Some more random AU thoughts:
After Arslan first wakes back up and recovers, Isfan can't stop fretting over him. He'd give Arslan a checkup every few minutes, to the point Farangis was like, “Bro, you're hovering.” “I am not.” “You are.”
Since Shapur and Kazai's relationship has a little leeway to be less secretive (albeit they'd pass off as lovers not husbands), I wonder if Kazai would sometimes accompany Shapur to Ecbatana. Or if the marzbans would know of him, even if just in passing.
Ecbatana shenanigans: Kharlan and Shapur unexpectedly bonding? Over being fathers? Especially after the jealous Crown Prince debacle? Maybe?
Also Shapur's loyalty in Andragoras is... dwindling. Or rather, his faith in the entire system, but since Andragoras stands at the top of it... Y'know, living with a clan that has a cultural history and identity of being wronged and persecuted by the system and those in power, it's gotta radicalize you at least a little bit. I wonder if Kharlan would notice that.
A lord, his half-brother born from a slave and is his heir, and an orphan boy he picked up from who-knows-where, one would think that's a perfect recipe for disaster but then in terms of conflict our wolf family is just... *crickets*. It'd be fun to see the shock of certain characters, haha 🤣
Eihon telling a young Isfan to recite a long list of medicinal plants and their properties in his mind whenever he feels his anger rising and doesn't want to lose control.
Shapur getting angry at something while far from home but being in a situation that doesn't allow him to express it, so he tries to distract himself by thinking about home but some stupid song baby Gieve made up is now stuck in his head. He can't get it out of his mind anymore. Poor sod.
Shapur and Hilmes having a screaming match. I have no clue what they're arguing about and at this point I'm too afraid to ask.
Isfan having to be held back from straight up murdering someone. Probably Gurgin. I don't have the context for this either.
Going back to Ecbatana (excuse my scattered brain), I wonder if Kharlan would notice the reason why Arslan noped out of the palace. Surely he must, right? And Shapur looked so... tired, the morning Arslan went to work outside the palace instead. What would he think of it? Would he even consider approaching Shapur with... information about Hilmes? I guess not, not very likely, but the seeds might already be planted.
Slings as weapons. Apparently they were widely utilized historically, and work great so long as the target has no armor or is lightly armored. Leaning towards Kashi being a slinger. Wouldn't that be cool?
Wondering how I should make Alfarīd and Ranna meet. Also Merlaine and Arslan. Hmmmm...
An argument between an exhausted Shapur and a very determined Narsus. Probably about putting forth Arslan as the hidden heir.
Isfan leaving his wolves to watch Arslan when the boy was comatose, but also after he wakes up but shouldn't exert himself, when he's not available to be by Arslan's bedside.
Farangis probably had to sedate Isfan at least once to get him to leave a comatose Arslan's bedside.
I haven't thought much about Gieve, huh... I should think about him more.
Gieve and Ranna put together would probably be called something like “Demon Duo”. Pranksters extraordinaire. Unhinged. All the good stuff, according to Kazai.
The Sindhuran debacle is still probably gonna happen. Except there's no Arslan to lead a campaign to Sindhura. Shapur and Daryun going to Peshawar to aid their fellow marzbans, probably dragging Narsus along for strategy purposes too? Haven't checked the timeline so not sure Arslan would be in a good enough shape to leave Gorgan. Most likely not. But what if Narsus remains behind, to observe Arslan? Questions, questions, so many questions...
Speaking of questions, what the everloving fuck is gonna happen to the political sphere after Tahamenay fucking offs Andragoras?! There's gonna be Team Hilmes, which Bahman would become part of, and then there's Team Gorgan, which would ally with Team Hilmes— What would Kishward do?! Actually I haven't been keeping track of where Kubard is either HELP T_T Daryun and Narsus are probably with Team Gorgan. What's gonna happen next?! Hilmes is probably finally in a position to reveal his lineage and identity, though. That's a good thing.
47 notes
·
View notes
Mystra showed him the secrets beneath the veils. The gossamer veils first, draped across the Weave. The delicate veils next, draped across her body. 'Chosen One' she whispered, as she slipped them off completely.
poor gale :'(
- the dialogue is from ea gale's explanation about his folly
- i kinda like that she ended up looking like a mother-of-pearl inlay lacquerware!
- oh this was a subconscious choice, but Gale is sitting in seiza which is a posture for showing respect especially to elders. it's also known to be a painful position to sit in for extended periods of time, which is why it was sometimes used as a method of (morally dubious) punishment. however, experienced people can maintain this posture for much longer. food for thought :-)
- (edit: deleted this point bcs it didn't really make sense + detracted from the art a little;;)
13K notes
·
View notes
“When I first heard it, from a dog trainer who knew her behavioral science, it was a stunning moment. I remember where I was standing, what block of Brooklyn’s streets. It was like holding a piece of polished obsidian in the hand, feeling its weight and irreducibility. And its fathomless blackness. Punishment is reinforcing to the punisher. Of course. It fit the science, and it also fit the hidden memories stored in a deeply buried, rusty lockbox inside me. The people who walked down the street arbitrarily compressing their dogs’ tracheas, to which the poor beasts could only submit in uncomprehending misery; the parents who slapped their crying toddlers for the crime of being tired or hungry: These were not aberrantly malevolent villains. They were not doing what they did because they thought it was right, or even because it worked very well. They were simply caught in the same feedback loop in which all behavior is made. Their spasms of delivering small torments relieved their frustration and gave the impression of momentum toward a solution. Most potently, it immediately stopped the behavior. No matter that the effect probably won’t last: the reinforcer—the silence or the cessation of the annoyance—was exquisitely timed. Now. Boy does that feel good.”
— Melissa Holbrook Pierson, The Secret History of Kindness (2015)
28K notes
·
View notes
you know what boils my blood.
over the last 2 weeks, i've seen countless patients walk into my urgent care center, symptomatic for so many things, refusing to get tested for covid and flu, citing that they don't want to knowingly bring it to their holiday tables. i had a patient tell me, verbatim, "i don't want to test for covid, because i don't want to be the asshole who brings it on a plane."
i understand that - i understand that holidays are times where people look forward to meeting loved ones that they might only see once a year, or where they get a break from the hectic back and forth of their lives.
but here's the thing - whether they get tested or not, they will bring whatever they have to their holiday tables. it's pure recklessness to know that you're sick, and walk into someone else's house spreading the disease.
today, january 2, i saw 91 patients, many of them who have tested positive for covid and flu. many of these patients are the same ones who didn't want testing 3 days ago, until their events were over, and now, they will have to reach out to everyone they know to let them know that they were positive because they were showing symptoms well before their event.
the next week or two? we're going to see many, many more, all people with symptoms that started around christmas. these are the only two viruses we test for rapidly in our office, but they are potent and can be fatal in many people.
so here's why i wrote this post, and maybe it's a little late, but - if you care about your loved ones, please get tested if you know you're sick. it doesn't have to be at a clinic if you don't want it to, because the over-the-counter tests work just fine too (if you test within 5-7 days of symptom onset). just...please don't try to run from the knowledge that you might have covid, because immunocompromised people, elderly people, people with co-morbidities like asthma, pregnancy, diabetes, etc...many of them may not recover. and they may not be sitting at your holiday table in the future because of it.
13K notes
·
View notes