#i was also thinking but that would be like... god in the dandy which is a likely thing to happen but not really

[ghostieliving]

Dandy ex machina: when Lord Akeldama's drones swoop in and save the main characters from perilous situations

[deer-diary-from-hell]

Redesigned all of the Dandy world (+my take on the game)

”But Liam/deer didn’t you alr posted these-“

you didn’t see anything.

HEADCANONING TIME WWOOOOO

I like to think that ALMOST all of the toons just think they’re just playing a game of tag while collecting ichor like it’s a “capture the flag” thing. It’s in their blood (or ichor) to just be a bunch of childish and playful creatures, they are MADE for kids so it’s not really out of character of them to NOT think that twisteds are dangerous let alone kill them which cause them to see things differently (literally)

(still talking about this👆) If you start the game at first it’s all bright and colorful like something you would see out of a kid’s show, there’s happy music playing in the background all fun and games! Until you get hit by a twisted and lose a heart. Thats when the reality kicks in. Music stops as the colors slowly go back to the sad reality of an abandoned studio/daycare. These twisteds weren’t playing.. they were trying to kill you. This effect is irreversible even if you go back to full health. The shine in their eyes are gone. They aren’t laughing anymore, this isn’t funny. They’re scared.

(Note to self, each toon will have a traumatized look on their face after getting injured and will stay traumatized even after being healed+also applies to a toon when they witness a death of another toon)

I like to think that the twisted are like a “Failed” version of a toon, a toon that wasn’t the exact replica of itself so, it was locked away in the underground as it contorts into it’s biggest flaw(s) might design the twisteds if I feel like it.

If a toon witnessed another toon getting hit they’ll still be oblivious but concerned for their fellow friend

The twisteds prob growls and snarls due to their throats being filled with nothing but ichor, constantly leaking from their mouths as they try to kill you out of jealousy that YOU don’t get to be thrown away like a broken toy and instead cherished by children while they were called a mistake and now you’re going to experience the same pain they went through.

on a lighter note, the toons stole the clothes they’re wearing from the lost and found shortly after being abandoned and threw away their old clothes.

dandy needs those tapes so he doesn’t turn into a twisted. He wants to protect his friends from himself.

Ichor while being dangerous can be used to bring back a dead toon, only dandy knows this. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the toon doesn’t remember how they died after being revived

All toons are asexual. (Gets booed off the stage)

Do you think toons are desperate for interactions after being abandoned for god knows how long.

Astro, Vee and Shelly are the ones who don’t have the “fake reality” sight going on and knows that they’re actually in danger although for Shelly she’s sorta in denial (and ig Teagan and Rodger too? But the both of them just thinks that the twisteds aren’t really that dangerous and thought they wont kill their fellow toons)

might add more hcs soon but prob in later posts

Guys please ask for hcs for any toons you like please I’m begging on my knees I’LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING.

[marzipanandminutiae]

Since you recently reblogged that post about women's clothing, here's what the OP said in her tags in a post about defending corsets/skirts/parasols - needless to to say your tags about them hating people who enjoy those kinda things were spot-on

-------------------------

Good fucking god.

Yeah, I read the whole post in your other ask with the link (I'm not adding it because frankly I don't need more of this horseshit in my life). It was basically them taking someone commenting on the OVERWHELMING trend in historical fiction of making all women who have anything of value to say absolutely despise Gross Icky Skirts and Corsets And (in at least one case I've seen) Parasols

(while also making them baseline Modern Feminine AttractiveTM, and that's definitely a facet of the conversation worth having, too. oh, your heroine eschews corsets because she's Liberated? funny because her tits look perfectly supported. forming cleavage, even. almost like she's. wearing a bra. and her hair, that is loose and not pinned up because Hair Up = Repression is perfectly iron-curled and magically never in her way. hmmmmm.)

and this person responded to that sarcastically like "YEP YOU'RE RIGHT IT WAS ALL FINE AND DANDY FOR 100% OF WOMEN FOREVER!!! THAT'S TOTALLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!!! HEEHEE I PUT YOUR POST UNDERWATER BECAUSE IT'S DUMB!!!"

which like. for the love of. just stop; that is so clearly not what was being said

as for the tags, she probably thinks she's being even-handed by acknowledging that some poor backwards souls THOUGHT they liked these things, as they were misguidedly "fighting against progress," but of course they had no other options so they didn't REALLY like any of it. which is just so infantilizing to me

look, the fight for women to be allowed to wear trousers was huge and important. because some women wanted to wear trousers! and do manual labor jobs that require wearing trousers, from which women had historically been excluded! and women who want to wear trousers should be allowed to do that; gendering Lower Half Fabric Tubes is stupid, we're all going to die, and you should adorn your meat-suit in a way that makes you feel comfortable (mentally and physically) and happy and confident!

but. it was a fight for options. it was a fight for choice. it wasn't happening because one garment was good and the other was, to quote The History of the World I Guess, an Evil Virus of Satan. did some dress reformers frame it that way? yes! because humans are human and some humans deal in absolutes! but they didn't represent All Women, any more than the ones who thought wearing trousers was scandalous did

and moreover, this is still coming at things from a baseline assumption that corsets and long skirts- and again, weirdly parasols? women weren't like required to carry parasols at all times back then; do people know that? light skin as a beauty standard is a big conversation to have, but there was no Parasol Law or anything -are universally impractical and uncomfortable. and that any woman who doesn't feel that way must be either brainwashed or intentionally impeding progress

the fact that, in a time when not only are western women are fully allowed to wear trousers but skirts and dresses are seen as inherently formal for some reason, some women STILL feel their happiest and most comfortable in them (and some people of other genders, too!) is proof that you don't have to be a mindless slave of the patriarchy to like these things. if someone came to me and said "you have to give up your skirts and burn your corset; Progress is here!" I would punch them in the face. and I'm a left-wing, feminist lesbian

nobody forced me to dress like this- in fact, society would probably rather I didn't, because it's not making fast fashion companies any money and it's not #ontrend. I grew up primarily in jeans and t-shirts like most kids, teens, and young women nowadays. I chose this completely absent any societal pressures to do so, and indeed, in the face of pressures to NOT present the way I do

and if someone can choose it without that kind of pressure...don't you think there just might have been women who would have kept wearing what they wore even with broader options available? without being Horrible Deluded Serena Joys or whatever?

also I'm sorry but claiming that modern clothes- and implicitly by the rest of the text, modern trousers in specific -have the same breathability as a natural-fiber skirt over a hoop is just hilarious. they may work better for ~your specific lifestyle~ as OP condescendingly phrases it, but wrapping your legs in plastic (or even tight-fitting cotton twill!) is just not going to have the Breeze Capabilities of putting a lampshade around your waist

...not sure why I even wrote this, since in the comments on the original post OP freely admitted that they weren't reading any rebuttals anyone wrote because "women were jailed for wearing pants [which they were sometimes! but that's not the beginning and end of the conversation!] so I don't need your paragraphs." this attitude always comes back to having set ideas about history that you're not willing to have challenged. anyway.

[alittlebitofwonk]

Etho is familiar with the weird rules that come with being a server admin. He’s known Xisuma long enough to know that being an admin comes with perks, but also sometimes just… weird shit. He doesn’t pretend to get all of it, but he knows enough.

So, when the admin of a completely different server suddenly drops into spawn, fighting with his com and cursing up a storm, Etho isn’t really that surprised.

What does surprise him is that the admin is… handsome. Really handsome. And also vaguely familiar, though Etho really only knows him through association. When you create one of the largest multinational, multilingual servers of all time, you gain a reputation.

“You alright?” Etho asks as Quackity (he’s pretty sure that’s his name) picks himself up, still muttering profanities as he dusts himself off.

“Yeah, just fine and dandy, if it weren’t for the fucking Hypixal transport fucking sending me to the wrong server again,” Quackity mutters, before pausing and sighing. “I’m… sorry. It’s been a long day.”

“Getting tossed into the wrong server must be jarring,” Etho says, sympathetic. It’s mostly admins that get that particular shaft, but it’s happened to him once, and it was… very confusing. “You’re an admin for the QSMP, right?”

Quackity looks up from his com, clearly trying to figure out where he is, and nods, smirking slightly. “I’m THE admin for the QSMP. The server has my name on it, after all.”

“I thought you were Quackity,” Etho mutters, watching as Quackity types a quick message, probably to Xisuma, before slipping the com away.

Quackity grins at him, leaning forward so he’s on the balls of his feet, honeyed wings keeping his balance, “Well, since you know me it would be a shame not to get myself acquainted with such a handsome man.”

It startles a laugh out of Etho, especially considering he was just thinking about how attractive the avian was. “Etho,” he says, awkwardly sticking out his hand, “Welcome to Hermitcraft!”

Quackity visibly relaxes as he shakes Etho’s hand. “Thank God this is Hermitcraft. I could’ve ended up somewhere so much worse.”

“You’re thinking 2b2t, I’m guessing.”

“Or any other anarchy server, they eat admins for breakfast,” Quackity says, repressing a shudder, and for the first time, Etho realizes his wings are clipped. Which is really odd, given that he’s, y’know, an admin. Maybe he clips them himself?

“Well, you’re in safe hands here,” Etho promises, and Quackity raises his eyebrow and smirks. “That’s not what I—“

“I mean, I’d hold your hand if you want,” Quackity says, and then laughs when Etho turns about five different shades of red in two seconds.

It's only then that Etho notices that it's beginning to get dark, the sun inching towards the horizon, and they're still at spawn. He gets the feeling that Quackity isn't going to be finding his way back anytime soon, so he turns to the admin and asks, "do you want to come back to my base with me?" Just as Quackity begins to snicker, something witty already on the tip of his tongue, Etho adds, "before it gets dark! To, uh, get away from the mobs. I have a spare bed."

