#doing my part to contribute and partake

[atlas-jack]

hey when a disabled person says theyre tired, theyre most likely lying. what they mean is that they are so utterly EXHAUSTED that theyre struggling to function.

i suffer with terrible fatigue as part of my condition and i find it hard to partake in hobbies i enjoy, nevermind hardwork, when it hits. which is a lot of the time. i sometimes sleep 10+ hours a night and still have to take a nap.

before i started seeing doctors abt my condition, people would always ask how i am when i was at work and when id answer id always get 'youre always tired!'

the worst one was the guy who turned round to me and went 'you dont have kids, you dont know what tired is.'

girl, if most able-bodied people were operating at the levels i operate at most days, they wouldnt have the energy to get out of bed or feed themselves. some days i cant do that and i live like this every day. some days i become so exhausted i cannot form words.

idk man chronic fatigue is not just 'being tired all the time'. its debilitating. imagine not eating because you dont have the energy to lift cutlery or chew. imagine being so drained that you physically cannot talk. imagine having to wait until someone else is home to go to the bathroom because you dont have the energy to get there alone.

some of us live like this and when you measure our worth based on what we contribute, it becomes a depressing existence.

[extremely-judgemental]

Long Post

Every time I see the ‘let my girl be happy’ tag and the post is about canon Nessian, it infuriates me as much as it breaks my heart. Sometimes I wonder if those who romanticise Cassian’s toxic behaviours are speaking from a place of privilege or ignorance, because admitting that calls for addressing real-life abuse and misogyny they are forced to endure.

I’m an Indian living in a highly patriarchal, misogynistic society where women are still required to marry someone out of convenience for the sake of their families. This is not the cute arranged marriages you read about in books or watch in movies. Most women have to sacrifice everything they stand for to ease their families’ burdens. And let’s not even start with dowry or DV. Sure, our society has progressed in many ways, yet, this is the reality of most women when it comes to marriages. No matter how well-off you are, no matter how successful you are in your career. It’s more nuanced than you imagine; parents meddle with children’s lives at every step, and our lives are more intertwined with our families than in western society. So I simply can’t read Nesta’s story and delude myself into thinking she got a happy ending with Cassian or the Inner Circle. I keep my emotions out of most of the criticisms to help people see the situation objectively. That’s hard to do in this case, but I’ll try.

Nesta is the eldest child who ‘fails’ her sisters, though it is her father’s responsibility to care for three young girls. Having been groomed to be a housewife all her life, she contributes in the only way she knows—by doing the chores and nurturing her family. She seeks help from relatives and friends, while the ones in position to do so ignore her. And when the time comes, she finds a way to be of use to her family by marrying Tomas. Despite all this, Nesta is considered a failure of a sister, simply because Feyre made a choice. Most of these only come to light in Silver Flames, and even the few instances where Feyre realises this, there’s no real appreciation for Nesta’s efforts. Instead, they are dismissed or only mentioned to highlight Feyre’s empathic tendencies and her awareness of her sisters’ plights, rather than uplifting Nesta’s character. None of these are acknowledged as they don’t fit the typical masculine ideals glorified throughout the series.

As Nesta navigates her life as a newly transformed fae, she partakes in a war in which she has no part in. She has no obligation or need to risk her life for the Night Court, or any other court, or even the mortals. These are the same acts that made Feyre a hero in the first book. But when it comes to Nesta, and she rises to the occasion, her actions are downplayed as she grapples with PTSD from her death, the Cauldron, the toll of war, and her father’s death. None of her sacrifices or her attempts to protect her sisters are given an ounce of importance or respect they deserve. Instead, it’s framed as Nesta’s duty as the eldest sister or the sister of the Night Court’s High Lady.

When she deals with her trauma, everyone takes great pleasure in controlling how the situation unfolds. She goes as far as living alone to spare her sisters. Yet Feyre and Elain, who have the choice of when and how to regulate their emotions, fail to grasp the concept of personal space. Her actions are self-sabotaging at best and have no real consequences on any of the other characters. Still, they are amplified to an extent that it’s turned into a court affair. The reason for this is Nesta isn’t coping in the right way. Gambling, drinking and sex—common activities for the Inner Circle—become a question of their reputation the moment she engages in them in her pain, emphasising that these are only acceptable when done with them. Spending Feyre’s money on gambling may seem like a reasonable cause for Rhysand to interfere, but if we factor in how Nesta’s rightful wealth from Tamlin or her father was lost as a direct consequence of Inner Circle’s actions, along with the fact that she is still owed money for her contribution in the war, Nesta is deliberately stripped of any monetary agency to trap her.

If this isn’t punishment enough, she is locked in an inescapable tower with a man she wants no part of. When she objects to this, she is lied to about their laws and threatened being thrown among people who will consider her a threat. She has no interest in training to fight or working for the Night Court, but she’s forced to. She’s not compensated for any of this labour either. Nesta is known to starve herself after the war to the point that she’s nothing but ‘skin and bones’. Cassian, an established gym bro in the series, weaponises food against her when she refuses to eat what is offered or when. The moment she shows any interest in eating, he judges her for being picky and brings up her latent guilt that led her down that path in the first place. Later on, knowing she’s not fit enough, the Inner Circle insists on training her right away, in freezing conditions, without proper clothing. Nesta soon learns that she has no choice but to comply. She goes on to train with Cassian, work in the library, and accept the food the house gives her. This is the first step in breaking her.

Nesta has no one to rely on or talk to in the house except for Cassian. The relationship that develops between them is not circumstantial but a well-orchestrated one. Even for small talk, Cassian is her only choice. After learning Nesta was SA’d by the kelpie and on the verge of death, no one (including her sisters) cares for her as much as they should. The only person who checks on her is Cassian, and even he is so overcome with desire and lust that he has sex with her instead of comforting her. It is common knowledge that sex is a coping mechanism for her and that she has been SA’d twice—something only Cassian knows. This perpetuates the idea that even when a woman is hurting and in pain, she must be appealing, and her trauma should be sexually gratifying and desirable for the man. A woman can walk back from the doors of death, but she must look pretty while doing it. There is nothing empowering about that.

Then, there is Eris’s seduction. Feyre looks down on Nesta for contemplating selling her body to take care of her sisters. But the same is expected of her when she serves the Night Court. It is almost glorified and revered by Cassian himself. During their conversation in River House, he lets her believe that she has to earn both his love and her sisters’. Not once does he contradict any of her fears or insecurities. For the first time, Nesta has sex with him without it being an escape, and the next morning, Cassian abandons her, reinforcing the idea that she indeed earned the sex and love for what she did in Court of Nightmares.

When Nesta reveals the truth about Feyre’s pregnancy, her true feelings are swept under the rug by how she ‘failed’ her sister again. She has the right to expose Rhysand and his plans. Even if the situation isn’t the most ideal, she is locked in a tower and only talks to anyone when the IC choose, which limits her options. Besides, when will the timing ever be perfect for such a conversation? She is again vilified for being the only one honest with her sister. Her intentions are twisted to cover up others’ mistakes. Cassian, once again, is the one who punishes her for it.

At this point, Nesta is suicidal, and Cassian recognises the signs. He still insists on taking the hike, also using the silent treatment to enforce the idea that she is in the wrong. His interactions with Feyre prove none of them dwell on Nesta’s actions as much as she believes. While she is having a guilt trip, edging her closer to suicide, Cassian laughs behind her back with Feyre, almost enjoying her fears. At the end of this trip, Nesta finally opens up about her trauma for the first time, and Cassian swoops in with his own sorrows and how he overcame them. Instead of making her feel seen and heard, she is once again lectured on what she should do and how.

Lastly, Cassian and Morrigan have a mildly, if not completely, inappropriate relationship that Nesta is expected to accept. If she expresses jealousy or anger, it’s not because of the bond or their relationship, but will be seen as her inherent quality. She can’t fight it as everyone else has accepted it as a normal relationship. If she shows any displeasure, her past of sleeping with other men will be brought into the conversation, and she will be scrutinised. This is very similar to the ‘men will be men’ narrative—the man can flirt with whoever he wants, and it’s harmless, but the woman has to behave.

Throughout the series, everyone is against Nesta. Her family is her responsibility. She has a duty to protect and serve them, no matter the circumstances, no matter how much it costs her or how much pain she is in. Her own sisters side with her in-laws, saying it’s how things are and she ‘doesn’t have to be so miserable’. Her life is forever bound to a man she initially wanted nothing to do with and her everyday existence is dependent on him. She is trapped with him until she learns to accept her fate. He doesn’t lay a hand on her, but he psychologically and emotionally abuses her until she complies with his family and behaves to fit their image. He even gives her the silent treatment, withdraws sex/intimacy from her, leaves her alone in the tower, cuts her off from everyone she loves and cares about if she misbehaves. She has no financial independence, leaving her at the mercy of her sister and her family. Even when she’s hurting, she has no choice but to risk her life for them or go to war when they demand. She goes as far as changing her body for her future child. Her life is threatened by her in-laws, but no one bats an eye at that, forever leaving her fearing for her safety.

If you believe it’s just fiction and that all this is exaggeration of something in a fantasy book, you really need to look around you. This is a real nightmare for most women around the world. Your girl, Nesta, isn’t happy. She settled. She has accepted a life in which she is treated less than a dog and used as a weapon. She’s been beaten down until she learnt not to step out of line if she wants to live. She is still with Cassian because she doesn’t see a life other than that as an option and has come to accept whatever scraps her sister and her family have decided to throw her way. And I sincerely hope that if you ever come across a real-life Rhysand or Cassian, you have the wits to protect yourself and run the other way.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I asked my boyfriend to kick his boyfriend out of our communal living situation and out of our polycule due to “incompatibility”?

submitted 5/22/2024 ~💔🌈🏚️<- to find

I (26F) am considering asking my boyfriend O (32M) to kick out his other partner/boyfriend E (36M) from our communal living situation and our polycule, because E is not compatible with either our relationship or the group as a whole. Here’s the situation: The three of us currently live in O’s childhood home (his parents died and he inherited it), along with four other roommates who are not in the polycule. All of us split the bills evenly, except for E because he was recently fired from his job as a mechanic, so he pays a much smaller amount, which means all of us have to increase the amount we pay in order to keep up. This would be fine except E is not looking for a job and this is causing financial strain on all of us. It’s a large house and it’s very old so it tends to need a lot of maintenance, currently we have to get the roof repaired because a section of it caved in during a snowstorm (that part of the house is roped off because it’s still not fixed of course) and just my luck, my room happened to be on the floor below this, so O has me sleeping in his room because he’s worried floor above my room may have rotted from exposure due to the caved in roof. This will be relevant later. Now, here are the specific reasons why I want E out of here (aside from financial strain):

Everyone in the house is part of the same religious group. We are a neo pagan group (details not necessary for this but feel free to ask questions, but just know that we have some agreed upon beliefs and practices that we’ve developed over the past three years) and many in our group, including O, practice witchcraft. E, however, is a hardcore atheist, and is condescending towards us whenever we partake in our various practices. O thinks that E can be persuaded to respect us and that it’s just a matter of time, but I do not think that’s probable. O is the elected spiritual leader in the house (one: because he’s held these beliefs longer than most of us and brought us together, and two: it’s his house), so only O can kick someone out for religious reasons. We can vote to kick someone for abuse, but nothing E has done is technically bad enough.

