#who knows she might be melisandre of got

[queenvisenyaandprinceaemond]

I dont know about Alys Rivers but why do u think shes not aemonds real love interest?

Well, where to start. Firstly, fire and blood is written like a history book and narrated by multiple people who disagree with each other on many ocassions regarding several events that took place starting from the first page itself.

Secondly, it was said that she was spared by Aemond but in exchange of being his "bedmate". Nowhere, it says she was his "love". Bedmate is usually for sexual favours.

Thirdly, based on the short gist that was mentioned, it was hinted that she used magic or potions to seduce not just Aemond, but Ser Criston Cole as well.

Fourthly, there is the final section where Aemond allegedly kisses a pregnant Alys before flying off on Vhagar to kill Daemon but who saw this because there was conflict over this as well. He claims she saw visions of where Daemon was but she didnt see his death? . Also who saw this happen?

Later on, when Harrenhal was under the control of a witch queen, it was revealed that it was Alys who was the witch queen. But then again, the narrative says "she claimed to be Prince Aemond's widow" and presented an alleged "trueborn" as his son but there was no mention of the son of having targaryen features nor was the son ever acknowledged.

In all honesty, if Aemond took her everywhere and she was so significant to him, she wouldnt be claiming to his widow. People of Harrenhal would know that she was his partner. But there is no mention of anything like this.

Shes probably someone like Melissandre from GOT and if she ever appears on the show, she might try to seduce Criston and Aemond using magic, only to be rejected by both. GRRM is actively involved so he might present a better picture than Mushroom, Eustace and others. He already changed the fact that Aemond took Lucerys eyes as a gift (this is mentioned in the book and others) and during the dinner scene, it was Aegon who threw a fit over Jace and Helaena but that was also switched up to Aegon not giving a shit.

Many things have changed so lets see. But even non shippers on Youtube, Instagram and blogs have picked up that the screenplay between Aemond and Helaena is a bit dodgy tbh haha.

[thisonetimeinmeridian]

So I have a thought about that prophecy that HotD is using to justify the Targaryen invasion of Westeros. Obviously, this isn't entirely their fault since George R.R. Martin is the one who came up with it and has said a similar thing in different interviews . Yes, the books make Rhaenerya more vengeful and thirsty for blood, but it also does not make the Greens sympathetic at all and views them as one dimensional villians. George also had the Starks and the Blackwoods side with the Blacks, so I think it's clear which side we were "supposed" to root for, if any, but I digress. Anyway, into my theory.

Time and time again, we hear that Targaryens are the closest thing to gods because they have superior blood that "controls" the dragons. That they are dragons. We hear this within the books, within HotD, even in Game of Thrones. But really, they are no better than anyone else, GOT even had Dany say this outright in the last season when she says that without their dragons, they weren't great at all. Your argument might be well they could control them thats what they mean." But really, no, they couldn't. I'm not even just talking about when Aemond accidentally killed Luke. In one of the earlier seasons, Dany's dragon literally burned a child alive, and she didn't even know until much later. Does that sound like control to you? Neither Luke nor Aemond had control in that fight. Their animals, their instincts, took over despite what their riders wanted. You could say that "oh well, Aemond is only HALF Targaryen, that's why we need to keep the blood pure with superior Targaryen blood," in which case, refer to my earlier point about Dany.

Unlike some people, I like this change of Luke's death being an accident. It shows that the Targaryen's aren't gods, or infallible after all. As I said, Game of Thrones even shows this to us.

So that's why I think they are going in a similar direction with the whole "prophecy" BS. We hear multiple times within the original series that prophecies are never direct and often misinterpreted. This is made even clearer when Melisandre misinterprets the "Prince Who Was Promised" multiple times. This, combined with the fact that GRRM is heavily involved with HotD, and the fact that they've already shown that Targaryen's aren't immune or gods after, leads me to believe they are going in a similar direction as the idea that they can "control" the dragons. See my previous point.

It could likely be a criticism of the Targaryen hubris, and the fact that they think they have "superior" or "pure" blood makes them better than everyone else. Or that they are justified on starting multiple wars that lead to immeasurable amounts of death and destruction. As Ser Barristan said about the Mad King, "the mad king gave his enemies what he thought they deserved, and each time it made him feel more powerful and right."

Targaryen's are their own worst enemy, and they will tear each other apart over "who deserves it more" or "who has the purest blood" and is "more Targaryen." The prophecy is just an excuse to hold up their own superiority and god complex, despite the fact that no one wanted them to rule in the first place. Even George R.R. Martin says that holding the realm together with dragons is ficle and bound to break.

[greenbloods]

(ok this is going to be somewhat of an unstructured post because i am just Thinking this through and laying my thoughts out, maybe i'll format it into a proper essay later)

I've seen a few posts talking about the narrative foils that the North and Dorne--ice and fire--play in the narrative, but recently I've come to notice another such foil. In the books, there seems to be this strange attraction in the narrative between the Iron Islands and the Stormlands, specifically between Stannis and the Greyjoys. It's been gnawing at the back of my head for a while, so I wanted to explore it and see what it might mean.

Similarities:

Colors: Black on gold (Baratheon), gold on black (Greyjoy)

Castles: Both Pyke and Storm's End exist on some level to spite the gods, battered as they are by sea and stone and sky. The danger inherent to the castles' design is significant to their design, with Balon falling into the sea at Pyke (probably pushed, but still) and Steffon and Cassana Baratheon were dashed at sea while approaching Storm's End

The Iron Islands worship the Drowned God, and loathe the Storm God as their enemy; Durran Godsgrief, the mythical founder of House Durrandon from whose line House Baratheon lays claim to the Stormlands, was the first of the Storm Kings and married the daugher of the sea god, and build Storm's End

But that's not all, because it's not just that the Greyjoys and Baratheons are paralleled, but Stannis specifically seems to be intimately involved thematically and plot-wise with the past and future of House Greyjoy.

As mentioned earlier, Stannis's parents are drowned at sea, which is one of the reasons why he stopped believing in the Seven, and allowed him to take to R'hllor later (see his Red Hawk speech)

During the Greyjoy Rebellion, Stannis was the one entrusted with the navy, and was able to soundly defeat Victarion (!!) and Euron (!!!) at sea (!!!!!) off Fair Isle

Patchface, Stannis's jester, was drowned at sea and reborn, and is theorized by many to be a champion/prophet for the Drowned God, which is one reason why he is feared by Melisandre

Stannis's storyline in ADWD intersects with Asha and Theon, having captured them both, and this seems like it will shape up to be an important part of the plot in Winds

Euron, as discussed above, was defeated by Stannis, the only person we know to have done so

The only important Greyjoy whose life does not entangle with Stannis is Aeron Damphair, who others have pointed out is a parallel to Stannis's priestess Melisandre, as both being POV characters who are the champions of their respective monotheistic faiths and use their fervent belief in their worldview as a shield to guard against their deeply scarred pasts ("Even a priest may doubt. Even a prophet may know terror. Aeron Damphair reached within himself for his god and discovered only silence. As a thousand voices shouted out his brother's name, all he could hear was the scream of a rusted iron hinge." vs "One day, Melisandre prayed, she would not sleep at all. One day she would be free of dreams. Melony, she thought. Lot Seven.")

STANNIS is initially skeptical of the FIRE PRIESTESS Melisandre but takes her in as she demonstrates her POWER and prophetic visions to Stannis; VICTARION is initially skeptical of the FIRE PRIEST Moqorro but takes him in as he demonstrates his POWER and prophetic visions to Victarion

what does it all mean? do these parallels between stannis and the greyjoys tell us anything about their themes, or what their arcs might be in TWOW/ADOS?

idk man this is all i got so far what do yall think

also this post was partially inspired by a post i read a while back which ive attached below so give it a read too:

[hello-nichya-here]

If you could give zuko and azula royal epithets/nicknames, what would you call them?

