#davos

[cfnobility]

(  𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖞 ;  eris  )     ⸻     announcing  the  arrival  of  davos  baratheon  ,  lord  of  storms  end  .  known  for  being  courageous  ,  the  thirty  five  year  old  can  also  be  very  aggressive  ,  but  that's  just  the  rumors  of  the  stormlands,  they  whisper  that  he  reminds  them  of  the  heavy  sound  of  steel  against  steel  in  an  endless  battle.  (  sean  teale  +  male  +  he  /  him  )

name: davos baratheon

age: thirty-five

height: 6′0

eyecolor: brown

hair color: brown

birth place: storms end, the storlands

starsign: leo

sexuality: bisexual

titles: ruling lord of storms end, head of house baratheon

FAMILY

father: gendry baratheon (deceased)

mother: teaghan wylde (deceased)

step mother: arya stark (deceased)

siblings: three younger siblings

FUN FACTS

personality type: estp - the entrepreneur

theme song: could have been me - the struts

BIOGRAPHY

house baratheon was born again when davos was born, a strong voice crying through the raging storm outside the castles massive walls. house baratheon is born again with their eldest son. from a young age he was the embodiment of his house, boisterous and full of fury.

sword play was more exciting to him than politics but he had his father and his name sake davos seaworth there to lead him and put things into perspective. he was the face of their family born again. one who would understand the smallfolk and real people, who would be strong and smart.

brave and bold was always who davos was, he was a charmer from a young age. he'd heard it from the people of the stormlands that he was like a young robert baratheon, the one the world cared to remember.

davos spent time in essos fighting with sell swords, he did plenty of learning politics for himself, he wanted to taste battle and he found his way to have that. he stayed until the news of his father's illness reached him.

on his deathbed his father made davos promise that he'd make sure their family lived and lived united. his father was born a bastard and only became a baratheon because his father and uncles helped tear the realm apart. he could never let that happen.

being called to kings landing has been a difficult thing for davos, his family owes everything to the targaryen's but his father's loyalty to house stark and how they helped him first never died. especially with arya stark as his step mother

MORE INFO

davos has always been close to his siblings, very much a typical older brother who loves them but is also a menace

he's known for starting random fights sometimes just so he can work out some anger or because he's just bored

he can be a pain in the ass who struggles at times to take things seriously, he would still rather be in essos or on some battlefield.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

enemies to lovers or annoyances to lovers: literally davos has no desire to marry or anything he's a pain in the ass and has flings he's cocky and can be annoying. it would be fun to have him meet someone who he tries to charm and fails so he just decides that he's in love or someone who's always been in his life and just annoys him but??? you know the vibe

friends: GIVE HIM FRIENDS. he's a bro, be his bro

flings/hook ups/exes: it would be fun to have

[starpeace]

with the mothma family, i think it would be very on brand with the reversals of assumptions we’ve seen so far for mon mothma to (bitterly and regretfully) allow the “introduction” to davo’s son and perrin to be the one who doesn’t support it. sure perrin sucks and he made a comment to vel about getting a husband but he has seemed far closer to leida than mon all season, he clearly doesn’t like his own arranged marriage, and mon’s only even considering the deal because of her rebellion interests which perrin and leida know nothing about and mon can’t tell them about. so she can never even tell them why she’s doing this. idk just a casual thought abt how this might not turn out how i’ve seen people expect

in general, mon having to choose between the rebellion and her daughter is such compelling drama, and really made so complex by the fact that they don’t particularly like each other and whether that makes it worse for mon to do, whether she can’t do it because she has to compensate for their lack of relationship. and you even have to wonder whether it’s her daughter or her sense of her own decency that she’s most unwilling to sacrifice. really looking forward to seeing how they handle this, it’s exactly the mon mothma characterisation i wanted and more than i ever dreamed we’d get

[uluthrek]

asoiaf characters rated based on how likely they are to own a thermomix.

ned: 2/10 has no idea what that is and is, upon introduction, mildly terrified of it

catelyn -10000/10: ideologically opposed to the thermomix, those things are NEVER even getting CLOSE to her precious kitchen, hates the thermomix and its users with frankly demonic fervor

lysa: 1000/10 self explanatory

tyrion: 7/10 has one and secretly regrets the purchase but still uses it to make pretentious ass hipster shit he himself doesn’t even like but he is desperate to get some use out of it

brienne: 0/10 lives off protein bars, brussel sprouts and tap water and is scared of her own kitchen

cersei: 10/10 collects expensive kitchen gadgets like one might do with lego sets; rarely ever uses it, though, because actual meals don’t agree with her ozempic intake

jaime: 5/10 secretly yearns for it but will tell anyone who asks (or doesn’t) that owning a thermomix is emasculating

edmure: 9/10 has bought one but got electrocuted so hard he had to go to the er when he tried to hook it up

olenna: 3/10 is intrigued but completely and utterly unable to order anything from the internet

rhaenyra: 10/10 can’t be bothered to actually work it herself and has a servant do it for her

alicent: -1000000000000000/10 HATES the thermomix and HATES its users and will shame you on facebook if you own one

helaena: 20/10 the first thing she’s buying once she moves out

alysanne: 0/10 also a part of the extreme anti thermomix movement

rohanne: 20/10 where do you think those handmade poisons are from?

stannis: 0/10 those things are a waste of money and he eats but for sustenance, food intake is not supposed to be fun or enjoyable because life is meaningless

selyse: 20/10 ooooh flashy gadget oooooh

davos: 1/10 he can admit that it is neat but finds that it takes the joy out of the process of cooking

[atopvisenyashill]

since falling into my hotd brainrot ive been reminded of one of my gripes which is this misunderstanding that daenerys lived in "abject poverty" (to use the language from an ask you got not that long ago) before her introduction and this is just... not true?