"Damn, and here I was thinking I might bet to slip into yours," Quackity says, and damn he's smooth. Etho feels like an idiot with all his stammering and blushing, but Quackity doesn't seem to mind in the slightest. "Lead the way."

[pumpkinsy0]

hcs of the gang helping pony when he's anxious?

who keeps asking for hcs about pony being anxious,,,r u ok,,,

•pony would actually appreciate darrys ‘a bit to tight’ hugs here, it makes him feel protected and safe

•darry and soda calling him baby and honey,,,aw yea

•two bit tries cracking jokes to make it seem like whatever hes anxious about isnt not so bad

•they steal him a sweet lil treat, and by they, i mean dallas, he jokes saying “ur stressing me out now”

•johnnys rlly the only person he goes into depths about it w, soda also knows but he doesnt talk about it for too long

•pony bounces his leg when hes restless and someone puts a hand on him which grounds him a tad

•pony also has a habit of picking at his nails and skin a little so they just, got him a stress ball or somethin, anything to distract him for a while

•pony honestly just wants to stay inside and cooped up for a while, but they keep dragging him outside, and yea thats all fine and dandy, at some point the rlly should just let him be and someones there to tell them to just back off for a bit

•soda will make ponys favorite food (he tried doing this cool food dye technique but ts just looked straight brown so,,,)

•personally i dont think steve would say MUCH to pony, BUT he wouldnt hesitate to be w the kid and make sure hes safe and doesnt wander off god knows where

[tragicallycrispygirl]

Oh my god Slayer. Slayer is real in Strive. Here are some interesting things in his trailer.

After using Bloodsucking Universe and then landing what seems to be It's Late (which is interesting itself because It's Late requires a Dandy Step and Under Pressure to come out,) the COUNTER! text is replaced with UNIVERSE! It would honestly be nice if the counter looked different somehow to differentiate between the forced counter and a normal counter.

While it looks like maybe his teleport forward dash has been removed, it seems like his backdash is still a teleport, and also potentially cancelable with a forward dash? It's unclear, but it looks like he follows up this with a dash 5K.

An edit: after looking at it closer, he's cancelling it with what seems to be a new move (it's like a... two hand push?) that is then cancelled into 5K, or a dash 5K. BDC appears to still be in the game!

Dandy Step also seems to potentially have different properties: This is ABSOLUTELY Dandy Step, it has the same smear effect that Xrd Dandy Step does, but this just... happened. No backwards movement. There is one with backwards movement, but maybe P Dandy Step is just the forward bit? (Also, Strive players, pls help, can you normally move through Scapegoat I can't remember.)

I think the most interesting thing is that Slayer looks significantly older in this new design, except when landing what looks to be a command grab overdrive (similar to Heavenly Potemkin Buster, where you can combo into it.) After grabbing Sol and taking a big chomp out of his neck, he looks younger than even his designs in previous games.

All in all he looks unreasonably fucking cool. And so awesome. And cool. Clothes de-install. Except his tie. Why did he do that.

His new English voice actor is also AWESOME, AND THEY BROUGHT BACK HIS AWESOME JAPANESE VOICE ACTOR HES SO FUCKING COOOOOOOL AUUUUGH

[that-one-xachster]

Megumi x Childhood Bestie!Reader Hcs

I've seen too many of these and needed to write a few heh ive actually never written hcs before so this is my first time 😅 kinda a slow burn?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

so first of all you were tsumiki's bestie because I haven't seen a hc like that yet (PLEASE I NEEDA SEE ONE OF THESE-)

and we'll also make fushi's mom besties with your mom

so now you two are besties since you were in diapers

and you were a very grabby baby and Fushiguro's hair is as wild as carpaccios from mashle-

(sorry not sorry)

so you'd just grab at his hair and pull it all the time which would annoy the hell out of him

which would then somehow end up in you two fighting

AS BABIES

and then your mother's would have to calm you down

and after the whole toji and mother fushiguro went bye bye your mom took in megumi and tsumiki

so now timeskip you're both 6 years old and just walking together from who knows where

and if you thought you grew out of these grabby tendencies no you're either grabbing his hair or his sleeve

yes it still annoys the hell out of him but you do it for shits and giggles

and then on this fine day you just happen to run into the gojo satoru

LMAO MY AUTOCORRECT ALMOST CAPITALIZED HIS NAME

anyway this guy is making his ever so iconic face like 'bro reminds me of his dad-'

anyway gojo doesn't know who you are so you're just standing there awkwardly behind megumi while you're now gripping his backpack

and you're just glaring at gojo for no reason at all for sure just thinking 'who the hell is this weird ahh man with hair like he's in his 70s tryna kidnap megumi 🤨🤨'

and ofc megumi pulls the 'what about my sister' card

and after the whole negotiation with megumi he turns to you and is like 'you can come along too ig'

and ofc you watch megumi so you pull the 'what about my parents' card

gojo's like 😀

anyway you somehow end up going to school with megumi and tsumiki and first day kindergarten no surprise you guys are the new kids

everyone I mean EVERYONE loves tsumiki ofc

a partial reason is because of you and megumi glaring at the people who you think are looking at her a lil funny

like sir ma'am CHILD how dare you

anyway you have a pretty peaceful elementary school

you do pick fights with megumi though

...and a whole lotta other people

you stopped in middle school but looks like megumi picked it up instead because yk he beat up a hefty amount of people

you stanned him for that

also hyping him up from the back

"YEAHH MEGUMI BEAT THEIR ASS"

"shut up."

"no."

".."

"anyway YOU GO MEGUMI BEAT EM UP-"

"sHUT-"

so that was pretty eventful but tsumiki did not approve which caused you to sulk next to megumi

but then yk she went to the cliff and shit went down real fast

tsumiki got cursed, you entered your depressed angsty teenager era, and megumi became emo. more so than he was before

"oh my god its worse than they thought- they made him EMO-"

^ thats megumi now but we all like pretty emo bois so

wItH tHeIr bLaCk hAiR aNd gReEn oRbS-

too bad megumi has blue eyes

>>>>>>

see this is why asians don't have blue eyes we'd be too powerful

anyway back to this you two finish middle school all swandy dandy but a lil depressed

oh and I don't think I mentioned you two got into a fight bc of tsumiki's sickness

like-

megumi: you're closer to tsumiki bc you two are girls why didn't you stop her from pulling random crap whatever she did to make her sick

you: BITCH you blaming ME? you wanna go?

yeah basically you two got into a stupid argument but oh well its fine bc gojo forced you two to talk again and yay you're talking again

and now first year into jujutsu tech you and megumi are the only students so you're still poking and grabbing him all the time

you did it less in middle school

I think we know why

like you're in the car going to a mission- his hairs being tugged

got off the car and walking his sleeve being tugged

everthing

literally everthing

my bros grown immune to it though so he doesn't really mind

he kinda likes it now but will never admit it

so let's say before you got ranked up and all your arm almost got blown off by a curse

needless to say tsumiki's accident really hit him hard so this hit him harder and when I say he got angry he got ANGRY ASF DUDE

like he freakin obliterated the damn curse

he also made it pretty painful

if you even can

and let his demon dogs casually eat it up

and you're just there like 👏👁️👄👁️

"it's not that deep bro-"

"yes it is"

gojo was very proud though

and now you're with him stalking itadori and you're like

woah

*1 braincell working*

itadori = fast

fast = speed

I am speed

ITADORI = LIGHTNING MCQUEEN

kachow

and when you finally confront your stalkee with megumi and itadori's like

"uh I'm mourning rn"

you're just

"thats great and all dude I totally feel you but you're gonna be mourning even more if we don't get our asses to your school"

you did not want to host multiple funerals

so you all speed ran to his school

and whoopsie doosies you're with megumi and itadori makes an entrance like the main character he is

and when my bro eats that finger

and gojo pops up

he throws the kikufuku at megumi

but its okay hope you have a good day imma send you bout 850-

LMAO SORRY

you steal the kikufuku from megumi and eat one as if its popcorn

well you're watching gojo and sukuna fight rn

and you accidentally admit out loud that sukuna's hot

and then megumi low-key side eyes you

BUT THEN HE STARTS FULL ON GLARING AT SUKUNA

bc how dare he some random goofy ahh old mf misongnyistic tatooed dude just steal your attention so casually

he's full on disgusted when he's face to face with sukuna

yes you notice this

you're like

"ooh did somebody get a crush on a thousand year old curse-"

"wtf no get some help"

its the opposite lmao but you don't know that

so then itadori turns back to normal gojo goes boop and he goes to sleep

and now you're here sitting next to megumi, eating Gojo's kikufuku and having the time of your life

holy this is so long imma do a part 2

fun fact my autocorrect always changes sukuna into skunk 🦨

smelly sukuna

[aureliosinistrum]

Hey it's me, temple man. Today I present to you a temple dedicated to Apollo! It's a remake from a previous design, and takes more Hellenic influence than Roman in it's architecture

I once again have challenged myself with making something of monumental scale. Super fun to build, and very time consuming. Overall, I'd say it was a success, and I learned many new things about building while working on it.

As you can see, it's more Greek than Roman, which I thought would be cool to do. I also added this big dome on the top, inspired by the one in Pantheon. That means there is this spotlight inside the temple that moves as the day goes on. If you have your sun position set to zero (like the vanilla sun), it'll actually illuminate the 3 statues of Apollo I made. First the sun, then the lyre, and finally the bow.

As you can also see, I put some handy dandy Latin on the temple. I'm not the best of Latinists, but I tried writing "In dedication of Apollo and of the Gods". I couldn't find anything for ancient Greek, so apologies lol.

