#Mercy is most certainly Chaotic enough to be bad luck

[that-shy-fanfic-writer]

What started as an interview (aka writing practice) to get to know my OC better turned into more of an introduction into who they are and where they come from, so I decided to fix it up and share it here. Enjoy?

Interview with my OC

Lavender: Okay, Mercy. They're all yours.

Mercy: Ooh, this is so exciting! My first real taste of social media! Hi, random strangers on The Internet! My name's Mercy Fey! I can't wait to share my story with you all!

Lavender: Don't get too excited. This is just to test the waters. Why don't you tell us a little about yourself?

Mercy: Sure! So first off, while I share traits with Y/N characters—or Reader Inserts, what have you—I'm not a Reader Character. I am my Own Character and would appreciate being treated as such.

Lavender: Wow, you just jumped right into that. Can you explain what you mean? That you share traits with Reader Inserts?

Mercy: I'm what you'd call non-human, or maybe human adjacent? I don't have a solid appearance so my features are always changing, hard to pin down. That's what I mean when I say I share characteristics of a Y/N. But I'm an OC. Please don't mix me in with them. Besides, I have a name and belong to a Creator, as much as I don't want to admit it.

Lavender: Why not?

Mercy: Why would any character want to have the self-awareness of the Fourth Wall? It means we're being controlled by forces outside of ourselves. It means we're not Real. I can't speak for all characters, but I'm sure the Truth can be mind breaking to some. However, while I don't like to admit I have a Creator, I can accept that I have an Author. Which is more fun, because that means I have just as much control over my person as she does.

Lavender: … Right. Would you mind sharing some things about the world you inhabit?

Mercy: Nope! I live in a pocket dimension on the outskirts of the omniverse, just this side of the Fourth Wall, at the edges of Reality. It's how I can connect to everything from the Real World while also Knowing there are a multitude of other worlds beyond mine that are Fictional. And I can access all of it right here at Home.

Lavender: Speaking of, what does Home look like?

Mercy: Well, it's empty, for one. Kinda like the anti-void, just pure white all around with a House built for me at its center. Or maybe it was created? I have no idea how it got here, but I'm pretty sure it's been here since the beginning of my own existence, and it can change its shape to whatever I want. The Background too, outside, depending on my mood. Sometimes, I'd want a forest setting, sometimes a city scene. Not that there's anyone else who lives in it. Just the sounds of a city. Like ambience or whatever.

Lavender: It must get lonely.

Mercy: Not really. I can keep my own company well enough. And if I'm bored, I have lots to do! There's a library that holds all the books of Reality and then some! Fanfiction too! And I've got a TV that plays movies and shows, some YouTube videos, blah blah blah. I've never had access to The Internet before now, though. At least, not like this! Especially social media sites. Oh! But I can break the fourth wall sometimes! When I want to—or rather, whenever the Author remembers. She forgets too, a lot. Hah! Anyway, breaking the fourth wall is usually the only way I can learn all the Meta things, like fandom theories, how people in Reality behave, The News. Awful times y'all live in, by the way. How do you cope?

Lavender: Let's move on. Is there anyone in particular that has, or had, an influence on you?

Mercy: Oh, yeah, for sure. The Author, mostly. Have I mentioned I'm completely non-gendered? There's absolutely nothing down there! Or up here! I checked! But because of the Author's influence, my pronouns are sometimes she/her because she identifies as female herself and tends to project. And sometimes there are characters I find cool and inspiring—like AVA by Inyahs and that one Frequently Isekai-ed Protagonist who, by the way, is a Reader Insert—so I'd say they have an influence on me too. It's one of the reasons why the Author can't pin me down. My appearance is vague at best and I can flip emotions, personalities, thoughts at the drop of a hat.

Lavender: Okay, we gotta wrap it up soon, so only a few more questions. What would you do if your favorite characters suddenly showed up in your world?

Mercy: Well, I'd want to play, obviously! My first time getting to meet people from The Outside? And they're characters I know? Heck yeah! I'll give 'em a whole tour, show them everything! And we can hang out and play!

Lavender: That's… very in character for you, I just realized. Huh. Speaking of showing them everything, what can you tell us about your powers?

Mercy: I have all the powers! This world is my playground, mine to control, so I can teleport to wherever I want to be the moment I think it, or float in the air, fly even! I can change what I'm wearing with a snap of my fingers! Oh! I can also change whatever I want in the House, down to the room count or the size of the rooms or the furniture, and even how it appears from the outside. Though sometimes I have to ask House for requests. It can't know what I want until I ask, but sometimes it can. It's as fickle as I am, I guess.

Lavender: Are you saying the House is sentient?

Mercy: Maybe? At least semi-sentient? Or maybe the word is sapient? I dunno. Sometimes it'll do things without my input—I just have to think and it does it—and sometimes it won't, even if I ask. It can also hold a grudge, apparently. I learned that the hard way…

Lavender: Okay, last question. What would you do if you found yourself in another universe? A fictional one?

Mercy: I guess that depends? Which world am I in? What are the Rules there? If I'm not even familiar with the world or its characters, I'd observe what it's like. Do they have powers or magic? Am I in an AU of a world? Space or Sci-Fi? What's the genre? Once I figure it out, I keep observing. If it's a world I'm familiar with, I'll mess with the cast a li'l, play around, since I know what's going to happen—or has happened—for the most part. And if it's a world I don't know? Well, it won't be too hard to figure out the ropes. I'm a pretty fast learner. Especially with Knowledge from the Author. What she knows, I know. … Sometimes. Sometimes, she doesn't want me to know so I'm blocked from Knowing the Plot. That's just how it be, I guess.

Lavender: This interview had been pretty insightful, I think. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mercy.

Mercy: No prob. Now get back to writing my stories! I wanna play! Cringe is dead and fun is in! Go! Shoo! And to those who stayed to read the whole thing, thank you! Love you! Hope you enjoyed!

Lavender: Hey! That's my line! Scratch the love you part-

Mercy: Not anymore! I already said it. Now what are we still doing here, let's go!

[thefanficmonster]

My Warrior

Daniel x Taylor (The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope)

Warnings: !Spoilers!, Swearing

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

Summary: They have all made it out of there. They’re safe from the real horrors, but the scenes that have been imbedded into their minds keep haunting them. They are left with scars to their subconscious as well as scars on their skin. Marks to remind them of what they went through. What they survived. Taylor can’t stand them - the burn marks on her skin and the scars that night left on her. She’s struggling way more than she’d like to admit. But there’s someone who sees through her toughness.

Requested by @chairtiger Hello there my chaotic co-cult leader! Sorry to be posting your request so late 👉👈 hope you understand and forgive me for the long wait. I had a blast writing the fic and I hope you enjoy reading it. Anyway...SHIP DAYLOR FOR CLEAR SKIN EVERYONE...Love, Vy ❤

“Fucking hell, this is torture.“ Taylor groans as she runs a make-up wipe over her foundation-covered, bruised skin. Underneath all those layers of foundations are the marks she’s been so desperate to hide - the reminders of that night. That monstrosity that wanted her dead and wasn’t gonna stop at anything to make that happen.

But it didn’t happen She tells herself, I’m here, aren’t I?

She’s happy to have gotten out of there with her life as well as all her friends, but the feeling of the constant presence of that night’s memories weighing on her mind, and thanks to the marks on her skin as well, she has a hard time accepting that she was indeed lucky. Some fucking luck. If she were lucky she wouldn’t have even ended up in that predicament. But she did and it has taken a bite out of her sanity and will haunt her for good, physically and mentally. No doubt about it.

The first place they all went to after their return was a hospital. Scrapes and bruises and some open wounds along with Andrew’s concussion were the main of the physical injuries. No broken bones or anything permanent, thank God. 

Well, almost nothing permanent. 

Taylor had seen the looks the nurses and the doctor gave her when they saw the state of her skin - much like the others she had bruises and scratches here and there, the most serious of which still had dried blood on them. However, unlike the rest of the group, she’d be left with the burn marks for as long as the memories - forever. Of course, that’s not what the doctor told her, not directly, at least. He said to give them time and some treatment that wasn’t completely sure to work. She knew what that meant - “Be ready to spend the rest of your life like this or in covering it up.”

It’s been one month since that horrible night. One month of treatment for her skin. Lotions, creams, cleansers, foundation. Nothing has worked. She spends an hour going through the process of covering the marks up and an hour taking all that foundation off. No one has commented on them which may be either because she covers them well enough or they simply don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. She doesn’t care what others think of them, people’s opinions never bother her on any ground. The war she has with these burn marks is personal and has all to do with an event she wants to let go of and move on from. As if her nightmares aren’t enough, she also has to deal with flashbacks every time she looks in the mirror.

She hasn’t expressed her frustration to anyone. She has managed to hide it as well as the bruises themselves. It’s Taylor after all, she’s good at putting on an act so no one can read her. But, because it is indeed her, she’s not used to keeping her anger in. She feels like a ticking timed bomb. A bubble with tender, delicate walls that could burst at any moment. And God help the person who she bursts in front of. She’s never held her composure this long, she doesn’t know what will even happen if she lets go.

Now, looking in the mirror, about to take off her foundation and apply the new lotion the doctor prescribed her, she feels as fragile as ever. She’s feeling the lack of sleep more than ever as well as the pain of her tensed muscles that never seem to relax anymore. She doesn’t feel mentally prepared to go through the process of taking off the cover-up. She never feels ready, it always takes a toll on her on mentally, emotionally and even physically. She always feels so tired afterwards, so drained. Maybe because she always expects to see a difference when the foundation comes off. There never is, nothing but disappointment.

Today has been extra hard for her. Her mind has never been hazier from the lack of sleep. Her thoughts are all over the place, none of them clear. Her body’s almost shutting down. She feels like a ghost of herself. Like the real her is in a different location. Probably still stuck in Little Hope.

The foundation’s off, the same sight meets her, mocking her from the mirror. And that’s the snapping point she’s been dreading for a month now. She reaches for the new lotion she picked up on her way home.

“Useless piece of shit!“ she chucks it to the other end of the bathroom. The bottle is unharmed, it just hits the tiled floor with a loud thud. She however is in pieces, also dropping on the ground, her back against the wall, her knees tucked close to her chest, hiding her face between them, sobbing her heart out. It’s certainly a freeing feeling, but it only exhausts her more.

