#and then as a result MARRY THE OTHER ONE

[thosewildcharms]

smallville recap seasons 1-7. half of all characters who have ever appeared on the show are obsessed with clark. the other half are obsessed with lana. lex in particular is so obsessed with clark he becomes obsessed with lana by proxy causing all three of them to go completely batshit crazy insane about it. clark and lana are mutually obsessed with each other and make it everybody else's problem for 7 years. and it slaps!

[rubiatinctorum]

I get where people are coming from when they say Diaspro in Winx lost the plot for the sake of being turned into a minor villain and that's all once Valtor enabled her to do what she did in S3, but I feel like that was a reasonable narrative choice. It's only a love potion at that point (while I could go on all day about the ethics of love potions, of course, a later season has her straight up trying to do direct murder). She's a noble, guards will do her dirty work, and I understand that she would feel like getting revenge on Bloom while getting back together with Sky. She was promised a position — romantic AND political — she nearly had and then it was taken from under her by a random fairy who wasn't even "supposed" to be in the running. I don't think what she did was nice, but it makes sense for the story and for her character for her to want to reclaim her position in the way she did. Sky's love was an accessory, in part, to her political ascension, and thus he is again rendered accessory and accomplice by the love spell. And, sending guards after threats seems to be the thing to do in the magical universe if you're a disgruntled noble, so it's probably not unfamiliar for Diaspro to have seen occur before or want to do. It's not a uniquely rotten response any more than Radius' behaviour towards the monster (who, he didn't know it, was Stella). If we fault her for this action rather than only the intention behind it, we need to examine how the worlds in Winx Club deal with threats to their monarchs in general, which sounds interesting but I frankly don't have time for tonight. Diaspro did wrong, but she didn't do uniquely wrong there, and Eraklyon has the punitive security structures in place to have enabled that.

Diaspro's later appearances seem to flatten her motives and the symbolism behind why her relationship with Sky was important and what she does about it (who cares what Diaspro's political aims are and how her status might reflect how she deals with problems, the audience needs to see Bloom thrown into fire I guess), but I feel like seasons 4-8 weren't really that good anyway, so I can't even claim this as a fault of the writers doing Diaspro specifically wrong instead of them just doing the whole show wrong at that point. It might be related, and it might be a coincidence, but a lot of the writing choices seemed to become more flat to me right around when the art shifted to that lifeless godawful Flash simulacrum of S1-3's art.

Also like... idk but if some long-haired hottie wizard in a sick coat and contemplative eyeshadow told me he could help me get my promised chance at both romantic and political success back, I'd at least hear him out, yknow, see what he had to say (<- don't trust me I simp for Valtor)

[byzantine-suggestions]

Theodora's wikipedia page is a good example of when wikipedia is not an exceptionally reliable source

[forgottenamira]

Amira, Witch-Queen of Kolchis

headcanon time!! ok so this has the chance to get loooong so imma spare us aLL and bulletpoint this one, but everyone and esp @forgottenedmund as both admin and the other person currently playing a calainon, lmk what you think bc this might just be ~too insane and idk what you have planned etc alskdjflkjsdfjkdf

KOLCHIS & INTRO

house calainon does not exist or, it perhaps once did, but if it ever truly did, the ages have turned its true history to legend and myth

nonetheless, amira and her brothers make claim to that descent through one tenuous proof: witchcraft

while, given her husband's acute hatred of all seers, this might seem a great shock, this is also the truth, and it is (part of) why amira so tenaciously clings to the memory of her grandmother's gift

so real talk, im using kolchis as the place-holder name for the place amira's from (yes i ~did lift that from greek myth and just partially changed the spelling and no i will ~not apologize ;D), but im picturing an ancient athens meets mythological colchis meets constantinople/the byzantine empire w/ just a dash of ptolemaic alexandria sdlkafjskljdfjkdsf gotta grab all my greek-rooted mega cultures ig laksdjfkjlsdf (and yeah im sure the soldiers there def dip into sparta shhhh) so yeahhhh when you picture amira growing up, its that

CALAINON

in ages past, it is written, there once lived a young and ambitious warlord, called calainon, who is said to have conquered the known world (think alexander the great meets achilles meets hercules meets oedipus meets pelops meets atreus etc etc)

many legends speak of this ambitious fellow, holding often that he was the son of a god and a mortal woman, that he was possessed of superhuman strength and skill and daring, and that no mere mortal could stand before him

while there is no certainty, in truth, that this person ever did exist, it is said that he was the founder of the great city of kolchis, which he made the center of his great empire and that he built the still unfinished, storm-struck tower which was, for many eons, the highest building in all the world and called the stair of calainon (as according to legend he had built it as an attempt to reach the heavens and tear the gods from their holy temples in the skies)

there are two versions of the tales of calainon -- one in which he is cast as a tragic hero, and another in which he apears as a twisted villain

known to history both as calainon the deathless (for it is said that he groans still, buried deep in the bowels of the earth, half unable to die as his father was a god and half unable to live as his mother was a mortal) or, more popularly, cursed calainon the balsphemer

it will probs not surprise you to learn that calainon has always been a great hero of roderick's and thus that, tying his own burgeoning legend to the great calainon's, was a very appealing prospect to roderick

many hero-kings, horrific monsters, celebrated seers, cruel despots, and tragic martyrs of myth and legend are said to have descended from the house of calainon, and it is said that the line of calainon will endure until the end of all time for, cursed though they may be, half-gods they once were also

yet, if any of them ever did exist, it is ages past since any of them were known, save one source: local legend of kolchis speaks of the high priestesses of kolchis...

CALAINON THE VILLAIN

often held up as an example of hubris, calainon dared so much that the gods, themselves, stepped in

a great war took place and, it is oft said in kolchis that calainon committed the heresy of not merely daring to lock away the gods -- a heroic act -- but of attempting to steal their power

all of this he attempted w the erstwhile help of the guardian of kolchis known as the kolchian dragon

some myths hold that the great poisonous drake aided him only in sealing away the gods, and he forced the guardian's hand in attempting to steal the power of the gods

but others hold the guardian wished to aid him in both quests

tales disagree as well on how much calainon achieved: did he manage to seize for himself the power of the gods, or did he fail?

all sources agree on one thing however: there was a titanic battle fought amongst the clouds. the earth shook, lightning broke the fortress below, tidal waves sweeping the broken battlements away, and whole islands were drowned in the uproarious fury of the gods

but ultimately, though sealed away, the gods prevailed and cast down the heretic calainon in his hubris, imprisoning him forever beneath the earth

in his defeat, they cursed him, blinded him, and buried him alive, hurled from the heavens into the abyss of the earth (think: fall of lucifer sort of imagery)

in some variants, the gods also cursed his bloodline forever after, but this is another point upon which there are several variants

CALAINON THE HERO & THE HIGH PRIESTESS OF KOLCHIS

one of the many myths of calainon relates to an unending fire and a dragon, and it is in this version of the story (which happens to be roderick's favorite), that calainon appears not as a villain, but as a hero

in this legend, calainon's war with the gods is a fight for freedom, suppressing the deities with the help of kolchis' legendary guardian, known most often as the kolchian dragon

in the tragedy of the great calainon, he fights the gods only to be cast down in their vengeance, but not before sealing them away forever

in this version it is said that his warrior's spirit shall someday be reborn in a new form to lead the world once again (i invite you to guess how roderick might think he could potentially tie into this myth ;DDD)

according to a local legend in the great city of kolchis, before launching his campaign against the gods, calainon as god-king of kolchis appointed his eldest daughter, arsinoe, as high-priestess

she was a great seeress, famed for her wisdom and power, whose responsibility it was to tend the sacred eternal flame at the shrine of the kolchian dragon

hers was a fiery offering to keep the dragon-guardian strong against the fearsome gods, where her female descendants (for in kolchis it is held that a true seer must be a woman) shall forever after continue her great work, tending the eternal flame to assure that it may never go out or the kolchian dragon, the great guardian, will fade to nothing and die and, it is said, upon that day the gods will be unleashed and bring apocalypse upon the mortals who dared give them chains

this flame was a great bonfire at the center of the shrine, so vast that in ancient days, it was said that it could be seen in every part of the old city, a beacon that never went out

according to this legend, it is the divine blood of calainon which gives a seer her powers and, thus, it is believed -- according to this obscure kolchian legend -- that every single kolchian witch may trace her descent back to mighty calainon

A THOUSAND THOUSAND YEARS PASS...

in roderick's day, the most recent high priestess (sometimes called the 'fire-keeper' or 'witch-queen' of kolchis) was none other than the seeress who was amira's grandmother, with amira seemingly destined to be the next high priestess after her

while once the high priestesses of kolchis were revered, regarded almost like oracle of delphi meets melisandre of asshai-type figures, and each was regarded as the chief and best mystical advisor to the so-called god-kings of kolchis (so called bc it was calainon half-god who had established kingship in kolchis)

these priestesses were known as a powerhouses in their own right, the last known vestiages of calainon himself, ruling the hearts of the people of kolchis, and running a powerful temple overflowing with priestesses and acolytes, almost a small religious city within the greater city, itself, leading to them being known to outsiders as the 'witch-queen of kolchis'

yet by the time of amira's birth, the position had centuries since lost any luster, becoming a ruin of its former self

as the old religion faded into only memory anywhere but astaira, the high priestesses came to be despised, an embarrassing reminder of an age of backwater supersticion compared to the cosmopolitan center kolchis had became and wished to be

without the temple economy still running strong, kolchis' stratification intensified, till it was said that in kolchis, the rich fed not on fruits but on the poor

still worse for the temple, itself, nearly a thousand years ago, a war of religion broke out and the temple was sacked, much of it pulled down and the rest -- though marble -- burned (fun fact: marble ~will burn if the fire is hot enough) till all that was left of the erstwhile 'jewel of kolchis' was a crumbling, burned out shell of its former self. still, the high priestesses endured in the slums, and still the eternal flame burned on

the old city, where the ruined temple was located, was now located in the slums and grime of kolchis amongst its most dangerous dark corners

there, only the lost or the most daring would venture: the ruinous temple of the dragon and its keepers were seen as a supersticious and untrustworthy lot who lurked in the shadows, preying upon unsuspecting tourists

pick-pockets, liars, and harlots who played at mysticism and fortune telling to make off with valuables and steal souls, so the supersticion ran, for their dark, twisted magic

THE LIFE & TIMES OF AMIRA CALAINON

it is with this reputation and in this situation that amira and godfrey grew up, doing their utmost to protect little tristan from the sad truth of the world around them

their father had disappeared when tristan was a babe at the breast, likely murdered in the dangerous streets where they lived, while fleeing with what few valuables the family had left

their mother, the high priestess's only child, died of the pox while her children were still quiet small

thus, though blind and decrepit, it fell to their grandmother to raise her grandchildren

not thinking much of men in general, and regarding the sight as the realm of women anyway, as the kolchian culture long had held, the grandmother relied largely upon amira, training her in what arts she could with the expectation that, someday, amira's magic would show itself

a true believer, her grandmother was sure that, as the last female calainon, amira must be a witch or else the line of high priestesses would die with the grandmother, herself, unless amira were to produce a seer for a daughter

not wishing to surrender her only utility to an unborn daughter who may never even arrive, amira did her best to play along as a witch

a thing which exulted her in her grandmother's eyes who, though she loved her grandchildren fiercely, regarded only other seers as her equals

amira learned to read bones and fires and stars for potential futures (or at least to guess at them)

she learned to read people and 'see' in their futures what they wanted

she learned trickery and slight of hand and, perhaps most of all, she learned about poisons

such things were sacred to the kolchian dragon, known for poisonous fangs and breath and fire hot enough to melt the bones even of beings divine and cold as winter

meanwhile, living in extreme poverty, godfrey and amira learned to lie, to steal, to spy, and to cheat simply in order to subsist

RODERICK

by the time roderick invaded, things were desperate indeed

the star of the cosmopolitan center of kolchis, even, was well into its decline

kolchis had become so corrupt and top heavy that the rich knew little at all of what their ppl suffered -- and cared even less -- living in sublime luxury while everything they sat upon rotted beneath them

still, the god-king was eager to keep what little was left of his so-called empire, now reduced only to a single city

it was soon quite clear that kolchis was roderick's target

the god-king sent many troops to die in vain upon the teeth of roderick's armies, but nothing he did would hold the young would-be conqueror back

at last, with roderick upon him, the god-king ordered the impregnable gates of kolchis closed and laid in wait for a siege

the people in the streets began to starve -- and soon enough amira's own grandmother succumbed

but watching their grandmother slowly die, amira and godfrey had already long since sprung into action, lying and deceiving their way into the palace as servants

there they watched and listened and plotted, aligning themselves with a growing restless movement amongst the poor who meant to tear their god-king down w them

so it was that the common ppl stormed the god-king's castle, killing his guards and his ministers and hanging their bodies from the high walls and trees of of kolchis (yes this is a golden fleece reference)

ultimately, guided by amira and godfrey who knew the freedom fighters of kolchis could not possibly overpower roderick, the god-king's head was delivered to roderick as a gift, and the gates opened to him, inviting him inside as their celebrated and longed-for emperor, with amira as the chief intermediary sent to treat with him given her status as high priestess of kolchis

seeing an opportunity, amira immediately set about seducing the emperor, cleopatra and anne boleyn-style

while also taking full advantage of the local legend she'd heard from her grandmother, and introducing herself as amira calainon, supposedly acknowledged descendant of calainon, the first god-king of kolchis

she was willing to bet, afterall, that roderick probably admired and wished to associated with himself. she wasn't wrong.

