#ii have no control here whatsoever

[baekk-hhyun]

crossing my fingers that i get a good finance job in the future cuz I really need my own place. i will pray and manifest and study cuz I can't keep living like this

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Malleus Draconia - Tsumsitter Vignette

"A Moment with Malleustsum I"

[Main Street]

Malleus: Hmph… I have a suggestion. It came to me while I was on a stroll.

Malleus: If you are unable to join the other tsums, then I shall extend an invite to you instead.

Malleus: Tsum, come to the party that I will be hosting.

Malleus: It will be a grand party, and all Diasomnian students will be in attendance. You will attend, won't you?

[happy tsum noises]

[Diasomnia Dorm – Lounge]

Malleus: Now, Tsum. We've returned to Diasomnia.

Malleus: We must prepare for the party posthaste. Sebek, could I request you to prepare the venue?

Sebek: Please leave it to me! As your faithful servant, I will put my all into decorating our lounge!

Sebek: Your Tsumness, I will not be long!

Lilia: Lucky little tsum, hm?

Malleus: I shall also prepare for the party. I must fulfill my duties as the host.

Malleus: Tsum, this is a party in your honor. You should allow yourself to relax until it starts.

[Malleus leaves, the tsum looks content]

Lilia: Okay then, maybe I'll show off a bit of my cooking prowess for the tsum.

Silver: IF THERE ARE TASKS TO BE DONE IN THE KITCHEN, I WILL DO THEM!

Lilia: Oh hey, it's Silver and Silver-tsum. I see you're finally back from the forest.

Silver: Did you see me out there? If only I could have been awakened…

Lilia: Don't try to give this old man too hard of a task…

Silver: I heard we are to be throwing a party for Malleus-sama's tsum… But where have they gone?

Lilia: Malleus went off to prepare for the party. And the tsum should be…

[the tsum is nowhere to be found[

Lilia: …It's not here.

Silver: …?

[Diasomnia Dorm – Hallway]

Malleus: Now, then. Next, I'll bring the plates.

Diasomnia Student A: A-Ah, sir! Please let us do this for you! This isn't anything worth you to worry yourself over, Malleus-sama!

Malleus: I do not mind whatsoever. The magic necessary to carry plates and candlesticks is mere child's play to someone of my caliber.

[loud crashing sound]

Malleus: …? What was that noise just now?

Diasomnia Student A: Was it an explosion of some sort…?

Diasomnia Student B: ACK! THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION IN THE MICROWAVE!! WE NEED SOME EXTINGUISHING MAGIC, STAT!

[magic extinguishes the fire]

Malleus: Whatever is the matter?

Diasomnia Student C: Th-that is…

[tsum hops in distress]

Malleus: Tsum? This couldn't possibly be your doing, is it?

"A Moment with Malleustsum II"

[Diasomnia Dorm – Hallway]

Diasomnia Student C: My sincerest apologies! I tried to stop it, since the microwave is old and a danger to use…

Diasomnia Student B: But we failed… We were not capable of stopping your great tsum.

Malleus: I see. So as a result of the tsum activating it, there was an explosion…

Malleus: Although, why are you in the kitchen in the first place? I believe I told you to rest yourself, Tsum.

[tsum looks sad]

Malleus: Why the long face…? Ah, I think I understand now.

Malleus: Tsum, were you hoping to assist with the party preparations?

[tsum nods solemnly]

Diasomnia Student B: Oh, I see…! It must have tried to help after hearing us talk about needing to heat up some food.

Malleus: However, can you truly not use appliances to this degree, Tsum? Even I do not have as difficult a time as this.

Malleus: Heh, I made sure to read through the appliance instruction manual and therefore was able to obtain a good understanding of the features and buttons.

Malleus: After that, I only needed to be conscious of the amount of strength needed, and now I am able to use it without issue.

Diasomnia Student C: You had to… control your strength?

Malleus: Does that pique your interest? Just as well, I will show you what I mean just now.

[Malleus magicks the machine fixed]

Diasomnia Student B: Amazing, Malleus-sama! Only you would be so capable of fixing an exploded microwave with magic to like-new quality in an instant!

Malleus: First, it's imperative to know that a microwave oven is not the optimum device for heating eggs or dehydrated foods.

Malleus: Essentially, there is a risk of explosion or fire. Review the manual, you will see as such.

Malleus: Now, when it comes to its usage…

Malleus: Finally, close the door… And press the "Start" button.

[the microwave runs, beeps when finished]

Malleus: And see now how it has finished warming the dish.  Do you understand?

[a dish is taken out of the microwave]

Malleus: The dish has been successfully warmed up. I'm sure you will cause no more explosions in the microwave oven anymore.

Malleus: …

Malleus: Right, you as a tsum cannot use magic. Then it would behoove you to learn basic appliance functionalities.

Malleus: This is a good opportunity for you. I shall explain how to use other home appliances as well. Follow me, Tsum.

Malleus: This is a washing machine. Open the lid and insert the clothes you wish to wash. Watch your strength when opening the lid or the water valve.

Malleus: Press the start button, and a little time after the basin starts spinning, there will be an indication as to how much water will be used.

[thump, thump...]

[the tsum watches, but falls off the machine]

Malleus: Add detergent and fabric softener relative to the amount of water, and close the lid. Now it should start to spin even more.

[thump, thump, thump...]

Malleus: Good, it is working without issues. Have you grasped how to use it, Tsum? …Where did it go? It should have been sitting right here on top of the washing machine…

Malleus: It wouldn't have fallen inside… Would it?

Malleus: What is the proper procedure to open the lid mid-wash…? I have no time to be reviewing the manual. I must open the lid immediately…

[crack, snap!]

Malleus: Tsum? It doesn't seem as though it's inside. If it hasn't fallen inside the machine, then…

[tsum shakes from behind the machine]

Malleus: Ah, I see, you fell between the machine and the wall. I'll fetch you from there now.

[Lilia appears with magic]

Lilia: If you press the pause button once, the lock on the lid will release. Don't break the lid by force next time, Malleus.

Malleus: Ah, yes, I do believe the description said something of that sort. It would do me well to read the instruction manual once more.

Lilia: Kufufu, I guess the lid to the washing machine is just as brittle as a cookie to someone like you.

[Lilia magicks the washing machine fixed]

Lilia: Okay, now that the washing machine is all fixed up… Malleus, Tsum, time to head towards the lounge.

Malleus: Oh, are the preparations for the party complete? Our students do work diligently.

Lilia: Kufufu, it's all because you asked for it. Come on, don't dawdle. Everyone's waiting for you.

Malleus: Heh, I see. We should hurry and join them, Tsum.

"A Moment with Malleustsum III"

[Diasomnia Dorm – Hallway]

Malleus: The party venue is just beyond these doors.

Malleus: Before we enter… Tsum, I'd like to bestow this upon you.

Malleus: This is a pin signifying your status as the guest of honor. You must have this on you to join the revelries.

Lilia: Kufufu, what a refined gesture.

Malleus: Hmph. This should be the norm when inviting a guest. Come now, the venue awaits.

[Diasomnia Dorm – Lounge]

[the students of Diasomnia populate the party]

Sebek: Ah! Your Tsumness! This way, please!

Malleus: Sebek, and Silver, thank you for your hard work. The decorations and dishes look sublime.

Sebek: Thank you very much! I prepared all of the wall decorations!

Silver: I assisted the students who had been charged with preparing the food.

Malleus: Right. And the spread looks divine. You should all eat as much as you wish.

Malleus: Now, let the party commence. Everyone, allow me to once again introduce to you, this party's guest of honor… This Tsum!

Diasomnia Student A: Tsum-sama, we've come to give our greetings. Aah, you have such a dignified look about you…!

Diasomnia Student B: Ah, oh, Tsum-sama…!! Could I be so bold to request your hand for this dance!?

Diasomnia Student C: Hey, I was trying to find a chance to ask that too! Tsum-sama, please dance with me as well…!

[tsum is pleased]

Lilia: Ohoo～ You're pretty popular, Tsum!

Sebek: There's no way I'd allow them to steal it away! YOUR TSUMNESS! PLEASE DANCE WITH ME!

Silver: Weren't you just bragging to me earlier nonstop that you had been blessed with a dance with it already, Sebek?

[tsum runs to Malleus]

Malleus: Oh, you wish to dance with me, Tsum?

[tsum nods]

Malleus: I see, so this would be a collaboration between the guest of honor and the host. In that case, it would be rude of me to decline.

Sebek: Ohh… My liege will dance with his lookalike tsum! This is a spectacular sight…!

Silver: A dance for the two of them, hm… We need to prepare the perfect song.

Lilia: Sounds like a job for me! I'll get everyone whipped up into the heat of things!

Lilia: Silver, Sebek! I need you to set up an impromptu band! Can you play the guitar and drums?

Silver: N-No… I can only make random sounds.

Sebek: Similarly, I can only strike a drum without any proper rhythm.

Lilia: That's good enough! LET'S GOOO～!!

Malleus: Take my hand, Tsum. I shall lead our dance.

[sounds of revelry in the Diasomnian dorm, as Malleus and the tsum dance]

Malleus: I found you, Tsum. I see you found your way to the far edge of the lounge after dancing with the dorm students one after the other.

Malleus: I'm sure I have no need to ask this of you based on how satisfied you look…

Malleus: But would you say you've crafted good memories at today's party?

[the tsum happily hops]

Malleus: Heh, you seem to be in high spirits. It was absolutely the right choice to invite you to this party.

Requested by @sakurakudo.

[vivian-pascal]

Bloody mess ║part ii ║

the unknown stranger.

vampire!joel x f!reader

summary: When Joel caught you snooping around when he told you not too, he decides to show you a little secret of his.

warnings: threats, some description of Joel's body and face structure as non-human, mentions of sex, clit rubbing, dirty talk joel, slight tap to readers core, reader is a virgin, controlling behavior from Joel, dark!joel, degrading, pushing and shoving, knife use, lil bit of soft!joel, talks of masturbation, flashback to f!masturbating

warning: if you're not comfortable with these topics, don't read!!

"Where are you taking me?" You stutter as he pulls your arm harder. You yelp in pain as his other hand grips tighter. His sharp nails digging into your fragile frame as he pulls and shoves you up the stairs.

"Since you never listened, I have to teach you how." Your face goes into a confused frown as you get to the top of the stairs. You try to release your arm from his grasp but it's no use. He laughs at your failed attempt and leads you too his room.

He opens the door and pulls you inside. You marvel at the decoration in his room. You've never seen anything more fantasy like in your entire life. He shoves you onto his bed and looks down at you. You notice that his room has no light whatsoever, just little candles lit around the room.

"Now, darlin'. I need you to stay here for just a moment, if you move, i'll know." He stares deep into your soul and for a moment you see his eyes flicker red. You nod with a confused look as he quickly hustles out of the room.

You take this moment to look at where you are exactly. His curtains are drawn just like in your room, he only has pale sheets on his bed. He has a wine glass that's completely empty on his side stand and a single candle lit.

The door opens and you know he's back. You look in the direction of the noise and sure enough he's there. Walking towards you with a smirky grin on his face. He comes up close to your face and grips your chin. He yanks your face upwards and stairs at your pulse points.

"W-What are you doing?" You grit through your teeth as he pulls your chin back into place. "Oh nothing." He smiles darkly and stands up before you. He stares down at you and scoffs. "Pathetic." He grumbles as he walks away and heads for his dresser.

He takes something out of the drawer and you see something sharp. Your face contorts into fear as you realize it's a knife. "Don't, please." He looks over at you from where he's standing and frowns.

He carries the knife too you and puts it under your chin. "What? You're scared of this little thing?" He scrapes it against your delicate skin and you squint your eyes closed. You teeth chatter in fear as shivers run down your body.

He chuckles at your state and takes the knife from your skin as he inspects it. "Tsk tsk, such a sweet thing you are." You watch him closely as he turns the knife side to side, watching the blade sparkle in the candle lit room.

He takes a deep breath then walks around the bedside and looks out the window. "You know, I don't think I've had a precious little thing like you here in years." Your breath hitches in fear, what does he mean?

He turns back around and is sat next to you within seconds. "How did you-" He grabs your chin and forces it towards his face. "We don't ask questions sweetheart." He grins and holds the knife to your neck once more.

You heart pounds against your chest with how close he is. You feel a tingly sensation in your lower stomach just begging for something. For him.

Something about him and his aggression towards you, makes you get butterflies in your stomach. You don't know why you have this feeling because of how utterly rude and humiliating he is with you but you like it.

He smirks at your shocked state and picks his knife from your neck. He throws it across the room and grabs onto your arm. You hesitate to pull back but then you remember the knife and what he told you earlier, don't resist.

He lies you back against his bed as he lies down next to you. He turns over and looks at you. His hand slowly makes its way to your thigh as he massages it.

