#the amount of lore here is ridiculous

[saturdayisover]

[bleaksqueak]

Since I posted some of my old fanart yesterday... if you're not familiar with Slayers, and thus have never heard its amazing music, do check it out. It's largely by the same songwriter, Masami Okui, that did Utena's iconic opening (Rinbu Revolution) and ofc (TRUTH) and sung by a duo of her and Hayashibara Megumi (you know, the GOAT)

The entire OST pretty much slaps. there's only a couple of bad image songs in an absolute expanse of pure gold. GIVE A REASON, the opening to the second season, tends to be the reigning favorite. (I've a hard time pinning down my absolute favorite... of the original openings, it might be Breeze, but all three are so good. Of the entire catalog? Impossible to choose. Midnight Blue, Raging Waves, Within my Unlimited Desires, Gloria, Get Along... Impossible Choice)

[gingermintpepper]

This morning at like 4 am I said I'd post about Hyapollo when I woke up and I'm awake now so:

Here is a list of very specific headcanons about how Hyacinthus and Apollo's first meeting goes (this is, in fact, specific to the retelling that is living rent-free in my mind)

Apollo goes to Amyclae because he's looking for Clio. She's been missing for quite some time and the other Muses have done a wonderful job covering for her (read: hiding the reason she's MIA so Apollo doesn't get into a tiff with Aphrodite when he's already very stressed) but Apollo's gotten suspicious and none of his girls will give him a straight answer so fine, he'll find her himself.

Slips into mortal guise as a huntsman named Agreus (He's very stressed okay, don't critique his naming sense) and makes an exchange with Hermes for some information so he at least has a lead on where to start looking.

Hears from Hermes that she may or may not be in Lapith which is great, actually, Apollo hasn't checked in on how those particular descendants have been doing in quite some time so really, it's all working out.

Decides to make something of a trip out of it - he hasn't assumed mortal guise in a long time and it'll be longer still before he gets to wear it again. Goes to Amyclae so he can take the ship from there to Lapith, gets stopped by some men returning from a hunt of their own.

"Foreigner, what business do you have in our fair city?" "Merely passing through, to Lapith." "To Lapith? Where is your pass?" "My what?"

Gets arrested :(

His case gets processed fairly quickly actually - he only spends a few hours in merchant jail before he's taken to plea his case with one of the princes of Amyclae

The prince is actually one of the hunters that had him arrested. Lovely. His hair keeps catching Apollo's eyes though, thick and bright red. Almost familiarly so...

"Pardon me - " "No" "- but I can't help but notice your hair milord. Is the current queen Thracian?" "You claim to want passage to Lapith but know nothing of its affairs? The current queen is the lady of Lapith, Diomede."

Apollo hasn't been keeping much of an eye on Lapith, but as far as he knows, there hasn't been a prominent Diomede since the days of Lapithes. And she was his daughter.

It kind of clicks then - Aphrodite punishing Clio with the same fate she scolded her for, to fall in love with a mortal and experience the pain she felt for Adonis. Diomede is the kind of clever, obscure name Clio would pick, which makes this very grumpy prince in front of him both her son and a part of that punishment. Wonderful.

(The prince's name is apparently Hyacinthus. Apollo manages to convince him to let him free since he's clearly not been to Lapith in quite some time and has not kept up to date with its legislation. He pays his fine and is out of the holding cells by nightfall.)

[mamahoggs]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore 🫶🏼🫵🏼

its undead greasy magic boy time lets go

full name is milo lazarus cleaver. a little on the nose but thats just how we do it around here

do you wanna know what killed him? do you really wanna know what killed him? flying broomstick accident. gotta be careful on those things

tall. and skinny. he's 6'2 but a strong breeze could send him flying. maybe thats what happened with the broomstick

attuned to growth and nature magic, or was anyway. now he only really wilts things

did i mention he's hopelessly in love with his best friend

[under-the-stars-au]

interesting you know of the echo flowers, Isabeau, when did you learn about them

They have been in the Underground for a while now, of course they know about echo flowers x)

___________ This answer took a ridiculous amount of time to make ! But finally it's here, the next ones I planned to answer might take less time to make It may not be ideal to make such long answers, but I like taking time to give some lore and make some funny interactions too

___________ THE DIALOGUES IN CASE YOU CAN'T READ MY HANDWRITING 1 :

Isa : Well, it's kinda obvious, right ? A monster told us 'bout it ! Isa : We were just heading to this place after passing through the wacky skeleton 2 :

Isa : We all agreed when we left the ruins to avoid interactions with monsters as much as possible Isa : We need to protect ourselves and the kid by being as discreet as possible 3 :

Isa : But Sif... doesn't care at all. He just approach them and talk to them like they are buddies ! Isa : We tried to stop him at first, but after a while we just let that slide Isa : So, when we arrived at "Waterfall", he approached a monster and asked them about those weird flowers 4 : Isa : And they answered them with a big smile Isa : They said that those things were called "echo flowers", and that they repeat the last thing they heard on loop 5 : Isa : Talking back to each other until it turns into meaningless mumbles 6 : Bonnie : Eeesh, that's creepy Mirabelle : Oh Change, I'm having chills just looking at it, it's, it's... 7 : Mirabelle : The coolest thing I've even seen in my life ! Isa : He, it reminds you of those books you love huh ? 8 : Siffrin : BONNIE HAS A CRAB FACE 9 : *echo flowers repeat that last line* 10 : Bonnie : GAASP YOU ! Isabeau laugh loudly Mirabelle : Siffrin !! That was so mean ! Odile : Okay, okay kids, it was funny and all but we should get going 11 : Bonnie : ZA DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS ! 12 : *echo flowers repeat again* 13 : Isa : W-Wha ? I didn't even said anything... Bonnie : HA ! Now all the monsters know that you're a big baby Za ! Mirabelle : Both of you STOP IT Odile : You kids clearly have no clue what "being quiet" means. Stop this or we'll die Siffrin (inner dialogue) : No matter how many times you bring him into this mess, it's always funny 14 : Isa : Aaaand that's the tell of our "echo flowers adventure" Mirabelle : Even though talking to monsters can be dangerous since they can take our souls, I really like learning more about them 15 : Odile: Could you tell me why you are answering those questions ? It's not like those flowers can hear you, or even answer back Isa : He, who knows ? Maybe that tiny skeleton guy can actually hear us through those. And I dare you to tell me that it isn't funny to answer to weirdly specific questions coming from a flower Mirabelle : It is really funny. You should try answering too Madame 16 : Siffrin (inner dialogue) : But it does seem like they can hear and answer back. They wouldn't have ask about the flowers if they didn't. Strange... Odile : I WON'T participate in the pranks and games of that "tiny skeleton guy". I am still incredibly annoyed by this monster

Thank you for your patience <3

[cloudcountry]

SUMMARY: idia shroud celebrates your birthday!!

COMMENTS: a birthday present for @twstchatterbox the MOON to my SUN the DYNAMIC to my DUO the BLACK CAT to my GOLDEN RETRIEVER!!!! i love you lots and lots i am so glad we are friends i am squeezing you so tight from the other side of the world.

i wanted to keep this a surprise and i HOPE I SURPRISED YOU i hope you didnt see this coming sjdjdsjdj you have given me so many gifts from your doodles of me to your doodles of US to all the interests you've shared with me to looking out for me all this time AND EVEN STAYING UP LATE TO TALK TO ME?? I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR SLEEP SCHEDULE

i hope you have the best birthday ever you deserve so much so take this awkward gamer boy. you know your lore. i know your lore. i tried to incorporate it and im sure only you will understand it but thats the point isnt it?

THIS IS GOING ON TOO LONG. I SHOULD HAVE MADE THIS A SEPARATE POST. ANYWAYS. GO READ IT I LOVE YOU

You cross your arms over your chest, amused as the blue package floats silently over to you. It stops right in front of you and a flickering screen loads from a small projector propped on the top of the box.

accept quest?

yes. no.

It’s ridiculous of him to put a no option. You press the yes option and a cheerful jingle rings from the speakers as the package drops at your feet. Bending over, you scoop it into your arms, a delicate smile on your face. You can feel quite a few gazes on your back but you opt to ignore them, walking out of your dorm and towards the source of your gift.

Ever since the events of winter break, you’d become far more accustomed to the halls of Ignihyde. The students seem to have grown more accustomed to you in turn, although some still scamper away from you.

There was only so much that could be done, you think. Besides, your presence here was not because of them. You were here for their Housewarden.

As you reached his door, you wasted no time reaching out to knock. Each tap of your knuckles against his door was crisp and loud, just in case he was wearing his headphones. The corners of your lips lift into a smile as you hear him shuffling around, no doubt checking up on his room to make sure it’s just the normal amount of messy but not too messy lest you get suspicious that he’s a slob or that he cleaned just for you.

You already know he did, though.

“Are you going to keep me waiting?” you call out teasingly, tapping your foot on the polished floors.

The door creaks open slowly, and the soft pink glow of Idia's hair lights up his face. Your heart takes a tumble in your chest.

“Hi.” you breathe, “I wanted to open your gift with you.”

Idia squeaks and opens the door to let you inside, rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Um, okay. Thanks.” he says, mumbling each word as if he isn’t sure what he’s saying at all, “You, uh, didn’t have to do that.”

“But I want to.” you refute, and you both understand what would have come after that.

So let me do this.

“Okay.” he jams his hands into his pocket and shrugs, always so awkward around you but so obvious, “I hope you like it.”

“I’ll love it.” you reassure him.

After all, a heart as kind as Idia Shroud’s wouldn’t pick anything but the best.

[into-the-feniverse]

Finished reading Trigun/TriMax a couple days ago and have been feverishly trying to piece together a timeline, so here’s the result of that ✨

EDIT: as of 3/13/24 this has been UPDATED

For a more detailed timeline (with vol/ch marks): google sheet

Full res of the graphic (& other resources): bit.l/trigunresources

Notes & rest of the timeline under the cut!

Edits as of 3/13/24

The detailed spreadsheet is organized and color coded! If you'd like a more concise breakdown of events/see some of my reasoning behind certain time stamps feel free to skim through that

Changed where in the timeline the Maylene and Wolfwood events happened (originally where I had placed them would have made Maylene like 6 when she and Wolfwood reunited which is NOT correct)

moved where in the timeline Knives started collecting the GungHo Guns (at latest he started in 0090 (20 years before 0110) since it's noted that Monev has been training in a cellar for the past 20 years

Moved where Knives initially tracked down Conrad (felt like it needed to happen at least a decade before July)

Changed up some of the months (personally, I don't think the Ark launched in December, since that'd put Milly and Meryl's arrival to the colony in July, which wouldn't make sense. So I placed the ark launch in October which of course offset some of the other month stand ins)

Added an earth year for when Knives and Vash are born. The explanation is I think at minimum there was at least a 2 year period between them and Tesla (since Rem was around for that whole process). I do think it was more than that, but that’s the earliest possible year I think it could have happened. Personally I’m more in the camp of 5-10 years, but def not 50 like in tristamp

Old Notes:

If you see any typos or phrase inconsistencies: no you don’t 💕 (😭)

Blue text can be completely ignored, that’s just kinda my personal preference/wild guesstimating of when “exactly” those events happened

Blue lines can also be ignored, they’re also just rough guesstimates on where exactly in the timeline these could have happened

The distance of the lines from one another doesn’t really mean anything, I started trying to follow a system to notate when things happened really close together but it was//// not consistently done ngl

Fun fact: by the time Wolfwood leaves the orphanage Meryl is 18! And she was 14 at the time of July’s destruction

Additional fun fact: Brad is 17 when he and sensei meet up with Vash in the Factioned city (which I think is absolutely RIDICULOUS), and we know this because he was 4 the one/last time he had met Vash and it’s been 13 years since

It was noted by Karen, one of Meryl’s coworkers, that she and Milly had been on assignment with Vash for about 4 months. (Might be that they were out searching for him during that time as well, but I’m choosing to interpret it as they were actually with him for that amount of time)

I’m also working on a 98 timeline for comparison (but more like just sequence of events cause I don’t think I have the patience to sift through the lore quite as much… mainly making it just to clarify how the anime delineates from the manga)

I am//::: feeling v unhinged after this and feel like it could be improved/i need to do a more thorough read, but I’m calling it quits for now before I actually go insane (but hopefully some people will find it somewhat helpful!)

Also: if anybody has any notes to add or clarifications/corrections I would be more than happy to hear them 👂

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Bulbie

Debut: Pikmin

Pikmin 4 has a doggone good time being as doggy of a game as it can! I'm sure you are well aware by now of the new Funny Weird Dogs!

And I love these weird dogs! They are wonderful. I'm glad they are so important and beloved. But I would like to focus on a different dog, the very first Pikmin Dog, who we have known about since the very first game! Olimar's dog, Bulbie!

With this, I have shown you both official images of Bulbie that exist. I wish there were more! Bulbie is a dog even weirder than Oatchi and Moss, a whole different kind of critter that also happens to get called a dog. Isn't that great? These people have the concept of "dog", and so far we've only seen it used to refer to these funny bipeds! Olimar has no problem referring to both Bulbie and Moss as dogs, so I am led to believe that "dog" is more of a category of creature to these people, rather than a distinct species. Like how "mole" is a category of creature to us!

We know a precious little bit of Bulbie Lore. He is lazy, and able to sleep anywhere. He loves carrots. He farts a lot. That's about all we know. Awesome! Sure sounds like a Dog to me! And of course, Olimar loves Bulbie very much. Just like he loves his whole family! He is a Family Guy, complete with Funny Dog!

You may already know, or you may have noticed yourself, but Bulbie looks quite like a Bulborb. This is because Olimar named these creatures after Bulbie, due to their resemblance! It is also for this reason that they are members of the Grub-Dog Family. You see? Bulborb is just like a dog! While it is sweet of Olimar to name the species after Bulbie, it must also make his encounters with them even more disturbing. Not only is this a (comparatively) massive, hostile beast that could easily eat him whole, but it looks like his beloved little friend! That's like a nightmare! Especially with other, scarier Bulborb variants! I am happy to know that his Bulborb experiences do not affect his love for Bulbie one bit.

As much as I love and talk about invertebrates and funny fish, dogs have always been among my favorite animals, and always will be! They're an extremely conventional animal to love, and for very good reason. They're wonderful! And on this post about Weird Dogs, I would like to talk about how dogs are, in fact, weird in their own ways.

They're always sniffing with their wet noses, which they keep wet to smell even better. They love to lick, and lick to show love. And that love is such an important thing! Dogs are creatures of love! It is our love for dogs that shaped them into what they are today! It is what drove us to shape this single subspecies into countless distinct caricatures of its noble ancestors. All still members of the very same species! The amount of dog customization that has occurred is ridiculous. Need a better way to hunt badgers? Make a Long Dog. Yeah sure! Why not!

Obviously, most dachshund owners today aren't interested in hunting badgers. They are interested in having a Pet. And a Pet Dog is such a truly incredible thing! There are not many animals that should be kept in a house around humans, but then there is Dog, literally born to be among humans. Born to be loved, and born to love! If you don't think that's one of the most wonderful things ever then get outta here!

This is an animal that runs around and spins in circles because it sees an ape that it loves so much. An animal that ends up learning snippets of human language, because those are the snippets that make it happy. An animal that gleefully exposes its vulnerable underside, because it trusts a member of a different species to rub it in just the right way that feels so nice.

