#iconic if you aks me

[roosterloverboy]

Penny: oi pretty boy, over here

Bradley: *staring blanking, realizing* oh I'm pretty boy

Jake: YESSS ooh that came out a bit quick

[baconcolacan]

Dose AK exit in the R universe

Well I certainly think he does, but I doubt he’ll ever cross paths with the main crew. If anything he’s probably among the evacuees sent to the Americas by now.

[batsimsposts]

Ok yall, i've seen a lot of misinformation on who was the first *insert superhero here* so here are some common superheroes who passed on their mantle and in what order each character was this hero. This post is meant to be informative.

This post has Batgirl, Robin, Flamebird, and Flash.

BATGIRL

- Bette Kane was Batgirl for seven years (1961-1967) and she was THE original batgirl. (Yup! Barbara was not the first!)

- Barbara Gordon was the most iconic Batgirl and most depictions of Batgirl in animation/live action are her. She was Batgirl from 1967-1988. (There are most recent depictions of her as batgirl but she was officially retired by DC editorial in 1988)

- Helena Bertinelli was Batgirl during the No Man's Land arc which ran through most of 1999. It happened for less than one year so if you don't want to count her that's fine. This list is more for educational purposes.

- Cassandra Cain was Batgirl right after Helena Bertinelli near the end of No Man's Land in 1999. She stopped being Batgirl in 2009 and came back in late 2010 with her new alias Black Bat.

- Stephanie Brown was Batgirl from 2009 to 2011 when DC launched the New52 timeline where she was reverted back to Spoiler.

- Tiffany Fox was Batgirl in 2014 during the league of Batgirls arc.

ROBIN

- Dick Grayson was the original Robin, his first appearance was in 1940 and his last appearance as Robin was in 1984, he was Robin for 44 years.

- Lance Bruner was Robin during a 1969 run of The Brave And The Bold. He died as Robin.

- Jason Todd his first appearance as Robin was in 1983 and he officially took over the Robin mantle in 1984. He died in 1988, being Robin for only four years.

- Carrie Kelley was Robin in 1986 during a Batman comic run. She later adopted the Catgirl mantle. (Alternate universe)

- Tim Drake became Robin after Jason died, his first appearance was in 1989. He became Red Robin in 2009 but got put back into the Robin mantle in 2019, he currently fills in as Robin when Damian is out of town.

- Stephanie Brown was Robin for three months (71 days) in 2004. She was only in a few issues and got nerfed like right after.

- Damian Wayne has been Robin since 2009, and is currently holding the Robin Mantle.

FLAMEBIRD

- Jimmy Olsen was Flamebird Pre-crisis

- Bette Kane was Flamebird post-crisis

- Ak-Var was Flamebird for a little bit

- a Kryptonian hero was also called Flamebird

- Kara Zor-El was Flamebird for a tiny bit

- Lois Lane used the Flamebird alias once

(aka Bette Kane was the one to use the Flamebird alias the most but the alias itself is such a small role that i cant even tell you dates or anything...)

THE FLASH

- Jay Garrick is the original Flash, his first appearance was in 1940. (Timelines are always messed up when referring to Flash so I'm only gonna out their first appearance.)

- Barry Allen was Flash after Jay Garrick, his first appearance was in 1956

- Wally West was originally Kid Flash, but became The Flash after some timeline shenanigans with Barry. His first appearance was in 1960

- Ivana Christina Molotova was experimented on and gained speed powers. She was Lady Flash for a while (1987) but changed her alias shortly before her death.

- John Fox is a Flash from the future (27th century) that went back in time to ask Jay Garrick for help. His appearance was in 1990

- Jesse Quick was The Flash after Wally West was integrated with the speed force. She had the powers of Liberty Belle as well as a connection to the speed force. Her first appearance was in 1992

- Bart Allen was first Impulse and then Kid Flash, he became The Flash after Wally West's disappearance. His first appearance was 1994 (as Impulse)

- Avery Ho became The Flash during DC's Rebirth era. She joined the Justice League Of China and was one of the best Flashes with Bart Allen and Wally West. Her first appearance was in 2016.

__________

This is all for now, let me know if theres a superhero alias you want me to do <3

[piereoglyphics]

Hey! go help out a homeless transman in need!

I will provide art and commissions if you show proof that you've donated. :]

Reblog if you can't donate!! It would mean so much to them!!!

Examples/prices! Feel free to ask me about other things than this like icons, character refs, ETC.

[eldritch-spouse]

Rinx and cute human auction host with impeccable sense of humour 🗣️ hear me out while I'm drunk again

just ✨imagine✨ – some closed auction with very specific-and-unique stuff, aimed on some narrow monster audience. Why human is a host here? She kinda... wanted a job not in McDonald's, but luck wasn't on her side – at the end, it is what it is. She started to make small talks with visitors and crack jokes around only to escape her fate as an auction lot. To her big surprise and happiness, visitors found feigned confidence believable, as well her humour sharp and dark enough for their twisted tastes, but not too belittling or offensive to hear from a mere human.

More so, she grew popular in this small community. Now she's cheeky and brave enough to talk back to some especially rude visitors– It's still a joke to everyone tho. Laughing stock of the day usually gets too embarrassed to come on her twice and audience can be ruthless.

But huh??? At some totally normal day here's more people than usual??? Regulars looking especially nervous for some reason???? And her boss is suddenly disappears after some lameass short unreadable message about "special guest"?????

Huh. Strange. Well, whatever, business is business-

Guess who got in the playful sarcastic bullshittery with some giant broccoli head first and now sweating bullets cuz that dude is just... Buys everything? Every-single-fucking-lot???? His bets are so high for a quite literal trash sometimes, is he insane???? She knows who is it from the first bet honestly, but she keeps repeating for her own sanity that it's some obsessive cosplayer.

And at the end of the auction he refuses to leave and makes a ridiculously small bet on "the charming host".

She jokes herself the way out only because she was so – well, she tells to bring and show her some fucking lost artifact from a rumour that was popular million years ago if he wants to buy even a minute of her time. "No more, no less," she says and leaves, pretty sure that she won this.

Even if her knees are shaking behind the curtains after a realisation it was fucking Greed Icon, she still believes that she can outplay him.

***

She's in pure panic and loss of words because she ran out of options and bets are getting insanely high. She thought he was playing and that he will get bored after getting a handjob (it was just a pin at first, she swears!!!), but on their last meeting he told her to get ready for a wedding. G666gling "WHTAT SHOUDLG I AKS FOR PKEASE HELP BITCH HAS EVVRHYTHIN" isn't helping at all.

