#ive known him 3 years and am more than 2 years older

[abandoned-as-mustard]

Why do boys have to be like that. Why did you start off as an awkward teen with a mullet and now you're a few years older with bone structure like an ancient statue and the whitest smile I've ever seen and i've only just noticed your eyes are blue

[justalilpearlie]

Sammy IRL rants abt sammike and the fandom. (not directed at any creators, keep it up sammike tumblr nation! /gen)

I wish the fandom knew more abt sammike and it wasnt always. with me forced into another existing character. like no im not the freddy bully, or the bonny bully, or the phone guy, im me.

Im henry's son. Samuel "Sammy" Emily

I sadly was an outsider to all the bullshit that went on in Hurricane agaisnt my own will. I wanted to know. I wasnt able to do anything about it. I didnt knew how Mike was doing for years. I WISH we had worked together! but that only can happen in a No One Dies timeline.

I just wish to be my own person in the fandom and not made a baby, because in some memories I was even OLDER than Charlie, and Mike was always around my same age! When I say we've known eachother our WHOLE lifes I mean it. When I first saw Michael's face I was probably under a year old. I cant remember because 1. IRL mems can be fuzzy and 2. most ppl dont remember things before age like 3 or 4, but I do know our parents were friends before we were even born, and we played together and attended each one of eachothers birthdays, we were best friends before lovers, childhood bestfriends.

When we grew up we had a fall out, because of his new friendgroup, which I'd join later on anyways (on a particular timeline. because yes i remember different contradicting timelines.), but before that I was always trying to impress him and them so I could spend time with them. When we did spend time together, at first theyd tease me for being the youngest, shortest and weakest, and he'd always go out of his way to defend me, help me when I got hurt trying to pull out some dumb trick to get their attention and a couple times even canceled hang outs with his friends when I was having some issues (wont go into detail, but wanna clarify it has nothing to do with my family, they were GREAT and whoever says Henry Emily OR his wife play favorites f u. that couldnt be more far from the truth.)

OH here's sum memories I love: Taking care of our little siblings (where theyre all fairly younger than us and we were way older than them in comparison. also no one dies au), taking them to the park, staying home with them when our parents went out on date nights, it was great honestly. we all loved staying in having ice cream in front of the TV with a fan (or more), while Fazbear and Friends was on!

Sorry yall, im going a bit loco. I uh. yeah anyways this is a sammike household, i 100% respect other ships but i dont wanna see them here, on this account, so like ik no one has yet but just in case if anyone wanted to know my opinion on other popular ships like jeremike or mike x the other bullies: sammike is better, i am 100% bias and i wont apologize. ive never been more comforted than I am by my boyfriend and seeing anything of us together. even when people get it wrong. SPECIALLY when people getting right [looking at one of my mutuals w the realest sammike takes ever] I JUST. i wont give my opinion on other michael ships, only will say "sammike for the win" and thats all.

Thanks for comming to my TED talk, sorry for the rant, it WILL happen again. most likely.

Sammike content:

[maisondrew]

nido

On most, if not, all occasions, baba was the merciful one. Rarely would he get angry, but if he did, i probably deserved it. When i would complain to him about mom, he would always say: “don’t mistake my quietness for passiveness, i too am upset, i just know you hear enough from mom”. Although it seemed like he would do me a favour, his silence was just transferred. I too became silent. There were two places where he showed no mercy however: the chess board, and the ping pong table. “Get the chess board” when it was late, and i didn’t wanna go to bed right away, my dad would challenge me, maybe 8, to a late game of chess. Naturally, i would lose. Every. Single. Time. When it came to ping pong, my youth was my only leverage, but most of the time i still lost. Baba grew up in the struggle of egypt. Four brothers, he was known as the quieter, more reserved one. He loved his books, and his bible. When it came to ping pong, naturally, purchasing a table was out of the question back then in their conditions. Therefor he built his own table out of scrap wood, only being left with the expense of a couple paddles and a net. Wanting to rebirth this hobby for baba, we asked to buy a table for christmas, but they refused. Even offered to build one like baba did, but denied still. The basement in our old house was snug unfortunately and did not offer the required space for ping pong. We ended up buying the paddles and a couple balls for whenever we travel and find a table at a resort where he continued to whoop my 8 year old ass.

Time has fleeted us quite a bit. Over the pandemic, I had decided to reignite my chess in an effort to finally get revenge on my dad. I nearly studied the game for a couple months. You would have thought I was Beth Harmon. I was being discreet in an effort to catch my dad off guard. After months of practice and playing, and learning i felt confident i was ready. I was wrong. first game back, and he still managed to win. i tried several more times after, and eventually won for the first time ever. my inner child was finally victorious. as a married familly woman, mel finally felt she was able to get dad a dream toy for christmas, an actual ping pong table. during the day we were unwrapping gifts, dad opened his gift with some new rackets, and a ball, and a note saying “arriving january 7th” he looked up at mel with a genuine disbelief “no way”, as he hugged and thanked mel and jimmy, his eyes watered, he needed to go to his room, to let himself feel, this was a long time coming from the scrap wood in egypt. when the package came yesterday, i was still too ill to be able to help build it. Jimmy and dad stayed up till 2-3 in the morning building it outside my room. The next day, dad and i, fix up some mistakes, build it back up, add the net and immediately start playing. We play one friendly game before Jimmy comes over, which is when true competition will commence. Jimmy doesn’t take loss well. nor do I. 

The intense competition had led to back to back games. unfortunately all of them always against jimmy. I thought there was no way he can beat my dad, my dads the best. Surely Jimmy would clean him out. Dad would complain “i can’t see the ball”. I thought he was referring to the speed. But Dads eyesight has been progressively worsening more rapidly than usual, and i had forgotten about that. I couldn’t beat Jimmy either but i kept up, so eventually I played my dad where I had also finally gotten my victorious childhood reign. as i later stood and watch dad lose time and time again to jimmy, i watched my hero not win any games at all. it had ached in me an awareness of guilt. It’s been nearly 6 years since ive been to a resort with my dad, and maybe 8 years since we left the old house. And when time fleet so does my parents age. My moment of victory had suddenly become distasteful and hurtful. Dad got older, and I didn’t see it happen so fast. His excitement for his table had discreetly diminished just enough for me to notice he felt it. The arthritis in his fingers, the prescription glasses that seem to so quickly need to be changed, the difficulty to bend down for the ball when it rolls away: we were too late. He no longer has his touch. My heart felt like it was wrapped in wet cloths.

 After dinner, Jimmy and Mel had left, and mom was finishing up cleaning upstairs when I take dad back down for a quick round. I ask him for one more game, in efforts of proving my heart wrong. Unfortunately he just could not keep up, and loses yet again. “I think I wanna go to bed now” he says, but I come up with a plan. “One more game” I say. “Alright lets go”, he agrees. We play, ordinarily, and on some opportunities i would openly miss the ball, or smash it completely out. Giving him the lead. When he would reach his match point, I would intentionally keep a large gap in points, so I can orchestrate a comeback, where i would then intentionally lose when id come close. This would eliminate any suspicion of me purposely losing. Dad finally wins his first game of the night. “YES, I BEAT CALABA (my nickname) FINALLY” he puts his hands up, with his huge smile on his face. I couldn’t help but hug him tightly. Sometimes I hug him so hard I fear ill snap him in my arms. “another one to finish the night” excitingly he asks. We play. Same technique. I let him win again. “If I beat you, it means at least now I have a chance to eventually beat Jimmy” “Yeah baba, why not”. Of course there is guilt for lying, but seeing him so happy to win at least once against me was priceless.  i want him to know hes still the best ping pong and chess player i have ever played. i love him with every bone in my body. and i want him to be okay always.

i love you baba  

[beyondmistland]

If GRRM were using his rough draft family tree where Alysanne was Maegor's daughter what would you have wanted so see and what do you expect would be done differently? Do you think she'd still be born around the same time as in IOTL? What would the family relationships be like between her, Maegor, Visenya, Ceryse, and the rest of the family? Would Ceryse Hightower live to see her daughter become Queen Consort? I recently discovered this AU idea and I love to speculate about it.

Before I answer your ask, let me just say that this change is one of my least favorites. Personally, I can't imagine Alysanne being the daughter of anyone but Ceryse, who I also tend to think would predecease her husband. Furthermore, I think keeping her as Maegor's daughter by his first wife would have had a number of advantages when it came time to write Fire & Blood Volume 1: 1) The irony of Westeros' best (and most beloved) queen being the daughter of one of its worst kings 2) It nicely foreshadows the rivalry between House Hightower and House Velaryon during the reign of Viserys I 3) The depiction of Jaehaerys and Alysanne's love for each other in defiance of his mother and stepfather's wishes as being incredibly romantic would hit a lot harder if the girl Jaehaerys was falling for was none other than the daughter of the uncle who'd forcibly married his sister, killed one of his brothers in open battle, and tortured to death the other (Even better, more cynical Maesters could spin it as a cold-blooded seduction or power play on Jaehaerys I's part) 4) It makes Jaehaerys I's famed reconciliation with the Faith easier to swallow since cousin marriages aren't considered incest 5) It lends more weight to Alysanne's championing of her daughter (Daenerys) and granddaughter's (Rhaenys) succession rights since, as the only living child of the previous king, her claim would arguably equal, if not supersede, that of her husband (As a bonus, she would also come off less hypocritical with regards to Rhaena) 6) It averts GRRM's habit of punishing villains by having their line die out (Visenya has no descendants, Alicent Hightower has no (legitimate) descendants, Barba Bracken (probably) has no descendants, etc.) 7) It would better parallel RL history with regards to Henry VIII (who, to be fair, was much more complex than Maegor I, Aegon IV, or Robert (I) Baratheon) 8) It would make Dany's threat in Daenerys IX of AGOT a lot more meaningful (since it would be literal rather than figurative) 9) Alysanne doesn't sound very Valyrian so her mother being of First Men/Andal stock would make more sense in that regard

As for birth and death dates, I strongly believe she would have been born in the same year as OTL so 36 AC (One daughter after eleven years would still make Maegor antsy, especially with Ceryse almost midway through her thirties)

I am inclined to say that Visenya would have been quite proud of her granddaughter, especially as Alysanne grew older. I imagine her parents would have more mixed feelings on account of feudalism valuing sons more than daughters. As for Aegon I, I tend to think Alysanne would see him as this incredibily imposing (yet distant and mysterious) presence in her life. Aenys would dote on her, Alyssa Velaryon not so much. I don't think Alysanne would have spent much time in her cousins' company what with them accompanying Aenys on progresses and Maegor being known as "the Prince of Dragonstone".

Finally, I am very much of the opinion that Maegor would have named Alysanne his heir once it was obvious he wouldn't be having any more children given his disinheritance of Jaehaerys I in favor of Aerea in OTL.

Thanks for the question, anon

[butterflies-dragons]

Do you have any doubts that Sansa is the girl in grey? Is there strong grey imagery around Sansa?

I believe Sansa is the grey girl yes, but only GRRM has that answer.

About grey imagery around Sansa, I wrote about it here and there.

Grey is the main Stark color. Their sigil is a grey direwolf in a white field. Stark men wear grey cloaks, Winterfell is made of grey granite, Grey eyes is a Stark feature, etc.

There are some instances where Sansa actually wears or it is said that she will wear a grey cloak:

1.- Her first encounter with Dontos (false Florian) in the Red Keep's Godswood: "Sansa threw a plain grey cloak over her shoulders and picked up the knife she used to cut her meat. If it is some trap, better that I die than let them hurt me more, she told herself. She hid the blade under her cloak."

It is very curious that Dontos was also wearing grey during that first secret encounter: "He wore a dark grey robe with the cowl pulled forward, but when a thin sliver of moonlight touched his cheek, she knew him at once by the blotchy skin and web of broken veins beneath. "Ser Dontos," she breathed, heartbroken. "Was it you?"

2.- Cersei gave her a white and silver maiden cloak for her wedding to Tyrion. Stark colors are grey and white tho... I think in this case the silver is there instead of the grey of House Stark. I'm not sure if this is a mistake or not. "Cersei Lannister ignored the question. "The cloak," she commanded, and the women brought it out: a long cloak of white velvet heavy with pearls. A fierce direwolf was embroidered upon it in silver thread. Sansa looked at it with sudden dread. "Your father's colors," said Cersei, as they fastened it about her neck with a slender silver chain."

Curiously enough, Tyrion wore Targaryen colors to marry Sansa lol

3.- Littlefinger planned for Alayne to reveal her true identity as Sansa Stark wearing a maiden cloak with the Stark colors grey and white: "Jon Arryn's bannermen will never love me, nor our silly, shaking Robert, but they will love their Young Falcon . . . and when they come together for his wedding, and you come out with your long auburn hair, clad in a maiden's cloak of white and grey with a direwolf emblazoned on the back . . . why, every knight in the Vale will pledge his sword to win you back your birthright.

From my answer about certain ship foreshadowing:

What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister?

In the shadow of the Wall, the direwolf brushed up against his fingers. For half a heartbeat the night came alive with a thousand smells, and Jon Snow heard the crackle of the crust breaking on a patch of old snow. Someone was behind him, he realized suddenly. Someone who smelled warm as a summer day. When he turned he saw Ygritte. She stood beneath the scorched stones of the Lord Commander’s Tower, cloaked in darkness and in memory. The light of the moon was in her hair, her red hair kissed by fire. When he saw that, Jon’s heart leapt into his mouth. “Ygritte,” he said. “Lord Snow.” The voice was Melisandre’s. Surprise made him recoil from her. “Lady Melisandre.” He took a step backwards. “I mistook you for someone else.” At night all robes are grey. Yet suddenly hers were red. He did not understand how he could have taken her for Ygritte. She was taller, thinner, older, though the moonlight washed years from her face. Mist rose from her nostrils, and from pale hands naked to the night. “You will freeze your fingers off,” Jon warned. “If that is the will of R’hllor. Night’s powers cannot touch one whose heart is bathed in god’s holy fire.” “You heart does not concern me. Just your hands.” “The heart is all that matters. Do not despair, Lord Snow. Despair is a weapon of the enemy, whose name may not be spoken. Your sister is not lost to you.” “I have no sister.” The words were knives. What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister? Melisandre seemed amused. “What is her name, this little sister that you do not have?” “Arya.” His voice was hoarse. “My half-sister, truly …” “… for you are bastard born. I had not forgotten. I have seen your sister in my fires, fleeing from this marriage they have made for her. Coming here, to you. A girl in grey on a dying horse, I have seen it plain as day. It has not happened yet, but it will.”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon VI

Earlier in this chapter, Jon was thinking about Arya and her situation (trapped with the Boltons), and he was frustrated for not being able to help her. Then he remembered Ygritte, he confused Melisandre for Ygritte.

So, reading all the context:

What do you know of my heart, priestess? = This is about Ygritte. He is still hurt and mourning for her.

What do you know of my sister? = This is about Arya and her situation.

This is an excellent example of how GRRM plays with our minds with his tricky words:

“At night all robes are grey. Yet suddenly hers were red”.  He is introducing us to the Grey Girl and her true identity.

Jon thinks he is seeing Ygritte but he was actually seeing Melissandre.

Melisandre and Jon also believe this grey girl of the visions is Arya Stark, but the person trapped with the Boltons is Jeyne Poole. And later, Alys Karstark was not even wearing a “grey” cloak.

For me the grey girl is neither of them. The answer is hidden in this line: “At night all robes are grey. Yet suddenly hers were red”.

***

"At night all robes are grey" means all the confusion about the grey girl's true identity: Arya or Jeyne or Alys Karstark.

"Yet suddenly hers were red" means that the girl with the grey cloak will be a redhead, like Ygritte and Melisandre the two women Jon was confusing.

So, Sansa as the grey girl makes a lot of sense, she is a redhead and she is a Stark, and grey is the main Stark color.

And this is not the first time that Jon confused Ygritte with another female. Jon dreamed of a ghastly grey direwolf wandering around the Crypts of Winterfell, that seems to be Lady’s Shade:

The crypts were growing darker. A light has gone out somewhere. “Ygritte?” he whispered. “Forgive me. Please.” But it was only a direwolf, grey and ghastly, spotted with blood, his her golden eyes shining sadly through the dark . .

—A Storm of Swords - Jon VIII

Despite Jon assuming the direwolf was a "he," I strongly suspect it was Lady's Shade. Lady is buried at Winterfell, not Grey Wind. Lady was beheaded with Ice, so her fur would be spotted with blood. And Lady was said to have sad eyes.

So, Jon is always confusing Ygritte with another redheads...

From my Dunk & Jon meta:

Maybe I’m seeing too much here, but the reference to Alysanne Osgrey [Os-Grey] makes me think of Sansa Stark, because:

Sansa shared a lot of parallels with Good Queen Alysanne.

The surname Osgrey has the word grey in it.

Alysanne Osgrey became a Silent Sister.

Silent Sisters always wear grey.

Silent Sisters are known as the Stranger’s wives.

According to Melissandre, the Grey Girl of her visions is Jon Snow’s Sister.

The Grey Girl will probably be Sansa Stark.

Grey is also the color of House Stark, so Sansa is, in a way, a Grey Girl.

Jon is a man that will defeat death and come back to life, like the Stranger that walks between the two worlds.

The Stranger’s face is half animal, like Jon who is a warg, half man and half beast.

From my Jon/Sansa/Winterfell meta:

The stone is strong = The walls of Winterfell = Alayne Stone = Sansa Stark.

Sansa Stark has a lot of stone imagery around her.

Winterfell’s walls are made of grey granite. Grey is also a color of House Stark and I believe that Sansa will be the girl in grey on a dying horse from Melisandre’s vision.

As the Heir to Winterfell, Sansa was practically transformed into a stone castle, Winterfell, and the north itself, since the one that controlled her would obtain all her lands and power. Or, to use the euphemism from the Books, Sansa Stark was the “key to the north.”

Sansa reflects about this objectification in the Books and gives us one of the saddest lines in ASOIAF, especially coming from a girl who yearns to be loved and always dreamed of getting married: “No one will ever marry me for love,” (because everyone only wants her for her claim to Winterfell and the north).

Tyrion associates Sansa’s rejection of his advances as icy courtesy and compared that rejection with a castle wall that he never got to break:

“You hide behind courtesy as if it were a castle wall.” “Courtesy is a lady’s armor,” Sansa said. Her septa had always told her that.

—A Storm of Swords - Sansa III

Sansa’s misery was deepening every day. Tyrion would gladly have broken through her courtesy to give her what solace he might, but it was no good.

—A Storm of Swords - Tyrion IV

He wanted to reach her, to break through the armor of her courtesy.

—A Storm of Swords - Tyrion VIII

The castle wall that armored Sansa and Tyrion never got to break is a clear reference to Winterfell:

He remembered Winterfell as he had last seen it. Not as grotesquely huge as Harrenhal, nor as solid and impregnable to look at as Storm’s End, yet there had been a great strength in those stones, a sense that within those walls a man might feel safe.

—A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XI

And certainly, Sansa feels stronger and protected within the walls of Winterfell:

Sansa stuck her fingers through the top, grabbed a handful of snow, and flung it full in his face. Petyr yelped, as the snow slid down under his collar. “That was unchivalrously done, my lady.” “As was bringing me here, when you swore to take me home.” She wondered where this courage had come from, to speak to him so frankly. From Winterfell, she thought. I am stronger within the walls of Winterfell.

—A Storm of Swords - Sansa VII

Sansa feeling stronger within the walls of Winterfell, sounds pretty similar to “the stone is strong” line from Bran quote cited above.

Later, while descending from the Eyrie to the Gates of the Moon, Mya Stone tells Sansa that “a stone is a mountain’s daughter.”

Men come and go. They lie, or die, or leave you. A mountain is not a man, though, and a stone is a mountain’s daughter. I trust my father, and I trust my mules. I won’t fall.” She put her hand on a jagged spur of rock, and got to her feet. “Best finish. We have a long way yet to go, and I can smell a storm.”

—A Feast for Crows - Alayne II

One of Winterfell’s possible meanings is “wintry mountain(s).” And Sansa Stark is “The northern girl. Winterfell’s daughter”.

As the daughter of Petyr Baelish, Alayne Stone also becomes the Heir to Harrenhal, another great castle made of strong stone. Only dragon fire was able to melt Harrenhal’s stone walls:

Stone does not burn, Harren had boasted, but his castle was not made of stone alone. […] And even stone will crack and melt if a fire is hot enough. The riverlords outside the castle walls said later that the towers of Harrenhal glowed red against the night, like five great candles… and like candles, they began to twist and melt, as runnels of molten stone ran down their sides.

—The World of Ice and Fire - The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest

Moreover we have the parallels that Sansa shares with Jenny of Oldstones. And Oldstones serves us as an example of the strength of the stone.

Just like Winterfell was the stronghold of the ancient Kings of Winter, Oldstones was the stronghold of the ancient River Kings (House Mudd of Oldstones), both dynasties descendants of the First Men. And if we read about Oldstones, thinking about Winterfell is an inevitability:

They reached Oldstones after eight more days of steady rain, and made their camp upon the hill overlooking the Blue Fork, within a ruined stronghold of the ancient river kings. Its foundations remained amongst the weeds to show where the walls and keeps had stood, but the local smallfolk had long ago made off with most of the stones to raise their barns and septs and holdfasts. Yet in the center of what once would have been the castle’s yard, a great carved sepulcher still rested, half hidden in waist-high brown grass amongst a stand of ash. The lid of the sepulcher had been carved into a likeness of the man whose bones lay beneath, but the rain and the wind had done their work. The king had worn a beard, they could see, but otherwise his face was smooth and featureless, with only vague suggestions of a mouth, a nose, eyes, and the crown about the temples. His hands folded over the shaft of a stone warhammer that lay upon his chest. Once the warhammer would have been carved with runes that told its name and history, but all that the centuries had worn away. The stone itself was cracked and crumbling at the corners, discolored here and there by spreading white splotches of lichen, while wild roses crept up over the king’s feet almost to his chest.

—A Storm of Swords - Catelyn V

Despite the pass of time the foundations of Oldstones remained and the stones were even used by the smallfolk to rise new buildings. The stone is really strong.

What also remained despite the centuries was the tomb of King Tristifer IV Mudd, also known as the Hammer of Justice, which immediately reminds me of the crypts of Winterfell and its stone kings sitting on their thrones with their swords across their laps.

And just like songs are still sung about a girl named Jenny from Oldstones who found true love with a Targaryen prince, I’m pretty sure that many songs will be sung about Sansa Stark from Winterfell and her own Targaryen prince.

Finally, is worth mentioning that Stark means “strong” in German. And there’s a theory about House Strong (extinguished) being linked to House Stark.

Stone = Strong = Stark

So by saying the stone is strong, we are also saying the stone is Stark.

Alayne Stone is Sansa Stark.

***

There you have it.

Thanks for your message ♡

[ad1thi]

top 5 fanworks of 2020

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! choose your 5 (ish) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

tagged by: @iam93percentstardust, @omg-just-peachy

rated in order of least to most favourite: 

1.  a helping hand - buckytony, mcu, established relationship, 1k, K+

Bucky wants to shave his beard. Tony helps.

i really enjoy the intimacy involved in acts of service, and there’s always something so small and treasured about shaving,,,the trust involved in letting someone that close to your face with a knife, the intimacy in being no more than a couple of breaths away from each other, the faith that the other person won’t fuck up your face by giving you a weird shave -- i just love the layers to shaving someone else,,,and i just had to make it buckytony. this is a really short fic (as most of my fics are) but i really love it

2. broken pieces (me and you) fit together perfectly - samrhodey, mcu, developing relationship, post IW, 1.5k, K+

After Thanos, after the Snap, after Sam loses everything familiar, he finds Jim.

//

AU-gust Day 5: Post Apocalyptic AU

i really enjoy samrhodey, i really enjoy the idea of Rhodey only being a couple year’s ahead of Sam and Sam having a big crush on him, i really like the idea of both of them bonding when they join the Avengers post AoU, i really like the idea of this simple, easy relationship developing between them in this very soft and understated way, but ive never actually written them before this fic - which is why im so proud of this fic, because i like the story ive weaved here

3. princely duties - thortony, mcu, asgardian tony AU, meet cute, 1.6k, K+

Thor Odinson, Crown Prince of the Realm of Asgard, Brother of Loki the Silvertongue, son to Frigga the Kind and Odin the Great, was known for a great many things.

He was known for his great looming stature, stranding tall and proud even for an Asgardian, with muscles that rippled and tensed as he walked. He was known for his illustrious hair, a thick blond mane that he'd taken a vow to never cut, braided and cascading down his shoulders in thick waves. He was known for his might on the battlefield, for the terror he struck through the heart of his enemies when he called lighting itself down to rain fire on those who dared oppose him.

He was known for being a gentle prince, for always having an ear open and the time for a pitcher of ale. He was known for the bond he had with his brother Loki - how the two of them had curled around each other at birth, his tiny fist clenched around his brother's equally tiny pinky, and never let go.

But more than any of that, Thor Odinson was known for never taking a Consort, in all his years.

//

AU-gust Day 9: Royalty AU

Ostensibly, this is a thortony fic, but i really like this fic because of the relationship i wrote for Thor and Loki. i do hope to continue this some day, to expand this verse into a couple of related one shots that show Thor and Tony’s relationship overtime, and develop more on Thor and Loki as brothers because i think we were really robbed of that in the mcu - but this is one of my better AU-gust fills, for sure

4. the things we tell ourselves in the dark - stevetony, emh, skrulls, angst, 1.1k, K

“Still,” he turns away from Tony, because he doesn’t want to hurt him, but if he doesn’t get this out, it might eat him alive, “I was with them for months Tony. Months. How did you not notice? How did you not know it wasn't me?”

this is one of the few stevetony fics ive written all year, because ive sort of fallen out of love with the ship but emh brought it back in full force. i wrote this entire fic in 20 minutes literally the second i finished the Secret Invasion episode because there was such delicious angst and it begged to be written, and im so happy with how this turned out. i personally, am always quite worried that characters sometimes sound OOC in my fics, but i definitely didn’t have that issue with this fic, and i just really enjoyed writing it

5. 1000 lives (for you) - buckytony, mcu, soulmates AU, tws compliant, 14.7k, T

On the 10th of December 1991, the Asset is taken out of cyro, and there is a name on his right wrist.

On the 16th of December 1991, he is sent out to shoot the tyre of a car, and then kill the man and woman inside.

When he returns to base, there is a boy, no older than 17, chained to the wall of his room, shivering and bravely fighting back tears.

It does not occur to the Asset until much later than these two events are connected.

//

AU-gust Day 3: Soulmates AU

this is currently my largest fic till date, and it is such a labour of love. i don’t think ive ever worked this hard, or this long on a fic, and it’s definitely the fic i am the most proud of from 2020. im having so much fun writing this, and im really hoping that everybody reading this is really enjoying it too because i have so many ideas for this verse and it’s possibly one of my favourite things ive written ever -- not just this year

+

Bonus: the morning after - mcdanno, hawaii 5 o, established relationship, 1k, T

“I know I say this a lot,” Danny’s voice is still gruff with sleep, and he peers at Steve with one eye, as if opening both is too bright for him. He’s half twisted so he can face Steve, and the show of flexibility isn’t helping with Steve’s mission to keep things PG-13, “but today - you are literally a pain in my ass.”

i very recently got into hawaii 5 o, but i truly love these idiots with all my heart and soul, and it’s been so long since i immersed myself in a new fandom or wrote for any other characters, so i wanted to celebrate that by choosing my favourite h5o fic from this year. the thing about mcdanno is that they really do write themselves, and there’s so much potential with them that a lot of what i write is stuff you can truly imagine just happens off screen on the show. anyway, Danny is always calling Steve a pain in his ass, and i just thought it would be funny if Steve was literally a pain in this ass, and then this small one shot happened

//

those are my top 5 fanworks of 2020!! tagging @deathsweetqueen, @diazalex, @rhodee, @aleator, @starklysteve and as always, anybody else who feels like doing this!!

[birdhouse-of-shadows]

YES YES YES FINALLY I CAN TALK ABOUT THIS!

IM NOT SURE IF IVE POSTED THIS ANYWHERE ELSE BUT I THINK TOKOYAMI IS LIKE SHIROKUMO! 

ANON I LOVE YOU AND YOUR GIANT NOGGIN. NOW I WILL PROVIDE YOU EVIDENCE AS TO WHY TOKOYAMI COULD BE A NOMU! I am not sure if the person who originally submitted as anon wants me to tag them in this, so I’ll be leaving them as Anon. :)

In this essay I will..

LMAO but seriously I will be comparing Tokoyami to the other advanced nomu. I’ll mostly be comparing Tokoyami and Kurogiri, as these are the most similar to each other. Spoiler from the manga ofc. Plz enjoy loves!

 Anon made a fantastic point about the physical similarities between characters. The most prominent part of this theory is that Tokoyami and Dark Shadow both share many physical characteristics with the Nomu.

Tokoyami/Dark Shadow, Kurogiri, Hood, and the USJ Nomu all share very similar color schemes. This is important because Horikoshi tends to use physical appearances a lot to connect characters, even when it comes to tiny details like 2 dots on a hero costume signifying the same designer. We know that Horikoshi likes to use dark purples while drawing/designing villains. Examples include: AFO(purple + black colors), Nine(White+ Purple colors), Manga Vol 26- “Tomura Shigaraki:Origin '' Cover(Purple), Overhaul(Purple+Green colors), ect. The most advanced/high-end Nomu so far(Hood, Kurogiri, USJ Nomu) all have a color scheme of Purple/Black bodies, Yellow eyes, and some red details. Now this color scheme is actually shared between Tokoyami and Dark Shadow. Tokoyami carries the red, black, and yellow and Dark Shadow has purple and yellow. 

Besides just color schemes they share physical attributes. We know that Nomu must be built off of pre-existing humans(dead or alive I believe). Most of the Nomu have some remnant of their human body, even if it is extremely beefed up or including more limbs. Kurogiri is the first Nomu we have observed that still holds his original body(his is just covered by smoke, but Shirokumo is still in there). It is entirely possible that Tokoyami’s body is technically dead, but reanimated just like Kurogiri. 

Dark Shadow’s sentience is a key factor in this theory as well. He is so different from most other quirks in the series. There are only three quirks in the series that have any form of sentience. I will be focusing on Twice’s quirk, but I would like to create a separate theory for the other two. Twice’s quirk obviously creates living/sentient clones of people. However it can be argued that these clones are more like AI than actual sentient people. These quirks aren’t exactly alive and they are like AI programmed to be as similar to their source material(copied individual),therefore they will do what is most similar. Dark Shadow is a completely separate entity with completely separate emotions. We know this because there are things that Dark Shadow likes to do that Tokoyami does not, and vice versa. Many people think that Dark Shadow is a more honest extension of Tokoyami’s emotions, but not only is Dark Shadow a collection of emotions, but thoughts. In the fight against Ectoplasm, we can  see that Dark Shadow is able to think and strategize on his own without Tokoyami needing to tell him what to do. 

This doesn’t really count as evidence, but its something I find to be kinda sus. While at the training camp, the day of the attack Tokoyami says “Revelry in the Dark” 3 times. Its specifically pointed out as odd by Uraraka, most likely meaning that it is not something he has said before. She also seemed a bit unnerved by him saying it. I wonder if it was some kind of code phrasing to let the League know that everything was in order for the attack. Other than that, I don’t recall Tokoyami using the phrase later in the series. 

Next I am going to clear up some things that might disprove the theory: 

Problem: He’s far too loyal to the heroes, and he cares alot about the people around him. 

It is completely reasonable that Tokoyami is faking it. This basically follows the same logic as most traitor theories. Tokoyami is known to be a very secretive individual and people don’t know too much about him. There is also a chance that he could be programmed not to know that he is a nomu/traitor, however I don’t really have any evidence for that and it seems unlikely. 

Problem: He connonically has a mother, and a family...

Not too surprising, but its definitely an issue. In Vol 1, Part 3 we hear specific mentions of Tokoyami’s mother and later in the paragraph the word is family. So if he does have a family, do they/ how long have they known he’s a Nomu? There is a very little chance that they wouldn’t know, but there is a scenario in which they wouldn’t. Tokoyami could have “gone missing” when he was younger and “found” when he was older. We don’t know how long it takes to create an advanced nomu, so he could have been missing for a month to a couple years. We can speculate however, that it doesn’t take long. It only took about 4 months to alter Shigaraki, so maybe it doesn’t take too long to create an advanced Nomu. If he was young enough, he wouldn’t have a quirk and it wouldn’t be suspicious if he returned home with one. A blood test would most likely match as well, so there wouldn’t be any doubt that it was the Tokoyami family’s child. It wouldn’t be surprising if they did know. We know AFO has connections everywhere, so Tokoyami’s family could just be a fake one set up for the sake of making Fumikage look more normal. 

Problem: Why has the league targeted him in the past?

Lemme explain. We’ve had two instances(that I remember) that members of the league have directly attacked Tokoyami. Once when Mr.Compress snatched him, and of course that fight with Dabi in 271. This has a simple answer, they don’t know. We know Shigaraki doesn’t tend to tell the other members stuff and usually just resorts to giving them tasks. There is a chance that Shigaraki himself might not know, but that all depends on whether or not he knows that Kurogiri is a Nomu. I don’t know if he knows but either way it doesn’t really matter. 

Actually, one little tidbit about this, during the USJ attack Kurogiri sent Tokoyami to the Squall Zone. The Squall Zone is a very dark area, so fighting off villains would have been very easy for Tokoyami. So part of me believes that Kurogiri did that on purpose, and he and Shigaraki definitely do know. 

I am still looking for more evidence of this theory, but this is what I have so far. If there is anymore evidence that you have found it I would love to hear! I mentioned earlier in the theory that there are two other quirks that is similar to Dark Shadow’s complete sentience. Those two quirks are AFO and OFA. There is a slight possibility that Tokoyami could have a carry-down quirk given to him by somebody else, or Dark Shadow himself is a previous user.  I don’t even know where to begin on that one, but whatever.

 And remember it just a theory, a bird theory! Thanks for reading!

[arcticdementor]

Other possible Holocausts: why pro-lifers are lying to us, and why thats a good thing

…

Ive had a running argument over the past few years that the raw lack of anti-abortion terrorist action proves no one really thinks abortion is murder, ie. intentional 1st degree murder of a life equal to yours or mine.

Ive always gotten pushback to quote WillyWang:

The "revealed preference" of those that oppose abortion but don't firebomb clinics and kill doctors? It won't help, you'll be made an example of in the negative sense, and civilized norms are more important than a useless symbolic point. One clinic destroyed won't end abortion, after all.

From which this Effort-post got its Genesis:

Would you say the same about those who participated in the french resistance or Warsaw Ghetto rising to Nazi Germany?

Everyone of those claims applies there: they were likely to be made examples of, they were damaging civilized norms, and any given action had relatively little to no impact.

Yet the same people who insist abortion is murder, and thus that America is committing a holocaust, yet denounce any of the people who employed violence against abortion doctors or clinics, and can’t distance themselves fast enough from any call for violence... none of those people apply the same logic to the first holocaust. None of them say the frenchmen who bombed german police stations where dangerous terrorists who deserved their executions, none of them denounce the Warsaw ghetto rising as an attack on civilization.

…

If anti-abortion advocated genuinely believed a fetus was a equivalent human life to yours or mine or the little kids they see walk to school, and that this was an ongoing holocaust of American Children at a scale possibly 10x or more what was done to the jews... they wouldn’t need to come up with ad hoc reasons why they don’t resort to violence, their mind would be screaming at them to take bloody vengeance 24/7 in righteous outrage, demanding that oceans of blood and fire be unleashed that it might wash clean the horror, that nuclear fire would be be an acceptable emergency shut off to end such wanton and cruel slaughter... and if thinking through all the logic they concluded that no violence wouldn’t help and they must pursue some peaceful negotiation to stop the slaughter, then their minds recoil and call themselves cowards and the moment of coming to that conclusion would be an ongoing trauma they’d carry with them for the rest of their life, even if they knew they were 100% right. They would meet the “pro-choice” and barely be able to conceal their desire to see them dead or imprisoned... they would meet women who had had abortions and scream bloody murder at them and tell them they deserve the death penalty, the way many of the same people react when presented with women who’d murdered their children, but after their children had left the womb.

The people who were jailed for assassinating abortionists, or fire-bombing clinics would be folk heroes lionized in songs and crowd funded hagiographic documentaries and folk traditions, like John Brown, or John Wilkes Booth, or Louis Reil, or Saco and Vancety, or Huey Newton, or Malcolm X, or David Koresh, or Levoy Finecolm... or hell even just Jesse James, or Killdozer.

Americans abort on average 1 million plus babies a year... that means if abortion is murder and those are human lives, then the 50 years since Roe vs.Wade has been a worse crime than the holocaust, slavery, or the crimes of Stalin, and we’d have to consult a historian to see if they were worse than Mao (on a per capita basis, certainly)...

This would be the worse crime ever commited, the greatest mass slaughter ever perpetrated in human history, and 50 years later our society would remain committed to repeating it in the next 50 years.

If that does not demand violence, then nothing in human history ever has, no even defensive war has ever been justified, and only Jainists and Jehovah’s witnesses are morally acceptable actors. An extreme unexceedable pascifism we know the vast majority of anti-abortion advocates do not endorse, since they overwhelming supported or at-least did not conspicuously oppose the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (over a mere 3000 Americans dead, and a less than a years abortions worth of Iraqis killed by Saddam) and continue to conspicuously “Support our troops” troops that exist to carry out violence, despite their moral commitments saying they can apparently never in human history be justified.

.

When i say this proves “Pro-lifers” clearly do not believe a fetus is an equal human life, thats me being incredibly charitable. That is me extending a overwhelming large olive branch, that is me expressing a stupendous care and concern and sympathy and brotherly love to rival the best 19th century dinner host, the dearest of friends, a benevolent older sibling, a lover, a parent, a mother who on hearing the taped confession of her son to serial murder, doesn’t hesitate once before screaming “you monsters you’ve drugged and tortured him! What threats have you made to my grandchild! He would only say such things to save his daughter’s life!”

My claiming they are full of shit and lying to themselves, to you, and to me, is an expression of love and faith in my fellow man which until now I did not realized I possessed nor was capable of...

Because if I merely took them at their word? If I believed that they believed what they say they believe? They would be monsters.

.

Lets play a game called “Other Possible Holocausts”. Approximately 800,000 babies where aborted this year.

Lets imagine the US government has just announced that crime has gotten to cumbersome and that over the next 3 years it plans to execute every single one of the 2.4 million people in US prisons jails and Jeuvenile detention centres.

Lets imagine that to reform education, the US resolves to kill the bottom 1% of all 80 million students in the country based on an age adjusted standardized test every year.

Lets imagine hatred of the obese takes off, and a policy is passed to resolve America’s 30% obesity rate by the mass instituting of bounties on hunting and killing the obese... that every year 800,000 to 1.5 million tags will be issued for a fee to allow the hunting of the obese in return for monetary rewards on successful hunts and getting to keep the carcasses for meat base animal foods and the manufacture of fuel, or fat based household products. These bounty hunters become known a “whalers”.

Lets imagine the US announces its done with African Americans... if the problem hasn’t been solved since 1619, its not going to be... and so they’re going to genocide all 40 million African Americans at a rate of 2% a year, for the next 50 years.

Lets imagine opposing extremists get in charge and decide the racists rednecks have to go, and so they’ll be forming death squads to roam the South, Appalachia, and the rust belt, with the objective of killing 800,000 poor whites a year, “until the problem is solved”... with many happily stating 50 years of this would be acceptable, while others state it’d be perfectly fine to renew it another 50 years after that.

…

These are all American lives, and according to pro-lifers of equal moral value to the babies aborted every day, no better, no worse.

By saying this and by saying violence is not and cannot be justified to resist it, they are saying that their reactions to any one of the above eventualities would be to continue to live their lives as they have lived the past 50 years.

I do not know how to respond to that. Even if Abortion is truly murder of an ensouled equal human life... The Pro-choicers committing the murders don’t think it is... hell the Nazis murdered 6 million jews and a further 5 million undesirables, but they didn’t think of them as human, they thought they were monstrous and “life unworthy of life”, like a burning man begging you to shoot him so he doesn’t suffer or hurt his fellows... a mercy in a way.