Ex. William I "The Conqueror", Ivan IV "The Terrible", Alexander III "The Great", Elizabeth I "The Virgin Queen"

considering the descriptors can be positive or negative, there are lots of possibilities for them lol

To answer this ask, I'm stealing a bunch of titles from George R.R. Martin's works, otherwise it'd just be "Sister-fucker and brother-fucker" XD

Titles For Azula

Red Viper - I just like the thought of Azula killing enemies with poison, like Ursa killed Azulon, AND I like giving her cool weapons, so a poisoned spear would be awesome.

And lets face it, Azula is just a character that DEMANDS a title that suggests she's two-faced and deadly.

The Red Woman/His Red Shadow - I love, love, love, love making Azula Zuko's mistress & advisor, much like Melisandre is to Stannis (through I prefer her giving him babies that are not murderous shadow), and she'd absolutely get labelled as the evil witch who seduced the king and is leading him down the wrong path, just like Mel.

Plus, Melisandre and Stannis canonically go for moonlight walks in the books, and fuck on top of a war table/map in the show, and that is just perfect aesthetics for Zucest.

Realm's Delight/Light Of The West - Little Azula, with all of her disturbing tendencies, being called "realms delight", like she's the cutest, most precious thing in the whole world is just funny to me. And I like Rhaenyra, so of course I'd give Azula one of her titles.

And she'd definitively take a page from Cersei's book of "Give yourself a new title while you help your baby boy usurp the throne", only in this case she's stealing Kuei's throne for herself (and Zuzu).

The Queen That Never Was - Azula is just made for politics and to be a ruler, so I would not be surprised if, before her relationship with Zuko is made public and they get married, some people are still not over the fact that she never got to truly rule over the Fire Nation. Even after the whole "you're all banished" thing, I can easily see at least half the Dai Li calling her "The Fire Lord that never was" as they are all sad their favorite 14-year-old child soldier didn't get to enjoy rulling over the world.

Titles For Zuko

The Rogue Prince - You look me in the eye and tell this title doesn't fit the banished prince that had to stay away from home for three years, came back, willingly left to stand against his father/Fire Lord, and then came back AGAIN to change everything. Do it. I dare you.

The King Who Cared - Again, my love for Stannis and Melisandre heavily influenced this one. I like Zuko being the grumpy, furious, highkey entitled king that has a change of heart and decides "You know what, I need to take care of my people if I want them to respect me as a ruler" - and his "evil" mistress just comes along for the ride because she's THE most devoted woman ever.

The Peaceful - Unlike with King Viserys, this won't be a polite way to call Zuko "the cowardly/incompetent king." Like I said before, Zuko has a kind, righteous side and he is at his strongest when he embraces said side, and considering he helped end a 100 year and intends to be a merciful ruler, this just feels like a good title for him - not to mention, it will make it easier for enemies to understimate him, thinking he'll be easy to defeat, and then be brutally reminded that Zuko is being kind BY CHOICE, not because he can't ever be one hell of powerful, dangerous enemy to go against.

Sea Snake - @timur-pannonicus had Zuko be given that title after a major victory in his fanfic, and I just thought it was cool as hell. Plus I just love any connection to the three years Zuko spent at sea.

Titles For Both

The Conqueror - Zuko and Azula going the evil route, invading all the other nations and forcing the world to submit might be morally abhorent... but it's one hell of a great aesthetic and definitively makes them worthy of Aegon's title.

The Unworthy - Come on. Azula is Ozai's favorite, a prodigy, scarily competent and never "betrayed" the Fire Nation. Zuko is the firstborn, Ozai's MALE heir, won the crown and managed to help end a 100 year war. No way one of them gets crowned without half the nation/world going "BUT HIS/HER SIBLING DESERVED IT WAY! HE/SHE IS THE TRUE HEIR, NOT THIS DISGRACE OF A PERSON!"

Protector Of The Realm, Lord/Lady Of The Four Nations - Needs no explanation (but I do think Azula would only use the title of "Fire LADY" if she's rulling as Zuko's wife. If he had to marry her to win the crown, they're both having the title of Fire Lord)

Stormborn - That is just a very cool title and a future king/queen being born during an insanely dangerous storm is some epic myth stuff.

The Unlikely - Both of them are kids of the Fire Lord's second son, their uncle (aka the rightful heir) is still alive, Azula is a girl and younger than Zuko, and Zuko was fucking banished and disgraced. Nobody was making bets on either of them being crowned for a long time.

The King/Queen In Chains - Humiliating title for the sibling that lost the Agni Kai for the crown AND a thinly veiled way people have of saying "These royals are VERY kinky." Perfect for Zucest.

Phoenix King/Queen - Ozai's title was just objectively cool, Azula would totally see it as a legitimate thing just because her dad was the one to come up with it, and Zuko would TOTALLY want to be the first actually get to use that title as one last "FUCK YOU, DAD!"

Bonus

Azula has ABSOLUTELY called Zuko "The royal dum-dum" at some point, you cannot change my mind.

[atopvisenyashill]

hm, how could shireen win?

okay so i was actually thinking about stannis battle at winterfell and how he wins that but the thing is we don’t even know how he’s going to LOSE THAT age very well might have ALREADY lost but he also very well might have faked his death. but is he still going to lose even after faking his death? does he get run out because of the rickon plot? where the hell is shireen fitting into this bc if HE is the one to burn her, they’re not even in the same place right now! it’s possible he gains winterfell, sends for shireen, then winds up in a siege and burns her then? where the fuck is jon in all this?? still hanging out in ghost???? i hate guessing about this because it has to do with complex timeline stuff and i am so ass at that.

now regardless - what Stannis needs to win is a) more supplies to last the winter b) more fucking men and specifically northerners flocking to his cause and c) a stark in hand!! i do think, with rumors of several stark children flying about, that stannis is going to have a hard time keeping the attention of the northerners. and he NEEDS THEM here bc they’re the ones who are experienced with fighting and living in winter! and he NEEDS SUPPLIES bc the storms are getting worse, and everyone is already getting human sacrifice happy so if he wants to get control of that, he needs rations that are going to LAST. the easiest way to get all of these things is to take winterfell, but *tywin voice* can he hold it?? until ramsay is dead and the freys are dealt with, he’s fighting a very tricky and dangerous war against an enemy who does not fight fair. AND i think it’s not unlikely that the moment he tries to execute theon, bran (future bran, current bran, some combination? who knows) is gonna start screeching through the birds and the weirwoods to knock that shit off, that’s bran’s emotional support idiot thanks, and stannis is gonna have to deal with THAT too.

now how does shireen win? honestly….she just needs a single just one (1) competent guardian looking out for her. someone who doesn’t want to burn her, someone who is mentally aware enough to get her out of danger (sorry patchface). jon is generally anti burning people but he just got caesard and he’s gonna be living in ghost for a while. so she has her mom and melisandre.

her best bet is jon getting back to his body and back in control as soon as possible. from there….i mean again, it’s at winterfell with jon. he’s just the only adult besides davos who can keep her from being burned. i don’t know that winterfell will last through the long night but i do think being there is better than a lot of other places.

although if we’re talking “how does shireen win the war of five kings” again, this requires stannis to be a little less stannis. reaches out to robb with his intent to declare before robb is declared king, offers the men he’s been able to raise at dragonstone as backup to robb’s riverlands campaign. it’s fine if he tries to kill renly (he can cursed by the gods and just do it more lowkey ya know), but in that case he needs to reach out to dorne, offer shireen to trystane, so he has a little bit more backup here. he needs to get the tyrell’s before littlefinger - even if all he’s doing is cutting them off from the capital, and not making any sort of alliance - so when he and robb and maybe doran take the black water (with DAVOS in charge perhaps and not the idiots he originally had) the tyrell’s don’t fuck them from behind. he needs king’s landing, he needs to hold it. don’t ask me what the vale is doing right now.

once he wins, there will be questions about his heir - renly got merked, shireen is a girl. maybe melisandre is like “don’t worry we got this” or maybe stannis is like “did i stutter i said shireen is my heir” and that makes trystane prince/king consort, lmao. it’s possible he goes for a tyrell match up right away…..willas is old but that might be seen as a good thing, and mace gets his grandkid on the throne after all. or maybe shireen gets a brother and retires to highgarden/dorne to be left alone singing songs with patchface.

