#i do kinda care who ends up on the iron throne

[stainspoetry]

i’m ngl idgaf who ends up on the iron throne as long as it’s not a lannister. same vein, i don’t discuss KitN or QitN bc robb’s death is still too soon for me. just as long as it’s Stark spawn (including Jon).

[thatrandomidiot182]

Pt. 2! This might be a bit vague and confusing so I might come back and edit it, but my internet is being super spotty and slow but I hate cliffhangers!!

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Continuing on with Velaryon! Reader who...

Has spent her whole life preparing for a succession everyone told her she'd have, (Queen/Lady).

Everyone told her that Driftmark was her birthright, that she'd be one to ascend the Driftwood throne and rule. That, unless she willingly gave up the title, it was assured hers.

They said if she did choose otherwise, an even greater title would surely be hers. After all, no other girl has proven themselves quite as capable, or deserving, of being the future queen as she.

It was guaranteed she'd be titled sooner or later.

It was fate, that she'd be a gracious, caring, benevolent ruler at some point.

It was supposed to be her.

Yet, in one thirty-minute meeting, all of that was taken away from her.

Her birthright, her inheritance, her future, her throne, gone.

All instead given to a bastard.

A bastard, who has no knowledge of ships, or the sea, or anything about politics.

A boy, of fire and blood.

Whereas she, pure salt and sea, has been groomed for it her entire life.

Readers so furious. Like, body numbing, ear ringing, jaw clenching, blood drawing furious.

For once, she agrees with Vaemond.

The king had no right to declare the heir of Driftmark.

Alas, she's far more in control of her emotions than her uncle.

Aemond is just as angry as her. Lucerys took his eye, and now takes his wifes birthright away from her! That just won't do...

Aemond is the only one who knows how much Reader has sacrificed and gave to make herself worthy. How much she's suffered and endured just to gain her parents' approval. All the dreams she's pushed aside, opportunities she's lost, blood she's shed. He's been right next to her all throughout her journey, so of course, he's the only one who ever truly understands her. (Man is rlly delulu but it's kinda.... 😍)

He also sees this as an opportunity. Now that she's lost everything, she's more likely to go along with his plans, seeing as she does not have many other options.

Jace is flabbergasted. Appalled, disgusted, and terrified. Does this mean he can't marry Reader? Why couldn't Rhaenys just announce their engagement instead? It would've made sense. Everyone knows she was going to marry him eventually, so where did Baela come from? Was his mother keeping something from him? Was this Daemons doing!?

Yeah, he's taken so off guard, but he's also wary of Readers' next actions. He knows of her ambition, and he knows how far she's willing to go for it (no he doesn't) and he knows she already dislikes Luke bc of Aemond. He's really conflicted.

Rhaenys has had enough of Readers' indecisiveness and decides to make the choice for her. In her mind, the worst case scenario, is that Reader was going to choose Jace, and they end up marrying the boy to two women.

Best case scenario is that Viserys accepts Rhaena and Baela as 'the great unification' instead and allows Reader to marry anyone she wants. Anyone besides Aemond.

(Bad parenting on her part)

Reader is pissed, sad, and panicking, so what does she do?

She goes to Rhaenyra.

Rhaenyra, who has always pursued her heart over anything else.

Rhaenyra, who has consistently pushed aside duty and perception for love.

Rhaenyra, who is her last shot at securing the iron throne.

Reader approaches Rhaenyra in private and breaks down. She begs Rhaenyra to wed her to Jace alongside Baela.

She loves Jace! She's always loved him, but never had the opportunity to inform anyone of her feelings (which is true tbf). She's fine being a second wife as long as she gets to spend the rest of her life with him.

She really sells it. Kneeling, tears, snot, the whole nine yards.

Rhaenyra believes it. She has seen how much her son cares for Reader and mourns the future that could have been. However, she's hesitant to go against Rhaenys. She trusted the older woman to help her and her sons, and she did. So she must have had a good reason not to announce Reader and Jace rather than Baela and Jace.

"I am afraid it is not my decision to make."

"You will be queen one day, if you speak it, my parents will have no choice but to heed your wishes."

Rhaenyra is torn, but in the end, she prioritizes her children above anything.

"I will ask your mother to reconsider once the dust has settled, whatever choice she makes will be final."

"If you do not command it, she will never reconsider! The longer we wait, the more people will know and if that happens, it'll never be accepted!"

"I am truly sorry."

Oooooh now Rhaenyra is on Readers shit list.

So, Reader feels backed into a corner. She's hurt, angry, embarrassed, and ashamed. She feels as if she's lost everything, all within the span of a few hours.

Then, Aemond visits her. He comes to her with open arms and sweet words. He kneels before her and proclaims his love and devotion and his desire to make her Queen.

Reader is so angry at Rhaenyra and her parents that she allows herself to believe his honeyed words and sweet smile. She loves him as much as she loves Jace, so it's not a total loss. Besides, Aemond has proven himself willing to do anything for her.

She announces their engagement that night at the dinner table.

Viserys is stoked. Three engagements in a day!!

Otto and Alicent are also happy. Otto just thinks this has been a long time coming, and Alicent is relieved to finally have Aemond off of her plate. (These two have no idea what's coming 💀)

Rhaenyra is flabbergasted. Literally, like an hour before, Reader was begging to marry her son, and now this???

Jace is utterly heartbroken. He understands that realistically, it was inevitable, considering he was now betrothed to another, but the pain was the same nonetheless.

Rhaenys is pissed. She did all this to avoid Reader marrying Aemond, and she turns around and does it anyway!?! She can't speak up though because it makes her appear weak and not in control, and she'd never willingly show that to anyone, much less with Daemon present.

Luke is terrified, his two worst enemies are now engaged!?

Helaena is so excited to have Reader as a sister in law!! Her dreams have shown her great things about this marriage. She makes sure to include Reader in her toast as well lol.

Aegon finds it hilarious. The two dragonless Targaryen's getting married, ha! (He'll regret laughing later lol)

Daemon is unnerved. He's probably the only one who sees the marriage as what it actually is. A power move. One unseen by anyone but him. Though he'd never admit it, he was sure he could handle Aemond or Reader alone, but together? Together, they might just be unstoppable...

That night was the last time Reader danced with Jace before the war.

Aemonds toast was unexpected, but Reader felt it was justified and even broke Baelas nose when her niece got up to help Luke and Jace.

Jace was astonished.

Aemond had a sexual awakening lmaoo.

The night King Viserys dies, a shadow flies above kings landing, quickly followed by a terrible storm.

The next day, during the search for Aegon, Reader approaches Otto, and offers a backup plan.

She knows that all he truly wants is a puppet, that he has no care about 'rightful' heirs, which is why they chose to be so insistent on Aegon being crowned.

She also knows how much Aegon despises the thought of ruling.

They both know that Aemond would do anything for the crown.

But only she knows that he'd do anything for her.

So she proposes a deal. Should Aegon falter, it would be best to replace him with Aemond.

A war is inevitable, and they both know that, despite his temper, Aemond would be far more likely to win against Rhaenyra and Daemon than Aegon has any hope of.

Aemond is also as loyal as a hound to his beloved, and if Otto agrees to crown him, Reader would ensure that Aemond heeds his grandfathers every wish for as long as he lives...

Otto hesitates. He has come to see the kind of woman Reader is and has no reason to believe that she would lie. He agrees with everything she says, as it is all the truth. He also sees her as another pawn he could utilize as he believes she respects him and listens to him well. (🤡)

He accepts her proposal but insists that Aegon be King for as long as rationally possible. After all, it was Viserys' dying wish to crown him so it wouldn't look great to immediately replace him. He also reminds Reader of Alicents loyalty to Viserys and his wishes.

Reader isn't very happy with the deal, but accepts it nonetheless. She's waited this long right?

In the meantime, she swears loyalty to the greens.

Aemond is surprised to hear of this deal, but is elated at how much easier this would make their succession. He's so impressed and in awe of Reader!!

Rhaenys and Erryk attempt to take Reader with them to Dragonstone, but she vehemently refuses.

"You have humiliated me countless times. Ruined my childhood and painted false images of honor and glory in my head only to whisk it all away without a second thought!! Now, you ridicule me for choosing the only person who has ever truly loved me? Scorn and curse me for not bowing down to the mutts who took MY birthright from me!?! You speak of honor and oaths... You are nothing more than a hypocrite."

Rhaenys is gutted. She finally sees how big she fucked up. Still, it's not like she can do much so she leaves without her, swearing to come back for her once she 'sees the truth.'

Thus, Aegon is crowned king, and the Reader chases Rhaenys out of kings landing on the back of a huge black dragon.

Ideally, and in my head, its Balerion. The parallels of Vhaegar and Balerion being the previous dragons of Visenya and The Conquerer and now Aemond and Reader are too compelling!! If you prefer to be a bit more canon compliant, I also can see her claiming a son of Vhaegar and Balerion, hatched during the conquest and hidden away. Maybe Vhaegar leads him to Reader cuz she feels a war is coming.

The smallfolk see it as a sign. Since they love Reader so much, they view her obtaining a dragon in such a time as a promise that she is destined for greatness. In the light of the battle for succession, word flits about the people of kings landing that perhaps it is time for a change. Perhaps Reader and her Husband should sit the Iron Throne. After all, they ride dragons from the days of the conqueror, and have shown much more care and compassion for the true good of the realm than either Aegon or Rhaenyra.

Corlys and Rhaenys mourn the relationship they ruined with their only daughter. Corlys' only requirement to swear to Rhaenyra is that his daughter be spared, no matter what happens. Rhaenys and Jace back him up. Rhaenyra agrees. (They're all delulu and believe Aemond has bewitched her or manipulated her in some way)

Reader uses the time between Aegons coronation and Lucerys' death to bond and train with her dragon. While Aemond was sent to deal with Lord Borros, offering gold and slaves, Reader flew to Driftmark and rallied a good portion of sailors and soldiers. She has a good reputation amongst the people of her home, and many of them refused to live under and serve Lucerys when she was their one true ruler.

When Aemond returns to kings landing with the news of Luke's death, Reader is disappointed and vexed.

She wasn't mad that he killed Lucerys, but because he did so at the worst time. Otto was bound to see this major fuckup and completely reconsider their deal.

Aemond is so upset bc he disappointed her.

Jace is now resolved to 'save' Reader from Aemond, if he killed Luke what's stopping him from killing her??

Reader now has to work to save Aemonds reputation. Not only is he 'deformed' but now he's a kinslayer! Any claim he has to the throne is dwindling the more he acts.

She also has to figure out how to deal with Alicent.

And find a way to get Helaena and her children out of the keep before all hell breaks loose.

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Okay, officially, the end of season 1! Season 2 might take me a bit longer to write because there's a lot more to figure out. Also, I like how this was originally supposed to be a vague outline and just fleshed into a whole rant, lol. I'm kind of forcing myself to finish this format bc I really want to write more in depth one-shots showing some scenes but I can't until I finish posting these.

Idk what to call these. It's not a full fic, it's not really headcanons either...

[iris-sistibly]

The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

Episode 6 commentary

The way Alicent is surprised that Aemond is also treating her like shit, and her acting like as if she doesn't recognize Aemond anymore, I mean girl...

Show Alicent was manipulated by her father into thinking that Rhaenyra would kill her sons, and I think the reason why she believed him was not only because it was Rhaenyra who exposed Otto and convinced her father to remove that leech from his seat (in exchange of her marrying Laenor), but also because Rhaenyra lied about Daemon not touching her (again, I don't think Rhaenyra trusted her enough to confess about what happened in the brothel and after that because she knew that Alicent is a puppet of her father). In Alicent's perception, if Rhaenyra could do all those things, then what are the chances of her not going as far as getting rid of her half-brothers so no one could challenge her claim to the throne right? So she instilled in her sons' minds about Rhaenyra killing them once she sits on the iron throne, hence their fucked up relationship with their sister (and nephews).

Book version is more straight to the point though, Alicent was so adamant at putting Aegon to the throne that she has taught her own children to hate Rhaenyra and their sons because they were their rivals (apart from Rhaenyra of course). Either way, book or show version, Alicent was still part if not the reason why her sons ended up this way. Slut-shaming Rhaenyra, allowing them to call their sister the whore of Dragonstone, making them feel like they are far more superior because they were born males and has more right to the throne was something she herself taught them. Funny thing is, just like everyone else pointed out, she thought she was exempted from their misogynistic bullshit.

Helaena once again getting dragged into this whole mess was painful to watch. This wouldn't have happened had Alicent agreed to marry her to Jace instead of Aegon, fanfictions and delusions aside, let's face it--Jacaerys would have treated Helaena way better than Aegon ever did. But you know what hurts more? Alicent acting like she cares for Helaena the most yet she allowed this to happen to her.

Aemond Targaryen finally showing his true colors (aka his book version). He has grown cockier since becoming the Prince Regent, but his arrogance will lead him to his demise.

Now that Aegon knows that his life is in danger in the hands of his own brother and enlists the help of Larys, I'm kinda hoping that he'll plot some sort of revenge towards Aemond, and the fight between the brothers would be the key to the greens' downfall.

I am hoping to see a more feisty version of Helaena, the scene where she faced Aemond for the first time since becoming Prince Regent gave me a spark of hope that the writers would give something better for Helaena, some sort of character development that will help her to finally stand up for herself (and her daughter). Also I want to see her riding Dreamfyre even just once.

Seasmoke choosing his rider will always be badass. I agree with what other fans pointed out that he's most likely the father of Dany's dragons since he looks more similar to them compared to Syrax. At least Seasmoke and Syrax were able to do something Leanor and Rhaenyra never did.

Speaking of dragons, it was indeed a crazy idea for Rhaenyra to heed Jace's advice, but with a big-ass grumpy old dragon on the opposing side, they're gonna be needing more dragons. Syrax and Caraxes would have stood a chance against Vhagar considering that Sunfyre is severely injured, Tessarion and Daeron are still MIA. Putting Helaena and Dreamfyre in the battlefield is out of the question/non-negotiable. But because, the Haunting of Harrenhal starring Daemon is like a whole-ass season long, Rhaenyra is still at a disadvantage. She is a dragonrider, but she obviously can't command all of the other dragons. Daenerys was able to do that to all three of her dragons because she wasn't just a dragonrider, she was their mother. Rhaenyra isn't. Having more dragonriders would increase her chances to win the battle, but if Rhaenyra carefully weighs her pros and cons, she'd do something to ensure that none of the dragonseeds would betray her. But then again, if you've read Fire & Blood, you know what happened.

Never underestimate the power of the smallfolk, that is why Otto wanted to get them to the greens' side by using the death of Jaehaerys to paint Rhaenyra as the bad person. But one thing that old prick didn't realize was that he needed to do much more than just earn their sympathy. Having Mysaria on Rhaenyra's side, someone who has lived the life, knows the struggles, and knows exactly what the people need gave Rhaenyra the advantage. By giving them something the greens never did, she successfully provoked the ire of the people towards the usurpers and get their support. The kissing scene between Rhaenyra and Mysaria to me doesn't feel romantic (at least not for now). Though I have to say that the latter is exactly who the queen needs at this point, someone that Daemon should have been for her.

Nice to see Paddy Considine make a cameo in the show. We all know that the Viserys is the person that Daemon loves the most, but the truth is, I expected more action and more thrilling scenes from Daemon this season. Matt Smith didn't lie when he said that we're gonna see a weaker Daemon but I feel like the Haunting of Harrenhal feels...dragging. Maybe I'm not just used to Daemon not committing war crimes but ngl I was expecting him to get his shit together this episode.

Joffrey telling Rhaena that he wants his mother and the scene with the baby dragon are just making my chest tight (knowing what will happen to him and all of the dragons).

[animatorweirdo]

Imagine drifting away into Middle Earth with dragon eggs

(This was kinda inspired in my discussion with the three wild dragons. I began to think how would Dany’s three eggs end up in Middle Earth and this is what came to mind. A little note: I know little about the Hotd books and only seen the show, so this might not be totally accurate so please don’t attack me for the details. I hope you enjoy)

(Also, reader is a male in this)

Warnings: might have some spoiler alerts, angst, death, violence, poor Helaena who deserves better, violent sea, sea snakes, possible dead characters and near drowning. 

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-You were one of the dragon keepers of the Dragonpit. 

-Your father was a dragon keeper. He often took you there to see the magnificent mounts of the House Targaryen. You grew up adoring the dragons, and as time passed, you became a dragon keeper like your father. 

-You understood them deeply and treated them as more than just animals or mounts used for war. You even grew a special bond with one of them, the beautiful blue dragon, Dreamfyre. 

-She belonged to queen Helaena, but since you grew up together – Helaena did not mind you sharing a bond with her dragon. You two often spent time together with Dreamfyre. 

-Helaena was kind and sweet, and you did not mind her fascination with bugs and the strange words she often said. 

-You adored listening to her, and she equally liked listening to you when you talked about the dragons and the latest clutches of eggs. 

-You could even say you were in love with her, but since she was already married to her vicious brother. You did not push your boundaries. Even though: it pained your heart to see her neglected and alone in such a loveless marriage. 

-You were happy to be her friend and a confidant she could talk to when things in the court became too much to handle. You always tried to offer your best advice and comfort her when she needed a moment to cry. 

-It made your heart break when the blood and cheese happened as you knew how much she loved her children. 

-You had a chance to know them since Helaena sometimes brought them to see you and the dragons, so hearing how one of her sons got brutally murdered made you feel sorrow for her and her innocent boy. 

-You wished to comfort her, but you were not allowed to see her because why would a dragon keeper want to see the queen. You had no business talking with her. 

-So, you couldn't go and see her or check how she was handling the aftermath. 

-You learned of her death when Dreamfyre suddenly broke out from her chains, screaming in fright and pain. You knew about the bond Targaryens shared with their dragons, so you knew something was wrong with Helaena. 

-You rushed out of the Dragonpit to find her, but it was already too late.

-She had killed herself, and you couldn’t do anything but hold her dead body and cry for her and the god’s forgiveness. 

-It was a day when the most innocent Targaryen died and the day when your heart shattered forever. And it was all because of her brother’s selfishness to have revenge over an old grudge. 

-After Helaena’s funeral, you broke into tears in the shadows of the Dragonpit with no one but Dreamfyre to mourn alongside you. 

-The wound in your heart never healed, and you watched as the greens and blacks fought each other for the iron throne, people and dragons dying from left and right. 

-It was a bloody massacre. 

-You felt resentment toward the royal family. The greens started the whole mess, but the blacks were no better as they used inhumane tactics to ensure their victories. 

-You were glad it finally ended when queen Rhaenyra took control of King’s landing, and the greens were apprehended. Even though: you did not welcome them when they arrived. 

-You took care of their dragons and had pleasantries meeting prince Joffrey, who was a stubborn-headed boy but equally loving toward dragons like you, so you found something positive about him. 

-You found his presence annoying at first, especially when he knew little about dragons and their nature. You often stopped him from doing reckless things like mounting his dragon without a saddle or trying to feed the other dragons without proper safety measures. 

-You tried teaching him how to interact with dragons, and he listened — most of the time. 

-Other times, you walked him out of the Dragonpit and told him to come back when he had permission from his mother since he had a reckless habit of secretly coming to the pit. You are confident he sometimes comes just to bother you. 

-The little boy infuriated you to the core, but over time you grew to care for him in a way. 

-The little prince was lonely since his mother was still grieving the loss of his two brothers and didn’t allow him often to do anything. He would come to you since you listened to him more than anyone. 

-It made you feel sad because he reminded you of Helaena. 

-When Joffrey told you about a person named Shepherd, you became concerned about the news and rumors that spread across the city. The whispers about how dragons are the spawns of the devil. 

-It left you anxious since queen Rhaenyra brushed off the rumors despite evident signs of unrest among the people. 

-Before the storming of the Dragonpit, you were doing the simple round, checking on the dragons and Dreamfyre’s latest clutch of eggs. 

-She was protective of them, barely allowing anyone but you to check on them. It made your heart feel warmth that she only trusted you with her eggs and sadness since it made you think how Helaena would have loved seeing her dragon’s newborn eggs. 

-You were startled when you saw the queen’s dragon, Syrax, missing from her den. 

-You were even more terrified when you learned she was outside and Joffrey was riding her. 

-You knew dragons would throw off anyone who was not their rider. As you couldn't ride a dragon, the only plan you could think of was to release Joffrey's dragon, Tyraxes, and tell him to save Joffrey.

-Tyraxes quickly acted when he saw Joffrey fall from Syrax’s back, and you held your breath as you watched the situation unfold, fearing for Joffrey’s life. 

-Joffrey was near hitting the pointy roofs of the castle, but Tyraxes managed to catch him just in time – carefully gliding back to you as Joffrey was hanging from his dragon’s claws. 

-You caught Joffrey when Tyraxes dropped him to you. 

-You checked if he was alright before giving him the biggest scolding of his life. You were mad that he would secretly come to the pit and try to ride someone else’s dragon, putting his life in grave danger. 

-You made sure he knew what would have happened if Tyraxes didn’t catch him in time. 

-Joffrey apologized, then explained he was worried about the dragons and wanted to prove he could be brave like his brothers. He wanted to prove to his mother that he was not a helpless child. 

-You felt pity and hugged him, telling him you were glad he was alright and explained that his death would only cause more pain to his mother, and he took your words for it. 

-You ordered Tyraxed to return into the pit, then tried to walk Joffrey back to the castle, but then Shepherd and his savage flock of people arrived, separating you from the guards and leaving you defenseless. 

-You pushed Joffrey behind you, covering him from the violent mob who sought to cause harm to you and the dragons. 

-You managed to escape by going to the Dragonpit and blocking the door. You were taking the rounds by yourself, so you and Joffrey were all alone with an angry mob banging on the doors. 

-Fearing for the lives of the dragons inside the pit, you told Joffrey to help you unchain them all. 

-While Joffrey was helping you, you yelled in Valyrian at the dragons to warn them that they were in danger.

-You unchained Dreamfyre and told her she needed to leave, and to your surprise, she seemed to understand as she tried to comfort you from the fear and anxiety you felt during the moment. 

-You took a bag and grabbed her eggs. 

-You knew another way out of the Dragonpit, so you guided Joffrey and Tyraxes out of the pit with Dreamfyre. 

-Unfortunately, some dragons did not heed your warnings and were left behind to face the mob when they broke through the doors. 

-Your heart mourned for them, but you hoped they would survive the ordeal since they were not chained. They had a fighting chance. 

-When you found your way out of the Dragonpit. Dreamfyre and Tyraxes took flight as you escaped with Joffrey on foot. 

-You navigated through the path into the city, where you both witnessed a violent battle between the mob and the queen’s guards. 

-You tried to escape unnoticed, but soon some of the people in the mob came after you and Joffrey. They managed to surround you, calling you heathens and protectors of the flying devils. 

-Joffrey cried and hugged you as they held weapons and came closer, ready to kill you in cold blood. You held onto Joffrey and Dreamfyre’s eggs as you feared this was the end for both of you. 

-Tyraxes appeared to your rescue, sprouting fire upon the angry mob, and Dreamfyre landed right behind you, roaring and spitting fire upon those that dared to come near you. 

-You were glad she came to protect you and Joffrey. However, to your surprise, she then lowered herself down to you. You were astonished because she was asking you to mount her. 

-You two shared a close bond, but you always believed only a Targaryen was allowed to mount a dragon. 

-You asked if she was sure, and when she crumbled in approval, you almost saw Helaena in her gentle eyes. You quickly picked Joffrey, telling him to climb on her back before climbing yourself. 

-As Joffrey sat in front of you, you yelled for Dreamfyre to fly. 

-Dreamfyre pushed herself into the sky, saving you from the spears and arrows thrown at you. 

-When you saw the people who stormed the Dragonpit, holding the heads of the dragons that remained. You grew angry and yelled out a command to fire. 

-Dreamfyre heeded out your command and burned the people below you into ashes. 

-However, when you saw Tyraxes getting injured and the battle not calming down. You told Dreamfyre to fly away from the fighting. You didn’t want to risk losing Tyraxes in the bloodshed. 

-Joffrey yelled for Tyraxes to follow, and you both flew away from King’s landing, away from the violent battle. 

-You flew far away till you found a place where you could rest. 

-You looked after Tyraxes’s injuries and then tried to comfort Joffrey, who was crying and shaken by the experience. 

-He was worried for his mother and asked if you would go back with him to see her. 

-You told him you'd see her together once things calmed down. Your assurance that his mother was probably fine gave him some comfort.

-He huddled close to you, and you did not mind since he was a young child. He went through something no child should experience at their age. Even you barely handled it well. 

-You felt regret that you couldn't save the other dragons. They were innocent, yet the people slaughtered them like lambs. It made you feel horrible and like you failed as a Dragon keeper. 

-After resting through the night. You flew together through the sky to seek a safer place for yourself. 

-Joffrey was calmly sleeping in front of you as he was still tired after the long night. 

-You decided to fly to the sea to avoid detection. You were not sure if it was the right time to return to King’s landing, so you wanted to take Joffrey and the dragons somewhere safe before looking into it. 

-You did not realize you had got into something unknown when clouds and mist began to form around you. 

-You began to feel anxious when it was hard to see through the fog.

-Tyraxes kept up with Dreamfyre, so you were not afraid of losing him. 

-Joffrey woke up and asked where you were, but you did not know how to answer because you did not know where you were going.

-The wind suddenly became more powerful, and the sea below you started moving in violent waves. You had a bad feeling when you heard rumbles of thunder in the distance. 

-You told Joffrey to hold on as it began to rain and thunder. 

-The waves grew enormous, so Dreamfyre had to fly higher to avoid getting hit. 

-You struggled to hold on to Dreamfyre as she flew through the violent wind and storm. 

-Joffrey begged you to turn back as he was getting scared. 

-You looked around, trying to find land, but then you noticed something in the water. It was something big, and it was moving. 

-Tyraxes let out a roar, seemingly threatened by something, and before you even knew it, a giant creature appeared out of the sea. It was big and had a long serpentine body, so the only description you could have was a gigantic sea snake. 

-It came right at you, mouth open with razor-sharp teeth. 

-Dreamfyre managed to dodge the attack but then dumped on its tail, causing you and Joffrey to fall off her back into the sea below. 

-You both screamed when you got encased by the freezing water. You held onto Joffrey and Dreamfyre’s eggs, trying to remain above the surface. 

-The giant sea snake roared and came at you, ready to eat you whole. Joffrey screamed in fright as you both hugged each other. 

-Dreamfyre and Tyraxes fired at the snake, turning its attention away from you and Joffrey. 

-You both watched as your dragons tried to battle the giant sea snake, breathing fire through the thundering storm. 

-Dreamfyre attacked, but then the sea snake bit down on her leg, pulling her down into the sea. You screamed out to her, fearing to lose her like you lost Helaena, helpless and unable to do anything. 

-The sea snake’s body caused the waves to separate you from Joffrey. 

-Screaming, you tried to reach him, but the waves swept you away, and soon you lost sight of him in the storm. 

-At that moment, you prayed for God's mercy. 

-You struggled to keep yourself above the surface while holding onto Dreamfyre’s eggs as you drifted away into the unknown. 

-When the storm calmed down, and the sea snake was nowhere to be seen, you couldn't do anything but swim through the foggy sea. 

-Your muscles ache after swimming for so long. You could feel the fatigue trying to take hold of you, but you didn’t let it happen because if you did – you would die. 

-You were tempted because you weren’t sure if you could continue after losing Dreamfyre and Joffrey. 

-You were tempted to let go and allow fate to take you. 

-Your body became too tired to move, so you floated for a while, contemplating if you should give in or continue. 

-Dreamfyre’s eggs were the last thing that held your sanity. 

-You wished for them to live and have a chance of freedom, but you were not sure if you could even give them that anymore. 

-You were ready to die, so you closed your eyes and prayed the afterlife would be much kinder. At least you would be reunited with Helaena, Dreamfyre, and Joffrey. 

-Your consciousness kept you awake when you heard voices and sensed something big moving beside you. You felt hands dragging you out of the water, and your body suddenly became heavy. 

-You dropped against the floor, your muscles screaming in pain, and your eyes dropped down without control. 

-You heard the people talk in a strange language, and before your vision faded, you saw their ears oddly pointy. You then passed out into the dream realm, so you silently prayed these people were not pirates and took the eggs, the only things you had left in this cruel world.

[atopvisenyashill]

Do you think comparisons can be drawn between Targaryens sharing the same name? Aegon. Rhaenys. Aemon. Viserys. Daeron. Rhaena. Others?

YES! I think they’re very purposefully characters in conversation with each other actually. @transdimensional-void has this great meta here about all the rhae girlies and the way that relates to the themes in rhaegar's story. i also think there's a clear link between aemon the dragonknight, maester aemon, and jon snow (which is why i think jon was named aemon) and i've kinda talked about that here (although a bit angrily, haha) and I have a "jon and the aemons" tag as well for that reason.

then there's the daerons who i think are really interesting - Daeron the Young Dragon who started a violent war of conquest against Dorne without reason, who gets himself murdered under a peace banner because he bungles the whole thing so badly, and his younger brother has to do an entire religious penance walk barefoot through the desert lasting months just to sort everything out again. Then Daeron the Good, who helps end that war by refusing to play into the cronyism of his father's court - his father who only got the throne because of Daeron I's folly - and refusing to allow the disrespect of Naerys or Myriah, who settles everything by marrying Maron to Daenerys and doing this amazing PR campaign of praying to Baelor's statue with Maron and claiming he's doing Baelor's work, not Daeron's or Aegon's. Daeron I whose unnecessary death leads almost directly to a lifetime of reproductive abuse and spousal rape for Naerys, and Daeron II growing up in the shadow of this horrific life where he's the only protection his mother has and he's never enough, until she dies and suddenly he's the only thing standing in the way of Daenerys and an equally horrific end.

I think it's kind of a fandom joke that all Viserys' are flops and I do think that's a theme in the series - men trying to be Visenya by literally invoking her name but they simply do not have the juice. Viserys I with his inaction and his drive to feel Good Things Only, Viserys II keeping his eyes firmly shut to the follies of the younger Targaryens around him, Viserys III slowly losing his mind to grief until he turns all that anger out at poor Daenerys. Something to be said with how highly they're all linked to a younger relative they fail to care for, and the fact that those women are all linked narratively as well - Viserys and Rhaenyra, Viserys and Naerys, Viserys and Daenerys.

I think there's something incredible in how the names Rhaenys and Rhaena completely fall out of favor after the Dance and are replaced by Rhae, Rhaella, and Rhaelle in popularity. Rhaenys the Conqueror, her namesake Rhaenys the Queen Who Never Was, but the Dance proves that there can never be a Rhaenys again because there can never be a woman sitting the Iron Throne again. Rhaena the Black Bride, named for her grandmother, a Queen because she's a consort and remembered for being a Queen in her own right (in a metaphorical sense), Rhaena of Pentos being a dragon rider who knows how to play the game in a smart but compassionate way, all leading to poor Septa Rhaena, locked up for a beauty she can't possibly understand when she is so young, driven to the Faith by the actions of the mad, lustful family members who would never see her as anything more than a pretty face and a convenient womb.

There's also the idea that Daena named Daemon Blackfyre after Daemon Targaryen, because she revered Rhaenyra and felt Rhaenyra was treated unfairly that I find very interesting. Daena's claim being put aside, and just like Aegon III (the beloved, "last" living son of Rhaenyra and Daemon), Daemon is forced to say his claim comes from a father who does not deserve his love instead of the mother he's really dedicated to.

This is also why I tag all the Aegon's with their epithets - I actually think Aegon VI is going to have some sort of "Aegon the U______" name because you have Aegon the Usurper, Aegon the Unlucky, Aegon the Unworthy, and Aegon the Unlikely. Then there's the play of Aegon the Dragon vs Aegon the Dragonbane as well there!

I could go on! There's so much here that's interesting and yes, I do think there are a lot of links between characters with the same name or similar names.

[kiwikipedia]

I decided that I better post the first and second ascensions before I went insane and did the third fully. Circe’s staff is a placeholder, but once I have all three I’ll post this again lol

Anyways, did you know that there’s almost zero muscular guys with their legs showing fully? I worked with Caligula but it was still a bit of a trial. There’s a lot more of guys who wear armor and leg coverings than you’d think!

I used and edited assets from Summer Robin Hood, Summer Blackbeard, and Waver (shirt), Rider Da Vinci (ponytail... hair not uh, horse tail), Summer Marie, Kiara, and Kiyohime (hat and flowers) , Caligula (as stated above), Summer Costume and Alter Emiya (Torso and cooler), and Lancer Arturia Alter (horse ears). Saddle bag and towel were hand done and everything else was taken and edited from Chiron’s own assets.

Not including the Draft Layers, Two Ascensions end up close to 400 Layers which seems like a lot but when you factor in the combination of color, lineart, shading and the shirt’s texturing, its a lot. Fate’s sprites are all cut up so you gotta make sure it all fits, yeah?

Anyways (again), I have a general plot line for the Summer Event with Caster Summer Chiron (tentatively called Eternal Summer Stage / Lost Summer Stage) and also the individual sets below the cut as well as the taglist

In general, I’m thinking that kinda like the Hawai’i event, this one takes place in Greece, but things are really different — either the nation’s been condensed or it’s impossible to tell where you are in Greece, even for the Greeks.

The premise is that something or someone is creating an influx of energy there, causing an unbalance or some shit but while the threat level is low, allowing for you to take your time (as all Summer events do), it still needs to be dealt with.

Chiron is your main companion Servant though he’s not the welfare one. He, alongside of a rather enthusiastic Li Shuwen and unmasked Berserker Lancelot— both of which are also Summer Servants for the first half wave (Li being either Saber or Berserker) and Lancelot being a Lancer but still Berserker’s more mellowed and gloomy character.

(Costume dress Servants are still up in the air but I’m weighing more on Hans Christian Biggerson and Geronimo, with the long overdue Hawai’i Cu, and Medusa)

Upon arrival, there’s all sorts of plays and performances going on up and down the coast and further inland where there’s a large village up against a Mountain. Both myth and man are mingling, to which Medusa and Chiron both note to be something much out of an ancient sort of tale (hence why Chiron can take his true form and no one cares).

The first half of the event is mostly solving the mystery of what this influx of energy even is— which is where you meet the second Summer Servants for the first half. Technically not Summer in terms of Class change, Ching Shih is the first you meet, dressed in that event’s other Costume Dress for her summer look. She’s happy to help, though there seems to be something a bit off about how easily things start to pop up after that. Plays pertaining to [    ] and other tales, along with even more heroic legends being spun and told. At night, you often run into an unknown woman who sits and chats with you about things as well.

All the while, Chiron seems to become more and more troubled as time goes on.

One night, however, you wander outside the inn because you can’t sleep only to get attacked by rouge Servants. This is when the second meeting happens— and it’s the “Dark fellow” that Ching Shih has been talking about. None other than Sir Agravain of Iron is here.

Though he recognizes you, he doesn’t say much on the matter, simply defeating the rouge Servants and sending them back to the Throne mercilessly. Post fight, Chiron arrives with Ching Shih and Li Shuwen and Agravain is formally introduced.

(There’s an entire thing about him wearing black armor and then you get his costume dress for free)

After that, the reveal that there’s all sorts of half-phantom-half-servants or rouge servants hiding about is finally confirmed though you’ve been fighting shadows and monsters before, the real task is at hand.

In general throughout the farming periods, the Servants will state that they are splitting up to investigate the area, kinda like the very first summer event where each location is a little bit of a sub story (Lancer-lot and Cu are at the shore investigating traces of magical energy with Geronimo, Li Shuwen and Medusa are investigating the plays and performances with Ching Shih, Biggerson and Agravain are in the town investigating there) so that’s there to get the rest of the costume dresses in the shop (Ching Shih, Cu, Medusa, Biggerson, Gero, etc)

The second half has much more to do with Chiron than the first, though he’s your companion for the first half.

Achilles joins the group, though like Ching Shih, he seems a bit odd, but he arrives and arrives with startling news which kicks off the second half of the event— the mountain against the town is Mount Pelion, the Birthplace of Greek Heroes.

This, of Course, has Chiron absolutely of kilter because suddenly he’s home. Ching Shih admits that she feels like a majority of the Singularity’s power is coming from the Mountain but didn’t want to risk going there because it’s crawling with phantom-servants— which only spurs Chiron to restate that he should still go to investigate there.

Everyone decides to go after that, because Chiron clearly isnt about to just up and let it go.

As you go through the mountain you learn a bit more about it from Chiron and Achilles, and Medusa inputs some that she knows. Agravain and Lancelot get into a minor fight, but it’s settled by Hans mostly, the usually in-between stuff.

Oh and did I mention that during this time there’s also cutscenes and non battle story from an unknown person’s POV within another space? Because there is.

In general, I’m still working out the middle chunks, but the ending is pretty much the arrival at Chiron’s Cave, only to be met by the mysterious woman who you’ve been talking to at night. It turns out that she’s Chariclo and she admits— or seems to admit— that she’s been summoning Servants from between the lines of history and Servants that normally have been gotten overlooked for some reason or another due to either being seen as not heroic enough, prejudiced factors, or they’ve simply been forgotten.

Some other stuff happens, and right when she’s about to say something pretty important you’re interrupted... by you.

Another version of you has arrived and it turns out that while Chariclo has been summoning and maintaining Servants, it wasn’t her choice. The other You has been having her do so in order to find [     ] and you know who that is— how could you not?

An argument breaks out, the other You is convinced that Chariclo has already summoned That Man, and while she doesn’t deny it, she states she can’t let the Other You into the Cave because it’ll ruin things. the Other You is determined, and perhaps a bit irrational with obsession to see That Man again and orders the Shadows to attack.

While almost every Servant is there for support, Achilles is not, and when the battles are done you realize why as Achilles stands by the Other You.

Chariclo is firm, continuing to refuse entry into the cave, and the Other You has had enough. Achilles is revealed to have not been Chaldea’s Achilles and apologizes before he’s ordered to kill Chariclo. Obviously, Chiron’s not about that, and takes the blow, severely wounding him.

Of course, this causes a chain reaction, as Li Shuwen and Agravain immoderately go for the kill on Achilles— the Other You makes a move for the Cave, you intercept Yourself because even though Chariclo might not have been a full alley, she had protected the Cave vehemently, Medusa and the others hold off the others are still fighting the shadows, before the mountain shakes.

While not dead, Chiron’s blood on Chariclo’s hands is enough to pull her from her passive state and forge a temporary contract with you. In combination, you and Chariclo stop the Other You and there’s a long conversation about grief and letting go before You and the shadows leave— either fading away or just leaving.

Once gone, Chariclo immediately has you bring Chiron into the cave so she can start healing him.

This is where you meet your welfare— none other than Romani Archaman himself. He’s weak, of course, but there and its a big reunion moment only to be interrupted by the Singularity destabilizing now that the Other You is gone.

There’s conflict, of course. Chariclo wasn’t lying when she said that Romani was too unstable to bring back. Similarly, the only reason she was able to appear, that she knows of, is because they are at Mount Pelion meaning she too is too unstable to follow a Rayshift. Unless a Holy Grail is used.

A choice is presented that you have to make, but all your choices are Romani, no matter how much you or Chiron want to bring Chariclo back as well. When you make your choice, Chariclo will present you a Grail and admit she didn’t use it on Romani at first because she was terrified what the Other You would do when Romani was stable.

With Romani Stabilized, everyone moves to head back down the Mountain for a rayshift back, but Chiron lingers. There’s grief, of course, but the two must say goodbye once more.

... Only, upon arriving in Chaldea, it turns out to not be the case.

Upon Chiron’s injury, Chariclo’s Noble Phantasm, “Lifeblood of Pelion”, quite literally used Chiron’s blood as fuel upon it being soaked into the ground. While they’re not the same as Ryoma and Oryou, as they’re separate Servants, Chiron and Chariclo’s origins linked and allowed for her to exist in Chaldea as another Caster. it’s a bittersweet ending, as Ching Shih and Agravain did not follow— but it’s no worry. Ching Shih stated that she’d see you again, and Agravain, while he didn’t say so, simply nodded in response.

( * Basically Ching Shih and Agravain are added to the permanent summon pool with Ching Shih being a 5* Rider and Agravain a 3* Assassin )

Chaldea Achilles remains extremely put out that he had been the one to harm Chariclo in the Singularity— and also annoyed he couldn’t go because he was busy making sure that Herc didn’t go off the rails.

Post event, the usual collection of the other 4 copies for the np5 welfare are unlocked along with a costume dress for Romani. Who is a Shielder class Servant.

So yeah. That’s basically the bare-bones of the idea. I don’t quite remember where the Shielder Romani idea came from but I saw a post on it and filed it away in my brain forever. The only reason Medusa, Cu, and Gero aren’t full servants is because I really couldn’t think of good classes for them. The only ones I can really think of for Gero is Avenger, and Medusa has alts for lancer and avenger, and Cu has alts for saber caster and berseker... also there’s the Servant pool of Ching Shih, Agravain, Chariclo, Chiron, and Li Shuwen, which is a hefty number even if the first two are perma summon.

If Third Asc Chiron doesn’t obliterate my soul then I’m probably going to work on Summer Li Shuwen next, or the Costume Dress trio of Gero, Medusa, and Cu. Then we’ll see about making those sprites where there’s no character base to use at all.. I might die (jk)

But when I do post the third ascension I’m going to include hatless Chiron because he’s got a lil bow hair tie and the horse ears are CUTE as hell

Anyways, Tag list below. Good god if you made it this far congratulations I know I ramble and make zero sense half the time

Taglist Form or feel free to ask me to get tagged (just DM!):

@jedifisto​​ @spaceydragons​​ @purgetrooperfox​​ @spacerocksarethebestrocks​ @insanelytomato @babygirljoelmiller​ @certified-anakinfucker​ @d3epfriedanger​ @genifer-championofpaldea​​ @thecodyagenda​ @babygirl-leon-kennedy​ @txtalnyx​ @jawajawas​

Please tell me if you want to be taken off of the list as this is no longer just Star Wars art

Additional Tags for those who have been interested in Summer Chiron the past few days (i hope you dont mind):

@300iqprower​ @bitterrosebrokenspear​ @random-senpai​

[inu-jiru]

TORIEL RANT INCOMING:

So, a couple years back, I wrote a disorganized rant about why I was frustrated with Toriel’s character in Undertale, and what I’ve seen in the anniversary post (as well as Deltarune) show me that my issues with Toriel still exist. And before I say anything else, I KNOW that Undertale is about a bunch of flawed characters. I KNOW that know one is meant to be perfect. I KNOW that characters have flaws. My issue is, how am I expected to care about a character who won’t acknowledge her flaws while constantly pointing out the flaws of others?

My issue with Toriel is her lack of accountability and how she’s seemingly untouchable by the rest of the cast when it comes to criticism. For a game that rewards mercy and grace, she constantly denies it from others (Asgore mostly, but he’s not the only example), and is honestly has quite a nasty personality behind those butterscotch pies. I’m not saying she’s secretly some evil witch or something, but she’s far less likeable to me because she’s coddled by the narrative and no one challenges her flawed way of thinking. I hate to do this, because I believe that Toby Fox is a more competent writer than Vivziepop, but Toriel kinda reminds me of Stolas in that regard, and I already despise Stolas as a character, the lack of self-awareness, shifting blame onto others, no one in the narrative actually calling them out and acting all chummy despite barely knowing them, and a spouse who takes the fandom’s ire. I know that Stella is (badly) written to be a one-note villain to justify Stolas’ behavior, and while I extend Stella grace because of that unfortunate fact, I can’t be as kind to Toriel because I know she could be written better.

I favor Asgore as a character because he takes accountability not only for himself, but for his people. He was angry when he announced the war; I can’t imagine any parent would be rational the second after the murder of their kid. I see Toriel’s running away in a similar light, or at least, I want to. The thing stopping me is that there doesn’t seem to be any realization on her part that she was upset or that Asgore, the father of her murdered child, might not have been in the best state of mind when he made that order. She seems to forget the man she married and is content to label him and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the Underground, as the evil ones, while ironically being quiet should Frisk murder a Froggit on front of her or show up to her house covered in dust. For the brains behind the throne, she’s a bit dense, and I can’t tell if that’s a writing issue or simply a character flaw.

It frustrates me that her black-and-white way of thinking is never challenged throughout the game and how she’s allowed to lecture Asgore and lord over others despite giving up her place as Queen. To be fair, the only member of the main cast I could realistically see calling her out for appearing out of nowhere and taking over is Undyne, given how she rebels against Toriel in one of the endings. In the pacifist ending, though, she’s weirdly chill with her possible partner being fired over a genuine mistake in an effort to find a peaceful alternative to SOUL collecting. The characterization seems off between the Pacifist and Neutral endings, and Asgore is similar, as he seems far more self-aware and thoughtful and quick to adopt Frisk in the neutral runs, while he’s a whimpering coward who can’t make decisions the second Toriel appears. Again, I don’t know if these are genuine character flaws or just issues with the writing itself.

I think I’d like Toriel better had she:

1. Done a better job of actually protecting the humans, because it seems like she either just is useless at watching them or waits for the very last second to swoop in and play the hero, like with Frisk.

2. Gone WITH Frisk to ensure their safety as the last SOUL required instead of just abandoning them for her own feelings (honestly, she seems like she only really cares when it’s convenient, otherwise it’s out of sight, out of mind), and maybe actually seeing how Asgore provided his people with hope while compromising and playing the long game.

3. Stayed in the Underground and stuck with her morals rather than moving to the surface and enjoying the benefits that OTHERS had to sacrifice their morals for.

4. Was called out by Undyne in the True Pacifist Run, or at least challenged for appearing out of nowhere because, realistically, only Sans knows who she is, and even that’s pushing it. Sure she’d probably double down on her own flawed logic, but at least the issue of her abandoning her people would actually be addressed and not ignored because “tee hee Soriel! tee hee Undyne and Alphys are gonna kiss!!!”

And just to touch on Asgore really quickly, I’m not saying how he went about things was the perfect solution, but there is no squeaky-clean way to handle the situation of the Barrier. Like it or not, 7 people are required to die if the Barrier is to be broken, since the experiments were a bust in the worst way possible. The thing is, I don’t see why it couldn’t have been a plot point that Asgore raised the humans himself. I get that they wanted to make it ambiguous as to if he was a scary monster like Toriel describes him, or a soft baby like the kingdom claims, but it could’ve worked. Have Asgore shift his decree when he’s more rational to capturing humans and having them delivered to him to “deal with”. Not everyone would follow this, realistically, because some are far more murder-happy than others (gotta put those combat encounters somewhere), but imagine Frisk going around and hearing about the humans being sent off to Asgore and never been seen again, Asgore banning entrance his house to honor his lost family, but still going out and being the friendly king he truly wants to be. All the while, he raises up the humans who choose to seek peace with him, and those who act violently are the ones who face an early end. Make it a parallel to Toriel’s shoebox of different sized shoes, and Asgore’s basement of different sized graves. I don’t know, I guess what I’m saying is neither character was really given much time to properly be explored. I still enjoy the game and it’s impact on me, but it’s definitely not perfect. I have much more I could rant about, but I’d be here all night.

Deltarune!Toriel and Asgore are hard to watch, honestly. Asgore feels like even more of a brainless idiot who’s only character traits are being divorced and poor, while Toriel comes off as one of those overbearing Christian moms who clutch their pearls at everything, which is…definitely a choice. Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I want to like Toriel, I do. Hell, even during my hardcore Asgoriel days, I would actually write Toriel finally gaining some self-awareness and gaining some more nuance to her character, while Asgore actually learns to stand up for himself and not put up with Toriel’s passive-aggressiveness despite still loving her. Maybe I should write something about it for old time’s sake.

Anyway, that’s it for now. This is just my thoughts, agree or disagree if you want.

[limpfisted]

so ideally. my act 3 threads would be. wyll breaksvthe pact with his father at tav’s request after being unable to make the decision for himself, he then starts using his connections as the son of duke ravengard and also the cute kid the common people used to know, to find out where his father is located

he is no longer passive, tav will either take him to the places he wants to go, or he will go there himself

most nobles are all beholden to gortash’s mind control, or completely susceptible to his charms and idea of the steel watch. the ones that aren’t, gortash wants u to kill for him in his elaborate cat and mouse game with the player where he wants to form a proper partnership. all the while, ur also going into the lower city and helping oocal unions work against the crimes of the dead three and the guild, only for the guild to eventually side with you as theyre PROFESSIONAL criminals—and too much senseless death is bad for business.

orin keeps sending u bodies as love notes, n just fenerally appearing unhinged as both noble and merchant alike. trust no one.

orin of course kidnaps a party member. by default, i want to say its wyll as having the son of the frandduke is a better token for politics. u can realize hes a fake bc he is NOT INCREASINGLY UNHINGED N FRAZZLED IN THE SEARCH FOR HIS FATHER. before wyll is taken out, he left a map with the location of the iron throne

this then leads to u deciding between taking down the steel watch, saving the gondonians, etc, to “save” wyll, or still siding with gortash. either way u can save wyll, bc duh, but if u side with gortash, and DON’T go save ulder, he kills ulder, and wyll will try to kill him and be killed in the process.

you of course can also kill both orin AND gortash! (wyll heavily approves.)

by default, you save wyll, you then go save the gondonians and ulder, u disable the steel watch, u free florick from the prison, u free the wyrm, wyll has to make the difficult decision of whether he wants to rule baldur’s gate or be his own man,

and then u fight gortash, gortash becomes a political prisoner either under ulder or wyll, they go fight the netherbrain, the dead three are defeated, yippee

except NO, because there are still HUNDREDS of refugees outside baldur’s gate. ansur has been killed, thatsa big enough crime to start a new cult abt. the tiamut cultists want their stolen gold back from what remains of bhaals chosen. the guild has more power than ever. vanthampur hasnt been taken care of. most of the nobles believe in gortash n not the ravengards, the flaming fist is in shambles, the steel watch has turned to shit, the amnh can finally take away bg’s power from the council of the sword coast, there are TWO VACANT DUKE SEATS, elections to be had, there is literally NO SPACE for the refugees, there Awill Be a struggle of politics, wyll will gave to fend off assasination attempts as he tries to do The Right thing

theres also the githyanki, the shar thing, the vampire spawn, gale and the mystra of it all, karlach in avernus.

and they STILL HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING TO STOP ZARIEL FROM BALDING THAT GATE!

wyll either has to go to avernus with karlach and (ur party) and try to find the sword of zariel becoming a badass hell pirate in the process, making deals with war bosses and shit, ending with the party deciding who the NEW leader of hell is

OR

wyll stays behind in bg3 and cleans up the absolute (teehee) mess left behind, while dreaming of avernus

also thus isnt “canon” to descent of avernus, but i want ulder to be like, kinda posessed by visions from baphomet that make him kind of ill, lol.

[patrocles]

ok asoiaf/hotd thoughts…idk if there is even that much to say about this? but like. now that hotd is out and has been watched by a bunch of people and lots of interesting discussions have been had around it (and terrible ones but let’s ignore those for now)…i care even less about dany than i did before. and the idea of her restoring targaryen rule to westeros is The Worst. so now i’m just kind of like…what’s her point in the story??? i guess the dragons could help with the winter apocalypse stuff and fight the others and all that but dany herself? i just can’t picture her having a place in westeros at all, at least not in a way that i would find narratively satisfying. and this also ties into the idea of jon embracing his targaryen heritage (gross) and getting the iron throne which would also be stupid bc we’ve seen the targs destroy each other and themselves and the country so sticking one of them back in charge is just ridiculous. and the two of them are probably the strongest candidates for “the prince that was promised” so what does this mean for that whole prophecy?? idk what my question is i’m just rambling at this point lmao…i guess i’m saying that twow and ados should partly be about the real End of the targ dynasty and if they’re not than idk what we’re doing here. sorry if this is nonsensical lol

okay so both of these are kinda asking the same questions so i'll talk about it here!!

the idea of targ restoration is one of those theories that has a couple different interpretations and the one you described is like, kinda the worst of them lol.

like the idea of dany winning and surviving the end is not an unfounded, nor irrational theory and no one is wrong for wanting that to happen-- why shouldn't she win versus anyone else if she maneuvers in the right ways and effectively wins the game!

i think what i personally take issue with is the version of this that posits dany's conquest as a Moral Good and something that NEEDS to happen because of nebulous down-the-road threat that she doesn't even know about yet. and that other characters arcs (jon's, tyrion's, varys even?? are all veering towards targaryen restoration). i've even seen them claim that the entire point ASOIAF as a whole is about targ restoration. nothing else matters its all about getting them dragons back in power, which i think is the most WILDLY insane thing i've ever heard in my life.

i think this theory of 'targ restoration' is one that wants to have it both ways- for dany to fight and win a war of conquest, but also not be seen as a villain because of it (because of the fans own need to be on the Moral Right of things) (there's a larger discussion here about fandom and morality politics especially in asoiaf)

and frankly... that just isn't how it works.

and this is mainly bred from dany stans who never wanted dany to be anything other than a 100% Good Person who cannot be challenged on a moral level and she is always on the right side of every conflict regardless of nuance. and so when HOTD makes up this whackadoodle prophecy of aegon NEEDING to do a conquest and he was totally justified in all the fucked up shit they did, it was because of some vague threat of the Others and the Long Night to justify their dynastic claims to Westeros. (i'll be honest, i think ole king joe made that one up)

not to mention i think they've completely lost sight of the narrative function of the targaryen dynasty as a relic of a bygone era and dany IS the last of it.

and if we're being completely honest, from what i've seen of the most hardcore targ nation stans, most of them don't really care about the prophecy or the threat of the Others, but that her capacity to help should be used as political leverage (as in the show) to enforce the subjugation of everyone else. and that in fact, they should be grateful because she's the ultimate yass queen girl boss slay etc

but if that's the takeaway you get from the Feudalism Is Bad And The Chair Is A Metaphor For It books, then idk what to tell you. there's a lot of ways that you can interpret what grrm writes, but i can promise you that Conquest Is Good Sometimes is not one of them. characters want to be their own heroes and will always justify themselves however they need, but that's not the intention the reader is meant to take away from it - or at best should feel challenged by.

and dany is absolutely one of those characters. even tho she's not my personal favorite, she's a character that you're meant to both sympathize with because you've been on this whole journey with her, but also be challenged by the hard decisions ahead. its not about cut and dry good/evil, but understanding her motivations and why she makes those choices.

i think it's no question that dany will play a major part in the conflicts to come in the north and the war against the white walkers. to what capacity, i have no idea. as azor ahai, as nissa nissa? as somehow both? no idea. but what i think ultimately what dany will have to war with internally, will be choosing her war of conquest (the thing that's defined her personal growth and all of her strength) and the war for humanity.

the reason why i hate 'targ restoration' is because it reduces so many characters into this wildly simplistic box based on dynastic lineage. i super hate the inclusion of tyrion in this theory because he is Not a targaryen and that isn't the point of his story at all. and even tho jon's father is rhaegar, a large part of his arc revolving around identity is him carving out one for his own. all for him to start going by 'jon targaryen' in the end??? i litchrelly hate it. i do think jon and dany's arc are going to intertwine in some way and i hope its way more compelling than it was in the show, at least for my own sanity.

and lastly to the point of what dany's place in the world will be, i think that's something she struggles with now and will also struggle with in the future. there's the surface level wants and broad-stroke politics, but what i think is interesting will be to see a character like her rise to the heights that she will no doubt achieve in terms of Plot, but all she wants is the house with the red door.

there's an innate tragedy to just wanting to be as safe and home as she was when she was five, even if it was temporary, and what it will mean for her to ever have that again. this is really the difference between her and her brother viserys. he DOES remember, that WAS his life and his insanity is fueled by that being stripped away like so many other children in war. but it was never dany's. idk what the end of the series means for dany, but i really cant see the end of her story being with her sitting on that throne and restoring that dynasty from hell.

[kingsmakers]

end of year wrap up

I was tagged by @asirensrage & @iron-parkr thank you both!

Total number of completed works

Unless you count one-shots, I didn’t complete any fics in 2022.

Total number of WIPs worked on this year

I updated both Afterlife and Turbulence early in the year and then promptly neglected them. I did a revamp for the first few chapters of Wild Card, and then I published Gardens of Misery and Salt & Sorrow. So, 5?

WIPs neglected this year

Literally all of my other fics.

Fandoms I’ve written in

House of the Dragon, Harry Potter, Stranger Things.

Total word count

At a guess, I think around 100k-120k?

Looking back, did you write more than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you expected?

More for “new” fandoms like House of the Dragon, less for previously established fics of mine.

Did you take any writing risks this year?

I think Gardens of Misery was a risk because I was like, who the hell is gonna care about a Dornish oc during the HOTD era? But I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction that her character and story garnered.

Do you have any goals for the new year?

I mean, I would like to finish something. It won’t be a HOTD fic most likely, as I’m waiting on 2024 to plan more for Gardens of Misery.

Biggest disappointment?

Probably the fact that despite updating my HP fics regularly last year, this year I updated them a handful of times each and didn’t touch any of them after June. I guess it’s hard because Rowling is making it really hard for me to want to still be active in the fandom. I love my fics, but I despise her.

Biggest surprise?

How much people loved Gardens of Misery, especially with the Dornish Diamonds. I came up with them really early into the next generation planning, and was worried that people wouldn’t care for them, but Elyana and Ceridwen especially get a lot of love.

Most popular story of the year?

Definitely Gardens of Misery.

What’s your own favorite story of the year?

Look, same as above, which is why I’m so glad people love it. Demelza for me is such a complex character with a huge amount of growth she’s going to be doing.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion

Salt & Sorrow. I get that most people love the Aemond pairings with a Rhaenyra’s daughter oc because of the enemies to lovers vibes, but I wanted to do something a little less...well, incest. But I am glad that people are liking Mariel so far.

Most fun story to write

Gardens of Misery, for sure. I’m loving writing Demelza as a character, and I already have some Elyana POVs coming up in the next few chapters when she’s a teenager.

Most unintentionally telling story

Also Gardens of Misery. The amount of foreshadowing in it is unreal and I cannot wait for readers to connect the dots with some of what I’ve put in there thus far.

My favorite part of fandom this year

As someone who was really active in the Game of Thrones fandom in 2011 onwards, it was really nice to kinda get back into that world and that feel. Obviously there’s a lot of toxic parts of the fandom too, but for the most part it was very cool to be part of a fandom where a lot of writers had previously given up on Game of Thrones because of how bad it ended, but the new series sparked new ideas.

Tagging: @margoshansons @darkwolf76 @nejires-hado @starcrossedjedis @joaquinwhorres

[serendipizzy79]

Killing Cazador on Halloween seemed appropriate. I kinda cheesed it - well he was just monologuing to the spawn and Duvessa has a really powerful killing blow with the Bhaalspawn mod... I just went for it before he even saw Astarion 😂 3 blows and off he popped.

The gang finished everyone else while Cazador cowered in his coffin. Then Astarion dragged him out.

You can 🥹

Duvessa told him he didn't want to turn into Cazador, like Cazador had turned into Velioth before him.

And it's over.

A thought though, that I might try to incorporate into my headcanon fanfic daydream thingamabob - why couldn't Astarion just drink Cazador's blood and become a vampire master instead of ascending? That's how Cazador took over from Velioth after all. He'd still have more power but wouldn't have to sacrifice 7000 people to do it? I have read up too much on vampire lore as I'm focused on the Durgetash prequel part but... Hmm.

A moment of respect for Halsin in the Myrkul armour, if you please. There is a reason Shadowheart always seems to appear in his group in cut scenes, I'm sure 🤣 (I use the no party limit mod and I can't control who will appear in cut scenes like this). They are going to end up together on her little farm, caring for animals and the Hallowleafs, after Lae'zel rides off on her dragon.

Shadowheart has already refused Shar, Astarion hasn't ascended, Lae has rejected Vlaakith, Wyll has stayed in a pact to save his dad, Gale has agreed that becoming a god is taking things a bit far... Only Duvessa left now. But first - The Iron Throne and the Steelworks.

[cursedbeasts]

Bestia's Wrath Chapter 9: The Road to Odessen

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Summary:

The Asylum is under attack! Bestia and her allies scramble to free the Gravestone from the dock and escape.

There was yet another argument brewing on the bridge of the Gravestone. This time it was between Tora, who was trying to fix the ship's hyperdrive, Koth, who just got zapped by electricity, and Scorpio, who deemed the two organics utterly incompetent. Senya, Styrak, and Rammas seemed to have vacated the premises beforehand. Bestia regretted not following their example.

"You are doing this ship a disservice with your primitive appendages. Give me full access to the ship, and I will enhance its parameters. The current recommended updates list is over ten thousand items long." "Eh, I'm not against Scorpio helping with updates. She seems to know what she's doing," Bestia shrugged. 

Despite her long life and experience, technical stuff usually went over her head. The word "updates" struck a level of fear into her on par with the Phobis Devices. The list of updates that she put off on her datapad was probably about as long as the one Scorpio proposed for the Gravestone.

"Well, I am!" Koth yelled, then turned to glare at Scorpio. "Keep your metal mitts away from my ship!" 

Bestia let out a tired sigh. She was starting to understand Styrak's misanthropy, although his aversion to sentient company was mostly informed by the fact that big crowds and even one on one conversation were overwhelming for him a lot of the time. Bestia was one of the few people who weren't draining for Styrak to be around. 

"Let her at least look at the hyperdrive. We'll need the hyperdrive fixed to leave." She pinched the bridge of her nose. Scorpio conceded. "Acceptable. For now." 

Scorpio moved towards the control panel and Koth begrudgingly gave up his position.

"Ugh." Bestia groaned, making her way out. Lana followed her. 

"Let's give them space. The bridge can only hold so many personalities at once." 

"Tell me about it. I had to learn to coexist with five personalities for centuries. I think I need some air." 

"Thoughts on Scorpio?" 

"Smug. Kinda reminds me of Brontes in a way. I would let her work on the ship, because she seems to know what she's doing, but I would also keep an eye on her." 

Lana nodded as the two walked along a corridor. The sounds of people bickering faded away and Bestia let out a sigh of relief. 

"I have some good news. Contacts have reached out to me, people from both the Republic and the Empire. They are willing to form an alliance against the Eternal Throne." 

"That's… good? I suppose? I don't see how it gets me closer to my initial goal of defeating Vitiate though."

"Arcann and his fleet are a slightly more immediate threat right now."

"Yeah, I guess so. Odd to see the Empire and the Republic talking. Let's hope they won't do a one-eighty when they see me. Otherwise I'm willing to cooperate to get Arcann out of my way."

Bestia's holocom beeped, startling her. She lifted the device up, grumbling, and an image of Heskal appeared. He looked off somehow. Bestia swore she saw fear behind his eyes. The tone of his voice was strained

"Your presence is required. Come alone."

"Sure. I'll be there." 

The holocall ended and Bestia regarded the holocom skeptically before snorting. 

"Come alone, my ass. Fat chance." 

"Be careful. The Scions are zealots. They can be unpredictable."

"Ironic, considering their whole "bend over for destiny" shtick. Anyway, something feels off. I'll be taking Styrak with me. I think he needs time away from the ship too." 

"Sound strategy. I think he and Rammas were in that room with the odd obelisk on the upper level." 

Bestia nodded, and headed off.

Back at the Scion hideout, one Scion wasn't having a peaceful night. A vision struck Shyren at an early hour. They saw Heskal screaming in pain. Red strings were tied around Heskal's limbs, and someone Shyren couldn't see was pulling on them forcing him to stab one of the Scions. Others lay dead at his feet, killed by his hand against his will. They saw themself, completely lost to their curse as they had nothing left to exist for. Next flash showed Shyren their own dead body in some grimy alley. The vision ended, leaving the Scion gasping and wheezing, anxiety tearing into their guts with painful cramps. Panicking, they snuck out of their room and woke up the rest of the Scions, except Heskal. They would tell him later. The Scions gathered in one of the larger rooms, grumpy and tired.

"Shyren, what in the name of Izax is this?"

"I had a vision. Someone will come and force Heskal to kill everyone, or do it themselves. You all need to run, or you'll die!" Shyren rasped, shaking the nearest Scion, Maral by the shoulders. 

The gathered Scions exchanged looks and murmured between themselves, uncertainty and fear in their voices. Some grew angry at what for all intents and purposes was a betrayal by the man they all looked up to. 

"We are but leaves on the river of fate," Maral proclaimed solemnly. Shyren shook him again, growling.

"You really are Heskal's brother aren't you? Same sad tragic sacrificial lamb bullshit." 

Heskal always had this tragic aura about him. He was completely resigned to whatever fate his visions showed him. It didn't sit well with Shyren, because the visions would only show one timeline. What if something knocked things off course between the point when the vision happened and the point shown in it? What then? Heskal never had the answer to that. The poor self-sacrificial bastard. 

Shyren was well aware that they probably came off as the same brand of self-sacrificing and stubborn for choosing to be loyal to him, but it still was their choice. They could have distanced themself from the man if they wanted. But they stayed, because they wanted to protect him. Like he protected them. If not for the Scions, Shyren would have probably been in prison or exiled. They wanted to return the favour and ensure Heskal would see a happier future one day. So they both would. Shyren didn't want to see a future without Heskal, or the other Scions.

"If it's our fate to die now, then so be it." Maral said.

"WELL FUCK FATE THEN!" Shyren snarled at him, spit flying from their mouth. They wiped it with their arm.

Several Scions gasped. Such blatant disregard of their creed! Shyren always did struggle with the concept of giving oneself over to fate completely, but maybe, this time, it would save them all. 

"When will it happen?" One of the Scions, Oramis, asked. Her voice was calm in comparison.

"Soon. Really soon."

Oramis nodded. She also didn't quite agree with Heskal's fanatical self-sacrifice, and the two butted heads a lot. And as much as Shyren loved Heskal, they usually found themself agreeing with Oramis. Binding oneself to one destiny when the future was always in motion seemed, ironically, blind. She was also Heskal's second in command, so if Shyren could convince her to leave, the other Scions would follow.

"Please," Shyren begged. "You are my friends and I don't want you to die because one man had the wrong vision." 

"They are right. We have already lost enough. If nothing happens, we can return here. If Arcann does come after us, then Shyren's vision helps us to avoid more death." She finally said.

And the rest of the Scions deferred to her. Some grumbled, but morning would find the hideout almost abandoned as the Scions slipped away. The last group were the ones most loyal to Heskal, but even they were about to leave. Tersu, a red-headed girl, and one of Shyren's friends, turned around at the exit.

"You're not coming, are you?"

Shyren shook their head. 

"I need to look after Heskal." 

"Why, he's basically about to betray us?" 

"He believes he has to do it. Maybe I can convince him he doesn't. I don't want to lose him."

"You both are stubborn self-sacrificing bastards. Don't die on us, will you?"

"I'll try," Shyren gave her a crooked grin.

The premonition grew only stronger. It would come to pass soon, Shyren knew it. They waved at the leaving Scions, and headed back to their room. Heskal won't be happy to find the hideout abandoned, but he would have to live with it. He wasn't the only one receiving visions after all. At least the other Scions would be safe. Unable to sleep, Shyren made their way into the meditation hall upstairs.

Bestia and Styrak entered the Scion hideout and immediately felt something was off. It was far too quiet. Where was Heskal if he was so eager to meet with Bestia again? The hideout seemed entirely abandoned. Were the Scions doing another trial by ambush? Bestia reached out with the Force amplifying her senses, but felt nothing, until a tangle of negative emotions grabbed her attention from above. 

"Something is going on in their main room, I can sense it." 

"Let's go then." 

They rushed into the round chamber to see Arcann locked in combat with a beast cloaked in shadows, and struggling against their relentless assault. The Chosen of Nahut was screeching, seemingly lost to the beast, and slashing at Arcann with their claws. Arcann's back boasted two sets of deep bleeding gashes, staining the back of his tunic. Bestia scanned the room and saw Heskal slumped against a wall, a lightsaber wound still smoldering in his chest. Shyren was doing everything to drive Arcann away from the other Scion.

Bestia and Styrak's lightsabers came to life, and they joined the fray. Shyren nodded and fell back immediately. They retreated towards the wall, grabbed Heskal and carried him out of the room. Arcann was no match for the two Dread Masters, especially when Styrak fired a huge bolt of lightning at him, sending him into a column so hard it cracked. At the same time, the whole building shook with the impact of something from above. 

"They're bombing the Asylum!" Bestia cried out, jumping out of the way of a chunk of the ceiling. It fell between her and Arcann, completely blocking the path. She would have to finish him off some other time.

Heskal lay slumped against a wall in a walkway outside, and Shyren crouched next to him, clutching his hand in their talons. They still haven't reverted to their human form. The beast would probably claim more of their body when they did, it always did. They heard approaching footsteps, and snarled, but stopped when they recognised Bestia.

"Please...help him. He's hurt."

"Styrak?"

Styrak nodded, and knelt before the Scions.

"My healing is not pleasant, but it will stabilise him."

"Thank you." Shyren rasped. 

Styrak's hand hovered over the lightsaber stab wound in Heskal's chest, dark energy swirling around it. Heskal groaned in pain, as the energy literally forced his tissues to grow closed and repair themselves. The Scion opened his eyes, and for a moment, saw gods. visions of Izax and Tyth replaced the two outlanders for a moment, and then it was gone. He recognised the red haired Outlander. 

"My vision… was wrong…" Came his broken whisper. "I brought this on all of us… I brought Arcann here. I'm sorry."

"You can tell the other Scions you're sorry whenever they choose to return."

Bestia sighed, then turned to Shyren. Heskal's words bore grim implications, but she had no time to consider them right now.

"There's a medic on our ship. You can take Heskal there. You both will be safe. It's in the docks, pretty impossible to miss." 

"I'll help with defense after," Shyren promised. 

They hauled Heskal onto their back. The old Scion held onto them as best as he could. Shyren then dropped to all fours and bounded away, shadows still leaking off their form. 

"What are they? I thought the population of Zakuul was exclusively human?" Styrak asked, watching them go.

"I'm not sure, something about their old gods affecting people."

"Ah, the Chosen of the gods. I've heard of it but haven't seen such drastic changes. I will HAVE to research this later." 

There was a beep, and Bestia picked up the holocom.

"Please tell me you're alive." 

"We are. There are two Scions inbound, one wounded. I don't know what happened but Arcann was there." 

"We have more problems."

"Tell me it's not the hyperdrive."

"Scorpio fixed that, but the Gravestone is locked in the dock. Koth and HK are on the way to the control tower."

"We'll head there then." 

"I can take you directly to the control tower," Styrak said as soon as the call ended.

"Let's get to Koth and HK first and then fly up." 

Styrak grumbled, but agreed. As soon as there was enough space, he picked Bestia up and shadowy wings spread behind his back, carrying him ahead while Bestia mowed any organic resistance with Force Fear. As they flew, Bestia saw Vaylin about to hurl a blast of lightning at them. She was interrupted by Senya leaping at her, lightsaber drawn. She also saw Shyren emerge from a building and dash towards the Gravestone. Past that, she saw Koth and HK barricaded at the entrance to the tower, with Lana zapping skytroopers with lightning. She pointed at them, and Styrak landed. The wings folded behind his back and faded out.

"Huh. Maybe the Heralds weren't wrong about the whole avatar of Zildrog thing…" Koth murmured in awe. 

"I'm not the avatar. Rammas is. Supposedly." 

"Wait, the short one with the weird eyes?" 

Styrak simply nodded.

"Anyway. Arcann controls everything, and the override is on top of the tower. HK is up ahead clearing the way." 

"Accomodation: I left you a trail of meatbags to follow, master!" HK sounded awfully happy over the holocom. 

"I'm securing the doors as we go, so no more meatbags, I mean, reinforcements, arrive. Someone will have to hold the choke point though." 

"That's my job." Lana said. "Senya is fighting Vaylin by the Gravestone."

"Wait, what? My crew!"

"They'll be okay," Bestia said. "Last time I saw Vaylin, she was very preoccupied. Besides, one of the Scions is the Chosen of Nahut, and they promised to assist. And they were a match even for me." 

Koth gave her a worried and skeptical look. 

"I could hold the choke point. Together with Lord Beniko, it will be trivial." Styrak offered. 

"Good, we're decided. Let's go." 

The team moved out. Styrak and Lana stayed behind. They had no trouble taking down waves of skytroopers and knights, while Koth led Bestia into a courtyard. A shuttle sat on a landing pad, no doubt stolen judging by a small pile of skytrooper scrap nearby, and the Zakuul insignia on its tail. Bestia hoped the insignia would prevent it from being shot down. The shuttle took off, the two people inside intent on getting as close to the top of the tower as they could.

"Valkorion was a good man, and he ruled Zakuul well. Why'd you kill him?" Koth started, sat in the pilot seat.

"I didn't. Technically, my daughter did. It's complicated, so I guess Arcann just decided to blame me. He was probably long gone by the time he died, though."

"What do you mean?"

"He was possessed by an entity named Vitiate, and from my own experience dealing with him, those he chooses as vessels don't stand a chance. I think he was preparing Zakuul as a sacrifice like he did with my homeworld."

"He was what?" Bestia could hear the gears turn inside Koth's mind. 

"Possessed. I don't know if there was anything left of the original Valkorion. Wouldn't be surprised if Vitiate constructed a benevolent image to show to the people of Zakuul."

"That's… a lot." 

They spent the rest of the trip in silence. They landed before another spire, and jogged through a series of hallways. HK really did a solid job clearing the path, with the promised trail of meatbags proudly on display all over the place. They found the droid on a platform with a cargo lift parked next to it. It was the only way into the tower itself as all personnel access had been blocked by Arcann. HK was waiting for them, a dead Zakuul Knight face down by his feet. Bestia let out a whistle. Either the droid was really that good, or the Knights really sucked.

"There's a whole battalion of Zakuul Knights headed your way!" Lana yelled between the sounds of blaster fire, screaming, and cracking of lightning. "And I still can’t find Arcann anywhere. He’s vanished."

"I got a bad feeling about this." Bestia muttered.

"I will be there shortly." The image of Styrak pushed into the view of the holocom, cut off awkwardly.

Bestia nodded and stepped onto the lift. Its locks disengaged with a clang, and it started a slow ascent. Meanwhile Koth and HK darted all over the platform, attaching a set of explosives in the back, closer to the exit, and what looked like a series of sensors farther along the platform, between the exit and the edge.

"And don’t die out here. When I give the word, you run! Don't do anything reckless!" Bestia yelled, still in range.

"Me? Reckless? Never." Koth snorted. "The droid? Can’t promise."

"Commentary: I am programmed for self-restraint. Usually."

Bestia could only watch as a large group of Knights and Skytroopers emerged onto the platform. As soon as they stepped between the sensors, there was an explosion, perfectly placed to take out most of them. Koth and HK jumped out from their hiding spots, quickly dispatching the few that remained. Bestia couldn't help but be impressed by their ingenuity. As a Force user, she rarely thought of ways to deal with her kind that didn't involve lightsabers, Force powers, or Force-powered punching. At least, that was the case in her youth. Since then she learned to consider other approaches. And yet, seeing two Force-blind individuals deal with a larger number of trained Force users was still impressive.

The lift finally docked with the upper level with a loud bang. Bestia quickly jogged over to the entrance to the control room and entered. It was empty. Suspiciously so. Bestia's bad feeling grew.

"There's no one here." She whispered into the holocom.

"Odd. I'd expect a token guard of Knights here…" 

Bestia shared Lana's concerns. Should she wait for Styrak? He'd be arriving any moment. No, they really had no time. Koth's crew could do only so much to hold off the constant waves of Zakuul forces.

Bestia made her way to the controls and found the sequence to release the Gravestone. She looked at the screen, admiring her handiwork when a flash of gold caught her attention. She jumped back, in time to see Arcann slam his lightsaber into the exact spot she stood in moments ago. This day kept impressing her, didn't it? How did Arcann get a drop on her? Her senses must have dulled from having been in stasis for almost thirty years, then being holed up on Oricon, and then being frozen for five more years. She regarded Arcann, noting that he was coated in dust and there still was blood on his white clothes. 

"Alright, I’ll give you that: I am impressed. You caught me off guard."

"We have unfinished business!" 

Arcann lunged at Bestia. She raised her lightsaber just in time to parry, and shoved him back, partly with Force, and partly physically. This enraged Arcann further.

"YOU DON’T TOUCH ME!"

"Guess we’re back to pissbaby mode." Bestia sighed, parrying more of his attacks.

"And you’ll be back on my wall! For eternity!" He snapped back.

"Like the last time?" Bestia taunted, jumping back and flipping Arcann off.

The fight began in earnest this time. Arcann seemed to rein his rage in, and in this calmer state, he focused on Force shields that shimmered gold around him. All of his abilities seemed to be tinged with gold, Bestia noticed. More importantly, the shields were extremely difficult to get through, even for her. It reminded her of Styrak's fighting style, as well as her oldest son's. Nothing would get through to them, unless their concentration was broken somehow. Arcann was focused, but Bestia could still sense the indignant rage still boiling under the surface within him. A beginning of a plan formed in her head. She jumped high in the air, and landed on the other side of the platform they were fighting on, pretending to run. Arcann growled and rushed towards her. Bestia side-stepped at the last moment, and Arcann's lightsaber sunk into one of the electrical cables lining the edges. There was a bright flash and a scream, Bestia herself barely dodging the bolts of purple and gold lightning. The light show blinded her too, and when it faded, Arcann stood up slowly, all the anger now fully visible. He lunged at Bestia again, going full offensive this time. He was relentless, and Bestia found herself being backed against the edge of the platform. She struggled to parry his attacks, her lightsaber pike suddenly cumbersome and unfamiliar. She cursed for not rifling through the few dead knights she'd seen to find a regular lightsaber or two. And now, she was paying for it. Dearly. The golden blade pierced her stomach, and her legs buckled under her, suddenly out of her control. She lifted herself up on her arms, and raised one to send Force Fear into Arcann. She saw his hands glow gold as he readied a powerful blast of Force.

Time seemed to slow down as several things happened at once. First, HK came running in and jumped in front of Bestia the moment Arcann unleashed the golden blast. HK intercepted it, his body flung back and away where it lay still, smoldering and crackling. There was a scream. Koth, Bestia thought. A sound of a blaster shot, and a huge crate fell between Bestia and Arcann, stalling him. And then Bestia looked up, behind the Emperor, and saw Styrak emerge from below. Four wings held him aloft, completely black and covered in red eye spots. A powerful bolt of lightning held in one hand and his lightsaber in the other. Styrak let the lightning go, and it slammed into Arcann, throwing him all the way across the platform and over the railing. 

Then both Koth and Styrak were by Bestia's side. Her vision grew blurry. She felt the dreadseed trying to stitch her spine back together.

"Welp. There goes my liver…" She croaked. 

Styrak reached out, channeling the Force into her wound. It hurt like all the hells in every culture across the galaxy combined, but such was the price of Dark Side healing. Bestia grit her teeth as she felt her body grow itself back together, the bone and nerves and muscles, and felt the dreadseed try and encroach upon more of her organs. In the end, the combined pain was too much, and she passed out. 

She woke up briefly on the way back, cradled in Styrak's arms, with Koth running by their side. At least she could feel her legs again, she thought, before darkness took her again. Then she was back on the ship, half laying in a chair by the viewport. The ship was up in space, faced off with an armada of the Eternal Fleet. There was shouting. Something about the cannon not being ready. Scorpio was the only calm voice among the chaos. Bestia saw the Gravestone fire off a few rounds out of its regular cannons. Even those seemed extremely effective against the Eternal Fleet, sending explosions across the nearest vessel. She blinked. The stars stretched into lines and then into the blue fog of hyperspace. Bestia passed back out.

The Eternal Fleet continued bombarding the Asylum into nothingness. Throngs of spaceships kept trying to escape, most shot down by the Zakuulan forces. Vaylin prowled the streets, searching for something. She reached out into the Force, but her brother had always had a notable lack of a presence, so it didn't help much. She wandered up to a door and raised an arm to tear it off its hinges when it slid open on its own, revealing her brother. Arcann was scuffed and filthy, and there was some sort of a fruit peel stuck to his head. He smelled the part too. Vaylin chuckled at his unamused expression. 

"Awww, you're dead and trying out a new profession? Garbage man." She asked mockingly. "The outlander got away. Mother, too." 

Arcann let out an angry huff, picking the fruit peel off his head and throwing it away in disgust. At least the garbage dump softened his landing. Still, the outlander got away. That stupid old Scion also got away, and someone seemed to have warned the rest of their order about his arrival so he couldn't even kill all his friends. On top of that, his tunic was ruined and he smelled like literal trash. This was all around a bad day.

When Bestia woke up, the ship was docked, and daylight shone through the viewport. She slowly stood up, relieved that she could control her legs at all, and checked the spot where her wound was. It was gone, only a star-shaped scar and a hole in her shirt remained. There probably was a matching scar on her back too. She looked out of the viewport. Forests and cliffs as far as she could see on one side, and a larger cliff looming over the ship on the other. She could see movement at the base of the cliff. Squinting, she made out a gathering of people and crates with various supplies and equipment.

"Oh you're finally awake!" Lana appeared in the doorway. Bestia blinked at her, eyes adjusting back to the gloom of the ship. Styrak pushed his way past the other Sith to examine his wife. 

"How long have I slept? Please don't tell me it's been another five years…"

"Just two days. Your wound is healed."

"Thanks." Bestia hugged Styrak. " I suppose I had underestimated Arcann and his anger."

Styrak nodded. 

"Where are we anyway?"

"Odessen. A secluded planet in wild space."

"I see."

Bestia walked with Lana and Styrak to the ship exit. Koth joined them on the way.

"Can't believe we've found a place where nothing wants to kill us."

"Yeah. What did I miss?"

"I lost some crew on Asylum. Could have been much worse if Vaylin got to them but… Senya really saved the day."

"And I will always be there." Senya emerged from a side passage, joining the procession. "Credit where credit is due, that Scion pulled their weight as well."

"We lost HK though. He took a huge Force blast for me."

Koth lowered his head in respect.

"Isn't there a backup though?"

Koth shook his head.

"Say, speaking of Scions, how are Shyren and Heskal doing?" 

This time it was Styrak's turn to reply. "Heskal is stable but it will take him some time to recover. His wound was a dangerous one."

"He apparently called Arcann to the Asylum. Something about a vision."

"Shyren told me about that. They had a vision of their own and acted on it. All the other Scions are on the run."

Lana threw her hands into the air. "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"

"The other Scions are still on our side. They'll return, probably." Bestia shrugged.

"How about we stop depressing each other?" Koth said.

"Right. The good news is, the Battle of Asylum showed the Galaxy Zakuul isn’t invincible. My contacts in the Core worlds decided to throw their support behind us. Behind you."

Bestia stopped.

"Wait, what?"

"You’re about to become the leader of an alliance against the Eternal Throne."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Wait. Slow down. Are you SURE about this? I���m a Dread Master. Part of a group that literally bullied the whole Galaxy. And you want ME to lead an alliance of people who probably still remember the Dread War?"

"Well...look at it as atonement?"

"Hm. I...guess? Still, if your allies take one look at me and Styrak and go back to their worlds, don't say I didn't warn you. I hope it's not too different from commanding Dread Guard."

"You won’t be alone. You’ll have us."

"No offense but you're not the other Dread Masters," Bestia sighed. "It sounds like I don’t have much of a choice."

They now stood in front of a tall broad cliff face with drills mounted before it. A gaggle of Imperial, Republic, and even a few Maldalorians were milling and standing about, waiting for something. They stepped aside before Bestia, a murmur running over the crowd.

"Do the honors of turning on the drill?" Lana pointed ahead with a little joking curtsy.

"Alright. I can do that."

Bestia walked towards the drill controls. All the parameters were already keyed in, someone just had to give the go command. Bestia sighed, and pressed the key. The drill whirred to life, moving in towards the cliff face. 

She heard another murmur go over the crowd, and turned around. It seemed Lana tricked her into ending up before the crowd. Everyone was staring at her. Styrak made his way to stand by her side, glaring. His mask was on. Lana was giving her a thumbs up. She could sense uncertainty and fear from the people. They were expecting something. A speech, maybe? That seemed like the right thing to do. 

“Okay. I don’t know what Lana is thinking, putting a Dread Master in charge."

There was more murmuring among the crowd, and Bestia saw recognition and fear in a few older-looking faces. Lana looked nervous. She continued.

"If most of you turn around and leave, I won't blame you. But I think we're all in the same boat here, displaced by the Eternal Empire." 

She scanned the crowd again. A few nodded, mostly Sith, judging from the dark robes. Bestia sighed.

"I will spare you my tragic backstory, but suffice to say being a Dread Master wasn't my first choice of occupation. Maybe for me it’s a chance to do something good for once. I give my power as a Dread Master into the service of this Alliance. May the Eternal Empire fall like all empires do."

It seemed like a reference to a band Rammas was always listening to, managed to win some points. A few cheers rang out from the crowd, but mostly the mood was still uncertain and slightly scared. At least it wasn't outright hostility or fear, and no one was leaving. It was the best Bestia could hope for, and Styrak hovering next to her in his mask didn't help. Even those who weren't aware of the Dread Masters saw two tall intimidating Sith. She stepped away from the ledge, away from the gathering. She had a lot of work ahead of her. Sure, this Alliance wasn’t Dread Guard, but she still silently vowed to put as much effort into it as she could. Maybe Lana was right and it was a chance to put some good deeds under her belt, to weigh against the crimes she had committed as a Dread Master. An odd bit of insight to come from a Sith. She also had at least three other Dread Masters to locate. The Alliance could also possibly provide her with resources to do so, and later on, to pursue Vitiate.

[iris-sistibly]

The Targ Talk: House of the Dragon S2

I'm late for the party because I took a break from writing QOT fanfics, but here I am.

Episode 1 commentary:

I do appreciate the whole tapestry thing that tells the history of the Targaryen dynasty (mostly focusing on the dance, duh), but I still prefer the opening in season 1.

Rhaenys refusing to follow Daemon's order is badass ngl. Like I said, Daemon is my favorite bitch but if I have to choose between him and Rhaenys, I'd take the latter's side. Daemon is the "strike the iron while it's hot" kind of person, but the moment the Greens learned about Lucerys' demise they have been on high alert in case of any attacks from the Blacks so...it was a bad idea to attack King's Landing just like that.

I think we can all agree that Emma D' Arcy did an amazing job at showing Rhaenyra's grief. The unkempt hair, the dirt on her face and body, basically being not being able to care for herself (and she doesn't care), very image of a mother who just lost another child was nailed to perfection. The scene where the queen found the remains of Luke and Arrax was just heartbreaking.

Speaking of nailing a scene, I am also impressed at Phia Saban. I know a lot of people were confused at how Helaena decided to give up her son after her failed attempt to bribe Blood and Cheese. Actually it was much worse in the book, but it still ended up with Jaehaerys' death. I do agree with what others said that Helaena had to choose or all of them will die. If she sacrificed herself, they would still have killed both kids, if she chose to give up Jaehaera, the result would STILL be the same. The fear, desperation, confusion and trauma of Helaena was delivered so well by Phia.

I also read some comments saying that Helaena foresaw her son's death, and whatever she does she couldn't stop it hence she did what she did.

However, I do agree that the Blood and Cheese scene which was supposedly the highlight of the episode felt a bit...underwhelming. I mean, if you really think about it, it's horrible but I was expecting it to be at the same level or at least close to the book kind of horrifying. Though idk why they excluded Maelor's character, and I don't even know if Daeron is going to exist in the show either.

I have a confession to make, I kinda like Aegon in this episode. I was expecting him to be a lazy bastard or a Joffrey Baratheon kind of "king" but at least he's trying. But as I'm writing this, I realized that he's just another pawn of Otto's (just like his mother). Having Aegon as king would give him control over the kingdom, he cannot be king and being the hand of Viserys, and now Aegon II is the closest he could get to the iron throne, that's why the greedy bitch did everything he can--use his daughter and have her marry to Viserys despite her young age and trying to convince Vizzy to marry Aegon to Rhaenyra. Dude has been planning it for years. When Alicent voiced out her concern about being undermined by her father at the small council I was like, babes you're a pawn in this game, that's all you are and I hate that the showrunners made her this way. Again, she was a player in the book and I prefer that version of her.

Criston Cole bitching about Rhaenyra choosing the crown over oranges, and refusing to be her whore but still ended up being a boy toy of another queen will never not be funny.

Oh, and after spending some time reading Helaegon fanfics, I kinda ship them now too 🤣🤣

[jcrsctrl]

— you're my secret.

request: by anon ;

"Could you do a cute and romantic jacaerys ff where he's in a secret relationship with a handmaiden ?"

pariring: Jacaerys Velaryon X Maiden!Reader.

w/c: 1,3k words.

notes: I kinda hate this, but not enough to not post it- Also, my requests are open, so feel free to ask me to write about anything (fluff, one shot, headcanons)! I'd like to write mainly about Jacaerys though!

warnings: Kind of smut at the end.

A kiss on the fly discreetly in the maze-like corridors of Dragonstone, a few discreet stares as you served wine at a supper table, or a smile as you walked past each other in the training yard. That was what the relationship between you and Jacaerys Velaryon was all about. You were a servant and he was a member of the high aristocracy and heir to the Iron Throne. Your relationship was a forbidden fruit, a secret that must not be revealed. And despite his private and discreet nature, you liked this relationship, Jacaerys was the perfect lover. Caring, supportive and so protective that you felt his presence even when he wasn't with you.

You were preparing a room for an important meeting. The Maesters had planned for it to last several hours, so you were assigned to prepare the wine and the table that would be at the centre of important discussions. As you wiped the small drops that had fallen on the table as you carried the jar of wine, a person came into the room that the guards had closed behind you. Since you had learned the formalities of courtesy, you placed your tray where was the jar of wine on the table before taking a few steps back, crossing your hands in front of your apron over a brown dress characteristic of the servants. It was as you looked up that you discovered Jace standing before you, a playful smile on his lips.

"The sky looks lovely today, don't you think?" He asked as he glanced around the room with a watchful eye.

"Yes, my prince." You replied, staring at Jacaerys surveying the room.

It was a code. A code you had set up to ensure that you were alone in a place and could finally act like a real couple. Jacaerys loved you, and it showed in the way he watched your every move when you were in the same room. But you mustn't forget that he was the heir to the Iron Throne. And with all the talk of his legitimacy to the throne, he couldn't afford to add to the already mentioned talk, knowing full well how the noble society of Westeros would react if such an announcement was to circulate throughout the sevven kingdom. Fortunately for him, you were an understanding person, so he had nothing to worry about. On your side, the secret was well-kept.

Once a few seconds of silence had passed between the two of you, Jacaerys didn't wait any longer. Grabbing you by the throat with a certain envy, you pushed your way into the room until you were against the wall. Your breathing already ragged, Jacaerys placed his lips, chilled by the temperature of the room, on yours. It was a kiss that felt like the two of you wanted to be one person. Your hands running through Jace's hair, his finding their place in the hollow of your hips, you didn't even give each other time to breathe as your lips touched, it was as if you felt the stars dancing all over your bodies.

"The wait for us to be together was unsustainable." Jacaerys let out between languorous kisses.”

"It was also for me, no worries, my prince." You replied, pressing your lips to his, as if you were angry at yourself for abandoning them for too long.

As Jacaerys's hand slowly moved up your thigh, the doors of the room scraped against the floor, implying that someone was about to enter. Panic taking hold of your body, you pushed Jace away before patting your dress so that it would fit properly. Jace wiped the corners of his mouth as you walked quickly to the tray of wine you had set down. Knights flanked nobles who entered the room as you and Jace acted as if you weren't ready to rip your clothes off seconds ago.

"Lord Beesbury?" Questioned Jace as he placed both hands on the stone table at the same time you left that table with the jar of wine. "I wasn't expecting you until a couple of hours, to what do I owe this early arrival?"

"My apologies my Prince, Princess Rhaenyra has requested our early arrival so that we may not waste time to discuss important matters." Replied Lord Beesbury as he took a seat around the table while Jace could see other Lords down the hall arriving.

"Well, (y/n) ?" He called out to you as you were about to leave the room. "I would like my sheets changed and my bed made by the end of this meeting, could you arrange that ?"

"Of course my Prince, I will personally do it." You say before slipping away after making a slight curtsy. It was once again a code between the two of you. Jacaerys was inviting you to spend the night, or at least part of it, with him.

Thunder was rumbling on Dragonstone, as Jacaerys had just returned to his room after a heavy evening in the meeting room. In sync, you had just finished making his bed. When he entered, you straightened up so that you could watch the reflection of the candle flames dance on his skin and welcome him properly.

"Your bed as you requested, my prince." You then announced with a provocative smile on your rosy lips.

Jacaerys did not answer, instead the young prince remained in the same place, devouring you with his eyes as his hand settled on the wires that closed his little white shirt. You didn't give him time to tease you any further. Frustrated at being interrupted earlier in the day, you didn't want to miss a single second with Jacaerys. Almost running to get closer to him, you wrapped your arms around his neck, then your lips met once more, and never left each other.

While you were still struggling to breathe after being suddenly separated from Jacaerys' lips, you managed to press your lips together to regain normal breathing as he pulled his shirt off. You took off your dress a while ago and your chest was making the most beautiful spectacle against Jacaerys’. But you didn't care about your breasts at this point.

The number of times you’ve seen Jacaerys topless was uncountable. However, this time felt like the first time. He was the object of your deepest desire, even more beautiful up close: a work of art. So close, you could even feel his body heat radiating. Jacaerys could see your eyes devouring him without wany form pf restraint, which gave him an extra reason to make another kiss. His lips called yours**,** jealous and fiery, for daring to leave them for just a second too long. The wild dance slowed down in a delicious and exquise exchange in which the two of you gave yourselves to each other. But your hands were no longer in the correct position, and as they began to slide gently over Jacaerys' chest, they ended up on his abs.

You let out a sigh against his lips as your noses touched. Still straddling his thighs, you pushed your knees further into the bed you had progressively found yourselves on, rubbing yourself a little more against the one who was going to make you lose your mind in the next few moments. You wanted all of him, and in a way that you could not put into words in this situation.

You placed one last languid kiss on Jacaerys' lips, slow and intense, before you moved to his cheek. You placed a first teasing kiss on his cheek, then a second later, and slid your full lips to his jaw. A jaw that you had spent so much time admiring and that was now yours. The satisfaction was even better than expected.

You were worshipping him in your own way. But before continuing your worship, you lifted your head from your lover's neck to look into his eyes. They were in love with the person in front of him, twisted with desire: the gire of the dragon in his irises was enough to give you goosebumps. While Jacaerys might have expected you to say something, you tugged at the laces of his trouser, just above his crotch, without opening it. You tilted your head slightly to one side, raising your eyelashes, waiting for him to say yes.

[atopvisenyashill]

@ladystoneboobs ? the sack happened after rhaegars death tho, that loss was kinda key to tywins turncloaking. unclear to me how his kg knew abt it but it def wasnt straight from rhaerhae unless his ghost was still at the toj.

this is why i shouldn't offer any opinion when i'm tired because i get the timeline wrong aljksdfkl i kept switching the timeline in my mind from

oswell sent by aerys to fetch rhaegar -> sack -> battle of the trident -> ned lifts siege of storm's end -> tower of joy.

but it's oswell sent by aerys -> trident (tho tywin is in fact on the way to KL and Jaime is having a rough fucking time rn) -> sack -> ned lifts the siege at storm's end -> tower of joy.

i think there's plenty of time between the trident and the tower of joy for the Kingsguard to find out what's happened in the capital; famously after the sack, there's enough time for Ned and Robert to quarrel over the murder of Elia, Rhaenys, and Aegon, and threaten to abandon the rebellion entirely while he goes to help Stannis, so that's plenty of time for Willem Darry (or whoever) to send a raven to Oswell to let him know what happened (because Oswell found the Tower somehow so clearly the Kingsguard are still in communication with each other throughout the war, even if it's in a more roundabout way like Oswell contacting Ashara and Ashara contacting Arthur who is with Rhaegar).

Anyways, the timeline mix up was mostly me try to entertain the "king jon" theories (i do not subscribe to them i think it's narratively unsatisfying but also, crucially, the timeline just doesn't work out here. If Jon is legitimate, it's because Rhaegar made some sort of last minute proclamation to the Kingsguard and maybe to Ashara Dayne and Wylla, and I don't think "well Bran saw it happen through the eyes of a tree" is a great basis for Jon to take any throne at all, let alone the Iron Throne). But it amounts to essentially the same idea - I think Rhaegar probably had no clue that the war was spinning out of control until Oswell Whent showed up to get him and mentioned that Elia, Rhaenys, and Aegon were currently being held hostage in KL, and that the only reason Dorne was still loyal to the IT was because of Elia. Who knows if Rhaegar was in the frame of mind to really comprehend that though, and I do still think he probably didn't realize how completely fucked he was until the Trident. And the Kingsguard still ultimately make the dumbest decisions possible here, because they are too caught up in the fact that their perfect prince was wrong, their prophecy is not coming true any time soon, and they'd rather go out in blaze of glory than actually attempt to protect the teenage mother and newborn baby in their care. It turns out that doing the right thing is a lot harder than giving up and dying!

Since I can't seem to figure out how to repost your tags- I am going to say that Arthur Dayne didn't think Ned Stark would hurt baby Jon simply for the reason he was at the Tower of Joy instead of hightailing it to Starfall with baby and the wetnurse Wylla in tow. Once Jon was born, the need to stay at the tower was defunct. Lyanna dying or not, had bluntly served her purpose. The fate of Rhaenys and Aegon made it crystal clear that any one with dragon blood was in danger from the new regime. Doubly so for a child of Rhaegar and Lyanna. If Arthur was really concern about the baby rather than his own personal honor, his purpose would be to get on a fast ship to reunite with the exiled Targaryens or pulling a Jon Con and raising the baby himself in secret. But that isn't as neat a ending as dying in battle serving an oath to a dead man.

Oh yeah, I was kinda writing off the cuff there bc i’m very tired today lmao BUT

I have seen the main argument for a more sympathetic look at Arthur, Oswell, and Gerold is that they feared for Jon’s life, and likely had some sort of affection for Jon and Lyanna. That is something I can absolutely believe - like you said, the brutal murder of Rhaenys and Aegon is more than enough evidence that Jon is not safe in Westeros. I can certainly understand why, even with the best of intentions, the Kingsguard would be wary of Ned. Even if Ned holds no anger at Lyanna, he could hold plenty towards baby Jon or transfer his anger at Rhaegar to baby Jon. It’s a real risk in attempting to confront the man seen as the number two face of this rebellion with the son of his number one enemy.

But I think from the surrounding events, what most likely was happening was that Rhaegar did not take the rebllion nor his father’s madness as seriously as he should have until after the Sack (I know Jaime and Barristan mention Rhaegar planning beforehand to get rid of his father, but like, clearly it wasn’t that much of a priority considering he abandons whatever plans he made at Harrenhal to chase after, kidnap, and impregnate Lyanna while the realm burned around him SO!). IF he married Lyanna, it was likely after he found out Elia and their children had been murdered, and he was probably panicked over the situation in KL, his alliance with Dorne, and what this means for his prophecy (a far cry from the happy little scene we get in the show), and did it to legitimize what he thinks is baby Visenya as a sort of last resort, but did not ever believe he was going to lose the Battle of the Trident. We have no idea what information was getting to Rhaegar prior to Oswell coming to fetch him, and no idea what Oswell told Rhaegar, or if Rhaegar was even in a proper state of mind to comprehend it. When Rhaegar goes to fight Robert, for all we know, he has no earthly idea that he and his father have lost basically all of Westeros except Dorne and ONLY because of Elia. Personally, I think it’s likely that it’s not until he shows up to command the Dornish forces that he realizes just how fucked he is. The Kingsguard probably felt the same, and when they got word Rhaegar died, just fully gave up, condemning themselves, Lyanna, and maybe even the baby to death alongside their fallen Great King Who Should Have Been, Rhaegar.

Because otherwise, like, what are they even still doing at the tower. They wave off Rhaella and Viserys but if what they wanted was to actually protect the last of Rhaegar’s blood, they should have been trying to link up with Rhaella!! Feels pretty relevant that Rhaella know Rhaegar has another potential heir but they just sit around at the Tower instead for WEEKS after the Trident. It only seems nonsensical on the surface; Willem Darry had not yet given up, had two terrified, very small children suddenly in his care, and did his absolute best to try to take care of them. He has more honor in his pinky toe than either of the those three who saw a 16 year old and a newborn in dire need of help and went “rhaegar was wrong and there’s no use in trying anymore” and rolled over and died. Same for JonCon raising a child that is not his; what those two do is put the life of a child before any other intangible oaths or ideals, acting quickly and decisively under really stressful circumstances. Contrast to the Tower of Joy, where Lyanna doesn’t even have a Maester present to help deliver the baby.

So yeah, I do think it’s likely they worried Ned was a danger, and had some sort of fondness for Lyanna and baby Jon. Doesn’t mean they made the right decisions, or that their affection and fear ultimately mattered in the grand scheme of things. It’s tragic sure, but far more tragic is that they never turned to the dying teenager in their care and ask what her opinion was on how her final days should go.

[iheartbookbran]

The one thing tripping me up about it is that (at least imo) I feel like they would’ve (or should’ve) done more about the pressing threat. Ofc Queen Alysanne gave money to help the Night’s Watch, but I can’t remember anything else that the Targaryen kings pre-Dance did to help (but it’s been nearly 4 years since I read Fire & Blood so I’m probably missing some things). I’m open to hearing anyone else’s thoughts about this!

Hey @gothicxqueens sorry for answering on a different post here from my other post, my reply kinda evolved into a full rant in my head and I wanted to expand. But basically I believe that having the Targaryens coming to Westeros with what can be considered good intentions (or at least an specific goal that isn´t all about feudalistic expansion) but then getting tangled into the whole “game of thrones” web and loosing sight and then like, literally the knowledge of their initial purpose is the kind of moral complexity and inherent human flaw that I think fits far better into the spirit of the ASOIAF books than… “TaRGs BaD because DrAgoNs and ImPeRiAlisM” that some fans are so adamant into pushing.

Like yeah, power is one hell of a drug, one has to be careful not to get too carried by it, which I believe is pretty much what the Iron Throne is there to as a reminder to the characters and to the readers. Yes, having power is a privilege, but it’s also a huge responsibility, how does the ruler make sure not to forget that? How do they not abuse that power? How are they honoring their real goal: to protect the realm and the people who live in it? How do they make their subjects lives better?

If the person in power forgets that duty, well then that's a failure of the system and of the ruler, and the Iron Throne is going to remind us of that by literally rejecting whoever isn't meeting those standards of kingship.

That kind of interconnection between power and duty is something that I feel gets explored the most in Jon, Dany and Tyrion's chapters, because I feel like the three of them are characters who do crave power but are also aware of the responsibility that comes towards the people they are ruling over. Like, I hate how the show made a big deal of how “those who don't want to be rulers often make for the best ones” and then tried to pass that idea under the pretense of being #deep... but that's bs lmao, and that idea bled into Jon's character the worst imo, to the point that he was mumbling “I duh wan ittt” to anyone who would listen. And then there was Bran “I don't want anything” Stark *shudders*

But the thing is, I don't believe that having ambition and drive or seeking power are inherently bad things. That's precisely what helps Jon and Dany end up in the positions they're in during ADWD, and they use those positions to implement change and help those in need (the freefolk and the slaves, respectively).

For me there's a sort of irony to be found in the fact that yes, the Targaryens of old got so caught up in the game of thrones that they lost sight of what they came to Westeros for in the first place, and for that they lost their dragons and their power and almost became extinct, and yet their last two defendants still found themselves doing the very thing they were supposed to do—protecting those who can't protect themselves.