#but good lord fantastic beasts was bad

[jules-writes-stories]

Elucien Week | Day 2 | Golden

A Heart of Gold

Read the entire chapter on AO3

A Retelling of King Midas, Lucien x Elain

The Kingdom of Prythian

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of ancient misted forests and seaside cliffs hewn by the hands of time. It was a land where simple mortals and the immortal trickster Fae lived side by side. A place where fantastical beasts roamed all four Seasonal Courts, where the Sun and Stars aligned in the lofty Solar Courts, and monsters lurked in the darkest Night.

In this kingdom, there lived a wealthy mortal by the name of Archeron. His vast estate was filled with ancient books and maps, trunk of precious gems, cellars of fine wines, and spices and silks that spoke of his travels. He was known to all as the Prince of Merchants.

The Lord had three daughters, each more lovely than the last. And they lived a good life. But over the years, Archeron grew dissatisfied with his good fortune, wanting more. He watched the Fae to the North of the Wall through glittering, greedy eyes, how they amassed great wealth over their immortal lifetimes, and grew jealous of their elemental magic. The mortal man coveted such raw power.

So, he sailed his fleet of trading vessels along perilous coastlines, through choppy seas. He sought out faster, more dangerous routes to transport his goods. He gambled with his wealth, taking great risks for small rewards.

And then, in a single day, it all caught up with him. The missive came after noon. His eldest daughter, Nesta, had just finished her dance lessons. The youngest, Feyre, was running wild on the grounds. And Elain, his sweet, precious Elain, was tending the gardens.

Lord Archeron held the missive in hand. Lost. Every vessel crashed upon the rocks. The tempests of the Continent had taken them. He knew the risks. The shorelines surrounding Bharat were fraught with peril. But the straights had guaranteed the fastest return for his investment, and Archeron was in vast sums of debt, had borrowed too much.

For the Prince of Merchants loved gold. Coffers filled, pockets lined. Threads of gold along his bed linens to fill his dreams. He wanted it ringing his fingers, and cuffing his daughters’ wrists. Golden bars along his window panes. There was never enough. Now, there was nothing.

As if on cue, Elain, came in with the tea, the fine porcelain clinking on a tray. She took in his drawn face, parchment clutched in hand. “Papa? What is it?”

The Prince of Merchants dropped to his chair, head in hands, the letter in his fist.

Elain knelt at his side. “What’s happened?” Her eyes, the soft brown of a meadowlark, full of worry. “Please.”

At that moment, Nesta entered with a whoosh of stiff skirts and a clip of heels. Seeing her younger sister prone, she was immediately on guard.

“Elain? What are you doing on the floor?” The eldest walked with the strength of steel and the grace of fire. She was a savage, beautiful creature, who bravely peeled away to the heart of any matter, like the sharpest of blades.

“It’s Papa. He’s not well.” Elain’s graceful hands, with their chipped fingernails and scratched palms from clearing the garden, took the letter from their father’s.

She passed it to Nesta, who rapidly read across the page. “How could you?” Archeron’s shoulders slumped forward. Sad brown eyes stared at the floor. “How could you be so greedy, so foolish? Make such bad choices?” Silver flames flickered in the eldest sister’s gaze.

He looked up at his two eldest, and simply whispered, “I’m ruined.”

Read the rest on AO3

@the-darkestminds @prythian-fashion @shadowqueenjude @elucienweekofficial @zenkindoflove

[hpmaniac]

opinion on popular hp ships(according to AO3)

Yes I am well aware that nobody asked for it

1.Drarry (Draco X Harry) -100/10

Fuck off

no

ew

they are literally enemies throughout most o/ the series

they try to kill each other

2.Wolfstar (Remus X Sirius) (-10000/10)

NO. THEY ARE FRIENDS

YES I AM AWARE THAT I’M REMADORA BIASED SHUT UP

BUT SERIOUSLY 😒

SIRIUS TRIED TO USE REMUS TO KILL. IS THAT WHAT YOU CALL LOVE

SIRIUS MADE FUN OF REMUS’ LYCANTHOPY

3.Dramione (Draco X Hermione) (-100/10)

Y’all (the shippers) are just a bunch of horny teenagers desperate for some pretty boy and pretty girl sex smh

they are enemies

0% chemistry

4.Jily (James X Lily) (7/10)

Finally smth normal

it’s not bad, just a little.. strange..

Lily had 0% interest in James until Snape called her a mudblood and then somehow she likes him now?

it’s a good ship, not the best

5.Romione (Ron X Hermione) (9.7/10)

NOW WE’RE TALKING

Literally so good

Best friends to lovers YES PLEASE

CHEMISTRYYY

6.Snarry ( Snape X Harry ) (-100000000/100)

I genuinely did not except a ship here to have a lower ranking than w*lfstar

BUT OH MY LORD

Y’ALL ARE ACTUALLY MAD

I HAVE NO WORDS-

AGAIN HORNY TEENS DESPERATE FOR SOME DARK!GAY!ROUGH!SEX FANFICS

7. Hinny (Harry X Ginny) (10/10)

IF WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BOOK! HINNY THEN YES. YOU ARE ON MY TOP 3

MOVIE!HINNY? No thanks

But book!hinny>> (any ship except Remadora and Molly X Arthur lol)

8. Snamione( Snape X Hermione) (-100000000000/100)

AGAIN HORNY TEENS DESPERATE FOR ROUGH SEX SMH

I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS WAYYY HIGHER THAN REMADORA OH MY GOD

WHAT HAS THIS FANDOM BECOME

9. Harmony (Harry X Hermione) (1/10)

It’s not the worst thing ever ig

no chemistry

mid

too predictable

10. Jegulus (James X Regulus ) (1/10)

Again, not asss bad as like W*lfstar

but is there a chance of this happening? No.

mid

no chemistry

11. Newtina (Newt X Tina) (10/10)

aaa love it

TAKE NOTE THAT I HAVE ONLY WATCHED FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Cutee

idk what else to say lol

12. ✨REMADORA (REMUS X TONKS)✨ (♾/10)

OTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTPOTP

THEIR PERSONALITIES COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER SO WELL

THE LONELY, TIRED WEREWOLF FALLING IN LOVE WITH A CHEERFUL, LOVLEY METAMORPHAGUS? YES PLEASE

SO UNEXPECTED AS WELL

THEY GAVE US TEDDY

”IT’S YOU WHO NEEDS ME TONIGHT”

”HE ALWAYS GOT THE WOMAN.” “YOU’D KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHO I’D FALLEN FOR, IF YOU WEREN’T TOO BUSY FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF TO NOTICE”

YESS

CHEMISTRY

*INSERT 1000 MORE COMPLIMENTS*

13.Fleur X Krum(?) (-1/10)

Ok?

?

never heard of it

14.Charry (Cho X Harry) (1/10)

Not the worst thing ig

it was just a teenage crush

so awkward

15.Nuna (Neville X Luna) (9/10)

Good

it would work

they’re both crazy about something

so yeah ig

[cute-little-crow]

Holy shit I've just read your "is it in yet" and YOU DID SO. GOOD. SO. DELICIOUS. fANTASTICAL!! I also saw your recent posts about struggling getting it out but I assure you it's MORE than good!!! It's better than I could convey with words!!! To the point I needed to scream this out the moment I finished reading!! Which- by the way, took me some time because my cheeks were flushed at the end of every single one of it I needed breaks to compose myself in between! Again, SO GOOD. MORE THAN GOOD.

Thank you for the overwhelming amount of dom side of the LIs and huge shot of brat taming... A part of me died inside and immediately resurrected in 200% power from how good it is. Please excuse me because this might be a lengthy and feral fangirl I am sorry in advance

I am not even a Rafayel girlie BUT MY BRAIN STUTTERED SO HARD JUST BY READING THE FIRST DIALOGUE. BY THE TIME HE SEETHED THAT BREATHY "Brat..." I AM JUST??? DEAD. BRAIN SHORT CIRCUITED. PLEASE TURN ME INTO BRAINLESS LITTLE F- Cough cough. I am so so so incredibly beyond happy to see harsh dom Rafayel portrayed! Totally melting in this darker side of him which I totally craved since reading his omnipotent perception...🫠🫠🫠AND you totally nailed it! Got me feral the fact you still add on the cute little nickname despite his seemingly harsh and mean exterior but he's still a softie just for us and it makes me feel so much things... Bless...

Now Sylus. As my obsession that hasn't seemed to calm down even after 2 whole months with his existence I am down so bad for this man I can't even. THE ABSOLUTE DOMINATION THIS GUY HAS!!! THE CALM DEMEANOR!!! WONDERFUL!! SO DAMN WONDERFUL! The fact he was mid-marking us already gets me sobbing from the getgo. Yes please, more please. The chastise and condescending in his voice?? I can totally imagine it all the while he's ruining us. The description was so so so hot you wrote it amazingly. Love me delivering lord with overstimulation and creampies yes yes yes yes 🫠🫠🫠 I've said it but I'm saying it again but your description were phenomenal I somehow really liked the part mentioning us being wrung dry like a used towel because the objectification is *chef kiss*. The wolfish grin was the end of me I went absolutely feral when I read that part oh what a wonderful thing to be devoured and put into place by the big bad wolf himself 🥰🥰

AND DEAR GOODNESS THE FREAK SWITCH XAVIER HAS. As my initial favorite before Sylus came crashing in I am so not normal for him. One moment he looked as innocent as a little bunny and another he's devouring you like a beast- while still fucking you like a bunny in heat. Girl dinner. PLEASE?? THE FACT OUR HANDS WERE PINNED USELESSLY BELOW US?? THAT'S SO HOT YOU'RE A GENIUS. The teasing touches on our spine the bunching up of our hair into the best hairtie ever for a ponytail the whispers in our ear BARK BARK BARK. The seemingly degrading way he spoke of himself initially for 'not' delivering!! The gentle guides despite not so gentle treatment!! The subtle encouragement and praise!! The absolute feralness and yet the fact he still hold back to make it fully enjoyable for us and to never hurt us for real! *Sighs dreamily* Xavier the man you are. And the writer YOU are!

Last but definitely not least, Zayne.... ZAYNE. Dear gosh my heart skips a beat when you wrote about him opening his eyes. The immediate roleplay of a responsible and totally competent doctor got me alsjalksdkdnd. How composed and totally knowing he is that we're fully bullshitting our bratty way, one he dealt numerous times already in the past present and future... How confident he is of himself and his knowledge of us!! Intelligence is always hot. THE TEMPERATURE PLAAAAY THE MAGIC TOUCH YOU ARE DR. ZAYNE. The diagnosis killed me, brattitude is such an amazing word I love it so much I want this disease and be cured over and over by him. AND THE LAST DIALOGUE??? I DON'T KNOW WHAT ABOUT THAT, probably from how absolute of an order and how authoritative it is that made my brain shut down completely upon reading it. I am on my knees.

I hope you'll soon recover from your emotional crash and I wish you well! I hope you'll have a great day today, if not tomorrow, or the days after and so on. Thank you so much for the wonderful writing you have blessed us upon on the internet!

I read this last night and very nearly burst into tears 😭😭 I’ve read it over so many times… thank you for writing this, anon. I am genuinely so grateful to read feedback and you went all out with yours.

I want everyone to have a good time with my fics and that I gave you this kind of reaction makes me so damn proud.

I love you I love you I love you 💗💗

[honey-minded-hivemind]

My serious answer on who Reader's companion in into the Unknown is Scott or Kurt. Both give off older and younger brother vibes. Scott would be a very good straight man to the weird and fantastical things going on, while Kurt is excitable and would continously think something is cool until he is reminded yet again that this place is dangerous and bloodthirsty before screaming.

My Crack answer is Lance, Peter, or Toad because they would be miserable and very vocal about it as they regularly get their butts kicked, and I think that's funny.

Ahaha! All good answers!

Scott would be worried, annoyed, and listing every problem with the world around them. He is hugging Reader at night though, and will fight off a Beast or Witch or Harvest Lord for them. He carries an ax or knife with him (he's wearing a sweater with a pumpkin or birds on it-)

Kurt would keep touching everything, from the black turtles and black birds and black roots and flowers, he's messing around with any sticks or teigs or pieces of candy or food he finds, and is talking the entire time. Reader has to save him from a soul-eating creature, and Kurt is hugging them, shaking, and apologizing. Poor guy is trying to make the best of a bad situation, and he tries to entertain himself amd Reader, it just goes wrong 7/10 times (he's wearing a blue sweater, tan pants, and possibly is wearing a witch's hat or cape, carries a bird companion with them, their version of Beatrice thr Blue Bird)

If it was Lance, poor guy is over it. Nope. No. No way. He did NOT sign up for spooky little towns or demons or the thing that sings in the woods at night. He wants out. He also happens to get into trouble, be it stepping in a pumpkin, having to walk in the rain, or falling flat into mud or a river. Reader is offering him a hand, they're giving him a handkerchief, and they're trying to steer him away from the woods (he's wearing a brown coat with black boots, he was carrying a rock in his pocket)

If it was Todd, oh my... This guy is shrieking, running away, amd using Reader as a shield between him and the frightening creature in the dark (it was a cat, thank heavens-). He hops in the puddles, he carries a frog or toad plush with him, and he's trying to joke and make Reader laugh while not breaking down that they're in a place thats creepy as h*ck (is wearing a frog sweater in pale greens and yellows, has brown jeans or pants, carries a frog/toad plush that gets a lot of names)

If it was Pietro, he's talking every second about how miserable he is. Seriously, where are they, why is it so cold and autumn-vintage-looking, where is some food, are they there yet, why couldn't it be anywhere else, did they hear something singing, wait, is that a bird- Reader is letting him run ahead and check for danger, while they go along with what he says, hoping it calms him down some. Reader tosses fruits and rocks between the two of them in a game of catch as they walk, hoping it takes his mind off their situation (he's wearing a fluffy sweater in pale blues and white, has white or pale tan pants, had a bird necklace on)

(Haha, I love it, @sugar-soda! They're all trying to make do with what they have, it's just hard when you're two kids stuck in the Unknown trying to find a way home (and there's no telephone) with a chill in their bones (are they truly alone?) )

[repelomuggletum]

Listen, I’ve always been fascinated by Grindeldore...

First of all: yes, I'm aware that it's not exactly the least problematic ship. It canonically suffers from the "kill your gays" trope, and it's only canon because JKR retconed it and didn't care enough to actually write queer characters in her series (though, quite frankly, I wouldn't trust her to write queer characters at all, considering her incredibly harmful ideology).

However, I love the potential. 

We don't see enough of Grindelwald (in the original HP series, because I am consciously ignoring the fact that the Fantastic Beasts movies exist) to know much about his personality or how he would interact with Dumbledore, but he's canonically very powerful and, because he evidently had a large following, it's likely that he was also charismatic. Dumbledore is also both of these things, wielding enough power to not only defeat Grindelwald but also terrify Voldemort, and being charismatic enough to be a politician and essentially a war leader. Watching two people like that interact would be fascinating, especially in a context where they care for each other without agreeing with each other. The tension would be palpable. 

Still, my favorite thing about the ship isn't really the dynamics -- it's the tragedy. Dumbledore may have been misguided in his youth but he eventually grew to recognize that conquering and subjugating muggles would be bad, actually, and he acted accordingly: he began to dedicate a decent portion of his life to advocating not only for muggles and muggleborns but also other marginalized members of society (eg: letting Remus attend Hogwarts and employing Dobby). Now, I'm not saying that he does it well but, considering the state and prejudices of most of wizarding Britain, his actions seem almost radical. This, combined with him actively working against dark lords and being instrumental in their defeats, paints a pretty clear picture of him, morally speaking.

Grindelwald, on the other hand, was obsessed with power and did horrific things for it, never seeming to learn his lesson. Because of his relegation to the status of a minor character, we don't know that much about him other than the fact that, due to the very nature of the time he was active and what war his conflicts were running parallel to (and the fact that his name seems German, or at least Germanic), the narrative is implying that he's wizard H*tler. Naturally, that doesn't frame him in a good light, morally speaking. He never gets a redemption, either -- I've seen it suggested that Grindelwald intentionally lost his final battle against Dumbledore out of love but there's no actual evidence for that in HP, especially considering how it's mentioned that their final duel was legendary, implying that neither of them held back (and, in any case, losing a fight is not really deserving of redemption) -- though an argument can be made in regards to his final moments. The problem is, we’ll never know for certain whether Grindelwald’s refusal to admit that Dumbledore had the Elder Wand was him honoring what was most definitely Dumbledore’s wishes for the knowledge to be kept secret or if he was still upset that he’d lost ownership of it and he didn’t want anyone else, including Voldemort, to get it.