so she brought him a head and a crown of laurel leaves and slowly made herself a queen

amira crowned roderick king of kolchis (roderick abolishing all use of the term 'god-king'), herself, in her role as high priestess of kolchis, in the sight of all the kolchians, at the ancient temple of the dragon which roderick had had esp restored for the event

before her marriage, she appointed an acting high priestess to keep the eternal flame burning

which roderick permits as a cultural tradition relating to the cultural hero, calainon, his own relative by marriage

a connection sealed with the birth of their son, edmund

VENGEANCE -- OR FEAR

to be clear, amira is not in love with roderick (they have some weird twisted thing that i could write its own novella on probs but that's for another time), he is the means to an end. for one thing, with one move she had gone from desperately clinging to survival in the slums to one of the richest and most powerful women in the known world, but this was not her only goal in wedding roderick.

amira wants money, she wants power, and she wants revenge. she wants vengeance on roderick, as she blames him (as well as the god-king of kolchis, but she's already wreaked her vengeance upon ~him) for the death of her grandmother, the only person besides godfrey who ever really looked out for amira, and certainly the only one who ever saw smth superior to all others in her.

she also wants revenge against all those -- and even the symbols of those -- who held her head underwater so long so that they, themsleves, could breathe

amira enjoys, endorses, and encourages all of roderick's worst traits bc his zest for conquest is a weapon she wields against the rest of the world. now ~she's the the one holding ~their heads underwater. bitch.

but most of all she wants revenge upon the world for allowing any of it to happen

she means to wait a long time to avenge herself on roderick, himself. when she is ready, he will die, as will all of his children save her own, and edmund will reign at last, and they will finally, finally be untouchable.

in the end, however, even amira's quest for vengeance is rooted in the deep horror she cannot face, the fear that she, too, will be conquered, defeated, helpless, and left to starve to death w the only ppl she truly loves in the fetid streets, just like the only woman who ever loved her.

however, she seeks always to project strength (even to herself!), as it is an armor, her last line of defense, to prevent this from happening, so she will stop at nothing, doing literally whatever it takes, to see her goals met bc then and only then will she be truly safe, or at least as safe as anyone in this world can ever be, with edmund as emperor

as a result, she is always quick to remind herself that it is vengeance and not safety she truly seeks -- but is that really true?

[thesadboy]

The Sons of Daenerys and Maron Martell

"Whether Daenerys loved Daemon, as those who rose for the Black Dragon later claimed, who could say? In the years afterward, Daenerys was never aught but a loyal wife to Prince Maron..."

Nymerion Martell

"The Prince Nym"

"Prince Valyrian"

"Nymerion the Brave"

"Steadfast, dutiful, and eager to please, the heir of Daenerys and Maron cared not for what the rest of the Seven Kingdoms had to say of his father or his father's people. Only the people of Dorne mattered to him, for they were his people too and a part of him as much as his Valyrian heritage"

"The Blackfyre pretenders spoke of the great love between Daemon and Daenerys, with some even whispering that Nymerion was sired by Daemon and not the princess' Dornish husband, using his lighter coloring as a means of backing their claims. Yet those claims suddenly grew silent when the young prince, newly ten and six, had gone to court looking like the strapping young man the late Elder Prince Nymerion looked"

-The first and only one of Maron's sons to take more after his mother in skin tone

-Named after Maron and Myriah's father, with Maron doing so partially in the hopes that his people would accept him as heir

-Like his cousin the Breakspear, his taking after his maternal family more brought him under scrutiny. Many, particularly Blackfyre supporters, spread rumors that he was actually sired by Daenerys' half-brother Daemon. Another reason these rumors started was that as a babe, his hair was a fairer color, being blonde. It was only when as he grew, with his features starting to look similar to Maron and Maron's father and his hair darkening to brown, that the rumors died down.

-Often desired to be recognized and accepted by the other Dornish lords and ladies who were reluctant to do so when rumors of him being Daemon and Daenerys' bastard were still prevalent. Larence Uller, the head of House Uller at that time, was particularly vocal about this displeasure and even once mockingly called him "Prince Valyrian" stating that he had simply misheard his name when questioned about it.

-Skilled at both spear and sword, he often practiced shirtless in Sunspear's training yard, which got him lots of attention from the female servants. His parents were concerned that the attention could cause him to be like his grandsire though thankfully, that didn't happen

-Known for being adventurous, often trying out some rather dangerous things like teasing snakes out of their hiding places or trying to climb the tallest of trees

-At first, he tried to be cordial with his bastard uncle Daemon out of a desire to keep peace in the family and for a time, it seemed to work...until he reached his majority at ten-and-six and his uncle became cold and rude to him and had mocked his youngest brother. It's suspected that Daemon initially humored him out of the belief that Nymerion was actually his.

-Fond of playing cyvasse and it was said that it was how he bonded with his family. In particular, he loved playing it with his father who often would train him as heir while they played a game of it together. Maron would ask him questions as Nymerion was making his move, wanting to test if he could still remember his lessons. The prince found it to be rather stimulating

-Close to his cousin Baelor, the two bonding over the massive amounts of scrutiny they were placed under due to looking more like their mothers. During their youth, they could often be found training together whenever one visited the other's parents. It was even Nym himself who had suggested to him that he look to the Stormlands for his princess consort.

-It was said that the Dondarrions had initially planned to decline the offers to betroth Jena to Baelor, wanting her to marry Nymerion instead due to him looking "less Dornish." Though the validity of this claim is often contended.

