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grainjew · 3 months

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Nikaposting Pt 4: Sun God Tropes

This is the fourth of a series of posts about Nika & associated religious practice in the One Piece world. As I write and post the rest of the series, I’ll add links to this header.

Pt 1: Crypto-Religion | Pt 2: Symbology & Syncretism | Pt 3: Joyboy was Shandian

Enormous credit to @oriigami for being my discussion partner through all of this and having a substantial influence on the final product. Check out our ao3 series Joyful for a narrative rather than analytical take on the Nika tradition, and definitely go read her OP blog @kaizokuou-ni-naru for meta and translation fun facts.

#JustLittleSunGodThings

So Luffy’s a sun god, or the embodied power of the wishes for one, or whatever. But does he do mythological solar deity things?

Yes actually.

This post is the fourth and last (as of now) in this series, and it’s entirely for fun. I’ll almost certainly miss things as I go down the list here- if you can think of other solar or dawn deity things he gets up to, please add them in the replies!

With no further ado, here is a list of sun god things Luffy has been known to get up to, & which will no doubt inform the mythology developing around him in the One Piece world. (How many people were deifying this guy even before he awakened his devil fruit? Like it was definitely not zero is all I’m saying.)

Getting eaten by snakes

What started this whole list was me turning to @oriigami in the middle of the night after we’d been rewatching Little Garden and trying to make an accurate count of how many times Luffy’s been swallowed whole and going “you know what’s sun god shit? getting eaten by snakes.”

Sun gods are often doing this. Take Apep in Egyptian myth, who tries to devour the sun god Ra every day. Or Rahu, the Hindu shadow planet and serpent, who swallows the sun to cause solar eclipses.

Luffy is also often doing this. The most notable example is of course the Nola Incident in Skypiea arc, but if we expand the definition of snake to include generally snakeish sort of guys, he also gets briefly ate by Kaidou very shortly after awakening, and just now by Mister Sandworm in ch 1110. (And by Kaidou fish-fish fruit equivalency I’d argue we can also count the Little Garden goldfish and the crocodile that ate him as a kid here but obviously that’s more tenuous and mostly just funny.)

Slightly more tenuously as well, there’s Amaterasu of Shinto lore retreating into her cave (a cave is a kind of snake), as well as the Norse wolf that chases the sun Sköll (occasionally merged with Fenrir), the Javanese god (described as an ogre) Batara Kala who eats the sun and moon to cause eclipses, and the alchemical Green Lion that devours the sun.

Storm and sky gods are also often interacting with, killing, and being eaten by snakes, which is less relevant here except that Nami is storm god coded and she also got ate in the Nola Incident. So that’s fun!

Having a chariot that circumnavigates the world

Many sun gods, especially in the Indo-European sphere of traditions, have some sort of chariot or boat that they ride from east to west each day to carry the sun across the sky. Often they have attendants (sometimes dawn and dusk gods; or sometimes these gods have their own chariots or horses as well) to help them with this.

If you want a list of sun vehicles the wikipedia page for solar deities has a whole bunch of them. Have fun.

I think Thousand Sunny speaks for herself on this front: not only is Sunny a ship designed, destined, and dreamed up to herself circumnavigate the world with Luffy as her captain, but she also has the Sun on the front as her figurehead in a manner that does kinda remind me of some depictions I’ve seen of the sun being carried across the sky in such a chariot. Also, she can fly!

Association with royalty

Kings and emperors love to use sun gods to give divine legitimacy to their rule. This is in no way universal (there’s lots of storm gods out there who also do this, just off the top of my head) but take Amaterasu (Shinto), Inti (Incan), Amun-Ra (also Aten) (Egyptian), Sol Invictus (Roman), etc.

Obviously Luffy is going to be King, and is currently an Emperor. But also, he tends to go around and toppling kings and gods and tyrants and vaguely lending legitimacy to whoever is stepping up to the throne in their place. He’s got the Mandate of Heaven (this is a joke mostly but we HAVE all read Loguetown)! And also distributes it to people he likes. Thanks Luffy.

Solar discs, radiate crowns, and beetles

A solar disc is a flat circle, sometimes with rays, that symbolically represents the sun or the sun personified. If you have read pt 2 of this series, you will recognize the Nika symbol in this description.

In the same vein, when applied to a personified depiction of the sun, the solar disc has the habit of becoming a halo or a radiate crown (such as the one worn by the Statue of Liberty - the radiate crown used to be an emperors and sun gods thing and has since become associated with personifications of liberty. So That’s Fun). Obviously Luffy is not in the habit of having either of these representationally, except of course for. The hat that encircles his head in gold.

The final note on symbology I have here is that the Egyptian god of the morning sun, Khepri, is associated with scarabs/dung beetles. A fact that I think known beetle-lover Luffy would appreciate. Get this guy some scarab symbolism stat. Check these bugs out!!!

Bonus: descending into the underworld and eclipse stories

Katabasis, that is, a descent into the underworld, is in no way a sun god exclusive, although solar myths do often involve the sun god, having traveled across the sky by day, needing to find their way through the ocean, the underworld, or some other sort of nether realm to return, overnight, to their morning home in the east. And it’s very fun to look at in the context of Luffy, eclipse myths, and the Marineford saga.

So obviously the Impel Down arc is is a very literal katabasis. It’s Hell, it’s got all the Dante’s Inferno theming, and, like in so many katabases, Luffy descends to the depths in pursuit of some goal, eventually emerging miraculously alive but unsuccessful (see, for a very quick shortlist of katabases of this type, Orpheus & Eurydice, Inanna, and Izanagi & Izanami).

So that’s delightful. But I think it’s even more fun to think about the Marineford saga in general, eventually culminating in the timeskip, as a prototype for an eclipse story.

Solar eclipses, though predictable, are something like a rarer and more frightening form of night, and so their associated myths have a general tendency to involve a more dramatic and/or violent symbolic death of the sun- see, for example, the various devourers of the sun mentioned in the first bullet point of this post.

