#this is actually Such Good Conflict For Them

[imrix]

The Jedi weren't comic book superheroes. They didn't have strictly codified superpowers. They weren't like X-men mutants, manifesting uncontrollable powers at a young age that they had to learn to tame (this one is more of a fanon issue than anything). They weren't all flashy, constantly yeeting themselves and objects around during combat. The Jedi were just weird space mystics. The Force was a relatively subtle power (mental nudges, good intuition and reflexes, a little empathy/precognition, some telekinesis). It made sense that someone like Han or that one Imperial guy in ANH could doubt the Force, because for the most part Force abilities weren't on blatant display.

Heartily cosigned. Like, to expand on this even further, if you go purely according to the OT, lightsabers don't really... matter?

It's wild to consider in this day and age, with all the mythology that's built up around lightsabers as the symbol of the jedi, able to deflect an army's worth of blaster fire and cut through anything and made with special crystals and you attune to them with the Force and and and, but the original Star Wars film was expected to be a one-off, and it's a film where the protagonist inherits his father's laser sword in the first half and then never uses it.

Luke's revelatory moment of understanding regarding the Force comes in the cockpit of a starfighter with cutting-edge smart weapons! It has nothing to do with his father's lightsaber, even when the Force is clearly established to be something that runs on mystical associations and personal connections, like with Vader sensing Ben because of their shared history.

At the time, Han's comment about how, 'hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side' is... He's, well, right? It's basically like comparing a katana to a gun in the modern day. Sure, if you come across a well-made heirloom katana then it's an impressive piece of history to hold, but if you start practicing Kendo drills then yeah, salt of the earth types like Han are gonna make fun of you for it.

The dramatic purpose of the lightsaber in this era is not to be a significant weapon - it's to be a training tool Kenobi uses to awaken Luke to the Force, to teach him to trust his feelings rather than his senses. Kenobi fighting Vader is two old traditionalists drawing their swords because that suits their miens, it's two veterans of like, Vietnam or something coming into conflict years later, nodding to each other from across the hallway, tossing aside their guns and drawing their old army knives. When Vader engages Luke in real combat, it's with both of them as fighter pilots, which it turns out is Luke's actual specialty. Lightsaber fencing? Not so much. The duel with Vader in ESB goes famously badly, and if he'd actually struck Vader down on the second Death Star, that wouldn't have been a win.

For all the mythology that's built up around lightsabers since, in the original vision they're just like, an old weapon that's gone out of fashion.

[the-library-alcove]

An updated Antizionist Bingo Card

Came up with this after reading the "debate" between Hen Mazzig and Kei Pritsker.

Explanations under the cut

Settler Colonialism Canard: Portraying Israelis as White Europeans who can just "go back to [their country of origin]", and stating that no matter where within the region they live, even if far inside the 1947 Green Line, they're "settlers" and thus deserving of death. Even if they're babies.

Blood Libel Canard: "Israelis deliberately target children to kill them", or anything to do with calling Israelis bloodthirsty, killing people to harvest them, depicting them as vampires, bathing in blood, or otherwise engaging in ritualistic slaughter of human beings, especially children.

Celebrating the deaths of Israeli citizens: Straightforward and very popular. It should be especially apparent when said Israelis, or Jews in general, are living outside of Israel, and people are pleased to see them dead. There have been multiple examples in just the last few weeks--a car accident in NYC killed several Jews, including children, and was celebrated, and there were two brutal murders in California, also celebrated.

"We have Token Good Jews!": Tokenization in the classic sense, being used to hold up as a shield against accusations of bias. (Very often these individuals turn out not to be Jewish as well)

Historical Revisionism of Israel's founding: Fairly straightforward, in terms of misrepresenting or distorting (or straight up lying) about the events of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948 and the founding of Israel.

Inflating the death toll, or other disregard for actual Palestinian lives: according to the official count by Hamas' own governmental apparatus, approximately 50,000 people have died in the Gaza Strip between October 2023 and April 2025, including of natural causes. Anyone claiming that the death toll is an extreme undercount or citing higher numbers essentially wants there to be more dead Palestinians in order to blame Israel. Also qualifying are those who dismiss or demean the anti-Hamas protests happening in Gaza.

Historical Revisionism, 1948-2006: Covers lying about or distorting the Six Day War, The Yom Kippur War, the First and Second Intifadas, the return of the Sinai Desert to Egypt, the status of the West Bank, the peace accords during the 1990s, or the Gaza pullout, among other topics.

American-centric view of the conflict: Covers, among other things, "Palestinians are like the Natives in the US being kept on reservations, or like Latinos trying to enter the US being kept behind a border wall, and the Israeli government is like the Republicans, only Jews!", or other such comparisons where the speaker is trying to impose their own outsider perspective onto the conflict.

Genocide Canard: Any accusation that Israel is genociding the Palestinians. Quite simply, if Israel was genociding the Palestinians, none of them would still be alive.

"But Israel/Zionism!" in unrelated topics: Discussing antisemitism in the US or elsewhere in the world? Discussing Jewish history, traditions, culture, theology, or other aspects of Judaism? Just existing as a Jew? And someone brings up Israel or Zionism in an effort to derail or force an answer? Here.

"Israel killed its own people on purpose.": Comes in two general flavors--either claiming that 7/10 was a false flag attack, or accusing Israel of deliberately targeting the hostages in order to kill them.

Celebrating or mythologizing Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Houthis: They're terrorist groups backed by Iran to stir the pot and instigate conflict; they're responsible for incredible amounts of death and misery, and are not plucky freedom fighters, much less La Resistance.

"I'm antizionist, not antisemitic": The universal clarion call, usually invoked right before saying something incredibly Jew-hating.

Historical Revisionism, Pre-1948: The largest historical revisionism category, but breaking it down could be its own bingo card. Anything from "There were never any Jews in Palestine before 1948" to appropriating British Palestine Jewish culture and innovations for the Arabs, to the Happy Dhimmi myth, to claiming that the Jews did not originate in the Levant... all of it qualifies.

Israel is solely culpable for Gaza's standard of living: In 2006, when Israel pulled out of Gaza by treaty, there were three dozen hospitals, a power plant, a desalination plant, and lots of other infrastructure present. Now, water and power are rare, and the reason the pipes are gone is not Israelis--it's Hamas digging them up to use as rockets. And the hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure were used to launch rockets out of, making them valid targets. But apparently it's just easier to blame Israel than Hamas for violating the rules of war.

"My acts of violence are free speech, your speech is violence.": An extremely popular double standard, where Antizionists will excuse any and all hateful rhetoric, hostile environments, or actual physical violence against Jews as "acts of free speech", but Jews protesting these behaviors are engaging in violence.

Ethnostate/Jewish Supremacy Canard: There is no definition of Ethnostate that fits Israel that doesn't fit a majority of other nations in the world, rendering the fixation on Israel to be a clear case of double standards, and the accusation of Jewish supremacy is just projection.

Apartheid Canard: Non-Jewish citizens of Israel have full equal rights; this is not equivalent to South African apartheid in the slightest, unless the accusers are saying that the Palestinians are actually Israeli citizens instead of being foreign nationals--and if that is the case, then I would ask them if they have the same rights in another nation that they're not citizens of.

Jews don't get to define antisemitism: Fairly straightforward; any attempt or effort by a non-Jew to claim that something isn't "really" antisemitism falls here.

ZOG Canard: "Israel/Jews/AIPAC/etc own/control the US government/media/economy/banks/etc". I.e "Jews run the world from behind the scenes" accusations.

Historical revisionism, 2006-Present: Anything that tries to rewrite history regarding Gaza, the stalled peace process, the conflicts, the rockets, the Iron Dome, or even Netanyahu's corruption all fall here.

Dual Loyalty Canard/Diaspora Jews are valid targets: "All Jews, aside from our Good Tokens are Evil Zionists beholden to Israel and thus valid to harass or kill".

Accusations of Indiscriminate/Wanton/Cartoonish Cruelty: To hear some antizionists talk about Israelis, they're so evil and sadistic that they by all rights should be in some Game of Thrones-style narrative, where kicking puppies is just part of the morning routine. Israel bombs hospitals/universities/schools/daycares/mosques/etc, apparently just for the chance to be evil and cruel, instead of the reality of "Hamas deliberately puts its weapons and fighters there to use civilians as human shields". This is tied to the Blood Libel narratives--especially when claims come of Israel deliberately targeting children--but is distinct enough on its own to merit its own box.

"No True Pro-Palestinian Activist would...": Just a No True Scotsman claim, and yes, yes they would. We have citations. And please don't try to claim that they're mentally ill, either.

Redefining Words, NewSpeak-style: A lot of words get redefined in this conflict; Genocide, Apartheid, Zionism, and Settler-Colonialism are all major enough to get their own boxes, but they're not alone. Pulling from another post of mine, here are some examples:

Humanitarian Aid becomes Manufactured Famine.

Borders become Concentration camp walls.

Suicide bombers become heroes.

Rape becomes Resistance.

Civilian Evacuation becomes Ethnic Cleansing

Unwilling Human Shields become Brave Martyrs

Indoctrinated Child Soldiers become Adorable Spirit Of Resistance or Murder

People returning to their native homeland become Colonizers

Hostages become Prisoners of War

Anti-Rocket Defense becomes a Tool of Genocide

Surrender becomes Ceasefire

Civilians become Acceptable Targets

[sansaorgana]

— MOTHER'S LOVE

PAIRING — Na-Baron Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x fem!Reader

SUMMARY — After arriving on Giedi Prime to marry Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, you find out the secret his family was hiding from you – he has a daughter. You quickly realise he has no idea about fatherhood but you step up to take care of the little girl.

AUTHOR’S NOTE — OH MY GOOOOD Anyone still remember me and my fics?! 🤣 This one is a bit different because it includes Feyd as a single dad lmao However, it's not super fluffy either. They're Harkonnens, after all, and the Reader is not exactly a good person either. 🙈 I googled some canon info on Dune Wiki but I didn't follow the events 1:1 (as usual).

WARNINGS — arranged marriage, Feyd's traumatic past mentioned, Feyd being a kinda neglecting father (he cares in his own way and don't worry, there is no actual abuse), Lady Margot is 💀 and it was no accident, Reader is power hungry and greedy (and she adapts to the Harkonnens quickly)

WORD COUNT — 7, 290

ENGLISH IS MY SECOND LANGUAGE.

MOTHER'S LOVE

You didn’t have many expectations before arriving on Giedi Prime. You knew that your husband-to-be was a brutal man but you were old enough to be aware of the fact that most men were this way. You were quite excited in a way because you knew what your union would bring and what your union would eventually make you – an Empress.

Your father had been a close friend of the Emperor and he had been helping him to prevent the war with the Harkonnens who were holding too much power and resources for their own good. However, after a few incidents in which the Emperor had chosen not to show your father proper respect – your father had drastically changed the side of the conflict. He was a wealthy and powerful man as well and connecting your family with the Harkonnens was granting them to win the upcoming war with the Imperial forces quite easily. It was a matter of time when it would happen.

