#and honestly stannis needs a bitch in his life

[leupagus]

Please enjoy this section of "A Song of Darkness and Dawn" that's at least three fics into the future (somewhere around season 8?) that I've had in my drafts for literally a year

Happy anniversary?

"Father never talked about the Rebellion," said Lady Stark after a long moment. "At least not with me. Our septa taught us about it, a bit. How King Robert made his claim to the Iron Throne in part through his grandmother, Rhaelle Targaryen. She was the younger sister to King Jaehaerys and Queen Shaera."

"You believe Daenerys's claim to be stronger than mine?" He took a breath, wondering at himself even as he said, "It may well be."

Lady Stark gaped at him. "'It may well be'?" she echoed, incredulous. "Whatever happened to 'the Iron Throne is mine by right' and 'all those who deny my claim are my enemy' and 'I alone can unite the realm'?"

"I don't sound like that," he snapped, ignoring her badly-suppressed snort. "Robert won by right of conquest more than birth, and three dragons gives Daenerys Stormborn a better claim than any bloodline. But the more I think on it..." He sighed. "I suspect that there is no such thing as king — or queen — by right. It's simply a pretty phrase for those in power to pursue what they want, at the expense of their duty to their people." He glanced at her. "What?"

"Nothing," she said quickly, though her expression was odd. "I just never expected to hear such things from you."

"It's your fault, if it's anyone's."

"Really." This expression was more familiar: a glower. "I'm sure this will be interesting."

"You took Winterfell back, despite having no real claim other than the..." He cast about for the right word, "sentiment, I suppose, of the Northern lords."

It wasn't the right word, he soon discovered. "I'm a Stark," she replied hotly. "My family's held the North for thousands of years!"

"But you're not the heir to Winterfell," he pointed out. ". Daughters can inherit — but they usualy don't, not if there's a son living. And your father had three."

"None of whom want to be Warden of the North!" She looked ready to kick him. "And you yourself granted Winterfell to me—"

"And I meant it," he said, stepping back a judicious pace. "You've rebuilt the Keep and brought order back to the North, made it safe for your people. Now you're preparing them for the Great War, and I'd ask for no one better. You're doing your duty. But it was a duty you sought, and a duty that rightly belongs to someone else."

"It's a duty I'm suited to," she countered. "Just as you were suited better to be Lord of Dragonstone and Master of Ships than to be Lord Paramount of the Stormlands."

Stannis jabbed a finger at her. "That was completely different!"

"Only because King Robert gave Storm's End to Renly outright," she said, raising a finger in turn. "You're the one who considered it a slight, even though Dragonstone was the holdfast given to the heir to the Iron Throne, which you were, until Joffrey was born. Not only that, you were the only man Robert could have trusted to rebuild his fleet. And," she added, pushing his hand down when he tried to interject, "You would have hated being Lord of the Stormlands."

She said it with such triumphant confidence that he was left gaping at her for a moment, before hurredly pulling his hand away from hers. "I admire your confidence, my lady," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "But bear in mind that I am Lord Paramount of the Stormlands."

"Yes, and if you were there, you'd hate it," she said blithely. "You'd have to deal with people, throughout the day and every day — and not just people who do as you tell them. You'd have to listen to the complaints of smallfolk about their taxed grains, hear out disputes between two holdings that have been fighting over the same half-acre for three generations; you'd have to listen all the wheedling lords and the irascable septons and blustering tradesmen. You'd have to offer comfort to the sickly who come to you for the healing touch of their lord, attend feast days and wave and smile at the crowds, accept the flower crowns the children weave for you at the tourneys. You can't just shout. You have to care, and be shown to care. You—" Suddenly she stopped and laughed. "I wish I had a mirror right now, to show you your face."

"Flower crowns?" he asked, wincing. Shireen would look well in them, at least.

"Good thing I didn't bend the knee, Your Grace," she said, "if the mere thought of daisies wrapped around your head makes you rethink the entire enterprise. What did you think being king meant?"

[atopvisenyashill]

my opinion on “does joffrey know about the incest” is that he honestly genuinely does not suspect a god damn thing UNTIL the big blow up when his father dies. the combo of ned doing All Of That when he’d previously been so politically inactive + stannis AND renly crowning themselves is all the confirmation he needs for all the weird shit he’s seen throughout his life to click into place but what EYE think clicks into place is “oh this bitch SEDUCED my WEAK and INNOCENT MOTHER from my AMAZING father????” and from then on he’s praying robb kills jaime before the war ends.

[maschotch]

hello my friend, wanted to ask you to rank the team from least favorite to most favorite. and to tell you i hope you have a good day!

ahh ok ok ok like the whole team or just the core 7? fuck it: all of them

jj: explanation here but tldr? white pinterest mom vibes and im nota hashtag feminist girlboss

kate: same reasons as jj but i thought she was funny while she lasted and i liked the human trafficking episode with her niece that was crazy

rossi: racist wealthy italian. "i used to be in the mafia" and "im a war veteran" are his only other personality traits. need i say more? his best moment was when he gave hotch a gun to kill himself ajsdlghsjg

seaver: wattpad energy im sorry gamergirl

matt: breeding kink. my vietnamese and filipino friends have had too many interactions with kpop stannies and koreaboos for me to support wasian kids with white moms im sorry

reid: he's not low on purpose i just don't really like any of the story arcs that surround him specifically and hes the most annoying ab his daddy/mommy issues than anyone else on the team (why cant he be normal about it like morgan lol) and i know enough other people love him to make up for him not being my absolute favorite

alex: another low empathy legend. i find her fascinating and i love lveo lveolevoevlevoelvoevleovelvoe her relationship with reid!!! thats his mom right there!!! (no disrespect diana- a boy can have two moms<3)

stephen: he was such a funky little guy. had that weird dad energy that we've missed since gideon left. didn't deserve to go like that, the scene with monica brings me to tears everytime, i wish he could've been there longer and had a chance to develop his relationships with the rest of the team more

tara: i loooove her she's so cool and smart. i wish she had more storylines about her tho :/ but thats the racism ig lmao

gideon: literally just a fucked up guy he's so goofy and weird. and it's kinda like the opposite of spencer--he's higher on my list bc i know he's low on so many other people's and honestly the weirdo freak deserves better. i want someone to hannibal him so so bad

jordan: ok i thought she was fucking awesome??? i really wish she had stayed longer but i also loved how she always struggled with the job because of how personally she took everything. she looked at this nightmare of a life and said "no thanks :) not for me" and i respect that. but i love her relationships with the team especially emily morgan hotch <3

penelope: ????do i even need to say anything she's gorgeous and funny and literally the glue that holds the team together like this show would not be shit without her in it

morgan: another one i feel like goes without saying he's just such a good man so gentle and sweet and kind and loving and protective. he takes all the hurt he's experienced and uses that to fuel his love and devotion for others. and he's so so smart he just doesn't need to rub it in everyone's face all the time. he's just got that tmasc swag and his tits always steal the show<3

luke: baby boy baby he's my absolute golden boy fr. he's going higher than morgan/penelope which seems a little off but i'm grading on a curve: he didn't really get any storylines and he wasn't there for that long. latino king and im a sucker for sign language. his crush on garcia is sooooo cute and just the way he was always there for her emotionally even when she didnt want him to be.. .giving him infinite gold star stickers

elle: badass cuban?? the way she instantly settled into the bau family?? putting everyone in their place?? how her leaving left a permanent scar on everyone who cared about her?? the potential for vigilante elle?? haircut in the second season?? her smile??? teh gUn HoLsTerskasj j??? what's not to love?? i wish she lasted longer :((((

hotch: hes my boring white man i will hype this bitch up so much!!!!!!WILL defend southern boy hotch to the death. trans man autistic man trying-to-be-better-than-his-father man <3 hes sooooooo expressive and emotionally open especially when he goes -_- i love him so so much

emily: she's so so so smart and hot <3 i love my low empathy queen <3 normally i dont really like ~rich white girl with mysterious international connections~ trope but she manages it perfectly bc its not her whole personality you know? she's all about second chances and trying again and building a new life for herself out of the ashes of her old one and it doesn't always work but she keeps trying anyway and i love love love her

[momowho34]

Favorite things with theon in them that actually fucking happen in the books but could easily be something made up in a shitpost:

Roose Bolton, riding through the woods with Theon: ah well you know, ramseys a bit of a handful, but bastard sons murder their half brothers and sadistically torture people all the time, it’s normal. Boys will be boys, y’know?

Theon, staring: .....for the sake of my health I’m not going to comment on that actually

================================

Theon: listen, I’ve really hacked this subservience thinks, there is not a single rebellious bone in my body, I’m sure of that now. Anyway I totally belong to Ramsay (also known as the rat bastard son of a bitch that I would fucking stab right in the jugular if I got the chance god I hate him so much wish I could wring his stupid fucking neck and punch the goddamn smile off his face, I fucking hope he dies in a fire I hope his own dogs tear him to pieces) and will no longer resist anymore. No rebellious thoughts here, no sir, Ramsey’s the best and everything is fine :) :)))) :)))))))))

=================================

Theon: gee I sure do wonder why Ramsay is the way he is. I’m sure I’ll never know

Theon after spending a few minutes with Ramsay and Roose Bolton in the same room: ah yes. ‘twas just good old daddy issues. Huh. Of course

=================================

One of the ladies in the Bolton household, ordered by Roose: so this is what’s become of Theon Greyjoy, huh? Alright let’s get you cleaned up and looking well again.

Theon: *nervous laughter* ah yes, ma’am it appears you have mistaken me for an actual human being which I, in fact, am not. I do not do the baths or the physical appearance or the taking care of myself in any capacity, so if you need me I will be sitting on the floor and trying to get Not Tortured by Ramsay when he comes back for me. Have a good day :]

=================================

Theon, reminiscing at the big ole tree in winterfell: there are ghosts in winterfell, and I am one of them...

Mance Rayder’s girls in disguise, holding a knife to theon’s throat: don’t move or we’ll kill/maim you!!!

Theon, pausing, slowly and fully turning around and leaning into the blade at his throat, deadass staring the girl in the eye while saying in his most sarcastic, venom laced voice without a hint of fear: oh no. I’m so scared. This is definitely the worst thing that has ever happened to me, ever. I am quivering. Absolutely shaking in my boots. Positively scared for my life rn, I have never been more scared then I am right now. I had no idea this level of fear was even a thing. Can’t believe it. Shaken for life. I may never feel safe again. You have broken me. I am forever changed. So much worse then the time my fingers and toes were severed and my dick got cut off, so terrified.

Mace Rayder’s girls, seriously considering backing away slowly and never coming back: ..........okay, what the absolute 100% fuck???? ??????? Are- are you okay? Did- this was definitely not what I expected your reaction to be.

Theon, leaning closer to the blade, whispering: do it bitch I fucking dare you-

=================================

Mance Rayder: *flings the door open to Jeyne’s room so they can escape with her* okay theon get your girlfriend and then we can- oh my gods what the fuck happened to her?!?! What the fuck?!?!?!?!?? What the fuck?!?!?!??!!?!!?!?!

Jeyne Poole, in the corner, covered in blood and clearly devoid of sanity, rocking back and forth and barely still alive: *mutters some creepy shit incoherently*

Theon, not remotely effected at all, effortlessly picking Jeyne up and carrying her: don’t worry about it let’s go she’s fine

One of Mance Rayder’s girls: Why is there blood everywhere??!?!?? What happened here?!?!??!

Theon, shrugging: oh you know garden variety sadistic torture and dehumanization and depersonalization and general fuckery of mind and body and if I know Ramsay,, (and boy do I know Ramsay) also probably some form of mutilation to a degree. honestly, been there done that got the t-shirt and came out the other side, I’ll deal with it and hopefully get better but that’s only if we manage to get out of here so for fucks sake leTS GO-

=================================

Asha, watching Theon straight up materilize out of the woods near stannis’s army carrying a girl random girl: what the fuck???? Theon?????? Is that you?????? What the fuck are you doing here????????????

Theon, missing significantly less teeth then when Asha last saw him: sup bitch guess who’s back hehe didn’t see this comin’ didya???

[jonathanrook]

legally i have to give you intern 2

em you have awoken an ungodly beast inside me so i need to warn everyone that this post is. incomprehensible. but so is mymusic so i guess we're all used to it.

How I feel about this character:

i watched mymusic as it was airing/running/coming out specifically bc i'm a jack stannie, and as a kid melvin was my second favorite character (w scene being in first, obvs) for mostly that reason. he basically hovered around this ranking until my most recent rewatch in the summer of 2020, which was actually spurred by some events in my personal life that vaguely reminded me of scene's season two arc w jeff, and i thought it'd been a funny/nostalgic way to get my mind off things.

(i want to side note here that -- i know you didn't ask, but -- i love jeff. i have since i was a kid. like, obviously not as a person but i think he's honestly the best written character in the series, w indie close in second. idk what it says about the f*nes that their most interesting and well rounded characters are the villains, but i digress. to this day i'm salty that jeff never got added to the theme song and wasn't really included in promotional merch.)

however, in said rewatch, certain things about how he was written started to really get under my skin, and certain moments in particular have really stuck out to me in a negative way. like, for the entirety of season one and a good chunk of season two he's one person, and then he leaves mymusic and we have an entirely different person, but not in a nuanced character building sort of way.

i've said a few of these points before but i'll repeat them here regardless. at the risk of sounding like i've put on a tin-foil hat, it's my sneaking suspicion that scindie was supposed to be endgame, but since fan reception to it was pretty neutral, and scenechart stans were, at the very least, more vocal, changes were made to the intended finale, which is why in the last scene he's basically just. indie. like, if everything about the show was exactly the same but indie was the one who had ended up w scene in the end that would have made so much more sense since a) scene had a crush on indie that he/everyone knew about and b) indie was kind of a dick despite the half-assed attempts at redemption, so both combined make it slightly less weird/out-of-nowhere that he kisses her w/o her consent (since, even though like. implied consent is not real at worst and a fuzzy subject at best but you could argue that scene would want indie to kiss her); and this isn't even taking into consideration that c) melvin is heavily queer-coded in both seasons, with his friendship with nerdcore being, dare i say, homoerotic at times, and his arc about leaving the company and changing his name mirroring nerdcore's almost perfectly (with nerdcore being a character who b*nny [at least] has all but confirmed is actually gay).

i've also been on the fence about melvin's behavior in that final scene making more sense for indie's character being an intentional decision as a way of shoe-horning in a theme about the lasting effects of abuse/cycles of abuse/the corruption of power but i also don't think the f*nes are smart enough for that. however, for the sake of defending my straw theory, i also point to the scene where indie comes to visit the acid factory after melvin told him to shut up, and we see melvin use reggie as a foot-stool, going as far as to say that it feels good to do so (which, in all honesty, i think is a bit that was entirely improvised, since the f*nes were "notorious for never saying cut" [paraphrased from a bts video], but work w me here). he's also given a seltzer mug that perfectly resembles indie's kombucha mug. in these moment melvin is directly emulating the behavior of his previous abuser, purposefully or not, literal moments after being promoted to an equal position of authority, which was totally just included as a joke, but could also be argued is meant to show that he's becoming indie; or, if we acknowledge that the f*nes have no fucking clue what they're doing and were just directing like chickens with their heads cut off, it at least shows that melvin's new position of power is leading him to understand where indie was coming from, which is supported by their conversation in the finale.

the following contains a couple brief mentions of irl sexual assault so if that's something you'd like to avoid skip to the next section!

HOWEVER, that alone isn't what i have a problem with, since i think melvin is completely justified in being a dick to indie (and also reggie enthusiastically consents to being used as an ottoman so good for him i guess). the issue comes completely in how he treats scene in the scenes where the f*nes clearly thought what they were writing was super romantic. like, the fact that the only thing he's got hung on his cubicle wall is a single picture of scene taken from the fucking opening credits (like. how hard would it have been to have. literally any other photo[s] esp since there's an abundance of cute bts pics of the cast in costume that could have been put there) and him scrolling through her twitter at work really creep me out (and at the risk of oversharing the weird, like, social media stalking angle really fucks w me bc that may or may not have been the exact fucking thing i was trying to escape in rewatching mymusic in the first place). also, having him sexually assault scene as a means of comforting her after she had just been sexually assaulted in the same way by someone else was... a choice (which is also, uh, personally familiar).

again, i recognize that demonizing melvin wasn't what the f*nes were trying to do here, and i perhaps seem hypocritical for opening liking jeff, but what makes jeff work is he's intentionally "the bad guy." having melvin do the same things as indie and jeff uncritically only proves further that the f*nes can't write for shit, and ruins his character which had, up until he quit mymusic, been unironically good. like, it's obviously not beneficial that the exact asshole things he does are personally triggering, but the character would still be a mess and i would still dislike him regardless.

i want to say though that jack delivers a surprisingly great performance despite how shoddily his character is constructed and how little experience he has as an actor. like, it's clear he was having a lot of fun on set and i would love to see him in something, like, good; i think he could pull off even like, guest television roles, which is a lot more than can be said for other youtubers.

-----

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

nerdchart should have been canon i'm sorry. i know that close, nonromantic male friendships are valuable, esp between queer men, but also gd wouldn't it have been baller to have a canon interracial mlm ship. like. c'mon. and they could have been such a good friends to lovers story! we already got to see how melvin was the only person nerdcore could really be himself around so it would have been so cool if melvin's self-advocacy arc/flowchart arc had revolved more around nerdcore with a little role-reversal! and then they kiss! like god intended!

also i ship him and indie bc i'm a grubby little gremlin man ohoho. enemies w weird sexual tension? sign me up. not even enemies to lovers i'm not saying this one should have been canon i just love the vibes. do you think melvin and indie ever explored each other's bod-- *gunshot*

-----

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

i wish him and scene had just been bros. god remember in season one when they were just bros that was the life.

alternatively, i wish we'd seen more bonding w him and metal, as a means of reconciling that. uh. moment from season one. along similar lines i would have loved to see him get closer w rayna in a similar way to how she bonded w nerdcore in season two. i think that could have also worked to show how she'd grown between the two seasons.

-----

My unpopular opinion about this character:

HIM. AND. SCENE. SHOULD. HAVE. JUST. BEEN. BROS. (though i think my general dislike of him is pretty unpopular, lmao).

when the show was coming out i don't think it's unfair to say that scenechart/scenetern 2 was the most popular ship (aside from potentially techstep whatever) but luckily we're all gay and have better taste now. unfortunately i totally fell into this camp and scenechart was even my otp for years (until it was arguably more unfortunately usurped by reddie in 2019) and i didn't even realise that it's a hot mess until, again, the summer of 2020.

when actually watching the show the choices the f*nes made in regards to how the ship actually became canon are so odd and out of place, too? okay, so, on one hand everyone just shipped scenechart bc it was the whitest hettiest ship in the show (esp in season two when idol left) aside from scindie (and we already discussed what's wrong w that). but, on the other hand, lainey and jack clearly also just got along? and i suspect that lainey probably also admired jack's work and was happy to be working with him bc we have so many shots throughout even the first season when the ship wasn't the intended endgame of lainey scene looking really fondly at jack melvin at times when it doesn't make much sense at all, esp since she's smitten w indie? this trend continues into the second season which arguably works but it still seems really out of place for him to be the one to ultimately make the first move on her since it's clear she was the one crushing this whole time and also he's gay! this bitch is gay what the fuck!!

-----

One thing I wish had happened with this character in canon:

at this point i'm struggling to think of anything i haven't covered yet. oops.

i've talked at length before about how he should have been a woman/lesbian, but the tl;dr is that it would have solved a lot of the queer-coding "problems" that just didn't get resolved in the show. if he'd been a lesbian then not only would the friendship w nerdcore still made sense, but scenechart would have as well (not even mentioning that both of scene's other relationships w men make a lot of sense as comphet anyway).

[setsureadsshit]

Lost At Sea: A List of WIP’s I am finally letting go of [ Part 4 ]

[ Part 1 ] [ Post 2 ] [ Post 3 ]

*see posts 1-3*

let me (under your skin) by godsensei

Summary:  Hinata unknowingly moves into the apartment directly beside Oikawa and Iwaizumi's. Oikawa is delighted.

Last Update: 2016

Fandom & Main Pairing: Haikyuu!! ; Hizuwa

Personal Notes: IT WAS SUCH A PROMISING START, I’M SO MAD. I...could probably hold onto it for another year or two but you know, this whole process is about letting go right? Still sad :<

Ten by Azkaabanter

Summary: Oliver's in Central City on Mayoral business, and to take a break from being the Green Arrow in Starling City for one month. Just one.His temporary office is in the crime lab of the CCPD, because what place in Central could be safer than the police station? And what room could be better than one he gets to share with the shy, nerdy, clumsy CSI?But Barry Allen isn't at all what he seems.Oliver can see if you're dangerous, it's a gift; a power.

A toddler... a one.

A cop... a five.

A hitman... a seven.

Barry Allen... a ten.

Last Update: 2018

Fandom & Main Pairing: The Flash/Arrow ; Flarrow

Personal Notes: I’d have kept this one if not for the fact that the 4th chapter isn’t actually a chapter but an update promising to finish the story and then it’s been another 2 years, lol.

Glow Worms by gurglesnaps

Summary:  I knew this wasn't a good idea. None of Stiles' ideas ever were.

Last Update: 2016

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek

Personal Notes: It is rare for me to so much as look at a fic written in first person, usually after the first paragraph I’ve noped out of it, it’s just not a tense I enjoy. But this fic not only caught my attention but I held onto it so that should tell you something. It’s only 3 chapters which is a disappointment.

Open Book by AggressiveWhenStartled

Summary: “If you jump out of this plane without a parachute one more time, I don’t know what I'm gonna do, but you will not like it.” Bucky yanked, hard, on one of the straps holding the parachute on—Steve gave a soft grunt of complaint. Bucky shot him a look and jerked it harder.

This work has been discontinued and has been completely rewritten as Closed Book. This is not a sequel, prequel, or otherwise related. Read Closed Book with the confidence it will conclude, but this is an older version of it and will not.

Last Update: 2017

Fandom & Main Pairing: The Avengers ; Stucky

Personal Notes: Pretty self explanatory on this one I think, lol. I haven’t read Closed Book yet but I loved what there was of open book so it’s def on my list to tackle next!

Hard to Breathe by sourwulfur

Summary:  What with the Nemeton making things difficult for Stiles and the gang, a school project shoves Danny and Stiles into spending time together. That little push may be all it takes to start forming a bond as more than just classmates. Maybe Danny could be the one to help Stiles find a light in the dark where his friends are already succeeding.

Last Update: 2014

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Stanny? Diles? It’s such a rare pair I honestly don’t know.

Personal Notes: I think this might be the one and only fic I have ever read that was Danny x Stiles in my many many many many many many MANY years of reading teen wolf fanfic. It was decent, I liked where it was going, I just wish we’d gotten to the end. There’s like, 9 chapters but a lot is left up in the air so if you need closure, don’t even start this one.

Junkyard Dogs by TrashPanda

Summary: Orphaned at a young age, Derek is sold into the slave market. His dynamic as an alpha, and a werewolf, make him a desirable slave to have working in Peter's alpha brothel, The Junkyard.Stiles is a 21 year old virgin omega who's tired of going through heats alone. Dating isn't a realistic prospect, so he seeks out The Junkyard, hoping to maybe find an alpha to help him through his rapidly approaching heat.Then he meets Derek, one of the Junkyard Dogs, who's also about to go into rut. And nothing could stop the pull they feel towards one another.

Last Update: 2018

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek

Personal Notes: This one actually hasn’t been left for very long I’m just no longer interested in the story it has to tell

Some Kind Of Madness by cutestpixieyoueversaw

Summary: ****WARNING: Story is currently being rewritten and organized until June/July 2018. Deletions and additions will happen in the meantime***Stiles apparently has a type. You know unfairly attractive for this worldly plane while having perhaps some of the best wit around? The kind of wit that could be spoken with only facial expressions. Bonus if they gave Einstein a run for his money. Oh he forgot to add Alpha because it was now a thing, perhaps even a kink if he was going to be really honest with himself.Or the one where Stiles realizes that his life should be a MTV show because the drama he has is worthy of cable television.Or the one where Stiles meets another pack and gets to understand that Bella and Sookie really had the worst luck ever and he is not them but really it's reading like he is. P.S. Tinkerbell is a bitch.

Last Update: 2014

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek

Personal Notes: I feel like I remember liking this but it’s been so long and while it claims it’s being re-written, I’ve kinda just lost interest. Hopefully the revamped version is even better than the original and I def encourage y’all to give it a chance.

By All Four by Sunshineditty

Summary:  Sentinel Jim Ellison and his guide Blair Sandburg are on the trail of a serial killer who murders young latent and online sentinels in the Pacific Northwest. Derek Hale - an unbonded guide - is trying to live through the pity of friends and family when his sentinel ex-girlfriend and the guide she left him for return to Beacon Hills. None of them will predict the series of events and the feral sentinel who will change the course of their lives forever.

Last Update: 2016

Fandom & Main Pairing: Teen Wolf ; Sterek

Personal Notes: I don’t know enough about Sentinel to really judge the fic, but I do remember it made me want to actually hunt down the original show to watch because it seemed interesting.  

No Longer Human by battlegod (Battle_god_Ye_Xiu)

Summary:  He now understood why moths would flit towards a flame, pining for its warmth even as they caught fire. It was the irresistible attraction of light when one was surrounded by darkness. Reaching for the lone spark that shone at night, was that not the instinct of all living things?

Last Update: 2019

Fandom & Main Pairing: The King’s Avatar ; Huáng Shàotiān xYù Wénzhōu

Personal Notes: I’ve watched this drama like, 20 times but I’ve lost interest in fics pretty much. Mostly because it’s understandably hard to find anything in english, lol. We can’t all be Untamed.

Swapped by writeonclara

Summary: if u wanted my number u couldve just asked

u didnt have to steal my whole phone ;)

Steve stared down at his phone, confused. He didn't recognize the number – except, oh wait, he really did. That was his number. On his phone.He flipped the phone over, then slid one hand down his face. 

Not his phone.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

Last Update: 2018

Fandom & Main Pairing: Captain America ; Stucky

Personal Notes: It’s a cute start but not interesting enough for me to hold onto. Stucky is one of those....tangential pairings that is more I know a lot of people who ship it and the stories tend to be interesting so I’ll read it when I happen across something that catches my eye but I don’t like...go hunting for it.

two drums in the grey by brandywine421

Summary: “Standard disclaimer – you are not on the first or second string of our emergency call trees,” Cisco said.

“So why are you here?” Barry yawned.

“We’ve got a new speedster. Wally West,” Caitlin said, preemptively wincing.

Last Update: 2018

Fandom & Main Pairing: The Flash/Green Arrow ; Flarrow

Personal Notes: This is actually the second in a series, the first story is complete and I honestly don’t remember much about it but it must have been good if I subscribed to the sequel. So take that as you will, lol.

[bonesgadh]

Melisandre and her Messiah.

Some Biblical stuff coming right up:

Regarding the prophecy of The Prince That Was Promised I honestly don’t give two fucks; I’m only interested in the facts and they say Arya was the one that ended the long night by defeating the Night King and that’s the tea. To me she is a Goddess and from now on I’ll forever address her as Arya Stark of Winterfell, The Princess That Was Promised, Slayer of the Night King and Savior of Westeros.

However, I’m a little pissed because there’s some people out there who are saying there’s no way Arya can be The Prince That Was Promised because she doesn’t fit the criteria. Now I may be wrong about this but I don’t remember the show being that specific about the requirements to be TPTWP, the only thing Melisandre says is it is meant to destroy darkness (if I remember correctly the only additional thing said by other red priestess while advocating for Daenerys being TPTWP was that she was reborn from the fire to remake the world). I know the books give more details about the prophecy but I think it’s pretty clear the show has long drifted away from them.

Anyway, for this post I’m sticking to what the show has been telling us all these years (specifically the Battle of Winterfell episode), and I put a special focus on why I’m convinced my girl is TPTWP based on Melisandre’s scenes.

I was raised Catholic (although I’ve lapsed a bit I still consider myself to be a believer), so I notice some similarities between the faith of R'hllor, The Lord of the Light and Catholicism. TPTWP is seen as some sort of Messiah for the Red Priests, just like Jesus for Catholics and Christians. This almost mythical figure, the reincarnation of a legendary warrior (Azor Ahai) will destroy darkness and end with the treat of The Long Night for good. We have known for quite some time The Long Night = the Night King and the White Walkers, so it was safe to assume whoever destroyed them would automatically be revealed as TPTWP.

Melisandre, the most famous Red Priestess in Game of Thrones is the one in charge of telling us about this prophecy. What I find interesting about Melisandre is her backstory: her life was terrible, she was a slave and then, at her lowest point, she met The Lord of the Light and became her most loyal servant. When we first meet Melisandre it’s pretty obvious she is a bit obsessed with the whole TPTWP. My guess is a good part of her whole belief system (and her life for all that matters) revolves around this prophecy, to the point she is pretty much a fanatical. I can bet you Melisandre dreamed of being the one to find this Messiah and to see firsthand the destruction of darkness. She even has that necklace that has kept her alive for longer than usual.

Do I think Melisandre knew Arya would kill the Night King back in 3x06? No, I don’t. Why do I think so? Well, obviously because by the time they met Melisandre was utterly convinced Stannis was TPTWP (Lol), but also because prophecies and visions aren’t that straight forward. There’s a lot of hidden meaning involved and symbolisms, so the only thing Melisandre saw in Arya’s eyes was what she told her: that there was darkness and the whole brown, green and blue eyes she would shout forever, and that they would meet again. I even dare to say Melisandre didn’t even remember the young girl until they saw each other at Winterfell.

After this encounter a lot of things happened to Melisandre, but one thing that shaped her character for the rest of her storyline was Shireen’s sacrifice. Melisandre wasn’t scared of sacrificing others in the name of the Lord of the Light and she truly believed Stannis to be her Messiah; but seeing him fail the way he did –and the fact that Shireen’s sacrifice wasn’t even worth it– is what shattered her completely. She began doubting her faith and became Buzz Lightyear when he gets drunk on tea.

However, Jon’s miraculous resurrection is what gives her back her faith and trust in her Lord. Now she believes him to be TPTWP because he returned from the dead and he must have a greater purpose to fulfill. Again her desire to be the one to find the world’s savior kicks in, and I dare to say it’s stronger than ever.

After she gets vanished from the North and she meets Daenerys, she tells her the following words:

“The Long Night is coming. Only the prince that was promised can bring the dawn.”

After saying these words Daenerys asks Melisandre if she thinks she is that prince, to which Melisandre answers prophecies are dangerous but she does believe she has a part to play in the upcoming war, just like Jon Snow. Melisandre even mentions Jon’s role in all this, he is the one who united the North against the imminent treat of the darkness (it’s worth mentioning Arya decides to return to Winterfell in the same episode). When Jon goes to meet Daenerys, Melisandre says she has brought fire and ice together and that it’s time to go –albeit for a while– but warns Varys that she will return to die in Westeros.

Now, what does Melisandre do during the time she goes to Volantis? My guess is she keeps doing her stuff. You know, watching things in the flames and having visions. Why does she decide to return to Winterfell right before the battle begins? My guess is she saw something, some sort of message from R'hllor and she interpreted as the sign she needed to return to the North. Maybe she didn’t know what was waiting for her, but she knew it would be her last night alive.

Now let’s fast forward to the moment Arya and Melisandre see each other in Winterfell. Arya looked at her and I’m certain the first thing that crossed her mind was: “that red bitch raped my beau, if I make it through this I’m gonna slice her throat.” But from the moment they locked eyes Melisandre knew this was it. This was the reason why she was meant to return to the North.

I mean, look at Melisandre’s face:

She’s like: “Oooohhh, it is her!” But they don’t get to interact because, you know, an army of 100,000 zombies is thriller-ing it’s way to Winterfell.

Moving forward to the next time they see each other. Arya, The Hound and Beric are escaping from some wights and Beric saves Arya’s life, but looses his flaming sword in the process and is left without a way to protect himself, so he is fatally wounded by the wights. When they find shelter in the great hall Beric finally dies, and Melisandre appears having seen the whole thing.

“The Lord brought him back for a purpose, now that purpose has been served.”

I want to believe, in my heart, that Beric knew it in the end. Right when Arya was hopelessly looking at him die, pure sadness in her eyes, he finally understood why his God had been bringing him back all these years: to save this girl. That’s why he smiles at her, because he knows he accomplished his mission and is ready to die for good.

Melisandre and Arya reminisce about the last time they saw each other, when the priestess told her about the many eyes she would shut forever. Then Melisandre hints at the “blue eyes” being those of the Night King, and Arya doesn’t hesitate. I was seriously expecting a “no, it can’t be me” moment but I’m glad it didn’t happen. When Melisandre repeated her previous words Arya immediately knew what she had to do and embraced her fate. Girl understood the lives of the whole world depended on her and she responded like a boss (you know, like Jesus during his Passion). We all know what happened next: Arya went all savior of the world on the Night King’s ass and our heroes lived to fight another day.

Here’s where a certain Biblical story kicks in:

When Jesus was born there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, and it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah (a.k.a. Jesus himself). When Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple courts to introduce him to God, Simeon was there and he took the baby in his arms and claimed he could now die in piece as he had seen the world’s savior.

Does it remind you of something?

Melisandre is Simeon, she wasn’t willing to die before finding TPTWP and she died right after she did.

Now what about Lightbringer, the mythical sword Azor Ahai was said to clasp and use to destroy darkness? What if Azor Ahai wielding Lightbringer is not a literal but a metaphorical statement? Beric used a flaming sword and he gave his life for Arya; it was the reason why the Lord of the Light kept bringing him back. He was “used” by Arya to survive, he even threw the damn sword at the wight that was about to kill her and was left defenseless afterwards. If he hadn’t thrown his sword Arya would’ve died and the Night King wouldn’t have been killed.

What are House Stark’s words? “Winter is Coming”. A warning of the impending darkness. If there’s one family in Westeros that knows the White Walkers and the Night King will return and that they will bring the long night with them, that is the Stark family. The fact that the person destined to end it comes from the same house that has been warning the rest of the world about the apocalypse is poetic.

Another clue in case you think I’m crazy and only wrote this shit down because I’m a crazy Arya stan (which I am but that’s not the point): at the beginning of the episode, Melisandre tells Davos there’s no need for him to kill her because she will be dead before the dawn. The dawn. The prophecy said The Prince That Was Promised would BRING THE DAWN. Arya kills the Night King and then, surprise! A few moments later the dawn comes and, as she had foreseen, Melisandre dies before seeing it, but knowing Arya has ended the Long Night and the prophecy is fulfilled. She has completed her mission and is finally ready to die.

[musical-chick-13]

Ser Davos too XD

YAY ONION DAD I LOVE HIM (also, sorry these are so late, grad work is...how you say...a Bitch™)

Send me a character and I’ll tell you the following:

• Did they live up to their potential? / In what ways was their potential unachieved?

-Obviously I’m talking show here because. Again. The books aren’t finished. Lmao. I’m not completely sure how to answer this one. Because, as I mentioned in the Melisandre ask, there was never any kind of...actual wrap up to his conflict with her? She just...laid down and died. Mainly I’m kind of sad that he was kind of reduced to a Jon Snow hype man in the later seasons. There were some tiny threads of his continued fight for doing what he considered to be the right thing, through his outburst at Melisandre after finding out about Shireen and trying to prevent Grey Worm from executing the prisoners in season 8, but he really kind of stopped having his own arcs after Stannis died. And...Stannis was also involved in Shireen’s death? That was never addressed, and considering Davos’s actual, mostly consistently decent moral compass, the conflict between honoring the memory of a much-loved friend and holding that friend responsible for the death of, essentially Davos’s surrogate child, was something that we needed to see for a satisfying through-line of his characterization. The narrative ignoring that was a crime, honestly.

• How they negatively and positively affected the story.

-The thing about Davos is that he injects (most of the time) a sense of realistic good into the story. He’s not perfect, but he does earnestly try to do the right thing and stick to his morals and save people, even if he has to anger people he cares about or respects in the process. It’s a much-needed relief from all of the duplicitous power plays and extreme violence almost everyone else engages in. His goodness isn’t bound to honor like Ned (and Jon tbh), or to absolute justice like Stannis, or to gaining the respect of/lessening the ostricization from his peers (like Jaime sort of attempts to do sometimes), or to The Greater Good™ as a whole (like show Varys or like Melisandre tries to do). He simply does what he feels is right, and this provides a touchstone of hope and groundedness to the story.

-As I mentioned above, in-show he kind of...existed later on primarily to support Jon, and I never really understood why? I didn’t see anything that provided proof of some sort of unbreakable bond or deep friendship, and I felt like there was no real catalyst for him attaching himself to Jon in anything other than a mutually beneficial allyship? This in and of itself isn’t something I’m going to quibble over a great deal, but it didn’t help in regard to the at times overdramatic, heavy-handed painting of Jon as The Savior of the World Who Is Always Right Always. Which, in my opinion, any work is going to suffer from building up any character in that manner.

• What my favorite arc for them is.

OH no question about this one at all, it’s when he blames Melisandre for the failure at Blackwater, gets thrown in jail for trying to assassinate her, later gets released for giving sound advice to Stannis (while bonding with Shireen 😊), and then RISKS HIS NEWLY-FOUND FREEDOM AND POSITION AS HAND (THE MAN. JUST. GOT OUT OF JAIL. BY WAY OF “EVERY ACT MUST HAVE A JUST™ RETRIBUTION BECAUSE RULES” STANNIS) TO SMUGGLE OUT EDRIC STORM (Gendry in the show). In either case, he rescues a bastard child, a class of people most dismiss as worthless and embarrassing, because it’s the right thing to do. He gives into violence (granted, he is doing what he sees as eliminating a dangerous threat) with his attempt on Mel’s life, and then directly disobeys his best friend, king, and person he loves and respects to stop further violence from entering the world. Which is especially poignant after witnessing Mel’s shadow assassin baby and seeing the violence that wrought. After everything done to him and his giving into violent impulse, he could have completely lost himself and gone full Dark™, but he doesn’t. He pulls himself back and saves a young man’s life, even at great risk to himself, because that person’s death would be unfair. And, for once in this miserable setting, he isn’t killed off for it. He provides valuable information to Stannis about the White Walkers through his newfound literacy, (which, in the show-can’t remember if it was mentioned in the books or not, it’s been awhile-is further corroborated by Melisandre, gaining her support) and is allowed to live. GOD that line where Stannis asks what is the worth of a bastard’s life against a kingdom and Davos answers, “Everything”???!!!! IT GETS ME!!! EVERY TIME!!!!!! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• What I think of their ending.

-I would have loved more introspection: how does he deal with not being able to bring Melisandre to justice? How does he feel about all the things Stannis did in the name of claiming his so-called rightful title? How does he cope with losing another authority figure he can no longer serve now that Jon has been exiled? Ultimately, I’m happy for him. I think his general sense of morality (including disputing authority figures for the sake of saving lives) will serve Bran’s small council well, and considering his smuggling background and resultant expertise with ships, rebuilding the fleet is a fitting end for him.

• When I wish they had died. / If I think they should’ve died.

I think it’s good that he didn’t die. One, I would be sad. Two, there would not have been any narrative reason for him to do so. I remember getting to the Red Wedding, and I went, “Yeah, I can see why GRRM wrote this in order to move the story along.” No such plot furtherance would have resulted from killing off Davos. It would have just been for shock value (like Shireen, which you KNOW how I feel about that...). And third, it’s good that basic decency gets a win. Brienne is very morally good, but is left heartbroken by Jaime. Dany was made out to be good (though I myself will dispute that idea), but went off the deep end and ended up posing a bigger threat to Westeros than anyone else. Jon felt forced to do the unthinkable and got exiled for it, which has to dampen Sansa’s victory at least a little bit. And plenty of good characters have already been killed off. Many of season 8′s survivors emotionally ended up in a worse place than they started, but Davos had already been at an emotional low. His ending served to lift him up to a higher place than he had been before. And for a show as bleak as this, it needed that glimmer of hope, that doing the right thing can give you an untempered victory and keep you alive.

