#alicenter

[stevegrider]

Ali Center. #alicenter #muhammadali #downtownlouisville #abovelouisville Aerials with @u2photography (at Muhammad Ali Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/ComsrqSOBZj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[clytemnaestraes]

The Sleepwalker (1878) by Maximilian Pirner

[atopcat]

#her saying the boy was her dissociating/in shock. and repeating what blood and cheese were calling him#but her calling him her son her baby boy would be more impactful plus people esp team blacks are going to use this against her#people are already saying she didn't care about her kids because they don't get subtlety and removing the torment that daemon inflicted#makes daemon look a lot better. he ordered a hit on aemond but was willing to accept another son whereas in the book he specifically sends#two sick men after a six year old and had Helaena mentally tortured to breaking point and has alicent be forced to watch helplessly#it was a sick act that TARGETS women and children#the way it has been done makes the blacks look better (they wanted aemond to pay for his crime) and makes the greens look less sympathetic

the reason why i don't think blood & cheese works without maelor is because it undermines the gravity of helaena's choice

in the books, as we all know, she has to choose which son to sacrifice. blood & cheese are going to kill one either way, so, whatever happens, if you want to get cynical about it, aegon will still be left with a male heir of his body. no, the horribleness of the choice lies not really in dynastic matters, but in basic humanity: which of your children are you willing to condemn to death? and helaena truly does try to make the best out of a bad situation, she picks not because she loves jaehaerys more, but because maelor is so tiny that she hopes he won't understand what's going to happen to him.

and she absolutely has to choose, because b&c threaten to rape her daughter if she doesn't. it's psychological torture. b&c just want to fuck her up in the head as much as possible and helaena tries her goddamnest to minimize the harm done to her family. to further compound on the tragedy, b&c kill the opposite child, so now she has to live out the rest of her days knowing that the son left alive is the son SHE herself marked for the axe. which is what understandably drives her to lose her mind

now, in the show, the "problem" blood & cheese have doesn't exist at all: that they can't supposedly tell the twins apart. but (as awful as it sounds, since it involves sexual assault) they could very easily check which child has male genitalia and be done with it. it's a "problem" that takes literal seconds to solve. they don't need helaena at all! it becomes irrelevant which child she points towards - b&c can always just check! she can't save jaehaerys in this situation no matter what she does, because b&c were never interested in jaehaera in the first place. in the books, she has the ability to save one child and this exact horrible "agency" bestowed on her torments her for the rest of her days. in the show, even had she pointed towards jaehaera, it would have been a narrative plot hole for the writers to have killed her without checking

likewise, in the books, she begs them to kill her instead, but, in the show, she offers them a necklace? you can't deny that the dramatic stakes are lowered substantially by making that change. which one of these options would have been more filled with pathos? personally, it just feels like this was phia's moment to shine and, while she did a good job with what she had, every narrative choice was somehow made to subdue this horrible event and left her only crumbs to work with. cinematically-speaking, this scene (as it was executed) does not even come close to the iconic moments that cemented GoT into the collective consciousness, which is very strange, as the subject matter is anything but mediocre

and that's not even getting into the rest of the plot holes that others have already pointed out, like:

- why are there no guards at helaena's door or anywhere else for that matter? not just on that hallway, but on many other hallways, she has to run quite a lot to get to alicent's chambers

- why is her room unlocked at the very least

- why is ALICENT's room unlocked, for that matter? she is having secret guilty sex with criston and she forgets to lock her door in a castle full of spies? anyone could have walked in

- not even getting into this whole thing just being one huge misunderstanding + minimizing daemon's and mysaria's roles :))

- NOT EVEN mentioning removing the trauma of alicent witnessing all of this, gagged and bound on her own bed, not being able to help or intervene in any way

i can understand the likelihood of these elements happening sometimes (maybe someone does forget to lock their door from time to time, maybe a guard does shirk their duties from time to time), but you can't write all of them at once without it turning all looney tunes. if you introduce too many aspects that defy logic in your story, it ceases to be believable and just becomes bad writing

___________________________________________

also, "they killed <the boy>"? not "my son" or "jaehaerys"? it sounds so removed, don't you think? helaena out there on her mother's floor dropping exposition for the audience 🥲

[whateverthought]

Oh, House of The Dragon is a feminist show? Team Black is a feminist team?

They wrote out Nettles, a canon black woman. They threw away Rhaena's storyline and subsequent characterization. They wrote out her storyline and replaced it with the canon black woman's storyline. Because Rhaena's a black woman in the show? Are they the same now? Because women's stories are interchangeable?

Rhaenyra has spent 5 episodes making no decisions during a War, they changed her grief from ugly and volatile and brutal to the more appropriate sad and weepy, as all good mothers should be.

They changed Laena's death so they can set a precedent for how honorable Rhaenyra's will be. To prop up a white woman. Why is her death not her own?

Daemon kills his wife, who he calls misogynist names constantly, by his own hand. No plausible deniability, no assassins, he's there. Why did they show it? A woman's death that was only implied to be his fault in the books, but they had to portray a woman's death. What did it accomplish? What did I have to see so bad? Is this Domestic Violence?

Both Daemon and Rhaenyra have sex on the day of Laena's funeral, with her family in the building, including her grieving daughters. And then they get married that week. That was his wife, mother of his children, someone whose death brought him to tears. Even if Rhaenyra isn't friends with her in the show canon, she should have some respect for this woman. Do they not honor the dead in Westeros? Do they not have mourning periods? Religion or not, her body was closer to the castle than it was the bottom of the sea. Why did she have three actresses? Why did she have an extra growth spurt? Why was her adult actress significantly older than both Alicente and Rhaenyra's? Wasn't she younger?

Why does Baela only support Jacaerys but not her sister? Why does Baela talk about Rhaenys but not her mother? Because her father has a new wife? Why does Rhaenyra care if Helaena was hurt or scarred by Jaehaerys death when they don't interact at all? Because she's a mother too? Does that make her saintly now? Was Rhaenys not a mother when she wanted Laenor dead? At his sister's, her daughter's funeral. How does she know Helaena is an innocent? How can Rhaenyra be ambitious enough for the throne, how can Alicente be a silver-tongued usurper but not Helaena? Why doesn't Rhaenyra have female friendships? Why are all her female conversations only about making her queen and the war? No wonder people ship Alicente/Rhaenyra

[gulnarsultan]

When Aemond enters the room anxiously, he realizes that his wife is gone. The jewelry and clothes that his wife brought from her own house are not there. He sees the letter on the bed. He opens the letter and begins to read.

My husband Aemond.

By the time you read this letter, I will be far away. We may not have wanted this marriage, but we could have created a relationship based on respect and friendship between us. But you made it very clear to me that you don't want me. Actually, I never thought of disrespecting both my home and yours by running away like this. The nasty words you said to me yesterday about your sister were the last straw. From now on, you can spend as much time with your sister as you want as husband and wife. I, whom you see as an obstacle between you, will not be here again. I am not angry with you. All the blame was on my own family. After all, they were the ones who wanted me to marry a man who wouldn't appreciate me. Tell Queen Alicente that I am very sorry and apologize to her. By the way, I want you to know that I am pregnant. You don't need to worry. You won't have to take care of me and my child. I will start a new life for myself with my child. I bid you and your family farewell. I hope you live the happy life you want with your sister. Farewell. Your wife, Lady Targaryen."

After Aemond had read the letter, he had broken everything in the room. He's been a disgusting husband to you as long as you've been married for two months. But when he lost you, he realized how much he needed you. That night, Aemond swore to bring you back and correct his mistake.

