#he doesn't curry favour

[darlingofdots]

once again three cheers for Will Laurence parenting superior-officering Emily Roland under truly the wildest of circumstances for like 7 years and doing such a fantastic job of it. He was basically her primary caregiver from age 9 to 16 and no matter how she might gripe, he took his job so seriously and you can tell she appreciates it! She runs away from her official posting during the Invasion to come serve under him again because he treated her with respect and gave her responsibilities suited to her skills, and also he has modelled a set of principles that she clearly understands and agrees with even when she thinks he's going about it wrong. And she is so fully On His Side anyway, she's so righteously outraged on his behalf when people disrespect him, and like. that man is not her father but he is her dad. That night when she was 9 years old and afraid for her mother and Excidium and he was so gentle with her is so emblematic of his attitude to his "young gentlemen" in my opinion; he is firm and professional at all times but he pays attention, he knows his people's backgrounds and families and he is so invested in giving them the best possible chance at success, and it's clear to me that people respond to that! including the terrible teenagers he accidentally got roped into raising

[terresdebrume]

I've written a couple of scenes of Charles' having an emotional breakdown and Edwin comforting him, I felt is was time for the reverse. Set in the I'm down on my knees universe at like. Some point, IG.

Warning for mentions of racist behavior throughout and also implied ableism via the Paynes vs Edwin. Hurt comfort. Sorta.

Edwin's fists start mashing together the second his hands come off the steering wheel, which Charles knows very well is the the top one sign of a stress spiral. It's pretty much the default position for Edwin's hands whenever they go to a social thing he hasn't got the hang on yet, and the morning before all his business law exams. It feels wrong to see them like that now, sitting in front of a rustic looking restaurant where his parents are waiting for them.

"We can still leave you know," he tells Edwin. "Tell them I tested positive for COVID and you don't want to risk giving it to them or something."

Edwin doesn't quite laugh, but the corners of his mouth lift up, and the creak of his leather driving gloves subsides for a moment. He makes a face like when he's trying to figure out how to say something he's not sure how to handle. Charles, one hand on his still buckled seatbelt and the other on the door handle, waits him out. Eventually, Edwin speaks.

"I should have said earlier," he says, sounding for all the world like the words are taffy stuck in his teeth, "but my parents are sort of... Well. They have a certain idea of how the world should work and be divided—"

"Yeah, I figured," Charles says. He grins when Edwin blinks at him. "Everyone else, when we've got plans, you say shit like 'Oh, Charles is making curry tonight'—"

"I do not sound like that," Edwin protests, but Charles snorts.

"You sound exactly like that, you big toff," he says, grin widening despite himself.

Edwin rolls his eyes and calls him ridiculous, fists softening against one another. Grinning to the point his cheeks ache, Charles gives Edwin's knee a light knock with his knuckles. It makes Edwin click his tongue, but Charles doesn't lose his smile.

"My point is, with you're parents it's always like 'Charles is making dinner' and stuff. Like you're playing the pronouns game with food."

Charles suppresses a wince when. Edwin's eyes widen and his fists tighten together again, like tectonic plates gearing up for an earthquake. Of course Edwin was going to take it the wrong way. Charles should have bloody well known better.

"I'm sorry," Edwin says, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine," Charles shrugs. "I mean they know what I look like, right?"

"Yes!" Edwin promises, hands so tight together it looks like they're going to merge. "Of course. I made sure they couldn't pretend they'd misunderstood, too, I just—"

"Then I'm fine," Charles says, making sure his smile looks easier than it feels. "I was friends with racist gits for years, I can handle your parents for an hour."

Plus, they'll be in public. What are the Paynes gonna do, try to make him join the staff? Calling him the P slur over dessert? They might think it but Charles suspects they're too interested in seeming proper to be that crassly racist where they can be heard. Probably they'll just make some noise about certain types of people and NHS fraud and jobs being stolen away from the homeless people they have no intention to help. Maybe something about Islam—there people tend to assume Charles is a Muslim a lot. He chalks it up to two birds one stone mentality, and the appeal of unlocking two rants over a single guy.

"Alright," Edwin says, looking relieved but not guilt free yet. "But if you wish to leave early, please pretend you just remembered a favour you promised Jenny, will you? I will drive us back immediately."

"Sure, I'll do that," Charles promises. He genuinely doesn't think it'll be that bad, but if he's wrong he'll be glad have the out anyway.

Reassured, Edwin takes a deep breath, and nods, and in they go. Everything is very posh in that very 'bling is for lesser people' kind of way. The menu predictably shows no prices. Edwin's parents make the usual thinly veiled remarks about Charles and Indians and brown people in general, and it's not the most comfortable but Charles could deal with it if not for the Issue.

It starts when they approach the table, Edwin's parents standing next to it with spines so straight Charles half worries he's hunched down again. Edwin places his hands in his mother's to kiss the air around each of her cheek, but then when he goes to press his fists together again, she takes his wrists and pulls his hands apart. Charles's entire back goes rigid at the sight, but he manages to push it aside and smile as he extends a hand for Mrs. Payne to shake. He said he'd do his best to make the dinner a success, and he meant it.

They sit down, Edwin and Charles on one side of the rectangular table, Edwin's parents on the other. Edwin's hands are very flat on the white tablecloth, gloves pulled away and fingers carefully aligned together. They stay there while Edwin answers increasingly invasive questions about his studies and his life, but they drift together again when the Paynes' attention turns to Charles.

"Stop that," Mr. Payne says with a stern look, cutting himself off in the middle of a sanctimonious explanation of why Charles is not being ambitious enough in life.

It's such a complete contrast to the polite, vaguely affable air he took one when speaking to Charles, and he goes back to it so quickly, Charles barely has time to react. The only thing he can think of is to press his knee against Edwin's in comfort. He should have thought of a signal for Edwin, too. Or at least asked if he wanted one.

The entree's arrival provokes some surprised praise over how their brown waiter is surprisingly well trained and articulate, and Charles takes it in stride. They're not actually saying anything to the waiter, and when they do speak he's out of earshot. He's had worse, and Edwin doesn't quite seem to be ready to throw the towel in, so he'll stick it out a bit longer. Even if Edwin's going pinker and pinker with every minute that passes.

They're about halfway through their main dishes and another rant from Mr. Payne—augmented by his wife's approving noise and not much else, Edwin having fallen silent somewhere around the time his gaspacho touched the table. Charles hates to see him like this: Edwin has always had a big personality, a larger than average presence in any room. He should be leading the conversation, or at least insisting on being heard through it, not looking down at the tablecloth with his mouth shut.

Charles is halfway through opening his mouth to pretend Jenny just texted him about plumbing issues, when Edwin's dad speaks again. He has the kind of articulation they promote on the BBC, yet Charles doesn't register any of what he says, only the fact that Edwin's fists fly together without him even noticing, and then Mr. Payne's hand darts from the other side of the table to slap Edwin's closed hands.