You were supposed to marry Baron Harkonnen’s nephew and heir, which would make you an Empress one day. It was a vicious union; born out of greed for power instead of any love or affection. In fact, you hadn’t even met Feyd-Rautha personally but you had heard rumours about him.

As it had been mentioned – you knew he was brutal. But you also knew all men were. Your own father had turned his back on the Emperor so suddenly and treacherously, after centuries of the families working together. Had it not been brutal as well? Brutality came in many different shapes and forms. 

Your father’s wealth and army were helpful but not significant enough for him to dictate any conditions. For his help, the Harkonnens had offered only one important thing – you becoming the future Empress. However, all the glory would be theirs and your father would remain nothing but a close friend, expanding his wealth freely. You often wondered how much the Emperor must have had disrespected your father for him to choose the Harkonnens to be his new overlords. However, you did not complain.

You wanted to be the Empress.

But in order to become her, you had to survive the Harkonnens and Giedi Prime first.

You were greeted with all the honours on this unfriendly, deathly planet. However, your husband was not a part of the greeting committee. Neither was his uncle, whose health was decreasing lately. Many suspected he would die soon, which would make you a Baroness much quicker than expected, however you were not sure about your future husband’s approach towards your union. If he wasn’t so keen on marrying you, he could change his mind the moment he no longer had to listen to his uncle. That was why you hoped to get married before Baron Harkonnen would die – to secure your position on Giedi Prime as Feyd-Rautha’s lawful wife.

People who greeted you on Giedi Prime were mostly servants of different ranks. You could distinguish them by robes but they all looked very similar if not identical. They were sickly pale, some of them had pitch-black eyes and they were all bald. The servants of the lowest rank looked like clones and you suspected that was what they truly were indeed. They had their necks marked with tattoos indicating their low status.

Servants of higher ranks looked more proper – their clothes were nice, their facial features were more natural and they actually talked to you, meanwhile the low rank servants remained silent and avoided your gaze.

You were taken to your new chambers inside the huge and black fortress in the heart of the planet. You were given a whole wing and a huge bedroom that had not been occupied in decades – ever since Baron Harkonnen’s mother had died.

“Won’t I be quite lonely here?” You asked a male servant who was showing you around. You didn’t like him already because something about his creepy smile and observing eyes was sending shivers down your spine.

“What do you mean, my Lady?” He tilted his bald head slightly and blinked a few times as if he was a robot experiencing a glitch in his system.

“The whole wing of the fortress is all for me?”

“Well, you have guards and servants here, my Lady,” he pointed out.

“They are not… equal companions, are they?” You explained, trying not to sound too cruel. But servants on Giedi Prime probably found your statement to be extremely gentle. They were used to much worse treatment from their masters.

“You are not the only inhabitant of this part of the fortress, my Lady,” the man told you, a little nervously.

You furrowed your brows.

“Care to explain?” You tried to hide your insecurity by looking around the room and pretending to admire the black furniture. 

“Countess Marie has her room nearby,” the servant explained and you smiled slightly when you found out there was, after all, some female Harkonnen around who would perhaps be a friend to you.

Your first thought was that she was Count Rabban’s wife – your future husband’s sister-in-law.

“Oh! There is some countess?” You asked, excitedly. “How old is she?”

“She…” the servant took a deep breath in. “She is six, my Lady.”

“Six?” You asked, your smile dropping as your heart froze inside your chest. “She’s… She’s a child?”

Many awful things you had heard of the Harkonnens but child-brides had never been any part of those stories.

The servant must have immediately realised what you were thinking.

“Oh! No, no, my Lady, she is not a wife…!” He assured you. “She is… Family,” he explained, mysteriously. “Either way, I shall leave you now to rest after long and exhausting travel. I will send a maid for you later to bring you dinner and keep you company, my Lady,” the servant nodded and left the room as the rest of the servants left behind him. The guards stayed behind the heavy doors to make sure you were safe… and to make sure you were no danger either.

You took a deep breath in as you looked around. Everything seemed to be so big and scary on this planet but you promised yourself that you would survive and adapt to it and you didn’t plan on changing that.

After dinner, when your maid left you to sleep, you sneaked out of the bedroom to walk around a little and to explore more of the fortress. You promised the confused guards you’d be back soon enough but you also asked them to search for you if you wouldn’t come back in a long time since there was a big chance of you getting lost. They agreed to it and you walked away, very proud of yourself.

As you were walking down the dark and empty corridor, after a short while you felt somebody’s presence around you. A pair of eyes following you around, which made you swallow thickly. Your heart pounded fast but as you looked behind you, no one seemed to be there. You thought it was your brain playing tricks on you in this unfriendly environment and you tried to remember that the Harkonnens were your new family and they would not hurt you.

Gathering the courage again, you calmed down and continued your walk when – suddenly and out of the darkness – you heard a giggle.

A childish, girly giggle with a hint of malice despite its innocent sound. You froze, widened your eyes and looked around.

“I’ve imagined you differently,” a girly voice announced and when your ears found the source of it, you turned around to face it.

The girl turned on the orb of light she was holding. But it was not in front of you – it was behind you. You turned around once more and she chuckled, visibly proud of herself for playing tricks on you.

She had to be Countess Marie the servant had mentioned earlier – she was around six years old and she surely had Harkonnen blood in her. Her eyes were bright blue and her skin was snow-white. However, she was not bald – she had long and blond hair, which was braided. Her clothes were black and she had a small dagger attached to her hip.

“Countess Marie, I assume,” you extended your hand towards her in a friendly manner. “I am (Y/N) of the House (Y/L/N),” you introduced yourself.

“I know who you are,” Marie shrugged her arms and allowed the orb of light to float around her freely now as she took the dagger out and began to play with it.

It made you feel uneasy as you retreated your hand which she hadn’t shaken. She wouldn’t actually hurt you, would she?

“O-oh, yeah?” You asked. “Well, that’s nice… You see, I had no idea about you until a few hours ago,” you cracked a smile.

“I’m not significant. I’m a bastard,” the girl shrugged her arms again. “And I promised not to bother you but I was curious,” she admitted.

“Promised not to bother me?” You were surprised. “Honey, who did you promise such a thing and why?”

Honey, you had called her – despite her demeanour, she was still a little girl and it was difficult to see her as anything else.

She didn’t seem to mind, though. In fact, she ignored that.

“I promised my daddy and grandpa not to bother you,” she explained.

“Oh, I see,” you nodded, assuming that she treated the Baron as her grandfather. “Are you Count Rabban’s daughter?” You decided to ask more openly now.

She widened her eyes at your question.

“No-o,” she shook her head and hid her dagger. “I’m a Harkonnen,” she told you, proudly.

You began to understand the situation and you couldn’t help but grow angry – how could they hide this fact from you?!

“Well, darling, either way, it is late already and you should be in bed,” you extended your hand towards her again but she took a step back. You retreated your hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s simply not a good time for little girls to be outside their bedrooms.”

“Daddy says I can go to bed at any time I want as long as I am up early for my training,” she explained and then she looked down. “Or… Are you changing the rules now?”

“I am not changing any rules between you and your daddy, it is not my right to do so,” you explained, softly. “However, I would sleep better knowing that you are safe in your bed,” you said.

“What do you care?” Countess Marie asked.

“How could I not, angel? Come on, let’s go to bed,” you nodded your head and she eventually agreed although she also rolled her eyes.

She showed you where her chambers were and you watched her walk past her guards and back into her room. After that, you went back to your bedroom as well but you couldn’t sleep at night.

How could they hide from you that your husband had a daughter?

You demanded to see your husband-to-be after breakfast, although you were advised against by many servants. Mornings were for Feyd-Rautha’s combat training and he should not be interrupted.

However, you could not wait for the meeting. You demanded to be taken to him and the guards had to follow your command although you could see they were not happy about it.

You rushed behind them through the corridors full of servants and Harkonnen noblemen that were turning their heads to take a better look at you. They were curious about you because you were a foreigner, a daughter of the infamous and treacherous Lord but you also stood out with your normal looks that seemed to be exotic on Giedi Prime.

When you arrived at the training grounds, you crossed the nearly magical border between the interior and exterior. Now, you were exposed to the radioactive sunlight, which caused the world around you to be black and white. You knew that the fortress was shielded from the deathly amount of radiation but it was not making anything outside colourful.

The very first sound that greeted you was an animalistic roar coming out of a warrior’s throat. He was standing in the middle of the courtyard with a dagger in his hand as a muscular slave-warrior in front of him kneeled down and fell over after his own throat had been sliced open. The victorious warrior raised his hand to show off the bloody knife and a smaller, clean knife raised behind him. You squinted your eyes and spotted Countess Marie cheering and mimicking the man in the middle.

“That is Feyd-Rautha, my Lady,” the servant whispered to you.

Your heart skipped a beat. Your future husband looked terrifying, especially in black-and-white. His eyes were snake-like, his head was bald and his body was very muscular yet flexible. He spotted you and after a while of hesitation, he walked towards you quite angrily, which caused all the servants to take a few steps back but you stayed in your position, refusing to show fear so openly.

The closer he was, the more handsome you were realising he seemed to be. It was nearly unnatural for a Harkonnen to be so attractive but here he stood – right in front of you. Young, healthy, strong and attractive in a mysterious and fascinating way. He was a perfect warrior – of that you were sure.

But would he be a perfect Emperor?

“Why are you interrupting my training?” He asked. His voice surprised you – it sounded very deep and unsettling.

“I couldn’t wait to meet you,” you answered.

“You are interrupting my training,” he pointed out.

“Surely, you can take a little break to meet your future wife?” You cracked a smile.

Feyd-Rautha seemed to be confused. Finally, his little girl emerged from behind him with a big grin on her face.

“Daddy, don’t be so grim! Lady (Y/N) is nice!” She announced and you breathed out of relief. For some reason, this little menace seemed to like you already.

“Oh, yeah?” Feyd-Rautha tilted his head at you and smirked. “Well, nice little things don’t last long on Giedi Prime, haven’t I told you?”

“Your daughter seems to be doing well, na-baron,” you dared to say and he squinted his eyes.

“I don’t raise her to be nice. And you should not bother with her at all anyway,” he explained and sighed a little. “Nevermind, you have interrupted my training already. Let’s go and talk somewhere,” he pointed at the doors leading back inside the fortress.

“Can I go with you?” Countess Marie asked.

“No,” Feyd-Rautha told her. “You go back to your room and attend your classes.”

“But–”

Feyd didn’t bother to listen to that, though. He walked past his daughter.

“How about you coming to my chambers after your classes and we’ll get to know each other better then?” You asked the girl with a smile.

