#it’s not ‘free reign’ like a ruling monarch.

[mars-ipan]

NEW EGGCORN DISCOVERED (new word learned as well) I AM PISSED

[cyn-if]

CORRUPTANT

Chained up, locked away. Tortured and forgotten. At least that is how it has been for as long as you remember. Suddenly you are freed. Your mind is shredded, all memories lost to the overwhelming agony that you endured. The very people that imprisoned you demand for you to assist in preventing a looming threat, one that has the entire world at stake. Just who are you? Why were you imprisoned? What about those you knew? Remember it all and cope with the tattered remains of your psyche. Maybe even save the world. Or not, what has the world ever given you?

Corruptant is a 172,000 (so far) word dark fantasy interactive fiction game (book?) that sees you play a cursed amnesiac coping with the situation they find themselves in.

-Play as Male, Female or Non-Binary. -Deal with the lingering effects of your imprisonment. -Give into 6 different extremes. -Romance one (or more!) of 5 (6?) characters that find themselves on your team. -Save the world and earn your freedom. -Or maybe burn it all down as revenge.

Romance Options:

The Binder: [M/F]

They are the first person you really interact with upon being freed. Gentle, timid and soft spoken, at least around you, they are going to be a constant in your life for now. Finding themselves bound to you, they try to do everything in their power to make sure you are comfortable. Can you forgive them for working for your captors? Can you get over the power imbalance that lies between you two? Male: 5’9 with short styled brown hair. He has warm brown eyes and is clean shaven. Female: 5’6 with medium length brown hair, often worn in a ponytail. She has gentle, inviting brown eyes.

The Second Born. [M/F] The second born child of the reigning monarch, they find themself placed on the team that you are on. They seem to take things easy, flaunting rules and wearing a lazy smile. They seem to treat you like a friend (or more), easily chatting and joking with you despite your curse. Can anything come from these interactions? Male: 5’11 with messy chin length blonde hair. His face is framed on the left side by strands of his hair being a dark blue. His bold violet eyes and stylish beard add to the look. Female: 5’7 with spiky short blonde hair and smoky violet eyes. Her bangs are highlighted by strands of dark blue.

The Best Friend. [M/F] Your best friend from childhood. You remember them as a person filled with wonder and optimism, genuinely caring about you and always lifting you up. Are they still the same person from your fragmented memories? You recall HE had short ginger hair and bright green eyes. You recall SHE had short ginger hair and bright green eyes.

The Scholar [F] An obsessive and eccentric scholar that specializes in your curse among other things. She has been assigned to your team and seems to be captivated by you. Can you get over the scholarly eye she has for you? And what about her not even being human? She has glimmering silver eyes and medium length hair matching her eyes. She is 5’5.

The Cultist [M] A captured member of a cult that is attempting to bring about the end of the world. He seems to fanatically revere you as some sort of savior. He is placed on the team to lead you to your targets. Will the fact you two are both outsiders draw you two together? He has short black hair and a beard, his blue eyes are etched with tiny black runes around the iris.

Note on Game Mechanics:

This IF is geared towards storytelling, and while the personality stats and skills will have impacts on the narration as well as the outcomes of certain scenes, they are not the focus. No personality stat checks will bar you from content should you choose a certain personality, so feel free to explore around. The personality stats are there for flavoring (mainly).

Note on Content:

This story is on the darker side of things. Featuring some pretty mature topics and depictions. Below is a list of some things encountered in the book. Please be advised. -Torture. -Coercion to perform jobs. (NOT ANYTHING SEXUAL) -Blood and gore. -Extreme Violence. -Death. -Abuse.

Here’s the link and hope you enjoy it!

https://dashingdon.com/go/15625

[city-of-ladies]

Genmei (661-721) was Japan's fourth empress regnant. She was Empress Jitō's half-sister and her match in terms of ambition and political skills. Her rule was characterized by a development of culture and innovations. 

Ruling after her son

Like Jitō (645-703), Genmei was the daughter of Emperor Tenji but was born from a different mother. Jitō was both her half-sister and mother-in-law since Genmei had married the empress’ son, Prince Kusakabe (662-689). She had a son with him, Emperor Monmu (683-707). 

Kusakabe died early and never reigned, which led to Jitō's enthronement. The empress was then succeeded by her grandson Monmu. The latter’s reign was short. In his last will, he called for his mother to succeed him in accordance with the “immutable law” of her father Tenji. Genmei accepted. 

Steadfast and ambitious 

Genmei was made from the same mold as her half-sister. She proved to be a fearless sovereign, undeterred by military crises. 

She pursued Jitō's policies, strengthening the central administration and keeping the power in imperial hands. Among her decisions were the proscription of runaway peasants and the restriction of private ownership of mountain and field properties by the nobility and Buddhist temples. 

Another of her achievements was transferring the capital at Heijō-kyō (Nara) in 710, turning it into an unprecedented cultural and political center. Her rule saw many innovations. Among them were the first attempt to replace the barter system with the Wadō copper coins, new techniques for making brocade twills and dyeing and the settlement of experimental dairy farmers.

A protector of culture

Genmei sponsored many cultural projects. The first was the Kojiki, written in 712 it told Japan’s history from mythological origins to the current rulers. In its preface, the editor Ō no Yasumaro praised the empress:

“Her Imperial Majesty…illumines the univers…Ruling in the Purple Pavillion, her virtue extends to the limit of the horses’ hoof-prints…It must be saif that her fame is greater than that of Emperor Yü and her virtue surpasses that of Emperor Tang (legendary emperors of China)”.

In 713, she ordered the local governments to collect local legends and oral traditions as well as information about the soil, weather, products and geological and zoological features. Those local gazetteers (Fudoki) were an invaluable source of Japan’s ancient tradition.

Several of Genmei’s poems are included in the Man'yōshū anthology, including a reply by one of the court ladies. 

Listen to the sounds of the warriors' elbow-guards;

Our captain must be ranging the shields to drill the troops.

– Genmei Tennō

Reply:

Be not concerned, O my Sovereign;

Am I not here,

I, whom the ancestral gods endowed with life,

Next of kin to yourself

– Minabe-hime

From mother to daughter 

Genmei abdicated in 715 and passed the throne to her daughter, empress Genshō (680-748) instead of her sickly grandson prince Obito. This was an unprecedented situation, making the Nara period the pinnacle of female monarchy in Japan. 