Now, see, the thing about Charles, is he's got excellent reflexes. Between dodging his dad's many and varied projectiles over the years, a decade of cricket, and countless hours of playing shooting games, he's pretty much primed for it. Add to that the fact that he's been getting angrier and angrier on Edwin's behalf throughout the meal, and really Charles doesn't think he can be blamed for dropping his knife, reaching out, and slapping Mr. Payne's hands.

"How dare you?" The man hisses in the deadly silence that falls over the room after the exchange.

The whole restaurant seems to hold its breath, the way Charles and mum used to do whenever dad stopped and asked 'What did you just say?'. In the corner of Charles' vision, Edwin's mouth hangs partially open in shock even as Charles hisses:

"How dare you?"

"The way I discipline my son," Mr. Payne starts, and Charles snarls.

"Your son is twenty-five," he says raising his voice on purpose. "You don't get to treat him like a bloody toddler."

"You little—" Payne senior starts, but before Edwin even has the time to react to his dangerous tone, Charles stands up with a loud scrape of his chair against the floor.

"And another thing," he says, loudly speaking over the fast purpling man in front of him, "there's nothing wrong with Edwin. That thing with the hand? You're making a mountain out of a bloody molehill! And if you didn't spend so much time worrying about it, maybe you'd realize Edwin is really bloody mint, actually, and if you can't appreciate him, then I don't see why we should bother staying here at all." Charles pushes his chair back against the table with another loud scrape, and turns to Edwin. "Come on, let's go."

Edwin's parents protest, mildly at first and then more loudly, but Charles doesn't care. He's too furious at them, at the way they filled their son with a sort of guilty shame Charles had never seen until the, at the way they somehow managed to stop him from even wanting to answer.

He waits until Edwin stands up, and then he takes hold of Edwin's wrist and drags the both of them outside. Edwin has to tug hard on his arm to remind him they used a car to come in, actually, and they can't leave it there. He sounds—well he sounds strained, is what he does. The sort of voice that means there's an emotion somewhere he's not letting out, and this time Charles knows exactly where it's going.

"I'm so sorry," he says, "I ruined dinner!"

"Oh," Charles, Edwin sighs.

His eyes are wide and wet and his grin ks kind of wobbly, but he steps up and engulfs Charles in hug anyway, hands tightly clasped around Charles waist. Charles responds in kind, putting as much love as he can into the embrace, into the pressure of his arms around Edwin.

"Thank you," Edwin mumbles against Charles' neck. "No one ever stood up for me line that."

"They bloody well should have," Charles says, gentling his tone when he realizes something warm dripping down his neck.

Edwin, too busy controlling his crying the best he can, doesn't answer, but it doesn't matter. Charles holds him tight until he's done crying anyway.

[seat-safety-switch]

My favourite Chinese restaurant has one hell of an aquarium out front. I've been in a lot of Chinese restaurants over the years, and it seems to be one consistent part of the decor. Bill (his real name) has gone above and beyond, because it seems to have turned into his weird hobby.

The last time I was in there, five minutes before closing, trying to scam them into giving me a couple trays of free about-to-expire dim sum, there were a bunch of photographers in the lobby. Those photogs were from some kind of fish magazine, a big one. To hear it from them, some of these species are real rare even in fancy-pants fish zoos, and much more unlikely to see in a place that serves a scallion pancake that frankly kicks ass.

Now, I have to caution you, and not just because the FCC has been climbing up my ass about "unsolicited endorsements." Just because he has cool fish, and he has good food, doesn't mean that all restaurants with cool fish will have good food, or vice versa. Use your best judgment, by which I mean being nice enough to rapidly eat without question the slightly-singed dried-out leftovers they drop on your plate like you're some kind of human Garburator. Get out of there quick, so they don't have to wait on your rapidly-inflating waistline instead of going home to visit their friends/family/pets, or heading to eBay to buy more fish.

And don't, above all else, try to curry favour with the proprietor by jumping into the tank and helping him clean it from the inside as an "odd job." Not only is Rotella T5 20W50 not great for the fish, but your dripping-wet work clothes won't endear Bill into letting you test drive his minty '81 Sapporo, either. Such incredible taste.

[captainuranium543]

If ft played video games (part 1- team natsu)

Natsu- he doesn't like most video games cuz he doesn't like sitting still for that long and he gets frustrated with the delicate controls or when he keeps losing. The only thing he plays is Wii sports resort, he would destroy anyone at Wii tennis any day of the week.

Lucy- she wasn't allowed video games growing up but through a network of her father's business partners, servants, family friends and other people who owed her a favour she manages to smuggle herself a second hand 3ds that she kept secret from everyone. The 3ds is pink. It's old, covered in stickers and fingerprints, but is still in perfect condition from when she got it. No scratches or cracks at all because Lucy was SUPER careful with it. She doesn't play a lot of video games but she will sometimes pull out the 3ds to play something just for old times sake.

Gray- In my heart gray is an art guy and is especially picky about 3D games and graphics, if a game has shitty rendering it just makes him angry on a primal level. He tends to play a lot the popular fps but he is also an absolute Mario kart champ, number 1 Mario kart player (it used to be erza and she didn't speak to him for like a day after he took her crown).

Erza- she plays very competitive games, fps and fighting especially. She actually loves rpgs but she's banned from playing them because she will stop eating and sleeping. Also I'm gonna say it. She would fw cool math games. She's a full year into her papas burgeria playthrough and she won't be stopping anytime soon.

Wendy- she romeo and chelia are all friends on switch. She likes animal crossing and pokemon especially. She has never actually completed the story of sword and shield cuz she was too busy making currys for her pokemon and playing with them at the campsites. Despite her love of the camping feature she is actually a really good team builder, she plays competitive pokemon all the time and her team is actually stacked.

