[OF FINE-DINING RESTAURANTS AND COME UP WITH PLENTY OF RECIPES. BUT THE FRIED PICKLES MAY BE HIS BIGGEST HIT YET. DO YOU THINK, IN THE WORLD OF DEEP-FRIED PICKLES, YOU'RE DOING IT THE BEST?]

Eurydice to Orpheus • Nov. 2023

eurydice’s silence is resounding. you can put anything in that emptiness. —@finelythreadedsky

Thinking once again about this

“Red Bull has probably come to the realisation that the only driver who can replace Daniel, is Daniel.”

SUCCESSION

4.03 “Connor's Wedding" | 4.09 “Church and State”

Another reason why the whole "forced marriages" concept (that Rhea haters ate up like pie) is bullshit.

Speaking for Faerghus, since this seems to be an issue players point the finger at Faerghus for, it's just... not true? This NPC does understand there are political implications to his marriage, but he wasn't forced into it and neither was his wife. They married for love.

The only known case of an arranged marriage prospect within Faerghus' known cast is Ingrid, and that's something Ingrid has taken on for herself as well. She knows her lands struggle with crops and that her people go hungry. She's choosing to deal with a non-romantic marriage for her people.

But what about Glenn, you ask? There are two aspects to that:

The marriage was arranged when Ingrid was born, but it's worth noting the marriage was arranged between Gunnar and a childhood friend's son. She wasn't just being married off to just anyone. It was both a childhood friend (who Gunnar clearly had deep trust in)'s son, but also a family member of the royal family's right hand family. But what about the Houses paralogue, you ask? Gunnar wasn't aware of the man's crimes, but as soon as he found out he rejected the proposal. Gunnar cares about his daughter's happiness and wellbeing. The only reason they're searching for a marriage candidate is because Galatea lands desperately need the financial support.

Ingrid is the only case we know of where she's being "married off" (her endings rebuke this entirely anyway because she does end up marrying for love if paired with someone). Nobody else in Faerghus had a marriage forced or politically forced on them (and frankly I still fail to understand how the Church is supposedly at fault for concept of this being the case period anyway). Dimitri, the literal prince and at the time of birth immediate heir to the throne, was never forced to marry. Felix has never been pushed to marry. Sylvain has never been pushed to marry (despite how important it is that they continue that bloodline). Annette, a female, has never been pushed to marry.

In other words, the major political players have never put their kids into arranged marriage with a single exception of necessity for one family (Galatea), and in Rodrigue's case with Glenn, it was done with a childhood friend's lands' welfare in mind. Gunnar could have married Ingrid to anyone at any point, but the most important aspect of it is that when it was arranged without her say so (i.e. at her birth), it was done with the son of a man who Gunnar trusted implicitly.

After Glenn died, Ingrid was plenty old enough to have a say so in who she might be married to. Presumably the issue wasn't pushed on her for a while after Glenn died for emotional reasons, but once they tried again, Ingrid had a say in things. Her father sent her letters specifically for her input. No, she doesn't want to marry for political reasons, but she understands how much her lands need it. Still though, her father won't force her to marry some scumbag. If she tells him she won't marry someone, he accepts that.

In other words, the only argument that can be used for "forced marriages" falls flat on its face. It's not a regular practice in Faerghus. None of the heirs to specific territories are being married against their will. The only instance we know about isn't so extreme that Gunnar is just going for it and picking the best dowry without considering his daughter's happiness and health.

The one time it was decided before she was old enough to give her input, Gunnar didn't need to "consider" marriage prospects and be unsure who to pick, because it was planned between two old friends who trusted each other and presumably felt that their child would be safe with the other family in question.

My biggest problem with people saying this claim is supported is that for the most part, people just take Claude's words in GW at pure face value and assume it's absolute, definite truth when he gives nor has any evidence to back it up (mainly because he blames it on the Church, which still doesn't make sense because such things are out the Church's jurisdiction. No amount of "seeing what the world is like without Rhea" is going to change Faerghus' politics, so even if his claims were true, Claude would have to go talk to every single individual territory within Faerghus to realize the truth if he's that dead set on his view of this, as each territory does its own thing politically).