That was when they lived in Braavos, in the big house with the red door. Dany had her own room there, with a lemon tree outside her window. After Ser Willem had died, the servants had stolen what little money they had left, and soon after they had been put out of the big house. Dany had cried when the red door closed behind them forever."

people living in abject poverty don't have access to servants or their own rooms. does this mean their time here would equal the upbringing viserys and daenerys would have had in the red keep? absolutely not. for one thing, daenerys wasn't tutored by a maester or septa which is pretty standard for most noble children of a similar standing, let alone a princess.

They had wandered since then, from Braavos to Myr, from Myr to Tyrosh, and on to Qohor and Volantis and Lys, never staying long in any one place. Her brother would not allow it. The Usurper's hired knives were close behind them, he insisted, though Dany had never seen one.

they would have needed coin for those ships.

At first the magisters and archons and merchant princes were pleased to welcome the last Targaryens to their homes and tables, but as the years passed and the Usurper continued to sit upon the Iron Throne, doors closed and their lives grew meaner. Years past they had been forced to sell their last few treasures, and now even the coin they had gotten from Mother's crown had gone. 

what happened with ser willem was absolutely terrible but this idea that daenerys and viserys were living on the streets is inaccurate when their targaryen name is what allowed them to live with the likes of magisters and merchant princes. nor was this something that happened overnight, as indicated by the "years past". they also had "treasures" (meaning jewels) which again no person living in abject poverty would have. those treasures were a lifeline for them but it was a lifeline that a character like nettles never has.

Her brother Viserys had once feasted the captains of the Golden Company, in hopes they might take up his cause. They ate his food and heard his pleas and laughed at him. Dany had only been a little girl, but she remembered. "I have sellswords too."

people living in abject poverty don't feast captains.

it just irks me because when you compare it to the details of nettles' life, it feels wrong to me to believe that both these girls lived in abject poverty. that was nettles. that being said though, that doesn't mean daenerys had an easy time living in exile with viserys. he was a monster to her and she deserves sympathy for that. but while daenerys and nettles' upbringings were similarly tragic (orphaned etc), they were still worlds apart in their differing levels of privilege. it also irks me when they try to use this to compare daenerys to sansa (funny how its often just sansa and not the other starks)

yeah those are all definitely good points. as you say, I don't want to discount that Daenerys had an incredibly stressful childhood (to say the least), much more stressful than The Average Noble by far because she and viserys were actively thinking about and worrying over where their next meal will come from, how to keep a roof over their heads, and they aren't learning jack shit because they don't have a maester, a guardian, a parent, or a single person in all of Essos looking out for them. but it's also like. first of all, we have two canon characters that actually do experience real poverty, the first being davos though he doesn't experience it on page and the second being arya - she's actively avoiding capitalizing on the stark name so she's actually living the life someone who is born poor would live.

and one thing about dany's life - which i've touched on before re: noble girls getting sold in marriages in what a previous anon referred to as slavery - but her last name and the class she was born into if not the class she lived in cannot be disentangled from the life she lived. i pointed it out there that for example, if poor jeyne poole found some dragon eggs in the crypts, used ramsay's dead body to hatch them, and started burning shit down, she's just not amassing the sort of following dany would because she doesn't have the name. and you can see that directly with Nettles, as you point out - despite everyone seeing clearly that Nettles manages to claim Sheepstealer, has a strong bond with her dragon, because she's lowborn and Not White (and not even an acceptable Not White, like dornish, but some ~random brown girl~ from nowhere with no claim to any specific heritage in canon) she's still seen as a temptress, a whore, a witch, all because she claimed a dragon and had some old married dude following her around. dany and viserys regularly trade away their jewels, hype up their titles and heritage, in an attempt to gain basic necessities and this is certainly a marked difference from the way other nobles have lived and important but arya, gendry, hot pie, lommy - they don't get that. lommy just gets killed. and he's not even running his mouth the way viserys is in vaes dothrak. he's just a dumb kid whose leg is broken and asks to be carried and he's murdered for it. hot pie is a normal ass kid who has to learn how to defend himself because it's literally life or death while dany regularly has some sort of guard protecting her.

and again - it's not to say dany doesn't experience a lot of trauma and instability that other nobles will never face that gives her an understanding of violence and war that others don't have. but just like you can't say she was truly "sold" as a slave to drogo because her class is tied to the concept of these nobly born child brides, it's not exactly true that she lives in abject poverty either. it's something a lot more complex than that.

[generalkenobitrash]

watching hotd s2 ep3 rn.

the intro of the episode was very good. i myself enjoy some blackwoods being cool, i think the show set up benjicot blackwood (edit: turns out it was davos blackwood and they cut the battle of the burning mill) very well. the switch to the aftermath of the battle of the burning mill really showed how men are eager to engage in war and bloodshed. not to mention, it was overall greatly shot. even if some of the writing this season is a little wacky, they keep serving us with amazing cinematography. i have to admit, the scenes between rhaenyra and mysaria are very intriguing. i like the dynamic between them. the conversation between rhaena and rhaenyra was also interesting. i sympathize with poor rhaena. she probably feels so useless without a dragon. her expression when she was about to depart was heartbreaking. imagine feeling like an ordinary babysitter in a family of dragonriders. she understands her duty, but she still feels almost humiliated by being sent away. criston finally got a haircut as ugly as he is inside. ser gwayne slays, as expected of freddie fox. i'm really hoping that alicent will become disillusioned with criston because of his utter idiocy. i do understand what the showrunners wanted to portray with her sexual relationship with him, but we really got too many scenes of them together for my liking. short note on ep1: it would've been more impactful if we (the audience) became aware of their affair at the very end of the episode, when helaena comes into alicent's room with jaehaera. the shots of harrenhal very pretty much exactly what they were supposed to be. i am liking the portrayal of rhaenys and corlys' relationship. they're very alike, as they were in the books, and yet they are still unique and seperate people. mother rhaenyra breaks my heart, especially knowing what will happen to them. jace hugging joffrey was cute. phia saban always blows me away and breaks my heart. that scene between her and alicent...helaena forgave alicent for trying to talk about what she saw between her and criston, when jaehaerys had just been murdered. judging from this scene and the scene on the stairs in s2 makes me believe that helaena understands why her mother seeks affection from the wrong person. helaena herself is in a loveless marriage where her needs do not matter. i do wish the showrunners somehow brought aegon and helaena together in their shared grief. ulf the white is interesting. when i saw the tavern girl, i was like, why is she familiar? then my mind went OH NO IT'S DYANA. i will, however, remain silent about the brothel scene. i really don't have anything to say, aside from noting the courage of ewan mitchell. i love that gwayne does his own thing, not letting criston talk him down. baela proves why she is called 'the brave.' i'm sorry i'm distracted by how pretty they made ser gwayne. i imagine he'll be a delight to watch on the screen in the coming episodes. rhaenyra's council continues to eat her every nerve aside from rhaenys. daemon in his room in harrenhal is giving when you get scammed by your airbnb with all the drippy ceilings. young rhaenyra in harrenhal just perfectly encapsulates daemon's guilt. it was also a very haunting scene. i missed milly alcock. the alys introduction was just perfect. gayle rankin looks perfect as her, though there's something about her voice that will take some getting used to (i'm neurodivergent and i have a thing with voices, don't mind it). i have to say, this episode has been, for now, the best of the season. geeta vasant patel is an amazing director and i expected nothing short of amazing of her.