Even with the general consensus on dogs being pretty dang favorable, I feel that it's easy to take a lot of their behavior and history for granted, to see them as the "default animal", when they SO aren't. The default animal would be a parasitoid wasp, silly!

If I was not able to convince you that dogs are weird, then just look up canine transmissible venereal tumor, obviously using your own discretion, because there will be graphic photos. If you ask me, this one medical anomaly easily makes dogs a contender for one of the weirdest animals EVER! Bet you didn't know dogs could be contagious!

I like funny dog Bulbie

[accirax]

Danganronpa: Despair Time Chapter 2 Episode 13 Dissection

Jesus CHRIST, the hits keep on coming (/pos). I don't think anyone could have predicted everything that came to light in this episode. But, hey, at least we're finally cooking on the murder method a bit more...?

SPOILERS for Danganronpa: Despair Time though Chapter 2 Episode 13! Also, CW: discussions of suicide.

Similarly to last time, I tried not to look at too many other people's major reactions/theories as to not influence my opinions as they were when I watched the episode. (Although I think I failed to do that more than last week...) Here's what this episode got me thinking about!

Genocide Jack, Junko, Mukuro, Peko, and Korekiyo:

On that note, though, this is... debatably relevant lore about Hope's Peak as it exists in DRDT? We know from Chapter 2 Episode 2 that Veronika (and likely all of the non-Terukos as well) don't remember Trigger Happy Havoc, and, based on this, it's likely that they don't remember much of the history of the old HPA either. Ace being so adamant that HPA wouldn't scout a murderer implies that the new HPA has fully regained its spotless reputation, potentially even more than the Tokyo school ever had.

I want you all to know that I tried to write out a little theory about whether or not Levi could have killed any plot-relevant characters here, but I came to a dead end at every venture. Levi killed Mai? No, he has no motive, and the murder happened before everyone attended Hope's Peak. Levi killed Elliot? No, Ellie was probably killed by dogs, and the timing is all wrong. Levi killed someone at the North C and Chariton incident? That didn't even happen. I was just getting that confused with my theories about what Xander might have done at that incident in FF's DRDT Milgram AU. Not even what actually happened in the AU. Just my theories on what might happen.

The only option I couldn't fully rule out was the idea that Levi killed some of the ~5 missing members of the altDRDT cast, but, holy shit, can you imagine how funny that would be? Teacher and the gang get to the sixth Class Trial and ask all dramatically, "so, what happened to the rest of our class that didn't make it to the killing game...?" and Monowhatever is just like "actually, Levi Fontana just straight up merced those dudes years ago." Hilarious.

Anyways. That goes to show that I do think these were just random guys, and the only specific relevance they would have is in the realm of Levi's backstory specifically.

RIP to the "Levi used to be an assassin" theory. I actually kinda liked that one myself.

(Also, hijacking this image to point out the background music here. You hear the ticking clock motif? Very suspicious indeed...)

Yup, even more confirmation that HPA highly valued having an incredibly pure and righteous image. Of course this HPA was also corrupt. Is it even possible to make an HPA without some level of corruption?

(Levi. My guy. I need you to use a different sprite; the quadruple image combo is starting to look ridiculous.)

What I find really interesting here is that, even in the realm of forgetting about murders, Levi remembers the three random guys before his father. Like, I know that Levi says that he kinda equally doesn't care about everyone (and I believe him to be telling the truth on that), but you would think that, just by virtue of having spent more time with his dad or the people around him's reactions, Levi would have remembered killing his father before offing three random thugs.

I don't know if this is meant to A) really drive the point home that Levi sees no difference between those he "knows" and those he doesn't; B) imply that Levi might have sustained some greater amount of trauma from killing his father that caused him to block that memory out more; C) suggest that killing the guys was more recent than killing his dad, which might lead him to remember it with more clarity; or D) some combination of the former three. However, I think it's an interesting detail to note.

The foils are foiling........

This was hilarious. And lowkey evidence that Nico was the one who tried to kill Ace.

You know, I actually almost made a theory once that the clauses "you're a murderer" and "you have no remorse" could be read as two separate secret statements! Not to say that Levi didn't have no remorse for the killing part, but that having no remorse was a state of being not solely tied to the murdering.

Alsoooo... just gonna say, Levi on Drawing Pins is looking better and better all the time...

Eden: But you're a good person. Why are you saying these things when it's clearly not true? You're so kind to everyone. You're always helping others out, even when it'd be easier not to. Like that time Ace almost died. You kept trying to help him, even if he always pushed you away. Isn't that what "a good person" does?

WE ARE BACK AT IT AGAIN!!! "GOOD PERSON" SPECIFICALLY IN THE LEVI/EDEN CONTEXT AAAAAAAAA

Beyond the further "good person" jumpscare, I found this line interesting due to how Eden describes Ace. Someone who "always pushed [Levi] away." Sounds a lot like Arei, huh? In fact, a lot of it sounds like Eden is applying it to herself.

"But I'm a good person. Why am I thinking these things when it's clearly not true? I'm so kind to everyone. I'm always helping others out, even when it'd be easier not to. Like that time Arei yelled at me. I kept trying to help her, even if she always pushed me away. Isn't that what "a good person" does?"

Obviously, I'm reading into this in the "Eden is the blackened" context, but I think that it's still an interesting read of Eden's mental state even if she isn't the blackened. We know that, to some extent, Eden blames herself for both Min and Arei's deaths. Therefore, despite likely feeling like she's fucked up, she wants to cling onto the idea that she's a good person so she doesn't lose faith in herself.

That leads into some super interesting parallels when it comes to this speech versus what Arei said, but I'll talk about that more once we get to the Arei monologue.

This week, acevi shippers take the L. Really, Levi x anyone shippers, but I think acevi shippers got the worst of it.

Except, they also took the W. "Ace lowkey confirms he once had feelings for Levi" was NOT on my bingo card. Or Star's.

(Also I LOVE this new sprite)

I saw some people talking about Ace's friend (Taylor?) but I do not remember and cannot find any information about this character (so I can't even tell if they're just fanmade :( ). If anyone knows what I'm talking about and has a link, please send it to me. Anyways, "insult to his memory" definitely makes it sound like Ace's friend is dead. I wonder if the way in which he died has anything to do with Ace's fear of horses/cowardice in general.

I want to see more Levi and Veronika interactions so bad. It's no surprise that Veronika was the first to pick up what Levi was putting down. Both of them don't have the "normal" way of processing their feelings and interacting with others, but while Levi has decided to try to be what society deems as "good" anyways, Veronika has decided to fully live by her own creed. I wonder if Levi could be at all convinced by Veronika to go back to his old ways.

Veronika: You're always guessing as to what a normal human would do in your situation. You're so awkward in social settings because you can't tell what other people want.

I'm excited to see Levi and Nico interact too, obviously. I suppose Nico is kinda like the midpoint of Veronika and Levi-- doesn't understand people and wants the world to work the way they perceive it, but also has been bullied enough to feel forced to play along with how others want them to be. Characters like these have become some of my favorite archetypes to discuss. I'm so glad that DRDT has so many of them!!!

The foils are foiling AGAIN...

Why the fuck are you so pressed about the secrets now??? I thought you were all about privacy?????

Well, thank you for "confirming" that swap, ladies! This talk of a pact is very interesting, though. I guess Hu must have gone to Veronika pretty early to ensure that her secret wouldn't get out-- makes sense, as without that there's a good chance Hu could believe that Veronika would reveal her secret at the most unflattering time to create drama.

It does slightly recontextualize Veronika's "A little mystery makes this Trial more exciting, don't you think?", though. I wonder if that was just straight up a lie, or if that was the rationale Hu used to appeal to Veronika. I doubt we'll get a flashback of this scene now that this moment's passed, but I'd love to see it. FTEs...? 👀

David you have to stop this right now or you're going to become my new favorite character. Dude's been dying to don the mantle of the comic relief character, apparently.

Is The Motive Scoreboard Accurate?

I'm including this because I've seen some other people say that it is, specifically on Teruko's front. I strongly believe that this motive board is incorrect, and Teruko and Xander's secrets are swapped.

The blaming yourself secret mentions parentS and siblingS. Back in Chapter 1 Episode 4, Teruko says that she never knew her parents (and therefore may even just be assuming that she has two), and she only had one biological brother. Furthermore, she has no idea if they're dead or not. On the parents front, she could assume that being sent to an orphanage is confirmation enough that her parents are dead instead of just not wanting her. Being sent there with her older biological brother is a further implication of that.

However, Teruko specifically says that her brother "left with some other family." She makes no mention of believing he's dead at all. Therefore, for Teruko to have the secret she claims to have, Teruko would have to be constantly mourning parents and an additional sibling that she never knew, and to believe that all of them are dead despite having no reason to believe that her known brother died.

Obviously, all of these things were said aloud to Charles and Whit, so there is a possibility that Teruko lied about or concealed parts of her past to keep her walls up around those two. However, what does this face from David mean if not "I've caught you in my trap?"

(DRDT sprites are SO GOOD--)

To me, this sprite clearly indicates that David knows that Teruko is lying about something, but has chosen not to bring it up to save it for later purposes. I don't know if he has something specific in mind or just wants to hold the potential blackmail over her head, but I strongly suspect that we'll come back to this someday-- either in later daily life or a post-Trial scene in this chapter.

It's also interesting to note that, while David knows that this is Teruko's for sure, Charles and Whit also have the opportunity to recognize the discrepancy. I definitely wouldn't be surprised if Charles kept notes about what he knows about everyone somewhere. We'll have to see if either of them ask her about it down the road as well.

Eden: I know that she's dead!! I know that she's dead and that she's never coming back. I know that I'll never be able to talk to her ever again. But even then... I have to know that when she was alive, she was still trying to become a good person. That if she lived, then maybe there'd be a world in which we would both be friends. If you really say that you lied about making Arei kill herself, then tell me the truth. Tell me that you didn't make her lose hope. Please! Tell me what happened last night between you and Arei!

Oh boy.

Can Eden Still Be the Culprit?

Look. I understand if you look at this and believe that Eden couldn't possibly be the culprit-- or at least, not without being a completely different character than we know her to be. Because I almost did. Zel's performance did a really good job of selling Eden's heartbreak in a way that makes it feel like she couldn't have possibly been the one to end Arei's life. However, upon further review, I do think that Eden's words could be that of the killer, with minimal levels of intentional manipulation thrown in.

If it would cause you emotional distress to listen to me continue to accuse Eden, I'll write the rest of this section in purple so that you can skip it if you'd like. I don't want to make anyone sad, so I fully understand if you want to avoid these bad vibes. However, for those of you who are still on the fence, and those who have stuck with Eden!culprit all along, here's my justification. I think it'll be easiest to break it down block by block.

Eden: I know that she's dead!!

Okay, well, maybe skipping this section a bit. More points for Arei truly being the one who's dead, I guess?

Eden: I know that she's dead and that she's never coming back. I know that I'll never be able to talk to her ever again.

Alright, so, this can fairly easily be read as the same thing as what Eden was doing back when she was talking to Levi: reassuring herself.

Well, maybe "reassuring" is the wrong word. Basically, she's repeating the same mantra that she told herself when she was trying to justify her decision to kill Arei. When making the decision to kill anyone, the killer (if they care) has to process that they will have to kill every other person in the game if they want to escape for themselves. Therefore, if Eden is the killer, she already had to grapple with the fact that she can't turn back time. ("You can't go back, no matter how hard you try.")

I think that Eden might have it in her head that, even if it wouldn't fully erase her wrongdoings, as long as she doesn't just forgive and forget the whole affair, it makes things slightly better. That's why she was yelling things like "You forgot about all the things you did just because you didn't face any consequences for them? That's incredibly selfish!" at Levi.

Feeling bad about things is her punishment to make sure that Arei is never fully forgotten. She knows that, if she goes through with killing, she'll never be able to talk with any of these people again. However, if there's something more important to her than these 13 lives that she has to escape the killing game to reach, it's a consequence she'll have to accept. She knows it's selfish-- but she at least won't be so selfish as to also forget everyone else's sacrifice.

Eden: But even then... I have to know that when she was alive, she was still trying to become a good person. That if she lived, then maybe there'd be a world in which we would both be friends.

This is probably the part that feels the most damning. Why would Eden care about whether or not Arei was trying to become a good person if Eden is the one who killed her? Wouldn't it be better for Eden if she wasn't?

Well, that's what Eden is trying to figure out, too. In Venus' Narrative Defense of Eden Culprit Theory, Venus says that Eden didn't believe that Arei actually changed and wanted to be her friend. And, it really makes complete sense if she didn't-- Eden had no idea that David and Teruko continued to talk so seriously with Arei after her departure, and Arei saving Eden from Arturo literally happened the same day that Arei had her breakdown. It had probably been, like, 4 hours since Arei chewed her out for her worldview being stupid, and then Arei's suddenly turning around and declaring that she wants to protect Eden at all costs. Of course Eden might just believe that Arei was setting her up for a fall! (Murder pun not intended.)

Venus also adds that, at this point in the Trial, David knew something that Eden didn't: namely, that Arei actually wanted to change, and saw Eden as her inspiration for doing so. Under the assumption that that revelation has been bothering Eden the whole time, it makes perfect sense that Eden would want to know more about what David knew about Arei. She needs to know exactly how terrible she needs to feel for doing this terrible thing.

I think the quote becomes a lot less defendable if you just swap out the "that" for an "if."

"But even then... I have to know if when she was alive, she was still trying to become a good person. That if she lived, then maybe there'd be a world in which we would both be friends."

Now, obviously, you could say that this is an unfair point-- Eden didn't say "if," she said, "that"! How can you excuse Eden based off of evidence that isn't actually real?

My point is that, even if DRDTdev didn't have Eden phrase it that way, it would be an incredibly easy swap to make. Thus, the only way in which Eden would have to be lying is to swap out one word. With that one word, "if," we see how she's still doubting whether Arei really was trying to be a good person, and can read into why she's bringing that up at this time. To disguise it, all Eden has to do is trade "if" for "that"-- she doesn't have to be some masterful lying manipulator to pull off a quick exchange that makes her look more innocent.

Eden: If you really say that you lied about making Arei kill herself, then tell me the truth. Tell me that you didn't make her lose hope.

Eden needs the truth so that she can know how despicable she actually is (in her opinion). She needs to know how bad she needs to feel for taking Arei's life, so that she won't wind up as "inhuman" as Levi.

I also think that "tell me that you didn't make Arei lose hope" could be interpreted in a killer-ish way. There is a rhetorical device in English that sorta turns words like that on their head. Like, if I said, "don't tell me you spoiled DRDT for all of your followers!," it's often interpreted as "I know that you did spoil DRDT for all of your followers, but I don't want to hear it." In this case, Eden might not want David to tell her that he made Arei lose hope because she doesn't want to believe that Arei had any hope in the first place. It's better than if Eden was the one to directly crush those hopes, sure, but if Arei approached David talking about wanting to be a better person mere hours before her death, that still means that Eden was killing a hopeful Arei. She doesn't want David to confirm her worst fears.

I don't know if I phrased that section exactly how I imagined it in my mind, but hopefully you understand what I'm getting at.

Eden: Please! Tell me what happened last night between you and Arei!

In the end, though, Eden knows that she has to face the music to figure out how she wants to proceed with this trial, whether that's sinking the cost of her fallacy or owning up to her crime. And that's how I think you can justify this outburst of Eden's within the context of her being the blackened, without having to fully corrupt her character.

What Arei Meant

This part isn't a theory, exactly; it's more of an analysis of the point I think Arei was trying to convey in this section. I've seen some people be sad about the new note that Arei's character is "going out" on, but I actually think that this is a pretty realistic, thematic ending for where Arei's story and the themes of the chapter are headed. Time to praise DRDTdev's writing for a bit!

Arei: I'm a manipulative, two-faced bitch. I pretend to be cute so that I can treat others like trash. I only care about myself, and I always hurt others for selfish and stupid reasons. Of course I wanted to change myself. [...] Still, for the longest time, I thought it was stupid to even try. I'm rotten to the core, and I might as well be a different species from saints like you and Eden. [...] No matter what, I'll never be a good person. And yet, despite all that... David, you... It turns out that you might be a total piece of shit after all. If even a perfect inspirational speaker like you turns out to be an asshole, then there's no such thing as "a good person." [...] And that makes me relieved, because it means I'm not too far gone. It's okay that I'll never be a good person, because no one else can be either.

I don't think that Arei is saying that the world is a lost cause.

Instead, she's saying that no one is a lost cause. She's applying that Syndrome logic: "if everyone is a bad person, no one will be." Arei thought that, because of her upbringing, there was no possibility that she could ever Be Good, because she'd already done too much wrong. Good People are perfect, unerring gods who do nothing but help others and reach out to wayward souls. However, David's manipulations proved that that wasn't true.

Good People fuck up. Good People do good things for bad reasons, and bad things for good reasons, and, hell, if David is a Good Person, then Good People do bad things for bad reasons sometimes, too! Arei confessed to us that she felt like her life was over because she was given an unfair start. However, now she knows that the bar has been lowered, and that being a good person can be done by anyone, anywhere, at any time. Perfection doesn't exist. Now that she knows that there was never any need to be perfect, the chance she sought for so long has finally been granted.

(Dipping back into purple for a sec to talk about Eden culprit stuff)

After this, I feel like the theme of this chapter has to be about deconstructing the myth of "The Good Person." You think that Nico is just a soft and shy bullying victim? No, they're just as willing to kill as anyone else. You think that Hu is a gracious motherly figure? No, she has an angry streak and talks over other people. You think that Levi is a softhearted giant who just struggles with what to say sometimes? His kill count is higher than everyone who's died to the killing game so far, and he doesn't really care that that's the case. You think that Whit is just a silly guy who cares about others? Fuck, even he's willing to stall out the trial in an attempt to fulfill his own agenda.

The main person who hasn't yet been proven so be not as good as they seem so far is Eden, who in this episode has been clinging to the idea of being a good person harder than ever. I know that some people believe that Eden needs to survive to fulfill the role of the optimist, but I feel like this episode proves that that isn't true. We don't need A Hopeful Person because anyone can step up to the plate and believe in hope if they want to do so. Eden isn't A Good Person, but a real person, who's just as capable of laughing and crying and living and dying as anyone else.

A good person is not gold. That's why everyone who tried to cling to the idea that they were being A Good Person-- Xander, David, Levi-- has always wound up hurting others in the end. Xander believed his actions were morally justified, and thus decided to kill Teruko, causing Min's death and lots of anguish for Teruko. David wanted to follow in his footsteps, and beyond his inspirational speaker persona causing damage to himself, he was also about to kill everyone else to do "what's right." Levi (Arei pending) hasn't killed anyone since trying to become A Good Person, but pretending to follow those guidelines without actually wanting to change anything about himself emotionally hurt Ace, who was set up with false expectations.

If Eden is so convinced that she's a good person, she's only blinding herself to the ways that she's inevitably not.

Back to Arei, while it is sad that her development was cut off just as she made this revelation, I believe that clarifying this additional bit of content is a way to allow her to rest in peace. Even if she didn't get to transform as much as she wanted to, she at least got to die knowing that she wasn't as wretched as she convinced herself that she was all these years, and having done at least one good thing-- saving Eden from Arturo-- before she passed. It's an amazing character arc to squeeze in for your second victim.

Phew, finally, a chance to talk about objective lore instead of heavy and divisive character themes! Except, uh...

WHAT THE FUCK???

Remember when, at the beginning, I said that no one could have predicted everything that came to light in this episode? This was the main point I was talking about. I don't think anyone saw this reveal coming, especially in this moment.

For starters, even though this CG does appear in David's memories, I don't think that he or Arei actually remembers whatever this was taking place. Beyond me attempting to debunk the idea that David had additional memories of Hope's Peak last week, Arei or David specifically referring to this moment means that they had to... be there? When whatever this was happened?

I say "whatever this was" to briefly create suspense before connecting the dots everyone's already talked about: that Eden was probably the one to scratch out Xander's eye. This would make Eden the "she" that Xander (er, I mean, "the guy with the bloody hands") talks about in the intro scene.

It also gives some more context to the clock with the fork stabbed into it depicted in LGI.

I don't know if "non-functional" and "I didn't expect her to" mean that Eden could have been brainwashed or otherwise broken down into not acting like herself when this happened, but it certainly seems out of character for what we know of Eden. Even her facial expression seems to suggest that she might not have wanted or intended to attack anyone with that fork.

Anyways, for Arei or David to know about the contents of that CG, they would've had to both be there when Eden attacked Xander and then also have regained/had their memories of it, which seems unlikely given how both of them treat Eden. Like, even if Arei is sure that Eden "did something to hurt someone in the past," this seems a bit extreme, and David probably wouldn't be so neutral on her if he knew that she attacked his man.

Another really clever point that I saw someone make (AND THEN COULDN'T TRACK DOWN WHO OR IN WHICH POST IT WAS--) was that Eden is wearing her current outfit in this CG. Interestingly, I looked back at A History of Hope's Peak and Visiting Graves to see what Min and Xander were wearing, and while Min was wearing her typical killing game uniform, Xander was wearing something different. Given that Min's scene takes place in HPA and Xander's doesn't, this could imply that Min was wearing the HPA uniform? That's fitting, for her.

We also know that the DRDT cast were all wearing these outfits believing that they were headed for the HPA entrance ceremony. Therefore, we know that Eden would wear this getup to school, but we don't know if she'd wear it elsewhere. Once again, assuming it was Xander who got forked, we can place this CG some time between Visiting Graves and the start of the killing game. I have a hunch that Visiting Graves might have taken place during HPA's spring break-- in A History, Min and Mai (er, I mean, "Unnamed Student") are at school studying for a test with "Spring Break next week" on the chalkboard, while in Visiting Graves, Mai and Xander have traveled elsewhere-- but that's not confirmed, so we can't lock it down.

Maybe we can get more information about this in Eden's bonus episode! Because, well, I at least do think that most of the mysteries of this CG could be solved within a bonus episode and/or other characters talking about her posthumously in later chapters. Again, I understand if you want to use this CG as evidence that Eden is important enough to need to stick around, though.

AREI I MISS YOUUUUUUUUUU

Also, I didn't catch this at all, but credit to everyone who noticed how similar this scene is to the "Diana Chiem" scene in LGI! Fascinating implications that I have no additional thoughts on at the moment. Mostly because we don't know shit about Diana, if that even is her who's portrayed in that CG. I'm sure I'll come back to this someday, just not right now.

Oh, and I don't think you can really argue that Ace made up this conversation anymore. Idk how much of it he stuck around to listen to, though.

See like why is she so pressed about it???

I'd like to say that this is a win for Whit not being the mastermind (because he doesn't seem to know what MonoTV is talking about), but he could probably just be going "why are you saying that at this time?" or something like that. Sigh (/j)

Why Does Whit Know So Much About Hanging?

Alright, so, obviously, this could be a super-suspect hint that Whit knows all of this stuff about hanging and therefore decided to use that knowledge to kill Arei. But, I don't care about that! What I don't understand is how Whit came to know all of this in the first place!

Well, after a quick review, there's one option that stands out more than all the others: Whit's mom was killed by hanging, likely self-inflicted. The only thing we "know" about Whit's mom dying (assuming that secret really is his) is that she is dead, and Whit omits it. It's phrased pretty vaguely. We also know that Whit thinks his mom is awesome, but that doesn't tell us anything about how she saw herself. Sadly, I think this lines up all too well.

Whit's main character flaw, as we've seen throughout the story so far, is ignoring things that stress him out or make him sad. He represses, and chooses not to get involved in others' fights because it's "not his business." It would make sense if the same extended to what he was like before the killing game. If Whit always chooses to ignore things that worry him, there's a possibility he blames himself for his mom's death via not paying enough attention to any warning signs that her mental state might have gotten so dire. Of course, if repression runs in the family, she might have been doing her best to not make it obvious as well.

So, even though he hates himself for not giving his mom enough support in her darkest hour, he still can't (yet) make any changes in his life because ignorance is the only way he knows how to cope. Yet, he still won't let himself pass up on helping another soul in clear need of support, like Charles panicking over the blood, or Eden suffering over seeing Arei's body. He can push himself to help others that are sad, as long as he never focuses on himself.

Or, he's the time loop mastermind who's heard Class Trials discuss hanging a billion times before. You never know with this guy.

CONGRATS TO FF AND BADJOE FOR BEING THE SMARTEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Man, even seeing Teruko explain this mechanism as the truth, I still don't know if I would've been able to come up with it myself. This fandom is so smart :D

(Also, why was Whit a dog? Goddammit, is this more MonoTV coding?! /lh)

FUCK YES, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO GET ANSWERS ABOUT THE GYM MURDER IN THIS TRIAL? HALLELUJAH! IT'S ABOUT TO BE T A P E T I M E, MOTHERFUCKERS! (/j)

Phew, barely squeaked it within 30 images! I'm impressed and amazed that DRDTdev keeps managing to make such gripping episodes week after week.

Get it? Gripping? Like grippy tape?

I'd apologize, but you're almost certainly going to hear more of that from me next week. Until then!

[mcyt-builds-contest]

Pandora's Vault

Builder : Awesamdude

Series : DSMP

Propaganda :

- its so big. Its so so big. Look at a map of the dsmp. Its just a black void bigger than l'manburg was.

- You look at it and you just know it's something terrible. the obsidian walls, lava, the iron. It's just there. In the middle of the ocean. It does not fit in and its scary.

- the AMOUNT of redstone and functions it go is AMAZING. the only way to enter is through a portal that then leads u to the nether and has to be manually activated again by the warden. So to enter you literally NEED the wardens permission. All the bridges and all the door. It's so fucking cool man what can I say. The amount of security.

- the lore that happened inside pandora as well. Pandoras arc was the best arc of the whole of dream smp and I stand by that. There is so so much to unpack.

Sam and Dream could have just built some shitty obsidian box and called it a prison, but no they made PANDORAS VAULT

The Everdusk Castle

Builder : ToAsgaard

Series : ATM Spellbound Series

Porpaganda : this place is built in another dimension (the Everdusk), it's gigantic (extends about 50ish blocks further down past where i was able to grab a good screencap), and it's fully detailed inside. not in like a "some stuff here and there" or "there are redstone machines" -- every single room is detailed out, often with visuals corresponding to the mod being used, any automated setups are given a ton of visual flair to fit with the theme of the base, there's even automation setups that serve as visual rooms (the Botania automation room uses Kekimuras and is set up as a banquet hall! it's so cool!!). i think about it constantly. ToAsgaard's builds are consistently drop-dead gorgeous (his soulsborne-inspired Celestial Journey/Betweenlands base and gigantic multi-piece Sevtech Ages base are both fantastic) with ridiculously intricate detailing and really cool modded automation setups. his Celestial Journey base, Carcosa was a close second for me -- but its power lies in all that detailing and isn't nearly as screencappable from the outside. Asgaard's an amazing builder both on the megabase and microdetail levels, incredible at standard modded automation and at doing things the fun way. he's been inactive for a few years now but i still adore his stuff, and this seemed like a good way to show off an absolutely spectacular builder that otherwise people might not know about.

Taglist!

@10piecechickenmcnugget

@choliosus

@biro-slay

@betweenlands

@xdsvoid

[h0neybane]

"i am hungry. i have been hungry. i was born hungry. what do i need?"

Morwenna Veil Lore UTC.

CW: cannibalism, child death, violence. seriously if u dont wanna read it its ok this is DARK

'You want your mother, you think. You don't think the words, for you've just been born and have not learned any, but you can feel that you want your mother. The cold bites at you like a parasite. You want to burrow deeper into your shell. But you reach outwards, tentacles uncharacteristically slow for a mer of your kind. You're hungry, ravenous.

Your teeth tear into more flesh. It's raw, warm. This would've been your sister— no, it is your sister. You're eating your sister, and she's warm against the cold of the sea. You're glad most of her upper half is already gone.

You want your mother. Yₒᵤ wₐₙₜ yₒᵤᵣ ₘₒₜₕₑᵣ.

Ỹ̸͉͇̙̑̔̉͋̋̆̒o̷͇̤̙̤̓̌̈́̚u̷̖̫̘̤̥͗̀͝͝ ̸̡͈̜̅̍̈̓̓̇̒͝w̴͔̘̼̣͙̝̗̌͊̽͆͛͗͜a̸̩̭̗̭̻̪̦̹̟͖̾̒̌ǹ̶̨͇̖̫͙̈́̀t̸̺̩̞̥̮̹͈̩̽̅͜͝͝ ̵̜͈̉̍͠y̷̥̟̝̣̣̺̌͜ỏ̷̟͍̞̥̞̟̖̪̌́͐̂u̶̜̩̺̬̲͕̜͆̒̋ͅr̸̨̺͙̠̟̱̤̗̰̲̆̈́̊͆̈́͘ ̷̨̻̪͉͍͖̖͋̂̅͜ḿ̶̯̹̲͓͓̺͕̐̏ỏ̴̮͈̳̙̹̦̻̱̘̞̿͝t̴̨̯̠̥͍̓͌́͗̂͒̌̇͜h̵̛̙̤̙̑̇̇̌̄̕e̶̯̬̦̺̦͉̩͎̾̐̏͆̈̽̅͑ŗ̴̧͙͚̋̎̋̓̚.̵̡̫͉̻̠̺͖̺̹̌͑͊̀̐͒̚'

uhhh hey...... YAYYY FIRST OC LORE DROP!!! here's a summary of the first part of her actual backstory so you can understand more!

Morwenna is a Humboldt Squid Mermaid, and was born like one too. Humboldt squid will lay gelatinous egg masses that are almost entirely transparent and float freely in the water column. These egg masses usually contain at least a million eggs, having humboldt squid take the crown as the cephalopod with the highest amount of eggs laid at once. For the sake of believability, as one million mermaid eggs sounds ridiculous, we are going to reduce this amount to one thousand eggs. Assuming that a large amount of these eggs will be eaten or destroyed and not make it back to their mother, this feels reasonable.

In the darkness of the deep sea, Morwenna and her sisters and brothers laid silent in their egg mass. Usually, the egg masses would be left to their devices, and the baby mers would find their way back to their mothers on their own. However, Morwenna’s mother is on the more sentimental side, and she would frequently come to check on the eggs. The eggs began to hatch a few days earlier than planned, maybe around an hour before Morwenna’s mother arrived. Morwenna slowly emerged from the membrane into dark, cold waters. 

A sperm whale found the egg mass. It devoured a majority of the eggs and babies before leaving to find and attack the adults of Morwenna’s family. In the midst of the chaos and the blood in the water, Morwenna pulled the half-eaten corpse of her sister sticking out of one of the eggs and hid inside, cold, dark and alone. Morwenna and her siblings spent three days and three nights alone. They ate the remains of their dead siblings to survive. By the time Morwenna’s mother made it back to them, there were three (including Morwenna) babies left. 

This incident has deeply affected Morwenna in the coming years. Although the birth of a mer isn't usually tender, Morwenna’s experience is exceptionally cruel even compared to the average. In the coming years, Morwenna has developed claustrophobia and a fear of sperm whales.

taglist (ask to be added!): @taruruchi @honeyedpearcrushh @teighveepao @boopshoops @scint1llat3

@h2llish @viperbunnies @buttholesparkles @oya-oya-okay @cheerleaderman

@qsoap + @beneathsakurashade since i know you love morwenna

[twistmusings]

Character Analysis of the Twisted Wonderland Dorm Rooms - Scarabia

Dorm Room Character Analysis Series

Heartslabyul | Savanaclaw | Octavinelle | Scarabia | Pomefiore | Ignihyde | Diasomnia

Kalim Al-Asim

Kalim's room is notably organized, to start with. Whereas with Floyd, I theorized his room was largely his doing, due to the sporadic organization of it, I believe that Kalim's room being as organized as it is is very likely through Jamil's intervention, given what we know about their relationship.

Kalim's room is designed for company - he doesn't have a desk set up, but he does have a pillow and an ottoman set out for having people over. He also has a tea set at hand and ready for guests. Considering Kalim was raised by a wealthy family, you can see touches of it throughout the room - particularly here. Kalim likes to be a host for other people, and he likes to make them feel welcome. That being said, with how much Jamil is told to take care of Kalim, it's not hard to imagine that he also gets roped into taking care of guests - something I will go into more details about when I actually talk about Jamil's room.

Kalim has a frankly ridiculous amount of pillows, and none of them match. (I counted 15 of them.) I suspect that in large part, this is to show the eccentric nature of Kalim's personality. Having many, vibrant patters from a design perspective lends to a bright, slightly spacey personality, which fits in well with Kalim and how he presents himself.

Kalim also has quite a few books. The books in Twisted Wonderland are generally easy to identify by their shape and size - and it's important to note that this seems to be mostly a personal collection. What this tells us is that while Kalim seems to be a bit turned off of studying, he does show an interest in reading if it's something that interests him. Again, I would say most of these are probably organized by Jamil, so it's hard to say if there are any he would reach for regularly.

There are two possibilities for this box right here. Either this is a first aid kit. We know that one of Jamil's major duties is to ensure that Kalim isn't harmed under his watch, so it's possible that Jamil stuck this here. (Not to get too far into video game lore, but I can see why there wasn't a cross placed here - because of geneva conventions it gets sticky to use the symbol of a cross on an item in a video game because it is not permitted for use in a context where medical services are not being offered in a real life context. Still, this leaves some questions as to what this is.)

Or, this could be a piece of mail for Kalim, likely sent by Kalim's family. We don't get to see much of the Al-Asim family when it came to the Firelit Sky event, but this would seem to imply that Kalim's parents are doting enough to send him a care package with a little heart drawn on it.

Kalim's secret Mickey is just above his bed on the wall below the windows.

Jamil Viper

So, like the other members of the dorms who aren't dorm leaders, Jamil shares his room with someone else, as seen by the second rug and desk to the right-hand side of the frame.

The first thing I want to point out, Jamil's room shows the hallmarks of being a room that is intended for a single person, as opposed to Kalim's. In fact, this room is a very solitary, closed-in room, with very little decoration and very little personalization. Jamil, likely, spends very little time here between tending to Kalim and doing his regular school activities. I wouldn't go so far as to describe it as prison-like, but it certainly feels stifling. That's worth examining, as not decorating a room is actually telling from a psychological standpoint - people who don't decorate tend to be more avoidant personalities than people who do. While I don't want to get too far into spoilers so far as the Japanese release goes (iykyk, otherwise you'll find out soon), but this actually tracks with Jamil - he tends to deal with his problems by not dealing with them until he can't avoid them anymore.

Jamil actually ties and hangs his shoes! I think this is a neat detail. Speaking to real life inspirations, it's very common courtesy in Muslim households to remove your shoes on entering a home, and to my knowledge it's a common practice throughout the Middle East. So, more than likely, Jamil and Kalim both likely remove their shoes at the door and walk through the dorm using slippers or barefoot. It's a thoughtful touch to include a little detail like this for Twist characters as well.

While Jamil is noted to like music and dance in canon, I think it's interesting that in his dorm room, he is one of the few people who has a boombox and headphones. In fact, it's one of the few personal touches we do see in his room. This is on his desk, so likely, he listens to music while he studies. I also believe there's a bit of symbolism here - as Jamil is likely using this as a method of shutting himself off from the people around him, as well. Generally speaking, Jamil's room paints him to be the solitary sort, and I think it's worth considering that Jamil is likely an introvert.

Jamil also has one of these boxes in his room. As I said before, this could imply one of two things:

If this is a first aid kit, and Kalim is in Jamil's room frequently enough that Jamil felt the need to put one in his room as well. If so, Jamil has not gone out of his way to make his room any more comfortable to Kalim to be in.

Alternatively, if this is a package, that means that Jamil's family or Kalim's Family also make a point to send this mail to Jamil. Since we can only guess as to the contents of the box, it's hard to say which it is. There are a few possibilities that arise from this:

1. This packaging is the standard packaging for post coming from the Scalding Sands. This is a little unlikely because of the heart on the box.

2. This is a package that whoever sent it has gone through the effort of drawing a heart on it. This indicates it's likely coming from family.

3. Because the boxes are the same and appear to have the same writing on both, it's likely if it is a package that Kalim and Jamil's families packed these care packages together and send them to both of them.

Again, because it's a bit nondescript and hard to say for certain whether this is medical supplies or if it's a package, I would say this is up to interpretation at this point! Unless we get confirmation one way or the other, let your headcanons run wild.

Jamil's hidden Mickey is in his scrying orb on his desk.

[knickynoo]

Well, I was sufficiently enabled for the idea, so here it is: ✨Alex P. Keaton's Top Neurodivergent Moments✨

The funny thing is that the amount of time I put into scrolling through my encyclopedic mental inventory of Family Ties scenes, compiling these moments in a list, making gifs, and finding past gifsets/analysis to link back to makes creating this post one of my most neurodivergent moments. Good for me.

These will be organized by season (easier for me than trying to rank on a scale) and are in no way ALL of the moments. I'd need like...15 posts for that. Also, tumblr only allows 30 images/gifs per post, so I'm going to include links to past posts when possible.

ENJOY!

• Alex gets his first-ever failing grade and immediately decides to quit school

Exactly what it says. Alex strolls into college all bright-eyed and confident and ends up a broken shell of a guy just a week or so later. The prototypical Gifted Kid from the moment he learned to speak, Alex cannot handle anything less than perfection. Getting the first F of his life shatters his entire self-image, and he wants to drop out of college entirely.

• Alex's friend Doug announces he's getting married, and Alex spirals into despair. As one does.

The entirety of the "Best Man" episode is one big Alex displaying neurodivergent behaviors moment, honestly. There are a whole lot of Alex-centered plots that are set into motion because A Change happens, and he just cannot deal with it, and this is one of the best examples. Alex is so distraught at the suddenly altered dynamic that he wanders the house like a lost soul—sad and confused and needy. He walks in on Steven's shower just to give him a hug, offers to go shopping with Mal and play dolls with Jen, and also draws up a seven-year contract for his other friends to sign to ensure they stick to their regularly scheduled card games, lest they also run off to get married and destroy his life.

• Alex P. Keaton: child development expert

When faced with the news of another sibling on the way, Alex has some very nurturing advice at the ready for when the baby is crying.

• The Keatons all laugh at a funny story. Alex is not amused.

This is one of my favorite Alex scenes of the series. Uncle Rob shares a memory of the time Steven was young and got in trouble because he started rebelling against the system and refused to write his name in the designated spot on his school test papers. The family shares a hearty laugh. Alex, king of black-and-white thinking and lover of rules, is deeply upset.

I love him so much. He genuinely cannot see how they're enjoying such a story. The Name Spot is for names. And his father dared to write in the Not For Names Spot?? Jail for Steven.

He's so ridiculously autistic.

• Alex's favorite childhood toy

It was a cardboard box. I can't quite put into words why this sets off my ND radar, but it does. Maybe it's the being attached to unusual items thing that's common with autism? The intense fixations that make other people go ????

The Alex and Ba-ba plotline provides some wonderful Alex Lore.

• Mr. Mustache

Yeah, those intense fixations? In the "Fool for Love" episode, Alex grows a mustache and legitimately cannot speak about anything else for the several days that follow. He's asked to present a speech at Mallory's homecoming dance and centers his entire speech around his mustache. He's unable to have a conversation that doesn't involve mustaches. It's incredible.

• Everything in "Matchmaker"

Alex is so sweet in this one. After Mallory comes home crying after a bad date, Alex promises to help her find a great guy. Unfortunately, putting someone who struggles socially and with processing emotions in charge of your love life isn't exactly a great fit. Alex uses the power of science to craft a formula to find Mallory's perfect match (he isn't), then tags along on their date and helps foster a very natural environment (it isn't) for the relationship to flourish (it doesn't).

The episode ends with a great scene between Alex and Mallory that shows just how well Mal understands the inner-workings of her big brother's head.

• Divorce is tough. Alex has some advice.

The Keaton kids are shocked to learn that their Uncle Rob is divorcing their Aunt Maureen. As Jen and Mallory reel from the information, Alex helps to reframe things.

He then pulls out the Special Interest Card and compares the divorce of their aunt and uncle to a "failed merger, not unlike the breakup of the phone company—although obviously less emotional. Nothing more than a natural fluctuation in the marketplace of love and marriage."

And the thing is, he IS impacted by the news. He just hasn't the slightest clue how to actually process it. So, a simple failed merger it is!

• You had one job

Mallory needs some croissants for a fancy get-together she's having with her poetry class. Alex helpfully offers to go pick them up.

Now, I debated about this one because there's part of me that's like, "Hmm, did Alex purposely do this to annoy Mallory?" Is this just a jerk move? But you know what? It stays on the list because the whole "I personally don't like this thing and struggle to see how anyone else could. Therefore, I will get the thing I like" is (for me) a relatable aspect of being ND.

• Every single second of "A, My Name is Alex"

For real, though. This episode is a deep dive into how Alex became the person he is, and it is FILLED with "flashbacks" of an intensely neurodivergent child whose issues were made worse by the people around him. (Mostly teachers and peers. Steven and Elyse did their best with him, but I do also have some critiques of the way they parented him). Anyway, he represses his emotions to the point of a meltdown

And then there's this

Full coin gifset here. Also, I made posts on the full episode, which can be found here and here.

• "Alex has a weird body"

That's Mallory's explanation to Andy as to why Alex can't help her when she needs someone to model one of her latest clothing creations. She says Alex's head is too big for his body, and those words, unfortunately, find their way back to him. In a mini plot reminiscent of the mustache one, Alex proceeds to obsess over the comment.

And I mean, I think being told your head is too big for your body would make anyone insecure, but it's the way Alex handles it. He's unable to have regular conversations for a while because he can't stop fixating on the size of his noggin'.

Both of the "Read it and Weep" episodes fit in this list, to be honest

• An accurate statement by Lauren

I've got to include this because it really does neatly condense a lot of who Alex is

So true, bestie.

And then, to wrap this whole thing up, there's all of this

And this is just what I can fit in this here post without going over the limit lol. Obsessed with the way MJF played Alex.

Thanks for reading ✌️

This is me with Alex, btw

[onebrainsel]

The Culling

Pairing: Aegon II Targaryen x Fem!Reader

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Child death, suc*dal ideation, suc*de attempt, domestic abuse (not from Aegon), suggestive content, terrible parenting from several parties. No use of Y/N.

Summary: A Prince and a Lady learn they have much in common, becoming inseparable when they realize the other might just be their reason to keep going. A story about two broken people healing themselves by healing one another.

Word Count: 14.3K

Chapters: One, two, three.

Author's Notes: I spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at Westerosi maps and hunting for lore because I wanted to make this feel somewhat plausible. I also wanted to add some politics to this, but how good of a job I did is highly debatable. Lastly, for this chapter specifically, do heed the warnings above. It's a rough one.

AO3

Chapter II: The Kettle Is Wheeling, My Love

Morning came in the blink of an eye. Aegon was fairly certain he had slept just before the sun had risen, and woken just a little ways afterwards. He couldn’t sleep the night before, consumed by his mother’s words. And determined to prove her wrong. So he spent his hours devising a plan. It wasn’t something he was adept in, he knew that much. But for once he felt entirely unwilling to back down without putting up a fight. He wouldn’t just bend over at his mother’s whim. Not this time. Not when he had a real reason to stand up against her. Though he wished he didn’t have to do so. He wished his mother would choose him, just once. Unfortunately for him, he knew it was not to be.

And that’s how he found himself in the most unlikely of places for the first part of his plan: Rhaenyra’s chambers.

They had never been close. His half-sister felt more like a stranger in his home than family. He could never recall her looking at him as anything but an inconvenience at worst, or indifference at best. Ironically, he recognized the same look coming from his own mother too. But he wasn’t going to dwell on that then. He was focused on one thing, and one thing only. And for that, he was willing to put aside any misgivings he had towards Rhaenyra.

He stood by her door has her guards announced his arrival, and part of him expected her to refuse him. He is surprised that she doesn’t; her guard pushed the door open for him, and shut it on his back once he entered. When his eyes found her, sat comfortably on her couch, part of his resolve crumbled. The firm stare of her violet eyes had him rooted to the spot, he couldn’t even find it in him to turn tail and run. So he swallowed and pushed on.

“Princess.” He greeted her, his voice tense, slightly unsure of how to address her. She was his sister, but he never called her that. Because his mother never did. It was always ‘Rhaenyra’. Never ‘your sister’, not like Helaena. No. Rhaenyra was something else. And her name felt too intimate, as if he should not speak it. He chose her title, but even that felt wrong, too formal. In truth, he knew that not just her name was wrong, but the entire situation itself.

“Aegon!” She spoke, surprised. Her brows drawn in a frown. It was no secret that she was estranged from her half-brother. They never saw one another outside of her father’s attempts at family gatherings, and only spoke to him in public when strictly necessary. To have him alone in her chambers was aching to the stories people told of being visited by elusive entities.

“What brings you here, boy? I must say, I thought I misheard the guard at first.” She asked with a slight tilt to her head she adjusted herself on her seat. Her hand caressed her belly tenderly, her third child due any day.

Aegon fidgeted slightly where he stood, his nerves getting the better of him for a moment. But he quickly schooled his expression, drawing a deep breath.

“I... wanted to talk to you about something.” He replied, eyes locking with hers. “It’s rather important.”

“Take a seat, then.” She motioned to the chairs in front of her sofa. A curious expression on her face.

Aegon did so, and he was glad to be seated, if only because it gave him something to do with his hands has he gripped the armrest tightly. Still, he was unsure how to proceed. Saying the wrong thing might just ruin his already slim chances. He glanced at her for a moment, eyes studying her face. He had never thought so thoroughly about his words as he did then.

“We’ve never really been close, have we?” He asked quietly, instead of going directly for what he was actually there for.

Rhaenyra could not help but notice a hint of melancholy in his voice. “No, we have not.” She agreed, entirely too curious as to why the boy was there. She wondered if The Greens were setting him up to something. Her latest pregnancy neared its end, and there was a tension permeating the Keep. Everyone waiting with baited breath to see if this one would look any closer to her or Laenor.

Aegon felt the tension building within him, around him; his nerves and his uncertainty making it difficult to find the words he needed to say, try as he might, he wasn’t particularly gifted in the art of diplomacy. Never had the patience for it. And he thought that much like his dance lessons, he should’ve paid more attention to what people had attempted to teach him. He looked away, his gaze fixing on the floor has he gathered his thoughts again. Then, finally, he raised his head to meet Rhaenyra’s eyes once more.

“I... I need your help.” He said quietly, voice laced with a mixture of anxiousness and hope.

The boy’s eyes — so much like Alicent’s that it made her heart sting — were so vulnerable. Hopeful. Pleading.

“With what?” She inquired.

Aegon’s heart thumped in his chest, her stare made him want to shrink into himself, but they were not cold. Not this time. They were… curious. Cautious. He took a deep breath, his fingers twisting in his lap.

“It’s about a girl.” He confessed quietly and quickly, his cheeks tinted a faint pink. He hated how that sounded. He must be making a horrible impression, but he needed to see this through the end. And had to at least try and make it work.

“Well, your mother could help you with that? Why come to me?” Her brows furrowed, confused about his intentions. Ones she was still to parse if they were truly his, or some plot against her.

Aegon let out a frustrated huff, shaking his head slightly.

“Not like that.” He clarified, embarrassment clear in his voice.

“Then what is it like?”

He looked at his sister, his voice firm. As firm as he could sound with how anxious he was. “I want to court her, Princess. I want to make her my wife. And I need your help to convince father. And the council. I need your support.” He spoke, finally laying his plan out loud. His reason for coming to the one person be never thought he would.

That was not anywhere near what she might’ve expected him to be there for. The boy looked nervous, but so determined she almost didn’t recognize him. But then again, she did not truly know him, did she? She ought to know more, this such a fascinating situation to find herself in.

“And who is this Lady that has stolen your heart?”

Aegon’s cheeks flushed a bit more at the question, and he looked away for a moment.

“Lady Gaunt.” He answered. And the mere mention of her brought him ease. Speaking her name reminded him why he was there, and why he had to do this right.

“Ah, her. Lady Esme’s eldest. She is indeed a special one.” She said. She had met the girl a few times during her stay. Rhaenyra liked the fire she saw he her eyes. And her attitude. If anything, she could see why Aegon would take an interest in her. “I see why you need help.”

“Do you think father would agree to my proposal? And what of the council? You know them better than I do.”

“You speak as though I’ve agreed to help you.” She said and he recoiled in his seat.

“I merely wanted to ask-” He began almost frantically, but she rose a hand to silence him.

“I haven’t refused you either.” She clarified, and she saw the exasperated look on his face. “I think it is possible to get what you’re looking for.” She told him. She wanted to see where this could lead. It seemed to her, that Aegon was here of his own volition. She couldn’t see an angle for the Hightowers in this. If she was reading the situation correctly, it would seem Aegon was here because Alicent was not going to help him. She saw no reason other than a refusal from his side of the family to have him running to her.

Aegon leaned forward, eyes bright with expectation. “You truly believe that?” He asked.

Rhaenyra nodded. “Father once granted me leave to pick whichever lord I wanted for myself. He said he wished for my happiness within the constraints of duty.” She explained to him. “I believe that if reminded of such, he'd have no reason to deny it.” She gave him a reassuring smile.

“The council is the one that you have to concern yourself with the most. You’d be marrying way below your station, her house is small. There’s naught to be immediately gained from marrying the Gaunts, and the council members will pushback against it.” She emphasized.

“Your mother and the council are planning to wed you to our sister. A symbol of Targaryen might that is hard to deny.” Rhaenyra said, but left out that she knew the Hightowers wanted to do so because it strengthened their own house, and weakened her own claim, because Aegon and Helaena would have the pure-looking Valyrian children she did not have. And that led her to believe that supporting Aegon in this, would actually benefit her personally. His marriage would not be a particularly strong one politically. And by doing this she might just be ensuring his loyalty to her. Or at the very least a debt to be paid. He was, by birth, her biggest threat. Removing him from the Hightower board would have them scrambling for their spares. Perhaps indulging him and his young love would be the upper hand she needed.

“But,” She started, “the benefits of marrying other houses are not to be ignored.” She thought out loud, so he could follow her. “Her house might be small, but having an alliance with them directly might yet be fruitful. Their lands are situated near the river, are they not?”

Aegon eagerly nodded. He spent the night pouring over everything he could find on House Gaunt and the surrounding area, anything he could use. And their location was something he took note of. “They are just south of Saltpans. Before Maidenpool. As far as I know they do not have direct ownership over any river areas, but they are close enough.” He told her. Hoping that showing her he had information on the matter, that she’d see more value in him. That she’d see that he wasn’t just begging for favors while being useless.

She looked to the distance, thinking on what could be done with that. “Well, not yet, but nothing an expansion with the aid of the crown couldn’t change. It would mean we’d have easy access to the Trident, should we ever need it.”

Aegon nodded along.

“There’s room here to convince the council of the usefulness of such a match in the long run. And even if they do not see it, father has the last say in it. Convince him; and you’ll likely get what you want.”

Aegon listened intently to his sister’s words, his heart swelling with hope. The way she described it, it wasn’t far from what he had thought during the night. He needed a strong argument, and she seemed to think he had it.

“So, there’s a chance?” He asked quietly, his eyes fixed on hers.

“I believe so.” She nodded with a reassuring smile. She wasn’t terribly fond of him. She never had any reason to be. But he looked young and in love, and there was a undeniable innocence to it all that she found endearing. Maybe she found herself thinking if it was one of her boys asking her for help to be with their beloveds, and how she’d have a hard time denying them.

Aegon let out a sigh of relief, but he still needed to be sure. To hear her say it. “You’ve given me advice. And I’m thankful for it.” He started. “But would you back me? Help convince father, and the council?” He wished she would. He wasn’t part of the council, his father spared him little attention, his mother saw no value in his feelings. He needed Rhaenyra. Her power and her sway.

She thought briefly of how to answer is plea. “I could.” She said, letting the affirmation trail off. “But what would be in it for me?” She held his gaze.

Rhaenyra was testing him, because she knew she intended to back him regardless. She wanted to see if he had more to give, and this was a perfect chance to learn just how useful he could actually be to her.

Aegon was displeased, of course there had to be a but. Of course no one would ever do anything without expecting anything in return. And he is reminded exactly why he wasn’t fond of Rhaenyra.

“I would be forever grateful.” He said. The implication that he owed her something for her to collect when it suited her was left unsaid. Rhaenyra looked almost disappointed; then, he said something more.

“And, if I’m betrothed to Lady Gaunt, Helaena is free to marry someone else.” That immediately caught Rhaenyra’s attention. “Jacaerys, perhaps…”

He felt… dirty. Bargaining his sister that way for his own gain. But he couldn’t feel entirely bad about it. He knew she didn’t want to marry him anymore he did her. Besides, he couldn’t actually give her hand away. It wasn’t his decision. He could bait Rhaenyra with it though, and that seemed to have been working well enough.

Rhaenyra’s eyes grew slightly, surprised by his words. He had better instincts than she originally thought he did. A grin spread on her lips. Perhaps he might be a little more useful than what she believed he would. “That is a generous proposition, Aegon.” She was well aware it was not within his power to arrange that proposal, but, it nevertheless gave her an idea. One she would gladly take note of.

He stood up from his chair. Intent on leaving, but before he could, he turned to face her again and decided to press his luck and ask for one more advice. With a deep breath, he held onto the backrest of the chair he previously sat on, and spoke:

  “Princess-” He started.

“Rhaenyra.” She interrupted, then. “Given our newfound understanding, you needn’t abide to such formalities anymore.”

“…Right.” He said. “Rhaenyra.” He tested her name on his tongue, it felt foreign in a way. Just as calling her ‘sister’. But he’d take the progress if it meant she’d remain at his side on this matter. “There’s one more thing. Her father? He is keen on marrying her to a neighboring lord. How can we guarantee he’ll accept this betrothal?” He posed the question he’d been interrupted from asking.

“Well, it shouldn’t be too hard. It’s not easy to deny the Crown. Whatever his goals are, find them out. Ask your lady love about his desires, and we’ll make a proposal he cannot refuse.” Rhaenyra said matter-of-factly waving her hands around. As if it was nothing to worry about. And his thoughts seemed to be written all over his face, because she continued:

“If the King and the council agree to this, her father will too. He’d be a fool otherwise, you’re a Prince. That would bring prestige to the Gaunt name like nothing else will.” She reassured him.

“Alright.” He nodded. “I’ll see you at the small council meeting later today, then.” Aegon said, and Rhaenyra frowned.

“So soon?”

“I’ve no time to waste. She’s due home in a matter of days, I must sort this before then.” He said adamantly.

“These things do not often resolve quickly. You must know this Aegon.”

“I do.”

“Why the rush then? Don’t tell me the girl’s pregnant.” She accused him.

Aegon bristled and huffed. “I’ve not touched her that way.” His gaze was harsh. “Maybe if I had, this would be easier. Marry us and avoid a scandal!” He jested. “But alas, I’ve been a good boy.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

“I meant no offense.”

“We may have reached an agreement, but you don’t need to pretend otherwise. I know how little you think of me.” He said.

Rhaenyra found herself feeling something aching to pride. Aegon was proving to be more astute than he led others to believe. Though she still would hazard a guess that it wasn’t something he did on purpose. Maybe, just maybe, she could mold this side of him to her liking. She never thought he could be an useful ally. Well, maybe not that, but certainly a tool in her favor.

“That’s true enough. Yet, I’ll have you know you’ve earned my respect today. Didn’t think you had this kind of fight in you.” She spoke honestly.

“I’m full of surprises.” He smirked.

“It would seem so.” She arched her brows amusedly.

“Well, I must get going, then.” He said and Rhaenyra merely nodded. There was a brief exchange through their eyes. Something new, something that wasn’t cold indifference. These past couple of days have brought him nothing but surprises. And he was giddy with it, even if confused. But he did not care, his life seemed to be shifting somewhere he actually would like for it to be, and nothing would ruin that for him.

He exited her quarters, decided on finding his lady. He wished to tell her the good news, that he was working on the promise he made. There was still a couple of hours before he had to be in the small council, and there’s nowhere else he wished to be, than by her side.

He traversed the keep with a skip to his step on his way to the guest rooms where he was likely to find her. Not long after Aegon found himself standing in front of her door, he knocked with a barely contained smile on his lips. He was so close to making it work, and he hoped to see the same excitement mirrored in her eyes when he told her. He continued to knock, but there was no answer, he waited for another few seconds, then teste the nob, finding it unlocked, he slowly pushed inside, calling for her. But there was no answer. He walked to the room and found it empty. Aegon let out a frustrated sigh, and set out to find where she had gone off to. But in his excitement he failed to notice that the room wasn’t merely empty because she wasn’t there. But everything that had been brought with her and her mother was gone.

She watched as the waters of Blackwater Bay lapped at the rocks in which the Red Keep stood. The skies were bright blue and cloudless. A kettle of birds wheeled in beautiful circles above the waves, a beautiful song and dance coming from them. She did not know how long she had been there, having disappeared from the guest rooms as soon as her mother had ordered their things to be packed. She skipped the breaking of her fast and wondered to a tower far from there. She had not been paying attention to where she was, merely following the silence.

A strong gust of wind had her holding tighter to the casement of the sill in which she stood. And she thought the ought not to worry about holding on. The waves below beckoned for her. She beckoned for her.

She clutched the twin stars on her necklace as she gazed upon the salty waters. All rivers led to the sea; perhaps she’d find Maxine waiting for her there. Her beloved sister, the only one who truly loved her, wholly. With no reservations, no conditions. Maybe she’d find the love she so desperately missed beneath the waves.

She belonged there, with her sister. In an ideal world Maxine would’ve never died. But, if someone was meant to have died that day, then it felt cruel that the gods had spared her and not Max. It should’ve been her. She had always felt like it should’ve been her that day when the river waters swallowed them both. Her mother merely confirmed that her thoughts were correct the night before. Truly, she believed she had died that day too. Whatever life she had afterwards was lived by a ghost walking among men.

She would join Max wherever she was. Because that’s how it always was with them, Max would take a step, and she would follow. Without her she was aimless. It was long overdue that she followed behind her in death. She looked below again, and found that her death with be swift. She’d likely hit the rocks before she reached the water, it was a kinder death than the one afforded her sister. But, the how did not matter, so long as she met her end.

She took a couple of steadying breaths, finding peace in the salty smell of the sea. She took her hand away from the casement, letting the wind sway her in her place, before relaxing into its awaiting arms as she allowed herself to fall forward and into the waters below.

Waters that never came.

She felt her dress being gripped tightly as she is abruptly pulled into the opposite direction, where she instead fell backwards to the floor and into someone’s awaiting arms.

Aegon’s Arms.

“Let me go!” She fights the hold he has on her, clawing at his hands that wrapped around in a white knuckled grip.

“No!” Aegon said holding her tightly against his chest and keeping her from moving anywhere. His heart raced, thundering in his chest with fear he had never felt before in his life.

He had never heard such a desperate edge on her voice before this. For the most part she was always composed, but this? It filled him with horror and heartache. Aegon kept his hold on her tight no matter how much she clawed and kicked, he stayed unrelenting. Praying she’d stop fighting him.

“Let me go! Let go of me, Aegon!” She screamed.

“No!” Aegon said more firmly this time, and he felt her trembling within his hold, still weakly she tried to fight her way out of it.

“Please, let me go.” She said quietly, he heard the tremble in her voice. He couldn’t see it with her back to him, but he knew she was crying.

He took shaky breaths, fighting his own tears. “I can’t.” He spoke softly.

“I won’t. I made you a promise, remember?” He added. His own desperate plea for her to calm down in his arms.

She stilled at those words, her struggles dying down. Though her body still trembled. He held her close to him, his hands rubbed gentle circles on her arms as he tried to soothe her however he could.

Argon’s words were like a bucket of cold water. A startling reminder. He had promised to not let her go the night before, that he would not let her mother take her away from him. He was keeping his promise. He did not forget her like she thought he would. She felt the fight leave her body, and she laid limp in his arms.

Aegon let out a shaky sigh of relief, and loosened his bruising grip on her slightly when he surmised she would not fight him anymore. Still he kept her close to his chest and his arms encircling her in a embrace.

“Please.” He whispered, his voice pleading. “I won’t let you go. I won’t let anyone take you away.”

His chin is on her head, and like this he could smell of her hair. He committed it to memory, the shock of almost losing her having not ebbed away in the slightest.

