#here's how nettles can still win

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

#somehow. it is not yet nettover

It is not! Yes, surprisingly Rhaena did not actually claim Sheepstealer this season, so there's still hope she won't, and maybe Nettles can come in, etc.

However... there may be another way.

We think the wild sheep-eating dragon Rhaena found must be Sheepstealer because. well. who else would it be? and there were rumors/leaks, etc etc. But, interestingly, this dragon has a weird patchy brown pattern. Some think it may have a form of dragon mange or maybe vitiligo.

But what if it's just mud? It looks like mud to me. And underneath is pink. Yes, pink. What if that mud can wash off? What if that dragon is not actually Sheepstealer?? What if it's Morning?!

Yes. It's morning in Westeros. 🙏🌄🩷

here’s how nettles can still win

[whitegownsandflowercrowns]

This is how I’m convincing myself that Nettles will still be in the series.

[ride-thedragon]

So, tmrw, we will be talking about Rhaenyra and her motherhood. I'm brave.

But also I was right and I'm glad the show did exactly what I asked with Jace, his bastardy and the seeds. I will be suing

[onlyangel4]

can i request an smau of lovesick and sappy Lando, theyve been together for a while but theyve never left the honeymoon stage 💞

still so in love with you. ln4. smau.

lando norris x girlfriend!reader

everyone told lando that the love filled haze would fade with time. but two years later and he is still so obsessed with you.

faceclaim: umi

landonorris posted a story tagging y/ninsta

written: isn't she just gorgeous

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, charlesleclerc, y/ninsta and 1,238,734 others

tagged: y/ninsta

landonorris: had the best summer break with the loml

view all 32,474 comments

y/ninsta: i love exploring the world with you

landonorris: the best travel buddy anyone could ever ask for

oscarpiastri: man you are so whipped

landonorris: what about it?

user1: they are just so in love it is so cute

landonorrisupdates

liked by user2, user3, user4 and 37,383 others

landonorrisupdates: guys they just asked lando about y/n and his face lit up at the oppurtunity to talk about her. "sadly she is not here today she has been very busy with work but i got to spend the perfect summer break in peru with her. honestly when we started dating the guys teased me for how in love i was and they told me that the giddy feeling would fade but it hasn't i am still so in love with her"

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user2: oh my god this is the cutest thing ever

user3: they are so in love and i love that for them

user4: i don't think i have ever seen them so happy it is so sweet

y/ninsta posted a story

written: guess where i am

user5 replied to your story: please be italy omg

y/ninsta posted a story

written: if you guessed italy you were right!

landonorris

liked by mclaren, y/ninsta, oscarpiastri 1,783,432 others

tagged: y/ninsta

landonorris: i just got my second win holy shit! i just wanted to say thank you to my girl, y/n i never would have been able to do this without your endless support. every time you attend a gp i push myself a little harder, it worked in miami and it worked today. i love you so much thank you for being there for me today. this win was all for you.

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y/ninsta: i'm crying again omg i love you so much

landonorris: you are my muse

mclaren: petition for y/n to attend every race

landonorris: i would sign it

user6: this couple are the definition of love

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[grendelsmom]

I'll be a "here's how Nettles can still win" warrior till the bitter end, but honestly they are not going to include her. Not only did we end the season with dragon-less Rhaena right next to Sheepstealer, but also Daemon's character has been set up in a way that allows them to let him die his book death, without the book motivations. Instead of the "let's groom one last teenager and then fuck off to my suicide by cop date with my nephew", he's going to sacrifice himself for the greater good, because he's been shown what will come of it. A kind of "this needs to happen for Rhaenyra and hope to succed" instead of the betrayal it was in the books.

I've been bracing myself for the loss of Nettles basically ever since the cast announcement for season 2, but if they're going to do with Daemon what I think they're going to do... well, way lower hopes for season 3 than I had for season 2.

[bayofwolves]

here's how we can still win. the dragon rhaena finds in the vale is actually grey ghost, not sheepstealer. this would make sense of why rhaena spent so long, certainly a few days at least, searching before she even caught a glimpse of him -- grey ghost was notoriously elusive and could evade humans for long periods of time. this also explains the relatively small size of the dragon we see in the finale, as grey ghost is implied to have been young at the time of his death. rhaena can claim grey ghost and fulfil her quest as she deserves, and nettles can still appear and have sheepstealer, a larger, browner, entirely different dragon. this is how we win.

[witheredoffherwitch]

ok choose oner: alysmond or rhaemond?

No nonnie, you can't force me to choose between these two pairs 🥺

Alysmond has always been a part of F&B canon and it has captured my heart ever since I first read about it in the books. I have a weakness for forbidden romances with a gothic twist, and Alysmond embodies that perfectly. Alysmond has a punk rock vibe when you think about it - an edgy Targaryen prince with the baddest dragon and a witchy bastard roaming the halls of Harrenhal. How can you not be drawn to this dynamic? Even if you don't find the pairing appealing, you have to appreciate the aesthetic of their relationship.