i am terribly, terribly sorry for the lengthy train of thought. i truly wrote as i watched the episode. truly thought invoking.

edit 2: i was legit thinking "hm i'm kinda bummed out no one's interacting w my post" then i remembered that it's been sitting in my drafts since yesterday. o yeah, this episode has its faults, but atleast it didn't make me thoroughly confused with the writers and showrunners

[redwolf17]

sorry to be a bother but do you think you could refresh my memory on who the ladies-in-waiting for arya, rhaenys, cersei, margaery were/are? the recent chapter where we got more info on sansas ladies got me thinking

Oh boy, this is going to get messy. For the sake of time, I'm just going to copy paste the notes that I have for each set of ladies.

Margaery's ladies at Winterfell

Alla Tyrell: likes to sing, shy, plays woodharp, fond of Ser Tallad the Tall, but unlikely he'll win her... still, her parents are giving him time to prove himself before arranging a betrothal to someone else; age is same as Sansa roughly

Meredyth Crane: always has a funny tale, likes hawking; a few years older than Margaery

Wynafryd and Wylla Manderly

Alys Karstark

Catelyn Bracken

Arya's Ladies up North (ages as of tourney of Winterfell August 301)

Catelyn Bracken- age 19, betrothed killed in WotFK???????? Rides horses and LOVES prayer

Wynafryd Manderly- 20 in 301, 23 in 304 (baby Wyman born mid March 303; got pregnant early January 303, due at end of September 304)

Wylla Manderly- age 13 (Davos guessed her age wrong in canon; thin high voice; likes poetry and sewing albeit with bright colors)

Cornel Umber (girl, age 16, named for mountain flower; betrothed to a Burley (clans); likes sewing and trad fem stuff? Hint that Hoarfrost will expect same when Arya flowers and puts away her wildling nonsense?)

Alys Karstark (16, a tall, skinny, coltish girl. She weaves her brown hair into a braid and has a small bosom. The pale girl has a long face, a pointy chin, blue-grey eyes, and small ears... stubborn, determined, pushy! But likes to sing and excited for marriage/kids/running a keep)

Rhea Royce- 20 in 301; lost her husband to a tourney accident not two years after they were wed (no kids)

Rhaenys's ladies

Obella Sand -> Uller, 16, betrothed to Bors Gargalen; will serve Rhaenys for a few years before she weds. loves poetry (also writes it), Reach chivalry = YES!!!! Catnip for her! She's middling at cyvasse, daydreams, prefers to sleep late, despite her betrothed, still crushing on every handsome youth her age in sight, but smart enough to only flirt, stay chaste

Elinor Tyrell: willowy, witty, likes to read, newly married to Alyn Ambrose, heir of his house; age 18; has Elinor read aloud often; she's good at it; used to serve Margaery

Megga Tyrell: fat, loud, enjoys kissing games, sewing, bad singing voice, betrothed to a Bulwer cousin; she's 17; used to serve Margaery

Cersei's ladies

I don't have notes for them, partially because they mostly came up earlier, partially because Cersei really doesn't give a crap about them as human beings versus as servants and pawns

But here's their introduction in the fic:

Jocelyn Swyft was meek as a mouse, and gullible besides. She'd told Sansa quite sincerely that the recent rains were the gods weeping for Lord Tywin. Cerissa Brax did needlework in a haze, when she wasn't reading from The Seven-Pointed Star. The War of Five Kings had taken her father and two of her brothers, and she was deep in mourning. Melesa Crakehall and Darlessa Marbrand were more shrewd, but if they saw the queen's odd behavior, they refused to acknowledge it.

Melesa was a brisk, big-boned woman, the wife of Ser Lyonel Frey. How on earth old Lord Walder Frey had managed to wed his son Emmon to Genna Lannister, Lord Tywin's only sister, Sansa did not know. However the marriage happened, Lady Genna had never left Casterly Rock, though she had given her Frey husband four sons, including Lyonel. Melesa had quite coldly told Sansa that she was lucky to serve the queen, considering her brother's treachery against the crown and her own disrespect.

"Madness is no excuse for such vile behavior," the lady told her, aggressively stabbing her needle through the brindled boar she was stitching. "The laws of the Seven do not apply to traitors."

Darlessa Marbrand was even more ill-tempered, with her constant jibes about the barbarity of northerners and their demon gods. Despite her hostility, Sansa pitied her. Lady Darlessa was the widow of Tygett Lannister, one of Lord Tywin's younger brothers. Her husband had died of a pox years ago, and she had lost her only son in the bread riots. Nor did she seem to enjoy serving Queen Cersei, who was demanding and gracious by turns. So Sansa let the cruel words pass over her, and focused on her stitches.

I think I gave her a couple of other ladies later on, Taena Merryweather after Meria left and a few others who came/went pretty quickly. 