“I can’t visit other people alone in their chambers except for my daddy,” she widened her eyes. “He doesn’t allow that. It’s dangerous,” she added and you furrowed your brows.

He seemed not to care much about this little girl but then, when it came to certain aspects, he was nearly overprotective.

“I will talk to him and if he still doesn’t allow it, we’ll invite some servants as well, how about that?” You asked her and she nodded with a smile.

You reached out to caress her face but she flinched, so you took a step back again.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

“It’s fine but he doesn’t allow strangers to touch me,” she explained. “Unless they’re servants who help me change clothes and all that – unless it’s necessary, you see.”

“I see,” you nodded. “Well, see you later, Marie.”

“See you later, Lady (Y/N).”

After that, you hurried back inside the fortress to enter it through the same doors your husband-to-be had entered a few moments earlier. In fact, they were still open because Feyd was holding them for you with an annoyed expression.

“Sorry,” you smiled awkwardly at him when you finally were both inside the fortress. Here, where colours were visible, he didn’t seem to gain much more colours himself. His skin seemed to be a bit less white and his eyes were the same shade as Marie’s but that was it. He was still mostly black-and-white.

“You don’t have to befriend her,” Feyd-Rautha announced. “She is a bastard,” he explained. “If we don’t produce any heirs, she might become my na-baroness but I don’t think this will happen. Noblemen here wouldn’t accept a female leader anyway,” he shrugged his arms.

“How can you say that?” You asked him. “Let me be clear, I do not know much of you or your history but I do not accept the way you treat your daughter or me. Why is she not significant? Why was her existence hidden from me? Are women only objects here? Pawns? I am aware we hold less power on Giedi Prime but I was not told that women have no rights here,” you crossed your arms.

“Do not be daft,” Feyd-Rautha rolled his eyes and leaned on the black marble pillar inside the hall. “After my seventeenth birthday a Bene Gesserit witch used me to manipulate the bloodlines. It is an accident I barely remember,” Feyd-Rautha said. “I don’t like being out of control and at that moment I had none. She became pregnant with my child and wanted to raise Marie as another Bene Gesserit witch. Some sisters of that order are more loyal to the Harkonnens than their convent – that’s how I found out about my daughter. I killed her mother and her husband. I wanted to kill the girl, too, but I took her in to raise her as a warrior instead. After all, she’s my blood,” he shrugged his arms.

Both him and Marie tended to shrug their arms a lot – showing off how little they cared about literally everything. It was quite… adorable.

“You changed your mind because she is your child,” you pointed out, pretending not to be moved by the story. In fact, it terrified you that he admitted so openly to murder the mother of his child, although you were aware of the rumour that he had killed his own mother.

It would be very easy for him to kill you off, too, eventually…

“She is,” Feyd-Rautha nodded. “Us, Harkonnens, we have different ways of raising children than you, that’s it.”

“I don’t want to interfere or change your ways,” you explained. “But I refuse to pretend she doesn’t exist. As you said, she is a bastard and a girl, therefore she is no threat to me or any children I will bear,” you announced and he raised his eyebrows as if he was a little surprised and impressed.

As usual – he shrugged his arms.

“Can I spend time with her alone? Can I touch her?” You asked, more carefully now. “I feel like this child is not being hugged enough.”

“Harkonnens don’t hug,” Feyd growled.

“I just don’t understand why–”

“You can,” he interrupted you. “As my future wife, you can but the rule exists for a reason. It is to protect her and I don’t want you to extend the exception to other people as well.”

“Protect her from what?” You asked, furrowing your brows.

“My uncle,” he answered and a long silence occurred.

“I see…” You took a deep breath in. “I… Well, it was nice to meet you, finally,” you admitted. “I must go now, the wedding takes place in a week from now and I have lots of preparations.”

“Don’t lock your bedroom doors in the evening,” he whispered and you raised your eyebrow at him. “I’ll claim you tonight,” he said casually.

“E-excuse me?” You asked.

“You heard me well, pet,” he smirked.

“The wedding takes place in a–”

“The fuck do I care about the wedding? You’re mine now,” Feyd shrugged his arms and walked away, leaving you scared and confused.

What if he claims you and then throws you away, accusing you of being spoiled and unfit for marriage? That would be a disaster.

Marie came to your chambers in the afternoon and you watched her go through your things with a smile on your lips. Perhaps it was a little rude of her to be so nosy but you were simply glad there was at least one ally in this fortress that you had. And, for some reason, despite her odd nature, you found her rather amusing and adorable.

“I’m glad your father allowed us to spend time together,” you said.

“Yes, it is now only you and him I am allowed to be alone with,” she pointed out. “It’s as if you were my mummy,” she said and your smile dropped when you remembered what he did to hers.

Did she know about it?

“My mother’s dead, you know?” She asked. “She was a bad person and daddy had to kill her.”

“I… I know,” you admitted. “Don’t you miss her?”

“I don’t remember her,” Marie shrugged her arms. “And she was a bad person. Bad people shouldn’t live,” she explained.

“Who defines bad, Marie?” You asked, curiously. After all, it was an odd thing to hear such a thing coming from a Harkonnen.

“Daddy does,” she nearly rolled her eyes, as if you were asking silly questions. “What is that?” She pointed at a white veil you had brought with yourself from your homeplanet.

“It’s for the wedding,” you explained.

“They’re going to laugh at you,” Marie chuckled. “Brides don’t wear such things here.”

“Oh? And what do they wear?” You asked.

“Different types of veils but not this… Whatever that is. And the colour is awful as well,” she pointed out.

“It’s lace, Marie. And it’s white,” you explained, patiently.

“White is a colour for servants,” she said and threw the veil away as you realised that, in fact, most white clothes you had seen on Giedi Prime were on the backs of servants.

“I don’t want people to laugh at me,” you admitted. “Will you help me?”

“Sure, I can. You’re going to be an Empress one day, you can’t look ridiculous!” Marie exclaimed and you chuckled. “What? You think I’m funny?” She asked.

“No, darling, I think you’re quite adorable,” you admitted and opened your arms.

She hesitantly approached you and you hugged her but she remained stiff as if she didn’t know what was happening. Perhaps Feyd was right and the Harkonnens didn’t hug.

“Why are you calling me these things?” She asked and you furrowed your brows. “Honey, darling, angel… I don’t understand,” Marie said.

“That’s how we address children where I am from,” you explained. “They’re nice things to say.”

“But I am not nice,” Marie protested and winced a little.

“Yes, you are, darling,” you assured her. “You’re a very nice little girl. A strong warrior, too, I am sure. But these two don’t have to contradict each other.”

“I would have to ask daddy about that,” Marie sighed and went back to looking through your things.

You watched her with a smile although there was a sense of dread rising with each given moment as well since you could feel the time passing and inevitably bringing you closer to the nighttime.

Feyd-Rautha was incredibly precise. In fact, a week later, on the day of your wedding ceremony, you were already carrying his son – the unnaturally advanced Harkonnen technology was able to confirm that on the night before.

You were both shocked and impressed by that and also by the fact Feyd was announcing that to everyone already during the wedding ceremonies and all those noble Harkonnens were cheering proudly instead of accusing you of infamy and adultery.

You wore red for that day – and so did little Marie. You were holding her hand by the wedding table and she was telling you funny facts about the scary Harkonnen noblemen surrounding you, which made you feel less intimidated by them. It was obvious to everyone that she had grown attached to you very quickly and everyone wondered why but you didn’t need to be a genius to know. You were coming from a planet where children were being treated well, like children instead of small adults being trained, and you knew they needed attention and affection to feel safe and loved. You were giving Marie all the things no one had ever been giving to her.

Whatever Feyd was thinking of that you had no idea. He was mostly excited about his son and heir you were pregnant with. As a husband he was treating you in a similar way he treated his daughter – he was rather indifferent but showed that he cared at times.

Oddly, you weren’t scared of him – you could sense that he was treating you like a business partner in a sense. After all, the two of you would rule the whole empire together one day. You had to work it out somehow.

During your wedding party, he left you for a while for a meeting with his uncle and a strange Bene Gesserit woman that came from an outer world. You thought she was a usual wedding guest but apparently she also visited to deal with some business here and you tried to hide the fact that it annoyed you how you were left out of this meeting.

“What do you think this might be about?” You asked Marie.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged her arms. “I’m technically a Bene Gesserit, too, you know?”

“But you’re not being trained, are you?”

“No, daddy doesn’t allow that. They’re bad people,” she shrugged her arms. “Can we eat more cake?”

“Absolutely!” You smiled widely.

Two weeks later you were in Marie’s chambers, reading history books to her. Bored in the fortress and not being given any real duties because of your blessed state, you replaced half of Marie’s tutors and you were teaching her yourself whatever you were able to.

She seemed to be quite distracted on that day, though. She was lazily playing with her dagger and looking out of the window as you were reading to her about other planets.

“How do colours look like outside Giedi Prime?” She asked suddenly. “I mean, outside. If I were on a different planet,” she explained.

“You don’t remember?” You asked and put the book down. Marie shook her head. “Well, it’s very colourful. Depends on a planet, of course, some are mostly green, some mostly yellow, some mostly blue. Some have lots of forests, some have lots of water and some have lots of sand.”

“Why?”

“It depends on temperatures and minerals that can be found on those planets. When our ancestors were colonising the universe, they were shaping the planets to inhabit them but there were limits within each of them. For example, you cannot make Giedi Prime look like Arrakis because of how different their suns are,” you explained. “Why are you asking, darling? Would you like to go and see a different planet? I might convince your daddy to let us leave to my homeplanet after the baby is born. Would you like to go with me?”

Marie shrugged her arms and looked away again.

“Will my brother look more like you or my daddy?” She asked.

“I certainly hope he will be a mix of both. Like you are a mix, are you not, honey? You have beautiful hair,” you smiled at her and caressed the blonde braid.

“I hope he has hair, too,” Marie smiled but her eyes remained sad. “Do you think he would like me?”

“Would? I’m sure he will adore you, Marie!” You caressed her cheek and her lower lip trembled. “What is it?”

“They haven’t told you,” she sniffled and you shook your head, feeling your heart sink deeper into your chest. “That Bene Gesserit lady who came when you married my daddy… She was here for me. They will take me soon with them and train me at their convent.”

“But you said your daddy didn’t want that,” you gasped.

“Well, now he has you and the baby,” she shrugged her arms but it was obvious that she cared.

She cared very much.

“Marie, I won’t let them take you away,” you cupped her face and looked deep into her bright eyes, so identical to her father’s. Yet so different – they weren’t so cold and empty like his.

Now, they were scared.

“How?” She asked, sadly. “You have no real power here,” she reminded you and it felt like a slap that even a child could see the truth about your position.

Usually, you were only seeing Feyd in the evenings inside the chambers you were now sharing with him as his wife. He hadn’t particularly asked for it but you had just moved in there and he hadn’t said anything negative about it.

