#cw fire mention

[littlemissneverseen]

Maruca : Man, they look like a real handful. How do you deal with them?

Sophie, watching Biana screaming, Marella trying to set a sleeping Fitz on fire, and Keefe choking on air: I don't know either.

[yourlocalabstraction]

Please enjoy this random assortment of jashling alignment charts

[loaveriaca]

real ones manifested the ability to control smoke (like from fires and cigarettes) because they were tired of getting smoke in their eyes

[featheredjohtolegends]

Were the legendary beats babies once? If so pls show their baby pictures

Every human, animal, and pokemon start out as babies. Unfortunately I don't have any images of them as babies, as they lived in the tower with their care taker humans... And any paintings of them before the tower caught fire where either destroyed or lost to time. If this is asking what they looked like before I had to create new bodies for them, then they where originally the now extinct Ry, En, and Sui species. I'm unsure how much information still remains of these particular species unfortunately...

-Ho-oh

[vigilant-shadow]

//Plotted starter for @touchofdawn!

Well, Xiao's day so far had been just perfect. First he couldn't sleep at all, then when he'd decided to take a walk in the morning with nothing but his phone and wallet on him, only wearing a thin, teal hoodie over a white, sleeveless crop top, a pair of light jeans and sneakers, which was, admittedly not the best idea in the still cold weather these days, some genius from his past managed to figure out where he lived and burnt the entire place down, probably hoping he burned with all his stuff.

Really, Xiao couldn't have asked for a worse day it seemed, so now, he set off towards the only place that he knew he could get helped in, to the only person he could trust, in the flower shop he'd worked in part time. He entered with a frown on his face, looking around, hoping to see Diluc around.

"Hey uhm- got a moment?"

[human-rodent-king]

Prometheus does not go through getting his liver pecked out and eaten every single day just for people to say I'm "weird" or a "pyromaniac" just because I'm fascinated by fire

[bluerosefox]

Little Danny's Big Adventure

New idea.

Okay now hear me out.

-Pulls out AU idea cauldron and tosses stuff into it-

Let's put in some Ghost King/Prince Danny.... But also some deaged to toddlerhood Danny that gets yeeted into the DCverse!

Like imagine, tiny baby Danny with his tiny crown of ice floating above his head and his galaxy cape wrapped around him and uses it like a baby blanket. He didn't mean to fall into a different universe, a natural portal opened up and he was being a curious little thing! He didn't mean to trip and fall in during his nap time.

Nor was he expecting to fall into this realm during a rogue attack and knock out said rogue cause they were being a meanie and harming people and now Danny just wants his nap time cause he spent a lot of his tiny engery and he wants to find a nice spot.

Danny finds a place to crash, snuggling himself into his cape and the astronaut bear Danielle got him during her last visit that he takes everywhere since.

He's out like a light as the door to this safe house that belongs to one of the Bats opens up.

Meanwhile. In the Infinite Realms, Queen Regent Jazz is going into Mama Bear Jazz Mode trying to find her deaged brother, keeping the Realms in check, and is resisting the urge to put CW in time out Soup Time because he's being cyptided again about Danny whereabouts!!! UGH!

[voidselfshipp]

Would That I

Cw: anger issues ment, self loathing (from f/os part) description of drift being Half naked (only torso area). Food ment. Mentions of Fire. Lmk if im missing something.

Summary: jerico goes to check in on Drift and helping him through a bad day.

->Only mutual allowed to rb.

♡Lovely taglist: @tex-treasures @malewifepatrickbateman @mercuryships

-> pieces of the interview mentioned were found thru the internet, the haiku drift says was also found in the internet though im not sure to who it Belongs to. Lmk tho.

Jerico was looking for drift everywhere, they havent seen him for a couple of hours now.

Sure, they knew that their robot lover was meditating, and he was prone to do that for an extended period of time.

They looked around their garden, only finding the yeager family's house in the distance.

Jeri looks around, noticing growing vegetation, the free house cozily decorated, the flowers swaying with a soft summer breeze and five meters away the Zen garden drift had asked for when they moved in.

A sigh scaped past their lips when they noticed the black and red Mercedes Benz Parked just outside.

They pat the hood of the car and ask-- drift? You there?

--By the cherry blossom-- the car replies.

"Ah...he must be in his holoform..." jeri thought, kissing the hood of the car and entering the garden.

It was decorated with plenty of streams and bridges, different types of trees looming over them, their leaves colored in a wide array of hues.

They notice the well kept koi swimming around the stream, the ocassional frog jumping by, making Jerico squeal with delight.

Finally, at the centre lies the big cherry blossom tree, nurted by none other than Drift himself, lanterns hung from the thick branches, origami that jerico had made for him.

They remembered that their partner had said that "he keeps it around because this place is supposed to give him peace. So he saw fitting that all the things Jeri made for him were kept there".

It always made them tear up and feel moved, Drift appreciated them like none other.

And speaking of the autobot in question, there was his holoform. A japanese Man, long face and sharp cheeks, a thin pencil moustache and a goatee that covered his chin decorated the Lower part of his face.

His clothes were more casual and comfortable,all in a black and red colorscheme. a black harem pant and boots with red accents. His signature samurai esque armor missing.his upper half completely naked. Maybe because of the weather?

But what really caught the attention of Jerico was the fact that his beautiful shiny black hair was down, reaching past his shoulders by maybe three inches.

It swayed in the breeze, making deep greyish red highlights appear and dissapear.

His holoform was just as breath taking as he was in his Real form.

Theres only silence. A heavy air hung around him and Jeri remembered how... sad he looked earlier when he came by, a gaze full of badly disguised self pity and something they couldnt quite place. His blue eyes gleaming as they always did..though then they seemed less bright as he greeted them.

They didnt know what was up with him and they had to know.

Regardless, they knew better than disturb Drift when hes meditating, so jerico goes behind him, eyes settling on the big kanji tattoo that says "honor" on his back.

Carefull fingers trace the symbols, making the Man shudder. Gentle hands move the hair away to reveal the back of his neck, lips place a tender kiss on there.

They put their head ontop of his, one arm falls loosely,elbow resting on his shoulder. The other wraps around his neck and their hand rests on their other arm's wrist.

Drift smiles, not opening his eyes, one hand resting on the arm thats around his neck-- My lotus, what brings you here?-- his voice soft and calm like it always sounded, yet with a hint of sadness.

--Im looking for my lovely boyfriend, have you seen him?

--Ah,maybe-- He said following along-- mind describing him to me? Maybe I have seen him

Jeri Snickered-- ah well, hes tall, handsome, black hair tied in a half bun, he has a very nice voice...likes haikus..

--hmm...he reminds me of me-- he teased.

--But really though, are you okay? Youve been here for a while-- they say.

Drift sighs-- ah well...,my mind feels heavy

--do you want to tell me about it?

He shifted, a little bit uncomfortable-- seems like im having a bad self steem day

-- oh i see, do you want to elaborate?

-- Well...youre aware that I was an ex decepticon-- drift started-- I cant understand how I got so lucky...

Decepticons Hate humans..but the simple thought of anything happening to you is the singlemost frightfull thing that could ever happen to me

You know I was a bad Man.. and yet here you are...I feel like I dont deserve you-- he explained, voice full of sadness,hurt, self pity and...

Self loathing.

Thats what they couldnt pinpoint.

Jerico tightened his grip around him and nuzzled his scalp-- wanna know why im with you?

--Enlighten me, 我が 寸 (my sun)

--Because you changed sides, because you chose to do good after a lifetime of being evil. Thats why.

Deep down youre a good bot, and im dating you because I fell in love with who you are now. Not who you were

Drift smiles, letting out a hearty chuckle-- どうも (Thank you)

--you can Keep meditating if you like, ill go fetch something from the house, love you-- jeri kisses the top of his head and runs off, leaving a very flustered drift.

They return twenty minutes later, sitting behind him-- can I braid your hair?

--Go ahead

Drift could feel the way his lover's hands carefully braided strands of hair, how they made sure not to tug at it accidentally or disturb him much while he kept meditating.