Happy doesn't play video games outside of Wii with natsu and Carla claims they are childish but secretly she steals Wendy's switch to play animal crossing because he perfect island needs tending too

[lemonhemlock]

I love Larys this season and his scenes with Aegon that's all. Compelling and Matthew Needham is quite a force. Well and Rhaena hunting down Sheepstealer is good. Nothing else is fun.

i agree about larys with the one caveat i'm going to list below

larys is probably the one green character who makes the most sense, both that his characterisation is consistent AND the way others view him and his reactions to that MAKE SENSE. larys is still larysing but when aemond proves to be a contrarian he switches back to aegon. for once, aemond's shenanigans get proper consequences from his small councilors.

how does alicent not have any leverages against being dismissed when she is the one hightower representative left? sure, aemond sends back for otto, but do you think the story frames that as compensation for dismissing alicent or did the writers feel obligated to bring him back bc he needs to have his death scene? not one braincell was put into this. daemon does shit in the riverlands and the riverlords STAND UP and bully him back. he also has a big scary dragon and they don't give a shit, so it CAN be done, the writers know deep down how to do this, IF THEY CAREF

why is tyland not putting his foot down and demanding something for house lannister? his brother has a bunch of maiden daughters and daeron is unmarried and has a dragon. the frey lord and lady negociated with jace for their support, jeyne arryn is PISSED that she didn't get what she wanted

what the hell is ironrod even doing? he threw in his lot with aemond but aemond doesn't seem to like him or even give a shit about him so why doesn't he have some kind of reaction. i guess the discussion with larys could have been a step in the right direction because you can say he is testing out the waters to see if he can curry favour with aemond by offering up intel OR if he could forge an alliance with larys and go from there

and this is where i have an issue with the writing bc, on the one hand, they are categorically NOT portraying larys as incompetent, but they are also inadvertently making him SO BAD at his job by making these stupid changes from the book. another symptom of wanting to have one's cake and eat it too. the city is in lockdown but rhaenyra can sneak in, no problem, elenda can not only sneak in, she can access an entire network of pro-rhaenyra agents larys somehow knows nothing about, can raise literal riots, can recruit dragonseeds (why do you even need dragonseeds from KL when you're living on dragonstone?!), rhaenyra's food can reach the population somehow even though there are checkpoints at every entry, the dragonseeds can leave by boat and LARYS KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT ANY OF THIS 🧍and no one even thinks to ask him 'hey wtf is going on? you're kinda fired'. but they can't, can they? they can't get rid of larys because he is important to the plot and they need him in the thick of things!

there's a dumbass post circulating now in which someone ✨generously✨ gives people permission to complain about the show but without bringing that "boring book" (FB) into discussion for a comparative analysis. because apparently the book is bad but somehow not bad enough to keep watching tv media derived from it 🤡

the problem with HotD is that it makes FB the pinnacle of logic and storytelling. it doesn't fix any problems, it compounds them. this shit with larys would not fly in the book bc it is dumb as fuck! so you can't help but compare it to the book where these things did not have to be explained away by waving a magic wand or getting a lobotomy

this post is long enough as it is and other people have already explained the problem with the rhaena storyline, so i won't get into it right now, but, in a nutshell: her story can make sense in a void, she get a semblance of an arc: she wanted a dragon and now she will get one and goes on a journey of re-defining her identity, i suppose, after having been dismissed as not sufficiently targaryen as a result of her being dragonless. so, it's the classic problem of making sense in a watsonian way, in the context of the show, but in a doylist way it's Not The Best because they have to delete the only canonically POC low-born character. so we lose that perspective in a show that already prioritizes the highborn

larys has the same problem with him being a sexual deviant directly connected to his disability. as an individual character, it can be explained and justified, but as representation for disabled people (who suffer from a severe lack of representation in media as is), it's Not Great

[velnica]

Lv. 60 — The Ballad of Oblivion (part 1)

Here we go again! After 84 years I am finally ready to finish the Heavensward bard questline. Continues on from A Saint of Song.

So of course we find Sanson waiting near Moglin. And of course the stubborn arse of a bard has yet to return. Sanson reverts back to 'Guydelot isn't dependable' anymore, after pining for however long the trek was from Tailfeather to here.

Okay now this bit is totally not canon in my book because why tf would you go back to Gridania when you have a perfect airport in Ishgard? And Sea of Clouds is under Ishgard's jurisdiction, it's probably more prudent to go there and hitch a shorter ride.

Anyway I'm going to ignore this in my own headcanon as Fjora has a standing with Ishgard and either the Haillenarte or the Fortemps would be able to spare a spot on an airship that's bound for Cloudtop, no questions asked.

I accidentally clicked here so I didn't catch the bit where Mogta said he's spoken to Guydelot, oops. Anyway of course Mr Dramatic Bard is hiding on the bloody peak of the mountain, the one with the selfsame view that Sanson wanted to show him. Of course. They're far too alike actually, and both of them are quite literally staring at the same sky and wishing for the same thing—for Guydelot's return but no, the leading man is still moping.

Melynor I give you permission to peck his stubborn skull

Why yes he did, because he cared about you, dummy.

This journal will be passed on from generations to generations of bard. It's their bible and origin story rolled into one. Nobody talks about the lovesick scribbles around the margin, and if anyone does, one of the bard veterans is ready to smack the back of their heads.

BECAUSE HE IS GUYDELOT.

God this bit is one of my favourite, when Guydelot FINALLY admits that he was wrong. He's going through the exact same motion Sanson did, where he initially thought the worst of Guydelot and then realised that he was more than what he appeared—his talent was not just a show, and he was honourable and sensitive and is a steadfast ally in combat. Guydelot here finally realised that Sanson wasn't at all about currying favours with the brass, he truly believed in the power of song and he wants to cultivate that old belief again.

They've both learned, rather painfully perhaps, that they both fell for their prejudices and the need to learn to communicate and meet in the middle if this plan was to succeed.

Something something Pride and Prejudice.

Both of them look SO DEJECTED when they realise they'd done wrong by the other. Absolute mirrors.

And the humility that he's shown here. He was all about running off by himself and doing whatever he wants, and if Sanson gets annoyed then all the better, but now he doesn't think he has the right to this quest anymore. He knew he had a good thing going and he fucked it up.

Yeah they absolutely should have just gone from Ishgard, idk why Sanson would want to beg the Adders for even more resources here when they were loath to give him any in the first place. Probably the least believable thing in this entire questline lmao.

Will be continued in Part 2!

[legionnaireslover]

Same old, same old...

And in that light I give you Gator's latest -

Rinse and repeat.

BTW: That is a VERY skewed POV of the series "Eric". Written (supposedly) by someone who obviously was trying to curry favour with Gator by following THE NARRATIVE very closely and cherry picking aspects of the series tha might fit (if you squint).

But...

BC doesn't have a "problematic" marriage - at all. He's someone who has declared his love and admiration for his wife many, MANY times and they have 3 children.

Sophie isn't "Cassie" in any way. She is a creative, artistic person, who has said BC is a wonderful partner.

BC also has said many times, that his job is just a job - his family is his top priority. There have been many reports of him being with his family and he purposely chooses projects on how they impact his family.

Adam is NOT a "talentless friend". He is a successful producer and a close friend to BC. One of his closest.

BC's parents aren't "problematic". BC is very close to his parents and they are close to him.

BC doesn't "solve his problems with alcohol and drugs". That's just Hater narrative stuff. People who work around him have often praised him for his dedication to the job and say he is incredibly lovely to work with.

