#remaining in a house that is on fire

[mohntilyet]

about illario working with the venatori, we can't forget that elgar'nan gifted him blood magic, so I do think that he somewhat influenced him and that's why he's so much more vindictive and jealous in comparison to tevinter nights. I don't mean that he's being mind controlled, but it's a bit like cyrian, a god just amplifying those negative emotions in you and promising power and glory can push a person to that edge and to make stupid af decisions.

im also not forgetting that zara line in inner demons where she talks about an envy demon. like. why an envy demon in specific...there's THINGS between zara and illario that were not shown

no literally if you get me talking about illario + envy + the possibility of getting him possessed, you will have me here for fucking ever. a non mage doing blood magic (any magic at all) is really weird and interesting to me and i don’t remember an example of this happening before (feel free to correct me tho lol. i’m discounting possessions and dwarves)

i had started wildly theorising after bloodbath that he had been possessed and he was tapping into the fade using an envy demon. especially like you said, zara mentions it, AND because i swear there’s a codex in the ossuary where it mentions an envy demon whereas spite is obviously determination, right? so i thought it was a breadcrumb trail to a big “illario is being influenced and doesn’t even know” reveal— same as you anon like great minds am i right— but i’m not sure there is actually any evidence of that lol. like maybe if you squint but i do believe it was explained away by “oh yeah, and elgarnan let him do special blood magic”

it does also make sense to me that illario can only control lucanis, due to being part of the same family. a bloodline thing, and it is very poetic to me that their shared family connection in caterina is what allows him to control lucanis, even for a moment lol. spite being the extra magical boost that lucanis needs to block that out ALSO makes sense to me so i’m not too fussed abt these details lol🤔

the envyllario in my heart also gets spectral weapons for himself. lucanis gets wings, illario gets talons, PLUS green-purple are complementary colors so it would have been really fun to see them clash with their spirit/demon-powers. the talon thing is also a kind of reflection of his end-goal desire, how envy demons already have those freaky hands, and it manifests as claws and is a much more aggressive, strength-augmenting manifestation (as opposed to manoeuvrability and speed-augmenting that spite’s wings give lucanis.) anyways that's what the diagram above is supposed to be (this is extremely hot to me)

[synchodai]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is his obituary in Fire and Blood:

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

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

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

[jagalart]

Hue 15

I feel I don't say this enough, but I absolutely love to draw fanart related commissions - especially when it's a franchise I really like too :D I was lucky to work on a few pieces like these this year, including this one - so thank you soooo much again for this, @havranil :D It was a wonderful gift both for your friend and me as well! XD

Hanneman is the best design in all of FE:3H, period.

[drakaripykiros130ac]

I really enjoy the difference between Aemond the Kinslayer and Brynden Rivers (Bloodraven).

Both of them lost an eye at one point in their lives.

One became a crybaby and a psychopath, spending his entire life raging about the fact that he lost that eye (even though he had it coming). And as proof of his childish mentality, he added a sapphire in that eye’s place, thinking it would make him seem cool. Funnily enough, that missing eye also played a big part in his death. (Just goes to show that Targaryen and Hightower blood don’t mix well).

The other rose above that missing eye. Never tried to cover it up, let it scar and became a symbol of pride for him for his accomplishments in the Blackfyre Rebellions. Bloodraven became a respected Targaryen soldier, Hand of the King and Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.

[evebestthinker]

[a-chaotic-dumbass]

how i sleep knowing Ned's greatsword Ice is still being used to protect the Stark girls even after being remelted reshaped and reforged

[catherine-sketches]

A thought:

People mix 2 concepts together when talking about Aegon Vs Rhaenyra’s claim

1) who is the rightful heir

2) who would be good monarch

Babes, it doesn’t matter if Nyra was the shitiest queen to ever live, as per the previous ruler she is the heir.

Charles is Elizabeth II heir no matter how much we have being shitting on his name in the name of Diana since time immemorial

Besides, if you read the book, Rhaenyra has more people on her side than Aegon and I can see why!

Because setting the precedent that the heir that the previous head of house chose can be replaced upon their death is a stupid ass precedent to set, worse than male primogeniture vs genderless primogeniture could ever be

[apollyonarts]

hair 👁️ [Image ID: A digital illustration of Jonathan Sims from The Magnus archives, he is viewed from the side profile and appears to be sitting down close to a bright orange door from which light is coming through from under it. He is wearing a green sweater vest, white shirt and light brown pants. His blank yet upset stare is covered by graying brown curly hair, the shapes of eyes can be seen forming in it.]

[doodleofbugness]

genderbends are fun :3

ps: this post has an image description, but it's my first time writing one. feel free to let me know how i can write them more clearly!

[ride-thedragon]

Sheepstealer, being the 4 th largest dragon, is so personal to me. My good time boy is bigger than y'alls faves, and just like his rider has the heavy hitters on his side. He pulled the Cannibal and Caraxes because size doesn't matter.

The Blood Stealer ship is always eating, but the Body Stealer dynamic is underrated. I need an exploration of the Body Stealing Ghost (the Cannibal, Sheepstealer, and Grey Ghost) dynamic on Dragonstone.

I can't wait to see him, burning dragonseeds then bending for Nettles. Ahhhh.

[pucks-goals-penalties]

Delusional enough to think I could actually pull an nhl-er but not so delulu as to actually attempt it 🤪

[ollypopwrites]

HOA’s are literally a scam

[insertsickusername13]

constantly in that debate of is Jake or Rich more Icarus coded but considering Jake’s the one who literally falls (jumps?) out a window I think he wins

[ramyeonguksu]

Hey guys I decided to completely revamp Hillevi's design so here's her new look! I hope you guys like the changes I made to her character aaaaa

[johnschneiderblog]

Flower power

One of our routine walks takes us past this eyesore -a pile of charred debris, the result of a house-fire last winter.

When I first saw it - in early spring - it was strictly shades of black and brown. The fire had fried everything.

On Wednesday I walked past the wreckage again and was surprised to see a splash of color; the delicate potted petunias had survived the blaze to fulfill their mission

[winepresswrath]

There is a sad lack of Orodreth/Celebrimbor. Really letting down the Gil-Galad's dads extended universe.