#i'm not defending razing king's landing

[autumnwhistles]

Middle Of Nowhere — Full Lyrics

As promised, here are the first lyrics to the first song in my Last Life Musical concept album (“Middle Of Nowhere”) a few hours before its release!

The song is split into two parts – the overture (which isn't strictly an overture since there's also singing, but still is a mainly instrumental section meant to introduce future themes), which isn't heavily plot relevant but does talk a little about what happened in the 'world' preceding this one (aka 3rd Life); and the main song, which introduces us to the Last Life world through the eyes of the chorus, who are Watchers narrating the events (as I'm basing it on Martyn's canon).

Normal text is for chorus, bold is for players, and italics are for lyrics happening at the same time as each other:

-Overture- Ludo ludete,* Ludo ludete, Ludo ludete! [Intrumental] Oh, gone, the kingdom fallen on the mountain Bare, the sands, their cacti alone Flowers razed and castles left abandoned Now we stage another show! So build up the frozen north! A south that shall fall to flames – Renew and repeat the game!  [Instrumental] -Middle of Nowhere- There is an old, old tale to be told, Of green like the spruce, of crimson and gold. Of crystals and curses, lives swapped and sold, Stories we’ll now behold. There is an old, old song to be sung/Look to the frozen north! Of victors that lost and victims that won/Look to the south in flames! Bonds forged in fire lie shattered and dull/Look to the fallen fort! All cast aside for one/Come on and play the game There is a land, in the middle of nowhere. It was too long ago there, Since last stories arose. So the tale is told, of the middle of nowhere: Watch and witness the show there, As our appetite grows! There is an old, old world to be moulded, Flames to be doused and craters unfolded Forests to spread, dark shadows to sprawl-/ Look to the names! Herald the cue!  Red leaves to mark the colours of the first to fall/Rise, rise anew! There is a call, and flocking, they come, Like moths to a flame or clouds to the sun! Ships to a whirlpool yet struggling still- Look to the trees! Look to the hills! Look to them, all the same/Look to the peaks, Helpless to play their game/Good for defence, style’s just pretence/Gather the sand, gather all the cane you can! And look there, could be a home, let's form a plan!/Ahhh Six, five, four, three, two, one! Look to their land, in the middle of nowhere!/There is an old, old right to be fought for: lives to be lived, and not lived for naught – Through the wants and the woe there/To laugh, be alive, defend our pride, Herald what must be done/To cause chaos, to protect, to attack! Best all in this land, in the middle of nowhere/Strike one! Strike two! You're done! You're through! Take your friends for your foes there/No time for mercy Till a champion has won/when the only thing that you can do is- Four for the traitor, four for the pawn, Six for the swindler selling the dawn; Five for the wolf and three for the mole, Two for the witness outstepping his role. Four, the enigma and expert alike, Three, the beholder, avoiding the strike; Two for the martyr, six for the moon, Two for the fierce-hearted cynic, untombed! [Instrumental] Three for the hero, four for the dame/There is an old tale, now soon to come, Six for the self-dubbed master of games/The stage has been set, the bell has been rung, let curtains soon rise, let lights dim as one! Two, for the king with no subjects to call/The audience trembles, anxious to know what joys and disasters they shall be shown in- Two, the canary, destined to fall.../-all, when the curtains fall... Caught in this land, in the middle of nowhere. Will it still end in woe there? Will it all come undone?/Did you hear that sound?** So many feelings so grand can arise from the middle of nowhere!/Did you hear that voice?** But – let our stars lead the show there, Heeding: our will be done!

(all lyrics and music by me)

*(hopefully) "play the game" in Latin (imperative for multiple people) **the player who sings this is Martyn – but listener Martyn is NOT canon, I am going by his lore. It's a setup to the fact that the voices speak to him (they're probably letting him hear some to mess with him), and also a way to move the musical to his perspective for the next song.

