#this because what disaster they made of dance of the dragons

[blissfulphilospher]

if they adapt Robert's Rebellion

I don't want to give anyone ideas but if they ever make Robert Rebellion's tv or movie version then Robert Baratheon is going to be portrayed as the worst man ever who raped woman here and there and probably assaulted Lyanna.

And that's why she ran away with the tragic melancholic godly prince who was so noble and good but trapped in a marriage with either an unstable chronically ill brown woman or a scheming ambitious brown woman who doesn't love him at all and maybe cheats on him.

Tragic King Aerys who loves his family and wants to burn the whole city because he has a good cause!! Sacrifices will wake dragons! Dragons eggs could have hatched before Dany! Aerys' was a genius. And yes Rhaella supported him and Rhaegar with everything.

It was House Targaryen against the world.

Also, Tywin Lannister was best buddy of Aerys. He sent the Mountain and Amory Lorch to protect the royal family! Those noble knights who accidentally killed the little girl maybe because he couldn't identify whether the Princess was Targaryen or not? Maybe she wasn't.

The Mountain too had similar accidents because Aegon isn't the ptwp or he doesn't exist at all. Problem solved! Rhaegar had no son! This is true! Jon is his only son!!

And let's not forget how hard it was for the Mountain and other guy to climb the building, their struggle to get in Maegor's Holdfast!! They will show us that, than the Princess who is trapped helplessly in a tower with a drawbridge, drawn up and no way to escape with her children.

But no problem that those children died, they were nothing special no one mourns them or their mother. They deserved to be killed and forgotten. House Martell supports Targaryens! They will rise for Jon if they knew! True love of the prince Rhaegar already gave him the only son. Aegon 6th!!

And see a noble honourable Stark lord will raise because 'song ice and fire!' 'prophecy baby' and not because he is the last piece of his sister and that's what any uncle will do.

And… Jon Arryn? Who is Jon Arryn? Why does he want to rebel? He has no reason! (His heir was also murdered idk why people forget that!)

And yes the war was started by Littlefinger if you didn't know before he hyped up Brandon to march to KL. 😄

[mortalfaerie]

𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕛𝕒𝕔𝕒𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕤' 𝕥𝕨𝕚𝕟 𝕤𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕣 (+ 𝕚𝕟 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕖𝕟𝕒) (pt 1)

this concept is stuck in my brain so...

your were always in the shadow of your twin, jacaerys. he was born only ten minutes before you, but in doing so had outshined you for a lifetime.

while your grandfather might have bent the law further for you if you had been born first, he wouldn't do so for the rest of the realm - and being a girl, the birth of your immediately younger brother meant you wouldn't inherit driftmark, either.

that's not to say that you didn't love your brothers - they were your closest friends, especially after your mother had moved your family to dragonstone.

you missed your aunt helaena, however. at only two years your elder, she was more like a cousin or a sister to you, and as the only other girl you two had idled away long hours with tedious septas together.

for the first few months you wrote faithfully to eachother, but after the disaster at your aunt laena's funeral, an irrevocable schism has opened between factions of your family.

from that day, two more years would pass before you saw her again.

when helaena was thirteen, she came to dragonstone to claim a dragon. it was a cold and diplomatic trip which the king was too ill to attend and the queen had flatly refused to consider, and so the hand of the king escorted her along with a platoon of guards.

you were eleven years old, clasping hands with your twin on the windy shores of dragonstone as the princess' boat came ashore. all of you, even joffrey were ill at ease during this first meeting of factions in years. but, when the princess pulled back the hood of her cloak and stepped onto the beach, you found your heart hammering for an entirely different reason.

helaena had grown taller and more beautiful since you last saw her, though she seemed completely unaware of it as she anxiously took in her surroundings. she had all the beauty of the targaryen line in her, and the beginnings of what would make her a regal looking woman one day. and yet, she was softer in her features and appearance than the rest of your family in a way that was completely disarming.

though the feel of her visit was detatched and lacked the warmth of a family reunion, you found every excuse to seek her out over the duration of it. at first she was wary of you, no doubt because of your brothers and stepsisters and the role they had played in her brother's injury. after a few days though, she warmed and you slipped into a rapport like that before you had left for the island castle.

when it came time to venture up the dragonmont in search of a dragon, you begged and pleaded your mother to allow you to come with the princess - after all, your egg had never hatched and you lacked a dragon as well - and after exhausting the crown princess she relented.

on the dragonmont with a mixture of red keep guards and those loyal to rhaenyra, you and helaena camped on the mount for days, venturing to a different part of the mountain each day in search of dragons. at night, you shared a tent and kept eachother awake giggling and telling stories.

on the sixth day on the dragonmont, you met with the dragons dreamfyre and silverwing, who had belonged to two queens and sisters before you. after the pair of you successfully mounted the dragons and took to the skies, you returned to the beach of dragonstone with a renewed fire inside of each of you.

the night you returned to dragonstone's castle, a feast was held to jointly celebrate two dragons being claimed. you and helaena danced joyfully as the musicians played, and eventually you fell back to let your twin take your place. it was then you felt the first twist of jealousy in your stomach as jace made her laugh.

you snuck into the chamber helaena was staying in that night to recreate the little would you had when sharing a tent. that night, she had said to you before falling asleep, "you and i shall be bonded forever. dragon-bonded," she had said dreamily, then added, "soul-sworn."

before you could ask what she had meant by that, she was asleep.

[gaychocolatehomicide]

tell me your favorite DA fanfics and I will either freak out and dance around with you or furiously read them tomorrow.

if you have also read Looking Glass i will literally offer you any of my organs upon request.

HELLO! An opportunity to talk about my favorite DA fics will never be an opportunity that I pass up! (Also, I was reading your stories about The Heretic literally when I got the notification for this ask and said "oh my god" out loud)

Are you talking about Feynite's Looking Glass? Because I haven't, but I've read a ton of their other stuff and their story Kindred is the inspiration for my "canon" Lavellan (though I'm a disaster who can't make decisions and consider all seven of my full playthroughs equally canon x.x). I will absolutely check out Looking Glass!

Other favorites include:

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dragon Slayers by coveredinfeels, a hilarious outsider PoV on some settled Adoribull nonsense

I Come To You With Nothing by CommonEvilMastermind, which is in my private collection "fics that made me feel real feelings" and is about post-breakup Solavellan posing as a married couple in an alienage for a mission

It's About Belonging by skogr, which is about Krem's escape from Tevinter and meeting Bull and has been absorbed into my personal canon

A Fire and a Conflagration by iodhadh, which is also Adoribull (and I'm just now noticing a trend in the stuff I have bookmarked...) writing poetry to each other first as a continuation of their snarky banter but inevitably becomes flirting

On the more E-rated side, there's the Breaking the Silence series by Felixbug, which is about Hawke and Anders navigating the whole Justice thing and ends in delightfully complicated polyamory

And my absolute all-time favorite, which has rewired my brain and how I play DA2 even in runs where I'm not pretending it's possible to romance Varric, Greatly Approved by damalur, which is only rated M but for narrative tension still had to go at the end of this list. It's a Hawke Does Skyhold with her and Varric being so in love and so stupid about it until they aren't! And everything is better! Featuring some very exasperated members of the Inquisition.

Honorable mention to Project Elvhen by FenxShiral, which isn't a fic but rather an attempt to turn Elvhen from a cypher into a real conlang, and thus sings to my little linguist heart.

And last but not least, who would I be if I didn't plug a couple of my own fics? Scars Beyond Counting is about my first Red Hawke and is getting a sequel as soon as I figure out how to write Cole; At His Touch is a character study of the Inquisitor from that world from Cassandra's PoV (which is interesting imo because he's a mage and one of my only faithful Inquisitors); and Look Upon the Light is about my least reliable Dalish Inquisitor getting his shit together.

Forthcoming (hopefully by the end of the year) are A Song in the Stillness, about my "canon" Lavellan making friends with someone little (as Sera would say) because I love outsider PoVs; Not Alone, about my most heavily headcanoned worldstate in which there are three Lavellans running around; and Strong Enough to Carry It, an origin expansion about my "canon" Warden Mahariel and why she is the way she is.

I hope (in vain) that this was a reasonable amount of text, and (more possibly) that it was what you were looking for! I love your writing and my poor beloved noodle associate (partner) is currently flopped across my lap in despair that I will leave them (unlikely) for you (married afaik) because you are the most interesting person in the world. We have been wheezing over your stories for the past week and a half. 💜

[safely-in-vhagars-belly]

Fire & Blood: Chapter 24: Time is a illusion (Dark Aemond x reader oc, x aegon ii ) 18+ minors do not interact and MAJOR BOOK SPOILERS/SHOW SPOILERS ATABF reader ocish she has a name its complicated

🔷Summary: After the events of Blood and Cheese and Rook's rest, you return to your husband and your king.

🔷Author's note: MAJOR book spoilers but not all that happens is canon.

🔷Wordcount:3187 (thats short sorry)

🔷Warnings: murder, mentions of toxic relationship, slight smut and BOOK SPOILERS also childloss and child murder targaryens commiting war crimes. war being war.

It seems that the days have become shorter or the nights have become longer. That, or you don’t have a healthy idea of time anymore. 

Time, in a way, has become an illusion. Days may pass, hours may go, weeks end, months follow each other closer and closer up as if entangled in a dance. But you know the truth now: No matter how quick the time goes, it remains an illusion. A lie everyone tells themselves to feel better. ‘’It will pass.’’ Your servant girl said when she was braiding your hair.

You laughed at her words. What will pass, exactly? Pain? You have become used to pain, to grief, to feeling as if someone is suffocating you while in truth that is you, and you alone hiding your emotions. Pain does not scare you. It's familiar, in a way. You hold onto it. But the idea that it will pass, that one day you’ll be left with nothing but acceptance and an empty cradle? A half-burned husband that can’t give you anymore children and you, sitting on his iron throne because he can’t get up from the bed? That is what terrifies you. That one day this rage, this pain and hurt will be nothing.

