#lowborn rambles

[rustic-lowborn]

Let's talk about the live action httyd. I liked it and yall are being mean.

I watched the live action a few days ago and I feel like it was a good adaptation. Hot take I know. After watching the movie I ventured on hellsite to see what was the general opinion of the move and was surprised when most everyone hated it and honesty I didn't understand why.

Let me state that this is my opinion and I'm not trying to change anyone view on the movie yall are entitled to that.

Anyways, there are a few reasons why people don't like the movie:

1 Astrid was too mean

2 they added unessarh lore to the isle

3 they removed a joke that forshowed the ending

There are more but theses were the main ones I've seen repeatedly.

"Astrid was too mean to hiccup" is one of the the many reasons why most didn't like the movie and to that I say everyone is mean to hiccup. In the original movie hiccup is arguably treated worse. Astrid making a comment about ' taking his house' in the live action isn't being too mean.

It's in character if the line was said in the original none of yall would even bat an eye, when Astrid said that line it was when she actively disliked hiccup and thought that he was weak and getting special treatment because his father is the chief.

Honestly the whole 'astrid is too mean' comes off as a bit racist, cuse Astrid in the original movie is white and was allowed to hit and demean and threaten hiccup but now it's ' too mean' when the live action Astrid dose the same thing?

Point two the unnecessary lore about the isle. In the meeting hall scene of the live action stoic give a speech about how 'the best of each tribes came to berk to defeat the dragons.' It was added to explain the diverse casting. Tbh I liked the live action version better than the original. Stoic in the live action seemed like a real leader trying to keep the community together. In the original it was a joke about how nobody wanted to babysit hiccup.

I feel like the original movie is meaner to hiccup, he's always ridiculed and talked down at to and behind his back the meeting hall scene is one of the many examples, it's played off as a joke but all of those adults would rather die than be around hiccup ( and live action astridnis too mean)

the original move is much more upfront about how everyone wanted hiccup to change and after a certain point it gets uncomfortable. The live action softens this aspect of the movie and it's better for it.

Three, the live action writes the ' we're vikings it's an occupational hazard' and the ' vikings arnt fierproof' jokes out apparently it'd really important forshowding for the ending of the movie. Both movies end the same, both movies hit important emotional beats the incluse or lack thereof doesn't cheapen the ending.

I feel like the httyd fandom is to beholden to the animated movies, yall have a tendency to nitpick and honestlyit turns away new fans and returning fans.

I get that people are tined of the endless live action remakes thar bastardize their animated originals but the live action httyd is one of the rare good ones.

The live action isn't as bad as yall so desperately want it to be. This movie is good for the fandom, it brings in new fans, and even have them watch the original movies as well. I know rewashed the first httyd movie just to compare not with the live action and I had fun doing it.

I liked spotting the differences between the two movies and I liked how faithful the live action is to the original as well. The live action isn't a soulless cash grab you could tell by every frame in live action movie that everyone who worked on it loved the original. Seeing how well done this live action made me exited to see how they would do the other 2 movies.

I wanted to gush about the live-action movie, I wanted to re-enter my httyd hyperfixation but seeing the nonstop and borderline hivemind hatred for this move turned me away from the fandom and that's really ashame.

TLDR: the live-action movie is really good and made with care and respect for the original and yall are just mean.

[jon-sedai]

What makes the legend of the last hero stand out among the more prominent messianic figures in the story is its ‘every man’ sort of feel. The Prince That Was Promised can only ever be royal - since the existing requirement is to be born of Aerys and Rhaella’s line, who ruled as king and queen. Azor Ahai is interpreted in story as being related to a king. Yet the last hero was just some guy. His tale has been passed down across millennia, but he himself remains anonymous. We don’t know what family or region he came from. He may have been low born or high born, it doesn’t really matter. And what’s most interesting is how GRRM chooses to parallel his story in the published material. Waymar Royce, Bloodraven, Coldhands, Sam Tarly, Bran Stark, and Jon Snow all serve as narrative mirrors for the last hero. But there’s are quite a few differences. Waymar Royce is a highborn lord, but Jon and Bloodraven are bastards. Jon Snow is the typical fantasy warrior, yet Sam and Bran are GRRM’s deconstructions of what it looks like when a boy who doesn’t fit the chivalric ideal of knighthood gets to be the hero. Jon and Bran are also especially noteworthy because they are at the heart of one GRRM’s core thesis statements:

 “I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things.”

So as a propaganda piece, I'd imagine that repeating this tale goes a long way. Imagine you're some unassuming kid from Flea Bottom. You'll never be the promised prince because you're not related to the king. It's a bit hard to be Azor Ahai because where in seven hells will you get dragon eggs, and how will you attain the magic required to bring them to life? But then you COULD be the last hero. Regardless of who your parents are and what type of blood you've got, you too can gather all your friends and go on a hero's journey. And isn't that what children's dreams are made of?

[jellolegos]

Can I just say I looooooove your pregnant!Rhaenicent + Syrax fanart ♥️♥️♥️

Do you have any headcanons of what Jace would be like if Alicent helped raise him? I’m thinking the same but now whenever his mom does something stupid his other mom back him up 😋

this about summarises their relationship i think.... (below the cut for a more serious yap)

I don't really have a cohesive thought for all of this but here is some rambling...!