You gasp in shock at what he's doing, but you enjoy it. He notices your shift and gradually maneuvers his hand to your waist. "J-Joel." You say with a hint of fear as he pulls down the waistband of your pants.

You look over and into his eyes. "What are you doing t'me?" He notices your slight hesitation and smiles down at you. His hands reaches over and cups your cheek. Why is he being so nice?

"M'just showing ya something that'll make you wanna be closer t'me, you know? I mean, you have to be comfortable with living here with me somehow right?" The words repeat in your head, surely your not going to be here forever. You nod your head slowly as his hand continues down.

Your hand reaches up and you look at him with fear as he reaches into your underwear. "I-I've never been touched there before by someone." Your breath hitches in your throat as his movements stop completely.

He looks at where his hand is currently sat and then too you. He stares at you for a moment before he smiles. Something in the way his eyes sparkle with darkness and lust, makes you feel that tingly feeling again.

"That's alright sweetheart, you'll enjoy it, I promise." He winks at you before his hand buries deeper into your panties. His hand reaches your core and puts a little pressure on your clit. You gasp at the contact.

You've had sex ed before in the QZ, they taught you the basic things like how babies are born and how to protect yourselves, but they never really taught you anything about someone else making you feel good. You recently found out about masturbation from a friend in Jackson.

She was about 10 years older than you so she was quite experienced before the outbreak, she taught you all the female parts and things. You had already known some but you didn't realize what they produced in a woman.

You tried to masturbate that night after she told you what to do, you hadn't really felt anything and then you did. The sensation was overwhelming and new, you've never felt anything more enjoyable.

You look back at Joel as he slowly massages your clit. Rubbing it in slow circles while bringing one of his fingers over you're hole. "You ever had somethin' in here?" He taps your entrance and you shake your head.

His eyes widen in lust as he groans. You moan when his fingers begin to speed up their movements on your clit. Rubbing faster and harder as you shakes and squirm from the sensation.

"There ya go baby girl." That nickname. You've never heard anything so beautiful yet dirty. He sends you over the edge with a small tap to your pussy. You wail out at the feeling. Your vision goes blank as he continues to rub over you in shallow movements.

You watch as he removes his fingers from your pants and sticks it into his mouth and groans at the taste. You've never seen anything more unusual than the man before you.

"You alright sugar?" He soothes your cheek with his thumb as you nod your head. He smirks as he gets up from the bed and begins to walk to the door. He wipes his hand with a cloth that was sat on your dresser near the door and the turns to you.

You rest your elbows up behind you to see him better. "Where are you doing?"

He looks at you and smiles. "To leave you be for now, let some thoughts sink into your head yeah?" You nod and look down at your feet.

He opens the door and begins to walk out. "Wait." He stops in his tracks as he turns and looks at you. "Thank you for that." You stutter as your face turns a shade of pink. He smirks and chuckles.

"I think there'll be more you'll be thankin me for darlin'." He gives you a wink and shuts the door.

What does he mean by that?

tags!!

@guelyury @livingonthehems @ursagittariusgirlfriend @iamsherloocked @heartpascalispunk

@kotourasan123@brittmb115 @littlevenicebitch69 @sinful-mind-joyful-thoughts

@morallyinept @magpiepills @javierpenaispunk @rav3n-pascal22 @yorksgirl

@itsokbbygrl @mountainsandmayhem

[serenequeenofeverything]

Daily pull-a-card reading

Daily pull-a-card, is a daily tarot reading in which ill pull one card for every group.

Disclaimer: sometimes i might pull an extra card or two that i wont mention but will definitely take into consideration.

Lots of grammar mistakes ahead bc fuck english.

For September 8-9th 2023

Group i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi

i

The high priestess

U seem to be very connected and in touch with ur emotions, you are at ur peak intuition-wise but why do i see you doubting urself? Why are u so unsure? Almost ur not giving urself the benefit of the doubt, actually quite the opposite. You are not sure of urself whatsoever, but im here to tell what the universe (god, the angels or whatever u believe in) wants you to know : you are on the right path. U are exactly where u r meant to be. U are as connected to ur higher purpose as one can be. There is nothing to fear. You are on the right path. Your own path. Trust yourself a bit more.

A song recommendation (which i reallllllllly urge to listen to bc u cant imagine how strongly this came through, U MUST LISTEN TO IT) :

ii

Ten of wands (r)

Let go of it. The burden you are carrying is not worth it, i don't exactly know what it is, it might or might not be important but here's the thing love, you are more important. U r really precious, u truly don't deserve to carry this baggage, it is just weighing you down. So free yourself, love. I know u can do it, you too know too. My bird of paradise, fly.

A song recommendation that i really wish u to listen to:

iii

The world

My god, you are the girl. Darling you ARE THE GIRL. honestly i dont even need to advice u, all im gonna say, you are the girl. you are the one, i truly truly love your energy. Baddest bitch in the game lmaoo.

I said im not gonna advice you, but i cant stop me, so here it goes, STOP LOOKING INTO THE PAST. What's past is past. Fuck him, fuck them, they didnt deserve you. Look ahead so much is waiting for you, somewhere is waiting for you. And this time, they will deserve you. U will watch it begin again, only better.

A song recommendation that i NEED you to listen to (make sure u listen to taylor's version only tho 🔪🔪)

iv

9 of swords

Hey love, listen to me very carefully, YOU CANT BALANCE IT ALL. whatever you are trying to balance, is taking a toll on you. It's too much work and it's fucking you up mentally. It's too much and read to this even more carefully YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME. Ur only human. Either give one of it up, or just free yourself from both( i suggest this). Life is much more than this situation that you are in. And there's better days to come. But you take this decision. U need to take this decision.

A song recommendation that im certain you already know but i think would a good awakening for u :

v

Knight of cups

He is very close. Nearly here. And my god, ur night in his shinning armor is one hell of a night ( THE BEST INTENTIONS LITERALLY ) . Idk girl what u have been manifesting, but that shit is CLOSE, very freaking close. My advice? Just keep doing whatever ur doing. U r doing good, and u will do even better.

Song recommendation(huh... interesting, idk i got this song, but it came very strongly, so listen u never know what's in it for u) / interestedly three things came on strong 1. "Combat" 2. " they see right through me, can you see right through me" 3. "Cause all my enemies started off as friends"

vi

Page of wands

Oh my god, this was like the messiest group everrr! Here's the thing lmao u got many cards, but it just kept going back and forth but one thing im certain about is the page of wands energy all over you. So this group are just very young compared to the rest, or just not in control of their life whatsoever.

For some i see patents getting divorced, families arguing, not very good home environment. And then there's u, amidst all this mess, the shinning one. U have many goals, you are a seeker and a dreamer, u want more. Im hearing " an art deco, Shining like gun metal" and u want more. U want more for you, u want the light, the fame and everything else too. A hungry soul.

" i want my cake and i wanna eat it too"

My advice? It dont matter. U will do as u wish, no one can stop u nor change you. U remind me too much of myself, i know ur ache.

Your song recommendation? Art deco. That song describes you perfectly.

Anyways now that's over, y'all better follow me, i mean who will do u better than i?

Alsooo u can always submit what u want me to do a reading on next by simply commenting ur subject of interest ( no private readings bro i aint got no time for that)

Anyways peace out, bye.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Section II: The Real Distribution of Wealth

The question should be put thus: Is competition a means of ASSURING work to the poor? To put a question of this kind, means to solve it. What does competition mean to workingmen? It is the distribution of work to the highest bidder. A contractor needs a laborer: three apply. “How much do you ask for your work?” “Three francs, I have a wife and children.” “Good, and you?” “Two and a half francs, I have no children, but a wife.” “So much the better, and you?” “Two francs will do for me; I am single.” “You shall have the work.” With this the affair is settled, the bargain is closed. What will become now of the other two proletarians? They will starve, it is to be hoped. But what if they become thieves? Never mind, why have we our police? Or murderers? Well, for them we have the gallows. And the fortunate one of the three; even his victory is only temporary. Let a fourth laborer appear, strong enough to fast one out of every two days; the desire to cut down the wages will be exerted to its fullest extent. A new pariah, perhaps a new recruit for the galleys.... Who would be blind enough not to see that under the reign of free competition the continuous decline of wages necessarily becomes a general law with no exception whatsoever? -- Louis Blanc, 1840 [982]

Before imagining what a society would be like in a Communist economy, a just understanding of a Capitalism economy is in order. It may be true that we understand the mechanics that control a Capitalist economy, such as class war, subsistence wages, competition, and the like. But, in our modern economy, just how much wealth that is produced goes in to the pockets of the Capitalist class, and how much into the pockets of the Proletariat class? To understand the nature of creating a Communist economy out of our current Capitalist society, we must understand the wealth distribution as it exists today. I shall answer those questions here.

Essentially, we are looking for is what economics refers to as an opportunity cost value. It is a difficult number to pinpoint. What does society lose when capitalists of the retail industry compete with each other? First, it requires greater manpower to supply the needs of all store-owners. By having a multiplicity of shops that all dispense the same products, each one only fulfilling a very small amount of its full operating potential, society has lost a certain amount of land and labor. If society were to collectivize the means of production in a manner that benefits the people, by centralizing distribution centers to their maximum potential, then the people would have that additional labor and land at their disposal. It is an inexact value lost by a profit-driven economy over a people-driven economy, as they each measure value differently.

In 2005 in the United States, workers received $7 trillion in compensation. [983] The gross domestic product for personal consumption expenditures was $8.7 trillion. [984] Even if the wage earners spent every dollar they had earned, there was still $1.7 trillion spent on personal consumption. This gives us a minor indication of the immediate differences between those who labor and those who earn a living by possessing property. If we were to absolve the economy of the trees that bore no fruit, we would see the loss of real estate, legal services, management, and administrative industries, relieving the total payroll of $1.17 trillion in payroll. [985] Laborers of the retail and wholesale trades, the assistants and servants of the capital-owning class, provide no value in their services, and would also be removed from that economic position, granting $0.85 trillion in payroll. [986] The finance and insurance industry, which provides no value except to those who own and control the industry, grants its employees $0.53 trillion in payroll. [987] This brings the total of useless industries to $2.55 trillion in payroll. Certainly an economy must possess the means and methods to distribute products to the community; the present industry remains so bulbous from its intention. It does not seek to serve the people, but to gather a profit. Wholesale trade, for instance, does not deliver the product to the end consumer. It only places the product of the mines, factories, and farms into the hands of another who must then distribute it themselves. The role of those employed in this industry is to increase sales. The economy still retains its transportation and warehousing industries, sufficient to the purpose of this industry. Abolishing these useless industries would relieve the payroll costs of $2.55 trillion. Each person’s wages increase by the difference, with the new, unused labor market joining a meaningful area of production. This, along with granting all profit to the worker, would give them a value of $8.7 trillion instead of $4.47 trillion.

The idea of eliminating useless industry as a means to improving the economy is not a new one. By increasing the wages and improving working and living conditions, many of the repelling aspects of laboring are removed. Where the population enjoys the benefits of its economy, there will be many more willing to contribute their efforts and toils to producing the social product. In his book Utopia, Thomas More entails a plan where the idleness of both wealth and poverty are removed...

... then consider the great company of idle priests, and of those that are called religious men; add to these all rich men, chiefly those that have estates in land, who are called noblemen and gentlemen, together with their families, made up of idle persons, that are kept more for show than use; add to these, all those strong and lusty beggars, that go about pretending some disease, in excuse for their begging; and upon the whole account you will find that the number of those by whose labors mankind is supplied, is much less than you perhaps imagined. Then consider how few of those that work are employed in labors that are of real service; for we who measure all things by money, give rise to many trades that are both vain and superfluous, and serve only to support riot and luxury. For if those who work were employed only in such things as the conveniences of life require, there would be such an abundance of them that the prices of them would so sink that tradesmen could not be maintained by their gains; if all those who labor about useless things were set to more profitable employments, and if all they that languish out their lives in sloth and idleness, every one of whom consumes as much as any two of the men that are at work, were forced to labor, you may easily imagine that a small proportion of time would serve for doing all that is either necessary, profitable, or pleasant to mankind, especially while pleasure is kept within its due bounds. [...] And thus from the great numbers among them that are neither suffered to be idle, nor to be employed in any fruitless labor, you may easily make the estimate how much may be done in those few hours in which they are obliged to labor. [988]

Some may argue with me on the matter of removing the retail trade industry. Naturally, every economy must possess a method of distribution for the social product. If we were to keep the retail trade outlets, it would mean keeping the value of stores at the cost of a payroll at $0.467 trillion, for 2005. But, it certainly can be agreed that wholesale trade provides no value; it acts solely as a middleman merchant between vendors of products and those who produce them. Their total payroll for 2005 was $0.389 trillion in 2005. The mechanics of the economy direct and coordinate labor and capital in a manner that increases the labor of all, so that the capital-owning class can possess their profits. Not only does its losses allow for an idle group of owners and lords, but its inefficiency costs the whole of society a great deal collectively. If it can be given that an entire sector of a trade industry produces no fruit that is consumed by the public, then there is certainly a great deal of maximizing efficiency that can go on in the retail trade industry. There must be a reorganization of labor and industry according to the needs and direction of society. It is not simply a matter of giving the profit of the capitalist to the worker; but it is a matter of giving the right to the direction of the economy. Otherwise, the worker does not truly possess a right to collective ownership of the means of production.