On the other hand, when I ship Rhaemond, I am referring only to the show version. In F&B, Rhaena and Aemond are so isolated from each other that they don't even feel like they belong in the same era. But as season 2 progresses, Rhaemond is quickly becoming my favorite rarepair. Whenever my timeline becomes too overwhelming or insufferable, I take comfort in these headcanons and parallels. It's my happy place. I remember eagerly consuming every crack theory from Rhaena being present at the Battle of God's Eye (replacing Nettles' role) to Alysmond and Daettles being swapped with her story with Aemond in the show. Here despite all the potential losses, I love this pairing so much that in my delulu mind, I STILL win.

Anyway, I adore both of these ships, and will continue doing so in my own space regardless of how the show handles their stories moving forward. In fact, I've always been fascinated by the idea of Rhaelysmond even. It's the perfect Hotd rarepair once you think about it; the possibilities are limitless.

[rodriktheereader]

here’s how nettles can still win: maybe rhaena encounters nettles when she finds sheepstealer? like they are already bonded or something?

[thebibutterflyao3]

Day Twenty-One - Mushroom @sapphicmicrofics

April Daily Series - 961 words

<<<Previous Part OR Start Here

Marlene needed a solid plan. She was a bit shite at improvising on the fly. That’s why she was a good goalie, Marlene didn’t need to be creative with her saves. She stuck to her tried and true methods and refused to be baited out of her net.

I need evidence. She can’t argue with tangible proof that we belong together. Then again, she can’t argue if I’m kissing her either.

Technically, Dorcas could argue with a wall. That’s why she would make a brilliant lawyer. Marlene had no chance to win a verbal battle. Dorcas’s weakness was that she was sentimental. She still had the bowl they made together in the sitting room and hadn’t scratched out her message underneath, Marlene checked.

Goal: Convince Dorcas to take me back.

Steps: 1. Reminiscing 2. Kissing 3. Confessing my love.

It was a lofty goal, to be fair, and with a bruised nose, her charm had a heavy burden to overcome. Unless of course, Dorcas wanted to kiss her out of pity. Marlene certainly wouldn’t turn her down.

Kissing Dorcas was the key. They always spoke more clearly through physical affection. Dorcas couldn’t mistake her meaning, no matter how poorly her message was delivered.

Once they reached the flat, Dorcas disappeared into her room. Marlene was tempted to follow and continue their banter. Arguing often led to kissing, in her experience.

“Marlene,” Pandora whispered, waving her into the kitchen.

Curious, Marlene followed the summons. She checked the bedroom door before stepping into the kitchen, but it remained shut. Hopefully, Dorcas was simply changing her clothes.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lily asked. “I don’t want to upset Dorcas on my second day here.”

Pandora hushed her gently, then focused on Marlene. “Are you a mushroom or a tree?”

“Huh?” Marlene glanced between the two women with a frown. “What does that mean?”

“Are you surface level?” Pandora elaborated, gesturing with impatience.

Marlene stared at her blankly. She was starting to wonder if she’d wandered onto a planet where everyone’s brains were extra wrinkly, while hers had begun to smooth. Either everyone in this flat was far too clever for a normal sod to understand, or they were complete nutters.

“I want to say ‘huh’ again, but I have a feeling that’s not the answer you��re looking for.”

Lily giggled. “She means your feelings for Dorcas. We can tell that you still care for her, but how deep does it go? How much is buried underneath? Is it like a tree’s roots? Or is it like a mushroom’s mycelium?”

“Plants aren’t really my thing,” Marlene said slowly, reaching for the door. “Hold on, I think I need a translator. Regulus? Do you speak plant nerd?”

A sharp snort from Regulus was followed by a booming laugh from James. The pair appeared in the doorway with matched grins. Regulus’s head cocked when he met Pandora’s intense gaze.

“Plant nerd?” he repeated, eyebrows raised.

“Am I a tree or a mushroom?” Marlene asked, shrugging. “If I had to pick a plant, I would have said eggplant just for a laugh, but this is over my head.”

“More like nettles,” James added with a smirk as he poked her arm repeatedly. “Little jabs that annoy the piss out of you and are impossible to ignore.”

Marlene flipped him off. “Not helping. Regulus? Care to give it a go?”

Regulus grabbed James’s hands and wrapped them around his waist, immediately distracting his boyfriend. “Behave, mon amour. Now, what are we talking about? Trees and mushrooms?”

Pandora scoffed, “It’s not that complicated! It was a metaphor for her feelings for Dorcas.”

“Marls doesn’t speak metaphorically either,” James said, propping his chin on Regulus’s head.

Marlene pointed at him in agreement. “What he said.”

Regulus frowned. “This isn’t any of our business, Panda.”

“Which is why I was using metaphors!” Pandora defended. She stepped forward and gripped Marlene’s chin, then tugged her head down. “Are you in love with Dorcas?”

“Yes, obviously. Who wouldn’t be?” Marlene snarked.

Lily, Regulus, and James all raised their hands. She glanced between them in confusion until Pandora forced her attention back on her face. For such a tiny woman, she was rather demanding. Marlene liked her already.

“Trees are show-offs, surface-level lovers. Their roots cannot support them and that’s why they fall. Shallow affection isn’t enough. Mushrooms have root systems that dig deep in the soil, connect with others and grow constantly. They can survive in any weather, withstand any trial. If the mushroom is plucked, it will simply regrow. Soul deep love survives,” Pandora explained tersely. “So, are you a mushroom or a tree?”