Rinx loves how well-educated about valuable things she is, how good she's in jerking him off– and it's funny to see how she's sweating as she tries to decline his gifts and fails miserably. Truly, this game was fun while it lasted, but now? Now he wants a Queen.

That's all for today- hope exams wasn't going hard on u and ur amazing brain wrinkles my dear fella Pinnie we can get through 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️

[Okay but the best part of this is "G666gle". I fucking love that.]

Oh it wouldn't be the first time Rinx gets excited and tries to take literally everything home, that's why the most well-known auctions around Hell are made with lots of care and many prepared speeches as to why the hosts, staff and other personalities present cannot be given/traded/bought.

Does this stop Rinx? No, not really.

You have his curiosity the same way Admin holds his curiosity. Humans are easy to take, easy to claim, easy to keep. To see you play such a dangerous game yet always come out on top makes you even more valuable in the demonlord's (lack of) eyes.

You don't have the option of declining anything Rinx gives you, be it a box of chocolates, roses, the most expensive outfits you could think of, or a ring that he'll slide into your finger with a crushing grip of your wrist.

[radykalny-feminizm]

Oriana Fallaci (29 June 1929 – 15 September 2006) was an Italian journalist and author.

She rightfully critcized Islam and its oppressive rules.

During her 1979 interview with Ayatollah Khomeini, she addressed him as a "tyrant", and managed to unveil herself from the chador:

OF: I still have to ask you a lot of things. About the "chador", for example, which I was obliged to wear to come and interview you, and which you impose on Iranian women... I am not only referring to the dress, but to what it represents, I mean the apartheid Iranian women have been forced into after the revolution. They cannot study at the university with men, they cannot work with men, they cannot swim in the sea or in a swimming-pool with men. They have to do everything separately, wearing their "chador". By the way, how can you swim wearing a "chador"?

AK: None of this concerns you, our customs do not concern you. If you don't like the Islamic dress, you are not obliged to wear it, since it is for young women and respectable ladies.

OF: Very kind (of you). Since you tell me that, I'm going to immediately rid myself of this stupid medieval rag. There!

Truly a badass feminist icon.

[arcadekitten]

hi ak!! my friend gifted an icon of one of my OCs drawn by you as a birthday present for me, and I just wanted to drop by and say I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!

you're one of my favourite gamedevs ever, so seeing my silly little chick in your style is one of the best presents ever!!! (the version with the little party hat is so SWEET) you always go above and beyond for your supporters, and it just shows how much you value your community by how much you give back!!! :D thank you for it all, and hope you're staying warm and happy this winter!

Aw shucks this makes me so happy to hear!! ♡ I actually teared up a little bit reading this, it's very very sweet, thank you so much.

I hope it can always show how appreciative I am to have you guys here and supporting me!! There's so much I would've never been able to do without you and I feel very blessed that I can wake up every day and be excited to create even more to show you guys!! ♡♡♡

[auradoniandreams]

Which book Aks and Vks would you love to see and why?

Oh, so, so, so many of them.

AK's: Aziz, my son!!! Lol I used to write Aziz in rp groups and I have a soft spot for him (or, rather, the version of him I basically developed in my head). I just feel like we missed more AK/VK encounters between characters from the same story. And Aziz would've been especially interesting because his father is a former thief (I mean, we like to joke that Jay is basically Aladdin; imagine if he met the son of the actual Aladdin). We know from one of the few lines we have about him that he plays tourney and is friends with Jay; that could've been included so easily in the story.

also:

Ruby, daughter of Rapunzel and Eugene, just 'cause I like Rapunzel lol.

Ally, daughter of Alice because she's very fun in the books and in Wicked World (I don't understand why Alice's role was diminished so severely in Rise of Red's version of Wonderland but that's a story for another time)

honestly, more ak's in general, they were definitely sidelined in favor of the VK's

Herkie, simply because I like Hercules and we didn't get any mentions of it. Also, he's a literal demigod, that would've been fun to watch in the context of the magic ban and the elitism that seems to be rampant at AP.

VK's.

Freddie, my beloved!!!! She has such an interesting personality, her magic is pretty unique, and I love how she never tries to switch from Evil to GoodTM in the traditional sense; she's an anti-hero to me.

CJ Hook: I feel like she's a fan favourite for a reason. She's unapologetic and untrustworthy in a way that makes you like her. She's just really iconic.

[horizon-verizon]

You know what truly annoys me in ASOIAF ? That there are no queen regnants apart from Rhaenyra and that was a disaster in terms of what happened [and the fact that she was ignored as such and disputed if she was one]. Sure, we’ve had regents here and there [Sharra Arryn, Johanna Lannister, Jeyne Arryn, Lysa Arryn] and a few other ladies who ruled as lords, but that’s not the same, and the Iron Throne only had Alyssa Velaryon and Cersei Lannister as queens regents. And, again, a regent’s power is limited and with the understanding that her time will end when her son will take his throne. (There’s obviously iconic queen regents such as Catherine de’ Medici or Isabella of France)

[To be fair, there are “queens” regnant in Dorne, princesses, technically speaking, such as Doran’s mother, but even though it was never “conquered” by the Targaryens and the rules that apply to the rest of the kingdoms do not apply to Dorne, they are still subservient to the Iron Throne.]

And the thing is that although GRRM is using historical inspiration, it is taken into a fantasy realm where you don’t have to stick to the rules of our reality and history. England had two queens regnants in a row, Mary I and Elizabeth I, and both women were legally bastards. That is the single point of my thought is that it is his choice, as a writer, not to have any queen regnants even in pre-ASOIAF or prior to Aegon’s Conquest, and when he does [disputed] it is not a success [Rhaenyra’s story, I suppose, can be read as the Empress Matilda/Stephen of Blois struggle]. It’s his choice to turn Rhaenyra into the loser of that battle, his choice to have her set on fire and eaten alive in front of her 10-year-old son, his choice to have her remembered as a paranoid and cruel tyrant, a usurper or traitor as Stannis calls her. It is also his choice not to have another female heir. That could have easily been done in the past events.

*EDITED POST* 4/12/24

I answered another aks like this HERE (especially the reblog I made of it OR post). Basically, yes, he does do that bc the point is that Targ assimilation into Andal violent patriarchy is a key ingredient to the Targs' downfall and loss of dragons. Misogyny was one critical phenomenon in killing the dynasty after it already killed or ruined several of the dynasties' women.