You were sitting up in your bed when he entered and took a look at you before starting to take off his gear.

“How’s my son?” He asked.

“Is that all you care about?” You asked, angrily. Your unusual answer surprised him, so he turned his head around with furrowed brows.

“What else should I care about?” He inquired.

“You have a daughter as well,” you reminded him and he sighed, looking away again and going back to undressing himself. “I know the way she was conceived was far from ideal but it is not her fault.”

“I have told you not to bother yourself with her,” he mumbled out.

“What?!” You jumped out of the bed and crossed your arms. “If the child I’m carrying was a girl, would you treat her the same?”

“It would be different,” Feyd rolled his eyes. “I didn’t want Marie to spend time with you because my uncle said she could ruin our union. Apparently, he wasn’t wrong but in the opposite way. She’s not ruining our union because you hate her. She’s ruining it because you started to think you’re her mother,” Feyd growled angrily. “But she has no mother.”

“Because you killed her!” You were growing frustrated with his logic. “And now you’re sending her away! You said you hated Bene Gesserit witches! You told Marie that they were bad people and now you’re sending her away to them!”

“Has she told you?” Feyd was annoyed by that as he stepped out of his gear, wearing nothing but his underwear now. He never bothered with wearing pyjamas to bed, so he just passed you by and laid on the bed with a relaxed sigh, as if you were not in the middle of an argument.

The funny fact about him was that he couldn’t really argue – he wasn’t used to people disagreeing with him. Not people who were of lower status than him at least. And, as his wife, you unfortunately had a lower status because you were a woman.

“I don’t want Marie to go. She has to stay,” you stood above him with your arms still crossed.

“I am her father, the decision is mine. I didn’t want to send her there but they came here, they explained they needed her. She’s a part of their program. If we don’t listen to them, Bene Gesserit might turn their backs on us and we need their support if we’re going to take over the imperial throne,” Feyd explained and reached his hand out to touch your belly a little. “The medic said you shouldn’t get too emotional in your state, so calm down.”

But him telling you to calm down had an opposite effect, obviously.

“She’s not a part of a program!” You slapped his hand away, watching his eyes darken with anger. “She’s a child, Feyd! And fuck those Bene Gesserit witches! Fuck them, we don’t need them!”

“We need a religious institution to control the masses,” Feyd’s jaw clenched.

“Then we’ll create our own religion to replace theirs. We’ll turn people against them. I don’t want to be an Empress of an Empire I don’t have full control of. The Bene Gesserit are too dangerous and too independent.”

“Not if Marie becomes their Reverend Mother one day,” Feyd smirked.

Oh, so they already had a plan. The Baron must have come up with it. Men loved to plan out women’s whole lives like that.

“If I was her, I wouldn’t help us even a bit. I would hate us for sending me away,” you spat out, angrily.

“Such a vengeful little thing, just like your father, hm? Treacherous little snake, you would turn your back on everyone just for the sake of it,” Feyd moved up and now his face was so close to yours that your noses were nearly brushing each other.

“And you’re any different?” You asked but you answered before he could. “Yes, you are. You are different because I could never be so indifferent towards my own child. She loves you, how can you not see that? She calls you daddy, she mimics you, she wants to be like you. She trains with you, she cheers when you’re in the arena, she’s so proud of you. She believes every single fucking thing you say to her and some of those are malicious lies. Do you even realise how lucky you are to have her in your life?” You asked and kept looking at him with anger.

Feyd went silent, though, and you could see his facial features softened a little.

“It is not something I’ve been trained for,” he admitted.

“What?”

“Being a father,” he admitted. “I’ve been trained to kill and endure pain. To rule and obey my uncle. That is all I know. I always assumed that my future wife would raise my children. I don’t know how to do that.”

And in that moment you pitied him but you knew he would hate your pity, so you tried not to show it.

“I know,” you reached out to cup his face and he flinched just like Marie had flinched in the beginning. However, he allowed you to touch him and you cracked a smile while caressing his cheeks softly. “I know, darling, but I am here now and I can be a mother to her. I want to be a mother to her. If you send her away now, I will never forgive you. And neither will she,” you whispered.

“Some things I cannot control. They demand her to go with them,” he swallowed thickly, looking up at you with mesmerised eyes. You enjoyed that feeling.

“They demand? They demand you? You’re Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. You can tell them to go fuck themselves. If you don’t, that will mean that you won’t be able to protect our children either. I thought I married a strong man who would lead a whole universe one day. A ruthless leader, no compromise,” you caressed his cheeks some more, knowing perfectly well that you were manipulating him in the process.

“You’re different than I’ve expected,” Feyd confessed, his lips now brushing yours in a way that was making you feel tingly.

“I’ve heard that before,” you smiled and leaned in to finally close the gap between you two with a passionate kiss. You hoped he would listen to you.

Only time would tell.

You were with Marie in the courtyard when you saw the mysterious ship arrive and land nearby the fortress. You recognised it immediately – it belonged to the Bene Gesserit order.

Marie looked up at you with big, scared eyes. She could be a bold little girl with a dagger attached to her hip but in times like this she was just a terrified and lonely little baby. You didn’t want her to feel this way. Not now and not ever.

“I won’t let them take you,” you mouthed out but she looked down, unsurely. 

You held her hand and squeezed it tightly to walk her back inside and go to her room but on your way you were stopped by a servant telling you that Countess Marie was expected in the great hall where Baron Harkonnen resided.

You nodded at the servant and changed your route to go to the place where they were expecting Marie. However, you wouldn’t leave her alone there. No, you would go with her and try to defend her as much as you could. 

The room was huge, dark and nearly empty. The Baron was floating above everyone maliciously, connected to all sorts of machines and devices that were increasing in size with each given day. Speaking of his days – they were surely counted. Both you and Feyd couldn’t wait for the one when he would simply die.

Feyd was there as well, with his hands crossed behind his back. He looked nervous when you and Marie arrived as some old Bene Gesserit woman was standing there and staring at the little girl.

“There she is, Marie Fenring, Margot’s daughter,” the Bene Gesserit greeted her and Marie clinged to the black skirt of your dress.

“She’s a Harkonnen,” Feyd pointed out.

“Such a shame your wife is carrying a son. Your combination was unexpected and unplanned in our program but it certainly is interesting,” the woman continued. “Such varieties can enrich our system.”

“What are you doing here?” You asked, rudely, as you put your hand on Marie’s shoulder.

“Forgive the young ones,” Baron Harkonnen coughed as he mumbled out. “My nephew and his wife need a lesson or two about manners,” he tried to laugh. “Of course, you can take the little one with you. Let’s get it over with.”

“No, she cannot. I do not allow that,” you took a step ahead to hide Marie behind you.

“You know I don’t need permission, na-baroness,” the Bene Gesserit smirked. “Don’t make me use The Voice on you when you’re in such a blessed state,” she added with irony.

“If you do that, I’ll kill you,” Feyd barked at her. “If you touch my wife or my daughter, you’re dead,” he threatened.

“Calm down, boy!” His uncle scolded him.

“I am far too important and powerful to be scared of you. Do you think you can kill off a Bene Gesserit sister like me with no consequences?” She laughed at him as she raised her eyebrow cockily.

“That is exactly what I can do as your Emperor,” he tilted his head.

“You’re not one yet, are you? And you won’t be one without our help,” the woman was growing angry but her frustration was aimed at your husband instead of you now.

“We don’t need your help,” you moved closer to Feyd and Marie reached out her little hand towards her daddy. He didn’t hold it, so she clung to his suit with it as she was holding onto your skirt with the other. “My husband and I do not need help from anyone and the days of your sisterhood are being counted just as much as the Baron’s or the Emperor’s. Nobody is going to tell us what we can or have to do. The new order is coming and it’s coming soon,” you stated.

“Such insolence! My Baron, have you heard that?!” The Bene Gesserit looked behind her to look at your husband’s uncle but he was coughing uncontrollably and the servants were already helping him to float out of the room.

She realised that Baron Harkonnen wasn’t in power anymore. You straightened your back when she laid her eyes back at you.

“You do not have friends amongst the Harkonnens anymore,” Feyd said, calmly.

“Unless you cooperate,” you added with a smile.

“Cooperate how?” She asked.

“Let’s start with not taking our daughter away,” you said without thinking and then you felt your cheeks heating up when you realised you had called Marie your daughter.

You hoped it wouldn't make the little Countess or her father angry.

“I see,” the Bene Gesserit woman nodded and clasped her hands. “You’ve adapted quickly. Not many people believed you would survive here but I was one of the few who knew your father’s true nature. We knew that if you were at least half a viper he is, you would adapt here very well.”

“Oh, thank you,” you gave her a fake, charming smile.

“I know that some of my sisters are more loyal to the Harkonnens than our cause,” the woman revealed with a mysterious smile as if she was threatening you with controversial secrets.

“I suggest befriending them then,” you nodded with a smile. “ Quickly, if I were you.”

She left after that, clearly uncomfortable. You could see how she was itching to use The Voice on you but she had to be terrified of Feyd’s threats.

When the heavy doors closed behind her, you felt Marie’s hold onto your skirt loosening. You looked down and realised that Feyd was holding her hand after all – you had no idea when he had begun squeezing it but it warmed your heart.

“Thank you…” Marie’s lower lip trembled.

“Harkonnens don’t cry,” Feyd scolded her.

“Yes, they do,” you crouched down and hugged little Marie. She wrapped her arms around you and you caressed her hair. “Little Harkonnen girls can do whatever they want,” you added and patted her back.

“As long as it’s something father and mother allow,” Feyd added and you cracked a smile. He seemed to be fine with you becoming Marie’s mother.

“Yes, as long as mummy and daddy approve,” you moved away a bit and fixed Marie’s hair.

“Will you really be my mummy?” Marie asked with eyes full of tears.

“Of course, honey. My sweet angel, my darling,” you kissed her cheeks.

“What if I become a bad person like my real mother?” She asked and you went silent for a while. You didn’t know what to say to that.

“You won’t,” Feyd put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re not her,” he assured her and she smiled.

A maid interrupted you all as she was looking for Marie because her tutor had been waiting for her. So, you wiped your girl’s cheeks from tears and sent her away with the maid so she could attend her class.

“What if she finds out the truth one day?” You asked Feyd.

“What truth?” He squinted his eyes.

“That her mother wasn’t exactly evil. That you didn’t have to kill her, it was just the fact that your ego was hurt so much because you had been used like thousands of noble men before you,” you teased and caressed your belly to remind him of your pregnancy in case he would get angry.

“Oh, please,” Feyd laughed, though. He approached you and stood so close that his nose brushed with yours. He liked to show you affection like this, you had realised that lately. Rubbing your nose with his carefully as if he was an animal sniffing the scent of his mate. He was an animal in many ways, after all. But you would domesticate him, of that you were sure.

Just like his daughter, he just needed a little attention and affection.

