#or if frey gets added

[silvershadow1711]

I posted the digital versions of my resplendent alts a while ago, but every single one of them started life as a pen drawing, and I want y'all to appreciate the effort I put in Embla!Jagen and Hel!Gunter. These pages reek of ballpoint pen ink; the smell literally makes me sick, but I had to do it because my boys deserve all this and more, and IntSys will never give them the love they're due.

[ominous-feychild]

✦ MY WRITEBLR INTRODUCTION ✦

Hey! I've been here for a while and I've somehow amassed a shocking amount of followers and mutuals, so I figured it's finally time for me to force one of these out for you guys!

(And you know... a masterpost... when I get around to it. 😅😭)

About me:

✦ Barlowe (she/her)

✦ In my early 20s

✦ A writer of 10 years ✦ working on novels for 6 of 10!

✦ Less dedicated to—but still interested in!—drawing, animation, photography, and cinematography

✦ AuDHD and a grey lesbian (aka I'm leaning asexual) ✦ (my writing may or may not be a special interest)

✦ I have a whole bunch of other neurodivergencies besides AuDHD but I don't think y'all want me to get into all of them, haha. ✦ oh, and I say "haha" a lot. I apologize in advance.

✦ I think I'm hilarious and make jokes constantly

✦ I use a lot of emojis and tone tags to help convey tone. Please forgive me if it's annoying, it's to cope with my inability to communicate. /lh /hj

Masterlists:

✦ General ✦ Worldbuilding ✦ Sun and Shadow ✦ The Arcane Rifts ✦ Rising From the Ashes

(will be added eventually)

My Obsessions:

✦ Fantasy, horror, mystery, action, and exploration of realistic characters' reactions to the things they go through.

✦ Fairy tales, mythology, and folklore

✦ "Ye Olde History" and language

✦ DIVERSITY!!!

✦ Explorations of "evil-coded" characters and abilities--aka, not just showing them as evil. Show them as people (for characters) and tools (for abilities)!

✦ Traumatizing my characters just like I've been

✦ Traumatizing my characters in ways I haven't been!

✦ Learning!!!

✦ Talking way too much about the things I like to the point that I need to make a whole separate post to share it so it doesn't clutter my intro post... oh, hey, why is this linked?

✦ THE AESTHETIC!!!!

My Aesthetics:

Those who've been following me for a bit probably know that I adore "the aesthetic" and try to make my posts look nice... even if there's no real reason to besides that it gives me a little serotonin. Here's my favorite aesthetics!

✦ Starry; night sky ✦ Dawn / dusk ✦ Sunrise / sunset

✦ Nature! ✦ Forestry ✦ Cottagecore ✦ Rustic ✦ Ocean

✦ Literally all of them, please and thank you

My Writing:

✎ Sun and Shadow

Everything goes wrong for Freya Ula when she leaves her simple life as a fisherwoman to get engaged overseas. Her ship gets wrecked, she finds out her dad's been hiding secrets from her for her whole life, and, oh, she gets framed for a terrorist attack. Wait, WHAT!? After the city's greatest detective is attacked and disappears before she could consult with him, Frey has to enlist the help of his kid and her would-be fiancée to find out who framed her and clear her name. If only Crow was half as good a detective their dad was supposed to be.

Main characters: Freya, Crow, Daleira

✦ Urban-esque high fantasy ✦ purposely very tropey in places ✦ however, as always, I love throwing in curveballs. Wonder what's played straight and what I'm going to emotionally destroy you with. Definitely won't be Crow.

✦ Slow-burn romance between Frey and Crow ✦ immediate interest between Frey / Daleira ✦ oh, look, it's a love triangle? ✦ JOKE'S ON YOU, IT'LL ACTUALLY BE POLY ✦ it's just... going to take a while.

✦ Lesbians, lesbians everywhere ✦ though Crow is actually genderfluid and uses they/them for the first book ✦ despite barely having anything written I've already plotted a bit of book 2 ✦ I desperately need help.

✦ Unsurprisingly is a detective mystery with action mixed in ✦ I'm not typically a romance writer, I excel in action fantasy ✦ please have mercy on my soul

✦ Lots of magic, it's high fantasy + victorian aesthetic ✦ (aka "gaslamp fantasy" if you've heard of it) ✦ Frey's got sun-themed magic ✦ gasp, I know ✦ Crow's got shadow magic ✦ wonder why this sounds familiar ✦ Daleira's got, hm, well it's also shadowy! ✦ spoilers 😘

✦ About to be updated en-masse for a writing contest!!!

✎ The Arcane Rifts

Ghosts of past tragedies haunt the town of Kavo after decades of neglect. Fantastical creatures desiring nothing but fear and destruction hide in invisible tears in reality. Gangs and the police are at constant war with one another, there's a shapeshifting monster running amok, and the mayor's assistant suddenly wants a disabled orphan kicked to the streets. A year ago, Gene was discovered in the forest on the outskirts of town, half dead, amnesiac, and unable to even speak the local language. As he had nowhere to go, he was brought to the orphanage of Kavo for a place to stay. Now Caspar, the assistant of the mayor and the man who funds the orphanage, wants him kicked out. When Gene's left to the cold, cruel streets of Kavo on his own, he has to navigate through a town ravaged by decades of neglect and intrigue. Has the corruption truly been purged from the government? Why are godly forces active in Kavo, a small town in a backwater country? And most importantly--will Gene survive?

Main Characters: Gene, Tazin, Mislav, Ludmila, Rada ❧ Gene and Tazin for book 1 ❧ the other 3 start being MCs books 2 and 3 ❧ I guess Nikolai is also a MC tho

❧ Industrial-era rustic high fantasy ❧ mixes fantasy, action, horror, and mystery! ❧ oh helloooooo "ominous feychild" origin? ❧ very strong folkloric and traditional fantasy inspo ❧ except I mean "traditional fantasy" as in ❧ "we don't understand this magic stuff but we're used to it" ❧ not "travel the world adventures!"

❧ VERY involved story with strong themes of discrimination, poverty, exploitation, trauma, and the recovery from trauma ❧ each main and secondary character is one flavor of discriminated against or another in-universe ❧ obviously I try to write it respectfully, but you can't really write bigots being bigots "respectfully"

❧ Has two "main plots" going on simultaneously; technically three ❧ I periodically give the reader updated "character guides" ❧ like they get more recent plot info added kinda like a red-string board to keep you, the audience, up-to-date with info you might've otherwise missed ❧ I think it's really cool and people seem to enjoy it ❧ I know it seems like a lot but please give it a chance

❧ I've literally plotted out pretty much the entirety of the first and second books, and know most of how book 3 will go, yet there's very little out for the current version of the story ❧ part of that is because I'm paused on the 3rd draft

❧ There's lots of timeskips throughout the first two books, but they're mostly to age up the protagonists! Gene, the MC, starts the series at 7. I promise it's not a kid's story though.

❧ The "secondary MC", Nikolai, is the police chief investigating magical stuff going on at the same time. They tie in with the main story involving Gene, though won't appear to for a long while.

❧ The "golden child" series I love more than SaS; however it's on hiatus because I promised people to work on SaS first and SaS is more popular as a romance-focused story. :/ ❧ I would never be salty about that.

Taglist:

For everything: @honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

@seastarblue

For Worldbuilding: @paeliae-occasionally @pluppsauthor @thelovelymachinery

For the Existentials: N/A

For the Avatars: @thelovelymachinery

For Sun and Shadow: @mysticstarlightduck @paeliae-occasionally

For the Arcane Rifts: @paeliae-occasionally

For Rising From the Ashes: N/A

For the Storm Avatars: N/A

For the Order Avatars: @thelovelymachinery

For the Magic Avatars: N/A

For the Fire Avatars: N/A

For the Water Avatars: N/A

To be tagged in tag games: @honeybewrites @aalinaaaaaa

Ask and ye shall be added

Divider by @cafekitsune

[nishayuro]

can i request a Imagine how was the villain league invasion with gojo! reader in this episode

My Hero Academia with a Gojo! Reader during the LOV’s USJ invasion

A/N: thank you for this request!! I’ve had many thoughts about it but had no idea how to word them lmaoo, hope this does the scene justice. Also sooo sorry I took so long for a part two 

GN! Reader

Genre: Fluff, angst if you squint, hurt/comfort (i guess??)

based off of this

You all entered the bus after Aiwaza sensei said that you’ll have training somewhere, you sat beside Midoriya.

When they were talking about quirks and Asui mentioned that Midoriya’s quirk was similar to All Might’s, you used your six eyes to analyse Izuku. ‘Hmm, she’s not wrong… ‘ you thought

Kirishima was talking about how flashy quirk havers were lucky because they were what makes heroes more famous. 

“If you want someone strong and flashy, then it’s definitely Todoroki, Bakugo and Gojo!” Kirishima said, the half and half haired one was asleep while the blonde grumbled at the comment. “Bakugo is explosive. I feel like he won’t be popular” Asui replied, “say that again, you jerk! I’ll have fans!” Bakugo answered angrily. They continued to taunt the blonde while you watched, amused at the scene. 

“I feel like Gojo-san will be one of the popular pro heroes! Their quirk is strong and flashy and they’re also attractive!” Kaminari pointed out, “ehehe, you think so?” you replied. “Yeah! Aside from your dad being one of the most famous pro heroes of all time, you’re definitely strong enough to reach top charts!” Ashido added. “You all flatter me,” you replied, smiling at them. 

When you reached the venue, you were welcomed by pro hero Thirteen who also introduced you all to the USJ training ground and also explained her quirk to you all. 

As introductions went on, you began to notice something off. Immediately exchanging your black out glasses for blindfolds. 

You were now on high alert, you started scanning the area with six eyes, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary, that's when you noticed energy building up in the centre of the arena. 

“Aizawa sensei…” you said, voice void of the usual cheerfulness, alerting the teacher and immediately sensing something wrong. When you all looked towards the centre, a portal appeared and out came villains, shocking your classmates and the pro heroes. 

 Aizawa got into a fighting stance, mirroring him as you got ready to engage. You know full well that if these villains were able to bypass the U.A's strict security system, they were somewhat of a real deal. 

“Y/N, you have experience?” Aizawa asked, you gave him a nod. “Yeah, dad likes immersive and visual teaching so he’d bring me to missions. I can handle, don’t worry, sensei.” you answered, Getting ready to attack and act as support for your teacher. 

You both ran down the stairs and into the frey, you had your infinity on, therefore making any counter attack done by the villains useless. 

You looked up at your classmates and saw them getting sucked into the portal. ‘Shit!’ you thought, unable to leave the fray right now due to being ambushed left and right. 

You fought back to back with Aizawa, dealing with the villains that his scarf couldn’t deal with. You were only doing hand to hand combat, as sending in one of your coloured moves might be fatal to some of the weaker ones. You saw Aizawa rush towards the one with hands around, shocking yourself when his elbow suddenly got injured. You rushed to his aid, removing him from the villain’s grasp. However, what you didn’t expect was a creature to sweep in and bash your teacher’s head on the ground. 

“Aizawa sensei!” you shout in concern, immediately trying to remove the creature from him, however, your efforts lead nowhere as the creature was stronger than you physically as it continued to bash the erasure heroes head on the concrete and sent you flying towards a farther place. You weren’t able to activate your infinity in time, so your head got hit and you felt blood oozing out.

Lucky for you, you can heal yourself, since that was one of the first skills your father taught you, so you healed yourself and went back into the fight, more determined than ever. 

You notice the hand villain rush towards Midoriya, Tyusu and Mineta, and as far as you know, a single touch from that villain means destruction. 

You ran towards them, luckily, Aizawa cancelled the villain’s quirks, saving Tsuyu. You gave the villain a black flash punch and sent him flying. You looked towards your teacher, seeing the creature bash his head once again. Midoriya tried punching it, but nothing happened. 

“Fuck this, Reversal: Red!” you exclaimed, aiming at the creature’s head, sending it slamming into a wall. Shocking your classmates. 

You ran towards your teacher to assess the damage done. He was in bad shape, You saw the creature was back and Midoriya was fighting it. Then, the gym’s doors burst open, revealing the No.1 Hero, an angry look on his face. 

Everyone rejoiced as All Might made quick work of the smaller scale villains. The creature then faced All Might, Midoriya gave All Might information on the creature, to which the hero responded with a reassuring smile and phrase. “Midoriya, Tsuyu, Mineta. Hold onto me.” You said, grabbing onto Aizawa and teleporting you all out of the way. 

The fight continued, with your group watching from the sidelines. As much as you’d like to help out, you don’t want to get in All Might's way. You were shocked when Midoriya ran into the fight, only to be stopped by Bakugo who appeared out of nowhere along with Kirishima and Todoroki. 

You plastered a smirk, handing Aizawa to Tsuyu and rushing into the fight yourself. The hand villain went through a whole speech about kids these days, then ordered for the creature called a “Nomu” to finish off Bakugou. All Might looked at you for a brief second and you got the message. “Not on my watch!” you shout, teleporting to Bakugou and away with him, shocking the boy. 

The villain made another speech to which All Might asked you all to escape. 

A battle between All Might and the Nomu ensued as you students watched on. 

He sent the Nomu out through the roof with one strong punch, ending the fight. 

The other two villains then proceeded to attack All Might, when you and Midoriya ran towards them, you created a barrier and extended your infinity towards your classmate and All Might, giving them some sort of protection. 

Then, a bullet got shot towards the villain, making him fall.

The fog villain and the hand villain retreated, but not without the promise of coming back for revenge. 

The other pro hero teachers came as back up, to which you were thankful for. 

When you reached outside, you found police officers detaining the small fry villains, 

The head police informed you all of Aizawa and Thirteen’s conditions, which were luckily stable. They also informed you of Midoriya’s condition. 

“You were awesome there, Gojo!” Uraraka complimented, your other classmates surrounding you. “Yeah! That attack you did that sent the Nomu away was so strong!” Mineta exclaimed. As praises filled your ears, your mind was in a different place. “Thanks! I learnt from the best!” You replied.

Although deep inside you knew you weren’t strong enough, you had lots of opportunities to join the fight, to help All Might and not make him shoulder all the burden, but you stayed still and just watched as he was getting beaten up. 

You were scared to act, scared to get in the way, and scared that although Gojo Satoru, one of the world’s strongest heroes is your dad, you aren’t strong enough to handle your own battles. 

No amount of prior training or watching your dad handle missions would have gotten you ready for what just happened, and in all honesty, in your opinion, Midoriya was more of a hero than you were. 

When you got home, your dad heard about the news, and you told him everything, including your doubts. 

“Hey kikufuku… the first time isn’t always easy. You’re at a hero school TO learn about being a hero. Not just because you have a powerful quirk means that you’re already a powerful hero. You have much to learn, and that’s where experience comes in. I wasn’t always this strong, my strength comes from experience and training.” Satoru comforts you. 

“Stop being hard on yourself, you contributed to the fight and saved your teachers and classmates, and that’s what matters. You have plenty of other opportunities, so grab them and learn from them, okay?” he added, bringing you into a hug. 

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what background you’re from, because from then on, all of you are standing on the same stage, and are all training to become the next generation of heroes. 

masterlist

navigation

[ramielll]

I was waiting for you -Part 2

Benjicot Blackwood x fem reader

Contains: some angst, fluff, friends to lovers, slow burn

Word count: 1663

Tw: canon typical discrimination against women, drinking

Part 3

≪ °❈° ≫≪ °❈° ≫≪ °❈° ≫≪ °❈° ≫≪ °❈° ≫≪ °❈° ≫≪ °❈° ≫

„You were conspiring behind my back about my betrothal?” Y/N’s voice rose dangerously before she remembered herself. She paced in her room as her brother sat in one of the chairs in front of the hearth. Looking tenser by the moment with watching his older sister growing more agitated. He did feel guilty about the ordeal, he knew he should have discussed this with her before coming to Riverrun, but it was as obvious to him as it was to their father, that if she knew, she would have never agreed to come here.

„I apologise for keeping this from you sister, but I would hardly call this conspiring. You are a woman grown, and you already have the luxury that you do not have to marry for us to further our advantage, thanks to my own betrothal.” He sighed and tried to give her a reassuring look as he continued. „Father gave me this task, but rest assured, your wishes will be considered.

She stopped her pacing to look into her brothers’ eyes. He did look sorry, and she knew this wasn’t really his fault, still she thought he would at least mention their plans. The situation was tense enough for her and quarrelling would not make it better. „It was shrewd of you to keep this from me but thank you for taking my feelings into regard. Not many noble ladies have that.” She added in a low voice. „There is no turning back now it seems.” Her voice shaking with realisation. „All I ask is that you do not make the decision without asking me in the end.“ She could feel the anxiety seeping into her bones just at the thought.

„I promise.” His eyes shown honesty. „But you also cannot simply refuse everyone.”

Y/N only nodded. She always knew this moment will eventually arrive. She thought that she should feel lucky for having even a small saying in the matter. But no matter how hard she tried, at the moment she couldn’t muster much gratitude.

The young man stood from his chair and offered his arm. „Let us get to supper. I’m sure the others are waiting already.”

„Of course.” Y/N took his arm without another word and took a deep breath as they entered the hallway and began walking towards the great hall. There was nothing left to argue about. All she could do, is to hope and try to get familiar with one of her suitors. She must make the best of this dreadful situation.

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

The stoney hall of Riverrun was already prepared for supper, with people being seated around a long table as they made their entrance. The man surrounding the table stood from their seats as she approached them on her brother’s arm. There were only two seats left. One between her cousins and one at the right of Edmure Frey at the end of the table. Y/N tried to take a step towards Oscar and Kermit, but her brother gently tugged her back, steering her towards the other seat. She sent a mean glare in his direction before she sat down with a tight-lipped smile.

Everyone began eating and loudly chattering as she poured herself some wine to down it quickly and just as she reached for the pitcher again a hand took it from her to pour into her cup.

„Lady Stark, allow me to say, how radiant you look tonight.” Edmure Frey, only a year or two younger than her, was a pleasant looking young man. With shoulder length, light brown hair and greyish green eyes. He was clearly trying to gain her favour with flattery, but he did not look like a cunning man. It could be worse, she thought. If he turned out to be kind or good humoured, they might find familiarity.

„Thank you, my Lord.” She gave him a small smile before taking another sip of her cup.

„I heard you take a great interest in histories my Lady. Not many ladies are so fond of reading books other than ones about romance. You have my admiration.” Edmure Frey leaned closer as he smiled and tried to flirt. She laughed and was about to say something, but another voice interrupted.

„You must not have met many ladies, Lord Frey, so you might find it hard to believe, but the majority of noble ladies have their own minds and interests.” She looked up at the men seated in front of her, only now really noticing him. His dark eyes immediately meeting hers with a subtle flush on his face and smile directed towards her.

„My Lady, I apologise for Edmure, one should not be so surprised about a lady being interesting.” Lord Edmure grew stiff beside Y/N as she looked down and tried to stifle a snort.

„Well said Lord Blackwood.” She said with a laugh, missing how the three men on the other side of the table shared glances of interest at their conversation. Benjcot’s smile broadened. „Call me Benji or Ben, my Lady. Like you used to.” His voice grew more sincere as did his smile while gazing at her.

„Very well… Benji.” Her face reddened and she lowered her eyes, getting shy suddenly at Benji’s intense look.

While the conversation did die down after that between them, everyone else around the table could see Y/N and Benjicot taking quick glances at one another when they thought the other wasn’t looking, through the rest of the evening.

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

Y/N was restless as she laid in her comfortable bed. She tossed and turned, trying to find a good position but it seemed sleep evaded her. She shoved aside her blankets with frustration and got up. This trip was not turning out as she envisioned it. Her emotions about this whole ordeal refused to give her any rest. So, she slipped her feet into her shoes and donned one her thicker robes over her flimsy nightgown as she made her way outside.

Y/N walked through the long halls and then the empty courtyard before slipping out in the back and arriving on the familiar little pathway between the forest and the river. She made this journey many times before. Although back then it was mostly during the day and with company, but she needed this alone time now. Y/N knew not stray too far from the castle, it was unlikely to meet anyone with bad intentions this close to the walls but it was still better to be cautious.

She stepped over rocks and cold patches of grass, breathing in the chill of the foggy air, feeling calmness finally washing over her. She did not know how many minutes have passed when she heard rustling behind her. Y/N stilled, momentarily fear washing over her.

„Lady Stark!” She knew that voice. „You should not be out here alone.” Her heart filled with relief as she turned towards none other than Benjicot Blackwood.

„Lord Bla- Benji.” Her voice came out too timid for her liking as she tightened her robe. „I was only-„

„Escaping?” Benjicot finished her sentence with a smile. She laughed as she smiled back at him. „If I were to make my escape, I would not do it in nothing but a but a nightgown.”

„Of course.” He was grinning now. “Do not be afraid to ask me for any assistance when it comes to your actual escape my Lady” Benjicot stepped closer with his hands behind his back.

„I don’t think that would be wise of me, how would I know that you will not tell my brother?” He stopped in front of her, closer than deemed proper, so that he can see her face in the moonlight. It was a good thing he held his hands clasped behind him, his fingers suddenly itched to touch her pretty face. He always knew she was beautiful growing up. During the times they have spent together, were many occasions where he made a fool of himself. Only to get her attention or to make her laugh.

„You don’t trust your childhood companion? You wound me my Lady.” She looked down before raising her gaze shyly again. „You should also call me by my given name. You are right. We’re old friends after all.”

„As you wish Y/N.” He made the mistake of stealing a glance at her lips. He needed to get a grip on himself. The situation was improper already. Being alone in the dark, with an unwed noble lady, for whom he also possessed great affections too. He reluctantly took a step back from her. At this, Y/N could almost feel a bit of disappointment.

„Allow me to walk you back to your chambers Y/N” He offered his hand, which she took without hesitation.

They made their way back to Riverrun mostly in silence. Both of them feeling both nervousness and comfort at the closeness they shared after all this time spent apart.

She felt a twinge in her heart as they arrived at her door. She did not yet want to end their private time together. Y/N turned towards Benjicot before stepping into her rooms.

„Would you accompany me to a walk tomorrow Y/N?” He asked before she could say goodnight.

„Yes, of course!“ Her voice was but a whisper as she smiled. „It would be my pleasure. And it would also get me away from my brothers’ expectant eyes, as well as from Edmure Frey’s blatant flirting.” She laughed awkwardly. „I will gladly play the part of your saviour.” He lifted her hand to his lips and gently brushed a kiss over her knuckles. He tried really hard to be dashing, but his cheeks flushed and his stomach flipped as he saw her equally rosy face and soft parted lips.

„Goodnight, Y/N.”

„Goodnight Benji” She whispered before closing the door behind her. She had trouble falling asleep again, although for an entirely different reason this time.

[inkedcerulean]

an alliance in waiting | chapter two

jacaerys velaryon x fem!frey reader

summary: after the war is finally over, you meet the prince.

tags: fluff, hurt/comfort, mentions of war & death

general notes: semi-non-canon-compliant. rhaenyra permanently succeeds in taking her throne. jace and baela are not betrothed. ulf and hugh do not betray rhaenyra. helaena lives. following canon, daemon, aegon, and aemond are dead.

reader does have a backstory, but she has no name or descriptors. i have added some minor ocs (her siblings) and some of them do have silly names, but so are some of the names in asoiaf.

jace taglist: @hotdhoe @chimmysoftpaws chocotorta2027 @drvcosstuff @emilly-adopted-mcmann @charlottelaffin @suniika @princessofthereach @twilightzone24 @ghizlana @yohanseyebrowmole @fairyjuhak22 @francislovergirl @viserraslawyer @ackerman0-0

TWO YEARS LATER

Morning light seeped in from the high windows of your chambers. You shivered; there was a chill in the air, even though it was mid-spring. Muffled footsteps told you that the handmaidens scurrying about. You paced around the room, taking in the quiet of the early hour.

The door opened then.

Fara, your handmaiden, widened her eyes. “My lady…” she began.

“Good morrow, Fara,” you said, smiling, though however forced.

Fara was carrying a tray with a snood. “Might the lady want to have her hair out of the way when she goes sailing?”

“Yes.” You think of the dozen times that you had forgotten something for a journey or for the day in the towers, and Fara had always been there to remind you. “It always escapes me, doesn’t it?”

Your dress, which Fara helped you put on, was gray and muted, but you much preferred simplicity. The shawl over your dress was wolf fur from the North, protective for the bracing breezes. The Prince was soon to arrive, as Fara told you, and you could not help but feel an anticipatory fear of him.

You stepped out into the hall to break your fast in the Great Hall, your footsteps quick and loud. You kissed the five of your siblings on the cheek, who were already seated, albeit groggy. Your mother most likely forced them to get up, to save herself from any embarrassment of not having the host family up first before the guests.

Thimbus and Dannis, your youngest brothers, were looking at you expectantly.

“Sister,” Gunther started. “Are you nervous at all about the day’s schedule?”

“Yes, I am,” you said, not wanting denial to stir up any teasing.

“That is wise,” he responded, splitting his roast ham in half. “I will miss you when the day finally comes when you will be so very far away from us.” Despite his kind words, the familiar mischievous look graced his face, as if he found your lack of agency amusing.

Marsella and you exchanged a look of quiet camaraderie; you smiled to thank her.

It was hard to believe that the wedding would take place in about a month. Weeks ago, when the guest list had been presented to you, you had looked over it with a transformative pain in your gut. This was all too real. The arrangement was made two years ago, but that time had moved quickly in your own waiting.

As you looked out your window to the Green Fork, you remembered how you dreaded this day at first. It was a cautious thing, facing a dragon and its rider. The Dance of the Dragons, as the maesters were keen on calling it, was infamous for its violence in dragonfire. But the war was no longer, and your betrothed unharmed, or so the maesters said. You heard whisperings of a scar on his neck. The specifics were unknown to you, but you were curious as to find out if the Prince was willing. 

Though curious as you were, you could not help but wonder what violence you were marrying into. Calm as you tried to be, you were still anxious. Your mother would not have secured this if she thought it was a danger, so you had no choice but to trust her.

“The Prince Jacaerys Velaryon of Dragonstone has arrived.”

You hesitated for a moment, looking down at the crumbs on your plate. The food in your stomach was turning. After taking a deep breath, you got up to treat with your parents and the Prince on the bridge outside. As the guards led the way, your heartbeat quickened. Although they were there to protect you, you felt as if they were leading you into a dark pit of which there was no escape.

The first thing you saw when you took your first steps outside was the dragon. It was not as monstrous as you imagined, his frills the color of the orange pastries you loved, and scales as green as the hills around you. You held your gaze eye-level.

Queen Rhaenyra had sent twenty of her men, two dragonkeepers, and two of her Queensguard to oversee his stay. Many at the Twins thought it aplenty, but you could not blame her; times of war bred caution. That was not something so easily shed.

You stood at the West Tower, your lady mother and lord father beside you, looking out as the Prince now stood before you, his men behind him. There were several things you noticed about him: his short stature, his striking red cape perched atop his shoulder, and the furrow of his brow that was because of the sunlight, mayhaps.

“Good morrow, my Prince,” you said, curtsying.

“And you, my lady,” the Prince said. “The Riverlands have not much changed since I last set foot here,” he continued, looking at both of your parents. His gaze drifted from you three to the Green Fork ahead. A flicker of amusement visibly phased over him. Perhaps, you thought, that he was thinking of how he won the Crossing for his mother. 

Your mother spoke. “This time, I hope, is a much less distressing reason.”

“I will see to it that it is.”

“We are glad that you are here, my Prince,” you said. “And that the rightful queen took her place on the throne, as she should have long ago.”

“My thanks to you.”

You nodded.

“How fares King’s Landing?”

“Well. My mother sends her greetings in good faith.”

“To her as well.”

You and your parents began with a tour of the Twins. You approached Jacaerys, giving him a curt nod. “We would like to begin with a tour of the castle, if it pleases Your Grace.”

“Yes, of course,” came his reply.

You followed both the guards and your parents to the Water Tower, walking next to the Prince with a few feet’s distance between. It was not difficult to keep pace with him. 

The Water Tower was the lone turret that stood at the center of the bridge, equidistant from both towers. It was where all your guests stayed. Your friends and their families would frequent this accommodation. Until two years ago, when you had a falling out and the war started soon after. You had written letters to them in this peace time, and had gotten only some responses. And from this, a great despondency grew within you.

