a bum and you're a loser you don't want you coming out in your underwear you're a f**** too and our son does not want to see you at all you're a man and you're ugly and you're a slob and your stink like s*** and you eat s*** and you bathing in it you're human piece of garbage in your dead man and it's going to start up pretty soon. Your brain is already being moved around by several people it's not just Tommy everybody hates you and wants you dead.

Thor Freya

Get off me you piece of s*** there's dumb as a dog Trump. It starts when you do your count doku character it's the beginning of the end of you Trump. It is where you take over the lizard person's body and that is Yoda and you get placed in there I think by Biden. He hates you like I do. A lot of people hate you and you're a stupid f**** about it I want to kill you for dumping my apple juice out it's not the ACT it's just what you meant and everybody knows it and they started hitting you and taking your stuff and you're too stupid to stop now you have nothing you had 95% of the world's wealth and you're down to probably 20 now they're saying 10% it's still a ton of money and stuff so they're going to go after you now.

So don't do Willy Wonka Trump it'll be your undoing and your permanent on doing cuz the sad particular character that gets you killed. It does start elsewhere though and you do go to Lord of the rings before it and you get to see your people eating in front of you which is not massively new but you mess with The Rock and he gets you back a little bit but really you've been messing with Biden for a long time... They tried to assassinate Emily you try to in Star wars with some sort of bug and Anakin stops you and that's bja and you get hit as the lizard man. And you go up to the starkiller with them and you get fried because you didn't listen and then you become general grievous and we think somebody puts you into the robot not exactly who I think it might be Mike too

Zues Hera

We approved this message to go out

Olympus

We do too you should sit there and suck on it Trump we mean the story you f** it's such a f** he wants to kill you for dumping out his apple juice and we've killed people for that too but we killed your whole Army off almost and the rest of it's going to go and buy your hand and then you are and it is because of that too we didn't want to see that s***

Thor Freya

[mammonswhore]

Heyo! How would the Obey Me brothers react to MC being a teenager/younger gen Z? Like, the paper-work got mixed up somehow, and said they were like 26, when they were actually like 16? Also (you don't have to include this), what if the teen MC was actually really interested in demons and angles before coming to devildom, so they're really nervous, but also really excited? If you don't wanna do it, that's fine tho :) Have a great day/night!

I love this prompt! Have a great day too,love🖤

Brothers reaction to MC being a Gen Z teen. (Platonic)

✒Lucifer.

He can already picture himself struggling with you.

Six brothers to take care of + a TEEN? Man is about to loose it.

If you are an introverted he will like you automatically and feel relieved that you will not always get into his brothers shenanigans.

If you are an extroverted (or just a curious one tbh) he will keep an eye on you 24/7 so you won't get into Mammon schemes or Satan's nerves and get yourself in trouble.

Really amused if you like demons and angels, will curse himself for misreading but will not hate himself too much since you are not that scared.

Gets tired of you quickly if you make too many questions and will always send you to ask Mammon or if it's something that he doesn't know himself he will ask Diavolo and tell you later but he will (of course) act all high and mighty as if he already knew the answer to such question.

Will practically adopt you and spoil you a lot because hes is big brother.

Overprotective. Oh you met a lesser demon and you want to go on a date with them? Haha he won't let you.

You will be the only person who gets in trouble and leaves with just a warning.

Also you are totally his soft spot. Man can't resist your sad face and will do anything to make you happy even if he doesn't like to admit that.

Totally lost when it comes to TikTok/memes references and will ask about it a lot.

✒Mammon

He is amazing. Not only does whatever you ask him to but also has the best ways to get you out of boredom.

He will teach you how to scam people and how to be a good thief even if you don't need it or want it.

Teaches you about demons and angels without even knowing. Sometimes he drops random facts but it's not until he realizes you write down what he says that he stops doing it just to hear you ask him things so he can act all smug and smart.

If someone breaks your heart he will be ready to throw hands,no one hurts their little siblings.

Like Lucifer,he adopted you and always claims to be "the one you choose to be with you first" making sure his brothers hear him.

He will help you make your homework. Even if he doesn't understand he will try his best.

Please refer to him sometimes as "big brother" he will die.

When he saves your ass from getting killed by lesser demons he will be ready to receive the biggest hug ever and is absolutely ready to be praised.

If he saves you and you say "thanks,big brother" now you have a problem. He will brag about it for a week (at least).