“Hey T...Taylor, what’s wrong?“ She hears the familiar voice and goes silent but does not dare lift her head, especially not now that her cover-up is off her, the burn marks on display. She remains sitting on the ground, face hidden from his sight.

Daniel feels her heart sink at the sight of the most important person in his life being at a low point like this one. He feels guilty for not taking action sooner. He saw the signs, the red flags in the form of fake empty smile, lack of sarcasm, colorless cheeks, eyebags, red eyes. Lack of Taylor, she was nowhere to be seen. She was far from the person he’s used to knowing and seeing every day. Knowing her, he expected prying to be a bad move but now he wishes he’d done it sooner. On time. Before she could crash like this.

“Do you know how to knock?” Her weak attempt at putting her tough act back on slips through the cracks in her voice.

Daniel is by her side asap, kneeling on the ground in front of her. “T, come on, don’t do this. Look at me. Tell me what’s wrong.”

She knows better than to hide from Daniel. He know her too well. She trusts him too much. So, despite her previous determination not to let him in on the fact that she’s now a product of that night, she raises her head, resting her chin on her knee, still avoiding his gaze though. He doesn’t bat an eye though. 

Can he really not see what’s bothering me? It’s very fucking obvious

“I- I just feel like I can’t do this, you know. I can’t be fine like the rest of you. You’ve all moved on. And here I am with nightmares like a preschooler and these ugly things all over my skin. That night will permanently hold onto me, Daniel. I can never let it go if I’m reminded of it every time I look in the mirror.“ Her gaze travels to the lotion bottle on the an arm’s reach away. “I can empty as many of these bottles as I feel like, they never help. The doctor says they maybe would, big emphasis on the ‘maybe’ but, spoiler alert: they never do. I wish they’d stop stringing me along, every failed attempt is a hard-to-swallow disappointment.“ She chuckles humorlessly when Daniel takes the bottle from her, “And then there’s always the casually mentioned risk of it making them worse rather than better. You know, casually. Like, yeah this will either help you or fuck you up even worse.“ She ends the rant with a sigh, almost feeling like herself again.

Daniel sees it too, the fire in her eyes is fighting to light again. She’s so angry and yet she can’t express it to anyone. Anyone by him apparently. 

“So, you’re not gonna give it a shot?“ She shakes her head, “But what if it helps?“

“What if it makes it worse?“ She automatically replies, hugging her knees closer

“Let it be your last go. If it doesn’t do anything, or God forbid makes things worse, it’s on me. I owe you whatever you want. I know that’s nothing in comparison to what you’ll be dealing with, but...“ Sensing a speech is on its way, Taylor holds her hand up, shaking her head.

“Alright, spare me Mr. I-Don’t-Take-Medicine-Unless-I’m-On-My-Death-Bed. Give me the lotion.“

He shakes his head, stands up and takes hold of the hand she has outstretched instead. “Nah-ah, let me help.” The skeptical and downright humoring look she gives him when she stands to her feet almost makes him frown. “What? I’m not clueless, T. I know a think or two about skin care. You think this all came naturally?” He motions at himself cockily, stealing a genuine laugh from her.

“I knew nature couldn’t fuck up that badly. I suspected you had something to do with it.“ She narrows her eyes, meeting his also narrow-eyed gaze, both in on the fact that the other is messing around.

“Your skin is at my mercy. I wouldn’t talk smack if I were you.“ He playfully warns her, waving the lotion bottle in front of her.

She rolls her eyes, “Yeah whatever you say, tough guy.“ She opens a drawer under the sink and throws him a box of cotton pads.

Not wasting any time in fear she might change her mind, Daniel takes one pad out and puts a few drops of the lotion on it. He hesitantly brings it closer to the skin on the side of her neck while she stands as still as a statue, not breathing either. Despite all the bold talk, he’s still nervous. He really hopes this miracle liquid of chemicals works, solely because it will make Taylor happy. And to him, her happiness is all that matters.

She shudders when the cold, damp cotton pad makes contact with her skin and he immediately feels the need to apologize. Instead, however, he goes on to tell her exactly what’s on his mind, cause he knows there’ll never be a better time.

“What you call a reminder of that night, the horrors we endured, I see it differently...“ he trails off, looking at her reflection in the mirror out of the corner of his eye. “I see it as proof that we’re stronger than we know. And you, T...are the strongest of us all. Any of these scars could have been a lethal would but here you are, alive. And no, I’m not trying to say you’re lucky. None of us are. Lord knows what kind of fucked up luck we posses, but it ain’t right. No, you are brave. You went through it and fought to leave the battle with scars instead of dropping to the ground with a wound that is irredeemable. You’re a warrior, Taylor.” He pauses for a second and so do the movements of his hand. He hesitantly inhales before saying the last sentence he’s been holding back, “My warrior.” 

Taylor tilts her head to look at him, genuine surprise and warmth in her eyes. She’s baffled. Pleasantly caught off-guard by words she never thought she’d hear, let alone trust. She covers all this up with a smirk. Classic Taylor. “You weren’t really a pansy back there either, Dan.” She gently bumps his shoulder with hers.

His eyes narrow again. “I hate that nickn-“ It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t get to finish his sentence cause her lips are already on his, preventing him from ranting about...whatever he was about to go off about.

You know what they say: If you don’t finish saying it, it was never meant to be said in the first place. 

@artlovingbre  @megandaisy9  @sparrow-gg​

[nancywheelxr]

from that drabble challenge list - 15 with five and any of the other hargreeves siblings, you choose

Anon, thank you so much, I love writing these chaotic disasters.

15. “I’d kill for a coffee… literally.”

Klaus is napping on the couch.

No, really, he is. Just give him a few minutes and he’ll be off to dreamland, very far from any new end of the world scenarios that he has no doubt will pop up in a few days. That’ just how it is when you’ve got shitty luck like them.

So, he’s napping on the couch when a shadow falls over him.

A very small shadow.

“Klaus,” the shadow says, way too bossy for such a tiny thing. Klaus peels one eye open and finds Five predictably scowling down at him. “If Luther or Diego asks, I’ll be back before dinner. Tell them not to start without me– are you listening to me?”

He waves a hand, “yeah, yeah. Luther and Diego are to sit tight while you’re off gallivanting in the real world.”

“This is not– nevermind. Allison should be back by then.”

And with that he’s off, shaking his head like he’s still the boss of them, which is ridiculous, because if anyone should be boss, it should be Allison, she’s the one looking like a proper grown-up these days.

The front door closes and Klaus shrugs; he’ll just sit tight too, then.

*

The shadow is back.

Klaus knows that because Ben hasn’t stopped whining about being bored since Five first left and his loud sighs are impossible to block out.

“Klaus,” the tiny shadow barks, and Klaus doesn’t even have to look up to know the kid is in a bad mood. “You searched through this place before. Where would Luther hide Dad’s guns?”

On one hand, this is a very troubling statement.

On the other hand, how’s that for being bored, now?

“Dad’s office, maybe?” He offers, glancing up at all the closed doors on the second floor. The big guy isn’t the smartest cookie in the jar, and he’s certainly not the most creative. Actually, Klaus wouldn’t be surprised if Luther had returned it to its exact same place. “Or the main bedroom. Under the bed, perhaps? Or inside the closet, if we’re going classic.”

“Already searched there. Where else?”

“You shouldn’t enable this,” Ben pipes up from the armchair, making a vaguely constipated face. “Can he even reach the top shelf?”

“I don’t know, he can teleport there,” he throws a pillow in his direction, hoping this is the kind of stressful situation to trigger Ben into being just a little bit solid. Klaus is not asking much. Just a little, just enough for the pillow to bounce off his forehead.

And because Five has about the patience of soccer mom in a department store, he does the equivalent of asking to see the manager. “Forget it. This is a waste of time, I’m going to ask Mom,” and pops out of there.

“You really should stop him,” Ben says, looking dubiously in the direction of the kitchen.

Another pillow flies. “Quit being a little bitch, Ben.” A pause, “he says, with the utmost affection.”

Ben rolls his eyes, but his lips twitch in a smile.

*

For the third time that afternoon, a teeny-tiny shadow falls over him.

“Klaus,” Five shakes his shoulder without mercy. “Wake up, you’re driving me to the nearest diner.”

“Klaus,” Ben echoes, sounding alarmed, but Klaus isn’t very inclined to be alarmed himself, because, see, in his experience, Ben is easily alarmed by things. Such is the nature of ghosts, he figures. “I really think you should stop him now.”

“Go away,” he says instead, turning away and hoping both of them would get the hint and leave him alone, “I can’t drive, go bother Diego, he can play taxi.”

“Everyone’s out and you drive like a maniac. It should work as a getaway car as long as you don’t crash it– do you think you can manage that?”

The words are processed in stages. First, Klaus is offended because come on, everyone knows he can’t drive, it’s not his fault. Then, he remembers the ice cream truck and yeah, maybe he’s got a point. Finally– “Why do you need a getaway car?”

Klaus’ eyes fly open and he jolts up into a sitting position, the pillow he had been hugging falling to the carpeted floor. Holy crap, he thinks, Five snapped. It was bound to happen, really, but the sight of a thirteen-years-old holding a sniper’s rifle is always a bit startling.

Ben shakes his head, burying it on his hands.

“I need a coffee,” Five says.

“Okay,” Klaus blinks, “are you taking me hostage?”

“What? No, I need you to drive me there and leave the car ready while I hold the diner hostage.”

“That’s– do you need money? Because I’m broke, but we can totally pawn some shit and–”

“Stop wasting my time, of course I have money! That’s not even close to the problem– do you know how hard it is to order a black coffee alone when you look like this?” Five gestures himself, the movement a little awkward on the account of his holding a gun bigger than his short body, but that doesn’t stop him, he’s clearly very passionate about this. “Very difficult. If anyone else asks me one more time if I want a milkshake instead,” he trails off, taking a deep breath, but the message is pretty clear because, you know, gun.

Ben is still muttering to himself, apparently checked out of the conversation. Which is great, honestly, leave it to Klaus to talk the tiny assassin down from murder. However possibly could this go wrong? “I think,” he says carefully, “there are a few steps we could take before escalating to homicide.”

Five closes his eyes as if praying for patience. “I’d kill for a decent cup of coffee,” he adjusts the rifle on his hand with frighteningly ease, “literally.”

