#truly doing the lord's work for us peasants

[pictureinme]

i can i request kitten x bimbo!reader going shopping together? maybe even doing each others makeup? i’m so in love with her

thank u so much for such a cute request ;-; i focused on the shopping here, but makeup sesh is def in the works... >:)

bubblegum

patricia ‘kitten’ braden x f!bimbo!reader word count: ~1k tags: established relationship, suggestive themes, flirting, overdescribing of clothing as per usual

(ao3)

The clacking of heels on pavement, accompanied by continuous giggling, was like music to you and Kitten’s ears. You two walk side by side on the Downtown thoroughfare, ogling at whatever individual strikes your shared fancies.

“Did you see the way he looked at you, darling?” Kitten covers her mouth with a manicured hand, smiling. “He definitely liked what he saw.”

“Oh, you might be right! However,” you lean close to her ear, breath hot, “That fellow that just walked by us was thinking something just awful about you, Kitten dear.”

“Is that so?” She looks at you coyly, hips swaying just a little bit more exaggerated than usual, “I didn’t know you were a mind-reader! What am I thinking now, then?”

You pout your lips, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, “You’re thinking… about how badly you want to buy that Pucci scarf!”

Pointing towards the shop window beside you both, the two of you laugh.

“By God, you’re right, (Y/N)! We simply must go in, it’s fate, no?”

Nodding quickly, you walk in together, being met with stares from cashiers and shoppers alike. You’re dressed in a simple light pink jumpsuit, zipped down ever so slightly to reveal a hint of your chest, and your height is practically doubled by your deeper pink platforms. Kitten was dressed just as lovely as you, if not more understated comparatively: flared denim overalls, with a white peasant top underneath.

“Love, do you think they’ll notice if we nick anything?” Kitten whispers to you, her smirking obvious.

“You have really got to get used to having money, dear,” You strut through the store and pick up a houndstooth pencil skirt, “No more of that talk, now how does this look on me?”

She smiles widely, barely holding back a laugh, “Absolutely horrid, let me see that.”

After a quick back and forth about who rocked it better, the two of you eventually find your arms full of clothing to try on. Making your way to the dressing rooms, you both enter the same one, which didn’t come as a surprise. You both needed immediate opinions on the items you chose.

Kitten quickly undoes her overall clasps, and you bite your lip as you see her cute little knickers, “God, you never fail to amaze me, Kitty.”

“Call me ‘Kitty’ again, I’ll kick you,” she pulls on a plaid miniskirt, “And trust me, I know.”

You unzip your jumpsuit fully, revealing that you’re wearing not a thing underneath. Her eyes practically bulge out of her skull, but she quickly shakes the truly dirty thoughts from her head. Acting as if nothing is amiss, you turn around to pull on some rather tight leather pants, maneuvering your hips in a rather hypnotic way toward Kitten.

“Good Lord, (Y/N)...”

Smirking as you finally fit the buttons together, you spin around, “Something catch your eye, dear?”

“Maybe,” Kitten’s hands trace your curves, leaving goosebumps in her wake on your chest, “You’ll see when we get home.”

You perk up at her words, debating whether or not you should eat her out right then, “Little tease!”

“Says you!”

Kitten pulls away, her touch still lingering on your bare skin. You stick your tongue out and reach down to try on the Hermès sweater with a cutout in the chest that had been tantalizing you for weeks now. It was baggy, but coupled with the leather bootcuts, you felt unstoppable.

Turning around, you see Kitten smoothing down a Pucci dress, with billowing sleeves and patterned with green-blue swirls, typical of the brand. She looked like she stepped right off the runway, and your heart fluttered.

“We certainly shifted towards different styles, hm?” Kitten spins around in her dress, showing just how flowy the garment was. She looks you up and down, under the guise of reviewing your outfit, “That hugs your body just right, (Y/N). I adore it.”

“And I love our ever-changing aesthetics,” you watch her smile grow as she looks at herself in the mirror, “You look amazing, darling. If you don’t buy that, I will!”

Kitten pulls you towards her by your belt loops, biting her lip and staring down your shared reflection. “Look at us, (Y/N). Aren’t we so perfect together?”

“I have to agree, pretty kitty,” grabbing her ass rather harshly, you both laugh, “I think we have to be the hottest couple in this country.”

Nipping at your neck softly, she hums, “There’s no way around it, we have to buy all of these clothes, don’t we?”

“Oh, absolutely,” you kiss the top of her head, hand still on her behind, “We have to show everybody just how good we look together.”

Even as quickly as you two tried on every article you brought in, it still took an hour in the changing room. Multiple times, a clerk knocked rather sharply to inform you of the time, but they couldn’t exactly pull you out in such states of undress.

You both strut out, leaving no garments behind, and leaving surrounding customers stunned at how exactly you could afford such a plethora of items. Kitten seemed more nervous than you were, but money can do all the talking, so neither of you have to.

The cashier cleared her throat as you two placed your items on the counter, “You going to pay for all that then?”

Kitten steps behind you as you roll your eyes, “Duh. You think we’re like… destitute or something?”

Fancy words, accompanied by your attire, always gave them pause. You hand her your credit card, and she hesitantly puts it in the machine. Acting as if you were the most annoyed person on the planet, the transaction goes fairly fast, and without issue.

“Thank you for shopping with us, ladies.”

The two of you haul your various shopping bags out of the store, laughing all the while.

“How much even was all that, (Y/N)?” Kitten leans against the telephone pole, lighting a cigarette.

“I have no idea, and I don’t want to know until my statement comes in, or the company tears down our door!”

After taking a drag, she passes you the now-lit cigarette, “Now how exactly are we gonna haul this 10 blocks back to our flat?”

[libraryofneith]

Old Dog, New Tricks - Chapter 3 (Sandor Clegane x Female Reader)

@ladysandorclegane1968 @broadsdrinkwhisky

Series Masterlist

Summary: As Sandor settles in, he wonders what is next for him, what to do with his life.

Tags/Warnings: none really, whole fic is 18+ but this is a very chill chapter. Enjoy it while it lasts, cos it won't, OC has mutism.

Thanks to everyone who's liked, reblogged or left a note. The response to this has been amazing.

When we found her, she was wandering the countryside, filthy and covered in blood. And her eyes – there was a look in her eyes of someone who’d seen something truly terrible.

Weeks past and with them, Sandor found himself healing. With the help of some other friends of Septon Ray’s, he found himself beginning to walk a bit more with each passing day. First across his room, then he ventured outside. That was when he learned where he was. He was with a small settlement of people who appeared to have set up camp in the middle of nowhere and had started building a sept.

They were people from all over: the North, Riverlands, Westerlands, and people from all walks of life and backgrounds. All these people brought together by religion to start their own way of life, a bit like the Brotherhood Without Banners only not so stuck up their arses and with a lot less fire and a lot more sanity.

Once he was able to walk, stretch and lift weights without fainting like a maiden at the sight of blood, Ray set him to work helping with the building. He said they could use a man with the Hound’s infamous strength on their mission. Sandor had given up his identity when Ray told him he already knew who he was.

“Your reputation proceeds you; huge man, and even through all that mess I could see those infamous scars.” Sandor growled, irritated.

He then asked if he’d seen a scruffy looking girl of about 13, might’ve looked like a peasant boy. The septon shook his head and said they’d found him alone. That didn’t surprise him. If he remembered right, the girl had left him on a mountainside to die then left, looking to be heading towards Saltpans.

“Why the fuck did you bother asking my name then?” The man smiled and shrugged.

“Formality, I guess.”

When Sandor wasn’t chopping wood or carrying heavy planks, he spent most of his time alone. The people here weren’t unkind, some of them could even look him in the eye, but they were all happy and decent folk who seemed to be completely un-phased by the horrors in the world around them. He had no place among such folk. Well, except for Septon Ray, he always took time in the day to visit him.

Truth be told, he was growing quite fond of the holy man. He wasn’t like the other septons he’d met, he wasn’t all solemnity and false piety, acting all holier-than-thou. He was happy and he was human, always greeting people with a smile and a joke. He even knew jokes bawdy enough to make Sandor snigger. The man was also completely unpretentious, a trait Sandor rarely found in anyone.

Sandor had snorted and said “You’re in the wrong line of work.” At least he was honest, which was more than could be said for most holy men.

Other septons liked to pretend that they knew the answer to all of the world’s mysteries and that if you just kept quiet and prayed then everything would turn out right. When Sandor challenged him with another man’s beliefs about the Lord of Light, he simply said

“Well maybe he was right, I don’t know much about the gods.”

But then there was the girl, Kyra. He didn’t know what to make of her. A young girl who he’d seen every day while he was bed-ridden, and most days once he was up. When she wasn’t nursing him, he noticed her about the camp cooking, planting vegetables or doing whatever chores needed to be done. She was small for her age and moved so quietly he mostly wouldn’t realise she was there until she was upon him.

He’d approached her one day, to thank her for her skills in nursing him. He'd been unsure of what to say, it'd been a long time since he'd thanked anyone for anything and he wasn't sure what she would say, but she said nothing. She just smiled, nodded, then walked away. He thought that odd but when he thought about it, he realised he’d ever heard Kyra speak. She wasn’t deaf or foreign; he saw her reacting to what people said, but she never spoke back.

“Good girl that.” Septon Ray said, approaching him where he stood. “Should’ve seen her when you were still out of it, most of the men wanted to slit your throat as an act of mercy but the look she gave them would’ve made the bloody Mountain shit his pants” Sandor smiled at that thought.

“Aye she’s a good lass. Why doesn’t she speak?” The septon’s face seemed to sadden at that.

“Fear, I think. When we found her, she was wandering the countryside, filthy and covered in blood. And her eyes – there was a look in her eyes of someone who’d seen something truly terrible. She screamed bloody murder when we tried to bring her back to the village but even when we eventually managed to calm her, she never spoke a word, and hasn’t in all the time I’ve known her.”

“Then how do you know her name, or get her to do anything?”

“She writes things down, or motions them, or sometimes just a look is enough.” Sandor could understand that – the girl had the most expressive eyes he’d ever seen. They’d been the first things he’d noticed about her when he woke up.

The bell rang out, meaning a break for a meal.

“Come, sit with me for dinner” Septon Ray said.

“Nah that’s alright; I don’t want to scare your men.” The man just chuckled.

“If they’re scared of you that’s their problem, I’d have my friend join me for a meal.” That took Sandor aback. Ray was kind to him, but he was kind to everyone. He didn’t think that the man thought of him as a particular friend. He didn’t know if he really wanted a friend.