Relieving the economy of the employees who provide no value would naturally output itself as unemployment, but in a Socialist economy, where capital is organized according to the interests of labor, it would simply reduce the amount of labor applied to the industry. The equation could be written another way. Instead of reducing the amount of workers employed in fruitless industry, those workers would migrate to useful and productive industry. In this case, laborers would receive the same pay, but with a significant reduction in the amount of time and effort necessary to achieve the final, social product. For instance, the $4.2 trillion difference of $8.7 trillion could be expressed as a 48% reduction in labor to create the same product, or it could be written as a 93% increase in payroll for the laboring class. In either case, it’s a matter of socialization of the economy and capital in order to provide for the people’s needs as they themselves desire. It should be enough for the economy to become socialized. Not only must it organize to eliminate non-value producing industries, but it should fairly distribute the social product to those who produced it. The numbers above provide a small sampling of the type of reorganizing that would happen. The greatest obstacles to a relationship between labor and those possessing the means of production are poor working conditions, low pay, and long hours, the results of a profit-driven economy. These minimal estimates are based on the present working model of the Capitalist system. It would be impossible to achieve an accurate figure of the complete value lost by the exchanges of Capitalism and the advantages of collectivizing the means of production, but these numbers are a start.

One of the primary arguments against such a collectivization of the means of production is that industry would lose its lords and masters. Without the merchants and traders of real estate, legal services, management, and administrative labor, the conflicting units of society would need to work together on mutual, associative, and free relationships in order to receive their subsistence of living. The farmer would need to rely on the steel worker for his tools, just as the engineer must rely on the farmer for his daily sustenance. Without masters of economy, these groups would be required to exchange the products of their economy on the basis of achieving the mutual interest of all parties.

[our-future-is-up-to-us-2]

Go To Sleep, And Dream Of Pain

Posting late now, but what the hell, it's still something <3

Take some angsty vibes for fic number 4 @narcosfandomdiscord

Prompt #21, Book Of Nerves Of Steel: Cortisol

Word Count: 1K

Relationships: Seymour Krelborn & Audrey II, Audrey Fulquard/Orin Scrivello (background)

Warnings: Quite a few! All of these are compliant to canon: Blood loss, murder, mention of s/h, reference to abusive relationship

~ Read the fic under the cut ~

Seymour has, and always will be, a shy person. 

Shy, clumsy, forgettable, those adjectives always spring to mind. Oh, and unhygienic, if Mr. Mushnik’s words have any input whatsoever. (Of course, they do, after all, there’s nothing that the florist can refuse from the shop owner). 

Another word to add to the pile, something that only increases with each passing day: Anxiousness. 

Seymour frets and frets, rubbing over his hands. He works frequently with his plants, talking to them as though it will make them grow. He collects the inventory and keeps to himself, because no one really makes an effort to talk in return. 

Things are better that way. 

Well, until a beautiful yet shocking revelation can emerge, that is. 

And how better to do it than in the form of some… Venus flytrap, unidentifiable plant thing , Audrey II? 

Mushnik marvels at the plant’s unique traits, ready to show it off to the passers-by of Skid Row. Audrey squeaks, simply because she’s been given acknowledgement from Seymour, that the plant (and by extension, she) holds value.  

The florist stresses some more when the plant doesn’t grow, and makes his best efforts to revive it that very night. 

When he wakes up in the morning, everything is swell. 

If being on the anaemic side of things is a side effect, so be it. Business is booming and Audrey II’s been blooming away. 

Finally, Seymour Krelborn breathes in the fact that every bad feeling oh-so casually slips away. He can take control of his life, now, from an orphanage, to a fortune. 

Mushnik doesn’t despise him anymore, and Audrey looks at him nicely… He doesn’t need anything else. Yes, the environment could be nicer, but that is the point. Start off slow, in this dirty, dingy, depressed neighbourhood of Skid Row, and find a way outta here.  

He smiles at the plant, bigger and better than ever before, and hums as he walks towards the door, having closed up for the night. 

This thing is his ticket to heaven. He’s sure of it. 

***

The day to follow is even more strenuous than the last. 

The blood loss drives him insane, not literally, but he’s dizzy. Sometimes, it’s difficult to think rapidly, even to put one foot in front of the other. 

He’d rather sleep, give his aching fingers a few days to heal, and then continue with Audrey II. But that’s some distant dream, nothing like Audrey’s… 

She thinks of the future, of optimism and whimsy. The American dream, the white-picket fence and a dashing husband to boot. She’ll be the perfect housewife, living in serenity, dressed to the nines and with enough money to last a lifetime. 

Seymour doesn’t exactly doubt Audrey, but he’s seen many a harsh day, and would rather try his best to see things moment by moment, progressing at pace. One foot in front of the other. 

Until it’s near closing time, and that eccentric dentist guy, Orin, has picked Audrey up, swept her off her feet and onto a motorbike… Not without mentioning he does so in the least of romantic fashions, whilst ignoring her and screwing around with nitrous oxide. 

Unfortunately, there’s not much he can do. He’s discussed it time and time again with Mr Mushnik: Audrey is not a healthy girl, and neither is Audrey II. 

At least, it wasn’t before.  

Now its leaves make it an enigma, and the bud is a luscious green, making the plant seem like it's from a jungle. 

“Aw, Twoey,” Seymour mumbles, leaning against it, “It’s crazy, how the world works. She should be with a prince, not a sadistic creep like him!” He feels the anger rise in his voice, opting to run his bandaged fingers over Audrey II. He’ll calm himself down, and the cortisol in his body will surely take effect soon. “Look, at least we got each other, right? I’ll see you in the morning.” 

He lets out a delayed breath as he reaches for the doorknob, twisting it. He barely feels the air on his face when he startles, hearing the plant slump from behind him. 

The florist has no option but to close the door. 

Even less of a choice, he’ll have to talk to the withering thing, just to make him seem sane. Perhaps it’s on instinct, too, and he just can’t help his nature. 

“I– Twoey! I haven’t got much left, seriously– We can start on the left hand when I’m better, and–” 

He kneels down, pressing his glasses closer to his face. 

Feed me!  

It’s bizarre. 

It’s just him in this dingy room, trying to grapple with a plant that needs a lot of nutrition. Clearly, Seymour’s blood sacrifices aren’t cutting it anymore– But, then, maybe it’s the blood loss! Just a dream, a hallucination! How’s he going to snap out of it?! 

The voice, rich and baritone, rings again. 

Feed me, Krelborn, feed me, now!  

Who else knows him like this? So personally? Who’s been with him through everything? 

Oh. Seymour thinks, his eyes glaring at Audrey II’s bulb. Is that the only option, is it really?  

“I can’t feed you!” He finally says, shuffling away. “I’ve told you too many times!” 

“But I’m starving! ” The lips move. The trap, the thing, he doesn’t have a clue – on the plant , no less – says something. “C’mon, Krelborn, feed me now!” 

“I’m a human, Twoey!” The florist exclaims, backing away, “I’ve only got a limited blood supply.” He watches as its vines flop up and down, “What? You want me to slit my wrists?!” 

“Mmm,” Audrey II responds, and Seymour’s hands start to tremble. 

No! He thinks, This is too much, isn’t it?! That’s disgusting, isn’t it?! How inhumane! So… So vile.  

And yet, Audrey II’s newfound rhetoric works its way into Seymour’s mind and heart: Hey, what if you killed someone? Someone oughta deserve it! Feed me, get me some lunch! You’ll be rich if I keep growing, imagine it, kid!  

Both he and the plant take their eyes to the window, seeing heartless Orin and innocent Audrey… The scene before them both sends a shiver down the florist’s spine. 

“Alright,” He whispers, “You need blood, and Orin’s got more than enough.” 

***

Seymour chops Orin up, but doesn’t kill him. 

The images of blood and body parts keep him awake for hours, and he knows that the cortisol in him isn’t doing its job. 

He should be asleep by now, he should be thinking of tomorrow’s troubles… 

Instead, Seymour stays awake, and thinks about the hole he’s dug himself: Deep, irreversible, and bloody. 

[duxbelisarius]

The Dance of the Dragons: A Military Analysis (Pt. 2)

If the 100+ notes on Part One are any indication, y’all really enjoyed my analysis! Huge thanks to my mutuals @lemonhemlock and @thephantomcasebook for their feedback, and to @sayruq for their interesting theory about the Dance and how it connects to the conclusion of the ASOIAF books! If you haven’t read Pt. 1, the link is here!

I’ve decided to analyze the use of sea power (navies, merchant fleets, etc.) and airpower (dragons) first, allowing me to focus on the ground war without too many digressions. This is also because of the limited effect that sea and airpower had upon the outcome of the Dance; I know that will seem like the hottest of hot takes, but rest assured I will explain myself.

Sea power is defined roughly as those institutions and technologies that allow for power projection via the sea, including warships, merchant vessels, shipyards and ports. When it comes to George’s portrayal of how both factions use of sea power, his MO is to heavily nerf that of the Blacks while pretending the Greens had none whatsoever. 

It is true that Rhaenyra’s sea power assets were considerable when the Dance began, comprising the Velaryon Fleet alongside House Celtigar and the Ironborn. Rhaenyra’s forces also had access to the port facilities of Dragonstone, Driftmark, the Iron Islands, Gulltown, White Harbour, Duskendale and eventually King’s Landing. Despite this, Aegon II could rely upon the Royal Fleet itself as well as the naval and mercantile fleets of Lannisport, House Hightower and House Redwyne. The Green Council also absconded with the Royal Treasury upon Viserys death, keeping a quarter in the capital and splitting the rest between the Iron Bank of Braavos, Oldtown and Casterly Rock; this combined with the considerable wealth of the Lannisters and Hightowers would have made it easy to hire Sellsails. The great Westerosi ports of Oldtown, the Arbor and Lannisport were all under Aegon II’s control as was King’s Landing itself, while Otto Hightower’s diplomacy secured an alliance with the Triarchy. 

There should have been a degree of parity between the sea power of the Blacks and the Greens; yet Gyldan declares that the Velaryon fleet gave Rhaenyra superiority at sea and suggests that Aegon had only the Royal Fleet. Comparing these forces is difficult owing to George’s inconsistency in providing numbers for the size of the factions armies and navies. In the case of the Velaryon fleet, Alyn Velaryon assembles 60 war galleys, 30 longships and over 100 cogs and great cogs to attack the Stepstones in 133 AC (according to Under the Regents - War, Peace and Cattle Shows). As the Velaryons are said to have lost almost a third of their fleet in the Battle of the Gullet in 130 AC, this would suggest that their fleet numbered more than 250 warships at the start of the Dance. George gives no indication of how many ships were commanded by Dalton Greyjoy at this time, though The World of Ice and Fire states that he was making preparations for war over a year before the Dance began. As the Iron Fleet did not exist at this time, the majority of Dalton’s ships would likely have been Longships. In A Dance With Dragons, these are said to be a third the size of the Iron Fleet’s warships which are themselves smaller than the Dromonds used by the Seven Kingdoms. As Euron Greyjoy’s fleet in the books is currently comprised of 1000 ships (based on this estimation by @madeinmyr), and this is despite the losses in ships and population from the Greyjoy Rebellion a decade prior, 900-1000 ships seems a reasonable number for Dalton’s fleet.

Determining the size of the Greens navies is incredibly difficult due to George giving almost no information on their size; the exception to this being the fleet sent by the Triarchy for the Battle of the Gullet, which consisted of 90 ships. The World of Ice and Fire states that it was the Hightower and Redwyne Fleets that prevented the Andals from invading the Reach by sea, but neither force plays any role in the Dance in what could at best be described as a blatant omission on George’s part. The Redwyne Fleet was part of Aegon’s invasion of the Iron Islands in 2 AC, and contributes 30 warships to Alyn Velaryon’s expedition against Dalton Greyjoy in 133 AC; A Feast For Crows tells us that the Redwyne Fleet has 200 warships and 5 times as many merchantmen as of the War of the Five Kings. Lyonel Hightower contributes 20 warships to Alyn Velaryon’s expedition, but we otherwise have no numbers to go off; 100 warships might be a reasonable number, but this is purely guesswork. Ormund Hightower and Daeron Targaryen also force the submission of the Shield Islands later in the Dance, and these had at least 50 warships at their disposal in A Feast For Crows, though this is far in the future. As for the Westerlands’ fleet, George claimed that House Lannister possessed 20-30 large warships at the time of the main books; the number of 50-60 large warships used by the Game of Thrones d20 role-playing game seems like a better basis to me given the wealth of the Lannisters and the size and importance of Lannisport. A fleet of 100 or so warships of various sizes and types would make sense for the Westerlands during the Dance, though once again this is purely a guess.