Would this be the same with the Prince? You had held your friends near to your heart, but time and abandonment had turned your heart to stone. If, gods be cruel, there was another war, would it take your to-be husband from you too? And to be partners in marriage was no cure to your loneliness. You wanted romance but needed friendship, and you feared that your wishes for the latter would go unanswered. A betrothal would only distract you.

You ascended up the curved steps in silence. It had been so long since you’d been here that it felt intimate yet foreign. How could it be, that this was part of your own home, and yet you felt uneasy in this space? His experience in this new place for him was a microcosm of your own future; you were soon to be sent somewhere new for eternity.

The guest chambers of the water towers were generously furnished. When there weren’t any guests, Thimbus would sneak out here at night, for he often swore that these featherbeds were more comfortable than your own.

“Here are your chambers, my Prince,” your mother says.

“This looks very comfortable indeed,” he smiled.

The Prince stood there, several feet away from you and your family. He looked somewhat out of place there. It was then that you realized that it was silly and foolish to think of proceeding with the courtship in your home rather than at the Red Keep. Choosing to show your heart to a stranger and how lonesome it really was, compared to a bustling setting where people and distraction were common, was a shameful, impractical choice.

The boat departed when the air was still chilly. Your parents had left, which you were grateful for. However, the only presence that remained were Prince Jacaerys, and the guards, who remained mute.

You took advantage of the ample room on the small boat as you sat next to the Prince. It was turning into a beautiful day and the wind was calming, but the same could not be said for your nerves. You knew that it was impolite to stay quiet for so long, but you could not think of anything to say.

“I have not taken a boat in some time,” Prince Jacaerys said, looking around you. “I had forgotten what it’s like to travel by air.”

You turn to look at him. “You sailed in King's Landing?”

“A little, the first time I lived there. Ser Laenor taught me all he knew.”

You looked out at Vermax flying in the distance over the hills. Many times you had seen birds fly in the same area, but now there were none; it was a simple, banal sight then, but now you ached for the mundane. Would everything in your life be replaced by the Prince’s company?

He noticed that you were looking at his dragon, and he told you about how Vermax’s egg was put in his cradle, and how when he was a boy, he would train him in the Dragonpit with the supervision of the dragonriders.

“The day I taught him to breathe fire, he burnt a goat. I was happier before than after the fact. Proud of the fact that he burnt a goat alive, but saddened to see what remained of it.”

You nodded.

“Would you like to meet him?”

“Now, you mean?”

“After the boat ride. I can inform one of my guardsmen to go to the dragonkeeper to feed Vermax. He is more temperate if he has just had a meal.”

You chuckled, though it was a small distraction from such a prospect. It was inevitable for you to cross paths with his dragon one of these days, and you felt it was more convenient to make your introduction sooner rather than late. Imagination could sometimes be more monstrous than reality.

“I would like that,” you said.

Prince Jacaerys smiled, close-lipped but apparent.

It was dusk by the time that you both made your way to the western hills. There were stone steps leading through and a few trees littered through the landscape. You looked up at the clouds, then down at the steps. At quiet times like this, it was easy to see everything as gray and sullen. This, you thought, was the reason why it was one of your house colors, the blue towers on an expansive gray field. The dragonkeepers made their camp here to keep watch on the dragon.

At once, your ears perked up to the sound of the dragon’s call. You startled imperceptibly, and Jacaerys eyed you. “Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes,” you said.

You both carried on in silence, though it was uncomfortable for you because of your reaction. You then spotted a flash of orange amongst the green, and then you saw golden eyes peering at you.

One of the dragonkeepers, to the left of Vermax, bowed before the Prince and yourself. He greeted Jacaerys in High Valyrian and then turned to you. “My lady.”

You curtsied at him.

Jacaerys approached before you, walking slowly but with confidence. If it weren’t for his eyes, Vermax looked asleep, his head pointed low on the ground so that some blades of grass brushed his chin. The dragonkeeper was near, seated on a log now.

The Prince came to a stop. “Dohaeris, Vermax.” Without hesitation, he reached out, placing his hand on his snout. Vermax’s mouth curved upwards, closing his eyes as he breathed like a cat purred. You saw the gentleness of Jacaerys’s manner. He stood straight, proud, but not overbearing with it.

He turned towards you, the movement swaying his shoulder-clasped cape. Keeping his other hand placed on the dragon, he held his other hand out towards you and raised his eyebrows. You stepped forward and took it, letting him lead you all the way to his scales. They were coarse against your skin, but you kept them there.

“Iksis ziry jāre naejot kipagon?” asked the dragonkeeper, frowning.

You frowned too, though for the reason of understanding what he was saying.

“Lo jaelza naejot,” he responded. “Would you like to ride with me?” Jacaerys asked.

You imagined it, taking to the skies on a marvelous creature. You knew the power that you were being offered, even though you were only borrowing it.

“He is beautiful,” you said. “But if it does not offend you, I will forgo.”

“Offend me? Why?”

“Rejecting an offer from the Prince is generally ill-advised,” you said.

He smiled, pleasant and comely indeed. “You needn’t worry about that.”

[rheanyraaaa]

WaterLilly Part 6

Enemies To Lovers

Robb Stark x Frey Reader (F)

warnings: child death, mentions of miscarriage, angst, very very rushed

A/N: Omg i rushed this so badly, and it’s not proof read, just had time to launch a chapter and went for it.

(y/n but with backstory)

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Robb woke early, the soft morning light filtering into his tent. The previous night’s conversation with his mother weighed on him, lingering in his mind like a shadow that wouldn’t fade. He dressed, strapping on his cloak and sword, and made his way out into the crisp morning air to clear his head. As he walked through the camp, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance, Y/N astride a horse, her hair loose and catching the morning sun as she rode in slow, careful circles.

Impulsively, Robb decided to join her. Grabbing his own horse, he mounted up and approached her, noting the ease and confidence with which she handled the reins. She gave him a curious look as he came up beside her.

“Out for a morning ride?” he asked, falling into step with her pace.

You nodded, offering a polite, if surprised, smile. “Yes, I wanted some air… it clears my head.” There was a pause before you added, “I like to take in the view, think things through. It helps… especially with so much when i’m anxious.”

They soon fell into a conversation about the coming battles, discussing strategies and the rumors of troop movements. Robb found himself surprised by her insights, the way she thoughtfully considered the options. For the first time, he could see what his mother had meant about her intelligence and dedication.

Then, as they rode further out, a thought struck him. “Are you sure you should be riding?” he asked, casting a glance down at her abdomen, his tone uncharacteristically gentle. “With the baby and all…”

You gave a small laugh, waving off his concern. “I’ll be fine. I’ve ridden all my life. Besides, the maester said light riding is perfectly safe.”

But as you spoke, a sudden look of discomfort crossed her face, her hand drifting to your stomach. Your breathing quickened as a frown of pain creased her brow.

Robb’s heart leapt in alarm, and without hesitation, he reached out, steadying you by the arm. “Are you alright?”

“It’s… it’s nothing,” you murmured, though your face had gone pale. But the pain seemed to grow, and before you could protest, Robb dismounted and moved to your side, helping you carefully down from your horse. His hands held you firmly as he guided you to sit on a nearby log, his expression creased with concern.

“Stay here. I’ll get the maester,” he said, his voice steady but edged with panic.

A few moments later, the camp’s maester arrived, examining her as Robb stood nearby, tense and watching. After a careful check, the maester reassured them both that it was only a minor cramp, a normal part of early pregnancy. You gave a small, relieved smile, and Robb, though still visibly tense, managed to let out a breath, his shoulders loosening.

“Thank you,” You whispered, looking up at him with a quiet gratitude that surprised them both. He nodded, his hand lingering briefly on your shoulder before he excused himself.

The following days slipped into routine, and despite moments of gentleness with You, Robb still found himself drawn back to Talisa, seeking comfort and familiarity. He spent his nights with her, sharing her bed and letting himself forget, if only for a while, the strain of duty and loyalty.

——————————————————————————

One night, Y/N lay alone in her tent, a strange unease curling in her stomach. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Her breathing quickened, her heart racing with a fear she couldn’t explain. And then, without warning, pain stabbed through her abdomen, sharp, relentless, unlike anything she’d felt before. She clutched her stomach, gasping for breath as the pain intensified.

Moments later, her cries brought Catelyn rushing into the tent. The older woman’s face went pale as she took in the scene, moving quickly to Irene’s side.

“My lady, hold on,” Catelyn said firmly, her hands steady as she supported Irene. “The maester is on his way.”

The pain was overwhelming, a blinding ache that tore through her, and she felt a deep, primal fear settle in her chest. As the maester finally arrived and examined her, his expression turned grave. He murmured to Catelyn, and Y/N, though dazed, caught the words the baby was lost.

The news hit her like a blow. She choked on a sob, her chest heaving as grief crashed over her. She clutched at Catelyn, burying her face against her shoulder as tears streamed down her cheeks. Catelyn held her close, her arms strong and unyielding, her own expression pained yet comforting.

“I’m so sorry, child,” she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur. “I’m so very sorry.”

Your sobs echoed through the tent, the loss settling heavily in your heart. The pain, both physical and emotional, was unbearable, and as you clung to Catelyn, as you felt an emptiness unlike any you had known. All you could do was cry, your grief uncontained, as the world outside continued in silent, indifferent motion.

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Tags!! (tell me who wants to be tagged!!)

@samieree @maysileeewrites

[goodqueenaly]

@windriverdelta reblogged your post “You said you were worried about Jeyne Westerling....”

Another thing worth adding is that it's not clear whether Tom O'Sevens knows that Jeyne Westerling is innocent. If he doesn't, then Lady Stoneheart won't be forewarned and instead assume that the Westerlings were all in on the Red Wedding, in line with her indiscriminate approach. In that case, it might be her that kills Jeyne rather than Prester - which is more dramatic and thematically appropriate IMO. If he does, then it gets a bit murkier - @turtle-paced and @goodqueenaly do we know whether Tom O'Sevens was around for Jaime's meetings with the Westerlings?

It’s unclear where Tom o'Sevens was exactly, physically speaking, between the end of “Jaime VI” (when Jaime leaves Tom to sing “The Rains of Castamere” to Edmure as Edmure is in the bath) and near the end of “Jaime VII” (when Jaime reencounters Tom as the latter listens to Emmon Frey’s long speech to the people of Riverrun). While there is certainly no mention of Tom being present when Jaime speaks with Jeyne and her mother (or, rather, to Jeyne and with Sybell) - only the nameless guardsman who notifies Jaime of the Westerlings' arrival and the guardsman (who may be the same individual) who escorts Lady Westerling from Lord Tully’s solar - it’s certainly at least remotely possible that news or rumors of this conversation reached Tom somewhere within the castle or the surrounding camp. Of course, even in such a scenario, you might think Tom or other onlookers would have noticed and/or heard about either Jeyne’s tearful declarations of her devotion to Robb or her small but spirited attempt to show herself in mourning for her husband - a pretty solid piece of evidence in Jeyne’s favor against any condemnation by the brotherhood.

In any event, I tend to see Jeyne’s death, as I mentioned, coming not at the hands (or rope) of Lady Stoneheart and the brotherhood but rather at the hands (or arrows) of Ser Forley and his men. For one, I don’t see any indication in the books that Lady Stoneheart and/or the brotherhood without banners believes that the Westerlings were in on or responsible for the Red Wedding. Certainly, nothing in either Merrett Frey’s or Brienne’s encounters with the brotherhood and Lady Stoneheart seems to imply that the group is looking for the Westerlings. Lem tells Brienne that Lady Stoneheart wanted “the men who killed [Robb] dead”, whom Lem himself identifies as “Freys and Boltons”. Too, while the brotherhood and Lady Stoneheart were certainly willing to hang Brienne and her companions, the obvious (though far from simple or sinister) connections between Brienne and the Baratheon-Lannister crown generally - the ultimate architect and beneficiary of the Red Wedding, of course - and Jaime specifically - that is, the man Roose Bolton wryly referenced before stabbing Robb - might hardly make Brienne (much less Tyrion’s former squire and Randyll Tarly’s former sworn man) appear innocent in the hardened, merciless eyes of either the brotherhood or Lady Stoneheart (again, the actual inaccuracy of such judgments notwithstanding). Yet what would Lady Stoneheart remember of the Westerlings except Jeyne’s devotion to Robb (coming from both Jeyne’s conversation with Catelyn and Jeyne’s unwillingness to part from him), the apparent attempts by Sybell to encourage Jeyne’s fertility with Robb, the open insults against Jeyne and the Westerlings lobbed by the Freys - and, of course, Raynald Westerling’s own death at the Twins? (Not to mention Brynden Tully’s devoted guardianship of Jeyne and her family in the aftermath of the Red Wedding.) Without the inside information we as readers know about Sybell’s plot against Robb and the Stark cause - and even then, Jaime’s conversation, as well as Jeyne's appearance thereafter, would have made it pretty obvious Jeyne herself was not a willing participant in her mother's plan of betraying the Starks - I’m not sure the brotherhood would see the Westerlings generally and/or Jeyne specifically as any more guilty for the Red Wedding than, say, Edmure, who will be in the convoy as well, to be joined eventually by his Frey bride.

More to the point, I think the author not very subtly highlighted Jeyne’s fate at the hands of Forley Prester and his men in “Jaime VII”. There seems to me very little point to have Jaime quite frankly tell Forley Prester that Jeyne would be “twice as dangerous as Edmure if she were ever to escape us” and demand that Forley “keep some archers near” Jeyne (not to mention Jaime’s decision to quadruple the escort’s numbers from its original setup) if the very crisis Jaime envisioned would not seem (to Forley and his men) to come to pass. Whether or not the actual intention of the brotherhood will be to free Jeyne from the Lannisters (and again, I’m not even sure what the brotherhood knows about Jeyne and/or the Westerlings at this moment), the mere appearance of the brotherhood attacking the Lannister convoy will I think be enough to scare Forley and his men into thinking that the “twice as dangerous” Jeyne is the target of a rescue attempt. 