I also did this one with mainly vanilla blocks. One day, I'm thinking about posting this world for download, so having as little mods as possible would be preferable, to make the installation process easier.

(also, not sure who the last guy in the final picture is. He just kind of walked in here one day. Who the fuck even is Will S.? /j /ref)

[fanficcrow]

Catch Me

tasm peter x reader

Ok so, this one isssss technicalllyyyy dual pov, but there’s a lot more of your pov.

a/n: I found a prompt generator :3 As always, no use of y/n! also basically co-written by @petalpaw4 bc of the amount of ideas they’ve given me 💀

Warnings: Nothing really, just fluff! maybe light weirdo!peter bc he pretends he’s never met the reader before :3

please rb and comment if you like the story! your words are what help me write <3

Your POV

It all started at the gas station near your apartment.

You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. You swear this stuff always happens to you, it’s like you’re a bad luck charm.

The thief’s angry yells jar you out of your state of self reflection. “I swear to god you old hag, if you don’t give me all the money in the register, I'm gonna shoot this bitch!” Suddenly he swings his gun, and now you’re staring right down the barrel.

Your heart stops, more than anything hoping for a hero to show up and save you. Is this really how I’m going to die? You think. That’s really shitty. You had just started college, haven’t even had a chance to really see the world, and now it’s all over? Fuck, this blows.

The woman at the register nearly trips over herself in her rush to get the money out of the register when suddenly, the bell on the door jingles. The thief whips his head around to see who’s there, but before he can even blink his gun shoots out of his hand.

“Woah dude, you gotta be more careful with things like this!” He said, gently tossing the gun up as he shot a web at it, sticking it to the wall. The man’s grip on you slackens, and you shove off of him before stumbling straight into Spider-man.

He catches you deftly with one arm, sending your heart racing. “Did no one ever teach you how to treat a girl? His eyes momentarily darken and you feel a shiver go through you. Apparently some things can make the notorious comedians get serious.

He glances over at you before letting go of your waist. “I’ll take care of this guy for you.” He winks…. or as close as he can get to with that mask on, which doesn’t really have the same effect.

Spider-man had the man wrapped in webs and hanging from the ceiling in a matter of moments. Really, the robber couldn’t have put up less of a fight. It’s like he gave up as soon as spiderman started walking towards him.

“I hope you don’t mind hanging out.” Spider-man said brightly with a small giggle. “Get it, get it; cause I-“ He cut off, noticing the thief’s heated glare.

He sucks in a breath. “Geez, tough crowd, huh.” He says before turning to you.

It was like fireworks. As soon as he locked eyes with you, you were sure you were in love.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“I- uhm, I ah.” You fumble. Shit, why aren’t words coming out???! You clear your throat. “Yep, I’m just dandy!” You wince at the crack in your voice.

Spider-man laughs again and you cover your face, burning with shame.

“Well, I’m glad you’re alright, I hate seeing pretty girls cry.” He winks at you…. again.

Pretty???? Spider-man thinks I’m pretty????? You’re absolutely sure you’re about to implode when you hear him clear his throat.

“Well, I, um- I have to go! Lots of world-saving to do, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man stuff- you know how it is.” He gives you a quick smile and runs out the door, swinging away before you can even choke out a reply.

Peter’s POV

His heart beats wildly as he swings off into the night. Who would’ve thought that he’d run into her while he was out superheroing?? Just his luck that he would look good in front of the cute barista while he was in a mask. He groans. Just great.

——1 week later——

Your POV

The campus map rustles in your hands as you smooth out the creases. Ever since that run in at the gas station you’ve been more jittery, moving to a new city is stressful enough without running into danger.

Although….. danger might mean seeing him again. You think back on the robbery and how quickly Spider-Man handled the situation. It’s odd, but as soon as spider-man showed up you weren’t scared. Almost like he radiated a calming energy that affected all the people around him.

You put a pause on your daydreaming and actually try to find the class you’re supposed to get to. It’s the first day of college and you only have 2 lectures to get to, but it’s gonna take you a while to find them…

As you walk the map obscures most of your vision, so you don’t notice the boy walking down the sidewalk towards you.

Peter’s POV

Peter walks with his head down, loud music blasting in his ears. Like most of his free time, currently his head is full of plans to ask the cute barista out. He’s thinking through the ending of another fantastical plan when suddenly a girl runs into him, dropping her map.

It flutters away on a chill autumn gust and the girl curses loudly. He turns back to her, apologizing profusely, when he realizes the girl he’s been fantasizing about is standing right in front of him.

“I- I am so sorry…. oh my god..” He curses quietly to himself. “Is there any way I can pay you back?”

She looks at him, and he can’t explain it, but it seems like something briefly flickers along her expression. “It’s fine, the map wasn’t much help anyways.” She chuckles self-deprecatingly and his heart twists. “But…..” She looks up at him. “If you could show me where to find Anthropology 101 I wouldn’t mind.” She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Peter’s heart leaps. “I have that class!!” He says excitedly. “I could walk you there, since we’re going the same direction anyways.” He looks on eagerly waiting for her response.

Your POV

Your irritation fades as the boy talks, stumbling through his words. He’s so nervous it’s almost funny. “Yeah, sure.” You say. His eyes light up as you nod. “Lead the way!” You gesture vaguely around. “Otherwise we’ll be walking in circles all day.” You chuckle self-deprecatingly.

He nods and starts walking, but before he turns he calls out. “Oh, I’m Peter by the way.”

[luminouslywriting]

Chapter 22 (Mastermind)—MOTA Fic

A/N: Also a fun chapter that I think you’ll all enjoy 😉 so let me know what you think and don’t forget that my requests are open for this fic!

Late May 1944

Ruth found that sleep was running away from her, far away—in the other direction as fast as it could.  And it wasn’t just because the invasion of Normandy was coming up and that was in and of itself stressful to every single person on the damn base, but more so for those who were planning the thing.  Her lack of sleep was very simple, really. 

After reaching the 28 missions, Rosie had insisted that he stay and the rest of the men could go home on their tour.  Which would have been fine and dandy, and Ruth probably would still be sleeping just fine—except for the fact that Abe had insisted on staying by Robby’s side. The boy had every opportunity and chance to go home and he didn’t want to go.  Didn’t want to leave Robby without a proper navigator.  Didn’t want to leave Ruth on her own with Liesel. 

So now Ruth was left with Robby and Abe still going up in the skies for godforsaken missions that always left her feeling worse than before.  Because surely, the more they went up, the more likely God would be to strike them down for challenging their good fortune and fate.  You don’t tempt God like that, you just don’t. And no amount of Ruth’s prayers were going to change that. 

That was her first problem.  Her second problem was Robert Rosenthal entirely.  Ever since the mission number had been changed, things had been off.  She’d been the same as always, clinging to her own biting remarks and sarcastic comments—the thrill of arguing with one another ever so appealing.  He had been the one to take a step back from all of that and be so sickeningly nice to her that there was almost no appeal in being mean to him anymore.  

But that wasn’t what was keeping her up at night. 

No, the thing that kept her up at night was that damningly haunting kiss that she was certain would linger in the back of her mind like some sort of tattoo or brand.  It never should’ve happened in the first place, heat of the moment be damned.  She shouldn't have propelled that or encouraged that sort of behavior, not when her reputation was already practically in shambles. 

She had heard what some of the new men had been calling her.  Rosenthal’s bitch.  Rosenthal’s whore.  As if she were some sort of property or object that belonged singularly to Robert Rosenthal—as if he could ever be so lucky to hold even a fraction of her time or affections in any universe. She hadn’t minded the names before, but the tie to Robby was more than enough to make her blood boil. 

That stupid Major with his stupid promotion and his stupid mustache and his stupid hair gel and his stupidly soft hands that she wished were touching her right now in this moment and goodness, she was feeling quite heated and damp and—

Ruth sat straight up in the bed.  Hell no, not today.  No more wet dreams about Robert freakin’ Rosenthal, not today, not ever.  No thank you, Lord.  It only took her a few seconds to glance at the clock and be annoyed.  It was far too early for the day to have started but she didn’t really have a choice now. 

Starting her prayers, she immediately prayed for the physical attraction to Robert Rosenthal to cease immediately—because that just wasn’t fair or right, after all.  After finishing up her prayers, Ruth hurried to dress. 

As soon as she had entered the bathroom, she found Liesel knocking at the door.  Ruth felt a modicum of guilt run through her—Liesel’s sleep shouldn’t suffer just because Ruth was feeling particularly horny.  God, maybe she should’ve just taken Bucky’s advice and gotten laid or something.  

“It’s early, you should get some sleep,” Ruth apologized quietly. 

“You said you’d help me with my English,” Liesel replied quietly. 

“That I did,” Ruth remembered with a nod.  “Should we head to the Mess Hall and I can help you there?” 

Liesel just gave a nod.  “That would be fine.” 

A few moments later, the two women found themselves in the Mess Hall—which was mostly deserted.  It would be at least another hour before breakfast was ready to be served to anyone, but they had English homework to do.  Ruth had just been in the middle of helping Liesel with a paragraph about a politician in England (they had chosen Winston Churchill), when Abe came sauntering over. 

“Hey!  I see Ruthie’s enrolled you in her early morning School Boot Camp!” Abe exclaimed, giving a large grin to Liesel. 

The two of them had become somewhat of friends within the last few months and Ruth was altogether certain that without Abe, Liesel would be even more reserved than she already was.  Liesel gave an innocent smile in Abe’s direction as he joined the family members at the table.  

“Is she always this bossy?” Liesel questioned, raising a brow. 

“From the day my mother discovered she was pregnant with her, yes,” Abe answered solemnly, earning himself a flick to the head from Ruth. 