He brings it up like it's a fact in Faerghus, which as I've said before, he has literally no knowledge whatsoever about Faerghus, and it shows. He doesn't even know extremely basic things, such as the previous king literally dying in the middle of making friends with a foreign land. He knows that Lambert died in Duscur during the Tragedy, and that's... basically the extent of his knowledge and understanding about it. For some reason though in Hopes, he thinks he understands Faerghus as well as he understands Almyra.

It's also annoying because in Fodlan games, a character can just say something - literally anything at all - and it's eaten up immediately and taken at pure face value with no thoughts actually put into questioning its validity. And before anyone says "but Dimitri didn't argue this in Zaharas!" yeah, I'm aware, and I feel that was a huge reason why that chapter, trying to be the "we fight as allies this once" chapter, was a total flop, aside from other things (particularly in the SB/GW department with Dimitri and magically wanting to "talk things over" with someone who had just murdered one of his dearest friends mere hours ago tops in SB, or in GW where politics would demand more from him).

The games have a problem with trying to introduce false concepts through characters who don't know better (i.e. introducing incorrect perspectives that we're meant to understand are just perspectives and not the truth nor fact) but then not refuting those claims, despite the game itself as the story progresses outright denying those things, whether outright or passively (in the latter's case, again, other important political figures having no talks of marriage on the table at all).

In the screenshots, the NPC is aware that politics have to get involved with his marriage, but he wasn't forced to marry and neither was she. Not only does he mention it, but he wants people to know they married for love. He's basically saying he doesn't want people to misinterpret their reasons for marriage (wanting land, wealth, etc).

In Ingrid's case, it was started with that goal in mind, but it started out in safe hands. After that she always had a say in who she might marry, and ultimately didn't marry for political reasons. The one person who was possibly going to marry for political reasons in Faerghus and not out of love ends up not even doing that.

Honestly, in Claude's case, I feel like he was just written with no purpose in mind except to rock the boat unnecessarily, because everything he claims in regard to Faerghus is purely speculation on his part. He knows absolutely nothing about Faerghus (in both games, but his ignorance in Houses isn't malicious, whereas you could argue in Hopes he's attempting to overthrow what he believes are their systems when even if they were, it would still be none of his business) but talks like he's lived there or spoken to its people who make the decisions he claims are happening.

Also, the concept of Dimitri being forced to do this that and the other thing are just... not true? Dimitri is happy to be able to help others and make reforms for his lands. He likes that he's able to have the power to make good change and help people. He knows that you need a certain degree of power to be able to push things in a better direction and to have a voice. By having the most important voice, he can make other voices known that otherwise would not be. When people have no choice but to listen to the king, he can demand that other voices are heard.

Even in his A support with Shez, he believes his happiest moment will be when he dies after dedicating his life to "a peaceful kingdom full of joyous citizens". I get the whole "but he isn't living for himself!" side of things, but this part of this post is specifically about how Dimitri is supposedly "forced" into doing things because he's king; but plain and simple, he wants to be king because by having the highest power in his land, he can make positive change happen

"This bad thing is happening in the Kingdom!" Well now he can change that. He wants to change things in his land for the better, and he understands that his position is a necessity for that. That's why he's so upset when he's "rendered powerless by age" in Houses, i.e. can't ascend the throne yet. He wanted to make change and couldn't. He wanted to do right for the Kingdom, but he couldn't yet.

Basically what I'm saying is that people keep using Claude's Hopes rhetoric as "fact", but literally none of it is. It's all based on the most severe amount of ignorance in both games and him for some reason believing that he knows jack shit about Faerghus. That includes the marriage "issue", which while I'd say it may exist in Adrestia (ex. Bernadetta being planned to marry Ferdinand), does not exist in Faerghus as any sort of "issue".

I don't recall if it's really even present in Leicester? So either... Claude just pulled that argument out of his absolute ass, or he's seeing an issue in Leicester and for some reason assuming his country's politics are every country's politics, which is, again, total ignorance (and he makes no effort to ever found out if any of that is true).