The main message of the series ISN'T DRAWN FROM BC'S LIFE! It was written by Abi Morgan who pitched the idea to BC in hopes he would accept it. BC wasn't forced to do this against his will. And if the Haters had watched the promos for Eric, they'd have seen that BC reiterated MANY times how he LEFT THE WORK BEHIND when he went home to his living family while filming Eric.

Gator is showing everyone how she hasn't seen very much Eric promo (you know, the "cleanse" and all! LOL!). BC mentioned his family many, MANY times (in almost EVERY interview in print and on audio tape).

And does this look like a man "on the verge of a nervous breakdown "???

There were PLENTY of times BC laughed and smiled during the promos. There were also plenty of times when he was serious and thoughtful. "Eric" covers some pretty intense themes. BC's behaviour was entirely appropriate at all times.

Maybe the Haters would know this if they had watched the videos, read the interviews and listened to the audio interviews.

But they didn't because they were sooooo scared of hearing him talk about his kids and how tightly he hugs them, how he calls Sophie "the love of his life" and how he brought practice puppets home to hone his puppetry skills on his sons.

BTW: Sophie seems to be currently very busy working on her project "Salt of the Earth" which might explain why she wasn't with him for promos for Eric.

And BC wasn't at LL in NYC because he was in LA doing promos for Eric. Kind of hard being in two places across a continent at the same time!

And of course, the Haters aren't going to support "The Roses"... that's why we call the "haters"! Unless they perceive him as someone following THEIR NARRATIVE they really, REALLY don't like him or his work very much! Some "fans"!

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

2. "C'mon, guys. She hangs out with you meatheads. This cannot come as a surprise."

EUGENE - "Yeah -- no. Ruby's got more balls than a ball pit. You'd have to be an idiot not to..." He looks around. "Guys, I'm not the only one who knew, right?"

GLEN - "Knew what?" The man can't believe what he's hearing. "First he says she murdered him -- now she's a *f*g* too? It's a lie!"

ALAIN - "C'mon Glen, she likes Monica's titties more than *you* do." The Mesque smiles. "Everyone knows which way the wind blows there."

SHANKY - "I did! I knew it! That's why she didn't fuck me at Fatty's birthday party."

EUGENE - "She didn't fuck you 'cause you're *forty* and you still live with your mom, Dennis." Light laughter sounds off in the room. It feels nervous.

"Klaasje said she made advances on her -- and she thwarted them."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Ruby then threatened her -- and told her to end her relationship with the deceased."

TITUS HARDIE - "This is *some* sordid shit." The big man rubs his chin. "It's also the kind of garbage our Miss Oranje puts out to cover her own ass."

DRAMA [Challenging: Success] - Sort of -- but *he* doesn't have to know that!

"She did tell us when we were close to arresting her."

"She just told us -- Ruby made her scared and she spilled the beans."

TITUS HARDIE - "Figures." He looks out the window. "But that Ruby *is* queer as cabaret, now that I start thinking about it. So there is some truth to it..."

"And that's okay. Some are queerer than others, you can still be a Hardie." He glances at Glen. "But if you bring your own personal shit into our outfit..."

SHANKY - "And then, boss..." he shakes his head "...use us to cover it up? I mean, that's just fucked up."

EUGENE - "*If* it's true." He looks at Shanky, then Titus. "But it's not -- right?"

3. "Maybe it's all part of a leadership challenge? Against you, Titus."

TITUS HARDIE - "There's no fucking leadership challenge." A flash of rage; he calms himself. "Just when I thought you were taking this seriously, cop, you put your head in your ass."

EUGENE - "Man, now he's just throwing shit against the wall to see what sticks."

Oop, bad move.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Okay..." The lieutenant steps in. "We've ruled out infighting. That's how this works: by exclusion. Remember, all we need to do is rule Ruby out too. That's all this is."

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - There's a bit of truth in there for Titus to react so brashly. He does not like his authority questioned.

Thankfully Kim is here to bail us out.

4. "When Klaasje came downstairs -- Ruby appeared to *know* that something was wrong."

ALAIN - "Nah, man. That's just Ruby. She's got shit under control," the man explains. "That's her whole thing. That's why she's so good."

EUGENE - "Plus, man, it's like *female intuition* you know. Women talk to women." He peeks at Titus. "Which is sorta why we need someone on the team who they talk to."

"Yes." (Roll your eyes.) "Female intuition. That's what it was. You're right Eugene."

"Yes, she's just got her *shit together*. That's how she knew."

"*Or* she knew what happened, because she killed him."

EUGENE - "Yeah..." The man seems unsure of himself.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Wishful thinking has no place in a police investigation," the lieutenant tells Eugene, his voice mild but firm.

"A more serious consideration -- that you wish to avoid -- is that she knew what happened, because she did it."

5. "Maybe she killed him because she thought it would curry favour with you?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "You had expressed -- on occasion -- your dislike of the mercenaries' presence in Martinaise, right?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Whack someone in my district? That doesn't curry much *favour* with Titus Hardie. She *has* to know that..." He rubs his chin and looks out the window.

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - It's the kind of chin-rubbing men -- often leaders -- do when they think of *punishment*.

6. "Titus, you have to see it. Things don't add up -- we need to talk to her." (Move on.)

TITUS HARDIE - Silence. He looks around the room.

THEO - The old man in the corner nods.

PERCEPTION (SIGHT) [Medium: Success] - A very small nod -- and a trickle of tobacco spit on his lip.

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - This is the only opinion he cares for.

TITUS HARDIE - "Yeah -- I see it." He puts his beer down. "There's one more thing I've been *wondering* about. Ever since you asked me where she is. Add it to your list of suspicions, if you want."

"I don't *know*." He smiles a peculiar smile. "I don't know where she went. She just up and left. Got real scared too. Wouldn't tell me where -- however *hard* I asked. Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

TITUS HARDIE - "She was afraid I would tell you." He looks you straight in the eye. "Maybe she was right. By now I probably would."

KIM KITSURAGI - "She knew there's evidence on her -- and she knew we'd find it. This is typical suspect behaviour. Why fleeing is always incriminatory."

TITUS HARDIE - "Perhaps." He looks out of the window again. "Ask her if you find her. It won't be easy though. She made sure of that."

Task complete: Make Titus give up Ruby's location

+70 XP

Level up!

"When did she leave?"

"What was she scared of?"

"Do you have any clues on where Ruby went?"

"Have you looked for her?"

"Do you know what she's doing with Ulan frequencies?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Friday afternoon. When you first arrived. I got word the RCM was in town, then she came in to see me. Told me she was leaving. That's when we had our little... conversation."

2. "What was she scared of?"

TITUS HARDIE - "I told you -- you."

"Me? As in the RCM?"

"Me, personally?"

TITUS HARDIE - "No -- you. As in the cop with the sideburns and the disco clothes."

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] - And a hole in his heart. That first.

"And the hole in his heart."

