#I just have to laugh cause literally the only reason is that he validates Dany's ruling arc and people can't stand it 😭

[fromtheseventhhell]

What's crazy is that Barristan has the character development that people pretend Jaime has but because he supports Dany and doesn't spend all of his page time talking/thinking about how evil Targaryens are, it gets ignored

[ginmo]

You're not delusional for entertaining the possibility of Brienne as YMB

“If you think anyone but [Insert Queen, most commonly Dany] is the YMB then you’re delusional” is something I have seen quite frequently, so I’ve been inspired to explain why that’s uh...well, complete bullshit.

To be delusional, you need to be spewing garbage without any reason or support and lack any sense of reality. But… there is plenty of evidence and reasoning, based in reality, to simply entertain a theory that isn’t [Insert Easy Choice].

Let me state that I'm not saying with total confidence that Brienne is YMB. I am not saying she is or is not. My claim is that Brienne is a perfectly logical candidate, and that being completely sold on a traditional choice, to the point where you’re publicly making asshole cocky comments about it, is risky af. I’m tired of people shutting down any discussion of it.

This is GRRM. This isn’t supposed to be easy (he literally said this, as shown below). There should be multiple interpretations to this prophecy. People who think it’s Brienne or Sansa or Marg or whoever may be wrong, or people who think it’s Daenerys may be wrong. Or maybe this is supposed to be ambiguous and we’ll never get a definitive answer. Maybe it’s multiple people. It all depends on what angle GRRM is going with. He could be going very literal and traditional with this, sure. Or, he could be going a more poetic route, which is also a style of his writing. Obviously by this post, I prefer the latter, but I see different angles. I’m not going to pretend I’m psychic by claiming I’m right and you’re wrong, and I’m not going misuse the word delusional. If you come after me later with, “LOL I TOLD YOU SO” I’m just going to say you missed the entire point of my post and my point is still 100% valid.

SO. Here is why you all have NO RIGHT to a) be so damn confident in your traditional choices and b) put down others for entertaining Brienne.

Hang on tight. This is long as fuck. First, you need to promise me you’ll do two things.

My two rules:

Consider authorial intent when thinking about meaning and trajectory and

Step outside the bubble and look at this story from a professional angle. A good narrative written by a professional author has structure and purpose.

Before I properly dive into this, let’s see what GRRM has to say about prophecies:

Prophecies are, you know, a double edge sword. You have to handle them very carefully; I mean, they can add depth and interest to a book, but you don’t want to be too literal or too easy…

I mean…. That should be enough to shake your confidence. He even gives an example.

In the Wars of the Roses, that you mentioned, there was one Lord who had been prophesied he would die beneath the walls of a certain castle and he was superstitious at that sort of walls, so he never came anywhere near that castle. He stayed thousands of leagues away from that particular castle because of the prophecy. However, he was killed in the first battle of St. Paul de Vence and when they found him dead he was outside of an inn whose sign was the picture of that castle! [Laughs] So you know? That’s the way prophecies come true in unexpected ways. The more you try to avoid them, the more you are making them true, and I make a little fun with that.

So you always want to frustrate our expectations, am I right?

Yes, it was always my intention: to play with the reader’s expectations. Before I was a writer I was a voracious reader and I am still, and I have read many, many books with very predictable plots. As a reader, what I seek is a book that delights and surprises me.  - GRRM

A physically beautiful Queen, or physical beauty in general, would essentially be the Lord being correct of his fate and dying in that castle. The Lord expected to die in that castle. Cersei’s only expectation to YMB is to be “cast down and take all you hold dear” by a literal beauty, literal Queen. That is obviously the reader’s expectation as well. Hello fandom! Cersei doesn’t know who this literal beauty/literal Queen is. She constantly obsesses over WHO, but is always wrong, maybe because it isn’t surface level obvious and it’s her incorrect interpretation, just like lord’s interpretation was wrong. He didn’t die in a literal castle.

See, I’m obviously so delusional for thinking GRRM might be doing, um… exactly what he said? There’s nothing from reality to support an idea that GRRM may not go the easy, literal route. There’s absolutely no reason for me to think this may not be so simple.

.

..

….

….

-__-

Right.

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-Younger, More Beautiful-

Brienne is a possible candidate for the YMB.

...it was always my intention: to play with the reader’s expectations.

For both Cersei and the readers (again hello Freefolk, Twitter, Tumblr), Brienne as the unexpected YMB is a twist to the literal interpretation, fitting GRRM’s idea on how prophecies should be written.

“But everything that has happened about the prophecy was literal so duh this has to be literal!”

The literal parts of the prophecy were marrying the King and the number of children she’ll have. Yeah… there isn’t anything subjective to that, so it’s not surprising that it’s straightforward. She asked a question, Maggy gave her an answer. Besides the part with the children dying, the bit we’re talking about was stuff Maggy added in. Also, is there like a prophecy rule book somewhere I’m not aware of? Maybe consider that we got easy literal bits mixed in so we (and Cersei) are misdirected by the actual focus? Maybe consider that it’s possible for a prophecy to have some literal elements and some not? Maybe consider that a way more subjective (-cough-beauty-cough-) part of the prophecy isn’t as straightforward?

Moving on.

“Aye.” Malice gleamed in Maggy’s yellow eyes. “Queen you shall be… until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all that you hold dear.”- CERSEI VIII, AFFC

It’s common to see “younger more beautiful QUEEN” (YMBQ) floating around fandom. Technically, Maggy never says the person is a Queen, whether literal or symbolic. She says “another.” An equally valid interpretation of that can be, “someone else who is younger and more beautiful than you.”

“Um no, it definitely implies a Queen because the words after and because of the context.”

If you really want to argue that GRRM definitely implies Queen, well, here’s something to chew on.

I’m not going to describe how Brienne’s arc is definitely not ending as her being someone’s bodyguard for the rest of her life. That’s for another time. But that doesn’t even matter really, because it has been made intentionally clear that Brienne is her father’s only heir. Once Brienne’s father dies, even if she’s still active on the battlefield, someone’s bodyguard, or still fucking off somewhere, she will still technically be the Evenstar.

- The Evenstar -

The Evenstar was a title given to the Tarth Kings. That title is still used. Why? It’s interesting to think that GRRM gave random minor House Tarth a specific title used for Kings, and that he allowed the House to continue using that title. Because he created that title for that House and allowed them to keep it, that title becomes symbolic of their previous kingdom. This is similar to our real world where some nations or groups retain titles from their history as more of a symbol. Selwyn Tarth is still known as the Evenstar. Selwyn Tarth is a symbolic King. When he dies (which will probably happen soon), Brienne automatically inherits that title, making her a symbolic Queen. And we all know how much GRRM loves symbolic meaning.

“I still think it’s a LITERAL Queen.”

I mean, a possible theory is that the throne will be destroyed at the end of this and the realm will split back into separate kingdoms. Sooo, if that happens……………………….

