#but i like to think she views him more than just her husbands bastard

[lesbianbanana]

Hera's relationship with Apollo is something that should be studied, in this essay I-

[lalunanymph]

caged little birdie (m) — naoya

being naoya's wife comes with a rigid set of rules you can never escape from: always three steps behind him, never look him in the eye when he's talking to you, and the worst one of all—your pleasure kept under his lock and key

warnings: DARK CONTENT, misogyny, chastity belt, forced chastity, naoya is a sexy walking red flag, tease and denial, dubcon, [o]rgasm control, 🐱 inspection, the zen'in's archaic marriage views, mentions of pregnancy, unprotected sex, ruined [o]rgasms, breeding, naoya deserves a punch tbh

"Is it too tight, wife?"

His odious voice purred in your ear, drawing shivers of distaste rippling down your spine.

Slim fingers tugged on the belt around your hips teasingly, driving the metal ridge to grind on your aching clit. A hitched exhale escaped past your clenched teeth, and behind you, his predatory grin grew wider.

"Or, shall I tighten it even more?"

You refused to answer him, keeping your eyes steadfastly hedged onto a spot beyond his shoulder.

"Wife?" Naoya taunted, his broad chest puffing with latent power and disapproval for your little protest. "I am speaking to you."

Your abject misfortune was to be blamed when your life was exchanged for your hand in marriage to Naoya Zen'in.

As one of the oldest clans in the jujutsu world, your family had grown power hungry; drunk on the idea of land, wealth and luck when they sold off their only daughter to Naobito's heir.

Those archaic bastards' code of conduct was simple: women were meant to be seen and not heard. Bred and not respected. Controlled and watched.

Your father had even suggested to blacken your teeth, but fortunately for you (the only sliver of fortune you could think about), the young master Zen'in was not a fan of such a dated practice.

Instead, his choice of control was far more insidious than your most perverted thoughts could conjure.

Jinichi's wife—Imora—was the first one who had introduced you to the thin, metallic belt every Zen'in men gave their wives.

She wore hers with pride and a tinge of red in the apples of her cheeks.

It helps keep me focus on master Jinichi, she mused, smoothing down her kimono skirt. Anything that keeps my thoughts from pleasing him is not something I would want to entertain.

Horror inscribed your features, but with your previous world gone up in flames, this was your reality now—there was nothing you could do to fight back against this unwilling chapter in your life.

This was the burden you had to carry to make sure your family name was well-preserved. Even at the expense of your dignity and sanity.

"Wife—"

Growing ill with his grating voice, you nodded. "It fits perfectly, husband."

The poisonous note in your voice didn't serve to dissuade him. In fact, it got him harder—looking for more ways to tease and rile you up.

"You know, my brother told me ever since he belted his wife, she's been all over him like a bitch in heat," he drawled, skittering his fingers over your bare waist. You flexed your fingers, fighting to keep them from closing into fists. Patiently waiting for this torture to be over.

The heat of his broad chest nearly turned you dizzy, the expanse of skin pressing to the softness of your own bare back. It was still early in the morning and Naoya had not yet changed into his standard dark blue kimono and white shirt—just in his hakama pants and arrogant disposition.

"I wonder," his lips were now at the juncture of your neck, puffs of hot breath drawing gooseflesh down your spine. "How this pretty little caged birdie will react if I did this?"

Before you could ask him what he was planning to do, you heard the belt unlock.

The coolness of the room air was second to your syrupy gasp—frightening you with how freeing and open you felt now that there wasn't a ridge of metal in between your legs.

Clanging to the floor, Naoya barely paid attention to the noise the chastity belt made—eager to part your folds and drink in the sight of your swollen clit.

"How long has it been, wife?"

The warm press of his palm cradled your womb. "Since you last came," he added, after sensing your stunned silence.

"Two weeks ago" you mumbled, hiding your face behind your hair. Doing everything you could to not be noticed by him. "Before we got married," you added as an afterthought.

"Hmm."

His chest vibrated with the force of his stuffy hum, and you flinched when he grazed two fingers across your mound.

Taking what was his without any regard for your comfort, Naoya spread your folds apart, using the tip of his ring finger to gently prod and tap on your clit.

The ache that simple touch set off in your body was unnerving—more so compared to the whimper you expelled when he started to circle and rub the swollen nub.

Pleasure, searing hot and bursting at the seams, exploded across your body like a lightning strike. Every inch of your skin felt like you were on fire; how sensitive and receptive you were to his touches nearly drove you to your knees to dissolve in reckless sobs.

You unwittingly clamped one hand around his wrist, not to push him away or encourage him, but to anchor around the dizzying curlicues he set off in your cotton-headed thoughts.

"Fuck," Naoya's curse brushed the hypersensitive skin of your shoulder with blatant arousal. "You're dripping for me."

Casting one look to in between your trembling thighs, you nearly cried out at the sight of your traitorous pussy leaving strings of slick and rings of cream around his long fingers.

Fuck, fuck. Cursing your body's blatant betrayal, you tried to gain control of the situation again, forcing your scattered thoughts to focus on loathing the man behind you.

But, it was all wasted effort.

One could never bite the hand that fed them, and you weren't able to hate Naoya, not when he was bringing you blistering pleasure just from his fingers alone.

Your saccharine cry of pleasure bounced across the room, no doubt filtering past the thin shoji doors where the poor servants could overhear.

Naoya was quick to clamp his free hand around your mouth; other hand busy taking his time to build up your climax with those infuriating digits.

He patted the thin hair coating your pubes, pulled your hood back lightly to tap tap tap his index on your engorged clit. All the while he sucked sloppy kisses on your neck, lost in the scent of vanilla drifting from your skin and hair.

Your eyes were rolling into the back of your skull, the whites glimmering in the weak morning rays. Naoya felt a bloom of heat crest past his masculine urge to decimate your self-control, fully rearing up to claim you.

But, he was pushing it too soon.

He had to make sure to be the one in control; the one steering this marriage.

With a heavy heart and even heavier balls, he popped his fingers out of your heat, wiping the slick off on your thigh.

You had slumped back against his chest, and a tiny spark of satisfaction ignited right in his core from your little lapse of stoicism. It seemed you needed him as much as he did, in this instance.

Through the fog of your mind, you felt the metal biting into your skin; heard the tiny click as Naoya locked you back again.

There was nothing that could prepare you for how much you ached after that; every part of you was throbbing—the spot in between your legs, your thrumming pulse. You were nothing more than sensation, wrecked apart by your husband's simple touch.

Devastated eyes charted the path of your chastity belt's key disappearing into his pocket, and Naoya grunted.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the same time for the same inspection, wife."

Your heart sank. How long could you take this torture?

Glancing down at the thin strip of metal allowing just the tip of your clit to peek through, you had to fight back a sob.

It seems like there was no answer to your startling predicament.

Naoya had not expected you to corner him right after dinner.

Your heated cheeks and twisting fingers spoke volumes of your anxiety, and he let you stew in those thoughts, completely charmed by how you were struggling to string together a coherent sentence.

"Imora..." you trailed off, unable to look him in the eye. "Imora-chan told me that she suspects she's pregnant. Master Jinichi—your brother—did the same thing y-you're doing. To me. And I... I want to be like her."

Naoya's heart twisted right in his chest. His disbelief was tamed down by a cruel sneer, attempting to free past his spiked excitement.

"I do not understand what you mean, wife."

The area you both were in was fairly filled with people, and he sensed every ear of the estate on his conversation with his lovely wife.

After all, the servants needed to report back to the clan elders on his progress in giving them an heir, and what better way to get the news than from the horse's mouth instead?

You casted a furtive glance around, and gestured for him to follow you.

Rule #1: Always stay three steps behind your husband.

You casually broke it in exchange for piquing his curiosity.

Naoya decided it was best to follow you, and trailed right behind, his sourness at being swept by no match for the smug excitement churning in his gut.

You led him straight to the sake cellars, right underneath the heart of the estate. The well-ventilated room was often checked by the maids, but now with a huge dinner winding down, the servants were all above ground pandering to his family's every need.

He was effectively alone right here with you.

In answer to his earlier inquiry, you stepped forward, undoing the loop of your obi. Naoya observed, expression barely rippling, when you disrobed right in front of him.

His eyes were immediately drawn to how swollen your clit looked trapped in between the metal teeth of the belt. It was accompanied by your pained expression, that one single longing look you shot him going straight to his cock.

"I want to..." you uttered in a hoarse voice, shame brimming in your lower lash line.

Naoya hated how much he enjoyed this—the blip of your demeanour as a cold, calculating Princess giving way to the whore right underneath.

Going exactly as the Zen'in rule had planned.

"Please take off this belt and... and fuck me until I'm pregnant, Naoya-sama."

In a flash, you were pressed right to the cold, brick wall. His jammed the key into the lock, twisting it, and the belt fell right onto the dusty ground, stirring up dust on both your getas.

Naoya's cock was a welcome respite in your neglected heat, your walls fitting around him like a glove; mushroom tip driving straight into your golden spot.

He fucked you like you were a cheap concubine and not his wife—snapping his hips up into your slick pussy with dense force; slipping a hand in between both your bodies to spank and rub your pussy.

The tightening in his abdomen was second to the clenching of your sweet cunt right on his cock; choking him out.

Naoya's lips crashed right onto yours, tongue pinning yours down. Swallowing up every sweet cry you were giving him and branding them with his own course moans of dizzying pleasure.

He didn't stop to check on you, white hot ribbons filling you up and spilling down onto the ground—some of it spattering onto your belt.

Your cry of dismay, of a disappointed Naoya-sama! melted into disbelief when he placed you back onto the ground.

Silly girl, he mused, a smile etched on his lips. He slipped the belt back on while you were recovering from the force of your ruined orgasm, large palm sweeping down your trembling belly and hips with more warmth than he wished to give you.

"Ssh," he consoled you, leaving small pecks on your thighs while he clicked the lock back in place, controlling your pleasure in his grasp once more.

Tears marred your cheeks, and you couldn't help a bitter, shuddering sob.

Naoya felt the slightest stirring of pity for you—his kisses soft yet unapologetic on the nape of your neck.

"You should've known." Was it you, or was his voice tainted with regret? "You should've known what my family does, sweetheart. Why we have so many heirs. It's part of your expectation to fulfil."

You surprised him by having enough of your wits to be able to ask a single question: "Does this mean I am to never experience pleasure from my own husband again?"

Naoya looked you up and down; taking in your flushed cheeks, tight nipples and twitching hips.

"Not exactly," he was honest with you for the first time in this marriage. "When you become pregnant with my child, then I will reward you. But, for now—"

He grabbed you by the waist, pulling you right into his arms to tilt your sweet and honest face up to meet his own cunning smirk.

"For now, you have no choice, darling."

punches him with my lips i hate this sexy misogynistic bastard

©️ all works belong to lalunanymph. do not copy, repost or claim as your own.

[stheresya]

"I love him, Father, I truly truly do, I love him as much as Queen Naerys loved Prince Aemon the Dragonknight […]" (Sansa III, AGOT) “Wed?” Sansa was stunned. “You and my aunt?” “The Lord of Harrenhal and the Lady of the Eyrie.” You said it was my mother you loved. But of course Lady Catelyn was dead, so even if she had loved Petyr secretly and given him her maidenhood, it made no matter now. (Sansa VI, ASOS)

I find that these little passages reveal something interesting about sansa's personality. specially when you juxtapose how she's characterized in the text and her worldviews here, and how at first glance they may seem contradictory. but first, let's take two things into account:

the patriarchal society of westeros is very strict on women's sexuality. which means that not only is female virginity held in great value, but also female adultery is very firmly condemned by everyone, unlike men who are allowed to maintain public mistresses and flaunt their bastards everywhere.

sansa is characterized as the conformist, the one who internalizes her society's rules. she's very religious, she's a proper lady in every sense of the word and she often says and does exactly what she's told.

and yet, in these passages we can see that sansa does not care much about societal rules when it comes to intimate feelings. she often hails aemon and naerys' (supposed) forbidden love without a single care that queen naerys was bound by duty to a husband and aemon was meant to be loyal to his king. but most astonishing of all is her nonchalant response to petyr's (false) information that her mother was not a virgin when she married. on one hand it may speak on sansa's views towards women's sexuality, since her current friends (mya and randa) are girls who engage in sex out of wedlock, and she never judges them, just like she doesn't judge her mother for apparently doing the same, and catelyn continues to be the person she admires the most. sansa also doesn't view her parents' relationship any differently because of this, the marriage between ned and cat is still as happy as she remembers, because all that matters to her is that there was love in the home she grew up in. the thing about sansa's character is that she plays by the rules up until a certain point, but on the inside she always prioritizes emotion over societal norms, and that's why she looks more upset at petyr for marrying someone while claiming to love another, because in her mind he's being unfaithful to his heart by marrying out of practicality. we have examples that showcase sansa's prioritizing feelings in AGOT when she, the good daughter, disobeys her father for the first time because she thought she was in love with joffrey, and in ASOS where she never thinks she owes tyrion anything just because he's her husband. so it comes as no surprise that she's so infatuated with the love story of an adulterous and incestuous relationship like aemon and naerys'. one of the main themes in this series is that feelings don't care about honor. and if love is the death of duty then sansa seems more than happy to see duty killed for the sake of love.

of course this doesn't mean she'll stay that way, specially when she's already lost her so much of her innocence and is now tangled in petyr's schemes where she must set her own feelings aside in order to act on his plans. and despite her silent judgement of petyr marrying someone he didn't love, her current betrothal with harry is an entirely practical union on her part since she feels nothing for him and only sees him as a means to an end. there have been many instances since book 1 where she was able to turn off her feelings in order to withstand certain situations. so... what even is sansa's mind? an interesting universe on its own for sure.

