#alys meta

[mashandmartinis]

There's something so !!! about Hawkeye being confronted with death, and his urgency of saying he loves people in the later seasons. Something about the dangers of war coupled with a fear of abandonment. Writing to everyone in Where There's a Will, There's a War the moment he realises he might not come out of Batallion aid alive. It's not like he's leaving anyone with anything materially important; that will holds only little declarations of love inside. His gifts to everyone are the words he leaves them with (a thinly-veiled "I love you" for all of them) and the small, mostly symbolic inheritances only punctuate his words. Followed in the next season by the eulogy he delivers in Who Knew? when he realises he never actually told any of his friends he loves them — and being confronted with a nurse's death, a nurse who also kept her feelings to herself, is a pressing reminder of how uncertain their time together is. Everyone knows he loves them, and yet- do they really? Better tell them, just to be sure. Better leave it in your will so nothing that should be spoken eventually goes unsaid.

And that's not to mention Sons and Bowlers, when Hawkeye's confronted with a risk of Daniel dying, and he's suddenly afraid he hasn't properly expressed to his dad how much he loves him. Because saying I love you just doesn't cut it, when love is such a given that "I love you" has become your standard "see you later".

Something about pointedly, meaningfully saying "I love you" to the people he loves most. Leave them with a piece of his heart before it's too late, either for them to accept it or for him to give it out. If they carry a piece of his love with them they'll never truly have to say goodbye.

[ride-thedragon]

My biggest problem with Hotd s2 was the thesis change between the seasons. They went from the only thing that could take down the house of the dragon was itself, alluding to the dragons fighting dragons, the war of kin, revenge and ego killing the last magics of old Valyria the house would try desperately to regain and replicate to their doom until Daenerys to the prophecy is being written beyond us, we are just moving parts towards the end, we are pawns. The reason that doesn't work is because it defeats the point of the dance. The only character that might try to change their fate is Aemond, but for the rest of the characters, they have no stake but the end, but to play their part and tie it to their interest to what they know will happen. Instead of being too self-interested, too self-motivated to see the end, the destruction and what they'll lose. It's a mishandling of prophecy where they have to pile on efforts to make it the same ending instead of building on the start.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

*lies awake at night thinking about how important it is that Alys is always referred to as a girl not a woman because ultimately she’s still a child who was raised incredibly sheltered and is in a potentially volatile marriage whilst still completely naive of the world with very little understanding of what’s going on around her and at the end of the day it all comes down to remembering that “it’s not her fault her parents shoved her into a marriage to my father”, I don’t think Van Eck was mistreating her yet but I do think he’d been mistreating Marya for a long time before he sent her away and that he probably would have done so to Alys further down the line, remember “my father trusts himself first, Alys only so far” the emphasis on “only so far” is so important any emotion or care Van Eck feels towards anyone always has an expiration date*

[greenqueenhightower]

He was obviously talking about Alys.

The "claiming an emotionally and sexually manipulative relationship with the outcast woman who bears a similar name to the witch stepsister who breastfed him and probably was the sole person to provide him with affection" theory is gaining ground as we speak.

The levels of twisted Oedipal complex would be enough to resurrect Freud from the dead.

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

people pointing to one heart as proof s/k is canon is sooooo funny when it seems to be a light only attack

bc like

its been stated consistently throughout the series that you cant just have light. light and dark need to be in balance.

like they literally say 'light!' as the attack starts.

that doesnt seem very balanced to me.

but you know what team attack is?

also, i feel like it being called one heart points even further to it being another s/k red herring.

like, compare that to hearts in tune

love is not being one with someone, or someone else 'completing' you. love is just being with someone. by their side.

and theres also the fact that the attack literally cannot function without the two of them together. they need both wings to fly. whereas the two halves of the combined keyblade can be used on their own

or at least i think they can, anyway. in nightmares end/mirage split we see them used individually to cut the chains before they merge:

plus all the emphasis on the nobodies/replicas/etc being their own people, and growing their own hearts. even tho they were 'content' with being merged with their og selves.

idk, maybe im reading too much into the name. maybe its not that deep. but it still seems kinda weird, with all the emphasis post-kh2 on everyone having their own identities

[thevelaryons]

I’ve always found it interesting that of the lowborn/bastard women in the DotD, Marilda is the only one who doesn’t get slandered and insulted in the Westerosi history books.

Speaking specifically about the women who were rumored to have had affairs with noblemen, the women (Sara Snow/Alys Rivers/Nettles) in particular get derogatory descriptions for various reasons. The men they are linked to all either die or are unable to do anything about the rumors (Sara: her rumored lover Jace dies and her brother Cregan is far away in the North when those rumors become a thing in the South years later/Alys: her rumored lover Aemond dies and her son is obviously too young to do anything about the insults people are saying about his mother/Nettles: her rumored lover Daemon dies). Regardless of whether any of the rumors were true or not, it's still the women in the relationships who were described in a negative manner. Even men like Aemond or Daemon don't get as slandered, despite their more controversial actions.

Sara may or may not have existed (the fact that her existence alone is doubted speaks for itself) but in the history books she is described as an "unwashed" bastard. Even the fact she was a virgin at the time of her affair with Jace is called into question. Alys gets descriptors like "slattern" and "cow". She is reviled as a seductress and witch who would sacrifice her own children. Nettles gets insulted as well, both by characters around her and the maesters/septons recording the histories. Beyond the classism, there is also a racial angle to the insults with her skin colour always being at the forefront when she gets called "dirty" and "creature". It’s unfortunate but Westerosi society is unfair to women, especially those of a lower social class, and so they do often have to rely on the men in their lives, whether that’s a male lover/husband, their father, brother(s) or son(s) as a source of protection. Characters like Sara/Alys/Nettles don't get that protection.

Then you get to Marilda's descriptions in the book, and it's completely clean. Not a single insult is uttered against her despite her supposed involvement with two different Velaryon men. Whether her affair was with Corlys or Laenor, it occurred at the time when they were married men. Laenor is dead by the time when he's claimed to be the father of Marilda's sons. But Corlys is alive and well. Not to mention, he's a very well respected figure in Westerosi society. That being said, I can’t see Corlys doing any major PR control here since he does not have the means to do so.