I think one almost impossible to answer as in many ways their relationship with their children and/or parent is so much defined by canon events that it becomes impossible to separate them from it (Ship of Theseus or whatever the kids are saying...). For Alicent that is the fact that her children were the product of marital rape, and for Jace the fact that he is clearly a bastard.

However, as an alicel I think there is something very charming about imagining her in as a father figure, I think that she fits the bill at least more than rhaenyra does: she is overprotective, emotionally distant, and unable to really connect with her children. I also can see it as a natural extension of the way that Otto treats her more as his first-born son than one might expect him to treat his daughter!

As with a lot of my favourite feminine-leaning sapphic characters, it can be an interesting exercise to try to untangle their femininity, and performance of it, from the circumstances which require them to perform it (Caitlyn, Asami Sato, Lena Luthor, etc.). Alicent occupies this very strange middle ground where she is not highborn enough to be able to express discontent with her gender (at least while she is young like Rhaenyra is/can), but not lowborn enough for the rigidity of that role to be erased with the realities of survival, which we see briefly with the relationship between Ulf and his wife in the show.

For that reason, as much as we see Alicent as traditionally feminine, at least in contrast to Rhaenyra who more expressively chafes with it, one of the most interesting parts of season 2 was seeing Alicent unpacks the neatly slotted boxes of 'wife' and 'queen' after Viserys dies. It is one thing for her to read about the knight and the lady, to believe her duty and suffering as a necessary part of her fairytale role as queen, and another to see it in the 'after' of 'happily ever after'. I think a lot of that interior work will have to be shelved for season 3 in favour of the large battle pieces and more political side of the show, but I thought it was a wonderfully contemplative side storyline. I think a lot of the criticism was that the season was 'boring', but I found it to be a very original and wholly unexpected take from Fire and Blood.

I guess to actually answer your question..I would really like to think that Alicent would love whatever kids Rhaenyra had, in a modern universe :) I do, as always, kinda waffle back and forth about Rhaenicent kids, but I think she would be overbearing and strange and love Jace completely. Not that it matters but I have deifnitely been pulled a little to the direction of Rhaenyra carrying the kids!

I kinda love the moments in the show where Jace mirrors Alicent, whether or not it is done intentionally, and wish we saw a little more Jace in fandom (so I decided to be the change I wanted to see in the world!). I would hope that a lot of the angst related to his parentage would be solved in a perfect world too.

[aishien-the-aishien]

Bakugan AU ramble

Okay, this might be a long one. Also, it's really only going to be an infodump about alternative Vestal biology, so... yeah, if you're interested, keep reading (also, this idea striked me today at some 1:30am and hasn't left me since lmao if there's any holes or contradictions, I'm sorry! I'll be working on this concept and updating it, so ideas from this post may still change)

GENERAL INFORMATION

[The terms "lowborn/highborn" and "lower class/upper class" are used interchangeably and are to be considered common in the Vestal language. The society is strongly divided into those two groups, and their members hardly ever go round with each other.]

- Vestals are all shapeshifters and have two forms: pre-transformation form and transformation form. Pre-transformation is commonly considered the "base" form, but both are natural to the Vestals. Changing into the transformation form is triggered either by strong emotions (mostly fear or rage) or by the rules of Binding[1], and changing purely at will is exhausting and can give a Vestal unpleasant symptoms, such as a fever or muscle sores. Meanwhile changing into the pre-transformation form is usually effortless, though may take slightly longer. Changing into the transformation form is instant

- highborn are typically Avians, lowborn are Canine/Feline

[a reference example of a female Canine Vestal]

more info undercut!

- Avian features, such as wings and feathers, are associated religiously. Canine/Feline features are considered less sophisticated and more "beast-like", mostly by the highborn

- lower classes are typically more religious than upper classes

- Canine/Feline Vestals tend to be physically stronger than Avian Vestals

- the Avian transformation is less severe, leaving the Vestal semi-humanoid. However, pre-transformation Avian Vestals have clear animal features, such as feathered tails

- Canine/Feline Vestals transform entirely into an animal-like creature, typically resembling a larger form of an Earth wolf, fox, panther or, more rarely, bear. However, pre-transformation Canines/Felines have few typically animal traits

- in other dimensions, Vestals are often confined to a single form. In Vestroia, it's the transformation form, though they were able to retain their shapeshifting abilities during the invasion thanks to the Dimension Controllers. On Earth, it's the pre-transformation form, typically even more human-like than their regular forms, especially when it comes to Avian Vestals. Staying in a forcefully anthropomorphised form is uncomfortable for Vestals, making them tired, irritable, and sometimes even giving them symptoms of a sickness such as a fever. Those are the more severe, the less anthropomorphic their regular form is

Highborn characters in the story:

- King Zenoheld

- Prince Hydron

- Shadow Prove

- Lync Volan

- Klaus von Hertzing (half-human?)

Lowborn characters in the story:

- Baron Leltoy

- Ace Grit

- Volt Luster

- Mylene Farrow

- Gus Grav

The Fermins:

A family who used to be Canine/Feline, but its members have undergone medical procedures to give them Avian features instead. This is not unprecedented among those lowborn who have managed to live among the highborn. Clay Fermin has had surgical operations performed on himself, in order to change his Feline body into an Avian one, and Keith Fermin was given various substances as a young child which caused his body to mutate into a semi-Avian one. Mira Fermin's DNA was altered before she was born, causing her to be a natural Avian, the only one among her family members.

