#jon is a hopeless romantic. to me. you must understand this.

[basilpaste]

this post drives me so nuts because this is literally the exact opposite of how this exchange goes in the podcast.

this is how the exchange goes in the podcast.

[thatasianstereotype]

Damian: Father, I have a problem to deal with. 

Bruce: What is it? 

Damian: It has come to my attention that I harbor non-platonic affections for the Kryptonian I tolerate the most. To keep from being distracted by thoughts of Jon being propositioned by anyone else, I will simply advance our friendship to the next stage. 

Bruce: *confused AF but still wants to be a good dad* Okay. Good luck. 

Damian: I do not need a fickle thing such as luck. I will succeed in gaining you another son so you should not have the need to pick up a random stranger off the streets again. 

[LATER] 

Damian: Grayson, you must have a multitude of methods for beginning a relationship considering the numerous partners you bedded in the past.

Dick: It’s not that difficult. I just walk up to them, smile, and ask if they want to go out with me. It usually works.

[After scaring Jon who thought he was sick because he was smiling]

Damian: Grayson has failed me.

Damian: Drake, how did you convince the Clone to take you on as a romantic partner? 

Tim: I made a 117 slide presentation detailing how we would be better as boyfriends. 

Damian: I see. 

[After 212 powerpoint slides]

Damian: Unfortunately, Jon does not have the attention span for such a thing and did not understand the overall message. 

Damian: Todd—

Jason: Seriously? Where’s the romance? The wooing? The effort? 

Damian: I put a lot of effort in my presentation. 

Jason:

Jason: You’re hopeless just like Bruce who relies on his nonexistent charm to get women. 

[douxreviews]

Game of Thrones - ‘The Last of the Starks’ Review

"We may have defeated them, but there's still us to contend with."

Previously, I'd written reviews for a couple of different episodes centered around epic battles. In this case, I felt fortunate to be reviewing an episode that's all about the aftermath of an epic battle, as well as a prelude for the next one.

Because I really couldn't decide how I felt about the sudden end to the White Walkers, the Long Night and the Great War until I saw how they planned to go forward. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I do know that -- as rushed as The Last of the Starks was -- there is a lot here that I quite enjoyed. At the very least, taking the zombies and ice demons out at the midway point leaves plenty of room to further explore the joys and pains of these awesome characters as they face an uncertain future.

Celebration of Life

The episode's opening is very bittersweet. We start with the somber mass funeral of those who died defending Winterfell from the Army of the Dead, and neatly segue into a joyous victory feast in the castle's great hall. These people just overcame death incarnate, and quickly realize there is much to celebrate. This leads to some beautiful moments.

Dany surprises everyone by singling out Gendry, son of her lifelong nemesis, and legitimizing him as a full-fledged Baratheon. I especially loved that Davos began the cheers for him, it's a nice vindication of his undying loyalty to the family.

Tormund once again attempts to woo Brienne of Tarth, but this time gets soundly cock-blocked by Jaime Lannister. Watching Tormund tearfully relate this tragedy to the uncaring Hound before shacking up with some horny northern girl was hilarious. Which gives us the scene between Sansa and Sandor Clegane, a reunion I had been waiting for.

Although not quite as intimate as it is in the books, theirs is still a significant connection; he helped inspire her strength, and she helped inspire his chivalry. It was nice to see Sansa gain the Hound's respect, and it's always nice to see this hard man's softer, more vulnerable side.

And we finally see Jaime and Brienne become a thing. That love scene was so cleverly adorable in its execution, these two misfits struggling to approach the act of consummating their feelings toward each other. Brienne's awkward stiffness as she finds herself in a mutually romantic situation for the first time in her life, and Jaime's even more awkward attempt at flirting after a lifetime of ignoring all other women in favor of his twin sister. Very well handled.

Of course, there are still a couple of episodes left and they can't be full of nothing but our favorite characters happily prospering. As Littlefinger previously addressed, and as Tyrion reaffirms here, defeating the mythical White Walkers and saving the world means everyone must now deal with that world and each other.

Moments of Truth

Daenerys is quick to recognize this as well. The celebration only reminds her that she is still a stranger in her own homeland, that Jon Snow is the heroic leader people revere, and that his claim to the throne is stronger than hers regardless of whatever her destiny truly is. Emilia Clarke's performance shines here in a way I haven't seen for a couple of seasons now. This is because for the most part we only see her wearing Dany's queenly mask of superiority, mostly cool but occasionally smoldering. Whereas now we are seeing Dany in a state of palpable desperation.

The scene between her and Jon really brings their circumstances down to earth quite dramatically. They are in love and want to be together, but the truth of Jon's origin threatens to tear them apart and the realm along with them. Dany begs Jon not to reveal his secret identity to anyone else, but he feels compelled to tell Sansa and Arya because they are his family.

I'm disappointed that we don't see Sansa and Arya's immediate reactions to the truth, but their choices later on are just as telling.

Sansa chooses to betray Jon's trust by spilling the beans to Tyrion, hoping to erode Dany's power in favor of Jon. This would almost certainly guarantee an Iron Throne controlled by the Starks.

Arya chooses to join the Hound on a suicide mission to King's Landing, which is a bit more ambiguous. Is she questioning her own existence after learning Jon's secret and refusing Gendry's proposal, finally accepting that she wasn't born to be a subservient sister or wife but an instrument of death? Or is she risking her life in order to protect Jon, who she will always love as her brother, no matter where he came from?

Either way, it seems like a lot of carnage could have been avoided if Arya had just offered to go south and single-handedly assassinate Cersei for Jon and Dany.

The R+L=J revelation also leads to a few great scenes between Tyrion and Varys. Tyrion is clearly distressed, but Varys (rather hypocritically) begins suggesting that they should kick Dany to the curb and put Jon on the Iron Throne. It's been so long since we've seen the serious side to this duo. Now it seems Varys is poised to betray the queen he marked as a savior, in the name of the people. Meaning he's probably got dragonfire in his future. Or maybe not. The way their last conversation ends, you get the feeling that Tyrion's plea for Varys not to threaten Dany is more of a warning. Tyrion did start off his relationship with Varys by threatening to kill him for potentially endangering a woman he cared about.

For once, Tyrion is the character who's really hard to read. He seems to know Jon is a more ideal choice, but he can't bring himself to consider betraying Dany. He fears Dany's potential for madness and destruction, but he also genuinely believes in her potential for greatness.

I still think Tyrion's loyalty to Dany goes beyond just finding a ruler worth sticking with. Part of me thinks he's got some repressed romantic feelings toward her, and another part of me thinks he views her as the sister Cersei never was. Which likely makes the fact that they are at war with Cersei all the more complicated, since Tyrion just can't bring himself to give up on her.

Despite the whacky Stark kids, the legendary warriors and the various schemers and pretenders to the throne, the story really does seem to center around our three main outsiders, Jon, Daenerys and Tyrion. And I think Tyrion is drinking so much because he understands that he is caught in the middle and has the burden of deciding all of their fates and doesn't know the right choice. He is finally beginning to see the long shadow he is casting.

And despite Jon's stubborn optimism that everyone can get along, even he seems indecisive and adrift. He claims to not want the throne or the crown or even his "true" identity, but his departure from Winterfell shows us that he's still leaving behind everything that's been a core part of who he is: the North, the Free Folk, his friends and family, he even asks Tormund to bring his direwolf Ghost beyond the Wall. Whether he knows it or not, he is being drawn toward the Iron Throne, his supposed destiny. But his scenes in this episode drive the point home that he will always be Jon Snow at heart, not Aegon Targaryen VI. His connection to the Starks, the North, the First Men (hell, maybe even the Old Gods) is clearly much stronger than the blood of the dragon running through his veins.

Death of Dragons

And to drive this point home, immediately after Jon leaves Ghost behind, his dragon Rhaegal winds up dead.

Yes, "The Last War" quickly goes wrong for Dany as Euron Greyjoy lays an ambush at Dragonstone, destroying the rest of the Targaryen fleet and capturing Missandei in addition to killing one of her dragons with new souped up scorpions.

It's both frustrating and amazing that Cersei has been allowed to turn the tables like this, though forgivable in that it's largely a result of other people. Euron's unpredictable nature and talent for raising hell is key to her strength, Jaime's theft of the Tyrell wealth is the only reason she could afford the Golden Company, and she likely wouldn't have gotten this far if a crazy resourceful bastard like Qyburn hadn't been backing her up. Gold, cruelty and fool's luck have subsequently left her in a position where she is more dominant than a woman who had previously dominated almost half a continent.

Dealing with an enemy as maddeningly chaotic and power hungry as Cersei is doing the opposite of what Tyrion wants by provoking Dany to be just as bad or worse in her quest for victory. That Tyrion continues to delude himself into thinking Cersei is "not a monster" because she "loved her children" still annoys me. You could argue that he's trying to reason with her simply to avoid any more bloodshed, but Tyrion should be smart enough to know by now that appealing to Cersei's humanity and rationality is hopeless. Which Cersei proves by having the Mountain decapitate Missandei, spitting on Dany's last bit of mercy. Our dragon queen has never been closer to giving the order to "burn them all" than she is now.

Missandei's resolute final words -- "Dracarys", which calls back to the moment she went from enslaved translator to royal herald when Dany began her revolution in Slaver's Bay -- might give us some hope for sweet revenge and catharsis, but I imagine the end result will be more difficult to reconcile. King's Landing is a powderkeg just waiting to go off. I mean, we've got the combined Stark and Targaryen forces about to do battle with the combined Lannisters, Ironborn and Golden Company sellswords, Dany unleashing her wrath on dragonback while Cersei uses the populace of King's Landing as a shield, the Hound facing off against the Mountain, Arya coming to kill Cersei and Jaime possibly on his way to do the same (more on that below), there's a good chance Cersei will use wildfire again to give her more of an edge, all on top of Tyrion and Varys butting heads as they toy with Jon and Dany's lives in the game of thrones.

If The Long Night was any indication, we'll likely see most of this resolved in the next episode after much senseless violence. However, unless everyone ends up killing each other, that still leaves a bunch of other unanswered questions. Will our heroes Jon and Dany come to terms with who they are? How does Tyrion go on after the downfall of his dysfunctional family? Can the Stark children ever come back from the tragedies and horrors that have defined their lives? Is what's left of Westeros going to survive the long winter? How long will this winter be? Why are the seasons so long anyway? If the realm does survive, will it and its people learn from this devastation and evolve, or forget and doom themselves to repeat history over and over? What exactly is the Prince That Was Promised, or the Lord of Light? Where does any of this magic come from? Does Bronn get his fancy castle? Was the Three-Eyed Bran the bad guy all along? Will the gallant cat Ser Pounce ever return?

I guess I'll find out, one way or another. Hard to believe this show's almost over.

Schemes & Plots:

* The funeral scene got to me. Guess I just wasn't ready to see characters like Jorah, Theon or Dolorous Edd get laid to rest.

* I love how Podrick casually sets up a threesome in the background as Sansa talks to Sandor.

* Bronn gets a scene with Jaime and Tyrion that, while fun, is basically a retread of most other scenes between these characters. Which pretty much boils down to this: "You fuckers owe me a castle!" I know it's a cute way of illustrating that Bronn would rather not kill the Lannister bros, but realistically he should have cut his losses a long time ago.

* Varys mentions that the "new Prince of Dorne" has declared for Daenerys. Whoever this is, I doubt we'll ever see him. Guess the show chose to forget that Oberyn Martell had eight daughters, which would leave five still alive after the demise of the loathsome Sand Snakes.

* Gilly is pregnant with Sam's baby. Big surprise, they're gonna name it Jon if it's a boy.

* Not long after the Jaime/Brienne ship sets sail, it capsizes when Jaime learns that Cersei is gaining the advantage over Dany. He then apparently abandons his chance at honor, love and peace to go back to Cersei, breaking Brienne's heart. Or so it would seem. I think Jaime is really going back to put an end to Cersei himself, and simply played the villain to keep Brienne from following him to almost certain death. Jaime states the unforgivable things he's done for Cersei as if to affirm that he is just like her, but I think this is him owning up to the fact that loving Cersei made him into a monster, something he doesn't want to be. In this light, Jaime killing Cersei would be as poetic as Tyrion killing Tywin; their struggle to please these hateful tyrants enslaved them both, forcing them to compromise their principles and accept lives of humiliation and scorn. A missing sword hand isn't Jaime's greatest handicap no more than dwarfism was Tyrion's. It's Cersei. She's a chain he needs to break free from.

* Watching Jaime struggle to unbutton his tunic or ready his horse makes me think of all the other one-handed difficulties he must have dealt with during his solo journey north.

* I still really hate that there's no snow in King's Landing. After all the talk about how "Winter is Coming", winter has had far less representation than I imagined.

* Tyrion's parlay with Qyburn reminded me of the deleted scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King where the heroes meet the Mouth of Sauron.

* We see the way this world's history repeats itself through Gendry. House Baratheon was originally founded by a man said to have been Aegon the Conqueror's bastard brother, and they are once again made rulers of the Stormlands by another Targaryen conqueror. It's taken even further when an overjoyed Gendry asks Arya to be his wife and gets rejected, just like his father Robert was rejected by Lyanna Stark. The Baratheons are typically very gifted individuals, but they are woefully unlucky when it comes to love and family.

* Speaking of history repeating, it turns out Cersei really is manipulating Euron the same way she manipulated King Robert, tricking him into believing that her Lannister incest baby is his Greyjoy heir to the throne.

* Rhaegal died at Dragonstone after being unceremoniously impaled by three javelins and sinking into the waters. This was similar to his namesake, Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone who was unceremoniously defeated and died in the waters of the Trident.

* Still not enough Ghost.

Quotes:

Sandor Clegane: Used to be you couldn't look at me. Sansa Stark: That was a long time ago. I've seen much worse than you since then. Sandor: Yes, I've heard. Heard you were broken in. Heard you were broken in rough. Sansa: And he got what he deserved. I gave it to him. Sandor: How? Sansa: Hounds. Sandor: (chuckles) ... You've changed, little bird.

Jaime Lannister: You know the first thing I learned about the North? I hate the fucking North. Brienne of Tarth: It grows on you. Jaime: I don't want things growing on me.

Daenerys Targaryen: (to Jon) I saw the way they looked at you. I know that look. So many people have looked at me that way, but never here. Never on this side of the sea.

Jon Snow: If you only trust the people you grow up with, you won't make many allies. Arya Stark: That's alright. I don't need many allies.

Tormund Giantsbane: (to Jon) You've got the north in you. The real north.

Sandor Clegane: (to Arya) Must've felt good, sticking your knife in that horned fucker.

Varys: How many others know? Tyrion: Including us? Eight. Varys: Then it's not a secret anymore. It's information.

Varys: You know our queen better than I do. Do you think she wants to share the throne? She doesn't like to have her authority questioned-- Tyrion: Something she has in common with every monarch who ever lived. Varys: I worry about her state of mind. Tyrion: We're advisors to the queen. Worrying about her state of mind is our job... We still have to take King's Landing. Maybe Cersei will win and kill us all. That would solve all our problems.

Euron Greyjoy: She's coming for you. Cersei Lannister: Of course, she is. Keep the gates open. If she wants to take the castle she'll have to murder thousands of innocent people first. So much for the Breaker of Chains.

Daenerys: They should know who to blame when the sky falls down upon them. Damn.

Varys: I have served tyrants most of my life. They all talk about destiny. Tyrion: She's a girl who walked into a fire with three stones and walked out with three dragons. How could she not believe in destiny?

Though I'm not crazy about the direction these last few seasons have gone in, it was an absolute pleasure to be able to write reviews for this show. Game of Thrones is truly phenomenal. It'll be a shame not to have it to look forward to anymore. Three and a half out of five Starbucks coffee cups.

Logan Cox

[anonwriter27]

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This: Chapter Four

Cersei felt weak, her whole body wracked with fear; her daughter, her only surviving child, the one light in her life, was gone. It had been less than a day but Cersei could only fear the worst; all three of her children with their golden crowns, gone. She begged on the day of Tommen’s death that she would never have to put a golden shroud over Myrcella as well.

She had summoned her brothers to come see her, determined that they would help in the search for her daughter. Tyrion, or ‘the imp’ as he was called, was the god of knowledge and prophecy, he always knew the answers that people did not want to hear. Jaime, her twin brother, was a war hero; he had been the strongest and most valiant knight in all the realms, though his arrogance often belittled his achievements.

While they searched she was urged to get some rest so that she’d be in a better state to greet her daughter when she returned, but sleep had been cruel to Cersei.

In her dream her beautiful daughter had returned. Cersei would call out for her, and they would run to each other through the field of lavender; but as soon as she was in touching distance her fingers would brush through Myrcella and a skeleton hand would appear and hold her daughter’s arm urging her away. Cersei ran after them but they disappeared.

She awoke to hear her brothers returning.

“Well? Where is she!?” Cersei asked, panic in her words.

“We’ve looked everywhere, there is no sign of her.” Jaime told her, resting his hands on her shoulders to try and calm her breathing.

“Then look again! A goddess does not just go missing! You find her kidnapper, you rescue her, and you bring her home!” She screeched.

“Are we sure there was a kidnapper?” Tyrion asked meekly, looking up at his sister preparing to be assaulted by her wrath.

His brother and sister turned to him, confusion on both their faces.

“What are you implying exactly?” Jaime asked him, with a cautious tone telling him not to speak foolishly.

“Just listen to me. You’ve kept that girl hidden away from the world for years, she has made no friends, she has seen nothing of the world outside your domain.”

“And!?” Cersei asked impatiently.

“It would be natural for her to be curious and want to explore. She is young Cersei, she has a right to know of the world in which she lives!” Tyrion said.

Tyrion loved his niece dearly, he had always hated that Cersei kept her hidden from the world. Myrcella was bright and intelligent, she did not deserve to be held in captivity.

“So you think she left me of her own free will? Am I that bad a mother? Have I not suffered enough Tyrion!?” She yelled, and sat down in defeat.

Tyrion walked over to her and placed a hand over hers, “I think you are a wonderful mother, it is one of the few things I will credit you with. I understand why you did it, after what happened to Joffrey and Tommen…but I think dear sister that you simply held on too tightly.”

“That still doesn’t explain why we can’t find her. We’ve searched every kingdom.” Jaime said.

“May I suggest we give it time?” Tyrion asked.

“You want us to do nothing?” Cersei asked incredulously.

“Only a week or so. If she did leave of her own accord, which I think may be likely, then she will contact us soon. She is new to the world, once she finds her bearings and sees all she wants to see she will come home.”

“I think Tyrion may be right. She’s a sweet girl Cersei, she would never do this to hurt you.” Jaime told his sister.

“One week. But I swear Tyrion, if my daughter is in danger I will show you no mercy.”

Had Cersei known where her daughter was then she most certainly would have classed her as being in danger, but would Myrcella see it the same way?

………….

Meanwhile, the king of the gods and his queen had been summoned to the underworld by urgent request. They had been in Robb’s study for over an hour, their shouts never showing signs of stopping.

“How could you be so stupid!?” Robb yelled.

“I knew you’d be angry but this is a bit excessive don’t you think?” Sansa countered.

“Excessive?” Jon asked, “Do you have any idea what you’ve started?” Sansa remained quiet while Jon continued.

“Do you think Cersei is a fan of yours? Do you think Jaime has forgiven Robb for besting him? Do you think they will take kindly to you simply plucking Myrcella from her home and dragging her to the underworld!?” Jon yelled the last part.

“Jon I…”

“I fought for so long to be with you Sansa, but now we have everything we could have ever hoped for and you would risk it all by bringing war to our doorstep.”

“I would risk everything for my family. Robb please…” She said and forced her brother to look up at her. “I did this to give you your best chance…”

Robb sighed, “I know your heart was in the right place, but this? Do you think she could ever forgive me for this?”

“But if you just spoke to her…”

“She doesn’t know who I am Sansa!” Robb yelled, “I kept it that way for a reason, so that I would never give her cause to fear me. Now it’s ruined.”

“I’m sorry.” Sansa said.

“We have to return, being down here isn’t good for the baby.” Jon said and took Sansa home.

Robb stayed in his study, he couldn’t bring himself to visit Myrcella, he wasn’t ready for her to hate him just yet.

…………..

Myrcella awoke with a gasp, her breathing only accelerating when she took in her unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where am I?” She whispered.

“The underworld my dear.” A voice answered making her jump. She turned to see Qyburn writing in his journal.

She looked around the room once more; she lay on a bed with black satin sheets and a white canopy draping over it. It was dark, but candles had been lit to offer her a better view. The room was practical, it had a bed, table, chairs, nothing out of the ordinary, but there was a coldness in the air that caused Myrcella to shiver.

“Am I dead?” She asked.

“No my dear, you’re a tough little thing. A sprained wrist is all, but you should recover soon enough; God’s have a knack for quick healing.”

Qyburn looked up at her and noticed he had not eased her confusion. “Forgive me, I’m a little out of practice when it comes to conversing. My name is Qyburn, I am the master of potions here.”

His calm demeanour had relaxed her slightly, “I’m Myrcella.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Myrcella. Well I must tend to my other responsibilities, I will see you soon.” He said and left her to ponder her new acquaintance.

He was an odd man, she thought, but she wasn’t scared of him.

She hesitantly jumped down from her bed and walked to the door, as she did she passed a mirror and took note of her reflection. Her dress was a little torn, the straps barely held the fabric over her shoulders, but she did not look frail or sickly. ‘So why am I here?’ She thought to herself.

She opened the door slowly, and walked out of the room. She found herself in a long corridor, surprisingly well lit. She looked up to the ceiling to find the source of light and saw a sea of souls watching her. They should have scared her, but Myrcella found them oddly beautiful; the emerald glow that enveloped them made them all the more enchanting.

“Hello?” She said, “Please show yourself, I’m awfully lost.”

As if taking pity on her the ceiling broke apart and the souls flew to her rescue.

Three souls descended to the ground and smiled at her; they were small and seemed to be children. They flew around her, giggling as the spun, their laughter was contagious and Myrcella joined them. Eventually more came, one an older woman, the other a little boy. They guided Myrcella to a large black door.

“Thank you.” She said to them and they inclined their heads and joined their friends up above.

She knocked twice hoping someone as friendly as Qyburn or the souls would be on the other side of the door.

“Come in.” She heard; she had heard that voice before.

She opened the door.

…………..

He heard a knock on his door and assumed it to be Qyburn informing him about their new guest.

“Come in.” Robb called out and the door began to open slowly.

He looked up from his desk and his stomach dropped at the sight before him. Myrcella walked hesitantly into his study, her arms holding the thin fabric of her dress up to cover herself. ‘Must she be so beautiful?’ He thought. She looked nervous as she looked around the room, eventually her eyes stopped wondering as they met his.

“I know you.” She said, her head tilting to the side as if to view him better.

“Yes you do.” He answered.

A thousand thoughts ran through his head. She had never seen him before, she hadn’t known who he was, or what he did, but now she knew everything.

She took a step closer, stopping a few steps before reaching his desk. “So you’re the king of the underworld?”

He took a deep breath, “Yes.”

“Why didn’t you say?” She asked.

“I was scared of what you might think, I know your mother and uncle don’t particularly like me…”

“I like to form my own opinions.” She said cutting him off. “I’m sorry your grace, I…”

“Don’t apologise, and please call me Robb.” He said.

“Robb.” She tried it out and Robb thought his name had never sounded so sweet.

“I want you to know, I didn’t bring you here. My sister knew that I visited you and believed it would be a good idea to bring you here.”

“Queen Sansa?” Myrcella asked.

“Yes, she can be a hopeless romantic at times.” He joked and was delighted to hear her giggle.

He got up from behind his desk and walked over to her; they had never been this close before, their chests were nearly touching and he could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin. He reached out his hand and placed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She did not flinch at his touch, if anything she leant in closer.

She looked up at him, “You don’t look like a monster.” She said innocently.

“And yet that is what I am” He said, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone.

“Are you afraid?” He asked, his voice low and hoarse.

He stared her straight in the eye, any flicker of doubt and he would take her home.

…………

“Are you afraid?” He asked her, and she shivered at the sound of his voice.

She looked at him, truly looked at him. He did not look like a monster; she had heard the tales her mother told of the dark underworld and all the demons it harboured, but she was not stood in front of a demon, she stood before a god. A god who had listened to her, who spoke to her when she was lonely. A god who had plagued her thoughts every night. Could she be afraid of him?

“No.” She said, and it was the most certain she had ever sounded.

“You’re sure? Because I can take you back, I will apologise to your mother…”

She pondered his words. She knew the sensible thing to do would be to return to her mother, but the thought made her heart sink. She had dreamt of this moment; she had longed for adventure, she would be a fool to let it pass her by.

“I would like to stay a little while, if that is okay?” She asked, a slight blush dusting her cheeks as she looked down at her feet.

Robb smiled and lifted her chin up so she met his eyes, “Nothing would make me happier.”

So that is how the goddess of spring ended up in the underworld. Was she in danger? No… not yet anyway.

[janiedean]

any songs that make you think of jb?

SURE let me copy you my playlist, the ones that are REALLY ridiculously them are in bold

this is your sword, bruce springsteen

here comes my man, gaslight anthem (k this is more jaime dumping cersei and going with b but)

too much blood, gaslight anthem

handle with care, the traveling wilburys

i lost it, lucinda williams

real live bleeding fingers - lucinda williams

broken butterflies - lucinda williams

blue - joni mitchell

hail hail - pearl jam

love minus zero/no limit - bob dylan

I’m in love with the ugliest girl in the world - bob dylan

tougher than the rest - bruce springsteen

thunder road - bruce springsteen

with a wonder and a wild desire - flogging molly

roll away your stone - mumford & sons

new lover - josh ritter

this must be the place - gloria*

mi piaci - alex britti**

you’re still standing there - steve earle & lucinda williams ***

girl in the war - josh ritter

still remains - stone temple pilots

hopeless romantics - steve earle

ugly - jon bon jovi

joan of arc - leonard cohen

dancing barefoot - patti smith

is your love in vain? - bob dylan

that’s my basic jb playlist which also shows how terrible I am with listening to music released past the mid-90s or by band created in the 2000s. also this is your sword was made for them and I don’t accept any other opinion on the matter u___u

(also i stole fic titles from like half of these and I kind of wrote one following thunder road but no one ever figured that out)

on to the asterisks

* I’m weird with this fucking song because this cover makes me think of jb, the original of dean/castiel and trevor green’s of theon/jeyne THEY’RE ALL DIFFERENT IDEK GUYS

** this one will be understandable just for italians I fear but if you watch the video maybe it’s going to be obvious tldr it’s about a dude who’s fallen for an impossible girlfriend with a horrid mother and I can’t stop picturing jaime as the gf and brienne as the dude

*** this one makes me think of every single serious ship I ever had iDK WHY IT WORKS FOR ALL OF THEM still it works for them too so XD

[whimsicalstarlightdreams]

Game of Thrones season 7 finale

Holy crap was it good. Damn that first set of scenes in the dragon pit and kings landing so amazing. Low key confirmation of Cleganebowl. the reunions Pod and Tyrion fucking Tyrion and Bronn and of course the Hound and Brienne bonding over their murder child Arya Stark. Brienne and Jaimes short little parts got me in the heart.  Dany coming fashionably late on Drogon so extra so spectacular. The real stunner was of course Cersei and Tyrions scene was amazing. Peter and Lena were incredible in that scene. Cersei double crossing everyone I was like bitch are you serious. And then she loses Jaime I was like finally!

And of course one of my favorite moments was my Stark family getting revenge and justice! I was so worried they’d kill Arya. I’d hoped this was a ruse and it was! When she turned and said Lord Baelish I was living! The second he was dead I was thrilled and relieved. House Stark is not to be trifled with Littlefinger. You should have left the minute Arya came back because it takes more than words and lies to rip apart the Starks. I’m proud of the Stark kids.

I’m still salty we won’t get an Arya Gendry reunion or an Arya Jon reunion but I guess I can’t have everything. sighs

The whole Bran and Sam scene was just incredible to watch not just for the heritage reveal but also because both of these characters know so much and are incredibly intelligent. I hope we have more scenes with them because I enjoyed every second. Also I loved the theme that played throughout the scene it was beautiful. The wedding quite literally made me screech with glee because I’m a hopeless romantic.

Side note to the people complaining that Rhaegar was ugly or looked like Viserys? really...they’re brothers. Siblings usually look similar plus I think he was rather perfect but that’s my opinion.

Anyway moving on everyone seems to be freaking out about Jon and Dany having the boat sex. They are either thrilled or appalled. to the appalled people I must raise a brow. First they don’t know they’re related... Secondly this is far from the worst thing we’ve seen on game of thrones. It’s like oh so your morals come back now? With the consensual albeit incestuous sex? I don’t understand but hey we all have different opinions.What do I think? I'm kind of meh about the whole thing. It is kind of poetic though. Although I think them uniting would be smart politically. Plus it was the most tasteful sex scene I’ve seen on the show. No unnecessary boob or dick flashing. It was just two people coming together even though they probably shouldn’t. They were both on equal footing which was quite frankly refreshing especially for this show. But yes this will bite them in the metaphorical ass. It should be interesting how they handle the news of Jon’s true heritage and claim to the throne.

