#once there were dragons

[otwdfanfic]

I got a question in my head and now i cannot get it out so,,,

What mythological creature/deity would you associate the otwd saga characters with? I personally always like to think about these kinds of questions to get to the core motivations/needs/whatever of characters and its really fun to think about!!

Would love to hear you rant about this, its such an interesting topic to me personally <33

I feel so bad that it took me this long to reply when it was on your mind but I didn't forget it just took me literal months to make time to return to OTWD 😔 This is a fun question bc it's already something I think about haha

Zephyr is already named after the Greek god of western winds, which feels appropriate to me. Wind is associated with change and journeys while the west is historically associated with progress and the unknown.

Nuffink has a lot of ghost imagery in his life so that's definitely a big one, but in ITPN I think the wendigo from North American folklore is an apt association. The transformation is supposedly triggered by consuming human flesh and associated with winter and the north.

Baldur has a lot of mythological associations. He's named after a tragic god whose name means prince, but he also has similarities to the trickster Loki with his silver tongue (who indirectly killed Baldr!) and the god Tyr who sacrificed his hand to trick and bind the monster wolf Fenrir. Blackfin is obviously connected to Fenrir, but I also like to think of him as Akhlut from Inuit folklore, a man-hunting creature who transforms into a wolf on land and an orca in the water.

Bjorn doesn't have anything that I try to actively weave in but he's similar to Bodvar Bjarki, a hero who was the king of Denmark's adviser and might've been the inspiration for Beowulf. His father had been transformed into a bear, so Bjarki could also send his spirit into battle as a bear.

Eret has a lot of similarities with Cassandra, a devoted priestess and prophet who was cursed so that nobody listened to her. She also reminds me of a willowy fairy. Unrelated but I've been loving Helaena on House of the Dragon bc her pale hair, green/gold color palette and weird bug girl whimsy are so Eret coded.

Torunn and Zephyr are two sides of a coin and both always remind me of valkyrie, a classic symbol of Norse mythology that represents the dichotomy of woman's role in the viking age, in fiction, and today. They're swan-angels who are alternatingly portrayed bursting out of lightning strikes with their chainmail drenched in blood and as fair dutiful maids bathed in light and fetching drinks. Simultaneously princesses and servants, mead-bearers and shieldmaidens.

Tryggir I associate with witches of all kinds. I can't think of a specific example...

Herne the Hunter is a horned ghost who haunts Windsor forest and is likely based on Cernunnos. Sometimes he's depicted leading the Wild Hunt, all imagery that fits Cato well. I almost named his father Herne as a reference but pivoted into a more historical choice.

I don't think I have any strong association with Sikka... there is the tupilaq of Inuit lore, which I learned about tangentially from AMC's The Terror. It's a vengeful creature created and sent to destroy a specific enemy, but if that enemy has stronger magic than the creator then the tupilaq will return to kill its maker. I hesitate to associate her with sorcery or monsters since those are unrelated, but some of themes are interesting.

Gustav I always connect to Odin. The lost eye, the hanged man symbolism, ravens etc. Cato had a line in OTWD connecting the two.

Nothing came to mind for Rilla, which is sad... her surname is a reference to a real woman called Aud the Deep Minded, a Norwegian matriarch in the British Isles who had to flee to Iceland to save her family from some pretty bad political situations. She was a devout Christian unlike other Icelandic settlers, so she put up crosses to pray at "cross hills". There's still at least one krossholar in her honor. Her father was the king Ketill Flatnose who ruled in the Southern Isles (south of the Northern Isles where Cato originates) so I used Ketill for her father's name and Aud in their surname. It's not exactly mythological but her first name references Rilla of Ingleside (an Anne of Green Gables book) where the protagonist has to rise to her duties at home while her brothers become soldiers in the first world war.

Long reply but I'm glad I could finally get around to it!!