That you will be nothing.

Months have passed since you last saw Aegon. The last time you saw him awake and well was long before the battle of Rook's rest and your pregnancy. You had his child warmly nestled inside of your womb where no one could hurt it. No soul dared to touch you as Aegon’s wife, safe be for the loyalists of Rhaenyra.

And that is exactly who killed your innocent baby, Helaena on her name day. You named her after the sister Aegon and Aemond shared, perhaps to mend the wound between the two of them, or perhaps to sway their mother to your cause, but whatever reason you may have had in the beginning didn’t matter so much in the end. Before Helaena would see her first morning sun, a dagger ended her life. An assassin’s blade.

You have been called forward now, to see your husband, your king and your longlife friend Aegon who has just awoken as a miracle from his comatic state. He got injured during a battle at Rook Rest, where he and his brother, Prince Aemond slew the traitor Princess Rhaenys and killed her dragon. You were at home, of course, heavily pregnant with his child that would end in a disaster as most things do.

Every instinct tells you to run far away from both Aegon and Aemond. One had captured you in a literal cage for weeks, months perhaps. The other crowned you without your consent, made you his wife for the world to see, and made you a target. Both were boys, once perhaps. You were a girl in love, perhaps. But boys become men, and love eventually dies. That is how life has been before you, why would it be any different now?

Your husband and your king stares back at you with living eyes full of admiration and joy. It is not joy, you notice. It’s something even more heartbreaking then that. He has that look most men have, when they think their wives have squeezed out a perfect heir that will save the husband from damnation. This is what they call ‘’Pride.’’

He is proud of you.

There used to be days you could never not look at the prince, his fierce beautiful eyes, short silver locks and out of this world beauty that was indescribable with any pencil this world and the next could offer. There were moments your daylight extended by seeing his face, as in a way, it protected you from the dark.

O, how you long for such simple times.

To be a girl again, with a book in your hands, smacking a hangover Aegon when Aemond comments that you should behave yourself.

‘’My love, my Brienne.’’ The King speaks, his voice a bit raspy but hearable. You faithfully accept his left hand reaching out to squeeze your fingers but your eyes are locked to the monstrous arm where metal and skin meet one another, and where the fire of a dragon made Aegon part man, part metal. You shudder to think of the nights you will spend sleeping and waking up, suddenly feeling that cold metal arm touch you. 

There is joy and kindness, and hope and brightness in his eyes. Emotions you haven’t felt in months. Emotions you aren’t sure that are real now, or ever were real. Hope for fools, perhaps. Doom for nations, for certain.

Another matter, perhaps but it does prove your suspicion as to why every single soldier, every servant and Maester, Queen Alicent and even Prince Aemond left the room when you entered. 

No one, not the coldhearted Green Queen, not the Terror of the Trident, not the fierce King’s guard or the all knowing Maesters had the guts and the balls to do what is now your task. No one informed him of the passing of your child. No one. That is now your task. The task of a mourning mother, a childless Queen and a shell of the person you once were.

Cravens, all of them be damned.

Aegon forces his hands on the wood of the bed, lifting himself up to sit so he may have some dignity while addressing you. You could not care if he was in a casket or lost all his limbs he could never lose his dignity. Your love is tested for him when you see him winch in pain as the poppy milk wears off, and you are for the very first time in your life unsure if your love is strong enough to face this.

It is not that he has lost his attractiveness. But it is that constant reminder, that constant bug flying in your face showing you how much pain Aegon is in, how much suffering he endures and who you should all blame for that. This war started the moment Aegon was born and it will end with the death of her. 

Aegon pretends to not be altered by his new disabilities, by his new life. He takes a deep sharp breath revealing just how much this is killing him from inside out. A man like Aegon who prided himself with his beauty, with his grace and long legs…..

How much of that light will remain now that the flame has blown out, all that remains is shadow?

In his eyes realisation starts to form and you both come silently to the conclusion that life will be unlike anything it ever was before. It will heal this wound. A new scar will appear. But how much scars can a flesh handle before it starts infecting and begins to rot?

You rub your ring and watch Aegon for a while, your mind thinking of multiple ways to start the conversation, yet they all feel as cheap little lies as you try to hold off the inevitable. You rather watch your husband pass out and sleep than him sitting here awake and in a clear state of mind aware you must deliver the news now.

He knows you won’t speak. So he does. “You look well-”

Your snort interrupts him. Your hair has begun to grey and your skin is full of scratches and wounds where you keep peeling at, until it bleeds and spreads over your skin, just to feel something. Your eyes are darkened and hollow, as a starving girl. You don’t long for food. You long for justice. “I am not.” Is your cutthroat cruel response to his simple opener.

“You are not wearing your crown.” Aegon says, pointing with two fingers to your head. You don’t have the energy to wear the damned thing. It does not help that no one does what you want anyway. You are a Queen consort, not a King born from the womb of the former Queen. You needed Aegon’s approval for everything and while he would give you the world his council would rather see you die yesterday than tomorrow.

“Without you I am no Queen.” It is true. ‘’Your men treat me like an accessory. A fun little token playing dress up. I have been in power for months since you slept and not one time has my word been considered.’’ 

It is like a spell has been broken and a curse has lifted on Aegon as he slowly tilts his head.

 “My son. I deserve to see him.”  He says. ‘’I don’t know why you didn’t bring him. I don’t know why the servants told me he was asleep and I don’t know-’’

A cold idea creeps into your mind, as a dark seed has finally taken root and begins to spread its weed over your mind. ‘’What servants?’’ You ask, faking interest.

‘’The blonde new girl.’’ The king says. ‘’It is not important.’’

You sit down on his bed, breaking the distance between the two of you. You lock your hands into his own, feeling where metal and men meet, feeling where scars are appearing and wounds are healing. You owe him the truth. “It was a girl.” You begin.

Aegon’s brows nearly become one.

“It was?” You understand he must be disappointed. 

You fiercely sit up.

“Yes. I named her Helaena. I know she's not what you wanted nor needed-” Aegon shuts you up with a kiss on your mouth, missing you by a inch as he stumbles over. He smiles, genuinely and happy when kissing you a dozen times.

And yet you deserve none of it.

“My Queen, my Brienne. Where is she? I must see her.” He rambles. 

“Assassins came.’ You whisper in his ear. His smile vanishes within a blink of an eye and you see him figure it out on his own. Yet he plays pretend and dumb, a way he always protected his feelings. 

“They were all killed. I'm unharmed.”

You wish it were guards instead.

“Helaena was not unharmed. They killed her. I watched them kill her, Aegon.” You break down, and you break down hard. You fall from your safe haven of mind and break, shatter and crumble to ashes as you let out the one after the other horrifying sob.

“I have been so alone these last few months. Aemond barely visited me. You were asleep. And my child, who I did not even deserve for the way I resented her early on for not being a son…” Your voice dies off as gasps and cries escape your throat; your vision becomes blurry with tears. “I can't do this anymore. I lost too much. I suffered too many losses. My mother, my father and my sister. And then you and my baby. I will never-” This is not going well. You struggle to breath and the pain on your chest increases.

“You still have me.” Aegon mutters, holding you as well as he can. Yet the moment you see his melted arm, you begin to panic again.

“Aegon, can't you see? Whatever we had, whatever was growing between us: We will never have it back the way it was. I can't find myself. I am lost in a darkness where I can't seem to find light, no matter what way I turn.”

“Then let me help you-” He whispers, no begs, commands and yet wishes in the same sentence. ‘’Please, Brienne. You know I have loved you. More than I have loved everything. I would set this world on fire to see you smile, and I would snuff out every bit of light if the dark brought you comfort, my love.’’

“I don't want to find the light, Aegon. Not anymore. I am the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Your Queen, your lady wife and your love. You took a vow without me knowing so, but you promised to protect and honour me.’’ You tell him.

“I did.” He mutters, staring at the ring that once belonged to his father. When he finally looks up there are tears rolling down his cheeks as well.

Your plan might be cruelty. Your heart will never be pure after this. But honestly: Who cares about purity, who cares about justice, for it has become clear that this world does not. The gods keep laughing at your attempts at goodness, and you have been far too kind with the struggles they have given you. “I want you to get on Sunfyre. I want you to mobilise your army. And I want you to burn everything that even dares to blink in the direction of that whore's Castle.” You vow. At first you see him tear up. Then he silently cups his own face with his hands, crying as he doubles over on the bed, clutching you so tightly you are sure his nails are digging in his skin.

“...Aegon?” You ask.

“Sunfyre…” He begins with a heartbreaking sob. “He'll never fly again. One of his wings got ripped off his body. He'll never fly. Neither will I.” You understand the truth of this horrendous discovery. Your husband lost his beloved pet, and you just lost another great way of destroying enemies. Your husband started this war with Vhagar, Dreamfyre, and Sunfyre under his command and now only Vhagar is in state to ride to battle.

Aegon needs you. But you can’t be what he needs. Not anymore.

“I can't stay with you.” You tell him before pushing him off your body. And as a coward, you run away from him, your royal duties and the looming dread of destiny.

“Brienne! Come back…” his shouts are ignored.

You don’t come back.

—-----------------

The next time the doors open in your face, you are standing in front of Aemond Targaryen’s bedchamber. You have been here various times yet this time might be considered treason. Aemond is surprised to see you, yet lets you in. You follow him closely, shutting the door shut behind you. 

Prince Aemond has never made a secret of his love for you, and you know it is burning brightly still. ‘’How was my brother?’’ He asks. 