Will steal things from you to keep them with him when he is going thru an episode. It reminds him that someone thinks of him as worthy and love deserving.

Will die for you,you are not only family now but his favorite person.

Will compliment you in the best brotherhood way he can "looking good today,kid", "your hair looks nice,brat" and "You are the best looking sibling after me of course" are his go to compliments. Mostly does it because you compliment him back and because he knows his comments make you feel closer to him and boy loves it.

✒Levi

If you are an introvert like him you can expect him to go out of his room more often just to see you or talk to you.

If you are not he will try to make you an indoors person but if he can't he is might be willing to take a risk and go out once a week but just to the manga store and back,don't expect more,normie.

If you like any thing he likes he will try to test you and prove he is better than you,he doesn't give a fuck you are practically a child he can't loose.

If he wins he will be very happy and more open to you to open up with some things.

If he doesn't win he will cry when he is alone and call himself an ugly unworthy idiot who can't even be considered an otaku but relax my dude,MC will go to you and reassure you you know better than them and that they will love to hear what you have to say (even if they don't mean it,they love you and will love to see you happy again).

Knows the basics about demons and angels so he is not the best to go to if you have too many questions. That's the only time he will let his envy go away and tell you to go to Satan or Lucifer since they know more than him.

He does not takes his duty as a big brother as something serious since Lucifer is always there but if you call him "big brother" he is going to take that role serious but for you and you only.

Will 100% find siblings cosplays and gets you to do it with him.

If you ever said something like "I'm lucky that my big brother is also my best friend" he might tear up a little since he has never been considered someone's best friend ever.

If any of his brothers try to get you to call him "big brother" he will go on a rampage unless it's Lucifer. Boy is envious not dumb.

If it was Lucifer he will go to him later and ask you if he can stop trying to get you to call him that way because that's they way you call him and it makes him feel special. Lucifer will probably agree because he knows Levi doesn't feel special often so he might give in; if he doesn't Levi will start an argument and won't stop until Lucifer cuts him off or agrees.

Keep calling him big brother, he adores it.

✒Satan

As grumpy as he is,he loves to have yo by his side. Not because he loves company but because he likes to be able to answer all your questions.

Ask him anything about demons or angels and he knows it,fuck he is smart.

Will get you a notebook so you can write what he says and will give you books to read as "extra homework" it's kind of a bad deal if you think of it but it's his way to show love.

The only person who calls him "big brother" often is Asmo and got used to it coming from him and him only. If he hears you calling him that way he will probably jump out of happiness when he is alone but for know he will just answer to that name name and act like nothing happened.

You don't want to do your homework? Fine you can copy mine but just this once.

If you struggle with anything he will solve it for you,no cap.

He will get you cat themed items like pencils, notebooks,necklaces or rings.

Matching is a must. Not because he likes the concept of being associated with a part of someone but because he will love to brag with his brothers obviously.

Will definitely get mad if you ask any type of demon/angel related thing to others.

Names a cat after you but it's the cats middle name so he won't get mocked. Won't tell you tho.

Very very protective but good at hiding it. He might be following you down the street but you wouldn't even know. Kinda creepy? Yes. Have you ever got eaten? Nope.

✒Asmo

Yes! Exactly what he was waiting for.

You are part of his experiments. You don't like makeup? Well now you do. What type of clothes do you have? Do you have an aesthetic? No? Well now you do.

He is always there when you need him to. Best of them all to give advise when needed.

Definitely will be annoyed by all of your questions but will try to be as gentle as possible to tell you that.

Can help you to become really good at comebacks,believe him he knows best than anyone.

He is the one making sure you are educated when comes to sex. Simple but worthy lessons such as "sex is about experimenting and finding what you really like but you always need your partners consent" or "always have a safe word,even when you have vanilla type of sex" or the best one yet "if they want to fuck with you that's fine but always remember to use protection because I will not like to see you having a child so young or having an abortion" because yeah that's what big brothers do.

If you hit him with the "you are the best,big brother" he will jump into your arms and say that he knows he is the best but that hearing that was way too magical,do it again!

He is very aware of insecurities and will try to be the shoulder you cry on if you need to,he is always there to wipe of your tears (or wipe off the ones who hurt you).

Not as protective as the others but keeps an eye on you because your curiosity might hurt you.

Will be crushed if he sees you suffering from the most minimal thing. That lipstick does not fit your skin color? Fuck that lipstick! We are getting new ones,go get Lucifers card!

Spoils you way more than any other because he wants to create a brat. He needs to have someone like you who will cling into Lucifer and beg him to let you do dumb things because you know Lucifer can't say no to you. He needs your power and is not afraid to tell you that

Constant reassurance. He always calls you by cute nicknames and as long as you call him "my beautiful big brother" every time he is amused.

✒Beel

Baby is ready to give you life lessons. Don't stab anyone,drink enough water and be patient with the ones you love.

Yes,he learned the "don't stab anyone" from talking to Belphie.

Is very lost when it comes to you being so interested in demons and angels because he is not used to be the one answering the questions but making them. Bare with him, he is trying to get a good answer.

Will ask for advice on how to answer you, probably goes to Lucifer but mostly Belphie.

Soon you two start doing things together that involve learning from humans and angels. Maybe you are walking down the street working out and when you both start chatting about demon life and suddenly everything stops.

Beel is clueless when it comes to comforting someone about an insecuritie since he was the one being comforted most of the times but will give you space if you need to or do whatever you feel comfy with.

If you call him "big brother" he will hug you like no one has ever hugged you before. Teddy bear hugs are a must now.

Will die for you and is not afraid of telling you such. "MC I will die for you" "whAt?" "As your big brother I may protect you with my life" "Please don't."

Tells you how much he wants you to be happy and constantly asks if you have any type of dreams or goals.

If you do have goals or dreams he will encourage you to go get it. Beel is there to support you no matter what.

✒Belphie.

Absolutely fucking not.

Why is everyone spoiling this stupid brat and not me? I hate them.

But hold on there,he doesn't completely hates you he just hates the attention you get.

If you go to him with a soft attitude and ask him if you can nap together he will say yes and will enjoy the moment a lot .

He has never been someone's big brother so it kinda hits him if you call him like that and will try to act confident and smug about it but it's kinda terrified.

What if he doesn't catch up on the big brother thing and fucks up? He doesn't want to disappoint you or make you feel awkward. So he copies his big brother and tries his best,believe me he does.

You need help with something? Ugh well I will help but you owe me one (you don't owe him anything really,he just doesn't wants to be seen as soft for you). Oh did someone caused you problems? No biggie,I will take care of it.

Spoiler alert: he is very overprotective with you,he doesn't want to lose you.

[ebitchwriting]

Aeon and Cleon Ship Thoughts

Well, you know why you're here. Let's talk about Leon's two most important relationships with Ada and Claire, why I think both are canon, and why both won't be canon in the way you think and how it's all tied to Leon's not dealing with his issues.

Both individuals he met during the chaos of Racoon City and the original T-Virus outbreak when he was dumb, young, hungover, and desperately trying to save whoever he could. By the end of it, he saved at least Claire and Sherry but watched Ada die in his arms/right in front of him(depends on which order you played the game). Seeing the dead rise, families be torn apart and brutally destroyed, and finally, the city blowing up leaving the survivor numbers in the single digits, and then subsequently being forced into an agent position by the government to keep Sherry safe, it's no wonder that the man has PTSD, displayed less seriously and more jokingly in RE4(or at least from what I remember playing as a kid). His PTSD, and alcoholism, become a lot more obvious RE6 onward.

With Ada, it's been clear for a long time he loves her. There's the trauma connection and that adds an element of realness that he can't have with hardly anyone else and that she's one of his last connections to his innocence, which is only intensified by the fact he thought she was dead until RE4. While Ada has sexual attraction to Leon, whether she feels the same level of emotional turbulence and need from Leon is another question entirely. They have been in a sexual relationship, or at least had been suggested in the second Resident Evil animated movie Damnation. But sex and romantic love are NOT the same things. Ada has always struck me as aro, so the way I see it Leon to her is a fun, casual relationship that she takes advantage of when she has the chance. Meanwhile, Leon is constantly yearning for more but doesn't see himself as deserving of it, and only takes what he can get. Both of them are also smarter than to try for anything serious with the instability of both jobs(and illegality of Ada's), and the rising threat of bioterrorism.