“I can see that, yeah?” Klaus smiles, reaching deliberately for the gun. Surprisingly, Five gives in after only a couple minutes of tug of war. Again, all very safe and responsible. He sets it down on the coffee table after double checking if the safety is on. “That’s great, buddy. Now, why don’t we skedaddle out of here before Luther finds this and goes all self-righteous on us?”

“Luther can go–”

Shushing him with a finger, Klaus clicks his tongue disapprovingly. “Mind your language, young man. I thought I raised you better than that.”

“If I wasn’t short on bullets, I would shoot you right now,” Five informs him in a pleasant voice, like the darling family psycho he is.

“I know, and I love you too,” he gets to his feet, picking up his coat from the floor and Diego’s wallet from the table, after all, babysitting Five should always be a team effort. “Now come along, kiddo, tell me which waitress made you cry and we’ll guilt trip her into giving you some coffee.”

“Sometimes, I wonder if the apocalypse wouldn’t have been better.”

“Hey, I’m buying you coffee, you are contractually obligated to be nice to me.”

Ben, who had finally lifted his head from his hands, stands up as well. “I don’t know, isn’t caffeine suppose to stunt your growth?”

Klaus grins. “Yeah, he has a point. Isn’t caffeine gonna stunt your growth, short stack?”

“I should’ve sneaked out the fire escape,” Five sighs, trailing after him with a last longing look at the rifle.

[douxreviews]

Game of Thrones - ‘The Last of the Starks’ Review

"We may have defeated them, but there's still us to contend with."

Previously, I'd written reviews for a couple of different episodes centered around epic battles. In this case, I felt fortunate to be reviewing an episode that's all about the aftermath of an epic battle, as well as a prelude for the next one.

Because I really couldn't decide how I felt about the sudden end to the White Walkers, the Long Night and the Great War until I saw how they planned to go forward. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I do know that -- as rushed as The Last of the Starks was -- there is a lot here that I quite enjoyed. At the very least, taking the zombies and ice demons out at the midway point leaves plenty of room to further explore the joys and pains of these awesome characters as they face an uncertain future.

Celebration of Life

The episode's opening is very bittersweet. We start with the somber mass funeral of those who died defending Winterfell from the Army of the Dead, and neatly segue into a joyous victory feast in the castle's great hall. These people just overcame death incarnate, and quickly realize there is much to celebrate. This leads to some beautiful moments.

Dany surprises everyone by singling out Gendry, son of her lifelong nemesis, and legitimizing him as a full-fledged Baratheon. I especially loved that Davos began the cheers for him, it's a nice vindication of his undying loyalty to the family.

Tormund once again attempts to woo Brienne of Tarth, but this time gets soundly cock-blocked by Jaime Lannister. Watching Tormund tearfully relate this tragedy to the uncaring Hound before shacking up with some horny northern girl was hilarious. Which gives us the scene between Sansa and Sandor Clegane, a reunion I had been waiting for.

Although not quite as intimate as it is in the books, theirs is still a significant connection; he helped inspire her strength, and she helped inspire his chivalry. It was nice to see Sansa gain the Hound's respect, and it's always nice to see this hard man's softer, more vulnerable side.

And we finally see Jaime and Brienne become a thing. That love scene was so cleverly adorable in its execution, these two misfits struggling to approach the act of consummating their feelings toward each other. Brienne's awkward stiffness as she finds herself in a mutually romantic situation for the first time in her life, and Jaime's even more awkward attempt at flirting after a lifetime of ignoring all other women in favor of his twin sister. Very well handled.

Of course, there are still a couple of episodes left and they can't be full of nothing but our favorite characters happily prospering. As Littlefinger previously addressed, and as Tyrion reaffirms here, defeating the mythical White Walkers and saving the world means everyone must now deal with that world and each other.

Moments of Truth

Daenerys is quick to recognize this as well. The celebration only reminds her that she is still a stranger in her own homeland, that Jon Snow is the heroic leader people revere, and that his claim to the throne is stronger than hers regardless of whatever her destiny truly is. Emilia Clarke's performance shines here in a way I haven't seen for a couple of seasons now. This is because for the most part we only see her wearing Dany's queenly mask of superiority, mostly cool but occasionally smoldering. Whereas now we are seeing Dany in a state of palpable desperation.

The scene between her and Jon really brings their circumstances down to earth quite dramatically. They are in love and want to be together, but the truth of Jon's origin threatens to tear them apart and the realm along with them. Dany begs Jon not to reveal his secret identity to anyone else, but he feels compelled to tell Sansa and Arya because they are his family.

I'm disappointed that we don't see Sansa and Arya's immediate reactions to the truth, but their choices later on are just as telling.

Sansa chooses to betray Jon's trust by spilling the beans to Tyrion, hoping to erode Dany's power in favor of Jon. This would almost certainly guarantee an Iron Throne controlled by the Starks.

Arya chooses to join the Hound on a suicide mission to King's Landing, which is a bit more ambiguous. Is she questioning her own existence after learning Jon's secret and refusing Gendry's proposal, finally accepting that she wasn't born to be a subservient sister or wife but an instrument of death? Or is she risking her life in order to protect Jon, who she will always love as her brother, no matter where he came from?

Either way, it seems like a lot of carnage could have been avoided if Arya had just offered to go south and single-handedly assassinate Cersei for Jon and Dany.

The R+L=J revelation also leads to a few great scenes between Tyrion and Varys. Tyrion is clearly distressed, but Varys (rather hypocritically) begins suggesting that they should kick Dany to the curb and put Jon on the Iron Throne. It's been so long since we've seen the serious side to this duo. Now it seems Varys is poised to betray the queen he marked as a savior, in the name of the people. Meaning he's probably got dragonfire in his future. Or maybe not. The way their last conversation ends, you get the feeling that Tyrion's plea for Varys not to threaten Dany is more of a warning. Tyrion did start off his relationship with Varys by threatening to kill him for potentially endangering a woman he cared about.

For once, Tyrion is the character who's really hard to read. He seems to know Jon is a more ideal choice, but he can't bring himself to consider betraying Dany. He fears Dany's potential for madness and destruction, but he also genuinely believes in her potential for greatness.

I still think Tyrion's loyalty to Dany goes beyond just finding a ruler worth sticking with. Part of me thinks he's got some repressed romantic feelings toward her, and another part of me thinks he views her as the sister Cersei never was. Which likely makes the fact that they are at war with Cersei all the more complicated, since Tyrion just can't bring himself to give up on her.

Despite the whacky Stark kids, the legendary warriors and the various schemers and pretenders to the throne, the story really does seem to center around our three main outsiders, Jon, Daenerys and Tyrion. And I think Tyrion is drinking so much because he understands that he is caught in the middle and has the burden of deciding all of their fates and doesn't know the right choice. He is finally beginning to see the long shadow he is casting.

And despite Jon's stubborn optimism that everyone can get along, even he seems indecisive and adrift. He claims to not want the throne or the crown or even his "true" identity, but his departure from Winterfell shows us that he's still leaving behind everything that's been a core part of who he is: the North, the Free Folk, his friends and family, he even asks Tormund to bring his direwolf Ghost beyond the Wall. Whether he knows it or not, he is being drawn toward the Iron Throne, his supposed destiny. But his scenes in this episode drive the point home that he will always be Jon Snow at heart, not Aegon Targaryen VI. His connection to the Starks, the North, the First Men (hell, maybe even the Old Gods) is clearly much stronger than the blood of the dragon running through his veins.

Death of Dragons

And to drive this point home, immediately after Jon leaves Ghost behind, his dragon Rhaegal winds up dead.

Yes, "The Last War" quickly goes wrong for Dany as Euron Greyjoy lays an ambush at Dragonstone, destroying the rest of the Targaryen fleet and capturing Missandei in addition to killing one of her dragons with new souped up scorpions.

It's both frustrating and amazing that Cersei has been allowed to turn the tables like this, though forgivable in that it's largely a result of other people. Euron's unpredictable nature and talent for raising hell is key to her strength, Jaime's theft of the Tyrell wealth is the only reason she could afford the Golden Company, and she likely wouldn't have gotten this far if a crazy resourceful bastard like Qyburn hadn't been backing her up. Gold, cruelty and fool's luck have subsequently left her in a position where she is more dominant than a woman who had previously dominated almost half a continent.

Dealing with an enemy as maddeningly chaotic and power hungry as Cersei is doing the opposite of what Tyrion wants by provoking Dany to be just as bad or worse in her quest for victory. That Tyrion continues to delude himself into thinking Cersei is "not a monster" because she "loved her children" still annoys me. You could argue that he's trying to reason with her simply to avoid any more bloodshed, but Tyrion should be smart enough to know by now that appealing to Cersei's humanity and rationality is hopeless. Which Cersei proves by having the Mountain decapitate Missandei, spitting on Dany's last bit of mercy. Our dragon queen has never been closer to giving the order to "burn them all" than she is now.

Missandei's resolute final words -- "Dracarys", which calls back to the moment she went from enslaved translator to royal herald when Dany began her revolution in Slaver's Bay -- might give us some hope for sweet revenge and catharsis, but I imagine the end result will be more difficult to reconcile. King's Landing is a powderkeg just waiting to go off. I mean, we've got the combined Stark and Targaryen forces about to do battle with the combined Lannisters, Ironborn and Golden Company sellswords, Dany unleashing her wrath on dragonback while Cersei uses the populace of King's Landing as a shield, the Hound facing off against the Mountain, Arya coming to kill Cersei and Jaime possibly on his way to do the same (more on that below), there's a good chance Cersei will use wildfire again to give her more of an edge, all on top of Tyrion and Varys butting heads as they toy with Jon and Dany's lives in the game of thrones.

If The Long Night was any indication, we'll likely see most of this resolved in the next episode after much senseless violence. However, unless everyone ends up killing each other, that still leaves a bunch of other unanswered questions. Will our heroes Jon and Dany come to terms with who they are? How does Tyrion go on after the downfall of his dysfunctional family? Can the Stark children ever come back from the tragedies and horrors that have defined their lives? Is what's left of Westeros going to survive the long winter? How long will this winter be? Why are the seasons so long anyway? If the realm does survive, will it and its people learn from this devastation and evolve, or forget and doom themselves to repeat history over and over? What exactly is the Prince That Was Promised, or the Lord of Light? Where does any of this magic come from? Does Bronn get his fancy castle? Was the Three-Eyed Bran the bad guy all along? Will the gallant cat Ser Pounce ever return?

