#the tremaine fire

[hannahhook7744]

Oh they do.

Every death is listed under 5 categories:

Murder, Natural causes, Health, Accident , or Suicide.

The names under Natural causes are depressily short.

They have multiple lists.

One for the babies and Toddlers.

One for the kids.

One for pre teens.

One for teens.

And One for adults.

All in Alphabetical order.

They also have files for every dead person.

Files telling facts about the person. Good and bad. Files filled with pictures and info for a life time, and a death report.

Some are depressingly small.

Some have only pictures and very small facts because it was of a baby with no name or of someone who had no one. Typically kids.

And during a 'meet a hero' Day thing FG throws Harry Badun confronts them. After he got better from his little breakdown.

Belle and Beast doesn't stop crying for days.

Ben can't look his parents in the eyes for years after he finds out about Carlos', Evie's, and Gil's families. About Harry's mother, Jay's mother, and Uma's brother.

Chad cries when he finds out about the family he would never meet.

Lonnie is horrified to learn about Shan Shiro.

Audrey feels sick when she reads what Maleficent did to Mal after she helped that Goblin in the market.

Doug cried when he found out about the 10 years Evie spent alone with her mother.

Jane can't even look at her mother when she finds the de vil file. And Carlos'. And the fairies' separate file.

FG wonders how they messed up so bad.

Along with all of Auardon when The Badun Detective Agency gets social media.

Merida nearly starts a war with Pan, Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, Mulan, Moana, Tiana, and their husbands (not Elsa, Pan, and Merida's husband) on her side when she storms into Beast's throne room, armed with her bow. Screaming about how they TOLD him that the isle was a horrible idea. That they didn't agree with it for a reason and how he should have listened to them.

Pan is almost foaming at the mouth with anger at the conditions HIS people were put through.

The people Beast took without his permission.

Cinderalla refuses to be in the same room with Beast, FG, and Belle ever again after she finds out about the Tremaine fire.

Anastasia's husband, the baker, sues for wrongful death of his children and wife against Beast, Belle, and FG.

Kuzco gets sick when he finds out about Lil Yaz.

What do you think of the following au:

(Sorry in advance for asking since this is rather dark).

On the isle, there are no cops. No Cps. Barely--if any-- enough doctors. Barely any supplies.

Because of this, crime and violence run rampant and unchecked.

So the kids, as in canon, have to step up.

The older kids look out for the younger ones the best they can with the help of some of the nicer adults on the isle.

Adults like henchmen, petty criminals, Dr Facilier, Anastasia Tremaine, Lefou, and Smee.

And lots and lots of people die.

Which is where one group of kids known as the Badun Detective Agency step in.

The Badun cousins (Harry and Jace), who have lost many siblings, stepmothers/aunts, pets, and cousins to Cruella while their fathers did nothing.

Hermie Bing who's beloved father-- the ring master-- died when she was young due to gulit and poor mental health leaving her alone.

Eddie Balthazar, who's eldery parents (Aunt Sarah and Edgar Balthazar) are stuck on the isle in poor condition. Who knows what a family is supposed to be like.

Reza who was mistreated horribly by his biological father-- the former royal astronomer of Agrabah-- and barely remembers his bio mother, a harem member, only to be taken in by Sadira and Mozenrath.

And sweet little Yzla who is separated from her father (Cedric) who is off the isle. Who has seen her mother be belittled by her grandmother (Amza) every day of her life as her little brother and older cousins turn darker and darker every day.

Together, they keep track of every horrible injury. Every missing person. Every domestic dispute. Every death. Occasionally getting help from Hades and Hadie.

Why do they do this, you ask?

Why, It's simple.

They do it in case the barrier is ever brought down or in case they ever get access to the internet so that Auardon's heroes can't sweep it-- them-- under the rug forever.

So that they don't forget everyone they left to die and suffer.

So that even if they die, it will leave a stain on the heroes' memories-- mainly Beast-- for what they did to them.

I want them to categorise every single death, I want them to scream the names of the lost children and even the adults into King Beast's and Fairy Godmother's face.

I want for their records to haunt the Auradon adults' dreams.

And I wish them the very best of luck on their way for the life they – they all – should have.

(There is a monument. After the Barrier falls – there is a monument. Maybe it is a giant dome, maybe it's just a simple column reaching towards the skies. Maybe it's a statue of a child with sad eyes, hand clenched over the stone heart. Regardless, letters spill all over it. Words, names. So mamy names of children that shouldn't have been born or should have lived, carved in sharp angles, and big curves above the line. In the handwriting of a child practicing it's first lines. If you look very carefully, you will see why they died and it will haunt your dreams.)

[dragoneyes618]

AU of the Tremaine Manor Fire @hannahhook7744 where the Tremaine home burned down, almost everyone died, and the only survivors were Anthony, Dizzy….and Dizzy’s father, Prince Hans.

Hans did not love Drizella, nor even like her that much. They tolerated each other in a “we have to work together so let’s make the best of it” at the best of times, and there were many times that were far from that. They only married because he’d get a stable place to live, as the Tremaines were banished with all of their property and possessions, and she’d get to marry a prince. But there is a big difference between not liking her and wanting her to die.

And there were his daughters, Dizzy’s sisters. Hans did care about them, but he never knew how to show it. He didn’t know how to be a father, but he knew he didn’t want to be like his father. So he generally didn’t have much to do with them, figuring that if he couldn’t be a good father, at least he wouldn’t be a bad one. Instead, he was an absent one. He generally had more to do with them as they grew older, once they were approaching adulthood and he had no chance of messing up their childhoods anymore.

And now they are all dead. No chance of ever having another interaction with them, of ever talking to them again. No chance of ever figuring things out with Drizella. A silent, burned-out house.

Hans has never been truly alone before. In the Southern Isles, he was the youngest of thirteen brothers; before long, sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews joined the family. Sure, he hated most of his brothers, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was accustomed to living with many people.

On the Isle, he wed Drizella at her mother’s insistence and moved into her home; in addition to her, her sister, her nephew and her mother, before long they had quite a few daughters of their own. He may have barely talked to most of them and been at odds with the rest of them - ironically, the Tremaine he got along with the best was Anastasia - but they were always there, always constant. 

Hans is used to the sounds of people talking and shouting and arguing, the bustle and rustle of people moving around and going about their daily lives. And now, all that is gone. Dead. Silent.

Hans hates the quiet.

He falls into a depression. He pretty much moves into the Isle’s taverns and restaurants - anywhere that is full of people, where he is surrounded by noise. Anywhere he can get a drink, and another and another, in a futile attempt to drown his sorrows. He’ll fall asleep in the early hours of the morning in the corner, wake up when the morning’s patrons start coming in and/or the owner kicks him out, and will find another restaurant or bar to do it all over again.

On the occasion that he happens to be at Ursula’s Fish and Chips Shoppe, Dizzy will come over and talk to him (Dizzy is there a lot now, because Anthony decided that his cousin needed someplace to stay where she’d reliably get meals, and Ursula has no objection to Uma turning the back room into a makeshift shelter so long as the numerous kids there take shifts). Hans tries to put on a good front for her; he’ll hide his mug or make a point of drinking water; he’ll do his very best to focus and pretend that he’s sober; he’ll ask her how her day has been and what she’s up to.

Not that Dizzy’s days vary very much.

Until she gets chosen to go to Auradon.

When Dizzy leaves for Auradon, Hans is glad for her, because it means she gets to have a future, away from this Isle full of nothing but ghosts and memories.

But he is sad, too, because it means that he’s finally really alone.

[hanyuleum]

2022 roundup part 2

Photos: Nejire - buddahchen Dorothea - atomicnetwork Marcy - feelsbender

[rabbitcruiser]

International Firefighters’ Day

Firefighters put their lives on the line every day to save our lives, loved ones, homes, and even forests and cities, so give them the thanks they deserve.

The role of a firefighter in today’s society–be it urban, rural, natural environment, volunteer, career, industrial, defense force, aviation, motorsport, or other is one of dedication, commitment, and sacrifice–no matter what country we reside and work in. In the fire service, we fight together against one common enemy–fire–no matter what country we come from, what uniform we wear or what language we speak. -  LT JJ Edmondson, firefighter, and creator of Firefighters Day

Nobody could have put what it means to be a firefighter as well as this courageous woman did. Most of us would risk our lives for those we love—family members, friends, pets. But could you imagine risking severe injury or even death for someone whom you don’t know at all? Could you imagine going into a burning building to rescue a stranger, knowing you may not come out?