‘’As a corpse brought back to life.’’ You respond, looking at the flames in the fireplace, licking at the wood, destroying it.

Aemond crosses his arms, offended. “You don't find him attractive anymore, is that it?” You laugh. You wish it was that simple. 

You sit down in his chair, ignoring the looks he gives. You are the Queen now. “I sometimes wonder how I came to think you were a clever man, so blinded you often are.”

“I watched my husband go from a healthy man to a broken soul with a metal arm in months and saw my daughter die in front of me. I wish it was as simple as not finding him attractive.’’ He still looked so beautiful. Your Aegon. Yet so broken.

You notice that Aemond has taken a seat next to you. ‘’I am sorry, Brienne. I am sorry for ignoring you. I didn’t know what to say after you lost Helaena. It all felt like nothing was good enough.’’ Such funny creatures, humans be.

‘’Anything would have been enough.’’ you confess. Anyone would be enough. Anything is always better than silence. ‘’Yet, i appreciate your honesty.’’ You reach out for his hand but he pulls away as if he burned himself.

‘’What do you want from me, my Queen? The hour is of the owl. You should not be here given our history.’’ History is such a funny thing. Only survivors will determine what is true of it.

You must feed the dragon, awake the monster and pull its reins once more.

‘’Remember when those men in the woods, tried to rape me? Remember how you burned them all? How we burned that city together?’’ You also had sex with him afterwards, good sex, one of the best times in your life with him.

You smile. ‘’I want to relive old times. I heard that the woman who calls herself queen is from the Vale. I heard it has lovely woods and delightful servants that will scream once you blaze them.’’

As if on queu, a servant appears from behind both of you, clearly clutching Aemonds sheets around her body while she makes a curtsy at you. You feel many confusing emotions. You feel shock, rage and jealousy. Yet you are married. You are happy with your husband.

Am I happy or am I surviving?

It’s the same blonde bitch that lied about your daughter being a son and being alive. You trap her easily, the sheets falling from her body. ‘’I was hoping to see you.’’ You tell her, hissing as you become a bit unhinged. She eyes you with big eyes.

‘’The Queen told me to lie! She said it would break the King’s heart to know you delivered a failure!’’ She cries for mercy.

‘’Brienne,’’ Aemond mutters. You don’t listen. ‘’I will come with you. Just let her go. I was lonely and it was a mistake and it won’t happen again.’’ You know he is lying. It will happen countless times again, and every time is one too many. 

You fall back into Aemonds arms as the girl tries sneaking past you both. When she puts her clothing back on, a single sapphire falls down from her pocket. You and Aemond both watch as she becomes as red as tomato, clearly caught red handed. ‘’Y-your grace. I am so sorry. The war has been starving my family. Prince Aemond has many sapphires, I never…’’ You feel compassion grow, finally. 

You feel like yourself again.

Aemond huffs. ‘’You dare try to steal from our Queen?’’ He asks advancing. You know that tone. You don’t pick up on it until it is too late, and Prince Aemond has captured the thief by his window. You can only utter a word before he pushes her outside of it, and you hear her screams as she falls to her death, her remains shattering around like an artistic painting.

Your breath is racing as Aemond advances with a smirk, cupping your face lightly as you try to become the cold queen again. He grins, giving you a soft kiss on your mouth gently bending your face so he may have another taste, and another…and another. ‘’My little bee.’’ He declares. ‘’I see you are still in there, somewhere. I will burn our enemies together with you, and in exchange you let me feel what I wanted to feel for months now. Do we have a deal, or shall I tell the king-’’ You don’t let him finish his threat before your mouth finally finds his again, your hands already tugging at his eyepatch. Aemond groans in response and picks you up by your hips, carrying you to the bed.

You watch the ceiling as the one eyed prince fucks his troubles and your own away.

And soon?

Soon you’ll destroy Rhaenyra.

The same way she destroyed you.

A/N.

I really think Brienne is projecting too much on rhaenyra and not enough on her business with aemond/aegon and whatever the heck is going on at the red keep, who keeps letting these assasins in smh.

Anyway: thank you for reading!!:)

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

hi I'm learning destiny lore the hard way and I've seen you in my notes, who's Eris Morn? What's her deal? This is an invitation to infodump you seem like the person to ask XD

Oh wow! I will answer your question, despite feeling unworthy to do so, but before I do, since you mentioned you're learning the lore, this is the Eris page from the Ishtar Collective website: https://www.ishtar-collective.net/categories/eris-morn It gives a list of main plot points for Eris up until just before the Season of the Witch and links to all Eris lore that exists in-game, going into far more detail than I can in one Tumblr post.

The Ishtar site pulls a large amount of its info from the D2 API and then supplements anything it can't get from there with human volutneer transcribers pulling from sources like the Destiny Lore Vault: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqJlWJF0IucG7HXcEao78Cw .

If there is lore you can acess in-game, now or in the past, Ishtar has it and it is searchable via keywords. It is official lore, not someone's interpretation of it, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

However, not everyone realizes that the Ishtar Collective also has a Discord: https://discord.gg/v8GsggCV

And that Discord is full of lore nerds who you can just go to and ask obscure lore questions and they will happily answer them (or sometimes get into adorkable near-academic-level debates over them, with citations as well as historical and philosophical references) because that's their definition of fun. They are, for the most part, genuinely lovely humans and I adore them all.

Everything I know about Destiny I learned from either playing the game or reading that website or asking those people.

Now, to answer your question, I'm going to give you a short quick answer and then a longer more in-depth answer afterwards.

The short quick answer is a quote from a story I wrote (A Dance with Vengeance) where I have the Drifter explaining where Eris got her eyes to an Eliksni character I made up:

Please note: this is fanfiction. This conversation never happens in lore, and the closest we've gotten to Driferis in-game is a delightfully sweet hug buried in the lore tab for a sparrow vehicle, but the events the Drifter is narrating (with a bit of dramatic flourish) did happen to Eris in-game.

The longer answer:

Eris, a former Hunter (and Ahamkara wish-dragon slayer), is the sole surviving member of the First Crota Fireteam, a team of six guardians looking to avenge all the friends and loved ones who died in The Great Disaster (when humanity sent an army of guardians to try to reclaim the Moon from the Hive) and, in particular, to avenge the death of a badass Titan named Wei Ning (Eris' friend and lover of Eriana-3, the fireteam leader). Their goal was to kill Crota, the then-leader of the Hive forces on the Moon (Crota is the son of Oryx, who, himself is both a Hive god and the Taken King, brother to the other Hive gods, Savathun, Hive god of Lies, and Xivu Arath, Hive god of War).

Everyone on the First Crota Fireteam except for Eris died horribly and Eris was lost in the Hellmouth on the Moon for a century. Eris' ghost (Brya) killed itself to protect her and Eris no longer has access to Light-based guardian powers. She killed a Hive acolyte and took its eyes (cutting out her own) since she had wished on her bone to know the way out of the Hellmouth but could no longer see. (Ahamkara wish magic is always tricksy - they're basically wish-granting genies who always twist what you ask for into the worst possible outcome.)

Eris has a few titles: "The Forgotten Blade," "Bane of the Swarm," "Crota's Bane" and, more recently in Season of the Witch, "Hive god of Vengeance." She is our main point of contact on the Moon (the Shadowkeep DLC is fantastic and the Moon is awesome and creepy and one of my favourite places to go in-game - I could go on and on about my favourite spots there).

Eris has devoted the rest of her (now mortal) life to exterminating the Hive and has guided the Guardian (the player character) to do so through many adventures, notably the Crota's End raid (where we kill Crota and finally accomplish what her fireteam set out to do), the Kings Fall raid (where we kill Oryx), the Pit of Heresy dungeon, and the Scarlet Keep strike (where she has one of her infamous fantastic lines: "Do you feel it as I do, Guardian? A hatred as pure and potent as sunshine, soaking through your skin?"

Season of the Witch is all about Eris becoming the Hive god of Vengeance to deal with Xivu Arath. If you've ever watched Full Metal Alchemist, the logistical problem with Xivu is the same: going to war with something that feeds off of violence and death just makes it stronger. Season of the Witch is still available (at the time I'm writing this) and there's some amazing scenes in there. I highly recommend playing through it but if you can't, here's an 8.5 minute video of the 3 main cutscenes including the ending [i.e. this is a spoiler if you haven't played it yet and still want to!]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVUWu-DqZvU

Eris' storyline in-game is all about recovery from trauma. Many of her quests are either helping her seek vengeance or helping her find peace (such as recovering mementos of her fireteam from various spots on the Moon). She is haunted (literally) by the ghosts of her past (here's 19 seconds of her yelling at them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcs1io-kvdg ) and her recovery from that has made her the unofficial trauma therapist for the Vanguard.

In Season of the Haunted (sadly no longer playable) she guides Zavala, Crow and Cabal Empress Caiatl through combatting and laying to rest their own nightmares-of-the-past-made-real. Here's a link to a 9 min video of the main cutscenes from that season (there's more content if you watch a full playthrough): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWHphu-iT3w

Eris taught herself how to wield Hive magic from a combination of her century of wandering on the Moon and the journals of Toland the Shattered (one of the members of her fireteam who betrayed them to the Hive and is now a floating sparkle-ball who sometimes helps us and sometimes just insults us on the Moon).

Eris is the Vanguard's Hive expert and Darkness expert. She is also one of Ikora's Hidden (Ikora is the Vanguard spymaster and the Hidden are her network of spies.) One of Eris' main story elements is that most people don't trust her, and not without cause. Another D2 character, Elsie Bray, aka the Exo Stranger, has been living her own personal Groundhog Day time-loop hell where she has watched humanity fail over and over against the Witness and then goes back in time to try to stop it. In most of Elsie's time loops Eris succumbs to her trauma and the corrupting nature of the Darkness powers she wields, goes full Hive, and leads the forces of evil to wipe out humanity in what is referred to as "the Dark Timeline."