“If I recall, I helped you with plenty of papers too, Mr. Math-Is-Better-Than-English.” 

“It makes more sense to me!  And I always said thank you!” Abe added in a defensive tone. 

Liesel grinned and gave a laugh.  “You both remind me of Sveta and Herman.”

At that, the teasing slightly died down.  Sveta and Herman were Liesel’s older siblings by two years.  They had been twins and as far as any of them knew, they were both dead now.  It was getting easier for Liesel to mention her family members, but still remained a somber topic amongst the group. 

“To be fair,” Ruth stated lightly.  “I argue with just about everyone I meet.” 

“And ne’er a truer statement has been made,” Came the familiar tone of Robert Rosenthal from a few feet away.  

Ruth almost gave a sigh.  There was just no escaping him—not in dreams and certainly not in reality.  But there he was, a grin on his face and some chocolate in hand for Liesel.  “Are you here to argue as well?” Ruth questioned, a smirk crossing her features. 

“I like to think I’ve gained some wisdom and know better than to argue with you.” 

“I’d argue that you haven’t learned that yet.” 

“No, I’m actually here with a message from Colonel Bennett.” 

At that, Ruth straightened up to attention.  “Of course.” She followed him a short distance away from the table, eyes expectantly set on him.  “What is it?” 

“They’re pushing back the invasion again.” 

A string and slew of curses that would have surely made her mother force her to be a nun spilled from Ruth’s mouth.  “Seriously?” She demanded, eyes twitching in annoyance at the thought.  

“Inclement weather means June will be the best bet.” 

“Inclement weather didn’t stop the Egyptians from chasing the Israelites.” 

“I’m not sure that’s your best analogy there, Ruth.” 

“Neither am I,” Ruth let out a slight huff, glancing back at Abe and Liesel doing homework together.  “Anything else?” 

“Yeah,” Robby said.  “They’re throwin’ a party.  A last hurrah for some of the guys before the invasion.” 

Ruth’s shoulders intensely deflated.  “A party before?  Doesn’t that seem a little preemptive to you?” 

“Well yeah, but I’m sure their thinking is that a lot of people will die so they might as well have some fun now,” Robby said, hands straying to his pockets as he rocked on his feet slightly.  

“Hm,” Ruth let out a sigh.  “Okay.  A party.  Fine.” 

“Civilians included.  That means that Liesel can come.” 

At that, Ruth gave a small smile and her gaze locked onto Liesel’s form.  “I’m sure she’ll love that.  Any chance I can convince you to help me babysit her and Abe?” 

He gave a grin.  “I was just about to offer my services in exchange for a dance.” 

Now this, going back to their original contract, Ruth could handle that.  Ruth gave a grin and turned to leave.  “Wear the other tie, not the beige one!” 

“Yes ma’am!” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ruth had long since finished getting ready for the dreaded party in which they would preemptively be celebrating the oncoming invasion of Europe.  It was in poor taste, at least to her lawyerly sensibilities.  She’d much rather be planning and wait to celebrate until after the day was won and they had actually stepped foot on the continent.  

Still, with hair coiffed to perfection and a vibrant red lip, Ruth was now helping Liesel painstakingly place the bow in her own hair.  “Well, what do we think?” Ruth leaned forward, staring at their reflections in the mirror. 

Liesel poked at one of her own cheeks, a frown at the freckles found there.  “I don’t suppose there’s anything you can do about these?” 

“Not at your age, darling,” Ruth grinned.  “I used to think the same thing about my own freckles.  Gangly things, but I grew into them.  And so will you, I promise.” 

Liesel gave a small nod, looking at her own reflection in the mirror.  “Do you think I look like mama?” 

Ruth’s hands stilled on Liesel’s shoulders, a pang of grief running through the girl.  “I think you look very much like your mother.  You’re both beautiful.” 

At that, Liesel’s smile widened.  “You think so?” 

“I know so,” Ruth didn’t dare press a kiss to Liesel’s cheek, if only so that the girl didn’t get lipstick all over her face.  Rather than do that, Ruth leaned forward and gave Liesel a squeeze, bright smile adorning her features.  A knock at the door sounded and Ruth glanced at the doorway.  “Now, I believe our dates are here.” 

Liesel gave a gag of disgust.  “I don’t think they count.” 

“No, they certainly don’t,” Ruth reassured her.  

True to Ruth’s words, both Abe and Rosie were dutifully waiting outside for both of the girls.  Ruth couldn’t help the slight smirk at the sight of both of them—matching navy ties on and hair slicked to the point of zero curls available.  

“Aww, well aren’t you the prettiest girl on the whole damn base!” Abe exclaimed, a grin on his face as he slung his arm around Liesel’s shoulder.  “Don’t worry, I’ll fight off any men that wanna dance with ya!” 

Liesel just gave him a pointed look, hands on her hips.  “Well you’re not 18 either so I’ll fight off any girls that try to dance with you too.” 

With Liesel standing there and hands on her hips, Robby couldn’t help the grin on his face.  It was clear as day the habits that she was picking up from Ruth and this was most certainly one of them.  Robby’s gaze flicked onto Ruth, who seemed relaxed and pleased with the situation. 

“You’ve done it now, Sharpe.  Turned her into a mini-Shark lawyer,” Robby gestured at Liesel. 

“Oh just give it a year.  I’ll have her wanting to do depositions in no time.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The dance felt truthfully very monotonous.  Everyone knew why they were having a party now and not later.  And everyone was doing their best to mask the way that they felt about the entire thing.  Whether it be through drinking or flirting or dancing or conversation, people were absolutely pretending that the invasion wasn’t imminent.  That people wouldn’t die and it wouldn’t be a costly thing within a few days. 

“You could just relax.” 

“Hitler could surrender.” 

“What?” 

“I thought we were listing things with the same probability as me relaxing,” Ruth snarked, gaze falling on Jack Kidd. 

“Well it’s just that your part is fairly done for the planning.” 

“Perhaps,” Ruth retorted.  “I don’t understand how you can relax now though.  There’s still so much to be done.” 

“Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much?” Kidd questioned, taking a sip of his drink. 

“Everyone in my entire life.” 

“So maybe that oughta be a sign to you or something.” 

“I don’t believe in signs.” 

At that, Kidd just gave a snort.  “Well, clearly.  You’re ignoring all of the ones right in front of you.” 

Ruth couldn’t help but swivel her position, gaze falling on him curiously.  “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Cros mentioned a few things.” 

“I bet he did, the weasel.” 

“Well that’s not very nice.” 

“I’ve never cared about niceties.” 

“No, I guess you haven’t.” 

“I haven’t,” Ruth agreed.  “And if this is about Rosenthal—I don’t think I need a lecture on my boyfriend.” 

“Except for the fact that you’re walking around blind because it’s all an act.  I can’t figure out why the hell it is, but I truthfully don’t want to get involved.  Just figure your shit out, Sharpe.” 

“Noted.” 

Ruth really should have seen it all coming—Jack Kidd figuring things out.  She ruminated on it the rest of the party, annoyed by whatever Harry Crosby thought was going on between her and Robby.  What they had going was a great system of things—with emotions carefully tied off to the side in ribbons and presents that she didn’t have to touch. 

In fact, she was so focused on the singular comment about figuring things out that she hardly noticed when the party ended or when Abe offered to take Liesel back to the barracks.  She hardly noticed when she gave a nod and ended up just giving in.  She hardly noticed when Robby offered to walk her back and it wasn’t until they were walking back towards the barracks themselves that she even realized she had been so lost in thought. 

A soft elbow to her arm caught her attention.  “I think this is the quietest I’ve ever seen you.  Somethin’ wrong or just focusing on the war more?” Robby questioned. 

Ruth turned, dark eyes meeting his blue ones—and damnit, those eyes were like the ocean and she hated it.  “Sorry?” 

He grinned.  “You’re really thinking hard about something, aren’t you?” 

“Did you tell Crosby about our deal?” 

Her words caught him off guard and he nearly stopped short, eyes going wide at her.  “I mean—yeah, he knows, but—” 

“Why the hell would you tell him?!  I thought we agreed we weren’t telling anyone!  Now Kidd knows and he’s got questions and he told me to figure out my shit and I’m so beyond frustrated with you!” 

“I—” Robby’s voice tore off at the end and he just let out a heavy sigh, rubbing at his eyes in annoyance.  “I didn’t mean for anyone else to find out about it—” 

“It seems you didn’t mean anything, actually.  Do you ever intend anything?” Ruth snapped.  Before he could even respond to that, Ruth was walking in frustration towards the runway, fully intended to just get the hell away from Robert Rosenthal and his betrayal—which yet again stung because he couldn’t even keep this one simple thing secret.  It was aggravating.  She had not told anyone but he certainly had. 

Robby immediately began following after her, calling her name—but all of it just fell on deaf ears.  When Ruth was mad, there was no coming down from that until she was good and ready and it was her timing, no one else’s.  

Her head just felt like it was spinning.  Robby and Abe and her had a damn good system going.  But things just kept throwing it off for them—wildly changing the dynamic.  Adding Liesel had been hard enough, but they had adapted and now the four of them were a small sort of family—unconventional as it may have been.  Ruth just felt like a damn fool, for having fallen for the whole thing.  

No matter what it felt like at times, they would never be a family.  Robby wasn’t part of their family and they weren’t part of his.  It was just a meeting of the circumstances for something that felt like home, nothing more.  This wasn’t a safe place or somewhere to make friends.  Nowhere was.  

“Ruth, Ruth—hey, I’m sorry!” Robby exclaimed, finally catching up to her and catching her by the shoulders. 

