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theweirderofthetwo · 8 months

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Wanna feel sad?

This is the attitude aviators in general have towards Laurence and Temeraire one(1) day before the treason:

”Captains can choose whom they like; that has always been the way of it,” Jane said, ”but I will not say thare shan’t be a noise about it: you may be sure that as soon as the promotions are posted in the Gazette, I will be hearing from a dozen families. At present we have more likely boys trained up than places for them, and you have got yourself the reputation of a proper school-master, even if they did not like to see their sprouts on a heavy-weight: it is a pretty sure road to making lieutenant, if they don’t cut straps before then.”

…and a limp little Greyling: not Volly, but Celoxia, and her captain Meeks. ”On the Gibraltar route, I think,” Meeks said, to their inquiry, ”if he has not been broken-down again,” rather bitterly. ”I don’t mean to carp at you, Laurence; God knows you have done all you might, and more. But they seem to think at the Admiralty that it is like putting a wheel back on a cart, and they want us flying all the old routes again at once…”

Like I’m sure this isn’t representative of everyone in the corps, but they have definitely been accepted by more than just Lily’s formation. There are officers who have only met Laurence in passing who have decided that the weird navy guy is pretty decent actually and definitely is one of the aviators now. Maybe they think back on how worried and angry they were when they heard that a heavy weight had choosen an outsider for captain and laugh a little, because sure there were some issues at the beginning, but now they have a cure for the illness and a diplomatic soloution with China, so surely everything will settle back into business as usual. And Then.

#i really really need various people in the corps POV on temeraire & laurence #i have been thinking most about the people who join the crew in book 9 #but also about the different views on the treason #i think most aviators would say that the admiralty did wrong but t&l shouldnt have done what they did #some finding treason unthinkable. some less concerned with that but angry about how this will reflect on the way others veiw the corps #the ones who think they might have been right to do it but are quiet about it #maybe ones who thought it would be fair for their enemies to suffer the same pain and fear they had?#i wonder how many captain & dragon pairs thought the same as each other? how many assumed that they did?#how much discussion happened?#temeraire #(is Meeks a common name? because im pretty sure one of the navy officers they sort of kidnap at the end of book 7 is also named Meeks)#(i wonder if they are related?)

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summerrain123 · 24 days

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Antis who love to use the excuse of what happened between Anakin and Padmé in ROTS (not the force choke 💀) as proof that they’re not “compatible” because Padmé was against Palpatine and Anakin clearly wasn’t, think they’re real smart, lol. This argument can’t be further from the truth and that’s because, Anakin wasn’t against Palpatine, not just because he was being influenced by him towards the darkside, but also because he truly believed in the “good man” he always thought he was. If it also weren’t for the Jedi Council’s mistrust of Anakin and the poison being fed to him by Palps himself being added to Anakin’s already clouded perception then there’s no doubt he would’ve at least seen a glimpse of what others were seeing too. To Anakin, the Jedi were technically committing treason by asking him to “spy” on Palpatine, and this only added to Anakin’s confusion of what’s right and wrong. However, the moment and I mean the exact moment where Anakin discovers Sidious for being the Sith Lord, he immediately switched up on him.

If it wasn’t because Anakin was having nightmares about Padmé dying in childbirth with Palps being his only way to save her, he wouldn’t have thought a second about saving Palpatine or going to help him. At that point, he would’ve teamed up with the Jedi, AND Padmé, and the rebellion towards maintaining peace and justice within the galaxy. Anakin and Padmé’ views don’t much clash, they have the same set of morals, sense of justice, and strive for peace. They just believe in different methods. But this wasn’t enough to lead them apart, because other than the one time in ROTS which people love to use as an argument against Anidala saying it makes them “incompatible”, there’s literally never a time where they both don’t support one another in what they’re doing and what they believe in. They both trust one another and Anakin says as much in Queen’s Shadow (I know that’s Disney canon, but I felt like it’s worth the mention.)

Bottom line is: that it was circumstances and other outward factors that put Anakin and Padmé on opposite sides. Not because of who they were as people. If Sidious wasn’t hung up on getting his claws into Anakin, there’s no doubt that he’d 110% support Padmé, the Jedi, and the rebellion against Palpatine. So no, whatever went down here doesn’t at all make them “incompatible” 🤷🏾‍♀️

#anidala #padme amidala #anakin skywalker #star wars #also to point out that vader once dreamed in a comic of a “what if” scenario where he saved mace from sidious and padmé became chancellor #and they had their kid #feel like that’s all important and trivial to understanding anakin’s mindset #also the fact that anakin and padmé are the only two characters who want the exact same things as one another #have such similar mindsets #share the same passionate feelings and such else #haters really are tone deaf

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the-badger-mole · 2 months

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Sorry I’m asking a bunch of questions but I’m really interested in how you view ATLA

How would you have personally expanded on Mai’s character had you been a show runner for ATLA? Same with Aang.

What other major differences would you have made, and how would you have instead written Kataang if Zutara weren’t an option?

I would've been fine if the show ended with no romances, tbh. If Zutara wasn't an option, that's the route I'd go. That being said, if Kataang was my ONLY other choice, I'd say that Aang would have to have a growth arc. He'd have to confront his problematic opinions towards the SWT, and I'd love for it to be because he was called out on them by Katara in specific. He'd also have to come to an understanding of his friends' perspective on a war that he's only experienced a few months of and they've spent their entire lives worried about. He'd have to also have a reckoning with his beliefs as they come into conflict with the realities the world is facing. He'd have to be way more empathetic and supportive of Katara, even in her worst moments. Basically, he'd have to be a completely different character who just so happened to be named Aang in order for me to support Kataang at all, Zuko or no Zuko.

As for Mai, I think she's a lot more interesting as an antagonist than a hero. I'd have embraced her calculating and manipulative ways and gone with having Ty Lee be the one to turn on Azula. As it should have always been. She didn't need to be over the top evil, but I see her as one of those antebellum ladies who turned a blind eye to the suffering of others because their lives were comfortable. I'd have her be angry with Zuko for rocking the boat instead of falling in line with the status quo. But I'd also have her dealing with a deep rooted rage because, like those antebellum ladies, she was unsatisfied with her lot in life. Her poor treatment of servants would be focused on more, and her thoughts on her family's part in the Fire Nation's colonizing the world would be explored, too. In the end, she would want more freedom for herself, but still be a Fire Nation supremacist, and she would never forgive Zuko for his treason.

#atla #anti aang #anti kataang #anti mai #anti maiko

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pessimisticpigeonsworld · 6 months

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The stansas are apparently complaining that Stannis not supporting Sansa? Like, don't get me wrong, I don't like Stannis, but how does it not make sense that he'd support Jon over Sansa? Let's go through the heirs of House Stark and where they are right now.

Let's start with the boys: Robb is dead, murdered at the Red Wedding, and Stannis was planning on either forcing him to bend the knee or execute him. So he's out of the question. Bran and Rickon are believed to be dead, so Stannis can't support them.