Focusing on "That is the single point of my thought is that it is his choice, as a writer, not to have any queen regnants even in pre-ASOIAF or prior to Aegon’s Conquest, and when he does [disputed] it is not a success [Rhaenyra’s story, I suppose, can be read as the Empress Matilda/Stephen of Blois struggle]. It’s his choice to turn Rhaenyra into the loser of that battle, his choice to have her set on fire and eaten alive in front of her 10-year-old son, his choice to have her remembered as a paranoid and cruel tyrant, a usurper or traitor as Stannis calls her. It is also his choice not to have another female heir. That could have easily been done in the past events."

I think some of us struggle with GRRM's insistence on "historical precedence" vs how he decides to use such events to end up with condensed re-imaginings and visions of these events through ASoIaF. Because he does well enough for us to notice his flaws or him limiting himself to what exactly anon is pointing out.

A) No Queen Regnants

1.

There were Andal-FM lady "regnants" or queen regnants in the various kingdoms before the Conquest, but as you state, they are either nameless or violently murdered/attacked/or denied leadership (Shiera Blackwood, Agnes Blackwood, Argella Durrandon, Marla Sunderland, etc.) GRRM is very guilty of featuring/showing/giving names or attention to those women who were deposed, put aside for any succession dispute, or violently put aside/murdered/mutilated for his female lady & queen regnants--either/both Targ or pre-Conquest Andal-FM women. And in association or necessary plot event to a man gaining power.

I already mentioned Rhaena (Alyssa Velaryon & Aenys I's firstborn child) in the linked post above but only for her w/Jaehaerys' decisions and not Aenys or Aegon I's decisions that made a female claim lose to her younger brother, Aegon the Uncrowned, when considering who'd succeed after Aenys.

This is how it happened "The Sons of the Dragon":

I also did not explain how this would have happened in that linked post.

Rhaena was born only two generations (23 A.C., "After Conquest", so 23 years after their Conquest) after the conquerors conquered Westeros, and unified it under their own new hegemony. We can see during Aenys' reign that the Faith expected the Targs to put away their incestuous sibling marriage custom and stick to first-cousin-to-unrelated Andal-Faith-approved marriages. They were very willing to militarize themselves against the Targs after Aenys announced Rhaena & her brother's marriage AND after Maegor took more than one wife after Ceryse Hightower didn't birth any kids. But even before all that, Visenya was even one to suggest not allowing Rhaena to be the heir apparent, but marrying her to Maegor to "combine" their claims while making Maegor the next in line for succession.

For the story & timeline GRRM created, yes he chose to make the 2 living conquering Targaryen rulers choose to make the succession less open to a female ruler for political convenience & Targayren-dynasty surety.

2.

But you: "And the thing is that although GRRM is using historical inspiration, it is taken into a fantasy realm where you don’t have to stick to the rules of our reality and history. England had two queens regnants in a row, Mary I and Elizabeth I, and both women were legally bastards."

Nothing against you, anon, but after you say "it's taken into the fantasy realm where you don't have to stick to the rules of our reality and history"...

you then go on to use Mary I & Elizabeth I ("our reality and history") to point out why we should have had more female monarchs specifically on the Iron Throne in Westeros. And neither of these women ruled when Henry already had a male heir in Edward VI, younger than them both. So it seems we are returning to using historical precedent to justify more women becoming rulers in their own, more little-to-uncontested and unshared right.

there were de jure medieval queen or lady regnants, some of them actually practicing real power and celebrated by some contemporary chroniclers--esp if they ruled well to (some) their standards OR they were co-rulers to husbands OR were seen as "helping" them rule: Urraca de León, Empress of "Spain" [1109 – 1126]; Isabella I of Castile and León [1474–1504]; *her daughter, Juana I of Castile [1504 –1555]; *Æthelflæd of Mercia [911–918 AD]; her daughter, Ælfwynn [918]; Mary of Hungary & Croatia [1382-1385; 1386-1395]; Jadwiga of Poland [1384–1399]; Tamar of Georgia [1184-1213]; her daughter Rusudan of Georgia, after her brother [1223–1245]; Claudine, Lady regnant of Monaco [1457–1458]; Joanna I of Naples, similar ascension story to Rhaenyra [1343–1382]; Joanna II of Naples [1414-1435]; Amalasuintha the Ostrogoths, who was deposed & killed after only a few months [534-535]; Petronilla of Aragon [1137-1164]; Berengaria of Castile [6 June – 31 August 1217]; *Blanche I, Queen regnant of Navarre [1425-1441]; Eleanor of Navarre [January 1479–February 1479]; *Catherine of Navarre [*1483, but really kinda 1494-1517 and even her rule is debatable]

the period after the medieval era is the "early modern period", when Henry, Mary, Edward, and Elizabeth all ruled England and when the original proceedings for a more powerful sort of monarch began, a pseudo-absolute monarch in England...while under Henry VIII this absolution was more concrete as he directed it more than it directed him, "ruling" his break away from the Church to become the head of England affected how much ability his kids would have to rule according to their circumstances

Mary & Elizabeth's legitimacy was reinstated by the Parliament passing the 3rd Act of Succession of 1543 so no they were no longer "bastards" -- but in Westeros, there has been no incident--extant or accepted -- where a parent delegitimizes their own child even though the parents were undoubtedly married, reverses it, and neither does Westeros have anything like a Parliament or a branch of government that in any way "checks" the monarch nor does this supposed body have the governemental power over the land...as Westeros never has nor has not a constitutional monarchy. It was also not exactly like a pre-17th century commonwealth, where the idea is that the state's government is for the "public welfare, general good or advantage", which even then is practically "an association of self-governing autonomous states more or less loosely associated in a common allegiance (as to the British crown)". Presumably, no one has ever tried, which doesn't mean they couldn't if they had the mind and practical ability to do so, as Henry VIII did. Plus no council or legislative body can just rule for the reinstatement of two female claimants. The regents surrounding Aegon III, Unwin Peake, and his own council are not the same as a Parliamant or voting body. Even after Pope Pius VI declared Elizabeth illegitimate in 1570 in response to the failed Catholic uprising and attempt to bring her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots in the Rising of the North of 1569, Elizabeth continued to rule because other Catholic rulers didn't think it a pragmatic measure to take, instead encouraging more religious persecution of Catholics in England AND "provoked the English government into taking more repressive actions against the Jesuits, whom they feared to be acting in the interests of Spain and the papacy. This reaction soon seemed justified: it was the publication in England of Pius's exhortation that gave the impetus in 1571 to the Ridolfi plot, in which the Duke of Norfolk was to kidnap or murder Queen Elizabeth, install Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne, and then become de facto king by marrying her". The pope after Pius declared Catholics in England should obey Elizabeth. We don't have something this convoluted in Westeros because we just have Westeros as the "EU" monarchial power.