I guess I'll find out, one way or another. Hard to believe this show's almost over.

Schemes & Plots:

* The funeral scene got to me. Guess I just wasn't ready to see characters like Jorah, Theon or Dolorous Edd get laid to rest.

* I love how Podrick casually sets up a threesome in the background as Sansa talks to Sandor.

* Bronn gets a scene with Jaime and Tyrion that, while fun, is basically a retread of most other scenes between these characters. Which pretty much boils down to this: "You fuckers owe me a castle!" I know it's a cute way of illustrating that Bronn would rather not kill the Lannister bros, but realistically he should have cut his losses a long time ago.

* Varys mentions that the "new Prince of Dorne" has declared for Daenerys. Whoever this is, I doubt we'll ever see him. Guess the show chose to forget that Oberyn Martell had eight daughters, which would leave five still alive after the demise of the loathsome Sand Snakes.

* Gilly is pregnant with Sam's baby. Big surprise, they're gonna name it Jon if it's a boy.

* Not long after the Jaime/Brienne ship sets sail, it capsizes when Jaime learns that Cersei is gaining the advantage over Dany. He then apparently abandons his chance at honor, love and peace to go back to Cersei, breaking Brienne's heart. Or so it would seem. I think Jaime is really going back to put an end to Cersei himself, and simply played the villain to keep Brienne from following him to almost certain death. Jaime states the unforgivable things he's done for Cersei as if to affirm that he is just like her, but I think this is him owning up to the fact that loving Cersei made him into a monster, something he doesn't want to be. In this light, Jaime killing Cersei would be as poetic as Tyrion killing Tywin; their struggle to please these hateful tyrants enslaved them both, forcing them to compromise their principles and accept lives of humiliation and scorn. A missing sword hand isn't Jaime's greatest handicap no more than dwarfism was Tyrion's. It's Cersei. She's a chain he needs to break free from.

* Watching Jaime struggle to unbutton his tunic or ready his horse makes me think of all the other one-handed difficulties he must have dealt with during his solo journey north.

* I still really hate that there's no snow in King's Landing. After all the talk about how "Winter is Coming", winter has had far less representation than I imagined.

* Tyrion's parlay with Qyburn reminded me of the deleted scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King where the heroes meet the Mouth of Sauron.

* We see the way this world's history repeats itself through Gendry. House Baratheon was originally founded by a man said to have been Aegon the Conqueror's bastard brother, and they are once again made rulers of the Stormlands by another Targaryen conqueror. It's taken even further when an overjoyed Gendry asks Arya to be his wife and gets rejected, just like his father Robert was rejected by Lyanna Stark. The Baratheons are typically very gifted individuals, but they are woefully unlucky when it comes to love and family.

* Speaking of history repeating, it turns out Cersei really is manipulating Euron the same way she manipulated King Robert, tricking him into believing that her Lannister incest baby is his Greyjoy heir to the throne.

* Rhaegal died at Dragonstone after being unceremoniously impaled by three javelins and sinking into the waters. This was similar to his namesake, Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone who was unceremoniously defeated and died in the waters of the Trident.

* Still not enough Ghost.

Quotes:

Sandor Clegane: Used to be you couldn't look at me. Sansa Stark: That was a long time ago. I've seen much worse than you since then. Sandor: Yes, I've heard. Heard you were broken in. Heard you were broken in rough. Sansa: And he got what he deserved. I gave it to him. Sandor: How? Sansa: Hounds. Sandor: (chuckles) ... You've changed, little bird.

Jaime Lannister: You know the first thing I learned about the North? I hate the fucking North. Brienne of Tarth: It grows on you. Jaime: I don't want things growing on me.

Daenerys Targaryen: (to Jon) I saw the way they looked at you. I know that look. So many people have looked at me that way, but never here. Never on this side of the sea.

Jon Snow: If you only trust the people you grow up with, you won't make many allies. Arya Stark: That's alright. I don't need many allies.

Tormund Giantsbane: (to Jon) You've got the north in you. The real north.

Sandor Clegane: (to Arya) Must've felt good, sticking your knife in that horned fucker.

Varys: How many others know? Tyrion: Including us? Eight. Varys: Then it's not a secret anymore. It's information.

Varys: You know our queen better than I do. Do you think she wants to share the throne? She doesn't like to have her authority questioned-- Tyrion: Something she has in common with every monarch who ever lived. Varys: I worry about her state of mind. Tyrion: We're advisors to the queen. Worrying about her state of mind is our job... We still have to take King's Landing. Maybe Cersei will win and kill us all. That would solve all our problems.

Euron Greyjoy: She's coming for you. Cersei Lannister: Of course, she is. Keep the gates open. If she wants to take the castle she'll have to murder thousands of innocent people first. So much for the Breaker of Chains.

Daenerys: They should know who to blame when the sky falls down upon them. Damn.

Varys: I have served tyrants most of my life. They all talk about destiny. Tyrion: She's a girl who walked into a fire with three stones and walked out with three dragons. How could she not believe in destiny?

Though I'm not crazy about the direction these last few seasons have gone in, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to write reviews for this show. Game of Thrones is truly phenomenal. It'll be a shame not to have it to look forward to anymore. Three and a half out of five Starbucks coffee cups.

Logan Cox

[outofozrp]

...THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME... 

Nicknames: Arron, The Babe Born in the Springs

Age: 30

Gender id: cis-male

Species: Flying Monkey

Residence: Munchkinland

Occupation: bound to Balthazar

Notoriety:  ★☆☆☆☆ Unknown.

Status: open

...FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD...

BIOGRAPHY

Born Arron, Aro had always led a sheltered life. Unbeknownst to him, Arron was the last living heir to a family that had many enemies, who were all aware that an heir existed but were unsure who he exactly was or where he could be found. The first Wizard of Oz may have been called a godsend to the Emerald City but he was nothing but smoke and mirrors. There were other families in Oz, those who had far more talent and guts to be rulers. These families were at a constant war with who should be the new ruler of Oz and they seemed to always know who was right and who was wrong. Despite the countless promises made, anyone who sat upon the Emerald throne seemed to always fall into bad luck and despair. They all either died or were killed, which only propelled the families to war with each other more, always wanting their kin on the throne. The rivalry became so cut-throat, in fact, that one Ruler of Oz declared that the best way to determine who should be the next ruler should the current fall ill or somehow be unable to rule was to hold a competition. From that day forth, the Ruler of Oz was determined by a competition made up of wits and challenges. Whomever came out as the winner would be declared the new Ruler of Oz. This act seemed to lessen the rivalry but did not get rid of it entirely. Arron was born in the Enchanted Springs and as soon as word left about this act, the land of Oz was buzzing with the news. The Enchanted Springs are considered a sacred ground, a place that Glinda herself claimed was a place of faeries. She cautioned on many occasions that the people of Oz should never visit there without an escort because the fae could be tricksters and Glinda herself had witnessed Ozians being led into the Springs, never to return again. The fact that a baby was born there was enough to set forth hundreds of stories about the Babe Born in the Springs. He was thought to be the one Oz needs, the babe with the power, a child sent from the heavens.

But Arron was none of that. As he grew from a baby into a toddler, it was abundantly clear to his parents that he was nothing more than a mere child. Despite the hope that the stories spoke about, Arron was just a child that so happened to be born in a sacred area. He was not blessed by the spirit of Glinda, as one story told, nor was he a Changeling: a faerie pretending to be a human in order to cause mayhem. No, Arron was just a boy. But that didn't stop the stories from being told or for people to look at him differently or treat him strangely when they heard his name. Because of this, Arron and his family ended up leaving the populated cities of Oz and turned to living a simple life in the country. They taught Arron all of the morals they knew, that being kind to others was the most important thing, and that stories were not always true. Arron lived this peaceful country life until he was twenty-five years old, when a simple visit to a village would change his life forever. Arron rarely, if ever, left the small cottage he lived in with his parents. But they had grown old and the trip to town proved too much for them, so Arron had been making the supply runs himself. While he was in town, someone seemed to be very interested in him. They followed him around wherever he went and kept looking at him like they recognized him. As Arron was leaving the bakery, the villager pointed right at him and shouted that he was the Babe Born in the Springs, which caused others to turn and look. Arron simply laughed and stopped to answer questions. But the villager who had found him was obsessed, he wanted to know more and more about Arron. Being the kind soul that he was, Arron ended up listening to the villager. When the villager said he wanted to show Arron something, he was hesitant to go. He had a handful of groceries that could spoil and his parents were waiting at home. But the villager promised that his groceries would be delivered and sent off his son to do so.

Too kind to say no, Arron allowed the villager to lead him into some woods. As soon as they were deep enough, the villager showed his true colors and stabbed a knife into Arron's stomach without saying a word. The villager pushed Arron to the cold forest ground and left him there for dead, screaming about how he had finally done it as he ran away. Arron lay there for what felt like a century before he saw someone—or something—from the corner of his eye. He couldn't be sure who or what it was; either his vision was blurry or they were hiding. A treant, who had been hiding, had witnessed the cold-hearted act and had gone to investigate the scene. It was hard for a treant to care about a living thing dying in the woods because they had seen it many times before—but this time was different. When the treant came closer to Arron, he reached out his hand to touch whatever had come close. He grabbed the treant's hand and begged for help, for mercy. He was not a poor soul lost in the woods, or an older person who had decided that their life would be better spent here; no, Arron was something different. He had a light in his eyes that the others didn't have. So the treant told him it would all be alright and picked him up in their arms, taking them to the one place they knew would help. Arron was brought to Munchkinland, to the mayor's daughter who would most certainly help. And she did. She sent for her father and called the doctor, who immediately came to see what they could do. But it was too late—Arron had suffered too greatly for them to be able to save them with what little medicine they had. In a last ditch effort, the mayor's daughter brought Arron to see the Witch of Munchkinland. Some say he had a chaotic soul but Lark knew better; she knew that he would help. When Arron fell on his doorstep, Balthazar decided that the only thing he could do was to give Arron life while taking it away. But Arron did not seem to care—he had not lived a full life and wanted to see and do more. So his wish was granted. He became a flying monkey, alive but in servitude to Balthazar, a man who held chaos in one hand and his heart in the other.