He should be kicked from the polycule because I think he is using O either for sex or to make up for something he did back when they were in a situationship. The past between those two is very intense because it’s linked to E discovering his identity and it was O’s first relationship. It ended very badly on horrible terms, but they decided to give it another shot for whatever reason. E had an intense vendetta against me from the very beginning and he thinks that I’m delusional for believing O is in love with me because when O liked E it was “very different”. E has his own bedroom, but spends most of the time in O’s room, typically to have sex. Sometimes they want me to join in with them, but I usually decline because I’m suspicious of E’s intentions and I do not trust him. The one time I did agree to join in led to my unplanned pregnancy. I also think E is cheating on O because whenever O leaves the house, E brings over his ex B (33F), and those two hook up (or at least I assume they do because they lock themselves in the bedroom for hours).

On the cheating note, E has been getting checks in the mail from B, but he hasn’t been using this money to contribute to the bills, but rather stashing it away into a “project fund”.

B is dating my ex A (28F) and I know B has been gossiping to her because A has been posting to her private insta account long rants about “another perfectly good lesbian turned by dicks and witchcraft”, which could ONLY be referring to me because as far as I know, she hasn’t had any relationships in between ours and her’s and B’s. She is radfem and tradcatholic so the statement isn’t a surprise, but she only started posting that stuff After B started coming over, and she was kicked from the house for being intolerant, so it’s odd for her to start ranting about me now.

I think it’s unfair that my ex was kicked out for intolerance while I was still dating her, even though I objected (it was a toxic relationship and I was in deep), but O hasn’t kicked out E despite E also being intolerant and dating one of us.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

Because I've really enjoyed Peaceful Property and contributed to the discourse on here around it, I want to spend some time exploring the thoughtful critiques of the show by @bengiyo, @lurkingshan, @twig-tea, @respectthepetty, @my-rose-tinted-glasses, and @one-of-tankhuns-neurons. I started writing this out but then it got all annoying and academic so imma just list rant with the utmost respect for everyone's thoughts for making me think so much about this show.

1.I wondered about what shows might be examples of class division themes done with an orientation toward the lived experiences of the working class in BL, cuz honestly it's just not super prominent and well-done in much of media anywhere. The Aof series where he takes screenwriting credit seem to be the best representatives: ATOTS and Moonlight Chicken, especially, but he touches on macro and micro economic issues in all his works. Aof's really willing to depict the hardships and compromises required when living with less financial security, and I can def agree that Peaceful Property is not offering that. I just personally feel okay with that, because I see the latter show as doing a more theoretical and symbolic narrative about economics, and overt symbolism seems pretty in-line with the ghost story horror genre its using.

2. To me, I see Peaceful Property's main critique of class issues as being about Marxist alienation. So we've got our first two ghosts being really literal with this, where they have a labor they do and a final product that they don't get to partake in. Builder wants to have a meal in the house he built. Wig maker wants to wear the luxury wig she sewed. Then, with rider, we get a lil more abstract with him wanting him and his delivery to be recognized and build a meaningful relationship with someone. And since then we've been getting more and more abstract about people finding personal meaning and supporting others through their labor. But all of it still connects back to this idea of alienation from their labor, the magician, Chef Hong, and Peach are all prevented from performing the labor that brings them fulfillment by different circumstances.

3. For my reading, the queerness is very much part and parcel of its capitalism critique. Agree with it or not, but man x man loving stories have been used historically to run counter to the competition between men fighting for the top spot encouraged by capitalism. Maurice is a pretty prime example of this, where Maurice, instead of pining upward for Clive, ends up choosing the lower-class Alex and running away to be happy together. Pat and Pran's love in the face of their family's business related feud in Bud Buddy is an even closer example to how I think Peaceful Property is contrasting queer love and capitalistic competition. There's a few signals for me that Peaceful Property plans to explore this a bit more. The Cok Long sign reminds me way too much of the slang of "dick measuring competitions" and I don't think they gave us a character named 'Best,' who has reappeared a couple of times for no reason. With the magician, Pang, and Chef Hong, we also have a repeating motif of lost assistants who made the work meaningful and possible, a socialist emphasis on the value of all workers and the need to connect with others to produce their labors of love, which we see thwarted for the queer story line. The fact that the Thai dancing was two men working together to create the art offers an alternative to a competition between men. And I want to say that I'm just talking about narrative devices here, not the reality of how capitalism works. We're very much in symbolist land, with this take. I'm just a sucker for symbolist land, and it's hard for me to watch horror especially without taking my brain there.

4. And then there's the way queerness alienates one from the accepted 'normal,' which has emerged as a dominant theme in the last few episodes. But if we take this theme and apply it back on previous episodes, we can see traces of it throughout the characters. Home's statements have been the most explicit in illustrating an internalized homophobia with his desire to be part of a 'normal family.' And the tensions with his family about whether he deserved to inherit the properties has queer connotations about queer people's inclusion in their families and the legal and financial repercussions of that (What Did You Eat Yesterday is the top tier of detailed impacts of queer rights in that vein). Peach's social anxieties and depressive behaviors, ostensibly related to his close call with death and ability to see ghosts, parallels queer experiences, too, and we see how it shapes his and his sister's financial predicaments. (Aside: I wonder, regarding some of the complaints about their behavior in the context of poverty, if we might better read the two of them as broke middle class characters. We don't have much context about their childhoods, but their behavior has never really presented as people familiar with getting by on a dime.) Queerness and the threats of financial insecurity have been articulated as interrelated by the series.

5. Home's redemption? We'll know more as things get revealed, but it seems that we're meant to see Home's biggest failing as the negligence that allowed him to hit Peace and his cowardice in not standing up to his family and taking responsibility for the harm he caused. If that is his chief issue, in my view of a restorative process (and thank you so much @respectthepetty for naming this aspect of the show!), the necessary amends are...

facing up to his family (partial check)

admitting his mistakes and seeking forgiveness from Peach (he was in the process of doing so in the latest ep)

addressing the distraction that led to his negligence so that he can attend to Peach and people like Peach so it does not occur again (hmmm...)

That last point is key because we still don't know why it was significant that he was on his busy ignoring the call of girlfriend number 32 or whatever. But I'm suspecting it will connect to Home's internalized homophobia (and @heretherebedork has done some great writing about that subtext). That would give the accident a significance regarding horizontal violence between gay men that the privileged can then run away from while others who can't escape have to suffer the consequences. There's lots of ways queer men can and have done this to one another in everyday life and hook-ups but at the most extreme historically we have the the AIDS crisis, where someone's negligence regarding sexual health inspired by the psychological fear induced by being in the closet could truly be a life-or-death matter with major financial ramifications. For Home to truly own his mistake he is going to have to risk his own financial security in standing up to his family, and he's going to have to stop hiding from himself so he can develop compassion for others in the world. And the last scene in which we see him in the same predicament as Home I saw less as a cop out so Peach and the audience would feel bad for him and forgive him and more as a representation of his ability now to truly understand what Peach has gone through.

6. Do I think this series is going to solve capitalism? This show is about the spiritual dimensions capitalism robs from people, and I think it has real answers about disrupting capitalism through reconnection with our relationships to our work and to other human beings. I'm not religious, but I respect religion's ability to help people find and emphasize a deeper meaning in life, and I think that that doesn't necessarily but can challenge capitalist practices. Peaceful Property is working to show how caring about spiritual well-being breaks up the automaticity of capitalism and has never let go of that thread. To discuss Peaceful Property's takes on class division without speaking about its religious elements seems disingenuous to its greater purpose and a bit disrespectful to the Thai culture the series is so infused with. I'm intrigued about how Kan's plot will play out with the Vimarnsukmun family and it's impact on their finances. What would actually disappoint me and run counter to the show's themes is if the gang somehow inherited the family's wealth or properties other than the ramshackle Cok Long Cocktail Lounge. In Aof's work and in Maurice, the endings involve a disinheritance to represent that life is about connection not financial gain, which contrasts philosophically with the upward fantasies of capitalism. So in ATOTS, Tian moves to the village, in Moonlight Chicken, Jim trades out his diner for a smaller food truck, etc. To find the true meaning of home, Home will need to release himself from his attachment to his inheritance of financial privilege. Of course, being dead might be an option for that lol, but we'll see how the rest of the series plays out.

[rad-hound]

I wanted your input bc i value it: do you think house ever regrets not having kids or do you think he don't gaf

Hey there! This is super touching to receive, so I humbly thank you. 🥺 I'm glad to know my input is valued in regard to that Dapper Green Gentleman.

I believe that — perhaps in the very beginning, right after the bombs fell and a mere few nuclear warheads got through the net into Vegas, where he was burdened with having to suffice with buggy software from the antechamber — he didn't necessarily care about carrying on a familial legacy. I partake in the idea that he moreso viewed the act of preserving the spirit and culture of Las Vegas as his contribution to oncoming generations... treating the city as his baby, so to speak.

HOWEVER, given his tendency toward mystique and solitude every waking day for two hundred years down the line, claiming to have parsed through "thousands of employees in [his] time," I'm inclined to believe that it can be implied that he is beyond starved for human contact, and misses it so, even if his ego permits him from admitting to any such piece of humanity lingering in him.