Ruth just gave a snarl, shoving his hands off of her.  “No, I’m angry and I get to be angry. You think any of this has been easy for me?!” 

At that, Robby gave a scoff, breath hot on her face as irritation flickered.  “You think it’s been easy for me?” 

“They don’t call you Rosenthal’s whore or Rosenthal’s bitch, so yeah, I think I got the short end of the stick here,” Ruth hissed the words out.  

The blood seemed to drain from his face and Robby went entirely still, as though he had been shot as he stood there.  “Who calls you that?” 

“It doesn’t matter.” 

“No, who calls you that?” 

“I don’t need you fighting my damn battles,” Ruth’s chin jutted upwards defiantly as she stared into the cobalt of his eyes.  Eyes that she thought were just as infuriating as the skies and seas—sometimes safe and somewhere she wanted to be.  Other times they were just as tumultuous and uncontrollable as nature.  

“I know you don’t.” 

“I hate you.” 

“No you don’t.” 

“No.  I don’t think I do,” Ruth admitted, voice barely above a whisper.  “But I’m very cross with you right now.  I—I could just—” Her voice broke off at the end and she just stared at him.  It felt as though she were drowning in this anger and rage and—and—loneliness.  

And it hit her all at once that if Robby went up in the skies for the invasion of Normandy, it was altogether likely that he wouldn’t be returning.  That he could die.  And this could be one of the last times that she would ever see him.  And it was altogether possible that he might be the only person who could tolerate her company.  

So whether it was out of a place of emotions running high or just being worried about him (he was her friend now, after all), Ruth did something she was going to regret.  She grabbed Robert Rosenthal by the tie and smashed their lips together.  It was by no means careful or considerate, and for a second, he floundered at the movement. 

Their teeth accidentally clashed against one another as his hands strayed down to her waist.  Ruth didn’t mind the drowning feeling, nor did she mind the taste of alcohol that lingered on his lips.  It gave a familiar buzz to the kiss.  She had half a mind to drop down to her knees and give this man a real goodbye, one that he’d never forget—her lipstick would smear him and stain him for days and there would be nothing he could do about it.  But this was neither the time or the place for that and the boldness she felt at being the one to kiss him was currently faltering.  

Hadn’t she said this was a mistake?  Hadn’t she been the one to try and correct things between the two of them?  Hadn’t she also been the one to slip her fingers inside and imagine that it was Robby’s hands—a pure and carnal physicality, she was sure.  

But as Robby’s lips slipped down her lips and to her jaw and she shucked his jacket from his body, Ruth wasn’t certain of anything anymore.  She reattached her lips to his and gave a light nip at his bottom lip—and some sort of growl spilled from his lips.  The next thing Ruth knew, she was being walked backwards until her back had hit a solid metal surface and Ruth recognized the surface as a plane. 

She wasn’t sure whose it was.  She wasn’t sure she cared at the moment. 

His nimble fingers dragged the neckline of her dress down and kneaded against her breasts.  Ruth felt as though she were levitating as Robby pressed against her with one of his knees.  Oh friction—she had missed the friction of another human being.  Her hips hitched slightly higher, rubbing against him.  Something seemed to spark in him and his fingers locked around one of her breasts. In one fell movement, he had ripped the top of her dress down, exposing her chest to the warm summer air.  He toyed with the edge of her brassiere for a moment and then his fingers slipped under it, cold and calloused.  Tingles spread across her flesh and curled right down into her toes.  

A gasp unwillingly spilled from her throat—and mortification almost crossed her features but she wasn’t given a chance to explore that.  He pinched and then bit and sucked and Ruth clawed at his back like an animal begging for release. And she desperately needed a release. 

But there was no relief or release to be had.  Not today. 

The blaring lights and sirens going off about a bomb warning were the thing that made them break away from each other, wide-eyed and horrified as they stared at each other. 

Robby immediately was averting his gaze, giving Ruth the privacy to readjust the top of her dress, which had slipped down past her chest.  “I—I shouldn’t have—you were right the first time about all of this,” Robby mumbled out.  “We can’t keep doing this.” 

Ruth wished she could say that her heart wasn’t beating a million miles per minute.  Or that she truly did regret what she had done. But she could say any of that.  She just gave a nod and stared at the ground. 

“I’m sorry too.” 

Had they gone too far—where was the line for these two? And if there was a line, had they just crossed it?

[ingravinoveritas]

I'm not a hardcore MS/DT person, but I fear I must share the dream I had with you.

Both Michael and David were on the Graham Norton Show and Michael was telling a story. They were in the same outfits from the episode with Chris Hemsworth except Chris wasn't there. I remember WORD FOR WORD what Michael said..

"What I did was the human equivalent of knotting." KNOTTING..?? "David came into my house and because he was travelling, I always feel the need to take care of travellers and *stutters*, y'know, so I laid him down and gave him a cuddle. Then we watered my plants and I just sort of.. ah- remember taking care of David in a lot of different ways."

Cue laughing at the innuendo.

Then, David leans over to Michael and flat out licks behind his ear. Like as a joke at first, kind of going blelele, but then the last one was so *sexual,* like a clean stripe from his neck to his ear with his hand on Michael's neck. Mind you, this is ON TELEVISION.. I can't stop thinking about it.

Oh my sweet-and-sour Jesus on a toaster strudel...THANK YOU for telling me about this dream! Haha. I love it. This seems so perfect, too, given that tonight was the Olivier Awards and both Michael and David were in attendance (though oddly never seen together).

So for those who may not know what "knotting" is, the origin of the term actually refers to a biological process that occurs in canine reproduction. In the realm of fanfiction, however, "knotting" falls under the heading of what is known as the Omegaverse (which I admittedly do not know much about, but if I had to describe it, if fan fiction genres are The Avengers, then the Omegaverse is the Jeremy Renner of fanfic). In the Omegaverse, however, you have what are known as "Alphas" and "omegas," and knotting is one of the sexual acts that tends to take place between these characters. (This post here has a handy dandy full-on explanation, if you're looking for more information.)

But I am just dying at the thought of Michael a) Knowing what knotting is (because of course he does); and b) Making an innuendo on television about doing that to David (because of course he would). I also can't tell if the "we watered my plants" is a euphemism or a Good Omens/Crowley reference, but either one feels entirely within the realm of possibility for something Michael would say on a chat show (especially Graham Norton).

And then the last part?? My god, we should all be so lucky as to actually see that happen. And given that we had David leaning over and doing this to Michael last summer, I really can't rule out the possibility. They were leaning into each other so much on the Graham Norton appearance, too, so that makes it even easier to imagine:

(I also love that we've seen that David is one of the very few people Michael has let touch his neck, so there is no question he would trust him enough to let David do that on television...)

Oh, yes. This was certainly quite delicious (and hilarious), and I am so glad you shared it with me. Let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope for a forthcoming Michael/David appearance where at least some of this could maybe happen. Fingers crossed...

[sgiandubh]

Do you think he does different types of promo to attract all the different crowds?

Dear Promo Anon,

Not only I think he does that, I also happen to think he (or anyone seriously hoping to sell anything other than snake oil) should do exactly that.

The problem is not the logical correlation between what you want to sell and the people to whom you want to sell it. The first problem is the lack of balance between your way of interacting with your different target groups, which could lead to a very fuzzy brand image. Both of your products and of yourself, who are their creator and main promoter.

Promoting a brand without a clear set of main ideas and values is very likely to have a negative impact on your sales. Show them biceps, sea, sex (?) and sun galore is all fine and dandy for the younger crowd (and the LGBT+ one, btw). But showing at the same time that you can be a gentleman (please, for the love of Saruman, get rid of those rings! that woman doesn't know what she's talking about!) should be at least on par with the Lustfest promise you ventilate to your other segment. Possible message being: working hard and playing hard - you can have the best of both worlds (or at least try).

The second problem is that S's brand is.. ehrm... way too personal. Too approachable (I already mentioned the Costco Hugfest) for a rabid fandom. That goes both ways, btw, because many (on both sides of the Great Divide) honestly feel they own a bit of S. At the same time, he is also JAMMF to many people in here, who imagine he has almost superhuman qualities (most probably not the case). That is exhilarating and empowering, until it's not. One or three or twenty faux-pas later, people will feel the savage urge to spit on the idol. A simple matter of collective instinct, but a very tricky situation for S.

The third problem are the side players. I am not talking about AN or CB or TMcG or the Fitness Harem. I am talking about the Trolls, who really don't do him any favor. Nothing worse for his brand potential than lascivious comments - let's suppose you are a major distributor's marketing expert and you land on That Blog, where the owner shares publicly her dream of licking her way from (how was it?) LHR to GLA to the Highlands to the ends of the known Universe, for a chance of God knows what. What would you write in that memo to the CEO? 'Yes, please: immediately place ALL his booze upfront near the cashier, because the man is an idol to a bunch of fifty-something women who dream the impossible dream?' You think I am exaggerating? Try googling for SRH tumblr and see the first results (😱). These people are visible and that visibility directly informs the interaction between SS and its potential business partners. Especially when your Partner Everyday thought blasting a sizeable chunk of OL's Tumblr fandom in Vanity Fair was a clever strategy for The Win - things like this invite (unwanted) attention.

I pleaded for diversification of the marketing strategy and for a more sophisticated approach and I welcome the change, Anon. The only thing I would like you to take home from this very long answer is simple:

Social Media is just Social Media. The glitz, the glam, the superficial stardust, the Truman Show where it never rains.

Real Life is Real Life. We only see glimpses, speculate on it, have a more or less educated guess and if we are lucky enough, some tidbits to chew on.

Progressively, the very unprofessional (bantering) Social Media strategy has been replaced with an account strategy based on product promotion. Convenient, when you do not (for reasons X, Y and Z) want to discuss what you feel is private and likely to remain so, for a while.