What about the girls? Well both are married to his enemies, sort of. Sansa is married to Tyrion Lannister and has gone missing, so no, he can't support her, to support Sansa is to support her husband, a Lannister. And no, it doesn't matter that they didn't consummate the marriage, they are married, end of story. Then Arya is supposedly married to Ramsay Bolton, so also allied with the Lannisters.

Now who does that leave? Well Jon Snow, Ned's bastard who can easily be legitimized. Now I saw a stansa saying that since Stannis didn't support the Joffrey and his siblings, he shouldn't support Jon. Why not? Jon was raised in Winterfell, the lords all know him as Ned's son, and he has Stark blood. Cersei committed treason by having her children and trying to pass them off as Robert's. Plus, her sons have no Baratheon blood, therefore, no claim to the throne (and before anyone tries to drag in anything about a certain Velaryon succession, that was a different situation).

All this to say, no, it makes a lot of sense why Stannis isn't supporting Sansa. Jon is his best option to claiming the North, not any of the other living Stark children. Plus, this whole debate is pointless, Stannis is pretty misogynistic, I don't think he'd support either Sansa or Arya considering how he viewed the Dance of the Dragons.

#anti sansa stans #jon snow #asoiaf #stannis baratheon #sansa stark

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watchmorecinema · 7 months

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Yukio Mishima has been trending this week for uh, reasons. He was a world renowned Japanese author and all of his work is overshadowed by his actions on November 25, 1970. You might not want to read more about this guy because he is horrible and disgusting, but he's utterly fascinating and the movie about him is brilliant.

He's a really interesting character, to the point that he sounds fictional. He's gay, obsessed with ritualistic death, a right wing lunatic, led a private militia that was halfway to a cult, and also was a legitimately great author. His life is covered in the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and it's easily the most beautiful film I've seen in my life. Look at the stills I posted above; every frame of this movie looks like that. It's all just a series of beautiful paintings with people living in them.

The way the film is structured is that it tells the story of his life in three ways. His past is told in black and white flashbacks with static cameras. This is closer to how a movie from the 50's would look like (specifically ones directed by Yasujirō Ozu). The events of three of his books are told with this beautifully stylized look, with sets that look like stage plays. The events of November 25, 1970 is told in an almost normal fashion, with regular colors and competent camerawork. The past is nostalgic, the present is mundane and only in fantasy can you truly come alive.

Through this movie we see the ideology of Mishima coming through. His nationalism, his sexual feelings and his thoughts on beauty and death all come together. Death isn't just a violent and tragic end, it is in itself a beautiful act. Beauty is the only true goal of life and creating beauty brings honor. Growing old and ugly is an act of hate; to die at your peak is to give love back to the world. It is therefore treasonous to live long enough to die peacefully. He pities what heaven must look like now; when men died young and beautiful it was paradise, but now it is filled with old men.

This is an objectively insane way to view the world but it is also fascinating. How much of this was what he believed, and how much of it was just begging for attention? In one instance when asked why he moved to the right politically he said "because the left was full". It was a joke answer, but he clearly wanted to be in the spotlight. His shield society was a paramilitary group dedicated to living a virtuous life of beauty, honor and old ideals. It was also a group of good looking, athletic young men led by a (barely) closeted, conservative gay man. So much of his life could have gone differently but also he was pretty much in control the whole time; he was independently wealthy and revered on the world stage. He could do whatever he wanted, and apparently the way his life went *is* what he wanted.

What's special about Mishima, both in the film and in real life, is that he's a smart and eloquent guy. In films the guy with a crazy worldview is someone like Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver or D-Fens from Falling Down. Travis couldn't understand the alienation and loneliness he felt and he couldn't find any healthy solutions. D-Fens was smart enough but not emotionally strong enough to confront his problems or deal with them maturely. These are people that could benefit greatly from therapy (other examples include Joker from Joker, Rupert Pupkin from the King of Comedy, Frank Murdoch from God Bless America, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, Tyler Durden from Fight Club and so, so many more).

These are either 20 something year olds that are lost in the world, alienated and lonely, or 40 something year olds with a mid life crisis when they realize that everything has fallen apart. People who don't know where to go, or realize it's too late to change things. Travis Bickle had basically no friends, no family, no charisma with women and a lot of rage and anger. D-Fens lost his job, his self respect and was estranged from his ex-wife and daughter. These are people who's lives are shit at best (Patrick Bateman is a bit of a subversion. He is rich and successful, but his life is completely hollow, his relationships are shallow and he personally is very, very pathetic. I need to write about American Psycho later that film is great too.).

Mishima is different. He's smart enough to understand his issues and how to find help. He's got the money and means to do so. He's famous and rich enough that he could basically get away with anything weird or eccentric so long as it was harmless. On the world stage he was a popular author, and at home he led a life of political activism. If he was unhappy he could easily find healthy ways to fix it. His self destruction was the most avoidable of any of them, yet he's the only one that existed in real life. You expect these people to have serious personality flaws and unfixable (or seemingly unfixable) problems, not to be poetic writers that adhere to healthy living and regularly journal about their emotions, while enjoying respect from their peers and fulfillment in their work.

It's a hell of a film. Paul Schrader has not written or directed anything better (he actually wrote Taxi Driver too, so he had some experience with this type of character before) and it stands out as an incredible experience to watch. Like, Mishima's life is public knowledge and you can probably guess how it went, but I've purposefully not said what happened on November 25, 1970 because I don't want to spoil it. It's an event that actually happened but it's better for you to find out via the film than some wikipedia page.

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missglaskin · 2 years

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What if reader got killed during the dance, and the blacks and greens are blaming one another about her death. Like I imagine Cregan Stark will want Aemond's head as he blames him for stealing his betrothed and saying how if he hadn't taken her, she would still be alive. And the blacks would probably help him. Aemond would be torturing people who might be involved in reader's death. Otto would demand an investigation be done. Rhaenyra would have a breakdown from hearing the news and would want revenge. Daemon might try to burn King's Landing for this. I have a feeling Halaena will silently blame her family for reader's death. Everyone in the future will probably have a different pov on how the war went down. Like people from king's landing will blame cregan for ruining a love story, the north will blame aemond for stealing someone's betrothed. I wonder how Dany would view this event.

Book spoilers

Cregan will blame the greens, mostly Aemond. If the reader had been given to him as his betrothed, none of this could have happened. There will be a personal motive in his desire to demand justice. While the blacks may not necessarily agree with him, all that matters is they work together to rid of the greens.

Aemond is certainly not taking this well either. What was done to Riverlands will be childsplay on what he’ll do next. The reader was his wife, the love of his life. She meant so much to him, that it felt as if half of him was ripped away. There’s so much emptiness that he fills with blood and fire.

