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lemonhemlock · 9 months

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i get what you’re saying but i get what dany stans are saying too, what is the difference between dany taking back kl and sansa taking back winterfell? at the end of the day, monarchy sucks and none of these characters are truly "worthy"

I approached this topic more in-depth here and here.

The difference between Dany taking back King's Landing and Sansa taking back Winterfell lies in the construction of legitimacy. When engaging with medieval fantasy, rejecting its political framework and ignoring its limitations in absorbing more egalitarian ideology (and the socio-technological constraints that inform those political/philosophical limitations) is going to prove a fruitless pursuit. Westeros is roughly based on feudal Europe and has a recognizable European political thought inheritance and recognizable medieval technology and means, so I think it would be reasonable to employ political philosophy that could be plausibly applied during the period from which it takes inspiration.

~unnecessarily long essay no one asked for below~

In this regard, what makes for a "worthy" ruler in medieval times might differ with the passage of centuries, as socio-political practices transform. Which is why I feel like the validity of monarchy as a form of government was never truly under question in this setting, even though it has certainly been criticised and points have been made about social injustices arising from wealth disparities and the segregation of social spheres (I hesitate to call them social classes as I don't think the Westerosi have developed class consciousness yet).

I think that this is ultimately an element of disappointment for some readers, who are trying to project onto the text something that is not there, instead of switching to progressive fiction that addresses their concerns and presents alternative political systems. What I mean to say is that dismissing all types of monarchy as illegitimate is not useful within the text, as it renders all differences between the characters null & ignores the entire historical evolution of the concept of legitimacy. So you end up with takes like "it doesn't really matter who sits the throne". It matters very much to Martin, because that is the type of story he is trying to tell, that's... the entire point of the series. He is a boomer writing about dragons and knights in the 90s, not a transformative political thinker who is going to smack us with a new social order at the end of the series. That doesn't mean he can't critique the system or the characters' approaches to ruling. That's why he keeps killing the unfit kings & punishing those who rely on wanton brutality.

Coming back to the question, Dany's family was deposed, meaning that, legally-speaking, she doesn't have any "birthright" to the throne of Westeros anymore, no matter what she tells herself. Is deposition legal? John Locke certainly thought so in his Second Treatise of Government, chapters "Of Tyranny" and "Of The Dissolution of Government". Below we have Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Discourse on Inequality":

OK, these are Enlightenment thinkers, but the concept was not new. The Magna Carta of 1215 certainly has a provision for this. That's medieval enough, I feel.

(Ralph V. Turner, "Magna Carta Through the Ages", Harlow, Pearson Longman, 2003 - the original article was too long lol but anyone can look it up for themselves).

Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologica", 1274:

etc.

You will find these ideas under the term "right of revolution".

Many medieval kings IRL have been deposed or lost their crown. Richard II, anyone? There's an entire play about it. So, yes, Robert Baratheon is the legal king of Westeros at the start of AGOT and Viserys / Daenerys simply are not. There is no birthright to speak of, that is just Dany's entitlement that goes unchecked and unquestioned.

Of course, crowns can be won back by the right of conquest, which is what Dany is trying to do. GRRM's plan for her seems to either be rejected by the people of King's Landing for whatever reason (a la Rhaenyra maybe) or for her to commit such an atrocity on the city in her attempt to seize it that it disqualifies her as a potential ruler because she breaks the normal rules of engagement to a horrifying degree (i.e. dragonflame). Dany's entire plan is questionable from the start, since she intends to mount an invasion on a people brutalised by several years of war already, on the onset of winter - essentially extra suffering. The conditions are there so that the Westerosi might not interpret her actions as liberation, but merely as another pretender to the throne, who is only after her personal betterment - basically no different from what they've seen before, so no reason to join her cause or believe in her propaganda. She will bring fire-breathing monsters, Dothraki and Unsullied warriors to their lands, whom they fear and for whom they have no kinship. They have no particular attachment to the old Targaryen kings either. In short, Dany's father was deposed and she will end up deposed herself because of her own actions (or never recognised in the first place). I'm not saying this because I have beef with Daenerys, she is not a real person who did me wrong, she is a fictional character the author is using to illustrate a political idea.

Whereas the people of the North maintain a very favourable view of the Starks and of Ned Stark in particular. They are seen as the legitimate rulers of the North and their replacements (the Boltons) are almost universally hated. The text is littered with "the North remembers" and "there must always be a Stark in Winterfell" and general Stark-fawning. The people of the North were very eager to name Ned Stark's son as their king. The people of the Night's Watch voted for Ned Stark's 15-year-old bastard as their leader. Ramsay Bolton pretends to marry Arya Stark to consolidate his legitimacy as the ruler of Winterfell and the North. Many other characters covet Sansa for the same reason. The Starks have not been deposed, unlike the Targaryens, they're just missing / presumed dead and Winterfell is up for grabs. None of our Northern characters think how lovely it would be if we had a Targaryen restauration. These things may seem like candy floss to the modern reader and they may not resonate, but they mattered a lot in the past. So when Sansa takes back Winterfell, it will be with the backing of the majority of the Northern population and with the help of the Knights of the Vale, who are seen as honourable and are of Andal descent, so will not be perceived as foreign invaders. No one in the North will be contemplating their right-to-revolution against the Starks, because they will be revolting alongside Sansa to free themselves from the abusive Bolton rule.

Sansa rebuilds Winterfell out of snow and thinks of it warmly as her home, feels kinship and connection with the place she grew up in, whereas Daenerys feels possessive over a land she's never seen and wants to take it with "fire and blood". True, these are not actions, not crimes for Dany and neither acts of benevolence for Sansa. They haven't done anything yet. But they are images. Framing. Hints. That's how literature works.

Could Dany be given a narrative of Westerosi restauration? Could GRRM write her as gaining popular support and as not breaking the social contract while installing herself back on the throne? Had only Book 1 been published, these questions would have had more validity. But after Book 5? Not when Martin frames her like that and literally kicks her out of the city she conquered.