Claire, on the other hand, well Leon loves her too. Just as equally as he loves Ada. Claire was the one he managed to save. The only other one that shares the same trauma and has a connection he can't find anywhere else. Who had that connection to his innocence, and probably the only one he lets see who he is when he isn't on guard. They don't canonically see each other very much, but when they do they're ecstatic to see each other. Until Infinite Darkness, when Claire asks for the chip to expose the government, to the surprise of Leon who was expecting a dinner catchup(reads as a date by subtext), and after being honest and refusing Claire, they presumably parted ways. (Which as much as that chip needed to be revealed, it needed to be done strategically, so don't exactly blame Leon for not giving it to Claire, however, there could have been more negotiation made)

Now, why would he constantly choose to chase after Ada, someone he knows won't love him the way he loves her, and even if she did there would be a future? Why would he choose to sabotage his relationship with Claire, someone he knows could love him back the way he loves her and could have a future with her? Answer: because he hates himself. He doesn't think he deserves to have a future. He's also afraid that eventually, he'll fail Claire and she would end up dead because of him. He thinks he's cursed and pushes Claire away so she can live. He chases after Ada, someone that seemingly keeps dying and coming back to life(he had NO idea who Carla was and that she was impersonating Ada), someone he knows won't get so attached to him that it risks her life(more than it already is). It's a doomed relationship. He'd rather have a half hour of fun every year or 2, then back to being alone with his issues than have a wonderful relationshop cut short by tragedy than be alone with his issues.

If Leon saw a therapist, then he'd be still fucked up but he'd be dealing with his issues far better. But, ya know, this is Resident Evil. Very few of the Raccoon City survivors have tried to healthily deal with their issues. Arguably I'd say only Claire and Rebecca managed to healthily move on from Raccoon City.

[kagaminelen]

ahhh flashback time

and now we see what would've happened after Kai, okeeeey

Class rep Keichii is cute~

Finally, pre-tragedy stuff I can actually pay attention to. It's kinda nice seeing Rika and Satoko just hang out

if Satoko can be cured.....can't Satoshi be cured too~

also Satoko saying "it's way too early to be worrying about entrance exams wtf" like???? Rika is giving you PLENTY of time to come to terms with the fact that she wants to leave. It would be bad if she waited until the final year of high school to tell you this. She did the right thing

okay the scene where they're both studying and Satoko wakes up and shares the blanket with Rika is absolutely tooth-rottingly adorable

While Rika has blossomed into a mature young woman, Satoko has stunted her emotional growth as a child.

Rika needs to stand up for Satoko but Satoko needs to learn to accept help. Unlike Satoko, Rika is extremely grateful to be in this position, whereas Satoko took being with Rika for granted. She never thought she'd have to work for Rika's attention. And now she's mad she has to endlessly study in order to keep up with her. It's jealousy. Satoko can't say "you said you were supposed to experience this life with me???" when Rika had reached out during multiple attempts and Satoko turned her down. That's on you babe, stop being jealous.

You beat her down so hard she wanted to kill herself. You broke her spirit so much you made her admit she loved the horribly tragic bird's cage that was Hinamizawa and refused to let her leave unless she said this to you.

okay, onto the next episode.

the public freakout is NOT the look Satoko

OH OKAY SO RIKA DOES STAND UP FOR SATOKO IN PRIVATE?????? AND ONCE AGAIN OFFERED AN OLIVE BRANCH AND SATOKO TURNED IT DOWN AGAIN

I hope they don't try to make this look like either girl could be right. Because Satoko is the one being a whiny little child right now. Rika said "you really shouldn't talk like that in a place like this" and Satoko was like "OH SO I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU ANYMORE" like oh my god girl.

why is it so hard to believe that Rika has just grown up. Satoko's so sure she's just putting on a temporary act but maybe like....Rika just grew up.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh I knew Satoko was gonna pull some dumb trap. Like GROW THE FUCK UP

OH THEY PUT HER ASS IN PRISON??????????????????????? oh no...she thinks Rika snitched on her. unfortunate. but deserved, nonetheless

Mion's so cute, calling herself an old fart lol

WHAT IS THAT GETUP KEICHII IS WEARING KSDAJF;LASDKCNOL that is SO silly

new post for higurashi-posting

it took me two days to get through 1.5 episodes of this. having to do this all again is horrible uwaaaaaaa

I miss Shion :((((((((((((( she's probably not gonna be around for a couple episodes

AYO???????? not him remembering onikakushi-hen?! and here I thought this was just a remake, not an actual new loop. although, I guess the beginning of the episode said it was the case.

you would hope that Keichii would do like he did at the end of tsumihoroboshi-hen and not make the same mistakes again

although my next question is if Rika is going to try to change this outcome, since she should have all the information needed to stop everything from happening