#and end up a handmaid as a result

[yanderes-galore]

Could you do a concept of Alicent from House of the Dragon with a handmaid/lady-in-waiting darling?

Watching/reading ASOIAF related content and I'm getting ideas. Am I being self indulgent? Perhaps... but let me have this.

As usual with ASOIAF content, read Trigger Warnings carefully.

Yandere! Alicent Hightower with Handmaid! Darling

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, ASOIAF content, Obsession, Affairs, Girl/Girl, Manipulation, Medieval marriage practices and Medieval practices in general, Jealousy, Possessive behavior, Intimacy mentioned (Touchy behavior, Bedding, etc) but nothing graphic, Unhealthy power dynamic, Targcest (Mentions of Aegon and Helaena's marriage in one line), Blood, Threats, Violence, Death, Restraints, Dubious/Forced relationship.

Alicent's story is a bit sad... but her actions feel vile at times.

Her father, Otto, made her marry King Viserys I to provide power to the Hightower family.

She didn't want such a role, such a role only ruined her freedoms.

She even lost Rhaenyra... the act of marrying her friend's father betraying the young princess.

Alicent was never happy in her marriage.

Her only purpose as queen was to supply male heirs for the throne.

She succeeded... having Aegon and Aemond... even a daughter, Helaena.

But all of this was out of duty.

Not love.

As a result I feel Alicent may confide in a loyal maid, you.

You're her personal maid, an outlet for her to vent to.

Alicent often calls her maid when she is not needed with the king.

You serve both her and Viserys I, but she calls you more often.

You showed the queen sympathy when she first brought up such issues.

She trusts you not to say a word as her handmaid, plus she can tell you pity her even if you don't understand the life of royalty.

Alicent's obsession starts as her speaking with you for comfort.

She wishes for her previous freedoms, she envies Rhaenyra for being able to do what she wishes...

Alicent wants to experience intimacy without just tolerating it.

As a result... Alicent ends up falling for the one person she trusts will care about her.

You are a comfort for her as her maid.

She knows she shouldn't have such feelings... you are a maid and Alicent is a queen married to a king.

Yet... when Alicent tests the waters with you after a few years... you seem so compliant.

You see the queen as what she is, a woman who has had her youth wasted.

You provide her friendship... support... someone to talk to.

Admittedly... when you noticed the queen get oddly touchy with you, it confused you.

When you spoke alone in her chambers, Alicent would sit beside you, a hand nearing your thigh as she leans closer.

The thought flusters you, but nothing's forced upon you.

Alicent grows fond of you when she speaks with you and watches you take care of her children.

You comfort Aegon when he's berated and correct him, you try to listen to Helaena's babbling about strange sayings, and you tend to Aemond's wounds after fights.

Alicent held no genuine love for Viserys... yet here she is infatuated with a maid.

I imagine eventually Alicent manages to convince you to join her in her bed when alone.

At first she says she just wishes to talk while you sit next to her...

But one thing leads to another...

Leaving the queen able to satiate herself.

Alicent keeps such an obsession hidden from everyone.

While Rhaenyra has rumors that her sons are Strongs (they are)... Alicent would rather have no rumors of her bedding her maid behind the king's back.

Alicent urges such an affair to stay quiet, she tells you not to say a word.

Yet this is only the start of Alicent's obsession.

Having been deprived of a partner of her choosing... she ends up soothing herself with her maid.

You are unsure how to feel about the queen being so attached to you.

She always has an arm or hand on you at all times, even at meals she keeps you close.

You feel uncomfortable under the gaze of Viserys and his children.

They have no idea how tightly Alicent holds your hand under the table... a reminder of the bond she has with you.

While you keep up appearances as the queen's handmaid, you know your duty when Alicent calls you to her chambers in private.

You'd be lying if you said you didn't like what the queen does for you.

You and the queen aid one another in many ways.

You are committing possibly illegal acts whenever the queen holds you close to her.

But guilt always manages to worm its way back into your mind.

Maybe you shouldn't enjoy it?

While Viserys is unaware... busy with his illness and children... you're here under Alicent's covers with her arms fully wrapped around you.

You are her escape... no matter the cost you have to pay.

As her obsession continues, Alicent continues to keep you close.

Many begin to whisper about the queen and her handmaid.

You two are very close... perhaps too close...

Yet such rumors are quickly snuffed out by Alicent whispering a silent order.

No one is allowed to touch you.

Even Aegon knows his place when he sees his mother hold you around the waist so tightly.

You're hers... even if you wished to change profession, she wouldn't let it go through.

You're her handmaid... her forbidden love... and she plans to be your one and only.

If others tried to court you, Alicent puts a stop to it.

A knight flirts with you? Alicent has his position moved.

Your family found someone for you? Alicent votes against it, saying she doesn't want her handmaid to devote herself to a partner yet.

Aegon touches you? Alicent will punish him herself.

Aemond already knows better and Helaena sees you in a platonic light.

Alicent worries Aegon will treat you like all the other maids... so you end up being unable to serve the prince for now.

Even when Viserys dies and Aegon II is set to be king... even when the war between the Blacks and Greens begins... Alicent has you by her side.

It's unknown if you are giving into her out of duty or genuine love by this point... but the queen has you on a tight lead.

With her husband gone, she is free to do with you as she wishes while Aegon II and Helaena act as the new king and queen.

Now her heart is fully dedicated to you.

She expects the same with you... any other partner being drained of their blood if they so much as touch you.

Ever since you gave in and provided comfort to the queen... you were hers.

Her mind deteriorates as tragic events begin to occur throughout the war.

Yet one thing is certain in her mind...

Her maid will always be by her side... even if it has to be by chains.

[vodika-vibes]

Hey congrats on 650+ followers could I please request a romance regencycinderella type au, where Rex is a prince and has to marry a person of "high standing" but he ends up meeting and falling in love with the reader, who is the servant of the spoiled bratty princess he's supposed to be marrying.

Sorry if this is too much detail.

You Will Be Okay

Summary: You have been the handmaid of Princess Harmony for the majority of your life, your responsibilities include ensuring her clothes are neat, styling her hair, and helping her bathe. It’s only natural that you would join her when she travels to Prince Rex’s palace when it’s time to meet him. The last thing you expect is to catch the eye of the Prince himself.

Pairing: Captain Rex x F!Reader

Word Count: 2452

Warnings: Mentions of abuse, but it's not shown

Prompt: Regency AU

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Once again, this took me a while to get down. And it feels slightly less Cinderella to me, but I hope you like it anyway! Thanks for your request!

It has been three weeks since Princess Harmony, the Princess you serve, arrived at Jaig Palace, home to her betrothed, Prince Rex. Which means, it has been three weeks since you arrived at Jaig Palace.

In the three weeks since you’ve been here, Princess Harmony has thrown several massive temper tantrums, has destroyed five dresses (two of which had been passed down from the Queen Mother), and has verbally abused the staff of Jaig Palace so severely that they refuse to serve her.

At this point, you would sell your right arm, left leg, and your little brother’s body for a break.

But, Princess Harmony seems to be in a good mood today.

A better mood than she’s been in since you left the Cin Palace that is her home. 

You put the final touches on her intricate up-do, pinning some peace lilies into her golden locks, before you step away and bow, “All done, your highness.”

Princess Harmony tilts her head from one side to the other, and then she nods once. “This is adequate. I like the way you have the peace lilies framing my face. Wherever did you manage to find Peace Lilies here?”

“Her Majesty sent some with your luggage, your highness.” you reply.

“Of course she did.” There’s something bitter in Princess Harmony’s voice.

“Is all well, your highness?”

“I’m fine.” She bites out as she waves her hand, “Tell me, Handmaid-” You cringe, in the nearly twenty years you’ve been serving her, she still hasn’t learned your name, “what is on my schedule for the day?”

You blink at the princess, and then turn to pick up the itinerary that had been delivered the night before, “It appears that you have a free day today, your highness. At least, until this evening, when you are scheduled to give a speech.”

“Oh, yes. That.” She stands suddenly and glides away from the vanity, “You are dismissed. I have no need for you today.”

“As you command, your highness.”

“Send in my double when you leave.”

You curtsey deeply, and sweep out of the room before she can change her mind.