Aegon takes it the worst as well. There is the torn in wanting to meet the blacks out in the sky right there and then or to drown himself in his cups of wine. While he blames the blacks for what they have done, there is some blame in Aemond. If only had the reader been given to him, made the queen. No one would have touched her.

Otto will also reveal such a ruthless side to not only the court and realm. The line of those he had tortured and hanged is a never-ending one. Alicent and Helaena are utterly devastated. They spend most of their days grieving. Helaena with the loss of her son and now the reader may be the final nail in the coffin. Daeron, like his brothers, goes on a path of vengeance. Nothing can really calm him until he has won every battle.

When Rhaenyra was met with the news, as she did with Luke. She collapsed and soon the tears turned into rage. Demanding revenge and Daemon will gladly fulfill it for her. The wrath that Daemon unleashes makes the others pale in comparison. He will be feared causing so many innocent deaths and collateral damages that he pays no mind to.

Corlys and Rhaenys are utterly furious as well as stricken with grief. Corlys is hellbent on getting revenge. It’s his way of coping with the death of the reader. It gives Rhaenys some of the bravery to stand in front of Aegon and Aemond, letting them know the realm knows it’s their fault for it. Daemon also let it be known when he faces off Aemond. The two shout their blames before Daemon lands the deadly blow. Not to mention, Baela taking her revenge against Aegon.

When Rhaenyra takes the throne, she enjoys the sight of Otto being beheaded. She announces to the court one of his many treasons was being the cause the reader suffered her fate. All for the sake of his ambition. And it is what Aegon announces, blaming Rhaenyra instead when he has sunfrye eat her alive.

When the throne goes to Aegon III. Alicent is spared, but she’s forced to live with all her children dead. Mourning them and mourning the reader even more.

Aegon III finds it painful to speak of the reader, and the court never makes mention of her in front of him. His children come to know nothing of her from their father, instead it comes from how everyone speaks of her. From all the paintings, monuments, the songs dedicated to her.

This all left a strained relationship with Winterfill and King’s landing. The king’s landing has all their conflicting views, while Winterfell is adamant on blaming the Targaryens. When Cregan and Aemon the dragonknight meet. Aemon finds all that he thought was a tragic love story between the one-eyed prince and the princess hid many dark aspects. But no one believes Aemon, telling him it’s a lie told by the North.

The Targaryens continue to uphold those supposed love story. They lie about how the reader came willingly to the family. There are all sorts of theories on which side she truly took, and it depends on the person telling those stories. For one, the starks have never forgotten the ‘true’ side of the story and when Rhaegar stole Lyanna, it felt like history repeating itself.

#yandere concept #yandere house of the dragon #yandere hotd

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agentrouka-blog · 19 days

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It's weird how often Catelyn's virginity comes up in the books (LF telling the entire court for years that he took her maidenhead to the point where the Lannister brothers use it to downplay her vritue and honor .... disgusting man). I wonder how that is going to come into play with Sansa, since she now knows that Baelish believed he slept with Cat but actually took Lysa's virginity. Also crazy that one man's word has this much reach :(

What I find interesting is how irrelevant it ultimately is. No one is running a big smear campaign maligning the morals of the Tullys and the North or laughing at Ned. The biggest leverage that Littlefinger gets out of it is underscoring the level of trust and influence he may have over them. Catelyn is aghast at the moment Tyrion brings it up but doesn't spare it much thought beyond that.

So GRRM is introducing this idea not for itself but for the overall concept.

Sansa isn't shocked when she hears this or reflects on it later, either.

You said it was my mother you loved. But of course Lady Catelyn was dead, so even if she had loved Petyr secretly and given him her maidenhood, it made no matter now. (ASOS, Sansa VI)

Really, it reveals something about the flexibility of social mores in the right context. If pregnancy isn't an issue, a lady's virtue is mostly a matter of individual opinion. If everyone agrees it doesn't matter, then it doesn't matter. If someone takes issue with it, it gains importance. The same subject comes up for Sansa with Mya Stone, for whom this lost virtue is more of an issue because of her bastard status and how public she was about her attachment to Mychel Redfort.

Brune would be a good match for a bastard girl like Mya Stone, she thought. It might be different if her father had acknowledged her, but he never did. And Maddy says that she's no maid either. [...] Mychel Redfort was the one. [...] Mychel was the best young swordsman in the Vale, and gallant . . . or so poor Mya thought, till he wed one of Bronze Yohn's daughters. Lord Horton gave him no choice in the matter, I am sure, but it was still a cruel thing to do to Mya."

This is, incidentally, the exact same scenario that Cat knew would come to pass back in AGOT, also not judging Mya. Cat never judged Lysa for her mystery affair, either. And, fittingly, neither girl withholds sympathy for Mya in this. Nor does Sansa judge Myranda for her affair with Marillion. Love and pleasure both are justification enough.

(Meanwhile, she doesn't make the argument to Littlefinger's molestation that it's immoral in terms of sexual conduct, but that he's a) married, and b) could have been her father, and c) pleading to be left alone.)

I think this is less important in and of itself than in what it implies about Sansa's view of sexual virtue, which is a great deal more liberal than some might expect in a world where physical virginity is officially prized and the mere act of copulation has the legal power to determine the validity of a marriage.

This is the same book where Margaery is subjected to a physical examination of her maidenly status - which everyone understands to be ridiculously devoid of sense, as a "maidenhead" is vulnerable to all kinds of physical activities, such as horseriding. But it becomes evidence in a case of high treason (adultery) where physical virtue is tied to matters of state.

The tension between official and legal expectations of virtue and tacit acceptance of indulgence - duty and love/desire - is likely to continue to play a role in Sansa's arc, and both in the sense of temptation and indulgence, and in the sense of hypocritical legal technicalities rearing their head.

#sexuality in asoiaf #virginity in asoiaf #sansa stark #littlefinger #marriage in asoiaf #catelyn stark

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thevelaryons · 17 days

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I love how GRRM always positions various Velaryon brothers as having a close bond with each other. Although not much is known about some of the sibling dynamics in the family, when GRRM chooses to write about them, it is with a sense of brotherhood and unity.

Even in such instances where the relationship is only implied in the text, it is as a positive one. Aurane is a bastard and yet he integrates himself amongst the highborn without any issue, suggesting a somewhat polished upbringing in a castle. He also served in the Velaryon fleet, led by his trueborn half-brother Lord of Driftmark, Monford. It's mentioned in the books that bastard children are usually kept away from the family because they are viewed as a source of shame. It is considered very unusual for a bastard to be raised in a castle with their trueborn family (re: Jon Snow). But that could certainly be the case with the Bastard of Driftmark. His moniker does suggest a close association with house Velaryon which means he was not a bastard that was hidden away. Especially when you consider that Aurane, despite being very treacherous and self-serving, never once does anything against his brother's family. When he sets his sight on a castle he wants to claim, it is not Driftmark, but another castle. He sails his powerful fleet past Driftmark thrice and makes no move to attack the seat governed by his late brother’s son even though house Velaryon is in service to the rebel Stannis and Aurane is trying to ingratiate himself with the Lannister regime. Despite the commonly held belief that bastards will seek to harm their trueborn siblings, Aurane is not once shown acting against Monford or his remaining family at Driftmark. All his treachery is reserved for the Lannisters, who are more or less responsible for Monford’s death at the Battle of the Blackwater.

