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ofbreathandflame · 9 months

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feyre 'stans' (*cough* feysand stans) have such an interesting relationship with feyre - where, they can't decide whether to view feyre as a full-fledged adult or little more than a child. bc its like - if you always view feyre as a victim of her circumstances, then she's not an active, morally ambiguous character. or - they don't actually view her as an actual character, rather, an easy extension of rhys that can be projected into. im inspired by this video again, and specifically the discussions about rhysand's ability to see feyre as an equal - or even just an individual person.

like in the case of silver flames, feyre 'stans' often try to validate rhysand's actions, by affirming that he's 'just standing up for feyre..'

and you could argue that - but feyre has already established on multiple occasions that she feels uncomfortable with the way rhys decides to 'stand-up' for her in regards to her sisters. and when confronted with this - rhysand immediately assumes that feyre will (1) forgive him and (2) have sex with him. its a moment of complete insanity - where rhysand doesn't even believe that his constant lack of boundary actually entails serious consequences. thats not a man whose actually concerned abt feyre's opinions, or actually hurting feyre. he'd rather openly trigger feyre at that dinner table, then actually respect and take a step back. but to argue that rhysand's behavior is okay even when feyre doesn't believe means that you guys don't actually view her decisions to be confidently her own. bc the emphasis is always geared towards validating the actions rhysand takes, and not feyre's opinions on the matter. there's a difference between giving feyre this 'power' and giving feyre the tools and information needed to actually wield that power. there's a difference between rhys disliking nesta or elain treating them as he sees fit v. rhys disliking nesta, but giving feyre the space she needs to deal with them, and respecting the boundary she has clearly reiterated in regards to how he should treat and interact with them.

and its like these are the moments where we see parallels with what the story argues about tamlin - where his way of 'protecting' was uncomfortable towards feyre, and she establishes that she doesn't want to be protected in that way. and we get something similar in maf where feyre literally gets into an argument with rhys bc she established that his behavior with keir was unacceptable. but even when feyre stans see that - they still rush to validate rhysand's behavior. and its like we get multiple instances where rhys will often just take measures within his own hands, and the argument is never about how wrong it is that he does - but that his intentions trump feyre's opinion; specifically when rhysand goes behind feyre's back to make a diplomatic decision with keir and eris and does not tell feyre (and mor) bc he knows they will disagree. that is not the decision of a man who actually values the existence of a co-ruler. or even the decision to tell another high lord the complications of feyre's pregnancy but NOT THE WOMEN GIVING BIRTH to said child. even when faced with the absolute certainty of her death (feyre is almost guaranteed to die) he still doesn't even loop her in. and its important bc feyre is going to die. there's no argument, so the idea of 'stress' makes no sense bc she's going to die. the story is very blunt about it.

but AGAIN feyre established 'no more secrets.' she also established that she wants to always be kept in the loop (even if someone deems xyz dangerous; that was literally the entire point of feyre's mental breakdown. she didn't care that going with tamlin could cause her harm, she wants to make the decision). you see how even though tamlin believes its unsafe (and ig it is) its not his decision, and the emphasis is put on feyre's opinion and not tamlin's intentions? why aren't we keeping this same energy, like ever.

and that's the ick part - even if rhys hates nesta. even if we argue that nesta 'was abusive' - feyre has established that she (1) doesn't want rhysand to speak about them or to them disrespectfully (2) that she does not approve of his behavior. (3) that she always wants to be informed on everything. she also laments that her worst fear being deemed 'not enough' or 'not useful' which one of the leading reason she decides to go with tamlin at the end of maf - she didn't believe she was useful. that rhysand can consistently prove that he doesn't believe feyre to be unworthy of information regarding her own body, court and family should be a slap in the face to be people who claim to 'love only her.'

and yet - when confronted with rhysand's behavior (both in previous books and the last) the race is to validate his behavior and not feyre's opinions. so everytime time 'feyre stans' present an argument thats geared toward validating rhysand's actions and not the boundaries that feyre established. side eye.

either feyre is an adult, who is old enough to rule a nation, have a child, and have her own opnions. or she's little more than a child who needs certain decisions made for her bc y'all disagree with them. or she's person capable of making mistakes, having flaws, and actually making conscious (morally ambiguous) decisions that we the audience can agree or disagree with. we can't argue that she an eternal victim of every circumstance, while denying her agency in moments where she's actually the victim. or argue that she morally grey and complex and then justify the behavior and combat when people might have differing opinions. as is the point of being a morally grey character.

i think we need to do away with 'morally-grey' as a descriptor. or it needs to be expounded on in a meaningful way. being morally ambiguous means we should look closer into the actions of the character, because often how they chose to solve their problems says something about them. im just tired of 'morally-grey' used as the justification of an action, instead of a conversation starter.

#anti sjm #anti feyre #anti feysand #anti rhysand #anti acomaf #this is actually an old post but a discussion me and mc had bout this very problem with feyre and how she is positioned #made a lightbulb come out #and the last post i made about how people chose to selective read and selectively apply analysis that are often dependent on #removing actual context across books #focusing only on the explanation given #and not how that explanation or information actually measures against previously established information #in this case - never actually think about feyre as a fully fledged character #but instead placing her into this chunked analysis that are dependent on ignoring #what *she* has already established across the story

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davidthephoneguy · 12 days

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A little (mostly Dialtown) rant of my own

Ok first of all you all need to calm down, I'm goin on this rant despite not currently being in the dialtown fandom but I was back around when the game first came out. I just feel like I gotta ask you to be calm because I know how agressive people can be online with that shield on anonymity. I also do not hate dialtown or Dogman nor do I blame them for said issues that will be stated.

Dialtown as a whole does pretty obviously have a problem about representation of fem/fem presenting characters especially in the fandom side. As a previous rant stated before most fem characters are either glossed over in favour of male/masc presenting ones, such as with the main dateables. It even extends to side characters which feels rather disheartening. Now I get why its mainly the male/masc presenting ones who get attention, I must highlight the fact that I am a Bi-Ace Transman and I tended to focus on Oliver and Randal over Karen so I was part of the problem on that part. So i get the gender serotonin of drawing them but I hope you can also see how it means that for example, Karen is almost completely overlooked. I would see myself in them because of the shared gender, I really do understand why this has been happening. You are not evil for doing this, that is not what this rant is about in the slightest. Like the previous rant before stated the game doesn't pass the Bechdal test (Which if you are unaware is a media test which requires two fem characters to talk to eachother about anything other then a man, already an extremely low bar to pass) which Dialtown does not pass. It's completely valid to have reservations about that as it is an overall problem with media at large. Media at large is still a white straight cis male dominated space and needs more diversity in all ways. Dialtown as a whole is a good game and has a diverse cast which is wonderful and amazing to see. The only issue is how some are highlighted more then others or demonized in a way that lines up with misogyny (Such as with Mingus' behavior being villainized by the fandom while Stabby and Shooty doing the same thing being ok and lighthearted in the eyes of the fandom which from an outside view just looks like misogyny I am sorry folks. If the only factor in if you like or dislike a characters actions is because they are a woman is misogyny even if they're cis or trans, misogyny is just the word for discrimination in this way) Pointing this out doesn't mean an attack on anyone, pointing out an issue is meant to bring attention to said issue so it can be improved or fixed. The previous person who I have been referencing and paraphrasing here (who I am not going to @ as they don't need more direct harassment) was slightly attacked for having a rant, yes everyone is entitled to their opinion but that does not give either side the right to actively attack the other. Please remain diplomatic.

People are allowed to highlight issues, if we don't then they won't ever get fixed. We're meant to stick together and fix things together, not attack eachother. Thats what people like terfs want us to do, they want us to tear eachother apart so that they get what they want, our destruction. We have to stand together with the things we love. My apologies for how long this ended up being but I just had to get it out of my head. Just my thoughts as a transman/voidrabbit on the topic

#dialtown #dialtown fandom #rant #rant post #mini rant #dialtown rant #my own thoughts #thoughts as a transman #mod cd

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kasarian · 7 months

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i am going to talk about oc pokemon au and you cant stop me :] (or, alternatively, if you're spark, it just me reiterating it with proper wording LOL)

Orbit is a knowledgable figure, unsure if I want him to be a professor or not, but he's also someone who's going to be important in the balance of quality of life in both humans and pokemon in his town, ensuring that the people do not disturb the natural habitat, and that the townsfolk be able to live a good life within the town. Ike was / is Orbit's partner in this endeavor, but went missing (presumed dead) for a year or two while he was out on a diplomatic trip out of the region; The two eventually reunite, not to worry.

Alon and Lupa are field researchers that work with/under Orbit. Alon in particular used to be a gym leader of the region in his younger years, but decided to retire a full year before he and Lupa got married, wanting to focus on his family and trying to get away from the public eye. He and his husband mostly help with nurturing hatchlings nowadays, but occasionally do the fieldwork for their job, as well as personal outings with personal agendas, of course.

Lupa has always been so passionate about pokemon and their behavior, seeking to understand them more. He wandered around various regions, becoming champion once and never again, despising the unwarranted fame his younger self did not want. He also met Alon during his travels, starting out at the wrong foot but quickly becoming fast friends, with Alon freely offering Lupa his kindness and hospitability. Despite all that, he still challenges gyms for the sake of it even now!

AND NOW FOR THE PROTAGS

The story follows Mela, Orbit's daughter, wanting to be as accomplished as her father, and setting out to her own journey. She's accompanied by Akku, who is Alon and Lupa's son, and his boyfriend, Hiraya, who was often under Orbit's watch due to his parents often being called for their duties as Elites.

As the trio's journey goes on, they all end up in a rather far away snowfields; and Mela eventually meets a man who looks rather familiar... but can't quite place her finger as to who exactly it is. She wants to find out though, stubborn as she always is to get things right. It's weird though, because it seems like Hiraya's seen a ghost, but he just won't say.

In the end of this arc, Mela meets the lake spirits, and they help her remember who that man was to her. Is to her. Ike, her dad, who's been missing and apparently, just as confused as her, because neither of them remember each other etc etc.

AUUGHUAHU

IT ALL VERY . MESSY and unclear and i might renew a lot of this bc i havent thought about all it yet. the basic summary was this:

Story following though 3 childhood friends journeys, Mela being the main protag ??? wanting to be like her dad ??? Accidentally finding her other, long missing father in the process??? ENSUE TEAM ROCKET LIKE EVENTS AND SHIT GOES DOOOOOWN

Akku and Hiraya just there for silly goofy shenanigans and support. (Akku wanting to explore like his parents did, and Hiraya not having much to do anyway, being the current youngest and not having much direction in his life???? idkkk HAHA but he and akku share the same passion w/ loving pokemon, akku just wants to see if he can run though badges in the process)

anyway yah feel free to plonk your opinions on this, i obviously have a lot to research, like the lake spirits, and which pokemon can temporarily take away your bad memories and help return it when you have to face it (first thought was gothitelle??) or if i can make up a process wherein a venusaur knowing amnesia -> imbued that power in its spores/pollen to help ease sadness that its trainer is experiencing and how thats kind but also kind of. oof move on the venusaur. etc etc. idk HAHAHHA

#anyway.#can you tell ive enjoyed thinking about this? NDMNFDMN #oc talk #oc pokemon au #ALSO ITS EASIER TO . talk about ocs in an AU sense because that way if you know the context of pokemon you can understand the character #a little bit better #as opposed to their og au because that requires knowledge of their universe #that im being blatantly not forthcoming about #because i wanna write it somehow HAHAH #oc writing #it SHOULD count a bit mhm

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crimson-kisses · 2 years

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Hi!!! Back again! So I'm in the mood for platonic yandere Gemanics ( Germany, Prussia, Austria, Switzerland ) plus Hungary and Romantic yandere Liechtenstein with a autistic shy mute female darling that's in a relationship with Liechtenstein, but with a dark twist. I'll tell said dark twist in messages lol.

❥ I actually find the idea of a platonic yandere interesting, so this was rather fun to explore! Although not really upto my taste. I decided to write different types of platonic attractions for this one, I didn’t wanted the characters to be similar with each other.

Platonic Yandere Germanics + Hungary

Austria {Roderick Edelstein}

I doubt its surprising to anyone that he would be a stern mentor towards you, similar to an agitated father who wants you to be the best of all and would push you towards that goal. His manupilation works quite well with your sheltered naivety, which wont be stained so easily.

Perhaps you are a small province or representative of a state, passed over to him with the responsibility of raising and protecting you. There could be a potential in you which would interest him more, a peculiar talent or your familial devotion towards him which he returns.

Perhaps he is just an old man who is no longer respected the way he once was, as a grand empire. Roderick would be damned if his own daughter begins to disobey or disrespect him, even though you will eventually realize his toxic behavior, it will be hard to get out of his tight grasp around your life.

You could be similar to a younger sister to him, since Roderick does treat you like an adult rather than a child. Although with many restrictions since he is overprotective and possessive over you, which is justified to him since you are technically a part of his country.

The only interaction you get mostly is with the maids and the guards, sometimes Hungary would pay you both a visit and rarely Prussia, since Austria wouldnt trust him with you at all. Switzerland would only interact with you briefly, adding nothing to your conversations while Liechtenstein will fairly get along with you

Hungary is prone to treating you like a child, which you would detest as a grown woman. She makes you pretty dresses and often talks to you about other nations which is actually the only thing you will know about them, making you feel isolated and so small. Which is what Austria would want.

Prussia would actually be quite neutral towards you, treating you with brief questions and answering some of your question with double layered answers. He might detest Austria somewhat but wouldnt go as far as to help you escape or let anyone else take you.

Switzerland couldnt care less and would only visit for diplomatic reasons or if Liechtenstein herself would want to visit you. Sure you would be transported to Switzerland if any invasion or war occurs involving Austria, since to be fair living in the middle of Europe was troublesome back in those days. *cough*

Germany would be kept mostly in the dark about you, being quite young than the others and will only know some stuff from his brother. Which is again, double layered answers. If he does meet you, Austria is over there hovering behind you possessively. Its mostly awkward and maybe you will end up having a crush on him- which you mentor will notice and take action.

"You are staying here and that is final", a stern glare was all you got as Roderick wore his coat. You had asked him to visit miss Hungary, wanting to get a change of surroundings rather than roaming around the mansion you had been in for years. Any resolve to argue was gone or rather was always pushed under the rug with his harsh statements towards you or the world.

He would expect you to be a well-mannered lady, reminding you about your posture or pushing you to learn piano or ballet, whatever it is. Roderick might take you out for some formal events if its with the Germanics, but thats mostly it. He is nagging towards you, mostly judgmental.

Roderick is similar to a strict teacher, pushing you to do your best and not allowing any disrespect or disobedience from you. Expecting you to be a obedient clever lady which you should strive to be. He doesnt need to be physical to get the point across, your already sheltered personality makes it easier for him to manipulate you or demeaning your presence in front of everyone. Roderick can be a prick and unapologetic with his harsh words, slowly destroying your self-esteem.

Basically you will get the most refined lessons but you wont have the freedom to choose what you want if Roderick deems it unfit. Or meet anyone improper. He would prefer if you are similar to Monaco or Germany, just not independent. Also even if his words don`t get across you then maybe he will let Erzsebeta take care of you for a while.

Switzerland {Basch Zwingli}

Of course, he is more protective and paranoid over you than he is over Liechtenstein. To such an extent that he wont ever allow you to be an independent state, no matter what happens or whatever anyone demands. Maybe he found you deserted after a war, almost a toddler on the brink of death before Lily. Maybe you showed him the innocence the world has thrown over long ago, Basch will want to protect you from the cruel fate again.

he really does not trust the outside world or its inhabitants, filled with brimming wars and cruelty around you both. If anything, you will grow up to be very isolated and oblivious about everything, not stupid but unaware of how the real world can break anyone or anything with enough determination. Similar to Rapunzel.

Not that any nation would dare invade you, since your land would be surrounded by dozens of explosives and Basch would make sure the enemy regrets their choice. You might have an army {which is mostly Swiss anyways} to protect your territories but Basch wont ever let you hold a gun. Not that you need to, your big brother would take care of everything.

You will be privately educated about basic things or learn how to fix things around you. Not much else you can do in an huge, isolated cottage, high up on the mountain anyways. Sewing or baking with Lily or just taking care of things. It will be a very simple life for you. You can read how much you want since maids would take care of the housework, only the best healthy food would be brought to you, you can paint all day long, basically anything not involving electronics and within the boundaries of the cottage. Like Rapunzel.

Basch is honestly just very paranoid about everything and everyone involving you since he already doesnt trust others and it just intensifies with dozen wars, your oblivious and childlike personality, you might be somewhat mature, but in no way are you experienced with the outer world or wars like the other nations are. Which is his fault to begin with, but meh, the damage is already done.

He would trust you with his citizens obviously, so he wouldnt really introduce you to other nations except Liechtenstein for any sort of protection. Also because he doesnt want them to taint your innocence and pursue you to gain independence. Not that many would say anything, considering he hasn`t exploited or harmed you in any matter, unlike what most of the other nations had done to their colonies.

Although he would allow you to meet Liechtenstein`s darling- not if its a male- or even Austria`s darling, if she visits due to war or an invasion in her homeland. Basch will nonetheless be wary with them and ensure they don`t talk too much about what`s going on in the outside world.

Again like Austria, he doesn`t need to be physical. Sure there might be a tracker involved but he won`t even verbally abuse you, there`s no need for such treatments or punishments since you already have been throughly brainwashed and see your brother in an intensely positive manner.