Thats when he hears them sing-- True that I saw her hair like

The branch of a tree

Willow dancin' on air before covering me

Under garden and calicos

Over canopy dabbled long ago

True that love in withdrawal

Was the weepin' of me

That the sound of the

Saw must be known by the tree

Must be felt 'fore the fight, the call

Friendly fire, but that was long ago

"Ah, that song" drift thought " what was that name again 'Would that i'? Yes, thats it"

He remembered telling them he liked the drums at the start.

Then, the lyrics got to him and the last sentence struck a chord within drift.

"Friendly fire, but that was long ago"

He changed sides because one of his fellow Decepticon wanted to kill some autobot prisioners. Drift had opposed and was called a trator.

But the autobots had managed to take down the other decepticon. And the words one of the autobots had said stuck to him to this very day "you'd make a Fine autobot".

That was all it took. He chose to do good.

Drift could not see it, but jeri's eyes were half lidded as they braided his hair, sticking fake flowers on it for decoration.

-- So in awe there I stood as you

Licked off the grain

Though I've handled the wood

I still worship the flame

Long as amber of ember glows

All the wood that I'd loved is long ago-- they sang. When did jerico make their way to almost the end of the song? Drift couldnt tell.

The song and its meaning, He recalls that the creator of the song had said that “There’s a weirdly elaborate pun in it: ‘would that I’ is like a way of saying ‘I wish’”. So the last line is also “All the ‘would that I’ loved is long ago.” Which means he not only moved past his old relationships, but also all the things he used to wish for. All his dreams and hopes don’t matter to him so long as he has Her. He is content."

And that was what drift felt now. Content. His old self is gone, Deadlock, (his decepticon name) is gone and dead.

Drift was content, he was happy, and he'll remain to be happy so long as he had Jerico.

Jerico...they loved him in spite of his manic outbursts of anger (which only happen when he is suddenly startled, or when someone interrupted his meditation), in spite of his past.

He had "handled the wood". His old self. But still "worshipped the flame" which meant that he was still taking the time to discover who he truly is.

--All done-- jeri announced-- ill make some tea and be right back

Drift felt his partner kiss him Gently on the lips, settling something on his lap-- a mirror so you can see what I did

And then he hears footsteps that become distant over time.

He opens his eyes and looks at himself, braids decorating his hair with colorfull fake flowers. Drift loved it.

When jerico came back they were carrying a tray with a teapot and some snacks.

Both sit under the shade of the massive cherry blossom and drink their tea in silence.

That is, until drift puts his head ontop of theirs (that was resting on his shoulder) and says--Your hair smells like fire,

your skin like new grass and sun.

I rest in summer

He had always associated jerico with Summer.

Warmth, joy, days of enjoyment with loved ones or days inside the house with Icecream and good movies. And of course, the sun.

Jeri giggled and took his hand,kissing his knuckles-- love you

--Love you too

After their tea and putting everything away, both return to the garden, under the cool shade of the massive tree.

Drift caresses Jeri's biceps, gently, lovingly. Then he moves his hands across their trapezii and resting on each side of their neck, caressing their jaw with his thumbs.

Jeri lets out a short breathy chuckle, unable to look away from him-- you always treat me with such carefulness, a decepticon would never do that

He smiles and cups their cheeks, leaning in for a kiss.They gladly kiss back, hugging his waist and pulling him closer.

Both remain like that for a while, a long while, showing eachother through a kiss how much they loved the other.

As they part lips, their closed eyes Open, and both smile, kissing again and again until both are out of air.

Drift's fingers Gently interlaze with jeri's, his hand falling from their cheek down their neck and arm to their hand in the shape of ghostly gentle touches.

--Lets go cuddle-- he proposed-- inside, prefferably.

Both exit the garden and they get inside his vehicle mode, who drives to Jerico's house and as they leave the car, drift Mass displaces And both go up to the human's bedroom, holding hands.

As they lay down, the autobot pulls his partner close to him, his spark beating against the humans chest, and both barely notice at how their heartbeats seem to synchronize.

--I love you-- drift said giving jeri a quick kiss.

--I love you too-- they reply, kissing him again.

--Sweet dreams, my Lotus

--Sweet dreams, my warrior

Jeri Hides their head on the crook of their lover's neck, who hugs them protectively.

--Ill have sweet dreams as long as youre around-- drift flirted under his breath, to then smile as Jerico giggles.

He deserved to be where he was. He was going to be okay.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

FOR A BEAT OF HEART, THE BREATH IS SHOT. AND WITHIN A BREATH, THE HEART IS CAUGHT. THE PIPES ARE BURSTING, UNDER GREAT STRESS, BOLTS TORN ASUNDER, MAKING A MESS. A FINAL COUGH, A FINAL RETCH, A GOREY SLOUGH, CLAIMED BY WRETCH.

[homehauntsyou]

based off of this post :) i just thought it would be fun to have a place where people can vote for one

also if you have any ideas on when he got it leave them in the tags!!!

[wildbasil]

group therapy (they make each other worse)

[xxdemonicheartxx]

Most common funerary burials by flight:

Putting this one below the cut due to death mentions and burial descriptions I understand this can be a topic of discomfort no matter how vague one is when speaking on it <3

Arcane: opalization, the body is taken and layed in the shallows of intensely magic rich pools in a resting position, where it will rapidly opalize in a matter of weeks or months due to the volitile arcane energy of the land, sometimes individual scales are opalized instead and the rest of the body is cremated to be scattered amid their favorite place of study

Earth: mummification, the body is taken and embalmed, richly doused in spices, oils, and linen wraps, the organs removed are in canopic jars that resemble the dragon's own visage. Some earth mages practice petrification of the body as well upon request. Another practice is glass blowing cremated remains into colorful works of art, often colorful globes of glittering glass or glass sculptures of the deceased's visage

Shadow: the body is often cremated and the ashes greatly compressed into logs or bricks, before being soaked in spores and water to allow the mushrooms the the tangled wood to reclaim them and take them home. Other practices include burials or creating wrought iron burial markers. Celebrations of life are held around these burial sites

Light: due to the.... emperor problem.... graveyards have rapidly been destroyed and the fear of merging with Luminax sits like a stone in the heart of every imperial. Cremation is the most common practice as of now but celestial burials used to be common practice where the sun would always be able to touch you even in death (also known as sky burials) a new practice adopted from the earth flight includes taking these cremated remains and turning them into glass suncatchers

Plague: plague dragons believe that returning to the land you've survived is a must, dying of old age is a great achievement!! Often the body is returned to the land, buried or laid to be reclaimed by the ecosystem. Some more sentimental dragons or close loved ones will save scales or tan parts of wing membrane to carry close to their heart

Nature: burials are the most common practice, continuing to feed the shrieking wilds, some pathways have small markers or idols where loved ones frequent so that they can continue to pay homage in the labyrinthian jungle

Ice: ice dragons actually do not freeze their deceased, instead they take parts of membranes and tan them before tattooing a depiction of their loved one into their own hide, complete with a name, date of birth and date of death, its too cold to dig in this land so they cremate the remains and scatter them amid the tundra so in spring they can help the flowers return. The tanned memento is kept with a clan's priest, shaman, or spiritual leader with the rest of them, under expert care

Fire: forge pyres, often when fire dragons die their own heat resistance can make cremation a difficult process. So their remains are given to forge masters who are capable of reaching intense heat, working bellows and feeding the flames until the body is reclaimed by the flames. Other practices include caldera funerals, where the body is taken to be sunk in the lava of volcanoes or lava floes. Sometimes blackened skeletons can be reclaimed by loved ones in doing this

Wind: sky burials. The body is taken high up and laid under open sky for the sun and the wind to reclaim, it is believed that in doing this their spirit may continue to soar. Also refered to as celestial burials

Water: sinking of the body in designated graveyards is a common practice, often referred to as a burial at sea. Tiny tiny fragments of the dragon are often kept to be artificially put into oysters so that a pearl can be formed from their loved one's remains. Another practice is water cremation or Alkaline hydrolysis is another practice that is starting to gain traction

Lightning: the desert sand is not suitable for proper burials and grave markers aren't reliable in the shifting expanse, often the body is dehydrated first before undergoing electrical cremation, with no fluid the body will burn rapidly, the ashes then mixed with sand are placed amid one of hundreds of electrical storms with a tall metal rod in the center of the remains. To be struck by lightning turning them into "fulgurites" or "fossilized lightning" these unique and intimate structures are then returned to loved ones to be kept similarly to an urn

There are always exceptions to funeral practices. Dragons like obelisks and imperials often require additional care in the event the obelisk returns to stone or cremation is not an option for the imperial but these are the common or most popular practices in each region (non cannon)

As always I'd love to hear your own headcannons and takes too!!