Addam & Alyn's relationship is a prime example of Velaryon brotherhood. Although the narrative presents their identity arcs as Velaryons differently (in relation to their parents), it’s done so in a manner that still connects the brothers to each other. Alyn’s actions are often framed in the text as a "what would Addam do in this situation?" way. They participate in the Red Sowing together and they clearly remained close enough to each other for the duration that Addam was quickly able to save Alyn's life. They get physically separated afterwards only because Alyn is bedbound from his burns. Alyn openly laughs in the face of a King who calls him brother and says that a "brother by blood" is the only true form of brotherhood. Years after Addam's death, Alyn still honors his brother with a touching memorial.

There are several instances of brotherly love shown between Jace/Luke/Joff as well. From defending each other from a bully to all three echoing each other in upholding their mother's claim, they are always in sync. The loss of a brother is expressed openly and the desire for vengeance too.

The more minor instances of brotherhood in the family further showcase this.

Sometimes it's as simple as hanging out together to serve as royal escorts:

Though Daemon Velaryon, as the Crown’s lord admiral and master of ships, was in King’s Landing with the regents, that did not prevent Jaehaerys and Alysanne from flying their dragons to Driftmark and touring his shipyards, escorted by his sons, Corwyn, Jorgen, and Victor.

Other times it's plotting together. The Silent Five may be committing treason, but they do that as a united front:

When they took their case before the sick and failing Viserys, they made the grievous mistake of questioning the legitimacy of his daughter’s children. Viserys had their tongues removed for this insolence, though he let them keep their heads.

.

Three of the “silent five” had died during the Dance, fighting for Aegon II against Rhaenyra…but two survived.

[...]

“Lacking tongues with which to make their appeal, they preferred to argue with swords,” says Mushroom. However, the plot to murder their young lord went awry when the guards at Castle Driftmark proved loyal to the Sea Snake’s memory and his chosen heir. Ser Malentine was slain during the attempt; his brother captured.

The Velaryon brothers who act within the law are also depicted taking action together each time. Interesting how it's not specified which of the two wishes to claim Driftmark for himself, over the other. They are partners in all that they do and that's all that matters:

All came forward now, insisting that they had more right to Driftmark than “this bastard of Hull, whose mother was a mouse.” Ser Vaemond’s sons Daemion and Daeron took their claim to the council in King’s Landing. When the Hand and the regents ruled against them, they wisely chose to accept the decision and be reconciled with Lord Alyn.

I just think it’s neat that regardless of the circumstances of the characters’ upbringing, whether trueborn or bastard, there’s a supportive bond between Velaryon brothers each time.

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appleandsnow · 4 months

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By your side

Summary: the 5 times Nikolai was by your side and the one time he wasn't

Tags: hanahaki au, enemies to lovers, childhood friends to lovers.

WC: 1400 words.

(i)

You're old enough to understand him but not old enough to know him. That's the age at which you learn to hate Nikolai Lantsov.

He sits in your spot in the kitchen, looking for all the world as though he were heartbroken and tired.

It was your spot because it kept you away from the work and bustle while giving you a perfect view of your mother - her being one of the many cooks/pastry chefs in the palace.

It was something you liked to brag about when other kids tried to be mean - that your mum was a valued servant amongst royalty but you never told them that she'd sneak you the badly shaped pastries or any leftover filling. That would lead to theft or worse - accusations of treason.

You were a child. Not an idiot.

So when you walk in with marbles in your hand and see the boy for the first time, you understand that he's the kid that stays indoors.

He looked like the kind of weed that kept his clothes clean on purpose.

No wonder his mother trusted him with clothing like that!

So when you sit in a different corner, you've already grown to hate the prince and when your mum gives him a well made pastry and you none, you hate him even more.

Nikolai knows exactly what to make of you as you sit away and send him glares and he hates you for it.

You're old enough to understand the second prince of Ravka but not old enough to know him; that's the age at which you learn to hate him

(ii)

You take to calling him "the delicate darling" when your mum insists on fussing over the boy.

It's true that he never came back to the kitchens but it's also true that the isolated instance was enough for your mum to take to him and worry about him.

You never call him that to anyone but your mum as the joke of the name was in calling him 'delicate' and no member of royalty was ever to be spoken of in terms of frailty. It could lead to you being imprisoned but that doesn't stop you from committing treason in the privacy of your mum's company.

When she peers around the door in an empty room and rushes to your side, you know there's been talk.

There had been talk. Of Nikolai.

Everyone had just found out of why the second prince had been so othered his whole life.

He was a bastard child.

No one knew what to make of the news but no one was surprised either. In hindsight, it seemed something too obvious.

What else could justify the constant sobriety where Vasili was so blatant and spoilt?

You stop calling him "the delicate darling".

Your mum notices.

(iii)

The second prince of Ravka; Nikolai is beautiful.

You're his personal servant and know of his reclusive tendencies better than anyone could hope to.

You spend hours and days carrying and fetching inks, pens, books, papers, maps and any snacks within palace bounds but there are days where you can't grudge his highness.

Some days, he was too beautiful to be blamed.

You had easily imagined him as a painting held on the walls for the centuries to come but now you could imagine him as someone the young ones would gawk at. Because you'd gawked at him.

Just once and then you'd made sure to stomp on the urge but you had doen it -much to your humiliation.

His highness had decided to go horse riding, making his mother weep for joy and call him 'wise'.

Truly. A family of idiots.

You'd gotten his things and brought the horse to hime. With practice, he took the reins and got onto the dreadful thing and though there had been no talk, he'd made you still.

The Prince; Nikolai was beautiful.

The navy against his skin.

His dark eyes against his fair hair.

He might as well have been a sculpture!

He rushes away and you're left standing there with a knot in your sternum.

Nikolai? was beautiful?

Nikolai was beautiful.

You shove the knot away and keep it shoved away.

(iv)

He befriends you.

or, in earnest, he let you sit down while he spent hours poring overlooks in the library.

You don't lounge like he does but at least you're sitting down.

Thenhe let's you take blank papers, then from his tea tray and then from his pile of foreign candy.

You don't dare to talk to him. It was far beyond you to risk your job but Nikolai was either unaware or unbothered of his treatment towards you.

It's one of the many days with his reclusive tendencies when he asks you something.

"What is it like? To go out with people while doing your duties?"

"I don't understand"

He notices the lack of judgement. Searching your face, he elaborates "My mother insists I befriend other royals but I don't see the charm of it? Wouldn't I be chattering needlessly then? What difference does it make when I don't like them?".