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

There’s something weird I never noticed before. So in ASOS, Stannis tells Davos that he saw the upcoming battle against the Others in one of Melisandre’s fires.

The ashes were white, rising in the updraft, yet all at once it seemed as if they were falling. Snow, I thought. Then the sparks in the air seemed to circle, to become a ring of torches, and I was looking through the fire down on some high hill in a forest. The cinders had become men in black behind the torches, and there were shapes moving through the snow. For all the heat of the fire, I felt a cold so terrible I shivered, and when I did the sight was gone, the fire but a fire once again. But what I saw was real, I’d stake my kingdom on it.

- Davos IV, ASOS

The “men in black behind torches” seems to suggest Night’s Watchment who are in the process of confronting the Others (“shapes moving through the snow”). I think it’s quite interesting that there is a sort of Azor Ahai imagery with these men, as they hold burning torches.

But then as I was reading this passage, I was suddenly reminded of one of Patchface’s jingles.

“Under the sea, it snows up,” said the fool, “and the rain is dry as bone. I know, I know, oh, oh, oh.”

- Prologue, ACOK

And I got to thinking, it seems that Patchface and Stannis are seeing the same thing (snow “falling” upward). Stannis also sees snow falling downwards, which kind of evokes a cycle. We don’t really know exactly what Patchface saw since the entire section contains several broken up and vague “prophecies”.

But regarding what we do know, my initial assumption was that Patchface’s jingle was essentially about death and the rising of wights. But then I also considered that he could also be referring to Jon Snow who seemingly dies at the end of ADWD and might be resurrected in TWOW.

They found Her Grace sewing by the fire, whilst her fool danced about to music only he could hear, the cowbells on his antlers clanging. “The crow, the crow,” Patchface cried when he saw Jon. “Under the sea the crows are white as snow, I know, I know, oh, oh, oh.” Princess Shireen was curled up in a window seat, her hood drawn up to hide the worst of the greyscale that had disfigured her face.

- Jon XI, ADWD

P.S: Coincidentally, Jon would (more generally) be among the men in black presented in Stannis’ vision since he is a member of the Night’s Watch; these men are also referred to as crows.

And speaking of Jon, we know that Melisandre has received visions of Jon’s death and possible rebirth.

The flames crackled softly, and in their crackling she heard the whispered name Jon Snow. His long face floated before her, limned in tongues of red and orange, appearing and disappearing again, a shadow half-seen behind a fluttering curtain. Now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again. But the skulls were here as well, the skulls were all around him. Melisandre had seen his danger before, had tried to warn the boy of it. Enemies all around him, daggers in the dark. He would not listen.

[…]

“What do you see, my lady?” the boy asked, softly. Skulls. A thousand skulls, and the bastard boy again. Jon Snow.

[…]

Yet now she could not even seem to find her king. I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R’hllor shows me only Snow.

- Melisandre I, ADWD

So Mel is seeing Jon in danger, but the “now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again” seems to suggest that he will return. She has tried to rely this information to Jon and we get a rather funny exchange, where Jon assumes that the “snow” Mel is talking about is frozen rain.

“And what of Mance? Is he lost as well? What do your fires show?”

“The same, I fear. Only snow.”

Snow. It was snowing heavily to the south, Jon knew. Only two days’ ride from here, the kingsroad was said to be impassable. Melisandre knows that too. And to the east, a savage storm was raging on the Bay of Seals. At last report, the ragtag fleet they had assembled to rescue the free folk from Hardhome still huddled at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, confined to port by the rough seas. “You are seeing cinders dancing in the updraft.”

- Jon X, ADWD

Note: I searched “updraft” and got this definition: “an upward current of air.”

Jon thinks Mel is talking about the very literal snow moving upward(?) in the air, but she says,

“I am seeing skulls. And you. I see your face every time I look into the flames. The danger that I warned you of grows very close now.”

Not snow, but Snow.

And just a final (random) thought to wrap this all up,

“One bird croaking my name was bad enough,” said Jon, “and snow’s nothing a black brother wants to hear about.” Snow often meant death in the north.

- Jon II, ACOK

Hmmm 🤔



[peachysunrize]

But Alysomond isn’t romantic. Why does this fandom think it is? Just because they slept together and she was SUPPOSEDLY pregnant with his child doesn’t mean they loved each other. Who was present at God’s Eye except Aemond, Alys and Daemon? People might’ve witnessed the dragon battle because it happened in the sky but no one was there to hear their private conversations and who knows what happened behind close doors in Harrenhal? I don’t think there will be any romance between them because they already made Alys kind of TB and they kind of gave her Aemond plot to Daemon. There aren’t a badass power couple to begin with. I wouldn’t be surprised if she really manipulated Aemond to get him to die from his own volition. Gayle said that Alys is 400 years old (like Melisandre from GoT) so it doesn’t make sense for her to be a Strong bastard in the show and we saw her making some drinks that made Daemon hallucinate. I believe that if she showed him the important vision in the last episode that she won’t do the same for Aemond and work against TG. Fans who think Alysmond is this dark amazing romance live in their own AU because how can they think it’ll still happen after what we were shown in HotD? The book is ambiguous so I understand that all of us make up our own theories of what really happened but this show tells their own narrative and there’s no way they’ll make Alysmond be what their shippers want them to be. It’s the same with Helaemond. Alys was made TB guys…

I never said book Alysmond is romantic if anything I have so many problems with that ship, but I have a tiny hope that with both of them being so doomed we might get a romance, yet again the writers won’t give Aemond any “redemption” arc because he’s their ultimate villain. I think most of the fans like it because it’s the only canon relationship Aemond has so🤷🏼‍♀️

But I agree, Alys has leaned into TB while in the books it’s the ambiguity that makes her interesting. Because if she saw Aemond’s death, why didn’t she tell him? Or even their relationship as “prize of war” is a bit sus.

I think Aemond fans are kind of defeated by this season’s writing choices so they’re hoping for something good to come out from Alysmond IF Aemond ever goes to Harrenhal.

[witheredoffherwitch]

People cite Alys's stillborn children as evidence she was unable to bear a living son, when in real life women manage to carry a child after suffering miscarriages and stillbirths, even in asoiaf, we can find several examples as Lysa, Naerys etc.

There is no information about the circumstances under which Alys got pregnant with these stillborn children, how old she was when it happened, whether it was of her own free will, or who fathered these children.

All we know though was that she eventually became a wetnurse for the legitimate children of her relatives. But why, instead of mourning her own children, did she end up being nothing but a "milk cow" for her so-called family? When historically, it was an extremely humiliating occupation aimed at exploiting women, which could cause deep pain and trauma. It is hard to say if she became one willingly, but even harder to say whether she even had a choice back then at all.

The saddest part was that she had to face the consequences of something she had no control over, as people started accusing her of sacrificing her children in order to gain certain powers and knowledges, labelling her as a witch (regardless of any magical abilities she could have or not), which further stigmatised her.