Too, I don’t think it’s narratively unfitting for Jeyne to die in such a fashion. Indeed, Sybell had previously trusted in a Lannister promise to keep another one of her children safe: as Sybell admitted to Jaime, Raynald “knew nought of any … [sic] of the understanding with your lord father”, and expressed her hope that Raynald was “a captive at the Twins” - an idea mocked by Edwyn Frey and Walder Rivers, who reveal to Jaime that Raynald “took a quarrel in his shoulder and another in the gut” before falling in the river during the massacre. Just as Sybell and Walder Frey had each made pacts with Tywin Lannister, but not with one another, regarding the Red Wedding, so Sybell and Forley Prester have each had conversations with Jaime, but not with each other, about the future of her children - and just as the Lannister-sanctioned violence of the Red Wedding allowed the Freys the opportunity for family vengeance against the Westerlings, so I think the Lannister order to eliminate Jeyne in a possible future crisis (in Jaime’s mind) will win out over the life or lives of one or more of Sybell’s surviving children. Forley Prester neither knows nor, I think, would care about any agreement Sybell may have made with Tywin to give Jeyne and her sister Eleyna “worthy marriages” to “[l]ords or heirs” (not to mention any remaining reward for their brother Rollam); he had been given a mission by Jaime as the representative of the Lannisters and the Iron Throne, and as a hardened Lannister veteran, Forley I think would have every reason to prioritize such an order no matter what Sybell may think or say. Having helped arrange the betrayal of Catelyn’s son, at the hands of his ostensible bannermen, for the ambitions of Tywin Lannister and his regime, Sybell will I think find herself punished in kind - watching her own daughter (and perhaps her other children as well) be killed on the orders of of her own ostensible allies. 

Which is not to say the brotherhood and Lady Stoneheart might not hang anyone. Indeed, if Sybell is our POV for the prologue of TWOW - and I very much think she will be - then I could imagine Sybell may herself be hanged by the brotherhood and Lady Stoneheart at the end of this chapter. Her far from charitable attitude toward Robb - both dismissively referring to him as "the rebel" and admitting, at least to Jaime, that she had purposefully denied him children - will I think find her no favors with the woman who had not only in life been Robb's devoted mother but who herself still carries and contemplates the crown her son had worn - the very crown whose mate Sybell had roughly taken from Jeyne's own brow. (So much the worse for Sybell if she, Sybell, still has Jeyne's crown on her and asserts that it is no more than a "little crown" made for her by a dead rebel.) Just as Merrett Frey had attempted to justify first the Red Wedding and then his role in it, so perhaps Sybell will attempt to justify her own role in the pre-planning for the Red Wedding - a justification that would, It think, end for Sybell just as it did for Merrett.

[writingwenches]

MaesterList

summary – In courts through history, all over the world, women played an important part of building the culture *tongue pop* I was inspired by the lack of courtly women in the HOTD universe, so I added a few dozen and the game of thrones began. Instead of a Fix-It Fic approach, I went with a more "explain it" direction regarding the overall plot related to the show.

House of the Dragon Explain-it Universe

Freedom From – Aemond x Peasant OC; Mixed-Race OC; status – ACT ONE complete

summary: Prince Aemond finds himself in the northern Riverlands on a quest to fetch a gift for his sister. The local Peasantry do not believe him a real prince, and enjoys the lack of responsibility…until he learns that one of the peasants will soon be joining him in the Red Keep. series found here

Aemma Velaryion – Rhaenyra's Religious Team Green Daughter; status – more to come!

I started off wanting to write a version of Rhaenyra's daughter that was staunchly Team Green, and I ended up creating a nightmare monster. I love her so much. Part One

Aegon, Aemond, Daeron — teenage brotherly bonding; status: idk lol

Aegon’s new favorite hobby has taken him away from his training, and the punishment calls for a field trip, and the only way for real men to travel is on horseback rip it’s silly, it’s dumb, I hate/love it lol

Original Character Directory

Princess Aemma Velaryon – Rhaenyra's eldest daughter. She is angry, and sad, and everything in between. Currently a ward of Queen Alicent. [aesthetic inspiration – Hozier singing "Take Me to Church" at the Victoria Secret Fashion Show]

Lyn – the main POV character we see the world through. Grew up as a lowborn peasant, in the backwoods of the Riverlands. She is living in a horror story. Have you ever dreamed of being a princess? Of having a family of untold wealth and power? To have everyone in the realm know your name? To truly have everything you've ever wanted? Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it.

She generally has no idea what is going on in this game of thrones. She can not yet read, she grew up thinking the Freys at The Twins were Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. The targtowers/courtly ladies have convinced her that Lord Larys Strong is the father of Rhaenyra’s bastards rip

Team Red

Lady Cinda Lannister – Younger Sister to Lord Jason Lannister, Lady of Coin for the Red Keep, First Lady of Honor to Queen Alicent. Childhood crush of Aemond Targaryen. Her age is described as "almost too old to bare children." Aemond has proposed to her on numerous occasions through his youth (and beyond) and she has refused him every time. (Lady of Coin makes sure the cooks/servants have the coin they need to perform their job, a “lower” job, fit only for a women, because it requires speaking to servants lol)

Lady Cordelia Lannister – Younger niece of Lady Cinda Lannister, by way of an elder brother. Both Cordelia's parents passed when she was younger, as has been living as a ward of Cinda, in the Red Keep, most of her life. She is supposed to be a friend to Princess Aemma, but she finds the princess extremely tiring. She has never had to make a decision for herself, and doesn't know if she will ever be able to. She doesn't want the life planned out for her...but what other choice does she have? Her age is described as "almost too young to bare children."

Team Reach

Lady Ivyanne Tyrell – engaged to Aemond Targaryen on numerous occasions against her will, trapped in the Red Keep, living in a horror story. Aemond Targaryen’s number one hater, a sword lesbian. The only child to Lord and Lady Tyrell, there is a rumor she was caldron made. She would rather die than marry a man, and her parents seem to think removing a few fingers could make her see reason. They were wrong. If she is to die, she will die free. On again, off again with Helaena. What started as a way to annoy her nemesis, Aemond, Ivy sometimes finds herself dreaming of the princess. Ivy believes that Lyn MUST marry Aemond, if she has any hope to be free of him. (Face inspo: masc Kirsten Stewart in a dress)

Lady Oletta Redwyne – the heir to The Arbor, a dragon pit is currently being constructed on the island, mentally engaged to Aegon Targaryen since the age of three, has shaped her entire personality around him, there is no option other than Aegon. There is a small chance she is poising him. (Face inspo: Havana Rose Liu)

Lady Alarie Mullendore – first cousin to Lyn, the fashion influencer of the Seven Kingdoms, runs her own business designing and making dresses for ladies at court. Uses fashion as a backstabbing method. Her hair is big because it’s full of secrets.

Lady Tatsu 🏳️‍⚧️ – A Nobleperson from Nososs, a place ruled by dragon lords long ago, but they all died out. Legendary fighter, “dancing master” to Lady Ivyanne. Living as a trans woman in King’s Landing. Maesters are fascinated by Nososs, but most refuse to speak with her for close-minded reasons. Wants to go home more than anything else in the world, but knows she’ll never be able to (unless…)

more characters coming soon...

Original Location/House Directory

Nososs – geography based on Japan, on the other side of the known world, pre-Dawn society, former dragon lords, noble pilgrims

Tropicos – continent southwest of the Reach, destroyed during Aegon's Conquest, home to strange and hostile terrain, cursed from chemical poisoning, based on where i grew up, more info coming soon.

House Stone – Inspired by Mongolian culture, the Newest House of the Seven Kingdoms, sworn as loyal vessels to House Stark, and named a noble house by King Viserys I Targaryen after their economic rise from the sale of ice.

My requests are always open for original locations/house content! If you want to send geographic or cultural inspiration, I can make an OC house/country based on them~

Old Valyria Original Lore

Vaestal Virgins – Old Valyrian Goddess of Luck, Dragonfire, Virgins and Dragondreams // Inspired by the Vestal Virgins of Ancient city of Rome

[westeroswisdom]

« Trump was the worst president in American history, and if he gets in again, he will be worse, judging from the remarks he keeps making about retribution and bloodbaths and the like. »

— George R.R. Martin at Not a Blog.

GRRM created Joffrey Baratheon, Ramsay Bolton, and Walder Frey. So when he calls Trump the "worst" it has added weight. George knows a thing or two about villains.

This reminds me that the post which got the largest number of notes for this blog was this one from 2017 where GRRM compared Trump to Joffrey.

For some fun, go to your favorite image search engine and type in "Joffrey" AND "Trump".

[raspberryfingers]

A Lion in the Garden -Tywin Lannister x Reader- (Part 20)

WARNING: Mentions of sex

—————

Robb Stark was undressing and getting ready for bed, watching his wife and newborn son—Ned—playing on the bed with a fond smile on his face. It was an odd thing, for in the several months that he had been back at Winterfell, he couldn’t stop thinking about what you’d said. He would’ve walked straight into a slaughter had he married his uncle to one of Walder Frey’s daughters.

You’d saved his life and allowed him to return to Winterfell free of any treasonous charges. Plus, in the last several months, the gods had managed to bring his family back together. Minus Bran, who several Stark men were beyond the wall searching for. Not knowing whether or not he’d ever see his brother again made Robb quite anxious, but he held out hope. 

Rickon had been brought back to Winterfell with a wildling, and according to him, he had escaped with Bran when Theon had taken Winterfell, and Bran had warging abilities. That was why he was going beyond the wall. 

Ah yes, and then there was Theon. Robb had by all accounts intended to take his head, but when he returned to Winterfell and found the sorry state he was in, he couldn’t do it. He often wished he had, but deep down, he knew he wouldn’t have been able to in any circumstance. Theon had always been like a brother to him.

And of course, the Hound had brought Arya back too. She had told the family quite a lot about her adventures in the Riverlands, and at Harrenhal. Though she ‘failed’ to mention it to her mother, Robb had heard about her time as Tywin Lannister’s cupbearer. Besides you, he didn’t think he’d ever heard someone say such pleasant things about the Old Lion.

And then there was the Hound, who—upon arriving at Winterfell—found that he didn’t want to leave. He’d been at Winterfell ever since then, specifically in charge of looking after the Stark children. It gave him a feeling that was as close to joy as he would ever get, and seemingly helped to soothe the anger in him. 

More than anyone, though, Robb’s mother was glad to see their family together again. Losing Ned had been hard, and she’d been so afraid of losing her daughters too. 

But she was home now. 

They all were. 

Well, Sansa was in Highgarden, but Loras had vowed that they would come and visit quite often. It soothed Catelyn, and more than anything she was glad to see her daughter happily married.

Along with that, Robb still had to uphold a promise he’d made to Arya upon her return, which was that they would visit Jon at Castle Black. Though, with Stannis occupying it and preparing to march south, it would have to be postponed awhile. 

He couldn’t wait for all of this to be over.

Robb’s thoughts were disrupted, however, by a distinct knock on his door. With a sigh, he moved over and opened it, finding two of his servants with a rather large box.

“What’s this?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A message and a gift for you, Lord Stark.”

“From whom?”

“Tywin Lannister.”

Robb Stark was shocked, and somewhat wary. What on earth could Tywin Lannister of all people be sending him? 

Then he remembered something. 

“Bring it in, set the box down on the table,” he commanded, letting them awkwardly shuffle in and do so. Talisa watched somewhat anxiously, holding her baby to her chest as she sat up in bed. 

Robb thanked the men as they left, and moved to open the box once the door was shut. He knew what it was before he lifted the lid off, but was still excited to see it.

Ice.

Robb lifted the giant sword from its case, examining it and smiling. He was grateful to see it returned home, and for a moment he thought he might cry. This sword was one of the few things he had left of his father. 

“This’ll be yours someday, little man,” he said softly, showing the weapon to his son, who certainly seemed intrigued by its shine. 

“Not for a long time, though,” Talisa added, raising her own eyebrows at her husband. He chuckled and nodded, knowing she was right. She always was.

Carefully, he set the sword upon its holder on the mantle. It had been sitting empty for years now, and it made him happy to see it restored. 

Oh father.

Robb made his way back to the table, lifting the letter that had come with it. Sure enough, it had the hand’s seal. 

Carefully, he opened it and began to read.

Lord Stark,

My son Tyrion promised that this sword would be returned once you were no longer in rebellion, and he is true to his word. 

Though, I am sorry to inform you that you have not been returned the entire sword. I doubt you would have noticed, but I feel compelled to admit there is about an inch missing from it.

This metal will be put to very good use, I assure you. Several months ago, Lady Tyrell—to whom you spoke—gifted me a ring made of Valyrian steel. I intend to do the same for her, the only difference being that should she accept my gift, I will take her as a wife. 

As a man quite devoted to your own wife and family, I’m certain you can understand the sentiment. I’m also certain I can trust you to keep the content of this letter confidential, minus your wife. Best wishes, Lord Stark. 

-The Hand of the King, Tywin Lannister

Robb Stark found himself beginning to laugh, not in the slightest upset about what he had learned. In fact, he was happy for the Old Lion. It was odd, especially because they’d been at war for years, and yet there was no bitterness in Robb Stark. 

After all, Joffrey was dead, just as you had assured Robb he would be. And, knowing that Tywin Lannister intended to marry you made perfect sense. Who else but the Nightshade of the Garden would be able to satisfy and soften the most powerful man in Westeros?

“What does it say?” Talisa asked, not expecting her husband to begin laughing at a letter Tywin Lannister had sent. 

Robb was still smiling as he handed the paper to his wife, and he watched her read it for a few seconds.

“It seems the Old Lion intends to take the Nightshade of the Garden as a bride.”

She looked it over completely, and began to gape. She certainly wouldn’t have expected the man to be so sentimental, but deep down she knew better than to doubt the effect that women had on men. 

“Do you think he’s already asked her?” She questioned, handing the letter back to her husband. Robb shrugged, placing it on the table. 

“It’s hard to say, really. There’s no date on the letter,” he said, joining his wife in bed and taking their son into his lap. Talisa watched her husband lift the boy into the air, both of them grinning and giggling at each other. She couldn’t help but smile at the scene, and she leaned over to kiss Robb’s cheek. 

“And you’re not upset he took some of the metal off?”

“No, oddly enough. I should be furious about the idea of a Lannister attempting to alter the sword in any way, but Tywin Lannister is right. I’m a sentimental man, and I do love my family. Not to mention, I love my wife very much,” he said, grinning at Talisa and kissing her softly. She gave a small laugh in reply. 

“And with that in mind, I can’t find it in myself to be angry. Lady (Y/N) was a well spoken, impressive woman. The type of woman a man like Tywin Lannister would enjoy and appreciate. Not to mention, I’m certain she’s earned his respect by now. She mentioned she’d yelled at him and even despite that they get along quite well. If the Old Lion has found happiness, good for him. Maybe it’ll make him less of an obnoxious cunt,” he reasoned, covering Ned’s ears at the end. Talisa smacked his shoulder, and he began to laugh. 