Princess Harmony was given a rather large set of apartments when she arrived here three weeks ago. There’s her own room and private bathroom, and then there are two more rooms. A large room for the Princess’ body double, and then a much smaller room that you call your own.

Fiore, Princess Harmony’s double, is sitting in the sitting room with a book in her hand. She is nearly identical to the princess, though her eyes are several shades darker than the Princess’.

“Princess Harmony is asking to see you, Fiore.” You murmur as you walk over to the older woman, and adjust one of the peace lilies in her hair to make sure it’s identical to the Princess’ hair.

“Asking, or demanding?” Fiore asks.

Fiore is, technically, Princess Harmony’s older sister. The King had an affair, resulting in the birth of Fiore, and you know that the older woman resents her spoiled half-sister. She was not a willing body double, it’s something that Fiore has confided in you when she was assigned her position.

“Is it not the same thing?” You ask with a gentle curl of your lips.

Fiore scoffs and smoothly gets to her feet, “Then I had best see what her royal brattiness wants. You should take the day, though.” She adds with a fond smile in your direction, “You’ve been going non-stop since we arrived.”

Personally, you’re of the opinion that Fiore would be a better Queen than Harmony, but it’s not as if anyone cares about your opinion. You offer her a small smile, before you sweep out of the suite of rooms.

Your first free-day in weeks.

You allow your feet to lead you through the, now familiar, halls. Pausing every now and then to speak with some of the guards and other servants. They like you well enough, though you’d have to be blind to not see the pitying looks that they shoot you.

Your feet lead you to the gardens. As you understand it, the Gardens had been the late Queen’s project, and you can tell by looking at the beautiful flower beds, and massive trees, that it had been a labor of love. 

A small smile graces your lips as you walk through the gardens, pausing every now and then to admire some of the plants that you’ve never seen before.

Cin Palace is located far, far to the north. The only plants that grow naturally are coniferous trees, and small shrubs. And the greenhouses back home are dedicated to fruits and vegetables, not flowers.

You allow yourself to wander through the flowers, and vanish into the thicket of trees. The leaves are a wide array of colors, from deep purple, to rich green, to vibrant red. It’s like walking through a kaleidoscope.

You can’t help but think, if this is what it’s like living here, then moving wouldn’t be so bad. Even if it does mean that you’re stuck serving Princess Harmony for the rest of your life.

And then, suddenly, you realize that you’re not alone.

“Oh,” You stop mid-step and flush before curtseying deeply as you avert your eyes from the blonde prince standing in front of you, “Your Highness, my apologies.”

He looks just as surprised to see you as you are to see him, “Ah, there’s no need for that. Just Rex is fine.” He says awkwardly, stepping closer to you and lightly touching your elbow to bring you back to your feet. “You are…Princess Harmony’s handmaiden, aren’t you?”

You straighten and fold your hands, “I am, yes.”

A smile, small and warm, crosses his face and you feel warmth in your chest. He really is very handsome, you weren’t expecting him to be kind too, “I thought I recognized you from your arrival. Though, I haven’t seen you since-?”

“Princess Harmony prefers that I stay out of sight,” You reply honestly, “Plus…” You hesitate and then shake your head, “It’s not important.”

“Please. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

You duck your head, “Princess Harmony has a…difficult…personality at times.” You finally say, very diplomatically, “The servants that were assigned to her suites have refused to serve her due to how she treated them. So I have been very busy since arriving.”

“I have heard rumors from my staff,” Rex admits, “I thought they were just rumors. Still, I am glad that you managed to come and see the gardens. What do you think?”

“They’re beautiful,” You reply with a bright smile, “I have never seen so many different flowers and plants.”

He answers your smile with one of his own, “Would you like a tour?”

“Truly? You’re not too busy?”

“Today is my free day,” Rex replies, “And I’m happy to show off my mother’s garden.” He moves to the side and motions for you to come stand next to him, “This way, the garden is much larger than people generally see.”

His hand settles, warm and comforting, on your lower back as you fall into step next to him. Rex leads you deeper into the garden, telling you stories of his mother, and of the various plants that she chose to fill her garden.

It’s the start of a, slightly surprising, friendship.

It has been three weeks since the day that  you first met Prince Rex, and has been six weeks since your arrival at Jaig Palace. And, in your opinion, things are going well.

Well. Wellish.

Princess Harmony’s mood plummeted, and no amount of her favorite snacks, books, or songs could bring her back into a more tolerable mood.

She’s since turned her foul temper on you, and on Fiore. 

The first time she struck you indicated a change in your relationship with your princess. And a change in the relationship between Fiore and Harmony.

Fiore refused to allow you to be alone with Harmony, regardless of how Harmony ranted and raved and threatened her. In truth, you’re grateful for the older woman, as her presence made it so that Harmony couldn’t strike you again, no matter how much she might want to.

It also means that you have a lot more free time than you did when you first arrived.

Of course, free time is relative, as you spend the majority of the time trying to prepare for the wedding between Princess Harmony and Prince Rex.

Though, at this point, you’re pretty sure that you’ve spent more time with the groom-to-be than Princess Harmony. In fact, you can’t remember them having a single conversation at all.

And you’re concerned.

Rex is a friend, at least, you think he is. And you’re not overly eager to leave him to Harmony’s wild outbursts. 

“May I ask a personal question?” You ask, late one evening as you watch the fireflies dance around you and Rex. Harmony’s nightly temper tantrum evolved into her throwing a vase at you and Fiore, and so you were encouraged to leave the suite for a couple of hours.

Which led you here, sitting on a blanket, deep in the garden, with Rex sitting across from you.

He’s dressed down, in a loose tunic with the laces untied at his neck, baring more of his chest to you than he’s ever done before, and his trousers are loose and stained with grass. 

He looks amazing. And you have to force yourself not to stare at him, it’s not your place. It’s a shame that your friendship with him has turned into you having a crush on him. 

Rex laughs, “You don’t have to ask permission, cyar’ika.” His grin is teasing, and you make a face at him. He still won’t tell you what that nickname means, though you suppose it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

“...do you want to get married?” You ask slowly, carefully.

He pauses from where he was peeling an orange, and he slowly sets it down on the blanket, “In truth? No. Not to Harmony at least. She’s…incredibly unlikeable.”

“Ah.” You absently smooth your skirt, “I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you want, though. Does it?”

Rex gazes at you for a long moment, “I have to get married. The law is very clear on this.” He pauses, “Of course, the law doesn’t specify who, exactly, I have to marry.”

“I don’t follow.”

“It doesn’t say that I have to marry a princess.” He clarifies, “Just that I have to be wed before I turn 25.”

“I see.” You murmur.

Rex doesn’t say anything for a long moment and then he sighs. You turn your gaze towards his face, and start when he shifts so that he’s sitting close enough that your knees are touching. He reaches out, and for a moment, you think he’s going to press his hands against your face, but he seems to hesitate before reaching down and taking your hands in his. 

“Rex?”

He smiles at you, “I didn’t want to ask, but it’s hard to not notice that you flinch away from Harmony. And it’s even harder to ignore how Fiore seems to hover over your shoulder like you’re her charge. Does Harmony hit you, cyar’ika?”

You nervously lick your lips, “It…only happened one time. And it was my fault, really. I should have known better than-”

“No.” Rex squeezes your hand and his voice is stern enough that your words die on your tongue, “There is no excuse for her hitting you. At all.”

You stare at him, stunned. “Well, yes. Of course.” You offer sheepishly, “But…I’m still her handmaiden and…and…” You trail off, and then squeeze your eyes shut, “You shouldn’t marry her.”

“And what happens then?” Rex asks, his voice gentle.

“We go home, back to Cin Palace.” You say, “And…and nothing changes.”

He’s quiet for a moment, and then releases one of your hands. You start when his warm hand presses against your cheek, “If nothing changes for you, then that means you’ll be stuck with an abusive employer.”

“Fiore won’t let her hurt me.” You reply as you open your eyes again. Rex seems closer somehow.

“What if I had a different idea?” He offers, “A better offer. For you and Fiore.”

“I don’t-?”

“Marry me.”

Whatever you expected him to say, it wasn’t that. You blink at him, your jaw dropped, as your train of thought not only screeches to a halt, but also completely derails. “What.”