[hiding-in-the-vault]

I'm not sure about your last post : do you want people to ask about your AUs or to talk about theirs ?

In case it's the second I had a whole AU with pirates DSMP : Wilbur and his crew (the L'Manburgians) are pirates looking for freedom, stealing the navy and the rich to protect their freedom. They are pursued by Dream, captain of the Navy (first fight breaks out when Sapnap, one captain, lost a ship). The L'Manburgians are state's enemies but the King, George, actually quite likes them and always makes it so they can escape. Things reaches a statu quo with Dream getting more and more frustrated by his inability to keep the Sea safe (especially bc his King doesn't seem to take the threat srsly).

With Eret (former pirate)'s help, Dream manages to take down L'Manburg ship and take every pirates prisonner. George steals Dream's keys to break the prisonner out, not thinking farther than he wants them out and not argue with Dream.

Dream take the betrayal terribly and ask for a break, which everyone (except George) knows mean things got too far. Punz goes with him, Sapnap stay to keep George and the kingdom sage. Eret gets the noble place in the King's court they asked for against L'Manburg betrayal.

Wilbur spirals after the loss of his ship and Eret's betrayal, meaning a loss of everything he believed in. He tries to restart the ship's legend, but new recruits (Quackity) propose themselves as captains, showing off their good allyship with the great pirate Schlatt. Wilbur loses the election... and Q too, short circuited by Schlatt who bribed the majority of the sailors.

The man almost kills Wilbur and Tommy to avoid any regrets from the crew (creating ironically immediately regrets in the crew), and they run away.

Schlatt keeps building up his float, becoming a gigantic threat on the see against George's Kingdom. Sapnap and Eret tries to coordinate each in their own way a defense (Eret tracks back Wilbur and Tommy and offer them a refuge, which Wilbur accepts very reluctantly and with copious amount of insults/Sapnap is always on the naval front). Tommy, finally saying in one place, manages to contact Tubbo, who tries to keep him updated on Schlatt. Annoyed by Niki's opposition to killing children and women while razing town, Schlatt make her walk the plank, darkening his crew's moral.

Tubbo's betrayal is swiftly paid for when a dark silhouette steal his letter and send him drowning in the sea. Luckily for Tubbo, Niki wasn't far, clutching to the ship to stay alive in the small boat Fundy had hidden down until they reached the coast. She saves him last second. He reveals to her what he knows about Wilbur and Tommy and they go there, both suffering terrible illness and unable to report for now. Tommy is very worried but Eret covers the doctor.

In a bold move, Schlatt attacks George's land. The army is floored by the pirates' efficiency and Sapnap came to the horrific conclusion that the pirates know too much : they must have had insider info which means there's a traitor in the King's Court. And indeed, he finds George, in full happy tears reunion with Dream (who got a knife in hand but it's unclear whether he'd do anything). Sapnap immediately defends his King, who can't understand Dream would betray them. When Punz arrive to help Dream, Sapnap and George are forced to run away.

Wilbur hears the commotion and Tubbo wake up just long enough to confirm Schlatt had plans to take the kingdom for himself. Wilbur, still shaken by his own doubts, goes out decidely. He immediately falls on Techno (The mysterious letter stealer ! He was on the search for his mate's son who disappeared mysteriously with his ship. As of now, he was a threatening pirate enrolled under Schlatt to find the best clues). He forcebly make himself Wilbur's guard at least until his mate arrive. Tommy follows.

Eret is coordinating the war effort as best as she can, Sapnap having left to check on George. Still, Schlatt forces are too big. Then arrives Wilbur who rallies first his own crew then Eret's men to fight against the pirates. Recognizing the legendary captain, many pirates rally him. Schlatt's men are beaten, the castle secured back by Eret - Schlatt dies on his ship at the news, cardiac arrest Q could have healed if he so wanted. As people are celebrating, Wilbur is intrigued by the silhouette of Dream who guides him in the caves under the castle. There, he finds a ginormous amount of dynamite and no Dream. By activating that trap, he'd clear the castle of the map and liberate the sea from all the laws the kingdom applies on it. He hesitates (the reader won't know what he would've chosen) : but the explosion happens anyway. Only a fragment of it though, as if the line between the main explosive and the rest was cut. Tommy and Techno find the pirate under the rocks, unconscious.

Eret is elected to be the new Sovereign as they were the most present. Sapnap and George are in exile. Dream and Punz are still around, dangerous threats both against the kingdom and the pirates. Q took back Schlatt's place and is fighting to create his very own name out there. Wilbur, after being unconscious several weeks, wake up but has no memory of anything. Tommy thinks getting back on a ship will help him gain memories back and Tubbo greets them on the new "L'Manburg".

There's another arc behind but idk if that was even interesting here lol

I know there were A LOT of liberties taken with canon but I just typed that resume out, I'd hope the final product is more polished. And I'm not sure if total plagiarism is good, but on the other hand I don't like how some characters relations/interractions appear ? So, still in progress. But there's at least one AU ^^

The answer to your first question is always an enthusiastic Both :]

Anyway, that was an interesting read! Can never go wrong with a fun pirate themed re-write! That said, nothing wrong with taking liberties with canon either. Why not, after all! But even if you kept it closer to canon, I don't think it would really fall under plagiarism since it's more of an adaptation, but hey im no lawyer!

Anyway. Them vibes. You mentioned readers, so i'm envisioning this in a fic format; it sounds like a lotta fun :D and a lotta work : D but hey I believe in you. If there's anything I understand, it's the AU grind~

Tho me being drolo pilled, so I can't help but wonder what Dream's goal is, if we don't have the whole revive book thing and the prison to head his Plan™ like in canon.

I also like the detail of Wilbur getting amnesia in place of dying. Sure it's a cliche but whatever, it can be fun. There is angst angstier then death sometimes ;p

[seirosu]

uvu hc + emperor wilhelm

send me  ‘ hc ‘  + a word and i’ll write a headcanon about it regarding my character.

this is probably less of a cohesive headcanon and more of a dive into my personal take on fanon amid a ton of headcanon , but i don't think its easy to talk about wilhelm without giving some context as to my own version of the first emperor .

( nevermind rhea throwing away all her work because -- this quote is important )

seiros met wilhelm long before the founding of the adrestian empire . once an unknown boy from a long lost rural hamlet in the south of fodlan , wilhelm made a name for himself before ever joining force with seiros . as a young man , he was vivacious and ambitious character whose personal experiences walked him down a path of decisive action and organization against the rise in careless violence , theft , and razing coming out of the north of fodlan , where nemesis had long prior ascended to the status of a legendary ( and mythological ?? ) " king " for his gifts of power he'd shared with the bandit groups of the northern lands .

wilhelm gained favor whilst heading a small resistance group against the excess of bandit activity migrating into the south during his lifetime . he stood for the working people , primarily those who were unequipped to defend their villages against the northern bandit invasions . upon reuniting with seiros , they combined force to develop a militia force that would eventually ( largely by way of elective auspices or lack of other option ) evolve into an empire that consumed the southern lands -- the adrestian empire .

ultimately , the two sought to condemn nemesis on behalf of the goddess ( seiros ; spiritual power ) and the people (wilhelm ; physical power ) . the people largely supported wilhelm as there had been no other union of power in the south and the isolated villages otherwise were powerless to defend themselves . and seiros , having long made a name for herself by way of her patronage and support in the south , had already gained much favor .

saint seiros and emperor wilhelm are the double headed eagle that represents adrestia , and very popular figures of their time . so , i bring this all up to reiterate that from a historical and political lens , yes , these two were very crucial allies essential to the foundings of the universe of 3 houses .

