#Does he die eventually? Do the hunger games end?

[districtscare]

so yeah whatever you say about haymitch abernathy, one of the things i am dead set on being true of him is that he has the worst luck/should by default consider himself a bad omen. example

> wins the hunger games at 16 years old as an impoverished boy from the poorest part of the worst-off district via his wit & intelligence rather than murder & is then successful because he uses the arena as a weapon along with his smarts. it's also the second quarter quell and he's forced to face off against 47 other tributes, 3 who are FROM HIS DISTRICT.

> still gets people killed as punishment (his family) + watches his ally die brutally to candy pink mutts in a poison haven arena

> starts mentoring

> every single tribute of his dies no matter what he tries to do as a mentor. + picks up a drinking habit to cope with his ptsd and eventually becomes a closed off, solitary alcoholic

> finally gets 2 kids out of the arena and back home after 23 years of losses

> they don't die but they almost do multiple times and so he has to sacrifice SEVERAL THINGS for them & the good of panem's future + is institutionalized for his alcoholism far away from everything that's happening for a short while

> when released helps lead a rebellion & end the cruelty and opressive nature of the hunger games and snow's reign (as vengeance for what he's been put through and to make up for the things he's lost so no one goes through that ever again.)

> is still unable to shake his addiction and is left just as lonely as he started with several of his friends being dead, no lovers, the 2 kids he saved being the only people he cares for alive and a couple geese that are independent

DO WE GET IT. because haymitch does so much and is paid back in nothing minus other people's happiness. but never his own. never for him to live a life of care and enjoyment and retirement. never for him to know the good ways of the world and always forced to face the worst of it.

[ghcstao3]

been on a hunger games kick lately so. ghoapifying time!! yippee yahoo

(edit: extra because i felt a little silly)

-

Simon isn’t much when his name is reaped, just days after he’d turned 18. He’s scrawny, starved, scarred—being from District 10, the only thing he’s ever known is butchery, so maybe he’s of use with knives, but it really means nothing to him. Not when his older brother Tommy had gotten killed by Peacekeepers, not when his mother had died of illness, not when his father couldn’t give less of a shit when his youngest son is sent to die.

So all he can do is accept his fate. All he can do is listen to his mentor, train in the fleeting days he has left, and try to survive. No matter if the odds would never, ever be in his favour.

Simon doesn’t remember much from the days leading to the games. All he can really recall is the absurd pageantry and the lack of privacy, though it had been nice to be freed from the stench of blood, if only for a few days. It was nice, not having grime beneath his fingernails.

If he’s honest, he doesn’t remember much from the Games, either. Simon hadn’t made allies, didn’t need to—even his necessary loyalty to the girl from his district was tentative at best. She would still come down to being another competitor, in the end. Simon didn’t want to die, he couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

And he doesn’t. He wins, somehow—maybe out of spite. Maybe out of fear, or out of vengeance. Simon doesn’t know.

All he knows is that he hates the man he’d become in that arena.

* * *

Johnny was born and raised in the Capitol. Maybe not in a family that was the richest of the rich, but still much better off than anyone found in the districts. He’s only ever known some sense of luxury, has never encountered the cruelty of the real world, and continues to stand to benefit from the pain of others.

But even then, he does eventually recognize the faults and evilness of the system.

Eventually.

Because as a boy, he had loved the Games. Before having any sense of consequence or the realness of these people and their deaths, Johnny had been just as enraptured by it all as everyone else. He watched with interest, just as entertained as he was meant to be. The Games had been awe-inspiring to him as they are to most other Capitol children.

He still remembers Simon’s game. Ghost, as the boy from District 10 had been called, having earned the nickname from an uncanny ability to seemingly appear out of nowhere and make that cannon fire one more time. Johnny had been 15, then, still an avid watcher of this slaughter-show—but he’ll always recall that game the most, because of Simon.

Simon was shy, and awkward—but the Capitol had loved it. Loved him. And Johnny had just as well, albeit for some different reasons. Because along with everything the Capitol admired about Simon (which was mostly superficial), Johnny admired his resilience. His persistence, his triumph. He had thought, back then, that he could only ever wish to be like the boy from District 10. He’d never been so enamoured with a tribute, a victor like that before.

That was seven years ago, and things have since… changed. Not enough to be different, but enough for Johnny to notice. Enough for him to finally understand that these Games are far more than he had ever been led to believe. He just didn’t know to what extent.

Johnny is freshly 22 when he meets Simon. A friend of Johnny’s (in the loosest of terms), Philip Graves, tells him that he’d gotten a special birthday gift for Johnny that year—and while usually Johnny might be skeptical or uncaring, given Graves’ track record, it’s what he says about this gift that has Johnny… panicking?

“Remember that victor you used to have a crush on? Well, I finally managed to get in a request.”

Before Johnny can ask what he means, two Peacekeepers—escorts—are entering the room with Simon in tow.

Graves grins almost predatorily before standing and patting Johnny on the shoulder like he means to be friendly. Like he thinks he’s given Johnny all he could ask for.

And in maybe some sense he has, but not like this. Not like this.

“Enjoy the next few days, Johnny,” Graves is saying. “He’s all yours.”

Johnny thinks he might be sick. The threat of bile in his throat only grows more intense one he’s left alone with Simon.

The victor looks… different, since his time in the public eye. Bulkier, likely from a steady supply of food for the first time in his life; objectively healthier. Skin smooth, porcelain, like he hadn’t seen a day of suffering in his life. Every aspect of him perfectly tailored, manicured, prim, like a clean slate for his current proprietor.

He still has that rugged kind of handsomeness to him, though. The Capitol could change many things, but they could never take that look of fierce determination from his dark, knowing eyes.

“How do you want me?” Simon asks softly. Johnny can tell there’s still fight thrumming beneath his skin, but they both could guess what would happen if that were to be let free.

“I… don’t,” Johnny says before he can help himself. At the shift in Simon’s expression he feels his heart drop, so he adds quickly, “Sorry, that’s not—I don’t mean it like that. I just never realized…”

Simon tilts his head, curious, assessing. “Never realized what?”

“That you…” Johnny swallows hard. He takes a shuddering breath, nervous, like he isn’t the one with more power here. Like he’s the prey—and maybe he is. “Could be bought.”

Simon shrugs a shoulder, nonchalant like the idea of being bought and sold like an object is hardly a bother to him. There’s hurt in those eyes, but it doesn’t live anywhere else on his face. “There’s a lot of things you might not know outside of your world of luxury.”

Johnny’s gaze falls the floor. “Yes,” he sighs. “I’m sure there is.”

A tense silence falls over them, for just a moment, before Simon is shuffling across the room to join Johnny on the sofa. He sits close, but doesn’t touch.

“So,” Simon’s insisting, “how do you want me?”

Johnny doesn’t know if he’ll survive these next few days.

Perhaps he should at least be grateful that the transaction is on Graves’ hands.

[ldrfanatic]

slytherin boys at ttpd songs - the anthology

part two of the first part featuring only the added songs from the anthology

I forgot tags im sorry!!

slytherin boys my bookcase

mattheo riddle as... the black dog

"old habits die screaming" + "And remember how my rain soaked body was shaking. Do you hate me?" + "For a cruel fraternity, I pledged, and I still mean it." + "Now I wanna sell my house and set fire to all my clothes. And hire a priest to come and exorcise my demons."

explanation - following the war, I think that mattheo would have the hardest time out of all of them. Not because of being voldemort's son (I think he's used to the looks he gets from that). I think he has the worst time because of all of them, he has mad survivor's guilt. how is it that all of those good people died, and him, pledged deatheater, got to live? on top of that, mattheo is still wrestling with the trauma that his father inflicted on him. So, when a ministry member comes to begrudgingly tell him that he's inherited an estate from his father (really an estate his father stole from one of his followers), mattheo is actually sickened. He really does not want that property and cannot stand to be in that house. (he does eventually accept it and then donate it to an orphanage for magical children. there's a hopeful part of him that thinks that if his father hadn't been treated so poorly by muggle orphanages when he was a kid that maybe he could've been a better person).

draco malfoy as... cassandra

"When it's burn the witch they're shrieking, when the truth comes out it's quiet" + "twisting all my smiles into snarls" + "they say what doesn't kill you makes you aware, what happens if it becomes who you are?" + "bloods thick but nothing like a payroll"

explanation - out of everyone in the series, explicit, canon, and otherwise, draco was the one that saw the best and the worst of both sides. when he was growing up, he was always taught the value behind being a pureblood. that it was blood purity that determined a person's worth. their value. but a lot of that changed when he started seeing the ugly sides of the malfoy family. by the time he realized that his father was little more than voldemort's lackey (and not even the most important one), it was too late. his father had already molded him. the bright and happy kid that he once was had started to sneer at all of his friends. he no longer felt like it was a service to the magical community to finger out mudbloods in his classes to his parents. afterall, he also quickly realized that his father cared far more for money and power than he ever really cared about purity. he was just a number on a payroll.

theodore nott as.... how did it end?

"and so a touch that was my birth right became foreign" + "it's happening again, the empathetic hunger descends" + "lost the game of chance, what are the chances?" + "leaving me bereft and reeling, my beloved ghost and me, sitting in a tree, d-y-i-n-g"

explanation - the sympathetic looks started when theo's mother died in fourth year, and theo decided that he absolutely hated them. He didn't want people to look at him like that, or to walk on eggshells like they were constantly in fear of saying the wrong thing. then once word got out that his father beat him, he started keeping to himself. it was easier to avoid conversation all together than to try to explain the bruises when everyone already pitied him for his mother's death. what hurt the most, was that his mother had died so unexpectedly. to a disease that killed less than 100 people a year. the odds were in her favor, and she still lost. then theo lost too. what hurt just as much, was the way that his father changed after his mother died. the way that every little thing seemed to set him on a warpath. when he was a kid, theo loved his parents, and now, it felt like when he lost his mother, his father died too. one man, two ghosts, and theo.

enzo berskhire as... the manuscript

"and the years passed like scenes of a show" + "looking backwards, might be the only way to move forward" + "and the tears fell, in synchronicity with the score, and at last, he knew what the agony had been for" + "the only thing that's left is the manuscript"

explanation - lorenzo berkshire had loved history his whole life. where his friends found the subject bore them to tears, lorenzo found it a bittersweet interest. afterall, he'd never been that good at potions, always doing something wrong, and while he could hold himself steady on a broom, he was never going to be a quidditch star. history was easy. it felt natural. to divulge in the stories of the witches and wizards before him. following the war, a lot of death eaters wanted to move past it all. they wanted to forget. but lorenzo knew that it was important. that as hard as it was and as many tears as it may cause them, that they had to understand before they could progress, and the only way to understand was to look backwards. so, he made it his personal mission in his late twenties to record. he traveled all over europe for nearly thirty years gathering stories from death eaters of all ages and backgrounds. at nearly age fifty, he published his first and only book, echoes of the damned: the untold stories of former death eaters. unfortunately, he fell ill and died before he got the chance to see the impact his words made on the wizarding world.