“Oooh. I’m a ‘shroom then. A psychedelic ‘shroom!”

James grinned wide. “That must be why Peter puts up with you.”

Pandora groaned and rubbed at her forehead. “You’re such a twit! I cannot begin to understand why Dorcas built a shrine for you.”

“A what now?” Marlene spluttered.

Lily cringed hard. “Perhaps ‘shrine’ is too strong of a word, love.”

“No, it’s not.”

Marlene waved her hands urgently. “Wait, wait, wait! What kind of shrine? Are we talking candles and voodoo dolls or hero worship?”

“Does it really matter?” James asked, nudging her shoulder with his own. “You would be into either of them.”

“True, but I want to be prepared. What kink am I appealing to? Am I sacrificing my body to my goddess or blessing her with my lofty gaze?”

James’s laugh bounced around the walls of the kitchen, while Regulus buried his face in his boyfriend’s neck and shook with silent laughter. Even Lily giggled, but Pandora continued to glare at Marlene. She was a tough nut to crack.

Oh good, now I’m making plant metaphors. It’s contagious! Maybe Pandora is poison ivy.

[claudiatherelentless]

Here's how we can still Win

Sheepstealer kills that guy and then decides to move to The Vale

The farmers whose sheep he starts stealing go to Lady Jayne and Princess Rhaena with an appeal that Something be done about this Wild Beast that taking all their livestock

Rhaena has her Eggs and has already begun to Feel Life in Mornings Egg and so is reticent to attempt to claim Sheepstealer but is pressured to try

MEANWHILE Nettles, the Trueborn Daughter of a one of those very farmers has been giving the Dragon offerings to protect the rest of her fathers flock

Sheepstealer is lowkey falling in love with Nettles and has decided that This is a Woman worthy of being Their Rider

Rhaena arrives just in time to witness Nettles first flight on Sheepstealer

Sheepstealer isnt the only one In Love with Netty now...

Messy as Fuck Rhaena × Nettles × Daemon × Rhaenyra love quadrangle

Rhaenyra is Jealous of both of their affections for Nettles. Daemon, because hes her goddamn husband, Rhaena, because in Rhaenyras mind Rhaena should still be hopelessly devoted to the Luke's Preteen Ghost.

Everything in Maidenpool happens but is made messier by Nettles and Sheepstealers trips to The Eerie to be with Rhaena relay vital information to Lady Jayne

I've lost the Plot but the main points are

Nettles born and Raised in The Vale with no known Targaryen ancestors claims a Dragon.

Team Black invents speculation about her parentage to maintain to lie that only those with "the Blood of the Dragon" can claim a Dragon. The Themes remain in place.

Nettles has Family and isnt such a racist caricature [A brown girl of unknown parentage who had to be taught how to bathe isnt the best look.]

Rhaena × Nettles messy lesbianisms for everyone uninterested in the Rhaenyra × Alicent messy lesbianisms

Anyway. HBO should call me.

[horizon-verizon]

What do you think of this?

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/dulcewrites/715272275441729537

I am just going to transcribe what the person wrote, bc I don't want to go back and forth for this:

I have random Baela and Rhaena thoughts. This is probably discombobulated lmao 😭

As much as I am looking forward to (and very much hoping for) more scenes/lines for rhaena and baela, it is personally going to be so… bittersweet (??) to watch them be involved in a war where imo they gain nothing by Rhaenyra winning. And knowing how reading seems to not be fundemental in this fandom, no this is not me saying it would make sense for them to fight for team green. Though if Alicent followed through on what she said to Rhaenys, they’d have driftmark but that’s neither here nor there I guess.

Especially if we go strictly by show canon. They are THEE dragon twins essentially offered up to legitimized two boys bc that’s all Rhaenyra has at that moment (before viserys swoops in again). She tried with Alicent, who shot her down knowing that Helaena, Dreamfyre, and possible children she would have with Jace would be used as leverage.

I would get it more if it was for family reasons or even personal ambitions (Baela being queen. Though her children would quite literally be put in the same position Rhaenyra’s kids are. If they even got that far💀). But imo nothing in the show depicts that. They try to show them having some sort of affection with Luke and Jace; still don’t know if that is romantic or sibling wise. Either way, I’m supposed to believe it’s enough?? If the fight is for Rhaenyra, they did a bad job showing that too and frankly it would not make sense. If it is for daemon that’s… a choice.

Something about Baela being ‘just like daemon’ but sitting and smiling nicely while Rhaenyra takes her birthright just kind of makes me laugh 😭. Like I said, I could possibly understand this decision if we got shades of Baela wanting to be queen. She seems pretty devoted to her grandmother and wards at Driftmark, it is just hard for me to think she in particular would be over the moon about Luke being lord of the tides. Regardless of if she sees him as family or not.

I am someone who will always advocate for more women on the show, especially women from a different social/economic background from the noble ones we got in s1. So if they choose to make Sara Snow a real person, there won’t be any real qualms out of me about it (unless they write her weird lol). But ngl it will be hard watching Baela fight, quite literally, while jace is away possibly falling in love and Rhaenyra sits on her butt at dragonstone. And daemon is away grooming another young girl???