Eris is constantly dealing with accusations that she's crazy, that she's evil, that she's unstable, and every time it's proven she's not, but people still find her untrustworthy and it isolates her from most of humanity, noteworthy exceptions to this being Ikora, Queen Mara, the player character, and the Drifter.

I am (obviously) especially enamoured of the relationship between Eris and the Drifter, and their in-game banter is absolute top-tier (he flirts and Eris roasts him and it is glorious), but the very core of their relationship is built on comfort and understanding. He trusts her (something almost no one else does) and she gives him hope (which is genuinely impressive and beautiful because the Drifter's own backstory is brutal and bleak as fuck).

Throughout most of Eris' narrative in-game she is a recovering survivor, but in Beyond Light (the DLC where we get our not-ice magic Stasis powers) we get to see Eris not just psychologically and emotionally recovered, but also getting to be a badass in battle. This is, in my opinion, the best cutscene in the entire game: (it is 1 min an 35 seconds and far, far too short): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAD6E_vESJY

I love this cutscene not only because it is visually spectacular, but because Eris has, for most of her narrative, been an injured survivor needing the player character to fight in her place because she no longer can. But in Beyond Light she is now able to kick ass and, perhaps even more importantly, be a part of a fireteam again.

There's more but I'm going to stop there. Eris is badass and amazing and creepy and fantastic. She uses the weapons of the Hive against them. She uses her own traumatic experiences to heal others. Her dialogue lines are evocative and snarky and brooding and poetic. The voice acting for her is some of the best I've ever heard anywhere. Her character has a complex, empowering, healing, hopeful, and beautiful narrative. And I love her intensely for it.

Ideally, this has answered your question at least somewhat, but do feel free to ask me any follow up questions you have about this or anything. I maintain I am not an expert in D2 lore. I am a writer and I don't just have biases, I use them to make art. But I do love the game and while I am not an authority on anything, I have immersed myself in much of the lore with wild abandon and will happily point you to places where you can find more information where my own understanding is limited.

And with that, I leave you with another fantastic Eris quote that so many people have connected with and found beautiful but that also encapsulates "who is Eris Morn" pretty well on its own:

"Recovery is a spiral, not a circle. You may return to the same patterns, but you will break free." —Eris Morn

[horizon-verizon]

It's amazing how you talk about misogyny to mask your own misogyny towards a female character. You think you can end your ridiculous essay with "she's just empty and not compelling" then blame it to sexism and the writers. All you have to say is you hate that they gave Helaena a compelling ability that you wish your favs have. Have you actually seen the next seasons of this show to know they're not doing anything with her character and the dreamer ability itself? You know you're going to be so disappointed with your wishes. You're just seething they didn't give show Dany the dreamer ability and projecting your spite towards Helaena. So transparent.

Well this is awkward.

You're just seething they didn't give show Dany the dreamer ability and projecting your spite towards Helaena.

Let's say that them not giving show Dany her canon dragon dreams was part of my thoughts when I was writing the post you respond to.

Dany actually had dreams...while canon Helaena, you and no one can ever prove that she did, so the real question is why is there a discrepancy in your mind as to why Dany shouldn't/couldn't have her canonical dreams while a less important character like Helaena should/could? Makes no sense.

I don't really care or feel strong emotions for or about Helaena bc she doesn't do much. Not because she is on the green side and little to do with her own choice in the matter. GRRM clearly uses her to make other characters compare Helaena to Rhaenyra, the Shepherd, the coming Dragonpit disaster, the degredation of Rhaenyra's control over KL, etc.

Also, why do you think it' a good thing or acceptable that they removed Dany's dreams, which are critical to understanding her arc, the Targs, the climatic catastrophe that is the Others, AND as this is a fantasy series...we need magical elements?! So, back to the discrepancy, I rather think it is you who is showing a bit of sexism: bc unlike Helaena, Dany is not a girl-woman who succumbs to the patriarchal violence but fights back and is going to enact revolutionary violence. If you say "Dany is an incest child", you should know that so are a lot of Westerosi people AND Dany is still that revolutionary, anti-exploitation figure.

It doesn't sound like you care much about "truth" or bigotry, so much as you are entertained and validated in the bigotry you already carry.

Have you actually seen the next seasons of this show to know they're not doing anything with her character and the dreamer ability itself? You know you're going to be so disappointed with your wishes.

If it takes 2 seasons to properly distinguish a character (aside from establishing that they have an ability) as to what kind of person they are and that you had since the second half of the first, you've done something wrong. So, yes, HotD dropped the ball and it does have to do with sexism either on the writers or the execs, like how Legend of Korra wasn't given as much of a chance as it should have been. Whether bc of production stuff or imagination. Espec since there have been characters people actually made into real people in just s few scenes (the rest going off from that point) and that has not happened for Helaena yet...when it should have in the first season. And if you say "bc studios and execs are cutting down stuff for costs", then that just hammers in the point that this is not a good story bc it was not allowed to breathe and develop. It's just unearned spectacle after spectacle.

Right now, Helaena is still just a person who says stuff and people ignore or to characterize/reflect more on Aegon and Jacaerys (dance scene).

All you have to say is you hate that they gave Helaena a compelling ability that you wish your favs have.

If you only talk of Dany, no, already explained above. If you mean the blacks, no, bc i think that no one should be having dragon dreams amongst them. This is supposed to be an uncommon ability and none of the characters of the orig canon Dance story show signs of having these dreams. I'd rather we focus on story given. The anon who's ask I link first above reminded me of Duncan (Maekar's son) and Patchface and how this adaptation could have made their Helaena more interesting while keeping her dragon dreaming. I still prefer the canon a little more, but with their post, I'm much more amenable to vision-having!Helaena as long as she's the only dragon dreamer and she has actual dreams and not Raven-Symone visions where she's fully awake for them. You can go check that post out. Or don't, not my issue.

[this-is-krikkit]

Also I need more

i mean. brace yourself? i got a little intense about it 👉👈

you know this is all to blame on yuuri really, bc victor finds out about that art while they're vacationing in Japan and he's like "oh my god yuuri wouldn't that be great for us to try??" and unlike all the many other times he's had to shut his husband down yuuri................. hesitates.

(mistake #1. (well, mistake #1 was marrying victor, according to yurio, but what does he know, right?))

but like it's not truly his fault either it's just.. it legitimately looks cool and like something that maybe he and victor would be good at if they trained for it? like. it's all about being synchronized with your partner and wearing a fancy costume and lifting each other up, which they kind do on knife shoes on the ice every single day already. so he says something like "yeah maybe, we'll see" and smiles.

which well. that's mistake #2.

because when he asks for something, there's only two possible outcomes: victor either hears "victor NO" very firmly, or he understands "go ahead you badass genius, live your dream and kickass while you're at it" (not to mention, hearing that first answer does not, in anyway, guarantee that he'll listen. ask yakov. (actually please don't. he's enjoying a victor-free vacation right now and he needs it. please.))

anyway, a week later yuuri finds out they're both signed up to appear in a lion dance show in Beijing ("it's where we had our first kiss, yuuri!! do you remember??" yes vitya he remembers. the whole world remembers it was BROADCASTED ON INTERNATIONAL TV. also it was yuuri's very first kiss, and with his all time idol, and just... stop asking him if he remembers all the times you blew his mind or if he likes you or if he'd still love you if you were a worm it's always gonna be yes!!.... well, apart from the sochi banquet. oh. ok i see where you're coming from actually nvm) in a couple of months, but of course victor didn't plan any time for them to practice that skill beforehand. because vitya's obviously very hardworking when it comes to figure skating, but for some reason he thinks that.... translates into anything? which led to a few disasters, like when yuuri found out while seating in their rental car on their honeymoon that vitya doesn't, in fact, know how to drive ("but i can jump a quad flip with my eyes closed, so how much harder can this be?") or how he burned part of the kitchen the first time he tried to cook brunch for a sleeping yuuri (shooting directly into the top 3 times he woke up instantly, which in itself is kind of impressive. but hey don't tell victor that!!!)

it's too late to back out, unfortunately: phichit has already made social media announcements about it ("of course i invited him to come along, yuuri, he's your best friend!") and so has chris.

their two friends are both very excited by this new adventure. victor thinks it's going to be great for their fans + to work on yuuri's anxiety off the ice. yuuri... is questioning a lot of his life choices.

(makkachin's living her best life, convinced that victuuri finally got her a pet sibling (yes, it's the dragon costume. give her a break ok? she's an old lady.))

[cruciomee]

Westeros would not know how to handle Coriolanus Snow. Lies, manipulation, and murder. Let the dance of dragons truly begin. 

I need someone to write this fanfiction and I need it now! here I'll even start it for you!

At first Alicent was ecstatic when her son’s eyes did not turn the signature Targaryen purple. The light blue reminded her of her mother’s own coloring. Another positive was Aegon’s bright eyes were filled with an intelligence just like her father’s, he was hers all hers. The only thing was that the longer she stared into his eyes the more she became unnerved. Babies were not known to have the kind of intelligence that she saw in her little Aegon. The final nail that broke her love for his eyes was the day that Viserys said that they remembered him of Aemma’s. It had taken everything in Alicent not to scream at him. Those were her mother’s eyes, they were hers! They had nothing to do with him and his insufferable family but the idea was stuck in her head now and Aegon was the one to suffer because of it. She could no longer look at her baby, at her son. Where once she would personally feed him, taking pleasure in staring at his face, his curls already coming in more gold than silver. She no longer could but the wet nurse had long since stopped producing milk herself and Alicent had not been able to find a suitable replacement for her. So here she was feeding her son avoiding his intelligent stare. knowing that while he may have been tainted in her mind, she would not let him be tainted in the mind of the small folk. Aegon would be a magnificent king, and she would do everything in her power to make it happen, her mother’s eyes will be loved by all who saw them even if she could not stand to see them herself. 