“I mean it! I know you certainly made me a better man, who’s to say the same can’t be said for Tywin Lannister? Plus, everyone knows his last wife made him a better man, I bet it could happen again,” he shrugged, removing his hands and patting over his son’s head, which was already full of thick dark hair. 

“Do you think she truly loves him though? Plenty of men have wanted her over the years, and yet she’s never married. Why would she pick Tywin Lannister of all men?” Talisa questioned, knowing that plenty of people thought the man to be disagreeable.

“When I’d spoken to her, she described him rather nicely. I had a suspicion then that perhaps something more was going on between the two, and it seems I was right. You’re probably not aware of this, but she hated him for a long time. She visited Casterly Rock as a girl and the two of them did not get along very well. It’s why I laughed when I learned that the Tyrells and the Lannisters were making an alliance. I honestly figured it would be a weak one given that their two leaders are not particularly fond of one another. But no, by all accounts, the two have gotten along rather well since the Battle of Blackwater. She wouldn’t have put aside that rivalry for show unless she truly, genuinely liked the man,” Robb explained to her, watching as she took Ned in her arms and placed him in the wooden crib beside their bed. He was thankfully a very quiet baby, and went to sleep with relative ease. It made Robb feel that they’d named him correctly. 

“I see. Well, hopefully Lady (Y/N) says yes. I’m certain they would have quite the wedding.”

“I hope so too. Perhaps they’ll even invite us.”

The two laughed, laying back in bed and cuddling close together. As Robb began to drift off, he found himself smiling.

To the Old Lion and the Nightshade of the Garden.

—————

Tywin Lannister was nervous.

He found himself sitting in the garden where you two had properly fought for the first time over a year ago. Though, he hoped this conversation would go much differently. 

He was fidgeting with his own rings, and he felt vastly uncomfortable. He was never nervous, and experiencing the feeling brought him great discomfort. What if you should say no? What if everything that came out of his mouth sounded incoherent, and he upset you? 

There were a million possibilities when it came to what he was about to do, and he found himself imagining every single one. 

He couldn’t recall the last time he’d wanted something this badly. The last time he’d cared so much about a single person’s answer, or opinion. He’d lived a long, decent life despite his losses. He had all that most men craved, and yet the one thing he truly wanted was you. 

More specifically, to make you his wife. And what if you should be against that? How would he live with himself, knowing that you hadn’t wanted to marry him, but did so to avoid another lord? He had no doubt you would at least be content in the marriage, but he didn’t want you to merely be content. Tywin wanted you to be happy, to be fulfilled as his wife. Just as he would be as your husband. 

More than anything, he wanted to give you the world. He wished he wasn’t hand of the king, so he could marry you and return to Casterly Rock. Oh to return to his chambers with their tall, large windows that overlooked the sea. 

He wanted to share that bedroom with you more than anything else on earth. You had the perfect temperament to be the Lady of Casterly Rock, he knew it for a fact. 

Oh to marry you.

Not to mention, to shower you with riches and dress you in the finest Lannister red and golds. He knew you’d always be a Tyrell, but it didn’t keep him from imagining how wonderfully you would represent his own house. 

But, what if you didn’t accept his proposal? Again, these thoughts came back to him, and he sighed before rubbing his face again. Tywin Lannister felt as if he was in utter shambles.

He tried to distract himself with the flowers, which were currently in full bloom and looked absolutely magnificent. A lion in the garden, indeed. 

Just then, he heard a noise, and looked over to find you standing there. He instantly sat up straighter, and took a deep breath. Your grandmother was right. It was now or never. 

—————

“Tywin?” I said softly, a tone of inquiry in my voice. He had an odd look on his face, sitting on the bench while he fixed his ring. It was the one I had given him.

“(Y/N), sit, please,” he said quickly, scooting over a bit. I moved forward and sat down beside him, admiring our surroundings. The first time we’d sat here together, it hadn’t been nearly as beautiful. Right now, I felt oddly at home, almost as if I was back at Highgarden.

“It seems every time I’m sitting on this bench you’re right beside me,” I observed, to which he nodded and gave a gentle smile, but said nothing. Yes, something certainly was wrong, and it made my stomach drop. Had something happened? I swallowed, hoping I was merely in my head and all was well.

“You asked to meet me here?” I questioned then, having received word from a servant an hour ago that I should expect to come here at this time of the afternoon. Golden sunlight was peaking through the garden, and it was enough to be warm but not hot. It was a lovely afternoon, in all honesty. 

“Yes, I did,” he said simply, rubbing his hands against his thighs. I’d never in my life seen any man display such nervous behavior, and it was even more unsettling from him. Since when did Tywin Lannister let himself be consumed by nerves? 

Though, when I considered his behavior at the tourney, perhaps it wasn’t all that strange. Still, it didn’t make any sense for him to behave this way while merely conversing with me. 

“Am I allowed to know why?” I asked, making Tywin look over and raise both eyebrows. Gods, what was wrong with him? He was acting as if I’d said something astonishing and he hadn’t expected it.

“Yes, you certainly are. I have, uhm- I’ve requested your presence so that I might give you a gift. Two gifts, actually,” he said, stumbling over his words a little. He wasn’t even looking me in the eyes. 

“Are you alright, Tywin? You seem… anxious,” I questioned softly, furrowing my eyebrows with concern and pressing my hand to his forehead. Perhaps he was coming down with something? His face did feel awfully hot. 

He reached for my wrist, kissing my palm as he brought my hand down from his forehead.

“I’m alright, my dear, just allow me to explain,” he assured me, seemingly relaxing a little bit. I nodded, then processing that he had gifts for me. What sort of gift would be making him act this way? 

“There’s two gifts, and one requirement. The requirement is that in order to receive the second gift, you must accept the first one,” he continued, watching my face carefully. I nodded at this, though I was truthfully feeling somewhat confused. What was so important that I couldn't have both things individually? And why was he being so mysterious about the damned thing? 

Nothing about this conversation had made any logical sense thus far, and it made me feel as if I was dreaming. Tywin was always so well spoken. So confident. He was a lion, after all. 

“Very well, what is the first one?” I asked, deciding to ignore all my other concerns. Perhaps there was a reason for the odd behavior, and all would be explained momentarily.

Tywin paused, reaching for my hands and taking them in his. His hands were soft and warm, and the feeling of his skin on mine was pleasant. Not to mention, his hands were practically twice the size of mine, and I felt entirely enveloped by him.

“Before I give it to you, can I say something? Would you allow me to?” Tywin whispered, and there was a hint of emotion in his voice that I could not deny, nor place.  

“Of course, Tywin. What is it?”

He swallowed, looking me in the eyes as he again fixed his posture. He inhaled awkwardly, closing his eyes for just a moment and then opening them fiercely. Somehow, I knew then that the lion was back. The anxiety that had been consuming him—for whatever reason—was gone now.

“The last time we sat here, (Y/N), you were lecturing me. You were expressing your hatred for me, and rightfully so. At the time, I thought you were being ridiculous. I thought you were still a girl, just as you had been the first time we’d met. But no, I quickly learned that you were not. And, despite the anger I felt while sitting here, I would soon become grateful for it. I am truthfully very grateful that you yelled at me that day, because if you hadn’t, I might not have become so obsessed with the idea of making you tolerate me. And if I hadn’t done that, I never would’ve entertained the idea of you liking me, let alone- let alone loving me,” he said, taking deep breaths and letting out shaky exhales as he did. It was as if he had to remind himself to be calm. Though, the sentiment was overwhelmingly sweet. I felt myself smiling as I pressed one of my hands to his face, letting my thumb stroke his neat stubble. 

He leaned into my touch, placing one hand on top of mine as he continued. 

“And more than that, I found that I liked you. I found that I enjoyed watching you smile, and hearing you laugh. I was comforted by your thoughts, and reassured with your advice,” he muttered sweetly, a distinct passion and adoration in his eyes as he stared down at me. Then there was a slight sadness.

“After losing Joanna, I never thought I’d love another woman again. I never wanted to. But you managed to force yourself into my heart, as ridiculous as that might sound. And now that I have such a fondness for you, I can’t imagine my life without you in it,” he said, eyes scanning over my face as he did. I still had not a clue where he was going with this, but my heart pounded with every word. I couldn’t ever recall him being so open about how he truly felt towards me. 

“About a week or two before you left for Dorne, I received a raven from Catelyn Stark, requesting that her husband’s sword be returned to her son. I had, in all honesty, forgotten about that sword up until then. Upon remembering its existence, however, I found myself presented with an opportunity,” he began to explain, confusing me even further. What in the seven hells did the Stark’s ancestral sword have to do with anything?

Tywin paused, observing the somewhat confused look on my face. He looked away for a moment, as if considering what to say next. I then watched him move his hand, raising and positioning it so I would look down at his rings. The one I’d given him in particular, as it shone twice as bright. 

“(Y/N), when you gave me this ring, it was a symbol of our improved relationship. It was a symbol of our friendship. The day you gave it to me, I was no longer the Lord Hand, or Lord Tywin. From that day on, I was just Tywin to you,” he said softly, looking down at his hand before looking me in the eyes again. There was something so serious, so dire in his voice. He swallowed and then continued to speak once more. 

“And upon remembering that I would have to return that sword to Robb Stark, I felt compelled to take another step forward. Because for quite some time, I was more than satisfied being just Tywin to you. In fact, I was overjoyed. But eventually, I realized that I would be content as more than just a lover to you. And so, from that sword, I forged you a ring. A ring that I hoped would symbolize not only our friendship, but our love as well. A ring that I hoped to give to you… to give to you the day that I… that I asked you to be my wife,” he said, voice soft and progressively becoming quieter as he spoke. At the end, his voice was at a whisper, but not so quiet that I did not hear him. 

I then watched him reach into the pocket of his coat, and when it was removed, I found a ring in the palm of his hand. It was made of Valyrian steel.

My heart skipped several beats, and I could not keep myself from gaping as I looked up at him. I searched his face, and I tried to contain myself. I did not want to jump to conclusions, but I felt tears begin to well in my eyes. Was he truly asking for my hand?

“I had this ring made before I bedded you for the first time. At that point, I did not feel ready to ask for your hand in marriage, but I did feel that it would be plausible in the near future, so I had it made then anyways. It was not until Dorne… not until you were away from me that I realized there is only one thing that I will ever want for the rest of my life. When you were gone, I of course feared for your safety, for your life. I often found myself lying awake at night, wondering if you were still breathing. I was terrified. But, more than that, I missed you. I missed your teasing and your flirting, your excitement over simple things. I missed your warmth in my bed at night, and the sound of your laugh during the day. I found myself increasingly aware of your absence more and more each moment. And, I found that I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t bear to be without you, (Y/N), and it’s because of that fact that I want to ensure your permanence in my life. I want to ensure your permanence in my life for the rest of my life, no matter how short it may be, and that is why- that is why I’m begging you to accept this ring and wear it proudly for as long as I live. That is why I’m asking you to be my wife, (Y/N).”

There was so much emotion in his face, in his eyes especially, as he revealed all that he felt for me, and I couldn’t deny the tears that had begun to spill from my own eyes. 

Oh Tywin, my dear. 

I cupped both sides of his face with my hands, giving him a gentle smile as I spoke.

“When I was in Dorne, Tywin, I was sitting around the fire with Jaime and Bronn one morning. We were discussing how we’d like to die, and additionally how we’d not like to. I noted that the worst idea of death to me is somehow that of lying in a bed surrounded by too many children and grandchildren. I explained to them that my worst fear has always been being married off to some lord and losing who I am. My worst fear is being sold and bred like an animal, and only ever serving that purpose just as so many women are forced to do. I told them that, and reasoned that it’s why marriage has always made me so reluctant. But, upon saying this, Bronn pointed out to me that you had allowed me to come,” I began, giving him some context for what I was about to say. I spoke slowly, occasionally sniffling because I was somehow still crying. It seemed Tywin was about to as well.

“I realized then that Bronn was right. Even after the tourney, even after you’d expressed such a distinct fear about me being in a dangerous situation, you still let me go with them to Dorne. Not for Jaime or Cersei, but for me. You let me fulfill my more adventurous desires, which is something that few other men would do. And when I thought about that, I understood that the idea of marriage, the concept that I had been so against and hated so much for the majority of my life, was no longer something I feared. I no longer feared it because I knew that if you ever took me as your wife, I would still be more than just your wife. And with that thought came the realization that I do want to marry you, Tywin. To be your wife would be the most divine thing in all seven kingdoms, and I should be proud to take you as my husband,” I told him softly, both of our tears flowing freely now. Tywin smiled at me and wiped my cheeks, sniffling as he looked down and slipped the ring onto my finger. The weight was pleasant, almost as if it had been missing from my hand every day before this day. 

I took Tywin’s hand in mine then, pressing our rings together and smiling at him. The metaphor was certainly not lost on him, and he did not waste another moment before leaning down and kissing me. 

I wrapped one arm around his neck and held his face with my other hand, kissing him through my smile and simultaneously my tears. Tywin’s arms were wrapped around me, holding me impossibly close, almost as if he couldn’t believe I was real. There was so much love and passion in that kiss, and it was so overwhelming that somehow kissing him was not enough. I wanted to meld our souls together, to be eternally connected to him in every way that I possibly could. 

“(Y/N)… (Y/N), I love you,” he whispered, swallowing and catching his breath. He let our foreheads press together, and all I was physically able to focus my eyes on were his eyes. 

“Oh Tywin, I love you so much. So much,” I muttered in reply, kissing him once more before smiling as I pulled away. Somehow, I was still having trouble processing that I would truly be his wife. 

Gods, I couldn’t wait. 

“Now that I’ve given you the ring, would you like to know what the second gift is?” He whispered after a moment. I was utterly shocked then. There was more?

He moved his face back, and gave the smallest of grins at the shock in my eyes. 

“I spoke with your father this morning. I told him I was going to ask for your hand in marriage today,” Tywin began, making me raise an eyebrow.

“And how did he react to that?”

“He began to choke on his wine.”

We both laughed a bit, because it was exactly what I would’ve expected from my father. I suspected he was the only Tyrell who was entirely clueless about my relationship with Tywin. 