Could you imagine climbing a tree in a burning forest just to save a defenseless animal too frightened to come down on its own? These are things firefighters do every day, and though we likely see them as acts of pure heroism, for firefighters, they’re just part of the job. Few people deserve to be celebrated as much as these heroic men and women do, so let’s all make sure to celebrate Firefighters Day in their honor!

History of International Firefighters’ Day

The first organized professionals whose job it was to combat structural fires lived in Ancient Egypt–however, at the time, firefighters worked for private companies that provided their services only to those who could afford them. Later, in Ancient Rome, Ceasar Augustus revolutionized firefighting by calling for the creation of a fire guard, called the Vigiles, that was trained, paid, and equipped by the state.

Firefighters Day was created in 1999 after 5 firefighters died tragically during a wildfire in Australia when the direction of the wind changed suddenly and engulfed them in flames. It is celebrated on May 4th because that is Saint Florian’s day, and Saint Florian, who was said to be one of the first commanding firefighters of an actual Roman battalion and saved many lives, is the patron saint of firefighters.

The incident that led to the creation of this date happened on the 2nd of December, 1998, in Linton Community, Australia. The event was so tragic that it shook the entire world. Linton is a populated area in Victoria, Australia, and firefighters at the time were tackling a massive bush fire. They called for mutual aid. This resulted in the Geelong West Fre Brigade coming to the scene. They did not know the tragedy and despair that was awaiting them.

Matthew Armstrong, Jason Thomas, Stuart Davidson, Chris Evans, and Garry Vredeveldt all loaded into a truck. They were sent to help extinguish the flames as part of a strike team. However, as they made their way into the hot zone, the wind switched direction suddenly, which resulted in the truck being engulfed in flames, with all five members losing their lives. It was an extremely tragic event, and it resulted in the birth of a day to celebrate firefighters and everything they do for us. After all many other firefighters have lost their lives in the field.

The symbol of International Firefighters’ Day

The International Firefighters’ Day has a significant symbol associated with it, and this is the blue and red ribbon. The ribbon is cut precisely to one cm in width and five cm in length, with the two different colors join at the top. Blue and red were selected by JJ Edmondson because of the symbolization associated with the colors. Blue is designed to represent water whereas the red represents fire. Not only this, but the two colors are also recognized around the world as a symbol for the emergency services. Therefore, it was decided that there was no better color choice!

The ribbon is typically worn on the fold of the fabric on a shirt, i.e. the lapel. However, it is not restricted to a certain spot. You can wear it wherever you feel appropriate, be it a different part of your shirt or your cap, for example. A lot of people also place them from their car mirrors or windows, as well as the trees in their garden. No matter whether you decide to place these ribbons, they represent a simple yet effective way of showing your support for firefighters all around the world.

How to celebrate International Firefighters’ Day

There are many great ways to celebrate firefighters on this day. Most of all, this day is about showing our appreciation for their service, risks, and sacrifice, so find a way to make sure your local firefighters know how much you value them! As always, it’s the thought that counts and small gestures go a long way, so even bringing a cake down to the fire hall would be a nice thing to do. You could also consider donating money to one of the many firefighter charities out there, some of which help firefighters injured in the line of duty get the medical treatment they need and return to health.

Other firefighter charities help retired firefighters live comfortable lives after years of risks they took for others. You can also raise awareness about the dangers firefighters bravely face every day by wearing a red and blue ribbon—the colors of water and fire, respectively. There are also a lot of different craft projects that you can enjoy on Firefighters Day that are based on the symbol of the day. Wearing a ribbon, baking a cake or donating a few dollars to a charity may not seem like particularly impressive gestures to you, but they will likely mean the world to those who work tirelessly for their communities.

You could also use this time to educate yourself about some of the heroic acts of firefighters, whether in your area or around the world. All you need to do is a quick search on the Internet and you will be able to read about some amazing heroic firefighter stories. This includes heroes who have risked their lives to save newborn babies from burning buildings, as well as the firefighters who have been involved in high-profile incidents that have happened around the world, with the tragic Grenfell Tower fire and the Australian bush fires being two of the most recent tragedies. Pay tribute to the amazing firefighters as well as those who have tragically lost their lives.

Show the firefighters of the world a little gratitude and celebrate Firefighters Day with us!

Source

[ladyazurith]

So both of my current hyperfixations are Disney related. (Twisted Wonderland and Lorcana). And because of this I can’t help but think of the Lorcana cards in relation to Twist. 

If you don’t know what Lorcana is, a brief explanation is that it’s a TCG (Like Magic the Gathering, Pokemon Card game, Yugioh etc) but Disney themed. And it has three types of character cards, Storyborn, Dreamborn and Floodborn. 

Storyborn is basically the characters as they appear in their canon story. Dreamborn is basically what they dream of becoming. Easy enough (There are cards for instance where Maleficent wins)

Floodborn, is where the characters have been altered by the ink. Their story changes completely. That's how you end up with things like “Gaston: Intellectual Powerhouse” where he’s a mechanical genius. (one of my personal favorites because of how funny it is.) 

There is also Lady Tremaine who became queen: 

My absolute favorite Floodborn story is Cinderella’s. In her Floodborn story, she becomes a royal knight. Given I am a believer of the Caterella theory, it opens up a lot of possibilities for that dynamic. 

And while I know the only thing the two projects have in common are that they are both Disney IP’s, It’s easy to imagine Twist as part of Lorcana, an entire Floodborn world where the character’s stories were altered, giving us the Great Seven. Esteemed heroes of their world, rather than evil villains.

There are a lot of other examples too, and all would be fun playing with the different Twist characters.

This one would be very relevant for Silver:

And this one just absolutely screams Vil :

Anyway, I've always enjoyed AU's so Lorcana is definitely fuel for that fire where Twisted Wonderland is concerned. Also wonder if there is anyone out there who plays both games like I do.

Follow ups:

Part 2

Part 3

[venussaidso]

𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫-𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐭.

Kathryn Merteuil from Cruel Intentions is portrayed by Ketu natives. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Amy Adams, and now Sarah Catherine Hook.

Characters that I randomly thought would be Kathryn Merteuil's daughters, just so happen to be played by Ketuvians; particularly known for having manipulative, cunning, power-driven personalities.

This relentless pursuit for power and control extends to other Ketu characters. I have explored this theme already in my Ketu Dominant Themes post, I just didn't use female characters as my examples.

Cersei Lannister is an extreme version of this archetype, set in this non-modern, brutal world in Game of Thrones, known for her psychopathy.

Being extremely ruthless and cunning, with a thirst for power and control and an unchecked ambition, it doesn't come as a surprise that she is portrayed by a fire sign native Lena Headey (Venus nakshatras share these themes, as well).

Reminded me of Cate Blanchett's character from Cinderella, Lady Tremaine, who has a desire for control and maintaining power. She is absolutely heartless and cruel.

The same actress also played Hela who driven by power, is absolutely cunning and even more ruthless, possessing this superiority complex.

Having this deep desire to dominate and conquer, it comes as no surprise that the actress has an Aries stellium; proving it true that the rashi comes first, as the signs alone can be known for these negative, power-seeking traits. These fiery traits in the Ketu section are specifically exaggerated. The Ketu rulership seems to not only exaggerate the traits of the fire rashis, but darken them too. Technically; Ashwini is Dark!Aries, Magha is basically Dark!Leo and Mula is just Dark!Sagittarius lmaoo.

Just shortly describing Hela's Ashwini traits, I thought of Azula, who is voiced by Magha Sun Grey DeLisle.

Having a fiery determination and borderline exaggerated Leo traits; much like Hela, she is obsessed with being domineering. Known for being cunning, extremely ruthless and driven by power and control.

Another Hela-type character is the formidable antagonist, Artemisia, played by double Ketu native Eva Green in 300: Rise of an Empire.

Similar to Azula, she is driven by vengeance and is relentless about it. She is extremely strategic and power-hungry, seeking dominance over others and causing destruction.

Both Magha ASC Eva Green and Magha Moon Katie McGrath played the character Morgana, though with different arcs.