Alyn, however, could ensure his mother did not get negative remarks. He's the one said to have fostered close ties to the Citadel and a positive relationship with the Faith. On more than one occasion, he was anointed by the High Septon himself, which is something that's typically reserved for the King or his Kingsguard. So I think Alyn might’ve used that influence to his favor.

While Alyn does seem like the type who doesn’t care much about what others think of him, he clearly respects his mother so I doubt he would want her to have a bad reputation. Even concerning the rumors of Alyn's potential affairs, the maesters are somewhat dismissive about them and call the rumors "unreliable". They don't give much credence to what third parties are saying on such matters. As for Alyn's mother, she is spoken of with nothing but respect and even flattery at times.

History is truly written by the victors.

[polysucks]

-puts a mirror under your nose to check ur breathing-

hey man it's been a while since you've talked about harrenhal

You know what? you're fucking right. I don't talk much about my obsession with harrenhal on my tumblr. i should do that more often.

[dreamily]

If I could marry Harrenhal I would. Harrenhal’s story is literally just hubris and the inevitable decay of overreaching ambition—fables that we see told time and time again in real-world history. There is nothing the Geyrg writes that isn't derivative of other art before his. but soooooo many rulers, empires, and civilizations have undertaken whack ass projects meant to immortalize their power, only to see their visions trickle down their legs like a wet fart

We got the tower of babel

Which like-- man I don't know shit about the bible and I will preface anything I say that is anywhere NEAR adjacent to religion with that. but. If there is one thing I do know, it's human arrogance in fiction.

it was meant to be a monument to human greatness, defying natural order and even divine power. (womp womp)

It was never completed NOR served its intended purpose, as divine intervention (ayo brynden rivers wasgood) ensured its failure.

Just as Harrenhal became an empty ruin, Babel became a symbol of the dangers of overreaching ambition by desecrating [the] god[s]

Ozymandias (ramses II)

Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem Ozymandias describes a ruined statue of a long-dead king whose mighty empire has vanished into dust.

Like Harrenhal, Ozymandias’ works were meant to last forever, but time, war, and decay ensured their ruin.

'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' fucks so hard and reads as if Harren the Black was gloating himself from the Tower of Dread. what was supposed to be a symbol of unbreakable power instead became an empty, cursed shell that barely resembles what it used to be.

Both remind us that nothing built by mortal hands can really challenge the devastation time and what may come of fate.

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Versaille

King Louis XIV of France built the Palace of Versailles as a symbol of absolute monarchy and divine rule. have i ever mentioned that I love monarchy history?

It was [is?] extravagantly expensive, draining the kingdom’s resources—just as Harrenhal’s construction bled the Riverlands dry. evil rulers gonna be evil i GUESS

Its grandeur could not protect its rulers. By the time of the French Revolution, the monarchy that built it was toppled and executed (bring back the guillotine) much like House Hoare’s yeeting at the maw of Balerion the Black Dread.

Like Harrenhal, Versailles became a symbol of excess and very few people coould hold it successfully (everyone died)

and my absolute FAVORITE.

harrenhal. but it's actually Chernobyl.

HEAR ME OUT.

Harrenhal: Built to be the grandest castle in Westeros, a testament to Harren the Booty's dominion over the Riverlands!!!

Chernobyl: Constructed as part of the Soviet Union’s ambitious nuclear energy program, Chernobyl was meant to be a symbol of Soviet technological superiority.

Harrenhal’s Doom: The castle was still newly built when Aegon the Conqueror came with his baddies in tow and turned it into a Spicy Meatball. Harrenhal was designed to withstand any land-based siege, but it never stood a chance against dragonfire. BECAUSE HE DIDN'T THINK TO BUILD FOR DRAGONFIRE.

Chernobyl’s Doom: The Chernobyl Reactor 4 explosion in 1986 was a firestorm that could not be contained, much like Balerion’s flames. The reactor burned for days, spewing deadly radiation into the air. BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT RADIATION POISONING.

Harrenhal's fate: Since Harren’s yeeting, every single House that has claimed Harrenhal has met disaster. The castle is believed to be cursed (it is) its halls filled with ghosts (it is), and no one has held it for long. The only smart thing petyr has ever done is refuse to stake claim over his hold. he should tho. he totally should.

Chernobyl's fate: The area around the ruined reactor became the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where radiation levels are still dangerous and will CONTINUE to be dangerous. Most of the surrounding towns, including Pripyat, remain abandoned, decayed, and overgrown, much like Harrenhal.

Both places have survivors and witnesses who tell and retell haunting tales and rumors and legends—Harrenhal’s curse manifests in tragedy after tragedy, while Chernobyl’s “curse” is literal: those who stayed too long suffered from radiation sickness.

and finally:

both are fucked up horror stories in themselves

Harrenhal:

There are rumors of ghosts—Lady Shella Whent’s weeping specter, the burned souls of Harren and his sons, and wait! There's more! If you call now--

The castle’s YUGE size and GAPING corridors (like ur mom) create an oppressive presence that can be felt all over the Riverlands

No matter who holds it, death follows. (im sorry i have said this so much but it's so fuckin metal)

Chernobyl in Popular Culture:

The real-life horror of radiation poisoning is alarming enough, but Chernobyl has become a breeding ground for horror films, video games, and urban legends. (no one talks about how Tarkovsky's Stalker in 1979 p much predicted the event but ALRIGHT)

There are true stories of mutated animals, less true stories of ghosts of workers, and really real eerie abandoned homes and workplaces that are literally disastrous to the earth's health.

The “Elephant’s Foot,” the mass of nuclear lava inside Reactor 4, is lethal to anyone who stands near it. That shit is so metal. Again. Sorry.

[amber-laughs]

Dancing to the Song of Ice and Fire

“Ser Waymar met him bravely. “Dance with me then.” He lifted his sword high over his head, defiant.” A Game of Thrones - Prologue

Our introduction to not just the Others but to the world itself. "Dance with me then"

The sight made Lady Alys smile. "Do you dance often, here at Castle Black?" "Every time we have a wedding, my lady." A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

When the Night King wed his Corpse Bride it took Brandon the Breaker with his forces and Joramun, King-Beyond-the-Wall, with his forces coming together to take him down. There was a wedding and then their armies had to dance with the Others.

"You could dance with me, you know. It would be only courteous. You danced with me anon." "Anon?" teased Jon. "When we were children." She tore off a bit of bread and threw it at him. "As you know well." A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

Anon is a word that we don't use as much in this context anymore but it means both "Soon" and "Shortly". For example in Romeo and Juliet when her nurse is calling for her Juliet responds "I come anon" meaning she'll be there shortly. It is never before and never again used in A Song of Ice and Fire.

Alys is telling Jon he danced with her for a brief time, specifically in the past tense and specifically to replace the word "shortly". But when Jon recalls this moment a few chapters later he misremembers it.

"A snowflake danced upon the air. Then another. Dance with me, Jon Snow, he thought. You'll dance with me anon." A Dance with Dragons - Jon XII

Jon now recalls this in the future tense and uses Anon to replace the word "soon". It's not that he danced in the past it's that he'll dance in the future. He'll dance with the Others soon just like Waymar Royce.

[banefort]

Not to sound like a broken record talking about nomadic v settled lifestyles in HOTD, but an interesting dynamic that has come of the Daemon-Harrenhal sideplot is between him, the castle, and Alys and Ser Simon Strong, is what they represent as manifestations of the Neolithic agrarian revolution.

Daemon’s time at Harrenhal is spent oscillating between the two factions. Simon represents the foundations of a settled society. He dictates Daemon’s waking hours and daily schedule (against his will), keeps him tied to his political duties, and goes so far as to impel Daemon to guarantee the longevity of Harrenhal by commencing its reconstruction - affirming a settled and regulated lifestyle.

On the flip side Alys represents nomadic life, occupying the halls of the castle much like a ‘ghost’, only affecting circumstance through cerebral happenstances, whilst also showing a marked affection for the natural world and ancient natural structures (Wierwoods), and repeatedly identifies with the natural world via totemism (calling herself a barn owl). She is the history of Westeros and the First Men made manifest, and personifies a nomadic lifestyle which has been lost to to the regions south of the Wall.

By having Daemon constantly tossed between Ser Simon and Alys - settled and nomadic, polytheism versus paganism, agriculture versus shepherding, he occupies a liminal space and is caught between the refractions of history, and through his tumultuous residence, is implicitly drawn to question the true strength of monarchy, settled lifestyles, and all forms of contemporary power structures; for Alys, and her associated phantasmagorical neolithic ways, are clearly established to have had a far more substantial and cerebral impact on Daemon’s psyche than Ser Simon, who, while Daemon does entertain, he visibly holds no regard for, as opposed to Alys, who he is both wary and keen for. This is substantiated by his being shown to feel conflict and guilt over his perpetuation of Targaryen ethnocentric incest, his failure to fulfill his duties to his faction (be it the Blacks or his children/wife), amongst others, following his arrival at Harrenhal, suggesting that through her presence as an all-encompassing totem of nomadic conducts, his deep-rooted pride in Targaryen legacy, “the establishment” and all things modern, rapidly unwind. The paths of his - and all other citizens’, ancestors calls to him from an intangible, psychosomatic place. His contemporary comforts are all but stripped bare in some primal, unbidden rush to follow in their footsteps.

[randomthingsthatilike1]

honestly I think the wrong parent was sent to pick up Aly in the ending of Trickster's Choice

the entire book we see through Kyprioths visions to Aly that Alanna, above all, cares for Aly, that she really does see Aly for who she is and worries terribly for her lost, hidden daughter, angry and upset and scared. She's constantly scrying for her with the mirror Thom gave her--her daughter is missing and her husband lied to her about it.

After months and months of worrying and praying, Alanna finally knows where her daughter is. She loves George, she does, but he lied to her about her only daughter's well being. And after the 8 years of her training constantly lying to everyone Alanna is sick of it, sick of doing it and avoids it at almost all cost--but for this? For the love she has for her daughter?

She’s been worried sick, scrying every free hour, distracted and blaming herself for her daughter’s disappearance. She's not needed in Frasrland, not really, not with this stalemate at the border. The killing devices are all gone and nothing is happening there. They don't need her--but Aly does.

She’s been married to George for 20 years and she’s known him for 30--she’s picked up a few tricks on how to go around unseen, how to slip away seamlessly but first there are a few things she has to do.

Her husband with his nondescript features can roam freely.  She cannot. She’s far too distinctive nowadays, but to quote her daughter that is what razors and dyes are for. Her long hair is her pride and joy. After years of cutting it boyishly short, as well as being a good enough fighter she can have long hair--it’s her one vanity.

She loves her hair. She’d topple kingdoms for her daughter.

A short and stocky man with copper red hair isn't the ideal spy, but shes here to find her daughter--its the story she goes with. She’s looking for her daughter, a Tortallan, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the Copper Isles.She speaks enough Carthaki to get by and well it’s not like she can’t defend herself, even with just a knife and hand to hand.

The only dead giveaway about her are her purple eyes, but she's a mage, with a powerful Gift specializing in manipulating the human body--if there's a magical way to create an illusion or temporarily change your eye color she would know it. If not, I'm sure George has found a way and she's already used it before.

This barely scratches the surface of what she’d do for Aly. She's a mage, with a powerful Gift specializing in manipulating the human body--if there's a magical way to create an illusion or temporarily change your eye color she would know it. If not, I'm sure George has found a way. She glamors her eyes to look the same as her daughter and her husband. She lightly dyes her hair, making it a more blondish red like Aly's.

She finds a young squire stationed at the border and surreptitiously steals some of his clothes and other supplies around camp, her personal weaponry far too flashy and distinctive.

Aly isn’t the only one who was trained by the King of Thieves.

You can’t tell me she’s never done anything like this with George, not wanting to be stared at by people who recognize the famous Lioness, either getting him out of some scrapes or just relaxing and having fun.

Kyprioth is sweating bullets. There's only so much he can hide, although he has far more power in the Copper Isles than Tortall so he can't stop her but he’ll do his best to hide her from the Goddess but uhhhhhhhh there’s only So Much he can do. 

Alanna is Determined--she will find her daughter and is she maybe less subtle than George was? Sure. But all the same, she’s brought to the Balitang’s home in Rajmuat and makes her way to Lombyn.

It’s the same scene, of Alanna approaching Winnamine , introducing herself as Alan Cooper and asking to buy Aly-- Winnamine realizing “Alan” isn’t really here to buy Aly.

It takes Aly just a little longer to recognize Alanna--and she comes to a halt and is filled with shock because this is the Lioness, her mother who is persona non grata to the Copper Isles due to killing one of their princesses decades ago (and wow that might actually get Ochabu to tolerate her mother) and would probably be either killed or ransomed as a hostage p much on sight, the King’s Champion, one of the most distinctive and famous women in the continent--is here.

She’s here, her hair short and lighter and her purple eyes--they’re very similar to Aly’s now. Alanna letting out a sob at the sight of her daughter--her hair also shorter, eyebrow scar, broken nose, but alive and safe and still with that spark in her eye.

Just. The PARALLELS of both having the explicit approval of their god to deceive and lie and how they both deceived so many people to achieve their goals. Aly seeing her mother engage in spycraft and trickery to try to find her is probably a better apology than Alanna could ever find the words for

Later after Alanna had her Own standoff with Kyprioth she tells Aly she didn’t want this life for her, not because she was a noble or a Trebond but because she’s Alanna’s daughter and she knows how hard it is to keep a secret and deceive the people she cared about, and how much it hurt when it all came out. That’s something George never had to deal with--George has never really had to deceive his loved ones. They’ve always known he’s Crooked and an inkling of what he’s been up to--but Alanna has. She did it for 8 long years and she was good at it too, but the amount of pain it brought her after meant she never wanted that for her daughter.

Alanna earned her shield through treachery, the constant fear of being found out dogging her footsteps and once she got it she made sure no other girl would have to.

For Aly just to be reminded how similar she really is to her mother and begrudgingly putting that together--for Kyprioth to tell Aly that yes George gave her the skills he needed that made Aly his ideal Spymaster and what she’s done so far in keeping the Balitangs safe is why he wants her to stay, but it was Alanna’s actions that really sold him on recruiting Aly in the first place.

(I have other feelings about Kyprioth and Alanna here because d a m n “they say he loves a good trick”--as a girl for 8 years Alanna fooled the Tortallan monarchy and nobility. That’s what his Promised Queen will have to do. And he is George’s patron--it would make sense that both of them loved aspects of Alanna.)

(also while she’s there it’d be hilarious for Sarai to spar against Alanna and have her ass handed to her--it’d be a great nod back to when Aly was observing Sarai and thinking about her own training bc it sure would make Ulasim wonder wait can Aly use a sword????)

(also if anyone wants to write this go for it)

[mashandmartinis]

Thinking about comphet and Margaret and Hawkeye in Comrades in Arms. Seeking shelter and comfort in each other's arms and automatically moving into a kiss because that's what they do. That's what they've always done every time they get near someone of the opposite sex. It's what they're supposed to do, what they've been taught to want and how they've been shown they can survive in this war (Margaret by getting favours, Hawkeye for some much-needed distraction and a pair of warm arms around him). They kiss and probably sleep together because that's what they're used to, it's so ingrained in both their identities that at this point neither of them would feel like themselves if they didn't.

Margaret immediately thinks she's in love with Hawkeye, moves to admiring everything about him right away, the same way she's done with every other man she's had a relationship with. Hawkeye, meanwhile, emotionally separates himself from her the way he always does with the women he dates: it was good for one night and that's it. Please don't fall in love with me.

And there's something so special about them finding out they can be friends after all this, something they weren't before. That somehow this expression of (hetero)sexuality that neither of them was particularly into, other than for reasons taught to them by their environment and society in general, bonded them in a way that would've seemed impossible before. They've platonically found each other in their mutual and wilful rejection of this thing they've been told to desire. And that doesn't entirely go away for either of them, not in general, but at least it's earned both of them a friend who understands.

[somewherefornow]

It’s interesting that Kyle envisions one of his descendants as Wally’s descendant as well, that he imagines tying their families & powers together this way. Especially, considering later “Green Lightning” is revealed to be representative of Kyle’s hope…which involves Wally and him sharing one family tree.

[vesperpharsalius]

Hello how are you?

I just wanted to know if you have reacted (and how, eventually) to the information given by pierce brown in the latest interview he did, that cassius would have been a great father and he would have had a daughter named pandora.

because i’m about to kms over that information. literally he’s a girl dad confirmed and THE CHILD HAS A FUCKING IDENTITY. AND YET HES DEAD

what was the reason. literally what. was. the. reason.

Hello, thinly disguised mutual polite anon!

Sorry it took me so long to get back to this, but I’m good! I spent most of the past week on a drunken binge that, for once, was socially acceptable (Mardi Gras in NOLA, babyyy) and I’m in a unusually decent mood. I barely even feel like a hater today—which is ironic, considering the content of this ask.

So, I didn’t watch that interview and don’t follow Pierce Brown... socially? I guess you would say. I’m not typically interested in content like this. Most of his AMAs and interviews and whatnot aren’t germane to my very specialized interest in his world and, on the rare occasions they are, he’s usually too flippant and desultory for my tastes. Because he often overgeneralizes and oversimplifies and gives shallow interpretations of aspects of the canon that I’m personally committed to giving depth, which rubs me the wrong way.

I don’t mean to be critical, but it’s obvious that he doesn’t really give a single fuck about the Bellona family, outside of Cassius, and even Cassius is rarely appreciated independently—that is, in his own right, as an individual, rather than as an extension of another character or half of a relationship with a more important character or pivotal in the arc of another character or… etc. 

And this comment about Pandora is not an exception. Because it’s not just an oversimplification or perhaps even outright mischaracterization of Cassius (more on that later) but also a dig at another character—it’s primarily, in fact, a dig at another character and only secondarily trying to saying something about Cassius, imo.

I learned about this interview from someone who shared highlights in the RR fanfiction Discord that I’m part of, including this bit about Pandora—and I don’t know the extent to which this reflects the actual interview and it’s not really relevant to your ask, so I won’t waste too much breath—but the point was summarized as ‘Cassius would’ve been a better father than Darrow’ which. No. Absolutely not. Not having that, Pierce.

For the people in the back: Darrow is an excellent father in an impossible situation. He is completely devoted to his child. He was compelled to leave him to fight genocidal fascists hellbent on their destruction and liberate millions of people from bondage. He dreams of nothing but returning to him and has been incessantly tormented, by himself and others for three entire books, about his inability to do so.

Not only that, but he has literally never dreamt of anything else; from the beginning, Darrow has never wanted anything but to be a husband and a father. Pax is his proudest achievement and the greatest love of his life. He’s, frankly, obsessed with that boy, to the point that I roll my eyes whenever he mentions him because I know it’s gonna be saccharine.

This libel and slander of Darrow’s fatherhood must end, y’all.

To be clear, I’m not saying this because I think there’s something abjectly wrong with characters who are bad parents or that someone’s skill at/aptitude for parenthood should be indicative of their overall worth. In other words, if Darrow was a bad father, I wouldn’t consider that damning and I wouldn’t be here insisting otherwise. I’d actually enjoy it more, tbh; failparenting is scrumptious to me. I’m saying that he’s canonically not.

Now, I’ve never been someone that takes an author’s word as gospel truth. Nor do I think authors ‘own’ what they create, or deserve to dictate how things are interpreted if they choose to leave something ambiguous, or reserve the right to retcon their own work. That’s a consequence of my being involved in several fandoms where creators have deliberately fucked with their canon, either because they don’t like the way it was interpreted or because they regret some of the choices they made or… etc.

To be clear, I don’t think PB is overall prone to this and I don’t think this example is particularly egregious; he’s said much worse and I’m definitely taking this more seriously than I should. But I’m… sensitive, lol. When it comes to people lambasting Darrow. And I hate to see him subjected to the same mudslinging he’s forced to endure in the books by the fandom.

Because it’s easy to excuse the ignorance of other characters—their perspective is necessarily limited and informed by the biases of their world—but not ours, not ours. Because we are literally privy to Darrow’s thoughts. We should recognize that he’s being unfairly scalped—that he’s unfairly scalping himself, at times. I hate that people take the blatantly unreliable and biased narrative at such face–value.

And, more relevant to your ask, I’m also sensitive about the rampant mischaracterization of Cassius in this fandom, because he is soooo woobified and romanticized and sanitized—on here, especially. Every time I see someone giggling about him being a himbo, I wanna hurl myself into the sun. I resent that—Lord on high, do I resent that—as one of the few people that stanned him at his lowest and loves him because of how horrible he is and has been and can be, not in spite of it or in outright denial of it.

He’s such a beautiful princess—with a disorder! Many, in fact. This is what makes him compelling; it’s his seasoning, without which he would otherwise be bland as fuck. And if you can’t appreciate him at his worst, you simply don’t deserve him at his best. You don’t deserve him, at all, in fact; I’m putting him up on the shelf until y’all get some better reading comprehension skills.

PB is, knowingly or unknowingly, contributing to both of these issues. It’s irritating. Both Cassius and Darrow deserve better than this. And what really bothers me is that the canon encourages the opposite conclusion.

But! Because of this seemingly harmless interview, people are going to flaunt this as canon. When it’s not! And they’re going to use this to undermine the actual canon.

This is not the first time PB has done this, btw. Cough, cough, ReaperStang fucking before GS, my beloathed.

😩

That said, yeeting Darrow from the equation, this is an… interesting take. Because—and I say this with all the love in the world and then some, as y’all well know; I sigh dreamily about him morning, noon, and night—but Cassius has been a very shitty parent thus far.

I don’t mean hypothetically. Cassius already ‘raised’ a child, by his own admission. Yes, he considered Lysander his little brother, but he’s the closest thing to a parent that Lysander ever had and it’s not uncommon, really, for relationships between siblings with such an age difference and unequal power dynamic to become more like parent–child ones.

In any case, Cassius was horrible to Lysander. Canonically. From LB, p. 624: 

“I know that… inconsistency on my part made you feel you were not enough. I know it bred contempt in you for me. I was selfish, then cowardly, then cruel.” He meets my eyes. “I’m sorry for it, Lys. I am. I’m sorry I couldn’t be the teacher you deserved. That I poisoned you with neglect. Suffocated you with judgment. I know when you looked at me you just wanted me to be happy. But I couldn’t be happy. I’ve… always had trouble with that. Without distractions… well. If I could do it all again, I wouldn’t try to shape you. I’d try to let you shape me into what you needed. I think we’d both have been better off for it.”

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not scalping him, because Lysander was genuinely a nightmare child with such a severe case of C–PTSD that he was probably irredeemable and certainly provocative. He brought out the worst in Cassius. And I’m not convinced anyone else could’ve ‘fixed’ him or ‘done better.’ I do not blame Cassius, at all, for what Lysander became or the terrible choices he—a grown–ass man who, by his own admission, betrayed everything Cassius stood for—has made.

And, no—I don’t care if PB does. When an author’s word conflicts with the canon, the canon has to win; this is blatant retconning that we—as fans of the work, not worshippers of the creator—shouldn’t tolerate. I’m also not above disregarding parts of the canon if it contradicts itself, tbh, but that’s not necessary here.

The fact remains that Cassius sucked as a brother, a mentor, and a parent. Objectively. He’s a faildad. A devoted and well–intentioned faildad, but a faildad, all the same.

And why shouldn’t he be? Both of his parents also sucked. Tiberius was emotionally distant and suffocated him with expectation; most of the shortcomings Cassius confesses above are probably inherited from him. Julia was… Julia. Yikes! And, overall, I think Cassius resembles her more than him. Classic case of ‘I am my father's son,’ proceeds to resemble mother in every possible way.

Regardless, he has intergenerational issues, for sure, and PTSD and probably a personality disorder and maybe even intermittent psychosis (unfortunately, I have watched IWTV and cannot stop thinking about Hallucination!Julian haunting Cassius’ every step, dreamStat style) and… God knows what else. And he’s never gotten a single ounce of therapy; he’s totally rawdogging life. No—tender forehead kisses from Darrow do not count.

And if you’re going to say, ‘Oh, he changed, he’s different now; just look at the end of that quote!’ Yeah, I wish I could. And I do believe that he’s grown since his Cassander era. But I’ll remind you—of the Ulysses fight. And everything that implies and outright states about him. PB went out of his way—and, in fact, does so in this very interview—to demonstrate that Cassius is still a shitty person to vulnerable people in his care.

And he could’ve left it ambiguous, but noooo: Lyria did tell Cassius about Ulysses and Cassius did intentionally use him and did deliberately betray Lyria’s trust and did take advantage of her vulnerability and did weaponize her trauma and did endanger her life. This is a horrible fucking thing to do to anyone in any context, but I’m honestly speechless at how the fandom collectively ignores this.

People always focus on Sevro and how cruel Cassius is being to him when, personally? I couldn’t care less about that. They’ve been spiteful to each other since Day fucking One and I think that Sevro, generally, is way too coddled by the fandom; he deserved this confrontation and more. No, it’s the betrayal of Lyria that makes this repulsive—to me, at least. It may be the worst thing Cassius ever done and being tipsy is not an excuse.

But I’m digressing.

Issues aside, the fact remains that he’s never once expressed an interest in having a child. Ever. The closest he ever comes is saying he misses being an uncle, which is. Not the same thing! Not half as much responsibility and stress. Before this, I would’ve sworn he was a ‘No, thanks—just niblings for me’ guy, which is one of the things I like most about him, in fact; him 🤝 me.

And nothing about his character suggests he would enjoy or be well suited to fatherhood, actually. I can go into deeper detail about this, if there’s an interest, but… since I’ve already rambled, suffice to say he’s painfully Achilles–coded; perhaps not intentionally and not exclusively so, but it’s there. 

Honestly, it reeks of heteronormativity that Cassius would have a child, at all. Because having a family of his own has never been on his list. He could’ve very easily started one and was doubtless encouraged to do so; he was the most eligible bachelor in the Society for years and, post–GS, the survival of his bloodline rested solely on him. And he resented the burden of Lysander as his obligatory child.

Fact of the matter is: Cassius is not Darrow. He doesn’t want domestic bliss. He deliberately chose to pursue people, romantically, that didn’t reciprocate his attraction or affection, something I go into deeper detail about here. He’s a hedonistic and vainglorious daredevil with a deathwish that lives for ultraviolence and altruism. And that’s okay! It’s sexy, in fact.

And I thought that we’d overcome amatonormativity here? PB just spent an entire book shoving ‘Cassius never needed a lover, only a brother’ down our throats and talks in that very same interview about Cassius having an unhealthy understanding of/expectation for romantic love (how it would ‘fix’ him) that PB didn’t wish to validate and that’s why wrote Cassaurae unreciprocated, which was the prompt of the overlong analysis I just linked above.

Only to say, ‘Hey, if Cassius had lived, he would’ve had a (presumably) biological daughter and she totally would’ve fixed him!’ 

(He didn’t say that literally, of course, but that is the implication.)

🤨

Is Darrow pregnant? Should we congratulate him? With all that eye–fucking, he should be; RRomegaverse, when? Because it’s not like little Pandora is gonna pop out of a hole in the ground. There’s an unspoken woman involved here—and I thought we were all in agreement about that being a bad idea. And let’s not forget that becoming a parent is never a panacea; if anything, it makes your unaddressed issues worse.

And, look—lots of people have mentioned that Cassius could ‘shape up’ to become a good father and… honestly, I don’t disagree. I think Cassius could be great at anything he set his mind to; he has the capacity for that. I just think he’d be… miserable.

And not because of the child itself—he likes kids and he’s congenial to almost everyone—but because of the duty involved; that stifling demand for patience and selflessness and temperance and equanimity and consistency that is so contrary to his nature. It’s grueling work for him to be responsible for anyone beyond himself—and even that is difficult, more often than not. 

Imo, Cassius’ best life is ‘your dashing and irreverent uncle that shows up drunk to your party, fresh from the club, wearing a full bottle of cologne with his tits out, and gives you the present your parents wouldn’t buy because they hate it; he comes late, flirts with your mother, breaks something important, snorts a line of coke off his nail, and leaves early to go spelunking with someone he met fifteen minutes ago.’ 

He doesn’t need to… grow up? And settle down. Because this isn’t something that could be changed by therapy—this is just who he is, trauma or no. It’s his personality. 

(Not technically relevant, but Pandora is a fucked–up name to give a kid, imo. I’m all for names inspired by Greek mythology, don’t get me wrong—but it comes from a virulently (and I mean that; it’s Hesiod) misogynistic story and it has… lots of negative undertones. PB also already has a character named Pandora? The captain of the Krypteia, no? And Victra’s flagship is named that, too? Dude. Branch out.

(No, no—I shouldn’t judge. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone and all that. I named a character in I&F vengeance, ffs. Even Golds aren’t that extra, I know! I’m sorry! It just sounds really cool.

(Also, realistically, if Cassius had children, they would be named after his relatives. Which leaves me to assume that there already is a Pandora au Bellona who died during GS; perhaps one of Cassius’ sisters? Or nieces? A favorite aunt? Not in AA, because I’ve already named everyone, but if the Bellona are still nebulous in your mind, this should be your thinking.)

All that said, I do understand where you’re coming from, anon. Why the ever–loving–fuck is PB saying things like this? About a character he needlessly butchered—narratively and literally? Why is he taunting us with speculations about what could’ve been?

If you know me, you know that I’m an adamant believer that Cassius’ arc should not have ended in martyrdom and that it’s not only a gross betrayal of his character that it did so but also deeply subversive of his characterization in RR–IG that it happened in that fashion. Which is. A digression for another time.

And, despite everything I’ve mentioned above, I think it was inevitable that Cassius would have children, if only to ensure the survival of his bloodline. Let’s not forget—I touched on this briefly already, but… he is the last Bellona. Even if Julia is his Bellona parent, she won’t be having more children at this point; if Cassius doesn’t reproduce, his House dies with him.

So, I’m inclined to think he would feel compelled to do so, that he would consider this an obligation that he’ll eventually have to fulfill, despite his disinterest and the misgivings that have delayed him thus far. It’s not something he would ever choose for himself but, despite Darrow’s best efforts, he’s never been in a position where he’s been free to make his own choices or be selfish for more than five minutes.

(And this is a huge part of the latter third of Alis Aquilae, actually, which covers the events of post–GS/MS; him finding a suitable wife and making an heir. Whether or not he actually manages to do that, well… you’ll just have to wait and see; 😉)

That said, PB royally fucked House Bellona by killing Cassius off childless. Unless Julia manages to pull one of Cassius’ bastard children out of a hat or artificially inseminate Pallas with Cassius’ sperm (Hey, stranger things have happened; remember Abom? Don’t underestimate my worstie, Julia. Pandora may very well already exist.) or something equally bizarre, well… they’re joever.

I may very well be the only person in the world bothered by this but... damn, am I bothered by it! Enough to make up for the general indifference and then some. 