“Why would you… Tell me what’s wrong.” He asked, voice uncharacteristically gentle. She held onto his arms around her, refusing to answer.

“Please.” He begged.

“Mother’s taking me home today. She knows about us, and she’s taking me home.” She answered in a half-truth, despair lingered in her voice still. “She...” The girl swallowed thickly unable to bring herself to tell him everything her mother said to her in the night.

Or in all the years before that.

She simply stared at the ceiling, her head on his chest as his heart thudded still in his chest. More alive than she felt in that moment.

He tightened his arms around her once more, his body pressing against her as if to shield her from any harm.

“No.” He said firmly. “No, you’re not going back. I won’t let her take you.” He took a shaky breath, burying his face in her hair. “Can you sit?” He asked her and she nodded.

He gently and slowly untangled from her, until they both sat on the floor, facing one another. She refused to look into his eyes, choosing to keep her head down. But he took her face into his hands and forced her eyes to meet his own. He finally saw the depths of the pain in her eyes and his heart shattered at the sight.

“I need you to listen to me: She’s not taking you home.” His hands were wet with her tears.

“I’ve spoken with Rhaenyra and I will get your hand in marriage. I’m bringing our betrothal to the small council today. And they will accept it. You’ll never have to go back there again.”

He told her in slow measured words. He felt like he was lying, because he still could hear a no from them. But after what he just saw, he would make sure they’d listen. If not, he would take her and Sunfyre and they’d fly far away, never to be found. Nothing, absolutely nothing was going to stop him from keeping his promise to her.

She’s left shell shocked. He had done it. He said he’d make her his. And he’s keeping to his word. He’s fighting for her and it surprised her that he did. She liked him before, but she thought she could grow to truly love him. Irrevocably. Still, his words did not put her mind and heart at ease, and he could see it written all over her face.

Aegon saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes and allowed himself to smile. But it was gone as soon as it appeared, leaving nothing but her pain behind. His smile fell just as quickly, his brows furrowed.

“That’s not why you wanted to- to jump.” It was like a revelation dawned on him. “It’s not just about us at all.” And the look on her face was all the answer he needed.

She shook her head in shame. She did not wish to disappoint him, he had looked so sure, so relieved that what he said would ease her heart. And she wished that it had. She wished it was enough.

“I’m sorry.” She said, closing her eyes as fresh tears fell.

Aegon’s eyes filled with pain at her words. He pulled her into his arms before she could see the tears that threatened to fall from his own eyes. He wanted to be strong for her in that moment. He didn’t want to burden her with his own emotions.

“None of that.” He said softly, while his hands rubbed up and down her back. “You have no reason to apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

He buried his face in her soft hair, keeping her close to his chest, and for a moment he said nothing. He allowed her to cry it out onto his chest as he tried to collect the whirlwind of his own thoughts. He felt completely out of his depth, but he wanted, needed, to help her.

“Please tell me what’s hurting you.” He asked her in a whisper.

“I can’t.” She choked out. Burrowing deeper onto his embrace, as if it would make her disappear. Aegon held her firmly, his hand cradled her head against his beating heart.

“Please.” He said, and willed his trembling voice to still. “I can’t bear to see you like this, I want to help you.” He told her. “You don’t have to tell me everything now. Or ever. But I need you to give me something, anything.” He pleaded.

And gods, she wished she could. But she didn’t know how. She didn’t know if she was ready to voice all of it to anyone, she never wanted him to see, truly see, all there was to her. Afraid that if he knew all there was inside of her, that he'd no longer want her. That he'd give up on her like everyone else before him.

“I can’t.” She said through the tears.

“If I speak such horrors it will make them real.” She forced the words out between sobs. “I can’t.”

Aegon’s heart twisted at her words and her pain. And he understood. More than he thought he would, because he too, knew what it was like to hide everything that hurt him. Burying it all so deep to pretend it wasn’t there in the hopes it would disappear. Even if all that did was make it fester like a plague.

“Then show me.” He said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Show me what frightens you. Please.”

He felt bad for pushing her to speak, but he knew of no other way to help. He needed to understand what hurt her so deeply if he ever wished to fix it. He held her close to him to give her time to think, to decide if she was ready to show him her truth.

After a while, she pulled away from him just enough to take one of his hands to the necklaces that hung around her neck. She watched as he fingered the pendants and inspected them, his gaze was pensive as he tried to understand what she wanted to show him. His touch was light, matching the delicacy of the jewelry itself. The twin stars in yellow-green bound to silver chains had caught his eyes before. She seemed to always wear them, toying with the chain or the pendants between her fingers often, and that always made him curious, but he never brought himself to ask about them before, thinking she simply found them pretty and not assigning any deeper meaning. And now he saw he had made a wrong assessment about that.

“Can you tell me about these?” He asked her quietly, his fingers still dancing over the pendants.

“My- My sister.” She stammered. “Twins. One for me, one for her.” She said, red-rimmed eyes on the two identical necklaces she wore.

“Twins.” He repeated quietly. He didn’t know she had a sister, much less a twin. And that made him realize how little he actually knew of the one who had so thoroughly captured his heart. He found himself desperate and eager to know more of her. His fingers gently brushed over the pendants once more, his touch careful and gentle. “Why do you wear both?”

She looked at him as if begging for him to understand on his own. The words caught on her throat, words she did not wish to say.

Aegon glanced away from the necklaces and back at her face. He saw the look in her eyes, the pleading, the pain, and the anguish. His mind raced to processes everything. And it did not take him long to connect the dots, finally making some sense of what hurt her so. His hand moved from the necklace to brush a strand of hair away from her face. “You wear them both...” His gaze fluttered back down to the twin necklaces, his heart in his throat.

“Because she isn’t here to wear hers.” He said softly and downcast.

She released her breath in relief. He knew, but she did not have to say it. She did not know why it was so hard for her to simply say what needed to be said.

“I love her.” She could never bring herself to refer to her in the past tense. Even after so long. “Everyone always has.”

Aegon’s heart ached for her as she spoke, the pain and longing in her entire being was as clear as the day outside that room. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek in soothing circles.

“She was your twin. Of course you love her.” He said gently.

He didn’t have a twin of his own, and his relationship with his siblings was far from perfect, but he knew that if something happened to them he’d feel terrible. “And I’m sure she loved you just as much.”

“She’s the only one who ever has.” Her lips quirked up in a sad smile.

“The only one? Come now, I find that hard to believe.” Aegon tilted his head a bit, his brows up in disbelief as he cupped her face in his hands, gently turning her head to look at him.

“What about your parents?” He asked quietly, his voice filled with concern.

She laughed at his question. Mirthless and almost deranged.

Aegon’s taken aback by her reaction, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He didn’t like the implications.

“They... they don’t love you?” He asked directly, because he knew parents were supposed to love their children unconditionally — his own notwithstanding — and he couldn’t wrap his head around how someone would be unable to love her. She was captivating and easy to like.

“How can they love me? After what I’ve done.”

“What do you mean?” He asked filled with both confusion and worry. “What could you have possibly done to make them not love you?”

“I took away their pride and joy. The only one who’s ever loved me for who I am.” She said with her voice devoid of emotion. As if she was stating a fact. And it scared him.

“No.” He said, his voice firm despite the emotions that raged inside him. “That’s not true. You didn’t take her from anyone. It wasn’t your fault.”

“My mother would disagree with you. And you weren’t there. It was my fault, Aegon.” She spoke harshly, and her words were true. She felt… angry. That he didn’t believe her. She did not know why; but she felt betrayed at his refusal to accept what she did.

Aegon hated to hear her speak of herself that way. Like some sort of irredeemable evil. But he also knew her enough to know that she was a hard one to convince, so he would not fight her on this. She did have a point; he wasn’t there, he doesn’t know what happened when her sister died. But he was hard pressed to believe she was at any fault. So he insisted asked her about the other thing she mentioned, the thing that prickled his spine and made him deeply uneasy:

“You said your mother would disagree with me… What did she say to you?” He was afraid of her answer.

“You’re smart enough to figure this one on your own, Aegon.”

His heart sank, and he grew angry on her behalf. She did not need to tell him, that much was true. Her mother blamed her for her sister’s death. Instead of helping her through the loss, she blamed her. And he was furious.

“Well, your mother’s a fool.”

“She isn’t a fool if she speaks the truth.”

“Don’t defend her. I don’t care what happened or how she felt about it, she shouldn’t tell you those things.”

“It’s better than telling me a lie.” Her voice was filled with sorrow. Her mother telling her the truth, correctly assigning blame was not the worst thing she said to her. Far from it.

“I wish I had been the one to die that day, and not her.” She admitted out loud for the first time. “We’d all be happier for it.” She echoed her mother’s words.

Argon’s breath caught in his throat, his heart shattering into a million pieces. Because he cared for her, so, so much. And he was willing to fight the King himself for her, and yet, she wasn’t willing to do so for herself.

“Don’t.” He managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t say that. Please. Don’t say you wish you’d died.” He brought their foreheads together.

“You wanted the truth.”

“Not this truth.” He mumbled and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Please… Don’t wish you were dead. I need you here. I need you with me.” He pleaded, looking into her eyes.

“You don’t Aegon.” She pulled back from him, and gave a comforting smile through her tears. “Maybe you would feel sad for a while. But then you would move on, you’d find someone who could truly be here for you in a way I can’t.” She caressed his cheek.

“We talked of marriage, of wanting one another.” She began. “And while all of that remains true. My wants, my desires... I’d only ruin it all in the end. And I’d loathe to be cruel to you, my Prince.” She spoke his title with fondness.

Aegon felt as if had been stabbed repeatedly by her words. The horrible truths she believed in. And it was terrifying. He had known her for so little, and yet the thought of her no longer being in his life, in this world, was unbearable. She made his days better, he looked forward to seeing her in the corners of the Keep, her sharp words and her playful stares. He thoroughly thought the world was better with her in it.

He shifted to sit on his heels so he could het closer to her, his hand held her face between them and he looked into her eyes again.

“I won’t listen to this. I won’t... I can’t lose you.” He swallowed thickly. “Please don’t talk like this. I- I need you. Here. With me.”

“Please don’t leave me.” He pleaded her, and he wrapped his arms around her like a vice. “Don’t leave me, please.” He said against her head, the words lost in the softness of her hair.

Aegon is held on to her as if he held his whole world within his arms. And the longer he did so, the more her resolve crumbled. His words were so sincere, and yet she could not fathom that someone could care for her this much. The last person to do so was Max, and she’s been gone for years. She had not felt this much love since she died. She struggled to believe it to be true. And yet she wanted it. Her body starts to shake as she began to cry violently in his arms again.

He held her as she let out all of her pain onto him, his eyes marred with unshed tears because he refused to add to her guilt and her sorrow. He had never seen her like this, so vulnerable and broken. It tore him up inside to know that she believed she was undeserving of his love. Undeserving of her own life. He whispers soft, soothing words to her. Most of it felt like nonsense to him, but he was never good at knowing what to say, how to comfort or how to care properly. All he knew was that he wanted her pain to stop, and most desperately he wanted her to live.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m here ” He whispered and shushed against her head. And then: “Stay with me, please, stay with me, stay with me.” He begged her almost as desperately as she cried.

“I don’t know if I have the strength to.” She said to him then.

Aegon wanted to scream, he wanted to carve out the pain in her heart. He’d take it into his own if he could. But we would not let her go. His hands tightened on her as he held onto her shoulders, then he spoke with the kind of certainty and authority that befitted him as a Targaryen Prince. As a dragon.

“You do have the strength.” His voice was firm, yet gentle. “You’re the strongest person I know, my Lady. Because you’ve made it this far.” He wished she could see that herself. “But you don’t have to it alone anymore, you have me. Lean on me, take my strength to yourself. I’m here.”

He cupped her face in his hands with the tenderness one held a flower and he urged her to look him in the eyes. “Just, please, don’t leave me.”

“Would you truly have me stay? As broken as I am? Why? You could have anyone.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” His lips tilt into a brief smile. “I don’t want anyone except you. And I don’t care how broken you think you are.” He brushed a strand of hair that stuck to her damp cheeks from her face, his touch gentle and tender. “I want you. Broken or whole. Nothing will change that. Please... please stay with me.”

There’s a moment of silence where her tears subsided into sniffles and she suddenly nodded aggressively. “I’ll try.” She said then, her voice hoarse from crying. “For you.” She revealed. “For you I’m willing to try.”

Aegon wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace, relief washed over him as he heard her promise to stay. He gently ran his fingers over her hair, his chin resting on the top of her head.

“For me… But also for yourself.” He pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, his gaze sincere and intense. “You deserve to be happy and loved, even if you don’t see it yet.” He kissed her forehead.

“For yourself.” She repeated his words with a hint of mirth. “That’s my line.” She said, recalling how she’d insisted he made an effort to better himself not for anyone, but for him.

Aegon smiled despite the seriousness of the situation, the memory bringing a slight sense of humor.

“Ah, yes, I suppose that is your line.” He acquiesced. “It’s too good not to use though.” He shrugged. His expression turned serious once more, his gaze fixed on her.

“It’s true, you know. You deserve to be happy, and I want to be the one to make you happy. But most importantly, I want you to learn to love yourself.” As I do. He almost said. But he wasn’t quite ready to admit the depth of his own feelings to himself, let alone her.

“Stop throwing my own wisdom at me.” She playfully shoved him. Her tears had begun to dry, though her heart still ached; she had no idea how to move forward from this. She had been so resolute about where her life would end just earlier. But in this moment, with him, she allowed herself to float aimlessly for a while longer.

“How does that saying go?” She began. “Do as I say…”

Aegon laughed softly, the sound a welcome relief from the sadness around them. “Ah, that one.” He grinned. “A hypocritical philosophy, my Lady.” He pulled her close. “It seems you need to practice what you preach a bit more often.”

“My words have come back to haunt me.” She deadpanned.

Aegon chuckled, his eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked at her. Happy that she seemed a little lighter. Her eyes a little brighter. “It seems you’re not immune to your own advice after all.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Stubborn as a mule.” He shook his head. “But so am I. And I’m not going to let you escape this conversation without admitting you deserve happiness too.”

“Then we shall wither and rot right here, I’m afraid.”

Aegon rolled his eyes, playful annoyance on his face.

“Always so dramatic, aren’t you?” He teased.

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait here until one of us crumbles. But I assure you, my Lady, I have the patience of a saint.”

She huffed. “Since when? That’s absolute crap and we both know it.”

Aegon laughed at her response and raised his arms in surrender. “Fine, perhaps I’m not the epitome of patience.” He admitted playfully.

“But when it comes to you, I’m willing to try. I’d wait an eternity if it meant you’d finally see your worth.” He spoke, his nose brushed hers as he met her eyes.

“Where has this romantic and eloquent Aegon been hiding?” She said, mildly surprised.

Aegon pulled back, pretending to be offended. “Why, my Lady, you wound me.” He said with a dramatic flair, placing a hand over his heart. “Haven’t you been paying attention?”

“It’s infuriating that I’m not immune to you. Just like every other girl you chased after.” Her words aren’t meant to be harsh, though she immediately feared they’d be taken as such.

Aegon’s playful expression faltered for a moment as he registered the words she said.

“What do you mean by that?” He asked as his eyes searched her face. A hint of worry in his eyes.