While this information includes cut content, and does not apply to the established canon of Fallout: New Vegas, it is implied that Mr. House both:

Viewed Benny Gecko, his most recent employee, as a son, and if not as a son, then as a more-than-qualified protége for his regime.

Thusly, viewed the Courier as his surrogate daughter / son.

Mr. House resultingly has a line of dialogue — albeit cut — to further support this:

"You know, I never had much time for a family - if I did, you'd be the [daughter / son] I wish I'd had. Benny was almost like a son to me, but... well..."

Suffice it to say, I imagine before the War, whilst he was caught up in business endeavors and other such relating scandals, Mr. House didn't necessarily care for the prospects of a family.

However, after two hundred years of solitude — for the most part, anyhow; only ever interacting with his "employees" via proxy of his Securitrons — and given his tendency toward forgiving the Courier for every mishap, even the most stoic of men may crumble without a cache of basic human necessity to rely upon.

He may pretend not to give a fuck, but I see him. I see you, Mr. House. 👁👁

[jamesmydeer]

christmas festivities hcs

masterlist

james potter

making gingerbread houses

- the potters are THE family when it comes to christmas traditions 

- james is like one of those dads on vacation with an itinerary for the whole month of december

- he will be partaking in every christmas festivity 

- and so will you, like it or not

- and he will be referring to anyone who complains even once as ‘scrooge’ 

- his favorite, without a doubt, is decorating gingerbread houses 

- because this man is competitive 

- he loves you, but there’s no way he will let you make a better gingerbread house than him 

- he wanted to bake his own like his mom used to do when he was a kid 

- but he is no longer a kid 

- and you are not his mom

- so he settles for the pre-assembled ones 

- gets soooo pouty when yours starts looking better than his

“i think they gave you better icing or something”

- excuses

- you leave for one second to wash your hands 

- and come back to his gingerbread house lights (mini gummies) actually flickering 

“jamie! we agreed no magic!”

“you can’t prove anything!”

- he’s such a sore loser omg

- says he doesn’t care whose turns out better 

- liar 

- insists that you do one together 

- more like he watches you do one and claims half the work 

- sits you in his lap while you work on it 

- his only contribution is a heart on the side with your initials in it 

- he’s so cute y’all 

- wraps his arms around your middle and snuggles into your neck 

- hums along to the christmas music playing in the background 

- gets bored and stands up, taking you with him 

- dances around the dining room to festive music until his parents return home

- and immediately asks them whose is better 

- doesn’t care my ass 🙄

“they’re both great jamie” 

“y/n’s.”

“…”

“what? i’m not going to lie to my son”

- will need to snuggle on the couch to a christmas movie after that 

- his poor little feelings :,(

sirius black

decorating the tree

(contemplating writing a fic for this, lmk what you think)

- sirius never got to decorate a christmas tree as a kid

- they always had one, and he helped put ornaments on

- but it always ended in him getting yelled at for putting them in the wrong place

- and they always had to match the theme

- if he brought an ornament home from school, it went straight into a box

- so when you get a tree for your place, he fully intended to sit back and let you do all the work

- you bring in a few boxes of ornaments and he tells you he’ll get all of them out

- he doesn’t want his baby poking themselves on the sharp part

- he goes through the first box and there’s nothing special

- some cute ornaments you made as a child that your family was willing to part with

- a cute set of a wolf, deer, dog, and rat that james insisted on everyone getting

- then he moves on to the next box

- and it’s full of ornaments from his family home that never got put on the tree

- he doesn’t even care how you got them, he just feels so appreciated for once

- he associates christmas with some not so good memories, and he loves you so much for trying to replace them

- sets the box down and hugs you so tight

- you swear you hear sniffles, but that’s neither here nor there

- lifts you up to put the star on top of the tree

“nice view from down here. star looks pretty good too”

- you step back to admire your work and he can’t stop smiling

- he’s so proud of it

- the tree is nowhere near as pretty as the ones he was used to

- but it was the best tree he had ever seen

- because it was yours

- and it showcased how much you love him

remus lupin

family christmas party

- oh he is NERVOUS

- he’s met your family before, but this is a big deal to him

- because it’s the holidays and your whooooole family will be there

- you try to tell him that there’s no way he could make a bad impression

- he has tea with madam pince once a week, older people adore him

- you offer to pick him up but he insists on coming over alone

- which was a BIG mistake

- he went to a christmas party at the potter’s last year and was severely underdressed

- how was he supposed to know you have to dress fancy for christmas parties?? they don’t do that in the movies

- he was not going to do that again

- but your family does not wear suits to a christmas party

- weirdo pureblood traditions

- when he walk in and everyone is in comfy clothes?

- he has never felt more embarrassed

- his face is so red it could pass for an ornament

“you have more christmas sweaters than anyone i’ve ever met, and today is the day you decide not to wear one?”

- aside from a few of your uncles teasing him, everyone thinks he looks quite charming

- i mean, he’s already an attractive boy

- he can only look better in a suit

- besides, he’ll take a few teasing comments if it means he gets doted on by your mom

- whines to you once you’re in private that you should have told him

- you’re so mean

- remus lupin is a big baby

- luckily, you have a few of his sweaters

- you lead him into your bedroom to change

“door open y/n!”

- as if remus would ever do something inappropriate in your childhood home!

- he so would

- will NOT stop sniffing his sweater that now smells exactly like you

- it gets to present time and remus doesn’t expect to get anything

- and he’s fine with that !!!!

- he’s just happy to be there

- rests his head on your shoulder and watches everyone pass around presents

- you play with his hair and that’s enough of a gift for him

- but omg remus this one has your name on it!

- and it’s from you and your parents

- he smiles so big and assured them over and over that they didn’t have to do that

- he opens it up and it’s a pair of pajamas

- you tell him they match the ones that you three have

- and that’s the sweetest thing he has ever heard

- you guys want him to match you 🥺

- after everyone leaves, you all change into them and watch a christmas movie

- you snuggle up on the couch and he holds you tight

- occasionally kissing your forehead and thanking you for tonight

“you know, they can’t yell at us to leave the door open if they’re asleep”

- he’s so cheeky

- but who are you to deny him

[gingernut1314]

'Tis the Season

Straw Hat Crew x GN!Reader

Summary: You share your holiday celebrations with your crew aboard the Going Merry.

Warnings: fluffffffff, some (very little) mentions of alcohol

Word Count: 1.5K

A/N: Soooo I've gotten into the holiday spirit and needed to write this, so I hope you all don't mind too much! @fanaticsnail thank you for contributing to my holiday cheer with your wonderful x-mas works! (go check them out if you haven't already! Very good!!) I hope everyone has an amazing holiday or can find joy in something that brings you happiness this month!!! 🩷

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Luffy: 🍖

As soon as you tell him anything about the holiday you celebrated back on your home island, he would insist on doing it right then and there

Festive and colorful decorations? He’s stopping at the nearest island to gather supplies and doctorate the Merry to your liking

Hot chocolate and food? Yes please.

Turkey, roast beef, or ham for dinner? Why not all of it?

The food is the most important part of this new holiday, he thinks

He’s getting Sanji to whip up every delicacy you can possibly think of

Fun holiday activities? The crew will be dragged along and they will have fun

He’ll want to double--no triple check that Santa is going to visit the Merry because he sounds super cool and he wants to recruit him onto the crew 

I mean, come on! The guy loves cookies and milk and those are some of Luffy's favorite things!

…and he will be very skeptical of you telling him Santa is, unfortunately, not real 

Luffy is dead broke so he goes to Nami to beg for berry so that he can get you a gift

Nami, of course, refuses to give him a single coin and tells him to make you something

So he would spend hours making you a gift

He would hand you a drawing of him hugging the life out of you on the Merry

And you would have to have him explain to you what is happening in his creation because all you can make out is the colors red and blue and what looks to be his signature straw hat

You love it regardless and hang it on the wall next to your hammock

Luffy will want to recreate the picture of course, and you’ll be more than happy to hug your captain back

Will leave cookies and milk out for Santa (and will eventually devour what he left out) and will try (and fail) to stay up all night to see Santa

You would find him dead asleep half an hour later and would be sure to leave a few gifts under the too-large tree he had Zoro set up on the deck for him

Luffy will get that guy next year, just you wait and see

Zoro: 🗡️🥦 ⚔️

He is uninterested

None of it is his style

Too flashy and too loud

He’s good to take a nap during the festivities

You will be able to entice him to come and eat the food Sanji was kind enough to prepare

And you’ll entice him further with some spiked holiday drinks

Luffy is all over the holiday, so it won’t take much convincing to sail back to your home island for the day

And while the rest of the crew is partaking in the festivities your home village is throwing in the snow-covered street, you’ll slip away with Zoro’s hand in your own

You will tell him how this holiday isn’t just about joy, food, and festive songs, but about life and death

You showed him back to the ruins of your childhood home, which he had been in mere moments before the villain you had been helping them fight set fire to it

The scorched front lawn was covered in clumps of candles, garland wreaths, rocks, and food, just as you knew it would be

You explained that your village had done this in celebration of the life your family had lived--to remember them and keep their souls filled with joy in whatever afterlife they might have entered

He would watch you light a candle and pull a small trinket from your pocket, placing them both on the blackened steps of your home

Zoro would light a candle and place it next to yours, sitting there with you for as long as you needed

He would even wrap you up in one of his strong arms, holding you tight

Later, you would gift him a bottle of sake 

He had no clue gift-giving had anything to do with your holiday, so he would insist you share the bottle with him

He will be sure to get you a gift next year

Nami: 🍊

She would be a little on the uninterested side at first

But after watching how excited you got as you explained to the rest of the crew about the holiday you celebrated, she would warm up to it

She would even warm up enough to allow you to doctorate her tangerine trees with lights and tinsel

The lights were pretty enough, she supposed. The tinsel shiny

And she does love shiny things

Once in the holiday spirit, she would let it fully take her over

Nami would dock the Merry on the closest island and go searching for the best gift she could find you

When it came to you, she hardly thought much about how much berry she was spending

You and your joy were more important to her than a number

You had commented on needing a new pair of shoes a week ago? Bought.