#not me writing a whole ass paper on this LOL #🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️#ask #anon #asoiaf #grrm #asoiaf endgame #anti daenerys targaryen #sansa stark

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real-fire-emblem-takes · 4 months

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intsys did camilla (who has also been severely wronged by the fanbase) and xander fe14 so fuckig dirtyyy loke. camilla is a character loaded with trauma and they couldve done soo much and explored what makes her the way she is (i.e. eldest daughter syndrome + her mother using her to gain favour with garon). her character was watered down to "big sister fetish" so quickly PLUS i think her supports with takumi are ridiculous. they compliment each other so well but her still treating him like a child because of her big sister complex even when theyre getting MARRIED is ridiculous!

then you have xander who in the stories hes whatever the son equivalent of "garons bitch" is (his dog? daddys boy? idk) but hes so fucking good in the supports. hes smart, caring, and open to listening to people in the supports. meanwhile story xander is a pussy who, in birthright, essentially spits on elises corpse by ignoring her last words asking him to stop fighting. amd he doesnt. support xander wpuld have put down his damn sword. say what you want about fates but i think people with media literacy will agree that HAS interesting characters that were BRUTALLY failed by the shitty writing.

tl;dr support xander good story xander bad camilla could be more than big sister titty yandere if you have any media literacy. i am a camilla and xander fan until i die specifically BECAUSE of the fact that they were failed by the writing. i am extremely passionate about fates as a series and how it could have been so incredible if it had good writers

#fe14 #fire emblem fates #story takes #fandom takes #xander fire emblem #camilla fire emblem #fe #fire emblem

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lovelykhaleesiii · 2 years

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Love & Duty - Prologue

PAIRING: Aegon ii Targaryen x Targaryen!fem!Reader x Aemond Targaryen

WORDS: 2,356.

SUMMARY: After years that felt like an eternity, Rhaenyra pleads for her elder sister, Daella II to return, as King Viserys’ health continues to deteriorate. Talks of the succession to the Iron Throne are in question, and other matters concerning love and duty...

WARNINGS: disownment, swearing.

A/N - I did NOT think I was ever going to start a series, but here we are. I really hope you guys enjoy this little snippet and the chapters to come. It’s been like the main fantasy playing out in my head since the show ended. I really hope this isn't a fail, I still try to finish my series even if its not a fan favourite, but we’ll see. Really hope you guys are excited for this!!! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF THIS IS GOOD OR SHIT!

The House of the Dragon was unworldly, a house unlike any other, created from the dark magic of fire and blood, the only thing that could tear the House of the Dragon down was itself…

Princess Daella II Targaryen, the eldest daughter of King Viserys Targaryen and Queen Aemma Arryn, sister to the Realm’s Delight, Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, had abdicated her birthright as the ‘rightful’ heir to the Iron Throne. Many men of the realm, old and foolish, did not argue in her decision, for ‘how could a woman ever dictate the fate of the realm’. Others defeated against her cause to abdicate, woefully accepted the princess’ decision. Ultimately in the end, Daella had decided in accordance to herself.

Her father, King Viserys, enraged by her sudden decision, found it inexcusable, all these outbursts and confrontations, for the sake of love…

“Love Daella, love is the death of duty. Heed my words you foolish little girl!” Viserys had spat from atop the Iron Throne, his voice like venom, vexing at his eldest, first born daughter for her unorthodox decision against his rule.

“The path that you have so ignorantly chosen has never been done before, Daella. And what I intended for you, for your future, proclaiming you, a woman, as my heir, has neither been done either! And yet here you stand, tormenting me, after I vouched for you against the realm!”

A sudden, swaying movement of her father’s hand against the metal material of throne, sliced a gash of his hand, a trickle of blood oozing out slowly. Viserys winced at the sharp pain, his daughter instinctively took step forward, before stopping herself. An internal, root in herself wanting to help her father, as they exchanged a fleeting glance at one another. However, the reality set in and the contempt returned.

It was true however, many a lords having done obeisance, following the King’s decree, accepted Daella as his proclaimed heir.

“Father, I did not ask for this! For any of it! And yet, you, you are the one that burdened me!-” Daella shouted in return, the fury and agony a molten mess palpable in her broken voice.

Withdrawing a deep breath in, Daella regained her strength and courage to talk, her fists tightly clenched at her sides, Viserys’ eyes observing his daughter’s defeated state, and yet he remained in denial, anger only fuelling him.

“I have made my decision, Father… And that is my decision alone.”

Silence had befallen the throne room, and it felt like the world outside had gone silent too, as it awaited for something, ears pricked up on the outside walls.

As Daella met her father’s rageful eyes, she’d never noticed how dark, how desolate and haunting the throne room appeared in this hour of the night.

“And all for some man, who knows no honour, who owns no titles or lands. Who knows not what he has ignorantly led you to sacrifice?”

“My love, Father, is mine to give to whom I will… For I shall warn you, duty can also be the death of love.”

The final look she’d taken in of her father was a bitter and brutal one, indeed. He’s face shocked, yet wounded as Viserys mistook her words for a threat.

Turning her back for what would be the last time in what would feel like an eternity, Daella the Defiant, as many had come to notoriously name her, walked away from the Throne, her father and all the responsibilities that came with it. As the hot tears swelled in her eyes and treacled down her flushed cheeks, her father’s hostile words that echoed the hall as she left, would haunt her memories from that day, echoing in her mind, only for his voice to grow fainter, more quieter as time passes by.

Vile names, he spat and hurled towards her: whore, incompetent, irresponsible child, “not my daughter.”

Just as Viserys relinquished his eldest the right of being his kin, Daella burst the throne room doors open with such force, only to come to a sudden halt, as her eyes focused on the sad sight of her grieving, and heavily pregnant mother, Aemma, and her younger sister, Rhaenyra, whom was clinging to her mother’s arm for support, fighting back the tears.

“Daella, please-” Her mother wept, unable to speak coherently nor finding the strength to finish her plea, reaching her shaking arm out as she took a step closer towards her eldest daughter… She was so much like her mother, Daella. Her twin, most individuals of the realm who’d come to see their likeness, would admit the undeniable similarity between the mother and daughter.

Daella’s eyes now puffy, from the tears she had shed and stroked off her flustered face, her lilac eyes grew mournful as she knew she could no longer stay, nor was she welcomed to. Her time in Westeros was at an end.

Tearing her focus from her mother to Rhaenyra, Daella strode towards her youngest sister, planting a long, desolate kiss on her smooth forehead, as she stroked her platinum hair strand aside, cupping her youthful face.

“I am sorry, Rhaenyra. Please... Forgive me.”

And without a second more to spare, Rhaenyra unable to muster the words to speak, Daella was gone.

House Targaryen stricken with loss again, and yet it would not be the last for the years to come...

Aemma fell to her knees, clutching her swollen stomach, in agony not from the babe within, although a mother grieving the loss of yet another child in a manner no parent should.

Disownment was a terrible thing, many believed it dishonorable, a bad omen. Daella would be shunned from the realm, no where to go for many would defend the King, out of devotion or fear, regardless.

A Targaryen all alone in the world…

Rhaenyra remaining unrelentlessly by her mother’s grieving side, her hand grazing her back tenderly, she could no longer resist the urge to cry. Her tearful eyes peeling from her mother and towards her father amidst the Iron Throne, Viserys could not bear the sight ahead of him, as he turned his gaze towards the stony ground. Regret, shame or pure ignorance, no one would ever remotely come to know how the King felt in that precise moment.