But have they ever considered that it is quite possible that, instead of getting the proper amount of rest that women should receive during pregnancy, Alys suffered stillborns as a result of her previous pregnancies, since she had to work hard as a servant to her own family. Considering general attitude toward bastards, it is possible that she had to endure daily abuse as well as a lot of stress, which could be detrimental to her pregnancies.

This is purely my guess, but perhaps among the factors why Alys managed to bear a child was that along with Strongs, a source of her greatest emotional turmoil was gone🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Hi nonnie, thanks for this ask. Once again, apologies for the late response 🙏

I wasn't aware that people were citing her stillborns as some proof of her infertility. That is just stupid, plain and simple! I'm in full agreement with your interpretation and if we are to purely rely on F&B, then this hypothesis is far more plausible. Her reputation as someone indulging in dark arts is certainly going to produce more bizarre theories around her stillborns. Moreover, like you said, we are never given any account of her past relationships; all we know is that she served as a wet nurse for Harwin and Larys, or even Lyonel. There is also a good chance that she was a proper witch that used glamour magic to appear younger (like Melisandre). And if that is true, then we don't know the true nature of these stillbirths.

However, I reckon they have their own version of Alys in mind for the show. While reading F&B, I had pictured Alys to be an alluring, poised figure. But the show seems to be going in a completely different direction. From leaks, she is revealed to be this kooky, charismatic character who is no stranger to trouble -- and given how they've paralleled Aemond's character as someone who is cold, lethal and distant, this pair will be a rather endearing contrast on-screen. It's uncertain how much backstory will be revealed since Gayle looks slightly younger than what I anticipated in the novel. There might be hints of her being Lyonel's (or even Simon's) bastard who knows a thing or two beyond an average individual (like a weird mix of Jojen, Orell and Osha). However, I doubt we'll get to see her as an all-powerful seer who can predict the future like one of those shadowbinders. I have talked about them being interesting headcanons but I doubt the show will proceed in that direction.

I am desperately waiting for a teaser reveal. I think we can even deduce lot of the character traits from the costume/wig design alone. Till now, the leaks and casting choice has me wondering if she will be a quirky mix between Ygritte and Osha.. rather than some alluring, mysterious depiction like Melisandre. I personally don't have a preference but considering Gayle's past performances, it looks like the former would suit her perfectly -- and honestly, she's going to kill it. Her screen presence rivals that of Ewan's; these two are going to be absolutely amazing!!

Once again, these are just mere speculations and should not be taken as a gospel truth. If her story is meant to end with the battle above God's eye, then we might not catch a glimpse of her past or witness a pregnancy arc. I desperately hope I am wrong here but let's see..

Thanks for the ask again!

Love, Kalki 🤗

[crystalelemental]

Unicorn Overlord, I unlocked the Coliseum and reached level 25, figured I'd check and see how far my team could make it up. Apparently the answer is "beat through Lv 36." With only the one team. That is stupid good.

Team is Alain, Melisandre, Nina, Scarlett, and Rosalinde.

Primarily, the focus here is on Nina Sweep. Melisandre has sure-hits, and takes out the Scouts and Fliers as needed, but it's Nina that finishes up. She has a buff skill that boosts Atk/Acc whenever an ally's assist skill activates, and in this case, it's Alain's shielding. I got her the axe you get for finding all the stone tablets in Drakenhold, which gives +5 to all stats and is generally a monster weapon. Because of this setup, she's able to just swing for like...infinity damage. I think the highest I've seen is like 148. The real fun is that with her default attack, she can regain 1AP when she nets a KO, which means she's just constantly swinging until the opponent is dead or manages to somehow dodge through her accuracy boosts. Because her initiative is so low compared to Melisandre, who is a flurry of attacks herself, the PP of opponents who can default block attacks tends to be negated outright, so Nina's just an unstoppable force. I don't even know why I'm training other characters. She's so good.

Meanwhile, Scarlett over here got a spell that causes Overheal, which lets us survive all sorts of insane damage output, and clears off status for a row when it lands, which means even the general gimmicks haven't really stopped NIna's shenanigans. This is a very fun composition to run.

"What does Rosalinde do?" See, that's the weak link. She tends to heal the same person Scarlett would, but they both do it because tactics are hard to figure out, so mostly she's wasteful. In ideal circumstances, she gets her AoE three-hit Wind attack, which is a super big help. But she often fails to do that. I'm considering just turning off her heals, or setting the parameters to be really low. I think with some tweaking, we might be able to clear this whole thing.

[musical-chick-13]

Hey, I saw your post about female characters being ignored and not cared about, one thing I know and tha I've seen is that; even if the female characters and side characters were all female—they would still genderbend them, or latch onto two male characters who have done no shit and give them better characterisation, the fandom will also flatten, cut out, and remove important characteristics of the important female characters, while giving important hc canons and what not to the two male characters.

It is plain old fandom misogy and has always been there from the beginning.

"Even when women and girls are at the forefront of the story, men will always be seeked out in whatever ways possible, and centralised—female characters on the other hand, will always be judged or ignored; people do not want to admit it, but they still have internalised misogyny to worked on, 'fandom is not activism' gives them an excuse and cover to not examine, women's stories or inner lives don't and have never mattered to a lot of people in varying degrees."

Overall, I just resonate with your frustrations and thought I was the only one . . .

Oh, you have come to the RIGHT place, my friend, I rant about this every other day at minimum.

FEMALE CHARACTERS!! WILL ALWAYS!!!! BE JUDGED OR IGNORED!!!!!!!!! Like. Chainsaw Man and Game of Thrones/ASoIaF have been praised significantly for letting all of the women in them be extremely flawed and complicated in differing and interesting ways, and I STILL see people not engaging with them and/or reducing most of them to one (1) characteristic. (Cersei is a "crazy bitch," Sansa is "stupid" (??), Catelyn is a terrible mom, Melisandre is...there; Kobeni is obnoxious, Makima is hot, Himeno is the Worst™, etc. etc.) And there should be an overwhelming abundance of increasingly implausible f/f ship content, right? (There isn't.)

(And ohhhhh, people want to erase the importance of women to the overall narrative and its themes (and their canonical importance to other-usually male-characters) so bad, see: Cersei, Himeno, Irene Adler, Mary Morstan, MCU Natasha, Camille O'Connell, Bonnie Bennett, Lizzie Saltzman, Mai from AtLA, Martha Jones, tbh even River gets a fair amount of this. And then some of this is obviously combined with racism when the character is a WOC.)

And I don't have a problem with genderbending characters-gender is complicated, and exploring different facets of how a character might interact with the world if their gender identity changed is incredibly interesting!! But it's...very telling that, historically, I have seen this happen a lopsided amount in one direction, where the female characters are reimagined as men and not vice versa. (Remember when a not-insignificant number of people could only stomach BBC Sherlock/Irene if they reimagined Irene as a man? And then got mad at Elementary for CANONICALLY reinterpreting Watson as a woman? Good times. 🙄)

Just...so many of these wildly-hated or ignored women are...not any less complex than a lot of fictional men who get popular. (I'm sorry, you want to tell me that Misa is not at LEAST as interesting and worthy of sympathy as K*lo fucking Ren? When she has the backstory she does and presents an engaging dichotomy of "bubbly/silly yet murderous" and deconstructs the idea of extreme single-minded devotion NO I'M NOT MAD ABOUT THIS WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT)

And the idea of "fandom is not activism" is supposed to be used in the sense of "Liking a pRoBLeMaTiC dynamic/character in a story doesn't mean you think that behavior is okay in real life" (finding a fictional war criminal interesting doesn't equate to supporting genocide, exploring a toxic dynamic in fic doesn't inherently mean you hate victims, etc.), and "Paying lip service to marginalized/mistreated fictional characters is not the same as helping and supporting actual marginalized/mistreated people in real life." It doesn't mean, "We ignore obvious examples of misogyny and racism and ableism and transphobia and all other prejudices just because this is supposed to be fun." Biases are systemically ingrained, and any given person will bring those biases into all facets of their life; that doesn't just magically stop happening because one of those life facets happens to be a hobby or form of entertainment. Breaking down and dismantling prejudice has to happen on every level, including the """small""" ones.