As I stated before, George nerfs the effectiveness of Rhaenyra’s sea power while pretending Aegon’s doesn’t exist, and this is borne out by the narrative; Rhaenyra’s effective use of sea power goes no further than the blockade of the Gullet, as Dalton Greyjoy’s attacks on the Westerlands coincide with the destruction of the Lannister army at the so-called ‘Fish Feed,’ after which the Westerlands played no major part in the war. Little can be said about the Ironborn attack on Casterly Rock and Lannisport other than what George tells us, that 75% of the Lannisters ships were captured, the rest were sunk and Lannisport was sacked. Despite the Ironborn having been preparing for war for over a year and failing to respond to the Greens offers of alliance, it seems the Westerlands had no security measures in place, though George uses a lack of screening and basic security in his narrative so the Lannisters are hardly alone. 

More can be said about the tactics of the Battle of the Gullet however; prior to this battle, Princes Aegon and Viserys (Rhaenyra and Daemon’s sons) are dispatched to Pentos by ship in order to keep them safe from the war. Their ships the Gay Abandon and it’s seven escorts are waylaid by the Triarchy Fleet, which moves on to attack Driftmark and the Gullet blockade. Pentos is located just north of the Triarchy and the Stepstones, and Daemon’s spies should have had almost a year to uncover Otto Hightower’s alliance with the Triarchy; a wiser choice would be to send the princes to join Joffrey and Rhaena in the Vale or send them to Braavos. The Triarchy attack with the rising sun at their backs and completely surprise the Velaryon Fleet, despite Prince Aegon’s return to Dragonstone via his dragon Stormcloud, which should have served as a warning of the Triarchy’s allegiances. We’re also supposed to believe that there were no dragonriders flying patrols over the waters around Driftmark and Dragonstone, nor were there any patrols by ship that could possibly have detected 90 warships moving in two squadrons. Jace and Corlys were in the middle of planning an attack on King’s Landing, so the astonishing lack of security reflects poorly on them both, while Jacaerys decision to attack the Lyseni ships alone is even more bizarre. The battle ends with High Tide and Spicetown sacked, these symbols of Corlys’ wealth and status as a mariner being left in utter ruin along with a third of his fleet; only 28 Triarchy ships survive with the bulk being lost to dragonfire, although 25 Lyseni ships survived despite being the first ones attacked by Prince Jacaerys and Vermax. 

This concludes my thoughts on the use of sea power in the Dance of the Dragons, or rather it’s misuse or lack thereof. George either sidelines the navies of the great houses entirely or situates them largely in the background of the land battles. I’d greatly appreciate feedback on this part, as I’m not quite satisfied with my writing and analysis as compared to Pt. 1; otherwise, thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to follow along!

[angevinyaoiz]

Watched this Henry II docudrama while working on stuff yesterday and as u all know I love seeing what ppl do with the reenactor drama while Dan Jones walks around like a badboy at Chinon.

The thing is I've been so spoiled by the ugly haircuts and colorful stage camp toot toot music of The Devil's Crown that going to this SUPER grey and gritty modern realism filter is a whiplash haadjdjdidid. Also I realized they recycled a lot of this footage into the Secrets de Histoire video about Eleanor lmaoooo

The narrator talks in very serious voice about how THIS FAMILY DRAMA IS MORE BLOODIER AND DRAMATIC than FICTION which true I suppose but also to me it's Funny. It's Bathos.

We have Eleanor being the Evil Woman in the Yaoi shot here between Henry and Becket

Becket looks EVIL in all his shots and they play like the most foreboding haunting music it's like God damn u guys don't have ANY lighting whatsoever. Bc he comes across so sinister when they get to the part about Young Henry's dadson marriage coronation and they talk Abt Becket being uninvited it sounds like he's Maleficent or something..should show up in announced just to CURSE him (tbh he kind of did that with the excommunication lmaooo)

We get to see Henry Junior ofc which I'm always like yayyyyy it's my glup shitto...this doc really leans on that "Criticizing Henry re his interpersonal faults and internal personality" kind of motivation for his actions which I'm like ehhhh ofc things are more complex politically and I can't help but feel after reading Strickland's TYK book it's more hmmm. But anyways this distracts from the important things which is:

Narrator sticks pretty much to Actual Factual things that happens and the actor scenes follow suit BUT THEN! THERE IS SUDDENLY A FANFICTION (preceded by narrator going "one could only imagine what the heated conversations were like")

The dark ass lighting is annoying as hell but basically Young Henry bursts into Henry's room to be mad about Chinon (Mirabeau and Loudon) being given to John and they argue for a bit and then Henry gets mad and starts choking him???

But then he stops and then they're both like crying and hugging with this foreboding music. Anyways thanks timeline for the completely made up dadson bait for Me Personally

Blabla blah rebellion etc it's very truncated ad most of it is about bullying Henry LMAO

But ofc we get Eleanor helping da Boyz rebel and being mad Abt Toulouse and then there's the obligatory intimate shots w Richard (this also was recycled in Secrets de Histoire)

Also this series ofc follows the grand tradition of letting you know who John is by giving him a smirk and fancy lil fashion accessory in this case his cunty hat

Anyways pretty fun intro and overall generally factual. I nitpick bc I've just come off my reading ofc but djskjf the psychological narrative of "Henry grew up fighting for his throne in disordered times (the Anarchy) so that led him to want to reassert order and control in the lands and also not relinquish control in his family" feels oversimplified modern psychoanalysis storytelling rather than based in the reality, surprised there wasn't really any brief mention of the whole thing Abt the king of the English still being subject to Louis for the French lands thing bc that feels very central??? To the conflicts?? To me??? but it's a fun intro. At least there were no Party City Wigs like in Secrets de Histoire

[horizon-verizon]

Since Laenor was still alive, Rhaenyra was technically still married to him, which would nullify her marriage to Daemon. Does this mean that their children with Daemon are considered bastards?

@guiboob

I talked a lot more abt bastardry HERE.

A)

Since bastardy is as much a social invention of control as race or caste, not a biological and imperative reality AND bastardry is only as "real" as what is socially evident (i,e., what the "people"[courtiers and nobles, not the smallfolk] know about said person's parentage and/or what the highest and/or most powerful authority allows/hides well)...

And since Laenor would have to do what he'd never do and reestablish himself as Rhaenyra's "true" consort/husband--that he never died and tricked everyone to get away.

NO, those kids are not considered "bastards". They will always be known as trueborn.

Even if by some miracle he did come back, he'd never voluntarily reveal hismself as himself. s still alive. Laenor is PUBLICLALLY and officially dead and will never again be "properly" a part of his past social group of aristocratsd or be Prince Consort or be involved in the politics of Rhaenyra's reign as "Laenor Velaryon" ever again--even if the show were to bring him back somehow, which I don't think is happening.

It's not going to affect the plot, redirect events away from how they are supposed to go, or affect the overall story in any meaningful way...at all. So why does it matter for us--the readers--to decide whether Aegon III and Viserys II were "bastards" or not? It only matters if you want to keep alie and "real" the social significance and legal consequences of bastardry to have some sort of social superiority. Whether in personal pleasure of being born "right" (and maybe also entitled to some legal protections/privileges those not born "right" recieve), the pleasure of woulda-coulda, or/and to "win" an argument online and have the satisfaction of disturbing others into self-doubt and complacency (serving to make people less willing to confront or challenge other privileges or privileged "morals").

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

btw, What makes a person a bastard is not being the child of a bastard; it's simply that your parents were not married when you were born. I've seen some people imply that their bastard social status--even in the "legal" (really "customary") system of Westeros-- can be "passed" down to their kids. It's not like American slavery. A bastard and another bastard, if they marry before they have a kid, will not "yield" another bastard. So even IF one were to successfully argue these kids are bastards, THEIR CHILDREN WOULD NOT BE BASTARDS AS THEY WERE MARRIED TO THEIR SPOUSES BEFORE THEY HAD THEIR KIDS. This idea of HotD changing ASoIaF history so extradordinarily in the favor of Targ-haters is based on misinformed wish fuffillment.

B)

Laenor not being dead is purely an invention on the show's part. Canonically, this is not even a reral question. And "F&B is full of unreliable accounts" is not pretext enough to take as fact Condal's rewrite as "truth" or "what could have happened", bc it serves no purpose--narratively--to make these two boys' status in any way ambiguous or mysterious.

we already have that w/Rhaenyra's first 3 boys (the ambiguous public status of heirs), meant to be politically weaponized against Rhaenyra and thus relevant to the plot as it gets some support for the greens

it's implied that while amicable, Rhaenyra' relationship w/Laenor was not as....loving or close as the show allows one to think, so there's lower probability Rhaenyra would scheme this to keep Laenor alive preemptively...

Laenor's dragon Seasmoke, bonds w/Addam of Hull/Velaryon--Laenor's official bastard son who's really Corlys' bastard son....there is no evidence whatsoever that says a bond b/t a living person and their dragon can be broken during the human's lifetime--Dany's bonds w/3 dragons is itself nothing short of an anomaly and the text stresses this...so yea, canonically Laenor is definitely dead before R & D marry

[silvcrsxng]

GOD SAVE THE PROM QUEEN

Larissa Weems x oc

Chapter II

A/N: Hello there! First of all, I have to say a big THANK U for liking and sharing the first part of the story. I am so happy about that, I can‘t even tell! Today, I‘ll upload chapter two of the story - I wasn‘t quite contented about it, but didn‘t really know why. After a few times of rereading, I finally decided to upload - so have fun while reading! ♡︎

♕

There is this one moment when everything freezes. You leave your body, look at it from the outside. You weaken, feel empty and stagger in nothingness. Only then does your story enter for you. Your emotions, your feelings, your thoughts. You regain control of your body. It remembers things that seem completely alien to you - just gives you, for this one moment, the possibility to see yourself from a different perspective.

So should you fall, should you also see yourself from above ... Do you then ask yourself if you could still hear yourself? If you could hear others? The possible scream? The last words muttered as you fell? The cries of others, their shouts?

Or do you merely wrap yourself in golden silence, accepting your fate and letting the inevitable happen? The impact that inevitably follows every fall. In our younger years, we learned from this. We were taught to get back up after each fall. To go on stronger than before, to try again - and then, with the progress of time, not to fall again. To survive situations in which we had previously failed.

What irony. If you look at your past life, your school days, your childhood, one thing is quite striking. Many of the things that await us in later life are things we encounter unprepared. Who teaches us how to deal with our feelings or thoughts? Who teaches us to think clearly in difficult situations? Who teaches us to deal with the first heartbreak?

No one.

Except ourselves.

"You've taught yourself everything you need. Goal orientation. As soon as pressure is on you, fight it. Don't perish because of it. Walk your path with your head held high, write your own story. Because if you don't, others will do it for you. Without asking yourself what part you want to play in it."

Second fiddle. That was what Elura had mostly played in her story so far. She had fallen - too many times to count. But she had always gotten back up, no matter how hard the impact had been. In the hope of being first choice for once in the future. Since those school days, she had never lost that hope. It had felt, the moment she had finally seen Larissa Weems again, as if all that hope over the past few years had finally been rewarded. Her warm, heartfelt smile - those sparkling blue eyes. She had no difficulty whatsoever in recalling that moment of first seeing her again - she had also made an effort to carefully memorise her beautiful face. To refresh the memory of her, which had been so long ago.

The disbelief that had spread through her stomach at first had quickly turned into joy. Joy, however, which she had not really been able to show. Not because she didn't want to, no. But much more for the reason that she was afraid of losing her again anyway. To see someone else with her, to be able to do nothing but stand in the shadows.

"You are not a teacher at this school. Neither are you one of their students, you are decidedly too old for that," a relatively monotone voice snapped her out of her thoughts, making her frown in confusion. Elura had sat down on a bench a little away from the schoolyard - her nose buried in a book, which she read only half-heartedly, however. Her thoughts had been far away, completely blocking out any external events. Until that interruption. She raised her head, looking at the black-haired girl standing in front of her with a raised eyebrow. "I too wish you a good day." she replied before gently closing the book. "But yes, it's true. I am neither."