Commented on wanting something so offhandedly you had forgotten the moment you stepped away? Bought and wrapped in whatever wrapping paper she could find that screamed your holiday in its bright colors

She would be very excited to watch you unwrap everything she had gotten you (which you had been very shocked at, but had been told strictly to just unwrap everything and not worry so much)

You would feel a bit embarrassed at how little you had gotten her, but she wouldn’t care because your gift was thoughtful

So thoughtful it nearly brought her to tears

After everyone else had gone to bed, she would take you back up onto the deck and hand you a cup of hot chocolate she had attempted to make (which she had done a pretty good job at creating without the help of Sanji)

The two of you would sit, snuggled up next to each other under a heavy blanket and watch the dancing, multicolored lights adorning her trees late into the night

Usopp: 🤥

Will get into it right away

He loves any excuse to celebrate, so your holiday is already perfect

Usopp is quick to make colored lights to hang up around the ship

And he’ll want to make everyone a stocking, which will be color coordinating and have some sort of special technique that didn’t need to be added in the first place

He loves all the different holiday-themed stories and songs 

Throughout the day, he’ll randomly burst into horribly off-tune song and you will be expected to join in

The traditional stories you tell him get the typical Captain Usopp spin to them

But it just makes them that much better in your opinion

They become your crew's stories, making them so special

While the crew eats and drinks holiday drinks, he’ll tell the stories and have everyone, even Zoro, entranced by their colorfulness

You made the big mistake of telling him about Krampus

And now he is utterly terrified of getting kidnapped and beaten by the goat-demon

Though he won’t say he’s scared

He'll be very admit that he isn't

But a loud stomp of the foot against the deck floor from Zoro has the poor storyteller jumping out of his skin and using you as a shield

Usopp is a very good gift-giver

Not only is it handmade, but it is also functional (for once) and it will help you out loads

You give him his gift and he bursts into tears, thanking you and hugging you profusely

Everyone will go to bed, the lights hanging up everywhere only adding to the cozy, homeyness of the Going Merry

And you’ll just be nodding off when Usopp comes crawling into your hammock, begging you with tears in his eyes to keep Krampus away from him

You’ll laugh at him at first, but end up promising to keep him safe while you hold him tight

And he’ll hold you back just as, if not more, tight

Sanji: 🧑‍🍳

Of course, Sanji gets into the holiday spirit 

It's a holiday you celebrate and one that makes you happy

And all he ever wants to do is make you happy

You’ll sheepishly bring him your family's old cookbook full of recipes passed down from generation to generation

And he’ll be more than happy to cook you whatever your heart desires

Nothing is too much in his eyes when it comes to you

He’ll insist you help him cook everything, seeing as you are the expert when it comes to these recipes

And you two will share bits and pieces of everything before it all disappears into the void that is your captain’s stomach

He will also be very interested in this mistletoe tradition

He makes it his mission to not only hang the green sprigs everywhere around the ship

But to get you under as many of them as he possibly can, for as long as he possibly can

You find yourself purposely wondering under the mistletoe and lingering there until Sanji notices and rushes over

Though Sanji wants to get you the best gift he can possibly buy, he’s not the best when it comes to gift-giving

Food and physical touch are his love language after all

So he bakes you a sweet treat you had once told him about, one you hadn’t had since your childhood

And it’s the best gift you could have ever wished for because he made it just like how you remembered it

He loves whatever you give him

It could be a stick you say reminds you of him and he would be over the moon, mounting it and hanging it up in the kitchen

Though you are sure to get him a very nice gift, one you had spent weeks thinking over so it was just right

He doesn’t need the mistletoe to show you just how much he appreciates the gift

Sanji makes you both hot chocolate and holds you tight as you two talk in the abandoned and cleaned kitchen

[beware-of-pity]

Sins of the Father(s) III

Masterlist

Previous chapter - Next

Bruce Wayne (Battinson) x Reader

Crossposted on Ao3

Summary :

A bad week can turn into a worse one. After striking a deal with an unlikely ally, you seek Bruce out to join you in your quest against corruption. His refusal strikes you deeply, causing a long-coming affront.

Chapter III: You kicked and cried like a bullied child (A grown man of 25)

. ..𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🦇་༘࿐

“My father believed in Gotham,” you said “his entire life was put in the services of this city, and he wasn’t forced, he did so willingly”

You gulped slightly under the eyes of the people, men and women alike, seated at the various tables in the room, staring down at you, but not with judgment, but rather with contemplation of your words and pride, as if they were hanging off your every word. But how honest was this admiration?

“He believed that true change could happen, that it could be real, not just a distant dream. And he did that, as Mayor he made the city a better place, he had turned the dreams of many into a reality worth living for”

Your father’s legacy was one you carried with pride and joy, always happy to tell people you were the daughter of the noted Richard Estermont, once Mayor of Gotham, twice over.

But it was a heavy burden, a legacy you had to live up to. That meant doing things and partaking in events you would rather….not be part of. But sometimes, people must do what is necessary, not what they want. You had learned that hard truth early on in your life. A value you abided by even now.

“But as he would have said, dreams end the moment people wake from the dreamland”, you sighed “For Gotham, the dream ended when he died. The city beginning its decline once again. And though it’s been taken care of by many great men since…”

Lies, lies, lies. But you needed to put up the pretence and front of praising people like Mitchell who would rather let the city eat itself alive just so they can continue to engross their pockets.

“It has never recovered. Which is why you and I, ladies and gentlemen, work hard every day to bring Gotham back on its heels.” You smiled at the crowd, opening your arms as you referred to their contribution to the city. But what contributions? How many of these people worked for the well-being of the city? How many of them were here, not just for appearance's sake? Just to be seen, to be complimented, for caring enough to be here? To be praised for their petty donations that couldn’t help a child to save their lives and barely make a dent in their pockets? How false of you to lead such people in an organisation named after your father. You would run these people’s pockets dry if you could.

Apart from keeping the charity alive because you cared about what it did as you made sure it worked, you did so to keep track of its members. Which of Gotham’s most elite socialites pretended to care so much about the city they live in but won’t go out of the comfort of their luxury to change it? How many of these people complained, championed, and fought against the nature of the city without trying to change it? After all, speaking about what people wanted to hear from them worked much better than putting blood, sweat and tears into trying to make an actual change. They never did anything significant about trying to change the city because its discomforts were never a true bother to them.

Ah, the rich. The true leeches of society. What’s the saying? No matter how fat the leech grows, it always comes back wanting for more. And there they go, every time you send an invitation, they rush to come, to be seen, to be spoken to. Expecting a reception befitting their station.

What would they know of true hardship? The one that they say breaks their heart, the one they speak against, the one that by existing benefits them more than if it didn’t. Rich people grow richer because of the existence of class disparity, the cost of living prices, the living standards, and the working conditions that they perpetuate in their favour. The modern aristocracy that rose from the ashes of the old society, that which spouted from the ruins of feudal society, has not done away with its core of antagonising anyone they see beneath their level. They have but established a new system, new classes, a new condition of oppression and new forms of struggles in place of the old ones, mild in comparison to its old ones, in order for the few able to survive under them not to feel too crushed by them.

Rich people don’t want a change, not when the system allows them to thrive under it. A system created by rich people for rich people to shine under. How conniving.

Gotham, now more than ever, is the prime example of how society as a whole is more and more split into two great hostile camps, the two great classes facing each other, going head to head against one another: the bourgeoisie, once upon a time members of the aristocracy that rose through the ashes of the industrial revolution and the great depression, and the social class, the working class of wage earners. Those who do not meet the requirements of even being considered members of the social class are but to be forgotten because that’s what happens to those who fail to be seen, to be recognised. Those unable to leave a mark for others to remember them by. Their names are not worthy of being mentioned, of being said, with them being reduced to just numbers on the bigger scale of things. How dehumanising to be remembered for the rest of your life but as just a number in the immensity of the population of this planet. Why should certain individuals be remembered more than others? We all contribute to the upstanding of the world in our, however small, ways. How is it fair that the efforts of some are not to be recognised because of how insignificant they may seem to us? Who are we to decide, to judge, why others are not capable of doing more? To meet the impossible standards set up for them?

Compliance and ethics sometimes go hand in hand, and sometimes they don’t. Silence is compliance, and complicity is a death sentence to be burned at the stake, so in order to save themselves from the backlash they would be facing if they remained silent in the face of the struggles that the common people of the city have to go through, they push through their annoyance to put up the bravado of being pliant and understanding.

“This is why my father started this foundation, and it is now my responsibility, as his daughter, to see his plans through” you said “and I can only hope you all will be with me through the very end of this journey”

Applause filled the venue's room, reserved for the luncheon, making your ears slightly ring as you smiled and got off the stage to return to your seat, the people at the tables you walked beside made small congratulations and sent praises your way.

A handsome-looking cigarette case with engravings on it immediately meets your eye once you’re out of the place, trying to escape the huddling guests wanting to have a word with you.

“Need one?”

You sighed, “Don’t you know it” Removing one of the fags; you light it up with the fancy lighter she gave you. Your sweet Charlotte, friend, confidant and your secretary. She had come to work for you as a sort of last resort after getting fired from her previous desk job at a corporate company. She told you she had applied for some thirty jobs before she found your application, scrambling to write a good enough curriculum to impress you with, before showing up at the steps of your studio, that you rented in Gotha,

She looked so out of sorts and place in your office, sweating in cold blood, fidgeting and looking around nervously as you revised over her work experiences. She had practically jumped out of her seat when you told her you would take her in as an intern. If she pleases you with her performance, you will make her your full-time secretary, you had promised.

Two years later, here she was, still working for you, no longer a nervous and fidgeting girl, but a studied and confident woman, asserted in her job.

“I don’t know how you do it,”, she said “I would die up there, and this is our third luncheon this week, and it’s just Tuesday”

“It’s part of the job, Char. Sometimes you got to put up with it” You took a drag of your cigarette, buffing out the smoke.

“We have to meet Miss Reál tomorrow. She wishes to speak to you about something regarding her upcoming debate with Mayor Mitchell” She remembered you. You only took another drag of the cigar in turn.

“May I be refrained from the constant reminder of Reál or Mitchell for two seconds, for Christ’s sake” you murmured “I cannot wait for these elections to be over, no matter who wins, it’ll be a shit show anyways”

“You’ll never know, Miss Reál seems genuine” contradicted Charlotte, with a lightness and optimism to her words

“You sweet child, you’re not even registered to vote, how could you know such a thing?” you chuckled, to which she pouted “Still”, she whined, “I know my letters and Miss Reál does seem more suited for the job”

“No one is truly suited for the job, Charlotte. You’re not running for just any city, Gotham is a whole other league.  When you enter this field you’re setting yourself up for a death sentence for which I’m not sure Reál is prepared for” You flicked the cigarette on the floor, putting it off by stepping on it with the back of your heel.

“I know, I know, but it doesn’t hurt to be positive” You supposed it wasn’t too bad as she said. You learned a long time ago that being realistic about life would get you a long way, positivism and optimism relegated to being a child’s naive dreams. 

The meeting with Reál went as well as you had expected. She wanted your endorsement, not just as a politician in the City Council but as a philanthropist involved in the well-being of the city. You were fairly liked in the city, and for her to have your endorsement against Mitchell would certainly boost her approval rate, which she much needed when she was going against a man who had been Mayor of Gotham for almost twenty years when she herself was new to the scene. Grassroots, they called the two of you. You supposed despite your differences that you could share a vine in times like these.

She had invited you for coffee in a private and luxurious cafe downtown. You had chatted, but the air lingered the tension caused by the reason why you two were here.

“It would honour me greatly to have you by my side”, she said, twirling the spoon she had used to put the sugar into the dark and rich mixture of her coffee. “Your name is a guaranteed success for me, and I have always admired your father and his work. You are just as good as him”

“I just do not see what I get out of this”, you said, sipping your Earl Grey tea. Your throat was coarse, and you didn’t know if it was because of how much you had been using your voice this week or because you had truly caught a chill that would make you ill soon. Or maybe it was the cigarettes. How many have you had this week already?  “Granted you win,  when your plots ripen and you’re the new mayor of Gotham, will you remember that I helped you get there?”

“Of course, I would” she reassured “I will remember those that are helping me in pushing Mitchell out of power”

“And what will you give me for it?”

“I do not see what you could wish for, to my knowledge, you lack for nothing” she bristled, almost as if offended and annoyed by your request

“I’m not asking for monetary compensation or means of corruption, Miss Reál. Who do you take me for?” Your cup clicked against the fine china of its complementary plate

“No,I….forgive me” she slumped slightly against her chair, her hands coming to rest on her lap “I didn’t mean to insinuate anything. That wasn’t my intention”

“No offence taken”, you sighed, your hand reaching for your cigarette’s case. Another day, another cigar. “what I’m asking is, will you be willing to support me in the future if I do so now?” You asked before bringing the one you removed from the case up to your lips to lighten.

“I don’t see why I shouldn’t” she was quick to reply, now understanding what you meant “If we ally against the corruption of this city, you and I could do many great things. Allies support each other, do they not?”

“They do,” you said “when it conveniences them”

“I wouldn’t do such a thing unless I was to be given reason to believe that our views do not alline anymore” she huffed

“Then I will give you none”

“I know you won’t. You’re an honest person, uncorrupted by the city. I can see you do many great things if given the opportunity”

You chuckled drily as you took a drag of your cigarette. How right and wrong she was. You could do many great things were you just not continuously stopped by invisible forces, constantly pulling the strings, setting you back on your path right where you started. It was a wonder sometimes how you were able to get into the city council with all the obstacles you had begun to face ever since you got into politics.

“Now that it seems we have found an understanding, I would like to place my first request of our term” Bella took another sip from her pipping cup “I know you’re a good friend of Mr Bruce Wayne”

Your hand about to pull the cigarettes back to your lips stilled at the sudden mention of Bruce, something you had not expected, before shaking yourself back to reality, recovering from the first impact of the blow you had just been at the receiving hand of.

“I am” Your voice hinted at hesitance in it “What of him?”

“I’ve been trying to reach him, but every time I call, his people tell me he’s unavailable,” she said “I wish to speak to him about his lack of willingness to help the city”

Despite the truth her words carried, it ticked you slightly that she was assuming that Bruce did nothing with his life but relegate it to the solace of Wayne Tower. Still, you waited for her to get to the point before jumping in on the defensive. A bad trait of yours was that you were, at times, quick to anger, slow to forgive, and were known to never forget a slight, spoken or unsaid. It was clear that this was a sort of coping mechanism you had formed around yourself so as to never experience again the traumas you had gone through in your younger and formative years. Years scarred by the reminder of the cruelty of the world.

“What do you need of him?”

“The same thing I wanted of you”

“I’m not sure you’ll find what you sought in me in him. He’s been rather out of sorts as of late, he has not told me why either.” You huffed out the smoke filling your lungs “I suppose you’ve heard about the declining economic situation with Wayne Enterprises”

“There’s not a single economics journal that doesn’t discuss the strange and unusual case of the failing stocks of his company” she sassed, a hint of sarcasm in her tone “I’ve heard of it alright. Quite the rage for accountants to discuss over tea”

“Get to the point” you grumbled

“I want you to talk to him”, she said with conviction “Make him see reason, make him understand why we need him to help us, try to get him to do something. I know only you could do so”

You sighed “I see what I can do,”, you said “, but I cannot make any promises”

Despite not having promised her anything, you had kept your word. The first few phone calls you rang through were answered by Alfred. Poor man had to apologise for always being the one to pick up the phone.  You told him not to worry about it, that it was your fault you were constantly calling. It was about the fifth call that Bruce had picked up the line.  Charlotte had watched in exasperation for days as you continued to call, just to get a decline in your request to speak with Bruce, again and again and again. Just as you thought things between the two of you were going well, here he goes disappearing again.

Until, one day, almost when you were about to call it a day, the phone at Charlotte’s desk rang, and the number on the screen of the old desk phone you had set out for her to use showed a remote and unknown number. When she answered, the deep and rough murmur of Bruce’s voice asking for you immediately made her click to transfer the call to the phone in your office.

“I heard you were calling for me” was the first thing he said, even before you could get a word in.

“Indeed I was. I was wondering,” you said “if I could take a bit of your time”

“Depends on what this is about” his voice was coarse and gruff, and there was a muffled buzzing in the background. Was he driving?  “I’m not exactly free at the moment”

“This won’t take long, just an inquiry”, you teased “about if you would be willing to get political with me”

Silence filled the other side of the line as you awaited an answer, seemingly stretching on forever.

“Go on”

“I’ve come in close contact with Miss Reál; I’m sure you know of her, the woman making Mitchell run for his money” You stood from your chair, leaving on your desk the edition of the Gotham Times you were reading, whose headline read ‘Batman: Saviour or Menace?’, to walk towards the window of your office, looking out to the dark, evening sky, carrying the corded phone with you. You heard him sigh from the other end.

“Listen-“ “I know you’re not the type to get yourself involved in this sort of stuff, but she has asked me to try and get you to have an audience with her” you rebuffed before he could object.

“I’m not sure I can be in for this” he groaned “you know they’re not my type of things, and anyways, how did you get involved with her?”

“My secretary set me up a meeting with her, unbeknown to me. She offered me a great proposition:” Your hand hitched to reach for a cigarette, as your instincts always did whenever something involved Bruce. You seriously have been smoking a lot lately, you should get a hold of yourself. You shuffled around your office, taking the phone with you as you listened to him telling you he was too busy for this sort of stuff, how they were not his field of work, and how he just wasn’t interested, all while you poured yourself a glass of brandy, downing it down in one take, as if water, grimacing at the bitter and burning taste sliding down your throat and inflaming your chest.

“Are you alright?” He asked with a slight hint of concern as he heard your noises of displeasure.

“Yeah, yeah, I just drank something bitter” you said

“You’re drinking this early?” His voice raised slightly at his, both bewildered and…angry. Bruce confused you so much with his ever-changing and raging emotions.

“You stress me too much, Bruce” you admitted before you could stop yourself “At least I’m not smocking. Content yourself with that”

“You’re killing yourself at this rate” he scoffs “When are you going to realize that?”

“I don’t need to be lectured for my bad habits by you, least of all, Bruce”

Now you were annoyed, this back and forth seriously getting to you. Like the old times, your two thought, as if you were still young, arguing about silly things that you would both forgive each other over through simple apologies. But you weren’t young anymore, and least of all with the tension rising between you two, you couldn’t simply forgive each other over these matters.

“I’m not trying to lecture you-“ “I’ve been calling, relentlessly, for the past few days, trying to get a hold of you only for Alfred to be the one answering my calls. Not just to ask you about Reál’s proposal but to keep in contact.  I thought you said you would make it up to me, but after we had lunch on Thursday, you’ve been radio silent ever since. Again, disappearing, never to be seen or heard from. I’m tired of this, Bruce. I’m tired”  you heaved, panting slightly from your rant, the exhaustion this conversation was causing you evident. "I'm tired of lies"

“You know-“ “Know what? I don’t know anything, Bruce. I can try to be as understanding as I can, but my patience has a limit, a line I think has been crossed a long time ago. I’ve tried to be compassionate, empathetic, ever the good friend you can rely upon. What should I know? What is it you’re not telling me? Keeping from me?”

“I can’t tell you” “Then keep your secrets,” you said before hanging the phone, practically slamming the handset on the faceplate.

And here you two were. Two privileged young people, throwing good fortune and ending up with anything they could ever dream of in life. No one,not a single, living, breathing soul, anywhere, could find a reason for suffering. A spoiled, immature, man, endlessly complaining and a spoiled, immature, woman, endlessly complaining. Despite both of you having everything you two could ever want, the thing that you two wanted most was trying to understand each other, something that seemed impossible with the circumstances surrounding your lives at the moment, not when Bruce was fighting so hard to keep things from you.

As you gazed out the window again, your eyes following the shining stars in the sky, the conversation you just had ringed still, like church bells in the open air. 

Once again leaving you to contemplate your conflicting emotions.