All that was known for certain, was that many would look to Rhaenyra as the potential heir…

****

What felt like an eternity, equated to a mere 20 years. Word of Daella’s whereabouts and doings had been speculated continuously, whispered across the realm since the night she had flown away from King’s Landing on the back of the Silverwing, the old she-Dragon, whom was once ridden by the Good Queen Alysanne. Yet no whispers of Daella, reached the ears of the King, for he refused to hear of her. No one had dared to mention nor utter her name, for the King had countless lords’ tongues cut out following her departure, who dared to ask. Viserys completely disregarded Daella’s existence. As time progressed, Viserys grew weak rotting with disease, many thought the King had forgotten her entirely, as his health declined, this proved greater. Since Rhaenyra had been declared as heir to the Iron Throne, gaining once again obeisance from the same lords and families across the realm that had originally bent the knee to her sister, she was the Queen to Be. Upon great news, was also followed by tragedy.

Queen Aemma had passed, an untimely death the realm would unitingly agree. Within the short span of a mere few years, the agonizing experience of losing one child and losing another to the Stranger, following a gruesome and horrific childbirth: Aemma’s will to live had been dismantled, damaged beyond repair. Viserys was once again, struck with heartache, as the deceased babe was a boy, one he had dreamt of for the entirety of his reign. Despite, Viserys himself, having given the order to have the maester surgically cut his late wife open from the belly, grasping at the chance that the babe could be born alive and unharmed, did not go accordingly. Having lost Aemma and the babe, Viserys guilt tortured him, and the denial was evident, for reaching such a low point, he had attempted to pin the blame of Aemma’s tragic death on Daella. Rhaenyra couldn’t bear the scrutiny and constant distasteful remarks towards her sister, she has argued many times with her father only for him to shut her down, using his authority over the Princess.

For some time, Rhaenyra was furious with her sister’s haste departure, leaving her to grow alone with people she did not trust. And yet overtime, she’d come to accept her sister’s reasons, for she had fallen for a man herself, the intense feelings of such passion, practically consume you, Rhaenyra admitted to herself.

Many times, she’d attempted desperately to contact her sister, without her father’s knowledge. Her Uncle, the Rogue Prince Daemon assisting her in her endeavours, with traders and travelers from across the realm, some reliable and others that sought for a costly price, seeking out the lost princess. Once they had received word of a possible location, neither would have thought it possible...

“Old Valyria? I thought the island was forsaken, deserted after the Doom?” Rhaenyra questioned her Uncle. Daemon rarely often showed his surprise, although this moment was inexcusable. He could not deny, the idea of a Targaryen rooting to their roots was empowering. Although, impossible he thought.

“During Jahaerys’ reign, he had everyone in the realm forbidden from traveling to it, although some people reluctant, fueled by curiosity or stupidity, you can decide… Would continue to pursue it. It seems your sister is no different. Although, unlikely Nyra.”

An internal, undeniable urge to mount Syrax and fly, on the minor chance, the slim possibility, that her sister was indeed alive and well, thriving off of the abandoned remnants of such a cursed place.

Many times, this urge would overcome Rhaenyra, and yet she could not bring herself to it, burying these impulses knowing her duty reaches far beyond her own desires. Reminding herself she was the heir, she could not abandon her duty nor torture her father anymore than what he has already endured. Regardless, over the years she had sent many detailed letters to her sister, anyone sailing that was willing or dared to make passage to the Doom, nor through a raven that was brave enough to fly or trained to travel in such an isolated direction. Regardless, she sent countless letters over the years, and despite not having received a single response in return, Rhaenyra remained optimistic of her sister’s survival and possible return.

She could recall all the minute details from the night Daella left, as though the event only happened yesterday.

“Father has remarried to Alicent Hightower… She has bore father a son, Aegon, just like the Conqueror” … “The Queen has bore father a daughter, Helaena”... “And another son, Aemond”... “Another, Daeron.”

Nonetheless, in some soothing and therapeutic way, Rhaenyra felt that writing to her sister was what kept her sane throughout the lonesome years she’d endured in her youth. The comfort and security her sister had provided her in the short years she had with her, remained embedded in Rhaenyra’s heart.

“I am now a mother, dearest sister. Three beautiful sons with my husband Ser Laenor Velaryon. I miss you, sweet sister. I hope that one day you write back to me, tell me of your adventures since the night you’d left, and of any possible nieces and nephews I might have and hope to meet…Love always, Rhaenyra.”

That would be the last letter Rhaenyra had sent for a while. The conspiracies that followed surrounding the paternity of her three sons, Jacerys, Lucerys and Joffery, would torment her for the meantime. The Hightowers, adamant on asserting Aegon II has the rightful King was underway, and Rhaenyra, alongside her Uncle Daemon, were to prepare for such discourse. This distraction, led them away from the real threat that was to present itself in the short years to come…

However, returning to King’s Landing, word of the King’s deteriorating health began to grow plain in sight. Rhaenyra had only just returned to Dragonstone, before she felt the sudden instinct to alert her sister.

“My dearest Daella. I have not written in a while, forgive me. Since I have been decreed as heir, many a lords of the council and even the Hand, Otto Hightower, himself, wish to undermine me. I need your help. Daemon and I cannot do this alone. You left me this responsibility, which I will uphold in your honour, however, return the favor of this burden I had accepted from you long ago. Father is very unwell, Daella, if you do not see him now, you will forever regret it, as I’m certain you have with Mother… Please, remember the night you left, what you said, how you felt. I am begging you, return to me my sweet sister.”

Rhaenyra was writing to a ghost, Daemon oft concluded. He had attempted repeatedly before, to convince Rhaenyra to surrender to the idea that Daella was still truly alive and well…

****

[Somewhere far across the Narrow Seas and beyond the Free Cities]

“Mother, what is it?” Y/N anxiously asked, the gentle smile disappearing on her face, for she was the first to notice her mother’s sudden yet silent departure from the supper table.

Silence had befallen the tower, overlooking the desolate horizon of the greenery that had now flourished from the ashes sunken below the canopy. Unknown creatures screeching from beyond the wild.

“Daella-” Another a low, manly voice echoed across the room, chairs screeching on the stony ground, as her eldest arose walking over towards his mother’s side.

“My sister… Sh-She has written again.”

The unnerving silence drenched the room again, although this time it did not need to be probed. Daella slowly turned to face the family before her, each member lined and sat carefully across one another, sharing short, anxious glimpses at one another, across the long, oak table.