The girl didn't make any expression - merely eyed her in a strange way before her gaze fell on the book in her hands. "Then why are you here?" she asked another question, which, however, merely made Elura shake her head gently. "It's none of your business. I don't see why I should be accountable to you, especially since I don't even know you." The girl's behaviour puzzled her. Not least for the reason that she had seemingly just appeared out of nowhere. "Wednesday. Wednesday Addams." No sooner had she spoken her name than Elura's body tensed.

Addams.

Addams, after Gomez Addams. And Gomez was automatically linked to Morticia. Morticia Frump - or Addams, whatever her name was now. "You have already made the acquaintance of my mother." Nothing. No response from Elura, who was busy processing what she had just heard. "With my father, too." "How do you know that?" it finally escaped her lips, which had become eerily dry.

Wednesday seemed heartily unsurprised by the question - unless, of course, she was extremely talented at hiding her actual reactions behind that disinterested, almost creepy façade. "The yearbook. And your reaction to my name." She left. Without having waited for a response.

Elura was left behind, ignorant of how she felt a moment ago. How she should classify her feelings.

And for that one moment, she saw herself - sitting there, on that bench. The same book in her hand as she had all those years ago.

She rose, slowly, and made her way back to the high walls of Nevermore Academy. "You were always fond of that book. I remember always wondering why." She didn't have to lift her head to recognise whose voice it was. Even among thousands, she would have recognised it. It was Larissa, who had approached her with a gentle smile on her lips. "You spent hours reading it ..." the blonde added. "And it was you who always reminded me not to let time completely out of my sight," Elura replied, finally coming to a halt in front of the headmistress and looking up at her.

"Without you, I would have been late to class many times." The tall woman lowered her head, smirking, before shaking her head a little. "If, then you would have merely been a little late." Elura bit her lip lightly, looking at her counterpart wordlessly for a few moments. "I never thanked you for that." Surprised, the blonde raised her head, returning the look with which the young woman regarded her. "It was also no-" with a determined shake of her head she silenced Principal Weems. "Don't say that Because no matter how many times you told me it wasn't necessary, I still wouldn't be able to accept it." Her words were gentle - merely yet firm.

"Without you ... All my time here would have been black and white." Thoughts. She did not speak them, aware that they would not change her situation. A light touch on her cheek made her turn her attention back to the blonde. She looked into her eyes, into that beautiful, deep and reassuring blue. The smile she wore on her red-painted lips was honest, almost tender. Larissa herself radiated perfect warmth and calm. The same charisma as back then. With the difference that her authority had increased. Not in a negative way. She had never been someone who acted selfishly. Rather, she had been the kind of person who always tried to help others - who stood up for others without asking for anything in return.

Silence. It felt like there was nothing and no one else in this world. It was just the two of them. It felt right. Almost like coming home after a long, far too long time .... coming home. She was her home. She had always been, but she had never dared to open up to it.

And ... that's how it was going to stay for now.

"It's about time, isn't it?" Once again, it was Elura who destroyed the moment. Who could not face her feelings in the way she would have liked to. Larissa's expression stiffened for a moment before she blinked and nodded curtly. "Quite."

And there they went again. Separately, both heading in other directions. Another separation, which again felt like a disappointment to the young woman. She wanted to be honest. More than anything else. And the Rave'N was the best way to do that.

[astrologyandlife]

29° and 0° in astrology

the 29th and 0 degrees are said to be "critical" degrees in astrology, meaning that anything sitting in these degrees have a special influence on its expression and impact on the rest of the chart. so, i thought it would be a good idea to explore these two degrees and what they could mean for you guys!

part i: the 29th degree

the 29th degree is the very last degree of any zodiac sign. it is said to be the anaretic degree. here, the most difficult challenges related to the placement in question are presented, as everything else has been mastered. there is also a sense of inevitability with this placement. this is often marked by a turning point in the individual’s life.

sun – the ego and identity are strong, but there could be external circumstances that don’t allow the individual to express themselves in a completely authentic or transparent way. they must reconcile who they are inside with how they act. at times, they feel like an imposter, or like they are selling out to others. they know who they are, but do other people? this feeling that something is physically blocking them from existing impacts every action they take. they must figure out what is holding them back from complete self-expression and give themselves permission to be themselves in spite of this.

moon – this is where the most complex, desolate emotions a person can feel lie—the kinds of emotions that make you think nobody could possibly understand your experience. as a result, there is a profound sense of isolation and a difficulty integrating their emotional experiences into their self-expression. this only increases the intensity of the emotions, creating many situations of turbulence. sometimes the individual ends up completely blocking their emotions off to cope. only by facing their emotions head-on can they assuage these feelings and achieve a balanced state.

mercury – there is a tendency to get stuck in vicious cycles involving self-doubt and overthinking here. as a result, they sabotage their own efforts to make good decisions and communicate clearly. even a genius can make a fool out of himself. there can be this issue where they overthink sometimes and don’t think enough other times. they have this nagging feeling that they are missing some piece of information that is undiscovered or concealed from them. the final lesson is to trust the knowledge and experience they have to make the right decision.

venus – a profound sense of loneliness is pervasive throughout their life, as though every relationship they could have now would be empty and devoid of true connection. it’s entirely possible for these individuals to have trust issues, fall into unhealthy patterns in their relationships, and avoid intimacy. perhaps there is a part of themselves who feels they are unlovable in some way, or there is this one thing wrong with them, which they must forgive completely, the same way they would forgive and love another person.

mars – a desperation to act conflicts with a lack of confidence in their capability to do so. often this leads to them being frozen in the headlights like a deer, thinking, I have to do something but what if it’s wrong? the balance between too much and too little is blurred, leading to inconsistency and turbulence in their lives. they often end up in situations where they are forced to make snap decisions. re-calibrating their approach to conflict and matching their energy to the situation will relieve this problem.

jupiter – without thinking, these individuals over-indulge and rely on their luck and natural talents in some way. they want more of something, and it’s almost as though there is no satisfaction through receiving it. there is both a sense of hollowness and complacency that permeates as a result, and they forget how to materialize success through their own efforts. to remedy this, they must seek out growth, exploration, and expansion in its purest sense, to open their minds to a higher being or knowledge.

saturn – restrictive patterns are almost always the issue here. these individuals deprive them of something in their lives, not allowing even a moment of pleasure or reprieve from the overwhelming sense of responsibility they feel. external circumstances, especially in early life, have placed an undue burden on them, in some cases leading them to do anything to escape any responsibility placed on them later in life. to fix this, they have to let go of the guilt and fear they feel to give themselves back their agency.

uranus – how can they move forward? where is there to go that hasn’t been gone to before? in the same way that the sun in this degree struggles to find true authenticity in this liminal space, so too do these individuals struggle to find progression. somewhere they got stuck and stopped embracing their own unique qualities, which has made it impossible for them to then accept anything else. the final turning point here is to open their mind completely, to embrace entirely the open possibilities of the world.

neptune — this is the deepest recesses of this planet, where material reality as we know it does not even exist. at its most extreme, these individuals find it hard to live in this world because reality is simply too harsh for them in some way. escapism exists in its most extreme form, and the subconscious is too influential. and so, they need to escape themselves. here, the power has been given to a force that is not the individual, but rather something external to them. the task is to give this power back to the conscious individual, to escape the dream they have created for themselves and return to reality.

pluto — here, the complete death has occurred for the person. they have experienced the transformation, the change, and the end of the cycle. perhaps they have experienced in many times in their life. but the last stage hasn’t occurred yet. they become stuck before the rebirth stage, unable to complete the process. thus, the same situation happens over and over, re-opening wounds. the final turning point is to accept the change and open themselves up completely to renewal, to move on for good. lay it to rest.

part ii: the 0 degree

in contrast, the 0 degree is the very first degree of any zodiac sign. this is where the traits of the sign are most clearly and cohesively expressed, and also where there is the most to learn. you express this placement in a very raw, almost untouched way.

aries – there is a childlike innocence and naivete here, as well as an exaggerated impatience and sense of urgency. they feel that there is no time to wait. strong desire to be first and be a leader, even if they don’t know how to be one. there’s almost like a reckless quality to them. extremely assertive to a point of being hostile when others tell them what to do.

taurus – they are stubborn and fixed to the point of being unable to budge. it’s essentially impossible to stop the momentum once they’ve started, and they’re in it for the long haul. they can get stuck in their thinking and behavior patterns, doing the same thing over and over. absolutely must have stability and security in situations or they won’t commit.

gemini – absolutely no tolerance for boredom or lack of activity. they have to be doing something at all times, and often more than one thing. they’re extremely scattered. their curiosity drives them and they’re always asking questions or trying to learn more. they are constantly taking in information and changing their mind, never able to “settle.”

cancer – sensitive and emotional to the point where they can’t hide their feelings. here, there is someone who is very shy, cautious, and puts a protective shell around themselves. they have an intuition that is spot-on. very needy and moody. plays the role of caregiver and can be seen as a motherly figure. empathy is turned up all the way.

leo – they are completely self-focused and wants to be the center of attention. they want people’s eyes on them at all times, and they know how to light up a room. natural actors and tend toward being extremely dramatic. there is a sense of complete confidence in their abilities and pride in themselves. they refuse to settle for less than what they believe they deserve.

virgo – devoted to the service of others, typically in the form of providing feedback, criticism, and a helping hand. very critical and vocal about imperfections. they have an eye for detail that is unmatched. any form of disorganization or chaos is distressing to them, and they have highly specific routines and rituals. mind is constantly running to analyze and process information.

libra – cannot be alone whatsoever, and they are constantly seeking out connections with others. they are a complete pushover and seek out compromise in every situation. there is a desire to always seem agreeable and likeable. they often find themselves mediating for others, and there is an extreme need for harmony and balance. indecisive to the point of being paralyzed/hurt.

scorpio – the most private you’ll ever meet, and it’s impossible to get information out of them. feels the need to keep everything to themselves. has tons of secrets. they are super obsessive and will latch on to things quickly. needs control or to feel powerful in any situation. constantly on the defensive and trying to psychoanalyze the situation.

sagittarius – have an attitude of “it will all work out, don’t worry” even when they should be worrying. it’s impossible to tie down or get them to settle, because they have an intense need for freedom at all times. blindly faithful and optimistic. have a tendency to do things completely spontaneously. can feel claustrophobic when unable to freely act.

capricorn – absolutely rooted in tradition, even to the point of being narrow-minded. they constantly have to be going after success or achievement. the sense of responsibility is always present, which can lead to feelings of guilt or failure. an old soul from the beginning. a sense of “I have to get this right and prove myself” in anything they do.

aquarius – always has to be moving forward and making progress. extreme quirks are very possible here. highly open-minded and non-judgmental, and almost nothing surprises/shocks them. a savant, genius, or revolutionary. always at odds with figures of authority or traditionalists. a humanitarian to the extreme. they are ahead of their time.

pisces – hyper-sensitive to subtle influences and can be very spiritual or superstitious as a result. there’s an ever-present need to escape in some way, and they usually and have vivid imagination/rich fantasies. there can be a sense of directionlessness or shapelessness. the ultimate chameleon.

sun - feels the need for validation of who they are from others, projects a ton of confidence that they may not really have, very performative and forthright in expression. moon - often blindsided by their emotions, has difficulty realizing their needs and wants, less polished about handling their feelings. mercury - always curious and wants to know more, may present as a know-it-all or assert authority over topics, venus - loves the newness of relationships, craves connection and romance, wants to be well-liked by others, rejection is hard for them. mars - always in "go" mode, lots of energy and motivation, can be quick to anger or rile up, ends up in dangerous situations a lot. saturn - inherently assumes responsibility, has to learn lessons multiple times, tries to be disciplined and fails often. jupiter - lots of faith and optimism, definitely naive at heart, open to new experiences and chances for growth. uranus - has a lot of small quirks, open-minded and progressive, has a mindset of wanting to keep moving forward. neptune - rich imagination and a love for fantasy, feels directionless or like the possibilities are endless. pluto - may struggle with changes or transformations, lots of growth ahead of them, a strong presence that is very raw.

finally, i'd like to link some resources for further reading:

· https://www.astro.com/astrology/aa_article190801_e.htm (my favorite--super in-depth and peer-reviewed/published!)

· https://advanced-astrology.com/anaretic-degree/

· https://www.astrologyweekly.com/blog/29-degrees-the-anaretic-degree/

[army-of-mai-lovers]

in which I get progressively angrier at the various tropes of atla fandom misogyny

tbh I think it would serve all of us to have a larger conversation about the specific ways misogyny manifests in this fandom, because I’ve seen a lot of people who characterize themselves as feminists, many of whom are women themselves, discuss the female characters of atla/lok in misogynistic ways, and people don’t talk about it enough. 

disclaimer before I start: I’m not a woman, I’m an afab nonbinary person who is semi-closeted and thus often read as a woman. I’m speaking to things that I’ve seen that have made me uncomfy, but if any women (esp women existing along other axes of oppression, e.g. trans women, women of color, disabled women, etc) want to add onto this post, please do!

