#without severe consequences

[literaphobe]

‘ugh marinette shouldn’t have showed mercy and forgiven gabriel he wouldn’t have made the wish otherwise—‘ but that’s in her nature though. she would try and forgive her worst enemy if they wanted to atone and change. take all the people who have hurt her worst in the world, put them in a room, and she would shake all their hands if they said they were terribly sorry and wanted to be better. after all is said and done isn’t that her greatest tragedy? that her heart is so big and so vast that she would risk hurt and pain again and again and again… if it would make the world better. if it would make her loved ones safer. if she could hand out olive branches and not get snapped

[serpentface]

Question about Couya! Since she is a bastard what are the reasons about her being brought into the main family by her father. Was it genuine care for his child or a way to save face politically/socially? Is her birth mother alive? Do you think she would have had a better life growing up anywhere else?

This is in large part due to how cultural perceptions and legal punishment of adultery varies between male and female citizens, looped into the very strictly patrilineal kinship system.

By legal definition, the word for 'adultery' applies only to situations where a man has an affair with a married woman, or a married woman has an affair with any man. Other forms of affairs (eg a married man having an affair with an unmarried woman) are wrapped into a broader set of sexual misdemeanors and aren't often charged or punished in practice, and the punishments are comparatively minor (if an unwed woman's father pursues charges, the man in the affair is likely to just pay a fine). On a social level, extramaritial affairs in general are certainly not Approved of and seen as lowly and dishonorable, but the average response is significantly less harsh/more willing to entertain Nuance with men than with women.

In this society there's differentiated shades of bastardry depending on the contexts of the child's birth, as well as a distinction for 'nameless bastards' (has not been claimed by their biological father or maternal grandfather, or claimed in adoption).

a) A child born to an unmarried woman via an unmarried man: non-issue for father, potentially serious social harm for the woman (especially if she has never been married and expected virginal, much less severe as a widow or divorcee). The child will not be notably disadvantaged in of themselves (their status will depend more on whether they are claimed and thus provided the social security of a family patriarch), the father will experience no hard disadvantages in claiming them.

b) A child born to an unmarried woman via a married man: mild sexual misdemeanor for the father carrying levels of social shame, even more serious social harm for the woman (often framed as not just loose but a manipulative Seductress of a married man). The child might experience minor to moderate social disadvantages, the consequences of the father claiming them are purely social and will not typically be severe. (Couya is this)

c) A child born to a married woman via an unmarried or married man: both man and woman have committed a crime and can be severely punished. The biological father can technically claim the child but will be disincentivized from doing so. This is the form of bastardry most comparable to the conventional definition, in that it is heavily stigmatized and has effects on concerns of kinship and inheritance.

In addendum to this, if the adulterous wife's legal husband claims the child, this may be punishable if determined to be active concealment of adultery (which is also a crime), and has EXTREME social consequences either way. (Either you're a cuckold too stupid to notice that your wife has been skipping out on you, or you're a MEGAcuckold adultery-accessory willingly rearing another man's child after being horribly shamed by him).

(This is separate from adoption- a man who marries a woman with an unclaimed child after the fact (whether it was a product of adultery or just a general out of wedlock birth) and claims the child is an adoptive father, he is not concealing adultery or being cuckolded.)

A child born in an affair can be considered an heir to their biological fathers (descent and kinship is fully patrilineal and on a Basic level it doesn't matter who the mother is), and can very smoothly and legally be claimed when the affair was not considered criminal adultery. The concern on that front is social perception rather than material legal consequences or kinship issues.

Couya's birth mother was an unwed servant working as a housekeeper for her father Saizen, so the Crime of adultery did not take place. It would be considered a minor sexual misdemeanor, and the woman's father was not about to pursue charges against a nobleman who could Ruin him (and had also formally expressed that he would claim the child, which meant he would not be saddled with a nameless bastard granddaughter). So the concerns here were entirely social.

The affair might have started beforehand but the pregnancy that produced Couya occurred after his wife's third viable pregnancy ended in the premature birth of a underdeveloped boy deemed necessary to euthanize (and tbr would Not have survived either way). This was after Livya Haidamane had a couple early term miscarriages, two viable but very difficult pregnancies wherein one child was very weak and sickly for the first several years of life, and struggled to conceive every time. A lot of people are going to be at least a little sympathetic to a married man having an affair and claiming a bastard in this context. It's definitely ideal and practical to have more than two children, and his wife (while not outright infertile) clearly could not reliably bear healthy children. (The average response is going to be "Well he shouldn't have done it but like, I get it")

Couya being claimed by her father was a mix of genuine care and saving face. Initially it was MUCH more the latter than the former. Saizen made attempts to hide the servant's pregnancy and to keep his own wife out of sight during the late term (to prevent the baby appearing after his wife had been seen Extremely not pregnant). But there's some levels of care involved, he could very easily have fired the pregnant servant and had nothing to do with his bastard and she would have no recompense whatsoever. The choice to keep and claim the baby and ensure its entrance into the world bore as little social scrutiny as possible is an act of care for his own progeny.