“I explained it to him in political terms, such as he needed to marry you off to a decent lord, and I wanted more children. I truthfully don’t care if you’re opposed to having children, but I did need an excuse, and your father thought nothing of it. I explained that we got along fine and would make a suitable match, but that I had a request to make,” he continued, much to my amusement, for I would’ve given anything to see my fathers face during this conversation. 

“A request?”

“I told him that if he wished to see you married to me, he needed to keep you as the head of the Tyrell army. He stuttered and fumbled around for a minute or two, but I made it abundantly clear that it was absolutely necessary, and he relented,” Tywin revealed, watching with satisfaction as I began to gape once more. 

“He’s not going to name Loras the head of the army?”

“Not so long as he wants to see us married, no he won’t.”

I began to laugh now, throwing myself into Tywin’s arms and holding him as tight as I possibly could. The man had just ensured I would keep the one thing I’d always valued so much and held so close to my heart, and how could I not love him even more after that? 

“Oh Tywin, thank you. Thank you, thank you… thank you,” I repeated, still smiling and laughing softly as I remained in his arms. To say that I was overjoyed was an understatement. 

“I told your grandmother this, and I’ll tell it to you as well. Anything you desire I will give you. If you want to be my wife, then you will be. If you wish to remain head of the Tyrell army, you will. I would give you all seven kingdoms if you so much as mentioned it,” he said, voice soft and low in my ear. I couldn’t stop smiling. I couldn’t think of a single day in my life when I’d ever received so much good news. I couldn’t recall a single day where I’d ever been so happy. 

“I love you, Tywin, so much,” I whispered, unable to express anything but that. He chuckled sweetly, arms still wrapped around me. There was such peace in his arms, and knowing that I would spend the rest of my life in them made me smile brighter than the sun. 

As I pulled away, I seemed to remember something Cerella had said once. Looking down and observing my ring, I contemplated it. The ring was adorned with intricate vines for a pattern. There was a beautiful red jewel on the top, and on the bottom, a lion appeared to be sleeping, covered in the vines. And of course, it was nightshade. 

“You know, Tywin, the day I told Cerella that we were romantically involved, she gushed about it so much, claiming that we would be the most powerful match Westeros has seen in centuries. At the time, I hadn’t fully grasped that sentiment, but the more I’ve thought about it the more I’ve realized she’s right. Usually the lowborn get to marry for friendship and love, and we have to marry for political power. But, the curious thing about our marriage is that it will accomplish both. We’ll be combining the two richest houses, and in doing it, we get to marry someone we both truly love. That idea in itself feels quite powerful to me,” I said, motioning around with my hands as I explained my thought process. Tywin smiled at me the whole time. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him smile so much.

“Essentially, the two most powerful people in Westeros are getting married and have each other’s interests at mind. The two greatest powers are becoming a single entity,” he remarked, to which I raised an eyebrow.

“Well, you may be the most powerful man in Westeros, but to say that I-“

“I’m a puppet, (Y/N). I know that, and I don’t mind it. You’ve always pulled my strings, sometimes I’ve been conscious of it and sometimes I haven’t, but the reality of it is, I let you do it because most of the time it does no harm to me. In fact, when I let you take more control, things usually go better than they normally would. I wouldn’t let a stupid person sway my decisions and beliefs, you know that. My point is, if someone has the ability to influence the most powerful man in Westeros so consistently, then what does that make them?” He questioned, raising an eyebrow at me to demonstrate he was serious. 

“The most powerful person in Westeros,” I answered. He nodded, satisfied with my answer. In all honesty, I had not realized he viewed it that way. He was right of course, I had been pulling his strings, though it was never out of malicious intent, and I usually only did it for the good of the realm. Or my family, as happened with Loras and Sansa.

“I’ve never wanted to manipulate you, I hope you know that. When I attempt to change your mind, I do it for the good of the realm or the good of my family. I’ve never once done it to gain personal power, you’re more than that to me,” I said, not wanting him to feel as if I was playing the puppeteer because it gave me personal glory or satisfaction.

“I know, my dear. It’s why I went along with the idea of Prince Oberyn killing Joffrey.”

My mouth dropped a bit, and he kissed my forehead. 

What?

“Oberyn Martell did kill Joffrey, but everything that happened was too perfect. It was deliberate, well thought out. Men like Oberyn Martell are impulsive, and you’re the most thorough person I know. Plus, you had plenty of reason to want Margaery married to Tommen instead,” he said quietly, knowing we were in a secluded area but should still make efforts to at least be somewhat secretive. I was still gaping, shocked that he had known it was me the whole time. 

“I’m not mad, dear girl. Tommen is much easier for me to control, and you know that too,” he whispered, thumb brushing over my cheek. I swallowed, somehow coming back to reality as he said it.

“I wouldn’t have put the thought in Oberyn’s head if it would’ve caused any complications of your power. I only did it because Tommen was clearly a better temperament for a husband and for a king.”

“I’m aware, (Y/N). We need not discuss it further now that it’s no longer a secret. All I ask is that you promise me one thing.”

“Hm?”

“The next time you decide to plot something like that, tell me first. If you cannot trust your husband with these things, then who can you?” He requested, both of my hands in his. He gave them a gentle squeeze, and I could tell he meant it. He genuinely was not upset about Joffrey’s death. 

“I’ll tell you, Tywin. I promise.”

“Good. Do you think you can make it up the tower of the hand?” He questioned, tucking a strand of hair behind my ears. He couldn’t take his eyes off me either. 

“It’s only slightly irritating to go up stairs, I’ll manage it perfectly fine,” I reasoned, knowing my wound was well healed enough for plenty of things. The look on  Tywin’s face told me he already had one thing in mind.

“Will you join me there tonight? I’m tired of covering your mouth when I fuck you. I'd like to hear your moans tonight,” he muttered, looking me up and down before settling on my face again. There was a lusty haze in his eyes, and I expected he’d be a bit more unhinged tonight. I grinned at him and nodded, quite excited at the prospect.

“Yes, I’ll join you in your chambers tonight, Tywin.”

He leaned in and kissed me once more, and I felt my stomach consumed with butterflies like it was the first time I was kissing him. 

I felt then, that despite their cruelty, the Gods rewarded us from time to time. And I knew it then, that the nicest thing they would ever reward me with was Tywin Lannister.

To spend the rest of my life with him, what a thought.

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[chemzee]

How HPMA characters would do a 20 minutes PowerPoint presentation

aka silly idea 6734 please bear with me and remember it's just my own silly headcanons haha

Daniel: Probably most dull looking out of all of them, just a casual Times New Roman black on white with occasional pictures, no slide transitions. Has just enough info for a single slide, not too short, not too long, just a perfect amount, about maybe 10-12 slides, each idea properly separated. Probably memorized most of it but not all, does occasionally read from screen. So while not too visually interesting, it gets the point across well and to him it's probably more important than wasting time on making it pretty.

Ivy: she strikes me as someone who balances out the information and visual presentation, so I'd say Daniel's presentation but prettier and probably a little shorter, like 8 slides and probably has less info, but enough to explain the topic in question. Probably uses Arial or Calibri (wanted to use Dreaming Outloud but knows its not the best for such presentation) font and has the same transition on all slides. Probably picked a pretty design with pastel colors. Despite the fact she doesn't have a lot of text, she definitely does not remember it at all so she mostly reads it. I think she probably was planning on adding more pictures or transitions but forgot and only realized it the moment she has to make a presentation.

Lottie: definitely the most visually interesting one, she probably would spend A LOT of time on trying to make it look pretty. Uses different transitions but they all go well with the theme of the topic in question and they don't look obnoxious. The ideas are separated well, it has around 10 slides and each looks breathtaking, as she had customized almost everything herself,eather than leaving the design as it is. Uses different fonts for different categories of text, but main text is probably in Century Schoolbook. In terms of information, however, she'd either add too much or too little and she would often read the text on screen, but the prettiness of her presentation makes up for it.

Kevin: he strikes me as a kind of guy who would add TOO much info. He'd probably have to shrink it to font size 6-8 just so he could fit everything and has over 20 slides. Probably the kind of guy to have text on one slide and pictures on the other because he can't fit both on one. Unknown to God, memorized the entire text somehow but gets extremely nervous when presentating it, especially after seeing everyone's reactions to the unreadable wall of text.

Cassandra: she strikes me as a white on black person, probably uses fancy font styles as titles and Times New Roman or Baskerville as normal text. I'd say she's similar to Ivy in a way she balances out the information and the prettiness (I'd say hers is the second prettiest after Lottie's) but has more info than Ivy (around 10-12 slides) and she actually remembers her text almost by memory, so better and fancier Ivy.

Robyn: either did it in 5 minutes and has 7 slides max with minimum amount of info or she just staight up copy pasted a Wikipedia article, with links still attached. At least bothered with the way it looks and by that I mean she chose the random alternative style and random font that looked good enough and called it a day.

Frey Twins: Fisher most likely insisted on making it together with Colby, despite the latter wanting to do his own presentation. Surprisingly, they put in a lot of effort into it, they had put their heart and soul into every single slide. And by that I mean is that they created the worst monstrosity known to mankind, literally the worst looking presentation one would ever imagine. It's too bright, it has small comic sans orange text on red background, the images are squashed, oh and don't get me started on the effects. The transitions and animations take up about 90% of whole presentation, they used literally every known transition available and it's just one after the other. And worst part is? It's completely unoronic, they actually think it looks great.

[ranchstoryblog]

Let the Funtimes Poll!

Oh, I guess I've been slacking on thinking of ideas for the monthly poll. Uh, well, I guess EVO Japan is coming up, and they announced a really unexpected collaboration with Sesame Street, and there's been this weird push to get Waffle House as a stage in Tekken 8 so... Besides the obvious choice of "Pete/Claire/Sara in Smash Bros",

[ominous-feychild]

✦ OC DEEP DIVE ✦

Thanks for the tag, @the-letterbox-archives! This looks really fun!

Otherwise it would get added to my ever-building "answer this tag eventually" list... 😭

I'm going to answer these for: Sun and Shadow: Freya and Crow The Arcane Rifts: Gene and Tazin Rising From the Ashes: Sammy and Kieva

Warning: long post!

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

After the start of Sun and Shadow? A fear of the ocean, easily.

However, she's also afraid of being vulnerable, being lost, feeling alone, and not being able to trust her own senses.

Abandonment and failure.

It'd be easier listing the fears he doesn't have...

He's afraid of: the forest, being lost, not being able to trust his own senses, being deceived, anything anywhere near the uncanny valley, being/feeling trapped, saying the wrong thing (aka social anxiety literally always), authority figures, angry people, not angry people, people--

Okay, I'll stop now. I think you get it.

Is and has almost always been haunted by the fear of being abandoned. It's his greatest fear, and he constantly pushes people away or abandons them first, before they can do it to him.

Besides that, he's afraid of responsibility and ghosts (which are provably real in-universe... and he's met plenty).

Fear of losing control. Is a major control freak social manipulator who panics (internally) the moment he feels like he's lost control of a situation. Is also terrified of being/feeling trapped and being "physically constricted" (read: shackles, handcuffs, and the sort).

Terrified of feeling trapped--both physically and situationally. Particularly hates small spaces and constricting clothing. Afraid of abandonment, failure, and disappointing the people he cares about.

Instead of angsting about his fears (besides the claustro- and cleithrophobia), he uses them as a motivation to do better.

Do they have any pet peeves?

Rich people. I'm only slightly kidding. She hates fake people and nobility/the wealthy elite have always been fake in her experience. She also hates small talk, people not taking her seriously, asking her about her family, and people calling her by her full name, "Freya", instead of Frey. ... whoops.

A curse they've brought upon themself--people not taking them seriously when they want people to, haha. It's a backfiring from their acting silly to get people to underestimate them.

Similarly, people getting distracted in conversations. Their job would be SO much easier if people didn't deviate from subjects Crow wanted them on. (Though, the distractedness also makes it easier for them to happen onto subjects Crow wants to investigate, so...)

People assuming he's dumb, or asking him how he figured things out when they're super obvious? Like, c'mon. Also he's sensitive to a lot of sounds and gets annoyed by repetitive noises.

People asking him questions, hilariously enough. (Makes for a horrible and yet perfect combination with Gene...)

Similarly, hates people asking about his background, family, and nationality. Also hates repetitive noises!

Discrimination, people obsessing about/over his magic, the "elite" class in general, the shallowness of society, and people assuming things about him. He grew up on the streets and faced a lot of discrimination focused on his apparent poverty and age--though it's especially worse because he looks even younger than he is. Despite his distaste for it, he's learned to use it to his advantage.

People.

I was only slightly kidding--he's incredibly asocial, hates people trying to bother him, and mostly minds to himself. However, has a particular distaste for people asking prying questions--and especially those about his biological family.

Also, fake people, fake compliments, and people interrupting him in the middle of him doing other things (aka, literally always)--and, fuck, I've made HIM autistic, too???

(Not saying those things make him autistic. However, seeing him in my mind, as a fellow autistic... I've done it again.)

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

Books, tea, and various kinds of writing utensils.

Newspapers, hidden knives, and even-better hidden art collages from newspaper and magazine cutouts!

An endless amount of books, writing utensils, Mislav and papers. Blank, filled with drawings, filled with writing--papers of all kinds!

Anything and everything fun and/or "different" for him to set on fire. Also, knives/daggers, his Svarog masks, and each of Gene's old Volos masks--up until the last version, which is still in Gene's possession.

You're assuming he has a bedroom? /hj

More seriously, haha--although he grew up on the streets, he does have a few possessions that he's kept with him at all times. One is a damaged and rusty photo locket. The other is an expensive-looking dagger and sheath given to him by someone in his past. He's never sold either, regardless of the struggles he's gone through.

After getting a bedroom upon joining the knight's college, it's perpetually full of endless potted plants, books about medical subjects (primarily composed of photos or doodles he's added to help him understand the contents), and the aforementioned dagger... though it's hidden very well.

Several sketchbooks, some filled out and others blank or half-filled out; a VERY well-hidden collection of notes from his adoptive dad, Caron, addressed to him when Kieva was younger and he's kept for all these years; and tons of hidden weapons.

Don't worry!--he got that habit from his dad, Caron. As the saying goes--a man who sleeps with a knife under his pillow is a fool every night but one. (Except there's way more than just a knife under his pillow.)

What do they notice first in a person?

How they're dressed, almost tied with how they hold themselves.

