#clubfoot cause

[kidsorthopedic]

Congenital Clubfoot: Symptoms And Causes

Clubfoot is one of the most common birth defects of the foot. Out of one thousand new-born babies, one to two have this deformity. This deformity affects a new-born’s muscles, tendons, and blood vessels. It is caused when the tissues that connect the muscles to the bone are not the usual size. In congenital clubfoot, one or both feet are rotated downward and inward. It is also known as congenital talipes equinovarus in medical terms, and the child born with this deformity can’t place their foot flat on the ground for walking. Clubfoot is not painful, but if this congenital disease is not treated on time, the foot will remain deformed forever. Mostly, clubfoot can be treated without surgery, but in severe cases, follow-up surgery is required later on.

 Types of Clubfoot

Clubfoot can be divided into two major categories non-isolated clubfoot and Isolated (idiopathic) clubfoot. Isolated clubfoot is a common musculoskeletal birth defect. It generally occurs without any other medical problems. On the other hand, non-isolated clubfoot happens along with other serious medical problems, including arthrogryposis and spina bifida. Arthrogryposis is a joint problem, and spina bifida is a neural tube disorder. If anyone in your family has clubfoot, your baby will be at higher risk of congenital clubfoot. Also, boys are at a greater risk of developing clubfoot than girls. Babies also have a higher chance of developing clubfoot if they have another birth defect known as spina bifida. Women who had oligohydramnios during pregnancy are also at a higher risk of having a clubfoot baby.

 Symptoms of Congenital Clubfoot

If your new-born baby has clubfoot, their foot will be twisted inward and downward. The affected foot or leg will also be slightly shorter. In some cases, the foot is so severely turned that it seems as if it is upside down. Clubfoot is a serious health concern that will not improve on its own without any treatment. A baby with untreated clubfoot will use the outer edge of their foot to walk, leading to painful calluses. But with proper treatment, clubfoot can be treated, and your baby can lead a normal life.

 How can clubfoot affect your baby

Clubfoot will not affect your baby until your child starts to walk. Untreated club food can limit your baby’s daily activities. They might have difficulty walking, standing, and wearing their shoes. A child with clubfoot may walk on the top and side of their feet. Clubfoot can also lead to calluses which is a thick layer of skin that usually develops on the foot’s sole. It can also lead to arthritis, a disease that causes stiffness and painful inflammation of the joints.

 Causes of clubfoot

The definite cause of clubfoot has still not been identified by the researchers. But according to a popular theory, clubfoot is caused due to environmental and genetic factors. Families with a history of clubfeet are at higher risk of this disease. If a pregnant woman has one child with clubfoot, their chance of having a second child with this deformity is 1 in 35. In some cases, clubfoot is also linked to spina bifida, a congenital deformity that mostly occurs when the spinal cord and spine have not formed properly. Sometimes it can be linked to a developmental dysplasia of the hip or a developmental hip condition called hip dysplasia. If one of the parents has clubfoot, there is a 1 in 30 chance that your baby will have it. In 20016, research was conducted in which it was shown for the first time that a gene variation that processes folate in the body might be the cause of clubfoot.

[anushkaafoundation]

Clubfoot can have genetic causes. It often runs in families, suggesting a hereditary link. Researchers have identified several genes associated with clubfoot, impacting muscle development and tissue formation in the developing fetus. While genetic factors play a role, they interact with environmental influences. Understanding these genetic components is vital for both diagnosis and potential future advancements in treatment and prevention.

[dissociacrip]

anyway um. shoutout to disabled people who move their bodies in ways that are considered "wrong" or "abnormal" regardless of the cause or how it's classified. and this isn't limited to just ambulation.

paralysis. dystonia. gait abnormalities. people with muscle weakness and/or atrophy. people with brain damage. rotational differences. clubfoot. knocked knees. other limb and bodily differences. functional deformities that affect movement. tissue contracture. muscular dystrophies. spasticity. impaired proprioception, balance, and/or coordination. chronic pain. spinal disorders. dyspraxia/DCD. apraxia. ataxia. dystaxia. tourette's syndrome and other tic disorders. conversion symptoms. tremors. neurodegenerative disease. degenerative bone diseases. joint instability. myoclonus. parkinsonism. tardive dyskenisia. various other neurological problems.

...and the list goes on.

personally i feel a bit surreal when my body not doesn't always move in the ways i want it to because that straightforward connection that's there for abled people has been disrupted in a myriad of ways. but no one is gross, ugly, or scary for being unable to move their body in ways that society considers "normal" and "healthy." no one deserves to be gawked/stared at or treated like they're subhuman because of the way their body moves.

it's okay for us to exist.

[themotherofhorses]

pairing: aemond targaryen x handmaid!reader

summary: “please,” aemond begs, keeping you flush against him as he nuzzles your breasts. “allow me to make love to you, sweet girl.”

(or aemond's first time with his handmaid).

warnings: explicit lang. a tiny bit of angst at the beginning. protective!aemond. p in v smut. slight breeding kink. spitting kink towards the end. fluff. all around good vibes bc aemond's in love and we all love that for him.

notes: happy birthday to me. pls be nice to me, i'm unfortunately entering my twenties today.

his handmaid's tales | main masterlist

Aemond spends the better part of the chilly winter day searching for his handmaid.

You had been missing when he returned to his bedchamber at midday, wishing to eat his lunch in your company. Did she forget my first rule, by chance? Aemond thought to himself, holding the chalice to his lips. Perhaps…but he could not stomach another bite of his roasted meat, his mind too consumed with thoughts of you.

So he looks throughout the kitchen wing, and the library and Great Hall, until he passes by his mother and sister in the hallway.

But neither woman claims to have seen you, and he’s left twice as confused and frustrated and concerned as he continues to wander about the Red Keep like some lovesick and anxious fool.

“Ah, my prince,” Lord Larys Strong purrs as his steps falls alongside Aemond’s. “Perchance I could be of service. I overheard you are looking for your little handmaid.”

Aemond turns to look at him. “Yes,” he answers, his eyebrow raising, “-have you seen her?”

The lord’s smile is sly. “Several hours ago, actually. She was heading up to the servant quarters…” but his smile then drops, quickly replaced with a frown, “but she seemed to be in tears, if I’m to remember correctly. Poor child, she was an awful, trembling mess, never once looking up to meet my eyes when I greeted her.”

“She was crying?” Aemond cocks his head sideways, swallowing down the ire beginning to bubble inside his chest.

“Yes. It was rather grievous and sad,” and Clubfoot shakes his head dolefully. “A maiden like her deserves a smile on her face at all times, would you not agree, my prince?”

Aemond’s jaw clenches, and he glances to the stairs leading upwards to the servant quarters. Someone made you cry? His blood turns cold, and his fist balls up at his side. Remembering where he was, he gives the lord a curt nod. “Thank you, Lord Strong,” and leaves it at that, rushing up the stairway and down the hall, whilst hundreds of questions thronged in his head.

Who dared make you cry? You, who is rightfully his- his handmaid, his woman. You were supposed to remain safe and happy within his room, tucked away from ill-tempered bastards and envious tongues. If he could not protect you…

He turns the corner, huffing. He’d see whoever made you cry is punished, Aemond decides as he walks down the strip, passing by shut door after door, until he hears fainting sobbing. A sniffle, then, and a tiny hiccup that soon follows. That stops him in his steps. You. You. You, you, you…

“Love,” he whispers, knocking his knuckles on the door before slowly cracking it open. “Love, it’s me.” You twist to meet him in sullen silence, and his heart shatters at the sight. Your pretty doe-eyes are both red and teary, and your bottom lip quivers. It’s busted too, more scarlet now than pink. But it is the ugly bruise coloring your left cheek- large and hand-shaped, that causes his eye to widen.

“Who?” he spat, crossing the room to gather you in his arms, his voice raising. “Who’s done this to you?”

But you lower your eyes, and bury your face within his neck, hiding away from his gaze and questions. Aemond softens, and his thumb gently strokes your cheek, pausing when you flinch. “My love, I need to know at once. This…this is a horrible injustice served upon you, one I know you did not deserve!”

You shake your head, face crumpling as another sob escapes you.

His eye narrows.

“Was it my brother?” Aemond demands. “Or a houseguard?”

“No,” you mumble, feeling ill, like your tummy is tied in a knot. “It was neither, my prince.”

“Well?”

You sigh. “It was one of the septas, a new one to the castle. I do not know her name,” you explain. “She caught me in your room and scolded me, saying how it was beyond disrespectful and ill-mannered of me to flaunter about your bedroom as if it was my own. She said…she said you would have my head for such, and when I tried to explain myself,” and you hiccup, feeling a wave of fresh tears, “-that I was your handmaid, she slapped me!”

“She said I would have your head? That I would kill you?”

You nod, wiping away the few fat tears streaking down your cheek, wincing at the slight sting from the bruised skin. “She said she would bring it up with the Queen herself, that there was no need for insolent little maids like me running around the castle. Oh, I’m so sorry, my prince. I’m terribly sorry. Please, please, please forgive me!”

But Aemond’s thumb brushes lightly across your plump lip, shushing you. “Those words should never fall from these lips, sweetling. They were not made for that.” You feel like crying again, this time from relief.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, my love. I couldn’t even imagine…” his voice trails off. How could this septa easily plant a seed of doubt within your mind, and make you think he would ever harm you? Or call for your death? As if you’re not the very air he breathes every day.

“You terrified me when I could not find you earlier, love.”

By now, you’re a lot calmer and breathing fine again, nestled within his embrace. Your cheek still stings but you’ll live. You lay your head against Aemond’s chest, listening to his faint heartbeat in his breast. Thump, thump, thump.

No more words are shared between the two of you, but his kiss on your temple says much more than anything could.

Soon, Aemond takes you back to his bedchamber, to his tub, and calls for several women to tend to you while he busies himself in burning the servant garb you were wearing today, until nothing is left but sooty ashes and singed cloths. He refuses to allow you to wear that shabby, tainted dress you were so wrongfully punished in. If not for you, then for himself. It eases his mind. And someday you’ll wear nothing but the finest and prettiest gowns, he swears, ones that are fit for no one but a princess.

He’ll have a talk with his mother too. His queen mother has a soft spot for his handmaid, he knows, and Helaena too. This will not go unseen and unpunished.

The prince returns when your bath is finished, and dismisses the women before carrying you off to his featherbed. You’re still quiet, hushed, lips pressed in a tight line while he dries your hair. “You do not need to do this, my prince,” you tell him softly, nervously lacing your fingers together. “I’m undeserving of such treatment, really. It should be I who does this for you.”

“Nonsense, sweetling.”

He’ll be your husband one day, and is merely practicing his husbandly duties, although he doesn’t actually say that piece aloud. It’s all a bit tricky right now, but he’s already decided he will not marry anyone who isn’t you.

Aemond bends to kiss your shoulder, ever so tenderly. You have four pretty birthmarks littering the skin, and he presses a sweet kiss atop all of them. He loves it. You’re so fucking gorgeous. “You’re mine,” he mumbles, nuzzling his forehead against your shoulder blade. “It’s my duty to care for you.”

“No, my prince, ‘tis my duty as your servant.”

He smiles up at you. “Ah, and I’m your protector, best to remember that, sweet girl.” And he leaves nothing more to be said, quickly standing you up in front of him, naked and breathing messily and too shy to meet his eye. Oh, but you’re too pretty for your own good, he tells himself. His fingertips gently trace along your hipbones while he leans to nuzzle his face into your tummy. Aemond then feels your soft hands finding his hair, fingers raking through as you sigh deeply.

“You smell good,” he whispers. “So damn good.”

You giggle. “Do I, my prince?”