[emilykaldwen]

Merry Christmas Rec List

A listing of some of the stories I read this year and rec'ing them to you! Inspired by this post by @withered-rose-with-thorns

Most of these are completed, some are not.

(All Links are on AO3)

Five Things Plus One (Series) - Galadriel x Sauron by eye_of_a_cat - An AU where Galadriel gets tricked, more or less, into marrying Sauron and them working on rebuilding the Southlands. Hello, yes, super obsessed, especially as Shadow-Bride is framed as them telling the story to each other in the future.

In Case of Defeat, Break Glass - Galadriel x Sauron by eastwynds - yeah I was on a kick this year, LOL. Another monster of a fic that I'm still not done with but still working through! Post S1 of ROP AU. ALSO ANNATAR.

Love Is Not a Victory March - Jaime Lannister x Sansa Stark by Syrenead - I don't know if this story will ever get finished but it's an enjoyable one. Rhaego survives birth (and is a girl!), some AMAZING Jeyne Westerling portrayal that I'm obsessed with and shoving into my mouth. Margaery Tyrell is everything to me and how she plays Tywin Lannister very well (says I who used to have a marg username on this site). Catelyn Stark isn't on her best behavior in this one so it's a little rough in those parts but overall, I do love it and I keep coming to see if the sequel, Hear Me Roar, is finished. But The Mad Kings is and while it ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger, is a complete story in itself.

The Serkonan Affair - Corvo Attano x Jessamine Kaldwin by acogna - a story about how Corvo ended up as Jessamine's protector, pre DH2 but oh mna this is just so good. SO GOOD.

Like Real People Do - Harwin Strong x Rhea Royce by @alicentive/I'm totally blanking on your other blog babe I'm so sorry - IDK if Killy will ever revisit this but it's definitely an AU that captured my interest! We're always here for Justice for Rhea Royce.

Inertia - Kyo Sohma x Tohru Honda by miss_coverly - this was mentioned on the bookbinding server I was on and I ate it up in like three days. It's a FWB AU that I'm utterly obsessed with. It's so true to character, it makes me ache something fierce, it's just fantastic.

Something Old - Buffy Summers x Angel by Ducks - So I read this story over thanksgiving break in 2001. I had just gotten into Buffy and 13 year old me was obsessed (and is still obsessed, tbh) with one ship. This is the story that inspired me to really dive into fanfiction. Ducks used to host her own work, like many writers did back then since we didn't have central archives outside of ff.net, which was still very new. The AU world buidling of this story was fantastic in my eyes, and while it's not groundbreaking by today's standards, it holds a huge place in my heart. An AU like this was what I'd been striving for in writing that I'm only now able to.

Taken - Elena Gilbert x Elijah Mikaelson by wheatear - I read this back on LJ so long ago and have it on PDF. Elijah succeeds in kidnapping Elena. Look, I'm an alt!Elena shipping girly and Elejiah just has me in the chokehold. It's everything I want.

What Do You Want (That You Do Not Have) - Jon Snow x Sansa Stark by thimbleful - I need more jonsa in my life. Anyone have other recs? In the mean time, AU S8 UST with so much pining and slow burn. Yes. Good.

They Say I Killed You (Haunt Me Then) - Aemond Targaryen x OC by @vampire-exgirlfriend/acrossthesestars - will I ever stop rec'ing this story? Absolutely not. It's a Green-centric fic (by nature of being about Aemond) for Team Black fans I think is the easiest way I can explain (so you won't find Rhaenyra bashing in this). Alex knows how to write a complicated asshole of a Male Love Interest and is one of my more favorite portrayals of the menace that is Aemond. And of course, Wylla Karstark owns my heart with her perseverance and imperfections. Shoving this in my mouth.

Sins of the Father - Various OCs by @selfproclaimedunicorn - If you want a Justice for Rhea Royce fic, then this is THE story. It's not just a Rhea and Daemon had kids story. It's a 'We never Get Over Mom's Murder and Our Dad can't get out of the generational trauma cycle but we're determined to get outta it' commentary on how the Targs can't escape the doom but we sure as shit can try and also constantly cyclical parents mistakes and cunty awesome cloaks and headgear. It's OC-centric, but these OCs fit in the world so incredibly well. When watching the show or going back to reading F&B, I find myself confused why Yorick, Ella, and Aemon aren't featured like they should be. Who are these people riding Silverwing and Vermithor! That's not Ella and Aemon!

I'll Be Yours for a Song - Daryl Dixon x Beth Green by dynamicsymmetry - does this use have a tumblr? Anyway, the shining light from back when I used to watch TWD. Daryl and Beth small town AU with no zombies and it's so perfect. It's so aching. It's so good. Also Demi!Daryl is so important to me. Give me more Demi and Ace rep.

Aesthetic Chills - Eddie Munson x Chrissy Cunningham by @sloelimbs - One of the first Stranger Things fics I read. Chrissy Lives AU that goes down a fantastic new path that I cannot recommend enough. Killing Moon plays in my head already on the regular and this even more.

The Darkening Sky - Richard Winters x OC by @mercurygray - so I don't go here but Merc has been working on this amazing story for FOUR DAMN YEARS and she finally finished it this year. Merc knows the ins and out of the time period she writes in and the characters she breathes such wonderful life into. If you want something exciting, women centric, and incredibly well written, check out this Band of Brothers story. Merc also has a whole list of OCs she plays with, including Masters of the Air, House of the Dragon, Lord of the Rings, and many other fandoms!

Fire on the Mountain - Otto Hightower x OC by @ewanmitchellcrumbs - I'm so proud of Ange for stepping out of her comfort zone and starting to craft a whole new story with such a fully realized OC. It's hard and it's scary and she's doing a wonderful job. I hope more people fall in love with Lia like I have.

Be My Savior and I'll Be Your Downfall - Frank Castle x Karen Page by PunkyNemo - Will this story come back from war? I hope so, as Part 3 is still incomplete but there's two more stories in there that are! I just need more Kastle in my life.

A Knight's Watch - Jon Snow x Sansa Stark by DolorousEdditor - I'm STILL working through this monster fic holy hell but it's just so fun, so good, a fantastic AU where Jon never joins the Night's Watch.

[befooremoonrisee]

hotd should've explained saera bc now only the bookreaders know all the complexities of one of her bastards claiming vermithor. she was her father's favourite after all (also now i headcanon that hugh looks like jaehaerys: the giving birth to your pain alicentism of it all).

[horizon-verizon]

"we were all still in the midst of the show's pushing antiDaemonism/pro-Alicentism for Rhaenyra's popularity..."

when would you say this was? i never got the vibe there was a anti daemon agenda you talking about the show's writing or from interviews because i can only think of like 2 somewhat negative interviews from ryan and sara (who have fully changed their tune now)

Anon is talking about this post.

A)

I'm just going to write a few things bc the list is so long...it's so much deeper than an apparent "hate" for Daemon for being an asshole or whatever.

Season 1: They have consistently written Daemon as more concerned with impressing Viserys when canonically it was more complicated. While canon!Daemon was likely willing to kill his own wife Rhea Royce just to be free of her, many political coniditions precluded him form being able to before she fell off her horse AND he was not responsible for killing her in that horse incident. The text is very clear about that without actually saying it. They did not write in his child with Mysaria (yes, canonically they were going to have kid together and Mysaria was not made incapable of having kids); bk!Viserys ordered Mysaria to leave Westeros and she lost the child on the way to Lys in a storm, afterward Daemon is told to have never really "forgiven" Viserys. It was going to be his first child, ever, bastard though they were going to be. This in turn also rewrites Mysaria, not necessarily for the worse but it certainly is toward an oversimplification of Daemon where there was no need. Finally, the chokin scene when aside from Daemon's blunder in 111, we hear nor see hide nor hair of his abuse or else of Rhaenyra in canon AND until when even the show didn't, which is an dishonest portrayal of DV.

