#i made these so long ago i have forgotten to post them lmaoo

[maglors-grief]

https://www.tumblr.com/teleit/764731859378847744?source=share

Team radioactive wastes' coping skills will never not amaze me lmaoo

Anon this is why I never venture into the hotd tags because I know if I come across posts like this then I won't be able to stop myself from responding 😭 I truly meant for this post to be short but it got pretty long so apologies for that lol. Also you sent me this ask like a month ago so sorry for taking forever to respond.

First of all, them saying "team black stans is being almost hysterical, trying to convince us that Saint Rhaenyra would never dare to kill Alicent's children" is immediately disproven by this quote in the book:

"Her first act as queen was to declare Ser Otto Hightower and Queen Alicent traitors and rebels. "As for my half-brothers and my sweet sister, Helaena," she announced, "they have been led astray by the counsel of evil men. Let them come to Dragonstone, bend the knee, and ask for my forgiveness, and I shall gladly spare their lives and take them back into my heart, for they are my own blood, and no man or woman is as accursed as the kinslayer"."

I have no idea where team green stans get the idea Rhaenyra is the bloodthirsty monster of the story because the paragraph right after that one is Aegon II saying:

"I want them attainted, I want them arrested, and I want them dead".

He said this at the start of the war, before there were deaths on either side, and yet he was still ready to kill his sister and her family. Aegon II then went on to throw a party for Aemond when Lucerys was murdered. But some people still think Rhaenyra was the monster.

Rhaenyra was willing to accept her siblings if they joined her side because she knew they had been manipulated by Alicent and Otto all their lives. While Aegon immediately wanted every single one of them dead and had to be talked down from it.

Of course I know there will be some team green stans that will say that Rhaenyra was bluffing and she would have murdered them anyways but she gave mercy to Alicent of all people simply because she was her father's wife even after declaring her a traitor and a rebel. And this was after Rhaenyra already lost multiple children because of the war and was going slightly mad from grief. Rhaenyra still didn't have Alicent killed even after Alicent mocked and belittled the deaths of Rhaenyra's sons and acted like the deaths of Rhaenyra's son mattered little compared to Alicent's own children by saying "bastard blood shed at war".

Let not have it forgotten that Rhaenyra herself did not commit any kinslaying during the war but Aegon II and Aemond did. Rhaenyra tried having mercy on her enemies who never once tried showing her and her family any.

It is insane to me how much team green stans will focus on Rhaenyra possibly killing her siblings but yet they fail to blame Alicent and Otto for making Aegon, Helaena, Aemond, and Daeron targets in the first place with all their scheming. Alicent and Otto apparently did what they did because they feared Alicent's children would be killed by Rhaenyra, so they started a deadly war that ended up killing them all anyways, it makes no sense.

I dislike that Rhaenyra gets all the blame in the tense relationship between her and her siblings. Do team green stans think Rhaenyra just woke up one day and decided to not get along with her siblings? Do they really not think that Alicent was not heavily involved in them not liking each other?

Her siblings were made to be a threat against her since day 1. Rhaenyra was a 9 year old child who just lost her mother but yet she still accepted Alicent as her stepmother when she easily could have thrown a fit over her father marrying again.

"Princess Rhaenyra poured for her stepmother at the feast, and Queen Alicent kissed her and named her "daughter". The princess was amongst the women who disrobed the king and delivered him to the bedchamber of his bride"

That was not someone who wanted to dislike her stepmother and future siblings. Alicent turned against 10 year old Rhaenyra as soon as she gave Viserys sons. Alicent was the one turned the court into two fractions.

Op said that us team black stans think: "that Otto and Alicent are the second and third coming of Satan, and they are must be blame for everything"

By the time the book mentions that 3 of her siblings have been born in the book we have seen nothing negative from Rhaenyra about Aegon, Helaena, and Aemond. But we do see multiple attempts from Alicent and Otto to discredit her and push for Aegon to be made successor:

"The amity between Her Grace and her stepdaughter had proved short-lived, for both Rhaenyra and Alicent aspired to be the first lady of the realm... and though the queen had given the king not one but two male heirs, Viserys had done nothing to change the order of succession"

"Those who asked, "What of the ruling of the Great Council of 101?" found their words falling on deaf ears. The matter had been decided, so far as King Viserys was concerned"

"Still, questions persisted, not the least from Queen Alicent herself. Loudest amongst her supporters was her father, Ser Otto Hightower"

"Even after Ser Otto had returned to Oldtown, a "queen's party" still existed at court; a group of powerful lords friendly to Queen Alicent and supportive of the rights of her sons"

They were the ones that made her siblings be her enemies by trying to rob her of her claim to the throne to give to her brother. What was young Rhaenyra supposed to do in this situation?

Also during this time is when we see Alicent say: "'Ser Criston protects the princess from her enemies, but who protects the princess from Ser Criston?' Queen Alicent asked one day at court" and I am convinced she did not say this in court, in front of other people, out of genuine concern for 13 year old Rhaenyra but as a way to slyly question the heir's virtue for the first time, something they loved using against her later on.

So yes I do completely believe that Alicent and Otto are to blame for everything. Between the years of 107 AC - 110 AC we don't see much of Rhaenyra at all but we do see Alicent and Otto actively working against her and splitting the court apart. And this is just the very beginning of their actions against Rhaenyra. In an effort to keep this post from getting insanely long, I won't even be mentioning everything they did over the next couple decades, such as being the ones who committed treason and started the Dance while Rhaenyra was minding her own business on Dragonstone.

And if we're talking about House of the Dragon, the idea that Rhaenyra would kill her siblings came from Otto Hightower. Otto was removed from his position as Hand of the King because of Rhaenyra and Alicent was trying to defend her and so I believe that Otto made up that Rhaenyra would harm Alicent's children in the future because he wanted to keep control over Alicent. He would not be there anymore to ensure they remained divided so he came up with some egregious lie to make sure Alicent would remain loyal to him and the future plan of usurping Rhaenyra.

We see no such indication from Rhaenyra herself in season 1 that she means her siblings any harm. Even in season 2 she's still incredibly reluctant to hurt that side of her family (except for Aemond because he killed her son) and was upset over the death of Jaehaerys because she didn't want to hurt Helaena.

Teenage Aegon didn't seem to feel threatened by Rhaenyra until Alicent made him feel threatened by her.

As you all know, Rhaenyra was just so scary and threatening during her time living in the Red Keep that she was somehow the one getting mistreated and bullied by Alicent to the extent she had to move to Dragonstone to get away from it 🤔 but yeah Rhaenyra was the threat and meant her siblings harm...

Otto was scheming to get a half Hightower/Targaryen on the throne before Rhaenyra was even made heir in the show. Rhaenyra got in the way by being made heir and so Otto began plotting to have the throne usurped. Alicent participated in this and helped. She raised her children to hate Rhaenyra. Alicent knew what her father had planned and did nothing to stop it. So yeah once again Alicent and Otto are the bad guys and I truly do not understand the mental gymnastics that team green stans do to defend them.

~

I was just going to ignore the rest of their post and only focus on the beginning of it because I didn't want this post getting any longer but I couldn't resist including some honorable mentions. From here on out, I'm not using the book as a reference because the original post seems to be mostly based on House of the Dragon and the person even discredits using the book as proof lol.

Op says: "As proof, you are given quotes from a book that these fans have hardly read in its entirety, their own opinion, which, of course, is an indisputable fact". - I have actually read the book in its entirety and I don't even know what to say here because yeah the proof is actually in the book and it's in the show that Alicent, Otto, and the rest of the Greens are to blame for everything. My opinion is always based on what I have seen in the book and the show. Meanwhile I believe that most team green stans have hardly even read one single page of Fire & Blood and their "proof" is usually just based on whatever their feelings are.

"Stories like Dance of the Dragons require you to dive into the personalities of both teams so you can understand the tragedy of the situation" - Op says this but then does nothing but bash all of the Blacks. They seemingly refuse to see their point of view, all while focusing on the Greens and their feelings. Doesn't seem like they have dived into the personalities of both teams because from everything they say the Blacks are all monsters while anything the Greens did can be excused. It's the hypocrisy for me because they're mirroring the exact behavior they just criticized others for.

"Your father doesn't care about you, and you don't understand why. Did you do something wrong? Why does your father love your half-sister and her children, but not you and your siblings? Why doesn't he protect you from your nephews' bullying?" - Alicent didn't protect her son from the bullying either and she was actually aware of it whereas Viserys didn't seem to be. She pretty much told Aemond that he needed to not make a fuss about it because their side of the family needed to appear united. Also why only mention Jace and Luke bullying Aemond and not the fact that Aegon was the ringleader of it all?? Jace and Luke were much younger than both Aegon and Aemond and they only wanted to impress Aegon so I think it's ridiculous that they tend to get all the blame for it while team green stans usually make up excuses for Aegon's treatment of Aemond.