“Lentor [Family]...We are to return to Westeros.”

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acourtofwhatthefuck · 3 months

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Hi, i just saw your post. Tiktok is banned in my country and I am very curious about that video now. So I was wondering if you could summarize or just explain it, if thats not too much to ask.

Hi, darling. Of course, I’ve transcribed it for you 🫶🏻 👇🏻

“After literal years of avoiding reading ACOTAR because of all the bad things I'd heard about it, I decided I would give it a go if for no other reason than to at least know what everybody else is talking about.

What surprised me upon reading it though was how much the books actually appear to reference Israel and Palestine. Maybe this shouldn't be surprising because it turns out that the author Sarah J Maas is indeed a Zionist.

She hails from the Jewish community in New York and has spoken previously about how much happiness she felt whenattending a birthright trip to Israel, as well as the pride she feels at her family's ties to the IDF. Her grandmother still volunteers at an army base while she's in her 80s.

I didn't know about this until I was halfway through the series and at that point I decided to finish it just to be able to see if her politics manifest in the novels, and unsurprisingly they do, especially in books two and three which have the most Israeli Zionist politics.

But before we get into the Zionism that's evident in the series, let's just take a step back and note some of the Jewish influences in the novel.

There are lots of references to the Torah, and the novel also uses Hebrew words, but the most overt Jewish references come in the forms of the characters Miriam and Amren.

Miriam is a legendary figure who is half human, half fae, and was born when humans were enslaved in the Black Lands. She was given as a gift to Prince Drakon, who she escapes, but later falls in love with when he allies with humans.

The two lead her people across a desert to a sea, which Prince Drakon splits in half to lead them to safety before it crashes down upon their enemies. And this lore is obviously an adaptation of the story of Moses and the enslaved Israelites.

Amren’s situation also references Moses. She's a primordial being, godlike in her powers, and there's a scene where the people of Velaris leave lamb's blood outside their doors while she prowls the streets at night, as a sign of respect for her.

If this sounds familiar, it's because Amren represents the Angel of Death, who God sent down to kill firstborn sons in Egypt in the Passover story. Believers were told to mark lamb’s blood above their doors so that the Angel of Death would pass by without taking from them. Obviously, these references are not problematic, and in fact I kind of love it when Abrahamic religions are woven into fantasy worlds, especially when they are subversive and center women.

But where this all becomes a problem is when the Zionist elements come through, which is very clear with the city of Velaris and its underground counterpart, the Hewn city. When you introduce them and contrast them, they are very clearly representative of Israel and Palestine.

In the books, Velaris is a secret city described as a safe haven for the marginalized, particularly queer folk and women. It's considered more advanced than the surrounding cities, especially when it comes to art, and its depiction to me is very reminiscent of Israel's claims that it's the only democracy in the Middle East.

Velaris is contrasted heavily with the Hewn City, also part of the Night Court, which is portrayed as conservative, misogynistic, and homophobic.

Mor, beloved best friend to Feyre, was princess of the city; however, when she had premarital sex, she was brutalized by her family and nearly honour-killed until Rhysand stepped in and saved her.

The Hewn city is considered primitive, and its people live under a mountain. Occupants are not allowed to leave; they do not enjoy the same freedoms as those in Velaris. Apparently, because they were all brutish and backwards, and they just don't deserve them. Never mind that Mor is from the city, and it's proof that the entire population must not share these values. We as readers are expected to believe everybody in the city is homophobic, a woman abuser, and they all deserve to be trapped in what you could call an open-air prison. When Mor is the exception because she is feminist and queer.

As war looms, Rhysand is forced to request the Hewn city’s military assistance. The condition, their leader, who is Mor’s father, requests in exchange, is access to Valaris.

Mor’s father says his people want the freedom of movement that those in Valaris enjoy, which is immediately shot down and then framed by the book as a dangerous thing to grant. And like…not acceptable.

Feyre believes Mor’s father doesn't even want freedom and he's only asking for it to spite her, and for some reason this makes trapping his entire city under the Mountain okay?

This was when I realized how evil the politics of the book actually are. It does not at all question the fairness of generalising the Hewn City’s population as backwards, and it finds the thought of giving the people the same rights as those in Velaris laughable. The craziest part is that Rhysand, our hero, meets the Hewn City's demands by way of introducing what I think is a blockade. It allows them access to Velaris in limited numbers through strict checkpoints and then tells all the shopkeepers in Velaris not to serve visitors from the Hewn City, essentially creating an apartheid state to maintain these people’s status as second-class citizens.

I'm truly baffled at how Sarah J. Maas wrote about this and didn't see anything wrong with it.

Rhysand’s Inner Circle spouts similar rhetoric that Zionists use against Palestinians, and it's pretty clear that Velaris, a city of art and a safe haven for queer people, represents Israel, and the Hewn City a, blockaded territory full of a population that sees women as cattle and hates gay people, represents Palestine

This reductive positioning of Israel as kind of the West and liberatory, and then Palestine as backwards, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic is not new, and it's something we're seeing a lot right now, especially post October 7.

So I think if you are thinking about reading ACOTAR and you've been on the fence because of all the bad things you've heard about it maybe reconsider, maybe reconsider reading it, because we could also talk all day about the feminist issues and the bodily autonomy issues in it but now it’s racist, too.”

#ask #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acotar fandom

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exitpursuedbyavulcan · 2 years

Text

The Silver Dragon (5/?) ARCHIVED

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x Original Female Character

Word Count: 2261

Story Summary: Lady Arianwyn Targaryen, the Lady of Runestone, was seeded by her father, the Rogue Prince Daemon Targaryen, in an act of unbridled hatred, and borne of her mother, the late Lady Rhea Royce, as a desperate grasp at revenge.

Ignored by her father, and alone following the death of her mother, she is raised in King’s Landing alongside her cousin, Prince Aemond Targaryen. As they grow, the two find themselves indelibly bonded. But their lives are far from the fairy tales they read, and as tensions in the family rise, they find their paths may diverge.

Will they be pulled apart when the dragons dance?

Chapter Summary: As the Targaryen and Velaryon households gather on Driftmark to mourn the late Lady Laena, Arianwyn is anxious about meeting not only her half-sisters, but her father for the very first time.

Warnings: Mentions of rape.

Series Masterlist

The Funeral

Emrys let out a primal roar, the guttural sound reverberating over the waters of Blackwater Bay. The black dragon huffed with agitation as he flew his rider toward Driftmark. Sunfyre and Dreamfyre flew ahead of them, the King’s ship sailing below. As dissatisfied as the young black dragon was with the slow pace they set – a necessity to prevent them from arriving at their destination hours before the ship – it was the roiling emotions he sensed from Arianwyn that were driving him mad.