Season 2: The deal with how he leaves Rhaenyra for a bit; instead of exploring him as a liability to Rhaenyra, the writers chose to rehash the old worry of him using Rhaenyra for his own political desires when we went through & settled this in S1. How he handles the Blackwoods v Bracken thing/had to prostrate himself in front of the riverlords rather than just be the good commander that he was in-book so he can become "tamed" and accept Rhaenyra's rule/deserving of rule to be suboridnate enough to her. This incident is VERY different than canon and allows fandom to misrepresents the impact of B&C. The Harrenhal arc was pretty absurd from the top. How he just accepts a random woman's cup and doesn't connect his allucinations/dreams back to her. Him and Alyssa, his mother.

So it's not really about them hating Daemon as a "person" like how some fans do (Sara Hess obviously does and her present move away from that is more her not wanting smoke form fans, Condal, too, thought he never actually "hated" Daemon as a "person" like Hess). It's about them flattening and flanderizing his character to this violence-loving silent type so that they can emphasize their new!Viserys/Rhaenyra/Alicent's characters as a "fix" to their book counterparts. To create their benevolently-sexist structure of "women-good-guides-to-nturally-bad/violent-men". It not only affects Daemon's character but ALL of them.

You can also go to Alore Scott's videos about HotD and Daemon HERE for S2.

definition of "flanderize":

the process through which a fictional character's essential traits are oversimplified to the point where they constitute their entire personality, or at least exaggerated while other traits remain, over the course of a serial work [wiki] The act of taking a single (often minor) action or trait of a character within a work and exaggerating it more and more over time until it completely consumes the character. Most always, the trait/action becomes completely outlandish and it becomes their defining characteristic, turning them into a caricature of their former selves. [TV Tropes]

Now, there is a literary history of people--mostly women--rewriting previously sexist literature or reversing things to where men are much more taking a backseat or subservient/less impressive than their female counterparts to center the woman. Again the issue is that the writers AREN'T writing real feminist scripts/story at all like they claim, it's actually all still very sexist and Rhaenyra is still very flat in comparison to her book self bc they removed her readiness to protect herself and her position on her self-interest rather than Viserys' propensity towards nonviolence AND the prophecy (S1 E10). I already mentioned the DV.

B)

It doesn't really matter if Ryan and Sara changed their tune now bc their rewrite of the Dance and its characters is what the show.

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Trust is Earned

Part 2 of Face to Face - I’m dedicating this story to @alicenter​ because her comment on the first part made me think of this story. 

Summary: You weren’t used these types of comfort as you lay in a soft bed with to many pillows and blankets. Instead of sleeping, you walk around their house and see the memories they’ve built. But Melina accuses you of snooping and her distrust of you. 

Warning: jealousy, fighting, bullet wound, distrust, family drama, mention of killing, mention of past abuse 

Word count: 5.2 k 

You stared up at the ceiling fan, watching it spin around and around. It was therapeutic in a way but you wished it would help you fall asleep. No matter how hard you tried, sleep wasn’t coming to you and you knew it. The bed was too soft, the room was too cold, and your mind wouldn’t shut up. With a heavy sigh, you swung your feet to the ground and walked out of the room. You weren’t sure what your plan was. But your feet walked you around their home. You saw pictures from Christmas, birthday parties, and trips to the capital. A tight feeling began to form in the middle of your chest. You picked up the old photo album from Ohio and flipped through the fake memories. It was a day you remembered so clearly, you shot Christmas, Easter, and summer vacation in one day. But Christmas was your favorite. All the brightly wrapped boxes that you knew were empty but you wanted to open every single one of them. Just for one moment, it would be real. “What are you doing?” You spun around to see Melina standing behind you. It was weird seeing her in a robe with slippers on but you didn’t miss the pistol in her hand. 

“I was -” 

“Snooping,” she grabbed the album from your hand. “Finding out all our secrets to report back to the Red Room.” Your eyes grew wide at the accusation. “So it’s true.” You snapped out of it. 

“What are you talking about?” You questioned. “I’m helping SHIELD take down the Red Room,” she pointed the gun at you. You raised your hands, showing her you had no weapon on you. Now you were trained to be a weapon, similar to the train she’s gone through, but you were wearing Natasha’s extra sleeping clothes and you were extremely sleep deprived. Your brain was struggling to make sense of what was going on. “You don’t trust me.” You whispered. 

“I want to,” she said. There was a slight shake of her hand. “I want to trust you so bad but I can’t,” your heart skipped and your stomach dropped. “But I know what they are capable of and I can’t risk the safety of my girls.” My girls. My girls. My girls. It was a mantra that echoed inside your head. All of a sudden, the room became too small and you could hear your heart pounding in your ears. My girls. My girls. You weren’t part of that. To Melina, you were disposable. You weren’t sure what hurt more her saying that or you believe her. 

“What the hell is going on?” Natasha asked, appearing out of nowhere with Yelena behind her. It seemed like they were a packaged duo, one wasn’t far without the other. You weren’t a part of that. My girls. My girls.   

“So,” your voice stopped the arguing between Melina and Natasha. “What’s the play, Melina? Are you going to kill me and I’ll become another red mark on your ledger or are you going to bring me back to Dreykov and let him do it?”

“No,” Natasha said, standing between you and Melina. “She’s not going anywhere. She is staying here where she’s safe and we can be a family again.”

“Natalia, we can’t trust her,” Melina said. “She’s been with them for years. This could be a trap to get the three of us back.” Three not four but three. Once again she didn’t add you, creating a division between you and them. My girls. My girls. Natasha, Yelena, and Melina. You weren’t a part of it. 

“She was with them because she gave herself up to save us or did you forget about that night?” You didn’t want to be the driving wedge between them. You’ve been alone for years, what’s one more night? 

“Maybe Melina’s right,” Natasha whipped around to stare at you. “I could be a target and staying here endangers your family. I wasn’t thinking and I was being selfish. I’ll get my stuff and head out, find a hotel, or stay with the team.” You pushed past Natasha and headed to the room that gave you. Not your room. A room. My girls. Three not four. You started throwing your stuff into the duffle bag, not worrying about how it looked. You turned to leave, almost running into Natasha. 

“You don’t have to go,” she said. “I’ll convince Melina. I’ll..”

“It’s okay,” you said, cutting her off. “I don’t want to get in the way between you and her. I’ll be okay.” 

“I called Maria. She’s expecting you. I’ll text you the address.” 

“Thank you,” you shifted your weight from side to side. “I should get going. I didn’t mean to wake you and Yelena.” You had to get out. So you did, leaving her in the room that was supposed to be yours.

*

Maria opened the door before you could even knock. “Saw you on the camera,” she said as you raised your eyebrow in question. “You look like you could use a drink.” You laughed, bitterly as she stepped out of the way. You entered the house. Phil was at the dining room table, papers covering it and you saw Clint in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. 

“Do you guys sleep?” You questioned as Maria closed the door. 

“Not when we have more questions than answers,” Phil said, waxing at you as his greeting. You sat down at the small kitchen island, dropping your bag to the floor. 

“So we have vodka, tequila, or beer,” Clint said, pouring coffee into a mug. 