Eva Green's version of the character is more overtly power-driven and manipulative, as she has a double whammy effect of the Ketu nakshatras. While Katie McGrath's portrayal is her journey to villainy as she grows a thirst for vengeance and power, becoming a formidable force in the series.

Madison Montgomery from AHS: Coven! Played by Mula native Emma Roberts, she is undeniably ruthless and chaotic.

She seeks power & status in the witch world, being cunning, mean-spirited and manipulative.

In the same season, AHS: Coven, we also have the ruthless and powerful, vengeful witch Marie Laveau played by Magha Sun Angela Bassett. She means to assert her place in the world, embodying LEGACY (Magha nakshatra nod, much like Azula who strongly represents legacy and her ancestors).

And alongside her is Ashwini native Jessica Lange playing Fiona Goode, another ruthless, cunning Ketuvian/Fire sign character obsessed with power, youth and maintaining superiority over others.

Speaking of power-hungry witches; Ashwini Moon native Kathryn Hahn plays Agatha Harkness, who has a lust for power and control, finding herself completely fixated on Scarlet Witch's powers and wanting to gain control over such an immense force to master it within herself.

Magha Moon Helena Bonham Carter played the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, the character having a very fiery temper and an obsession with control. The Leo characteristics being exaggerated by the nodal rulership, she has an oversized ego and an extreme sense of self-importance, ready to inflict punishment on those who slight her.

A far lighter, less sinister, version of this Ketu archetype, is the Evil Queen in Mirror Mirror, played by Magha Moon Julia Roberts.

She still fits this highly manipulative, power-hungry archetype, her motivations rooted in status and control over the kingdom.

These characters thriving on power and control speaks to the emptiness and wounds they hold within. People who naturally possess power do not seek it, yet it seems to be a theme for these Ketuvians to be hungry for it. As if there's a beast inside of them that wants to suck things in and conquer, which makes sense for the Ketu x Jupiter polarity as Jupiter has excess to give out and Ketu wants to possess it (as I've talked about Ketu constantly absorbing things & people intentionally or not). The more cunning portrayals show how these characters live through their domineering force, deliberately using it to pull things under their control; ready to combat any outside forces that mean to take away their status and things that signify power to them. This combativeness is specifically shown in Ashwini Moon Blair Waldolf who becomes very combative when threatened. I believe people forget that Ketu alone is different from Ketu nakshatras. The fire signs will always remind you that they're fire signs, that's why observations like "Ketu nakshatra people have zero ambition and only seek spirituality and they represent nothing" is a completely one-sided statement and a disregard to how the houses and signs ruling these nakshatras operate. If this observation were the case, then I wonder what the Ketu gold-digging archetype implies if not everything I talked about.

[supercap2319]

The Hook & The Flame

Harry Hook x Male Reader

After Dizzy styled Y/N's hair with blue and red dye in the sink, modeling the colors after his dads Hades and Chernabog, she painted his fingernails light blue with skeleton designs. At last, Dizzy spun his chair around so Y/N could see the finished product. He got out of his chair as he peered into the broken fragments of the mirror on the wall.

The top of his hair was colored blue to look like flames, matching his dad's own literal fire of blue hair. The sides were red as blood like Chernabog's eyes, but mixed in with his own natural hair color. Before he wasn't sure if he was his parents' kid anymore, but now there was no denying that he was a villain through and through.

Dizzy smiled at him. Admiring her work as she eagerly awaited his comment on whether or not she did a good job.

Y/N looks at his reflection and winks. "Hey, there I am."

"Voilà!" Dizzy cried in excitement. She threw her hands out to emphasize how excited she was.

"Voilà." Y/N reached into his pocket, pulling out a couple of dollars for her.

She looks at the money in disbelief as she looks at Y/N, astonishment on her face. "For me?"

Y/N nods. "Yeah, you earned it."

Dizzy takes the money and giggles in excitement as she walks towards the cash register. Her sense of accomplishment and peace didn't last very long. A swashbuckling young man named Harry Hook, son of Captain Hook, entered the salon. He held a glinting silver hook in his left hand. Harry wore a black hat, a long leather red coat, black pants, and a grayish wife beater underneath the red coat. He made other pirates shiver in their timber's, with a handsome face and beautiful blue eyes that were just as blue as the ocean. That made him both dangerous and beautiful at the same time.

"Fork it ower ye runt." Dizzy froze as Harry grinned down at her, hand outstretched for the money. The young girl begrudgingly handed over the money she had just earned to the Scottish sounding pirate.

Harry looks down at the old car hood that acts as a desk for the cash register as he taps it with his hook. "And the rest of it." He demands. Harry had yet to notice Y/N, too busy robbing Dizzy Tremaine of all the salon's money.

Dizzy goes and opens up the cash register as Harry puts her money that he took in between his lips and teeth, holding it tight as she gives him everything inside. "Hmm… Thank you." Harry turned to leave.

"Give that money back, Hook." Y/N said.

Harry stopped, whirled around and grinned when he saw Y/N. "Well, well, well, what a nice surprise."

"Hi, Harry." Y/N told him. "Still running errands for Uma like a good dog, or does she actually let you off your leash and let you keep what you steal?"

Harry strolled towards him, flashing a dangerous smile and waved his hook around. "Just wait until Uma hears you're back. She is never going to give you back your territory." He looks Y/N up and down, licking his lips like a hungry cat. The pervert.

"Oh, well, that's okay. Because I will be taking it back. Preferably from her cold dead fishy bitch fingers." Y/N grins.

Harry grins too as his hook brushes against Y/N's collar bone. "You know, I cuid hurt ye." He promised in a whisper as he continued to tease Y/N with his silver hook. The son of Hades and Chernabog grabbed his wrist and spit out the gum he had been chewing and stuck it on the tip of Harry's hook. "Not without her permission I'll bet." Harry chuckled as he placed the tip of the hook to his lips and opened up his mouth as he stuck the piece of gum inside.

"You know that I prefer princes now to dirty pirates, right?"

"Ahh, yes. You and Prince Beasty."

"I am going to need Dizzy's money back."

Harry gets closer to him and smiles down at him. "Why dinnae ye come ane get it?"

It was an unspoken challenge. To see if Y/N was still a child of the Isle or if Auradon had changed him in more ways than one. He got close to Harry. So close, that he could see the blues of his eyes shiny like the sun reflecting on the water in the morning. "If you insist."

He pulled Harry down by his coat and connected their lips together. It wasn't a sweet kiss like with Ben. He tasted like chocolate chip cookies and innocence. Harry was different. He was salty and just a bit of seaweed slime. It was familiar territory between them. Two Isles boys who were more about lust and fucking than love and passion.

Harry pulled back and grinned. "A knew ye still found me hot."

He held out his hand for Harry. "Pay up."

The pirate looked at his outstretched hand and smiled once again. "Now A have tae pay for yer services?" He hands him the money. "Best thin A iver spend."

"Go on. Go fetch."

Harry chuckled, walked towards the door and knocked the knick knacks off the register and bowed to Y/N. "Until next time, Duckling." Y/N handed Dizzy back her money as she sighed.

"Great, more sweeping."

[deepspaceboytoy]

Into the Breach, part 1

The first shot rang out even before Corvus Nino raised his head above the trench line. The plasma round glassed a patch of dirt behind his head, and when he looked back at it, the fused soil reflected his helm lenses back at him, red like the sun filtered through Tremaine’s febrile atmosphere. His color decanus pulled him back below the lip of the trench as more sniper shots shrieked overhead, the superheated plasma rounds igniting the air around them.

All along the trench line, officers rendered anxious and nervy by the years-long siege took glances out into the hellscape separating Nino’s lines from the Igorians. A blasted, pitted ruin of bleached, sickened trees, left baking in the sun like skeletal totems, and broken, blasted-apart bodies, it was Nino’s responsibility to get his troops from one side to the other, and damn the risk of devastating casualties. It was not the first time this war saw an action like this required of him. It would certainly not be the last.

He checked the internal chronometer projected onto his field of vision by his helm’s onboard computer. Five minutes, he thought to himself, five minutes to see whether the 244th Drop Assault Legion survived the day. He shunted a data dump to his officers, filled with as much up to the minute recon intel as he could scrounge from what was left of Legion Intelligence’s sensor capabilities. It was woefully incomplete. They barely had terrain scans, let alone a picture of enemy numbers, positions, or armaments. All he knew about the Igorians was that he was going to lead his troopers into a withering hail of munitions.