—

Coriolanus Snow did not particularly like his new name especially when his old one was so much more. The name Aegon Targaryen was just a reminder for everyone around him who his ancestor in this life was. The name held its own kind of power and he would use it to its full advantage but he would always be Coriolanus Snow even if it was just to himself. He had once asked his new younger sister to call him his real name, what a disaster that had ended up being. Helaena could not properly say the syllables adding that her voice was light and airy it just made him cringe. He never asked again. Coriolanus had not quite figured out how he felt about this new life. Being a prince was nice, food was readily available at any moment he could wish to eat. So none of that starving nonsense but there was more to life than food and Coriolanus found Westeros lacking. So many things he would have to change, and would change this realm in any way he wanted too. As was his right as Coriolanus Snow and not a soul would be able to stop him. 

[team-heavenly]

Chapter 26 - Part 3

You know the drill by now. Part one is here, part two is here...

Yeah, so uhhh, fun fact! In all my years of playing this game, I never once tried to leave Aegis Cave apparently, because this genuinely surprised me. THERE'S AN INVISIBLE WALL. YOU CAN'T LEAVE. YOU CAN ONLY FINISH THE STORY LINE, FAINT, OR USE AN ESCAPE ORB.

And this kinda upset me because, y'know, for the first time this entire damn run, I finally had a pile of Orans and Apples and other basic things, and I wanted to drop them off in storage to make room for more.

The good news: I did in fact pick up an Escape Orb, so we said SEE YUH!

While we were back in town, I fed a Wonder Gummi to Celebi via Rotom's juicebar, and we got two surprises packed into one!

WUH- OKAY THEN.

And now, some moments that nearly gave me a freaking heart attack.

Damage runs deep </3 Hell of a line.

Also, moments that nearly make your eyeballs fall out of your head until you remember your Garchomp has Huge Power.

Speaking of, here is a non-inclusive list of the moves and abilities I remember seeing from the Unown (either in dungeon or from recruits):

Moves:

Ice Ball

Faint Attack

Thrash

Hyper Beam

Luster Purge

Lunar Dance

Gunk Shot

Dark Pulse

Extrasensory

Hammer Arm

Spit Up

Flash Cannon

Abilities:

Sturdy

Illuminate

Truant

Aftermath

Natural Cure

Serene Grace

Bad Dreams

Drizzle

Cloud Nine

Snow Warning

Heatproof

Filter

A true grab bag, which was honestly kind of fun when it wasn't trying to kill us.

Anyway, we only had to go through three times before getting all the stones we needed and then some! IYKYK.

When we return to the waypoint, we do a funky little dance just kidding, we only close our eyes.

So, here I am, entering the Nonsensical Expanse, getting pumped we get to find out who the first of the three Regis are, right?

But then I have something so unexpected happen that my 3DS nearly falls from my hands.

Wh-

WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT ISN'T HERE?!?!?!

No, but I was legitimately upset over this. I consulted my friend @exploring-the-sky to see if love knew anything about it.

Well, this is what happens when you use a build from nearly two years ago, I guess.

At every portion of Aegis Cave, I left at least once and came back, and it was always the same. There was no one to fight. So now we'll never know who Regice is! That beautiful guidepost I put together to translate every character and place from their canon counterparts? You know, my actual pride and joy? I literally CAN'T put anything down for Regice now except ??? or ERROR 404.

THANKS A LOT, GAME!!! >:l

Or just replace it with any Pokémon you want, I don't make the rules here.

Next stop: Neat Creek.

We already have C and K so this shouldn't be too painful... I hope.

Nevertheless, when we inevitably come back around, we find what looks like a letter...

Wait, did y'all actually run into a boss? DID Y'ALL ACTUALLY FIGHT A BOSS?? PLEASE, TEAM CHARM, I'M BEGGING YOU-

Ugh, well. Guess we're about to find out, anyhow. We enter the Colossal Rift and hold our breaths...

OH THANK ARCEUS, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY I AM TO SEE YOU!!

...Words said before disaster, Part 21,894-

Despite our one-two punch of Meteor Mash and Powder Snow on Celebi, Rhyhorn wouldn't go down easy. In fact, he got off some Dragon Dances , which made me kinda nervous! And Seed Flare missed, like, 4 times in a row?? Then I REALLY started to panic when he used Mirror Move! But in the end, we persevered.

Ohhhh, I see... so, Not Regice just granted us the guardian's permission pre-emptively and went "lol bye losers, I'm out"? That's the explanation I'm going with, anyway :P

When we approach the Nonsensical Trench, there seems to be no sign of Team Charm...

We picked up two E stones in the last segment of the dungeon, so all we're missing is S, T, and L.

Why, hello there! This one even gave us a stone right away :)

It turns out Unown S and T also spawn on this very first floor! I stuck it out as long as I could and, lo and behold, we didn't have to go through more than once! \o/

Okay, now you gotta do the ritual thing to move on to Part 4.

[thephantomcasebook]

Who do u think murdered jahaera?

Is it weird that i am suspicious of velaryons? because lord unwin peake was found as scapegoat and mastermind behind this griveous murder but lord unwin peake had lost his power after jahaera’s murder . And who won power back after jahaera’s passing? The velaryons.

lord unwin peake was a green supporter who wanted his own daughter to be queen or mistress to aegon the second and influence him so that he can be powerful regent enough to act as a king

and he was like a stupidiwr version of otto. And who disliked otto more than anyone? Daemon targaryen

i feel daemon targaryens’s daughters would know the secret passages all around the red keep and captured jahaera . Because how else jahaera jumped from a room which is not her true bedroom and she was said to spend all her time in bedroom with dolls and kittens

it was baela and rhaena who wanted power and say in the ruling of seven kingdoms because if anything dance of dragons taught them, being able to stay alive and saving your head means getting rid of potential threats from very very very start

they were aware and suspicious of potential threat jahaera could become when she becomes older and they also didnt want a regent whom doesnt have their back

alyn velaryon wanted to be regent but he was sent home

right after jahaera’s death, velaryons gained power. Velaryons put velaryon queen , velaryon had put velaryon regent. Velaryon rule came back

what do u think of jahaera s murder or suicide?

You want to know who murdered Jahaera?

HBO murdered her.

Like I said, in "A Song of Ice and FIre", FOR DECADES Jahaera was Aegon III's wife - it was read out in "A Clash of King's". Then, after Season 5 of "Game of Thrones" Martin got a development deal in which he got a blank check and immediately started changing his lore.

Around the time that "Fire & Blood" came out, there was a uproar about a shit ton of changes to the lore that seemingly came over night. Jahaera Targaryen not being Aegon III queen, like it was stated in "A Song of Ice and Fire" and "Dunk and Egg" was a big one. The sudden rising of prominence of the Velaryons out of nowhere - the fucking losers who even Davos makes fun of in "A Storm of Swords" are now these badasses of old? Corlys Velaryon, "The Sea Snake" ... who the fuck is this guy? If he's so badass and cool ... how come no one in the books mentions him?

The Velaryons are the corporate Hollywood Targaryens - made up out of nowhere to serve as marketable characters for franchising. And the more that HBO Corporate got left leaning and agenda driven the more the Velaryons became prominent, Rhaenyra became sympathetic, and the more villainous the Greens became. Complicated and multi-faceted characters like Criston and straight up traditional heroic characters like Daeron who started out as honorable badasses that all of Team Black feared to face in the field got sidelines and cut down. Alicent and Helaena got no characterization but victim and evil stepmother. And Daemon started getting excuses for why hooking up with an underaged black girl was a 'beautiful thing'.

Jahaera Targaryen was murdered by wokeist corporatism that took a nuanced story that had villains on both sides like Larys and the White Worm, heroes on both sides like Daeron and Jace, and nuanced characters like Criston and Daemon ... and white washed them into "All Greens are bad because they're traditionalist conservatives! And All Blacks are good, because diversity and girl bosses!"

I'm still sore about her death, because, it was a completely unneeded change to the lore that came, because, they wanted a twelve year old Mary-Sue to take her place, because, some Hollywood asshat thought it would be 'like super badass" to have a POC queen of the seven kingdoms ... And GRRM would do anything not to fall into obscurity after the TITANIC Season 8 disaster - the biggest in Television History.

[eccebitch]

hotd & the anarchy

I did a poll recently about how much people knew about the Anarchy, a period of civil war in early English history, and most people said they were not familiar with it, or not very familiar. I was originally going to do a really long post explaining all the historical context, but let's be real, you have access to wikipedia and nothing I'm going to say is going to be more researched than a wiki entry. what I can do for you is put it down quickly and easily, so! the anarchy, and what it has to do with asoiaf / hotd / the conflict known as the Dance of Dragons* in Fire & Blood.

*From here on, when I'm referring to the Dance of Dragons, I'm specifically referring to the events that take place in F&B, not the book with the similar name in the main ASOIAF series.

THESIS:

the Dance of Dragons is based on the Anarchy.

making Rhaenyra based on, or at least inspired by, Empress Matilda.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN:

The way the Anarchy ends historically is extremely similar to how the Dance of Dragons conflict ends in Fire & Blood, and will probably have some bearing on the ending of HOTD. So stop reading if you want to avoid spoilers.

WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THESE CONFLICTS? The granddaughter of William the Conqueror (the obvious basis for Aegon the Conqueror), Empress Matilda was a really interesting historical figure who isn't well-remembered today, which is a shame because her life was batshit interesting.

Below is a very (very!) brief overview of her actions, and how they compare to the events in the Dance of Dragons:

While Matilda's father King Henry I had many children, he only had two in his legal marriage. One was the prince and heir, and one was Matilda.