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- What does Maggy mean by beautiful?-

I have a really hard time believing that GRRM wants everyone to sit down and argue over who is physically more beautiful between his characters. In every story there are themes explored and messages woven within, so each character with an arc is going to have themes and messages associate with them. One of the themes being explored with Cersei is beauty. (This theme is explored through both Jaime’s and Brienne’s arcs as well, which isn’t a coincidence.)

Cersei’s interpretation of beauty lies on the exterior This is an element of her narcissism (word by GRRM).

(“Cersei isn’t narcissistic????”

You can argue, well, does she genuinely love her children, or does she just love them because they’re her children? There’s certainly a great level of narcissism in Cersei. She has an almost sociopathic view of the world and civilization. - GRRM  

Don’t even go there)

In her eyes, a person’s worth is tied to how physically attractive they are. She is obsessed over being beautiful, and her twin being beautiful. Her attitude towards her twin changes when he returns handless. Cersei’s interpretation of the prophecy is that she will be cast down by a physical beauty, which is why she goes after Margaery (Dany most likely later on/Dany in the show). But remember this?

you don’t want to be too literal or too easy

It’s possible GRRM isn’t talking about physical beauty here. a) too literal and b) Cersei is being taught a lesson, and the readers are being sent a message. Like, you know… what good quality literature does. This is important to understand. Maggy probably realizes this about Cersei (like any classic Beauty and the Beast Witch), thus fulfilling the prophecy on her own, her own downfall being caused by her inability to recognize power with inner beauty.

“But Cersei is bringing her own downfall by obsessively trying to avoid the prophecy. As GRRM said, ‘The more you try to avoid them, the more you are making them true.”

And by obsessively going after her interpretation of what beauty is, she’s missing what’s right in front of her face.

“He took Raventree and accepted Lord Blackwood’s surrender,” said her uncle, “but on his way back to Riverrun he left his tail and went off with a woman.”

“A woman?” Cersei stared at him, uncomprehending. “What woman? Why? Where did they go?”

“No one knows. We’ve had no further word of him. The woman may have been the Evenstar’s daughter, Lady Brienne.”

Her. The queen remembered the Maid of Tarth, a huge, ugly, shambling thing who dressed in man’s mail. Jaime would never abandon me for such a creature. My raven never reached him, elsewise he would have come.

- CERSEI I, ADWD

I mean… this right here, imo, is pretty significant, but it’s frequently ignored.

We see Cersei feeling a bit threatened by her rapid fire questioning of what, why, and where.

She places emphasis on Brienne’s looks.

The use of Her. That’s rather strong. GRRM could have taken “Her” out and started her thoughts with, “The queen remembered” but there’s something forceful - as if making a point- to use Her. GRRM also made sure the readers knew that Cersei knows of this woman, and knows what she looks like. From a narrative standpoint, if Brienne’s inner beauty contrasting her outward appearance isn’t an important element in the downfall of Cersei, then there’s literally no reason why Cersei needed to have seen Brienne before. Remember my rules? Yeah, apply them to this one.

“Er, Brienne’s appearance is mentioned so that Cersei knows to not be jealous.”

…I think, “Jaime would never abandon me for such a creature” is basically saying “LOL well he did.” It’s GRRM telling Cersei, and the readers, that her answer is right there, right under her fucking nose, but she’s too dense and superficial to see it, which is the point of the Brienne theory.

“It’s there just to show that Brienne is taking Jaime away even though she’s ugly, but it has nothing to do with YMB.”

Yes, that is also the point. Again, an interpretation of a key message of the prophecy is that beauty isn’t literal, and beauty lies within. If we’re looking at the prophecy as a lesson to both the readers and Cersei, similar to The Witch in Beauty and the Beast - a tale and theme GRRM has been confirmed writing, then… why wouldn’t that be connected? “Brienne the Beauty” is literally the only character to challenge Cersei’s superficial perceptions, and the only one who has been set up to do so. In other words, for this particular theory, narcissism and superficiality drives Cersei’s downfall.

Also, I find it curious that instead of saying, “Lord Selwyn Tarth’s daughter, Lady Brienne” which would have been way more straightforward and which he could have easily done, GRRM instead used his other title, “the Evenstar’s daughter” which basically translates to, “the Princess.” A possible nod to the future Evenstar, the future symbolic (or even potentially literal) Queen, if Cersei and readers want to interpret the person as a Queen.

Reminder: that’s a fact. Not wishful thinking. Regardless of what Brienne is doing or where she is, she will literally inherit the title the Evenstar.

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- Brienne the Beauty -

BRIENNE IS AN INNER BEAUTY. This has been intentional and made crystal clear over and over. Brienne is the Beastly Beauty. A… beauty who gives a lesson by challenging Cersei’s perception of beauty and…. She is intentionally written as younger and….. she will have a title that’s a symbolic Queen and… her story is tied to Cersei’s lover? :O

Look, it’s no secret that one of GRRM’s favorite narratives is Beauty and the Beast. As mentioned above, he is writing an adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

George R.R. Martin said what he wanted to do was to take the traditional format of Beauty and the Beast and change the roles — and also the genders. - Gwendoline Christie

[GRRM] also said that when he wrote the story of Jaime and Brienne, he was taking the formula of Beauty and the Beast and turning it on its head. He wanted to see what it was like for the man to be the beauty and the woman to be the beast and how that would play out. - Gwendoline Christie

I spoke to George R.R. Martin about this, and he said that it was always his intention with Jaime and Brienne to take the classic Beauty and the Beast story, and turn it on its head. Brienne is not ‘unconventionally attractive’, she’s ugly, and she’s ugly to society. She is the beast.- Gwendoline Christie

He’s taking the traditional format (a romance) and switching the genders and roles. The entire point of BatB is to destroy the idea that love and beauty are determined by superficial qualities.

Guys again, I’m so delusional. There is nothing to see here. None of this is from anything real.

“But that’s just for Jaime.”

There can be other characters in a Beauty and the Beast adaptation. It’s an adaptation, not word for word. Other characters can be used to deliver the message, especially if the character is uh… linked to and romantically involved with one of the BatB inspired characters. For example, in the Disney adaptation we have Gaston (who… now that I think about it, actually has a similar Cersei way of thinking, ngl lol).

Brienne is the one character who has the actual name of Beauty associated with her. She is Cersei’s opposite. Brienne is the epitome of what Cersei cannot understand. A theme explored through Cersei is beauty, which is a theme that’s heavily explored through Brienne as well. Brienne’s character has been shaped around rejection due to her appearance. Literally every page in her POV is about how ugly and undesirable she is. Therefore, it’s very possible their characters are connected by a shared beauty theme.

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- The Prophecy -

Okay, the rest of this stupid thing for YMB. Here we go.

”Will I wed the prince?” she asked.

“Never. You will wed the king.”

Beneath her golden curls, the girl’s face wrinkled up in puzzlement. For years after, she took those words to mean that she would marry Rhaegar until after his father Aerys had died.

GRRM straight up telling the readers that Cersei interprets this shit incorrectly.

”I will be queen, though?” asked the younger her.

“Aye.” Malice gleamed in Maggy’s yellow eyes. “Queen you shall be… until there comes another, younger and more beautiful, to cast you down and take all that you hold dear.