Again, England's monarchy had separated itself from the papacy's influence when in 1534 Henry VIII declared himself the head of the new English church through the Act of Supremacy, got involved with the English Reformation of the Church and its practices, and divorced himself from Catherine of Aragon to marry Elizabeth's mother Anne Boleyn. Meanwhile, Westeros' "papacy" is still very and officially a power in Westeros of its own right at the moment of Aegon-Aenys-Maegor. All this to say that England wouldn't have or would have had a less probability of getting its two queens without Henry breaking away from the Church altogether & limiting his succession options.

Westeros is styled more after a feudal monarchy, where the "rules" are bound more by individuals' power & ideals of leadership and is modeled more from England-France-Germany (northern EU) and Dorne is like a Spanish-Italian state that came under the Westerosi monarchy not because they lost any battle but because of a few diplomatic meetings plus some "lower" level violence.

3.

You also mention the "Empress Matilda/Stephen of Blois struggle"; yes, the Dance mirrors the 1138–1153 Anarchy civil war of England & Normandy. I would say that GRRM purposefully uses this specific event for the Dance to provide context for the stakes of Daenerys Stormborn's own claim and what she will have to face--the result of Rhaenyra losing precipitating the loss of cosmic and political balance not just for noblewomen ruling in Westeros or being safe(r) from abuse and gender violence, but also the loss of dragons for the Long Night/re-empowerment of the Others, as women having more autonomy and power is nearly synonymous with cosmic balance and potential political stability in ASoIaF's themes. Again, fantasy fiction using history as its base & really depends on the big strokes of how those real events -- who ruled in the beginning, what battles, who invaded whom, who ruled by the end.

Matilda the Empress did not die such a cruel or heinous death at her own brother or anything like it nor did her children die such gory deaths. Her son Henry Plantagenet/Henry II did not become this depressed ghost who could only receive happiness after marrying a girl whose beauty was as praised as his own mother's (Daenaera). The result of the anarchy was that Stephen of Blois became King, but Matilda's son became his designated heir over his own living son. He tried & failed to get his son Eustace to become his heir but Pope Eugene III refused, and Stephen got into a lot of intense arguments about it with the clergy... ironically Aegon II had an "easier" time of it since (if we argued that the Faith sent the Shepherd) he got rid of his "clergy" problem by just burning the Shepherd alive. This is what Wikipedia says:

Henry [Matilda's son] invaded England and built an alliance of powerful regional barons to support his claim for the throne. The two armies met at Wallingford, but neither side's barons were keen to fight another pitched battle. Stephen began to examine a negotiated peace, a process hastened by the sudden death of Eustace. Later in the year Stephen and Henry agreed to the Treaty of Winchester, in which Stephen recognised Henry as his heir in exchange for peace, passing over William, Stephen's second son. Stephen died the following year.

At the same time, Stephen of Blois got to rule for more than 10 years to Aegon's 2-yr, uncontested months-long rule. And instead of Aegon II ruling "peacefully", we get Corlys and Larys both plotting his assassination and paving the way for Aegon III PLUS Rhaenyra's supporters still trying to get Aegon off the throne after her death.

B) Legacy

1.

You're right that in fantasy we could have a lot more freedoms or changes AND we never even get to the sort of female rule/Queen regnant that even co-ruled with a man bc Rhaenyra is killed...

but the very acknowledgment of "changes" reveals that there is truth to how real historical accounts characterized, ignored, or left out critical details to make female monarchs or leaders seem to the less favorable option or to feed more into a particular male-prioritized agenda at the time of writing.

Even though some supported some women like Urraca and complimented her legacy there were still those main accounts against her or writing disfavorably of her, as I write about that HERE. poorpaintedshadowedqueens writes about sexist "historians" and some examples HERE:

For example, the Anglica Historia of Polydore Vergil, which dates from the first half of the 16th century, purports to cover the history of England from its mythological founding to the reign of Henry VIII. Vergil was actually quite meticulous about his sources and made decent efforts to incorporate a lot of different material, but especially as he gets closer to his own lifetime, his biases really begin to show. He includes a scandalous story about King Richard III lusting after his teenaged niece Elizabeth of York and poisoning his wife in order to marry her. Elizabeth, according to him, was disgusted by this prospect and swore she would kill herself before allowing him to dishonour her. But Vergil also includes the detail that Elizabeth’s own mother sent her daughters to court because “so mutable is that sexe” that she fell prey to Richard’s flattery.

Now, when Vergil first came to England, Elizabeth of York was the queen, so he had to tread lightly when talking about events from her own history. But his job was also to make her husband King Henry VII look better, and his predecessor (from whom he’d usurped the crown) look worse, so Elizabeth became a tool Vergil used to blacken Richard III’s reputation.

How does Rhaenyra become more remembered as more paranoid and cruel? Through the book, Fire & Blood's amalgamation of different accounts told both during and after the Dance, with only 3-4 account-tellers being used before the Dance. But before the book existed & Gyldayn wrote it (at the latest, Robert's rule), only these myriad and often conflicting but not first-hand witnessed accounts told Rhaenyra's story. And still, we know that it is only after Rhaenyra raises the taxes on the King's Landing'ers that she's been called "Maegor with Teats". Finally, the maesters have always been in league or supportive of both the Faith/House Hightower bc the Hightowers patronize the Citadel and have had its members joining both the Citadel or the Faith institution, even a few becoming High Septons. There is and is going to be some heavy bias against the female dragonriding Targ who pushes for her claim to the throne. Something the majority nor the most vocal of fans (esp men) have not truly analyzed or considered. Aegon II is not even remembered that fondly.

2.

I also think that is important to consider how in the canonical memory of Rhaenyra being just a tyrant, it is men who claim such. Arianne Martell claims the throne was always hers. Both are trying to legitimize their own political campaigns for the throne, not just focusing on performing acts that have nothing to do w/the Iron Throne.