"Don't forget the *funny* tie too."

"No wonder she's afraid. I have come to declare the ending of the Human Experiment."

"She probably knew me from my singing days."

"I'm sorry. God, why does everything flee at the sight of my shadow?!"

"I have no idea why she'd be scared. I'm just a normal cop with regular thoughts in his head."

TITUS HARDIE - "Why not?" He looks at your chest. "You look about ready to do something pretty crazy because some bird fucked you over."

"Don't forget the *funny* tie too."

TITUS HARDIE - "How can I forget." He nods at your tie.

HORRIFIC NECKTIE - You and I are going to dance in the moonlight under a billion stars.

TITUS HARDIE - "You know, when I first saw you limp in here I thought she was paranoid, or sniffing her own supply, but..." He measures you up. "Now I'm not so sure."

3. "What else did Ruby tell you -- about me?"

TITUS HARDIE - "She said you have a funny taste in clothes." He scoffs. "And that you won't *stop*."

"Won't stop?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Until you *have* something on her. She said she's heard of you from Jamrock. That you're a human can-opener. That you play suspects against each other. Open them up, like cans."

ALAIN - "Fucking hell..." The tattooed man shakes his head. "Titus, did he just..."

TITUS HARDIE - "...open Angus up like a can? Yes, he did." He nods. "Now, we can whine about it, whack him, or we can go on with our lives. I'm having a 'go on with our lives' kind of day, Al. How about you?"

AUTHORITY [Easy: Success] - It's not an actual question.

ALAIN - Silence. He nods.

"Is that true Kim? Am I a can-opener?"

"Anything else? *Anything*?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "You are... insistent." He nods.

+1 Reputation

"Anything else? *Anything*?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Yeah, there was something else. She wouldn't tell me though. I could see she wanted to. It was *burning* on her lips: 'This cop, Titus, this cop, he...' But she was too scared."

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - Scared? You should be too. A strange fear creeps over you, a metallic taste in your mouth. Change the subject.

4. "Do you have any clues on where Ruby went?"

TITUS HARDIE - "She's not far. We know that much -- she didn't take her lorry. So she's on foot."

ALAIN - "Good fucking luck, man... She knows this place like the back of her hand. You'll never find her."

TITUS HARDIE - "Yeah, Al." He gives a sharp look. "And we won't either."

GLEN - "She's not really a..." The man stares into his beer. "Hardie candidate anymore, is she?"

TITUS HARDIE - "She's not, Glen."

5. "Have you looked for her?"

TITUS HARDIE - "A little -- on the coast."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Where have you looked for her, more precisely?"

TITUS HARDIE - "More precisely? On the *coast*. Past the water lock." He nods southwest. "She's not here, so I'm thinking she's there."

REACTION SPEED [Medium: Success] - *Who's* doing this looking? They're all here.

"You're all here. Who's out looking?"

No.

TITUS HARDIE - He shrugs. "Lizzie needed some air."

"The gardener? But she went to tell Evrart."

"So she didn't go to tell Evrart."

TITUS HARDIE - "You're a smart cop, but you're a stupid person -- no one goes to tell Evrart anything. If he has to know, he has to know *fast*."

+5 XP

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - It's called a... radio, you believe. The gardener may have played you again when she stormed out. She has her own plan.

6. "Can you tell me where on the coast I should start looking?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Sure -- there are some shithouses there. A cinderblock town. The fisher-folk there refuse to unionise, so that's one place we haven't looked."

"I hear they have a shack where junkies sometimes crash. Time for you to step up."

New task: Ask about Ruby in the village

KIM KITSURAGI - "We will start there." The lieutenant takes a quick note. "One more question: what does Ruby look like?"

TITUS HARDIE - "Boyish. Hair's red, dyed. She looks like a lorryman."

7. "Do you know what she's doing with Ulan frequencies?"

Boy, it's been a long time since we found out about this, when we first looked in her truck.

TITUS HARDIE - "The what now? I've no idea." He looks around. "Boys?"

FAT ANGUS - "She said she's... building a..." His voice is very quiet. "A pale emitter."

TITUS HARDIE - "What?"

FAT ANGUS - "We were talkin' about radio equipment. She said she's doing Ulan frequencies and a pale-something. I don't know more."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - This guy barely understands what he's talking about.

TITUS HARDIE - "There you have it. Pale-something." Titus puts an end to it.

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] - It feels like you'll get to know -- soon enough.

8. "It's not much, but it'll do." (Go!)

TITUS HARDIE - "It'll *have* to." He puts his hand out.

Shake it.

Walk away.

TITUS HARDIE - His grip is firm and reassuring. Like holding a piece of unpolished granite.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - Not just granite -- tightly packed RCM sergeant material.

"You should be a cop, Titus."

Just think it.

TITUS HARDIE - "When are you gonna get it through your dumb head?" He scoffs. "I already *am*, I just wasn't sure you were."

ESPRIT DE CORPS - And he still isn't. People aren't afraid of good cops in the way Ruby was afraid of you, he thinks, then turns back to his men.

[lizzie-queenofmeigas]

I love how after the first episode, a lot of TG were saying how much better a king Aegon was because he seemingly cared about the smallfolk yet in this episode, he hangs all the ratcatchers knowing many of them are innocent, dismiss their wives/sisters/daughters as “fishwives” and sneer at the idea of “currying favour with them.”

Aegon doesn't care about anyone but himself. In the clip that I saw of him mourning his son he literally went "My heir, My legacy" like, really? That was your kid.

[ae-neon]

during the war agaisnt hybern feyre mentions something about "well, most of kleir's soldiers died but he said nothing, didn't complain" like, of course, the soldiers who died must be all poor, do you really think he would just "be fine" if those were hewn city's nobility, feyre? like... feyre is so dumb in those things omg

Yep

For her benefit and just because I love to drag sjm I'll say : obviously there's no way Feyre actually learns any real in-depth politics or even common sense governing in the few months she's at NC before the War and directly after it.

But then why does SJM and even Acotar Elon act like she's an equal??? She's not even equal to Azriel in political power never mind Mor or Rhys.

Feyre has no allies, she burns every bridge she's given and doesn't know how to play up her status as the saviour of Prythian except to embarrass Ianthe.

She doesn't know anything about the other courts but is soooo sure the NC is the best - except Keir and the nobles of the CAPITAL CITY who didn't wanna bow to someone introduced to them as a random sex slave and the Illyrian lords and the millions of oppressed people in the Steppes.

HOW THE FUCK DO RHYS AND FEYRE THINK THE HEWN CITY IS GONNA LOOK AT THEIR KID

She thinks Azriel or Cassian could kill Tamlin (lol) when he's a High Lord - the High Lord who killed Amarantha who ruled Prythian for 500 years - when they can't even kill Lucien and he hasn't even inherited his full power yet.