Pro-lifers on the other hand claim these are equal viable human lives of equal status to yours or mine or perhaps even greater.... They’re Children.

And their reaction to the greatest mass slaughter in human history, the reaction of almost half the electorate, who regularly talk about the need to resist tyrrany and defend the weak (as both left and right in the US do, in their way), their reaction is to vote every 4 years, and have it perhaps not even be the #1 issue if the economy seems bad, they have the opportunity to vote for the first black president, or the Orangeman says something crude about Mexicans... they won’t be single issue voters even when it comes to the greatest crime ever committed in human history?

.

I refuse to believe it. Even I, cynical as I am, have to believe we are not that far gone, and the age of men has not come crashing down... i would believe the US capable of such a crime, but to believe that a double digit percentage of Americans could look at that, recognize the victims as their fellow humans,recognize their state and society as committing mass murder of their neighbours, future friends, and relatives...to recognize that they have a moral imperative to act on this... and then just go “welp them’s the breaks, gotta be civilized” because 9 people in black robes said it wasn’t murder?

Holy fuck. No that is not how people work, that is not how humans behave, I cannot accept that, and leftists who spent the summer rioting in response to fewer than a thousand police killings of black men a year, who remember the civil rights and anti-war movements, who kinda vaguely recall that they’re supposed to remember Huey Newton, or Saco and Vanseti, or those Rossen...something people... who like to imagine they’d have been abolitionists in the 19th century. They’re right to call bullshit.

They’re right to call the pro-lifers liars who don’t believe their own messaging, and instead just want to control women’s bodies, after a lie like that to their face, they’re right to treat them with scorn.

…

Pro-life is rescuable as a sentiment and an activist movement...

But not while it claims a Holocaust is going on and somehow magically no violence could ever be justified to resist it, thus lining up all the arguments that will allow the next holocaust to be committed without resistance.

There have been a double digit, perhaps even a triple digit number of mass murders and genocides in the hundreds of thousands or millions of people, since the 20th century. America is enabling its ally Saudi Arabia to commit one against the Yemenis right fucking now.

We need to be very fucking clear about what it is justified to do to members of a regime that commits such a crime, and what it is definitely justified to do to the immediate perpetrators of the murder. And That we will back violent resistance to such a horrible crime by the state even if it serves only to make the resister a martyr we’ll praise, or it degrades “civilization” (what civilization could remain in such a regime?), or it ultimately has no effect (it is on the survivor to try harder)... The major members of the House of Saud deserve the Gallows under international law for what they’re doing in Yemen , as do their American attaches and core enablers... and if that comes from a Judge in the Hauge or from a convoy of irregulars in pickup trucks, or from lone assassins who manage to get through to them, It is justice, and i will praise it.

What we cannot do is pretend that genocides and mass slaughter on unconscionable scales are occurring and then come up with excuses for why we should do nothing and anyone who does resist is a criminal. Or else those excuses will be the ones that allow the next real genocide in the west or on US soil to actually happen.

If there is a genocide or democide or whatever you want to call mass slaughter. You must recognize the justice the violent resistance to it, even if you personally do not participate, or you must admit you were lying about there being such a crime... to say otherwise, to say a state can commit such a crime and still retain its right to your loyalty, to say a people up to and including its victims must obey such a thing, a creature made of bureaucracy that has set its sights on massacring humans by the thousands if not millions... it is to side against the human race in a war of extermination.

And as someone whose pro-choice as they come, I’d much rather, if the pro-lifers really believe its murder, I’d much rather they start a bloody civil war, than for it to become the norm that that is ethically acceptable.

[otterplusharchive]

rey! do you have any recs for kdramas? i have never watched any, but i like lovable characters and romance ? thank you in advance!

I DO IN FACT HAVE DRAMA RECS HII not all of these will be kdramas, but ill start with the kdramas ive watched and enjoyed and ill include all the warnings for them that i can remember off the top of my head and a brief synopsis for u!

kdramas-

1. weight lifting fairy kim bok joo

this was probably one of the first kdramas i saw people post about in like 2015 and i watched a little bit of it in 2016 but then only just got around to finishing it last year. the basic gist of it is its about a young sports college weight lifter, kim bok joo, centering around her navigating through her life and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life and what she wants to be. her romantic interest in the show is a swimmer and they have a sort of rivals to friends to lovers, he is SO in love with her and its adorable. i absolutely loved the side characters in this show theyre all so fun and kim bok joos best friends and weight lifting team are especially delightful. my main warning would be that this show addresses eating disorders and theres a lot of mention of both weight gain and weight loss, theres also a plot point early on where kim bok joo has a crush on her eventual love interests older brother but it gets resolved and the older brother literally goes "i didnt realize you had a crush on me and if i knew that i wouldnt have been so friendly with you, it would be completely innapropriate for us to be in a relationship". overall its a really sweet and emotional fun show but if you have issues with weight talk id skip this one

2. tale of the nine tailed

this one is really recent from last year and i didnt expect to be so hooked by it but boy howdy did i get attached to all the characters and the wild plot. it feels hard to explain the plot but basically a nine tailed fox named lee yeon is living in modern day seoul and is working for the underworld finding paranormal spirits/creatures/other rogue foxes that are causing havoc on the world, hes resigned himself to living this life while waiting for his girlfriend who died tragically 600 years ago to come back to life because he traded his status as a mountain god in order to ensure that her soul would one day be reincarnated. a plucky investigative journalist named nam ji ah figures out that hes not human and shenanagins ensue because she looks exactly like his dead girlfriend oooooo whatll happen. the plot beyond that gets really wild and its hard to explain and is easier to just watch. if u enjoy paranormal adventures this one is good. my one big complaint and issue with this is that the immortal mountain spirit meets his original girlfriend when shes a child and she continues to visit him off and on as she grows up which is Hm I Dont Like That! but thankfully the present time romance our female lead meets him when shes about 30 if im remembering right. also warnings for general fantasy violence, references to child abuse, animal death, and abandonment issues

3. extraordinary you

HUGE unreality warning for this. if you have issues with feeling unreal or have paranoia/delusions about not being a real person id avoid this one just because of its premise

ok i know i said tale of the nine tailed was a hard plot to explain but BOY extraordinary you is even HARDER to explain. because its so wild but so good. its about a girl who realizes that she is literally a side character in a comic book, and the story becomes her trying to change the story to save her character from dying but it becomes a lot more than that. the romance in this is literally tooth achingly sweet and the show itself is very pretty, i loved the side characters in this one and the show was engaging and interesting to watch it became really layered and meta. super reccomend this one honestly. my main issues/warnings that i can remember off the top of my head were just one character being the classic controlling boyfriend stereotype, bullying someone specifically for being poor, unreality like i mentioned before, and then at the very end there was this love interest for a side character who got reincarnated from a past piece of writing that they had been in and put in the comic but she was a student and he was the school cook which is weird but thankfully they like barely interact at all and theres no real romance he just like recognizes her and its barely a thing at the end of the show but its still weird

4. mystic pop up bar

big warning for suicide, sexual harrasment (which is framed as being bad and the guy whos harrassing the girl literally gets thrown off a roof)

i havent finished this one yet and thats mainly because im not emotionally ready because this one makes me soooo emotional. if you like found family this is a good one. its about a pop up bar run by a woman whos been tasked with solving the problems of a certain amount of people in order to atone for her crimes in the past before dying, shes able to enter the dreams of people and solve their issues using the information she gets in the dreams. paranormal shenanagins ensue, she acquires a son and a husband and it kills me its so fun and quirky and fun despite handling dark themes and peoples problems. also very sweet the found family murders me

5. kingdom (netflix original)

i literally am not going to be able to watch any other zombie media because kingdom and train to busan are the best pieces of zombie media ive ever seen. warnings for gore and violence and just general horror aspects.

i absolutely love this one its so thrilling and well done, i love the acting and the way that this show looks its absolutely gorgeous. a zombie plague breaks out in joseon period korea where the emperor has died and then was brought back to life by the queen and her father in a ploy to try and keep their family in political power, the crown prince must find answers. a lot more happens and its very dramatic and good i love the characters in this one

cdramas

1. the untamed. if you follow me and you havent watched the untamed im begging you to watch the untamed. literally one of the most beautiful stories ive experienced in my life i am not joking when i say i cried multiple times over it. the main characters are canonically gay in love and have a son together please watch the untamed. handles a lot of dark themes, heres a tw guide

2. the sleuth of the ming dynasty

this is another one i havent finished but its fun so far, very gay, found family, food, and solving murder mysteries during the ming dynasty

3. hikaru no go (also known as qi hun)

havent finished this one, there is some propaganda about hong kong in the first episode but as far as i know thats the only instance of something like that in the show

this ones about the game go and so far its very sweet and fun, local boy awakens a ghost who was a master of the game of go hundreds of years ago and eventually is persuaded to learn how to play go with the aid of the ghost. im really liking this one so far its very cute and i love the characters in it. if youve watched the untamed nie huaisangs actor ji li is in this one!

4. the legend of yunqian

this ones very short and on youtube, all the episodes are about 5 minutes long and its a lesbian time travel fantasy adventure with a happy ending! funny and cute

jdramas

1. cherry magic

please please please watch cherry magic. the premise sounds very much like a weird yaoi kind of thing but trust me on this. trust me. it is so heart warming and sweet and i was so emotional about it and the growth of the main character.

adachi gains the power to read peoples minds on his 30th birthday based off a urban legend that if youre a 30 year old virgin that youll become a wizard. after gaining this power he accidentally finds out that his extremely popular and handsome coworker has a crush on him, and shenanagins ensue along with adachi having blossoming feelings in return. this show was really refreshing in a lot of ways, adachi is a main character who like.. is unsure of himself and insecure in a very kind of realistic way, he closes himself off and is afraid to reach out to people and through the course of the show we see him slowly come out of his shell and realize that hes likeable and lovable and that people want to be around him and its so nice to see. my main complaint about this show is that i dont really like the background couple, but otherwise this is a very sweet and refreshing gay romance that has a happy ending!

some others that i myself havent seen but that ive seen people talk about a lot and that i want to watch eventually:

- the legend of fei (cdrama)

- the wolf (cdrama)

- gaurdian (cdrama, not the kdrama one called goblin)

- healer (kdrama, i did watch some of this one but it was in 2016 and i never finished it so i barely remember any of it but i do remember liking it)

- nobody knows (kdrama)

- its ok to not be ok (kdrama)

sorry this is so long but i hope youll be able to find a drama u enjoy!!

[amunvulcan]

Ra (/rɑː/;[1] Ancient Egyptian: rꜥ or rˤ; also transliterated rˤw /ˈɾiːʕuw/; cuneiform: 𒊑𒀀 ri-a or 𒊑𒅀ri-ia)[2] or Re (/reɪ/; Coptic: ⲣⲏ, Rē) is the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. By the Fifth Dynasty in the 25th and 24th centuries BC, he had become one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the noon sun. Ra was believed to rule in all parts of the created world: the sky, the Earth, and the underworld.[3] He was the god of the sun, order, kings and the sky.

Ra was portrayed as a falcon and shared characteristics with the sky-god Horus. At times the two deities were merged as Ra-Horakhty, "Ra, who is Horus of the Two Horizons". In the New Kingdom, when the god Amun rose to prominence he was fused with Ra into Amun-Ra.

The cult of the Mnevis bull, an embodiment of Ra, had its center in Heliopolis and there was a formal burial ground for the sacrificed bulls north of the city.

All forms of life were believed to have been created by Ra. In some accounts, humans were created from Ra's tears and sweat, hence the Egyptians call themselves the "Cattle of Ra". In the myth of the Celestial Cow, it is recounted how mankind plotted against Ra and how he sent his eye as the goddess Sekhmet to punish them.

The sun is the giver of life, controlling the ripening of crops which were worked by man. Because of the life-giving qualities of the sun the Egyptians worshiped the sun as a god. The creator of the universe and the giver of life, the sun or Ra represented life, warmth and growth. Since the people regarded Ra as a principal god, creator of the universe and the source of life, he had a strong influence on them, which led to him being one of the most worshiped of all the Egyptian gods and even considered King of the Gods. At an early period in Egyptian history his influence spread throughout the whole country, bringing multiple representations in form and in name. The most common form combinations are with Atum (his human form), Khepri (the scarab beetle) and Horus (the falcon). The form in which he usually appears is that of a man with a falcon's head, which is due to his combination with Horus, another sky-god. On top of his head sits a solar disc with a cobra, which in many myths represents the eye of Ra. At the beginning of time, when there was nothing but chaos, the sun-god existed alone in the watery mass of Nun which filled the universe.[4] "I am Atum when he was alone in Nun, I am Ra when he dawned, when he began to rule that which he had made."[4] This passage talks about how Atum created everything in human form out of the chaos and how Ra then began to rule over the earth where humans and divine beings coexisted. He created Shu, god of air, and the goddess of moisture, Tefnut.[5] The siblings symbolized two universal principles of humans: life and right (justice). Ra was believed to have created all forms of life by calling them into existence by uttering their secret names. In some accounts humans were created from Ra's tears and sweat.[4]

According to one myth the first portion of Earth came into being when the sun god summoned it out of the watery mass of Nun. In the myth of the Celestial Cow (the sky was thought of as a huge cow, the goddess Meht-urt) it is recounted how mankind plotted against[6] Ra and how he sent his eye, as the goddess Sekhmet, to punish them. Extensions of Ra's power were often shown as the Eye of Ra, which were the female versions of the sun-god. Ra had three daughters Bastet, Sekhmet and Hathor, who were all considered the Eye of Ra, who would seek out his vengeance. Sekhmet was the Eye of Ra and was created by the fire in Ra's eye. She was violent and sent to slaughter the people who betrayed Ra, but when calm she became the more kind and forgiving goddess Hathor. Sekhmet was the powerful warrior and protector while Bastet, who was depicted as a cat, was shown as gentle and nurturing.