The bottom line is: Grindelwald and Dumbledore are moral opposites. Any reasonably healthy relationship between them would require a massive shift in personal/moral values (and this is not me saying that people with different values can’t have a happy relationship, but Grindelwald and Dumbledore are two extremes that simply aren’t compatible).

And that’s the tragedy of the whole thing.

Dumbledore is forever haunted by the specter of his relationship with Grindelwald. When Rita Skeeter publishes her biography about him, she talks at length about the summer of 1899, when the two had been lovers and co-conspirators. She mentions how he’d been the one to coin the very phrase that Grindelwald would later use to wreak mass havoc across Europe. There’s no way that someone like Albus Dumbledore, who seemed to prize moral virtue, would ever truly cope with what he’d had a hand in creating.

Grindelwald, on the other hand, was defeated by the very man he’d used to care for and is left imprisoned for fifty years with nothing to do but ponder his actions. Again, we don’t know enough about him to know his thoughts, but -- in the case of someone as ruthless and charismatic as a dark lord -- there was probably rage and betrayal, a sense that someone that used to be his had done this to him. 

To me, Grindeldore is not about how they’d be together but rather how they’re affected by the aftermath. Even separated by several countries and fifty years, they will never be rid of each other. Grindelwald was the one to open Dumbledore’s eyes to the injustices of the world and Dumbledore was the one who ultimately foiled all of Grindelwald’s plans.

Grindeldore, in its purest form, is a tragedy, and I find it absolutely fascinating.

[extasiswings]

You have me deeply curious, would you mind sharing about your love of Sarah Maclean's books?

Sarah MacLean, Queen of Romance, Legend, Icon. What is there to say?

As a general matter, she’s just a damn good writer. I am a voracious reader but also have high standards and that can be a problem when I read romance because there are a lot of bad romance writers out there (arguably because people think romance is easy and are lazy about it). But Sarah MacLean is the kind of writer where, imo, even her “worst” books are still on another level.

She knows how to write a good book with good plots and fantastic character dynamics and genuinely believable romance. I can make jokes about “the Sarah MacLean Cinematic Universe” but there’s a level of continuity with how all the different characters and books tie together despite all being standalone novels and series. And it’s really easy to fall back on tropes and conventions but she manages to make them feel fresh and interesting. Her books have stakes that by and large feel meaningful, and she understands human nature very well + isn’t afraid to lean into the flaws of her characters. But beyond that—

There is a tension sometimes within historical romance where writers try too hard to project modern progressivism and feminism and it ends up feeling anachronistic and/or preach. Sarah MacLean does a fantastic job of writing stories that are smart, feminist, progressive in their own ways, while drawing inspiration from real history instead of fighting with it and at the same time she recognizes that writing historical romance is about, in part, holding up a mirror to society and saying hey, we don’t get to pat ourselves on the back, there’s a lot of problems that we haven’t fixed in 200 years.

Anyway, I just love her and everything she writes and I can’t explain it more beyond saying just read her and find out! My unofficial ranked list:

1) The Day of the Duchess

2) Heartbreaker

3) One Good Earl Deserves A Lover

4) Daring and the Duke

5) Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover

6) Knockout

7) The Rogue Not Taken

8) Wicked and the Wallflower

9) Bombshell

10) Brazen and the Beast

11) A Scot in the Dark

12) Eleven Scandals to Start to Win A Duke’s Heart

13) No Good Duke Goes Unpunished

14) Nine Rules to Break When Romancing A Rake

15) A Rogue by Any Other Name

16) Ten Ways to be Adored When Landing A Lord

[theforgottenmcrmy]

Legacy (Ser Harwin Strong x Reader)

᯽ Please note that this is an overall Part 17 to the series Growing Strong. The masterlist, and part 1, can be found HERE.᯽

Pairing: Ser Harwin Strong x Tyrell! Female Reader

Warnings: GOT typical sexism, canon divergence, mentions of past character depth, 1 subtle but still there reference to non-consensual sex, Larys strong is a bad man and a creepy one at that, and parent issues for everyone around.

Summary: If the would-be usurper and her allies wanted to take to dragonback, so too would he. They were not the only ones who commanded great beasts of the sky.

A/N: Hello everyone😊 I’m back with a different kind of chapter. I’d consider this to be Growing Strong’s version of the “Green Council” episode from the show. I understand this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s completely alright. I promise we will go back to Dragonstone with Harwin and Ms. Tyrell next chapter.🖤

I wanted to write this for a couple of reasons. I already had few Alicent, Larys, and Otto scenes planned, and once I realized what else could be done with it, I decided it would be best to just go ahead and dedicate one whole chapter to the Greens. This expands on a few characters that have been briefly featured previously (if there is any confusion as to who is who, I highly recommend checking out the family tree I made for this fic, which can be found on the masterlist). This chapter also makes references to a oneshot I plan to write, and the ending scene serves almost as a prologue of sorts for the Aemond story I’d like to take a crack at next.

If you decide to give this a read, I really appreciate it. If not, that’s perfectly OK, we will return to our regularly programming next. I hope you guys have a fantastic weekend🖤

“I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive the grave wrong I have done you, My Queen.”

The silence in the chambers of Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower was almost as deafening as the space between her ears as she grappled to make sense of what she had just been told.

She blinked and stared at the wrinkled and fraying scroll of parchment in her hand blankly. In the periphery stood the Master of Whisperers, Lord Larys Strong, whom the letter had been addressed to. His head was bowed, and the entirety of his weight shifted to be precariously placed on the integrity of his cane and he silently awaited her response.

But the longer she refused to acknowledge his words, the more he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

“The Lord Hand charged me with the task. I can only pray that you may understand why, from his perspective, I was in no viable position to refuse his command.”

Alicent’s eyes flickered up to meet the top of Larys’s greasy head. She scoffed, “It is my father who is to blame, then? The Hand was the sole orchestrator of this plot? You played no role in devising it yourself, none whatsoever?”

It would not have been the first time her father would have acted without informing her, nor was it likely to be the last. But Alicent needed to be certain, and she would leave no stone unturned. 

The fate of the realm rested upon the edge of a knife, and when that knife fell, she needed to know who her true allies were. It was not political allies she sought, but another kind. She sought individuals who could and would put her interests, and more importantly, the interests of her children and grandchildren, above their own ambitions or personal gain.

As she had harrowingly discovered only a few days past, the Lord Hand was not one of those individuals. Her father claimed to have a vested interest in the good of the family. And yet, he had not hesitated to attempt to dig his claws into her son, his own grandson, and counsel him to order the killing of his own kin. Her father also claimed that between the two of them, their hearts were one. And yet, he had had no problem forcing her off on another man old enough to be her sire, like she was a mere broodmare, and not a genuinely valued extension of himself.

She, Aegon, and the rest of the few she held most dear- they were all mere pieces that her father moved about the board, in a game of his own design. There was no ally to be found in the Lord Hand. There never had been.

Nor had Alicent ever considered Larys to be a true ally. The relationship between them had been purely transactional. Perhaps Larys was motivated to continue to stoke the flames of their arrangement by something deeper than his own potential political, or personal, gain. But if that was true, it was unrequited. Very much so.

In a moment of uncharacteristic boldness, Larys’s eyes shot up from the floor to meet her severe stare with equal resolve.

“No, My Queen,” he denied ardently. “Never. I would not dare to breathe without your knowledge, let alone conspire against you… We are both privvy to the fact that the only person whom I truly serve is you, and you alone.”

It was becoming exceedingly difficult for Alicent to determine what to make of Larys’s outlandish claims. There was a dodgy, almost manic look in his eyes as he recalled the tale of her father giving the order to find and detain Lady Tyrell and her escort. But every word Larys spoke as he nearly trembled before her was heavy, weighed down with great remorse.

With all this in mind, most anyone would be reluctant to believe that Larys was relaying anything but the truth… or, at least, the truth as he knew it.

“You would do well to refrain from mentioning that in the presence of anyone else,” she chastised him, but only half-heartedly. “Especially the likes of the King.”

Her attention snapped back to the letter in her grasp. The skin around her fingernails was raw and bloodied, contrasting sharply with the faded yellow of the parchment. The past few days had been difficult at best, and it seemed that old girlhood habits, such as mindlessly tearing away at her own hands, had never truly left her. It had lingered, much like the shadow that King Viserys’s passing had casted over the realm.

“Tell me the truth of this, Larys,” Alicent beseeched him, her voice deceptively calm and even. “Does my father know of your involvement in the Harrenhal fire?”

At the mere mention of his greatest treachery, Larys visibly tensed. He shook his head stiffly. “No, My Queen.”

The indisputable conviction in Larys’s terse tone compelled Alicent to believe that perhaps those were the most honest words he had spoken to her thus far.

Alicent swallowed thickly as she contemplated her next course of action. “That is just as well. Even if Lord Harwin has discovered the truth, it would still be wise for us to take precaution so as to prevent any others from doing the same… Should my father ever learn of it, your allegiance to me will no longer be sufficient enough to protect you.”

Larys looked at her with wide, wild eyes. “You still intend to offer me your protection, Your Grace?”

Queen Alicent sighed deeply as she let the letter slip through her fingers and flutter to the desk below. “Perhaps… But you must understand that you have put me in an extremely precarious position, Lord Larys.”

In many ways, her tone, which was riddled with audible disappointment, was not dissimilar to how she had been forced to frequently address her eldest son. But that was to be no more. Now, she had to practically beg him to hear her, and even then, he did not have to heed her advice or grant her any request…. Even if such a small concession might successfully kill the impending civil war in its infancy. Such was the privilege of a king.

But Alicent’s years of piety and worship to the Seven had not failed her. In her hour of need, the gods had answered; Grand Maester Orwyle had spoken, and taken up her stance. All of those opposed to Aegon’s ascent, namely, Princess Rhaenya, would be sent terms. True terms, with conditions that could not possibly be contrived as an insult. With the Grand Maester’s support, two voices had been enough to temporarily dissuade the King from agreeing with the Lord Hand’s counsel to approach the situation alternatively.

Even so, Queen Alicent was more than well aware that her ability to act upon the King’s generous allowance was decreasing rapidly with every passing hour.

“The King wished for Lord Harwin and Lady Y/N to be captured at once and put to the sword for their treason,” Queen Alicent informed Lord Larys plainly.

As she spoke, she locked eyes with him, gauging his reaction. Would he be pleased with the news? Larys had conspired to have his elder brother killed before. If another took that blood on their hands in his stead, would Larys be satisfied that the deed had still been done? … Or would he feel slighted that Harwin’s demise was not of his own doing?

But Lord Larys did not look delighted, nor angry. He merely appeared to be genuinely surprised. “Have they already declared for Princess Rhaenyra?”

“We have yet to receive word of that. But we’ve always known where their true allegiance lay, My Lord. If no action is taken, it will only be a matter of time before such a declaration is made official. Regardless, there is another crime His Grace believes they have committed. It is the King’s contention that the Princes Jacaerys, Lucerys, and Joffrey are… natural born, and that it is your brother, not Ser Laenor Velaryron, that is their true sire. Given the public knowledge of her affinity for Princess Rhaenyra, the King is also of the mind that the Lady Y/N must have been aware of any and all liaisons between the Princess and Lord Harwin which are suspected to have occurred.”

The surprise had vanished from Lord Larys’s face. The neutral expression that replaced it left her with more questions than answers. Alicent had never directly asked Larys whether he believed Princess Rhaenyra’s eldest sons to also be his nephews, but as Larys had never outright decried the insinuation from anyone else who mentioned it, she believed he suspected as much.

“Not but an hour ago, I was successful in persuading the King to refrain from acting in haste.” Praise the Mother. “The King has allowed for terms to be offered to Lord Harwin and Lady Y/N, along with all the others who may make themselves out to be traitors, in the hope that we might reach an agreeable conclusion without the spilling of blood. But, Larys- your actions, at the behest of the Lord Hand, have critically endangered this attempt for peace.”

Alicent rose from her seat with an exhausted huff. As she leaned forward, she placed her palms downright upon the table, bearing her weight against them. Her hung head low as she forced herself to swallow down the anger that threatened to arise within her. She knew such a wrath was unbecoming, but at that moment, she allowed herself to feel it anyway.

Once she had taken a moment to recompose herself, Alicent lifted her head, and looked at Larys imploringly. “Lord Harwin and Lady Y/N now know of your treason, both committed and conspired. What happens if either of them suspect that I played a role in this plot that you and the Hand devised? Do you think them likely to agree to any terms then?”

The desperation in Larys’s voice tempted Alicent to envision him on his knees before her, begging for her forgiveness. Had he not needed the cane, he very might well have been.

“Forgive me, My Queen,” Larys pleaded once more. “But mayhaps not all hope is lost. My brother is a notoriously passionate man, and this encourages short-sightedness. I believe his wrath will be reserved entirely for myself.”

“Perhaps Lord Harwin’s anger will blind him to everyone else but you, Larys. But I do not believe Y/N will act similarly. She is not daft; she is likely to look deeper, to question whether you truly acted alone.” If Larys disagreed with her assertion, he did not voice it. “To reconcile this, you must take part in the solution to the problem you and my father have created, My Lord.”

Larys bowed his head. “Tell me how I can be of assistance, My Queen, and it shall be done.”

“Are you still amicable with Lord Redwyne of the Arbor?”

“Yes, My Queen.”

“Very well. He may hold no love or favor for his cousin and liege lady, but nor does that guarantee that the King will have his support. I wish to make him an offer that he will be unable to refuse.”

Having the Lannister fleet at the King’s disposal was all but guaranteed. Ser Tyland Lannister, Master of Ships, was in the Red Keep at that very moment, and had been in the Lord Hand’s pocket for more years than Alicent cared to know. His twin brother, Lord Jason, would undoubtedly pledge the Lannister forces, including its fleet, to King Aegon.

But the Redwyne fleet was the largest fleet in all the Seven Kingdoms. Should Rhaneyra reject the terms Alicent planned to propose, having its ships under the King’s control would further ensure a swift victory against any opposition. The Velaryon fleet was the strongest of the realm, and the most experienced in battle- but Lord Corlys had fewer ships at his command. And how could sheer numbers not prevail?

Alicent lowered herself into her seat once more. After setting Lord Harwin’s letter aside, she opened a drawer and withdrew a clean piece of parchment. Larys watched in silence as Alicent dipped her nearby quill in the ink pot and began to write several lines.

For a few moments, all that could be heard in the Dowager Queen’s chambers was the rustling of the fire, and scribbling against the parchment.

When she was finished, Alicent placed down the quill and took a few moments to read over her proposal. She could only hope it would be sufficient. While she did not perceive Lord Redwyne to be foolish enough to support Princess Rhaenyra’s cause, as it stood, he did not have anything to entice him to support King Aegon, either. Despite being so near Oldtown, the Arbor was an island by itself. With the aforementioned fleet at the ready to defend it, if Lord Redwyne wished to refrain from choosing a side in the struggle for succession, he certainly could, and would.

Alicent looked back up at Larys, who had been watching her rather intently.

“Write to Lord Redwyne,” she commanded him. “Tell him that King Viserys has passed, and that Aegon has been crowned as his successor. In exchange for his active support of the new King, including the use of his fleet, His Grace will see to it that all I have listed here comes to pass.”

Larys looked at her inquisitively as he hobbled over. Once he was before her desk, he took the parchment from her outstretched hand. Alicent watched with bated breath as his eyes scanned the details of what she proposed.

“These are very generous terms,” Larys acknowledged dryly, as though it was more of an observation than a compliment. “I believe Lord Redwyne will be find little reason to reject your offer.”

“Ensure that he does not,” Alicent ordered stiffly. “The terms offered to Lord Harwin and Lady Y/N will rely heavily on Lord Redwyne accepting his own. There can be no more mistakes, Larys.”

Larys audibly swallowed meekly. “And there shall not be, My Queen. I will go and write to Lord Redwyne at once.”

As he turned to leave, Alicent stopped him.

“And Larys?”

“Yes, My Queen?”

“If you desire to remain under my protection, you must ensure that I have your complete loyalty from here on out. Should the Lord Hand bid you to do anything else, you must tell me at once. My father has many motives, but most all of them are rooted in his own advancement. He cares for no one but himself, and trusting him or becoming indebted to him in any way would be a grave mistake. Disregard this warning, if you shall, but understand that with every hour, I lose the King’s ear, while the Lord Hand gains it. Should our King ever find just cause to dispose of you, I will be unable to dissuade him.”

Whether Larys would actually heed her warning was unclear. But she had washed her hands of it.

Once the Master of Whisperers was gone, Alicent withdrew several more pieces of parchment from the desk drawer. Quite possibly hours of writing laid between her and retiring for the evening. But she would not rest. Alicent would write word after word, letter after letter, scroll after scroll until her fingers bled from more than her own mistreatment of them.