[1]BINDING

A Vestal can bind themselves to a person/item, and they will transform in defence of that to which they're bound. The concept is better understood within the upper classes, which means they know they can, for example, bind themselves to an item, which leads them to a better control of their powers. A common practice among the highborn is to bind oneself to an accessory, such as a necklace, and squish it when one wants to transform - since that is instinctually considered "a danger" and triggers the transformation. A much less common, yet clever way of using this, is binding oneself to a word, which makes one transform whenever that word is spoken around them (or read by them, for that matter). Tricky, as it may easily cause an involuntary transformation, should the word be poorly chosen. Members of lower classes are often unaware of those possibilities of binding, and tend to bind themselves exclusively to other people

- Binding is voluntary and can be broken off at any point. An unbound person, however, is much more prone to involuntary transformations, as they become dependent almost solely on the unbound person's emotions

- it's possible for a person who is bound to another person to transform in response to a request by that whom they're bound to. This, however, requires a deep and emotional bond, and can be connected to physical effort

That's it for now, though I do have more ideas, and I'll share them in the future, if I don't forget! I'm planning to doodle the designs of specific characters in this AU, so more info will be coming along with them :> There, a doodle of my favourite lapdog bound to his power-thirsty master

[tashacee]

I saw your post about fic ideas and while this isn't Aspects, I've been thinking about it for a while and need to get it out. (Long Brotherhood post incoming)

Captain Link has a living family. Maybe a grandma, maybe some cousins, maybe parents and siblings (I personally vote for an older sister named Aryll, a single parent, and maybe a baby brother), doesn't matter too much. He has family, and he isn't allowed to see them. It's part of the whole "tidying up his past" thing, and it would be "improper" for the Hero to be associated with a "lowborn" family. He doesn't like it, but has resigned himself to following orders.

Fast forward to current events. There's a big festival in Castle Town, complete with a carnival and games. The Links are forbidden from attending for security reasons (the Heroes of Past and Future attract all kinds of attention, some less savory than others). They're basically confined to the castle, and hate seeing each other miserable.

Fortunately, the Captain has concocted a plan to sneak Mask and the Sailor out of the castle with some disguises so they can have a night at the carnival (one of the members of his unit supervising, of course; he may be an idiot self-sacrificing hero, but he has a modicum of responsibility). He wants them to have more of an opportunity to just be kids, and face paint and ridiculously oversized stuffies are the perfect vehicle for that. And if he gets chewed out by Impa for his scheme, it will be worth it knowing his brothers are happy.

Unfortunately, the Sailor and Mask have managed to catch wind of the fact that the Captain can't visit his family, not even when most of his unit gets leave for the festival. So they've concocted a scheme (involving some swashbuckling and a few magical items) to sneak him out of the castle and out to the slums so he can spend an evening with them, no social mores to be hung up on. Both of them know what it's like to leave family behind, and giving Link the opportunity to be with his for just a short time is something they both agree he deserves. And if they get locked in the dungeon for a week for, you know, kidnapping the Hero, it will absolutely be worth it to know that the Captain got the reunion he desperately wanted. (Bonus points if they rope in a member of Wars' squad to do anything that requires an adult to do the talking. Double bonus if it's the same person Wars picked to chaperone them at the carnival, and they decide to play along with the chaos).

Sorry this was long, I spent a whole lot of time imagining the setup but cannot decide on the execution. Don't feel obligated to write any more on this if you don't want to, I just wanted to ramble to someone about how these boys would absolutely go to jail for each other.

So you sent this like. Over six months ago. And I am so grateful for your patience because it has been so much fun to finally write this fic!

Also to anyone reading, @bloodthirstymemelord has ALSO written a version of this fic and it’s GREAT! Go check it out!

[joogios]

Farmer kun and Historia rambling. Under the cut cause it gets long.

OKAY so. This is written largely in part of those weird takes that because farmer-kun was Historia’s childhood bully as an adult he’s some kind of aggressor to her. and I won’t deny that its kind of a weird add-in for Isayama to choose her childhood bully to be her child-father when he could’ve just been a Random Person who worked in her orphanage regardless, but the choice was made.

That being said, I think the implication that this guy has power over her like he did in their childhoods is a bit silly. She’s an ex-Scout, and the-yknow-the Queen. And a well loved one at that. He could’ve or knew people who went to her coronation and he lives on her land (!!!) like Alma like Alma like Alm[is tranquilised and dragged off stage]Her friends are also ex-Scouts, diplomats, war heroes. No matter how you slink the technical power imbalance tilts in Historia’s favour for once which imo makes the change of hands in power dynamics in their situationship even more fascinating.

BUT! And my favourite part!!! Is the similarities between their relationship and that of Historia’s own parents!! An influential highly wealthy powerful Reiss getting a child from a lowborn farmhand/farmhand’s daughter and then taking/raising that child for a specific purpose in mind? YES! My patented kids are shitty mirrors of their parents is back in full force!!

Its also been explicitly stated that the guy chose to work at her orphanage to atone for what he was in the past. He doesn’t have ambitions which I think is one of the reasons why the council were fine with him. Extremely machiavelli. There’s a weird little set up where you can question how much autonomy exactly both of them have in this exchange: Where he’s her childhood bully and now a stranger but Historia needs an heir off of someone, and he’s burdened with the guilt of how he treated her to where he spent his teenagehood working strenuous work for her and now she’s the Queen.