[envy-stims]

penis typo stimboard

[silveredfeathers]

You matter more than being some pawn, some number, some damned rocket member, and there are indeed people out there you can trust... But since you clearly can't see that. I'm just going to stop here before we start going in circles.

Did you know there's a silver on here who's like 36

Fuck that. Fuck that. He's supposed t o be like. NINE. OR ten. I don't remember I'm not his mom.

[elia-nymmeros]

Cersei and her vision of ruling

I waited, and so can he. I waited half my life. She had played the dutiful daughter, the blushing bride, the pliant wife. She had suffered Robert's drunken groping, Jaime's jealousy, Renly's mockery, Varys with his titters, Stannis endlessly grinding his teeth. She had contended with Jon Arryn, Ned Stark, and her vile, treacherous, murderous dwarf brother, all the while promising herself that one day it would be her turn. If Margaery Tyrell thinks to cheat me of my hour in the sun, she had bloody well think again.

I love thinking about Cersei and her inefficient and ultimately doomed attempt at ruling because, beyond her faults and terrible traits as a person, she simply does not offer any valuable incentive towards anyone who wishes to follow her, as opposite to other contestants (something that I think 100% comes from Tywin), and any attempt at ruling would've failed sooner or later.

Edit: added some quotes to show some examples and tweak some stuff!

From AGoT all the way through her PoVs in AFfC, one of Cersei's main characteristics both in her personal approach to other people and in the way she tackles ruling is that she believes she's entitled to power and she's entitled to be treated as superior both as a Lannister and as the queen regent of Westeros. She routinely dismiss and berates people with lesser social power and status, she despises people who try to 'take liberties' and who don't treat her as an untouchable regent, and she's willing to hurt, torture and kill anyone who she considers a threat to her claim to rule. I personally think it's understandable that she's paranoid about traitors and people who have double intentions about her and Tommen —especially considering that in AFfC she literally just saw her son die in her arms by poison— but her problem is that she's a bad judge of character, she's been flawed in how she interprets other people's actions since AGoT, and she's incapable of adequately judging who is on her side and who is a bad option for an ally (see for example her thinking that Kevan was a traitor when he made good criticism about her as a ruler).

"The next Hand will know his place, she promised herself. It would have to be Ser Kevan. Her uncle was tireless, prudent, unfailingly obedient. She could rely on him, as her father had. The hand does not argue with the head. She had a realm to rule, but she would need new men to help her rule it. Pycelle was a doddering lickspittle, Jaime had lost his courage with his sword hand, and Mace Tyrell and his cronies Redwyne and Rowan could not be trusted. For all she knew they might have had a part in this. Lord Tyrell had to know that he would never rule the Seven Kingdoms so long as Tywin Lannister lived." AFfC, Cersei I

For me, a very hard truth about Cersei is that she absolutely suffered physical and sexual abuse from Robert, and she did not deserve neither this nor her perpetual objectification by pretty much every men in her life, but this simply does not make her entitled or eligible as a ruler by default. By Westerosi laws —which are undoubtedly misogynistic and unfair to women no matter their ability to rule— her claim as a Queen regent comes by her marriage to Robert and her sons (which are supposed to be Robert's blood). Since she decided to go all girlboss about it and put the two sons who clearly did not have Robert's blood on the throne, she actively harmed their claim and her own, and she literally created a succession crisis by having the bad luck of marrying the one family with strong genes and zero chance of having blondes in their family tree.