I just think sansa's romanticism is one of her most interesting traits (for better and for worse), something that truly contributes to the distinctiveness of her character, and I really hope petyr or anyone else are unable to completely kill that in her.

[harbinger-0f-spring]

Here is a continuation of the family tree collaboration project with @konstantynowitz. Originally, my main focus was on the Rosier family, but before we get into that side of the tree, I'm going to introduce you to earlier generations of the Volants. I have been connected to the French branch of the Lestrange family through a Volant ancestor, and this might be a long shot, but just bear with me. Benouét Volant was born in 1794 as the nephew of Jodelle Lestrange (née Volant) who married Floxel Lestrange. In the year 1782, Jodelle had one daughter with her husband: Quintilla Lestrange, the mother of Nozéa Lestrange. Benouét was taken in by his aunt and uncle as a child when his parents died of a dragon pox outbreak. He was raised by Jodelle and Floxel, growing up alongside Quintilla as if she were his elder sister. Benouét later named his son Floxel Volant (I) in honor of his uncle.

For the time being, I do not have a name for Benouét's spouse, but I suspect that I'll make her a close relative of Floxel maybe through his mother Luminosa. Floxel Volant's mother may be a descendant from the Trouche family as I'm sure Benouét must've interacted with his uncle's extended family growing up, perhaps developing a close relationship with a potential bride through the Trouches.

I believe that Jodelle would have arranged for Benouét to marry a relative of her husband so that he could stay closely connected with the family. Floxel and Jodelle cared for Benouét as if he were their own child, so I think they thought that marrying him off to a Trouche was almost like an affectionate way of officially recognizing their nephew as an adoptive son of sorts.

Floxel Volant (I) was born in 1826 to Benouét Volant and his wife, his father was thirty-two at the time of his birth. Floxel remained a bachelor for the majority of his adulthood, enjoying the luxuries and privileges of his family's wealth. He was quite the lady-killer in his youth, so if he did have any children they'd be unacknowledged bastards that he never involved himself with, even if he was aware of their existence. Within the year 1870, at the age of forty-four, an unmarried Floxel impregnated his young mistress at the time, but the only difference between his current mistress and his mistresses of the past was that she also came from an influential French pure-blood family. Because of this, Floxel would be forced to marry his mistress who would later give birth to their only son Étienne Volant.

Something that needs to be acknowledged: I cannot take credit for this next half of the tree, as I had the help of @lazyreinelle when coming up with the backgrounds and names of the characters about to be mentioned. Of course, I've made a few little tweaks of my own when it comes to birth dates and certain aspects of their backstories, but really it is all thanks to the creative mind of @lazyreinelle that I was able to fill in the blanks of the tree.

Étienne Volant was born in 1870 and married Clotilde de Trefle-Picques, a seemingly mild-mannered girl, yet popular because of her family. She is betrothed off to Étienne during her penultimate year at Beauxbatons. Despite being ten years her senior, Étienne often acted like a man-child and was incredibly irresponsible. So, when it came to raising children, he would mostly never be around, goofing around in bars or sleeping with any veela he met. Clotilde had to raise her children: an elder daughter Eglantine (b. 1904), and two younger twin sons Floxel (II) and Claude (b. 1906), all by herself naturally instilling them with rather harsh views of blood purity.

In spite of his absence, Étienne was closest to his daughter Eglantine, who inherited his free-spirit, although it was much more reigned in than her father's was. Even so, she was frequently challenging authority and diving headfirst into escapades that left her mother exasperated. Clotilde always cursed her husband for passing on such a wild spirit to Eglantine, wishing instead that their daughter possessed a more measured temperament that would ease her worries and keep her out of trouble. Eglantine did not want to follow the expected societal norms for young witches of the time, nor did she wish to conform to the wishes and expectations of a future spouse, believing that her personal freedoms should be valued if she were to find herself married one day. Eglantine Volant harbored a fondness for her father, as he was the only one who could ever understand her. He never saw her as being unreasonable when voicing her standards for a hypothetical husband. Clotilde always believed that her daughter was being ridiculous when forming these ideas of a marriage of compromise, dismissing them as fanciful daydreams. Whenever Étienne was around he'd spoil his little daughter with small gifts and let her skip piano lessons or her early homeschooling to spend time "adventuring" with him on the estate's property. She grew up knowing that her father was not a dependable man, but that did not make him a bad parent to his children, at least during the times he occasionally visited them.

The Volants were deeply in debt because of Étienne's tendencies to gamble away a lot of his inheritance at the bars he frequented at. Clotilde, who came from a family who specialized in concealment charms, was able to hide the decline in the Volant's wealth by casting mirages that could make a simple lump of coal appear to be a bar of gold or some type of jewel. These charms especially helped in regard to paying off Étienne's debts, often conning the people he owed money to with his wife's illusions. Although, after a while, the charm of their fabricated wealth began to wear off and those who Étienne paid his debts to with these charmed objects would find out that they were tricked once the enchantments wore off.

As a result, one night when Étienne was drunk at a bar, he was confronted by one of the men he conned. Étienne was challenged in a magical duel by the man, but ultimately lost and was killed. This is why Clotilde was overjoyed when Eglantine got a proposal from the Rosier family, especially Laurent Rosier. The Rosiers, having already established themselves long back in France, were practically akin to wizarding nobility, matching the Blacks. Eglantine's marriage ensured that the Volants would not go bankrupt and reinstated stability within the family.

Featured at the top, is a tree which connects the Rosier family to the French branch of the Lestrange family. As I mentioned in my first post for the tree, Laurent Rosier is the great-great-nephew of Minette Rosier, making him third cousins with Leta Lestrange and her younger half-brother Corvus V. In addition to this, Laurent's father was first cousins with Fèlicule Lestrange (née Rosier), also known as F. Lestrange, the grandmother of Radolphus Lestrange II.

To give you guys a little bit more background of Clotilde Volant (née de Trefle-Picques), she was born to Adélard Duc de Trefle-Picques, a descendant of Vincent Duc de Trefle-Picques, a French nobleman and wizard active around the time of the French Revolution. Her mother was originally introduced as Faustine Escoffier-Floquet, but I changed my mind and renamed her as Touènette de Trefle-Picques (née Beaufort). There is not much I have to tell you about them right now, but soon I will post another update on this tree and hopefully by that time I'll have a little more to share on them. As for their grandsons, Eglantine's younger brothers that were created by @lazyreinelle: Floxel II and Claude Volant, I do have a bit more to share about them.

Floxel Volant II married Pascaline Volant (née Perrott), a classmate of his elder sister during her years at Beauxbatons. Floxel had a few children with Pascaline, namely their daughter Ghislaine Volant. There are a few more which I will be sharing in the near future, but right now Ghislaine is the only one who will be mentioned at the moment since the other children have more expanded and complex trees in regard to their future descendants.

Before Floxel's marriage to Pascaline, Clotilde started to be a lot more harsh with him, scrutinizing every move of his, and forcibly making him meet potential brides for him yet not allowing him to choose. The Volant heir longed to be free like his twin, Claude without any worry in the world, without someone constantly breathing down your neck. Being the older twin by five minutes was perhaps the only thing Floxel could uphold Claude over. The younger had all the other luxuries to bed, flirt with any one he liked, regardless of blood-status. As the second son, Claude was the spare and therefore didn't have as much responsibility to the family. Claude could often cross the line, becoming even worse than his father Étienne.

Claude Volant was notorious for philandering about, oftentimes bedding attractive veela ballerinas. He would later be disowned by his family for impregnating his veela mistress, leading to a bitter estrangement that would cause him to lose contact with his elder sister and twin brother.

Well, that's it for now! The next post I make will probably be more focused on the Rosier-Volant descendants, and maybe I'll give a little more insight on the Rosier family itself, especially Laurent and Vinda Rosier's parents.

[idiotgojo]

Hello, hope you're healthy! If it's not too much trouble, can I request an angst to fluffy scenario with Toji, with a fem/gn S/O who has a mutilated face? Something like Sally face that she hides with a mask and everything, and when asked about it, S/O says that her previous romantic partner wasn't so nice to her.

Drink water and get in loser lets ignore Canon together! Take the kids(Megumi, Yuuji, Nobara and Yuuta) and your husbands(all jjk men) and run!

sorry this took a while, hope you enjoy <3

warning; scars, s/h, insecure reader, drunk ex, domestic violence(?), hurt comfort to fluff

It was quiet on the rooftop, and the night air was cool as it drifted around the two of you. After a simple but sweet date, you and Toji found yourselves sitting side by side, legs dangling over the edge of the building. The city was alive below and everything felt peaceful.

You pulled your jacket tighter around yourself, your mask still firmly in place as you stared at the skyline. Toji leaned back on his hands, his gaze flickering between you and the view. You could sense something was on his mind, the usual ease between you both replaced by a subtle tension. He wasn't the type to press or pry, but tonight, it seemed like he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"…Why do you always wear that thing?" His voice was quiet, almost careful, like he didn't want to push too hard. He kept his eyes forward, not looking directly at you.

You stiffened slightly, your fingers tightening around the fabric of your jacket as the question you had anticipated finally surfaced, making the words feel harder to form. "I don't like talking about it," you began, your voice softer than usual, feeling the weight of his gaze shift fully toward you despite the silence between you. Toji remained quiet, waiting that somehow made it easier to continue, even though the subject felt like a raw wound. "It's not… something I share with many people."

"My ex," you said, the words tumbling out slowly. "He did it. He was drunk, angry. It wasn't the first time, but… that night was worse."

The silence between you stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Toji shifted slightly beside you, his hands resting on his knees as he leaned forward, his expression unreadable. You felt exposed, vulnerable in a way you hadn't expected, but something about the way he was just there—solid and steady—made it bearable.

"I've worn the mask ever since. It just… feels easier to hide."

Toji exhaled quietly, his jaw tightening for a brief moment. "You don't need to hide from me," he said, his voice low but firm. There was an edge of protectiveness in his tone, simultaneously a softness you rarely heard from him. "That bastard isn't here. I am."

You swallowed hard, his words sinking in, but the vulnerability wasn't as suffocating as before. You'd shown him your face before, but now with more comfort and less anxiety, you took off the mask. A small part of you decided you didn't need it around him.

"It's not easy," you mumbled, eyes on the city lights. "Some days, it's all people see. I try not to let it get to me, but…"

Toji's gaze stayed on you. "But?"

You sighed softly. "But then I see how you look at me, and I don't feel so… different."

In silence, Toji's hand found yours, warm and calloused, a simple gesture that made your chest feel lighter. "Good," he said, almost gruffly. "'Cause I'm not in the mood for babysitting your self-esteem." He smirked, squeezing your hand gently.

You chuckled at his bluntness, but it was the exact response you needed. "Wow, romantic as ever." you say eyes going wide, eyebrows lifting mockingly.

"Hey, you knew what you were getting into," he teased, his lips twitching into that familiar half-smile. His eyes softened just a little, enough to make your heart flutter. "Besides, if anyone says somethin about your face again, I'll handle it. Personally."

You rolled your eyes, but a smile tugged at your lips. "I don't think punching people is the answer to everything, Toji."

"No?" he tilted his head playfully. "Guess it depends on who's asking."

You both laughed quietly, the tension that had been there earlier completely dissipating. It was the little things—like the way his hand never left yours, the way his eyes stayed soft whenever he looked at you—that reminded you he cared, even if he didn’t always say it.

"Thanks," you murmured, leaning your head against his shoulder.

"You do not have to thank me for not being an asshole."

[aphroditelovesu]

What if Alicent's eldest daughter for whom everyone is yanderes is actually the daughter of Daemon? no one knows except daemon and alicent, daemon hates all of alicent's sons except his little girl who he has a soft spot for (and he dies of jealousy every time he sees viserys with his daughter). It would be even cuter if the princess had Grandma Alyssa's eyes, one green and one purple.

I thought of this a while ago but forgot to mention. I love this idea. The idea of Y/n!Princess being the daughter of Daemon and Alicent brings me ideas. In the books, there are rumors that say that Alicent gave her virginity to Daemon and in this scenario it could make sense.

Or the situation could also be as follows: After the marriage of Alicent and Viserys and the birth of Aegon and Helaena, Alicent, dissatisfied with her husband, ended up letting herself be involved by the Rogue Prince, who had had his eye on the young queen for a long time. Feeling seduced by Daemon's intense gazes, Alicent gave herself to him that night and many other nights, until she eventually became pregnant. They stopped seeing each other after Daemon's exile and the rumors about Rhaenyra and him, but Alicent had gotten pregnant and it wasn't her husband's. She knew and Daemon knew it when he returned from his exile and found Alicent holding her newborn daughter in her arms, Daemon knew that child was hers and by the look on Alicent's face, he knew it was true.

Alicent was extremely attached to her precious daughter, sometimes reaching the level of being possessive and would not allow the maids to take her away. She could go so far as to want to breastfeed her daughter. Which may seem normal to us, but for the time, the Queens did not breastfeed, their babies had wet nurses.

One of the most curious things about Princess!Reader was that she had the appearance of her grandmother Alyssa, her eyes at least, one green and one purple. One thing I like to think about is, what if she was more like Alicent? I won't say identical, but maybe the color of Alicent' hair and the eyes of Alyssa. The only one of Alicent's children who looks anything like her, and I would imagine that would have a bigger impact on her mother's obsession.

You're right, Daemon hates all of Alicent's children, except maybe Helaena, but I can't say he likes her, he has nothing against her at least, in my point of view. He hates all of them but his little girl. How could he? He loved her the moment he saw her in her mother's protective arms and, not caring about other people's eyes, he took the little princess in his arms and played with her.

Daemon undoubtedly dies of jealousy of Viserys with his little girl, he hates to see how his brother is titled her father and he does his best not to let it slip that he is the father of Y/N and not Viserys. Unfortunately he can't do that, he can't put his daughter at risk or be called a bastard. He wouldn't do that to her. I can see Alicent encouraging Daemon's obsession towards the reader too, as a way of gaining his support and she enjoys watching him interact with her precious baby.

Aegon, Aemond and Helaena would definitely be attached to their sister as well, especially Aemond and Helaena. The three are inseparable, and when Aegon joins in, may the Seven have mercy on the poor servants who try to control the four together. Perhaps Alicent decides to marry Princess!Reader to Aemond, just as she did to Aegon and Helaena. She doesn't like the idea of marrying her daughter off, but she'd rather it be her son than anyone else. Daemon obviously wouldn't accept that and would be furious with Alicent and even Aemond. He doesn't want his little princess to marry, much less one of Alicent's children. He will do everything in his power to prevent this.

It's a really cool concept and one I'd be happy to talk more about! Thank you for submitting it, anon!! <3

(I couldn't help it, sorry, but this is Daemon when he finds out that Alicent plans to marry Princess!Reader to Aemond)

[backjustforberena]

I’m new to the fandom; I recently caught up on the first season and watched the second. I fell in love with Rhaenys as a character; I think she’s very strong and particularly cunning. However, one aspect I’ve noticed, which I realize isn’t a common opinion, is that her relationship with Corlys seems absolutely toxic to me but people celebrated it as a great love story.

I genuinely don’t understand why people consider this couple to be solid - and compare them to Ned and Cat, when I’ve always seen Rhaenys as very lonely, she can count only on her own strength. Corlys is portrayed as so ambitious that he doesn’t value what he has, including his wife and children, he takes them for granted and he's even ready to silence them or put them at risk solely for his own pride. It seems to me that Corlys is fine with his wife as long as she agrees with him, but as soon as Rhaenys has a different opinion, he leaves her alone. I think that Corlys was written like a husband that did love his wife in the past but now it's more like routine- she's my wife and that's all. Also, rationally, the only times he does something for her, it's always driven more by guilt or shame (left his family after Laena and Laenor died -> so he joins the war; Rhaenys told him that she's aware of his bastards -> he changes his ship) than by love, affection, or respect for her.

So, I’d like to know from you and those who support this couple, what makes you talk about "great love"? what is the thing you like so much? I'm genuinly curious and interested in reading different opinions on the topic.

I just want to have a look at the word "toxic" because, in my view, that's a rather serious accusation to link to a relationship, and one that I don't think this relationship meets. To me, and I only speak on my views and I do want to say that I have been fortunate enough to never have been in or witnessed a toxic relationship, the label of "toxic" is one of an extreme.

To me, it brings to mind abuse and the idea of being trapped and of a significant power imbalance in favour of one participant in the relationship: lack of support, jealousy, controlling behaviours, unhealthy communication and criticism, isolation, eroding of self-confidence, high stress levels, and behaviour veering into physical and mental abuse. There are no other red flags such as a large age gap, chronic infidelity, or fear of the other. Rhaenys and Corlys are not cowed or belittled by their partner. They've been allowed to thrive: they are bettered by one another.

Corlys and Rhaenys do not meet any of the behaviours that would label them as toxic. Rhaenys and Corlys are not scared of one another, they engage in meaningful discussions, and they've had (for the most part) a stable relationship and committed relationship for decades, and one built from the fact that they love each other. It wasn't a political match. It isn't a question of whether they love each other either: they do. There's no power imbalance and no controlling behaviour exhibited. No one behaves irrationally. They aren't violent with one another, they treat one another with respect and care, they don't even really raise their voice, even if they can be curt and terse with one another. They confide in one another as well. Other than the complicated issue of Alyn and Addam, they have no secrets.

I don't think they're toxic.

Are we shown moments of conflict? Yes. Of course we are. For the majority of the time, but that's because this is a show that (certainly in Season 1) jumps from conflict to conflict and, for the most part, shows the characters in extraordinary circumstances. They are under pressure.

We aren't shown, for example, the ten years between Episode 05 and 06, where, presumably, everything was hunky-dory: with Corlys and Rhaenys just chilling on Driftmark. Instead, we meet them when they are at their most vulnerable, after the loss of their daughter, when the realities of Rhaenyra and Laenor's sons are reaching boiling point. We do not see their "normal", except in short glimpses and what we can infer or when they are on the periphery of the conflict, such as. And we rarely see their informal as well, where they are allowed to show their unguarded feelings and domesticity, because so much of them is either in political situations and at court - but when they are alone, we do have that. We have handholding, proximity, acts of care and a wish for/to comfort. Kisses to hands, flirtation, affection.

We can view Rhaenys as lonely for a portion of the time because, for the last three episodes of Series 1, to a large extent, she is. She's been alone, he did "abandon" her. When he's with her and it's normal (such as the first half or so of Season 1) there's no sense that she's lonely at all, even if she does have moments alone.

But it was never about a lack of love or a lack of care for her. It was about Corlys's own grief, a war already brewing in the Stepstones and even his love for her having an impact - he thought he'd lost her. It's an immature, and (to her) hurtful thing to do but it is an extreme. It is something that happens because of copious pressure and large events that uproot that relationship. In deleted dialogue, we know, he couldn't bear to face her. And whilst we acknowledge that this happens, we also have to acknowledge that she understands and forgives him for it. She holds him accountable, and then they are a unit once again.

It's not all sunshine and roses as we continue into Season 2, because again, external pressures force them into places where they find it hard to be vulnerable with one another. It's a continuation of their individual character journeys, but it's never undermining the love they have for one another or how they wish they could be, if given the chance.

For me, I get the impression that they'd love nothing better than for no one to die, everyone to be healthy and they can stay in bed all the time, eating nice food. If that's the baseline, if that's what they want from life, then that's not toxic. That's showing love. If this war hadn't happened, they would have been absolutely fine. Things out of their control and their individual vulnerabilities and worries drive the conflict in Season 2: losing Luke, the succession, the war, Corlys healing, Rhaenys being here, there and everywhere. But that's not a failure in their marriage. Their marriage doesn't fail. It just becomes unsure ground for once.

I'm aware I'm rambling so I'll just go with bullet points for what you've said and answer with counter-points and if you've got anything else you'd like to follow up on, please do come back. I like answering stuff like this.

She can count only on her own strength -> We see multiple points at which Rhaenys and Corlys are shown as a unit and that they take comfort from each other. From Rhaenys's POV, Corlys is regularly an advocate for her, a source of company, someone who seeks to soothe her worries and makes her laugh and get out of her own head a bit. There is an upgrade in her confidence from how she is when having to deal with things alone vs how she is when she has her husband by her side. No less capable, but on a lot surer footing (particularly in S1E10. She can count on him (for the most part). And she does. And she likes to.

Corlys is portrayed as so ambitious that he doesn’t value what he has, including his wife and children, he takes them for granted and he's even ready to silence them or put them at risk solely for his own pride -> Corlys's ambition is absolutely his major flaw. He does view his ambition as very important, but it does come from a place of love. I don't see how he "takes them for granted", though I concede, certainly with his children, that he's not above using them politically. But this is, contextually, normal. All the fathers do it or concede to it. And it is done with Rhaenys's awareness and consent. What I find interesting, as well, is that Corlys's ambitions are as much fueled by his love and hopes for his family as his own self-interest. So much is about justice for Rhaenys and her claim, and restoring how things should have been for her. His surprise at her accusations in S1E07 wouldn't have worked without this conviction. But he never silences her. I am absolutely clear on this. He never silences her. If you have examples, I'd love to dissect them with you.

Corlys is fine with his wife as long as she agrees with him, but as soon as Rhaenys has a different opinion, he leaves her alone -> the only example I can think of where this happens is S1E07. And he retreats because he's hurt. Again, this is a massive extreme and I've spoken about the layers to this scene before but she's uprooted him. She's gone for where he's vulnerable at a time in which he's vulnerable in the efforts to have a conversation and so he leaves the room because he can't deal with that. That's a normal reaction. He leaves her by the fire. But that's not a red flag. That's not an overreaction on his part, it's just a reaction that hurts her. Just as she has reactions that hurt him. If there is another example which suggests a pattern of behaviour, let me know, because otherwise, I don't see it.

I think that Corlys was written like a husband that did love his wife in the past but now it's more like routine -> they are literally post-sex in S2E03.

The only times he does something for her, it's always driven more by guilt or shame (left his family after Laena and Laenor died -> so he joins the war; Rhaenys told him that she's aware of his bastards -> he changes his ship) than by love, affection, or respect for her -> I would say that's a massive oversimplification on your part and I don't agree with your logic there at all. I also think it does a disservice to Rhaenys. He joins the war not because he's rolling over to Rhaenys's whims and would have done so anyway - she has to convince him. He protests to start with. She has to lay out an argument and give him context of what's been going on. Is he more amenable because he feels like he's let Rhaenys down? Probably. But that doesn't mean he doesn't love her. It implies it, if anything. And Corlys doesn't change his ship because she's aware of his bastards. He does it because she died. Because he wants to honour her. If they'd never spoken on the subject at all, do you think he wouldn't have done what he did? I do. Not once, during his mourning, has he ever mentioned them parting on bad terms, has he ever spoken about her in relation to that subject, or implied that he is motivated by that one fact. It wasn't the last time they spoke or saw one another. There's the unsaid and the undone but that was always going to be the case because she died. He changed his ship because he wanted to honour her. Because he misses her. Because he loved her. Because he's doing this (being Hand, fighting this war) for her.

What I like about they find solace and love in each other. They can react against each other and have differing opinions from one another but that doesn't undermine the love they have for one another. They are flirty with each other, care for one another, and seek one another out. They trust one another, they seek to empower the other, they are a team and present a united front. They discuss things, they advocate for one another, they are both political powerhouses. They don't try and change the other, either, which is a big thing.