Anyways, I think the aot fandom’s issue is that they really can’t concieve any other relationship that isn’t some kind of uber-propoganda 50’s-esque nuclear family. COUGH jeankasa COUGH All of this is my opinion and speculation, but I don’t think they ever married. Correct me if Isayama says otherwise but I think their situationship was like, a best of both worlds thing where Historia gets an heir off of one of her own subjects who won’t use her child against her but not marrying him means that she’s open to any political marriages for Paradis’ advantage.

They’ve both changed. She’s not the goody-two-shoes Krista Lenz persona that she put on to be liked in the Scouts and let her father control her life, he’s not the little boy that ganged up with others to aggravate another little girl. That’s canon so i shouldn’t have to say it but yanno. And this is utterly self indulgent BUT. The intersectionaling of farming-cultivating, nurturing-and death. Hello? Historia working on a farm and then waiting for the Rumbling to kill 80% of the world to advantage her country she now rules? Farmer-kun using his work to feed others as a means of self-atonement and discipline and then being set to marry that Queen? Its giving Hades and Persephone reversed. Also the commoner & noble trope: Paradis becoming a militaristic nation post-Rumbling with Historia at its head arranging with other nation’s leaders while he’s involved more in the inner community alongside their civilians focused on growing the nation back to some sembalance of stability.

I think that their situationship is stilted and awkward and they never truly love each other and that there is a lot of ‘duty’ involved in their Thing and that their individual lives are still pretty seperate, but they do care for each other, if nothing else. They have a sembalance of normalcy after so much chaos.

[elia-nymmeros]

i’ve got a bit of a speculative ask for you but how many friends/companions & ladies in waiting, etc do you think elia had as she was growing up (other than her brothers and ashara) and if so which houses would they probably be from?

Yay, I love Elia asks! Personally, I think Elia had more companions once she grew up a little and people were assured she wasn't going to keel over and die suddenly. Oberyn tells Tyrion that she was of delicate health which had never permitted her to travel much; Doran admitted he didn't think she'd live as a baby:

"Even when Lord Gargalen told me that I had a sister, I assured him that she must shortly die."

So I think the other Dornish noble houses probably felt the same hesitancy about Elia as she grew up sickly (my headcanon is that she had a wheelchair as a young girl which Oberyn liked to push too hard until he almost broke her neck once or twice); I imagine Elia played with both noble and lowborn children in the Water Gardens, but everyone knew she was delicate and probably was not allowed to do many strenuous exercises/activities. Once she came of age, I think some canonical lady-in-waiting or companions apart from Ashara could've been Delonne Allyrion (born before 252, some 5 or more years older than Elia), Larra Blackmont (no known age), and Nymella Toland (no known age). I don't have any other female, Dornish canon character of her age :(

It's almost criminal how little info we have of the current and past members of Dornish houses. Going a little more into speculative mode, I think Dorne in general may have thought Elia's marriage could bring a new era of prosperity in a similar vein of Myriah. Just like Myriah's marriage brought opportunities in King's Landing for Dornishmen ("[...] for Daeron II brought many Dornishmen to his court, some of whom were granted offices of note"), I imagine many noble Dornish houses thought they could send relatives with Elia to King's Landing so they could have important positions/gain influence/support their princess. It's remarked that some of Rhaegar's companions and supporters were the Dornishmen who had come with Elia after their marriage ("the Dornishmen who had come to court with the Princess Elia were in the prince's confidence as well, particularly Prince Lewyn Martell, Elia's uncle"); I don't think it's that much of a stretch to claim that Elia brought with her a circle of Dornish allies, including the ladies-in-waiting, and plotted to put them in important positions in court so they could be her confidants once she became Queen.

I would really like to know about more female Dornish characters of Elia's generation, especially of House Yronwood who were clearly offended after Edgar' and Oberyn's duel; maybe a Yronwood daughter was sent with Elia too as lady-in-waiting, as another effort to appease their most powerful bannermen? And if you send a Yronwood daughter then you probably have to send an available Fowler daughter too, you don't want to show that much favor to a House unnecessarily, but this is most of the speculation I have; I don't know how many ladies-in-waiting does a noble woman have on average, so I hope Elia had lots of Dornish women with her who consoled her and were her friends at Dragonstone and KL. At this point I would beg GRRM for more info about Dorne, but I'm afraid of what's waiting for us in Winds of Winter...

Sorry for the long answer! I love rambling about Elia and Dorne ^^

[therealslimshakespeare]

Another question was, with Rosey on board was the Captain still prostituting himself? And why was he doing it if he was I thought he didn’t have to?

Aha, thanks for asking as I kinda wove this in but I’ve had a few other asks that show confusion so I really want to clear this up.

Hard no.

In the very first chapter you may recall Rosetta referencing a change in him a year ago, a starting afresh and in the latest chapter Aida referenced it “only taking a year for him to miss it.” Along with a few other hints the point was made he was not currently and hadn’t for a full year at least.