Aemond hums, raising his face up to kiss your nipple- once, twice, thrice. He feels you suddenly tense against him, your breath catching in your throat. “Nice and warm and all mine,” he adds, blowing a puff of warm air over your breast that earns him a sweet little moan, one that sends blood rushing down to his cock. His arms circle around your waist, hands falling to knead your asscheeks.

“Let me make love to you.”

“My prince?” you ask, eyes widening as you recoil from your prince’s touch, your legs suddenly feeling weak like water.

Did you hear him right?

“Please,” Aemond begs, keeping you flush against him as he nuzzles your breasts. “Allow me to make love to you, sweet girl.” I see my future in your face. My children in your eyes. His hand cups your right breast, catching a hard nipple between two fingers. My sons at your breasts. His handmaid has come for him, to deliver to him everything he’s been so cruelly denied in this life. “Say yes,” he murmurs. “Let me finally claim you as mine own.” It is your blood I need, your blood on my sheets, and my seed in your belly, and your life and name as my own.

You close your eyes, yet still see your handsome prince grinning at you.

It’s wrong, you think. It’d be so wrong of us. I’d be banished.

I can’t.

I can’t.

I can’t.

“Okay, my prince,” you say, with a bated breath. “Make love to me.”  

An hour later, the wind has risen to a sharp howl against the stone walls, and fat raindrops ping against the windowpane. A winter storm, but there is little to no need to worry about such.

You’re quite nicely warm and dry, and safe within your prince’s arms as he nudges your thighs open. He’s already been down there, spending a good half of the last hour feasting on your wet cunt. It was like he’d been fasting for weeks; he took little mercy on you.

“Open wide,” he mutters. “Good girl. Keep ‘em like that for me.”

You whimper. Your Prince Aemond is gorgeous, with silver hair that shines like fresh snow and pale, naked skin that is covered in faint scarring, undoubtedly from boyhood. You’ve never seen someone so beautiful. His arms are thickened with lean, lithe muscle as he holds himself above your body, one hand laced firmly in yours.

And he looks down at you with bright, violet eyes, with a look perhaps only a man gives his new bride on her wedding night.

It makes you squirm beneath him.

He slides his cock in slowly, hissing at your tightness. “FUCK.” His head dips down near yours, lips barely grazing your ear as he lets out a low moan. “Gods be fucking good, you feel so fucking good…wrapped around my fucking cock, at last,” he says, voice raspy. “Right where you belong.”

Aemond feels that he won’t last long. He’s back to the days of his boyhood, during his thirteenth nameday when Aegon took him to the whorehouse, and he felt a woman’s touch for the first time.

Except now he has the woman he wants- soft and submissive and cunny wet and ready for him- and it is his turn to teach and guide her.

“Ah, my brave girl,” he tells you, pausing to kiss your forehead, then your swollen, pink lips. “It hurts, I know. It’ll feel better soon, I promise.”

And afterward, Aemond Targaryen’s watching as you shake and sob and fall to utter pieces, your beautiful face scrunched up in blissful pleasure as his thrusts soon quicken, and his hips snap into yours with such a harsh pace, it’s sure to leave dark bruises behind.

Your hands find his shoulders in a tight grip, in some desperate attempt to cling onto him whilst he fucks you good.

And, thankfully, it’s his name that tumbles out of your mouth, and not his stupid royal title. It follows your cries and moans and whimpers that echo throughout his bedchamber. To Aemond, it is poetic in some way. Several months back you were seated on his settee, singing, and now you’re buried within his sheets as he makes you a mother.

His loins ache for release, and he fondles your breast, toying with your nipple as he pounds you only harder. Aemond hopes to any god listening that the guards outside are listening in, and the serving girls too. He’s a prince of the realm- he means to claim all his rights. Let them all hear as he plows into his handmaid and stuffs her full of his sons.

Beneath him, you shudder and gasp- again and again- before arching your spine and flinging your arms around his neck. “AEMOND,” you scream, feeling a sudden tightness deep within your belly, almost like you’re only several seconds away from exploding into flames. Perhaps you are.

“Mercy on me, Aemond! Please!”

“Shhh,” Aemon coos, cradling your face as he fucks you through your orgasm. “I have you, pretty girl. You’re okay. Doesn’t this feel good? It feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Ah, so- so good, Aemond…!”

He grins at your fucked-out face, and the little bit of drool pooling around the corner of your mouth, before lightly tapping his fingertip against your bottom lip. “Open up,” he commands, squeezing your cheeks together, when your mouth opens, he spits in it. “Now swallow- mmm, such a good girl, always doing what I say.”

Aemond chooses all his words carefully, loving the way his sweet little handmaid preens under all his given attention and praises, so prettily that he’s willing to discard all of his morals and seed her full of his future bastards. Silver-haired babes that would gurgle at him happily, and grow to carry on his name and legacy.   

For her, he thinks, leaning to kiss you again, feeling your cunt clamping down on him, she’s worth every damn thing and more.

tag list for "his handmaid's tales": @aemondsblog @dc-marvel-girl96 @neobanguniverse @missalycat21 @enchantingcupcakecollectionfan @padfooteyes @alexizodd @avidreader73 @the-common-cowgirl @inlovewithhisblueeyes @elegantsplendour @katzarantos @fan-goddess @okfashionista @randomdragonfires @aemvnd @mochimommy2002 @fangirlninja67

[maidragoste]

The Sea-Dragon, The Clubfoot and The Green Queen

Harwin Strong x Velaryon!Reader (unrequited love), Alicent Hightower x Velaryon!Reader, Larys Strong x Velaryon!Reader

Summary: The birth of Jacaerys Velaryon opened your eyes to the affair of your husband and your cousin. The birth of the prince caused Rhaenyra to lose an important ally and Harwin to lose the love of his wife. But the greens gained an important ally. Now the blacks are going to have to fight against the sea dragon, the clubfoot and the green queen.

I. Bretayal

II. Another Man

III. Family

IV. The Strong Twins

V. Forgive me

+ The One He Really Wanted (a scene with Daemon that I left out of chapter 5)

VI. Fury

VII. Jocelyn Strong

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Masterlist with headcanons, edits and answers to your questions

The last update of this masterlist was on March 24, 2024

[horizon-verizon]

I never cared about Alicent and her children in the slightest but Larys Strong has always been an enigma to me. You never really know who he’s actually working for, what backroom deals he might have going, what he really knows and what he really wants. His belief in the cause or lack thereof is never entirely clear. He also was likely one who leaked major information about the Greens’ operations to the Blacks, or if he wasn’t then he certainly had the skills and resources to find out who it was and put a stop to it but chose not to.

Larys did what Varys didn’t. That is to say, Larys successfully smuggled not one but two Targaryen children out of King’s Landing while the city was under imminent attack from outside forces, in this case Rhaenyra and her dragons. The excuses about Varys not being “able” to save Rhaenys, just Aegon, kind of go into the crapper when you read that Larys smuggled out both Jaehaera and Maelor, not even having to bother with swaps/doubles. This historical anecdote did a lot to solidify my suspicion that there was no baby swap at all and Aegon is really dead, because if Larys could get Jaehaera and Maelor out, Varys, if he’s all he’s cracked up to be, should have been able to do the same with both Aegon and Rhaenys. So either Varys didn’t do it, or he was unable to do it, and if he was unable to do it, then Larys wins that round.

Larys also smuggled out Aegon II and hid him on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra’s own seat. Rhaenyra had no idea he was there until she went back to Dragonstone and found he’d taken it over. That’s no mean feat either, and Larys’ risk paid off. He became the only sane man left by the end of the Dance, frequently having to remind Aegon II and Alicent that they needed Corlys Velaryon and his House on their side, and they couldn’t afford to petulantly execute Corlys every time he criticised them when the Greens needed every ally they could get against enemies they couldn’t negotiate with like Cregan Stark. He later helped Corlys Velaryon poison Aegon II when he wouldn’t surrender, either that or stood by while it happened, but had the stones to accept execution over exile to the Night’s Watch, merely asking that Cregan Stark cut off his clubfoot after his execution, so it wouldn’t impede him in the afterlife, and taking all his secrets with him. Despite how Aegon II and his family turned out, I think it’s realistic to say that without Larys, the Greens would have lost the war.

HOTD turning such an opaque and inscrutable character into “creepy pervert with a clubfoot jerks off to the queen’s feet” is a massive downgrade. There is no obvious rationale to include it on the show other than ableism, shock value and degradation. There’s no justification for it on canonical grounds. They had already overplayed the creepiness earlier on with Larys randomly and inappropriately leering at Alicent; the foot thing shot the “what the fuck?” aspect to the moon. One of the annoying things about Littlefinger on GOT was that he was so obviously creepy in a way he’d never get away with in the books. Larys is like that, on steroids.

HOTD turning such an opaque and inscrutable character into “creepy pervert with a clubfoot jerks off to the queen’s feet” is a massive downgrade. There is no obvious rationale to include it on the show other than ableism, shock value and degradation.

Agreed. I personally think that he leaned green but was open to going black if it seemed to serve him.

As for the Varys comparison, that's interesting and I haven't pondered over this before. I have to see if Varys ever gave a real reason for why he somehow couldn't get Rhaenys out. When I 1st read it, I remember feeling that he wasn't being totally honest and that she wasn't taken bc she was a girl.

[destroyerofnations92]

I always find it funny when those who support the Greens cling to Daemon’s (supposedly) evil acts and atrocities committed, to justify them overthrowing the king’s chosen heir, while also completely ignoring their own side.

Aegon is a proven rapist and frequent child abuser, who might even be a pedophile as well, depending on how you interpret the comment that he prefers the more “unsavory” brothels. He has bastards, whom he has fight in fighting pits. He is an absolute monster.

Helaena is an innocent victim. I’ll give you that. I feel bad for what is to come for her.

Aemond is a kinslaying psychopath. I don’t get those who seem to look forward to him and Alys. He killed her entire family and then took Alys, a prisoner of war, into his bed. Sounds like rape and a war crime to me. His actions cause so much pain. Burns the Riverlands, killing thousands, and his actions are the reason Jaehaerys is brutally massacred.

Daeron is an unknown entity, though he doesn’t seem evil, just a dutiful young man and another victim of his family’s misplaced ambition.

Alicent is a terrible person. She sneakily crept into the bed of her best friend’s father, not even six moons after his wife died in the birthing bed. I’d be surprised if the birthing blood had dried yet. She raised her sons to be hateful little monsters, and inspired their base and disgusting behavior. She was abusive and an all-round horrible mother. Every bad thing that will happen to her family is because of her. She hides behind her false piety, while she is out here allowing dudes to wank one out over her feet the day her husband died. Alicent is no victim, she hasn’t been one in a very long time. She could have had Larys seized, but she didn’t because she wants him working for her and not her father. Manipulative and disgusting.

Larys is a kinslayer of the worst kind. No problem with the foot fetishism, to everyone their own. Though I do find a dude called the Clubfoot having a thing for feet a little on the nose.

Criston Cole is truly an incel. He had one whiff of pussy and upon being rejected started spouting every incel/MRA talking-point out there. He is just a sad and pathetic person wearing a mask and clinging to his false Faith and his white cloak, pretending to be someone he is not.

Otto is a jealous little troll, who did everything in his power to destroy the House of the Dragon. I am a firm believer in the Oldtown Conspiracy, and that the Faith, the Citadel and House Hightower conspired to overthrow the Dragonlords and install Hightowers on the Iron Throne. He cares for nothing but himself. He is an almost one-dimensional villain.

That said, while the Greens are shit, they wouldn’t have been able to pull this off if not for two people: Jaehaerys and Viserys.