“This female character is a total badass but I’m not even a little bit interested in exploring her as a human being.” 

I’ve seen a lot of people say of various female characters in atla/lok, “I love her! She’s such a badass!” now, this statement on its own isn’t misogynistic, but it represents a pretty pervasive form of misogyny that I’ve seen leveled in large part toward the canon female love interests of one or both of the members of a popular gay ship (*cough* zukka *cough*) I’m going to use Suki as an example of this because I see it with her most often, but it can honestly be applied to nearly every female character in atla/lok. Basically, people will say that they stan Suki, but when it comes time to engage with her as an actual character, they refuse to do it. I’ve seen meta after meta about Zuko’s redemption arc, but I so rarely see people engage with Suki on any level beyond “look at this cool fight scene!” and yeah, I love a cool Suki fight scene as much as anybody else, but I’m also interested in meta and headcanons and fics about who she is as a person, when she isn’t an accessory to Sokka’s development or doing something cool. of course, the material for this kind of engagement with Suki is scant considering she doesn’t have a canon backstory (yet) (don’t let me down Faith Erin Hicks counting on you girl) but with the way I’ve seen people in this fandom expand upon canon to flesh out male characters, I know y’all have it in you to do more with Suki, and with all the female characters, than you currently do. frankly, the most engagement I’ve seen with Suki in mainstream fandom is justifying either zukki (which again, is characterizing her in relation to male characters, one of whom she barely interacts with in canon) or one of the Suki wlw pairings. which brings me to--

“I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!” 

now, I will admit, two of my favorite atla ships are yueki and mailee, and so I totally understand being interested in these characters’ dynamics, even if, as is the case with yueki, they’ve never interacted canonically. however, it becomes a problem for me when these ships are always in the background of a zukka fic. at some point, it becomes obvious that you like this ship because it gets either Zuko or Sokka’s female love interests out of the way, not because you actually think the characters would mesh well together. It’s bad form to dislike a female character because she gets in the way of your gay ship, so instead, you find another girl to pair her off with and call it a day. to be clear, I’m not saying that everybody who ships either mailee or yueki (or tysuki or maisuki or yumai or whatever other wlw rarepair involving Zuko or Sokka’s canon love interests) is nefariously trying to sideline a female character while acting publicly as if she’s is one of their faves--far from it--but it is noteworthy to me how difficult it is to find content that centers wlw ships, while it’s incredibly easy to find content that centers zukka in which mailee and/or yueki plays a background role. 

also, notice how little traction wlw Katara ships gain in this fandom. when’s the last time you saw yuetara on your dash? there’s no reason for wlw Katara ships to gain traction in a fandom that is so focused on Zuko and Sokka getting together, bc she doesn’t present an immediate obstacle to that goal (at least, not an obstacle that can be overcome by pairing her up with a woman). if you are primarily interested in Zuko and Sokka’s relationship, and your queer readings of other female characters are motivated by a desire to get them out of the way for zukka, then Katara’s canon m/f relationship isn’t a threat to you, and thus, there’s no reason to read her as potentially queer. Or even, really, to think about her at all. 

“Katara’s here but she’s not actually going to do anything, because deep down, I’m not interested in her as a person.” 

the show has an enormous amount of textual evidence to support the claim that Sokka and Katara are integral parts of each other’s lives. so, she typically makes some kind of appearance in zukka content. sometimes, her presence in the story is as an actual character with layers and nuance, someone whom Sokka cares about and who cares about Sokka in return, but also has her own life and goals outside of her brother (or other male characters, for that matter.) sometimes, however, she’s just there because halfway through writing the author remembered that Sokka actually has a sister who’s a huge part of the show they’re writing fanfiction for, and then they proceed to show her having a meetcute with Aang or helping Sokka through an emotional problem, without expressing wants or desires outside of those characters. I’m honestly really surprised that I haven’t seen more people calling out the fact that so much of Katara’s personality in fanon revolves around her connections to men? she’s Aang’s girlfriend, she’s Sokka’s sister, she’s Zuko’s bestie. never mind that in canon she spends an enormous amount of time fighting against (anachronistic, Westernized) sexism to establish herself as a person in her own right, outside of these connections. and that in canon she has such interesting complex relationships with other female characters (e.g. Toph, Kanna, Hama, Korra if you want to write lok content) or that there are a plethora of characters with whom she could have interesting relationships with in fanon (Mai, Suki, Ty Lee, Yue, Smellerbee, and if you want to write lok content, Kya II, Lin, Asami, Senna, etc). to me, the lack of fandom material exploring Katara’s relationships with other women or with herself speak to a profound indifference to Katara as a character. I’m not saying you have to like Katara or include her in everything you write, but I am asking you to consider why you don’t find her interesting outside of her relationships with men.

“I hate Katara because she talks about her mother dying too often.” 

this is something I’ve seen addressed by people far more qualified than I to address it, but I want to mention it here in part because when I asked people which fandom tropes they wanted me to talk about, this came up often, but also because I find it really disgusting that this is a thing that needs to be addressed at all. Y’all see a little girl who watched her mother be killed by the forces of an imperialist nation and say that she talks about it too much??? That is a formational, foundational event in a child’s life. Of course she’s going to talk about it. I’ve seen people say that she doesn’t talk about it that often, or that she only talks about it to connect with other victims of fn imperialism e.g. Jet and Haru, but frankly, she could speak about it every episode for no plot-significant reason whatsoever and I would still be angry to see people say she talks about it too much. And before you even bring up the Sokka comparison, people deal with grief in different ways. Sokka  repressed a lot of his grief/channeled it into being the “man” of his village because he knew that they would come for Katara next if he gave them the opportunity. he probably would talk about his mother more if a) he didn’t feel massive guilt at not being able to remember what she looked like, and b) he was allowed to be a child processing the loss of his mother instead of having to become a tiny adult when Hakoda had to leave to help fight the fn. And this gets into an intersection with fandom racism, in that white fans (esp white American fans) are incapable of relating to the structural trauma that both Sokka and Katara experience and thus can’t see the ways in which structural trauma colors every single aspect of both of their characters, leading them to flatten nuance and to have some really bad takes. And you know what, speaking of bad fandom takes--   

“Shitting on Mai because she gets in the way of my favorite Zuko ship is actually totally okay because she’s ~abusive~” 

y’all WHAT. 

ok listen, I get not liking maiko. I didn’t like it when I first got into fandom, and later I realized that while bryke cannot write romance to save their lives, fans who like maiko sure can, so I changed my tune. but if you still don’t like it, that’s fine. no skin off my back. 

what IS skin off my back is taking instances in which Mai had justified anger toward Zuko, and turning it into “Mai abused Zuko.” do you not realize how ridiculous you sound? this is another thing where I get so angry about it that I don’t know how useful my analysis is actually going to be, but I’ll do my best. numerous people have noted how analysis of Mai and Zuko’s breakup in “The Beach” or Mai being justifiably angry with him at Boiling Rock or her asking for FUCKING FRUIT in “Nightmares and Daydreams” that says that all of these events were her trying to gain control over him is....ahhh...lacking in reading comprehension, but I’d like to go a step further and talk about why y’all are so intent on taking down a girl who doesn’t show emotion in normative ways. obviously, there’s a “Zuko can do no wrong” aspect to Mai criticism (which is super weird considering how his whole arc is about how he can do lots of wrong and he has to atone for the wrong that he’s done--but that’s a separate post.) But I also see slandering Mai for not expressing her emotions normatively and not putting up with Zuko’s shit and slandering Katara for “talking about her mother too often” as two sides of the same coin. In both cases, a female character expresses emotions that make you, the viewer, uncomfortable, and so instead of attempting to understand where those emotions may have come from and why they might be manifesting the way they are, y’all just throw the whole character away. this is another instance of people in the fandom being fundamentally disinterested in engaging with the female characters of atla in a real way, except instead of shallowly “stanning” Mai, y’all hate her. so we get to this point where female characters are flattened into one of two things: perfect queens who can do no wrong, or bitches. and that’s not who they are. that’s not who anyone is. but while we as a fandom are pretty good at understanding b1 Zuko’s actions as layered and multifaceted even though he’s essentially an asshole then, few are willing to lend the same grace to any female character, least of all Mai. 

and what’s funny is sometimes this trope will intersect with “I conveniently ship this female character whose canon love interest is one of the members of my favorite non-canon ship with another female character! gay rights!”, so you’ll have someone actively calling Mai toxic/problematic/abusive, and at the same time ship her with Ty Lee? make it make sense! but then again, maybe that’s happening because y’all are fundamentally disinterested in Ty Lee as a character too. 

“I love Ty Lee so much that I’m going to treat her like an infantilized hypersexual airhead!” 

there are so many things happening in y’alls characterization of Ty Lee that I struggled to synthesize it into one quippy section header. on one hand, you have the hypersexualization, and on the other hand, you have the infantilization, which just makes the hypersexualization that much worse. 

(of course, sexualizing or hypersexualizing ANY atla character is really not the move, considering that these are child characters in a children’s show, but then again, that’s a separate post.) 

now, I understand how, from a very, very surface reading of the text, you could come to the conclusion that Ty Lee is an uncomplicated bimbo. if you grew up on Western media the way I did, you’ll know that Ty Lee has a lot of the character traits we associate with bimbos: the form-fitting pink crop top, the general conventional attractiveness, the ditzy dialogue. but if you think about it for more than three seconds, you’ll understand that Ty Lee has spent her whole life walking a tightrope, trying to please Azula and the rest of the royal family while also staying true to herself. Ty Lee and Azula’s relationship is a really complex and interesting topic that I don’t really have time to explore at the moment given how long this post is, but I’d argue that Ty Lee’s constant, vocal  adulation is at least partially a product of learning to survive at court at an early age. Like Mai, she has been forced to regulate her emotions as a member of fn nobility, but unlike Mai, she also has six sisters who look exactly like her, so she has a motivation to be more peppy and more affectionate to stand out. 

fandom does not do the work to understand Ty Lee. as is a theme with this post, fandom is actively disinterested in investigating female characters beyond a very surface level reading of them. Thus, fandom takes Ty Lee’s surface level qualities--her love of the color pink, her revealing standard outfit, and the fact that once she found a boy attractive and also once a lot of boys found her attractive--and they stretch this into “Ty Lee is basically Karen Smith from Mean Girls.” thus, Ty Lee is painted as a bimbo, or more specifically, as not smart, uncritically adoring of Azula (did y’all forget all the non-zukka bits of Boiling Rock?), and attractive to the point of hypersexualization. I saw somebody make a post that was like “I wish mailee was more popular but I’m also glad it isn’t because otherwise people would write it as Mai having to put up with her dumb gf” and honestly I have to agree!! this is one instance in which I’m glad that fandom doesn’t discuss one of my favorite characters that often because I hate the fanon interpretation of Ty Lee, I think it’s rooted in misogyny (particularly misogyny against East Asian women, which often takes the form of fetishizing them and viewing them only through a Western white male gaze)  

(side note: here at army-of-mai-lovers, we stan bimbos. bimbos are fucking awesome. I personally don’t read Ty Lee as a bimbo, but if that’s you, that’s fucking awesome. keep doing what you’re doing, queen <3 or king or monarch, it’s 2021, anyone can be a bimbo, bitches <3)

“Toph can and will destroy everyone here with her bare hands because she’s a meathead who likes to murder people and that’s it!”  

Toph is, and always has been, one of my favorite ATLA characters. My very first fic in fandom was about her, and she appears prominently in a lot of my other work as well. One thing that I am always struck by with Toph is how big a heart she has. She’s independent, yes, snarky, yes, but she cares about people--even the family that forced her to make herself smaller because they didn’t believe that their blind daughter could be powerful and strong. Her storyline is powerful and emotionally resonant, her bending is cool precisely because it’s based in a “wait and listen” approach instead of just smashing things indiscriminately, she’s great disabled rep, and overall one of the best characters in the show. 

And in fandom, she gets flattened into “snarky murder child.” 

So where does this come from? Well, as we all know, Toph was originally conceived of as a male character, and retained a lot of androgyny (or as the kids call it, Gender) when she was rewritten as a female character. There are a lot of cultural ideas about androgynous/butch women being violent, and people in fandom seem to connect that larger cultural narrative with some of Toph’s more violent moments in the show to create the meathead murder child trope, erasing her canon emotionality, softness, heart, and femininity in the process. 