How the person holds themself. Then, their face. They are very good at memorizing faces.

Spoilers! 😁 In other words... their magical energy. But that's not very helpful here, is it? Haha, so beyond that, I'd say how they're dressed.

Their skin tone. (Because he expects white people to be immediately / especially racist toward him. Glavnran ain't a great place for a Jhandan kid to grow up.)

Their emotional state. He's always prepared to maneuver around a difficult social situation, and needs to be ready to manipulate someone into reacting more positively to him if necessary.

Simultaneously notices their face and posture. He's good at memorizing faces--partially because of how much he draws them--and uses their posture to gauge a lot of things, as taught to by his dad. You can use someone's posture to help figure out: confidence level, if they're experienced in a fight, their social class (nobility often exaggerates certain behaviors), and many other things.

(He also goes out of his way to look at their hands. One's hands can tell of their profession.)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance? (I'm doing this assuming 5 is "average")

Emotional? 7. Physical? 3.

Physically? 9. Emotionally? 9.

Depends how you define "pain tolerance"--if it's "doesn't notice it" or "is able to ignore it".

If it's "doesn't notice": Physically, 5. Emotionally, 8. (But later books see "emotionally" drop wayyyy down to 3)

"Is able to ignore": Physically, 10. Emotionally? 9.

Physically? 6. Emotionally? 2.

Depends on a lot of factors. He's able to magically shut off his ability to feel physical pain, for one (though he only realizes/learns to do so on command to later in the series)! Otherwise, he's similar to Gene in having a variable "feels it" vs "is able to ignore it anyways" level of "tolerance".

If it's "doesn't notice": Physically, 6. Emotionally, 7.

If it's "is able to ignore it/doesn't show any signs of feeling it": Physically, 8. Emotionally, 9 or 10 depending on the emotion and situation.

Another case of "can ignore what he can feel".

Threshold until he feels it? Physically, 7. Emotionally? 8.

Threshold until he can't ignore it anymore? Physically, 10 (aka, only the worst pains imaginable). Emotionally? 10. (Aka mental breakdown territory.)

(Kieva is very bad at noticing his own emotions until he gets overwhelmed by them. His stress builds to very high levels before he actually notices them and can account for them. He's alexithymic and has to use therapeutic methods to figure out what he's feeling before he gets overwhelmed and snaps.)

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (I'm also including freeze and fawn)

Fight!!! She's an incredibly angry person (that thinks she doesn't have anger issues, lmao), and goes on the aggressive very easily. However, it's usually verbal. She doesn't have any experience in actual fights.

Technically freeze, technically flight, but actually fight. They'll either turn into or hide in their own shadow with their magic to orient themselves to the situation before acting if surprised with combat. Their "freezing/flight" is only a defensive measure to gather more information before proceeding.

However, they're also a fantastic actor and tend to be playing a persona. While their reflex is defensive/fight, they can and will fake having a different "reflex" under pressure.

It depends on when/where in the books and in his life, haha.

Early books? Freeze or fawn depending on the situation. If it's something dangerous or more than one person, freeze. If it's a single person, fawn.

In the middle of the series? Fawn 7 times out of 10. Fight the other three.

Late in the series? Fight.

FIGHTTTTTTTTTTT!!! (both verbally and physically, though he tends to more adapt a threatening posture or imply he's ready to get violent rather than immediately getting violent. Not that he hates violence, though--he just doesn't like getting hurt.)

Before the beginning of Rising From the Ashes, his reactions are tied between flight and fawn, depending on the situation. He's used to running away from his problems to the point that Caron--the head of the knight's college--silently notices it and pegs him as a flight risk. However, he also very commonly fawns over people who would otherwise be his enemies.

As the story progresses, Sammy's reaction shifts to tied between fight and fawn. He'll still pretend to be on his enemies' side, but is a lot more prepared to fight instead of run away.

Defensive fight/freeze. He'll jump into action to defend himself and/or others, but he's not the aggressive type except for when he's angry (and oh, boy, when he's angry...)

While he's usually defensive, he'll switch to hyper-offense (minus potentially protecting others in danger) when he's decided on a course of action. He will single-mindedly work toward his goal, his own well-being be damned.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

I mean, technically the closest thing she had to a family was a magical zombie version of her dad...

More seriously, though--technically a small family. It was just her and her dad for her growing up. He was next to never around, though.

Tiny family. It was just them, their dad, and {SPOILER}. Their dad was next to never around because of his work and not wanting to tie Crow into it. Looks like it happened anyway, ey? 😏😉

He doesn't remember his family besides the fact that "Abi" existed and was probably his brother. During his short time in the orphanage, there was a lot of them. Then it was just him and Tazin (who he saw like a brother). Then it was the khonitva. Then it was the yuertel. The closest thing he can really remember adjacent to "family" is Tazin.

He wishes he had positive experiences with "family". Instead, he had none and a toxic friend.

Oh, buddy, would he hate this question. He comes from a small family, but was kicked out (and then later refused to return when they were willing to take him back). Because of this, he grew up either living with gangs (the khonitva/yuertel) or with it just being him and Gene. He thinks he hates "family", but it's only because he desperately wishes his was better.

This answer is a spoiler, haha! However, he is not a family person.

The only family he can remember is his adoptive one: his adoptive dad, Caron, and brother, Varik. He cares more about them than he cares about himself. Conveniently, the feeling is mutual between the three of them. (It wouldn't even be a question. They'd all sacrifice themselves for each other in less than a heartbeat. Something tells me this family is just a lil fucked-up/self-sacrificing.)

What animal represents them best?

Gryphon!!! Either that, or a feral kitten, haha.

I know this might be hard to believe... but Crow is best represented by a crow. Otherwise, a falcon, haha.

Deer. Easily.

Salamander! For probably obvious reasons if you have the context, haha. A simple explanation for those without the context? He's a fire mage. (But there's a lot more to it than just that, so.)

A possum!!! No debate about it, haha, and I'm sure I don't have to explain why.

A bull and/or buffalo. For their individual associations with bravery, fierceness, stubbornness, sacrifice, and survival. Also, because they all have horns!

What is a smell that they dislike?

City stink. If you know, you know.

Blood. Except, they also love the smell. They're mixed up about how they should feel about that.

Mustiness. Also the smell of various things burning. Midway through the story, the smell of cigarette smoke.

Sweat and herbs. It's even worse that burning herbs just makes the smells stronger.

Blood and chemicals.

Any strong smell. Especially hates the smell of chemicals and smoke.

Have they broken any bones?

When she was very young, yes. She doesn't remember it, though. Except for in her nightmares.

Depends on if you mean theirs or other people's!

Yes! A lot, actually.

Yes, a few times.

Yes, while practicing parkour. Conveniently, he has healing magic. Besides that? No.

His own, or other peoples'?

Yes.

His own, or other peoples'? x3

Yes. x6 (Whoops. Traumatic action-fantasy am I right?)

How would a stranger likely describe them?

"Yeah, that woman with the messy red hair and anger issues?--HOW DO YOU KNOW ANOTHER ONE!?--okay, no, she was looked like she wanted to be anywhere else?--Seriously?--okay, fine, she was wearing a ring on a necklace?--YEAH, that one!"

"Remember that guy wearing that long cloak as though it hid their giant wings and tail?"

"You know that creepy guy who's always staring? Like, barely talks, just watches everyone all the time? He's got a cane and just acts weird in general?"

"That angry Jhandan kid?" (or, alternatively:) "That Jhandan guy, either looks ready to pick a fight at a moment's notice or does his absolute best to piss everyone else off with while 'joking' around? Yeah, the overly-touchy guy--that one."

It would depend on who/what/when/where/why/how he met the person, considering how much he's almost always playing up one act or another! Here's one possible way of over a thousand:

"I think he was a Cirranian kid? About ye tall, really timid--OH! His eyes were two different colors, one blue and the other dark brown! He had curly hair and had a dirty, oversized jacket on?"

"Yeah, Kieran Caron's son? No--that's the other one, I think. Kieva's the one who's super pale, like he's never even been outside, and looks dead inside half the time?--what do you mean Varik's like that, too??? Okay, fine, silvery hair and eyes? YEAH! That guy!"

Are they a night owl or an early bird?

Early bird, haha. She loves the smell of the morning dew and just never preferred the night. Not even as an angsty teen!

Night owl (almost literally). They dislike the day, haha.

Night owl who's often forced to wake up early, haha. He's a sad, sleepy birdie who has to function on way too little sleep half the time.

Night owl, but his sleep schedule ends up even worse as an adult. It goes from "night owl" into "whenever I damn want/am not doing something else".

Really depends, his sleep schedule's all over the place. Most often, he's an early bird. He likes being awake when others aren't regardless.

You have to sleep in order to be a night owl or early bird, and Kieva doesn't sleep.

Okay, that was only kinda a joke--he has a hard time sleeping due to nightmares that he can't really remember. Usually, he just naps whenever he's able to. Otherwise, technically an early bird. He always wakes up early to stay on top of classes and his personal projects.

What is a flavour they hate and a flavour they love?

Loves spicy food! Hates most vegetables (like a child), but eats them anyway--like an adult!

Uhhhhh... so they're lowkey a vampire half the time so... both cases? Blood! 😁

Gene hates, hates, HATES sweet food and it's absolutely hilarious! He has the absolute opposite of a sweet tooth! On the other hand, he loves meat and most kinds of savory foods. Meat was rare for him growing up, and he really appreciates being able to eat it whenever he wants as an adult.

Both loves and hates Jhandan (Fantasy!Indian) food. His Jhandan parent would cook it when he was young, and uh--yeah. Mixed feelings about that whole mess. Same thing applies to spicy food--the only "spicy" food he had was cooked by the same parent, and while he loves spicy food, it reminds him of them.

For things he just straight-up dislikes, Tazin also isn't a fan of sweet food in general, haha. There's a few he does like, but they're few and far between.

Love: food. Hate: nothing. Literally can't afford to be picky.

Later on, when he is able to be picky, he strongly dislikes spicy food and likes "spiced" (aka spices, not spicy) and savory foods. Anything super flavorful!... except for fish. Hates fish. (Yes, white fish have plainer flavors. He hates those, too.)

Loves basically anything his dad cooks, but prefers salty and umami tastes. Hates bitter stuff, but is basically obsessed with coffee (like the rest of his family tbf).

Do they have any hobbies?

Yes! She loves reading and has a hobby of translating books from a foreign-to-that-world language into her own! She does so utilizing books in the library and has lowkey become a language scholar, haha. (She'll just never admit it.)

They secretly like drawing and creating collages out of things cut out of newspapers and magazines. They have not admitted this fact to a single person in their life, and won't for a long time.

Two! Reading non-fiction books (aka just learning in general, haha) and drawing! He loves drawing, though does it a lot less than reading. Drawing hasn't really helped him (besides with the maps he used to draw for the yuertel), while his obsessive need to always be learning has.

Not really? He likes reading stories, primarily folklore, stories about the gods, and fiction, but he doesn't allow himself to do it often because he's embarrassed to like them. Similarly, he likes to sing, but next to never does so because he's insecure about it.

I like to say that, if Tazin grew up in our world, he would've absolutely been a huge fan of rock and tried starting a band in high school. (He would've put enough time into it that he'd even be good at the guitar. Except... he's not in our world.)

No, he never had the time, money, or mental energy for hobbies. The closest thing he has to one is "people-watching", but he did it more out of necessity than because he enjoyed it.

If he could have one, I think he'd most enjoy creating textiles and listening to music.

Yes! Drawing, easily. Prefers life-drawing and drawing people in general. Sometimes enjoys people-watching, but only if he can tolerate their personalities (or otherwise, if they aren't speaking). Even before he started attending the knight's college, he had a minor hobby of invading active classes to watch the lessons, teachers, and students. It made it much easier for him to pick up fighting when he officially started, and it's helped him have a heightened magical awareness.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

Apprehension and shock. She wouldn't have told anyone her birthday and wouldn't have expected anyone to celebrate it on top of that. She'd be half-expecting things to go wrong and not know how to deal with it all, but would probably ultimately enjoy it.

Cry. They didn't expect anyone to know/care besides their dad. Their dad celebrates with them, but it's always been disappointing (not that they'd admit that though). They'd absolutely love it, though. Just... cry. A lot.

Panic. Hates surprises, hates social gatherings, hates having people expect things from him (ie: appreciate the party/their efforts), and hates that he'll be "the bad guy" for not appreciating the party.

Besides, he doesn't have a "real" birthday (he didn't know the day and was given a "fake" one to be celebrated during his time in the orphanage) and even though he and Tazin privately celebrated the day they met in its place, it was just that--privately. They would have a quiet celebration with food, a few gifts exchanged between them, and just acting normal otherwise.

Rage. Wouldn't have shared his birthday with anyone, not even Gene (though Gene would've figured it out anyway because of Reasons). Similarly, definitely not a fan of surprises. Likes receiving gifts, but otherwise? Fuck off (his words, not mine--).

(Assuming friends threw it for him--) Confusion and would break down crying. Hasn't really had a birthday party for a long time, doesn't know how to react to it, and certainly didn't tell anyone when his birthday was because he doesn't even know. (So, y'know, whoever threw the party would've had to make one up for him.) Wouldn't know how to take people celebrating his existence--or him in general--and would be overwhelmed by the positive attention directed toward him.

So, yeah. Would cry a LOT. And only might hide it.

Doesn't like surprises, wouldn't show it. Would just--

Considering his adoption and the way it initially happened--let's just say it wasn't traditional in any sort of way--his actual birthday is unknown. Instead the family celebrates the day of his official adoption. Regardless, those celebrations are obviously known of in advance. Kieva would not accept a party being thrust upon him, haha.

Do they like to wear jewelry?

She grew up always wearing a magical amulet her dad gave her that helped her with an unknown illness. When she loses it early into the book, she puts an otherwise-enchanted ring on a necklace to cope with the loss of the feeling of wearing something at her neck. Besides that, she's not a jewelry person, haha.

They don't like jewelry, but wear it. They have two earrings that absorb the magic of their curse--allowing them to appear human and removing its antimagic effects--and quite often wear various other kinds of jewelry while posing as one identity or another.

No, absolutely not. He'd hate the sensory input. He's just fine with no jewelry, having his hair tied back, and fidgeting with his cane--thank you very much.

As a kid, wouldn't have. As an adult, likes basic "jewelry" that's just metal rather than stuff with actual jewels.