"Your half-sister Rhaenyra HATES you. She shows no shame in showing her disdain, barely tolerates your existence, and never punishes her children for bullying you. She won't talk to you, won't play with you, and even seems to hate your name." In the show we don't see Rhaenyra hating her siblings. Where is her disdain? Where does she barely tolerate their existence? Where are we shown that Rhaenyra is aware her sons are bullying Aemond? Due to the large time jumps, we can't say for certainty if Rhaenyra ever did interact with her siblings or not in season 1. We only get to see one episode of Rhaenyra with her sons living in the Red Keep and it doesn't provide enough information for any of us to be making statements about her relationships with others. Also Rhaenyra is a grown woman with her own children and responsibilities to worry about, I can't blame her for not playing with her siblings.

"Your father yells at Aegon because Aemond said that Aegon is the one who lied about your nephews being legitimate Velaryons." - Yeah Viserys yelled at him but Alicent straight up slapped him right before that for not keeping an eye on Aemond even though that should be her responsibility as their mother. Aegon was forced to take the blame and get yelled at because he didn't want to blame Alicent. Maybe Alicent shouldn't have been telling dangerous gossip to her kids if she didn't want them possibly getting in trouble for it.

"Laenor dies, and you hear that Rhaenyra has married Daemon, ignoring the mourning period. You remember this man - he laughed at Laena's funeral" - Op goes on to be sympathetic towards Vaemond, neglecting to mention how Vaemond was using his eulogy for his niece's funeral to take shots at Rhaenyra and her sons. Daemon, who probably laughed in disbelief over Vaemond's audacity, is the bad guy but not Vaemond?

[sheslikealostflower]

MOX ON TOTAL DIVAS ◆ pt. 20

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

Feel free to ignore this btw if you’re tired of this conversation, I honestly would not blame you LMAOO

But I read up on your whole shadow age posts and omg. I’ve seen that debate stir up a lot on sonic TikTok of all places, where people go back and forth that he’s 15 or 50 and it’s so strange bc literally like you’ve been saying; he’s canonically ageless.

The only place his age was shown as 15 was from a leaked sonic 06 file, but, other than that, every other piece of canon material either doesn’t state his age at all or says he’s ageless.

If someone one wants to use this to view shadow as 15, that’s totally fine, but that doesn’t automatically equal it being canon information since you rlly have to dig to find it and it was never officially released. Unless SEGA or Sonic Team or someone who works there comes out and straight up states “shadow is 15” than it’s not canon evidence. Idk why that’s such a hard thing to grasp?

As someone who likes to headcanon (emphasis on this part LMAO) Shadow as physically and mentally 15, i still enjoy making and seeing “he’s an old man” jokes bc he was made so long ago and it’s also just fun to play around that Shadow’s so behind on modern day things and trying to play catch up. He’s just trying his best. But just cuz that’s my interpretation that doesn’t mean he’s canonically 15 or canonically an old man and everyone has to follow it. It’s all just for fun.

He’s still canonically ageless and immortal.

The whole shipping aspect tho is rlly where Shadow not having a real canon age is weird and causes the most uproar, as we saw. It’s understandable, but at the same time it’s just weird to see such intense debates over something so minor to the franchise. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain ships to be uncomfortable with and that have real issues, and each person has every right to dislike them. But with Shadow, bc of the age debate, I think that’s a situation where leaving it up to a persons own interpretation is fine and just leave them be bc at some point it’ll just be talking to a wall. That’s me tho.

I also think some people have forgotten there’s a line between fanon and canon, or it’s at the least very blurred for them, so they just automatically apply their fanon ideas into canon and don’t realize ppl interpret things differently. You have people who heavily use canon to inspire their works and their discussions and then you have ppl who heavily rely on their fanon ideas for that. Both are totally fine and are allowed to, and should, coexist and I think some ppl don’t remember that.

Sorry this got so long omg.

Hope you have a fantastic day tho!!!!

i'm posting this because you summarized it all flawlessly (much better than my humorous performance that was prompted because my original post was tagged as a vent post that non mutuals and blindsided mutuals decided to turn into a shitshow... completely proving my point about the current animosity and lack of reading comprehension in this fandom)

i never said people can't make shadow 15 in their fanon, i said he is canonically ageless, and people's first response was to accuse me of not knowing the sonic canon and citing nonexistent manuals and falsified links to "prove i'm wrong" or posting their fanon interpretations in my canon discussion. i can fight fanon with fanon but that doesn't negate the canon fact he's ageless, if anything it just derailed more

people can headcanon all they want, but it doesn't replace the canon ages which was the point of my vent (people replacing the canon and spreading misinformation— not because of headcanons, but because of headcanons they falsely claim are canon)

but seriously, thank you for wrapping this whole thing up as neatly as you did, cheers! xx

[an-otome-cally-correct]

What Makes Petals Red

I gave the Hanahaki AU a whirl way back when, and I didn’t realize I never posted it lmaoo. If you wanna read more of my stuff, then check here.