[lilliths-httyd-blog]

john powell taught me to cry in public without anyone noticing

anyway im thinking about that "in my beginning is my end" quote

[abyssal-ilk]

thinking about sten again. thinking about him calling the warden kadan and never explaining what it means. thinking about him offering to take the warden back with him to par vollen, but it's never actually an option the warden takes, even if you agree. thinking about how sten responds the best to a warden who stands their ground even if he doesn't agree with them. thinking about how he loves sweets and art, and how he plays with kittens. "it's training," he says. but come on. he's playing. thinking about what else he's had to justify to himself for liking.

and he calls alistair kadan! shale as well! do you think it was ever extended to the other party members? just,, agh

[sylvancastor]

Jaecaerys continues to be the only person with any sort of common sense. Obviously I'm not excusing what he says about people from the lower classes, but he makes a good point about his legitimacy being endangered by clear proof Targaryen bastards can claim dragons. Which is why the book makes SO much more sense bc the entire dragonseed idea is his idea, not Mysaria/Rhaenyra's. We can't know for sure bc of how F&B is written, but with it being Jace's idea it's implied at the very least that he's weighed the benefits versus the consequences to his own legitimacy and their dire need to win the war and decided in favor of having the dragonseeds claim dragons. Taking that idea from him though and having it basically be Mysaria's is a complete insult to him and a politically damaging decision he didn't agree to. And not only does he have to deal with that but also in this version he has to be the one consistently wrangling Rhaenyra's council because she's literally NEVER there. I sympathize more with Jacaerys every week bc I'm frustrated, so I can't imagine being him.

[dailycupofcreativitea]

Doodle that evolved into "ready for Krillin's wedding" maybe 🤔

[here-there-be-drag0ns]

broke: actually price was always awful and abusive and it was terrible for chip the whole time

woke: one time rueben giggled and pushed chip down to hide behind a trashcan and nudged him with his elbow and grinned at him and whispered "check this shit out" and darted out to steal sweet buns from a pastry cart and brought them back to chip and handed one off to him as they ran and they both laughed as they licked icing off their fingers

[monabee-draws]

Actually you know what? Varric Tethras you owe Anders so much more. Solas' actions resulted in the creation of the Breach which killed hundreds on the day it was made and MANY more in the months following thanks to the rifts, especially in places not reachable by the Herald. You could even argue that the fall of the wardens is indirectly Solas' fault as well. Anders' actions at the chantry weren't even the real catalyst for the mages leaving the chantry and the whole mage-templar war, they voted to leave because of the Seekers secret about the Rite of Tranquility being revealed. So WHAT THE HELL man??? You're still trying to be nice to Solas even though his plans are WAY more clearly destructive than Anders' ever could have been? I want to read this charitably that Varric has grown and is trying not to fuck up again but also I am bitter. Anders got so shafted by the narrative in Inquisition and it irritates the hell out of me. He definitely isn't a hero, but the empathy he's denied when others receive empathy for similar or worse crimes is sooooo AAHHHH

[got-brainrot]

when i watched HotD (with no knowledge of the book) i was like, ok this is a bit cringey they’re obviously trying to make a pro women narrative and it’s turning out a bit cringe but whatever; and the more i learn abt the actual book the more i’m like, not whatever actually! why is this shit so cringe when you could’ve had much more powerful womens stories if u just stuck to the fucking book plot lines. in trying to make a “feminist retelling” they have just, stripped? most of the female character of most of their personalities??? I can see where they’re coming from w certain ideas, like having Helaena chose her daughter over her son could work in certain stories, but learning abt the book and how important Maelor was to that story it’s just, weird af that they did that? it feels LESS feminist to take away a huge part of Helaena’s story for this like middle school level lesson that daughters r infact just as important as their princely brothers and u probably shouldn’t sacrifice them to kidnappers, like thanks i think we all knew that actually,,,

tired of men trying to make feminist movies with their 3rd grade level understanding of feminism

[notalicent]

House of the Dragon 1.01 | "The Heirs of the Dragon" — dir. Miguel Sapochnik

[synchodai]

When I say Tyland Lannister is my favorite character...

I am being 100% dead serious. Here is why I prefer this seemingly average nobleman over the many many many fan favorites in Fire and Blood.

Tyland Lannister is a second son in a story about second sons. Whether his feelings on this are as strong as Aemond's or Daemon's, we never know for sure in the books, but it's obvious that he's subservient to a mirror image of himself who only has more authority because of a few seconds separation between twins. It's a great display of both the arbitrariness and rigidity of succession.

His initial role in the Dance is as the master of coin for the greens. He's depicted as a typical Lannister: charming, comely, and cunning. He did what any savvy accountant would do and divided the crown's treasury amongst different allied regions for safe-keeping, ensuring that if King's Landing were sacked, their enemies wouldn't loot their coffers dry and they'd still have plenty of gold for their war efforts.