[solarwoniii]

PLAYING ROBLOX WITH THEM ! zb1

fluff, crack, :D

★ my perm taglist ; @hunbun07 @metalchick529 @chewryy @haesunflower @iraa567 !

⋆ -- jiwoong ; natural disaster survival

hes a big big big boomer so hes just confused the whole time

so ofc because youre such a kind s/o you choose a game where random things happen every two seconds and dont tell him at all how it works

POOR BABIE HES SO CONFUSED THE WHOLE TIME

tries following you around so he can survive the disasters but every time you purposely lead him to inevitable death

gets all mad and sulky bc ure 'being mean😠😠😠' so u eventually feel bad and help him get a win and hes so excited

every time u guys play roblox together after that he asks to play 'that one game with the tornados and the hurricanes'

AWWWJDIJNJXXNJJXSSI HES SO CUTE

⋆ -- zhanghao ; adopt me

scams little kids and refuses to share the pets he gets from it

runs away from u and locks you out of his house 😠😠

finally agrees to give you one of the pets if you give him something else in return

ENDS UP SCAMMING YOU AS WELL

you start a petition on the server and everyone starts reporting him

he gets his account banned for two weeks but he still claims it was worth it

⋆ -- hanbin ; work at a pizza place

awwww what a cute little wholesome couple activity aww

no. absolutely not.

the ENTIRE TIME you both are competing over who is better at each job.

'oh u delivered to that house? well guess what, i delivered to THREE in the time u did one'

'oh u boxed a few pizzas? well guess what, i boxed SIX in the time u did that.'

'oh u served a customer at the drive thru? well guess what, i served THAT ENTIRE LINE in the time u did that.'

he always somehow wins the little competitions and will not refrain from bragging in your face.

⋆ -- matthew ; fashion famous

touched on this here (nsfw post ! minors dont click)

its just the both of you bullying each other and competing like its the hunger games

'YOU COPIED ME!!' 'WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT I HAD THIS FIRST!!'

u guys get so mad when the other person wins

'I DESERVED THAT MORE THAN YOU DID!!!' 'WELL WHO WON LOSER?? WHO WON??/? THATS RIGHT I WON'

i swear it would be so fun playing together

probably your favourite way to spend time w each other

⋆ -- taerae ; royale high

hes classy what can i say yall

dresses up as an expensive prince and forces you to be his princess

he is somehow so crazy advanced at this game its scary

ofc he does share his riches with you 😍😍 gives you free stuff all the time

the two of you troll people tgt

but hes too nice so he ends up apologising for all the chaos that his s/o caused after a while (yes he blames it all on u)

⋆ -- ricky ; bloxburg

when he asked you to play bloxburg with him, you were excited to show off all your cool houses and how rich you were

. . . and then you saw his houses and his riches

IS SO ANNOYING will not stop flexing to you

takes u on a cute little date to pizza planet . . . and then leaves before paying 🙄

but ofc he was stupid and gave u builder perms on his house

so as payback you hung up photo frames everywhere with this photo

when he finds your damage he screams. literally screams the loudest scream you have ever heard him scream.

changes the double bed he placed in the bedroom for the both of you into two single beds placed on completely opposite sides of the room 😔😔😔 refuses to sleep beside you until u write him a formal apology

⋆ -- gyuvin ; zombie attack

U DO THAT THING WHERE WHEN YOU DIE YOU TURN INTO A ZOMBIE AND GO OVER AND ATTACK HIM TO FUCK W HIM

AND HE'S SO CONFUSED LMFAOAOOA

'WHY IS THIS ONE JUMPING !?!?!??!?!'

'ITS KILLING ME AAA'

'Y/N WHERE ARE U WHY ARENT U HELPING MEEEEEE'

when he finally looks on ur screen and realises YOU'RE the jumpy one hes so mad

the next round he purposely collects each and every zombie and then he goes and makes them all follow you LMFAOOO and then he gets himself killed so he can give you a little taste of your own medicine.

⋆ -- gunwook ; copyrighted artists

HELP MEE HIS DRAWINGS WLD BE SO FUNNY

also the type to cover your eyes if u guys come across one of those pp drawings..

and yet he always somehow tricks you into voting for his drawings

'oooohh that one is so nice i think it's the original' 'omg the others look so dumb i'm gonna pick to one in the middle' 'the other ones didn't even try this ones clearly the original'

LMFAOOO and he is so good at guessing which ones are yours

the trickster cannot be tricked

when you try and lie he catches it right away

'you always smile like that when you lie' 'i know how you draw stupid'

he knows u a lil too well 🙄🙄

⋆ -- yujin ; arsenal

BEATS UR ASS 💀💀 MULTIPLE TIMES 💀💀💀💀

has u begging for mercy (holds that shit over your head for the rest of your life)

'y/n ure so bad at this' 'SHUT UP I DONT WANNA TALK ABOUT IT'

he literally does not even try and you're dead.

his team is thriving because of him whilst your team is dying because of you . . . polar opposites

sometimes when you're sad or you're not feeing well he'll let you win on purpose tho :(( and he'll pretend to be all bummed for u when u rub it into his face AAAA

[allamericanb-tch]

crimson rivers thoughts (10) 

@tastetherainbow290

chapter 20

i’m scared for this chapter

my death predictions are vanity, peter, irene, and one of the death eaters (i can’t remember their names) (please let me be wrong please let me be wrong)

i’m only reading this one for now bc it’s “quick” according to the author

sirius pov! ok that’s good

ugh slughorn. die.

oh no the death eaters found peter

peter noooo omg. do not die right now.

they’re just. beating him to death. 

WHY DOES PETER ALWAYS BETRAY THEM IN EVERY FIC

james pov ahhhh dramatic irony

VANITY NO

and there goes willa

VESPA NO you will be missed

hodge no not vanity please

poor james oh my gosh

no vanity vanity no why no

tears

ok i need to be somewhere in 20 minutes this is horrible timing but i have to stop reading now

guys im back. it’s been like an hour i am not ready

“She never got her first kiss. She never got to fall in love. She never got to go home. Her prince never saved her. Her prince killed her. Her prince is dead.” SOBBING

why would you write this. i’m so serious rn WHY WOULD YOU WRITE THIS

peter saving regulus ❤️

IRENE NO

why would you write this. 

ugh poor mathias. they didn’t mean to 💔

irene no what are you doing

MATHIAS TOO NO

JAMES NO what’s gonna happen i’m scared

i know james isn’t dead but regulus doesn’t and no one can tell him james is still alive ugh poor regulus 

sirius pov

yes sirius send regulus a secret message

rip juniper 💔 i know i would’ve been sad if we saw more of her

every time the death count shows at the end of the chapter i get so sad when i see evan’s name

chapter 21

maybe this one is happier?

ugh i hate slughorn

the two victor thing this is just like the hunger games (every time i say smth like this it’s like… yeah… that’s the whole point 😭)

sirius you’re so smart i love you

dorlene yay!! i love them even tho this is SAD

dorcas running FOUR MILES to see marlene 

i love them.

dorcassss tell her about the orderrrrr

“you’re a good friend” ❤️‍🩹

remus pov switch

regulus putting everything in the river ok

he’s keeping his own stuff that’s good

is regulus going to LEAP ACROSS THE RIVER

okay he didn’t. good.

run regulus run go find james

“It reminds Remus vaguely of dogs getting the zoomies” 😭

i lowkey forgot to be writing my thoughts down

“fancy a trip to space” sirius 😭

hanky panky time

MOON

AHHHHHHHH

why are they stopping 😯

oh poor sirius ☹️ ugh i just feel so bad for him like. the way the hallow treated him was so unfair 

chapter 22

james pov!

james 💔

“happy birthday hodge” TEARS

eeee regulus is going to find james

james talking to regulus in his head

“regulus never fails to look up” 😭😭😭😭😭😭

poor james just out here suffering

james getting high off anesthesia 😭

come on regulus you can do it go find james

HE FOUND HIM!!!!!!!!!!!

james thinking regulus was sirius ☹️

regulus just going with it

the james pov of this 💔

not him trying to sell sirius about regulus’ “parting gift” 😭 i hope he does get to tell him eventually

he’s realizing

“you came and found me” “of course i did” AHHHHH

kiss kiss kiss

ok they’re hugging i love them

this is so sad but reunion!!!

sirius pov

joffery?! what is your offer

chapter 23

regulus telling james abt irene ☹️

why is this sad

they’re flirting

ope nevermind flirting over

regulus holding james ❤️‍🩹

i bet the audience is eating this up. which is kind of really sad. like. they’re having a moment and everyone’s just. watching.

SOUP 

they’re literally katniss and peeta in that one scene

“thank him” im just as confused as you are regulus

regulus feeding james (this is giving me the ick lowkey)

them talking about their relationship i hate that regulus is only doing this for the games

ugh i hate that james is being so james right now like. i want them to do this in peace and privacy and without the context of the games

“I used to collect brown rocks if they reminded me of your eyes” if someone did that for me i would cry

regulus telling james he was his first love

KISS ALREADY

i feel bad rn bc im like. the audience. intruding on their private moment. i know this is purely fiction but still. 

😯 they kissed

a sad kiss but a kiss nonetheless 

they’re kissing for real now eeeee

“That was one of the happiest moments of my life” ☹️☹️☹️

“now James knows that Regulus would kiss him in the pursuit of saving his life, if there literally was no other option” i am so sorry james

“peter wouldn’t betray me like that”

the tension rn (and not in a good way)

my sister is watching my favorite episode (s2 e13) of regular show rn im getting so distracted this is going to be my last chapter

“You can't protect me from this, because I'm already here” 💔

why is this SO SAD

“If there's one thing all of this has taught me it's that I've always cared” 

the end notes: “everyone: WHEN WILL THEY KISS??? me: be careful what you wish for” this feels targeted

[alitgblog]

was gonna do a march madness bracket for litg characters but I feel like we know which fan favorites are gonna win so instead, with my extra time, I did a hunger games simulator (logical next step lol).