“Don’t look at me that way. It was just an observation.” She nudged him gently. “I spent so long adamant that I wasn’t interested in you, because I didn’t want to be like all the others. Who fawned over you for all the wrong reasons.” She told him as much. Which was true, but there was more she wasn’t ready to admit to just yet.

Aegon listened quietly as she spoke, his gaze fixed on her face. He could tell there was more to it, but he didn’t press further.

“And what made you change your mind?” He asked quietly, a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

“Well... When I met you, I did feel captivated by your disheveled ways.” She recalled seeing him for the first time with a faint smile. He was the opposite of what a prince should be, and that made her feel a certain way. It did help that he was pretty.

“But all the others fawned over the Prince. And you only ever wanted someone to get it wet. So I stayed away.” She did not mention how many times she almost caved and let him have his way with her, because she felt that being used and discarded was exactly what she deserved.

“It wasn’t until I started to get a glimpse of why you were that way, that everything changed. Like I told you in the courtyard that day; I see myself in you. In a way.” She settled comfortably at his side, shoulders touching.

“I thought I understood you, and, deep, deep down, I wanted you to understand me.”

Aegon listened intently as she spoke, his expression becoming softer and more thoughtful. He turned to face her then. “And do you feel I understand you now?” He asked quietly, his voice sincere and earnest. He reached out to take her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers.

“I think you do. More than I thought you would.” 

That response made Aegon’s heart skip a beat, and his grip on her hand tightened briefly, before he lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a soft, gentle kiss on her knuckles.

“It means the world to me to have your trust.” His voice was filled with sincerity.

“You’re the only one who’s made the effort. Which is truly surprising coming from the Red Keep’s number one skirt chaser.” She gave him a painful truth then covered it up with a playful jab. Aegon always made it easy for her to focus on other things besides her sorrow. He brought a lightness, an ease. She couldn’t help but compare him to the Sun. Necessary for all life to flourish, but can burn you if you get too close.

Aegon laughed at her jab, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I’m very proud of my accomplishments, thank you.”

He was undoubtedly honest about that, and she knew. Still, it made her roll her eyes.

He pulled closer to him, his arm wrapping around her waist to glue her to his side. “Well, I can promise you this much, my Lady; you’re the only skirt I’m interested in chasing these days.”

“How flattering.” She said flatly. Though knowing he wanted her enough to say that, made warmth bloom on her mostly-cold-heart.

“It is!” He said, smugly. “An honor I tell you.” He smirked.

“Seven hells...” She closed her eyes and sighed. “How come I fell in love with you of all people?” She barely realized her admission, being slightly annoyed at his behavior. It was ridiculous and she adored him for it.

“My irresistible charm I wager.”

“Wouldn’t go that far.”

They both huffed before falling into silence. It was, strangely, a comfortable one. Despite the circumstances that led to it. They sat side to side with their backs leaning on the sand-colored stone, and above them was the very window she had tried to jump from. One could hear the waves breaking outside, smell the salt, and hear the birds and their songs when they flew by. It was then she finally felt her body crash from all the adrenaline before, all the extreme emotions and the lack of sleep, food or drinks. She unconsciously leaned her head on his shoulder, comforted by the rise and fall of his chest and the morning light that shone above them.

She found that she liked this. That she wanted more of whatever this was. And she realized that had Aegon not found her when he did, she wouldn’t have been able to sit by his side like this. She couldn’t yet say for sure if she thought this single moment was worth living for, but she made a promise to him. And she would abide by it. Her words were one of the few things she had for herself, and perhaps the little pride she had left.

“You seem exhausted.” Aegon broke their silence. He spoke quietly, as if he spoke any louder he might startle her, and she merely weakly nodded against him.

“I should’ve slept last night, probably.” She said.

“You should rest, then.” He suggested.

“I should, right here, on the floor. Uncomfortable and undignified.” She joked.

Aegon chuckled a hint of amusement in his weary smile. He pulled her gently underneath his arm, her head now rested on his chest. “There’s no need for that when there’s a bed in this very room.”

“Very true, and enticing.”

She said, and with that Aegon helped her up and they walked the very short distance towards the bed. She mumbled about how in slightly different circumstances, and if her head didn’t have a mounting headache, she would’ve joked about him and her alone in a room with one bed. He snickered at her words and promised he’d hold her to that at a later date. He went as far as helping her sit down on the soft mattress when they are startled by a guard coming through the door.

“My Prince! The Keep has been in a state of disarray looking for Lady Gaunt for upwards of an hour. The girl’s mother and her Grace are terribly worried.”

The guard explained, the mention of her mother made her immediately tense besides Aegon, the color drained from her face. His arms immediately tightened around her when he noted the shift in her demeanor. He looked at the guard with a stern expression, his tone firm when he spoke. “Thank you for informing us, but rest assured she’s safe with me.” He continued to hold her protectively close, his grip almost possessive.

“I’m sure she is, your highness. But we were instructed to bring the girl back to her mother as soon as we found her.” The guard said cautiously, noting how the Prince obviously was not letting her go, and she didn’t look any eager to follow the guard out anywhere.

“How unfortunate, but the Lady is feeling unwell.”

“My Prince-”

“I’m aware of your orders, and I’m giving you new ones.” Aegon interrupted the guard. “Let the Queen, and only the Queen know where to find us.” He said using every ounce of authority he could.

The guard regarded the both of them for a moment, hesitating. But Aegon’s tone has left no room for argument. “Very well, my Prince, I will pass the message on.” The guard bowed before he left the room, and closed the door behind him.

Aegon squeezed his arm around her then looked down to find her expression filled with concern.

Her heart was beating rapidly within her chest. The tentative amount of hope she had felt quickly ebbed away, slipping through her fingers to give space to the same feeling of dread and hopelessness that had her yearning for death before.

“I can’t go back Aegon.” Her voice trembled and Aegon’s eyes darkened as he saw the despair return to her expression.

He sat down beside her to meet her eye level, his hands raised to cup her face firmly between them. Forcing her to look him in the eyes, and see the determination in his gaze.

“You are not going back.” He said with no room for doubt. “I won’t let them take you.” He leaned their foreheads together and closed his eyes as they breathed the same air.

“Whatever is in my power to help.” He answered in a half-truth. He had not forgotten how his mother had opposed their betrothal the previous night. “Something to hopefully make her life just a little easier.”

Alicent sighed. “Just don’t do anything reckless.” She had little confidence about what he’d do, but she was going to let him, if only to appease him for the day.

“There’s somewhere I need to be; but I do not wish for her to be alone when she wakes.” He said while gently caressing her cheek, then he looked at his mother with a silent question.

“She won’t be.”

“Thank you, mother.”

He took a deep breath to compose himself, drying his face on the sleeves of his doublet. He let out a breath and took one last look at her who slept soundly, her face devoid of pain in her sleep. Aegon got up from the bed and walked all the way over to the door, before he turned back to his mother. “Please talk to her mother.” He reminded her.

Alicent nodded and watched him leave. She spent the next couple of minutes putting her thoughts together, most of which revolved around how duty was tearing them all apart.

“Ser Criston.” She called for him, and he promptly entered.

“Yes, your Grace?”

“I need you to stay on guard. No one but me or Aegon is allowed inside. Not even the girl’s mother.”

Criston bowed his head in understanding.

She was then ready to leave, she would search for the girl’s mother to do what she told her son she would. But before she could, she remembered Aegon’s second request. “Ser Criston, stay inside the room with the girl, she shouldn’t be alone when she wakes.”

He nodded and moved to hold the door open for Alicent. She hesitated on the threshold, stealing a glance toward the bed the girl laid in. “Is there anything else, my Queen?” Criston asked her.

“I fear the protection she needs the most right now; is from herself.”

Alicent gave him a pointed look. She had been in her son’s place once, and Criston had been the one in the girl’s role — though Alicent had not been in love then like her son was — she hoped he’d understand what she meant. If he remembered that fateful night as well as she did.

“…I see.” He replied as he glanced briefly at the sleeping girl. A sense of kinship washed over him. “No harm shall come to her, your Grace.”

“Thank you, Ser Criston.” Alicent said, and finally left in search of Lady Esme.

Meanwhile, Aegon arrived at the council, surprised, and pleased, to find only a few members were present at the small council. His sister Rhaenyra among them.

“My Prince, what a surprise to see you here.” Said Lord Tyland Lannister.

“Surprised to be here, My Lord.” He said with his usual nonchalance.

“You’re very welcome here. Though you do not have a seat at this table.”

“I’m the King’s son. I should have one. Don’t you think?” Aegon wanted to kick himself after he said so. He shouldn’t antagonize the people he needed on his side. But he was prickly and nervous.

“Well, yes, but you see…”

“Lord Tyland, my brother may not have a seat, but we’ll discuss something important today that he should be present for.” Rhaenyra interrupted him and invited Aegon to her side.

“Thank you.” He said and stood by her. Not bothering himself with a chair, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He could feel the eyes of the council members upon him, but he tried to keep his expression neutral, hiding his anxiety and anticipation. He glanced around the room, praying that his mother would not arrive on time. He knew she would not be on his side, and he feared her sway with the council.

“So, what topic will we be discussing today?” He asked Rhaenyra to occupy his time, voice betraying a hint of impatience.

“Well, there’s been some issues between the Brackens and the Blackwoods. As well as trouble rearing its head on the Stepstones again.” She said, not mentioning their plans for the meeting.

“Stepstones again?” He rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. “Those damned pirates just won’t quit, will they?”

“Indeed. Though I’ll have to admit I respect their resilience.” She said.

“I suppose it does take a certain level of determination to keep fighting despite the constant defeats.” He agreed. “But they’re still a nuisance that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later.”

“That is very true, My Prince.” Lord Lyonel Strong said, from where he sat, having been paying close attention to the Prince and Princess.

Aegon turned his gaze towards Lord Strong, his expression guarded.

“You have a plan, my Lord?” He asked, his tone slightly deferential. He didn’t particularly want to make small talk, or actually cared enough about the topic, but he had only one chance today, and he wanted to play his cards right.

Her life hinged on it.

“That’s what we’re here to discuss as soon as everyone arrives.” Lord Lyonel said. And Aegon nodded in acknowledgement, his heart rate picking up as he waited for the meeting to start.

“When does the meeting usually start?” He leaned toward Rhaenyra and asked.

“Soon. Everyone tends to be fairly punctual.” Rhaenyra answered.

“I hope so. The sooner this meeting starts, the sooner it ends.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.” She said with a hand on her belly, her pregnancy neared its end, which made her achy and impatient.

Aegon stole and glance at her and chuckled. “You look like you’re about to burst, sister.” He teased. Jesting was his way of combating his nerves. Well… that, and wine.

She recognized a playfulness to his tone and smiled briefly at it. “I wish I would, so I could be done with it.” She replied adjusting herself on the chair.

“Ah, the plight of pregnancy. A burden I shall never have to bear.”

He paused for a moment and asked with genuine interest. “Have you given any thought to the babe’s name yet?” He had spoken to her more in this morning than he had his entire life. And he felt like he wouldn’t mind actually knowing his elder sister. Foolish though it was. But he was never the smart one. “Or babes.” He added with a smirk, glancing down at her.

“Oh gods, no. One is already one too many.” She chuckled.

Aegon laughed at her words. “Oh, come now, aren’t children a blessing?”

She side-eyed him, not dignifying him with an answer. “Though I have to admit, you do look positively miserable at the moment.” He said.

“How observant, little brother.” She deadpanned. Rhaenyra found she was enjoying her back and forth with him. Never having allowed herself to before, given how sour her relationship with his mother was. And the strife Aegon brought to her, politically simply by being born. She looked at him and saw nothing but a child. Like her boy Jace. Perhaps, her resentment of him was somewhat unfair.

“Oh, you wound me.” Aegon replied with a hand over his heart. “Though I must say, motherhood agrees with you. You’re as charming as ever.” He said sarcastically.

He studied her face for a moment, contemplating the change in their dynamic. Perhaps it was time to let go of their past tensions and embrace a new understanding, even if just temporarily.

And, as if on cue, the last members of the small council began to file in. Aegon’s heart rate increased slightly as he took note of the men on their seats. He stole a glance at Rhaenyra, giving her a subtle nod as if to say ‘ready?’ Soon enough, all the council members were present, and the meeting began in earnest when his father took his seat at the head of the table. He was clearly puzzled by Aegon’s presence at Rhaenyra’s side, and Alicent’s absence. Lord Strong started by discussing the issue of the Stepstones, suggesting new plans to quell the threat. A fierce discussion between the council members ensued, the men arguing over possible solutions.

Aegon watched silently, his initial anxiety replaced by a sense of boredom. He yawned slightly, having hoped to get to the betrothal discussion sooner rather than later. He wanted to be over and done with it before his mother had a chance to arrive. As time passed, the council moved on to discuss other issues, and thankfully there was still no sign of Alicent. Aegon fidgeted anxiously in his standing position, his patience wearing thin. He was glad that for the most part they paid him no mind. Sometimes they’d ask his opinion on one thing or another, probably to make him feel included, and he’d mostly deflect to someone else. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened to reveal Alicent, who apologized for her tardiness and hastily took her seat on the table. Aegon cursed internally and shared a look with Rhaenyra. Alicent frowned from her seat across the table, wondering what Aegon planned on doing there, and why he stood beside Rhaenyra.

The discussion among the council moved forward, and Aegon had to stop himself from intervening several times. He’s itching to get to the betrothal, but he knew he needed to wait for the right moment. Hopefully when everyone was tired from all the discussions it would make them more pliable to his wishes. He stole glances at his mother, silently praying she wouldn’t put all his effort to ruin. And she in turn looked at him with apprehension and curiosity, the tension in the room gradually rising.

“I think we have discussed all we needed for the day. Is there anything to be brought forward?” Lord Strong said.

Aegon nearly jumped at the opportunity, but before he could speak, Rhaenyra’s voice rang out. “Actually, there is one more matter to be addressed.” Her voice was steady and commanding. “It has come to my attention that my brother, Prince Aegon, wishes to cement an alliance with a new house through marriage.”

The council members exchanged curious and surprised glances. By now they had all heard whispers of the Prince’s new affection for a certain girl, but none thought it was that serious. Aegon looked between his parents; his mother bore a tired expression, while his father seemed amused. He expected worse from both of them, and such reactions made him feel slightly more at ease.

Lord Strong, ever the pragmatic one, was the first to ask a question. “And which house does the Prince wish to form this alliance with?” He spoke directly at Aegon.

He took a deep breath now that the spotlight was on him, he had to make it count. “House Gaunt, my Lord.” He answered. “I wish to betroth myself to their only daughter.” The council members were taken aback by his choice.

“House Gaunt? Remind me of where they hail from, son.” His father asked him.

Aegon cleared his throat. “They are a small and relatively new House situated in Ashfall just south of Saltpans, my King.” He explained. “Their seat is in the rather secluded Ashen Hall.” Aegon had spent the night in the library pouring over every information he could find on her House and the nearby lands, anything to give him a leg to stand on for his proposal.

“Ah, they are one of the Queen’s guests.” The King said in recognition.

“As of now, the Lady is the only heir to their house.” He continued. He wanted to leave no one there room to think too much. “By marrying her it would mean both myself and my children would stand to inherit it.”

“While an inheritance is valued, my Prince, theirs is so insignificant that it isn’t advantageous for the Crown.” Lord Tyland said.