Genmei would oversee state affairs until she died in 721. Before her death, she shaved her head and became a nun, becoming the first Japanese monarch to take Buddhist vows and establishing a long tradition.

Feel free to check out my Ko-Fi if you like what I do! Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Further reading

Shillony Ben-Ami, Enigma of the Emperors Sacred Subservience in Japanese History

Tsurumi Patricia E., “Japan’s early female emperors”

Aoki Michiko Y., "Jitō Tennō, the female sovereign",in: Mulhern Chieko Irie (ed.), Heroic with grace legendary women of Japan

[celestiamour]

Would you do Peter and his spouse welcoming their first child to narnia if they had never left and gone back to the professors house

ft. pevensies & f! reader’s daughter (& peter x f! reader) — the chronicles of narnia

╰₊✧ welcoming the birth of the first heir of narnia┊0.7k words

setting: the golden age contains: mentions of labor & one of death

➤ author's note: i probably went off prompt because i assumed that you meant peter & the reader having their first kid in the golden age, but i didn’t focus it on them and focused it on the kid so feel free to send in something else!!

news that the queen had gone into labor spread like wildfire throughout the palace and spilled into the rest of the kingdom, becoming the only thing anyone could talk about for the day since the realm hadn’t seen the birth of a son of adam or daughter of eve in a hundred years after the reign of the white witch. all of narnia held its breath in anticipation for the safety of the queen and the healthy arrival of her child, knowing that the magic of the lands would protect her yet still nervous at the slim chance of a worse-case scenario. one half of cair paravel was bustling with maids running around like headless chickens to tend to their queen while the other half didn’t feel like they could even speak above a whisper for these hours out of nervousness, many simply loitering about instead of working and patiently waiting for an update since they didn’t feel like they could do anything at all until then.

oh, but when the first piercing cry of an infant rang throughout the hallway, it was like the entire world stilled for all the attention to be focused on the first heir of the prophesied monarchs: a daughter of eve with the same royal sapphire eyes as her father and the smile of her mother that shines brighter than the sun. the next high queen who will someday rule with the same grace and wisdom as her parents once did before they eventually pass, but for now, she is a little bundle of joy who doesn’t even know her own name, much less how important she is or the future she’s destined for.

peter couldn’t help but shed a tear of happiness at the sight of her, sitting next to you in the bed and gently holding her for the first time. a product of your shared love and devotion for each other through thick and thin, so frail and delicate placed perfectly in his arms and without a single thought in her little head as she stuck out her pudgy arms at him to touch his face. and just like your love that started out small, she will grow into something so beautiful and powerful that its power will be written into history books about the beginning of narnia’s golden age.

lucy is gushing over how cute she is and immediately runs over to pinch her chubby cheeks, so thrilled that she’s no longer the youngest in the family (even if she’ll always be the baby to her siblings) and to be the cool aunt that she’s always dreamed of becoming— the one who helps her sneak out of boring lessons for an adventure and the one who shields her from her father’s scolding once they get caught, she’ll always be your daughter's favorite relative because of all of the whimsical memories and helping her to always be a child at heart.

susan is calm as always with a glint of excitement and adoration in her eyes when she sees her new niece. she’ll act like a tutor of sorts for her as she grows older, teaching her about the ways of royalty and proper etiquette for young ladies (which are often the very classes that lucy occasionally assists in skipping). despite that, your daughter will deeply appreciate her older aunt for everything she does for her: for helping her out when she fights with you, for teaching her that a lady doesn’t always need to be submissive, and for all the knowledgeable advice that she will carry with her for her entire life.

edmund is just in awe at the very fact that he is an uncle, knowing that this day would have come inevitably and still in disbelief that it happened. he’s a bit of a bad-influence uncle, accidentally teaching your child swear words, helping her prank her father on occasion, and swinging her around on his shoulders when she’s still little, but he always means well and teaches her that being nobility doesn’t mean that you need to give up your sense of humor.

mr tumnus was the one to announce to the people that the queen safely delivered a healthy heir, a daughter named aurora which has latin roots meaning “dawn” to represent the dawn of her generation of rulers. she will be a beloved monarch who will look over narnia and its inhabitants with the same love that her parents raised her with, eventually receiving the worthy title of “high queen aurora, the gracious.”

[blues824]

Ahhh ignore the first ask, I forgot to add one more person...

I saw the requests were open and wanted to ask if you could write Neige, Kalim, Vil, Leona and Malleus a Pure Vanilla Cookie based reader? With the whole ancient cookie and healing thing, like the whole shebang even the staff that only closes it's eyes when PV opens his and vice versa, only if you want to of course feel free to ignore this ask

I downloaded the game last year and I am obsessed. They are cookies… why do I like the concept so much??

Also, Happy Birthday again! This time it’s from my time zone!

Leona Kingscholar

You reminded him of his brother, and it annoyed him at first. He thought the whole kindness thing was a facade or a mask to hide your true dark intentions. Yeah, he was humbled real quick when he saw how you always kindly and patiently reminded Ace and Deuce to make smart decisions.

He did get to experience a slightly more rebellious side to you because you opted to skip a few classes along with him because they were “boring without him”. His pride swelled as he held you in his arms, napping the day away.

Leona was used to seeing staff members around a reigning monarch. What he wasn’t used to was your staff making sure they closed their eyes when you opened yours. You told him that he didn’t have to follow the rule as your significant other, and he had to admit that you calling him that made his ego soar.

When he overblotted, you wept as you fought against him. You were overcome with the guilt that you weren’t there for him enough. Later, in the recovery room, your lion reassured you that his overblot had nothing to do with you. As you cried, the Prince of the Sunset Savannah held you close to his chest, silently consoling you.

Kalim Al-Asim

“Corporate needs you to find the differences between this picture [you] and this picture [Kalim].” 

“They’re the same picture.” -Blues824, 2023

You both were the most positive people on campus. You built off of each other’s energy. The only difference was that you were a tad more responsible when it came to helping Scarabia than Kalim was. After all, you had experience in running a kingdom.

He is very sad when he sees you skipping classes because now he would miss you very much since you wouldn’t be there next to him. Unfortunately, since he needs to be setting a good example for his dorm, he won’t follow you. 

His family is rich and highly influential, right? However, he is not royalty. So you have a lot more staff than he does, and some of your closest servants came with you to NRC. He was surprised to see them closing their eyes as you opened yours. You must be very important in your homeland (totally like you aren’t the reigning monarch).

When Jamil overblotted, everyone could hear you weep because you were separated from Kalim. Even the Vice Housewarden felt his heartstrings tug at themselves, but you then proceeded to beat his ass. When you both reunited, Kalim showered your face in soft kisses to reassure you that he was alright.

Vil Schoenheit

You reminded him of Neige, and so he hated you at first. However, you never sought after fame and would always try to put Vil in the spotlight. Honestly, he then saw you as someone to confide in. He would go to you when the pressure got to be too much.

He disapproves of you skipping classes and will often reprimand you since not only were you the reigning monarch of your kingdom, but also a fellow Housewarden. He didn’t approve of Leona doing it, and since you were his significant other he definitely was not okay with it.

His fans would do what your staff does: worship you, forfeit all their mortal possessions, and even close their eyes when you open yours. They would lay down their lives for you, and his fans would do that for him as well. They all do it on their own will too.

When he overblotted, the Vil trapped within the ink wanted to hold you as you cried tears of despair. Unfortunately, you understood what you needed to do, and proceeded to pack him up like you were going on a royal holiday. It was in the infirmary where he rejoiced in finally being able to have you in his arms again.

Neige Leblanche

“They’re the same picture” -Blues824, 2023, Part 2

You both are the same freaking person… the only difference is that you aren’t naïve. As a ruler, you weren’t allowed to have the luxury of ignorance, while Neige was famous for his naïvety. It wasn’t fit for a monarch, and therefore you weren’t put under that category.

You both go to different schools, but when he hears from a little cat in the wind that you skip classes, he is upset. Didn’t you know that this could harm your academic record and even cause controversy within your kingdom? If you couldn’t even attend classes, how would you be able to 

He loves his fans just as much as you love your subjects, and the two are a lot alike in that they would do pretty much anything for either of you. Since you became his significant other, his fans became your fans and your subjects became his subjects. Poor boy didn’t understand why the staff were closing their eyes as he opened his.

He remembers one time where you both were actually able to see each other off campus, and you both met in the forest. Neige held you and wiped your tears as you went on and on about how the overblots were taking an emotional toll on you. You hated seeing your friends like this, and your boyfriend hated seeing you so distressed. 

Malleus Draconia

You both understood each other on a very personal level, and it pained the both of you to know that. Malleus has been raised to be able to inherit the throne of the Briar Valley, while you were already on the throne of the Vanilla Kingdom.

I think he’s pretty indifferent towards your skipping classes. He won’t follow you because he knows that he will be scolded for it by his retainers, but you do you. He will offer you help if you missed an important lesson, but you seemed to already know the material very well.

You cannot tell me that Sebek wouldn’t do the exact same thing to Malleus as your staff do to you, and I will die on this hill. Malleus notices how your servants only have their eyes open when yours are closed, and it’s the same the other way around. When they start doing it for him as well, it serves as a kind of reassurance that he is accepted as the co-ruler of your kingdom.

The dragon fae sees how fighting all the overblots are affecting you, and he will try to take it easy so that he doesn’t fall victim to the ink. He will serve as your anchor in the violent sea of emotional despair, and he will hold you close when it gets to be too much. He will always be there to dry your tears, and witness you beat the shit out of the victims.

[circeyoru]

I can't stop but thinking pokemon about this new series hehe... Its like Alastor is the rare shining pokemon to keep whilst others is also rare but not so like alastor.

Reader is a keeper of all power to stay at the top of monarch. They must be like an advisor to the current king and queen of hell, adore charlie to death calling her little raven. its like she adopted lulu and lili together as her heiress to the throne for them to rule as she just at the side lurking, watching, observing at her free reign domain. She just enjoy her free time but also there to advice firmly not only the top but also to the spreader nobility of hell.

She call lilith her fallen star, lulu her little apple or the fallen dreamer...honestly anything you can call also. She is there foster mother or sister as you said she guide them and let them rule hell together. She is also their love counceller. More or less an aunt to charlie

Sorry for rumbling its just there are so many possibility of this story. And i just love sharing what i think or ideas to you. This is the only thing I rambled so much.

To the sole creator of this idea. Love you and your creativity. 😩 Thank you for blessing us with this new journey. 💜💜💜💜

-R💜

Thank you for the praise! No worries on the ranting, I enjoy reading these. I'll agree that the possibility is endless since this is just the beginning for now. Idea given, I'll take over with the writing~

Oh ho~ This is mentioning the Overlords' ranking within Reader's/your collection~ It'll be revealed in part 3~

As for Lucifer and Lilith's dynamic with you, not set in stone yet, so can't answer. Bottom line, you're the one to help them rise to the throne as King and Queen of Hell after they were cast out of Heaven/Earth

My Works: MASTERLIST

(this is referring to the newest part for {Collection of Overlords})

[ap-kinda-lit]

Saiyan Squad AU (part 1) ⭐️

The Saiyan homeworld is Sadala (because Planet Vegeta is ridiculous), but its capital city is Vegeta, where, of course, the royal family resides. Sadala itself is a conglomerate of Australia, Asia, and Africa and the Saiyans are a mishmash akin to the Spartans, Celts, Aztecs, and Mongols. Sadala is pretty much like a space version of Australia: it’s a chaotic death trap from its climate and wildlife to its inhabitants. The Saiyans are made up of clans and have a feudal system, but they all serve the one ruling monarch.

Saiyans act as mercenaries and hunters. Like Predator, they are best known for traveling galaxies to find worthy opponents to fight. They’re feared and reviled as a race of barbaric savages.

They also look more animalistic: they have pointed ears, sharper teeth, claws, and some fur on their bodies.

Saiyans have had a feud with the Cold Empire for a very long time. At one point, they were allied together but the Cold Empire looked down at the Saiyans and began to subjugate them, so the Saiyans started resisting which led to all out war. When Frieza came to power, he amped up the war. He killed King Vegeta III but spared his young son, Vegeta III, to make the boy his puppet king/child hostage.

The city of Vegeta’s center is where the royalty live, while its outskirts is made up of the slums the third class inhabit. This is where Raditz and Kakarot are born and live with their parents Gine and Bardock. Gine serves as a cook to the troops and the residents while Bardock is a captain of his own troop. Gine and Bardock both teach the boys about hunting but Bardock is mostly in charge of their combat training. The boys start their formal training at five-years-old and are put in the same unit as young king Vegeta.

Raditz is the atypical rough and crass Saiyan boy, but Kakarot is another story. He inherited Gine’s kind heart and good nature, making him seem as weak by most Saiyans. He’s unfortunately treated as an outcast and subjected to bullying from his peers. However, he’s passionate and hard-working and wants to become a great and strong warrior, like his big brother and dad, so he’s committed to training hard. It pays off and he makes enough progress so that when his father Bardock talks with the higher-ups he’s able to convince them to put Kakarot on the same unit as Raditz and Vegeta under Nappa, Vegeta’s guardian.

The Saiyan-Frieza feud reaches its turn years later, when Vegeta approaches age fifteen. By then, he’s old enough by law to rule on his own and he’s determined to break free from Frieza’s grasp. As Vegeta begins to secure his independence and throne and wiggle free, Frieza has become fed up with the Saiyans and sees them as a genuine threat. The final nail in the coffin is when he and his men consult the Kanassans on the future of Frieza’s reign. A Kanassan oracle foretells that Frieza will meet his end at the hands of a golden warrior, presumed to be the legendary Super Saiyan. Frieza straight away comes up with a diabolical plan.

To everyone’s surprise, Frieza not only agrees to Vegeta ruling independently, he also agrees to signing a truce with the Saiyans and ending the bad blood for good. In celebration, a formal coronation is held for Vegeta along with ecstatic festivities all over Sadala. Every Saiyan is recalled back to homeworld for the momentous occasion. However, Bardock and his troop stumble upon Frieza’s real plan: to get all the Saiyans together in one place, make them vulnerable, and destroy them all along with their planet altogether. Bardock’s team is attacked and killed to quiet them but Bardock survives and despite being wounded he races to tell everyone and save his family.

Bardock barely makes it back in time. Just as he’s warning the others, Frieza’s soldiers attack and Frieza himself forms a Death Ball to strike at Sadala. Saiyans desperately try to fight back and escape, but many are killed by Frieza soldiers and many more as the Death Ball collides and the planet begins to destruct. Bardock fights on while trying desperately to find his family.

During Sadala’s destruction, Gine and teenaged Raditz and ten-year-old Kakarot manage to find a pod, but it can only fit two of them. Gine makes the boys get in and go without her, assuring it will all be fine (she knows she’s probably not going to make it, but at least her children will be safe). Sadala finally explodes into oblivion just as Raditz & Kakarot make it to safety. Bardock barely makes it out in time. Gine doesn’t make it.

The Saiyans are thusly reduced to the brink of extinction as only a few thousand remain. Surviving Saiyans flee to a desolated planet to recover. This includes Vegeta, Nappa, Raditz, Kakarot, and Bardock (who barely made it out in time). Because of his wounds, Bardock is put in a comatose state in a healing tank for a few days.

In spite of the loss of Sadala and the majority of the Saiyans, Vegeta swears revenge on Frieza. All remaining Saiyans are ordered to group up and spread out across the galaxies. The war against the Frieza Empire is to continue by any means necessary. Saiyans resort to whipping up secret settlements on planets and fighting back via piracy and guerrilla warfare. The endgame is to tear down Frieza’s empire brick by brick and, ultimately, kill Frieza himself.

Vegeta calls on Raditz and Kakarot to join him and Nappa on his quest to hunt and kill Frieza. Vegeta initially doesn’t want to include Kakarot, whom he deems a liability, but acquiesces.

Frieza puts out a bounty on each and every remaining Saiyan, most of all on the “so-called King of Saiyans” Vegeta.

And so, the Vegeta Force moves out. But they become known as the “Saiyan Squad”. Vegeta and Raditz don’t like it, but Kakarot thinks it’s a cool name.

[synchodai]

hello! loved your meta on inheritance and i have a question for you. haven’t even started this as a proper fic yet, mostly playing around in hypotheticals, so stick with me here! but i’ve been sketching out an au where rhaenyra transitions - both out of a personal non-binary inclination and in the hopes it will ease her acceptance as heir. other details include marrying alicent & daemon sperm donation but the actual QUESTION i had, lol, was: assuming prince rhaenyra is the accepted heir in this scenario, and he has two daughters, the elder of whom is not suited to/desiring the throne (probably helaena) and the younger of whom (probably my version of visenya?) is…. how would you, like. advise them as a family to move forward with that? what could they do to support both of their daughters, esp w regard to like… things viserys failed to do for rhaenyra?

and also, who would people suggest instead of their daughters to rule?

please feel free to ask follow ups i have described this so hastily and so late at night lol

Oh gosh, succession with trans heirs/monarchs is very interesting to speculate on. But judging by the details here, I'm gonna answer this based on these following scenarios:

SCENARIO #1: No one knows that Rhaenyra is trans. They have lived their life fully as a man and the fact that they don't have a cock is not known to anyone but their immediate family. Their secret is never uncovered.

This is the sneaky scenario, where all established rules of male-preferred primogeniture would be followed as normal save for the minor issue that the crown prince secretly doesn't have a cock. If the secret is never uncovered it the fic, there are several straightforward ways to have Visenya, the younger daughter, be heir over Helaena, the eldest.

Make Helaena a septa or silent sister: This is the most obvious choice and least disruptive to the monarchy's stabilty. Septas and silent sisters take vows of celibacy and take no titles, so this would be the female equivalent of making a son take the black/be a kingsguard/become a maester.

Banishment: Other methods of disinheritance would be to banish Helaena (she'd have to be accused of a crime worthy of it) or having Helaena herself run away (what Aegon II wanted to do in the show).

Witenagamot: This is what Jaehaerys I did and is basically the most fraught and complicated option because it's the monarch ceding power to their vassals. Viserys's mistake was expecting his vassals to just let him bend the law without any concessions on his end. Compare that to Jaehaerys who gave the power of choosing his heir to a council that had a pool of claimants to choose from. Any law only works if a society agree to follow and enforce it, so if you want to upturn an established law (like primogeniture in this case), you'll need the backing of many powerful people to go along with it lest you be branded a tyrant. However, beware the unintended consequences of giving more power to your vassals — it may start getting into their heads to collectivize, rebel, and/or usurp the current reigning monarch.

Tyranny: A monarch can always enforce their will through violence and subjugation. If someone questions Visenya's ascension, then simply punish them to make them shut up. This isn't recommended though, since it leads to riots, rebellions, coups, and just overall instability. (Oh, and it's kinda evil too.)

Murder: It's an option.

SCENARIO #2: Everyone knows Rhaenyra does not have a cock but are mostly okay with it.

In this scenario, Rhaenyra would be seen by most of the people in Westeros as a cross-dressing woman. There would be a loud portion of the population who are scandalized by this, but by itself, it's not necessarily a dealbreaker to them inheriting the throne. However, Alicent would never be acknowledged as queen because same-sex marriage does not exist in Westeros. Any children she has with Daemon will be considered bastards and not part of Rhaenyra's issue.

SCENARIO #3: Rhaenyra's being trans is never discovered but Helaena and Visenya being Daemon's biological children is.

In this case, both Helaena and Visenya will be removed from the line of succession for being bastard-born. However, Rhaenyra (or whoever is the monarch) can legitimize them, making them Daemon's children. This still wouldn't make them Rhaenyra's heirs as it would put them behind Daemon in the line of succession.

------

I'm assuming your fic is going with scenario #1, so I put the most detail there. If you were to ask me what Rhaenyra could do to avoid the mistake Viserys made, I would simply advise them to make Helaena septa (like her great-grandaunt Maegelle Targaryen). Once she becomes initiated as septa, she can return to the Red Keep if she wants to, since septas are not cloistered and are often part of highborn families' household. The only things Helaena loses (other than her claim to the Iron Throne) is the chance to get married, bear children, and own land. If for some reason Helaena doesn't want to be septa, that's only when I would go for the other more convoluted options.

Hope this answers your question! Good luck with your fic~

[atopvisenyashill]

hi! it’s nice to see another dark dany truther on this website. just wondering how you interpret dany’s parallels to aegon the unlikely? as in growing up on the streets/seperate from their aristocracy, unlikely monarchs, well intentioned (re: freeing slaves / law reform for the smallfolk), not too well liked by nobles for it, family all meeting their ends + burning people alive to gain dragons (even if egg’s didn’t work out so stellar) would she perhaps serve as a darker mirror since she awakened the dragons (and all the death and destruction that comes with them) from stone?

short answer is yes i think she’s a darker mirror to egg. but long answer-

the thing is…egg’s life does not end happily nor is his reign happily remembered. for one thing, egg is just like, hopelessly bad at politics and at keeping his dumb ass children under control.

There were other battles during the time of Aegon V, for the unlikely king was forced to spend much of his reign in armor, quelling one rising or another. Though beloved by the smallfolk, King Aegon made many enemies amongst the lords of the realm, whose powers he wished to curtail. He enacted numerous reforms and granted rights and protections to the commons that they had never known before, but each of these measures provoked fierce opposition and sometimes open defiance amongst the lords. The most outspoken of his foes went so far as to denounce Aegon V as a "bloodyhanded tyrant intent on depriving us of our gods-given rights and liberties." It was well-known that the resistance against him taxed Aegon's patience—especially as the compromises a king must make to rule well often left his greatest hopes receding further and further into the future. As one defiance followed another, His Grace found himself forced to bow to the recalcitrant lords more often than he wished. A student of history and lover of books, Aegon V was oft heard to say that had he only had dragons, as the first Aegon had, he could have remade the realm anew, with peace and prosperity and justice for all.

do i give a shit about the feelings of a bunch of spoiled lordlings who are mad that egg is trying to pass laws like "you're not allowed to starve the peasants"? no, fuck those dudes. but i'm not talking about "is egg a good person" or "does egg have good intentions" i'm talking about "is egg an effective ruler" and the answer is no. everything egg does is repealed just a few years after he dies. he's not unlike baelor in that he is loved by the smallfolk for his very short lived reforms but because he cannot get buy in from the lords, he spends most of his reign fighting them and losing. and as he keeps losing, what does he turn to? fire and blood. dragons.

The last years of Aegon's reign were consumed by a search for ancient lore about the dragon breeding of Valyria, and it was said that Aegon commissioned journeys to places as far away as Asshai-by-the-Shadow with the hopes of finding texts and knowledge that had not been preserved in Westeros.

What became of the dream of dragons was a grievous tragedy born in a moment of joy. In the fateful year 259 AC, the king summoned many of those closest to him to Summerhall, his favorite castle, there to celebrate the impending birth of his first great-grandchild, a boy later named Rhaegar, to his grandson Aerys and granddaughter Rhaella, the children of Prince Jaehaerys.

It is unfortunate that the tragedy that transpired at Summerhall left very few witnesses alive, and those who survived would not speak of it. A tantalizing page of Gyldayn's history—surely one of the very last written before his own death—hints at much, but the ink that was spilled over it in some mishap blotted out too much.

...the blood of the dragon gathered in one... ...seven eggs, to honor the seven gods, though the king's own septon had warned... ...pyromancers... ...wild fire... ...flames grew out of control...towering...burned so hot that... ...died, but for the valor of the Lord Comman...

Even putting aside the theories that perhaps Egg attempted to sacrifice a person and Dunk stopped it, at best Egg dies getting most of his family killed trying to being the dragons back.

And I’m not saying that Egg isn’t ya kno, a Good Egg, a Sweet Lil Goose who I love and adore for being a champion of the smallfolk. But this kid can't even get buy in the way Baelor did - he is straight up putting down rebellions left and right. He never manages to get the lords on his side or get them to stop grumbling. I’m sure he did SOME things that had a lasting change that we just haven’t heard about - it’s not like we knew about Alysanne building the fountains until F&B for example - but his legacy is someone who cared, someone who tried, and someone who failed because he couldn’t conceive of a solution outside of the feudal system he ruled over.

Does that sound familiar to you? It sounds eerily familiar to me! I think like Egg, our Dany is going to get increasingly frustrated when she can't just remake the world the way she wants (and if that doesn't also sound familiar, please go rewatch HOTD or re-read all my comparisons of how Viserys and Rhaenyra are also too convinced they can simply speak reality into existence!) and will turn to fire and blood to get the job done. but it won't work the way she wants it to, because the dragons are not a force of good anymore than they are a force for evil - they're animals, they're predators, they're barely sentient hyper emotional beings made of blood magic and fire and the experiments of old valyria, and every time she uses the dragons, people will die and dany will compromise or rationalize until she hits her breaking point,.

[thegreenwallrabbit-blog]

Explaining One of VTMB Paintings (part 16)

Louis XIV en Empereur Romain [Louis XIV depicted as Alexander the Great] (second half of 17th century)  by Unknown artist.

So this piece is difficult as the artist and any info on this one piece is very sparse online.

The painting depicts Louis XIV [Louis the 14th also known as Louis the Great] (September 5 1638 – September 1 1715) who was the king of France from 1643 until his death in 1715 which makes him still currently (as of 2023) the longest (verifiable) reign of reign of 72 years and 110 days which is the most of ANY sovereign whose reign we can verify.

The description of his reign as monarch given on the Versailles official website is:

"As sovereign by divine right, the King was God’s representative on earth. It is in this respect that his power was “absolute”, which in Latin means literally ‘free of all restraints’: the king was answerable to no one but God. During his coronation, Louis XIV swore to defend the Catholic faith. To honour this pledge and preserve the religious unity of his kingdom, he cracked down on the Jansenists of Port-Royal and ordered the persecution of Protestants. The previous policy of religious tolerance was abandoned with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Protestants were forced to convert, and over two hundred thousand fled the country. From his base in Versailles, Louis XIV ruled over a centralised, absolutist state which revolved entirely around him. The King lived in the main wing of the palace, on the first floor, in a suite of three apartments reserved for his use. He applied a strict etiquette at court, a set of rules and protocols by which his noble courtiers were obliged to abide. With the help of Colbert, he oversaw the administrative and financial reorganisation of his realm, and also set up manufactures and worked to boost trade. With Louvois he reformed the army and enjoyed a string of military victories. "[1]

It is most likely a replica based of a lost portirt of Louis XIV as a Roman Emperor painted by the well know Frencch court painter Pierre Mignard. This is due to the many compositional similarities to a copy of this work painted after Pierre Mignard death shown below.

Louis XIV as a Roman Emperor (Copy of lost painting by Pierre Mignard)

Whats note worthy is that in both paintings Louis XIV is not being depicted as himself leading his army in contemporary(for his time) battles but instead being depicted as Alexander the Great.

"Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander III or Alexander of Macedonia, (born 356 BCE, Pella, Macedonia [northwest of Thessaloníki, Greece]—died June 13, 323 BCE, Babylon [near Al-Ḥillah, Iraq]), king of Macedonia (336–323 BCE), who overthrew the Persian empire, carried Macedonian arms to India, and laid the foundations for the Hellenistic world of territorial kingdoms. Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military strategists and leaders in world history. He was also ruthless, dictatorial, and ambitious to the point of regarding himself as divine. His conquests of the Mediterranean states, the Persian empire, and parts of India spread Hellenistic culture across these regions"- Summery from Encyclopedia Britannica. [2]

So by depicting Louis XIV as Alexander the Great the artists are associating Louis XIV's reign and his accomplishments with being on the same scale and impact as Alexander the Great. In terms of the pairings place in VTMB this is especially important because the only place this painting appears is in Sebastian LaCroix's office. Specifically it hangs over the entrance way which makes it one of the two paintings LaCroix faces from his desk. The other painting being Pierre Séguier, Chancelier de France (translated Pierre Séguier, Chancellor of France) oil on canvas  2nd quarter of the 17th century (1660 - 1661) by Charles Le Brun (See part 5). And as I pointed out in my explainting of Pierre Séguier, Chancelier de France, LaCroix's is someone who claimed to be “an officer in Napoleons army” yet has a lot of French Royalists paintings. It is also of note as the only other large paintings of this scale that he has in his office are three different painting of Cain slaying his brother Able by different artist yet it is the paintings of  King Louis XIV (whose reign of 72 years and 110 days is the longest of any sovereign in history whose date is verifiable.) and his chancellor of France, Pierre Séguier that he looks directly at from his desk in his Versailles style office. Indicating that these mere HUMAN men*[as far as I know nether were embraced in VTM canon but don’t quote me] are more significant role models to LaCroix then Cane father of all vampires. It also tells us that just how Louis XIV is being depicted as Alexander the Great was used by the artist order to elevate him and his reign as King of France to the same historical significance and prestige as Alexander the Great, LaCroix aspires to elevate his rule as the Prince of LA in Kindred society/history to the same level as both of these human rules have in mortal history if not beyond that. And again despite having three paintings of Cain, all of them at the same height and size yet are to the side rather then across from LaCroix's desk, almost as if they are peripheral. Almost as if Cain's reign as Father of all Vampires and Ruler of the First City of Enoch is below the level of importance/significants of Louis XIV, Alexander the Great and even Pierre Séguier (who wasn't even a reigning Sovereign, just Chancellor of France). The accomplishments and legacy's of all three of these men who were only ever human (again as far as I can tell none of them were ever embraced) are seemingly above that of Cain in LaCroix's mind based on how he's chosen to arrange the paintings in his office, and he may be attempting to hide this fact and would explain why he chose to have having 3 different painting all depicting the Cain slaying his brother Able hanging at the same level as the two painting depicting the legacies of three mortal men.

[1]“Louis XIV .” Palace of Versailles, 17 Feb. 2023, en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/louis-xiv#the-royal-family.

[2] Walbank, Frank. “Alexander the Great.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 5 Oct. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great.

[ae-neon]

Autumn Court headcanons.

These are kinda nebulis, not about any specific fic or au.

The first rule of survival is learning to always lie. Even when you tell the truth, have ulterior motives for doing so.

UtM was modelled after the CoN but it mirrored Autumn more than anything else. Eg in the CoN there are no humans or lesser fae

But in Autumn lesser fae act as servants while humans act as slaves and entertainment.

The Forest House is, like Versailles, the heart of the Court and all politics is played out in and around it.

It's also like Versailles in that all the nobility live there with the royals, constantly forced into games of power and station as well as displays of talent and loyalty

Autumn duels actually prohibit the use of fire, it's a brutal thing aimed at maiming and humiliating

The House of Vanserra is actually a newer ruling House and the royal line was carried onto the children through LoA whose birth House is no longer spoken of outside the historical context

Time keeping is also done through Houses as Autumn is a volatile Court whose crown often changes hands. The current year is the 889th of Beron's rule, the second longest reigning monarch in Autumn's history

They have large hunts and bonfires under the full moon, this is the only time when people are free to move and associate as they wish, even using glamoured masks that hide their scents and voices

They also have three day long banquets and balls, and public trials for entertainment and shows of force by the royal house

Art is seen as sacred and religious

Many keep monsters as sort of exotic pets

Clever glamours and tricks of hand are more favourably looked upon than open displays of magic

Engaging in things like drugs and sex, affairs especially, are not seen as overindulgence or bad in any way but social isolation or a lack of engagement can be a stain on even a Prince's reputation. Even Beron himself is forced to engage in some level of public pageantry

Sharing a cup is seen as an intimate act (because if it's poisoned, you'll both die) and is only practiced by Mates or those bound together in the holy name of the Mother

Lucien was actually the most favoured by the Court before it was revealed he was in love with a lesser fae, a great taboo for the High Fae of Autumn (not that it doesn't still happen)

Eris is the greatest duelist in the Court and only 21 nobles have challenged him in the last 450 years before UtM

[joachimnapoleon]

If you had to say what were Murat's greatest Weaknesses and strengths as a ruler?

This is a great question! And if I’m being completely honest, I had a much harder time thinking of his strengths as a ruler than I did his weaknesses. Not because he didn’t have strengths, but just because I’ve spent so much time going over all the things he struggled with during his reign and the causes of those struggles and how his own personality tied into them. 

I would say his biggest strengths were:

-Having been born a commoner, and been an enthusiastic revolutionary/republican as a young man, he retained a natural empathy and sympathy for the lower classes that hereditary monarchs often lacked. 

 -Like Napoleon, he was indefatigable and hard-working. Rather than dedicating himself to hedonism like Jérôme in Westphalia, Murat, upon taking the throne, worked day and night trying to get the affairs of his new kingdom in order, sort through the mess of its finances, and learn as much he could about the new kingdom he had been given. 

-His previous administrative experience prior to taking the throne. He had commanded brigades, divisions, corps, and entire armies; he had served a stint as governor of Paris, and had administered his Grand Duchy of Berg and Cleves. He had spent years by Napoleon’s side and been mentored by him. He wasn’t a novice when he took the throne, so he was able to hit the ground running.

As for his biggest weaknesses: 

-The fact that, until his break with Napoleon in January 1814, he never truly had a free hand in his rule, and was forced to subordinate the needs and priorities of Naples to those of France. The lifeblood of the Neapolitan economy was trade, and a great deal of that trade had been with Great Britain. Napoleon’s so-called Continental System prohibited trade with the British, which was disastrous for Naples, and Murat struggled with the finances of his kingdom from the moment he took the throne. 

-Indecisiveness, especially whenever he was feeling conflicted or uncertain about something. This is probably best illustrated in late 1813 when he just couldn't quite bring himself to fully commit to leaving Napoleon and allying himself with Austria until he was basically given an ultimatum and strong-armed into making his choice. (Caroline, on the other hand, never wavered from her choice to pursue the Austrian alliance once she'd decided it was the best option they had.) But Murat's months of going back and forth about it, and then his half-hearted military assistance to the Austrians once he'd joined them, made them distrust him right off the bat, and they (and the British) were constantly suspicious of him afterwards; as soon as Napoleon had been sent off to Elba, the British were looking for any excuse they could to toss him off the Neapolitan throne.

-The flip side of the previous point: occasionally he was far too impetuous for his own good, and would embark on a risky course of action without taking heed of any advice or warnings, or considering the possible consequences. The Sicilian expedition from 1810 is a good example. Once he had committed to the idea of taking Sicily and reuniting it to his kingdom, he felt he had no choice but to eventually go through with the attempted invasion, even though he didn't really have adequate means and the French commander Napoleon had sent him for the expedition was under secret orders not to make the crossing if the circumstances weren't favorable. It dragged on for months, Murat finally attempted the crossing, and it was a dismal failure. It humiliated him and further damaged his relationship with Napoleon. Another good example would be his Neapolitan naturalization decree in 1811, which was more than anything just Murat trying to exert a shred of independence from Napoleon. And nothing good came of it; he ended up being publicly humiliated (again), temporarily losing command of his own army in Naples, and finding his position more imperiled than ever.

-His vanity made him extremely prone to flattery, and he tended to favor his courtiers/generals who would flatter him more than those who would tell him uncomfortable truths.

-Lastly, his excessive paranoia regarding the prospect of being overshadowed/upstaged by his wife, which led to a lot of unnecessary unhappiness in their marriage until he finally eventually got over it and started to trust her more (which wasn’t until 1813, after he’d had no choice but to let her rule as regent while he’d been on campaign since mid-1812). It’s interesting to ponder what the earlier years of their reign might’ve been like if Murat had been more accommodating towards sharing power with Caroline—or simply letting her be involved in the running of the kingdom at all, instead of shutting her out entirely. I think things actually would’ve gone a lot smoother for him on multiple levels, given that part of the reason for Napoleon’s increasing displeasure with Murat during this time was because of the news reaching him of Murat treating Caroline poorly.

I think that covers it for the most part. Thanks for the ask! 

[flcralhaze]

closed starter ›› andromeda soloman , @balteren where: the soloman apartments.

❝ what would  you  like  to  do  today, sister? ❞   now that shoulders were free of the pressures that came with being hostess, malaika wished to spend the time she had in between talks of politics and interrogations of the captives with her family. if her sister in law wished to enjoy tea somewhere in the palace rather than attend one of the many events being held then that was what they would do. time in each other's company was all malaika desired after feeling like she'd let family, despite being a priority, drift to the side. but a kingdom wasn't easily ruled alone when for her entire reign she'd had another, the true monarch of beloved home, to lean on.