This was Not an act of care for Couya's birth mother (beyond the fact that concealing her pregnancy would benefit her in hiding that she is not only Not a virgin prior to marriage but had a child). She probably would have been about 17-19 at the time and was fired a few months after giving birth, and most likely never saw Couya again after this point (if she did, it would most likely be in the context of seeing her as an adult Odonii in public and noting her to look Scarily familiar). She has an Okayish chance at still being alive, she'd be around 50 (and a person who survives the high infant mortality and birth casualty rates stands a good chance of hitting their 60s), though she could very well be a casualty of the drought+famine.

Whether or not Couya's life would have been better is kind of a mixed bag. She had an awful fucking childhood in large part because her adoptive mother Livya Haidamane hated her. (Livya was ultimately a pretty horrible person but not just like. An Evil Bitch. She had A Lot going on and Couya was a living breathing insult to her and reminder of like, every one of her dashed hopes and dreams). Couya is also autistic and presented very intense symptoms as a child in a society that is Not equipped for a mass-understanding and support of cognitive differences. But she still did have an immensely privileged life with profound physical/economic levels of security inaccessible to the vast majority of people in this region, including her birth mother. Saizen also actually Liked her and cared about her, he just wasn't a routine physical presence in any of his children's lives.

Had she been left with her biological mother, she would be in a very disadvantaged situation as a nameless bastard to an unwed mother. Her biological grandfather may or may not have been willing to claim her, and her mother would have great difficulties in finding a husband (which is ultimately necessary for the security of women in this society). I think her mother was a relatively kind person but not like, a perfect angel. She would probably have complicated feelings about her bastard daughter, especially one whose very existence materially disadvantages her and was very, very difficult as a child. So this probably would not have been a good situation for Couya either.

If you broaden the question to ANY other family completely divorced from the circumstances of her birth, yeah it definitely could have been better. But in her case it's like either "Life of grotesque socioeconomic privilege but in an abusive household" or "Life of profound socioeconomic disadvantages in a household that Probably wouldn't have been this abusive but certainly wouldn't be healthy". There wasn't really a good option for her.

[puppetmaster13u]

I wasn't going to do any designs for when the robins were older yet but I was sleep deprived and just started sketching, so have a Red Hood.

Au belongs to @phoenixcatch7 and you need to check them out <3

[hel7l7]

teenage girl problems when i'm 24 :)

[yearningaces]

Is it too much to ask this Halloween, to be surrounded by the loving embrace of a horrific nightmare of a sentient creature who adores me and is so gentle but terrifies anyone who dares to get close enough to see their visage? I'll wear a mask so I don't get scared either idgaf

...

Actually...

Did you know exactly what they were? No.

Did you even know what gender or even what creature? Also no.

But they were sentient, and they adored you. You'd been stuck in the darkness of an abandoned house the first time you met. Out of fear of what you were moments from seeing and fear of the situation of being locked in here by those who were supposed to be your friends, you covered your eyes.

And they appeared. Urging you to keep your eyes closed as they approached. Sometimes you'd feel massive paws gingerly guiding your blinded self. Sometimes it was harsh talons that held you with care. On the occasion something akin to a tail was placed in your hands for you to follow them as they wandered.

And as long as you keep your eyes covered and closed, they could remain close and adore you the way they demanded to.

And now any time it's dark enough you can't see, any time the lights go out or you so much as cover your eyes, you feel them reaching out. Some days it's a massive fur covered soft and plush form with a fang filled maw the size of your toreso nuzzling against you. Other days it's the lightest pressure of a miniscule figure sitting on your shoulder, curled up against your neck with leathery skin and a thin tail.

On the strangest days you feel like you're being held in a massive pair of hands, able to fit in the palms of your unseen companion.

And you never questioned why you needed to keep your eyes covered, until one day that is.

They felt similar to a bear today, massive, furry, chubby, and rumbling deep in their toreso as they held onto you while you both simply lounged on the forest floor.

You had a silk scarf tied around your head to cover your eyes, a gift they'd presented months ago. You saw nothing but could feel every touch and hear every soft adoring word they uttered to you in enamored affection.