The prince, and about 298 other people, fucking died in the White Ship Disaster. (The White Ship Disaster is really interesting in and of itself and I could go into more detail, but you ain't here for that, so I'll spare you. But at least give the Wikipedia page a look if you're interested in bizarre episodes in royal history. Anyway, moving on!)

Daddy needs an heir! He grabs his daughter - who had been married to the Holy Roman Emperor (thus the title Empress) - and made all the lords in England and Normandy swear to accept her as heir.

(exactly like Viserys does with Rhaenyra)

Matilda is extremely hesitant to marry - after an emperor (he's dead now), everyone's a kind of a letdown. Eventually, she marries a foppish French duke, Geoffrey V of Anjou. (This is where the Angevin dynasty started, for those keeping track.)

(could Geoffrey V be an inspiration for Laenor? Entirely possible! I do think one of Rhaenyra's kids being named Joffrey is a homage; Matilda's second son was named Geoffrey after his father.)

When King Henry I dies, Matilda is away in Normandy with her family.

(similar to how Rhaenyra is away at Dragonstone when Viserys dies)

Matilda's cousin Stephen of Blois takes this opportunity to crown himself king as the eldest male heir.

(could Stephen of Blois be an inspiration for Daemon? I think it's possible - at the very least, the Dance of Dragons feels partially like a what-if scenario: what if Matilda had been able to shore up her support by marrying another male heir? What if Henry I had more legal children? etc)

When Matilda finally comes back to England, she does so with full military force, and the conflict between her and Stephen's forces plunge England into a period of war so bad it's commonly known as 'the Anarchy', because no one was in charge.

(Similarly, the period of civil war between the Greens and the Blacks gets its own soubriquet, though, in the Fire & Blood book, it's noted that the 'Dance of Dragons' name is too poetic and hides the real bloodshed)

During this conflict, Stephen's wife - also named Matilda, but we'll call her Maud to differentiate - briefly commands some troops in London; Maud is held up by contemporary sources as an ideal woman for her daring and bravery... things that Matilda is castigated for in the same sources.

(This is, to me at least, similar to how Alicent is treated vs Rhaenyra, because Alicent tries to work more within the extant political systems - only claiming power for male heirs, not herself etc - while Rhaenyra does similar but is seen negatively for it. I do think that Maud is a partial inspiration for Alicent.)

Neither Matilda nor Stephen are ever able to completely claim victory over each other, and eventually, the war ends in a stalemate.

By this time, Matilda's son Henry II is grown. (This is the Henry II who married Eleanor of Aquitaine and is played by Peter O'Toole in The Lion in Winter, for those keeping track.)

Matilda stops trying to claim power for herself and begins putting her son forward as heir. Henry II is an excellent commander who becomes known to the people of England. When peace talks with Stephen finally begin, they're between Stephen and Henry; Matilda stays in France.

Eventually, Stephen agrees to declare Henry II as his heir, and it goes smoothly enough; Henry II is king of England.

(This is similar to how Rhaenyra never definitively 'wins' the dance of dragons, but her son is king.)

tl;dr the clear similarities between these two events, one historical and one fictional, point to GRRM's interest in medieval history and his continued use of it as a source of inspiration in building out Westeros. I think his tragic ending for Rhaenyra is extremely intentional because it reflects Matilda's real life.

[dreams-of-cerulean]

“It’s true,” Llfyr casually affirms as if the statement didn’t make your life a hundred times more complicated. Their violet gaze twinkles as they sip their Longjing tea and look at you. You can tell they’re very amused by your predicament.

“Fuck, are all the Dreamers crazy or something?” You don’t even feel hungry anymore because of how stupendously bad this is. “Do they really believe the Dream can offer something lik-” The statement gets caught in your throat. 

> Your mind flashes back to the mission that got you booted from Club Dreamer in the first place. The quest you wouldn’t take, the command you wouldn’t obey. When the Dream gave you a quest to start gathering Faith in your school - when your conscience knew that if you did so, you would bring the school and every kid there into guaranteed disaster - you refused. 

> Not all the worlds the Dream brings you to are Dreams. 

“Fuuuuck,” you groan, “So the Dream knows how to create a god already? And is offering others the opportunity? But why are they offering it to go after me?”

“Hmmm....creating a deity isn’t that hard,” Llfyr says with their casual air of superiority, “You can become a half-step god given enough Faith. But the jump to a full-god is a bit more complicated.”

“How?” You squint.

The dragon simply sips their tea quietly with a tiny smile as you slowly grow more inpatient.

“Llfyr, come on. I’m asking as polite as I’m going to be with you,” you frown. 

“Pfft,” the dragon nearly spat out their tea, “That’s really how you politely ask for something?” They click their tongue in amusement, “Fine fine. I’ll stop teasing.”

 They motion to themselves with a wave of their hand.

“First, the vessel.”

They point to their head.

“Second, the soul.”

They wave towards the crowd outside the bookshop.

“Third, Faith.”

“All three are required in sufficient quality to become a true god,” Llfyr grinned, “It’s probably why the Dream wants you dead - and will do it any cost.”

“Why? My soul?” 

> You can’t ever forget the bright Something sealed within that lightbulb. The thing that was both separate yet united with you - what was likely both the source of your strength and yet the worst enemy you’ll eventually face. The piece that made you both of Keter and of Thaumiel. 

The dragon raised an eyebrow, “No. The Dream doesn’t want a soul that won’t obey, not after...” They shake their head before smiling, “Anyway, it wants your body instead.”

“My body? There’s nothing special about it,” you look over at yourself, “Beyond whatever enhancements the System gives me.”

“You should already be aware of what you house,” Llfyr said with significant care before turning casual again, “Do you really think that can be contained with an ordinary vessel? Even if you’re only like supporting a part of it right now.”

“Wait, you knew about the -” You feel something dangerous like a gaze locking onto you - and you knew why Llfyr didn’t tell you sooner. Like facing a mean referee right when you were about to break the rules - and who had the power to punish you for it too. 

Taboo.

“Why is that under the-” Your eyes widened as the same feeling came back again. “Ugh. This is annoying. Tunglr isn’t like this.”

Llfyr laughed, “Now you know how I feel whenever I’m talking to you. I don’t think I would’ve mastered dancing around the subject as well if I hadn’t met you. The threat of potential harm is a good way to develop a skill.”

“Did you really treat our relationship as a training exercise? That’s why you talk to me?”

“Disappointed?”

“...Maybe a little,” you reply with candid honesty.

Llfyr snorted. “I don’t interact with any other humans but you - and maybe my food suppliers.”

“Your fanfic writers, you book-eating wastrel.”

“Same thing,” Llfyr shrugged. It really was. They glance over.  “Fine. This is the only time I’m going to say it. I do care. There. That’s it. Bye.”

“Awwww. If we’re going to admit things, I’ll say I care too,” you reply with a cheeky grin.

“Tch, doesn’t count. Reciprocating my comment makes it sound like you’re just being polite,” Llfyr sniffed, “Find a proper occasion and then admit it.”

“And this is a proper occasion?”

“I’m telling you why the Dream wants you to die. Doesn’t that count?”

“Fair. So what makes my body - my vessel - special?”

“Because it can house a soul that has the potential to become a god - your soul has that characteristic, ” Llfyr says, “So long as it has your body, it doesn’t have to go searching for an ideal candidate. It could just raise the soul to fit the body.”

“You mentioned before that the Dream...did something like... this be-”

You pale as a sudden crushing pressure fell onto your shoulders, making you cough out the soda you were drinking. A feeling of grave danger fills every part of you. You knew that if you pushed forward with your inquiry, you will die here and now. 

The dragon grins with some strain, clearly suffering the same sensation you were feeling. Looking upwards, they smirk defiantly and then say three words. 

“The Nameless Goddess.”

Your gaze fills with white as retribution came swiftly in a bright flash. Before you realized what happened, Llfyr is standing above you with a hand outstretched, the scales on their hand singed. Your mind catches up to your perception.

The World just tried to kill you and Llfyr with a bolt of lightning. 

Your surroundings were blackened from the ash. Glass is everywhere. People in the area were screaming in terror - but the only casualties around you were the people watching you at the time - the Dreamers that you’d have to deal with once you left the safety of Llfyr’s presence - the mundane folk were left alone.

Llfyr stood up from the table, looking at their singed hand and shaking the soot off. Not even a single blemish.  

“Well, I think I’ve given you a lot to think about,” Llfyr chuckled, “And you can treat your dead pursuers as a freebie from me. Cause we’re friends.”

They walk towards the now broken door to leave.

”See you around, little dragon child.”  

[recapcrew]

Week 36 Transcript

Video

Intro

Extra extra, read all about it! Welcome to the Empire’s Recap, and today we will be going over the chaos and drama of our (somewhat) respected rulers!

This week we have the long awaited video from Oli TheOrionSound, in which many things happen including meeting the hermits, saying goodbye to the hermits, and realizing parenthood is stressful!

Oli

Our story begins with a quick recap of Oli’s time on the Hermitcraft server, including but not limited to leaving sign graffiti and writing the Christmas song “the real jim sheriff”.

Eventually his travels lead him back to the Olipelago.

In the 4 months Oli has been gone, he gained a lute—

[OLI] –cheek for the journey, goodbye god! …Nooo! No! I’m in Sanctuary! God has pushed me off the stairs! The bloody nerve of these Gods!

[NARRATOR] —Hosted a festival—

[OLI] –pretty penny! We’re rich, boys, we’re rich! Woo! It’s thanks to you, it’s thanks to you, and most of all it’s thanks to me!

[NARRATOR] And dealt with some inter dimensional visitors.

[OLI] What's your sick goal you short charlatan!