That's about it, Anon. If you still have questions, you can always pop in here. I promise I won't charge a retainer, out of my good heart.

[oc-tournaments]

ROUND TWO - MATCH 6

SALVANAN vs JOSEPH

SALVANAN: @the-demoness-next-door

JOSEPH: @cowsandcrows

VOTE BASED ON THE INFORMATION BELOW CUT!!

Propaganda Content Warnings: Abuse, manipulation, suicidal thoughts for SALVANAN. Mention of terrorism for JOSEPH.

SALVANAN:

PROPAGANDA: this poor man. buckle in, you have a LONG one coming. he's very old, he's the god of plants + the earth and he's great i love him but man i have not been nice to him. so. way early in his life, he had a very sweet boyfriend named azyll along w lots of mutual friends. except oops, sal developed chronic anxiety and depression and decided that he did not think he would be good for azyll and broke it off w him. it was amicable but it still sucks. fast forward a bit, one of the friends in their circle, jekath, is being manipulated and hurt for no reason and sal knows but for magic reasons he's incapable of telling anyone, just has to watch. and then he eventually has to watch jekath finally snap under the pressure and betray them all and go evil. no bueno. so he spends a long time feeling terrible and eventually he plans to just. yknow. off himself. but oh surprise this little boy named safari shows up in his garden! and he's like well shit guess im a dad now. and he loves this little boy very much. it's good times! except when he's a teenager two of the little boy's biological brothers drop him off a cliff and nearly kill him, which is, yknow, terrifying. that's his son! his son was almost murdered! no! bueno! anyway, azyll's mortal so eventually he dies of old age, now sal's even sadder. least he's still got his other friends and safari but Man. anyway fast forward again, whole world is at war. and his two best friends, arona and morana, both die in it. but if that was not bad enough, arona was killed by jekath. you know, the old friend that was abused and eventually betrayed them all. so the friend he felt like he failed has now murdered one of his best friends. and his other best friend is ALSO dead. things are just going Great. flash forward another little while and his goddaughter's husband, sibrum, goes evil against his will too. he's known sibrum since he was a kid so now he's got ANOTHER person he felt responsible for gone evil against their will. then sibrum's daughter dies. are you seeing a pattern yet. anyway, sibrum soon kills jekath so now sal feels like he's double failed both of them and also even MORE of his original friends are dead now. so he is trying So Hard to relax! but then safari is turned into a terrible person against his will too! and because they were so so close for so so long they end up in a toxic dynamic instead of cutting each other off. sal finally figures out how to break the spell on safari and it's all Okay Now (they're both traumatized and it's definitely not okay). he gets to relax for only a brief time before his other child's son, volta, has a villain arc too. and what happens? you guessed it! sal tries to stop him and help him and he's not able to. and feels like he failed someone AGAIN. yeah this just happens over and over through the course of his life. he's so tired and sad man

THEME SONG:

JOSEPH:

PROPAGANDA: Hes a military captain (sheltered idiot). WAAYYYY too trusting and falls in love with someone who turns out to be a terrorist they need to kill. they decide to trust this person instead and repeatedly get used and betrayed (3 betrayals because i love religious connotations). they will never be happy despite how much they want to be because he finds it hard to change (he's always so close to figuring it out but his circumstances won't let it happen. hes too stubborn cries). HES A DANDY PATHETIC BITCH. hes too gay for this world. every time he trusts someone its the wrong decision and every time he decides not to, he should have. tragic inevitability ect. love him <3

THEME SONG:

[monards]

(why and how) The Heart of Naberius is Rhinedottir's plan to absolve herself 

( a slight crack theory brought to you, by yours truly !!!!! )

  I think that it’s sort of just a general fact that the amount of motives rhine could have to taking the heart of naberius are as plenty as there are theories on who and what paimon is ,,, but after a long and hard night of thinking (chugging three bottles of water and listening to the silver thread soundtrack) I came to the very indecisive conclusion that may or may not be using it for the purpose of absolving her sins.

   As far as we know (and can assume) ; the Heart of Naberius is some adjacent to a gnosis, mostly due to the idea of ‘hearts’ and it holding some inordinate amount of power –  whether that be because it IS a gnosis, or is some sort of primitive/alternate version for another level of power in celestia’s hierarchy is debatable, but it still stands that it more or less likely holds a similar purpose and power as the gnosis the archons have.   In the Fontaine archon quest; it is very much drilled into us that a gnosis has a WHOLE lot of meaning besides just being a communication gateway between both archon and celestia. We find out not only that, hey!! those are actually the third descenders’ corpse!! lolsies!!! – but also that they have SOME association with the sovereign’s power, whether that be on their own or through their respective god/archon. Since, by Neuvillette acquiring it after Focalor’s death, he - for the most part- properly gains back his abilities and powers as the Hydro Sovereign

 And obviously, that's all fine and dandy!!! Woohoo for gnosis lore!! But in the case of looking at Rhinedottir; that adds a WHOLE lot of weight onto her possible plan with the Heart of Naberius.

  Beginning at just the cataclysm, there’s a clear connection between Rhinedottir and ‘Dragons’; > Two of her most prevalent creations are both Durin & Elynas ; and a common thread between the two is their CONTINUOUS description of being ‘otherworldly’ or ‘disfigured’ in some manner   ^ This is incredibly important because it directly aligns with what would be expected of the Dragon Sovereign. They lived in a Teyvat which is noted to be much, much harsher and different from the modern-day; And so, that would imply that, evolutionary, they would’ve evolved to be built for far, far more rugged and tough landscape then what Teyvat is today– we even see this fact in comparing Apep to just Dvalin & Azdaha ; she’s notably larger, and far, far more intimidating and ‘otherworldly’ to put it simply.   ^ This is important because, quite evidently, both Elynas and Durin in no way appear to be ‘made’ for Teyvat. Both, when compared to other draconic-creatures, are out of place; Being excessive in size, notably different physical appearances (think difference between how Durin is described “black skeletal dragon with glowing red eyes. His wings have long veins running along the folds.” VS Dvalin who’s described as “that bejeweled, lovely dragon”) Both of their appearances directly align with the line of thinking you’d have with the sovereign; and even more, it’s clear from comparing just Apep & Elynas– Both have serpentine like forms, which are excessive in size, which can also harbour life in them. Which, I REALLY doubt is a coincidence .   ^ Plys, even more, Just their abilities alone clearly surpass some of the more powerful entities we’ve met. As is seen in Durin and Dvalin’s battle during the cataclysm; where Durin (to put it very very kindly) almost completely wiped the floor, and probably would have, if he hadn’t become aware of WHAT he was doing. This fact alone already establishes that all of the dragons Rhinedottir has created have in no way aligned with the standards of Teyvat as it is today, because even in fighting an archon and celestial dragon– these abilities are FAR excessive in strength and power. Meaning that, more or less likely; they were intended for survival in a far, far harsher environment– one akin to Teyvat prior to the primordial one.   ^ Also, although it’s a bit more crude of an idea; this can explain why subject two was not killed after being essentially fed to Durin ; as it can imply that there was some trait in his anatomy that fostered his growth while in dvalin’s belly, rather than digesting and ACTUALLY killing him. And the only known dragons, and notable creatures, to have that ability IS Apep; one of the Dragon Sovereign. > All of this would imply that, as of that point, there’d already been an attempt to resurrect/recreate the sovereign for one reason or another.  

  And, even more, by just looking at the real mythological Naberius himself, he “restores lost dignities and honors,” ; which aligns terribly well with the narrative of Rhinedottir attempting to restore her dignity and honor as a scientist, and someone who was clearly working to provide food and resources to the people of Khaneriah, by erasing her title as a ‘sinner’, let alone The Great Sinner 

// This is maybe where I go a little more off the rails by throwing Albedo into this mess. Everything beyond this point is babbling. 

Albedo’s involvement;

  We know that Albedo was, obviously, born after the cataclysm; and this isn’t all to consequential until you remember a certain Iudex who was brought into power 400~ years ago, meaning that, as of the point Albedo was created; Rhinedottir would’ve been be fully aware of Neuvillete’s existence ,, which implies a WHOLE lot of things.

   If the gnosis truly does hold the power of the dragon sovereign; this could explain Albedo’s purpose.       At that point in time; Rhinedottir would be formally aware that The Dragon Sovereign can, and are, as far as Neuvillette goes, reincarnated as humans. Meaning that she didn’t have to keep making dragon after dragon, to fulfill her goal; and instead, just had to make a human.   //  Just looking at them alone; both Neuvillete and Albedo hold PLENTY of similarities in their stories that can imply that, in some way, Albedo’s creation and story/fate may or may not take major inspiration from Neuvillette himself // Both feel as if, in some way, they’re ‘separate’ from the rest of humanity;   They’re both notoriously unfamiliar with a plenty of things, which if you squint a bit at; have the same base concept and ideas. They’re both actively learning to understand humanity through another person, too >  Neuvillette, through Furina and her continuous insistence, learns all about humanity; their sorrows, their ambitions, their sacrifice, etc… – and, it can very easily be assumed the one reason he’s not a total and complete recluse is DUE to her pushing and prodding for him to get out, and experience humanity as it is. > Albedo shares a similar point of learning through Klee,, with her acting as his line between his research, and the people of Mondstadt– and just as Furina does Neuvillete- she acts as his reason to connect and learn about humanity, as through her, he takes break from his continuous work and research in dragonspine, to come to Mondstadt!! (this probably isn’t a very good explanation of klee & albedo’s lore,, but one of my loveliest mutuals @haidengjiehas a ton of very very very amazing explanations on their blog that explains their relationship in a lot more depth and thought if you want to understand them more !!!!!!!!  )