Not the most eloquent of ways to ask for clarification, but he doesn’t seem offended. In fact, he seems amused.

“Marry me. Become my Queen.”

“But…but I’m a servant-!”

“I don’t care.”

“You should definitely marry a princess-”

“I want to marry someone I love, and I love you.”

You gape at him, dumbly for a moment, “But. You. That’s…”

“Take your time,” Rex teases. He seems confident and relaxed, as though he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on you. 

“You love me?” You ask, your voice tiny.

“Is that so surprising?”

“You hardly know me-”

“I know you’re allergic to grapes, I know you really like the color blue, but your favorite color is hunter green. I know you like dancing, though you’re too embarrassed to actually dance in front of people. I know you’ve always wanted a garden of your own, but have never been permitted one.” He leans in closer, and presses his forehead against yours, “I know you’re afraid of the dark, but you still enjoy watching the stars.”

“I never told you any of that.” You whisper.

“You didn’t have to,” He releases your hand and brings his hand up so that he’s properly cupping your face, “I know you, cyar’ika. I want to marry you. Become my Queen. And I’ll make sure you’ll never be unhappy again.”

“...but-”

“Fiore will be offered a position as your bodyguard if you agree.” Rex promises, “You’ll both be free from Harmony.” He strokes your cheek lightly, “And, even if you don’t want to marry me, you’ll both be offered positions on my staff. You will be free of her one way or another.”

You exhale slowly, “Okay.” You whisper.

He blinks at you, “Okay?”

“Okay, I’ll marry you.”

And then you squeak when his lips press against yours in a deep and passionate kiss. It takes you a moment, but you end up wrapping your arms around his neck and kissing him back just as enthusiastically. 

You feel him grin into the kiss, and you can’t help but melt into him.

This might not be what you expected for your life, but you’re not going to complain. After all, this is much, much better.

[floatyflowers]

Fairest of Them All | Aegon II, Aemond, and Jacaerys x Reader

You are the daughter of Daemon Targaryen and his first wife, Rhea Royce.

People claim that you are the most beautiful girl in all of the seven kingdoms, and your Targaryen appearance played a role in that title.

Unlike your parents, you are shy and would burst into tears if someone speaks to you in a bad way.

So, when many high lords asked for your hand in marriage, all of which Daemon turned down because he saw them all unfitting.

Even though, you wanted to marry Cregan Stark, but Daemon thought him to be ruthless.

But, when Rhaenyra suggested that Jace weds you, that's when he agreed.

After all, Jacaerys is brave and gentle, he is the perfect match for a fragile kind-hearted girl like yourself.

When you and Jacaerys get betrothed to each other, things were going smooth at first, until Jace started to set his own rules.

Like how you are not allowed to speak to anyone except to him and your family, and that you are not allowed to ride your dragon without his permission or him escorting you.

Not only that, but Jace dismissed all of your handmaids and replaced them with new ones.

All your old handmaids were your friends, the new ones are strangers.

You wanted to break off the engagement, but then again you felt like you would sadden Rhaenyra if you do that, she is like a second mother to you.

You put up with his behavior until you and his family decided to go to Kingslanding to put an end to Vaemond's vile accusation about the Velaryon boys legitimacy.

That's where you met up with your other male cousins, Aemond and Aegon, both in which give you unreadable stares.

Helaena is the only one you got along with.

You also met them at Laena's funeral, you remember that Aemond acted more mature then Aegon, and that Aegon teased and mocked you which resulted in you hiding behind your father the whole funeral with tear stained cheeks.

Honestly, you also felt uneasy by Aemond who claimed Vhagar, you felt that he is an intimidating person.

At the feast held by the king in the honor of him regaining his good health, Aegon disturbed you with his flirting, and his sexual offer.

Jace was about to hit him, but restrained himself and comforted you when he saw you shaking.

Aemond stared at you the whole feast, putting you under more pressure, not knowing that you have caught Aemond's interest the moment you stepped a foot in Kingslanding.

Luke chuckled when the pig was placed in front of Aemond, causing a fight to erupt after the younger Targaryen prince makes an offensive toast towards Luke and Jace.

But, the root of the fight wasn't about the 'strong' name, it was about how Aemond also added the phrase...

"And to my beautiful cousin, Lady (Y/n), who is yet to find a man who is able to protect her...like me"

Clearly, he is not even considering Jace to be your fiance, and that you are still searching for a true man.

Daemon was able to calm everything down, your family left next day, but you stay in Kingslanding with Rhaenys, after getting sick out of nowhere.

Unaware, that Aegon had someone poison your drink to have you stay

This made the Queen suggest you stay until get better.

Jace wanted to stay with you, and even tried to convince his mother, but you assured him that you will return to Dragonstone on your dragon once you get better.

Yet, the following events of the king's death and Aegon's coronation turned you from a guest to a hostage.

A hostage held captive by the king and his brother, to become their bride.

[mmmmalo]

forgive me if i'm conflating several different things here, but the idea that a cue ball - and by extension doc scratch - represents a cancerous trauma left by sexual assault was one of your earlier analyses wasn't it? the idea seems so ubiquitous to me now but i felt like a lot of people could benefit from revisiting it in the wake of that latest beyond canon update

Mm… like you said, you have my earlier analyses a little mixed up. And honestly my current take on the subject focuses more on how the problem of rape is leveraged towards transphobic ends in political discourse? So... perhaps not what you're looking for.

My old approach was to regard not the cue ball but the Green Sun as an emblem of trauma: for example, Rose talks with Jaspers atop a monolith of the Green Sun, when Jaspers's apparent drowning caused Rose's fear of water. Talking to Jaspers seemed to involve confronting that trauma, and the significance of that interaction transferred upon the Green Sun as a symbol. So later when Jade combines her dreamcorpse with Bec, Jadesprite's tearful inability to turn away from its searing light seemed to imply that fusing with Bec somehow awoke a traumatic memory that Jade was no longer able to suppress.

Various scenes led me to believe this was a memory of sexual assault: the dream sequence where Bec Noir creeps upon WV (who is in Jade's bed) and instigates some distressing fusion of their bodies, as the fire of the Green Sun Burns. The dream where Jade attacks Clubs Deuce (resulting in a DEAD GRANDPA SMACKDOWN in the waking world), only for CD to return later and attack Jade with an explosion of white foam (through which he implicitly continues to embody Grandpa). The point where Jade goes grimbark after spotting Jake's groin (as though it were a distressing trigger) and where Jade is, after again calling attention to the banana hammock, crushed beneath Jake's white hope explosion (which echos CD's shaving cream). I could go on.

But the above is all bait: Jade goes grimbark because the very notion of a man in panties is posed as the violent intrusion of the masculine upon the feminine, posed as rape. The hints of assault function as homophobic scaremongering, feminism of the trans-exclusive strain. Jade is afraid of lightning, which is posed as a masculine pneumatic intrusion into the inert feminine vessel -- which is to say, bringing Frankenstein/Jadesprite to life with a zap comes to represent rape, and the overwhelming urge is to REMOVE THE LIGHTNING, GET IT OUT GET IT OUT (the scene has visual reference to Aradiabot ripping her heart out following Equius's violation), hence Jadesprite's urge to die. Jade earlier displayed distaste for the pneuma via her always-ill-fated reader interactive sections: playing flute, selecting fruit, fighting (and in her own mind conversing with) Grandpa. Though ostensibly early, abstract indications of Jade's sensitivity to violation, these events also just display homophobia: blowing into wind instruments is a cocksucking joke inherited from Problem Sleuth, "fruit" means gay, Jade calls Grandpa a "bag of wind" because his cornball shit is gay (derogatory). It matters that Dirk is a Gay Guy who overwrote Jeanne Betancourt's voice for Pony Pals and now overwrites robot Rose's will on occasion because the story is satirizing a worldview wherein a "boy" adopting feminine characteristics is committing metaphysical rape.

The same goes for Doc Scratch: retroactively, he has the Handmaid locked up in a room because Caliborn got gender envy from the How To Draw Manga girl. Damara speaks in stilted staccato sentences for the same reason, it gives the impression that she is possessed by Lord English, that some insidious masculine force is speaking through her. Which again: transphobia. Or rather dysphoria, in this case, which was a major point of discussion in Openbound -- anxieties about internal and external reproach for expressing yourself abound, the imminent Rufioh/Horuss breakup represents bodily dysmorphia... I've talked about that elsewhere. The main point is illustrated by 583 of Problem Sleuth, where Nervous Broad (essentially a trans woman) looks into the mirror and sees a horrendous beast. This is why the Handmaid cannot escape Lord English: he is how she sees herself. The big bad of Homestuck, the embodiment of all that is foul of patriarchy, is an embodiment of transfeminine self-loathing, or more generally the picture of trans women that transmisogynists like to paint.

Vriska has a conversation with June about how she doesn't actually want to indulge her violent tendencies, how she thinks a life of peace could actually be the way to go. As she says all these, we are treated to a shot of Vriska's red boots crossed in such a way that a huge red X is imposed over her groin: this conversation is about dysphoria! Vriska implicitly declares violence and aggression to be phallic -- an association strengthen by the sexed roles of moirallegiance, in which women must sooth violent men. Elsewhere in the story, Vriska's seemingly inescapable violent tendencies are embodied by Doc Scratch -- therefore he is, in essence, Vriska's phallus, which she resents even as she is compelled to obey its directives.

There's actually a bit with Jake where the cue ball (or rather, a tower orb that resembles a cue ball) is used to represent a dick: "The space in your inventory is mainly hogged up by one incredibly huge thing. You guess you should get rid of it. But you can’t shake the feeling you might need it someday, and you don’t want to risk ditching it and be caught with your pants down later." As Spidergirl shoots her webbing on the floor nearby, Jake briefly considers losing the dick. That Doc Scratch's head is a nuclear bomb makes this motif coincide nicely with Jake's association with the irradiated dick of Doctor Manhattan (and Hulk), which as you've pointed out before was used in Watchmen to illustrate homophobic scaremongering.

Or hey, let's try to establish a new connection between Doc Scratch and Bec: perhaps epilogue!Jade's dog dick, was already present from the moment Jadesprite was born. Perhaps the anger Jade feels toward this newly formed phallic woman (who she calls a pansy) is informed by the contempt she expressed for fursuits, and how the people within them are dumb to think that makes them real animals -- a transphobic barb followed in short order by more slander for Grandpa, a hunter who skins animals and places the pelts by armor and portraits of women. Perhaps all this drama is condensed on page 6630, where Jake's big gay Hope bubble crushes Jade's green fireball, forming a portrait of Doc Scratch.

Perhaps we should pronounce "Doc Scratch" with an English accent, so that it becomes "Dog's Crotch".

[galaxyregent]

Something I haven't gone into depth here is Hiccup's relationship with her handmaid, Vessa. Vessa is Roman born who traveled north as a slave only to become a slave of the Berserkers. Someone pointed out to me that Rome was pretty much gone by the time HTTYD takes place, and while I appreciate the facts, it's too late to retcon her. Also the age of Vikings was pretty much at its end by the time HTTYD takes place too. And dragon never actually existed. So suspension of disbelief.

Vessa more or less fulfills he role of Astrid in the first film, being a person to bounce her thoughts off of. Vessa was prostitute her whole life, and despite being only a little older than Hiccup, she is vastly more experienced. Vessa was tired of being a "tavern girl" and deiced to shoot her shot and try to be the handmaid of the chief's wife. It works out well for both of them. Vessa escapes the less than pleasant existence she'd been living and Hiccup learns how to take control of her life through, "ahem", bedroom activities. The resulting relationship is one of mutual care and affection. Vessa views hiccup as both a daughter and little sister. Hiccup views Vessa as a mentor, confidant and big sister.

Like many sisters, there is banter. Since Vessa became a handmaid, she's somewhat cut off from village gossip. Now her main source of entertainment is watching the little virgin bride get flustered by asking about her sex life. Here Vessa is asking what position Hiccup thought finally knocked her up.

"Did you mate like dragons?"

"Oh my gods, no!"

"Ok, ok, let me guess, you were riding his dragon."

"Vessa, shut up!"

Hiccup would never let Vessa know she was probably right.

BTW, Hiccup has short hair ere because most of it got burned off when fighting the Red Death, this takes pace several months later. Also, Hiccup doesn't like wearing that heavy fur cloak usually, but Dagur got pretty protective during her first pregnancy. He wanted her to stay warm.

[glasskey]

Lawrence & June's Mix tape Vol. 1

With the end of season 2 came the introduction of one of our favorites: the cynical and witty architect of Gilead, Commander Lawrence. Whenever a quick quip is needed, Lawrence never fails to deliver and coupled with the patented Osborne eye roll, it’s a comedy duo not to be missed. Today we've got some essential Lawrence and June tracks from Season 3.

Spunky

“Are you insane? You didn’t get in the truck” Lawrence seems bewildered and mildly inconvenienced when he comes back for June at the start of season 3. “Thoughts?” asks Lawrence scolding her for being so reckless, back at the Waterford’s Nick echoes Lawrence's sentiment, asking “What is wrong with you?” With that, it’s easy to see how Lawrence and Nick align so perfectly in later seasons.

June is an enigma to both of these men, she seems determined to meet her own end, those who help her often end up dead, and yet she’s wildly successful at conjuring their service and devotion. June state’s she CAN’T leave without Hannah, Lawrence argues she CAN, forcing her to admit that she WON’T. This won’t be the last time we see this debate occur, Lawrence and June seem to constantly explore and discuss themes of individuality and freedom of choice in the face of societal good and human decency. But as Lawrence himself admits, Gilead overlooked the element of maternal love in its conception, undermining his argument about June’s ability to choose. June’s barely met Lawrence and yet she’s fearless, he’s obviously influential enough to get someone out, morally malleable, and she now has him over a barrel.

As one of the most powerful men in Gilead Lawrence is expected to be an ardent believer in their theocracy and yet he’s just arranged the smuggling out of not only a handmaid but a child, the most valuable of their commodities. It’s an opportunity not to be missed to retrieve Hannah, but when June threatens Lawrence with the noose, he’s more intrigued than fearful. “Spunky” Lawrence mocks her, she’s obviously unhinged and despite Gilead’s rigorous disciplinary tactics she remains defiant. Has he finally met a worthy adversary? Someone decent to spar with in this boring AF hell hole? Or maybe even someone who can help tear down the horror show he thoughtlessly constructed? This scene sets the tone for the progression of June and Lawrence’s relationship throughout season 3 and beyond. When all is said and done, despite Lawrence’s bravado, he will do exactly what he’s told

The Descent of Man

Frustratingly for all who dwell in his house, Lawrence is the world’s best lie detector, his observations of those around him are surgically accurate to say the least. As an indication of how frighteningly perceptive Lawrence actually is, it takes him all of 3 seconds to clock the connection between Nick and June.

The Martha’s are constantly trying to slip one past him with absolutely no success whatsoever, but ironically there seems little need to lie; Lawrence himself encourages and in some cases demands that many of Gilead’s rules are either flaunted or broken under his roof. Aunt Lydia seems to be a bit sus on the whole ceremony thing, but Lawrence assures her that all is ship shape, and who is she to question a man of such power? June is hardly through the door and already she’s picking out a favorite plotting corner, she’s no idiot, she plans to stay alive and that means staying ahead. Lawrence seems happy for the Martha’s to conspire for their rebel operations in his household as long as it never actually makes its way to his doorstep.

June’s a wee bit overzealous about her newfound freedom, demanding she be included in the resident rebel activities, resulting in a dead Martha in the flower bed. She’s made the fatal error of insufficiently assessing her home ground, acting without proper forethought and not surprisingly Lawrence decides to put her back in her place. In a crowded room of Commanders he initially points out that June was an educated woman who edited books pre Gilead. Lawrence then demands she fetch him a copy of The Descent of Man and kneel at his feet, thereby illustrating how she has now been utterly reduced to their mere tool.

By first making a point of demonstrating June has the knowledge to give an educated opinion, and then assuming her answer to his question, he insinuates her thoughts are valueless. Lawrence tops it all off with a patronizing “good job” and sends her on her way, their laughter echoing behind her. You can see the bile rising in her throat and her hatred boil, but while the act itself is humiliating and degrading, with this single display Lawrence convinces a room full of Commanders to save the lives of other women. His point is devastatingly clear: these men can crush you, learn your place or others may die. This scene demonstrates how precarious the lives of women are in Gilead, their chances for survival reduced to whether or not they can be “fun”. While Lawrence may subscribe to the greater good philosophy, June has no intention of living under an oppressive regime that robs her and others of their dignity. By the end of season 3, Lawrence will have to learn some hard lessons of his own about power and sacrifice.

Transactional

“You seem like you’d be good at making friends, influencing people, good at intimacy” Lawrence taunts, he’s just caught June buttering Fred up and gazing adoringly at Nick, it’s pointless trying to sneak anything past him.

He scoffs at June’s attempt at her usual shenanigans, which had proved so effective with Fred, demanding she stop lying and outwit him honestly. It’s genuinely uncomfortable watching June’s attempt to unbalance Lawrence this way, his intelligence dooms any chance of success from the very beginning. June also never anticipated that Lawrence would actually love his wife, and unlike Fred, finds the idea of infidelity extremely unpalatable. It’s clear from his rant that he knows quite a bit about June and her dealings, she’s earnt herself a considerable reputation and Lawrence is intrigued as to just how she managed to reduce the Waterford’s to literal ash.

To be honest he’s not particularly impressed so far, accusing her of being “transactional” concluding that she relied solely on her feminine wiles to get what she wanted. June’s retort “men become easily distracted” articulates that male power structures are easily disassembled by the presence or absence of mere validation and approval. Lawrence’s Gilead logic concludes that June is a woman who had no worth until his new world gave it to her and she should be grateful. June believes her value is inherent and being the man who created this horrifying existence is far worse than being useless. Lawrence is determined to demonstrate to June the sacrifices that are made for a greater good and that achieving this is a thankless job.

It’s at this point that we get a glimpse of the terrifying reality Lawrence has created for himself, driving June out to the cages and demanding she chose 5 women to be Martha’s while the rest be sent off for slaughter. Their value is determined by everything contained in one file and it begs the question, how useful would June look on paper? What intrinsic purpose does she have in this world if not as a Handmaid? Would she survive her own selection?

Before I get into volume 2 of June and Lawrence or start up my Nick and Lawrence Mix, I’ll be back with the Nick and June Mix tape volume 2.

[bookishbethanyerin]

• review: manacled •

I SURVIVED MANACLED.

Also: oh my god??????????

And, uh, I didn’t cry at the end.

This was not just my very first Dramione fic (I just dove right into the deep end) but my first Harry Potter fic (I know, how is that possible, idk either, it just is).

And honestly, do I even need to read another one?

But okay, for real, review time! Manacled imagines what would happen if Harry lost the Battle of Hogwarts, and borrows elements from The Handmaid’s Tale as Voldemort launches a repopulation program when arranged pureblood marriages don’t often result in baby wizards.

The story is told from Hermione’s pov as she is moved from solitary confinement, put into this program, and given to Draco, who is powerful and terrifying. And it also turns out that Hermione has forced her brain to shield certain memories from everyone, including herself.

So! This is inherently traumatic and bleak and upsetting, but somehow, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. Though the author, SenLinYu, doesn’t shy away from the distressing aspects of this story, the writing also isn’t unnecessarily detailed or gleefully macabre. And that made a lot of at least the first part of this book more bearable for me.

Though already compelling, the story really picks up in the second act, when we get flashbacks to before the battle. I won’t spoil it for you, but it is some truly incredible character work and angst and romance, and I was up until 3am reading.

And then. The third act. MY GOD. I have rarely been so STRESSED about the fate of characters, and I did cry a whole bunch, but not at the last line! But if any of this had been written in Draco’s pov, I would have 100% been on the floor sobbing my eyes out. So. There’s that.

Overall: this fic is insanely good. The narrative framing and writing are so effective and affecting.

I’m, just, going to think about this for a very long time.

That’s all.

[luminouslumity]

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

SUFFERING and DIFFERENT BEAST: I'll include these together since one takes place right after the other. So, the SEIRENES (Σειρηνες), or Sirens, were the half-bird daughters of the god AKHELOIOS (Αχελωιος) and—according to Euripides and Apollonius—the handmaids of Persephone. Later Roman sources would add that their current form is either a curse as a result of them failing to prevent the abduction of their lady or a blessing after they prayed to help find her.

In The Odyssey specifically, Kirke warns Odysseus of them before they set out again and instructs him and his men to cover their ears with wax in order to block out their hypnotic voices, but that if Odysseus wishes to hear them, the crew must bind him to the mast, something they end up doing upon encountering the Sirens, who tell Odysseus:

"Odysseus! Come here! You are well-known from many stories! Glory of the Greeks! Now stop your ship and listen to our voices. All those who pass this way hear honeyed song, poured from our mouths. The music brings them joy, and they go on their way with greater knowledge, since we know everything the Greeks and Trojans suffered in Troy, by gods’ will; and we know whatever happens anywhere on earth."

Odysseus manages to fall under their spell, but despite his protests, his men refuse to release him from his bindings—Eurulokhos and PERIMEDES (Περιμήδης) even tighten them—and they all manage to get past the Sirens safely.

SCYLLA: As is the case for many other myths, the parentage of SKYLLA (Σκυλλα) depends on the telling, though many works—including The Odyssey—mention her as being a daughter of KRATAIIS (Κράταιις), also known as KETO (Κητω). As mentioned before, later Roman sources would go on to say that her monstrous form is a result of a curse put on her by Circe after the goddess grew jealous of her. However, others say she was cursed by AMPHITRITE (Ἀμφιτρίτη) for being loved by Poseidon. Besides Odysseus (who lost six of his men to her after following Kirke's advice), she also proved to be an obstacle for the Argonauts and later AENEAS before being slain by Herakles.

MUTINY and THUNDER BRINGER: Eurulokhos challenges Odysseus about letting them rest when they reach another island—Thrinacia—and though the latter quickly yields to him, he also makes them swear an oath against eating the animals and to eat only the food Kirke gave them, for the cattle and sheep are sacred to the Sun god Helios. However, due to a storm trapping them on the island, supplies depletes. To fight off hunger, they initially try fishing and catching birds, but after Odysseus goes off to pray, the men decide to break the oath and kill the cows at Eurulokhos' encouragement. Helios' daughter LAMPETIE (Λαμπετιη) informs her father of the act and the Sun god then asks ZEUS (Ζευς) to punish the men; after six days of feasting, the king of the gods kills the remaining crew on the seventh with a thunderstorm, leaving only Odysseus alive.

[timetraveltasting]

FARTS OF PORTINGALE (c. 1597)

Yes, farts. No, not that kind. I cooked another historical dish from Tasting History this weekend: Farts of Portingale, meatballs that were likely eaten during intermissions of Shakespeare's plays in 16th Century England, recipe c. 1597. See Max's video on how to make it here (and to find out why they are called farts!) or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from the Youtube description of the video.

My experience making it:

I made a couple changes from the recipe below: I used lamb instead of mutton, I omitted the currants (I worried that using both dates and currants would make the dish too sweet, like Sweet Measure!), and I added some peppercorn gravy, because Max mentions that they may have added sauces to it, but we're not entirely sure, and I think meatballs in general usually go well with a sauce.

The process of making it was a little pain-staking, but only because I couldn't source any minced lamb, and as a result, I had to 'mince' it myself by making fine cuts with my knife (I don't have a food processor or blender). Otherwise, the recipe would probably take only 20 minutes to make, but it took me about 2 hours of mostly mincing! The farts, once balled up, stayed together pretty well while boiling, only losing a couple pieces of dates from their outsides. Despite being boiled, the farts developed a nice outer coating similar to frying, like Max mentioned. I was super happy that they turned out well and looked very similar to Max's, minus the lack of currants.

My experience tasting it:

My husband and I tried one meatball without gravy in order to see how they taste on their own first. Max describes Farts of Portingale as having a slightly Christmas-y taste; mine had only hints of a Christmas-y taste, likely from the cloves. The seasoning was lovely and unlike anything I've tasted before, but reminiscent of a pot-roast-style seasoning. The lamb was a little on the chewy side, but I suppose this could be due to my sub-par mincing skills. I will probably try making this with beef mince next time so that I won't have to mince it myself.