Of course, maybe Austria would have his doubts, Germany might notice something too, Liechtenstein might accidentally spill out your name, prompting their interests. Sure this might irritate Switzerland somewhat, but he wont ever mention anything about it and Lily wont ever spill the beans either, even though it would upset her to hide things from Roderick.

Since Switzerland is naturally an isolated person and ultra-independent in general with not much of a social life which he cares to maintain, there`s not much chance of other nations meeting you especially not vice-versa. You are never leaving his country.

In the mansion which you stay in, there will also be a pretty garden with a pond or you could visit Liechtenstein with him. Not that you can see much, Basch wouldn`t want you to grow curious about the outside world, you wont be locked in 24/7. Plenty of fresh air and new activities will be available to you.

In general, you will be a very sheltered, well-mannered lady who is unaware of her own prison and considers the world to be nothing short of a very dangerous place, which her dear older brother swears to protects her from. It will be cozy but rather boring too. Also somewhat lonely with only little talks with the maids to keep you entertained.

It’s better for the sake of your sanity that it does stay that way, or else things will be harder to go through, being blissfully ignorant. Basch won’t hesitate murdering someone who even dares to help you or change the way you perceive the world or himself. He lost a close family before to disloyalty, he won’t have that with you, his dear little sister.

Not to mention, wouldn’t it be so hard to accept that the same hands once wiping your cold tears, would wipe the warm blood off your face?

Hungary {Erzsebeta Herdevary}

She had always adored you, you were such a dear friend to her, such an admirable person. Maybe you were her assistant or a working lady she had befriended long ago or simply a fragile person which urged her to protect you.

Erzsebeta is a very compassionate person when she wants to be and so can be rather overbearing to deal with. Possessive towards you since she doesn’t want to lose an another important person to her. She wants to know everything involving you and will interrogate you herself, don’t lie to her either.

Whether it be platonic or romantic, the Hungarian is proned to get jealous quite easily or overprotective towards you. Can’t you see? She’s just looking out for you in this unfair world which only seeks to ruin and destroy you?

As stated before, Erzsebeta would treat you as a young child rather than a grown lady, such might infuriate you. Brushing your hair and dressing you up. Of course, she will consider your opinions, somewhat.

As long as only if you get snarky, if bark turns to bite then Erzsebeta would make sure to pull out your teeth, she won’t hesitate smacking you if you retort physically. Basically an overprotective toxic friend who is platonically possessive over you.

Unlike the former nations, she doesn’t mind hanging out with you in different places as long as you behave yourself . Or else her frying pan is hitting your head. Afterwards she will probably fuss over you as she lightly scolds you for misbehaving.

Her fussy attitude can get very embarrassing for you sometimes, especially in front of other nations. Pulling your cheeks, fixing your attire, stroking your back. It will be disdainful in front of your crushes, her attitude turns to extreme and she basically infantilizes you just to ruin your chances.

You might have already graduated or on the path of pursuing your career which Erzsebeta would love to make you doubt about, she might even bribe the professors to fail to or frame you for something illegal. Offering to tutor you, luring you to trust her, deleting your notes or your important assignments, she won’t hesitate to make you fail.

No maids over here, she will take care of all the household work and work from home. She has her ways to sweet talk with her boss and will even introduce you to make you feel more trapped or privileged to have such a great friend.

Speaking of friends, undoubtedly you would have met Poland or the nation would have heard of you from Erzsebeta ranting about you all the time. The guy cares about his closest friend a lot and would tag along to help her with anything involving you. Sure, you will be very irritated by him, not that he does not enjoy watching you suffer. it’s quite amusing.

Of course, there is Roderick as well. Although you would have met him, you won’t have much of a conversation since your possessive friend simply won’t allow it to take place. Sure they might be somewhat close but undoubtedly Erzsebeta would feel very uncomfortable and drag you somewhere else.

No way is she allowing Gilbert to get close to you, they might have been frenemies but they still have their sour spots and don’t get along much. Ludwig is alright for her, but you won’t interact much with him. Others such as, Katyusha, Emma and Lily might meet with you now and then. Albeit rarely.

She is very much protectively maternal towards you, despite acting as your ‘cool, rebellious best friend’, she can be very paranoid and suspicious over everyone when it involves you. You have a best friend for life who is strangely obsessed with whatever you have an interest in and is intensely appreciative of you.

She might have you even attend meetings with her but she will constantly hover over you as if it’s a date, as I said she can be embarrassing real quick with her fussy antics and tiring. Also arguing with her will never end well since she will accuse you of being ungrateful and gaslight you.

As for punishments, she will lock you without any privileges or let someone take advantage of you so you can realize how much you truly need her and how weak you truly can be.

Germany {Ludwig Beilschmeidt}

Very overprotective over you, no one is meeting you without his permission and neither are you going anywhere without him, he just wants you to be safe and potentially not near any danger.

You might have been his caretaker or his older sisterly figure, surrounding him with maternal affection which he had truly never experienced much of. Technically he sees you as a maternal figure that he is paranoid over losing, he can`t lose any more than he has, he is keeping you caged as a pretty butterfly.

Ludwig is actually pretty respectful towards you and very obedient to your wishes, sure you might not be able to have him leave you alone but he isn`t all that bad. He is very fond of you, as a child to his mother, he just wants a motherly familial relationship that he never got to experience. So, to some extent you do have some control over your life and over him.

If anything, you probably fuss over him more than he does over you, being his caretaker you were probably in charge to look after him and make sure he is doing well. such habits die hard for years. Ludwig loves it tho, it keeps him mentally sane at the very least after all he has been through at a very young age, you were there with him right?, so don`t you remember? How hard had it been for him? Never-ending nightmares and agony surrounding him?

Both of you are stubborn so arguments do erupt often but Ludwig mostly backs down and listens to you ranting about one thing or another, similar to a mother hen which he will find rather amusing. A hand on your waist as you scold him for frightening Feliciano away again, with a loaded gun nonetheless, then you return to your sewing and grumble about one thing or another.

Remember though, as much as it is rather domestic to live with him as his maternal figure, you do have a role to fulfill which makes things rather tiring or troublesome for you. He will buy you pretty vintage dresses or something similar which you would prefer and probably live in a small, traditional German town. Your duty is similar to a mothers` basically, and your set for life with a very loyal and over-protective son.

You can do whatever you want the whole day when things needed to be done are over, Ludwig won`t mind as long as it is within a range. Watch different shows, read dozens of books, paint or draw, sew whatever, chat with the locals, tend to your backyard farm and have cats, rabbits or dogs, he`s fine with it.

Don`t you try to escape or ask for help though, he will feel betrayed and that won`t end well. If you have a lover, then he is going to die as simple as that, Ludwig is going to explode and won`t trust you anymore, it will just make him more intense. Didn`t you at least try to think about how all of this would affect him? Instead of selfishly trying to satisfy your own needs?

No way is anyone else going to meet you or know anything about you, Ludwig is not going to take the risk. The only person who knows is obviously Gilbert and that`s it, Feliciano might have accidentally come across you once and probably think you are Ludwig`s secret lover, proceeding to flirt with you anyways because, well.... why not?

Any blackmail or threats won`t be necessary, not that you are brainwashed, but not being in touch with society means you probably feel isolated to try anything much. Gilbert won`t hesitate putting you in your place though, after all, Ludwig will always be his first priority.

Austria, Liechtenstein and Hungary might have their own doubts but it is only a fleeting thought and neither of them would bother to put much thought into it. Since Ludwig simply won`t allow them to and shoot down any attempts, Feliciano will be eradicated if he opens his mouth about it to anyone, heavens forbid him if it`s France or Austria.

It`s up to you to comfort Ludwig, whether he is angry or simply just tired, not that he will lash out but it might make him think you are plotting something and fuse out a bomb with his overwhelming paranoia. Things will be easier for you if you just act along, since you can get that credit card with only few restrictions.

Basically a possessive sugar child lmao. Unlike others Ludwig won`t hesitate buying anything you would ever want or need, he might allow you to hire a maid although he would prefer you doing the household chores, maybe or adopt pets, whatever, you need it? he buys it, anything except independency.

Prussia {Gilbert Beilschmeidt}

Canonically, he is over-protective towards Ludwig and undeniably has been a responsible paternal figure towards him. So naturally, Gilbert is stubbornly hovering around his daughter-like figure every time he can and he won’t back off no matter what.

Very affectionate, patient and gentlemanly towards you, it could be because you are a female, not that he isn’t loving towards a younger Ludwig years later, but nonetheless there’s a stark difference between the upbringings you both have had due to that factor. Keep in mind, he is a religious deep down to some extent and a man of Prussian virtues, especially during the 1600-1900s.

In the beginning, Gilbert would be rather hesitant raising a young woman since he doesn’t has much experiences with raising one in a proper way. He will be anxious and only allow the best and most maternally experienced handmaiden near you. No man is laying his eyes on you. The orders are strict and clear to everyone and he makes sure of that.