But let's say, alright, put the clearly Lannister boys on the throne anyways, kingship is a social construction and the Baratheons didn't really have any more intrinsic claim to Westeros than the Targaryens other than military might, fuck it; the obvious question is, what am I offering my subjects so that their support is rewarded and their loyalty is secured? This is something that, in some way or another, is answered by the other pretenders in the War of the Five Kings, even if it's in a limited capacity and with very dubious intentions: Robb offers a rule from, by and to the Northern people that takes into account their wishes and reclaims, and also offers the people of the Riverlands justice and protection; Balon offers the Ironborn a new, revitalized rule over the islands and surrounding land with the Old Way which he claimed would improve the life of his people; Renly and his alliance with the Tyrells came with the prosperous wealth of the Reach and offers of food, pardons and a generous rule by a charismatic ruler mimicking Robert's long peaceful reign. Stannis, by contrast, is the one who pushes his claim solely by his rights in Targaryen dynastic succession (if the king dies with no legitimate children, the crown should go to the next eldest brother), and we see over and over throughout the saga that this isn't enough to secure his claim, that a ruler should also fulfill their rights as a protector if they wish to be followed, that he was demanding loyalty and obedience without offering something in return and that this won't give you support no matter how legal is your claim.

"If not for my Hand, I might not have come at all. Lord Seaworth is a man of humble birth, but he reminded me of my duty, when all I could think of was my rights. I had the cart before the horse, Davos said. I was trying to win the throne to save the kingdom, when I should have been trying to save the kingdom to win the throne." ASoS, Jon XI

Compared to all this, Cersei (and Joffrey by extension, because she encourages in him what she believes are good traits for a king) simply did not have anything to offer precisely because they live under the illusion —once again coming from Tywin— that they have the intrinsic right to power and ruling simply because they're Lannisters and they should be obeyed because of this. This would be a normal thing to believe in a normal, regular dynasty —for example, I doubt Aegon IV or Viserys I or Maekar I were particularly thinking about what they could offer to their subjects, they simply gained power because they were part of a royal lineage where a Targaryen man inheriting the throne was expected— but Joffrey's claim came from a break of this succession, and Robert justified his reign both by being the descendant of a Targaryen and also because he offered Westeros peace, protection, justice and mercy if you'd been in the wrong side of the war.

""It is, Your Grace," Lady Merryweather agreed. "The High Septon should have come to you. And these wretched sparrows . . ." "He feeds them, coddles them, blesses them. Yet will not bless the king." The blessing was an empty ritual, she knew, but rituals and ceremonies had power in the eyes of the ignorant. Aegon the Conqueror himself had dated the start of his realm from the day the High Septon anointed him in Oldtown. "This wretched priest will obey, or learn how weak and human he still is."" AFfC, Cersei VI

A lot can be said about Robert's rule and what he did right and wrong, but I think one can admit that he was a man capable of pardoning his enemies' lives unconditionally (think Barristan, Balon, Jaime), he put down disagreements and fights without sending someone to be tortured to death, and traditional customs in Westeros were respected —Aerys' rule was contested precisely because he broke the right of nobles to have a trial. Cersei doesn't simply ignore all this, being particularly vicious, cruel and spiteful to her enemies/rivals even after she supposedly made peace with them, but nothing about her rule is about anything except her and her wishes: if there's a scarcity of food, then she hoards everything to herself; if there's danger to the city, she hides herself and withdraws her resources and fuck the rest of the population, noble or not; if someone comes from the rival side wanting to join their cause, then they're suspected traitors who sooner or later will be put to death; if someone says a criticism about her actions, whether genuine or not, then that person is a traitor who sooner or later will be put to death; everyone is her enemy and everyone wants her power for themselves and nobody can ever be trusted because nobody is as smart, capable, worthy and deserving of power as Cersei is.