We then poured our peppercorn gravy over the farts. This made all the difference! The farts' seasoning really came alive, the dates inside them balanced out the peppercorn gravy perfectly, and the heat of the mace really came out as we continued eating. This gravy doesn't normal linger with spice, but the mace from the farts definitely did. My husband and I both loved the dish and will definitely make it again - I've added it to my recipe book. Next time, I will definitely use beef mince though, turning this into a nice, quick weeknight dinner option. Definitely our favourite recipe so far. If you end up making it, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Links to harder-to-find ingredients:

Currants

Mace

Clove

Dates

Farts of Portingale original recipe (c. 1597)

Sourced from The Good Huswife’s Handmaide for the Kitchen by Thomas Dawson

How to Make Farts of Portingale Take a peece of a leg of mutton, mince it smal and season it with cloues, mace pepper and salt, and dates minced with currans: then roll it into round rolles, and so into little balles, and so boyle them in a little beefe broth and so serve them foorth.

Modern Recipe

Based on the adaptation from The Past Is A Foreign Pantry and Max Miller's version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450g) leg of mutton or lamb

⅛ tsp cloves

½ tsp mace

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

⅓ cup (60g) dates

⅓ cup (60g) currants

1 quart (1 L) unsalted beef stock

Method:

Mince the mutton or lamb as fine as possible (almost ground). Then mix in the spices, dates, and currants and form into balls about the size of a golfball.

Heat the beef stock to boiling and drop in the balls. Boil for 6-7 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and allow to cool.

Serve them forth.

[yanderes-galore]

I have brainrot and must get out another HOTD fic. NOT PROOFREAD, I WAS COOKING WITH THIS. THIS IS AN ADULT AEGON II FIC, WHICH MEANS IT MENTIONS PLOT POINTS FROM THE BOOKS.

Spoilers For HOTD and Fire & Blood

A short story based on this idea I had.

Baptism By Fire

Yandere! Aegon II Targaryen Short

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Mentions of intimacy, General Mature Content Warning (This is HOTD/F&B so-) Obsession, Murder, Violence, Possessive behavior, Manipulation, Kidnapping, Adultery, Consensual turned Forced relationship.

Aegon never liked his older half-sister. In his eyes Rhaenyra was a usurper to the throne. In his younger years he never liked the thought of being king... but now, as an older man, he has grown into such a role.

Since he was a young boy, Aegon had always had his fill of pleasures. However, he did have one true love... which was surprisingly not his wife, Helaena. A maid that served his elder half-sister, you....

You were Rhaenyra's personal handmaid. You were around his age, a maid who came from a family of servants. Originally you were just another target of his unusually insatiable libido.

However, Aegon felt he could cast aside his responsibilities with you. In you he found companionship he wasn't expecting. It wasn't just when he had you in his chambers... it was whenever you were around.

Your "relationship" was kept secret from both his mother and elder-sister. He had a feeling they'd both hate him if he admitted to growing fond of you. As a result of your nights together Aegon always had Moon Tea prepared to hide the "evidence".

Aegon always felt you reciprocated his advances. Up until he was married he saw you as at least a friend, if not lover. However, all good things must come to an end.

Reluctantly he was forced onto the throne as the event known as the Dance of The Dragons began to culminate. Ever loyal to Rhaenyra, you stayed her handmaid. An action Aegon found resentment towards....

Aegon had Helaena to give him heirs, but he didn't particularly enjoy it. Aegon always found himself lusting over other women instead. Oddly his choices often resembled you.

As king during the Targaryen Civil War, it was expected he'd go through many hardships. Even with his golden mount, Sunfyre, by his side... The Blacks still proved to be formidable opponents. He still hated the idea of you being loyal to them... even after everything you shared together.

Aegon's thoughts about you never left his mind. Helaena was not blind to the infatuation in Aegon's eyes. The king, even as a fully fledged adult now, still thought of you. Fate had been cruel... and kept getting crueler.

Aegon wondered if he'd even see you again. Throughout his time as king he had witnessed, assassinations, and the death of his children. He suffers all while you tend to Rhaenyra and Daemon.

He finds himself yearning for you.

His hate for The Blacks grows when he fights Rhaenys. Upon dragon back he was struck down, Sunfyre unable to win against Rhaenys' mount, Meleys. As a result he was left burned and twisted.

By the time the king reunites with you, his face and body are marred. He feels mixed feelings when he sees you stand beside Rhaenyra during the attack on Dragonstone. Even more so when he sees you with Rhaenyra's son behind you.

Aegon feels no remorse when he orders guards to pull you and Rhaenyra's son away. He doesn't give a damn when he orders Sunfyre to sear and consume the false queen. That woman has taken enough from him.

Her death brings a grin to his face.

You're all his.

While many suggested he kill Aegon The Younger, the king turns down such suggestions. The boy, and you, already seemed traumatized enough. Instead he takes the boy prisoner.

Which makes you his new handmaid.

You didn't dare look at him after that. You looked so broken after seeing the death of Rhaenyra, your queen. The Dance of Dragons was not quite done, as resistance still brewed within Black supporters.

However, Aegon could care less currently.

He spared the boy partially for you. He may look different now... but his infatuation for you never left. You stare at his burned and scarred face in fear.

Despite such fear he finds himself embracing you. He struggled to walk and is nowhere close to how he was when he was younger. Even just in his 20's he looks like he's seen hell.

You don't move in his grip. He merely holds you tighter against him. He has waited a long time to have you again.

You still look just as beautiful as the last time he's seen you, a young woman in your 20's who hasn't been through war.

He still wishes to kiss you and share that much affection and intimacy with you. Yet, he settles with easing you into it with a kiss on your forehead. He even tries to cultivate the old feelings you had with advances... even allowing you to visit Aegon the Younger.

Your relationship may not be like it was before... it may never be...

But Aegon is determined.

He has you all to himself now... in his eyes he's won....

The war isn't over, many still support the prince he keeps prisoner. But for now he'd like to ignore all the warfare. He's tired of the fighting...

All he needs is you now...

With you in his arms... he'll take on whatever they throw at him.

He doesn't care if he dies now... as long as he has you by his side during it.

[gettingovergreta]

Here are my questioooons!!

8. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

37. Talk about your current wips.

Oooh these are tough! Okay, we'll start with the first one.

8. This is a passage from The Dragon of Bear Island (honestly if I have earlier dialogue I'm proud of I have...largely forgotten it 😂).

“You were at war, Daenerys. Warriors can make bad choices in the heat of battle, and anger and inexperience make poor companions.”

“Inexperience?” Daenerys huffs. “Now I’m poisonous and naive. Do keep telling me all the reasons you adore your wife, ser.”

“Aye, inexperience. That was what, your fourth battle? Fifth? I fought as many before I could grow a beard.” That hardly surprises her, when she has learned how easily the island can be attacked. “Frankly, the end result is the same, Daenerys. The wildfire explodes, you’re injured, the Keep is destroyed. Even if they were going to ring the bells, if Cersei Lannister had any sense, she would have surrendered sooner.” His voice deepens on the last in a way that makes the back of her neck prickle with heat, despite everything.

Though perhaps it’s simply the sensation of standing on a precipice, without her children’s protection nearby. Daenerys stares baldly at him, every muscle still taut with fear, with disbelief. This can’t be so easy. “So you would just...ignore what I’ve told you? That I - that I’m this monster...”

Jorah groans and scrubs his face with his hands, coming around the table to her side. “What would you have me do, Daenerys? Put you on trial? Send you back to King’s Landing? The lady who destroyed the Greyjoy fleet and reads to children and wipes the brow of her handmaid when she’s laboring? Those are all things you’ve done, too, despite your grief, and despite your temper.”

“But Jorah…” Daenerys can’t believe it’s that simple. She can’t.

“Am I a slaver, Daenerys?” Jorah interrupts, and she stops short. “It’s a simple question. Am I a slaver?”