After his duties, every night Gilbert will keep in mind to pay you a visit. With dozen of books or whatever you are interested to learn, no matter how tiring from his burdening work, he won’t come to you empty-handed. He is a very attentive and a responsible mentor and makes sure your needs are properly met, not wanting you to fend for yourself the way he was forced to.

You will probably grow up not knowing much people but not necessarily lonely or naive. Gilbert would hire a personal assistant to teach you various instruments, arts or many other things. With various guards you could go to different places {only with high security}, even to plays or operas, wherever you want.

Behind everything Gilbert wouldn’t hesitate to manipulate the situation when his paranoia grows. It takes a few months of less stress for him to realize you had grown into a healthy and a pretty young woman, when your handmaiden requests for more accessories and sanitary products, when you converse to him about various philosophies or entertain the tutor with your theories, Lord forbid especially when he notices the fellow men stealing glances at you.

With Gilbert already keeping much of his stuff private to himself, no other nation will know anything about you. Ludwig might of course, but even he will be secretive about you because of his own concerns. Liechtenstein might meet you but won’t know your identity, in a way you have no one to run to when things turn sour.

Already being very unstable, any tries at escaping will send Gilbert into a high-driven tension, by using his authority and by legal or illegal means he will get you back and won’t hesitate making you behave and learn your lessons.

Tears, yelling and screaming won’t be getting you anywhere. Gilbert will stand firm on his decisions and won’t have you acting like a brat, don’t even try to resort to physical means {which tbf he was the one to teach you} because things will turn ugly rapidly. If one thing which Gilbert won’t tolerate it is disrespect, he does not give a damn if such values are not cared for anymore.

Basically you are independent but restricted socially, financially and under his direct authority. Ludwig’s government won’t do much since Gilbert is technically very much giving the same respect as he was given before and also he has his own resources in the legal frameworks.

He won’t use corporal punishment which includes spanking or similar stuff since technically you are his daughter and he finds it rather uncomfortable to do so due to that reason. But mentally you wont be able to spare yourself and be ready to kneel on peas.

Gilbert isn’t such a bad or dangerous platonic yandere to have but is one of the hardest to deal with. Not being naive or innocent will slowly destroy your sanity and in the end you will end up feeling very mentally and emotionally, not to mention sexually trapped. It is hard to deal with and ending up paranoid about everything will be quite common for you.

Liechtenstein x F!Autustic! Mute reader

Disclaimer: I apologize if there are any inaccuracies or offensive elements with the reader.

Liechtenstein simply could not ignore your request to go the park that day, with your eyes beaming as your smile widened on your adorable face. With your obedient behavior and reciprocal affection, it would not be a bad idea to go for a walk after locking you inside for months.

As far as Elise could remember, you have always been such a darling, always ready to help and make everyone feel comfortable when there was any tension brewing and she couldn’t help but fall in love with that aspect of yours. You always strived to charm people with your proper guidance and solve any problems.

Being a peacekeeper herself, Liechtenstein would love to chat around with you. And will be ready to back you up if it’s necessary. Nonetheless she gets rather concerned about others taking advantage of you or using you for their own benefit.

You being the younger sister of Kiku didn’t stop her from taking action either, considering the fact that she had allowed to keep contact with him only, he didn’t worry too much since he remained blissfully unaware of her unhealthy romantic attraction towards you.

‘Are you ready to go?’, you signed towards her and she nodded. She had also learned sign language just for you, although she didn’t had to use it often, she wanted to make you feel comfortable with her and supportive towards you. Clutching her basket, you both were off to a nearby park, simply to stroll around and get some fresh air.

It was safe to say that both of you had a lot of fun and relaxation, eating fresh baked goods, collecting flowers and fruits, strolling through the garden had been a nice change of experience. Elise was just glad to see you enjoying the day, truth be told she was keeping an eye on you, wondering if you were planning to deceive her all along.

But to her relief, you truly were genuine about your feelings towards her it seemed. You were currently petting a cat while she was on her way to refill her water bottle just nearby, with a last glance towards you she got up and went on her way.

Sighing, she was about to turn around after her bottle was filled when-,”hey there lady”, Elise could already catch a whiff of alcohol from the men, turning towards the intruders, she gave a dignified glare and a frown, her hand about to reach her gun when a realization struck her- she didn’t have it.

Elise remembered clearly that she was about to grab a hold of her gun, but then in pure excitement and thrill you had grabbed her hand and dragged her towards the door before she could do so. She hadn’t paid much mind to it, but obviously she had been wrong, she should have been more attentive for the sake of yours and hers safety.

Of course she wasn’t afraid, even though the men sneered at her and were currently getting closer with vulgar taunts and comments, Elise wasn’t a fragile damsel. A nation in her own right, she still had the higher ground anyways. Rolling her eyes at their flirting, she clutched her skirt only to watch with widened eyes as an arrow whizzed past her head.

One of the men cried out as he clutched his shoulder, glaring towards her,”God you fucking bitch- get her!”, with a huff and an elegance of a ballerina, Elise kicked one of the advancing men on the stomach as an another arrow struck them, this time hitting a fatal spot. Blood seeping on their shirt, one of them was about turn and run away, Elise tripped the man and watched an arrow hit his shoulder with a subtle amusement.

She turned her head, curious where the arrows came from, only to notice you standing there with a bow and a fierce look in your eyes. Upon meeting her stare, you grinned back as she ran towards you, hugging you tightly as the men groaned when she stepped over them. You gave them a glare and decided to finish the job once and for all.

“You won’t get away with this - you whore-“, well they had officially pissed you off.

Back on the way home, Elise almost cried over you, even though you were the on who had done most of the damage. “Oh I am so glad you are okay!”, with a tight grip on your arm, both of you headed towards Austria’s house nearby.

‘Don’t worry, I am doing fine, stop stressing out too much’, rapidly signing hoping that she would relax, Elise grabbed both of your hands in hers and gave you a chaste kiss on the lips. You gave a smile which would always put her at ease and looked around for any more potential dangers.

Elise decided to change the subject, now chatting about how Natalya and Arthur were dating, until the conversation was interrupted by Roderick. He was near the door of his mansion and waving the both of you over. And of course, both of you were glad to rest after all the shenanigans.

Erzsebeta and Ludwig were in the kitchen, baking some deserts while Roderick was reading a book. Gilbert was sorting some paperwork, Elise sat beside you on the couch watching television, cuddling together as the news blasted about several murders which had recently taken place.

Grinning in victory, you took a sip of your drink when Elise handed you the telephone, apparently it was Kiku probably wanting to check on you. On the video call, you feigned surprise and tried your best not to blow cover. When the talking was done, let’s just say Elise sure knew how to buy some great expensive stuff.

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is-that-another-soulmate-au · 4 years

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A suggestion/request from @bon-fly

Medieval Au Zukka, I would have added more detail about the other ships but it had already much longer than I anticipated

✨Enjoy✨

"What ever could be the problem my lord?" Came the characteristically grumpy voice of Zuko's Dwarflven Mage Toph

He leaned back from his slouched position to look at the blind woman. "It's nothing much really. I Just... I need to summon the southern knights for the Avatar honoring" he gave a sigh

"Then summon them" she said simply while leaning on his throne. There was a few other advisors in the room, none of them were ever expecting Toph's brash behavior towards the king or the fact that he took it. The high elven king never once found his Dwarven mage's behavior to be uncalled for. His reasoning was simple. She was a friend, one which would lay her life down for his just as he would hers.

"Its not that simple Toph, he's going to be with them" Zuko leaned his elbow on the table and pressed his hand to his forehead.

"If I may, My lord, the avatar is technically escorting the knights, not the other way around" advisor Tayko offered

Zuko gave a snort "thats not who I'm worried about Tayko, but I appreciate the sentiment. Its the Cheif's... ehm, son"

"Did he do something wrong my lord?" Tayko asked with narrowed eyes

"More like he did everything right and managed to fluster mister pointy ears" Toph bellowed and Zuko flushed a deep red

"Shut it Toph!" But he laughed with her "she is right though... I'm just, nervous is all, dont worry Tayko, I'll have the letter written by tonight"

Tayko, still being wary of how Toph behaved but understanding that her king was very brash with people who acted out of line, gave a smile "my lord, may I say something?"

Zuko sat straight and looked at her warily "go on Tayko"

"It is to my knowledge that most people don't support miss Toph being here, but I have never seen anyone make you smile as she has," she paused and looked at her hands in her lap "I'm very happy to see you smile again"

"Well, its nice that someone noticed, thank you Tayko" Toph said with a big grin spread from ear to ear across her cheeks. "Now, Zuko has some writing to do, so run along, I will fetch you when it is written"

Not long after Tayko scurried off she was fetched once more and given the letter to send by hawk to summon the southern nights and the avatar. The hawk response came by the next evening when Toph was training Zuko to react faster on both sides, not just his good side. "I know you're not a dwarf but ANYONE can feel the vibrations, and you're clear proof of that" Toph said as she watched the king use his blades and flames to expertly block and deflect each rock sent his way.