This is not to say that you shouldn’t write or characterize Toph as being violent or snarky at all ever, because yeah, Toph definitely did do Earth Rumbles a lot before joining the gaang, and yeah, Toph is definitely a sarcastic person who makes fun of her friends a lot. What I am saying is that people take these traits, sans the emotional logic, marry them to their conception of androgynous/butch women as violent/unemotional/uncaring, and thus create a caricature of Toph that is not at all up to snuff. When I see Toph as a side character in a fic (because yeah, Toph never gets to be a main character, because why would a fandom obsessed with one male character in particular ever make Toph a protagonist in her own right?) she’s making fun of people, killing people, pranking people, etc, etc. She’s never talking to people about her emotions, or palling around with her found family, or showing that she cares about her friends. Everything about her relationship with her parents, her disability, her relationship to Gender, and her love of her friends is shoved aside to focus on a version of Toph that is mean and uncaring because people have gotten it into their heads that androgynous/butch women are mean and uncaring. 

again, we see a female character who does not emote normatively or in a way that makes you, the viewer, comfortable, and so you warp her character until she’s completely unrecognizable and flat. and for what? 

Azula

no, I didn’t come up with a snappy name for this section, mainly because fanon interpretations of Azula and my own feelings toward the character are...complicated. I know there were some people who wanted me to write about Azula and the intersection of misogyny and ableism in fanon interpretations of her character, but I don’t think I can deliver on that because I personally am in a period of transition with how I see Azula. that is to say, while I still like her and believe that she can be redeemed, there is a lot of merit to disliking her. the whole point of this post is that the female characters of ATLA are complex people whom the fandom flattens into stereotypes that don’t hold up to scrutiny, or dislike for reasons that don’t make sense. Azula, however, is a different case. the rise of Azula defenders and Azula stans has led to this sentiment that Azula is a 14 y/o abuse victim who shouldn’t be held accountable for her actions. it seems to me that people are reacting to a long, horrible legacy of male ATLA fans armchair diagnosing Azula with various personality disorders (and suggesting that people with those personality disorders are inherently monstrous and unlovable which ahhhh....yikes) and then saying that those personality disorders make her unlovable, which is quite obviously bad. and hey, I get loving a character that everyone else hates and maybe getting so swept up in that love that you forget that your fave is complicated and has made some unsavory choices. it sucks that fanon takes these well-written, complex villains/antiheroes and turns them into monsters with no critical thought whatsoever. but the attitude among Azula stans that her redemption shouldn’t be hard, that her being a child excuses all of the bad things that she’s done, that she is owed redemption....all of that rubs me the wrong way. I might make another post about this in the future that discusses this in more depth, but as it stands now: while I understand that there is a legacy of misogynistic, ableist, unnuanced takes on Azula, the backlash to that does not take into account the people she hurt or the fact that in ATLA she does not make the choice to pursue redemption. and yes, Zuko had help in making that choice that Azula didn’t, and yes, Azula is a victim of abuse, but in a show about children who have gone through untold horrors and still work to better the lives of the people around them, that is not enough for me to uncritically stan her. 

Conclusion    

misogyny in this fandom runs rampant. while there are some tropes of fandom misogyny that are well-documented and have been debunked numerous times, there are other, subtler forms of misogyny that as far as I know have gone completely unchecked. 

what I find so interesting about misogyny in atla fandom is that it’s clear that it’s perpetrated by people who are aware of fandom misogyny who are actively trying not to be misogynistic. when I first joined atla fandom last summer, memes about how zukka fandom was better than every other fandom because they didn’t hate the female characters who got in the way of their gay ship were extremely prevalent, and there was this sense that *this* fandom was going to model respectful, fun, feminist online fandom. not all of the topes I’ve outlined are exclusive to or even largely utilized in zukka fandom, but a lot of them are. I’ve been in and out of fandom since I was eleven years old, and most of the fandom spaces I’ve been in have been majority-female, and all of them have been incredibly misogynistic. and I always want to know why. why, in these communities created in large part by women, in large part for women, does misogyny run wild? what I realize now is that there’s never going to be a one-size fits all answer to that question. what’s true for 1D fandom on Wattpad in 2012 is absolutely not true for atla fandom on tumblr in 2021. the answers that I’ve cobbled together for previous fandoms don’t work here. 

so, why is atla fandom like this? why did the dream of a feminist fandom almost entirely focused on the romantic relationship between two male characters fall apart? honestly, I think the notion that zukka fandom ever was this way was horrifically ignorant to begin with. from my very first moment in the fandom, I was seeing racism, widespread sexualization of minors, and yes, misogyny. these aspects of the fandom weren’t talked about as much as the crocverse or other, much more fun aspects. further, atla (specifically zukka) fandom misogyny often doesn’t look like the fandom misogyny we’ve become familiar with from like, Sherlock fandom or what have you. for the most part, people don’t actively hate Suki, they just “stan” without actually caring about her. they hate Mai because they believe in treating male victims of abuse equally. they’re not characterizing Toph poorly, they’re writing her as a “strong woman.” in short, people are misogynistic, and then invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of feminist theory to shield themselves from accusations of misogyny. it’s not unlike the way some people will invoke a shallow, incomplete interpretation of critical race theory to shield themselves from accusations of racism, or how they’ll talk about “freedom of speech” and “the suppression of women’s sexuality” to justify sexualizing minors. the performance of feminism and antiracism is what’s important, not the actual practice. 

if you’ve made it this far, first off, hi, thanks so much for reading, I know this was a lot. second, I would seriously encourage you to be aware of these fandom tropes and to call them out when you see them. elevate the voices of fans who do the work of bringing the female characters of atla to life. invest in the wlw ships in this fandom. drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic (please, drop a kudos and a comment on a rangshi fic). read some yuetara. let’s all be honest about where we are now, and try to do better in the future. I believe in us. 

[cranberryvishnu]

Cranberry - Bloody Tom and the Coffin Riders... Colter the first wave

This is part V of a series. If you want to read parts I through IV - follow these links: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Or you can just jump right in here!

"...So - to be clear - when you say: 'kicking an ass,' it has nothing whatsoever to do with animal abuse?"

I had to be sure, but I could tell that Bloody Tom was getting a little tired of explaining it.

I glanced over at Eli who had been consolidating our armaments with Ezekiel, the mayor's slow witted, but affable son. They were stockpiling ammunition along the back wall of the bunkhouse we were in. The pile had grown large and alarmingly unstable, so I was glad he was there to help organize it all.

I noticed Eli pause, and take a seat on one of the crates. As he settled in, he leaned forward to watch our conversation. It was as though he were about to observe something very amusing.

Then my attentions were swiftly drawn back to our discussion as Bloody Tom slapped his hand on the table, causing the plates and utensils to rattle and dance slightly. He wasn't known for his patience.

"For fuck's sake Cranny! NO! 'Kicking ass' is when you beat someone's shit! You WIN - and... and the other dude is your bitch!"

The Coffin Riders had taken to calling me "Cranny."

At first I did not like the name at all. It sounded a little like 'granny' and also evoked dark places in old cellars where insects might hide.

Yet over time, I got used to it, and realized it's not the word - but who is saying it and how it is meant, that is most important. Now I find it has a rather endearing quality, and it would be most strange to hear my new friends refer to me by any other name.

Also, Tom's logic was starting to make sense - but now the word 'bitch' had been added to the taxonomical mix - and it's use generated more questions.

I leaned over the table and turned the key on the lamp to kill the flame as the morning sun's pale, cold rays had just started to slant into the window.

We could be attacked any day now and needed to save the kerosene.

As I pursued my line of questioning, I softened my voice to signal my earnest desire to know. I really wanted to understand how they thought about things.

"I see... but when you bring the term 'bitch' into the mix Tom, it just sounds more and more like you have some kind of vendetta against animals."

Eli made a sudden weird grunting sound as if he was stifling a sneeze. An understandable reaction, as it was quite dusty where he was sitting.

Bloody Tom opened his mouth to fire back, but I quickly put a hand up to signal I wasn't finished and continued.

"Now before you say anything - I understand that 'bitch' doesn't simply mean a female dog. I know that it is also applied to horrible ladies, and often it can be men who you are able to overpower and intimidate. But still - it just seems to me like you have something against animals in general. Animal related slurs are frequently directed at the center of whatever is vexing you in the moment."

Tom's eyes glazed over and he looked down at the rough hewn table we sat at. With his fingertips, he slowly pushed away the tin mug of coffee in front of him. It was as though this vessel contained the source of all his troubles.

"Cranny - I don't even..."

He turned to Eli, but found no help there. Eli had gone back to stacking the ammunition with Ezekiel. When he turned back to me and spoke, it was quiet... controlled, and only the slightest tremor in his voice gave away his profound annoyance. I was truly touched by my leader's sincere attempts to modulate is temper for me.

"We're gonna have to table this little discussion, because - it's time for me to go annnnnnd uh... do something meaningful now - so Cranny, I'm going to go out and kill us all some food."

I was embarrassed by my own impertinence and frustrated by my lack of ability to understand the vernacular of the west. I also wanted to do something meaningful too and made a suggestion.

"Tom... I couldn't help noticing that there are bright red barrels and crates containing TNT inexplicably scattered all over town. That could be enormously dangerous if we are attacked. Shall I remove them to a single, safe location?"

I heard that strange stifled sneeze sound come from Eli's direction again. When I glanced at him, I thought he was smiling - but it could have just been gas. It's hard to say with the quality of the canned food here in Colter.

I was most pleased to hear Bloody Tom agree with my idea.

"Uhhhh... fuck yes you should move them to a safe location. That would be a great idea Cranny! Won't lie - kinda thought that had already happened by now... but - whatever, just get all that shit stowed. Get a wagon and some help - and move those fuckers into the basement of the old church pronto!"

Eli slid the last ammunition crate into place and knocked the dust from his hands as he addressed me.

"I'll give you a hand with that Cranny -"

He turned to the young man who had been helping him - and patted him good naturedly on the shoulder.

"Thanks Zeke, you were a big hel-"

KRACK-A-BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

Zeke's head was there one moment and then suddenly... it was gone! Only his neck stump remained, belching up a terrible fountain of dark red foam. Eli's wide eyes were bright as they contrasted against his blood spattered face - yet surprisingly - he was the first to speak. He turned to Bloody Tom and me as we just stared...

"I swear - I just touched him on the shoulder. Seriously, it was just a friendly pat - it wasn't that har- "

SSSHHHHHBBBBOOOOMMMMM!

The whole front of the building exploded inwards. It was like the furniture, all the jars on the shelves - everything sprung to life and flew at us in a mad rage. Eli and I were flung like dolls against the back wall and I dimly saw Bloody Tom fly off in the opposite direction, crashing like a meteor through tables, chairs and bunks.

The ammunition boxes ruptured and the shelves caved in causing thousands of bullets to slide and cascade down, piling up around Eli and me burying us in loose clattering heaps of brass and lead.

As the ringing in my ears subsided, I could hear the sounds of gunfire and shouting coming through the smoking, blackened ruin that was once the front of our bunkhouse. I could smell smoke - sulfur...

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and realized it had been there a while and was shaking me. It was Eli -

"Cranny, you okay?"

I sat up causing the bullets that had covered me to slide off chattering onto the floor. I ran my hands over my body and did a quick assessment.

"I, uh - y-yes... fine... and you??"

Eli was already unslinging his gun and stuffing cartridges in his pockets.

"Yeah, I'm good. We're under attack and need to move quick - where's Bloody - "

From the far corner of the room, we first heard - then saw to our great relief - Bloody Tom emerge unscathed from beneath a pile of broken burning furniture and twisted metal. He wasn't happy...

"Yeah - I'm fine TOO! Thought I'd just mention that since NO ONE is asking. But I guess that's because I'm just a worthless piece of shit... But hey - I'm glad YOU'RE okay!"

Eli just rolled his eyes as though it were some inside joke - but I called to our leader over the sound of sliding debris and settling rubble. I was horrified that he would think such a thing!

"Oh Tom that is not true we were SO very concerne - "

WWWWWHHHHHAAAABLAAAAAMMM!

A huge explosion hit the church just across the narrow street from our destroyed building. The shockwave knocked us all to the ground as soot and ash rained down everywhere. Again, the ringing in my ears gave way to more shouts and gun fire. As we scrambled to our feet a second time - the light behind me was blocked by something - or someone - coming through the opening!

I spun up to my knees and drew my LeMat - but held fire - it was Mr. Grimfrost! He was standing on a pile of broken stone that had once been a chimney.

Like us, he was covered with soot, and paused calmly to brush some burning embers from the shoulder of his jacket. When he spoke it was in that gentle, relaxed way of his that made every situation seem quite reasonable.

"It looks like the attack started a little early... so... when you ladies are done napping - we could really use your help."