Arianwyn had not slept the night before, her mind and heart racing with anxiety about the day to come. Today, after more than thirteen years of total absence on his part, she would meet her father – Prince Daemon Targaryen.

As she laid in her bed, she considered each story she had ever been told about the man – the picture painted by one was often immediately contradicted by the next.

He was the man who had rebuilt the city guard of King’s Landing, at last raising the capital from lawlessness. But he had achieved this through unprecedented brutality; rumor claimed that on his first night as Lord Commander of the Gold Cloaks, multiple carts had been required to haul away dismembered limbs and extremities.

He was the man who had defeated the Crabfeeder almost single-handedly, restoring Westerosi rule to the long-besieged region. But his triumphant victory came mere hours after he, apparently without remorse, had gutted a young squire for the crime of delivering a message from King Viserys.

He was the man who, according to most, had heroically swept into the Vale to rescue his helpless damsel of a wife. Whose heroics were so great, his wife could not help but at last succumb to him, eschewing nine years of barren marriage.

But Arianwyn knew the truth.

Daemon had not saved his wife – he killed her.

For beneath all his outwardly charms, the Rogue Prince was a man of selfishness and cruelty. A man who had all but abandoned his firstborn daughter before she was even born when he refused the Dragonkeepers offer of an egg for her cradle – her birthright as a Targaryen. Only weeks after Rhea Royce’s death, he flew across the sea to start a new family with a new wife. Years later, he had sent grand proclamations back to Westeros announcing the births of Baela and Rhaena, along with formal requests that dragon eggs be sent for their cradles.

Arianwyn’s heart clenched painfully as she remembered another story she’d been told. Just after Rhaenyra was named as King Viserys’ heir, Daemon had fled King’s Landing for Dragonstone. Six months later, he had snuck into the Dragonpit to steal an egg for the child his mistress – some whore from the Street of Silk – supposedly carried. Fortunately, the princess was able to retrieve the egg safely. And in the process, discovered that the purported pregnancy had never been true.

Daemon had done more for the theoretical bastard of a whore than he ever had for his real daughter.

For Arianwyn, his only act of fatherhood was the rape of her mother.

In the days preceding their departure for Driftmark, Alicent had instructed her niece in what to say and how to act when she met Daemon. She would do none of it. The man had never once spared a thought for her, she would happily return the sentiment. Let him defame her as he did her mother, or beg her forgiveness for all his sins. She would give him naught but the same cold indifference he had shown her.

But despite her determination, Arianwyn had still been shaking with trepidation when she went to mount Emrys that morning. The trip across the Blackwater would be long, leaving her alone with her anxious thoughts. She had tried to avoid this by having Aemond ride with her. Emrys had even seemed excited when the prince climbed aboard the saddle. But alas, the Queen moved hastily to forbid it, and Aemond had been forced to sail with his parents aboard the ship.

So Arianwyn rode alone, almost thankful for Emrys’ restlessness – guiding him in circles around the ship helped divert her mind from what would happen when they at last landed on the island that was just then coming in to view.

Driftmark had no Dragonpit, nor any caves or tunnels for the beasts to nest in. Instead, Aegon, Helaena, and Arianwyn were forced to land their dragons half a mile from the castle High Tide, on a rocky cliff overlooking a beach. Moondancer, Caraxes, and Meleys were already there, perched on some of the larger boulders as they lay in the sun.

The dragonriders were met by a small number of Velaryon guards, and quickly escorted to the carriage sent to take them to the castle itself. The path they took was treacherous, winding uncomfortably close to the edge of the cliffs that circled the island. Each time the horses turned came too close to the sheer drops, Helaena would gasp, squeezing her eyes shut as she turned from the carriage windows.

Aegon scoffed, “You are a dragonrider, sister. Surely a mere cliff should not scare you.” In the days since their betrothal, the prince’s attitude toward his sister had soured. He no longer simply ignored her more peculiar tendencies, but seemed to take each as a personal insult.

Arianwyn was utterly exhausted by him. “The drop may be small, cousin,” she said, “but you forget that our carriage does not have wings.”

The prince huffed, blustering to find a witty response, but neither of the girls in the carriage paid any mind to his grumbling as they continued on to the castle.

By the time they arrived in the courtyard, the party from the ship had finally disembarked. Viserys, already visibly tired from the trip, sat in a cushioned chair servants had brought out for them. Lord Corlys Velaryon stood in front on him, deep in hushed conversation with the King. Alicent and Rhaenys stood to the side, engrossed in their own discussion.

Daemon was nowhere to be seen.

True, neither were Baela and Rhaena, or Princess Rhaenyra and her children. But it wasn’t the idea of meeting them that had Arianwyn’s heart racing.

Reminding herself again that she did not care about her father, Arianwyn walked with her cousins as they joined the rest of her family.

At the funeral, Arianwyn stood not with her father and half-sisters, but with the King and Queen. It made sense, she told herself. She had never met Lady Laena; it was not her place to mourn the woman alongside those who had known and loved her. But still, she noted the stares from the gathered nobility on the cliffs above them, and their questioning whispers about why she was not with her father.

She took comfort in the fact that those whispers were quiet. At least, they were compared to those pertaining to Rhaenyra’s children.

They too, had never met Laena, but still Jacaerys wept. There had been another death in that particular branch of the family. It had only been days since Harwin Strong’s gruesome demise. The emotional reaction of the boy was interpreted by many as that of a son mourning his father, further confirming their long-held suspicions.

Arianwyn pitied them. Whether or not he was their true father, Ser Harwin had always been kind to them, bringing them gifts from the docks of King’s Landing and training with them in the castle’s yard. Whatever the relationship, it was once that would be dearly missed.

As the Maester spoke, Arianwyn watched her father. She could find nothing of herself in his face. For years, she had been praised for the delicate softness of her features; Daemon was all sharp angles and straight lines. The only similarity lay in the color of their hair, but where his fell straight, hers curled in elegant wisps around her face.

She at last turned away when the Maester finished his prayers. Vaemond Velaryon stepped toward the coffin as soldiers of his house began to fasten ropes to the steel anchors embedded in the stone.

“We join today at the Seat of the Sea,” Vaemond intoned in High Valyrian, “to commit the Lady Laena of House Velaryon to the eternal waters, the dominion of the Merling King, where He will guard her for all the days to come.”

Arianwyn looked to her half-sisters. Baela leaned against her grandmother, Rhaenys, while Rhaena stood next to them, fists clenched at her sides. They too, looked little like their father. From the sweetness of their faces, Arianwyn imagined that her stepmother had been very beautiful indeed.