Aegon’s temper flared. This would be incredibly annoying to get through. But he would be damned if he didn’t get out of there with everyone’s shining fucking approval.

“I wasn’t finished, Lord Lannister.” He spoke gravely and Tyland apologized recoiling in his seat.

“They are situated not far from the Trident. And, I’m aware that Lord Maximilian Gaunt wishes to cement his ownership over nearby lands that give access to the river itself.” He had spoken with her at some point, and remembered her mentioning her father’s ambitions in passing. He did not care for it then, but it was going to be extremely useful now. Or so he hoped.

“With the aid of the Crown, he would all but ensure it. He’d be indebted to us, and because of our marriage we would have full access to it. Including important shipping lanes.” He finished, and looked at Tyland again.

“See the value of waiting and listening, my Lord?”

“Well, yes, my Prince. But-”

“But what, Tyland?”

Sensing an impeding quarrel, Alicent raised her voice. “What my son means to say, is that while the Lady’s House standing might not be as noble as some others, her family’s strategic position and potential for growth makes them a valuable match.”

Aegon’s eyes were wide as he looked at her after she finished. It sounded as if she was taking his side on this. And he did not know what to make of it.

“House Gaunt is emergent, which means that by aligning ourselves to them we would have a direct hand on their growth. On influencing their future. It’s not something to be overlooked; we can’t think just of what we can obtain today, but what we might need years and decades from now.” Rhaenyra pointed out.

He had his sister and his mother on his side, all he needed was his father’s approval and the council would have to follow. He could do this.

Aegon let a confident smile spread over his face. “I have spoken to the young Lady, and she agrees with the match.” A collective murmuring followed among the council, some of the members seemingly taken aback, and Aegon’s smile immediately fell. Perhaps it had not been the smartest thing to say.

“You’ve already spoken to the young lady without her family’s presence?” Lord Beesbury asked practically scandalized. Aegon clenched his jaw slightly at the question. Would this of all things, put it all to ruin?

“I have.” He replied firmly, he felt he had no choice but to stand his ground. “I had the chance to speak with her and the opportunity presented itself. So I took it.”

The council exchanged glances, clearly somewhat disapproving of Aegon’s break in protocol by speaking to the girl before her family. Rhaenyra stepped up then, personally annoyed by the small things that the council liked to pay too much attention to. “It is a little unusual that he spoke to the lady without her family’s knowledge, yes. But it’s of little importance.”

He is relieved to see that she was standing by him like she said she would. He gave Rhaenyra a subtle nod of thanks, appreciating her support.

Across from them, with a deep sigh, Alicent also spoke. “Prince Aegon has always been spontaneous and impulsive. While I agree that speaking to the young lady without her family’s knowledge was not the most conventional method, it does not take away from the value of the proposal.”

Alicent did not fully approve her son’s marriage to the girl, but her heart softened after learning of the girl’s attempt to end her own life. She knew not the reasons, but her son spoke a lot of not letting her go home, that home would kill her. And when she found Lady Esme afterwards and told her that her daughter had fallen ill, she not once worried. She only chastised her. Something in her eyes had sent goosebumps over her spine. What she had not expected was arriving at the council to find her son standing proudly besides Rhaenyra. It had not taken long for her to realize why that was. She had not given him her approval last night. So he sought it from someone else, the enemy. It stung, that he would something like that. But she also saw in him the first time; the fight she always instilled in him. Of doing whatever it took to get what they needed.

“Before we approve of this or not, there are two things needed: His Grace’s opinion on the matter, as well as bringing the Gaunts into negotiations.” Lord Strong spoke. Which made Aegon’s heart spike. His father had been mostly silent throughout this discussion, and it made him incredibly fearful that he would refuse.

“This is a good proposition! I don’t see why we shouldn’t consider it earnestly.” Viserys spoke and Aegon visibly relaxed. “It also shows a forward thinking in my son’s part. A very judicious proposition.” There was a smile on his father’s face. The man rarely addressed him, to have him praise him in front of others was unheard of.

“Thank you, father.” He bowed slightly.

“With the King’s approval all that’s left for us is to make a proposal the Gaunts will not refuse.” Rhaenyra said.

The council nodded in agreement, they weren’t fully approving of it, but they’ve all experienced many hurdles when it came to pushing back against unions before.

“We know Lord Gaunt wishes to expand his lands. What else do we know of his wishes?” Lord Beesbury asked looking at Aegon.

“He dreams of having a long-lasting legacy.” He started. “He wishes for his house to make a name for itself. To grow like his ancestors failed to do.”

“He’s an ambitious man, nothing else could further his goals quite like an alliance with the Crown.” Lord Lyonel said. “It would not be hard to convince him to agree with a betrothal.”

“We must approach this delicately.” Alicent cautioned. “We cannot appear too eager or desperate. We must show Lord Gaunt that we are offering him a valuable opportunity, not a charity.”

“Agreed, your Grace. We wouldn’t want for them to think we’re overvaluing the match. Lest they think they have more power in this transaction than they actually do.” Rhaenyra spoke looking at Alicent.

The council then started discussing terms back and forth while Aegon stood silently. Shocked that he had done it. He wanted it to work, but part of him expected rejection from everyone. And yet, there he was, listening in as they worked out a proposal on his behalf. It was unbelievable, he wanted to be excited, but he held on to the feeling until he was absolutely sure. All he really had in mind was coming back to her, his heart constricted in his chest thinking how he had left her alone after everything that transpired earlier. If anyone bothered to pay attention to him, they’d easily notice how antsy he felt. Across from him, Alicent knew that a former proposal still did not solve the issue of the girl returning home until negotiations were finalized. The one thing her son begged her to not let it happen.

“I want to add something to the proposal.” Alicent spoke. “I would like to offer to take young Lady Gaunt to ward while we negotiate with her family.” She looked at Aegon who looked equal parts grateful and confused. Then continued. “It would be a show of good faith, that the Crown would be glad to have their daughter as part of our family.”

Aegon was elated. That way he would be able to be by her side, and ensure she was well at all times. It meant she would be away from those who so willingly hurt her. He had no inkling of what changed his mother’s mind, but he did not care.

“A wonderful idea, Alicent.” The King agreed.

As Aegon watched them write the proposal he thought of something and went ahead to propose an idea of his own. “My Lords,” They all turned to him, “I believe nothing would show how serious the Crown is about the proposal, as having it delivered in person.” He then added:

“I would fly to Ashen Hall myself.”

He knew he was being eager and hasty. But he was not toying with her life. He needed her father to agree, and a dragon knocking on his door was surely convincing enough.

The council members exchanged surprised glances at Aegon’s suggestion. Alicent raised a worried brow.

“It is certainly a unconventional grand gesture, my Prince.” Lord Tyland said. “It would definitely leave an impression.” His words were not a compliment.

He looked at his mother and Rhaenyra, seeking their approval. Alicent looked concerned, but Rhaenyra gave him a nod, silently she supported his decision.

“If you are certain you wish to make this proposition in person, I won’t stop you. But please take care. We don’t want any diplomatic incidents.” The King said.

“I would not dare ruin this, father.” He said earnestly. “I would like to fly out today at the earliest, in the morrow at the latest, my Lords.” He said to urge them to finish with the draft.

Alicent watched as Aegon handled himself in a manner befitting the Prince that he was. And she did so proudly, even if she did not agree to his decisions fully, this was the attitude she had begged of him for so long, and she wished he were standing by her side then, and not Rhaenyra’s.

After what felt like an eternity to Aegon, they finally had a draft completed followed by a brief discussion regarding the wordings and phrasing of the proposal, with some members suggesting minor changes and additions. Alicent provided her own insights, and made sure the proposal clearly represented the Crown’s interests. Once the alterations were finished, Aegon was handed the parchment. He took it with care, his future; her future relied upon it.

“If you would excuse me, my Lords, I should go prepare for my flight.” He bowed to his parents, wishing to leave as quickly as he could to check on her. He nodded briefly to Rhaenyra and they exchanged a look where he hoped she saw all his gratitude. With that, he walked out of the small council, holding the future in his hands.

One by one the council members filed out of the room, but Alicent and Rhaenyra remained seated. Wordlessly they agreed to stay behind, they needed to talk. Alicent let out a sigh, her expression a mix of concern and pride.

“I hope he knows what he’s doing.” She said to Rhaenyra when there were only them in the room.

“I think he has never known better what he’s doing than now.” The Princess said in return.

“And you would know it?” Alicent scoffed. “You hardly ever talk to him, and suddenly you know my son?”

“No thanks to you.” Rhaenyra lifted a brow.

“Oh please, we both know you never made an effort.”

“Maybe.”

“Stay away from my son, Rhaenyra. I do not wish for him to be hurt because you’re encouraging his impulses.” Alicent warned her.

“Sometimes impulses pay off, my Queen.” Rhaenyra spoke with disdain. “And he might be your son, but need I remind you he is also my brother?”

“Something you always hated. Why suddenly do you care?” Alicent leaned forward on the table.

“Because he came knocking at my door when he felt he couldn’t count on you.”

Rhaenyra’s words were like a dagger to her heart. She drove her son to the enemy’s arms. Part of her wished that this newfound closeness between them would assure her children’s safety. But she could not discard an even more painful betrayal in the future.

Rhaenyra couldn’t quite hide the satisfaction she felt at Alicent’s reaction. How had she never thought about ingratiating herself with her little brother before? Having him at her side meant Alicent would have to think twice about her actions, lest it spills on her son. She smiled widely then, shifting the conversation. “He is quite eager, isn’t he? The excitement of young love.”

Alicent shifted uncomfortably in her seat, the change in topic was abrupt. And she understood the message, there had been a shift in power today. And it worried her.

“Yes, he’s quite smitten.” She said with worry. “It’s... endearing, in a way. I hope it doesn’t end in disaster.” She looked pointedly at Rhaenyra, whom she found to be at fault.

Rhaenyra chuckled softly, amused by her glare. “And we would all be to blame, after all, you agreed to this.”

Alicent’s nostrils flared. She agreed because she found herself cornered, Aegon made the choice to put her and himself in a difficult spot. All she could do was back him so things didn’t end so terribly.

“Love can make us do impulsive things, your Grace.” Rhaenyra said as she stood from her chair. “Sometimes the most impulsive decisions lead to the best outcomes.” She had a smirk playing in her lips.

“You sound as if you speak from experience, Princess.” Alicent spoke in a thinly vailed accusation looking at Rhaenyra’s protruding belly.

“An astute observation.” Rhaenyra cradled her stomach. “But that’s all there is to it.” She stepped away from the desk.

“Have a good day, my Queen.” She said with disdain and made her way out, leaving Alicent alone.

She sighed and wished her father was there, she felt control slipping through her fingers with each passing day. All she could hope for was that Aegon’s impulsiveness proved to be fruitful in time.

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[blog-moved-lol]

Some of my Thoughts About Batman: The Animated Series as Someone Who Knows Very Little About Batman Lore (PART 1)

(This is just the first three episodes because it's late and I'm tired and I'd like to go to bed now lol)

•Bangin intro has me very hyped

•Police blimps

•"No one is taking a vigilante force onto my streets." Commissioner Gordon.. Wtf do you think Batman is-? Do you know who Batman is at this point in the series?

•Gotham citizens have a hard time telling the difference between an emo and an actual anthropomorphic bat despite the fact that they look nothing alike

•ALFRED IS HERE AND THAT MAKES ME HAPPY BECAUSE HE'S REALLY COOL •HE'S A SARCASTIC KING AND I LOVE HIM •We have the same sense of humor frfr

•Batman really likes using smoke bombs

•From reading the episode descriptions, and from watching this first episode, it seems like a lot of these villains are just drug addicts- •Drug addicts who really like bats, in this case

•The anthropomorphic bat was a doctor's fursona all along •There's a ridiculous amount of furries in Gotham

•They really like breaking windows. This is only the first episode and like.. Three windows have been broken already

•Christmas tree rockets

•ROBIN SPOTTED •WHICH ROBIN IS THIS •I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF 'EM •Whichever Robin it is has sass, but I think all of them do •"Well ba-humbug to you too 😒" - Robin •THEY'RE WATCHING MOVIES AND EATING DINNER TOGETHER ON CHRISTMAS THIS IS A CUTE FAMILY MOMENT ASJSHAHSJAK •Unfortunately the Joker is here to mess that up tho T-T

•"Looks like I'll have to teach daddy some manners.." Uhhh, Joker..? 💀

•Look at this lovely father & son Christmas bonding, saving people and getting shot at with canons 💕

•I feel like the Joker having turrets shaped like him is really on brand somehow, despite knowing little to nothing about the Joker's said brand

•BETTY BOOP? •BETTY BOOP IS GOING TO MURDER US ALL

•Batman just has a freaking baseball bat 😭🖐 •"They don't call you Bat-man for nothing! 😀" - Robin

•According to the five minutes of research I just did, I think this Robin is Dick Grayson which is, according to the longer then five minutes of research I did last night, the OG (AKA the first) Robin.. So before Bruce's orphan addiction fully formed, I suppose?

•What did Bruce do to you, doctor guy- •This doctor is, like, really passive aggressive ;-; •Also kind of rude of him to just spout nonsense about Bruce's father and Bruce's father's death as if that wasn't an incredibly traumatizing experience for Bruce lmao •BRUCE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TIME TO BE DEPRESSED ABOUT IT BECAUSE SCARECROW IS HERE AND HE HAS A GUN- •The villains in this series are kinda obsessed with guns just as much as they're obsessed with drugs

•So Scarecrow takes the "Scare" part of his name literally and makes people hallucinate their fears? •Damn Bruce, dealing with some trauma right now?? 😭😭 I feel like a lot of characters with parent problems (whether those parents are dead or not) have visions and dreams of their parents being like "you suck lmao" to them

•Commissioner Gordon does, in fact know who Batman is right now, so wtf was he talking about earlier with the whole "no vigilantes" thing -_-

•yeah I'd probably call someone a lunatic if they kidnapped people and performed human experimentation too, scarecrow

•Guys I think Bruce needs to go to therapy (again? Has he already been before?) because he's having- like- a panic attack over this Scarecrow guy and his parents and all that.. •I mean my mans hands are SHAKING and his visions going all blurry •YEAH YOU TELL HIM ALFRED, GIVE HIM THOSE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS AND FEED HIM SOUP ALL RIGHT

•Bruce literally can not catch a break in this episode he went from having panic attacks because of the fear toxin to just.. Getting beat up by random, also fear gassed people 😔

•They like blimps a lot

•Just broke another window

•Tiny plane that looks like it's made out of cardboard

•They also like explosions a lot

•Why's this Jonathan Crane guy so scared of bats •He also has elf ears lol

•Thomas and Martha Wayne? Bruce's parents names acquired

•(This version of)Bruce looks stupid in sunglasses

[ultrakill-confessions]

The amount of NSFW Gabriel x V1 I see here on tumblr is ridiculous. This is not out of a place of homophobia but rather I’m autistic and like the lore of ULTRAKILL. Guys please, V1 is a robot, a robot made to kill. V1 was not programmed to feel emotions, it was made to kill. Gabriel doesn’t even like V1, he likes the challenge V1 gives him in battle. I feel ships r ruining the fandom because there’s no room for romance in ULTRAKILL.

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