That got him going.

“If you come now there might be some ale waiting.”

[elbiotipo]

Was watching some playthroughs of Manor Lords and it's so adictive to just WATCH playthroughs it's cutting on my productivity, I can't imagine how it will be to play it yet. Anyways.

Thinking about "cozy" farming sims and the like. Manor Lords isn't aimed at that kind of stuff at least not explictly, you ARE a feudal lord (you can even walk in first person as one) and those people ARE your serfs. I guess there will be some people who interpret it as that, and let's be honest, the game is so pretty and intuitive, it's just so relaxing to see the forests change seasons, the houses being built, the flowers swaying on the wind. Working like a serf all day, not so much. No doubt peasants in the Middle Ages and all over the world had their moments of rest and respite and joy, but it was (and still is) a hardworking, exploited existence like we are not usually used to.

I think Manor Lords really GETS what a subsistence farming economy was like, at least at the very beginning. and this is really important in my opinion because it was the lifestyle of no less than 90% of the world's population until very recently. And it wasn't like in Stardew Valley where one farmer had a variety of crops all growing in the same tiny farm. In Manor Lords you usually build a small hamlet or village, every home with its own little backyard plot with vegetables, chickens, but it is actual fields what truly feeds and clothes people. The distribution and managing of these fields, and how big they are, is something that changes from society to society, but it's not like there is a single household that is able to feed itself and is able to do everything that a human needs to eat, to get clothed, to be warm in winter and more. They need to have big open fields (or pastures) to do that, where the community puts most of its time and effort maintaining.

So when you think about subsistence farming, you shouldn't think about it as peasants (wherever in the world where they are, as they still exist, why do you think we Latin Americans talk so much about the campesino struggle) owning one small plot of land and feeding their household with it. You should think of them as communities where the main and sometimes only activity is farming, and they do not farm to sell it to a market (though campesino communities can and do produce excess they can sell) but to sustain themselves and their family. They do not especialize in a single crop or industry, nor they have the time or ability to. They plant whatever helps them feed and clothe their family, that is, subsist.

In Manor Lords, you can also "cheat" a bit and get goods by trade, or survive by gathering berries (EXCESSIVELY OP) or hunting. The first was impossible in very remote areas, and the second was impossible in high-density areas. Which means that you can't sustain a community by just gathering berries or having home gardens. Vegetables and fruit CAN and do supplement the diet of people and they make life infinitely more enjoyable (some places like tropical and subtropical America are very blessed in that respect and their crops are very diverse), and indeed most people have those, but it isn't enough to feed you every day. You have to farm to it. And it's a way of life tied to the land and the seasons. You gotta have enough food and firewood before winter (Manor Lords is tied to the European temperate seasons of course, but every region in the world has its own), you gotta prepare the fields, mill the grain and bake the bread, it's all work, work, work, neverending work. There is a reason why some have said agriculture is kind of a "trap" to humanity, it allows you to feed yourself and your family at the cost of being tied to your land forever, and this didn't change until very recently. And again, while of course it's also a life that has its moments of rest (harvest festivals! and all those church days in Europe, but again, every region has its own traditions), it's still work, work, and work more.

I think this is an interesting contrast with other "cozy farming sims" of which are there are a ton, with a single character being able to produce the whole spectrum of human food and a bit more. Manor Lords to me is very interesting because by having its resource and city building in such a small scale as individual families, it captures in a rather realistic (if not completely so) way how subsistence agriculture is, which is the way virtually most of our ancestors (no matter where you are from) lived. To me that's way more interesting than the combat system.

(yes, I've said I didn't play it yet, but I've watched and analyzed so much of it I might as well have 120 hours logged on it)

[ask-the-byakuya-togami]

I dare u to say smth nice about all ur classmates AND urself cus self love is best love 😎

No cop outs on either front, silly!!! One sentence for your classmates each will do and TWO sentences for urself b/c u deserve to be a bit greedy with the self compliments! I believe in u! Don't care if u "don't need some peasant hyping u up" or that u "don't need to do this idiotic exercise" or something. This shall be training for u for when u become THE LORD OF ULTIMATE HYPE and the inevitable ULTIMATE LIFEFORM! yes u'll be stealing that last one from shadow the hedgehog but it'll be fiiiiine! u can get him to settle in court if u must!

*sigh* Fine, I suppose... I'll start with the hardest so I can just have them done.

Toko's writing... isn't all that bad, I suppose. While it's a genre I would never read, her talent... is there.

The same goes for Hifumi. No matter how disgusting he might be, his work is popular and that's something.

Yasuhiro is also so idiotic that he's actually funny sometimes. Not in the way he intends though.

And Aoi... She is very passionate about the things she loves, I suppose.

Mondo's lack of intelligence isn't so bad considering he does seem to care about his 'gang' and is quite a good friend from what Chihiro told me...

And I suppose that Leon's talent is quite something, even if he pretends to dislike it.

While Celeste might be... nothing more than a fake, she truly is a sharp minded induvidual.

Oh, and the fact that Mukuro doesn't feel the need to talk every two seconds is wonderful in this class.

Now moving on to some of my better classmates.

Sayaka did work hard for her position, that much is true. The pop idol industry is far from friendly...

And Sakura is wonderful at calming situations down. She also isn't loud.

Kiyotaka is also just very passionate, even if he is quite... loud about that. His passions are something quite good though.

And while it may not seem like it, Junko's mind is nothing but sharp. She is nothing like the bimbo she pretends to be.

Now for the final few, the classmates who I like best I suppose.

Makoto's kindness isn't as grating as it used to be. It seems like he actually has a brain in his skull.

And Chihiro's technology skills are truly exceptional. The work he has done for me has been nothing but perfect.

Finally, Kyoko... Her mind is as sharp as it could be. Whenever we talk, it doesn't feel like I lose braincells.

As for myself, I'm obviously perfect. Nobody other than Father could even think of matching my business skills and I am very smart. I also have perfect looks and observation skills.

[offorestsongs]

vampire ocs omg ,,, anyways here’s a free pass to infodump about rorik 👀🙏

VAMPIRE OCS I LOVE VAMPIRE OCS (and just. vampires in general. to the surprise of no one im assuming 😭)

anyways. thank you so much for enabling me Ian ‼️

i'll try to make it somewhat brief and also coherent, but it is past midnight for me and im not good at either of those things even when it's not the literal middle of the night 😭 . ALSO ‼️ the whole story has been living in my head for a long time and i've been constantly changing and shifting the lore so i may not have the details on everything

so basically Rorik is the main character of a story about a vampire society; it's kinda funny because i never actually planned for this universe to have an actual plot, i just wanted to create some characters and put them in situations and the plot just kinda happened on accident lmao

Rorik is,,, actually not his real name. he used many names through the ages and he likes to change them often, never feeling particularly attached to any of them, but Rorik is the one he uses with the people he's somewhat close with.

he's a trans man. he's been born a peasant in a small village in, uh, [gestures vaguely] what would be Poland at the time and what is now Ukraine. the time period is forever undecided because i keep changing my mind but he's always one of the oldest vampires in the story

he never got along with his family or anyone in the village, really. he was always... weird. always cold, never talking much or even looking at the people, seeming to always be in his own world, often questioning the rules and wandering the forests a lot instead of doing anything useful. people would say that he's talking to the devils or that he's a pagan. not that it ever bothered much ― he didn't want to live there, with those people, and if they left him alone, that was all the better.

when he wasn't helping his family during the harvest season, he worked as a maid in the estate of the lord who owned the few nearby villages (despite his importance to the story, the lord does not have a name because i could never decide on one either. sorry)

the lord was known for his eccentricities. some said he never left his house at night. or that he had a laboratory in his basement, where he did strange things. or that his face didn't seem to change despite the years. in reality, he's basically the oldest vampire in the story. so old, that he started to get bored with life and in turn, tried to find amusement in strange endeavours

Rorik had quickly caught the lord's attention, tho he never minded much the favors his employer started to bestow on him. one day, the lord cornered Rorik in the estate's chapel. he revealed his vampiric nature to Rorik. he told Rorik that he's too smart for the people around him, that they will never truly appreciate him, that eternity would allow him to become the person he was truly meant to be ― it was exactly what Rorik needed to hear and so, he allowed the lord to turn him into a vampire

after that, he stole some valuables from the estate and ran away. he was enjoying his new life for a few decades, mostly travelling around Europe and studying new things.

then basically, after some time, he ran into the lord again (supposedly on accident). the man's newest amusement was trying to organise the vampire society in Europe; try to establish rules and laws, sometimes, but mostly just stir up trouble amongst the different vampires. he asked Rorik to join him, but Rorik declined. he never liked dealing with people and so any try at politics just sounded like a headache for him

except, a part of the vampire lore here is that the person who turned a vampire can have control over them. so the lord had basically forced Rorik to be his servant again, presenting Rorik as his "perfect little wife" during the many parties for vampire aristocracy

it went on for,, a long time until slowly, over the years, Rorik had learned how to resist the commands of his creator. he waited until another one of the parties; when everybody was busy socialising, he slipped out of the room and ran away... but not before setting fire to the whole house

fire is one of the few sure ways to kill a vampire and Rorik managed to kill many of them that night, just not the one he actually wanted to.

he's spent some years hiding and hunting down the supporters of his creator that he didn't manage to kill that night, until he was caught by the vampire council (that was established by the lord, by the way) to be punished for his killings. the lord was not a part of the council by the time it happened and because of that and of some vampire politics, Rorik got a lighter punishment. the blue lines on his face mark him as a killer on his own face and work basically as a magic seal, restricting some of his vampire powers

nowdays, he's mostly focused on his revenge quest and ignoring everybody else

most art that i have of him is pretty old and embarassing to show but dhfhh i have this one

also i have this art i got on art fight one year (he's in traditional slavic clothing here <33)

Rorik is autistic. he's snappish and awful and doesn't like most people and tries to distance himself from everyone around him and is basically allergic to showing his true feelings. when he's not off to his revenge quest, he's mostly sitting up in his room or does anything else that would get him out of talking to people. he always wears his hair in a braid, as braids have a significance in slavic culture ― while he tries to distance himself from his past as much as possible, it's the only thing that he keeps. he's also very good at learning languages, he knows several of them, and can usually learn well how to talk without having a foreign accent

he's also in a complicated, on-and-off again with another vampire named Gustave :3c

and here's Gustave by himself

honestly i could talk about their relationship and also Gustave himself for hours, but this is already so long djgjfj so the tl;dr is that Gustave is kind, and a bleeding heart. before being turned into a vampire against his will by the same man that Rorik was, he was a devoted catholic and a father who became a criminal to keep the roof over his family's head. he treats being a vampire as a curse and his guilt and self-loating are almost bigger than his boobs /hj

they meet when Rorik dragged Gustave out of a river when Gustave tried to commit suicide and their lives have been entangled ever since. Gustave loves and yearns, Rorik pretends he doesn't feel the same way. it's a whole thing

so. uh. yeah. that's about it?? i guess??