“Shatriya, what do we think? Go time or call it off,” he questioned his executive officer, Captain Shatriya Demetrius Srinivasan, over a private comms line, careful not to let his friend hear the fear he could feel simmering inside him, burning steadily like the fusion reactor keeping his armor running.

“I think you need to stop worrying and get ready to get about it, Corv,” they replied, giving their rifle one last check before the order to go over the top. “Waiting’s only gonna make it worse. I say bite down and take what’s coming.”

“Pleasant phrasing there, Riya. You think it’s gonna be that bad? We’ve lasted this long, maybe 244 has a few more years left in it.”

Srinivasan grunted, either noncommittal or amused, though Nino tended towards the latter most times. “I don’t think any of us have a few more years. This world’s already dead, and it’s taking us with it,” they said, pointing to an ion supercell storm off on the horizon, marking the descent of another dead battleship falling from orbit. “You’ve got Imperial warships raining down like whale fall and sick earth beneath our feet. This place is a tomb,” they finished bitterly, helm lenses darkening briefly as they shifted suit power.

Nino’s own power armor ticked and whirred, damaged servomotors whining in protest whenever he moved. It was banged up, damaged goods just like everything else on Tremaine at this point. He thought-clicked through his onboard computer, the suit’s AI compiling and displaying a radar scan of his troops’ position. They were dug into the base of a plateau atop which sat Fort Zama, the floodlights ringing its defensive walls casting harsh light out over the barren earth in front of his trenches. Well beyond the trenches, you could see the faint pinpricks of light that marked the start of the Igorian lines, packed full of elite Fethtrite warriors.

He looked back to his captain, several responses on his mind. He thought he’d found the best one, a way to maybe open up to his closest friend, speak what had largely been unspoken between them, when the first alarm blared. The words died on his lips, unsaid.

Then everything else died around him. He was already up and over the wall, the first legionary out of the trench, his troopers streaming behind him, when the first defensive fire found his forces. Plasma batteries rained constant, arcing bombardments and fusion lances speared down into the tide of legionaries at his back. Black-armored giants were annihilated down to their constituent atoms, vaporized instantly by plasma munitions millions of degrees hot.

Nino’s command squad made it to the first rally point, midway into no man’s land, intact, his techcomm and color decanus dragging a few more legionaries into the blast crater Nino had marked out before the assault. A solid rain of eye-searingly bright plasma flew overhead, keeping them down close to cover. To his left, another squad of drop troopers hunkered in a shallow ditch. He was screaming orders to advance when a plasma bolo wrapped itself around the squad leader’s armored head, the twin explosives wiping the position clean of life. All that was left of his soldiers were a few smoking pieces of legionary armor.

He checked his legion’s progress against the tactical map displayed on his HUD, teeth gritting as he saw the casualty lists growing. Already, 7th Cohort’s 1st Maniple was gone, the few survivors instantly reassigned to other nearby units by Beatrix, his AI command assistant. Back at Fort Zama, she would be rapidly ingesting combat data from the suit computer of every one of his two hundred thousand troopers, giving him up to the minute intel.

They were taking steady casualties, but his forces were still advancing at speed. Most of his units had reached their assigned primary positions. The legion was ready for the final push. Nino shunted the order to his unit leaders, and it filtered out from there, a visible ripple in the Imperial line as the first units broke cover to pound their way across the remaining distance.

Nino’s squad cleared the crater, emerging back out into the blasted nightmare of no man’s land, onboard rad counters spiking as they passed a column of burnt out tanks, turned into rusting husks by Imperial artillery and fusion beamers. The irradiated wrecks turned their path into a maze, but one that mercifully provided cover from the storm of defensive fire flying overhead.

His boots pounded through mud and brackish puddles, stomping over the bodies of Igorians and legionaries alike, the remains of past, failed assaults left to rot between the opposing lines. He nearly caught himself on a half-submerged armored greave as he crested another crater, but Srinivasan caught him. He turned his head to nod thanks, but they were already pacing further ahead, legs pounding to cover the remaining distance.

All around him, other legionaries were doing the same, and the speed was having an effect. Tightly packed they may be, but the combination of power armor assisted speed and redoubtable armor plating kept more of his troops alive than he’d expected.

Ahead of him lay one last armored wreck, a superheavy siege tank, too big to go around. He lowered his shoulder, thundering his way into and then through the side of the monolithic vehicle, rusted armor first bending and the breaking, and he shot out the far side like a bullet.

He was looking into the face of an Igorian. He hadn’t realized just how far he’d come, already in sight of the enemy trench. He pounded out the last few meters before he and his command squad jumped as one into the Igorian line. He landed with a wet thud, armored book sinking into a blown open chest cavity as he came down hard on the reptilian warrior he’d been staring down just a second earlier. Immediately, his squad was in the thick of it, legionary battleplate and strength of arms carrying the day now that the volume of fire had slackened. The entire 244th Legion impacted as one against the Igorian lines with him, massive armored infantry simply driving over the first rank of Fethtrite soldiers.

Nino’s combat blade was deployed, jutting out from his wrist, the monomolecular edge flensing skin and severing arteries as he and his troops whirled through the overmatched defenders. He put two rounds into the skull of an Igorian lining up a shot on Srinivasan, the kinetic rounds shredding its head into a fine mist before lodging deep in the rear of the trench. His sword lashed out at an off-balanced fighter, cutting down through the shoulder and out the abdomen, viscera splashing across one of his troopers as the Igorian spun away, dead.

He took two glancing shots off his pauldron, turning on his heel to bear down on the Igorian who’d fired at him, batting the plasma caster out of its hands before he levered an armored fist through its face. His legionaries stalked this section of trench, killing enemies where they stood. Overhead, the first shells of a renewed Imperial bombardment flew past, landing several hundred yards ahead of Nino’s new position, blasting flowers of dirt, rock, and Igorian bodies hundreds of feet in the air. The bombardment lasted less than a minute, just enough to keep the second defense line’s heads down while Nino’s troops gathered themselves and finished clearing the first row of trenches.

Gunshots continued to sound out, legionaries breaching and clearing the extensive network of dugouts and pillboxes that dotted the forward line, mopping up the last pockets of Igorian resistance. Captured field guns and weapons emplacements were re-sited, positioned to face the second line of trenches, while legionary sniper teams began eliminating any Igorian gunners or officers they could see. All along the twelve kilometer long line, his troops were rechecking weapons, patching armor breaches, and securing what ammo they could from the bodies of fallen legionaries. Every round counted.

As the last few shells fell, Nino shunted the next order to his officers, and the trench line exploded with activity, tens of thousands of legionaries surging back out into the mined and boobytrapped land between the lines. Captured plasma lances gouged out sections of Igorian troops, searing light and superheated gas annihilating reptilian bodies where they stood.

Nino and his command squad ran through the maze of razor wire, tank traps, and minefields, dodging bursts of sun-hot plasma and high energy fusion beams. Inside his suit, the hairs on his arms and legs were raised, static-y from the constant discharge of legionary magnetic accelerators, the air heavy with electrical discharge. Already, ion arcs were leaping between his troops, blackening the paint on their armored pauldrons. This was where legionaries were most at home, riding the storm they generated as they thundered across no man’s land.

What few Igorian guns had been brought to bear did their best, reaping what toll they could as the armored infantry fell upon them, but it was not enough. The Legion’s charge wasn’t even slowed as the crested the last few hundred meters, falling like a wave across the secondary line.

The low hum Nino could just barely make out quickly shattered the illusion.

A shadow fell across his section of no man’s land, and instantly he knew doom awaited his soldiers. As the AV-14 Combat Armature hove into view, underslung macro-cannons swinging ponderously on its arms, it unloaded a torrent of smart missiles, hundreds of tiny engines bursting to life as they cleared the rotary guns. They fell amongst his charging troops, bursting armor plates open, cratering helms and breaking bodies. Scores of his soldiers lay dying already, and he could hear the telltale whir as the macro-cannons spun up again. Across the line, he could see other armored behemoths wading in amongst his warriors, bashing legionaries apart with their massive gunbarrels or stomping them into the mud with their huge, splayed feet. To his left, a micro-missile hit his quartermaster square in the faceplate, his head fountaining with gore and viscera, dead so fast his body took several more steps before it finally dropped.