In the underworld

Ra was thought to travel on the Atet, two solar barques called the Mandjet (the Boat of Millions of Years) or morning-boat and the Mesektet or evening-boat.[7] These boats took him on his journey through the sky and the Duat - twelve hours of night which is also the literal underworld of Egypt. While Ra was on the Mesektet, he was in his ram-headed form.[7] When Ra traveled in his sun-boat, he was accompanied by various other deities including Sia (perception) and Hu (command), as well as Heka (magic power). Sometimes, members of the Ennead helped him on his journey, including Set, who overcame the serpent Apophis, and Mehen, who defended against the monsters of the underworld. When Ra was in the underworld, he would visit all of his various forms.[7] He is called Af or Afu in the underworld

Apophis, the god of chaos (isfet), was an enormous serpent who attempted to stop the sun-boat's journey every night by consuming it or by stopping it in its tracks with a hypnotic stare. During the evening, the Egyptians believed that Ra set as Atum or in the form of a ram. The night boat would carry him through the underworld and back towards the east in preparation for his rebirth. These myths of Ra represented the sun rising as the rebirth of the sun by the sky-goddess Nut; thus attributing the concept of rebirth and renewal to Ra and strengthening his role as a creator god as well.[8]

When Ra was in the underworld, he merged with Osiris, the god of the dead.[7]

Ra was represented in a variety of forms. The most usual form was a man with the head of a falcon and a solar disk on top and a coiled serpent around the disk.[7] Other common forms are a man with the head of a beetle (in his form as Khepri), or a man with the head of a ram. Ra was also pictured as a full-bodied ram, beetle, phoenix, heron, serpent, bull, cat, or lion, among others.[9]

He was most commonly featured with a ram's head in the Underworld.[7] In this form, Ra is described as being the "ram of the west" or "ram in charge of his harem.[7]

In some literature, Ra is described as an aging king with golden flesh, silver bones, and hair of lapis lazuli.[7]

The chief cultic center of Ra was Iunu "the Place of Pillars", later known to the Ptolemaic Kingdom as Heliopolis (Koinē Greek: Ἡλιούπολις, lit. "Sun City")[3] and today located in the suburbs of Cairo. He was identified with the local sun god Atum. As Atum or Atum-Ra, he was reckoned the first being and the originator of the Ennead ("The Nine"), consisting of Shu and Tefnut, Geb and Nut, Osiris, Set, Isis and Nephthys. The holiday of "The Receiving of Ra" was celebrated on May 26 in the Gregorian calendar.[10]

Ra's local cult began to grow from roughly the Second Dynasty, establishing him as a sun-deity. By the Fourth Dynasty, pharaohs were seen as Ra's manifestations on earth, referred to as "Sons of Ra". His worship increased massively in the Fifth Dynasty, when Ra became a state-deity and pharaohs had specially aligned pyramids, obelisks, and sun temples built in his honor. The rulers of the Fifth Dynasty told their followers that they were sons of Ra himself and the wife of the high priest of Heliopolis.[7] These pharaohs spent much of Egypt's money on sun-temples.[7] The first Pyramid Texts began to arise, giving Ra more and more significance in the journey of the pharaoh through the Duat (underworld).[7]

During the Middle Kingdom, Ra was increasingly affiliated and combined with other chief deities, especially Amun and Osiris.

Ra on the

solar barque

At the time of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the worship of Ra had become more complicated and grander. The walls of tombs were dedicated to extremely detailed texts that depicted Ra's journey through the underworld. Ra was said to carry the prayers and blessings of the living with the souls of the dead on the sun-boat. The idea that Ra aged with the sun became more popular during the rise of the New Kingdom.

Many acts of worship included hymns, prayers and spells to help Ra and the sun-boat overcome Apep.

The rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire put an end to the worship of Ra.[11

Gods merged with Ra

Ra and

Amun

, from the tomb of

Ramses IV

."Ra-Horakhty" redirects here. For the Egyptian month named in his honor, see

Mesori

.

As with most widely worshiped Egyptian deities, Ra's identity was often combined with other gods', forming an interconnection between deities.

Amun and Amun-Ra

Amun

was a member of the Ogdoad, representing creation-energies with

Amaunet

, a very early patron of

Thebes

. He was believed to create via breath and thus was identified with the wind rather than the sun. As the cults of Amun and Ra became increasingly popular in Upper and

Lower Egypt

respectively they were combined to create Amun-Ra, a solar creator god. It is hard to distinguish exactly when this combination happened, but references to Amun-Ra appeared in pyramid texts as early as the Fifth Dynasty. The most common belief is that Amun-Ra was invented as a new state-deity by the Theban rulers of the

New Kingdom

to unite worshipers of Amun with the older cult of Ra around the 18th Dynasty.

[12]

Amun-Ra was given the official title "King of the Gods" by worshippers, and images show the combined deity as a red-eyed man with a lion's head that had a surrounding solar disk.

[12]

Atum and Atum-RaAtum-Ra (or Ra-Atum) was another composite deity formed from two completely separate deities; however, Ra shared more similarities with

Atum

than with

Amun

. Atum was more closely linked with the sun, and was also a creator god of the

Ennead

. Both Ra and

Atum

were regarded as the father of the deities and pharaohs and were widely worshiped. In older myths, Atum was the creator of

Tefnut

and Shu, and he was born from the

ocean

Nun

.

Imentet

and Ra from the tomb of

Nefertari

, 13th century BCRa-Horakhty

Pyramidion of Khonsu, with the image of Ra-Horakhty in the middle.In later Egyptian mythology, Ra-Horakhty was more of a title or manifestation than a composite deity. It translates as "Ra (who is)

Horus

of the

Horizons

". It was intended to link Horakhty (as a sunrise-oriented aspect of Horus) to Ra. It has been suggested that Ra-Horakhty simply refers to the sun's journey from horizon to horizon as Ra, or that it means to show Ra as a symbolic deity of hope and rebirth. (See earlier section

#The sun

).Khepri and Khnum

Khepri

was a scarab beetle who rolled up the sun in the mornings and was sometimes seen as the morning manifestation of Ra. Similarly, the

ram

-headed god

Khnum

was also seen as the evening manifestation of Ra. The idea of different deities (or different aspects of Ra) ruling over different times of the day was fairly common but variable. With Khepri and Khnum taking precedence over sunrise and

sunset

, Ra often was the representation of midday when the sun reached its peak at noon. Sometimes different aspects of Horus were used instead of Ra's aspects.Raet-TawyRaet or

Raet-Tawy

was a female aspect of Ra; she did not have much importance independent of him. In some myths she was considered to be either Ra's wife or his daughter.

[13]

Gods created by RaBastet

Bastet

(also called Bast) is sometimes known as the "cat of Ra".

[14]

She is also his daughter by

Isis

and is associated with Ra's instrument of vengeance, the sun-god's eye.

[14]

Bastet is known for decapitating the serpent

Apophis

(Ra's sworn enemy and the "God" of Chaos) to protect Ra.

[14]

In one myth, Ra sent Bastet as a lioness to Nubia.

[14]

Sekhmet

Sekhmet

is another daughter of Ra.

[15]

Sekhmet was depicted as a lioness or large cat, and was an "eye of Ra", or an instrument of the sun god's vengeance.

[15]

In one myth, Sekhmet was so filled with rage that Ra was forced to turn her into a cow so that she would not cause unnecessary harm.

[15]

In another myth, Ra fears that mankind is plotting against him and sends Hathor (another daughter of Ra) to punish humanity. While slaughtering humans she takes the form of Sekhmet. To prevent her from killing all humanity, Ra orders that beer be dyed red and poured out on the land. Mistaking the beer for blood, Sekhmet drinks it, and upon becoming intoxicated, she reverts to her pacified form, Hathor.

[16]

Hathor

Hathor

is another daughter of Ra.

[17]

When Ra feared that mankind was plotting against him, he sent Hathor as an "eye of Ra".

[15]

In one myth, Hathor danced naked in front of Ra until he laughed to cure him of a fit of sulking.

[17]

When Ra was without Hathor, he fell into a state of deep depression.

[18]

Other gods

Neith

,

Brooklyn Museum

Ptah

Ptah

is rarely mentioned in the literature of Old Kingdom pyramids.

[19]

This is believed by some to be a result of the Ra-worshipping people of Heliopolis being the main writers of these inscriptions.

[19]

While some believed that Ra is self-created, others believed that Ptah created him.

[20]

IsisIn one myth,

Isis

created a serpent to poison Ra and only gave him the antidote when he revealed his true name to her. Isis passed this name on to Horus, bolstering his royal authority.

[21]

Apep

Apep

, also called Apophis, was the god of chaos and Ra's arch-enemy. He was said to lie just below the horizon line, trying to devour Ra as Ra traveled through the underworld.

[fuck-customers]

I don’t care if you spend $150,000+ yearly here, you’re still getting kicked out

Hi! Im a casino dealer for a well known and one of the largest Casino chains in the USA. I adore my job and 9/10 nothing happens to me that I feel the need to bring up to a supervisor or security. My regulars are great, the new faces are usually fun, and the worst thing I have to consistently contend with is my players getting antsy over how long the servers take with drinks on busy nights. Its a great job for the most part.

The absolute only thing, that 1/10 times, that I have to deal with is people, usually men, getting overly aggressive or sexual. When money and alcohol are involved, it can bring out the worst in people. And Im also quite young looking, with a very soft voice and demeanor at work, and Ive been warned by management that bc of that I may deal with some harrassment. Luckily, theyre never shy to support me and do what needs to be done to get it sorted. Because of how great management and security are, Ive never felt unsafe, despite how people can act.

This story is not about the average guest, however!!! No, this story is about a reoccuring character in my casino, a misogynistic high roller who only ever seems to come out of poker room or high limit to harrass me.

At my casino (and those sister casinos under a larger, well known brand) we have a rewards program that ranks the guests on, basically, how much they spend and win.

Basically, you get 1 point for every $1 to spend or win on a table game (there are other ways to win but thats the way thats relevent to me, a table games dealer). For each rank, you have to earn, yearly:

Gold: 1-4,999 points

Platinum: 5,000-14,999

Diamond: 15,000-149,999

Seven Star: 150,000+

Which, yes, means that a Seven star player spends and wins more money at my job than Ill ever see in my bank account! In one year, EVERY year, they want to be a Seven Star member!

So, Ive had issues with this one Seven Star (7S) member, consistently. Mainly, he treats me like crap and calls me a b*tch to his friends when he loses (which happens, bc its gambling, and its not my fault). In the same breath, he’ll refuse to continue the round until I ~apologize to him or ~blow him a kiss to make up for taking his chips. Or he’ll make uncomfortably intense and detailed comments on my appearance.

Every time I go to tell my floor supervisor about him, he sees me and colors up his chips and runs before they can handle it. On the bright side, it means I usually only have to deal with him once a night, because after that he avoids me (although he will walk by my table and tell my players how bad of a dealer I am despite how attractive he thinks I am, and how much of a shame that is).

This weekend is Halloween weekend, however, and we were allowed to be in costume. Im in love with fashions inspired by older time periods, so I went into work in an all-wine red outfit inspired by Edwardian fashion. It was really cute, and I got a lot of compliments from my coworkers, so I was having a great night.

But 7S sees me as hes coming out of High Limit BJ and makes a beeline for my table. I dredge up my best customer service smile and buy him in and shuffle the cards. As Im working, however, he is wasting nO time in making sure I understand how physically attractive he finds me in my costume.

Before I can say anything, he is pulling his phone out and pointing it directly at me, saying hes going to take a picture.

1) Policy states that, for security reasons, guests are not allowed to have their phones out while sitting at a table.

2) Policy also states you arent supposed to take pictures on a table, or anywhere really, bc of above. There are of course exceptions, like taking a quick selfie or SC, that security wont bother with. But if the officers on the floor or the Eye in the Sky (the security watching the cameras) see you taking video or photos a suspicious amount, please know you ARE being followed my an officer, either on the floor or over cameras.

3) Common decency and security both also state thst you dont take pictures of employees without their consent.

Now, still smiling, I tell him he knows full well he’ll get in trouble if he takes a picture of me because he knows the rules. Hes not supposed to have his phone out, at all, at the minimum. He just smiles lecherously and tells me its an exception bc its Halloween. False.

Luckily, however, I’m just there for 20min to give a coworker a break. In the mean time, no matter how often I insist he has to stop, he doesnt. It just so happens that my floor supvervisor was having to deal with 2 drunk guests fighting 2 tables over from me, so I couldnt immediately reinforce the rules. I had to spend 20min dealing with this guy drooling and taking photos of me when he thought I wasnt looking until my coworker came back and I could walk up to my supervisor directly. (Poor guy was dealing with a lot, so i dont blame him for not seeing what was happening at my table.)

Typically, 7S saw my ratting him out and tried to run. My awesome floor sueprvisor didnt hesitate. All I had to say was “The 7S player at spot 5 kept taking pics of me” and he was calling security, no further explanation needed.

I was giving another coworker a break when the rest of the story unfolded.

Security and my shift manager track him down and force him to delete the multiple photos from his phone, explaining in detail why that wasnt allowed. The female security guard even went so far as to take the phone away, go into the deleted section, and made sure to hard erase the photos so he couldnt recover them.

He, apparently, insisted that it was an exception bc it was Halloween, that I gave him permission, that did we know how much money he spends here?!?! How dare we tell him no! He’ll never come here again! You’ll take an employee’s word over hIS? When he spends so much money here?!?!