So, we have the timeskip. The fire goes out. The sun, having descended into the underworld and pushed himself past his own limits, is defeated, disappearing completely from the world for two years. Until- In a way that was, technically, predictable, if you had the correct sphere of knowledge, he returns, miraculously renewed.

I’d incorporate that into my belief system, is all I’m saying.

Thank you all for reading! This is all for the series so far, but not, I hope, forever. Many more thoughts to have and webs to weave!

Have a lovely week!

#fun fact i originally wrote the last bullet point of this with one of the first migraines i'd ever had. showed it to jonny #and she had to physically stop me from trying to post it because oh it was so so bad . it was incomprehensible gamers #you could Tell #monkey d luffy #nikaposting #one piece #opmeta #meta tag #zephflix original #if i hadn't dropped out of college i'd be a religious studies major and this tag is how you know

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flowerandblood · 7 months

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Winter Drabbles Series

✨ small gifts from me to my beloved fans ✨

» Graphic Headers for this Series «

Recently I have been writing a lot of long series from which I would like to take a break. I decided that I wanted to make shorter forms and the well-known drabbles seem to be the perfect excuse for it. I decided that in December (or at the end of November) I will publish 10 short forms, which − please note − will refer to your favorite series written by me! Below is a list of topics.

» The Longing «

The Impossible Choice

[ Aemond ✦ Targaryen x Baratheon! ✦ female ]

Aemond through his duties as the Hand of the King is unable to keep his promise and accompany his wife on her journey to Storms End. To his disappointment this does not stop her and she and their son leave for what seems to him an infinite amount of time.

» The Greed «

The Golden Cage

[ modern! mafia boss ✦ Aemond x female ]

Aemond wants to be the only thing occupying his girlfriend's thoughts. Although he expects her to pass her exams with good results at university, he also makes sure she doesn't forget her priorities and responsibilities − namely him.

» The Jealousy «

Rage | Revenge | Relief

[ modern! ✦ Aemond x stepsister! ✦ female ]

Aemond finally introduces his girlfriend (or actually his fiancée) to his older sibling. To his frustration, Aegon seems to enjoy this acquaintance more than he would like.

» The Bliss «

Green Snake, Red Lion

[ Slytherin ✦ Aemond x Gryffindor ✦ female ]

Solren is very stressed before her Potions exam. Aemond decides to make sure his girlfriend relaxes a bit.

» The Adoration «

The Evening Star

[ Hades ✦ Aemond x Persephone ✦ female ]

Hades decides to make his beloved wife a present worthy of her on the anniversary of her birth. Everything, including what they will do on the night, is to be a surprise.

» The Consolation «

Fair Play

[modern! ✦ Aemond x female ✦ volleyball players]

Her team loses in the national finals despite her hours of training and dedication. Her boyfriend, who unlike her has already won the championship with his team several times, decides to console her.

» The Shame «

Just this one time

[modern! ✦ Aemond x sexworker! ✦ female ]

Knowing that their relationship hasn't started in the way they would like, in an attempt to add a touch of normality they both so desire, they decide to go on a date and start things off as if they had never met before.

» The Devotion «

Wicked prayers, sweet peanences

[ priest ✦ Aemond x Strong! ✦ female ]

Although their family still cannot come to terms with his leaving the clerical state and his decision to remain in a relationship with his niece, Aemond has never felt better before in his life. He adores his most holy sacrament in his home in various more or less pious ways.

» The Care «

Glass Cuts Deepest

[ professor! ✦ Aemond x student! ✦ female ]

Aemond catches a cold, which makes him feel like these are the last days of his life. His fiancée helps him through these difficult times.

» The Trust «

The Girl With The Pearl Earring

[ modern! photographer ✦ Aemond x female ]

Aemond wants to take photos of his beloved muse in the open air. Naked. He assures her that no one will see her and he will make the best photograph of his career.

#flowerandblood christmas drabbles #christmas mini series

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slashingdisneypasta · 1 year

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Villains through the Rainbow

I cant believe I did this for fun. This was painful XD 😅 So be free to use them as wallpapers or headers or whatever ^^

Made on BeFunky with kissthemgoodbye.net and Google (And more). CLICK FOR BETTER QUALITY.

Below the cut are all the characters and movies and shows ^^

Red: Gaston (Beauty and The Beast, 1991), Pearl (Pearl, 2022), Professor Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective, 1986), Captain Hook (Peter Pan, 2003), Lord Shen (Kung Fu Panda 2, 2011), The Djinn (Wishmaster, 1999), Jafar (Aladdin, 1992), Otis B Driftwood (House of 1000 Corpses, 2003), Death (Puss N Boots; The Last Wish, 2022), Chucky / Charles Lee Ray (Seed of Chucky, 2004), Scar (The Lion King, 1994), and Erik Destler (The Phantom of the Opera, 1989).

Yellow: Percival C McLeach (The Rescuers Down Under, 1990), Mayor George W. Buckman (2001 Maniacs, 2005), Clayton (Tarzan, 1999), Sheriff Hoyt / Charlie Hewitt Jr (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 2003 + The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; The Beginning, 2006), Bill Cipher (Gravity Falls, 2012), Baby Firefly (House of 1000 Corpses, 2003), Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmations, 1961), Human!Chucky / Charles Lee Ray (Childs Play, 1988), Commander Lyle Rourke (Atlantis; The Lost Empire, 2001), Kahmunrah (Night At The Museum; Battle of the Smithsonian, 2009), Hopper (A Bugs Life, 1998), and Gilderoy Lockheart (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 2002).

Green: Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty, 1959), The Riddler (Fox Gotham, 2014), Scar (The Lion King, 1994), Leslie Vernon (Behind The Mask; Rise of Leslie Vernon, 2006), Chick Hicks (Cars, 2006), Freddy Krueger (Freddy Vs Jason, 2003), General Kai (Kung Fu Panda 3, 2016), Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice, 1988), Marvin the Martian (Space Jam, 1996), Oogie Boogie (A Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993), Greasy Weasel (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988), and Lady Tremaine (Cinderella, 2015).

Blue: Wheezy Weasel (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, 1988), Michael Myers (Halloween, 1978), Hades (Hercules, 1997), Maleficent (Once Upon A Time, 2011), Prince John (Robin Hood, 1973), Pamela Voorhees (Friday the 13th, 1980), Tai Lung (Kung Fu Panda, 2008), Stuart Lloyd (The Last Showing, 2014), Prince Hans of the Southern Isles (Frozen, 2013), Hades (Once Upon A Time, 2011), Shan Yu (Mulan, 1998), and Bo Sinclair (House of Wax, 2005).

Purple: Eris (Sinbad; Legend of the Seven Seas, 2003), Carrie White (Carrie, 1978), Jafar (Aladdin, 1992), Chop Top Sawyer (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, 1986), Evil Queen Grimhilde (Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, 1937), Tiffany Valentine (Bride of Chucky, 1998), Dr Facilier (The Princess and the Frog, 2009), Jervis Tetch (Fox Gotham, 2014), Ursula (The Little Mermaid, 1989), Regina Mills (Once Upon A Time, 2011), Long John Silver (Treasure Planet, 2002), and Jennifer Check (Jennifer's Body, 2009).

#Collage #Edits #Disney Villains #Disney Villains Collage #Horror Villains Collage #Villains Collage

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ian-galagher · 10 months

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for your followers: africa spoilers as big as the fucking shadowland.

today's movie that's totally kid friendly and NEVER ever at any point sexual or violent: the lion king 2.

- ian, day one.

- mickey: grumpy. moody. antisocial. ian:

- ian trying to equal mickey's talent.

- "not good?" he asked, taking a second look at what he'd made. "it's shit, red cheeks."

- mickey and ian discovering he's got a thing for portraits.

- mickey's nights prior to ian.

- ian at jan.

- ian x mickey vs jan.

- "mom?"

- them being young and careless and free in chapter six.

- "she didn't tell me. what the feather means. […] she only told me to give it to you." / "it's a long ass story." / "i'm not going anywhere."

- once again, them at god's window.

- pov: you're ian pulling up to mickey's house for the first time.

- when ian set the pan on fire and thought mickey was talking about him. "like i said, cute as fuck."

- pov: you're ian while mickey and mandy fight.

- obscure figures doing their figure shit in chapter eleven.

- "y'think i'm ugly? / "no, i think you're alive." i can't tell you why, it's just the exact eye expression i expect of mickey.

- "you and your stupid face distracted me." / "guess i'll try my best to be less distracting, then." / "impossible."

- "but he can make it up to me, one dress at a time."

- the braai. case closed.

- it's an edited version, but they made me think of inyoni and her grief. someone give her a blanket and a hot chocolate.

- "just tell him, ian." / "what if he doesn't feel the same way?" / "you know he does." / "yeah, i know."

- mickey: desperately trying to get rid off mandy. ian: "breakfast?"

- the words flew out before he could stop himself. "fuck, you're so beautiful." / mickey lowered the camera. "fuck, you're gorgeous."

- ian x mickey, chapter seven and fiften respectively.

- there. you wanna tell me THAT'S kid friendly? anyhow, ian and mickey, day seven and fifteen respectively. (i've been waiting for this one in particular. i think i'm very funny for it. on the ground.)

- bonus: me at jan.

- bonus bonus: you, planning africa.

- bonus x3: i wanted to add more, but tumblr only allows thirty images per ask. which. fucking rude.

ASKGJHAKJSGHAKS NOSHO!!!! 😭 THESE ARE SO GOOD!!!!!

🦁🪶🦒

Ian on day one is SO CUTE 😭😭😭 and THAT SECOND ONE!!! It's SO them! 🥹🧡

awwh Ian on his first days! Trying to be like Mickey 😭

ajsghakjshgk Mickey's nightmares 😭 oh man this one hurts!

there he is 😂 it's never long before Jan gets a mention!

MOM 😭

IM NOT GOING ANYWHERE 😭😭😭

every movie 😂 they all have a god's window shot 😂

I LOVE the idea of Mickey's house being that rock 😂😂😂 and Ian being all excited over it anyway 😂😂

cute as fuck 😂😂

poor Ian having to watch these two siblings fight all the time 😂

THE FIGURE RETURNS! 😁

that EYE being Mickey's 😭😭😭

Mandy and her dreams of dresses 😂😂😂

THE BRAAI!!!! 😂 *SO* ACCURATE!

THE DOVES 😭😭😭

we are ALL pushing their noses together 😂😂😂

"breakfast?" 😂😂😂 that is so cute!

omg 😂 is it hot in here? 😂 should've used that gif as the header 😂

awwwwh they're gonna start a pride of their own 🥹🧡

okay but that IS you fighting Jan 😂😂😂

and yeah that last one 😂😂😂 also the witch in chapter 5 😂

that's SO rude of tumblr 😂

THANK YOU NOSHO 🥰🧡 that was SUCH an amazing post again! 😍🥰💚

calling the gang! @francesrose3 @juliakayyy @thisdivorce 🥰

🦁🪶🦒🧡💖💚💙❤️🤗😎

#i absolutely love this #what do i tag this #theres gonna be spoilers now for people who havent read 15 yet #but not massive spoilers...#gif shenanigans #shameless #africa #nosho growls #willow growls back

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istumpysk · 1 year

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Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ADWD: The Discarded Knight (Barristan II) [Chapter 59]

And the award for biggest piss baby chapter header goes to ...

All kneel for His Magnificence Hizdahr zo Loraq, Fourteenth of That Noble Name, King of Meereen, Scion of Ghis, Octarch of the Old Empire, Master of the Skahazadhan, Consort to Dragons and Blood of the Harpy," roared the herald.

Damn, his silly titles are way cooler.

Step it up, Daenerys.

+.+.+

Ser Barristan Selmy slipped a hand beneath the fold of his cloak and loosened his sword in its scabbard. No blades were allowed in the presence of the king save those of his protectors. It seemed as though he still counted amongst that number despite his dismissal. No one had tried to take his sword, at least.

In case you missed the last chapter, Barristan hates Hizdahr zo Loraq and refuses to acknowledge him as his king, but he's also offended Hizdahr isn't using him as a personal guard.

Barristan Selmy, ladies and gentlemen.

+.+.+

Daenerys Targaryen had preferred to hold court from a bench of polished ebony

Sorry, quick clarification -

He's referring to those rare times when she actually held court.

+.+.+

Daenerys Targaryen had preferred to hold court from a bench of polished ebony, smooth and simple, covered with the cushions that Ser Barristan had found to make her more comfortable. King Hizdahr had replaced the bench with two imposing thrones of gilded wood, their tall backs carved into the shape of dragons. The king seated himself in the right-hand throne with a golden crown upon his head and a jeweled sceptre in one pale hand. The second throne remained vacant.

The important throne, thought Ser Barristan. No dragon chair can replace a dragon no matter how elaborately it's carved.

Love when people look for any reason to be upset. Dragon thrones seem like a pretty clear indicator of who's in charge.

Pretty sure Hizdahr would love for Daenerys to be sitting in that seat right now, Barry.

+.+.+

The day was young and fresh, and yet he felt bone-tired, as if he'd fought all night. The older he got, the less sleep Ser Barristan seemed to need. As a squire he could sleep ten hours a night and still be yawning when he stumbled out onto the practice yard. At three-and-sixty he found that five hours a night was more than enough.

Makes sense, the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive ability are well-documented.

+.+.+

On a bedside table he kept a beeswax candle and a small carving of the Warrior. Though he was not a pious man, the carving made him feel less alone here in this queer alien city, and it was to that he had turned in the black watches of night. Shield me from these doubts that gnaw at me, he had prayed, and give me the strength to do what is right. But neither prayer nor dawn had brought him certainty.

If you're plagued by uncertainty and doubt, maybe sit this one out.

+.+.+

In the Shavepate's place stood a fat man in a muscled breastplate and lion's mask, his heavy legs poking out beneath a skirt of leather straps: Marghaz zo Loraq, the king's cousin, new commander of the Brazen Beasts. Selmy had already formed a healthy contempt for the man. He had known his sort in King's Landing—fawning to his superiors, harsh to his inferiors, as blind as he was boastful and too proud by half.

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

LMAO.

+.+.+

Skahaz could be in the hall as well, Selmy realized, that ugly face of his concealed behind a mask. Two score Brazen Beasts stood between the pillars, torchlight shining off the polished brass of their masks. The Shavepate could be any one of them.

How many times will George allude to this?

+.+.+

One woman began to wail about a brother who had died at Daznak's Pit, another of the damage to her palanquin. A fat man tore off his bandages to show the court his burned arm, where the flesh was still raw and oozing. And when a man in a blue-and-gold tokar began to speak of Harghaz the Hero, a freedman behind him shoved him to the floor. It took six Brazen Beasts to pull them apart and drag them from the hall.

It's not every day a freedman gets painted in a bad light.

+.+.+

Fox, hawk, seal, locust, lion, toad. Selmy wondered if the masks had meaning to the men who wore them.

That depends, is it a cat mask? A rat? A wolf? That would have meaning.

+.+.+

Did the same men wear the same masks every day, or did they choose new faces every morning?

She changes it every few weeks.

+.+.+

"Is it true?" a freedwoman shouted. "Is our mother dead?"

"No, no, no," Reznak screeched. "Queen Daenerys will return to Meereen in her own time in all her might and majesty. Until such time, His Worship King Hizdahr shall—"

"He is no king of mine," a freedman yelled.

Men began to shove at one another. "The queen is not dead," the seneschal proclaimed. "Her bloodriders have been dispatched across the Skahazadhan to find Her Grace and return her to her loving lord and loyal subjects. Each has ten picked riders, and each man has three swift horses, so they may travel fast and far. Queen Daenerys shall be found."

[...]

Ser Barristan let Reznak's oily words wash over him. His years in the Kingsguard had taught him the trick of listening without hearing, especially useful when the speaker was intent on proving that words were truly wind.

What the hell? What did he even do? He said nothing wrong!

#JusticeForReznak

His years in the Kingsguard had taught him the trick of listening without hearing

Boy, you aren't kidding.

+.+.+

Prince Quentyn was listening intently, at least. That one is his father's son. Short and stocky, plain-faced, he seemed a decent lad, sober, sensible, dutiful … but not the sort to make a young girl's heart beat faster. And Daenerys Targaryen, whatever else she might be, was still a young girl, as she herself would claim when it pleased her to play the innocent. Like all good queens she put her people first—else she would never have wed Hizdahr zo Loraq—but the girl in her still yearned for poetry, passion, and laughter. She wants fire, and Dorne sent her mud.

It's hysterical how little credit he's giving Daenerys here. The people come first, unless it's a hot boy.

And Daenerys Targaryen, whatever else she might be, was still a young girl, as she herself would claim when it pleased her to play the innocent.

Glad he's picked up on that. Not that it will change anything.

+.+.+

You could make a poultice out of mud to cool a fever. You could plant seeds in mud and grow a crop to feed your children. Mud would nourish you, where fire would only consume you, but fools and children and young girls would choose fire every time.

In her case, literally.

The flames writhed before her like the women who had danced at her wedding, whirling and singing and spinning their yellow and orange and crimson veils, fearsome to behold, yet lovely, so lovely, alive with heat. Dany opened her arms to them, her skin flushed and glowing. This is a wedding, too, she thought. - Daenerys X, AGOT

Daenerys plants no seeds in mud.

+.+.+

Behind the prince, Ser Gerris Drinkwater was whispering something to Yronwood. Ser Gerris was all his prince was not: tall and lean and comely, with a swordsman's grace and a courtier's wit. Selmy did not doubt that many a Dornish maiden had run her fingers through that sun-streaked hair and kissed that teasing smile off his lips. If this one had been the prince, things might have gone elsewise, he could not help but think … but there was something a bit too pleasant about Drinkwater for his taste. False coin, the old knight thought. He had known such men before.

Gerris is confident, I don't remember him being false. Does something come of this?

Again, this could not be more insulting to Daenerys. I love it.

+.+.+

Whatever he was whispering must have been amusing, for his big bald friend gave a sudden snort of laughter, loud enough so that the king himself turned his head toward the Dornishmen. When he saw the prince, Hizdahr zo Loraq frowned.

Ser Barristan did not like that frown. And when the king beckoned his cousin Marghaz closer, leaned down, and whispered in his ear, he liked that even less.

Providing context for later.

+.+.+

Martell was dancing in a vipers' nest, and he did not even see the snakes. His continued presence, even after Daenerys had given herself to another before the eyes of gods and men, would provoke any husband, and Quentyn no longer had the queen to shield him from Hizdahr's wroth.

I'm going to agree with Barry on this one. There's no reason for Quentyn to still be hanging around, and pursuing Daenerys. It's disrespectful to say the least.

With that being said, I've yet to see any evidence of Hizdahr being a wrathful man.

+.+.+

Although …

The thought hit him like a slap across the face. Quentyn had grown up amongst the courts of Dorne. Plots and poisons were no strangers to him. Nor was Prince Lewyn his only uncle. He is kin to the Red Viper. Daenerys had taken another for her consort, but if Hizdahr died, she would be free to wed again. Could the Shavepate have been wrong? Who can say that the locusts were meant for Daenerys? It was the king's own box. What if he was meant to be the victim all along? Hizdahr's death would have smashed the fragile peace. The Sons of the Harpy would have resumed their murders, the Yunkishmen their war. Daenerys might have had no better choice than Quentyn and his marriage pact.

And they say Victarion is the dumbest point of view character. Quentyn doesn't have a single friend in Meereen, how could he achieve any of this?

Anyway, he did manage to consider a strong possibility: Hizdahr was the Shavepate's target.

Hizdahr's death would have smashed the fragile peace. The Sons of the Harpy would have resumed their murders, the Yunkishmen their war.

Great point, Barry.

Quick question, what happens if he's arrested?

+.+.+

The Yunkishmen had come. Three Wise Masters led the procession from the Yellow City, each with his own armed retinue. One slaver wore a tokar of maroon silk fringed with gold, one a striped tokar of teal and orange, the third an ornate breastplate inlaid with erotic scenes done in jet and jade and mother-of-pearl. The sellsword captain Bloodbeard accompanied them with a leathern sack slung across one massive shoulder and a look of mirth and murder on his face.

No Tattered Prince, Selmy noted. No Brown Ben Plumm. Ser Barristan eyed Bloodbeard coolly. Give me half a reason to dance with you, and we will see who is laughing at the end.

Reznak mo Reznak wormed his way forward. "Wise Masters, you honor us. His Radiance King Hizdahr bids welcome to his friends from Yunkai. We understand—"

+.+.+

"Understand this." Bloodbeard pulled a severed head from his sack and flung it at the seneschal.

[...]

Gingerly, so gingerly, the seneschal approached the head, lifted it delicately by the hair. "Admiral Groleo."

I'm sorry, can we take a second to go over this man's story?

Captain Groleo is tasked with bringing Daenerys back to Pentos.

Instead, she renames all his ships to Targaryen dragons, and commands him to take her to Slaver's Bay, so she may buy a slave army.

Daenerys realizes she can't take Meereen without siege engines. She orders his ships destroyed for wood.

Groleo is then named admiral by Daenerys, but doesn't actually have a fleet, making it an empty title.

After the peace deal, he's handed over to the Yunkish commanders as a hostage.

Finally, he's beheaded because of Drogon.

Wow.

+.+.+

Ser Barristan glanced toward the throne. He had served so many kings, he could not help but imagine how they might have reacted to this provocation. Aerys would have flinched away in horror, likely cutting himself on the barbs of the Iron Throne, then shrieked at his swordsmen to cut the Yunkishmen to pieces. Robert would have shouted for his hammer to repay Bloodbeard in kind. Even Jaehaerys, reckoned weak by many, would have ordered the arrest of Bloodbeard and the Yunkish slavers.

If that's what two Targs and Robert Baratheon would have done, then surely there's a better option.

Can you see Bran doing any of the above? Keep in mind the Jaehaerys option instantly triggers war.

+.+.+

Hizdahr sat frozen, a man transfixed. Reznak set the head on a satin pillow at the king's feet, then scampered away, his mouth twisted up in a moue of distaste. Ser Barristan could smell the seneschal's heavy floral perfume from several yards away.

You're not fooling anyone, George.

Can't wait for the honourable Barristan Selmy to be happily standing next to Daenerys when she kills this poor man.

+.+.+

"This," King Hizdahr said at last, "this is not … we are not pleased, this … what is the meaning of this … this …"

Use your big boy king words, please.

+.+.+

The slaver in the maroon tokar produced a parchment. "I have the honor to bear this message from the council of masters." He unrolled the scroll. "It is here written, 'Seven entered Meereen to sign the peace accords and witness the celebratory games at the Pit of Daznak. As surety for their safety, seven hostages were tendered us. The Yellow City mourns its noble son Yurkhaz zo Yunzak, who perished cruelly whilst a guest of Meereen. Blood must pay for blood.'"

Groleo had a wife back in Pentos. Children, grandchildren. Why him, of all the hostages? Jhogo, Hero, and Daario Naharis all commanded fighting men, but Groleo had been an admiral without a fleet. Did they draw straws, or did they think Groleo the least valuable to us, the least likely to provoke reprisal? the knight asked himself … but it was easier to pose that question than to answer it. I have no skill at unraveling such knots.

I'm inclined to believe this. I can't find the quotes now, but it's been made clear Yunkai has no desire to test the dragons, regardless of all their threats of war.

I have no skill at unraveling such knots.

We can tell.

+.+.+

"Your Grace," Ser Barristan called out. "If it please you to recall, the noble Yurkhaz died by happenstance. He stumbled on the steps as he tried to flee the dragon and was crushed beneath the feet of his own slaves and companions. That, or his heart burst in terror. He was old."

Fair point.

Edit: I didn’t even notice he said grace again. Twat.

Thank you, @kadarakey!

+.+.+

Hizdahr zo Loraq could not seem to look away from the head. Only when Reznak whispered something in his ear did he finally bestir himself.

Is the newly developed sadist getting off on it or something?

+.+.+

"Yurkhaz zo Yunzak was your supreme commander," he said. "Which of you speaks for Yunkai now?"

"All of us," said the rabbit. "The council of masters."

King Hizdahr found some steel. "Then all of you bear the responsibility for this breach of our peace."

The Yunkishman in the breastplate gave answer. "Our peace has not been breached. Blood pays for blood, a life for a life. To show our good faith, we return three of your hostages." The iron ranks behind him parted. Three Meereenese were ushered forward, clutching at their tokars—two women and a man.

"Sister," said Hizdahr zo Loraq, stiffly. "Cousins."

Without more information, it's hard to say why they've chosen to return Hizdahr's family. Maybe they're avoiding further provocation. Maybe they're buying him off. Maybe they'd like him to look terrible. Maybe the author is baiting the reader, and making it seem like Hizdahr's in on the plot.

+.+.+

Reznak mo Reznak cleared his throat noisily. "Meaning no offense, yet it seems to me that Her Worship Queen Daenerys gave you … ah … seven hostages. The other three …"

"The others shall remain our guests," announced the Yunkish lord in the breastplate, "until the dragons have been destroyed."

Reznak's even speaking up for the other hostages!

+.+.+

A hush fell across the hall. Then came the murmurs and the mutters, whispered curses, whispered prayers, the hornets stirring in their hive. "The dragons …" said King Hizdahr.

"… are monsters, as all men saw in Daznak's Pit. No true peace is possible whilst they live."

Accurate.

+.+.+

Reznak replied. "Her Magnificence Queen Daenerys is Mother of Dragons. Only she can—"

Reznak, who rightfully hates the dragons, is objecting to them being killed without Daenerys agreeing.

#JusticeForReznak

+.+.+

Hizdahr zo Loraq rose slowly from his dragon throne. "I must consult my council. This court is done."

I'm okay with this decision.

+.+.+

"Prince Quentyn," Selmy called. "Might I beg a word?"

Quentyn Martell turned. "Ser Barristan. Of course. My chambers are one level down."

No. "It is not my place to counsel you, Prince Quentyn … but if I were you, I would not return to my chambers. You and your friends should go down the steps and leave."

[...]

"Swords can be replaced," said Ser Barristan. "I can provide you with coin enough for passage back to Dorne. Prince Quentyn, the king made note of you today. He frowned."

This is a -little- dramatic.

We've gone from Barristan believing Hizdahr is weak to Barristan believing Hizdahr is plotting to kill Quentyn in roughly 10 seconds.

+.+.+

Gerris Drinkwater laughed. "Should we be frightened of Hizdahr zo Loraq? You saw him just now. He quailed before the Yunkishmen. They sent him a head, and he did nothing."

Quentyn Martell nodded in agreement. "A prince does well to think before he acts. This king … I do not know what to think of him. The queen warned me against him as well, true, but …"

That can't possibly be the son of Doran Martell saying this.

Hizdahr elected to do exactly what Doran Martell would have done. Think it over.

+.+.+

"She warned you?" Selmy frowned. "Why are you still here?"

Prince Quentyn flushed. "The marriage pact—"

I feel for him, but this is beyond pathetic.

Go home, Quentyn. It's not your failure.

+.+.+

"—was made by two dead men and contained not a word about the queen or you. It promised your sister's hand to the queen's brother, another dead man. It has no force. Until you turned up here, Her Grace was ignorant of its existence. Your father keeps his secrets well, Prince Quentyn. Too well, I fear. If the queen had known of this pact in Qarth, she might never have turned aside for Slaver's Bay, but you came too late. I have no wish to salt your wounds, but Her Grace has a new husband and an old paramour, and seems to prefer the both of them to you."

Anger flashed in the prince's dark eyes. "This Ghiscari lordling is no fit consort for the queen of the Seven Kingdoms."

I don't disagree, but he's one to talk. Ask his sister how King Quentyn sounds.

Your father keeps his secrets well, Prince Quentyn. Too well, I fear.

I mean, yeah.

+.+.+

The shock was plain on Prince Quentyn's face. "Poison … meant for Daenerys?"

"Her or Hizdahr. Perhaps both. The box was his, though. His Grace made all the arrangements. If the poison was his doing … well, he will need a scapegoat. Who better than a rival from a distant land who has no friends at this court? Who better than a suitor the queen spurned?"

Quentyn Martell went pale. "Me? I would never … you cannot think I had any part in any …"

That was the truth, or he is a master mummer. "Others might," said Ser Barristan. "The Red Viper was your uncle. And you have good reason to want King Hizdahr dead."

Is that what poisoners do? Frame people? Imbecile.

Absolutely incredible this muffin isn't able to apply that same spurned suitor logic to another candidate.

Hizdahr zo Loraq might be worth a careful look. Sooner him than Skahaz. The Shavepate had offered to set aside his wife for her, but the notion made her shudder. Hizdahr at least knew how to smile. - Daenerys I, ADWD

If I wed Hizdahr, will that turn Skahaz against me? She trusted Skahaz more than she trusted Hizdahr, but the Shavepate would be a disaster as a king. He was too quick to anger, too slow to forgive. She saw no gain in wedding a man as hated as herself. Hizdahr was well respected, so far as she could see. - Daenerys IV, ADWD

At least he knows Quentyn's telling the truth. How low can this bar go.

+.+.+

"So do others," suggested Gerris Drinkwater. "Naharis, for one. The queen's …"

"… paramour," Ser Barristan finished, before the Dornish knight could say anything that might besmirch the queen's honor. "That is what you call them down in Dorne, is it not?" He did not wait for a reply. "Prince Lewyn was my Sworn Brother. In those days there were few secrets amongst the Kingsguard. I know he kept a paramour. He did not feel there was any shame in that."

Look at him bend himself into a pretzel trying to justify the queen's open love affair with a homicidal sellsword.

Is there any shame in Daenerys producing an heir we don't know Hizdahr fathered, Barry?

+.+.+

"Daario would kill Hizdahr in a heartbeat if he dared," Ser Barristan went on. "But not with poison. Never. And Daario was not there in any case. Hizdahr would be pleased to blame him for the locusts, all the same … but the king may yet have need of the Stormcrows, and he will lose them if he appears complicit in the death of their captain. No, my prince. If His Grace needs a poisoner, he will look to you." He had said all that he could safely say. In a few more days, if the gods smiled on them, Hizdahr zo Loraq would no longer rule Meereen … but no good would be served by having Prince Quentyn caught up in the bloodbath that was coming.

Do you understand that means war, you fucking muppet?

The man constantly asks himself what Daenerys would want ...

The Shavepate was not wrong. Daenerys would want her children protected. - The Queensguard, ADWD

What would Daenerys want? he asked himself. He thought he knew. - The Discarded Knight, ADWD

Was he doing what Daenerys would have wanted? I was not made for this. - The Queen's Hand, ADWD

yet every action he takes further erodes her peace deal.

I want no war with Yunkai. How many times must I say it? - Daenerys VI, ADWD

+.+.+

"What name do you think they will give me, should I return to Dorne without Daenerys?" Prince Quentyn asked. "Quentyn the Cautious? Quentyn the Craven? Quentyn the Quail?"

The Prince Who Came Too Late, the old knight thought … but if a knight of the Kingsguard learns nothing else, he learns to guard his tongue. "Quentyn the Wise," he suggested. And hoped that it was true.

Final thoughts:

The only ending I will accept is him watching her bleed out, immediately followed by the least knightly death possible.

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #adwd #the discarded knight #barristan ii

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the-kitty-hell-system · 11 months

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♡✰ the kitty hell system

》 it/xe collectively (ask for alters pronouns) (BLACK EDIT, ART, AND STIMBOARD REQUESTS R OPEN!!) ♫ hii we are the kitty hell system! we are a c-did system. we are intersex and trans/nonbinary, along with being an arospec enbian lesbian we are bodily an adult, 18+, and are indigneous arab-blasian but are an italian immigrant! (on my black side i am nubian egyptian and maasai tribe. on my asian side i am chinese and indian.) we are sensorily, mentally/intelluctually, and physically disabled! please do note : our caregiver helps us type/talk EVERYTHING. we also use our aac device to help. she helps us understand things, if she isnt there for whatever reason, we may talk in ways people may not understand because on our own our communication is EXTREMELY bad due to our intelluctual disability and autism. we use a screenreader so we'd prefer if you put image ids. also PLEASE put a flash warning or bright color warning on shit. we have epilepsy. we r a furry and a lion therian with several fictionkins. ☾ we are a jazz studies major in university! on this blog we talk about yugioh, bendy and the ink machine/dark revival, amanda the adventurer, cookie run, disability, the lgbtq community, psychology, music/bands i like, poc/culture, team fortress 2, the lion king, coco by disney, inu yasha, five nights at freddies, art, undertale, welcome home, sanrio, webkinz, lps, animals, the muppets, sesame street, dolls/dollhouses, toys, puppets, hades, sparklecare hospital, aesthetics, etc. we are critical of our interests as well. we are emo and apart of cripplepunk. 🖕🏾🖕🏾🖕🏾 dni if... radqueer, radinclus, radexclus, support bi/pan/omni/lesbians/gays (lesbians who say they like men or gays who say they like women), support endogenic systems, pro-contact, support male lesbians or female gays, against nonbinary lesbians, against butch lesbians, against he/him or they/them lesbians, believe able bodied people can be in cripplepunk, believe in narc abuse/cluster b abuse, demonize any conditions, baby any conditions, below 15 years old, fetishize any conditions/races/sexualities/genders, misogynistic, ableist, homophobic, anti-semitic, racist, terfs, proshippers/pro-fic, south park fans, any mihoyo fans, toilet bound hanako kun fans, vivzie pop/helluva boss/hazbin hotel fans, killing stalking fans, idv fans, dsmp fans, ranfren fans, okegom fans, danganronpa fans, harry potter fans, yarichin bitch club fans, homestuck fans, transphobic, shtwt/edtwt, hetalia fans, fakeclaim people, fake disorders in general, transid, anti-neopronouns, anti-xenogenders, anti-kin/therian, thinks blackwashing is real/against black edits, whitewasher, uses slurs they cannot reclaim, intersexist, trump supporter, conserative, bigot, anti-furry, anti-educated self diagnosis, basic dni whateva, etc (srry for the long ass dni list, i keep seeing ppl break it despite its basic ass shit) i reclaim slurs, i will not tag the word queer, i also dont want able bodied people calling me a cripple or non-deformed ppl calling me deformed. thankyou. otherkin side blog : @lesbianvampiriclion stimboard side blog @deerstims banner by inky-trash. icon by me header + icon image IDS below!!

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editswhite · 8 months

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Can you do the lion king

icons or headers?

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filipofmounthonora · 2 years

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Umm for the prompt thing. Use ur header pic as prompt. I have no specific characters in mind tbh. I just like when u write abt fucked up family relationsips <3

TRULY the thing i was going to write has spiralled into something else also adhd has pingponged my interests back and forth. woe betide ye thou art getting uhh. tedros and kay and (ex)calibur(n)

send me a pairing and/or prompt idea and i'll write something about it! <3

"Will you be there? To watch me?" Tedros asked.

It took a while for his uncle to respond, the old prince caught in the bedroom's memorial snare—cracked stone walls that had seen three generations come and go and die, that would now see a fourth inhabitant and would stand long after a fifth. Tedros itched in his coronation robes but he balled his fists against it.

Sir Kay Pendragon raised his head slowly.

"Can you believe... I've never been in this room, not once." His uncle paused, stroking his beard before he shook his head tiredly. It seemed Camelot itself always weighed on him, though he was never King of it. "I performed the coronation rites for your father, you know. No one else would, for fear of—" he barked out a single laugh, all he would allow— "well, you've met our cousins."

"I'm sorry," said Tedros, and the apology hung stale in the air with Arthur's last breaths.

He was aware of the lions crowning the bedposts, and gilded into the peeling wallpaper, and encrusted in the mirror, and dangling from the chandelier: the symbol of his father's crest, his father's legacy, his father...

"Uncle? Will you be there?" he asked again. For me?

The Almost King gazed once more at what should have been his, and nodded just once.

#sge #school for good and evil #the school for good and evil #true besties will know what the og thing i was going to write was about el oh el 🤪#i am Not explaining this!!!!! needless to say this is Not canon #tedros of camelot #oc: kay pendragon #Technically. canon In Name Only #actually not even his surname tho LMAO #miles writes #miles answers #WAIT I DONT EVEN HAVE A TAG FOR YOU #vick tag #posthumously also tagging as #regular au #<3

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hermit-piss · 1 year

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may I use the this isn't about the lion king banner asy header

I didn't make it I just saved it from somewhere else I forgor who did make it. My personal opinion tho? Do whatever with it. Violence

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lakelandseo · 1 year

Text

2022 YouTube and Video SERP Result Changes

When you think of video results on Google in 2022 (and video optimization), you might think of something that looks like this (from a search for “flag football”):

In mid-October, we noticed a drop in this type of video result, and that drop became dramatic by late-October. Did Google remove these video results or was our system broken? As it turns out, neither — video results have split into at least three distinct types (depending on how you count).

(1) Video packs (simple & complex)

The example above is pretty simple, with the exception of “Key Moments” (which debuted in 2019), but even the familiar video packs can get pretty complex. Here’s one from a search for the artist Gustav Klimt:

All three of the videos here have Key Moments, including a pre-expanded section for the top video with thumbnails for each of the moments. Some specific SERPs also have minor variations, such as the “Trailers & clips” feature on this search for “Lion King”:

Video packs are still often 3-packs, but can range from two to four results. While only the header really changes here, it’s likely that Google is using a modified algorithm to surface these trailer results.

(2) Branded video carousels

Some videos are displayed in a carousel format, which seems to be common for branded results within YouTube. Here’s an example for the search “Dave and Busters”:

While the majority of these “brand” (loosely defined) carousels are from YouTube, there are exceptions, such as this carousel from Disney Video for “Lightning McQueen”:

Like all carousel-based results, you can scroll horizontally to view more videos. Google’s mobile-first design philosophy has driven more of this format over time, as the combination of vertical and horizontal scrolling is more natural on mobile devices.

(3) Single/thumbnail video results

Prior to breaking out video into separate features, Google typically displayed video results as standard results with a screenshot thumbnail. In the past month, Google seems to have revived this format. Here’s an example for the search “longboarding”:

If you hover over the thumbnail, you’ll see a preview, like this (edited for size):

In some cases, we see multiple video results on a single page, and each of them seems to be counted as one of the “10 blue links” that we normally associate with standard organic results from the web.

There’s also a variant on the single-video format that seem specific to YouTube:

This variant also shows a preview when you hover over it, but it launches a simplified YouTube viewing experience that appears to be new (and will likely evolve over time).

(4) Bonus: Mega-videos

This format has been around for a while and is relatively rare, but certain niches, including hit songs, may return a large-scale video format, such as this one for Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”:

A similar format sometimes appears for “how to” queries (and similar questions), such as the one below for “how to roundhouse kick.” Note the text excerpt below the video that Google has extracted from the audio …

While neither of these formats are new, and they don’t seem to have changed significantly in the past month, they are important variants of Google video results.

(5) Bonus: TikTok results

Finally, Google has started to display a special format for TikTok videos, that typically includes a selection of five videos that preview when you hover over them. Here’s an example from one of my favorite TikTok personalities:

Typically, these are triggered by searches that include “TikTok” in the query. While it’s not a standard video format and isn’t available outside of TikTok, it’s interesting to note how Google is experimenting with rich video results from other platforms.

Does YouTube still dominate?

Back in 2020, we did a study across 10,000 competitive Google searches that showed YouTube holding a whopping 94% of page-one video results. Has this changed with the recent format shuffling? In a word: no. Across the main three video formats discussed in this post, YouTube still accounts for 94% of results in this data set, with Facebook coming in at a distant second place with 0.8%. This does not count specialized results, such as the TikTo results above.

What does this mean for you?

If you’re tracking video results, and have seen major changes, be aware that they may not have disappeared – they more likely morphed into another format. This is a good time to go look at your SERPs in the wild (on desktop and mobile) and see what kind of video formats your target queries are showing. Google is not only experimenting with new formats, but with new video-specific markup and capabilities (such as extracting text directly from the soundtracks of videos and podcasts). You can expect all of this to continue to evolve into 2023.

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bfxenon · 1 year

Text

2022 YouTube and Video SERP Result Changes

When you think of video results on Google in 2022 (and video optimization), you might think of something that looks like this (from a search for “flag football”):

(1) Video packs (simple & complex)

(2) Branded video carousels

Some videos are displayed in a carousel format, which seems to be common for branded results within YouTube. Here’s an example for the search “Dave and Busters”:

While the majority of these “brand” (loosely defined) carousels are from YouTube, there are exceptions, such as this carousel from Disney Video for “Lightning McQueen”:

(3) Single/thumbnail video results

If you hover over the thumbnail, you’ll see a preview, like this (edited for size):

There’s also a variant on the single-video format that seem specific to YouTube:

This variant also shows a preview when you hover over it, but it launches a simplified YouTube viewing experience that appears to be new (and will likely evolve over time).

(4) Bonus: Mega-videos

This format has been around for a while and is relatively rare, but certain niches, including hit songs, may return a large-scale video format, such as this one for Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”:

While neither of these formats are new, and they don’t seem to have changed significantly in the past month, they are important variants of Google video results.

(5) Bonus: TikTok results

Does YouTube still dominate?

What does this mean for you?

0 notes