However, neither did he stop as soon as he got back in Memphis after the war which had been his goal. Colonel Parker tidied it up, gave him goals and incentives and promises of an end in sight but as we’ve learned, that was hardly a honest vision. Presley didn’t begin by owning the boat and in order to buy it and Captain it himself he had to earn the money which in many ways was just entertainment and working the gambling tables but was also, bluntly, a less desperate form of prostitution physically as well. It was prostitution all the same and with some severe consequences to his own psyche, mentality and trust.

Last chapter it was mentioned he worried awhile back that a female client had become pregnant as he was denied the chance to take the usual precautions. The horror of a child of his being raised by such deplorables as that particular client drove him to manslaughter, a full break from giving himself monetarily (we meet him in this new era) and certainly informs his fear of full intimacy with Rosey. We do see him “slipping” into a sort of persona he used back when he was “working” -particularly with Binder, but it’s also mentioned he finds it alarming how easy it is to slip back into a role he both loathes and has turned his back on for good. It is a power play, though, and a defense mechanism fully ingrained at this point.

Historical side note (TW this may be disturbing due to dehumanizing factors) -fads of sexual mania come and go, it’s bdsm one decade and wax the next, lol, but one such fixation during the late 1800’s was consensual and witnessed cuckolding. To each their own but these folks liked to make it nice and weird by paying a man of “lower birth” to “defile” the gentrified lady while her husband got off on it (or joined in the back door of the man) and the more emphasis on the man being lowborn, beastly and uncouth the hotter. Tbh, some of the accounts and writings on it have a Darwinian undertone that suggest they really thought of it akin to bestiality. Can you imagine the awful mind fuck of that? For CP? Like yes he’s out of the cruel back alleys but now he’s an active instrument in besmirching a marriage (a institution he already had idealistic respect for) and while doing so the entire erotic emphasis is on him being lesser somehow than the people paying. It’s objectification to the max and it’s not something you just rewire in your brain the moment you stop doing it. Anyways thanks for listening to the ramble. One book that informed me in this regard is this memoir of male prostitute John Saul from Dublin Ireland in the 1800’s: The Sins of the Cities of the Plain; or, The Recollections of a Mary-Ann, with Short Essays on Sodomy and Tribadism.

[cuteteacakes]

Well, I don't mean to bombarde you all at once but..." Questions swirl in Ann's head, where to begin. "... what are the people like? Friendly? Reserved?" Of course, she wants to know about those that actually live there, Tristen was such a star-worthy man, it be wonderful if there were more people like him there. "I'm not sure how many people reside at Hightower, highborn or lowborn, but the measure of a country is the measure of it's people."

{🗡️} - "You mean those not within the royal family??" Tristan thought back to his old home and when he wasn't at the barracks. Going out to buy bread and passing the common folk in the streets. "They seemed..." How could he put it? "They were friendly enough, but you can tell it's a front they put on. There was an unspoken anxiety everyone had, knowing we could be invaded by one of three kingdoms at any time. Especially among the men who weren't put to guard duty. They all thought they could be 'the man who would save High Tower from invasion and get the fame and glory,' and meanwhile I felt like I was a black sheep in a white flock-... oh, but I'm rambling, excuse me!"

[the-13th-omniscient]

Magnus and Garin

Just going to ramble about my dragon shifters briefly…

Garin being raised among dragons despite being “painfully human”, constantly reminded of his human nature, warning himself that “you cannot kiss fire and walk away unburned”, “you cannot make love to a bonfire”, “flames devour flesh”, and yet turning out to have the magic in him all along. Sacrificing himself in dragonfire to distract a rampaging dragon to save his love, and Garin becoming a dragon himself despite coming from nothing. His childhood trauma of seeing his parents burned alive, only for him to conquer that trauma and make it a source of power. Always being second to Magnus, in his shadow, the one to mend his wounds after the damage is done… only to spark his fire and become a dragon even bigger than Magnus. A dragon who is strong enough to guard Magnus from anything that could ever hurt him.

And Magnus, born in magic and flame, waking his dragon as a little three-year old toddler, flying before he could talk, a little boy who embodied the flames better than any of his family. Growing up to be seen as beautiful, but hollow-headed, only to find an inner steel and strength that molded him into a tactician who could slay a dragon more than thrice his size. Being horribly abused and maimed by his uncle/father, but ultimately claiming his own strength and using his uncle’s ravenous nature to trick him into swallowing his own doom.

They’re both so different. Magnus was born to rule, and by all rights he should have been the heir- his big brother only got the heirship by virtue of age, against the custom of first dragon being the father’s successor. Garin was born the son of a 17-year old boy and a 18-year old girl who married young, and were nothing more than the lowliest workers in the Underground City beneath the capital. Magnus’s dragon shifter mom died bringing him into the world, Garin’s parents were murdered by racial purists who loathed dragons. Magnus’s mom died in blood, Garin’s parents died in flames. Magnus never knew his mother, and Garin watched them burn.

But these two broken boys with holes in their hearts and fire in their eyes found each other.

And they both did the impossible. A lowborn boy became a dragon. A young prince slew an elder dragon.