Another thing about the scene was Jon’s true name I was a bit confused about him being called Aegon because his half brother was called that. I don’t know who picked out the kid’s name but it is weird. It’s going to get real awkward in the afterlife. But I suppose it makes good drama or something. It’s poetic in a way historically and thematically. I think he should’ve been called Aemon or Jaeherys but I do not have the reigns on this one.

But all in all I really loved the whole scene it had this fantastic weight to it thanks to Bran’s commentary and the breathtaking music. It gave me chills.

The last thing of course is the WALL COMING DOWN. That was an amazing scene but we are fucked right now if people don’t get their act together. I just want to clap at them all and say it does not matter who fucked who, who killed who, who sits on the damn pointy throne IF EVERYONE IS DEAD! Y’all need to let it go and start figuring out a plan. All other squabbles should be set aside. Have an all-out war later for now focus on that army of the dead because they now have a dragon (not to mention tons of soldiers that include fucking giants.) Jon and Davos have been saying it since the beginning the only war the only thing that matters is the threat of the army of the dead. The war for the dawn has begun again. Winter has come.

[thekastlediaries]

Been thinking about Shane Walsh

It’s been a LONG time since I watched the first seasons of the walking dead (and even then I only watched it once so I might be wrong about a thing or three)

It’s so hard to believe that Shane was only in two seasons. His presence was so big it felt like more I guess. Anyway, at first i severely disliked him, he seemed toxic, unable to deal, etc and even now some of his actions are still upsetting, but I feel like I’ve come to a deeper more sympathetic understanding of the character; and more and more when I see gifsets of Shane Walsh I just feel heartbroken more than anything else.

And lately I’ve been thinking about what Shane must have been like pre-ZA. Not exactly his personality, bc you can see enough of that in the good moments on the show, but about his day to day life. I do not read the comics so I have no idea what kind of background is provided for Shane, but it seems to me that he doesn’t really have any family, that he’s completely alone, aside from Rick and Lori and Carl. Like I can imagine Shane coming over for dinner with the grimes probably three or four nights a week, Lori and Rick whispering to each other in the night about how they wish he could find someone, watching him joke around with carl and teach the boy things etc.

(And I know the “little bird” tattoo is Jon’s but the showrunners didn’t decide to cover it up which may or not mean a damn thing at all, but I choose to believe Shane had had his heart broken, that maybe he’d loved a woman who disappointed and hurt him, that it’s been a really long time but no one else ever seemed worth the pain.)

So Rick is his brother essentially, and carl and Lori are family. It’s one of the reason his descent into madness is so heartbreaking. Because even from the very beginning he feels like he failed his brother. That scene where he tells Lori that Rick was shot and that he hadn’t been able to prevent it is a perfect encapsulation of what drives Shane for the two seasons that he’s in. He is so emotional thinking he failed his brother even though he did everything he could and Rick is technically in good hands at the hospital, and THEN something infinitely worse happens, he’s put in a situation where he feels like he has no choice but to abandon his brother to die (and even the then he still struggles with the idea that he made the wrong decision). Like, magnify that guilt he felt over the shooting by a million and maybe that’s what he’s feeling. So he tells himself that if his life is worth anything it’s because he needs to stay alive to protect Lori and Carl, and it makes sense that he slips into the role of father and husband so easily. Perhaps he’s always had some kind of romantic feelings for Lori, who knows, but what is certain is that they are already his family.

And then Rick walks up to their camp, looking like he walked through the bowels of hell, and all the guilt that had been living deep down in Shane’s heart just comes surging back up, and he knows with certainty that he made the wrong decision, that he told Lori Rick was dead because he didn’t want her to have to imagine the slow and painful death of a man being cut off from the machines he needed in the hospital, the certainty that the result of this revelation will be losing the only three people in the world that he loves, that his split second decision has basically ruined the only family he ever had (that Rick and Lori will both feel betrayed on some level, and that shane underestimates rick’s ability to forgive, that he had already let his feelings for Lori morph into a desperate and all encompassing love that never should have been). I mean, none of this excuses the horrible decisions he makes later (his violence against innocent people), but I think it informs his behavior, his feelings of hopelessness, his feeling that ruthlessness is the only answer in the ZA, bc weakness might mean REALLY losing the only people he cares about. It’s so hard to watch him lose his sanity. I just… sometimes I don’t know how I could have initially disliked him so much.