Not at all. However, keeps a half-destroyed photo locket in his pocket at all times. But that's different, y'know?

Alternates between loving and hating jewelry. Sometimes enjoys wearing it for something to fidget with. Other times, hates the sensation and will take it off (potentially aggressively if he realized after already getting overwhelmed). Rarely wears it because of the "risk" associated with it.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Neat! She's filled out a lot of paperwork in her time and has actually dabbled in sketching stuff, but isn't the greatest artist.

Halfway between! Very messy handwriting, but it's always legible.

Depends on how fast he's writing and if he intends on having anyone else read it. It's incredibly messy to the point of illegibility if he's writing quickly, and especially more so if it's just for himself. However, he's capable of writing very neatly if he's planning on having others read it--it just takes him a lot longer to write.

Messy, messy, messy! Doesn't write often, haha. But is capable of making it neater if he must.

(Also, would probably go out of his way to make his handwriting messier if someone forced him to write stuff down for them--)

Even worse than Tazin's. Messy af, everything is horribly misspelled. He's dyslexic and barely learned how to read even beyond that. Hates even attempting to read, much less write, so his time in the knight's college is the first time he really gets into it since he was really young.

Either incredibly neat or messy. Sometimes doesn't have the patience to bother making things legible, but needs to write stuff down--and so scribbles doctor handwriting style. Otherwise, goes out of his way to make his handwriting neater. It's an ego thing.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Frustration and exhaustion. She doesn't sleep well--though she doesn't remember her dreams anymore--and has anger issues.

Annoyance and amusement. They don't

Exhaustion and sadness. He doesn't get the greatest sleep--whether it's because of nightmares or a terrible sleep schedule--and he's constantly experiencing and/or witnessing things that are unfair. It's not like he's never happy, though--he just constantly carries that sense of tragedy.

Anger and amusement. He has SEVERE anger issues, but considers himself a jokester. Unfortunately, a lot of his "humor" is at the detriment of others, especially as he gets older.

Resignation and caution. Is constantly on-guard for people who could potentially pose a threat to him--regardless of how--and is used to people treating him poorly. His feeding into it by pretending to be young and clueless has always been a way to cope with it and run with its few advantages.

Who knows what he's running from? Me. Obviously I know. But-- But he's constantly prepared to run away from a situation where he's in danger... or people are close to figuring out things he doesn't want them to.

Stubbornness and indifference, with exhaustion being a close third. Mostly floats through life, following a strict schedule with the school's classes. Finds the strict schedule convenient, because it allows him to plan things ahead of time and then stop having to think as he follows through with what he decided. However, is still an incredibly stubborn person--he wants to make his dad proud by becoming a powerful mage, fighter, and knight. That, and he genuinely wants to make the world a better place! And maybe, one day, to find out where he's actually from.

Only problem is, he just wants to sleep half the time!

Do they have a favourite fabric? (This is assuming I know the fabrics...)

Does yarn count? Knitted stuff of all kinds and textures! She's made a lot of her own clothes. She's very self-sufficient.

Anything their feathers don't get caught on. So, mostly smoother textures.

Anything and everything soft. He loves soft things and stimming with them.

Slippery stuff. Aka, stuff that's harder for people to grip. Tazin explicitly wears skintight clothing and has Gene cut his hair down to his scalp so people can't easily grab him. Besides that, doesn't care.

Anything soft. Has a particular fondness for the texture of "was formerly rough due to being made from poor-quality materials, but has softened from age and use" stuff. Granted, that's also the texture of his hole-y jacket.

He's indifferent. As long as it's not itchy!

What kind of accent do they have?

Irish! She's from a fantasy country with lots of early Norse and Celtic influence.

Belgian! They were born and raised in Lynsmouth, which has a lot of misc influences from Western Europe, but it's primarily Netherlands and France!

Polish. Who knows where he was from before ending up in Glavnran (Fantasy!Slavic), but after spending most of his life there, his accent has changed and adjusted to sound much more Glavni than whatever it was before.

Kyrgyz. He's mixed, Glavni and Jhandan (Fantasy!Indian), and was raised primarily by his Jhandan parent before ending up on the streets. Fittingly, his accent is from a country between Russia and India, haha.

Spanish. Not Mexican, Spanish. Like from Spain. Who knows where his family is from, but he looks Cirranian (Fantasy!CentralAmerica) and has spent as much of his life as he can remember in Kihroin (the country RFtA takes place in).

Algerian. Like Sammy, he's grown up in Kihroin, which has North African inspiration! (Which is another reason I want to wait to publish anything on it, I want to do an insane amount of more research first, haha.)

(I literally pulled up a video with people speaking English with various accents just to answer this question. Somehow, my imagined languages for them aligned really well with the regions/accents they should have!? I say "somehow", as though I haven't actually done an immense amount of research on languages and listened to them in order to say my made-up words "correctly", haha...)

Me, before starting this: "this should be relatively easy!"

Me, getting to the accent question: "wait, actually, what would Crow sound like? And omg, Sammy? Considering their backgrounds--"

Me: *spends half an hour debating the accents of each of the characters*

Me, a day after starting this and coming back to see ^^^^ that: "goddamn, I thought this would be easy?"

PSA: doing this for one character is fine. Doing it for six--two of which you're not as certain with--is less fine!

Tagging (gently!): @honeybewrites @yourpenpaldee @paeliae-occasionally @mysticstarlightduck @illarian-rambling

@darkandstormydolls @the-golden-comet @ath3alin @wyked-ao3 @mk-writes-stuff

@huewrite + open tags!

Divider from @saradika!

[atopvisenyashill]

who would be the best westerosi bachelor season? and their contestants?

omgggg.

okay so i was thinking either aegon vi, renly, or tyrion are the funniest options here. all of them are heirs to a significant seat (i mean technically, don't think about it too hard), and they'd all need like, a parade of options bc there are some issues finding love themselves (to say the LEAST). and the contestants-

arianne nymeros martell -> clear frontrunner. she's smart, ambitious, gorgeous, she wouldn't care that renly is gay, and if tyrion is charming enough & offers her something good enough, she could overlook the disability aspect (boy that felt shitty to type out lol), especially if tyrion plays up the "i know i'm a lannister but i also hate lannisters" angle.

margaery tyrell -> similar to arianne, but she has the added "i'm just a sweet innocent virgin" persona. i think the hometown visit would be WILD tho, tyrion and aegon are experiencing just so many microaggressions and straight up aggressions lmfao.

several frey girls -> none of them are getting roses tho lol, although I can see one or two like Ami being kept around for the drama/villain angle for awhile.

jonelle cerwyn -> i think they'd spin the whole "30 and never found love" thing as a bonus, but she'd be too shy to really make good use of her dates with any of them except maybe tyrion, who loves shy people because he loves to hear himself talk lmao. i think with tyrion she'd get further but the other two are dropping her pretty quick imo (unless she can appeal to renly hahaha)

cersei lannister -> imagine her trying to seduce renly

asha greyjoy -> she’s gonna be someone who comes on and is like ‘i don’t want to get engaged at the ending’ and get really far bc she’s sexy & funny & smart but during the hometown visit everyone’s gonna be talking about how she’ll never get married & she gets sent home by aegon & tyrion who are sobbing

malora hightower -> every season needs someone who just clearly doesn’t want to be there

[synchodai]

Live reactions of me watching Episode 5 under the cut. As you will notice, I'm easily impressed and turn into that Leo Dicaprio pointing gif every time a character I like is mentioned.

I love the "It's just meat" line from Ulf. It's great set-up for what's to come and how this whole war will hurt every Targaryen's legitimacy.

Hate the "Rhaenyra will answer for this" line from someone else. No one should be speaking treason that loudly so close to the Kingsguard.

They're peeling him! Love it.

"What would have me do?" Rhaenyra and Aegon both asking the question shows they're both puppets in the end. Neither have the strength and training to be a monarch.

YO CREGAN STARK MENTIONED! WINTER PREPPERS WE STAY WINNING!

Jace flying to Daemon makes sense. Him flying to the Twins instead because....it's too dangerous to go to Harrenhal????? Makes no sense.

YO BLACKWOOD-BRACKEN FEUD MENTIONED! RIVERCHADS WE STAY WINNING!

Daemon being like eeh, I guess you can torture our allies then. Hilarious.

Jeyne Arryn is reacting as she should.

"They betray their own smallness" is such a good line. Mizaya Suzuno is a treat every time she shows up on screen.

Rhaenyra not being taught "the difference between hilt and foible" makes no sense. If she was regular lady who had a very strict father, it would. But she had a rather permissive father who let her do pretty much as she pleased. If she wanted to, she could have learned as much as Arya or Brienne.

Baela finally having screentime? A minor miracle.

OH SO NOW THEY MENTION MELEYS IS THE FASTEST, HUH? (Again, I will keep saying that she could have and should have run away.)

Is that...Aemma??? OH NO IT'S ALYSSA.

How these scenes transition and cut seems more jarring than usual.

This "marital spat" lasting for four episodes seems unnecessary when the murder of a small child was forgotten in two.

Finally, calling out Aemond "for his lack of restraint." He should have been called out ever since he killed Luke.

Alicent makes a great point though. How can he be regent AND fight a war out there in the field???

Alicent having such strong emotions over being passed as regent.......why?

Why does Hugh get a family backstory added to his character and yet we've seen neither lick or hair of Nettles? Where is Nettles????

Costume department, please give Alicent more than two dresses.

YES FINALLY. THIS STORY IS ABOUT THE RIOTS. IT WILL BE THE SMALLFOLK THAT ULTIMATELY WIN THIS WAR AND KILL THE MOST DRAGONS

JASON LANNISTER MENTIONED! LANNATION WE STAY WINNING!

The Daemon will-he-won't-he-traitor is not fun to watch. It's been going on for too long and makes Rhaenyra's side of the war stagnant while the greens are making huge moves.

I don't remember Jace negotiating with the Freys in the book. Unlike in FaB, he was authorized by the queen to make the deals he did with Manderly, Arryn, and Stark. Here, he's completely rogue agent and any promises he makes to the Freys is....uh, questionable.

The purpose of this Frey negotiation scene perplexes me. My boy Jacaerys looks fabulous though. Keep serving, prince.

Alys saying "it's not war, it's a heinous crime" is...not my vibe. She exists in this society where they don't have the concept of humanely treating the enemy. What Daemon is doing to those who don't bend the knee is what is expected of a feudal warlord.

UUUUUUGH, Daemon going rogue agent is so self-sabotaging. This man is supposed to be a competent war veteran! He should know going alone is not the play. Aemond acting like this is believable because Aemond is a young man who's never seen war, but not Daemon.

At this point, Rhaenyra is taking as many Ls as Aegon, maybe even more. Why is everyone just standing around and talking at each other?! Your most important war asset died, where is the fire? Where is the urgency???

Why was Corlys not appointed the Hand from the very beginning?!

DID BAELA JUST REJECT HER INHERITANCE?? BULLSHIT. And she did it so casually too!!!! SHE HAS NO REASON TO DO IT. GIRL, INHERITING DRIFTMARK WOULD MAKE HER ONE THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE REALM WHAT IS GOING ON?

"I cannot send a raven for Daemon to disregard." Then why doesn't Rhaenyra go to Harrenhal????? She has a dragon, she can fly quicker than a random small councilman. What is going on with this war?

And now she just up and told a councilman who was already displeased with her and whose main reason for staying is his hatred of the Hightowers, "Oh yeah, Daemon might be raising his own faction. Anyways, you'll go to him and bring him back, won't you?" GIRL, DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO DEFECT?

And the message she sends to Daemon is so feckless. Do you think that will convince anyone to come back?!

HOUR OF THE WOLF MENTIONED. WOLFERINAS WE STAY WINNING.

"Works of barbarity." YOU'RE ALL FEUDAL WARLORDS. YOU ALL BURN FIELDS AND SACK CHURCHES. WTF IS THIS GENEVA CONVENTION BS

"I have seen a share of their fights—" Then you should know the Brackens and Blackwoods do this to each other all the time! They burn each other's sacred places and kill their children. This isn't new! That's why the Riverlands is so poor despite its lands being so rich—because the lords keep sacking and tearing at each other's lands!!!! ARGH THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING

Oh thank god, please let it be a dream. It's a dream. Because lords and ladies saying this and coming in the middle of the night make no sense.

Helaena's one line this episode goes hard.

"Well, it was a long time ago." You tell her, Jace.

"And yet, I must wait here." ...you don't have to. This is such a manufactured conflict, especially when Rhaenyra already showed she can come and go to King's Landing unharmed.

"I'm proud of you" she tell her son who made a deal behind her back and disobeyed her orders. And she wonders why people circumvent her authority? Girl, WIELD YOUR AUTHORITY DAMN.

VERMITHOR AND SILVERWING MENTIONED.

"Valyrian histories, written to gild us in glory." YOU TELL HER, JACE.

Jace should be going, "Look at me mother, do I look like a Valyrian dragonlord to you?" Bham! Much more impactful and goes back to his main character conflict.

ugh, this was such a slow and frustrating episode. Worst of the season so far. High points are more Jace screentime (I just like looking at the actor stand in his costume — so beautiful and princely), the Jeyne Arryn appearance, and setting up the eventual riots. Low points are everything else.

[alexitheslayer02]

People: Jeyne Westerling loved Robb! I'm sorry, but this frustrates me to high heavens.

Tyrion chapter: "The Westerling betrayal did not seem to enrage his father as much as Tyrion thought it would."

In the same chapter, it points out how Tywin destroyed the houses of those who betrayed him. By marrying Robb, Jeyne and her house betrayed the Lannisters, right? But if it was a scheme to get Robb to piss off the Freys, then no, the Westerlings did not betray the Lannisters, thus, it makes sense why Tywin was not angry. Jeyne was used against Robb. She never loved him. That's what i believe anyhow.

Adding on the fact that his direwolf, Grey Wind, never liked the Westerlings and even scared Jeyne makes it even more suspect to me.

The direwolves have a sixth sense about who means harm to their masters, shown when Bran's wolf, Summer, literally breaks into the tower while Bran is in a coma to kill the dude trying to assassinate Bran.

Or Arya's wolf Nymeria attacking Joffery.

Unfortunately, at this point, Robb is blinded by grief because he thinks Bran and Rickon are dead. So he does not pay it much mind save for keeping Grey Wind away from Jeyne.