Anything to save them all from having to stare into the razor sharp teeth of an angry dragon ever again.

The ravens would fly before dawn, carrying the proposals with them. The small council would meet shortly thereafter to discuss what action to take in the meantime. And after, the Lord Hand would set sail for Dragonstone, to deliver the terms to Princess Rhaenyra in person.

Alicent knew what had to be done, but the knowledge did nothing to lessen the pain of it, nor the guilt that shrouded her mind. Just as her father had once sacrificed her happiness for his own betterment, she too, was forced to do the same to one of her own children.

Ever the dutiful son, Aemond would publicly accept what Alicent planned to propose to the small council on the morrow. Privately, she would not fault him for feeling betrayed, the trust having been broken between them. She could only hope that he would come to understand that it was for the good of the realm. For the good of the family.

But if Aemond could not understand her intentions, that was just as well. Alicent would live with the self-loathing his scorn would cause her, if need be.

Better for him to be cross with her and alive, than amicable and dead.

The stone halls and floors of Casterly Rock trembled with the commotion.

Lord Loreon Lannister, eldest son and heir of Lord Jason, had grown quite accustomed to being gently stirred from slumber by the gentle lull of the waves crashing beneath the Rock. Despite his inebriated state the evening before, Loreon had enough sense to crack open the window in his bed chambers for that very purpose.

What he had not anticipated was for that window to allow the pounding footsteps of several dozen men to filter through it instead.

What is that ruckus?! 

He forced himself to rise, and though he wished for little else than to do so at a slow and steady pace to placate his hangover, his curiosity and keen sense of self-preservation won out. Was Casterly Rock under attack? … Unlikely, he decided after a brief moment. It was nigh impregnable.

Loreon made his way over to the window, and after cracking it open further, peered out of it.

A few dozen men, a great deal of them armored, were gathering in the open courtyard below. A few had unsheathed their swords for sharpening. The metal shone in the rising sun’s rays, and the effect was nearly blinding. But the number of men before him was not equivalent to what one could consider an army. At least, not one likely to have been capable of breaching Casterly Rock’s defenses without having met resistance. And the men before him looked to be more at home than he currently felt.

Loreon threw on the nearest clothes he could find- a great portion of them being the same garments he had torn off and thrown about amidst his drunken stupor the night before- and exited his chambers at once.

Even the corridors were more alive than usual. Voices Loreon did not recognize bounced off the stone, accompanied shortly thereafter by many unfamiliar faces as he made his way down the halls. When Loreon threw open the doors to the dining hall, he found his father in the very spot where he had expected him to be.

Lord Jason Lannister sat at the head of the long table, breaking his fast, and otherwise behaving very much as if nothing was amiss. He spared Loreon a somewhat startled glance as he approached.

“Ah, you’ve risen early,” his father mused before taking a sip of wine. His tone was light and jesting, but there was a distinctly disapproving look in his eyes.

“‘Tis not as though I had much of a choice in the matter.”

“With the amount of wine you consumed during and after dinner last night, I thought I might have had to send the Maester to your chambers to reassure me that you still breathed. Certainly a little noise was not of any particular disturbance to your rest?”

Loreon was tempted to scowl, but bit his tongue instead. “That wine was a name day gift from Lord Garrett, and mine to do with as I saw fit.”

“And so you have,” Jason conceded as he placed his goblet back on the table. “Regardless, it is good that you’re here now. I received a raven from your uncle this morning. He says that King Viserys is dead.”

Loreon blinked. “Dead?”

“Dead,” his father confirmed. “And Aegon has been crowned as his successor.”

… Aegon? Not Rhaenyra? “But grandsire swore an oath to-”

“Your grandsire, as you very well know, is no longer with us. It is I who is the Lord of Casterly Rock now. And you are my heir. We are to support King Aegon should this nuisance with Princess Rhaenyra result in war.”

Loreon rubbed his forehead tiredly. War? The only thing he wished for at that moment was to climb back into bed and sleep until his head no longer ached. Talk of war was only giving the resilient pounding that much more of an edge.

He surmised, “Does this have anything to do with the amassing soldiers in the courtyard?”

“It has everything to do with it. I’ve started to call in some of the local troops, and they will remain here in Casterly Rock until Princess Rhaenyra yields to our King, and we know, without a doubt, that they will not be needed. In the meantime, we must assume that the Princess will continue to press her irrelevant claim on the Iron Throne, and that King Aegon will be forced to subdue her in order to keep the peace. Once your mother and your wife have returned from their trip to Lannisport, I will give the order to mobilize the fleet, and ride out to rally the additional support from our bannermen. The allegiance of the Riverlands is uncertain. Should Lord Grover Tully, or any other number of them, declare for Princess Rhaenyra, it would be prudent to have an army between us and them.”

Loreon’s mind was still terribly groggy, but every word his father spoke did wonders to jolt him from the stupor. “If the situation is as you say, should we not make haste for King’s Landing at once? There are several Lannisters of import there. If they are in danger, we ought to retrieve them, bring them back behind the potential enemy lines.”

If any part of the Riverlands declared for Princess Rhaenyra, the family in King’s Landing would be cut off from the Westerlands. The Reach was already likely to be plunged into a civil war, torn amongst allegiances to two of its most powerful houses. Even if a Lannister army was to make it through both the Riverlands and the Reach unscathed, securing safe passage through the Stormlands could present another issue. Where would the allegiance of the belligerent and still grieving Lord Borros fall if the House Targaryen went to war against itself?

Jason scoffed, an unfortunately familiar gesture which insulted Loreon no less than it had when he had been a boy.

“You insult me, Son. Tyland is my brother. And do not forget that Joanna and Celesse are my granddaughters. Do you truly think I would let any harm befall them?”

Before Loreon could offer a response, his father continued.

“Until that wife of yours produces a son, Joanna is your heir. She is under King Aegon’s protection now. What greater protection is there than that of a King?”

Loreon’s wife had borne him four children over the years of their marriage- all of them daughters. His wife was with child again, but Loreon had long since abandoned praying to the gods for a son. After all these years, why would they grant him their favor now? They had snubbed him, and happily so, throughout his life thus far. Of all the disappointments Loreon knew he had burdened his father with, his failure to sire a son had to be the most egregious among them.

His eldest daughter, Joanna, was recently sent to King’s Landing alongside her cousin to serve as a lady in waiting for the now Queen Helaena. But it was entirely possible that she was the future of House Lannister, and the next Lady of Casterly Rock. Loreon had no choice but to believe his father’s words. Jason, despite Joanna’s rather unfortunate condition of having been born a girl, had always seemed to have more tolerance for her than he had ever had with Loreon. If the dragons danced, Jason would not allow the girl to ever be in any true danger.

But could the same be said for the rest of them?

“Besides,” his father grumbled as he took another sip of wine, “I don’t think your cumbersome sister would ever forgive me if I allowed something to happen to Celesse.”

That was also a fair assessment. Cerelle’s protectiveness over her daughter rivaled the likes of how their own mother, Lady Johanna Westerling, had been with Loreon when he was in his youth. And Johanna was a fearsome woman, indeed. Their father always believed it was he who gave the orders in their marriage… but the older Loreon grew, the more visible the strings with which Johanna controlled Jason had become.

“What will happen if Princess Rhaenyra desires to plunge the realm into war?” Loreon posed.

Jason shrugged, visibly unbothered still. “We shall be at the ready, and wait to receive our command… However, if the Riverlands prove as much of an issue as your uncle suggests them to be, I imagine King Aegon would begin by having us march there.”

The Riverlands. Not even a decade ago, a certain knight had inherited his father's title, land, and ostensibly haunted keep there, following what was rumored to have been a long night filled with nothing but flames, smoke, and screams. It was a certain knight with whom Loreon had history. A certain knight who, given his rumored closeness to the Princess Rhaenyra and her eldest sons, was very likely to pledge his support to her cause.

A knight whom, if given the chance, Loreon desired to settle a score with. Though he’d been a mere knight at the time, a now piddly lord of the Riverlands ought not to mock, insult, and accost the heir of the great House Lannister without consequence. The gods had already given Derron Tyrell his due for the actions he took against him. Loreon sought to deliver the same due to Harwin Strong personally.

And a Lannister always pays his debts. “If King Aegon orders us to ride out to the Riverlands, I wish to accompany you. Allow me the privilege of leading the troops by your side.”

His father halted his meal at once, and looked up at him with suspicion. After a moment of silence, he questioned, “Truly?”

“Yes. What could be more inspiring to our men than seeing the Lords of Lannisters, both of them, in the flesh, riding beside them into battle?”

In an unprecedented moment, his father appraised him with a look that Loreon had seldom received from him. A look of pride.

“Very well, Son,” Jason praised. “If our King commands it, we shall both ride out to heed his call. And gods save anyone who dares to oppose the Lions of House Lannister.”

“Yes,” Loreon agreed darkly, his mind flashing with memories of his youth that he usually did not care to recall. But they were made far sweeter by a sense of promise in the air, the promise of revenge.

“Gods save them all.”

Lord Larys Strong had already groveled for his life to Dowager Queen Alicent that evening. After writing a letter to Lord Garrett Redwyne of the Arbor at her behest and in the hopes of regaining her favor, his patience for much of anything else was all but nonexistent.

He certainly did not have the patience to come across the likes of Lord Otto Hightower on his way to retire for the evening. Much less the patience to properly converse with him.

But that is what he deserved, he supposed, for being bold enough to pass by the small council chambers. When the door opened and the gray haired snake of a man stepped out and into the corridor, Larys had to grip the pommel of his cane tightly to avoid knocking himself over in the startle.

“Lord Larys, might I have a word?”

As if he had any grounds to refuse. “Of course, My Lord Hand.”

Larys took his time entering the small council chambers, knowing the other man to be more polite than to outwardly criticize him for it. Once he was inside, the Lord Hand closed the door tightly behind them.

“Should I be seated?”

“If you wish, but this shall not take long.”

That was good and well. Larys refused to sit. Instead, he placed both hands atop of his cane, and mustered up every bit of strength he possessed to draw himself up. He might have been a cripple, and may have been viewed as inferior by most other men because of it. But, despite what Larys allowed the man before him to believe, he would never truly be subservient to Otto Hightower.

“You have confided what you have done to the Queen, I presume?”

“As you asked, My Lord Hand.”

Larys had not needed to report his men’s failure to capture, or otherwise dispose of, his Good Sister. The failure had been evident enough when his men had yet to return to the Red Keep after a few days. It was further solidified when the news of the Lady of House Tyrell’s tragic passing, as a result of brigands whilst traveling to Duskendale, had yet to spread.

There was no telling where his brother, his wife, and their children were now. But anyone with even a small sense of wits about them could have surmised they had reached, or were encroaching upon, Dragonstone. It was the only place that guaranteed their safety for many, many leagues.

“And what did you tell her?” 

Larys recalled the tale he had mentally prepared thrice over with the utmost ease. It was a tale most necessary, if he wished to keep his one and only loyalty to the Queen, whilst also appeasing the ruthless Lord Hand.

“I told her that I, and I alone, was the one who coordinated the attack on Lady Y/N and her traveling escort. I told the Queen that I acted in haste in my efforts to remove a key ally from the Princess’s cause.”

If Lord Otto did not believe Larys’s words, he gave no physical indication of it. However, Larys knew, from personally having borne witness, that the Lord Hand was as conniving as Queen Alicent had proclaimed him to be. If Larys was to spin his tale, he knew he would have to commit it to memory. The facts of the story needed to remain unchanging and absolute, as if they’d been read off parchment. 

… In fact, that wasn’t that bad of an idea at all. When one’s job was to manage whispers, including the ones they crafted themselves, maintaining some sort of log to track all the intelligence would be helpful. If only something like that could be guaranteed to not fall into the wrong hands.

The Lord Hand hummed in response to Larys’s recount. “I see… And what did Her Grace have to say?”

This, Larys felt comfortable revealing the truth of. After all, it was nothing the Lord Hand would not have been able to deduce himself. “The Queen appears willing to forgive my transgression, but in exchange, she has demanded no less than my complete loyalty ever again… In addition to this, I was also required to assist in offering a potential ally proper motivation to support our King.”

“Ah yes, these terms of peace,” Lord Otto acknowledged with disdain. “Our King was strongly against them, you know. But the Dowager Queen was insistent upon it.”

“And what compelled the King to consent to her request?”

“The Grand Maester supported the Queen’s proposal, despite the fact that it almost earned him his own holding in the black cells. When I saw just how determined my daughter was that Princess Rhaenyra be offered the chance to surrender, I yielded my own arguments against it, and King Aegon acquiesced.”

Larys was rarely one taken by genuine surprise, but the Lord Hand had taken him so. “Do you believe Princess Rhaenyra and her allies will yield and accept the terms Queen Alicent intends to propose on behalf of the King?”

“Gods, no,” Lord Otto denied with contempt. “But there is a reason behind my counseling, Lord Larys. I can assure you of that.”

Larys said nothing. The Lord Hand was a cold, calculating man. He really ought to have known better than to be so forthcoming with his words, let alone the details of his schemes. But, as Larys had recently discovered, the Lord Hand was emboldened by the fact that his grandson now sat on the Iron Throne. And, as Queen Alicent asserted, the Lord Hand was proving to gain the confidence of their new King with remarkable speed and efficiency.

Despite the threat looming to the east on Dragonstone, it was easy to imagine Lord Otto might feel as though he was beyond reproach. Larys had the hunch that if he bit his tongue, the other man would sing like a bird. Why should he not? The only one to bear witness to his singing was Larys.

The poor, crippled, meek, and unwaveringly faithful servant, Master of Whisperers Larys.

And sing, Lord Otto Hightower did.

“I am rather disappointed that your men failed to do what they were tasked with,” he confided after a pause. “Having Lady Y/N out of the hands of Princess Rhaenyra was most desired.”

“They were but mortal men, My Lord Hand. Not even a horse with speed gifted by the gods themselves would have been like to catch up to my Good Sister and her escort by the time they departed. It is possible Lady Tyrell was already nearing Duskendale the very same day my men set out from King’s Landing.”

Another lie, but a necessary one. Queen Alicent was correct about one thing- no one else, the Lord Hand most importantly among them, must ever know about his involvement with the fire at Harrenhal. If he did, only the Seven Hells knew what he might have forced Larys to do to keep his silence.

And furthermore, the details did not matter to Lord Otto. Not truly. Whether Larys’s men had been unable to reach Lady Y/N and her escort before they reached Duskendale, or whether they had, but had been slain by Harwin, was of little consequence to him. Larys’s men had failed to do what the Lord Hand had asked, and Larys, as the face of the plot, would be the one to pay the price.

At least it would not be the same price that his men had paid at the hands of his enraged brother.

“It is true that I did not wish our Queen to learn of our…. arrangement, for dealing with the problem that Lady Tyrell presents. But, in light of our circumstances, it was best for my daughter to be informed of it, as you have done, by my request. You see, Lord Larys, your failure may serve our purposes yet.”

Larys’s interest piqued. “How might that be, My Lord Hand?”

“The Queen could offer many lands and titles, all the gold in the royal coffers, and even her own head on a spike to your brother and Lady Y/N. None of it would be enough to sway either of them to abandon Princess Rhaenyra. Particularly not now, since they are likely to have reached Dragonstone, and are under the Princess’s protection.”

“And how would my brother and Good Sister rejecting the terms our Queen offers them in the pursuit of peace serve our purposes?”

“When my daughter is unable to convince them, they will reinforce their support of Princess Rhaenyra’s cause. With the support of House Tyrell, House Strong, and the other dozen or so houses who have already declared for her, as well as the many who still remain undecided and therefore are in contention, Princess Rhaenyra may decide to take her chances.”

“You still do not anticipate her to accept the Queen’s offer for peace?”

Lord Otto gave him a look that suggested it was folly to even have made the suggestion. “When Alicent is unable to convince Princess Rhaenyra to accept the terms, perhaps my daughter will finally be able to abandon this silly notion of reconciliation she desperately seeks. Perhaps then she will finally be willing to start viewing Princess Rhaenyra as she truly is- the enemy.”

The Lord Hand was mad in his own way, Larys decided then. But at least his arguments were more sound than the deranged motivations behind them.

“How can the Crown be viewed with any sort of integrity if we continually pity our enemies and offer them mercy?” Larys inquired redundantly, feigning understanding and support of the Lord Hand’s stance with a well-practiced ease. “Who would ever fear a king unable to strike down traitors and justly serve them the punishments appropriate for their sins?”

The smile that played on Lord Otto’s lips was subtle, but sinister. “An excellent question, Lord Larys… With a mind such as yours, we might all live to see the end of this madness yet.”

Perhaps, Larys conceded. But if he was to live through the self-destruction of House Targaryen, he knew he would have to find a way to outlive his brother first.

May the gods have mercy on you, for I will not.

Those had been Harwin’s words. Chilling, concise, and to the point. Larys felt confident in his ability to outsmart and otherwise out maneuver his brother, but in a physical altercation, there was no use in even entertaining the thought of securing anything more than an unfavorable outcome for himself.

But Larys brought this all upon himself, and he must not fail now.

He would support his one true queen, and in any way that he could. Only she was the one to whom his true allegiance lay, and it was only she who would be able to save both his body and soul.  

He would strive to appease King Aegon and the Lord Hand, if only to lure them into believing his declared allegiance. Only appeasing them would be able to delay his inevitable encounter with a headsmen, of King Aegon’s choosing or otherwise.

And, if Larys succeeded in all of this, maybe, just maybe, he could avoid the unsavory thought of finding himself within Harwin’s clutches.

The sun had long since set, but Lord Garrett Redwyne knew sleep would not come to him for some time yet.

The letter from King’s Landing, which he had received by raven that very morning, laid in his hand’s light hold. His free hand rubbed absentmindedly at the side of his face as he silently weighed his options.

His internal deliberation was interrupted as his mother, the Lady Elayne Redwyne, born Tyrell, entered into his otherwise unoccupied study.

The Lady Elayne was a woman of strong wit, though she had a reputation of being outspoken on the occasion. She had lived through the passing of her husband and eldest son, and was still fit to tell the grievous tale. One would have thought that physical decline would have begun to betray her spirit by now, but the typical ailments of an aging body had yet to lay its claim to her. Instead, she appeared just as spritely as Garrett had always known her to be in his youth.

His mother was still dressed in her gown from the day, but that alone was not unusual; she had always kept odd hours. A curse of an active mind, she had often claimed. Garrett knew that her most recent method to spend the nights where sleep evaded her was to read by candlelight. When he spotted the book in his mother’s hand, and caught the glance she shot over at one of his study’s many bookshelves, his suspicions about her doings that evening were confirmed.

His mother lowered the book to her side, and tilted her head up at him. “The hour is late, my son. You should retire- your wife will worry after you soon, if she has not begun to already.”

Garrett doubted that very much. But he did not bother to correct his mother’s false assumption. “Fear not, for she herself retired some time ago.”

“What is that?” Elayne inquired suddenly, eyeing the letter in his hand with mild interest.

Garrett folded the parchment at once, though took care to appear as not having done so with any particular haste. “‘Tis news from the capital.”

His mother raised her brows curiously. “Good news, or poor?”

That would depend on whom you ask. “King Viserys is dead.”

There was a brief moment of stillness.

“Gods be good,” Elayne exclaimed under her breath, shattering it to pieces. “What else does the letter say? Is there any word of our new Queen?”

Garrett hesitated. “They have crowned King Viserys’s successor... But it was not Princess Rhaenyra.”

His mother visibly paled as the realization dawned upon her. Then, she gritted her teeth. “That is most disturbing to hear. What is to be done about it?”

“King Aegon has proposed terms of peace to his half-sister, as well as to many of the lords and ladies who have already declared to support her claim to the Iron Throne.”

“And if Princess Rhaenyra rejects his offer?”

Garrett needed not to answer; his mother was an intelligent woman, and swiftly reached the conclusion on her own.

“You must ready the fleet at once,” his mother urged. “Dragonstone is no short journey, but the sooner it can be set about, the sooner the fleet shall arrive.”

Garrett gave her a hard look. “You misunderstand me, Mother.”

Elayne narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion settling into the features of her lined face. “Do I?”

Garrett let the letter from Lord Larys fall freely down to his desk. He wrung his hands together as he chose his next words carefully. He wanted to take some care, so as not to outwardly offend his mother. But also knew that it was important that she heeded him. That she obeyed his will.

“King Aegon is willing to grant our house several generous allowances, but only if he has the support of the Redwyne fleet. His offer is one far too generous to refuse, Mother. Should Princess Rhaenyra attempt to press her claim by way of war, House Redwyne will be in support of the one, true king, Aegon.”

The silence that followed was uncomfortably heavy. Never before had Garrett felt so ill at ease, so unnerved in the presence of his own mother. But there was little else to describe how he felt when she judged him with those icy eyes of hers.

“Your father swore an oath before King Viserys himself,” she reminded him, barely speaking above a whisper. “An oath to uphold Princess Rhaenyra as his named heir.”

“I myself made no such oath.”

“And yet, if you do this, I will consider you to be an oathbreaker all the same.”

“How dare you speak to me thus?” Garrett seethed as he recoiled. “I am the Lord of the Arbor. You live here, rather comfortably, mind you, under my protection and by my generosity alone.”

“I am the former Lady of House Redwyne, and I live here because I was wed to your predecessor,” she corrected him coolly. “You may be my son, and you may be the lord of this house now. But make no mistake- none of this exempts you from my counsel. I fear as though you are about to make a grave mistake, and I will not refrain from advising you of such simply to spare your fragile pride.”

“What would you have me do?” Garrett demanded of her, feeling at a loss. “Spurn the King’s offer? Pledge our support to Princess Rhaenyra instead?”

Elayne did not answer him. Instead, she countered, “Need I remind you of the oath you swore to your cousin when you became the ‘Lord of the Arbor’? Y/N is your liege lady. As one of her bannermen sworn to her, you owe her your support. Though we both know where her allegiance will lay, that is simply beyond House Redwyne’s control. If she wishes to support Princess Rhaenyra, that is her right, as our liege. Tell me, my son, what has been offered to you that would have you so willingly betray an oath sworn to a king and your own kin?”

“What Y/N wishes, or where her allegiance lies, may not be of anyone’s concern much longer.”

His mother gaped at him. “What in the Seven Hells is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Garrett dismissed hastily, having realized his mistake as soon as the words slipped from his lips. “Your regard for the Lady of Highgarden is sullied, ruined with your favor. You have always held a soft spot for her, Mother. Do not deny this.”

“Of course I have. She is the daughter of my brother, gods rest his soul. And with her own mother, claimed by the Stranger at such a young age? … How could I not have treated her kindly, Garrett? As our kin, did she not deserve my tutelage?”

It was always more than that, and they both knew it. Elayne had always held a candle for Y/N, a candle that had yet to be snuffed out, it seemed, despite how many years had passed since they saw one another last. Even in their youth, it was nearly impossible for Garrett to miss that Elayne had treated Y/N as though she was one of her own. The daughter she never had.

He was a man grown now. But it was baffling, and a tad hurtful, that his mother would continue to choose her loyalty to her over her loyalty to own, legitimate, son of her own blood.

“None of this squabbling matters,” Garrett decried then, not wishing to ponder on those disturbing thoughts any further. “On behalf of House Redwyne, I have decided to accept King Aegon’s offer.”

“What have they offered you?” his mother demanded once more. Letting out a single, frustrated huff of a laugh, she guessed, “Highgarden?”

Amongst other things.

“The details do not matter,” Garrett dismissed. “As Princess Rhaenyra has yet to make any offers of her own, I will accept King Aegon’s proposal. Should war come, the Redwyne fleet will be at his command.”

The look of betrayal on his mother’s face was almost enough to cause a pained twinge through his heart. Almost.

“You are ambitious, my son. I will grant you that,” Elayne conceded, though it sounded as though she was wounded in doing so. “I only hope it will not cost you your head. Or that of your daughter.”

His eldest child Celesse had been recently sent to King’s Landing, alongside her cousin, the Lady Joanna Lannister, to serve as a lady to Princess Helaena. It was a proposal his Good Father, Lord Jason, had made, citing that it would yield bountiful marriage prospects for each of the girls. It had been hard to dismiss his claim- all sorts of lords, noblemen, and knights frequented the capital every year. And his daughter’s great uncle, Ser Tyland, served on the small council as Master of Ships. There had been little doubt that Celesse would be safe, despite being so far from home.

And still, his wife, Lady Cerelle, had greatly protested her father’s proposition. As much as he hated to admit it, Garrett wished he had taken his wife’s concerns more seriously at the time. Though their riders were yet to be determined, it seemed as though it would not be long before dragons flew over King’s Landing.

And if anything happened to their daughter, Garrett knew he would not need to worry about Princess Rhaenyra taking his head for treason. He had no doubt that Cerelle would be the one to draw the sword.

“Forgive me, I do not wish to quarrel with you any further.”

Elayne turned to leave, book still in hand. But then she paused, her hand on the door, and turned to look back over her shoulder. Her last words spoken to him that night would haunt Garrett as much as the letter he had received from Lord Larys would.

“I only desire for you, my last child, to outlive me, for I do not know if I can survive burying another. However, as your senseless greed seems to be calling you to an early grave, I fear as though my hopes are in vain… And already, I mourn you.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke as her ominous words settled between them.

“Goodnight, my son.”

“... Goodnight, Mother.”

Only once the door to his study was closed did Garrett dare to allow his defensive exterior to break. He rested his weary head in his even wearier hands, and sighed deeply.

Perhaps he would have entertained the idea of rejecting the Hightowers’s offer, and would support Princess Rhaenyra’s claim to the Iron Throne instead. As his mother noted, his father had sworn the oath not only on behalf of himself, but on behalf of House Redwyne in its entirety. And perhaps he could have allowed old wounds between he and his cousin, Lady Y/N Tyrell, to remain in the past, where they truly belonged. He had never even thought of pressing his claim to Highgarden before his cousin, Lord Derron, had passed without an heir. It had never occurred to him once, until a maniacal voice had whispered the idea in his ear. And by then, he had no other choice.

But such was the situation Garrett found himself in now- with no other choice.

Lord Larys Strong was not who he appeared to be. When Garrett had first met him, years ago during the wedding festivities of Lady Y/N and Larys’s elder brother, Harwin, Garrett had genuinely enjoyed the second Strong son’s presence. Larys was a sharp man, and seemed pleasant enough. He made for decent conversation. Larys’s father, Lord Lyonel, had been the Hand of the King, and one would be foolish to overlook a potential connection such as that. There were many reasons why Garrett had felt inclined to maintain his blossoming friendship with Larys, even after the wedding festivities for his cousin had come and gone.

He had once lived something of a nomadic lifestyle. As the essential diplomatic messenger for House Redwyne, Garrett had grown accustomed to spending most of the year traveling about the kingdoms. There was always Arbor wine to be sold, other nobles to schmooze… and games of chance to be had.

It did not take long at all for Garrett to incur some debt. Some of those he was indebted to were happy enough to be placated with a decent bottle of wine from the Arbor. For others, money, or his blood, were the only sufficient payment. Stealing from the Redwyne coffers to repay the debts was not an option, lest he have alerted his father to his less than proper ways he chose to spend his free time. But neither was simply failing to repay the debts- Garrett much preferred his blood inside his body, and not out.

Larys had discovered Garrett’s vice early on. Garrett had not even intended to mention it, but alcohol had always tended to loosen his lips, and during one particularly rowdy night of drinking, it had slipped. But Larys did not judge him for it. In fact, the second son of the Hand of the King had offered him a generous sum to repay the debts he had incurred during his short stay in King’s Landing. In hindsight, Garrett knew he ought to have questioned Larys’s motives. But at the time, he was simply relieved to have been spared more than a few unpleasant beatings.

“A sign of faith in our friendship,” Larys had told him with a grin as he handed over the coinpurse. “Perhaps a day shall come when you can repay the favor.”

That day had come when his cousin, Lord Derron Tyrell, died. In the midst of his surviving cousin's grief for her elder brother, Larys had persuaded Garrett to pursue his claim to Highgarden. Ever the fool, Garrett had taken his persuasions to heart.

“Your cousin will have more than enough to manage as the Lady of Harrenhal. The gods know my brother will need all the help he can get. And, despite your name, you share just as much blood of House Tyrell as she. Do you not deserve a title, a castle, a legacy of your own?”

Though Garrett had failed to sway King Viserys to grant him the inheritance of House Tyrell, eventually he was awarded a title, a castle, a legacy of his own. But it had come at the cost of his elder brother, Jeran.

Now, Larys Strong was the Master of Whisperers. He knew at least something about most everything that transpired within the Seven Kingdoms. Garrett had not even needed to inform him of how his gambling had remained a problem over the years. Larys had discovered it on his own.

And Larys had implemented this discovery in the letter he’d penned, enclosed with all the other generous terms King Aegon wished to offer House Redwyne.

“The coffers of House Tyrell run deep,” a foreboding, and most suggestive, line from Larys’s letter read.

Garrett knew it to be true. Now that he was lord, he had been slowly bleeding the Redwyne coffers dry for years. He had kept everyone- his wife, and even his mother- in the dark as he struggled to repay his many incurred debts. But a fresh supply, by way of accessing the gold from House Tyrell, would allow him to repay it all. And he was not getting any younger. The sooner he could repay the debt, the sooner he could be done with the vicious vice once and for all.

After this, never again would Garrett partake in another game of chance. Even if he wished to, there would be no need.

War was the biggest gamble of them all.

King Aegon Targaryen, second of his name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm, thought he knew of desire.

First, it had been a desire to drown himself in his cups. A small consolation of having been born a Targaryen in Westeros meant that the finest of wines and the heartiest of ales in all of the realm, and even some from beyond, were always within reach. Once he had developed a taste for such extravagances, no other liquid nourishment would ever suffice.

Second, it had been a desire for flesh. Or, company, rather. There was little else that compared to spending time in the arms of a woman who desired him as much as he desired her- even if she had been compensated for her time. His chosen companions need not always be so blatantly willing, either… But they made far less of a fuss when they were. He believed all his chosen companions ought to accept the opportunity that was given to them with grace, and without protest. Besides, what sane woman would not be most honored at having been chosen to lay with a prince?

… Looking back on it, perhaps it had been the desire for women first, and then the alcohol. Perhaps they had both set in at the same time. Regardless, it mattered little. The fact remained the same. Both had the damndest ways of captivating Aegon’s time, and giving him enjoyable pursuits that offered a most-welcomed distraction from the mundane joke that his life had become.

But there was also a third desire. A desire that may have resided deep within him for far longer than the others had, but one Aegon had only come to truly know and understand within the past few years.

The desire to be accepted.

How many times had he done everything his mother had asked of him, only to be consistently rewarded with her forlorn scorn? How many years did he walk in the figurative shadows of the Red Keep, for no matter what he did, nothing was enough to garner the praise of the King, his own father? How often had he been forced to suffer the utterly exhausted remarks of his grandsire, or the disapproving looks from his brother Aemond? How many times would he be expected to be silent whilst his sister-wife Helaena made even more of a mockery of him than others deemed he had made himself?

Far, far too many.

But when his mother had confided to him his father’s dying wish, he had felt it. When Aegon had ascended the steps in the Dragonpit, surrounded by the silent awe of the masses, when his grandsire had finally acknowledged him with a semblance of respect, when his mother had given him a look of pride, he had felt it. When Ser Criston Cole placed the crown of the Conqueror upon his head, and when he had raised the Conqueror’s sword to rouse the crowd into an eruption of joyful cheers, he had felt it.

Now that Aegon had had a taste of what it felt like, he knew acceptance to be the most intoxicatingly dangerous desire of them all.

In the end, his father, the common folk of King’s Landing, and leagues of the nobility from across the realm had accepted him as their one, true king, King Viserys’s sole successor. His grandsire had accepted him as one of his own kin, one who might bring honor upon the family. His brother, if he had not yet, would come to accept him as his liege in due time. His mother had, finally, come to accept him as her son.

And his half-sister Rhaenyra would have to scorch his flesh and bones to ashes before he would be made to feel less than ever again.

When the small council had informed Aegon that the Princess had yet to publicly declare her obeisance, it was apparent to all that she intended to press her claim. And the longer Aegon dwelled on the thought of that, the more the darkness with him grew.

His half-sister Rhaenyra and his uncle Daemon were guilty of high treason. They, along with every single one of the lords, ladies, knights, and common folk who supported her deserved to be attained, arrested, and killed. Dragons, particularly that Meleys of Princess Rhaenys’s, be damned. If the would-be usurper and her allies wanted to take to dragonback, so too would he. They were not the only ones who commanded great beasts of the sky.

Aegon argued as much to his small council. Even if their allies were to denounce Rhaenyra’s claim, repent, and bend the knee to him, how could any of them truly be trusted? How could Rhaenyra and her Strong boys be allowed to live, when their mere existence would always pose a threat to his rule?

But his mother and the spineless Grand Maester Orwyle convinced him to stay his hand.

“Rhaenyra will come to understand that her cause is for nought, and she will yield. But she is prideful. She must be given a chance to concede with dignity,” his mother had insisted vehemently. “Strike her down before you grant her that chance, and her allies will never accept you as their king.”

Then, Grand Maester Orwyle had piped up, “Brother should not wage war against sister. Send her the offer that our Dowager Queen has proposed, Your Grace, so that we may reach an amicable accord.”

Something about the Grand Maester’s voice infuriated Aegon. He was no boy, and certainly not one who ought to be chided on what was right and what was wrong. He was the king. The only thing that saved him from ordering Grand Maester Orwyle from being tossed into his own black cell was the protests of his mother, and the reluctant acceptance of the inevitable from the Lord Hand.

“If war is to ensue, Your Grace, let Princess Rhaenyra and her supporters be the first to draw blood,” his grandsire had suggested. “I will sail to Dragonstone, and present the terms to Princess Rhaenyra myself. Let her decide how to act- let her deal the first blow. You should not feel the pressure to act before your aggressor, for you have done no wrong. Let the Princess damn herself in the eyes of all who have vowed to support her illegitimate cause.”

Aegon rather enjoyed the thought of that. The thought of his half-sister ruining her own image before her plight as an aspiring ruler even began was a jest that even his Uncle Daemon might have been able to find humor in.

Aegon had never felt particularly close with his grandsire. But since his ascent, there had been a new understanding between Aegon and the Lord Hand. His grandsire had reserved the kind treatments and wisest counsel for the most prudent of times, for when it mattered the most. The Lord Hand had every motivation to keep Aegon on the throne, and Aegon, young and inexperienced, had every reason to heed the advice of a man who had served the two kings who had come before him.

The ravens carrying the terms penned by his mother, with his approval, had flown before the sun had risen. The small council had met again, but most courses of action were decidedly moot until responses were received. That evening, as the sun had begun to set, the galleon his grandsire sailed on departed from Blackwater Bay, making way for Dragonstone.

All there was to be done was wait.

…

A knock to the door of his chambers roused Aegon from his musings. Though, in time, his belongings would be relocated to the king’s bedchamber, for now, he was confined to his old apartments. The relocation could not occur soon enough- Maelor’s crying throughout the night had grown rather bothersome as of late. A squealing babe did little to soothe a pounding head, and all attempts at seduction of female companions were immediately spoiled by an audible reminder of what the gods might bless them with after, should said companions fail to indulge in a cup of moon tea.

Ser Criston Cole, who his mother had ordered to remain by his side until Aegon was able to choose his own shield from amongst the Kingsguard himself, answered the door.

It was Aemond.

He was dressed in his usual leathers, with the addition of a traveling cloak. As the younger prince walked into the room, he regarded Ser Criston with a one-eyed wary look.

“Might I have a word alone with His Grace?”

Ser Criston Cole stood to attention. “My Prince, it is the Queen’s command that His Grace is not to be unattended. Even in the presence of family.”

Aegon nearly scoffed into his goblet. But that would have been a pure waste of fine Arbor Gold. Instead, he placed it down on the table where he was seated, and waved a dismissive hand at the knight of the Kingsguard. “Leave us, Cole.”

Ser Criston turned to him with an affronted look. “Your Grace, I must protest. Your mother-”

“The Dowager Queen is no longer the lady of this keep,” Aegon interjected. There was an edge to his voice that he had seldom used in his life prior. But now that he had been crowned, he had discovered an authoritative tone was the fastest and surest way for others to come to heel. “I am your king. And I command you to wait outside.”

The white cloak looked insulted, but all present knew that he had no legitimate reason to protest. He bowed to Aegon respectfully, albeit with a small amount of reluctance still, and with one last begrudging look and nod to Aemond, Ser Criston Cole exited the room.

Aemond watched with a smirk as the door closed tightly behind him, and only then did he speak. “There have been two men vying after our mother’s favor for years. Neither of them were the king.”

That was one of Aemond’s more insufferable qualities. He had always been the more studious of the two of them, and had never shied away from showing it. He was fond of speaking in riddles, as if his supposed intellect gave him some false sense of superiority.

Aemond could have his wits. Aegon had the crown.

Aemond crossed the room in a few slow strides. “Perhaps, now that you are king, you might be willing to do something about it?”

This time, Aegon allowed himself to scoff. “That would require me to have knowledge of what you speak of.”

Aegon had not been so deep in his cups over the years that he had failed to notice the lingering looks Ser Criston Cole had given his mother. He had seen the casted glances that lasted far too long, primarily when his mother’s sworn shield believed no one else to be watching.

But who was this second man his brother referred to?

“We shall speak more of it when I return,” Aemond promised. “I only wanted to see you before I set off.”

Aegon eyed his brother’s traveling cloak. “I wish you a safe flight then, Brother. I hear the weather in the Stormlands is not to be taken lightly.”

Not that either of them would have known of that personally. Their mother had opted to keep them within the safety of the Red Keep more often than she probably ought to have in their youth. The journey to Driftmark to attend the funeral of Lady Laena Velaryon had been one of the few trips outside of the capital city that Aegon could recall.

“Although,” Aegon added then with a small chuckle, “I cannot imagine a few trifling storms capable of impeding the mighty Vhagar.”

When the mention of his brother’s pride and joy failed to bring a small smile to his face, as it almost always did, Aegon’s own grin fell.

“Why do you look so downtrodden? Does the intrigue surrounding Lord Borros not excite you?”

“Regrettably, a man gone to madness is not a rare spectacle these days, it would seem.”

Rumor had it that Lord Borros Baratheon had become completely consumed by grief following the death of his father, Lord Boremund, and his only son and heir, Ser Royce, in a hunting accident the year before. Now, the Lord of Storm’s End was left with no one else but a handful of unmarried daughters from his late wife, each of whom were whispered to be as tempestuous as their sire.

That morning, Aegon’s small council had deemed Storm’s End to be a great danger to his cause. Lord Boremund had always staunchly supported Princess Rhaenys and her children’s claim to the Iron Throne. Though Lord Boremund was gone now, it was still uncertain as to whether Lord Borros would uphold his father’s oath to kneel to Princess Rhaenyra and accept her as King Viserys’s heir. There was the hope that offering to take one of his daughters off of his hands might encourage Lord Borros to support Aegon instead. And if Lord Borros backed the King, the lesser storm lords would surely follow.

Aemond, who was of age and unbetrothed, was declared to be the most appealing suitor for this task. Daeron, despite being across the realm in Oldtown, was still young, and a place down in the line of succession. Aegon was all but certain that his mother was already conspiring to betroth his oldest son, Jaehaerys, to his daughter Jaehaera. Aegon’s youngest son, Maelor, might make an appealing suitor in due time… But he was just a babe, and by the time he was of age to wed, Lord Borros’s daughters would be closer to barren than not.

It was fortunate that Aemond had been born who he was, Aegon realized with great humor. Had he been born a princess, Aemond might have been married off to Lord Borros himself.

“If the tales of the Lord of Storm’s End lunacy do not concern you, then why do you look so remorseful?” Aegon prodded. “From where I stand, you have nothing but cause to celebrate, Brother. In a few days time, you will be betrothed. You will soon be wed- and to a wife of your choosing, no less.”

There had been no choice with Helaena. His mother had made the decision for them. If given the chance, neither Aegon or Helaena would have chosen as their mother had, that much was for certain. Aegon did not bother to plead his case before his father, and did not beg him to consider alternative matches. Though the King’s word was law, he had spoken nothing against it.

“Yes,” Aemond conceded, but joylessly. “Rest assured, Your Grace. I will do my duty, and deliver Lord Borros’s allegiance to you. You shall have the Stormlands, and I shall have a wife.”

Aegon groaned loudly. “Gods, brother. You could at least pretend to be appreciative. Most young lords would kill for the chance to be wed to a daughter of a Great House.”

“I am a prince, not just some ‘young lord’.”

“And I am the King,” Aegon asserted, the firm edge in his voice making an appearance once more. “You will do as you are commanded, for the good of the realm. For the good of the family.”

Their mother had been the strongest supporter of the match; she had proposed the very idea herself. Perhaps Aemond’s miffness in response to his circumstances derived from that. He had always been their mother’s favorite; perhaps he felt betrayed at just how swift she was to arrange a marriage for him, and without any consideration as to what he may have wanted.

His younger brother met his stern look with just as much fervor. “I don’t recall you ever giving a damn as to what was for the good of the realm, or the family, before.”

Aegon laughed joylessly, and shrugged once, for he could concede that Aemond’s statement was a fair one. Only a few days ago, he had attempted to flee Westeros, to shirk his duty as his father’s newly proclaimed heir. Aemond, who had always taken duty and the well-being of the family more to heart than he, had found him… Though it was apparent that Aemond did it begrudgingly. There was a moment, a brief moment where he had thought Aemond might accept his pleas, let him escape to Essos or elsewhere, and take up the crown himself.

“There will never be a better time to start than this moment, no?”

“I will do as I am commanded,” Aemond echoed stubbornly, sounding far more mindless than Aegon knew him to be. “But there was no order for me to feign happiness where it does not yet exist.”

“I could command that, too.”

“You could. But only the gods know if such an ambitious venture would yield any fruitful results.”

Aegon stared at his brother for several moments in silence. He suspected Aemond was not genuinely challenging him, but merely testing him. Perhaps Aemond wished to see how much he could get away with, before Aegon was forced to pull in the reins.

When he spotted the familiar teasing twinkle in his brother’s eye, as well as a small smirk that threatened his lips, Aegon’s suspicions were confirmed.

Aemond excused himself shortly after that. Later that night, Aegon watched from his balcony as Vhagar ascended into the night sky. As the dragon passed over the Red Keep, her wide wingspan successfully blocked the moon for several moments.

His brother would find happiness, Aegon decided. Whether it would be in the arms of a Baratheon woman, flying into battle on the back of a beast from the Conquest, or from some other venture, Aemond would find it.

Aegon would find a way to quench his newfound thirst for acceptance. Perhaps the title of “king” would allow him all sorts of new ways to placate his other thirsts as well.

And Rhaenyra would find a way to submit to his will, and bend the knee. Or else she, her uncle-husband, her Strong boys, her Targaryen babes, and all her other allies would find themselves without their heads.

A/N: Thank you for reading! 🖤 I really appreciate you deciding to give this unconventional chapter a shot.��I would love to hear any feedback you’d like to offer. We’ll be going back to Dragonstone next, where we should be staying until this is completed.

I hope you all have a great rest of the day and weekend.🖤

[firendgold]

Pk now I want to hear tour rant about how Harrydore is bettter than Grindeldore. Bring it 🤣❤️

ohhh, this one's easy. I've been in this fandom on and off since 2006, and seen how Harry, Albus and Gellert were written pre- and post-'Dumbledore closet interview'. cracks knuckles

got to hit you with that readmore though. and it's going to be in two parts. I rambled again. ^^

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(...'rambled' is perhaps an understatement.)

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grindeldore vs harrydore

grindeldore

the tl;dr of the below is the following sentences, and then I'll get into it. My philosophy on gr*ndeld*re extends to all other ships in all other fandoms, especially HP: if it's not an AU and you have to excessively mischaracterize Character A to get them to 'fit' with Character B, then it's not a good ship, canon or not. Albus Dumbledore is quite often mischaracterized in order to 'fit' or 'keep' him with Gellert Grindelwald.

here's my problems with how gr*ndeld*re is most often portrayed:

Inconsistency within canon. JKR is partly mostly to blame for this (because she has contradicted her original 2007 statement in the present day with more interviews in the 2010s and with the Fantastic Beasts movies), but the first problem is: gr*ndeld*re was originally an unrequited ship. The original statement was that Albus was dazzled by Gellert's power, his presence, their similarities, their shared ideals... but That Woman wasn't explicit on whether Gellert ever returned his feelings. But based on her quotes where she says "falling in love can blind you to an extent" and that [Dumbledore] was "terribly, terribly let down" by the result of that whirlwind relationship, I think it's safe to assume that her original idea of Gellert cared far more for seeing his grander plans realized than for the needs and feelings of his 'equal'. And yet... in fandom, they are most often portrayed instead as star-crossed lovers torn apart by 'conflicting ideals'.

The second problem is that in the avalanche of fics and art that have come from The Reveal, the original lesson (/moral...?) behind the reveal of gr*ndeld*re, and how it shaped Albus as an adult, leader, and progressive, just... got lost. Completely lost. The whole point of it was to show that even Albus (supposed 'paragon of goodness' until book 7 showed the fandom that he is a regular human being) can make 'relatable' mistakes like... you know... being friends with a fascist. Being in love with a fascist, even. Thanks to said retcon interviews and the new movies (and even before that tbh) the fandom has since: overexaggerated Albus' new clay feet to the point of bashing him, idolized Grindelwald's red flag traits and ideals to the point where he has become the new "Tom Riddle was just misunderstood!" guy, and twisted that lesson/moral/whatever to mean that actually Albus and Gellert were tragically kept away from each other by an itsy bitsy little difference of opinion. A minor little fight. Casual death of your sick sister. Haven't we all been there?

The fandom diminishing the real reasons why Albus and Gellert eventually clashed, were destined to clash, is bad enough. What's worse is the opposite end. Some Dumbledore-bashing fans go the other way and paint present-day Dumbledore with the same brush as Grindelwald, even going so far as to say he still supports The Greater Good even though his entire character is literally built on being the opposite of the pro-magic, anti-Muggle philosophy. Albus has also been painted in some fics and even meta discussions as someone who 'regrets' his past not because his sister died and his brother is estranged from him, but just because his ex-boyfriend is in prison and he maybe kind of regrets not going full fascist with him. Like... bruh. NO. There are people who ship gr*ndeld*re just because they feel like Grindelwald, the worst dark wizard in the world, the reason why Voldemort is only a minor league little lord in comparison, is an appropriate "punishment" for the character they already dislike and thus misinterpret. (Side note: I'm not sure if I'm in a worse hell watching Albus' character get whitewashed for fascism or demonized so he can be a miserable lonely gay.)

Albus diminishes himself to meet Gellert's needs. An in-universe problem this time instead of a meta/RL one: Albus and Gellert were lovers, yes, but in order to be so, Albus had to actively start neglecting his siblings (since in Aberforth's words he was 'doing all right' taking care of them before Gellert showed up) and leaning more into anti-Muggle sentiment. He put all his energy into what for most of the magical world was a wild goose chase after some fairy-tale items. (Remember, most wixen don't give a shit about the Deathly Hallows, or think they're even real.) He became the person Gellert needed/desired most. Albus became a version of himself that he despised later in his life and after his death.

Relationships often include the members changing, and it's easy for even the most devoted partners to fall out of love if they change and are now too different from one another, or one person changes and the other... doesn't. After Ariana died, Albus chose to become a different person and champion the same people he and his family once despised. He chose to stay away from Gellert, whether he called it cowardice or principles or whatever else. And his choice put him in conflict with Gellert, who at sixteen refused to change course or rethink his ideals even when his choices led to the death of a magical person (the type of person he supposedly prizes above all others). His magical boyfriend's magical sister, even. And we see no sign that Gellert changed, repented, or considered Albus until decades later, at the very end of his life—far too late.

Healthy relationships require give-and-take, sacrificing for your partner in things big and small. For high-stakes relationships like Albus and Gellert's (queer in the 1800s, sweet Merlin), that is even more true. During that steamy summer of 1899, it was Albus who did all the sacrifcing/giving and Gellert who did all the taking. Gellert may have entertained the idea of bringing Ariana along on his quest with Albus (we don't know), but Aberforth was right to say that it would have been torture for her—and no alternate idea was brought up that would prioritize the wellbeing of Albus' siblings while he was away. And in the moment of required reciprocity when Albus was at his lowest, Gellert left him behind and went off to go rule the world. Not even the most diehard shipper can argue against the fact that when Ariana died, Grindelwald left.

This problem is even more personal/biased than the other ones. Albus and Gellert parted ways in 1899. They didn't see each other again until the duel in 1945 (because fuck Fantastic Beasts, the scripts don't even make fucking sense). Albus defeated Gellert, put him in prison, and then went on living for another fifty-two years. And That Woman expects me to believe that Albus never had a relationship with anyone before Gellert, and never even looked at another wizard afterward? In 52 years, he was one-and-done? He never once fell in love with other people, whether or not he fully trusted them/let them in? Be serious. Pull the other one. It's not realistic, and it doesn't speak to the kind of man Albus Dumbledore is. He may not have found a man to check the same boxes Gellert did, but he wouldn't arguably be looking for someone too similar to his old flame. He might not trust them unconditionally or be the Perfect Partner for them (bc whew traumaaa), but there would be other people for Albus in a realistic Magical Britain (even discounting time travel shenanigans). Before the reveal, the most popular people to ship Albus with were Minerva, Alastor, and Elphias Doge; these options are still arguably more valid. Albus Dumbledore loves love, he champions love, and he doesn't think he deserves it after his sins, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't go looking. It's mind-boggling to me that with all the well-deserved disavowing of JKR following her anti-trans hate (and her shameless pandering to the same people calling her a witch poisoning their children's minds decades ago), that some people still treat her words about Albus and Gellert's relationship and its effects on Albus in particular as gospel. I sure don't. (Especially because she said he became "asexual" after His One Gay Experience when like. That's not. What asexuality is??? And ace gay people exist???) Whether you count the FB movies or not, there are still decades of Albus' life that are a mystery, and I refuse to believe he closed his heart and caged his dick for all of them.

IMPORTANT END NOTE: These observations obviously do not apply to all gr*ndeld*re shippers. Some people genuinely do like both characters, characterize them correctly, and still want to see them together for reasons. I'm not going to judge them. I ship a frigging time travel age gap ship, how the fuck could I. And I'm also aware that a lot of fics/art are made to color in between the lines of what we don't know in the fandom, bringing Albus and Gellert together during the mystery years, or making one wizard better for the other to address all the ship baggage. I just can't join them because of how rarely that occurs (and, admittedly, how much I personally can't see it). You would not believe how many fics and discussions I've seen that lionize Grindelwald and treat Dumbledore like an accessory, or completely mischaracterize Albus' motivations, intentions, and actions, and then put him with "the other Big Bad". UGH.

Most of the time, I see gr*ndeld*re the ship hurting Albus the individual. It's very rare to find an iteration where Albus is not bearing the consequences of Gellert's choices, Gellert's actions, Gellert's mistakes and harm done. I think Albus deserves better than to be Gellert's accessory just because he loved him deeply long ago.

okay. whew. that was a lot.

a character limit prevents me from continuing here, so the second half of this versus will go elsewhere, sorry!

[thepringlesofblood]

Dimension 20′s Neverafter FPE (Fairytales Per Episode)

im going out of my fuckin gourd on this neverafter shit, and i have decided to make a list of what and how many fairytales/nursery rhymes are introduced in each episode. will update as time goes on but i make no promises as to how frequently. theories are not included in totals. allusions/references are.

disclaimer: i am coming at this from a primarily american, english-speaking, culturally christian background, though I have studied a lot of ancient mediterranean myth and religion, a little bit of norse myth and religion, and a little bit of arthurian legend.

please let me know if there’s a reference to something I missed or if you know shit I don’t. i’ve decided that for our purposes, whether a reference/allusion is intentional or not doesn’t factor into our final count - unintentional/ambiguously intentional allusions/references count too, not just obvious ones.

(especially about mythical middle eastern spiders. I only know anansi & arachne, and have a passing familiarity with jorogumo & ye xian, and none of those are middle eastern or fit the situation.)

update: the show is finished! I won’t be taking my various theories off, i think it adds flavor. just remember as you’re going down that I was updating this weekly-ish. I’m going to do another post in the future that is Just The Numbers, but for now, enjoy my rambling! [updatier update: here’s the Just The Numbers post]

Ep. 1

The PCs (and their backstories)

 Mother Goose (+1)

Hubbard (old mother Hubbard who lived in a cupboard) (+1)

Jack

jumped over the Candlestick (+1)

(implied) and the Beanstalk (bc of the giants everywhere) (+1)

theory: Sprat? (the rhyme goes “Jack sprat could eat no fat his wife could eat no lean/and so between them both, you see they licked the platter clean.” not directly mentioned but that was my first thought upon the whole turning to bones thing that like all the fat was removed from his body or smthin)

Ylfa (Little Red Riding Hood) (+1)

there are 2 wolves inside you. you are 12.

the big bad wolf is mentioned in the context of 2 stories, the 3 little pigs and little red riding hood, so (+1) for the pigs

Pib (Puss in Boots) (+1)

Pinocchio (+1)

Cinderella (stepmother’s official art says “Cinderella...” at the bottom) (+1)

theory: “The second fairy you have met in your life” so also a character in smthin else probably since cindy’s stepmom isnt usually magical

update: maybe the whole cannibalism thing made her magical? who’s to say

updatier update (post ep 7): so it turns out that the evil fairy =/= the stepmother, but is the evil fairy from sleeping beauty. i was right about the stepmother being in multiple different stories but boy howdy do i wish I wasn’t. 

Rosamund (sleeping beauty/briar rose) (+1)

Gerard (the princess and the frog) (+1)

Snow queen (mentioned by Elody) (+1)

the rest of the episode

the little red hen (+1)

i fuckin love this one.

the story’s basic but good - she’s makin some bread and at every step asks for help from the other barnyard creatures and they’re all like hmm nahhhhh and then when it comes time to eat the bread they’re all like yes please lemme help w that and she’s like uh no, where was this energy when i was making the damn thing? and eats it ‘without any help at all’

so brennan doing her as like ‘u gotta help or you don’t eat’ is fantastic. 10/10

Ol king Cole (+1)

The little old lady who lived in a shoe (+1)

(alluded to) Alice n Wonderland (rabbit and teapot) (+1)

theory: “the chandling caravan” sounds like it should be something, but I don’t know what it is, and google has not been helpful. same w boffit, lord bandlebridge, and cressida lumley.

total tale count: 16

Ep. 2

The nutcracker (+1) (herr drosselmeyer is the weird uncle who gives clara the nutcracker. also in every ballet his drip is consistently immaculate)

Snow White (+1) (mirror mirror…..leaned up against the wall)

(alluded to) Beauty n the beast (furniture coming alive) (+1)

theory: Eidelgrin means something, but I don’t know what it is.

total tale count: 3

Ep. 3

.........nothing new to report

Ep 4

the fairy with the turquoise hair (aka the blue fairy) is actually not exclusive to Pinocchio - she has her own book n everything. (+1)

(alluded to) the little mermaid (+1)

“a dancing princess who either cannot or will not speak near a beach.”

the little mermaid trades her voice for legs and in the OG grimm story it feels like stepping on swords whenever she walks so she kind of “dances” (rip)

there’s. So many rabbit and fox tricksters. And other clever cats. I don’t think any were directly mentioned (except that Pinocchio has some in his many adventures, which isn’t a new tale) so I’m gonna say (+1) for rabbit and (+1) for fox.

Update: a reply to this post mentioned a character named Reynard the Fox from medieval French literature that might be the reason that the Fox speaks with a French accent. I found more support for this theory below!

“Isengrim”

this is the name of the daggers Pib gets. Rabbit mentions that it’s a name that Fox called the Wolf.

In fact, there’s a tale called Ysengrimus from 1152 CE where Reynard the Fox tricks the titular character, a wolf! So, there’s one Fox story confirmed. No additional points since Fox already had 1 point, this is more confirming the specific story he was inspired by.

theory: also, if we know the accents Mean Something, then Rabbit having a British accent might point to Peter Rabbit.

update: i have noticed several posts calling Rabbit’s accent Australian. it can be hard for me to tell the difference and idk if the general European bent of these tales means that brennan’s British just sounds kind of Australian or if it Means Something. I’m sure there’s Australian trickster rabbits too i just don’t know them

no fuckin clue where the ring came from tho :/

the golden goose (another Jack/Mother Goose tale not specifically mentioned before) (+1)

plus the beanstalk thing is talked about more (not new info though)

total tale count: 5

Ep. 5

hey diddle diddle (+1) (the dish ran away with the spoon + the cow jumping over the moon are from this same rhyme)

also anyone catch brennan mentioning fiddle music as tim was healing pib? ik it was king cole related music, but also...hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle.

itsy bitsy spider (+1)

(alluded to) little miss muffet (+1) (tuffeton)

(alluded to) goldilocks (+1) (”just enough” oats)

1001 nights (+1) (scheherazade is the author of these tales, as well as a myth in her own right. I have not read 1001 nights. please tell me things if you know them)

“spider queen” (+1) idk what it is but its fuckin something

identifying information: guardian of a cave/maze. supposedly has a throne. 1001 nights-adjacent.

theories:

“the spider and the wind” tale 909 of 1001, spider isn’t in this one that much actually

not all folktales in the neverafter are in mother goose’ book, so it stands to reason that not all folktales in the Endless Nights are in 1001 nights.

however, all the folktales in the neverafter are European in origin (mostly medieval), so it would make sense that the folktales in the endless nights would be middle eastern or adjacent

ye xian - chinese folktale where there’s a spider queen

“that’s east asia not arabia” fair but consider: in the older translations, aladdin is a chinese peasant. the world of 1001 nights is already bigger than arabia, and stories travel much more easily than the goods being traded across asia and the mediterranean on the silk road at the time the stories were written.

jorogumo - japanese yokai. a spider that turns into a woman. again, extremely far away from arabia, but girl i am looking.

cave of thawr - islamic oral tradition of muhammed hiding in a cave and a spider protects him. there’s a similar jewish tale w david hiding in a cave.

unlikely, but if there’s beautiful tapestries and the mother of all spiders i have to mention my girl Arachne (greek myth)

all time famous mythical spider anansi (west africa) still doesn’t really fit the bill, and is farther away from arabia than arachne (greece, which had colonies in the middle east (along the mediterranean shore but still. water = trade = exchange of goods = exchange of ideas/stories)) but still possible

yes i got a degree in ancient mediterranean studies and am using it to ruthlessly analyze a comedy show instead of sleeping, what about it?

sinbad (+1) “Sinbad the Sailor” (the roc is part of this as far as i can tell)

magical palace w the tapestries of starlight (+1) there’s a fuckload of magic palaces in 1001 nights. idk which one this refers to but it’s Something. am currently combing the stories more closely to specify at least one.

theories

the bartender with the icy wound is definitely someone. my gut says someone from the snow queen - people get icy mirrors in their eyes n shit in there and oftentimes straight up don’t get better

the peddler of wares in the corner has to be someone

the name of the tavern being “the cock and toad” has to mean something. i did some googling. there’s lots of fairytales w toads and lots of fairytales w cocks (lol) but none I could find where it’s just the two of them together. it’s weird, w a lot of fairytales/fables/nursery rhymes its like rolling 2d8 on a table of 8 animals and then just making the title out of the two animals you get. statistically its likely that there’s a story out there called that but I can’t find it.

the fucking spidersilk ring. i will solve this riddle one day.

they say the name “Aesop” as in “Aesop’s fables” (like the tortoise and the hare) but no tales mentioned yet. worth looking into if you’re the curious sort tho. Pib is going to fuck this guy up, his stories are very animal-centric and definitely have some trickster cats.

total tale count: 8

Ep. 6

No new tales - expands on ones already mentioned.

It’s just Muffet and whoever Scheherazade’s spider is

at least we find out that the “spider queen” referred to the monstrous form of muffet and Scheherazade’s spider combined, and not some new wholly separate myth.

Scheherazade’s spider seemed a little...riddly? for lack of a better term? like the whole “something that does not breathe” thing was weird, and if it’s supposed to be a guardian or guide of some sort, riddles make sense.

honorable mention: In the adventuring party episode, brennan tells the fable of the scorpion and the frog.

total tale count: 0

Ep 7

many theories with little knowledge.

In the adventuring party, brennan straight up says that the sword of truth is a general archetype, not from any specific tale. didn’t know that was an option! so no points for the sword of truth, dope as it is.

p.s. anyone else get flashbacks to fhsy with the whole truth mirror thing? it’s a good concept I’m glad brennan’s bringing it back

I am assuming each artifact found in the spider’s lair either comes from a separate tale, or is an archetype. I’m only counting it if I can pin down a specific tale that it is from.

the gillesuit/haystack cloak (+1)

update: As of Ep. 9, we now know that this is called “the cloak of rushes” and grants advantage on stealth checks. it is almost certainly from the English fairy tale “Cap-o’-Rushes” which, confusingly, features not just a cap but a whole outfit made of rushes!

my first thought was little boy blue, which does come from the tales of mother goose. this makes more sense tho lol

the golden bridle (+1)

some cursory googling indicates that this is from the celtic tale of Guleesh. one night, upon hearing the Fair Folk partying in some ruins (had to look up what a “rath” was lol) and saying “My horse, my bridle, my saddle!”, he repeats what they’re saying and is suddenly on a horse with a golden bridle. the story isn’t about the bridle itself, but the horses feature prominently, and can fly and stuff. When Guleesh kind of breaks the magic, the horse turns into a wooden beam, so maybe putting the bridle on a wooden beam summons a horse?

update: in ep 13 & 14 (& the adventuring parties) they mention that a. it does not summon a steed - you need to already have a steed there, and b. it would only work on a beast, not a monstrosity.

so.......maybe it’s not the one from the tale of Guleesh. I remain optimistic.

the golden chair (+1)

an obscure one, to be sure. from a grimm fairytale with a weirdly christian bent, where a tailor convinces st peter to let him into heaven but then sits in a big golden chair which as it turns out is the chair god sits in, and fucks up by throwing the footstool at some lady on earth washing veils (?) and gets kicked out again.

it is very possible that this was not an intentional allusion, but rather meant to evoke a fairytale-like atmosphere. either way, mission accomplished!

honorable mention: mayor harold hopps, while not a fairytale character himself, looks exactly like and was apparently inspired by the guy on the Pringles can, who is 100% a modern-day folkloric character.

theories:

the black velvet cloak with stars on it

idk where this is from. the only story I could find w a cursory google that had star clothing was Allerleirauh aka Thousandfurs, about a princess whose dad who wants to marry her (gross) so she asks for a bunch of impossible stuff to be made before the wedding can happen to try and stop it, including a dress made of stars (and one made of every kind of fur in the world hence the title). but it’s not a cloak so no points.

i s2g i have heard of something called ‘the cloak of stars’ before but I can’t fucking find it. pls lmk if you can think of something

update: ep 9 - they ALMOST told us what it was fuck, they mentioned wearing it to escape from the stepmother but we have no name. also the ‘cap-o’-rushes’ tale is extremely similar to thousandfurs minus the incest, so I don’t think it’s from that.

the stick skeletons w/ flesh on them were minions of the evil fairy from sleeping beauty - not a new tale

total tale count: 3

Ep 8

correction: brennan mentioned in the adventuring party for this one that aesop himself may also be fictional, and that many fables contain him telling the fable as part of it, so we’ll officially count him as his own fable like we did with Scheherazade (+1)

the lion and the mouse (+1)

the boy who cried wolf (+1)

they did finally mention the scorpion and the frog (+1)

alphonse is there but “the mule” isn’t actually referenced as being part of any of aesop’s fables in the show (like, there’s plenty of mules in aesop’s fables but no specific one was referenced in the show)

total tale count: 4

Ep 9

BABA YAGA BABA YAGA BABA YAGA BABAYAGABABAYAGA!!!!!! (+1)

i love her so much. i truly understood emily’s excitement this episode. 

(alluded to) the princess and the pea (+1)

first time around I didn’t hear siobhan ask if anyone sees any stacks of mattresses without peas under them to sleep on lol

(alluded to) this little piggy went to market (+1)

idk if that’s the name of the rhyme or not, or if it has a name

it’s not in the captions but emily axford saying ‘well there has to be a market, right? cause this little piggy went to market’ is iconic

some sources say this rhyme is from Mother Goose lol

total tale count: 3

Ep 10

(alluded to) peter and the wolf (+1)

the baron’s named peter and there’s a wolf. that cant be a coincidence, the 3 little pigs don’t have set names

mostly retreading 3 little pigs territory. awesome battle set!

theories:

the soup could be an allusion to something but i think its just playing into this season’s theme of consumption and the end of the 3 little pigs

the council of kings might be from something

total tale count: 1

Ep 11

we get 5 kings from 5 tales on the Council of Kings (which seems diegetic and not a reference to anything), 3 of which we already knew, 2 which are new.

the little mermaid (the mer-king)

the snow queen (the tsar of snowhold)

the nutcracker (the mouse king)

the emperor’s new clothes (the naked emperor) (+1)

rumpelstiltskin (FINALLY) (the king of apogee) (+1)

Koschei the deathless (+1)

i had no fucking clue who this guy was until emily axford recognized him, thank you emily

at first I was scared the sealskin would be a selkie thing. it may still be, but that doesn’t appear to be the case in this specific situation

(alluded to) the binding of Fenrir, the wolf at the end of the world (+1)

there’s a norse myth where tyr (a god) puts his hand in fenrir’s mouth to show good faith. the gods want to put this magical leash/collar on fenrir, and since he’s not an idiot he says that he’ll consent to it only if tyr puts a hand in his mouth while they do it, to show that what they’re doing will not hurt or bind him in any way. the gods agree, but oops they lied, the chains are very much to bind him, and tyr loses his hand but the wolf is still bound.

but ylfa and mother goose are telling the truth! happy ending (for once lol) ^v^

I didn’t catch this one at first - thank you to the many posts about it in the #neverafter tag!

honorable mention

sheldon from ‘garfield and friends’

theories

the tavern-keeper (Natalia) doesn’t stand out to me as anyone specific so far, though her daughter is the second “snow-touched” person we’ve met (the bartender at the cock and toad had an icy wound over one eye) so im thinkin snow queen

there’s dwarves in other stories than snow white I’m sure, but these ones specifically say “snow white” on their intro card.

also, their names, Mürrisch, Schläfrig, & Arzt, mean grumpy, sleepy, and doctor in German. Grumpy, Sleepy, and Doc are all disney snow white dwarf names. nice.

another infuriating mention of the cloak of stars without any indication of what it does. I’m going to spontaneously combust.

one thing i do appreciate is the amount of taverns they run into. this is the third and i am very pro

total tale count: 4

Ep. 12

so many princesses!!!!! most of them already counted but still!!!

Rapunzel!!!!! (+1)

The North Wind (+1)

my classics major ass immediately assumed they were talking about Boreas, the Greek god of the northern wind lol

from what I can tell, this is from "East of the Sun and West of the Moon"

i’m sure The North Wind is from other things too, everybody loves personifying the wind

honorable mentions

Beast!!!!! i already counted the tale early on as a reference but it’s here fr now!!!!

Finally meeting the little mermaid!!! Also counted early on but this is her first appearance!

“the beast beyond no name” that Mira mentions in combination w the taut string that Pinocchio feels that means part of his story is happening soon whether he likes it or not makes me think it’s Terrible Dogfish time. But. I also think that it could be the literal Kraken.

there’s so many monsters in folklore that are just “really big scary fish thing that lives at the bottom of the ocean yet somehow also wrecks ships on the surface” i just don’t know which one brennan’s going for. my money’s on either Pinocchio’s Dogfish or The Kraken

Candlewick! jesus fucking christ! every time a bit of Pinocchio lore shows up, it’s already horrifying just from the whole story of Pinocchio being horrifying, but then Brennan leans into it in just the right way for it to be so much worse!

in the adventuring party, they mention several other tales, including the tortoise and the hare and the little matchgirl. they also (rightfully) dunk on Hans Christian Andersen for writing ludicrously depressing children’s stories.

total tale count: 2

Ep. 13

no new tales, dogfish, mer-king, & sea witch are from existing tales, but

CLOAK OF STARS LORE CONFIRMED

WE NOW KNOW THE CLOAK OF STARS IS CAPABLE OF CASTING 5TH LEVEL MAGIC MISSILE

THIS DOES NOTHING TO NARROW THINGS DOWN! BUT IT’S SOMETHING!!!!

also MANY tantalizing mentions of the golden bridle with 0 hints as to its capabilities.

total tale count: 0

Ep. 14

the sea witch is named Alba Mac Lír

several allusions here!

thank you @twoeelsforsupper for this observation!

“there is a legend called "the children of Lír" where a witch/stepmother turns King Lír's children into swans but does not take their voices, which ends up getting her found out. like the threads about voices and witches and stepmothers and transformations???”

“Alba” can mean several things

it’s the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland (this is probably what was being referenced)

in Latin, it’s the feminine nominative singular of the adjective albus, meaning “white”

in Spanish and Italian, it means “sunrise”

In Scottish Gaelic, “Mac” means “son of” so we have “Scotland, son of Lír”

good for her

also, if she’s one of the children of Lír, does that mean she’s one of the ones that got turned into swans?? much to consider.

so, plus one for the legend of the children of Lír! (+1)

FINALLY (finally) we get full cloak of stars lore.

its a fucking dnd 5e item. all this time and it’s legit just a reskin of Robe of Stars

it can take them to the lines between and shoot magic missile

i don’t know why i’m mad

total: 1

Ep. 15

yikes

no new tales, unless you count Clara The Horse Princess (she is not from anything as far as I can tell but I love her. also like Clara is the name of the nutcracker main character but we already counted the nutcracker so it wouldn’t be anything either)

total: 0

Ep. 16

thumbelina! (+1)

tom thumb! (+1)

I thought they were from the same thing but it turns out they have different origins, though there was a 2002 movie that had them be in the same movie.

tom thumb - English folklore, there was a 1621 book called The History of Tom Thumb

thumbelina - hans christian anderson tale from 1835, in the second volume of his Fairy Tales Told For Children series.

turns out he was actually inspired by Tom Thumb a bit, so it’s not convergent evolution or anything.

ngl - I mostly know the story of thumbelina from hearing julia from drawfee rant about how shitty of a movie it is in various streams/videos lol

all the jack stuff is stuff we’ve seen before - golden goose, giantslayer, nimble

UPDATE: in ep 17 adventuring party, brennan talks a bit about the multiplicity of jacks, and clarifies that there are TWO separate giantslayer myths.

Jack the Giant Killer - a Welsh fairytale about a warrior named Jack who fights a bunch of giants with a huge club and wins

Jack and the Beanstalk - an English fairytale about a young boy who accidentally grows a beanstalk to the Giant World and only “kills” the giant at the end by cutting the beanstalk down, leaving the giant to fall to his (their?) death.

So, while we’ve already counted Jack and the Beanstalk, this episode does introduce a new variation on Jack - Jack the Giant Killer. (+1)

henry hubbard is BACK!!!!! yes!!!!!

and tomás!!! and A L P H O N S E

I am v psyched for what comes next.

honorable mentions:

these aren’t explicitly Liliputians, but they do talk about gulliver in the adventuring party. I don’t think they talk about him in the actual show though.

total: 3

Ep. 17

holy shit. so many right off the bat, with brennan and siobhan going through a list of c-list folktales!

Fear Not (+1)

another grimm fairytale - not their finest work i see why this guy would be c-list lol

the brave little tailor (+1)

aka “the guy who kills a bunch of flies with his belt”

this is a for-real grimm fairytale about a guy who kills 7 flies at once, is very proud of it, makes a belt that says “Seven at One Blow” on it, and then goes out into the world and has his shit wrecked from various people misinterpreting what “Seven at One Blow” means

it’s hilarious

another jack tale!! Jack and Jill! (+1)

three blind mice (+1)

honorable mentions:

Henry talks about reuniting a clockwork man with a man in an eyepatch

this is all consistent with the Herr Drosselmeyer lore from all the way back in the first episodes of the show! We already counted him, so no new points, but still very cool!

also cool how brennan combined shoeberg w giant-slaying bc i mean how did they get all those ludicrously big shoes?

the golden goose shows Timothy all the versions of his story where they are one and the same. I’m not counting this as her showing him a new, separate fairytale, since it just overlaps two tales that we already have counted. also, I cried, that was a really intense part of the episode.

in the adventuring party they talk a lot about Narnia and “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.”

ik those aren’t exactly ye olde english fairytales, since they came out in 1950, but if Aslan wandered into the neverafter I’d count him for sure

we learn what the harp does!

the harp’s power is consistent with the jack and the beanstalk myth, but it also reminded me of several other myths about lulling beasts to sleep

e.g. Hermes of Greek mythology fame (and supposedly the inventor of the lyre) also killed the giant Argus after lulling half of his eyes to sleep with the lyre and boring the other half to sleep with various tales of his exploits. (Argus’ big thing was having a bunch of eyes all over his body)

lulling a beast to sleep is a common theme across cultures, makes sense that it’s the kind of archetype useful for the gang.

it’s very possible that some aspect of how baba yaga’s cottage was described alludes to some other Slavic folklore that I didn’t pick up on

total: 4

Ep 18

“The Wishing Star” (+1)

fuck disney for making it impossible to find real fairytales about wishing stars on google

there are many tales/nursery rhymes about wishing on stars. “star light, star bright” is the first that comes to mind, but I’m sure there’s others. we’ll count this as a multi-tale figure and give it +1

honorable mentions

so. The Trials of Baba Yaga could refer to several things.

The Tale about Baba-Yaga is a 18th c. folk story where Baba Yaga has one normal human son (???) who marries a normal human woman, who then has to prove herself by doing seemingly normal chores (milk the cows, shear the sheep) that she then finds out from her husband are secretly meant to kill her (the cows are bears, the sheep are wolves).

(aka a fucked up slavic version of the tale of eros and psyche.)

(not that eros and psyche isn’t fucked up, just in a different way)

There is a 2017 book called “Winston and Baum and the Trials of the Baba Yaga” I do not think this is what was being referenced, and as it is modern and not a folk story, I’m not counting it.

other stuff I can find about Baba Yaga also includes stepdaughters having to do chores with secret meanings - it’s a part of her Thing

I’m including this under the general Baba Yaga mythos, not as its own thing, but still cool stuff to know about.

Prince Johnathan of Apogee (that’s how the subtitles spell it)

so. wayyyy back in episode 11 we find out that the kingdom of apogee is where Rumplestiltskin happened.

I think that’s all the Apogee info we have, and with a name as vague as Johnathan I don’t think we can call it a reference to anything.

We got Mother Goose’s OG rhyme!!!

not a new story but very cool!!!

there’s more but I think they stopped at a good place

fun fact: I found an extra verse that isn’t in the one linked above

“Then old Mother Goose/that instant came in/and turned her son Jack/into famed Harlequin/She then with her wand/touched the lady so fine/and turned her at once/into sweet Columbine”

and then they go on with the rest of the book like that bit never happened

other fun mother goose shit

i thought that littlefinger and “chaos is a ladder” were fairytale quotes but they’re from game of thrones it turns out. ._.

total: 1

Ep 19

no new tales (it’s the finale pt 1) but several honorable mentions

“As you wish”

cinderella girl you are KILLING ME

for those not in the know, this is an allusion to The Princess Bride

in the context of the book & movie, it means “I love you”

could be unintentional but i highly doubt it.

the book is too recent to count as fairytale for our purposes (1973) but it is very much in that genre. god damn.

la bête saying “be our guest” alludes to the disney beauty and the beast movie obvs

“Something wicked this way comes”

quote from Macbeth, by Shakespeare

I don’t think Shakespeare counts as fairytales. idk the vibes are just off. ik it’s an Old Story but it isn’t a fairytale.

total: 0

Ep 20

this is it gang!

The Fairies

so in the 1880s, Andrew Lang wrote a series of fairytale books named after fairies of various colors. I’m counting each fairy who has a book named after them as a new tale.

EXCEPT: the Blue Fairy

ok look i fucked up yall. The Fairy With Turquoise Hair is re-named “The Blue Fairy” in a lot of adaptations, so when I previously counted her separately from Pinocchio bc she had her own book, I was referring to “The Blue Fairy Book”

so we’re not counting it here bc that would be counting it twice. apologies to the actual Blue Fairy.

The Red Fairy Book (+1)

The Green Fairy Book (+1)

The Orange Fairy Book (+1)

The Yellow Fairy Book (+1)

this is by no means all of Lang’s color fairy books. he’s got crimson, violet, grey, pink, you name it.

honorable mentions

Calvin & Hobbes is modern day folklore

I looked up to see if there’s any actual Aesop fables with a shark in em, closest I could find was a dolphin. Rip.

Beaky’s stint in the TAA lines up with Pinocchio’s story, so not a new tale. thank you for your service beaky o7

total: 4

total series tale count: 62

alas, the only mystery remaining is Scheherazade’s spider. someday I may come back to this post with new information about her, but today is not that day. If you know any middle eastern myths/fairytales/folklore/nursery rhymes that prominently feature a spider that guards a maze or guides people through caves, please feel free to reply/reblog with your knowledge.

this show has been a fun and wild ride. Here’s a shortened version of this post with just the numbers

thank you for coming on this journey with me - see you in the stories!

[chronurgy]

So - I'm at the final boss of shadow of the erdtree. Spoilers below for everything up to that point, though nothing past it (as of yet! I'll get there!)

Starting with frame rate stuff - definitely still having some issues. Nothing so bad as the divine beast dancing lion fight but you really can watch things load in ahead of you. Never had this issue in the game, I think something must be fucked up somewhere in the code. I'm hoping they'll unfuck that soon

Overall impression - the dlc is beautiful. It really is! And it's huge, way bigger than you'd think just looking at the map.

But (yeah, here it comes)

It's empty. It's big and beautiful and empty. I love the cerulian coast, it's probably the most beautiful area in the entire game. It should've been half the size. There's just not all that much there. Same, if not more so, for charo's hidden grave. The abyssal woods is far, far too large for what it contains (esp since you don't get torrent!). The loot is super disappointing. Whoah great, another low tier smiting stone I won't use! Cool! I think they ought to have put a lot more thought into both the loot placement/density and makeup. There're a lot of cookbooks and maybe some people are enjoying that but I'm just deeply over crafting systems in games at this point.

As for the bosses - they're all beatable (well I'll see about the last one) but man are they aggressive. It just feels like the level of aggression has been massively dialed up and a lot of them are fucking flippy too which the camera fucking hates. Actually the biggest camera issue I had was with dryleaf Dane, I think because he was normal sized? It really really struggled to handle his fight to the point I genuinely think they can't keep using it any longer. It's just not capable. Some of the bosses cross the line from fun-difficult to obnoxious-difficult I think. But that's obviously a personal opinion. It just got to the point (for me!) where the combos were so long and chained and fast and the boss was flipping all over the damn arena that I wasn't enjoying the boss fight as a fun test of skill any longer, it was just something I had to endure so I could move on to something I would actually enjoy

The standout npcs are definitely ainsbach and ymir. Fun and interesting characters! I only wish we'd gotten to see more of them, if anything

Lore time! I don't know! I got no fucking idea! Um, miquella used mogh's dead body and summoned radahn's soul into it because he wanted radahn to be his elden lord? Why? I don't know. I think maybe radahn didn't want to? And that's why malenia came down to caelid to attack him specifically? He maybe turned miquella down and so miquella sent his sister to kill him so miquella could get his hands on radahn's soul to force him into it? Or malenia didn't like radahn making any sort of weird pact with her brother and went to kill him to stop it from happening? I'm. Uh. A little lost. I've heard there's a post final boss cutscene that explains some stuff (well "explains" some stuff) and I might give in and look on YouTube for it because I have zero idea about what the hell is going on

Oh one last thing - the flooded keep with something moving in the water and knocking over trees is a fucking fantastic set piece. They knocked that out of the park

Overall - good dlc. The map is really intricate and cool. I liked that they worked to shake up the catacombs. Loot is pretty disappointing, which does impact exploration a bit. Bosses feel a little over tuned. I wish they'd included more scadutree fragments than we needed to reach max level.

[jules-writes-stories]

A Heart of Gold | wip wednesday

lucien x elain

This is my WIP elucien week fic, loosely based on the myth of King Midas. I offer my squawking, ugly little duckling to you all...

💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom of ancient misted forests and seaside cliffs hewn by the hands of time. It was a land where simple mortals and the immortal trickster Fae lived side by side. A place where fantastical beasts roamed all four Seasonal Courts, the Sun and stars aligned in magical Solar Courts, where monsters lurked in Night...

In this kingdom, there lived a wealthy mortal by the name of Archeron. His vast estate was lined with ancient books and maps, with trunks full of precious gemstones. Cellars of fine wines and spices spoke of his travels. He was known to all as the Prince of Merchants.

The lord had three daughters, each more lovely than the last. And they lived a good life. But over the years, Archeron grew dissatisfied with his own prosperity, wanting more. He watched the Fae to the North of the Wall through glittering, greedy eyes, how they amassed great fortunes over their immortal lifetimes, and grew jealous of their elemental magic. The mortal man coveted such raw power. 

So, he sailed his fleet of trading vessels along perilous coastlines, through choppy seas. He sought out faster, more dangerous routes to transport his goods. He gambled with his wealth, taking great risks for small rewards. 

And then, in a single day, the Prince of Merchants, lost his crown. The missive came after noon. His eldest daughter, Nesta, had just finished her dance lessons. The youngest, Feyre, was running wild on the grounds. And Elain, his sweet Elain, was tending the gardens. 

Lord Archeron held the missive in hand. Lost. Every vessel crashed upon the rocks. The tempests of the Continent had taken them. He knew the risks. The shorelines surrounding Bharat were fraught with peril. But the straights had guaranteed the fastest return for his investment, and Archeron was in vast sums of debt, had borrowed too much.

For the Prince of Merchants loved gold. Coffers filled, pockets lined. Threads of gold along his bed linens, to fill his dreams. He wanted it ringing his fingers, and cuffing his daughters’ wrists. There was never enough. Now, there was none. 

As if on cue, Elain, entered with the tea, the fine porcelain clinking as she set it down. She took in his drawn face, parchment clutched in hand. “Papa? What's happened?” 

The Prince of Merchants dropped to his chair, head in hands, the letter in his fist. 

Elain knelt at his side. “What’s happened?” Her troubled eyes, the soft brown of a meadowlark. “Please.” 

Nesta entered with a rustle of skirts and a clip of her heels. “Elain? What are you doing on the floor?” The eldest walked with the strength of steel and the grace of fire. A savage, beautiful creature, she unapologetically peeled back artifice, like the sharpest of blades. 

“It’s Papa. He’s not well.” Elain’s graceful hands, with their chipped fingernails and scratched palms from clearing the garden, took the letter from their father’s. 

She passed it to Nesta, who rapidly read across the page, then ground out, “how could you?” Archeron’s shoulders slumped forward. Sad brown eyes stared at the floor. “How could you be so greedy, so foolish? Make such bad choices?” Silver flames flickered in the eldest sister’s gaze.  

He looked up at his two eldest, and whispered, “I am ruined.”

[alittlefrenchtree]

ALFT Cultural Rewind 2022

For the first time this year, I tried to write down everything I've consumed in terms of movies, books and TV Shows during 2022. I live having these lists and I've decided to share in case you're looking for some random recommendations. Feel free to ask for more opinions, thoughts on anything if you want 😊

purple is for things I liked 💜

Movies I’ve watched in 2022

1) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - David Fincher

2) Flickan som lekte med elden — Daniel Alfredson

3) Amadeus - Milos Forman

4) En attendant Bojangles — Régis Roinsard

5) Licorice Pizza — Paul Thomas Anderson

6) Lynx — Laurent Geslin, Laurence Buchman

7) The Chef (Boiling Point) — Philip Baranti ; James Cummings

8) Her — Spike Jonze (Rewatch, one of my favorite movie ever)

9) Arthur Rambo — Laurent Cantet

10) White Snake — Amp Wong : Zhao Ji

11) Death on the Nile — Kenneth Branagh

12) Enquête sur un Scandale d’État - Thierry de Peretti

13) Goliath — Frederic Tellier

14) The Batman — Matt Reeves

15) Notre Dame Brûle — Jean-Jaques Annaud

16) En Corps — Cédric Klapish

17) Les Bad Guys — Pierre Peril

18) À la folie — Audrey Estrougo

19) Fantastic Beasts : The Secrets of Dumbledore — David Yates

20) Downton Abbey : A new era — Simon Curtis

21) Sentinelle Sud — Mathieu Gerault

22) Elvis — Baz Luhrmann

23) Tenor — Claude Zidi Jr.

24) Tron — Steven Lisberg

25) La nuit du 12 — Dominik Moll

26) Sundown— Michel Franco

27) Nope — Jordan Peele

28) Three Thousand Years of Longing — George Miller (my favorite movie of the year)

29) Tout le monde aime Jeanne - Céline Devaux

30) La page blanche — Murielle Magellan

31) Everything, everywhere, all at once — Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

32) Lord of the ring 1 — Peter Jackson (rewatch)

33) Lord of the ring 2 — Peter Jackson (Rewatch, even if I had forgotten all about it)

34) Lord of the ring 3 — Peter Jackson (Rewatch, even if I had forgotten all about it)

35) Don’t Worry Darling — Olivia Wilde

36) Le visiteur du futur — François Descraques

37) Les secrets de mon père — Véra Belmont

38) Entergalactic — Fletcher Moules

39) Dragon Ball Super — Tetsurô Kodama

40) Maria Rêve — Lauriane Escaffre, Yvonnick Muller

41) Simone : Le Voyage du siècle — Olivier Dahan

42) My Policeman — Michael Grandage

43) Mascarade — Nicolas Bedos

44) Armageddon Time — James Gray

45) Bones and All — Luca Guadagnino

46) Close — Lukas Dhont

47) Les Bonnes Étoiles --(브로커 - Beurokeo) — Hirokazu Kore-Eda

Books I’ve read In 2022

1) The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest — Stieg Larsson (the rec is for the whole trilogy)

2) The art and soul of Dune — Tanya Lapointe

3) Un dernier tour de piste — Martin Fourcade

4) The Dark Half — Stephen King

5) Death note — Tsugumi Ōba & Takeshi Obata (Let’s pretend I’ve read all of them and not stop reading before reaching the end for an unknown reason)

6) Le Match de ma vie — Nicolas Mahut

7) Les liaisons dangereuses — Choderlos de Laclos (First re-read since high school. It’s a good things I don’t remember what my literature class sounded like because I think all the toxic/criminal behavior in this book were not called out enough by my teacher.)

8) Midnight Sun — Stephanie Meyer

9) Children of Dune — Frank Herbert

10) Blackwater : The Flood — Michael Mcdowell

11) Les Ravissantes — Romain Puertolas

12) The Royal Game — Stephan Zweig (Re-read, I love this short novel so much)

13) Le plongeur 

14) Le Diner de Babette 

— Karen Blixen

15) Onze Minutes — Paulo Coelho (Re-read, still interesting)

16) Desolation Road — Jerome Noires (Re-read as well, not sure why I felt the need to pick it again but ok book)

17) Double Fault — Lionel Shriver (Re-read as well, didn’t really like it the first time but it’s definitely more interesting/relevant to read when you care about tennis)

TV Shows I’ve (tried to) watch(ed) in 2022

-Mr Robot Season 1 ; Episode 1 to… 4 I think?

-Grey’s Anatomy ; Seasons 1 to 6 (Regular rewatch that stopped by itself at some point)

-Designated Survivor ; Season 1

-House MD ; Season 1, a few episodes (Failed my rewatch, will try again in 2023)

-The Undoing 1 season (✅ completed)

-Severance ; a few episodes ?

-Balthazar ; Season 4 (Only here for Tomer Sisley)

-Veronica Mars ; 4 seasons (✅ completed) (Rewatch except for the last season)

-Outlander ; Season 6

-Heartstopper ; Season 1

-Timeless ; 2 Seasons (✅ completed)

-Moon Night ; 1 Season (✅ completed)

-Quantico ; 1 Season

-Obi-Wan Kenobi ; 1 Season (✅ completed)

-Lost ; Season 1 and 2

-Mind Hunter ; Season 1 and 6 episodes of Season 2

-Shokugeki No Soma ; All 5 seasons (✅ completed) (4 AMAZING seasons. Last one should be forgotten)

-The Walking Dead ; 6 seasons (Rewatch of the first season to try to finish it soon. First time I had stopped around season 8 or 9 I think ?)

-Emily in Paris ; Season 3 (The last source of joy left in the world)

-10 pour 100 (Call my agent) ; 2 seasons and 5 episodes of season 3 (Current watch, very easy to binge watch)

[zalrb]

The thing about Twilight is that it was the best movie at being bad ( if you get what I mean) , so I particularly don't think the tv show could destroy it. But I am really mad about Lotr and Harry Potter. Lord of the rings was an absolute masterpiece and then the prequel failed to live up and the tv show was a disaster. They destroyed Harry Potter by the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts...

Twilight was a fucking masterpiece because it was so awful. In terms of the Harry Potter reboot, I'm just like, no one needs this a) because why do we need to make it a TV show? b) JK Rowling doesn't deserve it. In terms of the actual movies if we're being honest, it's more about nostalgia for me rather than them being good period or good adaptations of the books.

[joker1315]

All the movies and tv shows you can find on this blog

Use the following link and insert the tag you want to see:

#: 300 - 10 things i hate about you - 12 years a slave - 1899

a: a cure for wellness - a knights tale - after the rain - alice in wonderland - the alienist - all of us strangers - anchoress - andor - angels and demons - around the world in 80 days - assassins creed - august osage county - australia - the avengers - awake

b: bad influence - barbie - the battle for rome - birdland - black mirror - black panther - the blacklist - blackout - blackpool - blood - blood diamond - blow - the book of boba fett - boston legal - the boys - the brave - bright young things - broadchurch - brotherhood

c: captain america - casanova - case histories - cellular - centurion - charlie and the chocolate factory - chocolat - chumscrubber - the cloverfield paradox - clue - colonia - coriolanus - the counselor - covenant - crimson peak - critical care - the curse of the midas box

d: the damned united - dangerous lady - dark - the dark knight - the dark knight rises - dark shadows - dates - the davinci code - dead man - deadpool - the deal - the death of stalin - detective pikachu - die tür - dig - doctor strange - doctor who - dolly partons heartstrings - donnie brasco - dracula - dream lover - druk

e: ed wood - en kongelig affære - en kort en lang - exile - the expanse

f: the face of an angel - the falcon and the winter soldier - the fall - fantastic beasts - fantastic four - far from the madding crowd - fear and loathing in las vegas - the fifth estate - filth - finding neverland - fish tank - fleabag - the fountain - four rooms - fright night - from hell

g: gallowglass - der ganz grosse traum - good - good omens - the good thief - gotham - gothika - the great dictator - the great race - guardians of the galaxy

h: halt and catch fire - hamlet - hannibal - harry potter - heart - heartlands - high rise - his dark materials - the hobbit - the hollow crown - home again - how to train your dragon

i: i saw the light - the imitation game - the impossible - indiana jones - inglourious basterds - inkheart - iron man

j: jagten - james bond - jessica jones - the judge - jurassic park

k: kate and leopold - the kings speech - kingsman - kiss kiss bang bang - kong%3A skull island - ku'damm 59

l: l. a. without a map - the ladykillers - laws of attraction - the legend of 1900 - legion - the libertine - life on mars - little favour - loki - london - lord of the rings - love actually - lucifer

m: macbeth - macgyver - mamma mia - the mandalorian - marvel - master and commander - masters of sex - miranda - moon knight - mortdecai - moulin rouge - move on - mrs. doubtfire - much ado about nothing - much ado about nothing (1993) - mulan - the muppets most wanted

n: the necessary death of charlie countryman - the night manager - the nightmare before christmas - nine-1%2F2-minutes - not another teen movie - nu

o: the oa - once upon a time - only lovers left alive - oppenheimer - oscar wilde - oslo - ostfriesenblut - ostfriesenkiller

p: paddington 2 - parades end - passengers - patrick melrose - the patriot - peaky blinders - the pelayos - peter pan - pirates of the caribbean - polar - the power of the dog - the practice - preacher - present laughter - the prestige - prey - pride - priest - prodigal son - prometheus - pulp fiction - puncture - the pursuit of love - pushing daisies

r: rab c. nesbitt - ratatouille - rejseholdet - reprisal - reservoir dogs - resident alien - richard II - the right stuff - robin hood - rocketman - rocky horror picture show - rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead - rush - rush (series)

s: the salvation - the sandman - der schuh des manitu - secret window - secretary - shadow and bone - shame - sherlock - sherlock holmes - the silence of the lambs - the singing detective - single father - sleepy hollow - slow west - small island - the snowman - soldiers girl - the special relationship - spiderman - the stag - staged - star trek - star wars - stargate universe - the stickup - storage 24 - submergence - sucker punch - supernatural - supernova - sweeney todd

t: tatort - tatort berlin - tatort saarbrücken - the thick of it - third star - thor - to the ends of the earth - tolkien - torchwood - the tourist - the town - transcendence - triple frontier - tron - true lies - twilight - twin peaks

u: uncle frank - underworld - unthinkable

v: velvet goldmine - vildspor

w: wandavision - war horse - watchmen - welcome to the punch - whats eating gilbert grape - whats your number - wimbledon - windtalkers - the witcher - the wonderful story of henry sugar - the words - wreckers

x: x men - the x-files

y: yellow submarine

[enji-the-tiefling]

Fandoms I'm in/will take requests to write for:

Adventure Time

Animaniacs

Animorphs

Avatar (+Way of the Water)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (+Korra)

Baby Sitters Club

Batman (some)

The Big Bang Theory

Blue Lock

Brooklyn 99

Community

Coraline

Corpse Bride

Deadpool

Death Note

Demon Slayer

Disney (all, including princesses, movies, and XD)

D&D

Friends

Ghostbusters

The Good Place

Haikyuu

Harry Potter (+Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Hocus Pocus

How to Train Your Dragon (+RTTE)

The Hunger Games

Hunter x Hunter

Indiana Jones

Invader Zim

Jurassic Park

Keeper of the Lost Cities

Legally Blonde

Lord of the Rings (+The Hobbit)

Marvel (All, including The Avengers, Spiderman, Loki, etc.)

Miraculous

My Hero Academia

Naruto

Nightmare Before Christmas

Ouran High School Host Club

Overwatch 2

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Phineas and Ferb

Pokemon (some)

The Princess Bride

Saiki K

Scream (all)

She-Ra: Princesses of Power

Shrek (all)

Star Trek (aos only)

Star Wars (All, including Bad Batch, )

Stephen King (some)

Steven Universe

Stranger Things

Studio Ghibli (all)

Teen Titans (+Go!)

Twilight

Wednesday

XO Kitty

+more!! Just ask and you shall receive~

[roseposts-stuff]

hello folks!! i have been rating nuwho seasons and it has been a while so!!! it is time for series 5!! also deleted series 11 thoughts because 1. i want these to be in order 2. i want to rewatch the series as well before rating it 3. i disagreed with my own thoughts

just my personal extremely unprofessional opinions mostly based on Vibes, so feel free to disagree!! but now! series 5!

1. Vincent and the Doctor (5x10) - SO good, i love that they showed vincent that his works will be appreciated, that moment was so great. loved the general story, too, and how the "evil" creature wasn't actually evil and how everyone was so kind it was very beautiful to me. also, i always smile when i remember "the ultimate ginge" it was so funny to me

2. The Beast Below (5x2) - really really really like this episode like. already just for the visual look, i love it so much. the story is good imo, and i love that they managed to save the star whale, all hail amy pond!!! the ending was adorable i think. will never get over how visually gorgeous this episode is imo

3. Amy's Choice (5x7) - SUCH a fascinating episode, toby jones is fantastic as the dream lord and at least i kept doubting like no it's this no that AND IT WAS BOTH!?!? yeah love this episode, also rory is with us!!! he's so great guys one of my favourite companions for sure

4. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang (5x12/5x1) - a great finale, i lovedddd how little amy came back and she helped save the world and the timey-wimeyness is SO GOOD y'all i love steven moffat because he does timey wimey stuff and i LOVE timey wimey stuff like all paradoxes and like going back in time to do something in the future etc etc is SO SO INTERESTING and you can do it in doctor who i need timey wimey stuff to happen even more in doctor who tbh

5. The Eleventh Hour (5x1) - great introduction to both amy and 11, the story is good + OLIVIA COLMAN RAHHH honestly i need her to come back to doctor who in a bigger role like even as the doctor or the master she's fantastic, but yeah i like this one too

6. The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone (5x4/5x5) - i like the story and the scene where the angel is appearing through the video clip and when amy had to walk with her eyes closed like the forest scenes were honestly so good, ANDDDD THE FACT THAT THE DOCTOR DOESN'T HAVE HIS COAT AND WHEN HE COMES BACK HE HAS IT ON YOU CAN SEE IT AND IT'S NOT A MISTAKE IT TIES TO THE SERIES FINALE I'M SO INSANE ABOUT THAT, always LOVE seeing river song, the angels moving on screen kinda sucks, however i'm fine with that because of the theories that they move between frames or the crack affects their abilities, and also the scene between 11 and amy at the end of the 2nd part was NOT good like i've heard steven moffat regrets writing it tho can't confirm that, and yeah he should like it doesn't add anything to the story, it's creepy, deeply uncomfortable and makes no sense

7. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood (5x8/5x9) - it's not bad, i like the exploration of how humans can be very cruel, absolutely LOVE rory i was so sad when he died and karen gillan's acting when amy is trying to remember rory AAAAA, also loved many of the side characters, but that one silurian and the mum made me SO. ANGRY. like y'all won't even believe how much i hate those two god i was so mad

8. The Lodger (5x11) - i like the story even tho it's probably not the best there is, it's pretty funny and i do like craig ngl, i know people don't like him because of james corden, however i'm not aware of ANYTHING i have no idea what he's done because i like barely know the name so he doesn't ruin it for me

9. The Vampires of Venice (5x6) - i like rory and amy in this but tbh i'm not a fan of the story, i liked the side characters tho and was sad when the girl didn't survive she was really nice :(

10. Victory of the Daleks (5x3) - the story is okay i think but tbh i wasn't too invested, also what's it with churchill being such a hero so often like he was NOT that great of a guy and definitely not someone i'd really see the doctor being friends with, the scene where they're sort of turning the robot guy into human is great, i really like it

that's it for today!!!! hopefully i'll post series 6 sooner lol