"It took the rest of the flagon before the queen was finally able to coax the whole sad tale out of Lady Falyse. Once she had, she did not know whether to laugh or rage. "Single combat," she repeated. Is there no one in the Seven Kingdoms that I can rely upon? Am I the only one in Westeros with a pinch of wits? (...)" AFfC, Cersei VII

"Taena had drifted back to sleep by the time the queen returned to the bedchamber, her head spinning. Too much wine and too little sleep, she told herself. It was not every night that she was awakened twice with such desperate tidings. At least I could awaken. Robert would have been too drunk to rise, let alone rule. It would have fallen to Jon Arryn to deal with all of this. It pleased her to think that she made a better king than Robert." AFfC, Cersei VII

Since she doesn't care about feeding her subjects, protecting them from harm, enacting fair and genuine justice to those who need it, improving the physical infrastructure of the realm, honoring debts to foreign entities and previous agreements to other nobles, or at least diminishing the economic problems left by Robert's rule, then she (and once again, Joffrey and Tommen by extension) literally has nothing to offer anyone who wishes to follow her. She doesn't make even the attempt to pretend she cares about any of this by the time we get to AFfC, like Renly once did in ACoK, precisely because she has the mistaken and very dangerous belief that she's owed obedience and deference and the right to rule over an entire continent, and that people should somehow be grateful to obey her no matter how shitty and depraved and harmful she is to them and their families.

""The realm is at war. His Grace has need of every man." Cersei did not intend to squander Tommen's strength playing wet nurse to sparrows, or guarding the wrinkled cunts of a thousand sour septas. Half of them are probably praying for a good raping. "Your sparrows have clubs and axes. Let them defend themselves."" AFfC, Cersei VI

"When the door closed behind them Cersei poured herself another cup of wine. "I am surrounded by enemies and imbeciles," she said. She could not even trust to her own blood and kin, nor Jaime, who had once been her other half. He was meant to be my sword and shield, my strong right arm. Why does he insist on vexing me?" AFfC, Cersei VII

All of this is remarkable precisely when put in contrast with Dany, because both of their ambitions to the throne come from their belief that they're entitled to the throne above any other consideration, and both of them had little experience ruling before their ascent to power and are continuously doubted/criticized because of their gender, but what sets Dany apart is her willingness to learn from others and take care of the people who follow her. Despite all the troubles that ADwD have brought her, Dany has always been characterized by someone who attempts to protect others and is prepared to hear her subject's opinions and make actual efforts to improve their lives; many of us root for her precisely because she makes a genuine effort into being a good and fair ruler to her subjects even when she fails, even when she makes wrong choices, even when she falls short of her goal. One of the main problems in her journey has been the question of how can she become a legitimate ruler in the eyes of the Westerosi people, and she rightfully understood that she needed to offer something in exchange for loyalty, just like Stannis did.

""There's much I don't understand," Davos admitted. "I have never pretended elsewise. I know the seas and rivers, the shapes of the coasts, where the rocks and shoals lie. I know hidden coves where a boat can land unseen. And I know that a king protects his people, or he is no king at all."" ASoS, Davos VI

"Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can't protect themselves?" ASoS, Daenerys III

I believe that the fact that Cersei doesn't ever comes close to this realization doesn't just steam from her natural self-centredness, propensity to cruelty and repeated trauma in the hands of the men in her life, but precisely by the vision Tywin had about himself and house Lannister. At the end of the day, Cersei mimics not only what Tywin himself believes about their house (that they're superior, wealthier, worthier and morally above everyone else, even other noble houses), but also how Tywin behaves as a political actor (making deals in bad faith and not fulfilling them, mistreating children, women and disabled peoople, using extreme violence as a form of correction and coercion, following no moral guidance or innate beliefs other than what benefits them in the short term, etc.). They're not the only ones who exhibits this behavior (Bronn, for example, is just as self-serving and violent as them), but House Lannister, and Tywin, Cersei and Joffrey in particular, are definitely some of the most powerful and influential people in Westeros thanks to their military might and economic power, which amplifies the consequences of their selfishness to... quite scary levels.

[lady-hammerlock]

I've been having thoughts about Mouthwashing (as tends to happen once you've played or watched it) specifically about the third act (so please stop reading if you want to avoid spoilers.

Even more specifically about Jimmy's guilt and the way it's portrayed, and how the game deals with and depicts his relationship with the rest of the crew and his attempts to find redemption. The writing is so tight and well done in this game that it's only on reflecting on it after two watches that I can really appreciate everything this game did.

This rant can also be summed up as 'Why Jimmy can't fix shit.'