"My lord" Tayko spoke suddenly from behind Toph and had a blade fly past her head missing by a good six inches "Eep!" She tensed while he took off his blindfold

"Sorry Tayko, you startled me" Zuko gave a sheepish grin "what did you need?"

"The uh.." she moved away from the wall with a sigh "the Southern Chief sent back, they will be here in three days time. Shall I summon Lady Mai and Ty Lee?"

Zuko gave a huff and slouched his shoulders, his pointed ears slanting downward as well "that would be best, though they won't be happy to be summoned so soon after their honeymoon"

The pair most certainly weren't, the arrival of them was easy to notice because a knife flew past Zuko's head, barely grazing his ear and landed on his throne "ah, Mai, sorry to summon you so early after you two wed, but youre the only ones capable of pulling off a three day party planning."

"You are going to owe use so many fruit tarts!" Mai spoke harshly as she stormed into the room

"Yeah! With rose petals!" Ty Lee backed up her wife with a much softer voice.

Mai smiled softly at Ty Lee and placed a quick kiss to her forehead "thank you darling."

"Of course, you'll have all the reward you like, but we have to prepare for the avatar and Sokka." Zuko said with a wave of his hand.

"You mean the Avatar and the Southern Knights" Mai pointed out

"Thats what I said"

By the time the third day of planning had finished the kingdom was decked out with shimmering blue flowers of all assortments, ribbons and the like were draped around anything that seemed fit to the recently weds.

At high noon Zuko was found with Ming fixing his hair and Ursa helping him with his robes and jewels. "He'll be here soon Mom"

"I know sweetie, but you need not worry, the Avatar will appreciate the festivities you have set out for him and the knights" Ursa reassured her son while tying off the last bit of silk and Ming slid in the metal hold for his hair piece.

"Thats not who he meant lady Ursa" Toph said bluntly. Ursa turned to the blind dwarf behind her who had a soft smile on her face rather than her normal mischief coated expression. "My lord, they've arrived at the gates"

Zuko flushed "lead the way" and she did. She lead him down the many stairs, with his many layers of silk flowing freely behind him. They followed the winding paths of the kingdom streets until they reached the Knights and Avatar. Chief Hakoda and Bato stood with Sokka on their right and Katara on their left with Avatar Aang in the middle. A hobbit at maybe their hips was a humorous sight indeed, but Zuko's focus was on someone else.

Sokka stood in his formal attire, a pale blue high collar robe ending at his shoulders but his arms covered by a a deep blue draping silk over dress connected in the center by a fire opal jewel. Zuko was of course caught staring by the chiefs themselves "ahem, Lord Zuko?" Bato spoke up with a raised brow

"Oh, uh! My apologies, welcome to my kingdom," he turned to look at Aang who smirked when he noticed the flush on Zuko's cheeks "thank you for coming to the honoring Avatar Aang"

"Say, Lord Zuko, Sokka told me about his last trip here.. well, technically he spoke mostly of you, not much variety in his stories I'll tell you tha-!" The small boy was silenced by a hand over his mouth from a flustered Sokka.

The blue eyed boy stammered out a "sorry about him, he loves to blurt things out without thinking them through!"

"Sounds like someone else I know" Katara said with her hand on her hips. From just looking at her ears he could tell that she was a bender, and a powerful one at that. "Sorry about that Zuko, my brother and Aang love getting on eachothers nerves, especially about you" she rolled her eyes

Zuko however was as red as his robes "oh, uh, thats perfectly alright, Toph, would you mind showing them to their quarters?"

Toph gave a laugh "you want a blind dwarf to lead four southern elves and a hobbit to their living quarters?"

"You may be blind but you can easily see, and you know it Toph-" a rock hit the back of his head and he yelped before giving her a pout

"Haaah! Yeah, youre right, but don't you wanna show baby blue to his room?"

Zuko gave a huff "Chief Hakoda, Cheif Bato, Warrior Karata and Avatar Aang please follow Mage Beifong to your living quarters. Warrior Sokka, I need a word with you about that design you sent over last moon, so I will show you to your room"

"Oh, of course" and with that the group left the two man alone to walk to the palace. For a short while they were quiet but Sokka broke the silence by linking arms "so, about those designs, I was thinking we could easily make a cart that didn't need any animal to pul it if we just used"

Zuko didnt hear much besides Sokka's voice, too lost in the fact that he was finally here to understand what the sounds meant together until they made it into the castle and Sokka tugged him into a small broom closet "I know why you actually separated me from the others"

Zuko cleared his throat "im sure you are aware of my reasons, but you did not need to drag me in here, if you were worried about someone catching wind you made the mistake of going into a broom closet with one of my maids already in here" he turned to help her up "sorry miss Jin, I'll give you the day off paid in full"

Zuko then took hold of Sokka's hand and dragged him out of the small room and back to the empty hallway. "Hah, my bad" Sokka said with a small voice crack

"Don't worry about it, thought you shouldn't worry about the staff catching wind of this sort of thing, everyone here adores you, I hope you know that" Zuko chuckled

"What sort of thing?" Sokka feigned innocence and Zuko being ever so gullible fell for it with a flushed face

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just thought that, maybe you had caught onto my affections for you, and reciprocated them. What did you think I-!!" The king didn't have much room to continue his awkward words because Sokka planted a quick kiss to his cheek to silence him

"Of course I do Zuko, and I was only teasing, you really should be better at spotting that with Toph being around you all the time, hah, she plays the- hey! Where are we going?"

Zuko said nothing, and just dragged him to the room he was to be staying in for the week of festivities and slammed the door behind them. "Don't. Don't.... don't tease me about that okay? I'm not entirely used to anyone returning affections since... well" he genstured to his burn scar and damaged ear.

"Oh, oh Zuko no, Zuko I'm sorry, I didnt realize... I'm sorry" Sokka took the shorter elf's face in his hands and forced him to look him in the eyes "Zuko you're beautiful, I can't get over how stunning you looked under the moonlight the first time we met. And what's even more stunning about you is the ability to make a confession walk seem like a diplomatic walk to anyone but the two of us. You really do have a way with words"

Zuko was practically melting in the hands of the southern warrior, "you... you really think that of me?" He asked with a shy softness to his voice.

Sokka couldnt help the fond chuckle "Of course I do Zuko, now, if its not too much, may I give you a real kiss this time?"

All Sokka needed was a small nod and he sealed the distance between them. Every mile, every inch, every millimeter of distance that had ever been between the fire elven king and Southern elven warrior was gone, and all that remained was stars.

The two wed thirteen moons later, with a promise to protect, love, and trust one another in this life and every life that came after.

#avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #prince zuko #zuko #atla zuko #atla sokka #sokka #zukka #medieval au #alternate universe

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daenerysstrangersagain · 4 years

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The Logistics of Dragons

link

Or the Ecological Disaster that is The Dragon and the Strategic Implications

Now, what got me thinking about stuff like this, were the quotes regarding Balerion, Meraxes, and Vhagar and their size. We are told that at least two of the dragons could fit a horse in their mouths, and that Balerion could fit something even larger, perhaps a Mammoth or Elephant. Let's assume that horse are bite sized for most fullygrown untampered or restrained dragons. From the somewhat poor portrayals of the dragons in the TV series, the dragons seem to have a very large head to belly ratio but even so, thats freaking huge. And while I'm tempted to say that because they are reptilian that there metabolism would be slowish, but they fly and breathe fire, so I doubt that.

For that reason, I'm pretty sure that multiple meals per day is the normal for a fully grown dragon. And since I doubt they were using small breeds of horses for the description, we can use working breeds and war horses. So 3/4 ton to just over a ton. Which would put daily meals, assuming 2 meals a day, at 2 tons. Not 2 tons of meat, like just the muscles of a creature, but 2 tons of flesh and bone. I'd say that being dragons, the belly fire and internal heat help melt and sterilize bones and intestinal waste of a creature. Anyways, that's two horses. Or a few dozen sheep, or lots of boar, you get the picture. Now its not too bad if you only have half a dozen or fewer dragons, like the five that Aenar originally had, that's only 10 tons of meat a day. Or 20 horses.

Yeah at only five dragons, we're talking about 140 horses a week. Or to put that another way, 7,280 horses a year. Or the equivalent in meaty flesh, which comes out to 3,640 tons a year. That's absolutely monstrous......if they primarily eat off the land. Which excluding Drogon's behavior, I don't think dragons do or even prefer. I would think they prefer fish and other water creatures. What comes to mind is the scene from the first American Godzilla, where the beast was consuming entire ship fulls of fish in the movie. But I think the reason Drogon and his siblings eat like they do is that unlike the other Valyrian dragons, they were barely exposed to the open sea at all, only fishing in the ocean maybe once in their early lives, and the rest being land based and fed from land creatures.