...I’LL MISS YOU MOST OF ALL...

CONNECTIONS

LAUREL--the dryad; Laurel is the treant who found Aro in the woods and took him to Munchkinland to be saved. He is eternally grateful to them for their kind deeds.

LARK--the mayor’s daughter; Lark immediately without question went to help Aro when it wasn’t in her best interest. It was acts like these that caused her father to be voted out of the mayor’s office.

BALTHAZAR--the Witch of the East; Aro had only a small idea of what he was getting into when he agreed to the deal with Balthazar but it could be worse. He could be in servitude to Balthazar’s sister.

ARO is portrayed by KIT HARINGTON and his faceclaim is NEGOTIABLE.

[arplis]

Arplis - News: My 22 Goals for 2019 Week 49 of 52

My 22 Goals for 2019

Goal #1 Spend More Time Doing What I Love

Red alert people, RED ALERT. It was 6 degrees this morning when I woke up. SIX!!! That.Is.Chilly. The Girl and I were going to walk Lucy on the beach this morning but those plans have been scraped. Gaaaa. I think if its 6 degrees outside, all bets are off and you can most certainly declare it a pajama day. Whos with me on this?

Goal #2 Garden, Garden, Garden

Garden are done for the year. Yipee!

Goal #3 Plant an Orchard {Calling it Quits on this one.}

Lemon baby #3 is on the way and we are patiently awaiting her arrival.

Goal #4 Gussy Up the Potting Shed Done!

I gussied up the potting shed at our old house, but I would like to add some sort of potting station to the backyard here somewhere, but Im not sure where I would put it yet.

I did come across this photo on Author Susan Branchs Instagram page though of a picture she tooth at Colonial Williamsburg. Isnt it cute? I think I need one of those.

Goal #5 Grow Enough Extra Vegetables, Eggs and Flowers to Earn $1500 at my little roadside vegetable stand.

It was totally my intention to grow a ton of fruits and vegetables to sell at the farm-stand when I made my list of goals for 2019 last winter, but then we moved. So, that whole goal was sort of a bust. I do miss it though.

Goal #6 Finish Every Single Unfinished Rug Hooking Project in My Pattern Bin + 10 Things from back Issues of Magazines/Books Ive Been Meaning to Make.

While I didnt add any new finished hooked rug pieces in my Etsy shop this past week, I did hook 4 totally new rugs {1 of which will become a kit and 2 will be offered as patterns} as well as hand dyed a bunch of wool {that I was able to get listed in my Etsy shop}.

I have decided to go back to my old schedule of only listing new hooked rugs items on the first Friday of every month for next year as it seems less stressful to me. It allows me more time to hook, rather than stopping every few days to take photo, write up description and then post a single piece online. Doing it all in one big swoop seems less chaotic to me.

73 rugs in my pattern bin {now down to 16} < SO CLOSE!

183 hooked flowers {finished 150, now down to 33}

10 things from back issues of magazines {finished 0}

Goal #7 Create 12 New Rug Hooking Patterns {with at least half of them being large ones} DONE!

So far this year Ive added 12 new rug hooking patterns and 14 beginner rug hooking kits to my Etsy shop. I just added Santa and Rudy 1892 yesterday and am hoping to squeeze one more kit in before the end of the year.

New rug hooking patterns Ive created and added to My Etsy Shop this year:

Santa and Rudy 1892

Tullia and Thomas Turkey

Double Nantucket Whale Runner

Miss Henny and Penny

Miss Penny

Simple Kitty

Primitive Flowers

2 Fat Cats

Annabells Big Day

Old Fashioned Double Tulip

Fat Brown Hen

Busy Little Bee

Queen Bee

Rug Hooking Kits

Busy Little Bee {in 2 different colors}

Folk Art Heart

Small Nantucket Whale

Primitive Crow

Miss Robin {in 2 different colors}

Simple Kitty

Primitive Flowers

Sunflowers

A Basket of Spring Posies

Fat Brown Hen

Chickys Garden

Goal #8 Split and Stack 2 Cords of Wood for Next Winter

All that firewood! We sold it.

Goal #9 Do Something with the 5,002 Photos on My Phone

Currently at 2415 Back up to 2565.

Goal #10 -Lose the Muffin Top Done!

Sweet digity!

Goal #11 Run, Walk or Crawl a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon

As long as its not pouring rain tomorrow. The Girl and I are on for the Half Marathon. Wish us luck!

Goal #12 Read or Listen to 26 New Books {21 down, 5 to go}

No new books this week but we are planning a trip to the library later this week.

Books Ive Read or Listened to So Far This Year:

Marilla of Green Gables #1 Still my favorite

The Great Alone #2

The Aviators Wife #3

Before We Were Yours #4

Secrets of a Charmed Life #5

Whered You Go, Bernadette #6

Carnegies Maid #7

The Gown #8

Unbroken #9

Drama#10

The Alice Network #11

The Shape of Mercy #12

Wills Red Coat #13

Big Little Lies #14

Mr. Churchills Secretary

Born to Run

I Feel Bad About My Neck

Bunny Mellon {Doesnt count because it was my second time}

On Writing {Doesnt count because it was my third time}

Walden

Finders Keepers

Delicious!

50 Things to Do in Maine Before You Die

Following Atticus

Goal #13 Try 52 New Recipes.

39 down, 13 recipes to go. We tried 2 new recipes this week. 1 was a dud and the other I will share on Tuesday. And its a good one!

Goal #14 Clean Up 52 Old Recipes on the Blog

9 down, 44 to go. Why did I make this goal? Note to self: Make fewer goals for next year.

Goal #15 Fill 100 Canning Jars 72 down, 28 to go.

I made a batch of Christmas Jam for gift giving PLUS I tried a new recipe {that was inspired by Mrs. HB} this past week and the HH and I loved it so much, that Ill be making another batch {or maybe 2} of it today {Ill share the recipe on Tuesday}.

So far this year Ive I canned:

9 Jars of..

6 jars Christmas Jam

7 jars Spiced Pomegranate Jelly

7 jars Peach Jam

7 jars of Strawberry Jam

15 jars of Carrot Cake Jam

15 jars of Spiced Pear Jam

4 jars of Almond Pears.

Goal #16 Finish Furnishing Our House

We finished the roman shades for the kitchen nook and kitchen window. I plan on taking a break from making roman shades for the next month so I can finish making kits for my Etsy shop and paint out the entire kitchen area as well as finish a couple of art projects for the walls.

Goal #17 52 Dates with the HH {44 down, 8 to go}

The HH and I went on 2 date days this past week and one of them was to the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village for their Shaker Christmas Fair and it was so overwhelming, we left after 5 minutes.

Overwhelming in the sense that although we could tell there was going to be a lot of people at the event by the distance we had to walk to the village, what we werent expecting was that once we walked in the doors of the trustees office {where the craft fair was being held}, it was SHOULDER to SHOULDER.

Like, being at a rock concert crowded. The HH didnt even make it 2 feet in before walking out and it took me nearly 5 minutes to get from the entrance and through 3 rooms and back out the door again without even being able to look or pick up anything it was so crowded. It was nuts. And totally not in the calm, welcoming Shaker spirit and all we wanted to do was leave. And so we did.

I do want to go back though at some point to visit the museum, but it will have to be an ordinary weekday with nothing on the event calendar, thats for sure.

Goal #18 Take One Adult Education Class Done {Ive taken 3!}

Block Printing Class with my neighbor.

Spoon Carving Classwith Heather.

Mini pottery lesson {I loved it! and now I want to sign up for a full class}

Goal #19 Secret Holiday Project{s}

Block print towels

Seed packet wreaths

Tea Bag Trees

Goal #20 Create 12 Wowie Zowie Party Platters

8 down, 4 to go. We are planning on making #9 tonight!

Goal #21 Visit 12 General Stores

10 down 2 to go. We visited a new country store yesterday!! The kind that offers human made {and local} baskets to customers to do their shopping with. Ill tell you all about it next week.

H.B. Provisions in Kennebunk, Maine

Chases Daily {I think it should count}

Squam Lake Marketplace

Harrisville General Store

Dodges Store in New Boston, New Hampshire

Zebs General Store in North Conway, New Hampshire

Dan and Whits in Norwich, Vermont

Husseys General Store in Windsor, Maine

Goal #22 Compete with Carole.. Get on My Front Door Game On

Would you believe not a single person walking by {or even a neighbor} has made a comment about the leg lamp in the window? I think theyre showing restraint, while my husband keeps telling me that they are in such awe of it, they just dont know what to say.

Ummmm Okay.

Front Door Bling Ive Made So Far This Year to Compete with Carole:

Late January : Valentine Heart

Late February : Shamrock

Late March : Giant Carrot

May: White wave petunia hanging basket

June/July: Tin Star and Flag Bunting

August : Sunflower

September: Indian corn and pumpkins

October: Pumpkins and spinner do hickeys

November: Indian corn and big pumpkins

December: Leg lamp and nutcrackers in the window and giant Christmas balls on the porch

**************

How about YOU? What are your goals for 2019? If you told us about them HERE, check in! We want to know how you are doing. Because seriously, its so much easier to get those goals checked off your list when you have people rooting for you!

Have a great day everyone,

Mavis

P.S. If you are looking for a last minute gift for neighbor or a friend, I still have a few ornaments left in my Etsy shop and you can find them all HERE. UPDATE: The barred rock chicken is sold out but there are a few more chicken ornaments HERE.

You can read more about my 22 goals for 2019 HERE.

Have a Great Day!

The post My 22 Goals for 2019 Week 49 of 52 appeared first on One Hundred Dollars a Month.