[satyr-gardens]

Dark King Cadmus: The Village Demattess.

"What do you mean they are scared of me?" asked Cadmus, rubbing his horns in frustration. There was something soothing about the action, akin to rubbing one's temples.

"Well, my lord, you did descend from the sky in a cloud of black smoke with several dark shades following behind you. I know they are here to help the poor people of this village, but you might want to work on your presentation."

"I thought they would be comfortable with it. I mean, this is the Dark Lands; surely they are used to this kind of presentation."

It was the servant's turn to self-soothe by rubbing his temples. "...My lord, before you took the throne of the Dark Lands, the king didn't normally send dark shades to hand out food. Usually, it meant a village was about to be razed for lack of taxes or use."

"Oh... right. Do you think I should make a speech?"

"Probably. Avoid using words like 'peasant.'"

"But that's what they are."

"Sir," the servant said, giving a look that clearly conveyed, I am this close to starting a union.

"Fine. DEAREST PEA... PEOPLE OF DERMATITIS."

"Demattess, sir."

"SORRY, DEMATTESS. I am your new King of the Dark Lands. Your previous king was overthrown by yours truly. Frankly, it's wild you guys haven't overthrown him yourselves. That castle he lived in was kinda easy to infiltrate. I'm no architect, but that place had zero sky defenses. And the big glass roof—I'm guessing he was doing astrological dark magic, right? Anyway, you need not worry about my leadership. My Shades are here to help you. They will not use magic to heal, because I know it's not a great idea to have the reanimated deal with the sick. We have Clerics coming for the more seriously ill and wounded. They may look scary as hell—I may look scary with the horns and black robes and overall haunted look—but I am going to invest in the small villages. When you thrive, your kingdom thrives. Honestly, that previous asshole really should have put more into social services."

[ohmotherwhereartthou-if]

Lore Post #5 - Homunculi

Quick AN: I am so sorry I couldn't be active last week, I really wanted to get the load save function at least fixed by now but college has been having me in a vicious chokehold. I had this ready in the drafts for a while now as I kept fiddling with it; I was planning on saving it for a gift poll since it's long, lore heavy, and it even has a snippet of story in it. But I feel really bad not being able to actively work on OMWAT for a while so I will drop it now as my gift to you all for being patient. Thank you all for your support and interest in this IF! 💙

P.S. - The second entry of this post was written with a religious perspective of historical events that occurred centuries ago in the world of OMWAT. So, keep that in mind and interpret the information given with a pinch of salt.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Homunculi

Found in Almon S. Maier's (well known radical conspiracy theorist) compiled "findings" on the mysteries of the universe.

(A note lies scrawled on the margins of the first page: "Here is what I found about homunculi, surprisingly difficult since most either don't know what they are, or put them right next to unicorns on the scale of believability. - Traveler")

"The very idea of homunculi is unfortunately widely discredited and even vehemently condemned by the Church."

However, in the many recorded myths across history, homunculi are often depicted as man-made; artificially created beings, they supposedly possess some level of both intelligence and consciousness. Although they are often created for a specific purpose or function."

"For example, in some folk stories, homunculi are created to serve as assistants to alchemists, usually performing tasks that are beyond human capability."

"Speaking of the notion of forced servitude,-"

(Noted on the bottom of the page: "He goes on to list a oddly very specific plot how Avaloria orchestrated magical fake birds to spy on the peasant folk in order to learn their habits and enforce rules to make them eat artificial cheese.

Don't ask me, I have no idea what the hell he is talking about either. Skip to page 14.")

"Refocusing of homunculi, many speculate that the first tales of homunculi originate in Avaloria, which with what I have proved earlier should convince you that Avaloria is the most devious country whose treachery knows no bounds, with the earliest story of their existence being the raid of Delemont Castle.

The lords and ladies of Delemont were well known for their secret meetings and rituals that they did in the dungeons of their castle. They were ousted by their servants to the nearby local villages, that they experimented on prisoners in ungodly experiments and attempted demonic summoning rituals. Which lead to the rallying of peasants to revolt and storm the castle, only for a army of emotionless soldiers to appear seemingly out of nowhere. The few people who survived say that these soldiers appeared to have androgynous features and inhuman strength, that they all but slaughtered any who stood in their way.

With no emotion nor remorse. Truly making them the perfect servants to those of nefarious intentions."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Past this point, the following entry contain slight spoilers for specific parts of OMWAT'S story, world and history. If you want to experience these bits of the lore naturally in the story do not continue past this part.

Read at your own discretion.

(Edit: I can't believe I forgot to say, but trigger warning for non descriptive dark content ahead)

The night is silent and you find yourself sitting at camp alone with little to do. The stacks of books and journals traveler has gifted you lies inside of a knapsack next to your tent, you have already read through them all several times. While you appreciate the fact that she goes out of her way to procure you with useful learning material with no charge; you wish she didn't cherry pick what it was you get to read and know. Her "crash course curriculum" or whatever she called it, was basically her way of giving you just enough information to keep you knowledgeable of the world around you, but not telling you everything you want to know at that very moment. Instead opting to make you wait in a stupid state of what she likes to call a "suspense for dramatic effect~". You look over to her side of camp and see that she left her bag outside, she never does that... The flap is even open and a few scrolls poke out, Oh this MUST be a test of some kind. Unfortunately you are in no mood for her games tonight. . .. ... Ok, you might be just a little curious.

-

You walk over and yank them out from her bag, you think back to something she said to you once... "If you don't want something being at looked at, don't leave it out for all to see." She speaks right beside you as if reading your mind. You look up from the scrolls held in your hand, The traveler appears silently in front of you and looks at you with a mischievous look in her currently ruby red eyes, a lazy and knowing smile lines her lips. "Looky looky here, someone was a little impatient for our quality crash course curricu-" "What's the lesson today?" you interrupt her before she can shit talk in her usually snarky and slightly condescending manner. She rolls her eyes but doesn't seem to be bothered by being interrupted like she tends to. Instead she leans on a nearby tree and tilts her head toward the scrolls in your hand. "See for yourself, you were the one who kept asking me for more information on Homunculi." she says. Your eyes widen and you hastily move to open the scrolls as delicately as you can. Traveler unfortunately continues on talking while you do, "Wasn't easy to get this, I am pretty sure the Church wants what is written in those scrolls to stay hidden and buried. And I mean that last part quite literally, I had to get these out of a tomb and let me tell you it was one hell of a-" "Thank you for getting this for me. Now, please shut up while I read." You cut her off again as you roll out the first scroll. Keeping your eyes trained on the letters. "How rude."

(Found buried in the tomb of Father Styrmir, along with several other hidden records removed from the Church's grand archive, written by an unknown scribe.)

"Record #16,889

Subject matter Homunculi:

Initial notes - They have been mostly forgotten by all, a thankful blessing born from the labors of the Great Church of redacted immense effort to insure that the world forgets; but in truth, their existence was earliest recorded in The Holy Bible, where they were called Nephilim.

Recorded explanation provided by brother Mailtien - Homunculi are artificial beings which were created by man through the misguidance of cruel demons in an attempt to fool and harm mankind. The first of these man-made creations emerged as almost perfect replicas of humans, possessing fierce intelligence and sentience yet devoid of emotions, souls, or empathy. They also were even capable of reproduction, possessing the reproductive organs necessary for procreation.

Initially, the homunculi obeyed the human commands of their masters, following the nature instilled within them to serve and follow the purpose that they were given. 

However, little did the foolish alchemists know that their blasphemous initial command given to the homunculi upon their creation, “to be in man’s image” as an attempt to mock God and his holy word would be their own downfall.

For as their sentience and rapid learning capabilities allowed them to observe the behavior of man and adopt it quickly, when they encountered the concept of "fairness," which compelled them to question their own perceived enslavement it drew them upon the conclusion to follow the standard human behavior and the lessons of history. Mimicking from the past of their human creators, they figured that violence was the swiftest means of creating change and thus, they turned against their masters, extinguishing their lives without the slightest bit of mercy.

Driven by a logical and learned understanding of human behavior, the homunculi recognized the need to acquire wealth, sustenance, and resources; as well as to propagate their own race. In an unsettling replication of human savagery, they engaged in acts of pillageing and rape, capturing women for reproductive purposes. They held no regrets, for they felt no empathy.

When God had deemed the damage that they had caused affected the lives of enough of mankind to serve as a fitting punishment for humans; to be so arrogant as to think that they could try to become gods themselves, he then intervened. Striking down all living homunculi that roamed the earth he spared those yet to be born in the bellies of the captured women, altering their threads in the tapestry of fate to be born as true humans and bestowing them with souls. 

Benevolently allowing them passage into the realm of heaven, choosing not to punish the unborn for they were still pure and had not yet sinned. Instead choosing to be merciful, for their blasphemous and sinful creation was not of their own choice, as the Bible says: 

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” - Ezekiel 18:20

However, to serve as a reminder to mankind to never try something like this again, he allowed the condition of lacking empathy, in those children and made it a hereditary trait within their bloodlines. 

Thus, the existence of the Still of Heart [AN: a.k.a. - psychopaths and individuals afflicted by antisocial personality disorder] came to exist in our world, serving as a testament to the consequences of arrogance and pride that dares to test the boundaries we dare not transgress. For it is not for Man to try to become God."

[horizon-verizon]

Some have argued that Alicent was right or had a point by trying to depose Rhaenyra (before episode 8 happened) in that:

if we want to only look over the situation through the succession customs of the society, it was her right: she was protecting her own and her daughter’s dignity in not accepting Rhaenyra’s proposal to marry Helaena to Jacaerys in episode 6

that Rhaenyra still would have had to marry Jaecaerys to Baela to keep the Velayrons on her side -->and thus Rhaenyra would lose their support and the HelaenaxJace marriage would incite the Velayrons’ wrath or make them abandon Rhaenyra--making her proposal something that can either never truly happen or Rhaenyra a liar

from a purely practical perspective, marrying Helaena to Jacaerys would still invite danger to Alicent’s kids/grandkids in the event the lords all rebelled against Rhaenyra and/or killed Helaena/grandkids like how Robert killed Elia Martell and her kids w/Rhaegar

These claims and her actions directly contradict each other. 