“She won’t mind,” he assured you. “She’s going to be my daughter raised by you. Brutality and treachery won’t make her flinch,” he added proudly and you chuckled before caressing his cheeks gently.

“Why should they?” You whispered and kissed him lovingly.

You were sure now that by his side you could feel safe and he would protect you and your family even if it was someone as powerful as the Bene Gesserit to threaten you. 

MASTERLIST

[astrologydray]

When Your Moon Sign Matches Their Rising Sign: Part 2

♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️

Leo Moon + Leo Rising

♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️

This pairing is big, bold, and emotionally expressive. A Leo Moon craves emotional validation through attention, loyalty, and dramatic shows of love. When matched with someone who has Leo Rising, you’re dealing with someone who walks in like royalty — head held high, presence magnetic. They look like the emotional sun you already orbit.

You, as the Moon, feel larger-than-life emotions, and they carry themselves like a spotlight follows them around. The emotional vibe is celebratory, affectionate, and often over-the-top — in the best way.

Synastry vibe: It’s giving “power couple” energy. Compliments fly. PDA is constant. You both thrive on mutual admiration and performative affection.

Potential dynamic: The Leo Moon person will feel emotionally seen by how the Leo Rising shows up. They project the love and warmth the Moon person quietly (or loudly) desires. There’s a shared sense of pride and a deep desire to stand out together.

This duo needs to manage egos. If one person feels overshadowed or under-praised, drama can erupt. But when mutual admiration flows freely, it’s iconic.

♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️♌️

Virgo Moon + Virgo Rising

♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️

This connection is grounded, observant, and detail-focused. Virgo Moons experience emotions through the lens of “what can I fix, improve, or control?” They don’t get swept away easily — they analyze. Pair this with someone who walks into the room with Virgo Rising energy — clean, precise, possibly shy or reserved — and it creates an instant emotional alignment. The Moon person feels internally anxious or self-critical at times, and the Virgo Rising naturally presents calm competence. This creates a beautiful mirroring effect: both are careful with energy, modest, and quietly intense.

Synastry vibe: You soothe each other through structure, consistency, and acts of service. It’s the kind of couple that remembers the small things — tea with honey, your favorite pen, fixing your collar — and that is their love language.

Potential dynamic: Emotional safety comes from routine and subtle care. The Virgo Moon feels “matched” by the Virgo Rising’s natural thoughtfulness. It’s not a dramatic bond — it’s earned trust over time.

Both partners can fall into overthinking, perfectionism, or nitpicking. You’ll need to balance the desire to “fix” each other with simply being present.

♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️♍️

Libra Moon + Libra Rising

♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️

The vibes are immaculate. Libra Moons process emotions through connection, aesthetics, and diplomacy — they hate disharmony. Libra Rising walks into the world already exuding grace, charm, and people-pleasing energy. When the Moon person sees that elegance mirrored back to them, it creates an instant bond based on mutual emotional aesthetics. This match often looks picture-perfect — they dress well, communicate smoothly, and have a shared love for music, art, beauty, and social dynamics. You both care about how things feel, and how they look.

Synastry vibe: It’s giving “IG couple but actually in love.” You share a need for peace, validation, and good vibes. There’s an automatic understanding of emotional decorum.

Potential dynamic: Libra Moon feels emotionally understood by the Libra Rising’s way of moving through the world. You’re both relationship-oriented, and you crave mutual fairness and effort. When this works, it’s soft, sweet, and truly harmonious.

Conflict avoidance can build resentment. You both hate being the “bad guy,” so issues may go unspoken for too long. Speak up — even if it ruins the aesthetic for a minute.

♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️♎️

Scorpio Moon + Scorpio Rising

♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️

Deep. Intense. Unexplainable. This combo is psychic-level synastry. Scorpio Moons feel everything — jealousy, love, rage, loyalty — with intensity they rarely show. Scorpio Rising looks intense without saying a word. When these two meet, they feel seen in the shadows — a rare and sometimes overwhelming experience.

It’s a match built on emotional X-rays. The Moon person has secret emotional needs, and the Rising person wears just enough mystery to trigger or attract them. It feels fated — but also dangerous.

Synastry vibe: This is a trauma-bond waiting to happen or a soul-bond that changes both forever. You meet each other’s intensity — in silence, in stares, in sex.

Potential dynamic: The Scorpio Moon feels like the Scorpio Rising knows things about them they’ve never shared. And they probably do. The Rising person feels like their emotional armor finally met its match. There’s a spiritual entanglement here that can be obsessive.

If this isn’t built on trust, it will implode. You both have abandonment issues, control tendencies, and emotional walls. But if you’re both healed? This is the kind of match that rewires your DNA.

♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️♏️

[countessravengrey]

Omg yes.

This was perfectly executed, too. It had to be Walker who started it. Because he's being such an asshole in the movie, but also because he, in many ways, has had the most to atone for, because it's a fulfillment of a failed promise he made as Captain America.

He's not like the rest of them, used, often without their consent, to commit unspeakable acts. He wasn't already a covert assassin or some such working for some evil and corrupt faction (debatable; see below). He was a war hero. He took the mantle of a hero, a "good guy." He was supposed to be a shield, and he got caught up in delusions of grandeur. He forgot his purpose.

[Side note: not to be a John Walker Apologist On Main, because he most definitely did and said those fucked up things in TFATWS. He made choices, and he deserved the consequences of those choices.

He was also a traumatized vet who should have been in therapy instead of shouldered with a burden (the mantle of Captain America) he was in no way equipped for.

That failed promise of him as Captain America is a metaphor of the failed promise of America as a country, in general, and the failed promise we make to our vets specifically. While he obviously had some predispositions that made it likely for him to become what he became (hubris, nationalist entitlement and misogyny, violence), the US military (and the conflicts we've far too often been the architects of) took that and blew it up into something monstrous and volatile. Becoming Cap turned that into a ticking time bomb. And then when it went off? He was abandoned, because optics. Because believe me, if the US government could have kept that murder hushed, they would have let John go right on being Captain America.

Which is why I was actually happy for him at the end of TFATWS when he came out in his nifty™️ new US Agent uniform and looked so happy. I was like, "aw, good for him." Because THAT is who he's supposed to be. A morally gray operative who skirts the line between hero and villain in service of a promised ideology that is never fulfilled.

And doesn't that just tell you everything you need to know about America.

He's not Captain America.

He's not Dimestore Cap.

He's US Agent.]

So, when he jumps in to stop that chunk of building from crushing those innocent bystanders, he literally became a shield. He might be--in another piece of beautiful metaphor--a bent shield, but he was still meant to be a shield.

And then for all of them to see him in this selfless act that could have killed him to jump in and help him.

And just imagine Bucky, the one in the movie with the most intimate knowledge of this guy, being like, "yes, this is who you were supposed to be when you picked up that shield."

And now I'm crying again.

the first time i cried in thunderbolts was when they all worked together to save that woman from the chunk of a building

superhero movies are about people who have the ability to help people and choose to do so

that isn’t all there is but i think the mcu has gotten so focused in the weeds of the multiverse and inner group politics and whatever that they forgot that the reason we watch superhero movies is because we want to watch good guys fight bad guys, but more importantly, we want to watch them help people because that’s why they fight the bad guys in the first place

[kuroposting]

Now, obviously, I don’t think Sebastian knows that this is a trigger. Or that he grabbed his hand in a familiar way the first time, either.

I think it’s symbolic. Yana is constantly drawing hands as analogous to relationships. Sebastian is insecure in his ability to understand the complexities of human emotions and, by extension, his ability to care for Ciel in this arc. He has an idea, but he defers to Takana’s authority on the subject (initially); I’ll make another post about that later. Meanwhile, the crisis of conscience Ciel is experiencing is over his growing camaraderie and dependence on Sebastian, in r!Ciel’s place.

Using Sebastian to attain revenge is one thing, but to stop holding a grudge against him for presumably eating r!Ciel’s soul and shamelessly accepting his attachment to Sebastian and the autonomy that he provides Ciel with, is a severe betrayal. A betrayal of r!Ciel, and of Ciel’s own morals.

Sebastian is at least somewhat aware of this. I’m not totally sure- I think Sebastian is under the impression that Ciel did intentionally sacrifice r!Ciel in his place, and that he took on his identity out of jealousy. He wanted to be heir, and he wanted to marry Lizzy. Sebastian may believe that Ciel regrets doing it and resents Sebastian for being the living proof of Ciel’s wickedness. He wants to force Ciel to confront this aspect of himself and do something about it, but I think he’s slowly come to realize that Ciel isn’t actually to blame, and feels conflicted over his own attachment to him.

These last two panels, by Sebastian’s expression and the black backgrounds isolating the two of them, read to me as if Sebastian is slighted by Ciel’s scolding and lack of gratitude for saving him; something Sebastian is good at and took pride in. It reminds me of his interactions with Will. Even so, it’s apparent to me that he otherwise admires Ciel for being so resistant to the temptation of accepting his comforts, but then he sincerely wants to comfort him. By rejecting Sebastian and maintaining all the loyalty to his brother that he can, Ciel maintains this very unique (“pure”?) form of integrity that Sebas both resents and yet also wishes to maintain himself. Allowing Sebastian to touch will get his master dirty, so he changes his gloves and offers himself again. Unbeknownst to Sebastian, part of the guilt Ciel feels is over him fulfilling r!Ciel’s role as his devout protector and guide. This will have to be elaborated on in a part 2. (will add a hyperlink here when I have it written)

On the other hand, Ciel already believes himself to have already betrayed his brother for being able to benefit from his death whatsoever. This makes him beyond redemption and beyond saving. We have reason to believe that between r!Ciel’s acceptance of his role as first born and Ciel’s illness keeping him holed up in the manor while r!Ciel had fencing lessons and went traveling with their parents, r!Ciel was less innocent than his younger brother. Our Ciel believes himself wicked and weak for having shamelessly accepted their roles, as his role allowed him to be so naive and complacent that he never felt the same responsibly to protect anyone; most notably, r!Ciel. For that, there were consequences.

His powerlessness cost r!Ciel his life and at the cost of his life Ciel was granted the pursuit of living; the ability to help people and bring justice to evils are things only granted at the price of facing the horrific realities of a world that has failed others. Of feeling the weight on your soul when you take on the responsibility of other people that you can fail, responsibility for the failures that are inevitable in pursuit of your goals. Chess is a game of sacrifice.

When Sullivan gave them a chemical shower and performed it as a “purification ritual”, something thematically relevant was happening. Their personal feelings of inadequacy surfaced and they’ve been forced to confront them- though Ciel’s was much more immediate and visceral. His pursuit of Sebastian was an acceptance of himself, that he is worth living for despite what he expressed to Finny. That he accepts the responsibility for his own survival in the face of all who have been sacrificed for his continued existence so far.