She dismantles the stability of a recovering court on the brink of a war like she works for the CIA and Spring is a mineral rich 3rd world country.

She and her sisters are probably some of the most significant religious icons of their time but Feyre doesn't play patron saint to the priestesses to curry favour.

If Rhysand had died in the War none of the power would have gone to her and in fact she might have been tried for her crimes in Spring or Summer.

If SJM wanted a High Lady she should have made one. But she doesn't, she doesn't care about how stupid Feyre looks as long as she looks good next to that grandpa with the spray tan.

[lassieposting]

So a few days ago in the darkolai discord someone mentioned a headcanon of Aleksander thwarting assassination attempts on Nikolai, which I *love* and have a lot of feelings about in general

But it's also just occurred to me

While Pyotr and Vasily live, there's...not really much point in offing Niko? In the case of Ravka's political rivals, there are a lot of arguments for *keeping Nikolai alive*.

Pyotr is useless, but he's an established, long-serving king and the behind-the-scenes power structure is secure with him on the throne. The identities of his primary allies, the ones actually running and defending Ravka, are common knowledge.

If Pyotr is removed, and Vasily takes the throne, there will be a brief period of unrest. But Vasily has been groomed all his life for rulership. He's probably well acquainted with his father's advisors - enough so that they'll either step in to guide him if he's promising, or go over his head and behind his back to keep the status quo running if he's like his father. Either way, a brief window of opportunity, but ultimately not a huge deal.

But if both the reigning king and the heir were killed, that utterly destabilises the country. Niko is young, inexperienced, allegedly a bastard, would presumably be grief-stricken, and has supposedly spent a decent chunk of his adult life abroad in Kerch. It would be safe to assume that while he's been at war or studying, out of sight and out of mind, he's missed out on the opportunity to curry favour with the real powers in Ravka and gain wealthy, influential friends at court. He'd have to fight for support, for recognition, for his right to the throne. If he rubs one of Pyotr's advisors with real sway up the wrong way and they refuse to support him - if someone like the Darkling stands up and says he's not fit to rule, Ravka ends up in complete disarray, possibly a civil war, and ripe for the taking - with or without Niko as a puppet king.

So. The two people with the most to gain from icing Nikolai?

Pyotr and Vasily

Pyotr knows or suspects that Niko isn't his, but he took him in and raised him as his own anyway. He didn't have to do that. He could easily have denied Niko and sent Tatiana off to a nunnery in disgrace, then sired a spare on a second wife or a mistress if he wanted. So perhaps he's less likely to go to the trouble of an attempt on Nikolai's life? Especially this late in the game - offing him as a helpless child would've been far more prudent.

But. Vasily - at least in the show - is never anything less than openly cruel to Niko. He can't stand him, to the point that he brings up Niko's dubious paternity, amidst other insults, in his speech at Niko's engagement dinner, after trying to poach his fiancée. Vasily doesn't trust his brother as far as he can throw him, doesn't agree with his ideas for Ravka, and knows damn well Nikolai is a threat - charming, better educated, served as active duty military, beloved by the common folk. He, more than anyone else, stands to benefit from Niko's mysterious death - apparently in the books he even tried to poison Niko once already. With Niko gone, there's no one - at least, no other bastard half-brothers with the resources and the connections - to threaten his claim to the throne.

And strategy is Aleksander's job. He'd know that.

Just. Aleksander quietly taking steps to safeguard the one Lantsov who might actually deserve the throne against assassins sent by Nikolai's own brother.

Aleksander pulling some strings to get the prince's indolent palace guards, chosen by Pyotr, replaced by a couple of top-notch oprichniki - on Aleksander's personal payroll - in royal guard uniforms.

Aleksander using the spy network he's built up over his century-and-change as General Kirigan, juggling agents to try to balance keeping ahead of any plots against Nikolai and staying informed about the Fjerdan and Shu strategies at the front.

Aleksander murmuring stay with me tonight after they've spent an evening together, and letting Niko fall asleep in his arms, so that when the assassin slips into Nikolai's room in the dead of night, all they'll find is Ivan and Fedyor lying in wait for them.

Aleksander having to decide whether or not to warn Nikolai that he suspects Vasily is the assassin's employer.

Aleksander weighing up the longterm implications of his choices - depending how much of his own influence he wants to lend to keeping the second prince alive, he could be seen to be throwing his support behind a coup, making an enemy of the current and future kings, and risking everything he's built in the process.

Aleksander gritting his teeth and doing it anyway, because he's lost everyone he's ever cared for and he's not losing Nikolai too, not yet, not like that.

[writcraft]

Hi Writ darling! I’d love to know your thoughts on 18 for Snarry or 19 for Drarry, or feel free to pick any other ask/ship you fancy 😌 thank you!!! - Liv

Hi Liv! Thank you so much for the ask. I am going to be contrary and take 18 for Drarry :D

Ship asks

What does a date night out look like for them? At first, it doesn't look like a date at all. If they both happen to be in the same bar, at the same time, on the same evening of the week, that's just coincidence. Even when Harry says "See you next week, Malfoy?" and Draco says "If I don't get a better offer, Potter" (and they both know he won't) that still isn't a date. It's just...conversation. If they spend the evening getting closer at their own table (oblivious to the songs, the men, the sweat and the restless beat of the music) that's just because it's difficult to hear one another speak.

On one of those nights, Draco mentions his favourite restaurant. A posh, French place with a name that sounds sexy as fuck when Draco murmurs it in Harry's ear. They go together the week after, with Harry looking far more delicious than the food and Draco speaking enough French to drive Harry to distraction.

The week after Harry chooses the location, a curry place on Brick Lane. Bring Your Own Booze. They drink too many lagers and end up kissing in the shadows of London's East End after the best curry Draco has had in his life. It's still not a date, obviously. They just need to establish who has better taste in restaurants.

Because it's a tie, they have to try other restaurants, naturally. The restaurant competition turns into a bar competition then a competition over the best films. One night, in bed, they argue over the best holiday destination. They take two weeks off, spending the first week in the French Riviera and the second in New York. Harry shows Draco where he lived for a year after the war and they take in the haze and mugginess of the city in the summer.

On holiday they argue over the appropriate amount of time to boil an egg. In a huff of irritation, Draco offers to cook Harry dinner when they return home. "I warrant you're an unmitigated disaster in the kitchen, Potter." Harry returns the favour the week after, "Not that I have anything to prove, Malfoy." The meals on Friday slip into breakfast on Saturday, Sunday roasts in Primrose Hill and sleepy kisses and hot buttered toast before work on Monday.

