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thisnameisnotspokenfor · 25 days

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A revised snippet

@aquamiun might be onto something. But I'm gonna tag @musa-style for the giggles too-

“You’re right,” the star said quietly, as he stood over her. “You do need more luck, don’t you? But that’s what you have me for.”

“What?” she paused, looking up towards him.

He smiled, taking a step towards her as she could feel the warmth that radiated from him. “I can level the playing field for you. Just like how Allepac did for Erlan. I can make all of your wants and deepest desires a reality. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

She hesitated. It…did sound nice. But then wouldn’t anything sound nice after the meeting she’d had with the king and his advisors earlier?

“And isn’t it only fair that little Asha deserved to see at least one of her dreams come to fruition?”

She shook her head, as she rose to her feet“no…no. I think you’ve got it all wrong.”

“Do I?”

She looked away, back to the kingdom in the distance as she’d answered. “Yes…What I want to do and achieve, isn’t about me. It’s about the future and technology of Rosas. The people deserve better!”

“And who are you to decide what this better looks like?” he’d asked. Had it been anyone else, she may very well have been offended. But she could tell from the genuine curiosity of his tone that he hadn’t meant any harm by saying it. Or at least she’d hoped he hadn’t.

“Sure I’m not the king-,” she started.

“Thank God for that,” Cepheus sighed.

“But so many other countries have amazing technology. That I wish the people of Rosas had as well. Sure we might not need it as much as everyone else does because we have a powerful king. But the king won’t be around forever.”

“You’re right. He won’t. I suppose after he dies his heir will assume the throne as per tradition,” Cepheus nodded. “But hadn’t that been one of your wishes? To be involved with the prince?”

She’d felt her cheeks flame as she’d looked away, “being a princess was and still is any girl’s wish in Rosas. Power aside, a lot of people do like the prince.”

“I see,” Cepheus hummed. “You know, if you wanted, I could give him to you.”

She did a double take. “P-pardon? What do you mean by…give him to me?”

The star smiled. “I could make him fall for you-,”

She shook her head. “No, you can’t! You can’t just make people fall in love!”

“Really? Because I beg to differ. Now all you, or rather he, would need is a curse.”

“A curse?!” she shrieked.

“Yes, a rather potent one. What?” He’d asked taking note of the questioning look she’d given him. “Everyone knows that most if not all princes are either cursed or live in a kingdom that is cursed.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Now then, should I use a large curse or a small one? Goodness, there are certainly a lot of options! Aren’t there?”

“WHAT?!” She screeched. “What are you talking about?!”

“Yeah you’re right. I should go with a big one. For good luck.” The star hummed thoughtfully, blissfully ignoring the shrieks and screams of the incredulous girl before him. “Maybe I should curse him so that he’s stuck as a bird…” His eyes turned to hers, practically blazing with laughter. “How does a chicken sound?”

“Nope! No! You are not cursing the prince to become anything!”

“Why not? Don’t you think you deserve to be a princess? Perhaps even a queen someday?”

#wish au #cepheus #asha losing her sanity again #snippet #prayforasha

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ray-green-wicked4good · 2 years

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In a recent interview, executive director Christoph Schrewe said that 3x07, "Ourboros" is "kind of the weirdest of all of them!"

Given the title, what are some WEIRD things you think might happen in this episode? Feel free to be, ya know, WEIRD.

Ah, yes! The "ourboros", the serpent chasing its tail, the eternal cycle, destruction and rebirth, or, to put it simpler; unity in all things! What could it possibly mean for our crazy apocalypse train?! Once again out here asking the real questions @olivish !

So aside from the obvious mirror symbolism--of the two trains merging at the end of season 1, aka, Big Alice latching onto the Tail of Snowpiercer only for Snowpiercer to lose its head at the end of season 2 so that season 3 can showcase train pirate now chasing its tail--I think 3x01 has given us plenty of potentially terrifying tidbits that could lead to some weird things popping up in that eternal ourboros cycle. For instance:

1) Layton's vision/dreams/hallucination

A weird take on this new feature could be that Layton's exposure to the toxic/nuclear radiation he encountered in Asha's bunker may have granted him clairvoyance/psychic powers. Which will be super cool to add to his resume for train president, but might cause some of his more loyal followers to question why he's not following the empirical data/hard science anymore. *bonus if Layton's previous stint in the drawers is either hinted at as part of the explanation or if all those who had been drawered have a collective hive mind abd have been sharing the same visions. Could be very weird