C) HOWEVER!!!

Yes, GRRM could have chosen to have at least one or two more generations between Maegor and Jaehaerys by making Aerea Queen, then her having a daughter who'd become queen but then only rules for a few years until deposed, then we have a Jaehaerys I figure (I would have done it this way) and we still retain this point about women not being allowed to rule...BUT then we'd have to then question how strong the impact of Rhaenyra's fall would have been though, with a single female monarch existing before her already.

[brooklynislandgirl]

Start a book club with, read a book to, hit with a book : Close between The System, Raylan, Phil Coulson

Three of a Kind || Accepting {{tagging for reasons: @silverjetsystm, @goodlawman, @tangleweave }}

Beth might be a little tipsy after her third sea-breeze in about half an hour, and maybe she giggles a little too loudly from behind her hand when Jay asks the question. The bar isn't packed yet and so the music is mellow and the dim interior is a respite from the bright hospital lights that she's been dealing with for the last fifteen hours. She leans into Jay and rests her head on her hanai-sister's shoulders, spanning one hand out and waving slowly in panorama in front of them. "Pictcha it. Manhattan...sometime in da las' two weeks..." Yes, she just made a Golden Girls reference. "F' a book club? Hones'ly goddah choose Moon-Moon. Steven got exquisite taste in literature, while Jake got alla sarcastic comments on da side but sittin' in his cab he got plenny time t' read, an' mebbe dat give Marc sometime t' chill out. I t'ink da man really need a time to take brea'd an' jus'...stop for a while, you know wha' I mean. Plus if it jus' da five of us, den we can make da meetings easy, you know?" She purses her lips aside for a moment and ponders the other two men mentioned. "Read a book to? Probably Uncle Phil. Man's an incredible boss. Nevah have someone so intent on protectin' an' supportin' his team but I swear I nevah see him take a vacation, or even be late for work. If all t'ings remain true? Den he probably doesn't even really take time to eat propah, or rest at night, so I'd cheat. Small kine use of Life...tiny hanging effect t' make him drowsy an' den I'd read t' him. Probably from: Captain America: Avenger, Hero, Icon... or Captain America and da American Journey, 1940-2022." She giggles again and pulls back only to fix Jay with The Look. The one that says she knows what's going on and that they will have to discuss that very soon. "An' finally, dat leave Raylan. Who is very pretty, by da way." Yep, there it is, the confirmation nod. "An' I hit him wi' da book f' not tellin' me you an' him are seein' each oddah outside of any work relationship I can faddom, which mean he nevah aks me if it okay to aks you out. Now it's possible you did da aksin' but you're fastah dan me, especially wi' Time an' Correspondence, so...moral of da story, he gets smote...an' you owe me anoddah drink." A pause. "How did he get into Shield, anyway?"

[chiskz]

《 5-STAR ERA 》

♡ 𝙷𝙰𝙻𝙻 𝙾𝙵 𝙵𝙰𝙼𝙴

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

2:36 - 2:40 - shaking the industry / quaking reality / making it iconic (originally by Felix)

2:42 - 2:45 - shaking the industry / quaking reality (originally by Lee Know)

total: 7 seconds

𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚊

Chichi for her final part has a short dancebreak planned for herself in choreography for this song.

-> -> ->

♡ 𝚂-𝙲𝙻𝙰𝚂𝚂

-> -> ->

♡ 𝙸𝚃𝙴𝙼

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

1:29 - 1:35 - onmome neomchineun full MP, Achilles geon ttawin jonjaechi anneun nae jugineun skill / naega sondeulmyeon da ollagaji ak jilleo bwara nae arae da kneel (originally by Changbin)

2:23 - 2:28 - I do things that nobody can do, God blessed, I'm the one and only (originally by Han)

total: 11 seconds

𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚊

It took Chichi two days to create the choreography for ITEM. She herself mentioned that she had the chorus part in her head from the moment she heard the song.

Chichi shared her first line of lyrics with Changbin at first, but he suggested she should take over the whole thing.

The line "I'm the one and only" refers to Chichi's famous catchphrase "one and only".

-> -> ->

♡ 𝚂𝚄𝙿𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝙾𝚆𝙻

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

0:17 - 0:23 - taking over we don't play by the rules / if you wanna feel alive say the name (originally by Bang Chan)

2:23 - 2:29 - i'll do it again, just the way you want it / i'll do it again for the days to come (originally by Han)

2:44 - 2:50 - open wide, have a bite / make it mine, all the time (originally by Felix)

total: 18 seconds

𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚊

STAY liked the comeback vocalracha in the songs immensely - Chichi finally sings with/after Seungmin and I.N. She also got a lot of praise for her improved vocal.

-> -> ->

♡ 𝚃𝙾𝙿𝙻𝙸𝙽𝙴 (𝙵𝙴𝙰𝚃. 𝚃𝙸𝙶𝙴𝚁 𝙹𝙺)

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

0:12 - 0:14 - geu nuga gamhi neombwa top class (originally by Han)

1:46 - 2:08 - look at me now, how 'bout now? you can't deny / but we're still running on this way 'cause we're never satisfied / imi al manhan saram da kkeudeogijiman the reason why / ajik nae gijun mot michin tase yeojeonhi, kept my speed on top / ain't nobody can do it like us, hurry / nal ttaraollam meoreotda but we're not cocky / attention, yeojeonhi neomchyeo, passion / dwieseo imanham dwaesseorago naebaeteum daedabeun eoltaengiga eopseo (originally by Han & Hyunjin)

total: 24 seconds

𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚏𝚒𝚝

𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚊

Chichi in TOPLINE received the longest (currently) uninterrupted part. Her line distribution for this song is also one of the longest in her career.

Chichi is very grateful to 3RACHA for the chance she received to show that she has grown a lot in terms of rap. Her part in the song was a hot topic for quite some time in Internet.

A charming headcanon prevailed among STAY talking about how Tiger JK as "older" tiger "passes the baton" to Chichi - younger tiger.