Srinivasan looked at him, nodded once, and charged for the one weak point the armature had: its cockpit. The pilot saw it instantly, sweeping an arm into their path, knocking them aside and sending them flying back. It had given Nino the opening he needed. He sprinted, rocketing up to his full speed in the blink of an eye, and leapt, sailing through the air to land with a thud on the cockpit, combat blades extended, biting deep into the armored viewport, anchoring him to the armature. The warsuit shook, the pilot desperately trying to throw him off, but the blades were embedded deep in the internals of the suit. Nino imagined the pilot panicking, a thousand pounds of pissed off legionary inches from his face, frantically trying to find some means of dislodging him. He had to play his hand right, wait for his moment. The suit’s left arm briefly sagged, and he knew it had come.

In the same instant the pilot dropped his control stick to fire his sidearm, Nino retracted one of his swords and drove his fist as hard as he could into the armored, crystalline surface. The plasma shot glanced off his chestplate as his blade plunged into and then through the pilot’s cranium, bursting it like ripe fruit. The suit faltered, and then it toppled, Nino riding the fall back to the ground. He retrieved his rifle from where he’d dropped it, looking for any sign of Srinivasan in the muck. His captain rose slowly from the mud, and Nino could imagine the grin plastered across their face. His executive officer lived for this, the thrill of the charge and chaos of the melee.

Nino never saw the shot that blew Srinivasan’s head off.

[artist-issues]

Something that I notice about the antagonists in the first few Disney Princess movies (Especially the Evil Queen, Lady Tremaine and Maleficent) is that they are not bad looking. One might even say attractive. However, you can tell they are evil in spite of their good looks. It's like with Roald Dahl's The Twits; people who are ugly can still have beauty shine through if they have pleasant thoughts and demeanor, but if one has ugly thoughts, it begins to show until you can barely look at them.

I think there are just different kinds of beauty. There’s a certain kind of awesome appeal to like, lightning, or fire, or a lion chasing down a gazelle. That’s totally different from the opposite beauty, which is the tree that the fire is about to destroy, the gazelle that the lion is about to destroy, etc.

I like when old books call it “terrible beauty.” It’s something that’s striking, and intimidating, and puts you in awe— but it’s not necessarily good.

(The nature allegory kind of begins to break down, because there’s nothing inherently “bad” about a lightning strike, etc.)

But yes, that’s something new in one sense; old fairy tales used to have the good guys be beautiful to reflect their inner beauty, and the bad guys be ugly to reflect their inner ugliness. But in another sense it’s not new at all; the Bible says that the devil appears as an “Angel of light.” And there’s the whole “not all that is gold glitters.”

So you can have both in a fairy tale, and I love that no matter which direction you come at it from on the outside, it says something about the inside beauty or ugliness. The Evil Queen is beautiful but her beauty is just there as a plot device to prove she’s vain and jealous—ugly traits on the inside. Snow White is beautiful but her beauty is there to highlight how innocent and pure she is, which makes her more attractive than the Queen—beautiful traits on the inside.

Outward anything is a signpost pointing to inward character traits.

[hannahhook7744]

Isle Kids being off putting or just plain off;

Based on a dc bat family post I can't find.

Jay, Jade, Hermie Bing, and Yzla bending in ways that shouldn't be possible.

Carlos having a way with machines and animals that goes beyond what even his similar minded relatives can understand even from a young age.

Diego, despite being perceived as the 'normal' de Vil cousin, giving off a sense of danger when he smiles at Auradon adults who haven't earned his trust. His song and personality drawing people in like a siren call.

Reza knowing things no human should and having no light behind his eyes.

Evie and Uma having strangely enchanting personalities that draw almost everybody in.

Claudine Frollo, Eddie Balthazar, and Hunter de Vil being so quiet that people often forget they're there.

Harry coming off as unhinged in one minute and a completely normal dude the next.

Cj Hook and Ivy de Vil setting things like water on fire.

Lefou Deux creating toys after just looking at them. Having no idea what goes into them and just making them work somehow.

Hadie talking to what other people can't see even at eight years old.

Red screaming 'off with your head' when angry and seeing nothing wrong with it.

The LeGume brothers being inhumanely strong.

Ginny looking somewhat younger than she is as she ages.

Harry Badun never looking in the mirror.

Zevon being able to make potions out of nothing.

The Stabbington cousins being weirdly in sync to a point where it can't be a gag.

The Smee Twins knowing where the other is and if they're in pain when it should be impossible.

Celia and Freddie being able to convince people of things without much effort.

Dizzy being unnaturally cheerful.

Mad Maddy being strangely attached to dolls and talking to them.

Sammy Smee, Harriet Hook, Anthony Tremaine, and Jace Badun seeing something absolutely wild happen and not even batting an eye at it.

Rick Ratcliffe casually saving someone from drowning before continuing what he was doing without reacting to it.

Clay Clayton not staying down for the count when hurt and finding it fun.

The number of Tremaines and Madam Mim's grandchildren being untrackable because people just keep popping up.

The total number of isle kids being unknown as more and more keep popping up and keep disappearing.

Uma's crew (Jonas, Bonny, Desiree, Gonzo, etc) knowing where she is and believing in her without question when off the isle.

Just. Every single isle kid being strange in some way that anyone from off the isle (and even the isle parents in the early years) find off putting.

And no one knowing why or how.

The isle kids not even knowing they're off putting over half the time.

[darklinaforever]

Me, when I realize that there are people who ship, first degree, the Fire and Blood versions of Rhaenyra & Alicent...

But... it's like ship any archetype of evil stepmother and her stepdaughter... ? It's literally like shipping Cinderella and lady Tremaine ?! Who ship these two ?!

[dragoneyes618]

Okay, so about the Tremaine fire story you requested that I wrote awhile back.

How do you think the Westergaards (Hans' family) would react to the news that Hans, his wife, their other two brothers (Runo and rudi/the stabbington brothers), their wives, and their kids were all gone?

That all but one of them remained?

Horror.

That's it. Simply horror.

Other emotions - shock, grief, anger - come later.

They haven't seen their three brothers in years. And now, suddenly, they're gone. Along with all the children they never had a chance to meet.

Gone forever is any chance of ever speaking to Hans, of trying to find out why he did what he did, of ever apologizing, of ever reconciling or at least being on civil terms with each other. Everything went up in smoke along with him.

[slashingdisneypasta]

Lady Tremaine x AFAB!Fem!Maid!Reader || Smutshot

Plot: You try out a new contraption with Tremaine that your maid friend recommended- but your repressed horny Lady decides that she prefers good old fashioned tribbing better.

Warnings: SMUT. Strap-on use (I know they probably weren't a thing back then, but let it go! This is for the horny! 🤣), older woman/younger woman age gap, maid/lady of the house relationship, tribbing, etc. Unedited.

Tagging: @disney-android-foundation , @marinerainbow , and @ryantryan6969 .

She's glaring up at you, those pretty green eyes a couple shades darker from arousal and one corner of her nose pulling to the side in disgusted irritation as you line up the appliance with her pathetically slick, throbbing entrance. Usually, you love to taste her first - She always acts so high and mighty, your lady, but she always wants you back in her bed. And she's always dripping for you, - but you really want to try this, this time.

Your annoying friend - a maid, like you, who you see every day at the market, - told you all about this Thing. Using this Thing, and how it felt so dirty to be the one stretching out someone else for once. The Master of her house, a widower with intriguing interests, introduced it to her and at first he let her use it just on herself- in her room alone- at night. And she told you it was amazing, having full control of your pleasure. She went into maddening detail, which is absolutely not something you need to be hearing when you're bartering with farmers for dinner.

Then her master asked for her to use it on him, and she really couldn't shut up about it.

So eventually you asked her if she could get you one to try if its really so good, to shut her up and also- fine- you were affected. Thoughts of your Lady's pussy had broken loose in your mind, and the mental image of thrusting into her with something thicker then your fingers was an enticing option. In fact its all you could think about the rest of the day cooking and cleaning; Lady Tremaine's pretty cunt squeezing up and down on a rod of marble, leaving that delicious juice all over it, that annoyed look of pleasure written all over her lovely worn face.