Any opinion here would be treason. To a prince no less.

You keep quiet.

He sighs. "I understand. What is it that your friends do that you can't do at work? Besides being honest."

It's hard to keep your faces still.

Neither if you succeeds.

"Nicknames. We have nicknames while we go about our duties."

"Call me Kolya"

You can't tell if he means to ask you that as a servant or a confidant.

"At least now; in private. Please?"

You hope he doesn't insist after this, so you indulge him.

"Kolya"

He's beautiful when he smiles.

(v)

Kolya.

A single invented word.

Kolya.

Somethjng he hasn't been called before.

Kolya.

Somethkng melodic.

Kolya.

A gift from a friend.

Kolya.

Him.

He wants to lock the word and keep it with him.

Tie it to a locket, maybe.

Burn it into his inner arm.

Something, anything to keep it safe.

"Kolya"

You don't miss that he fights a smile.

"Yes?".

Ever the prince.

"Why flying?" You keep your voice hushed and words restrained. He doesn't

"Well, corny as it is - I value my freedom"

"Flying is.... freedom?"

How could a prince long for freedom?

"You understand. Don't you?"

And now, you do understand.

The whispered 'sobachka'.

The backhanded compliments.

The snobbery that seemed to keep him apart.

The insistence on his 'blood rights'.

Freedom.

You hadn't thought of this before. Hadn't thought of having an entire world and no one to split with.

"Isn't the sky lonely too?"

You face away and school your expressions.

Someone had rustled in.

(vi)

He runs away.

Kolya runs away and all you feel is pride.

He does it on the pretext of exploring the forest for a few days.

He packs his necessities. Gets on a horse. And he's gone.

You know because he's told you so and asked of your help and because he said he'd leave you something in the forest.

Its as dusk falls that you set out on his trail.

You know that he won't risk your job, so, you agree.

In a few days, soldiers would be sent our with lanterns with the hopes that the prince was lost and lying face first and drunk in the dirt.

It would be bittersweet to be the only one who knew.

Right now, you follow his trail deep into the woods and find your gift.

It was a pouch of the foreign candy you loved more than Nikolai did.

Holding the tattered pouch, made precisely to look as unlike royalty as possible, you feel something swell in your sternum and up your lungs.

You don't cry.

You cough up petals.

#nikolai lantsov #nikolai lantsov x reader #sturmhond #sturmhond x reader #hanahaki au #enemies to lovers #5 + 1 fic

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harmonysanreads · 2 years

Text

Submission

yandere shikanoin heizou x shrine maiden!reader

wc: 1.3k+

cw: general yandere themes, some not sfw implications if you squint.

Sir Shikanoin visits too often.

A thought that was passed behind the other shrine maidens' sleeves, in hushed but made for certain people to hear voices. Her excellency, Sangonomiya Kokomi had agreed with what used to be but local gossip at one point, too. The Detective's recurring visits might've not been so strange if this had taken place even a year prior ; when the borders of Inazuma were still open for trading ships and foreigners—or, when Sangonomiya was still yet to announce rebellion.

Perhaps, it might've not been as suspicious if the Doushin's visits were simply to admire the views of said island, which would be far more understandable (but still weird) logical even so, to the locals of Watatsumi. You could've also continued with your plain life watching waves gently touch the pastel shorelines as if it were a teenager too shy to approach their adored, resorting to stolen glances and sheepish, fleeting encounters.

You wouldn't have paid any mind to the floating words around Watatsumi at present. You wouldn't have had to suppress a scowl as the detective passed by in all his bubbly and unbothered glory or have had to be subjected to the unwanted spotlight when he (much to your dismay) turned around and waved at you with the energy of a gorilla. But you knew better. The Doushin's repeated visits shouldn't have earned this much attention, too. You wished so greatly that you could ignore it, ignore everything like you know he was as well. But you can't, you can't console yourself or the locals with ruses anymore when it seemed like Shikanoin Heizou's appearances were repeated solely for you.

You could've continued your training as a shrine maiden uninterrupted, hand not shaking at the fraction when lighting up the incense every morning, as another whisper is exchanged behind your back. You might've not had to worry at all when strolling in the streets, ignoring the judging eyes that drilled your form from all sides.

You might've not loathed the Doushin as much either if he hadn't been so hell bent on bothering you from day one, if he left you alone to your afternoon poetry reading. Things could've escalated differently if he'd decided to ‘sight see’ at another time than in the middle of a civil war and after the sun had melted in the horizon.

But as with many things in life, not everything goes your way.

You couldn't blame the locals or your fellow shrine maidens. It was only natural for them to find the Tenryou Commission detective's behaviors questionable. They were normal people thinking, well, normally. Who wouldn't find a detective of all people loitering about the island stationing the resistance and simply doing nothing but interacting with just a shrine maiden instead of, oh, they don't know, investigating a crime scene? Hell, him coming here to spy on the resistance would've been far more rational than whatever this was. But after some careful watching, the Divine Priestess herself had concluded that he had shown no signs of such intentions.

So then, what other option do they have left but put the other person in question? This, you understood very well. But merely understanding never eased anything for you. How would it when you were being accused of treason in your own hometown, by the people who you grew up watching all your life? Your fellow shrine maidens' favourite pastime was now talking behind your back, the bookstore from which you'd purchased so much was hesitant to even let you in and all the people who'd asked for countless favours were reduced to a mere silent audience (were you that untrustworthy?). And so, you now had no one to blame and hate other than Heizou himself.

Your gut tells you he has some sinister intention and a part of you believes it, too. But when her excellency had personally called you for an audience and asked if his advances harboured any malicious intentions, you had abruptly stopped.

True, the detective would always pester you for a conversation or to sing him a song and even though your intuition screamed that he had ulterior motives—you couldn't speak up. What would you tell her anyway? Even Lady Kokomi knew that the Doushin had yet to spy on or sabotage the resistance or even take any action regarding that at all. He never even asked anything regarding it to you ; no matter how hard you tried to think of something, anything your mind would only remind you of that plaguing smile.

Ah, no wonder you had nothing to refute the gossips, the whispers and her excellency's sincerest queries with. Because you were guilty, too. It takes two to start a quarrel after all. Your dread increases further once you remember not pushing him away when he leaned in a little too close. Truthfully, the air of Watatsumi would not have carried any whispers if you hadn't unknowingly indulged him either, if you had rejected his requests for a song or if you bit your tongue from laughing at his stupid jests.

You, along with everyone had been too late to realize the game the Doushin had been playing all this time—huh, it's as if you'd forgotten the very vital fact that he was, after all, a shrewd detective whose mind did not function all that different from a master criminal. That was the last thing that came crashing down on your confused mind before Lady Kokomi's pitiful blue gaze was all you could reckon.

The waves this night hit the coral shores with a force you'd not seen from all your years in this island. Since when did the sea get so bold? Or was it the wild winds that had given it that courage? Although you knew that it wasn't advisable to be by the shores at the quiet of the night, that mattered little before this nightmare.

What was to be afraid of now, the raging waters that seemed so ready to devour you, that lulled you to give up? Or the unruly winds that nudged you to give in, encouraged you to listen to the sea? Had it been the eery moonlight that made even the overlapping shadows visible? You knew you should've just headed straight to your quarters, locked and jammed the entrance with heavy furnitures and wrapped yourself in a blanket til this nightmare ended. You should've begged the Divine Priestess to protect you, to maybe send you somewhere far, far away where you'd be safe from the hands that now rested atop your shoulders in what you could feel was more of a mocking embrace and the face that was so close to your own.

“Yet you didn't do anything.”

You close your eyes, in hopes that the next time you opened them, it wouldn't be that cheeky, haughty smile you'd see first of all. But the symphony of the waves and winds altogether continued to echo in your mind, drowning out the painful revelation ; why did it all suddenly feel so welcoming?

A chuckle. One you know too well threw aside the fleeting peace you'd found and you feel something soft, like skin resting against your cheek. You still don't open your eyes.

Click.

From an outsider's perspective, this view would've been so ordinary ; just a serene scene of waves touching the shorelines and the moon spectating a moment shared between a detective and a shrine maiden—if not for your wrists that were bounded in a handcuff.

Perhaps, giving into the sea's advances and following the winds' guidance might not be so bad now—and maybe that's why you didn't shrug off his embrace, as mocking or prideful as you can sense it growing. You open your eyes just in time to see the waves subduing, the winds being reduced to mere breeze as if your submission to him were all they wanted.

How pitiful.

Guess who took Kokomi's voiceline about him and ran with it lol goodluck to every one who's pulling for the detective boi! Heizou wanters will be Heizou havers<3

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guesst · 2 months

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I spy drawings with dragons!! tell me what is temeraire?

OKAY

so this is a book series set during the early 1800s -- the napoleonic wars -- except they also have dragons and the series is named after temeraire the dragon who hatches in book one and ends up being captained by a guy in the navy called captain william laurence .

actually i read the first book a year, maybe 2 or 3 years, back and then i decided to reread it recently because i remembered enjoying it for one specific passage --

-- which yeah reading it was just as consumption inducing as the first time around . like one of my favourite things about this series is that the dragons and their captains would do everything for each other (in pretty much every case anyway , cough) because it means you get what temeraire and laurence have going on (laurence reads temeraire books at bedtime and calls him my dear and gives up his captaincy for a life as an aviator and temeraire is perfectly willing to commit treason together) but , you also have dragons like -- spoilers, btw , hopefully u dont mind --

lien who is my favourite dragon probably who decides to destroy everything temeraire holds dear ever because HER person is dead cus of temeraire . i support womens wrongs .

the other thing i really really enjoy about it is the worldbuilding like the worldbuilding game is insane . im obsessed. interactions with and views of dragons vary wildly from region to region and the thought put into the battle formations, the DRAGON'S mindsets, generally how different nations treat their dragosn like its so impressive and i love it !! i live for it !!! and also as a side note i think the only other book series ive read where dragons are so integrated into society is the httyd series . i think its decently rare to find books like these where dragons are just sitting around and Nothing else in the world is different lol. anyway yeah this is all to say i love love love the series i cant wait to get my hands on the next few books and also the female aviators i forgot to mention them .. jane roland ........... shes so cool

#yellow’s mailbox #nine the ninth #temeraire

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sokkastyles · 1 year

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There's a Zuko line that always confused me from Book 1 episode 3. "If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." It just seems out of character considering what we learn about Zuko and Ozai in future episodes...like after episode 12 I have a hard time believing that Zuko would or could say something like this about Ozai so openly. What do you think?

I've talked about this before, and I have a few different theories.

One is you can chalk it up to early installment weirdness. Zuko's character maybe had not been quite so cemented yet and in this episode he is largely presented as egotistical. On my first watch of the show, I thought early on that Zuko had been banished for trying to usurp his father, and I think this episode was the one that led me to believe this. That's one of the beauties of the show's writing, we think Zuko is selfish and vain and then we find out that he actually was banished for trying to do the right thing.

Which also could be subtly implied in the dialogue here, because what Zuko says mirrors his standing up for innocent people both in that fateful war meeting that got him banished, and in the war meeting in book three when he says that the people of the Earth Kingdom are strong and enduring.

I don't think he's speaking out of respect for the Earth Kingdom here, exactly, but it's a subtle nod to the fact that Zuko knows right from wrong.

Which leads to another theory. Zuko doesn't like whatever subconscious realization he has that colonization of the Earth Kingdom is wrong, and is taking it out on Zhao. Which he can do because Zhao is not his father, and Zuko does not respect Zhao. What Zuko says is about his father but it's really being directed at Zhao. You can also interpret it as Zuko thinks Zhao is an idiot if Zhao thinks Ozai thinks the Earth Kingdom will fall willingly. He's insulting Zhao while not necessarily disagreeing with Ozai, but Zhao's interpretation of Ozai's plan. Surely his father has a smarter plan than that to crush those insubordinate Earth people!

This shows both Zuko's cognitive dissonance about his father AND his ability to voice what he knows is right because it's Zhao, not Ozai, and he feels more free to speak his mind. It is still interesting because it's a risk. Zhao already thinks he's leaning towards a traitorous mindset. It's an early episode that reveals that Zuko contains multitudes, whatever he is.

It's also a reflection of those words on the dagger Iroh gave him that became a big part of Zuko's personality: never give up without a fight. I think even here, Zuko admires the Earth Kingdom people for their endurance, and is expressing it in his way, like Iroh does when he makes that joke about burning the city down. It's a paternalistic view of this colonized nation which often does coexist with imperialist sentiment, like, oh, these silly foreigners and their resistance to our might! Not respect, exactly, but it paves the way for his later change of heart.

It could also be a reflection of what got Zuko banned in the first place, which was speaking treason to a high ranking officer who he disagreed with which he thought his father would back him up on, because he didn't fully understand just how awful his nation really was. And how awful his father really was, poor kid.