Jaehaerys was no conciliator, he was a capitulator. He kneeled to the Faith, was a shit father to his daughter, clearly a rampant misogynist, and allowed these “lesser” Andal lords a say in the governing and succession of the House of the Dragon. His entire shtick about Targaryen exceptionalism was thrown out the window the moment he didn’t want a woman on the throne. He is the root of all evil. Alysanne was a far better queen than he was a king.

Ah, Viserys the Peaceful. More like Viserys the Fool. The only reason he even sat the throne was because his brother assembled an army for him. Well, that and because his grandfather was clearly a deep-rooted women-hater. He was a moron. I saw someone describe him as using his kindness and peaceful nature to cloak what hides beneath: weakness. He was so easily manipulated and his actions led to the death of the dragons.

It is no coincidence it all went wrong for the Targaryens the moment the King wed an Andal. You can disagree with Daemon's Valyrian supremacy all you'd like, but he was right. The moment they "bred" with lesser beings, it all went to shit. They should have kept it to the Velaryons, Celtigars, Baratheons or the bastard Valyrians from the Free Cities.

The Greens’ treason caused the death of the dragons and was the reason the Seven Kingdoms were unprepared for the Night King and his armies.

[livingdreams97]

Rhaenyra Targaryen -"The Personal Guard." (Part 1)

Rhaenyra Targaryen x Male reader/oc

Summary: The barely known third son of Lord Lyonel Strong, surprisingly ends up becoming the personal guard of none other than the Targaryen princess, after an incident in the forest.

Words: 4.084

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POV Narrator

Being part of the personal guard was never Y/n Strong's idea, even less so being the personal guard of the Targaryen princess and less so being so young.

Y/n Strong is the youngest of three brothers, the eldest of the brothers being Ser Harwin Strong, or better known by his nickname: Bearded Vulture and heir to Harrenhal. Then there was the middle brother Lord Larys Strong, or better known as Larys the Clubfoot thanks to a problem with his feet.

Lastly there was Lord Y/n Strong, Lady Strong's pregnancy was a surprise to both herself and Lord Lyonel Strong. But that didn't make him less loved, on the contrary.

In the family, Y/n was known for his sensitivity and empathy towards others. He was the spitting image of his mother and Lyonel always tried to keep that innocence and good heart in his son.

But that did not make him weaker than any other man, since he was strong and some would even say that he is as strong as his older brother. Harwin had personally taken charge of training his little brother, forming a very close bond and relationship between them.

Although the fact that Y/n and Harwin spent so much time together not only united them, but because of Larys' disability, he always stayed aside and that caused the relationship between middle and little brother to be almost non-existent.

And that brings us to this moment. Today was the second naming day for Prince Aegon II Targaryan, the second son of King Viserys and the first son by Queen Alicent Hightower.

Lyonel Strong's sons stood in front of their tent, near the river town where Aegon's name day and hunt would be held. And this hunting party being Lord Y/n Strong's first.

POV You

I look around excitedly, seeing lords from different houses standing by their tents and preparing their weapons for the hunt. This is the first time father has agreed to let me come on a hunting party and I am beyond excited.

That's not to say that I don't know anything about hunting, as my older brother Harwin takes me hunting once a month without fail and I know everything you need to know to chase and hunt game.

Y/n: What time can we go hunting? - I ask my brother, who is sharpening the butcher knives and ignoring the presence of my other brother Larys.

Harwin: The king has to arrive first.- He answers me without looking up from the knife. -Then it will be eaten and that is when we will go hunting.- He informs me and I nod looking around.

Y/n: And how long until that? - I ask impatiently.

Harwin: In a few hours.- He answers with an amused smile, seeing the frown and exasperated expression on my face.

Y/n: But that will take a long time.- I complain crossing my arms.

Larys: Why aren't you going to talk to someone your age to entertain yourself.- he tells me without any emotion on his face.

Y/n: Because I don't see anyone my age.- I reproach with a bad look.

Harwin: Why don't you go with the youngest of the Lannisters, he's a little older than you but he's still young.- He tells me and I sigh with a grimace.

Y/n: I don't like the Lannisters.- I whisper so that only he can hear me, since father would not be very happy to hear that one of his sons defames or speaks badly about another important family.

But it's not my fault, the few times I've met a Lannister they always look down on me and think they're better than anyone else. I don't like the attitude they take with people and the scathing comments they make.

Harwin: Well, then you have no choice but to be alone or wait with us for father and the king to arrive.- He informs me and I ponder it for a few seconds.

Y/n: I'll be back in a while.- I say and walk around the camp observing everything.

I look at each tent and distinguish the banners of each family of Westeros. I try to find someone close in age, so I can talk to them and keep myself entertained for a while.

But after searching for a while, I give up and decide to go back to my brothers, hoping that the king will arrive soon. And it seems my prayers are answered, because when I'm about to reach our tent, father passes me on horseback and that only means one thing. That the king is near.

So I run the rest of the way to the tent, seeing father greet my brothers and hearing him ask for me.

Lyonel: And your brother? - I listen and stop running to his side.

Y/n: Here, father.- I greet with an excited smile.

Lyonel: I'm glad to see you son.- He greets me with a very slight smile and a nod and I reciprocate in the same way.

Y/n: Likewise, father.- He smiled more broadly. -Is it true that we have to wait until after lunch to go hunting?- I ask with some impatience.

Lyonel: Yes, son, we people who come from the capital need to recover a little energy and fill our stomachs before going hunting.- He answers me with a small grimace.

Y/n: And the rest of us can't leave before? - I ask curiously.

Lyonel: No, the king has to start the hunt and for that he has to be ready.- He answers me with a slight smile. -Speaking of the king, he has asked for you and wants to meet you during the festivities before the hunt.- he tells me and I nod with confusion.

But I can't ask the king's intention to meet me, as there is more noise and the king's carriages appear in the distance.

Father tells us to walk and stand on each side facing the entrance to the king's tent. We placed ourselves from oldest to youngest, leaving me in the corner and next to Larys.

It's not that I don't love my brother or hate him, but there is something about his personality that I don't like and it makes me uncomfortable. There have been times when my body seems to react to his presence, yelling at me and asking me to put as much distance as possible between our bodies.

In addition to that I feel insecure in his presence, as if I would be in danger at his side or being alone with him. So I try to spend as little time as possible by his side, talking to him and especially alone in a room with him.

The king descends first, then the pregnant queen with her third heir, and then two matrons with Prince Aegon II in their arms.

Larys: Clap your hands.- He whispers to me and I do what he tells me.

XX: Long live Prince Aegon, second of his name and on his second name day! - he shouts while the rest cheer and applaud fervently.

I applaud calmly, wanting time to pass quickly so we can go hunting.

As the king enters his tent, the crowd disperses and my father follows in the king's footsteps. My brothers separate and I stay still in place observing everything. Larys follows father's path and Harwin returns to our tent.

So I have two options, enter the tent with father and Larys, or follow Harwin and return to our tent. Whatever you choose I'll be bored in the same way, although with Harwin I'll have a little more fun.

With that in mind, I decide to follow my older brother's path and head back to our tent. But not paying attention, I end up bumping into someone and nearly knocking them to the ground if not for my hold on their arms.

Y/n: A thousand apologies.- I say quickly letting go of the person's forearms and looking up from the ground.

My eyes widen as I make out the platinum hair of the Targaryens and realize who I just ran into.

Y/n: A thousand apologies, princess.- I quickly apologize again, taking a step back and making a bow. -I wasn't paying attention.- I apologize.

Rhaenyra: Don't worry.- she tells me with tight lips. -Can I know who you are? - She asks me tilting her head and joining her hands in front of her body.

Y/n: I'm Y/n Strong, youngest son of Lyonel Storng.- I answer quickly and she looks at me confused.

Rhaenyra: I had no knowledge that Lord Lyonel had three sons and not two as I thought.- she comments and I can't help but sigh sadly.

My father has never taken me to the city, preferring that I stay in Harrenhal and prepare to serve the crown. So it's no wonder someone as important as the princess doesn't know I exist.

Y/n: I haven't been out of Harrenhal much my lady.- I explain briefly.

Rhaenyra: And would you know why? - she asks with evident curiosity in her beautiful lilac irises.

Y/n: That I should ask my princess father.- I answer honestly.

Rhaenyra: In that case, I'm glad to have met you Lord Y/n Strong and I hope our paths cross again.- she nods and with a bow from me she disappears into his tent.

Coming out of shock from talking to the princess and her incredible beauty, I run to my family's tent. Upon arrival, I hurriedly begin to tell my brother what just happened and he can't stop laughing at my erratic state.

Harwin: Have you fallen in love, little brother? - Asks amused moving his eyebrows in a suggestive way.

Y/n: Of course not.- I deny immediately with my eyes wide open. -She's the princess, idiot.- I clarify and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

Harwin: And what does that have to do with you falling in love with her? - he asks confused.

Y/n: Well, she is the princess and I am a simple Lord.- I answer with obviousness.

Harwin: That doesn't mean you can't fall in love.- comments with confusion. -It just means that pursuing a relationship as such would be difficult and highly unlikely. But no one can forbid you to fall in love, little brother.- He explains with a small affectionate smile.

Y/n: But even so I'm not in love with her.- I deny crossing my arms. -I only said that she has a great beauty.- I repeat with a frown.

Harwin: They don't call her "The realms delight" for nothing - he comments and I look at him badly. -What?- he asks confused by my look.

Y/n: You shouldn't talk about her like that.- I deny immediately, looking around and making sure no one is listening to our conversation.

Harwin: And why is that? - He asks with a small laugh.

Y/n: Because it's wrong to talk about women like that.- I answer as if it were obvious. -In addition to the fact that father is the king's advisor and Rhaenyra is the king's daughter, so we owe him respect as well as to the princess that is the heir to the throne.- I remind him.

Harwin: Speaking of the king, have you gone to talk to him and that father introduces you as he mentioned before? - He asks me raising an eyebrow.

Y/n: No.- I answer simply.

Harwin: And what are you waiting for? - He points to the king's tent with one of the knives.

I just huff and retrace my steps towards the king's tent. This wouldn't be happening if my father had let me out of Harrenhal and taken him to some meetings in King's Landing.

I enter the tent, seeing nobles from the most important houses inside talking and enjoying the feast inside. I look around, seeing father and walking towards him directly.

Lyonel: Well, here you are.- He comments when he sees me among the people and places a hand on my shoulder. -Remember to be respectful and greet him with a bow as it should.- he orders me and I nod.

Y/n: Yes, father.- I say and walk towards the king, while I roll my eyes at his order.

I can see the princess in the distance and she is looking at me with an amused little smile. I just greet her with a small smile and follow my father's path.

Lyonel: Your Majesty.- greets you with a bow and I do the same.

Viserys: This must be the youngest of your offspring, right? - He asks looking at me.

Y/n: Yes, your majesty.- I confirm with a small bow with my head. -My name is Y/n Strong and I am the youngest of the Strong children.- I introduce myself and I see a small friendly smile appear on his face.

Viserys: And how many name days do you have? - asks curiously.

Y/n: One and eight, your grace.- I answer with all possible education.

Viserys: Young like my daughter.- He points out and I just nod. -Your father told me the other day that you are a good fighter.- He comments and I can see my father's proud smile out of the corner of my eye.

Y/n: I try to be, tour grace.- I answer not wanting to sound too conceited. -My older brother Harwin has taught me everything that is necessary to know in the fight and in the use of weapons. But I can't evaluate my ability without being proud and speaking from my perspective.- I explain and see how he nods pleased with my answer.

Viserys: I see that your father has educated you well.- He comments kindly. -And have you thought about joining the royal guard?- he asks interested.

Y/n: I'm not sure your majesty, I haven't thought about it much and I don't know if I'm willing to give up having a family of my own.- I answer honestly.