Tried to pick a guy and girl from every season (plus an extra duo from seasons 2,4, and 6 just because I like those seasons lol). With a few exceptions and wild cards, but you'll see.

ANyway the highlights (didn't include every death so if you're wondering what's happening to some characters, you can ask me lol).

I guess first off, Vicki does die very quickly (killed by her someone in own district, Estelle). (FYI I only picked those two because I was like well they're the prettiest ones from S7 lol). Also Theo and Claudia being in character and helping each other out is cool and in character (spoilers: won't stay that way). Jakub is also having a comedy of errors going on, which I fully expect from him. And there's some Gramish interactions in there which is fun. I forgot to screenshot it but they do form a short lived alliance.

Ozzy and Marshall are both messes most of the time: absolutely what I expect out of the two of them. They kind of took over S6 (with Amelia but I didn't put her in this) and fittingly, I am invested in their storyline for this simulator even though at first I just wanted to see who was gonna be the stronger twin lmao. (That's also why S7 has two girls to balance out these two being on the same team.)

Pretty early on, Bruno also kills his own teammate, Angie, and I immediately regret putting in my favorites in the simulator. S4 does get their moment in the spotlight though, because Kelly somehow ends up hunting Suresh. Like I just know if she got more time in litg she'd have my back 😤😤 (even though Suresh is in a different season). This does not go well a few days later, however, when Kelly drinks the poison she meant to give Suresh. And then he steals the idea and then poisons Dana from his own district, wowwww.

Moving on, if you want some insight on my S3 picks, I thought they were all too nice to have to deal with this and after some careful deliberation (I sat around for two minutes trying to think of what would be the funniest option). Anyway so here's an update on how Kerry's doing. She's kind of made an alliance with Lottie, which makes sense Lottie not wanting to work with her fellow district tribute, Jakub.

Anyway next group of killings: goodbye more of my faves (also wtf Theo). Speaking of Theo, he does make an alliance with my district 12 wild card picks which are of course, fan favorites Gareth and Lola. (For the record, Theo does kill Lola later on and Gareth dies of hypothermia. I don't have any other screenshots of the birds I just felt like keeping y'all updated.)

Anyway, it's been a few days, you may be wondering how Ozzy and Marshall are doing: (this happens twice fyi, wow the twins are BONDING)

This might hurt some people: the funny short kings are fighting. This isn't how Bobby dies though, unfortunately the S2 fan favorite humans are killed off by the other two

It seems after this, Lottie's really going through something, now kind of forcing murder on her ally, Kerry. However, she kills Suresh who has like three kills at this point? So, ehh. It goes badly very soon after though, as Lottie BETRAYS Kerry?? Plot twist, damn.

Eventually, Marshall, Estelle, and Theo all team up to hunt others (keep in mind at this point, I believe Estelle and Theo have the most kills). This does not bode well for Marshall and Ozzy finally bonding though. Again, Lottie is going through some mental turmoil probably after all those kills, and asks Ozzy to kill her but he already is trying not to kill anyone.

Anyway that alliance does not last. Estelle walks over a landmine, and Marshall betrays Theo. This is high drama as far as I'm concerned, and of course main character Marshall.

Jakub is still going through a comedy of errors.

Meanwhile, Allegra has just been vibing most of the time. She talked to Tim like once. And she's been getting stuff from sponsors. But somehow has allied with Lottie and I assume that helps Lottie regain her confidence. Because together they kill Ozzy. And Marshall doesn't even know.

We eventually do land on final two Lottie and Marshall. Lottie, who's losing her mind, and Marshall, also not in the best headspace but doubly so now seeking revenge for his brother. It's very much going back and forth who's hunting who.

Anticlimactic, but do we have a winner shortly after because Lottie dies of starvation, and I think Marshall finds the body and it's a weird bittersweet ending because he made it and didn't have to kill her but also didn't get vengeance and has to live with all that.

So so fun.

Anyway feel free to make your own lol

[deusexlachina]

Wannabe Warden Part 9: You WON'T BELIEVE which member of the Hawke family becomes a Grey Warden

In which my quest to find the Grey Wardens reaches a tragic twist.

The Deep Roads Expedition is kicked off with Varric's brother Bartrand making gratuitous sexual metaphors, a social situation nearly as uncomfortable as styling yourself in the image of a knight you believed to be dead but who is still alive and now it'd just be even more awkward if you went back, because it might look like your family friend was uncomfortable with you transitioning, and Other Aveline would rather die than have awkward conversations, because death is meaningless to her.

Bartrand reminds us that these tunnels are bound to be full of leftover darkspawn, which I cheer at, although it was meant to be a warning. Cowards.

Just as we set out to go, I am stopped by my mom and her unflattering haircut. Bethany can't go into the Deep Roads! I mean, she can understand why I would want to go there. The Deep Roads are the ultimate resume-padder for aspiring Wardens. But Bethany!

Unfortunately for her, Bethany is a goddamn adult who does as she pleases, so I take Bethany and Anders along with Varric. After all, Varric has to go, and Anders is a Deep Roads veteran with Grey Warden powers, healing magic and a demon.

We fight our way through the Deep Roads until we encounter an ancient civilization with glowing rocks and idols to unrecognizable gods, which is always a good sign in adventures like these. We find an idol of lyrium that's red, which is supposed to be different from normal, blue lyrium, except you can find "raw lyrium" outside of here that's clearly red.

Despite this, Varric proclaims that he's never seen any kind of lyrium like this, which is the first and last time Varric will fail to recognize and have very strong opinions about Red Lyrium.

That's because, as soon as he hands his brother the idol, he goes villain on us and locks us in that section of the Deep Roads. This is terrible! There aren't even any darkspawn here! There are only these unknown monstrosities that the Codex calls profanes, presumably because as soon as he sees them Varric starts spouting profanities.

A Hunger Demon inhabiting some rocks is feeding on the hunger of the profanes, and before I can wrap my head around how a being of pure hunger would be sated by even more hunger, it offers me a deal - stop killing the fucking profanes, and he'll point me to a key that I can use to escape. I agree, although it pisses off Anders, who hates demons despite sharing a body with one. Actually, I agree precisely because it pisses off Anders, and I'm more of a Rival to him, so there are more rewards for pissing him off whereas pleasing him would set him back to the default. This is a clever mechanic that is implemented pretty weirdly.

Having successfully pissed off my friend, something that you want in Dragon Age 2 and in no other context, I set out towards the key, and encounter another lyrium rock monster - one less interested in talking. Do you remember how I died horribly on the last expedition? This is why.

This is the Ancient Rock Wraith, and it is not only the hardest boss in this game, but the hardest boss in all of Dragon Age. By a large margin.

Every time it loses a third of its health, it blasts your entire field of vision with deadly radiation that quickly kills anyone trapped in it and which can only be avoided by quickly running and hiding behind some columns. There's a similar mechanic in Hades, which is designed as a very difficult action game, and Hades uses it for the final boss whereas Dragon Age 2 is an RPG that uses it right at the end of Act 1.

The room-filling death radiation is the least of my problems. It can shoot chain lightning at your party, severely damaging several companions at once. It can explode with energy, severely damaging several companions at once. It eventually changes forms and starts rolling around, severely damaging several companions at once. I'm glad this thing doesn't have a nose, because if it did it would might sneeze and severely damage several companions at once.

I look up as many different strategies as I can and, using my Maker's Sighs that I brought in uncharacteristic humility, try them all. None of them work. Determined not to reduce the difficulty level all the way down to merely the highest possible difficulty in the unmodded game, I start sewing strategies together, using the most beautiful parts of each to create a monstrous creature.

With select strategies synthesized, and a few of my own, I devise a strategy so complicated it deserves its own post, which I promptly make, because there's some pretty bad advice out there and the good advice isn't all concentrated in one place. Nobody should have to suffer through the Ancient Rock Wraith and their self-imposed fanmade harder-than-nightmare difficulty on their own.

This process takes me more than a day, which is just as well because I was too sick to do much else.

Speaking of being sick, Bethany is feeling nauseous. I reassure her we're all pretty nauseous, since we were just running in tight circles to dodge the Ancient Rock Wrath of the Ancient Rock Wraith. But then we take a look at her face, and she's got ghoul eyes and veins.

The darkspawn got her. Anders knows of a cure...becoming a Grey Warden. But he's not in the order anymore, because he retired. You cannot retire from the Grey Wardens - and that's exactly why he stole their map, in hopes of interfering with their plans to find him. My dream of finding the Grey Wardens is now Bethany's only hope of survival. There's no time to ask questions, like:

What the Wardens would even do to him if they caught him, and why that would ever be a higher priority than their sole mandate of fighting darkspawn.

How a map into the Deep Roads would help to find Anders who, at the time he stole the map, was hiding above ground in Darktown

Why the Grey Wardens would even need a map to find Anders, when they can sense the darkspawn taint in each other, as Anders himself knows full well

If Anders believed that the map would help to catch him, what he was doing keeping it instead of burning it or selling it to his allies in Lirene's Ferelden Imports for a few coppers despite it being a VALUABLE ITEM, LIRENE. (Given that her own prices are in silver, the markup must be over 1000%, which is excusable solely because she's helping refugees, the good soul)

In fairness to Anders, he's been going through a lot lately, including getting a whole ghost jammed up in his head. He's not been at his most clear-headed. This is also presumably why, when he uses his power to track the darkspawn taint in darkspawn-infested tunnels, he is surprised to find that he has tracked darkspawn.

But, just as we think the trail has gone cold, in comes WARDEN STROUD HELL YEAH!!! "Who's Warden Stroud?" Really! Who's Warden Stroud? Shame on you. He's. Uh. A Grey Warden. Orlesian. Got a big moustache.

Unfortunately, Stroud doesn't want Bethany. The Grey Wardens don't recruit out of pity, he says, looking me dead in the eye.

The life of a Grey Warden is hard, so it's really better to just put Beth out of her misery, since the taint falls somewhere between a stomachache and instant death. But, in a reversal of his prior position on euthanasia, Anders won't let Bethany die. She just beat the Ancient Rock Wraith. Anders stresses that the Wardens are really scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for recruits, an argument Stroud can't dispute because they hired Oghren. Once you let in Oghren, you're done. Everyone knows you have no standards.

Stroud reluctantly agrees, but says that this makes them even. For...stealing his maps? Which he clearly didn't need?

But Stroud has no time to stick around. He's got to rush Bethany to the Joining ritual while I go back home. I will likely never see her again.

But I couldn't possibly part with little Bethany. If becoming a Grey Warden is what it would take to stay with my little sister, then that's a sacrifice I am willing to make. We've always been by each other's sides, no matter what, even when I went on dangerous adventures. We're even specced to complement each other's skills! I tank, she heals!