So we all know Jimmy has this whole 'I can fix it' attitude to his fuck ups. He doesn't actually fix anything though, not really, even in the early game. Not in the long run. The game sort of tricks you into thinking you're helping and accomplishing things because you're switching between being Jimmy and being Curly. But anything that is actually helpful in the long run is being done by pre-crash Curly.

Making the cake, getting the axe, saving Daisuke, doing the psych eval with Jimmy, comforting Anya - all Curly.

Even when he's completing seemingly helpful tasks Jimmy's efforts get them nowhere. Jimmy does get the cargo open, which gives them the mouthwash, which ultimately doesn't help anything. He also gives Curly the painkillers a couple of times, but an argument could be made as to whether even keeping Curly alive at that point is the right thing to do. There's definitely a potential metaphor in there with the forced auto-cannibalism, that Jimmy is only able to keep Curly alive by sacrificing parts of Curly in the process (like his autonomy and dignity as well as eventually his flesh).

But yeah. He's FIXING things. Like when he got that extra medicine, which ultimately allowed him to er... (checks notes) knock out and almost kill one crew member, start a chain of events which directly results in the death of a second crew member and allows a third crew member to commit suicide.

Speaking of Anya's suicide, I have been wondering whether she had already committed to it when she locked herself in that room, or whether Jimmy's yelling pushed her over the edge. The fact that the gun is already kind of out makes me think there was a lot going through her mind in that moment that we never got the chance to fully understand.

Because here's the thing about Anya and the way the game portrays her that I find so fascinating, and I have only really been able to appreciate upon reflection. There's a lot about her that we don't get to see.

I think I've already seen a couple of posts floating around that talk about how Jimmy is essentially dismissive of Anya and rude to her, but the game goes even further than that. We see, in graphic, gorey detail, the results of Jimmy's mistakes when it comes to his male crew mates. The game lingers on the tragedy and pain of Curly, who Jimmy is most concerned about, but the game doesn't even openly acknowledge what happened to Anya. There are hints and whispers, and if you join the dots, the fact that Jimmy raped her becomes pretty obvious, but it's never directly acknowledged, and I think that was a deliberate choice on the part of the creators, not because they were squeamish about that concept over all the others this game portrays, but because it is the one mistake that Jimmy made that he refuses to acknowledge himself, even mentally.

Even in the later part of the game, where Jimmy is plagued by guilt and looking for some form of redemption, it's the one act of his that he refuses to face. We see him accept responsibility for what happened to Curly, and to Daisuke and Swansea to some extent. When fighting Swansea the trick is to turn around and face what he's done. He walks towards axes as a motif. He looks directly at Swansea when he kills/remembers killing him (however you want to interpret that scene.) There's a memorial for Daisuke in the Swansea fight too, some part of Jimmy acknowledging that his role in Daisuke's death might be why Swansea wants him dead, but never any acknowledgement that what he did to Anya (which Swansea is confirmed to know about at this point) might also play a part in Swansea's anger.

In contrast, when the game asks him to Take Responsibility, the answer is to back away and not turn around to face what he's done. When confronted with that monster thing that symbolizes Anya's (and his) baby, your best bet is to avoid it and not look at it or examine it too closely. When travelling through the hallway with the ID cards, Anya's face is always covered by other cards. Even when he is learning to face what he's done, Jimmy fails to acknowledge or examine what he did to Anya, let alone 'fix it' or 'take responsibility', to the point that the game itself refuses to focus on it for too long.

And when, in the end, he does decide to face what he's done and take responsibility, he does it in the completely wrong way. Like at every other point during the game, his focus is on fixing what he accidentally did to Curly, rather than taking responsibility for what he did to Anya, and not wanting to take responsibility for what he did to Anya (when the ship docked and he maybe had to deal with rape charges on top of the unemployment) is how they got into this mess in the first place!

Anyway...

That was a bit of a ramble, but I have a lot of Mouthwashing thoughts in my mind right now. Urgh. The writing is just so fucking tight, and somehow subtle despite the over the top nature of it all. I have some thoughts regarding Swansea and Daisuke that I might post at some stage, but they'll probably be a lot more light-hearted and less rambly than this.