It wasn’t all that strange for her to be sweeping up petals in the aftermath of a wedding. They came in all shapes and sizes, their colors ranging from the purest of whites to the richest of reds, only to be scattered to the most peculiar of places and crushed under the heels of the guests as they left.

Some would have landed along the aisle, blessing the bride as she stepped into a future where she would never stand alone, while some would have settled on the seats, thrown by an overly enthusiastic flower girl that likely dreamed of being a bride herself. Some would have fallen from the arrangements that adorned the venue, having lasted as long as they could without their roots to sustain them, while some would have been victims of a curious guest, cast aside once their curiosity had been sated.

Some of the petals would be found in a haphazard pile - always near the back seats, in one corner of the hall, away from view. Petals she’d clean up from that area of the venue were always coated with a strange glaze, staining them with a thick, deep red and filling the air with a sharp, ferric scent.

Whenever she spotted petals like those, she would pause, silently wishing for even the slightest bit of peace for the heart left forever broken by the ceremony, and then she would continue with her job, sweeping up those odd petals and throwing them away with the rest of the garbage.

It wasn’t all that strange.

It wasn’t all that strange to find traces of the Flower Disease at a wedding.

The seasons she spent assisting her aunt with the family’s wedding organizing services had numbed her to the symptoms of the Flower Disease. The sight of red splattered across crushed petals, the scent of iron lingering in the air, the sound of laboured breaths in the distance - they might have once alarmed her, but nowadays, they were simply part of the business. There were no questions left to be asked.

Except sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder. 

When faced with a woman on her knees, crying her heart out while petals and blood escaped her lips with every sob. When faced with a man staining both the walls and the floor red with every punch of frustration and plea of desperation. When faced with an elder nearing the end of their days and yet still seeing the reminder of their hopeless affection each time their weakened lungs threatened to give out. 

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder why a broken heart would attend such an event, why anyone would watch a ceremony that only proved their unrequited feelings, why a person would subject themselves to that much suffering, why red would stain those petals-- But those moments of wonder were fleeting, and she never came to understand.

Frankly, she never hoped to understand.

It was easier that way.

A moment’s pity was all she could afford, and then she was onto the next assignment her aunt gave her. Only, the next wedding for them to plan was a special one.

The King of Hearts was to be married to Alice the Second, and the Queen of Hearts himself was going to oversee all aspects of the ceremony. From the flowers, to the food, to the music, to the seating - Jonah Clemence had a say in it, and although her aunt had been in the business long enough to know how to deal with such… personalities, she didn’t nearly have enough patience nor self-control. The couple themselves were pleasant people, but any decision that needed to be made would no doubt sprout a debate between the Queen and herself.

It then came to a point that working with him made progress impossible, and both she and her aunt agreed that, for the sake of the wedding’s success, she needed to take a step back. She gladly did so, relieved to be rid of the migraine-inducing Queen, but her newfound peace was short-lived. Not a day after she resigned from the assignment, Jonah Clemence marched into her aunt’s office, demanding that she be reinstated.

She vehemently refused, but then the Queen launched into the clumsiest, most roundabout speech about how much he trusted her judgement, and appreciated her input, and admired her verve, and all other sorts of sweet - yet utterly embarrassing - things, and she had never been so flustered in her entire life. By the end of it, they were both red with embarrassment, and she was certain both their hearts were hammering in their chests, a small voice in the back of her mind wishing it was for the same reasons.

After a declaration like that, she couldn’t possibly refuse, not that she wanted to anymore, and she came to see him in a new light. Jonah Clemence was still annoying, but tolerable. He still challenged her every decision, but it wasn’t out of malice or distrust like she had initially assumed. It was only out of the pure, simple want for two dear people in his life to have the wedding they deserve, and she was determined to make it happen, not just for the couple, but also for the person so fervently supporting them.

Days, weeks and months of planning, and the Queen of Hearts was always present for everything. He had turned into such a common presence that it almost felt… lonely walking the streets of Cradle without hearing him comment on a flower shop’s arrangements, or a restaurant’s menu, or a clothing brand’s aesthetic. She’d find herself counting the minutes before she could see him again, enjoying every second she was with him, dreading the hours when he was away, and as the date of the wedding drew nearer, she realized she didn’t want to spend her days without him beside her.

She realized she had fallen in love, and she swore that once the King of Hearts’ wedding was over, she’d tell him how she felt, but when the ceremony ended and all the guests had moved out into the Garden for the reception, she spotted a trail those odd petals again - crushed and bloodied, purposefully kicked to the side in a poor attempt to hide them.

Immediately, she picked up a broom to dispose of them. She had promised the Queen of Hearts that nothing would ruin this day for the King and his wife, and leaving such a tragic sight like those stained petals in plain view would simply not do. So, she swept them away as she usually would, only, she didn’t find a haphazard pile at the end of the trail.

It was Jonah Clemence, crouched down with tears streaming down his face, blood trickling from his lips and hands holding onto crushed petals.

“Jonah?” she quietly called out, his name escaping her before she could think of what to say.  The Queen froze at the sound of her voice, but whatever fear or shame he might have felt was forgotten as another coughing fit racked his body. Quickly, she pulled out a handkerchief from her skirts and dropped to her knees so she could wipe away the tears and the blood from his face, all the while whispering gentle words to soothe him.

“You did your best, Jonah,” she quietly told him as she began using the sleeves of her own dress, her handkerchief not nearly enough to contain his grief. “I’m certain you did your best.”

“All I wanted… was, was for them to be happy. The both of them,” he stammered in between stifled sobs and bursts of petals. “If they found happiness, I was… I-I was certain I would be happy as well, but… but why aren’t I?”

Watching him crumble like all those that came before him, she could feel her eyes prickle with her own tears for she knew full well that his affections were a lost cause, and with how helpless his situation was, the only thing she could offer was a shoulder to cry on. She had never hoped to understand the reasons as to why broken hearts still attended weddings, but with him in her arms, she realized it could only be love.

Love-- Not the kind of love that had one wanting their beloved for themselves, but the kind of love that had one wanting their beloved to be happy. 

Pure. 

Selfless. 

Tragic.

“I’m sorry, Jonah,” she whispered, pulling the stubborn man into an embrace, not caring for the tears and blood that would stain her dress, ignoring the ice that crept up her own heart. “You deserve happiness. You deserve so much love and joy and I’m so, so sorry it had to be this way.”

She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, on the floor in each other’s arms, with her running a hand up and down his back in an effort to soothe him while she herself fought to keep all her raging emotions in check. They only parted when someone came looking for the Queen of Hearts, and she did the best she could to make him presentable once more. He was still coughing up petals, but he was in a much better state than he was several minutes ago.

“Thank you,” he told her, quiet and sincere, as he held both her hands in his. “I apologize for letting you see me in such a disgraceful state, and ruining your dress, but… thank you for staying with me.” Gently, he squeezed her hands, and a warm expression graced his features. His eyes were red and swollen from the tears, but the smile he wore was nothing short of radiant. “I wish for your own happiness, as well…”

She managed a chuckle. “Didn’t you once say my ‘uncouth behaviour’ would scare every man I meet?”

“Only those that don’t deserve you,” he cheekily added, giving her hands one last reassuring squeeze before letting go. “Although if you do come across a man who doesn’t fear you, I would have to meet him myself. I can’t trust your judgement when it’s clouded by your emotions.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “In other words, you need to check if he’s good enough for me.” If she had heard those words before the wedding, it would have sent her heart somersaulting, but now, there was only a dull throb and a bitter taste in her mouth.

Rather than a usual roundabout reply, he just simply smiled. “I truly wish you all the best.”

She offered him a smile of her own, praying that it didn’t betray her. “And I, you.” She allowed herself a moment to savour the warm moment before gently pushing her hands against his chest. “Now go on, go. How dare you keep the King of Hearts waiting.”

“What about you?”

“I just need to finish up here, and I’ll be out shortly.”

“I suppose saving you a seat wouldn’t be too much trouble.”

With a shake of her head, she snorted. “I’d appreciate it if you’d do me that favor.” Satisfied with her response, the Queen of Hearts stalked out of the hall and joined the rest of the crowd.

Once alone, she picked up the broom again and attempted to finish disposing of the stained petals that littered the ground, only for something to catch in her throat and forcing her to cough into her palm. When she pulled her hand away, she found petals coated with her own blood. She stared at them for a long while before tossing them with the rest of the petals that needed to be disposed. 

For her to be sweeping up petals like those in the aftermath of a wedding...

It wasn’t all that strange.