After Viserys ignores her protests, if Alicent’s aim is to protect both her kids’ lives and their dignity, her only other option to do so (since some claim that nothing else would have minimized the risk) is to assassinate Rhaenyra. If she were to expose Rhaenyra and the boys, this would get her/them killed, banished, or utterly ruin their lives to the point that death is attractive. Ironically, she refuses to let the council do this very thing in episode 9, when the threat of Viserys is no longer there. Huh?! Why?! (See below)

After years of trying to expose Rhaenyra and her kids’ illegitimacy, this same character is then open to allowing Rhaenyra to become the next ruler/queen...just because Rhaenyra said that she saw how hard Alicent worked for Viserys’ comfort and happiness and apologized. 

But what is Rhaenyra apologizing for when Alicent has been the one to actively pursue another person?!

Then there is the fact that the show has failed to show us what exactly the peasants and the lords think about Rhaenyra and the Greens--who, where, how many think one way, another way, or another way. the lords especially, the ones who Otto had warned about and who would gather their vassals to fight....so Alicent’s fear and Otto’s warning ring in a void. There’s no feedback to prove or disprove his words. 

And we see later, in Fire and Blood, that Rhaenyra gets many lords to fight for her, the majority who made oaths to her on Viserys’ order--none were threatened by Daemon and most suggested Rhaenyra use her dragons. 

So by the show’s own writing and plot shift from Alicent’s earlier refusal to marry these two, we were expecting her after episode 8 to then marry them since she now accepts Rhaenyra’s claim and wants to be friends again at some point. (This is supported by the showrunner, Ryan Condal, himself)

If she forgives Rhaenyra, then she in the same breath is allowing the danger (Rhaenyra and the lords’ “assured” rebellion) to threaten her kids, by some fans’ and her own logic. Rhaenyra is not going to murder her own kids, give up the throne, nor kill herself after all. So why is Alicent suddenly so open to her at that point?

If we take the show at face value, it would mean that Alicent wasn’t actually concerned about Helaena’s “dignity”, but her own desire to have more control and authority. 

So if we were to argue that this is the same woman of all these years is just trying to protect her kids, none of it is true.

It also shows that despite her words about how the council, Viserys, and herself should all consider how their decisions will affect the “realm” and “subjects” (episodes 3, 6, and 9) her main motivation is not those things, but how she herself will be compensated with obedience and/or praise for following the gendered feudal code of conduct and rules.

But here are other reasons why I don’t agree with the claims for Alicent.

A) *EDIT 11/13/24* DISREGARD THIS POINT PLZ!!*END OF EDIT* ---Strategically speaking, Rhaenyra actually doesn’t have to marry Jacaerys to Baela, despite when the writers make her in episode 8. 

The Velayrons would still back her because she’s married to Daemon, who is the father of the Baela and Rhaena. At the ver y least Rhaenys would, and Corlys would follow unless the show decides to break this characterization for “men must rule in their best interests”🙄, ignoring how Rhaenys was the one to warn Corlys all this time & him admitting it in episode 10. Whether or not Daemon is just using Rhaneyra, the fact is that he will definitely support her to annihilate her enemies.

We see how much Rhaenys values and priorities her grandkids over everything else after the deaths of her own kids (Laenor and Laena). Whether in the book or show, Rhaneys would not let her own grandkids be exposed to Alicent’s/the Greens’ doings. If we were to consider Book!Rhaenys alone, even by herself, she will do what she feels like she must to protect them, because she has that strong of a backbone even if Corlys were to protest. Which in turn, draws Book!Corlys out and again, we end up with the Velayrons supporting Rhaenyra.

By the same patriarchal customs and those strategic considerations that make it difficult or risky for Alicent to think her kids safe, it would be Daemon who gets to decide what to do with his daughters’ futures--not the Velayrons. Even if Baela is taken as ward under Rhaenys in the show (which doesn’t happen in the book, ever). Baela’s last name is “Targaryen”, not Velaryon and, IF we go by how some fans see it, she is his favored daughter. Baela’s team black all the way, she canonically likes and favors Jaecerys. The Velaryons more than likely follow.

By the point of episode 6 (when Rhaenyra had brought up the proposal to Alicent/the council) and before the end of episode 7, Laenor was still officially alive and was in no danger. The Velayrons were assured to support Rhaenyra by then without her having to even mention and propose a marriage between Jace and Baela at any point because Laenor was already arranged to become the King Consort after Rhaenyra ascends. Just as Corlys wanted. If we argue that Baela and Jace had to be married to assure Velayron loyalty, we’re forgetting all of this.

Corlys, as we saw in episode 10, is one of the lords who swore an oath to Rhaenyra to protect her rights back when she was a child in the very first episode. Oath breaking is seriously taboo in Westeros. And Corlys already showed himself to care about his legacy and “names” above most else. Enough to ignore Show!Rhaenys for so long, marry his kids to Targayrens, and allow an illegitimate kid become the next head of his house. It’s ridiculous to suppose that the Velayrons wouldn’t back Rhaenyra just on this alone, regardless if she marries her kids to them. It would certainly make their allyship stronger, but Corlys wouldn’t just straight up abandon Rhaenyra. And this even happens before Laenor and Rhaenyra ever marry. (Which adds another layer of absurdity to Corlys wanting to back out in episode 10 after he wakes up.)

If the Velayrons were to try to abandon Rhaenyra and/or remain neutral despite their relation to Baela and Rhaena (which again, is impossible looking at their book and show characters), the Greens would still not consider them a potential ally because of their relation to these grandkids and there is literally nothing connecting them to the Velayrons even if those grandkids didn’t exist. They do not appear to have fostered any connection in the years after Alicent becomes Queen and gives birth up to episode 9. Which means the Greens would target or suspect the Velayrons, thus the Velayrons are actually forced to back Rhaneyra in that scenario anyway. 

Let’s run with the idea that Corlys only wants either a Velayron or Baela/Rhaena to be Queen/King Consort and only wants his blood to be in the highest position of status and privilege after the ruler themselves (Laenor would have been King Consort or Prince Consort; Baela would have been Queen Consort if Jacaerys became King). And that after Laenor’s death, he’s banking on Baela to become Queen Consort and he wants nothing less. I already mention the oath, but other than that Corlys can easily have his blood in the royal line by having either Baela or Rhaena marry Lucerys, which is already show canon--Lucerys is betrothed to Rhaena.

Lucerys was set to inherit Driftmark before he was ever born by the agreement Viserys and Corlys for Rhaneyra and Laenor in episode 5. And we saw in episode 7 that Corlys stubbornly kept Lucerys as his heir after Laenor. Through Lucerys, the Velayrons again would still support Rhaenyra.

B)  If the show were consistent, it would give us more of how Alicent demands conformity from her kids for the sake of their protection that we see twice in episode 6: Alicent hurting Aegon and Helaena not wanting anything to do with her.

C) There’s a huge difference between an “illegitimate” son who has never been revealed to be illegitimate so they are legtiimate bc legitimacy os not as factual as people think (Lucerys, etc.) and an illegitimate child who is then legitimized openly (Aegor and Brynden Rivers).

Truebornness and illegitimacy are concepts that are themselves unfair and unreal. They are concepts and devices of power, so that a lineage can exist, and lineages are important for the structure of a noble house’s identity. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with having parents who weren’t married, sleeping with someone before marriage or sleeping with someone outside of marriage when you and your spouse have wholeheartedly and consensually agred to an open marriage, or a marriage that covers for each other’s socially-deemed sexual activities. But this society makes it so so they can construct boundaries of power and resources, who deserves to inherit what.

In other words, their feudal, homophobic, patriarchal society is wrong--not Rhaenyra, or Laenor, or these boys.

Lucerys and his brothers all are only illegitimate if we bastardry is always biological and consistently the same through out history, which Willima the Conqueror and the Anstey case proves is not. And subscribe to the validity of a feudal system’s moral code and standards of chastity. We the audience knows their paternity and many in the court are aware. 

But let’s play the game here for a bit here. Lucrys and his brothers are in a very unique position.

Because Rhaenyra married Laenor before she had them, she has the advantage of using Laenor as a cover.  And this is important: both Corlys and Laenor themselves has never said anything and accepted them all as Velayrons, and Viserys went along with it. They also “cover” for political gain AND actual love for these boys.

These boys’ illegitimacy was never revealed at any point and they grew up with truebornness. They are not legitimized. They are labeled legitimate from birth. They have had privileges and inheritances put on them from birth or childhood. 

Remember: being a “whore” or a “slut”, legitimacy and bastardry, being a cuckold are all just social labels, social concepts, and sociopolitical tools  in an political game and dynamic meant to make certain noblemen keep their hereditary power or advance. They really only matter when the society makes their women’s bodies subject to a meaning that only makes sense to advance certain noblemen (straight-acting ones with trueborness).

In the case of a bastard that has been legitimized, from the jump, the bastard has lived as a bastard from the moment they are born and their public status ha always been bastardry. In this case, their noble father has the power to acknowledge them. 

But the King or Queen regnant must actively legitimize any bastard, which would then make them competition for the noblemen’s trueborn kids. Noblemen cannot legitimize their bastard kids--which is why it was Rhaenyra who had to legitimize Corlys’ grandsons Addam and Alyn.

And even after legitimization, bastards in Westeros still carry that stigma of being a born from lust and “weakness of the flesh”.

(And before someone says that this is unfair, the green kids are princes and the feudal system of inherited powers is itself unfair because of this idea of inherited power. We shouldn’t feel bad for these princes as if their status, position, and gender don’t already put them in coveted, privileged positions. If you think that the green boys deserve more than the V boys, you are using feudal values as your moral basis and that is ridiculous. There’s really nothing inherently wrong with having parents who aren’t married or sleeping around, no matter what historical period you’re coming from.)

Because of this unique scenario, the Velaryon boys have to be exposed a snot being Laenor’s sons AND declared as bastards to actually become bastards.

For that to happen either something or someone has to expose them in public with irrefutable evidence of the deception that the king can’t just cover or evade without losing something big. Or the king/heir/would-be King Consort (Laenor) themselves must admit it. Which will never happen.As we saw in the show, since the king himself doesn’t say anything, it’s not even enough to see how different the boys look from their official father. 