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My 22 Goals for 2019 Week 48 of 52

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Arplis - News source https://arplis.com/blogs/news/my-22-goals-for-2019-week-49-of-52

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews… American Gods (S01E05) Lemon Scented You Airdate: May 28, 2017 Ratings: *Ratings Delayed Due To MDW* Score: 8.75/10

**********SPOILERS BELOW**********

And it was written… A prelude to war, but it isn’t a war Mr World wants… Or needs… However, if Mr World does not get what he wants, it IS an eventuality. So, just who is Mr World, anyway? If the opening sequence of ‘Lemon Scented You’ taught us anything… It was that nothing lasts forever. But that’s exactly what makes Mr Wednesday so special, he HAS lasted forever… And he’s still here. The knowledge, every step he’s traveled, every mountain climbed, every peak conquered, and every valley divided… Sure he’s afraid of being forgotten, he’s even vocalized it several times, because being forgotten means death and even if Gods can die, the good ones don’t. And what’s Mr Wednesday worth to Mr World dead? If all of the 'Old Gods’ slowly migrated and made their way to Americas; some thriving, some struggling, some long forgotten and ultimately dead… Then the New Gods we see before us like Media & Technical Boy and of course Mr World became Gods through our paranoia, through urban legend, thought form, and modern folklore. Who is Mr World? Why, he is 'The Man’… 'The Man’ we fear. Whispers of secret organizations, government conspiracies, the faceless men in unmarked cars driving past with the whole Information Age at their fingertips… More whispered of Illuminati, made louder by the media, louder by the technical switches and blips and bleeps and lights we can’t see surging through the air and uploaded and stored away in a file for safe keeping… Just in case. That is 'The Man’… That is 'Mr World���.

Crispin Glover was what attracted me to this project to begin with…. And even though I wasn’t exactly a fan of the abrupt and jarring nature of that first episode where buckets of blood and the overuse of psychedelic visuals clashed with an array of characters many new viewers who weren’t familiar with the story knew nothing about… I promised to stay for Crispin Glover. Although I didn’t need to wait, by the second episode I was already falling for the show as hard as I was falling into the slick, stylish presentation and colorful characters who were now slowly being crafted into something of substance and not just style, tho it’s very 'modus operandi’ all started to fall into place and that first misstep became like a forgotten God… A far cry away from a faded memory, a blurry outline of a melting, pin-spiraled wall. If I was to wait for Crispin Glover, it would’ve been a long one, as here he is, making his stunning, magnetic debut in Episode 5 of 8 and although in the grand scheme of most television series that’s not be necessarily a long time, in 'American Gods’ it feels like an eternity. Crispin is the type of actor who was born for roles like these. His menacing mannerisms, his unorthodox look, and his eccentric, growling presence embodies who I believe the God, Mr World, to be.

Casting has been an absolute treasure from start to finish for this series… And as much as I praise Crispin Glover in his portrayal of the enigmatic Mr World, everyone has settled into their roles exactly as they should, elevating the series to even greater heights. Ricky Whittle IS Shadow Moon… Not quite the fish out of water, but an understated lead who has faced so much tragedy he simply sinks into this foreign world of Gods & Goddesses he was thrown into. Emily Browning also plays an understated Laura Moon, but turns on the heat right when she needs to, charming her way through absurd scenes w/Betty Gilpin who plays Audrey (another one who stole the show right when she needed to, but in the same breath handed back the reigns when her turn was complete). Browning coming alive in the presence of Shadow’s glow that draws her to him and battling it out with the Bumbling Irish Buffoon of 'Bad Luck’, Mad Sweeney, a role Pablo Schreiber coincidentally 'lucked’ into since the original man cast already cast had to pull out of the project last second… Proving that sometimes 2nd really is the best. But who I’m really talking about is Gillian Anderson who we’ve never quite seen like this before. Her Lucille Ball & Marilyn Monroe bared great resemblances, yet she was still embodying 'Media’… However, her 'David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust takes the concept of Media and her method acting to an actual real live level of Godliness… God/Goddess… The androgyny captured in Gillian’s highlighted angular features fits so right it’s almost scary. The fact that this is Gillian Anderson is shocking to me. The roles she have taken usually are cold and distant, so this is such a welcome departure and a chance for Anderson to prove that she is not only a worthy veteran, but a name to be thrown around when talking about 'The Greats of Television and Cinema’.

At this point in 'American Gods’, there shouldn’t be a single audience member who 'doesn’t know what’s going on’. 'Lemon Scented You’ didn’t exactly spell it all out for us in full, but it certainly 'Vanna White’d enough letters in its cat & mouse game of 'Wheel Of Fortune’. And yes, I just used 'Vanna White’ as a verb… If Tituss Burgess can turn 'Lemonade’ into a verb in Netflix’s S3 of 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’, then 'American Gods’ can surely 'Vanna White’ in its freshman season… And in my head, that’s exactly the kind of direct, in-your-face stunt that Media would pull… And pull well!

There is a war coming. There has always been one brewing, but through acts of both brutality and mercy (and pure chaotic insanity), it’s truly hard to not see the big picture unfold. It’s Old vs New and there will be no “merger” anytime soon. Blood will run, sacrifices will have to be made, lines drawn, and sides chosen… I suspect that some of the 'Old Gods’ have already been wooed by Mr World and Media’s psychedelic parlor tricks. Though it’s obvious Mr Wednesday is both unimpressed and uninspired by their complete sensory display, we will see which ones were or were not in the coming episodes. There is an excitement in the air in 'American Gods’, the episode itself ('Lemon Scented You’) puts all the pieces into place… And the two most powerful Gods on either side of the spectrum finally meet, making for yet another iconic and memorable scene we aren’t likely to forget anytime soon. Don’t get me wrong The Jinn and that pulsating red aura is still very much on my mind, if Mousa Kraish was to score a spin-off, I’d be in like Flynn… I’m looking at you, STARZ, we ALL are! My renewals are for your streaming product are very much a sure bet, I’m not going anywhere. Somebody get the popcorn… Is it Sunday yet?

[trickstercaptain-archive]

REALLY  LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. RULES. repost, don’t reblog ! tag 10 ! good  luck ! TAGGED. @murroyilodel TAGGING. @donapirata, @thecodekeeper, @twisted-but-pretty, @piraticalwit, @invictusmanet, @lordiism & anyone else who’d like to do this, go right ahead -- don’t feel like you have to do this though lmao

BASICS. FULL  NAME : Captain Jack Sparrow NICKNAME : Jackie, witty Jack, mi corazón, captain looby AGE : 38 in his main verse BIRTHDAY : 6th August ETHNIC  GROUP : Caucasian ( English, but with Spanish heritage ) NATIONALITY :  English LANGUAGE / S : English, Spanish, French, some Portuguese, Latin and others SEXUAL  ORIENTATION : Bisexual  ROMANTIC  ORIENTATION : Demiromantic RELATIONSHIP  STATUS : Single & lowkey married to his ship unless specified otherwise in a particular verse CLASS : An outlaw, exists outside the class structure completely but if you had to place him, he’s certainly lower class HOME  TOWN / AREA : Shipwreck Cove, somewhere in the South Atlantic ( legend says the island moves ) CURRENT  HOME : On board the Black Pearl, anywhere in the entire ocean PROFESSION : Pirate Captain

PHYSICAL. HAIR : Thick, extends to his mid-back, is virtually always tied back with his favourite red bandana and braided at the back. All sorts of small trinkets are tied into it, including a shinbone from a reindeer. EYES : Large, dark eyes with long lashes. Easily one of his most defining features, and he takes to emphasising them even more with the use of kohl to help the reflection of the sun off of the sea. NOSE : Straight, slightly arched; a defining feature but not obnoxiously so save in that one scene FACE : An undeniably pretty face, with his sharp cheekbones as his most striking feature LIPS : Fairly full lips, another particularly expressive feature of his face COMPLEXION : He usually has a very glowing complexion thanks to his deep tan, but depending on lack of sleep or stress etc, he’s sometimes forced to use the kohl to hide the circles under his eyes. He’s always slightly paler when he’s particularly stressed or hasn’t been sleeping well. BLEMISHES : An abrasion on his chin that has never healed, the odd freckle and mole here and there. SCARS : A small scar across his right eyebrow from a sword nick during a fight, the ‘P’ brand on his forearm, extensive burns along his left arm, scar on his right palm from lifting the Aztec curse, two powder burns from bullet wounds on the right-hand side of his chest, several other marks across his torso and back. TATTOOS : Flying sparrow over waves on his forearm, above his brand, mi corazón tattooed across the left hand side of his chest, several others inc. quotations from the poem Desiderata HEIGHT : 5′10″. WEIGHT : --- BUILD : Average build; toned but lean. FEATURES : Very striking features -- in particular his eyes, especially when lined with kohl, and his sharp cheekbones. ALLERGIES : None. USUAL  HAIR  STYLE : Dreadlocks at the front, with the rest of his hair tied back by a bandana, and part of it contained in a braid extending down his back. USUAL  FACE  LOOK : Jack’s face is extremely expressive; his eyes in particular will often betray any emotion that he is fighting to conceal from view, but his usual expression will depend entirely on his mood and his opinion of any present company. You’ll know if he’s in a bad mood: his face is harder, more inclined towards annoyance or boredom, but for several individuals close to him this harshness will soften whenever he’s in their presence. USUAL  CLOTHING : His ‘iconic’ look; tricorn hat, red bandana, shirt, waistcoat, brown coat, belts, striped sash, breeches, boots. He prefers loose-fitted clothing given the climate of the Caribbean, despite it’s so-called impropriety, and has a sentimental attachment to his outfit which means that he’s reluctant to trade any of it in for anything newer.

PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Being forgotten, death, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, fire, failure, not being good enough. ASPIRATION / S : In canon, his goal from a very young age was to become a famous pirate captain, to earn a title for himself and, most of all, to be remembered and to matter to people. Once he gains his captaincy, his goal shifts to solely being that of bolstering his own reputation, to make sure that after his death he won’t ever be forgotten. POSITIVE  TRAITS : Openminded, unprejudiced, has the potential to display incredible selflessness and compassion, intelligent, flirtatious, witty, well-read, charming, merciful, ambitious, individualist, opinionated. NEGATIVE  TRAITS : Distrustful, manipulative, paranoid, self-serving, egocentric, can be emotionally cold and distant, obsessive, unreliable, chaotic, unpredictable, moody, inclined towards cowardice. MBTI : ENTP ZODIAC : Leo TEMPERAMENT : Somewhere between sanguine and melancholic. SOUL  TYPE / S : Leader ANIMALS : Sea lion VICE  HABIT / S : His fondness for rum is probably the main one, along with his penchant for overindulging of all kinds. He leans towards an addictive, obsessive personality so he rarely does things by halves. FAITH : He doesn’t count himself as religious, so he holds no faith to nor does he worship any particular God, but from his exposure to heathen Gods and understanding of the Classics ( the Greek and Roman Gods ), Jack can certainly be understood as polytheist even if he’s sceptical towards the idea of religion. If he had to identify as one, however, he’d be of the protestant faith. GHOSTS ? : Jack has seen ghosts so, yes, he believes in them. AFTERLIFE ? : I think Jack likes to believe that there is some sort of afterlife, but after his experiences in the Locker he’d a little less sure if he wants it to exist. REINCARNATION ? : Jack is pretty sceptical on this one tbh. ALIENS ? : In canon and modern Jack is certainly open-minded to the idea, but it’s only really in verses with the Doctor that he actually believes in them. POLITICAL  ALIGNMENT : Jack is certainly a liberal in both canon and modern, but in modern I guess he’d lean towards the labour party in the UK -- but honestly I feel like he’d be very cynical of the political establishment as a whole. ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE : In canon his financial situation is pretty dire. It’s not that he doesn’t earn money, either crewing on other ships or, after he gains his captaincy, on his own ship, but he’s terrible at managing it. His situation is a lot better in modern verse -- he has money enough to support himself and live in his own apartment ( albeit with Gibbs as a roommate ), but he often teeters on the edge of his overdraft. SOCIOPOLITICAL  POSITION : A pariah and outcast of society in canon, but in modern verse he’s a regular citizen of the UK ( although also a criminal ). EDUCATION  LEVEL :  Jack is educated in canon, though not formally ( most of it was self-taught but a fair amount came from his parents, such as his literacy from his mother and a lot of his navigational prowess from Teague ). In modern, Jack is educated to secondary/high school level but did not go on to university level education except in his professor AU.

FAMILY. FATHER : Captain Edward Teague, the Keeper of the Pirate’s Code. MOTHER : Maria Sparrow, a daughter of a slave-owner who ran away from home and eventually joined Teague’s crew as a ship’s cook. She gave birth to Jack in a typhoon, and died of illness ( complications caused by her second pregnancy ) when he was seven years old. SIBLINGS : Technically speaking Jack has none, save an unborn sister who died alongside his mother. To this day he has no idea that his mother was pregnant before she died. EXTENDED  FAMILY : Oh he has so many that I’m not gonna name them all. The most important are his paternal grandmother, Anne Teague, a former Pirate Lord, and his paternal grandfather, Bartholomew, who was one of the individuals who laid down the Code. NAME  MEANING / S : Jack is a diminutive form of John, and just means man or boy lmfao  HISTORICAL  CONNECTION ? : Umm well Jack isn’t strictly based on any pirate of history, although there are connections you can draw between Jack and the historical Jack Rackham, if only for the name and the fact that Jack also has no issue about sailing alongside women. I’ve also read somewhere that there’s a muslim pirate with a connection to Jack but don’t quote me on that. Mainly he’s a character who draws heavily on the romantic archetype of the pirate through history -- his clearest literary predecessor, however, is Lord Byron’s Conrad.

FAVOURITES. BOOK : My Lyfe Among the Pyrates, Captain J. Ward, the Divine Comedy, Dante, Hamlet, Shakespeare, Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe. MOVIE : In modern verse, Jack is a fan of adventure flicks, and notoriously hates romcoms. 5  SONGS : I’m just gonna cheat and put this one. Spanish Ladies is another, if we’re talking historical sea shanties, and while it’s an anachronism you might as well put Stevenson’s fifteen men on a dead man’s chest too. DEITY : None, although he was close to Calypso, albeit without knowing that she was a goddess in human form. HOLIDAY : Jack notoriously dislikes holidays. He rarely celebrates his birthday or Christmas of his own accord and is ambivalent towards Valentine’s or Halloween. One that he does enjoy is probably New Years. MONTH : July SEASON : Summer PLACE : Tortuga WEATHER : Sun and clear skies is his preferred sort of weather, but he does love a good storm too. SOUND : The sea, the wind filling the Pearl’s sails, the creaking of her wood, sea shanties and musical instruments being played on board. SCENT / S : Spices, sugar, rum, salt of the sea, gunpowder, fresh varnish and tar. TASTE / S : Fresh meat and fish, rum, anything sweet in flavour. FEEL / S : The wood of the Pearl’s railing beneath his fingers, the thin, loose fabric of his clothing, parchment and unfurled maps. ANIMAL / S : Dogs if he had to choose any at all. NUMBER : None. COLOUR : None in particular. The brighter the colour, the better.

EXTRA. TALENTS : Navigation, cartographical skills, shipboard work, aiming and firing a gun, fencing, thinking on his feet, impractical escapes, manipulating others to his advantage, swimming, fishing. BAD  AT : Trusting the right people, or trusting at all when it comes to his later verses, and this refusal to put faith in people only serves to perpetuate the view that he is unreliable and untrustworthy and therefore worth betraying before he betrays you in return. He’s also shit at romance and sentimentality; he can put forth the effort when he doesn’t really care for the other person, but when it comes to romantic gestures for someone he truly cares about or reacting to a romantic gesture in return, he honestly does not know how to respond. TURN  ONS : Intelligence, a shared love of freedom, charisma, appearance, strong opinions and convictions, loyalty, individuality, strength of character, cockiness. TURN  OFFS : Ignorance, stupidity, prejudice, willingness to conform or fit the mould, passivity, disloyalty.  HOBBIES : He enjoys swimming, fencing, gambling, reading and fishing, aside from his first love, that of sailing and navigation. TROPES : The obvious two are the trickster and the byronic hero, but also being good sucks, beware the silly ones, breakout character, the chessmaster, cultured badass, deal with the devil, the gunslinger, hidden depths, no such thing as bad publicity, pretty boy and shrouded in myth are my faves. his entire tv tropes page can be found here and it’s glorious AESTHETIC  TAGS : -- GPOY  QUOTES : “There is no end to our story.”

FC INFO. MAIN  FC / S : Johnny Depp. ALT  FC / S : None. OLDER  FC / S : None. YOUNGER  FC / S : none yet lmfao the search for a child fc continues VOICE  CLAIM / S : Johnny Depp GENDERBENT  FC / S : None.

MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : if  you  could  write  your  character  your  way  in  their  own  movie ,   what  would  it  be  called ,  what  style  would  it  be  filmed  in ,  and  what  would  it  be  about ?           A1 : It would be a film adaptation of The Price of Freedom l b r. It would probably have to be streamlined for runtime purposes, but all of the important parts would be there B) Q2 : what  would  their  soundtrack / score  sound  like ?           A2 : insert the potc soundtrack here Q3 : why  did  you  start  writing  this  character ?           A3 : Because Jack Sparrow has held an incredibly important place in my heart since I was eleven years old. He was really the first live-action character I properly connected with, my first on-screen crush, and idk there was just something about him that really appealed to me. He’s also just an insane amount of fun; I know how Johnny feels honestly the chance to write this character is a ridiculous amount of fun because he’s just so shamelessly himself. Q4 : what  first  attracted  you  to  this  character ?           A4 : Gosh idk man everything. He was just so different to anything I’d ever seen before, and when I was younger I obviously loved the funnier, comic aspects of his character, but as I got older I began to appreciate the insane amount of depth that Jack possesses. He is one of the most complicated characters in modern cinema imho and both the writing and Johnny’s portrayal make him so very human. He is not without fault, but behind the bluster and flamboyance and sass there is a very damaged, very real, but ultimately very good person. He’s just connected with me in a way that no other fictional character really has. Q5 : describe  the  biggest  thing  you  dislike  about  your  muse.           A5 : Hmmm I’m not sure there’s anything I dislike about Jack, per se, but I guess certain traits of his frustrate me. Most of the time it’s his refusal to trust or depend on others; he’s very closed-off so if anyone tries to broach significant subjects with him he will deflect like there’s no tomorrow. Also his restraint; honestly the amount of times I have wanted to see him let rip at certain muses but he will refuse to because he sees the expression of emotion as such a weakness. Q6 : what  do  you  have  in  common  with  your  muse ?           A6 : We’re very different, but I think there are some core characteristics we share. Similar things appeal to us, particularly when it comes to our enjoying witty banter and repartee with others. We’re both opinionated, have very similar senses of humour, are sometimes petty, bitter and we both hold grudges like there’s no tomorrow. Our arguing styles are also very similar, although Jack gets into arguments way more often than I do lmao. We’re both quite rationally minded people, but we also have a very emotional and compassionate side too. Q7 : how  does  your  muse  feel  about  you ?           A7 : He thinks I’m incredibly dull lmfao Q8 : what  characters  does  your  muse  have  interesting  interactions  with ?         A8 : Oh damn who doesn’t he have interesting interactions with. Off the top of my head, Esmeralda de Sevilla, Elizabeth Swann, Cutler Beckett, Will Turner, James Norrington, Teague, Dodger, Barbossa, Charles Vane, Jack Rackham, the Tenth Doctor, Killian Jones, Isabela, Thomas Dalton, Maeve Millay, Megan Santiago, Credence Barebone, Henry Turner and there are others that I’ve surely forgotten too. Q9 : what  gives  you  inspiration  to  write  your  muse ?         A9 : All sorts of things really. Listening to music helps, as well as watching fanvids on youtube and rereading through old threads. Q10 : how  long  did  this  take  you  to  complete ?         A10 : I have no idea because I did it over several days lmao

[kpssmithwrites]

Zevran = 1 Alistair = 2 Wynne = 3 Leliana = 4 Sten = 5 Oghren = 2 Morrigan = 4 Loghain = 5 Shale = 3 Dog = 1

These responses got really long so I put them under a cut!

 Zevran

1. How did your Warden react to Zevran’s failed attempt on their life? Were they amused? Angry?

Originally, Bralinden reacted with a healthy amount of caution and anger. To see some random elf stroll out, and then everyone try to attack her, is not a good first impression. She did not take it well, and took her surprise and anger out on the lackies that had been hired. After the Blight, she tried to find their families, for what compensation she could offer them.

After the fight and Zevran had been knocked out, Bralinden sorely considered just killing him. Everyone was out to get her, and now there was a one of those people at her mercy. She met Zevran late enough in her quest, however, so the initial anger over the Battle of Ostagar had cooled somewhat. 