“Is it good vodka or American vodka?” You asked with a tilt of your head. Clint glared at you. 

“I’ve known Nat for a long time,” he said, pulling the vodka bottle out of the fridge. “Do you know I’d offer you American vodka?” It pulled a small smile to your lips. 

“I’m glad she had you,” Maria sat down next to you as Clint poured you a shot. “All of you,” you clarified, staring into the clear liquid. “You were there when I wasn’t. Cheers.” The liquid burned as it went down. “So, what can I do to help?” 

*

You were sitting on the couch going over all the information SHIELD had on the Red Room. It wasn't much but mixed with what Melina had the answer to the 101 questions had to be in here somewhere. You were twirling a pen in your hand as you read over Peggy Carter’s notes. Phil and Clint called it a night but Maria stayed up and she was doing a bad job of being subtle. “You're staring again.” You said, closing the file you were reading. You switched to beer after your third shoot. 

“Just putting a face to fall the stories I’ve heard about,” you raised an eyebrow at her. 

“They told you about me?” You questioned. The agent nodded her head. That was hard to believe. 

“You don’t believe me?” You smirked. “It was mostly Natasha. She told me about Ohio and that night at the airstrip. The few times I was at their house I’ve caught Melina staring at your door. I mistook it as a guest room and almost got shot.”

“Why are you telling me this?” You asked, turning to face her. 

“Do you regret that night?” She asked instead. You leaned back, resting your back on the arm of the couch and your legs crossed in front of you. “Do you regret giving yourself to him?”

“No,” you whispered. “And I’d do it again. In any lifetime, I’d do anything to protect my sisters,” you took a sip of the beer. “I’d sell my soul a thousand times to the devil to keep them safe. I think that’s why it hurts so much that Melina doesn’t trust me,” you rubbed your hand across your face. “But once he’s gone for good, they’ll be safe and be a family again.” You turned to get back to work, ignoring the frown on Maria’s face. 

“They’re your family too,” you closed your eyes, taking in a slow shaky breath and letting it out. 

“Maybe,” you shrugged. “Once upon a time, they were. They’ve made a life here and I don’t know if I fit into it. I’m disposable.” 

*

“Can you please talk to me?” Melina asked, pouring two cups of coffee for her and Natasha and orange juice for Yelena. Natasha was cutting up a pepper to throw in an omelet that asked for. She was cutting the vegetable a little too aggressively but it was the best way to give her anger an outlet. 

“There is nothing to say,” Natasha mumbled, putting the peppers into the pan. 

“You have to see it from my perspective,” the older Black Widow said. “My priority is to keep you girls safe.”

“Who is watching out for her?” Natasha hissed. She cleaned the knife before putting it away in the correct place. “We should have gone back for her.” She had so much guilt eating up inside her from that night. The gunshots that hit the plane kept her up at night. 

“How?” Melina questioned, starting on Yelena’s lunch. “Please tell me how we could have saved her,” she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Your sister knew the consequences when she locked us out of that plane.”

“Now we have a chance to be a family again,” she placed the omelet on the plate. “But you don’t trust her. What's it going to take?” Before Melina could answer, Yelena entered the kitchen. She sat down in front of the omelet and orange juice. 

“Do you think I’ll still be able to play tomorrow?” Yelena asked, cutting into the food. “Will it be safe?” Natasha grabbed the mug that Melina poured for her. 

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “After I drop you off at school, I’ll regroup with the team. There will be an agent stationed outside the house and at your school.”

“What about you?” Yelena frowned.

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured her sister with a smile. “I’ll be with Maria or Clint at all times.” She nodded, pushing her food around her plate. Something else was bothering her, it wasn’t hard for Natasha to notice the change in her sister’s behavior. “What else is wrong?”

“What about Y/n?” She questioned. Now that was a great question. From what Maria told her, you refused a protection detail and were sounding self-destructive. 

“She’ll be with me,” she said, ignoring the look on Melina’s face. “Once this is over, we’ll all be safe.” 

*

You were standing in the kitchen, buttering a bagel. “Are you okay?” Clint asked. You didn’t look at the SHIELD agent.

“Yes,” you said. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. 

“Because it looks like you are going to murder someone with that butter,” you smirked, rolling your eyes. “I think you could.” Oh 100% but it would be a messy way to kill someone and not a cool way to die. The front door opened and Natasha walked in. Her green eyes immediately found you. They screamed ‘Are you okay?’ and ‘Please talk to me.’ You smiled, nodding your head. You hoped it conveyed everything you were feeling. “Ready to meet the boss man?” Clint asked, following you to the couch. 

“Yeah,” you said, standing behind the couch while Clint sat down to join the others. 

“Just don’t say anything stupid,” Natasha teased. You gasped in mock offense. 

“I would never,” you smiled as Maria accepted the video call. The screen changed to a man with an eye patch wearing a trench coat. An odd outfit you thought. 

“So,” he said. “This is the infamous Black Widow,” you took a bite of your bagel. “I’m guessing you know who I am.” You nodded. 

“Nick Fury, the director of SHIELD. 

“Also the reason you aren’t in custody or buried 6 feet under.” A smirk formed on your lips. 

“Are you expecting a thank you, sir?” You questioned. You heard Natasha let out a small groan. He folded his hands and leaned back in his chair. 

“What I’m expecting is for you to help take down the Red Room and follow every order my agents give,” he said. “Or I will pick one of the numerous countries that you're wanted in and drop you off.” Fair enough. You shrugged. 

“Sounds like a fair exchange,” you said. “And after the Red Room is gone and Dreyokv is dead, what is going to happen to me?” Natasha offered you a spot at SHIELD but she wasn’t the boss. The man in front of you was. Similarly, another man held your fate. 

“Well, that’s up to you,” he said. You raised an eyebrow, not expecting to have a choice in the matter. “Depending on the outcome of the mission, I’ll be offering you a position at SHIELD.”

“If I were to turn down your generous offer?” There was an intense stare-off between you and the Director. But to your surprise, the man smiled. Or it was something close to a smile. 

“I like you, Widow,” he said. “I think we’ll get along well.”   

*

It was lunchtime. Yelena was sitting outside with a few of her friends. She was stressed, on edge, that much you could tell. She was glancing over her shoulder, barely eating her food or engaging in the conversation around her. You made out the SHIELD agent assigned to your sister. Taking a sip of your coffee, you made note of the surrounding area. The school was across the street from a neighborhood, an odd place to put a school you thought. A wooded area surrounded the small sports complex and there was a parking lot in front. You opened your laptop and pulled up a satellite image of the school. It was clear and you looked back at Yelena. She was talking to a girl, and whatever she said made the girl’s cheek blush. You smiled, shaking your head with a laugh. This is why you locked them out of the plane so they could have a normal life - go to football games, flirt with people, and smile. You were being honest with Maria, no matter what you’d keep them safe. So when the same two girls walked past the car for the 3rd time something wasn’t right. You were a trained spy, able to sneak into government buildings and take down countries. Your gut instinct kept you alive. Carefully, you opened the glove compartment and pulled out a pistol, your widow bites, and a hat. You put the hat on and attached the gun to your hip, covering it with your sweatshirt. As you listened to your phone ring, you got out of the car. “Where did you go?” Natasha asked. 