[fairuzfan]

I'm Falasteeni and I can't read/write Arabic, and I only speak it at a childish level. I think being in America, my focus went to learning English instead, and I forgot everything. Every time I try to learn Arabic, I struggle. I also can't dance at ALL, especially dabke. And I can't cook many of our cultural dishes... I feel bad about all of this. There are Arabic classes I'd like to take, but I can't afford them. There are dance classes I'd like to take, but same. I'm not really asking if I'm valid or not, because I don't feel like I am. I guess I just want to point out how fractured I feel from my community, despite having lived in it for my whole life. And I always remember I should've grown up with these things...

i feel you, im bad at arabic and dancing so i feel kinda like a fake and i kinda dont super like cooking lol but something i talked about with a friend of mine recently is that really, palestinian culture is palestinian culture if its done by ANY palestinian. there are palestinians who do not know much arabic in the world. there are some who dont partake in all the types of cultural heritage. but they do partake in other parts.

anything you do as a falestini IS palestinian. i guarentee you out of the literal MILLIONS of us around the world, there is a community that is just your type. i recently found my community despite being geographically far from them by taking a chance and messaging someone on twitter. so like there are niches and there are communities that you'll feel right at home with.

something that i try to do, personally, is reach out to falestini artists and writers online. if you're a writer, i would check out RAWI (radius of arab american writers) and see if you can join in. poetry is a really connective force for me personally. There's also Palestinian Feminist Collective.

also an aspect of falestini culture that i always fall back on: wanting, with our entire hearts and minds, to change the world for the better. resistance is in our very bones. love is in our blood. we grow with the knowledge that a better world IS possible as long as we live and fight for it. and that can happen in any way possible. so remember: you as a falestini are connected to the idea of justice and love because that's part of our culture.

i hope that one day you get to find your falestini community that you feel right at home with. and its difficult but it might be cool to investigate other ways you can contribute to arts and culture. anything you do as a palestinian IS palestinian art and we need it so dearly.

thank you for sending this message.

[soil-and-stanzas]

Grim's Subtle Worship Ideas for Idunna 🍎🍏

Basically my entry to @chaos-bites 's Subtle Worship series for Norse Gods

I made this in hopes of taking some of the stress of it from Stag's shoulders (and I got the go-ahead too)

eat in-season produce

take your medication safely and on time

learn more about how fruits and vegetables grow

grow a plant, ideally one that produces a fruit or vegetable, but a low effort one like a succulent works too

eat mindfully

partake in a creative hobby (think knitting, drawing, etc) that brings you joy

learn your limits and honor them

do a chore that desperately needs doing to improve your quality of life (dust with a mask if you have a dust allergy, clean out your fridge so you don't get sick from spoiled food, etc)

support environment preservation and restoration groups

clean up litter

be mindful of what you buy and throw away

exercise! doesn’t have to be a full complicated routine, just something that gets you moving and enjoy - and if you can’t enjoy it, something you can at least bear

spend some time outside - and put on sunscreen while you’re at it!

take care of yourself: shower if you haven’t in a while, brush your teeth if you haven’t today, and so forth

learn more about your local ecosystem

share an apple with her

start your own fruit and/or vegetable garden and give part of the harvest to loved ones

contribute to a community garden

make a homemade apple pie and give her a slice

give her an glass of water and ice to refresh her after a long day in the orchard

help a loved one with yardwork

I'll probably add onto this list later - I know I haven't gotten everything she'd like. Or, heck, y'all can add onto it too! I'm curious to see what else y'all would offer her.

[romanticatheartt]

Critique of Feyre in Book 1 kinda drives me up the wall when it falls into the “girlboss bad/not like other girls” line of discussion. Like I can see where some of this comes from: Feyre can be very single-minded and did display contempt for Nesta and Elain that partly stemmed from their use of a more “traditional” femininity heavily rooted in classism that didn’t apply to her, hence the superior attitude.

However, this criticism ignores so much context and character growth, being a) Feyre’s upbringing and how she was excluded from partaking in this type of femininity because she was deemed unworthy by her mother, a sentiment echoed by Nesta calling Feyre a “half-wild beast”; b) Feyre being the provider for her family and adapting a more practical mindset very young (how can you be bothered with being “not like other girls” when your survival is on the line?), and her frustration that her sisters wouldn’t contribute more even when she reached out; c) Feyre slowly embracing more “feminine” aspects once she’s in Prythian and no longer in danger of starvation; and d) Feyre returning to her sisters with a kinder outlook, having tempered some of her pride and learning that there is merit to being soft (see: her acceptance of Elain’s quiet strength!!).

People who say Feyre was better/they enjoyed book 1!Feyre are also weird tf out of me since she was at her lowest.

Book 1!Feyre lived in a stressful environment, where even her cabin/home wasn't a source of peace for her. And tbh, I relate to her at this stage of my life. Outside of your house, you're constantly stressed by others, your job and your university… then you come home and nothing changes, only the problems like your family dynamic.

She was already struggling to be the sole breadwinner of the house, her sisters refused to partake in it (for whatever reason which we're not here to talk about, we want to talk about Feyre's perspective), their father has depression and after all these years is still grieving the loss of his wife and wealth. And she would come home to one of her sisters looking at her bloody hands with disgust, the other telling her she smells of pig and a father who's semi-responsive. I would be bitter af too!! I wouldn't want to do anything for myself let alone be pretty and appreciate my femininity or being more calm, open-minded and softer to others.

Feyre was in fight-or-flight mode all the time. She wasn't having the time of her life lmao. The Feyre we saw wasn't the real Feyre she wanted to be; that was what her circumstances demanded of her.

And even in Spring Court, she held some part of her personality to herself. I might be wrong but this is the feeling I got from her when she was living there during acotar, so you don't have to agree with me but in spring court she always got belittled for being human. I constantly got this vibe from Spring Court and since her pov is first person she always felt so out of place and she considered herself "only" a weak human.

So yeah the Feyre they're talking about is also the person who wasn't completely comfortable with herself, didn't see herself as beautiful, her sister's voice was in her head whenever she had a negative thought of herself, and well she never felt love before so the moment she finds a little bit of peace with someone, she latch on to him without even noticing that he said she doesn't need to do anything because he would do everything for her even before UtM. At that time she thought that's what she needed but after a time even if the events of UtM hadn't happened she would've felt trapped by him. (I'm seeing it everyday in my daily life with the women around me)

And well I'm not gonna talk about UtM and what she went through. If they enjoy a tortured Feyre and not a happy one then... I have nothing to say to them.

[aroanthy]

thinking about nanami and touga both telling utena not to trust anthy at the end of the series. whilst nanami and anthy being friends is something that makes me bawl like a little baby and overjoys me immensely, ive never bought a reading of nanami post-32 that is anthy positive. like idk how you could get that impression when all she does is talk about how anthy is a terrible and dangerous person. she’s scared of her. and you know she shouldn’t be, but it’s understandable why a 13 year old living in ohtori academy might be scared of someone she already didn’t like after finding out something deeply traumatic regarding them and not having the tools to make sense of it in a compassionate way. and it makes me want to eat drywall

what’s really interesting about all this to me tho is how both kiryuus tell utena not to trust ‘the chairman/end of the world or himemiya anthy/the rose bride’. anthy and akio are a package deal of toxicity and harm to both of them and if that isn’t just the most fascinating thing ever. also the difference between nanami’s ‘chairman/himemiya’ and touga’s ‘end of the world/rose bride’ (nanami giving her warning during the badminton scene, touga giving his at the end of his duel. so much going on here wrt roles and settings and rituals and reality). but getting back to my real point isn’t it so cool (agonising) how nanami and touga are incapable of extending compassion or understanding to anthy despite the fact that they’re the two people who know the most about her other than utena and akio. and like. they don’t know a Lot, but theyve both had a smidge of insight into an abusive relationship that mirrors aspects of their own lives in myriad ways

idk something about the rose bride as a symbol who bears all of humanity’s hatred. and in the end all girls are like the rose bride yes, but key word here is like. an approximation; all trapped, all agonised, yes, but not all literally fucking crucified for eternity by a million swords that shine with human hatred. not abstracted in such a particular and insidious way. i always find anthy/kiryuu parallels compelling wrt issues of race and class and mannnnnn. nanami takes a step away from the duelling game. she’s not out, but she’s not actively partaking, not actively being exploited. touga, whilst a little more overtly involved in stuco business and still meeting with akio, does also take a step away. like, they’re both able to do that. it’s a bit of an artifice, sure, they’re still here, but oh my god oh my god oh my god. theyre not anthy. am i making sense can anyone hear me holy shit

i think what im trying to say is that for everything that both nanami and touga learn about ohtori academy and the people living in it, for everything that forces them to self-reflect and question the ground that they stand upon, they fail to break the chain with it. like, they too contribute to anthy’s abstraction. she’s an idea that they secretly embody/emulate (not sure which word works better for what im trying to say just yet), and not a person who shares experiences with them but is still wholly separate from them. this kind of compassion is like. it’s too hard, when you’re in the situations that all three of them are in. anthy too perceives both of them as nonhuman, but there is a crucial power dynamic at play here. how can you stomach such a kindness to someone you can only see as a poor imitation of the worst parts of yourself, whom you loathe??

^ THIS GUY loves it when characters commit acts of extreme violence against one another that they themselves have experienced. the nanamianthytouga brand

[ygoartreviews]

Yummy★Snatchy

What's a crane game without the trusty claw itself??? In contrast to the dark, fuzzy looking Yummys, Snatchy brings a green blobiness to the game. It’s even stated to be jelly-like when not partaking in kitty mimicry (not unlike what the Yummys do). As the crane part of this crane game, Snatchy is tasked with collecting sweets (which it loves to eat instead of wear) with the help of its pal, Catcher-kin, who’s the adorable little UFO crab in the top right corner. There’s even little sprite work of the two in the top left. Why the UFO/space theming you ask? Why, it's because crane games in Japan are called UFO catchers! Pretty cute if you ask me, and it contributes a lot to the gacha theme. This art seems to depict Snatchy being actively lowered by Catcher-kun (as indicated by the green UFO beam connecting the two, even if the angle looks odd), while the background appears to be the front of a crane game machine, complete with prize and coin slots at the bottom. I think my favorite detail is the multitude of downwards facing arrows, which not only relates to Snatchy’s single link arrow, but also back to the crane/UFO theme. Snatchy even has one on its suit!

Rating: 9/10, Fierce snack lover

[nostromo13]

Now that nalu week has come to a close I wanna say a massive thank you.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed. All your art, your fics, and your creations are stunning, and its been amazing to see so many people partaking this year!