Your annoying friend said sure- her master had a spare just in case they wrecked the first.

So here you are an evening later, Tremaine's daughters off on a trip and Cinderella downstairs fast asleep by the fire, prepared to make your fantasies a reality. Theirs that lovely worn face with irritation scrawled all over it, her nightgown is pulled up to her stomach - tempting you to push it up further and feel her perfect breasts under your hands, - so her pussy is totally bare in the candlelight and the contraption tied to your hips. Ready to slide in.

"Don't say I never give you anything." Your Lady tells you, rolling her eyes; completely unimpressed by this experience you've got your silly little heart set on. "If I wanted this I'd look for a new husband."

And yet, you think, she's here. Laid down for you. And when you slide a finger through her folds, you're pleased to hear a very telling wet sound. Hmm.

"I'd never. I know." You appease her, refraining from teasing her on this- she knows, though, what that mischievous grin on your face means. "Can I start?"

She just wordlessly flashes you a sharp, poisonous green-eyed look, like she doesn't even want to have to tell you. You should know exactly what she wants, when she wants it. Thats a good maid. Do it. You know this look from the first few weeks of your household duties, and it gives you a rush to see it again; a gentle grin quirking at one corner of your mouth.

"As you wish my lady." You nod, giddy, slipping your hand into the crook under her right knee and lifting her leg up and to the side slightly, the sound her pussy makes opening up telling you even further that she's ready for you. Then with an easy and satisfying thrust of your hips, you insert the tip of the toy into her sweet, slick hole.

She immediately hisses, closing her pretty eyes and turning her head to the side, and you watch her carefully. Its been a while since she's been stretched out so fully, you know, and you want her to be okay. When after a moment she cracks her eyes open again and gives you that look, again, her dark hooded eyes driving you crazy she's so damn pretty, you take your cue to really start. Her eyes close again, a calm washing over her.

Moving your hips further in to hers, you push the appliance deeper into her until she's completely filled up and your pelvises are practically flush; making you wet and tingly knowing her perfect cunt is so so maddeningly close to yours and yet painfully separated. Then you pull out again, seeing the rod covered in her slick, and start thrusting in out of her at a steady pace.

Quickly you're fucking her roughly, abusing her clit with the smooth-feeling instrument and getting more and more worked up yourself as it knocks against yours every time you press into her. You can imagine the attachment if it were actually you- the feeling of her slimy meaty walls all over you and throbbing around you, squeezing you for your cum, and it drives you crazy. You're feeling desperate. You want to make her scream with this instrument, but when you see that her lips are parted, you cant help leaning down pressing your lips to hers, your tongue against hers; her under-knee still in your grip as you grind your hips against her in shallow thrusts.

Your tongues play together passionately, full of dirty filthy secret lust. Feeling your lady's tongue in your mouth fuels you even further to fuck her tight cunt with the strap as hard as you can, taking her other leg and raising it as well to make more room for yourself between her milky thighs.

Its at least half an hour of this until you give up, she's not going to cum like this, and besides you'd rather feel her anyway. Quickly, rashly, you slip out of her and rid yourself of the contraption- discarding it over the bed. Then immediately you touch your over-sensitive, unattended-to cunt to hers and start to grind your clit against the old woman's.

Immediately her face twists into that familiar look of frustration and overwhelmed pleasure switches across her face and you feel prideful- only the feeling of your pussy can do that to her.

You grind you cunts together rough and dirty, your wetnesses making a sloppy filthy mess all over you both and at some point you reach down and part your lips for her so you slot together closer. And, Tremaine's not one to do much for anyone else- ever, and sex is certainly not an exception, but you can feel her hips slightly rising off the mattress below her and into yours. Not wanting to lose delicious contact for anything. Pants fill the room from her as well as vulgar moans from you so loud you're half worried that Cinderella will hear.

But you're too close to your crashing orgasm to care, the knot inside you pulled so goddamn tight you think you might burst with every brush of her folds on yours.

Out of desperation, you lift up the woman's night dress, needing to see her. Her. All of her. Her cunt, her breasts, her pretty face twisted into frustration wanting her climax from you. You cant help yourself- you have reach and touch them, her nipples soft under your thumbs and the taboo of this whole situation hitting you hard with your old employers tits in your hands.

She's your master, she's a woman, she's over 50- and yet here you are fucking her, your slippery cunts pressed together and sliding all over eachother in a most obscene way, and you wouldn't want anyone else. Only this old bitch.

When her orgasm hits her like a falling boulder, her clit having become harder then ever against yours, you immediately follow behind; releasing directly on her lips.

~

When you're left straddling her, having calmed down from your wonderful high's, you watch your Lady for her reaction, first. When she looks at you, obviously wondering what you're waiting for, you perk up an eyebrow and smirk. "... so? The contraption?"

Rolling her eyes upwards into her skull, she makes a tut sound with her tongue and the roof of her mouth. "Well it was a good start." She gives.

"I think it made it better, don't you?"

"It was a good start." She repeats, giving you a serious look. Thats all you're going to get from her.

Sighing and shaking your head with an amused grin, you move down her body until you're in a position close to her lovely pussy, so you can taste her. Pushing your hair back behind your ears, you give a shrug. "So we'll have to try again. Experiment some more, so you can come to a fuller judgment."

"... I'm impatient for your mouth to be occupied. Hurry."

"Yes ma'am."

[rabbitcruiser]

International Firefighters Day

“The role of a firefighter in today’s society–be it urban, rural, natural environment, volunteer, career, industrial, defense force, aviation, motorsport, or other is one of dedication, commitment, and sacrifice–no matter what country we reside and work in. In the fire service, we fight together against one common enemy–fire–no matter what country we come from, what uniform we wear or what language we speak.” –LT JJ Edmondson, firefighter, and creator of Firefighters Day

Nobody could have put what it means to be a firefighter as well as this courageous woman did. Most of us would risk our lives for those we love—family members, friends, pets. But could you imagine risking severe injury or even death for someone whom you don’t know at all? Could you imagine going into a burning building to rescue a stranger, knowing you may not come out? Could you imagine climbing a tree in a burning forest just to save a defenseless animal too frightened to come down on its own? These are things firefighters do every day, and though we likely see them as acts of pure heroism, for firefighters, they’re just part of the job. Few people deserve to be celebrated as much as these heroic men and women do, so let’s all make sure to celebrate Firefighters Day in their honor!

The History of Firefighters Day The first organized professionals whose job it was to combat structural fires lived in Ancient Egypt–however, at the time, firefighters worked for private companies that provided their services only to those who could afford them. Later, in Ancient Rome, Ceasar Augustus revolutionized firefighting by calling for the creation of a fire guard, called the Vigiles, that was trained, paid, and equipped by the state. Firefighters Day was created in 1999 after 5 firefighters died tragically during a wildfire in Australia when the direction of the wind changed suddenly and engulfed them in flames. It is celebrated on May 4th because that is Saint Florian’s day, and Saint Florian, who was said to be one of the first commanding firefighters of an actual Roman battalion and saved many lives, is the patron saint of firefighters.

How to Celebrate Firefighters Day There are many great ways to celebrate firefighters on this day. Most of all, this day is about showing our appreciation for their service, risks, and sacrifice, so find a way to make sure your local firefighters know how much you value them! As always, it’s the thought that counts and small gestures go a long way, so even bringing a cake down to the fire hall would be a nice thing to do. You could also consider donating money to one of the many firefighter charities out there, some of which help firefighters injured in the line of duty get the medical treatment they need and return to health.

Other firefighter charities help retired firefighters live comfortable lives after years of risks they took for others. You can also raise awareness about the dangers firefighters bravely face every day by wearing a red and blue ribbon—the colors of water and fire, respectively. Wearing a ribbon, baking a cake or donating a few dollars to a charity may not seem like particularly impressive gestures to you, but they will likely mean the world to those who work tirelessly for their communities. So show the firefighters of the world a little gratitude and celebrate Firefighters Day with us!

Source

[panthera-tigris-venenata]

18) Who talks to the other while they are sleeping?

19) Who drives and who has the window seat?

20) Who falls asleep in the others lap and who carries them to bed?