Security, many of whom Ive made a point to become friendly with over the months Ive worked here, werent having his crap and told him that he had a 24hr ban for the premises. Unfortunately, the only way out was to walk him in front of my new table.

7S, no matter how many security officers were walking him out, kept trying to walk up to me and start talking. At one point he managed to just stand there in front of my table and just... stare at me, ignoring the security trying to make him leave. He just stood there, perfectly in front of me, with a gross, malicious smile, waiting to be acknowledged by me as a whole security team tried to urge him forward without having to take physical action.

I had guests on my table, so I wasnt about to talk to him, but I glanced up at him and smiled, and continued to deal the cards.

I wish I could say I was trying to be witty, but honestly after working so long in this position, my default response to guests in general has just become the Customer Service Smile. I was actually very afraid in that moment, and very grateful to the security guard who finally wedged herself between us and forced him on.

Later, the female security officer who made sure my photos were fully deleted came up to me on break. She let me know that she made sure to get everything off his phone, and that she was honestly frightened of how he treated me and how he was acting towards me, and that its now going to be known how he feels towards me. She said that if he ever sits at my table and even vaguely makes me uncomfortable, bc of his history with me they wont hesitate to take care of it.

Working here is one of the best things to ever happen to me, and Im glad the security and management here are able to minimize the guests who give me problems. And hopefully he hates me enough that he never plays at my table, again.

TL;DR: A guest who spends $150,000+ yearly at my casino repeatedly sexually harrasses me over a period of months. It comes to a head when he takes photos of me without my consent in my Halloween costume. Security and management make him delete the photos and temporarily ban him from the establishment in a scene that was bad enough for security to put a policy in place to keep him from bothering me ever again.

[cutiewithamind]

Roleplay Plots and Rules

18+, I am currently 19 years old

I am the female in the plots but dont mind which gender you are

I usually do first POV but can do Third

I usually can do from 3 sentences to 3 paragraphs depending on responses

I have kik and email

Plots~~~

1. Me and you meet one night at the carnival that comes to town every year before school starts. We hit it off well— having some make out sessions and some other things. We exchange numbers and agree to go out sometime—there was undeniable chemistry that we both wanted to explore. All of that comes crashing down when I , who is a senior in high school, walks into class on the first day and finds you sitting behind the teachers desk.

2. You hear alarms go off in the city, radios turns into saying that there will be nuclear bombs coming soon. Amd tv shows turning to these screens. Being in school the principal and school board lwt us go to our family. Since i was an orphan, i just went to the store, getting some supplies, clothes and a duffel bag for all the stuff, then i put everything in and goes to the closest apartment or office. Running into it as other people run out, people on the highway, trying to find a place to go, and i gwt down on the lowest level, and goes to a room that seems good enough, knocking on the wall. Seeing if all the walls are concrete.

3. Many years later, we had a big war that were bigger than all others. And as it did, it destroyed many of our land. Making people adapt, and some didnt make it. - I was at a lake, with some bottles of water, trying to get some water to heat up and drink. Also next to me is a backpack and a baseball bat

4. I lived in a poor family, with my parents in debt so i did whatever i could to help them. So i looked for a good paying job. You were looking for a personal assistant, and i thought it’ll be okay. So i applied for the job and you wanted to interview me.

5.We were two strangers that were kidnapped. And i was tied up, having a ball gag in my mouth, music blaring from the headphones that covers my ears. I couldnt tell where i was since they also covered my eyes, leaving me defenseless in all ways. All i knew that i was tied down on a flat surface and that im n.aked.

6. I am your neighbor for a year and i am a little but ive never told anyone. I have the small town house next to you and i have a cute cat that loves to go into your backyard. So i always have to knock on your door to get her back.

7. I was one of your "girls" or what your gang likes to call us "whores". Most of them were more mature, bigger breasts and asses. I was more petite and was picked on more by the other girls and guys. You were the leader of the group. I couldnt tell if you ever liked me around but one day you snapped at an other girl for pushing me on the ground.

8. It was a year after everything collapsed, government, police, economy. There were some communities and it was lucky for someone to move into community without any suspicions. There was a group that would kidnap people in an area. Where they take the victims, it wasnt really known. It was a high school that looks lifeless. There were wooden boards up on every window. There mustve been insulation so no one can hear what happens in it. There were mostly women that were the victims. The men would make the women work, separating peas from the leaves or stitch up clothes, and fullfill their se.xual favors. Some women were older with others and when they find no use for a woman they will take her to a random place and leaves her there. Making sure that the woman is far away from the site.

9. It was during a war. Men came through our town, sirens going off and yelling. I was young, 16, moving with my mother as soldiers pointed us the direction of where to go. We load up on trucks, not knowing if we were going to live. As we are being transported, gun fire goes off and my mother covers me, making me lay down as her body covers me. Men start yelling then shoot again, now at us. I hear screaming and gun fire. Then nothing.

10. You lived on your own but you wanted to visit us. I am your little sister, still in high school and living with mom and dad. You were out of the house for acouple of months.The thing is that mom had her schedule switched so she is gone most nights and dad took advantage of that. You called mom that you were coming over. She was so happy and so was I. Dad wasnt happy or looking like it since it would now be harder for him to take advantage of me.

11. I walk into the town, deserted with rusted cars, weeds growing on the sidewalk and dogs roaming around. I quickly move around, not wanting a bad group to find their way to me. I have a backpack, duct taped boots, hoodie, sweatpants and a bat with me. My hair was always up, I couldnt have it in my face, i needed to watch for things coming my way. I turned a corner hoping to find a supermarket so I can get some canned food.

12. You love going to your favorite restaurant, it is cheap but also great food. You knew mostly all the staff except the new server. She is following around another server, getting a feel for her role. They come around to you and she starts with her lines. "Hello, welcome to Anthony's Diner, is there anything I can get you started with?" I say nervously.

13. We are both in college, you are 2 years ahead of me. I just started and you always tease me when we pass each other since we are step siblings. We got an apartment together, since it was easier. There is a party tomorrow and you hear me talking to my friends about going.

Please message if interested

[unlocktxt]

your parents actually had you put soap it your mouth— like... like in the old movies like A Christmas Story...? D: I mean every parent is different I guess. I just get yelled at and hit with a shoe wuldnsmsj but i feel u on the sibling thing😔 my sister told my mom like 2 or 3 weeks ago that she got a 4/6 on this quiz which at her school is a hella F and my mom was like “it’s ok sweetie just try harder and study more next time” and i was like “MOM TF—“ because i got the SAME EXACT GRADE when i was in algebra on that SAME EXACT TEST and i remember she was like 😡🤬👿💥🔥💣. 😔 also sister was a scandalous fake cryer from the beginning. like when she was two i would catch her standing on the little toddler steppy stool and practice crying in front of the mirror in the bathroom. it never really clicked back then that she would use that against me but as i grew older i was like “wait a damn second...” and the thing is she’ll still pull the crying thing sometimes and she’s a whole grown ass 13 year old💀but we love our little sisters anyway i guess because it’s mandatory because if i didn’t love her i would’ve just gone to bed and been like “figure your 3 assignments of algebra hw out by yourself” and she would’ve failed.☹️

....yes :( I didn’t even know that wasn’t a normal thing until I told others about it. They’re were like :o that’s disgusting! WORST PART IS my mom would go “you have to bite it and can’t wash it out for 10 seconds” GUYS ILL TELL YOU HERE AND NOW soap doesn’t taste good... and it’s hard to get out of ur teeth. (At least she’d get a new bar of soap for us 😌) I was known as the trouble maker child cuz I didn’t like getting told what to do... came with a lottttt of getting my ass meet with a belt (my dad did this this where he would slam the belt together to make a loud noise and I could hear him doing it while I was in my room knowing that my ass was gonna HURT) I’ve never been hit with a shoe besides messing around with my brother but SHOES FRIKIN HURT especially flip flops those things STING! I do remember the first time my lil sis ever got a spanken tho I was like 🤭 cuz my mom was so tired of it that she spanked her with a brush... THE BRUSH FUCKIN BROKE. YESSSS I mean my sister struggles more in school than me so I understand it BUT I CANT EVEN MAKE A B WITHOUT MY DAD GOING “you’re not trying hard enough. Don’t let off the gas now” he has actually told me not to let off the gas... like... IVE BEEN OFF THE GAS SINCE 10TH GRADE I’m tired of school 😭 but FR THO U JUST SIT THERE AND WATCH THE LIL SIB GET BABIED. I can’t believe you caught your sister practicing skfnskd like I knew from the get go she used crying as a way to get away with things... it was that or she needed to get her emotions in check. like I cried when I got im trouble... BUT THAT WAS BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS GONNA GET MY ASS BEAT like I would cry and plead guilty while saying sorry 100x but noooooo there was no saving me. My lil sis on the other hand... tears... and it’s fine FAKE TEARS THAT DISAPPEAR WITHIN SECONDS. Ur sister rlly said 😏 wanna see a trick. I feel like my sis will turn out the same way like she’s 11 and will still be like 🤧 like... OKAY we get it you can act 😤 I cant fake cry but even if I could IT WOULDNT MATTER ID STILL BE IN TROUBLE. Yep... the things we do for our little sisters. They have the power to push EVERY. SINGLE. BUTTON. but still come out as the people we’d chose first. Like even when we weren’t that close I knew that I would always put her before anyone else I love. the fact that I had my own work to finish... but I helped her on her 5+ math assignments that were due the next day 🙂. I feel like they have an unfair advantage... NOBODY HELPED ME WITH MY MATH! okay maybe it’s cuz we know what it’s like to SUFFER so we’re like FINE I’ll help... although sometimes I sit there like... I am NOT dealing with this attitude.

this represents how I feel reading ur ask slbflwnr

[scribbles97]

Being Home -- Part 4

It’s not just as straight forward as walking through the front door and saying hi.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

Alternatively Read on AO3

Under the cut for Spoilers for The Long Reach Part 2!!!

Once he was strong enough and a bit more adjusted to gravity, Jeff had taken to walking around the GDF base. Gordon of all the boys had understood the most the need to get out and feel the air on his skin and feel the sun on his face. Apparently long stints on underwater research bases gave the boy worse itchy feet than Jeff could have possibly imagined for someone who loved the water so much. 

He’d found a quiet corner of the base, shaded by a tree that Jeff didn’t particularly care to identify. All that mattered to him was that he could sit in relative peace and watch the goings on, knowing in the back of his mind that he could get up and leave whenever he wanted. Some days he would take the recordings of Virgil’s music and simply listen, other days he would have the sketchbook and pencils the boys had brought him. On occasion he would have one of the boys with him to talk and keep him company. 

It didn’t really matter as long as he had something to do. 

“Colonel Tracy!” 

His head snapped up from the photos he had been looking at, the title one he hadn’t heard in years. He wasn’t sure who he expected, nobody on the base bothered him other than the doctors and nurses, anyone else simply too in awe of the man walking among them.

“How is it that even back on earth you’re still a bloomin’ impossible man to track down?”

Chuckling, Jeff set the lighttype down and pulled himself to his feet using the tree as a support. 

“Like you’re one to talk Lee,” He laughed, reaching out as his old friend approached, “The boys have told me all about what you’ve been up to.”

Lee chuckled, voice rough and gravelly as it always had been. He slung his arm across Jeff’s shoulders, shaking his head as he grinned, 

“At least I picked an actual planet that was actually equipped to support life.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t invite you to go in the first place,” Jeff grinned, “Or were you still up on Alfie when they made the selection.”

“You guessed it.” Lee nodded again, pulling away so they could both sit up against the trunk of the tree.

“We thought you were dead Jeff.”

“The papers said I was.”

The paperwork wasn’t the only thing that had said as much.

Lee’s voice was uncharacteristically soft as he brought his knees to his chest, “I shoulda known if anyone could survive out there it would have been you. Damn stubborn bastard you are.”

He had to smile, there was just something about Lee that eased him. Perhaps it was all those years having just him for company on the moon or on the long flight to Mars. The man knew him well though, knew his bugbears and worries and fears. 

“It wasn’t easy,” He whispered, voice catching, “Damn Lee, I had nothing out there.” 

There wasn’t an immediate response, which surprised him from Lee of all people. Looking up to his friend he raised an eyebrow at his silence. 

“A lesser man woulda given up y’know.” Lee sighed, “... Jeff I’m ashamed to admit that I did.”

Turning to face him, Jeff frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I…” He shrugged, looking up to the sky as he shook his head, “... When I found out you were gone, we did everythin’ to try and find you buddy. You weren’ there to be found though.” He paused, looking back to Jeff with a sad smile, “Casey and I argued a long time over it all. The fundin’ for Alfie stopped and they wanted me to come home. ‘Cept then it would’ve been real, you would really be gone and I’d have to accept it.”

“You never did like change,” Jeff murmured, reaching across to squeeze than man’s knee.

“When I went to Mars, I had no option but to accept it,” Lee continued, resting his hand over Jeff’s, “You know they memorialised your damn footprint? And I went up there every day… sentimental sod I am.”

He couldn’t help but laugh again, nudging his friend with a chuckle, “We'll go up there again Lee, you and me. For old times sake.”

Lee shook his head, chuckling too at the thought, “Them boys ain’t ever gonna let you in space again Jeff! Never!”

The thought sobered Jeff, the reminder of how Alan had piloted Thunderbird Three so beautifully through the Oort cloud. He wondered what would have happened if he had never left, would Alan have still become the pilot he now was? 

“Alan’s piloting my ship.”