“But ginmo, -sigh-, Cersei doesn’t hold Jaime most dear. The thing she holds most dear is power.”

Is she not always jealous and bitter over how Jaime is born to be heir and she is not? Does Jaime not represent the Lannister legacy she craves? Does Ms. “my brother is worth a thousand of your men” not lose any amount of power if Jaime stops doing what she wants? Is Jaime’s identity shift not influenced by Brienne the Beauty? Where is Jaime in both books and show? Couldn’t Brienne’s influence on Jaime mean Cersei loses power, a lover, her legacy? Jaime is power.

And then, again, there is also the straightforward route with the Kingdom splitting up possibility and Brienne the Evenstar….

Then we get this perfect little nugget.

Anger flashed across the child’s face. “If she tries I will have my brother kill her.”

I WILL HAVE MY BROTHER KILL HER I’M DYING. This is something that is repeated TWICE. Here in the prophecy and later in the chapter when she’s talking to Qyburn about the prophecy.

”...another queen, who would take from me all I loved.”

“And you wish to forestall this prophecy?”

More than anything, she thought. Even in the tent. “If she tries I will have my brother kill her.”

This is another moment to apply my two rules. There is literally no point to this being thrown in there if Jaime is not connected to the YMB, and definitely no point to emphasize a second time that she’d have her brother kill her. The words are not, “I will have her killed,” which could have left it ambiguous and easily been done. No, she (which is GRRM) specifically uses “my brother will kill her.” The irony is that, JAIME IS IN LOVE WITH HER. HE’S IN LOVE WITH THE BEAUTY.

“No, the irony is that by that time Jaime won’t listen anymore to her.”

I mean, that’s possible obvioiusly, but… yawn? That has practically zero emotional weight attached to it. I personally lean more towards this being a massive hint, that Jaime is the LAST person to kill the YMB, because he lost his heart to her, which makes it so delicious and juicy. GRRM is essentially having a massive evil laughing fit.

Another small note, during the Maggy the Frog scene, after delivering the YMB message to Cersei, Melara asks if she’ll marry Jaime. When they leave, Cersei kills Melara for wishing to marry Jaime, which is GRRM telling the readers that Jaime most certainly represents something Cersei holds dear, or else she wouldn’t be killing her. It’s not a coincidence this was right after she learned about the YMB.

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- Cersei is her own downfall -

The more you try to avoid them, the more you are making them true

In the show Cersei is threatened by Dany as YMB (since it’s possible she incorrectly interpreted the prophecy, wow what a concept that’s not possible at all). This was made clear by the script notes. Apply my rules here as well.

But what’s the meaning of Cersei being taken down by a physical beauty? That just… proves her right? That would be the Lord dying in the literal castle? It just supports Cersei’s superficial world view by sending absolutely no message to her character? From a narrative standpoint, there’s no point to have YMB be a literal beauty. Again, is it possible he’s going the literal route? YES. But considering GRRM implements a ton of metaphor and symbolic meaning in his work, that he literally said he’s writing a BatB narrative so Beauty Within is definitely present, and he straight up said he doesn’t like his prophecies to be entirely literal, I’m going to at least have fun and entertain the non-surface level interpretation, and I’m therefore not delusional for doing so.

And since Cersei is bringing her own downfall, how would Dany even fit? Dany would have been going after that throne regardless of whoever’s ass was sitting on it. Dany’s pursuit of the throne has absolutely nothing to Cersei, and everything to do with what she believes is her right. My point is, if Cersei’s butt wasn’t there, Dany would still be doing exactly what she’s doing. So how is Dany taking the throne a consequence of Cersei bringing it upon herself? Cersei and Dany are completely separate from one another. Even if AU Cersei was nice to all of her allies and Jaime, Ned knew the identity of her children, and therefore a fractured Westeros would still exist. She wouldn’t have had enough men to fight off Dany. None of that really matters anyway, because Daenerys still would have converted Houses through the use of her dragons. In the show, it’s been made clear that she thinks it’s now Dany so...… going back to my points outlined above, if she thinks it’s Dany, maybe it’s possible she’s wrong.

You know the one character Cersei will NEVER see as a threat, due to her narcissistic inability? Brienne the Beauty.

(Also for show!Cersei, I love how fandom is like “Valonqar can’t be Tyrion because Cersei thinks it’s Tyrion” and then in the same breath they go, “DO YOU SEE? Cersei thinks Daenerys is the YMB so it’s Daenerys!”..................................................... Like I said, GRRM and D&D could be going that way, but to use that logic is just…… what)

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-Book Structure-

Hey did you guys know that there’s actually thought and technique that goes into the formatting and structure of a book, especially a book series? That the structure of chapters and the format aren’t just randomly thrown together? DEFINITELY apply my two rules here.

When was this prophecy introduced? AFFC, the book Cersei AND Brienne conveniently got a POV, the book that is mostly Jaime, Cersei, and Brienne centric. Who has a POV chapter immediately after Cersei’s prophecy? Brienne. Why is it structured this way? Was it random that the book was mostly a Lannister twin + Brienne book? No...

What can that possibly imply?

The main story running through each of those characters is the same. In other words, those three are connected to the same subplot - BatB- and are therefore connected through the same themes.

POSSIBLE? Yes.

DELUSIONAL? No.

Also my favorite. Look at this chapter ending. LOOK AT IT. Feel the dramatic pause. DO YOU CLAIM THIS IS RANDOM?

I dare you tell me that there is no thought that goes into a chapter end.

I dare you to tell me that the Cersei chapter following is meaningless, like the structure of a book doesn’t go through an editing process, that chapter ends aren’t significant and the structures aren’t another element in the story telling process.

I dare you to tell me that “Brienne the Beauty” weren’t words intentionally chosen by a professional author.

We first hear about “younger, more beautiful” in CERSEI III - AFFC, and then Brienne is referred to as, “Brienne the Beauty” shortly after in BRIENNE III - AFFC. The only other time Brienne's nickname of “Brienne the Beauty” was mentioned was when Catelyn made note of it. It wasn’t in ASOS when there were plenty of opportunities, and it only came up again (...four times) right after Cersei thinks about YMB for the first time.

yEAH GUYS, DElUSIOnAL, wHat IS naRraTive StrUcTuRe AnD pROfESsIONAL fOrMAtTiNG? nOt rEaL LMFAO bRiEnNe’s nOt pOsSIbLe aT aLL

[thelanguageoflovers]

If you feel inspired, tyrus + discovering a shared hidden hobby/passion?