21) Who cuts the others hair?

28) Who writes poems/stories and love songs about the other? Do they sing the songs the write for them?

8) Who likes to wear the others sweatshirts?

for either mutually destructive threesome or Ivy/Claudine!

I think I'm gonna do both. I'm bored ✨

First, mutually destructive threesome:

Who talks to the other when they sleep?

...All of them. They're Isle kids, it's easier to do feelings when the other can't hear it, yeah?

Not that. Not that they do feelings. At all.

Also, they're drama queens.

Who drives and who has the window seat?

Harriet drives most often. She should NOT be driving.

For one, her drivers license consists of a post it note with „I can do what I want to“ with Ben's signature and „Please, let her."

She should not be driving anyway but she likes the control. Being in a car someone else drives is Not Good.

Anthony drives sometimes. He's safer driver than Harriet. He likes to do the hand on gear shift - hand on knee thing.

Ginny is passenger princess.

Unless she wants to drive somewhere with Maddy - well. Harriet saw that once and proceeded to give them a lift from there on.

Who falls asleep in others lap and who carries them to bed?

They take turns collapsing ✨

Isle kids who refuse to take care of themselves and also are mostly just feral cats.

Who cuts others hair?

Anthony.

No question about this one. I mean, look at him.

Sometimes, the girls give themselves or eachother a "haircut" with a knife, which just means Anthony has to fix it.

Who writes poems//songs?

They do NO such thing, thank you for asking.

Harriet. She's a pretentious bitch like that. But you'd die very painfully long before getting to the diary in her drawer.

Who likes to wear the others sweatshirts?

None of them wear sweatshirts!

Ew-

(Ginny.)

Okay, moving on: Ivy and Claudine:

Who talks to the other when they're sleeping?

I'd say Claudine. Again, it's easier to deal with feelings when the other can't hear.

I don't think Ivy wants to extend effort for something that Claudine won't remember anyway though.

Who drives and who has the window seat?

Ivy drives. She also does the hand thing like Anthony.

And she also shouldn't be driving. You see, she just doesn't believe in driving laws. They're boring and slowing her down. Plus any car the de Vil cousins drive is tuned to hell and back. Plus there's enough funky shit going on with her brain that she shouldn't be granted a license. Don't worry tho Auradon didn't do mental assesments for that until WAY after Isle kids started driving.

Needless to say, it takes near act of god do get Claudine to a car every time.

Who falls asleep on others lap?

Ivy and Claudine just has to deal with it.

Who cuts others hair?

Given that Claudine still refuses to enter the Tremaine salon, Ivy.

She also gives a haircut to herself whe she is at it and yes it is for the sole purpose of giving the Tremaines a heart attack the next time she shows up.

Who writes poems/song?

Well maybe Claudine, repressed feelings and all, but it ends up in a fire real fast.

Probably good thing, too, Ivy would be insufferable if she found it.

Who likes to wear the others sweatshirts?

Again, they do NOT wear sweatshirts, what is WRONG with you?!

(Ivy refuses to touch these with a ten feet pole and while she has a bunch of coats liberated or given from Auntie's closet, she might be a tiny bit too jealous of these. Also, Claudine mostly refuses to wear them anyway.)

Frankly I don't think Claudine knows what a sweatshirt is.

[emaistome]

Many people consider that Alicent Hightower as a character doesn’t have agency, calling out a supposed misogyny from the show runners. At the same time, they scrutinize and vilify everything she does and considers her as the most morally corrupted character in the entire show while men like Otto, Corlys, Viserys, Daemon and Aegon do things that Alicent wouldn’t even Imagine doing. So my question for today is who are the real misogynists?

Alicent Hightower is definitely not the most consistent character of House of the Dragon, consequently she is the most hated, but on the other side, and she is the most complex among the female ones to a point where it is often very difficult to understand her. But why is it so hard to understand her motives?

Alicent in the book

My first answer would be that it’s due to the huge differences between her characterization in the source material, Fire and Blood, and the TV series adaptation. In Fire and Blood, Alicent married Viserys at the age of 18 and likely seduced him because he was a puppet, while on the other side Rhaenyra was 8. When Alicent gave three sons to Viserys and he decided to still keep Rhaenyra as heir, her somewhat amicable relationship with Rhaenyra vanished, instead she started resenting Rhaenyra, and it never stopped. When Rhaenyra became old enough to get married Alicent proposed her first born son Aegon as it was the tradition in House Targaryen to marry brother to sister, but Viserys refused, stating that Alicent only wanted her blood on the throne. Their relationship became even sourer, to a point were Alicent demanded the eye of Lucerys Velaryon, in exchange for that of her son Aemond who lost his eye to the same Lucerys Velaryon, because he called Lucerys a bastard. In defense of her son Rhaenyra asked to torture Aemond in order to know why he called him a bastard. But in the end Viserys ordered that Rhaenyra leaves Kings Landing after that incident, and married Aegon and Heleana, his oldest children by Alicent to each other.

When Viserys died, Alicent let Viserys’s body rot for days and took an active part in the usurpation of the throne, stating that Rhaenyra’s sons were bastards, and that her son was the rightfull heir to the Iron Throne. Criston Cole found a reluctant Aegon and convinced him to usurp the throne, he crowned him, while Alicent placed her own crown on Helaena’s head. She also convinced Aegon to try to make peace with Rhaenyra instead of going to war. The most widely spread interpretation of Alicent in Fire in Blood is that she was a stereotypical evil, selfish, manipulative and self-serving stepmother, and Rhaenyra was her total victim. In the manner of Lady Tremaine and Cindrella.

Alicent in the Series

In the Show, Alicent was aged down to 14 when she married Viserys and this marriage caused her to lose her friendship with Rhaenyra who was aged up, to also be 14, because Rhaenyra was already the heir and Alicent would just bring other claimants to her throne. Alicent didn’t love the king and married him only for duty, she supported her husband who was a decaying man, had children and sex with him, even if she never wanted it. Alicent actively supported Rhaenyra as queen, until Rhaenyra lied about her virginity, and Alicent was convinced to prepare Aegon to rule by Otto otherwise her children would simply die. Years after, Rhaenyra made bastards and proposed Alicent to marry her daughter to the oldest one of them, but Alicent refused, and married Aegon to her daughter instead. Alicent and the people who supported her made Kings Landing a hell to Rhaenyra, enough for her to leave Kings Landing and hide at Dragonstone. Alicent had strained relationships with Aegon and Helaena, but everything with Aemond seemed to be fine, until he lost his eye to Lucerys Velaryon, for calling him a bastard. Rhaenyra asked to torture Aemond to learn where he heard of the bastard allegations and Alicent claimed one of Lucerys’s eyes in payment for that of Aemond. When Viserys refused, she lashed out asking if all the things that she had been doing for House Targayen for years had only been free labour, and Rhaenyra told her that she went too far, but she slashed Rhaenyra in the arm.

Years after this incident, Alicent ruled in the place of Viserys because he was sick, Aemond became a brilliant fighter, while Aegon was a sex offender, and she hid it for him by paying his victims. With her allies she tried to take Driftmark from Lucerys Velaryon, in favor of Vaemond, Corlys’s brother, this tentative was prevented only because Viserys miraculously rose up from bed to defend Rhaenyra. Later that day Alicent and Rhaenyra reconciled after Rhaenyra showed gratitude for all the years she spent taking care of Viserys, and Viserys made a speech about how he loved all of his family.

Viserys died in the same night and Alicent misinterpreted his last words and thought that he wanted Aegon to be named king. When Alicent went to the Small Council she realized that her father was planning to put Aegon on the throne without her, and wanted Rhaenyra to be dead. Alicent took control of the coup and ensured power over Aegon trying to convince him to not kill Rhaenyra and send peace terms instead.

Alicent and Cercei

Many people would say that she was only a helpless victim with no agency in the show, while blaming her for everything that happened. Looking at Alicent in the book, it is easy to assign her a personality similar to that of Cercei Lannister. She hated a young girl, and wanted to usurp a throne, she was a bitter queen consort and its pretty much everything. But the parallel between Alicent and Cercei is more subtle in the show, because they both suffered from misogyny and ended up oppressing women around them in the same way that they were themselves oppressed. Tywin made Cercei feel inferior due to her gender, and married her to a violent misogynistic man, and Cercei did the same to Sansa. Alicent on the other side married Viserys for duty, and had non-consensual sex with him, and children that she never wanted, in return Alicent did the same to her daughter Helaena by marriying her to Aegon who didn’t love her and is also a sex offender. Both ended up upholding the feudal system in the exact same way that it made them each unhappy and bitter. And in Alicent’s case it’s worse because she did it to her own daughter whom she loves.