When Draco's favourite restaurant closes, Harry buys the stained glass window from the front door which they auction off at Sotheby's for a small fortune. When they move out of London, Draco Apparates one Friday night to get a takeaway curry from Brick Lane as a surprise for Harry. It's the anniversary of something, definitely, but neither of them really care what. "The anniversary of you being a pain in my arse," Harry says, before they tumble into bed and lose themselves in the night's shadows.

When they're older they go back to that gay bar and talk about how much it has changed. It's a coffee place now, surrounded by office blocks and busy people in busy suits. They talk about the sweat and the grime, the way their feet would stick to the floor by the bar. They talk about the music, the men, the hours they spent exchanging sweet rum-and-coke kisses and the kisses that weren't so sweet at all.

Their date nights were always complicated, until slowly they became the easiest thing in the world.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Danganronpa 3 Despair arc episode 6.

Thonks.

Hajime having a flashback while describing what happened.

Oh boy.

Confirms he was supposed to be the Ultimate Hope.

"All traces off previous personality deleted."

You got that wrong... But for now you're right.

They really couldn't have cut his hair, like the whole time.

Chiaki asking Chisa how Hajime is, because she taught at the Reserve Course.

And Chisa lying to her.

Ouch.

I love how Ibuki is sus of Peko and Fuyuhiko's "sudden friendship."

And kicking Teruteru for getting perverted.

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Few things are as Gundam Tanaka as Gundam calling a bunny a bringer of Calamity.

And than comforting said bunny and calling it BunBun.

So sweet.

Chisa got a hold of a key card from Juzo.

... Why would you want to live for Munakata's ideals?

Or die for him.

... Why?

Juzo saying he wouldn't hesitate to die for Chisa.

Unexpected, but I don't think it's jealously. Even with the close up of his fist.

They all were friends, he took her death hard, makes sense.

... Or maybe he is jealous of being a third wheel to Chisa and Munakata.

He cares a lot for both of them. It must be hard when you know both of your friends are in love.

And you're just here.

I don't like the guy but I can sympathise.

Aaaannnd Nagito is still missing.

Chisa your disguise kinda sucks but sure, breaking in.

Close the door!

Wait someone vanished?

Of course it was Junko's fault.

Junko that's curry... Not soup. I guess it doesn't matter if either way it's ending up in an eye.

Gotta love Junko talking about how great normal everyday things are for torture.

And knowing she'll some of the most elaborate executions known to man.

Imagine Danganronpa 1 but the executions are just torture via household objects and food.

... Actually don't that sounds terrifying.

The Kamakura project description...

Why does hearing about it with professional jargon make it sound so much worse?

And it's already fucked.

So Izuru has all known talents, and the trade off was losing his personality and his memories.

... Fuck.

And naturally Junko knows, somehow.

So she and Mukuro are off to meet him.

Idk why I'm suprised that Junko casually had an eyeball on her.

But did it need to be on the stick of the food your eating?

The fated meeting between Junko and Izuru.

Funny thing about Munakata being against the Kamakura project is that he basically becomes his own Izuru Kamakura.

A despair disguised under the flag of hope.

I love how he's like what if Izuru Kamakura turned against us.

Yeah that'd be awful... 👀

Annnd Izuru takes down both Junko and Mukuro.

Man has all talents.

I do like that he still sounds like Hajime.

So much more soul crushing.

The thing is Junko and Izuru are intellectual equals.

But Junko has the upper hand.

Izuru doesn't see Junko as a threat, she's able to fool him and implant the seeds of wanting despair in him.

She knows his situation better than anyone, because he knows all the outcomes and so does she.

She's bored and knows he is too.

And uses that in her favour.

Ayy Ryota's okay.

Twogami saying he's going to keep going to the hospital till he's got a clean bill of health.

Which is sweet.

And Junko in the infirmary.

Makes sense that Mukuro doesn't like Izuru, especially cos he injured Junko and Junko's fangirling over him.

Butt for Junko I'm sure she'll go with it.

"When she wakes up, tell her I'll be waiting."

Looks like the seeds been planted.

I say seeds like it was done all sneaky and cryptic but girl just despair speeched him.

And it worked.

I'd say Junko has issues but we all knew that.

Huh, didn't know Junko had a spidey sense.

And cornered, Ryota of all people.

Wasn't who I expected her to grab first... Especially because Ryota didn't become a despair.

But that doesn't mean he escaped her grasp.

... Few ever do.

[jeannereames]

Was Olympias really stoned to death? When I first read it, I thought it sounded so horrific it was probably an exaggeration/sensationalism, although I did change my mind soon enough when I learned about the general brutality of that age.

Still, it seems like an excruciating and terrifying way to go..

Beth Carney reports it as one possibility in the sources, although the exact manner of her death is unclear.

Our earliest source, Diodoros gives her an heroic death (19.51.4-5), but the exact method isn't stated (see highlighted). It's the most commonly related version:

" (4) As Olympias, however, refused to flee but on the contrary was ready to be judged before all the Macedonians, Cassander, fearing that the crowd might change its mind if it heard the queen defend herself and was reminded of all the benefits conferred on the entire nation by Alexander and Philip, sent to her two hundred soldiers who were best fitted for such a task, ordering them to slay her as soon as possible. (5) They, accordingly, broke into the royal house, but when they beheld Olympias, overawed by her exalted rank, they withdrew with their task unfulfilled. But the relatives of her victims, wishing to curry favour with Cassander as well as to avenge their dead, murdered the queen, who uttered no ignoble or womanish plea."

Justin (14.6.2-12) follows Diodorus with a few more details, but still isn't clear: note he says she doesn't shrink from "sword or blow," but that's actually unclear. He IS sure to tell us that before expiring, she fixed her hair and covered her ankles with her robe, to avoid being "unseemly" (immodest). Like Diodoros, it's a very heroic, male death, as she doesn't scream or protest or cry out, despite the concern with modesty. The fact she has time to "fix herself" would suggest something that wasn't immediate, but we should be VERY chary of taking Justin literally. He has a topos to promote, and isn't inclined to let a little thing like facts get in the way. LOL

" (2) Hearing, therefore, of the approach of Cassander, and distrusting the Macedonians, she retired, with her daughter-in-law Roxane, and her grandson Heracles, to the city of Pydna. (3) Deidameia, the daughter of king Aeacides, and Thessalonice, her step-daughter, rendered illustrious by the name of Philippus, who was her father, and many others, wives of the leading men, a retinue showy rather than serviceable, attended her on her journey. (4) When the news of her retreat was brought to Cassander, he marched immediately, with the utmost expedition, to Pydna, and laid siege to the city. (5) Olympias, distressed with famine and the sword, and the wearisomeness of a long siege, surrendered herself to the conqueror, stipulating only for life. (6) But Cassander, on summoning the people to an assembly, to inquire "what they would wish to be done with Olympias," induced the parents of those whom she had killed to put on mourning apparel, and expose her cruelties; (7) when the Macedonians, exasperated by their statements, decreed, without regard to her former majesty, that she should be put to death; (8) utterly unmindful that, by the labours of her son and her husband, they had not only lived in security among their neighbours, but had attained to vast power, and even to the conquest of the world. (9) Olympias, seeing armed men advancing towards her, bent upon her destruction, went voluntarily to meet them, dressed in her regal apparel, and leaning on two of her maids. (10) The executioners, on beholding her, struck with the recollection of her former royal dignity, and with the names of so many of their kings, that occurred to their memory in connection with her, stood still, (11) until others were sent by Cassander to despatch her; she, at the same time, not shrinking from the sword or the blow, or crying out like a woman, but submitting to death like the bravest of men, and suitably to the glory of her ancient race, so that you might have perceived the soul of Alexander in his dying mother. (12) As she was expiring, too, she is said to have settled her hair, and to have covered her feet with her robe, that nothing unseemly might appear about her."