I'm still young and I have my whole life ahead of me. To be part of the royal guard would mean to give up my lands, a future wife and the possible children I could have with her. And I don't know if I'm ready to give it up without thinking it through and being so young.

Viserys: I understand.- He nods. -But if one day you change your mind and agree to join the royal guard, it would be a great honor if you did it for me.- he proposes and I can only thank him for the offer.

Y/n: It would be an honor to be in the royal guard and protect you and your family, Your Majesty.- I bow again.

Viserys: You can go, I'm sure you'll be wanting to start hunting and go out to the forest to get some animal.- He says goodbye politely and with a last bow on the way to the exit.

Rhaenyra POV

I can't believe it, how dare he talk to me like that and in front of so many people. If I were a boy, I'm sure he wouldn't put so much pressure on me and allow me to choose who to marry myself.

But no, as I am a woman I have no power over my life and the choices that will affect it. Like Jason Lannister's stupid proposition and his stupid idea that I'm going to live with him far away from home.

Who does that stupid pushy lion think he is, as if I was going to agree to marry him and be his trophy wife. Before I get on top of Syrax and run away so as not to marry him.

Ser Criston: Princess! - he shouts, managing to grab the reins of my horse and stop it just before entering the lake. -What happened to you, princess?- He asks me as he takes off his helmet.

Rhaenyra: It's because of my father.- I answer trying to relax my breathing. -He intended to sell me to Jason Lannister. Was I appointed heir to the Iron throne just to improve the position of an arrogant lord of Casterly Rock? - I ask with anger and pain.

Ser Criston: Do you want me to kill him? - He asks me with all the seriousness in the world and I laugh at the offer. -We should go back, princess.- he tells me, but I'm not ready to go back and see my father yet.

Rhaenyra: It's a beautiful day.- I comment with a small smile. -Let's enjoy the Royal Forest.- I tell him and he can't do anything but accept.

We got off the horses and began to walk through the forest. As we walk, we chat and it gives me a chance to get to know my royal guard better.

Since I don't know much about him and his origin.

Walking, it begins to get dark and by the time we realize it, night has already fallen. Ser Criston lights a fire, while I sit on the ground against a fallen log and watch the flames dance in concentration.

Ser Criston: Princess, I beg you for the last time to come back.- He asks me and I turn a deaf ear to his request.

Rhaenyra: I prefer to be here.- I answer simply.

Ser Criston: His Highness will be worried about your absence.- He tries to convince me, but it doesn't work.

Rhaenyra: Your highness can die of worry if you wish.- I say with total sincerity. -Tell me something Ser Criston.- I say after a few moments in silence. -Do you think the kingdom will accept me as queen?- I ask with sincere curiosity.

Ser Criston: They will have no choice, princess.- He answers honestly after a few moments in silence.

Suddenly we hear noises in the distance, causing both of us to look around and become alert.

Ser Criston gets up from the trunk where he is sitting, wielding his sword and walking towards where the noises are coming from.

But everything happens very quickly, when a wild boar appears from among the beds and launches itself at my guard, knocking it down immediately. The boar stops and turns to face where I am and runs towards me with ferocity.

I fight him, keeping him away from me and trying not to get hurt. When the tip of my guard's sword pierces his neck, staining me with his blood and weakening him.

So I shake it off and try to catch my breath from the shock. But it moves back to my side and not a second goes by when I grab the dagger at my waist, and lunge at the boar repeatedly.

I only stop stabbing him when I'm sure he's dead and can't attack me again. I let myself fall sitting on the ground, feeling the hot blood of the animal on my face and seeing its inert body in front of me.

Ser Criston: I think it's best to go back, princess.- He comments after being silent for a while, trying to process what just happened and trying to calm down.

Rhaenyra: I think you're right this time.- I admit without taking my eyes off the now dead animal.

Ser Criston: I will look for some branches to prepare a trailer so we can take the wild boar with us.- He tells me and I am only able to nod. "Here, to clean the blood, princess," he says, holding out a handkerchief and I use it to wipe the blood off my face.

I have never been as scared as I am right now. I've seen death up close and I didn't like it at all.

But what I liked least and disturbed, is that the person who is supposed to protect me, has allowed a wild beast to assault me.

What would have happened if Ser Criston had been badly injured and had not been able to heal in time? Probably now I would be found dead and the boar would be feeding on my meat.

Once everything is ready and with the wild boar in its makeshift trailer, we set off. We stop for a moment on a hill, where the camp can be seen and I hear something to my right.

I turn my face a little scared, but my body relaxes when my eyes see a deer next to a tree, but not just any deer; a white deer.

Stories relate that white deer are signs of good omen. So I look at the deer with awe and admiration.

Rhaenyra: No.- I order Ser Criston in a whisper when I see him trying to draw his sword.

Once it disappears among the trees, we return to the camp and in complete silence.

When we reach camp and are near the king's tent, I get off the horse. I start to walk towards my tent, but I feel the need to turn my face to the left and there I see him.

The boy I bumped into when I arrived and who made me incredibly curious. I notice the worried scowl on his face when he sees me and I give him a subtle smile letting him know I'm fine, before turning my gaze forward and continuing on my way.

Once back in the castle and disposed of any traces of blood and dirty clothes, I walk to my father's bedchamber.

One of the guards knocks on the door, announcing my presence and when he receives the go-ahead one of them opens the door for me.

Viserys: Daughter, I wasn't expecting you tonight.- He comments confused from his chair by the fire.

Rhaenrya: I didn't expect to see you tonight either, father, but after what happened in the forest I have the need to talk and solve the problem that has arisen.- I comment, sitting in the chair opposite his.

Viserys: And what is that problem you want to solve? - asks between curious and amused.

Rhaenrya: Ser Criston's inability to protect me effectively.- I answer directly and see the surprise on his face.

Viserys: And may I know what this disability is due to? - he asks again, interested.

Rhaenrya: Because last night I was about to die, because of your absentmindedness and late behavior, father.- I answer honestly. -Last night we were attacked by a wild boar and Ser Criston was not able to act quickly and prevent me from being attacked by a wild animal.- I explain in more detail.

Viserys: Daughter, that was an isolated event, no one knows how to respond to a surprise attack from a wild boar, much less in the dark of night.- try to make him understand his point.

Rhaenrya: But what if it's not an isolated event, what if the same thing happens when someone surprises me and gets what the boar didn't get last night? - I ask with interest for his answer.

Viserys: That will not happen.- He denies in answer with certainty.

Rhaenrya: You don't know that, father.- I rightly refute.

Viserys: And what do you want me to do? - He asks tiredly.

Rhaenrya: Find me a more competent personal guard with better reflexes.- I answer simply and directly.

Viserys: I remind you that it was you who chose Ser Criston Cole as royal guard.- He throws me in the face.

Rhaenrya: And it is clear that I was wrong in choosing him as personal guard, but not in choosing him as royal guard.- I defend the choice I made a year ago. -But now I need someone younger and with more reflexes for my personal protection.- I list what I'm looking for.

Viserys: I think I have the right person in mind.- He comments with a small sigh. -But I'm not sure he'll accept.- he explains and I get up from my seat.

Rhaenrya: I hope you choose well and the gentleman accepts.- I say smoothing the skirt of my dress. - Now I'll let you rest, good night, father.- I say goodbye and leave his bedroom in the direction of mine.

POV Narrator

And this conversation brings us to the moment in question. With the king writing a scroll in his bedchamber about a job offer as a personal guard for a Targaryen and the receiver being the young man he met the day before in the family tent.

The receiver being none other than Lord Y/n Strong, the youngest son of Lyonel Strong, royal advisor and Lord of Harrenhal.

[navree]

Thouggts on alys? And alysmond

Oh God do I have thoughts on Alys and Alysmond, anon, you have no idea. Alys is likely going to become my second favorite character in the entire show the second she shows up (provided they don't screw her up) because I literally just love her so very much. And Alysmond is literally peak for me, they're my number one ship on this show.

I think Alys is a very interesting character. There's a lot about her that's shrouded in mystery in Fire&Blood, because she's not a Targaryen and she was only involved with the Targaryens for a very brief period of time, but even the stuff we do know lends itself towards a fascinating character. Alys as a character is a type of person we don't see a lot in stories in Westeros, particularly when it comes to points of view. She's a bastard, but unlike our other fave bastard, Mister Jon Snow, she's not treated nearly as well (not to say that Jon didn't suffer at Winterfell, he clearly did due to his bastard status and also the way Catelyn treated him). For one, she's a woman, which in general is cause for concern when living in Westeros, and for two, Lyonel treats her far worse than Ned treated Jon. Ned made Jon a part of his family, did treat him as his son, raised him as a brother to his trueborn children, and while he didn't do much when it came to Catelyn's shit of "oh he can't sit with us on Such and Such occasion because he's too bastardly" and "oh yeah no once you leave I'm gonna kick him out of the house at the ripe old age of fourteen unless he decides to join the cult border patrol that tells him to never have a family or a wife or kids and also has to fight ice zombies" he does still love Jon and care for him and look out for his emotional and physical wellbeing as best as he can. None of that seems to be present for Alys and Lyonel, by all counts he looked at his own daughter and made her a freaking servant! Sir that is your child! So Alys comes from this place of living amongst the privileged but being disprivileged in so many different ways, due to her birth status and her gender and her class, to say nothing of being an apparent old gods worshipper in a location of Westeros that was pretty firmly vested in the Seven.

I think Alys was very molded by her circumstances, that she's not just crafty and fiercely intelligent but also incredibly observant, that having been someone who would likely be in the "should be seen but not heard and even then barely seen" category of life, knows what to look for and how to use the information she can process to her advantage. I also think that Alys is a very neutral person, personality wise, very even keeled, given that we see her being the level head in several situations, like stopping Aemond from killing that messenger. Alys is gonna live her life to the best of her abilities and not feel too much about things, because having strong emotions about nonsense isn't really useful for surviving in the real world and as such doesn't serve. But she's still got her moments of softness. For one, we know that she had children prior to her son with Aemond, and also that all of them were stillborn, so that speaks to some intimacy with someone at some point, and, given that she's a "woods witch" and that people do have access to shit like moon tea in this world, a desire to at least have a family rather than just be firm on contraception. I also have a theory that she and Larys were actually close when they were younger (since I think she's around the same age as Harwin and Larys), due to their respective disadvantages drawing them close, the servant bastard daughter and the clubfooted second son. I like the idea of them hanging around in the forests around Harrenhal, Larys looking for special bugs and Alys wanting to gather fun herbs that she'd heard about to see what they do. I think that they're actually close, and that Larys probably does consider her the person he's closest to emotionally (my own pet theory is that he sent a warning to her about the fire at Harrenhal so that she'd be able to survive, and knowing she wouldn't stop it due to likely not having any sort of relationship with Harwin and her antipathy towards Lyonel and the way he treated her in childhood). I also do want to remark on just how smart Alys must be, to have survived in such a dangerous world for as long as she did, and to thrive. I picture her as someone who is oddly charismatic, charismatic enough to win over the people at Harrenhal in the absence of their actual liege, and keep herself alive. Harrenhal was taken by the Blacks first, and Daemon is not a very patient or understanding person, not to mention something of a raging misogynist, so it's entirely possible that the situation could have gone badly for her if she hadn't played it really well, which she clearly did, since Daemon let her live. She's smart and resourceful but also true to herself to the utmost degree, doesn't hide her magic or her old gods worship (which she likely took some sort of comfort in during her early years) and has made herself a survivor without losing any of her humanity in the process. She's so rich and layered, she has the potential to be the best character in the entire GOT/HOTD TV franchise.

As for Alysmond.........oh baby. It makes me fucking nuts. Even the way it starts off is so feral, given that Aemond basically wiped House Strong out in a single day and for some reason, the only person he didn't kill was Alys. We have absolutely zero clue why he did this; did she just not show him any fear? Did she appear apathetic enough about the deaths of the other Strongs that he thought it was interesting? Was there just something about her? Who knows, but from minute one there was something about Alys that jumped out to Aemond, and like vice versa. Again, Daemon took Harrenhal first, spent time there, and as Lyonel's only child in the castle, Alys would have likely engaged with him. But there's no record of them having an affair, and it's not because Daemon's a faithful family man who'd never dream of cheating on Rhaenyra; Alys is likely the one who just was not interested. But something about Alys and Aemond drew them to each other, and there's so much space to think about why. Aemond's had a much easier life than Alys, but that doesn't necessarily make it an easy life in and of itself, he's had to deal with the bullying and the being attacked and maimed and all the trials that came with his physical disability after losing an eye, to say nothing of the emotional issues he's had already that have only gotten worse by the time he's at Harrenhal (remember, his time at Harrenhal comes after Blood and Cheese happen as revenge for his "murder" of Lucerys and after Aegon names him regent after saving him at Rook's Rest, Aemond's got so much guilt and fear and self loathing and family issues wrapped up in him by the time he gets to Harrenhal it's a wonder he didn't explode). Having both had childhoods feeling disconnected from their families, albeit in a different ways, is a connection that they actually share, feeling like you're living on the margins of your society due to things outside your control is a connection that they share, even just feeling like they don't fit in and that they're wrong somehow is something they share, though Alys probably got over that a while ago while Aemond is still young and angsty. I also see Aemond as someone who's felt that he has to work for love, that it's conditional (I blame Viserys) and who feels that if he's not perfect, the people he cares about most, like his mother and his siblings, are going to stop loving him, and he's never had a relationship where he feels he can be himself with no reservations and whatever softness the other person is feeling won't go away. His relationship with Alys, even before it got physical/romantic, is likely the first time in his life where he's feeling like he doesn't need to strive for someone's love or affection. For Alys, Aemond's likely the first person who actually sees her as someone entirely herself. We know from Jon's ASOIAF chapters that part of the issue with a bastard growing up in the lord father's castle is that everyone they know sees them as "Lord X's bastard" first and foremost, even members of their family (like the way narration about Jon from other Stark kids have them refer to him as "bastard brother" even if they have a good relationship, like Arya or Bran). Everyone around Harrenhal, for her entire life, views Alys through the lens of "Lyonel's bastard daughter" and "Larys's bastard sister", and Aemond is probably the first person who doesn't, who just sees Alys Rivers as Alys Rivers, and even if she's less emotionally fragile that Aemond just through age and experience, that's still profound. I also like that there's a lot of room to play with how they went from just cohabitating Harrenhal to being out and out lovers. Aemond could tell her the truth about Luke, Alys could use some of her woods witch knowledge to help him with some chronic pain with his eye, there can be a moment where Vhagar lets Alys touch her in a sort of "Meemaw approves" thing. The possibilities to build up to them as a couple are endless and also extremely compelling. And romantic.

And once they become a couple, it's romantic as all Hell. For one, even with some of the power dynamics involved (Alys is technically a prisoner of war), it's still a pretty equal relationship. They listen to each other and their counsel, given that Aemond is willing to stay his hand when Alys stops him from killing that messenger, and that this does seem to be a relationship where they were both clearly enthusiastic and also able to trust each other, like Alys not being worried once Sabitha Frey takes her hostage after Aemond leaves. And the canon stuff is just...Aemond being so into Alys everyone can tell, being so besotted that he can't bear the thought of leaving her, having left Harrenhal and then doubling back, into enemy territory, to set an entire castle on fire just so that he can save her and get her back. The way that after that, he literally refuses to part with her, and they stay together until God's Eye, until the literal end, and the horrible doomed tragedy of the fact that they both likely knew that God's Eye was It, given that Alys has her old gods magic that helps her see the future and Ewan said that thing about Aemond having some sense of when and how and where he's gonna die, ugh the Tragical Romance. And I know there are people who are like "Aemond just dicking around Harrenhal and get a girlfriend while his family's in trouble makes no sense for his character" but like here's the thing. For one, he's not dicking around, he and Criston are in the Riverlands for a reason and they're doing shit, not to mention this happens pretty late in the game. For two, he can't go back and just retake King's Landing. Beyond the logistical nightmare, he needs to worry about his family. No one knows where Aegon even is, and most importantly, Rhaenyra does have hostages in King's Landing, Aemond's mother and Aemond's sister, that she can absolutely kill if Aemond's attempt to retake King's Landing isn't one hundred percent perfect on the first try. So him staying at Harrenhal and doing what he needs to do for the war out in the field is in fact in character, and if he happens to fall hopelessly and desperately and utterly in love with the hot goth witch in the meantime, that's just one of the perks. And it is love, I wholeheartedly believe they're in love. It's the coming back to Harrenhal that clinches it, if Aemond didn't really care, he wouldn't have done such a fast U-turn on Vhagar and gotten so vicious, but that's exactly what he did because maybe he can't save his family but he can save Alys, save their unborn child, allow himself to be well and truly happy for a little while longer. And if Alys didn't care, then she wouldn't have gone with him afterwards. She wouldn't have left Harrenhal with him, or stayed with him through their journey, or told him where to find Daemon, or even stayed to watch him die. Plus, I mean, the last thing Aemond ever does with two feet on solid Earth is kiss Alys goodbye, most romantic shit I've ever seen.

Her dragon. His lady. His Alys.

TL;DR I think Alys is going to be a top three character for me when she appears cuz she's already a top ten character for me in Fire&Blood, and Alysmond's relationship is literally so important to me it's the epitome to true love on this show no one else is even going to touch it.

[fromtheboundlesssea]

Lyonel Strong, Lord of Harrenhal and Hand of the King, accompanied his son and heir Ser Harwin on his return to the great, half-ruined castle on the lakeshore. They were joined by Ser Harwin’s wife, Lady Celia Mooton, and daughter, Marya Strong—who was but a babe. Shortly after their arrival, a fire broke out in the tower where they were sleeping, all four were killed, along with three of their retainers and a dozen servants. The cause of the fire was never determined.

Prince Lucerys tried to flee on his young dragon, Arrax, but Aemond pursued him upon his great dragon, Vhagar. Had a storm not been howling through Shipbreaker Bay, Lucerys might have escaped, but it was not to be; the boy and his dragon both died, tumbling into the sea within sight of Storm's End as Vhagar roared triumphantly.

It is said that Jacaerys Velaryon leapt free and clung to a piece of smoking wreckage for a few heartbeats, until some crossbowmen on the nearest Myrish ship began loosing quarrels at him. The prince was struck once, and then again. More and more Myrmen brought crossbows to bear. Finally one quarrel took him through the neck, and Jace was swallowed by the sea.

Near a juncture where five alleys came together, the prince’s fall came to its bloody end. He crashed first onto a steep-pitched roof before rolling off to fall another forty feet amidst a shower of broken tiles. We are told that the fall broke his back, that shards of slate rained down about him like knives, that his own sword tore loose of his hand and pierced him through the belly. In Flea Bottom, men still speak of a candlemaker’s daughter named Robin who cradled the broken prince in her arms and gave him comfort as he died, but there is more of legend than of history in that tale. “Mother, forgive me,” Joffrey supposedly said, with his last breath … though men still argue whether he was speaking of his mother the queen, or praying to the Mother Above.

Cregan Stark served in that office for a single day, presiding over the trials and executions. Most of the accused took the black (led by the cunning Ser Perkin the Flea). Two alone chose death—Ser Gyles Belgrave of the Kingsguard, who did not wish to outlive his king, and Larys the Clubfoot, the last of the ancient line of House Strong.

[fuglyhorses]

I saw this foal while working at a TB stud farm. She couldn’t straighten her knees, and we were told to pull on her legs a bit when she was lying down (to relax her tendons I guess?). I was working nightshift at the time, and bottle fed her every few hours. She would make the cutest little “neigh” when I entered the stall. Sometimes I had to feed her lying down because she struggled a lot getting up.

She died a couple weeks later sadly, I’m not clear how because I was not there that day. IIrc I was told they had bandaged her legs as straight as they could, and that probably put a lot of stress on her.

Is this tendon flaw a common issue in TBs? Can it be cured or was this foal always doomed?

--

Oh that sucks. Contracted tendons aren’t uncommon in very fresh foals and mild cases often straighten out on their own. If it’s more severe they’ll need bandages/splints/physical therapy, which is what it sounds like they were attempting. In most cases it can be more or less corrected, depending on the initial severity. It’s impossible to say how bad it is from a photo but look at her vertical pasterns. You see that in newborns sometimes* and it generally loosens up without intervention (assuming they inherited the genetics for a normal angle). It looks pretty bad but I wouldn’t say she looks doomed when a lot of it could be just awkward posture and tightness that could self-correct at least a little. It’s certainly not usually a death sentence, there had to be something else going on.

So there are a couple of things that can cause this. The two that I’ve seen cited the most are bad positioning during fetal development, or a recessive gene that’s roughly analogous to clubfoot in people (but I would think probably that could be caused by multiple things as well). I don’t know about TBs specifically, but recessive genes are more likely to pop up regularly in populations with significant inbreeding so you’d likely see this more often in closed studbooks, and especially in intensive linebreeding. If it’s genetic. If it’s a result of positioning, it’s entirely random. In this case, because all four legs seem affected, I’d lean toward this being genetic or secondary to something else.

It’s possible that it’s a side effect of some other condition that could’ve contributed to her death. I’m not a vet and wouldn’t presume to diagnose but there are endless mutations and abnormalities and malformations that can happen with any pregnancy, and all kinds of complicated genetic combinations with unexpected results.   

Poor baby.

* you also sometimes see the opposite, foals with extremely lax tendons, flopping all over the place. 

[archetypesanalysis]

Echo's Innate Archetype

This is the third instalment of my Bad Batch analysis. This character analysis has two parts: innate archetypes and anima. I will be referring to “Gods in Everyman” by Jean Shinoda Bolen for this first part analysis.

Echo’s innate archetype is Hephaestus, or Vulcan as the Romans called him. He is the God of the Forge and serves as the craftsman and metalsmith of the Olympians. He is the least blessed and probably the least happy of the deities because he is deformed, rejected and unlucky in love. However, he is a creative genius and the only god who works.

Echo already has some Hephaestus like traits back as a Clone Cadet. In the Clone Wars episode “Clone Cadets”, Echo is part of the Domino Squad, which consists of Hevy, Cutup, Droidbait and Fives. The squad is trained by hired bounty hunters Bric and El-Les, who also have trained other clone squads like the Bravo Squad. The Domino Squad struggle to complete their training because they are headstrong and unable to work together. Bric sees them as “failures” and suggests that they should be sent to maintenance duty with 99, a deformed clone. Bric also looks down on 99, never giving him credit and seeing him as “wasting his time”.

Bric’s treatment towards the Domino Squad and 99 resembles Hera’s treatment towards Hephaestus. According to Hesiod’s version of the myth, a resentful Hera gave birth to Hephaestus asexually in a “I can do it too” retaliation, after Zeus has birthed Athena from his head and is acknowledged as her sole parent. However, Hephaestus is born with a clubfoot, unlike Athena who is perfectly formed. Humiliated, Hera rejects him and throws him off of Olympus. Mothers like Hera are those who want a baby to enhance their self-esteem – as an accomplishment, or a competitive act, or a “look what I can do” feat. If she gives birth to a baby that does not live up to her expectations, she will reject the baby for being imperfect. In “Clone Cadets”, Bric only trains the clone cadets for the money and probably to enhance his image since Commander Colt did praise him and El-Les for providing the best training to the Bravo Squad when they pass with flying colours. To Bric, the Domino Squad severely damages his ego and they become a source of humiliation. Like Hera, he rejects them for not living up to his expectations, treats them as “failures” and has already decided to send them to maintenance duty with 99, who resembles Hephaestus due to his deformity. Believing that the Domino Squad has no place to be soldiers, Bric tries to provoke Cutup into attacking him, hoping to use it as an excuse to get the squad kicked out. When that plan is unsuccessful, he goes to steal the ascension cables in hopes that the squad will fail the test.