“Yelena’s school. Send back up,” you didn’t flinch as the gunshot rang out, hitting the SHIELD agent. “I’ll get her safe,” you told her. You began to run as the school erupted into chaos, pushing past students and school officials. “Hurry.” You put your phone in your pocket. Yelena stood up from the table, looking around in a panic. A scream left her lips as the girl next to her was shot. You got to her, pulled her to the ground, and flipped the picnic table on its side. It wasn’t the best cover but it was the only option. “Hey, hey,” she had blood splattered on her face and her green eyes were wide and frantic. “Eyes on me, okay?” With the sleeve of your shirt, you tried to clean up some of the blood on her face. She nodded. “I’m going to get you out of here and SHIELD is on their way.” Another shot and Yelena squeaked.

You grabbed a small makeup mirror and opened it, using it to see behind the picnic table. There was a sniper on top of the school and a small group of Widows swarming the parking lot. You pulled out your pistol. “On my mark, you are going to run towards the school.” You looked at the blueprints of the building, the cafeteria was through the closest door, and down the hall was the gym. That was your best option. 

“I’m scared,” she whispered. You nodded. 

“I know but you’ll be okay. Reader?” She nodded. “Go!” You popped up and aimed for the sniper. You weren’t aiming to kill just to disarm. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Yelena run towards the school. With the sniper taking cover, the Widows on the ground ran over to you. You fired some shots at them before following Yelena. They shot back. 

Yelena was standing in the cafeteria waiting for you. “Where are we going?” She asked as you grabbed her arm and dragged her along. 

“Gym,” you told her. “We can circle back to the front to get back to the car.” Glass shattering echoed the quiet hallway. You turned around and saw 2 Widows in the hallway. “Fucking hell,” you mumbled, running towards the gym. Like the hallway the gym was empty. “Hide behind the bleachers,” you said. “Don’t come out until I say so.” She ran behind the bleachers without hesitation. You had just enough time to reload your magazine as the two Widows walked in. 

“Gde ona (Where is she?)” One of them asked. You didn’t recognize them so they must be a lower level than you. 

“I have no idea who you are talking about,” you were accepting the hit to your stomach but the air was still knocked out of your lungs. You stayed on your feet as they circled you, mimicking a lion and its prey. But you knew the real roles here, they weren’t going to kill you or Yelena.   

“We don’t want to hurt you, sister,” your heart skipped. They were your sisters brought together by blood and violence. 

“Funny,” you said. “I was thinking the same thing.” You shot one of them with your widow bites and she went down easily. You dogged the attack, dropping to the ground and sticking out your leg. She fell but she grabbed onto your leg and threw you to the ground. You hit your head hard against the wooden gym floor. You both stood up slowly, facing each other. “I’m sorry,” you charged her, tackling her to the ground. She fought against you, hitting you but you were stronger. It was one quick punch and she was out cold. You fell back, your heart pounding in your rib cage as you stared at the unconscious Widow. “You can come out Yelena,” you said, standing up. The blonde walked out from behind the bleachers. 

“Are you okay?” She asked. You nodded. 

“Yeah,” you said, placing your hand on her back. “Let’s get out of here.” You ran out of the gym but there was a nagging feeling in the back of your head. They were too easy to take down. The girls were around Yelena’s age so they weren’t experienced. Why did he send them? “My car is over there,” you said, opening the door and pointing towards the direction of the car. The front of the school was still in chaos. “Let’s go,” you put the hood of Yelena’s jacket up to try to cover her face. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. The apology took you by surprise. It was something you weren’t expecting, especially from her. “I’m sorry you had to hurt them to protect me.” 

“I’ll do anything to protect you and Natasha, okay?” She nodded but you could still feel the guilt radiating off of her. You saw the Widow across the street and you pushed Yelena to the ground as the gun went off. The pain wasn’t bad as the bullet hit your stomach. Without thinking you raised your pistol and shot the Widow. It was a quick and easy kill but it somehow hurt more than the bullet. 

“Oh my god, oh my god,” you hissed as Yelena pushed her hands on the gunshot wound. 

“I’m okay, not my first time getting shot,” you joked. “I need you to drive. Can you do that?” Her face was drained of color but she nodded. “Good,” you handed her the keys and got into the car. 

“Where are we going?” Yelena asked, her hands stained red and shaking. 

“The safe house,” you said. “Drive.” She did as sirens began to echo towards the school.   

  *

You squeezed your eyes shut as Phil dug to get the bullet out of your stomach. The door to the safe house opened, you had half the mind to grab your gun but you heard Melina’s voice asking if Yelena was alright. Natasha and Maria walked over to you. You were only wearing a sports bra and jeans, sitting in the dining room. “She's gonna pull through, doc?” Natasha teased but you didn’t miss the concern in her eyes. 

“No exit wound,” Phil said, not looking up. “I have to get the bullet out before she heals.” 

“Super soldier serum,” you hissed. “We are giving it before graduation. Fuck, have you ever done this before?” You asked him. 

“Move out of the way before you do more damage,” Melina said, putting on gloves and taking the scalpel out of Phil’s hand. The agent moved out of the way, stealing a glance at Natasha. 

“Phil, go check in with Clint and see if he’s found anything,” he nodded, taking off his gloves. “Go talk to Yelena and get her statement,” Natasha hesitated but you nodded. She went to join the blonde on the couch. “I’ll be back to get your statement when you're all patched up.  

“Aye, aye, captain,” you gave her a salute. It was just you and Melina. You were surprised how gently her touch was when she tried to get the bullet out of your stomach. “I thought you didn't trust me,” you said. “Surprised you are allowing yourself in such a vulnerable position.” She got the bullet out and placed it on the paper towel. She cleaned the wound before stitching it up. 

“If you wanted me dead you would have killed me the moment I opened that door,” you chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. “Thank you for saving her.” She placed a bandage over the stitches.  

“No need to thank me,” you whispered. She took a step back and looked at you. Even with the serum rushing through your veins, it didn’t hide your scars. Each scar had a story, a name behind who gave it to you. These scars that littered your body were from other Widows during training, from Dreykov, and a few from your hand. You hated how small you felt under her eyes. 

“Where did you get this one?” She asked, touching a scar on your shoulder. 

“I got hit that night flying the plane,” you stood up, winching as you felt the stitches move. The serum would have healed soon. You helped her clean up the medical supplies. “Still managed to fly to Cuba much to Alexei’s disappointment.” You walked into the kitchen, throwing away the trash. Natasha and Yelena were on the couch and you found a new shirt resting on the back. You put it on. “Only thing that kept me going was your and their voice.” You continued. You rested your hand on Yelena’s shoulder, she looked up at you. “Are you okay, malen'koye solnyshko (little sun)?” She nodded. 

“I am. Thanks to you,” you kissed the top of her head before heading back into the kitchen. Natasha and Yelena followed you. You were surprised by how hungry you were. 

“The entire flight I thought Alexei was going to shoot me. I’ve never seen him so angry,” you continued unsure why you were telling them. The words kept following you. “Want a sandwich?” You asked them. Melina and Natasha shook their heads but Yelena let out a quiet, “Yes, please.” “When we landed in Cuba, I stood in front of Dreyokv, Alexei behind him, and guards circling us with their guns drawn. I stood there, unarmed, with a bullet hole in my shoulder.” You cut Yelena’s sandwich in half and placed it in front of her. You began to make your own. “Dreyokv asked where you guys were and I said I didn’t know. Alexei said he’d deal with me,” you felt a chill down your spine. “But Dreykov stopped him and said he knew how to handle me.” You turned your back to them so you wouldn’t have to see their expression. 

“What did he do to you?” Melina asked. You closed the fridge, no longer feeling hungry. 