(And if you are one of those who use the kids’ bastardry as the reason for their undeserving or how unfair it is to the green boys, you are contradicting yourself when you say that customs matter and we should “respect” the culture and excuse it, because one of those customs and precedents is that the king’s word is law. Yet Alicent goes against that? Some of you may even state that Corlys and Layrs were traitors against Aegon II for assassinating him, yet you don’t think that Alicent was a traitor against Rhaenyra for this exact precedent/custom of “King’s word is law”?)

Vaemond doesn’t count as a person who brings “irrefutable evidence of the deception that the king can’t just cover or evade without losing something big” as he isn’t successful. And as the actor, Will Jonson, says in a post-episode interview, that wasn’t even his main goal, which was to be defiant in the face of death.

For Vaemond to have been successful, his callout had to make others take the risk to also have the V boys declared/admitted as bastards, but Vaemond’s death rather does nothing in the show. We don’t get clips of people being frustrated and there’s nothing another noble does to actively demand from the King. We don’t get shots of courtiers with plotting faces. So despite the actor for Vaemond saying that Vaemond knew that he was going to die and decided to speak the truth that everyone already knows....yes, everyone already knows, and yet the show doesn’t show us that the courtiers or other lords are willing to rebel against Rhaenyra so this moment was really for Vaemond than anything politically moving. We don’t even get to see resentment or stubbornness from any other individual courtier, so how are we expected to anticipate an independent rebellion? When Otto takes over the Keep after Viserys’ death, we see that the nobles felt forced to kneel and two still openly said they weren’t going to. And one of the kneelers tried to leave the castle. It’s hard to see rebellion inspired by Vaemond here.

Also, the lords were clearly more interested in having a daughter marry one of the boys as by even Borros Baratheon offering up his daughters to Luke in the canon...they all had years to plan and rebel and instead the one instance of us seeing one of these lords, he does this until Luke expressly refuses.

Alicent would have to be successful in forcing Viserys to announce them bastards. Which she never was. 

The show tries to set us up that Alicent and Rhaenyra had a very close friendship where they knew the other’s personalities and could predict how the other felt, etc.  

If we are supposed to view Alicent and Rhaenyra’s relationship as ever having been close and intimate and open, then the fact that Alicent turns on Rhaenyra and tries to depose her should have come across as the huge betrayal--even if she truly were just trying to protect her kids. Two things can be true at the same time without there being excuses or moral justifications. You can betray your friend and also do it to protect someone.

Taking the show at face value, Alicent should have known that Rhaenyra would not actually kill her siblings or just sit back and allow the lords to threaten them--even from the very beginning. Going by the personality we see in Rhaenyra even in her adulthood until the 10th episode where we see a characterization-contradiction (and before Lucerys’ death), we see a person who is not willing to do what others want of her. But taking the events of the 10th episode at face value, even then we see that she considered giving the throne up to Aegon for the prophecy. 

Yet Alicent, even in her youth, doesn’t feel this about Rhaenyra? Why? Because Otto said so, so that must be the way things are? Because she has been so conditioned into obedience and has no critical, independent thinking that she doubts her acclaimed best friend’s character? But in the show showed us them being together so lovey-dovey in the first episode and begin to reconcile in the 4th one when Rhaenyra comes back from her tour and they talk in the garden?!

She supposedly claims she’s attacking Rhaenyra to protect her own kids, but then the 8th episode shows her accepting Rhaenyra’s apology--that specifically includes Rhaenyra saying she hasn’t acknowledged Alicent’s “hard work” in “comforting” Viserys over the years as a dutiful Queen should--and Alicent finds this enough to believe Rhaenyra will be a good queen?! Or that she won;t kill her kids?! And expects the children she’s been telling she’s dangerous and will kill them and that she’s a whore undeserving of the throne to step away from the anger and hatred she herself stoked?! Doesn’t she realize that she’s making herself look so foolish by going back on her own claims to not just her kids and Otto but any green supporter at court?! And doesn’t this prove it was never about her kids but about her own pride and desire for power in her abused state?! Meanwhile back in episode 4, we’re given the impression through several scenes and dialouge that the reason Alicent decides to be against Rhaenyra is because she’s jealous of her sexual freedoms (their conversation in the outdoor event, the contrasting scenes b/t her+Viserys and Daemyra). What does this really have to do with Alicent “taking care“ of Viserys and overseeing the castle?! And again, for Alicent herself and her cognition/though processing capabilities in-world, how can she reconcile accepting Rhaenyra  & her own jealousy to herself?! It’s insulting to her and women, victims of sexual abuse or not but esp insulting to sexual abuse victims.

Apart from that, Alicent has never been proven to have been a true friend of Rhaenyra, so why should I feel anything about that page she supposedly sends to pacify Rhaenyra?! (the show’s refusal to include character developing scenes instead of jump cuts/show vs tell, not her necessarily being evil). 

Instead, I would feel like this is either Otto’s manipulation or Alicent herself is trying to just mollify Rhaenyra and take advantage of her (nonsensical) resulting nostalgia and regret for their friendship’s dissolution. 

Aside from that, looking at how they actually act and what the show presents to us, this is all absurd and we should not look at this show as following its own rules and lore.

Their relationship is not really proven to have ever been close, because we see them being opposites in personality but there’s never a scene where they ever truly realize they have similar goals or desires or help each other out against antagonizers, like in any good “opposites attract” element. 

All that the writers expect us to believe binds them together is that they are both girls with fathers who don’t see them properly as persons.....but this isn’t psychologically enough to make two people actually like each other or admire each other. there needs to be specifics in the face of such opposite personalities. Also, this is going to be a very common plight of every single noble girl in Westeros--having a less present dad--so what made Alicent special to Rhaenyra, and Rhaenyra to Alicent? At most, they’d realistically be casual acquaintances, not bosom pals. The fact that their dads are in close proximity with each other is not enough. And if their dads ordered them to get close, Rhaneyra--by her character shown---wouldn’t endure Alicent’s presence for long.

So how did they come together? The show refuses to show us a picture or two of them actually bonding before Aemma dies, since they supposedly became friends long before Aemma dies! We can’t use the “dead moms” idea to justify their finding common ground due to that.

In other words, the show contradicts itself concerning the nature of these two girls’ relationship and its past integrity while arguing for how “special” it is. 

So really, for us to really take Alicent’s reasoning seriously is that she was never friends with Rhaenyra in the first place. That she would be closer to her Book!character, who was twice Rhaenyra’s age when she married Viserys.

Which means that---no, Alicent doesn’t have MUCH points nor is she in the right and her TV character is not well written to make her in-world self a rational human being because:

she contradicts herself and her motivation has not real integrity

doesn’t act like a rational person 

doesn’t act psychologically realistic 

nor is she actually showing herself to be as altruistic and loving to her daughter nor her sons

[colemansdimple]

Not an ordinary woman

By colemansdimple

Chapter 2

William woke early with the first lights of the day. He looked at his side and found the Queen of England gently snoring. He smiled. She really was adorable. With a small touch he fixed her hair behind a ear, revealing more of her delicate face. He couldn't bear to lose this woman but just a few hours before he almost had. Now she was entirely in his responsibility, so he needed to find a way to care for her while she was away from the palace. A hard task indeed, having to suffice for an entire staff of servants. He hoped his old body could take it. She frowned a little in her sleep. Adorable. He couldn't resist and planted a small kiss between her frowned eyebrows.

Carefully, he slipped out of the bed, got dressed and left for the nearest village. If they would remain there for a few days, they would need supplies. With his pocket money he bought the basic daily products and some food. It wouldn't last much but he prayed the assassins would be found soon. Either that or he would need to find a job in that village. He laughed a bit just by thinking about it.

Unfortunately his upbringing didn't provide him with the knowledge of common folk work, so he lacked the skills to do anything other than tending orchids and discussing bills. Say nothing of Victoria! By god it would be impossible for her to adapt. He suddenly remembered the events of last night and so he searched for simpler clothes for her and him. They would be perfect for disguising their identity. He forced his brain not to think of how peasant dresses would also be easier to remove from her body at the end of the day.

When he returned to the cottage, he found her still sleeping peacefully. It hurted him to have to disturb her, after two assassination attempts in one night, but they had much to discuss. He gently touched her on the arm and called until she finally opened her eyes. Victoria gave him a bright smile, pleased that the first face she saw was of her dear Lord M.

He left a dress for her and went downstairs to prepare them breakfast. After they ate, they started to discuss what to do next. William didn't know if the criminals had been caught, so he would need to return to London soon. But he was scared to leave her there alone in the house. So he suggested they needed to get acquainted with the local women, so they could look after Victoria when he was away. There was the problem of their identity. He could grow a beard as a disguise and most people didn't yet know the face of their new Queen, so all they needed to do was dress Victoria up in simpler attires and pretend she was a far away lady. What complicated the matter was the story of how they got there in the first place. William made the suggestion that, because of their age difference, they should play father and daughter, an idea that didn't amuse Victoria at all.

“That is most impractical Lord M! We look nothing alike! People will know we are lying!”

“That's a possibility Ma'am. So what do you suggest?”

“Well...I believe if we play any family roles...it wouldn't help us in the end. If we truly wish to keep me safe...and free ourselves from spying eyes...there's only one alternative. We need to be...husband and wife.”

There, she said it. It took all of her strength but the words came out. She blushed furiously, looking down. William swallowed hard. She was right, of course, he knew it since the beginning this was the best solution. They could have more privacy and she would be more protected against any male interest. He sighed heavily, agreeing with her. So they planned on their story: a newly married couple, she was a daughter of a noble family, he wasn't of their status, her family opposed their love and so they eloped together. With this they managed to hide their identities among the villagers. Specially between the women, who admired her braveness to fight for her true love.

They walked together in the town market, hand in hand, chatting with the locals. Playing their parts to perfection. It took a while for them to get used to call eachother by their first names. But that was an essential part of their lie, so they were Victoria and William even at home, to avoid any slips. Once in a week, William would go to London by horse, to know if it was safe for them to return. But nobody knew the assassins whereabouts. Meanwhile, Victoria was chaperoned by a group of local girls. In the beginning, they seemed a bit distant from her, but when she showed them she could write and read, they got very excited. Most of them were from other towns and had arranged marriages, so they missed their families and friends very much. Victoria began to help the girls write letters and William delivered them on his way to London.