2) Alex killing Wilford

I personally think the episode dedicated to cycles of death and rebirth would be a great time for Alex to get her second shot at getting rid of her dearly demented Dubs. It would bring an end to that violent cycle of love and loss and devotion and abandonment she's been trapped in from the start. Is this weird enough? No? Well, we can MAKE it weird. Perhaps Alex develops superpowers of her own. Much like Melanie before her could feel/hear the train, Alex can command it as if it were an extension of her body. She can open and close doors. Short electrical systems. Shake the cars back and forth enough to spill all of Wilford's scotch. In this way is able to trap Wilford in the frozen waste of First class without ever leaving the Engine. And decouple the cars with just a flick of her wrist. No manual overrides. No button pushing. Just Alex becoming one with the train. So that no one can stop her from going to find her mom this time

3) Speaking of Melanie, one of the facets of the ourboros symbol is the unity of the spiritual and the physical. If we haven't gotten confirmation that Melanie is ALIVE by this episode, or more likely--if Train Pirate hasn't yet gotten their proof, I'd like to imagine that this would be the episode that those closest to Melanie start feeling her presence in a big way. Through dreams, hearing her voice in moments of trouble etc. A haunting if you will. I don't have a weird explanation for it, I just want her back. Please let her be the rebirth of the ourboros!

4) Due to the chaos I am sure will follow the scenarios listed above, I think it might be nice for this episode to have a little sanity, which is why my fourth and final weird prediction for 3x07 will be that Zarah will be busy being Layton's psychic spirit guide (going back to her Nightcar roots) and only true supporter, (Josie will by this point have been reunited with Miles and leading her own badass faction) while the Headwoods will be busy trying to slip Wilford as much cold resistant goop as they can...so Zarah and Layton's baby will be given to Jupiter to raise. This feral dog-child will be what kickstarts Jupiter's redemption arc because she will be the Best Mom On The Train.

*So comes the conclusion of my attempt at making some weird predictions. Hope if nothing else it makes you chuckle a little today!

#snowpiercer #snowpiercer asks #thanks for the ask!#non spoilers #snowpiercer crack

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saltxiron · 6 years

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The Ironborn are rapists in canon. What are Asha's opinions on consent. Does it bother her, does she take no issue with it, has she ever engaged in it? Also we see in the show that Yara/Asha makes port and her entire crew is in a whore house. Do you think they actually paid the people there or did they pay the iron price or were the people so scared they were just like "yo this one is on us."

Hey! Thanks for this question @wxldchxld! It’s a great one and I feel like it is not really explored too much. TW: RAPE, TW: RAPE MENTION, TW: VICTIM BLAMING, TW: VICTIM SHAMING

TLDR: Asha is anti rape with some problematic elements

Asha at her core is actually very anti-rape I believe, though she does have some internalized misogynistic views about consent because of her culture and because of the family dynamic in which she was raised. This is manifested differently in the book vs. the show. When I roleplay, I take from both the show and the books so I’ll talk a little bit about her outlook in both.

From what we are told in the books about Asha as a child- she says she played with dolls AND axes and that her mother “raised her to be bold,” I think she was a child similar to Arya- but luckily born into a family that allowed her to be who she was. However, they only allowed this because it is only traditionally masculine traits that are valued in the Ironborn culture. The Ironborn culture is incredibly misogynistic, but not in the way the Greenlanders are. Women are allowed to break the gender mold as long as they are behaving as men would. As Theon says in ACOK, “There were women on the Iron Islands—not many, but a few—who crewed the longships along with their men, and it was said that salt and sea changed them, gave them a man’s appetites.” Such women are still considered beneath men, but they are considered better than other women it seems. So, in a way, the Ironborn culture is better than Westeros when it comes to gender nonconformity- but it is a very narrow definition of gender nonconformity. The Ironborn seem to be okay with gender nonconformity ONLY when the nonconformity is a woman exhibiting what they consider to be masculine traits. If a man exhibits feminine traits, the Ironborn shun them. This is shown by the way they treat Theon as less even before his abuse and mutilation. So because of her culture, Asha would have learned to accentuate her “masculine” traits and downplay her “feminine” ones in order to be successful.