“What didn’t he do to me is the better question,” you walked back over to them, eyes glued on your sandwich. You didn’t want to go into too much detail. Yelena was still so young and you didn’t want to taint her view of the world. “I was his malen'kiy pauk (little spider). He wanted to break me but I wouldn’t break.” You took a bite, it tasted bad but you knew you needed the energy. You glanced up at Melina. Her expression was hard to read, it was a strange mix of anger, sadness, and guilt. You shrugged. “But once he’s gone, everything will go back to normal.” You finished the sandwich and put your dish in the sink. “I’ll be in the room Maria gave me if you need anything.” You quickly left, closing the door behind you. Resting your head against the wooden door, you let out a shaky breath and closed your eyes. You could feel his hands on you as you knelt in front of him or one of his advisors. The blood that covered your hands was because of that man. But you weren’t the only one trapped and hurting because one man believed he was God. 

*

“We found this,” Clint said, placing a piece of paper on the table. 

“What does it say?” Fury asked. He was videoing in for this meeting. 

“Come home, malen'kiy pauk (little spider),” Natasha said. Your sisters and Melina looked at you. You leaned back in the chair, hand on your chin. He wanted you back. Time and time again, he told you you were his most prized possession. 

“Okay,” you finally said. “If he wants me then he can have me. We can use it as a trap.” 

“There is no way it will be that easy,” Clint said. It won’t be. But you were done with this cat-and-mouse game you were playing. 

“It won’t be,” you said, standing up. “He could have sent Widows much stronger than he did but he didn’t. Everything that man does has a purpose.”

“What was his reasoning?” Maria asked. You put your hands on your hips. 

“To prove a point,” you whispered. “It said that no matter where we go or what we do he has the power to find us,” you faced Fury. “Dreyokv’s daughter is our way to him and we know she’s in Budapest. I’ll end it there.”

“No,” Melina said. Your head whipped to look at the older Black Widow. “You aren’t doing this alone.” 

“She’s right,” Natasha added. “We’ll help you take him down.” 

“Alright,” you looked back at Fury. “Pack your bags. You leave tomorrow.” 

*

A plan was made and you were folding your clothes into your duffle bag. You found the photo strip and you picked it up, sitting on the bed. You remembered that day so clearly. Melina and Alexei brought you and your sisters to the mall to get school supplies. You pleaded for a few quarters to do the photo booth. In the end, it was Yelena’s puppy dog eyes that caught them breaking. “I’m sorry,” you looked up to see Melina. The apology sounded so strange coming from her. “I’m sorry I didn’t come back for you and wasn’t strong enough to save all three of you back then,” you stared at her, mouth open slightly as she walked in and sat down. “I cycled through the Red Room so many times before you were even born. For the longest time, those walls were all I knew and I was never given a choice. Until a 14-year-old girl gave me one,” you smiled, whipping away a tear that fell. “Natasha and Yelena were all I had for the longest time and I’d do anything to protect them.” You nodded. 

“I get it,” you whispered. “I’m disposable.” Melina’s eyes grew wide.

“No, dorogoy (sweetheart), you are not,” she cupped your cheeks in her hands, pushing the tears away that fell. “You are…” she paused. “Everything. You are the reason I am here, the reason Yelena gets to graduate high school, and the reason Natasha won’t admit her feelings for Maria,” you laughed at Melina’s jab at your sister. “So, thank you. Even though it’s been a long time, you are still part of this family. Okay?” 

“Okay,” you whispered, nodding your head. You whipped away your tears. “What happened to me wasn’t your fault.” She frowned, looking down at her hands. 

“Why does a mouse born in a cage run on that little wheel?” You didn’t know the answer or if she wanted you to respond. 

“But you aren’t a mouse, mama. You were just born in a cage but that’s not your fault.” Melina scoffed, pushing a piece of hair behind your ear. 

“Tell me, how did you keep your heart?” It was your turn to think over what she said. You smiled. 

“Pain only makes us stronger,” you quoted her. It was a common phrase thrown around in Ohio. But the strongest memory of it was the night you left. Yelena was chasing you and Natasha and she fell and hurt her knee. “Didn’t you tell us that? What you taught us kept me alive.” 

*

You were up when you heard a soft knock on your door. Standing up, you opened the door and saw your two sisters. “Is everything okay?” Natasha looked nervous, shifting her weight. Yelena rolled her eyes. 

“Can we sleep in here tonight?” Yelena asked. “With the shooting and everything that is going on, we're scared and worried.” You smiled, stepping out of the way so they could come in. After closing the door, you joined them. Yelena was in the middle, you, and Natasha on either side of her. It was how you would lay back in Ohio. “We’re gonna be okay, right?” You stole a glance at Natasha. 

“Of course, we will be,” you said, running your fingers through her blonde hair. It was a dangerous promise. 

“Because we’re together,” Natasha looked at you with a smile. 

“Yeah,” you whispered. “Sometimes in our lives, we will have pain and sorrow but if we are wise we know that there’s a tomorrow.” Yelena smiled. 

“Lean on me. When you're not strong.”

“I’ll be your friend. I’ll help you carry on.” Natasha added. Like when Melina told you that pain only made you stronger, it was common for you to say a phrase or two when your sisters were struggling with nightmares or in school. You were surprised they remembered it. 

“Exactly,” you said. “Now, we need to get some sleep. We have a busy few days ahead of us.”    

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Let's spread some positivity! Tag some of your fellow content creators here and let them know why they are absolutely amazing!❤️

This is a really sweet idea. I'm going to put my list below a cut, because it will be long.

@em-writes-stuff-sometimes - honestly, Em's fan fiction is better than actual published books I've read. You should be doing this professionally, bub, not publishing it for free for us morons on Tumblr. I'm forever amazed that someone with your brain wants to pal around with an idiot like me.

@valeskafics - your tenacity and the sheer volume with which you are able to write will never cease to amaze me. You're a powerhouse, Babybel. You don't have a masterlist, you have a fucking library, it's incredible.

@barbiedragon - your modern Daemon has me in a chokehold. You're also one of the few writers flying the flag for Vizzy 3 and I gobble up everything you write for him like I'm a shark and you've put chum in the water. Can't wait for Kinktober to see what you create!

The rest of this list is just ordered by date of when I followed the person, and expresses no particular favourtism:

@flowerpotmage - not quite so active in fandom anymore, but they're one of the few writers giving gender neutral readers some much needed representation, and their Aemond and Daemon fics are amazing.

@paintb0x - an amazing artist - some of the best I have seen for Ewan and his characters.

@sapphire-writes - I love Jo's modern AUs and her ability to put my heart through the wringer!

@timetravelingpenguin1066 - Eli is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. An incredible gif maker and a great fic writer.

@aemondx - Sili's gifs are wonderful and the kindness she dedicates to this fandom by making icons and headers for people is admirable.

@alicentive - Killy's gifs are insane and I love that she writes for the characters that don't get as much attention from fandom.

@marthawrites - Midnight Passages, you will always be famous.

@exitpursuedbyavulcan - Studious, my beloved. UPDATE WHEN? (sorry)

@targaryenrealnessdarling - I would die for Liz. She's not just an insanely talented writer, but an all round amazing person too, she makes this fandom a much nicer place to be.

@st-eve-barnes - Eve is out here giving the Aegon girlies the content they desperately need. I love her Aemond fics too!

@bottlesandbarricades - one of the funniest fuckers I've ever had the pleasure of speaking too. Only has one fic, but it's a banger, and her edits are unmatched. I will never get over space buns Aemond.

@toms-cherry-trees - more content for Peaky Blinders than HotD, but the Aemond fic is gold.

@just-some-random-blogger - a Daemon girlie, we love to see it! If entertaining reblogs were an Olympic sport then Hani is taking home the gold. Her fics are bonkers, and I love them.

@humanpurposes - Gee's writing is top notch, some of the best Aemond fics I've ever read.

@assortedseaglass - Hilde is one of my favourite writers. Ever. She could write instructions on how to put together IKEA furniture and I'd eat it up, she's that good.

@oneeyedvisenya - another of my favourite Aemond writers. Education is one of my top five fics of all time. So well written.

@lya-dustin - the speed with which Juli produces chapters is mindblowing. All Is Bliss is a great series.

I can only tag 20 accounts at a time, so I shall continue this in a reblog. I wasn't lying in previous ask, when I said my appreciation post would be phonebook sized.

[starsbythepocketful]

thank you to all my followers for helping me reach a new follower milestone, 4k+ 🤍  I love you all for following me and interacting with me and my content. to celebrate, I wanted to do a mutuals follow forever list and promote my favorite blogs 🤍

a-e

@aamidalaa @acetylcholine-s @adelinevirginiawoolf @aefensteorras @aemvnd @aestheticsisters @aimlocked @alexstewart @alicentes @alicenthightwer @alipally77 @allanpoe @anathenma @andromedca @angela-bassetts @anniehalls @anotherdrama @anthieia @antoniosvivaldi @aquahoney @arianagrandres @arryastaark @artandchocolate @artemisaq @attywoo @aweirdanddelicatething @baudelairesviolet @bellablacks @benjaminbarnes @benkylo @betharmon @briennesjaime @brightlightpanic @bruelarson @bufysummers @caffeineandbookshelves @catastrophicblues @chris-chambers @comealongamypond @cosmoqal @crowlleye @daniels-gillies @darthsidious @dashwoods @ddemeetter @di-n @debnamcareys @dreamsoffaerie @elliotts @enidsinclair @efruse @eleanoracrain @eleganceneverfades @elsamars @etherealpondsx @evermored @excelsjor

f-j

@fakeblondepeyton @featheringtcn @femmetay @fitmydaydream @fleurandfawn @fleurdlacour @flowerytale @folklorefairy @friendlyhauntings @gilded-tears @glen-powells @goldrsh @goldrushdeans @greenlight @greyyjoys @guccigirls @harleyquinnz @harmoon @harwinstrongs @hawkesmayas @henrycreal @heretic-child @hermnione @hightowres @hollowcove @hopperslatte @hufflepvffa @hungergamez @iheartdelrey @imladriss @isakvalterzn @isoltsayre @itstimetogo @jamespotthrs @janebrvnte @jdschecter @jeanemortenson @jjameslily @joanna-lannister @joequinns @judescarden @juliettcais @july-mulder

k-o

@katebridgrton @keiras @kirxke @krumione @lady-montague @ladyof-moon @ladystrks @laurennbacall @laurensgraham @lesbianblair @lexiihowardd @library-of-daydreams @littledovess @lttlefreak @longbottomneville @lucrrezia @lukeskywlker @lulame @madamebarnes @marintheclouds @mariposanoir @martellen @mayfieldmaxs @mazecode @megryan @merlinaddams @midari @midnightsdriver @midsummerknife @minyarrd @misshosks @mysticalstime @ncllcraines @nocturnnes @ohkimani @ohwarnette @oliviarodriog @oodysseus @op-hilia @orphic-brume

p-t

@paint-it-pink @paphns @patruchilles @persephoneed @persepvhone @phantomreveries @poirot @pondmelody @poonyo @pottaharry @princesaescarlata @praetorsreyna @prince-of-a-thousand-enemies @purebloodregulus@qomezaddams @qquicksllver @queeenpersephone @quietlovers @rainycabride @ravenclairee @realmsdelght @rhacnyras @rhaenyvra @ronandreams @rorygilmoore @rosaliehale @rosehathway @rosemeadramada @r-walker @saoirsexronan @sarahsgellar @sarahutchmellark @scottiewandless @sdyneysage @seedaylight @seekingsymphonies @shelbv @simoneaashley @soaheadofthecurve @softestofangel @solariia @sophturne @so-romantical @sparksfrompemberley @spendforevers @stararry @stormbornes @sunflowervol6 @sunsetgleam @swanxlake @swifit @swkywalker @sylthrein @takeawaythepain @taladurith @targanyes @terrainofheartfelt @thedreamybrunette @thehoax @thewistfulmuse @thewitchseason @thiscrdigan @tissthedamnseasn @thetudorslovers @tophbefong @twinflame-bruise @twinkle-mars

u-z

@und0miels @undomiels @untidytowns @userblush @vienrosa @villanaelle @visenyatargaryen @wandlores @webothwake @weirwolves @wespers @winteroroctober @witchlake @xviimmxiv @xxlikerosesandcloverxx @yourdaisy @znkos @zoryavolchitsa

[clytemnaestraes]

What if Alicent dresses in blue because it is her mother's colour?

The Florent sigil is a red fox surrounded by blue flowers

So when she reverts to blue in S2, she is not only trying to return to her childhood self, she's also distancing herself from the political hightower identity symbolised by green which she'd embraced on rhaenyra's wedding as a display of power (but which ultimately became a personal prison) but also embracing her mother's side of the family

[alicentflorent]

When this Rhaenicent confession was posted I was like omg surely the writers aren't that stupid!

Alas I was proven wrong 🤦‍♀️

They got everything right:

Alicent's "redemption"

Her disillusionment with the Greens, a faction SHE created

Reunion in the season finale where she throws her children to the wolves to save her own skin

Helping Rhaenyra seize Kingslanding

Confessor must be a dragon dreamer with how accurately they predicted S2, which makes me dread to think they got S3 and 4 right too!

Can't wait to see Alicent tell Jace she wishes he was her son or help Daemon kill Aemond 🥰

Did Sara Hess send her writers notes into a fandom confession blog? Lmao

I think I must have been dragon dreaming when I wrote this https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/sansalicent/746516725093335040

I never would have beleived the writers would ever write Alicent THAT badly. I always thought the “Alicent poisons Aegon after he kills Rhaenyra” theories were a bit too out there but they did one better and have her give everyone up after the first battle!

Can’t wait for Alicent to kiss up to Rhaenyra and earn her forgiveness next season when she’s literally her prisoner. She will take 0.2 seconds to mourn Helaena but spend the whole season feeling bad about Jace dying.

[larycentt]

The queen expresses her desire... how can he evade? Trust, but verify - a way that Alicent has been following for a long time. Larys understands and accepts her position, because he himself watches the pieces on the board in silence until the alignment becomes convenient enough for one fatal move. But will Alicent be able to make such a confident and risky move when the time comes? Such things require cold determination, but all that Strong sees in the Queen is her quivering heart.

He is not her father. And he does not dare to demand other qualities from her. However, at the right moment, he will guide her hand. He will guide and convince her that the decision has always been hers for sure and no one else's.

He is her servant. He listens to her words and guesses her desires, fulfilling any of her wills. Larys feels her fear, her dislike and even disgust, which she so politely tries to mask. He remembers the times when her thin fingers were tormented by emotions that could not find any other way out of her fragile girlish body.

During his life, he realized one strange truth: human nature seeks self-destruction. He observed this pattern in many, if not everyone. All of them are the architects of their own destruction... And this trait manifests itself in a variety of guises. But what rational being could want to destroy itself? It goes against the nature of things, no animal would do that. So why is this quality inherent only to people?

Because people were given a mind. Much more complex than that is possessed by animals whose behavior is so easy to predict. However, self-destruction has never been a matter of the act of destruction itself. It's a matter of control. Control over your own body.

There was never any control in the life of young Alicent Hightower. A piece on the board that Otto moved as he pleased, regardless of the consequences of each move.

And now she's caught in His web. Alicent understands this very well. But she can't get away from it. And he can't hide. Larys can sense her tension, the hopelessness she feels when she is alone with him. She is a queen. All doors are open to her. Everyone will bow their heads before Her Majesty. And yet she can't get rid of him. Can't stop him from visiting her. Cannot order her own son to burn the cripple alive for his liberties. The Queen has so few allies she can truly rely on.

Children ... her main weakness. The eldest son is unreliable, and the daughter seems to live in another world, the middle one tries to be the support of the whole family, but now and then loses his temper if you press where it hurts the most, while the youngest disappears for years in Old Town. Ser Kriston clings to his vows more tightly than to his own life, but if his idol shows its ugly side, his faith will be shaken again.

He is the only one in the whole kingdom that she can rely on. The queen, who is completely dependent on him - a cripple despised by all; a defective man, from whom they bashfully look away. But Alicent is forced to look at him attentively, to look into his eyes as an equal. This feeling alone excites the blood, because at last he gets what he really deserves. All the power and recognition that he was deprived of.

Looking at the cripple, leaning on a cane, people feel pity, but now, seeing Larys, people prefer to step aside so as not to cross his path. Out of respect, out of fear... When Alicente looks at him... he sees her fear, her contempt, her shame - so obvious that it seems that they can be touched. And sometimes he sees hope. Hope that he can do what she so desires. Sometimes he sees her smile, hears her laughter - a wonderful sight, to match her own, as wonderful as he once saw her in the garden.

The fire of her hair reminds him of those malves in the garden, those malves that he ordered to be cut and put in a vase in his chambers. Now he alone decides whether they live or die. But he loved these flowers, probably, most of all.

Alicent holds herself strictly in spite of the emotions that torture her now, he sees this, looking at her with the corner of his eyes. And he accepts the refusal of his proposal with a kind, soft smile, humbly bows his head as if agreeing with Alicent's decision. After all, the desire of the queen is his command. And she still thinks strategically even in such a delicate matter. Alicent repeats herself, as if she's afraid that he will again misinterpret her instructions, placing on her shoulders the guilt for the death and torment of the girl, which is suitable to be her daughter. Larys did not count on Alicent's consent and still achieves his own goal, forcing such a terrible thought to visit her. He understands her better than she can possibly imagine. And knows more than she could guess.

“Whatever you wish...”, Larys answers, looking into Alicent’s eyes and slowly nods. His slender fingers twirl the cane, which glistens like gold in its cracks in the light of the fire. He knows that today she is having dinner with her family and it is time for him to leave her, but Larys also knows that when the two of them are tormented by hunger, they will spend the evening together. Lord Strong slowly rises, leaning on his cane. If he had not been born a cripple, he would certainly have been no less strong than his brother. Larys is tall, taller than Alicent, but his handicap makes him walk hunched over, making his eyes line up with hers when he stands. She calls him by name when she wants him to listen especially attentively, as if not suspecting that he listens more attentively than anyone. Watching with myriads of eyes, listening with a thousand ears...

“...will be done”, his hand, tender, devoid of scars and calluses, which are inherent in ordinary men, knuckles carefully slid over Alicent's wrist.

What is she thinking about now? About the fact that these are the hands of a murderer? That for her, still a married woman, this gesture is more than indecent? What would Sir Christon think if he saw this scene? Shame is so burdensome. Just as burdensome as morality, as blood ties...breaking the latter will be especially painful. Oddly enough, but it is morality, family and duty – the postulates on which her faith rests. And as soon as one collapses after another, she will finally understand what her children feel, soaring in the endless sky. Larys raises her hand and slowly presses his lips to her knuckle, feeling the light aroma of poppy milk and the roughness of the wounds healing on her fingers, which she inflicted on herself.

Being hidden from prying eyes is sometimes extremely attractive, but what a misfortune not to be seen ...

One day, Alicent will see the truth about him, collecting clues, like an insect in a web collecting dewdrop after dewdrop to quench her thirst. And the queen will try to satisfy her curiosity. But even if she comes up with an answer that explains everything to her, will she be able to believe in him or make others believe? This is another question. For her, he will become anything: an executioner and an adviser, an enemy and an ally, a father and mother, a bee and a firefly ... And if she feels dirty, he will help her wash herself, and it doesn’t matter whether from blood, from sin or dirt. Feeling her warmth on his lips, he slowly takes her knuckle away from himself.

“Don't let others define who you are, Alicent”, how many times her name was on the tongue, but did not break from the lips? Saying it now and looking into her big brown eyes is such an extraordinary, sweet metamorphosis of what has been growing between them for so many years. Enclose this moment in amber, like a butterfly, and carry it safely through eternity, when even the names will be forgotten. Her eyes burned like ambers as she brandished her dagger for the delight of the kingdom. This fire of Alicent is contained in itself, as in a cage, for it burns to shine, and not to burn.

“Shame, fear, other people's prejudices and expectations exist only in your head. Freed from them, you will become invulnerable” , Larys looks up at Alicent, “Everything is in your hands.” He turns her hand back down, running his thumb over the lines of her palm. "All the kingdoms... in the palm of your hand." Finally, he lets go of her and bows before leaving her as she wished. And now It's like he's never even been here.

[whateverthought]

Fuck this show, Fuck!

Why isn't Rhaenyra making any decisions?

Why can't Rhaenys be upset at Corlys' adultery?

Why did you change Alicente's reason for putting Aegon on the Throne?

Why did you change Helaena's character to use her as a plot device?

Why did you change Rhaena's plotline?

Why did you cut out Sara Snow?

Why did you cut out Nettles?

FUCK

[emilykaldwen]

Last Line Tag Game

Share the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words (i'm not going to do this but you do you).

Thank you so much for tagging me @corporalicent. I've missed you so much, Cata!!!

I'm cheating and doing a wee snippet because I can do what I want and I liked this exchange.

He reached up to snatch at her wrist. “Stay,” he murmured, eyes searching her face. Don’t leave me alone next to him, she knew he was asking. Abby shook her head. “Go introduce Daeron around. We can’t sit up here all night.” He rolled his eyes and Abby tutted. “Or go rescue Helaena.” Aegon glanced down at the miserable end of the table and they spied Gwayne having come up, a hand braced on Aemond’s shoulder as he spoke to Larys and his father. “I’m surprised Aemond hasn’t stabbed him yet,” Aegon muttered and gave a nod. “Is this to be our duty now, my lady?” Abby scrunched her face up in amusement and took his offered hand to rise from her chair. “Aye, it shall be, my lord. Save me a dance.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles and they parted, Aegon going to join his uncle and siblings at the end of the table. She tilted her head, admiring him as he walked from her before turning and reaching for Baela. “Come, Princess. I have people to introduce you to.”

tagging: @acrossthesestars, @jadore-andor, @stannisfactions, @songsonacliffside, @mercurygray, @theladyelizabeth, @mihrsuri, @unusual-raccoon, @randomdragonfires, @selfproclaimedunicorn, @arrthurpendragon, @alicentive, @nyctophilic0vitnir, @ninjasawakenedmystar, @jotterjots, @gwenllian-in-the-abbey, @godswood-girl, @lya-dustin, and anyone else who would like to!