I did what I always do when I get this storm anxiety and I watched goofy videos and reels all day and today ha get like three days and also I’m just so so so stressed about tomorrow night cause my whole family is gonna be split up around the county and I’m so so…. Not ok.

wip wednesday

Taking the opportunity from @piratefalls for the tag! Even if I just start the year out strong (like this year lol), I would like to get this fic out before I fall totally apart [snorts]

Derek’s standing at the door, counting the pack out under the guise of being an attentive host, when Stiles pivots, plops down on an ottoman that’s only recently been repurposed as an extra chair because Derek (reluctantly) has that many people now, and sprawls out as though his mere presence is as good as planting a flag.  He tries not to stare as Stiles reaches into the dregs of a plastic bowl of cold and mostly unpopped popcorn, dropping it into his open mouth without much effort at precision (or embarrassment about the lacktherof).  Derek hates that he’s so aware of him, so aware of all of them, counting them in his space, resenting their greedy breaths that seem to steal air reserved for his lungs. He’s trying to welcome them under his guard, but it’s hard when that welcome is suffocating. “I’m staying,” Stiles tells him, and Derek’s shoulders pull in as his teeth loudly crack a kernel.  Stiles sits up straighter, drags the same book from earlier into his lap, and says, “We’ll figure something out.  There’s endless information on vampires; some of it has to be relevant, right?” Derek takes a breath, because he can, tells himself that again when his vision starts to narrow, and looks pointedly to the stack at the end of the table.  “That doesn’t excuse you bringing those.” Stiles continues to leaf through the tome on his lap and hums.  “If any of the Twilight series ends up being relevant, you owe me a Dilly bar and an apology, okay?” Derek rolls his eyes. * Derek walks back to the edge of the lake.  Stiles is still soaking, blinking, sluggishly bleeding when Derek thrusts his gas station purchase into his hands.  He’d gotten some looks, his appearance closer to an pint-sized swamp thing than a paying customer, but the ten dollars left for a dollar fifty purchase had stopped anyone from mentioning out loud the puddles he’d left in his wake. Stiles blinks some more, carefully reaches for it, plastic crinkling under his fingers, the last two nails already bruised purple.  His lips tilt up at the ungainly, permanent-markered scrawl of ‘SORRY.’  The plastic had creased and bunched under Derek’s hand, the skeptical attendant tracking everything he did with the borrowed Sharpie and adding an unwelcome level of scrutiny.  In the end, the word looked childish and messy but it kept his promise.  Stiles unwraps the Dilly bar, takes a huge bite, shivers, and says, “Apology accepted.”

no pressure tagging: @andavs, @rosieposiepuddingnpie, @kikiroo, @callunavulgari, @wolfspurr and anyone else who wants to! Like Kel said, just tag me if you saw this and got inspired to post :)

hhelp wait this is so funny. didnt you follow me forever ago after a scott themed october song analysis . sorry if you dont remember that and this ask doesnt make sense but this is still funny to me

hi!!!! yeah. it was the cherri crane lives art i think and also where you made your flower husbands tag! I have never really interacted with fh outside of you (and like, seeing pretty fanart) but i am nonetheless deeply invested in your interpretation specifically!!! I honestly haven't watched jimmy outside of rats and the beginning of empires2 either i genuinely have no clue what they get up to you just seem to have a lot of fun with it

Also what is going on with the Daydreaming One??? She has a sister but can't remember her name to the point that she believes she's an only child. Did the sister went to that island in the north that mysteriously disappeared that no one can say the name of anymore? Is that also the island where the king came from cuz whenever you beat him, he keeps saying how he still can't say "it." What's "it"?

Finished chapter 2 earlier! So far, haven’t made too many significant changes beyond rewording passages that needed it, but I think the next chapter will be when I start making some big(ish) changes

snorked up white boy with a little bit of mimi

this is so embarrassing but i understand old people now jesus fucking christ

i had one of the highest fucking grades in computers in high school and now its been so long since ive ever had to actually use a browser i have frustrated myself to tears trying to find the options menu and i cannot. express to you. how humiliating that is. cannot express to you how bad that hurts my brain and my heart, oh my fucking god. its literally been like 7+ years that ive only had to use my phone and now i have to fill paperwork online and Mother Fucker. God Fucking Damn It Shit the Fucking Bed,

sorry for all the weird personal and/or rambly text posts! and also for posting like 12000000 in two minutes and then not at at all for 12000 years and so on. this is another dumb one so by way of apology i offer this doodle of a mysterious and handsome stranger (shh they’re in disguise)

How you came to be (Patreon)

Glad to see we’ve all been going feral over the news :D Thank you for the kind words (and abundant theories)!

Also, um, hello to all my new followers 😳 I’m glad you like what I’ve shared so far, and I hope you enjoy what I’ve got in store for the future!

Stay hearty 💪💚