[hoedameron]

speaking of melendaire aka the most superior ship fuck outta here with your plain jane ethan x mc business MELENDAIRE IS THE BLUEPRINT!!!!

anyways <33 spoilers?? in case you are one of the lucky bitches who have never seen the szn 3 finale // i fear that they are only briefly going to touch on claire’s trauma (if we are LUCKY) after losing somebody she loves but never truly got the chance to have him in her life. on top of that, she also lost her mom in a tragic accident...everyone she has ever cared for deeply and loved is no longer in her life and she is....in such pain that it NEEDS to be addressed. there needs to moments where we see her healing, watch her get the support she needs from her residency friends, we deserve to see her in therapy more. she is honestly the writers’ favorite punching bag and it’s unfair that they are treating this black woman like this. i know claire shouldn’t just be her trauma, she shouldn’t just be the one who is always depressed because of everything that has happened to her and i do wish to see her become resilient...but at the same time i don’t want her to bounce back from what JUST happened and be like “I’M BETTER NOW! :)” like no you are not fine; allow yourself to mourn...then you can come back and be the best resident st. bonaventure has ever SEEN!!

gosh, also i feel like SUCH a clown we really thought melendez was alive SCREAMMM our theory about him really got debunked in that trailer huh :(( CLOWN SHOES COMMENCING BABEYY!! HEAD BOO BOO THE FOOL IN THIS CIRCUS!! also obsessed that us melendez stannies bully the tgd twt acct with melendez fancams like our power :3c it also feels super empty to not have him around because he really was holding so much of the hospital like his absence will be FELT and it needs to be heavy. i am hesitant to watch the new season because he won’t be there, that melendaire has been shot dead, and shea is apparently canon like y’all...we about to take such a massive L. i know some of the actors know about the hesitance from the fans and tell us to stick around and watch...and i’m like....come on, what else is left? yeah they are getting fresh first years pero man,,,,,wishing melendez was here </3

[dknc3]

Hey, do you mind if I ask why you love Catelyn so much? I like her, but you really love her. What is it about her that connects to you? Also, another random question, I can see Ned/Cat is your OTP, but do you like the two with any other characters?

What ever gave you the idea that I love Catelyn? Or the Ned/Cat is my OTP? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Yeah, this got kinda long. (“What a surprise!” said absolutely no one.)

Okay, why do I love Catelyn? First of all, she is extremely well written. I think GRRM has done a remarkable job on many of the characters in ASOIAF, tbh--making them fully developed, complex people that you cheer for, scream at, want to protect, want to smack, want to comfort, want to talk sense to, hope desperately that they succeed (except for when they’re doing something stupid and you hope desperately someone stops them)--often all at the same time! And you are always seeking to understand them--what makes them tick, what makes their relationships with others what they are, etc. But even among a book series full of these deliciously complex characters, Catelyn stands out as one of the best.

She’s a genuinely good person. I know a lot of people disagree with this, but she is. She isn’t a perfect person. Her attitude toward Jon is awful. She offered nothing but coldness to a motherless child who grew up in her home with her children, and I don’t excuse that. But that flawed behavior does not come from her having a cold heart, being a selfish person (any more so than EVERY person is in some ways selfish), or generally being a bitch. There are reasons she is the way she is about Jon--not excuses, mind you. And the reasons don’t change the fact that it hurt Jon, but understanding the entire situation and the part that EVERYONE (I’m looking at you, Ned!) played in it is important in order to really understand Catelyn’s attitudes and behaviors. I’ve been asked about Cat and Jon MANY times and have written a lot on the subject so I won’t belabor that here. Suffice it to say, that while I didn’t like the almost complete non-relationship between the two of them, had she accepted her husband’s bastard with open arms and no questions and no fears and selfless love for this child whose existence presented potential threats to her and hers on a number of levels, I might have admired her more as a saint, but I probably wouldn’t have appreciated her as much as a character.

But she is a good person. Like all people, she has been taught from childhood what being “good” means, and she tries to live her life to those standards. She tries to teach her children to live by those standards. Her particular standards and morals are the product of her upbringing and society influenced by her own intelligence and generally loving nature. She sees many of her own flaws--something most of the characters in ASOIAF are not as good at doing. When she meets Mya Stone, she thinks about “Ned’s bastard on the Wall” with, among other emotions, GUILT. She begins to doubt Littlefinger’s account of the knife more and more as she listens to Tyrion on the way to the Eyrie. She was ashamed of her emotional breakdown after Bran’s fall (a breakdown that is not really that difficult to understand given the emotional beating she was taking at the time), knowing she’d let down her husband, children, and House. She berates herself for not being able to be with all her children during the War of the Five Kings (an impossible task!). She knows she is a grief-stricken, hollow sort of person after Ned’s death and tries hard not to inflict that upon the people around her.

There are those who say she cares only for her own family, but this discounts the way she feels sorry for Mya Stone when she learns the girl is in love and hopes to marry a lord’s son. Rather than being appalled at a bastard dreaming such things, she is simply sad, knowing it can never be and that the girl will suffer heartache. She even thinks of how the girl is like Sansa with her innocent ideas. And she actually risks her life to take Brienne with her after Renly’s death. Is she more concerned about her own children than about strangers? Yes. But ask any mother if they are equally concerned about all people as they are their own children. You aren’t going to get many “yes, of course!” answers to that. Here overriding concern for her own children does not mean she had a lack of concern for other people.

She’s smart. Really smart. She makes mistakes, but with the exception of letting Jaime go, most of her mistakes were actually quite logical given only HER knowledge and experience rather than the reader’s. And freeing Jaime in a desperate bid to get her daughters back was something she did in the despair learning of the deaths of her two youngest sons. And fandom gives her HELL about it. Um, Robb slept with Jeyne Westerling upon hearing of Bran’s and Rickon’s death, and THAT had pretty significant consequences as well, so Catelyn is hardly the only character that let her emotions get the best of her in truly terrible circumstances.

The remarkable thing is how much she’s able to just swallow her emotions. As we spend so much time in her head, we are treated to a front row seat to the unrelenting grief, exhaustion, guilt, and despair this woman feels, BUT NONE OF THE CHARACTERS IN THE BOOKS GET THAT. She is tough and determined and pragmatic enough to do what has to be done. To do whatever needs to be done in order to protect her children. (And before his execution--to protect Ned. That’s why she arrested Tyrion. She didn’t even want to do that. She wanted to just hide. But once he’d seen her, she could hardly let this man, whom she believed had conspired to kill her son and was a member of a family that killed the former Hand of the King, just ride to King’s Landing where her husband and daughters were and casually say, “So, I met Lady Stark coming back from King’s Landing. What do you suppose she was doing here?”)

Historically speaking, she lost her mother at a young age and has essentially acted as the Lady of a Great House--first in Riverrun and then in Winterfell--since the age of 9 or 10. She started a marriage in HORRIBLE circumstances, moved to a land FAR different than her own, where even the gods were different, but made herself the Lady of Winterfell in every sense of the word--adopting northern dress and hairstyles, learning so much about the northern houses and bannermen that she could advise Robb well on military strategy, earning the respect of her husband so much that he left her to rule in his stead during the Greyjoy Rebellion and trusted her to do the same when he left to become Robert’s hand. And, of course, she and Ned together created a marriage of deep and abiding love out of that terrible beginning--something that speaks volumes about both their hearts and their steadfastness.

She’s in her early thirties when we meet her, and honestly, I am generally more interested in characters who have lived a bit--who have a sense of who they are. I love established relationships--the discovery of who these people are and how they came to be who they are individually and together. Their strengths and their weaknesses. How they weather the storms. Young love is great and all, but I really do prefer examinations of love that lasts--that has endured and changed and struggled and grown. And that may be partly my age, but I’ve kind of always been drawn to those characters and relationships--even when I was a teenager, so I don’t think it’s just that.

So, yeah. I love her. And if I had the time, I could probably write entirely too much about all the reasons why. I haven’t even scratched the surface of her relationship with her children here, or her siblings, or her amazingly on point interactions with Renly and Stannis. 

Funny thing is, I didn’t think I’d love Catelyn. When I read Bran’s first chapter and was introduced to his brother Robb and bastard brother Jon being “of an age,” I immediately thought--Oh, this is one of those tales where two people are in an arranged marriage and there’s no real love between them. Then I read Catelyn’s first chapter, and I was immediately blown away. I realized then that this woman and this marriage were not going to be so easy to put into a box, and so began my love for Catelyn Tully Stark and my tragic ASOIAF OTP.

Okay, that’s more than verbose enough. As to your other question--do I like Ned or Catelyn with anyone else. Absolutely not. Makes me break out in hives, thank you very much! I am not opposed to the two of them having had feelings for people before they ever met. And let’s be honest, they were not remotely in love when they married. But from that point forward? Nope. It’s Ned and Cat, Cat and Ned. Nobody else for either of them as far as I’m concerned. :-)

[therewas-a-girl]

still dont understand why danny is vilified for that opening scene where she burned the Tarlys, but okay.  

no i cant leave this at that, i need to run through this bullshit to get it off my chest. 

first of, we have tyrion, walking after the battle among the charred remains of the soldiers looking devastated... as if he isnt the man who did the exact same thing to other soldiers, during a battle.  as if he has any right to be sanctimonious when he helped joffrey rule and actively helped his father rule after teh red wedding, and did nothing to even hint he protested against the - one example only - devastation that came from loosening the Mountain in the Riverlands for instance. at least those soldiers died there quickly. who dies faster, someone being burned alive or someone having his chest chewed through by a rat? tyrion is far better in the show than in the books, far more polished, but even in the show he has no room to be sanctimonious about this shit. or is danny supposed to be ‘’’better’‘‘ and she’s supposed to prove that by magically taking over a continent by handing out flowers? 

i have to amend sth here. its not like tyrion could have picked up and left like Shea suggested. in Essos, anywhere really, without the Lannister name, Tyrion’s life would have been entirely defined by his disability, and that is not fair. its not fair to ask him to chose that - when speaking against his dad would mean exactly that for him, perhaps. idk. But still, i don’t think he has room to act like danny did something unforgivable. 

maybe believing in her meant that he believed she was better than all of them, idk. maybe he’s just disappointed that in war, she looks just like everyone else. idk.

yeah she used drogon to intimidate. so did robb stark - use his ‘big as a horse’ fucking direwolf. sit down. 

‘im not here to murder’ - called out as if its hypocritical. i need someone who is versed in the law to tell me about the difference between two sides killing each other in open battle after having declared war. and one part indiscriminately killing the other in circumstances that had not been expected and that break the sacred laws of the land. like say, slaughtering people at a wedding after offering them hospitality. bowing up all the nobility of the capital in a holy building. 

and that’s not to say that it means a lot to say ‘someone is better than tywin or cersei’. it’s actually to express my deep frustration with how unbelivable it is than anyone would stay faithful to someone like that, or to the legacy the lannisters are leaving behind. because jamie is dead wrong on one thing: people do care how they are building this world. 

lmao Tarly being faithful to Cersei is just.. beyond me, honestly. why dude? how am i supposed to believe that? 

‘say what you will but at least cersei was born in Westeros’ MOTHERFUCKER SO WAS DAENERYS  BITCH WHAT THE FUCK

‘lived here all her life’ THIS HOE IS TRYING MY PATIENCE SO HARD. DOES THIS BALD COCK NOT REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED TO RHAENYS, AEGON, ELIA????? DOES HE NOT REMEMBER IT WAS HIS ARMY THAT WAS BESIEGING STORM’S END ON THE ORDERS OF HER FATHER???? THIS MOTHERFUCKER !!! 

correction... d&d. THOSE motherfuckers 

i hate how Tarly is acting like Danny was away on some long vacation or something. like she has no right to be there and her family never ruled for 300 years. Danny comes off as so entitled and demanding because literally - and here is the proof - she has to shout ‘i will take what is mine’ five times as harder as say, Stannis, to be even glanced at, let alone taken seriously. and people have the gall to sit there and point their noses in the air to over the fact that, no, she happens not to have anymore patience for being insulted to her face when she offers to release the Prisoners of War she made, and not say, execute them so that hse doest have to feed them. like its usually the way in westeros. 

fuck this asshole, in short

lmfao ‘A FOREIGN INVADER WITH NO TIES TO THIS LAND’. i mean... what, do the Tarly now resent the Targaryens for the Conquest from as far back as 300 years ago and still call them foreigners? who knows! certainly not me. 

‘an army of savages at her back.’ seriously. he’s insulted her, her family, the slaughter done to them, the people who follow her, who bled and died for her, and her offer of mercy, TWICE. at this point danny is not just justified in killing him but seriously, this fucker is suicidal. 

lmao DickOn wants to die with his dad. 

someone tell me why i am supposed to sympathize with them? why im supposed to treat danny’s reaction as unreasonable or even cruel beyond any measure? she gave them a choice. literally, many choices and they found a way to refuse every single one. 

i get that danny is the “savior” and everything, but i find it deeply unfair to hold her to impossibly high standards of behavior. even when she takes actions that are, in the universe of the show, wholly reasonably things, she suddenly becomes ‘the mad queen’. what’s up with that? there was nothing mad about any of what she did. she just didnt do the PERFECT thing, and yet, people seem to be dying for her to be the villain. ‘not perfect’, doesn't mean ‘more villainous than the great other’ 

still can’t believe that she is judjed harshly for a scene where even that dick tarly said ‘there are hard choices at war’ as if he had any right to say it. but he did say it though. when tarly made his imperfect choice, he was ‘not willing to give up his honor for his lands’ tho, and it was to be respected. when danny made her imperfect choice, she’s the ‘mad queen’ 

lol 

no. just no. 

[dingoes8myrp]

Mom Reacts to Game of Thrones 5x05

Before the show

Mom: (on Sansa) "She's gonna have to have sex with that asshole? She doesn't even know how much of a weirdo he is."

Me: "To be fair, neither does Baelish."

-

Recap

Grey Worm and Selmy

Mom: "Oh, she's gonna flip out."

Ramsay

Me: "He's supposedly a nice guy in real life and him and the guy that plays Theon are BFF's."

-

The Map

Me: "That big statue thing is so cool. I wish we had one."

Mom: *laughs*

-

Daenerys rounds up the leader of each family, including her ambassador

Mom: "The mad queen. Here we go."

Ambassador: "Valar Morghulis."

Mom: "How does he know that?"

Me: "... Good question."

-

Jon asks to see Aemon alone

Mom: "'I need your guidance.'"

Jon: "I need your advice."

Mom: "Hah!"

-

Tormund: "You come with me, or I don't go."

Mom: "Oh, shit."

-

Ollie gets sassy with Jon

Me: "Shitty choice of steward if you're gonna do that shit."

Mom: "He's making sense, though. If the wildlings die they become those things."

-

Brienne and Podrick watch Winterfell

Mom: "She's obsessed. 'I made a vow, damn it, and I'm gonna keep it, whether they want me or not.'"

-

Myranda and Ramsay

Me: "Look at their snow white asses. Jesus."

Mom: "Hah!"

-

Myranda compliments Sansa's dress

Me: "Sansa doesn't trust her ass."

-

Myranda opens the gate and coaxes Sansa through

Mom: "The dogs are down there! Don't go!"

Mom: "Oh, it's the guy!"

Me: "She also thinks he killed her brothers."

Mom: "He broke so easily."

Me: "Not really. How long was he there with him?"

Mom: "Oh, that's true."

Ramsay tells Theon to give him his hand

Mom: "Give him the hand you don't use."

She doesn't trust Ramsay's ass

-

Ramsay pours Sansa wine

Me: "He's being all nicey nice."

Theon comes out to pour wine

Mom: "Oh God!"

Ramsay makes Theon apologize to Sansa for killing her brothers

Mom: "But he didn't. Didn't he confess that?"

Me: "Ramsay knows he didn't. He's being a dick."

Ramsay announces Theon/Reek will give away Sansa at their wedding

Sansa: *glares*

Me: "She's like 'Great, Joffrey 2.0.'"

Walda: "We're going to have a baby."

Mom: "Hah! Next in line!"

Sansa: *smirks*

Me: "She's like 'Haha. Hah!'"

Mom: "Well, obviously she's gotta go."

-

Stannis: "It's time."

Mom: "Time for what?!"

Jon watches Stannis leave for Winterfell

Me: "He wishes he was going."

Mom: "He can't be in two places."

Me: "None of the Starks can. They're all being forced to be somewhere they're not supposed to be."

-

Messendei watches Grey Worm

Mom: "She's so sad."

Grey Worm tells Messendei when he fell he was afraid he'd never see her again

Mom: "Oh, kiss him!"

-

Daenerys visits That Dude Whose Name I Can't Spell Who Was in Requiem and announces she'll marry him

Mom: "She's gonna marry him?!"

-

Dragon flies over Tyrion and Jorah

Stone Man drops down

Mom: "JESUS!"

Tyron gets dragged underwater

Mom: *gasp* "Sons of bitch!"

She thinks he's dead for a few seconds

Mom: "OH, he got him. Jesus."

Jorah pulls back his sleeve to reveal greyscale

Mom: "Oh shit! Is he gonna become a stone man now?"

Me: "I honestly don't know. I've only seen one more episode and then I'm just as lost as you."

Mom: "Finally!"

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

waxifraski asked:

Hello, Butterfly! Excuse me if you have already treated this: Do you think that characters such as Cersei or Littlefinger are caricaturized? I mean, I get that the point of horrible-psycho people like the Boltons, Euron, Joffrey or Gregor is being utterly horrible and sadistic, but given the screen-time Littlefinger and Cersei have, it’s puzzle how they never get as “compelling” or remotely understandable as other “villain” characters as Varys or Jaime. Probably it’s just a rant of mine, I didn’t appreciate text nuances and it doesn’t matter, but I can’t recall any moment of Petyr or Cersei doing any minuscule good thing for anybody, not even petting Tommen’s little cats, and would like your opinion on the matter. Excuse me if I didn’t manage to express myself clearly, I’m not a native English-speaker, thank you very much in advance!

No worries about your English, you’re perfectly understandable. But part of your problem is that Varys and Jaime are not villains per se – they’re a complex mix of anti-hero/anti-villain characteristics, very shades of grey, and as such audience sympathy can be built for them by the more kind deeds they do and/or by the pain they suffer. (The trouble lies in that over time the more villainous acts are forgotten by the sympathetic audience, such as Jaime and Bran, or Varys and the tongues he takes from his little birds. I think Varys’s villain characteristics are going to hit a major upswing soon, mind you.)

As for the more “pure” villains such as Littlefinger and Cersei, I don’t think they’re  caricatures, not at all, and I think they’re entirely understandable. Littlefinger is far more than a mustache-twirling Dick Dastardly-type cackling villain. Cersei is much more than a seductive bitch queen. But GRRM didn’t need to write them helping little old ladies cross the street or petting puppies to give them depth and a bit of audience sympathy (or empathy). Instead, he gave them complex backstory and characterization.

They met in the lower bailey of Riverrun. When Brandon saw that Petyr wore only helm and breastplate and mail, he took off most of his armor. Petyr had begged her for a favor he might wear, but she had turned him away. Her lord father promised her to Brandon Stark, and so it was to him that she gave her token, a pale blue handscarf she had embroidered with the leaping trout of Riverrun. As she pressed it into his hand, she pleaded with him. “He is only a foolish boy, but I have loved him like a brother. It would grieve me to see him die.” And her betrothed looked at her with the cool grey eyes of a Stark and promised to spare the boy who loved her. That fight was over almost as soon as it began. Brandon was a man grown, and he drove Littlefinger all the way across the bailey and down the water stair, raining steel on him with every step, until the boy was staggering and bleeding from a dozen wounds. “Yield!” he called, more than once, but Petyr would only shake his head and fight on, grimly. When the river was lapping at their ankles, Brandon finally ended it, with a brutal backhand cut that bit through Petyr’s rings and leather into the soft flesh below the ribs, so deep that Catelyn was certain that the wound was mortal. He looked at her as he fell and murmured “Cat” as the bright blood came flowing out between his mailed fingers.

When she was just a little girl, her father had promised her that she would marry Rhaegar. She could not have been more than six or seven. “Never speak of it, child,” he had told her, smiling his secret smile that only Cersei ever saw. “Not until His Grace agrees to the betrothal. It must remain our secret for now.” And so it had, though once she had drawn a picture of herself flying behind Rhaegar on a dragon, her arms wrapped tight about his chest. When Jaime had discovered it she told him it was Queen Alysanne and King Jaehaerys. She was ten when she finally saw her prince in the flesh, at the tourney her lord father had thrown to welcome King Aerys to the west. […] By night the prince played his silver harp and made her weep. When she had been presented to him, Cersei had almost drowned in the depths of his sad purple eyes. He has been wounded, she recalled thinking, but I will mend his hurt when we are wed. Next to Rhaegar, even her beautiful Jaime had seemed no more than a callow boy. The prince is going to be my husband, she had thought, giddy with excitement, and when the old king dies I’ll be the queen. […] If she had only married Rhaegar as the gods intended, he would never have looked twice at the wolf girl. Rhaegar would be our king today and I would be his queen, the mother of his sons.

And those are just two heartbreaking examples, there’s definitely more for both characters. (Like, I can’t imagine reading the transcendental, stunningly emotional ADWD Cersei II and come away thinking she’s a only caricatured villain.) Now, maybe they didn’t affect you, maybe they didn’t affect many readers – Cersei’s sympathetic moments often come during some of her worst actions, so the balance is difficult, and I know I personally lost any sympathy I had for Littlefinger after Jeyne Poole – but they do exist, and they’re there for a reason.

And it’s the same for some other villains. Even, say, Lysa, who may come off as a caricature of a hysteric obsessive overbearing mother-villain (especially in the first book), truly had an incredibly sad and tragic life, a depth of pain where it hurts to even touch the surface. Joffrey as well: the moment where he sees Robert abuse Cersei, the story Stannis relates after his death about how Robert once hit him so hard Stannis thought he’d killed him (for, granted, a terrible act, but that’s still child abuse ffs). Tywin, also, barely does anything “good” ever, but gosh how could anyone think he wasn’t complex or compelling?

But it’s true, there are villains where GRRM doesn’t even try to give them much in the way of depth, and no sympathy at all, and just piles on their atrocities. Gregor, Vargo Hoat, Ramsay, Euron… but I still wouldn’t call them caricatures? They’re not just evil for the sake of evil, not mindless orcs, they have motivations (dull and brutish and antisocial as Gregor’s may be) and even complexity of a sort. No sympathetic actions at all, but they’re not meant to have them:

GRRM said that for any character who is a POV character he has to find something that he and readers can sympathize with even if the character in question does reprehensible things. He said there is always something he can find, or if not then it just won’t be a POV character. Gregor Clegane, for example, could never be a POV character, but Jaime Lannister can be despite his bad actions, because there’s more to Jaime than that. GRRM mentioned that Cersei will be a major POV character in A Feast for Crows. I was outraged by this and commented “You just won’t ever leave us any character we can purely hate, will you?” GRRM smiled at that, and that’s when he gave the counter-example of Gregor Clegane.

Mind you, this POV thing of GRRM’s makes me wonder a bit about Victarion Greyjoy, who IMO is the most villain-caricature of all the POV characters. Like, even the moment where I think GRRM might have trying to build sympathy – his memories of the time he “had to kill” his wife for her adultery – fails for me because he was fucking beating his enslaved wife to death after she was raped. Victarion’s laughably stupid (GRRM’s even said he’s “dumb as a stump”), his “kindness” in freeing slaves is just so that he can sacrifice them or give them as salt wives to his men, and honestly the only way I could get through his chapters is to treat them as a dark comedy and pray that his “glory” comes soon. Is it Victarion’s utter cluelessness and obliviousness to his fate that we’re supposed to sympathize with? Or is it his ~AWESOME BATTLE SKILLZ~ that I do see people (men) claiming they enjoy? Maybe the fact that he’s a caricature is the point? Damn if I know, oh well.

Anyway, a villain doesn’t need to be a medium-grey anti-hero to be understandable and compelling. They can be almost entirely dark with perhaps only a spark of goodness from their childhood now buried, or maybe they have no apparent goodness within them at all and never have – but that doesn’t make them caricatures, it just makes them villains. Hope this helps you understand!