Vaemond continued, “As she sets to sea for her final voyage, the Lady Laena leaves two true-born daughters on the shore.” A careful choice of words, directed with pointed disdain toward Rhaenyra and her family. “Though their mother will not return from her voyage, they will all remain bound together in blood. Salt courses through Velaryon blood. Ours runs thick. Ours runs true. And ours must never thin.”

Daemon laughed then. A light, blythe chuckle – wholly out a place at such a solemn occasion. All in attendance turned their attention to him, even those who had been watching for the reaction of Princess Rhaenyra.

Arianwyn’s blood ran cold. As Vaemond had said those pointed words, “Ours runs thick. Ours runs true. And ours must never thin,” Daemon had not been looking at Rhaenyra. Nor his wife’s coffin, or even the daughters by his side. As those words were spoken, he had laid his eyes on Arianwyn for the first time in all her life.

And he had laughed.

That afternoon, amongst the solemnity of the funeral reception, Arianwyn was seething with unquenchable rage. She had anticipated indifference from her father, but she had also considered other possibilities. He may have taunted her as he did her mother, or insisted she was a bastard. She had even considered that he might seek forgiveness for his years of neglect, repentant now that he had lost another wife.

Never once had she considered that he might find her laughable. Indeed, as he walked past her after the coffin had been lowered into the sea, an amused grin quirked on his face, though he did not turn his eyes to her. Nor had he approached her since.

Instead, Arianwyn sat with Helaena on the far end of the balcony, watching her cousin gently turn over a large spider in her hands as she recited words that seemed to have no meaning. She wanted to reach out and grab the spider; crush it in her hands just so she could make something hurt in the same way she did.

But she did not. Doing so would not only hurt the spider, but Helaena as well. Arianwyn could never do that. So, she simply sat on the cold stone, anger crackling through her veins like lightning.

She could sense Aemond a few feet away, watching Helaena as well. But he did not approach, not even after Aegon had left, chasing after one of the servant girls. She wished he would. That he would say something – anything to make her feel better. But silence was his way; he would simply remain by her side as long as she needed him, as she had done for him countless times.

It was Princess Rhaenys who at last broke Arianwyn from her daze. “Come, girl,” she said, her voice raw from days of weeping for her daughter, “It is high time you meet your sisters.”

The Queen Who Never Was led Arianwyn carefully through the crowd, Aemond following discreetly behind them. Baela and Rhaena sat on the other side of the balcony, hands entwined as they sat on a stone bench and talking with Jacaerys. Arianwyn instinctively dropped her gaze as they approached.

“Girls,” Rhaenys whispered, kneeling before her granddaughters, “I would like you to meet Arianwyn, your father’s firstborn daughter.”

Both girls’ dark eyes, brimming with tears, lifted to look at Arianwyn. She stood still and silent as they examined her, searching for familiarity in her face. Finding none, they simply mustered what smiles they could and murmured a greeting.

Arianwyn returned the smile, “You have my sympathies for the loss of your mother. I regret that I was never able to meet her.”

Baela tried to respond, but could only give into her tears. She and Rhaena fell into their grandmother’s arms, sobbing. “I don’t want Mother to be gone,” she cried.

Sensing that pressing the introduction further would only be unkind to the girls, Arianwyn dipped her head in place of a farewell and walked away. When she turned, she saw Aemond standing across a brazier from Jacaerys. The corner of his mouth turned up as if he were about to speak, but when he saw Arianwyn, he simply nodded and turned away from his nephew.

“What did he say to you?” Arianwyn whispered as she took his arm and led him away. Before he had left the Red Keep, Jace had begun to taunt Aemond even without Aegon present to egg him on.

But Aemond shook his head. “He said nothing. I was going to offer my condolences for Ser Harwin, but I couldn’t think of how to say it.”

Arianwyn smiled, at last feeling her anger begin to subside. “That was very kind of you.”

Aemond squeezed her arm, about to inquire about her own feelings, when Alicent approached them.

“Come with me, Aria,” the Queen said. “Your father is waiting to meet you.”

Next Chapter

#aemond targaryen #aemond #aemond one eye #aemond fanfic #aemond targaryen imagine #aemond targaryen fanfic #house of the dragon #aemond targaryn x oc #house of the dragon aemond #hotd aemond #aemond x reader

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jupitermelichios · 1 year

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What the fuck is Riverdale actually about anyway?

that's not an easy question to answer, but I've been asked it a lot, so I'm going to do my best.

disclaimer: while the plot summaries are accurate, my interpretation of the themes is just my interpretation. other fans might disagree, and that's valid. unless it's about season 6. if you disagree with me about season 6, you're wrong. archie literally sings bread and roses. union busting is compared to mass murder. that one's not up for debate.

Season 1

[ID: a promo image for riverdale season 1, showing the characters of betty, veronica, and archie in the diner, while cheryl, josie, and jughead pose dramatically outside the window. The words 'riverdale series premier tonight' are superimposed over the picture]

The Plot: the murder of a highschool student leads his classmates to discover that the adults in their small town are all hiding dark secrets. also there's a love triangle.

What it's actually about: mostly just that, tbh. there's not a lot of subtext in season 1. This is the season where they let showrunner Roberto Aguierra-Sacassa (he of glee and pretty little liars infamy) write stuff, before the writers all barricaded themselves in the writing room and started writing plots which are just about how much they hate him and his ideas

Season 2

[ID: a screencap, showing archie posing with the vigilante gang he starts. the gang is made up of shirtless men wearing red balaclavas. archie is wearing a blue shirt and his face is uncovered, because when you're bating a serial killer it's important to let them know what you look like]

The Plot: A serial killer, the black hood, begins terrorising the town. Jughead accepts his birthright and joins a biker gang. Meanwhile Veronica's gangster father begins trying to take over the town so he can commit crimes with impunity

What it's actually about: this season is mostly a series of increasingly self-aware riffs on different horror and thriller subgenres. It's the transition between the uninspired first season and the genre-parodies that make up the rest of the show, so it's not as tight as other seasons. It does feature an episode which is almost entirely just the writer being real pissed off about aguira-sacassa framing a teacher-student relationship as romantic and consensual in season 1, in which the teacher in question is shown to be a serial abuser and then immediately brutally murdered because of it, and ngl, that was pretty based.

Season 3

[ID: a screencap, showing the main actors playing their character's parents in a flashback to the first gargoyle king murder. the characters are dressed as fantasy stereotypes; a paladin, rogue, warrior-king, nobleman, and wizard. they are pointing their weapons at someone off screen]

The Plot: A new serial killer, the gargoyle king, begins terrorising the town and seems to be connected to a ttrpg which mind controls its players. Meanwhile a cult which claims to allow its members to contact the dead has started recruiting at the school. Also Archie is sent to prison for a murder he didn't commit and forced to participate in an underground fightclub but that only lasts like 5 episodes.