Here Sebastian almost seems to reveal the truth of the matter to Ciel, that the ritual was not required to summon him and that it most likely wasn’t even the true intentions of the adults who had committed such evil against him. Demons can appear on a whim, and he repeats as much to Sullivan. On Twitter, Yana said that Ciel was about to ask “did you come on a whim?” but dropped it because it ultimately didn’t matter. She said it wasn’t relevant to the arc iirc, but I disagree lol, It’s at least relevant to the philosophy this manga holds as truth. Ciel wondered if he was already prepared to forfeit his soul for his wish or if Sebastian chose to come to him regardless.

You could wonder if that means that Ciel actually is responsible for sacrificing r!Ciel’s soul (however unintentionally), because that meant that Sebastian never would have eaten him if only Ciel cherished his own soul more.

You could wonder if Sebastian made the decision to take r!Ciel’s soul just to crossover and meet Ciel’s calls completely on his own. You could wonder if Ciel wasn’t prepared to forfeit his soul at all, until he was manipulated and pressured into it by Sebastian.

Who is the blame supposed to fall on? What were Sebastian’s motivations?

You could wonder about any of that, and it doesn’t matter, because the outcome is the same to Ciel. It does not change where they are now. What is done cannot be undone.

[scrivenger-grimgar]

ok actual ghost king xie lian hours now.

xie lian dies in that coffin, fully and wholly. repeated deaths wear his body down to the point where even the curse shackles cant bring him back.

his ghost body, that of a wrath, looks divine. his clothes are simple and white, golden stitching and patterns barely visible.

his fingers, once worn out, having repeatedly fallen off in his attempted escapes, are now made of gold.

all of his scars are filled with gold, in fact.

the hole through his chest, directly piercing his heart, flows over with gold and spreads out around his torso like shattered ceramic.

the flesh once covered by the cursed shackles is a line of gold, cracks flourishing like vines, under his jaw and up to his cheeks and eyes like tear tracks.

his lips once chapped and torn and bitten now shine gold under the sunlight.

his ears are pointed and he finds joy in wearing jewelry that jingle when he walks.

his red blood is now golden.

he makes his lair overtop of his grave, a cave that was only barely passable as a yong'an mausoleum, with no visible markers that anyone was buried there.

the blood from his hundred year burial infected the land around him for miles, and now its just as much his own as ruoye or fangxin. it listens and responds to him, and he can feel it move.

he still travels, but now he has somewhere to return to, and with his luck returned to normal, things are mostly fine.

instead he hosts markets in order to find cursed goods and keep them out of the hands of mortals. his lair is filled with so many cursed objects.

when he becomes a calamity, his motivation is to keep others from stumbling upon his lair and becoming hurt. as soon as he's out of the kiln he dissolves into gold dust and glitter, teleporting right back to his den and confusing the officials sent to observe him.

he still finds his human disguise being involved in the conflict between banyue and yong'an, and becoming general hua xie, and "dying" that same death.

his third ascension happens after he deals with a particularly nasty curse, he ascends in his human disguise which is basically just canon him. he gains the title as the martial god of curses and spells, which is quite accurate but he can't exactly tell people that he's been studying weird objects for centuries now can he? no one knows that he's the calamity known as White Gold Gathers...

[seafoamreadings]

week of may 4th, 2025

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: it's a week of earthy aspects (not always in earthy signs) leading up to a scorpionic full moon which can altogether have you feeling stifled and then ready to explode. on the bright side, venus in your sign helps you stay zesty and with any luck you won't get too bogged down.

taurus: mercury arrives in your sign at last. many will grumble - mercury in taurus is a bit slower, plodding, very deliberate and conscientious. you know the value of taking your time and thinking things through so don't let impatient people persuade you to sacrifice quality.

gemini: your ruling planet is in a position which can have you really tongue-tied or in a haze of brain fog. ego battles and power struggles are also likely. don't beat yourself up about it but remember, if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all! unless you're really, really ready to burn a bridge.

cancerians: the scorpio full moon this week is emotionally heavy, although this can also be nice in some ways! while full moons are often good for social events, though, i would say this one is a little better spent in peaceful solitude, mining one's own psyche for gems of clarity in a time when much is unclear.

leo: many important parts of your chart are activated at this time but your main focus is likely to be on a tug of war between your public and private lives. they make conflicting demands. perhaps a spouse or partner is involved. you will have to decide for yourself. let no one else choose your way.

virgo: mercury in taurus is tough for many due to it's thoughtful and plodding nature. for you, it is more cerebral and philosophical, which can suit you nicely. still, it would be a mistake to attempt to rush anything in money, communications, technology, etc.

libra: this full moon should be great for you financially. it may be in obvious ways like getting literally extra money, or it may be more subtle, like learning a crucial fact about how credit scores work.

scorpio: mercury enters your 7th house this week, spicing up (or just increasing) communications in committed partnerships and meanwhile, a full moon in your sign also occurs along your 1st-7th house axis. your connections to other people bring about profound regeneration in yourself.

sagittarius: in your daily life, like literally every day, it's good to be writing this week (and next.) that can be for work or a hobby, it can be public or private or in a journal, but have a pen in your hand or your fingers on a keyboard as much as you can. talking to the people around you is also wise, and it's a great time to get a pet if you can!

capricorn: regardless of how much work you may have to do, carve out time to socialize this week with friends or go on a date or even just take your dog for some extra walks. be outside with other souls, communing with them.

aquarius: a flurry of uranian activity is where you are at home anyway, but with additional taurus influence, it can feel strangely sticky or even like quicksand. you can struggle against it if you wish but it may be easier and more fun to relax and see what miraculous way you are guided to safety (or simple comfort... you're probably not in actual danger.)

pisces: this week's full moon is good for you to have deep thought and perhaps travel far, if you wish/can. at minimum, let your mind and spirit do the traveling. meanwhile in your local community, if you are staying, a kind deed or a little volunteering are auspicious at this time.

watch the transit posts in real time to have the best guide through your week. want a little more? have a look at my patreon or ko-fi.

check out my etsy for a private reading or fill out this form to set up a reading through venmo, cashapp, or paypal.

[spaceprincessleia]

Rebels with(out) a cause

Here are some points I want to talk about regarding Vel, Cinta and storytelling:

It’s Vel’s story, not Cinta’s (Intention)

Vel in season 1 – and Cinta

What kind of story did we get?

The mess (Outcome)

The impact of queerness and race on the story we got

The story we should have got (Fix)

My conclusion

Feel free to dive into 1269 words of analysis. Good luck if you do.

Disclaimer: This is just an opinion and doesn't consider every aspect ever. Also, I don't read (many) interviews with people involved in the show or listen to/watch analyses. I really just had an itch to write down my thoughts, and they turned into ... many thoughts.

Also, this is an analysis that points out storytelling flaws. I love Vel and Cinta deeply, their story overall makes much more sense than the parts that could/should have been better, and I'll forever be happy that we got these characters and their relationship.

It’s Vel’s story, not Cinta’s

Andor introduces us to characters at important moments in the rebellion. Backstories are often reduced to minimal context (except for Cassian’s, because he’s the main character).

One of these stories is about a “rich girl” who walks away from privilege and wealth to fight the Empire directly – unlike a politician working from within the Senate. That’s an angle we haven’t really seen before, and we explore it through Vel – why did someone with her background join the fight?

To tell that story, Tony Gilroy created Cinta as Vel’s narrative foil, aka a marginal role and not a fully independent character. So, she wasn’t written for more screen time or deeper development; we were never meant to learn how she joined the rebellion, where she came from, or how she and Vel met.* Also, Cinta’s angle isn’t one we haven’t seen before.

* If anything, we do know why Vel and Cinta are (were) in a relationship: to contrast the protagonist, Vel, to highlight her choices, conflicts and growth. That’s not the in-character explanation for their love that we want, of course, but a meta explanation – the relationship exists for the story’s structure, because that’s how Tony decided to tell it.

Vel in season 1 – and Cinta

In season 1, we see two sides of Vel: she’s trying to become a leader and find her place in the rebellion (emphasis on trying), and she’s in love with Cinta. She wants both, but clearly struggles to find balance. Cinta is the opposite: she knows exactly why she fights and puts the rebellion first.

After the Aldhani heist, Vel and Cinta are worlds apart, both literally and figuratively. Vel ends up on Coruscant, no longer looking like a ground soldier, while Cinta returns to her role on the frontlines. Their priorities contrast as well: Vel becomes more caught up in her emotions, while Cinta remains focused on the rebellion.

We learn a little bit more about Vel, too, through Mon, Cinta and Perrin (for example that she’s Mon Mothma’s cousin, that she comes from a life of wealth and privilege, and that she grew up in a conservative, possibly homophobic society).

By the end of season 1, the focus is very much on Vel and Cinta’s relationship, and not on just Vel and her “why.”

What kind of story did we get?

Instead, Vel’s relationship with Cinta became the main point of her character – and the exploration of her “why” disappeared. The story focused almost entirely on their dynamic, and as a result, Cinta evolved into more than “just” a narrative foil. She became a character, and the one with more narrative clarity.

Therefore, many of us expected to see both of them grow/change individually in season 2 as well as a conclusion to their relationship.

And we did get both in season 2: they changed, and they found balance. They could love each other and still work well as a team dedicated to a common cause.

So far, so good, right? *record scratch* Well ... no, actually.

The mess

There are three points here that add to the mess of Vel and Cinta’s arc, in my opinion:

Firstly, all of Vel and Cinta’s character growth happened off-screen during the time skips. There’s no build-up to the conclusion of their arc, it’s resolved in minimal screen time. Vel’s core motivation is still unknown and it can’t be explored through her relationship with Cinta, since Cinta is killed off in episode six. Wasn’t exploring Vel’s core motivation the whole point of her character though?

Secondly, If Cinta’s death was supposed to become Vel’s “why,” the missing part in her arc, then that doesn’t work. Vel isn’t a new recruit, motivation doesn’t come after you’ve already committed, and if Vel only really starts fighting because of Cinta’s death, it reduces everything Vel did before.

And thirdly, things get even more complicated when we address what we haven’t yet: Vel and Cinta are a queer love story, with Cinta portrayed by a queer woman of color. And all of this matters, whether it was intentional or not.

The impact of queerness and race on the story we got

Tony tells a story here that generally works regardless of gender, sexuality or race. There’s nothing wrong with creating a marginal role (like a narrative foil) and even killing them off to advance another character’s arc.

But stories don’t exist in a vacuum. Even if the focus isn’t on identity, they become part of the story, and should be considered within the story (the vacuum) as well as the context of the real world.

Andor touches on queerness beyond just the portrayal of a same-sex relationship: for example with the line “Everyone has their own rebellion,” delivered by a queer character from a conservative, possibly homophobic society.

While the line refers to people from different backgrounds who join the rebellion for different reasons, a queer audience will pick up on a more specific meaning in that context, too. Because to many, being queer is a “rebellion” against the norms of a heteronormative society.