And of course, King's Landing gets sacked. Tyland is put in the black cells and ordered to be tortured by Rhaenyra to extract the gold's whereabouts. Winter is coming, people are starving and rioting, her army is dwindling, so she desperately needs that gold. Tyland is gelded, maimed, disfigured, and blinded but the torturers get nothing out of him.

Mind you, this man has been a rich, pampered bureaucrat all his life and he endured all that without breaking. When Aegon II releases Tyland from those cells, he has no fingernails, his eyes have been gouged out and/or sewn shut, this man who was once known for his good looks doesn't look human anymore — but he still manages to maintain his wits so much so that he plays an important role after the Dance.

Even with Rhaenyra dead, there are still armies raising their banners for her eldest surviving son, Aegon Trois. Tyland tells Adult Aegon to kill Child Aegon because obviously, the latter threatens the former's claim and Tyland's understandably angry over what his mom did. Aegon Dos is like, nah, I'll keep the boy hostage instead — that'll keep the armies at bay more than outright killing him.

So Tyland volunteers to go to Myr to hire sellswords for Aegon 2 since their armies are pretty much kaput after six years of this civil war. Tyland is blind at this point I remind you — there is a huge chance this man will never get to go home again. But he does it anyway, because even after years of fighting, he keeps his unwavering loyalty to the monarch he declared for.

Aegon II dies while Tyland is in Myr, and Tyland goes back to Westeros just in time to see Cregan Stark use his powers as the new Hand to marry Aegon III and Princess Jaehaera to unite the green and black sides. Cregan dusts off his hands, says my work here is done, warns the boy king not to trust anyone, then leaves for the North for everyone else to sort this mess out.

Now comes the part where Tyland shines as a character. He becomes the Hand of Aegon III and when you see his policies detailed in the book, it's clear that his goal is focused on repairs and renumerations. After what happened to him, he has every right to be spiteful and bitter against the blacks, but instead he "claimed a curious failure of memory, insisting that he could not recall who had been black and who had been green." He abolished the heavy taxes imposed on the smallfolk, sent out gold to lords whose holdings had been devastated during war, and set out to rebuild the Realm's granaries and fleet. Cleaning up is a tedious, unglamorous job — and because of his monstrous appearance and former allegiances, Tyland was looked upon with distrust.

And yet, while other regents grasped for power and tried taking advantage of the 13-year-old King Aegon III, Tyland seemed to be different. If he wanted power he could have married his twin brother's widow and convinced the boy-king to route more resources towards Casterly Rock and the Westerlands. But he didn't.

Instead, he genuinely seemed to be a father figure to Aegon III.

Tyland Lannister, blind and crippled, had always treated the king with deference, speaking to him gently, seeking to guide rather than command.

And for that, many lords saw him as a weak Hand. But Aegon, who cared for very little and never laughed and was always sullen, seemed to care for Tyland.

When the plague ravaged King's Landing, Tyland dutifully prioritized it over quashing the Ironborn raids at Lannisport. He was the last person to become afflicted with the Winter Fever, and the king sat by his Hand's side during his final hours. When the council starts discussing who should be the new Hand, Aegon (the boy who rarely ever speaks) says:

I would have Lord Rowan as my Hand. Ser Tyland thought well enough of him to offer him my sister’s hand in marriage, so I know he can be trusted.

This boy trusted Tyland, the man who only years ago wanted him dead.

So it's easy to imagine that this man saw Aegon III as the boy he was responsible for, as the son he could never have because of what the war had done to him. Tyland Lannister was a broken man who despite losing everything, his king and his brother and himself, kept a broken Realm and broken boy together when everyone else swarmed like vultures just trying to pick at carcasses.

What motivated this man's loyalty for a boy whose mother mutilated him? Did he regret pushing for the death of an innocent child and this was his penance? Did this man who gave everything for his cause think that this boy was something that could still give all that sacrifice and tragedy meaning? Was the mercy and kindness he afforded an apology for the horrifying trauma that scarred this boy — did he feel responsible for his mother's downfall and the failure to save his uncle? Did his disfigurement and blindness allow him to let go of the man he once was and become someone capable of seeing the folly of pride and power?