[theonxepialos]

heir of astoria;

The only Astorian heir is brought forth on the precipice of a truce, Iskaldrik and Astoria had long clashed upon the soil of Astorian land. Alcides, the King’s only son to survive the strain of adolescence, was a mark of a prosperous ideal; where once they were at the helm of successfully navigating the political ties of this world they’ve fallen short, infamous only for their golden fields and not the current legacy of the King’s notable foibles. Alcides understood swiftly that his father’s fatal flaw was likely his aloof benevolence; instead of leading with a heavy hand, squashing the wandering beliefs of others, King de Contreras was more enraptured with the spoils of leadership; gladiator competitions, the ruse of public executions, fanatical games that kept the Astorian people mindlessly contented with his lawless leadership, though not necessarily inspired.  Alcides was free spirited and perhaps as naive as his father was. Before the Vanguard, and those devoted to its cause, more prominently littered the streets, he often ventured to the more rural fields of Astoria, climbing the few trees which littered the countryside, venturing out until the sunset to merely take in what would one day be his to reign over. As a child, time felt limitless, his father’s reign felt eternal, and Alcides often felt untouchable. A child given free reign to explore; Alcides often held mindless activities; collecting leaves, rocks, annoying the farm animals which littered the fields outside of the city.

Inevitably he was loosely homeschooled; he’d learn to write, speak the other languages of the neighboring Queen/Kingdom’s, he’d paint and joust. He was void of arrogance in his youth, had a voracious wanton to learn and skated by upon the privilege his father’s monarchy bestowed to him. As tensions increased, Alcides was often barred from leaving the home in fear of retaliation from those who were pious to the One. His father often attempted to blindside the people with distractions but Alcides was kept inside to roam the castle as more flooded the city with their whispers of the One. For the next ten years of his life, Alcides was kept within the sanctity of the castle, could roam the yards with guards to ensure his safety, but it would all be for naught as the coup ensued to destroy all within. Tensions arose quickly as Alcides' father did little to support the Oner God fully, and a childhood spattered with the lounging ability to roam the Astorian streets soon grew more isolated, stationed safely within the castle as opposition of his father’s leadership grew. Advisors were the only reassurance granted through these tense times, false beliefs that this was merely another phase that Astoria had to be appropriately ushered through despite the Vanguard that loomed. Emil was his father’s advisor and assigned to protect Alcides as the tensions between those devoted to the One and their Kingdom grew. Emil was a witch of Lysaran blood and often advised on how best to mitigate tensions with the people; he was born into the role within the house as his father before him had also served and advised beneath the de Contreras family. Alcides was not raised outright by Emil, but as tensions bled further upon the monarch and his father fell blindly, and further, into his mindless benevolence of keeping the people distracted, Emil became a prominent presence within his life. Alcides was of mere mortal blood, but he was often ‘taught’, or merely soothed, by many spells that Emil often performed. Emil, being a political advisor, also taught Alcides the inner machinations of such work; where many thought it was tedious, the young heir merely felt it was beneficial and took upon it rapturously. Though his relationship with his father was close knit, Emil taught him how to rule more than his father ever could. His father’s influence bled into mindless fun; gladiator battles and shows meant to distract, whereas Emil often drove home the point of relating to those beneath him, rather than treating them as mindless fools at the mercy of a monarch. His father’s downfall was how often he disregarded Emil’s advice. Emil would inevitably meet his demise under such stalwart protection of the young heir, staying behind in an attempt to create distance between them and Alcides, despite knowing it would lead to his death. Alcides didn’t quite have a voice in opposition of his father, mindless benevolence was the King’s glorified personality trait and it was also his wretched demise.

[quill-of-thoth]

Grammar / Spelling / Homophone PSA # 1965

Free Range: freely roaming, uncaged. See: free range eggs. Originates from letting cattle graze over a large chunk of land, called a range. Free Rein: permission to do whatever you feel like / go wild. Originates from letting go of the reins and letting the horse run/walk at its own pace. Free Reign: Not an actual expression, but "reign" refers to the period of a monarch's rule.

[im-captain-basch]

I shared these on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, but I figured some of y’all might enjoy this. I have some headcanons about the Kongs’ government and such that I’ve wanted to share for a long time, and with how the Mario movie handled the Jungle Kingdom and the Kongs as a whole, I have much more confidence in sharing them.

I actually use these frequently, especially in AUs that still use the same world just with some changes, but until recently I’ve held myself back from throwing them around out of fear people would think I’m overthinking things.

So, here ya go. Under the read-more.

We know in the games that there are at least a few different settlements across Kong Island, but I like to think there’s a one village for each major map location in each game that takes place on the island. I know for the Mario movie, it appears there’s only the one city for them, but I still like to think there are at least a few villages scattered here and there throughout the Jungle Kingdom.

While the kingdom's royal family does have a permanent house seat (essentially their palace/manor, where the throne room is located; in the case of the Mario movie, it’s the big golden monkey head), the reigning monarch is not always a resident of it during their tenure. Some prefer a home in one of the villages, but for those who choose this way, their children are still given the option of taking up residence in the main seat.

Their militia is a sort of "at will" enrollment. Unless in the middle of battle or otherwise necessitated, their fighting force/army is almost entirely voluntary and tenure in it can be ended at any time after about 90 days, with at least a week’s notice. Only those who have a tenure of at least three years are chosen as palace guards.

A council of elders acts as the "lords"/heads of each village. In the case of a monarch who chooses to reside in one of the villages, the current ruler will instead be the head of the village they reside in, but must still confer with the elders.

Aside from the island's ruling family, there isn't really anything considered "nobility". As a result, the family is allowed to marry whomever they choose, with or without the current monarch's approval. Despite this, members of the royal family, especially the heir, are often encouraged to approach more affluent citizens usually for political reasons. Interestingly, perhaps due to the small bit of free will involved in this aspect, a fair number of what basically amounts to the sovereigns’ consorts have come from rather humble backgrounds.

The Jungle Jam (from DK: King of Swing) is both the first event a new monarch hosts as well as the festival of celebration for their ascension to the position. Unless otherwise delayed, it is usually held within the first six months of their reign.