-Took to wife, a Carmela Qorgyle, who was a month older than and distant kin to him. Her father was a cousin of Maron's from a secondary branch of House Martell, the same as Manfrey's in the present day. Prince Nym decided on the marriage as it was convenient and practical for many reasons: it would reaffirm his status as a Martell prince, Carmela being a Sandy Dornishwoman would mean their children would be more easily seen as Dornish, the Qorgyle line that had nearly died out during The Young Dragon's attempted conquest would be ensured to continue at least in blood, and perhaps most importantly, it would also show that House Martell did not forget their fellow Dornishmen. Together, they learned to love each other over the years and would have two children, first a girl named Nymeria then a boy named Mors.

-Fond of dogs and had a whole retinue of different dog breeds he had purchased from different breeders. It was said that the prince's dogs lived a life of luxury and that they could be seen with golden jeweled collars and led on the finest of silk ropes. Some believe that he even had requested that after death, they be buried in the same place he would be. His daughter also had a dog of her own, gifted by him, that she called "Garin" after Garin the Great.

-During an assassination attempt on Maron's family, he managed to save his wife and children, having heard their cries for help from his chambers. It was noted that despite being outnumbered two to one and the sellswords being twice his size and strength, he succeeded in killing them, giving him the moniker of "Nymerion the Brave." There are rumors that he didn't kill one of the sellswords but instead, had him brought to Larence Uller as a "token of friendship" so that the Lord of Hellholt may exact tortures of any kind on the assassin.

-Although he tended to to keep his distance from the Dornish smallfolk, he did do his best to make life easier for them, often passing laws that would protect them.

-After Carmela died from a burst belly, he fell into grief which he tried to drown out with wine, leading to him siring a bastard son named Oberyn Sand. It was said that he was never quite the same after she passed, often looking as if he carried the whole of Planetos on his shoulders.

-Was fluent in Rhoynish, having done the best he could to perfect it, his vassals would say that he had an "elegant grasp" of the language and this had helped in earning the loyalty and respect of his bannermen

-He would follow his beloved wife a year after due to a snake bite. Some speculate that his drunkenness had caused him to be careless, as the prince's knowledge on the different snakes of Dorne would mean he knew that said snake was dangerous, while others say that it had been intentional as he couldn't bear to live without Carmela.

-Elia, Oberyn, and Doran descend from him matrilineally via his daughter Nymeria, his grandson Daron, and his great-granddaughter (their mother) Loreza.

Taron Martell

"The Prince of Sculptors"

"Taron the Good"

"My Dusty Star"

"While all the other men presented fragrant flowers and declarations of devotion and love, The Prince of Sculptors presented her with his devotion carved into stone. A statue made in the likeness of Alma Dayne. 'Flowers would wilt but stone is ever hardy and it takes centuries for it to wear down', the Prince had said. The same could be said for the Prince's love for his Lady Dayne as their marriage stood strong and proved fruitful"

"The fourth son of Daeron the Good and the second son of Maron Martell married the daughters of House Dayne for love"

-Born ten minutes before his twin Garon, making him the older one between them.

-Known for being reserved and quiet, often just observing his surroundings. Some would say that his many times great nephew Doran is much like him, though more dour.

-Most maesters believe that Maron partially named him after his wife's family, though most Dornishmen in the present would laugh at this claim. The truth is Maron had named his elder twin son after his favorite aunt, Tara Martell, who is forgotten in most history books.

-He had a real artistic talent, being able to carve rocks and wood into all sorts of intricate designs and sculptures. He even made some cyvasse pieces in his spare time

-He and Garon often loved wearing coordinated clothing that were like inverted versions of each other's. Taron in particular wore outfits that were yellow accented with red and orange.

-As a child, he and Garon often accompanied their father to the Shadow City, where they would see that he was a man of the people. Maron would listen to the grievances of the city's inhabitants and help them as best as he could with his twin sons at his side and as such, they grew to befriend many of the inhabitants. Though Taron only kept in touch with a few of these friends well into adulthood, and even convinced his wife to let them and their family work as part of Starfall's household.

-Loved dancing and it was something he often practiced while Garon would watch, entertained and amused. Whenever Sunspear had guests gracing its halls, he would dance to impress them while Garon would sing to accompany him.

-It's said that Trystane, one of the contemporary Martells, bears a passing resemblance to him.

-He was fluent in High Valyrian, often switching between it and the Common Tongue while talking with Maekar. As for Rhoynish, he was good at understanding it when reading but speaking it was a different matter altogether.

-He made busts of him, his brothers, and his parents, wanting to make sure they wouldn't be forgotten. Later on, after he taught his children how to sculpt, it would become tradition for those of Taron's line to do the same for themselves and their direct family. Taron's busts of him and his family are stored somewhere in Sunspear, but time has worn them down a bit and the sculptures are missing some features such as noses or ears.

-Was close with his cousin Maekar and it was said that he was one of the few people who could get the normally stern and closed-off prince to smile or even laugh. Learning that Maekar died hit him just as hard as when he learned his twin died.

-Fostered at Starfall when he was ten and during his time there, he became close with the children of House Dayne. He would later fall in love with Alma Dayne, who was older than him by three years and was to be the Lady of Starfall after her mother Alsana. While Alma got lots of suitors vying for her hands, she chose Taron for his gentleness and humble nature.

-Maekar would visit him during his fosterage at Starfall and that was how he met his eventual wife, Alma's cousin Dyanna. It was rumoured that Taron and Alma even tried to deliberately set them up together.

-Married Alma in a joint wedding ceremony with Maekar and Dyanna. It was often joked how Taron danced gracefully while his bride had two left feet, but the prince could care less since all that mattered was that he married the woman he loved. He also danced with his cousin and his new goodcousin, getting both of them to laugh. It was said that that was one of the happiest times of Maekar's life

-Even after his marriage to Alma, he didn't stop sculpting, in fact he sculpted so much that Alma often found him with his hands and arms covered in dust. This is how he became affectionately called "My Dusty Star" by his wife.

-He had seven children with Alma. His children in order of birth were: the twins Allyrion and Allyria, a son named Asher, a son named Garin, a son named Tariq, a son named Uthor, and a daughter named Carisa.

-He died peacefully of old age, after having outlived all his siblings and even having met his great-grandson, who was the one who discovered that he had passed away in his sleep.

-Ashara, Arthur, and their siblings descend from him via his son Asher, his granddaughter Annara, and his great-grandson (their father) Alek. Additionally, House Allyrion also descend from him since his daughter Allyria married the heir of the House during their time and had with him, a son named (funnily enough) Allyrion Allyrion (there were no end to the jokes about his name).

Garon Martell

"The Shadow Prince"

"Garon the Gregarious"

"The Prince of Bards"

"In the city of shadows, many knew of the younger of the Martell twins. He was larger than life, a man of the people like his father was, openly talking and befriending all who were drawn to him whenever he ventured through the Shadow City. And many were indeed drawn to him. While his twin helped the city from afar, Garon helped the city as he wandered the streets, starting projects to ensure it would thrive long after he was gone"

"The only one to have loved Daeron's mad son as much as his Lady Arryn was the third of Daenerys' sons. When Prince Garon had witnessed Rhaegel's fits of madness, he held him in his arms as a mother would."

-Born ten minutes after his twin Taron, making him the younger one between them.

-Like his twin, he often accompanied Maron to the Shadow City and watch as their father listened to and helped their people. But while Taron was content mostly just watching and staying back, Garon took to actively befriending the inhabitants of the city and even in his later years, he had many close friends and allies coming from there. So great was his attachment to the city that he even had a hovel of his own there, built with his own hands with the help of his wife. He'd alternate spending time in Wyl, Sunspear, and in this hovel.

-Very lively, charismatic, and charming. He made many a friend in his lifetime, be they highborn or lowborn, often inspiring a deep loyalty in them.

-Very fluent in the Rhoynish language, so much so that he could easily switch between Rhoynish and Common Tongue in a conversation.

-He and Taron often loved wearing coordinated clothing that were like inverted versions of each other's. Garon in particular wore outfits that were red and orange accented with yellow.

-He was said by many to have a lovely voice that, accompanied with his skill with the lute, made him a rather talented musician. During his travels around the Shadow City, the people there would enjoy listening to him stroll as he sung and strung his lute, calling him "The Prince of Bards." Many a lady were also said to have been charmed by his musical skill, and there even exists a bawdy song about how he presumably conceived one of his bastards while singing, though that song isn't very popular within Dorne.

-During his trips to the Shadow City, he would lend support to various businesses there and helped with various developments. Schools, orphanages, healing clinics, wells, and even some man-made oases were built in the city, with Garon getting input and advice from its people during the development of these projects.

-He formed his own "Shadow Guard," an order of assassins and spies mainly situated in the Shadow City who could easily blend into the crowd. The main purpose of this order was to protect the smallfolk, especially those vulnerable to abuse, and as such, they had been spread all over Dorne. If a Lord had done something unjust, he would be swiftly punished, with rapes being a crime that would never be swept under the rug by the Shadow Guards.

-He composed and wrote his own songs, some of which detailed events in Rhoynish history or mythology. He even translated some ballads and songs written in Rhoynish to the Common Tongue so that more of Westeros would get to appreciate these works. Some records of his translations are kept in a chest in Sunspear, though the scrolls and parchment he wrote these translations on are rather old and the words have faded a bit over time. It was said that in their youth, Elia and Oberyn would spend hours poring over these writings, trying their best to decipher what the faded text said.

-Only Garon and a select few of trusted people knew of the Shadow Guard, but that didn't stop word of it from getting to his brother Nymerion, who gave him the choice to either disband the order or limit it to only the Shadow City. Garon chose the latter and while it still stands today, it had fallen on some hard times. The deaths of Elia and her children were considered ruefully with much regret by its current members, who wanted to follow the princess to Kingslanding, but decided against it out of respect for their founder's decision.

-He was close to his cousin Rhaegel and often defended him when people spoke of him with disdain, fear or mockery. He also often calmed him down whenever he had panic attacks, not caring that the Kingslanding court would see him openly embracing and cradling him. It was said that the sound of Garon's voice or his lute would help Rhaegel calm down and that Garon was "ever grateful" (his own words) that Alys Arryn loved Rhaegel as much as he did.

-Was sent by Nymerion to foster at Hellholt not long after his twin was sent to Starfall for his own fosterage. This was one of the ways that his older brother reaffirmed House Martell's ties with their vassals and to an extent, it had worked as Larence Uller grew fond of Garon. It is believed that some of Garon's Shadow Guards were even bastards of House Uller who joined the order out of loyalty to Garon. Ellaria could even recall her grandmother speaking of what she heard about the prince's time there

-Married Wylla of Wyl, who was the head of her house. This arrangement was brokered by his brother Nymerion in order to strengthen the defense of the Dornish Marches as well as the bond between their houses. While Garon and Wylla didn't immediately fall in love with each other at their wedding, they did have a great friendship. They even had an agreed-upon open marriage as both took paramours, though they only did so after their twin daughters were born.

-He had many bastard sons, most of which, were born in the Shadow City. These bastards were called "The Shadowsons," due to both their father's title and the fact that all of them had joined the Shadow Guard.

-While he was blessed with many children, his only son with Wylla was stillborn and the same had happened to his only bastard daughter years later. After each of these occurrences, it was said that he had become "half a ghost" as he wandered around the Water Gardens, muttering "my sweet babes" in a forlorn tone.

-Died from a heart complication, though it's a commonly believed myth that he died from a "broken heart" since his death occurred not long after his bastard daughter's birth and death, which also occurred around his favorite cousin's death. In reality, it had just so happened that there was a short time gap between the events.

-House Wyl descends from him via his trueborn daughters, while many distant cousins of House Martell descend from him via The Shadowsons. Additionally, some branches of Houses Cafferen and Oakheart can possibly claim descent from him. It's speculated that he and Wylla arranged for two of their granddaughters to marry the sons of the Houses as a way of making amends for the Widow-lover's crimes, though it's unclear whether or not this is true.

Martyn Martell

"The Prince of Oranges"

"The Salty Husband"

"Martyn of the Maesters"

-Because he was the youngest of the princes, he was often the one given the most freedom.

-A very quiet and soft-spoken young man, he talked even less than his brother Taron. Whenever he did get to talk about a topic that he learned about or was interested in, he would become very talkative, something his family found endearing

-Known for being very well-read, devouring every book he could find. Daenerys joked that the library was actually his bedchamber, since he often ended up falling asleep there.

-Loved blood oranges, often eating the fruit itself or any dish made from or including them. In his adult years, he often drank blood orange wine, which got him the title of "The Prince of Oranges."

-Believed to have been one of the few people that his cousin Aerys felt truly comfortable or at ease with, given that he was the only one that shared his love for books. Aerys even gifted him a candlestopper on his twelfth nameday so that a fire wouldn't accidentally be started from his reading candle, due to Martyn's habit of falling asleep mid-reading.

-He was fluent in Valyrian and Rhoynish, having done very well in his lessons for those languages

-Compared to his brothers, he wasn't as famous or infamous as them, not that he minded. Being a fourth son, he didn't really expect to get much recognition and was content to fade into the background

-Initially, he had planned on becoming a maester and even studied at the Citadel for awhile. Though he had a difficult time there due to the Anti-Dornish sentiment being quite strong in OldTown and thus, he only stayed long enough to have two chain links forged, those being a copper one for history and a silver one for medicine.

-Wanting to still learn more but in a place that wouldn't belittle him for being a Dornishman, he traveled around hoping to find other sources of knowledge, making friends along the way. In these travels, he would bring a scroll with him on which, he would document his learnings.

-During his travels, he often exchanged letters with his favorite cousin, and reading Martyn's letters had become part of Aerys' routine.

-When he started travelling around Essos, the ship that he was on had crashed onto the shores of Lorath. Martyn had been among the survivors of the shipwreck and after they were discovered by the Lorathi, he stayed in the place for sometime. Over time, he ended up befriending quite a lot of Lorathi and even after he was fully nursed to health and had returned home, he continued visiting and keeping correspondence with them.

-On one of his visits to Lorath, he had bumped into a merchant who was the daughter of one of the Lorathi yet spoke and dressed like a Westerosi. This piratess was Ira, the daughter of an Ironborn thrall who had also been a shipwreck survivor but now stayed in Lorath and the Lorathi woman who nursed him back to health. Many ballads or stories regaling the tale of Martyn and Ira would say that the two fell in love at first sight and decided to marry on the night of the day that they met. In truth though, they did become friends at first and over time, grew to fall in love with each other. They even only married after years of being in a relationship, after discovering that Ira was pregnant. Together, they had three children, their first being a daughter named Maira, their second being another daughter named Meria, then their third and last being their only son Marlon.

-Elia and Oberyn are descended from him patrilineally via his daughter Maira, one of his ten granddaughters, and his great-grandson (their father and Loreza's second husband) Garin who was an Orphan of the Greenblood.

[fiendslothful]

Huh. That sure was a movie.

[panvani]

Like kind of the thing with Fernanda is that she is materially abusive, but the actual reason she is met with constant contempt and abuse within her family amounts to "well, she's sort of stuck-up." The Buendias complain about how she's a highlander and ergo a Conservative, when the Buendias had a proud history of class and land abuses within Macondo, were largely responsible for the power of the Church within Macondo, were largely complicit in the establishment of the banana company and the subsequent worker's abuse in Macondo, etc. Colonel Aureliano's commitment to Liberalism is framed obviously as based not on any sense of moral right or wrong but simply by happenstance and a love for war. When Fernanda manipulates and isolates her daughter, this is taken without question, but when Fernanda tells her husband that the family is without food, he deliberately and violently destroys every one of her possessions with the specific intent of humiliating her. This was after decades of being verbally and emotionally abused by her family by marriage (again, for reasons that are at best hypocritical) and even scholarly interpretation of her character tends to focus on her personal wrongdoing than the fact that she was ostracized and isolated

[cutemeat]

when Dennis and Dee’s maid from the early 80′s Josefina comes into the bar to find Frank n its revealed that ‘Franquito’ IS actually Frank’s biological son... what then??

[bloominstorm]

Wakui really tryna make me stop slandering Mikey out here.

[my-current-obsession]

Contemplating more Rune Factory “Special” changes/updates I’d like. In this case, things I’d like to see changed/added in a hypothetical, absolutely NEVER going to happen Rune Factory 4 Special+ (or Super Special, or Special 2, etc.)

Obviously since this game already has an updated rerelease, this isn’t happening. But there are still a few ways I think it could be brought even closer to perfection.

- So most of my wants for a theoretical “5 Special” came from 4 Special. Similarly there WERE actually several upgrades or quality-of-life changes made in 5 I’d love to see come back to 4 (or more realistically, maybe they’ll show up in 3 Special!).

- PLEASE let me just examine the stone/lumber box and add in all the materials I have instead of manually taking out stacks and putting them in. You can also do this for fodder bins and the fertilizer, which is nice, but the stone/lumber is the BIG one.

- Automatically picking up items as you run over them is great! I’d love to see that in other titles.

- Tabbing between storage options or categories when cooking/forging/crafting is super convenient. Hopefully that comes back, because after getting used to it in 5 I keenly feel its absence and get a smidge annoyed in 4 when I have to make something and then back out entirely to choose to make something else.

- Make Illuminata a romance option! It’s not clear if she was ever intended to be one and then scrapped, but personally I think she was. She is the only character outside the marriage candidates to have a swimsuit model & sprite, and she has several town events where she is a primary focus, similar to the events that are prerequisites for other bachelor/ettes. Plus she has lots of dialogue explicitly pointing out that she’s single and WANTS to find love. There’s really no reason NOT to make her a love interest other than her taking care of Amber, but if Amber is old enough to be romanced/married, then she’s old enough to live alone too. And Illuminata could continue to run her store after marrying the same way that every other love interest continues to do their job.

- I actually prefer the dragons in 5, but I know A LOT of people would love to see Venti as a love interest, and I’m not opposed to that. She’d be locked to a post-game romance, but she does have a human appearance and she seems to be into Lest/Frey (given her conversation where she blushes and starts to ask “If I were a human...”). Narratively she IS the person Lest/Frey cares about most so she’s got the role of a love interest already, kind of. It would be difficult to do since they’d need to add/change the story to allow her to change to her human form, and probably add a few town events for her, but it would be great if it happened. And perhaps including this would help the... abrupt ending to Act 3.

- Make it a little less ridiculous to romance Doug. I understand narratively why his friendship is INITIALLY gated at 3, but I think it’s ridiculous that it stays there until you’ve beaten Act 2 (which is basically the end of the story proper...). I think it would make sense to unlock the initial gate near the end of or after Act 1. After Doug comes around and basically decides to trust you and help Venti, or right after you beat Act 1 (saving Leon), I think you should be able to progress his friendship further. That said, it makes sense to keep his romance gated, so maybe until you’ve beaten Act 2, he stops progressing at LV 6. This way he won’t be SO far behind everyone else and if you want to romance him you’ll be able to do so almost immediately after he becomes available instead of taking several weeks just to get him from 3 to 7. As someone who dated multiple people in a run, Doug is at a HUGE disadvantage due to his late availability combo-ed with his affection almost surely being worse than everyone else. You either have to wait to date ANYONE to try and snag him first at LV 7 or basically give up in favor of dating others because it will only get harder to date him with every subsequent boyfriend and he will probably always lag behind in terms of affection, making any other guy easier to add to the harem by comparison. Literally all of this is mitigated by just raising his gated affection from 3 to 6 partway through the story. Depending on how long it takes you to complete Act 2 and whether you’re plying him with gifts, you might not even HIT the new limit, but even if you do, if you want to romance Doug it would be much quicker and easier now.

- Give players the ability to manipulate town events, at least a little. Technically players can already manipulate town events by determining when one happens and then just save scumming until they get what they want, but I want an in-game method that’s intended to help get the events you want. That said this IS an RNG system and I kind of like that. I wouldn’t want it to give you complete control. But I think something like adding “Orders” to the game at some point that allow you to, say, spawn “only town events involving [name]” would be GREAT. I won’t get into the particulars of how early the feature should be allowed (personally I think end of Act 1, but it could also be after Act 2 or an “Extra Order” reward for beating Act 3 and available from the beginning in any new game) or how much each Order would cost. I just think being able to force the game to only pick from town events involving a specific person (and including any mini-events) would be nice. Once you’ve seen all town events involving that person (excluding the marriage event, which has priority anyway) the order is automatically canceled. You could also cancel it yourself at any time. With this feature it would be MUCH easier to get the prerequisites for your intended spouse, but there is still some element of RNG considering everyone has at least a few events they’re involved in that AREN’T their needed events. This would also be great for trying to get mini events for characters you haven’t seen before.

- Some kind of weather forecast would be nice. With the exception of typhoons, people in town only comment on the weather that is currently happening. And you can still get taken by surprise if no one happens to mention the incoming typhoon or if you don’t talk to everyone. I believe weather is probably RNG as well, but if it was randomized and set like a week in advance, it would be nice if there was a way to check the weather for the next few days. Obviously this is most useful for making sure you KNOW a typhoon or snowstorm is coming and could wreck your farm. It also has other small uses - if you know a thunderstorm is happening you can remind yourself to go to the area that requires that to unlock. You can plan outdoor dates knowing the weather in advance. I don’t know about the airship or observatory but I KNOW there are variations of the lake date depending on the weather, so if you want to see them all you need the weather to comply. This way you’d know ahead of time and be able to plan for it.

- Lastly, either the game needs to be smarter about characters equipping everything they’re “given” or it needs to give players a way to directly, manually change other’s equipment from all the items they have. This is MOSTLY a problem with Kiel specifically since he has a reoccurring quest where he asks you to give him a weak shield and then he equips it EVEN IF IT’S SUBSTANTIALLY WORSE than whatever he had previously (and thus the better shield just DISAPPEARS), but in general I wish characters wouldn’t just automatically equip whatever you give them. If the system checked to be sure it was better than what they already had, that would be ideal. Of course, then you’d have to define what makes it better - which stats matter most, or is it the difficulty level of crafting/forging the item, etc. Alternatively, characters could have a stash of every equipment item you’ve ever given them and you can manually go in and decide what they actually equip (similar to the original .hack games, if anyone’s played those. In that game, characters did automatically equip “stronger” weapons/armor but you could manually change them to whatever you wanted that they had).

Overall I think 4 Special is an AMAZING game and I love it a lot. Most of my complaints are quality-of-life changes, compared to my more substantial issues with 5 (which is still like, but not as much. I like these games mostly for the social/romance aspect and that’s where 4 blows 5 out of the water even despite the RNG of town events making it way harder to actually marry who you want). In both games I long for more love interests, but that can’t be helped. Partly I just crave the extra content that would bring, though I do genuinely like and would want to marry some of those people if I could.

[vamptastic]

ngl, with my bust size and the limits of my location & finances i'm thinking it may be difficult to keep my nips and get good top surgery results. obviously smth to discuss with the actual surgeon. but my actual point here is that ive been looking at the results of people who had 'bad' surgeries (visually, not nerve damage & such) and they look kinda dope. like, realistically i doubt i'll achieve a cis-passing look shirtless, nice to know that even if i end up with 'bad' results it'll still be something i personally find cool & attractive.

[thisisnotjuli]

*by this I mean like using one name for work/business and using the other in your/their personal life or in private

**meaning if your names are AA and BB you'd change them to AB and BA

I'd appreciate it if you'd reblog to get further teach and more results!! 🙏

[zoestorm]

The manga: a college guy meets his childhood friend, who was formerly a boy but is now a woman, and has run away from home after an unspecified disagreement with her family which has left her with a significant amount of trauma; it's implied she was bullied heavily in the time since they've last seen each other.

But don't worry, she's not trans! She just got an illness which turned her into a woman!

The manga: a high school boy with an interest in make-up uses his gloomy, depressed (male) childhood friend as a model to improve his skills. This causes said friend to have an "awakening" and start dressing as a woman, and to overall be a much happier, brighter, outgoing person.

But don't worry, the friend is not trans! He's just a boy who crossdresses because his childhood friend likes him better that way!

The manga: a high school boy joins a club where the members can turn into magical girls, which in his case involves physically transforming into a girl. When in girlmode, he's much happier and enjoys his life much more, and overall prefers staying in girl mode; when the ability to transform is temporarily taken away from him, he sinks into a deep depressive episode.

But don't worry, he's not trans! He's just a boy who enjoys being a girl!

The manga: a college student loses a bet and has to crossdress for a night out on the town, and meets and hooks up with a butch girl; they fall in love and start dating. The boy always crossdressed when they meet, and starts enjoying being "treated like a girl" in the relationship and starts crossdressing even when he doesn't have to meet his girlfriend and enjoys activities such as clothes shopping and make-up and putting on nail polish.

But don't worry, he's not trans! He's just a boy who crossdresses to please his butch girlfriend!

The manga: a guy is magically turned into a girl as a result of saving his best friend, the crown prince, from an assassination attempt. The prince decides that he has to take responsibility, and asks the new girl to marry him; despite being smitten she refuses, wanting to date first. She is later offered a way to go back to being a man, but when she does turn back she's disgusted by her own appearance and depressed all the time, ultimately deciding to stay a girl.

But don't worry, she's not trans! She's just a boy who's been magically turned into a woman! And decides not to turn back when she can! Because she's not trans! Somehow!

"But we can't write trans women in manga! It's just not something that you do!"

[Image description: A one-comic panel. Gengar is glaring at a crowd of faceless characters; from the crowd, a speech balloon emerges, saying "You could if you weren't a fucking coward". End ID.]