[drukhariboypussy]

You've Given Me The Perfect Oppertunity To Ramble About My Aeldari Tail Headcanons >:3

When Originally Created By The Old Ones During The War In Heaven, They Chose A Creature Not Too Similar To A Lemur To Genetically Enhance And Change¹ Into What We Know As The Aeldari; Since They Were Specifically Designed To Rely On Speed And Dexterity Over Brute Strength, Like How The Krok (and eventually Space Marines) Did, The Old Ones Kept The Aeldari's Tails So They Could Have A Way To Control Their Balance

After The Fall Of The Aeldari, Cultural Views Surrounding The Warp, The Craftworlder's Physic Abilities, And The New Threat That Was Slaanesh Began To Change. The Craftworlders Developed A Beluef Wherein Their Tails Had A Sort Of 'Link' To The Warp, And That By Removing Their Tails, Some Of Slaanesh's Influence On Them Would Be Taken Away

Craftworlder Children Will Keep Their Tails Until Adulthood, Where They Will Choose Their First Path; Those Who Choose Their First Path To Be One That Uses Their Psycher Abilities Will Keep Their Tails², While The Rest Will Have Their Tails Docked. Because Of This, Humans Believe That All Aeldari Don't Have Tails, Which Comes As A Shock To Those Who End Up Seeing/Meeting/Facing Up Against A Farseer Or The Like Lmao

The Drukhari, On The Other Hand, Have Completely Different Beliefs; Seeing As Their Psyker Abilities Have Withered Away Due To Living In The Webway, The Drukhari Don't See Their Tails As Having A 'Link' To Slaanesh & The Warp Like How The Craftworlders Do. Drukhari Keep Their Tails, Which Allows Them To Be More Agile And Deadly In Battle Then Your Average Craftworlder

However ☝️ That Doesn't Mean Tail Docking Doesn't Exist For The Drukhari. Its Usually Either Done As A Body Mod (and is seen as an 'extreme' one too, which is saying something), Or As A Punishment/Sign Of Being Lower Class. Having One's Tail Docked Essentially Signifies That You're No Better Then A Craftworlder In Drukhari Society; It's Also Common For Lowborn Slaves To Have Their Tails Removed, Or Are Instructed To Be Created Without Tails

Exodites Are A Special Case:: Being That They're Isolated From All Other Aeldari Socities & Cultural Practicies, Every Exodite Colony Will Have Different Beliefs, Including Those Surrounding Their Tails. Some Might Keep Them, Some Might Remove Them, Some Might Dock Their Tails For Religious Practices, Or Might Dock Their Enemies As War Trophies³. It's Really A Case-By-Case Thing, As With Most Things For My Interpretation Of The Exodites

Apperance-Wise, An Aeldari's Tail Depends On If They're A Craftworlder, Drukhari Or Exodite. A Craftworlder's Tail Will Resemble That Of A Traditional Unicorns: Long And Skinny, With A Bundle Of Hair On The Tip. A Drukhari's Tail Will Differ From Person To Person, Due To Webway Shenanigans On Evolution + Slaaneshi Influence. And The Exodites, Yet Again, Are A Case-By-Case Nature⁴

¹: There's Like, Fuck-All Lore On The Old Ones, So I'm Going Off Of My Headcanons Of Them. They're Basically The Qu From All Tomorrows, Except They're Not As Evil & They're Fat Frogs Instead Of Mosquito/Dragonfly Bug Aliens

²: Craftworlders Also Believe That Those Who Take A Higher Role In Society/A Psychially-Dependant Path, That By Keeping Their Tails Allows Them To Protect Their Other Craftworlders. Its Pretty Much Like "I'll risk having my soul eaten by She-Who-Thirsts by keeping my tail, which would save everyone else if something did happen; I'd rather sacrifice myself for the good of my people then allow innocents to die"

³: This Practice Isn't Exclusive To The Exodites!! Some Drukhari Trueborn & Nobility Are Known To Collect The Docked Tails Of Their Enemies (as well as cannibalise them), And Humans Docking The Tails Of Farseers & Other Higher-Standing Members Of Craftworlder Society Is Seen As A Hunting Trophy

⁴: Exodites Are Very, Very, Very Different Then Craftworlders Or Drukhari, Since My Interpertation Of Them Strays Far Away From The Dinosaur-Riding Space Elves Of Canon. I'd Ramble More About Them, But I've Been Typing Nonstop For Almost An Entire Hour Now

I've Never Seen Breaking Bad

[rustic-lowborn]

Have you ever seen a cannon character that's OC coded? Like ur first reaction is they're not real, their an oc. Then it turns out they are apart if the cannon and ur like uh that's not right. It's like their very presence disrupts the atmosphere of the cannon work or breaks some unspoken rule about the cannon. Idk but characters like this irks me. They fall into the uncanny valley.

[halscafe]

i've gotten like 12-15 hours of sleep over the past three days, and I dont know if thats the reason im sitting here near-tears over the angel and the alpha fic on AO3

[ashkazora]

It’s late and I’m tired but Lance should have been the Black Paladin and in this essay I will-

[chocobotism]

Léonne Ormesang Chocobo Hunter-Trainer Duskwight Elezen Mid 40s

Detailed backstory under the cut

A Duskwight elezen born and raised in the Black Shroud, Léonne lived a rather uneventful life. She endured a painfully average childhood, and now made a living as a general laborer, but did the occasional odd job for extra gil. Whether it was making simple deliveries or hunting down troublesome creatures, she could do it all. One of these odd jobs lead to her traveling through a portion of Coerthas, where she would cross paths with someone who would change the trajectory of her life, Ireine Hubairtin.