Thank you most of all to the amazing @tokkias / @allaboutnalu who is the brains behind the operation and whose never-ending determinism has really encouraged the fandom to grow. And I know Tokkias already thanked yous, but @kaleighkarma (love of my life and spreadsheet wizard), @millennial-star-gazer (our wonderful collaborator) and @rosavatar (who did the amazing nalu week announcement art!) deserve a massive thank you too.

I love this fandom for the most part, and it's been amazing being in the group that gets to do thr behind the operations (i mostly just had the privilege of sitting back and watching).

If you enjoyed nalu week and have the time to thank these wonderful people (and check out their work!), then please do! They contribute so much to the community, not just during nalu week but every day <3

[welldonekhushi]

Vasili’s Retirement

Here's an aesthetic moodboard I made of Vasili when he was in the KGB!

Summary: Charkov convincing Vasili to retire after giving his full service in the KGB. What made the General do so? And would Vasili agree to it?

Note: This is where I change some of the canon story for my Bell! General Charkov being a father figure for Vasili and Dimitri.

Warnings: None

Word count: 1,293 words.

“Amidst the complexities that are rising in between the relationship with the East and the West, we solemnly take your contribution as a huge factor to handle the situation quite well, Major Vasili.” The General of the KGB, Anton Charkov talks as Vasili carefully listens to his superior who called in for an important discussion. Charkov pours a cup of tea inside Vasili’s cup and for himself.

“Take a sip.” Charkov offered Vasili to partake of the beverage, as he needed the conversation to be as neutral and calm as possible, even knowing it was a hard decision for the General who was holding a heavy heart within himself to tell the news. Vasili grabbed the cup handle and took a sip of the tea, before placing it back on the General’s desk.

“But as we’re worried about the safety and security of the organisation, along with your own being... you’ve already made a lot of enemies, Vasili.” Charkov furrowed his eyebrows, placing the brim of the cup on his lips as he sipped the tea inside, before pulling back and kept it on the desk, crossing his hands. “And it’s not because we don’t trust you, but we’re only trying to keep the secrets within ourselves. You know a lot more than they do. You’re their prime target.”

“You mean the CIA could be behind me anytime? Regardless they’re the ones desperate to catch me and miserably failed.. somehow?” Vasili raised an eyebrow.

“Possibly. You can’t always trust your wits, Vasili. This isn’t a game, but a matter of serious consideration. Your life's on the line, and it’s standing on a tightrope. You’d never know if the pressure would soon be unbearable, that would likely make not only you, but the whole KGB at risk. Even if you die or get captive, it’s the same consequence.”

“So... what do you want me to do?” Vasili questioned.

Charkov held a heavy heart while trying to reveal his response to the Major. He sighed, and shook his head, and faced the officer again, feeling prepared. “You should retire.”

Vasili was astonished by that order, and it made his eyes widen. He forgot about everything at that very moment, from hearing Charkov’s response. It felt like a part of him was about to shatter. The very duty that kept him sane and dedicated, only for him to be told that he should finally let go of it. “But... General I – “

“I know, Sokolov. This is a very, very hard decision that I took upon myself. But I also had to hold a cabinet meeting for it. They advised you to retire but go undercover with a new identity and appearance. Conceal yourself as much as you can... the Western powers would do everything, and anything to get to you. And I’m not saying this as a KGB General... but as a concerned father.” Charkov tried to assure Vasili that whatever he was doing was for the sake of the whole nation’s safety and security. He didn’t want to lose it... but he wouldn’t want to see his country fall as well, only because he disagreed with what Charkov told him to do so.

With a bitter understanding, Vasili gave the nod, not wanting to condemn Charkov’s order. “Sir, yes sir.”

“Otlichno. I’m proud of you, Vasya.” Charkov lit up a smile, but Vasili had his face drowned in deep emotions. He had so much to succeed in, but turns out, this was the end. It felt like his glory days were over, but for the better, he agreed to leave the KGB on the General’s order.

“Don’t worry about what happens next here after your departure. Major Dimitri Belikov would take your place from now on. I trust him as much as I do with you, too. You both made me really proud, and I wish you luck.” Charkov extended his hand towards Vasili for a handshake.

Vasili gave a slight smile and joined the handshake the General offered to him. As Vasili got up from his chair and started to leave the office and walked through the hallway, he saw Dimitri, who too was also approaching the General’s office. The man stopped in surprise, who concealed his pain by leaving the duty to greet his beloved friend. “Dima?”

“Vasya!” Dimitri gave him a grin. “What happened? Did you do something mischievous again, that made Anton Charkov give you a huge, philosophical lecture? Like the last time?” He laughed it out, but Vasili gave a sly smile, knowing the truth.

“Ah, no Dima I... I think this is my last meeting with you.” Vasili spoke in a demotivated tone. Dimitri’s smile vanished when he said that, but he tried to brush it off thinking he may be joking with him.

“Oh, zamolchi! You’re playing with me. Aren’t you?” Dimitri laughed it out, but Vasili shook his head back.

“I’m being honest.” There was a moment of silence for a second, in between each other. Dimitri was still confused, and Vasili was the one to break it again. “I’m retiring.”

“What?!” Dimitri said in shock. “Are you serious, how could you retire – “

“I understand you feel the same as me, Dimitri. But... this is only for the sake of the nation’s safety and security.” Vasili replied. “Charkov and I have talked about it, and he wants you to take my place instead.”

Dimitri was internally disagreeing with him, as he didn’t want to believe it at first. But hearing Vasili’s words, he felt conflicted. “But... I could never be like you.”

“You’re misunderstood. Charkov trusts you like he trusts me. You’ve been assigned with a responsibility, Dima... and you must do it. For me.” Vasili grabbed onto his shoulders, assuring him. “I won’t be there, but I’d never forget what you did for me.”

Dimitri tried not to break in tears, seeing that his friend was now bidding a farewell from his post. Vasili gave him a hopeful smile and hugged him. Dimitri too hugged him back tighter, not wanting to let Vasili go this quick.

“It’ll be okay, Vasili...” Dimitri sniffs as he tries to control himself at this moment. “If you ever need something, get to me first. And it should be me only.”

Vasili pats his back and chuckles. “Of course, moy brat. Your number would be dialled first.”

“And if you feel you’re in danger... and I had to take my life for it, I will.”

“Shut up, Dima. You’re not dying, and when I’m still here, nothing would ever happen to you. Never.” Vasili looks at Dimitri and sets his cap and uniform. “That would be betrayal. That I kept a promise and you still decided to give your life for me.”

“But at least it’s better than a betrayal of trust.” Dimitri mentions something that did hold weight to Vasili’s thoughts. But he was curious about something else so he asked ahead before he could leave.

“Besides, did General Charkov call you in too?” Vasili asked, as Dimitri wipes off his tears as he responds. “Did you do something mischievous, instead?”

“No uhm, I wanted to have a conversation with him... maybe I’d talk about your leave and the new steps that I might have to follow while being in your shoes.”

“Oh, that’s currently necessary. You may take your leave, Major.” He saluted Belikov before departing, and so did Dimitri in return. As they both started to walk in the directions they were supposed to, Vasili slightly turned around to check on Belikov, and saw him fumbling with something in his hand before shoving it into his pocket and leaving a trace. Though Vasili didn’t really pay attention to it, and the scene ends to black when he exits.

Translations: Otlichno — amazing, Zamolchi — shut up/shut your mouth, Moy brat — my brother

Tagging: @deeptrashwitch @islandtarochips @alypink (or if you want to be included, send me a DM!)

[mononijikayu]

of patriarchy, of female rule, and defense of rhaenyra targaryen

as one delves into the rich tapestry of a song of ice and fire (asoiaf), a conspicuous theme emerges: the prevailing reverence afforded to male characters in contrast to their female counterparts. however, amidst this narrative dynamic, the women of asoiaf assert their distinct presence, contributing a captivating dimension through their perspectives and portrayal of their intricate world.

regrettably, this disparity extends beyond fiction, reflecting broader societal norms that have existed for thousands of years. it is this reality that resounds in the fictional society of westeros. this will be a dive into patriarchal archetypes that influenced the rejection of female rule and how this is a means to defend rhaenyra targaryen and, just as much, female rule on the iron throne.

according to queenship in medieval europe by theresa earenfight, the role of women in terms of rulership has largely been ambiguous due to the dichotomy that exists: either men were allowing women's participation in power or women were subtly using their connections with these men to partake. but this ambiguity did not prevent women from being a part of the conversation entirely. earenfight writes distinctively that women are not considered an unwelcome presence in political life, but the shift happened much later on.

it is within the narrative to say that both in the east and in the west, power derives from the familial structure and that women were the leading figures that maintained these close, familial ties—from marriage, blood ties, and even friendships. these structures of close power proximity in early medieval life tell us that women are trusted with the growth of their family’s influence.

mothers and wives advising the men around them are lauded because they speak to determine what’s best for the family. it is why we see women like olga of kiev influence her son in terms of policies that allowed religious freedom and goodwill with other christian nations that surrounded the territory of rus to flourish and develop. this was seen as a means to further what rus is and the standing of her own family within the state they governed.

as i mentioned in my previous writing regarding patriarchal systems, women in terms of ancient and medieval literature are often relegated to an afterthought. as we know from the ancient writers who influenced later medieval philosophers, women are either wanton creatures who become the reason for men’s demise or obedient, faithful creatures subservient to men. hence, the formation of such archetypes led to the previous conversation i talked about that categorized women in society by the wanting of men.

the defiance of women led to the creation of such archetypes as, for example, the term ‘whore’ or ‘witch', which was categorized to condemn women for defying convention. ‘whore’ became a notorious insult for women trying to find a means to sustain a living for themselves in extreme poverty. ‘witch’ became a term for which to persecute able and intelligent women as scapegoats for the ills of society they could not solve.

just as much, the subservience of women then led to the archetypes that defined the mold that all women should follow in society. the popularization of the ‘mother’ archetype had forced upon women a standard from religious and ancient texts that relegated them to doing everything to better men’s lives, such as rearing children and raising them in the image of their father; the ‘virgin’ archetype had been patterned after mary, mother of jesus, which relegated women to being forced to maintain a certain way of living where any defiance to that image can make them unwanted.