[oldmanlusting]

Biting the bars of my mental cage

[scealaiscoite]

reasons for there to be only one bed ˗ˏˋ ꒰ 🍊 ꒱

¹⁾ they’re undercover as a married couple, and as such need to act like one

²⁾ there’s technically two beds available, but it’s freezing cold and everybody knows body heat works best

³⁾ it’s a camping trip, and one character’s forgotten their sleeping bag

⁴⁾ a character goes to their friend’s house after an emotional upheaval in search of comfort, and ends up staying the night - but refuses to kick the homeowner out of their own bed, resulting in the two of them sharing it

⁵⁾ in a roommate scenario, one character’s bedroom has been rendered unusable - and with the couch being unsustainable in the long run, they proffer sharing the one remaining bed as a solution

⁶⁾ there are two beds, but only one blanket

⁷⁾ a character’s taken ill, and the other party worries too much to leave them alone for even a minute

⁸⁾ in a fit of anger after a mission gone wrong, both characters sleep in the only available bed because no one was chivalrous to offer to take the floor

⁹⁾ a character’s had a nightmare, and needs company to feel safe enough to go back to sleep

¹⁰⁾ the weather takes a tumultuous turn, meaning a late night hangout has to turn into a sleepover when a character gets stranded there for the night

¹¹⁾ it’s a late night at work and when they both grow too tired to continue on, the only option is the lone office couch

¹²⁾ a threat’s been made against one/all character(s) involved, and so under the guise of safety in numbers it’s deemed safest if they stay together - everywhere

¹³⁾ one character joins the other for a late-night conversation, and ends up getting comfortable in their bed next to them - evidently too comfortable, as the char in bed falls asleep on the visitor and effectively traps them there

¹⁴⁾ there’s no bed in the shoddy refuge they’ve found after things went sideways, so when it comes time to sleep the only real choice is to stay close together

and, of course,

¹⁵⁾ it’s the last room available at the hotel after a long trip

[forbidden-sunlight]

warnings: mentioned child abuse, fem!reader, arranged marriage, implied obsessive behavior.

Imagine being reincarnated not as the heroine of the dark romance novel that you fell asleep reading, but the male lead’s villainous stepmother. Although it would be many years before you would marry his father, and your family would get out their mountain of debt from this arranged marriage. You swore to not take out your anger on the poor child as you laid in your crib.

Just because the duke still held a candle for his first wife and the mother of the male lead, his son did not deserve such cruel treatment from a woman who would never receive any affection from her husband. Arranged marriages rarely result in mutual happiness, but there is always the possibility of creating a respectful partnership between each other. 

So that is what you will do. 

You became ambitious in your studies and etiquette lessons, making connections with other young ladies of high society as your own reputation grew. Instead of becoming known for being a spiteful and superficial noblewoman,  invitations to soirees, tea parties, and banquets arrived at your household every other day.

The Mad Dog of Macaluso became The Blossoming Flower of High Society. Despite the marriage proposals your household had received, none of the gentlemen in the Umbra Empire were as rich as Giovanni Lombardo, the grand duke and the male lead’s father. 

So, the marriage still happened; but you were not bothered by your new husband’s declaration on your wedding night that he would never have a child with you, citing that he found you unpleasant and nothing at all like his deceased wife as his tall frame towering over yours, his gray orbs glaring down at you with icy disdain. You stared at him for a moment before you smiled.

“No one can ever replace a loved one, and it is a relief to know that you do not care for me romantically, Your Grace. This is a situation that is beneficial only to my house, and the Emperor had forced you to select me because he was tired of hearing everyone talking about how his most trusted aide has refused to remarry since his wife’s passing six years ago during childbirth. Your son is your heir, so there is no need to have another child. If you would permit me, I would like to get to know him more. If you do not believe me, you can assign a servant to watch me interact with him and the rest of the staff. Is that acceptable?”

The baffled expression on the duke’s face at your words had been worth all the hard work you have placed into being a better side character that wouldn’t be killed in the novel’s third chapter. You would not disappoint him. 

You would prove to be a valuable partner and protect the male lead until it was time for you to leave the stage. 

Three years passed. You performed your duties as the duchess, overseeing the household and organizing any functions that were to be hosted in the duchy. When you weren’t doing paperwork in your private office or speaking to the head butler on how to improve the workplace and other matters, you spent time with the male lead. 

Alessandro was a sweet little darling, possessing his father’s shiny platinum silver tresses and his mother’s bright blue eyes that sparkled in delight when you praised him for doing so well in his studies with a big hug or a kiss on the cheek. He was precocious for a six-year-old, though he still could not understand why his Papa didn’t like Mama. Mama being you, even when you have had to gently correct him more than once that you are his stepmother, not his birth mother. 

“Some day when you are older, you will understand.” You said, resting your chin on top of his head as you carefully adjusted your grip around his middle. He liked to sit in your lap under the garden’s pagoda during tea time, and you saw no issue with it.  “Papa may not like me, but we love you. That will never change, and we only want the best for you.” You ran a hand through his hair, tucking a stray strand behind his ear. 

In the original work, he became obsessed with the female lead because he did not receive any love from his father and was abused by his stepmother. Her gentle demeanor, her kindness and loveliness triggered his desire to have her all to himself. He had even commissioned the construction of a human-sized golden cage so that he could keep the female lead by his side forever. 

Alessandro pouted. “But I don’t want to wait that long! Can’t you tell me now?”

You chuckled. “Good things come to those who wait, my dear. Believe it or not, being a grown-up can be hard in this big, scary world.”

“That’s impossible! Papa is super cool and can do so many things!”

“Yes, he is quite something, isn’t he? Now drink some tea or it will get cold.” 

What you did not realize at the time was that the duke had returned home early from work and went to search for you. The head maid had told him where you were, though the duke had not expected Alessandro to be with you in the garden. He heard what you said about him, and how you have come to accept that you will never be loved by him and it was not his son’s fault.  How affectionate you were with him, smiling and ruffling his hair while reminding him to pay attention to his arithmetic tutor because it was important for him to understand numbers because they were just as important as knowing all colors in a rainbow or which fork to use for salads. 

You had kept your promise to him. 

You did not demand his affections, prioritizing the duchy and his son’s wellbeing. You did not take any paramours nor spent more than the allowance you were given to shop for dresses and other accessories in the capital. You attended tea parties, and did not bring shame to his family name. You were a perfect wife. You were worthy.

Would you object to him spending time with his son as you do? Would you allow him to get close, to spoil you with gifts? Would you even consider the idea of giving Alessandro a younger sibling? It’s been too long, and he does have needs. 

Happy Mother's Day, guys~! :)

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