I read this and my brain went wild with possibilities but the only one I actually used was sharing an actual human person lmao(Also I just finished writing yesterday’s 5+1 fic and my brain is genuinely melting)

TJ dropped his house keys on the table next to his front door, holding it open for his boyfriend, who filed inside, looking around in wonder.“Anyone home?” he called out, his voice echoing around the house, only to be greeted with silence. “Guess not. Sorry it’s so small,” TJ apologized quickly, glancing around at the tiny house.“I like it,” Cyrus assured him, crouching to pet the cat winding around his ankles. “Who’s this?”“That’s Max. His sister Dani is around here somewhere,” TJ said fondly. “You named your cats after Hocus Pocus?” Cyrus asked, smiling.“In our defense, Amber and I were very young,” TJ said, picking up Max and scratching him behind the ears while he led Cyrus down the hall to his room. He nudged the door open with his shoulder, setting Max on his bed where Dani was already curled into his pillows.“Your room is… Not what I’d expect,” Cyrus admitted, turning in a slow circle.“How so?” TJ asked, sitting down on his bed carefully, shifting away from sitting on Max.“I don’t know, everything is so light and clean. I expected basketball posters held up with like three thumbtacks and a wad of gum,” he joked, causing TJ to elbow him gently in the ribs.“Psh, I could never pull that off in this household,” TJ said, absentmindedly putting books back on his bookshelf. “Amber would sneak in and clean it in my sleep, which she actually did once when we were seven, mind you.”“Fair enough. What’s it like having a twin sister? I always wanted one when I was little,” Cyrus asked, walking over to the record player in the corner and raising an eyebrow at the apparent lack of actual vinyls. “Oh, it has its ups and downs,” TJ said, pointing to the rows of crates, all holding books and vinyls, under his bed. “In some ways, it kind of sucks that we’re just stuck with each other. But on the other side of that argument, we’re also best friends, no matter what. I guess when we were little, it really sucked because we hated each other with a passion. But we grew out of that, and now it’s just really cool. However, she insists that the twelve minutes between she and I being born were the best twelve of her life, and I think she’ll always stand by that.”“Well of course, she was the favorite for twelve whole minutes.” Cyrus crouched, pulling out one of the many wooden crates under his boyfriend’s bed, rifling through the vinyls.“Exactly,” TJ agreed with a chuckle, nodding as he pulled out a second crate from under his bed, swapping it for the one Cyrus had. “Here, these are my favorites.”“You have like a thousand records,” Cyrus marveled, picking up an old Queen album and flipping it over in his hands.“And three thousand books, I know,” TJ finished his boyfriend’s thought for him, circling to the other side of his bed and pulling out no less than seven crates, all overflowing with books.“How on Earth did you find the money for all this? You work a minimum wage job, and insist upon giving most of your paycheck to your mom for bills or groceries- a very sweet gesture, but not one that leaves you with much money,” Cyrus asked, confused.“There’s a used book and record store 20 minutes out of town,” TJ explained. “I take the bus every Saturday, and buy as many as I can. I would buy my records at the Red Rooster, but there’s no way I can afford 30 bucks a record, so I usually find the ones I want there, make a list, then hunt them down at Crumpled Pages.”“Crumpled Pages?”“The book and vinyl store,” TJ clarified. “I’ve been going since I was eight. I used to have to sneak away from the library after my mom dropped me off every Saturday, back when she didn’t want me riding the bus alone. Every single employee knows me by name and favorite genres.”“Wait but today is Saturday?”“Yeah, but, and don’t tell Tolstoy or Gogol I said this, you’re more important than books,” TJ said, leaning across the bed to kiss Cyrus.“We could go to your beloved bookstore right now?” Cyrus asked, putting the crates back where he found them. “I don’t have to be home for a few hours.”“Oh! Are you sure? I know your ideal Saturday isn’t exactly taking a bus to Crawford for some books and vinyls.”“No, I want to see your special store!” Cyrus insisted, squeezing TJ’s hand. “It sounds like fun!”“Okay, if you say so,” TJ shrugged, taking Cyrus’s hand.“Yay!” TJ grinned, pulling his boyfriend down the hall.“I’m happy if you are, Underdog.”

“This is us,” TJ nudged his boyfriend gently, pointing out the window with a smile.“Cool!” Cyrus exclaimed, standing up as the bus rolled to a stop. TJ chucled, jogging off the bus with a quick ‘thank you’ to the bus driver, before pausing to intertwine his fingers with Cyrus’s.“Come on,” TJ said gently, smiling at how adorable his boyfriend was. “It’s just a few blocks this way.”The couple walked slowly, in perfect synchronicity, their hands swinging gently between them, chatting casually. For once, everything seemed right in the world. This was the first time Cyrus had felt so at peace since he was 12 and his aunt was getting married.There had been a moment at the wedding, when he and Buffy and Andi were sitting alone at a table, talking about their science project or something equally mundane, when he realized these two would be his best friends until the day he died. That they could spend hours talking about anything in the world, and never get tired of each other. Of course, the moment quickly dissolved into a debate on the validity of Pluto as a planet, but it was that moment that he decided he’d follow either of them to the ends of the Earth (or to Pluto, which he insisted was indeed a planet [“Just because it’s small, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be a planet!”], science be damned).“What are you thinking about?” TJ asked, looking down at his boyfriend, who was clearly deep in thought.“Well,” Cyrus started with a chuckle. “My aunt Edna’s wedding, actually.”“Your aunt Edna’s…”“Wedding, yeah,” Cyrus laughed, looking back and forth between crossing the street.“Wh-why?” TJ asked. “We’re literally on a date, Underdog.”“I swear, it’s actually a compliment that I’m thinking about her wedding,” Cyrus defended, following TJ as they turned a corner. “How?” TJ asked, laughing warmly.“That was the night Buffy, Andi and I stopped being best friends and started being attached at the hip. I loved that night.”“Fair enough,” TJ conceded with a shrug.“Wow, I just realized literally all I talk about with you is my friends, I’m sorry,” Cyrus apologized.“It’s fine, Underdog,” TJ assured him. “You three are a package deal.”“What do you mean?”“Cyrus. Our first kiss was literally in Andi’s grandparents’ living room at their Christmas party.”“Point taken,” Cyrus nodded, following TJ into Crumpled Pages when TJ held the door open for him. “Whoa.”“Yeah, it’s kind of cluttered, but their stuff is the cheapest around,” TJ reasoned, taking Cyrus’s hand yet again, and leading him through the store, winding through overflowing bookshelves and boxes of vinyls.“Thomas!” A lady Cyrus could only assume was the owner of the store appeared out of nowhere, sweeping TJ into a hug.“Addie, it’s only been a week,” TJ protested, his voice strained by the strength of the hug.“A week is much too long, Thomas,” TJ grimaced at the use of his full first name, desperate to change the topic before Cyrus brought it up.“Addie, this is my boyfriend, Cyrus Goodman,” he said quickly, pulling Cyrus in front of him. “Underdog, this is the owner of the store- and subsequently pretty much my second mother- Adelaide.”“I will be circling back to the topic of 'Thomas’ later,” Cyrus hissed to TJ, holding out a hand to Adelaide. “It’s lovely to meet you.”“Goodman?” Adelaide asked excitedly, taking his hand and shaking it. “Are you related to Leslie Goodman?”“Yeah, that’s my mom. Do you know her?” Cyrus asked, cocking his head slightly.“You’re Leslie Goodman’s son?” Adelaide asked, stepping back to look him up and down. “Oh, come here, sweetie!” She swept him into a warm hug, tears coming to her eyes. Cyrus looked at TJ confusedly as Adelaide cried into his shoulder, but his boyfriend could only shrug, his eyes wide. “Your mother and I were best friends in high school and college! How is she?”“Wait you’re my aunt Adelaide? She talks about you all the time!” Cyrus said, smiling as Adelaide wiped tears from her eyes.“Oh gosh, I can’t believe Leslie Goodman has a son!” Adelaide exclaimed, hugging Cyrus once more.“Actually, she’s pregnant, too. It’s a girl,” Cyrus informed her. “Oh my gosh! Let me get my phone, I’ll call her right now!” Adelaide rushed away to the back of the store, leaving Cyrus and TJ standing in between two bookshelves, watching after her. “You knew my aunt Adelaide this whole time?”“I guess so,” TJ shrugged. “I had no idea.”“…And your name is Thomas?” Cyrus asked, chuckling.“Thomas James,” TJ grumbled. “Please don’t make fun of me!” Cyrus shook his head, wrapping his arms around TJ’s neck.“I like it.”

