#and I've sworn fealty to her

[slverblood]

I know they just had Aylin say the protag has her fealty after they curbstomp Kettle for flavor, but I'm like,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,the implications,,,,,,,,,,,,

[duxbelisarius]

The Velaryon Blockade or, How Not to Fight a War at Sea

Greetings and Salutations! After many months since completing the Military Analysis series, and having watched Season 2 of House of the Dragon (surely one of the shows of all time), I've returned to do some further analysis of the war of the Dance. I may end up including this entry in a subsequent re-write of the original analysis series, but I'm currently in the middle of working on a Daeron fanfic and wanted to write this to get my juices flowing. Without further ado, onto the main event: The Blockade of the Gullet (WARNING: Spoilers for HOTD and F&B; this is gonna be a long one!)

Analyzing the blockade of the Gullet or the Velaryon Blockade, as portrayed in Fire and Blood and House of the Dragon, requires tackling the subjects of how King's Landing is fed and whether such a blockade is feasible given the technology available to the setting. I'll start with the provisioning of King's Landing since the show made a big deal out of it, and it has implications for Fire and Blood's portrayal of the Dance.

The idea of a blockade of the Gullet leading to food shortages and near-starvation in King's Landing is a non-starter, since it is supported neither by the ASOIAF books or the show Game of Thrones. In the former case, we know that House Tyrells support for Renly leads to the Roseroad being closed and near famine conditions in KL, as noted by Tyrion in A Storm of Swords:

The mob loved Margaery so much they were even willing to love Joffrey again. She had belonged to Renly, the handsome young prince who had loved them so well he had come back from beyond the grave to save them. And the bounty of Highgarden had come with her, flowing up the roseroad from the south. The fools didn't seem to remember that it had been Mace Tyrell who closed the roseroad to begin with, and made the bloody famine. (ASOS, Tyrion VIII)

GoT retained this thread in Season 2 and returned to the subject of the Reach supplying KL with the 'Loot Train Battle' in Season 7.

Looked at more broadly, there are three sources of food that KL can access which render the Gullet completely redundant: Firstly, there is the Crownlands themselves, which should be accessible to KL by road or by boat via Blackwater Bay; there's the Reach, which is the most agriculturally abundant of all the Seven Kingdoms, although the main artery of this supply really should be the Mander river and not the Roseroad; and finally we have the Riverlands, which ought to be more important of a source for food since goods could reach KL from there entirely by boat or barge thanks to the Blackwater Rush and the God's Eye lake. Regardless, access to these areas means that little if any food provisions should be required to pass through the Gullet to support the capital, and this creates problems for the show and the books.

Leaving aside how the Blockade in the show is rendered useless, there is a massive plot hole for the Dance created by acknowledging this information. Prior to Criston Cole's Crownlands Campaign, most of that region, most of the Reach and all of the Riverlands have sworn fealty to Rhaenyra. Even if rationing was introduced and every source of food in the city were exploited, KL is still cut off from it's main food providers and this fact should have been addressed by the councils of either faction. Rhaenyra's allies were capable of cutting off the city's food supply and their armies could have come together to lay siege to the city. The only real obstacles they would face are Vhagar and Sunfyre, since Borros Baratheon and the Stormlands vanish from the narrative following Luke's death.

On the other hand, Aegon should have seized upon this threat to push for immediate action given his impatience with Otto's letter writing, the only payoff for which is the Triarchy's attack on the Gullet at the start of the next year. Aemond already secured the Baratheons, Tyland guarantees the Westerlands' support, and Ormund is effectively alone in supporting Aegon's cause in the Reach. As it turns out, neither faction is cognizant of this specific vulnerability of the capital at this time or later on in the Dance. When living conditions deteriorate under Rhaenyra, her tax policy is blamed rather than the fact that Cole's campaign should have negatively affected Crownlands agriculture; the Reach is rapidly switching sides thanks to Daeron; Daemon left the Riverlands in the hands of his army and those of the Lannisters, Aemond and Cole, with devastating consequences for the land and people; and finally, that the onset of winter should be having a negative effect on the food supply of the the Kingdoms.

It also needs to be stressed that for KL to rely on overseas shipments for the majority if not entirety of it's food supply, it would require the Targaryen monarchy to possess far greater governmental and military resources than they are given by George. Looking at Rome from the Middle Republic onwards and the Eastern Roman Empire prior to the Arab invasions, we can see that grain shipments helped to sustain far greater cities than King's Landing in Rome and Constantinople. In both cases though, they could rely on a hinterland for local food markets (Italy for Rome, Thrace/modern day Bulgaria for Constantinople) and possessed almost overwhelming naval supremacy which ensured the security of the seas. Rome could reliably access Sicily, North Africa, and Egypt for its grain needs, and Constantinople could do likewise with Anatolia, Egypt, the Black Sea basin and later Sicily and North Africa as well.

Ships bound for KL from the Reach would have to sail the treacherous waters and barren coast of southern Dorne, brave storms and pirates in the Stepstones, and risk further storms off the coast of the Stormlands, and this is without considering how dangerous the transit would be during years long autumns and winters. Essosi shipments have the same problem but with the added wrinkle that the crown would have to pay for them, whereas Roman grain shipments were often provided by collecting taxes in kind rather than cash from farmers in Egypt and North Africa. This alone would automatically elevate House Lannister above the Targaryens as the foremost house in the Seven Kingdoms, given their access to nigh-infinite gold deposits. This is all to say that the premise of the Gullet Blockade starving out KL is utterly preposterous, which makes it completely unsurprising that Ryan Condal and Sara Hess chose to run with it!

By contrast, the blockade attempted in F&B was meant to put pressure on the Greens by cutting off all trade to the capital, preventing merchants from reaching the city or leaving it. The foreign and domestic merchants trapped in Blackwater Bay are among the loudest voices criticizing Aegon and his leadership, which was seemingly the aim of Corlys Velaryon. Unfortunately for George's plot, close examination of the development of naval warfare in the Medieval and Early Modern Periods (c.500-1500 and c.1500-1800 respectively), the very periods George has derived his naval technology and ship designs from, indicate that the blockade of the Gullet makes no sense militarily. I arrived at my conclusion about the Blockade after consulting John H. Pryor and Elizabeth M. Jeffries excellent book The Age of the Dromon: The Byzantine Navy c.500-1204, with further insight provided by X users SzablaObr2023 and the "Orc Logistics Guy" himself, Professor Bret Devereaux.

The most fundamental problem with the Gullet Blockade is that it's the wrong kind of blockade to attempt within the setting; historically, there have been two types of blockade attempted in war: Close and Distant. Close blockades were the most common in pre-modern times, and involved cutting off naval traffic from a region or area (typically a port) with ships posted within sight of the coastline. Distant blockades aim to cut off traffic to a much larger area by posting ships at sea far from the coastline of the intended target. The Velaryons are attempting the latter kind by controlling the waters between Dragonstone and Massey's Hook, to prevent any ships from entering or leaving Blackwater Bay and thereby isolating King's Landing.

The forces available to Corlys Velaryon are not insignificant: we know that Alyn Velaryon sailed against the Stepstones in 133 AC with 60 war galleys, 30 longships, and over 100 cogs and great cogs, to which we can add the 7 warships that escorted the Gay Abandon in 129-130 AC. Increasing this fleet by a third and rounding up to account for the losses suffered in the Battle of the Gullet gives the Velaryon Fleet at least 270 ships at the outset of the Dance, potentially as high as 300. By comparison, the Redwyne Fleet in 300 AC possesses 200 warships, about equal to the Carthaginian fleet at the outset of the First Punic War and larger than any fleet used by Athens against Sparta during the Peloponnesian War (see this video from 15:27 onward).

Based on Alyn's order of battle, it appears that the Velaryon Fleet was evenly split between oared warships and pure sailing vessels, which presents a problem for the Gullet Blockade. While oared and sailing vessels could maintain a close blockade, the former are completely unsuited for a distant blockade due to their logistical requirements and seaworthiness. Close blockades were often used to cut off a port or narrow stretch of water in support of a siege by land forces; an excellent historical example is the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, when the army and fleet of Gaius Octavian trapped Mark Antony's forces in the Ambracian Gulf. Closeness to the coast and the friendly armies stationed there ensured that oared ships had access to food supplies and more importantly, fresh water. Pryor and Jeffries estimate that each member of a Byzantine rowing crew required a minimum of 8 liters of fresh water per day; a Dromon with 108 rowers would thus need 864 liters per day and 1000 liters or one tonne if the marines and officers are included (adding a second crew of rowers would almost double that amount). Mediterranean war galleys of the Medieval and Early Modern Periods had storage for only 4-8 tonnes of fresh water on board, making accessible fresh water sources a sine qua non for operations of any length.

The other factor rendering oared warships unsuitable for distant blockade duties is their seaworthiness, which Pryor and Jeffries discuss at length:

if the wind rose to Beaufort Scale Four-Five (16-17 knots) ... That would raise waves of around 4.75 feet, 1.45 metres. All galleys at all times were designed to cut through the water rather than to ride the waves and such a wind, which is just a “moderate” to “fresh” breeze on the Beaufort Scale, nothing out of the ordinary, would send waves washing over the deck of any dromon. Even if the wind were astern, she would still be forced to run for the coast. If the wind were ahead, it would be worse because that would mean that the ship was attempting to beat to windward and therefore would be heeling over with one gunwale continuously under water." ... Scale Seven winds would raise seas up to 13.5 feet (4.115 metres) and no dromon would stand a chance of continuing its voyage in such conditions. The authors of the Olympias project have concluded that a trieres [Trireme] would be swamped in waves above 0.85 metres, and we believe that in all probability a dromon would have been also. ... However, galleys were simply not designed to be sailed and throughout history they were always notoriously poor sailers. Because their lack of deep keels meant that they made excessive leeway when beating into the wind, because their shallow draft and low freeboard meant that they could not heel under sail very much, because their narrow beam and low depth in hold meant that their hulls did not have the structural strength to carry a large press of sail, and because their extreme length:beam ratio and lateen sails meant that they carried pronounced weather helm, constantly griping, the bows coming up into the wind, galleys were always notorious for poor upwind performance under sail. That is nothing to be wondered at for they were not designed to do that ... Moreover, a heel under sail of a mere ten degrees or so would put the lower rims of the lower oar ports at the flat water line and at that point it is highly questionable whether the oar sleeves would have prevented water from entering the hull, even if they were tied off. (Age of the Dromon, pg. 336-338)

Velaryon war galleys and longships would need to stay close to Cracklaw Point, Massey's Hook, Driftmark and Dragonstone to be of any assistance to the Blockade, although with the rough seas and weather of autumn and winter even this would be a doubtful prospect. Corlys would have to rely upon the cogs and great cogs of the Velaryon Fleet to conduct the blockade; Devereaux and Szabla noted that sailing vessels are capable of conducting distant blockades, as demonstrated by Britain's Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. They also note that conducting such a blockade entailed problems all its own:

A distant blockade with sailing vessels still required significant logistical support, a well developed naval command structure and bureaucracy, and only began to be attempted centuries after the High and Late Middle Ages when the Cog was widely used.

Even if we leave these issues aside, the Gullet Blockade still has another serious problem: Communications. Based on a distance map of Westeros, the distance between Crackclaw Point and Sharp Point appears to be c.125 miles while the length of the Gullet proper from Dragonstone to Sharp Point may be 100 miles or less. Meleys is the only dragon known to have supported the Blockade and seems not to have been replaced after her death at Rook's Rest. Over 100 cogs and 1 dragon at best would be the only forces capable of patrolling the Gullet to any effect, while the need for ships to resupply the blockade and to act as reserves to relieve ships from the Blockade line drastically reduces the amount of ships that could patrol the Gullet. Pryor and Jeffries' assessment of Byzantine visual signaling suggests that communications within the Blockade would be almost impossible:

The masthead height of the foremast of a standard dromon as we have reconstructed it was only around 10.65 metres above sea level. There were, admittedly, larger dromons; however, for what follows a couple of metres more of masthead height would make no difference to the conclusions reached. With a foremast height of 10.65 metres above sea level, the theoretical horizon of a lookout at the masthead would have been only around 11.8 kilometres. Theoretically, the peak of a lateen sail 21 metres above sea level could be seen a further 51.7 kilometres away but, of course, no man could see 63.5 kilometres with unaided sight. In all probability, around 15-20 kilometres would have been the limit of visibility from the masthead of a dromon. Scout ships could not, therefore, patrol a space more than 30-40 kilometres in advance of a fleet and probably no more than 30, since they were always said to have been smaller than standard dromons and would have had lower mastheads. In fact, in order to be able to actually read signals with unaided eyesight and communicate them back to the fleet, distances must have been even less than this. Syrianos Magistros advised that a fleet should always proceed with scout ships out ahead, up to six milia or so. Two scout ships should be 6 milia ahead and another two should be between them and the fleet to relay any messages. Six milia was only around 8 kilometres. If the forward scout ships then had a range of visibility of another 8-16 kilometres, then the real maritime space that could be observed was only around 25 kilometres at best. (Age of the Dromon, pg. 388-389).

Compared to the Gullet, the Strait of Otranto is 100 km wide (c.69 miles) while the distance between Crete and Rhodes is 180 km (c.112 miles) with the island of Karpathos in the middle; neither the Byzantines nor contemporary Mediterranean powers could control entry and exit through such space.

It might be argued that spyglasses, known in ASOIAF as Myrish Lenses or a Myrish Eye, could offer a solution to such long distances; unfortunately these devices are only produced in Myr, and of the three mentioned in the main books only one is used onboard a ship. The lenses used by Maesters Luwin and Aemon are large enough to require a tripod; the only one mentioned aboard a ship is a collapsible Eye carried by a Myrish captain whose ship is taken by Victarion en route to Slavers Bay. Even if Myrish lenses were available to some degree, it's unlikely they could overcome the problems of distance and the conditions at sea.

Writing about the War of 1812, Frederick Leiner states that a lookout "perched on the masthead, 80 or 100 feet above the main deck, and equipped with a spyglass, with the horizon perhaps 20 miles off ... might be able to discern a larger warship-like frigate perhaps as far as 15 miles distant, if the weather were clear and sea conditions allowed." 15 miles or 24 km is impressive compared to the 8-16 km of the Byzantine scout ships mentioned by Pryor and Jeffries, but the heights of Leiner's masts are more than double that of a Dromon and taller still than a cogs. Even a spyglass from two centuries after they were first introduced would not greatly enhance the vision of a Velaryon lookout, and the notoriously poor weather and seas of the Westerosi autumn and winter would certainly counteract it. With ships being kept off station to ferry supplies and act as reserves, the area needing to be patrolled would make visual signaling highly impractical.

To quote Pryor and Jeffries once more, "Expeditionary objectives could frequently be achieved best by preserving one’s forces intact and actually avoiding battle since naval warfare was essentially amphibious warfare whose purpose was to secure control of terrestrial objectives rather than to attempt to control maritime space (Age of the Dromon, 388)." Using the Velaryon Fleet to support the Black armies rather than attempting an exercise in futility by blockading the Gullet, would have applied pressure to Aegon and the Greens more effectively while being consistent with the setting that George created and its inspirations.

The most obvious way for the Velaryon Fleet to support the Blacks would be through transporting Northern and Vale troops south of the Neck and the Mountains of the Moon, to take the fight to Aegon rather than sitting back passively once Daemon rallied the Riverlords and the Blacks in the Reach marched on Oldtown. Considering how swiftly both of those armies were raised, it makes no sense why the Vale could not at least send troops to assist Rhaenyra in the Crownlands. Another option and one which I proposed in part 12 and the conclusion of my military analysis series, would be to send the Velaryon Fleet south against the Stormlords.

Otto Hightower believed that Tarth would support Rhaenyra's cause, and Lord Buckler and Lady Fel were both executed by Aegon for refusing to swear fealty to him instead of Rhaenyra. The bulk of the Crownlands supports Rhaenyra prior to Criston Cole's campaign, and Felwood and Bronzegate are located south of the Crownlands astride the Kingsroad to Storm's End. The Wendwater flows through the Stormlands and Crownlands before emptying into Blackwater Bay; assuming the river is even partially navigable, this could allow shallow drafted boats to move troops and supplies into the lower Kingswood and prevent Aegon and Borros from aiding one another. Naval operations along the coast would be risky given the arrival of autumn, but the weather rarely affects the plot of the Dance if the author doesn't want it to. Tarth would serve as a base for the Velaryon ships to resupply and further raid the coast or land troops and the Blacks in the Reach could threaten the border, with the Cockleswhent and Blueburn rivers potentially serving as supply arteries for an invasion from the west.

There are also compelling political reasons for the Blacks and particularly the Velaryons to attack the Stormlands: It would punish Borros Baratheon for breaking his father's oath to Rhaenyra, esp. since his father supported Rhaenys and Laenor in 101 and Rhaenys is currently part of the Black council; it could be portrayed as vengeance for the death of Lucerys Velaryon over Shipbreaker Bay; and it could potentially force the Greens out of King's Landing. Aemond's betrothal to Floris Baratheon would give him some obligation to support his ally and future good-father against their common foe, and failure to give aid would endanger the Baratheon alliance. Aegon's only other allies are in the Westerlands and the Honeywine valley of the southern Reach, and without the Baratheons he is completely surrounded by his enemies. Whether Aegon, Aemond or both set out with an army to aid Borros, King's Landing's garrison and perhaps one dragonrider are all that would be left to defend against an attack by Daemon and the Riverlords and/or the Black houses of the Reach.

These scenarios offer a more effective employment for the Velaryon Fleet, but there is a way to retain the blockade while ensuring that the ending of the Dance remains relatively the same (Rhaenyra and Aegon are dead, Aegon III and Jaehaera marry, most of the dragons are dead, etc.) by acknowledging that the blockade is a poor strategy. It could start by allowing Mysaria's spies to discover the fate of the Royal Treasury, with ships carrying 75% of the treasury out of Blackwater Bay without the awareness of the Velaryon Fleet. It can even be implied that Larys Strong leaked this information to play both sides and drive a wedge between Rhaenyra and her Hand; this pays off as Rhaenyra blames Corlys and the Velaryons for this embarassment and imposes the Blockade against Corlys' judgement. The blockade serves as a way for her to get back at Aegon while asserting her royal authority after her claim was usurped.

The Velaryon Fleet is thus forced to commit the entirety of its forces to a task that Corlys, his vassals, and his captains and crews know is beyond their means to carry out successfully. Many galleys could be lost to the stormy seas and their crews drowned, while the cogs must endure the same weather and miserable conditions in pursuit of a pointless task. Morale declines steadily as many ships desert completely, turning to piracy or becoming merchantmen and sellsails in Essos, which further undermines the blockade. Tensions between Rhaenyra and Corlys would already be high before Rhaenys' death and could reach a crisis point after the Battle of the Gullet. The way the battle plays out in F&B could likewise be retained if the mistakes made by the Blacks are acknowledged, being the failure of naval or dragon patrols to detect the approach of the Triarchy Fleet. Gyldan could point out that both Prince Jacaerys and Lord Corlys are at fault for the disaster, but that Rhaenyra solely blames the Velaryons. I would even go a step further: Medieval and Early Modern naval combat relied heavily on boarding actions, excluding cannons since they're not present in George's setting. With many galleys and ships being entangled in these close-quarters bouts, it would not be surprising if the dragonriders set fire to Velaryon ships by mistake and further contributed to the deterioration of Velaryon support.

With many officers and crews having lost their families and homes in the Triarchy attack, this would present a perfect opportunity for Vaemond Velaryon's sons, Daeron and Daemion, and his nephews the 'Silent Five' to take action if they were not already involved in the events of the Dance. With Larys possibly assisting them, they could begin organizing a fleet-wide mutiny against Rhaenyra and the Black Council, which would take place after Corlys is arrested. Addam and Alyn would flee to Dragonstone and Driftmark, the former to seek Baela and Moondancer's help and the latter to rally ships and crews to help his father. The mutineers capture Alyn while Addam finds Moondancer dead, Baela imprisoned, and Dragonstone in the hands of Aegon II, with a battle ensuing between Sunfyre and Seasmoke which leads to Aegon's injuries and Addam fleeing the bay worse for wear. Heading to Maidenpool and finding that Nettles has fled and Daemon and Aemond are fallen in battle, Addam could then rally what forces he can for a suicide mission against Tumbleton with the aim of killing Daeron and the Betrayers and mauling their army before it can join Aegon at King's Landing.

This sets up how I would fix Second Tumbleton, by Addam showing up to find Daeron already battling with the Betrayers and the army divided. Knowing that neither Aegon and Alicent nor Alyn, Baela and Corlys will survive if the Betrayers take the capital, Addam and Daeron join forces and rout the Betrayers army, with all four dragonriders being killed in the battle. This change is important if Jaehaera's death is retained, since there needs to be strong foundations for reconciling the Greens and Blacks. Addam and Daeron the Daring's sacrifice gives both factions heroes that they can memorialize and honour together; Daenaera's marriage to Aegon III is also helped by her father and uncle having been actively involved in Rhaenyra's downfall in support of Aegon II. A final touch I would add would be for Alyn to lead a counter-mutiny following Aegon II's death which leads to deaths of Daeron Velaryon and three of the 'Silent Five'; Alyn could swear an oath to the dying Daeron to look after his daughter Daenaera now that both her parents will be dead. This magnanimous act by Alyn and the respect the Velaryon Fleet has for him could inform Daemion's decision to break with the remaining 'Silent Five' and support Alyn's claim as Corlys' heir.

If you've made it to the end of this wall of text, I commend you! For those that want a TL;DR: The Show's blockade is nonsense; the Book blockade is unworkable as a strategy; nonetheless, the blockade and the Velaryon Fleet can still play an important role in the story if the aforementioned flaws are acknowledged. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you on the flip side!

[autumnslance]

paladin talk derived- what would you have liked to see as ul'dah paladins or knights? aesthetics, oaths, lore, other stuff?

I've said before in my old post comparing various jobs (PLD, DRK) with the Oaths of 5e D&D that as they are, the Sultansworn fit the "Oath of the Crown" due to being primarily focused on their role as the Sultana's guards; they are there to be old school historical knightly guardians of the ruling family and their palace.

Oath of the Crown The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the laws that hold society together. These paladins are the watchful guardians on the walls, standing against the chaotic tides of barbarism that threaten to tear down all that civilization has built, and are commonly known as guardians, exemplars, or sentinels. Often, paladins who swear this oath are members of an order of knighthood in service to a nation or sovereign, and undergo their oath as part of their admission to the order's ranks.

So if we're sticking to fantasy style paladins with a hint of history nerding from the writers, this sort of thing suits them, really.

And honestly, what lore we get in ARR isn't bad; the quest story around it is boring, but the concepts, tenets, oaths, history? It could still work. Throw out the HW "job stones vying for dominance" nonsense, and again, don't forget they exist past the starting zone, and it'd be fine! The Sultansworn should be more a part of the messy politics of Ul'dah and involved in some of the central events, especially those in and around the palace and dealing with the Sultana. Where does the order fall during all these events? How many are actually loyal to Nanamo and Papashan? How many are swayed by the Syndicate and allow events to happen? We don't know, and that's one of my issues in how the story unfolded.

Cuz the Sultansworn that are locked to their positions like at the doors to the Fragrant Chamber, it's just...business as usual. And some of it is the shorthand, truncated allowance for story in a MMO environment, but a lot of it also feels like an oversight when plotting out events like a full on coup that puts the Sultana's life on the line and her personal guard are nowhere to be seen.

So where's the storyline about dealing with the fallout of ARR, of the Sultansworn picking up the pieces and rooting out traitors...OR, since we had an Ul'dah paladin story in ARR (mediocre as it is), then give us the Ishgardian one in HW to compare/contrast. Then, let them come together in the Stormblood chain (maybe still have it be a tournament), as the two different paladin orders from two different nations duke it out and eventually come to an accord on how they're more similar than they first appeared and want the same things in the end: the safety and security of their peoples and Eorzea as a whole.

As for aesthetics, the short answer: Dhalmekia in FF16 does a better job at invoking the culture and military (with an elite guardian order to boot) of a desert nation in their clothing/armor and weapons.

However, in original and rebuilt FF14 that's now over a decade old...

The armor we get for the AFs are lacking in religious iconography, but still feel very "traditional Fantasy Pan-European Holy Knight via video game physics" you'll find in any other RPG, either video or tabletop. This includes the first set, which is what we get from our Sultansworn trainer, even if the Player is a "Free Paladin". Like the Valor chest piece almost works in its underlying construction, but they throw that style of tabard and the ridic shoulder pads on top, and those gloves and boots. And a crown instead.

Several of the ARR AFs are taken from earlier games for their iconic looks, and I am not certain if I am missing other historical references in those gearsets, or if it's all simply rendering iconic game gear from earlier FFs into something that works in 14.

Part of the trouble to is all of the common outfits in ARR are, for the most part, real generic tunics, robes, and pants for everyone regardless of region. There's very little change in appearance for outfits across the realm regardless of whether one is in South Thanalan, La Noscea, or Coerthas. And looking at what 1.x material there is, it was pretty much the same. We have various turbans in game since ARR, but I'd like something a little less "generic fantasy armor" and acknowledging other forms...that we don't really get to see until we get some Eastern-themed outfits in HW, and then especially in Stormblood. For the most part, it's either full plate or chain. We've also had curved swords (scimitars, sabers) for awhile, why not make something like that, with a round shield, more the uniform of the Sultansworn, instead of a straight blade and kite shield?

I have a Watcher paladin in a D&D game where I ended up looking into Turkish folk styles and Earlier Ottoman armors for her gear. I've also recently (and this is going a little more into the Caucasus) gotten into traditional Georgian clothes, with the chokha worn by their soldiers developed from earlier century kaftans, as they sat at a crossroads of the trade routes.

Here is an unrolled thread about Crusade history (had to auto-translate) with some art and photographic examples of different periods and regions. Even when the historical Faris (from the idea of Furusiyya, which was a knightly code and concept in Arabic medieval times and like chivalry and knights in the West, started with who had horses) wore more metal armor, it was different from traditional European styles. But given the strictures on styles in 1.x and through 2.0, that really wasn't feasible.

For a huge part, I'm just real done with Pan-West-European fantasy, especially when a token effort is made to add varied regions, but it ends being just that: tokenism, and the rest doesn't take into account the actual environment they've created (which is why I say if you're going to make just another Euro-flavored knight order, stick them in the Euro-flavored knight zone). CU3's gotten better about that over time, especially as they've gotten more budget, more people, and better technology. Development marches on, but it really makes the gaps in early game noticeable, and I kinda hope (but don't expect) for some subtle swap outs and revisions to the generic early gear everyone in ARR zones are currently stuck with.

[defira85]

I am stopping myself from ordering more BG3 commissions until after I've seen the surgeon in case money needs to be spent on surgery so HERE IS A RAMBLE ABOUT THE FAMILY ANSURAN aka spoilers for Keep Telling Me To Breathe

Flynn Ansuran. Kass and Enver's firstborn. Precious miracle child, long after Kass had accepted that she would never have children. A slight and subtle intervention on Torm's part, because the gods are never not meddling in the lives of mortals, even with the best of intentions.

Born with Ansur's copper scales, a reminder of Kass' pact with the undead dragon to protect the city, he is nonetheless quite reserved in his use of magic. He does not have his father's knack for charm and manipulation, nor does he have his mother's sense of flamboyance and cunning. He's a sensible, quiet boy, and there are jokes amongst the Tadfools that a mistake was made and they've actually ended up with Heron's child, as he takes after his uncle strikingly so.

He does however have the same sense of rigid determination and dogged perseverance of his parents, and he takes his mother's stories about Ansur and the Heart of the Gate so, so seriously. He takes to the sword and shield, and he follows Knight Commander Tavares around like a lost puppy. He's a squire by his tenth birthday. He's an officer in the Flaming Fists by his eighteenth. By the time Kass feels ready to retire and pass off the Heart of the Gate to Flynn, he's a fully fledged paladin, Oath of the Crown: "The Oath of the Crown is sworn to the ideals of civilization, be it the spirit of a nation, fealty to a sovereign, or service to a deity of law and rulership. The paladins who swear this oath dedicate themselves to serving society and, in particular, the laws that hold society together." Flynn Ansuran, Heart of the Gate, serves Baldur's Gate, and there are none who love this city more than he does

Orin Ansuran. Kass and Enver's secondborn. Capricious first daughter, she bears so many traits of her namesake, as well as some of the more questionable traits of her parents. Ambitious. Self confident. Arrogant - a toddler who absolutely knows what the word no means, and absolutely does not accept it under any circumstances unless she's the one using it.

She bears the same draconic sorcery as Flynn, but she takes to it like a duck to water. Magic comes as easily to her as breathing, but that's not enough for little Orin - she does not simply wish to have magic, she wishes to conquer magic, the same brazen confidence that was her father's downfall. At the age of seven, and with significant help from Gale, they are able to convince the Blackstaff Academy to take her in as an apprentice despite her incredibly young age, and she begins training as a wizard. She spends the school semesters living in Waterdeep with Gale and Rhyme and their children, and returns to Baldur's Gate for the holidays. If you had to put a label on her, it'd probably be a multiclassed sorceress/wizard with draconic sorcery and Order of Scribes subclasses, but you probably shouldn't try to label her

Beautiful to the point of disbelief as an adult, Orin Ansuran knows exactly how attractive she is, and she knows she's definitely smarter than you, and she's absolutely insufferable. She is voraciously loyal, almost blindly so, and sometimes her intense fixations remind Enver very much of a younger Kassara. He would never dream of saying that out loud in front of the two of them

Hope Ansuran. The almost-didn't-make-it miracle third. Hope is the darling of the family, hopelessly (hah!) spoiled, endlessly doted on, and incredibly mischievous. She is the balance between her brother's stoic sense of duty and her sister's arrogant notions of grandeur. She is eager to learn, and eager to play, and just sees life as a grand and happy adventure

Perhaps it was inevitable that she would be drawn to Enver's tinkerings, given that her siblings were away from home through much of her childhood and she gravitated to watching her father in his workshop. Enver crafts a little mechanised go-kart, essentially a kiddie sized chariot, just big enough for little Hope and Sceleritas to stand in as it wheels through the city streets, and the two of them absolutely menace the population of Baldur's Gate with their hooligan antics. It's impossible to stay mad at Hope Ansuran, though, she just radiates a timeless joy that you can't help but smile at in return

She tags along endlessly behind her mother and father, soaking up everything from them. Like Flynn, her draconic sorcery is useful, but not her main interest, and she follows after Enver to become an artificer. She builds her first Steel Defender pet by the time she's nine, and becomes the finest Battle Smith in all of the Gate, even above the Gondians. And while Flynn is automatically afforded a title and a place in parliament as the Heart of the Gate, Hope networks aggressively and makes her way into politics on her own merits, and one day will serve the Gate as one of the Grand Dukes. Oh, and just to finally set old wounds to rest, she marries Hypatia Ravengard, daughter of Wyll, Karlach and Violet Ravengard - nothing better than the new generation healing the hurts of the past

[mannatea]

it's super fun to watch people argue on other webbed sites about ffix because i remain completely and utterly separate from them. and you might be thinking, "sure, it makes sense not to comment on threads from 20 years ago on old forums" which is of course TRUE. however, these discussions also take place on modern reddit and even in youtube comments, and while i am not usually shy about commenting there (especially reddit, i have like 12k karma) there is approximately zero chance of me engaging in discussion with people who don't actually want to discuss anything.

the rest is under a cut bc i'm ranting lmfdsafhdsalfjds

i could absolutely reply to them and say something like, "aCTUalLY your reading comprehension is dogshit; i'm sorry you don't understand what words mean when they make a complete sentence. please get help" buuuuut that's just insulting and doesn't help anyone. i could also actually explain why they're wrong, and probably in one complete sentence, but they are just absolutely enthralled by their own opinion and have zero desire to read mine. also, they'd have to read the wHOLE sentence and i've already established the fact that a lot of these people can't do that.

the amount of absolutely buckwild takes i've seen where the person talking is willfully ignorant or (quite honestly) just plain stupid and incapable of critical thinking is...not surprising. what IS surprising is how many people base their takes off of their own piss-poor memory of the game. like buddy...at no point did steiner call beatrix a kiss-ass, suck-up, or brown-noser. he just mentioned that she was trying to one-up him. slightly different. context. words have meaning. etc.

ALSO SURPRISING: the amount of hate and vitriol based on shit like "steiner is ugly" or "eiko is annoying" is crazy to me. for some godforsaken reason the beatrix haters (all very proud to be considered such, i assure you) love to show up on every discussion or even mention of beatrix to talk about how they (you guessed it!) hate her. okay??? you do you but i have better things to do with my life than hate fictional characters.

and you might be like, "but manna, you're a beatrix stan. you've loved her since you were like 14! of course you'd notice that!!!!" but buddy my pal my GUY my fRIEND these takes are about basically every single character who had more than a few lines in the game. the garnet slander is insane. people making fun of 'dagger' as a nickname? talking about how she's stupid for feeling love for the mother who raised her and loved her for years?? people WILDLY overreacting about zidane's supposed lechery? brooooo he seems over the top when you're like, 12, but replay the game and there's barely a mention of it. also the "ooh soft" scene was an accident 100%, i've known that since i was a child.

don't even get me started on eiko and how people act like she's some kind of demon even though she's a LITERAL SIX YEAR OLD GIRL WHO LOST HER FAMILY AND WAS RAISED BY FUCKING MOOGLES like? hello??? of course she does the wildest shit. GOOD FOR HER. i support her wrongs. and also that love letter. dumbest idea ever but watching her prance around the castle getting doctor tot's help was ENDEARING, RIGHT? like, she was trying her best! and she grew as a character!

so did steiner! and garnet! and zidane! and BEATRIX! sorry the game didn't hold everyone's widdle hands and be like okayyy so now steiner realizes that blind loyalty is BAD, okay? and now he's going to make some choices of his own because he's learned that he's allowed to be his own person and have his own thoughts and opinions about things. one of those choices is going to be beatrix but that's not him regressing in character development at all; that's him declaring to protect someone OF HIS CHOOSING (rather than someone he's sworn to protect through fealty). let's all give steiner a big round of applause in the steiner+beatrix+mistodon scene for making his first big VERY PERSONAL CHOICE even though we may not personally agree with it or even think it came out of nowhere!!!

don't get me started on the others.

nobody's character development was subtle but it's like some of the fans of the game have negative media literacy and just say the dARNDEST things (but in a way that makes you smartly log off rather than start typing up a comment to them directly).

like i just genuinely cannot believe some of the stuff i've seen.

don't get me wrong, i've seen some great discussion too--about worldbuilding and timelines and the genomes and on and on.

i'm just gobsmacked at how many takes aren't like "haha dumb" but are like, "i'm not sure you're literate" dumb. then again, it's shocking how many people can't or won't put themselves into the shoes of another character. like they could have a gun to their head and be told to try and explain why steiner is the way he is and they'd just say it's because he's ugly.

which is like. concerning. not because i think steiner as a fictional man has rights*, but if they can't even figure out basic bitch character development 101 for a cartoon man in a 20+ year old video game, how do they like. live life? engage with other media that's more subtle? yipes.

*he should be allowed to say fuck, tbh

anyway it's just really funny to see these whole ass conversations going on in other spaces and be like, you're all wrong and bad at reading comprehension but it's none of mY business

while i run to tumblr to have a giggle about it for my 3 followers to read

[hazbinsponsoredbyvee]

"Oh? A fellow Overlord, are you? I can't say I've ever heard of you. Though I suppose the 'Hermit Overlord' title might explain that! Ha! How long have you been in Hell, good sir?"

I have had the honour of being down here since 1656. I mostly keep to "Le Domaine", which is my territory and serves as the home to all the souls who have sworn fealty to me. I am a little surprised you don't remember me, as we've signed a truce agreement in Rosie's Emporium back in 1955, after our two decades old confrontation made its way to her doorstep! But I imagine you must be kept busy with the Hotel and Her Royal Highness' endearing efforts to redeem sinners, especially after you've left us for seven years.

"Excuse me? I think I would remember having a decades' long spat with another Overlord. The only one who fits that bill is Vox; though that came much later! And I certainly never signed any kind of truce. And dear Rosie would know better than to ask such of me. A truce is a forfeiture, and I don't forfeit. I do hope you aren't spreading around such galling rumors about me! It would be a shame, when you seemed quite the compelling fellow."

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 10.b

In the twilight gloom, small, narrow eyes caught the light peered out of the neighbor’s bushes.  Watching her.

goblin?

“It’s still not going to make me a Dancer again.”

I like the capitalization here: it's not about how much physical ability to dance she regains, but that she's no longer part of the social group

“Don’t lie!” Melissa shouted.  Her eyes barely left the cigarette as her mom’s hand moved, then went back to her mom’s face, making eye contact.  “You never cared!  You never understood what I meant when I was gymnastics level four!  You dropped me off and went to get coffee most of the time!  You don’t know what I lost!  My friends dropped me and they treat me like I did something wrong!”

get this girl out of urban horror and into a sports anime

At the windowsill, a lit, uncrushed cigarette sat with the burning end just off the edge, glowing, a curl of smoke rising.

just monitoring her, or trying to get her caught? Could get her out of Kennet and no longer a problem

“We called a friend,” Lucy said.  “In Winnipeg.  Cheap apartment in an okay building.  In-house counselor.  Some friendly faces.”

Clem? I can't remember if Bristow's building was in Winnipeg, but that's the only housing connection I can think of

“They’re serious.  These are emergency plans for if they die or get kidnapped.  Treat that with the respect that it deserves.”

yeah, I get why Melissa is angry and frustrated no one will tell her anything, but it should be clear Avery and Lucy aren't fucking around with her with how serious they are. Actually, talking with Clem would probably help with the frustration, since she lived with that for decades and knows how bad getting in deeper can be.

Whatever she said next was heard by Louise, Lucy, Avery, and Snowdrop alone, because Lucy threw the cigarette down the road.  The wind picked it up, and it was carried away, through spaces that weren’t Kennet.

oh! I had assumed this was a Melissa interlude, but is it actually Cig? Is this arc going to take us through the various Kennet Others? We've already had John, and Tashlit to close out the last arc.

Good way for readers to take stock of various sides before the conflict breaks out.

He’d moved from America to Canada twenty years ago, for political reasons, and had said he wouldn’t go back until things were in a better place.

wildly curious as to what these politics are. That would be around 2000... could be response to 9/11?

“I’ve been seeing my son in my dreams,” Anthony Wenzel said.  “Was going to say it in group, but it felt stupid. Every night for almost a week.”

Carmine influence in general, or Alpeana?

Melissa waited for a bit, then scrounged under her bed. She pulled out a big blue pill bottle. “They want me to fuzz the brain a bit, forget the supernatural?” she mused, quiet.  “This could work, right?  At least my ankle won’t be twinging.” She tossed back two pills and washed them back with some water.

:|

well that's one way to deal with it

Bound and Sworn to only go after bad cops and corrupt lawyers who drink, which is most cops and all lawyers, in my frank opinion. He has to out them and dismantle the systems they’ve built on his way out.

based

“Only two.  Codeine, I think left over from her ankle.  To fuzz her Awareness and maybe let go of it.”

the question is will this work with only a couple of doses, or if she's going to be permanently keeping herself fuzzy

"Blood everywhere, more aggression.” “We were going to send the goblins out with the compasses tonight, again.”

looks like Verona hid the furs well

“I’ll go.  I’ll leave, I- I meant no insult, I-”

putting a pin in this thought:

The world of practice and Others works according to older rules and ways of viewing the world. It was brought up a few chapters before, in how many realms heavily practice slavery, and I've mentioned in how practice goes through apprenticeship chains and formal Other society functions on fealty.

Here we have it again, where this clockwork Other's response to being stopped from murdering a girl is not guilt over the murder, but worry that doing so in someone else's town is an insult to them.

“I don’t want excuses.  Or apologies.  How can we use you?  Can you find missing things?”

glad to see that losing the furs is a big problem for her

The cigarette lay there, burning in the dirt, amid candles. “Good looking out. Not a word of this to others.”

hmm, so does Cig know about the CB conspiracy? I suppose it would be hard to keep secrets from it... and Edith's wording here makes me hope that most of the Kennet Others are uninvolved

“I love stories,” the man said.  “I write, so it’s great inspiration.  I’ll pay for any you can find.  Real ones, I’ll know if they aren’t real.  Anything spooky, anything weird.”

witch hunter?

“Let him go,” Edith said.  “And very quietly, let’s warn the others who are cooperating with us.  Let him hunt the ones who aren’t.”

fuck.

I suppose that will be something to keep an eye on over the next chapters, who seems to know to be cautious.

[muddyorbsblr]

works in progress – 2023 (update 2)

Now that 14 Days is over and I've had about a week to decompress my brain and actually let myself think and breathe…Here's what to expect in the coming weeks & months…this time around I won't be saying much about the projects, just the titles…

In the immediate future…

500 Follower Celebration requests

summoned (2 parts) – Incubus!Loki x Reader

why him? – Loki x Reader

the final Lady Sharpe (3 parts) – Thomas Sharpe x Reader

reckless girl (3 parts) – Magnus Martinsson x Reader

would've could've should've – Loki x Reader

a heart like yours: at her side – Loki x Reader

forever & always – Jonathan Pine x Reader

pieces of me – Loki x Reader

sworn fealty parts 2 & 3 – TDW Loki x Reader

relinquish the crown

Season 1B

from a world away

plans & protestations

what could be done

under one condition

as long as i've known you (Season 1 finale…2 parts)

prequel piece: outfits & portraits (takes place decades before 'at first sight')

companion piece: crimson threads

what if…?

ceilings (2-part)

Now in the distant future…

captive mind, taken heart (series) – Loki x Reader

winding road of redemption (series) – Loki x Reader

until i reach you (potential seasons-long series) – Loki x Reader

500 follower celebration

by the right eyes – Tom Hiddleston x Reader

a wardrobe just in case (series) – Loki x Reader

an exquisite visual – Jonathan Pine x Reader

unsigned & anonymous – Thomas Sharpe x Reader

what i'm willing to do (3 parts) – Magnus Martinsson x Reader

une nouvelle vie avec toi – Thomas Sharpe x Reader

untitled professor hiddles series

relinquish the crown

what if…?

breathing in (sex pollen…1 part)

unmasked (1 part)

i hear you, i see you (1 part)

giving in (multi-part)

Season 2A

the midnights collection

karma (3 parts) – Jonathan Pine x Reader

snow on the beach – Tom Hiddleston x Reader

labyrinth (3 parts) – older Magnus Martinsson x Reader

sweet nothing – Thomas Sharpe x Reader

anti-hero – Loki x Reader

mastermind – Loki x Reader

locksmith (3 parts) – Tom Hiddleston x Reader

yes there's definitely more…and yes the next update's probably gonna look a lot more chaotic than this because i'm still conjuring up stories based on the chaos i've already begun in the stories from the 14 days collection…

in conclusion…

[ghost-in-the-hella]

So I was replaying LIS recently and got to the part in ep 3 when Nathan starts talking about the ‘weird blood oath’ Frank supposedly took for Rachel. What is he babbling about? Do you think there’s any validity to it or is it just a weird rumor? Is it Nathan trying to throw suspicion for Rachel’s disappearance onto Frank as opposed to himself? That’s just such a WEIRD throwaway line that is literally never brought up again and I still can’t wrap my head around what it’s all about? Is it another way in which Rachel is Laura Palmer-levels of manic pixie dream girl unsettling edition™️ Or is it literally just Nathan making shit up about the dead girl to make her seem unhinged, or make Frank seem suspicious? I think it could’ve been a plot thread DONTNOD meant to explore in later episodes but didn’t end up having time for? Idk I just find it strange and would be interested in your take!

Ohhhh, THIS. You know I love little throwaway tidbits in canon that canon didn't do much with but have so much potential for story. I think on my first play through I probably dismissed it as Nathan making shit up to fuel the mystery of Rachel Amber/discredit Frank/throw suspicion on someone else/be a dick. Everybody talks so much about Rachel in LiS1, but there's so little to back any of it up that it's hard to know what's real and what's bullshit. DN probably didn't know themselves. Like you say, they basically wrote her to be a Laura Palmer type. But at least Laura Palmer had recordings and stuff in Twin Peaks; Rachel's just got a handful of photos and a whole lot of hearsay. For the purposes of fic, I like to treat this throwaway line as something based in reality because I love giving Rachel a little bit of that supernatural/wannabe supernatural energy. She absolutely gives me "dabbled in witchcraft" vibes. With all the astrology stuff and her love of drama and theater in Before the Storm? Absolutely she wants magic to be real and she wants to be in charge of it. I forget at this point what I've put in fics I've actually posted and what's just sitting in unfinished fics that haven't been posted yet, but in my HC she not only did have Frank do a blood pact, she likely had others do it as well. *coughcoughCHLOEcoughcoughcough* I mean, what could be better for someone who wants to be the center of everyone's universe than to make them swear fealty to you with their own blood?

A followup question: Who else has sworn a "weird blood oath" to Rachel Amber?

[luxmaeastra]

"I didn't mean to loose her Austrus."

"You sure? She is the key to -"

Rigelus whirled at his older brother, slamming his fist onto the glass countertop shattering it. He barely felt the pain against his anger. 

"Do not question my loyalty, not after everything I've given for it. I know the cost of it. I will fix it."

Austrus snorted and looked to his little brother's hand. 

"I'd clean that, who knows what filth the help have on their person."

He turned and left the room shutting the door softly behind him. Rigelus looked to his hand, to the blood burned black and shimmering. He closed his eyes, his mind swirling and reeling. He knew what they all thought of him, what she did. She would return to him - he'd break them all to bring her back to him.

He rubbed at his face ignoring the rush of blood to his skin. He had lost so many people to this, this dream that had slowly transformed to nightmare. 

He exhaled and grabbed the square handkerchief from his breast pocket. He'd find her, the stars had given them to each other. He remembered the song he could hear whenever he held her. The sweet tones that matched the deeper drums of his own. 

He moved through the hallway remembering that last night. How she'd thrown back his vision at his feet. How she'd accused of being as bad as his brothers were. Hesperus prayed on any fae he could taking them and breaking them. Austrus had craved power more than he'd had anything or anyone else. He wondered what Rhysand thought of his aunt's mate. Did Rhysand thing Austrus would accomplish all this? Did he think Auraline's mate would become a dictator or a tyrant? 

He shook his handkerchief off transforming it into a white dove with a simple thought. He smiled as he watched it soar around his head and land onto his shoulder. 

He hadn't wanted this, a dream with no legacy seperated from those he loved most of all. He remembered the night Apollion and Sirius had left for Vallhan and Night. How Sirius had pleaded with him to leave, to run with them.

"This isn't the dream we wanted Rigelus! This isn't the empire we fought and bled for! How can you not see this is not see that?"

He hadn't then, and if he had seen it - well he wouldn't have cared. Nothing mattered but his vision, the return of the Eternal City. Cassandra had let the first fall into ruins by the combined forces of the Fae and Witches 1,500 years ago. He wouldn't let his fall into the same trap. 

He rubbed at his wrist, his brand faintly glowing silver. Asteri were matriarchal and he had sworrn himself to his sister Eosphoros cause long ago. Far before he'd met Rhysand or Aleksander. 

He wondered how any of it would have different. Would he have been the illusion of a choice? Would he have been free to do as Bryce had and leave?

Bryce had sworn no fealty, neither had Sirius. They were powerful in their won rights, they hadn't needed to. It would have been an insult to ask them to anyway. 

Bryce had begged him, had pleaded and offered to break the bond to let him come with her. Nothing was more precious to him than his family and he would not betray what remained of it for her, for anyone. 

He stopped in front of the cells, his boyhood appearance shimmering away to show his more older form. 

"Do you both want to know a story older than the both of you?"

He leaned against the cell walls looking at Ruhn and Hunt inside.

"Do you want to witness a story centuries in the making?"

//idk CC thibgsss//

His jaw tightened when the sight of the male approached the cells, it was bad enough he was sharing the cell with Hunt of all people, but now the other was coming to talk. Ruhn rolled his eyes, sinking into the corner where he sat and closing his eyes.

There were many stories older than them, there were many things they were to witness. Did he think he was interested in being dragged around like a dog on a collar? He wasn't like the boys who fawned around him, he'd seen Rhysand and Aleksander. It was like scavengers around a carnivore.

"I am not interested in anything you're offering Rigelus." He crossed his arms.

[masterpieceofunderstatement]

[muddyorbsblr]

works in progress – december 2022

I feel like I haven't done this in forever so just to keep y'all updated on the things going on in the pipeline that is my ever chaotic brain, here's a list of the projects I'm working on, sorted by priority

man of the month parts 10-12 – the series is fast approaching the ending and ngl writing the Loki & Y/N smut scene for the December chapter's got me a special kind of nervous like y'all wouldn't believe

500 follower celebration requests – i've plotted the story points of a few of them already ('should we tell them?', 'the final Lady Sharpe', and 'summoned') but there's still so many to plot out but I swear I'm working on them whew--

sworn fealty parts 2 & 3 – this is also plotted out but i've moved it farther down on the list when i started working on the requests

relinquish the crown – we're entering the final arc of chapters before Loki surrenders his claim to the throne and we're suddenly in the events of the main story, which means there's no more smutty dreams or smutty anything until…some time after the events of the main story. oof

the Midnights collection – i feel like i abandoned this project with how long it's been since i said i'm going to make it and yet i haven't yet found the time, but these are coming, and at least 2 of them are most definitely not oneshots anymore

other song-inspired fics – the Treehouse album by He Is We, Locksmith by Sadie Jean, quite possibly multiple pieces from Speak Now (Taylor's Version)

winding road of redemption – this one's already plotted out but i still haven't found the time to start, but i swear this series is coming

untitled 'Kilgrave vs Loki' story – i still haven't plotted the story points for this but the story's still playing out in my head so absolutely this story is coming to life

concepts that i haven't fully fleshed out yet, but they are for sure happening: Professor Laufeyson Professor Hiddleston

aight then i'll see y'all in a few hours when i finish pt 2 of 'to save her' 👋👋

[pagetreader]

"I lie more than I ever have in my entire life -- and all for my love of family, friends, and country. And what I do...it's assuredly labeled as wrong in any sensible man's book...even the ones who love me."

For this, Phoebe could offer him no words of comfort. There was only one person left alive that she cared dearly about -- more than her own life -- and that was her brother, Jonathan, but she too lied to him every day as she plotted against the crown he'd so ignorantly sworn his fealty to.

Benjamin's hand trembled in her own as though there was no comfort to be found in her words.

"Perhaps I've merely been spared to prolong my torment...maybe Blackwood intends to finish me off with a brutality never before known. It's ultimately what..."

"Hush! Enough of this self pitying poppycock. I will not allow that to happen," she insisted, "You'll be long gone before he returns -- back in a place of influence where you belong in this bloody debacle. You're not meant to perish here, Major -- I won't permit it."

"And did you mean what else you said?" he asked, giving her pause, "You see before you a man broken by the spoils of war, and yet your lonely desperation has made me into some sort of fantasy…some faulty dream you cling to in the hopes of…what, exactly?"

Phoebe held her breath.

"Returning your husband to you in some way? Being with him since I, too, have become an invalid?"

"Stop," she ordered, letting go of his hand as her own began to shake in resonance with her returning grief, "How dare you insinutate such a vile thing. If you think being a temporarily invalid could make you anything like him, you're sorely mistaken. There will only ever be one of him and that man is lost to me."

Regaining herself and regretting the venom she'd displayed in her momentary lapse of poor judgement upon realizing that his eyes were misty, seeking comfort despite his chosen words, whether consciously or otherwise.

"I'm sorry..." Phoebe quietly uttered, reaching for her neck, her fingers grazing the chain that so preciously held her husband's wedding ring, "While it's true that I asked you because I'm lonely, it is not because you are serving as a replacement."

A pause, followed by a deep breath, then she placed her hand over his thigh, but in more of a soothing manner rather than sensual.

"I believe that despite the brusing and lacertations, there's a handsome face to be found beneath them, and so I thought it only natural to choose you -- or rather, to ask you. It does not, however, in any way effect my decision to aid you and your cause."

"Not always. If 1 Corinthians 13 is to be believed, love keeps no record of wrongs."

A cynical smile touched Benjamin's mouth. "I suppose 1 Corinthians 13 didn't take into account the art of war. I lie -- I lie more than I ever have in my entire life -- and all for my love of family, friends, and country. And what I do...it's assuredly labeled as wrong in any sensible man's book...even the ones who love me."

Phoebe sighed, though it soon became clear her disquiet was not borne of his commentary. "The servant is me, but I thought you might be less inclined to accept the help if you knew ahead of time."

"You would be correct," Benjamin replied, his throat dry.

"No, while my staff is a part of my spy network, none of them know who you really are. As far as they're concerned, you're a soldier who was injured in the war and is recuperating here -- which isn't entirely untrue."

A cold, sinking sensation formed in his gut, though he said nothing. All hope of escape now seemed futile. There was no one, no one he could convince to help him get away from this prison; not when his very jailer was the one aiding in his every waking moment.

Phoebe sat upon his bed, drawing Benjamin's troubled gaze from his lap. "This is an entirely new scenario actually. Never before has he been called away in the middle of his interrogative work." She took his trembling hand and squeezed it between her steadier fingers. "Which is why I believe it to be divine providence that you were spared and we were permitted to meet."

"Providence?" Benjamin asked, trying to keep the scorn from his voice. "Perhaps I've merely been spared to prolong my torment...maybe Blackwood intends to finish me off with a brutality never before known. It's ultimately what..." I deserve. Swallowing back the words, he instead exhaled and closed his eyes.

Phoebe shifted alongside him, her warmth pressing into his thigh. "I meant what I said to you earlier, Benjamin. I will see the Continental Army victorious in its efforts, or I will die trying."

Tensing his hands, he slowly opened his eyes again. "And did you mean what else you said?" he asked, his gaze wet and bleary within the candlelight. "You see before you a man broken by the spoils of war, and yet your lonely desperation has made me into some sort of fantasy...some faulty dream you cling to in the hopes of...what, exactly? Returning your husband to you in some way? Being with him since I, too, have become an invalid?"

Perhaps he was being unfair. Benjamin was wounded in mind, body and spirit, and thus, he supposed he wish to hurt her in the same manner. Thus far, she had done nothing to merit his distrust -- not yet.

[iturbide]

Also, one more for the night, but also 3 Hopes most impressive thing is how they recontextualize so much in 3 Houses with one character. Monica is literally “What if Hubert gushed even more unhealthily about Edelgard.” In the Black Eagles route, it is revealed that Jeritza leading the class to Monica was no accident, it was a plan to save her. Monica has been a friend and ally of Edelgard’s for a while before the events of the game.

Okay so in all fairness, I've been really curious about Monica and her role in this whole thing so I'm fascinated to hear more about this (if somewhat confused about it because it kind of raises questions about Three Houses for me)

(spoilers for Monica below)

As something of an intro note, I found Monica's familiarity with Jeritza to be really jarring in the demo: my understanding from Three Houses had been that Jeritza was only put into position at Garreg Mach as the weapons instructor shortly before Edelgard's term, so he wouldn't have been there for Monica's at all and she therefore shouldn't be familiar with him. I don't think there's an actual, official timeline for the whole chain of events taking us through the fall of the House of Bartels to Jeritza entering Edelgard's service to his coming to Garreg Mach, so I'm really hazy on it...but if he actually was at Garreg Mach during Monica's term, and therefore familiar with her as a close friend of Edelgard's...well, given his general loyalty to the Black Eagles house and his physical strength and fitness compared to other plants like Solon, who is an archetypal mage, it makes him the most likely suspect for Monica's abduction -- meaning the Death Knight is potentially responsible for the likely death of one of Edelgard's friends in Three Houses.

The idea that Monica and Edelgard were actually close also strikes me as really weird given that Edelgard has been so isolated for so long thanks to first the Insurrection of the Seven that took her to Faerghus, then Agarthan experiments that she was dragged into immediately upon her return. Her one true ally (Hubert, sworn into her service when she was very young) presents himself as being ostensibly on the Agarthan side with her; and even Jeritza, who swears his fealty to Edelgard, is entrenched in the Agarthan organization through his role as the Death Knight. Monica somehow being able to attach herself to Edelgard more obsessively than even Hubert without having any awareness of the Agarthans...really stretches my suspension of disbelief.

Now I will admit that Kronya specifically taking Monica's form to torment and spite Edelgard is absolutely chilling and really paints the Agarthans (and Kronya especially) as deeply cruel beings. But there's one major continuity issue here: in Three Houses, people who remember Monica explicitly state that her personality has undergone a massive change when she returns with Flayn. They write it off as her means of coping with the kidnapping, but we know following the events of Chapter 9/10 that it's because she's actually been replaced by an Agarthan. So I guess herein lies the question: is Monica's personality and behavior demonstrably different in Three Hopes compared to Kronya's impersonation of her in Three Houses?

[hollowwhisperings]

Three Heads of the Dragon: The Case for Triadic Rule in House Targaryen.

~ This post is impromptu, rough & only tentatively cross-ref'd! Corrections likely required! CW for Targcest, Old Valyria (which should be its own warning, tbh) & its "human engineering" (there is speculation under the cut, bodyhorror very much implied) ~

So there's Visenya/Aegon/Rhaenys (though Rhaenys was unplanned), which was accepted by Westeros only because of the whole Conquerors of Westeros thing BUT! There was ALSO Orys Baratheon - whom later Targs just Assumed as being Aegon's half-brother (by First Night or whatnot). Orys was the First Hand of the Iron Throne, officially serving as Aegon's Hand right up until Orys was more literally unhanded during one of those wars on Dorne.

So, forgetting Rhaenys for now, there is a clear triad of leadership - a Head with 2 Seconds. In practice, all three were warlords with Visenya as consort (& sorceress) and Orys as Aegon's [Hand]. This leads me to thinking that it was not only Rhaenys who Aegon (&/or Visenya) took to bed & council but ORYS also. Given how carefully Aegon attended The Faith of the Seven's principles, and that no heirs could be sired between he & Orys, there would be little need for the half-brothers to marry when Westeros Hand'd them an easy role to keep the Rule of Three in place.

The precedent of Queen/King/Hand (professionally, intimately, "intimately") was immediately interrupted by Aegon's taking Rhaenys as a second wife, adding a non-professional partner to the siblings' future & already planned conquest. In cases of death (Rhaenys) or chronic injury (Orys), the balance of leadership was disrupted but no Heads were themselves replaced (Aegon did not take another consort; the Hands after Orys were never as greatly esteemed by both Aegon AND Visenya).

Potential Instances of the Targaryen Dynasty having Three Heads (easily read as being polyships):

- Visenya/Aegon I/Orys Baratheon

- Alyssa Velaryon/Aenys I/Maegor

- Alys Harroway/Maegor I/Tyanna of the Tower

- Alysanne/Jaeherys I/Rego Draz

- [i've yet to cross-ref the Targ family tree after this point but my Shipping Goggles suggest that, though the EXACT intentions were lost through time & civil war, (failed) attempts at resurrecting a model of "The Dragon had Three Heads" occurred with Aerys II < Tywin(&/orJoanna) and, of course, Rhaegar's abduction of Lyanna.]

Beneath the cut are some thoughts on the WHYS of dragonlord incestuousness, as arranged by parents for their children, as lost on but approximated by later members of House Targaryen.

Upon the death of Aegon, Aenys changed little in order to accomodate & placate all: it is likely that, were it not for the death of Rhaenys & the subsequent rift between her surviving sibling-spouses, Maegor's being groomed to act as Aenys' "Visenya" (loyal, ruthless left-hand) or "Orys" (loyal & championing right-hand). Indeed, Maegor never formally threatened Aenys' person nor his Queen (Alyssa Velaryon) while Aenys lived & Aenys honoured Maegor by gifting him Blackfyre and appointing him as his Hand upon the position's preceeding occupant's death.

The "Alyssa/Aenys/Maegor" ruling triad lasted for only 2 years, however, and Maegor had no such loyalties nor tolerance of Aenys' sons. Visenya raised her son carefully: it is plausible that the customs of familial piety, for House Targaryen & pre-Doom Dragonlords, were extended to one's forefathers but fealty being sworn solely to one's siblings, foremost & above all other loyalties. The death of a sibling could then "break" ceasefires on inheritance, pitting aunts&uncles against nephews&nieces (further prompting incestuous intermarrying).

As is Known, Targcest is a long & ancient tradition of Old Valyria's dragonlords: Houses Celtigar & Velaryon, also of Valyria but NOT dragonlords, did not practise inbreeding - Targcest strikes me as being very Ancient Egypt "keep the divinity within the family" but with more literal blood magic & undertones of dragon-human experimentation (i have Theories on how & why the incest was specifically arranged, initially, though the Whys&Hows would have been lost to later Targs who nonetheless upheld the tradition.

A "pragmatic" purpose for Targcest is the idea of averting civil war between different familial branches (marrying cousins or uncles to nieces is something seen in First Men Houses of Westeros, with less but still existent precedent in Andal families).

For Targaryens SPECIFICALLY, intermarriage kept dragon riders & dragon eggs within the family. While dragonlords claim exclusive rights to dragons (adding to my suspicions that, originally, dragonlords were Specifically Engineered, genetically, to survive dragons), the case of Nettles & Sheepstealer (where gaining a dragon's trust/loyalty is achieved through patiently building trust via feedings) mirrors the circumstances of Valyrians living amongst dragons, pre-Freehold.

Dragons CAN be tamed, bonded with & ridden by non-dragonlords. It requires more time & caution, perhaps, and different methodology - given the monopoly held by House Targaryen on living dragons in Westeros - Asshai has wild dragons but Asshai is also very far away & [a nuclear wasteland] - but it is POSSIBLE. Maintaining said dragon-human relationship is another matter, as is riding dragons: even the dragonlords of Old Valyria required binding horns & whips, all three Targaryen conquerors using the latter to direct their dragons.

So what DID having "blood of the dragon" achieve, and why did incest become the Go-To Family Insurance on a House's dragons, in the Valyrian Freehold?

DARK IMPLICATIONS, reference to upsetting topics that I can only write of indirectly Because Nope:

(i suspect it involved literal introduction of Dragon Blood into humans, first experimented on the enslaved until "safe" for Valyrian application, in pursuit of increasing fire resistance & [physics of breathing/blood flow when flying fullspeed at great heights] - dragonlords still had to rely on magically binding horns & whips, even at the height of their power, so "true" harmony/control between lord&dragon was not an achieved goal & motive for keeping the dragonlords inbred).

The precarious balancing of Dragonlord genetics being revealed in failed pregnancies could further hint at the "Why" of Targcest: without blood & fire magicks & potions to counteract the whole "Inbreeding Is Unhealthy" thing, poisoning or otherwise bringing injury to expecting Targaryens generally results in Standard Infertility but also in what I theorise as being "genetic throwbacks". Offspring with draconic features, dragon-human hybrids, the odd eldritch fatality: [physiologically traumatized?] offspring, unnaturally alive or unable to survive outside the [cauldron/womb], throwbacks to their ancestors' "failed" experimentations with human engineering.

[muddyorbsblr]

how very dare you @sarahscribbles @cake-writes @simplyholl y'all know i am slower than an ant tryna get through a marathon 🥴✌️

i don't even know how many are still in my folder waiting to be finished so let's count them down…all of them this time i'm not gonna cut myself off even tho i'm about to put myself in the box of shame 100% 😮‍💨

paris (Jonathan Pine x Reader)

midnight cravings (Loki x Reader)

eyes on me, darling (Loki x Reader)

keep me safe (James Conrad x Reader)

measurements (Will Ransome x Reader)

relinquish the crown: obsessions & fantasies (Loki x Reader)

summoned – 2 parts (Loki x Reader)

why him? (Loki x Reader)

the final Lady Sharpe – 3 parts (Thomas Sharpe x Reader)

sworn fealty pt2 & pt3 (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown: from a world away (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown: plans & protestations (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown: what could be done (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown: under one condition (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown: as long as i've known you (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown: outfits & portraits (Loki x Reader)

reckless girl – 3 parts (Magnus Martinsson x Reader)

would've could've should've (Loki x Reader)

at her side (Loki x Reader)

forever and always (Jonathan Pine x Reader)

pieces of me (Loki x Reader)

by the right eyes (Tom Hiddleston x Reader)

a wardrobe just in case: prologue (Loki x Reader)

an exquisite visual (Jonathan Pine x Reader)

unsigned & anonymous (Thomas Sharpe x Reader)

what i'm willing to do – 3 parts (Magnus Martinsson x Reader)

une nouvelle vie avec toi (Thomas Sharpe x Reader)

if you want me, then claim me (Jonathan Pine x Reader)

not fair (Magnus Martinsson x Reader)

please don't go – 2 parts (Loki x Reader)

in a new light (Tom Hiddleston x Reader)

that wasn't the deal – 2 parts (Loki x Reader)

to see you again – 2 parts (Loki x Reader)

in the midst of danger – 2 parts (Jonathan Pine x Reader)

caving in – 2 parts (Loki x Reader)

can i come over? (Magnus Martinsson x Reader)

more than just lines (Tom Hiddleston x Reader)

partners in feigned matrimony – 2 parts (Thomas Sharpe x Reader)

more than a fleeting whim – 2 parts (Loki x Reader)

a kind soul to a bedeviled god – 2 parts (Loki x Reader)

what could be us – 3 parts (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown au: countdown (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown what if…? untitled ep1 (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown what if…? untitled ep2 (Loki x Reader)

relinquish the crown what if…? untitled ep3 (Loki x Reader)

anti-hero (Loki x Reader)

mastermind (Loki x Reader)

snow on the beach (Tom Hiddleston x Reader)

labyrinth – 3 parts (Magnus Martinsson x Reader)

karma – 3 parts (Jonathan Pine x Reader)

sweet nothing (Thomas Sharpe x Reader)

locksmith – 3 parts (Tom Hiddleston x Reader)

That's all I can think of but I'm almost completely sure there's more.

Live footage of me all through 2023: