#it’s the reason why so many accountants eventually get married

[sevensinswithin]

Okay so to everyone who was here for the original post, here’s basically how Alicent and Laenor get married in my lavender marriage au:

The entire thing starts because Alicent catches Laenor and Joffrey fucking in a secluded part of the castle a few weeks before Aemma dies. The boys only realize they’ve been caught because Alicent runs away from them like her ass is on fire. That girl had no idea gay male sex was an option in life and now needs to reevaluate everything in her life after catching them.

Laenor then spends the next few weeks trying to find a way to get her alone because guess what. Fucking in a secluded but also public area is not a good strategy if you want to keep your gay love affair a secret. So now Laenor is hoping to convince Alicent to stay quiet about what she saw because his dad seems to think he'll grow out of it (do not attack me, this literally happens in canon) and he doesn’t want anyone to know yet since it might impact who he’ll get married to eventually. Meanwhile Alicent is desperately trying to forget that she ever saw anything and doesn’t tell Otto about seeing Laenor and Joffrey because let's be real. This man said “childhood companions” like it was a slur in that one scene, so she knows that her father would do something with this information. Alicent does not want to be the reason Joffrey and Laenor are in trouble for their relationship. Nevermind that she’s suddenly having the realization that women liking women isn’t that far of a stretch after all.

Unfortunately, to everyone else in the world, it looks like Laenor is trying to court her and that Alicent is just trying to be very polite about his interest in her since she never wants to be alone in a room with him unless they’re around other people. Which is something that is totally normal and not weird at all. Why would you say otherwise?

Then Aemma dies and Otto sends her to see Viserys in his room and Alicent is now very stressed about something else in her life because she wants to do what her father says, but she also doesn’t want to betray Rhaenyra.

So during those six months after Aemma dies - which is apparently how much times passes between Aemma’s death and when Viserys decides to marry Alicent according to a HOTD article I read - Alicent, like in canon, is sent by her father to Viserys’ chambers and desperately hopes that her father’s ambitions won’t happen and that Viserys will simply see her as person that is supporting him in his grief.

(Life Hack: If you ever want to read an article and it says you have to make an account to read the rest of it, just go back to the google page you found it on, right click the link, and save the link as an HTML document. That lets you read the article without having to make an account. I found this out from someone on the internet and damn did it help when I wanted to access any account restricted article. Anyways, back to the plot.)

So to counteract that and make it so she’s less appealing to Viserys, Alicent always mentions Laenor and how fond of him she is during their talks. She also mentions how worried she is about Rhaenyra and her position as heir because there seems to be so many people that seem to be under the impression that they can replace her by having Viserys marry one of their daughters and convince him change his heir to one of the possible children he might have with those daughters.

Meanwhile, Laenor is absolutely losing his mind because all of a sudden Alicent is always around him and receptive to interacting with him, even though literally weeks before she avoided being around him like the plague. During this she also manages to wring out of him the fact that his parents (mainly Corlys, let's be real) are talking about potentially marrying Laena to Viserys and that he hates that idea as she’s way too young in his eyes for that. Eventually Alicent manages to find a way to be alone with Laenor and make him swear to secrecy about what she'll tell him because telling anyone might mean that his sister will actually have to marry Viserys. He does and she fills him in on what her father wants and what she’s attempting to do, and that she needs his cooperation to get him to at least appear like they’re courting.

So Alicent and Laenor put up the appearance that they’re at least attracted to each other to get people talking, which totally doesn’t ignite jealousy in Rhaenyra at the idea of Alicent being in love with her cousin. Cue Rhaenyra absolutely doing everything in her power to make Laenor appear like a loser to Alicent and the rest of the court. Alicent makes sure to get her to stop that shit real quick and tells Rhaenyra that she and Laenor are only pretending to be in love in order to avoid having to marry someone that would disrespect Laenor’s preference for men and disregard Alicent’s autonomy. Alicent also mentions that possibly marrying Laenor means that Alicent and Rhaenyra will be allowed to see each other very frequently as she will be Laenor’s wife and the Velaryons are often at court since they are related to the royal family. So now they have Rhaenyra on board.

Eventually the night before that one small council meeting where in canon Viserys announces that he’ll marry Alicent, Alicent “confesses” to Viserys that she’s in love with Laenor and that she wants to marry him, but that her father would never allow Alicent to marry Laenor because he and Lord Corlys dislike each other. She also lets it “slip” that Otto is very adamant that Viserys must have a male heir despite the fact that Rhaenyra has already been made heir, and that he sees Alicent as a potential bride for Viserys despite her unwillingness to marry her best friend’s father. She also sprinkles in the fact that Rhaenyra would be devastated at the idea of her father remarrying, especially if the bride in question were her best friend or even her little cousin (Yeah fuck you Corlys, you’re on thin ice for that and the grow out of it comment), and the fact that surely his wife would want him to defend his daughter’s claim to the Iron Throne from potential usurpers, which is something that would definitely happen if he had a son.

This causes Viserys to absolutely lose his shit, but Alicent calms him down and he sends her away from his chambers. However, not before Viserys hints that he would not dissolve a marriage between a highborn lady and lord if they eloped and consummated the marriage. So instead of heading straight to her rooms, Alicent instead books it to Laenor’s chambers. The two of them run off to a sept and convince a septon to marry them with a few commoners as their witnesses because they can’t take any nobles in fear of being stopped (and to also have the commoners spread the fact that Alicent and Laenor eloped). Then she and Laenor head off to Laenor’s chambers to consummate the marriage with the help of Joffrey, who they had stay in Laenor’s chambers so that no one would get him in trouble or notice that he was in the room with them during the consummation, and to have Alicent stay over so that people could catch them together in the morning and spread the news of her “ruined reputation”.

The next morning Laena bursts into Laenor’s chambers like she always does and “catches” them before running off to tell Rhaenys the way all little siblings do. So then Rhaenys and Corlys show up, as does Otto; he caught wind of the situation through a servant he paid off to spy on the Velaryons. Once there Otto starts shaming Alicent about her ruined reputation and Laenor retorts that she didn’t ruin anything as he married her before he bedded her. Otto then explodes at the pair when Laenor says that and Corlys rushes to defend his son against all the stuff Otto is saying and threatening him with.

Eventually their argument gets so loud that a servant rushes to get Viserys and a few guards since they’re afraid that the two lords will resort to violence. Trailing after them is Rhaenyra and the Small Council, as the meeting was supposed to start half an hour ago but certain people were missing and needed to be found. So now the entire Small Council, Rhaneyra, and Viserys are at the doorway of Laenor’s room while a furious Otto and Corlys trade insults. Meanwhile Rhaenys sees how afraid Alicent and Laenor are and rushes to the pair’s defense (because they need someone in their corner that isn’t shaming the other party), saying that perhaps the two wouldn’t have resorted to eloping if Otto and Corlys weren't always at odds. Seeing the King, Otto rushes to demand that he have the septon reverse the marriage, but Viserys reveals that he knows about Otto’s plan to make Alicent marry him and how he knows that she wished to marry Laenor instead. He then fires Otto from being Hand and sends him packing to Oldtown, approving of Laenor and Alicent’s marriage as a final insult to Otto. He also firmly informs the small council that he will not be getting remarried, that Rhaenyra will remain his heir, and that anyone who objects otherwise is speaking of treason.

So there you go, the outline for a story that I’m most likely going to write in non-linear bits. In this world Alicent is Lady of Driftmark, Laenor and Joffrey get to be happy, and Viserys prioritizes making sure that Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne is secure. Also somewhere down the line in this universe Rhaenyra and Alicent get their shit together and realize they’re in love with each other, and Rhaenyra gets to marry Harwin because Daemon never takes her to the brothel and so she gets to pick her husband and be the polyamorous bi queen we all love.

[majaloveschris]

Hi Maja.

First of all, your blog is one of the only ones I’ve always felt was sincere, on point, respectful, and not toxic. I’ve always had a good feeling about you and how you are kind despite all the toxicity on here.

That feeling has never wavered and there is a big part of me that wants you to be right and win against these ridiculous anons that seem to want to put you down.

An opinion (which I don’t claim to be fact, just some thoughts here): I see a lot of takes on here popping up from blogs that claim they have PR knowledge and claim to be experts and read and follow along the gossip, but I think nobody really knows and they can only hypothesize on what they think is the truth.

I think CE being married (by public knowledge and Wikipedia) was the main goal here. I’ve always sort of felt this, which is why I ultimately was not surprised after he did his SMA spread that he went public with Fish girl and then later on “got married.”

The reason I say this is because HW and society is very judgmental and superficial. Being single or unmarried at a certain age always raises questions whether or not it is valid to do so. I disagree with this sentiment but unfortunately the world is how it is. It happens to regular people, so why wouldn’t it apply to celebs? Especially the ones who have basically become a pop culture icon of being an eligible bachelor/desirable.

Let’s think about this. After 2019, CE was no longer under the marvel umbrella. He had to start defining his post marvel career, and then Covid hit. So many things derailed. He randomly got an IG in 2020 but people found out it had existed as an account since 2019. Perhaps it was always the plan or it was a plan hatched by his PR team to keep him in the public eye. He became relatable internet BF with a Prince Charming storyline of when will he find the one? It was almost overkill from 2020-2022.

Now it’s 2024 and he’s supposedly been with this woman since 2021. It shows longevity and then eventual commitment. He now wears a ring in public so they see him as “settled down.” That’s the image he is now portraying for the public who doesn’t dig or care to deeper in his life.

I don’t think it’s about rebranding to attract a younger audience - if so, his pr team would have realized that gen Z actually does not fare well to age gaps and the subject of grooming and etc always comes up for this hypersensitive on PC/wokeness generation. Then add on the racism and weird ass crap from her/her friends. Definitely not boding well for a generation that lives on the internet and knows how to deep dive. His PR team would have looked at how the public reacted to other relationships like this and I feel, if it was simply he was in love with her and it was real real, would have told him to keep it on the DL DL until it was absolutely certain they had walked down the aisle. At that point, there would be no turning back.

But they marketed this before that happened. They wanted to portray her as the one similar to how in movies, they want to portray a main character and love interest as meant to be even if the audience may or may not receive it that way. How many times do we hear “this movie tanked because the leads had no chemistry and the relationship they wanted us to believe was not believable?”

But ultimately, the endgoal of if CE and his wife are a good couple or not doesn’t really matter. They have achieved their goal of he is now settled down and no longer on the market. If you choose to continue to follow him, stay for his career and not his personal life. Meanwhile, her - well, they’ll keep trying to make her happen because her end of the deal was getting more visibility and breaking into the American market. That much has been clear.

But you can lead a horse to water, you can’t make it drink.

What she chooses to do with the opportunities given to her are left to be seen. Also, how the public and CE/her fanbases chooses to receive them are also left to be seen.

Will this marriage last forever? I have doubts. But I do think they considered many options and this is what they came up with. I also don’t believe CE’s actions show he is very happy with the arrangement, even less so than fish is. Because even from the subtle clues from photos and “videos” - body language does not lie.

To be fair to fish, I doubt she’s in love with him either. I think she’s getting more benefits from this because most of the negativity is being directed towards him, not her. His fans hating and harassing her are just a pinnacle of what he’s receiving from his own fanbase. Some people will disagree with me but he’s the one getting the P and G and disgusting comments and being called the worst person on earth because he married her. His own fans are turning on him and her fans can also blame him but victimize her. The general public doesn’t care too much but will say how he looks because he got with her. She remains “innocent” of any blame because at the end, she is young and he is older so he should know better. Do you see what I mean?

Meanwhile, her fans are just happy she’s getting attention and somebody to fund her poor attempts at becoming a fashion icon. She lacks in talent and work ethic but it’s an easy way for her to get engagement by being attached to him.

The day this ends and she no longer has his name will be interesting and that’s what I think his fans (remaining) are hoping for. They don’t want to reward laziness and clout chasing opportunist and I too support this. They want HIM to be better and find success and love himself more so he doesn’t continue to end up in these shitty situations. But again, he has to want that for himself. He has to want to deserve better so he can work on actually deserving of better.

I hope I didn’t offend anyone with this opinion. Just my thoughts and I support YOU. I hope things work out in the end in your favor because you are a great person and I selfishly want you to be right (haha). ❤️

I completely agree with everything that you wrote down. 

I remember seeing people criticize him for saying he wants to get married and have a family, yet he is still single and childless. As you said, it's stupid that people are being bullied and judged because they haven't already settled down, even if they wanted to. Finding a partner is hard, and finding a partner in his shoes is even harder. I obviously don't know whether he actually wants all of that, but saying he must not want all of that because he didn't do so is not right. A lot of people struggle with finding a good partner. 

I never agreed with people calling him by the P and G words. I guess these people either don't know what those words mean or are simply that mad as Chris that they feel the need to spread lies. He is not those things and never was. Yeah, 16 years is a lot, but she was a grownup when they allegedly met, and I think people exaggerate when they say she looks like a child. 

I think the reason most people are hateful towards him is because they are disappointed in him. I think most people had an idea about the person he is based on the information we had, and him being married to someone like her or even dating someone like her doesn't really fit into that. People aren't disappointed in her because most didn't even know who she was before Chris. We were just presented with her actual self, and we didn't have any expectations from her. But we had for him. 

I doubt either of them is in love with each other. Alba doesn't seem that happy or comfortable around him either. I think this is just business for both of them.

I still think he is a good man who made a terrible mistake. I just hope the best for him, to be honest, which I know is an unpopular opinion now because it seems like wanting the worst for him is what is trendy nowadays. Maybe I'm naive; maybe I'm just holding onto an image, but I don't think the last 20+ years were a lie. I hope he will prove me right. 

Thanks for writing this down and for being there. ♥

[fishhawish]

Hi, I came across your account when it, for some reason, popped up on my dashboard and I noticed that you write angst but there's no Gorou posts.

So, I give you a Gorou angst piece. When Kokomi's parents come to his parents with a marriage contract in hand, Gorou is torn between bowing to his parents' wishes to marry Kokomi or remain faithful to you. He eventually gives into the pressure and breaks off his relationship with you to marry Kokomi. On the day before his wedding, you leave Inazuma for Sumeru, where you take up the post as the Matra's medical examiner; a position Cyno has specifically reserved for you.

I'm so sorry I had many casualties being hospitalized again but I'm discharged now and I can hopefully work on some more requests. I am once again sincerely apologizing.

Fading affections

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

Gorou x reader

(some x Cyno, can be platonic or Romantic you choose)

Angst w comfort!

Warnings: cheating, detailed mentions of war, eloping?? Abandonment of children aka Gorou being a horrible father

Context: Kokomi's parents offer Gorou a contract, little did you know Gorou and Kokomi had an affair this whole time since the start of the war leaving the other side of your bed cold even more often.

★

!Not proof read!

Reposts and likes appreciated

Reqs open but very slow atm

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟𓆝

Did it really matter? Did your whole relationship even matter? Three years of trust, love, communication, saftey was all pouring down the drain the moment the general told you that he wanted to separate ways. But You knew everything. You knew that since this horrible war started that he didn't love just You anymore. You did not know who his mistress was, or what you and your family would do. How would the child that You protected with your life. Said child watching their world shatter around them as they listened to their fathers voice.

"Listen, I'll keep this short. We must part ways, I wish to be with Her Excellency, Kokomi. Her parents came to me with their blessings and a mirrage contract."

"Or was it just your affair? Did you ever really want to be with me? Gorou we have a family why do you do this now." You lashed out at him angrily as he looked away, submissive expression on his face. His beautiful bright teal eyes looking anywhere else with visible pain. He didn't love only you, but deep down you both knew you still loved each other. He just didn't want you anymore. All he muttered is small apologies with the heaviest guilt and pressure ever seen on him.

"Get out of my sight please." Is all you can say, signing off the divorce papers and pushing them onto him before walking to your now dull and empty what was once shared room. The room you had so many memories in, joy, sadness, anger, pleasure. And you all overcame them with him. But he was no longer there to share with any longer. No warmth was left in your home with just you and your child. Your family was not whole, would not be whole like it was.

Replaced. You and your child. Gorou used to visit, he was a good dad.. for a short while. Not long after their wedding kokomi fell pregnant. Your kid was already traumatized of the divorce. And now your kid refuses to even go near it's father. What a shame. And yet Gorou can't even see what's wrong. When he's friendly with You, when he tries to bond with his kid. It's so obvious, how much Gorou favors his and kokomi's kid. Good riddance.

It was that moment he realized that you're gone only did he regret everything. Even after watching countless of his friends fall, watching the explosions, the blood, his team mates getting stabbed, the screams, the weapons, the innocent civilians dying at his hands for the war. The people around him begging and fighting for their life and families. Every drink he took, every new wound he endured and yet this wound was permanent. Maybe he didn't love just you, but he loved you. He knew he loved you.

His life dull, his heart begging for you to come back. He tried so hard to find you and yet he couldn't. The last he heard was from one of the Kaedehara clan who said that he has traveled with You and Your child to sumeru. His heart shattered at the words. His last hope of ever speaking to you again falling into a void. He visibly regretted everything. Not wanting to take care of his new family. Violently disgusted in every passionate heated moment with her.

But it truly did not matter any longer. Now that you and your kid where elsewhere, you both would be okay. Your new life travelling as the care taker of the Matra, you eventually became close with him. Your child and Cynos mutual adoration for eachother being so sweet that even you can't help but smile. Them treating each other like family. Not in the way Gorou 'cared' but in their own special way.

You didn't need Gorou, no matter what as long as you had your kid and Cyno you'd be okay. All three of You knew that without anything being said, the care us truly mutual. You can only thank Cyno for ever offering the job to you as his medical examiner. Because of him your kid and you will always be happy and strong now, no matter what all three of you would have eachother and every night, sleeping with that comfort was easy.

"Hey do you want to hear another joke?"

"NO."

Ta-da! .𖥔 ݁ ˖ִ ࣪⚝₊ ⊹˚

[atopvisenyashill]

Whether in the books or show, didn’t Dany eventually try to prevent the pillaging of the Lhazareen village? So couldn’t her trying to protect the women from that village by claiming them as her own be all she could do considering the system the Dothraki had? Trading slaves is one of their ways of trading money. All she could do was claim the women as her own slaves, so that no harm could be done to them as they are Dany’s property. Dany obviously doesn’t share the same views but knew how to act because she knew the Dothraki ways. She cares about them and even her entire upcoming arc is freeing slaves. Dany wasn’t able to properly free them because she as a Khaleesi doesn’t have any worth without her Khal, in terms of power. But she still cared for those girls and even swore to avenge one of them. Why do ppl criticize her for that?

There are several reasons for this.

1. She burns Mirri.

Regardless of what she meant to do with her slaves, she owns Mirri. Mirri tells her what to do several times and her instructions are not followed. Dany acknowledges this herself when she thinks that Jorah killed her son, yet she ultimately makes Mirri pay the sole price for this. Later on, when a former slaver comes to her and asks for the newly freed slaves who raped his female members to be punished, she says she will not punish a slave rising up. There is no reflection here on her actions towards Mirri, there’s no growth, and it’s on purpose.

2. She doesn’t treat Irri or Jhiqui any differently

They still refer to themselves as slaves. Dany uses Irri sexually even knowing Irri feels obligated to do this, then has this weird power play moment where she implies Irri is not good enough to fuck one of her bloodriders. It is a valid point of criticism that you can say you’re a good person until you’re blue in the face but if you still see your former slaves as slaves, as beneath you, as worthy of fucking but not of marrying up - I mean what have you changed, really?

3. Regardless of her intentions, slaves were still taken in her name

This conquest is kicked off because she wants it. I get she’s not driving, she’s not even riding shotgun, and the initial fallout is out of her control in many ways because she’s literally giving birth. I also understand that she’s practically a child herself, and doesn’t quite understand what “sacking a city to build an army” actually entails until she sees it. I think you could compare the initial sack of the Lhazareen village as similar to Arya killing that stable boy, or perhaps Sansa’s actions after Ned is taken, Catelyn when she takes Tyrion to the Vale; as in, she just doesn’t have all the facts or enough agency to make this situation go the way she thinks it’s going to go, and it goes horrifically sideways.

That said, the issue here is she continues having to learn this same mistake over and over - she knows a sack is violent and unpredictable, she knows younger people often have very little control over their lives, she still sacks three cities in a row with orders to kill everyone over 13 and then doesn’t understand why they turned to hell and why the forces that sacked those cities are having a hard time taking control. Like, she hears and sees herself from the account of Eroeh AND Mirri’s own mouth that what good “freedom and safety” are worth if your home was burned to the ground before your eyes and still hasn’t made the connection here to her own actions. Tywin was mistrusted by the people of KL up until his dying day because of the brutality of the KL sack and his use of the Mountain to regularly sack & raid small towns has turned the Riverlands inside out, not dissimilar to Astapor and the Bay in general. It’s a worrying pattern that seems likely to really bite her in the ass if she still hasn’t learned this lesson by the time she lands in Westeros.

It speaks to a level of privilege, and dehumanization that puts to question whether she is capable or sincere in her quest to upend the system or whether she is simply a reactionary child grasping for the ability to protect herself at the expense of the slaves around her. I think she DOES believe what she’s talking about, that everyone deserves the chance to live a happy life (strictly in the book. i do not feel the same about her in the show). But I also think she is a child ruled by fear, with no knowledge of the context in which she exists as a valyrian and a targaryen, and actively avoids learning the truth about her family’s actions and the way she may be perceived because she ties so much of her self worth to her family’s legacy. if that legacy is bad, then she is bad, ergo her father can’t be bad. this is her constant struggle in the series - her compassion for missandei and care for the girl’s future and her complete dismissal of irri as a human being with dignity. her drive to fix injustice she sees and the idea that dragons plant no trees. all of that starts in the dothraki sea - but she never learns, even as she gains more control, she defaults to anger and violence and dangerous fire magic to solve every single problem she comes up against, and purposefully closes her eyes to the cost it has, because that cost is people like Mirri! Other slaves!!! Acceptaboe collateral damage!

4. Her actions are just kinda dumb sometimes?

Yeah, while she’s trying to stop the rape happening in Lhazar in the first book, her save for this is essentially “trap these women in hostage marriages, and sell their relatives for money and take their shit.” Even if she had said and been listened to by the time they got to another village (but they don’t bc Drogo dies), she’s still stealing their shit to fund a war of conquest with a group of Dothraki screamers? From a PR standpoint alone, that’s not gonna win her any friends, which is the same point of criticism with a lot of her alliances - she’s like tailor making an army that is going to piss off Westeros the most! She’s got Dothraki, she’s got ~freed Unsullied, she’s got a greyjoy in the works, she’s not paying anyone jack shit. Who in Westeros is going to ally with her here? I’m not even just talking about Westerosi xenophobia and racism here, it’s like. Sometimes it feels like watching Ned in the capital, to read Dany and see her make all the wrong choices. I get why she’s making them but my god they’re so bad. The Dothraki are near universally disliked for being a slaving culture! Armies that are wholesale bought somewhere else and brought to another place are not usually liked very much even just region to region - hello the riverlands mess! The Ironborn DO experience a level of social prejudice that feels xenophobic but there Is this element here that like,,, these bitches love to raid the coastline of their neighbors, a lot of people have legitimate beef with them! Take a step back from how much you love her and look at what she’s doing - half of the wars in westeros center around PR and her PR as of right now kind of sucks even internationally bc she’s got the crazy fire worshippers on her side who are about to have a big issue in Westeros with SOMEONE about to set poor Shireen on fire! I don’t think it’s bad to point out that she’s not gonna have an easy time getting buy in from the people of Westeros! People whack Rhaenyra for this point all the time, “she refuses to understand how she’s perceived” neither does Dany tho!!

5. She’s still in a place of privilege

This one is hard to get across and it’s the one that always annoys me most to explain. (not mad at u anon, you’re being perfectly polite but i just don’t know how to explain this without sounding patronizing and also like, rape tw here). But it’s like. I get she’s oppressed more so than the average Westerosi wife as a khaleesi. I get it. I understand this. She still isn’t a slave. She still owns slaves. When I say “she owned slaves” i’m saying THINK about this From The Slave’s POV, not from Dany’s!! Some slavers show up in your town and kill every man you know. Boys and men. Then they rape you, and your neighbor, and your niece, and leave you lying in the mud. Then another man comes by and rapes you. Then some girl comes up and says she owns you. You are exhausted and traumatized and now you’re on this long trudge so she can sell you or the other children captured into slavery somewhere else. Then the leader dies, and she burns a slave alive, and says you’re free. Yeah she doesn’t have a lot of control, but what about the control the slave has? Why should we not weep for Mirri Maz Durr? Why is her life and tragedy worth less than Dany’s and why is Dany’s story littered with women exactly like Mirri? Could it be that maybe there’s a theme going on here about the limits of power that relies on the subjugation of others and the consistent failures of Great Powers to nation build when they refuse to interact with their own complicity in violence or the harm done to the native population?

I’m not saying I don’t understand the limits of what Dany can do in many of the situations she’s in. I’m saying she is on this quest to free slaves while having no understanding and at this point is actively FIGHTING understanding what it is about slavery that is so evil and dehumanizing. I’m saying can we think about the PoV of the peasant child who is burned and eaten by Drogon? Can we think about the PoV of Irri or Jhiqui? If we’re freeing slaves and criticizing the system, why does Dany refuse to reflect on Mirri Maz Durr’s fate as a slave?

[himbeereule]

Hello! I just read the demo. I loved it!! I'm excited to read the remaining parts of this prologue. By the way, I'm surprised at the trouble you took with the reactions to MC's attractiveness. Depending on our appearance will there be an important impact on history?

Anyway, thanks for the demo! I loved everything ❤️❤️❤️

Ehmm I have quite a few questions: 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

1 - Why is MC so popular? What is the reputation of the siblings among the people?

2 -Is there any reason why the empress is so absent in the lives of her children?

3 - Who besides the emperor and brother knows about Lebedev's incident with f! MC?

4- Will there be a funeral for the royal family?

5- I just love Lavrentiy. It seems like he was jealous (?), although he equally loved MC

6 - What were the last thoughts of MC's family before being executed? Will we see more of them in the future?

7 -How did other monarchies react to this "revolution"?

8- How rich/relevant is Nevtskiya in the world? And it has great military power? Besides agriculture, is there any other important sector for the economy? Can we promote the development of the country?

9 - What is the standard of living of the general population?

10 -Will there be much difference in the story of a male or female MC?

11 - What religion does the country have?

12 - Were there many other popular protests in the past?

PS we are lucky that the rebels didn't leave MC's body hanging or decapitated in some public place haha

Hey~

About the attractiveness: there will be scenes like the ones with Sabilov where it'll play a role, but it won't have a really important impact on the story overall.

1- MC is popular because the newspapers pushed them as a celebrity. As for why they did that... you'll have to find out eventually. As for the siblings: Artemiy is revered as the Crown Prince, but he's a pretty distant figure, so it's more formal than personal popularity. Lavrentiy is very controversial due to his escapades (you'll learn more about that). Sasha/Tasha is very private and mostly unknown among the public.

2- This'll be expanded upon in the scenes with your siblings I'm planning to add to the Prologue - basically, she realized the person she married (arranged marriage, but initially she was very happy with it) was an absolute asshole. So she ended up getting the kind of depression where you isolate yourself from everyone and everything.

3- Nobody, though at least one person is guaranteed to find out. Towards the end of the story, though.

4- No. You'll see why later...

5- I said it before, but I'm super happy people liked Lavrentiy. I hope his additional scenes will cement his image of "would actually be lovely if he stopped being so mean"

6- Can't answer, spoilers ^^"

7- There won't be intervention armies, but they see it as a prime opportunity to expand their influence. Whether you'll let them sponsor you or your enemies at the cost of getting dependent and owing favours will be a major decision later on.

8- Nevetskiya is huge, and old, but that's pretty much it. It's a regional power, too far behind in economy, society and technology to really contend with any of the great powers - but it is still counted among them. Industrialization is already beginning to happen, hence the revolution, and its development will be a factor in the story and especially the gameplay.

9- For the nobility - extremely high. For the clergy and the emerging traders and industrialists - pretty high. For the accountants, bureaucrats and landowners - okay. For the peasants and workers (which is almost the entire population) - abysmal.

10- There will be some exclusive story arcs for all genders.

11- I haven't really touched on religion yet, as of now it's just a vague polytheistic copy of the Orthodox Church. I'll develop its lore more once it comes up in the story.

12- Yes, there were peasant revolts every one or two years, but they were quickly and brutally suppressed.

[99pansy]

Can you explain Eliza Cuts lore, please? I know she was apparently very unwell and creepy (?). Ive been an MCR fan since 2014 but never knew much about her other than she was a weirdo--probably was much more common knowledge back in the late 00's.

hii sorry im so late to these I was gna answer yesterday but I hurt my back like the old lady I am

i can give you a rundown and also some links to look at so you can do your own research <3 I like to provide a mostly unbiased opinion cos I don't like telling people what to think or whatever. any links I post will also be included at the bottom

eliza cuts background

eliza cuts (legal name eliza siep, also known as eliza bleu in recent year) is the ex-fiance of gerard

eliza was a hairdresser for many different bands in the scene, and apparently was a longtime fan of mcr. after meeting gerard at the merch table after shows a few times, they exchanged contact information and she managed to cut his hair as well.

one thing led to another, and eliza ended up joining the band on tour as a makeup and hair stylist.

gerard had JUST ended things with his then longtime girlfriend kat (apparently 2 days before), and there are some unsubstantiated rumors there was some overlap in these relationships

many fans believe she inserted/forced herself into gerard's life. I'm not sure what to think about this. I will say gerard is/was a grown adult and he can make his own choices. it takes two people to start a relationship. i also believe eliza suffered from mental illness, which would describe some of her erratic behavior.

anyway, she quickly becomes a polarizing figure in the fandom and eventually, everyone figures out she and gerard are dating. they become engaged on may 22, 2007

obviously they would never get married because gerard and lindsey got married just 4 months later on sept 3, 2007

frank's post about eliza

it is highly speculated that frank made this post about eliza after he became fed up with her behavior. i won't paste the whole thing here since its sorta long. i go over this more in my ss/mayo post if you haven't read it.

world's most hated crew

fans gave eliza's group of friends the nickname "world's most hated crew" because of how disgraced they apparently were at the time. this group also included heychris and alicia simmons/way.

they decided to reclaim this title and made a website which was intended to feature q+a, journals, and message boards for fans

eliza's fanfiction

eliza wrote some fanfic that is totally not about mcr as the main characters are named "emma" and "paul" and the band featured is called "the black pajama party"

this fanfic was pretty crazy for a few reasons. she implies she was abused by gerard and that he cheated on her with kat (his ex)

eliza's fake accounts

after gerard left eliza, she began spreading private info about mcr using burner accounts according to this comment:

pregnancy rumor

i'll just answer this ask here--

according to this comment, the rumor about Gerard having paid for eliza to have an abortion is false. she says she was never pregnant in this interview:

i'm not sure why she would lie about something so serious.

where is eliza today?

eliza has done a few podcasts since 2021. in her most recent one, she discusses her alleged experiences as a victim of sex trafficking. she did this interview in 2019 (same one from before). this page attempts to debunk this claim. I'm not sure what to think. she does have a history of telling lies... I don't like to discredit victims though.

click for sauces

blog on the full eliza story (2023)

reddit post about eliza (2022)

unbiased post about eliza (2009)

eliza's fanfic (2008)

frank's post about eliza on imnotokay.net (2007)

interview with eliza (2019)

world's most hated crew (archive 2007)

youtube video (2023, haven't watched this one tbh lmk if I should)

eliza's IMDB

[frazzledsoul]

rory and dean, part three: we’re really just fucking kidding ourselves at this point, or why rory does not deserve 99% of the blame for this disaster

So, OG Gilmore Girls fans may recall that Dean Forester’s ill-advised marriage to his rebound girlfriend was actually an attempt to write him off the show. Jared had filmed a pilot for a Young Macgyver show (you can watch most of it online here), but the WB ultimately passed so we (and Rory) were stuck with Dean for another year and a half. One wonders what would have happened if they hadn’t passed. Would we never have heard from Dean again? Would ASP have roped him into a few guest appearances anyway and attempted to do the same storyline? Would they just have gotten Milo to guest star for season four? Would Rory have run away with Jess in that scenario? Who knows.

Anyway, let’s revisit the issue of Dean vs Jess at the end of season four, after Rory rejects Jess’s plea to run away with him

RORY: Anyway, I left the pub, got back to my dorm, and Jess was there. LANE: What did he want? RORY: He wanted me to come away with him. LANE: Oh, my God! What did you say? RORY: I said -- I don't know. It was so weird. He was just... Jess. I mean, he shows up out of no where with this crazy proposal. It was awful. LANE: It doesn't sound awful. RORY: What are you talking about? Jess bailed on me twice. LANE: I know, but how incredibly romantic to have this guy show up out of the blue and want to take you away with him. RORY: When I first met Jess, I thought, "What could be better than this? He's smart, good taste in books and music, so cute." But Jess is great one minute and then the next - you know, as far as I know, I could have said yes, packed my bag, and by the time I got to the car, he would have changed his mind. LANE: It's part of why he's cute. He's unpredictable. RORY: I guess. You know, when I was with Dean, I always knew that no matter what happened, he would be there. LANE: Dean was very dependable. RORY: It was more than that. He's -- well, he was so... um, I was safe, and he was so nice to me. LANE: He really loved you. RORY: I think I really blew it there, you know? I didn't appreciate it. LANE: Every girl has to fall for a bad boy. It's the rule. It's the reason so many accountants eventually get married.

While this fits nicely with my headcanon that Dave eventually became an accountant, that is neither here nor there. I think this is the only time Rory really is shown processing the breakup with Jess until he shows up again in season 6 and how it led her to the Dean disaster, because as schmoopy as she gets about Dean in the twelve hours or so after she sleeps with him, it’s clear that she’s mostly looking for affirmation and stability, and not to get dragged down by feelings she can’t trust or control.

And of course, she had pretty much zero boundaries with Dean prior to this: crying on his shoulder, haranguing him about not going to college, knowing that Lindsay wouldn’t approve of him hanging out with her at night and doing it anyway. Who was going to tell her she shouldn’t do that, after the example her parents set for her over and over? Anyway. Moving on.

So, let’s go over Dean’s seduction technique, which mostly involves him lying his ass off.

DEAN: It's not working with Lindsay. I can't make it work. I've tried. RORY: Are you sure? Because I've heard that the first two years of marriage are the hardest. DEAN: We're not happy. She's not happy, and I can't make her happy. RORY: I can't imagine that. DEAN: It was a mistake, and I know that now. From the very beginning, it wasn't - RORY: Wasn't what? DEAN: It wasn't... RORY: Maybe you could, um, go see a counselor or go away together. DEAN: No, it's just -- it's over. We both feel it. I know we both feel it. RORY: You and Lindsay? DEAN: Yeah, me and Lindsay. RORY: You both feel it's over? DEAN: I tried. We tried. RORY: Well, if it's over, I'm sorry. DEAN: You are? RORY: I'm sorry you're not happy. DEAN: I'll be happy again. Things happen for a reason, right?

Not to completely absolve Rory for all of this as she definitely should have gone on more than Dean’s word, but he absolutely lied to her face after she gave him three chances in a row to come clean. He made sure to follow her to her house, where she would be alone, and manipulated her into having sex with him. Yet somehow Rory is shamed for being the seductress who tempted him into breaking his vows.

Let’s move on to Lorelai, who is actually speaking sense on matters of morality, for once.

LORELAI: But he's married. RORY: You don't understand the situation. LORELAI: Is he still married? RORY: Yes, but - LORELAI: Then I understand the situation. RORY: It's not working out between them. They're not happy. LORELAI: Oh, Rory. RORY: He tried the best he could, but it didn't work. It's over. LORELAI: [ Sighs ] He told you that? RORY: Yes. LORELAI: He told you he's leaving her? RORY: Well - LORELAI: He told you he's moving out, they're getting divorced, he's got a lawyer, they've divided up the monster-truck season tickets? RORY: We didn't get around to discussing everything.

Yeah, Rory, because he lied and told you exactly what he needed to so that you would fuck him. He never actually made any steps towards leaving his wife, and he won’t until he’s forced to,

RORY: He's not a married guy. He's Dean -- my Dean.

LORELAI: He's not your Dean. He's Lindsay's Dean. You're the other woman. RORY: I told you, it's over. LORELAI: It's not over until he's out of the house with the ring off. RORY: He took the ring off. LORELAI: Oh, my God, I don't believe this. RORY: He's in love with me, not Lindsay. LORELAI: Does Lindsay know that? RORY: She's not good for him, okay? She lets him quit school and work himself to death and - LORELAI: No, Rory, uh-uh, you can't be one of those girls who blames the wife for forcing the husband to cheat.

Funny how Lorelai was exactly like that when Christopher was having problems with Sherry and not only slept with him before he had moved out or officially broken up with her, but bragged about it to Sookie, paraded him all around Stars Hollow, and let everyone she knew about their burgeoning relationship, including her parents. It would be strange if that happened to come up again, right?

LORELAI: This is your first time. It's just not the way your first time was supposed to be. RORY: Oh, and how was my first time supposed to be? LORELAI: Well, first of all, it was supposed to be in a retirement home. And secondly, ideally, it was supposed to be with someone single. RORY: My first time was with someone sweet and kind who loves me. LORELAI: I didn't raise you to be like this. I didn't raise you to be the kind of girl who sleeps with someone else's husband. RORY: You slept with dad when he was with Sherry. LORELAI: He wasn't married to Sherry. RORY: He was engaged, and she was pregnant. LORELAI: So, this is all my fault? I set one crappy example for you, and you have no choice but to follow in my footsteps?

They’re basically one of those old anti-drug PSAs. I learned it from watching you!

I mean, it’s not like Lorelai badgered and pressured Rory into staying with Dean when her attention drifted to Jess and constantly argued for his innate superiority over and over and over.....oh wait, she totally did that. It’s not like Lorelai failed to sit Rory down at some point and explain that the reason their hearts got broken over Christopher not breaking up with his girlfriend is because sometimes when you sleep with other people’s boyfriends, they opt not to choose you in the end. Oh, wait, she didn’t do that, either, because he was her Christopher and they’ve always been connected. So she’s completely entitled to not take any responsibility for that situation and try to vandalize the other woman’s bathroom at her baby shower because she was jealous.

So, let’s just say I kind of understand why Rory gives Lorelai the cold shoulder here. Who is she to lecture, given her track record? And we know it’s only going to get worse.

Before we move on from this, though...

RORY: He was my boyfriend first! LORELAI: But you dumped him! You rejected him! You picked someone else!

Okay, technically it was Dean that dumped her (apparently I am the only one who remembers this) but as much as Rory pretends that Dean was the perfect boyfriend, both of them are significantly overidealizing the halcyon days of their early relationship. They were together for three months, and only reconcile when Rory is badgered into saying that she loves him: then it’s a few more months until Jess shows up and Rory loses almost all interest in Dean whatsoever. So the perfect love that they claim to want to relive never really existed.

Okay, let’s move on to how Dean actually treats his wife he claims to Rory he was completely in the process of breaking up with prior to him boinking his ex.

Upon learning that Lindsay had committed the unpardonable sin of answering her husband’s phone:

DEAN: I mean, you know it's my phone, Lindsay. This isn't your phone. I mean, who was it? LINDSAY: I don't know. They hung up. DEAN: So you didn't take a message? LINDSAY: I told you -- they hung up. DEAN: So, great, uh, you're just answering my phone and not taking messages? That's great, Lindsay. LINDSAY: Dean, wh-- DEAN: Taylor calls on this phone, and Tom. I mean, this phone is for business, okay? That's why I have it! LINDSAY: Fine. DEAN: What if Tom called, and he had an extra shift for me tomorrow, huh? I mean he calls to tell me, and you answer, and he thinks maybe he doesn't have the right number, and he hangs up, and then I just lose out, which means we lose out. God, Lindsay, you know, you don't -- you don't get it, do you? I mean, you have absolutely no respect for me at all. That's just obvious. LINDSAY: I don't want to fight. We always fight. I won't answer your phone anymore. I was asleep. I didn't think. I'm sorry, okay?

Jeebus, she completely sounds like a battered wife here. What a prince Dean is, huh? And yeah, Dean completely doesn’t sound like someone who’s trying really hard to cover his tracks.

Let’s move on. Rory overhears Lindsay trying to prepare dinner in the hopes of smoothing things over with Dean, and she finally accepts that Dean has not left his wife and at this point likely has no intentions to. She writes a break-up letter for Lorelai to deliver to him.

LORELAI: It's a letter for you from Rory. DEAN: What happened? Where is she? LORELAI: Just take the letter. DEAN: She went to Europe, right? Miss Patty said she went to Europe. What happened? What's she doing there? Who is she with? LORELAI: Dean. DEAN: When's she getting back? LORELAI: Soon. Just take it. DEAN: Where is she? LORELAI: Europe. DEAN: With who? LORELAI: Her grandmother. Look, take it. DEAN: No. Why did she go? Whose idea was it? LORELAI: That doesn't matter. DEAN: It does.

Dean, are you still married? Then it’s none of your business who Rory is with. Fuck off, sir. You have no right to ask anything of her.

Lindsay finds the letter and finally gives Dean a small taste of what he deserves.

LINDSAY: I hate you, Dean! I hate everything! DEAN: Let's just talk. LINDSAY: I don't want to talk! I don't want you here! DEAN: I'm sorry, okay? LINDSAY: Sorry? DEAN: Yes, because it'll never happen again.

Sure sounds like a guy who really, really wants to leave his marriage and totally didn’t feed Rory a bunch of bullshit to get her to do what he wants.

Lindsay kicks Dean out and her mom and Lorelai have a blowout in the middle of the street while their kids stand by silently like the teenage girls that they still are.

MRS. LISTER: You! You should be ashamed of yourself -- what you did! LORELAI: Just wait. MRS. LISTER: What did she ever do to you, huh? How did she hurt you? Why are you doing this? LORELAI: Theresa, please. Calm down. MRS. LISTER: Calm down? My little girl has to come home and find your heinous letter in Dean's jacket. LORELAI: Listen, we're in the street -- MRS. LISTER: You little monster! LORELAI: Hey! Pull back, lady! MRS. LISTER: There aren't hundreds of other boys in the world? You have to go after her husband? LORELAI: Okay, stop attacking my daughter right now. You're upset, I get it, but you do not do this. MRS. LISTER: She slept with my son-in-law. She broke up a marriage. Are you proud? LORELAI: She did not break up a marriage. MRS. LISTER: What do you know of this? LORELAI: Enough. I know Rory. MRS. LISTER: All I know is that now my Lindsay is devastated, Dean is back with his parents, lives are destroyed, and you and your daughter can go to hell!

Okay, first of all, this was a predictable end result when two teenagers who don’t know each other that well decide to get married at the age of eighteen. Why did their parents, especially Lindsay’s mother encourage this? And what the fuck is up with blaming Rory for the situation completely? No, she shouldn’t have done it, but Dean is the one who decided to marry Lindsay. He’s the one that decided to cheat. He’s the one that decided to lie to both of them. He is not an innocent bystander. 

Later on, Rory tries to comfort Dean over what has happened.

DEAN: No. It's not a stupid question. Um...let's see. How do I feel? Actually...I feel like an idiot. RORY: Why? DEAN: Why? Because I was married, …Rory. Married. And I threw it all away for someone who dumped me once and then just bailed on me. RORY: I didn't just bail. I -- DEAN: I hurt everybody. I hurt Lindsay, I hurt her parents, I hurt my parents, and now I'm back at home, and you're in Europe with your grandmother. And what the hell was I thinking? I mean, what am I doing? What's wrong with me?

I mean, the correct answer here is that everything is wrong with you, Dean, but....in the first place, Rory didn’t dump you, second of all, and she “bailed” because you lied and had no intention of leaving your wife in the first place. Take responsibility for your own actions, my man.

Rory and Dean eventually date for a month or so. Dean dumps her again because he realizes they have nothing in common. Does he take any steps towards moving on with his life and taking responsibility for his own mistakes? 

DEAN: Your situation is no different from mine. Buddy. LUKE: I've got work to do. DEAN: Then go. They want more than this. Don't you see that? And all you are is this. LUKE: Rory was a kid, Dean. She grew up. She moved on. Accept it. DEAN: You accept it. This town, it's all you are, and it's not enough. She's going to get bored, and you can't take her anywhere. You're here forever. LUKE: It's different. DEAN: It's not different. You and me. Same thing.

Bear in mind this episode takes place in April and Dean dumped Rory the previous November, and yet he’s still bitter, still projecting onto Luke, and still completely blaming Rory for all of his own decisions. He was the one who dumped her the first two times. He was the one that got into a fight with Jess on her behalf. He was the one who proposed to Lindsay to get her to forget about it. He was the one who got married despite his reservations. He was the one who lied to Rory so that she would have sex with him. He was the one who refused to leave his wife. And oh yeah....he was the one who dumped Rory a third time.

That’s the last we see of Dean for eleven years until he shows up in the revival and actually seems emotionally stable for a change.

Somehow Rory gets the brunt of the blame for all of this, but she wasn’t in this alone. I do think she was scared into this by Jess showing up, and if he had any sort of explanation or apology for her either of the times he showed up, she probably wouldn’t have been so vulnerable to the affirmation that Dean offered her. Then she could have had a disappointing first experience with Marty as an alternative.

Which still would have been an improvement over the horror of that Candyman song.

[ichooseviolence]

I've been mulling over the idea of Sansa or Tyrion, or both, seeking out an annulment. Many people brush it aside and assume it's impossible or simply too difficult. I'm the silly, goofy type of person who believes there is a possibility. It would, of course, be very challenging at this point in the story, which is why I think it is possible in the future. A shift in power could make a difference. But I'm interested in your thoughts here.

According to GRRM, neither Tyrion nor Sansa would need to be present to annul their marriage, but at least one must request it. Unless Tyrion manages to find out and somehow objects, Sansa shouldn't be faced with too many challenges (under normal circumstances, of course). Of course, the more power and influence you have, the easier it will be. With the aid of Littlefinger, or anyone else with more influence, it just might be possible. Depending on who is acting High Septon, bribery would be an option. Although, as of now, Littlefinger shows no interest in going for an annulment and for sound reasons. As long as the Lannisters are still in power, Sansa will remain a wanted fugitive. So for now, he's relying on the death of Tyrion (so he says.)

Reasons for annulments:

Non-consummation

Marriage was forced

Crazy scenario where Tysha is alive and makes an appearance, and the "annulment" made by Tywin is proven to have not been legal. (Thought it was crazy at first, but someone explained to me why this would be a very real possibility, given the writing style of George.)

I'll say now, I think #2 could possibly be turned down by The High Septon or Council (even though it would require basic common sense to understand she was forced), and #3 would only be plausible if the Tysha theory were true. Obviously, the first option is our greatest one.

Non-consummated marriages that were dissolved/annulled:

Lancel and Amerei: Lancel joins the Warrior's Sons

Baelor and Daena

(am I forgetting any?)

Non-consummation is the main factor of their annulment. Of course, we all know that Tyrion and Sansa never consummated their marriage, and it was becoming common knowledge throughout the Red Keep. Proof of non-consummation is never suggested or hinted at. I would be surprised if a request for annulment was dismissed simply because a maiden's hymen is no longer intact, especially if she is not required to be present. I assume even Septons would be aware that a hymen could break from other activities, however difficult it may be. Basically, I think they would need more confirmation than that to rule it out. Note that non-consummation may not be the only ground for an annulment.

Let's take into account that even consummated marriages have either been annulled or requested an annulment:

Tyrion and Tysha: annulled by Tywin, and against either of their wills

Daemon and Rhea: Turned down by the king, Daemon banished by Viserys

Duncan and Jenny: requested by Aegon V, Duncan is forced to abdicate

Renly plotting an annulment between Cersei and Robert

Some of these examples prove that power and influence don't always work out for an annulment. As for Littlefinger's plans, I once saw a theory stating that Littlefinger may be planning to have to local religious authorities of the Vale declare Sansa as she was before her marriage to Tyrion, a maiden fit for marriage. (When the time is right, of course.) How feasible is this plan? There are other options, of course. Is LF really waiting around for Tyrion to die, is he truly intending for Sansa to marry Harry, or is their betrothal all he really needs before his ultimate plans fall into place?

A few more questions, if you're interested in expanding the discussion.

Will Sansa and Tyrion end the series a married couple?

Will they end the series married but separated?

Will one of them be widowed? (Who do you think will live?)

Will they eventually get an annulment?

[tarnishedxknight]

FFXII Week ~ Day 3 Prompt: Favorite Ship

{out of dalmasca} Disclaimer: This post may include canon-divergent interpretations of canon characters, info about OCs featured on this blog, and AUs that may not align with the canon plot/characters of FFXII and/or may contain triggering material.

- - - - - - - - - -

Oh, you can't ask me for my favorite ship in this game when there are sooo many good ones to choose from! So you're getting my top three instead, heh. Let's dive into these great ships! =)

1st Place OTP: Basch & Ashelia

Listen. I understand there's a significant age gap. I do. BUT. First of all, I will die on this hill and you can pry this ship from my cold dead fingers, haha. Second, this ship works so well in some ways, sadly enough, because it never happened. Third, it also works because of the kind of person Basch is. We all know he is a decent, moral, caring, honorable, protective, and completely non-creepy guy. Because we know he would never have any bad intentions with Ashe, the ship works despite the age gap.

I am such a sucker for the whole "knight & princess" shipping trope, so let's just get that out of the way. But I've also developed these two a lot, beyond what is shown in the game. Basch was around for Ashelia's whole life, and she grew up with him being a source of guidance, protecting, mentoring, and structure when her mother was dead, eventually all her brothers were too, her father was largely absent, and she didn't really have any friends. There was Rasler, but she saw him very infrequently. So Basch was a constant and a source of stability in her life, which is why his "betrayal" hurt her so badly. But I love the slow burn of this ship-that-never-was, with Ashe relying on Basch and growing to have feelings for him and Basch realizing after years that he felt more for her than just friendship.

In my interpretation of him, Basch first realized that he loved Ashelia beyond just a knight protecting his king's daughter when he saw her marry Rasler. He was surprised by an overwhelming feeling of loss and sadness that permeated the otherwise hopeful and joyous tone of the wedding. He was happy for her, to be sure, but a part of him felt he was losing something or someone he couldn't live without. That's when it occurred to him that he was in love with her, and he realized what he was feeling was the beginnings of a broken heart.

Now, in the FFXII main game (and in Revenant Wings, if you consider that canon, I do not), Basch never confesses his feelings to her, for a multitude of reasons. I'll list them (from his own point of view, so the truth of these may be biased in that way) to save space so I don't ramble on forever:

He's too old for her

He's not of Dalmascan blood

He's not of Dynast King lineage

He's half-Archadian, and Ashelia hates the Empire

He was a lesser noble in Landis and only a knight in Dalmasca, hardly fit for a princess

The timing to tell her was never appropriate

He could clearly see she loved Rasler, and developed a crush on Balthier

She needs to marry royalty, or at least someone more elevated than he

She needs to seriously choose carefully who is going to father her heirs

She's never shown any interest in him beyond a professional relationship and friendship

So for all these reasons, Basch never confessed his love to Ashelia. In canon, for most of us, he never ever did. If you take the storyboards for Fortress into account, Basch finally confesses that he loves her, ten years after the end of the FFXII main game, and Ashelia promptly says she doesn't feel the same. While it was good to get some loosely-canon-ish confirmation on Basch's end, there's a lot about Fortress that was problematic, and Ashelia's characterization (as well as Zargabaath's and Larsa's) was horrible in it, so... I take that with a grain of salt. But anyway, the upshot is that, for Basch, this ship never got past achingly pining away for a woman he believes he can never have... and maybe he's right.

For Ashelia, she didn't realize she had feelings for Basch beyond just valuing him as a former knight and a mentor to her... until it was already too late and he was in Archadia. Impersonating his brother, Basch was supposed to be dead. He also couldn't very well return to her when he had Larsa to protect. She found herself missing Basch, as Penelo wrote in her letter at the end of the game, and feeling a little jealous of Larsa for having Basch with him.

Just like Basch, Ashelia has a list of reasons why she can't be with him, though hers are from a bit different of a point of view. Whereas Basch's points are all about him falling short of what she deserves or needs, or about her not wanting to be with him, Ashelia's have to do more with the logistics and optics of how to be with Basch, given his duties in Archadia. Here are her reasons why she doesn't think she could ever be with him:

Usually royalty are arranged, and any choice of hers would have to be approved by her counsel

Her counsel will never approve a man convicted of killing her father to be her king consort

Basch is supposed to be dead

He's hated by a large portion of the Dalmascan public, so the optics of it would look very bad to her people

Even if Basch were to be accepted by Dalmascans again, he's half-Archadian, something they and her counsel will surely think is inappropriate for the production of future heirs

If Basch remained "Gabranth" and visited Ashelia, the optics of that would look even worse

And really, the logistics of him spending enough time in Dalmasca to be a husband to her, a father to any children that would have, and a partner to her both politically and emotionally... just doesn't work with him having to remain with Larsa in Archadia

And so, sadly enough, this is the greatest ship that will just never be, heh. But hey, there's always fics and rps, right? I've made it happen on my own blog in a few different ways, and there is always the idea of Basch maybe being free to return to Ashe at some point in the future, after the events of the main game... right? Just nod. XD

I love this ship, though. The dynamic they had with each other, the way he supported and wanted the best for her, the way they both care about Dalmasca, Ashe's home and Basch's adopted home... I think they could be such a power couple if life and they themselves could have just given them a chance.

Plus, they both deserve happiness, don't they? Basch has suffered so much and been so alone. I want to see him happy and loved, with cute babies. My version of Basch on this blog wants to be a father so badly, but doesn't think he's the sort of person who should be having kids or who would make a good father. Prove him wrong, Ashe! And on Ashe's side of things, her last marriage was decided for her for political reasons. I would love to see her fall in love organically, as she did with Basch with my versions of the characters, and choose her own king consort.

2nd Place OTP: Gabranth & Drace

I love these two so much, your honor. I also write these two character on this blog, and I've developed them far beyond the game. I won't go into a lot of it, because my Dark!Ivalice AU contains a lot of potentially triggering themes, but these two have a longstanding history of supporting each other and being close friends and lovers.

Drace was the one who first took notice of Noah, who helped him get into the military from living in Old Archades with his mother when he first arrived from Landis, and who pointed him out to Emperor Gramis. She later sponsored him for the rank of Judge Magister, a rank he would go on to achieve and break her record of "youngest person to attain the rank" by a few months. He has defended her against misogyny in their rank and elsewhere, supported her ideas politically, and valued her advice. She has helped comfort him through numerous traumas, loves and respects him, but also realizes that he's not to be held too tightly. They've kept grave secrets for each other, vouches for each other, and protected each other from various threats both domestic and foreign. Over the years, they have developed and unspoken understanding with each other, a deep love, and a emotional support system that has become critical to both of them.

This post said it perfectly, and it describes Gabranth's and Drace's dynamic so well. They could not be open with their relationship because of how it might come back to bite one or both of them in their cutthroat rank and political system. They had to be very careful, discreet, and restrained, which honestly for me only made their relationship more achingly sweet and poignant.

But... it also makes Gabranth being ordered to execute her even more painful, I realize, but... I am a glutton for angst, heh. But you better believe that not only Basch's betrayal, but losing Drace by his own hand, had Gabranth emotionally flailing at the Pharos and again on the Bahamut. Losing Basch broke a piece of him, and losing Drace broke an equally big piece. That combined with the nethicite poisoning screwing with his mind... and you have the emotionally volatile Gabranth we saw at the Pharos.