[NARRATOR] Who of course couldn’t resist visiting the great Olipelago!

[OLI] Don't read that, don't read that, ey!

[GRIAN] Debt? You're in debt To Gobland? YOU NOW OWE 81 DIAMONDS??

[OLI] Yeah, I've only made two episodes!

[NARRATOR] Also, our sincere apologies to Katherine's tailoring shop for the brief period of “Hermitopia not being in a glass box”… not that it seems to stop anybody.

One of the Hermits, Pearl, who looks incredibly like God who pushed him off a cloud, visits the Olipelago and helps out a bit despite the allegations. Probably having a rough time of it on the road to el dorado.

The Olipelago has expanded tremendously with its incredible second tent solely for beetroot. It is somewhat appropriate that the bard is the only one who lives off beets.

But disaster strikes! The dragon egg is starting to hatch!

[SHELBY MUTTERING] Temperature looks normal…

[OLI] What’s the diagnosis, doc?

[SHELBY] Well, not only am I not a doctor but I have exactly 0 medical training--

[OLI] Mhm mhm

[SHELBY] --but as far as I can tell… it’s a boy!

Pix and Gem reject the idea of having a dragon on the surface and Many an attempt to destroy said egg occurs - because it keeps coming back - before an understanding bridges the gap between Oli and surprise adoption.

To be a good parent you must have somewhere safe for them - so of course Oli builds a tiny Sydney opera house for the child and then goes searching for parenting advice.

[OLI] You’re a pesky little man aren’t you!

[NARRATOR] Lizzie’s parenting advice pretty much amounts to severe paranoia - Oli takes notes.

Pix’s advice is child labour, but considering said child is a copper aging facility he can be forgiven.

Joel, being Hermes’ parent, should have some good advice, but he doesn’t seem to know anything about children despite having several. He recommends… dancing?

Brief interlude for flirting with Sausage's dad, and then we meet the other father of Hermes, who actually gives reasonable advice as they watch the sunset. Before suddenly the egg starts to hatch - too late to back out now!

Sausage and Oli drag the egg to Shelby as she's the only one on this server even vaguely knowledgeable and they take the egg to the sun temple in Sanctuary to keep it warm enough.

[SHELBY] Deep breaths! I don’t—I’ve never—I’m not ready to be a mom, I have student loans—

[OLI] You’re not having the child, no! I’m having the child!

[SHELBY] Oh!

[NARRATOR] They set a fire surrounding the egg, and Oli ends up sitting on it to keep it warm before it starts to float in the air.

Some severe magical stuff is happening on this server, and Oli slips off the egg and his new dragon child lands at his feet.

To be continued…

Jimmy

In other news, Tumble town has been given a very odd copper statue of a cod! The mesa feels like an odd place to put that…

Anyway, to finish the rails to the train station Jimmy needs some iron in bulk supply. Unfortunately he doesn’t have any iron, let alone diamonds to pay False to use her iron farm. That’s an easy fix though, just gotta go mining!

This mining adventure quickly goes wonky however when Jimmy finds a strange old man in a cave. Apparently he used to be the old sheriff before Jimmy rolled into town, and had gotten stuck down the mines while chasing a bandit.

[OLD SHERIFF, ACCUSATORY] Where did you get Wednesday?

[JIMMY] Who—uh, it’s Friday right now. I—I don’t think you—

[OLD SHERIFF] No, I’m not talking about the day, I’m talking about that hat on your head! Where did you get Wednesday?

[JIMMY] No—this is the Sheriffs hat. Take a look, this is the Sheriffs hat, what do you mean?

[OLD SHERIFF] You think I don’t know that, I am the Sheriff!

[JIMMY] …What?

[NARRATOR] This is a prime opportunity to learn how the old sheriff earned his respect - being very short doesn't exactly inspire his fellow rulers to respect him. The Old sheriff agrees on the condition he can see the town again.

Jimmy shows him the outside and learns that apparently before Jimmy got there the town was called Midweek, because of Wednesday the hat of course.

[OLD SHERIFF] I’d be like, “Good morning how you doin’”, I’d tip Wednesday, and they’d say, “Is it midweek?” and I’d say “Everyday is midweek, ‘specially in this town!”

[JIMMY STARTS TO LAUGH]

[OLD SHERIFF] And they would absolutely love it, they’d chant my name, I’d catch them criminals and I’d throw ‘em behind bars!

[NARRATOR] The tall Joel statue does scare the old sheriff but he’s a man of his word, so he takes Jimmy back to the mines and teaches him the meaning of Respect.

Jimmy takes the old sheriff to the saloon and gets a small pep talk before he goes to show his friends and fellow rulers what he’s learnt from the newest - oldest? - Tumble Town resident.

[JIMMY] Okay.

[OLD SHERIFF] And you tip Wednesday and you say, good morning ma’am, good morning sir, good morning they, good morning them, you say good morning to everythin’, you hear me?

[NARRATOR] Jimmy saddles up his horse and rides through the Golden empire to get to the Greatbridge where he meets Gem, Sausage and Fwhip.

The three of them start teasing him over his height - the old sheriff's lessons don’t seem to work no matter how he tries! It’s really hammered home when Gem, one of his only allies that truly respected him, is given Sausages sword and kills him…

He is fed up with this disrespect!

Lizzie

After some reflection, Lizzie and the Critter Council decide to ally with fWhip, after multiple months. But the transport connections between those two empires is quite unsatisfactory… But no worries! Mayor Lizzie will bless anyone departing or arriving Critter City with a much more beautiful tram station and see! There is already some traffic!

[LIZZIE] What is the meaning of this?

[LIZZIE, READING] Dear Mayor of Animalia, come to the Drip Tavern to continue the discussion we had in Tumble Town. Burn this note before you arrive. fWhip of Gobland.

[NARRATOR] After some problems involving 12 gunpowder, three people, and explosives, Lizzie and Fwhip decide to make their own gunpowder farm. They each have their own task, fWhip’s got the beacon and Lizzie’s got the cats.

[FWHIP] Oh no, Lizzie… What efficiency do you have on your tool?

[LIZZIE, OVERLAPPING] I don’t have efficiency 5.

[LIZZIE] Wait, don’t look at me, I’m embarrassed! I’ll be right back!

[NARRATOR] After digging, it’s building time, and the creeper farm is officially done; but creepers are not the only thing falling.

Deciding they’ll meet back in one hour, Lizzie takes advantage of the beacon to finally finish her ores bundle. She digs one massive hole underneath Stratos to find her diamond ores. After multiple bumps along the way, she finds it.

[LIZZIE] Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat, wouldn’t you say my collections complete?

[NARRATOR] Back to the creeper farm and it’s rewarding! Fwhip and Lizzie decide to expand the storage but there is something odd lurking around.

[FWHIP] Can you see that?

[LIZZIE] What is—What is that?

[FWHIP] What is… in there?

[LIZZIE] Oh! Oh my gosh I saw something in there!

Outro

And with that, join us next week for more chaos and shenanigans! Thank you for watching, liking, and subscribing, and thanks to everyone helping with the project, check them all out below!

[terra-phantasia]

Muses

Traditional Fantasy

Name: Hedgie, The Hedge Witch, Guardian of the Forest

Former name: Blodwyn

Age: ?

Race: Fey-Eladrin

Class: Druid

An ancient Druid that has taken up the mantle of Guardian of an even more ancient forest after defeating the great evil lurking there centuries ago. She reigns as the protector of said forest, living in harmony with all its creatures and ensuring that the local villages are taught to maintain the balance.

She can be quite mischievous and isn’t the most experienced in dealing with social interactions beyond those seeking her out for knowledge or aid, leading to her not entirely understanding human social cues. Despite this, she is incredibly social.

As is fey tradition, Hedgie often dons a glamour of an old crone draped in dirt and moss for first meetings and strangers to determine how much kindness they bear in their hearts. She also, much like her fey brethren, doesn’t hesitate to grant boons or curses based upon the treatment she receives. Unlike her brethren however, her curses are often mild and release once the lesson has been properly learned. Because of this, a dear wizard friend of hers will often send apprentices to test their mettle and keep their ego in check.

Name: Markus

Age: 30

Race: Half Orc

Class: College of Swords Bard

A jovial half orc with a love of performance and making a dang good soup, Markus’s past is one of mystery. After losing his memories during his coming of age rite, Markus returned to his village to find it wiped clean from the world in a catastrophic natural disaster. A lone survivor, an old man taking his last breaths, told Markus his name and what little he could about Markus before passing. Markus now travels the world as a man, hoping to discover the truth of what happened to his family or perhaps find happiness in a new tribe.

Markus is a kind person, quick to laugh and offer his help to any in aid. He is quite the skilled soup maker and carries a magical pouch of seasonings that constantly replenish.

He also managed to attend a Bard’s College, where his skills and prowess with a halberd was discovered as well as his love of performing with it. He will occasionally put on sword dancing shows with his halberd, using the magics he learned to create magnificent light shows with its spinning. He carries his halberg on his back.

Steam/diesel Punk + Fantasy

Name: Evangeline Flamegrinder

Age: 25

Race: Human

Class: Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer

A spunky human with dragon’s fire in her veins, when Evangeline isn’t helping her dad in their machine shop with their many gadgets and gizmos, she’s manning the noodle restaurant up front.

Her powers come directly from her father, manifesting when she was a child after horrific explosion in the machine shop mangled her right leg and covered the left side of her face and torso in terrible burns. Her leg was eventually amputated and she was left scarred but now incredibly resistant to fire. She now uses a prosthetic leg made by her father, and looks for adventure where she can find it in hopes of collecting enough money to not burden him with its upkeep.

She’s a bit of a pyromaniac and can be often found tinkering on various gadgets and explosives of her own creation. She also has a terrible tendency to hide bombs infused with her dragon’s fire in her tops, using the illusion of being well endowed to get away with sneaking her bombs.