[uwuwriting]

Bad day for the pros w/ Bakugou, Shinsou and Todoroki

Request: May I ask for some headcanons of pro hero Bakugou, pro hero Shinso and pro hero Shoto, they had a very very bad day at work, some heavy stuff happened and it was their fault, but fear not! y/n is here to save the day with love, good cooking and cuddles to be their hero. (Fem reader if possible)- anonymous 

I haven’t written for Shinsou in a while, same goes for Bakugou. Shoto is baby, I can never go for too long without writing for him. My midterms are coming up so I won’t be posting next week at all, I’m stressed and depressed and whenever I think that in June I’ll be taking my university entrance exams I wanna wretch. So yeah life is going great. Love ya.💖💖💖

masterlist II rules 

warnings: tired babies, fluff, some angst, self doubt.

Bakugou Katsuki

-People really have no chill and poor baby is barely keeping it together. 

-He’s minutes away from committing mass murder and man slaughter.

-It’s common knowledge that he has no patience whatsoever and people today seemed to be testing his control. 

-But alas finally this awful day was over and he could go back to your shared apartment and relax, eat something and sleep. 

-Stepping into the apartment he dropped his duffel bag with a loud thud letting out a sigh as he slowly peeled off his jacket and slipped into his slippers. 

- “Katsu?”

-Your sweet voice rang through the halls, your head peeking out from the corner eyes landing on his slumped shoulders and tense features.

-Wordlessly you gently grabbed his hand and guided him into your bedroom. 

-Passing him a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie you pushed him into the bathroom where the tub was already filled with steaming hot water. 

- “Dinner is almost ready, take your bath and I’ll be waiting.” 

-Giving him one last kiss on the lips you exited the bathroom. 

-Almost 20 minutes later he came into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around your waist as you stirred the soup. 

- “Bad day baby?” 

-He only answered with a grunt as he buried his face in the crook of your neck nuzzling his nose in your hair. 

-Mumbling something under his breath you let out a chuckle as you gave him a plate and guided him to the living room couch. 

-Settling down next to him you kissed him again before digging in. 

-Soon enough you were cuddling on the couch, his head on your chest and your hands intertwined. 

-You’re running your fingers through his spiky hair, smoothing down the knots as he goes on and on about his awful day. 

-People really were pushing his buttons today.

- “You wanna go to bed then?”

- “But it’s early for you.”

-Shrugging you got up taking him with you. 

-Once in bed you cuddled again with you being the big spoon since your mans needs some well deserved comfort.

-“No matter how bad your day is I’ll always be here for you.” 

- “I know shitty woman.”

- “Awww I love you too.” 

Shinsou Hitoshi

-He was tired of people doubting his motives. 

-Really it was getting old.

-The mocking and the lingering fear even after five years in the hero industry. 

-His agency had booked another meet and greet so they could do some damage control with the hate Hitoshi was getting and of course he couldn’t bring you along. 

-He was kinda jealous of your day off. 

-Jealous because he wished he could spend time with you and Mochi rather than deal with random strangers changing sidewalks during his patrol. 

-He was exhausted as he stepped into your shared apartment that night, Mochi sprawled on the hallway carpet waiting for his other owner. 

-Awaiting for his belly rubs with open paws, Mochi ignored the dark aura his master was emanating , or he just chose to ignore it. 

- “Didn’t Y/N give you belly rubs? I bet you have been taking my place all day mister.” 

- “You know he can’t replace you, love.” 

-He looked up only to be met with your dazzling smile and bright eyes although he could see the faint signs of sleepiness clinging to your eyelids.

-He could feel your eyes inspecting him and soon enough he would be kissed and pushed towards the bathroom for a much needed shower because you would see how tired and drained he was. 

-He could never get away. 

-It was a power you had since high school and try as he might he could never hide his fatigue. 

-Before he knew it he was up on his feet, capture tool placed on the hanger near the door and slippers on his feet, a kiss on each cheek and one lingering one on the lips. 

-Soon he was soaking in the tub with you behind him massaging his scalp with that special lavender shampoo while humming a soft tune. 

-It always amazed him how you could calm him without using words and if he was being honest he wanted to keep it that way, the silence was always nice and he loved basking in your presence but today he really needed to be reassured. 

- “Why do you stay with me?” 

-Your movements stilled at his words and he could feel your eyes widening. 

- “It’s bad publicity for you, you’ve been held back on hero ratings because people believe that you are conspiring with me in some master plan.” he sighed before continuing leaving you no space to speak. “You could have anyone you want. It would make your life 100 times easier if I wasn’t in it.” 

-You would have never guessed that those thoughts were running through his head when he walked through the door moments earlier. 

-Hugging him closely to your chest you finally spoke. 

- “I fell in love with you and you alone. I would never leave you because some pompous asshats keep saying that you are a villain. Hero rankings can go suck it for all I care along with anyone who wants to call you a monster.” Turning around so now you were straddling his lap you cupped his cheeks connecting your foreheads. “I love you with all my heart ‘Toshi, don’t ever forget it.” 

-You might be a witch putting him under a spell with your sweet words.

-He believed you and with that he relaxed in your grip, hugging you like his life depended on it because in his eyes, it did. 

Todoroki Shoto

-He couldn’t even count how many times he was told he looked like his father today. 

-He couldn’t begin to describe how gut wrenching those comments were.

-One would believe that being compared to the retired n.1 would be a big fit for an upcoming hero but not for Shoto. 

-The first thought that always runs through his head when those words are heard is his mother. 

-The fear in her eyes and how much she hated his left side, to the point of scarring him for life. 

-He begins to wonder if you too look at him with such disgust and hatred from time to time. 

-He knew of your dislike towards his father since you two were in high school and he finally shared his past with you. 

-This undying dislike carried on into your adult life even after multiple family dinners and warm, friendly exchanges with Endeavor. 

-Did you also think he was like his father? 

-Did you see Endeavor when he walked inside your shared apartment at night?

-He got home before you or at least that's what he remembers.

-You found him with his head resting in his hands and back pressed against the hallway’s wall when you returned from your patrol. 

-At first you thought that he was hurt but after he didn’t answer to your fifth call of his name you knew it was more of a mental struggle. 

-Crouching down to his level you slowly pried his hands from his face, giving him a smile once his eyes came into view. 

-Cupping his cheeks, you brushed your fingers over his scar once, twice before leaning in and giving him a little peck on the nose, then on his forehead, then on each cheek, on his scar and last on his lips.

- “Sho my love, what’s wrong?” 

-Your hand was now running through his hair, untangling the soft locks of white as your other still lay on his other cheek, your thumb making small smooth circles on his scar. 

- “Do you see me as Endeavor?” 

-Taking in a sharp breath you stopped your ministrations for a moment before shuffling closer to him and raising his chin so he would finally meet your eyes. 

- “I see Shoto when I look at you. I see the shy boy who wouldn’t sit next to me during movie night in our first year so he wouldn’t make me uncomfortable. I see the boy who overcame his fears and used his quirk. I see the pro hero who has saved hundreds of lives in the three years he has been in the industry. I see the man I’m in love with. So no, I don’t see Endeavor.” 

-He looked at you then, really looked at you. 

-You were smiling at him, one of your sweet as honey smiles while your eyes almost sparkled as they were locked with his. 

-In one swift movement he wrapped his arms around you, bringing you flush to his chest a thousand I love you’s leaving his lips as he kissed senseless. 

- “Now would you like some takeout soba from that place you like or homemade soba with my lovely cooking.” 

- “I wanna actually eat so takeout.” 

- *le gasp*

TAG TEAM AY:

@the-arcana-fan-fic @angelwritings​ @axerrri​ @reinyrei​ @storage11037​ @dnarez​ @wolfkid22​ @letscheereachotheron​ @ezoyscorner​ @dark-thoughts-and-red-roses​ @threeamwriting​

[mdverse]

since u used a gif of audrey ii, how would u cast the glee folks in little shop?

ohoho funny u would ask that! i definitely have a habit of trying to cast the glee kiddos every time i watch a musical and lsoh was no exception... i actually sent mist an ask with my casting over christmas break (she has received multiple asks where i just cast the glee kids in musicals asdhf) but i cant find it rn and i am too lazy to search lmao

anyway let us begin!

seymour: my inital thought was blaine, which seems rather fitting. maybe an obvious choice but i have no doubt he'd do amazing! finn was a second option bc he really nailed the awkward nerdy character when playing brad in rhps

audrey: rachel, probably? she doesn't seem quite like a rachel character so tina is also a good option (and she deserves a main role!!) but suddenly seymour remaining a blainechel duet felt right to me and let's face it, rachel is a good actress who could still pull off that role

the narrator trio (chiffon, crystal and ronette): im a big fan of the santinacedes vocal combo so that would be my choice, but they do also give off brittanacedes troubletones vibes so i would probably be happy with either option there

the dentist: listen,,,, he appeared on the screen and i went "puck" with no hesitation whatsoever,,, let him sing dentist! and laugh like a deranged person while poor sam or mike sits in the dentist chair doing the lil gargling bits,,, he would have so much fun

audrey ii: i think casting audrey ii was my favourite bc i also had no doubts here,, it's artie guys i cant imagine anyone else doing it,,, i know he'd most likely be the director but please just imagine him sitting in his wheelchair in this ginormous hollow pot controlling the plant tendrils with a lil remote control thing,,,, and then getting to sing three (3!!!) songs,, truly iconic i think it's what he deserved. (the alternative is to have mercedes as audrey ii with the uht as the narrators, but idk im heavily attached to audry ii artie)

mr mushnik: a minor character so i didn't really bother but i could see finn doing that? or schue inserting himself into the musical lasdhfkdsh but lets not go there

i might be missing a character but im pretty sure i got the main ones?

[lightdancer1]

A three part, three POV scene from the Prince Azulon II AU

Iroh could have said a great many things about what he'd seen and what he'd learned in the spirit world. About the Second Sight it had given him, the ability to perceive the world that was both beyond and within the material world that so many people took for granted. The talk, long and wrenching, that he'd had with Roku and others like it with Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen. Alone, perhaps, for now in the world he knew that Avatar Aang lived, somewhere, and would walk again (not that he hadn't believed Hino's prophecies, but it was one thing to interpret cryptic rhymes and another to have the actual spirit of an Avatar tell you this in person and confirming that deeper truth that Hino had always known).

He had learned things, he had missions and knowledge entrusted to him....but he had not found the one thing he sought. His son's spirit, and thus all else was soured. He had expected his father's malice and wrath that he had staked the entire Fire Nation Army's future on a dream that had so spectacularly failed in a year and four days. And then been absent for a month.

Now he was here, his brother and sister-in-law there as well. Ozai was uneasy, visibly so. That disturbed him far more than he wanted to admit. He had taken his brother's sickness of the mind for granted and one of the uncanny aspects of it was that Ozai seemed to feel the form of emotions but not the substance. That he had no impulse control whatsoever. To see Ozai in that kind of glacial Stillness he knew so well, visible worry and fear on his face was......he did not know what it was, or what he wanted it to be.

Then Father entered the room with a boy, of age nine. That was the first sign of something very wrong here, as there were no Princes in the current set of potential candidates for the throne besides himself, Ozai, and Zuko. The youngest of the bunch he also saw as he stepped out of the shadows behind his parents with a mask of glacial stillness.

Or at least he'd thought it was a boy until he saw almost empty-looking golden eyes that were horribly familiar.

"In the name of Agni," he murmured, before Father spoke the words that turned that moment from the one of shock it was to something that would take his already-troubled relationships with Ozai and poison them for the duration....and added to this the unexpected and unwelcome complication of poisoning them with Ursa as well.

"Iroh, my son," Azulon spoke to him in genuine warmth, the kind that he had never given Ozai. Or Ursa, for that matter, even if she was his spymaster in all but the official title.

"I want to present to you your new son, Azulon II."

Iroh's face was a masterful study in confusion, jaw dropped, eyes wide (and Ozai and Ursa's expressions were likewise but he did not see them).

"Father, I.....I don't understand."

Azulon went to him and put his hand on his shoulder, an amused and malicious glint in them.

"Oh now, now, my son. You lost one child in the battlefield from a great mistake. The Fire Nation stood at the brink of a succession crisis and I have resolved it. You have a new son now, who I have spent the last month shaping into the boy he should be....."

His father's smile chilled him to the bone.

"Personally."

The familiar golden eyes were glassy, almost like those of a doll or a shark. Iroh had never particularly cared for or about his niece one way or the other between his son and his war (and only within the four walls of his skull did he admit to himself at that point that he'd cared equally little for his nephew).

But at that moment seeing the new Prince Azulon in soldierly uniform with almost-dead eyes and a kind of Stillness more complete than anything he imagined, he heard the words of Roku again.

Sometimes wisdom, he mused, was in saying nothing, and instead plastering a smile on his face and nodding, even as inwardly he was wondering if it would be possible to take his new 'son' with him and flee from this place, were Father to be conned into allowing it. Something had changed with the old man in the span of time since his son's death.

Or perhaps, a voice spoke in his mind with an uncanny echo of his ex-wife's voice, he was always like this and you just permitted yourself to be blind to it.