-> -> ->

♡ 𝙳𝙻𝙲

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

0:10 - 0:19 - nobody, nobody, please don't care about me, it's okay / let's go crazy until the sun rises (originally by Changbin)

2:08 - 2:12 - i better run, better run (better run, better run) [originally by Felix]

2:55 - 2:59 - amudo moreuge (originally by I.N)

total: 17 seconds

𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚏𝚒𝚝

-> -> ->

♡ 𝙶𝙴𝚃 𝙻𝙸𝚃

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

1:22 - 1:27 - pullin nuni jigeum gibun jeungmyeonghaneun symbol / gibuneun oreurangnaerirak eopsi jeo wieseo ping-pong (originally by Han)

total: 5 seconds

𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚏𝚒𝚝

-> -> ->

♡ 𝙲𝙾𝙻𝙻𝙸𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

1:42 - 1:52 - mianhae geunyang naega jalmothaesseo (sorry, babe) / byeonmyeonghal saenggak eopseo dasi hanbeon / geuttaero doraga nal saranghanda malhaejwo (originally by Felix)

total: 10 seconds

-> -> ->

♡ 𝙵𝙽𝙵

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

1:46 - 2:01 - geop eopsi dallida neol nochilkka bwa, I shout, shout, shout / sueopsi bulleo bwado nan dasi hanbeon deo oechyeo / nan neoui geurimjacheoreom buteo isseodo so far, far, far / yeongwonhi ireoke jinael su eomneun nan (originally by Han & Changbin)

total: 15 seconds

𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚏𝚒𝚝

-> -> ->

♡ 𝚈𝙾𝚄𝚃𝙸𝙵𝚄𝙻

𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗

1:33 - 1:40 - let me tell a little story about the star that couldn't shine or blink (originally by Hyunjin)

2:18 - 2:25 - 'cause when you give me a glance, I am sure that I see universe in your eyes (originally by Bang Chan)

total: 14 seconds

-> -> ->

♡𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @alyszaen , @smh-anon , @neohyxn , @stealanity , @alixnsuperstxr , @juliawritingblog , @rizzshimura , @elizalabs3

[burstfoot]

Arknights, 2 and 13

2 because i'm curious

13 because of the ask i got :)

Thank you for the prompts annie!!! 2. Oh jeez to pick from three??? To pick from three??? I guess if I had to pick (and this isnt from most to least fav just an arbitrary order) Goldenglow is one of my all time favourites, I love her design sooo much its so cute I stockpiled emotes and used her as an icon even before I actually started playing the game, and then when I actually got to Light Sparks in Darkness I was glued to the event the whole time... her story about trying to give the Infected and poor of Caladon dignity and having such a simple dream crushed by the greed of the rich in the area hit really close to home... I don't think people talk about the scene where Haze talks her down from committing suicide enough, that scene is REALLY good and one of the standout moments in Arknights for me. Also s3 carries me through every boss thank u susie <3

I probably have to choose between Silence and Ptilopsis cuz they're so intertwined so it would be sort of pointless to just do both of them for 2 and 3. I'll go with Silence cuz she has way more screentime even though I do love Joyce a whole whole bunch Unlike GG I had 0 clue about her before I started playing and sort of experienced her story out of order, I read Dorothy's Vision and was like "yeah she's cool :)" and then didn't think about her that much and then I finally got convinced into reading the manwha and it transformed my mind forever... the complexity of her story and relationship with Ifrit and Saria and Rhine Lab, how selfless & passionate she is to make up for the things she did wrong... ;-; < 3333. The underdog story of all of these great minds in columbia being unfolded by a tired, dedicated 5 nothing owl mom is so good. I also really love her design and Nori might be my favourite AK artist so every piece of art he does of her I love seeing. (also i really like guardians of gahoole as a kid so im obssessed with owls)

^ the bubo bubo For my third I could go with like, Specter or Muelsyse or Flametail or any other character within my favs who actually has lore to base my love upon them on but I wont. Pudding

Pudding :) Shes so cute. Let me get straight to the point. I have seal 13. I don't want to be too negative on my account hashtag peace and love... BUT... Related to earlier mentions... I kind of can't get behind Redblade/GG anymore. It's not necessarily that I hate the idea of them together, but it feels like "red miraculously showing up to save GG from problems" is pretty much the weakest storytelling aspect of Light Sparks in Darkness that exists just to move the plot along and as a whole the pairing almost always feels like it severely downplays the depths of her character in favor of STRONG MAN protect CUTE GIRL. It's a very stereotypical M/F pairing I'm much more interested in her relationship with Quercus or Haze, both of who have seen Susie at her lowest points and reached out to support her, as opposed to Red who pretty much just like. is nice to her and saves her from goons Also every single male doc / female operator pairing kinda grosses me out, it's pandering that reduces the characters to one note caricatures of themselves. If you read doc as male all of his actual in-universe relationships are made less interesting by being romantic or you are inventing a sex god chad that does not exist to magically seduce operators that do not interact with him in the story. I was going to call it self-insert garbage but the male!doc/female operator fan content i have seen is an insult to self-insert garbage.

[I don't hate m/f pairings btw mr nothing kroos nation. Men getting pegged. Mountain and domma and/or robin is cute too]

P.S. I like wracked my brain to find a yuri pairing i didnt like becasue i dont think being like. straight people are NOT COOL is going to be controversial at all on tumblr dot gov but i legitimately could not think of a popular one that i couldn't at least slightly get behind. even the worst yuri mischaracterization is fine to me ive seen the horrors of gachabro fancomics

[lizalfosrise]

Hey Rise, it's AK favorites time again. Give me your best defenders. Gameplay, personality, aesthetic, whatever.

Alrighty! Let's place this under a cut:

Launch Faves:

Spot - I see full kemono in Arknights I black out and go feral good yes very nice. That healing smokescreen remains very helpful, and he's just a real solid bro. His VA caught my eye too, since I was watching Raildex that year so I'd been hearing him quite a lot.

Cuora - Roaming baseball turtle is Fucking Invincible. HOMERUN!! Her module lore story was pretty nice in a sledgehammer-to-the-heart kinda way given it was her memory issues + her baseball&bat's origin. Incredibly solid and the first elusive 4-blocker saving our asses and storing up Pure Gold Ingots in the Factories. Homerun indeed.

Croissant - Really cool and fun character (we got her southern US drawl back hooray) with the interesting gimmick of being the push-stroker(they can never live this naming scheme down) defender. Problem? S2 says yeet 'em! No problem boblem. Niche and therefore undervalued at the earlygame, but Integrated Strategies with the Force+2 manual obtained must've made some fun shenanigans.

Gameplay:

All the Fortresses, honestly. They're great in character, in aesthetics and I greatly enjoy having their long-range bombardments. Firewhistle's brought us Burn procs and it's delightful to watch the bonus damage pour in. I can be trusted with the Londinium Self-Defense Artillery cannon emplacements.