[horizon-verizon]

If we're going to use the YT version of the dance I'm just going to point out that VB are blonde and it's only mentioned that they're bastards in one of them. If you watch just the video that narrates the beginning you might even think that the 5 are Hero children with Daemon and Rhaenys is her mother

Probably an answer to this post. And the Blu-Ray recorded narration for the Dance of the Dragons is this video.

The Youtube Video of the Dance portion was Published 7 years ago, March 16, 2016. Fire and Blood was Published November 20, 2018.

The entire "Game of Thrones: Histories & Lore" animated series of six installments that began back in 2012, ending 2019. *EDIT- 10/18/24* Found out I already had a post about this, and the episode came out in 2016, AND it was based on "The Princess and the Queen" more, and not F&B. The latter has Cregan's short stint as Hand; the blu Ray doesn't have The Hour of the Wolf...which canonically occurred before Aegon and Jaehaera marry. If that's not enough to pose this Blu Ray rendition of the Dance and its aftermath as irrelevant, esp when GRRM completed his telling of the Dance and its aftermath in F&B , then people are lying to themselves. Or stupid. *END OF EDIT*

Yes, they were blonde in that narration. Rhaenys was also at first white-golden haired before GRRM changed it.

Still, I don't think it's bad nor does it undermine Rhaenyra's claim to admit that her kids might not be Laenor's; me, I think they weren't and I thought that since before HotD bc the timing is just too off and I really don't think that Aegon III and Viserys II would let such a weird inconsistency (that their older brothers were brown haired, yada yada) go nor in the popular tale nor in the Citadel.

Yeah, Rhaenys has Baratheon blood and Baratheons have dark hair and perhaps the details abt the boys' dark eyes and "pug" unturned or "button" noses could have come from her genes from again the Barathons (the eyes, not so much: Baratheons don't typically have dark eyes, they have grey to blue...mostly blue). Yes, perhaps Aemma had dark hair herself.

But Rhaenyra getting pregnant by Laenor 3 times...for each boy to come out having all these same physical characteristics when he didn't really stay around even after a certain event occurred? When he himself had purple eyes, white-gold hair, etc.? That's a bit much.

Why does it not undermine the "legal" claim (if there had been no greens)? Because they are claimed by the necessary parties and are Rhaenyra (the heir)'s children. Legal vs ideological; in Westeros and often in real life, even bigots often move way if they find themselves unable to really enforce their own ideals if they don't have much money or resources to do so. What more self concerned nobles who have luttle to really gain by inviting royal punishments on themselves if they were to say her kids weren't Laenor's? Again, it does matter, but it's not necessarily a 100% death sentence for either Rhaenyra or her kids; and if handled right, the probability of disaster lowers. What Rhaenyra's issue was that Alicent provided dragonriding sons and a daughter (who was made pretty inactive aside from giving babies) who she then made sure to think they had to usurp Rhaenyra to gain their "birthright" as males, which gave them a chance to access what Otto/Alicent wanted when she was married off to Viserys--the throne. Alicent was also the Queen consort. Thus, they had a reason and ability to indirectly accuse Rhaenyra of infidelity and lying to the King to ruin the line of succession.

I don't think anyone should really stress that much over the boys' appearances/indications of paternity as much as this whole "they had pale hair" thing leads people sometimes.

It's valuable in getting green fans to shut up about a supposed lack of ambiguity GRRM wrote for it, about their parentage and thus them trying to close what I described as legal vs ideological meaning and effects of "bastardry" for Rhaenyra (history showing us what "bastard" meant and how one applied it functionally). Which was always meant to make readers think and guide them to why it doesn't really matter in the way they think nor in the degree they think in the first place. Meant to put to question what sort of "fault" they should apply and to whom to reveal biases or misunderstandings of human behavior and intent.

[bonesandpoemsandflowers]

contemplating various character options

but MOSTLY

trying to decide if period piece ballerina protagonist can be faithfully reflavored to be the mage / cartomancer character in the shadowrun-esque playing card based solo journaling RPG. the setting is a kind of sketchily, lazily lightly post apocalyptic (the creator wrote this shit mid 2020, so, you know, that was a vibe), but also a little cyberpunk-y, and I feel like that genre is very essentially about blue collar characters, so professional ballerina at a prestigious institution is right out. and what do ballerinas do when ballet isn't an option? if they don't end up teaching pilates? that's right. this is a STRIPPER alternative timeline. getting that done faithfully and well would be a big deal if this was a novel, but if it's a self indulgent little game mostly for myself, I can slap my pole dance specific knowledge on there, sprinkle in some stories from my long ago stripper friends, and call it a day.

I think I want her in Appalachia because I have so much region specific playing card lore I've collected, but she would never go there so I think that, say, post theatre closures she moved back to South Florida, but Miami had some sort of water based disaster and she barely made it out in time and is just stuck in the mountains somewhere (overcorrected, fled to high ground).

however, there are, of course, other options, some of which would be funny

there's skittish subby werewolf boy, a crowd favorite. pros: very blue collar, has the right sort of generally pessimistic attitude that fits right into the genre, already vaguely hates corporations. cons: why the FUCK would he ever start binding demons (or whatever) into playing cards? he's just not enough of a nerd to be an occultist. he has no interest in The Lore. what are the theological implications in a setting with werewolves and spirit binding magic? he is, also, specifically a loner--lone wolf, hahaha, SHUT UP--and the game set up requires that you have some sort of "community" you're tied to and protecting, and that would actually be difficult to swing here. almost everybody else is easily slotted into a pro-social role, even most villains, but he's just sort of a sad boy, you know? who can bite your face off. he's just very self sufficient. it would honestly take him a while to notice any sort of mild apocalypse happening. IRL this motherfucker wouldn't even notice covid until deep into 2020, riding into town on his horse to pick up the mail.

his also werewolf evil ex boyfriend: honestly...actually. put a pin in this idea, self. he also goes long stretches of time not werewolf-ing it, so there's that. also, arguably you could translate his character to a normal human and it could work. biker guy occultist isn't even a stretch. his aesthetic is already perfect.

the eventual canon Human Love Interest: the lawyer is absolutely enough of a nerd to be an occultist and enough of a bastard to bind things into cards and use them. however, would almost certainly be some rando corpo in this kind of setting. there are ways to work with that and still hit the right spirit for the game, but it would be complicated and this is supposed to be easy and fun. still, running a corpo deck is something people in the game community are already discussing, and I would be better at it than most people attempting it. he is LA based, which is a different feel. east LA latino punk mage would be a baller time, though. maybe if he's younger and only just on the path to eventually going corporate.

this dude's BFF: hilarious. he is never specifically physically described in any of the novels because he's actually a changeling in the dungeons and dragons sense and looks like whatever. He is only described as handsome, so the reader can imagine whatever, but it's also my deepest of in jokes that he appears in some capacity in every single thing I've written, however briefly. There is never anything in the text of the novel that indicates that he's not just some normal human person. I think this is the first time I've posted about it in ANY public capacity. anyway, outright unfair to have a planeswalker in a relatively low magic setting. also however very funny. but no, it doesn't work. still, VERY funny. possibly also why eventual lawyer boy is binding spirits into cards at all--his bestie is an unstable magical field. weird things happen. possibly this motherfucker himself is bound into a card by accident. "the FUCK do you mean, you're a demon?" no no no bro, not a demon, that's propaganda--please put down the salt, bro. bro. c'mon.

sabor latino reluctant necromancer hot dad: of all characters who probably COULD bind spirits into a deck of cards--of all characters who would resolutely NOT--idk, also very funny but for different reasons. not enough of a nerd to know The Lore. very resistant to learning any lore. would probably bind something on accident and spend the whole time going "shit shit fuck oh shit oh fuck" and trying to get rid of it and instead ending up with a whole deck of demons or ghosts or whatever. pros: he's already a noir character with occult elements. he's very tied to Miami so whatever vague disaster I want to write, he's there, dealing with the fallout. cons: lots of jumping through hoops if he's in genuine danger because the in character correct answer is that no matter how much magical bullshit he's forced to deal with, when shit gets really real, he's like, "yeah okay I cast glock." brings a gun to a mage fight. IDK, it might be fun. perpetually tired and done with everyone's shit, you think he's gonna do mage bullshit and then he just punches you. funny.

his retired art thief love interest: canonically the nerdiest of occult nerds. knows The Lore and then some. would absolutely bind a bunch of entities into a pack of cards. would also probably object to the ars goetia demons, like I do, but on aesthetic grounds, not because she's a pansy. would not feel the least bit bad about binding and imprisoning almost anything in her deck of cards. but like. it would actually be boring to write. it's too easy, except for how slumming it gives her the vapors.

some AU version of erikphantomopera himself: you can't put this motherfucker in a setting with magic in it. he would ABSOLUTELY go apeshit with it and not give a fuck about the ars goetia demons being, yknow, demons. he'd just do it. his bleakness of attitude is too well adjusted in the general misanthropy of a cyberpunk setting. he'd be like theft theft demon ritual theft extortion theft MURDER theft theft I HAVE WIRTTEN A CONCERTO theft demon ritual theft theft.

like the mage above him on the list, I have trouble picturing him as a true blue collar protag--he's a fancy bitch and his attitude is aristocracy coded. I hate an actual aristocrat in my fiction, but somebody who gets there via crime is fun. like the mage above him, he's actually too smart. besides, he can't be a playable character because he needs to cameo in the former ballerina storyline. possibly as man who leaves a gigantic tip but is unsettling because how long was he standing there before you noticed? also he never speaks to you. also your rival is mysteriously absent from her prime time shifts and switched to day shifts for some reason. what crazy random happenstance.