[ilargizuri]

Three Things in One Creature - Introduction: The Nature of Prophecy

»When the Red Star bleeds and Darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again admist smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone« -Melissandre, Davos 3, A Storm of Swords.

Azor Ahai is a legendary and promised redemption figure in the books „A Song of Ice and Fire“ as well as the series „Game of Thrones.“ But who this figure is, has never really been enlightened. In the books, Melissandre initially thinks it’s Stannis Baratheon and later thinks it’s Jon Snow. The priests of R’hllor believe it would be Daenerys, as well as Maester Aemon. With Stannis, readers agree it’s not him, with Daenerys and Jon Snow, readers disagree. It is undisputed that both candidates, rather than Stannis, fulfilled the stated prophetic indications.

But what if both the characters in the story and the readers misinterpret the prophecy? Several times we learn from characters in the story that prophecies can be a treacherous thing. For example, the Targaryen family, seemingly waiting for the promised prince for hundreds of years, first of all out of a sense of duty. After the death of the last dragon they probably rather want to get back their lost firebreathers. After all, both in the prophecy of the promised prince and the prophecy of Azor Ahai, the return of dragons seems to be mentioned. The desire to bring dragons back into the world went so far as to require Aegon V to marry two of his grandchildren because a forest witch prophesied that the promised prince would emerge from this branch of the family. The extent to which the tragedy of Sommerhall is related to these efforts is not entirely certain, but there are rumours in Westeros that the king would have tried to hatch dragon eggs there. The tragedy led to Maester Aemon believing Rhaegar to be the promised prince, later Rhaegar believed it to be his son. In A Feast for Crows, Aemon believes Daenerys is the promised prince.

When Daenerys gets her own visions in the house of the Undying, there is also the day when her nephew Aegon was born. Here we also learn for the first time that Rhaegar believes that there is not one prophesied saviour, but three! Because the dragon has three heads. Later, Maester Aemon will speak similarly to Sam and then curse his old age because he is too old to be one of those heads himself.

»„There must be one more“, he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say „The Dragon has three heads“« -Rhaegar, Daenerys 4, A Clash of Kings.

Whether this is really part of the prophecy or whether it was an interpretation of Rhaegar or part of the song of ice and fire, which according to the vision belongs to the promised prince, is not entirely clear. Even if this vision does not show the historical Rhaegar, but is only an image of Daenerys‘ vision, Daenerys tries to make sense of this vision and receives an interpretation of Jorah Mormont. He points out that Daenerys‘ family coat of arms is a three-headed dragon, these heads are a symbol of the three dragon riders who conquered six of the seven kingdoms. Since Daenerys himself now has three dragons, he advises Daenerys to make it like her ancestor Aegon the Conqueror and to seek three dragon riders for their dragons. Here again, there is the question of whether Jorah interprets this correctly.

The number three occurs several times in the prophecy that Daenerys receives from the Undying.

»we know… the shape of shadows… Morrows not yet Made… Drink from the Cup of ice… Drink from the Cup of fire… Mother of Dragons… Child of Three… three Heads has the Dragon…Mother of Dragons … Child of Storm … three fires must you light: one for life and one for death and one to love… three mounts must you ride: one to bed and one to dread and one to love… three treasons will you know: once for blood and once for gold and once for love… daughter of death, slayer of lies, bride of fire…« -Undying, Daenerys 4, A Clash of Kings.

Each of these prophecies allegedly refers to a person or persons who may be related to Daenerys Targaryen. But the traitors in particular are a double-edged thing because it is actually just that she knows them or knows about them, not that she is betrayed. Treason is part of the game for the iron throne, Lord Bolton betrays the Starks to become Guardians of the North and to get Winterfell, which Tywin seems to plan to take away from them because Winterfell is the Castle he promises Tyrion to persuade him to marry Sansa and Prince Doran betrays the Lannisters behind their backs to take revenge for the death of his sister and these are just the two best-known examples. So if it is said she only KNOWS this betrayal, then betrayal does not necessarily have to happen to her.

What is also striking is that most prophecies which we learn in the books are always warnings. Visions are somewhat broader, they do not necessarily have to concern the questioner, as the visions told by the Ghost of High Heart of the brotherhood without banners. Daenerys’s first prophecy that her son was the stallion who mounts the world is not a prophecy given to Daenerys, but a prophecy of the Dothraki that existed long before. So this could be a warning to other people. Miri Maaz Duur, for example, understands the stallion who mounts the world as a warning; Since we do not know where the prophecy originally came from, we cannot claim that this is not a warning.

But Cersei’s prophecy warns her that her children all die before her, and the house of Targaryen fled from the prophesied demise of Valyria to Dragonstone. The prophecy of Azor Ahai warns against the return of others and promises that there is hope because the old hero is reborn. So we can almost certainly say, if the dragon with the three heads appears in the prophecy Daenerys receives, then it is part of a warning and if Daenerys were a part of the three-headed dragon and thus of the promised prince, then there would be no reason to warn her. Although it cannot be ruled out.

In conclusion to this part, however, we should not forget that Daenerys is addressed with titles in this part, but all of them have been fulfilled in any way at least once. She is the Mother of Dragons, a Child of Three, a Child of Storm, a daughter of death, a Slayer of lies and a Bride of Fire, although I am unsure about the last one. In my Country you are the bride of a Groom, so Fire is actually and quite literally the Groom, furthermore, a Groom is meant to give you your children, so in the most basic sense of that phrase, Daenerys became the bride of Fire when she hatched the Dragons in Drogos Funeral Fire if that Phrase is mean differently please inform me.

[darkmaga-retard]

When the Lie Becomes the Truth

Michel Chossudovsky

Aug 27, 2024

[This article entitled “Diabolical” Agendas and “Fake Democracy” in the U.K. by Michel Chossudovsky was first published by Global Research]

Introduction

What is the 21st century meaning of “diabolical”?  The repeal of real democracy, wherein prime ministers and presidents are appointed by the ”Deep State”.

In January 2024, Keir Starmer, leader of  Britain’s remodelled Labour Party was invited to Davos by the World Economic Forum.