In “Aftermath”, Tech mentions that the Bad Batch, including Echo, never pass their mental evaluation. Many fans believe that Echo never passes the test due to his trauma. Most people will assume that the trauma originates from his experiences on Skako Minor. However, Tech emphasizes the word “never”, which makes me believe that Echo’s trauma must have gone as far back as his time as a Cadet. Jean Shinoda Bolen mentions that a Hephaestus baby is likely to have his innate personality traits intensified if his early life is difficult, such as being rejected by his mother or being born into an abusive household. Since the Domino Squad is treated horribly by Bric during their cadet training, I believe the trauma is what intensifies Echo’s Hephaestus traits, causing psychological damage. This is evident when Bric scolds Echo and Hevy after he breaks up their fight, Echo responses nervously (with his head down and averted eyes) and quickly apologizes for his behaviour.

In conflict-ridden families, the Hephaestus child often takes on the role of the peacekeeper and he is extremely sensitive to the first signs of impending conflict. At the beginning of the Iliad, Hephaestus intervenes an escalating dinner table conflict between Zeus and Hera, reminding not to make Zeus angry because he will take out his anger on all of them. In “Clone Cadets”, conflict constantly arises among the members of Domino Squad as they struggle to work together, and Echo takes on the role of the family peacekeeper. He constantly reminds his teammates to follow orders and develops a habit of repeating orders, which is how he gets his name “Echo” (in Greek mythology, there is a mountain nymph named Echo who offends Hera by keeping her in lengthy conversation which gives Zeus the time to evade her. This results in Hera cursing her to only be able to repeat the last words that another person just said). He does all of these in hopes of defusing the conflict between his brothers so they can pass the test, as he does not want to disappoint Bric, who has the power to cast them out if they fail. However, being the family peacekeeper also means paying the high price for peace. To appease the instructors, Echo likely sacrifices parts of himself that may put him in danger. When Bric summons Cutup for a reprimand, he sees the nicknames the clones have given each other as a “joke”, which shows that he does not appreciate their individualities (and may actively hate it). This treatment likely causes Echo to repress his individuality as he usually does not want to be called by his nickname in the training grounds, and he is adamant in following orders like other regular clone troopers, which impairs his adaptability.

Fortunately, Echo has a few important figures in his life that ensures his Hephaestus archetype will develop positively. He and Fives get along well, and they look out for each other. Moreover, El-Les and Jedi Master Shaak Ti care about the Domino Squad and believe that they will pass the test. In addition, 99 inspires Hevy to become a good leader, and Hevy later inspires the rest of the Domino Squad, leading them to pass the test with a flair of creativity and adaptability.

After their graduation, the Domino Squad are stationed on the Rishi Station as seen in “Rookies”. The listening outpost is usually quiet, and the clones are not allowed to leave the station due to dangerous creatures like the Rishi eels. The clones have little to do except to monitor movement of ships nearby. This is where Echo gets to cultivate his Hephaestus archetype. According to Jean Shinoda Bolen, a person can cultivate the Hephaestus archetype in themselves by understanding the importance of quiet periods and learning how to entertain themselves, mainly creating something with their hands or taking up manual work. In that episode, Echo likes the quiet periods and he entertains himself by catching up on the reg manuals. In the behind-the-scenes featurette, Dave Filoni jokes that Echo's strict adherence to the regulations made him a maintenance duty clone. In real life, manuals and maintenance work are involved with machinery and physical work, which are associated with Hephaestus.

People like Hephaestus are extremely absorbed and dedicated to their life work. In medical centres, these people can routinely take on long operations without feeling tired, they seemingly live in hospitals as they continuously perfect their procedures, and they are trying new techniques or taking more lessons when they are not attending to the patients. In the creative field, these people can spend hours constructing and experimenting, doing “hands on” work to express their intense feelings. They will learn the rules first before they start breaking them. The episode “Rookies” shows how passionate and dedicated Echo is in being the best soldier as this job gives his life depth and meaning. While Hevy does arm wrestling with Cutup or Fives, or daydreams being on the front lines, Echo is being productive by reading reg manuals. Though, his introversion and intense passion are not understood by his teammates. This video by Generation Tech, specifically between 4:09 and 6:24, explains Echo’s motivation in a way that evokes the Hephaestus archetype.

Echo initially adheres to the regulations strictly until he meets Rex. He probably starts to get creative and innovative after Rex inducts him and Fives in the 501st Legion. Rex recognizes Echo’s talents and provides him the tools and skills to develop. This has helped Echo to cultivate other archetypes as helpers, which are Apollo (gives him an objective perspective), Hermes (develops his communication skills), Athena (aids in his strategic thinking) and Zeus (gives him the ambition to become an ARC Trooper). Since Clone Wars Season 7 reveals that Rex and Echo used to come up with battle plans together, this means that Rex used to teach Echo how to draw up battle plans. This work challenges Echo’s creativity and it probably gives him satisfaction every time he finishes it, which helps him to have an intimate connection with his Hephaestus archetype. In addition, Echo’s work of drawing up battle plans is most likely a hands-on work as Rex describes “Echo’s fingerprints” are all over the Separatist strategies that they use to counterattack the Republic strategies, leading him to suspect that Echo is alive.

In some versions of the myth, Aphrodite chooses Hephaestus to be her husband, and their marriage is seen as a personification of the union of craft and beauty, which gives birth to beautiful things. It is important for a Hephaestus person to be “chosen” by Aphrodite so that his love and appreciation of beauty can take on physical manifestations. Besides, Hephaestus people that are “chosen” by Aphrodite also means they can be “transformed” through positive expectations, which is called the Pygmalion effect (this is explained in my analysis of Wrecker’s anima). Throughout the Clone Wars, Echo has been “chosen” by Aphrodite, or more specifically, people with the Aphrodite consciousness. Despite he and the rest of the Domino Squad initially fail the test, El-Les has faith in them, which eventually transforms them into the finest troopers. When Bric has stolen the ascension cables that makes the test unfair to the Domino Squad, Jedi Master Shaak Ti does not stop the test as she believes that the clones will get creative during adversities, which they do. At the end of “Rookies”, Rex tells Echo and Fives that they are exactly the kind of men he needs in the 501st Legion. Echo keeps the handprint Rex has left on his armour can be interpreted as Echo sees Rex as a mentor figure that values him for who he is, and he keeps it as a reminder and as a source of encouragement. These positive expectations help Echo to heal his psychological wounds as he is affirmed and valued for being himself. This healing process is described as “reparenting Hephaestus”. With supportive mentors by his side and the development of other archetypes as helpers, Echo successfully gets promoted to ARC Trooper along with Fives. It is fortunate for Echo to receive recognition for his life work because in real life, many Hephaestus people are unsuccessful at work due to lack of opportunities and respect in a world dominated by dealmakers and investors.

After the Citadel incident, Echo is now physically crippled, severely traumatized and has a grumpier tone to his voice, resembling Hephaestus. Even though he is captured and tortured by the Techno Union, he does not let the horrific treatment destroy his spirit. It is worth noting that Hephaestus is the archetype of the crippled craftsman whose physical deformity and creativity are inseparable from their emotional wounds. These people become wounded healers as their motivation to heal comes from themselves having been wounded, and their wounds heal as they heal others. Echo is Hephaestus the craftsman and the wounded healer in the episodes “On the Wings of Keeradaks” and “Unfinished Business”. The Techno Union has given Echo cybernetic implants to gain access to his memory, and Echo uses the wounds inflicted on him to gain access to the Techno Union’s database. With this knowledge, Echo leads the Bad Batch, Anakin and Rex to escape from Wat Tambor, and later helps to bring a Republic victory on the Battle for Anaxes. Echo has been wounded by the Techno Union, and he is motivated to improve the Republic’s chances of victory since the Techno Union plays a part in helping the Separatists. After the Republic emerges victorious, Anaxes begins to heal as the Republics shipyards on the planet can start running again, and with that, Echo’s wounds begin to heal as well.

Echo already knows that it will be a challenge for him to return to the 501st Legion as he is now “more machine than man”, and the clones are unlikely to accept him since they have been fighting against droids throughout the war. Besides, with Fives gone, Echo has one less secure connection to feel belonged in the 501st Legion. The possibility of almost total rejection by the other regular clone troopers can create a deeper wound to Echo. To heal and reparent the Hephaestus within, Echo needs to have “earth” parents who appreciate him and teach him to do tangible things that require skill and physical effort, just like the myth where the two sea nymphs, Thetis and Eurynome nurture Hephaestus to become a craftsman that creates beautiful jewellery for them. Hunter is the earth parent to Echo as he recognizes Echo’s talents and offers him to join Clone Force 99, which Echo accepts.

After joining the Bad Batch, Echo has developed the skills to perform long-range attacks with his blaster and to get hands-on with his scomp link, which helps him to become “more than Hephaestus”. Of course, Echo still retains some Hephaestus like traits. In “Aftermath”, when tension between Hunter and Crosshair rises, Echo acts as the family peacekeeper by questioning why the clone troopers turn against their general Jedi Master Depa Billaba despite they have been serving her for years. His question prompts Tech to explain about the regular clones’ programming, which manages to distract Hunter while Wrecker distracts Crosshair, easing the tension between the two for now. In “Battle Scars”, Echo is the only one who stands still and attentively keeps an eye on Wrecker to wake up from his operation (high stamina is a Hephaestus trait), while Hunter, Tech and Omega are already tired out. As a positive Hephaestus, Echo teaches Omega to be consistent and dedicated to her training, guiding her to become a soldier and building up her self-esteem.

In Greek mythology, when Hephaestus refuses to leave the depths of the sea where he lives with his two surrogate mothers Thetis and Eurynome, Ares the God of War tries to forcefully drag him back to Olympus. This causes Hephaestus to respond with hostility by throwing fire at him and driving him away. However, Dionysus the God of Wine and Ecstasy keeps giving Hephaestus wine, which softens his stubbornness. In his drunken state, Dionysus is able to persuade him to accompany him on a donkey back to Olympus. Taking the myths as archetypal forces, Hephaestus people do not get along with Ares people, but they can establish strong bonds with Dionysus people. This explains why Echo is usually taken by surprise or is uncomfortable with Wrecker’s outward expressions of his emotions (but he does tolerate it because he respects Wrecker’s individuality as an Ares person). On the other hand, Hunter, who is a Dionysus man, can understand Echo’s feelings well even when Echo does not express it. In “Unfinished Business”, Hunter knows that Echo feels more at home with the Bad Batch even though Echo hides this feeling from everyone – that is why he tells Echo to find them if he feels like he does not fit in with the regular clones. By the end of “Truth and Consequences”, when Echo steps in, Hunter knows that Echo wants to leave the team and respects his decision (even reminding him to find them if he needs their help). Since Hunter makes an effort to understand Echo, I believe their friendship is stronger than we think. This may explain why Echo is Hunter’s second-in-command. Furthermore, Jean Shinoda Bolen points out that Hephaestus and Dionysus men bond over drinking together, which is something Hunter and Echo do in “Tipping Point”.

Just like some goddesses play a significant role in the myths surrounding Hephaestus, in real life, women are extremely important to a Hephaestus man. These women may care for his personal well-being, become his source of creative inspiration, help him to improve his social skills, and represent his work to other people. In “Clone Cadets”, Jedi Master Shaak Ti advises Echo and Fives to work together with the rest of Domino Squad, and permits them to retake the test, allowing them to graduate as Clone Troopers. In “Rampage”, Echo leads the Bad Batch to Cid in hopes that they can find out why a bounty hunter is after Omega. This indirectly lands them as mercenaries working for Cid, giving them a new livelihood after they refuse to work for the Empire. When the Empire starts to replace clone troopers with stormtroopers, Senator Riyo Chuchi becomes a strong supporter for the clones and assists Rex with his resistance network, in which Echo is a part of it.

Hephaestus is drawn to women who are powerful, intelligent, assertive and/or beautiful, and in the myths, these women are Aphrodite the Goddess of Love and Beauty, and Athena the Goddess of Wisdom, War and Crafts. The intensity and sensuality of an Aphrodite woman can stir up deep and passionate feelings in a Hephaestus man, inspiring his work and setting his feelings ablaze. Meanwhile, Athena, be it an archetype or a woman, can foster a Hephaestus man’s creativity and help him to make money out of his work. Senator Riyo Chuchi is an Aphrodite-Athena character as she treats the clones as actual people (Aphrodite) and she uses her power and strategy to fight for their rights (Athena). Besides, at the end of “Truth and Consequences”, she is intrigued to see Echo returning Omega’s hug and she softens at the sight of it. She helps Echo to take care of things on Coruscant, and even places her hand on his shoulder and tells him to be careful before he leaves to seek help from the Bad Batch in “Tipping Point”. Based on this analysis, I can see why some fans ship Echo with Riyo Chuchi, and they are pretty compatible.

However, Hephaestus does have some limitations. With his “out of step” introverted personality, he is likely to do something outside the norm or try to be “someone better”, which evokes laughter or ridicule from others. This causes him to act the buffoon or the clown to defuse the situation, especially when he realizes that his humiliation will get worse if he objects. In Greek mythology, the gods of Olympus laugh at Hephaestus when he awkwardly walks around the palace (due to his clubfoot) to serve them nectar. When Hephaestus catches his wife Aphrodite in bed with Ares and summons the gods to witness their infidelity, the gods roar with laughter at the sight of it rather than be outraged for him. His resignation to being the buffoon often invites bullies to pick on him, causing low self-esteem and people to lose respect on him. In “Cornered”, Echo dons a full-body disguise that makes people mistake him for a droid. The purpose is to make sure he does not stick out too much. However, his disguise kind of backfires at his self-esteem when he has to act and speak like a droid (“act the buffoon”) as Hunter sells him to a merchant for 3000 credits. It is a good thing that Echo knows his worth as he convinces Hunter to sell him for more than 2000 credits. The fact that Echo never uses this disguise again makes me believe that he wants to preserve his self-esteem, and possibly because he is still mad at Hunter for trying to sell him as a droid and at a bargain price.

Furthermore, a Hephaestus person often dislikes change because his inner direction and his bottled-up emotions means that he is not motivated by outer demands to conform and live up to other people’s standards. He becomes an outsider by his choice or other people put him on this role. After running away from the Empire, Echo still sees himself and the Bad Batch as soldiers and nothing more. He does not entertain the life as mercenaries and he thinks hiding away from the Empire is not an acceptable way of life. In “Common Ground”, Echo repeatedly voices his distaste at the idea of helping a Separatist senator because the Separatists were viewed as enemies of the Republic, and his trauma was caused by them. Hunter and Tech have to remind Echo to forget about politics and set aside his introverted emotions to get the job done. His dislike towards change is also shown in small matters like declining a drink offered by a Wookiee warrior in “Tribe”. Fortunately, his anima (which is discussed in this link) helps to balance out his Hephaestus archetype, making him receptive and open to new suggestions. This is evident at the end of “Common Ground”, when Echo realizes that he and the Separatist senator Avi Singh are not so different as the senator does not want to abandon his people and he wishes to help them. This prompts Echo to tell him to “live to fight another day”. Moreover, Echo does come around and drinks with the Wookiees by the end of “Tribe”.

Hephaestus is considered the god of subterranean fire as he uses volcanic fire for his smithery. The subterranean fire is a metaphor for passionate feelings in a deeply introverted person. People who identify as Hephaestus normally do not talk about their feelings and they prefer to express their feelings through work. This can be difficult for others to know what a Hephaestus person is feeling, and it does not help when his communications are rarely direct and explicit, causing others to try to comprehend and infer his feelings and possible reactions.

In “Spoils of War”, Hunter and Echo have an argument about what to do with Count Dooku’s war chests. Hunter wants to use the fortune to buy their freedom and find a safe place to hide as Omega deserves a life far from the war and the Empire. However, Echo wants to use the fortune to fight the Empire, saying that they are living on the run because of Omega. Even though he agrees that rescuing Omega is the right thing to do, he believes that they should be doing more as the Empire grows in power and is oppressing more people. Omega overhears the conversation and thinks that it is her fault that the Bad Batch cannot have a normal life. This prompts her to risk her life to retrieve the treasure in hopes of repaying the team for taking her in. Echo only realizes that she has misinterpreted his feelings when she tells him how his conversation with Hunter made her feel. At the end of “Ruins of War”, Echo reassures Omega that taking her in is the right choice and that the Bad Batch will do it all again, finally clearing up the misunderstanding.

Even though Echo has many facial expressions and he sometimes can be vocal about his feelings, he usually holds in or dampens down his intense emotions. There are fans who are disappointed that Echo lacks an emotional response upon hearing Fives, but I believe that deep down, Echo is grieving and boiling in rage for what has happened to him. These intense emotions, whether positive or negative, may suddenly and unexpectedly erupt like a volcanic eruption, which can surprise others. Echo has become increasingly frustrated with the Bad Batch working as mercenaries because he wants to fight the Empire as he cannot bear to turn a blind eye to the Empire’s oppressive regime. Echo’s anger, frustration and passion to do the right thing finally erupt at the end of “Truth and Consequences”, when the Bad Batch, Rex, Riyo Chuchi and Bail Organa manage to implicate Rampart for the destruction of Tipoca City, but Emperor Palpatine uses their good intention to secure the Senate’s approval for his stormtrooper programme, which will force the clones into “retirement”. This is the final straw for Echo and he decides to leave the Bad Batch, which is a sudden and unexpected action in the eyes of Omega.

It is sad to see Echo leave, but it is admirable to see his willingness and devotion to help others. Rex’s resistance network gives Echo’s post-Order 66 life the needed depth and meaning because this work allows Echo to express his love for his clone brothers and it fulfils his instincts to do the right thing. This is his life work as we see how happy and energetic Echo is when he leads a team to save Howzer and two other clones in “Tipping Point”. Echo feels intimately with his work as it is related to his own evolution and it serves as a way for him to express his psyche in tangible form. Echo has devoted his entire life as a soldier to the Republic, training to be the best and putting the objectives above all else, only to end up going through a near-death experience, becoming physically crippled and severely traumatized, betrayed by the Empire, and leading to question his new purpose. Echo knows that many clones are currently going through the same evolution as his, which is why he wants to help them. He saves his brothers like Gregor and Howzer from imprisonment, a death sentence or a fate worse than death. He turns Trace Martez’s repair shop into a refuge for the rescued clones. He gives the rescued clones a new purpose – to fight the Empire. Every time Echo provides physical and psychological healing to the clones, it heals him as well. Just like Hephaestus, Echo’s inner fire – energetic, restless and volcanically explosive – motivates him to take up arms against tyrannical masters, not as a lover of war and strife, but as a peacemaker and a natural humanitarian.

[gendzl]

my clubfoot was fixed as a baby so I forget that I even had one until my foot misbehaves and I spend a day or two wondering what's causing it. hmm. is it, perhaps, my historically fucked up foot?

[nedjemetsenen]

Facts, Tutankhamen, and ChatGPT

So I’ve seen a couple people talk about how ChatGPT often gives inaccurate or incomplete answers to questions about historical stuff and I am a curious person by nature, so I went and asked it to tell me how King Tutankhamen died. This is what happened next along with commentary from me about the accuracy of this stuff! Please feel free to fact-check me on any of it! Egyptology is my hobby, not my profession. Also note that I did remove ChatGPT bits that didn’t actually give facts and were more general statements like “The mystery surrounding King Tut's death continues to captivate historians and Egyptologists”

Me: Give me a 200 word summary of how king tut died King Tutankhamun, popularly known as King Tut, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the 14th century BCE. While the exact cause of his demise is not conclusively determined, several theories exist. The most widely accepted theory suggests that King Tut died from complications resulting from a combination of factors. Recent scientific investigations, including CT scans and genetic analysis of his mummified remains, suggest that he suffered from a number of health issues, including a severe leg fracture that may have become infected. Additionally, genetic evidence indicates that Tut had a cleft palate and a clubfoot, which may have contributed to his physical difficulties. Furthermore, some researchers propose that Tutankhamun's weakened immune system, possibly due to genetic disorders resulting from generations of inbreeding among Egyptian royalty, made him more susceptible to infections. Some even suggest that malaria may have played a role in his demise, as traces of the disease were found in his DNA.

This is somewhat accurate? The broken leg and malaria are real and there is a theory that malaria caused or contributed to his death. Tutankhamun was also the product of generational incest, leading to a lot of health issue. However, reading this, you’d probably think he just got sick and died, but that is NOT the ‘most widely accepted theory’. I don’t actually know if one of those exists as of the time when I’m writing this (June 2023). You see, this explanation is missing some vital data. Let’s see if we can get Chat GPT to add it!

Me: I thought that his death was violent? I apologize for any confusion. While there have been speculations about a violent death for King Tut, the current scientific consensus leans more towards a non-violent cause. The examination of his mummified remains did not reveal any obvious signs of violence or trauma. However, it is important to note that some alternative theories exist. One hypothesis suggests that King Tutankhamun was murdered, possibly by a blow to the head. This theory is based on an X-ray taken in the 1960s that showed a fragment in Tut's skull. However, subsequent examinations and CT scans have cast doubt on this theory, as the fragment is now believed to be a result of the mummification process rather than a fatal injury. While the evidence does not strongly support the notion of a violent death, the possibility of foul play cannot be entirely ruled out. 

The bit about the murder theory is accurate. That was a popular theory, but I’m not sure if the lack of a pre- or peri-mortem head injury actually quashed the theory. All it did prove that a blow to the head wasn’t the way that he died. There are still facts that support the idea that something fishy was going on in Egypt around the time of his death and Tutankhamun was the son of a hated king. Read up on Tutankhamun’s widow, Ankhesenamun, if you want to know more. Her Wikipedia page is a pretty good summary of the basics.

That’s not the fun part of this answer, though. The fun part is the bit about there not being "any obvious signs of violence or trauma." To show why that's the fun part, here’s the next bit of my conversation with ChatGPT:

Me: What about his broken ribs? I apologize for any confusion in my previous responses. While there is no consensus on the exact cause of King Tut's death, recent studies have indeed suggested the presence of a significant injury, specifically broken ribs, which may have played a role in his demise. In 2014, a team of researchers conducted a thorough examination of King Tut's mummified remains using CT scans. The scans revealed that Tutankhamun had a fractured rib on the right side of his chest. The break appeared to have occurred shortly before his death. However, the scans did not provide definitive evidence as to whether the injury was a result of an accident or inflicted intentionally. Based on this finding, some experts propose that the broken rib could have been a contributing factor to King Tut's death. It is speculated that the injury may have caused internal bleeding, which, in combination with other health issues he was facing, could have led to complications and ultimately his demise. Nonetheless, the precise circumstances surrounding the injury remain a matter of speculation, and it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the specific events leading up to his death.

No obvious signs of violence or trauma, huh?

This reply is accurate, by the way. They did find that Tutankhamun has broken ribs and some people have theorized that he fell from a chariot while on a military campaign or that he got attacked by a hippo (a thing that did happen in ancient Egypt). Oddities about his mummy, which was very much an amateur job, give credence to the idea of a violent or at least odd death. If you want to know more, National Geographic’s documentary Tut’s Treasures: Hidden Secrets is a great, though slightly over-dramatic, watch (It’s on Disney+ and can probably be found elsewhere, too). For something that isn’t behind a paywall, here’s a 25-minute podcast from Youtube, which was also done by National Geographic.

The History of Egypt podcast also has hours of recent content about Tutankhamun because November 2022 marked the 100-year anniversary of the discovery of his tomb.

Thanks for reading. Hopefully you learned a bit about Egypt’s most famous Pharaoh and grew a bit more wary of Chat GPT. For full disclosure, I did ask it more questions and the results were hilariously wrong, but they include things about child loss, so I left them off this post.

[lya-dustin]

Someone will remember us

Chapter 50

Cw: refrenced child abuse, substance abuse, pedephilia

Gif by @veinereastath

Taglist: @stargaryenx @mercedesdecorazon

“Have you never imagined yourself on the Iron Throne?” Rhaenys’ words echoed in her head as the Queen Mother observed her good-daughter and those who struggle to hide how they approve of her attire.

Her silvery braids are pinned behind Rhaenyra’s black headpiece, same black hood she wore when Viserys made her Princess of Dragonstone.

Same thick gold chains every Prince of Dragonstone wears since Aenys Targaryen, the earrings, the smaller black chocker beneath it.

The girl wears black velvet with no adornment whatsoever with only the sash under the bust being edged with gold and silver thread.

If you looked at them, you would think Aemma was the queen and Helaena the princess. Doesn’t help that dear Hel refuses to wear a crown.

Same with Aegon and Aemond, Aegon is drunk and the crown too big for him, while Aemond wears no crown ---nor eyepatch— and yet looks as regal as Baelon Targaryen does in all his portraits.

There is a clear distinction between the ones chosen by gods to rule and those chosen by men playing gods.

“She claims to have made it all up for attention.” Strong whispered the girl’s obvious lie.

“Would not surprise me, Ser Laenor spoiled her for being his only child. Likely did it to hoard her mother’s attention after his passing.” The queen sows doubts in his correct assumption that the girl was lying.

One misstep and he will know of her fits. Her fits put Aemond in danger and the baby as well, who is to say they won’t kill them both and blame her disease?

“If only, your grace. King Viserys called her and Queen Helaena dreamers several times when he last spoke to his elder daughter, Rhaenyra. ‘They have Dragon Dreams, like Daenys and the Conqueror himself’.” The Master of Whisperers and the bane of her existence somehow discovered something far worse.

“King Viserys was not in his right mind, he routinely asked Rhaenyra to send his warm regards to Ser Laenor and asked Daemon what his intentions were with Lady Laena.” Alicent dismissed it as nonsense. Better it be nonsense than another weapon in his arsenal.

He has yet to demand her cunt or her mouth, but a secret this big would demand more than just her feet.

“But imagine if we could use Rhaenyra’s only legitimate child against her, the war could end before it started.” The clubfoot insisted, trying to make her do his bidding and disguising it as her idea.

Such ideas were dangerous, too unpredictable and Aemma would need to be coerced horribly into helping them.

Aemma would be hurt, Aemond as well and the queen does not want to know what sort of horrors would happen to their babe.

No.

Alicent couldn’t allow this to happen.

“I need people you can trust to guard her, Ser Criston. I fear she and the babe will need honest and loyal men who would die for her if need be.” She confides in her sworn shied, using his near obsession of her to get what she wants.

It is easy to use her charms on him, to promise him love and affection she cannot give him and have him as loyal as a dog.

“You need not to ask, your grace. Ser Willis Fell will be more than adequate in his new post, he has known her since she was a girl and is not the kind of man to take his duty lightly.” The Dornish knight said quietly.

Only three of Viserys’ Seven remained, three who were worthy of their office and chosen by her father for their loyalty to him, Arryk Cargyll, Willis Fell and Criston Cole.

Rickard Thorne had been appointed this morning to fill one of the vacancies, and three more would be coming to fill the others.

Erryk Cargyll, Steffon Darklyn and Lorent Marband had all defected to Rhaenyra’s side and left during the chaos Rhaenys caused during the coronation.

All good men, all honorable, all who saw through their lies and knew what Aegon is. No doubt they will be joined by Harrold Westerling making it four.

Not only that, Ser Erryk had the audacity to steal Viserys’ Crown and the crown once worn by Alysanne and Aemma.

Helaena had been denied her moment in the sun, to know her suffering would not go unrewarded all because Rhaenyra was given everything and Alicent nothing.

She used to envy her, part of her still does, Rhaenyra who always gets what she wants, who never values the things the gods freely give her while Alicent has had to earn it by allowing Viserys to rut on top of her all these years.

Once, Rhaenyra had dared to say that Alicent could have just said no to Viserys’ advances, that she could have gone to her and made him stop, that Alicent had a way out, but chose the Crown out of ambition.

Ambition.

Targaryen women seemed to think all have that ambition, that drive that makes them fight for the throne.

A throne that was never meant to be theirs because the Gods did not give women the right to rule.

A throne they want or wanted so they could continue trampling duty and tradition under their pretty foot.

No, Alicent has never had ambition. Alicent had desired a lord whom she could grow old with, one who loved her and didn’t ruin her friendship with Rhaenyra.

But it wasn’t duty and love that made you steal her throne, a voice like Rhaenys’ whispered, you want power, you have ambition just like they do, you are just too pathetic to admit it.

-----

Helaena had been relieved to know the crown had been stolen and that afterwards no one cared if she had been crowned.

She chooses the simple gold braid tiara her mother used to wear as her own and pretends to forget it a whenever she gets the chance.

Helaena hates it, utterly hates how her mother has been trying to make her a second version of her.

“This is my act of rebellion, Aemma.” She had said with a giggle when Helaena gestured for her to sit by her. “Although if Criston hadn’t taken me away, I would have asked Rhaenys if her saddle still fits two.”

If only.

If only Aemma had told her about the war, convinced Aegon and gotten him to join her and Aemond into thwarting his mother’s plans.

“He was crying when he was crowned, I think he knows mother and grandfather put a noose around our necks and thrown the sword too far from us.” Hel said sadly as she forced a smile and looked at Aegon who is a drunken mess and telling his new cupbearer how his mother is incapable of maternal love.

The iron crown moves around, held back by only his ears. Aemma wouldn’t have thought that Aegon’s head would be too small for his crown, she half expected it to be too big for it.

Aemma wonders if Jaehaerys’ crown fits on mother’s head well.

“When you ask my bitch of a sister if she loves you, what does she say?” Aegon asks her loudly.

Alicent looked pained, Otto furious and Aemond hides his embarrassment well enough.

“Unconditionally.” Aemma answered and went back to talking to Helaena about everything and nothing at all.

“Lucky you, even the Whore of Dragonstone has a mother’s heart. Do you want to know what Good Queen Alicent said when I asked her?” he points to Alicent, eyes red with rage and self-hatred, “She said, ‘You imbecile’.”

Aemond had confided in her about that, when he’d rest his head on her stomach and played with the blue ribbon she once gave her father.

He felt like their mother’s love was conditional, as if he had to earn it and prove to her that he was worthy of being his son.

Alicent was reserved, like her son and daughter, but Aemma had always assumed she was like all mothers, like hers even. That she loved her children, but that her children just didn’t see it.

Now, knowing how she disregards their thoughts, feelings and independent will as adults, Aemma wonders if her defense of her is undeserved.

“That’s enough, your grace.” Otto silenced him, or tried to like when he was younger, but shrugged him away.

“What are you going to do, Lord Hand?” the drunk king spat and then whispered. “Hit me like you always did when I was younger? Poison me with milk of the poppy? You remain Hand because mother asked me, Ser Otto, don’t forget that.”

Even in the revelries those words are not lost to the court.

Otto wanted absolute power, to keep a dragon like a puppet on the string, but the puppet chose to cut the strings instead of meekly accepting them like his father.

Aemma cannot help but laugh at how Otto’s long-awaited victory turns to ash in his mouth.

“We should retire, before anything else happens.” Aemond suggests quietly, looking for any reason to bolt from there.

“Will you be safe, if we leave?” Aemma asked Helaena who gave her pained smile.

“Not even you can save me from the spikes below.”

[disabled-queer-culture-is]

Hello there! Not a culture ask, just needed some advice on something.

So I've had catatonia for a couple years now. And over time, the long term effects of catatonic episodes have greatly impacted my muscles and joints, causing lots of weakness, muscle spasms, and numbness, especially in my legs and arms, and I've recently been saving up some money to get a mobility aid to help me walk.

I was also born with leg length discrepancy and clubfoot, which also affects my ability to walk.

But recently I received a comment from someone telling me that I'm not "disabled enough" and idk it just... it really got to me. It made me feel like I don't belong in disabled spaces. I usually try to brush off comments like that, but given that it came from someone very close to me, it hit hard.

So idk, I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you have any advice for someone like me who's been told they're not "disabled enough" and how to deal with comments like that? I would really appreciate it.

Ah, that’s one I’m still working on, myself. (You know how it gets with imposter syndrome.) Here’s some things I try to keep in mind when faced with those comments!

Those people don’t care about you. They don’t care what evidence you show them, they don’t care whether or not you’re physically disabled or what struggles you might have. They just want to argue and put you down. Call them out for being a jerk and an idiot (if you have the courage to/it won’t put you in danger) and end the conversation. They don’t care about you, so do your best not to care about them.

They don’t know you! Even if they’re a family member you’ve lived with your whole life, they are not you, and they cannot and will not ever fully understand what you’re going through. They don’t know your emotions or the way you struggle and grieve your health behind closed doors. If they don’t know your situation and aren’t trying to understand, how can you trust them to make an accurate judgement about your health?

You don’t owe them your medical history. They just want to fight, don’t play their game. The ONLY people you owe your medical history to are the healthcare professionals you are going to for help. Don’t waste your time and energy trying to give them enough evidence to prove that you are disabled enough. (If it’s a struggle you’re running into with getting necessary accommodations/help, get a trusted ally in your corner and have them fight with you! Threaten to call whatever sort of organization your country has for disability rights/advocacy! Nothing will turn around that attitude like threatening to get the law involved.)

You ARE disabled enough. There’s no mountain you have to climb to count yourself as disabled enough. If you have any sort of long term condition, officially diagnosed or not, that impacts your ability to lead an independent life without any sort of aid, you are disabled.

I’m really sorry to hear that it was someone close to you who said such an awful thing. My recommendation would be to get someone who has proven themselves to be trustworthy with respecting you and your disability, and set a time to bring them along to have a talk with the person who told you that. Tell that person that what they said hurt you, that it was an unreasonable and insulting thing to say to anyone, especially someone they claim to care about. Tell them that they can either sort that attitude out, or you can cut them from your life. (It’s okay to leave the room/turn off your phone after that! They’ll probably want to start a fight. Don’t let them, and keep yourself safe.)

I know it’s hard to cut out someone who you care about. But if they can’t put in the basic effort to not call you a liar about something that affects every single second of your life, or at least apologize after they hurt you, you deserve better than them. You are disabled enough. You deserve people who care about you and want to help you live your life to the fullest. You deserve a community of people who understand your struggles, even if only a little bit. My DMs are open if there’s anything I can do to support you!