“As I recall, ser, you received a pardon. Lord Varys can vouch for it.” It’s a harsh blow, but part of her is feeling rather raw, and draws some satisfaction from his subtle wince. She adds, a little more gently. “And of course you aren’t. You helped me free thousands of slaves, in Astapor and Yunkai and Meereen. You ended up a slave yourself.”

“Yet under the law, that was exactly what I was. Hell, if I’d been the one on that wall in chains, most of the North would have said it was justice finally done. When I returned to Westeros, I thought if needs must...that I would see you become queen, and I would choose the Wall rather than cause any trouble for your reign. Because that crime was still something that I did, no matter who I am.”

I was particularly proud of this bit because I made a TERRIBLE CHOICE back in like Chapter 8 despite giving myself an AU-out where wildfire exploding is actually what caused the disaster in King's Landing (it also wasn't as widespread as what actually happened in canon). That choice was to have Daenerys remember that she decided to purposefully attack King's Landing despite observing signs of surrender. Verrrry bad behavior, which of course led to the question of how to forgive the unforgiveable?

To a degree, though, Jorah simply can't. That's not his place, not his role to grant her that forgiveness. Instead he points out the circumstances that led to the situation, and that he has been seeking redemption for his own crimes all along. Her fear has been that he won't love her, but I think the scene revealed that Jorah understood that Daenerys is not a saint, and that while he spoke of her gentle heart, he knows that her temper and her pain are real too.

More to the point, there's no undoing what she's done, and Daenerys has to live with that, but she can decide what she chooses to do now and in the future. To me, this was something Jorah realized long ago, and he's trying to impart that lesson now.

I'll put the rest below a cut, because this one's already kinda long, LOL.

14. I guess the worst writing advice is "write what you know." I think it's more like "write what you can convincingly research and have someone check your work if you're not sure." It might be good advice for literary fiction but seems kind of useless in genre work. I also have to admit that I find outlining only vaguely helpful. Stories can take on a life of their own and grow way beyond an original plan. Why hold them back?

28. YOU'RE ALL MY FAVORITES! Ok but for real, I really, really admire people who are great at writing a) long, plotty fics, and b) multiple genres of fic. For those reasons I just loved reading sunken_standard's Sherlock fics (from delicious smut to cheese wheel mayhem), ladymelodrama's amazing fix-it epics, and enigma731's perfect genre slides.

37. Hahaha what WIPs? 😭 I actually didn't have any plans for anything new after I finished my last romcom thing, LOL. I may have one brewing that is a pre-S8 canon divergence - I found the idea in some old exchange prompts and I am very intrigued by it. I'm going to check with the prompter to make sure that it didn't find its destination elsewhere! I also found what was basically a Dany/Jorah PWP that I had forgotten about that just needs a bit more to be finished. Which means it will take me like 10 years because I immediately get rusty when it comes to writing the spicy stuff. 😂

[eclipsecrowned]

poll results discussion.

love based on this i can predict people would be apeshit for 1) mira/br!enne, or 2) mira and her bestie/ax's oc, tyra flowers. both are lady knights. either she's creeping around while her baby cousin is being paraded past the tyr*lls with one of their household, or she's gonna reunite with little cousin and just 'oh who's your knight--' about bri. i think after a youth spent playing the perfect lady to please others and convince them that she's more than a bastard, she could do with the impropriety of being the beloved of a woman, let alone a woman who so treads on the conventions mira so upheld for so long.

we also have some love for the common craftsman, i genuinely think she's cut out for a more simple life. balancing books, seeing to both shop and neighborhood, pulling string from her past life if needed. she'd probably do her part from the bottom to improve the lot of smallfolk, maybe try at least to get some literacy initiatives going to marry her love of the written world to her desire to tip the scales. as long as no one asks or capitalizes on what house she's snow too, she might be alright. i cannot think of the first character in this archetype so feel free to recommend one.

prince incognito, i mean. she is from two very good houses, including one paramount, and bastardy can be overwritten by royal decree. she's noble but never really got to be such, while he's noble and pretending not to be such. i can see where y'all are going. plus the whole 'came to the keep a handmaid and returns a titled man's wife' vibe, i like, i like. the only archetype of this sort i can think of in her timeline is aeg0n and frankly forget the st*rk/t*rg thing it's played to death let's talk 3lia's son w ash*ra's daughter when neither knew their mother as a potential dynamic my ears are open.

the jester. y'all really wanna see the young lady let loose for once in her life, be carefree, allow herself room to just be in a moment. it will never happen, but with the right caper, maybe she'll start weighing the merits of such 'childish' behavior. i genuinely think a jester archetype would be so freeing for her, in addition to matching the words of a post that defines her so much. bonus if it's a sad clown type that can show her that smiling through the hurt is valid and that tightly-held control is not the only performance one can master for the world, just the most suffocating. like the craftsman i struggle to think of who in canon or among ocs meets this archetype but i'm all ears for ideas.

the knight, a classic. who doesn't love a good servant/servant match in the background of active princess classic romance? as mira is learned and ladylike, her partner can be skilled and masculine. she can be the port o his storm, the common sense to his bravado, any number of tropes in tandem with the surface level trope. there's honestly so many knights in series that it's totally up to audience which one would work for mira herself. bonus if, perhaps, a certain old knight is egging the younger man on to make his move and not play the same fool he did decades ago with another pretty d0rnish girl. make a move, lad.

as for the losers of the night, the shy nobleman is hysterical to me bc on discord i may or may not have potential endgames for her in aus around such characters. one is basically my jon going 'and to my bestie, a legal wife to secure alliance with my house... my lady cousin. not that one. not that one either. this one. the grown one. good luck. it's cool she's d0rnish they're polyamorous she'll love gil--' and them having a surprisingly sweet background ship among the chaos of jon's rule/politicking. the other is a complete au where she ends up with a 'survives as part of the conceit' d0meric and have more of a love match than anything. y'all really said 'get that shit outta my sight.'

and to the trickster... i get it. the jester is kind of harmless, playful, dancing through life kinda vibes. the trickster is a more dangerous/high stakes take on that. mira is a manipulator at heart and will do actual war crimes to keep her baby cousin safe. i don't know if y'all knew this but you might have avoided creating wester0s' longest running psychological warfare in not letting her have this type. i salute you even if i personally think it would be hysterical in a black comedy way.

[grandhotelabyss]

Do you think the increasing prominence of speculative fiction with 'literary' ambitions (in particular alternate-but-close-reality science fiction), betrays an inability to face up to our current situation?

On the one hand, I'm all for the restoration of genre fiction to 'highbrow' status; on the other, it feels like evasion simply to write The Vegetarian or The Ministry For The Future or Station Eleven or Tender Is The Flesh as a way of 'dealing with' (i.e., accepting and imagining what the results will be of) the present. Or am I being too moralistic, and this allegorising tendency is so obvious that it does constitute dealing with the present. (I'm not too concerned with the literary quality of any of these examples, except in the Frye sense of 'they are literature so we can discuss them as such' — more the fact that they are exemplary of a, perhaps the, current approach to commenting on ourselves).

I wouldn't make a blanket argument about "speculative fiction," because that could refer to any number of styles and modes, but about the allegorizing tendency of primarily dystopian fiction, yes, I agree. Dystopian or politically allegorical speculative fiction can work, can approach the greatness of fiction with less of a "palpable design upon us," but it's best when either absolutely grounded in reality, like Nineteen Eighty-Four or Kindred, or open-ended in its implication, like Never Me Let Go or Blindness. Otherwise, it feels like an editorial. I wrote this in an essay on The Handmaid's Tale:

I increasingly distrust dystopian fiction, on grounds both aesthetic and political. It makes everything too easy: yes, if [X] in contemporary society were magnified times 100 and [Y] diminished times 100, it would be a terrible thing. But in the world I live in, [X] and [Y] (for example, liberal cultural norms and the conservative backlash to them) exist in a precise and complex interrelation, and if this relation were to shift, everything would be so different as to have little relevance to my actual existence right now. Why not write about [X] and [Y] in all their present-day singularity, Henry James’s “present palpable intimate”? Aren’t the oversimplifications of dystopia for children, a moral pedagogy for those not yet equipped with the tragic awareness of competing goods?

[damara]

Herein, ABOUT, TIMELINE, STATS, HEADCANONS

About;

You are not nice. You do not care, about anything, nor yourself. You escaped His clutches eons ago and recently all the same. Your curse, is you cannot die until you complete your mission. So, you try to forget.

You wreck havoc on the planet, even still. Running away and doing your job at the same time. You were groomed for it, you couldn't stop even if you tried. Even if you wanted to. Helter Sketler, baby. You are numb to genicide, indifferent to extinction. You are starving, you are drowning. You cannot die, you cannot die. So others must.

You do have a soft spot for aliens, though.

You have a little problem with your time powers going haywire, your quills are broken. 1 minute you are thousands of sweeps old, and the next, you are 20.

((Damara suffers from extreme internalized misogyny, and distrusts all men. She uses gendered slurs and will be unrelentingly abrasive. She is possibe to make friends with, in fact I want her to have help healing from her trauma. 💙))

Timeline;

The Demoness has existed in many iterations. The previous successor had found friends, even began her own garden. But she couldn't run forever, none of them ever can.

So, Reboot. The current iteration of Damara fucks up, and ends up in @hulizi 's reality. She is so frustrated that it does not matter the change in scenery, she attacks indiscriminately and the two of them battle it out. It ends in a stalemate, and Damara's horn is broken.

Rematch with @hulizi , in progress.

@mallea8lepersonage reaches out. He shows her the old garden. Both of her selves are conflicted.

STATS;

Name: Handmaid/Demoness [Damara]

Burgundy, troll, Witch of Time

Username: ardentAttendant / abapicalAnnihilationist

Pronouns: she/they

Age: -50sweeps/1000+ sweeps

Height and build: 6ft tall, stocky/ 7ft, underweight

HEADCANONS;

Handmaid:

Types like this! @0u0@

As Handmaid, she is servile, extremely fawning, and polite. Also easier to get along with.

loves games, riddles, and making friends.

Dissociates as a result of Doc's abuse, really good as repressing and compatmentalizing. Until she isn't.

Can't wait to die.

As Handmaid, she still things Doc and English are alive. Sometimes.

No, her eye didn't just twitch. Just let her make dinner

tw abuse, CSA Physically, mentally, emotionally abused my DS and LE. It's canon that DS is a creep to little girls, etc. Beyond that, specifics likely won't be gotten in to.

Demoness:

TYPES. LIKE THIS. INFLUENCED BY LORD ENGLISH.

No longer repressing her desire to destroy.

Everyone will pay for their suffering. Even you.

Tired of this shit.

Hates you. Until she doesn't.

Think of a feral cat you slowly feed every day til you get to touch it in once and it scratches you, but you DID it.

Soft spot for humans and Aradias.

I have plans for her to recon with her trauma, I'd like her to end up reformed and properly intergrating with others.

Secret love of gardening once she figures out she can do more than destroy.

Asexual agender internalized misogyny queen.

[glasskey]

Justice THT Style - Part 2 - Nick Blaine

Today we're looking at the enigmatic Nick Blaine and his road to true justice. Let's get started.

For 5 seasons Blaine has been wandering the streets of Gilead as an Eye and now a military Commander, his very job description determines that like it or not, he’s a source of Gilead justice. He might not say a Hell of a lot but if you live in Gilead, its definitely not a promising sign when he turns up at your door if you’ve misbehaved. He’s constantly quoting bible verses that have a very “fuck around and find out” quality to them, in fact dear old Fred got a mouth full of the whole “reap what you sow” business, just prior to his demise. In season 1 Nicks sense of justice seems more procedural rather than retributive but he’s green and yet to see what Gilead will do to the love of his life. “No ones above the law” he says in S1 but this is fanciful idealism, these commanders are rotten to the core and he’ll have to drown himself in blood to get them to behave like virtuous men. He’s a peaceful man, restrained and noticeably stoic, but watching the various ways that the Waterfords and Gilead tortured and crushed June, is more than he can stomach. When Nick joins June in those dark woods handing Fred over for the revenge she so desperately craves, he doesn’t take part in the Salvaging, it’s a ritual only performed by Handmaids and as such he knows it’s not his place. Instead he silently marches Fred through the woods, ignoring his pleas, to deliver him to June and leaves.

Historically when it comes to acts of justice and revenge Blaine acts as more of an intermediary, justice will be served, not directly by his hand, but he does make sure that everyone “gets to the church on time”. But lately we’ve seen the sands shifting, from season 4 we’ve witnessed instances Blaine will directly take a pound of flesh and I personally wish him well. In season 4 ep 10 he back hands a mouthy Fred, a call back to a slap Fred previously delivered to June, as Nick stood there horrified and helpless. With that one gesture he redresses the balance and takes back his power.

In Season 5 he shot Putnam for raping a handmaid, and while under the guise of Gilead justice, Blaine was more than happy to oblige for his own reasons. In Ep 10 he became enraged at an attempt on Junes life, ending with a bit of a throw down with Lawrence in front of the evil Commander McKenzie. This moment crystalized that Nick Blaine was becoming both increasingly dangerous and unpredictable. It also foreshadowed the Battle Royale we can expect between these three in season 6. With Blaine being such a purveyor of New Testament scripture that espouses forgiveness and love, he’s inclined to feel a great deal of guilt over any act of revenge. It suits him, a sense of guilt gives a character an aura of contemplation and depth, something that Blaine seems to swim in. Comparatively, a lack of appropriate guilt makes a character seem sociopathic and superficial. Blaine’s “tried to be nice about it” as they say, but unfortunately he lives in Gilead and well, Gilead’s gonna Gilead, so as Lawrence would say “enough of the carrot, time for the stick”.

It’s been interesting to note that scenes of Blaine at war were cut, participating in a war against a peaceful country sits poorly with a character who has such a balanced sense of justice. There is always a difference between referring to a character at war and actually SHOWING one picking up a gun and shooting it at an innocent. Showing these types of acts makes an effective redemption arc almost impossible to survive and lowers the chances of welcoming that character back into the fold at the end of the day. The fact that these scenes were cut significantly increases Blaine's chances of coming home.

Until season 4 we never saw Blaine engage in any acts of direct violence that weren’t as a result of self defence, when he did commit them, they could be traced back to his feelings of anger at witnessing June’s abuse. In Season 5 he became increasingly dark and lost hope, ala Godfather style, because he’d lost the one glimmer of light in his life: June.

It would have been unusual for writers NOT to show him descending into a place of darkness without her. She’s everything to him and now with Tuello holding out his hand he can just see her again standing on the distant horizon. God help whoever stands in his way.

Next up Serena and the Nick Blaine of Canada: Tuello.

[thehannahmacposts]

alright so i might revive this blog but idk what i would revive it into so i’m just gonna do a bit of an intro since some things have ✨changed✨ since the last time i did one (i think it might be visible in my likes if those can be seen). anyway:

my names hannah

i’m 22, although 23 in november

i’m from the uk lol (the tories are a joke, i know)

i’m bi

i use she/they pronouns, tho i’m kinda avoidant of figuring out if i’m non-binary or not since my mental health didn’t exactly end up great when i realised i was bi lol

i have recently finished doing resits for my ✨law✨ degree, although don’t have results yet and may have to do further resits yet so my end result is not yet know

no fucking clue what i want to do as a job/ career so my goal is just to get a job that gets me a bit of money at the minute, though i am interested in going into the legal/ forensics side of things without aiming for the solicitor route if possible

music interests include: taylor swift, the wanted, fall out boy & harry styles mainly, but obvs have playlists full of other bits from like the barbie soundtrack & whatever

tv shows i’d say are my faves: agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. & brooklyn nine-nine (i think)

tv shows i’ve watched recently: good omens, the handmaid’s tale, two broke girls, manifest (im on s3 at the minute), heartstopper, the last of us

current fave films & recently watched: la la land, the barbie movie, red, white & royal blue, reputation stadium tour (i guess?), the unbearable weight of massive talent

book i’ve recently finished: the ballad of songbirds & snakes (hunger games prequel)

book i’m currently reading: the girl who broke the sea

there’s probably other little bits but tbh i can’t really think of them off the top of my head

but yeah, i’m no good at blogs or tumblr but if anyone has any idea of what i could use this for based on that then please help 😂😅 i’d be grateful ☺️