#zuko #zhao #ozai #the southern air temple

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saintmeghanmarkle · 1 month

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Trying to understand the implications if the children are anything other than 'naturally' conceived and H&M have lied about it by u/Economy_Stock137

Trying to understand the implications if the children are anything other than 'naturally' conceived and H&M have lied about it Lurking or a member since the sub was just a couple thousand. First post!I've been thinking about the things Lady C and Tom Bower have said about the children and the implications behind it. Based on what they have said, what would it mean if the children ARE genetically Hank's but not Mememe's? Donated eggs fertilized by Hank sperm and either carried by a surrogate or Mememe. As noted by others here, if it was a surrogate for Aldi, UK rules would require the gruesomes to adopt him. US surrogacy rules are different so adoption may not have been necessary for Lidl. According to the Settlement Act of 1701, an adopted child is ineligible for LOS. So if Aldi was born to a surrogate, he's out of LOS. Whether Lidl is out might depend on the surrogacy agreement.What if Aldi was born with a donated egg but carried by Mememe? In the US I'm pretty sure the child would legally belong to her and not need to be adopted. Any idea what the UK laws are on this? Then it occurred to me- if it was a donated egg and not genetically related to Mememe, would the child be considered legitimate or illegitimate? If the child born with a donated egg is not legitimate, it is also not eligible for LOS. I don't know anything about the laws in either UK or US about this. Anyone have any insight?Then the legitimacy question made me wonder- if the children are genetically Hank's but considered illegitimate because they are NOT the result of the married couple, are they still eligible to be Prince/Princess? There have been many royal bastards in the UK past and I don't think any were called Prince/Princess. These two have pulled so much crap, I don't put anything past them. So many questions, no straight answers anywhere. What do you think? Related- if they have deceived the RF over the origin or birth of either child, is it treason or fraud? post link: https://ift.tt/mf2UJiF author: Economy_Stock137 submitted: May 02, 2024 at 11:11PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

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captainswanapproved · 2 years

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Unpopular Opinion About That Scene in the context of Daemon's arc and Daemon x Rhaenyra's relationship - It Doesn't Matter

This will not win me any support, but here is my take on the confrontation scene.

Stans and Antis alike are all overreacting. I don't expect any different from the antis, but my friends and fellow stans of Daemon and Rhaenyra, the scene actually not a big deal.

In fact, in the greater context of the show, the "choking" doesn't matter at all.

Now, before all of you jump down my throat, your dislike of the scene is absolutely justified.

When we consume media, we bring our own personal experience into the consumption. If you felt triggered or uncomfortable by the scene, that is absolutely valid. If you want to forget it ever happened, that is valid. If you want to rave against the show runners because they included it, that is absolutely valid.

But I am going to try to analyze it objectively

Every one of Daemon's actions was, in my eyes, perfectly in character. From the moment Rhaenys arrived and announced Viserys' death, you could see the pain and devastation on his face.

He is certain, mistakenly so, that the Greens killed Viserys themselves. That is is BROTHER. The only person aside from Rhaenyra and his children that he loves. He believes his enemies have killed the king and stolen the Iron Throne.

He accuses Rhaenys of inaction, and he feels betrayed by his kin. Yet, he follows Rhaenyra's lead and does not accuse the Velaryons of treason.

Then Rhaenyra goes into labor.

Everyone knows that this will not end well. There is nothing Daemon can do about the outcome of the birth. What he can do is shore up their defenses and make plans so his wife and his Queen will be prepared to strike against their enemies when the time comes.

Also, he is in incredible pain himself, traumatized by Laena's disastrous birth, and probably his mother's too. And he is a man of action. He cannot just sit at his wife's side as the enemies are closing in. It is not in his nature. He HAS to act.

Yes, he sort of dismisses Jace coming to the Black Council with orders not to act. But he does not explicitly go against Rhaenyra's command. Instead, he does what he can do without flying with Caraxes to get the crucial support in the Riverlands.

He makes certain that the knights swear their allegiance to the Queen and her son. He shows Jace the true meaning of loyalty.

At Visenya's funeral & the coronation, his only focus is Rhaenyra. He is by her side at every moment. He is her strength. He places the crown on her head, kneels before her and calls her his queen.

Then we come to the bridge. He awaits Rhaenyra's arrival. He does not take matters into his own hands. and strike against Otto, even though he is sure that Otto murdered his brother and knows that the Hightowers stole his wife's throne.

When he snaps and wants to have the pleasure of killing Otto himself, Rhaenyra orders him to stop, and he does! He puts aside his own anger and lust for vengeance and puts down his sword. She is his queen and he obeys her.

Then we are in the council again. Daemon's wish for war and Rhaenyra's wish for peace is the main conflict between Daemon and Rhaenyra this episode.

He is frustrated with what he views as her vain hope for peace. Rhaenyra send everyone out of the council chamber.

Daemon is understandably angry.

But the thing of it is: Rhaenyra curbs his worst impulses, and I would argue that she always has. She expresses her reasons for wanting to hold the realm together.

He sees this as weakness, but as the viewer, we are made to understand that it is a different kind of strength.

I have seen Daemon be called an abuser, a wife beater, a monster and more. None of these are accurate.

He is at his breaking point and he grabs Rhaenyra, but it is not to hurt her. It is to make her come to her senses.

If he wanted to hurt her, he would have grabbed her with both hands, crushed her windpipe, and incapacitated her. He has the strength to do it, but he doesn't. He says that is brother is weak and foolish to believe in dreams. Also he is realizing that his brother never saw him as a true heir.

For a man who has been chasing his brother's approval his whole life, that is absolutely devastating!

Then he lets go, because Rhaenyra is not fighting back, she is not coming to her senses as she wishes he would.

And now, we come to why the choking doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because of Rhaenyra's reaction. She is not disgusted with him. She is not truly hurt. She smirks and mocks him.

He walks away.

Now to the aftermath, further establishing that this does single action does not matter in the context of Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship.

Corlys asks where Daemon is.

Rhaenyra has not told anyone, because she doesn't view it as an act of violence or treason against her. If she wanted to, she could have had him locked away or killed for laying hands on her. But she has already forgiven him.

She knows that he is occupied with going to awaken Vermithor. Because of course she does. I am sure someone told her. She's the Queen, and she knows what each of her councillors are doing.

Daemon still is not moving against Rhaenyra's orders. He is shoring up their forces because he knows this will come to war in the end. He knows that something will happen to force Rhaenyra to give up her hope for peace.

Now we reach the end. Daemon goes to Rhaenyra and tells her of Luke's death. He comforts her and she accepts his comfort.

They were divided, and they will surely disagree again. But Luke's death forces Rhaenyra to realize that peace is impossible. The Greens killed her son.

She said she didn't want to deal the first strike of this war.

Aemond dealt the first blow by killing her son who went to Storm's End as a messenger.

We see the fire in her eyes.

Now I will address the Inside the episode.

No one addresses the choking because IT DOESN"T MATTER. It won't be addressed. It has no bearing on Daemon and Rhaenyra's relationship going forward.

What matters is the clash between Daemon's wish for war and revenge and Rhaenyra's hopes to hold the Realm together because of the Song of Ice and Fire and because of her wish to not rule a kingdom of ash and bone.

But in Season 2, that dream of peace will be gone. Rhaenyra and Daemon will be on the same page again.

I still think Rhaenyra will be the one to restrain Daemon from his worst impulses. And even if he doesn't exactly follow her orders, he won't explicitly disobey them. Above all, he is loyal to Rhaenyra, even during the worst moments of his life.