What it's actually about: wouldn't it be ridiculous if the shit people believed during the satanic panic was true? wouldn't that be insane? wouldn't it be unbelievable. wouldn't be insane if, say, a huge portion of trump voters still believed in the satanic panic? tell me you believe in the satanic panic, i dare you, i fucking dare you-

Season 4

[ID: a screencap showing the entire cast dressed as Hedwig from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, with blond wigs, blue eye make-up, denim miniskirts, and high-healed boots]

The Plot: Jughead gets involved in a murderous battle to become the new ghost-writer for a hardy boys parody that ends with him faking his own death. Archie starts a boxing club for underpriviledged youth but Veronica's dad keeps trying to shut it down because he thinks Archie might be going to uncover his illegal paladium smuggling ring. Veronica becomes a bootlegger and opens a speakeasy because she wants her dad to respect her and thinks the only way to get that is by being the fucking worst before she realises that actually he sucks and she shouldn't care what he thinks.

What it's actually about: rich people are the fucking worst and we should probably just kill all of them. Listen. Listen, they're evil. It's very important to all the writers that you know this. They're all evil.

Season 5

[ID: a screencap showing what is referred to in the show as mothman, a boney humanoid with no hair, ridges over its eyes, and boney stubs that may be the tops of wings growing out of its back]

The Plot: following a 7 year timeskip, the gang return to Riverdale as adults and try to stop the town from being discorporated and demolished by Veronica's dad to make way for a new property developement. Betty hunts a serial killer who's been targetting sex workers in the area. Also Cheryl starts a Maple Syrup-themed cult and controls bees with her mind.

What it's actually about: Honestly, this season is mostly just about genre parodies. They're good genre parodies, don't get me wrong, but there's not a lot of coherent theming.

Season 6

[ID: a screencap, showing archie topless and tied to a saint andrew's cross, wearing a crown made of antlers. cheryl is standing in front of him wearing a red robe, elaborate headdress, and holding a knife, as she prepares to sacrifice him to ensure a good maple syrup harvest]

The Plot: after riverdale colides with a parallel universe, the gang find they have developed superpowers which are all related to their key character traits, which they must use to battle an evil wizard called percival pickens who is trying to destroy the world using a magical train. the genre parodies get weird this season, because a lot of them are comics riffs rather than movie or tv riffs. also there's an extended alan wake parody.

What it's actually about: Unionize. Unionize right the fuck now. Why are you not already in a union? Don't you know joining a union will literally improve your changes of getting into heaven? Look at Archie Andrews singing bread and roses and tell me you still think unions are bad you coporate bootlicking piece of shit!

Season 7 (so far)

[ID: a promotional image for season 7, showing betty, archie, and veronica wearing costumes based on the archie comics of the 1950s. They are sitting in the diner, and Berry and Veronica are each holding one of archie's hands]

The Plot: as a result of stopping the evil wizard in S6, the gang are sent back in time to the 1950s with no memory of their previous lives, where they are once again in highschool. Jughead has been told by an angel to make the town more just as this will help the angel bring them back to their own time, but someone is commiting murders and framing kids in the highschool for them. also there's an extended reference to alex hirsch's fight with disney S&P over gravity falls, which I did not see coming

What it's actually about (so far): oh, you think this show would be better if it was set in the 50s? You do know the 50s were the fucking worst, right? You do know the apple pie america the archie comics are set in never existed, right? you do know people who insist the 50s were a great decade are all racist homophobic sexist pieces of shit, right? right?!

#riverdale #long post #riverdale happens on purpose #it's important to remember that #they're not trying to make a normal show and failing #they're trying to make riverdale and succeeding #and also they want so badly for you to join a union

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booksteacupandreviews · 9 months

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Heavy Crown by Sophie Lark - action-packed, interesting conclusion of series

Heavy Crown is enjoyable, action-packed, dark, and interesting conclusion of Brutal Birthright. Previous books in this series –SynopsisReviewYou might enjoy Heavy Crown if you like,Book Links Heavy Crown (Brutal Birthright #6) by Sophie Lark Publication Date : January 6, 2021 Read Date : December 20, 2023 Genre : Mafia Romance Page : 426 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. Disclaimer – Downloaded…

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#Book Blog #book blog feature #Book blogger #Book review #book review blog #Books Teacup and Reviews #Brutal Birthright Series #Heavy Crown #Indian Book Blogger #Mafia Romance #revenge plot #rival family #Sophie Lark

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efexbe · 1 year

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broken vow by sophie lark

#broken vow #sophie lark #riona griffin #raylan boone #romancebook #mafia romance #brutal birthright series

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todaysdocument · 1 year

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Speech of then-Senator Harry S. Truman before the United Rally to Demand Rescue of Doomed Jews, April 14, 1943.

“This is the time for action. No one can any longer doubt the horrible intentions of the Nazi beasts.”

Collection HST-SVP: Harry S. Truman Papers as U.S. Senator and Vice President

Series: Speech Files

File Unit: Press Release File April 14, 1943 - United Rally to Demand Rescue of Doomed Jews, Chicago, Illinois

Transcription:

SPEECH TO BE DELIVERED BY SENATOR HARRY S. TRUMAN

BEFORE THE UNITED RALLY TO DEMAND RESCUE OF DOOMED

JEWS AT CHICAGO STADIUM, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ON

APRIL 14, at 8:00 O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING -

TO BE RELEASED ON DELIVERY

Some twenty-three years ago when we men of American returned to this nation's shores, we dedicated ourselves to the principles for which our comrades had laid down their lives. In our hears was a consuming hatred for the forces of oppression which had sought to crush the free people of the world. In our memory was an undying horror of war. We laid aside our weapons and turned to the pursuits of peace. But we knew we could never keep our trust with those who had given their lives on the battlefield of Europe unless we undertook to bring into actual being the liberty and freedom for which we had fought. That war was waged not only that nations might be free but also that the people who make up those nations might be free.

During this time we strove to achieve these ends through the arts of peace, relying on an honor that we hoped existed between nations. Today, again, we find the forces of oppression seeking to crush the free peoples of the world.

Today the flag of freedom and liberty for which those comrades of mine gave up their lives has been trampled into the dust by the iron heel of the barbarian. In conquered Europe we find a once free people enslaved, crushed and brutalized by the most depraved tyrants of all time. Through the edict of a mad Hitler and a degenerate Mussolini, the people of that ancient race, the Jews, are being herded like animals into the Ghettos, the concentration camps, and the wastelands of Europe. The men, the women and the children of this honored people are being starved, yes! actually murdered by the fiendish Huns and Fascists. Today these oppressed people, still with spirit unbroken look for succor to us, we people of the United States, whose flag has always stood for liberty, freedom and justice for all.