A lowborn Ishgardian woman, Ireine lived with her parents and siblings in a small village nestled within the Coerthan Highlands. They lived a meager lifestyle with neither fortune nor status to their name, but Ireine was a beauty like no other. All were captivated by her visage and Léonne was no exception, smitten after just a glance. Unfortunately, her business in Coerthas was short-lived, but she would make it her mission to see Ireine again.

Thus did Léonne go out of her way to look for work in and around the Coerthan Highlands. It wasn't easy, given how wary of outsiders many prospective employers could be, but her versatile experience and low rates were too good a deal to pass up. Eventually, her dedication was rewarded, though not in the way she planned. She was running errands at a small market when she was approached by Ireine, who had seemingly manifested out of thin air. Unprepared for the ambush, Léonne was quick to make a fool of herself, but luckily for her, Ireine found it quite charming.

As it turned out, Ireine had wound up falling for Léonne after also only catching a glimpse of her, and she too made a mission of finding the woman who captivated her heart. Though limited in movement, Ireine had her ways of finding information on the rugged Duskwight's whereabouts. For weeks, she seized every opportunity to gather intel, whether it be participating in idle gossip or enduring the ramblings of yet another suitor, she took notes religiously, pieced together a faint pattern, and it finally paid of on that day.

Without a moment of hesitation, the two were quick to begin courting. Despite their unabashed love, it would have to be a secret affair. Though Ireine's family was accepting of her proclivity towards women, it was difficult to ascertain how accepting their neighbors would be, much less the occasional visiting inquisitor. Thus it was decided it would be best to keep their love a secret, but that was fine. Plenty of women have lead perfectly happy, fulfilled lives like this before, so surely they would too?

It started as just another normal job. Léonne had been hired by some Ishgardian nobility passing through to do some menial task they couldn't be bothered to do themselves. It wasn't too bad, the gil certainly made up for it. It should have ended there. They should have moved on, eventually forgetting about the quaint little village.

One of the nobleman's sons caught sight of Ireine, and like every man before him, he was mesmerized. He had just reached the age where he needed to be on the lookout for a woman to marry, and surely she was the one, his bride to be. He wanted her. He would do anything to have her.

It was just another suitor that Ireine needed to reject. His wealth and higher standing meant nothing to her, she simply was not interested. She let him down as gently as she could. He should have moved on and looked for a wife elsewhere.

The suitor would not accept this. Why would he be rejected? He had wealth, he had status, and he was certainly not unattractive. What was he missing? What else could a woman possible want? He had to know. He had to find a way to woo her, to make her his. He would have her, and if he couldn't, then no one else could.

Two songbirds chirp and chatter as they preen one another, hidden in the brush. They are discussing their plans for migration. Though they loved their home, it was no longer safe for them there. With each passing day, it became more difficult to evade the falcon's talons. They could not keep living like this, fearful that they may never see the other again. The journey south would be difficult, and perhaps frightening in its own way, but they would be okay, so long as they were together. The songbirds pause their preening for a moment to press their beaks together, a small comfort for what lied ahead of them. A shrill cry pierced the calm. A raven had seen them, and called for its flock. Panicked, the songbirds took to the sky as more shrill cries filled the air in pursuit. They flapped their little wings with all their might, hoping to lose the flock, but try as they might, the sky grew dark as they were surrounded and overtaken. The songbirds try to escape to no avail, and soon enough the falcon's shriek joins the chorus. In the darkness of the ravens' flock, the songbirds are unable to see the talons before it is too late. One is taken, and the other is left to the mercy of the flock. They desperately cry for one another, but receive no response.

A Duskwight woman heaved as she trudged across the Coerthan wilderness with nothing but the blood-soaked clothes on her back and a hatchet. Though her body ached from numerous cuts and bruises, she pushed through the pain. She could not stop now. She could never stop. Even as her vision failed, her legs gave out beneath her, and her breathing grew shallow, she could not let it end there.

"Forgive me… Ireine."

Léonne wakes up in a rigid cot somewhere unbeknownst to her. She only catches a blurry glimpse of a room before sleep consumes her once more. This continues happening for Twelve knows how long before eventually, she stays awake. She quickly learns that she is in Tailfeather, a settlement in the Dravanian Forelands of all places. Evidently, someone found her at death's door right at the edge of the Chocobo Forest, determined it was not her time to pass, and brought her to be healed.

Grateful though she was to be alive, a sense of emptiness permeated her being. What was she to do now? Return home? Where was home anymore? The love of her life was gone, there was nothing to return to. Was she supposed to start over? Go back to her ways of general labor with the occasional odd job? That was a reasonable plan. Unfortunately, found herself unable to care enough about the locals to wish to do that. In fact, she could barely bring herself to care about anything. She wants to sleep, to dream of Ireine, and never wake up.

Obviously, there was something wrong with her. She was broken now.

Days turn to weeks, which turn to months, which turn to years. Léonne left Tailfeather to live in a decrepit shack with some robust stables in the middle of the forest by her lonesome. She's fallen into a routine by this point. Wake up, check traps, train chocobos, sleep, and repeat. Once a chocobo was fully trained, she would return to Tailfeather to sell for enough gil to not starve until her next return. It was no lavish lifestyle, but it was something. The birds seemed to like her, at least.