Back to the the numbers and the intentionally false presumption for the sake of demonstration.

So literally thousands of horses, or tens of thousands of sheep and smaller animal over the course of a year. For merely five dragons. Now the dragons of the Dance of the Dragons were somewhat smaller, but for the purpose of demonstration let's assume that every named dragon eats horses by the mouthful. I believe there were 19 Dragons in the Dance? Let's go by the startling numbers.

19 dragons would consume 38 tons of flesh, daily. That's 266 tons of flesh a week. Or about 12 Semi Trucks a week. Or 532 adult horses a week. That's 13,832 tons of flesh a year, or 27,664 adult horses. To put that into perspective, 19 dragons could have eaten Genghis Khan's Mongol Army out of their horses in 3 years or less. And this is all being supplied by pre-industrial agriculture and herding. Even with the entirety of Westeros, they would be eating faster than the food could be replenished.

No wonder the Dothraki had to wait until the fall of Valyria to do anything, Valyrian Dragons could have eaten the horses into extinction if they wanted to! And of course, the most horrifying bit of all? I'm assuming that dragons are satisfied with just two mouthfuls a day. How many mouthfuls a day can you, personally, eat? Or any other animal?! DUN DUN DUUUUUN!

Luckily, GRRM seems to have thought of this. If you notice, the former shepherds don't actually expand that deeply into continental Essos and definitely don't expand that fast. They would know, the hard way, how voracious dragons are and how quickly they consume entire flocks of sheep and herds of cattle when they have the mood, thus developing an early caution regarding the power of dragons, and learning important environmental and conservation lessons. Again the hardest way. They have little desire to usurp and conquer the Rhoyne river system from the Rhoynish, a river system that appears to be nearly as powerful as the Mississippi system in terms of navigability and reach. And they didn't want possesion of it for themselves. Because it was too far away from the open sea, and thus too far away from the primary source to keeping dragons fed without everyone starving. What the Valyrian Empire did do, was establish sea ports and cities real close to the sea, all along the coasts. Their dragons are the source of their power, but also a logistical weight around their neck, because in order to meet the dietary requirements, its either consume from the bounty of the ocean or strip the lands bare of anything larger than a dog. So from the peninsula of Valyria, the old empire was more heavily bound to the sea ports and shores than the British Empire. Even more powerful in relative terms to everyone else, to the extreme, but also hobbled and restricted to that same extreme.

Their behavior in their two most notable wars demonstrate this. Against the Ghiscari Empire, after slaughtering their armies time and again, they took only a small portion of land for themselves, and were largely content with leaving Slaver's Bay cities intact and subservient. Qaath and Sarnor were left to be because they only had one port between them and were apparently non-hostile to boot. But the Valyrians did expand west and slightly up the Rhoyne, in addition to their port cities across Western Essos. An interesting note is that during this time, they were trading, and may have in fact founded, Old Town. Either way, Old Town and what would become Dorne are no strangers to dragons and Dragonlords.

However, while they didn't actually want to bountiful Rhoyne and all its lands, bringing and feeding dragons so far from the sea would be intensely devastating to the local ecology. Even just a few of them. The Rhoyne river system looks to be nearly as widespread and navigable as the Mississippi River System, so it would provide the water for massive amounts of food and trade from top to bottom, and with Rhoynish Water Wizards, it may have been engineered here and there for irrigation and fish farming. I would suspect that the Rhoyne valleys at the time were replete with artificial lakes and ponds for fish farming and such, with dams and berths everywhere. But a few millennia without maintenance and time would have drained and reshaped the entire system to something more natural, but still fertile. Without the Valyrians, the Rhoynish would have been a super power, based a vast and fertile continental heartland, supplying an endless source of manpower and riches. Similar to the Reach. But bigger. Way fucking bigger and with a deeper pool of manpower to boot. The 250,000 men raised was less likely an upper limit of how many were available, and more likely a limit based on transportation. And while it is portrayed as genocidally devastating to the point of forcing a mass migration, its not the numbers that really mattered. Its who was lost and how many. I'd guess they brought the majority of the most powerful and skilled water wizards with them to the battle, possibly all but a few in the entire empire, and their loss combined with the loss of all the others, would have been irreplaceable to a civilization dependent on them. Oh and the implied threat of extinction if they don't get stepping. Fast.

Shame that they thought they could use war as a diplomatic tool against a Valyrian colony. But what choice did they have with the dragons fucking shit up for the Southern most outpost of the Rhoynish?

The Valyrians were a brutal Slavocracy, conservationist tendencies aside, and I doubt they were particularly discriminating about where the slaves came from and had an endless thirst for them, for they were few in number and had an atrocious birth rate. I mean holy shit, several thousand years, and not a single colony majority Valyrian. Not a one, so in order for their port cities to even function, they needed slaves. An endless supply of them, from the planters of the field, even down to middle managers, the Valyrians at their height would have had a slave to free man ratio closer to Haiti than Rome, and with their dragons largely feeding from the seas, this vast number of slaves required feeding. The Volantenes moving up the Rhoyne would have rang massive alarm bells among the Rhoynish, who had most likely been supplying food to the ports and outpost of the Empire. Were they next for the yoke?

The Valyrian Freehold is perhaps the most brutally efficient and invincible Slavocracy of fiction. Dragons supplying the vast majority of military might that only those with particular genetics can even use, so they have no need for a large foot contingent. Endless amounts slaves supplying all essential labor that an ethnic Valyrian doesn't care to do, not a drop of pity for the enslaved among those who could do anything about it, which means no society upending war over it. No rival capable of fighting the full might of the Valyrian host, so no outside force can intervene effectively. The only weakness they had was keeping their dragons fed, which is the only thing, aside from their own conservationist tendencies, that prevented them from over-running Westeros and Essos a mere millennia into their reign. They had no choice in establishing a mostly by the sea empire if they wanted to keep using their dragons.

#westeros.org #dragons #meta #food

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trendingnewsb · 6 years

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Israels Ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak Says Keep the Iran Nuclear Deal

TEL AVIVEhud BarakIsraels most decorated soldier, former army chief of staff, and former prime ministerwas in an introspective and relaxed mood one recent Friday.

Not surprising for a man, now 76 and sporting a late-age black beard, whose life began even before Israels creation and brought him to the states highest pinnacles of power. Also explaining the mood was the English-language memoir he has coming out this week in the U.S.titled My Country, My Life: Fighting for Israel, Searching for Peacea long and weighty effort, he said with relief, that interweaves his own personal and political journey with that of his nation.

A notoriously evasive interview subject, Baraks responses come out in torrents, like a university lecturer confident in both his own intellect and that of his audience. At various points during a long and expansive conversationabout Iran, Syria, Russia, the Palestinians, Benjamin Netanyahu, and morehe throws in references to Hume, Kant, Fukuyama and Jonathan Haidt, as well as the many Israeli and world leaders (Obama, Putin, Bill Clinton, Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, to name a few) he has worked with going back decades.

Hes not obfuscating necessarily, but rather patiently explaining, trying to convince, trying to make you see things his way. If hesitation creeps into his voiceif he feigns uncertaintythen its likely for a greater purpose. I do my best to open peoples eyes and make people aware of where this government is taking us, he said, jibing with his recent reemergence on the public stage as a fierce critic of the current Netanyahu government.

There are few in Israeli politics with the experience and gravitas to make a stronger case. Yet he himself has been out of politics for five years now, his last position as Netanyahus defense minister, a role his left-wing (Labor Party) base likely still hasnt forgiven. Its precisely this fact, though, combined with the reality that hes one of only three still-living prime ministers, that arguably gives him the most insight into the many fraught issues facing Israel today.

Take the perceived weightiest of them all: Iran. Barak, as defense minister from 2009 to 2013, was deeply involved in the run-up to the signing of the Iran nuclear agreement. Indeed, he, more than Netanyahu, was known to be a hardliner on the issue, even going so far as to ready Israel for a preemptive military strike against Irans nuclear facilities. For a variety of reasons it didnt happen, he told me. There was actually strong opposition from within the security establishment and also from the [Israeli] president and the media. A lot of opposition.

The Iranians are bad guys and they remain bad guys, but they have kept the letter of the agreement quite systematically [and] all in all it delays the new starting point or countdown towards a nuclear capability.

Ehud Barak

However, once U.S. President Barack Obama signed the nuclear deal with Iran, in 2015, Baraks thinking changeda point obviously relevant for the current moment. I think this deal was bad, I said it in real time, and other approaches should have been taken. But once it was signed its no longer a philosophical question, its a practical question. Is it smarter to tear it apart or keep it in place? he posited. And here there are many points of view on both sides. Theres a lot of logic in maintaining it in place.