Additionally, the marginal character whose primary role is to support the development of a protagonist is portrayed by a queer woman of color, and the protagonist is white.

Considering both of these aspects, Tony Gilroy tapped into a long, painful tradition in media: queer women of color are often sidelined, underdeveloped or killed off to serve the arcs of others.

The story we should have got

Now, could the pain over Cinta’s death have been avoided? No. It would always have hurt fans who were invested in her and Vel’s relationship. But could the mess around that pain have been avoided? Partially, yes. Better storytelling choices regarding both Vel and Cinta could have made it less frustrating. Still, with so much character development skipped over through time jumps, some level of dissatisfaction may have been inevitable.

For me, the best fix would have been to

stay true to the original narrative purpose of Vel’s character, and

show Vel and Cinta’s development on screen, over time, in season 2.

The reveal of “why” Vel chose to fight the Empire should have been the primary focus of her arc. We’re shown her commitment, but not the core reason behind it. And that’s not a small thing: Vel would feel much more complete as a character with a defined motivation.

That missing “why” could have been explored through her contrast with Cinta. Vel is portrayed as someone who chooses to join the fight. Cinta, meanwhile, had no choice: her life was destroyed by the Empire, her “why” is clear.

Vel and Cinta’s journey to find balance in their relationship is a story I love with all of my heart. It could have grown alongside Vel’s personal arc, not replace it, and it could have honored Cinta’s character with more narrative space.

Conclusion

There’s still much more that could be analyzed and debated – but the bottom line is:

In my opinion, Tony Gilroy lost sight of his original intention with Vel: exploring her perspective and the reasons she chose to join the fight against the Empire.

Additionally, his casting and writing choices needed to be handled with more awareness.

Because of this, Cinta deserved more screentime and narrative space in season 2, even if she was always intended to be a foil and her death planned from the start.

And due to the timing of Cinta’s death in the storyline, it could never have meaningfully served as Vel’s “why” anyway.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

[thewillowofveles]

Let's check if Darcy passes

1. Give Them Flaws

Can't fight, Is shit in loud room, A one sensitive hoe, Always removed from society, head in the clouds, Too sincere or blunt. Actually enjoys making people squirt.

2. Let Them Fail

Oh just you wait. She has her grand failures.

3. Don’t Make Everyone Love Them

Sky is number one hater, so is Riven, Musa hates her guts and Tecna is very suspicious of her. Only Brandon and Flora like her. Maybe Helia and Layla as well.

4. Make Their Skills Believable

All will be nicely explained and given the lore.

5. Avoid Overloading Them With Traits

Only related to her past, her worst mistake will be due to lack of skills.

6. Give Them Internal Conflict

XD ...yes

7. Let the Plot Push Back

Oh honey just you wait ;)

8. Ensure They Don’t Eclipse the Entire Cast

I added more POV because I needed more plot.

9. Avoid Unrealistic Morality

Her is quite natural? It comes of as something that makes sense but is not necessary good.

10. Make Them Struggle to Earn Trust

It goes both ways.

I think I am doing fine.

Avoiding the “Mary Sue” trap while creating characters.

A “Mary Sue” is that charact. Perfect; bends the story to their will, faces no meaningful struggles, and often feels too idealized to be relatable. The thing I like most is when an author makes a character, a situation, a scene, realistic. I like heavy realism in my books. I know we read to escape reality, but there's a way to do that.

1. Give Them Flaws Not the checklist kind. Not "clumsy" or "bad at math" unless that genuinely bleeds into who they are and how they move through the world. I mean the kind of flaws that crack open relationships. That drive certain choices. That make you want to shake them. Flaws should cost them something. Otherwise, they’re decoration.

2. Let Them Fail Failure is the most human thing. It brings shame, doubt, growth, all the stuff that makes a character feel alive. Let them try, and stumble. Let them mess up something important. Let them hurt people and not know how to fix it. Failure opens narrative doors that perfection just slams shut.

3. Don’t Make Everyone Love Them If every side character is just there to admire your MC, you’re not writing a story—you’re writing propaganda. Let people mistrust them. Let some hate them. Not everyone sees the same version of a person. Maybe someone sees behind their act, maybe someone’s immune to their charm. That gives perspective.

4. Make Their Skills Believable A skill with no backstory is just plot armor. If they're good at something, show why. Time. Training. Failure. Maybe they’re not even the best—just someone who works harder than they should have to. That’s infinitely more compelling than someone who just is talented for no reason.

5. Avoid Overloading Them With Traits They don’t need to be smart, funny, hot, tragic, a prodigy, a rebel, and an empath who bakes when sad. Choose what matters. Strip it down to the few traits that define them, the ones they carry into every scene. Complexity is about layers, not a pile of labels.

6. Give Them Internal Conflict We all contradict ourselves. That’s the beauty of it. Your character should wrestle with decisions. Regret them. Say one thing and feel another. Inner conflict is what separates a walking trope from a person we believe in.

7. Let the Plot Push Back The world shouldn’t bend for your character. The plot should push them, break them, make them bleed for the win. Their goals should cost something. The story isn’t just their playground—it’s the pressure cooker where they get tested. If they’re never cornered, what’s the point?

8. Ensure They Don’t Eclipse the Entire Cast Other characters are not props. Give them wants, voices, limits. They don’t exist to spotlight the protagonist—they exist to breathe life into the story. And your MC is more interesting when they’re surrounded by people who push them, contradict them, challenge them.

9. Avoid Unrealistic Morality Nobody’s always right. And honestly, it’s annoying when they are. Let them justify things that aren’t justifiable. Let them fail to see another perspective. Let them believe they’re in the right—until they’re not. Give them a compass that doesn’t always point true north.

10. Make Them Struggle to Earn Trust Trust is a slow build. People remember hurt. They hesitate. Let your MC do the work—prove themselves, fail, rebuild. Trust earned over time is more satisfying than instant loyalty that comes out of nowhere.

I hate perfect characters. Especially when it’s pretend perfection. Like what do you mean he has abs when he has no time to workout? Like what do you mean she is so put together all the time? In this economy?

let's write something raw, something realistic.

[youkaigakkou-tl]

Hey, so, I've seen that the latest chapter is a two chapter and I couldn’t help, but ponder: do you think Kurahashi was honest when he told Ebisu that he didn’t find school particularly fun? I mean, we do get flashes of him switching personalities whenever things get serious, but we've also seen him outright flinching when Toubyou grabbed his shirt and called his name (along with him saying that he didn’t want him to find out).

So, do you think he himself is unaware that he finds school fun and that his relationship with the others is real or is more selective denial? Because he seemed to react more strongly for the Toubyou being worked to death in a cell than Kashima being there (I think, don’t remember the exact details)

i think he can be a hypocrite and believe multiple conflicting things at the same time! he almost certainly finds school and having friends fun, but probably also thinks himself "above all that" and hes "just messing around" or "doing it for the mission" or however else he could rationalize it to himself, and also whether he does or does not actually find school fun, the right answer to ebisu's question was some sort of "no", to maintain a good relationship with ebisu

i dont believe in anything like "the stoic personality is how he really is, he's pretending at school (or vice versa)", i think theyre both equally "real" and "not real" in the way you actively choose how you're presenting yourself around other people, how you want them to perceive you.

[tentakilly]

Absolute fuckass headcannons for Dr Glass let's gooooooooooo

Glass, Iceberg, and Gerald all make one "horrible" friend group. they are stupid together lol

passed collage at 18 (I did this so the timeline made sense)

has many different versions of himself depending on who he interacts with. How he interacts with Iceberg is gonna be wildly different from how he interacts with Clef. He fucks it up sometimes lol

very expressive lol. At least his facial expressions are. he is not subtle.

extremely good vocal control, he's very good at hiding his disdain at least vocally.

The Ducks are dead. Killed one night while he was away. It's a shame what the foundation does to people who cant remember their crimes.

attempted Ballad of Jane Doe once. Never again

A Pair of Kids in Detroit were referred to as the "Hands information trade". Both of them nicknamed "Big Brother" due to close ties with the little sisters. They would hack various goi files and give the info to anyone willing to pay enough. Unfortunately they eventually got caught by insurgents and went into hiding.

Clef is afraid of Simon. It takes a liar to know a liar.

Glasses feelings for Agent Diogenes are very conflicting. Dose he actually love them or are they just a temporary crush while he proseses his grief for a lover.

You normally cant see any of the scarring. Its Hidden under his clothes.

The Ducks don't just represent one person. It's a mating pair for a reason.

[crossdressingdeath]

Yeah, it's not that Crows will never kill an unrelated person as part of a contract, but some definitely go further than others in trying to avoid it (to the point where Lucanis in particular actually risks jeopardizing a contract over it, which is a fantastic insight into his character; I suspect Teia would do the same, but we've never seen it happen as far as I'm aware). Killing random people who happen to be there just makes a mess!

Honestly? I think a lot of people are complaining that the Crows are being made out to be heroes because a) they're not being portrayed as pure evil and b) you can't agree with Ivenci (who is demonstrably wrong about pretty much everything and even if we agree that the Crows shouldn't be running the show the alternative Ivenci is offering is... them, the person who let an invading army waltz in and occupy the place without a fight and chooses gassing the city over losing with good grace; I think we can all agree that the assassins having a majority share in the government in a way that we know is at least no worse than the rest of Thedas's governments is in fact better than that). Everyone wants moral complexity until you say the loved faction isn't 100% good or the hated faction isn't 100% evil. And there's also an element of... well, in this particular conflict (or rather the two ongoing conflicts the Crows are currently involved in, the occupation and the fight against the gods) the Crows are in fact the heroes! "Bioware is portraying the Crows as freedom fighters—" yep, because they are currently fighting to free Antiva from occupation. The Crows first off are more complex than Zevran's very brief and at this point in the timeline very out of date "this is why I left please protect me" overview (and even Zevran acknowledges that there were perks; I've said this before in many places, but he didn't leave because being a Crow was awful all the time and he hated being an assassin, he left because of his specific personal circumstances caused by one specific superior), and second are currently facing two (three if you count Ivenci separately) groups who they are in fact objectively morally superior to. They're heroes not because they're necessarily good—in fact no one actually claims they are; even Crows who really believe in the family thing like Teia are pretty open about the Crows' flaws, at least in their own POV and/or to other Crows who they trust—but because... well, have you seen the opposition?

Y'know, at first I was a little irked by de Riva responding to Davrin talking about the Wardens recruiting murderers with (paraphrased) "that sounded fun up until the murderers" given what they do for a living. But then I remembered that de Riva canonically does not consider themselves to be a murderer (when Bellara says they're looking for a killer in the Ossuary de Riva insists that they're looking for an assassin, because "Murderers don't usually get paid"). Them not liking the idea of working with murderers is probably less "Oh, murder, how terrible" and more "Ew, hobbyists", which is very on-brand for a Crow and also extremely funny.

[lsunstreakerl]

NEW CHAPTER SHDHDHFHDHHFHDHHEHEHDHFHR

I just know karim was rushing to deliver gossip the moment he left that room because wdym they were sleeping in the same bed!! and CUDDLING!!! what a nice surprise compared to the bleeding out he expected ehehhdhehehfhhehdehdhe (and rico instinctively protecting them both, even going to the point of specifically protecting his injury...)

max now knowing he's the consort is HILARIOUS because he's suddenly so much more aware about how the others treat him and how he's supposed to uhm. spend time with Rico snfjjdjfjsjsnand

I'm sure rico is having the time of his life staring at max when he went to sleep the second time and him promising to kill any of max's enemies, all he has to do is say the word, I know a down bad and devoted husband when I see one!!

I am curious whether gp ends up telling anyone about Max's obliviousness or does he not tell anyone but ofc relentlessly tease max about it at any given moment

I love when you show up in the inbox 🫶

karim went sprinting down those steps to gossip. immediately. rico's always been a light sleeper, and it's worse after any kind of conflict, so while karim isn't a stranger to having a sword pointed at him by a very sleepy king, what is new is the way rico was protecting max. and yes, he had his center of mass more over max's injured side. even when they're being cute and sappy— they're both still soldiers. max would have had a very similar reaction if he'd actually been asleep, but since he was faking it he just ended up really surprised when rico woke up.

poor max. it's like when you're told not to think about one specific thing, so you immediately think about that thing. constantly. except he is allowed to think about that thing, he's expected to be thinking about that thing, everyone thinks he's doing the thing. meanwhile he's having a mild crisis about how the hell it's going to fit.

it's not even about "getting even" for rico, it's about the fact that if max wants someone dead for a good reason, rico won't even hesitate. he'd much rather their current debt go the other way— it's practically his responsibility as king. but alas, he's currently behind max on the "killing each others enemies for them" scoreboard. max likes being competitive

GP never, ever lets max forget about it. never.

[kybelles]

Idk but i feel like many people in the fandom kinda forget that delpha was under akielon's rules before veretian conquered it

hi pookie 💕 sorry it took me a while to get back to this ask because i actually have A LOT of thoughts regarding delpha and i wanted to collect them nicely before i responded.

let me give this disclaimer first: i love these books. i love pacat’s writing. i cannot remember the last time i loved a mc like i love damen. that being said, this does not mean that pacat is immune to criticism (no writer is!) because i believe most of the fandom's attitude towards the delpha/delfeur situation stems from the contradictory attitude of the text itself. why? because the narrative goes back and forth between pointing out that akielons actually had multiple good reasons for wanting delpha back and not-so-subtly painting them as the villains who unjustly occupied a land which they had no cultural or/and historical claim on and well. i’m not the biggest fan of this choice. :)

first of all, the text makes it clear that theomedes was NOT an expansionist. he stopped his campaign before launching an assault on ravenel because of the cost and internal political risk. he wasn’t grabbing land recklessly. he only wanted delpha back and he had good reasons for it, which i will explain.

later we find out that delpha was lost during the reign of king eundros which was, and this part is very important, only ninety years ago. NINETY. while the books never explicitly says how long akielos had delpha before the 90 year rule, when damen and laurent are in kingsmeet and they're going through the line of succession, pretty sure the number of rulers means it would be more than 90 years. damen literally walks past a statue of king eundros, meaning delpha was considered a national loss and not some random military outpost. and if akielos had no historical claim or cultural connection to delpha, why would theomedes even bother trying to retake it?

once again it is critical to underline what a short time NINETY years is. it is barely yesterday in monarchic time. two generations at most. if we assume a generation is ~40 years (especially in noble or ruling families), that's basically damen's grandfather's time. there should still be living people who remember akielon rule: nobles, soldiers, even ordinary townspeople. in monarchic systems, land claims and identities persist for centuries. european powers went to war over territories they hadn't controlled for hundreds of years, citing dynastic inheritance or ancient treaties, etc.

so theomedes’ campaign wasn’t ancient history. it was contemporary enough to be a strategic memory, the idea that "we lost delpha, we can take it back." would have been very real to akielos.

and yet akielos is shown as having little cultural or historical ties to the territory and is painted as the sole aggressor in the conflict with vere. the only delphans that are shown are culturally veretian and unhappy and suffering under akielon rule. all the people in marlas are overjoyed by laurent’s presence whilst damen gets nothing but scorn. we never see what akielon villagers think. no visits to tarasis, no mothers mourning their children from veretian raids, no displaced akielon farmers. yet we’re invited into multiple scenes where veretian civilians suffer and express outrage. the narrative even dramatically has a little girl standing up to the big bad “oppressors”.

this raises significant questions about why there isn't a significant akielon presence in delpha, considering the territory was akielon only ninety years ago. where are the delphan akielons, considering we are told by the text that they have been living there for so many generations? were they all killed in a genocide? and if not, how do they feel about akielos reclaiming the territory under theomedes' rule? this is never given any consideration, which is why i think people forget that vere isn't the only country with significant historical ties to delpha.

if akielos held it for generations (and we get the sense that they did, especially since it has been 'disputed' territory for centuries, meaning this isn't the first time they gained it or lost it), that means:

-there would be akielon architecture, forts, inscriptions, even cultural or linguistic residue.

-families with akielon names or affiliations would still exist, like landed households, merchants, military retirees.

-akielon administrative systems may have shaped local governance especially if the transition to veretian control was violent or contested.

instead, the narrative presents delpha as fully veretian, with no meaningful akielon minority or memory. that’s implausible and HIGHLY suspicious.

the complete absence of delphan akielons raises a lot of serious questions. if delpha had been akielon for generations, where are the people with akielon identity? if they weren’t assimilated or erased, do they support akielon rule? do they see vere as the aggressor? none of that gets explored, which is a huge omission, especially in a story that’s otherwise very invested in the politics of land, rule, and cultural legacy.

the story frames delpha almost entirely through veretian suffering and perspective, despite the fact that it was vere who conquered it just ninety years ago! that's not that long in the context of monarchic rule. it’s like the narrative subtly naturalizes veretian ownership while delegitimizing akielos’, even when akielos is just trying to take back a territory it ruled for centuries. that framing choice is worth questioning.

these narrative choices also force us to think about just what kind of conquest was vere’s. since wars are not won by throwing roses at your opponent's feet, if the delphans are shown as uniformly veretian and anti-akielon, then vere’s conquest either included mass (forced) assimilation, elite replacement, or worse (!!!) ethnic cleansing or cultural erasure.

if that didn’t happen, then where are the akielon-leaning factions in delpha now? either way, the narrative skips the hard questions of what conquest looks like and who gets remembered, and that’s deeply political.

there's no exploration of divided loyalties in delpha, no delphans torn between akielon heritage and veretian rule. there's no acknowledgment of how power shapes memory: veretian propaganda, military presence, or cultural dominance could have absolutely rewritten how delpha sees its own history.

instead, we get a neatly polarized image: veretians good and oppressed, akielons bad and occupying… despite the historical reversal that undermines that story.

that framing isn't neutral at all, it reveals whose voice the narrative privileges. it’s not that vere is objectively in the right; it’s that we’re given no alternative viewpoint.

and that, in turn, makes readers forget that akielos also has legitimate historical ties, cultural memory, and likely, support in delpha.

vere takes land historically held by akielos, then in the space of less than a century, erases akielon cultural and political presence so completely that the native population (delphans) are portrayed as fully veretian.

akielos is then painted as the aggressor, even when trying to reclaim land it once ruled. this is classic colonialist reversal: the colonizer recasts themselves as the native, and the native becomes the invader.

lastly, the narrative also makes it seem like the “sins” of akielos can only be atoned if damen gives delpha back to vere, which again leaves a bad taste in the mouth because damen, a former slave, is now agreeing to return marlas to the nation that enslaved him. he even refers to the “the ghost of its veretian grace” and this language echoes real-world colonized elites praising the supposed refinement and "grace" of the empire that dominated them. the contrast is stark: veretian ruins are mourned. akielon victories are regretfully undone.

[babyangelsky]

I need to talk about how much I love everything that Tape Worrachai is doing with his face

But not just that. I only intended this post to be me singing his praises for the acting choices he's making as Sun but as I started drafting it in my head, it also turned into a character analysis and also praise for the writing choices that were made with him.

When we first meet him, the impression we're supposed to get is of a jaded, cocky criminal with a hair trigger temper that almost gets him in two fights on his way out of prison.

We don't yet realize that he has a completely justifiable reason to have such contempt for these two guards in particular, or that the way he behaves isn't just a case of "oh well he's just like that".

Because he wasn't always like that. This show has utilized this flashback so well, it's really taken it's time to develop its characters, to set up future conflicts, to show us why things are happening the way they are.

We get to see this rage build up in Sun very gradually, we see it start to fester, we see it start to inform every choice he makes, and we can see how it will inform every choice he will make when we come back to the present.

Now let's talk about that rage and just how good Tape is at embodying it.

There's this physicality he brings to it that's so impressive and that makes it seem at times like his body is actually struggling to contain how enraged he feels.

We first see it when he and Jack identify their father's body. Sun is trembling as he's clinging to him and he lets out this sound that genuinely sounds like a dying animal. It's the kind of sound that comes from something deep down inside, something that's in unimaginable pain.

It was the same kind sound Sun made when the boy who loved him died in his arms and it was just as brutal then because screaming is all he can do to release some of that grief and pain and anger that he's feeling. There's no one to fight, there's no one to take it out on.

And that rage just keeps building and building. The relationship with his brother is fracturing. He and his siblings can't even mourn their father in peace because Aim's wannabe Joker ass comes and interrupts the funeral and quite literally crushes Sun under his heel. He ends up taking the blame for Kong's death and goes to prison for it, where he's sexually assaulted and beaten while the guards turn a blind eye.

There is so much being heaped on him at every single turn, it is burying him, and Tape does such a good fucking job of showing us that with just his eyes.

Look at this shot.

The majority of Tape's face is obscured, all we can see clearly is one eye and what we see reflected in that one eye is all the rage and grief and pain we've seen build up over the past two episodes. Sun has just resolved to make it out of prison alive so he can avenge his father's death and he's watching the men who assaulted him make nice with the guards who allowed it to happen with such cold fucking hatred and he is not going to give any of them a moment of peace in service of his goal.

DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO COMMUNICATE THAT WITH A SINGLE GODDAMN EYE?

We do get to see his whole face in this scene but somehow that is less effective than the shot of his eye. We see some of that physicality again in the way his face twitches and he snarls but because he's mostly in profile, his gaze doesn't deliver that same punch.

There's so much more I can write--and WILL write--because the expressions and the dynamics in this show are all so fucking good but I had to give my boy his flowers. He's doing incredible things with Sun and I'm obsessed.