IN THE BOOKS, Asha is a child of war who witnesses her two elder brothers killed and her younger brother essentially kidnapped. The defeat was a crushing blow for both of her parents- Balon and Alannys. Alannys had a breakdown after losing her sons and Balon raised Asha as his heir. So suddenly her father was encouraging her to be like a son to him as her mother’s sanity slowly deteriorated because of the loss of her sons. What Asha learned from that is that the only way she could gain love from her parents was through becoming a son to them. I also think that witnessing the deterioration of her mother made her terrified of being put into a traditionally feminine role. Her mother was this strong, Ironborn woman who raised her to be bold- but the grief at losing her children broke her. I think Asha internalized that as “traditional roles for women such as motherhood will break your spirit and that loving people too much will make you weak.” I think that she then carries those ideas over to her view of rape.

I think that Asha has internalized the Ironborn view of rape in that she feels that if you are raped, it means you are weak or allowed yourself to be vulnerable. An internalized victim blaming view. So she uses her privilege as Balon’s daughter to make herself as strong and untouchable as she can. She turns down marriage, she captains her own ship. Instead of being a victim of rape, she leads the rapers herself. It’s kind of fucked up in a way. But even with all of this, she is seen to understand that she herself- a great Ironborn warrior- was lucky not to be raped by Stannis’ men in A Dance with Dragons.

And at the same time, she is constantly expressing concern for other woman in spite of her internalized victim blaming. There are a number of instances where she brings up the feelings of other women to the misogynistic men around her as if they should be given equal consideration to theirs. When Theon says he won’t visit Alannys until there is peace, she counters that his visit would bring Alannys peace. And then during her negotiation with Victarion she calls him out on the “honor killing” of his wife after Euron raped her. As Victarion is going on about how he had to murder her for honor and how grieved he is over it, Asha responds saying, “I am sorry for you. And more sorry for her.”

Through Asha’s POV chapters we get the feeling that even though she is is completely accepted as Ironborn and exemplifies their best aspects, she is nonetheless very different from the typical Ironborn. Her relationship with Alys the She-Bear shows this well. Whereas the other Ironborn characters take pride in their raiding and raping, Asha seems to realize how much damage that has actually caused when Alys tells her, “every child on Bear Island learns to fear krakens rising from the sea.” Then there is also the fact that she is the only one at the Queensmoot Kingsmoot that is offering peace instead of more war and who wants to make alliances with the Northmen in order to acquire the land they need. So even though she is not standing up to the rape culture of her people directly, Asha plays the long game and her plans would cut down on raping and pillaging considerably.

As for whether or not she has actually engaged in rape herself, I would say definitely not in the book. However, she does allow it to happen when leading raids. I think that can be assumed since there is no mention of her preventing or punishing her men for rape, the way Theon did at Winterfell. So while she doesn’t condone it, she allows it to happen in order to keep her men loyal to her and as a war strategy. Which is problematic as fuck but also somewhat understandable in her situation.

IN THE SHOW, Asha seems to have internalized her culture even more. Or it may only seem that way because we don’t have her POV chapters to know her inner thoughts and her role in the series is seen mostly through the POV of Theon. But this could also be because their mother is mentioned only once, and is otherwise completely absent from the show. Asha also does not come into contact with Alys Mormont in the show or her Uncle who advised her that “It’s LAND we need not crowns.” Those key elements are missing and so Asha comes off as much more Ironborn in every way. Yet at the same time, she defies her father to attempt to rescue Theon who has been tortured, mutilated, and raped. She also quickly agrees with Daenerys that there will be no more raping or reaving, after like a second of hesitation. (Personally, I think she should have secured some land from Daenerys in exchange for joining forces with her but that’s just me lol- then again, I am also baffled that the show didn’t include Asha’s call for peace, trade, and alliance with the North in the Kingsmoot scene because to me that was the most revealing thing in the book about both the Greyjoy siblings- Even though Asha had a good relationship with Balon as opposed to Theon, both of them went against their own ideas to please him. Once he died, she could act on her ideas for strategy to make the Ironborn stronger- which actually went really well with Theon’s own original alliance with Robb Stark.)

All that being said, in the show, Asha may have engaged in rape. I say may because I’m not sure if that was D&D’s intention. But in the show the woman Asha is with in the brothel in Braavos has a tattooed tear on her face along with all the other women which may mean that she is actually a slave to that brothel- something that this article explored. Personally, though, I don’t think D&D meant it to be rape- they are really clumsy when it comes to this kind of thing- remember when they made a consensual act between Cersei and Jaimie look exactly like a rape haha. Ughhhh. But I could be totally wrong. I prefer to look at it as they are at a regular brothel where the women are not sex slaves but I also choose to ignore the show canon of Asha’s speech for the Kingsmoot because it was so opposite to the progressive, strategic character in the book- none of this is on Gemma though- she was amazing in both scenes.