Like who and what are they fighting for!!!

Oh, don’t even get me started on how Rhaena gets absolutely nothing out of this, and honestly nothing from the people who are supposed to take care of her. I just think they both got the short end of the stick, at least during the war. Which I guess is the point of it all. Casualties and people going through strife for a stupid throne but yeah.. I’m just kind of eh about watching that unfold.

Answers

A)

I already stated several times that DaemonxNettles isn't a thing and Daemon never groomed that girl. People can check out the stuff I have tagged as "daemon and nettles", click this link, or click this for a very specific post about it.

B)

Them: "Though her children would quite literally be put in the same position Rhaenyra’s kids are. "

No, they wouldn't. How would they...if the greens were sent to the Wall, executed, etc.? How ridiculous.

...I don't understand how Baela and Rhaena wouldn't win by becoming a Queen and a Lady of a major house respectively. Ain't no way.....Why does this person think Margaery Tyrell, Cersei Lannister Arianne Martell, and Rhaenyra herself ALL want to be some sort of Queen or woman-in-charge-with-highest-social-station?!

There are real sociopolitical benefits to being a Lady of a great house and a damn Queen Consort! That is the entire point of feudalist political marriages!

They say this: "And knowing how reading seems to not be fundemental in this fandom, no this is not me saying it would make sense for them to fight for team green. Though if Alicent followed through on what she said to Rhaenys, they’d have driftmark but that’s neither here nor there I guess."

Yet the second sentence is telling us that Alicent would have given Driftmark to the girls if they had just changed teams or acquiesced to the greens' terms...which is still giving up the black cause/rhaenyra's cause. So in order to get the house that Rhaenys, Viserys, and Corlsy all already give Rhaena and her future kids with Luke....the girls have to be handed their already-assured inheritances by those who are seeking to make them and those they lived with as family members for 6 years hostage...Cuz that's what Otto is doing: trying to make these girls hostages and limit their options so they, Daemon, and Rhaenyra can't retaliate in fear of these girls and these girls' parents' lives...If any of them were to just give up!

The other thing is that, once again, Corlys is the one to have made the arrangement with Viserys concerning who will inherit and marry who. not Rhaenyra, who is merely following their directive and wishes that also benefit the two girls mentioned!

You know, perhaps it's because of the jump cut and HotD's terrible writing limiting how much screentime each actor gets to show emotion, and how we the audience do not actually witness how Rhaenyra's family became a family after she and Daemon marry (Spoiler alert, it is!). jeynearrynofthevale writes this about one thing the show should have done:

Spend way more time on court politics and the buildup of the dance. Show why the two sides are falling the way they do and establish the core issues at play. Spend some more time establishing the characters before time jumps. Maybe give Rhaenyra motivation for ruling in terms of what she wants to do. Have her and Alicent navigate around each other in court.

the reason why it feels like Baela seems placid or uninterested is not because she is emotionally distant from her own family, but because these writers aren't worth their salt. the Jump cut robbed us all.

You don't even need to have read any ASoIaF book to understand any of this. how could one not know that being Queen Consort is a coveted and sociopolitically advantageous position?!

C)

There is absolutely no proof that Sara Snow existed. Absolutely none. the only thing we ever hear about this girl is from Mushroom...who never was in the North with Jace! So how the hell does he know this girl exists, much less what Jaecerys did or didn't do with her?!

Mind you, this is the same person who inspired the idea that Daemon fucked Nettles:

Mushroom [who was not at Maidenpool] would have us believe it was not. By the dwarf’s account, Daemon Targaryen had come to love the small brown bastard girl, and had taken her into his bed.

("Rhaenyra Triumphant")

If the writers dare to make Sara Snow a thing, and if this writer is that concerned about Baela fighting while Jace cheats on her, they should know that if they make SS a real person and have Jace cheat with her it's all bullshit just to add "spice" and be provocative. Just as Mushroom does and what they did with Rhaenys coming out of the floor in epi 9.

D)

IF Rhaenyra is going to just "sit on her butt" because SHE JUST "GAVE BIRTH" TO A STILLBORN BABY!!!

and because it is already common and expected for the leader of the side to be like the king piece of chess: little moves to limit the opportunities for the other side to injure/kill them.

I don't know if I want these posts anymore...I've gone down some crazy rabbit holes.

E) *Look to comments/reblogs for mononijikayu's description of how this also reveals the HotD's lack of knowledge and perspective about medieval woman's acts towards gaining and using power*

Excerpts:

1.

and also, baela and rhaena becoming queen and lady of the tides is the best damn position they could get. as the line of succession places them further, their real shot is a really good royal marrisge. daughters go before uncles in line of succession, so daemon's baela and rhaena would end up behind rhaenyra's female led bloodline - herself, her sons with laenor and then her sons with daemon and then their daughter visenya had she lived.

2.

thats why laena and rhaenyra arranged the marriage a few years before she passed. baela being queen consort could usher a revival of a type of queenship that hasnt been seen since rhaenys and visenya. jace would be a pro-active king who probably will like to see how his people lives, so he would continue the tradition of aegon i's royal processions. he would leave the rulership to baela, administratively as his representative and rule on his behalf. its been done before by various kings, including by richard lionheart who named his mother regent while he was on crusade. jace would do the same, but with baela doing much of the administration and household and managing of royal residences.

[whitegownsandflowercrowns]

Here’s How Nettles Can Still Win

Dragons can understand English: As we saw in Episode 2x04, “The Red Dragon And The Gold”, Aegon’s grasp of High Valyrian is beginner level at best. He can have to make a war and not much else. Therefore, he commands his dragon, Sunfyre, in English or whatever it’s called in Westeros. While Aegon slacking off in his High Valyrian lessons is in character, it could also very much serve as foreshadowing for someone who speaks zero High Valyrian to tame a dragon. Addam, Hugh, and Ulf will all likely learn the basic commands, like Dracarys. But there could be someone who’s not going to learn any of those things, someone who has tamed a dragon in spite of that.

Rhaena did not claim that dragon yet: Her last moment in the episode was seeing the dragon and having it roar at her. For all we know it could eat her. Nettles hasn’t been ruled out yet.

The dragon might not be Sheepstealer: There are many wild dragons in Fire & Blood, not just Sheepstealer. We as a society are overlooking the potential comedic value of Rhaena claiming Cannibal.

Rhaenyra is getting more morally dubious: I have seen Rhaenyra brought up a lot as a potential reason that the writer's room may have decided to cut Nettles, because if you know anything about Nettles' story, you know that Rhaenyra doesn't come out of it looking great. Given how Rhaenyra has been depicted for most of the show, this is a fair criticism. HOWEVER. Rhaenyra in the second half of Season 2 is a Rhaenyra who is a lot more morally questionable. She lets dozens of her own relatives suffer horrific deaths on the off chance that one of them might be able to claim a dragon (and it worked, so she now thinks that it was all worth it), she plans for a battle that would kill thousands of innocents, and she tells Alicent to offer up "a son for a son" knowing damn well what happened to Helaena and Jaehaerys. The writers aren't necessarily afraid of depicting her in a negative light. Do I think that certain things she says and does about Nettles would be softened? Yes. Do I think that eliminates the possibility of Nettles? No.

Rhaenyra cheated: Sorry that so much of this is about Rhaenyra. But this is important to mention, she did cheat on Daemon with Mysaria, and I really don't think that the writer's room is trying to depict Daemyra as the ultimate true love story. In other words, they're willing to break them up.

There has been a lot of focus on the smallfolk: Addam, Hugh & Ulf, all future (at the time) dragon riders, got a lot of focus in Season 2, despite all being smallfolk. There's also been original smallfolk characters like Dyana and Sylvi who got more attention than you'd expect in Season 2. So if smallfolk characters are important, why not have one of the most important ones?

[carlsdraws]

here’s how nettles can still win

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 9.4

Okay, so it's been a minute. I actually got about halfway through this chapter, took a quick break since I was tired and the next bit seemed like it needed my full attention, and then instead of finishing it I watched all of Yellowjackets. Anyways. Went back and reread both the chapter and my comments, so hopefully this is cohesive

If it was good to have a spare knife as a just-in-case, then by very similar logic, she could and should bring both knives, in addition to the weapon ring. How aggressive did she want to be, this patrol? Or in general?

something we've come back to a couple of times with Lucy is her making a decision not to become a fighter, but getting drawn into anyways. After first meeting John she was shaken and wanted to stay away from violence, but then got the weapon ring and training from Guilherme. And at the school she distanced herself from "Faerie swordfighter" and picked a different style for her implement, but has still wound up here.

She’d last used a dog tag to call John to the Blue Heron conflict.  She’d brought it and she’d used it and she’d known, all of those things in their own desperate, decisive, calculating, and cornered ways.  She’d known what she was doing.

ah. Bringing the knife along feels like it means being prepared to take lethal measures in the same way summoning John does. And now she's seen the end result of that decision.

With her other hand, almost unconsciously, she opened her drawer at the front of the desk.  She let the knife go over the edge and into the desk drawer.  She adjusted it so it lay flat, then closed the drawer.

I'm glad she made this choice, but I don't think it's the last time we'll see it. The issue with choosing to put down a weapon as a practitioner is that there's never going to stop being situations that ask if you want to pick it back up

Verona was great at ideas and great at the point where she could sit down and execute something really well, or create stuff like Avery’s deer mask or the earring, but there was a gap between those two things.  A middle ground where execution and brainstorming got really blurry.

I can see this, Verona struggling with actually making a plan, as opposed to coming up with concepts or carrying out the final plan. Which is why being a team works well: under normal circumstances, Lucy and Avery can workshop Verona's wild ideas into something possible

And it was wearing on her and it was frustrating her and the way it sat with her was making her into someone she didn’t want to be. Someone who was harsh and defensive and fangs-out, as she’d once said to Booker.  Or someone toothless when it counted, who let the Alexanders or Bristows win. There didn’t feel like there was much middle ground.

maybe let the others take this on? Lucy has been shouldering a lot of the emotional burden of making these calls, and particularly in being the person who is the most cautious and ready for conflict. The issue there though is in trusting Avery or Verona to be careful enough, which I think Lucy also struggles with

Burrs and nettles stood out at her left forelimb, along with colorful petals, she noted.  Nothing to be done about that for now.  Better to ignore it.

on the one hand, I hate the idea that this might be permanent. On the other hand, could be a neat aesthetic. I miss Blake and Sveta's tattoos.

When she was shadow or rain or smoke she wasn’t one body, but a collective body.  This was the same. Five foxes that moved in darkness. Through the fence, past the school, across the road, into woodland. Moving faster than a fox ran, splitting apart to take better paths, uniting again.

oh fuck yeah.

I mean, I'm deeply worried about what would happen if one of these foxes got hurt or captured, but this is so incredibly cool

Her trust had been broken and as much as she didn’t want to be the type to dwell on this stuff, Avery had gotten up to something with Pam, and it had been Lucy who’d had to deliver the reality check, and she still resented that. Even if they had been better since.

hmmm. I've talked about the extra work Lucy is doing keeping an eye out for this stuff, and I'm now wondering how much of that is self-inflicted? I know I can fall into a trap of micromanaging something someone else is doing, and then resenting feeling like I have to take over or take extra precautions to make sure things work out, instead of letting them handle it. And mostly the lesson there for me is to relax and step back and trust that other people have things covered, even if it's not the exact same way I would do it. Of course, the issue with applying that lesson here is that the stakes are so much higher, and it's hard to ever see extra precautions as over the top.

Lucy inhaled, smelling her friend with an animal’s nose, relaxing a bit, and letting her guard down.  Making herself let her guard down, some. Another fox of shadow approached Avery, and Avery touched her head, smiling down. She ran muzzle and face along Avery’s hip.

awww

Or these nettles… the colors and barbs wouldn’t cling to you so much if you didn’t secretly like them.

like I said, cool aesthetic

A fourth fox watched everything from a tree branch above, keeping one eye on the surroundings, paranoid, looking for trouble. And the fifth stared at John, a distance between them. He’d put the gun down but she didn’t take her eyes off it.

interesting division of self here: one for each of her friends, one for a fascinating but dangerous ally, one to keep watch, and one looking at the source of her trauma

“I know, and I think Avery does too.  And I’ve got to find my role, I don’t know.  One I can live with.  A way to do stuff that makes a difference that isn’t…”  She looked at John’s back, as he led the way.  “…carrying a weapon-ringed gun and dreading I might actually have to shoot someone that can die.”

I've talked before about having Lucy as the point person, just not in a combat sense. The negotiator, the voice of the group, the planner and leader...

“Want me to carry it instead?” Verona asked.

oh I love that instantaneous offer

“I gotta break it to you, Ronnie, you’d hate it as much or more than I do.  You’re just unaware of what you’re feeling until it kicks you in the head or stomach.”

but this is a fair point. I think we've seen that with Bristow, that once it settled in Verona had a rough time dealing with it. Not processing it in the moment is useful in and of itself, but it's not like Lucy has been freezing up in combat either, so that's not really an advantage for Verona. We haven't seen how Avery would handle killing, but I can't imagine it would be any better for her.

“Part of it is that the end of summer’s a deadline, and who doesn’t think better as a deadline draws nearer?”

big mood

“It’s meant to be casual, just solidifying what we’ve already got,” Avery said, “but I don’t want to be too boring.  I was thinking it’d be neat to perform the ritual on a Path.  You’re invited, of course.”

very sweet that Avery seems to be treating this as a platonic form of marriage

“Heyy!” Verona greeted one of the approaching goblins.  “Little guy!” Lucy had seen the goblin in the meeting. He perked up on seeing her. “What’s that bit of paper?”

does he still have the dick drawing? aww

Lucy reached over, then took the watch.  It was fogged up, to the point the hands didn’t show.  She turned it over, then clipped it around her backpack strap.

And here she's deliberately not picking the knife

Kennet Others had stopped here and carried the Carmine Furs from the Ruins to their vehicle.  They’d taken that vehicle down to the west end of town, nearly hit Clementine, and then fled rather than engage.  Clementine had had the chance to pick it up, declined, and three teenagers had grabbed it instead.  They hadn’t made it far.

Ok, so the red streaks are from moving the Furs back in arc 5? Or are they more recent? Lucy notes they still look wet... Maybe the Others who moved it put it back, or moved it again by the same route?

This didn’t feel like something that extended from that.  This felt like a side effect… because the staining was thick, and it looked like something had painted a heavy streak near the tunnel, slipping off or out of a vehicle sometime tonight, had come to the tunnel, and then headed South, into Kennet.

ah, so the new streaks are unrelated. Though at a guess they've ended up at the same place due to the violence aura from the Furs

“It likes the points where the Carmine staining is thickest,” Lucy said.  “It came from the road to this tunnel, where they moved the furs, and it makes sense it would go to the Arena.”

yeah! I wonder if whatever this is will turn up new areas with heavy staining? Depending on what it is, it's probably wildly unethical to let it roam around first, but that could be useful to find where the Furs were/are hid

“Because there’s this whole thing with local police that happened a few years ago. Kennet had its own police force, and they dropped that for the provincial police instead. I remember my brother talking really seriously about it. That it made them faceless, it meant they didn’t know us, know our town."

not great! I mean, doesn't feel good seeing cops around in general, but state police rather than local feels worse imo.

“You wanted to know if there were any people new to Kennet who didn’t fit in.  With the rising crime rate that we’ve got with the Carmine thing…” “More officers from out of town?” John asked.

we've seen practitioners worming their way into police before, not sure if I remember any Others doing so? And it's a useful cover to come in to Kennet

To Matthew and Edith’s house. Before she’d even landed, her earring gave her an earful.

oooh! something to look forward to reading tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to build up some momentum this week.

[goldoriole]

Okay I was finally able to find time to sit down and gather my thoughts on season 2

First off, "Queen Who Ever Was"? What kind of stupid title is that!! In hindsight, all the titles this season have been pretty fucking uninspired.

The finale of season 2 was not my favorite. Even now, I'm still left a bit baffled by Alicent's decision to sell out her sons (and Gwayne!) I understand that the writers are trying to set up a complex, tense situation next season when Alicent discovers that Aegon is gone and the subsequent fall-out when Rhaenyra believes that she has been betrayed again. It could set up a nice arc where Rhaenyra becomes increasingly paranoid, because if she can't trust Alicent, who came to her very vulnerable to Dragonstone, then who can she trust? Certainly not those dragonseeds! Regardless, it left a really bad taste in my mouth, and I felt horrible for Aegon.

Generally, I liked the rest of the episode. This seems to be unpopular, at least on Twitter, but I liked Tyland's scenes. I like the development for Ulf and Hugh! I LOVED the scene with Criston and Gwayne, Alyn's monologue to Corlys, Aegon and Larys escaping to Essos, Jace losing his temper when Ulf treats him like kin, as dark-haired Targaryen descendants (bastards). There's been some good stuff in season 2 that I have really enjoyed, and I think the season has been good, albeit with some jarring character choices at times.

That being said: not a fan of Daemon's vision at Harrenhal, not a fan of Rhaena trying to claim Sheepstealer (HERE'S HOW NETTLES CAN STILL WIN??), and the prophecy stuff has been really annoying. It would not be so bad if we did not already know that it doesn't matter, at least in the context of Game of Thrones (TV)

I watch each episode with two friends, one who is familiar with Fire & Blood as I am, and one who is coming into the show completely blind, who has adored season 2 throughout. She reminds me that HotD is something to be enjoyed, and it doesn't have to be a word-for-word faithful adaptation. Her joy is quite infectious, and so I've decided to chill out and enjoy the ride as much as I can.

[tomswifty-fr]

Glitzi comic commentary (commictary?)

Hello! I was rereading it and saw on the last page I said I would “aaaaaauuuuuhhh ... post some commentary eventually.” Of course, I never followed up on that - until now! If you haven’t read it pls do - this will have spoilers. 

(under the cut - heads up this is very long and very self indulgent. i love talking about my stuff!)

I think I’ve mentioned this already, but the comic is heavily inspired by “A Promise in the Snow” by Stan Sakai, the 8th issue of the 1996 run of his comic series Usagi Yojimbo. It’s fantastic stuff, and a really good ghost story (technically a spoiler, but like... if you know my thing is based off of his and you know how my thing ends, you know).

I would call my version fairly different. Both in terms of things like length and setting, but other aspects too, some of which were planned and some of which happened in the writing/drawing process.

The two images of Glitzi dive-bombing the one bandit and breaking their neck and then charging the one with their neck thrown back were really strong in my mind since I started planning the comic. I needed to get across that even if she’s not the most physically powerful dragon in this scene (that would be the one who ran away), Glitzi is still very strong and is a trained fighter - unlike the others, who are probably opportunists attacking random travelers. She’s also dealing with a lot of pent-up anger and frustration since this takes place almost immediately after her falling out with Margaret.

So like, not a great place to be if you are opportunists attacking a random traveler. I tried to draw the survivor’s retreat as though he had to take a running start before he could get enough momentum to get into the air, tho I’m not sure how smoothly that came through. My personal headcanon is that most dragons need some kind of jumpstart and can’t start flying from a standstill.

  Tundras LOVE to sniff.

^^ Faces of horror and despair when she realizes there’s a kid involved. Glitzi has a very strong sense of responsibility and this is her thinking simultaneously “Oh no, no way can I deal with a kid right now” and “I have to do something, I just have no idea what.” 

Some subtle foreshadowing here - Teazel reacts to the mention of his daughter and also to the question of the pills being for him. They’re not, of course. Snappers are also way bigger than Tundras on site. Fun fact :)

This was originally supposed to be a longer scene, with Teazel regaining consciousness long enough to say some actual words and Glitzi agonizing whether it would be worth the risk to try and give him some of the medicine (what if it helped? what if it made it worse?), even though the label had been made illegible when it fell into the snow. I turned it into the one line because it wasn’t necessary, plus would beg the question of why Nettle wouldn’t speak up and say it was for her, actually.

I really love this little confrontation panel. It took me forever of flipping the sketch and going back and forth to decide who was going to be standing on which side.

I ALSO love this shot of Nettle pressed against Glitzi’s chest looking up at her, seen thru Glitzi-view(tm). I was worried it wouldn’t be clear what was going on but I do think it came out good!

And this too! The expressions are good and Nettle is cute.

(The plan to leave Nettle watching Teazel and go to bring back help isn’t a bad one - flying is faster than walking, especially walking over snow with a hatchling and someone too injured to stand up. But Nettle is right here. What if they come back?)

Glitzi’s abrupt agreement to bring Nettle and Teazel with her isn’t just her having a weakness for kids, but her realizing that she’s not going to win this argument and agreeing so as to not postpone the inevitable. Glitzi is stubborn, but only ideologically - she will gladly switch strategies or even cut and run than waste energy on a fight she knows she can’t win. It makes her a very annoying enemy since you can’t actually beat her; once it looks like she might lose she's already sprinting for the hills... and then she comes back, over and over, with new tactics until she’s finally ground you down or found one that works. So yeah, it’s not gonna take much to get her to say yes here.

The line about the snow stopping was added purely because I got sick of drawing the falling snow.

I wish I was able to add a longer beat between Glitzi and Nettle heading off and the last bandit showing up to show that some time has passed, a few hours at least, but I couldn’t figure out how if I wanted to keep that interlude to a single page. Hopefully the snow drifts get that across okay.

Bandit logic :) Also, does this imply that Teazel was alone? That Glitzi is alone now? Subtle foreshadowing?  

Glitzi spent too long up north (with Margaret) and lost her wintercoat (sense of purpose and camaraderie with the rest of her order) and now she’s cold (in a pretty rough place, emotionally).

It’s not really that deep. Or it could be, I guess. This was also originally a longer scene where Nettle interrogates her about her history, we learn more about Nettle’s parents who have a whole backstory that doesn’t come up, and Glitzi admits that she’s feeling a little lost, though not why. But again, it wasn’t necessary and I didn’t want to spend several pages on an ultimately distracting conversation where nothing happens except them continuing to walk through a canyon.

Instead, Nettle says that her parents are from up north but she’s never been; she likes the Icefield and is going to stay here forever! I think this might be a little heavy handed, but hopefully that’s mitigated by someone watching them from the top of the canyon - except that they were originally looking down at Nettle, until I realized that wouldn’t work and erased her, at which point I’m not sure how clear it is that it’s from above and not just Glitzi’s foot or something.

It’s the bandit! I’m just going to post several pages now because 1) I’m proud of them and want to show off and 2) I love drawing fight scenes.

This also owes a lot to Stan Sakai because I love his fight scenes! His drawings are super dynamic and very cool!

Anyway, bandit tries to do the same thing to Glitzi that Glitzi did to their buddy right at the beginning, but some snow gets knocked loose and she has enough warning to roll out of the way before her neck gets snapped. But it puts her on the backfoot immediately and even though she’s skilled, this guy is bigger, stronger, boiling mad, and hasn’t been dragging a Snapper for half a day.

(Tundra trivia time - their manes have one of the same purposes as lions, which is to give anything who tries to bite their neck a mouthful of hair instead of like, skin and bones and vital blood vessels. Everyone knows this so it’s not usually a common target, but Glitzi’s coat is a bit patchy and hey, worth a shot.)

Then an avalanche occurs.

Glitzi is concussed, bleeding from the head and battered from not only having a mountain fall on her but also getting beat up and bit. By digging her out and keeping her awake, Nettle saved Glitzi’s life as well as Teazel’s.

I went through SO many iterations of the design for this village. Way too many for something that is very small, in a single panel background, where everyone is gonna be focused on our unconscious protagonist instead.

The house is round! Instead of a fireplace, it has a coal pit set into the floor, and instead of a solid door it has a thick curtain over the entrance/exit. Nettle’s mom/Teazel’s wife is named Rein. She’s making soup because Glitzi is injured enough she doesn’t want to risk solids, soup warms up the drinker, and soup warms up the room. A perfect food!

And the ending... I’m not sure what to say about the ending. It didn’t take me the longest to draw but it definitely took me the longest to write and sketch. The two last beats in particular, of Glitzi putting her head in her hands and Rein walking away through the village, swapped places many times. They both had to be there, but it was hard to decide which would be the actual final panel.

If anyone wants more on that specific scene, ask and I shall provide but for now I’ll skip over it. It’s uh, pretty tough.

Epilogue: Glitzi stays in the village until she’s fully recovered, which takes a while. She immediately goes back north and does not spend much further time in the Icefield. This is the beginning of her “cynical and depressed” period. She does not tell Teazel or Rein about seeing their daughter’s ghost. 

Rein is a native of the Southern Icefield, who moved to Nature territory and met Teazel there. They were happy, but she always missed Ice territory and convinced him to move back with her when they their first egg so she could raise their first child where she grew up. Along with the messy and awful feelings of having one family member die and another almost die, she also feels like maybe if she hadn’t insisted on the move, none of it would have happened. Rein knows intellectually that it isn’t her fault, but it’s still hard. Teazel doesn’t blame her for any of it and supports her as best as he can. They manage to get along and consider moving back up north, either to Nature or somewhere else, but I don’t know what they decide. It’s a hard decision either way.

Here are their scries:

Thanks for reading this far and also thanks to everyone who read the comic when I posted it originally! It was my biggest comic project I ever finished and it really meant so much to see all the awesome comments and tags. To anyone who said it made them cry: sorry lol. I cried too 🥲