Don't use 'em enough but they're fun: Duelist and Sentinels - Aurora is cute and has access to Cold proc manipulation tactics (plus that claw-shaped staked, slim tower shield is a work of art); Liskarm has been a faithful SP battery pistol-shooting down aerial threats while Blitz has the flashbang spam going for him.

Guardians are lifesavers, of course. Gummy's frying pan bonk stuns every third hit can actually be incredibly useful. Blemishine is a far better pick than Nearl due to her Sleep mechanics and yknow, 6* bulk/Skill 3 (she's cool to borrow as a support unit but I don't have her fully invested). Saria is pretty solid here and with regards to character&story, but at the same time I never actually E2'd her until mid-Dorothy's Vision because I finally experienced her Skill 3 and needed her to be beefier for a map clear (or several) that event.

General:

Horn - "YOU WANT TO TOPPLE ME?! BY WHAT?" Episode 9 was so great, and then we suffered a Manfred to the Self-Defense Artillery. That CG towards the end of Ep9 with a heavily-injured Horn pulling the S3 glare at Mandragora after auto-rocketjumping Bagpipe away was phenomenal. Incidentally a major part of why if you have taste you'll understand that Horndragora is the superior toxic yuri pairing rather than suffering that watery tart of a catgirl. I'm more enamored with that heavy-duty shieldcannon though, naturally. The Victorian Army gets all the cool gunlances eh? That VA olive green drab is a wonderful colour scheme too, really. The overheat flame vfx during S3 are a delightful detail on the chibi sprite and for that reason though I'll get that (somewhat mismatched) Lady of the Lake skin, I won't equip it often. But S1/S3 were absolutely outstanding during IS2.

Asbestos - The most tsuntsuntsuntsuntsuntsuuuuuundere foulmouthed foul-tempered vkei-ass Aussie salamander is just so iconic, bless her. Funky and rad design, personality and until Shalem appeared, the only Arts-shotgun shielder. Trying out her Skill 2 in IS2 was pretty fun since I only rarely used her prior honestly. The details gone into fitting her entire theming around asbestos are so so good.

Mudrock - Initially I wouldn't use her due to the 35dp cost buuuut I reached the point where 'This is fine actually' after a while of wanting to properly invest in her and yeah. Fucking incredible with sneak-healing via Perfumer. Spin2Win is forever relevant! We need a skin that brings back the full hazard suit towering over most other chibis though. Really good as a character, her parts in Twilight of Wolumonde were what made that event remotely bearable to me.

Her fellow Juggernaut companion Penance is likewise extremely good in aesthetics, character and as a unit.

Eunectes - Same deal as above, I actually haven't used her so badly she's not actually E2 yet. But I think she's incredibly gorgeous and a very cool Forgemaster. The Acahualla Trio are very, very fun! Summoning her upgraded Raging Ironhide must be a real lovely feeling given how much of a nuisance it is to fight.

Nian - Unemployed. Commando. The only Sui fragment I have at E2. Fellow spice fiend. Many noteworthy things can be said. I greatly enjoy her. We need to see more of the situation with training up Purgatory now going forwards in that storyline. Love that her E2 splash shows the(or at least, her) bestial Sui form has a maw in the chest.

Shoutout: Ace - He would've been male 6* Defender, absolutely, the way he tanked Talulah 1v1 during the Chernobog Exfiltration long enough for every surviving RI Operator to redeploy disengage & evacuate. Legendary guy. There's no Elite Operator covering the Defender class as a Temporary Recruitment in Integrated Strategies, so personally I feel like that's where he might've been.

[ofmermaidstories]

Hiiiii Mermie! how r youuu? first time I send you and aks I think but its more a song rec for sjlt; Lightning by Charli xcx so Reader and Deku 🥲 thought it was really fitting... really really love everything you write, you made me fall in love with Bakugou on surrender, I cry a lot with the widening sky and you now made me fall in love with Deku and I love seeing your drawings, they make me smile... can't wait for how you wrap up everything 😭🥰 have a good day 💖💖💖

Hello Psi!! 🥺 Hi!!! Every time I see your icon—either here or twitter—I’m like: 🥹💕 but okay okay, I’ve had Lightning on repeat since you rec’d it, and please!!! 😭 it’s like a inner dialogue for Reader 😭😭😭 for them both 😭

idk, i particularly really like this specific line in the song—you got me reaching for grace. i think it’s because Deku as a character seems to inspire everyone around him, and I want that for Reader too, in our little story. 🥺

i hope you’ve had a good week, Psi—and that you have a good weekend. 🥺 a great weekend!!! i will work hard on this last chapter for SJLT for you; i hope it lives up to expectations. 🥹🙏🏽 your message was so sweet—you always are! so please know i will be blasting lightning this weekend in the car and thinking of you (and deku and reader) every time i do. 🚗🎶

[mkcannothelpyou]

Chrysos (Perfumer-Pallas)

AK/Kinktober 2023, Day 5: “Muzzle”

Lena is true to her word. That is truth Pallas clings to.

Candid is the cage; in Pallas's sight, she feels by eye her numb jaw enveloped, enclosed, metal mesh that allows no more than a finger through. —Hum for me. You can hum for me, can't you, dear Pallas?

Yes, there is a thawing quiver, the slightest, all Pallas may sing with in her seized throat. Yes, I can hum for you.

Next is the belt; a circlet to a buckle nestled below her nape to a circlet again, a perfect loop that completes itself about her neck. —Morning dew, peppermint, shaved ice showers…

A simple tune, an idle tune, a symbol of Lena the mind is liable to relive on its own no matter how far removed. Hum of her, now. Setting sun, jasmine, honey flowers…

Then is the orbit; fingers brushing through hair again and again, a garden pathway laid along the midway of her head, strap running over the ears and under the horns. —Hm-hmm… hmm…

Extol her, Priestess of Minos. Elevate her. Close your eyes and become as devout. There is only one whom you worship in a cage. Hm-hmm, hm-hmm…

—Very good. How about we give you an offering, now?

Her eyes fly wide open. No, that isn't right. She makes the faintest shake of her head, strains her gaze to tell of this. Lena listens, caresses one caring hand down through the valley of her horn and up to the top of her head, just shy of her crowning blossom. The other, to an uncorked bottle.

—Drink, Pallas. Be revered.