As to your question about them playing the Iron price I think that it was either they paid for them like regular clients or the brothels themselves did say “This is on us,” because of their reputation. I think the Ironborn do actually pay for a lot more things than they say they do as long as they are not actively pillaging or reaving. I think to some of the Ironborn, the Old Way of paying the Iron Price for everything is absolutely true- like with Balon and Euron. But I think that Asha’s generation (like Tris, Qarl etc) have a lot more nuance and are more open to things changing.

#wxldchxld #tw rape #tw rape mention #tw mutilation #tw victim blaming #tw victim shaming #long post #this took years off of my life to write haha #but thank you for the question!#I just hope I was able to articulate it well #META║▌ᵂᴴᴬᵀ ᴵˢ ᴰᴱᴬᴰ ᴹᴬᵞ ᴺᴱᵛᴱᴿ ᴰᴵᴱ⚔️#HEADCANON║▌ᴺᴼ ᶠᴵᴳᴴᵀ ᴵˢ ᴴᴼᴾᴱᴸᴱˢˢ ᵀᴵᴸ ᴵᵀ ᴴᴬˢ ᴮᴱᴱᴺ ᶠᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀ⚔️#ASHA 🗡️ᴵᴿᴼᴺ ᵛᴱᴵᴺᴱᴰ

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stacks-reviews · 7 years

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New Releases 10/3/17

Happy New Release Day!

In Books --The Name of the Wind 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by Patrick Rothfuss “My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that would make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me. So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature - the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.”

This book more than likely did not require me to provide a description. But I just love the description so much that I just had to put it up. This is my current top favorite book. I really love it and I am very excited to see an anniversary edition for it. I have been wanting to retire my mass market paperback for a while. I did get to meet Pat at a book signing a few years back and got that copy signed, as well as my copy of The Wise Man’s Fear, and my hardcover of A Slow Regard of Silent Things. I’ve been wanting to retire these signed copies so that nothing happens to them so this anniversary edition is just what I’ve been waiting for. At least until I can meet him again and get this one signed.

This edition has a new cover by designer Paul Buckley and artist Sam Weber. I’m not crazy about the cover. I prefer the standard cover used now. I’m having some trouble trying to understand just what all the images represent in the story so that’s what is really making me not like it as much. There is also some never before seen illustrations by artist Dan Dos Santos. Nate Taylor created a updated and detailed map of the world. An appendix of the calendar system, the currencies, and a pronunciation guide was added. And Pat wrote a new author’s note for this edition.

As of this writing (around 10:30pm Monday) it has not arrived at any of the bookstores near me but I have seen where it it out at other locations. I’m hoping it will arrive near me sometime today. Then I guess I’ll have to plan a fourth (or maybe a fifth. I don’t remember) reread of it soon.

--Anime Supremacy! by Mizuki Tsujimura “Japanese animation - the globally acclaimed, family-friendly theatrical features are the exception rather than the rule for a TV-oriented industry that has been pushed into late-night slots in an era of fragmented audiences. When only three titles among fifty might turn a profit, topping the charts is hardly an overambitious aim. Yet as three women, a producer, a director, and an animator, survive in a business infamous for its murderous schedules, demoralizing compromises, and incorrigible men, moments of uplift emerge against all odds - and how. More than just a window into an entertainment niche, here’s a kickass ode to work.”

A new; though only volume, manga about the animation industry in Japan. It sounds like a good look into this industry and it follows three women as they try to make their way in an industry full of ‘incorrigible’ men. Which this might be the first manga to follow women in this industry. I’m not positive but I’m fairly sure most of the manga that has used this type of story has mainly followed men. I can think of maybe one or two that has some ladies but I can’t recall for sure.

--Assassination Classroom Volume 18 by Yusei Matsui “Nagisa and Karma travel to the International Space Station in hopes of learning the secret to saving Koro Sensei’s life. Meanwhile, Yanagisawa and the upstart Grim Reaper II train ever harder to assassinate him. Then, when academic setbacks lower the spirits of his students, Koro Sensei comes up with an ingenious - or perhaps idiotic - way to cheer them up. Next, Valentine’s Day arrives! Will any of the 3-E students or teachers find true love? And will the meddling and teasing of the others help or hinder Cupid’s arrow in finding its target...?”

I’m reading this volume right now. But in Volume 17 Nagisa and Karma faced off in their fight to determine if they should save or assassinate Koro Sensei. Nagisa won and they learned that information about Koro Sensei was on the ISS that could potentially help them save his life. It ended with Nagisa and Karma sneaking into a rocket prototype to retrieve said information. Which was handed over fairly easily in this volume. The part with Yanagisawa and the Grim Reaper were short which is for the best to keep us wondering what they will try to do to kill Koro Sensei. I last left off during the start of the Valentine’s Day chapters which I will finish sometime today.

--Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Jim Kay Finally! I love the illustrations in these editions and just how full and how many are used in them. PoA is my favorite of this series, mainly because of this is when we are introduced to Sirius (my favorite) and Lupin.

Though as the rest of these are released I start to wonder how much longer they will be released as a single volume. At some point; either for money or for the binding of the books, they will probably be split into volumes. For my bookshelf’s well-being, I hope that is not the case but it could happen.

--The Last Namsara by Kristen Ciccarelli “In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laugher wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be dark - and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death bringer. These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up hearing in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari - a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl. Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await her at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend - a slave boy from her betrothed’s household - Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her.”

I have a few questions regarding this book. Mainly revolving around the Namsara since it isn’t mention again in the description except in the beginning. Is Asha’s betrothed the only one who knows that she is the Iskari? If so, is she being blackmailed into marrying him? My theory right now is that by killing all these dragons it makes her the Iskari but since light and dark are two sides of the same coin, she has the possibility to turn into the Namsara. Cause I expect the legends to end up saying that it was the same person. It sounds like it could be pretty good. There’s dragons, fights with dragons (don’t kill dragons cause they are awesome), and the classic light vs dark.

--The Water Dragon’s Bride Volume 3 by Rei Toma “Unable to return home, Asahi grows into a lovely young woman. As a priestess, she must spend time with the water dragon god for a ritual every year, but because of her connection to the water dragon god’s power, someone kidnaps her! Will Asahi be able to escape unscathed?”

Such a cute and still surprisingly dark series. The first two volumes were kind of dark because her best friends; Subaru, mother tried to have her killed a few times. And the water dragon god didn’t care if she lived or died. He only really intervened when the other gods started annoying him.

This volume came out early where I live so I read it over the weekend. The volume was mostly about Asahi being kidnapped, then rescued by Subaru, which then started a war between her village and the one that kidnapped her. The water dragon god does sorta intervere and helps them out a little. But he slowly seems to be changing and might eventually develop feelings for Asahi. Which will interesting since Subaru obviously loves her and she him. Though she may not realize that herself yet.

--Yona of the Dawn Volume 8 by Mizuho Kusanagi “Jaeha, the Green Dragon, joins Yona’s party after their harrowing adventure together in Awa. Now the group must find the Yellow Dragon - the last dragon from the prophecy that Ik-su told Yona! Meanwhile, Su-won visits Chishin Palace and tells General Geun-tae, chief of the Earth Tribe, that he should hold a mock battle and festival. But what could be the true intent behind Su-won’s proposition?”

I think the last volume I read was six. Seven never came in near where I live and I haven’t been able to order it. Last I read was Yona and Yoon got themselves onto the pirates boat so that they could try and send a signal for the others to attack the right boat.

I can’t wait to see what the Yellow Dragon is like and I’m interested to see what this mock battle will be about.

In Movies --Revolutionary Girl Utena Set 1 (Blu-Ray) “‘Never lose that strength or nobility, even when you grow up.’ When Utena was just a child and in the depths of sorrow, she found salvation in those words. They were the words of a prince, who wrapped her in his rose-scented embrace and bestowed upon her both a ring and the promise that it would lead her to him again. She never forgot the encounter. In fact, she was so impressed that she aspired to like the prince and also help those in need. Now a spirited teenager, Utena attends the prestigious Ohtori Academy. However, her strong sense of chivalry soon places her at odds with the school’s student council and thrusts her into a series of mysterious and dangerous duels against its members.”

For the first time the hit anime is being released on blu-ray. I have only seen the series and the movie once. One of my friends can explain it a lot better than I can. The next time I watch it I will not be putting so much time in between each season. There is a lot of symbolism throughout the show so it can be easy to forget or miss something. It is a really good show and worth checking out. The manga of the same name (by Chiho Saito) that it was based on is also available in an awesome box set that was released by Shojo Beat.

This set contains the first twelve episodes. Set two is not street dated until 11/7/17 but is now available on Rightstuf. Set three is set for 12/5/17, might also be out before that day but not at this moment of writing, and includes the movie. There is also a box set coming out on 12/5/17 that contains the complete series, the movie, a replica Rose Crest Ring, a replica Black Rose ring, and a 264 page art book with sliver foil numbering.

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