Here is his obituary in Fire and Blood:

Ser Tyland Lannister had never been beloved. After the death of Queen Rhaenyra, he had urged Aegon II to put her son Aegon to death as well, and certain blacks hated him for that. Yet after the death of Aegon II, he had remained to serve Aegon III, and certain greens hated him for that. Coming second from his mother’s womb, a few heartbeats after his twin brother, Jason, had denied him the glory of lordship and the gold of Casterly Rock, leaving him to make his own place in the world. Ser Tyland never married nor fathered children, so there were few to mourn him when he was carried off. The veil he wore to conceal his disfigured face gave rise to the tale that the visage underneath was monstrous and evil. Some called him craven for keeping Westeros out of the Daughters’ War and doing so little to curb the Greyjoys in the west. By moving three-quarters of the Crown’s gold from King’s Landing whilst Aegon II’s master of coin, Tyland Lannister had sown the seeds of Queen Rhaenyra’s downfall, a stroke of cunning that would in the end cost him his eyes, ears, and health, and cost the queen her throne and her very life. Yet it must be said that he served Rhaenyra’s son well and faithfully as Hand.

Tyland wasn't extraordinarily badass, noble, or even skilled. He was an excellent politician but no way the best. But I think that's what makes him compelling to me — that he's this down-to-earth depiction of a POW, a war veteran by all accounts, trying to pick up the pieces and slowly glue what remains of the Realm and himself back into something vaguely human.

We tell so many stories about the glory, the tragedy, and the losses of war. But I think it's important and beautiful to tell stories of those bravely and optimistically choosing to keep living in the aftermath as well.

[an-established-butt-dent]

Dragon age inquisition: Solas

I wonder how long it took the companions to notice Solas wields magic just a bit... differently?

Surely an apostate knows magic beyond the boundaries of a Circle? But even Dorian doesn't recognize some of his techniques, and the ones that he does are only described in ancient Tevene tomes.

Hmm... strange.

Acrylic ink, fineliner and gouache on paper.

[ndostairlyrium]

"where is the queen?" "she's having an urgent meeting with the hero of ferelden"

[dragonworshippersblog]

tw. spoiler for hotd season two

so apparently cole felt extreme shame after he broke his vow with rhaenyra and her consequent rejection of his proposal that he wanted to commit suicide but now not only he is breaking his vow again by having a sexual relationship with alicent, he also decided to continue to have sex with her even after b&c despite the fact that he was the one in charge of being at Haelena's door. what is hilarious is that the negligence of his duties as kingsguard facilitated the murder of the king's heir, and yet instead of reasoning about his actions and the fact that he has failed as a kingsguard he is still insulting rhaenyra after twenty fucking years since their night together. what a loser

[honeymilkbubbletea]

You all know how big of a "Hiccup runs away AU" enthusiasts I am

So hear me out, I know you're probably tired of all these AUs I make, but let me have one more (too much ideas in my hiperfixated brain) 🙏

Basically, the runaway concept but in a modern setting, cause I haven't seen that much of this idea explored

So, picture this, Toothless (not his real name) is a new kid in Hiccups school and they almost instantly hit it off. They're both weird it works

One day, he jokes with Hiccup about how they should run away together and how it would solve all their problems, and Hiccups like "Yeah maybe we should"

So they do. It's actually really easy for Hiccup to just leave home without anyone noticing, his dad works almost all the time, and it's not like neighbors pay any attention to him anyways

Of course Stoick would not accept the thought that his son ran away because maybe he wasn't the most attentive parent, so he probably goes with "it must have been a kidnapping or something like that"

Berk's a small town, the word gets around quickly so within weeks theres missing person posters everywhere, seatch parties etc.

It goes on like this for about a year, Stoick knows the chances that his son is still alive after this long are slim so as more years pass, he kinda "gives up" on searching

Astrid doesn't tho, but that's a story for another post

Meanwhile, Hiccups living his best life in a van with Toothless and some other friends he made along the way, completely unaware of anything 💀

[gryffintheparrotcat]

I hate how the critism of Veilguard has turned into "Its so woke" instead of focusing on the actual issues.

LIKE THE THREE CHOICES THING? I CAN'T BELIEVE PEOPLE JUST GOT OVER THAT SO QUICKLY?

Or the messy development with it's rewriting and devs & writers that actually knew and worked on the previous games being fired??

Hell I'd rather suffer through people debating over the artstyle for all eternity than have to hear another "The game is bad because nonbinary wouldn't exist in Thedas" or it's somehow even stupider cousin "The game is woke because none of the companions are hot" (both takes I've seen multiple times by now)

Congrats to the gamer dude bros for successfully derailing proper critism. If I was working on Veilguard and saw that the loudest critique was people complaining about pronouns, I would stop listening and I can't even blame them for it because every damn critique video ever has to have a segment dedicated to hating on "the wokeness"