  // They also both share a common theme of wanting to learn of, or acquiring some ‘truth’ – and even though this is a common plot device in most of the characters in genshin– i think it’s very important with these two especially; because, more often than not, this truth is derived from humanity itself; >   Neuvillete, prior to coming to Fontaine, was likely horribly similar to Apep in thought and perspective.   We even see so in his character stories, and lack of understanding around humanity as a whole; that he had no initial understanding of humans, or modern Teyvat, prior to being Iudex.   However, it’s established that as of after Fontaine's archon quest; he has officially learned what's essentially the ‘truth’ to him; that humans aren’t what he has made them out to be, all this time; that, instead, they’re dynamic. They experience both joy and sorrow, selfishness and sacrifice– and that above all, they’re not in any way the seemingly despicable entities he likely initially thought them to be for many, many years ( think his “He would never admit that he himself had become quite fascinated with the joys and sorrows of humanity.” line in his 5th character story) >   Albedo also shares this common thread of narrative !!!   Albedo, prior to becoming chief alchemist of the KOF, likely had little to no understanding of humans outside of Rhinedottir, which would imply it definitely wasn’t the.. best of opinions, if she was all he was going based off of.   But, in becoming Chief Alchemist; he was put into a position where he was now exposed to all sorts of people. He was exposed to warmth and love , ambition and determination, and the way many people cope with the adversities in their life.   ^ And, even though we haven’t seen him come to his ‘truth’ yet, we can very well anticipate that this truth is meant to be obtained through this exact manner as Neuvillete’s. In his 5th character story, we see him note "I hope this isn't just wishful thinking, but... when parents speak to their children about 'the meaning of this world'... surely they just mean the pursuit of a happy life?" which, given his very, very clear intelligence and better understanding of the world and humanity now; it’s cleary implied that he’s likely already surmised in some way that Rhinedottir had this intention in sending him out into the world (Thinking back to my Rhinedottir knowing she could never provide Albedo a real example of humanity post,) ; similarly to how Neuvillette  had– she wished for him to acquire this truth through understanding and experiencing humanity.

 Roping this all back into this purpose; this could very well entail that, similarly to how Neuvillette is to the Fontanians and their sins, Albedo’s purpose is to act as salvation for Rhinedottir, (or even khaneri’ah as a whole, if you wanna get REALLY into it)   The gnosis, after Neuvillete's acquisition of it, allowed for him to regain his authority; and forgive the ‘sins’ of the people of Fontaine. The event during which he forgives these sins, prior to what happens, is very, very much similarly referred to as whatever event albedo is to ‘lose control’ during.

  // Both of these events have inherently negative connotations. Obviously, the flooding of Fontaine was implied to result in the death of every single Fontanian; However, it ended up being the opposite– As, after Neuvillete finally realized ‘truth’ he chose to save them, rather than fulfill his original intent to not do anything to save them, which would’ve had them all killed (Think the fact he came to fontaine with a similar mindset as Apep towards  humanity and modern Teyvat.)   ^ As of now; whatever Albedo has been referring to has had VERY similar treatment. In almost every instance of Albedo mentioning it, he almost always implies it isn’t gonna end well; and by law of assumption, that leaves us thinking Mondstadt going bye-bye.   ^ The issue with this, though, is his acquisition of truth. He has, as of yet, not found out what ‘the truth of this world’ really is; mostly due to him not fully understanding where to begin with it. He has the idea, obviously; we see the budding of those thoughts in him thinking that maybe Rhinedottir really had just wanted him to live a happy life to achieve the truth– and, if that were the case- that would mean the exact mirroring of Neuvillete’s story; which could very well imply that whatever this event of him ‘losing control’ is, can be controlled and prevented in a roundabout way.

  ///   We can also very well assume that, similar to Neuvillette, in Albedo ‘losing control’ ; he’s bound to gain some abilities which would shoot his power scaling up. T >  This power is very likely going to come from the Heart of Naberius; as it’s a recurring theme in almost every one of rhine’s creations, that there power and entire being is derived from their heart (hence why they’re such important elements in their stories) and being as right now, out of all her “miraculous creations” , he has yet to gain a real and monumental demonstration of a physical heart ; and there’s no other painstakingly obvious source for this newfound power THEN the Heart of Naberius.   ^ Upon obtaining this power, he would be made to make the choice between fulfilling what he believes was his intent to gaining that power; or the opposite, and saving Mondstadt instead– which is more or less likely to be the case; which if you wanted to get symbolistic with it, could really show him obtaining a ‘heart’– as hearts are mostly commonly utilized to represent love and compassion.

//  >  And, if we’re still assuming that some portion of the dragon sovereign’s authority is held within the gnosis, and the Heart of Naberius IS a gnosis of some kind; this would then align him in under the same logic of how Neuvillete describes himself, “he is one strong enough to equal and rival "the human realm," and logic would dictate that he need not subscribe to this system known as "fate."” This explanation would also explain Mona’s lack of note on his constellation in her voiceline around him.   ^ The importance of Mona's voiceline is that it’s the EXACT same thing that happened in Fontaine. The Traveler & Paimon were at a point of understanding that Fontaine was destined to be destroyed, with everyone being bound to turning back into oceanids   ^ However, Nicole (and what we can assume is the rest of Hexenzirkel) are aware this is not the case. And although Nicole does not fully disclose it to us, she in no way insinuates that what we know is the full truth.  // This aligns with Mona’s reaction, as it shows her neither confirming or denying Albedo’s fate in discussing his constellation; she instead steers around the topic, and merely spends her voiceline about him talking about him as whole– not his constellation, or anything pertaining to it and his fate– only who he is. She would know we’re aware of what we believe is bound to happen to Albedo; because we’re REPEATEDLY established as being some of those closest to him, so it’s not as if she’s hiding it for his safety, or privacy – instead she’s vehemently avoiding the topic, implying she knows something we don't; and that she can’t tell us, as if we were to know– it’s very likely we could in some way throw off fate; Think how we, as a descender, have the power to change Teyvat’s fate. And in us knowing what is fated to happen, we could in some way act abnormally due to that knowledge, and change what was originally bound to happen– which would alter the course of destiny, which could very well then lead to all hell for Albedo.   // ^ this can also explain what we assume is her ignorance towards Rhinedottir.   In knowing Albedo’s fate is not what it really is, and stated to be– and is instead far, far better than it; she would be aware Rhinedottir does not have wholly bad intentions, and neither is a monster sending her son to slaughter, hence her not lambasting her at any point– and even indirectly saying she’d wish would’ve rather not had Barbeloth as her master, while discussing the way Albedo had turned out, while RAISED by Rhinedottir ; which very, very much implies she finds some good qualities in her, to warrant that opinion (Because, as much as Mona may not like Barbeloth; I’d doubt she’d prefer a supposed homicidal maniac who has fated literally every one of her children to death, had that been the case.)

     // Obviously; there’s also the point and situation that the gnosese themselves don’t hold the Sovereign's power; but even then, there’s a very clear way to escape that paradox of a problem.   If we follow the alternative theory that the archon/god in relation to a gnosis needs to be killed, resulting in the destruction of their ‘throne’ and release of the sovereign authority; then Rhinedottir’s obviously capable of making that happen.   We see VERY clearly that Rhinedottir has knowledge and ability that can kill god, as if Durin was able to do all that to Venti & Dvalin; it’s been over 500 years since she created him, and if there’s anything to be established about Rhinedottir– it’s that she’s HIGHLY ambitious. So it’s right of assumption that at some point over the past few centuries, she’s definitely acquired enough of the knowledge/ability and power required to create an entity, or strategy, to dispose of whatever god is directly connected to the heart of Naberius.   ^ This is even established by her following the Shade Of Life’s steps; She would, and does, clearly have the plan to gain some authority/power in equivalence to celestia, and it can be a possibility that she’s mirroring the Shade Of Life as her example to achieve such status. (Since shades are direct fragments of the primordial one; it can be assumed they’re some of the most powerful entities in Teyvat; which would explain why Rhinedottir would mirror one.)   ^ This would then explain her absence. Similarly to both Focalors and Neuvillette; Neuvillete functions just as he does with no idea of Focalors’ plan, and Focalors works behind the scenes to orchestrate everything so that it all plays out as she intends it. 

Does this imply Rhinedottir may or may not self sacrifice? Maybe. Can this also imply another Focalors & Furina parallel being established between Rhinedottir and a new “Miraculous Creation” she may have made over the past 400-ish years since albedo? Maybe. Does this also maybe-possibly mean that Rhinedottir smoked multiple pipes using the leaves of irminsul tree to obtain this absurd amount of knowledge? Perhaps. Am I gonna elaborate? Absolutely not bbecause oh my GOD are my fingers burning with how much i’ve had to type.

(big, big, BIG creds to @mchib for reading this and letting me know how insane i sounded. you are so lovely and i appreciate you very much. (can you guys tell what the verdict was.))

[multifandomfix]

Dandy Mott Yandere Alphabet

A = Attachment (How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?)

Dandy shows his love by buying you extravagant gifts, mostly and it can get ugly if he doesn’t think you appreciate it enough.

B = Blood (How messy are they willing to get when it comes to you?)

So messy. That doesn’t matter to him in the slightest. Someone bothering you? Not anymore they can’t.

C = Clingy (Do they require your attention at all times? How do they act when you ignore them?)

He cannot stand to be ignored. Any time he’s around he expects your full and enthusiastic attention.

D = Dependent (Are they codependent? Do they want you to rely solely on them for your care/protection?)

Dandy will be very upset if you turn to anyone but him to protect you. He’s very codependent and despite his outward confidence, also insecure.

