#cradle-bond

[horizon-verizon]

To be clear, this is also disparagement of the court during Viserys’ time: the presence of sexism on Alicent and the Court's parts.

Alicent and the court of the Red Keep both in HotD and F&B all anticipated or gossiped that Rhaenyra's three boys would not have their dragon eggs hatch when presented int their cradles because they were rumored to not be Laenor's kids (they said that Rhaenyra cheated on Laenor and had an affair with Harwin, this the three Velayron boys' brown hair, brown eyes, and "pug" noses).

However, all the V boys eggs hatched not long at all after they were born.

The reason why Alicent and the court believed that Rhaenyra's kids would have hatched eggs is because Westerosi tend to believe that a father rather than the other passes down the most distinctive or powerful treats to a child. It did not ever occur to them that Rhaenyra would pass on her family's dragonriding abilities to her sons on her own "merit", or on her own (as if this were an active decision, but that's a separate issue).

Also, Alicent wants her own son, Aegon the Elder, to be the heir and inherit the throne, so any pretext that could have Rhaenyra removed (since women's fidelity is treated more seriously as a fault and crime than a men's) is something she wants to both believe in and actively use for that end.

I feel it’s important to know that when Rhaena Targaryen (the princess-turned-forced-bride-of-Maegor the Cruel) gave her siblings Jaehaerys and Alysanne their dragons by placing their eggs in their cradles, she did so out of love because she herself grew more confident or willing to confront and interact with others after bonding with her own dragon, Dreamfyre, at age 9.

So when she was 13 and her siblings were born, she wanted them to experience that unique, character-developing event like she did as early as possible. (Maybe I’m just projecting, but this is such an lonely, new older sister move.)

Rhaena is not at fault for displaying such care towards her siblings. This moment of Targ history just goes to also show that dragons, eggs or already hatched, are directly linked to female power, autonomy, etc. Other examples of femininity linked to magic and magical connections, supplying and advancing them even include:

Dany "Stormborn” (obvious, her hatching stone-cold eggs)

Rhaena (Laena’s daughter) -- she was the last dragonrider before Dany and she manged to hatch Morning (interesting name for the “birth” of a dragon...)

Laena Velaryon (she loved flying more than most things)

Alysanne (loved flying, cried when she couldn’t anymore)

Rhaenys the Conqueror (like Laena, also loved flying more than anything)

Alyssa (the only one of Jaehaerys’ daughter successfully claim a dragon; as soon as she could, strapped her two sons on top of Meleys for a ride with her)

Saera, who would have claimed a dragon to escape the unfair and Amisogynist imprisonment her father enforced on her

Aerea, Rhaena’s daughter, who claimed Balerion to escape her mother and upset in her loss of title/heir position 

Nettles (who though not seemingly Valyrian in face, managed to get a dragon to trust her enough to bond with her)

This are the most emotionally-packed stories of the Valyrian human-dragon bond that, again, are also connected to the life cycles and regeneration of Targ dragons and Valyrian power. So it’s ironic for Alicent and the court to perceive and anticipate Rhaenyra’s kids not being able to bond with dragons at the cradle on account that their bio dad is not a dragonrider.

But I also think it’s funny how the that idea turned into a justification to see if a Targ royal child was a “true” Targaryen, trueborn or not (as some people think) by the time of Viserys I. "True" as in they have the makings of a Targ, or truly, truly their legitimacy.

If people hadn’t read Fire and Blood, they wouldn’t know that it’s actually very strange and new in the entire timeline of the Targaryen dynasty that children born from Targaryen men--trueborn or illegitimate--were expected to have a dragon egg beside them and have it hatch so the child can bond with the hatchling.

It was only a mere 3 generations after Aegon I conquered Westeros that this practice came to be, but the Targaryens have had many more generations of people mainly claiming their dragons way after they’re able to walk on their own. Until Rhaena did what she did. 

Including Aegon the Conqueror himself, who had to claim Balerion. Balerion, who was one of the dragons that was brought to Dragonstone many generations before Aegon the Conqueror was even born. 