[daniedoodles]

Danie’s Dilemmas Ep. 2: Emptying the Bottle

I never know how to start these things properly when I write them... and it doesn’t help that the objective of this particular entry remains unclear to me. 

I’ve been through a whirlwind of emotions ever since summer began, and yes, that means more so that usual. For the time being, sad is the new trendy. I keep finding myself wondering too much about “what could have been” and all the “what ifs,” to the point where I think I’m insane for letting my imagination run that far. My head has been in the clouds much more than I care to admit. I don’t know... I guess I just feel stuck, really. You’re probably going to need some context for you to get this, so I’ll start with the person that has been giving me so many, and I mean many mixed signals (I’ll have you figure out who’s who, keeps things interesting). We started talking back in the final days of June, and since then, we’ve spoken to one another every single day and hung out a couple of times. Everything seemed to be going great, until the Perseids meteor shower, where literally nothing went according to plan. For starters, it was incredibly cloudy (and smoky), my phone was being tracked, snacks were bought but never consumed, he couldn’t stop acknowledging the fact that he couldn’t think of anything else to talk about (which I have very strong opinions about, by the way. I’ll get into that), and we came home far too early. Then the remaining of that night was spent distracting myself from how shitty I felt by calming a friend down on a phone call. I just laid downstairs with the big ass blanket that was specifically brought out of hiding for that night, eating the snack that I refused to let go to waste until I eventually passed out. 

I wanted to talk more about how he was so worried that there was nothing left for us to discuss... first of all, that was fucking annoying. I don’t think he understood how awkward it makes the situation when you say it out loud. I mean, what the fuck is so wrong about a little silence in between? Doesn’t that just signify that we’re both trying to think? You couldn’t have just discussed everything after one day, that’s impossible, especially when you’re with me. I have a lot on my mind and everybody knows this. Believe me or not, I don’t care, but the shit that I actually say out loud, is hardly half of what I’m actually thinking. It put a lot of pressure on me to quickly start a conversation so naturally school comes up (ew). This rant doesn’t even make any fucking sense. All that there is to say is that 1) I was kind of offended because I was finally starting to chill more around him but he was the complete opposite, 2) meteors were probably whizzing through above us but the clouds (which I love at any other given time) obstructed our view, 3) if you can’t think of anything else to talk about, couldn’t you have just naturally let a conversation start as opposed to stating it so bluntly? And 4) would you be a doll and make up your mind please? With all these mixed signals, I don’t even know what to think anymore, and the one thought that is comprehensible gives off the impression that I’m a narcissistic bitch. You can’t blame me for thinking that because we don’t know each other as well as I know the rest of my friends. Sure, we might’ve both answered all those 200 questions those two nights but do you really think that that’s all there is? How will I know who you are if you shelter yourself by putting on a facade that specifically caters to whoever it is that you talk to? 

Don’t get me wrong, the guy is sweet. But if he can’t trust me, and he keeps backing down, then what’s the point? I’ve been in such a constant state of confusion and hesitation. I told myself I would’ve let shit like this get to me but who am I to actually stick to my own word. You know how there always comes a point when you talk late at night, and all you feel like doing is spilling all the deep stuff, like the tea that has been brewing for a good 24 hours? Yeah, no such thing is possible with him. I don’t even know (but yeah)... this is such a shallow thing to even write about ‘cause I’m sure it doesn’t seem like such a big deal to other people, and I’ll probably think the same eventually. For now however, all dramatizations aside, it’s a little upsetting. 

On the contrary, I feel the need to shine some light on my friends. I have never felt closer to every single one of them up until this point. In spite of how small our inner circle has become, I love them all genuinely. I only really trust six people, if I’m being honest; so if you’re questioning whether or not I trust you, then chances are, you’re not one of them. 

I’ve been a real scatter-brain if you already couldn’t tell. I’ve had a lot of dreams lately that only partially make sense because they have some of my friends in them, but the setting is so off. Some are funny-weird, then the others (that is, if I told you) would make you go “wtf??” 

But uhh, back to the friends. I feel like I don’t show them enough how much they mean to me. And for some reason, I’ve noticed that we never really hug??? It’s such an out-of-the-blue observation. There’s also all this other stuff with high school coming to an end, and the whole scare about not being able to see each other everyday all of a sudden. College applications are already stressful enough to deal with on their own, so having to think that you and your friends are going to have to part ways for a given amount of time just really completes it ya know. Most of us are planning on going to the same universities, but others obviously have their own paths to follow and we would never want to get in the way of that. It’s just a fact that’s difficult to accept, I suppose. It gets better though, right? 

You know what, now that I’m just out in the open, and this whole thing is titled “Emptying the Bottle,” I might as well keep up with the brand. I hate how I always put so much meaning into little things, when in reality, I already know that nothing good is going to come out of them. For example, when a guy offers you their hoodie, laughs at your jokes, or calls you a specific name... I pay attention to those things like any other girl. Why do we always have to overcomplicate shit like that, when we know that our respective counterparts cannot be relied on to do the same in return? That’s why I often wonder what does go through their mind. Of course, not all guys are like that, there’s always that one amongst the rest that you can’t possibly believe actually exists because they defy all expectations. I’ve found someone like that already, but I hate that they don’t know, and I can’t let them know because I don’t want to scare them off. There’s this constant push and pull ‘cause you never know how they’ll react, but at the same time, you just wanna let it out because you don’t know how much longer you’ll be able to keep it to yourself. I’m just going off on the most random tangents now but it feels good to let it out, lol. Clearly I have a lo to say when it comes to all this. I’m normally not one to want to be in a relationship because I don’t believe in their validity, especially with everything about going away for university and potentially having to part ways, but the desire to be in one just sprung up on me out of nowhere, and I blame it all on my friend with her seemingly endless rambling in regards to “her mans.” In addition to that (yes, there’s more, I’m not finished), my belief in astrology is getting in the way... fuckn mercury retrograde headass... messing with my emotions. Why do the planets have to play me like that?? There’s so much more that I want to say, but 2am-Danielle has not yet risen. Oh god... now I can’t stop thinking about 2am-DRUNK-Danielle. Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. 

For now. 

keep up, will ya

[moiraineswife]

Why do you hate Tyrion?

Oh, where do I begin :’)  You do not know what you have Unleashed, nonnie (this is all going to be book based, and I’ll probably forget some stuff, BUT THERE’S ENOUGH IN MY HEAD TO FUEL THE FIRES OF MY RAGE) 

Short version: 

He’s arrogant, selfish, self-obsessed, self-pitying, and utterly without conscience or morals, he’s deeply misogynistic, a rapist, a killer, and he refuses to acknowledge his own flaws and shortcomings. 

Long version: 

-Even as early as AGOT he’s doing things that benefit him, and only him, without a single thought/care towards the consequences (because it’s not as though he isn’t intelligent enough to figure them out) eg: arming the mountain clans of the Vale which causes untold destruction and pain for the locals when they return with the weapons and armour he gave them as the price for his own skin. 

-Tyrion’s POVs are incredibly well written and constructed. A reader is inclined to view him as he views himself: an essentially good creature, who tries hard, and is halted and punished by the world for things he can’t help. Which...is not entirely true. 

I think it’s easy to get sucked into Tyrion’s POV, and the way that he thinks and acts. For the first few books, we very rarely get anyone’s opinion on Tyrion/view of Tyrion save Tyrion himself. 

It’s easy to get caught up in his assumptions of prejudice that the world has against him (and it’s easy to understand why he has these, I don’t deny that, but I just can’t get over it) 

If you actually pay attention, Tyrion assumes that everyone treats him badly/dislikes him etc because he’s a dwarf and they’re therefore prejudiced against him. Undoubtedly some of them are, but some of them have seriously good reasons for disliking them. 

See: Sansa Stark, who’s had basically her entire family killed by his, but Tyrion just assumes she doesn’t want him as a husband/won’t confide in him because he’s ugly. Disclaimer: IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT YOU BUDDY. 

Also see: small folk in King’s Landing, who are angry with him for clearing away their homes and livelihoods during preparations for war. Tyrion understands why Tyrion is doing what he’s doing: it’s a practical measure for the sake of the defence of the city but...The people whose homes he’s destroying don’t understand that. But he blames their hatred of him on their prejudice of him being a dwarf. 

This isn’t necessarily a surprising character trait, not given how he grew up (I would never try and argue that Tywin wasn’t abusive towards him...But that doesn’t give Tyrion the right to be abusive in turn) but it does fill him with a certain amount of self-pity, and it limits his ability to actually self-reflect and realise that, shockingly, not everything he does is perfect, and people can dislike him for seriously valid reasons: ie, he’s a little shit. 

-The way he treats women is, frankly, disgusting. 

His disgust at being outsmarted by Catelyn in AGOT comes from the fact that someone outsmarted him, but it’s more than that, it’s because she’s a woman. he even remarks on the fact that her scheme worked in a large part because she is a woman. 

The general language he uses to talk about women is...gross. He views most of them as sexual objects/tools for him/other men to use. His liking of Robert Baratheon because Cersei hated him sticks out in relation to this. Robert, who repeatedly emotionally, verbally, and physically abused his wife, humiliated her publicly, blamed her for his abuse of her, and raped her, makes Cersei reasonably despise him. Tyrion, instead of showing sympathy for his sister, decides he likes Robert, because hey, who cares if he’s raping an essentially defenceless woman, right? He’s pissing her off, too, A++++ bloke. 

He’s surprised, indignant, and irritated that even women are allowed to participate in the votes/discussions of the mountain clansmen, like, how dare. 

People rage against Cersei for her hatred of Tyrion but it’s....Not exactly unfounded. Ignoring her being a child who had just lost her mother, whose father was giving her no support, and was blaming her newborn brother, and the prophecy that made her fear that Tyrion would kill her. 

Tyrion has, in the books that we know of: poisoned Cersei, manipulated her, undermined her, schemed to take her children away from her without her knowledge or consent, threatened her children on more than one occasion, including threatening his eight year old nephew with beatings and rape if Cersei doesn’t do what he wants, would have gone through with whipping said eight year old nephew just to hurt her,fantasised about raping and killing Cersei,  to the point that this is his ‘terms’ for working with Dany when Illyrio makes the offer to him. So...yeah, Tyrion has reason to hate Cersei, but Cersei has just as much, if not more, reason to hate and mistrust Tyrion. 

He’s also raped a slave at Illyrio’s manse, fully aware that she’s a slave, fully aware that she does not want him to have sex with her, fully aware that she cannot say no to him, which is why he does it. And the way he treated the prostitute in, I believe, Volantis, forcing himself on her again, and using the fact that they didn’t have a common language and she didn’t understand him. 

His treatment of prostitutes in general is...gross af. He views them as objects without agency. He treats them like possessions: he’s bought them, he can do whatever he wants with them, they’re his now. And his self-pity over Tysha when he learns the truth about her is also...gross af. Like, this poor girl was gang-raped while he watched, and then raped her last, the man she loved and agreed to marry, and all he can think about is his poor self. Fuck that shit.  

Shae. 

Literally everything about the way that he treats Shae. An eighteen year old, lowborn prostitute, who was forced out of her father’s house because he abused her and raped her as a child, with absolutely no agency, power, or person to speak for her. 

Everything about their travesty of a relationship is an abomination from the get-go. Starting with Tyrion’s commands to her: that he’s not only hiring her for sex, but to essentially act as his partner. She’s to please him in bed whenever he wants, but she’s commanded to also laugh at his jokes, pour him wine, rub the ache out of his sore legs, mourn for him if he dies, etc, etc, etc. Like if you don’t understand that it’s fucked up of him to do that to another human being, regardless of how much gold he’s giving them, I don’t know what to say to you. 

Tywin flat out tells Tyrion not to take Shae to court with him. Tyrion takes her anyway, to spite his father, knowing full well that if they’re found out, he won’t be punished, but Shae will likely be killed for his disobedience. 

He’s incredibly controlling towards Shae throughout her time with him. He essentially locks her up in a manse “for her safety” he deliberately gives her ugly guards, so she won’t be ‘tempted’ by them, and only visits her when he wants to fuck her. He complains that she’s a child when she complains about this, and he’s paying her, why should she complain? Because Shae is not a human being with her own thoughts, feelings, and desires, clearly, she’s just a sex toy for lord Tyrion. He’s bought her, and paid for her, and can do what he likes with her. 

The way he treats Shae is a pretty good representation of how he sees/treats most prostitutes. Like an object. Like a thing that he’s bought and can use as he wishes. Shae is not a human being to him, she’s not a person, she’s a thing that he can fully possess and control because he’s paying her and it’s disgusting. 

Throughout their time together, Tyrion constantly dismisses her feelings/emotions, reminding himself that she’s “only a whore” that she doesn’t love him, and is in this only for his money. (And, reminder: Shae acting like his wife, telling him she loves him, wanting on him, and being only with him, is what he commanded her to do, and paid her to do, at the outset of this little arrangement) Yet he then kills her for being a prostitute and doing her job.

 Tywin hired her and she slept with him as she slept with Tyrion, because he was paying her, and she was only a whore doing her job. But when she wasn’t doing that for Tyrion, then she had to die. Nineteen years old, helpless, abused, used, and murdered by a cold, shallow, selfish little man who, again, wallows in self-pity and thinks only of himself in the face of another’s suffering. 

The entirety of ADWD is just...Tyrion at his worst/typical, without the illusions of being an excellent, poor unfortunate soul. He drinks, he uses whores, he rapes, he cheats, he manipulates, he lies, he kills, and generally does a whole host of Bad Shit with the sole aim of benefiting him, him, and only him. 

He’s an undoubtedly well-written character. He has, in many ways, a very sympathetic arc and narrative, especially with the way it’s written. But he has a huge host of problems and things that are..beyond redemption. And the way fandom moons over him, and fawns over him, and pities him, and forgives him for every little thing he’s ever done wrong because he’s just so hard done to, boils my blood as much as anything else. 

So, yeah, an abridged rant on: why I fucking hate Tyrion Lannister. 

[sansascully]

i ended up just writing my thoughts as i went along, so liveblog in long form i guess? spoilers for ep 3. i’ll do 4 as soon as i’ve had some caffeine.

is it bad i feel like i’ve already forgotten bits of the previously on stuff from uh..this season already?

the credits will never not be amazing. the nostalgia is too great

brief interlude to remind everyone again how little i like every single costume on team dany rn. (matching ugly broaches 4lyfe on the most shapeless of black leather gear. at least tyrion has his snazzy stripes.)

god this is such a bad sitch from the outset jonathon how did you not see this coming?

sansa mention!!

really milking those clifftop convos. but actually the whole mel and varys stuff is super interesting! though idek why he’s threatening her? this house is only big enough for one of us type deal? seems shortsighted. and i guess confirmation neither are making it out of this alive, which, yeah.

dany comes across SO smug here even for her, Great romantic first impressions! also i guess history only matters when it applies to her side of things huh

ughhh she really can’t stand people not immediately adulating can she? also wtf did jon bring literally just DAVOS? guards? banner men? ANYONE

‘faith in MYSELF? in the D to the T?’ i can’t tell if emilia’s not selling this or it’s deliberately supposed to come across as hard to swallow?

i really hope keeping the ‘oh yeah i died’ stuff a secret has an actual plot related reason and not just a bonding moment for d/j later on with her looking at his oh so horrible but manly chest scars blah

this was actually such a good scene god why on earth can’t they keep them antagonistic, if you have to do them fucking make it a hate thing it’s 100x more interesting AND in character

oh god poor theon!!!!!!! let him go back to sansa and friends please

could euron BE less threatening or more of a dick?

jaime really is a husk isn’t he in that scene with euron. sad.

FUCK LENA SOLD THAT SCENE. actually everyone did such a good job even indira gagged did more then i think she’s ever done on this show? still like, it’s hard not to straight up root for cersei here, cause wow did this show make ellaria and the sand snakes despicable.

poor house martell. the worst part is i have no faith grrm won’t pull basically the same shit. it’s garbage all the way down.

i like jaime/cersei probably more than i should. i found the whole bed scene mostly charming and honestly jaime laughing at the whole thing is pretty ic

oh no bank politics. (this actually became super interesting i love cersei’s actually valid arguments on dany. though i’m pretty sure the iron bank wouldn’t be investing in slavery profit being part of the free cities?? idk. or care honestly)

i’m glad at least cersei is attempting to spin the sept blowing up even if no one believes her. gosh it’s hard not to root for lena sometimes she’s so great

ah it’s jon in broody incest furs!! and that fucking terrible failing over brooding over failing line lmao.

a northern fool indeed. this whole scene is him thinking about sansa and her very right advice there’s no other way to read it

the dany and tyrion scenes are so interesting and they play off each other well why why aren’t they taking this romance avenue instead (you know why)

i actually didn’t hate the jon and dany cliff talk? especially in light of the tyrion convo where it seems clear she’s manipulating him more than anything (also catching feelings clearly but like...i sort of get it on her end? it’s jon’s side i won’t be able to stand) they work just fine as antagonistic allies why.....ugh i’ll be bitter forever

this sansa scene is just....the best. i love my competent intelligent pragmatic and empathetic queen SO MUCH.

ah and the stupid lf nonsense speech. i guess i sort of get it, but also like, what useless advice? am also not sure what i’m supposed to be making of sansa’s face at the end there.

like??????? confused? intrigued? compelled by lf ability to make words that sound like they should be saying something actually say nothing? the first of the red herring for the temptation of sansa stark non arc arc?

oh god my two absolute favorite kids my winged wolves!!!!!!!!!! BRAN BABY

‘i wish jon were here’! also bran, you could like, share the cousin jon knowledge um...just saying......

i’m still hmmm... i still have a lot of conflicted opinions on 3er!bran and his clear heavy dissociation with like. everything. it does to some degree seem like a logical progression of that sl but god, it’s so bleak (love that almost scare cord at the end though. really makes my tiny tree voldemort tag kinda work oops).

i don’t even really blame him as i don’t think he necessarily is like...in any moment enough to see the emotional consequences but like. poor sansa :((( she looked so proud and happy to have him rule with her too, how anyone could see her as power hungry at expense of family is just. gah

sam is such a good dude. i’m so proud of him :’) (even if i do not and will never give af about jorah)

this whole dany can’t fly around it’s too dangerous thing would have had such higher stakes if euron had the dragonhorn plot still.

okay i guess battle time? and uh.. cool speech i guess tyrion? not sure how it’s fighting for freedom, but i guess that targ righteousness cool-aid is p strong

lol euron really is everywhere. and i guess the lannister forces move at light speed too? varys really isn’t doing very good at his job is he?

lmao i would ask what happened to all the tyrell forces but...i don’t really care and the show REALLY doesn’t care so i guess it’s whatever

olenna and jaime closing scene was pretty much everything people said it would be. they both played it wonderfully

it’s funny, casting the books completely aside, i do actually think show jaime is kind of an interesting character, if both softened and less complex in pretty much every way. 

and for anyone who wants a redemption arc or whatever, i think the show is much more likely to actually give it than the books ever will. i mean they’re setting up him to turn for moral reasons, over just spite and jealousy, which is certainly more ‘heroic’ if less interesting.

maybe i’m just not super invested in the intricacies of that arc as long as i get jaime killing cersei and dying himself, then or later, and it all being awful and tragic and monstrous i’m pretty much good.

and that’s 3! on to 4 in a bit! can’t believe i’m doing this to myself!

[survivordivergent]

EPISODE 9 - “I THREW UP IN A DUNKIN DONUTS BATHROOM” - MELISSA

Holy fuck, can't believe we did that. Thank you @ hosts for letting me sit out for this reward, I have the time to grieve and also midterms without fear of losing something important.

Sloppiest blindside of all time? Yup.

Ugh. It all came together last minute, and I'm so happy that went off as planned. But it came at the expense of leaving way too many people out of the majority and that didn't have to happen. Specifically, I'm worried about leaving Kyle out of it. I can't lie – I totally spaced. Of course I would have told him if I'd have thought about it. Especially with Payton flopping her vote. It just... didn't occur to me. Because I suck. And also this whole 'going to two tribals in All Stars' thing made it very hard to coordinate. Three tribals in one day was not my idea of fun.

Regardless, I like my odds in this upcoming immunity. Word searches are my JAM. I've already got 51 words. And I'm not done. I don't think I'm in danger yet but I'm not taking any risks.

Also, Payton is still talking about eventually turning against the Big Hero 5 (Eliza, Jill, Melissa, her and me) but I'm wondering if we might not be better riding them to the end? Especially if we can get a couple lucky immunities or an idol. It could be our best play. IF we take a shot and hit, it decimates our numbers. If we take a shot and miss, we've got three very angry ladies coming at us.

I also need to figure out what the gameplan is with Geo. And with Kyle. Ack. This is why you don't play multiple games at once, kids. Your brain fries, your daily hyperactive neuroses kick into overdrive, your sleep schedule dwindles to nothing and your brain turns to mush.

WELL I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THIS DAMN ERUDITE IDOL BUT ITS GONE SHOUT OUT TO JENNA FOR SUCH AMAZING CLUES WHEW

!!! I still cannot believe Dani actually got voted off! I voted for Lake, but does BH5 know that? NO. But Dani does :) And that's lit :) Because I knew we'd have the numbers to vote her off, because of how split the vote was on the other side, so I voted for Lake to show geo and dani I was still with them while also looking like the fifth person for BH5! I cannot believe how genius that was. jesus christ. F10!! Love it! 3 more to survive and I'll have beaten my best! 6th place queen please

You can laugh A spineless laugh We hope your Rules and wisdom choke you

Now We are one In everlasting peace

We hope that you choke That you choke We hope that you choke That you choke We hope That you choke That you choke

These people hate me for no goddamn reason I havent done anything to them. Fuck them all, except payton even though shes probably going to vote me out too.

Should I trust Jill rn? I hope I can.

I'm not around for this vote so I am putting all my trust in Eliza. She says vote Kyle which is surprising but I'll do it. Hopefully it's not me getting votes again. 7 people told me they voted dani and there were only 5 votes.  

So Melissa?? A little bitch. She put the closed flower like hmm!! Here I am thinking I can sit cute and be immune for the next tribal but then she goes and screws me! Anyway I hope there are bigger fish to fry than me this vote again but like ugh it's so annoying.. and last week dani's name was a good name to throw out for a blindside because I feel like she didn't have any really close strong ties and people kinda jumped on board with that. Ideally this vote, kyle could go home.. Eliza and I were talking about that idea but idk how much I trust her but it might be one of my only options.. I'm gonna reach out to geo and ed/payton (I need to make a celebrity couple name for ed and Payton bc they're so close... when ed got "voted out" payton was literally like "oh no, my f2 just got voted out." Like hi obvious... I gotta keep my eyes open!!) anyway we'll see I don't really wanna vote out lake or geo or ed but I will if I have to... let's just hope I can make it happen for kyle

Phew I should do one of these huh.

So, I didn't submit until late. That wasn't great. I'm a possible target here, which is less than optimal. But I think I'm safe, so there's that. The BH5 seems solid, which is a very pleasant surprise.

It would've been much better if they weren't all protected, though. I found the Erudite idol this round (finally!) and they're gunning for Kyle. It would've been a GREAT opportunity to take a clean shot and turn the BH5 into the BH4 by handing the idol to Kyle and letting him play it. No blood on my hands, AND I'd reinforce the Kyle link. But alas, I just don't have that luxury this round.

The vote's overwhelmingly Kyle at this point and, as much as it sucks, a valid point was brought up that, if we're planning on riding BH5 to the end, Kyle's probably the only one who's going to be able to mount a counter-alliance. The rest are too scattered or not invested enough. So I think this is  unfortunately the move that has to happen.

Haven't heard Ed's name. Hopefully all is right in the world.

at this point, I just hope that Eliza and Jill are worth it because I haven't played this successful of a goat game since Sarawak, and when I did that, the person I did it for completely squandered every second of it. I am not going through all of this to find out that Eliza actually wants Lucy to win and has been working for that this entire time when I thought I was just helping a friend win, not helping them die at the right time. A good goat game is supposed to take you to final tribal council, like Goat Alex or Sri Lanka Jay. If I'm doing all of this for another measly 6th because people are "afraid I might wake up and start playing again" and a winner who is a lovely person but not the winner I picked, I'm gonna be upset.

I lost immunity cause fuck Lake. But there's a chance im safe, possibly.

Apparently Jill, Melissa, and Eliza want to get Kyle gone. I think that they think he has an idol. which will be good for me. I personally dont believe he has it, but you cant be sure, if he plays it tonight or if im being lied to, im positive its me going.

The thing is, i think i potentially fucked up, Eliza told me not to tell Kyle, Lake, and Otto. The thing is, i want to work with otto and i told him before she told me that. Whether he'll blab or not im not sure, but i think he wants to work with me.

I worry about Ed and lucy, i think theyre actually aligned with eliza jill and mel, which would really suck. Next round, i want to get one of those three out, and im going to need the six's plus otto to do it. it'll 9 people and its going to be 5 for majority. hopefully that goes well or not, one of them is winning.

*Later*

THESE PEOPLE ARE SO FUCKING STUPID!!! They didnt vote me out. They didnt vote ed out. THEY DIDNT VOTE LUCY OUT!!! Like this is going to be the move that costs them the game. I bet, I bet, I bet. Jill, Melissa, and ELiza are not going to win the game. Mark my words.

I'm gonna make it. They can't stop me now, let them try. Our fortune's waiting It's time for you to say, goodbye-bye-bye.

*Later*

I feel like I've been coming into my own in this game, I feel comfortable and I believe I grasped some footing. People haven't been realizing it though, I don't believe, and I actually feel like if I make it to the end, I have a good chance to make my case to the jury and win. That may be my egoism though. FUCK AYN RAND!

[rainhadaenerys]

#if he was written the /exact/ same way but supported Stannis?? people would be writing essays on how brilliant his character is#instead he doesn't tell Dany how horrible Rhaegar is every 2 seconds so people have decided that he's just a delusional old man#one of the characters with the most experience regarding rulers and he gets ignored cause people disagree with him sdjsfksdkds#barristan: goes to Dany in disguise so that he can judge her character cause he wants to redeem himself and serve a worthy ruler#+ is the one to tell her about her father's madness fandom: he refuses to acknowledge any of his mistakes or have honest convos with Dany 😔#I just have to laugh cause literally the only reason is that he validates Dany's ruling arc and people can't stand it 😭 (tags by @fromtheseventhhell)

What's crazy is that Barristan has the character development that people pretend Jaime has but because he supports Dany and doesn't spend all of his page time talking/thinking about how evil Targaryens are, it gets ignored