Ironically, Starmer started his election campaign in the Swiss Alps, in conformity with Klaus Schwab’s  Great Reset.

Was he elected or was he selected?

It’s what you might call a “Democratic Regime Change” decided in Davos.

He won the general election on July 4, and was confirmed as Britain’s Prime Minister on July 5. 

And “just four days later, at the NATO Summit in Washington, Starmer confirmed  that his Labour government supports the unrestricted use of its long-range weapons against Moscow”.

“Starmer gave the statement while en route to the NATO summit in Washington DC. As per usual, he insisted that it was “up to Ukraine how it uses the missiles”, a ludicrous excuse that nearly all Western “leaders” like to use, despite being fully aware that the Neo-Nazi junta [Kiev government] has no actual sovereignty to speak of.

[colleybri]

Davo Sculden

‘They make a game of it, and we play. I already know I’ve won.

I’ve played this game for years; make a move only when you can predict your opponent’s response.

Her husband, the gambler, never learnt that lesson.

We both want what the other has. Win, win. It’s the only option and she knows it. She can’t walk away. I can sense her deseperation beneath the crisp veneer.

If only she hadn’t left things quite so late.

An introduction, that’s all. But we both know it’s more than that. We both play the game.

She knows when she’s lost.’

Mon Mothma

‘It’s like facing an executioner. Not that I should know, living this sheltered life. But I have a rich imagination. Especially now, trying to grasp the enormity of what we are facing. Of what Luthen might have done and the things Vel has seen.

Meanwhile I’m on a couch opposite a thug who proposing the unthinkable.

Except nothing is unthinkable anymore.

Of course, he knows this. And that I know it too.

The blade is at my throat. I had been distracted by the stone in my own hand.

The point is sharp with the promise of pain to come.’

[hyenagurl]

finished clash btw… grrm has such immense skill as a writer that he can make a whole book of what is essentially set up for the sensational storm of swords be so captivating. i mean, theon’s stress nightmare “reign” of winterfell and his subsequent downfall? sansa’s terrifying prison escape story mixed with court intrigue? the introduction of STANNIS THE MANNIS and melisandre and davos? DANY’S MESSIAH ARC, AND HER UNDYING VISION??? LORDY!

[rodri11421]

I finished A Clash of Kings yesterday. It was a great book, better than the first one in my opinion.

S tier - Prologue

An incredible introduction to the story and to team Dragonstone.

A tier - Bran, Sansa, Catelyn and Theon

I really liked Sansa's chapters last book, so it wasn't surprising that I found myself enjoying her storyline for this one. However, what WAS surprising was the outstanding improvements I saw in Catelyn and Bran's POVs.

Catelyn's grief, her views on the war, on how her teenage son is being swallowed by the king in the North, a ruler who will not ransom back the kingslayer for his sisters... It was just incredible. The addition of more characters from house Tully was a vital choice to flesh out Catelyn even more, with Edmure and especially Hoster enriching her tremendously.

Bran simply had a more involved storyline, lol. His whole internal conflict of needing to appear strong and competent while being looked down upon for being disabled was really interesting. I also found his refusal to accept magic (going as far as to lock Summer and Shaggy within the Godswood. A complete and utter refusal) to be a great choice to make his eventual mastery of his powers more satisfying. His supporting cast was also very good

Theon was not a nice person to read about, but he was definitely a fascinating character. It is within his contradictions that he truly shines: his love for Winterfell's people even as he invades their land (or rather, how he invades their land BECAUSE of his love for them); his relationship with his family (the Greyjoys in general, really. Very intriguing of GRRM to make the crazier factions the one who bemoan the loss of their harmful old ways and talk how they need to make everything great again... I wonder if he's trying to make some type of commentary here 🤔)... Now, his whole plan to lay siege on Winterfell was more than a little farfetched and the whole... thing with Asha in his second chapter wasn't necessary, I think, but Theon was a great POV overall.

B tier - Davos, Arya, Jon and Tyrion

These chapters were good, just not great like the ones above. Davos would be the worst of them if not for the part where he had an incredible conversation with Stannis and sails for Storm's End with Melissandre. That was incredible.

(Also, I'm not sure I get why Arya didn't just tell the northmen who she was after taking back Harrenhall. If someone could explain to me, I would really appreciate it).

C tier - Daenerys / SSS+ tier - Daenerys

Now, I felt that Daenerys was really boring overall. Her chapters were few and far in-between I wasn't feeling like her narrative was moving forward very much. The fact that she's so disconnected from the rest of the cast definitely doesn't help.

Then, there was the House of the Undying chapter.

Is this going to be a pattern through the series? Is Daenerys going to have okay chapter after okay chapter only for one of her last chapters in the book to just... Blow me away completely?

I really loved how magical that chapter was, how much foreshadowing there is, how many elements can be found that I cannot wait to sink my teeth into.

Now, if only I found the rest of her storyline more entertaining... Oh well, if Bran and Catelyn improved so much in one book, Dany can most definitely do the same!

[xxxcertifiednerdxxx]

[image description: post on r/StarWars by THEKONIG, which says “The Chandrilan clothing in Andor seems to be heavily inspired by traditional Korean and Japanese clothes. Tay Kolma’s outfit, in particular, looks almost like the Korean hanbok”; a picture of Tay Kolma in Chandrilan attire is next to three images of Korean male hanbok, showing the similarity of Kolma’s top to the jeogori (jacket) in a hanbok.]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed this! I really noticed the similarities in what Mon Mothma and Lieda wore to the meeting of Davo’s son.

[image descriptions: (left) Mon Mothma and Lieda showing up for Lieda’s introduction to Davo’s son, wearing Chandrilan attire. (right) a woman and a man wearing traditional hanbok. Once again, the tops of the Chandrilan women’s clothes in Andor resemble the jeogori of the woman’s hanbok.]

Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on Korean clothing, so I apologize for any inaccuracies. This is just a theory of mine.

