#(between chapters 10 & 11--so not relevant here. but I LOVE them. they're so ridiculous in concept)

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

⭐ Chapter 8

This is another Yorick chapter, & it's also the final chapter before we reach "season 1, episode 1!" (yes, it took me 8 chapter to wrap up the "childhood arc")

It's weird, because I have many feelings about this chapter, but I am not sure how to articulate them? I will attempt, though! So, Yorick, like, he gets a taste of normal male interaction throughout a chunk of chapter 8. He's at Storm's End for His Boy Borros's wedding, & Borros's Boys™️are there, & they like him/accept him into the group as "Borros's weird younger cousin who he likes a lot, so we'll be nice to him." And I love Borros & His Boys™️so much. Devoid of context they are in a comedy, actually. Like, in the same way that, devoid of context, pre!Reek Theon is hilarious.

During his interactions with Borros & His Boys™️Yorick actually, like, comes out of his anxiety shell that he's been developing since he got forced to be Daemon's squire. They go on a "stag weekend" hunting trip, & just, like...they're all so regular. They're so regular. Yorick doesn't know what to do with himself because they aren't assholes to him like his dad or the City Watch, & they treat him like your average pre-teen with autonomy & opinions unlike Viserys. He gets his first sip of beer, I'm pretty sure he inadvertently gets The Talk just because all these late teens/early 20s guys are trying to Out-Chad each other. And he smiles, like, he smiles big & genuine & happy for the first time since he was, like, seven. He jokes with them! It's just...it is so wholesome & I want to live in the opening sequence of Chapter 8. I don't care that I, personally, don't like hunting: nothing can hurt you or be bad in the opening sequence of chapter 8! Don't look at the title being "Toppled Tower" or where we fall in the timeline of Alicent's life. That isn't important. And we can ignore Viserys. This isn't about him! Come back here, wholesome moments from Yorick having healthy male bonding!

Borros And His Nasty Boys (affectionate name because of events that happen surrounding later events) are absolutely delightful to me. They aren't "favorite side character" status, but they're good:

Borros Baratheon is simply, the most 20-year-old guy ever & he's taking his younger, first cousin once-removed under his wing to be a beacon of emotional safety purely because "he thinks I'm cool, & also he seems really lonely." He makes sure Yorick gets included in things & he laughs at his jokes & he's the aforementioned "giver of the first beer" (don't pay attention to the fact Yorick is 12. This is Westeros, it's fine)

Rory Dondarrion is accidentally relevant because I forgot Criston's dad worked for his family, & he's just Borros's more literate, less bombastic cousin who actually stops & things about things, but then still decides to go along with Borros for the laugh of it & also because "we are friends & you stick with your friends." And he just...he shows his love by making fun of you. Because he's just, like, a misplaced modern UK idiot boy who wears ugly street clothes & goes to the pub & unironically chants "LADS!" with his friends when he gets drunk

Symon Lonmouth is there so someone besides Laenor cares about Joffrey, & he's arguably the same archetype as Rory, but in a way more toned down way. He makes dumb jokes with his little brother, & he shows care for the people around him, & he takes things a bit too seriously because it's all fun & games until Yorick makes a dark joke & then he has no idea what to do with himself because he wants to be taken seriously so bad that it's silly.

Kevan Tarth, simply put, wants what Harwin Strong has. He wants to be chadly & universally hot, & he's not not successful at flirting, he's also just, like, 16. You are not going to be a gigachad at 16. Also, he is the cousin of Vaemond Velaryon's wife! That's not relevant to his character, but it is fun!

Not part of the regular friend group, but I also need to talk a little about the brothers of Borros's wife: the Caron brothers do not have characters, not really. The Caron brothers exist so I could name them after Peter & Edmund Pevensie, & proceed to give them that same age gap.

Chapter 8...chapter 8. I don't think it's one of my favorites (not to say I dislike it, I just have favorite chapters), but it does have a favorite sequence. A sequence of all time. I wanted to have quotes in this one, because I like when I can have quotes, but I would just be pasting the majority of the hunting trip into this ask 😅