It's only in Pausanias (9.7.2) that we're told she was stoned by "exasperated Macedonians," but his isn't a lengthy account. While Pausanias is typically considered the better source, we must still be careful. Note the "death by worms" in the below. That was a common trope in especially Roman literature, indicating poor morals (cf. also Herod's and Sulla's demise). That doesn't mean he's wrong about Olympias, however. I'm more inclined to believe that because her death isn't the focus of his moralizing (unlike, say, Justin or even Diodoros).

" [2] My own view is that in building Thebes Cassander was mainly influenced by hatred of Alexander. He destroyed the whole house of Alexander to the bitter end. Olympias he threw to the exasperated Macedonians to be stoned to death; and the sons of Alexander, Heracles by Barsina and Alexander by Roxana, he killed by poison. But he himself was not to come to a good end. He was filled with dropsy, and from the dropsy came worms while he was yet alive."

However she met her end, the sources do seem to support a memory that she met it bravely.

[lemonhemlock]

https://at.tumblr.com/lemonhemlock/httpsattumblrcomlemonhemlockcame-across-a-ja/2g80nosdom7w

This iis actually so interesting could you possibly write more about them?

jace & luke experiencing confusing ups & downs together. jace & luke as aegon's sidekicks, bandied together against uptight, nerdy, dragonless aemond. aemond is no fun, but aegon is all the fun. their ringleader and mentor. the king's firstborn son, currying the favour of the court. them not understanding succession, going along with it. jace & luke getting to be little brothers together. equal footing.

suddenly: betrayed! aegon so easily goaded by ser criston. lashes out at jace with a malice unmanifested. howls at ser harwin. ser criston goading ser harwin. violence. it's to aemond's side aegon goes. he's sniggering. have they always been wearing green all this time? the dawning realisation on jace that he and luke are bastards while aegond are trueborn. the fear, the uncertainty, the evasiveness of his mother. the loss of ser harwin. jace & luke only having each other now.

dogpilling on aemond. that little brat always has to ruin everything. he must have complained somehow and now they lost everything. had to leave king's landing, too. he's dangerous. by rights he should feel some of the pain jace feels. he signals to his brother to use the knife. serves him right.

for the second time in danger. their birth questioned. aegon himself calls them bastards. implies he's always known. he's aemond's big brother now. that little twat's fault. the queen herself demands her pound of flesh. for him? isn't all they've lost already enough? why can't she see, why can't she leave them alone. jace holds onto luke and hides behind his mother. he's a big brother now. luke is too young to understand, but he'll see. in time he'll see.

when they see each other next, aegon is a shell of himself. a lecherous little gremlin. they can't believe they ever looked up to him. aemond is the frightening one. but he's always been a pushover. goad. goad. if he runs his mouth jace'll put him into place. he has to start learning his lesson sometimes. he doesn't have time to think before he's on the floor. luke squirming at the table, already overpowered by the dipsomaniac. luke is second in line to the throne, who is aegon to put his hands on him? insult his betrothed, the future queen? assist his traitor brother? their heads will end up on spikes if they keep this up. or like vaemond, cut in half by dark sister. but, first, luke has to learn. aegon has an scary younger brother, perhaps jace wants one for himself now. but luke has grown too soft and they've run out of time.

[emblematicemblazer]

World building and theories of Engage

Solm's foreign policy 

Before and during the war Solm's foreign policy was based on distrust, secrecy, security and a little give and take. Trade is essential in a desert country, Solm would have an abundance of goods suited to their climate while certain goods would have limited to no supply. Elusia, Lythos and Brodia are trading partners even if the war between Elusia and Brodia would make travel near or through the north of the two territories dangerous. Firene presents a different challenge for a trading country; self efficiency. Firene creates all the essentials and luxuries they feel they need which means they have no need to trade. Fogado in his conversation with Celine expresses the difficulty establishing trading deals with her kingdom. 

“Firene’s farming industry is so robust, you don’t need to keep reserves, let alone import goods. And that’s a good thing, don’t get me wrong. But self-sufficiency has made you folks a bit unsociable, if you ask me. Your gates are shut so tight, they might as well be walls.“

Another barrier to trade with Firene is distrust and the dangers associated with change and ignorance. Celine believes any trade negotiations or even a simple cup of tea is an opportunity for Fogado to pry information and secrets from her. She also believes that people from Solm live a wilder, more thrill seeking lifestyle.

 “Forgive me, but I must decline for now. The Firenese lifestyle is more pastoral. We lack your taste for intrigue and risk.“

 “Such as the way you curry favour with foreign nobility to pry information out of them.“

Fogado does not deny the accusation, on the contrary, he believes it is important to learn about other nations. Secrets can be used in the negotiating table, as well as self defence. 

Misunderstanding the royalty of Solm is not exclusive to Firene, Hortensia remarks about the rumours that circulate about Fogado. 

 “Act innocent if you want, but even in Elusia, we’ve heard what a flirt you are.“

She even accuses him of not helping his sister but flirting instead. 

Fogado's reputation doesn't make foreign diplomacy easy, if someone thinks all you do is flirt them you are not going to be taken seriously, even if that reputation is based on gossip and not facts. 

Distrust works both ways, the other nations do not know much about Solm and distrust them and in return Solm has misconceptions and distrust of other nations. Solm felt it necessary to have a spy network set up in every kingdom. They knew about Sombron awakening early on and worked upon protecting their own queendom. They did not help any other nation nor did they feel they could ask any other nation for assistance, the belief that if they received aid then they would have to reciprocate, was responsible for this policy. It is understandable, especially when the Sentinels and royal guard were stretched protecting the palace and the queendom from bandits and the Corrupted. However, by not sharing the information their spies had obtained, it meant that other nations did not have that knowledge to help them react and prepare for being attacked. Each of the four nations has at least one aspect of their foreign policy that needs changing to create bonds of trust, understanding and a spirit of cooperation.