The only time I have ever seen people engage with multiple female characters on a regular basis while admitting to their importance and narrative complexity and actually creating fanworks about them is Noir (2001). And that's because there are a whole 10 people in this fandom and the show has no men. (Okay, not literally, but you know what I mean.) And it's just so incredibly frustrating that that's the point we have to get to just for it to be possible for people to bother with a work's female characters on an enthusiastic, regular basis. (Because, as you said-that doesn't always happen even when those conditions are met.)

ANYWAY, I'm so sorry for making this response so lengthy, but genuinely I have been holding this in for a long time. TLDR, you're right and you should say it. You definitely aren't the only one, and I'm so, so glad that somebody Gets It.

[bidonica]

“Stannis craves love and approval” is this just in romantic relationships or in general? He seems to want Roberts love and approval a lot. also renly’s approval- is that out of love or wanting obedience do you think? And with no father but also no mother or female figure in his life more marriage. Do you think he’d be the same if he had a sister? Or do you think he’d be too sexist to be close to her even if she gave him love and probably?

I don't think Stannis *necessarily* wants romantic love, but as you noted, he grew up without a normal support system, on top of literally witnessing his parents die. I believe Stannis loved his brothers deeply, and his tragedy is that not only their personalities don't naturally align with his (though being different doesn't mean being incompatible; sometimes it's quite the contrary), but circumstances worked to exacerbate a divide that, in an ideal world, might not have gotten that deep. Instead, Stannis got parentified more than Robert, who got the chance to fuck off to the Vale where he found surrogate father and brother figures in Jon Arryn and Ned Stark. Stannis was the one who had to hold the family castle during an excruciating siege, making difficult choices. Stannis was the one who looked after little Renly. More often than not, he found himself in the position of head of the family, while getting none of the recognition and all of the responsibility. He sacrificed the kid who cared about crippled animals to become the man he was asked to be - by Robert, by society at large (something something the real enemy is the patriarchy and it doesn't only hurt women) - hard, unbending, and with thick emotional walls built around him. And it's not paying dividends. His older brother died without actual legitimate heirs and his younger brother thought nothing better than to seize the chance to try and jump to the front of the succession line, just because he's good at PR.

It's not just infuriating for Stannis as a blow to his pride and blatant disregard of the laws their whole political system hinges on, it's the depressing realization that he's basically no one's first choice, not even of the brother he helped raise. An awful lot of his political support is actually brought in by his Florent wife, who has better connections than him - the theoretical prince of Dragonstone. We see only two people *believing* in Stannis: first Davos, and then Melisandre. The fact that she is so stalwart in her belief that Stannis is the Chosen One, and without asking anything in return (now she is the one living the ascetic life in her own way) is something that's pretty much unprecedented in Stannis' life. That's why I think he fell for it pretty easily - though "fell for it" is a bit unfair to Mel, since she also sincerely believes in her mission. Too bad she's wrong. And yeah I think that the fact that he got some sort of companionship out of having her by his side was a plus for Stannis, though he will never admit it. But that's Stannis, he wants things but can't even admit it to himself, which is true even in its darker permutation, because he essentially committed kinslaying by proxy, and he can lie to himself but deep down he's bearing that guilt. I bet that's what's consuming him besides his body taking the toll for being involved in shadowbinding.

As for a hypothetical sister… I don’t know, too many variables. What kind of person would she be? Would she love him, hate him, make fun of him? I think that might influence their theoretical relationship more than her gender.

[lavalais76]

Glad I’m not the only one who thinks Satin played a major role in Jon’s stabbing…..

Everyone knows the pink letter, everyone has a theory on who wrote it, well try this one on. In a Feast for Crows Ch. 17, Cersei is discussing the Nights Watch helping Stannis, and after discussion, Cersei and Qyburn decides to sent assassins to kill Jon Snow. Now I want you to think back on the very many times Cersei needed devious help. Who did she use? Littlefinger. Who just so happens has plans for Sansa to take the North. So bastard brother could be a inheritance issue depending on how the lords react to Stannis offer. Wartime male commander proven in battle? Or a female who never led troops? They would pick Jon. So who does Littlefinger employ? Whores. Whorehouses everywhere. Enter Satin at Castle Black. A male whore from oldtown who somehow just happened to find himself in Gulltown in the Vale before being sent to the wall. Sorry whores don’t leave a bigger nicer town to travel across the entire continent. His story is very suspect. Who knows how to read and write which is very very rare. Whores don’t learn how to read and write. Many nobles don’t even learn. So he becomes steward to Jon. Able to search, snoop, possible Sweetsleep Jon, if your wondering why light hurts him, his hands don’t work very good at times, and his sudden mood swings. So Satin arrives and finds the perfect plot already brewing. Bowen Marsh, and most importantly Clydas. Maester Aemon assistant and the only one trained to handle ravens at Castle Black. So they already control the information coming in from the entire North. How did they know Reek escaped and Arya? Well it would make sense to send a raven warning them. The pink letter is full of terms used by wildlings, who knows those but wildlings and Nights Watch who deal with them every day? Bowen Marsh is fully believing Jon is destroying the Watch and will bring doom upon them. But you can’t just walk up and kill Jon. The rest would kill Bowen and gang. You have to get him to flat out break his vows. Then you have the justification for stabbing him “for the watch”. So you read every letter that arrived, Satin overheard pretty much every conversation, write it in a very nice handwriting. Not blood, which flaked and blocky letters like the 2 Ramsey sent. Not Roose Bolton cause that letter would inflame the north against him and you cannot threaten to attack the watch in the north without repercussions. Not Barbrey Dustin or Mance since Roose would be guarding the ravens to prevent any word from leaking. Stannis is very short on ravens. The seal was smeared instead of the usual button of pink. It was designed to piss Jon off and get him to stand in front of everyone and break his vows publicly. Once he read it and said he was going south with a army, they can kill him and be in the right for doing it. Satin reports back to Littlefinger, who tells Cersei. Littlefinger gets trust, and one less problem to Sansa’s takeover. Cersei gets one less Stark for the north to rally behind. Since she knows Arya is fake. And as a added bonus, many people wonder how Sansa will flee the vale to go north, well she just got informed that Jon is Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, so I imagine she will watch for any ravens or news. Imagine the shock and horror when the completion letter arrives that shows Littlefinger had her brother killed. Might make her rush north. Or slay the giant in the snow. But either way the letter was written by Bowen Marsh desperate to stop Jon from destroying the watch, Satin the whore from Oldtown, who somehow wound up in the vale in Gulltown before coming to the wall, and Clydas, who controls all ravens.

As for the wildling terms used you write how you talk based on where you live. As for asking for the queen, princess, Val, Melisandre, how would anyone in Winterfell even know who Val is? Or that reek and Arya would go there to castle black? His wife was supposed to go to nightfort. But if your Bowen Marsh, you know who everyone is and he wants them ALL gone. Anyone associated with stannis, wildlings, and so yes he would demand they all be sent away to Winterfell, knowing Jon can’t do it. You threaten Val, wildlings ready to kill, threaten queen and co. And Jon is in a horrible spot, but can count on both groups to give him the troops to start revenge planning. He reads the letter out, declares he’s gone, they roar approval, and he is a traitor.

Edit: some guy asked about how satin can get there and be little fingers tool. Tin foil hat time. But Jon was never going to live. As for little finger and satin, little finger plans ahead. Far ahead. Honestly tin foil hat time, what was really in the letter from Lysa? In code. Really hidden and delivered at the perfect time to force Ned south? Who wants Ned dead? Who wants Jon dead? Ummm Lysa is totally bonkers and nuts. She can’t plan anything or fight her way out of a wet paper bag. But boss man little finger can. And Catylen is convinced he’s her true friend. That is littlefinger fingers all over it. And Catylen hasn’t made qualms about wanting Jon gone and wiped off the face of the earth. Go reread the first few chapters. She is daydreaming during lovemaking. About hot springs, family, everything but Ned. Oh she claims to love Ned, Ned is bitter over his brother. But not his sister who ran off and started everything? Brandon did what any brother would do. Cat forces him south, and somehow Benjen talks to maester luwin about Jon joining the Nights Watch. Why the hell would benjan not talk to Ned?!?!?! So yeah they knew Jon was going to the wall sooner or later. Luwin was telling Jon for a while how AWESOME the wall was. Why lie to Jon unless he has to go cause he is a threat. So there’s my two cents on that. She is terrified of Jon taking her kids inheritance. Why? Cause he is the rightful heir. Not robb

[windriverdelta]

What worth a blood sacrifice (to Euron Greyjoy) in ASOIAF?

A matter of dispute both in-story (among Cersei Lannister's councillors in Cersei VII AFFC) and among readers (e.g contributions by @racefortheironthrone, @warsofasoiaf and @madeinmyr) is the size of Euron Greyjoy's fleet. Specifically, whether it is actually plausible that he could invade the Reach with a thousand ships, given the population size of the Iron Islands.

I'd like to follow up on @warsofasoiaf's comment that it'd be true only if "they started counting every tiny fishing boat as a ship". True, you wouldn't want to head into battle on a fishing boat or send fishermen into a fight, but if the "battle" is actually a giant blood sacrifice? What's not good for one thing may be good for another.

So, what worth is a blood sacrifice? Melisandre says that there is magic in king's blood, but that's less meaningful than it sounds - what determines who is a "king" for the purpose of magic? Bloodline? Acclamation? Election? Empirically, she got good use out of burning Alester Florent despite him having only a remote link to kings and Moqorro got magic out of sacrificed slaves with no connection to kings at all. Different magic type, but the First Men offered prisoners of war to weirwood trees (Bran III ADWD), again with no links to kings. More indicative probably are Melisandre's words in Davos V and VI ASOS (emphasis mine):

"The Lord of Light cherishes the innocent. There is no sacrifice more precious. From his king's blood and his untainted fire, a dragon shall be born." "If a man with a thousand cows gives one to god, that is nothing. But a man who offers the only cow he owns..."

Now, Alester Florent is again an exception as he's a self-serving traitor, and not in any way innocent*. However, Edric Storm definitely is innocent, as are the slaves that Moqorro** burns. And maester Kerwin and the boy sex slaves that Victarion drowns, too, if we assume that the same principles of blood magic apply. I think that the most parsimonious reading is that any sacrifice is acceptable, but these of people dear to you, innocents and relatives of kings are much more valuable.

This notion of sacrificing innocents or people important to you yielding more magical mojo also works narratively, being a morality challenge for magic users as exemplified by the Davos-Melisandre-Stannis debate on sacrificing Edric Storm: How much and who are you willing to lose for the sake of a spell, and what does it say about you? If all you need is a Septon Utt or a Gregor Clegane or Ramsay Snow, then the point doesn't land as well.

Now, Euron Greyjoy is never going to have any moral qualms about anything, including sacrificing other people, and the only thing he cares about is his own power and advancement. Still, it's likely that sacrificing his supporters*** or simple fishermen of the Iron Islands would yield a bigger magical payoff than sacrificing the professional Iron Fleet (which he sent to Slaver's Bay), potential political rivals (the lords he installed on the Shield Islands), disinterested people or opportunists (people who stayed behind in the Iron Islands, in the North, at the Arbor or the Shields, such as "It's the Arbor we want" Red Ralf - we know that Euron faced resistance and had to change his plans while he was on the Shields). So in a way, if the "thousand ships" include fishermen and/or fishing vessels****, that might actually benefit Euron's plans. Sure, not having all people of the Iron Islands in the Whispering Sound isn't great, and the Redwyne and Oldtown navies aren't very valuable as sacrifices if they are part of it at all*****, but blood sacrifice quality-wise Euron has brought the goodies along.

(Enquiring minds would like to know why Euron needs to go all the way to Oldtown if a blood sacrifice is his goal. I think it's because he needs a favourable background, like the availability of priests, the various magical associations of Oldtown, possibly the arrival of one of Daenerys' dragons ensorceled by Dragonbinder, for the sac to have the maximum effect)

*Sorry, Onion Knight, but this time you are simply wrong when arguing otherwise, and turtle-paced and agentrouka are right, putting the morality of execution by cremation aside for a moment. **While Stannis probably isn't consciously articulating any principles of blood magic when he says "If I must sacrifice one child to the flames to save a million from the dark . . . Sacrifice . . . is never easy, Davos. Or it is no true sacrifice." I think Moqorro has made the same calculus, that burning a few innocent slaves for the sake of the many that Daenerys can rescue if he can bring her to Volantis is an acceptable trade-off. Note that both he and Melisandre subscribe to the same religion and magic style, and have a good vs evil worldview. ***According to the Aeron TWOW chapter and AWOIAF, the people sailing into the blood sacrifice/battle of the Whispering Sound are Left-Hand Lucas Codd and Pinchface Jon Myre (supported Euron at the Kingsmoot, traded insults with Asha there), the Red Oarsman (supported Euron at the Kingsmoot, laughing at Aeron and Asha), Stonehand (supported Euron at the Kingsmoot), Rogin Salt-Beard (unknown), Torwold Browntooth (supported Euron at the Kingsmoot), House Wynch (among Euron's first supporters) and House Goodbrother (switched from Victarion to Euron at the Kingsmoot)

****Aeron sees fishing vessels in TWOW, but it's not clear if they came from the Iron Islands or were captured later. Victarion frequently refers to capturing fishing vessels, and Samwell V AFFC mentions attacks on fishermen villages and wrecked fishing vessels around the Whispering Sound. *****Their absence in Aeron's vision of "He saw the longships of the Ironborn adrift and burning on a boiling blood­-red sea. He saw his brother on the Iron Throne again, but Euron was no longer human" makes one wonder.

[chaos-has-theories]

(tags on my post about the Hanseatic league, by @smoresbythefyresyde and @voyage-of-the-basset)

That's two... and I meant to see if at least a third one would come in, but fuck it, I want to talk about the aye-aye.

This is an aye-aye. (A baby, to be exact; her name is Melisandre.)

If you just said "what the fuck is this", congratulations, you have contributed to one of the theories as to what its name means. (Apparently it's either a cry of astonishment; or "I don't know", or "we do not speak of this") If you want a name that's more informative, it's also called "long-fingered lemur".

And yes, it's a real animal, as i discovered to my shock while reading a book by Eva Ibbotson a few years after reading Physik. It's essentially a small primate that looks like a rodent and works like a woodpecker. (Though, please keep in mind, I am not well-versed in biology, and mostly got this off Wikipedia.)

Most of the pictures I could find of them look like when you suddenly turn the lights on on someone who was trying to sneak to the refridgerator in the middle of the night; probably because that's exactly what's happening here - they're nocturnal. They're also endangered and live exclusively in Madagascar, which means -

yeah. You probably have seen an aye-aye before.

Anyway, as you might see, they do not actually have a needle-like tooth, with which they spread a Sicknesse that can only be cured by the ancient art of Alchemie,

but they do have. Fingers.

Like, fascinatingly freaky fingers.

First of all, they technically have six of them, having developed a "pseudothumb" (and being the first primate discovered to have one!) Then there's the third finger, which is super thin: It's used to knock on wood to find hollow spots, which the aye-aye then chews open to fish out grubs using the fourth, long finger. In fact, those fingers are so specialized for "percussive foraging" that they're not even particularly good for moving about anymore - accordning to this article it looks "like a strange lemur walking on spiders". Which, wow.

I can't tell you why Angie Sage decided to add an endangered madagascar lemur into her story about future (?) fantasy England, nor why she added a tooth when it already has perfectly fascinating appendages... which is not to mention the fact that she continuously describes its tail as "snakelike" or "ratlike", when really it looks more like that of a squirrel.

But if you want to know why she used it for a narrative that hits a little too close to home during Covid, I direct you to the "folk belief" section:

The aye-aye is often viewed as a harbinger of evil and death and killed on sight. Others believe, if one points its narrowest finger at someone, they are marked for death. Some say that the appearance of an aye-aye in a village predicts the death of a villager, and the only way to prevent this is to kill it. The Sakalava people go so far as to claim aye-ayes sneak into houses through the thatched roofs and murder the sleeping occupants by using their middle fingers to puncture their victims' aorta.

On a slightly more positive (?) note, the German page states that "the aye-aye will make a pillow of grass for every human who sleeps in the forest", which is a good thing when found under your head and a bad thing when found beneath your feet; and that you actually shouldn't kill an aye-aye, lest you die within the year.

Either way an absolute creature which I might adore now; but possibly not one you want to come across in the middle of the night.

[thelustybraavosimaid]

Mance nodded. "Good. You'll go with Jarl and Styr on the morrow, then. Both of you. Far be it from me to separate two hearts that beat as one." (Jon II, ASoS)

--

Two hearts that beat as one. Mance Rayder's mocking words rang bitter in his head. (Jon III, ASoS)

To separate two hearts that beat as one is a curious phrase.

If one of my men told me his sister was in peril, I would tell him that was no concern of his. Once a man had said the words his blood was black. Black as a bastard's heart. (Jon VI, ADwD)

--

"The heart is all that matters. Do not despair, Lord Snow. Despair is a weapon of the enemy, whose name may not be spoken. Your sister is not lost to you."

"I have no sister." The words were knives. What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister?

Melisandre seemed amused. "What is her name, this little sister that you do not have?"

"Arya." His voice was hoarse. "My half-sister, truly…"

"…for you are bastard born. I had not forgotten. [...]" (Jon VI, ADwD)

--

"You are cruel to come to my hill, cruel. I gorged on grief at Summerhall, I need none of yours. Begone from here, dark heart. Begone!" (Arya VIII, ASoS)

The "two hearts that beat as one" had already been separated, way back in Jon II, AGoT.

"Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle. Who knows?" (Jon II, AGoT)

--

She yearned to see her mother again, and Robb and Bran and Rickon...but it was Jon Snow she thought of most. She wished somehow they could come to the Wall before Winterfell, so Jon might muss up her hair and call her "little sister." She'd tell him, "I missed you," and he'd say it too at the very same moment, the way they always used to say things together. She would have liked that. She would have liked that better than anything. (Arya I, ACoK)

There is a quote of Jon's that parallels this.

He missed his true brothers: little Rickon, bright eyes shining as he begged for a sweet; Robb, his rival and best friend and constant companion; Bran, stubborn and curious, always wanting to follow and join in whatever Jon and Robb were doing. He missed the girls too, even Sansa, who never called him anything but "my half brother" since she was old enough to understand what bastard meant. And Arya…he missed her even more than Robb, skinny little thing that she was, all scraped knees and tangled hair and torn clothes, so fierce and willful. Arya never seemed to fit, no more than he had...yet she could always make Jon smile. He would give anything to be with her now, to muss up her hair once more and watch her make a face, to hear her finish a sentence with him. (Jon III, AGoT)

--

She would have given anything if Jon had been here to call her "little sister" and muss her hair. Not that it needed mussing. She'd seen her reflection in puddles, and she didn't think hair got any more mussed than hers. (Arya V, AGoT)

It's the memory of Arya's laugh that kept him warm on the (eighteen days?) trip to the Wall, which directly implies that Arya is the symbol of warmth to him.

The memory of her laughter warmed him on the long ride north. (Jon II, AGoT)

--

Chunks of coal burned in iron braziers at either end of the long room, but Jon found himself shivering. The chill was always with him here. In a few years he would forget what it felt like to be warm. (Jon III, AGoT)

He feels lonely without his family, but he misses Arya the most especially, even more than Robb, who he himself described as his best friend and constant companion.

[ragingbookdragon]

I’m Only A Crack In This Castle Of Glass (Hardly Anything Else I Need To Be) PT. 7

Batfamily x Batsis Story

Word Count: 2.1K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst

Author’s Note: Anyone order a part seven? Cause I got a part seven for y'all. Enjoy! -Thorne

**********************************************************************

Ever since the meeting that night, she’d gotten more letters from her family than she’d ever received in twenty-one years. Not that she decided to read them. The first line from Dick’s letter was, ”I never wanted you to leave because of me. If only I’d known…”. She couldn’t keep reading, and she wasn’t sure if it were from guilt, sadness, or anger, but there was something there that she didn’t want to face.

It didn’t stop there though. They kept coming even if she tacked a return to sender on it and sent it back. She’d even labeled one and written, ”Stop writing me.” but that didn’t stop them. Wally texted her every other night on top of the letters and she wanted to strangle him through the phone.

She knew though, that if she could keep holding out for three more months, she’d be home free. Wherever home was at this point. Every city she kept thinking about had some type of vigilante and there was nothing that didn’t; eventually she decided on Coast City. Somewhere warm and sunny, and as far from Gotham and Central as possible.

Of course that little voice in the back of her head just kept telling her to talk to them, but she was going to be as stubborn against it as possible—but time was dwindling, and so was her resolve.

***

“Ophelia, have you seen the extra bag of espresso beans? I can’t remember where you put them the other week.” She waited for a response. “Ophelia?” she turned and frowned. “Why did I accept the manager’s position when I can’t even round up my workers?”

She walked out of the storage and wiped her hands on the rag at her waist. “Ophelia?” A giggle sounded at the counter and when she walked out, her eyes went wide at the sight.

Jason was leaning against the counter with that smile he used to use on the models at the galas. He smiled at Ophelia. “Tell me, what do you make better, the cappuccinos or lattes?”

“Well, I make a —”

“She makes a mean ‘get in the back and find my espresso beans’,” she grunted and both of them jumped.

“Melisandre!” Ophelia stuttered, pale cheeks flushing pink. “I thought you were in the back.”

“I was. Think you can go find the coffee beans you put away?” She shot Ophelia a stare that screamed ‘scram’ and the girl nodded, hurrying to the storage room.

“Aww, why’d you run the cutie off, Melisandre?” Jason queried. “I was going to ask her out on—”

“Can I talk to you?” she interrupted, voice barely containing her seething rage. “Outside.”

Jason shrugged and shoved his hands in his jean pockets. “Sure, but be careful, people might get suspicious.”

She grunted and walked outside, listening to him follow and when the door shut, she turned around and hissed, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just getting coffee.”

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me, Jason. We both know that’s a load of bullshit.”

His eyes narrowed and he noted, “You’ve really gotten comfortable using foul language. You know that, (Y/N)?”

She glared at him. “What. Do. You. Want.”

“You won’t answer our letters,” he shrugged. “Didn’t have a lot of options to talk.”

“And showing up at my job is the better option?” she griped.

“It was that or your house, (Y/N). Take your pick but you can’t have both.”

“Well, maybe my silence is supposed to be the answer to those letters. Did you think about that?”

“I did,” he nodded. “But after the third letter being rejected, I decided to go big or go home.”

(Y/N) growled. “Go home.”

Jason smirked. “No.”

“I’m not fucking joking here, Jason. I don’t want you coming here. Ever.”

“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn,” he retorted then stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. “You don’t wanna talk willingly, fine. I’ll make you talk to me. And if I have to show up here every day, I will.”

“No, you won’t.”

Jason cocked a brow and tightened his grip. “You wanna bet? Because I’m not Dick and I’m sure as hell not Bruce. I don’t have a day job to get to.” He smirked. “I can do this all day.”

(Y/N) bit the inside of her cheek and thought for a moment then sighed and yanked her arm away. “Fine. Come to my apartment after five. We’ll talk there.”

“Thank—”

“Don’t thank me yet,” she interrupted coldly. “I’m agreeing for one meeting and then you fuck off back to Gotham City and leave me the hell alone for good.” She spun on her heel and started back for the door when his voice reached her, tired and pained.

“Do you really hate all of us? Do you really hate us like you make yourself think you do?”

(Y/N)’s feet felt like lead and she stopped, gazing at the glass door. “I don’t know, Jason.”

“Then let me help.”

“You can find the apartment on your own. I know you’re good at looking for homes.” She slipped in the café door, leaving him standing there shocked and hurt.

***

Sure enough, a minute after five o’clock, her doorbell rang and she called, “It’s open.” The door opened and shut, and she looked up from the little kitchenette, watching the way Jason walked into her apartment, gazing around the empty living room.

“Shit, do you live in a home or a prison cell?”

(Y/N) grunted. “Nice quip. Come up with that by yourself?”

He wandered into the kitchen, leaning back against the counter as she prepared dinner. “What’re you making?”

“Chicken marsala,” she replied. “You’re here to talk. Start talking.”

“Are you going to be a bitch like you were the other night or can I ask about life in Central the last three years?” she shot him a glare, warning him, but he paid it no mind. “You going to school?”

(Y/N) nodded. “I go to Central City Community College. Take classes all week at different times.”

“What are you studying?” he asked.

“For now, general studies, but I’m minoring in political science.”

“Planning on a four year after you graduate?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.” Her hands stalled for a moment. “I don’t have the money for a big school to get a bachelors.” Shaking her head, she chopped up the vegetables. “Figure if I can get a job in the area, I can scrounge up enough to start the process though.”

“Might take years,” Jason noted, and she nodded.

“Yeah, hard work usually does.” (Y/N) glanced at him. “What’s Cassandra like?”

He blinked, evidently not expecting that, though he recovered and smiled. “She’s great honestly. Kicks ass better than anyone I know.”

“Even Batman?”

Jason huffed a laugh. “I’m sure she could wipe the floor with each of us if she decided to not hold back. Her mom’s Lady Shiva and her dad’s David Cain.”

“I don’t know who they are but I’m assuming from the tone that they’re not exactly the best parents in the world.”

“No…they’re not.” He agreed. “David didn’t teach Cass how to speak so she’s been mute all her life.”

“I’ve heard the few interviews she’s given,” (Y/N) replied. “She’s very eloquent when she does.”

“Shakespeare’s influence. And probably Emily Dickinson.” He smiled. “I leave her a lot of books to read so I can be her favorite.”

She snorted. “Yeah, that sounds like you.” Sliding the cast iron skillet into the oven, she sat at the crappy metal dining table, Jason taking the seat on the other side. (Y/N) scratched at the table. “Does Bruce like her?” she questioned lowly, and he nodded.

“Loves her like she’s his own.” He her with cautious eyes. “Just like he loves you.” Jason watched the emotion flash across her face, quick as lighting, a deep sorrow, then she was humming.

“Well, that’s good then.” She cleared her throat and looked at the clock. “How’ve you been? I hear a lot about Outlaws.”

Jason chuckled. “Yeah, that’s my band of renegades. Me, Roy Harper, and Koriand’r.”

“Remind me, those were Speedy and Starfire, right?”

He snorted. “Arsenal and Starfire. But yeah, close enough.”

(Y/N) got up and pulled two glasses from the cabinet before going to the refrigerator and getting the lemonade. She poured them both glasses and sat back down. “How’d you manage to wrangle two of the Titans into your posse?”

“Kori willingly tagged along, and Roy won’t leave me alone,” he griped, sipping his lemonade.

“Mmm…and how does Dick feel about you stealing two of his exes?”

Jason choked on his drink, spilling it on the table and down his chin. “That’s not—” he coughed. “That’s not what that is.”

“Uh huh, sure it’s not.”

“It isn’t,” he glowered.

“Riiiiiiight,” she drawled out with a grin, then took a sip and set her glass back down. “Figured you’d get Cass along with you. she seems like she’d be fit for Outlaws.”

He shook his head. “Nah, she’d be better off with Tim and his Young Justice weirdos.”

“She non-lethal?”

“Mhm.”

They dwindled into silence until the timer went off on the oven and she pulled the skillet out and set two plates on the table. “You’re gonna feed me?” he asked as she handed him a fork.

(Y/N) scoffed. “Duh. I’m a bitch, but I’m a bitch with manners.” She smiled sweetly. “But you have to leave afterwards.”

“Mmm…can I crash on your couch?”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

He shrugged. “Figured I’d try anyways.”

They ate in silence, occasionally speaking about their lives the last three years, and when the food was all gone and the lemonade drunk, he sighed and reclined in the chair.

“What?” (Y/N) questioned and he shrugged.

“Dunno…I’d like to do this again soon.” His teal eyes found hers. “It’s been too long since we were together.”

“Tread carefully,” she murmured, looking at the wall and he sighed.

“Sis, talk to me,” he begged. “Even if it’s just to tell me how much you hate me, just talk to me.” She didn’t respond and he sighed again, standing from the table. “Thanks for dinner.”

“…I hate that you all put Gotham and every civilian before our family.” Jason stopped dead in his tracks and turned, gazing at her, though she didn’t tear her eyes from the wall. “I hate that the only time I felt like anyone paid any attention to me was when we were at galas and even then, the attention was just for show. It didn’t matter because all anyone wanted to do was get the hell out of the manor and go on patrol. It didn’t matter because I wasn’t like any of you. I wasn’t a part of the real family.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “I hate that I spent more nights sitting in a dark and silent manor than spending them with my family. I hate that I never had a normal family growing up where we’d go for ice-cream after school and attend school performances. I hate that I got stuck with a bunch of siblings hellbent on giving every piece of themselves to the world and they couldn’t take one night off to have a family night to save their lives. To at least pretend to be normal.”

(Y/N) finally took her eyes from the wall and he felt his heart tighten as the tears slipped down her cheeks and she breathed, “I hate that I was born Bruce Wayne’s biological daughter and I’d give anything and everything I have to be someone else’s daughter and sister.”

Jason’s mouth felt dry, and he didn’t have single thing to say to her and she whispered, “Is that what you wanted to hear, Jason?” she blinked. “Because that’s what I feel every morning I wake up.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, and she cleared her throat, wiping her cheeks.

“Yeah well, I’m three years passed sorry.” (Y/N) nodded to the front door. “You should leave now.”

Jason nodded but his feet didn’t move. For a moment, he couldn’t move them, then he sucked in a breath and started edging back to the door. When he neared the door, he pulled it open and paused, looking back at her. “(Y/N)?” she didn’t answer but he said it anyway. “I love you. More than you’ve ever known.” He sighed and stepped out, closing it behind him.

(Y/N) buried her face in her hands and sobbed alone at the dinner table.

********************************************************************************

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