“Don’t I know it,” Lee nodded, “The kid came with Johnny to come and pick me up.”

Jeff wasn’t sure why it surprised him. How else would Lee have gotten back from Mars? Yet, it still seemed so surreal. Alan, in Jeff’s head, was still a kid. Alright he had inevitably grown since Jeff had been gone, but he had still just graduated highschool. What the hell was he doing flying a rocket?

“He’s a damn good pilot Jeff, kid’s better than you even,” Lee shifted, sitting forward more to drop his voice, “And he loves it Jeff, more than life itself.” 

That didn’t surprise him. Alan had been talking about the stars as long as he’d been able to understand them. Much like John his fascination had been captured in rockets and planets and space as a whole. He had never doubted that the boy would follow him up there one day. 

“Did it have to happen so soon?” He choked out, a lump catching in his throat. 

“Hey,” Lee grunted nudging him not so subtly, “He’s still a kid really… still asking for stories and all that.”

And he was right, Alan had wanted to know everything when they were home. He’d read the book on space survival and wanted to know just what Jeff had done to survive. 

“Lee, there’s some things I can’t ever tell them...”

The hand on his shoulder was heavy and squeezed hard, “Then tell me.”

***

Alan had been hovering since he had finished post flight checks. Jeff knew because the youngest had been sure to make sure that he knew. He had even gone through just what checks he had done and explained in great detail how the hydraulics for the grasping arms would need extra checks having held the rock for so long. 

“So you like the ship then?” Jeff smiled, glancing up as Virgil attached a line to the IV in the back of his hand. 

“It’s amazing,” Alan enthused, eyes wide and bright, “Dad, it’s more than I ever dreamed it could be.”

Virgil chuckled, shaking his head as he stepped back from Jeff and looking to his younger brother, 

“He worked hard for it Dad.”

There was a plea in both of their words, a silent but all meaningful ‘please don’t take it from him’. 

From the brief glimpses that he had seen, Jeff knew he couldn’t.

“I’m proud of you kid,” He nodded, reaching out to pull him in for a hug, “I’m just sorry I wasn’t here to show you.”

Alan clung onto him just as desperately as he had in that first moment, head tucked into Jeff’s shoulder and arms squeezing the life out of him. 

“It’s okay Dad,” He mumbled into his shirt, “You’re here now.”

“Whilst I hate to break up a reunion…” 

Jeff looked up, smiling at the woman that had entered the room, 

“Val Casey, took your time didn’t you?”

She smiled easily at him, “Sorry, was dealing with our old friend and his new trainees.”

Alan’s face fell at the mention, “You’ve locked them all up right?”

His Aunt’s hand landed on his shoulder, reassured with a firm nod to the young man, “The Hood and the Chaos Crew aren’t going to bother you anymore Alan.”

Jeff looked to Virgil, tilting his head slightly towards the door as he did. Virgil nodded, getting the request loud and clear. 

“Hey Al, why don’t we go and get Dad some food before Grandma does?”

The youngest look back and forth, still young enough to not immediately take a hint but old enough to know he was missing something. 

“I’m not going anywhere kid,” Jeff assured, reaching out to squeeze his hand, “Promise.”

“I’ll make sure of it.” Val added quietly.

The slightest nod, an older brother’s arm slung around his shoulders, and a pair of glances back at him as the boys left. 

“I’d get up and hug you Val,” He smiled, “But gravity…” Trailing off he shrugged. 

Val laughed as she sat on the bed, as close as she could to him and taking his hand. 

“God I’ve missed you Jeff.”

He leant into her, sighing softly. He had missed everyone, his boys, his mother, and his friends, including Val. There was something different about being with her though, no questions or how are yous. 

Just company. 

Silent company. 

“Whenever you need to talk,” Val murmured twisting slightly to look at him, “Or if you need anything… things the boys can’t…” She trailed off shaking her head, “I’m around Jeff. Just like I was after Lucy.”

Gripping her hand tight he swallowed against the lump in his throat. If a few tears fell she said nothing as she sat with him in comfort and support. 

[bibhabmishra]

The Princess Bride

It feels downright inconceivableI to devote only one chapter in a book about lessons gleaned from eighties movies to The Princess Bride. Why, just off the top of my head, while standing on my head, I can name five life lessons that this movie teaches you that you don’t learn anywhere else:  1. “Never go against a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!” 2. “Love is the greatest thing—except for a nice mutton, lettuce, and toma- to sandwich when the mutton is nice and lean.” 3. “Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” 4. Eventually, you learn not to mind the kissing parts. 5. And most important, “As you wish” = “I love you.”  Such is the depth of wisdom in this film that in 2013, twenty-six years after its release, BuzzFeed devoted a listII to the lessons gleaned from it. A BuzzFeed list! Who needs the Oscars, Princess Bride, when you have that ultimate of mod- ern-day accolades? The Princess Bride is so adored that it’s probablyIII now a clichéd response on Internet dating websites: walks on the beach, an open fire, sunsets, and The Princess Bride. And yet, despite this, love for The Princess Bride is not seen as desperately hackneyed or cheesily safe. The Princess Bride is what you’d need a prospective love interest to cite as their favorite movie for the relationship to progress,IV it’s the one film that would make you rethink a lifelong friendship if you found out your best friend “just didn’t get it”—not that they would ever say that, because I honestly don’t know a single person of my generation who isn’t obsessed with this film.

And not just my generation: in As You Wish, a very enjoyable book about the making of The Princess Bride, Cary Elwes—who played Westley the farm boy, of course—recounts being told by both Pope John Paul II and Bill Clinton how much they loved the movie, proving that The Princess Bride appeals to saints and sinners alike.V Now, having said all that, I have a confession to make. I was not the big Princess Bride fan in my family when I was growing up. That title instead went to my sister, Nell. Our mother took us to see it at the movie theater when I must have been nine and Nell was seven, and even though the film was— incredibly—something of a commercial disappointment when it came out, the cinema was absolutely packed with kids like us. In my mind, everyone in the audience was utterly in thrall to this tale of Buttercup (Robin Wright), her true love Westley (Elwes), and their battles against Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), and Count Rugen (Christopher Guest), and their eventual assistance from the brave swordsman Inigo (Mandy Patinkin), the giant Fezzik (the professional wrestler known as André the Giant), and Miracle Max (Billy Crystal). Afterward, we stood in the cinema atrium as our mother bundled us back into our coats. “Did you girls like it?” she asked. Standing there in her corduroy dungarees and T-shirt, Nell looked in a state of semi-shock. “I LOVED IT. I WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN RIGHT NOW!” she practically shouted. Now, The Princess Bride is wonderful, but in order to understand how unex- pected this proclamation was, you have to know a little bit about my sister. Ever since she was old enough to throw a tantrum, my sister refused to wear dresses. She never played with dolls. She refused to let my mother brush her hair and had apparently no interest in her physical appearance. She did not like mushy stories—she didn’t even like reading books. In other words, she was the complete opposite to me. How much of that was a deliberate reaction against me, a younger sibling defining herself in opposition to the older one, and how much of it was simply an innate part of Nell was already a moot point when we went to see The Princess Bride: Nell’s parameters were so firmly set by then that her nickname in our family was “the tough customer.” She would consent to drink only one kind of fruit juice (apple), and buy only one brand (Red Cheek), and only if it came out of a can (never a carton), so there was absolutely no negotiating with her about mushy princesses. Lord only knows how my mother got her to see the movie in the first place. She must have hid- den the title from her. And yet, like the grandson in the film, Kevin Arnold,VI Nell found that, against all odds, she did enjoy the story, just as Kevin’s grandfather, Columbo,VII promises. I think Nell made my mother take her to see the film at the cinema at least three more times. As she wished. When it came out on VHS, we bought it immediately and it was understood that the videocassette was officially Nell’s, just as the videocassette for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was officially mine. When she found out that the film had originally been a book by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay, she asked my amazed mother to buy that, too. Nell read it over and over until the pages fell out, so she stuck them back in and then read the book again. The Princess Bride was the book that taught her to like books, as much as the movie taught her to relax some of her other rules. She developed a lifelong crush on Westley and, not long after, she started wearing dresses, too. The reasons why Nell loved this film so much exemplify, I think, why it is universally adored in a way that, say, the vaguely similar and contemporary The Never-Ending Story is not. It’s a fairy tale for those who love fairy tales, but it’s also a self-aware spoof for those who don’t; it’s an adventure film for boys and—for once—girls, too, but without pandering to or excluding either; it’s got a plot for kids, dialogue for adults, and jokes for everyone; it’s a genre film and a satire of a genre film; it’s a very funny movie in which everybody is playing it straight; it’s smart and sweet and smart about its sweetness, but also sweet about its smarts. Unlike, say, Shrek, there are no jokes here for parents that go over the kids’ heads: all generations enjoy it on exactly the same level. It’s a movie that lets people who don’t like certain things like those things, while at the same time not betraying the original fans. But most of all, The Princess Bride is about one thing in particular: “The Princess Bride is a story about love,” says Cary Elwes. “So much happens in the movie—giants, fencing, kidnapping. But it’s really a film about love.” This might seem like a statement of the obvious, but it isn’t, actually. Yes, the film is ostensibly about the great true love between Buttercup and Westley, and their most perfect kiss that leaves all the other kisses in the world behind. Both Elwes and Wright were so astonishingly beautiful when they made the film that, watching them, it’s hard to believe any love ever existed on this plan- et other than theirs. And they, rather pleasingly, were quite taken with one an- other. In his book, Elwes talks at length about how “smitten” he was with Wright, and she says precisely the same about him: “I was absolutely smitten with Cary. So obviously that helped with our onscreen chemistry. . . . It doesn’t matter how many years go by, I will love Cary forever.” Disappointingly, however, Elwes insists that they remained just friends. “Everyone asks if there was more!” he says, sounding a little exasperated, apparently unable to see what everyone else can: namely, that it seems against the laws of nature for two such beautiful people not to have had sex at least once. The last scene that Elwes shot was of him and Wright kissing on horse- back, creating “the most perfect kiss” of all time against a sunset. Surely that was romantic. “Well, not really. Robin and I were friends by that point so we kept laughing, and [the director] Rob [Reiner] was going, ‘Touch her face, touch her face!’ ” He laughs. But Westley and Buttercup’s love is only a part of the film, and only one of several love stories in the film. There is also, for a start, the great love between Inigo and Fezzik. The scene in which a drunken and broken Inigo looks up into Fezzik’s face in the Thieves Forest and Fezzik says a simple, smiling hello is much more moving than the moment when Buttercup realizes the Dread Pirate Roberts is actually Westley (not least because she’s just pushed him down a hill). Even if Inigo does become the Dread Pirate Roberts at the end of the film, as Westley suggests he should, it is as impossible to imagine him going off without Fezzik as it is to imagine Buttercup and Westley being severed. This love between the two men is at the root of one of the film’s subtlest lessons. Bad guys teach audiences how to think of opponents in life, and this is especially true of bad guys in books and films aimed at kids. Because stories for kids tend to be relatively simple, villains in these films are almost invariably evil, and that’s all there is to be said about them. Cruella de Vil, Snow White’s stepmother, the witch in Rapunzel: WHAT a bunch of moody bitches. This is also certainly true of movies for children in the 1980s, from the frankly terri- fying Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) in Who Framed Roger Rabbit to the enjoyably evil Ursula in The Little Mermaid. It’s a pleasingly basic approach, and one that validates most kids’ (and adults’) view of the world: “I am good and anyone who thwarts me is wicked and there is no point in trying to think about things from their point of view because they have no inner life of their own beyond pure evil and a desire to impede me.” The Princess Bride, however, does something different. It’s easy to forget this once you’ve seen the movie and fallen in love with the characters but Inigo and Fezzik are, ostensibly, bad guys. When we first meet them in the movie, they knock our heroine, Buttercup, unconscious and kidnap her for Vizzini. We are also told they will kill her. Our princess! In the eyes of children, you can’t get much more evil than that. They are hired guns in the re- venge business, which is not a job for a good guy in any fairy tale. But Gold- man flips it around. We quickly see Inigo and, in particular, Fezzik being ex- tremely sweet with each other, doing their little rhymes together and trying to protect one another from Vizzini’s ire. Their love for one another shows us there is more to these villains than villainy. Goldman then ups the ante even further by having Inigo describe to the Man in Black how he has devoted his life to avenging the death of his father, thus giving him the kind of emotional backstory kids can definitely understand, as well as adding another mission to the movie. Soon after beating (but not killing) Inigo, the Man in Black fights with Fezzik, who we already know has a similarly sad past (“unemployed—IN GREENLAND”). Plenty of villains were once good before crossing to the dark side: Darth Vader, many of Batman’s nemeses, Voldemort. The point in those stories is that the difference between true evil and true greatness comes down to one wrong decision, one wrong turn, and there is no going back from that. But The Princess Bride does something more subtle: it suggests that good people some- times end up doing bad things, but are still good, have stories of their own, and are capable of love. Inigo and Fezzik both killed people in the past for Vizzini, but they’re all still good people. This is quite a message for kids (and adults) to take in: not everything is clear-cut when it comes to good and bad, even in fairy tales. In the original novel, William Goldman goes into much greater detail about Fezzik and Inigo’s friendship, and this is one of the reasons why I—in all hon- esty—pre-fer the book to the film.VIII But the film alludes to it enough in order for audiences to understand the real bond between the men, and partly this happens through the script and partly through the actors, especially one actor in particular. At one point, Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered for the role of Fezzik, but, thank heavens, he was already too expensive by the time the film finally started shooting. Where Schwarzenegger is all jarring rectangles and jut- ting jaw, André the Giant was all soft circles and goofy smiles. Where Schwarzenegger palpably punished himself to a superhuman extent to get the body he clearly wanted so badly, the man born André René Roussimoff suf- fered from gigantism due to acromegaly and had no choice about his size, just as Fezzik didn’t, much to the latter’s misery (“It’s not my fault being the big- gest and the strongest—I don’t even exercise”). It would be a patronizing cliché to say André was born to play Fezzik, but he was certainly more right for the role than Schwarzenegger. By the time he made The Princess Bride, André was seven feet, four inches and weighed more than 540 pounds. Easily the sweetest stories in Cary Elwes’s book come from the cast and crew’s memories of the wrestler, who died in 1993 at the age of forty-six, and this is not mere sentimentality. Quite a few of The Princess Bride’s cast have, sadly, since died, including Mel Smith, Peter Cook, and Peter Falk, but none of them prompts the same kind of fondness as that felt for André. “It’s safe to say that he was easily the most popular person on the movie,” Elwes writes. “Everyone just loved him.” Partly this is due to the extraordinary nature of the man. Robin Wright re- calls going out to a dinner with him where he ate “four or five entrees, three or four appetizers, a couple of baskets of bread, and then he’s like, I’m ready for seconds. And then desserts. I think he went through a case of wine and he wasn’t even tipsy.” But it was André’s innately gentle nature that made him so beloved. His “compassion and protective nature,” Elwes writes, helped Wallace Shawn over- come his almost paralyzing fear of heights when they were filming the climb up the Cliffs of Insanity. When Robin Wright felt chilly when filming outdoors, André would place one of his huge hands on top of Wright’s head. “She said it was like having a giant hot water bottle up there. It certainly did the trick; he didn’t even mess up her hair that much!” Elwes writes. When he died, William Goldman wrote his obituary in New York magazine. The last lines were as fol- lows: “André once said to Billy Crystal, ‘We do not live long, the big and the small.’ Alas.” Next, on a smaller level, is the love between Miracle Max (Crystal) and his aged wife, Valerie (Carol Kane). Initially they seem simply like a squabbling old couple, playing purely for broad comedy (and their scene is the broadest comedic one in the film). But it soon becomes clear that Valerie is needling Max only because she wants him to get back his confidence in his work after Prince Humperdinck destroyed it by sacking them, and her little cheer when her husband agrees to make a miracle for Inigo is really very touching. By the end of their scene, they’re working together, finishing one another’s sentences, holding each other arm in arm, and whispering little asides to one another. As a portrait of elderly marriage goes, this one is a pretty lovely one. Finally, there’s the great love story that frames the whole movie: the one be- tween the grandson/Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) and the grandfather/Columbo (Peter Falk). In the beginning of the movie, the grandson is irritated by his cheek-pinching grandfather and can hardly believe that he has to stop playing his adorably primitive-looking computer baseball game to listen to grandfather read a book.IX As the film progresses, the relationship between the grandson and grandfather progresses almost like a traditional love story: the grandson slowly gets more interested, clutching his covers anxiously when Buttercup is almost eaten by the Shrieking Eels; then he gets angry, banging his bed with his fist when it seems like Westley has been killed; and finally, he comes around entirely and tells his grandfather to come back the next day to read the book again. “As you wish.” His grandfather smiles, and the film ends. “That wasn’t actu- ally in the script,” Elwes says. “They came up with him saying that on, I think, the last day, and it really captures the love between the grandfather and grand- son. You can also see the tenderness between Fred Savage and Peter Falk.”

[minervacasterly]

Henry VIII & Catherine of Aragon: Once Upon a Time there was a young handsome man who swore he'd marry a beautiful, destitute royal lady ... their story is often glossed over and considered unimportant but it remains an important chapter in English history, one that sowed the seeds for her intellectual successors, her daughter, the first English queen and her successor. Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII are the perfect example of a fairy tale gone bad. Their story starts very idyllic. Boy meets girl, promises he will marry her after his older brother dies and like in the promises that couples still make today at weddings, the swears that he will love her until the death. But as it is common with most fairy tales, there is a darker element in the story, one that makes their relationship even sadder. Recent historians have done a great job documented the early years in their relationship, describing how Henry VIII were well-matched and she was often the go-to- person for foreign ambassadors who wanted to see His Majesty's favor. Henry VIII's disillusion with Catherine is the product of his ancestors' dynastic warfare, going all the way back to the Normans and the Angevins. England had been this close to having its first female monarch when Henry I made all of his barons swear allegiance to his remaining legitimate offspring, Matilda who was quickly married to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou and Maine in an effort to secure the Dynasty for him by providing her father with male heirs. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Matilda fought hard against her cousin, the barons' choice and her father's successor, King Stephen, for the English throne but following his son and wife's death, the two of them had no choice but to accept an uneasy truce in which Matilda gave up her claim in her oldest son, Henry FitzEmpress favor. Fast forward to three hundred years later and the country is yet facing another civil war, this time between two other powerful branches of the Plantagenet dynasty. Once again, it was up to a man to put an end to this war through his mother's claim, also using his wife's claim to give legitimacy to their offspring. Giving all that England had to endure for three hundred years, Henry VIII knew that it was up to him to secure the Tudor Dynasty. And the best way to achieve this was by having a male heir -and if possible, a spare, in case the crown heir died. Henry VIII was after all the "spare" and he knew all too well that there were other potential claimants who could easily take advantage of the succession crisis to garner support in the same fashion his father did. In spite of Catherine's miscarriages, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon still enjoyed a happy existence with Henry still visiting her chambers in the mid 1520s. After she gave birth to Mary, Henry VIII consoled her and told her that just as they had a healthy daughter, they could have a healthy son. One wonders if Anne Boleyn knew what Henry VIII told Catherine after she had given birth to a healthy daughter since those were almost the same words he told her when she gave birth to another healthy princess. In any case, the first years of their lives were purely idyllic. As Amy Licence, author of In Bed With the Tudors, notes in her biography on the six wives of Henry, Six Wives and the Many Mistresses of Henry VIII: "In 1510, Thomas More wrote a poem which he called 'The twelve properties or Conditions of a Lover'. With the happiness of the newlywed royal couple evident to all, More explored the contemporary ideals of amatory behavior, which included fidelity and devotion as well as the more specific examples of dressing, or adorning, oneself for the pleasure of the spouse, being frequently in their company and coveting the lover's praise. It was also essential to 'believe of his love all things excellent, and to desire that all folks should think the same' and 'to serve his love, nothing thinking of any reward or profit'. This accorded with the advice given to Henry in 1501, by his tutor John Kelton, to 'choose a wife for yourself and always love her only'. With Henry soon to adopt the title of 'Sir Loyal Heart', his devotion to Catherine was beyond doubt. Henry had certainly grown into an impressive young man. According to Thomas More's coronation verses, he had 'strength worthy of his regal person' and stood taller than his companions. There was 'fiery power' in his eyes, Venus in his face and 'such colour in his cheeks as is typical of twin roses'. Yet he possessed other skills, too. He was skilled in the physical arts of war, with 'his hand ... as skilled as his heart is brave' with 'the naked sword, or an eager charge with leveled lances, or an arrow aimed to strike a target'. More also described how Henry's virtue 'shone forth from his face' and his countenance bore 'the open message of a good heart'. Wisdom dwelled in his judicious mind and his breast was untroubled; he bore his lost with modest chastity, his gentle hearth was warmed by clemency and his mind far from arrogant. He and his natural gifts had been enhanced by a 'liberal education', with his father's wisdom and his mother's 'kindly strength'. Henry was also Catherine's intellectual equal, having studied the Classics, French, Latin, Italian, theology, modern sciences and composing music, as well as playing upon the flute, virginals and recorder ... This was the man with whom Catherine fell in love. In all things, he seemed to be her perfect match just as she was his. More's praise for the new queen extolled her birth and qualities as qualifiers that made her Henry's true equal ..." Giles Tremlett, Patrick Williams and Julia Fox in their respective biographies of Catherine, were highly descriptive of Catherine's childhood and her education, pointing out that she and her sisters were among the most learned women in Christendom, with their mother, Queen Isabella I of Castile, wishing they'd receive the education that she never had. In addition to being taught about the usual domestic arts which included how to run a household, they also had a Humanist curriculum which included learning about the classics, art, music, dancing, and of course, canon and civic law. After Henry VIII wrote a powerful spiritual tract against Martin Luther, he was given the title "Defender of the faith"; not wishing to be left behind, Catherine also wrote something, although less incendiary, defending the papacy which also earned her the title of defendress of the faith. When Anne Boleyn, then Henry's intended wife, learned that Catherine had been allowed to speak at the Blackfriars trial, she reprimanded Henry, telling him that he should have known the dangers to let her speak since, she was sure to win every time. Bottom line: Henry VIII was prince charming who knew everything there was to know about sports, Humanism and faith, but when it came to winning an argument, Catherine of Aragon was a far superior at being a drama queen. Other interesting curiosities about Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon: 1. While Henry VIII claimed that he married Catherine to fulfilled a "long lost promise" to his dad because he was such a good son, the truth is that nobody bought it and as I suspect, some of you might not either. The truth is that people expected that Henry VIII, unlike his maternal grandfather, Edward IV, would listen to his councilors and marry whomever they'd tell him to aka someone who brought more to the marriage instead of a former widow but like his grandfather, he showed them that he was going to be his own man, subject to no one but his desires. 2. After Richard III and Anne Neville's joint coronation, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were the other glorious coronation that symbolized the coming of something new and hopeful. 3. Catherine of Aragon was the FIRST and only one of two Tudor Consorts to be appointed Regent while her husband was away fighting the French. In spite of Henry VIII's meager victory which he called one of the greatest that had ever been achieved, it was Catherine who won a bigger one and secured his throne from any future threats from his Northern neighbor, Scotland. By defeating James IV, King of Scots, Catherine's leadership, left a power vacuum in Scotland which had terrible repercussions for the Stuarts that lasted until Mary, Queen of Scots and sowed the seed for her terrible fate. 4. The similarities between Henry VIII and his maternal grandfather, Edward IV have long been established, but it is not so often that his relationship with Catherine is also paralleled with that of Edward and Elizabeth Woodville. Just like Elizabeth was a widow and five years and a half older than Edward, so was Catherine, five years and a half older to Henry VIII. History does repeat itself sometimes doesn't it? ;) It's a shame that Catherine and her beloved daughter didn't have a happier ending. 5. In her biography on Isabella I of Castile, Kirstin Downey says that out of all her daughters, Catherine of Aragon was the one who inherited her countenance. And while I am no fan of Feminist Karen Lindsey's short biography on the six wives, she is right when she wrote that had Catherine had been born a boy, Spain would have had one of its greatest Kings. 6. Catherine of Aragon was the first Female Royal Ambassador in Western Europe! While Catherine and her mother were very similar, she could also be as conniving and deceptive as her father. In fact, knowing that there was no other best person he could trust than his youngest daughter at a time when her future seemed uncertain and war was once again brewing in Spain over who'd control Castile, Ferdinand II of Aragon appointed her his Ambassador. 7. She set the stage for other learned women, including Queen Catherine Parr! Like Margaret Beaufort and Elizabeth Woodville's family who sponsored many renowned religious scholars, Catherine sponsored artists and humanists as well but she took a step further, inspiring other women to get an education for themselves and their daughters, one of those women was Maud Parr whose daughter was possibly named in her honor. She became Henry VIII's last wife and the second and last Tudor consort to also be named his regent, once again when he was away fighting the French. In his book on the education of Christian princes and women's intelligence, Juan Luis Vives, dedicated his texts to her, calling her a role model for all women. 8. Defendress of the Faith: As previously stated, besides Henry VIII writing an incendiary tract against Luther in support of the Catholic faith; Catherine also wrote her own defense which earned her the unofficial title of defendress of the faith. 9. Gentle, sweet but strong as her lady mother and pragmatic as her father: Appearances can be VERY deceiving. This is certainly true when it comes to Catherine of Aragon. She appeared sweet and meek on the outside but get into a verbal row with her, you were sure to end up being devoured! Not only that, this was a woman who had been witnessed to her parents' conquest. She was a child when she saw the way her mother inspected her troops and how her father played coy with the politicians, saying one thing but doing another behind their backs. During her regency, after she had received news of King James IV of Scots' demise, she coldly inquired as to why she was not being shown his body. They told her that it would be too much to send his body to His Majesty; something she didn't look too kindly upon. So she had no choice but to settle for his bloody cape, sending it to her husband as "proof" of her victory which she attributed to him. This just shows you that besides being a good politician, she was like her father, tough as nails. And like him, she was subtle but deadly in her letters. When she found out that the pope had not yet reached a decision about her marriage, she told Charles about it and told him to hurry up and exert more pressure on the pope. When -in her view- Charles wasn't doing enough to help her cause, she put pressure on Chapuys and finally on the pope himself, daring to questioning his commitment to the Catholic faith. Talk about audacity! 10. A Woman for all Seasons: Besides being praised by her allies, she was also praised by her religious enemies, including Luther who greatly admired her and like Juan Luis Vives and Thomas More, considered her a good role model for women and was deeply saddened by her death. 11. The longest Tudor marriage: Out of all the Tudor unions, including Henry VIII's parents, it was Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon's union that lasted the longest. Twenty four years! (More if you don't count parliament's ruling) Additional sources: There is one good book that gives a possible explanation into Henry VIII's degeneracy; it is by Kyra Cornelius Kramer and it is called "Blood Will Tell". The first chapters go deep into Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon's relationship, as well as their education. Other books I have found very useful when it comes to this topic are Catherine of Aragon by Garrett Mattingly, Six Wives, the Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey and Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser.