#griffs a short king

[griffussy]

Happy pride month y’all

[areyougonnabe]

I know nothing about polar exploration! Or Shackleton! But you seem excited about it!

Have a favourite fact you'd like to share?!?

well my two favorite facts have already been shared which are the cautionary tale of the toxic polar polycule and the story of the antarctic lovebirds !!!

but here is a contender for #3... the tale of jessamine.

let's start with our homies Deb (left) and Griff (right), aka Frank Debenham and T. Griffith Taylor, the geologists of terra nova's cape evans shore party:

they would both later go onto impressive careers in academia, start families, basically be well-liked hard-working guys (also participants in 20th century imperialism but let's take that as given based on our starting point of this expedition lol)

BUT we are meeting them here, in antarctica, aged 27 and 30, "Early Career Researchers" as we might call them now. trying to keep busy with SCIENCE during the long antarctic winter night of 1911!!!!!

these guys go way back btw. Deb was born and raised in Australia and and Griff moved to Australia when he was a kid, and they both attended the fancy-schmancy King's School near Sydney, the Australian equivalent of british public school (e.g. Eton). according to griff they were family friends at that time although they would have been a few years apart at school.

later around 1908 they both studied at the University of Sydney under leading geologist Sir Edgeworth David, who had been on Shackleton's Nimrod expedition and reached the South Magnetic Pole with Mawson. They both ended up being hired onto Scott's expedition through university connections, Deb via Professor David and Griff through a scholarship to Cambridge where he met Wilson.

okay. backstory established. now one thing you need to know about Griff is that he was a total freak. like Racovitza, he was a Poster before there were online platforms to Post on. if you had that kind of brain back then, and no access to adderall, you had to just sit around inventing new kinds of science instead of deep-frying spongebob screencaps. he was a consummate edwardian memelord who would read a novel per day and still have time to write 20 pages of diary in which he would floridly record the silliest things that happened since the morning, the various quirks and quotes of expedition members, and then complain about captain scott in shorthand.

to say nothing of his passion for CREATIVE WRITING! vitally, Griff was one of the main contributors to the Cape Evans hut magazine, the South Polar Times edited by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. there were 3 issues of this during the winter of 1911 and 1 issue during the winter of 1912, the latter of which included much material written/submitted during 1911 before the polar party met with tragedy.

Griff was a versatile writer, and his pieces (which would sometimes cumulatively make up nearly half an issue of the SPT by page count) ran the gamut from expository nonfiction to speculative poetry to comedic epistolary to magazine pastiche. he had certain motifs that he frequently returned to—none as compelling, in my opinion, as that of Jessamine. or Jasmine, or Jessie, or Jessica, as the case may be...

it all began, according to Griff's diary, early in the austral winter of 1911, when Deb was "christened Jasmine by Titus [Oates]."

where this nickname came from is unclear—many of the men had picked up female nicknames on the voyage down (see "Jane" Atkinson, "Marie" Nelson, "Penelope" Pennell) but Deb had not been on the voyage down because he had gotten picked up in Australia, so this may have been a belated attempt to correct that omission. Griff wrote in his book about the expedition, "We were short of female society—which lack also accounts for Jessie Debenham as an alternative to Deb."

in any case, the name clearly caught on: on midwinter day, a little under two months after the nickname's debut, Griff recorded that during the gift exchange after dinner "Every second present or so was a necklace or earrings for Miss Jessie Debenham."

(deb and titus at midwinter dinner)

THIS GOT REALLY LONG SO CLICK READ MORE IF YOU ARE INTERESTED!!

in the second SPT issue of 1911, Griff's 17-page narrative "The Bipes" describes the inhabitants of the Cape Evans hut from the perspective of a rabbit who lives in the stables. you can read the whole thing here and please do!!! (you'll need a VPN outside the US) BUT here is the relevant bit dealing with Deb:

U. PULCHERRIMA. This Bipe inhabits a strongly defended Bungkh in the Ubdug burrow. It is supported by mighty baulks of timber and can only be reached by means of a dangerous ladder. The Bungkh is supplied with heavy hammers, piles of stones and other offensive weapons. These precautions are, I believe, necessary in the Bipe courtship, for she is often called upon to repel members of other burrows who approach her balcony with blandishments. Her time is chiefly occupied with a primitive quern or handmill, and at this she grinds for long hours every day. I judge that this merely satisfies some primitive habit, for no flour seems to be produced. But it is pleasant to see how strong is the feminine instinct.

the species name "Pulcherrima" is also the species name of the pointsetta flower, and can be translated to "beautiful woman" (i think??)

here's the illustration produced by Bill Wilson (based on Griff's sketch) to accompany the above - yes that's a portrait of Griff in her bunk and Birdie below attempting to woo her:

it must be noted that Meares, nicknamed "Mother," also gets cast in a female role in the Bipes piece, but does not receive the privilege of being drawn in a skirt, rip.

anyway, the next issue of the SPT, vol 3 issue III, is the last one to be produced before the end of winter. Griff decided to one-up himself and write a piece in which Jessamine takes center stage. The Ladies Letter is a pitch-perfect parody of the "Ladies Column" sections that appeared in many periodicals of the era—full of french fashion terms and simpering style suggestions. Griff brilliantly adapts the format for a pastiche on the subject of Antarctic fashion; not free, naturally, from general whiffs of period-typical misogyny, but as those being mocked in specific are fellow expedition members and not any actual women i forgive him.

written in the form of a letter from Jessamine to her absent friend Cynthia (whose identity i'm unsure of BUT i'm tempted to say is supposed to be Priestley, away at Cape Adare), the piece again features multiple expedition members in female roles, including Silas as "American" Sally Wright, Cherry as "Madame Chérie - that dear delightful person - who builds her beautiful creations on strictly scientific principles of hygiene and aesthetics" and Birdie as Madame Berdé, who "finds that for well developed figures it is most distinctive to use a cross-gartering well above the ankle. She herself is naturally a consistent exponent of this latter fashion."

and then of course there is Jessamine's star turn. she is wearing the newest fashion, "a modification of last year's 'tube skirt' [which] even more closely swathes the lower limbs, and it is necessary that the wearer should be rolled along by her maid."

Jessamine reveals that she is planning to induce Titus Oates to bring her a proposal of marriage through the clever use of themed charms on her chatelaine.

All the smartest girls have wreathed chains of mascots around the skirt, and a pretty idea, which I commend to you, is to have silver model made of those articles which interest THE ONLY MAN WHO COUNTS. Breathe this to no one! But Mappin & Webb are making me such a choice set. The cutest little pony; a horse snowshoe (this is very lucky); a dead rabbit; a popgun; and a silver blazon PER MARE PER TERRAM PRO TITO; this will be attached to my 'tube', and then I really do expect to bring him to a proposal.

this scenario was illustrated hilariously by Bill, complete with Jessamine being rolled along, and Titus ignoring her as could be expected, in favor of a pony (Christopher?):

now, Deb is on record saying that Titus was his best friend on the expedition, but it may well be a classic case of "you are not your best friend's best friend," because per other accounts Oates was much closer to Meares and Atch than he was to Deb. that's just an observation to add a little flavor to Jessamine's desperate pursuit as portrayed here...

and not to look a gift horse (ha) in the mouth, but i do feel that Bill's illustrations don't quiiiiiite do the genderfuckery of Griff's text justice—Jessamine describes herself as wearing a frock inspired by the aurora, but Bill instead draws Deb in normal sledging gear plus some non-dress-shaped colorful streamers. a missed opportunity...

also, lest you think that Griff was the only one partaking in the Jessamine joke in the SPT, there is also a sneaky reference in the anonymous feature "My Favorite Book":

(J-SS-- [JESSIE]: "Not like other girls")

BUT WAIT. THERE'S EVEN MORE.

viewing the handwritten drafts of the SPT held at the SPRI (because all of this is going to be an actual academic paper someday hopefully lol), i learned that there were a fair handful of references omitted from the final version, presumably thanks to Cherry's editorial oversight.

one "answer to correspondents" written by "Marie" Nelson went as follows:

Jessica: A single lady cannot be too careful about the respectability of her lodgings or the character of her companions.

(referencing Deb bunking with Griff and Gran, two of the more annoying/messy people in the hut)

and an unused entry in "Songs And Their Singers" by Teddy Evans was:

Oh What’s Womans Duty - Jasmin

lastly, and most importantly, the drafts contained the one instance i could find of deb firing back about this whole thing.

vol IV of the SPT consisted of one issue released during winter 1912, when a lot of people had gone home (including Griff), and everyone left behind knew the polar party was dead and they'd have to go look for their bodies in the spring. it was not a fun time. vol IV contained a lot of material written the previous year but not included, since for obvious reasons folks weren't really up to being silly. one of those pieces was "A Day's Doings, Told By Our Diarist," written during winter 1911 by Deb as a parody of Griff. it's pretty funny in published form (p. 72 of this pdf)—Deb is on-point mocking Griff's dislike of eating ("Breakfast is an unintellectual meal, so gave it a miss. Better a bit more bunk than a bite more breakfast.") and his never-ending theorizing ("Thought out a new theory as to the origin of debris cones: yesterday’s wasn’t good enough").

however, the draft is exponentially more hilarious. Cherry, damn him, cut the absolute BEST BIT:

Made a genre sketch of Jasmine brushing her (his) hair – it’s a fool nickname anyways, mixes up the genders. 

knowing Deb—quiet, patient, chronically non-confrontational—that's about as explicit as he was willing to get, as far as revealing how he felt about the nickname. writing Griff realizing that it's a bit silly, he reveals to some degree his own discomfort. now, was it a "protest too much" situation or had he genuinely gotten fed up with being the Designated Girl Of The Hut? we shall never know!!!!!!!!

however the draft of the piece ends thusly: "[I] got paralysed at chess by the wily Jasmine, it’s a mud game, if ever there was one. Hinc illae lacrimae!"

so despite all the aspersions cast on her honor, and the failure of Titus Oates to accept her proposal, Jessie still triumphs in the end :)))

[queenaryastark]

So you think you find a post with accurate commentary:

Yes, this is true. Exactly zero members of House Martell and zero Dornish characters have any animosity toward House Targaryen. They rightly blame Tywin and Gregor Clegane for what happened to Elia. They also avidly support Targaryen Restoration, eagerly trying to marry Arianne to Viserys and then trying to marry Quentyn to Dany. They even speak positively of Rhaegar, who did not abuse nor abandon Elia. House Martell are among the Targ loyalists in Westeros.

Sadly they didn't stop there.

In short, this person, like the rest of the fanon crowd, did not read any of the chapters Aegon is featured in. They also don't seem to have read the books in general since we know that Rhaegar was anything but indifferent and scornful toward his son who he believed was a hero out of prophecy and gave him a king's name since he saw Aegon as the future king. Plus, anyone who has actually read Tyrion and JonCon's ADWD chapters where Aegon appears will know that Aegon is 100000000000% in as a Targaryen.

Aegon claims Rhaegar as his father by name and mentions Elia (not by name) in passing as part of his own supposed backstory. Aegon even asks for info about Rhaegar, but not about Elia.

He's also all in for the Targcest as he wants to marry Aunty Dany.

He refers to himself as a dragon and hopes to ride one.

He's also misogynistic toward women in power, which is very unDornish of him, but a reflection of non-Dornish Westerosi values.

Tyrion considers Aegon’s temperament as proof of his Targness. He also uses the lure of emulating Aegon I to manipulate the current Aegon into doing what he wants, which works bc Aegon is proud of his Targ heritage.

Seriously though...

Aegon mentioning Elia:

“That was not me. I told you. That was some tanner’s son from Pisswater Bend whose mother died birthing him. His father sold him to Lord Varys for a jug of Arbor gold. He had other sons but had never tasted Arbor gold. Varys gave the Pisswater boy to my lady mother and carried me away.” -- Tyion VI, ADWD

Aegon mentioning Rhaegar:

“Your father knew the dangers of being overbold.”

“Did you know my true father?”

“Well, I saw him twice or thrice, but I was only ten when Robert killed him, and mine own sire had me hidden underneath a rock. No, I cannot claim I knew Prince Rhaegar. Not as your false father did. Lord Connington was the prince’s dearest friend, was he not?”

Young Griff pushed a lock of blue hair out of his eyes. “They were squires together at King’s Landing.” -- Tyrion VI, ADWD

----

And then Prince Aegon spoke. “Then put your hopes on me,” he said. “Daenerys is Prince Rhaegar’s sister, but I am Rhaegar’s son. I am the only dragon that you need.” -- The Lost Lord, ADWD

The difference in how he talks about his parents couldn't be more different. This makes sense because he was raised by Rhaegar-loving and Elia-hating JonCon. Had Aegon been real and raised by the Martells, he likely would have cared about both of his parents and felt connected to both Houses he's descended from.

As someone who wastes a considerable amount of time on the content Aegon is featured in, I have to wonder why these people fixate on him. It reminds me of how Stansas use Jon while knowing exactly nothing about Jon Snow. They take the somewhat outward trappings of the character -- able bodied king candidate -- and project inaccurate ideas onto him. They should hate Jon bc he is sexist against women like their fav and has more sympathy for the grown man who married her than he does for his 12-year-old sister. Similarly, fanon!Elia stans should take issue with the fact that Aegon focuses considerably more on his father and being a Targ than he does on his "mother" who supposedly worked to save his life. As an actual Elia fan, I know I consider Aegon's apathy toward his "mother" to be a flaw of his.

[skrooy]

Sonic Crack Ships

So lately I've been going through a Sonic phase though its mostly a Tails phase if im being honest with myself. I've been trying to watch all the Sonic media and read all the Sonic comics that I can while playing a few Sonic games here and there. So my messed up brain came up with this stupid idea. What if I put every version of every canon Sonic characters from all Sonic media into multiple rounds of the hunger games simulator until only ones left. So I did that and even though I literally did it yesterday I already forgot who won I just remember it was something stupid. I also did it with all the diffrent canon and AU versions of Tails I could find and the winner was actually Tails from Sonic Boom. But anyways im getting off track where im going with this is that today while I was doing nothing lying in bed my brain came up with an even more messed up idea. What if I put all the Sonic characters not including the humans into a random wheel picker on Google to form a bunch of crack ships. So I did it for every character on the wheel. I now have a list. And I have decided to post this list because I find it funny. And I dare people to draw a couple from this list together or make a short cute crack story about one of these ships. And if you do please send a link to me. Ill die laughing if anyone does this. Sorry if I misspelled some names. P.S. I tried to put pictures on here for each character but I couldn't figure out how. I already have a part 2 for this in the works with even more characters.

Rosy the Rascal x Dark Doom

Scourge the Hedgehog x Trip the Sungazer

Mephiles the Dark x Silver Sonic

Ray the flying Squirrel x Rouge the Bat

Espio the Chameleon x Whisper the Wolf

Sage x Metal Amy

Storm Beard x Tumble the Skunk

Tiara Boobowski x Duck Bill Platypus

Cat (from Sonic Freedom Fighters) x Sonar the Fennec Fox

Hangry x Johnny Lightfoot

Gaia (Light, Dark, or both) x Megan Acorn

Tangle the Lemur x Silver the Hedgehog

Thrash the Tasmanian Devil x Sails

Thorn Rose x Vector the Crocodile

Monkey Khan x Fang the Jerboa

Jack x Tikal the Echidna

Prim x Chip

Werehog Sonic x Blaze the Cat

Nicole the Holo Lynx x Catfish

Knuckles the Dread x Sonic the Hedgehog

Zector the Zone Cop x Metal Tails

Wave the Swallow x Morian Blackthorn

Infinite the Jackal x Mighty the Armadillo

Vermin the Cybernik x Super Mecha Sonic

Porker Lewis x Zails the Zone Cop

Geoffrey St. John x Nazo the Hedgehog

Metal Sonic 3.0 x Manic the Hedgehog

Rocket the Sloth x Eclipse the Darkling

Marine the raccoon x Metal Scourge

Sonia the Hedgehog x Red

Black Rose x Dingo

Metal Knuckles x Nine

Charmy Bee x Neo Metal Sonic

Zknuckles the Zone Cop x Knuckles

Vanilla the Rabbit x Ebony the Cat

Rusty Rose x Perci

Mecha Sonic x Jet the Hawk

Bark the Polar Bear x Emperor Metallix

Mangy x Amy Rose

Sally Acorn x Griff

Fleetway Sonic x Tails the Fox

Bean the Dynamite x Zonic the Zone cop

Nasty Hyenas (the whole group) x Sticks the Badger

Metal Sonic x Stripes the Tiger

Batten x Storm the Albatross

Fiona the Fox x Cream the Rabbit

Anti Tails x Shade the Echidna

Bunnie Rabat x Shadow the Hedgehog

Antoine x Zooey the Fox

Sonic.exe x Jules (yes I know this is Sonics dad in the comics)

Ifrit x MinaMongoose

Rocket Metal Sonic x Tekno the Canary

Avatar x Big the Cat

Zantoine the Zone Cop x Gnarly

Chaos x Rotor the Walrus

Bunny Bones x Anti Sally

Zouge the Zone Cop x Zespio the Zone Cop

Denizen 1998 x Tails Doll

Mecha Knuckles x Honey the Cat

Rebel x Sleet

Knucks x Pseudo Sonic

Solaris x Zally

Nack the Weasel x Athair

Ball Hog x Carrotia

Grand Battle Kuku 15th x Lupe the wolf

Roxy the waiter x Lien-Da

Number 16 Speedy x Alicia Acorn

King Max Acorn x Bearenger

Lawrence x Burning Blaze

Elias Acorn x Fiest the Panda

Ari x Roller

Sallybot x Queen Aleena

Da Bearz (both of them) x Fockewulf

Julie-Su x Dr. Finitevus

Ms. Possum x Catty Carlisle

[famousinmyfandom]

I’m decided to do pornlet or whump short fic commissions for Gaza Funds, Operation Olive Branch, and Palestine Action, as well as fundraisers for Sudan that are on this list. 100 words per $1 donation, up to 1000 words. (I may be willing to write more depending on the muse!)

Ships: Zukka, CandyJoe (bottom Joe only), SlimJess (Bottom Jess only), CurryHeyes, CandyGriff (Bottom Griff only), Jess Harper/Johnny McKay, and Stucky (Bottom Steve only).

Characters: Zuko, Sokka, Joe Cartwright, Jess Harper, Kid Curry, Hannibal Heyes, Griff King, Steve Rogers, and Johnny McKay.

(I may be willing to write other characters or ships but these are the ones I’m most confident in.)

Kinks: No pregnancy, no permanent injury or death (scars are fine, just no permanent loss of limbs or senses), no major aus (I’m open to things like vampire au but not big things like time period or setting changes), no water sports, no scat, no daddy/mommy/little kink, nothing explicit with anyone under the age of 16. (There might be another line for me but I can’t think of one right now.)

Samples of my work can be found here, but I’ve only written cowboys recently so anything over a year old doesn’t accurately reflect my skills.

If you are interested, contact me either here or at roxashasboxers@gmail.com with your request. If I think it’s something I can do (it should be if it’s within the confines of the above), then I will write it after receiving proof of your donation to one of the listed campaigns. I currently have 4 slots open!

[starogeorgina]

10 things I think will happen in the final GOT books

10. Not all the main characters will ever meet

9. I think Cersei will sit on the iron throne for a short time

8. The long night will be the final battle

7. Jamie will kill Cersei (goes with number 2)

6. The magic that had disappeared when the dragons died is brought back, and then dragon eggs that are hundreds of years old will start hatching (possibly the rumoured dragon eggs Vermax laid in Winterfell)

5. Arya will be the one to put an end to Lady Stoneheart

4. Jon will become a version of the knight king - but not like the one on the show

3. If young griff really is a Targaryen, there will be another dance of dragons

2. Dorne will get revenge on House Lannister by using Myrcella

1. Daenerys will sacrifice herself during the long night, but her dragons will survive

[hollowwhisperings]

Blackfyre Conquest: An Autumn King

i've struggled to find any Meta on how Young Griff's conquest will go, politically & logistically, that don't immediately interrupt themselves with "...but then Dany will show up with Dragons".

A lot of fans are very pro-Targaryen and pro-Conquest: a lot of Westeros would probably be on board too, though for less romantic reasons. No one "loves" the commander of a foreign army & Ned successfully rallied a Rebellion with very good reasons. The Targaryens were never entirely welcome in Westeros but the War of the Five Kings certainly made a "return to stability" with a Targ King an easier sell than it would have been earlier in the series. That this Targ King is non-incestuous, seemingly sane, has a sizeable Army, has multiple houses already sworn to him... and seems to be an Actual Politician? The Lords might frown at exactly "how" legitimate their King really is but, overall, "Aegon VI" would be vastly preferable to who Westeros has currently:

1) an increasingly unpopular Queen-Regent whose family Did The Red Wedding & whose claim rests on a toddler-king of Dubious Parentage.

2) a King who's lost his Lands to the foreign invader, has a Pet Witch (called his "true" queen) who burns people alive, has converted to a Foreign Religion (& burned religious sites), is a rumoured Kinslayer, and was Never Very Popular in the first place (Stannis doesn't take bribes, keeps insisting his disabled daughter is his Heir, went to help the Night's Watch for Some Reason, wasn't as fun as his brothers, makes poor conversation at parties, etc) .

3) Euron Greyjoy.

4) a theoretical infant child of King Robb of the North & Trident... and the Treacherous Jeyne Westerling whom he Lost a war over.

5) Robb's legal heir as per his last Will, his "brother" Jon whom he legitimised as "Stark" but is currently busy being the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch (it is unlikely that Jon's getting murdered by his men would be Advertised to the Realm & though Jon is almost certainly going to pull a Dany in WoW, he is currently a Ghost).

6) the allegedly sole surviving non-bastard Stark, Prince Rickon, who's spent the past few [books] entirely raised by [Freefolk] & is a toddler.

7) Some Targaryen Girl in Essos, last seen while... on fire & being abductes by her own dragon, apparently.

While most Lords will see Aegon's commanding the Golden Company as a Pretty Obvious allusion to his not actually being the miraculously surviving son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen & Princess Elia Martell. The "truth" of Young Griff's identity is pretty irrelevant to his successfully conquering Westeros (which seems very likely, give or take a Kingdom). Robert Baratheon's kingship was won by conquest: his grandmother being a Targaryen princess was an afterthought, an extra touch of "legitimacy". Tommen's claim to the Iron Throne is through his legal status as King Robert's surviving Heir. Stannis's claim is through the illegitimacy of Joffrey & Tommen's claims making him Robert's heir instead.

Aegon's claim to the Iron Throne is not actually his alleged parentage: it's through Conquest (the same would be true for Dany, Euron and any Heir of King Robb). Most Lords would see the Golden Company, famously founded to make a Blackfyre king, and conclude that Aegon is a Blackfyre Pretender: this is, in the short-term, irrelevant.

Some might rejoice at the alleged survival of one of Prince Rhaegar or Princess Elia's children: Targaryen Loyalists, the Dornish, smallfolk out of the loop on why there was a Rebellion. Ned Stark Loyalists would know Ned mourned for Princess Elia & her children, that Robert became King because Ned wasn't interested & be more concerned about Winter than how recently incestuous the latest Southron King's family tree may be.

As far as most of Westeros is aware [going into Winds], its Key Requirements for a Monarch are: being Alive & (ideally) Sane, being Old Enough to reign unsupervised (15 at minimum), having a loyal Army (see: Euronpocalypse, the Red Wedding, the lawlessness of the Riverlands), being Male, not being the immediate product of incest (Tommen aside, Prince Rhaegar only had 2 great-grandparents), not being a blasphemous arsonist, & not being in debt to the Iron Bank.

Robb Loyalists, those still surviving, would Wisely stand back and allow the Golden Company to deal with the Bolton-Lannister-Frey alliance: even if Jeyne Westerling is found alive & with an infant son, few would accept her and most would be unwilling to replace one child monarch with another (that applies to Rickon too). Northerners are proud but, as one of those Dead Starks might say, Winter is Coming.

The Wars over the series have made the southern land route impassable: the Twins are held by the treacherous Freys, the Riverlands are a lawless hellscape, King's Landing is run by Lannisters & Tyrells, and the Reach is itself "Tyrell Territory". With such a dangerous land route, the North relies on itself & seatrade. While the North does have eastern ports that allow trade with the Vale, the Vale itself is currently held by Petyr Baelish, publically aligned with the Lannister Regime. The North's primary port, White Harbour (held by Lord Wyman Manderly, known Stark Loyalist) is on its western coast, along the Narrow Sea. Euron & rogue Ironborn aside, Aegon's Armies have already seized Storm's End after coming across said sea. Having already seized Storm's End and with Aurane Waters' having Absconded with the Crown's Fleet that would guard the Blackwater... The Golden Company can comfortably blockade all traffic from Westeros to Essos (give or take a Lys). Even assuming Aurane Waters isn't in cahoots with Team Aegon (he's a Velaryon bastard), he took the Crown's fleet to the Stepstones and thus holds control over naval passage between the eastern & western coasts of Westeros (& to Dorne).

So, unless Sansa usurps control of the Vale from Baelish within the first third of Winds; unless Prince Doran or seadragons take out Aurane Waters' pirate fleet; unless the Golden Company's AND Euron's respective fleets get taken out without ANOTHER navy taking their place... Westeros really, really needs Aegon to successfully conquer Westeros if only to quickly reestablish vital trade routes for Winter.

Speaking of Euron's fleet and Trouble at Oldtown... there is Trouble At Oldtown and no one is equipped to keep it contained: on land, the sons of Lord Hightower have been taking the Ironborn threat seriously (with Lord Hightower seemingly having Anticipated the supernatural threat Euron seeks to invoke though how successful his & his daughter's Efforts may be remains Unknown); at sea, the Redwyne Fleet is Worried & very probably in Cahoots with Aegon. It will be a Trip, going back to sea from the Stormlands & then South to Oldtown, but a Redwyne-Velaryon-Blackfyre Naval Alliance is the Best and Geographically Closest forces available to Oldtown.

There are a few characters who've been sent to seek aid from Essos, given the Ironborn threat & the general political instability: Prince Quentyn was one (RIP) and Lord Hightower's youngest son, Ser Humfrey, is another. If the Hightowers weren't Team Aegon before, they soon will be.

The Reach is an increasingly vital kingdom to the survival of Westeros: with the Riverlands in the state it is & with the ongoing socio-economic fallout of Dany's very sudden conquests of half the Free Cities, The Reach is the most reliable source of food for the entire continent. That's part of why the impending Euronpocalypse is so Worrying to those otherwise removed from the Oldtown plotlines: Oldtown is one of the most important ports of Westeros, exporting grain from the Reach & importing goods from Essos.

Oldtown is also the Headquarters for the Citadel, where maesters are trained to: manage rookeries, the interkingdom communication system; learn histories, including those of long Winters past & who survived to give tips on Resource Management; and study medicine (to varying degrees of competency but Still).

The maesters are imperfect, often outright incompetent (as much by accident as by any potential Conspiracy): they're still the ones in control of the [telegram] network, the meteorologists, the ones able to not only access the historic archives but how to read them & any knowledge therein. It is certainly more helpful to have scholars than to not have scholars, especially with Winter nearing and many surviving Lordlings having known only Summer (& never educated on "How To Lord" due to how far down the line of succession they were before the Wars).

For those in Westeros who hold to the Faith of the Seven, Trouble At Oldtown would be an apocalypse all of its own: Oldtown is the centre of their Faith and its destruction would greatly demoralize persons of all stations, especially with increased Magical Activity and rumours of [fire zombies, ice zombies, wolf zombies, dragons].

Team Aegon seems the most likely to "contain" the Euronpocalypse, having both method (naval power) & means (the Golden Company, 4 kingdoms' worth of vassal lords) to do so. Aegon's also one of the few "primary" characters who would even know that there IS a Euronpocalpse: Team Aegon, Prince Doran, Queen Cersei, Lady Olenna, Lord Manderly, Asha's faction of Ironborn, the Reacherlords, the Iron Bank, & (probably?) Brynden Rivers are the only ones who could plausibly know of a Euron Threat, let alone organize a Timely Response to it. Regardless of how successful said Response may be, Team Aegon helping with Oldtown smooths the way for his becoming recognised as a Legitimate Leader for Westeros.

I'm fairly certain that Team Aegon will conquer (most of) Westeros over the course of Winds, I doubt he'll have the time to be crowned King or even spend time on a throne: he'll be too busy.

Aegon's Conquest being successful is Pretty Dang Important to the greater scheme of things: it will introduce Key Characters to each other (Arianne & Dorne, Sam & thus the NW, "Alayne" through Baelish, Team Oathkeeper through Jaime's controlling the Crown's armies); restore supply routes; "consolidate" power to enable discussion of Continental Threats long neglected (through both Regional & Interpersonal Conflicts). Aegon's Conquest would act as a kind of "triage" for Westeros, a quick means of uniting different groups (for & against him) and he won't actually need to sit the Iron Throne to do it. It is most likely that, after securing the Reach & Stormlands, Aegon will find that the Frey Civil War had "taken care of" the North & the Riverlands, with Robb Loyalists willing to Play Nice but (understandably, thinketh Aegon) wary of bending any knees. Dorne, regardless of Prince Doran's personal opinion on Aegon's identity, would act "compliant" due to Arianne's involvement & the Rocky Dornish having been in Cahoots with the Blackfyre Regime from the get go. Even a false Aegon would be preferable to a Lannister, as far as the North & Dorne are concerned. The Ironborn post-Euronpocalypse would go back to battling themselves internally, likely while facing heavy [sanctions]: they'd be too busy licking their wounds to be much of a threat to anyone.

That leaves three kingdoms: the Westerlands, cornered at all sides & bereft of much of its Leadership through Wars & the Frey Civil War; the Crownlands, King's Landing likely being besieged for Cersei to later blow up; and The Vale.

Who runs the Vale? The worst, most consistently dangerous backstabber of them all: Lord Petyr Baelish. It will probably be Baelish who undoes all that triage work Team Aegon started, likely via assassinating the kid or "exposing" him to the Right Wrong Crowd (whether Petyr has actual knowledge or evidence against Aegon is irrelevant: this is not his first Smear Campaign).

Assuming it hasn't happened already (in great tonal dissonance with the Euronpocalypse), Little Lord Robert Arryn would get his Tourney at the Gates of the Moon just in time for Aegon to secure his "final" kingdom.

The Frey Civil War would have affected the Vale just as it affected the rest of Westeros (Dorne excluded) but, from the clues I've found in the Vale & Darry-branches of Freys, it's likely that the Vale Freys will have fared better than every other branch of their extensive family tree, likely due to their joining the Aegon Bandwagon prior to Lord Walder's death.

Others have drawn parallels between what we know of "Alayne's'" Tourney and the historic Tourney of Ashford Meadow: essentially, the Tourney is implicitly tied to the themes & character arcs of both Sansa Stark (in the role of "Lord Ashford's 13 year old daughter", defending Queen of Love & Beauty) and Brienne of Tarth (in the role of her ancestor, Duncan the Tall: knightly but never technically Knighted underdog). The Ashford Tourney is best remembered for being the Introduction of Ser Duncan the Tall, a Sudden Trial of Seven, a quietly averted Blackfyre Rebellion, and the tragic death of the greatly beloved Crown Prince Baelon "Breakspear" (& Some Guy from House Hardyng).

Yeah. Dany doesn't even need to leave Essos: Aegon's doom will come courtesy of Thematic Parallels and Foreshadowing.

Prince Baelon "Breakspear" was a living representation of a Westeros at peace: he was the product of one of two political marriages that peacibly joined Dorne to the Seven Kingdoms (the Second Marriage featured one of those Princesses Daenerys); he was a Competent ruler, becoming his Father's Hand at age 26; his nickname was gained when he bested Ser Daemon Blackfyre (yes, THAT Blackfyre) at a tourney (the Wedding Tourney of his Aunt Daenerys); he had two adult sons, presumably with a wife (the sons are the only proof of her existence); and one of Baelon's sons was healthy enough to score 7 victories at the Ashford Tourney!

Which he. Uh. Very unexpectedly died at. Baelon, that is. The Crown Prince. The People's Prince. The Golden Child who promised a Peaceful & Prosperous Future. The son of a Targaryen prince & a Martell mother. A character who Very Strongly Reminds One Of Young Griff, the hopeful Aegon VI.

Aegon is likely to attend the Vale Tourney in order to diplomatically add the Vale to his collection of Kingdoms: Baelish is likely to trade [Sansa]'s betrothal with Harry the Heir for the Shinier Prince Aegon (whether he dissolves the existing betrothal via Having Harry Killed By Tourney or by outing Alayne as Sansa "Key to the North" Stark-Lannister, who was, btw, Spared the marriage bed bc Child Bride so Totally Eligible my dude just Sign Here).

Then Brienne will show up, probably with Jaime, and Some Kerfuffle will Ensue (if only because Sansa & Brienne are Alleged Kingslayers) that leads to Robert Arryn's Tourney becoming Brienne's Trial of Seven for Sansa's Innocence, just as Ser Dunk's defense of the (common) maiden Tanselle so changed the Ashford Tourney.

There is a Rather Formidable enemy of Young Griff whom I have only hinted at: allow me to combine the Clues.

There exists in the ASOIAF series a Certain Character who Knows More than they Should, who has an implied past connection with a young Euron Greyjoy, who is infamously opposed to Blackfyres, who was present for the Ashford Tourney, whose Past & Present can connect just about every active plotline in the series: a disappeared Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, a Hand to two Targaryen Kings & the Master of Whispers to more (with his "thousand eyes and one"), one of the three Great Bastards born to Lady Melissa Blackwood by King Aegon IV, and current tree-wizard mentor to an entirely separate Kingly-coded character.

Brynden Rivers.

If Aegon survives Euron, Cersei, Jaime, AND Baelish? He certainly won't survive Brynden. Whatever Brynden may be right now (tree abomination, Old God Hivemind, puppet king to Feyfolk, Bran Stark's lunch, the distant Blackwood cousin of every surviving Stark), there is no reason to believe Brynden would allow a Blackfyre to go unchallenged, especially in the guise of a "true" Targaryen.

(not that i believe Brynden hopes for a Targaryen Restoration via Dany or Jon: it very much appears that Brynden & the Singers are grooming Bran Stark for kingship, though where & who exactly they expect him to rule is still Unclear)

I hope to do more exploration into what Aegon [Blackfyre]'s Conquest might look like, cobbling together clues from Quentyn's Doomed Quest and Queen Marge's Court (as "microcosm' to the Reach in macrocosm) and historically Targaryen/Blackfyre loyalist Houses. I'm fairly certain I can figure out how the Aegon Conquest will play into the resolutions of the Frey Civil War, (some) Winterfell Conspiracies, the specifics of the Euronpocalypse, & my "Dornish Spring" Theory as well. I'm much less certain on how Stannis would fare against Aegon: would he demand Legitimacy? would he sic Melissandre on him? would Stannis Get Over Himself in service to the Looming Winter? would he even have a leg to stand on the matter?

And would Aegon survive long enough to meet Daenerys, let alone Argue Legitimacy with her? (They'd both be rulers by conquest, not inheritance & it's not like Dany has any backing for her identity beyond "I look traditionally Valyrian" and "these are some dragons i hatched from stone mid-resurrection". The layyer it should be noted, is considered a Death Magic-induced Miracle, not some Secret Targaryen Blood Limit: it's Unique to Daenerys Stormborn, not to "House Targaryen")

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ADWD: The Griffin Reborn (Jon Connington II) [Chapter 61]

"They will try to send out ravens," he told Black Balaq. "Watch the maester's tower. Here." He pointed to the map he had drawn in the mud of their campsite. "Bring down every bird that leaves the castle [Griffin's Roost]."

"This we do," replied the Summer Islander.

A third of Balaq's men used crossbows, another third the double-curved horn-and-sinew bows of the east. Better than these were the big yew longbows borne by the archers of Westerosi blood, and best of all were the great bows of goldenheart treasured by Black Balaq himself and his fifty Summer Islanders. Only a dragonbone bow could outrange one made of goldenheart.

There's no way all this goldenheart and dragonbone bow stuff is going nowhere.

+.+.+

It was over within minutes. Griff rode up the throat on a white courser beside Homeless Harry Strickland. As they neared the castle, he saw a third raven flap from the maester's tower, only to be feathered by Black Balaq himself. "No more messages," he told Ser Franklyn Flowers in the yard. The next thing to come flying from the maester's tower was the maester. The way his arms were flapping, he might have been mistaken for another bird.

They killed a maester! How dare they! Rude.

A man flying from a tower looking like a bird is very Bran.

+.+.+

And quick as that, Griffin's Roost was his again, and Jon Connington was once more a lord.

This is about to rival Janos Slynt for shortest reign ever.

Okay, maybe not that short.

+.+.+

But Connington had no intention of "letting them come." Griffin's Roost was strong but small, and so long as they sat here they would seem small as well. But there was another castle nearby, vastly larger and impregnable. Take that, and the realm will shake. 

Spoiler alert.

"Has no one told you?" Halden Halfmaester favored her with a smile thin and hard as a dagger cut. "Storm's End is ours. The Hand awaits you there." - Arianne II, TWOW

Stannis lost the Baratheon ancestral home. Beggar king!

+.+.+

Instead his steps led him up to the roof of the east tower, the tallest at Griffin's Roost. As he climbed he remembered past ascents—a hundred with his lord father, who liked to stand and look out over woods and crags and sea and know that all he saw belonged to House Connington, and one (only one!) with Rhaegar Targaryen. 

That's his writing, not mine.

I feel like I stepped into a fanfic.

+.+.+

Prince Rhaegar was returning from Dorne, and he and his escort had lingered here a fortnight. He was so young then, and I was younger. Boys, the both of us. At the welcoming feast, the prince had taken up his silver-stringed harp and played for them. A song of love and doom, Jon Connington recalled, and every woman in the hall was weeping when he put down the harp. Not the men, of course.

+.+.+

"Your father's lands are beautiful," Prince Rhaegar had said, standing right where Jon was standing now. And the boy he'd been had replied, "One day they will all be mine." As if that could impress a prince who was heir to the entire realm, from the Arbor to the Wall.

Aww, and then Robert Baratheon came along and ruined it. ❤️

+.+.+

Griffin's Roost had been his, eventually, if only for a few short years. From here, Jon Connington had ruled broad lands extending many leagues to the west, north, and south, just as his father and his father's father had before him. But his father and his father's father had never lost their lands. He had. I rose too high, loved too hard, dared too much. I tried to grasp a star, overreached, and fell.

I can see I'm going to need a lot of these.

+.+.+

After the Battle of the Bells, when Aerys Targaryen had stripped him of his titles and sent him into exile in a mad fit of ingratitude and suspicion, the lands and lordship had remained within House Connington, passing to his cousin Ser Ronald, the man whom Jon had made his castellan when he went to King's Landing to attend Prince Rhaegar. Robert Baratheon had completed the destruction of the griffins after the war. Cousin Ronald was permitted to retain his castle and his head, but he lost his lordship, thereafter being merely the Knight of Griffin's Roost, and nine-tenths of his lands were taken from him and parceled out to neighbor lords who had supported Robert's claim.

Ronald Connington had died years before. The present Knight of Griffin's Roost, his son Ronnet, was said to be off at war in the riverlands. That was for the best. In Jon Connington's experience, men would fight for things they felt were theirs, even things they'd gained by theft.

Theft? A bit of a stretch there, buddy.

+.+.+

He did not relish the notion of celebrating his return by killing one of his own kin. Red Ronnet's sire had been quick to take advantage of his lord cousin's downfall, true, but his son had been a child at the time. Jon Connington did not even hate the late Ser Ronald as much as he might have. The fault was his.

I'm not understanding what Red Ronnet was supposed to do. Shouldn't Jon be happy the castle remained with House Connington?

Anyway, is he saying he would have killed his kin if Ronnet was there? Dang.

+.+.+

He had lost it all at Stoney Sept, in his arrogance.

Robert Baratheon had been hiding somewhere in the town, wounded and alone. Jon Connington had known that, and he had also known that Robert's head upon a spear would have put an end to the rebellion, then and there. 

This feels like revisionist history to me.

The full depth of King Aerys's madness was subsequently revealed in his depraved actions against Lord Stark, his heir, and their supporters after they demanded redress for Rhaegar's wrongs. Instead of granting them fair hearing, King Aerys had them brutally slain, then followed these murders by demanding that Lord Jon Arryn execute his former wards, Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark. Many now agree that the true start of Robert's Rebellion began with Lord Arryn's refusal and his courageous calling of his banners in the defense of justice. - The World of Ice and Fire

+.+.+

King Aerys had named him Hand and given him an army, and he meant to prove himself worthy of that trust, of Rhaegar's love. He would slay the rebel lord himself and carve a place out for himself in all the histories of the Seven Kingdoms.

+.+.+

And so he swept down on Stoney Sept, closed off the town, and began a search. His knights went house to house, smashed in every door, peered into every cellar. He had even sent men crawling through the sewers, yet somehow Robert still eluded him. 

Good job, always got to check the sewers in this story.

+.+.+

The townsfolk were hiding him. They moved him from one secret bolt-hole to the next, always one step ahead of the king's men. The whole town was a nest of traitors. At the end they had the usurper hidden in a brothel. What sort of king was that, who would hide behind the skirts of women?

Cry more.

+.+.+

For years afterward, Jon Connington told himself that he was not to blame, that he had done all that any man could do. His soldiers searched every hole and hovel, he offered pardons and rewards, he took hostages and hung them in crow cages and swore that they would have neither food nor drink until Robert was delivered to him. All to no avail. "Tywin Lannister himself could have done no more," he had insisted one night to Blackheart, during his first year of exile.

"There is where you're wrong," Myles Toyne had replied. "Lord Tywin would not have bothered with a search. He would have burned that town and every living creature in it. Men and boys, babes at the breast, noble knights and holy septons, pigs and whores, rats and rebels, he would have burned them all. When the fires guttered out and only ash and cinders remained, he would have sent his men in to find the bones of Robert Baratheon. Later, when Stark and Tully turned up with their host, he would have offered pardons to the both of them, and they would have accepted and turned for home with their tails between their legs."

And just like that, one of the dumbest theories to ever hit this fandom is born.

Jon Connington will not be burning down King's Landing, and anyone who believes he will needs a parent or guardian to get them through life.

Later, when Stark and Tully turned up with their host, he would have offered pardons to the both of them, and they would have accepted and turned for home with their tails between their legs.

I don't know about that.

+.+.+

He was not wrong, Jon Connington reflected, leaning on the battlements of his forebears. I wanted the glory of slaying Robert in single combat, and I did not want the name of butcher. So Robert escaped me and cut down Rhaegar on the Trident. "I failed the father," he said, "but I will not fail the son."

Oh, but you will.

+.+.+

Though Ser Ronnet was indeed off north somewhere with Jaime Lannister, Griffin's Roost was not quite bereft of griffins. Amongst the prisoners were Ronnet's younger brother Raymund, his sister Alynne, and his natural son, a fierce red-haired boy they called Ronald Storm. All would make for useful hostages if and when Red Ronnet should return to try and take back the castle that his father had stolen. Connington ordered them confined to the west tower, under guard. The girl began to cry at that, and the bastard boy tried to bite the spearman closest to him. "Stop it, the both of you," he snapped at them. "No harm will come to any of you unless Red Ronnet proves an utter fool."

Using your own family as hostages feels pretty sinister to me.

+.+.+

He brought them forward one by one, asked each man his name, then bid them kneel and swear him their allegiance. It all went swiftly. The soldiers of the garrison—only four had survived the attack, the old serjeant and three boys—laid their swords at his feet. No one balked. No one died.

Seems to me many have died.

+.+.+

The chaos that would inevitably have delayed such a march with a hastily assembled host of household knights and local levies had been nowhere in evidence. These were the heirs of Bittersteel, and discipline was mother's milk to them.

"By this time on the morrow we ought to hold three castles," he said. The force that had taken Griffin's Roost represented a quarter of their available strength; Ser Tristan Rivers had set off simultaneously for the seat of House Morrigen at Crow's Nest, and Laswell Peake for Rain House, the stronghold of the Wyldes, each with a force of comparable size. 

Sorry, I'm slow. It just occurred to me that Davos Seaworth's family is surrounded.

Davos had fathered seven sons himself, and lost four on the Blackwater. He knew he would do whatever gods or men required of him to protect the other three. Steffon and Stannis were thousands of leagues from the fighting and safe from harm, but Devan was at Castle Black, a squire to the king. - Davos II, ADWD

Oopsies. 

(Yay, map!) Yellow means the Golden Company holds it.

I don't know where House Seaworth's seat is, but I'm going to guess it's currently occupied.

+.+.+

"We still have too few horses."

"And no elephants," the Halfmaester reminded him. Not one of the great cogs carrying the elephants had turned up yet. They had last seen them at Lys, before the storm that had scattered half the fleet. "Horses can be found in Westeros. Elephants—"

"—do not matter." The great beasts would be useful in a pitched battle, no doubt, but it would be some time before they had the strength to face their foes in the field. 

+.+.+

"The Lannisters make enemies easily but seem to have a harder time keeping friends. Their alliance with the Tyrells is fraying, to judge from what I read here. Queen Cersei and Queen Margaery are fighting over the little king like two bitches with a chicken bone, and both have been accused of treason and debauchery. Mace Tyrell has abandoned his siege of Storm's End to march back to King's Landing and save his daughter, leaving only a token force behind to keep Stannis's men penned up inside the castle."

Connington sat. "Tell me more."

"In the north the Lannisters are relying on the Boltons and in the riverlands upon the Freys, both houses long renowned for treachery and cruelty. Lord Stannis Baratheon remains in open rebellion and the ironborn of the islands have raised up a king as well. No one ever seems to mention the Vale, which suggests to me that the Arryns have taken no part in any of this."

Almost feels like we're saving them for something big!

+.+.+

"And Dorne?" The Vale was far away; Dorne was close.

"Prince Doran's younger son has been betrothed to Myrcella Baratheon, which would suggest that the Dornishmen have thrown in with House Lannister, but they have an army in the Boneway and another in the Prince's Pass, just waiting …"

"Waiting." He frowned. "For what?" Without Daenerys and her dragons, Dorne was central to their hopes. "Write Sunspear. Doran Martell must know that his sister's son is still alive and has come home to claim his father's throne."

For Myrcella to be killed.

He's right, the Vale is far away. It's right beside the north, sitting there being idle, while we all wait for a Baratheon to win back Winterfell.

+.+.+

"But no dragons," said Jon Connington, "so to win these allies to our cause, we must needs have something to offer them."

"Gold and land are the traditional incentives."

"Would that we had either. Promises of land and promises of gold may suffice for some, but Strickland and his men will expect first claim on the choicest fields and castles, those that were taken from their forebears when they fled into exile. No."

"My lord does have one prize to offer," Haldon Halfmaester pointed out. "Prince Aegon's hand. A marriage alliance, to bring some great House to our banners."

One might ask themselves why the author is suddenly opening the door to the possibility of Aegon marrying someone other than Daenerys. That wasn't the plan when they came to Westeros.

Do you see how marriage alliance is an important component in war? (Unless you are Jon Snow or Sansa Stark in S6 - then it's unnecessary.)

+.+.+

A bride for our bright prince. Jon Connington remembered Prince Rhaegar's wedding all too well. Elia was never worthy of him. She was frail and sickly from the first, and childbirth only left her weaker. After the birth of Princess Rhaenys, her mother had been bedridden for half a year, and Prince Aegon's birth had almost been the death of her. She would bear no more children, the maesters told Prince Rhaegar afterward.

"Daenerys Targaryen may yet come home one day," Connington told the Halfmaester. "Aegon must be free to marry her."

Shut the fuck up, pebble.

+.+.+

"My lord knows best," said Haldon. "In that case, we might consider offering potential friends a lesser prize."

"What would you suggest?"

"You. You are unwed. A great lord, still virile, with no heirs except these cousins we have just now dispossessed, the scion of an ancient House with a fine stout castle and wide, rich lands that will no doubt be restored and perhaps expanded by a grateful king, once we have triumphed. You have a name as a warrior, and as King Aegon's Hand you will speak with his voice and rule this realm in all but name. I would think that many an ambitious lord might be eager to wed his daughter to such a man. Even, perhaps, the prince of Dorne."

Isn't it fun how we're talking about Arianne Martell marrying Jon Connington right after we touched on potential marriage alliances for Aegon VI Targaryen.

+.+.+

Jon Connington's answer was a long cold stare. There were times when the Halfmaester vexed him almost as much as that dwarf had. "I think not." Death is creeping up my arm. No man must ever know, nor any wife.

Yeah, it's definitely the greyscale, and not the fact that you're

+.+.+

When the food and wine had been brought up, he barred the door, emptied the jug into a bowl, and soaked his hand in it. Vinegar soaks and vinegar baths were the treatment Lady Lemore had prescribed for the dwarf, when she feared he might have greyscale, but asking for a jug of vinegar each morning would give the game away. Wine would need to serve, though he saw no sense in wasting a good vintage. The nails on all four fingers were black now, though not yet on his thumb. On the middle finger, the grey had crept up past the second knuckle. I should hack them off, he thought, but how would I explain two missing fingers? He dare not let the greyscale become known. Queer as it seemed, men who would cheerfully face battle and risk death to rescue a companion would abandon that same companion in a heartbeat if he were known to have greyscale. I should have let the damned dwarf drown.

Is this guy serious? No shit they prefer battle over sharing breakfast with patient zero.

Stormlander Hand of the King, chopping off his fingers. Davos things.

+.+.+

"Word's reached the camp from Marq Mandrake. The Volantenes put him ashore on what turned out to be Estermont, with close to five hundred men. He's taken Greenstone."

You might remember Sylva Santagar, friend of Arianne Martell, was sent to Estermont to marry Lord Eldon as punishment for the queenmaker plot.

Connections!

+.+.+

"I'll wager you that we've got lads scattered all over half the bloody Stepstones too."

"With my elephants," Harry Strickland said, in a mournful tone. He missed his elephants, did Homeless Harry.

+.+.+

Even before they had sailed from Volon Therys, he had instructed his captains to show no banners during these first attacks—not Prince Aegon's three-headed dragon, nor his own griffins, nor the skulls and golden battle standards of the company. Let the Lannisters suspect Stannis Baratheon, pirates from the Stepstones, outlaws out of the woods, or whoever else they cared to blame. If the reports that reached King's Landing were confused and contradictory, so much the better. 

Banner Watch 2023 starts now.

A cloth dragon swayed on poles amidst a cheering crowd. - Daenerys IV, ACOK

+.+.+

"As you command, my lord. House Estermont has blood ties to both kings, as it happens. Good hostages."

"Good ransoms," said Homeless Harry, happily.

Have they not heard about Tommen?

Laughing at the thought of Stannis Baratheon caring about the Estermonts.

+.+.+

"It is time we sent for Prince Aegon as well," Lord Jon announced. "He will be safer here behind the walls of Griffin's Roost than back at camp." "I'll send a rider," said Franklyn Flowers, "but the lad won't much like the idea of staying safe, I tell you that. He wants to be in the thick o' things."

So did we all at his age, Lord Jon thought, remembering.

For sure, Aegon thrives in the thick of the action.

The broken bone was speckled with brown blood, but still he lurched forward, reaching for Young Griff. His hand was grey and stiff, but blood oozed between his knuckles as he tried to close his fingers to grasp. The boy stood staring, as still as if he too were made of stone. His hand was on his sword hilt, but he seemed to have forgotten why. - Tyrion V, ADWD

+.+.+

"Has the time come to raise his banner?" asked Pease.

Banner Watch 2023 continues.

I'm sorry, I have a difficult time envisioning the smallfolk flocking to Aegon and his dragon banners. That goes against everything I've learned about the smallfolk.

"Still," she said, "the common people are waiting for him. Magister Illyrio says they are sewing dragon banners and praying for Viserys to return from across the narrow sea to free them."

"The common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends," Ser Jorah told her. "It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace." He gave a shrug. "They never are." - Daenerys III, AGOT

Not only that, we get a preview of how Aegon and the Golden Company are being received in the stormlands.

"No one's been doing any raping," insisted Young John Mudd. "Connington won’t have that. We follow orders."

Chain nodded. "Some girls was persuaded, might be."

"The same way our smallfolk were persuaded to give you all their crops. Melons or maidenheads, it's all the same to your sort. If you want it, you take it." Lady Mertyns turned to Arianne. "If you should see this Lord Connington, you tell him that I knew his mother, and she would be ashamed." - Arianne II, TWOW

That's what I would expect.

+.+.+

"Above all else, we must have Doran Martell."

"Small chance of that," said Strickland. "The Dornishman is scared of his own shadow. Not what you call daring."

No more than you. "Prince Doran is a cautious man, that's true. He will never join us unless he is convinced that we will win. So to persuade him we must show our strength."

You're in luck, he's going to be desperate. Or dead.

+.+.+

The prince arrived to join them four days later, riding at the head of a column of a hundred horse, with three elephants lumbering in his rear. Lady Lemore was with him, garbed once more in the white robes of a septa. Before them went Ser Rolly Duckfield, a snow-white cloak streaming from his shoulders.

A solid man, and true, Connington thought as he watched Duck dismount, but not worthy of the Kingsguard. He had tried his best to dissuade the prince from giving Duckfield that cloak, pointing out that the honor might best be held in reserve for warriors of greater renown whose fealty would add luster to their cause, and the younger sons of great lords whose support they would need in the coming struggle, but the boy would not be moved. "Duck will die for me if need be," he had said, "and that's all I require in my Kingsguard. The Kingslayer was a warrior of great renown, and the son of a great lord as well."

At least I convinced him to leave the other six slots open, else Duck might have six ducklings trailing after him, each more blindingly adequate than the last.

You're the most mid Hand of the King ever, sit down.

We've hit a big obstacle with the 'Ashara Dayne is Septa Lemore' theory. Jon Connington continues to refer to her as Lemore in his internal monologue, despite everyone shedding their secret identities.

Connington has met Ashara Dayne.

The crannogman saw a maid with laughing purple eyes dance with a white sword, a red snake, and the lord of griffins, and lastly with the quiet wolf . . . but only after the wild wolf spoke to her on behalf of a brother too shy to leave his bench. - Bran II, ASOS

+.+.+

Prince Aegon Targaryen was not near as biddable as the boy Young Griff had been, however. The better part of an hour had passed before he finally turned up in the solar, with Duck at his side. "Lord Connington," he said, "I like your castle."

"Your father's lands are beautiful," he said. His silvery hair was blowing in the wind, and his eyes were a deep purple, darker than this boy's.

+.+.+

"We've been talking with Strickland and Flowers. They told us about this attack on Storm's End that you're planning."

Jon Connington did not let his fury show. "And did Homeless Harry try to persuade you to delay it?"

"He did, actually," the prince said, "but I won't. Harry's an old maid, isn't he? You have the right of it, my lord. I want the attack to go ahead … with one change. I mean to lead it."

He's like Robb Stark, only not as fearless, cunning, or as good of a swordsman or battle commander.

At least this is better than him hanging back in camp while his sellsword army takes the stormlands.

Final thoughts:

There goes another POV. Nothing of value was lost.

George is such a troll, I have a feeling 'JON' will appear towards the beginning of TWOW, but it will be Connington instead of Snow.

-> return to menu <-

[isefyres-archive]

𝕹𝖊𝖜 𝕸𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖘 𝕬𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖉 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕸𝖔𝖉𝖎𝖋𝖎𝖊𝖉:

Lady Johanna Lannister. née Westerling, was the Lady of Casterly Rock through her marriage to Lord Jason Lannister. During the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, Lady Johanna's husband, Lord Jason Lannister, and his twin brother, Ser Tyland, supported the greens. After Jason's death, Johanna ruled the Rock as a regent for their young son, Lord Loreon Lannister. During this time, she fought the ironborn who tried to take Casterly Rock. Dance Era. Canon.

Lady Tyshara Lannister. was a member of House Lannister during the reign of King Aegon III Targaryen and in her youth she saw the dance of dragons. After the death of Queen Jaehaera Targaryen in 133 AC, Lady Johanna set aside her war with the ironmen long enough to write the Hand that her daughters Cerelle and Tyshara were maidens of noble birth and marriageable age. Tysharar remain her brother's Loreon's favorite sister. Dance Era, Canon.

Jon Connington, also known as Griff, was the Lord of Griffin's Roost, the head of House Connington, towards the end of the reign of King Aerys II Targaryen. He served for a short time as Hand of the King to Aerys during Robert's Rebellion. It is implied that Jon was in love with Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Jon travels to Westeros with Young Griff, believed to the Aegon, the son of his lost friend and rightful heir to the throne, he took control of his family's castle, keeping his relatives hostages. Canon. Song Era.

Ser Roland Storm. is the bastard son of Ser Ronnet Connington, the Knight of Griffin's Roost. He is most likely named for his grandfather, Ronald Connington. He resides in Griffin's Roost. Ronald is made a captive when Griffin's Roost is taken by Jon Connington and the Golden Company. When Jon orders that Ronald and the other young Conningtons be confined under guard, Ronald tries to bite the spearman closest to him. When Ronald tells Jon that his father will kill him, Jon sends the children back to their cells. Canon. Song Era.

Lady Laenyra Longwaters. Firstborn daughter of Rennifer Longwaters, a bastard house originated from House Valeryon, Laenyra is in charge of making sure the boats and ships are up to standards when making sail and all merchandise is intact. She also, for hte right price, smuggles people in and out of King's Landing. OC. Song Era.

Kira Kingsblood. Gerrick Kingsblood is a raider from the free folk and the founder of House Redbeard. He has a son and three daughters. Kira is the oldest of the daughters, and kissed by fire. Selyse arranges the betrothal of Gerrick's eldest daughter to Ser Axell Florent, her Hand and uncle. Kira considers him old and weak for a man and is often voicing her disagreement with the choice of husband. Semi-Canon, Song Era.

Sariah. Working in Mereen as an exotic dancer at the request of Hizdahr zo Loraq to entertain Queen Daenerys and his own pleasures when needed to gather the illusion. Freed from her work, she works in her skills as seamstress and often makes the Queen her new wardrobe in thankful for her liberation. Not remembering her home, although she believes it to be Asshai, Sariah remains to the queen's side. OC. Song Era.

Carexya Bloodstone. First stablished house of the Stepstones island where Daemon Targaryen had his seat when he proclaimed himself King of the Stepstones. During his stay there, he bastared a son and from him, the bloodline that stablished the house. Carexya is the last of the descendants and has a desire to reclaim Bloodstone as an independent kingdom or at least a princedom. She send letters to both Dorne and Mereen for either help, as her mother was a woman from dorne. OC. Song Era.

Lord Howland Reed. is the Lord of Greywater Watch and the head of House Reed, holding dominion over the crannogmen of the Neck. Howland's children with his wife Jyana are Meera and Jojen, and he is a close friend of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. He remains as the last living person to have witnessed the Tower of Joy incident and knows the truth. He had been away at the Maesters Capitol to gather evidence of what transpire to reveal the truth. Canon. Song Era.

Lady Genna Lannister. is a noblewoman of House Lannister wed to Ser Emmon Frey, with whom she has four children: Ser Cleos, Lyonel, Tion, and Walder Frey. enna is the only daughter of the late Lord Tytos Lannister and Lady Jeyne Marbrand, and she is the younger sister of Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock. Genna is the aunt of Queen Cersei Lannister, Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard, and Tyrion Lannister, having taken on a maternal role for the siblings after the death of Tywin's wife, Lady Joanna Lannister. Canon. Song Era.

Prince Doran Martell. Prince Doran Nymeros Martell, also known simply as Doran Martell, is the head of House Martell, the Prince of Dorne, and the Lord of Sunspear. Married to Lady Mellario, of the Free City of Norvos, he has three children: Arianne, Quentyn, and Trystane. He's also the elder brother of Elia and Oberyn Martell. In his early fifties, Doran is a cautious, pensive, and subtle man. He is prone to think long on the matters before him, weighing every word and every action. Doran has been focused for years on getting revenge for the murder of his sister, Elia, and her two young children during the Sack of King's Landing during Robert's Rebellion in 283 AC. Canon. Song Era.

Prince Quentyn Martell. Prince Quentyn Nymeros Martell, better known simply as Quentyn Martell, is a knight from House Martell. He is the second child and eldest son of Doran Martell, Prince of Dorne, and Lady Mellario of Norvos. He is cautious by nature and filled with doubts, fears, and insecurities. Quentyn does not want to be remembered as a failure, and cannot bear the thought of his father's disappointment, nor does he want friends to die for nothing. After his injuries by the fires of the dragon, Quentyn is in bad shape but survives, having spend weeks being treated, AU. Canon. Song Era.

Prince Raeonor Qoherys . The remainder Qoherys left and fled to Essos, after spending two decades in Volantis, the family settle in Lys and became one of the few ruling houses of the old Valyrian stronghold. Raeonor seeks revenge for the exile of his house and will offer money to anyone that will take it for them to travel back and regain Harrenhal, as he proclaims that the castle was cursed by his family's blood, carrying dragon blood, the blood magic is strong to this day. OC. Song Era.

Princess Meleya Qoherys. A priestess and a practiciener of R'hallor, Meleya believes only she can undue the curse placed on Harrenhal and every family that was taken down. Unlike her brother, she possesses the Valyrian features, except her eyes remain a shade of clear pink red, most say it's due to the magic she uses. Meleya is also known for being a magnificent dancer and often entertains guests by dancing for them. OC. Song Era.

[seventhwinterwolf]

Jon Snow’s Targaryen Name

(I had an anon send in a question about my thoughts on Jon being called Aegon and when I went to reply the site crashed and it was no longer in my inbox... rip)

Short version, I think he would have had a name that started with V, my personal favorite is Viserax or Visenya had Jon turned out to be a woman.

First off, I think Jon as Aegon is dumb given that Rhaegar already had Aegon and Rhaenys with Elia Martell and was hardcore obsessed with prophecy. The dragon has three heads and Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives in particular. I think he would have given Jon a V name like Visenya if he had been a girl or maybe Viserys but that is already somewhat taken by Rhaegar’s brother. Other VISE or V names could include Viserra, Vaella, Valarr, Valerion, or made from the long list of Valyrian combos. (Here’s a thorough list of prefixes and suffixes)

I don’t think that Rhaegar would be concerned with Lyanna Stark not being married to him and thus Jon being a bastard. Rhaegar could have planned to legitimize Jon at any point after the war had he survived and assumed the throne. Elia’s difficulty in childbirth was not going to prevent Rhaegar from having another child in his dream of recreating the first King Aegon with Queen Rhaenys and Queen Visenya. Jon being a boy skews this and if Lyanna had lived I could see Rhaegar having another child from her in the hopes of attaining his Visenya.

Furthermore, the show was also stupid to do this knowing that fake Aegon/Young Griff is a thing in the books and one more current-gen Targ being called Aegon is unnecessarily confusing. If the show had named Jon something else closely related like Aemon that would have been slightly better even though it only has meaning in retrospect given Jon’s relationship with Maester Aemon. Better yet, name him Aemond as the younger brother to the next King Aegon to resemble the Dance of the Dragons.  

I do like the common trope of Jon having a name starting with J, unfortunately, it’s a limited J list in the canon name histories. Jaehaerys is neat and I am fine with that being Jon’s name. Especially if Rhaegar planned to have more children from Lyanna then Visenya could be next. Jon not being his preferred and ideal daughter could potentially lead Rhaegar to cast him aside to keep going for a girl. In this scenario where Lyanna lives and Rhaegar has more children after his first three then I could see Jon having any Valyrian name that wasn’t already in use by another family member.

List of Alternative Valyrian Names for Jon

Not V or J: Aemond, Aerion, Daemon, or Maekar

Starts with J: Jaehaerys, Jaegal, Jaelys, Jaelyx, Jaehaerax, Jaeraxes, Jaeron, etc

Starts with V: Viserys, Viserax, Valarr, Valerion, Vaelerys/Vhalerys, Vaelyx, Vaelor, etc

My Faves: Viserax, Jaehaerys, Daemon, Aemond, Maekar

[thanksforthedinosaur]

december 2023

brye - recover

addison grace - pessimistic

ixaras - sprouts

rosie tucker - unending bliss

hana eid - between your teeth

marika hackman - slime

katy kirby - table

michelle - agnostic

klee - mutual symbiotic relationship

tinyumbrellas - zombies

madds buckley - paper and ink

rainbow frog biscuits - clean

julia cooper - sweet n sour

bel - read the room

holly humberstone - lauren

elio - sorority

devon again - still can't dress myself

savana santos - idk the title of this cause i’m not calling it ‘vibin’

exxy - afternoon depression

king mala - bug

emei - 711

towa bird - drain me!

lia lia - angst

madge - tall grass

zoe ko - baby teeth

ko aka koala - sorry in advance

griff - vertigo

chloe george - outward

dounia - space (528hz)

quinn xcii - georgia peach

emily vaughn - invented it

misha - keep on

julia wolf - burning house (i wanna kiss you)

raffaella - rowan

searows - collector

laura veirs - swan dive

madilyn mei - cryptid

isabel pless - practice erotic

gregory and the hawk - for now

sun june - get enough

alice phoebe lou - shine

eliza mclamb - anything you want

the beatles - now and then

penelope scott - over the moon

meljii - frog and toad

savoir adore - when it rains

mini trees - push and pull

blond in car - short hello and a long goodbye

hazel english - heartbreaker

ellis - forever

middle kids - dramamine

ian sweet - emergency contact

drizzly. - bitter to see you

pearly drops - get well

los campesinos! - avocado, baby

hovvdy - jean

chloë doucet - stormy blue

momma - sunday

pony - peach

time spent driving - milligrams

hot mulligan - shouldn’t have a leg hole but i do

teenage halloween - lights out

weakened friends - awkward

blink-182 - anthem part 3

nai harvest - missing summer

awakebutstillinbed - adapt

alkaline trio - blood, hair, and eyeballs

tigers jaw - constant headache

eyedress - separate ways (feat. the marías)

sunmi - 덕질 (call my name)

oohyo - i give you love

yaeji - easy breezy

sumin - human theater (feat.sunwoojunga)

baek a yeon - lime (i'm so) (english ver.)

seventeen - god of music

talitha. - apple pie

slayyyter - makeup (feat. lolo zouaï)

tkay maidza - out of luck

satica - show up

loony - counting thunder

kennie - cool with your girlfriend

trella - taxi driver

aurora - your blood

perc%nt - roller coaster

caroline polachek - dang

vtss - steady pace

vacationer - resemblance

tusks - artifical flame

alaina castillo - running water

venbee - messy in heaven

ivri - inversion

nia archives - that's tha way life goes

juliet ivy - bestfriend

piri - bluetooth

pinkpantheress - another life (feat. rema)

elley duhé - reborn

baby tate - lollipop

l.ucas - l(in)ve

love-sadkid - out of body

r u off - jordan

enny - charge it remix (feat. smino)

sampha - suspended

mxmtoon - cliché - revisited

emhahee - time travel

august greenwood - taroko

laufey - from the start

sushisingz - dissociated

tiffi - lucky (bonus track)

justin nozuka - twyn https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3iyQUu7rpOvkTdnW8pOuaF?si=c887c6eeb415481a

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Anastacia, recording artist/singer-songwriter Ben Anderson (great to have worked with you), Rita Arya, Bill Black, Kyle Chandler, Dolores Costello, Elvira a.k.a. Cassandra Peterson (good to have met you), Will Gregory (Goldfrapp), Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Ken Kesey, Mark Kleiner, Baz Luhrmann, Roddy McDowall, Brother Jack McDuff, Lamonte McLemore (5th Dimension), Reinhold Messner, the 2010 documentary WHO IS HARRY NILSSON & WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKING ABOUT HIM?, Robert B. Parker, Joseph D. Pistone, John Ritter, Rita Rudner, The Supremes 1964 “Baby Love” single, Ty Tabor (King’s X), Michiyo Tsujimura 辻村みちよ, Fee Waybill (The Tubes—keep up the good work), and one of America’s best-known cultural ambassadors, Luke the Drifter a.k.a. The Hillbilly Shakespeare a.k.a. Mr. Lovesick Blues a.k.a. Timber Snake, singer-songwriter Hank Williams. He learned guitar from African-American blues musician Rufus Payne (a.k.a. Tee Tot), and that, along with the music of Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb, influenced Hank’s style. 

Chronic back pain, alcoholism, and pill addiction took a toll on Hank’s heart and he died young and tragically, but in his short but hugely influential career he released 55 Top 10 singles with 12 #1 records. He’s cited as one of the essential pioneers of contemporary country music, but his reach extended into mainstream pop, rock’n’roll, and even jazz, as his songs (now considered to be American standards) were covered by hit-makers of the day—and still are. 

A 78 of Hank’s “Lovesick Blues” turned up in my house when I was kid, and on TV I watched the biopic film I SAW THE LIGHT, a song that has always been with me. In recent years I started performing regularly in assisted living homes, and my set includes Hank’s “Hey Good Lookin’” (along with “Jambalaya”). He wrote and recorded "Hey, Good Lookin'" in 1951 (it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001). The song has been covered by countless artists and was a precursor to the genre known as Rockabilly. Hank was friendly with musician Jimmy Dickens. Having told Jimmy that he needed a hit record if he was going to become a star, Hank said he’d write it and penned "Hey Good Lookin'" in only 20 minutes while on a plane with Jimmy and entertainer Minnie Pearl. A week later Hank recorded it himself, jokingly telling Jimmy, "That song's too good for you!" Here’s my cover of it (recorded by Chris von Sneidern). Meanwhile, HB HW and thank you for crafting so many great songs. https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/hey-good-lookin

#hankwilliams #minniepearl #jimmydickens #americana #rockabilly #country #hillbilly #drifter #rufuspayne #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge 

[areyougonnabe]

could you explain marie nelson to me... i know that he's tragic and also a misogynist and that's kind of all

well you've got the basics but let's get into the details [cracks knuckles]

edward william nelson was the shore party's biologist, counterpart of lillie who stayed on the ship. like lillie he had been educated at cambridge, however unlike lillie who barely scraped a degree in the end, nelson dropped out lol. he went to work at the plymouth marine biological association, which is where he was when he was hired by wilson (presumably via cambridge connections) for the expedition.

he wasn't as rich as cherry or oates but he came from a landed gentry background, his maternal grandfather was a major landowner in the shetlands in scotland and was, if you believe this random page on the internet, descended directly from King James V of scotland... and his dad was a big deal microscope guy.

anyway by the time nelson was on the expedition his initial nickname was "The Immaculate One" because he was (at first) always wearing a clean collar, and then at some point he became almost universally known as "Marie," short for "Marie Ducas" or "du Car" which nobody ever bothers to explain.

sometimes he was also known as "Antonio" or "Brontë" (that last being a reference to Lord Nelson) and griff often called him "Marie du Car Bronte Antonio Nelson" or another combination of multiple names.

silas wrote in his diary that he "had a taste for gin and bridge" and lots of people remarked on how he wouldn't get out of bed in a timely fashion and was always late to breakfast.

he was kind of seen as dissolute in general or a bit of a slacker. kathleen scott remarked at one point that he "spends all his time on shore being a man about town, which makes him look exceedingly tired" but really i think that was just how his face naturally looked.....

his job at Cape Evans was overseeing his Biological Hole (that's what he's doing in the pic up top) and identifying new antarctic species, taking temperatures, and measuring currents. he had a telephone wire run out to the little igloo he built on the sea ice, and often had company in the form of griff or cherry or whoever wanted to help him keep the ice open and unfrozen at the hole.

he did plenty of science, but that kind of fades into the background in the diaries because most people if they're talking about him at all are mainly giving a running commentary on how much he liked to argue.

his main axe to grind was women's rights... griff seemed to take great joy in calling him a "miserable, cynical reactionary" and goading him into arguments which sometimes descended into pitched physical battle.

from griff's diary, may 30 1911:

Marie Deb & I had a frightful cag in our boudoir about Women’s Suffrage. He is engaged & declares if his wife wanted to exercise her vote (even if she gets one) he will lock her up!

november 3 1911:

We have great cags at meals now. Simpson Deb & I are progressives & Liberals. Nelson is a thorough Reactionary Conservative especially re women & vote & education. However as he said he wished he were a woman (with £500 a year income) we guessed he was abnormal!

nelson probably did the least sledging out of anyone during the first year, not going on a single long-haul trip (even simpson went out on a short spring journey). he mostly just hung out at his igloo i guess? and got really into calculating navigation for fun. also apparently he was the best at chess in the whole hut.

he stayed on for the second year, and did go out sledging on the Search Journey:

there is some great stuff about his midnight poetry and weird moon obsession during the second winter in @worstjourney's very good post here.

i'll also add that it was pretty harsh on everyone else to have Maximum Marie Exposure with no tempering force of griff to allay it.

nelson did contribute heavily to the much-reduced and mildly pathetic Volume IV of the South Polar Times, which featured griff's offcuts from the prior year, deb's illustrations, and poems from nelson including a parody of walt whitman about billiards:

This is the song of billiards:- The tight stretched cloth of green, the serried arches, The cue - faking the cue, the protests from the players, The pyramid, the British Pluck, the Chinese fluke, The click of striking balls, the rattle in the ditch, the grin of joy.

most of the expedition scientists went home on steamers from NZ, but both nelson and lillie stayed on the terra nova as she took the long way round cape horn, in order to do more trawls and marine science.

nelson also took a job as second mate—it was definitely unusual for a scientists with zero navy/sailing experience (except the voyage down) to suddenly become an officer of the watch, but pennell trusted him, and seemingly that trust was not misplaced, as pennell wrote in his diary about how well he took to the job, and to atkinson about how he was by "far & away the most brainy person in the ship."

he got married to the woman he had been engaged to, violet thomas, after returning from the expedition. their only child, a daughter, was born in 1915, but by then he was serving in the royal naval division at gallipoli and then france. his war story is straight up wild and i recommend reading from ice floes to battlefields by anne strathie if you want aaalll the deets. but basically he saw a lot of action, served alongside rupert brooke (among other notables) and came out the other side relatively unharmed... physically.........

after the war he went back to the plymouth marine lab, and was supposed to be working on expedition results, but didn't do much of that.

in 1921 he left his family in plymouth to take a job in scotland working in a lab for the fishing industry, and in 1923 his wife successfully sued for "restitution of conjugal rights" which basically means the court ordered him to return to her....

but that did not end the way she wanted 🙃

shit was sad... he was found with poison injected directly into his leg.

i think there must have been a specific legal reason why the death was declared an accident—maybe something to do with receipt of military pension for the widow? but it obviously was very much on purpose. for whatever reason the thought of having to live with his wife again was so intolerable to him that death was preferable.

so thus ends the Ballad Of Marie Nelson.... here is what deb had to say about him and lillie in 1927, writing to JJ Kinsey:

You heard of Marie Nelson's tragic end no doubt, but I'm inclined to think it was as well. Poor old Lillie is in less happy circumstances, the last I heard of him was that he was never likely to get out of Bedlam, a rather ghastly end up to poor old "Ooze's" brilliant promise.

but much like lillie, nelson's end can't be blamed on his experience in the antarctic as it seems he was relatively content there. occam's razor dictates that A) he clearly had Problems before and B) wartime trauma made those problems worse.

the tragic sequel to this tragic story is the fact that his daughter, barbara, was 93 when she went on a cruise to antarctica to visit Cape Evans and see her father's laboratory... but she died of a fall while on the ship during a storm before they had even gotten there :(

[sherlokiness]

I was reading your posts about Jon and D may have sex and then reading your latest ask made me wonder, do you think Jon will agree to marry Dany as part of convincing her he’s team Targaryen and then cheat on her with Sansa? There’s debate about what Jace and Sara foreshadow. Jonerys fans say it’s about them. But imo it’s part of the Targaryen falling for a Stark woman idea. I wondered if Jace was written to not only build that pattern in for Rhaegar and Lyanna but then Jon and Sansa and part of that would be having a wife or being betrothed and betraying them. That seems dark for Jon, but you mentioned him lying and being deceitful so I wanted your take

Hi, anon. Thanks for the ask.

Political Jon actually would make Dany more sympathetic to the readers but I don't think JD will ever marry. That would mean that Jon will not be betraying his short fling but his nominal wife. Dany will not marry some bastard of the North and we could argue that Jon will be King in the North when he meets Dany but he won't stay as one since Bran and Rickon will be coming home. So JD marriage can only work if Aegon marries his auntie but it will too late by then because RLJ reveal will both expose Dany and Jon's true desires.

For Dany, it will be that she's a power hungry hypocrite who previously said she will give up the crown for love and the IT is only her duty. She's already usurped Viserys and Young Griff by this time and the readers don't care because the former was a monster while the latter is only a pretender. There is justification for the killing. Then we have Jon who she will once again usurp even though Jon is what she claimed she always wanted- her love and the rightful King. WORDS ARE WIND.WIND AND WORDS.

For Jon, it will be that he will be justified in deceiving Dany. She is an egoistic tyrant whom her needs he needed to cater to. I don't know if you've read my meta about heroes and sacrifices. TLDR: Dany's hero moment with the Unsullied was done for the greater good but she did it with deceit and trickery never intending to give a dragon in exchange. The readers don't seem to care cause they were monsters. PolJon willl be a hero and he will do it for the greater good but also with deceit and trickery. Nobody should care cause Dany is a monster.

[romanoffstarkovs]

Emeria Stark: The Silver Wolf

Emeria Stark, the younger twin sister of Robb Stark, was a vibrant and fun-loving child from an early age. Growing up in the majestic Winterfell, she enjoyed exploring the vast grounds, climbing trees, and engaging in playful escapades with her siblings. Despite her lively nature, Emeria often struggled with feelings of inadequacy. She felt overshadowed by her siblings, especially her elder sister Sansa, who seemed to excel at the traditional activities expected of a noble lady, like sewing and courtly etiquette.

Emeria, on the other hand, was more interested in adventure and had little interest in the conventional pursuits of a lady. She would often find herself tangled in thread and making a mess of her sewing projects, which only added to her sense of not being good enough. These feelings of shame and self-doubt burdened her, making her believe that she could never live up to the expectations placed upon her as a Stark lady.

When the time came for her sisters, Arya and Sansa, to travel to King's Landing, Emeria couldn't bear the thought of being left behind in Winterfell. Yearning for an adventure of her own and hoping to escape the constant reminder of her perceived failures, she convinced her father, Eddard Stark, to allow her to join them. Ned, seeing the determination in his daughter's eyes, agreed to her request, though he reminded her to be careful and true to her Stark values.

In King's Landing, Emeria found herself feeling both overwhelmed and intrigued by the bustling city. Among the crowded streets, she encountered a boy named Gendry Waters, a blacksmith's apprentice. Gendry's down-to-earth nature and easy friendship became a bright spot in her otherwise tumultuous life at the royal court. They shared secrets, laughter, and dreams, forming a bond that transcended the rigid social barriers that typically separated nobility from commoners.

However, their newfound friendship was short-lived, as tragedy struck the Stark family. Emeria's beloved father, Ned Stark, was unjustly executed by the Lannisters, plunging her world into darkness. To make matters worse, Gendry was taken away from her, and she felt like she had lost everything that mattered.

Fueled by grief, anger, and a desperate desire for justice, Emeria made the daring decision to run away from King's Landing, vowing to avenge her father and find Gendry. Her journey took her to unfamiliar lands, where she encountered a young man named Young Griff, who introduced himself as "Aegon Targaryen," the long-lost heir to the Iron Throne.

Young Griff revealed that he sought to reclaim his birthright and was assembling supporters to aid him in his cause. Intrigued by his determination and touched by his offer to help find Gendry, Emeria struck a bargain with him. She pledged her allegiance to his cause, agreeing to support his claim to the Iron Throne, in exchange for his help in seeking justice for her father and finding her lost friend.

As Emeria and Young Griff embarked on this quest together, they faced numerous challenges, forging an unbreakable bond along the way. The journey tested Emeria's strength, resilience, and belief in herself. With every step, she learned to accept her flaws, realizing that she was enough, not as a perfect lady, but as a courageous and compassionate individual capable of making a difference in the world.

[famousinmyfandom]

If you enjoy what I do, please consider donating to me at ko-fi.com/roxashasboxers. I am disabled and could always use some extra cash. (Also quick reminder NOT to discuss such things on AO3 as it is against their TOS to have transactions through their site.)

All works will be posted on my AO3!

I am also currently offering donation fics for Palestine and Sudan. If you’re interested in a writing commission in exchange for a donation, check out this post.

I do occasionally shift things around (usually to keep parts in the same series within a week of each other or to vary fandoms if I’m posting a lot for one thing in a row), but this is my current upload schedule:

9/21: SlimJess fic - Fall

9/22: Kid Curry/Jess Harper/Hannibal Heyes fic - Plan (Smut)

9/23: SlimJess short - Brush

9/24: CurryHeyes short - Purpose (Responsibility 2/10)

9/25: SlimJess short - Feather (Light Smut)

9/26: Kid Curry short - Aim (Recoil 2/2)

9/27: SlimJess short - Slap (BDSM Verse 18/?)

9/28: SlimJess fic - Impact (BDSM Verse 19/?) (Smut)

9/29: CurryHeyes fic - Flat (Responsibility 3/10)

9/30: SlimJess short - Underneath

10/1: CurryHeyes short - Jewelry

10/2: SlimJess short - Skin (Light Smut)

10/3: Steve Rogers short - Stars (old draft)

10/4: SlimJess short - Soup

10/5: SlimJess fic - Shield

10/6: SlimJess fic - Handcuffs (Smut)

10/7: CurryHeyes short - Hold (Responsibility 4/10)

10/8: SlimJess short - Cave

10/9: CurryHeyes - Texture

10/10: SlimJess short - Grass

10/11: CurryHeyes short - Face (Responsibility 5/10)

10/12: SlimJess fic - Floor (BDSM Verse 20/?) (Smut)

10/13: SlimJess fic - Hostage (Vampire AU 4/5)

10/14: SlimJess short - Spoon

10/15: CurryHeyes short - Bird

10/16: SlimJess short - Vomit

10/17: CurryHeyes short - Bump

10/18: SlimJess short - Metal

10/19: CurryHeyes fic - The Next Step (Responsibility 6/10)

10/20: SlimJess fic - Ice (BDSM Verse 21/?) (Smut)

10/21: SlimJess short - Hunt (Werecat AU 8/?)

10/22: CurryHeyes short - Rush (Smut)

10/23: SlimJess short - Fur (Werecat AU 9/?)

10/24: CurryHeyes short - Overprotective

10/25: SlimJess short - Dress Up

10/26: CurryHeyes fic - Revenge (Responsibility 7/10)

10/27: SlimJess fic - Waterfall (BDSM Verse 22/?) (Smut)

10/28: Jess short - Quit

10/29: CurryHeyes short - Bridge

10/30: SlimJess short - Death (Wing AU 2/3)

10/31: CurryHeyes short - Rain

11/1: SlimJess short - Spread (Wing AU 3/3)

11/2: SlimJess fic - Replace (Whips 2/2) (Smut)

11/3: SlimJess fic - Drag

11/4: CurryHeyes short - Knuckles (Responsibility 8/10)

11/5: SlimJess short - Couch

11/6: CurryHeyes short - Deep (Light Smut)

11/7: SlimJess short - Spin

11/8: CurryHeyes short - Slip

11/9: SlimJess fic - Crack (BDSM Verse 23/?) (Smut)

11/10: CurryHeyes fic - Justice (Responsibility 9/10)

11/11: SlimJess short - Half

11/12: CurryHeyes short - Guitar

11/13: SlimJess short - Cook

11/14: CurryHeyes short - Fog (Mild Smut)

11/15: SlimJess short - Sock

11/16: CurryHeyes fic - Anxiety (Anxiety 1/2)

11/17: SlimJess fic - Wall (Smut)

11/18: CandyJoe short - Sharp

11/19: SlimJess short - Tell

11/20: CurryHeyes short - Lantern

11/21: SlimJess short - Sand (Desert 1/3)

11/22: CurryHeyes short - Promise (Anxiety 2/2)

11/23: SlimJess fic - Melting Point

11/24: CurryHeyes fic - Whisper (Responsibility 10/10)

11/25: SlimJess short - Spring (Desert 2/3)

11/26: CurryHeyes short - Shuffle

11/27: SlimJess short - Sting

11/28: CandyGriff short - Belt

11/29: SlimJess short - Shell (Mermaid AU 4/?)

11/30: SlimJess fic - Secret (Secret 1/2)

12/1: CurryHeyes fic - Slow (Smut)

12/2: SlimJess short - Shadow (Desert 3/3)

12/3: CurryHeyes short - Startle

12/4: SlimJess short - Puddle

12/5: CurryHeyes short - Fortune

12/6: SlimJess short - Order

12/7: SlimJess fic - Paper

12/8: SlimJess fic - Drive (Smut)

12/9: CurryHeyes short - Curve

12/10: SlimJess short - Shame (Secret 2/2)

12/11: CurryHeyes short - Silhouette

12/12: SlimJess short - Collapse

12/13: Griff King short - Kick

12/14: SlimJess fic - Reunion (Union 1/3)

12/15: SlimJess fic - Saddle (BDSM Verse 24/?) (Smut)

12/16: CurryHeyes short - Kids

12/17: SlimJess short - Hide

12/18: CurryHeyes short - Coast

12/19: SlimJess short - Drop

12/20: SlimJess short - Arm

12/21: CurryHeyes fic - Heavy (Heavy 1/2)

12/22: SlimJess fic - Match (BDSM Verse 25/?) (Smut)

12/23: SlimJess short - Alone

12/24: CurryHeyes short - Careful

12/25: SlimJess short - Marriage (Union 2/3)

12/26: CurryHeyes short - Gift (Heavy 2/2)

12/27: SlimJess short - Sticky (BDSM Verse 26/?) (Smut)

12/28: CurryHeyes fic - Mud

12/29: SlimJess fic - Temper (Smut)

12/30: CurryHeyes short - Grace

12/31: SlimJess short - Growl (Werecat AU 10/?)

1/1: Steve Rogers short - Search (old draft)

1/2: SlimJess short - Ring (Union 3/3)

1/3: CurryHeyes short - Despair

1/4: SlimJess fic - Stranded

1/5: SlimJess fic - Omegaverse (Smut)

1/6: CurryHeyes short - Miracle

1/7: SlimJess short - Complete

1/8: CandyGriff short - Giggle

1/9: SlimJess short - Vein

1/10: CurryHeyes short - Dance

1/11: SlimJess fic - Cage

1/12: SlimJess fic - Palm (BDSM Verse 27/?) (Smut)

1/13: SlimJess short - Tree

1/14: SlimJess short - Haunt

1/15: CurryHeyes short - Wrap

1/16: SlimJess short - Formal

1/17: CurryHeyes short - Shave

1/18: SlimJess fic - Pit

1/19: SlimJess fic - Gun (BDSM Verse 28/?) (Smut)

1/20: CurryHeyes short - Crazy

1/21: SlimJess short - Mountain

1/22: CurryHeyes short - Only Two Will Know

1/23: SlimJess short - Stab

1/24: CurryHeyes short - Shake (Smut)

1/25: SlimJess fic - Thrown

1/26: SlimJess fic - Bite (Vampire fic 5/5) (Smut)

1/27: CurryHeyes short - Lamb

1/28: SlimJess short - Fire

1/29: SamTron short (Smut)

1/31: ClemCurryHeyes short - Syrup (Smut)

2/1: SlimJess short - Morning

2/2: Kid Curry/Hannibal Heyes/Griff King fic - Abandoned (Smut)

2/3: SlimJess fic - Ripple

2/4: CurryHeyes short - Attack

2/5: SlimJess short - Rule

2/6: CurryHeyes short - Ruffle

2/7: SlimJess short - Tie

2/8: CandyGriff fic - Wash (A Little Bent 1/9)

2/9: SlimJess fic - Wait (BDSM Verse 29/?) (Smut)

2/10: CurryHeyes short - Loose

2/11: SlimJess short - Trough (BDSM Verse 28/?) (Smut)

2/12: CurryHeyes short - Bath

2/13: SlimJess short - Angry

2/14: CurryHeyes short - Chain

2/15: CandyGriff fic - Freckle (A Little Bent 2/9)

2/16: SlimJess fic - Fist (BDSM Verse 30/?) (Smut)

2/17: Jess short - Hang

2/18: SlimJess short - Shoulders

2/19: Kid Curry/Jess Harper/Hannibal Heyes short - Gang (Light Smut)

2/20: CandyGriff short - Gaze (A Little Bent 3/9)

2/21: SlimJess short - Boots

2/22: CandyGriffJoe fic - Competition (Three 2/5) (Smut)

2/23: SlimJess fic - Leather (BDSM Verse 31/?) (Smut)

2/24: CandyGriff short - Blessing (A Little Bent 4/9)

2/25: SlimJess short - Honor

2/26: Jim Horn/John Woods | Sitkonga short (Smut)

2/27: SlimJess short - First

2/28: SlimJess short - Drift

3/1: CandyGriff fic - Follow (A Little Bent 5/9)

3/2: Kid Curry/Jess Harper/Hannibal Heyes fic - Welcome (Smut)

3/3: SlimJess short - Legs

3/4: JoeGriff short - Teach

3/5: SlimJess short - Red

3/6: CurryHeyes short - Pray

3/7: SlimJess short - Silver

3/8: CandyGriff fic - Smile (A Little Bent 6/9) (Smut)

3/9: CandyGriff fic - Shirt (A Little Bent 7/9)

3/10: SlimJess short - Trail

3/11: CurryHeyes short - Marks

3/12: SlimJess short - Weight

3/13: CurryHeyes short - Coin

3/14: SlimJess short - Numb

3/15: CandyGriff fic - Exposed (A Little Bent 8/9)

3/16: CurryHeyes fic - Revelation (Smut)

3/17: Jess Harper & Mort Corey short - Father

3/18: CurryHeyes short - Circle (Smut)

3/19: Jim Horn/Trampas short - Vulnerable

3/20: CurryHeyes short - Pump

3/21: SlimJess short - March

3/22: CurryHeyes short - Bone

3/23: Jess&Traveller fic - Bury

3/24: CandyGriffJoe - Guilty (Three 3/5) (Smut)

3/25: SlimJess short - Late

3/26: CurryHeyes short - Ditch

3/27: SlimJess short - North

3/28: CurryHeyes short - Valley

3/29: CandyGriff short - Join (A Little Bent 9/9)

3/30: CurryHeyes fic - Change (Inevitable 6/7) (Smut)

3/31: CandyGriffJoe fic - The Offer (Three 4/5)

4/1: SlimJess short - Hem

4/2: Griff King short - Assault

4/3: CurryHeyes short - Tombstone

4/4: SlimJess short - Scratch

4/5: CurryHeyes short - Fluffy

4/6: SlimJess fic - Water

4/7: CurryHeyes fic - Rope (Smut)

4/8: SlimJess short - Catch

4/9: CandyGriff short - Tastes Like Trail Dust

4/10: SlimJess short - Toes

4/11: CurryHeyes short - Fingertips

4/12: SlimJess short - Survive

4/13: CurryHeyes fic - Earthly Pleasures (Inevitable 7/7) (Smut)

4/14: Jackson Whittemore&Allison Argent fic - Perfect Disaster 1/4

4/15: CurryHeyes short - Dry

4/16: SlimJess short - Clean

4/17: CurryHeyes short - Bead (Smut)

4/18: SlimJess short - Branch

4/19: CurryHeyes fic - Fear

4/20: Jackson Whittemore&Allison Argent fic - Perfect Disaster 2/4

4/21: SlimJess short - Cake

4/22: CurryHeyes short - Clear

4/23: SlimJess short - Close

4/24: CurryHeyes short - Elevation

4/25: SlimJess short - Quilt

4/26: CandyGriffJoe fic - Reveal (Three 5/5)(Smut)

4/27: Jackson Whittemore&Allison Argent fic - Perfect Disaster 3/4

4/28: SlimJess short - Letter

4/29: CurryHeyes short - Sugar

4/30: SlimJess short - Taste

5/1: Griff & Joe short - Chill

5/2: SlimJess short - Colors

5/3: ClemCurryHeyes fic - Husband (Smut)

5/4: Jackson Whittemore&Allison Argent fic - Perfect Disaster 4/4

5/5: SlimJess short - Stubborn

5/6: CurryHeyes short - Sticks (Shelter 1/2)

5/7: SlimJess short - Splash

5/8: CurryHeyes short - Leak (Shelter 2/2)

5/9: SlimJess short - Watch

5/10: CurryHeyes fic - Rot (Here There Be Dragons! 1/3)

5/11: SlimJess fic - Suit (BDSM Verse 32/?) (Smut)

5/12: SlimJess short - Wet

5/13: SlimJess short - Truth

5/14: CurryHeyes short - Roast (Here There Be Dragons! 2/3)

5/15: SlimJess short - Sight

5/16: CurryHeyes short - Torch (Here There Be Dragons! 3/3)

5/17: CandyGriff fic - Rose

5/18: CurryHeyes fic - Pack (Smut)

5/19: SlimJess short - Rest

5/20: Griff King short - Buck

5/21: SlimJess short - Worry

5/22: CandyGriff short - Favorite

5/23: SlimJess short - Step

5/24: SlimJess fic - Heat

5/25: CurryHeyes fic - Relax (Smut)

5/26: SlimJess short - Steal

5/27: CurryHeyes short - Fish

5/28: SlimJess short - Cuddle

5/29: CurryHeyes short - Insecurity

5/30: SlimJess short - Juice

5/31: SlimJess fic - Slope

6/1: CurryHeyes fic - Better Than Misery (Smut)

6/2: SlimJess short - Dust

6/3: CurryHeyes short - Charm

6/4: SlimJess short - Fold

6/5: CurryHeyes short - Insomnia

6/6: SlimJess short - Hands

6/7: Griff King fic - Gate

6/8: SlimJess fic - Mirror (Smut)

6/7: CurryHeyes short - Poke

6/8: SlimJess short - Bar

6/9: Little Joe & Griff short - Scrub

6/10: SlimJess short - Boat

6/11: CurryHeyes short - Found

6/12: SlimJess fic - Rescue

6/13: CurryHeyes fic - Jeans (Smut)

6/14: SlimJess short - Braid

6/15: CurryHeyes short - Sand

6/16: SlimJess short - Shed

6/17: CurryHeyes short - Future

6/18: SlimJess short - Bluff

6/19: CurryHeyes fic - Rust (Rust 1/3)

6/20: SlimJess fic - Awake (Smut)

6/21: CurryHeyes short - Rise (Rust 2/3)

6/22: SlimJess short - Herd

6/23: CurryHeyes short - Hot (Rust 3/3)

6/24: SlimJess short - Trapped

6/25: CurryHeyes short - Gap

6/26: SlimJess fic - Lucky

6/27: CurryHeyes fic - Pajamas (Smut)

6/28: SlimJess short - Attention

6/29: CurryHeyes short - Bear

6/30: SlimJess short - Draw

7/1: CurryHeyes short - Sky

7/2: SlimJess short - Lock

7/3: CurryHeyes fic - Flood