Until they froze, their grip tightening just slightly and you heard footsteps approaching. But they didn't try to hide or move, they simply sat and quietly asked you to keep your blindfold on.

You didn't understand until you heard panicked exclamations from someone who must have just gotten close enough to see your companion.

And the screaming began.

Pained, panicked, throat tearing screeches as if someone was being driven mad rang out in the otherwise silent forest. Your companion placed a massive paw over the side of your head, covering your ear and pressing your other ear against their chest. The noise muffled as the screaming grew wetter and wetter, before devolving into a strangled gurgling sound. Eventually a quiet 'thud'.

And all was silent.

After a long time, they uncover your ears but continue holding you close.

"That is why you must never look upon my appearance, precious one." Was all they said, in the calmest tone.

You never found a body. They made certain you didn't. They brought you home and waited to leave until you were asleep, removing any trace of what happened because they were just so considerate of their favorite precious human.

Just keep your eyes closed, keep the blindfolds on, and you will be adored and treasured like never before for the rest of your life.

Not a terrible trade off, right?

[dxxtruction]

Do you think - all speculation here but let's indulge a bit anyway - do you think, from Armand's perspective when he's in all likelihood just heard Daniel voice his complaints and beg to be turned into a replacement for all Louis' lost, that that could be a part of his choice to then come in when Louis' on his neck? That a part of him was thinking... even if Louis is angry in the moment... that Louis would inevitably do it? (He could, at least?)

He kept him alive all this time. He'd shared with him things he never shares. It's morning and he'd still kept his attention. He's special, Armand knows without needing to hear it out of Louis' mouth.

And like, from his perspective does he see this replacement as the last thing Louis needs? Considering how well filling a void by making another vampire had turned out for him the first time. How he'd been filling a seemingly un-fillable void as it is. How he's unstable, and not in the right mind to be taking on such a responsibility. How it's a bad idea doomed to fail, only a more disastrous mess to clean up in the end if he doesn't stop this now. Or, maybe let's say he's only at all concerned with himself, Armand has many selfish reasons to want Louis to move on. So, he at least finds Daniel, the potential of Daniel, to be a threat because of what he'd be replacing - leading to Daniel as this wedge between something that was already splitting hairs as it was. Maybe it's a bit of both, and either way, whether it's a success or not Daniel poses something Armand can't handle.

Anyway it'll be interesting to see how, or if, they bridge the initial feelings towards Daniel on Armand's part with the Daniel we have now. Cause there's a lot of questions there. There's a strange sense of fondness towards him? At least this is something I'm seeing in their interactions so far.

[hasdrubal-gisco]

anyone else notice how a lot of real power has been returned to the modern equivalent of the priestly caste after having spent about two centuries in the hands of industrialists and landowners, returning to a social order resembling feudalism more so than early capitalism ?

[moonkit60633]

Weight

[weirdo09]

this black history month, please take time to learn about the crisis’ within africa

educate yourself with books, music, learn their cultures, their music, their food, their customs, their languages (native or not, your choice)

do whatever you can to make sure these people and their culture doesn’t die out

DONT LET THEM DIE ON US !!!!!!!!!!!!

[yergink]

yeah. the more i think about it the more i feel so firmly that izzy had to die in order for ed to be free of blackbeard.

[llycaons]

the summary for this book calls it 'a meditation on love' and not to sound corny but love is NOT what's going on here

[drop--pop--candy]

even BEFORE she took YET ANOTHER FUCKING STEP BACKWARDS and made me go another fucking mile on a compromise where she has moved half an inch. my sister volunteer to put the bags outside for me because getting to the place where we would be storing them is inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst for me (because, yk, disabled.) and that's not even considering the heat which i am extremely intolerant to. and my mother STILL FUCKING INSISTED that i help her with that. SHE LITERALLY OFFERED TO DO IT WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ON

[transingthoseformers]

Actually i love how the two factions were immediately prepared to treat their highest ranking generals like teenagers when they started to act like a pair of overgrown horny teenargers for each other

[anotherpapercut]

people acting like there isn't still very much an active stigma against cannibas and cannibas users is going to be my joker origin story

when i go to the doctor they still put cannibas use under the tab "substance abuse". not even just substance use. it is fully assumed that people who use cannabis, even as a prescription medication, are abusing it. just because you're friends with a couple of dumbass stoners doesn't mean that we've abandoned the idea as a culture that weed is a bad and scary and dangerous and highly addictive drug that will ruin your life if you use it once

[spacelesscowboy]

i’m so nervous and stressed about everything all the time i think i’m gonna die of a heart attack

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...