[shivamthakrejr]

Daniel Bedingfield, Will.i.am, and Sachin Dev Duggal lead the revolution in AI in music

"I spent the last few days creating a new drum and bass album using AI, which is better than any D&B I've created in 20 years," Bedingfield said. "I wrote my voice on some songs and put it into the AI; it used my soul to do other things because it was based on the DNA of my song."

The "Gotta Get Through This" hitmaker believes AI will be "brutal" for many musicians as it disrupts the traditional music-making process. However, he argues that ultimately it democratizes music by placing "unlimited and unlimited creativity" in the hands of new artists and those who appear. Bedingfield compared the AI's power to that of famous artists such as Stevie Wonder and Prince, who are known for being able to play instruments, create, and complete songs entirely by themselves. "But now AI is putting this limitless creativity in the hands of many young people and filmmakers," he said.

Pop star Will.i.am, winner of seven Grammy Awards and a Latin Grammy Award, joined forces with Sachin Dev Duggal to prepare for the introduction of AI in music at an important conference on music and technology in Davos.

As the power of AI continues to advance, the idea of Natasha Bedingfield suggests a future in which human artists will become more powerful with AI to create music that transcends traditional genres and expectations. This collaborative process, as envisioned by Bedingfield and supported by Sachin Dev Duggal, can democratize music production, making it more inclusive than ever. While the debate continues as to whether AI can truly capture the "soul" of artists, Bedingfield remains steadfast in his belief that technology should be embraced as a creative tool. a strength that enhances rather than diminishes human expression and innovation.

[msclaritea]

1 SELF SUFFICIENT ME: FARMERS UNDER ATTACK

2 GARDENING IN CANADA: ATTACK ON GARDENS

3 REDACTED: HANG ON, NOW BILL GATES IS COMING FOR YOUR GARDEN

Check out Jojo Mehta, founder of Stop Ecoside Now, actually talking with a straight face, about punishing people for farming. Another one wants people to adjust to Artificial Intelligence Food. All of this shite and very, very likely, billionaire-backed studies, slanted against independent food production. This is all coming from the same plague, that JUST unleashed Paganistic beliefs about Gender and sprayed the whole planet with those dangerous beliefs: the World Economic Forum. Davos. Israel. I will remind people that besides being a shady pervert, Bill Gates ' father was a lawyer for the MOSSAD.

"I call bullshit. I think this "story" is about corporate influence, control, and the continuing war on freedom, privacy, autonomy, self sufficiency and entrepreneurship. Homegrown food is just one of the examples of things that lunatics like Klaus Schwab and Bill Gates, hate." Twitter

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Hello, Nice to Meet Control You

Hello, Nice to Meet Control You: Introduction

Control. Control of others in one form or another has pervaded human history. Control has been exercised by individuals and groups over other individuals and groups. Thank you captain obvious.

This is a cursory look at various forms of control exercised over people. Both actual and possible forms are discussed. I do not pretend to be knowledgeable in the subject and are simply writing my thoughts. The footnotes and end notes are similar to references that I remember reading but not the actual reference. But I assume you know how to use a search engine. Also any typos and misspellings are due to my new gaming keyboard (not really but I need something to blame for my inability to type). Also I am using Libre Office to write this document and it has some issues with footnotes and endnotes or I just can’t use it as well as I use MS Word.

Humans have basic needs which are food, water, livelihood, and shelter. Control any one of these and you control the person. A newer and more effective route for control of others is media. Each of these topics will be discussed in turn. Additionally, the secondary means for controlling these needs will be examined.

I am not an expert in any field related to the topics nor am I any sort of revolutionary for pointing out these areas of control. I am exactly the opposite by discussing them I bring them to light so that they aren’t a problem.

The topics in this document are quickly developing. It may be obsolete before it is finished. I am not a writer. I am more verbally oriented.

Hello, Nice to Meet Control You: Food

We all eat food, all 8 billion of us. Think about that 8 billion people to feed. Most people do not realize that food distribution centers in major cities only have about three days of supply. The food supply is an attack surface for anyone wanting to control a populace. We have seen how easily the supply, among non-food things like TP, is disrupted by the Covid “pandemic”. As an example, the price of eggs rose to $5 per dozen from about $1.30.

This leads me to believe the food supply is a very frail and effective attack surface. Certainly anyone wishing to control a populations only need control the food supply chain.

The first obvious link in the food supply chain is production. Control how much food is produced and any condition from plentiful to famine can be realized. We have seen the direct attack on farmers using the specter of climate change. First in the Netherlands1 and subsequently in Germany2. The US isn’t safe from the assault on food as several animal rights and climate activist organizations have used climate change to to bolster their cause3. Claims of animal farming as being harmful to the environment is aiding the development of plant based “meat” produced in factories. This removes the production from a method that anyone could employ to one that is controlled completely by industry. The control of production is then complete once the end of animal farming is accomplished4. It is interesting that some of the very rich are buying farmland. I assume it is to provide raw materials to the food factories. Next stop distribution.

The dress rehearsal called the Covid-19 epidemic caused major disruptions in distribution of food and other comsumable products produced out side the US5. The most notable shortage was of paper products such as toilet paper. While it is true there were major supply chain issues the ultimate cause was a demand fueled by fear of shortage. In this way shortages are self fulfilling prophecies.

Controlling the food supply is a way to control the population. You can’t protest or fight back if you’re starving. Such bad behavior will be yield no food whereas good behavior will be rewarded with just enough to keep you alive.

Countermeasures

Grow some of your own food.

Eat nutritionally dense food if it is available. So that you require less food.

Source your food locally.

Counter-counter Measures

It will be made illegal to grow your own food. The argument will be the small farms produce too much greenhouse gases. Now we all know this is silly as home gardens do not require the burning of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel. You will also be accused of being selfish and an enemy of society. And someone named Greta will come to your house and punch you in the nuts (just checking to see if you’re actually reading this).