This bottle was to be given in libation, yes, but the libation was to be hers to give, was it not? Mead, sweet and deep in the low of their surroundings, drips thickly from a bottle stopped only by the thumb of the one Pallas had thought herself below. It trickles through the cage, coats each curve and straight it touches and hangs between the spaces.

The altar does not serve the devotee. This is wrong. Pallas shakes, the hint of life willed into her jaw too slow to cry it. She is not this. —You don't mean to insult me, do you? How cruel to make a worshipper beg, Pallas. Drink.

It is the scent of sunset, and Pallas is frail in her attempt to inhale deeply. Lena's visage swims in her eyes as glazen as an emptied vessel.

A touch. Pallas's head is tilted back, far back, pushed up and up and up from beneath the tip of the muzzle until Pallas's eyes meet the sky as far back as she can go, and Lena's voice sinks in husken command. —Speak to me, priestess. Tell me where you stand.

Stinging direct, lights waver. Sunset. Pallas cannot help but extinguish her vision. This is the dark of prayer, yet it is only right she obeys, only right. Pallas cannot extol herself, elevate herself, but the sound of the perfumer and her senses enclosed in nectar drag her open, force her to heed devotion she has never known before. The slightest formation of a fledgling icon's whisper. "Where do I stand?"

—Stand over me, and tell me.

It dims. Pallas opens her eyes once more, and over her does Lena stand to blot out the light, force down the muzzle that throws Pallas's head back, continue to enchain Pallas beneath her in gilded wine that spills, deep past the sides of her collar and the hollow of her throat. Lena bids that libation bathe her.

Pallas is sacred. Tears fill her. She is lowly here, a venerated symbol that must beam, a Helios below her hand. Yes, she is demanded.

"I am above you," she croaks, in the catalect of one forced to take flight on broken wings. "Worship me."

Lena smiles in satisfaction and obliges her, pokes a single finger through her cage, puts an offering to her lips.

This time only, it ruins her.

The taste of honey.

[bigdeadpanda]

Head of the Families

Pairing: Namor of Talokan/Shuri of Wakanda

Summary: Mob families of Wakanda and Talokan hold vast territories in California and Nevada but, when the Crime Unit in California starts seeing key figures from both families freely walking on the others territory, somethings gotta give so they deploy the Mob family in their pocket, the Avengers, to find out how far up the food chain it goes. The Avengers, the presumably untouchable family, kidnap who they think is the Head of the Talokan family. Boy, were they wrong.

Word Count: 883

Warnings: Implied Torture

Through the blood dribbling from his nose, the jade plug having been brutally ripped from it, Namor giggled as if the pain he was in was a minor ache that could be healed with a kiss and a band-aid.

"Oh, you all aren't playing the game correctly! You're supposed to ask me where you can find the Head of the family, not ask me what the alliance between Talokan and Wakanda entails!"

"What do you mean?" Tony asks him calculatedly as Namor tries to use his tongue to play with his mangled nose.

"What I mean, gringo, is that I'm no longer the Head of Talokan. You've got the wrong guy" Namor tells him playfully.

"I'm going to pull out his earrings" Thor threatens as he steps toward Namor.

"No, we need to know who the new Head of Talokan is if it isn't him," Steve tells Thor putting his hand on the man's shoulder.

"I can't wait until the White Wolf comes and tears you apart, Rogers. He may have been loyal to you and the Avengers but, after you threw him away, he was given new life in Wakanda and Talokan. He's a valued member to the Head and she'll be all too happy to send him after you" Namor taunts looking at the former Golden Boy of the United States Army.

"Who is the new Head of Talokan and Wakanda?" Natasha asks him as she inspects the bloody pair of pliers in her hand.

"She's La Bella Muerte, She heals and kills in the same breath, she leaves no survivors yet heals those that join her in her crusade of death. She's my goddess who allows me to worship at her altar every night, she is the one who points the finger and orders me to kill and I happily do it all for her. She's Pantera Negra to my A'K'uk'ulkan, and I will happily die in her place over and over again until she orders me not to."

"It can't be Ramonda as she's been spotted in Haiti so there's only one other person this Black Panther can be," Clint says coming up to Tony with his hands in his pockets.

"Shuri doesn't have the guts for this kind of life" Tony responds dismissively.

Smiling wickedly, Namor asks, "Does she?" right before there was an explosion throwing the door across the room right into him causing him and the chair he was tied to tip over right as he started laughing in glee.

Who other than Shuri, the presumed Head of both Wakanda and Talokan, steps through the hole that had been created.

Prim and proper, she carefully steps around the debris that had been created from the explosion with her head held high while her cousin, Erik, and the White Wolf take up their protective positions behind her both sporting AK-47s that were pointed to the ground.

"Gentlemen, madam, you have something of mine I'd like returned to me. I would've preferred unharmed but in our line of business there is nothing we can do to stop harm from occurring so I'd at least like him alive."

"Holy shit," Sam says looking at the woman who'd walked through the door.

"I don't think, Shuri, you quite understand what was going on here so let me spell it out for you…"

"Actually Anthony, I understand perfectly what was going on here. You kidnapped one of mine in broad daylight hoping to get information about Talokan out of him but, what you've failed to notice, is the man is a masochist through and through; he loves pain and everyone in the Talokan family could tell you that so kidnapping and hurting him was a massive waste of time."

Clint looked at Steve in bewilderment while the former Army icon looked disturbed.

Sam mutters while turning away from the three new arrivals, "That explains so much."

"He was just telling us about you," Natasha tells her looking away from the pliers and into her eyes with a blank expression that shouldn't've given anything away.

"It's because he was told to do so. Whatever embellishments he makes are his own" Shuri tells her looking at the man that is now on his knees while still tied to the chair. Shuri could just barely see a knife cutting away at his bonds.

"So, you're telling us that you purposefully let him walk around on his own just to finally tell us that you're the Head of, not only Wakanda but Talokan as well? You know the cops and feds are going to have a field day with this news."

"That's if they ever find out" Erik teases his gold-toothed smile flashing at the Avengers menacingly.

"You're outnumbered here," Thor says tensely.

Looking around as if he's trying to find something on the walls, the chair Namor had been tied to falls onto the floor after he stands up from it.

"I knew he had another knife somewhere" Clint comments to Natasha who just shrugs.

Extra tidbit: Wrinkling his nose and moving it around a bit with his right hand, Namor tells Shuri as she walks passed him, "That always itches, and now I have to pierce my nose…again!"

"Stop complaining, at least we got your plug back this time," Shuri says scolding him.