And I do think girldad is in Cassius’ DNA, even if it’s failgirldad or semigirldad because, oops… I accidentally… adopted another maladjusted orphan. I mentioned in an earlier comment on I&F that, when I was speculating about what the Bellona family should look like and fleshing them out for the purposes of AA, it was obvious to me that Cassius needed a niece. He also has nephews, per the canon—Darrow mentions at least two of each in GS—but make no mistake, he’s for the girls.

One of Cassius’ strongest relationships in AA is with said niece, Amarantha, who he adores and spoils rotten; she’s also a positive and transformative influence on him, because he wants to exceed her expectations and prove himself worthy of her love. 

Throughout AA, Cassius finds it easier to connect with the girls in his family than the boys. His relationship with his younger sister, Phaedra (again, technically, my OC, but she is mentioned during the Gala), is quite twisted but manages to be all the more intimate for it, especially when juxtaposed with his younger brothers, with whom he has much more straightforward yet shallow relationships. 

(To clarify, I don’t mean incestually; yes, that clarification is necessary when we’re talking about the Family Bellona, especially in the context of AA.)

And it’s significant that future/speculative!Cassius would be more suited to a daughter than a son, given his general… issues with women and femininity. ‘What issues?’ you might ask? Well... I go into further detail here, but Cassius is the product of a rigidly hypermasculine society that punishes femininity, to the extent that even men of his status and station can be ostracized for it, and he has a proven tendency to objectify and/or idealize the women in his life.

However, in AA, one of Cassius’ closest relationships is with his older sister, Ariadne (again, technically an OC, but Cassius does have at least two older sisters and one older brother, in addition to Karnus, mentioned in RR), who is hyperfeminine to the extreme. She is the moment. She is the cuntress of your dreams. Nails, hair, hips, heels, etc. And Cassius is attracted to her lifestyle.

He’s envious, to an extent, of all their relatives that are free to pursue it; not just Ariadne, but also cousins of his that are not burdened by the expectations of being ‘Iron,’ who laugh in the faces of their haters and indulge themselves to their heart’s content. I’m not saying he’s an egg although I could and there are other men in a situation similar to his that are, but Cassius definitely enjoys femininity—as much as he enjoys masculinity. 

So, the girl in girldad is very important here. Boydad Cassius wouldn’t hit the same and it wouldn’t be as impactful—and I don’t just mean less indicative of his growth.��Having a hyperfeminine daughter, specifically, would give Cassius an opportunity to finally… embrace this side of himself? That he’s been forced to suppress all his life.

Not saying that she wouldn’t also share his more stereotypically masculine interests; I don’t think any child of Cassius could escape being a duelist. But, in the Republic, she could be as much of a ‘Pixie’ as she likes without being considered ‘unbecoming of an Aureate of her status and station,’ as Cassius often was, and without social sanction.

I think he would encourage this—excessively so. It would heal some of his childhood trauma simply by being free to spoil her—and live vicariously through her, unfortunately. Because, as that quote above demonstrates, he has a subconscious tendency to try to ‘shape’ people into what he needs them to be. Acknowledging the behavior is the first step to correcting it, yes, but... bad habits are hard to break.

Would Cassius be a good father? Probably not. Even if he tried his damndest, that effort would not be consistent and his heart would never fully be in it. He’s... not Darrow. And he has so many unresolved issues, y’all. But an affectionate father? A permissive and supportive father? Definitely. 

After all, despite what Cassius says above, Lysander’s upbringing was clearly not lacking in love. Even at the very end, despite everything that he had done, he still felt secure in Cassius’ unconditional love for him; see this post for more on that.

So, Pandora could do worse. As long as her hypothetical mother isn’t any more unstable than Cassius and there’s a proverbial village involved, she’d probably turn out alright.

All said, this should’ve happened. For the sake of House Bellona—and mine, because I am unhealthily invested in their welfare—alone. But, bloodline aside, Cassius would’ve benefited immensely from having a daughter, imo. And it is incredibly shitty of PB to toss this around after massacring Cassius, figuratively and literally, in LB.

Salt in the wound? Yeah. A wholesale bag of it. Unsurprisingly, I still hate it here.

🙃

For what it’s worth, though, I doubt Pandora is a ‘scrapped idea’ from RG or anything like that. From what I understand, it was a hypothetical question. And PB really does just say shit. I don’t mean to be harsh, but look at this total ‘shoot from the hip’ response to an AMA. 

So... anything’s possible, sure. But ‘Pandora au Bellona’ probably didn’t exist before that interview; more likely than not, he made her up on the spot. It’s not cruelty; it’s… indifference? If that makes you feel any better, anon. Probably not.

But hey—don’t kill yourself. Ch. 15, okay?

[stagefoureddiediaz]

honestly maybe it's just me but buck is literally repeating the same steps as with natalia and taylor as with tommy. they meet, he has a crush, go on a date, it's awful and the date leaves, they then come back, then try for real. Like it sounds like even though Buck is off the hamster wheel in regards to his sexuality he very much is still on the hamster wheel when it comes to repetitive mistakes when it comes to his relationships.

Hey Nonnie

I woudn't say that at all. Yes of course there are some similarities - there always will be - between Buck dating Tommy and the Buck who dated Taylor or Natalia. But the reality is they are worlds apart.

For starters Tommy didn't leave because the date was awful, he left to give Buck some space to do a bit more figuring out - he said so himself that his what he was doing. He chose to leave the ball in Bucks court, understanding this was a big new thing for him and that it wouldn't be right to continue anything until Buck was ready. Buck then contacted him when he was and they met up and decided mutually to give things ago.

This is very different to both Taylor and Natalia - both of whom left after something big had happened in Bucks life (Eddie being shot and Kameron popping up out of seemingly nowhere) and then they were the ones to come back - to chase after Buck.

Look we can have whole conversations about the chasing being chased aspect of things but the long and short of it is That both Taylor and (to a lesser extent) Natalia, Ali and Abby chased Buck in one way or another and when it suited them. Tommy has never chased Buck - he shot his shot, sure, made his interest known, but he hasn't once chased Buck. Buck has always mistaken things for him doing the chasing (he is an very unreliable narrator) becuse he gets invested fast and so pursues things. His mistake is moving to fast - falling to quickly for people.

This is the major fundamental difference with Tommy, who is older and wiser and settled with who he is and what he wants. He also has the understanding of being queer and coming out later in life - of discovering that part of yourself that has been hidden and the fact it might take Buck a minute to figure out things.