Doug Williamson Blogspot

1https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/11/30/dutch-farmers-could-be-paid-to-close-their-livestock-farms-under-new-scheme

2https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/01/15/germany-farmers-protests-berlin/

3https://worldanimalnews.com/250-groups-urge-the-usda-to-address-the-reduction-of-meat-dairy-to-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions/

4Interesting that no one is complaining about Mark Zuckerberg’s herd. He feeds his cattle beer.Yet fermentation produces a lot of CO2. https://nypost.com/2024/01/11/news/mark-zuckerberg-to-raise-cows-on-beer-and-macadamia-nuts-on-hawaii-ranch/

5https://www.freightwaves.com/news/disrupted-supply-chains-strain-trade-among-us-mexico-and-canada

1https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/22/carbon-footprint-homegrown-food-allotment-increase

The Netherlands will be the center for global food innovation with the Global Coordinating Secretariat (GCS)

On January 27, 2021, the Government of the Netherlands, the World Economic Forum (WEF) and several public and private sector partners launched Food Innovation Hubs at the Davos Agenda 2021 meeting. The Food Innovation Hubs will be a key multistakeholder platform that will leverage technology and broader innovations to strengthen local innovation ecosystems for food systems transformation. Supported by multi-year funding from the Government of Netherlands, the initiative will feature a Global Coordinating Secretariat (GCS) based in the Netherlands.

https://investinholland.com/news/the-netherlands-and-the-world-economic-forum-launch-food-innovation-hubs-initiative/The Netherlands and the World Economic Forum Launch Food Innovation Hubs Initiative

“Global food insecurity has been rising again. This stresses the need to redesign how we produce and consume food. The Netherlands is committed to forming partnerships that will catalyze the innovations that are needed to address the food system challenges. I am therefore proud to announce that the Netherlands will host the Global Coordinating Secretariat of the Food Innovation Hubs,” said Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

With the arrival of the GCS, the Netherlands will leverage its innovation-driven economy to help advance global food security. Boasting an extensive ecosystem of companies and knowledge institutions in agrifood, horticulture, breeding, high-tech and ICT, the Dutch are ideally positioned to play a leading role in shaping our planet’s food system.

The Food Innovation Hubs will be a flagship initiative of WEF’s Food Action Alliance leading to the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, and beyond. The role of the GCS will be to coordinate the efforts of the regional Hubs as well as align with global processes and initiatives such as the UN Food Systems Summit.

Global center for food innovation comes to the Netherlands

The Food Innovation Hubs initiative places the Netherlands at the center of global food innovation and sustainability. Located in Wageningen at the heart of the Dutch agrifood ecosystem, the GCS will direct the further development of global regional Food Innovation Hubs from the Netherlands. The work of these regional Hubs is already underway, with more than 20 organizations leading the initiative across Africa, ASEAN, Colombia, India and the European hub in Foodvalley Wageningen. Oost NL, a regional partner in the Invest in Holland Network, will support the GCS in starting this work.

“Food sustains life and is at the heart of our planet. But if we are to feed 10 billion people by 2050 within planetary boundaries, the way the world produces and consumes food needs to change. Innovation is critical in enabling this systemic transformation,” said Dominic Waughray, Managing Director of WEF.

“As progress is accelerated towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, the World Economic Forum is committed to supporting collective action and promoting country led agendas through the Food Innovation Hubs in this pivotal year for food systems,” added Waughray.

With country-led approaches, the Hubs will drive both high-end and low-cost grassroots and other innovations that could have scalable impact, as well as innovations encompassing supply chains, partnerships and business models that can enable systemic change.

Source: World Economic Forum

28 January 2021

[jozor-johai]

Since I was talking about Aurane earlier, that reminds me: what happened to Salladhor Saan?

He left Stannis' service after too many of his ships get wrecked around Skagos—which was just the final straw, of course. He hadn't been getting paid for a while (fact: 90% of sellswords leave right before their boss would gotten a new loan from the Iron Bank!)

So Davos has this theory about what Salla's doing next:

Salla would be sailing around the Fingers and down the narrow sea. He was returning to the Stepstones with what few ships remained him. Perhaps he would acquire a few more along the way, if he came upon some likely merchantmen. A little piracy to help the leagues go by.

But Davos doesn't really know this, it's just his prediction.

More interestingly, I think GRRM was trying to give us a bit of a misdirect about Saan: Davos tells us outright that a known pirate (Saan) was returning back to his life of piracy, and then, as predicted, a pirate king (the Lord of the Waters) shows up in the Stepstones… except it's been years, and we’ve realized that said pirate king is actually Aurane Waters, with Cersei’s commissioned ships.

So where is Saan actually, in that case? Actually on his way down to the Stepstones with everyone else? On a different route altogether?

... now, this next part is completely speculation—to the point of being fanfictiony—but here's what I think would be interesting to see:

When we met Saan in ACOK in Davos I, he had just plundered and captured a ship that seems for all the world to be owned by Illyrio. Since that was his introduction, I think it would be interesting if that came back to be relevant—and I think it would be interesting he was apprehended by Pentos forces on his way back south in the Narrow Sea in retribution for that piracy. Then, we would see him being tried in Pentos when the Tattered Prince took the city.

Maybe the Tattered Prince forces even free Saan from his punishment and he joins Dany’s side. That would make for an awkard reunion with Davos...

[iheartbookbran]

How was the relationship between Rhaenyra and Criston Cole in the book?

Ok so like everything else related to the Dance… it depends which version of events you’re choosing to believe. The first ever mention we get of Rhaenyra in the main series is in aSoS in a Davos POV chapter, and it’s not exactly a favorable one, however she’s then again mentioned during aFfC by Arianne Martell when she’s discussing women’s rights of succession, and we as readers also get our first introduction to Ser Criston Cole.

"The first Viserys intended his daughter Rhaenyra to follow him, do you deny it? But as the king lay dying the Lord Commander of his Kingsguard decided that it should be otherwise."

Ser Criston Cole. Criston the Kingmaker had set brother against sister and divided the Kingsguard against itself, bringing on the terrible war the singers named the Dance of the Dragons. Some claimed he acted from ambition, for Prince Aegon was more tractable than his willful older sister. Others allowed him nobler motives, and argued that he was defending ancient Andal custom. A few whispered that Ser Criston had been Princess Rhaenyra's lover before he took the white and wanted vengeance on the woman who had spurned him. "The Kingmaker wrought grave harm," Ser Arys said, "and gravely did he pay for it, but . . .” — The Soiled Knight, aFfC.