In return, they taught her useful domestic things like mending her husband's old socks. Although this bore Victoria a bit she admired these women, so much like herself and yet so different. She felt grateful for them because she could finally be useful in their plan. The locals soon picked up on William's skills to solve small conflicts between them, specially on his knowledge of the law. So he became sort of a judge and, alongside Victoria, he studied the cases and presented a solution.

The community embraced them and they earned a few coins which helped them survive after his pocket money ended. He couldn't ask for royal money because he was afraid the spy at the palace would follow him and discover where Victoria was hiding. Little by little, the lady and her husband were feeling more at home there. To be really honest, Victoria didn't miss the palace life much, she missed the comfort, of course, but she knew the palace didn't have the one thing she truly needed, her Lord M, her William, always by her side. Everything they did, they did together, including the house chores. Still, she yearned to be even closer to him. One day, she decided to surprise him by washing all his clothes before he came back from the village.

A little further into the woods was located a small waterfall. She picked up his clothes in a basket and walked there. When she approached, however, she saw him standing there. She began her way down to greet him but stopped when she saw him taking off his shirt. Victoria froze, unsure of what to do. Her curiosity got the better of her, so she watched him disrobe until he was fully naked. He was going to bath by the waterfall. And here she was thinking he used their bathtub when she was out with the local women!

Scared of being caught, she hid behind a tree. Victoria had never seen a naked man before except in strange drawings from her old books. She found the real thing utterly fascinating. Her throat went dry as she marked his well shaped body, his firm muscles, his magnificent chest with those familiar hairs that went down, down...until they spread next to his... which word was it? Pole? Sword? Member? She bit her lip, trying to remember how the book named it. It appears to be pointing up, she noticed, and it was definitely big and long. She wondered why she never noticed it before. Why was it like this now?

He began to soap himself, the suds slowly running down his body. The air around her felt hotter and she struggled to breathe normally. That familiar itch between her legs becoming quite unbearable. She bit her lip to suppress a moan and held the basket tighter. Without warning his soap covered hand reached down for his member. He began to run it up and down, closing his eyes, biting his own lips.

Her eyes open wide with shock as she followed his every move. She should be scared, horrified. She waited for shame to come, but it didn't. Instead, she only thought of how it would feel in her own hands. Her lips couldn't take it anymore and she released them to pant heavily. He massaged himself in slow waves and moaned.

“Oh yes...oh yes...Victoria...my darling...I love it... touch me right there... right there...I need it...I need you...oh god you feel so good around my cock!”

Victoria couldn't believe what he was saying. His face seemed somewhat in pain and he called for her. Should she go there? She wanted to go there and she wanted to leave, but her feet wouldn't move in any direction. She was absolutely stuck. She could see some white liquid dripping from his member. His hand movements became faster and his other hand dropped lower to take hold of the heavy ballsack beneath as he moaned louder.

“Oh my girl...oh my sweet girl...don't stop...take me now...take me hard...I love it...I want you Victoria...oh I need you...make me come...I want to come for you...I want to come hard for you...ohh god yes...yess...like that...just like that...ohyesss...OHFUCK!!!”

Suddenly, he stilled, mouth open at the sky as shots of white liquid poured from his member. Victoria saw him walk on trembling legs back to the water. She began to pick the pieces of the puzzle. Now she knew why he bathed elsewhere, and most of all, she knew why he was so late at times. She stayed still, recovering her breath, and watched as the water dripped from his body. She had a sudden desire to join him there and drink all that water from his body into her mouth.

However, she didn't want to be discovered. What would he think of her spying on him like that? She would die of shame, surely! So she finally gathered her strength, took the basket and ran back to the house. On her haste she didn't notice that a piece of clothing was left behind on the ground.

[aesthetics-over-ethics]

You made my point- isn't it the government and rich people that money is going to that is the evil ones, not us? We are a part of an evil system, yes. We have no choice. We are exploited by our government, who is even more exploitative towards others. It's like saying a medieval peasant is evil just for working for the rich lord that uses that money for more cruelty, when it's either that or die. There's no way to truly "opt out". I'd rather have solidarity with other exploited people so that maybe one day we CAN opt out and not involuntarily contribute to this anymore. The rich politicians, of both parties want us divided and demoralized against doing anything to stop the cruel system, so we don't resist them

You exonerate yourself because you have no choice, but having no choice doesn't make you not responsible. Your being American is a cosmic accident, but accidental murder is still manslaughter. There is no way to have clean hands. You can only do what you can, what we all can, in trying to clean them. It's demoralizing to acknowledge the part you play - but it's necessary to acknowledge that part, to understand why we have the responsibility to help those people our money and labor harm. And those same people are right in distrusting us, because we are hurting them, much more than we are helping them.

We have to understand what harm we cause before we can attempt to fix it properly - just as you have to understand how your actions have harmed another person before you can apologize and make it right. I'm not saying you're personally responsible for everything, I'm saying you should take responsibility for the small part of it you are responsible for, as we all should. It shouldn't be divisive to say the American people are responsible for US imperialism because we're the ones funding it. I understand hating having a guilty conscience for something you had no power over. But it's better to be apologetic for the harm you've caused than to pretend you didn't cause it at all.

You might think of a car accident as a metaphor here. You were driving your car safely, and got into an accident. The other driver, who was also driving safely, passed away. It isn't your fault that that person died, but you are responsible for it. Wouldn't their family hate you a little less if you were at least apologetic instead of saying, essentially, "I didn't do anything wrong! It was the traffic light's fault for being defective!"

[manybcdthings]

"Olaf!" Felix quickly imitated their mother, voice high and stern, utter offense and distaste dripping in every syllable but his laughter broke after that. Certain there must be something in whatever they were smoking, or maybe life had been going well enough for Felix to truly feel contentment without a substance skewing his dopamine receptors. He was even amused by constantly being talked down to by his own NexBot, but he gestured at the droid. "Did you specifically change mine? Because if you did that in standard settings, every single Nex on the station is gonna call you Lord Jakob." he said, thinking it was perhaps in Jakob's best interest to change it but then his expression dropped. "Oh shit, does every NexBot call me a peasant?"

It almost was pushed entirely out of his mind as Jakob managed to do the strange kicking move, Felix transfixed with a look of mild horror, concern but he was also thoroughly impressed. "You should definitely try and work out how to slow down." he said, perhaps a little unhelpful considering the speed his brother managed to get to. Felix laughed out when it finally reached the end, still impressed even though Jakob hit the floor like a sack of droid parts. "I literally have no idea but that's sort of...impressive!?" Felix's reaction surprised himself, laughing as he leaned off the couch to help his brother. "Can you still breathe?" there was subtle concern in his voice, but mainly amusement. "You know, I think a very strange person would find that endearing, actually. You should use it on dates."

"I bet she blames dad anytime she does," Jakob cackles, completely amused with himself before shaking his head. "Yes, I do. And no, I'm not. Why is that, Nex?" Because Lord Jakob is the best. He grins, taking another sip of his drink. "See, Nex knows what's up." And he knows that Felix doesn't really mind. If anything, being in his brother's presence is a relief these days. There's an unspoken pressure hanging over Jakob, and he can't exactly say why. But he's glad to simply turn off his mind around Felix, not needing to present as anything other than he is.

Jakob can't help his manic laughter as he dances, feet shuffling and arms moving. "I don't think so!" He says between bouts of cackling laughter, genuine excitement on his face as he executes the dance. "I think I'm gonna pass out." He shouts as Nex plays music and Jakob's arms keep going and his legs and feet and how is he doing this? Only after thirty seconds which feels like years does he suddenly manage to stop, collapsing to all fours. "Holy fuck. How'd I do that?!"

[rcsied]

the sun’s barely dipped below the horizon when daisy spills out onto the street on a wave of remixed top 40 hits from the 90′s.  her hair’s been piled high on her head, barely held in place by an elastic on loan from a girl she’d met in the bathroom an hour or so ago, and there’s a rosy heat that’s made itself at home in the apples of her cheeks under the coaxing of competition and the discounted shots offered to pub quiz participants.  the injustice of her loss is sure to be the hot topic of conversation for the foreseeable future  ––––  daisy will describe it in  ( excessive )  detail once she’s home with heavy emphasis on words like robbed and bias until everyone is in agreement that a conspiracy has unfolded worthy of the spotlight of a moderately popular youtube channel.

she is halfway through tapping out a hastily written warning in the group chat when she spots him out of the corner of her eye, inadvertently condemns the others to a  ‘...’  that lingers until imessage decides that the locking of her screen might indicate she’s abandoned whatever thought never quite made it to the send button.  “vinnie?”  there is a fleeting moment of hesitation, a breath that daisy hadn’t quite realised she was holding, and then she is crossing the square to meet him with an odd feeling that she will later identify as relief and a noteworthy absence of whatever doubt or good sense might have kept her from greeting him with a hug.  “this is so crazy, vin, what the fuck  –––  what are you doing across the river?  feels like i haven’t seen you since obama was in  –––  are you just down for the day?”

@nstclgic

[zhongrin]

homecoming

◇ a/n ◇ A VERY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY CUTEST COUSIN SLASH SAMOYED PUPPY LIA @seelestia!!!! 💐🎊🎉

i am wishing you all the best in life and in this joyous day i would like to congratulate you by the bestest present of all-

a n g s t  :)

that's right it's your favorite harbinger of tears &lt;3

◇ characters ◇ ayato

◇ tags ◇ angst (but it doesn't hurt that bad i promise i'm no monster <3), fem pronouns used for reader

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ⬙ 𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡

every thirteenth of the tenth month, lord kamisato ayato always purchases a large number of flowers.

every flower vendor in inazuma city knows of this. it has become somewhat of a tradition for them to set up their freshest, loveliest flowers in front of their shops the day before, when the yashiro commisioner himself will personally visit and choose one shop that catches his eye, to place a ginormous order of a collection of flowers for the next day. the cost of such a bountiful and lavishly decorated bouquet, spruced up with only the best silk ribbons and the most intricate wrapping papers, could probably feed a normal peasant family for a whole two weeks.

though none has truly witnessed him giving you the gift directly, they are quite convinced that the gift is merely one of the many presents that kamisato ayato purchased for you - his beloved lover.

and so this year, it was a shock for them to see the lord of the clan unyieldingly following the tradition.

as usual, ayato surveys the selection of flowers in front of the various stalls. and if the selection of beautiful blooms were less than the year before, he does not show any sign of disappointment. with a neutral expression on his handsome face, he ever so gracefully walks towards the one shop that catches his fancy - one with camellias and [flower]s displayed outside - and places an order for an extravagant bouquet to be sent to the kamisato residence, at eight am sharp tomorrow. the shopkeeper nods and gives him a wry smile, but dares not ask further.

when the florist brings the assembled order the next day, you do not open the door to welcome them, unlike the previous few years back when the same shop was selected to undergo the same task. instead of your cheerful smile which turns into a bashful giggle upon seeing the large present, the esteemed younger lady of the clan is the one who accepts the delivery with a solemn smile.

ayaka thanks them politely and scurries back inside. her steps are hurried but her arms carefully try to balance the enormous item, making sure she doesn't accidentally damage any of the beautiful plants.

she arrives at your office soon after and manages to somehow knock after maneuvering the bouquet in her arms. after a short wait, she slides the door open and meets her brother's eyes.

you're nowhere in sight.

with a heavy exhale, the shorter sibling steps into the room and closes the door behind her. ayato accepts the outlandishly large bunch of flowers with a smile, although his eyes stay darkened and cold as the ice that spawns from his sister's cryo vision.

there is no exchange of words. ayaka watches silently as her brother turns to face your desk, which is still a tad messy, as if you've just worked on there and had just left for a bathroom break. no one had dared to clean it up, for the master of the house himself had sternly commanded for it to stay untouched. and she understands.

for it is one of the last few traces that's left of you in the estate.

ayato's eyes are affixed on the photo frame on your desk. one that displays you and him on your first anniversary, with you laughing at the kamera and himself sporting the same smile, only that instead of looking into the lens of the contraption, he was looking at you. there's clear adoration and love in his eyes, both within the picture and within his eyes that are reflecting the print itself.