Alicent and Sansa Stark

People still claim that she has no agency, and compare her to Sansa Stark. However, Alicent and Sansa are hated for absolutely opposite reasons, but both are for sure given the responsibility of things that are simply out of their reach. Just like Sansa Alicent was an idealist when she was younger. But unlike Sansa, Alicent was aware of the world around her and most of the time she knew the consequences of her actions. Alicent knew that if she married Viserys she would essentially betray Rhaenyra, but she did because that’s what her family wanted from her. Alicent knew the consequences of supporting Rhaenyra after the brothel affair but she decided to support her because she was her friend after all. Unlike Sansa, Alicent did got a bit of autonomy, she sat in small council for meetings, took care of Viserys and, married her children to each other, she made Rhaenyra flee King’s Landing, almost took one of Rhaenyra’s biggest allies away from her, took control of the coup from Otto. And on top of that she raised three children almost like she was a single mother. While Sansa, so far in the books is a prisoner who slowly learns about the world around her. People complain about Alicent having no agency while there are a couple of things that would have been different if it was true. Like the betrothal between Jacerys and Helaena would have made Helaena a prisoner in Rhaenyra’s side, and she is partly responsible for the way her children ended up being, considering her parenting style. I mean Aegon didn’t even want to be king. So Alicent is definitely not a silent character in the show. And her actions are definitely not without intent and consequences. I think that the readers of Fire and Blood refuse to admit that even in the book Alicent endured her marriage to Viserys like a convict endures treadmill simply because Viserys refused to name Aegon heir, putting her children and her in real danger. Thus they come up with absolute garbage think pieces as Alicent had a happy marriage with Viserys, or that Viserys loved Alicent, or that Alicent had a lot of agency despite the fact that she only wanted one thing, which was the right of every noble woman at the time but never getting it.

Alicent and Margaery Tyrell

The book version of Alicent Hightower is similar to one character in the A song of Ice And Fire universe and it’s not Cercei, it’s Margaery Tyrell. Alicent and Margaery Tyrell have in common their position in the stories as girls who had to seduce kings in order to become queens and advance their positions. People in their entourage can see them as evil women who are reaching for power, like Cercei saw Margaery as an opportunist. In the show we have the point of view of Alicent, but in the book we have no idea of what she thinks of her marriage to Viserys, we only can project things into her and we know that she turned bitter once everything went wrong and committed usurpation. And we have no idea of how Margaery Tyrell feels about her situation. The book version of Alicent simply seemed to go along with everything that would have benefitted her family, as she was probably groomed to behave that way, just like probably Margaery Tyrell. But this works only for Alicent as she is presented in Fire and blood.

Alicent Hightower and Catelyn Tully

But the way Alicent treated Rhaenyrain the book, even if we don’t have precise informations about it made many people think that Alicent was a kind of diluted version of Cercei. But when it comes to cruelty and selfishness Alicent and Cercei simply don’t play in the same league. So the most likely answer is definitely Catelyn. Because Catelyn hated Jon for the same reasons Alicent started antagonizing Rhaenyra. Both Jon and Rhaenyra were threats to Catelyn and Alicent’s children claim to their father’s seats. Jon is the bastard of Catelyn's husband, and he might challenge her children’s rights to their father’s seat. On the other side Viserys named Rhaenyra heir, when Aegon, had a claim, that every Targaryen ruler up holded, in line with thousands of years of Andal customers, and the ruling of 101.

Most people don’t make the link because Jon is a boy and Rhaenyra a girl.

Both Catelyn and Alicent have serious historical events to justify their fears, mainly the Blackfire Rebellions and the succession crisis of 101.

Both Catelyn and Alicent don’t hate the children for who they are and out of pure spite, but because of the danger that they represent. Alicent had a good relationship with Rhaenyra, until she realized that Rhaenyra was becoming a threat to her children’s claim. So within a medieval context you can understand how the presence of Jon in Winterfell and keeping Rhaenyra as heir can be seen by their stepmothers as slights.

Alicent Hightower and the human heart in conflict within itself

In the show it wasn’t the same thing. Alicent was in fact the character who was confronted to dilemmas the most throughout the series. From the beginning she had to choose between her family, that was her duty and Rhaenyra who was the only friend she had, and the most beautiful thing that ever happened in her life, and she had to make the choice multiple times over the course of the season, it became even more difficult when she had children and those children, especially Aegon becomes everything she will ever achieve in her life, because they were everything feudality permitted her to be. So it’s weird to admit that Alicent in the book was that much of a great character when she’s just an ambitious woman, with understandable motivations.

Why the evil stepmother trope doesn’t work

I don’t have much struggles with the show changing this character and erasing the evil stepmother side of Alicent, because it brings nothing good to the story, and the themes of the show. The dance of the Dragon was a situation showing how a feudal system would prefer to destroy itself instead of letting a woman get power, and somehow the antagonist was another woman, the story feels like it was making Alicent responsible for all the time the Targaryen messed up with their own succession laws, and made the most misogynistic choice every time they had to choose a ruler. So by presenting Alicent as the head of the coup, the story does not only present the antithesis of what it’s trying to tell, which is that misogynistic men don’t like to be governed by women. It also presents Rhaenyra and Alicent as rivals, who were both vying for the attention of people at court. When in fact Rhaenyra had always been loved by everyone, and had an okay relationship with her, until Alicent had other viable heir for the Iron Throne. This trope also blames women for not being perfect victims, like everyone does to Alicent. She shouldn’t be criticizing the Strong boys and calling them bastards as if she was the one responsible of their existence. She shouldn’t slash Rhaenyra even though Rhaenyra asked to torture her son, she should let her daughter marry a bastard even if it would be dangerous and so on. In fact some people completely erase the real social context that inspired the series and the well presestablished lore within the story. Because it serves the demonization of Alicent.

Lastly this misogynistic trope had been used quite a few times in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe with Catelyn, Cercei, and Lysa, and it became redundant. People who miss this characterization of Alicent don’t care about Alicent as a character, because it simply offers less room for depth. They also don’t care about women’s rights, they care about Rhaenyra being Alicent’s helpless victim in the book. And it not as interesting as the friendship between Alicent and Rhaenyra.

Conclusion

Some of the readers of Fire and Blood literally erases all the cultural bias that the Westerosi society has against women, especially in relation to power in order to make Alicent more of a villain. It is not far fetched assume that given how the hierarchy of Westeros works the power of women were greatly reduced in comparison to what we see in the pages of the dance.

So people who constantly complain about Alicent were the same who hated her and never really cared about her agency in the book because she was likely no more than a very well groomed girl for the service of her family, and how realistic it looked. But only about how much pain she could bring to Rhaenyra. Complaining that she should have been a copy of Cercei, when the character in the show had simply more layers of tragedy, and is more fleshed out.

While in the book Alicent is only an ambitious woman who wanted power in the show she is a woman who tried her best to do what she considered as good thing in a system that had always been oppressive towards women. And when it didn’t work out like the system told her it would be, she turned bitter. Alicent has similarities with Cercei in the way that they uphold the system that caused them the most harm in order to survive, and just like Sansa she is taken responsible for things she doesn’t control, but she had much more agency than Sansa who was a captive while Alicent was a queen. She had similarities with Margaery because they were in a similar position as women who had to seduce kings to gain power. Lastly the bad treatment Rhaenyra received from her is a like to that of Jon by Catelyn Tully. However Alicent is different from them all because she despite perceiving herself as self-righteous and dutiful, she ended up hurting the people she loves the most, her children, and Rhaenyra, and I know that a lot of you might hate it but she is also a hypocrite, as many religious people often are. And I understand why it happened. Alicent in the show is simply better than Alicent in the book, because they showed us how women can be brainwashed by the system they live in, instead of the misogynistic tale of the woman who was overreaching for power and destroyed an entire country, in the process.