And Viserys, her own husband, claimed/first rode Balerion in his 20s. Her own daughter, Helaena, claimed Dreamfyre, who once obeyed Rhaena (mentioned above), which means that she also did not cradle-bond with her and lived some time without being bonded to a dragon. So these people are also illegitimate, or should have their parentage questioned?

What does that mean for Alicent saying how she couldn’t understand how Rhaenyra’s first children could have had their eggs hatched in episode 6 of House of the Dragon and in Fire and Blood, when both her own husband and brother-in-law both claimed, rather than cradle-bonded with their dragons? What does it say about the entire court who doubted Jace, Luke, and Joff in Fire and Blood?

Cradle-bonding is a sign of a "blessing”. Yeah, sure. 

And I said children of Targaryen "men" earlier because the Westerosi has had a bad habit of assuming that the father is the more likely subject to pass on his physical or nonphysical traits to his children. Why wouldn't Rhaenyra be capable of passing on her dragonriding to her sons on her own merit? Why is it when Cersei had her children, the maesters automatically assumed that the Baratheon blood would give the kids darker features when the Lannisters also have repeatedly sired blondes in its own lineage? (No one truly knew that Cersei's kids weren't Roberts.)

Finally, with the cradle-bonding vs the longer Targ history of claiming, I find even more reason to call “inconsistency” at HotD: Daemon ignoring Rhaena & favoring Baela in episode 6. 

Why would he do that when he would intimately know the practices and habits about his own house, including the fact that Targaryens mainly claim their dragons? When he himself, his own brother and niece all claimed their dragons way after their time in the cradle? As I mentioned above, Rhaena Targayren bonded with Dreamfyre when she was 9. She also started riding her when she was 12. 

Daemon, a Targaryen, would have known all of this. 

We see him reading about Old Valyrian dragonriders in episode 6.

We hear him talk about brining the Targs to their “glory”, which tells us he has a certain knowledge concerning the progression of the dynasty--meaning he had to have looked back for comparison.

Nah, I call bullshit. The writers of this show are doing too much without ever actually reading the source material carefully, or caring to.

[myymi]

mangey hiding behind his brothers is my favorite genre

[starry-bi-sky]

ive been hesitating to ask this bc youve been on a roll with the clone^2au (which i am frothing over) but could i poke you for some childhood friend au? bc GOD i wanna see how danny reacts to reuniting w jason or how the rest of the batfam react to learning jason never told danny of his resurrection or wondering if dannys gonna put jokers dead body on a display/offering to jasons grave. i havent been normal about this since i first read it and was wondering. thank you for your writing.

RAAAAHHHH DON'T BE HESITANT I AM JUST AS FERAL OVER MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS AU AS I AM WITH CLONE^2 I AM DELIGHTED BY THIS. Like.,,,, i literally love them,,, so much. I can't listen to The Crane Wives without thinking of them.

(which is my fault - the ao3 fic of them has literally only crane wives lyrics for each chapter title and summary (posted AND the ones not written) so of course im gonna associate with them.)

(if you wanna listen to some of their songs while thinking of cfau here are my recommendations: "Once & for All", "Here I Am", "Hollow Moon" is a Danny AND Jason song to me, this would be my go-to song for an animatic of CFAU if i had the skills for it. "Tongues and Teeth", "Curses" and "take me to war" is a heavy cfau danny song to me, and of course, "the moon will sing")

Like they're BEST friends dude, they're two sides of the same coin and when they were kids they would do this thing where their 'fingers crossed'/'double-crossed' was them hooking their index fingers in the fingers crossed gesture.

and i'm actually currently rewriting my original post into a more fic-like format, and when I'm done I'll post it on here under the cfau tag - with the original post still in tact. But its,,, gonna be so long dude,,,, the original behemoth was just over 9000 words,,, and I've written 3k words already of the new one and we haven't even reached Jason and Danny reuniting at the gala yet,,, i need to get back to that,,,

and then to answer your questions!! god im almost hesitant to answer because i dont wanna spoil the little fic i had planned for it but also like,, its not like im gonna spoil everything, right? and answering the questions isnt the same as writing the scene down so!!

i love danny and jason's reuniting, like i've thought about it SO much and I've thought about it happening after Danny kills the Joker. I know the reveal could have been before that, and it could have been equally just as dramatic but like??? Thematically, doing it after danny kills the joker is SO good. To me at least.

Because like?? Jason's been in somewhat denial about danny's plan to kill the joker for months. ever since danny told him that he wanted to at the gala. And from Jason's pov its not even technically a plan. He sees his best friend for the first time after five years and his best friend still isn't over his death. He hasn't stepped foot in Gotham since his funeral and now suddenly he's here.

And he's still so full of grief over his death that he tells a masked vigilante that he's going to kill the guy that did it, who lives in said masked vigilante's city. And danny's got that look in his eyes that Jason knows so well that means he's being serious. And yet he still doesn't know if he should believe him or not.

And then he does. Danny kills him. And Jason can't fucking believe it. And when he goes and sees Danny, Danny's hands are still covered in blood. And that reunion? God like a fucking firework show. Danny's so fucking angry, and pissed, and hurt, and so goddamn overjoyed that he's alive and here that he sends them both to the ground, and if he doesn't calm down he's gonna take out the power in a five block radius.

there's just so, so much yelling on Danny's end. And then so much crying, first from Danny and then them both. because god, you're alive. you're here. i've missed you so much. i'm never letting you out of my sights again.

and Joker's death! God I don't want to actually say too much about that, but the way I have it set up thematically makes me actually not want danny to take any part of the joker with him as an offering. and he may actually forego that particular ghost etiquette and offer something else as an offering to Jason in substitute to not bringing him the Joker's heart/head/ritualistic body part.

Because you know what the last thing a man whose been spending the last two decades of his life building himself up to be larger than life would want? A death that's unremarkable. :) and that's all i'll put on the matter for now.

and the batfam!! they technically already know that jason hasn't told danny he was resurrected, and plenty of them have mixed feelings on them. largely bruce and dick i think, considering they saw firsthand how close jason and danny were when they were kids.

Dick was honestly surprised at first when he found out that Jason hadn't told Danny he was alive - and on one hand he understands the reasoning for it, and on the other hand he isn't sure if it was such a good idea. Especially after he sees Danny again after he arrives back in Gotham and sees just how badly Jason's death was still affecting him. But it's not like he's going to try and convince Jason to tell him - he can make his own choices, even if Dick has questions about them.

Bruce has much the same thoughts as Dick, so there's not really much to add here other than he might bring it up once or twice to Jason like, vaguely. And then immediately drops it when Jason shuts him down. He might actually somewhat...?? prefer that Jason hasn't told Danny because that raises a lot of questions and could jeopardize their identities. However, again, Jason can make his own choices and there's not much Bruce can do about it other than disapprove from afar.

Tim who knew of Danny from stalking the Wayne family shares similars sentiments of being surprised that Jason didn't tell Danny, but again, yeah, understands the thought process to some extent. Doesn't bring it up ever.

Everyone else who hadn't seen firsthand how close Danny and Jason are don't really have much opinion on it -- Jason didn't tell his best friend he was alive, great, he also didn't tell them either so it's not like its that much of a surprise. It would've been more of a surprise to them if Jason had told Danny before he told Bruce and co. Damian may make a comment or two about Jason not telling Danny, but its not about how he can't believe he didn't tell him or anything like it.

[fandomfriend33]

i will always be here for lance with altean marks. im traumatized, but im still here.

[ima-ghost-art]

Okay so I need steve and wayne to bond or so help me!!

Okay so I cant remember if its cannon but I definitely see Wayne Munson as ex military, so hes definitely seen some shit before he took in eddie.

Now seeing as hes seen some shit, hes become hyper aware of picking up the signs of ptsd from having witnessed many people (as well as most likely himself) suffer from it. Meaning the moment he properly meets steve, he knows that this boy has gone through something incredibly traumatic. He also picks it up in alot of the other kids who hang around eddie, but its obvious that steve is hiding that whatever happened was effecting him so much.

And wayne so badly wants to reach out to this kid and help him, but he doesnt know what steve had gone through (he briefly remembers the kid was involved with helping save people from the StarCourt fire and is pretty sure it must be part of it.)

Now pare this with wayne, steve robin and eddie all getting kidnapped (either by the Russians again or some of bernners men) and they get separated into 2 groups. Wayne and Steve, and Robin and Eddie.

Wayne, as he trys to offer comfort to the teen, (the man swearing he would do anything in his could before he watches his kids get hurt!! Hes an old man but he can still take a punch!!!) Only for steve who's still chained to his side of the cell to start laughing!?

Like this is the type of laughing that sounds hysterical, that cant quite believe hes in the same situation AGAIN now with his boyfriend and bestfriend trapped god knows where and HEs trapped with his bfs uncle.

And wayne is just floored because, what's the point of keeping everything a secret now?? So steve is just sitting there laughing with this far away look in his eyes as he explains getting tortured by the Russians, and how it's honestly pathetic because he did know stuff about what they were doing that they didnt understand, but they just kept asking who he worked for, not what he knows. So he was just beaten and beaten to the point that one more severe head trauma like that would no doubt make him brain dead at this point!?

And as he keeps rambling and rambling, even mentioning how his parents didnt care since he was already such a disappointment, and Wayne's heart is just slowly breaking because no one was there for this boy! From the sounds of it he refused to tell everything to his bestfriend who experienced it with him (not that robin told him she heard everything that happened, she wanted to respect his dignity and let him tell her), but she couldnt truly be there for him if he didnt let her. Hell he even kept the full of it from eddie!! But now Steve's trapped in a cell again, and it doesnt matter that hes in here with his partners parental figure, because Steve's already excepted that he was probably going to die here and at least someone should know before that happens!!

Thankfully hopper and joyce (along with the cavalry and a super powered teen, everyone gets out with minor injuries) and wayne is just like Steve your my son now, your gunna move in with me and eddie in our new government appointed pre payed for house, and I'm going to make sure me and my nephew treat you with all the care you deserve!!

(Of course eddies all for this, he would love steve no matter what!!!!!)

[hiccupbutpurple]

I love turn and burn cause Hiccup looks so small and cuddled up against Snotlout when they get trapped and it makes me go awwww cuddles! Even tho they are angry but Snotlout is cradling him I love it

[lcerys]

also ― since i was talking about his survival verse, while by the end of the dance (spoilers for the book f&b btw. i regularly talk about the book and it's in my rules, but still -) there are mentions of eggs hatching to make attempts to claim a second dragon so it's left implied that it could be attempted (although it's never confirmed as no more eggs hatch and there are very few dragons left alive), i genuinely cannot imagine luke either wanting or trying to claim another after a.rrax's death. his thought process is very much : he had a dragon and he got her killed, if it's an au where he's alive and she's not. he has ? absolutely no desire to bond with another dragon and no intention of getting yet another dragon killed because he knows that if he were to succeed ( which also: he thinks the odds are low enough he doesn't particularly want to try ), it'd be for the war so... he straight up doesn't want to.

[kasperbunny]

I put on that bingo meme that I would kiss Arty but it's more like. id give him platonic forehead or cheek kisses. or even a soft little neck kiss, platonically. I love him very much. if I think too hard about cuddling him I will cry

[lauronk]

i just rewatched X-men first class and can i just say

charles and erik were such boyfriends like COME ON

[horizon-verizon]

Aemond likely saved Rhaena’s life by claiming Vhaegar before she could try. Vhaegar clearly likes bold, brave, and willful riders. Rhaena just isn’t that. Vhaegar is not the dragon suited for her. So Vhaegar likely would have burned Rhaena to a crisp if she had tried to claim her. Vhaegar must know that she is her previous rider’s daughter, but dragons only bond with one person, not entire families, so I can’t see her caring about Rhaena. Like it or not, Vhaegar and Aemond were meant for each other. Aemond also claimed her quite easily and quickly too, Vhaegar barely put up any real resistance.

This is your logic:

Rhaena (and we) should be grateful that Aemond stopped her from doing something she has no inner strength or bravery to actually accomplish.

Aemond was morally right and/or just looking out for Rhaena when he both deceived everyone and stole the opportunity to try to claim Vhagar (because he definitely knew that she would try), blocked that possibility, and did it on the same night Rhaena’s mother (the last rider) was put to sea/buried. 

My Questions for You:

A)

Why do you make as if dragon bonding is like “taming” or psychologically dominating an animal when before you made as if Vhagar chose Aemond because she liked him?

First you say:

 Vhaegar clearly likes bold, brave, and willful riders. [...] so I can’t see her caring about Rhaena.

 As if Vhagar likes Aemond and is unimpressed with Rhaena, implying that she has a preference and can detect human personality immediately, on sight. That she had all the ability to choose and wasn’t forced, coerced, or pressured into a bond.

Then you say:

Aemond also claimed her quite easily and quickly too, Vhaegar barely put up any real resistance.

As if Aemond imposed his will on Vhagar and forced a bond on her.

Which one is it? It cannot be both. Because if Aemond forced a bond on her, the Vhagar has little to no autonomy or ability to reject Aemond in the first place and she was fully “tamed”.

If this can happen to dragons, then Rhaena could have also force a bond on Vhagar. (And I talk about how Rhaena is stronger and more willful than you make her out to be in Question/Point “C”)

Thus we go back to how nothing about this is about Aemond doing either an unintentional or intentional thing that benefits Rhaena, but about competition and intentional deception. That Aemond took the opportunity of claiming for himself.

B)

Why are you making as if dragons can only bond with a very specific, existing person as if this were like Wattpad werewolf mating where two people are “destined” to be together when there has been no evidence to suggest that there was some sort of uncontrollable, magnetic pull that the gods or whatever make between dragon and prospective rider? 

Just from how Book!Viserys saying that Book!Aemond could choose a hatchling and try them out (when they get to Dragonstone for Laenor’s [not Laena’s, I didn’t mistype]) AND by how cradle bonding still gets baby Targs to bond with dragons from birth/hatching, I’d say that there’s more to it than simple “they were chosen to be together”. Perhaps there is a multitude of living candidates a dragon could choose.

It is after the bond happens that there is a surety of claim and bonding, not before. 

How do you know that Vhagar couldn’t have been claimed by Rhaenyra’s daughter Visenya, if the girl had lived, or any other child Rhaenyra birthed if the greens hadn’t put Aegon on the throne? 

Do you have some kind of ASoIaF in-universe dragon-claiming manual that has instructed you on how dragon claiming and bonding works? Or did you just watch the show and that is your only source for your headcanons for dragon-bonding? We’re never not given enough actual detail for how it works, ever, in the original books, much less this show that can’t be trusted to portray Daemon as a better father to Rhaena (he would have know cradle-bonding is not all what Alicent and the Westerosi court culture of the time cracks it up to be).

C)

How do you know that Rhaena absolutely just lacks strength? How do you know that all it really takes is inner strength, like Dany, to get a dragon to accept you as their rider?

Bonding doesn’t have to be about obvious and apparent strength, daring, and boldness.

Viserys claimed and rode Balerion before the dragon died. The fiercest, most battle-hardened, the oldest, the biggest dragon the ruling Targs ever had and any Targ rode, and yet we know that Viserys of all people was able to bond and ride that dragon. 

That guy, one of the more people-pleasing, hateful-of-confrontation -- unless it’s with his brother or after a direct decree -- Targs since Aegon conquered Westeros. 

Rhaena herself was raised by the Daemon Targaryen, would later still claim a dragon, and in canon we see she does show self-will when she works with her sister Baela in putting forth Daenaera Velaryon to their brother-king Aegon III and thwart Unwin Peake, then-Hand, who had been trying to get his own daughter to become Queen ever since Jaehaera Targaryen died. He also was most likely (read “was”) her murderer.

Rhaena and Baela do this on front of the entire court, riding in on horseback. Rhaena does this still recovering from her miscarriage.

Don’t underestimate Rhaena just because she is not as physically expressive or always confrontational as her sister. Hers is an enduring, quiet strength.

Don’t trust the show’s depiction either, since it deign s to rewrite and not portray several characters’ canon motivations and personalities for the sake of “making them complex” (HotD review by Seth Abramson).

D)

Why do you think that Vhagar would have roasted Rhaena? 

Fire and Blood describes dragon claiming as dangerous but it doesn’t have to mean death 100% of the time. Again, where is your dragon-claiming instruction manual, where is your reasoning? 

E)

How do you know that Rhaena would have been completely alone where she’d be totally vulnerable to Vhagar when she tries to claim her? how do you know her father wouldn’t be there, that some dragonkeepers won’t be there to make sure she’s safe? 

You make as if the opposite is absolutely how claiming works. Where is your proof? Because Aemond, who clearly was doing it secretly, does it with no one around him to make sure he doesn’t get killed or maimed (if that is how it actually works in general, which we don’t even know)? Aemond cannot be used as an example. 

F)

Why does it matter more what Vhagar thinks when this is a conflict of politics and human emotion? 

It was never about her. It was about Aemond disrespectfully taking away Rhaena’s chance because he wanted to “prove himself” --  which is just as available [or was supposed to] to Rhaena -- AND at her mother’s funeral day.

To try and claim a dragon is a Targ/trueborn Targ scion prerogative and Rhaena, being one, has just as much of a privilege to try as others. To do this to someone who is supposed to be your family member, even a cousin you don’t particularly like (and again, Aemond really doesn’t like any black because they are a black) would be seen as some or many as unfair. And it isn’t politically smart either: to openly and directly upset someone on the other side right after their mother was just buried/put to sea.

Does this not ring a bell in your head that Aemond doesn’t give a shit about Rhaena, only himself? Again, why should we see this as an act of grace?

G)

Are you aware that Aemond is not claiming Vhagar to protect any of the blacks, and actually is supposed to dislike every single one? That he does it because of pride and hatred against the blacks?

Why should Rhaena be grateful to someone who would love to see her brutally punished or dead, and sees her as lesser because she is female? (Aemond is a misogynist POS in the canon, and if they don’t bring that to life in this show, it’s another whitewashing act for the greens).

H)

Did you know that in the original canon, Aemond was never bullied/there is no suggestion of bullying against him? If anything, he would have bullied the Velayron boys since Alicent taught him to think of them as undeserving bastards practically from his own birth.

In All..

All under the cover of night, because he knew neither Alicent nor Viserys would have approved or congratulated him for it AND he knew that he was doing something that he’d probably be criticized for.

(Aemond tries to keeps quiet about going down to claim Vhagar [and note how it’s never brought up later], by himself, in the middle of might like how a child today would go out of the house without their parent’s permission when Viserys asked him the first time, calmly, to explain how the incident happened).

The show completely misses the actual thematic point of the Dance: that a woman was usurped because a bunch of classist, blood purist misogynists (one having internalized misogyny) decided she didn’t deserve the throne because three children of the Queen Consort/Dowager had penises. And they wanted power above all. That is it. 

The HotD characters (even Rhaenyra) do not act as their real (yes, canon) selves in the places where it matters, so if you wish to still love the story presented, treat it as if it were fanfiction. Nothing substantial about this show  is either meaningful or mirrors what we’re told, gleaned, or suggested in Fire and Blood except for some aesthetics and names.

For Condal to remove all traces of both agency and accountability from various greens is to whitewash them entirely. You have fanon-ed your way into too many dark holes.

There is nothing morally good about the greens, unless you yourself are misogynist, classist, ultra zealously religious, conservative, etc. Don’t try to make anything they do sound like it was even close to morally-intentioned or ethically sound.

[asterdeer]

the 2021-2 world is so full of media that i adore getting new/final seasons which range from "mediocre, sort of enjoyable but has lost the spark of what it was" to "this has actively made me dislike this story" but mythic quest has pulled pure magic out of its ass and 3 episodes in i care more about these characters and their relationships than ever. how. they are so good at what they do it's unreal

[whales-are-gay]

cass scooping up mako from when he’s passed out in Order was such a short moment in terms of the show itself but like it was so vivid. it’s just.

[zhongrin]

"…"

Coviello isー rightfully, at leastー at a loss of words. They were expecting that they needed them for something serious, such as a commission, but what the fatuu didn't expect was the sight of a picnic.

… And even more when they have requested for them to bring Quackers, too.

"Ah! Right on schedule. Good, goodー I was worried you'd never get the memo."

The culprit of this… Odd eventー Navina, they figuredー spoke up with a laugh, gesturing for them to take a seat. Despite the friendly greetings of their duck companion, Coviello stayed standing, their eyes focused on the food laid before the brunette.

Grapes, sandwiches, and even a few dishes (that they're certain that isn't from Snezhnaya or Liyue… Or even anywhere in Teyvat), and a few berry drinks. From the sight of it, it looked as though it had been prepared for the picnic before them.

Coviello sighed.

They're one strange individual.

"You told Mei that you wanted to see me for something serious," the fatuu pointed out, giving them an unimpressed look before putting Quackers down. "But if it's just a picnic, you could've been straight with me from the very beginning."

Alas, they saw the deer adeptus? sigh, raising a gloved hand to rub their temples with a frown.

"Coviello, let's think critically hereー if I did told you, would you have come here willingly?"

"…"

"See? You can't answer that because we both know you won't."

Sharp words from someone who's got a streak of stubborness than him, mused Coviello, but they said nothing.

Despite the tension, Quackers had a different though in mind. Waddling over to Navina, she quacked and nudged her beak towards the fruits the messenger grabbed. Realizing what the duck wants, they grabbed a grape and fed it to her, chuckling.

"Anyway, why not sit back and relax, hm? I doubt that you've got some time to spare after… Archon knows what happened."

… Hm?

"… Hmph. Fine," they relented, grabbing a sandwich… But not before they eyed the stranger? before them.

Odd appearance, but not an adeptus… Visited the teapot for months and is close friends with Mei… And yet…

…

Coviello sighed.

I don't understand their motives. Just what are they?

I had this tiny thing in mind because I reached a blue heart w/ Coviello (as a mini heart event for my delusional self BAHAHAHAHAHA PLEASE)

Anyways thats all, have fun reading this silly (non-canon? I think??) heart event lol

SQUEALING SCREECHING YELLING OSEUYGFLOSDIJFLSRIEJFSKLDJFLEISWGSLD HELP THIS IS SO CUTE IM

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

they totally wouldn't come yeah i am so so sorry they inherited that antisocial trait from me help-

i can see them just idly watching quacker eat grapes and yoinking her away when they think she's had enough. gotta control the duckling's diet so she grows up big and healthy <3

[loveofastarvingdog]

the best thing about found family qpr dynamics is that they are so complex. people who are more you than even you are. people who become practically your siblings. brother in arms. in a differenet universe you were the same person. beginning of creation when zeus made people with many arms and legs and before the split it was You. conjoined twins but just your souls.

[yeonban]

I've had many thoughts about Nikolai and Fyodor's dynamic after the last episode, and I think not enough people notice just how amazing Nikolai actually is (both under his clownery - namely his intelligence and cunningness, and with his clownery - namely his charisma).

He is, as far as we know, the ONLY person in the entire BSD universe who is allowed to freely touch Fyodor without consequences, and in such (canon!) intimate ways to boot, as seen in the official art and panels above. Everyone else who has touched Fyodor has either been killed or been silenced in some way (coughs. Sigma passing out indefinitely), but Nikolai is allowed to grab Fyodor's hands, to sit with him in a bloody bathtub and to feed him from behind in a pose that would have easily allowed Nikolai to twist Fyodor's neck or to poison his food. Even moreso, when Dazai described Nikolai as "your friend", Fyodor agreed to the descriptor, which means Nikolai has managed to steal a spot of some kind in Fyodor's heart, something that, again, no one else we know of right now has been able to do. This, I'd say, is due to Nikolai's one-of-a-kind type of charisma, as well as the way he's been shown to care for Fyodor as his "dearest friend" at all times. Fyodor is a deeply skeptical and mistrusting man, but Nikolai has proved enough times that he truly cares about Fyodor to be granted a certain amount of his trust.

On top of that, Fyodor cannot quite manipulate Nikolai. Not necessarily because he doesn't want to or because he can't bring himself to (though that might also be a very teensy part of it), but because he can't - Nikolai is much too unpredictable for that. Fyodor understands Nikolai the best out of the whole cast, but even he cannot say he fully understands him/how he will react in every circumstance (not surprising since even Nikolai himself doesn't know), which makes Nikolai a dangerous person to have around. Nikolai has SUCCESSFULLY surprised Fyodor (the man who seems to know or deduce everything) SEVERAL TIMES, after all.

Firstly, the Decay of Angels' plan had included Nikolai dying during the hostage situation, which Nikolai agreed to in front of them, but then he went against that and saved himself from death, something that Fyodor and the other members didn't know about. We also saw that the hostage scene was written down in the page word for word, which made it much harder for anyone to change it. This goes to show that Nikolai was crafty enough to find a way to go against the page's narrative and survive while simultaneously allowing the plan to go forward, possibly by fooling even the book into believing Nikolai Gogol is dead, because Nikolai Gogol DID lay there on the ground, motionless, cut in half and having bled out to death. Except unlike what the page described, Nikolai faked his death by using his ability to attach someone else's torso and have that be cut off instead of his own (though to everyone else it seemed to be his own).

Secondly, Fyodor sent Nathaniel to assassinate Sigma, which he would've succeeded in... if only Nikolai hadn't randomly decided to go against Fyodor's plan and save him. This is once again something Fyodor hadn't expected to happen, because even Dazai mentions how he picked Sigma to help him during the prison break (partly) because if he hadn't, Fyodor would have disposed of him, this time for sure. That means that Dazai realized Sigma being alive wasn't something that should've happened in Fyodor's plans, and yet Nikolai cheerfully brought Sigma along with him in front of Fyodor to wordlessly explain that he was the one who saved Sigma from Fyodor's assassination attempt.

Thirdly, Nikolai surprised both Fyodor and Dazai simultaneously, two of the world's smartest people, by orchestrating a prison break that would have them go head to head against each other. They would both inject the poison Nikolai gave them into their veins, choose one of his parting gifts, then try to survive the prison break. Nikolai thus managed to make Fyodor willingly inject deadly poison into his own bloodstream.

This other point is kind of half-canon right now since it's anime-only until the manga proves otherwise, but despite all of the above, Fyodor still trusts Nikolai to a rather large extent as seen via how he trusted that the helicopter Nikolai 'guarded' wasn't tampered with, via how he showed Nikolai mutual respect by telling him he'll try to assassinate him next (#just-bff-things) instead of taking him by surprise which would've had higher chances of success, and via how Fyodor didn't seem to wonder if the antidote to the poison was the real thing or if the antidote was the true poison all along.

In short, Nikolai might not be anywhere near Fyodor or Dazai's intellect, but he is plenty gifted in other ways to the point he was able to receive Fyodor's trust up until Nikolai genuinely attempted to kill him, which is when Fyodor decided to try and kill him instead, as well as terribly unpredictable, so much so that he even shocks himself at times, much less Fyodor or other people.

[sarascamander]

No, but Eithan calling Yerin "Little sister" and pat her head (which is something that only happen twice as far as I remember) is something so personal to me. It was so cute and Yerin was always like "wth?" But they truly act like siblings with Eithan being an annoying older brother and Yerin constantly wanting to murder him and so annoyed. But deep down they actually care a lot about each other if the end scene in Reaper is any indication. He never call her that anymore and it make me sad 😭😭💔 when Eithan came back, I want him to address her as "little sister" again and mess with her hair just for old time sake.