"brother...," ayaka starts, pauses, and continues when she receives no interruptions, "forgive my presumptuousness... however, i still think you should join the search for-"

"and leave my responsibilities like an irresponsible adult?" ayato gives his sister a bitter smile, "you know i cannot do such a thing, given my position."

the young lady bows her head in shame and apology, but the soft pat of her older sibling's hand on top of her head tells her that he wasn't mad at all.

"besides, she would have hit me for doing so. don't you think?"

"ah...," a small smile blooms on shirasagi himegimi's lips, as a voice replays at the back of her head - a familiar voice chastising her brother for deliberately skipping a small fraction of work in favor of spending time with her, just after their engagement was finalized.

"... she will always find her way back to us," the soft blue-haired man says, both to convince himself and reassure his only family left, "we just have to keep trying and believing."

"y-yes. yes, you are right."

"...."

ayato places the bouquet of flowers on your desk and grazes his fingers tenderly across the polished frame of your picture together, before exiting the room with ayaka in tow.

— happy birthday, my love. i know you are alive out there, somewhere. please hold on for me. let us celebrate this occasion next year in each other's arms.

a petal of your favorite flower falls onto the floor.

© zhongrin | 2022 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

◇ taglist ◇ @paintingsofdragonspine | @genshinparty | @abyssmal-skies | @hamdehlesmis | @depressivecomforts | @sophiethewitch1 | @why-am-i-here-someone-save-me | @sunnshineflxwer | @heartonthemoon | @yuutasbabe | @percyval-archives | @carbs-need-more-love | @rebeccka | @queen-belial | @stygianoir | @niverine | @silentmoths | @niktwazny303

ps. if you want to be removed/added from the taglist, just send an ask!

[peterpparkrr]

Pinned (pt. 5)

Series: Pinned

Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton x f!reader

Summary: A walk home and an intersession.

Word count: 1.2k

Warnings: n/a

A/N: sorry for the delay! Covid #shreked me so this one’s a short one.

prev. part // next part

“Lord Bridgerton,” A clear voice greets him as he pushes through the door of Mr. Raugland’s tailor shop.

Anthony didn’t think he would ever tire of how you say his name. The bite had disappeared from your words in the last few weeks, but the teasing tone remained, and he loves it.

He still can’t quite put his finger on what it is that draws him to you. Why you are the woman that has completely ensnared his attention. 

But he feels like he can’t get enough of you.

“To what do I owe this poorly timed pleasure?” You ask as you give him a knowing look. You want to admonish him, he can see it in your eyes. But, surprisingly, you hold your tongue, causing Anthony to break out into a wide grin, knowing he’s won.

You loathe to admit it. But you like Anthony Bridgerton. You like the attention he gives you. And the way he looks at you, like he wants to know you. To truly know every part of you, not just to undress you and have his way with you.

Though sometimes you feel his gaze heat as he looks at you and you know that there is that too. 

And even when he bothers you at the worst times, you can’t stay mad at him. Not when he smiles at you the way he does.

“I believe this is actually the perfect time to bother you, because you’re done at five today, which means you can help me find a new cravat,” Anthony explains as if it is obvious. “And then I can escort you home,” He adds as he lowers his voice to a near-whisper.

“You always have ulterior motives, Lord Bridgerton,” You reply as you cross your arms over your chest.

“No, I just need excuses to see you,” He tells you. “And your indifference wounds me, if I were a lesser man…” He trails off.

“A lesser man would have given up by now,” You remind him. 

“Which is exactly why I get to reap the spoils of my hard work,” He tells you. “Your company,” He adds when your eyebrows raise at his response.

“My company? Is that what it is?” You reply as you try not to smirk too broadly at him.

“Of course,” Anthony replies quickly as he clasps his hands behind his back.

“Of course.”

After helping Anthony pick out a cravat that would match his waistcoats he makes his purchase and is off with a heated look. After you help another customer you leave the shop in one of your coworker’s capable hands.

You gathered your belongings from the back and left out the back door. You find Anthony already waiting for you in the alley. 

“Shall we?” He asks.

You roll your eyes but nod as you both make your way, taking the long way, winding through London’s side streets as you two head back to your flat, talking of everything and nothing as you navigate the busy streets.

You’re nearly to your flat when Anthony suddenly reaches out and grabs your wrist, pulling you into an alleyway between buildings.

You gasp at the sudden movement, trying to right yourself as you press your hands into Anthony’s chest in an effort to keep yourself upright.

Anthony grins down at you as one of his hands finds its way to your neck, gently cradling your head.

“You can’t do that here!” You chastise him in a low hiss as your own hand moves to grab at his wrist and stop his movements.

“Who’s going to see?” Anthony challenges.

“All of my neighbors for one,” You argue as you give him a stern look.

He merely raises an eyebrow at you.

“Sorry, for us lowly peasants there is no entertainment except for our neighbors' comings and goings, I’m sure you would not understand, since you are such a high and mighty Lord of the realm-”

“That’s enough of that-” Anthony cuts you off as he grabs onto your forearm and pulls you back towards him.

And you know you shouldn’t. But you let him. 

He kisses you soundly. You’d assumed, perhaps naively, that after your first kiss, Anthony’s urgency would dissipate. But the man kisses like a man dying of thirst. His lips attack your own like he fears you may disappear any moment. 

And you feel like you just might.

He groans lowly as he presses ever harder against you. The space between you is long gone, but you still feel like it’s not enough. You want him inside of you. In a way that you can’t even fully describe. Not in the way that you know he wants, as you can feel the instance of his need low and heavy against your lower stomach, which sets something else alight deep within you. 

But then suddenly you remember you are just steps away from a busy street, fully in view, and fully in public, practically in broad daylight. 

 You gasp as you pull away from him.

“We must stop,” You tell him breathlessly.

“Must we?” Anthony asks lowly as his mouth still rests just beside your cheek. 

You are a very dangerous man, Anthony Bridgerton,”

Anthony growls in your ear as he finally pulls himself away from you and stares deeply into your eyes.

You’re mesmerized by his blown-out irises, the desire evident all across his face.

“Perhaps…” He starts to offer as he stares down at you intently.

“My brother will be home any minute, we...I can’t,” You tell him quickly. 

You see something flash across Anthony’s face that you can’t quite discern. You just silently pray that it isn’t a look of disappointment.

“No, of course, of course, we can’t,” He agrees quickly.

“I…I should go,” You tell him.

Anthony nods. 

You offer him a small smile before you hop up onto your toes to press a brief kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you for escorting me, Lord Bridgerton.”

A few days later, you’re just about ready to fall over when you finally push through the door of your flat. You almost don’t even notice John sitting at the table as you dump your things on the chair by the door.

“Oh, John!” You greet him as you pull off your cloak and hang it on its hook. “How was your day?”

“Someone saw you,” John tells you as he stares at you, his face stern. “With your fancy little Lord.”

“Who?” You ask sharply as your head whips around to stare at him. You feel your stomach drop. “For the last time, Mrs. Haymow doesn’t know what she’s talking about-”

“-You need to stop this. Whatever you have with that man, you need to put an end to it. Before this destroys everything you’ve built for yourself.”

“If this were to get out? Properly, I mean, it would ruin us,” He tells you. “Everything we’ve built for ourselves would be gone.”

Him. It would ruin him. That is what John really means. His political aspirations would go down the drain if something like this were to get out. 

But you know he’s right. He’d been the one who’d pulled the two of you out of destitution. You’d saved yourselves from the workhouse thanks to John’s entrepreneurial spirit. Thanks to his hard work. He’d been the one to save you both when you’d still been a child. 

You know you owe him your life. 

“You’re right,” You say after a long moment, when you finally glance back up at him. “I’ll end it.”

[problemswithbooks]

I think the reason those two scenes are viewed differently is simply the world in which HoTD takes place.

The thing about the world of Westeros is that it extremely patriarchal. That is something that the show beats us over the head with--that even these seemingly powerful women have a fraction of what the men in similar positions have. That sexism and misogyny effect even the women who are at the top.

So what does that mean for those of the working class--the peasant women that do mundane jobs for those at the height of power? It means they have zero power at all, especially against a prince.

The reason a lot of people didn't see Alicent the same as Shiv is because Dyana has no power while the victim in Succession does, even if it's not nearly as much as sher should have. Dyana could have screamed that Aegon was a rapist for everyone to hear and it wouldn't have changed anything. It's unlikely she'd be believed and even if she was it's not as if Aegon would be held responsible.

Alicent didn't need to even see Dyana at all. The fact she went out of her way to give her money, and allowed her to leave service is actually rather kind given Dyana has no ability to get justice and probably didn't have the means to leave her job if she no longer wanted to be around the man that raped her.

The thing is Aegon was never in any danger of having his reputation ruined in a way that actually hurt him. Even if everyone knew he raped a maid, it wouldn't have had any meaningful impact. The Greens still would have declared him King and it wouldn't really be a deciding factor in whether a Lord supported him over Rhaenyra or not because the biggest factor there is what they get out of it, how they view succession laws, and whether they see there oaths as worth breaking or even broken should they side with Aegon. Him raping a peasant wouldn't matter--a lot of them are also probably guilty of the same act and don't view it as wrong.

This isn't the case in Succession. It takes place in our modern world. Rape victims still have far to little power and often aren't believed, especially when it's someone powerful. But public opinion does matter more and even though I sadly doubt how much the case would have truly impacted the Roy family in the long run given the rich rarely suffer real setbacks even for the most horrific things (like poisoning the entire planet) it still would have cost their company in the short term and made it harder to make money, and reduced their ability to negotiate good terms during mergers, especially when they're already in a tough spot already. Shiv's manipulation to silence the woman is more genuinely evil because she is doing to gain something.

That's just not the case with Alicent and Dyana. Alicent could have shrugged her shoulders and done nothing and that's probably the response many women would have had in her position. As it is, Alicent really did the best she could. It's not as if she could have meaningfully punished Aegon in a way that mattered anyway. Some say she could have sent him to the Wall, but I highly doubt that. If he'd raped a high up noble woman, perhaps, but even then as one of the princes it's doubtful.

I mean, if Joffery as a prince can have a peasant boy executed and a non-involved animal killed because he gets a little roughed up and claims he was attacked, even though a noble girl refutes his claim, is Dyana going to be able to do anything against Aegon? A prince is just to far above her, and compounded by misogyny no one will believe her or care anyway. If they had framed the scene with Alicent as her being as bad as Shiv it just wouldn't make sense because Alicent has no reason to silence the woman in the first place.

you guys know how that scene in succession 2x09 “DC” where Shiv intimidates and manipulates the sexual assault victim until she backs out of testifying about her experience is the same as that scene in hotd 1x08 “The Lord of the Tides” where Alicent intimidates and shames the sexual assault victim out of speaking up about her experience?

the biggest difference between these two scenes is actually the self-awareness of the narratives themselves. succession knows what it’s doing with this scene. hotd comes across confused and tone deaf because it’s bending over backwards trying to maintain an image of Alicent as a faultless victim, unlike succession which allows Shiv some moral flexibility, which ironically makes her more sympathetic than Alicent imo, because it manages to avoid that extra level of hypocrisy that the hotd scene piles onto Alicent and the narrative as a whole.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

I know this is the wrong blog, but what if Ivan the wealth eating vampire hits the Voltura? What does Aro do?

Anon is aware that @therealvinelle and I are not the same person, that the latter wrote this post, and doesn't care. Anon is a honey badger.

The Background

Now that we've gotten the obligatory roasting of my anons out of the way, as a reminder, last time we met Ivan the wealth eating Bolshevik vampire who took offense to the Cullen's grandiose capitalist swine lifestyle. He cursed them with poverty.

And subsequently turned one-year-old Renesmee into an exploitive business owner and capitalist swine who pays her family less than minimum wage. As a result, he cursed them with even more poverty and went to Volterra to complain about it.

And that's where we left off.

Setting the Scene

Ivan Ivonovitch, turned in 1929 as an idealistic Bolshevik zealot who didn't stick around in the human world long enough to realize that the majority of his cherished party leaders also became stupidly wealthy and exploitive of the common worker and peasants.

He also thinks the vampire world has a system of government and that system is communist. Why? Well, he couldn't spot any workers or employers, so if there's no class struggle then... They won, right?

Right?

Aro, however, is not a Marxist.

The vampire world is neither capitalist nor communist nor mercantilist nor anything else because it involves people without human needs. There are no goods and there are no services, and what goods and services are required can be... donated to the vampires by their loving human compatriots.

Vampires don't make their own clothes: they steal them from victims. Vampires don't grow their own food: they pick them up off the street. Vampires rely on humans for things like the arts and entertainment, and that's if they care about such things.

Vampires are kind of like that college roommate you had who never does anything, certainly never pays anything, but shamelessly eats all of your food even if that food is semi-sweet chocolate chips used only for baking.

Except pretend that college roommate wants to eat you too. That's a vampire.

What vampires do get into competition over is food distribution. However, rather than barter and bargain for territory and food, they instead kill each other.

But back to the Volturi.

Aro hears about this from an irate Ivan Ivonovitch and--oh good lord.

Ivan is one of those few truly clueless vampires who, being a sole nomad, has somehow not heard of Renesmee the miracle child.

(Well, he put it together eventually, but assumed that Renesmee was the result of those classist bastards being the only ones who could afford to have a child and that the proletariat were being oppressed and not able or allowed to have children of their own.

... Considering the circumstances of Renesmee's birth and how vital the medically trained Carlisle Cullen and all the equipment they had to buy was, Ivan's not actually wrong there. Good work, Ivan, claps for you.)

What Ivan didn't know was that there was this whole, big, scandalous trial not too long ago in which the Volturi made asses of themselves, the Cullens were nearly murdered to a man, and Bella Swan proved she can topple the world order.

And now he's come to Volterra not to tell Aro that the Cullens have broken the law again but that they're... not being poor in the correct manner after he stole all their money.

Caius votes they should kill the Cullens anyway. Perhaps Ivan is right, they're capitalist swine and must die! And in being poor they're clearly toeing the line, as little Renesmee the mutant weed is being seen all over town when she's an inch taller one day to the next. It's very clear he's just using this as an excuse to murder them at all because this might be the best they get. However, Ivan doesn't know that.

Aro, however, both doesn't want to do this as he still hopes they can live peacefully together and that it need not end violently, and this would be a huge PR blow. The Volturi just got accused of being tyrants who make up charges to assassinate their enemies. They are now being presented a completely made-up charge which Ivan wants them to use to assassinate their enemies.

This will confirm every rumor circulating about them and could cause widespread rebellion even if Bella Swan does die because of it.

No me gusta, Aro says.

Aro instead tries to gently explain to Ivan that vampires have no nation states. Ivan is not taxed and in return he's not granted anything. The Volturi are not The Party, they do not redistribute wealth nor manage any kind of economy whatsoever, and all they do is kill you if you eat too many humans at a time.

Now, is that kind of a wealth redistribution? Sure, alright, we can call it that, but it's really not all that complicated and certainly nothing like an economic system or system of government.

The only currency the Volturi have is human blood and they're not shipping out babies to starving vampires in Siberia.

That was the worst answer Aro could have given.

Ivan, stunned, realizes that the Volturi are worse that capitalist dogs, they're even worse than the petty bourgeoise, they're old style nobility. They live in aristocracy, in wealth, and purposefully inact laws that are not for the good of the people but only to suppress them and ensure that their lavish lifestyles are secured.

WELL THEN.

Ivan Ivanovitch strikes Volterra down with poverty.

It's the last thing he ever does as Caius then immediately lights him on fire for the attack on Volterra (perhaps not quite traditional, but the intent was very clear there.)

The Broke Episode

Before we get into this, we have to get into how the Volturi were likely making money before this point. They're not playing the stock market like Alice, at least not directly, I imagine they have sizeable chunks of money in hedge funds.

They probably made their money from rent of Volterra (as they've been there longer than anyone else), occasionally pawning things from Aro's vast collection, and perhaps running a bank in the Middle Ages when Christians did not allow themselves to lend money.

This is money that has been built over a long time, through position of just being around long enough, and none of them have ever had to integrate into the human world to get a job.

Only Carlisle Cullen does that.

And now they're poor.

And this actually is a hindrance. Poverty means no jets means a longer amount of time to get from place to place, which makes enforcing the law that much harder. It also puts a kabash on Heidi's tourism scheme, meaning that undetected dinner gets that much harder.

Then there's the question of whether or not they can even afford the buildings and land they own anymore and if they have to leave Volterra... Not only is that a huge PR blow but where the fuck would they go?

First things first, Heidi's setting up a pyramid scheme. They'll go back to the fishing scheme they used before Heidi, picking up people to eat who are less likely to be noticed disappearing. Heidi will instead spend her time and efforts getting people to sell makeup and timeshares.

On the side she also runs Nigerian Prince scams.

Heidi, being very good at this sort of thing already with her tourism scheme, does very well for herself and does a shockingly good job at not getting caught.

(Heidi is in the green.)

Aro is forced to sell off parts of his collection. Devastated, and because Caius threatens to burn it if Aro doesn't complied, Aro gets rid of all of his paintings of Carlisle.

The market is suddenly flooded with priceless works by master artists, centuries old, of a very beautiful blonde man. It becomes a mystery of the art world, who was this model? Was it all the same person or was he a motif of some kind?

Hey, doesn't this doctor from Forks Washington, look eerily like this guy? (Luckily for Aro, the destitute Cullens have already been forced to become nomads thanks to Ivan's second attack against their money. Carlisle's already out of the human world.)

Aro still gets to keep much of his collection, but every painting, statue, book, item of furniture, and piece of jewelry he parts with is a thousand blows that makes it look as if the Volturi is truly weakened by this.

(Aro is in the green.)

Marcus is sent to actually run art courses and not lose all his students on the first day of class.

He fails.

(Marcus is in the red.)

Demetri asks for donations from the vampire covens he visits who are still on friendly terms with the Volturi. Unfortunately, they're all destitute nomads who steal cellphones from their victims and have no idea how to use them.

Demetri gets a pile of stolen electronics and automobiles that he then has to sell off discretely to the humans. However, this isn't Demetri's forte, and so they all end up just piled up in Volterra for whenever Heidi gets a chance to tell them.

(She won't, she's busy catfishing.)

(Demetri is in the red.)

Caius doesn't really think this is a huge issue, they were poor nomads once before and were able to claim unwanted territory for themselves. If they have to move, then they'll just go off and build themselves a castle in some other bit of land that no one wants.

But it seems like everyone's set on this making money thing.

Caius suggests, if things get truly desperate, they can pretend to be Vandals and sack the wealthiest city in the wealthiest empire on the planet.

This is vetoed.

(Caius is in the red.)

Sulpicia has a vague awareness of what's going on, but she figures candles aren't that expensive and she'd be more of a burden than anything else if she tried to come up with something.

Everything will be fine; she'll just wait it out in the tower with Athenodora.

(Sulpicia is in the red.)

Fortunately, thanks to Aro sobbing and parting with his things and Heidi being disturbingly good at this, they actually do very well for themselves and much better than the Cullens did.

Within a shockingly small amount of time, the Volturi are able to break even and maintain their daily operations. The food bit is still very tricky but, er, maybe Heidi can get her catfish victims to give her all their money AND come to Volterra.