Another side note, combining some things from the manga and my own headcanons, Drace sought Basch out at the Battle of Nalbina Fortress in defense of Noah. Yes, there was an attempt to occupy the Dalmascan Knights to keep them away from the fortress, but Drace could have targeted anyone... and she chose Basch. Why? She's heard for years from Noah about the pain Basch's abandonment caused him and their mother. Being dedicated to both Noah and her own family, she could not let such injustice stand. Her emotional attacks against Basch were here undoing in that duel, however, and Basch was able to significantly injure her arm, causing her to need to retreat. She was just defending her man! =)

But anyway, I adore these two for their silent understanding and loving acceptance of each other just the way they are. They don't try to change each other, but rather work with what's already there to build something really special between them. I wish we had gotten to see more of them, particularly Drace. =(

3rd Place: Fran & Balthier

I don't write either of these characters myself, although I have dabbled a wee bit with Fran as a guest muse. But I just... *sigh* These two are completely adorable, totally bonkers, and an absolute hoot.

My favorite moment of theirs was when Balthier was trying not to show just how concerned he was for Fran having been cracked on the head by falling debris on the Bahamut. He goes to pick her up, princess-style, and carry her out, and he'd just told Ashelia over the radio that he's, of course, "...the leading man." To which Fran replies, "I'd say you're in more of a... supporting role." Balthier simply deadpans with, "Fran, please." I love it so much. I love the way they tease each other, and the way they effortlessly play off of one another.

I also love how neither Fran nor Balthier ever places labels on their relationship beyond... "partner." Is that... a business partner? A partner in crime? A romantic partner? A sexual one? Any? All? We don't know, because they never tell us, because it's none of our damn business. And that's great, honestly. They're so secure in their relationship dynamic that they just let it be what it will and they don't need to explain it to anyone else.

Plus they're exciting, funny, daring, interesting, and they break a lot of traditional story tropes. Gotta love a ship that can do all that. =)

[eurekavalley]

RORY: It was so weird. He was just... Jess. I mean, he shows up out of no where with this crazy proposal. It was awful. LANE: It doesn't sound awful. RORY: What are you talking about? Jess bailed on me twice. LANE: I know, but how incredibly romantic to have this guy show up out of the blue and want to take you away with him. RORY: When I first met Jess, I thought, "What could be better than this? He's smart, good taste in books and music, so cute." But Jess is great one minute and then the next - you know, as far as I know, I could have said yes, packed my bag, and by the time I got to the car, he would have changed his mind. LANE: It's part of why he's cute. He's unpredictable. RORY: I guess. You know, when I was with Dean, I always knew that no matter what happened, he would be there. LANE: Dean was very dependable. RORY: It was more than that. He's -- well, he was so... um, I was safe, and he was so nice to me. LANE: He really loved you. RORY: I think I really blew it there, you know? I didn't appreciate it. LANE: Every girl has to fall for a bad boy. It's the rule. It's the reason so many accountants eventually get married.

Gilmore Girls has a lot of great examples of how mirrors are not absolute... Jess has very little in common with Christopher but I wonder if he ever came to understand that he was triggering Rory's absent dad trauma with his behavior during this time of his life.

[onyxheartbeat]

It’s alarming how common it is these days to see a post on social media of a woman describing something awful that happened to her like finding out her husband cheated and left her and their children behind, or how a man she was with for ten years never proposed but abruptly left and married another woman, or explaining how she was constantly disrespected by an ex…

and to see a FLOOD of comments from men stating things like “two sides to every story,” and “men don’t cheat unless you’re making us unhappy” and “someone’s jealous because they aren’t wife material.”

Truly, alarming.

More specifically, I keep seeing a lot of pushback in comment sections from men when a post is specifically about how men act interested and happy with a woman for months right up until abruptly ghosting or drastically emotionally pulling away and switching up. Men get really nasty in the comments with stuff like “that’s because he realized you’re trash” or “he just didn’t like you anymore, get over it.”

Like, do they really think hundreds of thousands of women who like and share these videos because we’ve experienced it firsthand are at fault or just making it up in our heads?

Almost every woman I know has had a man charm, lovebomb (sometimes unintentionally), act highly interested, and even plan a future or tell her she was special just to abruptly change his behavior and ghost or just become nasty after they’ve slept together. Learning about avoidant attachment and seeing how many women have been in a relationship with an avoidant man put it into perspective. I think a lot of men would never dream of looking into attachment theory or avoidance which is partly why they don’t see an issue in that behavior. Let alone other much WORSE reasons for cheating or leaving like just straight up abuse or misogyny.

These comments will have tens of thousands of likes too. So many men don’t know anything about psychology or attachment styles and how those things can lead someone to be in relationship for YEARS with people they love but never marry or commit and eventually leave and marry another they’re not emotionally intimate with because they need a rebound or distraction etc.. But the inability to take accountability for abuse, control, sex addiction/serial cheating? Alarming.

Those things have nothing to do with a woman’s ability to satisfy or love. I know a lot of them know this but they need to blame.

Men’s rights activism and misogyny has truly rotted peoples brains.

[riizebabie444]

𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙣𝙘𝙩 127 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 💸

ʚɞ taeil

finances in general are quite burdensome to him. the theme of money in his life has been a prominent one for some time and he wishes he could be less concerned with money, but in the end it's in his mind to think about, more often than he wants. i believe he also wishes he could simply make his own money rather than having to earn it as a group. it's not that he doesn't want to be in the group, but he feels it would be easier, that he'd have more control over how much he could earn if his avenues of revenue didn't come from a group effort. he can also be quite greedy or protective of his money, not willing to share it easily. what he earned is his and he doesn't feel entirely comfortable just giving it away. i believe he is building up for his future, maybe a family also. perhaps that is why he feels so burdened, he's worried it's not enough for the rest of his life. he generally feels a bit hopeless and confused about money, he definitely wants to earn more and save more but he doesn't know how and doesn't have many options other than to just deal with what he's been handed, since it was his choice to live the type of life he is living. but it isn't so bad that he feels depressed over money, it just causes him some worries.

ʚɞ johnny

overall, he seems pretty confident about his financial situation and money in general. he knows he needs to work hard to earn a lot, so he's willing to put in the effort despite how tiring and draining his job can be. he cares more about his job rather than the money he earns, and he always tries his best to not let the money and fame get to him. of course, he spends and indulges in comforts with his money, but he can always recognise when he's getting too high from the money and brings himself back down to earth. money isn't too serious of a matter for johnny, but in the back of his mind he is regularly reminded of his goal to be able to provide for a partner and/or a family. he knows there is some sense of delay, such as waiting until his career dies out to get married or start a family, so in the mean time he is comfortable focusing fully on working hard and earning a lot of money so he can be a provider. he knows the world is in the palm of his hands, everything he wants will come to him eventually and he is content being patient until new things come into his life. though, he can sometimes be a bit brash with his expenditure, and maybe a bit overbearing when pressuring others to also spend their money like him. but he also knows when to surrender. like i said, he doesn't let the money get to him, he'll catch himself before he goes to far.

ʚɞ taeyong

i honestly feel he has a very motherly approach to money. he feels like a mother hen watching over his bank accounts regularly. it's a little bit obsessive but not in a negative or unhealthy way for the most part. i believe he may have some frustrations which are caused by money. such as, there being delays in payments which might explain him constantly checking his bank account, to see if the money is there. for some reason, i think there may have been a financial mistake in the past, for example, his paycheck getting sent to the wrong bank account or it came as a late payment and he really struggled that time. so even though all is correct in the current day, he still worries about the same thing happening again, so he obsesses over it almost. he needs to separate himself from his finances but he struggles to do it. he tries to be healthy about money and not get depressed over it, but it is difficult for him. i think it is because he is financially inexperienced. however, his obsession leads him to being prepared for any financial emergencies and spend efficiently. he can be ambitious with his expenditure but still practical. he uses it to spend on things he is passionate about, he spends intuitively, spending it in ways which will help him grow as a person, and maybe even invest to help his money grow. he aims for abundance and luxury and he knows he can have it. but he also knows he needs to be sensible.

ʚɞ yuta

first of all, i am seeing that he likes being a financial white knight. he wants to act as and be seen as a person who can be relied on financially. i think donating to those who are less fortunate is very important to him. he probably gives a lot of his money away to charities and social causes. but he's also the type of person who will help someone with their rent if they are struggling. it's like gift giving and acts of service combined, he would be happy to give someone money but only in ways which will make the person almost reliant on them, if that makes sense. like above, paying rent for someone instead of buying gifts. i think it's because he's a little controlling over his cash. he also does his best to not let the outside world affect his spending decisions. if he sees his friends all buying something, he may be tempted but will not buy it unless he really needs to. he doesn't get easily influenced. subconsciously, he is fearful of losing money or not having enough money, but overall, he is calm about money in general. he's also mature when it comes to money. he might spend intuitively. he may also want to be respected with his money so he could invest, not just in growing his money but in financial knowledge and etiquette. he also believes he has the potential to earn a lot. he's enthusiastic when it comes to earning money, and money inspires him when he needs motivation.

ʚɞ doyoung

it was difficult to draw cards for him compared to the other members, so i believe he is very protective over his money. possibly even secretive. he doesn't feel comfortable sharing his financially information with others. it's one of those things that he believes is a private matter. so even when others might brag about how much money they make etc, he does not seem like the type of person to disclose much about his own earnings. overall, he is a go-getter. whenever an opportunity arises to earn money, he takes it. i'm seeing that if it is a good way to earn money or a "bad" way, it doesn't matter. he wouldn't do anything illegal or the sort but say if he had the opportunity to earn more at the cost of another member missing that opportunity, he would do it. at the end of the day, everyone is trying to make a living and it's all down to a game. and if he wants to earn a lot, he needs to play dirty sometimes. he may feel very vulnerable about money. he doesn't want to rely on others so he tries hard to support himself. i think he may have some repressed financial trauma, emotions that are strongly connected to money but he avoids confronting those issues. he's scared to lose money. what matters most is financial stability, and abundance. money is also power to him. the more money he has, the more powerful he feels in himself. he can sometimes feel insecure and bored, and this is when he is most likely to use money to satisfy himself.

ʚɞ jaehyun

surprisingly, his feelings about money and finances in general are quite messy. he's someone who tries to stay humble, and on the outside he seems like the type of person who doesn't let money get to his head. but in reality, he struggles with it. he feels having lots of money is a burden, that it risks him not staying true to himself and he sometimes wishes he didn't have so much money and fame. however, he is a creative person so he uses creative outlets to get in touch with himself when he is struggling with his identity, as money can affect his perception of himself. i sense some instability. he feels his finances are more unstable than they actually are, and that leads to him feeling unstable and restless in general. he can sometimes be quite greedy also, sometimes being selfish and egotistical when it comes to money. he also seems quite judgemental of others and their relationship with their own money. but he doesn't like it when someone comments on his financial situation or habits. his ego is strongly tied to money, which means he can sometimes neglect his true personality in favour of what makes him attract more money. but he is still enthusiastic and wants to do what he loves to earn money, which is music and performing. overall, he is optimistic about his financial situation and always embraces success, but he struggles to have a healthy relationship with money. i believe his relationship with money is karmic, it is something he needs to learn from and overcome.

ʚɞ jungwoo

right now, i believe he is in a financial recovery. he may have had bad spending habits in the past, such as blowing his entire paycheck in two days or making irresponsible purchases. but there is the sense of maturing. i believe he has realised what is important and is letting go of those bad spending habits and beginning again. he's learning and it is hard to break habits when there is strong temptation, but he does his best to reject his past relationship with money and work towards a healthier financial situation. in all honesty, i think he realised what is important. that it is not just him who needs his money but also him from the future needs his money as will his family in the future. so he is making efforts now to ensure the future version of him and his family are provided for. he is giving emperor energy, feeling more structured and patriarchal, like he needs to be the man (or the provider). he also enjoys the power and success that comes with having lots of money. he transitioning from simply being rich to being wealthy. there is a difference and he is realising that. he wants to be the latter. he is enthusiastic to make more money but may be lacking opportunities, which leads him to regret his past actions. but he is positive and looking to the future, accepting the challenges that come his way. he's committed to bettering his financial security. i believe he may also have someone who is financially dependent on him, which could have contributed to him maturing over money. he is responsible.

ʚɞ mark

overall, he feels quite stable with his money. his relationship with money is balanced. he has good control over his finances and feels secure. there may be something he is waiting for, such as a delayed payment or maybe just something more than money. he believes he has more than enough money and is wishing for something more in life. still, he is quite protective over his money, he guards it well and never spends too excessively because he believes he will need his money for the future. rather than focusing on his money and trying to earn more, he goes with the flow, embracing all the opportunities which come his way whilst also ensuring his creativity is always nourished. his job is more important than his money. he feels so fortunate, like, insanely fortunate. it's sometimes overwhelming for him knowing he has so much money when others in the world have nothing compared to him. he does good with his money, such as donating. it helps him keep those tricky feelings at bay knowing he is helping others. he is very responsible with money. i believe many people would go to him for financial advice. he's someone others look up to because he is so responsible with money. there is so much balance in his relationship with money. and he is also the type of person who will never take credit for everything that he has. he would always give his thanks to god or the universe for giving him so much abundance. i definitely think he has positive karma with money, like it was his destiny to earn a lot of money because he uses it responsibly.

ʚɞ haechan

one of the most enthusiastic about money. money makes him excited, it inspires him to be ambitious, to work harder because he like raking it in. which can be dangerous because he will push himself harder than necessary and refuse to take breaks when he's sick because he wants to work hard and earn more money. he can be a little bit obsessed with money in that way. his money controls him rather than him controlling his money. it also doesn't help that he's a perfectionist, so he can get really picky about money and spending money, but he can sometimes be a bit irresponsible with his money, creating financial setbacks which makes him frustrated, so he works even harder to earn more. it's a vicious cycle. however, a positive is that money gives him clarity, it helps him focus and feel inspired to reach new potentials. in general, i think he is quite efficient with his money. but he may tend to overspend in certain areas of his life, such as relationships. he may be a big spender with a partner, such as giving lush and expensive gifts. as a boyfriend, he wants to seem like the rich, generous boyfriend so he spends more money on both himself and his partner and can get carried away. he may also find pleasure in giving money to his family. he loves buying gifts for his mother and spoiling her. he's generally secure over his money, but can often put money before his own health and well-being.

[t1oui]

so recently, for some reason, there have been a lot of people and accounts on my dash who are arguing against race-swapping - making white characters poc specifically - in the hp/marauders fandom and usually i stick to the mindset of "ship and let ship, headcanon and let headcanon" but oh my GOD, guys

there are some main arguments i've seen for why making white hp characters poc is "bad", and i will try my best to debunk all of them in a way that makes sense considering how done i am with this whole problem

i would also like to preface this by saying I AM WHITE. i am a white person who thinks race-swapping is a good thing in the hp fandom because it adds representation. anyways, onto the arguments:

1: what if a canon poc character was made white in fanfic/art? how would you feel then?

i'm sorry but when have you seen anybody doing that? there's a reason this argument starts with "what if" and not "remember when". if people are race-swapping, it's because they're looking to ADD representation.

2: but we already have so many amazing canon poc characters!

yeah, there are canon poc characters. remind me how many of them directly effect harry's life in a significant way? sure, there's cho, who he likes and goes on a date or two with. there's pavarti, who he went to the yule ball with. there's kingsley shacklebolt (just for the record, naming one of few canon black characters shacklebolt is a choice, but that's not what this post is about), who is a member of the order and the eventual minister for magic. there's lee, who runs potterwatch. there's angelina, who plays quidditch with harry, and there's dean, his roommate.

yes, there are canon poc characters who have speaking lines and help harry and make him feel things. but who are the main characters in the story? harry, ron, and hermione. who are harry's mentors? sirius and dumbledore. who does harry marry? ginny. who teaches him the patronus charm? remus. who's the mother of his godson? tonks. who's he fighting? voldemort.

see the problem here? none of those people, not ONE OF THEM, is a person of color. the point of race-swapping is not to undermine preexisting characters of color, it's to make the main cast - aka the people getting the most attention - more diverse. if you make even a few of those people poc - harry, hermione, remus - you're making a story that a lot more people can relate to, which is potentially a story a lot more people want to read. how many characters did i suggest changing? THREE. three. i am not going to go through and make sure there are no white people bc white people are evil. i am saying that it's not fair to argue for the already-existing poc characters when they're often going to be left on the sideline, as people making this argument well know.

3: it's just not necessary.

isn't a big part of fanfiction - and writing as a whole - to make characters you and others can relate to? if someone can relate more to hermione if she's black and this doesn't change the story drastically, all it does is attract more people, how is that a problem?

newsflash, people, jk rowling did a lot of things wrong. i'm not just talking about her own transphobia and sexism and etc etc, i'm talking about in her writing. if someone holds bigoted views, those will translate into their stories.

all poc characters exist to move the main white trio's story forward - cho is harry's first girlfriend and she barely gets a mention when they break up, pavarti goes to the yule ball with him and is rarely seen after that, lee is always in the background until he's doing something (running potterwatch) that benefits people. even characters like mary macdonald and dorcas meadowes are only mentioned in passing in relation to death eaters or voldemort.

harry potter is not a story about a white guy and all the poc people who stand by his side and are actively part of him saving the world, it is about a white guy and his white friends, family, and mentors who occasionally have character development because of an interaction with a poc. changing this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

4: but REALISTICALLY, this number of poc people makes sense because...

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT MAGIC PEOPLE. PEOPLE CAN TURN INTO ANIMALS AND FLY AROUND ON CARPETS AND BROOMS. why do you only care what's "realistic" when it's about non-white people?

5: every race deserves respect!

this is true. idk if you've noticed, but white people have been very respected throughout... idk, most of human history? this gives off the vibe of people who say "all lives matter"... that's true, but let's focus on the lives being threatened, right? that is to say, yes, all races deserve respect, but let's focus on the ones that aren't already respected (aka non-white races)

6: you have to COMMIT to it! if you're just changing their skin tone and/or saying "they're x race", that's lazy representation and they might as well be white.

so i've seen this one a lot, and i do agree that if there's going to be poc representation, it should be good! and yknow what? i've seen a LOT of good poc rep. sure, sometimes it's just a passing mention of harry or james's skin tone, but i've also seen stories with mentions of culture and food and even different names that are from their culture. i've seen people who focus on improving the minimal representation of canon poc characters while ALSO adding good rep for non-canon poc characters.

another thing about this argument: let's take a look at canon, shall we? when, in any time other than what the patil twins wear to the ball, is there a mention of a poc's culture? pretty much nowhere. if this is your argument, you have to realize that this "lazy representation" is EXACTLY what happened with canon poc.

-

you don't have to agree with everything i said, and i know some of this was probably incorrect or not quite right since i haven't read the books in a while. that doesn't change my argument, though, which is that race-swapping when it means adding more representation is not a bad thing.

if anybody has anything to add on or anything to say about my comments on canon, feel free to comment/reblog with that :)

[agentrouka-blog]

It actually gives me such satisfaction that Olenna was likely PISSED when Sansa (and later Tyrion) fled KL,  because it interfered with her plans.

Think about it. Their escaping means the murder of Joffrey remains open.  With nobody to execute for the assassination of her “sweet son”,  Cersei is going to remain obsessed with getting justice and in turn that obsession could easily turn to other people who might have had a reason to wish Joffrey ill.

Given the fact that at one point Cersei entertained the thought that the Tyrells were involved in Tywin’s death and that they secreted Tyrion and Sansa to safety, it’s not exactly a leap for her to eventually suspect them of being involved within Joffrey's death.   Cersei being resentful over seeing Margaery’s influence over Tommen means it won’t be hard for her to believe that the Tyrells killed Joffrey because Tommen was the more attractive alternative to them as you said.  Cersei also believes that Margaery never loved Joffrey and only his crown. Of course, it is likely that she would still believe Sansa and Tyrion guilty in some way.   She will likely go to her grave believing Sansa killed Joffrey and hating her for it.

But anyway, the Tyrells killing Joffrey makes Cersei’s animosity towards Margaery all the more dangerous because it would not be that hard for said animosity to turn into suspicion, especially with Sansa and Tyrion escaping the capital.   This easily could have been what Olenna was fearing, and this was why she didn’t want to leave the capitol after Margaery was wed to Joffrey/Tommen.  She uses her dislike of KL as a front, but the reality is I don’t think she was ignorant of the fact that Cersei disliked Margaery and therefore leaving her in KL was not something she wanted.   

And Olenna’s fears end up being realized but in a different way.  Cersei doesn’t try to punish her granddaughter after discovering the truth, but she tries to punish her by doing the same thing Olenna tried to do to Sansa. 

What happens to Margaery is absolutely poetic justice aimed at Olenna primarily.

But also, yes, Olenna tried to make Very Sure that Tyrion (and by extension Sansa) would get convicted of the murder and be out of the picture ASAP.

After Pycelle came the procession, endless and wearisome. Lords and ladies and noble knights, highborn and humble alike, they had all been present at the wedding feast, had all seen Joffrey choke, his face turning as black as a Dornish plum. Lord Redwyne, Lord Celtigar, and Ser Flement Brax had heard Tyrion threaten the king; two serving men, a juggler, Lord Gyles, Ser Hobber Redwyne, and Ser Philip Foote had observed him fill the wedding chalice; Lady Merryweather swore that she had seen the dwarf drop something into the king's wine while Joff and Margaery were cutting the pie; old Estermont, young Peckledon, the singer Galyeon of Cuy, and the squires Morros and Jothos Slynt told how Tyrion had picked up the chalice as Joff was dying and poured out the last of the poisoned wine onto the floor. When did I make so many enemies? Lady Merryweather was all but a stranger. Tyrion wondered if she was blind or bought. At least Galyeon of Cuy had not set his account to music, or else there might have been seventy-seven bloody verses to it. (ASOS, Tyrion IX)

Taena Merryweather, who works so very dilligently at becoming Cersei's friend in AFFC, is the sole reason mere circumstantial evidence becomes 100 % damning.

And she just so happens to be the wife of a Lord who may be in need of having his lands restored by the crown to what they were before the Rebellion. Goodness. What could have motivated her to lie. And become an undercover agent in Cersei's camp. Hmm.

Tyrion escaping probably annoyed Olenna quite a bit, and she refuses to leave until Margaery is properly married to Tommen and officially a queen.