The Iranians, according to Barak, are bad guys and they remain bad guys, but after the deal was signed and began to be implemented they kept the letter of the agreement quite systematically [and] all in all it delays the new starting point or countdown towards a nuclear capability.

Obama was an intelligent president, Barak went on, he understood that he took a certain gamble for the first half of the term of the agreement. Its clear that the Iranians would do nothing because they want to harvest all the benefits. But about the second half, its only a gamble.

If Barak had his way post-deal, Israel and the U.S.including under Obamawould have come together behind closed doors to hedge against the risk: bringing all their intelligence assets to bear on monitoring Irans behavior, finding agreement on what exactly would constitute a nuclear breakout, as well as clear guidelines for putting the military option back on the table. I thought we could do it, he said, but Bibias he repeatedly called Netanyahu, using his nicknamechose to do something else with the big speech [to the U.S. Congress in 2015] that I thought was a mistake. But thats all about the past.

This wasnt the only time during the conversation that Barak diverged from his former boss on Iran strategy (and many issues besides). Even Netanyahus public reveal last week of over a hundred thousand documents from Irans nuclear archive, allegedly obtained via a daring Mossad operation, failed to sway Baraks opinion.

As Barak put it, it was a truly remarkable intelligence achievement… and there was lots of material [there], but nothing thats new. Nothing substantive about what they did and didnt do that wasnt already known to intelligence for years now. Not one new item. In this respect, [Netanyahu] didnt bring what he should have brought, i.e. the smoking gun.

The best is always to be extremely calculated and perceived as totally unpredictable. In the real world thats not easy to execute.

Ehud Barak

Contra Netanyahus emphasis on Tehrans perfidiousness, Barak stressed that everyone knew the whole time that Iran is lying, and that was one of the reasons for all the arrangements in the nuclear agreement. Theres no proof that [Iran] continued doing things that arent permitted, he stated flatly.

Netanyahus performance, though, may have served a different purpose: to sway public opinion in general, and support Donald Trumps inclination to pull out of the nuclear deal on March 12 in particular. Barak assessed that this was almost a foregone conclusion, especially with John Bolton and Mike Pompeo now advising the U.S. president. For all that, he didnt think that the U.S. pulling out would necessarily spell the end of the nuclear deal (a multinational agreement, it should be remembered, between Iran and five additional world powers) nor that Iran itself would pull out and race ahead towards a bomb.

[The Iranians] arent backgammon players, theyre chess players, he said, using a clich that coming from someone elses mouth, with less direct experience battling Iran and its proxies, wouldve seemed trite. They are clever and self-controlled enough not to provide this excuse, especially to this wildcard U.S. administration. Irans real fear, he observed, was a direct military clash with the U.S. that would spell the end of the Islamic Republic; they would, at least in the early going, likely avoid giving Trump this pretext.

In the longer term, however, the U.S. leaving the agreement may provide Tehran diplomatic cover if it was caught violating the terms of the deal. The Americans started it, American behavior basically legitimized our own deviation, Barak said, channeling his inner Iranian official.

Barak freely admitted that this was all speculation: an assessment, to be sure, based on his time at the highest levels of global politics, but also a dangerous game. There was no guarantee that Netanyahu and Trumps wishesto apply renewed pressure on Iran, in the hope of getting a better dealwould work out. Wouldnt the chances of miscalculation and war increase?

The best is always to be extremely calculated and perceived as totally unpredictable. In the real world thats not easy to execute, he said.

Ive known Putin from his first day in the Kremlin, hes an extremely practical person, effective, with two feet well on the ground.

Ehud Barak

As with most Israeli officials who came up through the military, Barak maintains a remarkable equanimity regarding the prospects of potential future conflicts. He recalls, albeit as a young child, Israels first war, for its independence in 1947-48, and the American assessments that the fledgling Jewish community in the Holy Land wouldnt survive. Put in this light, the looming confrontation, for instance, between Israel and Iran over Syria and possibly Lebanon too isnt inevitable and nobody needs it, certainly not Israel, he said, but more to the point, were the strongest country in the region so if were compelled or coerced into a war well hit back very strongly.

The fact that this arena has come to the fore in recent months, with Tehran and Jerusalem now publicly trading threats and occasional direct fire, isnt helpfulhe wouldve much preferred to keep all of it out of the public eye and run through clandestine channels. Surprisingly, he had relatively positive words for the Russian role in Syria.

Ive known Putin from his first day in the Kremlin, hes an extremely practical person, effective, with two feet well on the ground, Barak said. Russian interests in Syria, supporting their client Bashar al-Assad, were complicated, he allowed, but that didnt mean that they were wholly in line with those of Iran or Hezbollah. I met with Putin more than once during the critical stages of the Syrian civil war we exchanged views very openly. We have to take the Russians as a fact, and a fact thats not necessarily unfriendly to Israel, he added. [So] Russia is not just part of the problemit could be part of the solution They could be a stabilizer if we find ourselves on the verge of deterioration or escalation.

Closer to home, Barak wasnt too alarmed, either, by the recent bloodshed on the Gaza border, or the prospects of increased violence in the wider Palestinian Territories come mid-May when the 70th anniversary of Israels independence and what Palestinians call the Nakba, or catastrophe, coincides with the move of the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

We should never underestimate anything, but we also shouldnt be alarmed by everything. You need to walk between those two lines, Barak said, like a man who had gone countless rounds in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Were in a tough neighborhood, but we have the tools to handle these types of things. Indeed, in line with most Israelis, Barak was grateful to Trump for his very important and positive decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem on May 14.

In truth, though, the only real issue that alarmed him was the Palestinian question, and the lack of any tangible moves towards, if not peace, then a separation or painful divorce. Unlike Iran, Barak was adamant on this point: the only existential risk facing Israel was the prospect of a one-state reality. Well end up either as a non-Jewish or a non-democratic entity, or probably both, with a lot violence or even a civil war. Something that has nothing to do with the Zionist vision or project.

Barak was adamant on this point: the only existential risk facing Israel was the prospect of a one-state reality.

The dilemma that began after the 1967 war, with the Israeli conquest of the West Bank and, subsequently, the massive settlement enterprise, had in Baraks telling now morphed into a debate about what to do with the isolated settlements. This is the entire heart of the argument, he said. At the end everyone in Israel agrees that eighty percent of the settlers that live in the settlement blocs and the [east] Jerusalem neighborhoodswhose entire territory is 5 percent [of the West Bank]would leave approximately 94 percent of the territory for the Palestinians.

The Right wants everything, and at the end itll clash with the world who will demand that therell be nothing, he continued. Theres no logic, because strategically and truthfully we just need the settlement blocs. This is the technical argument. But anyone who wants one-state has to continue with the isolated settlements because thats what helps him to undermine [the prospect of a two-state solution].

And yet, hadnt Barak been the one that seared in the Israeli consciousness the notion that there was no partner on the Palestinian side, coming out of the failed Camp David peace summit in July 2000 when he was prime minister? This is a bit of an urban legend, he replied forcefully. What I actually said was we dont have a partner in Arafat this moment its not no partner cosmically, universally it was just an objective description of what I found.

For nearly two decades this one statement had been processed and simplified and distortedinto something that matches the feeling of frustration in Israeli society, he continued.

What really happened when I came to power? he said. I looked at it as coming to a two-family home, us and the Palestinians. And a fire is about to break out on both sides. The leaders want to put the fire out, but the other guy [Arafat] already has a medal for being the best firefighterthe Nobel Peace Prizebut you cant know if in reality hes not a pyromaniac. And you cant know! Unless you go to Camp David and try to make a very generous [offer].

For Barak now this was all in the past. He stressed repeatedly that regardless of the leadership on the Palestinian side, Israel had to take certain steps in order to keep the option of two states alive. Its about us, our future, our identity, and our security.

Given the stakes, how did he explain the fact that others in Israel, especially the current government, viewed things so diametrically different?

There are cynical people in politics. Theyre intelligent people[so] its hard to assess that they dont see what I see… [but] with political people you have no choice but to judge them not on what you think they understand but on their actions in practice.

In this regard, his criticism of Netanyahu is unsparing, summing up years of disappointment with a man whom he has known since their days together in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit. Bibi is serious, hes not a lightweight. Hes a thoughtful person, but he developed a mindset that is extremely pessimistic, passive, anxious and self-victimizing. This is a good recipe for politics and a bad recipe for statesmanship.

Netanyahu, in Baraks telling, understood the risks outlined above, as well as the opportunities involved in the Palestinian issueespecially as a necessary precondition for a full, public alliance with the moderate Sunni Arab states in the region. Its on the table, and Bibi talks about it, he said. But somehow deep in his heart hes rejecting it, he doesnt want to move.

It wasnt a coincidence, Barak said, that nearly all senior Israeli security officials, similar to him, who enter politics come out on the left side of the political spectrum. I call it the reality principle, stupid! These people are dealing with life and death on a daily basis, protecting our people, so they make judgments on how to be most effective to protect the country to save lives. They dont think politically. And it ended up that their positions are on the center-left sideit means something about the reality, not about them.