the proliferation of these archetypes gained prominence due to the resurgence of ancient philosophies. consequently, a transformation unfolded during the transition from the early to the middle and high medieval eras, resulting in distinct differentiations. and as such, the sudden shift of women’s authority as a secondary factor in society as highlighted by earenfight, three key factors were instrumental in this evolution: firstly, shifts in societal norms and legal frameworks; secondly, reforms within royal and noble courts; and thirdly, the doctrinal teachings of the church and the papacy.

one of the primary drivers behind the erosion of female importance in political life was the transformation of societal norms and legal systems. as the medieval world transitioned to new epochs, shifts in power dynamics often paralleled shifts in gender roles. the rise of feudalism and centralized political structures led to an increasing concentration of power in the hands of a male-dominated aristocracy.

the prevailing mindset began to associate public authority with masculinity, and legal frameworks were adapted to mirror these evolving social hierarchies. as a result, women faced mounting barriers to entry into political spheres as societal norms and laws codified their roles as subordinate figures more closely tied to domestic and familial duties.

the transformation of royal and noble courts played a crucial role in redefining the nature of women's participation in political life. royal courts were epicenters of power, culture, and decision-making, but they underwent significant changes over time. the reformation of these courts often resulted in a more structured and regulated environment, which in turn began to marginalize women from active political engagement. courtly life increasingly emphasized ceremonial roles and decorum, wherein women might be celebrated for their beauty, grace, and strategic marital alliances, but their direct influence on policy-making and governance diminished.

religion just as much held immense sway over medieval society, shaping perceptions of gender roles and political involvement. the doctrinal teachings of the church and the papacy played a dual role: they both reflected and reinforced prevailing gender norms. ecclesiastical doctrine often highlighted the virtue of women as pious wives and mothers, positioning them as symbols of morality and nurturing rather than as political actors.

as the church gained prominence as a moral authority, these teachings permeated societal consciousness, reinforcing the notion that women's role in political affairs was secondary to their roles within the bounds of being members of their families and their duties to the wants of their faith.

the evolution of these three novel concepts within existing paradigms played a pivotal role in solidifying these notions within the narrative and their implications for society. many of these notions were intricately interconnected, leading to a tight symbiotic relationship that favored the progression of men within the transformed societal landscape. consequently, women found themselves compelled to adopt a more nuanced approach in their pursuit of agency, lest they antagonize a resurging patriarchal order. 

therefore, the most viable avenue for women was to ingratiate themselves with the men in their proximity—be it their fathers, husbands, or sons—thereby exerting influence through mediation, the guidance of their royal or noble offspring, the management of household finances, and even the orchestration of matrimonial alliances involving their children and others. while this may be the case for most states across the medieval world, it is also not inherently right to say that women have no deference to outright power of their own. 

the eastern lands have recorded women inheriting without any liability from their male relatives, while this is not the case in the west. still, this does not stop the furthering of male dominance in terms of rulership and, just as quickly, can negate the role of women in political and social life.

this is due to the very thing that i spoke of in my previous work, and that is the resurgence of male-dominated succession, i.e., salic law, which barred women from inheriting outright from their male relatives, and just as much, the influence of church and papal reach within the realm of secular politics, which continued to diminish female authority as an unnatural state of living for women. 

the entanglement of archetypal biases and the deeply ingrained societal disdain for women, combined with the unyielding enforcement of patriarchal norms aimed at curtailing female influence, form the foundation of the challenges faced by figures like rhaenyra targaryen.

this intricate interplay of factors not only resulted in the demonization and social ostracism she had to encounter but also laid the groundwork for her eventual dethronement, orchestrated by the very patriarchal system that sought to benefit from her legitimate rights and claims. which impacted many other women later on in westeros’s history who wanted to defy the conventions and bounds of their strict, patriarchal biases.

rhaenyra targaryen, as the rightful heir to the iron throne, confronted a formidable struggle due to the prevailing biases that cast women in unfavorable roles. these biases, stemming from generations of untreated, archaic, and ingrained perceptions, contributed to a general mistrust and skepticism surrounding women's suitability for positions of authority.

concurrently, the patriarchal norms entrenched within society limited women's agency, relegating them to specific roles that primarily focused on the domestic sphere. resisting and stomping out anyone else’s desire to expand and even break that outdated mold of patriarchal society.

the signs of an impending shift are unmistakable proponents of a deeply ingrained patriarchal structure harbored apprehensions about potentially losing their influence and agency as a consequence of a woman's ascension. their unease stemmed from an inability to come to terms with relinquishing control over a woman who harbored aspirations independent of their expectations.

this woman sought her agency on her own terms, further exacerbated by her unabashed pride in her lineage, social standing, and authoritative position—of which men saw nothing but arrogance and haughtiness, which, when associated with men, result in a positive connotation in a patriarchal society.

yet for a woman, it is considered disturbing and unacceptable. they simply could not forgive her for not being a man, for not being able to hold martial strength the way men do, and for not adhering to the double standards presented to a woman of authority.

in their quest for agency and authority, women like rhaenyra targaryen dared to challenge the confines of normative societal expectations expected of a westerosi noblewoman. their bold aspirations for self-determination posed a direct challenge to deeply ingrained gender norms, triggering a wave of resistance and backlash from a society deeply rooted in traditional roles.

these women's courageous endeavors to rise above their prescribed stations were met with hostility, often leading to their vilification and the application of derogatory labels meant to undermine their credibility and influence.

within a society conditioned to uphold and perpetuate established gender roles, the emergence of such ambitious women presented a profound dilemma. their actions defied the predetermined boundaries set by tradition, casting a spotlight on the limitations of a society unaccustomed to accommodating aspirations beyond the conventional. rhaenyra's bid for power and influence serves as a poignant example of this clash between individual ambition and societal norms.

rhaenyra's unwavering pursuit of authority faced vehement opposition from those deeply invested in upholding the patriarchal status quo. the very legal framework that ostensibly recognized her rights and legitimacy was fundamentally biased against her, designed to safeguard existing power hierarchies.

consequently, her bid for agency, though firmly grounded in her rightful claim, was interpreted as a direct affront to the prevailing order, inviting condemnation and adversity. this is even though it is quite evident and proven that targaryen women, women in general, are competent enough to rule and serve the realm.

one looks through the previous one hundred years, and you would see two targaryen queens, rhaenys and visenya, ruling together and performing the administrative tasks that the realm needs to function. it was quite obvious throughout that women of house targaryen were embraced as the balance that brought prosperity to their subjects.

the right to rule in their tradition was viewed ambiguously, certainly focusing on competence and partnership rather than the divergence of genders. this is quite obviously seen in that even though viserys i targaryen was crowned because of the usurpation of a woman’s right, he did not seem to find any means to not consider his firstborn child, rhaenyra, as his heir and successor. 

still, it was not just her descent from him that made her eligible to be his heir. he had made her a cup-bearer at eight years of age, growing up watching and listening to the political discussions that came about her father’s duties. when she was named his heir soon after, viserys took himself to the task of preparing her for her duties, teaching her statecraft, and naming her as part of his small council and later on, princess of dragonstone — which traditionally are male-dominated centers of power.

even after the birth of her half-siblings, viserys’s confidence in rhaenyra’s abilities to rule did not falter. her upbringing had prepared her for leadership, and she possessed a deep understanding of politics, diplomacy, and governance. this made her more than capable of ruling effectively and justly. this was effectively proof enough for the king that his daughter would make a worthy successor to him and it was further strengthened by the fact that rhaenyra’s children with her first husband, laenor velaryon, were as able and capable as her.

critics often point to her personality and actions as reasons to oppose her claim, but it's important to consider that male rulers with equally complex personalities and controversial decisions did not face the same level of resistance. the biases of those who support the treachery of patriarchy played a significant role in magnifying her shortcomings and deeming them disqualifying, while similar traits in male leaders might have been forgiven wholeheartedly for. which we do see, in those who support aegon ii himself for his own perverse actions and personhood.

the culmination of intricate, unfair dynamics and double standards found its tragic zenith in rhaenyra's usurpation and, subsequently, the erasure of female rule as active participants in the political climate. just as there was a societal, political, and religious shift in medieval times, the horrific effects of the usurpation of rhaenyra caused a fixed point that shattered confidence in sole female rule.

the patriarchal system, while acknowledging her rightful place within the targaryen line of succession, ultimately favored her male counterpart due to the pervasive societal prejudices that perpetuated male authority. the deeply ingrained aversion to a woman ascending to the throne, coupled with the profound fear of unsettling established gender norms, played into the hands of those keen to exploit these biases for their gain.

in essence, the multifaceted perspectives and arguments had become a means to deny women agency and a means to preserve patriarchal norms that synergistically cultivated a hostile environment for many historical and fictional figures like rhaenyra targaryen. the tragic irony resides in the manipulation of the system by men, knowing fully well that it is in their favor, dooming women’s dream of agency. it was turned into a tool to suppress her aspirations and enforce a system of inequality.

this ultimately dooms many other descendants, whose womanhood would become a catalyst to rejection and forced subservience to this damaging system. this narrative underscores the intricate and often unjust interplay between gender, power dynamics, and the weight of tradition within a complex society. people ought to realize that rhaenyra's struggle for the throne was not just about her desires;

it was a pivotal moment in challenging the norms that limited women's agency and potential. her campaign to retake what was rightfully hers represented a beacon of hope for women, showing that gender should not be a barrier to exercising power and making meaningful contributions to society.

the worthiness of an individual should transcend the confines of gender. it is not solely being a man that merits consideration, but rather the qualities of character, confidence, and dedication that define the one who bears the crown. rhaenyra targaryen exemplified all these attributes, yet the chroniclers who documented her legacy and those who stood against her rightful ascent to the iron throne unjustly tarnished her reputation.

they painted her as inhumane and ruthless for daring to seek the agency and authority that men have long taken for granted. rhaenyra's struggle was not merely about her ambitions; it symbolized a much larger fight against the societal norms that stifled women's potential. instead of being celebrated for her qualities as a leader and her commitment to the realm, she faced opposition and disparagement. her story underscores the importance of challenging preconceived notions and granting women the same opportunities and respect that men have enjoyed throughout both real and fictional history.