It was because she wasn’t as furious with life that she attempted to be the “better person” and give him a chance. There were mixed reactions, of course, but considering her track record of her traveling party, they couldn’t really tell her “No, we can’t bring this elf that we found on the side of the road after he tried to kill us,” and she kept a close eye on Zevran. However, his political loyalties–the idea that Bralinden could hopefully keep him safe from the employers that he failed–made sense to her. They now shared a common enemy, and mercenaries, for the most part, are in it for the business, not revenge, so as long as she didn’t piss him off she wouldn’t have a knife in her back.

However, when they’re both old and grey, with three children. she finds it hilarious that he tried to kill her. As if he could ever (and, to be honest, his first attempt went really bad. He didn’t stand a chance). It’s her favorite story to tell their children, how their father spectacular tried and failed murder her and their “Uncle Alistair,” once the children were older.

Alistair

2. Did Alistair’s parentage surprise your Warden? How did your Warden’s feelings on the nobility affect their relationship with Alistair?

There were a few stages that Bralinden went through when she discovered Alistair’s parentage. In a weird way, they were a warped version of grief.  The first one–and the shortest–was denial. For a solid five minutes, she thought the universe was shitting her. There was no way that Alistair–Alistar, who jokes about shimmying down the line of darkspawn in a dress to be a distraction–was the son of a king. 

Then it was anger–at him, for not telling her. She was rather up-front with him about where she was from, who she had been, so didn’t he owe her the same courtesy? That cooled pretty quickly, however, once she realized how dickish it sounded that she was practically demanding for him to fess up that he was a bastard of a dead king, something he had been trying to ignore himself. Their relationship, at this point, was a bit rocky, since she was surly to begin with and Alistair thought that she was blaming him for all of this. Eventually, however, Bralinden apologizes, and the two make up.

Then there was the bargaining–with Arl Eamon. Once he hatched the idea that Alistair try and take the throne, Bralinden did everything she could to try and persuade him otherwise. Alistair wasn’t prepared for rule, or politics. He didn’t want to be king. But when Alistair caved, Arl Eamon’s mind was set, and Bralinden realized that it would do more damage if she tried to set these weird humans from their messed up sense of purpose. Alistair kept telling her not to worry–and while their relationship became tense, so to speak, Bralinden tried to keep her idea of his best interests in mind.

After that, she became very irritable anytime someone brought up that Alistair could possibly be king. What was the point of being a Grey Warden if they didn’t get to stick together? She couldn’t fathom it that someone who was so ill-prepared for politics was going to be thrust upon a throne with very little warning or preparation all because of a power grab. This fueled a lot of her anger towards Loghain, because Alistair seemed rather uncomfortable with the whole exchange to her. He picked up on her anger, but realized it wasn’t directed towards him.

Then, a slight delay from the grief plan, was plotting. Bralinden realized he could help him. One way or another. She wasn’t sure how quite yet, so she started reading up on the structure of Ferelden politics. Alistair was not aware of this. This is when she reached acceptance. She would help him by either becoming an advisor. Then she found out about Chancellor. She decided, that if Alistair was going to be king, if he was of royal blood and they were going to use that, she wasn’t going to just throw him to the wolves. When she announced her plans to the group, Alistair was stunned–and then grateful, because he had no idea what he was doing. Bralinden also had very little idea, but at least she had more experience in politics. The two have been close ever since, working together to keep Ferelden afloat.

Wynne

3. How did your Warden feel about the Spirit of Faith within Wynne? Did they see it as possession?

In truth, Bralinden’s understanding of the Fade, of spirits, of possession, and the taboos that are associated with it through humans, elves, and anyone else on the surface is very limited. She understands it from books, but never actually experienced an issue with it.

So, when she finds out about the Spirit of Faith within Wynne, she asked three main questions: “Are you still you?” “Is it hurting you?” and “Are you okay with it?” Wynne answered her questions pretty directly, so Bralinden decided that it was okay.

She also had to learn quickly that spirits chilling in people isn’t as common as she thought. However, it helped prepare her for Justice once she wound up at Amaranthine. While many individuals are generally upset with spirit possession, as long as the spirit itself didn’t show any malice, Bralinden is pretty calm–but she trusts the person’s word over the spirit’s. Just as a rule of thumb.

Leliana

4. Did your Warden believe that Leliana was telling the truth about her vision from the Maker or were they skeptical?

Bralinden’s limited knowledge on the Maker was amplified by the fact that Bralinden isn’t particularly religious. So, when Leliana confided that it was a vision that guided her to Bralinden, Bralinden was not convinced. She didn’t outwardly state that she thought Leliana was a bit strange, but she certainly thought it. She just forced something that vaguely resembled a smile, nodded, and decided to never speak out religion, visions, or the Maker again.

Then again, as a dwarf, Bralinden did not have fun experiences with dreams in the fade until the issue at Kinloch Hold, so the idea of something speaking to her and actually being convincing was slim. It was after her trip to the fade that Bralinden actually started to believe that Leliana definitely heard something. Whether it was the Maker or not, she’s really not sure. The idea of having a faith to guide you seemed like a good idea, especially during some of the rougher moments during their journey. Bralinden, to this day, still is not sure if Leliana had a vision, or if she just decided to help. At this point, Bralinden decided that it doesn’t matter. Leliana has a faith that guides her, and if it meant that she believed in the Maker, then so be it.

Sten

5. Was your Warden amused by Sten’s love of cookies?

Privately yes, Bralinden was very amused by Sten’s love of cookies, and saw it as an advantage. The two didn’t see eye to eye at first, for various reasons–but the fact that he adored cookies humanized him a little bit to her. She used the cookies as a bridge to work on their respective issues, kind of like a carrot on a stick. If there was a problem, she’d come bearing cookies. If she needed to talk, she’d come bearing cookies. If she found cookies, she would give them to him because honestly, cookies aren’t her favorite sweet treat. They never really commented on it, but after Sten returned home, Bralinden would linger at the bakery a moment or too longer before buying one cookie, for old time’s sake.

Oghren

2. What were your Warden’s feelings on berserkers? Were they frightened of them? Were they a berserker themselves?

Bralinden was never frightened by berserkers, not even as a child. Dwarves created berserkers–presumably out of necessity–so she determined that as long as they were not aimed towards her, then they were not a problem. When she was young, just learning how to hold a sword and shield, she fancied becoming one at one point. She had a lot of anger as a child, so her brothers and father often saw her training, furiously beating training dummies to a pulp. When berserkers walked the training grounds, or she trained underneath them, she idolized them, because she never saw them on the field.

If anything, she was mainly concerned for the fact that Oghren, specifically, was a berserker. He was much less spectacular than she had pictured. The idea of being a berserker was extremely messy, chaotic, and dangerous, which didn’t fit her role in the group. As a commanding officer, she needed to have her wits about her. So, she just made sure that Oghren didn’t get into too much trouble as he massacred everything around them.

Morrigan

4. Did your Warden attempt to find Morrigan after the Blight? Did they ever succeed in meeting her again?

You bet your butt she did. Bralinden, after finding out that Morrigan effectively ran for it–pregnant with Kieran, no less–Bralinden tried to find her. She sent out people through Alistair’s new connections but didn’t have any luck, and then she was made Warden-Commander and she had even more duties to uphold.

However, two and a half years later (give or take) Bralinden did succeed in meeting Morrigan again. Bralinden yelled at her–quite a lot–and when Morrigan disappeared back into the Eluvian, Bralinden was still hurtling insults. Mostly, Bralinden was angry that Morrigan didn’t trust her enough for Bralinden to help her.

In my own canon for the story, I’d like to think that Morrigan, a year or so later after Bralinden was no longer in the position of Warden-Commander and just Chancellor for Alistair, they made contact again, and kept in contact. Morrigan was the first to find out that Bralinden and Zevran were going to have children, after Zevran, Alistair, and herself, and they do get to meet again at least in passing during the issue happening with the Inquisition. Bralinden and her family certainly passed through Orlais during their journey west, and during that time, Bralinden decided that her quest could be delayed a few days so that her children could meet Morrigan, and Kieran.

Loghain

5. Did Loghain survive the Landsmeet? If he did, why did your Warden choose to let him live?

In Bralinden’s timeline, no, Loghain did not survive Landsmeet. Bralinden didn’t know the political climate very well and by the time she actually arrives at the Landsmeet, Loghain had crossed the last line. He had tried to kill her one too many times, did not repent. While she understood that he thought he was doing the right thing, she too thought she was doing the right thing, and she knew that if he were in her position, he would not have granted her mercy.

She doesn’t talk about his death much after it happened. She tries to kindle some sort of relationship with Anora–after all, she is the daughter of a war hero, and a respected figure of Ferelden–but it doesn’t do much.

She did her best to make it quick, and painless, refusing anyone else to do it–even Alistair. The choice was her decision, so she was determined to carry it out. Even when she’s older, and people ask if she thought she did the right thing, she simply replies, “I did what I thought was right at the time.” The few who know her well enough to get her to speak on it, knows that she’s still not sure whether she made the right decision.

What makes it so sad that I think, if they had met under different circumstances, I imagine they would have gotten along quite well. They have the same sort of mindset–do what they think is right, at all costs. They just wound up on the opposing side of the conflict. One of these days, I might write an AU on it.

Shale

3. Did your Warden aid Branka or Caridin? Did their choice affect their relationship with Shale?

Bralinden aided Caridin for several reasons, both political and personal. Politically, she did not trust her brother, Bhelen, with this kind of power to make an nearly-indestructible army. She didn’t really trust anybody with the anvil–not even herself–so it seemed like the right decision to destroy the anvil with Caridin’s help.

On a more personal level, Bralinden was deeply uncomfortable with the implication and the means in which Branka discovered the anvil. She could see too many things going wrong if Branka brought it back to Orzammar. If by some chance someone could be trusted with it, there were too many people who couldn’t be. Considering her conscription into the Grey Wardens and the implications she didn’t know existed until it was too late, the idea of people becoming golems sounded like a terrible idea. Then, there’s the whole deal of how Branka sacrificed everyone to get to the anvil, and the Broodmother. The Broodmother gave Bralinden nightmares for weeks, and Bralinden found it satisfactory to crush Branka and her goals because of it. There had to have been a better way.

So, Bralinden and Shale’s relationship remained strong. Shale was present during the quest, and Bralinden discussed her reasoning with Shale after everything was said and done. While they weren’t the best of friends, they were on good terms.

Dog

1. Who’s a good boy?!

To Bralinden, Partha is most definately a very, very good boy.