For all that, though, the Israeli Right has been winning elections for most of the last 40 years (except for Barak and Yitzhak Rabins tenures in the 1990s). It seems that even with the Israeli security establishment firmly in favor of separating from the Palestinians, the Israeli public remains unconvinced. The power and political influence of the generals in Israeli society isnt what it once was, was it?

Barak agreed, and chalked it up to, essentially, Israel being a victim of its own success. After 1967, and certainly by the 1980s, there was no real existential security threat facing Israel. Wars became smaller and less conclusive, special forces operations less James Bond and more surgical. Couple this with a modernizing society and booming economy, and many other arenas were created, he said, from which people could distinguish themselves and reach high levels of public attention and recognitionhi-tech, academia, journalism, televisionmore than a general who does important things but you dont see him every day.

Barak, inevitably, wouldnt be drawn on whether he planned to re-enter politics. I hope not, he demurred, unconvincingly, but you can never say never in politics. Perhaps if there was an acute crisis he would feel compelled to come back, although he was at pains to stress that he hoped such a crisis wouldnt arise.

Despite Netanyahu and the Palestinian question, he was very optimistic about the Jewish States future, an optimism, he said, that was based on something concreteits up to us.

Sometimes the greatest risk is being unable to take one, he said. The entire history of Zionism was built on a well-calibrated judgement of reality and the readiness to take important steps to avoid a future calamity Im a big believer in the abilities and talents and the capacity to come to our senses in time. And to take the appropriate actions so that our worst predictions dont come true.

Barak had built his career, and life, on just such bold action, some would say for both good and illwhether as a commando, senior military officer, and statesman. As the interview came to a close, Baraks next guest was already waiting. Like Barak in his day, this individual was a recently retired army chief of staff who was now weighing entering politics, as the latest great white hope of the Israeli Left.

Are you two thinking of forming a party? this reporter asked, only half-in-jest. Barak deflected the question, saying only that his guest was a big fan of heavy motorcycles. Sure.

Perhaps Ehud Barak has one more ride left on his journey, and one last chapter to write.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/israels-ex-prime-minister-ehud-barak-says-keep-the-iran-nuclear-deal

from Viral News HQ https://ift.tt/2Gh6Ry3 via Viral News HQ

#IFTTT #Viral News HQ

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irighteverything · 7 years

Text

Septerra Core: Entering the Kingdom

An excerpt fanfic sequel to Septerra core I’v been working on. I loved that game, the world, the story, but hated that it ended on a cliffhanger. So here’s my attempt to follow up on that. I’ll post the link to the full story when I set it up

It was a day that would be forever known on Septerra as ‘The Day of Miracles.’ When the world was on the verge of destruction, the Creator judged Septerra worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The shells of the world were brought together on the surface, new world appeared in the sky, and an angel of the creator informed the world that, these worlds have gone through a similar trial, and the creator had judged them worthy as well. And that one day, the people of Septerra would travel to those worlds, and would find the cultural exchange and new knowledge more valuable than mythical power or treasure.

Thirty years have passed since then.

Its finally time. Thought Led. She sat in a meeting room in the Ankaran capital, surrounded by representatives of every major power in Ankara. 30 years had been building up to this. She began to speak:

“Ever since the day of miracles. my husband Grubb and I have been working on fulfilling the promise of that day, of making travel to other worlds a reality. Ever since I was elected president of Ankara I’ve been pouring money into hiring engineers and researchers to make this happen, and we have done it. We have the technology to make the journey. And I want to bring representatives from every major power in Septerra to act as diplomats and explorers with me.”

“Are you sure about this?” one of the people seated around the table, a man in his 30’s wearing an outfit that was well made and probably expensive, but was also distinctly ‘junker’ in its design. “Can you really make it all the way to those other worlds?”

“Nothing is certain” Led responded. “We know we can reach those planets with probes, because we’ve done it. And the ship we created to make the journey should be more than capable of sustaining us for the journey.” She took a breath “and on another note: I think we should all introduce ourselves.”

“Aw come on, you know me Led,” the man responded, “even if it has been years since we’ve seen each other.”

“I do, Tori, but not everyone here does.”

“Alright, names Tori, mayor of Oasis”

Led giggled, “They elected you mayor? After all the crap you pulled”

“Hey,” Tori said slightly indignantly, “It was my thinking that saved Oasis from economic depression. I’m not the same person from all those years ago. And I never would have expected you would get elected President of Ankara.”

“Yea I guess we’ll just have to leave it at that.” Led said, not wanting to get into an argument now. She turned to a 30-something girl with red hair and a robotic arm “Why dont you introduce yourself.”

“Names Ara.” She said “Aryam sent me as a representative of New Jinam”

“So you’re an ambassador from New Jinam?”asked Led

“I’m just a mercenary” Ara replied

“Dont tell me we’re letting one of Big Boss’s mercenary dogs on this mission with us!” The outburst came from a man in his late 20s on the other side of the table. His wore the grey-and purple outfit typical of The Chosen, one of a group of Marduk’s followers who had traveled to what was then the top shell of Septerra, and developed some of the most advanced technology on the planet. And his facial tattoos marked him as a Chosen lord.

“Aryam hates that name you know. Besides who are you to talk? I know for a fact you Chosen have employed New Jinam mercs many times to settle disputes between your petty lords.”

“I’ll have you know I’m Maricus, Emperor of the Chosen. And I dont see why that ‘mercenary nation’ Aryam created deserves to be part of such a momentous occasion.”

“Because,” led interrupted “like it or not, New Jinam is a major power in Septerra. Plus, you are too young to remember, but it used to the pirates and bounty hunters were absolute terrors. It almost impossible to travel without risk of attack, and you visited the World Bazaar at your own risk. Aryam has given them a code, and reigned in their excesses.”

“Exactly” Ara said, and then clearly trying to change the subject “Anyway who’s the big blue freak?” Motioning towards a large, blue humanoid with an oval head, and no eyes standing in the corner.

“Not freak” he said “name’s Badu of the Underlost”

“Badu?!” Led exclaimed “I havent seen you in so long! I’m glad to see you are learning our language”

“No,” the Underlost replied “That Badu my father. Oldest son take father’s name. That is Underlost way”

The Underlost lived on what had previously been the bottom shell of Septerra. As such they were adapted to live in a dark environment. They had no eyes and relied on sonar to see.

“Underlost huh?” Ara said “I knew a few guys who were hired to fight your kind”

“You are reason many Underlost hate outsiders.” Badu said

“Hey, its just a job, done be mad because some assholes are willing to pay for bad behavior.” Ara said “Besides, I never dealt with Underlost myself, just heard stories”

Badu looked like he was about to say something, but Led interrupted. “Look, if we’re going to go on this mission, we’re going to need to work together. So if this is gonna be a problem…”

“It won’t” Ara said. Badu said nothing.

“So, what about you?” Led said to a blue-haired woman who couldnt be more than 18 or 19, and yet was wearing the uniform of one of Wind City’s Holy Guard. “I assume you are coming as a representative of Wind City?”

“Yes, my name is Lorel”

“Lorel?!” Led said surprised “You’re Maya and Corgan’s daughter! I havent seen you since you were a baby. And now here you are all grown up and joined The Guard.”

“Yes,” Lorel said “I just joined. Everyone thinks I only got in because of my parents. And thats why I volunteered for this, to prove them wrong.”

“You sound resentful of your parents” Led remarked

“Well, no” Lorel said, “Its not that. They were, are, great parents. Its just that...they are practically living legends. I feel like I could never measure up, like I’ll always be living in their shadow”

“I know how that is” Ara said quietly.

“What?” Lorel said

“Nothing...its personal” said Ara

“Okay that just leaves...wasnt there supposed to be a representative of The Watchers.”

“I am right here Led” a female voice emanated from a gold robotic body in the corner.

“Is that you Layla?” Led asked. Layla was the former commander of the Holy Guard. She had been killed fighting the Chosen, but the Watchers had resurrected her as one of them. Since then she had served as advisor to the government and people of Wind City, as well as an emissary between the watchers and the rest of Septerra.

“It is.”

“What happened to your giant bird body?”

“I will be away from the Watchers for the first time since I died. So it was decided that I should have a body with greater mobility and armements.”

“Alright,” Led said, “now that we’ve all met, and know why were here, is everybody in?”

Everyone present mummered in agreement.

“Great,” Led said, “theres just one more thing” She motioned towards the Jinam cyborg that had been standing next to her this whole time “This is Lobo. He’s going to be the one in charge of piloting the ship.”

“This mission may have been Led’s idea,” Lobo said, “but while you’re on my ship, I’m the one in command”

“You’ll all have 3 weeks to get your affairs in order,” Led said, “thats when we launch.”

#fan fiction #Septerra Core

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