[djinnandtea]

When I was in high school, I stumbled across an artist that really grabbed my attention and held onto it tightly. His work was gorgeous and fantastical and gory and also more than a little…salacious. All things that teenaged me love. This artist’s name was Luis Royo, and his works often involved some variation of beautiful, thin, light-skinned, half-naked women looking moody and forlorn covered in blood or boning some buff dude in some dystopian wasteland of a universe. But sometimes, Royo’s women didn’t settle for boning random men. Sometimes they preferred something a little more…inhuman. Yeah, baby, I’m talking about monsters.

Now, eventually I stopped buying Luis Royo’s books. I don’t remember why—I mean, I don’t even remember how I started buying them in the first place considering all of my mail was routed through my mother, because again, this was high school—but I stopped. But that didn’t mean that I also stopped thinking about ladies banging monsters. That never stopped. I didn’t have a vocabulary for this interest. I didn’t know what it was called, I didn’t know if other people liked it. I was consuming Royo’s work on my own and forcing it on my high school friends who were considerably less interested in the monster stuff than I was. So I kind of learned to just keep it quiet. But the interest certainly didn’t go away.

As I got older and started to explore different types of art and media and ways of telling stories, I found myself continuously drawn to some version of humans and inhumans connecting, falling in love, getting it on. Sometimes that looked like a really intense vampire phase and an appreciation for all things Anne Rice and Twilight and Sookie Stackhouse. Sometimes that looked like a really deep interest in folklore that involved humans marrying animal brides and bridegrooms. Sometimes it looked like a fixation with the movies of Guillermo Del Toro. And sometimes that looked like accepting there was probably a strange and unconventional reason that Beauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney movie growing up.

I mean. Did y’all see the beast?

It wasn’t until late 2022 that all the dots started connecting. I had decided I wanted to read more, specifically more romance. I added some BookTok accounts to my TikTok feed. I started talking more about romance books with a friend. I started exploring the world of spicy adult paranormal romance and joining Kindle Unlimited, which was very exciting all on its own. And that’s when I found it, my holy grail: the book subgenre known as monster romance. You know that saying, “All roads lead to Rome”? It was kind of like that, except all the roads I took lead to the city of monsterfucking. Monsterfucking was my Roman Empire, if you will. And what a glorious empire it was.

As I’ve engaged more directly and consistently with the monster romance genre, it’s inspired a lot of thoughts for me. That’s why I’ve started this blog, because I can’t stop thinking about fucking monsters, and I want to explore the idea in a lot of different ways. For today, I want to talk a bit about why I think monster romance holds so much appeal for me and for the many others who enjoy it. That seems like as good a starting point as any.

When I was thinking about this question, one of the first things that came to mind was a blog post I read a number of years ago that never really left my head. It was written by Cleolinda Jones over on Livejournal. If you’re an older millennial viewer, Cleolinda’s name might sound familiar, as she’s the author of some very funny movie recaps she called “Movies in 15 Minutes,” which was my introduction to her. But Cleolinda is also known for her Twilight recaps that she posted to her LJ account. These recaps fused a summary of the books with her own observations, and man, her observations were good.

In Cleolinda’s recap for the first Twilight novel, she gets into why she thinks the series has had the success that it’s had. She specifically talks about how she feels Twilight is just an extension of the “good girls wanting a bad boy” trope.

I actually don't think girls like a guy who treats them bad. But I do think they--we--get off a little on the idea of changing someone for the better, or the idea of having the power that someone loves us so much that he'll change or sacrifice something for us….A nice guy doesn't need to change, and, most importantly, he's already nice to everyone. How do you know that you're special if he treats everyone else with as much kindness and respect as he treats you? The "bad boy" type, though? He may range from simple, garden-variety jackhole…to appalling psychopath…, but you know he loves you because he's completely different around you. You are an exception to his very nature….That's the fantasy.

Now, I’m not saying every male lead in a monster romance is a jerk, because a lot of them aren’t. (Don’t worry, Sol, I’d never let anyone accuse you of being mean.) But I do think by virtue of these monsters being, well, monsters, there’s a given understanding by readers that a human should not be fucking one. Monsters are predators, monsters are dangerous, monsters are not made for cuddles and smooches. But these monsters in these books? Especially the ones who are a little rougher around the edges? Seeing them soften for their human partners is deeply satisfying and scratches the exact kind of itch that I think Cleolinda is referencing.

But long before Cleolinda was musing on bad boys, writer and literary critic Hélène Cixous was posing something related in her essay “Love of the Wolf.” This essay has a number of interesting things to say on the tension between love and fear, using the metaphor of loving “the wolf,” aka loving a thing that can harm or destroy us, to make her point. Cixous writes about the thrill of fear when in love, and suggests that we must have that true fear to experience true love.

But happiness is when a real wolf suddenly refrains from eating us. The lamb’s burst of laughter comes when it’s about to be devoured, and then, at the last second, is not eaten. Hallelujah comes to mind. To have almost been eaten yet not to have been eaten: that is the triumph of life. But you’ve got to have the two instants, just before the teeth and just after, you’ve got to hear the jaws coming down on nothing for there to be jubilation. Even the wolf is surprised. (Stigmata, pg. 77)

It’s the idea, once more, of the person that we care about changing their very nature to be with us. The bad boy will treat us with kindness. The big bad wolf won’t eat us. The monster will love us tenderly. We humans are special, something to be cherished, even by something traditionally seen as negatively as monsters have been.

It makes me think too about the popularity of dark romance on BookTok and Bookstagram. Monster romance is kind of like dark romance taken to a different sort of extreme. In dark romance, there is often a baseline threat of violence or a disregard of consent. The male leads are often cruel, unpredictable, and inconsiderate. Their love of the other character drives them to stalk or kill or harm others, and even to be deeply, toxically controlling and possessive of the main character. And this is why folks like them. These are the real bad boys, and I mean the really bad boys, that Cleolinda’s talking about. And with the monsters in monster romances, there can be a lot of overlap. The monsters can be cruel and controlling for sure, but even when they aren’t, their very existence as monsters makes them a super unconventional choice for a human person. If the mafia boyfriend with anger issues who you know you should avoid is appealing, than the entirely different species with claws and fangs and a tail who you’re really not supposed to want to bone is that appeal taken about three steps further.

At some point I’d like to explore the different sorts of monster romance book covers that are popular with authors and artists, because I think they get at the last topic I wanted to touch on today when it comes to the appeal of monsterloving: aesthetics. Size kink can be fun in every genre, but monster romances really understood that particular assignment. The monsters in these books are massive in every possible area. Their muscles are chiseled, their tails are long, and their eggplants are otherworldy. Not to mention, a monster may even have more than one.

There’s also the contrast of furry or scale-covered monster bodies embracing soft, fragile human bodies. Monster bodies are foreign and unique; they’re a fantasy that can’t be found anywhere else, which makes the fantasy inherently more interesting. There’s a lot more that can and should be said here about the gender dynamics at play in the design of these monstrous figures and their human partners, and even possibly the racial dynamics too, but for now I just want us thinking about how the physical depiction of monsters and humans together holds an undeniable appeal to a large number of people. I’m thinking again about Luis Royo and the success of his art that explored this very thing. And that’s really interesting to me.

I’ll stop there for today, I think. See you in the next post!

Currently Reading: Devoured by Monsters - Katie May & Ann Denton

Monster Joke for the Road: What was the dramatic monster’s favorite play?

Romeo and Ghouliet.

Until next time, monsterfuckers.

[jav-uni]

It’s late and I’m venting, words have power I wish Chris well but I have to call a spade a fucking spade!

Even in real life, It’s amazing how we go hard in the paint for people we care about or think we “love” especially when they do us wrong. I try to be understanding but the reason so many can’t forgive is due to the fact when you forgive and the person screws you over agin……at what point do you consider yourself an idiot.

People do fucked up shit and should have to deal with the consequences, PERIOD!

If Chris was remorseful you’d think he’d do more to show it like end this bs, but it’s like he didn’t give a flying fuck so why should I? I can see how I projected onto his image and it was a blow to the gut when this mess went live because I truly thought he was a decent guy in Hollywood but never playing hollywoods bullshit. But to see he pulled the same 40yr with a 20yr old disgusting crap was like WTF?!

He’ll forever have people defending him and kissing his ass no matter what. I hope he reaps what he sows, I’m tired of people taking advantage of others and not taking any accountability. We have real people getting sent death threats over this bs, people have displayed such evilness. Emotions were real due to this. The world will say the fans are crazy, get over it. But people have been hurt due to this. The rift in this fandom, former online friends now enemies. Yes we have to take accountability for our actions to be here discussing this. People celebrate his losses not to be spiteful but so his ass can feel the disappointment he caused his fans. Maybe he cares and is aware, maybe not. We may be mere strangers to him but our support helped his pockets over the years, that was real, going to see movies because his ass was in it, filled his pockets, paying to see him at cons for years, etc. so for him to not only try to use that fanbase to push bs but not just pr but with a racist childish woman and her friends who’ve tainted his fandom and called him names, who he allowed to troll because like Scott said….”we’re crazy”. Like their asses know nothing about crazy fans compared to Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and others. This fandom is fucking tame compared to most. Chris fandom is like the 1% percentile where his ass should have been grateful to even have a fandom at all let alone one who thought he was decent thus feeling the need to defend him and this bs image.

People have a right to be pissed, he used them.

So many called him out on shit for years but people would be like omg no he’s a good guy. Any time he fucked up he’d just use Dodger to the point it was a running joke in the fandom.

Yeah Chris is human but like the rest of us humans if we do bad shit, we have to deal with the aftermath of our decisions. I try to have compassion too but I expect highly of myself and shame myself when I screw up, unfortunately those who do major screw ups do the opposite and never learn from shit and then claim to be sorry only to do it again.

Chris needs to take a break from Hollywood and get in therapy to gain some self awareness, focus on himself and not wasting time looking at leaves. He needs to learn why he thought this was okay to even participate in.

I’m pissed at those who can do anything, and it’s magically swept under the rug. Half the dumb and serious shit most celebs do would have their asses in jail, unemployed, broke, homeless in the real world. Actions have consequences.

This dude……He really Got his ass on stage and said I’m married. At this point this shit better be real because everything that’s done in the dark eventually gets exposed and man if this leaks that he had a fake pr marriage, I fear it’ll be too much for him to deal with and when I think like that my heart hurts but celebs using fans for gain needs to fucking stop. These celebs want to act like they are so aware, yet end up in stupid ass situations in order to stay relevant and get money. So many of us would have said fuck Hollywood before getting involved in selling bullshit. I don’t do fake shit, it’s never worth it nor does it ever end well. Had he lost everything, he’d still be fine I’m sure. He could have taken a break and recharged. Look if I’m wrong and it comes to light there’s more to this then we all assume and his hands were indeed tied, then I’ll throw some grace, but I doubt anyone had power over him like that.

See it shows true character of how you choose to navigate Hollywood or when you walk away from the industry and refuse to be a pawn of their bullshit. I’m sure Brenden Fraser was terrified in his situation but he stood up spoke his truth and was blackballed. Can you imagine where his career might’ve been. Fortunately, Decades later he’s back, wins his Oscar and STILL refuses to support the association tied to those who hurt him. That’s TRUE COURAGE!!!!

Chris Evans is a poser, talked a big game for years, even caught an attitude with that white boots reporter over the word “brand” and then two years later fucked his up. 🙄 The fucking audacity!

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