#Also the fact that a lot of these are so similar to my old daemon au too

[unhingedlesbear]

OHH YES I LOVE THIS SM!!!! DAEMON AUS >>>>>>>>>> AND TWDG????? OMGGG

TWDG s1 Daemon au

SO my friend @isashi-nigami​ and I have been talking about this au for the past couple days now and I’m pretty sure I can officially say she’s roped me into the his dark materials series. it’s pretty cool so far though, I’m having fun

This is the first of two parts! Part two is here

Lee Everett + Akita

Kenny + Domestic chicken

Katjaa + Poodle

Doug + Rat

Carley + Domestic cat

Lilly + Secretary bird

Larry + Frilled lizard

Mark + Crested gecko

Ben + Pangolin

Travis + Grey squirrel

Clementine and Duck are both unsettled so they’re not on here but they’re here in spirit 😔

[inkareds]

I, Carrion - Hozier

Daemon Targaryen

5/10 - Unreal Unearth Event

nav // event masterlist // hotd m.list // ko-fi // taglist

✧.* word count: 8.8k (long boy) ✧.* genre: angst -> comfort // sfw (but adult themes) ✧.* warnings: slow burn-ish, the reader is female, Otto and Alicent are minor villains, details of sickness (Daemon not reader lmao)

"Leave it now, I am sky-bound // If you need to, darling, lean your weight to me // We'll float away, but if we fall // I only pray, don't fall away from me"

Being the last member of a noble house was difficult, and the fact that you were a woman made it even more difficult. Surprisingly, you've found comfort in the Rogue Prince, and even more surprising when he finds comfort in you. A comfort built on mutual affection and respect, something a certain someone in court feels threatened by

Parts of this story were inspired by The Crucible, you'll know what I mean after you've read the story. Also hiiiii, I'm so happy to be back from my LONG hiatus, I'm feeling a lot better and hopefully will get into the writing groove back!

As always, lyric and story breakdown at the end of the story

Your mother died on the birthing bed, she had fought valiantly, screaming, crying, and clawing at the sheets trying to push you, her firstborn, out. 

When you echoed your first cries, your father came into the room, he held your mother’s hand and wept, the last thing she spoke was a plea to your father to love their daughter and to give it a name she chose. 

Your father honoured this last wish of your mother as she died. 

He raised you with nothing but a doting sort of love but he knew his time was limited. 

The Gods had not been kind to him or your mother, you were their first child in over ten years of marriage and in your birth, you had taken your mother. Because of this, your father found no more reason to remarry. His heart belonged wholly to your mother, he gave everything to her and in return to you, the last thing he has of her. 

Though that meant the extinction of his house once you marry or pass on, he doesn’t seem to mind it. He did fear for you, now ten and eight years of age. 

He feared for what would become of you once he dies, with no more kin to lean on and coming from a house that wasn’t as powerful as most others in your region, he wishes for you to live in content. 

So one day when a raven is sent out to many noble houses in search of a lady-in-waiting for the young Princess Rhaenyra, your father jumped at the opportunity. You were close of age to her and her other lady-in-waiting lady Alicent Hightower, though you were slightly older. He found this to be the perfect opportunity. 

After consolidating with you, he sends you off to King’s Landing with the hopes of interesting the princess enough that you’d become her lady-in-waiting. Much to his joy the princess was taken by you. 

You were straightforward and spoke rather brazenly compared to the other prim and proper ladies. Something Rhaenyra loved.  You quickly wrote to your father about how she told you that you amused her greatly and that she admires your sharp words and quick wit. 

After being chosen as a lady-in-waiting for Princess Rhaenyra, you came home only to retrieve your belongings before moving to live in King’s Landing. Your father had wept in private with you before you left, you were the last thing he had of your mother and though you did not know her, he says that you were quite similar to her. In that way, he felt if he could give you a content life, he’d be giving an extension of her another content life. 

“Promise me you’ll survive there, surrounded by dragons, you have to be strong, my beautiful daughter.” He weeps as he pulls you closer to him. 

Your father was old, older than what most men were when they had their firstborn, and so you knew he didn’t have long left. With what little time the Gods give him, you want to make him proud and happy. 

“I will father, I will keep both you and mother in my heart.” Your father pressed a kiss to your forehead. 

“Then promise me you’ll survive no matter what, you’ll live and you shall thrive.” He looks at you with determination shining in his eyes. 

“I swear to you, I will not let those courtly dragons drag me down.” 

With that, you left your home for King’s Landing. 

It wasn’t much different, you weren’t from rigid lands like Dorne or Winterfell, so the weather didn’t bother you much. What did bother you was the social customs that you were expected to adhere to.

 Back home, your house was small but highly respected by the common folk around you as well as the other noble houses around you. Seeing as how in, what most assume, a couple of years you will be the last of your house, the noblemen and women of your lands gave you much more freedom than most women. 

You didn’t butter your words and spoke with an ardent fever when the topic would land on one of the many you were well-educated in. That was another thing you found ridiculous, the only women that were highly educated seemed to be the highest nobles. And those were Lady Alicent and the Princess herself. Those two were the only ones you found you could talk to. 

Whilst the men, as knowledgeable as they were, were rude and distasteful. You had found no comfort in court and found it difficult to hide your sneer any time anyone second-guessed Rhaenyra’s position as a princess and her father’s firstborn. 

The two of you shared a bond unlike any other, you were your father’s firstborn, just as she is. But unlike her, you hold none of the pressures she has from everyone around her to rise above her station while sitting prim and proper as the perfect lady. So she blossoms whenever she speaks to you, in you she sees a different side of the coin she resided in. 

And when her uncle comes to visit, let’s just say, her interest in you grows exponentially. 

“Prince Daemon, it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance once more.” You curtsied at him when he caught you walking through the garden. 

The roguish prince grinned. 

“Might I ask why my niece’s attendant is roaming around without my niece at sight?” He nears you. 

“Princess Rhaenyra is studying with her Septa, my prince, during her lessons I am not with her.” You explained to him. 

After a few years of attending to Rhaenyra, you have met Daemon repeatedly. You would be lying if you said you didn’t find the prince quite charming, in a sly way. What little conversations you’ve had with him, he’d found humour and entertained your sharp tongue. Not to mention he actually speaks to you when topics of your knowledge come into the conversation. Unlike many of the men here who then go on a tirade about the topic, boasting about their knowledge, completely ignoring any of your statements. 

“May I ask what troubles you?” You ask when you see him observing you. 

"Do you think Rhaenyra is suited for the throne?" 

The sudden serious question caught you off guard. Though you tried to answer as honestly as possible, knowing the Prince would find it more favourable. 

"Of course, I do, she is the king's firstborn, knowledgeable, headstrong, and stubborn. This realm needs a strong leader, not one easily swayed by their court,” you paused, deciding to poke the bear, or in this case, the dragon, “I hope I could trust you not to misconstrued my words and twist them in court, my Prince.” You grinned. 

Daemon chuckled, letting his head fall back ever so slightly as he took a step towards you. 

“Now why would I do that?” 

Your eyes focused on him, “Perhaps to take all of the Princess’ attention? I do see the way you look at her, my Prince. I may not be well-accustomed to the queer traditions of the old Valyrians, but I am not blind. Perhaps you are jealous she’s spending her time with me and wishes to rid of me.” 

Standing in the deserted gardens nestled deep in the Keep, Daemon takes another step closer to you, pressuring you to take a step backwards. Yet you stand your ground, unwilling to let the invisible strings of tension pull you back as he pushes you forward with his noble visage. 

“You are one of the last interesting people in this keep. Dare I say, with a tongue like that and a mind like yours, if you were born a man you’d have been seated somewhere in my brother’s court. But alas, you were born to be the last of your house.” 

At the slight snide comment of your house, all but little of your playfulness dissipated. Of course, you understood the dire situation of your house, but you would be a fool to let its name be tarnished and insulted. 

“Alas, unfortunately so, if that is all you wish to say to me, then I shall take my leave,” you tilted your head upwards before lightly bowing and turning to leave. 

Daemon sighed with a tired smile before reaching out to grab your arm. 

“Are all southerners brass and easily emotional?” He remarks, causing a humourless and graceless fake smile to fill your expression. 

“If I am as emotional as you say I am I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to roll my eyes at your words. Yet, here I am, still smiling, it seems I’m less emotional than you think I am, Prince Daemon.” You spoke the last words through gritted teeth, clearly showing your sarcasm. 

“As much as I do enjoy our banter, I did come here to talk business, though it seems you had distracted me.” At his statement, your brows furrowed and finally, you turned towards him. Seeing as you don’t seem to walk away, Daemon lets go of your arm. “There are snakes aiming to bite at your ankles, little hound. Keep a watchful eye.” 

Little hound, the nickname that used to make your blood boil as a child. Your house sigil consisted of the body of a bloodhound, standing regal with its head held up high and one paw in the air. It perfectly encapsulated your house’s longstanding history as a loyal and trustworthy house with a mind unlike any other. Your father gave you the nickname when you were younger as you would play with the pups and dogs near the farms. 

Later on, the nickname would catch on through the common folk. Little hound they called you. When Daemon first spoke of it, he spoke as if it was an insult. The little hound, the last of the bloodhounds of your house. 

But now it sounded different. 

“I would watch your back much closer,” he leaned closer to almost whisper to your ear, sending chills down your spine. “I’d hate for my favourite source of entertainment to disappear.” 

As quickly as he got serious, the boyish bravado and ease came back, Daemon pulled away, taking a step backwards to create some space between the two of you. Right before you open your mouth to inquire him about the statement, another voice joins you. 

“There you are, I had been looking everywhere for you.” 

You quickly looked back at the sound of the Princess’s voice. The young Rhaenyra stood there with a smile upon meeting your gaze, though that very smile dropped into a mischievous glint when she saw that Daemon was with you. 

“Uncle, I did not know you had returned from your travels.” Rhaenyra spoke walking towards the both of you. 

“Niece,” he greeted, “I had just arrived in port at midday.” 

Rhaenyra smiled though it looked more like a mischievous grin than anything. “Ah I see, and you had immediately gone to find my lady-in-waiting have you?” 

Ah, the Princess Rhaenyra, ever the lady without a filter covering her mouth. You wanted to grit your teeth and tell her she shouldn’t be saying things so easily, but you knew she’d simply call you a hypocrite. 

“I do enjoy seeing her face every once and a while, niece.” Daemon glanced slightly at you before going back to look at his niece. 

You wanted to roll your eyes at his flirtatious ministrations. 

“Hm, well, if all you wish is to see her face I believe that wish has been granted. Now the lady and I must go.” Rhaenyra took her hand in yours and quickly began pulling you away. 

You heard Daemon chuckle to himself right before you were out of earshot. 

“Do tell me you aren’t trying to bed my uncle.” Rhaenyra spoke, no sense of malice in her words, only humour. 

“By the six, I would never bed a married man, my lady. The Prince is far from my type of men anyways.” At that, Rhaenyra quirks her brows. 

“Do tell. What does a lady such as yourself look for in a suitor? Perhaps it would give me ideas for my own dream suitor.” She rolls her eyes at the last part of her statement. 

Being by her side all the time and seeing her act regal and noble in front of her many subjects, you’ve almost forgotten that she is still a teenage girl. A teenage girl that bored of her mundane life of being looked down upon by the masses. 

“Loyal.” You answered. 

~

Ever since that day in the gardens, you’ve found yourself unable to sleep a lot of nights, your mind being flooded by images of Daemon. His whisper against your ear, his body close to your own. You found yourself needing to take a breather outside now and again. Almost always your body leads you back to the gardens. 

The cooler air of the night comforted you and let go of any images of Daemon you would have. 

Tonight was a tough night to swallow, though not due to the Rogue Prince. Quite the contrary, your mind was filled by your father. Recently you had gotten word that your father had passed in his sleep. 

Old age has caught up with him and following his dying wish, his attendants and his beloved subjects buried him in the heart of the forest behind your old estate. The forest which you and your father had tracked down and killed much game before your stay in the keep. 

In the letter, it detailed that he had died a few days prior from when you’d received the letter and that the funeral procession had ended. The reason you were not told of the funeral procession was due to your father’s other dying wish. He did not wish for you to be burdened by grief or the past. 

He wanted his death to be just another event in your life, nothing major nor anything to bring concern to. Therefore he didn’t want you to travel all the way to your homeland just for his funeral. Something you gritted your teeth over. 

How dare he decide what was best for you?

Now you were alone in this cruel and tainted world. A little hound alone in a den of dragons. How curious. 

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Daemon’s voice behind you was the last thing you expected to hear when you sat down on one of the many marble benches in the secluded garden. He walked towards the bench and sat beside you, watching the same sight. 

A gorgeous splitting tree grew in the middle of the garden and in the dark of the night, its white flowers almost glowed in radiance. It reminded you slightly of the prince’s own white hair. 

“My father died a few fortnights ago,” you didn’t know what compelled you to open your heart to him at that moment. But you did and there was no turning back, “And now there is one.” You whispered into the night.

“You.” Daemon stated, causing you to nod. 

“Yes, me,” a dry chuckle followed after. “What misfortune befell on my mother to have birthed a daughter instead of a son. You were right, my prince, had I been born a man my lineage would continue. Plenty more bloodhounds would be running around my estate and my house would not die out.” 

You didn’t want to show weakness in front of the prince, not after all the work you’ve put in to fit into the social quo of the Keep. Yet, Daemon does not seem to care. 

“I wouldn’t call it much of a misfortune. If you were born a man, I would not have found you half as beautiful.” 

You couldn’t help the scoff that left your lips, any other time a little voice in your head would tell you that your tongue would be cut off if you did that. But now you didn’t quite care. Your house was dead, you were just the final piece. Whether you died or lived, what legacy would you bring?

“What glory it is to be considered beautiful by a married man.” 

Bitter were your words.

“The bronze bitch is dead.” 

At the sudden rashness of his statement, your head whipped in his direction. 

“My prince, apologies I did not know such news has befallen you-”

“Hah!” he laughed, “It is nothing more than good news. My marriage to her was loveless and lacked any sort of mutual respect. No,” he shook his head and turned towards you. 

Both your eyes met and in a single second, you wondered if his violet eyes lit up in the dark much like the red of fire at midnight. You wouldn’t be all that shocked if Targaryens had that power along with the one to bond with dragons, as Daemon seemed to have another power up his sleeve. Enamouring you with his gaze. 

“I came looking for you to ask for your hand.” Your brows quickly furrowed. 

Your daze broke almost immediately. 

“Pardon me, my prince?” 

“I can take you to Dragonstone and wed you there in Old Valyrian customs. You once said you saw the way I looked at Princess Rhaenyra. But it seems you’re blinder than you thought. They weren’t for her,” 

The cogs in your mind twisted and turned. 

“They were for you.” He closed in.

Your breath was caught in your throat the moment he leaned in. Daemon’s lips were harsh against your own, despite the slowness of his approach he did not hold back in kissing you. In a single moment after you reciprocated, his hand was at the back of your neck, pushing you closer and deeper into him. 

Both your eyes closed you could feel lightning striking through both your bodies, as he pulled you closer to him. Though right before your instinct pushed you to open your lips and let his tongue explore, your thoughts crashed into your mind. 

You quickly pushed away and stood up from the marble bench, your chest heaved from the lack of oxygen and the adrenaline. Daemon quickly stood up as well seeing your bewildered expression. 

“Why?” was your only question. 

Why now?

Why me?

Why the haste?

Why-

Too many questions, yet all start with the word why. 

You could see Daemon take a second to mull over his words, when he did figure out a response his hand reached towards your cheek. Lightly caressing it, a stark juxtaposition on how he had just been handling you moments before. 

“Though I debated on asking for your hand after what you had just told me. I leave for Stepstones at dawn. I intend to make you a bride before then, just as I always hoped for many moons now.” He answered truthfully. 

“You intend to fight the crab-feeder with Lord Corlys and his son?” You inquired, to which he nodded, awaiting your reaction. 

You thought to yourself for a second then a soft smile crept into your face. “Then do not make me your wife tonight, make me your friend.” You held onto his hand as you continued. “Fate and death have touched my father. I do not wish for it to touch my husband. Wed me when you win the war, that way you’ll perhaps find something to look forward to when you fight against these warriors.” 

A surprisingly warm smile befell on the Rogue Prince. He held onto your hand tighter and guided you back to sit down on the bench. An air of comfort and warmth blanketed the two of you in the cold desolate air. 

That night, the two of you spent it in those very same gardens, talking to one another. Not a single drop of wine was shared between the two of you and yet your hearts were open. Not in the way of speaking truthfully but in a way much more intimate. As if the two of you could hear what is unspoken and read what was between the lines. 

Both your minds and souls weaved together that very night. Entangling themselves into one another before the sun would rise and the spell would be broken. There was no need for a touch of passion to be shared. The company was all that mattered to the two of you.

Just as you were about to leave your room as the sun had just begun to peak from the horizon, Daemon stopped you. 

A sense of deja vu rushed towards you, the scene of the last time the two of you were in the garden alone replayed in your mind. 

This time no snide remarks were thrown, instead you turned towards him with no malice. 

His hand held onto your wrist as he spoke, “As something to remember me by.” He stated as he procured a dainty bracelet with a gorgeous red ruby in the middle, he held your wrist and clipped it on. 

“Valyrian steel, it shouldn’t tarnish nor break.” 

Speechless, you spoke only what was in your heart. “Come back to me after the war ends and you’ve had your fill of adventure.”

The two of you shared one last kiss before you turned to leave. 

~

The many months after went on as usual. Your friendship with Rhaenyra grew even stronger the moment she saw the Valyrian steel bracelet, immediately knowing it had to be from Daemon. She had been delighted to know of your and Daemon’s plans once he wins the war in the Stepstones. She yearns to have a true friend permanently within the court. Especially after Alicent’s marriage to her father. 

Unfortunately, it was also due to that event that your relationship with Alicent slowly tarnished itself. 

It seemed not only Rhaenyra realised the source of the bracelet you now wore every day. Otto Hightower was one of the many who had his suspicions. Whether you were another one of Daemon’s whores or if the rumours are true and you plan on wedding him. Otto knew you’d be a formidable opponent in his wishes for Aegon to be the king, for his blood to belong on the throne. 

So he pulls Alicent away from you, to make what he was about to do easier. 

One day a guard had called you over during one of your few alone times, seeing as Rhaenyra was with her Septa. The guard informed you that you have been called to trial under the eyes of King Viserys and the Seven. You didn’t know what was happening, but you weren’t a fool to not comply. 

Daemon’s words echoed through your head the longer the walk took from your bed chambers to the small council’s room. 

“There are snakes aiming to bite at your ankles, little hound. Keep a watchful eye.”

When you arrived at the small council meeting your worst fears were made into fruition. Inside the room was the whole small council including Alicent, which meant a good majority of them were people who didn’t like you. 

Sir Harold called your name as you kept your eyes trained in front of you. 

“You are trialled under the eye of King Viserys the first of his name, King of the Andals, and the Rhoynar, and the First Men. Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and under the watchful eye of the Seven. You are accused of dark witchcraft and conspiracy against the crown. How do you plead to these accusations.”

The suddenness of everything stunned you. Your brows furrowed and your eyes widened as your gaze flickered towards Alicent. She refused to look in your direction and so you immediately turned towards Otto, he was staring dead into your figure. 

“Excuse me?” you finally croaked out, “My King, I assure you I have never done witchcraft in my life and I would never plot against the crown. My father died to put me here, I would never do anything that would harm my house’s name as the last living member of it.” You practically rambled feeling panic begin to bubble up against your throat. 

There was a great silence in the room as you looked towards King Viserys. Despite being his daughter’s closest confidant, you didn’t have much interaction with the King himself, always so busy being pulled away by Otto. Realising the situation you found yourself in, you took in a deep shaky breath, swallowing the panic down as you gazed forward. 

“I plead not guilty.” You needed to regain your composure, all you had to do was convince Viserys, which shouldn’t be too hard. 

“I apologise for the formalities, I find this rather unimportant considering half of the things going on at this moment.” Viserys suddenly speaks with a sigh. “It’s clear my daughter’s lady-in-waiting is not a witch, now could we move on?” 

“I understand why you might be fooled by her, my king, but as my daughter come forth she will show you undoubtable proof.”

With a sigh, Viserys nodded towards the young Alicent’s direction. Alicent walked with bated breath towards the table without a single glance in your direction. 

Like clockwork, she placed a small doll made out of some scrap fabric roughly in the shape of a human proportion. However when she placed it down on the table the doll slightly tumbled forward and revealed its front. 

Though there was stitching in the middle of the abdomen, it’s clear that someone had ripped parts of the stitching open, revealing the inside of the doll. Sheep wool mixed with hair, human hair in the same wool’s colour was stuffed within the doll. 

This was no normal hair, it was Targaryen hair. 

This was no doll or toy, it was a poppet. 

“I had saw the increasing distance between the Princess Rhaenyra with my daughter after your marriage, my king, so I sent my daughter to reconcile with the princess. As the princess is usually seen with her lady-in-waiting, I sent Alicent to her room first. She returned to me in haste and panic, she had found a poppet under the lady’s carpet. A witch’s poppet, no doubt used to forsake you and your future male heir, my king.” 

“Lies!” You quickly yelled out, causing the entire room to look at you. “I have never seen that poppet in my life!” 

Seeing the way Viserys scrutinizes you underneath his gaze, panic bubbled up. Your eyes were blown wide you took a hurried step closer towards the council’s table. In a surprising response, the guards beside Viserys pulled out their swords. The blade aimed towards you. Your heart stopped in your chest. 

“Stay where you are, witch.” Otto stated, looking around and seeing no one on your side you took a few steps backwards, going back to your previous position. 

“Apologies for my outburst, your highness. But I can assure you, I’ve been framed. I’ve never seen a poppet in my life. I do not even know how to create one. My teachings are well documented by my septa from my homeland, if you wish to know of my good nature, ask my people. They know I would never forsake the throne.” You tried explaining yourself. 

Viserys gritted his teeth as he reached out towards the poppet. Silence enveloped the room as people awaited his response. Using his fingers, Viserys pried the front open even more, and there he pulled one of the hair strands. It was long, longer than his hair. He recognised it as Rhaenyra’s. A gasp left you at the sight of it. 

“This,” he glared at you, waving the poppet in the air, “This is blasphemy and conspiracy not only towards me but my daughter. You think I’d believe the words of a witch?” 

“My king, please! I beg of you to believe me.” Ignoring all kinds of shame you dropped to your knees, urgency clawing at you. “I have been in the Princess’ service for a very long time. I see her as my closest friend, I would never do anything to harm her. If you must doubt my character, do not doubt the maids who clean and tend to my quarters. Surely they should’ve found it had I kept a poppet of the princess this entire time?!” 

You tried reasoning with the king, even going so low as begging him. You didn’t know what to do. You knew what was happening, Otto Hightower. That reptile amongst dragons wanted to rid of you. But if you were to accuse him of treason, then your case would not stand. As it stands, Viserys trusted him more than you. 

Viserys stayed silent, as did the court. No one spoke to defend you, no one spoke to scrutinize you. Because the end was clear. The king looked at you with contempt.

“Please.” You made a final plea. 

“For your crimes, I would sentence you to an execution.” You wanted to scream but your pride wouldn’t let you. “But I appreciate and take account of the many years you have spent under the servitude of my daughter. For that, I sentence you to banishment. Leave Westeros at the first boat towards Essos. I’ll allow a single bag of your belongings to carry with you. What you do then will not be of any concern to me. Leave.”

~

What followed after came in quick succession. 

First, all your pleas and desperation dissipated. In its place was hot, flaming anger. Any and all niceties disappeared from you as you walked out of the room with a glare. 

Second, your maids were standing waiting for you in your room. Their heads bowed low as they try not to look into your eyes. They know the charges were false, they know you were framed. But they also knew they could not do anything, so you sighed silently and packed what was necessary. 

Your father had you taught all the necessary things a lady needed to know. How to sew, how to weave, how to speak, and how to enamour. But he had also taught you all the necessary things a lord needed to know. 

With no one else to lend down his knowledge, it was all for you. He taught you how to hunt, how to build a fire, how to fight, and most of all, how to survive. 

Third, you were sent off in a boat to Essos to Gods knows where. With only Alicent and Otto to watch and make sure you were truly leaving, your princess on the other side of Westeros finding suitors, and the man you love fighting in a war– you swore to yourself. 

You will survive. 

~

Daemon returned not a moon cycle after your banishment. Surprising everyone, Rhaenyra came minutes after Caraxes landed in the dragon pit. She had ended her tour early and Daemon had won the war. It was both a momentous and a frustrating day for Viserys. 

The war in the Stepstones was won and Daemon had bowed to him in front of his entire court. That very event warranted a celebration. 

Almost immediately the kitchens bustled to life, the servants prepared delicacies and parties. 

As Viserys laughed at stories from both his and his brother’s youth, Daemon could not help but let his eyes wander. He had known of Rhaenyra’s tour in search of a suitor. He had also known you had not gone with her for reasons unknown. So he had expected you to be here now to celebrate his win. 

He had planned on whisking you away in the night like that day he swore himself to you, bringing you to Dragonstone, and finally wed you, just as he promised.

Yet, you were nowhere to be found. 

When Daemon found out about your banishment, the Keep found out how irrational the Rogue Prince could be. Not a moment later, he mounted Caraxes and left King’s Landing for Essos, leaving behind an array of shouts and arguments with both his brother and the King’s hand. 

Rhaenyra didn’t take it any less lightly either. Though she could not simply fly off to a distant continent, she made sure her distaste and anger were felt across the estate. Any and all attempts of Alicent to speak to her were all brushed away harsher and colder than last time. In a bout of rebellion, the princess halted speaking with her father for a long period of time. 

But just as time continues to move on, so do people. After many soldiers and men were sent off to Essos to look for Daemon, the Rogue Prince finally returned. Muck and dirt stuck to his body like skin. From his eyes, everyone knew not to set him off. 

The prince wreaked havoc with his gold cloaks not long after. Loyal only to him, the soldiers became increasingly harsher in their punishments, all at his order.

Viserys never knew true anger as when he had thought Daemon had had his fill of violence and asked him to marry Laena Velaryon, to strengthen ties between house Velaryon and Targaryen. 

The lady was a friend of his, just as Rhaenyra is. But the anger that overtook Daemon at the mere idea of his brother banishing the woman he loved, only to send him away once more to marry someone else burned within him. 

Arguments, insults, and threats were poured upon them like wine on a wedding night. The keep did not know peace for a long time after that. 

However what did end up happening was that Laena Velaryon married another nobleman, and from her came Baela and Rhaena. Daemon would stay in Driftmark with Laena, all to cause gossip and havoc within King’s Landing and to cause even more of a headache to his brother. 

There he witnessed her husband’s untimely death due to an accident and her own during childbirth. He saw the way Laena’s body burned up in flames, leaving both Rhaena and Baela alone in the world. Just like that, he has lost another friend. 

In a single moment, he had thought about you. To the last night, he saw you. The two of you basking in the moonlight as you told him about your mother. Her untimely death. Seeing the way it tore you apart, he took it upon himself to take the two girls as wards of his family. He raised them as if they were his own. A part of him wondered what you’d think of him if he saw you. How he wished sometimes as he looked into the eyes of Baela and Rhaena after he comforted them of their mother’s death, that he was looking into the eyes of your daughters. The daughters he could imagine himself having with you. 

Would they have his platinum hair or would they have yours? Perhaps your eyes, though purple would look gorgeous. At night when he slumbers, he imagines and dreams about them. 

Children of his own with you. Be it two daughters like Laenas or three sons like Rhaenyra. He imagines them with your smile and mind, soft, comforting, but sharp and precise. From him, he hoped they’d have his tenacity, his edge for battle, his stubbornness, and perhaps his love for their mother as well. 

But when the sun rises and he wakes, they stay in his dreams. Forever missing.

Perhaps it was bitterness, perhaps it was anger, or perhaps it was something as simple as pettiness. But he knew the whole reason he pushed Rhaenyra for the war was because he urged for revenge. 

Then when that day came, the day when the Gods cried and thunder ripped through the sky, he held too many regrets as he leapt from Caraxes and plunged Dark Sister deep into his niece’s good eye. 

The battle above God’s Eye was a brutal one. 

Vhagar, a war dragon in her own right, yet slow from age, against Caraxes, the blood wyrm, the only dragon which can match Daemon’s bloodlust and anger, but always blinded by his rider’s emotions. 

Then Daemon, the Rogue Prince, fuelled by pure rage and revenge which boiled within him for years before his opponent was even born, against Aemond, the one-eyed-prince, who knows nothing but the desperate and filthy feeling of wanting to make good of his name. 

Their fight raged for what seemed like forever. 

The sky cracked and burned with lightning and rain. As Caraxes barely weaved through Vhagar’s piercing jaw, Daemon angrily yelled out. He could see no way he would win this, but he would be damned and let Alicent win. He’ll have to take down both Aemond and Vhagar, even if it costs him his life. 

Just as Aemond yells out commands to Vhagar, trying desperately to steer her, Daemon prepares his final attack. And when Vhagar’s jagged and sharp teeth finally sank their might into Caraxes’ wings, Daemon leapt. 

Aemond’s one good eye widened in fear as he struggled with the many straps that bound him to the queen of dragons. He could not get away. 

Daemon rained down on Aemond’s one good eye like the Gods’ judgement. Plunging dark sister deep into his skull, whilst Caraxes’ neck sprawled to bite Vhagar’s neck. 

The four of them fell to the raging sea like Gods. Kin killing kin, dragon killing dragon. Blood dyed the sea red that night. Daemon could only hope you would forgive him for his abandonment in the afterlife. 

Had he known that was the last night he’d ever seen you, perhaps he would’ve never gone to the Stepstones. 

So as saltwater fills his lungs and burns his eyes, he relinquishes himself to death. 

~

Deer fur has never been the softest, it’s short, stubbly, and quite harsh on the skin. But it is one of the best to bed with when winter comes. Due to this, a layer of sheep fur is always useful when placed atop of deer fur when one wants to sleep. The softness of the sheep perfectly balances the warmth of the deer.

Warmth, comfort, and the plushness of sheep fur atop deer fur greeted Daemon when he roused. 

He had thought the afterlife would be warmer and brighter. 

When he opens his eyes, the only thing he can see is a haphazardly made wooden roof, dimly lit by very few candles. One of those candles was beside him, giving off some warmth to the side of his face. 

His eyes squinted as they tried to adjust to the dim lighting. When he finds that he can’t he tries to move his limbs. Surely if he was dead then his injuries would amount to nothing. 

That assumption couldn’t have been more wrong as the moment he tried to sit up using his elbows, pain travelled through his entire body more painful than anything else he’d ever imagined. Causing him to collapse back onto the fur-lined bed. 

He groaned loudly as his senses jolted awake from the pain stabbed within him. Was the afterlife truly this ruthless that it asks him to feel his injuries though dead? 

His mind feels muddled as if a haze is crossing his eyes. His vision blurs and returns at random intervals and he feels sick. He knows he has a fever. Daemon feels the heat on his skin, despite the coolness of the air around him. 

Once more, he tries to move. This time to do a much less taxing task than the one prior. He tries to move some of the animal pelts around him, lessen the heat surrounding him. 

But when he lifts his arm to try, the door to the measly home opens with a shuddering sound. 

“Gods, you’re awake!” he hears a voice, though it rings in his head and he can barely make out the words.

Had his head not been spinning and pounding against his entire being, he would’ve looked to his left to see who it was. 

“Oh no, please stay still. Your injuries are grave and you’ve suffered so much frost.” The voice returns again albeit he still can’t make out the owner of the voice nor the words they speak. 

The figure, hazy in colour and shape runs towards him as they fix back his pelts to cover his body. He realises then that he isn’t clothed. He groans when they accidentally place very light pressure on one of his bruises. 

“I’m sorry,” they whisper, running towards a table somewhere in the room. 

When they return they hold a bowl of viscous liquid. 

“Drink it, it’ll help with the drowsiness and the pain.” They speak softly and very slowly. 

Though he doesn’t fully comprehend the words, Daemon is too far in his injuries to resist any kind of medicine. The bowl was brought onto his lips and he slowly drinks the viscous and bitter liquid. It burns his throat and tastes disgusting. He almost gags at the feeling of it running down his mouth. 

When he finishes the bowl, the figure places it aside and comes back to his bedside. 

Slowly, his ragged breathing returns to normal as his head stops its terrible spinning. The fatigue and pain of his muscles and bruises were still there but the burn of them lessened. 

When he can feel his throat and mouth again, he trusts himself to speak. 

“Who are you?” he whispers. 

The figure’s face expresses something, their mouth moves to emote but his vision is still too blurry to know what they are doing. 

“I’ll answer your questions once you’ve fully come to yourself. Rest for now, my prince.” 

They reach out to brush a strand of his hair that stuck to his sweat-lined forehead. In the corner of his eye, before he succumbs to sleep once more, he sees a silver bracelet. He does not know why he feels safe enough to sleep. But his mind wills him to and his body is too tired to care. 

~

In the days that followed, Daemon comes in and out of consciousness. Every time with blurry vision and a pounding headache. The figure aides to him as best as they can, he remembers them replacing the cold rag on his forehead every now and again. Feed him water and broth, anything liquid enough for him to drink and not have to chew. 

On the 1st full moon since his first rouse, he wakes long enough to focus on his vision. The figure wasn’t there, wherever they may be, Daemon was glad for the small moment of respite. It gave him time to think about what had happened. 

The fight above God’s Eye. Vhagar struck after Caraxes. His blade embedded itself in his niece. Then his fall. How he has survived so far was beyond him. A part of him wishes he was dead. Let the cold water fill his lungs again, let the salt burn against his eyes, let it stop his heart. Let him meet the one he loved. 

But no, it seemed the Gods had cursed him with a life longer than he neither wanted nor deserved. 

The figure didn’t come back for at least another hour, since then Daemon has found strength within himself to move his limbs lightly without much pain. His body ached from the lack of movement but that wasn’t the thing he was focused on. 

With much rest and nutritious broth, the strength in his mind had returned. With it came his clear vision. Clear enough to see the woman who walked through the haphazardly created wooden door, carrying two hares. 

Her clothes were ragged, her hair a mess, her skin muddied with dirt and God knows what else from the hunt. Her riding gear was old and tattered, barely holding onto dear life. But he’d still recognise her even if her body was covered with scars and burns. It was you. 

Daemon was confident he looked like a buck who’d just realised a quiver was pointed at it with the way he was looking at you. Eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. His eyes focused on you as you huffed your way across this simple home of yours. 

Pulling off your shoes and discarding all your gear before grabbing a knife to skin the hares. You hadn’t realised Daemon was awake, he was far too quiet for that. It gave time for Daemon to wonder if he died during his sleep or if you were truly real. 

It wasn’t until you’d finished skinning and butchering the hare, placing the skin and organs away for something else and clearing the blood and butchered pieces away that you noticed he was awake. At first, your reaction had been shock, your eyebrows rose and your mouth went slightly agape at the intensity of Daemon’s stare. 

But then it softened, and a smile crept its way onto your face. You sighed and placed down your dirty and bloody rag, walking over towards him as his eyes followed you. Your hand, now clean, went over to push away some strands of his hair. Then his eyes caught onto the bracelet once more. 

It was you, truly you. You with the valyrian steel bracelet he gave to you so many years ago. 

In the choking intensity, Daemon whispered your name once. Like how a devoted disciple would towards his most forgiving of Gods. 

“Yes, my love?” You whispered, equally as quiet and reverent. 

Daemon choked. 

Emotions and years upon years of longing and yearning crawled their way from his heart all the way to his mind a mouth. Rendering him speechless. 

“Welcome back, my love.” You repeat, leaning down to press a soft kiss on his forehead. 

Not much was done afterwards, though Daemon’s body still pulled him to rest, he tried with all his might to stay awake. Afraid that if he closed his eyes you’d disappear. 

But with a soft voice, you coaxed him back to rest. Promising to speak to him once he heals. That was the only thing which allowed him to go back to a peaceful rest. 

~

The next time he awoke, it wasn’t a peaceful rouse. Quite the opposite. A loud shrill sound echoed through the house, it shook the windows and burst through the walls. He knew that sound. Caraxes. 

With little to no care for his own well-being, Daemon sprung upwards, since he first woke he’d been clothed. Though it was just a simple and thin shirt and pants to cover himself up but not overheat him in case of a fever. 

He winced slightly over the sudden action but the sound of Caraxes led him towards the exit. Clutching his side he lightly limped towards the door and struggled to open it. 

“Lykiri Caraxes! Lykiri! Daemon is alright, he’s healing!” 

You were in front of the blood wyrm, standing between the large dragon and your measly home. What bravery you held to stand your grown though he could tell the way you shivered you were just as terrified as many at the sight of the dragon. 

Caraxes had severe scars all throughout his body, many were closed off, but he could see some marks on his wing and leg which had been expertly dressed with soft leaves. Have you been caring for Caraxes as well?

His thoughts were cut off when Caraxes let out another shrill cry, his head lowering to be at the same level as your much smaller form. 

“Lykiri Caraxes,” though he could barely speak above his normal tone, both you and Caraxes heard him quite clearly. 

At the sight of his rider, somewhat healthy and standing, Caraxes let out another shrill cry. Though you swear this one sounded much higher pitched. All before he himself also lightly limped away and slumped to the ground not so far away from your fireplace. 

“Daemon,” you spoke before rushing towards him to support him. “You shouldn’t be walking around yet!” 

At the sudden reprimand, he laughed, “And let you be eaten by Caraxes?” 

You huffed, “He wouldn’t, I’ve been tending him for far too long.” You took a nervous glance towards the beast, “At least I hope he wouldn’t.”

“He wouldn’t.” Daemon states, leaning his head towards your own. Treasuring the feeling of your body against his. “How?” The question hangs heavy in the air. 

“Well he’s been unconscious far longer than you have so it was easy to try and patch by his wounds. My only fear was if he didn’t wake up he wouldn’t be able to eat anything, so every now and again I’d leave dead sheep around him in case he wakes up so he could immediately eat. But for the dressing, I don’t have enough cloth to bandage or do anything so I used soft leaves. It’s what I used when I first got here so I thought it’d be al-”

Though you misunderstand the question, Daemon can’t help but feel amused by your lack of hesitancy in speaking. He wouldn’t expect you to go on a tangent like you do now back when the two of you were still in King’s Landing. Years before the war. 

“I mean, how are you alive,” he questions after silence over his laughter cutting you off. 

At the question, the mood thickens. 

“Let’s talk inside.” 

You supported Daemon as he staggered inside the small house. Sitting him down lightly over the makeshift bed you’ve been able to make with cloth, feathers, and several different kinds of pelts. 

There when the two of you got comfortable you handed him a drinking bowl of warm tea as you sipped on your own. Only after the two of you finished both your tea did you start. 

You told him about your banishment, and how Alicent and Otto Hightower framed you for witchcraft and conspiring against the crown. How it was only due to your connection with Rhaenyra that you were able to miss the death sentence. Then you told him about your life in banishment. Essos hadn’t been too bad. 

Of course, it took a lot to learn new skills and put them to work. But there were a surprising amount of kind people in the area, especially the worshipers and monks. They taught you how to survive, but you couldn’t leech off of their kindness forever. 

So with what little gold you had from working odd jobs here and there, you left for a stranded area. With what survival skills you’d learn you had slowly built a home for yourself. The beach was what brought Daemon and Caraxes to you. Caraxes had been bloodied and mangled. Yet he desperately held Daemon in his claws as he dragged Daemon’s body across the sand. 

It was only when he saw you that he collapsed, leaving both the large dragon and his rider to your care. For the past month, you had been making the trip from your home to the beach to care for both Daemon and Caraxes. 

Only today did Caraxes find it in himself to wake and fly, though barely. It was when Caraxes landed on your home did Daemon woke up. 

That brought you to that very moment. 

After you finished, there was a great silence between the two of you. 

Daemon was the first to break it. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Daemon Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone, the Rogue Prince, the red wyrm’s rider, amongst his many titles and nicknames, seldom apologised. But with nothing else to his name or on his tongue at this very moment, he thought of the only thing he could say, an apology. 

You smiled, casting your gaze to your hands, sheepishly shying away from his intense look as you thought of how to answer him. 

“What do you have to apologise for, Daemon?”

His name fell like honey off your tongue, like a choir of songbirds, like the sweetest of fruits from Highgarden. The simple act of it threatened to bring tears to his eyes. How long he had waited for that? For you, to say his name one more time. 

He remembered the last time he’d prayed to the gods in his adulthood. It was when he first heard of your banishment. Atop of Caraxes, the beast felt Daemon’s fear and anger clutch against his heart as the red beast ripped through clouds and skies trying to look for any semblance of you. Daemon prayed then. Prayed to find you, prayed to hear you, prayed to see you. 

Anything. 

No gods heard his plead that night and so he stopped. 

But now it felt like every wish he had ever spoken had come true.

There were no words left to speak. Only actions. 

Careful and dainty actions, considering Daemon’s physical state. Your lips pressed and moulded against one another. Letting years upon years of pent-up yearning and hopes spill through a single act. 

Your heart soared, here was the man you loved, finally in your bed. No more words were spoken that night. Only sighs and soft moans of pleasure and contentment were heard throughout the lone and simple house. 

As the two of you lay in one another’s company, new hopes soared between the two of you. And Daemon promises one last thing, a promise he intends to fulfil this time. 

The promise of bringing you back home to Dragonstone once Caraxes and he can.

Why Daemon? “Once I had wondered what was holding’ up the ground // But I can see that all along, love, it was you all the way down // Leave it now, I am sky-bound // If you need to, darling, lean your weight to me // We’ll gloat away, but if we fall // I only pray, don’t fall away from me.” The song references to Icarus and Deadalus, the myth speaks about the Greek value of moderation. Icarus falls because he is so enchanted by his godly visage and his lightness that he’s enchanted by the sun and the wax melts. Hozier talks about an all encompassing feeling of falling in love that encompasses your being so much so that you’d do anything for your love. In more ways than one, both the Reader and Daemon have fallen from grace due to their love for one another. It’s the godly pull they have with each other that leads to Reader’s banishment and Daemon’s belief that she’s dead. The song inspires the last and first part of Daemon and Reader’s romance story, they lean on one another in more ways than one. Reader becomes Daemon’s friend, a true and honest friend built on mutual respect and affection. Whilst Daemon becomes Reader’s confidant, someone to go for comfort and source of joy. By the end of the story, neither thinks about the past, Daemon doesn’t care about the way the Reader has been living and Reader doesn’t care too much about why Daemon and Caraxes’ so injured. The two of them just cares for each other that nothing else matters and I think that’s so fucking sweet. 

[sincerelywhistler]

🪐 SAIPH 🪐

(they/xe/it)

Many moons ago, before more canon demon races were revealed, I had introduced my psychosis demon OC, Saiph. Since that time, a lot has changed with how I wanted their character to look, act, behave, etc...

💫 REINTRODUCTION TIME 💫

Facts about Saiph:

• Saiph, meaning 'sword', is a star located in the constellation of Orion

• Saiph is also selectively mute! They’ll communicate telepathically only if truly necessary

• Their original dorky Serenity Daemon personality, pre-sovereign tampering (read below), shows itself much more once they satiate their hunger/post-feeding

• Xe have a special interest in planets and celestial bodies so much so that xer “nest” is in an abandoned observatory, cloaked behind a ward so that it isn’t at risk of humans rediscovering it

• Saiph is one of the more gentle of the Psychosis Daemons, however still incredibly dangerous, especially when hungry bro they’ll fucking kill you

• Why, yes! After they feed, they do feel guilty for being a literal murderer once it’s said and done! Only for The Hunger to take hold again and then they don’t care who they gotta kill, so long as they get to eat! It’s tragic!

• The kind of mf that curiously cocks it’s head when listing to you speak

• NO SHOES !! FEELS YUCK !!

• They’ll make sure that the last thing you see before you die are the stars sparkling above, the ones of which they believe all living things have come from. It’s their inner conscious’s twisted version of showing it’s prey mercy during their final moments

Here's how the inner-workings of how my Psychosis Daemons work:

• Psychosis demons, also referred to as Nightcrawlers, feed from the inherent feelings of delirium, psychosis (obvi), and hysteria

• This is a hostile sub-class of daemon, though not necessarily by choice

• The Sovereigns toyed and experimented with Serenity Daemons in a similar vein to how they once did with Concubi, corrupting and warping the peace-seekers into its antithesis— into something so violently obsessed and aggressive in finding their picture of perfect and 'divine serenity' that they spiraled and drove themselves into an enraged madness

• Thus classifies them as a sub-class to Serenity Daemons, so they get to keep the (a) in their Daemon title. Nightcrawlers did not coalesce— they were forged, making them only a handful in numbers and very old beings

• They were initially experimented on with the intent of being forged into unrelenting weapons for the Sovereigns to use during the Cacophony

• Psychosis Daemons often appear to look starved and malnourished, their physical bodies reflecting how that their dietary demands are hardly ever satiated

• The shape of their horns represent sharks teeth, because the teeth of a shark are angled inwards in such a way that it's nearly impossible for prey to pull free from its jaws once bitten. Once these Daemons have its grip on you, you’re done for.

• There are so very few existing Nightcrawlers that they used to be practically considered a myth until modern Department technology was able to better track and contain them for research purposes. D.U.M.P. has aptly given this subclass its name, as the majority of documented Nightcrawler feeding patterns display nocturnal behavior

• Saiph's kind is extremely patient and meticulous when picking their meals, so rather than feeding from a gathering of people in a single passing go, this race modifies one single human's memory by implementing overwhelming senses of deja-vu and confusion into their minds. This piques their curiosity, which then lures the human into the Daemon’s “nest” while kept in a trance-like delusion

• They literally stalk their prey before Getting You

• Nightcrawlers keep their prey around for the rest of the duration of the human's life as a thrall of sorts, because the further into delirium the person strays, the stronger the emotions these demons can feed from

• The human's worsening psychosis provides such a substantial amount of emotions that only one person is needed to feed, a 'mate-for-life' type of relationship. However, between their aggressive feeding habits, tendency to push the human mind too far, as well as the intensity and obsessive frequency at which they feed, the person's life is often cut extremely short. Then the cycle begins again.

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[atopvisenyashill]

Hiiiii it’s @martelldragon I ask from my main

BUT, on the Saera/Jaehaerys thing, IM GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE because whenever this conversation about there being SA or at least some weirdness from Jaehaerys towards Saera, a lot of people will brush it off as “you’re being weird, trying to find something sinister where there isn’t anything” when the subtext is there!!! And I also think HOTD sort of replaced Any potential weirdness there was between Ali/Jae when she was reading to him by having her reading to Viserys -> him marrying her -> him maritally r*ping her in the show.

I feel like this sort of acknowledges that there was something not right about Jae and Saera’s relationship but the show sort of gave the Alicent angle years later when Jaehaerys was being taken care of her while dying and any potential creeping on her to her reading to and taking care of Viserys and him being the one to creep/on eventually marry her.

I also think Viserys calling her Aemma in one of the episodes was definitely at least a reference maybe to the old man she took care of in the book mistaking her for Saera.

Anyway seeing you acknowledge the Jaehaerys/Saera relationship instead of ignoring it and acting like everyone who sees something odd there is “reading too much into it” is just so refreshing and sorry if this doesn’t make sense I kind of started rambling lmao

Oh yeah I feel like I get at least one anon every few weeks since I posted it that is just like "you're reading too much into this" without any explanation and it's like...okay well I disagree lmao. I think especially the people who are like "you think Saera is a girlboss but she's actually a psycho" like...WHOMST is "you" in this situation because it's not me! I think Saera was an intelligent, bright young girl who lived a simultaneously spoiled and lonely youth. I think her worst inclinations were often "rewarded" in the very typical "child can't get attention so they settle for negative attention by acting out" type behavior, which made her behavior worse. I think she exhibits some rather disturbing sexual proclivities and children generally don't land on those types of behaviors on their own; they mimic the behavior, good or bad, that they see. Regardless of what happened, I think it's very clear that Saera is mimicking sexually abusive behavior because she has either witnessed or experienced first hand sexual abuse happening. Now who is the likeliest culprit for that hmmm...

I do think the Joffrey comparisons or even the Rhaenyra comparisons crack me up the most though. Like...oh so you think these three children who really obviously experienced/witnessed sexual abuse and proceeded to act out and enact that sexual violence on others are all very similar little psychopaths? Wow tell me more!

But re: the Alicent of it all. I would agree, i think they combine her relationships with Viserys and Jaehaerys in the show, as well as combining her character with Aemma's (and clearly taking inspiration from Dany and Sansa as characters as well). Viserys is not noted to be decaying to death in the books nor is he particularly old when he dies; in fact, it seems implied he's still fairly young looking and handsome when they marry. Which isn't to say that it's still not tacky at best for him to have an affair with a 17 year old and then marry her when she's 18; it's just like, the show takes away that very gray area that George likes to play with where a teenage girl will marry a handsome, fit 25-35 year old and is maybe not too freaked out by it only to realize there is an ocean of difference between her and that man. Which like, fine, I think they still do a good job of interogating that aspect of F&B and Westerosi culture by delving into with Daemyra ("a girl child you bounced on your knee" is CRAZYYYYY i fucking love that line so fucking much especially because we get that scene where Alys is crying over Daemon and Daemon is a bit playful with her - she for sure judges him for his relationship with Rhaenyra but she also can't help but be fond of him, and I think that really displays the sort of dynamic George is going for with this specific sort of sexual abuse. Not dissimilar imo from like, Sansa remarking on how Tyrion was kind to her and the sort of lasting fondness she has for both him and Sandor - they are doing real damage to those girls but at the same time, the love and fondness is there and it matters to that girl regardless!). I do miss the kind of loving-but-weird beginning to her relationship with Viserys though; aging her down and making Paddy look so old and fucked up makes sense when you're trying to drive home the point to a casual audience that is just. so incredibly monumentally slow on the uptake. But Also imo starting it off this way really cuts a lot of that complexity of how damaging The Institution Of Marriage Is, when Alicent becomes an unwilling victim instead of a hopeful bride.

HOWEVER. The fact that her relationship with him can be airlifted out of the late 100's/early 101 right to the late 110s and onto Viserys sure does speak to how creepy her relationship with Jaehaerys is in canon! Doesn't say anything good about the reasons why she is sent into that man's room to read to him! And if he's calling her not his wife's name, not even his sister's name, but Saera's...hmm is all I'll say!

[nessjo]

Team Black: Maegor with Teats

Not that long ago a made a post that talked about how I see myself as neither Team Black or Team Green since both sides have their pros and cons, but today I saw a video from 'Valaritas' titled "Why Rhaenyra Targaryen Would Never Make A Good Queen" and it not only strengthened some of my points but it also showed me new ones.

The basic point that it proves is, that the show is very Team Black coded and that for the show, the actions from Fire and Blood were towned down. So in this talking about Book Rhaenyra and NOT Show Rhaenyra.

So let's summan up the video (more like quoting it, but hey!):

What makes a good ruler? Wisdom, Courage or something else and which one of these qualities did she possess and would she truly be a good queen?

Rhaenyra was a spiteful, jealous and lustful woman and her only basis for succession was her father's words, she lacked a strong sense of duty and her personal desires led her to make a lot of poor choices.

Yes, she was in a disadvantaged position in Westeros because she was the chosen Heir and a Woman, however despite this circumstances she struggled to embrace her role and fulfill her responsibilities.

Being King or Queen is a grave responsibility and requires them to possess a developed sense of Duty so that they can act in the best interests of the realm.

The problem with Rhaenyra is that she has no sense of Duty and often flouts her responsibilities. She wants power, unfettered power without realising that such a thing doesn't exist. She never tried to make herself more suitable for the throne, instead she just expected everyone to obey her as their Queen.

Firstly the books make it clear, that Rhaenyra became the chosen Heir, just so that the throne doesn't get passed down to Daemon, she was the last chance after the death of her brother for her father to make sure that the throne doesn't goes to his brother. Up until the Rhaenyra was treated simply as a princess and hadn't learned much about being a Queen. Despite knowing her father only became the King because he was a man, she didn't learn anything from history and didn't take any action to demonstrate that she was fit to be a Queen.

One of the most significant criticism of Rhaenyra's irresponsibility is undoubtedly her having three Bastard Sons. The Fact that the future Queen gave birth to illegitimate children is scandalous enough but what makes it worse is that she tried to pretend the were legitimate (which worked in the book better than in the show) and threatened everyone who questioned her and her sons.

In many respects her actions bear a striking resemblance to those of Cersei. Much like Cersei she consistently sought to suppress the truth by silencing those against her, for example she ordered Daemon to behead Vaemond and then to fed his corpse to her dragon, before that she wanted Aemond to be harshly questioned when he made similar claims. She went as far as to endorse murder and torture to perpetuate the lie and failed to recognize that illegitimate children on the iron throne would inevitably lead to a war.

At this point we should also criticise Viserys, because similar to Rhaenyra he failed in his responsibilities as the King. He made her path to the iron throne more difficult rather than easier. He did not educate her in a manner befitting an heir and furthermore he sowed the seeds of Civil War by having three legitimate sons.

In a world like Westeros you can't just throw away centuries old laws of agnetic primogeniture, you can't declare that your daughter will me the next Queen and you can't expect it to happen peacefully. He thought by just saying it, the people would expect it but no matter what anyone says, history is written by the victors and if Rhaenyra would have one the war, it would have paved the way for a woman to become the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. That wasn't the case, you can't convince anyone by saying that your father wanted you to be Queen, when the eldest son has been on the throne for years.

It actually shows their inability to understand the world around them. They both failed to make tough but essential decisions. When Alicent gradually took over the small council, Rhaenyra should have thought about taking decisive action to protect her claim, instead she decided to stay in Dragonstone (a major mistake by her). While there is nothing wrong for the rightful Heir to reside there, she wasn't a typical Heir. She should have been by her father's side from the beginning, engaging in political maneuvers but instead she allowed the Greens to gain more influence in the council and the capital.

She was either naive or some might say foolish and to some extent overly self-absorbed for thinking that the realm would accept and love her just because she was the chosen Heir of King Viserys Targaryen.

Some might argue that if the Greens would have done nothing and had Rhaenyra become Queen that there wouldn't have been a War, which might be true in some extent, as King, Viserys and Rhaenyra had a responsibility to prevent succession crises that could tarnish the heir's claim.

Many of Rhaenyra's problems stemmed from her assumption that she wouldn't encounter resistance for the throne or her disregard for how her actions could be used against her. If she had been more strategic she could have consolidate her power, but she created problems for herself by believing she had an unquestionable right to the throne.

If the event of the Dance of the Dragons didn't happen or didn't play as they did, she would have been at least a mediocre Queen, but it's important to note that it's easy to be a good ruler when your playing on easy mode in a peaceful and prosperous realm with no opposition and all you have to do is not screw it up (this goes for both Rhaenyra and Aegon).

When we look at Rhaenyra we can she an entitled woman who often prioritizes her own desires and interests over the wellbeing of the realm. She had three obvious bastards, displayed unnecessary cruelty to her enemies and married Daemon during a politically tumultuous time without regard of her recently deceased husband (in the book he really was killed).

Above all else she consistently avoids putting herself in harms way to advance her cause, leading to disastrous consequences such as Rhaenys's (and may more) death. Moreover she doesn't know how to please and get along with those around her, often appearing stubborn and spiteful. She lacks skills in navigating political situations, she's not adept at fighting or commanding and she fails to effectively utilise people who could support her.

She doesn't seem to have a clear plan in her mind and when her carelessness combined with her growing paranoia following the loss of her children, it became evident that she no longer could be a good Queen. In her short time in King's Landing she began to see enemies all around her and couldn't handle the pressures of being a Queen.

Her attempt to imprison Addam Velaryon solely based on insanity and paranoia is a clear example of her unsuitability for the throne. She is a woman that sought power for its own sake, believing it was her rightful claim, a similar sensebof entitlement can be seen in Daenerys as well (Valaritas has another whole video about that, so feel free to check that one out).

At the end of the day the books may have a bunch of rumours that sometimes exaggerated a lot but still there is a reason why she's called MAEGOR WITH TEATS.

While King's Landing was suffering from starvation, she hosted an extravagant part for her son Joffrey's birthday. She increased taxes and earned the nickname "Maegor with Teats", reflecting her all harsh actions without remorse. She never cared enough about the realm and it's people and she always prioritised her own desires.

This is why Valaritas and I think that (Book) Rhaenyra could never be a good Queen.

P.S.: I wrote this not the minor the work of Valaritas, especially because I basically wrote word for word what he said. His summary is just to perfect to phrase it any different and I for myself am a person that overall enjoys reading something like this more that just clicking on a YouTube link in a post. Non the less I'm putting the video down here for those that rather watch the video then read my text version (with slightly different words here and there)

[gatheredfates]

ELANDERVIER AUCLAIR

Nicknames: El. Age: Mid-to-late forties. I tend to play fast and loose with character ages unless specifics in the story necessitate it. Nameday: First Sun of the First Astral Moon (once again, you can see I care a lot™ about the birthdays of my characters). Race: Duskwight Elezen. Gender: Cis female. Orientation: You're implying El cares enough to think about it. She's probably somewhere in the sex-positive grey ace/demisexual camp, but let her own lack of consideration speak volumes as to its authenticity. Profession: Bog-Witch of the Northern Wilds, heretic and retainer to Firelight Trading Company. I imagine there's some kind of mythos around her as being a daemon that eats babies, but I'm hesitant to subscribe any real-world language to it.

PHYSICAL ASPECTS

Hair: Long, wavy and jet black. Eyes: Amaranthine, though her consort with the void has warped the iris. it is possible to make out some kind of sigil when standing close enough. Skin: Silvery with pale undertones. Tattoos/Scars: Ink-dark tattoos permeate every inch of skin aside from her face, though it's hard to know if they were done by a needle or magic. Gothic in nature, their elegance hides a number of symbols that imbue her with power.

FAMILY

Parents: Lord and Lady Auclair were of middling importance and their deaths did not leave an imprint upon Ishgardian society. Elandervier rarely, if ever, speaks of them. She considers her father a spineless coward and her mother a reprobate and a narcissist. Knowing they were left destitute after her actions brought her a macabre sense of glee considering they were willing to forsake her for their own comforts. Siblings: Her mother claimed she cursed her womb. El replied the insinuation gave her comfort and walked away clawed at the cheek. Grandparents: Unimportant. The only connection she has to her lineage is down the line to old Gelmorra where she believes her family had prestige. Others: Elandervier used to be in control of a cabal of voidsent accumulated from her various bargains, deals and trades. One of the few pacts kept after her assimilation to Firelight Trading Company was a voidsent by the name of Gobnip. Gobnip presents himself as an opinionated baby Ahriman who is 'contractually obligated to say all the things Elandervier won't'. Do not be fooled, however. With the right amount of aether, he can reveal his true nature.

While the witch is on retainer to Firelight Trading Company, she holds no allegiance to them proper. The only person she actively obeys is its patriarch, Rexonus; one of the first people she met on her defection from The Holy See, and one of the first people willingly abandoned when her confliction emotions around him and her birth-city came to a head. They kept in touch via occasional letters as she set up shop in the Forelands, and he rushed to her side when the blasphemy's rampage through Etheirys put her life and soul at risk. She made a pact with him, the closest language to love she understands, and uses her pragmatics and knowledge of dark magic whenever it is called upon.

She's not ignorant to the fact he has multiple lovers, she simply does not care. El holds all of them at arms reach, respectable and cooperative when she has to work collaboratively, but otherwise holds no great desire to get to know them. She's friendliest with @riftdancing's Blink due to their similar traits, but even so wouldn't necessarily call her a friend.

The person she has the most complicated feelings towards is Alaice. I won't go too in-depth into why, because it could be a whole post on its own, but it's something about being a mirror and an antithesis for her; of being so similar and diverting so extremely. Alaice is everything El abhorrers and wishes she could be, she hates her and loves her in turn, she finds her futilely weak and unfathomably strong — and she doesn't know where to put those emotions. I always write the two with an undertone of homoeroticism because I can, but also because 'love is consumption' underpins a lot of El's characterisation and it's TASTY to explore. Aka, cannibalism as a metaphor for sapphic love, vampiric 'penetration' being inherently queer, so on and so forth.

SKILLS

Abilities: Mastery over dark magic including thaumaturgy, summoning (voidsent), communion, possession, warding, etc. Midwifery. El's mother trained her as part of their family traditions and the hope her skills would elevate her as a trusted member of Ishgard high society. Even when defected, desperate women would make the long trek to Anyx Trine for fear of retribution from the Church/High Houses, and she would perform these services despite her hatred of Ishgard/Ishgardians. This is where a lot of the 'baby eater' rumours/myths originate from, as El would also perform abortions where suitable. Mostly this entailed the transference of aether from a non-viable foetus to a viable one — something the men of the gentry did not complain about when it benefited their sons (how odd)! However, El would always defer to what the women wanted over the demands of their husbands, even if this was done in secret. Hobbies: Studying the history of Gelmorra and it's traditions; foraging for herbs, mushrooms, moss and other things for potions and spells; simmering in pools of water and occasionally turning into slime.

TRAITS

Most positive trait: Elandervier is pragmatic. Above all else, she will contemplate and weigh her choices against any and all outcomes and select the most advantageous result. This may not be the easiest path, either. She is not afraid of tough decisions and hard work. Worst negative trait: She's spiteful. She's petty. She wants to make people suffer as she has suffered. Her moral compass is misaligned at best, deadly at worst, and she doesn't care for consequence. She's not a good person despite doing a few good things and she doesn't want to be.

LIKES

Colours: Black, green, purple and red. Smells: Anything earthy. Peat moss, freshy-turned earth and the scent of rain. The rust of blood. That smell you get when you get too close to a fire and you swear it's singeing your nose hairs. Textures: El is at home with anything that other people find revolting; slimy, spiny, soggy, etc. Drinks: Though partial to a red, El will drink anything. She can't afford to be picky when out in the middle of nowhere.

OTHER DETAILS

Smokes: When in Firelight Trading Company, yes. Tobacco is hard to come by otherwise, so she ends up quitting by proxy. Drinks: When she can. Guests often elected to bring her 'offerings' when in need of their services. She wasn't one to complain. Drugs: This one is tricky. I feel like things like hallucinogenic mushrooms and the like were probably an occasional indulgence, and she's a potions/medicine master of some renown. However, drugs as this sheet implies? No. Mount Issuance: If Gobnip is big enough she will ride him. :) Been Arrested: Good luck! Many have tried and failed!

Tagged by: @lilbittymonster — at least for this one! I'm going to try and do one character per tag. Tagging: @humblemooncat, @chainsofaether, @blackestnight, @mmorpg-escapism, @cadrenebula, @ascendedhypothesis, @ishgard & @allyennah! If you'd like a chance of being tagged, you can like my permanent interaction call here!

[bbygirl-aemond]

daemon - caraxes: how old daemon was when he claimed red noodle in stormbreak? before baelon died, right, so 14 or younger?

i just remembered this lmao my bad!! okay so i have two ideas for stormbreak daemon claiming caraxes. i haven't decided which one i want to choose yet; it won't be brought up until much later in stormbreak OR in one of the sequels so i got some time to decide haha. but here they are:

1. daemon claimed caraxes immediately after aemon's death.

in stormbreak, daemon is aged down, so he'd only have been about 5-6 years old here. but as we know, people can claim dragons pretty young (daeron, rhaenyra, etc.) and ride them later once they've grown. so it's very much possible!

he claimed caraxes because he'd likely be pretty neglected at that precise moment because of baelon's grief with both aemon and alyssa dead. remember, in canon baelon kind of went all "mad king" and just razed everything to the ground when aemon died, so he wasn't exactly stable. caraxes is a source of connection and comfort for daemon- kind of like aemond with vhagar. they're both outcasts and they find comfort in one another. it makes sense that he'd claim caraxes at a time he felt neglected.

...but if this happened, boy oh boy baelon would not take it well. see the above statement about his emotional instability and in particular his volatility during this time period. i don't think baelon was the type to physically abuse his children, but in this specific instance i could def see him lashing out a little. poor baby daemon.

this would allow for great daemon-aemond parallels in terms of being accused of disrespecting the previous rider's memory and having a celebratory moment overtaken by someone else's grief-turned-anger. it would also explain daemon's conspicuous lack of anger at aemond claiming vhagar compared to his two daughters in the show.

and then we have...

2. daemon claimed caraxes immediately after baelon's death, not aemon's. he would have been grieving and furious, similar to viserys's death in the show- because baelon's death would have prevented the closure that daemon desired within their relationship. he'd feel that there was so much unsaid, so much love and approval that he'd hoped to gain from baelon that he'd now never get.

he'd bond with caraxes during this moment of incredible trauma and vulnerability, mingled sorrow and anger. daemon's first flight on caraxes would involve a lot of angry screaming and a lot of things getting wrecked or burned. and then, once they were in the air and away from prying eyes, it would involve a lot of angry crying.

both options are angsty in different ways! and both involve a lot of trauma/grief right around when daemon and caraxes would have bonded. this would fit in with stormbreak's lore that trauma strengthens dragon-rider bond formations + the canon fact that daemon and caraxes have an unusually strong bond. it also just feels poetic and in-character to me that baby daemon would respond to the death of a loved one by seeking comfort and connection in a dragon. so much of his character is defined by his family; it makes sense for his dragon to be as well.

[thesunfyre4446]

I wanted to know your opinion of Jacaerys. I always see that Team Black believes that he would have been a good king and it is also mentioned in the text, I, on the other hand, like to analyze what I read and draw my own conclusions. This guy's decisions were largely...bullshit. The first one that comes to my mind is the idea of riding their dragons and not sending ravens because then everyone would know they were "Targaryens" because only Targaryens ride dragons (he sounds like a self-conscious person if you ask me)...then he proceeds to propose the idea of dragon seeds with bastards XD who haven't lived with his privilege claiming and riding dragons...and we already saw how it turned out.

He also seems to me to be a very bad negotiator since to get support or maintain it he had to make quite important concessions and promises. The idea of sending away their little half-brothers who are not old enough to defend themselves and who only have little Stormcloud, when Rhaena and Joffrey were perfectly fine in the Vale does not seem logical to me.

I always see that he died trying to save his half-brothers but this is not mentioned anywhere, Vermax decided to fly low...yes, but at no time is it mentioned that it was to rescue Viserys, I have read this fragment in the books that talk of the subject, not only fire and blood and it does not appear, I don't know if the source is this video that appeared on YouTube years ago where the Strong Boys had Valyrian traits 😂 there we see the credibility. They also say that he saved Aegon but the truth is that he was saved by his dragon... who did not allow himself to die until he was safe in Dragonstone, this decision did not have any positive impact on his half-brothers, rather it condemned them, Aegon to live with the guilt that did not belong to him and Viserys to be married at the age of 12...after spending years kidnapped.

Then there is the issue of Driftmark, something tells me that the legitimization of Addam and Alyn and consequently setting aside Joffrey as heir to House Velaryon was Corlys' condition to maintain his support, the people of team black usually say that this is so because Joffrey couldn't inherit the throne and also Driftmark (😂 sure, Corlys would be very upset if he was really his grandson) but Jacaerys was also alive when this agreement was reached.

In short, I do not see brilliance or political cunning anywhere, besides the fact that with his situation as a bastard he should not have rights to the throne, but in his case no one speaks of usurpation to his half- brothers Aegon and Viserys, to Alicent's children, and to Daemon's daughters,in the end their claim was based on a very very bad lie. The dance is very poorly written, the truth is that this fact should have had more impact, I understand that they were going to die and George did not worry, but that Rhaenyra continued to be heir and retain so many supports being a woman with three very obvious bastards in a feudal society....It doesn't seem credible to me at all. They give the example of English Anarchy but the truth is that it has nothing to do with it. Matilda had no siblings and it was a cousin, son of her father's sister, who claimed the throne. She also had no bastards, she had no children from her first marriage, in fact in the end it was her legitimate son, who she had with her second husband, who ended up on the throne and she fought more for his claim than for hers. It is not as similar as Team black points out, there are quite a few differences, Matilda and Rhaenyra are not the same, Rhaenyra was very selfish, and looked out primarily for her own good. Team Black sells you that she is the best mother in the world, but the truth is that she held a party for the appointment of Joffrey as her heir when she had already lost a lot of children and she used her last words to curse, without worrying about what they could do with her son, any mother would have asked for clamency...she was too proud for that. Helaena, on the other hand, is constantly criticized by them, but this woman offered her life in exchange for that of her children and they criticize her for becoming depressed after what happened to her.

hi there <3 thank you for the ask!

well, first of all it's important to mention that jace is like 15-17 during the time of the dance. he's a teenager. so we shouldn't be so hard on him for making bad decisions. i think the kid's got his heart in the right place lol

he wants to prove himself. especially because he knows he's illegitimate. he wants to make up for that in skill. but what i find interesting about his character is that every time someone brings out the "bastard" allegations his immediate response is violence. we see that in driftmark when he pulls a knife on aemond, and after the "strong" speech he lunges at aemond - not a great sign for the future king if you ask me. because the bastard allegations will always be there. so while i do think all things consider he's a good kid - it's obvs that he can't handle people calling a bastard. he explodes.

wrt to his death, i think he died from an arrow? his suggestion to send the boys away was actually smart (especially after b&c) but unfortunately they were attacked. did he try to reach his brothers? i honestly don't remember, but that's in-character for him. since, again, he's a good guy. (prob why i can't get into his character. sorry jace you're too normal)

corlys and rhaenyra's alliance was ruined after rhaenys's death.

and yeah the dance doesn't make sense lol and wrt to rhaenyra's motherhood, well, i think she loves her kids and tries her best. i think that she prob thought that aegon was going to kill aegon the younger no matter what. especially considering how daemon killed jaehaerys and she killed maelor. and rhaenyra's rhaenyra. she wasn't going to beg no matter what haha she's a good mother IMO.

[snowbryneich]

a, b, and c

A: How did you come up with the title to [insert fic]?

You didn't insert fic so you get the lot haha For series I'm going to do the series name so this isn't a mile long.

Future Promised in Glass - this is a line from the valyrian wedding vows featured at Daemon and Rhaenyra's wedding and I chose it because Jace and Baela had a Valyrian wedding and also because Baela thought she'd lost the future she'd been promised when she thought Jace was dead so I thought it tied in nicely.

Queer Customs - a reference to the line. Your Targaryen's have Queer Customs and the fact that Jace is not loving the custom of his mum being as involved in his sex life as she is in the beginning of that fic.

Anarchy Preempted - Anarchy is a reference to the real life historical period The Anarchy which I think Dance of Dragons is loosely based on (similar to asoiaf being based on war of the roses) and pre-empted because it happens earlier than canon.

Nine Parts - This is from the canon quote '“A woman's life is nine parts mess to one part magic,” Cersei Lannister - A Storm of Swords' Seeing as Jace is now a woman she has the nine parts - Baelon is really the one part magic.

Ten Nights - again a canon quote "Yet despite these rumours, observers at court could not fail to note that the king spent ten nights with Rhaenys for every night with Visenya.” The World of Ice and Fire - The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest Obviously Jace is spending more time with Rhaena but still using ten nights a measure.

Gravidity - just picked an old fashioned word for pregnancy.

Can't drag me away - this is a line from a song but I actually got it wrong and I like it so I'm leaving it.

B: Any of your stories inspired by personal experience?

Most of my child characters are taken from the many years of experience because my mum was a child minder and so there are many little kid stories i can borrow and canonise.

C: What character do you identify with most?

Definitely Jace of my current writing.

[aeriondripflame]

pls do elaborate on aegon-daemon-ism!

aegon has a lot in common with both viserys and daemon; I usually see ppl only talking only abt the former (particularly in conjunction to the more popular, and usually primary, daemon-aemond-ism,) when ironically aegon-daemon have much more similar personalities, but with daemon's worst trades cranked up a notch within aegon (or, alternatively, narratively much starker lampooned + aegon's tertiary character-ism vs. daemon's main character-ism and aemond's secondary character-ism). but aegon is wholly missing all the "good" parts of daemon, particularly the warriorhood (and, also, daemon being, at least post-rhea royce, a family man)

ppl usually pattern viserys-daemon dynamic onto aegon-aemond. and I see the parallels, but, while there are similarities, particularly later when aegon is king, this strict reading misses out on the fact aegon is a sort of pseudo-second-son/pseudo-first-son due to rhaenyra's status as heir ever since his conception. second-son to one half of the family, first-son to the other half, a dual-identity wherein he is able and cain, romulus and remus, usurper and king, valyrian old blood and reachian old blood, dragon and tower, red and green etc etc (aegon II for multiple reasons. and grrm is having some fun with this symbolism--his children are a pair of twins; he takes the throne twice, his entourage includes the two toms, he even has two eyes, two shattered legs...) not dog and cat, and yet dog and cat...hyena... alive and dead (inebriated, "dead man (and dying dragon)")

and I feel like partially this is due to the fact ppl don't take rhaenyra's position in the narrative seriously, or are, at least, conscious of it. if you only look at aegon-aemond and draw conclusions, such as it being basically new gen viserys-daemon, thus viserys=aegon, daemon=aemond, you're missing out on rhaenyra-aegon paralleling viserys-daemon

rhaenyra’s status of the daughter as firstborn son making aegon the pseudo-secondson is interesting i’ve never thought to compare them to viserys and daemon. i do think that presenting them as foils of the same sibling relationship works in that viserys and daemon are defined by their intimacy (viserys basically raising daemon, ‘he is my brother’, ‘i’ve only ever defended you’, etc) in comparison with rhaenyra and aegon who are defined by their distance (‘what kind of brother steals his sister’s birthright?’ as knowing in theory how siblings are supposed to be but not having the shared history between them).

in f&b, due to the aemond daemon foil, it kinda goes without saying that they are overtly the most similar, but with hotd i’ve started to lean towards aegon sharing more qualities with daemon. it all started with “king’s landing will learn to fear the color gold.” for me. daemon and his gold cloaks, aegon and sunfyre (and his personal and then royal sigil). then with the reactive inappropriate laughter/amusement. early season drunk daemon compared to post-timeskip aegon. to me, aemond despite his quiet nature has a very loud presence, whereas daemon and aegon are both watchers. they act out for attention rather than just receiving that attention outright. but with the viserys and daemon / aegon and aemond parallel, they are both the one who clings.

i think really it comes down to the fact that deep down they know that they’re detestable and they think that something is inherently wrong within themselves, so it is overcompensating and self medicating with like sex, attention, and alcohol.

[ride-thedragon]

I actually want to talk about a specific scene where the show sets up Nettles introduction and the conflict she introduces.

In episode ten, when Daemon and Rhaenyra are arguing and they send everyone away to talk, the asoiaf prophecy comes up. This is the full conversation.

I think that's a big indication that the conflict would be if Nettles is introduced and the story follows closely to books. She would be viewed as a threat to Rhaenyra. Not because of jealousy but genuinely as a reminder of something her father said in that exact same conversation.

So the girl whose way of taming her dragon links back to the first dragon tamers in Old Valyria may rub Rhaenyra the wrong way.

The inverse would be Daemon and what he says, "Dreams didn't make us kings dragons did" so I don't think for a second he would question Nettles legitimacy even though she doesn't look that way. Her invoking the first dragon riders would read more like common intelligence to bond with a wild dragon, not an affront to Targaryen’s power of illusion.

I also want to note that this is a grieving Daemon, who Rhaenyra clearly isn't trusting at this point, and his reaction is to strangle her. To resort to violence to punctuate his point and anger. Unjustifiable. But a similar theme to what happens in Maidenpool. It's not an exact parallel, however.

This is where I say I think Vizzy T's line is utter bullshit and the series disproves it time and again. However, I can see Rhaenyra clinging to it when someone like Nettles claims a dragon. She wouldn't view her as a probable bastard from Driftmark with this understanding.

Without dragons, we are just like everyone else, what stops everyone else from claiming dragons.

What stops wild dragons from being tamed by locals?

I do think this belief is wrong, though. Targs did a lot of incest and blood magic to get where they are. I could never take that from them.

However, it is intentional for Nettles to be the dragonseed to claim a wild dragon, where visible bastards fail. I do think the show was spoonfeeding the audience paranoia and justifying the understanding behind Rhaenyra's dislike of Nettles.

This could also be where Jace and Nettles' relationship comes into play. He is very bothered by the fact that Rhaenyra won't say he's a Velayron in episode 6, but by episode 8, he seems to be helping his brothers understand that even if their parents are questioned no one can rake away the fact that they hatched dragons, are Rhaenyra’s sons and are the legal heirs to their seats and houses.

Do we see how he could bond with the only non Valyrian looking dragonseed who just proved to him at least that she is a dragonseed.

Do we see how he may be a tad defensive about her?

All this to say, I hope we get the prophecy talk between Nyra and her firstborn. Especially if it happens after she meets Nettles. He may have a different reaction, seeing as he has a different interpretation of the fact that a big part of his legitimacy was tied to a dragon hatching for him. This is also a post losing Luke Jace. He may be a bit more emotional than rational towards the idea because of it.

I know it's not an exact parallel, but Jace is 16 years old, and he is clearly set up to be an angry guy no matter how diplomatic he is. I can see him lashing out at the suggestion.

This is all to say, that I'm in HBO's walls waiting for my girl.

[unohanabbygirl]

Sorry for the late response to the latest chapter of FMN. Okay I feel like Luke deserves to get a punch in on Aemond when he gets his memories back, maybe a few actually for what Aemond said in the past, even if he was trying to cover up his heartbreak. Everything about Daemon’s POV is spot on and I love how you managed to accomplish that! So what I gathered is that Daemon is still the uncle of the Targtower kids and Rhaenyra is his first cousin, right? And my god, reading Luke’s files from the past was absolutely crushing. I really hope there’s a copy of that video on Luke’s mom or they find her because I feel like there will be a damning piece of evidence that might be key in Luke’s trial. I think I got all of the hints you dropped and let me tell you I am freaking out about what it all means and how it will all play out as the story continues. Also Aemma, love you lots, but not good timing. Excellent writing as always and much love!

Luke deserves to get in more than a punch after everything he’s been through both in the past AND the present. Anger is an understandable emotion and if anyone in owed to take a few hits out on their murderer it’s Luke. Regardless of the fact that deep down he still might want to give Aemond smooches.

Despite all of this I can’t help but feel that the saddest part is even if he beat Aemond black and blue, no physical hit could amount to even a fraction of the pain he’s experienced and will have to learn to work through in order to make life worth living. It’s the most bittersweet part of the whole story. Even when everything is set and done, everyone kisses and makes up and all that jazz, these things still happened to Luke and truly healing is a process that’ll take years.

I’m so happy that you liked Daemon’s pov! He’s such a hard character to make come to life from a realistic angle because he’s such a confusing man. He’s not a bad guy but he’s definitely no where near a good guy either. Its that perfect gray area which makes it hard to get a good read on him. He maims rapists which is amazing, but clearly has less than familial feelings for his 14yr old niece. He loves both of his wife’s and adores their children to death but had no problem killing his first wife who did nothing to him he give him the same attitude he gave her (in show canon at least since he wasn’t in the Vale when Rhae died in f&b) Yea, he killed a little boy, but this is a world that operates on rules similar to the old testament. An eye for an eye, a leg for a leg, a son for a son.

Personally I feel that some people either write him like a stereotypical evil villain while others make him too uncaring and laid back. So i’m glad that I hit that good spot in the middle.

You’re correct! His brother Travis is the green kids father making him their uncle while Rhaenyra is his first cousin on his aunts side. I wanted everyone to still have that close familial relationship by blood while still switching things up enough to make their new relation believable and fit the timeline.

There’s definitely a bigger plot playing out in the background and Luke’s mother is a key player. Everything from being the only person who knows Luke’s true father to getting that mysterious call from her his self-proclaimed sister and whatever lawyer was able to get her such a good get out of jail free card after how she treated Luke. Cathryne is an important puzzle piece who we can only hope will come out of hiding soon. (Or get dragged out 👀)

Lol, Aemma really chose the worst to show up didn’t she? Daemon’s world is falling apart as he tries to piece together his newly found sons past while his smartest most mature kids have decided to do the most idiotic thing ever and sneak into a club and get sloppy drunk + start a fight all while knowing that Luke is knee deep in serious legal trouble. Now isn’t the greatest time for grandma Aemma to pull up with homemade chocolate chip cookies 😭

I appreciate your sweet words babes. Much love to you too 🥰

[x-rds]

[Lio] Yes! Phasmovore is my old blog. I used to go by Malchior (I still kinda do, but, y’know. Stuff changes.)

mord of Alt+H however was the major person involved in actually refining the concept and actually using it. I had just started college at the time, so I was way too busy to really do much by way of interacting with the community.

For context the main community I was part of at the time was the otherkin community, but I saw a lot of overlap between it and other communities - plural communities, therian, soulbonder, daemonism, etc, and at the time these communities would often rip into each other out of what I can only imagine was a desire to be considered the one that was legitimate in comparison to others that were looked down upon socially. In reality of course, they each have their own place, and everyone benefited from understanding what similarities were there and celebrating what differences were there, so I tried to come up with something to help connect the commonalities between these disparate groups as well as give a word for anyone who didn’t feel just one - or any - represented them properly.

Of course it’s not perfect, and it probably wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without mord’s intervention, but I’m proud of the fact that clearly there was and is something there that these different but similar groups could connect with rather than fight over.

Communities have changed over time, and yet things are also very similar to the past. I am extremely happy that I got to see some mending between those groups that were in conflict before - but now I am here primarily within the plural community and I see a lot of similar infighting. Unfortunately I don’t think a change in terminology will likely fix it - but I have to hope that a change will come with time as well. That said, in regards to the OP of this post - I think that despite the current conflicts among the plural community, the terms the Lunastus Co came up with were a great step forward from what had existed before. So I relate to them a lot, in that sense.

Anyways, hope that clears up some confusion! Tldr; the creation of the term alterhuman had everything to do with tumblr otherkin, and with community infighting between otherkin and other identities which now are seen as part of that alterhuman umbrella.

Just for the record:

We’re the ones who coined the original bunch of -genic terminology regarding system origins. (Endogenic, protogenic, etc.) We are an adaptive system with DID, not a singlet.

It was not coined on 4Chan, lmao.

We didn’t coin it to “mock” anyone. We coined them in response to sysmed bullshit– to give both trauma-formed and non-traumagenic systems non-medicalized terms to use. “Endogenic” was also an attempt to move away from the term “natural system”.

We support all system origins.

We did not coin the term “alterhuman”? Not sure where people got that idea, but that 100% wasn’t us.

Anyways yeah that’s all.

[queenstormbornn]

Your thoughts on the first episode of HOTD?

I really enjoyed it. As a GOT fan, I really had cut ties with anything related to GOT but then I heard House Targaryen and I was intrigued and then I realized that D&D would not be welcomed back … I was like, oh? Then the trailers came out and I said, SAY LESS.

House Targaryen is and will always be superior. Seeing their banners all over King’s Landing, the dragon pit, the statues, and the altar for Balerion did make me a bit sad. Made me think this is what we could have had if GOTS8 went into a different direction. Daenerys and Jon ruling the Seven Kingdoms and restoring House Targaryen … *que adele* we could have had it all. 

For people who don’t watch or read George’s interviews … they should. I’m obsessed with watching reaction videos and I’ve watched like a million already for this first episode and one of the things that I’ve noticed almost everyone is that, they have this mindset of who is the hero and who is the bad guy. 

These characters are complex. You’re either going to love them, like them, or fucking hate them. 

Some could argue that some characters are good and they might be in certain definitions but they all have a goal – the Iron Throne and already in the first episode; it’s picked up that. I think a lot of fans are still in the mindset of the GOT show. It’s like, no. You have to remove yourself from that because you might be team blacks vs. greens but you’re going to find fault in every character bc they all do SHITTY and TERRIBLE things.

Also, Daemon’s dragon helmet. Ugh. IN LOVE. 

Despite that, it was sooooooo cool to see dragons again. Seeing fan arts for years and then finally seeing them on screen … no better feeling. I’m looking forward to seeing more dragons, especially one of my favorites, Vhagar bc she IS the Queen Dragon. 

As much as the show-writers have said that this is different from the show GOT it still has its similarities and it reminds you with its graphic violence and nudity. Aemma’s birthing scene was horrible and horrific but I do like how they tied it with the tourney. “The birthing bed is our battlefield” and it’s true. But two graphic scenes of just violence makes you feel like you’re watching the old GOT, plus, the nudity. 

I’m glad that they brought back Ramin Djawadi to do the score. The fact that he uses Daenerys’s theme but changes it a bit still gives me goosebumps. 

I also like the jabs the show made towards D&D and how wrong they got things or the direction they took GOT. This show, even though it’s been one episode, feels like what GOT should feel. The vibe/theme George had written. I feel like HOTD is his show. Though, I’m sure he’s still disappointed that the throne doesn’t look exactly how he wrote it – it looks so much cooler. The fact that we’re seeing it injure King Viserys, showing him an unworthy ruler; before Robert welding it down to make it easier to sit on; another unworthy gesture. 

I enjoyed the episode a lot and I am looking forward to the rest of the season, especially Emma’s portrayal as adult Rhaenyra! 

*if you want me to talk about the characters -- which ones I like and don't already, let me know!*

[aerltarg]

My personal favorite headcannon is that the brother that Brynden mentions to Bran that 'he loved' is, in fact, Daemon Blackfyre; of course, the obvious choice would be Daeron 'the Good', I mean, he fought his king against Daemon, and nevertheless, killed him and his heirs, going so far that he went to history as a quenched Targaryen loyalist, always dismantling any Blackfyre insurrection but, wouldn't be more interesting if Brynden was thorn between 'love or duty', as many characters in asoiaf are? He could have he's reasons for loving Daemon: I mean, how couldn't he? the head of the Blackfyre dynasty was the ideal that any bastard could dream of being: was raised at court, being acknowledge by the realm despite his status (maybe for the wrong reasons, as many of his supporters had conniptions with the dornish), being acknowledge BY THE KING. And, I imagine, that being raised at court, and having similar status as Daemon, Brynden could relate a lot more with him than with Daeron, who was the heir and prince, something that he never dreamed of reaching. I imagined that, by the end of the day, Brynden loved and idealized Daemon, and the fact that Aegor persuaded him to rebel against the crown was a dagger to his heart, this and the old adage that so many characters of the books try to follow: "love is the death of duty".

What do you think?? (Pls, bear with my english, this is not my first language g.g)

omg i love this headcanon too!!!

yes, as you've said it's very easy to imagine daeron as the "brother he loved" of brynden. he fought for him, he killed for him, he became kinslayer, he stayed loyal to house targaryen after he died, he served his sons. i also think it's very much likely was daeron who gave brynden the dark sister for all his accomplishments.

yet, however much i love to imagine brynden having friendly relationship with daeron, the concept of "brother he loved" being daemon... just strikes different. and indeed does feel like smth grrm would go after - as you've said, "love vs duty" kind of situation, "human heart in conflict with itself" trope that grrm likes so much. there's even enough basis for this in canon, imo. i rlly like how you pointed it out! bc YES, brynden had more in common with daemon, another king's bastard, than with daeron, the prince of dragonstone. they were even closer in age to each other while daeron was much older. e.g. daeron was already 17 when daemon was born and 22 when brynden was. such a big age gap, esp in the world where ppl are considered 100% adults at 16, doesn't seem to me like a sign of a close relationship. ffs, brynden was very much likely younger than baelor breakspear, daeron's eldest son, and probably younger or around the same age of aerys i, daeron's second son. and yeah, sure, we do know that brynden's mother, missy blackwood, befriended naerys, aemon the dragonknight and daeron himself, yet i can see this only as brynden being kind of a distant little nephew to daeron, not a brother close to heart. and when we have the combination of the age gap AND different social status chances of close friendship go to hell pretty much, imo.

another great bastard who was even closer in age to brynden was aegor. and well... we know they weren't friends for sure lmao. this blackwoods vs brackens thing as addition to everything else ig. it's kinda curious tho that aegor was growing up away from the king's landing while both daemon and brynden were raised at court, and yet in the later years aegor and daemon somehow bonded and bittersteel even managed to persuade daemon to fight for the throne...

i must say i especially love the part of brynden idealizing daemon and feeling betrayed when he got persuaded by aegor to rebel!!! ah, ol' good targ drama, we love it. but personally i'm especially delighted to see this (and adapt this hc pls 😂) bc it reminds me so much of brynden & jon snow parallels that i enjoy a lot! it gives me the vibes of robb and jon: a close brother who has the love of their father while you are otherized and you still love this brother (even if are jealous in some way?). surely, i think there are greater parallels with daeron & robb / brynden & jon aka bastard bros staying loyal to their legitimate siblings despite everything. yet, now i cant unsee daemon & robb / brynden & jon! like yeah daemon got papa's love and was that perfect targaryen prince (except for the name) while brynden was otherized not just bc he was a bastard but bc of his looks as well. yes, jon and robb are the illegitimate vs legitimate kids situation but daemon being all that except for being waters and brynden also being rivers but still far from the perfect prince(TM) imagery gives us so many opportunities to wonder what their dynamics rlly was! bc i believe this basis of being able to relate to each other could make it so super interesting!

agsvxvsh idk if i'm making sense rn so the main point i wanted to lead to. brynden "he had sacrificed his own personal honor for the good of the realm" rivers chose duty and did what he thought right - put an end to blackfyre rebellions, got the kinslayer attire for this and was sent to the night's watch after his last attempt to end blackfyres. he paid for his choice. jon "i am the sword that guards the realm of men, and in the end, that must be worth more than one man's honor" snow chose love. his decision to march for arya is one of the main reasons he got assassinated. he paid for his choice too.

these parallels with jon that only shine brighter when you consider daemon as "the brother he loved" of brynden are one of the main reasons i love this hc! but ofc the whole complexity and potential of their story and situation that you get play the huge role too. it's a very rich concept that i enjoy so so much!

[bbygirl-aemond]

do you have thoughts on how ewan mitchell compared aemond to the cyclops in his interview...?

Um absolutely. Ewan Mitchell's recent interview has completely ruined my life, and especially so because of that very part.

In case you missed it, Ewan said that one of the first things the showrunners ever talked to him about was this very idea of the Cyclops. "What does that do to a person?" asked Ewan in the interview. "To know the day you're going down, and feel bulletproof to a point."

This means the showrunners canonically have written parallels between Aemond and the Cyclops from Greek mythology, who traded one eye to Hades, the god of death, in order to see into the future and discover how he died. This wasn't explicitly mentioned, but Norse mythology also carries a very similar story of Odin, who sacrificed one of his eyes in exchange for drinking from a well that would give him unparalleled knowledge. And it suggests that, with the loss of his eye, Aemond gained not just Vhagar, but the knowledge of his own death.

And GOD does that add so much depth to the show, and to his character. Especially the standoff between him and Daemon: a lot of people read this moment as Aemond backing down out of fear of Daemon's implicit threat. But to me, it now seems more like an acknowledgement: "it is not yet our time."

It also, interestingly, strengthens the parallels between him and Helaena, but I'll go into that another time.

Okay, now it's time for book spoilers, and I'm gonna make myself sad with this one.

If Aemond KNOWS how he is going to die-- if he knows WHO kills him-- then it makes him provoking Daemon all the more interesting. Because his toast at the dinner must have been deliberate; right after Daemon kills someone for calling Rhaenyra's children bastards, and Aemond goes and does the same thing? Who would be so insane, except someone who knows that he will not die that day? Who would want to draw Daemon's ire, save for someone who knows it will be inescapable no matter what they do?

It also makes the way he goes to his death all the more honorable. He doesn't try to run away, even though he has much to live for: his family, his lover, and especially their unborn child. In fact, he seeks Daemon out, as if he'd simply been waiting until the time was right. And he goes to mount Vhagar for the last time with grace, and without fear.

Also, there's no way Vhagar didn't know there was no coming out of that fight for Aemond. Regardless of what you think about a dragon-rider bond, we know for a fact that things like pain are transferred through the bond (Rhaenyra and Syrax), and the emotions involved with knowing you're about to die are too strong to not seep through. I've always had this headcanon that Vhagar made a conscious decision to go down with her rider, and I think that if she had knowledge (through Aemond) of his doom, this makes it all the more likely. There's something very beautiful, if very sad, about the oldest, loneliest dragon alive, deciding that if her rider dies she no longer has anything to live for. Or, even, deciding to fight for him, even if his heart tells her it will be futile.

Lastly, if the books are correct in their portrayal of his final moments, it means that despite the years he had to prepare himself, he cannot help but succumb to terror at the end. In the books, he is barely twenty years old-- barely beyond his teenage years--and so of course he dies as what he truly has been, all this time: a lost, and terrified boy.

In summary, I am not ready for what's going to happen to my baby boy :((((((((((((((((((((