[page 2]

-2-

The history of America in its fight for freedom and the history of the Jews of America are one and the same. During the dark days of the Revolutionary War, when it appeared that the cause of freedom for which our forefathers then were fighting was a lost cause -- when the spirit of Washington and his brave men was lowest -- the man who took his personal fortune and dedicated it to the freedom of America was that early patriot, Haym Solomon. The history of the South could not be written without recounting the honored deeds of Judah P. Benjamin, Senator of Louisiana, statesman, scholar, and revered leader of the South. So on down through the pages of the history of America, you find the efforts of the Jews -- as of all Americans -- striving for all those things that have made America great.

When in the course of the present conflict it became apparent that the forces of evil were moving along a path toward world-wide conquest -- the ultimate goal, the compete and utter subjugation of all nations of the world -- our great President outlined the Four Freedoms: the Freedom of Speech, the Freedom to Worship God, the Freedom from Want, and the Freedom from Fear. Today we find America and her allies fighting to uphold those principles. We are fighting now that the Four Freedoms shall be, not only freedoms for the United Nations, but a guaranteed birthright to all the peoples of the world.

Merely talking about the Four Freedoms is not enough. This is the time for action. No one can any longer doubt the horrible intentions of the Nazi beasts. We know that they plan the systematic slaughter throughout all of Europe, not only of the Jews but of vast numbers of other innocent peoples. The streets of Europe, running with the blood of the massacred, are stark proof of the insatiable thirst of the Nazi hordes.

Now is the time for fighting. Today, as always in the past, Americans are fighting with honor and glory. Those of us on the home front are devoting all our energies to giving them the weapons they need. But we must do more

[page 3]

-3-

than that. Of paramount importance today is the firm establishment of the foundation of our post-war world. We must make sure that when final victory is achieved all men throughout the world will live in peace, free from all oppression.

Today -- not tomorrow -- we must do all that is humanly possible to provide a haven and place of safety for all those who can be grasped from the hands of the Nazi butchers. Free lands must be opened to them. Their present oppressors must know that they will be held directly accountable for their bloody deeds. To do all of this, we must draw deeply on our tradition of aid of the oppressed, and on our great national generosity. This is not a Jewish problem. It is an American problem - and we must and we will face it squarely and honorably.

#archivesgov #April 14 #1943 #1940s #World War II #WWII #Jewish history #holocaust #shoah #Harry S. Truman #the s. doesn't stand for anything but truman spelled it with a dot so that's the way we spell it

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elder-sister · 3 months

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Okay so!

Hoshido is very peaceful, and prosperous. But also isolationist and racist

Nohr is a land in eternal night, and with few resources, forcing them to Conquer other lands, starting a war with Hoshido who refuses to trade with them. It doesn't help that an unknown (until you play the third route then you find out) killed Nohr's good king and slowly turned him into a brutal, bloodthirst tyrant.

While many of the Nohr characters who aren't recruited are obviously evil, I do think things are a bit more gray.

And also, Nohr's worldbuilding is interesting

Plants grow via moonlight, most cities are underground, the castle is in a hole. The place is militeristic, the history of the royal family is VERY interesting, the flora is bioluminescent, it's just cool

Nohr survives by conquering nearby lands such as the Ice Tribe, Notre Saggesse, and Cheve

Even then, those places are small. And have a tendency to rebel

Also, Conquest is more difficult. Units level up slower, you need to buy DLC for grinding, and it's harder and more expensive to get items. The map designs are also some of the most difficult yet fair in the series. Birthright is very Easy

Also, Nohr's music is pretty Celtic, with instruments such as bagpipes.

Hoshido is heavily Japanese inspired

And oh boy. The royal family of Nohr...

I feel bad for them. So very bad for them. They are the reason I can't play Birthright because I don't wanna hurt them ;-;

Yeah the Hoshido siblings lost their dad and Corrin but oh boy that's NOTHING compared to Nohr.

And also the Hoshidan royals, specifically Takumi and Hinoka, are racist

Nohr had a Queen, Katerina. She had a son with King Garon. Xander. And then she died. Now at this time, Garon was a loving father. Then, the concubines wanted power. They used their children for this. Hundreds of them forced to kill each other, or play the roles of political pawns. This lasted years. During this time, Garon remarried a woman named Arete, a foreigner with a daughter named Azura. However, throughout what would be called the Concubine wars, with so many of his children dying, he grew cold and callous. And eventually the whole mysterious guy killing and secretly puppetyring him thing happened.

Only 5 kids remained.

Xander, Camilla, Azura, Leo, and Elise

All very traumatized.

Xander constantly facing assassinations, Camilla made into a weapon for her mother, Azura being picked on relentlessly and the guards turning a blind eye, Leo forced to be a pawn and outright stating in a support that his mother didn't love him, and Elise was too young to remember, but she was never around for good guy Garon.

Then came Corrin's kidnapping and Azura's kidnapping.

And when they met Corrin, their new sibling, they became EXTREMELY close. They only had each other.

But they are effected. Xander hides his feelings for the greater good, Camilla is so violently protective and attached to people if she leaves she freaks out, Azura honestly got the best out of this because the Hoshidans saw her as "one of the good ones" Corrin was isolated and longed for the outside world, Leo has a massive inferiority complex, feeling his not good enough, not worthy, and strives to make his siblings proud even when they already are, and Elise takes it upon herself to make sure everyone is happy.

Even their retainers aren't as close to them as they are to the siblings. Niles broke in with a group of thieves and when they abandoned him and Leo confronted Niles, he begged for death, intriguing Leo enough to spare and hire him. Beruka was hired to kill Camilla, so Camilla hired her for more money to be a retainer. Laslow, Selena, and Odin are actually Inigo Severa and Owain from Awakening and are thus incredibly secretive. And Peri loves killing. Elise has the best retainers with her best friend and a Justice loving man.

ALL OF THIS BEFORE THE GAME EVEN STARTS!!!!!!!!!

Every trauma thing stays the same except Corrin. I mean her first experience outside the Northern Fortress is being a commander in a war so...

Also, headcanon ages (during the game)

Elise is 16 (Japanese Version has her as a child and she's written like one but she is called an adult once in the English version so I'm going with 16 as a comprise), Leo is 18, Corrin is 20, Azura is 20, Camilla is 22 and Xander is 25. But the ages are just headcanon

Oof that was... uh. Something? /pos

#SORRY I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY MY BRAIN IS WORKING ON OTHER THINGS RN

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