E = Excess (Would they spoil or pamper you? To what extent?)

He’d spoil you rotten. Any wish or whim and whatever it is, it’s yours.

F = Fatal (Would they kill you? Kill for you?)

He would kill you but only if you pushed him to it. And then he’d probably kill himself afterward. And he’d certainly kill for you with ease and he’d enjoy it.

G = Give Up (What are they willing to sacrifice for you?)

Really, next to nothing. He’ll say he sacrifices for you, but it’s not anything that he’ll ever actually miss.

H = Harsh (How do they take to you mouthing off to them or saying something they don’t want to hear?)

He’ll lash out at you, maybe even slap you which he’ll regret and try to make up for later.

I = Inseparable (What are they like when you’re not with them? Do they check in on you constantly, or feel lost without you?)

Unless it’s his idea, it’s rare for Dandy to not be with you. He totally feels lost without you and tries not to stay away for any length of time.

J = Jilted (How do they act when met with rejection from you?)

Childish rage. He’ll throw an outright temper tantrum. Then he’ll forget about it and start from scratch until you eventually do accept him.

K = Kidnap (Would they ever abduct you just to have you to themselves for a while?)

He definitely would. You’re his prize, and once caught, you’ll be kept in his house unless he took you out himself.

L = Lines (Do they cross lines with you? What ones? Is it something they know they’re doing?)

Dandy will cross any line he has to. He tells you he hates to, but you know it’s a lie. He’ll do whatever he wants whether you like it or not.

M = Manipulation (Would they manipulate you? How? And would you realize that’s what was happening?)

He won’t really manipulate you, simply because he’s deluded enough to think you’ll already do exactly what he wants when he wants.

N = Naive (Do they like you pliant or do they prefer you to challenge them?)

He doesn’t like a challenge, so staying pliant and agreeable is your best way of staying safe around him.

O = Ownership (Do they feel possessive of you? How do they act when you’re around others?)

He’s 100% possessive of you. You’re his and his alone. He doesn’t even like anyone to set eyes on you if he can help it.

P = Petulant (Are they moody? Easy to anger? Or are they patient and forgiving around you?)

He’s very moody and extremely easy to anger. He does put on a very sweet act around you but it can turn on a dime.

Q = Quit (Would they quit any of their behaviors for you if you asked?)

No. God no. You’re just his pet, his possession. He’s not going to change for you.

R = Rules (Would they have rules for you? Brainwash you? Teach you the right way to be theirs?)

His main rule is to never leave the house. And he’d teach you all of the correct ways to be his. If you don’t follow them, you can expect serious anger.

S = Stalker (Would they stalk you? How far would it go?)

Before he brought you home, he for sure stalked you. It’s how he became so fascinated with you in the first place.

T = Target (What do they wish to do to you? How twisted are their ideals?)

He just wishes to have you, to look at you like you’re some kind of doll and to make you love him.

U = Utopia (How much effort do they put into making you happy?)

He puts a fair amount of effort into keeping you happy. But he doesn’t like it when you’re not appreciative of those efforts.

V = Violence (Would they ever be violent with you?)

Probably, yes. He’s prone to violence, but he’ll always get all sweet again and promise you he didn’t mean it.

W = Will (Would they ever do anything against your will?)

Certainly. He’s only concerned with his own will, so get on board or face the consequences.

X = Xoanon (Would they revere or worship you? To what length would they go to win you over?)

He would revere you as the pinnacle of his collection. And he’d go to great lengths to win you over so that you stayed his forever.

Y = Yowl (Do they ever make you cry? Do they enjoy your tears?)

He has made you cry, but he doesn’t like to see your tears. He’ll kiss or sometimes lick them away and soothe you, even if he’s the one that caused them moments ago.

Z = Zenith (Would they ever break you just so you’d stay with them?)

Yes. If there was no other way you’d stay and behave, he’d break you so you would.

For @arianadevareux

Dandy Mott: @bluenystic, @peggycarter-steverogers, @gothtrash6969, @callsigncrash, @words-of-holly, @somelonelywriter

[dragon-of-the-soutn]

So recently I’ve been seeing a lot of people (mainly on HOTD tick-tock) say that one of the reasons they are ‘team Black’ in the show is because those characters such as Daemon, Rhaenyra and Corleys tend to be more in touch with and happy to embrace there Valyrian customs and heritage. While characters like Aegon, Aemond and Helaena are just blond Hightowers who don’t know what it means to be ‘true Targaryens’ or have been ‘raised wrong’ in terms of there Targaryen heritage.

(Please note that this is going to be a longish post that will be discussing lore from ASOIAF found in books and other material such as the world of ice and fire but because most of this discourse is happening around the show I’ll be discussing the characters as they are displayed in the show.)

Now there is so much to unpack in that but I think the most import thing to talk about is what Valyria and that culture truly was. Because yeah the dragon riding and blood magic is very cool but on the flip side Valyria was an empire that conquered the known world through bloody conquest. Then enslaved there new and unwilling subjects and put them to work in mines and in a hundred other horrible places. These mines were death sentences for the slaves who worked there as they were forced to dig for gold and jewels beneath volcanos such as the fourteen flames, where the Valyrian built there capital city’s on top of those fourteen volcanoes. And it’s suspected that they kept them from erupting by using blood magic and sorcery which was fed by there slaves who were unwilling sacrifice in those rituals.

In the books and show itself the Roynar who are the ancestors of much of Dorne and House Martell itself came to Westeros because they were fleeing Valyrian conquest. The free city of Braavos was founded by slaves who escaped Valyria, it’s the main reason the city is one of the few places in Essos that is staunchly opposed to slavery.

Now while this is technically unconfirmed (this is info given to Arya from a Faceless man) it’s believed that the cult of the Faceless Men was founded in the Valyrian slave mines because each slave was praying for death, so as a kindness the first Faceless Men gave it to them.

Then we have the incest. Believed to have been practiced to keep the dragon riding bloodlines strong, controlled and kept in certain families. Now I don’t think this is a hot take but incest is bad. In any context it’s bad. Please don’t go around snogging your relatives.

The blood magic is interesting as it appears that in ASOIAF most of the magic systems whether they be Green seeing and tied to the Old Gods or fire magic and tied to Valyria are based in blood. For example a prevalent theory is that the early Valyrian’s tampered with there blood so that it was easier for them to bond with dragons. Personally I don’t think there’s anything special in Valyrian blood. I think they probably did mess with it as we can see through some Targ stillborn come out having dragon like features, but at the end of the day anyone in ASOIAF can do some level of magic as displayed in characters like Marwin the Mage (who is most likely half Hightower btw) and even Jaime Lannister who had a prophetic dream but only around a magical thing which was a weirwood stump. And the Targs (particularly the early ones) were always around dragons which in this case are the magical objects along with having messed up blood magic blood. Which is cool but can’t be good for them. Also Green Seer magic seems to involve cannibalism which again is bad!

Also the doom of Valyria occurred because these people decided to build there major city atop 14 active super volcanos and then dug into the super volcanoes thinking everything would be fine and dandy. They were killed because of there own hubris.

Which is how we get onto the idea that the Hightower’s somehow ‘infected’ and ‘poisoned’ the Targaryen bloodline and ruined everything for everyone. Which is a very dangerous line of thinking even when we’re just discussing a book series. It leads into ideas of blood purity which again are disgusting and horrible and should never be considered good. Ever.

The Hightowers are not the reason the Tags rotted away. They were always rotting. Also Viserys made the choice to marry into the Nobel House with the most ties to the Faith of the Seven. We can argue about how much influence Otto had on the matter and obviously he did but at the end of the day Viserys still made that decision. He could have put his foot down and said no but he didn’t. Like he married a fantasy catholic and now everyone is shocked that the fantasy catholic is serious about her religion.

Also the reason Aegon, Aemond, Daeron and Helaena ‘act like Hightowers’ is because Alicent raised those kids not Viserys. Whatever you think about Alicents parenting she at the bare minimum parented. Viserys ignored his children from his second marriage in favour of trying to sooth his guilt over murdering Aemma and he focused his efforts on Rhaenyra and her children. So yes ‘the Green’ kids act like Hightowers because guess what Alicent was the only one who put any effort into raising them and raised them the only way she knew how, as Hightower. But like also her kids all ride dragons, Alicents grandkids are bonded to dragons. They are Targaryens. Even without the dragons they would still be Targaryens. And if we followed that logic than every Targ born after the dance wouldn’t be a ‘True Targaryen’ because they didn’t have dragons or were half Martell or Blackwood and those families have ‘poisoned’ the Targ bloodline. I cannot stress enough how gross that line of thinking is even when we’re using it to discuss a book series.

And the characters in the story who are the most fascinated by the lost glories of Valyria such as Viserys and Daemon are focusing on the lost prestige of there ancestors dead empire. They either don’t think about the horrors of what that place was, or there fine with them which says a lot about there characters and the way they view themselves and the people they rule.

I repeat Valyria was not a nice place. It was not a good place. It’s an interesting place and it’s affects on the Targaryens are fascinating and I would love to learn more about it but it was an evil empire.

The closest thing we have to Valyria remaining in the books is the free city of Volantis. Which is an old colony of Valyria, still has none dragon riding descendants of Valyria living there and is the biggest slave city outside of slavers bay. Volantis is a horrible place.

My point is placing Valyrian and in a sense Targaryen customs and heritage on a pedestal means that we ignore all the dodgey and horrifying stuff that entails or at the very least don’t look at it critically and that’s not good.

And yes this is only a book series so we don’t need to be so serious, but I would make the argument that when one of your major reasons for supporting one side in a conflict is because there more ‘pure anything’ than another then you need to take a step back and reevaluate.