Do I wish they had included more of Daemon's scenes? Of course I do. Matt is phenomenal.

Do I like that he took Rhaenyra's throat? No. But I understand it. And objectively speaking it is in character.

This is not being treated as abuse or violence against Rhaenyra in the context of the show.

And I honestly think the show runners and Matt and Emma will not address it. Because in the context of the greater story, IT DOESN'T MATTER.

You can argue all you want that it was rushed and OOC. In media, there is no one correct interpretation. Was it the best writing choice? No.

Do I hate Daemon and believe he is the worst character in the show and that Daemon and Rhaenyra stopped loving each other? Absolutely not.

Do I think many of the stans are overreacting? Yes. But you are entitled to your feelings and opinions.

What I'm saying is that that I believe it will not be addressed in the show moving forward, and because of that, it doesn't really matter.

If you disagree with me, that's fine, but like all of you, I am entitled to my opinions and interpretations.

Daemon and Rhaenyra still have the strongest relationship of the show. And I am excited to see them burn together and commit war crimes in Season 2.

#daemon x rhaenyra #daemyra #hotd spoilers #hotd meta #daemon targaryen

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moebiusx9 · 1 year

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One of my fav things about Hakuno is the fact that the Heroic Spirits that have the highest compatibility with them are the ones who are seen as evil or morally gray in any sort of way. Anti Heroes.

Nero

Tamamo

Emiya/Nameless

Gilgamesh

All four fit this. Nero and Gil are tyrants, Tamamo is a disastrous yokai who toppled multiple kingdoms, and Nameless was a man who killed for what he deemed as right.

Then in Extella you get Altera, the Hun that destroyed civilizations (and is also a crazy alien giant) and Charlemagne, while probably the most morally correct of Hakuno’s servants, is still someone who conquered his enemies ruthlessly if they didn’t conform to Christianity and his rule.

It’s why I’m so particular about Hakuno’s servant choices in Dread:

Lancelot

Nobunaga

Edmond Dantes

Billy the Kid

Enkidu

Daji

Daji has the same reasons as Tamamo, Edmond is a man falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit and dedicates most of his freedom after his imprisonment to brutally punishing those responsible out of vengeance, Lancelot is at heart a good person who committed an act of treason so substantial that it toppled his entire kingdom, Billy is a famous feared outlaw, killing many men by the time he was a young adult, Nobu’s conquered Japan through fear and forced it’s people to bow to her or they would die, and Enkidu is an inhuman weapon made by the gods who abandoned their purpose and in turn, humiliated a goddess, resulting in their death.

I love this pattern as each fit Hakuno very well to different degrees as someone who they themself view as an evil person, with most of their choices and actions stemming from their own selfishness.

I could ramble about this forever but I also think servants like Morgan, Cu, Arjuna, and perhaps even Artoria to a certain extent could also sync with them well.

(Granted Artoria doesn’t really fit the criteria at all but I can see some similarities in her and Hakuno’s lives)

#hakuno kishinami #fate/extra #fate/dread #Fate AU #nero claudius #tamamo no mae #daji #heroic spirit emiya #gilgamesh #enkidu #billy the kid #lancelot #edmond dantes #arjuna #morgan le fay #artoria pendragon #cu chulainn

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aleksanderscult · 5 months

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I think i remember leigh writing something along the lines of that 'wanted best for his people and he was a tyrant' etc, basically a nuanced view. Do you have it? I don't remember where it was.

I think you mean this, right?

It's from her acknowledgements on "Demon in the Wood" (graphic novel). If this is not what you mean, tell me.

She always gives a very nuanced characterization about him which makes me mad because I don't understand her point of view for him at all. It only confuses me more.

"I want the readers to make their assumptions about him. I don't want to affect their view of him". Look. If you give your own opinion of him which will consist of ten pages then it's going to be the reader's problem if they want to "adopt" your view or not. Also, your readers are not stupid. They can distinguish their own assumptions FROM your own opinion. And if they can't, then they're not fit to read books and complicated characters. It's called critical thinking. You take an opinion, read it, see if it makes sense with the canon we have from him and make your judgement. Easy peasy.

Now about that note. I agree that Aleksander isn't purely a hero or a villain. He sees himself as the hero while Alina and the others see him as the villain. We, the readers, mostly see him as something in-between and, at the same time, something entirely different. A human that has lived for too long and as a result of his immortality and tragic events he has reached a point of desperation that make him act relentlessly against the corrupt monarchy and in favor of a persecuted group of people and a country that he has lived and loved for almost all of his life.

Therefore, his characterization is (I believe) something more than the archetype of "good hero" and "bad villain".

Is he a survivor? Yup. In all the meaning of the word.

Does he want safety for his people? Isn't that why he didn't give up on life already? It was the ambition that drove him the most and kept his heart beating.

Is he a tyrant? I think that term needs to be studied. Back in Ancient Greece this word had different meanings.

1) A ruler who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. The Darkling did that (good for him).

2) A person who rules without law, using extreme and cruel methods against both his own people and others. If Leigh means that then I'll have to disagree. First of all, we didn't see enough of the Darkling's rule to know if he was that cruel (unless she knows something we don't). And even from what we saw, it seems the word doesn't apply to him. He was sitting on the throne and listening to reports, signing paperwork, making an alliance with his enemy to feed his army. So where it the "cruel methods against both his own people and others" came from? He didn't have a beef with otkazat'sya that lived in Ravka and he certainly didn't want to hurt his own Grisha (unless they committed treason). So Leigh just threw that word in like it was nothing.

And, lastly, he brutalizes and exploits those who trust him most.

Brutalizes. Hmm....

Genya: she committed treason so he punished her.

Sergei: he committed treason so he punished him.

Baghra: committed treason so he punished her (and very lightly actually).

Yeah.. right...umm. Look. If he had attacked them or killed them for literally no reason then I would say "Yes, he brutalized them". But there was always a reason for his actions against them. He didn't see Genya on board and said "I'm bored. Gonna ruin your face 'cause I've got nothing else to do".

And he exploits them.

To exploit someone is this:

If my memory serves me correct, his soldiers (his Grisha) knew what they were serving him for. And he didn't use them for something completely selfish like "gaining power for myself because I like it" but he needed power to make Ravka better. So he didn't do it for selfish reasons.

The one instance where the term "exploit" may apply is when he gave Genya to the Grand Palace knowing what a pervert the King was. But then again, wasn't the Queen's responsibility to keep her safe?

#god I've missed analyzing #I need to finish my “Demon in the Wood” meta as well #also it's kinda funny how I have literally every piece of the Darkling's mention from Leigh's interviews etc.#the amount of search I've done for him is crazy lmao #anon asks #the darkling #pro darkling #aleksander morozova #pro aleksander morozova #leigh bardugo #grishaverse #shadow and bone #grishaverse trilogy #genya safin #baghra morozova #sergei beznikov

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