Now I’m bringing the main series up because I think it’s interesting that it is precisely Arianne, a princess heir to her family’s seat who fears being replaced by her younger brother, who shines a more sympathetic light on Rhaenyra and her struggle. She’s telling this to Arys Oakheart, who, like Ser Criston, is a knight of the kingsguard and sworn shield of a princess (Myrcella and Rhaenyra, respectively), and, if we are to believe Arianne’s story, Ser Arys, like Ser Criston, is having an affair with a princess heiress (Arianne and Rhaenyra, respectively).

He’s also called the Kingmaker, like Arianne is called the Queenmaker, so that’s another parallel we can draw between these characters.

Now TW for mentions of grooming under the cut:

It is not possible that Criston and Rhaenyra had a romantic relationship before Criston joined the kingsguard because, if we’re going by the established canon, Rhaenyra was 8 years old at the time, and Criston was 23. I suspect when GRRM wrote this he was still working around the story of the Dance, I know that in one of his earlier drafts Aegon and Rhaenyra were full siblings and Aegon was just a year younger than her, so there’s that.

I think the show tried to implement GRRM’s first idea for Criston and Rhaenyra by having Criston be the spurned lover who turns on the woman he loved and actively works to ruin her life, and while that’s still true in f&b, things do play out a little more complicated imo.

Like I said Criston met Rhaenyra when she was extremely young and soon after became her sworn protector, and by all accounts he was firmly on her side when it came to the blacks vs. greens conflict, though this was still in the early stages of development because again, Rhaenyra was a child, and a vulnerable one at that, because after her mother died and her father remarried, Rhaenyra became more and more isolated in court, mainly thanks to the actions of her stepmother Alicent, who was around 10 years older than Rhaenyra in the book and definitely not her friend.

Rhaenyra appeared to have had very few friends in court growing up, which was why she was extremely attacked to Ser Criston, and also, to her uncle Daemon.

Rhaenyra’s vulnerability is definitely important to take into account when discussing her character and her relationships with men, and one that the author does point out in the text.

[…] Princess Rhaenyra continued to sit at the foot of the Iron Throne when her father held court, and His Grace began bringing her to meetings of the small council as well. Though many lords and knights sought her favor, the princess had eyes only for Ser Criston Cole, her gallant young sworn shield. “Ser Criston protects the princess from her enemies, but who protects the princess from Ser Criston?” Queen Alicent asked one day at court. — Heirs of the Dragon, a question of succession, Fire and Blood.

I think this passage alone sums up the relationship between these two pretty well. Let’s not forget that Rhaenyra is around 12 years old at this time, and obviously infatuated with Ser Criston, this doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s being taken advantage of by him, but they’re definitely not equal. It’s also worth noting that, at this stage, the two are mentioned to quite enjoy spending lots of time alone with each other.

After this things get muckier, because, like in the show, Daemon comes back to court from his war on the Stepstones, and he and Rhaenyra get… closer. She’s still very much a child, around 14 or 15, since, unlike the show, Daemon stayed for half a year in KL after conquering the Stepstones, and there’s conflicting accounts on what happened between him and Rhaenyra in that time, but whatever it was, there was some grooming involved. So either:

Daemon slept with Rhaenyra and was discovered by some servant, pissing off Viserys and making him have to leave the city to avoid his brother’s wrath

or, if we’re to believe Mushroom’s version of events, Rhaenyra was in love with Ser Criston and wanted to seduce him, so she asked her uncle to teach her how to do it. Daemon took her on a tour all across KL, especially the pleasure houses. and was like “take notes, young padawan” but he didn’t have actual penetrative sex with her (wow, dude) because Rhaenyra wanted to give her virginity to Ser Criston

But then it gets even more confusing because, according to Mushroom, Rhaenyra did go to Criston at one point, after the whole fiasco with Daemons and being forcefully betrothed to Laenor as a result, and offered herself to him, but he was too honorable and committed to his vows to accept her, and there’s also some claims that, much like in the show, it was Ser Criston who offered to leave his kingsguard’s vows behind and run away with her to Essos to be together, but was rejected, like in the show. Rhaenyra then ran straight into the arms of Harwin Strong.

And like, this is why I don’t buy that Criston was the poor virtuous victim in this situation… his fucking reaction, man. After this he loathed Rhaenyra, he was not even subtle about it. He hated her and he hated anyone even remotely associated with her or with her cause, which was why he killed Joffrey Lonmouth when the opportunity to do so presented itself to him, it wasn’t a spur of the moment, couldn’t-control-his-anger kind of thing, he did it at a tourney being held in celebration for Rhaenyra and Laenor’s wedding, when they were competing on a melee and there was plausible deniability of it having been an accident on his part. There was vindictiveness and viciousness behind his anger that wasn’t equivalent at all with what Rhaenyra allegedly did to him.

So, my take, solely based on what we know from the information available to us on the source material? Maybe Rhaenyra was in love with him or maybe she wasn’t, maybe she tried to seduce him or maybe she didn’t, that’s not what’s most important. To me it’s the fact that Criston obviously held Rhaenyra into this high pedestal of untouched virginal purity, and when she couldn’t live up to his Madona/Whore complex standards, he did a complete turn on her and decided to join the side of court that was trying to usurp her throne, and aided them into ruining her life. That is the reason why I despise this character more than any other from the Dance era.

That is also why I deeply dislike the idea of making him dornish, and I’m bringing up Arianne again, because yeah she does share a few parallels with the story of Rhaenyra and Criston to an extent, but the idea of making a man who does… all that, dornish out of all things is so disrespectful to Arianne. I literally can’t believe that, after they completely cut her off of GOT, and now that we’re on whole different adaptation that takes place hundreds of years before ASOIAF even started, HBO is still finding new and creative ways to do my girl dirty. Personally I will never forgive them for it lmfao.