One night, Léonne finds herself unable to sleep. Deciding that it simply would not happen at that point, she starts her routine. To no surprise, she finds the traps empty. She turns to return home to see about training what chocobos she does have, but finds her legs are leading her elsewhere. Seeing no real reason to change course, as the chocobos were likely still be asleep anyways, she continues forward. Eventually, she stops at the edge of the forest, close to where she was found. Nonplussed, she stood there, taking in the slight chill that surrounded her. Slivers of the moon's light shone through the canopy to the forest floor. A breeze rustles the branches overhead, scattering the patterns in turn.

She is about to leave when a noise catches her attention. Some sort of small whimper, but not like any animal she had heard around these parts. Looking for the source of the sound, she spots a small form curled up at the base of a tree, shrouded by the dark. Creeping closer, she hears slow, shaky breaths in between the whines. As her eyes hone in on the form, a gust of wind tears through the canopy above. When it settles, the moon's light illuminates what lies beneath, and her eyes widen in shock.

It was… a child. But not like any child she had ever seen before. Small horns protruded from the sides of its head where ears would normally be, small patches of scales covered its face and limbs, and it had a scaly tail. It was sleeping, shivering from the chill. Without thinking, she picked the child up, gently cradling it in her arms. Upon closer inspection, she could see the poor thing was covered in scrapes, and the scent of smoke clung to its clothes. She could only imagine what had happened. Holding it tight, she turned around and started the trek back home.

It was about that time to feed the chocobos.

[jeweled-blue-eyes]

I love your ideas, of Jen “resurrecting” and having an equivalent of “targaryen madness” and stuff, it's so good! So good that now I can't choose between it and my original idea! I'm gonna ramble a bit about my original idea here, hope you don't mind:

In my original idea I wanted to make Obelia fall into chaos— running with the headcanon that Obelia glomped territories resembling East Asia even, Obelia getting too big for its own good and then subsequently imploding (I supposed it'd be an equivalent of War of the Five Kings in asoiaf), and Jen's hand in marriage becomes like a McGuffin everyone wants because of her claim to the throne, just like how the Tyrells wanted to have Sansa for her claim, how the Lannisters wedded her to Tyrion for Winterfell... Everyone kinda forgot about Athy because... they were a wallflower and lowborn anyways, and they were probably sent away or something so that their claim couldn't contest with Jennette's. In my version I wanted Jennette to grow up in the Imperial Palace, possibly with Penelope alive? But I don't know what to do with Penelope if she's alive. Maybe Penelope could be dead but Rosalia could be there. Either way they both knew each other for just a little while before smol Athy got taken out of the picture for one reason or another. Maybe they could squire for some knight? Become a ward of some random family? Maybe Athy could re-enter the political sphere like a wrecking ball, whether of their own will or not, and everyone except for the ones backing them are like, “oh shit...”

Jen running from place to place disguising herself to escape from a forced political match paralleling Alayne Stone while Athy's rise to power paralleling Jon Snow becoming Lord Commander... though the resurrection thing doesn't fit with Athy so some fiddling will have to be done.

Maybe I could have both as two versions of the same AU— I really like both ideas. Also consider Athanasius, with wavy hair like Diana and probably having darker skin like a Siodonnan.

Though I need ideas on where the Alpheus family and Felix and Lily would come in in both versions of the AU!

I don’t mind it! You can ramble to me any day about your amazing AU’s. I love it when people gets excited about their art or writing.

Adding my own ideas to the mix: What if Athy has to flee after having been accused of the poisoning? In this AU the person poisoned could be Claude instead of Jennette and he actually dies or permanently falls into coma, leaving the country unprotected. The neighbouring countries, which have only been waiting for such a moment of weakness, are gearing up for war. It's a war on two fronts. There are fights outside and inside the country over control over Obelia. Outside there are the neighbouring countries that are demanding justice for the killed princesses that once entered Claude's harem and fell victims to his wrath after Diana died. And inside we have the colonies fighting for their independence. Obelia isn't as united as it used to be, even the Obelian nobles are killing each other over who gets to be the regent until Jen is of age. Her suitors drop dead like flies and Jennette is forced to run away to avoid doing further damage. (She als feels hella guilty for causing this mess.)

smol Athy and Jennette starting out rlly close. Childhood friends, sisters..they were basically inseparable until Rosalia entered the picture and removed Athy. Send her to the wall/tower to be trained as a magician. Magician's have to freeze their hearts so passion doesn't overcome logic. Let's say that magicians killing off their emotions and pledging their loyality to the crown makes it impossible for them to marry or have children. Ever. They aren't interested in love because they are basically emotionally crippled ands are bound by their vow to have only one person they are allowed to feel loyality to: their Emperor. Rosalia hopes that if Athy passes the final exam to become a magician she'll never have children that could contest Jen's claim.

Ijekiel could be a Tyrell or maybe a Lannister. Felix could be Ana's former guard who he betrayed. He earned himself the title kingslayer although it was Claude who dealed Ana the final hit. Siodonna would be Dorne. Lily probably belongs to a minor noble house that doesn't do much and likes to stay in the shadows and go unnoticed. They are too afraid to be caught in the crossfire of the intrigues of the court and prefer to remain neutral. So it would probably come as a big shock when she does start to show a political savy side and uses her family to back up Athy as a potential successor candidate when she gets presented at court.