The other big thing for me is the level of honest Buck is being here - this isn't something we've seen before in this way. He has been completely up front with Tommy when it has been important for him to be so (I would argue he did do the same for Natalia but that he was more forced into it by circumstance). That coffee they had was a very very clear example of that, he sat down, appologised and laid his cards out on the table. He's told the two most important people in his life that he's bi and interested in Tommy and yes maybe going to a wedding is a bit fast, but he also knows most of the people there so he's not walking in to a big unknown in t hat respect and he has a lot of goodwill with the firefam at this moment after flying them to the curise ship so they could rescue Athena and Bobby.

In all honesty I'm far more circumspect about Natalias behaviour as well - far more than a large portion of fandom was towards her. Did I like her as a character or for Buck, No I didn't, but she also didn't do all that much wrong in my eyes, her wanting to take a minute when presented with all that Bucks life is, to think things through before jumping into something is perfectly acceptable and healthy behaviour. The reality is that she was more interested in Bucks death than she was in his life and thats probably what brought her back - that itching need to know more about his death and what it was like.

But she came into his life when he was in a rough place mentally and it was never going to go well for that reason alone. All of Bucks girlfriends have that in common - they met him on the job and then come inot his life when he is having some form of internal crisis. Abby when he had just lost his first person on the job - making him emotionally vulnerable. Ali when he's accepted his relationship with Abby wasn't going anywhere a new guy had just started at work (yes they were getting on by this point but it is still new and an unknown) and his sister had just come back into his life after having had no contact for several years - and he knows she's in a fragile place. Taylor messes hm around but when she comes back into his life and wants to date him - Eddie has just been shot and he's looking after Christopher - he's massively emotionally compromised. None of these are good times to start a romantic relationship.

That isn't the case with Tommy - Bucks actually in a pretty decent place - yes the whole discovering he's queer could be argued as making him emotionally compromised, but he's being given the grace to do things at his own pace - in a healthy way - Tommy is letting Buck dictate the pace they go at.

We also have to remember that we are in a tv show - every single character who isn't a main (or to a certain extent a recurring) is there to act as a storytelling vehicle for one of the mains - their character traits are always going to be those which help get a main character from A to B, to move the story along and to make sure our mains learn something about themselves and their fellow mains along the way.

Abby was about getting Buck from being a bit of a clueless player into a long term (ish) relationship - about growing him out of his jock ways and getting him (and us) to recognise that he isn't a player that he wants real love and a long term relationship. Ali was about him getting over his first big disappointment - about getting hm to move on and about getting him his own place to exist. Taylor was about learning what love didn't look like, about how to treat others and showing him what he wasn't looking for and teaching him not to compromise on his morals. Natalia was all about Buck reconciling himself with his death and rebirth and as soon as he had done that, she was gone.

Tommy is about Buck discovering his queer identity, having a safe space to explore that and about getting him ready for Eddie - its why Tommy is soooo similar to Eddie - Buck will come out of this relationship (whatever form it takes) understanding who he is, and recognising what he wants is what he already almost has - Eddie.

Tommy is also about helping manoeuvre Eddie into questioning himself - another reason why he is so similar to Eddie - Eddie needed to see a gay version of himself - and with Buck to actually start thinking about himself and who he is and what he wants.

So all this to say that Nonnie - Buck has very much got off that hamster wheel and he is very much not making the same mistakes over again. I'm very excited to see how it continues to play out and I'm overjoyed with how the show is handling telling this story.

[thefreshprinceofjunes]

OKAY WAIT

I WAS THINKING OF MAKING A POST W/ THIS SCENE IRT PEOPLE SAYING SORIKU WONT HAPPEN BC DISNEY DOESNT DO MLM

BUT LIKE

MY FUCKIGN DUMBASS JUST REMEMBERED SAN FRANSOKYO IS AN ACTUAL WORLD IN KH???

A WORLD THATS CANON IN THE KH UNIVERSE HAS A MLM ROMANCE?????

HOLY SHIT??????????

[drakaripykiros130ac]

do you expect TG to be even more whitewashed in next seasons? I certainly do. And I think I've already got an idea how Condal will do it. 1. Alicunt goes to Rhaenyra to beg for ceasing the war and/or dividing the realm so both Rhaenyra and Aegon can be rulers. Alicunt will imploringly beseech Rhaenyra with tears in her Big Doe Eyes™ and Rhaenyra harshly answers "no". They'll make Rhaenyra look like a power hungry, vicious tyrant just to get their point across 2. Aemond. Most (if not all) of his actions will be excused as "he didn't know better/he's just hot blooded, young and naive". Just like with accidently murdering Luke. And how will they do it? Two words: Alys Rivers. Yes, I fully expect them to make her the mastermind behind Strongs house annihilation and nuking Riverlands. She'll whisper into Aemond's ear that Strongs are traitors (her own personal revenge bc they treated her oh so bad) that he should show Riverlands his might etc.

I'm 100% sure it will happen

I agree with absolutely everything you mentioned.

Alicent gets a pass for everything because she is played by Olivia Cooke and the showrunners are absolutely obsessed with her (and when I say that, I mean her looks). And because Emma D’Arcy is not considered a conventional beauty in comparison, Rhaenyra, as a character, has to suffer.

Yes, I am 100% convinced they will make Alicent all holly and desperate to end the war (after she started it) by trying to convince Rhaenyra to divide the Realm and have both her and Aegon rule different parts of it (which is book canon, but the real Alicent’s intentions were far from noble at that point). They will certainly ignore how in canon, Alicent said terrible things about Rhaenyra’s children, like how bastard blood doesn’t matter and all that.

The showrunners also have an obsession with Aemond, as you pointed out. And in order to make him look good, they have to make Daemon look bad.

They invented the “bullying” storyline and how he just “accidently” killed Lucerys. In book canon, Aemond was a bloodthirsty psychopath with zero redeeming qualities (unlike Daemon), he committed numerous war crimes as a result of his rage and turned Alys Rivers into his sex slave after he murdered her whole family. But true, I’m not going to be surprised if they make Alys the mastermind behind all of Aemond’s actions in this war, just to make him look like a “poor innocent baby”.

Basically, everything the Greens do is a misunderstanding or an accident. Everything the Blacks do is intentional and cruel: that’s the showrunners’ whole play (and I can’t believe GRRM is letting them do whatever they want and turning this whole Dance into their personal Wattpad story).