Corlys did his voyages to prove himself worthy of Rhaenys which is like the biggest romantic gesture I've ever heard of. Rhaenys adopted her marital house and fought for it like she was born to it. She ruled in Driftmark and he trusted her to do that, despite having brothers of an age to do so. The fact that rocky waters for their marriage is such a destabilisation for them shows how much they value the support they give each other. It's not perfect. It's obviously not. But it is worthy to ship them. And they do possess a "great love". Great doesn't mean perfect.

[mumms-the-word]

A Room in Redcliffe

Part 1

Characters: Warden Alistair x Warden Amell (Lucy) Summary: It's 9:42 Dragon and Lucy Amell has finally returned from her quest out west to search for a cure to the Calling. In the last letter she wrote to her husband, Alistair, she asked him to meet her at Redcliffe at the start of summer. She's just arrived to get a room in Redcliffe for the two of them...and hope that he shows up. A/N: A (late-posted) gift for the AWESOME AND TALENTED @elspethdekarios! Glad you've joined me in my DA obsession and that you love Alistair as much as I do! This fic is a continuation of sorts of these Love Letters. Part 2 is here!

“One room, please,” Lucy said, placing a few coins on the tavern bar. “For three nights, if possible.”

“Aye, it’s possible,” the innkeeper said, scooping the coins into his hand. “Just gimme a moment, these old eyes, you know…”

He began to sift through the coins in his palm, counting them out. As he counted, Lucy let her eyes trail over the room, slowly taking in the guests, the furniture, the space. It had been some time since she last set foot in this old tavern. So much had changed since then.

The old Gull and Lantern. She had barely noticed the name or the sign the first time she’d walked in, all those years ago. Too busy trying to prepare the village for a horde of undead to notice things like tavern signs, and then too busy arguing with the owner at the time to ask him the name of the place. She’d been certain that the tavern would be destroyed by dawn, no matter how well they fought the shambling corpses. Names hadn’t mattered at the time.

But it was a hardy old building. It had made it through the attack of undead and the Fifth Blight, as well as every conflict that had cropped up since then—including the drama of the last year, all of which she had missed entirely. Mages versus Templars, holes in the sky, mage refugees in the village, Venatori plots, and who knew what else. And that was just in Redcliffe. It was strange to hear about it all secondhand.

She wondered what that greedy old bastard of an innkeeper would think, knowing his humble tavern had made it through the end of the world two or three times over? Thanks in part to the woman who’d come in threatening him to get him to defend the village, plus a dozen other heroes he’d never met in the years following.

Thankfully this new innkeeper was not that man. She didn’t recognize him in the slightest, thank the Maker, which meant he hadn’t the faintest idea who she was either. Even so, she kept her cloak hood up. Better to stay unnoticed for now.

He sniffed loudly and pocketed the coins. “Looks to be in order, ma’am. Now ye said three nights? Got a room just down the hall there, and then another in the back. Which would ye like?”

“Is the first upstairs room available? The first one on the left. If so, I’d prefer that one.” She allowed herself a small smile. “I think it has a better view.”

The innkeeper scratched his stubbled cheek and shrugged. “Does it? I never much noticed the view meself. Let me check the keys, one moment.”

As he moved off to sift through the keys in an old cabinet behind the bar, she looked around the room again. It was a little strange coming back to find it so unchanged and yet so different. The bar looked as greasy as ever, but the dining area was bigger. They had more rooms now, but it sounded like her usual room had been left alone. Not that the room was anything special. The “view” was little more than the branches of some hardy old tree too stubborn to let Blights or Breaches bring it down. But then, they’d never selected it for the view.

It felt wrong, now, to rent the room alone.

“Yer in luck,” the innkeeper said, placing a key on the counter. “Looks like that room is available for the takin’. But I’ll cost ye extra. For the view, o’ course.”

She snorted softly, but produced another few silvers. “Of course.” She could haggle, she knew that, but she had coin to spare and…well if a few extra silvers would pay for privacy…

“Thank ye kindly,” the innkeeper said, gathering up the coins. As he did so, hunching a bit over the bar, he glanced up at her, eyes searching beneath her hood. Before she could pull her hood further over her face, his face shifted to an expression of shock. “Hey, ain’t you—”

“Nobody important, I promise,” she said. She picked up the key from the counter and shouldered her bag. “Have a good evening.”

Without waiting for him to respond, she made her way up the stairs to the second floor. Though it had been a few years, she could find her way to the room they always rented even if she were blindfolded. There were so many good memories here. Now, those memories jostled for attention as she fit the key in the lock and turned the bolt, pushing the door open and stepping inside.

Just as she remembered it…give or take some new furniture and a new quilt on the bed. She took a deep breath as she closed the door behind her and set her bag down by the bed.

“Welcome home, Luce,” she whispered to herself. “Now we wait.”

Wait. With nothing but her memories to keep her company.

———

Dawn streamed in through the open windows, spilling hazy golden light over a pair of bodies half-tangled in the sheets on the bed. They’d pulled the newly-painted shutters wide open hours before to let in the night breeze, hoping for some relief from the heat of the summer’s day, something to cool the sweat that slicked their skin from a night of impassioned lovemaking.

Lovemaking. Lucy smiled into Alistair’s shoulder as the dreamy, waking thought came to mind. There truly was no better word for it, was there? Not when it was her and him, her Alistair, her would-be husband.

She breathed deeply of his scent, unwilling to open her eyes just yet. Just days ago, the pair of them had smelled little better than road dust, blackened darkspawn blood, metal, and acrid smoke. Now he smelled faintly of his natural musk and the soap they had used last night in their shared bath. Something earthy and lightly floral. It suited him. She had half a mind to purchase a few bars of the soap from whoever made it locally here in Redcliffe.

Hopefully they’d survived the darkspawn. Or the undead.

The room continued to brighten as the sun rose slowly, waiting for no one, a brand new day in a nation that had the two of them to thank for it surviving the Fifth Blight. As the light grew too bright to ignore, Lucy gave up on dozing and stretched, careful not to wake her sleeping lover, and then lightly rested her hand on Alistair’s chest and her chin on top of her hand, watching him. Waiting for him to wake up.

He was so handsome, especially in this light. Tanned skin with a faint dusting of freckles on his nose, a gorgeous, expressive mouth that she loved to kiss. As he dozed, she tilted her head, admiring the brush of his lashes against his cheek and the fine mess his hair had turned into. She so rarely got to see him this vulnerable. He was usually awake before she was.

A flicker of his eyelids warned her that he might not be as deeply asleep as she thought. She bit her lip against a smile and reached up, lightly tracing a finger down the bridge of his nose to the tip. No reaction. She traced the curve of his lips next, fully expecting him to react with a kiss. But he “slept” on.

She brushed his cheek next, her touch trailing back to his ear. A soft pinch of his earlobe—she was certain she saw his expression shift—then a light touch along the shell of his ear, slowly, slowly, up to the slightly pointed, almost elfin tip—

He gave a dramatic shiver and, in a flash, grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Maker’s breath, woman, you don’t have to torture me like that,” he said, cracking one eye open to squint at her. “I’m awake!”

But he ruined any sulky irritation he was faking with the smile that threatened to take over his lips. She laughed, sitting up, her wrist still caught in his grip.

“Just checking.”

“Suuure,” he said, dragging the word out, the doubt in his tone obvious. But even so, he smiled at last, pulling her arm up and pressing a few kisses to the thin skin of her wrist. He kissed her palm, next, and finally laid her hand flat against his chest, over his heart.

“Good morning, my love,” he said softly, gazing up at her with such blatant adoration that it made her cheeks flush.

She giggled. “Good morning, my darling. Ready to start a brand new, Blight-free day?”

“Mmm, in a moment,” he murmured. He switched his hold on her, looping an arm around her waist, and pulled her on top of him. “I’m not done admiring my beautiful wife.”

“I’m not your wife yet, Alistair,” she reminded him, untangling their legs to straddle him. She sat up, shaking her dark hair back over her shoulders, and couldn’t resist a smirk as she saw his eyes trailing down the length of her body, lingering over her breasts especially. “But admire away, darling.”

He grinned, his hands smoothing up her sides, his touch already raising gooseflesh on her skin.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

———

Lucy sighed, eyes open and staring at the dark ceiling overhead. She turned to lay on her side, but that brought the empty side of the bed into view, and the rest of the empty room beyond. She rolled over to her other side, facing the wall instead. If she stared hard enough, long enough, she might be able to find images in the rough texture of the aged plaster. Maybe that would lull her to sleep.

It had yet to work.

Instead, she stared at the wall, thinking back on that first morning here in this room. How the world had seemed so simple in those days. The threat of a major evil had been eliminated. They were the heroes of the Fifth Blight. Nothing could possibly be worse than what they had already faced, surely.

She scoffed softly to herself. They’d been so young at the time. So naive. There had been no Calling ringing in their ears in those days. No ancient god-like darkspawn to contend with, not yet. The future had seemed so bright.

Twenty or thirty more years to live had seemed so long.

She sighed again, shifting to lay on her back again, her hand absently smoothing over the empty side of the bed. A cool breeze slipped through the crack between the shutters, which she had kept closed for tonight. Old travel habits died hard after more than ten years on the go. Ten years of attempting to avoid as much notice as possible, for safety, for privacy, for peace. Heroism wasn’t all it was cracked up to be—she had realized that long ago. Not when everyone wanted you to fix their problems.

Maybe she ought to open the shutters now. Now that there were other heroes that people wanted. Inquisitors and Champions and the like.

She mulled the thought over in her mind before dismissing it. Not tonight. Not while she slept alone. But tomorrow…

Her love would be by her side again tomorrow.

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.

That’s why she wouldn’t sleep. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. The thought kept her awake even when she knew sleep would bring the dawn faster than anything else. But still sleep wouldn’t come.

Because of course those darkest hours before the dawn played cruel tricks on her mind. Whispers of doubts. Dark visions. Her imagination ran wild with worry, if she didn’t keep it distracted. What should have been a night tossing and turning with anticipation and excitement was instead a slow crawl of hours filled with a churning dread.

What if he didn’t come?

She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled over again, grabbing one of the pillows. Stop thinking like that. She wrapped her arms tightly around the pillow, the way she would if he were here, if the pillow were her husband instead of a sack filled with downy feathers. Time for another distraction.

Memories. Back to that first rosy dawn in Redcliffe after the Blight. Back when she thought the two of them were invincible, and nothing would ever drive them apart.

———

“You know,” Alistair said, murmuring the words lazily into Lucy’s hair as they lay, spent, her body on top of his, the mid-morning sun warming the room around them. “If you think about it, we don’t have any orders. Nothing major to save. No big tasks to accomplish. For the first time, maybe ever, we can do whatever we please. At least for a little while.”

Lucy lifted her head from his chest, curious what he was getting at. “What do you mean?”

He half-shrugged his shoulders. “I mean that it will take weeks for word of the end of the Blight to reach Weisshaupt, and several weeks more for them to issue any orders to the two of us. Assuming they even know what to do with the two of us. I don’t see any need to jump into our next adventure immediately if you don’t.”

“Does that mean you want to stay here?” she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. “In Redcliffe?”

He gave another shrug. “We could.”

“And get married here?” she asked, grinning like a giddy schoolgirl.

A slow smile stole over his lips as he skimmed his fingers up and down her back. “I’m sure Eamon wouldn’t mind hosting a small wedding, if we ask him. If here is where you want a ceremony, that is.”

She sat up, then, straddling him again, her excitement getting the better of her. Ideas were crowding in her mind now, dreamy visions of idyllic futures starring just the two of them, a whole variety of domestic adventures and adventurous domesticity. “And we could get a house?”

He laughed, his hands resting on her hips. “Is that what you want?” he asked, squeezing her curves affectionately. “A house in Redcliffe?”

“I want a house with you,” she said, taking both of his hands and lifting them over his head. She pressed them into the mattress beneath him, using his hands as leverage to keep herself upright. She let her hair fall like a curtain to one side, the ends brushing over his chest and shoulder. “Is that too much to ask?”

“Not if you ask it like that,” he murmured with a crooked smile. He lifted his head to try and snag a kiss from her lips but fell just a few inches short. He flopped back with a pout, making effective use of those big brown eyes she loved so much. The message was obvious.

She rolled her eyes fondly but leaned in and gave him a kiss. “Is that a yes?” she asked, pulling away but keeping his wrists pressed to the mattress. “To finding a house?”

He made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. “It’s a maybe. Grey Wardens rarely stay in one place, you know.” He tilted his head to one side. “Are you sure you want to get a house you might not spend that much time in? I thought you liked to travel. After so long in that tower…”

“I do,” she said. “But I…I don’t know, I like the thought of having a house here, too. Somewhere that’s ours, where we’re free to come and go. Where we can hide from the world for a bit and just be ourselves. Does that make sense?”

“Why Redcliffe, though?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Why not Amaranthine or some remote village to the east? Not that I’m advocating for any specific place or anything, I’m just curious.”

“I don’t know. Because here is…special?” At his dubious look, she sighed and let go of him, sitting up again.

“Look, maybe the whole idea is silly,” she said, her fingers absently drawing circles in his skin, over his chest. “And maybe it’s really impractical, but…you were raised here. This is your hometown. It’s not terribly far from my mother, if we travel by boat. It’s quiet here. Well, now it is, anyway. It just…seems like a pleasant place to settle down. Eventually. If you want.”

She could feel her cheeks burning to admit so much to him all at once, but at the same time, she didn’t care to take any of it back. Maybe it was too much to ask. Maybe he’d call her foolish. Maybe he’d dismiss the whole idea. But at least she had tried.

And a girl could dream, couldn’t she? She hadn’t had cause to craft little dreams like these in years. Even though mages could marry, weddings were rare in the Circle. Houses were impossible. Families…

Well…she would have to think about that later.

With his hands now free, he rested them on her thighs again, palms warm and slightly rough with callouses from years of wielding a sword and shield in training and in battle. She loved the feel of them on her skin, no matter where he put them.

“A place to settle down?” he asked softly.

She nodded. “Eventually.”

A smile flickered on his lips. “I think I’d like that very much,” he murmured. He reached up with one hand and sank his fingers in her hair, his gaze softening on her face as he played with her dark waves, winding a lock of hair around his finger. “A home somewhere with you? It sounds perfect.”

He brought her down for another kiss, and she could taste the promise on his lips before he even uttered it.

“We’ll find our forever home one day soon. I promise.”

[darklinaforever]

Let's be real for two seconds.

Viserys is the type of guy who will pass everything to Alicent.

Symbolically declaring war on Rhaenyra's marriage. Constantly suggesting that his grandsons are bastards. Calling Rhaenyra's children "simple beings", or something like that I think. Refusing a marriage between Jace and Helaena that he approved of, and instead letting him marry Helaena to Aegon. Remarks on Laenor's sexuality. Overlooking the fact that she tried to take Lucerys' eye. Brief.

Very clearly Viserys is far from being mean to Alicent and there she lets her do absolutely whatever she wants in general without ever punishing her. While these are relatively serious things that deserve punishment.

It's not an exaggeration to think that if Alicent hadn't stayed silent and said no to having sex with Viserys late at night, he probably would have agreed.

I'm not saying it's 100% certain, but it's very likely.

Alicent literally lied to him, and is still manipulating him at the behest of his father.

Becoming his wife therefore implies sleeping with him if he wants (in addition to always having made Viserys believe that she like him) and from her point of view, in relation to the religion she is a follower of, etc. It is her duty to do what her father and husband desires because she believes it is her duty as a woman, no matter how she feels. Duty. Sacrifice. Etc. So the problem here is not really Viserys. But the faith of the seven and Otto who instilled it in Alicent.

Once again, Otto is the culprit for his daughter's suffering.

Viserys is as much a victim as Alicent in my opinion. Alicent is in a union forced by her father that she never wanted. And Viserys is being manipulated by Otto and Alicent in order to be his queen, stay in his good graces, and have children so that there will be possible Targhtower heirs.

Once again, during sexual intercourse, he noticed that Alicent was staring at the ceiling and sought to catch her gaze accordingly and what did Alicent do ? She smiled, reassuring Viserys that she was probably fully OKAY from the Viserys point of view.

And then, I remind you that Viserys is not very smart and very easily manipulated. It took Rhaenyra telling him for him to open his eyes to the situation concerning Otto and Alicent.

Viserys is a fairly nice and simple guy, I remind you (even if yes, he screws up a lot). But stop seeing him as some kind of disgusting willful abuser in Alicent life... (look Otto for that)

Yes, from Alicent's unique perspective, without much thought, one can conclude that it was marital rape, and it kind of is, but if you take the whole situation as a whole, it's much more complicated than that. The situation is not all black and white.

I am told that I risk ending up in prison for making comments like this by a commentaters...

But what do you really think the justice system would think if they had all the pieces of the puzzle ?

Namely, that Otto forced his daughter Alicent to seduce Viserys to become his wife and queen in order to produce likely future male heirs to the throne ? And that during the sexual intercourse in question, Viserys noticed that Alicent actually seemed elsewhere, and consequently caught her gaze and she then smiled at him, telling him that everything had actually gone well.

Yeah... I don't think therefore that they would also live on the evil abuser and rapist Viserys. Probably / Maybe he would still receive some form of sanction for what happened in episode 4, but I think that justice would also and especially apply to the case of Otto who mentally manipulated his daughter so that she forces herself to do all these things with Viserys, also manipulated by these two in this affair.

The situation is not as simple as the Greens and Alicent stans try to make it out to be.

Yes. What is happening to Alicent is horrible.

But no, just saying that Viserys is a horrible rapist and abuser for Alicent is false for the second and quite more complex than that for the first option.

As I said, not everything is black, not everything is white.

Yes, Alicent forces herself to have this sexual relationship. But we must ask ourselves for what, for whom, and for what purpose ?

The scene actually has quite a context.

And again, if Alicent had simply said no, I don't think Viserys would have forced her to do anything, given the examples presented at the beginning of my post. That's what I think.

[suckmyfatdee]

HOTD YAP BECAUSE I'M BORED!

Hate=Block, I only allow comments that are respectful about their own opinion and not ones that start frothing at their mouth for my opinion. If you can't handle criticism against your faves(at least against how the show wrote them), don't read.

As much as I believe the writers are far more biased to Rhaenyra, I do believe they fucked over both sides and while trying to make this some kind of Girlboss women empowerment show, they are making their women dumb. Genuinely. I've genuinely thought over everything and compared it to the books and now I'm just thinking "Wtf are you guys doing to our girls?"

And it's the people still believing the show is the absolute canon. Someone said "George was consulted that the show would be the canon of what actually happened, so that means it is the canon.".....Boy, no? Does George's blog post a few months ago not tell you that he didn't agree with the changes and if he's the creator of that world then it's his word against Condal's and Sara's.

Season one was good, I won't lie but even then they started fucking over the characters. I don't think they need to do everything strictly like the books, since obviously this book is supposed to be like a history book with many accounts where it's kinda left for you to interpret what happened or form an opinion of what happened.

But the changes just don't make sense at all or even drastic changes to make a character worse and then to claim that the changes are what actually happened. Just because the books didn't give us a direct account of what happened, doesn't mean that the writers can just change what they want. They've changed so much in ways that don't even make sense and it ways that won't even align to important/iconic events in the books.

The first and foremost thing you notice at the start of the show as a book reader is the ages. They wrote the ages so without even thinking much, events don't line up at all.

And I guess the relationship Rhaenyra had with Alicent was cute at the start, I genuinely loved it. It would have given more spice to their future animosity. But no, they choose the most unrealistic way to approach this, which shows me the show writers have no idea how to critically change their thinking to fit the theme of the world they are writing about. They are using modern thinking rather than the one that makes sense the most. And they also seem to either only view the full picture in black and white, or see colours in the picture that aren't there(adding things that don't make sense).

They made Alicent betray her whole family for a woman who LOGICALLY by their time actually would have to kill her sons, or whose husband would definitely kill her sons. Like come on! These women have been enemies longer than they have been friends, any love towards each other should have started to diminish the moment Rhaenyra had no sympathy for Aemond when he lost his eye and even demanded him tortured, and for Rhaenyra it should have gone the moment Alicent asked for Lucerys' eye. Like come on, they are MOTHERS! And I'm not saying that is all they are and their characters should be knocked down to only being a mother. But even in the books that's an important factor of their character.

And the show made the war so dumb to the point where it truly seems that Rhaenyra and Alicent should by all means be kept away from power. They have no critical thinking at all!

Rhaenyra ran from conflict when Jacaerys asked her if he was a bastard, instead of facing it and trying to further strengthen her claim by trying to at least help or prove her political savvy to the Small Council and Lords. Since the writers already change everything they could have made her stay. But no, she ran. AND GOES TO MARRY THE MAN WHO IS THE VERY REASON SHE WAS NAMED HEIR IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY WANTED TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM THE THRONE! Then later, when Lucerys' claim to driftmark is challenged she once again, before even attempting to take care of the problem herself, by using logic or properly preparing Lucerys, she begs her bedridden father to make these people listen to her. And when she lost hope that he would, and had to push her son's claim herself, you could hear her start something about twenty years ago...meaning she was probably trying to tell them about how they bent the knee to her and called her heir...in a situation where that mattered only little? This wasn't about her claim, this was about her son's claim, and her son's claim wasn't questioned because she was a woman who was the heir to the iron throne but because people thought her son a bastard, and not a Velaryon which is why they didn't want someone who isn't Velaryon to inherit something from their bloodline. She isn't actually politically prepared AT ALL and obviously thinks that her father naming her heir and making the lords bend their knees to her once ONCE(without even asking their council and before three legitimate sons were born) is the panacea to any political problem she has. That is her not being prepared, and she unknowingly showcases her lack of preparation. Lucky for her, her father saves her ass and gets out of his near death bed to tell the lords to shut up about their problems in favour of Rhaenyra.

And Alicent! A woman who was the Queen Regent when her husband was too ill and kept the Realm at peace with her father, for years, suddenly knows nothing of politics? Please. She ruled in her husband's stead for what I assume is six years(the time after the Driftmark discourse when we obviously see Viserys is too weak), and even before that, after she declared 'war' at Rhaenyra's wedding, she also sat the council considering she was the Queen Consort. She was a part of the council that long, her father is an incredibly intelligent man and the hand of the King and she knows nothing now? Why did she lose her political savvy in season 2?

Why were they both dumb and let each other enter the other's 'territory' while their factions are at war and thousands of innocent are dying, because of the other's faction. Alicent could've had Rhaenyra killed, there were Guards! And when Alicent came to Rhaenyra she could've held Alicent hostage. Critical thinking ladies! I'm not saying that would have stopped the war but Rhaenyra was the reason they fought for and Alicent was the one that sat Aegon on the throne!

And why is Helaena as Queen Consort not doing shit? Before Jaehaerys' death, in the books she also participated the Small Council and actually engaged! And if she can relax at home and seemingly isn't in any way too affected that her son died, why is she being useless? AND I LOVE HELAENA! TRUST I DO! But this is ridiculous what they've done to my girl.

Baela is just Rhaenyra's cheerleader now and will lecture/sorta manipulate and gaslight anyone that doubts Rhaenyra or feels openly conflicted.

Rhaena....I'm just gonna be silent.

Rhaenys was okay, badass but not the smartest.

Like, they've done my women dirty. Don't start a war with me.

Anyways. End of yap.(Can you tell I'm a certified yapper?)

[tvlipsandbread]

Today I read Song of the Magdalene, thanks to my friend (ily Lee <3), anyways, it’s a “Christian novel” but it’s a fictional piece. It entails of the adventures, love and tragedy of Mary Magdalene before she met Jesus. Obviously we have no clue what her life was like, but the book was interesting nonetheless and a good read. So if you already planned to read it at some point here’s a spoiler alert.

So basically the part of the book that consumes my thoughts is the relationship between Miriam ( Mary) and her love interest Abraham. Abraham is cripple, unfortunately the religious people of those times did not view it as an illness or disability, instead they dubbed him an idiot ( he was very intelligent) and cursed, or plagued by evil. Miriam also discovered and hid the fact that she experienced “fits” (she had epilepsy, I think). Anyways they fell in love, and religious or not I think it’s a type of love anyone would want.

Bear with me as I try to get to my point. Her father is rather wealthy, she’s of “age”(she was fifteen💀) and she needs to get married, she’s expected to get married to a proper Jewish man. She’s very independent and unlike the other women in her village, she also has the seizures which she keeps a secret from the majority (which makes her undesirable and not a proper fit,her words not mine). She wants to marry Abraham, but he’s cripple, it would look bad, they aren’t even sure if it was possible to conceive children in the union. So she decides she’ll never marry. Her relationship with Abraham blossoms despite this. In the latter part of the book he gets sick, and everyone in the household can tell that he’ll die. They kiss, sleep side by side, she takes care of him, she’s washed his body, oiled his feet yadda yadda, and it’s suggested that they had sex because she does end up carrying his child. He ends up dying, and her father is on edge about the pregnancy, he didn’t want his grandchild to be a “bastard”. He wished more than anything that Abraham pulled out the ring before he died, that they made their union official and public, forcing the community to accept them, it never happened. I don’t know the exact quote word for word, but Miriam says something kinda like this “married in the eyes of the creator” and calls him her husband.

Now, if anyone even sees this, I know some members of the faith might have something to say about it. It put the whole meaning of marriage in a new perspective for me. Can two people be married before they’ve actually gotten married?. I’ve never been in love so what do I know, but let’s say two people are in love, it’s a pure, honest love that’s pleasing to God. Is it possible (both partners are of faith) that God could bless the union, and accept it as a marriage, even without the ring, or the vows, or the ceremony. I would like to think so. Based on my knowledge, marriage in a spiritual point of view is not about any of those things, isn’t it the joining of two souls under the watchful eye of the Creator?. I’m sure this has been said or discussed before, I just wanted to type my thoughts.

Edit: their relationship kinda reminds me of the song fragile by laufey

[melhekhelmurkun]

Watched The Shining by Kubrick last night, and I can honestly understand why Stephen King hates it so much. It’s definitely not the best adaptation of the book at all, and the film really did destroy all the characterization the book goes through for each of the characters.

He might’ve been a bastard and a drunk, but Jack Torrance did love his wife and son, and the book does show that. It’s only towards the late middle and end that he really goes psychotic, and that’s mainly because of the hotel itself essentially possessing him and bringing out the worst of him. I am in no way excusing his actions, because he is an attempted murderer and an abusive father, but he did love Wendy and Danny, and he wasn’t a psychopath. Ultimately, it was his love for his son that stopped him when he managed to catch up to Danny, and it was what made him try to kill himself in an attempt to save his family. Unfortunately, at that point the Hotel was too powerful, and it didn’t matter if Jack was alive or dead; it just needed his body. The movie really failed to show his descent into madness; it just jumps right into crazy, with nothing to show the man he was before everything at the hotel happened. It also failed to show that the Hotel - the ‘manager’, as was stated - was truly what was behind everything. Had the Torrances not gone to the Overlook, would Jack have snapped and killed his family? It’s a possibility, but a low one - it’s more likely that Wendy would’ve ended up divorcing him, or he would’ve carried out his suicidal thoughts.

Wendy Torrance was not a weak woman - she not only had the courage and drive to stand up to her husband when he went batshit crazy, she locked him in a pantry, stabbed him, and went up multiple flights of stairs while very badly injured… and then she lived to be happy afterwards! She survived having her back broken by her husband when he tried to kill her, and lived a happy life afterwards! I can name maybe three people in my life who I am confident could do that. Kubrick’s decision to depict Wendy as an emotionally fragile woman was just demeaning to her character. Shelly Duvall did an incredible job, however, and I respect her immensely for it. That’s not an easy role to be put into in any way, especially not when you’re working for a nightmare of a director who decides that the best way to get results is to psychologically torture the star actress. She depicted the movie version of Wendy perfectly. I was cheering for her the whole way.

And then there’s all the other changes which I can understand from a filmmaker’s perspective as being more logical to making a movie, but they did change the story quite a bit. Having Jack use an axe rather than the roque mallet was an understandable change, as it was more recognizable to the public as a dangerous weapon, however… it meant that most of the important scenes, such as when Wendy’s back gets broken, never happen. You can’t exactly do that with an axe, can you? But that scene is one of the most impactful (pun not intended) and important to the book, at least in my view, since it shows her resilience and her love for her son, as mentioned in the above paragraph about her character. The choice to use the axe also meant that that Dick Hallorann died when he should not have.

That man, the chef with the Shine, was more important to the book, I think, than any character. He was the first to tell Danny that he wasn’t alone, that there were more people out there who had the same abilities he did, and that it wasn’t a bad thing. He was the one to tell Danny of the strange happenings at the Overlook, and to tell him that the visions might be scary but ultimately he didn’t think they could hurt him - which ended up being a major part of Danny’s choices. The main part of the reason Danny went into room 217 (237 in the movie) was because he remembered Dick telling him that the visions couldn’t hurt him, that all he had to do was look away when he saw them. And then there was how Dick came all the way across the country to help Danny when he was called. He pledged to help that boy if needed, and when he was needed, he came immediately, and ended up saving the remaining Torrances. His refusal to let that boy and his family die was such a big part of the story.

I can also understand the decision to turn the hedge topiary into a hedge maze. Making bush animals move is not at all easy, especially for a movie made in the 80’s. However, the animals were also fairly important to the story; they were the first real visual of Jack’s descent into madness, and then later a big factor of his possession by the Overlook; when he refused to believe that he’d seen them move, he essentially shut down any possibility of belief that there was something wrong at the hotel. By the end of the book, we sort of find out that the hotel itself was influencing his willingness to believe that, but his initial refusal did push that along. Once someone has made up their mind about something, even something they’ve seen with their own two eyes, it’s often very difficult to get them to change it, especially in a scary situation. The topiary was the first big turning point in Jack’s psyche.

Then there’s the decision to change his death scene - having him freeze to death after getting lost in the hedge maze and suffering a mild heart attack. It was… definitely a choice? In the book itself, after Jack ‘kills’ himself (again, the Hotel was possessing him fully at that point and no longer needed him alive, just needed his body, so him fighting back and bashing his own face in really did nothing in the long run but was a rather important scene - see the paragraph on Jack Torrance for clarification) the boiler in the hotel begins to overheat. The Hotel (possessing Jack’s body) goes to release the steam from it to prevent it from exploding - the problem here is that Jack was told by Watson that the boiler would blow long before the pressure gauge reached its red zone, because it was so old. But since it was not Jack present in that body but the Hotel itself, it had no idea about this and believed the boiler was now safe, as it had managed to reach it before the needle hit the red… and then the boiler exploded. Having Jack freeze to death in the hedge maze (and thus forcing us to experience that absolutely ridiculous final scene where we see him frozen) was a much less final and impactful death than that of the boiler exploding. With the explosion, his body was destroyed, and so the ‘manager’ of the Overlook was destroyed (the ghost/demon). It was a finale; the evil perished, the good guys got away, and everything was right in the world. With the freezing, it was much less final, and much less satisfying.

Objectively, if you separate the book from the movie, the movie wasn’t terrible. I did like it, and I had a lot of fun watching it. But as an adaptation, I found it VERY lacking. I can understand why King hates it so much.

[fromtheboundlesssea]

HotD Season 2 Episode 2 Live Watch Thoughts

Seriously, I absolutely adore this new opening style. I really hope that they continue with this for the coming seasons (and in the other shows). The tapestry stuff is so pretty! Like I’m actually willing to watch through it. I usually just skip intros after watching them the first time.

Ugh. The bloody sheet. 😭

And now there are a ton of people 🫥 where were they before?

And Cole got dressed fast.

AND DESTROY THAT STUPID LEGO SET AEGON!

DECLARE WAR

ooooooo is Aemond going to find out that he was the one targeted? Are we not even going to get a proper reaction to him being told that his nephew is dead?

Man Otto looks shaken.

Take all of Alicent’s pain and give it to Daemon.

CALL HIM BY HIS NAME!

“But what they’ve done to my girl” 😭😭😭😭😭

I hate that Alicent is always made to feel as though she is at fault for everything but NONE of the other characters seem to feel the same sort of guilt, worthily had or otherwise?

Oooooooof yelling at Criston!

“The sanctity of my family!” 😭

“The Bitch Queen of Bastards” is a killer title though.

“You wished her life to be spared!” I’M—

THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE HIM TALE JAEHAERYS’ HEAD!!!??? 😭

Who else would it be random dude I have yet to know the name of (Jasper)? Who else? Sure someone who wants to start conflict.

Why are Rhaenys’ actions not viewed negatively? She killed hundreds of people.

“I will not have my little son’s body dragged through the street like a dead dog” WHERE ARE THE EMMYS?!?!

TOM MY LOVE YOU DESERVE THE WORLD FOR YOUR ACTING

AEGON LOOKING TO HIS MOM!

“My darling” 😭😭😭😭😭😭🤣🤣

HELAENA!!!!!

“I don’t want them closer. I don’t know them.” MY BABY

“This is for my boy” 😭

Why would you still use the goldcloaks? Especially since we don’t have Alicent’s brother leading them yet?

THE HEAD SHAKING MORE THAN THE BODY!!!!!!!

YOU CHILD MURDERER DO NOT GET TO ACT SO SORRY AND LIP TREMBLING!!!!!

THE SEWN HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOSH THIS IS LIKE ROBB ALL OVER AGAIN!

“Are you going to hurt me?” YOU MURDERED A CHILD!

The petals like ashes 😭

My poor child who does not want to be touched 😭

GIVE THE CHILD SOME DIGNITY IN HIS FUNERAL!

GIRL YOU PUBLICLY ASKED FOR YOUR RECENTLY WOUNDED BROTHER TO BE SHARPLY QUESTIONED!

DAEMON YOU ARE A MONSTER!

Girl, you have shown no interest in your sister until it now suits you.

Rhaenys is catching on.

You are not even talking about how that CHILD is your nephew.

Whichever twin do you wonder if things would have been different had you stayed?

Good Rhaenyra seems to have caught on too.

Good. Don’t believe him Rhaenyra. He destroys so much of your good PR. People think he killed his first wife and murdered your first husband! People are going to assume bad things!

GIRL.

Good call him out. But why did you not notice all these things when PEOPLE POINTED THIS OUT TO YOU.

Do not like Rhaenyra, but get the HECK AWAY FROM HER DAEMON

OOOOOO still calling it his brother’s throne instead of Rhaenyra’s!!!!

Emma out here with their acting!

Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra mention your brother! Mention Baelon!

Ooooo Daemon calling out why part of Viserys named her heir.

Emma is so gorgeous. I am distracted.

“It was a mistake” this entire war is based on mistakes and misunderstandings apparently.

Yay! Baela talked!

Ooooo! Baela and Rhaenyra will actually have a conversation!

So Baela is going to watch King’s Landing?

Is it just me or does Baela’s dress sort of remind you guys of the ribbing of Sansa’s coronation dress? That ribbing embroidery thing? At first I thought it might be meant to mirror Rhaenyra’s dress, but it looks more like Sansa’s coronation dress.

Oh good. Helaena has ladies.

AEGON AND HELAENA! My babies are hurt!

Do you think this is the same nursery Criston watched the Green kids grow up in?

Rhaenyra sort of staring at her kids.

I wish we saw them interacting more with the babies.

My guilt ridden babies. They are Guinevere and Lancelot coded and it hurts.

But honestly, I wish this episode had been their first sex scene and the implied first time they have ever had sex. But you know. Game of Thrones. HBO. They have to make one woman be the sex-ed character. Who cares about writing?

all the guys getting up and leaving is SOOOOO funny. It’s giving “calling my significant other’s full name in front of his family”

Acting is giving this episode. I will give them that.

I like that while the Green twin does not like being question, you can tell he is not fully angry because he knows that everyone is angry about this.

Is Criston the one to send the Green twin to kill Rhaenyra in the book? I know the twins fight, but is this how it is initiated?

I wish we actually saw more of the twins before episode 9 so we could care a little more that the twins die. Both of them die don’t they?

Ooo Baela and Jace are going to talk?

“Too many empty seats” maybe because a child was murdered?

You hate your dad Baela? Would have loved some characterization last season.

You definitely have Dad issues Jace.

Wish we saw Laenor be a dad. Like actual parenting. Time skips really robbed us of growing to like characters.

You’re asking about Harwin?

Are you flirting while talking somewhat casually about Jace’s bastardry?

They really did find an actress that kind of looks like Phia for whatever this prostitute is going to be used for.

Also, if this is in King’s Landing, that prostitute might have been one of the women Daemon would have went after.

Good lord. No. Really. Aemond deserves more.

Ewan is also skinny. I can see that boy’s ribs!

“When prince’s lose their temper it is others that suffer” is a great line wasted on a character who seemingly preyed on a child.

Oh, Hugh has a kid? Is that canon to the books? OH! That was one of the women at the funeral crying over Jaehaerys.

“Did he say when?” Probably better to ask if he promised before HIS SON WAS MURDERED!