So, in conclusion, we're kind of a package deal, me and Beth, and you've got to recruit her, so really you might as well - wait! Where are you going? Don't leave me! I'm literally giving you a free extra Grey Warden! How many people are dumb enough to willingly sign onto that? Wait! No! GET BACK HERE YOU MOUSTACHIOED FUCK!

[nikosasaki]

talk about you thg ocs!! i want to hear about them!!

yes yes yes, thank uuuu!

all of this will have spoilers for my hunger games verse which is only a bad thing if you care about those kinds of things but be warned i guess;

okay so Julius first; his full name is Julius Alexander and he is the older brother of Cato from the 74th Hunger Games. he is from district 2 and is by all definitions a true career tribute. he volunteered for the games at age sixteen and for most of the games he is downright ecstatic to be there. he was a tribute in the games the year before his brother, and was generally a ruthless and fierce competitor. he won his games eventually by killing his partner from district 2, smashing her head against a corner of the cornucopia. in total he killed seven of the tributes, making him one of the more deadly victors in history. his arena was a constant dark forest, and several of the tributes died accidentally by falling. once he is back from the games he thinks he is genuinely doing great like yeah he can't sleep with the lights off anymore but who cares he won! it isn't until the end of his victory tour at the celebration in the Capitol that he meets Fletcher, a previous victor, that he starts to consider the things he's done and the role he's played in the Capitol's games. by the time the 74th games come around he's grappling with the fact that he might not be doing as well as he originally thought, which is the moment that he is tasked with mentoring his younger brother in the games. Fletcher Hunt is a whole different story; he's from district 7, and competed in the 68th Hunger Games at fifteen years old. he is anxious and awkward by nature and when he is reaped everyone is pretty convinced he's going to die first -- including Fletcher himself. he survives mostly by pure luck and force of will. his arena is a diseased swampland riddled with poisonous plants, so many of the tributes that year die of poisoning or disease, and Fletcher only ever kills two people during his game: a young girl from district 9 that he kills on accident, and his final competitor from district 1. it was a horrible and bloody affair, and one that Fletcher still has nightmares from to this day. he only really goes down in Hunger Games history as the most pathetic winner. he does still get invited to Capitol affairs and most of the times he attends them if only to get out of his house. he does the same thing as at home, though, which is sitting in a corner of the room and trying not to be too depressing. it only sometimes works out. when he meets Julius during his victory tour party, it's Julius who approaches him first, and questions why Fletcher isn't having fun at a party in Julius's honor. Fletcher, quite genuinely, tells Julius that he has a hard time not remembering the deaths whenever he's back at the Capitol, and that he always struggles to play nice with the people who so readily wanted him to die for their own amusement. to which Julius is like... damn dude. maybe lighten up? the two end up forming something of a connection and the things Fletcher says cause Julius to rethink many of the things he was raised to believe. there are many, many bumps in the road, but when the two of them both become mentors for the 74th games they have more time to bond and eventually become quite close, especially when Julius's brother dies and he threatens to drown in his own depression. they both get reaped in the quarter quell and are tragic and gay about it for the most part but also Julius meets up with Haymitch asap to be like hi bestie. let's rebel. and Haymitch is like... way ahead of you. so they help Katniss et al. get out and it's only in district 13 that they finally confront the fact that they're in love.

[randomestfandoms-ocs]

Honoria Astrasteia in Valley Of The Dolls (x Cadmus Ariston)

special thanks @manyfandomocs for helping me figure this out last night 😭)

Tigress had a child, Snow forced the father & child back to District 2 (similar to Sejanus, originally from 2 but made enough profit to move to the capitol after the dark days) but not Tigress, that child has a daughter. She's reaped for the Hunger Games when she's probably 13, shocks everyone by winning despite the games being very deliberately rigged against her, and from that point on is being groomed to be an escort. She's in charge of teaching other victors to do the job, forced to live in the Capitol full time (basically an influencer/highkey celebrity by day, escort by night but it's an open secret everyone knows it), eventually tracks down and meets her grandmother, learns the truth about her family, and becomes part of the rebellion.

the games were rigged for Honoria to die, extra peacekeepers at the reaping meant no volunteers so hers was the only name in, the entire arena & weapons and everything is designed to put her at every disadvantage (on top of being 13 and up against 18 year old careers), she makes it to the final five and then hides in a tree while they kill each other, eventually it’s left with her and a boy from one who’s climbing the tree to kill her. But Trigris remembers the name Adrasteia, of course she does, and so she takes a page out of Snow's own book from the 10th games, sending a gift for the other tribute, the gift arrives and is dropped, it knocks him off the tree and he dies, and thirteen year old Honoria becomes the victor.

But the life of a victor isn't all glory, and Honoria will soon find that dying in the arena would have been the kinder end. Rather than returning home to her district, Honoria was to live full time in the Capitol, away from anything she ever knew. She's given a manager, almost a friend, in the form of Cadmus Ariston, and for the first few months, everything was almost okay. Until the day that Cadmus sits her down and tells her exactly what President Snow has planned for her.

[margokesses]

Thoughts/ questions I have about tbosas and someone who has not read the book but plans to eventually:

The only thing that I knew about the book is that snow is straight up evil and that Lucy gray escapes at the end btw

Snow is not as evil in the movie? Like his story feels like a decent guy's descent into villainy. Like you can tell that originally he does not care about Lucy and just wants the prize money but he does end up truly loving her. But from what I hear from book readers that's not the case?

Sejanus and snow have close/initmate moments together? I'm usually not a fan of just throwing 2 random white dudes into a ship together because 9 times out of 10 its boring as hell. But they did have some moments where I genuinely thought they were gonna kiss? Also it seems like they have a genuine friendship here that I would like to be explored a bit more. Especially bc they're ideologies going against each other is interesting. But from what I hear from book readers: snow cannot stand sejanus' ass

Marcus and sejanus relationship? Like we're told that they were friends in district 2 and sejanus is obviously upset when Marcus dies but I do feel like the context of who they are is missing? Like it feels like it should be a bigger point and not just something explained in 2 or 3 sentences

Lucy Gray's singing randomly? Okay so I wouldn't say that it's random. It's clear that she's a performer in her district and it's apart of her culture as being from the Covey. And i guess she sings whenever she's expressing big emotions like when she's being reaped or when she thinks she's about to die. But I do feel like we got a little more backstory to her character outside of a few lines

Also I wish we got to see a bit more from the tributes for the games. I don't even remember their names but I know they're faces and I only know that the cape guy and the sick girl are from district 11 bc that's where it seems like there's a majority black population in the movies

The guns in the shed. Did Lucy gray plant them there herself or were they already there? Bc the way she acts about seeing the guns is very... casual? Like she's not surprised or anything that they're there. What was that about?

Snow's little meltdown at the end? I am not surprised that he reacted that way but did he actually see Lucy gray and shoot her or is that just like... him imagining her? But then we do see footprints of her escaping so like?? Idk I'm a little confused about that part ngl

Snow's transformation into his dad? When tigirs says "you look like your father" to snow at the end it doesn't hit me the way that it should? Like obviously he's gonna turn evil at the end and stuff but we don't really know who his father actually was until the ending

Peter dinklages revelation? We can infer that snows dad was an evil person bc peter dinklage character mentioned that he himself thought of the games when he was drunk and snow's dad took the credit for it. Which is fine but I wish we got to know more about snow's dad and what the homework assignment actually was? Was it like what snow had to do when trying to help make the hunger games better? Did the government genuinely ask some random 18 year Olds how to punish people for making an uprising?

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

Daenerys vs Coin / GoT vs Hunger Games - The Hidden Villains = The Final Boss

I happened to catch The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 on TV and seeing the ending again slapped so much harder than I expected it to. I just couldn't stop seeing the similarities between the two women and how some still don't see Dany as the villain but had no issue seeing Coin as just that. I mean:

First we have the Rebels attacking the Capitol, to fight back against Snow and the way he has been running Panem.

While Katniss and Co are hiding out, a television address from President Snow goes out, warning citizens of the Capitol that the Rebels are there to kill them all, to "bury us", and their intention is not to save anyone. He offers up the Mansion as a place of sanctuary for the citizens and their children, not really giving a crap about them but using them as leverage/to maintain the image for the Capitol citizens so they won't turn on him.

Katniss and Gale go on foot to attempt to get her close enough to kill Snow. That's been her plan all along. If Snow is killed, then the Hunger Games and Snow's tyranny will stop.

As they're making their way, right before being caught, the Rebels attack. Innocent citizens are caught in the crossfire, even children.

And then this scene happens:

Not only does the sister she started out protecting die, but the children also die that were at the Mansion's gate.

Later on, Katniss finds out from Snow that Coin (who was aiming to replace Snow & was the Rebel leader so to speak) was the one who killed the Capitol children and set the trap that killed more people alongside her sister.

Tyrion: "My father was an evil man, my sister was an evil woman, pile up all of the bodies of all the people they killed, and it still won't mount up to the amount of people our beautiful queen killed in a single day."

As bad as Snow is, like he says he's not "wasteful". He admits how brilliant Coin is and makes Katniss aware of what she's really aiming to do: replace him.

Sure enough, Coin holds a meeting with Katniss and the surviving Victors. She informs them that Snow is going to be executed that afternoon and this will start off a slew of executions because the Rebels want blood for all of the children they lost over the years to the Hunger Games and Snow's whims. She proposes that they restart the Hunger Games but this time with the Capitol children instead.

Some are for it, like Johanna:

Who mentions Snow has a granddaughter.

Dany: "From Winterfell to Dorne, from Lannisport to Qarth, from the Summer Isles to the Jade Sea!"

Others don't agree like Peeta, but when Katniss uncharacteristically agrees (and we see that she realizes Snow was right in this scene) as long as she gets to kill Snow herself, Haymitch hesitantly agrees with her, swinging the vote (knowing she's got something up her sleeve after the look she gives him).

We then see Katniss do her walk to the area where Snow is being held for all to witness his execution:

Coin makes her speech to the people:

Katniss lets her arrow fly, striking Coin in the heart:

Katniss, the hero, expected to die (because she didn't intend on being taken prisoner) but ends up being stopped and arrested instead (while the people rip Snow apart):

Haymitch goes to see her where she's imprisoned:

He reads her Plutarch's letter and then informs her that she will be sent back to District 12, alone, and once some time has passed after the election of a new leader that the people have chosen, she will be pardoned:

Katniss goes back home to discover an old pet waiting for her:

And eventually Peeta (also of District 12) joins her, they eventually start a family, and she finds some semblance of peace in what has always been her home:

The reason for this very long post is that even though this is a different books series, different world, different characters, different circumstances, etc. the lead-up to the hero taking out the main villain/the final boss. So yes, Dany's dark turn was rushed and not executed well, no doubt, but it was enough that people should stop questioning if she was ever going to go dark at all or questioning just what her intentions were. (and this doesn't even begin to delve into all of the foreshadowing that was layered into the series the whole way)

There is no difference between this woman:

And this woman:

Not when it came to their pursuits for power. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

People were not going to flourish under Dany's rule. She had already burned innocents alive, including innocent children (just like Coin killed the Capitol children and was going to continue to kill them) to attain her goal: conquering to get the IT, whoever doesn't receive her with open arms and love will pay for it, and she's ripping the old world out root and stem (breaking the wheel so she could always be on top) to make the world she wants. Cersei saw through her (& bet against her and lost), Tyrion knew what she was, and even Jon did.

Like Snow said, Coin waited until the Districts were in disarray before stepping in to help and be the voice for the people to follow:

She even gave them a symbol to put their belief in aka the Mockingjay(Breaker of Chain/Mother of Dragons/The Last Targaryen)/Katniss (who people were already inclined towards):

to help pull those people together even more so she could win:

It's all right there.

(start at 1:12 - Alma Coin's life)

YouTuber MovieFlame: "She came from District 13 which was thought to be nonexistent and extinct":

Need I say more?

[mzannthropy]

#she was just too obsessed with her precious protagonist and her lame love interest>>

I have a little sympathy for Katniss, but she irritated me in the second film. Her character doesn't make sense in the second film, it doesn't. In the first film she volunteers to save her sister, then suddenly she decides to die to save Peeta in the second film? What about her sister? If she died, her family would move out of that house, or Snow could do whatever she wanted with her sister, even put her in the Hunger Games in the future, or even give her Finnick's fate. Not to mention that her mother was depressed, who would take care of her sister? All this because of a stupid romance with a guy she didn't even care about before. A manipulative, weak guy who only stayed alive because people sacrificed themselves to save his life because of her selfish ass. That's why when her sister died, no one cared. The character was used to cut Gale out of her life. Cheap way to die. Don't even get me started on Finnick's death.

The best is Johana slapping Katiniss in the face in the book. She represented me at that moment. Katiniss lives in this bubble thinking the worst has happened to her, while Jo has lost her family and everyone she loves, and Finnick has been abused for years. She's so in her bubble that she doesn't even care about others.

All the ruminating I've done about the Hunger Games over the last 9 years since I read it--and I never even thought of the point about Prim and Katniss's mother being left alone if she dies in her second games. I, too, have tunnel vision.

That romance just annoys me. When I pick up a book that I expect will deal with toppling down an oppressive regime, but get Peeta-Peeta-Peeta waah-waah-waaah instead, it's not exactly gonna enamour me of the pairing. And yet I never felt like she truly loved him. It's like she stays with him bc he's around. She never actually actively chooses him, or even tells him she loves him ("you love me, real or not real?" "real" - that's not the same). But still I wouldn't have minded if we only got more of other characters--every single one of them is more interesting than Katniss and Peeta, maybe with the exception of Prim, who does not really have a personality. She honestly exists as a plot device for Katniss to volunteer for the games. Gale got an abysmal treatment by the author. People argue that THG didn't have a love triangle bc he was never a serious love interest--but then why do you even need to mention it? What was stopping Suzanne from giving Gale his own love interest? I even think it would have been better if Gale was a relative, like a cousin.

You see why I say I have a difficult relationship with this series, bc I can't say it's bad. It's got a decent idea--but doesn't deliver! So I can't even dismiss with "it sucks". But Suzanne lost me right at the end of the first book, when she had both of them survive the first games. That berries trick should not have worked. Why is it that when Katniss takes part in the games, we are suddenly allowed two victors, when that has never happened before? Bc she's the fucking protagonist and the author wanted it so, that's why. If, instead, Katniss won her first games on her own, and then met her love interest in the quarter quell, that would have been better. Why did it have to be someone from the same district. Or, even, make the 12th district less of a loser district and give them a victor from one or two years before, who would eventually become Katniss's love interest. And that's another thing, why were her district so useless, why did they never even try to help their kids learn some skills to win? The careers had the right idea, they were the smart ones!

[maytheoddshq]

Ash Placer (he/him). District Twelve Tribute. Twenty-five. Emilio Sakraya.

What was their childhood like?

Ash was the oldest of three children, he has a younger brother and a younger sister. His father worked in the mines, and his mother worked in a bakery and then also a washerwoman. Food was tight, but the Placers were hardly the poorest family in District Twelve. They were able to make do. As soon as he was old enough, Ash was working in the mines alongside his father. He wanted to help contribute to his family. When he wasn’t working, he was often helping look after his two younger siblings, providing his parents who worked more hours the help that they needed, often singing them to sleep or preparing dinner for them. The Placer Home was not grand, in fact it only had the main room, a bathroom, and two bedrooms which he shared with his siblings. It was however a happy home, one that was filled with warmth. Ash has nothing but fond memories, and even in the hardest times, he was able to smile because of the people around him. 

When he wasn’t with his family or working in the mines, he was with his his very close knit friend group. They also all made sure each other were taken care of, and if they were able to, provide for one another. Their company bringing each other joy that often could be lost in the hardship of Twelve. Within the group was also Ash’s partner, Dustin. He and Ash were virtually inseparable. He had no family of his own, so he lived with the Placers after befriending Ash in school. Their friendship grew into something more. A mining accident however ended up taking Dustin’s life when the two were twenty-two. When District Twelve was bombed it was thanks to Ash and his father’s work in the mines that enabled them to know where would be the most secure, and therefore safest. However, an even worse tragedy would strike, despite this being Ash’s last games, the Escort would call his younger sisters’s name, and he knew he had no choice but to step up and save her from the horrors of the Hunger Games. 

How do they feel about the Games

Ash thinks the games are barbaric and despicable. He was always terrified that his siblings would end up in them. He thinks anyone who could support them has something seriously wrong with them. Its because of the games that he has such a harsh and judgemental view of the Capitol and the government of Panem. Not that he had ever said anything or acted on those thoughts. He does after all have a family he cares about, and he would never want to be the reason that anything ever happened to them. Now that he is in them to save his family, he plans on walking even more carefully on all the eggshells that surround him to protect his family, and to get back to them alive. Though Ash does not know if he will have the ability to be able to kill anyone, he know he is going to have to if he wants to live. 

What is their personality like?

Ash is a free spirit, and he’s an optimist despite everything that has happened. He believes Panem can and will be a better place, eventually. Sure he fully believes he is gonna die in the arena, but he’s saving his sister. Besides it also just means there will be one less mouth his family has to worry about feeding. They’ll be able to take better care of themselves now, especially with the recent bombing of Twelve. He’s more afraid of the arena, then he is of death, but he doesn’t show it. Ash is also creative, and he’s constantly smiling. They can take his life, but they can’t take his smile. 

What is their district token?

Ash’s token is a piece of rope that his sister tied around his wrist during his time to say goodbye. She has told him, she expects to bring it back to him, because she needs it to tie her hair up. 

Three strengths and three weaknesses.

Magnanimous + Optimistic + Playful 

Excitable - Gullible - Naive 

PENNED BY: DEVIN

[idksmtms]

The Only Way... (District Mentor!Aemond Targaryen x Tribute!reader)

(first Aemond pic was found on tumblr and edited by @kyloremus)

A/N: Yes, I did pick a random HoTD name for the male tribute, sue me

Summary: There were only two past winners from your district, and one of them didn’t even bother with his mentor duties anymore. But this year, for one last time, Aemond decides to attempt to mentor one of the tributes, not expecting how it would change his life. 

Word count: 6.5k

Trigger Warnings: she/her pronouns, AFAB reader, profanity, innuendo, slight age gap (I made the reader a couple years younger than him for story purposes), vague p in v s*x, oral f receiving, mentions of blood, discussions of death, discussions of trauma, discussions of disfigurement, (please let me know if I missed any) 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire & Blood characters. I do not claim to own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire & Blood characters. I do not own any pictures used nor do I claim to do so. 

Always appreciate comments, likes, and reblogs :)

Aemond Targaryen was reaped for the Hunger Games in his first year of eligibility. At 12 years old he had been shipped into the arena, and he had won. Though he had lost an eye in the process, he deemed it a worthy sacrifice for getting out alive. He had been responsible for half the cannons that sounded in the arena, had gotten his revenge for the eye taken from him, and had emerged the victor. He strongly believed the world was against him at every turn, (how else does one explain getting reaped and losing an eye?) but he knew that he was strong enough to fight back against fate. 

The first couple of years after his victory, he had attempted to mentor tributes alongside his own mentor, Rhaenys Velaryon. But each one had met their own gruesome end in the arena and eventually he had given up on his duties altogether, much preferring to stay in his home at the victor’s village with his family. 

It’s not that he wasn’t a good mentor, he truly believed he taught them a decent amount in the short time he had with them, and that allowed them to live longer than they would have without him, but they all lacked his ruthlessness. He had a certain cold-hearted quality that allowed him to kill without batting an eye in the arena, and he could happily admit to it. Every single victor had either gone in with that quality already bred in their veins or they had built it in the arena. He wasn’t sure which side he fell on, but he knew he possessed it. After two or three years of watching kids he had gotten to know, most older than him, die at the hands of others who had been just like him, he had gotten tired and decided to step away. He knew Rhaenys could handle it, she had been doing it much longer than him anyway. 

But this year, something felt different. Maybe it was the long speech his mother had given him about doing his duty, regardless of his own feelings. Maybe it was the thought that it was the last year of eligibility for his brother Daeron and he wanted to be there to ensure that if he was reaped he would at least have a mentor he knew. Whatever it was, he decided he would attempt mentoring one last time and do his utmost to make his tribute a victor. 

A part of him was worried to start showing his face in public again. Though he was used to his eyepatch and he didn’t shy away from venturing out of the house if need be, this would put him directly in the limelight once more after many years. Everyone in Panem knew he wore an eyepatch, everyone in Panem had seen the initial wound he had been dealt, but he had kept away from the scene for so long that he felt self-conscious about his appearance. People would stare, people would be horrified, and- and he would just have to deal with it anyway. 

On reaping day he put on his best suit, a beautiful two-piece made of fabrics of black and dark green and ventured into the square with his mother on his right arm and his sister on his left. He didn’t say a word to either as they entered the space and he left them to go stand near the back of the stage. Old memories of his own reaping day were flooding back in. The nervous energy that had thrummed through him, the sudden stillness of his body when they had called his name, his mother screaming and sobbing, pleading for it to be anybody else. Aemond closed his eyes and swallowed, ignoring the sudden pain that throbbed where his eye should be. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked across to where Rhaenys stood on the other side of the stage. 

She was staring out at the gathering crowd with a blank face. Her hair was neatly braided at the top then flowed down her back in a white similar to his own. They were relatives, somehow, he could never quite remember the relation. He could see the signs of age on her face now, the wrinkles around her mouth had multiplied since she had last been here with him. Her dress was a deep blue, matching her eyes, and covered her arms until her wrists. He knew she bore scars on those arms from her own fight in the arena, but he felt a bitter pang of jealousy at how easily she was able to hide them. He would never have that luxury. 

Aemond waited as the bustling died down and everyone was gathered in the square. He could see the lines of peacekeepers all over, their guns shining in the watery sunlight. He could see his brother standing among the men, a shock of white hair in a sea of brunettes and blondes. He wanted to smile at Daeron, to try and reassure him somehow that everything would be alright, but that was a lie and he would never be able to promise him that. Instead he looked away and began searching for his mother’s and sister’s faces as the anthem played and the formalities ensued. They were harder to find, but eventually he spotted his mother standing next to a girl in an emerald green dress. It was you. 

Aemond was shocked for a moment to see that colour in the crowd. Everyone else was dressed in varying shades of grey, with the odd yellow popping out from somewhere in the crowd. Even his mother was more unique than most by wearing a completely black outfit, but you stood out like a flare. The dress was made of some satiny material and shined in the light. It was a relatively modest dress, with a collared neckline and short sleeves, the hem falling below the knee, but it was so… green. 

Aemond stared at you, at your pretty hair and apprehensive eyes, posture straight but so tense he was sure your muscles must hurt. This must have been your last year of eligibility as well, he thought, you looked to be about Daeron’s age. Your name was populating that bowl, just as Daeron’s was, and he could understand the dread. You were so close to freedom, but if fate decided to be against you today, there was nothing you could do but face it. 

“Alright! It’s now time to pick one young man and woman for the honour of representing this district in the next annual hunger games! Our courageous young man will be…” the brightly dressed capitol man reached his hand into the bowl and began mixing it around. Aemond silently prayed to the seven that he would accept anything, even his name being pulled again, as long as it wasn’t Daeron. He didn’t want to see the pain on his mother’s face if her youngest child was reaped. He didn’t think he could stand idly by if they picked Daeron. “Jasper Wylde! Come on up!” There was a moment of commotion as people looked around to try and find the unfortunate boy and eventually he stepped warily out onto the path made for the tributes. The capitol attendant clapped happily but no one joined in, watching with morose faces as he walked up to the stage and stood beside the bowl full of male names. 

First Aemond breathed a sigh of relief. He truly did feel like smiling this time because Daeron was free. His family was finally free. They could live in their house in the victor’s village on his salary and die peacefully, a luxury. Then a wave of solemnity washed over him once more and he bowed his head slightly. He knew what it felt like to be reaped, he knew with what hatred that boy now stared at the bowl full of names, wondering why it was him and not the thousands of other names piled in there. No one should celebrate at this moment, a child was still being sent to his death. 

“And now, last but not least, the ladies…” the representative hopped across the stage and shoved his hand into the other bowl. He swirled it around a few more times than he did for the boys, then picked a piece of paper right from the bottom. He slowly peeled it open and you could hear the way the paper stuck together slightly in the silence. “Y/n L/n!” Murmurs again filled the crowd but Aemond knew exactly who it was. You were the only one that didn’t move. People began turning and looking but you stood still. His mother gently rested a hand on your shoulder, whispering something in your ear. You turned to look at Alicent then tipped your head down in a swift nod. Then, back straight and head held high, you stepped through the crowd and onto the path. 

You were a sight to behold. A girl in green striding down the path. A bright spot of paint on a white background. Aemond hadn’t realised his breath was held in his chest. Somewhere in the distance he could hear weeping, but you didn’t turn back. You stared at the stage and kept walking until you stood beside the capitol representative. It was only when you had gotten near that Aemond realised he could see your lip wobbling, that your hands shook like trees in a storm and tears made silent, shiny, tracks down your cheeks. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, here are our district’s tributes! Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour…” 

In the time the tributes were given to say their goodbyes to their families, Aemond took the opportunity to make his own farewells. He had already said goodbye to his father and Aegon who had stayed behind at the house during the reaping ceremony. His father was too ill to leave the house and it was Aegon’s turn to stay behind in case peacekeepers came asking for the health declaration. Though Aemond knew this wouldn’t happen as they were all here, and it gave Aegon a good excuse to laze around the house. 

Helaena, Daeron, and his mother had been sad to see him go, though they took comfort in the knowledge that if no one else, at least he would return. Helaena shed a tear as she hugged him, making him promise to eat well and stay strong. Daeron’s goodbye was quicker, and he couldn’t tell if it was because he didn’t want Aemond to see him upset or because he wanted to go celebrate his newfound freedom. He hugged Aemond quickly then dragged Helaena off to home, chattering to her about something or other. 

Aemond watched his siblings walk away then turned to his mother who watched him with sombre eyes. She was silent for a moment, then reached out and gently folded his hands between hers. She looked down at them then back up at him with a sniff and he wondered if she was about to start crying. 

“Take care of her, Aemond,” she finally said, voice quiet but firm. “Until the end, you must take care of her.” Alicent looked him in the eyes until he nodded before squeezing his hands lightly. She pulled him into a hug and gently rubbed his back. “She needs you, Aemond, and if anyone can help her, it will be you. Leave that boy to Rhaenys, hm? She can handle him, and he will do what he will regardless. But Y/n has potential to win. People may not see it, but I believe, and only you can get her there.” Alicent let him go and stepped back, blowing a kiss to her son and beginning to walk away. 

“Wait, mother-” 

“Time to go,” the capitol representative came up beside him and clasped his shoulder but Aemond was quick to shove him off. He couldn’t threaten a capitol citizen, but gosh was he close. 

Aemond still had so many questions for his mother but he was being herded toward the train and she had disappeared among the buildings. He let out a sigh of dejection and allowed himself to be brought onto the train, sitting down in the lavish room and pressing his head into his hands. The eyepatch was digging into his skin and he just wanted to rip it off and itch at his scars. But he couldn’t, because he didn’t want to look at what was underneath, and he didn’t want anyone else to walk in while his face was completely bare. So he pulled the leather away just slightly and scratched at the edges then let it snap back into place. He stared at the floor as he tried to sort out the pieces in his head and come up with a plan. He always had to have a plan. That’s how he survived his first games, and that’s how he would survive his last. 

The doors to the compartment opened and Rhaenys walked in, her dress swishing around her ankles. He stood to greet her and she smiled, a small dejected thing that was as pathetic as he felt. She walked over to the bar and poured herself a glass of sweet alcohol. He remembered the taste from his first train ride, sickly sweet to the point of pain then fiery as it slipped down your throat. One taste had been enough for his whole life. 

“I see you’ve returned to your duties,” Rhaenys said, voice full of mirth as she sipped from her glass. Aemond nodded, watching as she sat down on a plush velvet chair. He followed suit, sitting opposite her across an ornate glass coffee table. 

“Yes, one last time,” Aemond replied simply, turning away from her to stare out the window as the train began to move. “I have a request, concerning the tributes.” 

“Oh?” Rhaenys raised an eyebrow, lips pulling up into a smirk as she brought the glass to her lips to drain the rest of her drink. “Do tell.” 

“I will solely mentor Y/n, and you can take charge of the boy,” Aemond said, lacing his fingers together in his lap. 

“Why?” Rhaenys furrowed her brows and put the glass down on the coffee table. 

“It will be easier on everyone, focus all your energy on one tribute and do what you can to get them to win.,” he shrugged, as if the answer had been there all along. 

“Yes I know that, but why do you want to mentor her?” Rhaenys asked, and he went quiet, staring at her as he tried to think of his answer. All his mind conjured was the image of you walking to the stage, the green dress and the tear tracks. 

“I’m sure you see the potential in the boy. He has muscle, he has experience from the mines which means he already has the brute strength that can be honed with skill, but I see potential in her. I’d like to see what I can do with it.” He stared directly into Rhaenys’ eyes and sat up straight. 

Aemond believed what he said. If his mother saw potential in you, then so did he. He would do what he could to get you ready for the games, then he would do whatever he could to help you survive in the arena. The world was always against him, but if there was one thing he knew, it was how to survive. Now, he would make sure you did too. 

“Alright, have it your way,” Rhaenys shrugged, and this time Aemond allowed himself to smile. 

Aemond and Rhaenys walked through three train compartments before they found the tributes. You were sitting at the right wall on a purple velvet sofa, legs curled up under you, staring out of the window. Jasper was busying himself at the bar and the air was heavy with silence. Both of you refused to acknowledge the other, and Aemond cleared his throat to draw your eyes to him. You merely raised your eyes to them while Jasper made to rush around the bar as if they had caught him doing something he shouldn’t. 

“Oh don’t stop on our account, it’s only right you drink what you will before you die,” Rhaenys smiled genially, and Jasper had enough sense to look sheepish. “Alright, you come with me, I’ll be your mentor,” she pointed to Jasper then motioned for him to follow her before walking back out of the room. Jasper hesitated, looking around as if he was unsure what the protocol was, but Aemond just motioned his head to where Rhaenys had disappeared and Jasper jogged after her. 

The room was quiet again. You had returned to staring out of the window, and Aemond slowly made his way over to the sofa you were sitting on. He left a seat between you and sat down, only turned slightly toward you. You finally tore your eyes away from the landscape and looked at him and he could see how red and puffy they were. Red veins crawled over the whites of your eyes and your nose was shiny and a pang of something painful hit his chest. 

“Did you get to say goodbye?” He asked quietly, lacing his hands together in his lap. You nodded, gulping and opening your mouth once, twice, before a croaking voice spoke. 

“Yeah,” you cleared your throat before speaking again, “I only have my parents so… it was a quick goodbye.” Your lower lip began trembling and your whole face crumpled as you began to sob once more. 

Aemond had seen tributes cry before, it was normal, but not this much. By the time they got on the train they usually gathered themselves up and began trying to concoct a plan. But you, you seemed to be completely lost to despair. Your face was the picture of pain, and you brought your knees up to your chest and rocked yourself slightly. His mouth turned down in pity. 

“My mother bought me this dress,” you finally said through the tears, voice slightly blubbery and high-pitched as you began breathing in to calm yourself. You looked up to meet his eyes and he could barely make out your irises through your crinkled lids and the heaps of water pouring over your lashes. “She wanted to get me something special for my last year in the reaping and she spent a whole salary on the fabric. She toiled night after night, coming home from work to painstakingly stitch every piece together.” You gently caressed the fabric and smiled through the tears and somehow this sight was so much worse than the frown. Aemond’s chest clenched so tight he thought his heart might stop beating altogether. You let out a huff of a chuckle, a watery sound that was quickly followed by a sniffle as you pressed your hands to the fabric before looking up at him and directly into his eyes. Your own were open now, wide as they could go, serious as they could be. 

“I know I can’t win. You know I can’t win. Everyone who watched the reaping knows I can’t win. I’m a girl who’s only skill is dressing pretty. So, Aemond Targaryen, tell me what to do?” You looked at him in earnest, as if he held all the answers, and for a moment Aemond began to question what his mother saw in you. What was this potential she spoke of? All he saw was a weak little girl who couldn’t even be bothered to believe in herself. But then he remembered your walk up to the stage, the strength with which you had held yourself even while you had cried. Now he understood what his mother wanted him to do.  

“You think you can’t win.” He turned to fully face you and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “There’s more to the games than just surviving the arena. You’re good at looking pretty? Then you’ll survive the parade, you’ll excel at the interview, you’ll get sponsors and I’ll be able to help you for longer in the games with that. Not everything is about brute force and murderous intent. You’ll have some time to train before going into the arena, we can use it to teach you a few things. Don’t think about winning, just try surviving,” he watched you as he spoke, noting the way you seemed to breathe easier and your eyes seemed to lighten slightly. Your hands stopped trembling and you uncurled from around your knees, instead spreading your toes out over the plush fabric. 

“Ok,” you breathed out, “I can try,” you affirmed, nodding to yourself, and he allowed you a small smile before becoming sombre again. 

“I won’t lie to you, you will have to do things in the arena that will haunt you if you manage to make it out. The games are designed to turn you into an animal. Even if you go in there without the intention of killing, no one comes out unscathed. So, the real question isn’t about if people believe you can win. Are you willing to do what it takes?” 

Aemond had thought about all the people he had killed for a long time. He remembered every detail about them, from district and family history to what they had looked like the moment life had finally drained from their eyes. He often thought about his final victim, the only person he had gotten along with before they had entered the arena. He thought of the way she had grabbed his wrist and forced the knife into her own stomach, the way she had smiled as she fell to the floor, the eternal smile as the cannon sounded and her blood warmed his hand. The realisation that he was alone in the arena. 

When he saw the smile on your face as you wiped at your tears and brought your feet off the couch, nodding your head and repeating the word yes until you seemed to believe yourself, he thought of the final girl. 

When you reached the capitol, you were separated and attendants led you off to… somewhere. You were stripped bare and forced into a roiling bath filled with all sorts of serums and scents and oils. Your scalp was scrubbed until you could feel each individual hair follicle growing and your skin was pink. They cut and polished your fingernails and toenails and waxed you all over until your skin burned. You were moved onto your stylist who greeted you with kisses on your cheeks before whirling you around to scrutinise your body. He had a gentle smile, and conversed with you all the while you stood on a pedestal in the middle of his room. He told you about the dress he had made for you, all the jewellery available to you and how you had the next few hours to prepare yourself for the parade. 

You allowed yourself to revel in this one luxury. You loved to dress up, to wear fancy clothes and beautify yourself whenever you could. The opportunities had been few and far between back home, despite your parents doing their best to provide you with them. Even if you were going to die in a few weeks time, at least you could enjoy the luxuries offered until then. 

Ursa brought out a garment bag and one of his attendants rolled in three carts covered in jewellery one by one. Ursa hung the bag up right in front of you and zipped it open, to reveal the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. “I watched the reaping and just knew what I would make,” he whispered as both of you stared at it. You brought your hand to your mouth and stepped forward to touch the fabric. 

The dress was dark green, like leaves in the deepest, darkest, part of a forest. A sweetheart neckline with off the shoulder straps that led into long swaths of tulle that would flow behind your arms. Rhinestones were sewn into the fabric almost at random to look like sunlight falling onto the fabric. It had a long train that you knew would drag behind you on the ground and force the carriage behind you to keep at a distance. You realised how he wanted to single you out. The organisers would keep everything symmetrical, so the long gap behind you would mean there was a long gap ahead of you too. Spectators would be drawn to the sight of you two taking up so much space. You would be the centre of attention. 

Ursa helped you into the dress and set the sleeves for you as you gazed at yourself in the mirror. It truly was made for you, each measurement perfect. All the effort Ursa had put into this… you began to tear up but he just hushed you and began fussing over the jewellery carts. He suggested putting a tiara on you but you were hesitant. It felt presumptuous to already wear a crown at the tribute parade. 

“Darling,” he held your chin between his thumb and forefinger and forced you to look into his eyes. “Act like you’ve already won. Nothing else will make it easier, and nothing else will grab their attention more.” He slid the comb of the tiara into your hair and forced you to hold your head up high. 

In the next few hours, you were draped with necklaces and bracelets and rings. Just before you were helped up onto the carriage, Aemond appeared at your side. You looked up at him and for a moment he didn’t say a word. He just stared at you, at the dress and the crown and the whole picture of finery. You couldn’t read what was in his eyes and you looked down nervously, trying not to shuffle back out of embarrassment. 

“You look like a winner,” he finally said. 

When training started, your confidence began to wane. You watched all the other tributes heft axes, shoot arrows, slice swords or destroy dummies with their bare hands. You watched other tributes practice building traps or gain strength in their legs for running. It felt like you were the only one starting from rock bottom. You wanted to yell at Aemond, to say “look! Look at my glaring lack of ability! Whatever belief you had in me must be dead!” But everyday he came back, dressed in black athletic wear ready to teach you something new. 

He didn’t bother with any weapon bigger than a dagger, telling you it would only weigh you down. He made you run until you were sick for the first half of every day, then run some more. The second half was spent learning how to use the simplest of supplies to make traps or alarms. He would use rope or wire with a handful of leaves he had gathered from outside the facility. He taught you about plants and water sources and made you list every possible terrain and the best possible strategy to handle it before you could leave for the day. 

Despite the intense rigour with which he attacked your training, he was endlessly patient. He listened to every complaint before forcing you back onto the treadmill. He rubbed ointment on your fingertips after you cut them on the wire but made you rebuild the trap. He made sure you ate a full meal but quizzed you about everything he taught you while you sat together. And on the nights when you missed home, when the world felt like it was ending and your mind could only play the sight of your mother’s face crumpled with tears, the sound of your father crying, he held you and whispered stories of history long past into your ears until you slept. 

He had so quickly become everything to you. At times you thought about how only a little while ago he had been nothing but an image on a screen, a name whispered around town, and now he was your comfort, your nourishment, your whole life, your very soul. You tried to imagine doing this without him, and you simply couldn’t. You knew you would have given up a long time ago if he had not been there to carry you through. 

As the time to enter the arena crept closer and closer, the training got harder and harder. It was on a particularly difficult day that you returned from the facility and began rummaging in your closet for your reaping day dress. You hugged it as you slept sometimes, imagining that you could still smell the faint scent of your mother’s perfume on it. But it wasn’t there. You threw out every scrap of cloth that the capitol had provided for you, opened every drawer and pawed through every nook and cranny like a desperate mouse searching for food. It was nowhere to be found. 

Aemond heard all the noise coming from your room and decided to venture in to figure out what was wrong. He found you sitting on the floor in a pile of underwear and training gear, hair still wet from the shower and tears streaming down your face. You were sobbing quietly, shoulders hunched forward and body bobbing slightly with every hiccuped breath. Your hands were clenched in the clothes you were surrounded by and he could see the chaos that had occurred. Aemond knelt down beside you and gently unclasped one of your hands from the clothes. 

“What’s happened?” He asked quietly, softly touching each one of your fingertips where they were still red from working with the metal wire. 

“My dress is gone,” you whispered hoarsely, looking up at him with big teary eyes. You looked like a child then, the way Daeron had when he used to fall down outside the house and cry until mother soothed his cuts and bruises. Aemond reached up and collected a tear with his thumb. 

“They must have taken it for a wash, I’ll call down and find it,” he soothed, wiping the tear on his pants before repeating the gesture on your other cheek. 

You continued to stare up into his eyes, and he let go of your hand to cup your cheek. He moved closer until his nose gently touched yours. You closed your eyes and waited, feeling his breaths brush over your lips. You waited and waited but he still didn’t kiss you. You opened your eyes again and he was staring at your face with such pain, such sadness that it crushed something in your chest. 

Aemond had never felt such guilt for loving someone. He had happily loved his family and happily loved the one girl who had kissed him while they were still in school (though that had ended quickly). But here, with you, he felt the crushing weight of helplessness as he looked upon your face. He loved you, yet he could do nothing to get you out of this. He loved you, yet all he could give you were a few days, a few kisses, mere moments before everything was thrown into the air. 

You leaned forward and slid your hands into Aemond’s hair. You pressed your lips to his mouth and gently kissed him then pulled away. You did it once more, staying just longer than a peck then pulling back. Then he was kissing you, pressing his tongue into your mouth and leaning over you so your neck tilted back. The tip of his nose pressed into your cheek and he kissed your lips like they should be cherished. 

You pulled away and caressed his cheek, smiling then gently bumping his nose with yours. He smiled back, huffing out a sad little chuckle. You pressed your nose and mouth to his cheek and kissed him before mumbling against his skin. 

“Thank you, for everything.” 

It was your final night. Tomorrow you would be tossed in the arena and expected to survive for the entertainment of the capitol citizens. While you had done well with the parade, and people had immensely enjoyed your interview, you had scored appallingly low on your assessment. Aemond told you not to worry, that it was a good thing for people to underestimate you, they wouldn’t worry about killing you first because they believed you would end up dying on your own. You at least had cover for now. 

You had eaten in silence, all four of you gathered for your last supper. Jasper had talked and talked, asking last-minute advice and making commentary about the other tributes, but you felt like any energy you might have had before had been completely zapped away. You drank three glasses of water, then walked to your room without a glance back, sitting in your bed to wait for Aemond to come to you. 

It was as you began to doze off that he stepped into your room, the lights dimmed and casting shadows over his face. He walked over and sat in front of you on the bed, reaching over and gently caressing your head for a moment. You didn’t speak for the first few moments, what could you really say? Aemond cleared his throat. 

“Don’t run for the cornucopia, just run for cove-” 

“No advice please,” you interrupted, “not tonight. Tell me everything you can tomorrow morning, speak to me even as I’m being lifted away, but not tonight.” He nodded and shifted closer to you, watching as you reached out to hold his hands. “Will you show me?” You finally asked, and his heart stopped in his chest. 

He knew what you were asking for, but somehow this still terrified him. It was… grotesque, horrifying, and a million other gruesome words. What would you say after seeing it? Aemond gulped and turned away from you to sit on the edge of the bed. 

“When he slashed my eye, that was the most pain I had ever felt in my eye,” he began, voice rough. “Rhaenys sent me bandages and I was able to keep it wrapped up until the end of the games, but after I was lifted out, they took me straight to the hospital. I was delirious, but I remember the medics said there were a million things that could have gone wrong. I was lucky it wasn’t infected, and I was lucky they could perform surgery quickly.” Aemond closed his eye as he spoke but his fists were clenched on his knees. “When I finally woke up, blind in one eye, they brought me a mirror to show me their work. They said they were so proud, that not only had I been given the best care but they had made me seem truly capitol. You know what they did to my eye?” He snapped in your direction and you jumped. He stared at you with his one blue eye, unforgiving as steel. “They shoved a huge chunk of sapphire into the empty socket. There’s no eye in there, no cavity, not even scarred over skin. Every time I take off this eyepatch, the evidence of the games stares back at me. The thought that I have been forever changed by the capitol, disfigured by them in the name of beauty…” his chest was heaving and he had gone deathly pale. You reached over but he swiftly grabbed your hand, grip tight. He stared at your face, at the look of earnest care and pure love in your eyes, and slowly peeled away his fingers. 

You didn’t make a sound as you gripped the strap of his eyepatch and lifted it over his head. You didn’t say a word as you looked upon the rough cut sapphire that sat where his eye should have been. All you did was lean over and kiss him, smiling against his lips and kissing him again. He pushed you onto your back and kissed you until you were breathless. He kissed over your neck, and after removing your nightgown, he kissed down your chest and over your stomach. He pulled down your pants and kissed you between your thighs until you could only call out his name. He kissed your thighs, your stomach, your breasts, and back up to your lips. He pressed into you for the first time, and you whined into his mouth. You dug your nails into his shoulders and he pressed into you once more. He did it again and again and again until you were overcome with pleasure. Then he did it again. 

You stood beside the tube that would take you up into the arena. You couldn’t explain how you felt. Your entire body felt like it was thrumming but your mind was quiet. There were a million things you wanted to say, but not one word passed your lips. 

Aemond had come down with you even though he wasn’t supposed to. You held tight to his hand and he didn’t say a word. He had spent the morning rapidly telling you things you were sure you would forget the moment the horn went off. He had stopped occasionally to kiss you, to caress your hair and hold you until he started breathing normally again. But he could do no more. The countdown had started, and you had a minute before you had to get into the tube. 

“You know what you’re doing, you can survive,” he said simply, holding onto your hands. But you only shook your head and hushed him. 

“Aemond, if I don’t make it out-” 

“Don’t say that,” he spat out, gripping your face in his hands, but you just shook your head as much as you could in his grip. 

“If I don’t make it out, I want you to know how much I love you. I need you to know. It’s the only thing that will let me die peacefully in the arena. I’ll fight, and I’ll try and make my way back to you, but if it should happen that I can’t… I need you to know.” Your lip trembled and you smiled at him, nodding as if everything was fine and you would be back in a minute. 

“I know, I know, of course I know,” he whispered, pressing his lips so tightly to yours that when you pulled away they throbbed. “But you…” he gulped and shook his head and you saw the tears begin to collect in his eyes. “You just make it out,” was all he whispered, and kissed you again. 

He kissed you until you had to rush to get into the tube. He stood by the glass as the final countdown began, ten seconds ticking by faster than they ever had before. And just as you began to rise, hands slipping against the glass, he mouthed ‘I love you,’ but he didn’t know if you had seen it. 

Endnote: I truly believe Rhaenys would win the shit out of the hunger games 

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

If You Were Never Born, Then You Will Never Die

(That is Why God Was Never Born.)

Stephen Jay Morris

4/3/2023

©Scientific Morality.

Question: Why can’t you remember your own birth? Because of course you can’t! The Basal Ganglia part of your brain was not yet developed. That is where memory is stored. You may have fuzzy memories about your 4th year of existence, but the Basal Ganglia was still under construction. I’m not metaphysical, by any means. But entertain this question: if you don’t remember your birth, could it be that you were never born? Or, maybe you always existed, got a bad case of amnesia, and then were reborn. As an agnostic, I believe in evidence. It must satisfy my senses in the way my vision, ears, sense of touch, sense of smell, taste, and other sensory functions are satisfied.

Buddhism could be correct about reincarnation. If so, how come you don’t remember your previous life, or lives? Perhaps, the Christians are right. If you kiss God’s ass, then you will live with him in eternity. However, that edict is erroneous and defies logic. If that game plan is in the bible, then why even exist? Doing God’s bidding when he can do it himself? If we are God’s slaves, then why even live. Life is rendered meaningless.

Satanists believe in egotism. You are here to serve you own selfish needs. Is life more than pleasure and material things? Yes, it is. There is more to life than happiness. If you haven’t worked that out by the age of 30, then you never will. Is life about altruism? Well, it sure beats the fuck out of Natural Law!

So, why do we have religion, anyway? Thanatophobia! Otherwise known as “the fear of death.”

Our ego is the underlying reason we don’t want to die. Another reason is the fear of pain. Since people are afraid of death, they will find a doctrine that says that they must follow certain, man-made rules, and then live with God forever and ever!

Rest assured that medical science is making strides in increasing human longevity. Life expectancy is getting longer and longer. In the 19th Century, life expectancy was 50 years old. I am 69 and I attribute my old age to science. But even so, each of us will eventually die. Maybe 200 years from now, science will develop a pill that guarantees eternal life?

I am happy with the way things are. I would hate to live forever, and I hope there is no after life. I always thought that, since I don’t remember what it was like before I was born, the same goes for after my death. I won’t know a thing. Why would anyone want to live forever anyway? Float around without hunger, no sexual concupiscence, no ego, science, no basketball? No way and no dice! Now, Islamic afterlife is more hedonistic, according to the Koran; it says that there is sex after death. Heck, a lot of women thought I was part of the living dead whenever we screwed!

What about good and evil? No such thing! It is strictly a religious construct. It means pro-God or anti-God. God has done a lot of evil things, like causing genocide by flooding the earth and killing the old, the very young, and pregnant women. What type of God is that? And this so-called, Arch Angel, Satan? What is he, a registered Republican? He hates poor people and the innocent. Read the gospel of Jesus. He loves the poor and the sick—more than Bernie Sanders does. The fact that those who accuse others of being evil, eagerly support a bastard like Donald Trump, makes me scratch my head!

These are existential questions of mine. Oh, I’m just as freaked out about death as anybody. That is the biggest issue in life. When I was 11 years old, I got the “cosmic slap,” and realized that all of this will one day end. Then I came to learn that my time spent on this earth can be better spent helping others. Well, now that I am a Senior Citizen, I want to enjoy life while I am still here.

This is the 21st Century and the kings of the earth continue their oppression, the “my God is better than your God” perpetuates useless religious wars, and greedy oil fiends relentlessly drive us into climate disaster. Well, I’ve had my fill of politics. I will continue to keep tabs, but that's all I’ll do. I’ve paid my dues, so fuck my critics!

[palidoozy-art]

Finally nailed down the design for the Lord of Twilight Woods, the party’s current big bad evil guy.

Plot synopsis below

A former shadar-kai, Serafim was sent on a mission by the Raven Queen (referred to as She of Whispers in our game) to the material plane. There, he experienced a sea of emotions he hadn’t been able to on the suffocating plane of Shadow. Joy. Sadness. Anger. Love. He, his two lovers (Javor and Stani) and a group of other shadar-kai decided they wished to never return to Shadowfell -- and so they made a pact with the Queen of Unseelie Court, and became dusk elves. The fey shrouded the group in a great woods to protect them from the wrath of their former deity, but for a cost: Serafim and his lovers would never be able to leave.

Deeming themselves kings, the three of them were once kind and just. But centuries of stagnation and the eye of an angry deity upon you weigh upon you. Slowly they became less like noble leaders and more like brutal dictators, establishing a violent caste system to maintain purity and dominance. Their paranoia ran rampant -- so rampant that they set up a fail safe in case they would die. They made a deal with one of the great scholars in the kingdom to utilize a clone spell, and keep their bodies safe just in case they met an untimely end.

Eventually, they met an untimely end. The kings, in their paranoia, viewed any attempts at changing the violent structure of their society as treason and put such individuals to death. One of them survived, betraying his people and helping lead a violent human king to overthrow the monarchs. When their armies had stormed the once great Twilight Woods, they arrived on the steps, dragged out the kings, and beheaded them in front of their people. Blood pooled down the steps.

The kings returned to life in the coffins designated by the clone spell, unbeknownst to the king’s army. But when you create a violent dictatorship, you leave a lot of room for people to be angry at you. The kings didn’t expect the scholar to betray him, and nobody still knows why he did. But he did.

He collapsed all of the entrances into their chamber and removed their spellbooks and supplies. The kings awoke in a tomb, unable to escape, unable to cast spells, and with no food. 

As they began to starve, they turned on each other. Two of them killed Stani first, eating his corpse for sustenance. It wasn’t long before the last two turned on each other, leaving only one remaining: Serafim.

Fey magics wouldn’t let him permanently die, and the curse of what he had done twisted him. He escaped, now racked with an everlasting hunger, eating everything he could come across. And though his hunger never settled, it gave way to an emotion much stronger: spite.

Once a man who loved his land, he vowed from that point on to destroy it utterly. Currently he is the mastermind behind the brutal continental war -- purposely trying to kill as many as possible so he can send out corpse collectors to bring them back, raise them, and utilize them for his own personal army and to dig out a ruin where he seeks a wish spell. Is it the most efficient way of doing it? No. Does he care? Nah. All he cares about is causing as much suffering as he can to others and devouring the strong to add to his own repertoire.

Fun fact: the skulls on his staff are of his former lovers. he’s a nice man.