but i want to take out that line from above : he saved me . i'm sure his strength and prowess is great , and he has physically saved rhea many times ( not unlike jeralt ) but i took this line and ran with it . one thing about seirros is that whether she's aware of it or not , she's always looking to others for safety , comfort , and change . she alone will never be the trigger for large change -- because seiros/rhea represents stagnation as security .

what wilhelm did , was reinstill a level of trust and love for humanity that seiros had previously treaded away from wearily . i often regard those years prior to the establishment of the empire as a period of half-life for seiros , who largely avoided connecting with living beings and locked herself into this internalized quest to avenge-the-dead-before-joining-them . he pushed her in positive ways and she grew to trust his judgement at times more than her own .

wilhelm's very nature challenged seiros to be okay with the discomfort of being alive .

it also does help that seiros and wilhelm share a common interest in nemesis and the northern bandits . in my interpretation , wilhelm's father passes away in the razing of his farming village by northern bandits . . . prompting a very personal vendetta against the legendary king of bandits for promoting and encouraging such behavior . wilhelm lost a father , and seiros lost a mother . they both become known for supporting the south . both , are fiercely determined and ambitious people . even when operating separately , they channel the same hopes for the future .

it really was inevitable for the two of them to form a very passionate relationship . and wilhelm , always knew it . however , seiros's lifespan is far longer than wilhelm's and as such they fell prey to the issue of . . . being the right person at the wrong time . seiros is very much so on a journey -- one that continues on far after wilhelm is dead -- and her one fatal flaw is her inability to see a future for herself .

he wants to marry her , to put name to their relationship and love , but she keeps saying no . he's asked her three times . she's always run away . not yet . its not the right time . she's not ready . that's where they are at this point . its not due to any lack of affection , nor its not a disagreement or misunderstanding . i think its very fitting for seiros to deny her own personal happiness in favor of pursuing this higher . . . ' purpose ' she's clinging to by serving as a proxy for her mother . in the end , seiros learns to live , but not for herself .

seiros's love for wilhelm is very strong and enduring . looking ahead , rhea holds onto that relationship very close to her heart generations later . she tolerates no slander or bastardization of that part of her life . she loved the imperial bloodline for generations after because of that love and respect for wilhelm . he was special .

he had reminded her of the joys of music . he had taught her to be open to experience . he had reminded her to have humor in the dark . had taught her that she was beautiful for just existing . he got her emoting and expressing herself again . he made her powerful . he made her a home . he made her laugh and play and have fun --

he helped her reunite with her mother . he gave her a lot of hope .

man , he did save , support , and gave his all to her , y'all .

[violetfaust]

Tywin Lannister sacked King’s Landing. Was he a Mad King?

Or a Mad Lord. Whatever. 

Mace Tyrell starved Storm’s End for a year. Was he a Mad Lord?

Stannis Baratheon burned his failed advisers alive. Was he a Mad Lord?

Ned Stark and Jon Snow beheaded/hanged (respectively) traitors. Were they Mad Lords?

Jaime Lannister was prepared to murder every person in Riverrun. Is he a Mad Knight? (Okay, that one might be a bad example.)

Heck, a few generations decades ago, the Tywin Lannisters exterminated an entire house and wrote a damn song about it that they play at every party they throw. (And at some parties the Freys throw.) Yet nobody calls Tywin’s grandfather (?) a Mad Lord.

Westerosi warfare is as brutal as its justice. Yet the response to all these generally seems to be, at worst, “Well, he’s a dick but he gets the job done.” 

And that’s not even mentioning the horrors that even Westerosi recognize as atrocities (the Red Wedding, Roose Bolton’s/the Mountain’s torture circus at Harrenhall, Cersei blowing up the sept, Ramsay’s everything). Even those people seem to get a “Hooboy, how evil, better not cross them” not “Look out, he/she’s KUH-RAY-ZAY!!!”

But Dany, who has tried fifteen ways from Sunday to conquer with the least loss of life (and yes I know that’s a weird phrase) no matter how furious she is personally, is a Mad Queen not only to her own advisers but to the fans and narrative itself?