Addam! I wish he had white hair so I could use him as a faceclaim. But I get it. Who wants an ugly wig distracting from the beautiful face?

Interesting. Are Alyn and Addam going to serve as an older version of Jace and Luke?

Post sex Corlys and Rhaenys?

“Let us take him at his word.” Why? What has he done to inspire so much confidence when he already is the reason for the murder of a CHILD

Why is Mysaria granted the title of Lady?

“I had nothing to do with it” you are connected.

Does Rhaenyra not remember Mysaria? They met in episode 2 last season? I think she was even named in his letter as his “wife” and future mother of a bastard?

Oh good. Now she remembers.

Is that the actress’ actual accent?

“I have no interest…” Mysaria, again, why would she trust you?

Mysaria’s character is so confusing. I think it’s partially because she doesn’t have any sort of characterization.

Mysaria, are you not still a whore? You are just a madam now?

How did you get that scar?

Again, the spaces inbetween episodes are so important. And I don’t watch the after the episode stuff because if it’s not in the episode then I won’t use it to cloud my judgement of what is going on.

Is Alyn going to claim Seasmoke? So is Laenor just going to be dead? Or are they going to make it so dragons can claim more than one person? Or is Laenor alive and to keep up the facade is just going to pretend to be Alyn?

“What did they do?” At least inform the people why the boys are hung.

Poor dog lost his child murdering master.

“Oh~ I had them hanged.” I’m sorry that choice is 🤣

No, but why would you not state that the rat catchers are some how connected to the murder of a prince?

That gaze shift from Criston was a “don’t drag me into this” look

If people get annoyed with Criston calling Rhaenyra a bitch then they need to go after Daemon with the same amount of energy. He has said it WAY more.

“You never think of your father” HE BARELY KNEW HIS FATHER BECAUSE HIS FATHER DID NOT CARE TO KNOW HIM

Viserys is the reason the realm has gotten to this point Otto.

“He was right about you.” Viserys had no thought about his son at all to have an opinion.

Would have loved to see more of a relationship between Otto and his grandchildren so all of this could feel more weighted.

And Criston does not want this. 😬

“You will regret this” Otto you need to figure out how to talk to people. You are smarter than this.

Why would you trust someone Daemon trusted?

Oh? Mysaria is going to be sent away? Okay. The point then?

Oh, is she going to notice the Green twin? Is that her only purpose then? Girl? You are about to be free! Why do you care? (Jk. I know it’s for plot)

Again. I wish I knew these brothers and Mysaria more so I can feel the weight of their actions. Mysaria’s need for freedom being thrown away or make it obvious that she is trying to curry favor. Something.

And Emma’s color is blue.

The man also doesn’t know his way around Dragonstone. It’s a stupid plan.

Why is this scene building more tension than Blood and Cheese by flipping between the Green twin and Rhaenyra? Like???? This is how B&C should have been set up?

Also, if you knew someone had a twin on the other side, why would you not do something to distinguish them?

WHY IS THIS SCENE GETTING MORE TENSION?!?!?!?

Jk, again, I know why, it’s for the sake of making the Blacks ALWAYS looking better and deserving more sympathy.

Again, I would care more about these twins if I knew them

Once more. This tension would have been better served for B&C.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CANNOT STAY THERE OTTO?!?!?!?

DAERON MENTION!?!?!?!? He exists?

“The young are peacocks” does that not also describe Viserys too?

“I have sinned.” “I do not wish to hear of it.” The only actual father-daughter relationship that has any sort of solid development.

Loved the close up on Aegon’s short finger nails and Viserys’ ring.

AND ALICENT TALK TO YOUR SON. Ugh. But no. Let’s just have Alicent be used for the necessary sex scenes needed in a GoT/HBO show instead of having more character plot with her children.

I do think this would have been a better introduction to them having sex.

This was a meh episode.

Thoughts on the promo for Episode 3:

So Jace won’t be the one to suggest the dragonseed?

Also, where was Rhaena? I thought she was in the promo for episode 2?

[your-divine-ribs]

Ice Cold Part 44

Words: 2.4k

Ice Cold Masterlist Main Masterlist

"Dead?"

The word was just that in my mouth, cold and unsanitary and rotten, and I felt instantly tainted, my skin crawling as I imagined the horror of what easily could have been. But I wasn't dead. I was alive. I was a survivor.

"But how can they say that? How can people believe that? My mum... she must think..."

My words trailed off as I imagined my mum being told the news. The unmarked car pulling up on her driveway, the sombre looking agents getting out, already rehearsing the lines of condolence before they'd even knocked on the door. My mother answering it and folding immediately on seeing them, knowing all too well the news they were bearing, reliving it 14 years on from when her husband had brutally been taken from her by the job that she'd despised. She'd known from the start that it would break apart our family, and her worst nightmares hadn't come true just once. It was the cruelest twist of the knife of fate.

My hatred for Charles burnt brighter than ever.

"But... but... how can they say that? There was no body! How can they say that I'm dead?"

Van looked on grimly. "They burnt the cottage down. I'm sure they probably said your body was too badly burnt to identify. There were other names they mentioned too, other agents, I don't know who they were..."

Others?

Had Charles used this contrived story to explain away more deaths that he'd caused? And whose deaths?

My head spun and a pain wracked through my chest as I tried to make sense of Charles' fucked up alliance with the organisation. What the hell had he done that they had this hold over him? It was bad enough that he'd turned on me, but who knew what else he was capable of? How far was he willing to go to save his own skin?

I knew then that I had to get back. I couldn't stay here for another minute if more innocent lives would be lost. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, biting down a groan as my wounds stung. I tried to keep the pain off my face but I couldn't, it was there as clear as day, mixed in with the anguish and the worry and the pure rage I felt for my betrayal.

"I have to go back... you've got to understand. I can't hide away, I need people to know that I'm alive. My mum, Paul... other people might be in danger. Who knows what that bastard's been doing."

"Lyla... don't..."

I could see the warning flash in his eyes as they darkened, shadows crossing his face. There was a storm brewing, I could tell, but I'd fight it. I had no choice.

"Don't... don't do this... please! I won't let you do this. You can't keep me here!" My voice cracked, a strangled sound as I tried to stem my tears, my desperation seeping through.

"I told you before... not that you listened. We do this my way."

Van reached for me but I batted his hands away, trying to bring my legs up at the same time, the metal cuff rattling noisily against the bed-frame, my right foot ensnared as I tugged helplessly on it.

"What the fuck is this?" I cried, any fears about treading carefully falling away, panic rising as Van looked back at me with an unwavering sternness. "You can't keep me here like this!"

He reached for me again and this time I reacted more harshly, twisting out of his grasp, striking at his hands. I knew it was useless, only serving to drain the little energy I had, knowing I should try and conserve it in case I really needed to fight. Van just looked back at me, the emotion evaporating from him the harder I pummelled at him.

"Lyla... stop it... I mean it..."

But I couldn't stop. Any relief that I'd felt at awakening from my injuries and seeing Van had disintegrated fast. Now all I could see was red, fury at being held against my will, a prisoner whilst the real criminals were out there. Hot tears spilled down my face, blurring my vision and distorting my view.

"Let me go! You can't keep me here!"

"I can... and I fucking will!"

His words came out with force, his patience with me stretched to breaking point but still it wasn't enough to subdue me. Without thinking I pistoned my right arm up, my outstretched palm driving straight for his cheek, a whimper bursting from me with the effort that it took to swing at him.

But it never connected. My reflexes dulled, Van was much quicker than me, his hand shooting up so fast I barely clocked his movement until I felt a large hand close around my wrist, pulling my arm clean away and pressing it swiftly above my head on the mattress, forcing my body back down as he leant over me.

"Why are ya trying to fight me huh? I'm on your side!"

"Let me go then! You can't keep me chained up here like a fucking animal!"

I thrashed with my other hand, slapping at him ineffectually until he caught that arm too, forcing it to join my other hand and holding it there. I was trapped, and no amount of twisting or writhing would do any good. In fact the more I struggled the more force he used, a fire burning in his eyes as he loomed over me.

"So... what if I didn't then, huh? Are you trying to tell me that if you'd have come to earlier when I was out you'd have stayed here? You wouldn't have tried to escape?"

As he spoke he shifted his body to lean even further over, his hands like huge vices pinning me there. I felt small and powerless under his scrutinising stare and there wasn't a thing that I could do about it. I was his, just like I'd always dreamed of, but this was no fantasy now. This was cold, stark reality, unforgiving in the light of day. The fact that my relief had turned sour so quickly just brought it all home to me that despite all I'd been through I didn't really know this man. His unpredictability still frightened me.

"But I didn't know. I didn't know it was you. I didn't know where I was... I still don't know that now. Maybe if I had known..."

"What?" He cut me off abruptly, his face only inches from mine. "You'd have stayed? You wouldn't have gone off running back to that fucking agency and got yourself killed? Are you trying to say that if I go out again you're not gonna bolt?"

"I... I..."

I started but stopped, floundering whilst my mind raced. My automatic reaction was to tell him that yes, of course I would stay, be that good, obedient version of myself, toe the line and take my orders. But my gut instinct told me not to lie. He'd see right through me and it was hopeless. He knew as well as I did that as soon as I had the opportunity I'd slip away by any means necessary, driven by a force that I couldn't control, my own bloody-mindedness which got me into trouble more often than it extricated me from it.

"Huh?" He urged, pausing to see if I'd respond. "Are you gonna say that I can trust you now? Is that it? Just like back in London when you said you'd meet me at the hotel in Lambeth? Make me another fucking promise?"

He spat the last few words out bitterly to show me just how much my empty promise to meet him had wounded him. The fact that I'd put my desire to get justice on whoever had betrayed my father over my own safety, ending up in the most dangerous of predicaments, nearly getting both of us killed in the process.

Anger was simmering in him, I could see it cloud his features as they darkened, his jaw clenching. I shrunk back from him as best as I could, pressing myself further into the pillow, turning my head when I realised I had nowhere to go.

"I thought I could handle it. I thought I was doing the right thing..."

"The right thing by who? I mean what the fuck were you thinking? You thought you could take on the whole bloody organisation on your own? Is that it? Just march on in there and save the day like some kind of superhero?"

I kept my face turned sideways away from his glare but I could still sense it smouldering into me, I could feel the plumes of warmth from his heavy breaths on my cheek. I was losing sensation in my hands now from the pressure he was applying so I was glad when it loosened, but it was only a temporary relief as he took one hand away and placed it firmly on my jaw, forcing my head back to meet his gaze.

I was going to argue but I thought better of it, compromised as I was. I stayed silent as I looked up at him, waiting.

"These are nasty bastards that we're dealing with, pure evil. Do you know what they'd do to you if they got hold of you? They don't just kill people you know... that would be a blessing. They rape and they torture and they destroy, they don't have any mercy. They actually enjoy it! You think some of the shit I've done is bad? They make me look like a fucking saint."

I did protest then, my voice wavering slightly. "But this is my job, I deal with people like this day in and day out. That's what I've been trained to do."

"Not any more," he said with a finality which made my heart sink. "Do you really think I'm gonna let you just go back out there?"

"But what about..."

"I SAID NO!"

He growled the words, his grip tightening on my chin, making me whimper, his command wrenching my protests right out of my mouth. Tension crackled between us in the quiet that ensued whilst I watched the determination roil across his features like a wave. The moments stretched on, and all I could do was look back at him, try to keep myself calm and not fall apart, a mixture of fear and dread and hopelessness swelling in me.

And then, just as quickly as his anger had surfaced I could see it starting to fade. It drained just like the tide receding from the beach by the pull of the moon. Emotion pooled in his eyes as his fingers loosened their punishing grip. He still held me there, one hand securing my wrists and the other holding my chin, but it was barely a restraint and I could have easily pulled away... if I'd have wanted to.

It made me realise that the hold he had over me wasn't entirely exerted by him. It brought to mind all those nights that he'd tracked me down and come to me, the times I'd disregarded my good intentions and gone to him willingly, the dangerous game of cat and mouse that we'd played. I'd resisted on the surface but I'd been drawn to him just like he was to me. I recalled the sense of relief that I'd felt when I'd finally given in, and how right it had felt to be his and his alone, owned by him. Wasn't that what I'd always wanted deep down?

When he spoke again his voice was soft, devoid of any anger, and he looked at me with an awe-like reverence that made my heart ache.

"I nearly lost you. Fuck... I really thought you were gone. Do you know how many nights I sat there at your bedside just watching you? Hearing the tiny breaths you took like it was such an effort? Watching your chest rise and fall ever so slightly, my own heart about stopping every time you were still, thinking that was it? I won't let it happen again, I won't let you run off again and get yourself killed. Because they'll be out there looking for you... and nobody else will. Remember you're a dead girl now Lyla."

"But I won't run..." I whispered, and this time I thought that there might actually be some truth in it, overbrimming with emotion as I was, that familiar longing starting to trickle back to me in spite of everything.

His lips twisted into a bitter smile full of disbelief. "Oh really? You mean as soon as my back's turned you won't be out that door?"

I could see that he wanted to believe me but he didn't, he couldn't trust me and take that risk. The stakes were too high. I was torn between my desire for revenge and the need to please him.

"I mean it..."

"I won't fucking lose you," he said quietly but full of certainty, a vow he was making to himself and to me. "You belong to me. You belong with me. I know you feel it too. Everything I do... every little fucking thing, it's all for you. If I don't have you, I don't have anything."

My tears were back, but this time they weren't tears of anger or frustration. They welled up in the corners of my eyes, salty gems that pearled on my cheeks before tracking down over my skin until he leaned in and pressed his lips there, kissing them away with so much tenderness.

"You're all I have..."

"Van..." I breathed, overwhelmed by him, feeling a stirring deep inside me that yearned to be close to him, as close as I could be, my body reacting as shivers shot up my spine. "I just don't know how to feel anymore... I'm so messed up."

"Then don't think about it... don't think at all... You're safe now and that's all that matters."

Our eyes met, that connection thrumming between us like some kind of magical force.

"Fuck... I've missed you so much," he muttered.

I scanned his face, looked deep into his eyes before my gaze dropped to his lips, remembering the feel of them searing my skin.

"I've missed you too," I replied, and it was the truth. To me it felt like only yesterday, but even that was too much.

Our lips crashed together with an exhale of pure relief...

[horizon-verizon]

https://x.com/rhaenicentwin/status/1791621994053603489

They are always Rhaenicent fans…

Well, we are all entitled to have opinions even if I will never understand some or see how some are clearly just motivated by racism, sexism, etc.

And there's something to be said about how some of these characters on the black side are boring because the writers have removed some scenes we find out about a whole ass year after the first season. Plus, they simply didn't develop them or explore the children of the first set of characters enough in the first season: Baela and Rhaena, esp the latter, had almost no lines.

It's still a bit crazy when they try to argue the moral character or just plain "coolness" for "interestingness" of the greens when the "interestingness" of the green character(s) they like are really about either how physically attractive they find them or from the show's deliberate giving black traits to greens to "balance" the sides out in their misunderstanding or just noncaring about why the greens and the blacks are characterized the way they are towards this tale about misogyny and how it frames "deserving".

There's Jace, who the writers thought it'd make sense to have him not understand High Valyrian in all the time he's lived with High Valyrian-speaking people since birth (Rhaenyra, Laenor [esp with Rhaenys as his mother, and Daemon) who would all have been very proud of their heritage.

Then there is the fact they chose to emphasize how Aemond was the one to devote himself to "philosophies" and try to be the ideal "prince" or educate himself in being a proper leader...

when that has canonically more been Jace, who had the more reason to really apply himself because of the pressure of people's doubting his parentage and the belief of bastards not deserving/capable of inheriting certain types of leadership.

Aemond might have been a second son, but he was still legitimate and the son of a woman who is in her "proper" place as the consort to the King instead of a woman who is the first heir/woman also thought to be undeserving of the position. And not primarily because she's suspected of having had extramarital relationships but because she is female. The extramarital relationships and having children not her husbands are really just additional excuses made against her, to argue that she is not "responsible" and doesn't act like a "good" woman to be the next ruler of their society. Aemond doesn't have all of this to contend with, just his family's jealousy and desire to reinforce patriarchal authority.

Aemond canonically believes that it is his & his brothers' birthright, the throne. He was described/proven as "fierce" and very impulsive--more than Daemon--not just because he was much younger and eager to prove his martial and masculine prowess but also because his side of the family is so much less free & unconditional with their love in lieu of their more obsessed compulsion to "take back" what they thought should have been theirs by virtue of their male children's very existences. Further proven by how manically both he and Aegon insulted Rhaenyra or were fixated by going head to head against Daemon in the book.

In Westeros, there is actually a bit of a stigma of noblemen being "too" scholarly and not focusing more on being skilled at martial practices, especially swordsmanship. Because, again, that's how men get their glory and obtain more resources aside from inheritance or gifts. Look to how Pre-warrior Rhaegar the musician and Samwell Tarly are described by the people and historical writers and you will understand.

Therefore, I tend to think canon!Aemond would be less inclined to actually study "philosophies", and even if he did, he'd likely just read those that don't expand his world view but those that reaffirm his idea of his birthright & copy those medievalesque authors who aren't the sort of philosophers that try to challenge status quo like some people ight have assumed?

Would Aemond care to really ponder and reflect over men like Benedict rivers, who lived as a bastard of a Bracken and a Blackwood but became a king anyway to begin a long line of Justman kings? Or would that be Jace?

Jace, of the two, would have an equanimity and knowledge that Aemond just wouldn't have. And that also makes me dislike how much they didn not really show Jace having to battle between his frustrations, fears, and how he regulates his emotions and how ehe might slip up to contextualize his relationship with his family, esp with Luke. Who we see him seemingly mistreat or at least unfailry take his anger out on with no apology. And "seemingly" because again, we are not given any other scenes of his development and interactions with his family. That and his fighting w/Aemond in episode 8 give more leeway to the impression that Jace is not as leader-quality as he should be, esp in comparison to Aemond (for some people, I still thought Aemond wasn't either, but the points that it leaves more room for that impression).

But many people want to just watch the show and not really engage with the themes of ASoIaF or think about stuff too "deeply". Or they already see some stupid shit in the writing and want to stay "positive" about it and enjoy the show, so if they express such I tend to leave them to it because I don't want to ruin their fun. As long as they don't say actually prejudiced stuff, and I don't just mean racist, sexist, etc. stuff. I mean where people severely try to make one feel guilty for actually understanding the story GRRM set out to make with the Dance. Like Daemon's fatherhood and the constant "he was a groomer" to try and somehow negate the effect of his presence in the black children's later post-Dance actions (Maiden's Ball). Some people either never read the book and/or do not plan on it. Or they have and they either quickly took Gyldayn's/Mushroom/Septon Eustace/Munkun/Orwyle's interpretations of mysterious/non-mysterious events to be unbiased fact. OR they read it and don't really compare the blacks to the greens and how/why they might do the things that they do themselves because, admittedly, the text is built from biased interpretations and thus it feels often like a futile pursuit sometimes with some specific phenomena that the book covers. Finally, some don't look to the So Spake Martin website for research or GRRM's own blog to see how he talks about his characters in F&B's Dance portion.

Therefore, it's not just Rhaenicent fans but some from Aegon stan circles and team black. People want to just watch the show 🤷🏻‍♂️.

[makerkenzie]

So I read your posts about the Martells and how their plans to team up with the targs are.....faulty to say the least lol and I completely agree. Your posts hit on a lot of the same issues I have had with the Martells and GRRM's handling of this plot point. We are told that the Martells in general are haughty and slow to forgive. We are introduced to Oberyn, he loved Elia more than anything, and like any overprotective brother didn't believe any of her suitors was good enough for his sister. Yet, GRRM does not allow Oberyn, and then later, Doran, to make any comments about Rhaegar's treatment of Elia. Yes, Tywin gave the order and Loch and Clegane executed those orders, but none of that would have happened had it not been for Rhaegar setting the ball in motion. This makes absolutely NO sense and gives the fandom cover to say garbage like, 'well, even the Martells don't blame Rhaegar so Rhaegar was a good guy...' Oberyn? The same man who didn't think anyone was good enough for his sister wouldn't have been enraged at her husband seemingly leaving her for another woman after she just almost died giving him a son? Seriously???

This is just....very bad writing and dropping the ball on Martin's end. On top of that, he has the Martells betroth Arianne to Viserys. Why the FUCK would any family do that after seeing how one targ man already treated their beloved sister in a previous marriage match???? It's baffling.....absolutely insane. But I can't bring myself to blame the Martells, because this is yet another area of illogical carelessness by GRRM when it comes to his handling of Rhaegar and Elia.

Parts of this fandom refuse to acknowledge that Rhaegar is significantly at fault for the rebellion and what happened to Elia and his children and it borders on gaslighting imo. The amount of times I've seen people say 'well, Rhaegar didn't start the way, it was Brandon making a mess in KL and then it was Aerys' fault for demanding Robert and Ned's heads.' Okay......but literally none of that would have occurred had Rhaegar and Lyanna not ran away. Had they not done what they did, Brandon would have had no reason to got to KL to confront the prince.

Anyway, a lot of this hits on GRRM's, imo shockingly tone deaf, handling of Rhaegar, Elia, and Lyanna. I have no doubt that back in 1996 he envisioned R and L to be some Romeo and Juliet love story with two sympathetic people that meant well, but ran into a string of bad luck 'love is the death of duty' etc. etc. Except, it's easy to romanticize Romeo and Juliet who were two capricious teens in the blush of first love. Importantly, neither of them had a spouse and two young children they abandoned to go screw their lovers in said spouse's homeland. And then had their spouse and children brutally murdered as a result of the war they started 'for loveeee' lmao. The fandom harps on the age gap between R and L and honestly that doesn't even scratch the surface as to top five worst things about this relationship. I'm not even bother getting into L's hilariously hypocritical views on fidelity and having bastards lmao. I think GRRM inadvertently had the inciting relationship of his series be, not only predatory because of the age gap, but be based on the degradation and humiliation of an innocent wife and mother, and just....like......didn't realize it??? lmao. It's very weird, very very weird. I mean, on the other hand, I do think he....kinda...gets it because if he wanted a uncomplicated romance he simply would not have had Rhaegar be married with two kids.

All that being said, I think Martin is committed to making R a tragic hero and this a tragic love story, that he refuses to allow the people who should realistically hate Rhaegar and the targs the most, the Martells, excoriate him in the text. I had a conversation with another ASOIAF fan about this and she said that one of the good things the show did was allow Oberyn to call out Rhaegar for abandoning his sister, which he doesn't do in the text. I think there's a lot of cognitive dissonance with GRRM not realizing just how bad Rhaegar, and Lyanna imo, come across to readers in the text and, tinfoil time, I think not having to explain this relationship to readers is one of the many reasons he won't finish the series. I think he now realizes just how bad it is and how much 'fixing' of that ship he's going to have to do for both of them not to be absolutely hated by the fandom.

Obviously Martin is keeping very mum on the rebellion because he doesn't want to reveal too much and obfuscates a lot so we really don't have a lot of concrete opinions on Rhaegar from non-targ sycophants.....which is good writing technique.....usually.....but when you're taking 30 plus years to finish a series and are going on year 13 of having the fandom wait on the book that should in theory answer a lot of these questions....it's not great lol.

I don't see a question here, but I'm not above poking the viper's nest when I'm bored, so: okay, I'll bite!

If GRRM is trying to write Rhaegar as a tragic hero and R/L as some epically tragic love story, then, yes, he's doing a piss-poor job of it.

I don't think that's what he's doing.

I think he's intentionally writing a deeply frustrating story around the Martells. Whatever his initial idea of the Targs was in 1996...the story he's writing now is that dragons plant no trees.

He doesn't let the Martells acknowledge the Targs' mistreatment of their family because this is not a story in which they'll be vindicated or victorious. This is a story in which they are screwing themselves over. Which isn't exactly fun to read, but the pieces add up that way. The Targs are not the heroes the Martells need for their fairytale, any more than the Lannisters are the villains they need for that tale.

Especially Rhaegar. Seven Hells, are people actually saying "clearly Rhaegar was a good guy because the Martells don't blame him"? That is really...special. Nah, the Martells' refusal to hold the Targs, and especially Rhaegar, responsible for the injury done to their family is not an argument in favor of the Targs. It's 60% or more of the way the Martells are driving themselves off a cliff.

I don't have any firm opinions on why GRRM is taking so long to finish the Winds of Waiting. It's likely the result of many contributing factors, as the series involves many, many moving parts. But I doubt very much that he intends to write the Targs as the good guys Dany seems to think they are. They're a mix of hero and villain, like many other players in the game. Meanwhile the Martells' investment in the dragon is doubly tragic because where the Targs are actually heroic, they still don't reciprocate the Martells' loyalty. They hardly even see it.